Battle of the Fans: Small Town, Big Reese Spirit
January 30, 2012
REESE – Everything about Reese is small – the dot on the map, the town itself, its population, its number of retail stores, the high school gym.
But one thing looms large, especially for opponents stepping into the school’s gym this winter: the spirit of the Rowdy Rockets.
Town folk will tell you. On a blustery Friday night in Reese, there isn’t much to discuss in the way of making plans. They’re already made. If the boys or girls basketball team is playing at home, the gym on S. Van Buren Road is the only place to be.
“You get more than 20 people there, it’s like 80 percent of Reese,” junior Nick Arnold said. “After the games, we hold town meetings.”
All joking aside, it was the hot spot again Friday night for a Greater Thumb Conference boys varsity match-up with Cass City. By the third quarter of the junior varsity contest, the bleachers were nearly full.
Reese is one of five finalists for the MHSAA Student Advisory Council’s “Battle of the Fans” competition. MHSAA staff visited both the Rockets and Grand Rapids Christian on Friday after starting the tour Jan. 21 at Frankenmuth. Trips will be made to both Rockford and Petoskey over the next three weeks, with videos of all five finalists posted on the MHSAA Facebook page. After an online vote and SAC discussion, the winner will be announced on Feb. 24. Clips from all five MHSAA-produced videos will be shown during the Girls and Boys Basketball Finals in March at the Breslin Center.
The full bleachers are great news for a school that struggled some in recent seasons to get good student turnout. Few would show up, or show little enthusiasm. That led to grumbling in the parent section about the lack of support. 
Last season, that began to change as a group of student leaders began to emerge and organize what today has become the Rowdy Rockets.
“Our student section is absolutely awesome. I love the energy, the excitement, the positive,” Reese athletic director Dave Derocher said.
“You just get that one person,” junior Drea Ramirez said. “And that one person will start a fire.”
Students streamed into the stands Friday covered in maroon and gold – not by choice, but by mandate.
That directive came during a 20-minute pep assembly at the end of the school day during which the Pep Club solidified the section’s cheers for that night’s game.
“We told them this afternoon, ‘You aren’t getting in if you’re not wearing the colors,’” junior Kyle Yatsevich said.
The Rowdy Rockets kicked things off by forming a fan tunnel for the hoops team to run through during its grand entrance. It was hard to tell who was more fired up, fans or players.
The first instruction given from the bleachers during the opening quarter was one of a decidedly less rowdy nature. The entire section sat in silence for nearly half of the first period of play – by design. Then Reese scored its sixth point – and roughly 150 students (of about 350 in the student body total) launched from their seats and screamed for the entirety of the ensuing Cass City possession. The silent treatment had officially ended.
There weren’t many quiet moments to be had inside the gym thereafter. Repeats of “DE-FENSE,” the always-popular “spirit fingers” during Reese free throws and plenty of pre-planned cheers involving change in possession put exclamation points on game play throughout the night.
Two sing-a-longs in particular brought the section to a boil: arms flailed during “YMCA,” and voices carried during a (surprisingly well-sung) version of Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin.’” The sea of maroon and gold was unified in nearly everything it did, including a fan roller coaster that would rival any student section.
Halftime also brought that feeling of unity. The Reese Pom team darted onto the floor, but only after the entire student section had rushed to snag seats on the hardwood in front of the team benches. Rowdy Rockets sat in appreciation of the two-minute routine and then cheered for their schoolmates, just as they had done all evening for the basketball squad. Senior Pep Club leader Cassidy Stephens instigated the class-by-class Tug-of-War contest that completed the halftime festivities.
Throughout the evening, the theme of all-encompassing support was especially clear.
“Why would you want to take and follow someone who always is pessimistic, down in the dumps,” Arnold added. “You’ve gotta be up and cheery. I’m not saying we’re all walking around as Pippy Longstocking. But we’re pretty happy people. … You’re always leading by example.”
In the end, the Rockets pulled out a win over Cass City – and in a way that only a small-town gym can attest, the fans took as much pride in that victory as the players themselves.
They played to the point Arnold had made during the assembly earlier that day.
“We always try to be positive and loud. Those are the hallmarks of our student section,” he said. “We want to be the sixth man on the court.”
Check back Tuesday afternoon for video of the Rowdy Rockets in action.
PHOTOS by Reese senior Katie Ackerman and junior Abbie Gnatkowski. Report by the MHSAA's Andi Osters.
BOTF Candidates Share Battle Strategy
January 29, 2014
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
The 2014 Battle of the Fans tour picks up again Friday following a two-week break after an opening visit to reigning champion Buchanan on Jan. 17.
