“The best student section in the state” is a large, albeit self-appointed, title, and one West Linn High School seems to fill perfectly. At every single football, basketball and soccer game the stands are filled with cheering students, each decked out in coordinated colors and yelling chants in unison. WLHS prides itself on not just having the best athletic teams, but the best fans cheering for them.

The Spirit Squad is responsible for West Linn’s impressive showing. “The club organizes what everybody is wearing, gets them to cheer, all that stuff,” Hailey Westover, senior and leader of the Spirit Squad, said. “We just try to get as many people to cheer as possible.”

Anyone can join the club, as long as they attend every game and have the spirit to match. Themes for basketball games have included a “Hawaiian Out,” where students wore tropical clothing and flower necklaces, and a “Classy Out,” in which the students dressed formally in dresses and ties.

“The games have been a lot better this year, since everyone is dressing up. We’ve also stepped up our game attendance a lot,” Westover said.

The next varsity boy’s basketball game is tonight in the West Linn High School gym at 7p.m., and as Westover says, “cheer your heart out.”