And the 2014 BOTF winner is ...
February 21, 2014
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Beaverton’s “Bleacher Creatures” student section has filled stands for 35 years.
But when leaders decided this fall to get more organized, and then met this for the first-ever Spirit Club meeting, they had one goal in mind:
Win Battle of the Fans III.
After falling just short of making last season’s five finalists, the Creatures simply wanted a chance to show what they’ve been doing since their parents were in high school.
They got their chance Friday during the MHSAA’s visit for a boys basketball game against Houghton Lake – and showed more than enough to capture the title as the state’s top high school cheering section.
“It’s such an honor to be involved with some of the other schools this year. And knowing how far we came, it’s just so awesome. Our dream came true,” said Beaverton junior Drew Porter, the spirit club’s president. “When we got over 1,000 votes, that’s almost our whole town population, and that was just like, ‘Oh my God.’ It was a feeling that you only feel when you’re in a great situation, and we’ve got a great community here. They support us, and we support the basketball team.”
The Creatures will accept their MHSAA championship banner during the 6 p.m. Class B Boys Basketball Semifinal on March 21 at Michigan State University’s Breslin Center.
Today is a snow day at Beaverton, which will only delay what should turn into a community celebration when the 1,100-resident town hosts rival Gladwin for a basketball game tonight.
Beaverton was chosen based on a vote by the MHSAA’s 16-member Student Advisory Council influenced by public vote on the MHSAA’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram sites. A total of 12,938 social media votes were received, with those results then equated against a school’s enrollment.
From the Advisory Council side, this clearly was the closest Battle of the Fans to date. Four finalists received first-place votes, and the champion wasn’t decided until the final two votes were tallied. The Council based its vote on the following criteria: positive sportsmanship, student body participation, school spirit, originality of cheers, organization of the group, section leadership and overall fun.
Beaverton and then Buchanan easily received the majority of public social media votes, with Facebook those fans’ main mode of support. Judging by comments to stories on Second Half, some of those votes came from as far away as the Pacific coastline and Gulf of Mexico.
Some numbers to consider from this season's contest: The application videos have been watched nearly 12,500 times, and the MHSAA-produced videos from our tour stops have 6,500 views. The stories on the five finalists plus Tuesday’s explanation of how to vote had been viewed 19,865 times as of 8:30 this morning.
Through snow storms and anything else the polar vortex threw our way, we enjoyed memorable trips this winter. Here’s some of what we’ll remember most about each finalist:
This is Our House Award: Bridgman
What we saw: The Bees boys basketball team has won 80 percent of its home games over the last 19 seasons. Credit popular coach Mike Miller with much of that, but he’d surely also point to his “Orange Crush” student section. Bridgman, a Class C school, has a gym that should be the envy of many a Class A program. Bigger schools also would love to be cheered on by a section like the Crush, as fans stacked a corner of the stands three levels into the rafters while rooting their team to another win.
Why we’re fans: The band and cheerleaders – and of course the mascot Buzz – all take significant roles in the “Hive” party as well, and the “TNT” box to set off the section after every 3-pointer was an excellent addition this season. And there’s a reason the Bees are so strong at home – their fans stay engaged in the game action throughout. Cheering on teams is the most important responsibility of a student section, and the Crush has a measured impact.
Model Student Section Award: Buchanan
What we saw: What did “The Herd” do after winning the Battle of the Fans in 2013? It became an organized group engaging roughly 10 percent of the school as part of its planning committee, and became an often-requested source of support at community functions. The Bucks remain an incredible example of bringing together an entire school and keeping fans active from tip-off to the final buzzer, as we saw again during our return visit.
Why we’re fans: More of the above – the Bucks are organized, positive and have quickly created a camaraderie that has become not just the talk of the town, but among social media followers from afar as well. The excitement has caught on among the district’s middle school students – they’ve created a mini Herd – and that means we’re planning on visiting Buchanan again in 2015. Other sections have watched the Bucks and learned – and should continue to do so.
Comeback in a Year Award: Frankfort
What we saw: Think you can’t quickly change a culture of negative cheering at your school? See Frankfort, which took down two decades of built-up bad reputation and threw it out of “The Cage” this winter. Student leaders knew negativity spewed in the past didn’t feel right, and they attacked the problem head on. We love a great story, and this might be our favorite of BOTF III. And if leaders are correct, the good times are spreading throughout Frankfort’s corner of the Lower Peninsula – and we’re excited to see the results in 2015.
