Game day is without a doubt the day when an athlete’s hard work pays off. Practice for two hours a day, five days a week. But the reward one receives for the two hours of practice five days a week is only a slow, steady clap from the parents and grandparents of your teammates accompanied by a wide grin from mom and a thumbs up from dad.

School spirit is an essential element of any high school. Arguments can be made that although school spirit falls under the category of community, it serves as its own fifth pillar that holds up the foundation of St. Dominic. However, this pillar is slowly disappearing altogether. From freshman year to senior year, I have watched the football crowds decrease in size and the pep assemblies decrease in volume. If the football crowds are significantly dropping, imagine what has happened to the crowds of less popular sports like boys volleyball and track. If the students of St. Dominic packed each stand like we did for the “Party at the Park,” our athletes would be given a boost of motivation. An athlete cannot magically gain better skills from the fans, but the energy and motivation it takes to run the extra mile or score the winning goal ultimately relies on 20% self desire, 30% coach motivation and 50% crowd support.

I have played girls lacrosse for three years on Varsity; this is one of the sports that receives little praise for their accomplishments and an even smaller crowd to cheer them on. The girls’ lacrosse team had a record of 8-3. The energy and motivation for the regular season games were equal. However, when St. Dominic teachers and students packed the grass field for the first district game against Francis Howell North, the girls played the game as a completely new team with more energy and motivation than ever before. The team won 18-7! Undoubtedly, the fans made a huge impact on the motivation and energy of the team. I can confidently say that if the grass field had been as packed for regular season games as they were for districts, our lacrosse team would have had a better record than 8-3.

I, myself, am guilty of only attending football, soccer, baseball and basketball games my freshman and sophomore years. I neglected the twelve other sports we have. This year, I stepped out of my comfort zone and attended girls tennis, swim and boys volleyball games. The athletes in these sports were just as skilled as those in the “popular sports;” the only difference was the lack of fans and spirit.

I understand that teenagers are busy and most of us have jobs, practices, activities and social lives. Regardless, if there is ever a time when you are off of work, your practice gets cancelled or all of your friends are busy, you should check the SDHS athletics calendar to see if you can offer support and school spirit. Every athlete should understand what it is like to have a huge crowd of fans cheering them on. You may not realize it, but taking an hour out of your day to watch a tennis match, volleyball game, softball game or track meet means the world to your fellow athletes.