Gannon Knight Sports

     Normal fans of Gannon University sports tend to show their support in the usual ways. Some chant, others wave towels, most wear team-appropriate clothing.
     Then there are those who choose to support their clubs in more unique ways, like R.C. Griffin and Dom Lombardi.
     Griffin, the campus minister for athletics, and Lombardi, a sophomore biology/pre-dental major, have vowed not to cut their hair until the women’s basketball team either loses a game or wins the national championship.
     The idea started as a joke between Griffin, Lombardi and Gannon guards Tiffany Crocker and Kristina Freeman before the season, but quickly grew into a reality.
     “When they first said to do it, I thought it was funny,” Lombardi said. “I expected them to do well, but I wasn’t expecting to not cut my hair for this long.”
     The duo has gone months since their last haircuts, a change for Griffin, who has kept to a short hairstyle.
     “I haven’t had long hair since high school,” Griffin said. “My head has been buzzed for the past eight years. It feels weird now.”
     The public consensus for the duo’s show of team pride veers toward support, according to Griffin, although there are some significant dissenters.
     “The students are all about it, even some of the staff loves it,” Griffin said. “The only person on earth against it is my wife. It’s a battle for her; she doesn’t want the team to lose, but she wants me to cut my hair.”
     Griffin was not the only one whose significant other was displeased by their hairy situation.
     “I broke up with my girlfriend during the season, but it was a big deal to her that I wasn’t getting my haircut because of the women’s basketball team,” Lombardi said.
     Despite the resistance, the two still have refrained from shearing their locks for the squad. Extended hair care time and, in Lombardi’s case, the need for conditioner is a small cost in order to help cheer on the women.
     “My hair takes longer to prepare now, and even then it can look ridiculous,” Lombardi said. “But these girls are awesome; they deserve the support.”
     While Griffin joked that he’d like to think that their hair-brained scheme is the source behind the women’s success, both said they know that the team has earned every bit of its 28-0 record so far this season.
     “Their success is a direct result of the team’s chemistry and trust,” Lombardi said. “You don’t see that in the teams that don’t do well.”
     Griffin agreed with his partner in crime.
     “They don’t showboat about their success, they just play hard,” Griffin said. “They’re women of integrity.”
     Because of the team’s well-deserved success, the two men remain bound to their pact. Despite the playful derision by friends and family, including Lombardi’s roommate Ryan Maloney, a sophomore sports management and marketing major, who called his friend’s curly display of support “atrocious,” the duo proudly continue on as the season grows long.
     With the way the team has been playing this season, there is reason to believe that their promise won’t be cut short.