An idea for “the ultimate fan section” hatched by a group of upperclassmen has been growing for about a year now and  the added hype has led to rising  student attendance  at home sporting events.

Joe Tlougan (‘14), and current seniors Tom Graner and Sam French were key contributors to the beginnings of what they, with some help from the internet and a thesaurus, named the “6th Man Megacorps.”   The name reflects the idea of the crowd being a vital part of a successful team and giving the impression of martial intimidation through strength. Though the true purpose is to support the Ramblers and have fun.

Current senior Sam French reflected on the idea for the megacorps, “Everyone wants to experience the feeling of truly impacting a sporting event from the stands and helping their favorite team while having fun. The ideas seemed  like a win-win.”

In early 2014 the new fan section attended their first game, “we had the whole section full,” said French, who couldn’t have imagined a better turn out on the first night.

Since that game the students have taken over a section of the bleachers and begun to sit closer together, creating more unity and a greater sense of pride for Cotter.

Possibly the greatest event in recent Cotter fan section history unfolded in the second half of a conference boys basketball game against Wabasha-Kellogg in early 2014. The Ramblers were down one point with a few seconds to go. Kyle Kerrigan hit Matt Schrupp with a perfectly placed pass and Matt made a layup to secure the 62-61 victory on WACS night. The basket turned an already fun night into a party, as Rambler fans stormed the court celebrating the victory.

“The goal is to have every night be as fun as that night was,” said French.

The end of the school year brought about the graduation of many key member of the megacorps. With the loss of so many key contributors to the gym’s volume and excitement levels, comes new ideas about how to energize the future of the fan section.

One idea French came up with was to make t-shirts to “promote Cotter pride and enhance the image of the fan section.” French ended up selling 40 shirts in total and is  ordering more is not out of the question. “If demand is high enough, I’d consider another order,” stated French.

Since the inception of the Megacorps idea, theme nights have always been central. Cotter has seen various themes since then, like blue, black, white, red, camo, toga, beach, and dig pink nights. Participation is high during these nights, but French thinks they could be better, “Some people go all out, but then you get those people who refuse to participate and it really bums people out. I encourage everyone who wants to attend to be loud and dress according to theme.”

Want to know the theme? Many flyers are posted in the school prior to theme nights, check the hallways to find out.

This year’s  Megacorps is running smoothly. Attendance has been high according to Mr. Whipple, Cotter’s Athletic Director.  “I think student turingout has been very high this year for all of our athletic teams,” stated Whipple, “Megacorps has really embraced the idea of supporting our teams and being respectful of the opponents. We all want the best home court/field advantage possible but we need to focus on Cotter! I commend the student section for making this a priority this year. I’m always here to support this group.“

The future of the megacorps is bright. Mac Whaley is likely to assume the role of coordinator once French graduates. Whaley is already assisting French as needed, along with founding member Tom Graner. Mr. Whipple hopes the Megacorps can “get to a point in which the student section will select games for every sport ensuring support for all student-athletes.”