by Ciree LaFuente
Contributing Writer

One night after class, I was walking past the gym and noticed the volleyball team having what I though was practice or a scrimmage. If I had not been curious enough to stop and poke my head in, I wouldn’t have realized it was actually a game, not just practice.

Where were all the fans? At that moment, I realized that I had been attending Shoreline Community College for just over a year and had never once thought about an extra-curricular activity at SCC, let alone attending a sporting event.

When you look in the stands of Washington State University and the University of Washington, you see team colors, spirit, and pride, but when you look into the stands at SCC, you see empty seats. At Washington State University, Gonzaga, and University of Washington, you can hear the excitement, pride, and positive energy for their respected teams.

But at Shoreline, you may occasionally hear a fan yell for a friend or a small group of spectators clapping. I could come up with numerous reasons for this lack of school spirit and after taking a brief survey, I found other students had excuses of their own to not show their support.

Although lack of athletic support at community colleges is not a rare occurrence, many of Shoreline’s athletes believe it is important to have fans at games to give inspirational support and a confidence boost. The cheers and spirit from the fans, even if they are there for only the social aspect, can give athletes moral support which can, in turn, help result in athletic success.

Many students have probably thought of supporting the Dolphins, but due to many reasons, they find themselves tied up in other activities that they find more important.

Shoreline is what can be called a “commuter” or “drive-in-driveout” campus.

According to SCC’s Athletic Director, students don’t often stay on campus for extracurricular activities. “Students just stick around long enough to do what they need then feel the need get the heck out of here,” he said. “There isn’t anything that keeps them on campus for a seven o’clock game.”

“They couldn’t pay me to be at school any more then I have to,” said SCC student Yoly Shaffean.

Time is the one thing that appears to be most valuable to students. Despite the temptations that the school will create, many students are required to have jobs to pay for college, leaving them feeling that working to provide for this chapter of their lives is more important than most extracurricular activities, let alone sporting events.

According to Palmer, even the SCC’s coaches hold part time jobs aside from their commitment to their respected teams, which also makes it difficult for activities to happen at more student-convenient times throughout the day.

Former SCC student Ashley Lange tried to sum up the hectic experiences of her college life. “I didn’t have enough time between work, school, and studying,” she said.

Although dividing time between work and school can be an issue for most students, a lack of passion towards SCC also seems to play a large role in students not attending sporting events.

“You have to be passionate about the school first, [and] nobody is really passionate about their community college,” said student Dan Haukap. “[Students] are all trying to get in to a university.”

Many students stated that they would be more involved with extra-curricular activities once they’re attending a university and considered community college to be just a steppingstone.

Former SCC student Isaac Rubio, however, felt that if he were to have any passion toward the college, it would all be one sided. “As a student, I felt like a number, just another statistic,” he said. “I don’t feel the same support from the school as what they are asking me to give to them.”

Rubio showed a great passion about how he felt when he was a student at Shoreline and made that clear when stating that there was “nothing the school could have ever done” to get him to attend games.

Many students feel that another factor affecting their attendance is the lack of information about athletic events around campus.

“Even if I had the time to go to a game, I [wouldn’t attend] because I don’t know when or where [they’re held],” said student Andrew Storey.

Several students feel the college relies solely on The Ebbtide to inform the students about the athletic department and sporting events as news and information regarding athletics seems limited to the gymnasium. “Not enough people [students, visitors, prospective students and community members read The Ebbtide, and that seems to be what they [the school] rely on,” said Haukap.

Many students openly shared the problems they felt are keeping attendance levels down and not surprisingly, several of these problems were very consistent among the students. Even when recognizing the problems, however, many students still seemed reluctant about attending athletic events.