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Summer Preview

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From New York City to Arizona, from Peru to Israel, this summer the Harvard Women’s Swim and Dive Team knows no bounds. Dani Schulkin, here, introducing the team’s newest online venture: HWSD Postcards. Each week one or two teammates will send in one picture and one short note with an update on their whereabouts and adventures somewhere in the world.

Here’s a sneak preview of the posts to come:

Marlee Ehrlich, Class of 2016:

This summer, I’ll be going home for about a month and training with my old club team. I’ll be traveling to Israel in July to partake in the 19th World Maccabiah Games. I’m lucky enough to be able to represent the USA as a member of the Open Swim Team for the 19th World Games. I’ll be in Israel for 3 weeks in July, I’ll be training, touring, and competing. I’m very excited about the Games! I even get to swim an open water  5K for the first time. I’m looking forward to going home for a bit, but I’ll miss my teammates and my new home (Harvard) very much!

Shori Hijikata, Class of 2016: 

For the first time since arriving in Cambridge, I’ll be flying home! I’ll be starting the summer with a bit of traveling, spending some time visiting friends here in the US before going back to Australia for two weeks. Early June, I’ll be back in sunny Cambridge to work as a research assistant in a neurobiology laboratory on campus. I’ll also be working at the Harvard Admissions Office, giving tours and information sessions to prospective students and their families throughout the summer. Come August, I’ll be moving back into the dormitories early in preparation for the Freshman International Program (FIP), where I and twenty-five other FIP leaders from around the world will be excitedly awaiting the arrival of our incoming international freshmen. Swimming this summer without HWSD will be a different experience and I’ll miss the team a ton, but at the same time, I can’t wait to hear about everyone’s summer adventures and to dive right back into practices in the fall! #HWSDlovefarandwide

Steph Ferrell, Class of 2015: 

This summer I will be traveling to Lima, Peru from June 1st to July 27th to work as an intern at the “Museo de Sitio Bodega y Quadra.” I will be living with a host family and am so excited to be fully immersed in Latin American culture through this experience. I will be working Monday-Thursday, but every Friday the other Harvard students within the program all meet up to explore the country. A diver on the men’s team (George Doran), actually, will be joining me as he is working for a lab in Lima through this program as well. I’ve included a website (the article is written in Spanish but I have included it mainly for the purpose of the pictures) to show what the museum I’ll be working at looks like!

http://turismo-huacho.blogspot.com/2013/02/museo-sitio-bodega-y-quadra-en-el.html

Ana Anaya, Class of 2015: This summer I will be taking a Psychology of Law class. I am going to be rooming with fellow teammate Taylor Foster, Class of 2014. We are renting our own apartment and will have an opportunity to play house this summer. I am going to get back into training, since I have a lot to catch up on after surgery. It’s exciting to be able to explore all that Boston has to offer this summer with some of my best friends and fellow members of HWSD.

Deirdre Clute, Class of 2014: While I am a little sad to be leaving my home in sunny California, I am really looking forward to spending my summer in New York! I will be working as a marketing intern for PepsiCo. Not only will the job itself be a huge learning experience, but living on my own in New York City is bound to teach me a few things. Luckily, I have my fellow HWSD teammate, Daniela Suarez, to show me around! It should be a great summer filled with runs through Central Park and lots of time spent with my fellow New York HWSD’ers.

As for me, I just arrived home yesterday! My family moved out to the west coast my sophomore year so this will be my first chance to explore Seattle. I’m spending this next month training with my new club team while studying for graduate school exams. I’m then shipping off to India to dig into government archives for thesis research. I’m stoked about seeing an old friend and teammate, Helen Pitchik, in New Delhi!

Despite being excited to embark on new quests this summer, I had a hard time leaving Harvard this past weekend. In the span of four hours, my room transformed from the place that defined who I am to a barren, soulless room waiting for the next inhabitant to color its walls. From that Turkish lamp my friend and I found in Istanbul to a collage of inspirational notes from teammates during championship meet season, packing was a uniquely nostalgic experience. I was constantly reminded of why I’m so grateful to this school and, more importantly, to the people who make this place come alive. So here’s a shout-out to my fellow teammates and friends: to the training partners who keep me going during practice, to the partners in crime who dance no matter the place, and to the students who time and time again inspire me. I will miss you all very much. Whether you are peacefully training at home or exploring new places, I can’t wait to hear about your summer adventures!