Why we’re fans: Outside of the obvious – we are huge proponents of sportsmanship – more than 80 percent of this Class D school’s student body regularly shows for home games. And its “Icy Hot” theme – students wore winter clothes during the first half and summer gear during the second – arguably was the most creative theme we saw this season. Frankfort’s application video mentioned the Panthers enjoy championships before panning to a hallway full of them. A Battle of the Fans championship banner could be on the way soon.
Voice of the People Award: Traverse City West
What we saw: West student senate governor Brady Severt, among other witticisms, offered a thought that was essentially, “It’s one thing to get 100 students to do something. It’s another to get 400 moving the same way.” How do the “Bleacher Creatures” do so? The section’s efforts are rooted in the school’s senate, a “melting pot” of 30 students representing social groups throughout the student body. Up front is the “Bucket Brigade,” section leaders who inherit the role of running the show during games while dressed in paint suits and banging on plastic buckets – and we wish we’d been at a football game so we could’ve seen the buckets in action (no noise makers in the gym!).
Why we’re fans: Big numbers are impressive, but as Severt noted, tough to direct at times. West does it, and be sure we noted students joining the section at the end of the basketball game after coming from the jazz concert or play also going on that night. And talk about originality ... the Creatures were so original, they made up a cheer on the spot during our visit. Big-time effort from a sizable group.
Battle of the Fans champion: Beaverton
What we saw: These Bleacher Creatures are more than just a student section. They encompass multiple generations of a proud small town, and can grow to include support from rival schools throughout the Jack Pine Conference. Parents of current-day Creatures were part of the section three decades ago, and we listened as members of the 1984 boys basketball team gave shout-outs to the support that lives on during the team’s induction Friday into the school’s Hall of Fame.
Why we're fans: Friday’s game was never close after the first few minutes, but Beaverton’s Creatures cheered on whoever was on the floor until the very end. We heard stories of how fans from Sanford Meridian, Gladwin and other league schools joined the section during Beaverton’s run to the boys basketball Quarterfinals last season, so we weren’t surprised to see two Creature ambassadors walk up to Houghton Lake’s section and invite those students to join in to the “Macarena.” Porter personally heard from friends in Gladwin and Clare who cast their online votes for their Jack Pine mates. The Creatures personify togetherness and take it to a level far larger than their school and town.
Porter had a brief opportunity during the MHSAA visit to watch his section from across the gym and couldn't help but be proud. A special moment took place after the game as well; usually after big wins, the student section takes to the floor to congratulate the team. This time, players stormed the stands for what likely was the first time in the Creatures' long history.
"How much dedication everyone else has, everybody is in it together," Porter said. "Nobody feels left out. That was our main goal this year, to get everybody involved."
Next for our finalists is the big screen – clips from all five MHSAA tour stops will be shown on the main scoreboard during the Girls and Boys Basketball Finals in March at the Breslin Center. And, as mentioned above, Beaverton will take center court on March 21 to be recognized for its championship effort.
Nearly 50 MHSAA member schools have applied for Battle of the Fans during its first three years, and the competitiveness of this season’s contest can’t be stated enough. We’ve watched BOTF literally transform cheering at schools and now into leagues all over the state, and this year’s group of finalists certainly will continue to have an impact in showing the fun that can be had while keeping to good sportsmanship and positive support of the local team.
Beaverton, the biggest stage is yours. Your community and your league will surely take pride in this championship – and 35 years of Bleacher Creatures have plenty to celebrate.
Battle of the Fans III is sponsored in part by the United Dairy Industry of Michigan.
Click to check out our stories and videos behind the finalists. Also, click to see student-produced videos from all sections that entered the contest. (Photo courtesy of Bob Frei.)
And the 2015 BOTF Winner is ...
February 20, 2015
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Sydney Brooks always has taken pride in her town, even as classmates talked about how there was nothing to do in Dowagiac and how they couldn’t wait to leave when high school was done.
Turns out there’s a lot of fun to be had in her school’s corner of the southwestern Lower Peninsula, and it’s come full circle for the “Attack” – Dowagiac’s student section and this season’s MHSAA Battle of the Fans IV champion.
Dowagiac’s success was accomplished in steps – starting with the formation of the “Chieftain Heart” spirit club three years ago, then the establishment of a “Front Row Crew” last year to get the Attack in Battle of the Fans shape.
