As summer comes to an end, football season at Leesville is beginning again. As the weather starts to cool off, the excitement from the student section is as vibrant as ever.
The varsity football season is a big deal for many Leesville students. Every game has its own theme, like green out or Hawaiian out. In the student section, fans can be found with tutus, bandanas, beads, and paint all decked out to support the team.
“Every game I paint my face and find a t-shirt to match the theme just because it’s so festive and energetic and fun,” said Lauren Ellis, Leesville junior.
Every year, many traditions take place throughout the entire game. When the national anthem sings “…and the home of the…”, students replace the final word ‘brave’ with ‘pride’ and throw baby powder into the air. Not only do students have spiked adrenaline, but it excites all the viewers for the coming game as well.
Another custom at games is the informal seating arrangements. To returning high schoolers, it is common knowledge that there are four groups of people in the stands, separated by grade. Seniors are at the bottom, closest to the field, while freshmen await their seniority in the back of the stands.
“I know that when I was a freshman, seniors claimed their spot and made sure that everything was in order. Honestly, I think it was for the best because that’s how I made friends [in my grade] during the school year,” said Josh Bellue, junior at Leesville.
When halftime approaches, the seniors hush the entire student section and the underclassmen quickly take their seats on the bleachers. The seniors then lead all of the student attendees through multiple chants to build even more support for the team.
‘Roller Coaster’ is a well-known tradition in the stands, simply because everyone acts as though they are riding a roller coaster and flails their arms around.
No matter the cheer or theme of the night, Leesville students always bring excitement to the game to support the football team.
