Boys cross country runners, cresting the top of a steep hill, pant for breath. But not without company. The girls varsity soccer team is there to shout encouragement as they race on.
These instances of teams supporting teams are part of the new captain’s council program started by new Assistant Athletic Director Amanda Mortelette. Captains and Morlette said the program has helped to create a more united athletic body.
Mortelette came to Brookline from Newton, where she got the idea for captain’s council. While some elements of the council are the same as Newton’s, many elements were created to meet the needs of Brookline’s administration and students.
“The teams saw that they weren’t getting a lot of support from the school in general,” Mortelette said. “And from my perspective, we have to start supporting each other before we expect other people to.”
In addition to creating ideas to develop the camaraderie between teams, Mortelette said the captain’s council has also developed the specific abilities of individual captains.
“The main benefits of captain’s council in general is for leaders to get together, for them to grow their leadership skills,” Mortelette said.
As part of the program, girls varsity field hockey went to support the boys varsity soccer team at their game against Chelmsford High School on Oct. 7.
Boys varsity soccer captain and senior Jackson Magee said having the girls attend his game was a positive experience.
“They were super supportive and loud which is what we need at a place like Skyline, where it’s far from the school,” Magee said.
Girls varsity field hockey captain and senior Fiona Keegan-McGlinn said attending the soccer game was both fun and a team bonding experience.
“It felt like a stereotypical version of high school. I feel like sometimes Brookline doesn’t have people going to sports games,” Keegan-McGlinn said.
Magee said the council has provided a supportive and welcoming environment.
“It’s amazing to sit in a room with all the captains and be able to share certain issues or achievements that are within each other’s teams and sort out what’s going wrong. We give each other feedback and compliment each teams’ achievements,” Magee said.
Keegan-McGlinn said that the meetings have helped her deal with the difficulties of her leadership role.
“I think, as captains, there are struggles that can be hard to deal with and there are times you feel alone. The captain’s council has allowed me to share these struggles with other people who can relate and that’s been really nice,” Keegan-McGlinn said.
Mortelette plans to continue the captain’s council program in coming seasons and years with the end goal of further developing the warrior identity.
“Sometimes you can feel like it’s just your team,” Mortelette said. “But as Brookline Warriors, we’re part of something bigger than just that team.”
