Westview’s athletic department has expanded over the years, and many problems have arisen for faculty and staff. Little school spirit, limited space, and poor coordination for transportation are just a few troubles the department has been experiencing. Principal Ernie Remillard and Athletic Director Steve McLaughlin decided that more student involvement was needed to resolve obstacles, so they formed an athletic council that invited students to be a part of making improvements. Currently, the athletic council is working to solve three issues: facility space, preventing athlete burnout, and strengthening team bonding. 

“[Our goal] for our athletic team is to get to know some of our student athletes,” McLaughlin said. “At the same time, [we want to] address some current issues that our athletics programs are having, and really recruit them to help find some solutions.” 

The athletic council began in the 2022-2023 school year with 10 representatives, and this year it has grown to 15 students. The council is by invitation only, and it is not solely based on the top players of each sport. 

“We try to have a variety of different sports, and we also want a variety of ethnicities because their perspective might be different, [and a] variety of academic workload,” Mclaughlin said. “[We’re] thoughtful about how many different types of students we have on campus, and we try to invite one or two individuals that might represent these perspectives.”

Additionally, McLaughlin said students of different skill levels are selected. While the council has some representatives who are captains of varsity teams, it also includes representatives on freshman or junior varsity teams to ensure that there is representation for as many sports and levels as possible. 

Barbie Shoemaker (11), an athletic council representative, said she found the meetings effective.

“I brought up a concern I had in a meeting regarding bus disputes on swim and dive and tensions between swim and dive, and I was really surprised and impressed at how seriously Mr. Remillard and Mr. McLaughlin took it,” Shoemaker said. 

The council meets once a quarter and has a different agenda for each meeting. The first meeting of the school year is for faculty members of the athletic department and students to get acquainted with each other. In between the first and second meetings, students are told to find some issues around the school that could be solved or improved. The second meeting is when the council will form a list of ways to improve the athletic department. 

“One of the things that always comes up is how we get more school spirit in the games,” McLaughlin said. “There’s a lot of school spirit, sometimes at football games, but is there the same school spirit at tennis matches or other things like that? So, we don’t have those solutions as administrators, but we recruited a lot of different student-athletes to give their perspective.”

The council recently held the third meeting, where students broke into three small groups, each forming plans to tackle various issues. After the third meeting, it is up to the students to begin the first steps to solving the problem their group is working on. This could entail sending letters or making a presentation. During the fourth meeting, which will be held at the beginning of the fourth quarter, the groups will present solutions or enhancements they have made. 

“We have so many teams and a limited number of facilities that are usable,” McLaughlin said. “School ends really late, so there’s a small window [where] practices, and competitions can happen, which pinches who gets [to use] certain facilities.” 

Lack of space leads to many athletes having early morning practices before school. McLaughlin said that early practice time is not ideal, as athletes often arrive at practice fatigued and not in the best head-space to play their best. In addition, student-athletes often have little free time between school and sports, leading many students to feel burnt out. 

“We want to prevent students from basically going underwater,” McLaughlin said. “Sometimes you take a lot of tough classes, now you’re in season, and that’s stressful. And so now you feel like, hey, it’s hard for me to be my best. 
And so, there are different things that a student-athlete could do to prepare for success.”

Shoemaker has come up with a solution to improve team bonding by working with coaches to help create a better environment for athletes. 

“I’m currently working on a letter to coaches,” Shoemaker said. “I’m working with Jordyn Vales (11) and Betty Bush (11), and [we’re] looking to [give] an introduction to all coaches before the start of their season, addressed from this council, [which] talks about how student-athletes would like to see their sports run or some issues or tips for the season. The biggest thing we’re focusing on is having a good, productive environment that’s healthy. Getting some input from other students has been interesting as they’ve been talking about little things that you wouldn’t really think about, like having captains that are very inclusive and not cliquey and just feedback that you wouldn’t get from coaches, from students.”

The council has decided that student-athletes need more resources to turn to when feeling drained. Their solution is a shared Instagram page with all of the teams. The purpose of the page is to remind athletes that they aren’t alone and that they have coaches and teammates who care about them. 

Positive team culture is another priority of the council. They are working to boost positivity by reminding athletes that their actions outside of school reflect on them as teammates. To spread this awareness, representatives are making a poster to give to all the teams that serves as a reminder to be respectful on and off the field.

While there are still many issues to be fixed, such as student participation, McLaughlin is hopeful that the athletic council will come up with solutions in the future.  

“I love that the students can be a part of the solution because I feel like it brings a sense of ownership and feeling that they’re going to make their space better,” McLaughlin said. “I feel it gives our student-athletes some purpose in making change, and I’m happy to be a part of that. I love how they’re investing in the future and making this place better for the next generation.”