Gameday at Elkhorn is, most would agree, something to behold. At sporting events across the board, even if some boast more wild cheering than others, students from practically any social group can be seen gathering under the E. It’s a phrase we’re all familiar with, through sports, events, rallies, and so on – school spirit. But does it apply to those “sports” and competitions done at tables or podiums, with voices or a pencil? In student and staff support, are all of our Elkhorn competitors created equal?

Part of the key to our many teams’ success is a supportive base of students.

“People need to have an idea of what they’re going into,” says Mrs. Mosby, head of Elkhorn’s Speech team, which competes with fellow Nebraskans in performing their own and others’ speeches, poems, scripts, and so on.

A variety of other academic competitions are available here, such as Mock Trial, or the Jeopardy-esque Quiz Bowl – with a high amount of overlap among themselves and Antler sports. It’s important to note that a modern high school is not how it’s so often been portrayed in movies and TV (a set of rigid cliques: “jocks”, “nerds”, and the like). Elkhorn, in particular, is quite fluid, with many students double-dipping into a combination of academic and athletic competitions. It is clear, then, that most would not consider themselves “too cool” to support our teams of speakers, test-takers, or trivia geeks.

The unfortunate reality is that these events are not built for spectators – perhaps because of low awareness to begin with.

“If you’re going to basketball, you know what to expect,” says Mosby. “Activities like show choir, since the advent of Glee, there’s a lot more public interest. There’s not ever been a TV show about speech.”

Glee, in a rare case, brings to mind an important point. Musical groups at Elkhorn are receiving an increasing amount of attention, and not without good reason. Although auditorium band or show choir exhibitions may not offer the social experience of a sporting event, they are certainly designed to please the senses – whereas sports not geared toward spectacle such as golf attract fewer crowds with a slower, relaxed pace. In drawing a crowd, setup and presentation are key.

Despite often being a mix between entertaining and nail-biting (in Quiz Bowl, for instance, a last-second tie-breaker answer can carry the excitement of a goal or touchdown), the setup of academic competitions – large meets of many schools, often on a weekday- often simply won’t allow a mass of spectators. But ultimately, what any team needs is encouragement and support from their peers. School spirit is part of what defines our student body, at any kind of game day.

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