By Maxine Smith
Anna Mefford and Ishan Desai are carrying on the proud tradition of getting people pumped up for athletic games and encouraging them to come out and support their sweating friends.
They started off strong with the Battle of Buckhead. Ishan was decked out in white paint, while Anna sported a karate costume. “Although we lost, I think we really brought the energy,” said Ishan Desai.
One thing that was hard for them was making their voices loud. “I had a megaphone, but it wasn’t that loud,” she said. Still, she’s OK with that. “The crowd was loud, but that’s a good thing, though,” she said.
Their mission this year is to make sure every Lovett team feels supported. “It’s really about showing up for your friends,” said Anna.
The two have plans to keep raising the bar for school spirit. “We want to continue on past traditions that ultras have done,” said Ishan. This year, they are continuing the trend of athlete of the week and fan of the week, like Lydia and Brendan did. They also have a walk-up song for their announcements at the morning meeting.
While Anna is excited, she hopes “students don’t get tired of our voices.”. But they’re optimistic about the results of their efforts. “I hope people get energized when they hear us,” said Ishan.
Looking forward, Anna and Ishan plan to make their presence felt at games, matches, and tournaments. “I know senior year will be busy, but I’m committed to making it to as many games as I can,” said Ishan. “I have already been to four Lovett sporting events so far this year, and I plan to make it to many more,” said Anna.
Neither Anna nor Ishan ever imagined they would go out for this role until the end of their junior year, when the applications came out. “All my friends were encouraging me to do it because they thought I’d be good,” said Ishan. It helps that he “found his voice last year,” when he decided to go out for Ultras.
A similar thing happened with Anna when, at the end of her soccer season last spring, she was encouraged by her teammates and friends to apply because she had brought a lot of energy to the soccer field throughout that season and seasons before, though she had never considered applying before then.
Both are glad, though, that they took the leap and applied.
Their main hope and goal this year is to make sure everyone has fun at sporting events, no matter the sport or the outcome. “We don’t want people to remember the score,” Ishan said, “but the fun they had.”
