SAC Sound-off: We Won Our Battle
February 28, 2012
Muskegon Catholic Central is known for good sport teams, especially during football season. But it doesn’t always have a good reputation when it comes to the fans supporting them.
As a small school, MCC doesn’t attract many to its sporting events. In the past, my school’s student section was not something we could be proud of – with only three to four rows of students at home games, we hardly could be considered a student section at all.
The few people who did show up cheered only once in a while. Some didn’t stand up and cheer once during an entire game. A few times, we had a decent crowd – but the cheers were unsportsmanlike, and our school administrators weren’t too happy.
Those past student sections gave me little hope for this, my senior year. But "Battle of the Fans" renewed it.
As a member of the MHSAA’s Student Advisory Council, I had a role in designing the competition. I tried to rally my school to take part. I figured that by doing so, it might convince more people to come and participate in the MCC student section.
It worked.
At the first game this basketball season, an entire section of the bleachers were filled with eager students ready to cheer on the Crusaders boys varsity team. The gym vibrated with cheers. Students no longer came just to socialize; they were there to cheer on their classmates.
That night was the match that started the fire. With the Battle of the Fans competition in mind, the student section finally got organized. We created a Facebook group to remind everyone when we had games and fill them in on the themes, new cheers, and posters being made. A group of senior and junior boys emerged as the section’s leaders. We became the Cioe Crazies, named after our gym.
Our leaders tried to make a video to submit to the Battle of the Fans. We missed the deadline – but that didn’t stop the Cioe Crazies.
Now, our student section is at every game, ready to be loud and enthusiastic. We no longer are known as the rude and obnoxious group of students from MCC – we are organized and creative, while also keeping our cheers positive. We have attracted many new faces to our student section; some famous (check out the big head posters), others our favorite faculty members. The Cioe Crazies’ enthusiasm has spread through the entire gym, and parents are even joining in on the cheers.
Our student section has changed drastically this year and will not go back to its old ways. The Crazies may have missed out on the Battle of the Fans this time. But the contest already has changed the face of Muskegon Catholic Central’s student section forever.
Alissa Jones, Muskegon Catholic senior
- Sports: Swimming, basketball and track and field
- Non-sports activities: YMCA volunteering, middle school girls anti-bullying group, National Honors Society
- Favorite class: World Literature
- Must-see TV: "How I Met Your Mother"
- One shining moment: This year, when I personally finished in first place in all my swimming events at the conference meet, and my team received second place for the first time in our school's history. I will always remember that day.
- What's next: I plan on attending a four-year college, but I am still currently in the decision process. I plan to continue my swimming career in college. I loved working with younger children this summer while I volunteered at the YMCA, so maybe (I'll major in) something along those lines.
- My favorite part of game day is: ... when the game is finished and I know I gave it everything I had for that game.
PHOTO courtesy of Alissa Jones.
Battle On for Top Cheering Section
January 14, 2013
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
The champion is back. But the competition is all new and no doubt hungry to become known as the best cheering section in Michigan.
Let "Battle of the Fans II" begin.
Reigning champion Frankenmuth along with Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard, Buchanan, Vandercook Lake and Zeeland East have been selected as finalists for this year's "Battle of the Fans II," which for the second year aims to recognize the top MHSAA student cheering section.
The contest, organized by MHSAA staff and its 16-member Student Advisory Council, will reward the cheering section that best creates the positive and festive atmosphere made possible when students show enthusiasm, togetherness and sportsmanship while rooting for their team. MHSAA staff and Student Advisory Council members will visit all five finalists for home games during the second half of this regular season, with coverage and video from those visits and the announcement of the winner all to be published on Second Half.
The winner will be announced Feb. 22, and video of all five sections will be played on the Breslin Center HD scoreboard during the Finals in March. The champion also will be recognized during the Boys Semifinals on March 22.
Schools were invited in December to submit a short video, via YouTube, of their cheering sections in action. Video submissions included explanations on how each section met the following contest criteria: positive sportsmanship, student body participation, school spirit, originality of cheers, organization of the group, student section leadership and overall fun. Click the links below to see the finalists' application videos.
Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard - Buchanan - Frankenmuth - Vandercook Lake - Zeeland East
A total of 27 sections – including 24 first-time applicants – submitted videos by last week’s deadline. The finalists were chosen by the Student Advisory Council, and the winner will be selected based on the results of a public Facebook poll and another Advisory Council vote.
Finalists will be visited for the following home boys basketball games:
Jan. 18: Frankenmuth vs. Bridgeport
Jan. 31: Buchanan vs. Cassopolis Ross Beatty
Feb. 1: Vandercook Lake vs. Michigan Center
Feb. 5: Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard vs. Madison Heights Bishop Foley
Feb. 8: Zeeland East vs. Muskegon Mona Shores
Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard just missed being included among last year’s finalists, finishing sixth when the Advisory Council chose the 2012 group. Warren Woods-Tower, Beaverton, Schoolcraft, Wyandotte Roosevelt and Rockford placed sixth through 10th, respectively, in this year’s initial balloting.
Other 2013 applicants were Bear Lake, Bridgman, Clarkston, Clio, East Grand Rapids, Hemlock, Kalamazoo Loy Norrix, Muskegon Mona Shores, Grand Rapids Northview, Pinconning, Royal Oak, Sparta, Sterling Heights Stevenson, Saginaw Swan Valley, Traverse City Central, Traverse City West and Warren DeLaSalle. Click to view all applications.
The online Facebook vote will take place Feb. 18-21.
Contest rules plus links to last year’s coverage of the contest can be found on the MHSAA BOTF site.
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 schools sports for Michigan State University's Institute for the Study of Youth Sports and assists with medal ceremonies at MHSAA championship events.
PHOTO: Five finalists have been selected for the "Battle of the Fans II," clockwise, Frankenmuth, Zeeland East, Vandercook Lake, Buchanan and Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard.