Gameday can be an exciting or stressful time for athletes. The student-athlete will likely attend all of their classes before taking the field for their game.
At many schools, student-athletes wear their jerseys to class, but at Gibbons the policy is that students can wear “mass dress” before their games.
It’s important to know the “why?” behind this.
Wearing mass dress on gameday is intentional. It helps to represent the school, athletic programs, and the student-athlete in a positive way.
“It reflects who we are as a Catholic, college-preparatory school first, and an athletic program second. It’s a visible way for our student-athletes to represent the school with pride, professionalism, and respect throughout the academic day, not just when competition begins,” Athletics Director Tonya Holmes said.
Above all, every student-athlete having the same dress code on gameday allows for unity and consistency across every program. When everyone buys into this dress code, it looks very professional.
This, however, is the only “challenge” that Holmes has found in this dress code.
“Mass dress still means adhering to our dress code, so it requires a level of accountability and attention to detail,” Holmes said.
Holmes sees it as a chance for growth in learning to represent something bigger than yourself.
Mass dress is a way for student-athletes to stand out in a good way. It shows pride and respect while still showing that whoever is wearing the mass dress is a student-athlete.
While some students may be upset over the fact that they can’t wear their jerseys to school, there is a deeper meaning to why we wear mass dress.
Currently, there is no thought of changing the gameday dress code.
“The school day is about more than the preparation for the game. Mass dress allows us to stay aligned with our mission and expectations while still recognizing our athletes,” Holmes said.
Whenever you see a student-athlete in mass dress, remember what they are representing and how they are representing it. It’s a privilege for student-athletes to represent our school, so it’s important for them to be doing it the right way.
