As the school year closes out, seniors graduate, many of them completing their final sports seasons as student-athletes. School sports are vital to the school environment, as they bring great joy and pride to athletes and non-athletes. With the close of the school year, it is important to review the three sports seasons and their impact on the school.

Fall

Fall is by far the best sports season. Coming back from summer break, students are excited to start the next year of their high school career. School spirit comes with this excitement, which is also boosted through pep rallies. 

Students turn out in mass numbers to support the football team on Friday nights, both home and away. Enthusiasm reaches a peak due to the approachment of homecoming. While football is the main fall attraction, soccer and volleyball fascinate fans, especially this past year with the girls’ soccer and volleyball teams having highly successful seasons.

Sophomore Travon Moore played on the JV football team this fall and agrees that fall is the best school sports season “Football really brings out school spirit and it’s a sport that most people like watching,” Moore said.

Winter

By winter, school spirit starts to lack, however, students still have the energy to come to support the basketball and hockey teams. Hockey, which technically isn’t a school sport, is highly popular among students. The team’s Friday night games attract large numbers of students who enjoy the atmosphere of hockey games “I think that the hockey games were very spirited and I thoroughly enjoyed going. Lots of people came to the games to support the team,” freshman Josie Spicer said.

Unfortunately for the athletes, the winter individual sports of wrestling, indoor track, and swimming are often overlooked, with few students turning out to watch competitions.

Spring

By the time the spring sports season rolls around, school spirit is at an all-time low. Stress levels rise as AP tests commence, giving students little time or energy to support their spring sports teams. A general feeling of anxiety and tiredness is constantly present in the school throughout the spring. 

Sophomore Neha Govind played on the JV field hockey team in the fall and ran with the track team in the spring. “I feel like there’s more academic pressure in spring because there are more standardized tests that are really important to people, so it’s harder for people to excel at their sports,” Govind said. 

Nevertheless, spring sports such as lacrosse, baseball and softball are enjoyed by athletes and are still able to attract fans. 

No matter the season, all sports are enjoyed by the athletes and should be supported by fans. Pep rallies encourage attendance at competitions throughout the year, but it is up to the students to support their peers. Going to games, meets and matches year-round financially helps athletics, giving athletes the best opportunities to perform well.