I have had the privilege of experiencing some great supporting crowds in my early days of being a sports journalist. Not to diss any cheerleaders or band members out there, but in my opinion a great loud and proud crowd can bolster the performance of the student-athletes more than anything.

With my first writing job for the Indiana Statesman (the Indiana State University school paper) I had the honor of covering the Women's Basketball team exclusively. Their faithful out numbered the men's program nearly two-fold -- at both home and away games. This was my first encounter, first hand, of just how a great enthusiastic crowd can make a team play at another level.

Then last spring, I was blessed with covering the Shakamak baseball team on their historical ride to the schools first state championship. The columbia blue and white faithful could be heard loud and proud each and every game, no matter what weather elements were faced and where the game was played at.

And now my latest encounter is the "twelfth man" for the Linton-Stockton football team. The loud and boisterous red and white crowd backing the Miners gridiron team is certainly making their case for best fans around.

I have made the trek with the team on their post-season ride through two tough road games against two talented ranked undefeated teams and have also roamed the sidelines for their two home games. One thing remains the same, the Miner crowds have seemed to grow larger with each passing week. OK, I stand corrected, there are two constants -- the crowd and never the same type of weather conditions two weeks in a row.

Being on the sidelines taking note of the action on the field, it gives me goose bumps listening to how energetic this crowd gets when the players and coaches run onto the field, during the opening kickoff and after each big play the team makes. Now that last sentence should speak volumes coming from a former football player than donned the purple and gold of close rival Sullivan.

I do not really remember a whole lot about the Miners crowd during my four years as the enemy, as I was able to block out most everything that was not on the field, but there is no doubt now how energetic and passionate these fans are and can be about their beloved Miners.

During post-game interviews with both players and coaches -- opposing coaches included -- the support of the crowd is always brought up. It is common occurrence to hear professional players proclaim their championship they just won, was for their fans, but to hear high school coaches and teenage athletes announce they want to win just as much for the fans as they do for each other is something else. Especially in a day and age, where so many athletes are overly concerned with themselves.

During the two playoff games at Tecumseh and Rockville it was hard to determine which team was playing at home. I am sure that the Braves and Rox did not feel much of a home field advantage even though their opponents were more than an hours drive away. One thing is a certain though, for the two games played at Roy Williams Field thus far in the post-season, there has been no doubt who the home team has been. The unbelievable support from die-hard fans coupled with an already tough and talented team on the field, sure makes for a long night for the opposing team.

Many nay-sayers may argue that it is easy to back a winner and true fans are determined on the size of the crowd when teams are not playing at their best. Chicago Cubs fans are the prime example of this statement, but to those nay-sayers I pose this question. Without the support of a great energetic crowd who is to say the team would not be as successful?

As an athlete all throughout my life I have experienced performing in front of both small and large crowds. I can attest that when performing in front of the much larger crowds there is a greater sense of urgency, more adrenaline and you perform at a higher level because you do not want to let down those supporting you.

This Friday night the Miners will face yet another undefeated team in the form of Indianapolis Ritter. Without a doubt I know the red and white faithful will be heard across town from well before kickoff until the final horn -- and maybe even beyond then. The only question is will Ritter be able to perform under the pressure of the "twelfth man"?

Travis David is a sports writer for the Greene County Daily World and can be reached at 812-847-4487 ext 20 or tdavid@gcdailyworld.com