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BOTF X: Buchanan's 'Herd' Begins New Era with Same Bucks Energy
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
February 8, 2022
They knew each other, but weren’t really friends at that point. Six months later, McKean just remembers thinking it would be fun. But the magnitude of the opportunity sank into Tucker’s recollection much more heavily.
“He grabbed me,” Tucker recalled last week,” and changed my senior year.”
Over the last decade, Buchanan High School’s “Herd” has established itself statewide as an example of prime student section culture. The Bucks have won the MHSAA’s Battle of the Fans three times, and Buchanan’s appearance in this year’s BOTF X Finals is its fourth-straight and seventh overall in the championship round. The Herd has served as a teaching example for how student sections can organize, grow and transform a school – and Tucker’s experience has been among the latest examples of the good that results from that work.
“This year was just completely different for me,” Tucker said. “It’s so much fun; it’s hard to explain. Getting to help lead the chants, being up front at games, it’s an experience you can’t recreate in a different way.”
We caught up with The Herd for Friday’s home boys basketball game against South Haven, the MHSAA’s second of three visits as part of this year’s BOTF finalists tour. Midland Dow hosted the first Jan. 28, and the final visit will be at Traverse City West on Feb. 8.
Below is our highlight reel and 10 “X Factors” from our trip to Buchanan.
1. Battle Plan
Friday’s visit coincided with the culmination of Buchanan’s “Winterfest” week. Activities included the crowning of class representatives between the girls and boys varsity games and a collection taken up to assist with medical bills for a student suffering through a tough bout with COVID-19. This also would be the seventh win of a current eight-game streak for the boys basketball team.
2. Honoring Tradition
Anyone who has witnessed a Buchanan basketball game over the last decade would have recognized the “Welcome to the Woods” and “B-U-C-K-S Bucks” chants and the dance mashup among familiar Herd activities. With seven BOTF finalists appearances, there’s a lot of Herd video out there – and current leaders have watched for ideas that while old are new to them.
3. Hitting Reset – Sort Of
Two years of COVID-19 – and especially 2020-21 with spectator limits – forced current leaders (almost exclusively seniors) immediately up front, without the usual buffer junior year to watch how everything works. But there was some benefit: “We started new and we’re growing different this time,” senior Brennen Weaver said. “We’ve always had The Herd, it’s here, but it’s like we cleared the white board and we’re now redrawing a new thing that’s starting.”
4. Why it Works
Current leaders were raised in this culture, which makes things easier to continue – but other schools can follow the same plan. The section is basically a “spirit team” that brings enthusiastic students together for regular planning meetings. There’s an upperclassmen-driven leadership structure, but input is supplied by students from all classes. The Herd from its start has made a priority of visiting Buchanan’s elementary and middle schools, teaching those students how to cheer and cultivating the next leaders. They work closely with three teacher advisors and the blessing of administration, and have made a point of becoming active in the community as well. All of it is mostly in the name of fun, and that keeps interest up – clearly, as about 170 students from a school of 380 filled the stands Friday.
5. So What’s New?
The Herd always has taken pride is attending a variety of sports. But this year’s football cheering section surpassed all previous renditions. The Bucks also cheered on their classmates during a competitive cheer meet. They supported at cross country, wrestling, and even at a marching band competition in Detroit. And of course there are new themes to go with the ones that always get the rowdies excited.
6. Nicest Place in America
Reader’s Digest named Buchanan exactly that for 2020, and while The Herd wasn’t mentioned in the feature on the community, there’s no doubt that strand is woven through the student section as well. Example: A “Mean Stinks” anti-bullying campaign incorporated into the 2014 Bucks section still is part of its message today. “I can’t imagine living or going anywhere else,” senior Macy Orphanidis said. “Buchanan is such a tight-knit community, and I love every single person here and I know everybody. It’s like my family now.”
7. “Which Way? This Way”
The chant is basketball related, but the message is a way of cheering life. It’s all positive. And can be pretty simple: Earlier this season an opposing student section was cheering “air ball” and trying to get a Herd response, but instead was ignored. And the negativity from the other side stopped. “They have the energy,” senior Joy Kaltenbach said. “In sports a lot of times we naturally just get mad when something bad happens instead of being happy when something good happens. So I feel like they just need to redirect their energy.”
8. Come Join Us
Another Herd tradition brought back this year is a halftime conga line, and on this night the Bucks got at least a handful of South Haven students to join in. During football season, McKean went across the field to the Niles student section and unsolicited led those students in a chant. It in part comes down to confidence. “Even if you’re not confident, you have to portray yourself as confident, because if you’re nervous they won’t listen to you,” McKean advised. “If you walk around with a lot of swagger holding that megaphone like a boss, they’ll listen to you.”
9. Pro Tip: Work with What You Have – It’s Plenty
Every student section has the ingredients, starting with a leadership group filled with different personalities – some will want to focus on creating cheers, others themes or how to make the most noise. Involving variety also includes bringing in leaders from different sports, extracurricular activities and friend circles. Those representatives in turn will get more from their groups to take part.
