Team Traditions
Crown Point High School Sports Participate in Many Different Traditions… Why?
May 26, 2023
The Boys Varsity Soccer Team participates in their traditional pre-game prayer.
The Boys Varsity Swim Team shaves their teammates head.
The Girls Volleyball Team participates in their traditional post-season dance party in the locker room.
Team traditions are an integral part of high school sports. From certain songs before games to a “prayer circle” on the field before a game, every team has some kind of tradition, a ritual to get them ready for games and matches.
For the boys soccer team, they kneel in a circle on the field before every game. Why?
“Before every game, we have a traditional ‘prayer’ that we’ve used for all three years that I’ve played,” senior Jake Borner said.
The girls volleyball team has the typical traditions; however, there is one tradition that sticks out.
“Every year, when postseason starts, we do dance parties in the locker room. Coach Duncan is always the center of the circle, dancing,” former captain Vanessa Del Real said.
The girls basketball team also has a tradition that many people see, as long as they pay close enough attention at the games.
“When we huddle up in the middle of the court before basketball games, we step on the gas. We’re all in a circle and we stomp our foot,” senior Emily Phillips said.
Another very popular tradition at Crown Point belongs to the boys swim team. Every year, before sectionals, the boys on the team bleach their hair and then shave their heads. Many swim teams across the country bleach their hair during the swim season, however, the head shaving tradition seems to be a Crown Point original.
According to junior Connor Opyt, the head shaving tradition started because they shave their entire bodies for sectionals, and a few years ago, some swimmers decided to shave their heads as well.
Another tradition that is very popular at Crown Point High School are the pasta parties that many teams have the night before a big game or match. Many teams participate in this tradition, including the soccer teams and basketball teams.
According to star senior AJ Lux, the boys basketball team has another tradition centered around food: about once a month, the team goes out to eat together. It’s simple, but it brings the team closer together.
Many wonder what the point of having “traditions” on a team is. The answer? It brings the team closer together. These traditions form unbreakable bonds between teammates and forge lifelong friendships.
