Soon we had such a routine that we wanted to formalize our group with something more tangible: T-shirts! We printed two dozen for spirited seniors and one for Mr. Chase. Each shirt read “Andover SuperFans” across the front, and on the back were our nicknames and the definition of a fan: “n. an enthusiastic devotee of a sport or pastime.”
Quinones, a dancer, member of the stepteam SLAM, and big Andover fan and her pals—classmates Julia Dean, Audrey McMurtrie, and Haley Scott—made plans to revive the group. Quinones approached Mr. Chase, who as the last SuperFan standing, had continued to wear his T-shirt adorned with his nickname, Sharkie.
Our final SuperFans road trip that year included a drive to a Friday night varsity girls’ lacrosse game at Exeter. I invited Dan Shvartsman ’02 to join us as we roamed the sideline with boisterous spirit. The outing made such an impression, Shvartsman became the group’s torchbearer. The SuperFans, founded on a lark by a bunch of soonto-graduate seniors, would live another year!
Mr. Chase greeted the idea enthusiastically, as did every friend and fan Quinones e-mailed with an invitation. As a result, the reincarnated SuperFans is 50 members strong and planned to debut their new T-shirts at the first home boys’ basketball game after winter break. “We’re not too cool to cheer,” Quinones says. “We’d rather be a part of something than just attend it.”
Honored: Amanda Brisco ’10, as Women’s Soccer All-Conference Second Team, Rookie of the Year and as NESCAC Women’s Soccer Player of the Week in October
Little did we know that it would persist eight more years before fizzling out, amidst mild concern about declining enthusiasm surrounding Andover athletics. Fandom at boarding schools always faces obstacles. There’s a much smaller local parent fan base to organize spirit events. And many students don’t grow up learning about NEPSAC rivalries the way they would at public high schools competing against neighboring towns.
Even now, Mr. Chase happily remains just an unofficial advisor whose only authority is having final approval over the nicknames printed on the SuperFans’ T-shirts. “I’ve left it in the spirit of how the group had been created,” he says. “Andover kids don’t need another activity thrust upon them. The impetus has to come from the students.” After all, that’s where true Blue spirit always has resided—and always will.
Bucknell’s Howie Kalter ’07, as Collegiate Water Polo Association Southern Division Player of the Week in October
A new culprit may be increased competition for students’ attention and free time. Social media sites like Facebook and Twitter emphasize community, so that digitally the user feels connected to groups without leaving the dorm. While many colleges with lagging attendance are incentivizing fans—Boston University, for instance, now has a Terrier Rewards program that offers prizes for students who attend the most sporting events—the keys are student inspiration and community.
Joe Lemire ’01 is a reporter and writer for Sports Illustrated, where his beat is major league baseball. He was SuperFan enough to work his Andover assignment in between covering the World Series and the December MLB trade meetings in Orlando.
The SuperFans were born of the camaraderie of friends. We tried to create an atmosphere that boosted the spirits of everyone, whether competing or cheering. And a rebirth is on the horizon. Dining in Paresky Commons on the second day of classes in September, senior Amber Quinones and a few friends reminisced about their Andover journey. “We realized something was missing,” Quinones recalls. “No SuperFans last year. I had wanted to be one as a freshman.” They set out to recreate that.
PA Swept: Interschols, by PA’s 2010 girls’ cross-country team, for the 6th straight year
Selected: Boys’ cross-country runners Patrick Wolber ’11, Renat Zalov ’11, Nick Kearns ’11, Matt Appleby ’11, Tim McLaughlin ’11, and James Hamilton ’12, to the NEPSTA Division 1 All–New England team
University of Chicago’s Alex Clifford ’07, as first-team to the 2010 All–University Athletic Association soccer team Stanford’s Erika Roddy ’07 and Carly Villareal ’07, as women’s crew cocaptains Radcliffe’s Rachel Rauh ’07 (coxswain) and Olivia Coffey ’07, as women’s crew cocaptains Tallied: Cory Schneider ’04’s first NHL win for the Vancouver Canucks since his 2008 season, on October 17, 2010 Inducted: Baseball and basketball great Ed Mackey ’42, into the inaugural Ipswich, Mass. High School Hall of Fame
Far left: Gunga celebrates his 25th birthday at the Andover-Exeter pep rally in November with a Lion King spoof. Writer and SuperFan Joe Lemire stands at the far right with fellow SuperFan founders (from left) Harris Ackerman, David Auld, and Eric Bakkensen. Photo by SuperFan Dan Shvartsman Andover | Winter 2011
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