This article is the second part in a three-part series that explores the different aspects of sporting events at a game beyond what happens on the field. Also, check out “The Morale of the Game” (Dec. 26) and “Different Elements to a Game: The Band” (Jan. 9, 2024).
The student section may be one of the most talked about elements of a high school basketball game, but what goes into a student section? How are the themes picked and spread around the school so all the students know what to wear? Are the cheers made on the spot or are they pre-planned? Who are the leaders of the student section is it seniors, or who is the loudest?
The first objective the most is to find the theme.
“The student section themes are planned by the seniors in the LHS Pep Club, and the members of the club take a vote on whether they like the idea or not,” junior Micah Rogers said. “The official themes are posted on social media or sent out by seniors in Pep Club.”
Themes for the next home game can be found by going to Instagram and typing in lhs.pep.club.
A student section can only be as good as the chants. The LHS student section normally stays with the original chants that are used year in and year out.
“If a new one gets started, it just gets created by someone saying something funny at the moment,” junior Kate Maxson said. “Then, sometimes, it just sort of sticks and will become a new thing that we’ll say.
It’s up to the comedians to come up with something original and funny in the student section, but sometimes, no chants are needed.
“Sometimes, we don’t even chant,” Rogers said. “We just yell and scream to try to distract the other team.”
Not only is the student section there to annoy the other team, but the main goal of the student section is to always be supportive of the team that is representing the school.
sums it up well saying “The main goal for the student section is to get students involved and hype up our teams,” junior Emilia Rozzi said. “It’s always better when your peers are behind you rooting for you and hyping you up.” This is truly the main goal of the student section to always be supportive of the team that is representing the school.
This policy is instated by the leaders of the student section, a committee of upperclassmen.
“We all take part in supporting, but upperclassmen, especially the seniors are the ones that lead the pack,” Maxson said. “Those of us who are older, have a better idea and more experience of how the student section should roll. We’re naturally better leaders because of our seniority.”
They rely on the other people in the section to know and be able to start chants so that the next grade can be able to run the student section.
According the Rozzi, the juniors are the most supportive, but she also said it could be any grade on any night.
“I think juniors have the most people in the student section, but it’s a pretty close count between all grades,” Rozzi said.
Students who want to support the Berries basketball teams at their next home game can do so when the boys team plays Western on Jan. 6, 2024, and the girls will play Rochester on Jan. 10, 2024.
