Crazy About the Bruins

Mountain View is home to some very successful sporting ventures– the lady Bruin volleyball team has gone to the 5A state championships two years in a row, successfully securing the title in 2019. Bruin cross country has won multiple regional championships and places regularly at state, and both boys and girls soccer consistently perform extremely well in the state playoffs, just to name a few among many other Bruin athletic achievements. No success of this stature occurs without an incredible support group backing up the teams and players; MV is no different. Meet the Bruin Crazies: the sport support system of Mountain View High School.

The Crazies were started by Peter Glahn, former Vice-Principal of MVHS. Ever since then, the legacy has only grown and expanded throughout the generations of Bruins. Each year, four Crazy Captains are selected to lead cheers and get people to come and cheer at games; this year’s Crazy Captains are Kaden Kunz, Lucas Schmidt, Julia Cavalcanti, and Mia Madsen. Even and especially during the pandemic, the backing support from the Crazies has far from ceased, according to Kaden, who also holds the position of Student Body Pep Rep on Student Council. “My goal for this year specifically is to help all the students feel involved and the athletes feel supported,” he said. “It’s so hard to do that with everything going on, but I think it’s more important now than ever that we come support each other and have fun together.” For him, being a Bruin Crazy isn’t about gaining school spirit. “The school spirit was already there… it’s in my blood. But [being a Crazy] helped me get to know other people better.” There truly is no connection like the one you get when cheering others on together; Kaden understands this and tries to foster it wherever he goes. Kunz can be found at every sporting event– even the away games that are far from home or difficult to come to– cheering loudly and encouraging others to join him and do the same.

And Kaden is far from alone in this mission; many others are just as “crazy” about supporting the Bruins and recruiting others to join their cause. Lucas Schmidt, one of the three other Crazy Captains, said that being a Bruin Crazy is about “bringing kids together that don’t necessarily play sports so [they] can all be part of one activity” as well as “supporting friends that play sports.” Lucas proves that the atmosphere of the Bruin Crazies is not exclusive; whether you play sports yourself or not, if you’re willing to cheer loudly and add to the experience, then the Crazies want you on their team. Lucas went on to say that he believes the Crazies “raise the energy in the sports and raise the outcomes of certain games.”

Many athletes openly share this opinion. Haley Bryan, a senior on the soccer team, shared this experience: “My junior year of high school soccer, we had our first round of playoffs at Mountain View. We went into double overtime and then a PK [penalty kick] shootout, and the Bruin Crazies were there cheering us on the whole time. We went through PKs and in the end, it came down to me stepping up to take the last PK. As I set up, the Bruin Crazies were going wild and cheering me on. I shot and made my PK, and the whole Bruin Crazies section ran onto the field to cheer with the team. It was awesome!”

This year, however, everything with sports attendance is different– so, just like any other team, the Crazies have had to adapt to the challenging circumstances– so adapt they have. “I remember when we played Orem at home, the governor had made a new mandate where no fans were allowed inside the stadium,” said senior soccer player, Rachel Mortensen. “We were halfway through the game and it was dead quiet. Then out of nowhere, a group of Crazies showed up and cheered their hearts out from outside the stadium. They brought drums and sirens and they were SO LOUD. It completely changed the energy inside, and we took the win.” Lucas and Kaden headed this Crazy operation to make sure there was no doubt in anyone’s mind that the Crazies would show up as much as they could in whatever way they could– and this is just one example of how this incredible support system has gotten creative and found ways to support their Bruins even when the world is driving people apart– both literally and figuratively.

You don’t have to be a Crazy Captain to be deeply involved in the movement of the Crazies, though; Warren Moses is an excellent example of this. He, like many other Crazies, does everything he can to be at the games and support the teams. But “being a Bruin Crazy isn’t just about showing up to games,” he says. “It’s being involved with the school and having that connection with other people at Mountain View with the same passion for their school as you.” Warren spoke for many with the words he shared next: “Covid has put a big dent in attitude and motivation– we can only have limited people at games, and everything is weird now. To have that sense of community and belonging is needed now more than ever.”

If there’s one thing that can be said for certain about the Mountain View sports support system, it’s that their passion for school and their support for their teams cannot be underestimated. Already, they have made a massive difference in the culture of Mountain View sports and in the unity of the school– and, without a doubt, they will continue to further the legacy of the Bruin Crazies. They are truly the living embodiment of this year’s school slogan: “We’re Making History!”