Courtesy of Sailor Friedly’s Instagram Cam Kirschner’s Instagram, and Katie Kroft’s Instagram

Three BSM sports captains leading their teams through the season.

Sports captains have a huge role in the success and culture of their teams. Without a captain, there wouldn’t be much direction or a main leader to guide the team throughout the season. The responsibilities of a captain are not to be overlooked, as they are the ones that guide the team to a season of success.

There are many responsibilities of a captain on a sports team: keeping the players engaged, setting a good example for their teammates, setting up dinners and tournaments, and cheering on the team. Whether the team is in or out of season, the role of a captain never stops. “My main responsibilities are to round up the team, and even though our season hasn’t started, I have to set up all the off-season stuff along with the other captains. We [also] do winter leagues, so making group chats and making sure everybody has rides is really important,” junior girls lacrosse captain Katie Kroft said.

Being a captain also comes with difficulty and a need to work around challenges that come up on the team. The job is not exactly a smooth ride and a straight path to success, instead, it is a journey full of hard work and dedication. There is a lot of pressure on captains during the season, and they have to be able to create a good environment for their players that lets them be the best versions of themselves, as well as having to find ways to lead by example for their teammates.“You already know these girls as your friends, and it’s getting them to trust you as a leader and having them follow you that is the difficult part of being a captain,” sophomore girls volleyball captain Sailor Friedly said.

Taking accountability and creating a sense of urgency within the team is another key role of a captain. If a coach is talking, it is the captain’s role to be the first player to implement what the coach is saying. If there is a problem with how the team is playing, it is the captain’s job to pull everyone together to address the situation and figure out how to make a change. Captains have a huge impact on how the rest of the team is feeling and playing, so by taking action on a team, the captain can create a productive and uplifting environment for the rest of their team. “If you are telling others to make a change, you make the change first,” Friedly said.

Not all responsibilities of a captain are hard and stressful; a lot of the time, the job of a captain can be very entertaining and rewarding. They must serve their purpose in this role every day in practice and in games to make sure that they are a positive role model for their teammates. The captains are the ones who are given the task of uplifting others to help create a fun atmosphere that all the players want to be in. “Being a leader is being able to set the tone [for the team] and being a positive encouragement towards your teammates,” senior boys hockey captain Cameron Kirschner said.