As an athlete, nothing feels better than having the home crowd behind you during a game.  

The energy at the event can be the driving force that gets you to a victory.  From loud chants of “Defense” to the sole annoying heckler, the crowd is a major factor in winning a game.  

As a member of the Piedmont Men’s basketball team, my experience playing in home games has not always been consistent.  

There were games when there were plenty of people in their seats cheering for victory, and then there were others where I only saw parents and a sparse number of students.  

Before I got here, I was told about how invested the student body was towards whatever sporting event was happening at the time. The crowds gave off an energy that was unmatched, and it usually would lead to wins.  

I need the student body this year to bring those glory days back.  

It should not take the home opener or a “big game” to have huge turnouts for these sporting events. It should be for every home game that happens here.  

We, as athletes, feed off of your energy and how invested you are in the game.  

It gives us more of an incentive to go out and play hard because we do not want to let you all down and have your cheering go in vain.  

Some of the best teams in collegiate sports come with some of the best student sections.  

Opposing teams know that they need to be on their A-game when they play at those places because there will be times when it seems as though every person there is screaming at them, and that is never a good feeling.  

Now, if we can get everyone behind this notion, we will all be better for it.  

However, it cannot be just for the sports teams that get the most wins. Even teams here at Piedmont that may not have the best record still needs the same amount of support as a team that wins the conference tournament every year.  

In addition, the teams that may not be the more mainstream need support as well. This goes for sports like both our men’s and women’s lacrosse and our tennis team. Even those guys need the extra push to get them the victory.  

This is my challenge to you, Piedmont College students, we need to be the best student section in the conference across all aspects of out sporting department.  

Every athlete will be extremely grateful for your support.