Did you ever wonder who those kids were outside in the parking lot before the football games, dancing, grilling, and making all that noise? Well for those of you who don’t know it’s Vortex, Ames High School’s unofficial tailgating team. Tailgating, an all-American sport, has been around for many years, and living in a college town, most of AHS students are familiar with the art of tailgating. So it would only make sense that our high school would have a tailgating team. With the memory of Vortex “Idol” Spencer Veysey now graduated, and President Asa Ritz, Vortex has become a known name around AHS. Don’t be fooled by the pudding piñatas and flaming tennis balls though, Vortex is one big exclusive family that has loyalty, morals, love and values. With John McClelland as head of propaganda, Brain Jaynes as fun advisor and master of lists, Chan Liebman as finical advisor, and Shaggy collecting all the money, Vortex is probably the most organized chaos in AHS history. Vortex didn’t always stand alone though. Their former archrivals Team Tailgate were the original upperclassman tailgating team, but that didn’t stop the underclassmen from creating Vortex in 2005. Don’t count on Vortex living down their game either. Vortex’s next big plan is a tailgating carnival, with outrages games, tons of food, and “Vortexing”. Don’t be surprised if Vortex surprises AHS with something wild either. With their creative name and exhilarating dance-chant, homemade grills and a unique, awesome crowd, Vortex soon became a force to be reckoned with. You can count on Vortex to go down in AHS history for being the most memorable tailgating team. Vortex dominates school spirit by rallying and dancing around before football games. So the next time you’re looking for a good time before a football game, a price you can afford, try tailgating it up with Vortex.