Come Support The Bulldogs

McKenna Romick, staff writer

While athletes are warming up on the court or the field, they watch the small town of Alliance start to slip into their seats for the game, from grandparents all the way down to teeny tiny babies all dressed in bulldog attire from head to toe. That is when it all starts to become real. The athletes are expected to put on a show and what the audience may not fully understand is that each and every kid that they are about to watch has never been so excited to make their town proud, as they are in that moment.

The hard work, the soreness, the long nights are not just for each athlete personally. They put in hours of work not only for their sport but also for their grades. One failing grade or just one missing assignment results in ineligibility. No putting on the uniform, no participating in the game, no traveling with their team. Student athletes are expected to go above and beyond; they are willing to do all that for their team, their family, and their town.

Important is an understatement when describing what support means to athletes. To look up and see the Dawg Pound dressed in the theme for the night, leading large numbers of classmates in positive chants and cheers. When the starters are announced and the crowd stands and claps as the band plays that is the moment that kids dream for. When talking to some of the senior football boys, they explained what they can and can’t hear during the game. During the play they are tuned in and can hardly hear anything, but after a big play when the student section chants or when the crowd goes wild, they take that reaction and feed off of it.

As for the students, parents, and any other member in the community of small town Alliance are you doing everything you can to support the local athletes? Stand for the school song, cheer with the cheerleaders when they do crowd involvements, or even just come to watch and support. While the athletes work hard and putt in effort for their community, is our community giving enough effort back?