Play for Your Team, Play for Your School

There’s something special about playing on the school team. Yes, you’ve played with your neighborhood friends in your earlier years, maybe played on hand-picked club teams, but playing for your school is special. 

It’s knowing that your friend next to you in math class in the morning is going to be wearing the same green uniform as you in the afternoon, leaving the last class a little early to get on the bus with your other green-clad friends, and traveling off to who-knows-where to play some other school. That school field or court is much more of a hostile environment than you remember back in the neighborhood or club days because the opposing school, like yours, wants to make it clear on that - on this day - that they’re the better team and, by default, obviously the better school. 

You’ll see that too at your home games, no longer are the spectators just your parents like in the little league or club sport days. You’ll look up to see a lot of familiar faces who want to watch you and your teammates play: friends, teachers, that girl who sits next to you in science, that guy who is in front of you in jazz band, your advisor, the head of school, a bunch of older kids in green and gold overalls holding signs, even some kids who are in college now but have come back to watch you play. Why are they all here? Because they care. They care about the school name on the front of the uniform, they care about watching athletes play as hard as they can, they care about the times when they too can raise their heads just a little bit higher because of the way you and your team have played, they care about playing their vocal role to help you, and they care to be a part of their school community in such a fun way.

Some of the games will feel great, like the absolute greatest feeling you’ve ever had, or ever could, playing sports. Other games will be devastating, as so much was on the line and you came up short. They’ll be the tomorrows to go back to practice to make your squad even better, or to work on those weaknesses so you can feel that triumphant moment soon enough. And you’ll go there together, as you cannot rise or fall more than your teammates.

And after that final high school contest, whether you go out as many before you as state champions or as the rest who come up short of the ultimate prize of competition, your journey continues throughout life with so many of your teammates, bonded together through those long hard practices, bus rides filled with laughter, locker rooms with blaring music, games where you played your best in front of screaming, face-painted fans yelling your names. Your teammates will be in your phone from middle school onward and a couple might be in your wedding someday.  

Yes, playing for your school is something special.

John Wiley

Athletic Director