Should students do more to support sports by creating a student section?
Students cheer during a pep rally. (Eagle Talon Archive)
Athletes hope to see more student attendance as winter sports begin.
As the winter sports season approaches and fall sports come to an end, Paxon is in for a very eventful season. Athletes and students have begun to spark a debate about the student section after Paxon’s student section throughout the fall sports season lacked spirit and support.
Paxon’s cheerleaders sophomore Anilah Jones and junior Mckinley Taylor shared their thoughts about the lack of students that come to sports games to support and show their school pride.
“It’s honestly very disappointing,” Taylor asserted, reflecting on the low attendance at games. “We take our time out of our day to get the crowd excited and hyped just for there to be no crowd or them to not reciprocate the same actions.”
Paxon’s cheerleaders show their spirit all year around in attempts to liven the crowd and cheer their players to a victory.
“It feels quite discouraging,” Jones exclaimed. “We try to interact, and they do not reciprocate. Why can’t they be like Wolfson’s student section and be hype? Why come to a football game and not support your team?”
Advanced schools similar to Paxon aren’t generally recognized for their sports. In the past, they were recognized more for losses instead of victories. Some students have lost hope in their school teams due to the losing streaks they’ve encountered in the past. Although recently, Paxon’s streak has been quite impressive and unexpected.
(Olivia Zilla / Eagle Talon)
“The reason for a small student section may be because of the higher education standards, some students may not have the time nor motivation to attend these games,” junior Timothy Sloan said.
Although Paxon’s sports teams need support and spirit, some students put school first as academics are going to come first when it comes to their free time.
“Being able to feel the energy and the support from the crowd is one of the most important things to athletes,” Kyler Young, a junior student-athlete explained. “We look forward to it every game, but without it, it can cause discouragement.”
Athletes get a boost of pride and a sense of unity when everyone comes together to show their support and spirit for the teams.
All in all, Paxon’s student section is highly desired for all sports. The sports record has been making its surprising turn as fall sports season comes to an end, with football 7-2 and volleyball with a winning streak as well. Although students may not take much pride in their school’s sports and there was a small section during the fall season, entering winter sports season, athletes are hoping for a big crowd with great school spirit.