Whether they’re running onto the field or diving into the pool, Lynbrook athletes have always prided themselves on their team traditions. Chants and inside jokes help create the unique personality of each team and fire up their spirits before games. Through these bonding events and good-luck rituals, athletes have been brought closer together.
Strengthening bonds in boys’ water polo
Students may be spotted around campus in dress shirts and ties, but they aren’t going to a conference — they’re athletes on the Lynbrook boys water polo team.
“It shows us as mature gentlemen,” senior and team captain Tanay Ubale said. “Our coach is not just trying to build us as players but also as humans.”
However, this is not the only tradition the team has. In the first weeks of the season, the team focuses on conditioning. In order to add more drag and make swimming harder, the athletes wear onesies during practice.
“Usually swimmers wear tight clothing,” Ubale said. “By adding onesies, it creates drag, adding difficulty.”
Not only are these traditions fun, but they also bring the team together as a whole.
“Without the traditions, you can’t connect; they help make your teammates into friends,” Ubale said.
Starting off strong friendships in girls’ volleyball
The Lynbrook girls volleyball team’s kickoff tournament, the Jamboree, is an anticipated event each year that brings the team closer together. Through this, the players bond together as a united force on the court.
“Teams from each school scrimmage each other for allotted periods of time,” sophomore Jacey Tseng said. “There’s no score and it’s just for fun, but it signals the start of the season.”
This tournament starts in the morning at 8 a.m. and ends at 12 p.m. This gives the team the rest of the day to find a nice restaurant to start their first unofficial team bonding session.
“It’s the first taste of team building and you get to know each other better,” Tseng said.
A team not only gets better through practice, but through getting to know and becoming friends with your teammates.
Bringing the spirit to cheer
The most important factor in cheer is team spirit. Without a motivated team, Lynbrook’s cheer team wouldn’t be able to inspire the crowd. Because of this, the team has formed their own chants to excite athletes before a routine.
“One of our chants is ‘Who’s the best team on the planet? Cheer, cheer!’ — which makes us feel good about ourselves,” sophomore Madison Chan said.
The cheer team also bonds through events like matching Halloween costumes and decorating a Christmas tree, with the goal of a comfortable atmosphere in the team.
“In these events, we get to know each other personally,” Chan said.
The team aspires to support each other through each of their pursuits. Their unique traditions that value friendship have led to the formation of an amped-up team that is ready for anything.
Finding family through football
In the moments before every game, the music fades and the Lynbrook football team pauses warm-ups. They gather around and pray for a good game with no injuries.
“We started the prayer when our coach Jerome Holloway came,” senior and team captain Nathan Ye said.
The team has its share of bonding exercises, and even put a unique spin on a common chant.
“The original chant was ‘Vikes on me, Vikes on three. One, two, three, Vikes!’” Ye said. “But instead of ‘Vikes,’ we say ‘family,’ because we value family.”
The chant has formed the personality that they’re known for, making the chant feel special to them.
“It’s important for every team to have a tradition because you want to have a sense of self that makes you different from other teams,” Ye said. “It creates a bond that lasts a lifetime.”
