The sportsmanship of a team says a lot more about them than how they actually perform. With this, the behavior of student sections and crowds represent a school as well.

Being a cheerleader, and a huge Atlantic fan, I attend many activities throughout the year. In each one, I find that my enjoyment of the event roots in one thing: the atmosphere. Win or lose, if those around me are kind, respectful, and passionate in what they do, I enjoy the event.

Wrestling season was a battle this year. I watched many students grow, improve, and surpass their goals, as well as witness how the team interacts in certain situations. I watched the Trojans experience a painstaking loss at team duals, but I saw how, even though the wrestlers were under a lot of stress and emotions filled the air, they stood by the edge of the mat and cheered on their teammates until the very end. When other teams were disrespectful to the referees and coaches throughout the season, AHS wrestlers were not. They were respectful to the opposing team, officials, the crowd, and each other.

After having experienced good sportsmanship, I realized I have attended events where the sportsmanship of the team and crowd were not up to par. I want to take a second to discuss some dos and don’ts of activities.

Please do not yell at officials if they make a call you don’t agree with. They have one of the hardest jobs and everyone should treat each other with respect. Instead, chose to cheer for our team extra loudly when the game gets challenging.

If you are attending a fine arts performance, don’t be crazy. As much as the performers love a big crowd, when audience members shout out names and scream during the performance it is distracting. Clapping after a song or scene ends and laughing when something is funny is perfectly fine, but sometimes the cheering is taken too far for an auditorium setting.

Sportsmanship and behavior of both the crowd and players is very important and it can say a lot about our school. I would love to see an increase in kindness and respectfulness at every school activity, home and away.