Much love,

Dani

Just Dance

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By Deirdre Clute ’14:

I wish I could use something other than words on a page to describe this weekend. Pictures wouldn’t do it justice, and the results don’t tell the whole story. Because this weekend was one of my favorite swim meets of my career, and nothing on paper would explain why. This weekend was my favorite not only despite the loss, but because of it. Had our swims been easy, our path unblocked, this team would not have had the opportunity to come together as it did.

As many of you know, we went into Ivy Championships the favorite. We swept HYP, and all dual meets prior, and were confidently prepared. But as life teaches you again and again, sometimes things just don’t go as planned. We begun the meet as we did any other- with a pep talk from Steph and a loud cheer before the first buzzer. Yet, things didn’t click as they usually do. Touch-outs lead to 9th and 17th, pushing us just outside of the desired A Final Heat, and even the Consolation heat. While we fought hard for the rest of the meet and got drastically better by the last day, we had started off too low. But I would say it was (almost) worth it to watch as our team picked itself up and put everything else aside to become one unbelievably powerful force in the end.

Never before have I been a part of a group like HWSD. I have been on plenty of teams and in a variety of social groups. But there is something indescribable about the bond our team has, and it was only accentuated at times like this past weekend. Throughout the course of the meet, our team would gather in a room to discuss what we were doing right or wrong, and how we could improve. However, after the first day, our team collectively decided that we were going to change our focus. Instead of race plans, we discussed cheering. Instead of individual goals, we discussed the strengths of the team. Instead of race prep, we discussed dancing. And I should clarify that by saying that dancing became our race prep. This stood as our reminder to have fun, get outside ourselves, and focus on the team: cheering and dancing together.

At our meetings, it was not just the coaches, captains, or seniors talking; it was every single member, every single time. Freshmen often times had the best insight of us all. They reminded us how special our team is, and how lucky we are to be such a unified, strong group of friends. Seniors reflected on years past and encouraged us to not let one moment slip by, because HWSD is something we will never again be a part of. The community will always be there in the alumni, but the feeling of standing in a room, holding hands with your teammates, and getting collectively more and more energized as each person talks, that’s something that can never be recreated.

So as I look back and realize that my next season will be my SENIOR year, I find that the times I want to remember have nothing to do with the score. They have to do with this feeling of complete trust and love, because I know there are 32 girls who stand with me through anything. As we walked onto the deck the last session of Ivies, hoods on, and chests held high, I felt an overwhelming sense of pride. Because I knew that no matter what happened that night, we undeniably had the most spirit and fight of any team out there. Each swimmer on this team is a stepping-stone to defining our legacy, paving the way for an even more successful team to follow.  So I say that scores and victories may fade, but the heart and fight of our team will stand unwaveringly, preparing us for everything to come. Because after all, strong warriors are always ready for another battle.

Caroline and Deeds celebrate after the 200 back

 

HWSD love

The Magic of Heart

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Hi there, it’s Clare Foster, senior breaststroker and tri-captain on HWSD.  Back on campus after a whirlwind weekend at Princeton, it’s hard to settle in after so much emotion.  How can I possibly read about theories of the justice of healthcare when all my brain is doing is replaying the events of the past two days over and over again?  These are the moments you want to cherish forever- these feelings of complete and utter elation are few and far between in life (yes, I realize I sound a little silly, corny and philosophical- I attribute that to my old age and alleged ”wisdom”).

Coming into HYP weekend, we knew we were ready.  To call us cocky would be wrong, but we were confident.  We had hours of hard training behind us, we had our flawless dual meet record to show us that we were great, but most importantly, we had that little something else special: heart.  The “fire in our bellies” to race, fight even claw our way to the finish for one another is what makes HWSD a truly unique team and has been fundamental in our success this year, especially at HYP.

