Boom-Chicka-Boom. We Are the Mighty Vikings. Give Me an “O”. These are only three of the many cheers you might hear in Stoughton’s very own celly section at major sporting events. Stoughton High School seniors Catelyn Jaskulke and Adam Slager are the faces of the 2021-2022 student section, and they’re ready to kick off a year of memorable games.
“We get the name “Celly” from “celebration”” Jaskulke says. “[The section] is just a way to encourage students to come cheer and spread school spirit at sporting events.”
Jaskulke and Slager have already had the chance to lead the Celly Section at a few football and volleyball games this year. Fall sports started up in August and the two leading seniors are showing up and showing out at every game, eager to make this year count. Being part of the student section is a matter Jaskulke and Slager take pride in.
“You can expect to chant, and you can expect to win, obviously,” Slager says, “You can definitely expect to get some wins.”
Of course, there are some unique challenges that Jaskulke and Slager are facing this year after the events of the last 18 months. The 2020-2021 school year was unconventional to say the least, and while the district managed to get most sports up and running, Stoughton’s rowdy student section was not permitted at sporting events, where each athlete was allowed a maximum of 4 guests as spectators.
“This year, I feel like we should have had [a pep rally] earlier with the freshmen. A lot of the freshmen and the sophomores don’t know the cheers.” Slager says.
Slager makes a point that resonates with nearly half of the student body this school year. It’s easy to feel out of place in the student section, especially after nearly an entire school year was virtual due to COVID-19. Not only are freshmen new to the school, but many now-sophomores have only experienced a few months in-person, and former Virtual Vikings, none at all. For students who are not well-versed in the cheers or don’t know much about sports or how the game works, going to a sporting event can be daunting. However, Jaskulke would like to put those fears to rest.
“It’s just a really fun place to let loose and not have anyone care or judge. You can be loud and that’s the point […] If you’re not in sports, or even if you’re in a sport […] it’s a really good way to just go and still be involved,” Jaskulke says.
This “let-loose” mentality is vital at sporting events. Students who have attended and participated in the student section know better than anyone that you’re more out of place when quiet than you are when loud. The Celly Section is all about having school spirit, pride, and a good time. One way Jaskulke and Slager foster this energy is by doing interactive cheers. Most common are “repeat after me” cheers, but one of the most well-loved interactive chants is Boom-Chicka-Boom, where the leader of the chant is not Jaskulke or Slager, but another student, picked at random.
“[If you get chosen to lead Boom-Chicka-Boom] you have got to show no fear, you can’t be timid at all. Do not be timid, just go for it,” Slager says. “And the more you make it your own,” Jaskulke adds, “the funnier it is.”
The Celly Section has had some memorable moments already in the 2021-2022 school year, some funny, and some thrilling. There is hardly ever a dull moment, and its presence is impossible to miss at Stoughton High School sporting events. Stoughton’s own sports teams appear to agree.
“I think my favorite thing that’s happened all year was in the first football game against Oregon, “Jaskulke says, “It was within the last minute of the game, where we rushed probably about 80 yards, and just got first down after first down, and the student section was getting really loud […] Play after play the boys got a first down, and it ended up being a touchdown!”
Slager has noticed the same effect at football games especially.
“You can tell [the players] feed off of it for sure. The guys on the sideline are [hyping up the crowd] too,” he says.
Furthermore, the energy doesn’t end when we leave home turf. Away games are home to the same cheers, same expectations, and same vitality. Jaskulke emphasizes that it is equally important to show up at away games as it is to show out at home. Away games are better when well attended, according to the section leaders.
“The more people you can get at an away game, the more fun it is to battle against the other section. I think I had the most fun at the Deforest game, even though we were [losing pretty badly]. It was really fun because we went back and forth with the other student section,” Jaskulke says.
Understandably, many underclassmen attend less away games than home games due to transportation issues. Games outside of Stoughton can often be a thirty minute drive or greater, and many freshmen and sophomores don’t have a license. Luckily, there’s a solution to this problem.
“For away games, too, reach out to upperclassmen. They’ll take you for sure. I would take somebody I don’t know if they want to come to the game.” Slager says.
Jaskulke shares the same sentiment. Underclassmen are welcome in the cars of older students. Ask around, coordinate with friends, and show up ready to cheer at away games!
The Stoughton Celly Section welcomes all students, and leaders Jaskulke and Adam can’t wait for a long year of packed sporting events. After last year’s complications, the high school and its students are ready to start fresh. Come to as many games as possible, cheer loudly, and expect our students to win!
As Slager says, “You don’t need to feel like you shouldn’t go just because you don’t play sports […] People really don’t care how you act there, so be rowdy and have a good time.”