Spring sports use huddles to come together, win

April 25, 2018

Men’s tennis has a distinct huddle before and after matches that pump them up. Rotate around the huddle with this 360 video to get the full affect.

No matter what sport is being played, every single athlete has a different ritual they perform before, after or even during a game. While each athlete has their own routine, so does each team. At Seward County Community College, each sports teams performs a ritual that helps them come together.

During the spring sports, SCCC’s athletic teams have really used these huddles to pump each other up and win as a team, while still being able to enjoy the game. According to dictionary.com, a huddle is an action of a team gathering together, usually in a tight circle, to strategize, motivate or celebrate. This is exactly what Seward teams do.

For Men’s Tennis, the chanting and jumping was adapted from previous sophomores and this year, it has helped them earn a 17-2 record, while being undefeated in conference. The tradition began last year and will carry on as long as sophomores continue to pass it on

Freshman Men’s tennis player, Nicolas Rousset, says the tradition of the huddle helps the team celebrate, but is also good to release the emotions that come from a loss.

“The tradition is really good because it helps us to celebrate the victory, and also if you’re mad or tired after a game, you can express anything you want by screaming in the huddle,” Rousset said.

While tennis celebrates after a long day of playing tennis, the Lady Saints softball team chooses to come together before, during and after games.

Amberley Taylor

Lady Saints softball meet at the pitcher’s mound before the start of each inning on the field. Everyone leaves the huddle in a unique way … doing it the exact same way every time to uphold the superstitions of softball. While the infielders are the ones at the mound, everyone on the team yells encouragement to give their fielding and pitching a boost.

The Lady Saints are currently 32-16 overall, 19-3 in conference and have broken the record for the most wins in a single season. The team has many different huddles; some in between games, some in between innings and even on the pitcher’s mound.Each huddle has a different meaning to the team, but all are significant for the way they play.

Another team that uses a huddle to come together is the Saints baseball team. However, baseball chooses to save their cheering for the game and come together as a team in a different way. Before every game, the team kneels in a circle, stays silent and prays.

“We come together, kneel and pray before every game. We just pray over all of us, and that no one gets injured and that we play to our best abilities,” freshman SCCC baseball player, Blake Hale said.

Huddles are used in different sports and although they all are not the same, they all help to bring teams together for a chance to be more successful.