Four Sycamore High School seniors are betting that free gear and bragging rights can fill bleachers well past football season.
The Ave Cave, the Aviators' student section, has created a "Fan of the Season" program that rewards one boy and one girl from each grade level who show standout enthusiasm at athletic events. Winners earn official Sycamore athletic apparel and free athletic passes for the following school year, The Leaf, the school's student newspaper, reported.
Senior leaders Brooke Rohner, Lainey Tilton, Kyle Cicak and Joel Truter built the program to push student crowds beyond Friday night football and into the gymnasium, the baseball diamond and the softball field. Cicak said it matters that students show up for teams across all sports. The leaders said that cross-sport support is what separates the Ave Cave from student sections at other schools.
Rohner said attendance at games has already increased since the program launched. The Ave Cave leaders urged students to bring friends, be loud and give Sycamore teams a real home-field advantage.
The recognition goes beyond merchandise. Tilton said unified game-day themes help the section look and feel cohesive. She emphasized that a simple dress-up theme everyone can follow makes the whole section look uniform. The leaders also credited social media reels and a stronger online presence with drawing more underclassmen to games this school year.
The program is brand new, and the four seniors said they hope future Ave Cave leadership groups will keep the tradition going after they graduate. Rohner said she hopes future leaders carry it on because the early attendance gains show the concept works.
"Last year was good, this year is better, and hopefully next year we will improve even more," Truter told The Leaf. "We're raising the bar for how the Ave Cave should be."
Sycamore competes in the Greater Miami Conference. The Aviators' winter sports season tips off in November.
