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5 Ways Frankenmuth is Flying High
February 7, 2017
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
FRANKENMUTH – In a section of stands nearest the door to welcome all who enter Frankenmuth’s gym, the first Battle of the Fans champion was born five years ago.
The seventh graders that winter of 2012 are seniors now. And the Eagles on Friday were seeking to add the title of first two-time champion to that original BOTF banner as we finished up this year’s finalists tour with our fifth and last stop.
The breakdown: This was our third visit to Frankenmuth in six years of Battle of the Fans. The student section hasn’t come up with a catchy name for itself, but it certainly has a reputation across the Saginaw and Thumb areas for the raucous atmosphere it creates during games, along with plenty of singing, dancing and general silliness. The Eagles always had decent student support for their successful football and girls and boys basketball teams, but amped up the organization, excitement and following five years ago – just in time to win that first BOTF title.
This trip, we met with seniors Megan Watkins, Shafer Webb, Kris Roche, Dalton Enequist and Jackie Weess, and juniors Kyle Robinson and Sam Tagget for the Eagles’ boys basketball game against Millington. Below is our video and takeaways after another visit with our first BOTF champion.
1. They’re carrying on a legacy.
That 2012 championship is a point of pride, at least for this year’s leaders, and perhaps especially to Webb and Robinson – their older brothers led Frankenmuth's section when it won the inaugural contest. The Eagles were a BOTF finalist in 2013 as well, but not again until this season. Students still turned out to support their classmates at games, but it took a driven leadership group to help the section step back into contention. Roche said the effort was kicked off with a hype video played during the “Friday Feed,” a weekly video show played school-wide. Leaders have worked closely clearing everything – themes, cheers, wild halftime shows (see below) – with athletic director Kevin Schwedler. Excitement started building during football season, and the turning point was the team’s trip and caravan that followed to Marquette for a Division 5 Semifinal at the Superior Dome. “Being on the sideline looking up at that crowd, it was easy to realize that we had a student body that was excited about being in the student section,” said Roche, a standout fullback and linebacker. “You don’t travel six and a half hours for a high school game if you don’t have pride in your school and want to be a part of it.”
2. They don’t care about being cool.
If you show up in normal clothes, you’re going to be the one looking ridiculous. That’s a direct quote from one of the leaders, and it remains true as much as it was evident during our first visit five years ago. The Eagles take their themes seriously, and the weirder the better. “That’s the biggest thing, trying to get the underclassmen out of their shells, realizing you don’t have to be all self-conscious and what not coming into high school,” Tagget said. “The whole point of the student section is to look as ridiculous as possible when you walk out into that set of bleachers.”
-Costume Party
*Look ridiculous
*No rules (other than keep it appropriate)
-Show MHSAA what the hype is about#GoEagles ??????????— FHS Student Section (@muthstudents) February 3, 2017
3. United, they stand.
Frankenmuth has 530 students, and at least half of them loaded the stands for Friday’s game. Granted, it was against rival Millington, but leaders boast that they bring a higher percentage of the student body to most games than other schools and rally as well to support a girls basketball team that has won 105 straight league games although often those contests are played midweek instead of Fridays. Even some of the parents got in the game for “costume night” with jerseys on top and lederhosen below. Coaches for both basketball teams have thanked the section for its support this season, and the solidarity with those teams is obvious from section leaders’ involvement in pregame introductions to their near-constant support throughout the game. It's common for student sections to have dances/stunts/skits planned for breaks. But what sets the elite sections apart is how they engage in cheering for their teams during play. Frankenmuth was all in on every possession from start to finish, chanting names of their classmates after they scored, celebrating baskets even when the final result had long been decided, and mixing in a little German chant for made free throws.
4. Eagles treat student section like another sport.
All seven leaders who met with us play at least one sport. They see the student section as another, which explains their competitive pursuit of the BOTF title. Watkins has spent more time editing videos over the last month than working on her golf game – although she’s playing that sport next year when she moves on to Western Michigan University. And like with our other finalists this year, getting the section ready from week to week and especially for the BOTF visit was a group effort fueled by high expectations. “We hold ourselves to a standard of excellence, and for every sport the goal is a championship,” Roche said. “This is our Super Bowl. We’re here to win.”
5. They’re always on their game.
In this case, that means a couple of things. Frankenmuth brings plenty of originality to the table, with theme nights like “Lit-mas” (think Lit + Christmas) and Friday's “Costume Night,” which saw a mix of German garb highlighting the town’s heritage but also a variety of costumes and signs that defined random. What they did do together was cheer from before tipoff through the end of a 36-point win – and as was the case during our visits in 2012 and 2013, every break in the action at a Frankenmuth game is an opportunity to sing and dance, this time featuring everything from Miley Cyrus to “Santa Claus is Coming to Town.” We’re hesitant to explain halftime, even if leaders assured us they were “professionals” before rolling out mats and taking part in a WWE-style wrestling match complete with body slams and metal chairs. Kids, don’t try this at home – or at your schools without prior administrative approval.
In their words
Teachable moments: “I think with high school and everything in general nowadays, there’s a stereotype of how you should act, how you should dress,” Watkins said. “The freshman girls look at the senior girls, and I remember when I was a freshman and I saw the seniors, and they didn’t care – they wanted to express themselves and be who they are. And I think that’s why with our themes we dress crazy and we’re all different. … You grow into yourself and you have that confidence about you. We’re all athletes and we all understand that you have to live life with a little bit of confidence with our sports, with our grades, everything. (The section) kinda taught us that over the years; it’s just a student section, but it means a lot more than what people think it would.”
