A couple of weeks ago, the CHS girls basketball team experienced what most professional social media teams fail to achieve: going viral. What they thought was just going to be a funny post from before their game against Jackson turned into an Instagram Reel that currently has almost 27 million views.
“I was so surprised, because it’s something that’s so stupid, and people are actually commenting about it,” senior Bella Radomski said.
The video blew up overnight, and while most of them welcome the attention with open arms, they weren’t expecting this video to be the one that catapulted them onto millions of viewers’ screens.
“I was flabbergasted,” freshman Fiona Borcherding said. “Out of all things to go viral, it’s us thrusting a yoga ball.”
Their newfound stardom has been something to adjust to. With the team gaining that much exposure from the reel, students at CHS have inevitably seen the clip and have brought it up to the girls.
“People joke with me all the time in class about it, or they say, ‘Oh, how are your hips?’” Radomski said.
Unfortunately, comments made online were not as lighthearted as those from classmates. With many being targeted at specific individuals, it’s hard to leave them behind and try to make the best out of the situation they were thrown into.
“A lot of the comments were directed at me, specifically, and my hip thrust,” Radomski said. “A couple of them were a little inappropriate. But other than that, I think a lot of them were funny, and I’m not offended.”
But with the exposure, it didn’t take long for people online to find the girls’ private accounts on the platform. Some even went an extra step and tried to reach out personally to them.
“I’m getting a lot of follow requests and a lot of comments and DMS that may or may not be inappropriate,” Radomski said.
Even with the negative comments(some being borderline sexual harassment) and DMs, trying to make the best out of the situation can be the most important. Taking the good that the content generated and focusing on it can be the difference between having a good laugh and taking it to heart and getting upset over it.
“I think they’re funny,” Borcherding said. “I think they’re just trying to get a good laugh out of people.”
The reel itself was just a spur-of-the-moment ordeal that came from extra time before their game against Jackson. But now that it gained the traction it did, it may be a new ritual the team does before future games.
“We were just trying to have fun, and it was just a little pre-game moment that we had,” Borcherding said. “And we ended up winning. So I think we should honestly keep the tradition going.”
While almost all of the CHS sports teams have their own respective social media accounts, going viral is now exclusive to the girls basketball program. They plan to use it to their advantage and ride the high as long as they can.
“Overall, it gives us a little bit of a boost, because it hasn’t happened before to any sports program at CHS, so it’s kind of cool to be the first to get that attention,” Borcherding said.
Even though many people would immediately try to recreate the thing that got them fame, the girls aren’t too worried and would rather it come naturally again rather than staging videos just for views.
“We can’t force it to happen, but I think we’re just gonna keep doing what we do best and just keep to ourselves. And if it happens, then it happens,” Borcherding said.
Some team members feel that it’s important not downplay the importance and how big a deal it is for the team. The reel has brought more exposure for the team and can help to bring more awareness and attention to them as a whole.
“I think it has a good impact,” Borcherding said. “I’m gonna relate this to women’s sports, but we don’t always get that much recognition. So even just for something so silly, it makes us feel good.”
