Stress is a factor that many people can experience. For athletes, it is very common to feel stressed based on how well they are playing their sport. Being comfortable in a space creates a home-like atmosphere for many. An athlete’s home field can be seen as a safe area. But what really makes an athlete feel at ease or out of their zone when they step onto the field?
Many sports involve traveling from one school to another to play a game or scrimmage. Often, the teams haven’t seen what they are playing on or played on that pitch before. “I definitely prefer playing at home,” says Varsity Field Hockey Captain Cate Howard (‘25). “I know the field and it’s predictable to me whereas some away fields aren’t, like one was grass this year and that was really unpredictable. When you play at home you know exactly where to go and what to do.”
Entering a different school’s field can be frightening, when not knowing the space as well as your home field. “When I go to an away field I feel more scared, especially to step on the field and it’s just kind of intimidating being somewhere new,” said Girls’ Varsity Soccer player Julia Moe (‘27).
Many teams have pre-game routines for their home games to help reduce their stress levels and prepare them. “Every game we play music in the trainers before we start warming up and it gets us more excited,” said Girls’ Varsity Volleyball player Izzy Moe (‘27). “We can’t do that at away games. I think playing in your home stadium – it’s just like more hype and more exciting.”
Unlike Izzy Moe, Boys’ Varsity Soccer Captain Josh Hetrick (‘25) says “It doesn’t really change my pre-game routine, but I love listening to music in my locker room before the game, so I can’t do that away. But I still listen to music on the bus to games.”
At Home games, there is often a bigger audience supporting your team. It can be exciting to see fans who come to watch you play and cheer you on throughout the game. “If I had to pick between the two I’d actually prefer home games,” said baseball player Amos Daniels (‘27). “My energy is much higher for home games because there’s more anticipation and more energy. Usually, the crowd is bigger for Skyline so there’s more cheering for us especially when we do something good.”
“Learning to perform at both home and away fields gives athletes the chance to improve, learn, and become more confident within their sporting abilities,” said Julia Moe.
