As this year’s Student Section Leaders, seniors Conrad Killen and Joe Baumgarten, are looking forward to leading Edina High School’s student section with high energy, they hope to uplift both fans and teams alike.
In a sea of fans, it’s important to stand out amongst the crowd, and an obvious identifier of the student section leaders are their golden buckys, hockey helmets that have been decorated and spray-painted gold. The helmets are a tradition that started only last year with the previous leaders, Jack Bartling and Tyler Davis, who chose their friends as their successors.
As Student Section Leaders, Baumgarten and Killen’s shared responsibilities help them to represent Edina’s teams and fans. “We choose all the chants, all the themes, we post on the social media accounts, and we just try to stay positive towards Edina at all times,” Killen said. But most importantly, through their chants and leadership, Baumgarten and Killen raise the spirit and energy of the entire EHS student section, which impacts more than just the general enjoyment of the fans. “The louder people are, the more support the teams feel,” Baumgarten said. “[We are there to be] good leaders [who] can be really helpful towards the teams themselves,” Killen said.
In the coming year, both student section leaders feel optimistic about Edina’s sports teams, and it’s no surprise that football is at the front of their minds. “Well, obviously football [is very exciting], just because of the size of the crowds they bring,” Killen said.
Both student section leaders expressed their hopes for the Edina hockey teams’ return to the state tournament. “[I’m] definitely most excited for state hockey. It’s got to be number one, [in terms of returning to state],” Killen said. “Hockey will be really cool, especially if we make it back to the X”, Baumgarten said.
This year of athletics is sure to be an exciting one, but overall the best part of attending games has always been the fans, according to Killen.”[I] just [love] being there with all my friends and being able to chat, and just cheering for the teams,” he said.
This piece was originally published in Zephyrus’ print edition on October 12, 2023.
