During the week of celebration and festivities, homecoming spirit is displayed by student-athletes across all athletic courts and fields.

Northwestern State University of Louisiana’s student-athletes shared their love for the traditions and competitions surrounding the week just before the big football game.

Aly Delafield, a sophomore psychology major, pitcher and first baseman for the Lady Demons softball team, shared what homecoming means to the team.

“I think it’s all about coming together as a school to celebrate the traditions and the culture of the school,” Delafield said. “We get to do fun things with our teammates and everything at one of the biggest tailgates, and it’s just a fun time to come together as a university.”

Whether it’s going to someone’s house to grill before the game or sitting together in the football stands, the softball team always gets together to celebrate beforehand.

“We’ll usually have our own set-up behind the field, but we’ll end up walking to all the other ones just to do the activities at the tents and all that fun stuff — maybe get a free button or something,” Delafield said. “Then we’ll all walk into the game together and sit by each other in the student section, and that’s pretty much what we do.”

She emphasized what she was most excited to see during the homecoming festivities.

“My friend is in the court, so that’s pretty cool. I like to see all the suits and stuff, and it’s very cute and girly,” Delafield said. “The tailgate will be really fun, and I feel like there will be a lot of people and more parents at that game of the year. I’m just excited for the atmosphere in general of the homecoming game.”

Delafield explained the importance of NSU student-athletes attending the game to show support for the football team.

“Do it for the team on your chest, it’s not about you at all. It feels amazing to be supported even when you’re going through a hard time right now,” Delafield said. “You still have to believe in them because they’re not going to grow if we’re just here discouraging them, that’s not going to help at all.”

Samuel Stephenson, senior business administration major and middle infielder for the Demons baseball team, sees homecoming season as a way to escape the stress from classes.

“I think it’s a way to get away from class, and it’s a way to forget about it for a couple of hours,” Stephenson said. “It’s a great way to just spend some time with the people around you on campus and just enjoy a good Saturday.”

Similarly to other teams at NSU, the baseball team spent time with each other off the field during homecoming week.

“Some of us try to get together at the tailgate at the football practice field; usually, a couple of us will try to catch the game,” Stephenson said. “After that, a couple of us will meet up at a different place or somebody else’s house, and we just hang out and have a little bit of fun.”

Stephenson encouraged other student-athletes to go to the game to get involved.

“It’s part of the college experience,” Stephenson said. “Go do something that takes your mind off of things for a little bit and makes life a little bit easier.”

Everyone who attended the homecoming tailgate game should have a good time but also be safe, Stephenson added.

Differing from the other teams, the Lady Demons volleyball team is in the middle of their season right now. With this, it was hard for the team to participate in events this year due to their busy schedule.

“I’m sure there are a lot of great things going on for homecoming. This is my first year at NSU, so I’m really not sure what goes on during the week,” Deja Benjamin, junior sports recreation management major and middle blocker for the volleyball team, said.

Energy at a game is very important to student-athletes. Benjamin added that student-athletes love to feel supported and see the stands full at games and matches.

“Normally, if we don’t have anyone there, then we don’t have as much motivation,” Benjamin said. “We have to create our own motivation, but when you have a crowd, we feed off of their energy. Even if they’re just there, we know we have people to play for, but we have to return the favor by having energy so they’ll want to come back to a game.”

Whether student-athletes celebrate as a team on game day or support the football team while on the road for their own sport, homecoming allows NSU athletics to come together as a community, have fun and relax in a stress-free environment.