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By Caden Koenig & Nick LeBlanc
Over the past two years the student section has been a staple for many students’ lives at Dexter High School. It was a place to spend time with fellow classmates to have a good time. However, as of lately, the student section has seen a steep decrease in participation during this year’s football and basketball seasons.
In the past two years, the men’s basketball district games typically produced a good showing. During this year’s district games it seemed like the attendance in the student section was nearly half of what it used to be. In addition, almost all season the men’s basketball team has seen low attendance in the the section with almost no participation. This steep decline in attendance and participation has led to an impact on the basketball team itself, players said.
“When people do participate it brings a lot of energy,” junior Tony Seidl said. “Like when you make a basket you get the energy from the student section. When the student section’s energy is very high it creates an atmosphere that is super fun to play in.”
Identical to the decline of the basketball student section, the football season saw a decrease in attendance as well. While the chants during the games were sufficient, attendance during the football season, especially at away games, was noticeably smaller than previous years. While the football student section hasn’t encountered the plague the we see during the basketball season, the football student section has started to show some signs of deterioration. This is because participation was a bit smaller than previous years. The major signs of the death wasn’t until the basketball season.
“It’s kind of hard, I would like to get more involved and hype and excited about the game,” freshman Jason Milkey said. For those who don’t know is the freshman who proudly waves Dexter’s flag in the student section. This gives hope to the future when he says he would like to lead the student section when he is a senior.
Based off of this year’s basketball season, excluding the last game against Huron, the student section is certainly on its deathbed. Even if it started off strong during the football season, the severe lack of showing and excitement at the games may have turned students away from attending games. Some students may not show up to games if they believe no one else will show up or no one will get excited. This idea could possibly carry on into next year, killing the tradition.
If the student section dies, it wouldn’t only kill a major aspect of student life, but it will also kill a team’s motivation.
“The student section is a huge impact on the game,” varsity volleyball coach D’Ann Dunn said. “When there is a big group of [students], they have a positive impact on the game and help motivate the girls to keep playing.”
Yet, the plague of a poor participation during the basketball seasons might have seen a spark during the last women and men’s basketball games. The women’s team last game against Huron saw a high number of participants in the student section despite a low turnout the rest of the year. Similarly, the last game for the men’s team, also against Huron, saw a surprisingly excited student section. Despite the fact there was a low turnout, the men’s game was actually loud and energetic. This last spark sends us off with extraordinary measures for the year, but it might have been too little too late.
This makes many students wonder if the self-proclaimed “best student section in the S.E.C.” is actually the best.
