The year is winding down and my time as sports editor is coming to an end. It’s been incredible, both for the athletes who have achieved so much over their seasons and for me. I’ve loved covering students who have these amazing abilities and entirely separate worlds they dedicate much of their lives to.

LT has some pretty awesome teams and programs, and before I head off for these next four years, I want to leave one piece of advice for the classes to come: never stop appreciating and supporting the hard work that our students and staff put into our athletics.

LT teams, put simply, are extremely talented. We are very lucky to go to a school that prides itself for an amazing athletic program and is willing to put the energy and resources into developing and funding each team. That isn’t always common or even possible. That said, there was a time early this year that I felt disappointed in the lack of support for LT’s athletics. It seemed as though social lives took priority over supporting our fellow students and friends. Illegal substances such as alcohol were brought into the stands, and with that, support for our athletes and their hard work seemed to disappear.

It’s May now, and I can happily say that I’m not worried about the classes to come. I’ve seen a resurgence of support. Whether it was the faithful Pooligans venturing out to Evanston to support and celebrate our swim and dive team taking first at state, or Charlie Clarke ‘18 taking the time to buy and grill burgers at the girl’s soccer Pepsico Showdown tailgate, or the Eurythmic Dance Company’s program selling out so fast that they had to add another performance, our athletics are receiving plenty of support and I couldn’t be happier.

If you attended any of the events listed above, or even others, I’m so glad. That kind of rallying support is what makes the hard work pay off. After hours of strenuous training and constructing a team with valuable team chemistry, all our students really deserve in the end is recognition. It doesn’t matter if we win or lose, we should be there to support the group. We should celebrate the individuals that make it happen.

If you haven’t attended such events, all I can do is strongly encourage you to. I can almost guarantee every student at the school has a friend involved in a sport or club. I can also almost guarantee that at the majority of our team competitions, the stands are filled with mostly parents. Sure, I love it when my mom comes to support me in the stands. But it always means a little more when your friends carve the time out of their day to make it too. And when you go to LT, the athletes will never fail to disappoint.

And to the athletes themselves, thank you for making these four years that much more meaningful to me. I’ve taken part in LT’s soccer, volleyball, cross country and basketball programs and every one of them has introduced me to a new network of friends that by the end of the season became family. Bus rides to and from tournaments or hysterical moments in the locker room are what I’m going to remember for the rest of my life. Those moments are only amplified by the incredible love and support of friends, family, and the entire school.

So, for my last column, I want to thank everyone that made my athletic career at LT unforgettable. I couldn’t have asked for better teammates or a better staff. I hope LT’s pride for its athletic programs never dies, and after this year, I’m certain it never will.