Benchwarmers. No, not the Happy Madison movie produced by Adam Sandler, but the real people who don’t compete in the sports that they participate in. Even though these people may not see much playing time they are important to any game because of the energy they bring. Whether it was just freshman or sophomore year or the whole career just about everyone can relate to this situation.

Senior Kael Dimmer thinks that the role of a benchwarmer on the basketball team is to be uplifting and supportive. “I’m there for the good of the team environment and to help the starters to get better in practice,” said Dimmer. Without more players than just the starters, how would one create game situations in practice? There would be nobody to practice plays against. Dimmer also lives by the acronym DMGB (Doesn’t Matter, Get Better). “It doesn’t matter that I don’t play, I just wanna get better,” said Dimmer.

MVHS Football Coach Preston Pedersen believes that to be a great teammate you must build up your teammates and that a team is only as strong as its weakest link. “The times we performed the best in football was when our second team was strong as well as the starting lineup,” said Pedersen. To be a team player is to push and build up others. To be a good teammate is to be a selfless teammate. The bench players are not just for the benefit of the starters though. “People just like hanging out with their friends,” said Pedersen. The players on the sideline do not just build others up in practice, they help the coaches out by holding up the play boards to communicate with the players on the field what play they should run.

Senior Ben Gilbert Binder thinks that his role in being a nonstarter on the football team is to bring a lot of positivity to the team. “I’m the hype man,” said Binder. Binder knows the importance of the team’s morale throughout the game. He knows it’s important to have high confidence while avoiding being cocky and complacent. Whether the Mustangs are up or down 20 points Binder is always there cheering on his teammates.

Senior Maddie Plotz participates in volleyball for MVHS. She says that it’s fun practicing and traveling with the team. “I just like hanging out with my teammates because we’re all friends and we all cheer each other on,” said Plotz. During practice, the players who are sidelined during the game act as an opposing team for the starters to practice. While warming up for matches, these players serve and hit volleyballs at them to warm up their bumps, sets, and digs. 

Senior Cooper Schoff is a reserve player on the MVHS soccer team. He thinks that it’s important to give the starters a break when they get tired while playing. “I go in whenever there is something wrong on the field. It could be an injury, an ejection, or someone is just tired,” said Schoff. Schoff also helps in practice. Similar to other sports, since he is on the reserve team he plays against the starters to have a live opponent to sharpen their skills.

Being on any sports team at MVHS requires commitment and dedication from every player on the team. Things go a lot better for a team when everyone is pulling in the same direction. When the scoreboard is looking one-sided, in our favor or not, the benchwarmers are always cheering. There truly is no I in the team.