Long practices, impossible workouts and tense games. These things are all realities for high school athletes and while adversity push athletes to their limit, they also bring them closer to their teammates. Throughout the season and through the years, a team becomes a family full of inside jokes and rituals. Each team has unique customs that have been passed down from seniors and coaches that have played defining roles in the athletes’ lives. Traditions are essential to uniting a team as well as separating it from other sports.
Boys Soccer:
When playing a team sport, it is vital to be in a shared headspace, and the lead-up to a game can be instrumental in uniting the team. To do this, the boy’s soccer team listens to Kanye West’s “Ultralight Beam” in the locker room before a game.
“It connects us all like a family,” said senior Lucas Carter, “I mean, it feels like it just brings us all together and makes us want to fight for each other during the game.”
At every home game and whenever they have access to a locker room, the team circles up and sings along. This has been something that the team has been doing for years as a way to “lock in” before a match.
After a win, the team can be seen celebrating together at, where else: ChickenBonz.
Girls Rugby:
Summit’s rugby team is only in its third year but despite its recent development, the team has found cascading success. With a new team comes new dynamics and the group has already developed their own traditions and routines. As they have traveled and played together, the team has become closer.
“Spending time in different places together definitely has made our bond stronger,” said Tessa Hoffmann, a freshman on the team.
Their fall 7’s season has brought them to many places including Portland (where they won state) and Boise (where they competed at nationals). Along the way, they made note of anything embarrassing that their teammate had done.
“[Our coaches] like to follow stupid, silly things that we do and then they’ll bring it up,” said senior Zoe Bartlett.
At the end of the season celebration, the coaches bring up each player and share the embarrassing stories that they collected over the year. According to Bartlett, this tradition was brought to the team by their head coach who has coached girls rugby for a number of years. Known as “Kangaroo Court,” this rugby tradition has been brought to the Summit and has become a fun way to look back on the season.
Boys Water Polo:
Before every big game, the boy’s water polo team brings their 2022 state championship trophy to the pool.
“Touching the trophy, it reminds us of our past success,” said junior Jase Michael. “It reminds us to push harder.”
Hard work is something extremely important in athletics and a core part of the boy’s team. The practice of giving 100% effort is an important part of the team’s culture and something that has been passed down by the team alumni.
“[The former seniors] definitely taught a lot of the new kids how to play and what the expectation is for practice and in games,” said senior and captain David Stoneich. “They passed down respecting the coaches and working hard in practice.”
While the boy’s water polo team may not have a plethora of traditions, they are always ready and willing to give it their all. With their recent state title, they hope to continue to inspire their teammates to the same.
Girls Water Polo:
Similar to the well-known holiday activity “Secret Santa,” the girl’s water polo team has a tradition known as “Secret Sister.” At the start of the season, each athlete draws a teammate’s name out of a hat who becomes their “sister” and at each league game, they give them a small gift.
“You try to hide your gift in your Secret Sister’s bag and it’s like a little token of support,” said Kaia Chopra, a captain and junior on the team. “People give food or little notes and it’s really fun.”
Over the weeks, each player collects their gifts from their “sister” and they try to figure out who they could be matched with. At the end of the season, there is a big reveal and everyone learns who their partner was.
The tradition was started by the head coach and while it is relatively new (only three years old) it has become an important and fun way to unite the team.
Boys Cross Country:
During the first couple months of school, the cross country team has a race every weekend and over the years, they have started a “pre-meet” tradition. At every practice the day before a race, the boy’s team shows up wearing Hawaiian shirts and over the years it has become something to look forward to.
“I don’t know exactly who started them, but it’s kind of just been something that’s always upheld and kind of always expected,” said junior Cooper Bollom. “It just kind of brings a team together, because, like, it’s something that we can expect. It’s consistency on consistency, which really helps our team relax a little bit before a big race.”
The day before a meet, the boys run the same loop and wear the same Hawaiian shirts and this consistently becomes not only a tradition but a key part of preparing for a race.
Girls Cross Country:
Summit Girls XC has a wide variety of traditions that are shared across both the JV and varsity teams, the main one being the team ribbons. In addition to their uniforms, the girls wear a collection of ribbons in their hair to each meet and it has become a key part of their race attire. The tradition has been going on since school opened when the first ribbon maker was chosen. The ribbon maker is responsible for giving out the ribbons to each athlete and when they graduate, they choose a freshman to be the new ribbon maker, carrying on the long-lasting legacy.
“When you join the team, you get your starter ribbons,” said Skye Knox, a junior on the team. “As the years go by, you get more and more ribbons to add to your collection. It’s a really fun thing to work towards and when you’re a senior, you can look at your collection.”
After receiving their starter ribbons, athletes get to collect new ribbons at larger, more important meets like districts and state. The ribbons are all chosen in different patterns, shapes and sizes and they showcase all of Summit’s school colors (with the addition of pink, of course).
