For high school students across the country, Homecoming week is usually capped off with a night dance. For the past several years at LSE, the dance has been the day after the football game, whether that be a Friday or Saturday. This year, that tradition is taking a turn as the homecoming dance will immediately follow the game on Friday night, leaving just a couple hours for athletes, performers and fans to shift from the stadium student section to the dance floor.
The change, approved by administrators, is stirring mixed feelings among students. Athletes, cheerleaders, Shirettes, Color Guard and Marching Band worry about squeezing in time to get ready, eat dinner, and take photos, while others say the overlap could hurt turnout at both the game and the dance. The new date also overlaps with Lincoln Southwest’s homecoming, leaving some students frustrated about missing out on both events.
Senior football player Caden Ward said that although he doesn’t have much of an opinion on it being on the same night, he does acknowledge its inconvenience.
“Football players are more focused on the game, I’d say,” Ward said. “The dance is a second thing.”
Ward also says that because of the dance being on the same night as homecoming, this might also affect the attendance of the dance.
“Some [football] guys might not even go [to the dance], because after the game you’re all beat up and don’t really want to stand in the middle of a bunch of people,” Ward said.
Ward still plans on attending, but says he’ll just have to arrange time for a shower. On the other hand, seniors Camryn Wheeler and Hailey Taylor feel more passionate about the events coinciding.
Wheeler, who is a cheerleader, and Taylor, who is a Shirette, are both required to be present and performing at the game. They each expressed disapproval of the game being on the same night as the dance, especially it being their senior year.
Taylor says that because of the game being on the same day as homecoming, she’ll lose crucial time to hang out with friends, get ready, eat dinner and take pictures. Leaving the game early is disappointing for Taylor, too.
“I feel like people really like the homecoming game, and normally we can go to the whole thing and enjoy it. I’m also sad that I even have to leave early to have time to get ready. I wish we could stay for the whole thing.”
Wheeler would prefer homecoming to be on a separate day also, but has confidence she’ll have time to get it all done.
“I’ll have to sacrifice things to make it work, I don’t know if I’ll get to eat dinner with my group. But I’ll try to make the best out of it,” Wheeler said.
Another inconvenient aspect of the Oct. 3 homecoming date, is that Southwest also has their dance on the same day. This is disappointing for Southeast and Southwest students alike, because many students from each school plan on going to the other school’s dance. One of these students being Taylor, who expresses sadness in not being able to spend quality time at both homecomings, and may not even go to both.
When asked why the homecoming dance was coinciding with the game this year, Crystal Folden, an Associate Principal at LSE, said there were far too many events involved to cater to everyone’s convenience.
“When the athletic directors get together to make the athletic and activity schedule, it’s almost like a fantasy football draft.” Folden said.
Pre-covid, Folden recalls homecoming almost always landing on a Friday, with the game being on the same day. Although she recognizes the possible anxiety of the rushed day, she also says that it provides something for the student council to be proud of, as she was a chairman of the activity for 13 years.
“After the whole day was done, the [student council] kids would have been up since 7:30 AM, and still cleaning up at 12 PM. We’d all stand in the gym after [cleaning] and I’d tell them, ‘You did it.’”w
One of the biggest reasons why the homecoming dance can’t be on a Saturday is because of Husker games, but Admin also acknowledged the lack of Friday home games that start earlier than 8PM this year. Although the 3rd is going to be busy, Folden assures kids that they’ll have time to make things work, and that this packed day is “just getting back into tradition.”
Although many students on and off the field will have to make sacrifices for homecoming this year, making the best of the night and having fun is always achievable. Wheeler and Taylor are both looking forward to hanging out with friends at the football game and the dance, and acknowledge it may be stressful, but both are positive they’ll make the best out of it no matter what.
