The bustling gyms, the crazy themes, the chants and all the works the student section place in to support our basketball team has returned after a bizarre one and a half years off. Students have put in some hard work to create a fun and supportive environment for the teams that play.
Without much training or apprenticeship, the seniors have done their best to jump start the student section back to what it once was. They have taken aspects from two years prior and adopt some new things from other schools.
“There was this video about Taylor university’s Silent Night where fans stay silent until the 10th point was scored and we wanted to try it out,” Senior co-leader Austin Harp said. “The entire crowd even the parents, were involved and it was so fun.”
The leaders do their job by making it more than just showing up to support. They influence what people chant, bring and, of course, wear.

“Our role as a student section is to impact our team and stay loud,” Harp said. “We impact the players attitudes, we can see it, and whether we’re up or down we keep on cheering”
In order to gain attendance and boost excitement, each game has a theme. Regardless if a theme is as creative as College Gameday or as simple as Blue and Gold, the student section will put in everything they have to make it fun. Harp helped pick out the themes at the beginning of the season.
“We tried to choose themes that were unique and would have people go all out for,” Harp said. “I loved the College Gameday theme because it had a different feel to it.”
The “Gameday” theme attempted to replicate the atmosphere at ESPN’s popular on-campus pregame shows, complete with an anchor desk and large hype signs throughout the crowd.
Other themes so far include Business, Western, Beach and Purple Pride. Themes that are creative yet simple to follow to gain attendance and create a fantastic environment for athletes to play in.
“It makes us play better,” senior Cadyee Constant said. “Having most of whole school behind us is really motivating.”
The west bleachers on game days fill up from bottom to top, from corner to corner to cheer on both buccaneer teams.
“The energy those themes seem to bring is incredible,” Junior Harrison Sorrelle said. “It carries itself onto the court and creates a big home court advantage.”
Senior Julia Kapala shows up with her friends more than an hour and a half in advance to get good seats and doesn’t leave until both game clocks hit zeros.

“We love supporting our friends and classmates on the court for these home games and we love the turnout our school has,” Kapala said, “It’s always a great feeling to be right there having everyone chanting and cheering for them.”
Home court advantage is huge in any sport. With the boys and girls having successful turnouts, it can create some key game changers and to the boys coach Greg Immink, it’s all about the atmosphere.
“They put in so much effort and give the game the energy it needs”, Immink said. “The atmosphere

they create impacts the game in a huge way. It brings home court advantage to Grand Haven.”

Home court advantage can be the difference between wins and losses sometimes. When the other team has to focus on the rim during a bonus free throw, a scrum of strangely dressed students scream, holler and move about behind the rim.

“We love the energy it brings us”, senior Nic Stump said. “We missed out on that last year so the support from our peers feels great.”
Energy, support and participation is what makes the basketball games great. It takes every student to show support whether it’s screaming their heads off or clapping their hands until they sting.
“It’s all about showing our school spirit and having fun”, Kapala said. “If our voices aren’t gone by the end of the girls’ game, we didn’t do our job.”