Bring the noise: Themes, cheers and attire put a charge into student sections

The high school football and basketball seasons are the most exciting times of the year for many students. A great way of showcasing that excitement is by participating in the school's student section, where fans root for their team and cheer with fellow friends and schoolmates. "We believe the best part of leading the student section at sporting events is that it creates unity," Whitney High senior Jace Gillmore says. "At Whitney, we create an experience like no other and our main goal is just to create a family and back up our players and really make an impact on the game if we can." Student fan sections have grown considerably in popularity in recent years. Some have even gained the opportunity to lead their fellow fans with chants and bring energy to school stadiums and gyms. "The best part of getting to lead the student section is being able to bring the whole school together and just having a blast with all my friends," Roseville senior Grace Aubin says. "The Tiger Cage drives the energy in the stadium, and the football games wouldn't be the same without our student section. If our team is down, they have the Tiger Cage to encourage them and cheer them on. It truly changes the pace of the game and helps us win." That sentiment is echoed by many who participate in student sections, as they hope the energy they bring can be infectious to the rest of the fans on the home side. "I think that the louder and more passion that our student section has not only affects the people in the stands and the energy coming from the rest of the stands, but it also helps the energy on the field and in the whole stadium," West Park senior Madison Hamm says. Players and coaches in the area seem to agree: The better the student section, the better the home-field advantage. "It's very hard to come into Del Oro and win," Del Oro football coach Mike Maben said after the Golden Eagles' homecoming 42-13 win over Menlo-Atherton on Sept. 16. "It's a hard place to come in and have a great game so I think our kids fed off that energy of the Black Hole and the community and performed very well." That home-field advantage is especially important as the final weeks of football and volleyball season approach. With playoff games on school campuses, a loud and rowdy student section can cause fits for an opposing offense and provide an advantage that can be the difference between winning and losing. In addition to feeding off the energy of their classmates, athletes want to put on a show for their friends in the crowd. Amelie Lo Jacono credited her team's energy to the home crowd following Bear River's 3-1 victory over Fresno Christian on Nov. 8 in the opening round of the NorCal Regional Division V girls volleyball tournament. "I was really scared that this was gonna be our last game. All of my best friends are in the crowd and I really just wanted to show up for my whole team. I love this team so much," Lo Jacono said. "In front of our crowd, I just wanted us to put out our best energy." There are a number of chants student sections and leaders will come up with at games. "My favorite chant is most definitely our 'Ain't no party like a Zebra party cause a Zebra party don't stop,' as it's a really high-energy chant and has a good upbeat mood to it and gets everyone hyped," Lincoln senior Beni Njomo says. Some schools have unique chants that are rarely heard in other schools, such as Del Oro doing the famous Florida State tomahawk chop after a big defensive play, or Colfax's Spongebob Squarepants chant at the start of the third quarter. Student sections have also seen a large amount of participation at newer schools in the area, such as West Park in Roseville and Twelve Bridges in Lincoln. "It's great to help get our school on the map when it comes to popular student sections in the area," Twelve Bridges junior Kelsey Kurland says. "The student section has grown significantly from last year, and it definitely helps that we have another class, but I also feel people are more excited and they want to come out to the games to participate in the themes and student section." Another aspect that makes student sections an exciting experience is rivalry games. There are plenty of "friendly" rivalries in the area, such as Lincoln vs. Placer, Woodcreek vs. Roseville, Granite Bay vs. Del Oro and Whitney vs. Rocklin. "Our annual Quarry Bowl against Whitney High School will forever go down as my favorite Friday night as a Storm leader," Rocklin senior Madelina Hazlett said. "Our rivalry brought out the fire in everyone. It was the epitome of a tough fight, and for four quarters every single person in those stands were yelling, living in the moment to win, and most importantly support." "It's always a good rivalry against Lincoln. I'd say that's the game I look forward to most," says Placer Gold Mine leader Mason Zirelli. "I definitely enjoyed the game this year because the past three years we lost to Lincoln, and so it was definitely a good feeling to have a big student section at the away game. There was a little more trash talk in that game just because of the disrespect that happened in the prior years from them." A significant amount of planning goes into each game. Student section leaders coordinate with the school, athletes and other students to create themes for specific games and try to generate more excitement for bigger games to get a strong turnout. "It starts with communication," Zirelli says. "The more information you can get to more students, and the more hype you build around it, the more people you're going to see showing up to those games." Oftentimes, the themes will revolve around a current event at the school or the uniform the team is wearing, such as a pinkout for breast cancer awareness or a whiteout for a big road game. "We try to do unique themes during the season. Everyone does something like a whiteout or blackout, so we want to have something that makes us stand out," Zirelli says. "One idea we have is if we have an opponent in basketball where we're confident we're gonna win then we want to try a silent night where we don't cheer until the 10th point is scored." As the leaves fall and fall sports give way into winter, it's safe to say student sections will pack their gyms and keep the electric atmosphere charged for their classmates.