A beloved tradition across the country is spirit week prior to the night of homecoming.

   Most high schools have a different theme for each day of the week leading up to the dance, which tends to be a very fun event for every grade level and even the teachers.

   But what if a sports team had its own special homecoming tradition?

   Swim team captains Linnea Cagnoni, Kaylee Snyder, and Alania Neumann (all seniors) and junior captains Stella Seminario and Madison Murray have continued to uphold the swim team’s tradition of also having their own spirit week. 

   “I’ve enjoyed it every year we’ve done it and wouldn’t change a thing” said Linnea Cagnoni.

  The swim team decided on the spirit week days with the following:

Monday: Adam Sandler Day

Tuesday: Anything But a Water Bottle

Wednesday: Dress like Coaches Dawn Durkin or Scott Kitsman

Thursday: Twin Day

Friday: Beach Day! 

   The team captains choose the spirit week days each year. The ideas tend to relate to swimming or sports as a whole, with some just for fun days sprinkled in as well.

     “I would say it was a fun way to bring our team together, not just outside the pool with team bonding, but having us be more of a team inside the pool,” said Madison Murray.

    The entirety of the team of eighteen girls loves the spirit week. It gives the team an opportunity to have fun while also still working hard in practice. From the freshman to the seniors, they all equally participate and enjoy the festivities of homecoming week. 

   “Spirit week adds some fun to practice and mixes things up when we’ve been working hard.” said Cagnoni. 

   Every girl has their favorite theme of the week, and even the coaches get a kick out of the homecoming spirit week.

   “My favorite theme this week was dressing up as our coaches. They got a kick out of it, and so did we.” said Stella Seminario. 

   Each of the captain’s favorite theme days are as follows: Linnea Cagnoni- Dress like Dawn or Scott; Alania Neumann- Anything But a Water Bottle; Stella Seminario- Dress like Dawn or Scott; and Madison Murray- Twin Day. 

  Overall, spirit week for the swim team is a tradition cherished and deemed important by all the girls on the team. No one on the team, including the current coaches, know when the tradition started.

   “I think spirit week is important because it is really fun and brings the team closer together,” said Neumann.