When student-athletes are wearing their uniform before, during, and after a game, they are representing their school as well as their sport.  However, many team players want to show off their school pride outside of the games as well.

This is where spirit wear comes into play. Student-athletes have the opportunity to choose spirit wear to purchase from a selection that was set aside for them for that year.  

The items that you can normally find in a spirit wear selection include t-shirts, hoodies, and sweats.  Some special items are also selected.

Junior Meg Tate, whose mother, Alicia Miller, works with the athletic department to set up these sales, has a unique insight into how this process works. 

“Spirit wear is selected prior to the students being able to choose what they would like to purchase,” said Tate.  There is normally someone in charge of choosing a selection of spirit wear to put in the store. This is usually a parent or someone that is working with that particular sports team.”

Once they have picked out the items they want to make available in the store, a company worker brings proofs to the team representative.  Once this proof is shown, then whoever picked out the spirit wear for the store approves it and makes sure that everything is what they want.  After this revision process, the store opens and closes about 10 days later.

Even though most sports teams have a very similar selection, a lot of sports teams have a something unique.

Senior Devon Sweeder said, “One of my favorite spirit wear options is the girls’ lacrosse having a rugby shirt.  It’s really cute!”

Spirit wear has expanded over the years and there have been more options added every year for the students to choose from.  The other thing that’s really cool about the spirit wear options is that teams use other teams for ideas on designs and clothing options.  

Students also like the spirit wear options to stay up to date with certain things that are popular during the year.

Sweeder said, “I wish that they had headbands like the Nike tie ones that everyone seems to be wearing.”

But some variety is desired as well.

Junior Paige Tollett said, “I like the different options of clothing we get to choose from.  But I do wish that there were cuter designs and maybe patterns that we could choose from.”

Overall, students like the spirit wear because they get to show off their school team pride wherever they go.  The spirit wear options are constantly changing every year, and that’s one of the things that makes spirit wear so exciting.