BY LIZZY SEVERE, ERIN FORD & NATALIE BLISS

There are currently 19 sports South students can participate in. Although the assortment of athletic activities is large, students have been interested in adding new sports to the list. Students at South may be forced to stop competing when their season ends, but some athletes get involved outside of school with sports not available during the school year.

“I think that we should add a lacrosse team to South because there are already a bunch of people that play it as a club outside of school,” Haley Jacques, 11, said. “I think there would be a lot of people interested.”

The teams have grown in size and popularity with their peers and many students have grown to look forward to specific sport seasons every year. Of the sports available to students, each one has different characteristics that make the team enjoyable.

“I like to watch football the most, especially from the sidelines of my own team,” Cody Fayette, 10, said. “I have a lot of friends on the team and I’ve been playing my whole life.”

Students at South who have been committed to sports for most of their lives have grown to have numerous friends on teams. With the selection of athletics to choose from, some students even participate in more than one.

“I think that our school has enough people interested in different sports that we don’t need to replace any,” Autumn Ford, 9, said. “We have a wide variety already.”

Commitment to South’s sport management has made participation and loyalty between students and their teams strong, compelling them to support all teams. Students have imagined the outcome of having more sports, but some possibilities could be dangerous.

“I think I would probably participate in a sport like ultimate frisbee, but not something like hockey where I could get hurt,” Jonathan Pennington, 12, said.

The need for more sports also calls for adding new members to each team. As the student body grows with incoming students, some students have wondered if the list would increase along with it. The incoming freshman class will be the largest class that will be added to South, which risks the sport teams growing too large. Mavericks will keep their passion through their seasons with any size team, but changes may have to be made.

Students watched and supported the Mavericks against Derby. Dave Nash, vice principal, stands while the Mavericks shoot a free throw. Photo by B. Jones-Rupp