I did not attend the girls' basketball game against Sentinel on Oct. 31, and from what I have heard about it, I think it may be a good thing I didn't. Otherwise, I may have been appalled or even offended by the behavior of the Flathead student section, as were many other Bravette spectators. I've been told that our section of the crowd was rude, disrespectful and even downright mean to the Missoulians and towards the referees. These sorts of displays cannot continue.
I'm not sure if the students realize the consequences of their actions, but they are tremendous.
For starters, the preponderance of the adult audience, who are normally supporters of FHS in sports, in the community and in the voting booths, see that representation coming from students. This could hurt the student body later on, because it may force them to question their advocacy of our school in future instances.
Another drawback of these actions is simply the unbelievable amount of disrespect this portrays to the athletes who are competing. Fans have to remember that the players are merely volunteering their time to play that sport. They've put in serious hours and made countless amounts of self sacrifice to earn the right to go out and fight for their school's honor every weekend, just as our teams do. They certainly don't deserve the barrage of trash-talking and heckling which we have become so well practiced at dishing out.
Does this mean I want fans to stop showing that boundless energy and awesome enthusiasm for which Flathead is becoming famous? Not a chance. All I'm asking is that fans maintain that fine line between what's positive and something that could be dubbed to be "in poor taste."
If you see someone being excessively obnoxious, be a leader and remind that person of what the repercussions of their words or actions might do to the rest of the school.
These have all been fairly isolated incidents. I am not worried about our image. I think the amount of spirit and the level of involvement we've had this year is unprecedented, and should be an example to other schools.
Let's make sure we stay on that positive side throughout the rest of this year and cheer our activities to victory in everything they do.