In the April Associated Student Body Council (ASBC) elections, Courtney Anderson (‘20) and Christie Linnard (‘20) ran for the Sports Representative position. Due to both candidates’ strength and compatibility, the position was expanded to two people for the first time in Bishop’s history. ASBC saw this decision as an opportunity to revive our school spirit at sports events and help the Dungeon improve their effectiveness based on last year’s student feedback– overall, increasing the impact the Sports Reps will make to the Bishop’s community. Introducing your Co-Sports Reps: Courtney Anderson (‘20) and Christie Linnard (‘20).

Why did you decide to run for Sports Representative? What strengths do you bring to the table?

Courtney: I knew that I wanted to be involved with ASBC my senior year and help bring more support to Bishop’s athletics. I am also more than qualified for the job. I’m a tri-varsity athlete, the field hockey and lacrosse captain, and a part of the Dungeon. I’m involved in every aspect of Bishop’s athletics, so it only seemed fitting that I represented that portion of student life on ASBC.

Christie: This year will be my third year being the captain of the cross country team, and I’ll be captain of the track and field team next year, as well as being on Varsity Soccer and Varsity Lacrosse — I am definitely very knowledgeable and passionate about sports. I ran for Sports Rep thinking about all the changes I’ve wanted to see made for at least a couple years. I’m a good fit for this position because I’m creative, I’m very willing to put in the time for this position, and I’m willing to compromise.

What changes, big or small, will be made to increase support and enthusiasm at sports games?

Courtney: Last year, the only thing that was missing was the line of communication between the sports teams, the Sports Rep, the Dungeon, and the student body. It’s hard to announce important games or recognize students if this line of communication doesn’t exist. Telling students to attend every game of every season is unrealistic, and not being able to recognize students that are excelling in their sport feels like a disservice. Christie and I plan on establishing this communication so students can be recognized on and off the field, and the student body can be properly informed on what games they should attend. 

Christie: There was a giant lack of spirit last year, and I want to make sure that’s changed this year. We want a big comeback. I hope the Bishop’s community will truly rally with us to bring it back. Getting everyone in the whole school on board with us might be a challenge simply because that’s a lot of people, but we are up for the job and this really means a lot to us! To put it nicely, last year’s Dungeon was all about the members of the Dungeon. This year, we will make sure the Dungeon’s focus is on the sports teams and the games instead of themselves. 

What are your strategies for completing your goals?

Courtney: Our main goal is to get more student support for our athletes. We plan on meeting this goal through compelling advertising. By sitting down with the coaches before each season and going over their schedules, we can figure out what games we should be hyping up to students. Then by informing the Dungeon early, they will have enough time to brainstorm themes and come up with the social media portion of game advertisement. Finally, we use assemblies and email as the final reach out to the student body. Students will show up to the games if they know when they are happening and that they will be having fun supporting Bishop’s.

Christie: We will change the strategy used in the past on spreading knowledge about games. From what I’ve seen, people don’t pay attention during announcements– but even if they try to, it’s impossible to retain all the information thrown at them– so we’re going to send out about two major games through all-school emails each week. 

How is it being a part of ASBC for the first time? 

Courtney: Everyone in that room has the same goal of making Bishop’s a better place, so overall it’s been a very positive experience. The easiest thing to learn is that organizing school events is a collaborative effort. We all work together to make sure everything that is organized by ASBC is running smoothly. The hardest thing to adjust to is the meetings. Being able to produce fun events takes time, so adjusting to the amount of meetings has been a little challenging.

Christie: The hardest thing to adjust to is giving up my relaxed lunches for meetings. But what makes it worth it is that we’re all working to be productive towards a common goal.

What are you most excited for this year?

Courtney: Our ASBC theme!

Christie: Kicking Francis Parker’s butt in every single sport.