As the Marymount High School Sailors walked into Combs Gymnasium on Oct. 16, they were met by a spirited sea of purple and black and large posters bearing players’ names, all part of a pep rally for Marlborough’s volleyball match against its biggest rival. The Sailors appeared intimidated by the loud cheering and chanting that filled the gym as the teams began the match. Many Marlborough students had decked themselves out with purple pom poms, face tattoos and foam fingers, purchased from Athletic Council before the game started. Even Sally the Mustang made an appearance, dancing enthusiastically during time outs to get the crowd cheering.
After an hour and a half of intense competition, the Sailors managed to win a close victory against both the JV and Varsity teams. With a final score of 0-3 and 1-2 for Varsity and JV, respectively, Marlborough players were disappointed in the outcome but appreciated the support from the crowd. Team captain Lisa ’15 expressed her gratitude for all those who attended the match.
“Although I wish we won, everyone’s support and encouragement made my last Pep Rally [at Marlborough] very memorable,” Lisa said.
However, the evening did not end without a win for the Mustangs. In an exciting and competitive match, Marlborough’s Freshman/Sophomore team triumphed over the Sailors 2-0, walking off the court at the end of the game to the crowd’s deafening cheers. Player Caroline ’18 explained that the victory was all the more exciting because the team hadn’t expected to win.
“It was kind of insane… We were all kind of shocked that it even happened, especially since it was the first time in so many years that [Marlborough beat Marymount],” Caroline said.
Athletic Council selected a “blackout” theme for this year’s three pep rallies. All-School Athletics Representative Cameron ’15 said that Athletic Council wanted to create an intimidating environment for Marlborough’s opponents.
“It’s saying to the other team, ‘We’re united. Get off our turf!’” Cameron said.
According to Cameron, the planning process for the pep rally began close to the beginning of the year. Members of Athletic Council had to choose a date, design customized t-shirts and order merchandise to be sold.
Before the game, parents suggested that council members sell Marlborough spirit merchandise from the student store. This year, they designed black shirts emblazoned with “Stang ‘Em!” on the front.
“It was nice to see so many people in the Marlborough community come support us and cheer us on at the game. All of the Mustang pride in the gym definitely helped us play our best,” Lisa said.
Because selling merchandise at the pep rally proved to be such a success, Head of Athletics Council and Athletics Assistant Ashley Lyles ’09 said she wants to continue this tradition for upcoming rallies.
“One of [the] main things on our list [is] to order more shirts because we sold out of them before the Varsity game even started. We will be ordering more shirts because we are anticipating more people [at the next pep rally],” Lyles said.
Patterson explained that she, along with the rest of Athletic Council, is looking forward to the upcoming pep rallies for other sports.
“As promised in my speech, I wanted to create not just one pep rally a year but have a total of three, so each sport’s season could be celebrated…The next pep rally will be for basketball in December,” Cameron said.
