By Carol Britton Meyer

The Hull High School sports season “started off well,” Athletic Director Connor Duhaime told the school committee Monday night. Beyond physical sports, eSports and livestreaming of games, rallies, and other activities will be offered his year.

Excitement is mounting among HHS athletes, but also among students who don’t wish to participate in traditional athletics but are looking forward to accessing eSports. This name is short for electronic sports, a form of competition using video games.

“HHS is one of the pioneer schools to offer this option,” Duhaime said. “This way students who don’t participate in sports can feel like they are part of the [sports scene]. This is a way for them to connect with what it means to be a Pirate.”

Beyond that, livestreaming of Hull High – and also youth football games on Sundays by Hudl.com – has become a popular option to attending sports events in person, whether indoors or outdoors. Plans to install the equipment are under way, with support from parents and the Hull Boosters Club.

The livestreaming goes through YouTube free of charge. More information will be provided to families soon.

“Contributions from the Boosters and Hull youth sports is making this possible,” Duhaime said.

Back to the subject of in-person games, with a number of wins already accomplished, Hull students participating on sports teams are enthusiastic.

“There’s a new energy around this building [referring to the high school, where school committee meetings are held], and it has translated to our athletics,” Duhaime said. “We also have new uniforms, which generate excitement and show the athletes that we care about how they present themselves. They are representing the town, the community, and our school.”

Turf field usage by other towns was high during the summer is and expected to increase.

“People are learning what we have down here – the location and the restaurants and businesses that are in town,” Duhaime said. “Everything is growing and evolving around this facility.”

He also said he hears positive feedback from people who use the walking track, which is open to the public.

“It’s not just for the kids but for the entire community,” he explained.

Duhaime sang the praises of athletic trainer Lexie Watkins. “We’re fortunate to have her,” he said. “I don’t have an assistant athletics director, but if I did it would be Lexie. It takes a village to run an athletic department.”

Watkins works with athletes in the training room near the high school gym. “It looks like a college training room,” he noted.

Another popular attraction is the refrigerator in Watkins’ office stocked with Gatorade products that athletes using the training center can purchase. “The kids love it,” Duhaime noted.

School committee member Ernest Minelli asked if the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association allows any form of sponsorship on school uniforms to raise money for HHS sports.

While Duhaime wasn’t certain, he noted that there’s “nothing that says you can or you can’t” and that he expected to see this done more often in the future in different communities. Minelli suggested that absent any restriction, perhaps HPS could be one of the first districts to go that route.