Girls Soccer Team Builds Success with Bonding Traditions

The School Without Walls offers a variety of sports for all students, but the girls’ soccer team stands out for its close-knit atmosphere. The team’s commitment to bonding activities has helped maintain a sense of unity and camaraderie through the years, which players believed was essential to their success on and off the field.

Team bonding is crucial for sports teams to reach their full potential. Without it, teams often struggled with underperformance due to a lack of cohesion—a vital component of team sports like soccer. The girls’ soccer team at Walls took this seriously and incorporated a variety of bonding traditions, from team sleepovers and lunches to game-day rituals.

Ava Martin (‘27), a player on the team, emphasized the importance of these activities, saying, “Yes, it brings the team closer together and builds team chemistry.” Fellow player Ruby Summers (‘27) added, “Team bonding helps everyone play better together because if you're friendly with people off the field, you work better together on the field.”

Beyond performance, team bonding helped players form friendships, which was especially valuable for new team members. Summers shared that one of her favorite traditions was the team lunch, noting, “You get to eat together, and it’s really nice to talk to people at lunch because it’s during the normal day, so it makes your day better.” Martin agreed, adding that she also loved the annual team sleepovers, which had become a memorable tradition.

These bonding activities included many small but meaningful traditions: post-practice runs, stretching circles, team TikTok videos, “team sisters,” paper plate awards, and team hangouts where the whole team would meet up for fun activities, such as getting boba. One especially beloved tradition was “Secret Psych,” where players were assigned a teammate to secretly encourage before a game, leaving notes and treats to lift their spirits. The most famous tradition, Secret Psych, lets each player feel supported before every match.

This year, the team’s dedication to bonding activities was rewarded with a special opportunity: as former DCIAA champions, they attended a Spirit team practice. The Spirit is a world-renowned women’s professional soccer team featuring players like Trinity Rodman of the U.S. women’s national team. This experience was inspiring for the Walls girls’ soccer team and a reminder of the heights they could reach.

The team’s close bond has undeniably paid off in performance. The Walls girls’ soccer team won the DCIAA championship last year and reached the semifinals in this year’s DCIAA tournament, as well as the quarterfinals in states. Reflecting on the impact of their bonding traditions, Summers, “Our team is really well-connected because we do our team bonding, and I think that’s why we work so well together.” Martin agreed, adding, “And that’s why we win.”

The success of the girls’ soccer team has inspired other teams at Walls to incorporate similar bonding traditions, whether through regular team lunches or social activities outside practice. As the girls’ soccer season wraps up, they can be proud of their hard work and the strong foundation they’ve built through these cherished traditions.