Opinion: Rise up!
It’s time for student body to support more Panther sports
Three Starr’s Mill students populate the student section at the Lady Panthers’ region semifinal game against the Fayette County Lady Tigers. Starr’s Mill won that game 50-28, marking the 20th victory in a row. Despite the success of this year’s team, student attendance at girls’ basketball games remains unexpectedly low, and it is time for that to change.
As I am watching the girls’ basketball team play in the Region 3-AAAAA championship, I look to the other side of the Panther Pit to realize something — nobody is coming out to see this team play.
We as a student body need to support our sports teams outside of football and boys’ basketball. All sports at Starr’s Mill provide something exciting and thrilling to root for. As students, we need to embrace our sports teams with pride. We need to rise up and support Panther sports as fans.
What is deterring students from watching possibly the best girls’ basketball team in Starr’s Mill history?
— Staff Writer Daniel Stackhouse
After covering almost every Starr’s Mill fall and winter sport, I am amazed at the fact that student attendance for these teams are so low. I have seen teams produce nothing but success. The softball team in particular had barely any student presence in their final home playoff game of the season. Similarly, the volleyball team’s semifinal game only had a student section that made up about for rows of seats.
There is the argument to be made that Starr’s Mill sports are so good and so successful that the student body is numb to an average game. This is definitely true. However, we as a student body need to embrace when history is made.
In the case of basketball, attendance booms in the fourth quarter of a girls’ basketball game, only because the boys are about to play. Why are students not showing up for a girls’ team that has swept regular season region play for two straight years, while the boys went winless in region this year?
What is deterring students from watching possibly the best girls’ basketball team in Starr’s Mill history? How about when senior Alice Anne Hudson broke the all-time scoring record for any basketball player, girl or boy, or when she eclipsed 1,500 career points?
No doubt we have a girls’ basketball team with a chemistry and a design unlike any other. Everything has come together for this team to be ranked as one of the best in AAAAA.
I understand that students may not have the time to spare. A lot of students at Starr’s Mill have many commitments that they consider more important. But what about the spare time they do have? What is so wrong with spending some time at the Mill to see Panther sports make history on any given day?
Not many schools are privileged with the excellence in sports that we have. Now is the time for my fellow Panthers to rise up and support all teams.
Students can start tomorrow night with the girls’ basketball team’s first round matchup against Warner Robins. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m.
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Mary Taylor • Feb 14, 2020 at 3:44 am
I would have loved to be at the game with my kids! Congratulations to the team and their exciting year! As a kid, I went to so many basketball, volleyball, softball , football games etc. to watch my friends play and hang out. Our struggle is my kids are in sports too with practice every night and too many tests to study for!!!!