By Allison Antram, Managing Editor
As the soccer teams prepare for this year’s homecoming games on Saturday, the boys’ team has a little extra help – a little-known tradition known as “Rowdy Girls.” For the entire week prior to Saturday’s game, the guys can expect notes, food, candy, posters and a lot of bad puns to get them excited for homecoming.
“Usually this week is pretty busy school-wise, so we like the guys to feel encouraged and feel that they have something to look forward to each day,” said sophomore Mia Wiersema, who organized the week this year. “Each girl gets a guy and leaves them presents secretly throughout the week, during the homecoming game at the end of the week the girl reveals her identity.”
Strange name aside, this tradition is very appreciated by the boys on the soccer team, and the girls always enjoy putting it together. It typically involves many members of the girls’ soccer team, as well as friends and girlfriends of the players, and they look forward to as much as the guys do.
“I love our boys’ team,” sophomore Anjela Alicea explained. “It is really fun for us to watch because we know who their Rowdy Girls are, and they try so hard to find out. It is also really cool to see how creative all the girls are when you see the gifts they give. “
The mystery of the week adds to the fun, and can sometimes make the gifts more interesting. Junior Zach Andrews gave the example of his Rowdy Girl last year. “She put clues to who she was in balloons for me to pop on the last day of the week,” said Andrews. “It was just a clever idea.”
“My favorite part of being involved is planning out the gifts for each day and seeing what the other girls do for the guys,” said Wiersema. This year, Wiersema also reorganized the tradition, in order to make it as successful as possible. “I made little questionnaires for all the guys to fill out so their Rowdy Girl would have something to go off of and not be blindly buying goodies.”
And the effort doesn’t go unnoticed, as Andrews explained – “knowing that girls will take their own time and money to make your day better is an awesome feeling… and while it doesn’t directly influence how we play the uplift in attitude can go a long way.”
This is the hope of the girls participating – to encourage the team before their biggest game.
“I think [it] gives them some extra confidence leading up to their game,” Alicea expressed. “This also shows them how much we support them in a more public way.”
Wiersema agreed, and shared her enthusiasm for supporting the team. “It gives them something to look forward to… it’s so great to see the guys smiling and laughing throughout the week. They are always so thankful!”
With the support of the public, Asburians and the “Rowdy Girls” tradition, the team is well-prepared for Saturday’s game. Good luck to both teams tomorrow on their big games.
