From bleached hair during playoff season to spirit weeks and cleat burning, Algonquin sports teams have established meaningful and long-lasting traditions that bring teammates closer together and prepare them for their upcoming competitions. 

Many teams have appearance-based traditions, such as spray tans and hair color to celebrate qualifying for post-season competition.

One of the most well-known and long-standing traditions is the boys soccer team members bleaching their hair during the play-off season. This tradition was established when English teacher John Frederick coached the team in the early 2000s. 

“There were quite a few different teams around the area that were doing a bunch of different things to bring their teams together,” Frederick said. “It was common to see crazy haircuts. I thought it was silly, since everyone’s hair was different; I didn’t think there was any unity. When I came to Algonquin, I thought it would be cool if we did something with our hair, but specifically if we all bleached it.”

This tradition has continued each season the team has made playoffs and continues to create a sense of collaboration and chemistry, on and off the field. 

“It kind of took on a life of its own,” Frederick said. “Even though I stepped down in 2008, I was always a teacher here, and I was always thrilled to see that that team has continued this tradition.” 

As the tradition has continued for over two decades, it also ensures that the team is recognizable to both opponents as well as the school community, including students and teachers. 

“When Algonquin takes the soccer field, everyone knows who they are,” Frederick said. “Especially in the building, when you look at a kid with [bleached] blonde hair, you know he’s a soccer player.”

Senior captain Zach Ruthfield appreciates the long-lasting soccer tradition and values it as a way for the team to grow closer together. 

“The blonde hair brings us all united and looking the same, which adds to the team culture and chemistry we have together,” Ruthfield said. 

Another long-standing ARHS tradition is the football team’s end-of-season burning of the cleat, which the team has held closely for over a decade.

“We gather as a team, with the senior players getting the chance to share their stories and emotions, while gathered around an old cleat that we burn,” coach Mark Allen said. 

The tradition allows the team’s seniors to share impactful memories and further cement their team bond. During the burning, many different emotions can emerge. 

“Some seniors will try to fire up the team while others shed tears as they tell their story,” Allen said. “Many choose to share why they play football, or a person from football who has had an impact on them.” 

Unlike most other teams, the baseball team has more iconic traditions that even incorporate the players’ parents.

“One tradition that we have been doing for a few years now is a Field Set-Up Day the weekend before our season begins,” coach Jon Cahill said. “All of our returning players and their dads come out to the field, shovels and rakes in hand, and help clean up the field.” 

The team’s season ends with a Senior Night tradition involving parents, too, when the parents or guardians of the seniors throw out the first pitch to their son.

Various teams, including cheerleading, have their own spirit-boosting traditions to get fired up before competitions. 

“If we make it to States, we get spray tans,” junior captain Abigail Keats said. “We also always do a spirit week before comps.”

While appearance-based traditions before the playoff season can create a stronger bond among teammates, some teams, like cheer, also embrace superstitious traditions.                                                                         

“One of the girls on the team always needs to have orange juice the morning of a comp, and if she doesn’t have it, we don’t hit [perform an exceptional routine],” Keats said. 

Stepping away from the common theme of spirit days, the girls track team established a whole spirit week this year, which they plan to continue as a tradition. 

“The head coaches didn’t know we were doing it,” junior captain Jill Belniak said. “It’s the week leading up to our League Championships. The athletes and assistant coaches were in on it…some themes we did throughout the week were color wars, beach day, crazy hair day, twin day and fun sock day.”

While the girls track team found it fun to keep their spirit week a secret from their coaches, both the boys and girls track teams also share a tradition that focuses more on including the coaches. 

“During every outdoor season, the coaches compete with each other in a pentathlon after practice one day,” senior captain Max Eigen said.

 According to Eigen, the pentathlon boosts the team spirit and adds a fun atmosphere to the season. Additionally, like many other teams, the boys track team gives out superlatives at the indoor and outdoor banquets, recognizing the best of the best.

Many traditions mark important moments in the season, but the wrestling team’s tradition brings athletes together before each and every competition to get fired up for the meet.

“The wrestling team’s most recognizable tradition has got to be the primal yell that we do before just about every match we go into,” senior captain Paulo Knapp said. “We go out into the hallway or some enclosed area, and as a team we stand around in a circle and our coach counts down from three, and we scream as loud as humanly possible.”

Similarly, girls volleyball also has a unique tradition that energizes the team and boosts spirit before their next game. 

“Before every game, we go to the locker room and listen to hype music. The music changes sometimes but we always finish with the song ‘Hey Baby,’” senior captain Katy O’Connell said. “An additional superstition to go along with that is that after this, we tap the top of every doorway as we go out.”

The tradition continues as the team enters the gym.

