As Westminster plunges into another sport-packed fall, students may begin to notice changes in student representation across all sports throughout the season. The school’s student section “Blue Crew” led by seniors Hampton Pfuetze and Charlie Kruse along with the help of upper school history teacher Bennie Anderson, will begin to take time as an enrichment this year to integrate plans for students to attend a wider variety of sporting events. The addition of this program will not only give all student-athletes the ability to play in front of their peers, but also provide the school an opportunity to display a Christ-like community that Westminster strives to integrate in all aspects. Mr. Anderson defines how the student section is going to operate going forward:
“I don’t want to use the term “legitimized” or “organized”, because we don’t want to make it, you know, restricted, but it’s kind of almost like a club… so that we can not be concentrated just on one or two sports so that, you know, all student athletes feel supported.”
The student section plans to operate almost like a club, where the students involved will take time during the school day to collaborate and find ways to represent all athletes at their events. However, members of the club are not in the slightest limited to a certain group of students. In fact, the club plans to make all students feel encouraged to attend sporting events and to feel impactful to whatever sport they are attending, whether they are apart of the club or not:
“I would envision that students would get a chance to know each other before the actual sporting event. So, it’ll still be just come show up, right? So I think sometimes they will have themes, but I don’t know if every student will know the theme. And so you see all the kids wearing jerseys, but you don’t have a jersey, then you’re like, well, I’m not going to sit with them. It’s a little bit more organization, a little bit more inclusive. […] think about it…if you can find a way to unify or spend time together before the event, how much better your experience will be during the event.”
The common trend of Westminster’s major sporting event turnouts is generally seniors at the front making tons of noise and leading the crowd, while many of the lowerclassmen and middle school students sit towards the back afraid to step in out of fear. The changes will attempt to promote inclusivity and give all students, including lowerclassmen, a sense of purpose and impact in the support that a student section should provide.
In addition to being welcoming to support of all grades, it is just as important that Westminster goes about these sporting events the right way, where image and character takes precedence: “Well, we also want to make sure we are incorporating the ten pillars. Specifically, like pillar one, pillar two, and pillar nine, so pillar one […] “Honor Jesus Christ in all things”, right? So one, and this goes in with number nine, when people come to a Westminster event, sporting event, we want them to see Christ, right? You know, we want to win, we’re gonna do everything in our power to win, we’re gonna cheer on our team, but we want to have… we want to let that be a witness. So, and that goes in also with pillar two, “Christian character defines who you are” so that if they never pick up a Westminster brochure, they never go to an open house, right, we want them to say, we want people to see what Westminster’s all about.”
Westminster has identified that the student section has been lacking for many sports, but has also noticed the great potential that a strong, Christ-centered student section could deliver. Not only will it help athletes by supporting teams, but it can build community within our school and with the schools that Westminster plays against. Having a student section that is not disruptive but uplifting and supportive in how they interact with their peers and those who they don’t know can be a testimony of Christ’s impact on a community and how to glorify God through supporting our student-athletes. However, many students, such as junior Annie Bendick, still want to ensure that the school maintains the traditions of student sections that make it enjoyable to be apart of in the first place:
“I think that it is important that we clean up after ourselves afterwards, but when it comes to unsportsmanlike conduct I think it’s not great, we don’t want that in our student section, but I think also for the basketball games making noise when shooting free throws it’s just like part of the culture and the game. That’s what kind of makes it fun going and seeing it live.”
The refinement of the student section is still a skeleton and is not by any means set in stone, however Mr. Anderson plans to see it be put into practice in the coming future: “We’re gonna get it going this year, you know. Hopefully it gets better with each opportunity.” The student section plans to get this new way of support integrated into a club within the coming year, and plans to expand and improve as time goes on.