Cosmo, for those of you who don’t know, is the name HWSD give two girls every year who are in charge of providing the team with inspiration, spirit and enthusiasm through arts and crafts.  I like to think of Cosmo as HWSD’s own fairy godmothers. Each meet Cosmo provides inspiration through a quote or poem (with a piece of candy to match). This weekend Cosmo’s quote was “Never underestimate the heart of a champion”. Looking back on this saying now I realize how much I had taken for granted the weight, power and strength heart can have.

In a team meeting Friday afternoon before the first session of HYP, Kyle Cutter, HWSD alumna and current volunteer assistant coach, stood up holding a Snapple bottle full of water in her hands.  The water in the bottle wasn’t just any old water – it was water she had taken from our very own Blodgett pool.  In it, she explained, was all our hard work from the season-all our VO2 max practices, our killer threshold sets we thought would never end, our blood, our sweat, our tears, but most importantly it contained our confidence, our faith and trust in one another, our commitment to HWSD; it contained our heart.  And in that meeting, we decided we were going to make a vow both literally-by pouring the Blodgett water in our lanes at DeNunzio- and figuratively to bring all those moments, all those experiences, to Princeton that weekend. That is exactly what we did, and boy it was pure magic.  Let me repeat, never underestimate the heart of a champion.

"Harvard on the Warpath" team cheer

Class of 2013 post-HYP victory

Senior Perspective

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Hello HWSD fans!

After a brief hiatus during all of our winter break travels, our blog posts are back! Here are three posts from our last few months, highlighting winter invites, training trip, and some January dual meets. Stay tuned for news about HYP this weekend!

January 27th update from senior Carol Lin:

As a disclaimer, I’ve been calling myself “old” since I entered freshman year of high school; still, it amazes me to say that I’ve been swimming for a decade. One of my first memories of competitive swimming is watching “Without Limits,” the story of Steve Prefontaine’s incredible running career, with my club teammates as we prepared for the age group championships. It seems fitting, then, that one of the last memories of my swimming career will be watching the same movie again; this time, nearly a decade after my first viewing of the movie, I watched with my HWSD teammates in Coach Steph’s living room to gain inspiration from Prefontaine in preparation for the HYP and Ivies/ECAC championship meets.

Watching Prefontaine’s story with my teammates during one of the last times we’ll all be together this season reminded me that my time as a competitive swimmer is coming to an end. After quite a few years as a swimmer, I’ve realized that Prefontaine’s struggles and success are universal to athletes of any sport or caliber. I haven’t competed at the Olympic Games like Steve Prefontaine, but I’ve experienced great thrills and crushing disappointments. I’ve learned that life isn’t perfect and that you can’t always plan for what will happen. I’ve made numerous mistakes, faced adversity, and fallen flat on my back (literally – ask any member of HMSD).

But, at the risk of sounding cheesy, it’s easy to forget about my own struggles when I remember that I’m not swimming as an individual. When I step onto the blocks, I wear a Harvard cap and represent HWSD, a group of “Prefontaines” who put their hearts into every race. Together, we work towards a common goal, overcome failures, and celebrate triumphs. As we enter the championship season, we know that there will be challenges and that not everything may go according to plan. In these moments, we’ll remind ourselves of the commitment that we’ve made to each other and of the incredible opportunity we have to represent Harvard Swimming.

In the spirit of senioritis, I’ll steal a quote from Steve Prefontaine to end my final post as a member of HWSD:

It’s the hardest thing in the world to believe in something; if you do, it’s a miracle.

Prefontaine said this line in the movie in an attempt to charm a special lady, but I’ll use it to relate back to the purpose of this post. To the Harvard Swimming and Diving family (and especially the Class of 2013), thank you for giving me something to believe in for the past four years. I feel fortunate to have been part of something bigger than myself and am honored to have belonged to an extraordinary group of women.

Crimson love,

Carol

Class of 2013’s last meet at Blodgett

Training Trip 2013

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January 12th update:

Hi there, Crimson fans! I’m Kyle Krueger, a junior breaststroker on HWSD. We just returned from our annual training trip, so we are adjusting back to Boston’s chilly winter temperatures. This year, the swimmers travelled to Puerto Rico where we trained in the sun at the University of the Sacred Heart, while the divers made the trip to Miami and trained at the University of Miami’s gorgeous outdoor facility.