This winter, that heart beat stronger than ever, not just in the stands at high school basketball games, but throughout the entire community.
“Before, everybody thought we were just a normal small town. But when everybody comes together – from this whole experience, we’ve learned teamwork,” Brooks said. “The whole town learned to work together, become united. We learned how much it pays off to work together, how much hard work can pay off.
“We worked so hard, and the community worked so hard. We’ve accomplished so much. I’m so proud of Dowagiac.”
The Attack will accept its MHSAA championship banner during the 6 p.m. Class B Boys Basketball Semifinal on March 27 at Michigan State University’s Breslin Center. The other four finalists also will be invited to Breslin to receive rewards for this season’s achievement.
Dowagiac was chosen based on a vote by the MHSAA’s 16-member Student Advisory Council influenced by public vote on the MHSAA’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram sites. A total of 22,673 social media votes were received, with those results then equated against a school’s enrollment.
The Council based its vote on the following criteria: positive sportsmanship, student body participation, school spirit, originality of cheers, organization of the group, section leadership and overall fun.
Dowagiac and then Buchanan received the majority of public social media support, finishing among the top three in all four ways votes were accepted (Facebook likes and shares, Twitter re-tweets and Instagram likes). Some of the more interesting comments made on Second Half stories this week came from alumni of those schools, the oldest a graduate from 50 years ago.
Other numbers to consider from this season's contest: The application videos have been watched nearly 28,000 times, and the MHSAA-produced videos from our tour stops have more than 8,600 views. The stories on the five finalists plus Tuesday’s explanation of how to vote had been viewed 19,078 times as of 8:30 this morning.
This has been one of the coldest winters we can remember, but our Battle of the Fans finalists gave us warm welcomes the last five Friday nights. Here’s what we’ll remember most about each:
Showtime Award: Beaverton
What we saw: The reigning champion hosted the first stop on this season’s finalists tour and reminded us why it won BOTF III with a packed gym and an almost identical group of student leaders who keyed the section’s rise in 2013-14. The Bleacher Creatures put their focus this winter on adding more fun to breaks in play, and had something entertaining lined up for every timeout. Tradition runs deep for a student section that got its start in 1979, and the Creatures supply plenty of fun for the rest of the fans in addition to support for a pair of varsity basketball teams that are a combined 39-2.
Why we’re fans: Starting with the “Beaver Slide,” through the “Parting of the Red Sea” and a dunk into a mini hoop over 6-foot-8 athletic director Ryan Roberts, the Creatures always gave us something to watch. They do their part by amping up the party in the stands to go with the strong basketball being played on the floor. They’ve mastered the ability to bring together an entire student body and continue to set an example for creativity – their ideas no doubt will be picked up by other sections heading into 2015-16 and beyond.
Leave a Legacy Award: Buchanan
What we saw: The Herd made its third straight BOTF Finals and continues to be held in highest regard all over this state – and in some cases, by schools outside Michigan that have learned of Buchanan’s success in rallying students all the way to its elementary buildings. “The Woods” once again was filled for our visit, with students doing what has drawn admiration these last few years – cheering hard for their classmates on the floor and having a blast during breaks. The halftime rendition of “High School Musical” is an all-time highlight of the contest’s four-year history.
Why we’re fans: What more can be said? No section in Michigan has served as a stronger ambassador for how a strong student section can change the culture of not just a school, but an entire community. No other section in Michigan is referred to as often by schools trying to create the same. We see Buchanan’s influences on schools not only from their southwest corner, but all over the state. The Herd may not have won BOTF for a second time in three years, but Buchanan certainly has made its mark, again – and created something we hope continues for years to come.
Guts for Glory Award: St. Johns
What we saw: A new way for this school’s enthusiastic students to support their teams – and positive energy that’s just starting to boil. St. Johns was our largest finalist this season, and represented as such filling a corner of its gym to the top row for the 6 p.m. boys game and with most of the students staying for the start of the girls game played after. Despite a 12-point loss by the boys team, St. Johns fans stayed engaged throughout, with help from the band, cheerleaders and dance team – and showed us a few things we hadn’t seen before, including a nice take on the sport of curling and a full student body domino fall that started at center court.
