I got a question for the board. Particularly for HS students that view here. Who has the best student sections in Nebraska High Schools? What makes them so great? How do you get kids to show up? I think bigger schools obviously have bigger population of kids to draw from. But how about the smaller C1 and lower schools. And not just football, all sports. I think football is easily and very well attended because it is on a Friday with no school on Saturday. But how do you get the crowds on Monday - Thursday. Very interested to see ideas.
Student Sections - All Sports
- Thread starter fbgrind
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It appears to me it first takes a program that is successful enough to pique the students interest. After that it feeds on itself. It becomes a cultural thing. It is also beneficial to have students who are not shy about being in front of a crowd and a lot of times this means Speech team members, one act play members, etc. And having a good band is huge. Atmosphere is everything. Kids today are having blackouts, whiteouts, camo day, and so forth. There is considerable coordination and there are definite leaders. It is almost choreographed. The key point is the kids are having fun. You want to see enthusiasm, go to a real rivalry volleyball game on a Tuesday or Thursday night. The student sections stand the whole game and dance and chant. Look at the teams whose fans that win the NSAA sportsmanship awards for each class at tournament time. Who wouldn't want to be involved.
Bruiser's post makes a number of good points. I would add that in recent years some schools have issued activity passes that allow their students to attend regular season home games for free. It hurts the gate but it helps get kids to the games and it helps concessions. Some schools might have three or four home activities in a week and that can be expensive for some.
I don't know why this particular venue stands out to me, but for whatever reason it does. One of my boys was playing basketball at West Point High. It was a regular season game about 3 days before we were to return to the same venue for the East Husker Conference Tournament. That place was absolutely packed with people, including the large baseline bleachers that they had pulled out. It seemed as if that entire bleacher was nothing but students. It was so loud in that place that our team could barely communicate during a timeout, much less while playing.
For me, that was probably the most intimidating environment I remember. I don't know if that is normal for that place or not.
For me, that was probably the most intimidating environment I remember. I don't know if that is normal for that place or not.
ClkTwr, that is exactly what I was talking about. Volleyball, basketball, same thing. The enclosed environment of a gym and a couple of rowdy crowds. I am sure Class A and B schools can have great crowds in their larger venues. But a Class C or smaller school, in their appropriately smaller sized, gym is electric. Asking fans to move their legs so a player can take the ball out, priceless. It still gives me goosebumps. (Sorry, I think I just peed a little.)
When I was in high school a few years ago at a small C-1 school, our volleyball and basketball games would be electric. Our student section would take up large portions of the bleachers and it was amazing. The following year, our administration had to "crack down" on us, because according to parents from other schools, we were too loud. Never disrespectful in my mind, but once they took the fun out of cheering for our fellow classmates, the student section has never been the same.
Oh yes the political correctness bug. "Not fair for our kids that your fans are so loud." "Oh, all they care about is sports in that school. We teach our kids to be better people." "We can't get our fans to quit sitting on their hands, so we want to bring you down to our level." " If we only had a level playing field, we would be winning." Blah, blah. I had a coach once that was getting tired of someone complaining that football just wasn't fun. He said "Try winning more often and the fun takes care of itself.." Fact of the matter is, it isn't fun to lose. It isn't fun for the players and it isn't fun for the fans. People worried about the other teams crowd, typically doesn't have much of their own to cheer about.
Nothing better than winning a game on the road in front of a large and loud crowd. It's even more fun when that large crowd starts to leave with 2 minutes to go in the game because they know they are beat.