In case you missed it, the bar is set high for those hoping to unseat The Herd as BOTF champion. But there is plenty of opportunity to meet the challenge – if contenders keep in mind some key reminders below from those that didn’t advance to this winter’s championship round.
We’ve learned during three years of Battles of the Fans that our student sections come up with ideas we’d never have imagined ourselves. But the best are rooted in some of the following core values, as shown from six schools that just missed this year's finalists cut:
(Click to watch our playlist of all entries submitted for BOTF III.)
Take pride
There’s a reason St. Joseph nearly made this year’s BOTF finals – the Bear Den is no joke. Many in number. United in purpose. And as its contest entry describes, all in for Bear Pride.
Most BOTF candidates film their entry videos at home games, where they get the biggest crowds. But the Bears filmed at least part of theirs on the road – at rival Stevensville Lakeshore, where the turnout appeared equally strong.
Bear Pride is about a lot of things, leaders told us. Our favorite? “Bear Pride is always cheering, even if we’re losing.” We couldn’t agree more.
Plant your roots
We had a great time visiting Petoskey's Blue Crew when it was a finalist during our inaugural BOTF in 2012, and the Crew continues to do things the right way – starting with respect.
Petoskey’s section has a blast singing along with one of the best pep bands we’ve seen and cheering on their classmates while keeping things always positive.
Get everyone involved
Bay City John Glenn filmed its application video during an America-themed game, which on its own is a sure unity-builder.
But its section leader also noted that the Bobcats players dress to the section’s themes on game nights, with boys coach Dale Clyde joining in as well.
And John Glenn gets an additional nod for a cool addition to the national anthem – the section created a giant paper American flag (see right) that it flew proudly.
Tune in to the game
A big part of BOTF is reminding students sections what their role should be. We want them to have a great time cheering on their classmates, while keeping in mind that the game being played is the main attraction.
That’s not an issue in Marlette, where fans’ focus is clearly on the home team.
Students gather on their section of sideline to create a tunnel as players enter the floor, wear T-shirts supporting their favorites, and boast “the loudest cheers you haven’t heard in years.” We’re not sure what that means, but we’re sure it’s a good thing.
Be original
Mancelona is a BOTF finalist in the making.
The Ironmen have the right ingredients – many of their 282 students attending games, a Twitter presence to keep students informed (@DuerksTurks) and leaders to keep everyone organized as they seek to “do our thing; get rowdy.”
What takes a BOTF candidate to the next level is originality, and at Mancelona that starts with our favorite new section name. Duerk’s Turks is a spin-off of the last name of boys basketball coach Rick Duerksen, who just happens to own a turkey farm. Simple, but out of the box. Well done, Turks.
Extra Credit: Get behind your community
We learned about Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard’s “Masquerade for Mott” when the Fighting Irish were among BOTF finalists in 2013. We continue to hear great things about student sections getting involved in their communities, and Gabriel’s Richard’s Masquerade is one of our favorite ideas.
The Irish reserve a week of games to raise money for the C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital at the University of Michigan. Although last week’s frigid weather led to some postponements and rescheduling to finish this year’s Masquerade off later this season, the original schedule had the Irish dressing as super heroes for their Jan. 20 hockey game against Riverview Gabriel Richard at U-M’s Yost Arena, then jungle animals or in leopard/zebra prints for the “Welcome to the Jungle” Tuesday night girls basketball game.
Friday’s boys varsity basketball game against Detroit Catholic Central (to be made up Feb. 10) was to be an all-out Masquerade with a prize for the best costume – with DCC students also involved.
Those two schools raised $5,000 together during the 2013 Masquerade, on top of creating a spirit week of sorts to heat things up in the middle of an otherwise icy winter.
Next up on the BOTF tour is Bridgman, followed by a visit to Frankfort on Monday, Traverse City West on Feb. 7 and our finale Feb. 14 at Beaverton.
Remember, vote for your favorite of the finalists on the MHSAA Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages from Feb. 18-20. This year’s winner will be announced Feb. 21 and recognized during the Boys Basketball Semifinals, March 21 at Michigan State University’s Breslin Center.
The Battle of the Fans is sponsored in part by the United Dairy Industry of Michigan.
PHOTOS: (Top) Clockwise, Mancelona's Duerk's Turks keep in touch on Twitter, Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard fans dress up for Christmas Night, Marlette fans wear shirts supporting their favorite players and St. Joseph students take their show on the road at Stevensville Lakeshore. (Middle) Bay City John Glenn students form a flag during a recent singing of the national anthem. (Below) Gabriel Richard students dress up for another theme night, this time bringing the beach to Ann Arbor.