Timby’s Troop, a student-led initiative dedicated to energizing home games with cheers and chants, was recently introduced to boost enthusiasm in Northwood’s student section.
Led by the Spirit and Rally Commissioners junior Aadya Batra and sophomore George Liu, the crew will be present at football games, volleyball games and rallies to promote attendance and participation. This is part of an ongoing ASB effort to bond the school community together.
“School events like football games are many people’s escape from the stress of school,” Timby’s Troop member sophomore Danuj Kunaseelan said. ”Making the experience memorable through the hype we create is what matters most.”
Timby’s Troop debuted during the Jersey Jam home football game against Laguna Beach, where they dispersed throughout the crowd and initiated chants and cheers in accordance with the cheerleaders. By designating people to lead chants in every corner of the student section, the hope is that others surrounding will be motivated and less embarrassed to join in.
“With Timby’s Troop, people will be more inclined to step out of their comfort zones,” Liu said. “No matter how many wins our sports team has or what division they are, everyone at Northwood should have the responsibility and passion to go out and support their fellow peers and students.”
Northwood culture mainly focuses on academics compared to athletics, which gives it the reputation of being a quieter school with student sections that often go unnoticed. Only recently has Northwood won its first-ever OC Student Section of the Week title, which is the trajectory ASB and Timby’s Troop are striving to maintain.
“Winning OC Student Section of the Week is a huge accomplishment for Northwood and the kind of spirit that we are hoping to continue in the future,” Batra said. “We can keep up this same high spirit with the help of Timby’s Troop, by showing how other kids like them are being loud and spirited, so others are motivated to join too.”
Previously, Northwood used to have a “yell crew,” which ended once COVID-19 began due to violations with school policies and a slew of miscommunications. Liu and Batra revived the former yell crew as Timby’s Troop, which is managed by them and the Athletics Commissioners. Their goal is to keep the program self-running and make adjustments to the way they operate as the year moves forward, eventually having a set cycle or system to keep the program running.
“We came into Timby’s Troop knowing we’d have to make many tweaks to it and we have been addressing the organization of it,” Liu said. “Even if Timby’s Troop isn’t as big this year, our hope is that it’ll become a tradition in future years at Northwood as the program becomes more and more mature.”
Applications to join Timby’s Troop are still ongoing. To apply, check out the QR code on flyers posted around school, which contains questions about your interest and thoughts on Northwood’s school spirit.
“Of course being a part of Timby’s Troop is at the cost of losing your voice every game,” Kunaseelan said. “Yet, seeing and hearing how loud the student section gets is truly memorable and worth it.”
