Amidst the deafening roars of the Warrior fan section, a group of students decked out in that night’s spirit (coordinated dress-up themes to show unity and support for the teams) organizes chant after chant supporting the Warriors team. These students, known as the Superfans, bring spirit to the high school in and out of the stands.
The Superfans club has become a vital force for school spirit, blending tradition with innovation to energize students and support athletic teams. The club’s mission goes beyond gameday spirit and emphasizes connecting athletes and non-athletes. The club has been around for over ten years and began gaining visibility, particularly through an Instagram account that was created five years ago.
Junior and club president Wally Lawrence said the Superfans do more than just cheer at the games; they have an emotional impact as well.
“Superfans is a way for the student body to be able to connect and support athletics at Brookline High with enthusiasm, passion and inclusivity,” said Lawrence.
Senior and club co-president Thalia Goessling said that community is a huge focus for the club.
“It’s mostly just a way for supporting the sports teams at BHS to become one thing. For it to become a community,” Goessling said.
According to senior and club co-president Molly Engeland, social media has played a pivotal role in expanding the club’s reach.
“When I followed the Instagram [account] my freshman year, it had around 800 followers. Now, we’re up to 1,300, and we’ve added a TikTok account with 600 followers,” Engeland said.
These platforms not only promote events, but also celebrate individual athletes and add a personal touch to the club’s outreach. The Superfans leaders coordinate with the athletic department to enhance the gameday experience.
The Superfans make T-shirts, plan spirit, film videos with cheerleaders and dedicate their efforts to enhancing the atmosphere of the game.
“It’s about supporting teams and creating a shared sense of excitement. Knowing there will be cheering and energy at games gets people more excited to attend,” Goessling said. “It’s great that when we do go to the games, the players are noticing us, and they’re really grateful for it.”
According to senior and club co-president Birdie Hawkins, another way the Superfans are able to get recognition for athletes is through speaking directly to them and sharing it on their social media.
“I think some of the positive impacts of Superfans is promoting our student-athletes and letting everyone see how amazing they are, especially with our post-game interviews that we do,” Hawkins said. “I think those are a great way to boost our athletes and make them feel super awesome.”
Hawkins said the Superfans also hope to return some old sports traditions to the high school.
“We’re trying to get the pep rally back for Powderpuff, which has been difficult because it requires the teachers to volunteer on their own time,” Hawkins said.
One difficulty the Superfans often face is trying to equally represent and highlight all sports teams. According to Hawkins, while some sports teams have gotten more attention than others in the past, the Superfans are looking to improve attendance and spirit at all sporting events.
“We can improve at getting students to come to more of a variety of different sports games,” Hawkins said.
Looking ahead, the Superfans leaders are focused on getting more students involved in the club. According to Engeland, whether it’s leading cheers, taking photos or simply showing up, the Superfans are hoping for more support from students attending the games.
“We’re just trying to rope more people in,” Engeland said. “It’s hard because it’s an unconventional club, but we want to see more people involved.”
