Every Friday hundreds of students come to see the Bears play football. They dress up for the weekly theme and cheer their lungs out. But many of the other talented, successful teams of LZHS attract only a small audience. The student body needs to show their school spirit and support of all the athletic teams, not just the football team.
The football team has had an excellent season so far and undeniably deserves the support it receives from the student body. But other fall sports, like boys’ soccer and girls’ volleyball, are playing at the top of their games, with little support from their fellow students.
“One game we had three students, and they left halfway through,” Cathryne Spear, senior and volleyball player, said. “Those are Fridays. During the week, we’ll have seven football players who come.”
Having a cheering crowd could be very beneficial to these athletes and their performance, adding a positive pressure to succeed.
“People try to do better when they have people watching them,” Spear said.
The athletes can also absorb the emotions of the crowd, and encouraging cheers boost their focus and drive.
“At least for soccer, it always helps to have a good home crowd,” Bryan Smith, senior and soccer player, said. “It’s good to know people are behind you. It’s like the lights at night; it elevates your game. However, [when a crowd] boos a bad call or focuses on a ref, we, as players, pick up on those emotions and we start to lose our sense.”
These teams deserve to have people behind them. They have demonstrated their skills on the court or the field and should have a cheering audience supporting their efforts.
It may be too late for some fall sports, but when football is over, consider cheering for basketball, hockey, and wrestling this winter, and girls’ soccer, boys’ volleyball, track, lacrosse, and baseball in the spring.
Football games are exciting because they are events – many people go and cheer. Make other games events, too – bring your friends and the games will be fun even if you are not a huge fan of the sport.
“Our captain makes a facebook page for each game. We usually have about 20-40 people at our home games,” Smith said. “[Our fans are] usually louder than most other schools.”
Friday does not have to be the only day to act like a Bears fan. Show pride in the athletic teams representing LZHS and prove Bears fans have the most spirit, no matter the sport.