Tonight is arguably the biggest football game of the season: Crosstown, a game against our rival school, OE.
Every year, Crosstown ends up having the biggest crowd turnout. OH junior and varsity cheerleader Riley Balhan said Crosstown is such a big deal because, “it’s more fun and there are more people in the stands, [plus] the Orange Crew is crazy every year.”
The Orange Crew has one main purpose: to bring the students together. They show school spirit through themes and shout chants to cheer on the crowd and team.
OH senior Savannah Richardson, an Orange Crew member, said, “Students collectively contribute and spend time putting together outfits… Through that process, students make new friends and socialize with individuals they have never met, creating more of a connection.”
Themes for football games have always been a big deal. Some may say that the theme is the most exciting part. Clothing attire can give a person something to look forward to, it unifies the student body, assembling everyone to dress alike.
The theme does not exist simply to decide what a student wears, it also connects everyone who participates, giving the student body something in common.
Grayson Covey, an OH senior and Orange Crew member, said, “Not only does it look cool when everyone is wearing the same thing in the stands, but it helps make everybody feel included and excited to go to the games.”
When students are walking around during Crosstown, it is easy to distinguish who is following what theme. This fact means that, for one night, the student body is brought together through excitement, unity, inclusion, and connection.
With hours left to spare before the game, the final theme has been revealed. “Blackout,” a theme where everyone dresses in all black attire. This newly found theme was switched during school hours the day of Crosstown.
The original theme, “White lies,” is an idea where all students wear white shirts with white lies written on them. Generally, this “lie” is a harsh contradiction to one’s actual personality or lifestyle. This theme was dismissed by the admin, causing the Orange crew to adapt and quickly think of a new theme.
This unexpected switch has been extremely controversial, OH senior Ivee Reese said, “that is so lame… it’s very last minute and unfair” also adding the important fact that, “Some people already made their white lie shirts.”
The themes for football games, especially Crosstown, are events that present a deeper meaning than what appears on the surface. Balhan saw this and said, “All the students come together and wear similar outfits…that shows unification.”
The idea of everyone dressing with the same theme represents the connection among the student body and the exhilaration students feel when in attendance at the football games together.
This is an important factor for the student body and why the themes are in place. Let’s see if that helps made a difference tonight at Crosstown, helping bring our Panthers a win against OE.
I am a junior staff reporter on 42Fifty. I love art and music! You can contact me by emailing 42Fifty@sd308.org and my putting my name in the subject line. We welcome comments on our articles and feekback on our publication.
Amazing article Cristina !!!🥹🥹