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By Maddie Clark
As an athlete, I have spent a
great deal of my life at sporting
events. These sporting events
have ranged from swim meets
to football games to wrestling
meets. At these events, I have
seen a wide range of good be-
havior, but also a wide range
of bad behavior. To help boost
Appleton North’s sportsman-
ship, I have decided to write
four tips on how to success-
fully create a safe, yet excit-
ing atmosphere for all.
Be Positive
You may not like the WI-
AA’s new reinforcements of
sportsmanlike conduct that
were presented in January,
but they are definitely some-
thing to keep in mind during
a game. Instead of shouting,
“We Can’t Hear You” when
the opposing fan section is
cheering, focus on your own
team and the successes they
are having in the game. You
can do this by cheering loudly
or clapping when the team
scores. You can even make
banners to support your fa-
vorite player or friend, as long
as they are appropriate and
positive. A good mantra to re-
member this rule is to “Cheer
not jeer”.
Dress Appropriately
I think it’s safe to say that
you aren’t going to wear shorts
and a T-shirt to a football
game in the fall. You always
need to keep the environment
of the sport in mind when
planning to attend that sport-
ing competition. The swim-
ming pool is often humid, so
wearing a cashmere sweater
and jeans isn’t a good idea.
A better alternative would be
to wear a T-shirt and athletic
pants or shorts. A good outfit
to wear to a football game or
a soccer game would be jeans
and a sweatshirt. If you are
not sure regarding what you
should wear to an event, you
can check the weather, con-
sider the location of the sport,
or ask a friend on the team for
advice on what outfit would
suit the environment of the
sport.
Support the Entire Team
You may want to go to a
cross country meet because
your best friend is participat-
ing in it, but there are also
many other people who are
competing in the same sport
from your school. Everyone is
needed in order to win a race
in cross country, just as every-
one is needed to win a football
game or a swim meet. While
you may support one person
more than the others, you also
want to cheer on the rest of
the team so they can succeed
as equally as the person whom
you are supporting.
Have Team Spirit
Sometimes people have a
friend from another school
and go to a sporting event
where their school and their
friend’s school are playing
against each other. Instead
of wearing a sweatshirt from
that school, wear your school
colors. You go to your school,
not your friend’s school, so
make sure you represent that
concept well. Also, don’t
think it’s weird if you deck
out in your school’s colors
by wearing some outrageous
outfit. Going all out on an out-
fit just shows how much you
love your school and its sports
teams.
So wear your blue and yel-
low tutu with those yellow
tights, and be proud of it.
SPORTS
Appleton, Wisconsin September 2016 Volume XXII
Issue I Page 12
Recognizing the success of North’s cross country team
How to be a dynamic fan at Appleton North
Go see...
By Silvia Knighten
Cross country needs more
recognition.
Cross country is a unique
sport. It doesn’t involve
sparkling leotards
like
gymnastics, or tiny speedos
like swimming, and because
of that, cross country is often
overlooked. People pass it over
as simply a sport of running,
but there is so much more to
cross country than that.
Cross country pushes both
your mental and physical
limits. As senior Brennan
Arnold said, “[Cross country]
is hard because running is hard.
Seriously speaking, it’s kinda
like a mental battle and you
have to convince yourself to
actually do it, so you can feel
good about it afterwards”.
To become a good runner,
you need to mentally prepare
yourself. The coaches put a big
emphasis on expanding your
mental boundaries, so you can
continue running, even when
everything in your mind is
telling you to stop. Sophomore
Iris Hertting explained that the
coaches try to help you see how
changing your mindset can
allow you to reap incredible
results.
Cross country is unique in
that you’re running for long
periods of time, and instead
of running on a track, you’re
running across fields, or up
the hills. Some of North’s
cross country practices happen
in Plamann Park, where the
runners can go through nature.
Meets can often be difficult,
especially if the grass is wet.
Coaches try to prepare the
athletes on how to be the best
runner they can possibly be,
even if the conditions are not
ideal.
Cross country is special
because it involves a group of
people and a set of coaches
even though it really is an
individual sport. You are
running for yourself, so you can
try to improve your personal
record, and get yourself one of
the eight spots on the varsity
team. A comforting thing to
remember is that the entire time
you are running in a group with
other people who are all trying
to achieve the same goal as
you. Hertting said, “At a certain
point, the team really will seem
like a second family.”
A standard practice starts
with everyone warming up
with basic exercises, and then
eventually running in gradual
increments. When running, you
separate into different groups,
so you can run with people
at your own level. But even
though you are only running
with some of the team’s
population, everyone is very
supportive. Brennan Arnold
said, “Everyone on the team
will be helpful and support
you, no matter if you’re in the
first place or last place.”
There is typically a meet
once a week that lasts for
about three hours.
Junior
Sidney Hestres said, “There
are a few spectators at some of
the meets, but I’d like if some
people other than my parents
and grandmother came to my
meets. It would be nice to see
some of the student body at a
cross country meet one of these
days.”
Despite cross country not
being ian Olympic sport, it
should not be forgotten. It’s
a great sport that involves
exercising your muscles and
exercising your brain while
also making new friends. Be
sure to come support the cross
country team at one of their
meets this fall!
Cross country team visualizing to help boost their performance.
Photo by Maddie Clark
Cross Country
9/8 @ Colburn Park
9/15 @ Meadowbrook
Park
Varsity Football
9/9 @Wausau West
9/16 vs. Kimberly
Boys’ Soccer
9/13 @ Oshkosh West
9/20 vs. Fond du Lac
Girls’ Swimming
9/6 vs. Neenah
9/13 @ Oshkosh North
Boys’ Volleyball
9/6 vs. Notre Dame
9/12 @ Kaukauna
Girls’ Volleyball
9/8 @Appleton East
9/13 vs. Kaukauna
Girls’ Tennis
9/8 vs Fond du
Lac
9/12 vs. Fox Valley
Lutheran
Girls’ Golf
9/8 vs. Oshkosh West
9/13 @ Reid Golf Course
Tennis players prepare for
competition.
Photo by Olivia
Molter
Fan support at any sporting event can boost athlete moral.
Illustration by Olivia Molter