At any sporting event, a fan base is vital. It brings energy, entertainment and a good atmosphere to the games. After all, no team is really a team without fans and supporters. During high school games, the student section can be arguably the most fun and energetic part of the crowd and game. But with less than 50% of the stands full, our student section is lackluster to say the least.
First, come to sporting events, all of them for any sport. Obviously you won’t be able to make every game for a number of reasons but if you can get a group of friends together and go as a group, you can make it fun and entertaining. Secondly, participation is key. It’s not hard to stand up and cheer along with chants led by seniors or Cheer and Pom. Lastly, dress up with the themes! Themes are set to make the sporting events fun and give some variety to the event, so it’s not the same thing every week. However it defeats the purpose if the majority doesn’t dress up.
Over the past few years attendance has dropped, not so much for football games but for other sports like volleyball, basketball and soccer. Hardly anyone shows up, and those who do don’t exactly make an effort to lead the crowd.
At the Oct. 6 home game against Guthrie, the theme was USA and the temperature had finally dropped so it was finally a perfect time to wear pants and a sweatshirt or jacket to the game. It would have been an exciting game except for the fact that no one showed up.
The photo shows the poor attendance at that game. This was as large as our student section got that night. You wouldn’t have been able to tell the theme by just looking at the crowd, and little to no cheering or crowd involvement went on.
This was the student section by the middle to end of the third quarter. The team was losing, but it was no help when half of their fans gave up on them and left.
The lack of school spirit our student body has is unimpressive. Many of us play sports and understand the importance of a fan base. So, here is a list of a few things we can do to increase school spirit.
- Come to sporting events.
- Dress out in the themes (It’s fun).
- Participate in the activities leading up to the games like assemblies, and there are sometimes activities Clancy Club puts on before the games.
- Bring friends with you so you are not alone.
Going to these events and showing school spirit isn’t weird. It can actually be really fun. A lot of people put in time and effort to make the games fun and enjoyable, so when no one shows up it’s like they’ve done it for nothing. This is a part of the high school experience. When we look back at these years we want to remember the memories we made at these games, but we can’t if no one goes.
