A soccer tournament is not only a competition designed to bring the Cougars spirit back in motion, but it is an activity made to test the unity of each class… according to whom? Throughout February there was going to be a weekly soccer competition between different grade levels. Each tournament was taking place on Wednesdays after school on the soccer field. However, a lot of problems were presented, especially between the juniors and seniors. The lack of the juniors’ motivation to participate has driven Stuco officers to consider the dismissal of this activity, which was on hold. Many people have been asking themselves, why?
“The juniors are afraid of the seniors”, or “it is going to be massacre for the juniors” is what some of the rumors said. Although, are these true? It is evident that the eleventh graders are a small class that in general is not very sporty. However, that doesn’t mean students from this class do not participate in other areas. In this class many of the students are currently working in the development of clubs benefiting women’s rights and the environment. There are also musicians who practice the violin and the piano, while others practice sports such as swimming, volleyball, basketball, and horseback riding. Additionally, the majority are taking classes and preparing for the SAT, which is why this competition was not exactly something the juniors were excited about.
It was alright for Stuco to organize a competition between grade levels to raise the school’s spirit and encourage unity within the classes; although soccer is not a sport appealing to everyone, it brought many arguments about how the majority of the juniors couldn’t participate. This led to a meeting in which Stuco officers came to talk about the problem with the eleventh graders. The conversation that many thought was going to be a motivational one turned out to be a lecture about what a bummer the juniors are. No constructive advice was given about how the juniors need to raise their spirit. They were just told how inactive they are and how previous classes weren’t as “dull” as the current juniors are about becoming seniors.
What frustrated the juniors the most, was that they were given a whole lecture based on the refusal to play a soccer tournament. As it was mentioned before, not everyone likes soccer, therefore you can’t judge a whole grade based on their soccer spirit and involvement.
It is true that the juniors are a small and passive class. But that doesn’t mean they are not involved in school activities or show school spirit; because based on what I know, judgment of a class’ spirit shouldn’t be defined by a sport.
