“Biscuit!” “Basket!” “Biscuit!” “Basket!”
Once the cheers were loud enough, the girls soccer team was ready.
A returning varsity starter known for their enthusiasm and vocal leadership has been chosen by its previous owner to hold the biscuit basket since 2005. Now, the basket holder starts the biscuit basket chant before every game.
What started as former goalkeeper Libby Dix’s reminder to the forwards to “Put the biscuit in the basket” — or scoring a goal — turned into a tan woven basket with every past owner’s name and year written on the bottom.
The tradition helps build team chemistry by literally and figuratively linking them before a game, according to varsity soccer Head Coach Jamie Kelly.
“If they're not together, they run into each other,” Kelly said. “So they have to be in sync as they sway back and forth. You're mentally and physically feeling and seeing the team together in sync as they sway back and forth.”
The last basketholder was alumna Sophia Beedle, who passed it down to senior Louisa Holzbeierlein at the 2025 banquet.
After this year, Holzbeierlein will write her name three spots under her sister Kate, who had the biscuit basket before she graduated in 2023.
Beedle said that the basket serves as reassurance from the upperclassmen that the team is in good hands.
“[The tradition] encourages girls to want to support one another and even if you have the basket or not, you're gonna be encouraging and uplifting on and off the field, and just bringing the team together,” Beedle said. “I just think it's always fun to have your little traditions, and it's just another thing to be excited about for when you get onto varsity that you can be a part of.”
When then-senior Graham Mosher struck a tee shot, the last place he expected it to go was a nearby house’s window.
As a joke, he signed the ball and handed it to boys golf Head Coach Evan Scobie.
Since then, the varsity player with the best average score on the team has signed a different ball and given it to Scobie for safekeeping.
But, that's not the most entertaining of their traditions, according to junior Tommy Curtis. The satirical “Dumba** Award” is a season highlight.
What started as a random, old bowling trophy founded in a storage room at SM East, the “Dumba** Award” goes to the underclassmen who are the most annoying on the team.
It’s been a tradition for the past five years, according to junior Tommy Curtis — last year's winner.
“I always say this,” Curtis said. “If you live 10 minutes away, it's like you could be going to a totally different school with not as good [of] traditions as [SM] East has, especially with [boys’ golf].”
Many other team traditions came from the upperclassmen in the 2020 season, according to senior and varsity captain Elliott Cowden.
Among them, is the access to the team’s satirical instagram account, HackPatrol.
From fails to memes and other funny moments from past seasons, HackPatrol is a database of comedy, according to Cowden.
“I always enjoy [SM East golf] more than playing individually, because of the companionship that you have,” Cowden said. “Of course, there's still the aspect of you having to go out and play your own game. It's just nice to know that there's other guys who are doing it with you while you're out there.”
Every time junior Vada Walsh walks by her bedroom, a bright object propped up on her dresser catches her eye. The matte red Swedish fish box may seem like a random object to display so proudly.
But to Walsh it’s the captain’s box, a representation of her leadership on the team.
Since 1983, the team’s junior captain has been responsible for holding onto the box and keeping its contents secret from everyone except past junior captains.
“It makes the captain role so much more special,” Walsh said. “It's like such a big deal to be voted a captain, and then on top of that I get to be a part of this giant secret that has been passed down for many, many years, and I get to leave my mark on the [SM] East girls swim team.”
Walsh said that at the end of each season, every varsity swimmer texts the current junior captain their vote for next year’s junior captain.
Then, at the banquet, the current junior captain bestows the Swedish Fish box and a classic beige captain’s hat to the swimmer with the most votes.
Last year's junior captain walked away with a different assignment. Taking care of a life-size aluminum Lancer and displaying it at every team dinner.
Senior captain Georgia Boyd said that her parents were surprised when a six-foot statue showed up at their front door, but also excited to add it to their front hallway.
“I think the main difference is senior year, you've already done it once,” Boyd said. “You've worked with a different captain, and you just kind of know the expectations. But you also have to guide the junior captain to help them know what to do, because they're kind of going in blind.”
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