By Teddy Rydquist
Leader Staff Writer
Being able to call Wildcat Stadium and the Ian Smith Gymnasium home, Oxford student-athletes are fortunate.
It is clear Oxford High School places tremendous emphasis on providing exceptional facilities for their students to compete in, and accessible sightlines, state-of-the-art scoreboards, and a game day experience fans and the community can be proud of.
Oxford’s athletic department, the Oxford Wildcat Booster Club, and the fans all deserve credit for making these sporting events something we can look forward to during the academic year.
The athletic department manages these facilities daily, ensuring their cleanliness and readiness for action. The Wildcat Booster Club raises and donates the funds to afford student-athletes these opportunities, and the fans brace all sorts of elements and support these programs with a loyalty that is second to none.
On May 17, ahead of Senior Night for the boys’ lacrosse program against the Grosse Pointe South Blue Devils, the school and boosters unveiled their latest game day addition, the “Wildcat Tunnel.”
Culminating in a fierce Wildcat head, the inflatable tunnel features the word “Wildcats” in capital letters on the sides and makes the teams’ entrances to the field of competition all the grander.
Partnering with Oxford Junior Wildcats Football and Cheer (OJW), the boosters raised the money for the tunnel and footed the bill for an idea that was a couple of years in the making.
Jordan Ackerman, Oxford’s Director of Athletics, and an Assistant Principal at the high school, shared this tunnel will likely be part of the football atmosphere on fall Friday nights and the school is even considering using it in the Ian Smith Gymnasium for some events.
Through fundraising and concession and merchandise sales, the booster club, a non-profit, raised more than $73,000 for Wildcat athletics over the 2018-19 and 2019-20 school years.
If you are interested in becoming an Oxford Wildcat booster or donating to support the school’s athletic programs, the club’s website is oxfordwildcatboosters.com.