Deerfield sports teams have found success by providing environments where each player has the opportunity to do their best. The camaraderie between all of the players goes beyond just practice and games. Some teams even have unique traditions before games in order to boost morale and enthusiasm. Here are the pregame rituals of Deerfield’s varsity spring sports, as told by the players:
Softball: Before each game, the softball team “normally plays really loud music, and [does] aga-chi right before we run onto the field to get everyone pumped up and ready for game time,” explained Ireland Miessau ’17.
Baseball: According to Javier Irizarry ’19, varsity baseball “gets in a circle and a senior says a prayer.” This gives the team an opportunity to calm down and come together as a group.
Girls Lacrosse: Bailey Cheetham ’19 described, “Before we walk down to the field, the whole team gets in a circle in the locker room and one girl starts screaming and then the girl next to her starts screaming and it goes around the circle until everyone is yelling. Then, the captains follow up with a little speech.”
Boys Lacrosse: Captain Brian Davis ’17 said, “One of the longest standing traditions for our team has been following a bagpiper down to the field for our biggest home games. Also, every Friday night after practice in the spring, there are vans that go to Antonio’s in Greenfield, so we can share some quality food together.”
Girls Tennis: Before every match, the girls varsity tennis team “sits in a circle, closes [their] eyes, and listens to a speech given by our coach that has been given before every match for a very long time. Then, after he leaves, we do a sort of hand and foot game that goes twice around the circle,” as told by Claire Koeppel ’18.
Boys Tennis: “We always get super hyped during the handshake and then in the huddle when Mr. Speer gives his speech,” explained Connor Finnemore ’18.
Golf: “Before every match, Garrett Moe sings ‘Sweet Child o’ Mine’ acappella, which is a big tradition that gets us hyped,” tells captain Lowell Weil ’18.
Water Polo: Doris Zhang ’18 commented that “before every game, our team does the aga-chi agacha cheer to get us excited.”
Ultimate Frisbee: Iqbal Nurjadin ’18 describes the frisbee team’s “gauntlet” as “everyone getting into two lines to form a tunnel. Then the coach calls the names of the starters, and they all high five the team through the line. Afterwards, we bring it in for a cheer.”
Boys Crew: “We don’t have any team traditions before every race, but every year on the bus to New Englands, the captains of the current year read letters to the team from the captains of the previous year,” described Captain Freddie Johnson ’17.
Girls Crew: Captain Anna Scott ’18 explained that “right at the start [of each race] we always high five down the boat from stroke to coxswain, dump out our one water bottle that we share at the start (so there is no extra weight in the boat), and wear our Crocs!”
Track: “To get ready for meets we usually all jog together, and someone plays music really loud, and we all just talk,” explained captain Felicia Renelus ’17.