The Illinois High School Association (IHSA) Board of Directors met at its regularly scheduled meeting at the IHSA office in Bloomington on Monday, December 15, 2014, where the Board approved the creation of the new IHSA Student Section Showdown contest.

The IHSA Student Sectional Showdown was an idea born from the IHSA Student Advisory Committee (SAC) that pits student sections from the around the state against one another to see who has the best spirit and sportsmanship. Student sections will have the remainder of the 2014-15 basketball season to submit a video (up to three minutes) that shows their student section in action during a game.

“The Student Advisory Committee believes strongly in the concept of the IHSA Student Section Showdown contest,” said IHSA Assistant Executive Director Beth Sauser. “We expect it to galvanize student bodies and reiterate how important they are to their schools. Hopefully it helps get more students to attend games or re-energize some student sections who haven’t been as active in recent years.”

Submissions must be uploaded to YouTube by February 6, 2015. The submissions will be judged by the SAC and representatives from the finalists will be invited to the IHSA Boys Basketball State Finals, where the winners will be revealed.

“Most importantly, it will be a great platform to promote sportsmanship,” said Sauser. “There are many student sections that actively plan and promote on social media, and several claim to be the best in Illinois. It’s time to find out who is right.”

Source: IHSA