Student Section viKINGS Of The Stadium
Arick Ames
Staff Writer
The student section is a big part of Waverly sporting events. It is important not only to the players in the game by pumping athletes up, but it is vital for the school in general. It shows that students care about the school functions and it gives them a good name.
And, with their strong emotions they have a great impact on the players.
“The student section helps us get pumped up,” senior Olivia Boender said. “When they are fired up, it helps us get momentum and ready to play.”
Even though the student section is an important element in sports, there can be a negative side. Sometimes students get too excited and go overboard; which can cause poor gameplay and create an atmosphere of bad sportsmanship. Overall, students usually stay optimistic and hardly ever act poor, during games.
“We feed off their energy and their cheering,” junior Sam Hart said. “The only drawback is that sometimes they don’t cheer.”
Throughout the years, the student section has changed as classes graduate and others come in. Changes also come to the players’ peers from freshman year to their senior year. Certain years were great, while other years weren’t as favorable. It just depends on the students at the time. “The student section has gotten more involved since my freshman year,” Boender said, “and there are a lot more people who come to games.”
However there wouldn’t be as many people coming to games and participating if it weren’t for the Viking Crew leaders. They come to the games to support the teams and spread the word to others so more will come to events. They also make the themes that students wear to the games and so much more.
It takes strong leadership to be able to handle such a big part of the crew as a leader.
“I did volunteer to do this. I run the Viking Crew twitter page, and the bulletin boards in the commons,” senior Adisyn Verkamp said. “So basically I run the whole organization side of things, and Brody Murphy is the one who calls out cheers and gets the section going.”
Any students that want to get more involved in the Viking Crew, you’re able to check twitter, billboards in the commons and you can talk to Verkamp. Any important information will be in announcements as well, so students can keep posted.
At the end of the day, the student section will always be there for the school’s sporting teams and ultimately for the rest of the students. Through thick and thin, students have stayed positive and done their best. All it takes is a little bit of drive to be apart of the student section, and a great deal of positive attitude.
