Last spring, the women’s lacrosse team played in one of their most intense matches of the season. Down a player, the team battled Jackson-Reed to advance to the District of Columbia State Athletic Association (DSCAA) quarterfinal. As the team manager, I could feel the players’ pride and excitement from the sidelines. In the last seconds of the game, junior Willa Wible scored the game-winning goal. As the team started celebrating on the field, I waited to hear the roar of support ringing through the crowd, but, to my dismay, there were zero GDS students watching the game.
The lack of support from GDS students at sports events is a sad but frequent reality for our school’s athletic teams. Low attendance at sports events is detrimental to school spirit and the unity that high school sports should provide.
On Sunday afternoons, assistant athletic director Pam Stanfield sends an email to students containing the sports schedule for the week ahead, providing times, dates and locations of each game. Sometimes, athletes send creative emails to the student body before home games, trying to draw excitement to games with creative poems, eye-catching titles or fun fonts and colors. Even with information about sports games right at students’ fingertips, games rarely have large fan sections.
As a student-athlete, I have felt the impact of a crowd at games firsthand. Though it is nice to win surrounded by your teammates, the feeling of pride that comes with having your friends and classmates cheering in the stands is like no other.
My freshman year, the junior varsity volleyball team was playing a very close match. During the last points of the game, I looked over to the stands and saw some of my friends, who had surprised me by coming to watch, smiling and cheering us on. My friends’ attendance not only made me want to win the game for them, but it also made that game the most memorable of the season.
During volleyball home games, the high school gym transforms into an energetic space filled with school spirit. When I attend varsity volleyball games, I feel more connected to the GDS community, since so many students are coming together to support their peers. “I think that we play with so much energy, and we get so much more hype when we make good plays when there are more people there,” senior Tessa Ferguson, a co-captain of the varsity volleyball team, said.
Not all of GDS’ teams have the luxury of a facility to play in at GDS, but this should not stop students from attending their games. By playing a sport, students are indulging in their passions, and, as fellow Hoppers, we should take time out of our days to support them, even if it means taking a short trip away from school.
The tennis team’s home court is at George Washington University, and, on Oct. 7, they had their senior night. Senior Ambar Grewal, a women’s varsity tennis co-captain, said their senior night was their most populated game, and it boosted team morale to have fans in the stands. “I definitely felt a lot happier,” Grewal said.
“Just having people there to support you helps you play better,” junior Lawson Massey, a baseball player, said. “It also helps the team to feel more like a school team rather than just a club team.” The baseball team’s home games are at Fort Reno, which is only a few blocks away from school.
Having school spirit means showing up for your classmates inside and outside the classroom. When one Hopper succeeds, the whole community does, and we need to be there for one another during important moments.
I understand that, as GDS students, our schedules are packed with schoolwork, and it’s hard to attend games on a regular basis. However, I challenge students to find a game every week or two that fits in their schedule and to make an effort to show up. Grab some friends and make an event out of sports games, because, at the end of the day, your attendance can change the game for those playing.
CORRECTION (Nov. 3 at 8:00 a.m.): The original version of this article incorrectly stated that the women’s lacrosse team played Jackson-Reed to advance to the DCSAA tournament semifinal. The team advanced to the quarterfinal.