I received a very well-written and impassioned email the other day from a representative of the Warrior Crew, Webster Schroeder’s student fan section.
This completely student-run pep squad shows up at Schroeder sports contests, cheering on the teams with an unparalleled energy and volume. And that’s not just an opinion — the Crew actually came in first place last year in the New York State Public High School Athletic Association “Battle of the Fans” competition, which recognizes top student cheering sections.
Believe it or not, they have a chance to win that contest again this year, and be the first-ever back-to-back Battle of the Fans champions.
The Warrior Crew has been named a finalist in the 2016-2017 competition, and NYSPHSAA judges visited the school recently, during the school’s basketball game against Bishop Kearney. “It was a fantastic experience, and we think the judges had just as much fun as we did,” the email said.
But now comes the hard part: getting the votes, as the eloquent emailer pointed out.
“Although we feel that the Warrior Crew impressed many people, and also proved that it is still the best in New York, this battle does not come down to a decision from the judges… We deserve to win again and become the first ever back-to-back Battle of the Fans Champions, but we need your help in order to accomplish this goal. The representatives from NYSPHSAA will post a picture for all four finalists on three different forms of social media: Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Each “like” on those posts is equivalent to one vote cast for that school. The student section with the most votes wins.”
The Crew is asking that, once the links are posted, everybody go online and on Instagram and cast a vote by “liking” the Webster Schroeder entry. Voting will start this Wednesday, February 15 at noon, and end on Friday at noon. Stay posted to my blog and I’ll let you know what the links are as soon as I find out.
* * *
I would be remiss if I stopped there. The email went on to give some background on the Warrior Crew and how they have expanded their focus from sports to the entire school community and beyond.
We pride ourselves on dedicated support of our classmates. We have created an awesome family atmosphere over the years, which, these days, is rare at high schools. We are proud of the fact that we are able to unite all aspects of our school into one Crew. We draw from rich tradition, but also innovate and improve each year. Last year, we were named NYSPHSAA “Battle of the Fans” champions after our senior leadership culminated their high school careers with the remarkable feat of uniting our school like never before.
This year, we have continued the traditions of being loud, positive, and supportive at athletic events, but also branched off into other areas within the school (music, technology, art, etc.), and even in the community. We strive for having a great time cheering on our Warriors, inclusion, unity, and constant support of others. With these goals in mind, and using our great platform as reigning NYS champions, we launched the “Warrior Crew Cares” campaign this past Fall. Through a t-shirt fundraiser we were able to support other teens at the Rochester Center for Youth. Just as important as our donation to the Center, were the ideas about the importance of giving to others that spread through our school after that.
You can connect with the Warrior Crew on Twitter @WSWarriorCrew, on Instagram @thewarriorcrew, and their website, warriorcrew.weebly.com. Also, check out this video for a good idea of what they’re all about.
* * *
email me at missyblog@gmail.com
“Like” this blog on Facebook and follow me on Twitter and Instagram
webster on the web 