A SPECIAL REPORT
Joe Ruvido, a senior at Weymouth High School, agreed to allow The Patriot Ledger to follow him through his final year. This is his story, to be updated periodically throughout the school year.
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A SPECIAL REPORT |
Joe Ruvido, a senior at Weymouth High School, agreed to allow The Patriot Ledger to follow him through his final year. This is his story, to be updated periodically throughout the school year. |
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Nov. 10, 2005 Sports help keep school spirit high
The Patriot Ledger Joe Ruvido burst from the woods at Wompatuck State Park in Hingham, his breath short and his legs pumping as he eyed one of the final finish lines in his high school cross country career. The co-captain was shoulder-to-shoulder with another senior, Sean Coleran, and the two pushed each other to the end, wearing grimaces that could be mistaken for smiles. When it was over they remained side-by-side, having both finished the 2.8-mile loop in first place at 15:32. They slowed to a stop and Ruvido draped his arm over Coleran’s shoulders.
“It’s something to do after school to keep you busy,” Ruvido said. “Being on a team is like a brotherhood. Any team, from football to golf, kind of feels that.” Joining a sport or any other extracurricular activity in high school usually means a new group of friends. You spend hundreds of hours together during a school year and can’t help but bond. When it’s over and those bonds loosen, it can be tough. “I can’t believe it,” Ruvido said about his last home meet. “Some of my best friends are on the team here. It’s kind of sad.” Athletic Director Robert Donovan said Ruvido’s feelings aren’t different from most high school student-athletes. He has seen Ruvido develop from a freshman rookie into a confident, self-assured senior who helped lead the team to a winning season this year. “His association with track and cross country allowed a lot of his qualities to express themselves, like responsibility and dedication,” Donovan said. “They were there and they may have emerged anyway, but certainly sports have brought it out.” According to the National Federation of State High School Associations, students who take part in extracurricular activities such as sports tend to have better grades, drop out and miss school less often and have fewer discipline problems. “Kids who participate in sports, generally they learn lifelong skills. Leadership, teamwork, sportsmanship and ethics, discipline, a whole range of things,” said Paul Wetzel, a spokesman for the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association. It was a sweet ending to Ruvido’s high school cross country career. Weymouth runners placed first through fifth, which is a shutout in the sport. They were obviously listening to Ruvido’s pre-race incantations. The team was huddled up as if they were football players about to go to the line of scrimmage. Instead, they were readying for a high-paced run in the woods.
It was similar to thousands of pre-game pep rallies that teams employ every day to psych themselves up. “This is it, boys!” Ruvido yelled. “Here we go.” “Give it all you got,” the other team captain, Matt Campbell, said. When he’s not gearing up for a race, Ruvido can be found on the sidelines, supporting the high school’s other teams. He’s gone to football, soccer and volleyball games, all in the name of school spirit and fun. “We’ve been going to a lot of games this year,” he said. “It’s something to do. Everyone goes. It’s great.” Ruvido feels a common bond with other high school athletes regardless of the team they’re on. “To get out there and support each other and respect what everyone works so hard for is really nice,” he said. Ruvido has made it to every home football game this year. He goes to support his friends on the team while enjoying a night out with others in the crowd. The final home game, against Framingham, was no exception. After pulling a three-hour shift at the South Shore Hospital dining room, Ruvido rushed to the high school to catch the second half of the game. With a red blow horn in hand, he quickly joined his friends in the bleachers. “All my buddies are here. We’re into school spirit,” he said. “It’s a nice thing for the senior class to be here. I get to see people I don’t usually see.” Ruvido and his friends cheered on the football team with chants, songs and the beating of drums, a new addition to the noise-making section in recent weeks. Ruvido and Campbell even showcased cardboard signs - one shaped in the letter “D” and the other shaped like a fence - they made earlier in the week for a volleyball game. “We love these games, I tell ya,” Ruvido said as he jumped up and down with Campbell. “Many of these bonds last a lifetime,” Donovan, the athletic director, said. “Their friendships are going to be there.” Years from now at class reunions, Donovan said many will reminisce about “a big game from high school.” The last home football game might just be one of those big games. The Wildcats shut out Framingham 20-0 and clinched their third win of the season. “It was the last time at your field. It was kind of nice that they won at home,” Ruvido said. And while Ruvido will miss going to games and supporting friends and fellow Weymouth High athletes next year, he said, “I’ll have whole other teams to cheer for.” Mark Fontecchio may be reached at mfontecchio@ledger.com. Eunice Kim may be reached at ekim@ledger.com.
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June 16, 2006: Saying goodbye 
