Superfans have been around since the 1940’s. The superfan crew here at Grayslake Central high school supports many of our teams by setting up themes for each game, spreading pride across the school, and overall spreading positive vibes to our teams and peers.

Here, at Grayslake Central, our superfan team, takes this very seriously. Our superfan leaders are Jack Kulis, Tony Crews, and Nic Persutti. All three seniors  put time and effort to fire up the superfan section and work to provide an enjoyable and respectful zone for all of Grayslake Central High Schools students.

Every game, there is a specific theme that the students can follow. Although superfanning is meant to show support, a lot of GCHS students who attend the games don’t think it always ends up being a supportive, fun experience.  Some students argue that people are disrespectful, seating is difficult to find, and even more difficult to keep due to other people stealing seats.

Brooke Papin, who is a senior at GCHS, said,¨I was casually supporting my team when I noticed someone threw a piece of gum in my hair.”

After this incident Brooke was extremely upset and it caused her and many others to have concerns with the behavior issues at the games. Many others argue that there are even confrontations at the games, and people fall from the bleachers causing people to get trampled.

Is the superfan section really safe for GCHS students?

We must really be cautious about providing an exciting but safe environment. They, as a group, can really improve on handling situations a lot better and create a safer environment,” said senior superfan leader Tony Crews.  

Providing a safe environment for students is a huge goal for the superfanning leaders because it allows them and their peers to have an outstanding time.

Many fans’ favorite part of the section is when the drumline performs because it’s something different and allows both the fan section and drumline to enjoy  and interact with one another. Throughout the years, the superfan section has brought pride because each superfan leader tries to be a role model for the future leaders to come. We, as fans, need to take Crews’ advice and work to improve the experience.

Next year, our goal for Grayslake Central High School is to provide a better, and more organized fan section, so that everyone enjoys their time at GCHS events.