Although it is great to go to a strong academic school, sports are often overlooked in the CHS culture.
As a student, can you name the sports in which we excel? The answer is most likely no. People are too wrapped up in their academic studies and their own lives to recognize the sports scene, even at their own high school.
Look at the stands for any sports home game. Football is the only sport that seems to draw even the slightest crowd. And this football crowd is not necessarily the same as other schools football stands. Enthusiasm comes from a select few students while the rest use the game as an excuse to go out.
Many teams get an audience of only a few parents who take time out of their busy schedules while students are too busy with their academic or social lives. What’s even worse is there are some games where visiting teams have more fans than our home teams.
Only fall sports teams have the chance to perform at the pep rally and be talked about to their peers, but even this does not spark the interest of students to attend other sporting events. What about the winter and spring sports? They should get more recognition than the few seconds of fame they are given when they win a big game and their accomplishments are read on the morning announcements.
For students it is understandable that your life is full of academics, your own sports as well as a club or two. While this can be stressful, it is necessary to make time to attend other sports games or meets. Doing so can be a great way to take a break from your studies and support your school. It can also be a chance to promote school spirit and have fun in high school, a time we will only experience once.
Sports at CHS need to take a greater president than they do now. Students should be cheering their fellow classmates on so that they too can feel what it’s like to have a sense of pride and accomplishment, and so that they feel the Clayton community is supportive of them.
