Attention Ranger sports fans! We have had a lot of spirit this year at our sporting events, but we have to recognize that being disrespectful and having spirit are two different things. 

This year, Lakewood High school has dialed in on how to be respectful at sporting events. The staff has given guidelines for students to follow for cheering on our athletes. One of the rules is no name-calling. Other teams and parents of the athletes find it disrespectful to call out opposing teams’ names if they mess up or do something not in favor of our team. Another thing associated with name-calling is number (on the jersey) calling as well. 

Second is picking up trash. The concessions are always open to the students and fans during games and it is important that we clean up what we may have dropped or set down. This is our school and we should respect what we have. 

Thirdly, students need to be respectful around parents and the band. “Booing” the band of the opposing team is unsportsmanlike and a bad representation of who we are as a school and student section. As we scream and cheer for our Rangers, remember to also be kind to the people sitting around us. You don’t know what parent or fan is around and will hear what you say. 

Our student sections for every sport have been full, energetic, and loud. Senior soccer star Mallory Zavatchen said, “Every sports team at Lakewood loves a great student section. It hypes up the players and I feel makes them play better.” To maintain this positive relationship between sports teams, staff, and the student section, always remember to be respectful as you are representing the entire Lakewood community.