Down in Puerto Rico, the sunny skies and inviting warm weather offered the perfect setting for HWSD’s 26 swimmers to fully commit to an intense week of training. While we were surrounded by a decidedly laid-back island vibe and spent our mid-day hours relaxing on the beach, training trip was also a time for bringing a laser-beam focus and a sense of purpose to practice each morning and afternoon. Practices are always tough. Our bodies always feel broken down. But just as constant is the unwavering support of each member of HWSD through every challenging workout. Most salient in my memory of training trip each year is the team point set, and 2013 was no different. Challenged to each step up and race in our best events, we took on the coaches’ 50-point goal with confidence, heart, and determination. Digging deep on that set with the encouragement and solidarity of all of your teammates really captures the essence of what it means to be a member of HWSD.

Our team’s cohesion can be traced to our fun activities away from the pool as well. From our team dinner out, to nightly team bonding activities, to our trip into Old San Juan, to a team outing to one of Puerto Rico’s famed bioluminescence kayaking tours, training trip was also a time of team bonding. Whether we were preparing with our roommates for the annual training trip talent show, or whipping up a “family dinner” in our hotel room kitchens, every moment of training trip, both in and out of the pool, allowed everyone from the freshmen to the seniors to become closer as a team. We all know that our deep-seated team unity is one of HWSD’s most valuable and defining traits, and it is sure to make us an even more unstoppable force when it comes time to compete.

While our stay in Puerto Rico had to draw to a close, we were not quite ready to return home yet. On our way back to Cambridge, we made a two-day pit-stop in Miami to join forces with our divers and compete against the University of Miami in a dual meet. Although we could have easily yielded to the aching muscles and tired bodies that come with the end of training trip, we instead found strength in all of the hard work that we had put in during the last week. Knowing that we were physically and mentally tougher than before, and more united than ever, we took the meet by storm. With a 175-86 victory, we capped off an incredibly successful training trip.

Without a doubt, this trip once again reminded me why I am so thankful to call myself a member of HWSD. Inspired by my teammates as always, I am looking forward to our hard work coming to fruition as we enter the home stretch of our season.  As was said on our training trip, it’s time for HWSD to define our legacy!

December Recap

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December 16th update:

Hello from Cambridge! This is senior breaststroker Mackenzie Luick, and it has been a busy couple weeks for HWSD.  Over the weekend of November 30 – December 2, all of the swimmers travelled to Georgia to compete either at UGA or Georgia Tech.  Divers represented at UGA as well as a meet at MIT, where they dove well and placed very high in both events.  Divers at Georgia were able to come back for the finals component of the prelims/final format, which is unique to invitational meets and championships at the end of the season.  On the swimming side, there were fast times across the state.

Seven school records fell, including the 100 back (broken by freshman Danielle Li, then again a few minutes later by fellow freshman Kendall Crawford).  Between Atlanta and Athens, there was an abundance of second swims, and being able to experience racing the same event two times in a day in the prelims/finals format was very important for the upcoming championship season.  Practicing the meet format for the end of the season was important too, especially for the freshmen, who handled the intensity of state school teams like Alabama, Miami, Cal, Georgia, and more with confidence.  The whole team will match up against Miami in a few weeks immediately following our training trip.

Since returning from Georgia, we have been back to work, training hard in the pool and .  Between final projects, finals, and getting back in our top shape in preparation for our upcoming training trip to Puerto Rico, it has been a busy time for everyone.  However, with the coaches’ flexibility in offering multiple workout times each day, everyone has been able to use swimming as a great study break, a time to de-stress and joke around with your teammates.  This Saturday we had our annual holiday set, which includes some (slightly off-key) holiday singing and is always a fun team set during finals.  As we start to wrap up the academics and go home for the holidays, we are all looking forward to training trip and the rest of the season.  The best is yet to come.

