Brought to you by Columbia State Community College
By EMILY R. WEST
You don’t have to think hard to find the word that describes the Independence High School student section.
Clanging on beat-up metallic trash cans, cheering together with precision, and coordinating with the cheerleaders point to one word: intensity.
The participation in the student section started about three years ago, according to senior Stephen Carter.
“That’s when it really seemed like there were traditions being put in place and laying down the foundation for the future Indy seniors,” Carter said. “I think the way it became organized is just through this Twitter and getting the word out to people. Most everyone uses Twitter, so we can get almost all of Indy nation the updates they need on here.”
Similar to other student sections, Indy Nation makes sure every week students know the appropriate attire to wear in the stands each football game. But there are a couple of rules. Only juniors and seniors can wear jorts (jean shorts) and conductors. And only flag runners can paint up.
“When we decide what to wear for the games, sometimes we just use the other school to mock them,” Carter said. “For instance, we used to play Beech High School every year, and we would have a Hawaiian theme. We always have a white out for homecoming and a black out against Summit. So those stay constant, and we just kind of pick the rest for when we want them.”
Carter said he became this year’s leader of the section in the last weeks of school his junior year.
“Cameron Vinson, last year’s leader, called me down to the office and handed me the pads and was just like, ‘Go rep Indy nation and have a heck of a time man.'”
But Carter does have some help alongside him in Noah Litton, John Bain, Jack Hebert, Matthew Hargrove, Oscar Pennell, Cameron Barker, and Ben Hart. And together, they make sure to cheer on their friends on the field – win or lose. Although, it’s been a fun ride for the Indy Nation: they haven’t had to cheer a losing game since the 2014 season.
“I have never had to put any effort into making our students care about the games and our sports teams,” Carter said. “We all just really love watching our teams and the football boys, so we all just show out every game. We have a good time doing it, and we win 15 out of 15 times, so that makes it a lot better as well. Indy Nation just really cares and always is into it.”
Emily West covers Franklin, schools and high school football for Home Page Media Group. Contact her at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter via @emwest22.
