Students take the field, gym and piste in recently added sports

Weston High School students have three more options when it comes to signing up for school sports teams than they did just a couple of years ago.

Last school year, boys and girls fencing teams represented the school and community for the first time, as did a gymnastics team. This year, cheerleaders can be seen and heard on the sidelines of football games at Weston High School for the first time in over 50 years.

When it comes to offering new sports programs, Weston High School Athletic Director Mike McGrath said envisioning a sustainable future is most important.

“We do a lot of background work to ensure that whenever we decide to add a program, we know it’s going to be sustainable,” said McGrath. “We don’t just go on a whim and start a program.”

McGrath said that the athletic department uses student surveys and hosts informative events to determine the interest certain sports may have.

“We did our homework,” said McGrath, to make sure that there would be enough participation to add the three sports.

McGrath said he was approached by students in recent years about the possibility of adding fencing and gymnastics teams.

He told the students to gather some information about the interest level within the school. Just a few years later, both teams “did very well” in their debut seasons, McGrath said.

“We’re a small school in regards to the number of students that walk our hallways,” said McGrath. “We don’t want to spread ourselves too thin but we also want to make sure we are offering opportunities for kids who want to participate in a particular sport.”

Fencing

The boys fencing team did not take long to get adjusted to the level of high school competition, winning the state championship in its first season participating.

Head Coach Harrison Hue said most of the team has had at least five years of experience in the sport, making it “easy to get the ball rolling.”

Student athletes already had their own fencing gear. The team practices at Dynamo Fencing Center, just a short drive away in Newton.

“Our main challenge is getting our name out there and getting new people that have never tried the sport before to buy in and stick with the team for the long term,” said Hue. “I would really like to see us suit up some new freshmen and fencers in general.”

Hue said he expects around 13 boys and eight girls to participate this upcoming winter season.

“We wanted to make sure that when we did it, we were doing it properly and doing it right,” said McGrath regarding adding a fencing program.

The team competes against both public and private schools around New England.

“I think it is a great sport for anybody to try at any stage of their life,” said Hue.

Gymnastics

Weston High School and nearby Wayland High School joined forces to form a gymnastics team in the 2024-2025 school year. Half of the 14 athletes last season were Weston High School students.

Head Coach Julia Schaefer said she saw extreme growth in the team’s performance from the start of the season to the end.

The gymnastics team will compete in around seven meets against one or multiple high schools in its upcoming season.

“We’re taking everything we learned last year and are going to make this year better,” said Schaefer.

Schaefer said around half of the team also participates in club gymnastics teams while the other half have a background in dance, cheerleading or gymnastics.

“Some of the girls are doing stuff around the school to raise awareness about the team,” said Schaefer when asked about the upcoming season. “I do know we have a lot of interested freshmen. Hoping for some new faces.”

Her biggest takeaway from last season was just how much fun the group had together.

“It was awesome,” said Schaefer. “The girls had a great time. We just want them to learn and grow.”

Cheerleading

Attendees of Weston High School football games this season may have noticed a cheerleading team urging on their classmates from the sidelines.

It is the first time the school has offered the sport in a half century. While the team is mostly sticking to the sidelines for now, Head Coach Abby Stratton has big plans for next season.

Stratton wants to form both a sideline cheer team and a competitive cheer team next school year. The competitive team would participate in events and competitions to showcase their routines.

“Our hope is next year more kids are involved and we take it to the next level,” said McGrath, who said the team had a great performance at their first football game.

Eleven athletes are participating this inaugural season. Stratton said nine of the 11 are new to the sport entirely.

“It’s a new feeling to be thrown in the air or to be catching someone falling on you,” said Stratton. “It’s scary and it takes some guts to just throw yourself into, but they’re doing great with it.”

Stratton also has hopes for the team hosting a pep rally that the school would attend.

“I think [the sport] is really important because it’s a great way to get the crowd involved at games,” said Stratton. “We’re going to be very adamant about not just cheering at football games but any sport that has a big game and wants some more support, we are more than open to attending those games.”

She said the team has greatly improved and grown more confident over the last month.

“They took it all on and now they are all excited and wanting to try new things,” said Stratton. “That transition alone in such a short time is very impressive.”