“W
e’re not expected to be the best . . . but everyday we’re proving that we are just as good,” said Shea O’Brien, captain of the Skyline hockey team and CHS senior. O’Brien sat on the windowsill of the second floor looking out onto the courtyard, consumed by the question. When athletes elect to enroll at CHS, they are embracing an inescapable obstacle. The commitment to their sport is confronted as they face challenges like the daily commute across town and the occasional uneasy treatment from teammates. Athletes are found sprinting down E. Washington Street to the transit center, desperate to catch a 3:50 p.m. bus to make a four o’clock practice. CHS is unlike most high schools, and the lack of sports teams subjects students further to an alternative, quirky reputation. The quirkiness isn’t always welcomed, either. Not everyone can appreciate the block schedule, open campus, and overall unconventional style. “When you choose to go to CHS you might have to give up things like sports,” said Stella Valentino, a CHS sophomore who plays softball for Pioneer High School. “That’s what makes Community amazing. It has a lot of people that do different things and it can incorporate all of it.” The lack of sports, however, does come at a price. The showing out to football games, hype of the student section and repping your school colors on game day is just not there. CHS athletes are torn at the seams of our school unity to be sprinkled around Ann Arbor, all to play sports, cheer or otherwise represent another school. Some students are initially conflicted with giving up such a traditional aspect of the high school experience, but eventually come to accept and appreciate these sacrifices to go to such a unique school. In eighth grade, O’Brien sat in the Forsythe Middle School auditorium listening curiously as CHS students gave their school spiel. At that point, O’Brien wasn’t sure he was willing to give up going to a big school with big sports teams. He obviously overcame his feelings of ambiguity and now couldn’t be more proud to represent the Rainbow Zebra. There are still some hints of bittersweet feelings towards it all. “I have a lot of pride in going to Community, and some kids get to express their pride for a school through playing sports, but I don’t get to do that as much,” O’Brien said. Some claim that CHS’s absence of sports teams is
part of the magic; there is something special in belonging to one school while simultaneously identifying with another. The sense of community at CHS is truly enhanced when students reunite as a school after hours spent on school grounds that is not our own. Athletes learn to appreciate the time away from CHS in order to really recognize how remarkable of a school we have. “It’s something about how we all spread out and then come back together,” said senior Lucy Scott, captain of the Pioneer hockey and softball teams. The more we’re apart, the stronger we get. Many athletes enjoy playfully bad-mouthing their opponents on game day; the thrill and tension in the air on those days is something they wouldn’t trade. “We can talk to our teammates or opponents the day of the game, which is really fun,” said Covey Hurd, Pioneer hockey player. “It will be gameday, and we will be talking in engineering class, and then two hours later we’re facing off on the ice.” Hurd said, eyes lighting up as he recalled the moment. Allegiance is certainly put into question as students determine where they stand in terms with other schools. It’s not easy finding a complementary balance of allegiance to allot between schools, and students' opinions vary. “I can talk about Community for days and I could talk about Pioneer track for days. It’s not that deep,” said Jayla Johnson, Pioneer track athlete. Johnson is equally invested in Pioneer and CHS and feels a connection to both schools whether it be through theater or track. “Honestly, I don’t go to sports games other than my own. I’m proud to be a Pioneer player, but I don’t actively support the other teams,” Hurd said, not feeling too devoted to the whole school spirit aspect. Jada Hikary, a lacrosse player for Pioneer, feels differently. “I definitely do have a strong allegiance with Pioneer. I’m always going to love Pioneer and love playing there because that’s my team.” How much athletes associate themselves with the school of their sports teams generally seems to depend on personal experience and other external factors.
“I’ll prove that I’m better. . . the next drill, the next rep, the next game, I try my best to show them that I’m just as good.”
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February 2020
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