Cierra Hessbrook
The Growler
Ithaca HS
1st Place
Division 4, News Writing
Sports Columnist
As we are all well aware, the boy’s varsity football team holds a very successful streak. But another sports team on the rise is girl’s varsity cross country. In my opinion, the athletes on these two teams put a tremendous effort towards improving themselves for their sports. And in doing so, they represent our school in a way that we, as a student body, should be very proud of.
What sets these two teams apart from all the rest is the combined dedication of each and every athlete. These athletes understand that success truly is a team effort and everyone’s participation and hard work is necessary for improvement. For members of both teams, there is no off season. Each team is constantly in the weightroom, running, and doing whatever else it takes to prepare for their sport seasons. Since coaches cannot demand these off season practices, it proves that the teams do not do this because they have to, but instead be-cause they want to.
The football and cross country athletes have been, and continue to be, sacrificing their free time for the sake of their sports, knowing that every ounce of effort will pay off once their season rolls around. By keep-ing focussed and giving endless amounts of effort, I believe that these teams definitely have what it takes to achieve greatness.
Not only do these teams deserve recognition for their success, but also for being humble. Knowing that their success could come to an end when they least expect it, the athletes of both teams remain modest, representing Ithaca in a respectable manner. I applaud our student athletes for this, understanding how exciting it must be to accomplish such great feats.
As a student body, we should be supportive in both the aspect of remaining humble and advocating their success. As the teams represent us as a school, we also represent them. Out of respect for our athletes and the athletes they are competing against, it is crucial for us, as fans, to stay humble as well. But this does not mean that we cannot go to their events and dress up, yell, cheer, and support them; in fact, I highly recommend it. By doing so, we may also contribute to the success, being that the atmosphere can affect how athletes preform. This being said, we should both expand and mobilize our student section in order to boost the atmosphere at each sporting event.
The students on these teams truly understand what it means to be athletes. Between their class work and practices, they have found a way to balance the two, earning good grades and continuing to do well at their competitions. The students on these teams can definitely be defined as model-student athletes, whom the rest of the school should look up to with pride.
Taking notes from these athletes, I understand that in or-der to achieve greatness, a great team effort, hours of hard work, and uncountable other sacrifices are necessary, but there is never a better time than the present to rise above the obstacles, show the world what you are made of, and achieve greatness.