Captains’ Crew Leaders Elevate the 2021-22 Athletic Season

As the football season has gone into full swing, two sport enthusiasts from the senior class have taken it upon themselves to lead the Captains’ Crew student section. 

“We’re the energy,” Captains’ Crew leader Connor Kilbey said. “We are the ones who have to keep our student body hyped, regardless of the scoreboard, or our opponents. We are here to support the team and help them elevate their game.”

After several discussions with athletes and peers, senior Bennett Vaughan and Kilbey mutually decided that they would take on this leadership role for the 2021-22 athletic season. Other than bringing the spirit, Kilbey and Vaughan are in charge of coordinating the themes, creating student section signs, and encouraging participation at each event. 

“We have a little bit of pressure on us now that we are the Captains,” Kilbey said. “We’ve got to make new traditionals, new chants, but our main goal is to be the loudest and craziest student section in Loudoun County.”

The two leaders’ main initiative is maximizing the student outcome at each event; Vaughan noted that they have been very active with their announcements to the student body through their Instagram, @LCHSCAPTAINSCREW. 

Vaughan explained that they are still working on original chants, while recognizing the importance of keeping previous chants that students remember, and changing it up to suit the new mascot. 

“There’s no other feeling like being on the field and hearing the whole stadium chanting,” senior left tackle Michael Gillis said. “Compared to last year, the game’s were not nearly as fun, the student section’s energy encourages us to be more aggressive.” 

Vaughan agrees that the pandemic has had a significant impact regarding student spirit at games and events. 

“We have definitely seen a big increase in student participation,” Vaughan said. “Two years ago, we played Millbrook High School, which is about forty-five minutes away, and there were about four people who showed up; this year, we played them for our first game of the season and we had over seventy-five students cheering in the bleachers.” 

The Captains’ Crew leaders have made it their mission to make everyone feel included in the school community after a year of athletic games consisting of empty bleachers. 

“Everyone has been containing their spirit because we have all been quarantining alone for such a long time,” Kilbey said. “Everyone has a place now, and we can all go all out to each game, getting hype for our team.”

Overall, Vaughan and Kilbey expressed their gratitude to the student body for showing out at each game so far this year.         

“Shoutout to all the students who are coming out, because we couldn’t do it without all of you,” Kilbey said. “People taking the time out of their days to support our teams gives us the energy to be the craziest student section in all of Loudoun County.”