Introducing Drew Copeland and the Boneyard
The atmosphere of a Wofford athletic event is a unique one. Between Boss the terrier, talented athletes and cheering fans, what more could add to the experience? Nothing other than a loud, passionate student section ready to erupt after every spike, touchdown, dunk or goal.
Coined “The Boneyard,” Wofford’s unique student section is led by one of the most recognizable faces on the entire campus: senior Drew Copeland. A history major with a concentration in education from Inman, Copeland has known since his first year that revitalizing the student section would be one of his goals for his four years at Wofford.
“I knew that there needed to be more [support] because of the impact it has on the teams,” Copeland says. “I used to play sports year-round in high school, [and] looking up during a game and seeing fans there supporting the team was the best feeling.”
Despite being very vocal in his own right, Copeland’s energy in the Boneyard would not be as effective without his fellow Terriers alongside him. Boneyard members Annabelle Webb ’21 and Liesel Rutland ’20 are also strong presences at several athletic events, where they cheer on the Terriers just as strongly and as passionately as anyone else.
“All the athletes put in so much work,” says Webb. “Every single sport works hard for what they do, each athlete is trying to do their best and I just think that we should support them as much as we can in that.”
Rutland echoed those sentiments, saying that she “really just enjoys watching people do and participate in something that they’re really good at and showcase their skills outside of the classroom.”
Both Webb and Rutland are encouraged to cheer loudly for their athletic peers by the fact that, at the end of the day, they know them personally off the playing field.
Webb said, “I’ve always been a really big sports fan, but coming here, you just know everybody and you can root for your friends.”
Over the course of his four years, Copeland feels that he has done well to make his mark on the student section, or at least he hopes so. He feels that he has even gained support from athletic teams, namely volleyball and women’s basketball.
“He’s very loud and obnoxious, but in a good way,” Rutland says of Copeland. “He just wants to have a good student section and make it loud and have people cheer on the teams, join with the cheerleaders and whatnot.”
At the conclusion of every Wofford year, the Bosscars Awards Show is held to recognize athletic excellence in and out of the classroom, but for any fan, the most important award of the night is the coveted “Fan of the Year” award. After being beaten out last year by the famous Jeff “Slick” Liner, Copeland is hoping that his senior year sees him walk out with that trophy in-hand at the end of the night.
“I hope I can win ‘Fan of the Year’,” Copeland says, “but only if they think I deserve it. If there is someone else who is a better fan than me, congratulations to them!”
With plenty of Wofford games to attend and lots of cheering left to be done, Copeland and his fellow Boneyard members have ample time to make their cases for Fan of the Year, but no matter the winner of that award or the victor of any given game or match, Wofford’s student section will be the gold standard of sportsmanship for many years to come.
Photo Caption: Drew Copeland (Center) cheers on Wofford during a match against Gardner-Webb.
