In 2020, the world as we knew it stopped, suddenly parents, students, and grandparents are all stuck at home together.
Since COVID-19, schools have been struggling to get their student sections back to their normal capacity. Kids are just used to staying home, and getting out for sports games is not as important as it once was.
“If you take a look back at pictures from 2016, 2017, and 2018, the stands were packed, no matter the team's record or if it was a boys or girls game”, said Alex Johnson, Cardinals AD.
Johnson and the current administration at Clinton High School are working on bringing in a leader in student sections and fan hype. This would cost the School District $6,000-$9,000 so it is taking a while to be approved and put into motion. The company in reference that CHS is looking at is “Biggest Fan Consulting”.
The CEO of Biggest Fan Consulting used Grand Canyon University as a pilot school for his company when he first started and it has taken across the U.S.A. like wildfire ever since his success at GCU. The process Biggest Fan Consulting uses is coming in and giving a presentation to students and faculty, while also giving the Athletics Director all of the direction he needs via email and in-person conversation while they are here.
“One of the problems our student section faces is we have the number, not the energy,” said AD Johnson. "If you have ever visited a Cardinals basketball game, that is a prime example of the number; we have enough kids coming to the game but we need those kids to be involved. "
He added, “Another place we lack is when our student section leader, Ava Potter is playing a game, we don’t have anyone that carries the same energy level as her. Ava is a no-shame kind of person; she loves to be heard and is good at what she does with the student section," said Johnson.
Parent involvement is another big contributor to the other side of the stands being full. You do not have to have a kid playing the sport to come to watch high school sports. If we can’t get the student section energy where it needs to be, our sports teams will not play with the same energy they should at a home game.
