“Viking Valley has this aura of being loud when there’s an event. They’re going to show up in full force,” athletic director Kevin Marcoux said.
The EL student section is perhaps one of the most important elements to ELHS. Many students enjoy the spirit that the student section brings to the sporting events. With its eager students, Viking Valley is considered to be more lively than opposing student sections. While EL is known for its lively student section, aggression and negative comments without thinking have been an issue in the past.
“I have heard some offensive chants coming from the student section,” senior Kate Erikson said.
“There’s a lot of pushing and yelling at each other. We should try to be more respectful, knowing everyone is there for the same reason, so everyone is able to enjoy their experience,” senior Olivia Brown said.
While this has been a concerning issue in the past, Erikson continues to explain that many improvements have been made in this issue, as many students this year have been cheering for EL and not against our other teams.
“I want the other team to feel that they’re in an environment that’s going to be very difficult for them to compete, but I also want them [our student section] to be appropriate towards the other team,” Mr. Marcoux said.
Mr. Marcoux explains that he has seen a big improvement in the appropriate behavior of the student section.
Mr. Marcoux believes a big reason for this improvement is the formation of the class act leadership group who he met with multiple times to discuss sportsmanship.
Marcoux stresses the importance of his student panel athletes, helping him create ways to draw students to games. While many think of the student section as Friday night lights spent watching football, or even basketball, the student section is more than that.
“One of my goals is to help brainstorm ideas to increase attendance to games, not just football,” Mr. Marcoux said, explaining that he hopes to get to a point where there’s “so much pride in the school that many kids come to all events.”of the student section.