VISITORS, BE FOREWARNED HOOPS TEAMS' CHEERING SECTIONS FORGE UNIQUE IDENTITIES.Byline: Sean Ceglinsky Staff Writer There is no mistaking the die-hard fans once you step inside the gym at Harvard-Westlake of Studio City. The Harvard Fanatics are the boisterous red-clad bunch numbering more than 100, with their own jam-packed, standing-room-only section directly across from the visitor's bench. They typically come up with clever chants to elicit some type of reaction. For example, ``fund-a-mentals,'' followed by a rhythmic hand-clap echoes throughout the gym when an opponent turns the ball over. When the Wolverines have a comfortable lead, and the game is seemingly out of reach, the group breaks into a ``start-the-buses'' rendition ren·di·tion n. 1. The act of rendering. 2. An interpretation of a musical score or a dramatic piece. 3. A performance of a musical or dramatic work. 4. A translation, often interpretive. , which tends to frustrate the visiting team and its supporters to no end. ``Our fans are the ultimate sixth man,'' Harvard-Westlake senior Alex Stepheson Alex Stepheson is an American basketball player at the University of North Carolina. Grabbed 20 or more rebounds in 16 games as a senior at Harvard-Westlake High School in North Hollywood • Fourth-team Parade All-America selection • Averaged 20.4 points and 17. said. ``We feed off their energy.'' The Valley is home to plenty of unique basketball fans, each with its own way of supporting their respective teams, quite a few of them keeping traditions alive and inventing new ones in the process. Thousand Oaks Thousand Oaks, residential city (1990 pop. 104,352), Ventura co., S Calif., in a farm area; inc. 1964. Avocados, citrus, vegetables, strawberries, and nursery products are grown. has the Green Hole, a group of approximately 50 students who show up at games in Lancers lanc·er n. 1. A cavalryman armed with a lance. 2. A member of a regiment originally armed with lances. 3. lancers (used with a sing. verb) a. A kind of quadrille. b. green, some in Thousand Oaks basketball jerseys from the '80s and '90s, others in full-length body suits with green and white stripes. It's an outfit one might see in a Dr. Seuss Noun 1. Dr. Seuss - United States writer of children's books (1904-1991) Geisel, Theodor Seuss Geisel book. The Green Hole is at its creative best during home games. When the opposing team is announced, the raucous rau·cous adj. 1. Rough-sounding and harsh: raucous laughter. 2. Boisterous and disorderly: "the raucous give and take of American democracy" bunch becomes stoic, preferring to hold up newspapers and read rather than acknowledging the starters being introduced. And when the Lancers players' names are blared over the loud speaker ... Look out. As many as 20 fans leap from the bleachers, line up alongside the cheerleaders Notable cheerleaders
``We have a great following. The Green Hole is very big part of our success,'' Thousand Oaks coach Rich Endres said. ``They really get into the games. Sometimes they get a little too excited and the administrators have to keep them in the stands, but it's good clean fun. It's become a tradition.'' Juniors Robert Amidon and Lindsay Shaw attend just about every Campbell Hall Campbell Hall can refer to:
They dress in Viking helmets and plastic body armor Noun 1. body armor - armor that protects the wearer's whole body body armour, cataphract, coat of mail, suit of armor, suit of armour armet - a medieval helmet with a visor and a neck guard while waving plastic swords. You can't miss them - they're either in the middle of a packed house at the tiny Campbell Hall gym or attracting plenty of attention on the road because of all the props. ``To be able to capture the power and essence of our crowd is amazing a·maze v. a·mazed, a·maz·ing, a·maz·es v.tr. 1. To affect with great wonder; astonish. See Synonyms at surprise. 2. Obsolete To bewilder; perplex. v.intr. ,'' said Clarke Heyes, a junior and school photographer at Campbell Hall. ``There's always something interesting going on. It's always fun.'' Chatsworth's homecourt advantage Noun 1. homecourt advantage - the advantage of playing on your home court in front of fans who are rooting for you advantage, vantage - the quality of having a superior or more favorable position; "the experience gave him the advantage over me" is enhanced by the Orange Crush Orange Crush is an orange-flavored soft drink (see orange soda) invented by J. M. Thompson of Chicago in 1906. The drink quickly became popular and was widely available throughout the US. Hoop Club, a group of students and parents that flood the stands with dozens of orange shirts during home games. And these spectators aren't afraid to travel all over the Valley, either. ``There's been times when we feel like we're the home team, even when we're playing a road game,'' Chatsworth coach Scott Switalla said. ``The whole community has been a great.'' The Lancaster faithful don't necessarily need bright clothes or gimmick costumes to get the point across. Instead, some prefer to go shirtless, painting their bodies in the school colors - navy, red and white - and standing side by side to spell out various phrases such as GO EAGLES! Then there is The Pack. The group from Calabasas typically arrives to road games well in advance to assure themselves a large rooting section behind the team's bench. ``I can remember when we would be lucky to get 50 people to show up for one of our games. It wasn't that long ago either,'' Calabasas coach Russell White said. ``Now, we expect anywhere from 100-to-200 of The Pack to be with us at every game. It's awesome. It's fun. This is what high school sports should be about.'' Ross Siler, (818) 713-3610 ross.siler(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): 6 photos, 7 boxes Photo: (1) Calabasas High School Calabasas High School is a four-year high school, freshman-senior, in Calabasas, California, United States. Calabasas High School, which serves portions of Calabasas and the West Hills, Los Angeles, California section of Los Angeles, is one of three high schools in the Las students - otherwise known as ``The Pack'' - root on the Coyotes during a recent trip to Thousand Oaks High, which also has its own rooting section - ``The Green Hole.'' Michael Owen
(2 -- color) Campbell Hall's rooting section cheer on the Vikings. Some fans go so far as to dress in Viking gear, honoring the school's nickname, during games. Gene Blevins/Special to the Daily News (3 -- color) Chatsworth High School fans gather under the Orange Crush Hoop Club banner for a game against Taft. John McCoy/Staff Photographer (4 -- 5 -- color) Above, Harvard-Westlake's rooting section is known to chant and rhythmically clap their hands to taunt its opponent. Right, Thousand Oaks players can rely on slapping high-fives with teammates - as well as members of ``The Green Hole,'' the Lancers' rooting section. Gene Blevins/Special to the Daily News Michael Owen Baker/Staff Photographer (6 -- color) Lancaster fans paint their shirts - or torsos - to spell out their support. Alex Collins/Special to the Daily News Box: (1) THEY SAID IT (2) SEVEN-DAY FORECAST (3) DAILY NEWS' TOP 20 (4) SMALL SCHOOLS (5) TOP 10 SCORES (6) SECOND CHANCE (7) LEAGUE UPDATES By Sean Ceglinsky |
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