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SPORTS
Fairland Student Section shakes gyms with school spirit
The Fairland Student Section cheers on the Dragons at the St. Joe Invitational on Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012, when Chesapeake and Fairland played for the Gold Bracket Championship.
Purchase this photoDuke University has the Cameron Crazies. Wake Forest University has the Screamin' Demons. Now Fairland High School has the Fairland Student Section.
Each time the Fairland boys and girls basketball teams take the court, a large group of their fellow students is there to support them, clad in green T-shirts and green and white body paint.
"They're literally like a sixth man," Chad Belville, principal at Fairland High School, said. "You can see the energy going down to the team. It's inspiring as a principal."
Last weekend, the Student Section, which usually numbers 150-200 students strong, won Best Cheering Section at the St. Joe Invitational Tournament. The award was accepted by the leaders of the group, seniors Alex Earl and Chase McDowell.
"I pride myself in the student section and being a part of it," McDowell said.
"I live for it," Earl said.
The Student Section doesn't just show their support at Fairland home games. They also make their presence known at away games, which sometimes gets them some strange reactions from the home crowds. "They kind of just look," Earl said.
At the Beast of the Southeast Tournament earlier this month at Chesapeake High School, the Fairland Student Section made a definite impression. "People thought the gym was falling," Earl said. "They thought something was going wrong."
Earl said all of the students help come up with the chants the section does during the game. Their signature chant is when all of the students yell, "I believe that we will win" while jumping up and down at the same time.
"The players love that chant too," Earl said.
During the boys basketball contest with Chesapeake Jan. 6, Fairland had fallen behind 26-9 and after a timeout, the Student Section started the "I believe" chant. Fairland went on to lose the game, but had a chance to win up until the last few seconds. Belville said it was after the chant that Fairland got back into the game. "I don't think that happens unless the student section is there," he said. "It has a definite impact on the game."
Belville, who is in his second year as principal, said one of his goals when he arrived was to try and increase school spirit and Earl and McDowell have been a big help. "We have a school image to protect, but at the same time we want the students to have fun," Belville said. "To Alex and Chase's credit, anytime there's an issue, these guys take care of it. For them to step up and take control and gain the respect of their peers, it's greatly appreciated."
Next school year, Earl and McDowell will be attending West Virginia University and helping out its student section. But before that happens, there is one date circled on both of their calendars -- Feb. 3. That's when Fairland's biggest rival, Chesapeake, will meet the Dragons boys basketball team on its home court.
Both Earl and McDowell said they have friends at Chesapeake, but that will all be forgotten once the teams take the floor. "Everyone's friends," Earl said. "Except when it comes game time."