Thanksgiving

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Hey everyone, Taylor Foster here! I’m a junior backstroker on HWSD. This week we all had the opportunity to celebrate Thanksgiving with our families and/or friends. After a crazy busy September and October filled with seemingly endless problem sets, papers, and morning workouts, I know everyone was looking forward to a little relaxation. It was a wonderful time to count our blessings, reflect on all that has happened the past few months, and gear up for an exciting December. The chance to go home always leaves me appreciating even more the team that we have back at school.

 

One of the things that I’ve been so excited to see is how we have slowly come together as the season has gone on. Our baby freshman are no longer the little wide-eyed girls just trying find their way around campus. The sophomores have redeveloped their fire in the water and on the boards that they had last year as freshman. The juniors and seniors have fully embraced their leadership roles and everything seems to be falling into place.

 

Seeing a team of girls who are so different come together as one is always a pretty incredible thing, but there is something special this year about this team that I haven’t experienced before. The excitement is building as we got glimpses into what we are capable of at the past two meets and start to generate buzz on a national level. Although there isn’t one distinctive moment when we finally come together, each dive done correctly and each tough set pushed through together brings us closer to each other and closer to our goals. We are finding our greatness one step at a time. There are always the lofty goals and mantras at the beginning of the season that we are striving for, but now we are at the point when it has all become real.

 

We are fortunate to get to compete against some of the top teams in the nation this coming week at invites at University of Georgia, Georgia Tech, and MIT. Because our team will be split up for the first time, we will need to trust in the strong base we have developed as teammates to get the job done even when apart. I have no doubt that this team will bring the Crimson fighting spirit wherever there are Harvard swimmers or divers in the pool. The time to test our performances on a level with a bit more pressure is finally here and in the back of all of our minds are Chris’s words: “get ready to start the DYNASTY.”

We. Are. Harvard.

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Hey there everyone! This is freshman Connie Hsu, here to report on one of the most exciting weekends the team has had this season! To be honest, I was a little nervous to be the one to write the blog post on this weekend, since the atmosphere and excitement here was beyond anything words can capture. But I promise to do my best in describing just how much heart and soul every member of the team puts into the success of HWSD.

This past Friday, we raced against Columbia; a team that definitely has some very formidable opponents and came very close to beating us in our dual meet last year. Of course, they were suited up and tapered last year, as they were this year as well.  While that might seem intimidating (and okay, it was a little), Steph brought up the fact that we should be honored that they would suit up and be THAT ready to face us. We all knew deep down inside that she was right. There shouldn’t have been any doubt that we were going to win. Of course, there’s always that bit of nervousness inside of us, as thoughts like “it was close last year, what if they’re faster this year”, “I’m tired, they’re not”, “that one breaststroker is too fast” ran through our minds. But as the team meeting went on, as everyone described what they wanted for themselves and what they wanted for the team, our nervousness became excitement and our doubts became confidence. As we all looked around the room, we saw our teammates: people we can trust, people we kill ourselves trying to beat in practice, people who work their butts off, people who swim and dive for HARVARD. WE were the ones to beat. WE. ARE. HARVARD.

From the start of the meet, the 200 medley relay that was just a few tenths of a second from breaking the team record, to the last 400 free relay where Sara Li went a :49 split in the 100 free, we showed Columbia exactly who the defending Ivy League Champions are. The entire meet everyone was up on their feet cheering and the times were AMAZING. Assistant Coach Chris even reported to us later on the results of Florida State upsetting University of Florida, and it turns out that we would have beaten Florida State that day. It was amazing just how fast we could swim knowing we had the support of our teammates behind us.  We swam with our hearts, and it paid off.

HWSD with the traditional post-meet "HIP-SAH" cheer after the meet vs Columbia

The next day, HWSD and HMSD held the Alumni Meet.  Alumni got to come and compete in short, fun events, and it was one giant reunion/meet and greet. Actually, for the women, it was one giant fun social event, for the men it was one giant fun dogfight. Some people even put on those banned ankle-length fastskins to get more “into it”. After that, it was the annual Harvard-Yale football game.  The stands were packed, and the two teams were pretty much tied until the last few minutes of the game when Harvard scored an extra touchdown and won the game!

