Boston College Athletics
SAAC's Adopt-a-Team program a success
October 29, 2008 | Boston College Athletics
Oct. 29, 2008
The new Adopt-a-Team program created by the Student Athlete Advisory Committee has taken off in just its first two months in existence. The program, which matches teams up of opposite season as well as gender, was created to build a tighter knit Student Athlete community and also to increase support of each and every team on campus. So far, the program has done just that, as the BC Baseball team recently attended a Field Hockey game, the Fencing team cheered on the Women’s soccer team as they pulled out a 1-0 win over ACC foe Maryland, and the Men’s and Women’s Ski team supported the Cross Country team in their meet at the New England Championships.
The program has caused quite a buzz around campus and teams are thrilled about the idea of supporting others and attending events that previously would never have been attended. Harry Darling, captain of the Boston College Baseball team, is a strong advocate of the Adopt-a-Team program. When asked about the program, Darling said, “The Adopt-a-Team program is a great idea. As a fifth year senior, that was my first field hockey game, and I was very impressed with the game as well as the players.” When asked about how well the program was received by his teammates, Harry went on to say, “It was no problem at all for our players to attend, and the guys really enjoyed it. Outside of football, hockey, and basketball, every team could use some fans, and I think as this program progresses, more teams will catch on and support will increase.”
The game that the team attended was easy for the Baseball players to cheer at. After starting the game down 2-0 to Northeastern, the Eagles fought back, and led by junior forward Chelsey Feole’s 4 goal effort, the team pulled off the 4-3 victory. “The game was very exciting, and we are going to go back for their Senior Day on Saturday,” said Darling. For the baseball and field hockey teams, that game was only the beginning of creating a bond between the two teams.
As the program continues to pick up speed, it has drawn support from not only the Student Athletes, but also the coaches. Randy Thomas, head coach of the Boston College Cross Country Team, was surprised and also very pleased to see the Ski team at their meet. Coach Thomas said, “It’s the best idea I have heard in my 22 years here at Boston College. Our girls go four years here without having a meet at BC and they never get to experience the feel of a home meet, so to see their classmates cheering them on from the starting line was truly fantastic. The girls loved it, and then we went on to win the meet!”
It was the women’s first New England title since 2002, and Coach Thomas believes that the students played a large part in that success. At this point, he is unable to say what exactly their team will do to reciprocate the support for the ski team, as the ski team often competes as far away as New Hampshire or further, but he knows he will do something, whether it is an end of the year barbecue, or a banner for their event.
There are many teams that will be supporting each other in the upcoming weeks, and as they continue to show support, the program is sure to continue to grow. The program has been met with nothing but excitement, and is slowly bringing together the Student Athlete community, something that SAAC is working very hard to work towards. With the leadership among members of SAAC, the help from all of the teams, and also the support of the coaches and faculty, these first few months of Adopt-a-Team are only the tip of the iceberg as to what this program can and will accomplish.
Read More about the SAAC and the Adopt-a-Team program on their official web page.
