WOODBURY – The stands are packed, the lights are shining down, the crowd is erupting. This is every athlete’s dream, having die hard fans supporting your every move. But it is more than that. It’s athletes supporting athletes.

As the fall season kicks off, so does the spirit of athletes supporting one another. Nonnewaug girls soccer coach, Adam Brutting understands the value of athletes encouraging each other.

 “I think it’s an absolute priority for teams to support each other,” Brutting said. 

“When individual teams support themselves, that’s a good thing, we are constantly asking the girls to have good bench energy or benenergy [energy from NHS bench],” Brutting said. “We want the girls that are not on the field to support their teammates, but all of a sudden, when you have the boys soccer team there cheering you on and making more noise, it just creates more excitement and lifts our energy.”

Athletic director and trainer, Sean McGee, see the benefits of such positivity.

“Having positive support like that goes a long way,” says McGee, “especially with student athletes that don’t have the best support at home, but if they’re peers are there watching them I’m sure it’s just an awesome feeling.”

That kind of support McGee noted can go far beyond what a fan can see at the moment. 

These little actions of just showing up can truly leave a mark and have a great impact on athletes.

“The impact it has on the team is, that 12th man effect, it’s the extra person on the field with just that extra support,” McGee adds. “It always feels like you have someone else helping you out and it actually doesn’t really affect the game much, but with that positive energy, it changes the mentality of these kids playing on the field.”

And when the mentally on the field or court changes, it can cost or save the game. 

“It’s a motivating effect, I think it makes you want to play at a higher level when your peers from other teams and your school are supporting you and cheering you on, it makes you drive yourself to a high level and try to be your best possible self,” Brutting said.” And that’s what’s going to help you be a successful individual athlete and push the team to be the highest level it can be. ”

‘’It’s just awesome and it’s something that’s really good,” said Sean McGee. “Again, it’s not just one person, it’s the whole school that really supports each other like that and it’s something that I truly think that should be done more.”