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You Can Create a Thriving Cheer Section

January 8, 2013

By Carly Joseph
Pontiac Notre Dame Prep senior

This time last year, I spent an entire cold winter evening alone in my room on the computer watching the surprisingly large number of Battle of the Fans entries. 

I remember being amazed not only by the number of entries, as it was the first year of BOTF, but by the spirit, participation, and positivity of those schools as well.

Though it was both exciting and inspiring to witness such an overload of school spirit all at once, a hint of jealousy crept into my mind. “My school could never do this,” I thought.  

I wondered what it would be like to be part of a school that actually had a decent student section. Throughout my first three years of high school, it seemed as if most kids were usually too busy to come to football and basketball games, myself included. Especially since students attending my school, Notre Dame Prep, come from all different cities, the drive back out to school for the game was always a convenient excuse not to attend.

Even with a slightly pessimistic approach for changing my school’s general attitude toward attending games for this year, I learned that with the help of other students and a lot of organization, the student section at NDP could be transformed from essentially non-existent to the place to be on a Friday night. 

Aided by the success of our football team and a group of junior and senior boys who really started to embrace the idea of having a good student section, everything really started to pick up. We held weekly Varsity Club meetings to decide the theme for each game, and even formed a designated group of student section leaders called the Irish Guard, who are responsible for leading cheers and keeping everyone paying attention to the game. We also started to promote the games and the theme for each game on Twitter, which really helped remind students to come out to games and get excited to support our teams.

The NDP student section has by no means reached its full potential, but it is definitely moving forward and will only improve in the years to come. Despite the fact that our student section may not be the best in the state (yet) or even have enough organization to create an entry for this year’s BOTF competition, I think that our transformation truly shows that any school can create a thriving student section – if they really want it to happen.  

Whether your school has an impressive student section or maybe needs a little help starting up, keep in mind that organization and positivity are the keys to making it better.

Click for more information on the Battle of the Fans contest. Deadline for school entries is Saturday. 

Carly Joseph, Pontiac Notre Dame Prep senior

  • Sport: Cross country
  • Non-sports activities: Varsity Club, Spanish National Honor Society
  • Favorite class: AP Spanish
  • Up next: Joseph will attend Michigan Technological University and study biomedical engineering.
  • Career sports highlight: Running a personal best at my cross country Regional (21:15) this fall.
  • Pump-up jam: "Round and Round" by Imagine Dragons
  • Must-see TV: "Dexter"
  • Favorite film: "She's the Man"

PHOTO: The Pontiac Notre Dame Prep student cheering section roots on its football team during "Neon Night" this fall. (Photo courtesy of Carly Joseph.)

2020 BOTF Champion - Buchanan

MHSAA's 'Battle of the Fans' Returns with BOTF X

By Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor

December 8, 2021

The MHSAA's Student Advisory Council will host its 10th “Battle of the Fans” contest this winter to award the top high school student cheering section in Michigan, with three rounds of competition that will recognize nine semifinalists, three finalists and eventually the 2021-22 champion.

The annual Battle of the Fans was put on hold for the 2020-21 school year due to COVID-19, but crowds have returned to most venues, with county health departments and individual school districts making local decisions on potential spectator limits. The most recent champion was Buchanan in 2020; Buchanan has won three BOTF championships, Frankenmuth has won two, and North Muskegon, Traverse City West, Dowagiac and Beaverton also have won over the first nine years.

Schools are invited to submit a short video, via Tik Tok, of their cheering sections in action at a school sporting event. Video submissions should be up to three minutes long and explain how that section meets the following contest criteria: positive sportsmanship, student body participation, school spirit, originality of cheers, organization of the group, student section leadership and fun.

The deadline for student-submitted video applications is noon Jan. 8. Nine semifinalists then will be chosen – three each from Class A, Class B and Class C/D – to partake in a two-week challenge where each will be required to complete five tasks further showing why it should be chosen as Michigan’s best student section. From those nine, three finalists then will be selected by the Student Advisory Council and visited on a home game night by MHSAA staff and Advisory Council representatives. The MHSAA will produce a video of that finalist after each visit, with the champion being selected by the Student Advisory Council based in part on support each section receives on the MHSAA’s social media sites.

This year’s Battle of the Fans X winner will be announced Feb. 18 and recognized March 25 at the Breslin Center.

“After a year of limited fans in the stands, students have been itching to support their local teams,” said Andy Frushour, MHSAA director of brand management and advisor to the Student Advisory Council. “Even though we are not yet past this pandemic, we know student sections are safely organizing to support their classmates and be part of something that for many is among the most memorable parts of the high school experience. It was great to see students in the stands together this fall, and we are excited to see the enthusiasm in gyms this winter.

“We are even more excited to bring this competition to Tik Tok. Students spend a lot of time making videos on that platform, and we are eager to see what they come up with for Battle of the Fans.”

Rules, directions for submitting videos, plus links to coverage of finalists from the first nine years of the contest can be found on the MHSAA Website. This year’s finalist videos, plus the announcement of the 2021-22 winner, will be published on Second Half.

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.