By Miracle Chatman Staff Writer
After a year of absence, the Dark Side student section returns just in time for basketball season.
A student section is a section of the stands or bleachers at a sporting event where fans gather up and say chants and cheer on their team. These sections are very common in college basketball. Like Duke’s Cameron Crazies or Michigan State’s Izzone, the Dark Side is Renaissance’s version of a student section.
“The Dark Side helps motivate the players and brings a source of energy to the game,” said senior basketball player Jimme Cannon.
Renaissance’s Dark Side was started and led by a group of seniors in 2013. All students had to wear black in order to sit in the section. After those students graduated, it looked like the Dark Side would leave with them. That was until this year where senior Natasja Baldwin decided to bring it back.
“I brought the Dark Side back because I seen the lack of support that my peers had for our sports teams, not only at Renaissance but in Detroit,” Baldwin said. “Only high schools you see with big student sections are those in more suburban areas. I wanted to make sports events more fun so that we could have more support.”
Students seem to love the Dark Side. It brings out a lot of people to the games, especially for the big games.
“I love the Dark Side,” senior Telia Zanders said. “It makes the games more fun and live. It just adds intensity and energy to the gym.”
