The adrenaline sports crowds bring is unmatched; it boosts athletes’ moods and pushes them to fight harder. The NNHS Dawg Pound is a group of nine seniors selected to cheer on athletes and crowds during North sporting events. But, all sports are not impacted by the Dawg Pound and crowds the same.
Senior varsity girls volleyball captain Heidi Mick explains how it’s fun to play for a big crowd and demonstrate athletic abilities. Mick describes the excitement you feel from the audience during a game.
“Having people screaming at you, cheering you on, it’s really motivating and it makes the atmosphere so much more alive,” Mick said.
Additionally, Score Vision, a scoreboard production company, presents the idea of the “‘audience effect,’” which “is where the presence of an audience produces adrenaline. In return, the body reacts by reverting to dominant responses or habits.” This means athletes can rely on what they have practiced and truly hone their skills in the game due to the boost of adrenaline from crowds. A more enthusiastic crowd then is the key factor in a better performance from the team.
The Dawg Pound facilitates the spirit of the crowd at NNHS sporting events. They bring a special energy to the crowd that pushes the athletes to try their hardest. Senior varsity football offensive lineman Jake Kedziora explains how the crowd impacts their performance.
“It gives the team a bunch of energy, allows us to play with motivation and I feel like it has helped us win games in the past just by feeling support from our classmates,” Kedziora said.
While the Dawg Pound brings energy to some sports, they lack coverage in others. Swimming, for example, does not receive the same exciting tone. Varsity swim captain Chloe Chen gives insight on the deficit of support towards swimming from the Dawg Pound.
“The Dawg Pound has [never] ever come to a swim meet … the crowd affects my performance positively and … that’s true for most swimmers …The environment is a lot more electrifying, and it’s a lot more encouraging when there’s a ton of people there,” Chen said.
The Dawg Pound and others in the community would make a large difference for these athletes. Many athletes feel as if their sport is being overlooked due to the lack of support. Additionally, they think a strong, present community would largely benefit them. They understand that the Dawg Pound can’t show up to everything, but it would contribute to a positive community within Naperville North if the Dawg Pound prioritizes attending important events like DVC or sectionals for all sports. This community is crucial for not only bringing people together, but also for the performance of our athletes. If supporters are there to see our Huskies many achievements, it makes them feel recognized for their incredible efforts.
Senior varsity girls tennis captain Brooke Coffman comments on how specific sports have specific ways to cheer for them, and that fans being loud all the time isn’t necessarily good. Crowds not knowing when to cheer for each sport can also throw an athlete off their game. Coffman still loves the support, but states that viewers need to know when the right time to cheer is.
“Not everyone knows the etiquette…. which is a struggle with [tennis],” Coffman said.
Even though this makes fan interaction difficult, it’s still important to support despite the challenges. If crowds come to support a sport that is usually less attended or that encourages a calmer audience, it shows not only their dedication to the athletes, but also their willingness to learn about the sport. Just because a sport is complicated doesn’t mean the athletes deserve less support.
Dawg Pound leader Kyle Tran details how it’s difficult to support everyone because of outside factors.
“A lot of our leaders all have jobs. it’s harder to plan all of us going to it [Athletic events] mainly because a lot of our availabilities throughout the week are pretty limited,” Tran said.
The setbacks make supporting every sport a difficult task. After all, the Dawg Pound can’t be everywhere at once. Kedziora touches on this.
“I feel like it’s harder [for the Dawg Pound] to go to those other events based on their schedules … but I feel like it should be promoted more. I think … friendships and friend groups might impact who gets promoted which I guess isn’t really fair,” Kedziora said.
Even with the full strength of the Dawg Pound, the energy will never compare to the power that can come from our entire student body. So, students should also dedicate themselves to supporting our programs, because it’s not just up to the Dawg Pound. They cannot fabricate an entire crowd because it takes a truly connected community to get the “audience effect.” Athletic Director Jon Pereiro believes this as well.
“It creates that real pride within what goes on in Naperville North when there’s that shared support … Huskies supporting Huskies,” Pereiro said.
We need more support from our Dawg Pound as well as our students. NNHS Dean of Student Activities Jennifer Baumgartner believes every athlete should have a crowd to support them, even if it’s just once in a while.
“Everybody likes an audience… it would mean the world to those kids,” Baumgartner said.