Why we’re fans: We’ve heard a lot of transformation stories over the last four years, but St. Johns’ student leaders have had one of the tougher goes since forming their Student Athletic Leadership Committee three years ago. Athletic directors can take a lot of steps to get the ball rolling – and in this case, Chris Ervin sent leaders to the last two MHSAA Sportsmanship Summits and provided plenty of support. But the battle for a strong student cheering section is often won in a school’s hallways, where leaders must convince their classmates to buy in. St. Johns’ leaders considered giving up before a breakthrough this winter – and we’re glad they kept up the good fight.
Bring the Noise Award: Yale
What we saw: It’s more what we heard – a collective roar so loud it left a noticeable fuzziness in our ears when the game was done. More than 400 students whipped a quarter of Yale’s gym into a game-long frenzy that no doubt would make playing in front of Kohler’s Krazies (named in honor of boys basketball coach Garnett Kohler) a tougher task than merely trying to stand up to a team that is 15-1 this season. The Krazies added in some nice backflips and a superintendent-led roller coaster during breaks in play – but those and other sideshows were merely to keep the crowd’s attention and not meant to become the main event.
Why we’re fans: The sheer power of this section knocked us back – in a good way. The first fans for a varsity doubleheader began showing at 4:30 p.m. for a 6 p.m. opening tip, and that’s the kind of passion we’ll always cheer on. But the best part was learning how the Krazies, over only a few months this winter, have turned their student body into a tighter-knit community, and then extended that effort to the community of Yale as a whole by incorporating adults into their cheers and raising money to help out a few of the town’s less fortunate.
Battle of the Fans champion: Dowagiac
What we saw: Wow. The vision of hundreds of orange-clad Dowagiac fans bouncing back and forth as the school’s flag was waved is something we won’t forget. The Attack wore shirts printed with “Dowagiac United,” and there’s little that’s more impressive than watching a large group of fans organized and following its leaders en masse – while adding a ton to an already intense game atmosphere. Like BOTF’s champions past, Dowagiac’s section just looks like the fun place to be. The teachers are involved. The band is involved. The elementary schools made videos to join in the fun. The city office made a video showing its support. The Attack is certainly catchy – and we’ve bought in as well.
Why we’re fans: We appreciate how much work has been done to build school spirit over the last three years, and could feel the buzz immediately after walking in the front door. Dowagiac’s student leaders have been pounding on the door, figuratively speaking, and the student section this year is proof they finally pushed through. The sea of orange shirts was not an optical illusion Friday; the gym was filled to its 1,100 fan capacity, with the band and adults across from the students helping to form a blanket of “Dowagiac United” at the doors. And again, that’s not just a slogan; students from the “Front Row Crew” all the way to the top of the stands stayed engaged despite their team getting up by a big margin early, were impressively together on whatever chants the leaders started, and were joined by many of the adults as they enjoyed a booming soundtrack from the band and English teacher Dustin Cornelius, the Attack advisor and also game deejay. Students may have complained a few years ago about having nothing in town to do; now they’ve got plenty of opportunities, along with the rest of their community, to join in something special.
“It was never true that there is nothing to do in Dowagiac. People just didn’t believe there was, and didn’t want to believe there was,” Brooks said. “Now everybody knows there is something to do. We are a great town, and people care a lot about them in this town."
What we found in Dowagiac is what all of our BOTF champions have had in common: All four created atmospheres that anyone entering the gym would want to join.
In fact, that can be said about all five of this season’s BOTF finalists – and once again, clips from all five MHSAA tour stops will be shown on the main scoreboard during the Girls and Boys Basketball Finals in March at the Breslin Center.
We continue to cheer on these students sections as we learn how much their work has helped other schools transform not just their bleachers, but life in the hallways as well. During each of the last three Battles of the Fans, we’ve heard of how new sections learned from those that have competed before them, either at Sportsmanship Summits or by watching the videos from the first years of the contest. Buchanan and Beaverton can both enjoy assists on Dowagiac’s championship this winter – the Attack certainly gained input from their regional neighbor’s example, and leaders showed last year’s Beaverton video to the entire student body when getting this season’s section of the ground.
But in the end, Dowagiac’s leaders still had to take everything they’d learned not just from others but from their own experiences of trial and error to arrive at this point. This Battle of the Fans championship is one reward – but only a highlight from what an entire community can take pride in every game night.
Battle of the Fans IV is sponsored in part by Milk Means More.
Click to check out our stories and videos behind the finalists. Also, click to see student-produced videos from all sections that entered the contest. (Photo courtesy of Scott Rose.)