10. The Herd Will Continue to Roam
That’s the end game. “I just want to teach (younger students) to stand out in their crowd and try to be their own leaders, so maybe that can be the ones who can be in the position we are,” Weaver said. “So they can give their energy and be the one providing all the loudness and fun cheers. (We want to) find those people who really embrace it and want to do more.”
The Battle of the Fans X finalists tour will conclude Tuesday at Traverse City West, with public voting on the MHSAA’s social media channels starting Feb. 15 and the champion announced Feb. 18.
PHOTOS (Top) Buchanan's "Herd" cheers during Friday's boys basketball win over South Haven. (Middle) Students shine their phone lights during pregame introductions. (Below) The Bucks follow their leader on a rollercoaster ride during a break in the game. (Photos by Jessica Elliott.)
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Battle of the Fans VIII: Meet the Finalists
January 28, 2019
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
The reigning champion and two first-time finalists have earned the opportunity to vie for the MHSAA's “Battle of the Fans VIII” championship recognizing the top high school student cheering section in Michigan, as awarded by the Student Advisory Council.
Buchanan, North Muskegon and Saginaw Heritage were selected as finalists by the Advisory Council from a group of nine semifinalists that took part in a series of social media challenges highlighting their sections over the last two weeks.
Members of the MHSAA staff will visit all three finalists over the next three weeks, producing articles about each section and videos of those sections in action, all to be published on Second Half.
The winner will be selected by another vote by the 16-member Advisory Council, with consideration given to a public vote on the MHSAA’s social media sites. This year’s winner will be announced Feb. 22 and recognized March 15 at the Breslin Center.
Buchanan is seeking its second straight BOTF championship and also won in 2013 and was a finalist in both 2014 and 2015. North Muskegon and Heritage are both first-time finalists; this was the second time North Muskegon applied for BOTF, and the third time Heritage had applied.
The MHSAA will visit the finalists for the following home basketball games:
Feb. 1: Midland Dow at Saginaw Heritage (girls)
Feb. 8: Parchment at Buchanan (boys)
Feb. 12: Montague at North Muskegon (boys)
Petoskey and Wayland just missed claiming the third finalist spot. Ann Arbor Father Gabriel Richard, Carson City-Crystal, Petersburg-Summerfield and Traverse City West also were semifinalists.
“With Heritage from Class A, Buchanan from Class B and North Muskegon from Class C, we’re thrilled to have finalists representing such a wide range of school sizes – and we’re excited to see our three finalists up close and in person,” said Andy Frushour, MHSAA director of brand management and advisor to the Student Advisory Council.
“Buchanan is a perennial power and has become the gold standard for high school student sections. Heritage was very involved during the fall Sportsmanship Summits, and that momentum carried over to this winter as the section has supported its top-ranked girls basketball team. North Muskegon has come out of nowhere – but is proof of how just a little bit of organization can lead to major student section changes over only a few months.”
Let's meet the finalists:
BUCHANAN -
Follow on Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat (theherd_bhs)
Tip #3 - THE CHAIN EFFECT - Maya S. pic.twitter.com/gOpvtNBCUd
— The Herd (@TheHerd_BHS) January 25, 2019
NORTH MUSKEGON - NORSE NATION
Follow on Twitter and Instagram
SAGINAW HERITAGE - HAWK NEST
Follow on Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat (hhshawknest)
#16 CONGRATS #BOTF pic.twitter.com/QKDvbdYe5I
— HHS Student Section (@HHShawknest) January 19, 2019
Battle of the Fans is organized by MHSAA staff and the Student Advisory Council. For the second year under a revamped format, schools were invited throughout the fall to submit short videos, via YouTube, of their cheering sections in action. The Advisory Council then selected nine semifinalists to accomplish a list of tasks showing off their sections over a 12-day span.
Semifinalists were required to complete 10 challenges via their social media channels. Five mandatory challenges focused on contest criteria: positive sportsmanship, student body participation, school spirit, originality of cheers, organization of the group, student section leadership and overall fun. Semifinalists then selected five elective challenges (taken from a list of 15 opportunities). Descriptions of all 20 challenges are available on the MHSAA Website.
A total of 20 schools applied for this year’s contest – including six first-time applicants. Three semifinalists each were selected from the Class A, Class B and Class C/D applicants. See below for a play list of all 20 applicants.
The Student Advisory Council is made up of eight seniors and eight juniors who each serve two-year terms. The Council acts as the voice of Michigan's student-athletes; it serves as a student sounding board for the MHSAA's Representative Council, assists in planning Sportsmanship Summits, Captains Clinics and other student leadership events; participates in a yearly focus group about the state of high school sports for Michigan State University's Institute for the Study of Youth Sports and assists with medal ceremonies at MHSAA championship events.