Many students at FHC spend their entire lives playing sports, but what happens when they are given the opportunity to watch a sport? Being a spectator brings an entirely different perspective to sports and many Rangers have opinions on what is interesting to watch and what isn’t. 

The idea of a “favorite sport” varies from person to person. Sometimes a person’s favorite sport to watch is influenced by the most commonly watched sport in his or her house growing up. Oftentimes, athletes love to enjoy the sports that they play themselves. Senior Marissa Lunt is a soccer player and also a member of the cross country and track & field teams for FHC. She enjoys spending her free time watching the rival of boys soccer.

“My favorite sport to watch is girls soccer because it is very competitive and it shows how a sport that can be played by girls and boys can be so different,” Marissa said. “It is very enjoyable because of how competitive it gets and the girls are always on top of each other when fighting for the ball.” 

Similarly to Marissa, senior Noelle Stewart has found joy in watching gymnastics, which was a sport she participated in for most of her life. As a former gymnast, she has had a large amount of exposure to the sport, and despite retiring from the sport, she still finds herself watching it whenever she has the chance.

“I can relate to the gymnasts since I was a gymnast for ten years,” Noelle said. “I am still very involved in finding out how gymnasts perform and all of the new skills they have gained.”

Many athletes try and support as many sports as they can, but sometimes you come across a sport that you never want to go back to. Although everyone has different opinions on what he or she believes is interesting or not, there have been some common themes throughout the FHC athletes. Junior Alex Korff is involved in football, wrestling, and rugby at FHC, and he has encountered one sport that he firmly believes is the worst to watch.

“Golf is the worst sport to watch,” Alex said. “It is really boring. It is very slow moving, and you have to walk everywhere which is awful.”

While supporting your own sport is amazing, it can be nice for teams who don’t get as much recognition to be supported as well. You can gain new insights into how sports are played and why athletes value them. Noelle said that she doesn’t necessarily prefer to watch the sports she plays over other sports because she enjoys seeing new environments, and it gives her something new to be excited for. Similarly, Marissa expressed that although she specifically enjoys watching soccer, other sports tend to pique her interest.

“I would rather watch different sports that I don’t play because it tends to get boring and repetitive when you play the sport and then have to watch it,” Marissa said.

The next time you hear of a sporting event you are unfamiliar with, take the time to sit and watch because you could quickly learn whether it’s your next new favorite or least favorite sport to watch.