Those who grew up with siblings know what it means to share—old clothes, secret routes to school, scary stories. Having someone who understands us, who walks a path similar to our own, means we have a sidekick during all of our victories and a cheerleader when things don’t go as expected.
As we grow up, friendships are formed outside of the family, and that circle of support expands. At Austin College, Director of Athletics Michelle Filander appreciates the impact that fellow athletes have on each other’s success and motivation, and has developed a system where off-season athletes support the teams currently in competition. She casually refers to them as “brother and sister” sports, a nod to the bonds that gave many of us our first friends and fans.
Because the 15 varsity sports compete at different times throughout the year, this means that often entire teams turn up to support the athletes in sports beyond their own. Most teams have a sister or brother team which they will support during their off season. This year, the football team will support the women’s basketball team, while the baseball team cheers on the volleyball team, and others will pair up as the year unfolds. One memorable example of the brother-sister sports phenomenon was a game when the Men’s Water Polo team—in their swimsuits—attended a volleyball game. “On our campus, our athletes garner support from the relationships they build outside of their teams,” says Filander, and students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community members fill the stands at home games. However, having entire teams of fellow student-athletes turn out to support each other adds a special layer of motivation. According to Filander, “There is a snowball effect when our student-athletes experience success.”
“It makes you smile a bit more during the game,” says Grace Moothart ’26, senior shooting guard for the Austin College Women’s Basketball team. “The main point is to build a community. We may not all be the biggest fans of every sport, but we are all representing the same thing; we all overwhelmingly believe in each other.”
Now in its second year of practice, an extra incentive has been added to help teams track how often they’ve shown up—with posters, banners, and fellow classmates—to get rowdy and root for their fellow student-athletes. A point toward the prized ’Roo Cup is earned for every game attended by the majority of a partner team. “This helps us see just how much support we have among each other and motivates us to not only attend each other’s competitions, but to bring our classmates and friends who are not student-athletes. Through our support we have cultivated so many friendships,” says Moothart.
At Homecoming Weekend each year, alumni reflect on the people, groups, and opportunities that helped make them stronger individuals—the friends, faculty, coaches, and mentors who were in their corner. For the Austin College student-athlete, those memories include fellow athletes and champions who worked together to nurture a community of support.
