With the many sports and activities at Spectrum comes many captains. Captains are crucial to a successful team. These students are able to help lead a team while still giving a student perspective.
Students could have numerous reasons to want to be a captain. One is because they’ve been a part of the team for years. “I wanted to be a captain because I was the captain of the middle school team, so I’ve been a part of the program ever since I joined in sixth grade,” said Marin Burg, a senior and a Quiz Bowl captain. “I wanted to help others.” Another reason could be to unify a team.”I just wanted to help younger players and really bring the team together because I feel like bringing the team together is the most important part, because if you don’t have chemistry, you don’t have anything on the field,” said Cassidy Colbert, captain of the softball team. Some people like the authority role.”I like being a leader, you know. I like being able to help other people do good at something that I really enjoy myself,” said Gavin Oblinger, captain of the boys golf team. In the end, there is one thing all captains have in common: they want to help others.
Captains need to possess manifold qualities that benefit the team. “A good captain is someone who reflects well on the whole team and the program as a whole. Someone who stands up for everyone and like, shows them how to act. […] Leadership, being a good role model, obviously, you have to be good at the sport too,” said Oblinger. These qualities, as well as others, translate into all activities. “A good captain is someone who is really passionate about their team. They want the best for everyone on their team. They are looking to involve people,” said Burg. Even though Colbert is involved in a different activity, she shares a similar mindset as the others. “Someone that’s like personable. Being there for the team and being able to answer any questions,” said Colbert.
Captains assist with a variety of tasks to improve their team. It could be tasks that affect a teammate in the moment and, or over time. “We figure out team bonding stuff. […] On the field, like during games, like we are definitely […] more vocal. Giving people advice on what they should do during the game,” said Colbert. Every sport has different expectations for their captains. “I’m really involved in like the fundraisers and stuff and, you know, getting other kids involved in that. […] I have to be a voice for that kind of stuff. To help our program to keep growing. During practice, I’ll be the one of the people who’s coaching up the kids, helping them fix their swings. Making sure that they’re getting better and getting the most out of their time,” said Oblinger, For Quiz Bowl, the captains help in very different ways, but in the end, the outcome is similar to the rest. “As a captain, I work closely with Mr. Brunt, who’s currently our coach. […] work on planning out events, we work on scheduling them, bringing buzzers, we do packets, we read out packets, have those picked up before practice everyday, and we just make sure that everyone is have in good spirits and if there’s anything anyone needs, Brycen and I are here to help,” said Burg.
Every season, the captains put in a lot of effort to help their teams. These students are taking a big step that can help build their leadership skills.