Every team has their own culture—their own traditions that they pass down from year to year, player to player. Whether dressing up for different spirit days or sitting around a table with your teammates enjoying dinner, every team at LM has their own way of celebrating and defining the atmosphere of the team. More specifically, Water Polo, Cross Country, and Field Hockey are all teams who work to establish customs that will last for many years.
Entering their third year as a team, girls’ varsity water polo has been working to build their own traditions. Meryl Grandwetter ’28, one of the captains of the girls’ varsity team, shared how the team strives to incorporate spirit days into their season. Days where players twin with their teammates, where the entire team wears black, and, most recently, where players dress up as stereotypical frat boys walking around school all day in flannels and backwards baseball caps are integral to the team’s chemistry. Outside of school, the girls’ water polo team spends time separating themselves from their sport at team dinners, where they enjoy each other’s company. Grandwetter explained that “by spending time with each other outside their sport, there is a noticeable difference in the way they talk and play with each other in the pool.”
In the pool, the girls’ team has many traditions spanning from sharing meals in between and after tournaments to shouting out the same cheer before games. Grandwetter shared that every game before the beginning, the team huddles up and the captains lead the team in the cheer, “Aces on three, Aces on three, 1, 2, 3, Aces!” Girls’ water polo hopes to share these traditions with the team in the years to come, creating an environment where players support one another, care about each other, and are friends before teammates.
While water polo is establishing their traditions, boys’ cross country is taking part in the traditions that have been passed from team to team. Dylan Peppler ’28 shared how the team also enjoys team dinners throughout the season, specifically pasta dinners, where they are able to partake in recreational sports and activities before every meet. Another tradition is the Chocolate Milk Mile, a race where the runners drink a quarter gallon of chocolate milk every quarter of a mile. They also take part in a fantasy football draft, where the winner gets bragging rights. Peppler stated that, “outside of running, boys’ cross country is a positive and supportive environment where no matter where you are in your running career or what grade you are in, the runners and coaches will support you and become some of your best friends.”
From the first day of school to the last day of the season, LM field hockey participates in spirit days and team dinners. Players show up to school rocking a toga for their games against Conestoga or wearing tie-dye with a skirt on the first day of school. On weekends, players attend a spirit dinner where they have the opportunity to bond with their
teammates, further improving their on-field communication. Ruby Wolf ’28 shared how, “During the season, each player chooses a buddy, and for the remainder of the season, players will bring snacks with them before every away game for their buddy.” The friendship between the players is formed during preseason, when the team practices together twice every day, Monday through Friday, in the upcoming weeks before school starts. The traditions of spirit days and spirit dinners help develop a supportive and unique culture, providing each player with a safe space and a group of friends.
Every sports team at LM has their own traditions and activities that they participate in to foster a comfortable and understanding environment, allowing players to be themselves. Whether it’s spirit days or a chant that captains say before every match, these traditions pave the way for a cohesive and caring environment, one that is crucial for a sports team.
