On Aug. 24, 2018, the South Pointe Stallions football team lost to the Rock Hill Bearcats 29-22, after winning the previous eight games in the series. If you were at the game you felt the atmosphere and the impact the student section of the opposing team had on everything. On the final play of the game, South Pointe threw an interception, sealing the victory for Rock Hill. As soon as the Bearcat’s defensive player had caught the ball, Rock Hill’s pack erupted with noise that seemed to make District 3 Stadium shake.

The rejoicing of the crowd could probably be heard as far as York Comprehensive High School.

As a student at South Pointe, I am ashamed that we don’t have student support like that for all of the athletic events going on, despite how dominant our sports teams are and can be.

We should as students work together and help show more support for athletic events throughout the school year. Having the home field advantage is a huge benefit, especially with the impact of a student section. For some fall sports teams, like the volleyball team and football team, the playoffs are right around the corner.

The student support is crucial and a big factor on how well teams do in the playoffs, especially when they are playing home.

I also saw lack of school spirit during spirit week and I find that as embarrassing as the lack of student attendance at sporting events. Compared to other high schools like Northwestern, Fort Mill, and Nation Ford’s participation in spirit week, South Pointe is disappointing.

As a senior who has been here for all four years, I have seen the student support drop from year to year. During my freshman year, the student support was overwhelming and the student section at football games was packed with lots of cheering and celebration on every play. I had noticed that there was many chants and signs that year and it was electric.

The following year, I recognized the weakening in the enthusiasm level of the students for our athletic teams. The liveliness was still high, but the drop was noticeable. In my junior year, I realized that it was still going down. There still was a bundle of support but, nothing like how it was during my previous years. Now as a senior, it isn’t as close as it was last year. You don’t see any signs or hear any chants. You may hear the student section sing the away stands goodbye, but that is about it.

From someone who has been a part of the football team since my freshman year, I also noticed the away games tend to draw few fans. Having spoken to athletes from other sports, they have little away game support as well. I understand away games tend to be more unpopular than home games by far, nevertheless they are just as important as an away game and need the same energy.

As I look back on my first two years, they had spirit buses to travel to away football games and to bring spirit buses back as an option would be a great idea. I strongly believe bringing spirit buses to all sports would be an excellent way to promote the athletic teams and get student attendance for the teams that may get little attention.