Sports
The Force is Strong with Gallia Academy
By: Kristen Walters
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If you’ve ever been to a game where Gallia Academy was playing, you probably noticed a very large and very loud student section with them. And, this student section is spirited enough to have it’s own name, The G-Force.
The G-Force was started a couple of years ago by a group of overly enthusiastic seniors. Since then, a new group of seniors steps up to take the reigns of the G-Force each year. This year, Chase Caldwell, Daniel Rees, and Nick Saunders lead the crew in countless cheers during each game. And, those three are easy to find as they normally sport blue full-body spandex suits. However, when Gridiron Glory followed them around at Memorial Field in week six against Logan, their bodies weren’t covered in those suits. In fact, their bodies weren’t covered much at all.
That was the game the G-Force chose to “black out” cancer, and therefore, substituted their blue suits for black paint. Despite the weather being about 40 degrees out and rainy, some of the G-Force members still chose to go shirtless and paint their chests with black paint and the breast cancer pink ribbon.
Obviously the G-Force is dedicated, and not only to their Blue Devils, but also to charitable causes like breast cancer. Instead of doing the normal pre-game stretches, the students stood by the gates and collected donations for cancer research. Last year, they raised over 2000 dollars and were hoping to surpass that this year. The students also honored all those affected by cancer in some way or another, by marching across the field at halftime with pink signs bearing those names.
And, their support for cancer research during the game did not hinder their support for Gallia Academy in any way. The intense energy level that the students bring to each game is the key to what makes them unique. It seemed like not even five minutes would pass before another ear-piercingly loud chant would begin. And, as if the extremely high noise level wasn’t impressive enough, most of the cheers also included clapping, stopping, and/or jumping. There was even a chant that included a mosh-pit!
Regardless of the crazy yelling and moshing, the G-Force still keeps it classy. Their cheering is never inappropriate or out of line. After showing up at the Jackson versus Wellston game in week one, even the Wellston Superintendant had nothing but nice things to say about the G-Force, including how appropriate they kept it.
Gallia Academy’s athletic director, Craig Wright, said, “they are a driving force behind Gallia athletics, and we are lucky to have them.” The student section even rececieved recognition in West Virginia when it was voted the best student section in the Tri-State area for the past two years by WSAZ.
After spending an entire tailgate and half a game in the thick of the G-Force, it was more than apparent that the crew is a model student section and the ideal support group for any sport. It’s a fan group like the G-Force that keeps a football team’s spirits high and makes the Friday night football atmosphere complete.
**VIDEO: Extra footage from the Gallia vs. Logan shoot. For the complete aired story, watch week seven, October 7, Gridiron Glory show.