By Nuvneet Desai
Homecoming is typically one of the most anticipated times of the fall sports season here at Irvington. At the Varsity football homecoming game where Irvington faced off against Albertus Magnus, a large student section filled the stands, while halftime events and other activities added to the excitement. Other fall sports also receive support from students throughout their seasons. However, the atmosphere surrounding Irvington’s cross country homecoming was noticeably different. Only a few students attended the meet, and many were unaware it was even happening.
Despite receiving less attention, Irvington’s cross country teams still found success at their homecoming meet. Both the boy’s and girl’s team earned victories, but junior runner Paul Van Haetsdaele said there were very few classmates there to see it happen. “We won, and so did the girls, and there wasn’t much student presence, maybe like two or three students not on the team,” Van Haetsdaele said.
Senior and cross country team captain Ian Kwon believes part of the difference comes from the nature of the sport itself. Unlike football or other sports where spectators can watch the entire competition from one location, cross country runners travel across a course and may disappear from view for extended periods of time.
“I think it recieves less attention than other sports because it’s simply less entertaining and there’s less ‘hype moments’ than other sports,” Kwon stated. “For example, there isn’t anyone scoring a touchdown or tackling other people.”
Kwon said the lack of student attendance is not unique to this year’s homecoming meet and has been something the team has experienced in previous years. “It’s just like every cross country homecoming, little student presence,” Kwon said. “I noticed some siblings and maybe the occasional student watching with friends, but there was an obvious lack of student presence for homecoming.”
However, Kwon has experienced a much different atmosphere at larger cross country competitions. At the pre-state meet last year, he said the number of runners and their families created a much larger crowd, making the event feel significantly more energetic than a typical meet.
Kwon believes Irvington could also do more to create that type of excitement around its own cross country meets. He suggested adding music or other features around the areas where spectators gather to make meets more engaging and potentially encourage more students to attend.
While cross country may not naturally attract the same crowds as football and other spectator sports, the team’s homecoming meet showed how easily its accomplishments can go unnoticed. Even with both the boy’s and girl’s team earning victories, only a handful of students were there to support them. Increasing awareness and creating more excitement around future meets could help give the cross country team more school spirit and students support that other teams experience during homecoming.
