By: Zachery Simpkins (zas004@marietta.edu)
Any Division III athlete who has experienced a full stadium realizes the impact fans have on the game. The Student Athletic Advisory Committee (SAAC) knows this effect and wants every athlete from every sport to feel the rush of a full stadium. The SAAC has representatives from each varsity athletic program to brainstorm ideas for a better community between all the different sports Marietta College offers. Every year they host the ETTA Challenge. The ETTA challenge entices teams to watch the games of other sports teams for a chance to claim the title of the most supportive team. To build upon this supportive challenge, the SAAC came up with the idea of brother/sister teams to increase community involvement.
What are brother/sister teams? Brother/sister teams are made when each varsity program is assigned another sports team to support. This selection process even includes the Esports program and all the different teams they have. With this system, these varsity programs that are connected together have a better opportunity to support one another directly. Some teams have already decided to plan watch parties and are hyping each other up to go to these games and cheer their fellow pioneers on. This sense of community between the different athletic teams is what the SAAC strives for. Each team cheering on their fellow athletes is inspiring and keeps players energized.
Since athletes at the D3 level do not get scholarships to play, all they have is their love for their respective game. The SAAC wants to keep athletes in love with their sport by giving them as much support as possible. The brother/sister team initiative has already been effective, and the basketball season hasn’t even started yet! Be ready Pioneers. The stands are going to be packed this season, and you don’t want to miss out on the hype of Marietta College’s support for their D3 athletes. You too can support Marietta’s athletes by checking the athletic schedule at Marietta College Athletics – Official Athletics Website and joining in on the roar of the crowd.
Edited by: Zachary Worstell (zdw001@marietta.edu)
