And the crowd goes wild

Come to any Leavenworth basketball game and the pack of students in blue shirts, face paint and other spirited attire is hard to miss. Pioneer pride runs deep in those basketball fans, and for the students cheering on their classmates the trip to the state tournament is just as exciting as it is for the players on the floor.

“I think the fans take more pride in it than the players do,” said senior Ryan Lasneske, a staple on the front row of the student section. “It’s kind of expected for them, but we’re a part of the winning. Even though we’re not really on the team, we feel like it”

With Leavenworth’s boys playing at 8:15 tonight in the first round of the 6A state tournament in Emporia, the students have had plenty to cheer about this season. As with most fans, the students agree that their cheering really does help the team.

“I think it helps,” senior Crystal Simon said. “I think they get hyped up when we’re cheering for them.”

That especially comes through, senior cheerleader Raven Wardlow said, in close games.

“When it’s a close game it seems like there’s more people,” Wardlow said. “And it’s so much more intense because everyone is yelling.”

Senior forward Nino Williams agrees that the crowd does provide an extra boost for the blue and white.

“It’s great,” Williams said of the fans. “They’ve supported us the whole way.”

Now that the stakes are higher the court, the games are even more fun for the fans.
“It’s more intense,” Simon said.

“It’s more of a college feel,” Lasneske added. “There’s more intensity, just the atmosphere is different and you’re playing on a college campus.”

The added intensity, the seniors said, will help draw even more people.

“Now that we’re going to state I bet even more people come,” Simon said.

“There should be a lot more parents and a lot more students (at state),” Wardlow agreed.

The students are not only passionate about their basketball, they’re organized. They often put together theme nights for games, including a “Jersey Shore” night earlier this season where the students dressed like characters from the popular MTV show. Wardlow explained that students get the message out for the themes with Facebook, text messaging or just word of mouth.

Regardless of the theme, Lasneske said, the Pioneer blue shirts are always a staple.

“We have our senior shirts and the seniors are on the front row,” Lasneske said. “And people do other things within their own groups.”

The students section also organizes chants during the game, from the traditional L-V to cheers created specifically for different players.

“There’s a lot of personalized ones,” Lasneske said of chants, citing the example of the Wildcat Williams chant the students do to celebrate spectacular plays by Williams, who has committed to play basketball at Kansas State University. “And they’re letting us sing this year, which is fun.” 

The traditions for Leavenworth students are numerous, but they agree that what really sets them apart is the school’s focus on being positive about their own team and not negative about the opponent.

“We’re going for the sportsmanship award every year,” Lasneske said.

“We have to balance out, because other students are allowed to chant mean stuff and we’re not,” Simon said. “So we have to make up for it by being louder.”

For Simon, watching the team win is the best part of being a Pioneer fan. Lasneske agreed that winning makes it sweeter, and he added that the sense of community that comes with being a Leavenworth basketball fan is something special.

“I think it’s the most school pride that we show,” Lasneske said. “If you go to basketball games it brings everyone together and we look like a good school.”