Imagine walking over to the soccer fields after a long day of classes and seeing your science partner on a breakaway, about to score, and your friends in the stands, brewing up chants and taunting the other team to support our home team. Well, I have seen a fair share of this at away games for soccer, but not at all for our home games.
This is unacceptable, and I know I am not the only one who feels this way. More students need to show up to sports games at KO because it motivates our student athletes, builds community, and benefits students mentally.
Athletics are a huge part of the high school experience, and with everyone at Kingswood Oxford required to participate in some sort of sport, it is extremely valuable to the athletes when their friends, classmates, and fellow advisees come to watch and cheer them on. Sophomore Olivia Raccio just finished an impressive season on the volleyball team, and she said that some of her favorite parts of the season came from the student sections. “It’s a good atmosphere, and everyone is cheering you on,” Olivia said. She said it encouraged her to keep working hard. Senior varsity basketball Captain Samaria Gonzalez agreed. “The crowd hypes you up,” she shared. “It feels like you have a support system.” The student sections are a motivation for the players. Olivia and Samaria both noted that the student sections are too empty and that more school spirit is needed to benefit the athletes.
While volleyball and basketball do sometimes get large student sections, other sports don’t get the same love. Freshman Brooke Bisaillon played her first year of varsity field hockey this year, and one takeaway she had was that KO needs more school spirit. The stands on Hewett Day and Senior Day were empty besides parents. “Maybe we would play better if we had more support,” she said, adding that cheering and being there to support would motivate the team.
Sporting events are intense and sometimes very nerve-racking; however, something Olivia mentioned was that a student section makes the game fun. She found games without a student section to be less lively and not as enjoyable in competition. Whether it’s interacting between points or celebrating a big play, a student section not only motivates the players; it inspires them. Freshman Carson Patrei played varsity football this year, and he really enjoyed seeing friends in the stands. “It makes you feel like you’re in a better atmosphere,” he said.
While Carson, Olivia, Brooke, and Samaria benefit from a student section on the court and field, the actual students in the stands can also benefit. First of all, it is building friendships and community. Students can meet and see kids outside of a classroom setting, not to talk about a project or study for a test, but to work towards a different goal, cheering on our Wyverns. Pauline Thiros, Idaho State Athletic Director, explained the value of this community outside of the classroom. “Participating with your peers in a loud and exciting student section is a powerful way to build strong friendships and develop a community,” she said.
A student section builds memories through chants and inside jokes and sparks laughter. At the Dig Pink volleyball game this fall, I got to talk to seniors about the game that I would never talk to otherwise. This further builds a strong KO community that is talked about so often. Even now, I can still talk about things that happened at the game with them. This further exemplifies that a student section can bring anyone together.
It also provides a good mental outlet from all the stress at school. Instead of stressing about next week’s biology test, you can relax, laugh, and enjoy some banter with the other team as you also cheer on the Wyverns. At basketball games, there is constant “Defense!” chants and heckling of the other team. Not only does this provide unity and school spirit, but it is also fun to be a part of.
Even if you are an introvert, it has still been scientifically proven that watching sports makes people feel better. “Participants in a study conducted by Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge, England who attended live sporting events reported lower levels of loneliness and higher levels of life satisfaction than those who did not, according to a paper published in Frontiers in Public Health,” wrote Patrick Andres, writer for Sports Illustrated.
Now, why aren’t enough students at games? Samaria pointed out a very fair point. “I think it’s just difficult with sports requirements,” she said. “Not everyone can get to the games because of their own commitments.” This is very true. During the winter KIT’s where the basketball stands are packed with our Wyverns, there are no other games or practices, and exam season is over. The lack of student attendance during the on-season could be handled in a few ways. Captains could try to get their players to stay after practice to go watch the games. On weekends, if there are multiple home games, students could convince one another to come earlier or stay after.
Many of the schools we compete against are boarding schools, so access to games is harder; however, as a strong, community-centered day school, we still have to make an effort as students to support our Wyverns.
Conflicts with practices and other games are just one small issue. The big issue in itself is the fact that some people just simply do not show up because they do not care. Ashley Mowrider, a writer for Inside Higher-Ed, pointed out a few creative ideas that other schools have had. Lander University gave away free T-shirts and even extra credit at some points during the year. Southern Illinois University has a student-led group that runs their school spirit, and while we do have Den Leaders, there are not enough announcements, hype, and consistency at all sports events.
Overall, KO needs to fill the stands more with students to motivate the athletes, build community, and gain some positive energy. We need a packed Den and louder Wyvern roar at every game.
