It’s your first playoff game of the season.  You’re outperforming your opponent and dominating the scoreboard. You’re having one of your best games, and your classmates are cheering you on from the sidelines.  Just their presence is enough to fuel your energy. It’s a great image, right? But for Bronx Science athletes, it’s just not very realistic.

Bronx Science has a whopping total of 44 sports teams (both varsity and junior varsity).  You can imagine this adds up to a lot of athletes, practices, and games. However, if you take a quick look at the bleachers of a volleyball or lacrosse game, you may see a couple of parents, but don’t expect anything more than that.  “At most I think I’ve seen only five students in one game. The other audiences were the parents of my teammates and security guards,” Lucia Cho ’21 of the Girls Varsity Volleyball team said.

“We are fighting for ourselves and for our school; we are fighting for the athletic respect of Bronx Science. It would be great if students watched, helped, and fought with us!” said Josephine Kinlan ’22.

Yet, it hasn’t always been this way.  “In years past we used to have a presence of fans at most games. I do feel the numbers have been decreasing,” said Mr. McGrath, the athletics director and the AP of Physical Education.  “Many of the games are far away and I don’t have the time to go, due to homework and extracurriculars,” said Johanna Seppala ’20 when asked why she doesn’t attend.

McGrath suggested Wolverine TV as a way to advertise more games, but Seppala had a different idea.  “I know many schools hold pep rallies before games,” she said. “A mascot running around, chanting, and cheering is always fun.”

While these are great concepts for a future Bronx Science, the dilemma still exists.  Some Bronx Science athletes feel like higher student attendance at home games could potentially shift the atmosphere of their games in a positive manner.  “Team spirit would really be improved as the entire team would feed off of the crowd, creating a fun atmosphere for all,” said Syed Mehran ’20, a member of the Boys’ Varsity Fencing and Lacrosse Team.

However, not everyone shares this view.  “It doesn’t affect our performance, because there are people on the sidelines that can bring so much energy in the gym,” said Cho ’21. “Sometimes, I don’t even realize that there’s not a large crowd watching our games.”

Whether attendance actually has an impact on athletes is certainly debatable, but Mr. Skilins, coach of both the Girls’ and the Boys’ Varsity Volleyball teams, believes that student turnout at games acts as a reward for the student athletes.  “The athletes work really hard during the season, and seeing their classmates at games really allows them to reap the benefits of this hard work,” Mr. Skilins said.

“We are fighting for ourselves and for our school; we are fighting for the athletic respect of Bronx Science. It would be great if students watched, helped, and fought with us!” said Josephine Kinlan ’22.

No one is denying how stressful Bronx Science is, especially when considering the heavy workload and pressure. Most Bronx Science students live quite far from the school itself, with some having the commute of up to two hours. Taking some time to relax and have fun watching your classmates can help alleviate the stress. Simply go to “psal.org”, find when teams are playing, gather a few friends, and go support!