Why are students leaving at halftime?

Blake McAlpin | Student Life Editor

October 6, 2023 

Again and again, no matter how good of a game it is, the students keep leaving during halftime. This begs the question of why are these students leaving and what can we do to encourage them to stay?

The root of the issue is that we want students to reflect a fraction of their energy to the players on the field, enabling them to get an extra boost of motivation. “How the student section is an awesome part of the game, and all of the players look forward to it,” Connor Bochuber, a senior at San Clemente and a Stanford University commit, said. “All the players and our parents see a difference in the game when the student section has the energy or when it doesn’t. Last year, it was cool when people would stay throughout the whole game.” 

Mr. Reid, the San Clemente High School activities director, and I have made multiple conclusions about why the students are leaving. However, figuring out how to make them stay is an uphill battle we combat every week. Our theory is that the hype around the game is so energetic that it is normalized to jump in line as early as 4:00 PM. This would mean students attending the entire game are there for roughly five hours. Nobody wants to be anywhere, especially school, for an additional five hours. With the game only being about two of those, it’s honestly understandable why students may leave halfway through. 

Senior Kendall Northrup questioned why students arrived so early as the game does not start till seven, “I just feel like we are wasting time being there so early. If we were able to get there later and still get good seats, I would be down to stay the whole time. It’s just annoying when we are there for so long without the game even happening.” To combat this issue, Mr. Reid took the initiative and changed the game entry time 15 minutes back while also restricting the line-up time to 5:00 PM. In theory, this would encourage students to stay as they have not been there nearly as long.

Last weekend at the homecoming game, this was tested, and shocker, it did not work. It was a close game, and we had a great halftime show, but slowly, throughout the third quarter, the stands slowly began to empty. 

As the season continues and we only have one more home game, I encourage everyone to stay and enjoy the entirety of the game. The team appreciates your support, and I promise In-N-Out will still be there afterward.