This was the goal: “Growing up, I always had my eyes on the student section,” Tagget said. “To be honest I never had any idea what it was. I just thought it was people going crazy in the stands. But I grew up with Kyle (Robinson), and being around his brother, he was the laughing-stock. And watching him lead the student section, I said that’s what I want to do when I get to high school.”
Tradition will live on: “We’ve got these (juniors), and they know the standard they have to hold, not only for themselves and the other leaders, but every student,” Roche said. “My little brother is going to be a freshman next year, and all his friends are beyond excited about their opportunity. And I think the excitement around here in the community, it’s real again. I don’t think we’re going be going away for a long time.”
Next up on BOTF: With all five visits complete, public voting for this year’s champion will begin Feb. 13 on the MHSAA’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram feeds and continue through Feb. 16. To vote, like, retweet and/or share the photo of your favorite student section. The winner will be announced Feb. 17 on Second Half, and representatives from all five finalists will be invited March 24 to the Class B Boys Basketball Semifinals at the Breslin Center, where the winner will receive this year’s championship banner. Click for coverage of our visits to Boyne City on Jan. 13, Traverse City West on Jan. 20, Charlotte on Jan. 28 and Petoskey on Feb. 1.
The Battle of the Fans is sponsored in part by the United Dairy Industry of Michigan.
PHOTOS: (Top) Frankenmuth students fill their section of bleachers for Friday's Battle of the Fans visit. (Middle) Students decked out for "Costume Night" cheer on the Eagles to a win over Millington. (Photos by Chip DeGrace.)
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Battle of the Fans: Halftime is G.R. Christian's Time
January 29, 2012
GRAND RAPIDS – For many high school hoops fans, halftime is a break – perhaps an opportunity to grab a pop or some popcorn, catch up with old friends, or at least take a seat and catch a breath.
But for the Grand Rapids Christian student cheering section, it’s no time for rest. Those 10 minutes might be when Eagle Nation does its best work.
For this “Battle of the Fans” finalist and its six senior leaders, halftime is their time. Some schools play music between halves, or run contests on the floor. At Grand Rapids Christian, everyone knows that after two quarters of supporting the play on the court, the halftime action is in the stands.
It’s cheer after cheer after cheer, with only a few 20-second breaks along the way.
“People get into it, and it’s over in a flash,” senior Jesse Ludema said.
“We frown on down time,” senior Evan Metcalf added. “You can have down time when you get home.”
Grand Rapids Christian is one of five finalists for the MHSAA Student Advisory Council’s “Battle of the Fans” competition. MHSAA staff visited both the Eagles and Reese on Friday after starting the tour Jan. 21 at Frankenmuth. Trips will be made to both Rockford and Petoskey over the next three weeks, with videos posted of all five finalists on the MHSAA Facebook page. After an online vote and SAC discussion, the winner will be announced on Feb. 24. Clips from all five MHSAA-produced videos will be shown during the Girls and Boys Basketball Finals in March at the Breslin Center.
Eagle Nation prides itself on bringing the same enthusiasm to every game. But it was tough to ignore the extra juice Friday, with Grand Rapids Christian facing rival East Grand Rapids. The schools are just 2.5 miles apart, and their two football games this fall received hype statewide.
Eagle Nation’s senior leaders contributed in those grudge matches as well – but from their spots in the stands. “Our school is better served with us in the stands than on the field,” senior Joe Schierbeek laughed.
Ludema sarcastically agreed: “They don’t need my ‘huge’ muscles; they need our loud voices.”
So what happened when Grand Rapids Christian’s second-quarter buzzer sounded?
Students go bananas in a cheer led by costumed senior leader Cody Powers. Each Eagles class – seniors through freshmen – takes its turn doing a collective hip shake, a favorite in the Eagle’s Nest. A boxer throws left and right uppercuts before landing a knockout blow that falls the entire section backward. And on this night, Michigan State basketball coach Tom Izzo was in attendance and got some love from Eagle Nation – although it is only unconfirmed speculation that Izzo was there to check in on the “Battle of the Fans” craze.
Eagle Nation plans a theme for every home game, and Friday was all about neon. More than 400 students packed the sections behind the north basket, glowing in all hues of neon covering T-shirts, tank tops, pants, socks and head bands. Those six leaders each wore a hot pink tank top, with one letter painted on each spelling E-A-G-L-E-S. With help of the administration, the leaders even sold bright $1 bandannas to everyone in the student section to top off the neon look. Even the basketball team got into the act: Players surprised their classmates by wearing neon-green ankle tape and those same neon bandannas during warm-ups.
While Eagle Nation had been loud in the past, this level of organization debuted this school year. Before, the students were always told to just cheer louder, but without much of a plan. Now, there’s a Facebook group. Theme nights are mentioned with other school announcements. On Friday, leaders held a lunchtime pep assembly for student section members, and they had a similar training assembly with eighth graders earlier last week.
Leaders also take seriously the word “Christian” spelled out in the name on their team's uniforms. Being an example of their faith is a priority.
“People don’t see what happens in our school every day. And when they come to games, they see our student section, and they take that as an example of who we are as a school,” Powers said. “So we want to show them who are, and that’s why we value character.”
“That’s not to say we don’t get rowdy, though,” Schierbeek quickly interjected.
In the end, it’s all about having fun – a theme that played loudly in Frankenmuth as well. Metcalf watched the Frankenmuth video with a big smile. “Let’s visit them,” he said. "We can have a fan section dance party.”
But first the focus is on winning the “Battle of the Fans,” which to this student section is its “state finals.”
With his voice almost gone, Ludema gave some advice to the other finalists.
“Cheer loud,” he said. “And get some throat lozenges.”
View Grand Rapids Christian's application video, created by GRCHS senior Andrew Pruim.
PHOTOS by Grand Rapids Christian junior Janina Pollatz.Report by the MHSAA's Andy Frushour.