![“[Building nerf blasters] became this outlet of creativity for me that hasn't been matched by anything else. The process [of] making a build complete to your desire is such a painstakingly difficult process, but I've had to learn from [the skills needed from] soldering to proper painting. There's so many different options for everything, if you think about it, it exists. The best part is [that] if it doesn't exist, you can build it yourself," Ishaan Parate said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/DSC_8149-900x604.jpg)
![“When I came into high school, I was ready to be a follower. But DECA was a game changer for me. It helped me overcome my fear of public speaking, and it's played such a major role in who I've become today. To be able to successfully lead a chapter of 150 students, an officer team and be one of the upperclassmen I once really admired is something I'm [really] proud of,” Anvitha Tummala ('21) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Screen-Shot-2021-07-25-at-9.50.05-AM-900x594.png)
![“I think getting up in the morning and having a sense of purpose [is exciting]. I think without a certain amount of drive, life is kind of obsolete and mundane, and I think having that every single day is what makes each day unique and kind of makes life exciting,” Neymika Jain (12) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Screen-Shot-2017-06-03-at-4.54.16-PM.png)
![“My slogan is ‘slow feet, don’t eat, and I’m hungry.’ You need to run fast to get where you are–you aren't going to get those championships if you aren't fast,” Angel Cervantes (12) said. “I want to do well in school on my tests and in track and win championships for my team. I live by that, [and] I can do that anywhere: in the classroom or on the field.”](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/DSC5146-900x601.jpg)
![“[Volleyball has] taught me how to fall correctly, and another thing it taught is that you don’t have to be the best at something to be good at it. If you just hit the ball in a smart way, then it still scores points and you’re good at it. You could be a background player and still make a much bigger impact on the team than you would think,” Anya Gert (’20) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/AnnaGert_JinTuan_HoHPhotoEdited-600x900.jpeg)
![“I'm not nearly there yet, but [my confidence has] definitely been getting better since I was pretty shy and timid coming into Harker my freshman year. I know that there's a lot of people that are really confident in what they do, and I really admire them. Everyone's so driven and that has really pushed me to kind of try to find my own place in high school and be more confident,” Alyssa Huang (’20) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/AlyssaHuang_EmilyChen_HoHPhoto-900x749.jpeg)
The final minutes of the game tick away. Rhythmic claps echo throughout the stands as the spectators cry out: “Defense! Defense!” The crowd’s voice surges from the bleachers; members of the Harker community watch the basketball team play on the court in the Zhang Gymnasium, rallying to support their team.
Each sport has its own unique set of cheers, and players familiarize themselves with their team’s cheers before they begin their competitive season. By understanding which ones to use in different game situations, such as when the team needs to focus on defense or a player scores a particularly good shot, the team energizes the players and builds momentum, and even puts more pressure on the opposing team.
“We go ‘Defense, defense, defense!’” varsity girls basketball player Selena Chen (10) said. “It’s for when our team is on defense; when the mood is down and we’re down, or even when we’re up sometimes. It’s just when we feel like our defense needs a little work, and we want to raise the team’s morale.”
In volleyball, members of the team shout cheers both when they are on and off the courts. Moments where the team cheers occur when someone aces — wins the point off the serve — or when someone tools — resulting in the team earning a point off of the opponent’s blocker.
“One cheer that we do is when someone hits an ace,” varsity girls volleyball player Stephanie Bossolina (12) said. “We say ‘One, two, three, four — everybody hit the floor! Ace! Ace! Ace!’ while hitting the floor aggressively five-ish times. Another one is that when someone tools from the other team, we use one that goes, ‘What time is it? Tool time!’”
These chants also influence the performance of the opposing school’s team. Junior varsity boys basketball player Arav Vuppala (10) emphasized the psychological impact on rivals, noting how the noise can disrupt their focus and force them to make mistakes under pressure.
“When we get a defense chant going, the other team would, most of the time, either lose the ball, or they would think twice before they pass,” Arav said. “It just gets them mentally.”
Despite other effects these cheers may have, the primary purpose of the chants remains focused on uplifting the players and maintaining their energy.
“Team cheers are really there to boost team morale and keep the team focused,” Stephanie said. “Sometimes they may seem distracting. They really aren’t; it’s really just to get everyone hyped and happy and to stay engaged with the game.”
Additional reporting by Minal Jalil.
