Abigale Ford
Winter sports teams are entering the gym by breaking through a large banner
On Friday, January 17, 2025, around 2pm, excitement filled the air as the Middle and High School students gathered together for the Winter Sports Pep Rally. All of the winter sports teams entered the gym by breaking through a large banner which identified which sport they were in. The sports that were represented included basketball, soccer, weight lifting and competitive cheer. Several students spoke at the rally–including Daniel (Dan) Goebel and Saavan Ohri–who got the entire school excited to watch the pep rally. This led to a series of souvenirs such as, small, rubber basketballs, and t-shirts. There were many games held after between all of the winter sports, which also filled the gym with excitement.
The first game was a variant of the classic game, “head, shoulders, knees, and toes”, except this time a pom-pom was placed in the middle. One of the cheer captains placed the pom-pom in between two people, and whoever grabbed it first advanced to the next round. The two finalists ended up being Maya Siddiqui, a sophomore, and Samuel Shoptaw, a senior, with Samuel being the winner. Another event started by the competitive cheer team. A combination of the girls varsity basketball team, girl’s varsity soccer team, and the girl’s weightlifting team had a match up in an obstacle course, which involved soccer drills around cones, shooting a basket, and carrying a medicine ball back to the start. The girl’s basketball team ended up winning the course. To close off the pep rally, the competitive cheer team showcased their routine to the Windermere Prep Alma Mater.
The recognition of athletes during this rally is important because it builds team spirit and the support of WPS athletic teams by the student body. A boy’s varsity basketball game against rival Windermere High was that night at 7pm, and Coach Hoff encouraged everyone at the pep rally to attend. The recognition of these athletes by WPS is also important because it demonstrates appreciation for the work and dedication needed to compete on a school team.