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Every team has its traditions when it comes to game time. Either it’s pep talks, dressing a certain way, or many years of the same practices. Going into Avonworth winter sports, swimming and basketball, each team has their own “rituals”. We sat down with several team members from the winter sports teams as the season starts on Friday.
Hayden Robinson, a senior female basketball player, elaborated on some of the traditions that her team has. She said in the interview, “talks in the locker room get us game ready.” Throughout the games, there is always a positive atmosphere, either with the game itself and or the fans watching. “Themes are also a big tradition throughout any sports, for a positive, enjoying time for the loyal lopes,” Hayden proclaimed.
Another perspective from the Avonworth Girls Varsity Basketball team is Ally Yovetich, a junior female basketball player. She talks about how Mrs. Tullar, Assistant Coach, and 7th-grade math teacher, plan activities for the girls before the game to get them ready. “Heat of the game gets stressful, but knowing that our coach has activities that are nice, relieves us after the game.” Ally also discussed how the team itself does team bonding activities. “These activities are generally enjoyed by everyone,” Ally stated. Slam dunks for the girl’s basketball team and their traditions for years to come.
The Avonworth boys and girls swim team also have some “pre-meet” rituals. “Before a meet, both girls and boys go in the locker room [and] whoever gets the speaker first has a dance party and the others have a pep talk,” Brianna Nowka explains. On days preparing for the competitions, there are “4-hour practices on non school days”. For early morning practices and big meets, the team shows up in their pajamas to symbolize a sense of unification. The swim team’s traditions are “generally loved” by all.
Although not all teams have traditions, most Avonworth High School teams do. The teams do not even have traditions per se, but more of a sense of the team coming together in multiple ways. Traditions help teams to bond and become closer friends, throughout the season.
