Team Dinner Traditions of Spring Sports

Track and Field

Must Haves: Fast Food

Track and Field is the only spring sport that does not organize team dinners. Due to the conflicting days on which JV and Varsity meets are held and the fact that there are over 100 athletes in the program, it’s hard to get a proper dinner organized. Instead, the end of the year banquet acts as one huge team dinner.

“[Team dinners] have always been kind of cross country’s thing,” track coach Brie Meschke said.

Despite that, many members of the track and field program have found unconventional ways to have their own team dinners. After meets, teammates go together and grab a bite to eat.

“We’ve gone to Winstead’s, sometimes we go to Sonic,” sophomore Hannah Arnspiger said. “Somewhere with a lot of greasy, unhealthy food.”

Athletes who make it to state all have a big team dinner before and after the meet in Wichita. Before state, the team usually eats at a team member’s house. But on the way home from state, the team always stops at Old Chicago, a pizza place next to a gas station.

“Everyone just pigs out because we’re not really supposed to be drinking soda and stuff during season, we’re supposed to be eating healthy,” senior Troy Wilkins said.  “That’s when we pig out.”

Lacrosse

Must Haves: Barbecue

When the boys’ lacrosse team beat Rockhurst High School for the first time in their history last year, they had eaten barbecue and fried chicken the day before. Weeks later when the boys’ lacrosse team won the Lacrosse Association of Kansas City championships, they were fueled on barbecue and fried chicken once again.

Barbecue and fried chicken are staples at any boys’ lacrosse team dinner. After practices, parents bring food and the team has a picnic right on their practice fields at the former Mission Valley Middle School.

“We all just kind of find a spot and just hang out and eat,” senior Connor McGannon said.

The tradition was started when the team received new coaches three years ago.

“It’s a good chance to bond together as a team off the field,” McGannon said. “It’s always a good time.”

Girls’ Soccer

Must Haves: Food

Give the girls’ soccer team food and they’ll eat. No matter what it is or where it is, the girls will eat.

“Basically, we eat like three meals [at once],” junior Kelly Pidcoe said.

Dinners range from tacos and chicken, to pasta and salads. Homemade food from the Dodd family is always quick to disappear.

“We’re obsessed with Mrs. Dodd’s food,” junior Ada Throckmorton said. “Like having a team dinner at the Dodd’s house is what we all look forward to. They’ll always try to schedule our Dodd team dinner in playoffs to get us all super inspired because we get to eat Mrs. Dodd’s delicious cooking.”

And of course, there’s dessert.

“We always have some sort of ice cream,” Throckmorton said. “We really like ice cream. It’ll be anything from Sheridan’s [Frozen Custard] to just regular ice cream sundaes.”

Soccer may not have any special tradition, but they still enjoy the time they spend eating together.

Baseball

Must Haves: Games

Even if the baseball team has just come from a grueling practice, they still find energy to play games and activities after their home cooked dinners. The team will play different games for hours after a dinner. At some team dinners they’ll play hide-and-go-seek and others they’ll play wiffle ball.

“My favorite part is probably just playing games with the guys and hanging out,” junior Will Mitchell said.

Girls’ Swimming

Must Haves: Fruit Pizza

Order a fruit pizza at any local pizza restaurant and they’ll give you a weird look. But ask any girls’ swim team member, and they’ll easily tell you what it is.

“The crust is a sugar cookie,” senior Elizabeth Bittiker said. “And the sauce is like cream cheese with icing and on top, there’s like strawberries, and blueberries and sometimes kiwi and mandarin oranges.”

Fruit pizza has been a staple at swim team dinners and it won’t be going away anytime soon.

Softball

Must Haves: Dance Party

Just because the meal might be over at the softball team dinner doesn’t mean the team dinner is over. It’s time for a dance party.

“I’m not a big dancer, but I know a lot of the girls on the team are,” senior Kassey Hughes said. “They just goof around and come up with these interesting dance moves.”

Dancing after team dinners and victories has always been a part of being on the softball team.

“There’s dancing and music and people being generally all like ‘flail-y’ with their limbs,” junior Rowan Turner said. “It’s pretty good.”

The girls will turn on music, ranging from country to dubstep, and dance for 15 to 20 minutes.

“I don’t know how it came about but my freshman year, the older girls definitely encouraged it,” senior Kassey Hughes said. “It’s been going on like that ever since.”

“It’s just a tradition, I don’t really know why,” Bittiker said. “It’s always everyone’s favorite part.”

Some games are competitive, but the players still have a good time.

“It really brings the team together and you become closer, become better friends,” junior Quinn Appletoft said.