12 SPORTS The Eagle Valley Devils are some of the most supportive students in the country. Go to any sports game whether it’s football, soccer, or volleyball, and it would be impossible to miss the students packed into the bleachers cheering for their teammates. This year, Eagle Valley High School has a new group on the bleachers leading the cheers and getting the crowd excited. This crew is “The Bleacher Creatures.”
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Varsity volleyball player, Eliza Wetzel ‘21 appreciates the crowds at all of these games. She believes, “ the crowd is one of the most important parts of the game because they hype us up. They get our intensity levels up, and they make us want to play harder.” Trace Hobbes ‘21 created the Bleacher Creatures to assist these players. In the past, he noticed that the cheers were “more of an attack against the other team, and it wasn’t really fun at all.” He also noticed that EVHS students wouldn’t be on their feet when the team was losing. Trace went on to create the Bleacher Creatures because he “didn’t like that stigma at all.I was ready to get after it and start going [to reduce this problem].” Trace has already started making strides towards his goal. At the start of the game, he tells everyone to get up on their feet. He will have the crowd stay this way for the remainderof the game.
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CREATURES Written by Carter Josef
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The crowd is one of the most important parts of the game.
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It’s not enough to just be standing. They get all the students together on one side of the bleachers. Keegan Garvey is one of the leading advocates in getting students to participate. He explains that the goal is, “not to make anyone feel unwelcome or threatened. It’s more to show them that we’re there to have a good time.” Once everyone is there participating, the chants get louder and more in sync. The students all sit together so that, Keegan describes, “all feel welcomed and excited.” Trace is growing this support beyond just the football and volleyball team. “I try to go to every single game.” He wants to do this for every team throughout the school year. The Bleacher Creatures have already been seen attending soccer and softball games, which typically have a lower attendance level than some of the other sports. These students are going to the games, supporting their teammates, and have fun while doing it, all of which help contribute to a positive school culture. As Trace puts it, “It’s probably the most fun I have during the week.”
