Two senior girls, Lauren Mercury and Maddie Grouzard, were chosen by Student Association Executive Board to participate in the spirit group, Down the River Boys. Instead of having eight boys in the group like in previous years, there are 14 participants, including girls and boys.

According to SA Board president Kayla Fox, SA Board chooses the most “spirited and well-respected students” to be in Down to the River Boys who “get the honor of leading the school in chants.”

“[My friend’s] mom was a Down to the River Girl when she attended GBN,” said Fox. “I think knowing that something has been successful before gives you more courage to attempt to do it again. A girl is just as capable as being spirited and loud and pumping up a crowd as a boy is.”

Not everybody was thrilled with the new Down to the River Boys. One student tweeted on Aug. 28, “It’s Down to the River Boys, not Down to the River Boys plus two girls. Some traditions should be kept #160sac.”

Justin Weiner, the club’s advisor, said he does not think criticism will affect the group. He also said although changing the name was discussed, the name will remain the same.

“Because you’re a Down to the River Boy and you’re a girl doesn’t mean you’re a bro or a boy, it just means you’re part of the group,” Weiner said.

Senior Madison Fox said she was “disappointed” that the tradition changed because she is not used to girls being in Down to the River Boys.

“It’s not necessarily negative, just different,” Madison Fox said.

Kayla Fox said she is interested in other people’s opinions, but ultimately, she feels confident about SA Board’s decision.

“I feel very strongly that these girls and these boys together are going to do an awesome job this year, and I’m looking forward to seeing that,” said Kayla Fox. “I hope anyone who feels differently will understand where we’re coming from by the end of the year, and I’m sure they will.”

Even though Mercury said she was nervous at first to be a girl in Down to the River Boys, the excitement of the other members in the group helped her to break out of her comfort zone.

“We’re just trying to make people who are already cheering with us even more excited,” said Mercury. “At the football game, we tried to get all the freshmen up into the student section instead of having them sit separately. We went to a tennis match, but they are quiet, so we sat there and clapped and supported them mentally.”

Before he became the adviser of the club, Weiner said he was frustrated with the Down to the River Boys’ performance at an assembly in 2013.

As a former member of Down to the River Boys, Weiner said the 2013 group seemed “different and like it was a joke” because the group did not know the words to the chants.

“When we came out, I think it was homecoming [in 2004], [we wore] black tank tops and camo pants and full face paint,” said Weiner. “We all looked the same, and we were unified. I remember the place going nuts.”

Weiner said he wants Down to the River Boys to help students support one another by increasing the presence of group members at sporting events, in order to attract more students to the games.

Grouzard said having girls in the group makes it a more “unified club.”

“I think the most important impact we are making right now is on the freshman girls who really don’t have any idea of what Down to the River was before Lauren and I were there,” said Grouzard. “Seeing two senior girls leading cheers sets the tone for a new generation at GBN.”