“Homerun! Touchdown! One more mile!” are just some common cheers of joy that can be heard all around Woodward’s campus by exuberant students at the start of August, the commencement of all fall sports. With Woodward’s recent upgrade to the 6A division, athletes have had to adjust to competing against new schools and are needing support from the student body now more than ever.
Photo courtesy of WA Spirit.
Four-time Cross Country state qualifier Casey Cullen ‘23 is more than ready to begin and continue her role on the girls varsity team.
“I am super excited to lead my team,” said Cullen. “I love being able to be a role model for the lower classmen.”
The Varsity football team this past Friday proved this after a dominating scrimmage against GAC with a final score of 35-7, scoring a touchdown in the very first play. Captains River Hanson ‘23, Bryce Burnett ‘23, and Spencer Snipe ‘23 are leading the team at McCallie this Friday and thrive off of the continuous support from the rambunctious student section.
You cannot go wrong with a classic Red Out theme, so be sure to come out and support the boys in their first out of state game of the season, against McCallie!
With arguably the most packed schedule of all fall sports, the Varsity Clay Target team has set a goal to come out victorious in every home competition, and it is believed they will hit that target right through the middle! Cooper Marte ‘25 is actively working alongside his teammates to achieve this goal.
“We will let you know where you miss or what you are doing wrong, but we will always be helpful to each other,” said Marte.
Noting the importance/difference between constructive criticism and unjust scolding is crucial in order to provide a safe environment for a team to thrive. However, a team cannot be built without some form of bonding and practice prior to the start of the season.
“We all wanted to be as prepared and as ready as we could to do our best this season, so we all had to practice,” said Marte. “This also led to team building activities such as golf, going out to eat, and cookouts at different team members’ houses.”
Come out and see the team for their first tournament this weekend, and see the team bonding pay off!
What more can you do to bond with your team than travel to a renowned college for a pre-season camp? The Varsity Girls Volleyball team kicked off their team bonding by attending Berry College’s series of pre-season matches with teams from all over Georgia.
Caroline Sanders ‘23 spoke on the benefits of getting right into tournament play with tough competition before the regular season.
“During our preseason, we went to a camp at Berry College where we started to get our chemistry back as well as some team bonding,” said Sanders.
Thus far, the girls have competed in matches with at least one almost every week and have come out with seven wins! With many more wins on the horizon, the girls thrive off of support especially during home games in Paget Gym. This upcoming Tuesday, the Lady War Eagles will face off against East Coweta on our home turf! Be there to support and cheer on the team at 5:00 p.m.
Not only does Woodward have the reputation of dominating in athletics, it is also known to others how compassion and competitiveness can actually coexist with one another in the athletic realm. Cullen, Marte, and Sanders are just a few of the fantastic embodiments of how a Woodward team member should be, and that hard work truly does pay off.
