This past basketball season, the Bulldog student section was virtually non-existent, leaving a void in place of a key part of what makes Garfield games fun. “[Our school spirit] is my favorite part of the school,” said Louis Dworkin, co-owner of the Dawgpound Instagram account for school spirit. “If you’re going to a school like this, it’s like, duh- you should go to games and have fun with it.” Unfortunately, high schoolers often prioritize sticking to the social status quo. When that doesn’t include showing spirit at basketball games, forming a rowdy student section becomes all the more difficult. “People think they’re too cool or get embarrassed to be silly and support their team,” Dworkin said with bewilderment. “Sometimes people would show up, but they would just sit in their own little groups,” he recalled. “A group of guys choosing to sit in the upper corner of the bleachers instead of joining a student section is just lame.”
Logan Trask, basketball team manager and member of Dawgpound, believes that a fervent student section presence has additional benefits for the players on the court. “Feeling the support from your peers while you’re playing will always give you a boost in confidence and help you play better,” Trask remarked. “When we had a packed-out student section for football, the team seemed more energized, and the same thing with basketball,” he added. “Like with the [Rainier] Beach game, once the student section brought the energy in the second half after we were down by like 13 or 14, we made the comeback and won.”
For some schools, school spirit is not only encouraged, it is essentially mandatory. At O’Dea, for their state quarterfinal matchup against Garfield, the school’s start time was postponed until 11:30 so all students could cheer on their team, leading to a robust turnout with seven full rows of students at the Tacoma Dome. “I’m a football guy,” said O’Dea student Paki Crawford III, “and the basketball team showed up to all my games and cheered me on, so I just want to show that same love back to them.” Crawford’s friend, Riley Dack, added, “We’re all here to support our brothers,” It’s clear that at O’Dea, the culture of school spirit is intentional and self-sustaining.
The tradition of leading school spirit at Garfield usually falls on the seniors. For the class of 2025, Dworkin and Trask believe substantive changes need to be made to foster a fun and passionate community of student supporters. “It all starts with actually attending the games,” said Dworkin. “Like what else can we do to get the freshmen to go, other than just showing up as seniors and leading by example?”
Earlier this year, Dworkin took the initiative to take over Dawgpound, “I thought the account was going to die and it was really good in years prior, so I wanted someone to step up, and then was like, ‘I guess I’ll do it.’” Seniors next year will likely be in a similar predicament of questioning who is going to take that leap of faith and don a leadership role in the student section. “We need people who aren’t afraid to be in front of everybody and start a cheer without feeling embarrassed,” Trask commented. “A lot of our participation problem is that people are embarrassed to cheer.”
Future upperclassmen would do well to appreciate how fast their years at Garfield will pass by. Why not make the experience as fun and spirited as possible? In other words, “even if you look a little weird or out of place, be confident,” Trask advised. “Be proud to go to Garfield!”