Every season across almost every athletic team, coaches and players elect team captains to represent their team.

Team captains boast characteristics that the rest of the team should look to inherit through playing their sports.

“One characteristic Coach Runge and I looked for when choosing our team captain for tennis this year was mental toughness. Sports can be a mental battle, and it’s important to have someone that can keep a positive attitude. We also wanted someone who was a hard worker and especially a player that’s willing to challenge his teammates to be better,” Mr. Trey Graft, tennis coach, said.

Girls basketball coach Jenny Pfeiffer agreed that her team captains should be leaders. 

“When looking for someone to lead the team, I usually look for someone who really gives their all to the team; someone who shows up to practice early and is willing to stay late to help teammates and someone who is a silent leader,” Coach Pfeiffer said.

Some sports allow the team to elect their own team captains.

“I actually have the team vote for their captains, but I remind them when voting what characteristics they should be looking for in their captain. I normally tell them to keep things in mind like dedication, holding people accountable, and being really engaged with teammates. Something else I look for in a captain is not letting little things slide. A good captain shouldn’t be afraid to speak up when something isn’t being done correctly,” Mr. Zachary Mackie, volleyball coach, said.

Past team captains have managed to set good examples for future players.

“When I coached in college, some of my team captains were really good. The best of the best would always lead by example instead of just telling people what to do. They also weren’t afraid to speak their mind about things that needed to be said,” Coach Pfeiffer said. 

Other good examples of team captains are GHS alumni. 

“I’ve had multiple good examples of captains, but some that come to mind immediately are Jenna Armstrong and Anna Cruser. Jenna was a really good leader and was really good about checking in with her teammates and making sure they always felt good about themselves. She always made sure to make the younger players feel welcomed, and she made herself available to them to go to for advice. Anna was a really tough player. She was really good about being aggressive when she needed to be but also being kind and caring to her teammates,” Coach Mackie said.