As the Winter season begins, the Girls Varsity Basketball team is off to a strong undefeated start eight games into the season. This year’s captains are seniors Madeline Cannon (Classic Sports Editor), Natalia Ramlogan, and Aissatou Lam. 

The new captains took a moment to reflect on their last three years playing together on the team. Madeline said, “I was on the JV team freshman year, and I have been on varsity since sophomore year. This incredibly motivating and supportive team has become my family for the past four years.” Aissatou said, “I was on JV my freshman year and moved up to varsity my sophomore year. Basketball has become something I look forward to every year.” Reflecting on her four years on the Varsity Basketball team, Natalia said, Basketball is definitely my favorite part of my high school experience. I made my closest friends here, and it shaped me into the person I am today.”

As captains, the girls have taken on new responsibilities and goals. Natalia said, “ I’m responsible for keeping my teammates organized. I keep them updated on our schedule for practice and make sure that we travel to games together and get there safely and punctually. During practice, I bring my positive energy and good vibes to encourage my teammates.”  Aissatou also said, “I have to encourage the team and make sure we keep the intensity at all times. As a captain, I want to make sure everyone finds our team as a safe place and a second home. Once I graduate, I hope I can inspire the underclassmen to keep on pushing themselves because they’re all destined for greatness.” Emphasizing the importance of the team atmosphere, Madeline said,, “I find that the most important responsibility is working to maintain a positive and encouraging atmosphere. As leaders, we work to make sure that our team recognizes their strengths and how they can set themselves and their teammates up for success.” 

So far, the girls have been practicing six days a week and are steadily going through their season with confidence. The new captains shared their hopes for this upcoming season. Madeline said, “My main goal is to continue our momentum and remind the team that no matter the outcomes of our games, we don’t stop working hard and push ourselves to improve. ” Natalia said, “I know our team will be really successful this season because we all work really hard at practice every day. We all show up for each other, and I know we can all do great things, and I’m excited to see what the season brings out in my teammates.”

All three captains shared the impact this team has had on their lives and their anticipations for the future. Aissatou said, “I hope to continue playing basketball at the club level in college so I can continue to improve. I don’t think I’ll ever forget the impact the team has had on my life, so coming back to visit when I’m an alumni would be an honor.” Natalia, planning on continuing to play club basketball in college said, “I will definitely come back after I graduate. It will be interesting to be on the alumni side of our traditions, like the alumni scrimmage we have during Thanksgiving break.” Madeline said, “I hope to play club basketball in college because I always look forward to the season every year. Our team’s relationship with our alumni has always been strong. I look forward to visiting the team once I graduate to see how my current teammates have grown and what the team will look like once new players join.”

As the season continues, the captains will continue upholding their responsibilities and working towards their goals to maintain their season’s strong start.

Photo by Isabella Medina