Everyone has a tradition, whether it is carving pumpkins each Halloween or hanging stockings each Christmas, but how much thought do we give to the little things we do each year? Traditions have the ability to transform a team full of individual players into a tight-knit family. As the Bellarmine Fall Sports season comes to an end it is important to hear from multiple sports and what works for them in terms of traditions and team rituals. At Bellarmine, pre-event rituals vary from team to team, with one common theme; before every sporting event, the sports teams gather together in preparation.
Team traditions often revolve around certain moments, usually before important events, either in the nights leading up or right before the event starts. We asked representatives from Girls Volleyball, Boys Tennis, and the Cross Country team to discuss how their team traditions add to team dynamics in a positive way, and also how they revolve around the Jesuit values.
When asked about team-bonding traditions within the cross country team, Bryce Hallett, a senior captain for Boys’ Cross Country stated that, “The night before the Bellarmine Invite, we typically go to Farelli’s or another restaurant and share values and goals that we have for the season.” This is a positive way to focus the team before a long season, and also gather everyone together outside of the sport itself.
Cross Country is not the only team to hold dinners or food gatherings before a big race/game/match. According to Grace Morgan, a current Junior and Captain of Volleyball, they hold a program wide retreat at the beginning of the season “to talk about values for the season”. She reflected on the fact that since the beginning of the season there has been “Better on the court flow, everyone [has] started talking, and [it] has increased energy”. Often, these team bonding traditions lead to a more cohesive team mentality that is beneficial throughout the increasingly stressful season.
The thing that determines a team’s ultimate success often takes place directly before the event happens, so while a meal the night before or a retreat at the beginning of the season will help with team-bonding, often, the hour or less before the event, is the most crucial to a team’s success. All teams gather before games, matches, or meets but they differ in how they prepare the athletes for a successful event.
Bellarmine, a private school rooted in Jesuit values, wants to build students and athletes who embody those values. While coaches preach the values, it is up to the students to carry this out. Praying before competing has become a common tradition among many sports; Finnian Miller, a current Junior and captain of the Boys’ Tennis team, discussed how his team “prays the Our Father, and every single game everyone huddles up, and links arms”. This pre-game is important because it gets the team into the right mindset, and it does not matter whether you are Catholic or not, it has become a unifying team tradition.
Along with Tennis, Girls’ volleyball has a similar tradition as well; Morgan also notes that the volleyball team, before games, “all pray together”. She also discusses how her teammates “always find a way to reflect back on God before and after the game.” Hallett also spoke about how “prayers are helpful to feel unified before a meet.” With all these traditions, Bellarmine’s values continuously shine through the athletes, especially on the court/course/field.
From the classrooms to the fields, Bellarmine is dedicated to ensuring a close and welcoming community that upholds and well represents the Jesuit values. These traditions, often spanning for many, many years, clearly and positively portray the Jesuit values through Bellarmine sports and activities.
