An athlete can be greatly influenced by a crowd. Whether it is from fans chanting ‘Let’s go, Weston’ or from the negative impact of an opposing crowd’s taunting, an athlete can find themselves either motivated or nervous because of a crowd.
Senior basketball captain Siena Ferrucci believes that playing in front of a lot of fans can make all the difference for the basketball team.
“I prefer to play in front of large crowds because it creates a dynamic and energetic atmosphere, contributing to the excitement of the game,” Ferucci said. “The heightened stakes and the desire to impress or entertain the crowd are a strong motivator, leading to improved performance.”
At the same time, there are reasons why one may prefer to compete without a crowd.
“I prefer to play with less of a crowd because I feel pressure that I have to meet certain expectations,” freshman field hockey player Izzy Garry said. “Sometimes I feel like [a large crowd] helps because it gives me more energy and willpower to succeed, but sometimes it causes me to fumble.”
In indoor track, meets can be incredibly loud, usually consisting of eight or more schools, each with their own fans yelling at competitors.
“Although the large crowds add nervousness to the competition, I usually perform better with crowds,” junior track captain Noah Lago said.
With Weston being a smaller school, one challenge is that, at times, certain sports may not garner enough of a crowd.
“I personally think that there could be more support from WHS students. Our girls team usually has empty bleachers, excluding families,” Ferucci said. “I think if more students came to cheer on our WHS basketball team, it would have a positive impact on the team’s performance and enthusiasm.”
Athletic director Mike McGrath believes that Weston does its best to support its teams despite some complications.
“I definitely think the Weston students support their teams,” McGrath said. “[However] being a small school with over 50% of the student-body participating in sports each season means that typically when one team is playing, most of the students interested in sports are also playing or practicing their sport at the same time, limiting student involvement at games, meets, or matches.”
Sometimes the teams’ schedules can overlap in a way that actually leads to more support.
“I remember when we were in a tight game at home and we were starting to get tired, the football team showed up after practice, and there was tons of support. This helped us significantly and we managed to put up a good fight,” Garry said.
When teams are able to draw a crowd, it can serve as an inspiration, leading to matches in which an athlete will feel less fatigued because of the support.
“I thrive on the pressure and attention of playing in front of a large audience,” Ferucci said. “Players may feel a stronger sense of purpose and determination when they sense the support and excitement from the fans.”
According to an article on the website medium.com by Misha Goltsman, a psychological concept, the Spectator Effect, refers to the impact an audience may have on an athlete’s performance, with both positive and negative consequences. For some, crowds can be a source of anxiety that can either push them to perform greater or worry them too much to accomplish their goals.
“There is definitely added pressure from large crowds. I usually deal with the pressure by listening to music or attempting to change my mindset about the meet,” Lago said.
When the opposing team has a strong crowd, athletes face added stress, but not always with negative effects.
“When the other team has many fans, my performance in the game depends a lot on the first few minutes,” junior soccer player and swimmer Philip Fitch said. “If I play well in the beginning, the opposing crowd will actually give me more confidence.”
Games are most memorable when a large crowd shows up to support, which mainly occurs when games happen on evenings or weekends.
“I do see many students attending games when those games are played later in the evening or on the weekend. Take basketball, hockey and any other sport that is played during ‘off’ hours or ‘off days’—there are always many Weston students attending,” McGrath said. “I would have to say some of my favorite crowds were those of the football games this fall where the entire student section was rocking and everyone was dressed in the theme of the night.”
There are also sports, however, that are harder to get a large crowd for. Swim meets, for example, are not easy to get a large turnout.
“I wish there was a way to get more Weston fans showing up to swim meets or less-important games,” Fitch said. “It would be a big boost in motivation.”