“We love you varsity, oh yes we do!” On Friday, August 27, every freshman on the girls’ volleyball team wore outrageous costumes and shouted a chant to their older teammates. Although freshman initiations are intended to be silly, there is much more meaning behind the crazy hats and face paint. Senior Ella Hawes believed that initiations greatly improve the team bond.

“The main purpose of initiations is to welcome the freshmen and make them feel like they’re a part of the program,” Hawes said. “When we passed by freshmen in the hallway, we could see them from across the hall, and we would say ‘hi’ to them.”

Initiations served as a way for returning members to recognize the new ones. Hawes remarked how the varsity members were affected by this tradition.

“It helped us recognize the freshmen more,” Hawes said. “There’s so many of them, so it’s hard for us to meet them all.”

Hawes and her fellow senior teammates had looked forward to dressing up the freshman since they went through initiations their freshman year. She explained the importance of keeping this tradition within the volleyball community.

“We had all been embarrassed our freshman year, so we were looking forward to do it back to the freshmen,” Hawes said. “Then when they’re seniors they can do it back to the freshmen.”

Most importantly, this tradition helps the freshmen bond and become more familiar with each other. Freshman Ashley Kennedy commented on her experience.

“We were all getting embarrassed together, so that made us feel closer,” Kennedy said. “It just made us laugh, and we had a fun time.”