Kacey Danielle Carver has coached almost everything Greenup County High School asks of a teacher, but one thing bugs her as a coach.
Softball, girls’ and boys’ basketball, volleyball, golf, and even the academic team have all been under her care.
She has celebrated championships, won a regional title, made three state appearances as a golf coach, and also weathered seasons when wins were scarce.
More than trophies, she shows up. She rides pep buses, stays after games to support other teams, and sits through band and choir performances because she believes being present matters.
This week, she posted what she called a rant, and it landed as a call to action. Carver thanked those who supported any program, but went on to call out a stubborn problem.
“There are few cheering sections,” she wrote. “Some kids tell me they’re not coming to the girls’ games because they believe nobody cares.” That blunt observation hit a nerve.
Community Comes in Support
Parents and community members poured in with agreement and memories. “The boys stayed to cheer on the girls during tournaments and it made a huge difference,” one parent said.
“Energy is a big part of the experience for a player.” Kristen Barker wrote that staying to cheer taught kids to support one another and that the difference was obvious when the boys stuck around.
Others spoke to how the lack of fans affects performance and spirit. “Our girls feed off the support that the crowd gives them and we’ve noticed even at competitions they are dead,” Alisha and Josh Mays wrote.
“The louder the crowd the better they do. Cheer is absolutely a sport,” they added.
Carver replied in the thread, “I’ve always said if I didn’t have school or games I would 100 percent go watch the girls at nationals.”
She wants people to see what she sees: teams respond to the room.
Several replies suggested practical steps that work. “Do the coaches of other sports encourage their players to go to the games?” one person asked.
Carver answered that coaches here do try, and that the girls’ basketball coach has organized trips and even bought pizza for the band as a thank you. Small gestures like that start culture shifts, she said.
Parents recalled moments that made the problem personal. “Please do not delete this,” Leah McCullough wrote.
“Our girls do deserve better and they do deserve the support of their fellow classmates and community.”
Kaycie Culbertson Melvin shared that her child even noticed an empty pep section during a close game.
“Tenley noticed this evening when they were down three that no one in the pep section was cheering,” she wrote.
The former McKell Elementary School coach answered, “I hate that she noticed that, but I was so proud of how they battled.”
Fans who do show up make a difference. “That was a hard fought game,” Dave Pack said. “I was on the edge of my seat for the last four minutes.”
Carver’s reply was simple and proud: “It was a hard one to lose, for sure, but they battled.” Those exchanges show the problem and the payoff of even a few committed fans.
Voices in the thread also widened the lens beyond Greenup. “It is with all women’s sports everywhere,” one commenter wrote, pointing to college examples where women’s teams do not get the attention they deserve.
Another said boys’ basketball and football still take most of the crowd, even where girls’ programs are strong. That national pattern is why Carver says local action matters.
Her ask is practical and immediate. Show up. Bring friends. Coaches can organize cross-team attendance.
Schools can promote girls’ events more deliberately. Parents can treat girls’ games as events worth leaving early for or bringing others to.
Student leaders can build a pep section instead of leaving a quiet block of seats.
Carver did not write to shame. She wrote because she models the behavior she wants to see and because she knows what a packed, loud gym does for a player.
“All teams feed off positive energy from big crowds,” she wrote. The change she asks for costs little and pays off in confidence, performance, and belonging.
If Greenup changes, it will start in the stands. Girls deserve the same support as boys. Kacey Carver has laid out the plan. Now the community has to answer the call.
