Emma Milner

Varsity girls volleyball players Eden Kelly (11) and Aline Grinspan (11) throw their hands into the air as they cheer for an ace. Points won off aces frequently garner their own chants.

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.