It’s Friday night and the lights are on. The scoreboard has Spartans down by 35, and the student section seems to have lost hope.
The first football game at Robinson, prior to the start of school, did not have the turnout or spirit anyone expected. The lack of pep irritated fans and athletes alike.
It was this frustration that led to the pep rally’s important message, detailing the training and dedication athletes put into representing their peers and the school. The pep rally encouraged students to go to football games and cheer on the boys every week.
It also mentioned the other numerous extracurricular activities that are successful at WS, such as the Dance Team, orchestra and theater. So why aren’t we cheering on every team?
I’d be the first to tell you how appreciative field hockey is of their new hype squad. To go from being a sport that had only parents in the stands to a hype squad that cheers you on through overtime and shootouts is amazing.
Our fans come up with themes and cheers for every aspect of our games, even when they’re slightly unsure of what’s going on. For example, the slow clap during our “semi-circle slams” (aka corners) makes every goal 100 times better.
Sure, some of them were only there because we started the season undefeated and were ranked #10 in the area by The Washington Post, but the continued support after our losses proved to me that we are a Spartan family, whether we win or lose.
That’s why it is important to reiterate senior Rachael Stryker’s tweet: #AllSportsMatter.
As a school, we should be appalled that there are not more students going to volleyball games, wrestling matches or tennis matches.
We can boast about being the school with gold medal Olympian Ginny Thrasher as an alum, but why don’t we do her credit by cheering on the Rifle Team more?
High school football games are tradition; they’re exhilarating, they’re unifying and they’re a four-year guarantee of fun Friday nights. But every other sport and extracurricular activity deserves the same respect and encouragement.
The hype squad’s job is to pep up the student section. They are there to encourage the athletes and insure that all Spartans feel like a part of the community.
Yes, schoolwork does take up time, but maybe here and there, we can work a little harder to show up at another after school event, to cheer on our peers and to unify as a school.
Why not create an energetic hype squad at every after-school event? Don’t our friends who play lacrosse, or any other less-recognized sport, deserve the same encouragement as those who play football?
Let’s make it happen, Spartans.