Owner Seeks Community Involvement

A community is and always has been the driving force behind any successful sports team. Because all teams are situated in a community, they are inseparably linked to it. The team and all of its endeavors require the support of the people. In return, the team serves to strengthen its community. 

This pattern is one of the main reasons that I chose Casper, WY, as the best location for the newly named Casper Warbirds. The people of Casper love and treasure their community, and rightly so. The town of Casper is, in a fitting reflection of history, characterized by its small, tightly-knit community. And this community is known for its tenacity and, simultaneously, its generosity. This quality of a fighting spirit paired with a charitable disposition is unique, and it makes Casper the ideal community to entrust with the support of the new NCDC hockey team.

To be able to bring a new level of hockey and all of the benefits of a skilled team to the community of Casper, I am asking for the help of locals who are passionate about their community and love the sport. We have already seen engagement on our social media and received feedback from the community in the name and logo competitions—this is an encouraging sign that people are starting to become invested in the team. But for this project to succeed, we need all hands on deck. 

Success and Community Involvement

For this collaboration to work, it is only fair for me to offer some reasons that community involvement is not only vital to the success of the team but also beneficial for the life of the community itself. To begin with, the community is the life source of the team. It is the community that pours into the team, encouraging and enabling it to succeed. By gathering around the Warbirds, showing up to cheer them on, and staying engaged with the team, the community has the power to push them to greater success than they might have thought possible. It is true that all of the members of the Casper Warbirds play primarily out of love for the game and a desire to excel. But your support can offer a much-needed morale boost. 

While the relationship between large audiences and performance is a complex one, it is safe to say that in many sports, especially those that involve elements of endurance, cooperation, and strength, cheering fans can have a very positive effect on the players. Many athletes, especially those with more experience and drive, are able to feed on the energy of a crowd, playing more vigorously and effectively than they might otherwise. When players are exhausted towards the end of a long and well-fought game, the fans can have a huge impact by giving them little injections of energy that help them pick themselves back up and finish the game with everything they have. In other words, an active community that engages with the team and shows up to games can actually help the athletes play better than they could on their own. 

Without a doubt, winning games is a significant part of success. But even when it comes to sports, there is a different kind of success that cannot simply be tracked by metrics such as wins and losses. Make no mistake: the Casper Warbirds mean business, and they are intent on winning as many games as possible. But there is far more to the success of a sports team than the number of games won. A successful team is one that is able to rally a community and stir up excitement about the outcome of the games, cultivating a sense of solidarity among the fans. With every win, the community surrounding the team has something to celebrate. With every loss, they regroup, determined to see victory next time. True success, then, is not just about winning games but about winning them together. For the team to truly succeed, it cannot remain an outside player. The Warbirds become a part of the community. 

This brings us to the second part of the question: How can Casper, as a community, benefit from involvement with the Warbirds hockey team? 

Local sports teams, like other community-based events and organizations, are beneficial simply because of their existence. When a town gathers together to celebrate a winter holiday festival or to enjoy a concert, they do so in collaboration with each other. And what might have at first started purely out of interest in music, celebrations, or hockey will also, as time goes by, become an outlet for individuals to invest in their community. Though they are not the only outlet for such engagement, sports teams provide communities with a way to move from a disparate group of individuals to a more unified, cohesive whole. 

The town of Casper needs no lesson on the value of community. And it is because of my confidence in you that I am sending out this call to action. I am committed to Casper, not just as the city of the soon-to-be greatest hockey team in the NCDC but also as a city and a people. The Warbirds exist to represent, first and foremost, the town of Casper in the larger hockey world. I am committed to helping them bear this responsibility to the best of their ability. The best way that you can help is to engage with our social media pages, where we will post frequent updates and announcements. In the coming days, there will be various volunteering opportunities. We also need families who are willing to billet a player, offering them a home away from home during the hockey season. If you and your family are in a situation where that would be feasible, please consider volunteering and contacting us here. I am dedicated to investing in Casper by bringing a higher level of hockey to the town. But for this to work well, I need your help. A successful collaboration must be a two-way street, and I know that, with your support, the Casper Warbirds will fly to great heights.