Players can’t play without fans; fans can’t watch without players. So the fans are just as important as the players at basketball games.
The Lady Spartans basketball team has one fan in particular who has made it to almost every single girls basketball game for over 30 years, both home and away. This number one fan’s name is Ellsworth Schmitz, but he is better known to most people as Smitty.
“He’s a loyal fan and he loves, loves the girls,” said Assistant Principal Richard Griffin.
Schmitz is 87 and will be celebrating his 88th birthday on June 2. Born in 1923, he’s seen it all. He’s lived through the surprise attacks on Pearl Harbor, the Great Depression, the Vietnam War and the Cold War.
But most importantly, he’s lived to see the Lady Spartans win States twice, when former Spartan, former WNBA player, and Olympic gold medalist Kara Lawson led them.
“I went to all games including Districts, Regionals, and States,” said Schmitz. “I even went to all the games when [the Lady Spartans] were 30-0.”
One memory that Schmitz especially cherishes is when the Lady Spartans won States in 1995, and called him down from the stands to award him a plaque and jacket. The team then invited him to lunch after to celebrate their victory.
Schmitz was also called down to the court last year at TC Williams High School to help cut some of the net after the Lady Spartans won Districts.
“They really made me feel a part of the team,” said Schmitz.
Most people wonder what got Schmitz so involved with the Lady Spartans. Schmitz has four kids, all of which went to WS over 25 years ago. Schmitz’s second oldest child, Joan, played basketball for the Lady Spartans back in the 1980s, which started his involvement with the team.
He went to every game. He also enjoyed watching the Freshman and JV teams play too, so he could watch players who would be future Varsity team members.
“Now I’m watching games their daughters play,” said Schmitz.
Schmitz has been a Spartan fan for other sports besides basketball since his kids started going to WS. He used to enjoy going to different Varsity sports including softball, baseball, soccer, football and golf.
It wasn’t until last year when his eyesight started to weaken that he met struggles with attendance. His eye problems made it hard to see at night while driving, so Schmitz was forced to reduce the amount of games he attended.
Fans are a very important aspect to basketball, and knowing that the Lady Spartans always have at least one fan they can count on to see smiling and clapping in the crowd makes them feel honored. Through good times and bad, the Lady Spartans can always count on Smitty.
“He’s our lucky charm,” said history teacher and Lady Spartan mother Leigh Shipman. “The Celtics have their leprechaun, and we have Smitty.”
