Team's Camaraderie Stems from Traditions
From the pool deck to the ice rinks to the basketball and squash courts, many winter varsity sport teams partake in long-standing traditions. Whether the ritual is subtle or elaborate, it helps to establish a friendly and healthy culture within each team and promote a more inclusive group dynamic.
"From the pool deck to the ice rinks to the basketball and squash courts, many winter varsity sport teams partake in long-standing traditions."
The girls’ swim team has multiple traditions they perform throughout their season. One of the more notable customs unique to their team is the fifteen-day countdown to Interschols, their highly-anticipated championship swim meet. As co-captain Maddie Shapiro explains, at the end of every season, each of the girls are assigned a number and then make a poster featuring that number for each day of the countdown. On the last day, all of the uppers work together to create a swim team family tree. “It’s always so fun to see what creative ideas they have come up with,” Shapiro added. Another of their popular rituals occurs more often than their others. Before the last swim in particularly hard practices, someone, typically one of the captains, yells out, “Last one!” Everyone responds in unison by yelling, “Ayyyyee!” Shapiro explained by saying, “It’s a super little thing, but it means we’ve just tackled another tough day of practice.”
On the other side of the pool, the boys’ varsity swim team has traditions, too. The gentlemen have something called a “throwdown” to try and get out of practice. “It’s a special event and only happen twice or thrice a season,” senior and co-captain Taylor Walshe said. Walshe elaborated that when it happens, Coach Mills gets everyone out of the pool and gives a person the chance to end practice by beating a specific time. Usually these times are close to or faster than their personal best, which is an added factor to the hype. Walshe continued, “Everyone is standing around the pool deck, gassing up the one swimmer (mainly because we don’t want to keep swimming laps, but also hoping to see our teammate put up a fast time.) There are always gusty swims and it’s fun to watch. Even the lifeguards get amped for it.”
Senior Jamie Cassidy shared similar sentiments, adding, “The throwdowns are random which makes the atmosphere of the natatorium electric when we’re given the challenge.” This sense of team camaraderie and spirit is often translated into their competitions. As Cassidy puts it, “It [a throwdown] also builds an awesome dynamic to have our team cheer each other on like that.” Walshe concluded his thoughts, saying, “Though our yelling and cheering might not be helping the throw down swimmer go fast, we carry this supportive spirit into the meets and rest of practice.”
Outside of the water, girls' varsity squash is the home to more subtle traditions and rituals. Before games, the team will usually stand on the right side of the court and line up by ladder order (number 22 by the glass and number 1 by the front wall). The team they are competing against follows suit on the opposing wall. During the lineup, each player takes turns saying their number from lowest to highest. After the names and numbers are called on both teams, the two matched players walk to the middle of the court and shake hands. After, the players shake hands with each other, they then go and shake the opposing team’s coaches’ hands. The Exeter players would then jog down the side wall high-fiving everyone down the line. “Our line up helps get us pumped up for our match. When everyone is cheering for you it makes you excited to play and win for your team,” upper Ursula Sze said. “You also feel supported by all your teammates.”
The boys’ basketball members, who claimed the 2017 New England Champions title, not only have traditions during the season but also off-season. As Lower Kerick Walker said, “In the fall, we have optional team lifts at 6 am Friday mornings organized by the team captains. It’s really tough mentally, but doing it with a positive attitude and energy helps set the bar for our program.” This long standing tradition of working hard outside of the season helps them perform as the best in the league.
Similar to boys’ basketball, the Big Red boys’ wrestling team is also composed of winners. One of their biggest traditions is calling themselves “the Swamp.” Upper Chim Tasie-Amadi explained, “Basically, the Swamp is our New England title, and we try and defend the Swamp. So, instead of saying Go Big Red at the end of the practice we say ‘1-2-3 Swamp.’” This creates a competitive atmosphere and gives the boys a strong sense of winning.
The girls’ varsity hockey team is also known for their quirky group traditions. Other than eating and bonding over dinner together the night before games, Senior and Co-Captain Kaleigh Conte explained, “The team also takes pride in our unorthodox off ice warm up, which consists of running through the squash courts, playing a game, and several other activities.” The warmup is the perfect way for the girls to get ready for games and prepare to be focused. However, the rest of campus might know the girls better for their infamous Crocs regime. As Conte puts it, “I think the Crocs are just funny.” Conte also stressed the importance of these traditions for the dynamic of the team. She added, “I think our traditions just reinforce who we are as a team and the role each of us have on it.”