April, 2023
By Julie Gonzalez, Staff Reporter
In the many years that KAC has been founded, sports teams have been made, such as basketball, volleyball, soccer, flag football, and robotics; these teams apart from getting so much support from teachers and students outside the organization are also awarded with Senior Night to celebrate the end of their season. But what about the other teams that aren’t so recognized by the school?
KAC consists of many athletics teams, as the ones that were previously mentioned, but also including the following: cross country/track, Cheer Team (though a club), and our Cardinal Dance Crew. All of the members in these sports put in so much effort to be able to stay in the team. Coaches on these athletics hold them accountable for every class they take, the coaches caring just as much about the sport they are representing equally as the ones who are currently handling the teams that get more of the spotlight. Such as the Cardinal Cheer Team, known for their undying dedication to hype up other sports, even if many teachers deem them as distracting, they just wanna show everyone that they care about every sports team and know the impact cheering on their school can do. Cross Country/track do well when it comes to showing their academic achievements and the stamina they hold, bringing back trophies and having individual winners within the team, they too deserving of recognition. As well as our Cardinal Dance Crew, one of the school’s oldest teams who have been labeled the pride of KAC: they have gone above and beyond when it comes to competition, they have never came empty handed from their competitions either, putting out the best for the school when it comes to pep rallies, KIPP organized meetings, and special requests.
How are these teams being left out?
Known within the school, all sports teams have a Senior Night, but unfortunately for these forgotten members, they aren’t able to give their graduating seniors a memorable night. They leave their last year on the team from one day to the next and aren’t given the opportunity to show off their skills and talents they honed to other members or even their own parents. Even managers from these specific chosen teams get to have what players/dancers of these forgotten teams don’t get to experience. Despite the fact and the admiration that so many administrators and staff from the school give these teams, it seems to only be to better show how many options of sports they have, only to then turn a blind eye and forget about them. But these teams deserve to be recognized by their hard work throughout the year, the pride, and representation they bring to the school. Missing out on one of the greatest sport traditions, it is one of the most beautiful ways for them to show just how close they are to each other, that they don’t just see each other as another school member, they build up the bond to also be a second family to one another.
Do people come to support?
Majority of the people who do come to show support to these teams tend to be their own family members, as they are really never brought up at school and staff really only acknowledge them when they have a big accomplishment because it makes the school look good. It is upsetting to see that the school favors many other teams over these despite the fact that they also put in the same amount of effort others do, it shouldn’t need to be posted on a schools news website for them to get recognition. They are athletes as well, they are part of the athletic department, there is a reason as to why they are under there,and because they fall under the umbrella with basketball, soccer, flag football, and volleyball, and robotics being up there too (but having their own system).
All athletics teams should be treated equally— “sport,” is defined as an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment. Track/Cross Country, Cheer, and Dance Crew do just that, they do physical activities that get recognized and cheered for, yet the screams and chants are absent when it comes to performing their best on the most important day of their life, yet they still do the best when it comes to representing their school even if they are left in the shadows.
The Cardinal Post