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At the end of any statistical output for sports programs at every level, there are names that come at the end of the list because they don’t participate as much as their teammates.
In basketball, for example, should you have the full traditional coaches’ view data, there are going to be student-athletes who average maybe a couple minutes per game, if that.
They’re only going to get called in the final seconds of a blowout.
However, just because their impact on a stat sheet doesn’t carry as much consequence as others, it doesn’t mean they don’t play an invaluable role in the success of a team.
As we venture from one season to another here, now feels like an appropriate time in this space to discuss the value of support from the bench.
Not that watching. Not just learning.
Not just sitting on your hands.
But displaying genuine enthusiasm for the process through which your team is undertaking.
Hockey has a long-standing tradition, implemented well at a high school level, with tokens of respect from the bench for teammates on the ice.
If, say, a goaltender makes a beautiful pad save to deny a breakaway opportunity and preserve a close game, student-athletes not on the ice will tap their sticks against the board by their bench.
Same goes for a clean check that generates an odd-man or lending encouragement in the midst of a power play.
Maybe the best sport when it comes to unbridled enthusiasm for the performance of teammates and contemporaries might be gymnastics.
Every contortion and landing is treated as if it were the Olympics — and to be clear, that’s not using high school gymnastics as a punchline, mind you.
Having that kind of support means a great deal to the student-athletes in the midst of competition. And what’s striking about it, from experience, is its consistency.
It doesn’t matter if it’s a 9.5 on vault or an 8.0 on beam. The “you’ve got this” encouragement is going to be offered just the same.
We could all learn something from that extent of enthusiasm.
Back in my Harvey days in the ’90s, I had a few friends who played basketball. Not me — thankfully for the Red Raiders’ cause, my involvement was play-by-play announcing on television.
Not all of them were standouts or saw frequent minutes. But when they did enter, and they did contribute, it meant something to their teammates.
One of them, one of my best friends in those days, his contribution to a game might be one 3-pointer in the final minute of a blowout. But his teammates, with whom he was popular, treated it as if it were the highlight of the night.
It could be argued, if the encouragement and importance of the role are emphasized, a supportive bench could be a component — not the only one, but one of many — in a competitive advantage.
Think of our years watching March Madness, or even the conference tournaments leading into it.
There are certain programs that are known for the support and, not used in a negative way, the antics of their bench.
They’re in on every play. They celebrate every basket, rebound, assist and hustle play as if it were the difference in a national championship run.
That energy is consistent. It carries within competition.
Positive energy turns into momentum. Momentum plays a part in achieving success.
Some of those bench antics during March Madness are even known to go viral — which isn’t the point, of course, but it’s a nice reward if it’s deserved.
In fact, you can tell a lot about the camaraderie within a team by how engaged everyone is within each sequence of its given sport.
In track and field, are distance runners laying down in the team tent between a mile and two-mile, or are they on the fence watching a teammate in 300 hurdles?
In football, does a student-athlete who plays solely on defense wander the sideline after coaches provide instruction following a drive, or are they lined up cleats straight ahead right on the boundary supporting their offense?
The examples are boundless. But the point is, if there is friction within a team or indifference in that dynamic, it’s easy to tell.
So is when teams say they support one another, and it’s clear in their actions.
Every student-athlete would prefer to participate more in their craft.
But should they find themselves in a reserve role, being a supportive teammate from the sidelines is a testament to character.
This past fall, there was a girls soccer side with a tendency I hadn’t quite seen to this degree.
But each and every reserve not currently on the pitch stood for the entirety of the match and supported every touch vocally and enthusiastically. Not just one or two, but with no exception.
If they were needed, they were sent to warm up. But for each tick of that 80, those reserves played a role on and off the pitch.
Being a good teammate is reciprocated. Starters see their reserve teammates getting them hyped for an event, and those starters are going to give that back in kind when those reserves get their chance.
We often get caught up, especially in high school sports, about the value of statistics. I can’t tell you how many times in more than 26 years at The News-Herald that lack of inclusion in coverage area statistical leaders has been cited as somehow denying college recruitment potential — which, by the way, is not true. But stats don’t just have to be measured in category metrics.
It can be measured in decibels. It can be measured in how you make someone feel — especially in a time of adversity.
Not every bench bunch is going to be so enthusiastic it makes “SportsCenter” or settles an outcome. But it can help.
And it says so much about the foundation and values of a program when it occurs.
