ATHLETIC SUPPORTERS

Last night when I was walking around the school track, I gazed up to the bleachers and had a flashback to the days when I was a member of the high school Pep Club. Circa 1964-67. Back then, girls were not allowed to be in sports since sweating was a big roadblock to popularity, so we just sat in the stands during football and basketball games and supported “our guys.”

Being in Pep Club was serious stuff. First off, we had uniforms--a black blazer worn over a white blouse or turtleneck, and a black pleated skirt. The blazer had an official Pep Club crest. First class all the way. If we couldn’t be a cute cheerleader, at least we felt semi-special in that itchy outfit. (see The Flaming Bore, age 16, top right, looking not-so-cheery in her Pep Club ensemble)

Once one had the Pep Club look, following the rules of hallowed membership was imperative. The Sergeant-at-Arms kept a record of participation and de-merits if someone dared to muck up. Miss a game, big demerit. Be in attendance but not in the official uniform, demerit. Tardy; demerit. Not yelling every cheer as if your toenails were being ripped off; demerit. Not waiting until halftime to hit up the concession stand; demerit. Loitering in the ladies room; demerit. It went on and on. And God forbid if I had a demerit. I was determined to rack up as many merit points as was humanly possible. The very fate of our team depended on me!!

The school provided a bus to take us to away games so we could show off our Pep Club skills to other towns. When we hit the city limits of the opposing school, the windows were shoved down, regardless of the weather, and we began our standard chant: “WE’RE FROM FREDONIA! WE COULDN’T BE PROUDER. AND IF YOU CAN’T HEAR US, WE’LL YELL A LITTLE LOUDER!!! And with each round we’d get louder and louder and louder and didn’t shut up until we arrived at our destination, or the bus driver went insane, whichever came first. By gosh, we may not have had a very good football or basketball team, but we had the highest decibel level of any Pep Club in the Tri-Valley League.

I don’t know at what point in time high school Pep Clubs died out--probably when girls were allowed to play sports. But I kind of miss them. At the school where I taught, the only people who knew the cheers were the cheerleaders. What’s the point? Who are they leading? Nobody. Maybe what goes around comes back around, though, and Pep Clubs will someday make a revival and return to the sports scene. Teens will see the value in supporting their teams, promoting school spirit, wearing stylish uniforms, and following ridiculous rules. Something tells me, however, that there’s not a chance of that ever happening. I said, “THERE’S NOT A CHANCE OF THAT EVER HAPPENING!!!!!”