“We do ‘run-ins’ before every home game to a specific song,” O’Connell said. “During run-ins, we run in from opposite sides of the gym and then do a handshake with the other person and then go to the center of the court and lie down in a circle.”

The girls soccer team is another team ridden with traditions that prepare them for upcoming competition. 

“Every game we have a “secret psych” where you get one person for the season and before every away game, get them their favorite snacks and drink,” senior captain Dylan Lochhead said. 

Just like the boys soccer team, the girls also have a hair dyeing tradition.

“We all dye the underside of our hair bright red together before playoffs,” Lochhead said. 

Another long-standing tradition for the girls soccer team along with other sports teams are the tie-dye shirts they make and wear for Senior Night. 

“At Senior Night, we obviously have the tie-dye shirts, but each senior also receives a personalized Build-a-Bear from their underclassmen,” Lochhead said.

However, some teams, such as boys hockey and the swim and dive team, have traditions that honor and support those in the community.

“For the past 10 years, boys ice hockey has dedicated a game in honor of Brian K. Arsenault, a former Algonquin student and hockey player who was killed in the line of duty,” Athletic Director Mike Mocerino said. “The team also raises funds and collects items for veterans in his memory.”

Swim and dive coach Jean Fedak shared that for 22 years, the team has participated in the Midland Wachusett League Swim-a-thon Against Hunger to benefit the Worcester County Food Bank and Oxfam America. Fedak said the event not only helps curb hunger, but also teaches the athletes they can make a difference in the world, both locally and internationally.

“This year, our league was able to surpass its goal of reaching $100,000.00 in donations for these two charities,” Fedak said.

Fedak shared that the team has many other long-standing traditions, including pasta parties the night before each meet and day-of-meet spirit days.

“Over the December winter vacation, our team has a fun relay carnival and pizza party with the Westborough Swim and Dive Team,” Fedak said. “Prior to that vacation, we always have a team holiday party.”

Junior captain Mina Chung shared a lighthearted tradition of pushing the team’s coaches into the pool after the meet against Westborough and especially enjoys the team’s tradition of naming the “Swimmies of the Meet.”

 “We announce two swimmers per meet who had performances that stood out both in the water and out with their sportsmanship and spirit,” Chung said. “We give them candy for winning this.”

Other teams, such as field hockey, also have traditions celebrating outstanding athletes after competition. 

“We have a cool tradition called the Spirit Stick, which we give to the MVP (Most Valuable Player) of the game,” senior captain Meredith Wu said. “It doesn’t have to be the girl who scored the most; it can be the unsung hero, too. We like to celebrate someone who had a good game or really good attitude to promote working hard and trying your best at every game.”

The Spirit Stick, which is an old stick decorated with red ribbon, gold spray paint and red and gold pom poms, is passed from player to player over the course of the season.

“After our post-game talk, the person who has the spirit stick will pass it on to the person who they think played well or deserves the stick,” Wu said. “This starts at the first scrimmage, where the captains pick who gets it first.”

Another well-known tradition is the girls rugby team naming the “Dame of the Game” and, like the boys team, the program carries on a tradition that is classic in the world of rugby: the post-game social.

“One of the traditions we do is a ‘social’ with the other team after every game,” senior captain Gaby Lomuto said. “Whenever we are the hosting team, we walk over to the other team after the match with pizza and talk to each other. It is a huge part of rugby culture.”

According to Lomuto, the post-game tradition adds a sense of community and friendship to the opponents as it brings home the idea that everyone can play a competitive sport without any bad blood. 

 “We leave everything on the field and enjoy one another’s company afterwards,” Lomuto said.  “It demonstrates good sportsmanship and maturity and is one of the things that makes me so proud to represent the Titans rugby program.”

The gymnastics team has many traditions throughout the season that energize them for meets and celebrate individual accomplishments, while also bringing the team together. 

“Before every meet, someone makes Jell-O to give athletes a quick energy boost,” senior captain Kathryn Jennings said. “The Jell-O started way before anyone currently at Algonquin was on the team.”

 Another tradition that has brought the team together is the “Stick It Crown,” Which started during the ‘22-’23 season.

“This crown is passed to any gymnast who sticks a landing or completes a strong routine,” Jennings explained. “It moves from one athlete to the next throughout the meet and we take pictures of each winner of the crown on our team’s personal digital camera.” 

This tradition motivates the gymnasts to perform the best they can to earn the crown. One of the team’s other major traditions calms down the nerves that are bound to come as a gymnast. 

“Before each event, the competing gymnasts form a pinky circle, holding pinkies while one teammate gives words of encouragement,” Jennings said. “Just before competing, we take three deep breaths together to calm our nerves.” 

The traditions that various sports teams have are crucial to the success of a season, building team unity and ensuring athletes stay motivated.

“When a team establishes a culture of having fun and working together to become a family of good friends, the winning just happens!” Fedak said.