When it’s football season on campus, Mac spirit is everywhere. From dressing up for the theme of the week during the day to cheering from the stands of House Park in the evening, school pride echoes from every corner. But arguably the most spirited events of them all are pep rallies– and to be able to lead pep rallies, seniors Julia Rasp and Trinity Ritcherson have to be the most spirited in the school.

Rasp has been interested in the idea of becoming a pep rally emcee since her freshman year when she said she started to go all out for spirit days. Since then, Rasp has only become more involved in Mac pride.

“I just love to scream my heart out at pep rallies,” Rasp said. “I always thought if I didn’t lose my voice by the end of pep rallies, I was just doing it wrong.”

Because of this, Rasp knew that being an emcee would be a good fit for her.

“It was just the highlight of my week when I got to go to pep rallies,” she said. “Or, when I would see MacJ do the spirit day pictures. I just loved it.”

Rasp said she talked to members of Student Council, including seniors student body president Kalliope Haltom, student body vice president Christina Petropolous and class president Poppy Harris, who thought Rasp would do well in the emcee role.

“I brought it up to Kalliope, Poppy and Christina because they’re my good pals,” Rasp said. “I think they brought it up to [Student Council sponsor Amy] Brodbeck. So, it just kind of happened– it wasn’t super formal.”

Ritcherson became an emcee in a similarly informal fashion. Interested in being an emcee so she could bring hype to the crowd, Ritcherson contacted Brodbeck over the summer.

“I think I asked in the week or two before school started, I emailed Ms. Brodbeck to ask about the position,” Ritcherson said. “Even though there already was an emcee chosen, they allowed me to do it with Julia, so I’m thankful they let me do that.”

Though leading pep rallies was once a role filled by teachers, students have taken charge of the tradition in recent years, as Brodbeck noted.

“Last year we had our president of our student council and our president of our senior class who asked to be emcees, and we kind of just fell into that,” Brodbeck said. “This year, [Rasp and Ritcherson] came up to us because they really wanted to be emcees, so we had them apply to be in Student Council so they could do that.”

This new tradition brings even more spirit to campus, as Brodbeck thinks that students actually pep up other students more than teachers.

“I think they’re gonna get all riled up when they have other people, their peers, cheering them on, compared to teachers trying to do it,” she said.

After the emcee team was set, all that was left to do was wait for football season. The first pep rally can be nerve-wracking for a new emcee, according to Rasp. But the tradeoff is worth it to her.

“Getting to look at the entire senior class and get the energy up, and just seeing people laugh and yell was really fun,” Rasp said. “And it just felt like the perfect, perfect thing for me.”

The pre-rally nerves also are lessened by having a partner to hype you up, Rasp said.

“It made it a lot easier to plan it out or talk it out, and get each other’s energy up,” she said. “Just having a buddy by your side makes a world of difference. We coordinate our outfits on pep rally days, so it’s nice having a companion for that.”

Ritcherson feels the same way about the sharing of emcee duties.

“I would say it’s more reassuring,” she said. “And it’s helpful because all the attention isn’t just on one person, it’s like an on-and-off thing. It’s nice having someone by my side to do all these wacky things with.”

Brodbeck said the emcees are doing a great job, despite how new the role is to both of them.

“They both enjoy it and they’re both spirited young ladies,” Brodbeck said. “I know they’re going to do fantastic for the rest of the year.”

As emcees, Ritcherson and Rasp have an entirely different pep rally experience than the one they had for the past three years, on the gym floor instead of in the bleachers.

“I missed a little bit being able to just be with everyone,” Rasp said. “But it’s nice to just see all my friends together. It didn’t honestly feel that different, since we stand so close to them.”

Not only does Rasp show spirit during pep rallies, but she brings it on during the day by dressing up for themes. Since her brother Anthony Rasp won Most Spirited as a superlative for the LASA class of 2014, Rasp has been carrying the family torch of school pride.

“[My brother] didn’t directly influence me to do my spirit day outfits,” Rasp said. “But he always told me if it’s fun and I like doing it, my true friends will laugh along and be supportive of it.”

Out of every spirit day theme, Rasp’s favorite is Barbecue Dad vs. Soccer Mom.

“It’s a classic,” she said. “It’s world-renowned. You see the amount of people who do it that day– it’s wonderful when you’re dressed up in the barbecue dad outfit and you see another barbecue dad, and there’s that look of understanding. I love it.”

Ritcherson’s favorite spirit theme, tropical, has already passed this year, and since she is a senior, this is the last time she will have dressed up for it.

“It’s a bittersweet feeling,” Ritcherson said. “But since it’s senior year, I’m excited to go all out for everything. Embarrassment is just a mindset.”