When COVID-19 postponed high school sports, it also put a pause on the work of the LT Weirdos. On Feb. 24, however, the Weirdos posted their first video after a year-long hiatus—signifying their return, according to @lthsweirdos on Instagram.

“COVID has made everything tough,” Weirdos member Cade Nelson ‘21 said. “Not being able to go to games has been really tough, but I think all of the teams know we’ve got their back whether we are there or not, and that is what it’s all about.”

The Weirdos’ jobs are to update teams’ scores and schedules on social media, and hype up the fans at the in-person game. There are five members this year along with two filmographers/editors. It has been difficult to attend games and practices this year because the restrictions only allow two fan passes per athlete, Weirdos member Ian Larson ‘21 said. 

“Not being able to have fans at the games is very tough,” Nelson said. “But I think letting the athletes know that we support them no matter what helps them out. It’s a great feeling to know that you have the Weirdos’ support whether we are there or not.”

The boys have been able to start posting videos on their Instagram page. Their first post after their hiatus was to target Hinsdale Central’s Instagram hype account @reddevilnation for not posting in a while. The video was also intended to hype students up for the boys basketball game against Hinsdale Central, Nelson said.

“I think it brings another level of competitiveness because after a video is posted everyone at both schools will find out about the game,” Larson said.

The Weirdos even have members dedicated to video shooting and editing. The two main filmographers are Connor McClanathan ‘21 and Alex Jumic ‘21, Larson said.

“It’s really time consuming if you [edit] right,” McClanathan said. “I edit because I have a love of sports, content creation, and it gives me something to do.  I’ve been editing for three and a half to four years now, always improving, and it’s always a different experience.”

Taking the time to pay attention to detail and edit videos carefully can take anywhere from four hours to a couple days to complete, depending on the length, style, amount of footage and other factors. McClanathan primarily films sports, and he edits hype videos, highlight reels and photo edits as well.  It just depends on what sport is going on, how important it is for the school and when he’s available, he said.

“When I see that other people actually enjoy the video, or they text me saying how much they liked it, it doesn’t only [give] a sense of pride, but [also] a sense of relief because you try your best to make a video that people will like, and something that represents the team and the school so there’s pressure,’ McClanathan said. It’s not just some side gig you can [take lightly].”