All in all, this weekend was just a great weekend of victory for Harvard. As for HWSD, our next meet will be the Georgia and ECAC Invites.  I know for a fact that Harvard is going to make a huge statement on the swimming nation and we will show them that we are more than ready to fulfill our role as champions.

HWSD Love! <3

The Game!

THE RACING SEASON IS UNDERWAY!

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At Harvard, Sundays are not the most fun day of the week. It’s a day to catch up on sleep, but more importantly to catch up on work. Honestly, Sundays are boring.  But as I sit here at my desk, looking at all the work I have to do today, I am still smiling on the inside. While I write this blog post, I cannot get out of my mind how fired up I still am about what HWSD has accomplished this past weekend. I’m Sara Li, one of the captains and a junior sprinter on HWSD, and I am constantly in awe at the amazing ability of each of my teammates, and how we all come together to form the power of this team.

This Saturday was our season-opener against Cornell and Dartmouth. Our first meet of the season, everyone was pumped to finally get out and compete, with the freshmen especially ready to experience what being a part of HWSD actually means. Everyone’s high spirits were evident as we boarded the bus to prepare for our 8 hour bus ride to upstate New York. As each of us opened our SP (secret psych) gifts we felt their support and thoughtfulness, even though our SPs remain anonymous throughout the year. Unfortunately, the divers had left separately and we were not able to travel there together, but swimmers and divers alike knew that this meet would set the tone for this season. We were excited to show the rest of the Ivy League how hard we have been working every day at practice. As Margaret Ramsey, one of our freshmen, said in our team meeting, “I’m excited to finally race. I’m excited to swim for HWSD. I’m excited to actually see our team’s traditions in reality…. I’m just really excited!!!!” Gotta love that freshman enthusiasm.

After a restful night’s sleep and a fun dynamic warm up in the hotel pool in the morning, we finally arrived at Cornell’s pool, where we got to watch our divers compete on the 1 meter boards and see Brittany Powell and Amanda Largent finish 1-2! After cheering on our divers (D-I-V-E-R-S Harvard divers are the best!) it was the swimmers turn to race our hearts out. All in all, we won 12 out of 14 swimming events and crushed 8 of their pool records. We even broke one of our own records, with freshman Kendall Crawford going 55.04 in her 100 backstroke! Needless to say, there was some fast swimming happening. But aside from our record-breaking performances, however, people on our team were stepping up across the board. There were lifetime bests, in-season bests, good turns, good finishes, and beautiful underwaters. Even though the freshmen were probably nervous for their first collegiate meet, freshmen Sherry Liu and Marlee Erlich conquered the 1000 free and got the momentum going, and the whole team fed off each other and kept up the energy up until the very last event.

Throughout the meet, everyone learned from each other as we each gave it our all in the pool. Kyle Cutter, our assistant volunteer coach, sent out an inspiring email to the team before we left. In the email, she explained how we should be “building a bridge” this season, taking the good and leaving the bad from last year. I think that this HWSD has taken those words to heart- this meet definitely showed that the team we have this year is amazing, even though in a completely different way from last year. We are all so excited to finally be underway with our racing season and I expect many more memorable races and dives to come. Our first meet was nerve-wracking, inspiring, and exhilarating all at once. Judging from this first meet, quite frankly I would be scared if I was another team in the Ivy League.  HWSD has definitely shown that it is ready to go.

"H-A-R-V-A-R-D!" The team gathers for a cheer to kick off the swimming portion of the meet at Cornell.

Just Keep Swimming

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Hi everyone, it’s freshman swimmer Shori Hijikata here, writing this week’s post having survived the action of this week’s historic Hurricane Sandy. (Or as we fondly called it, “Frankenstorm”.) Firstly, a shout-out to those reading this post who have family and friends in the regions affected by the hurricane – our thoughts are with you and we hope that you are all doing okay!

This past Monday was ‘historic’ for Harvard as it was only the third time in the school’s 376-year history that classes were cancelled. So not only was the day a freshmen first, it was an entire team first. For the students, it meant a rare opportunity to catch up on schoolwork, appreciate the convenience of microwavable meals and enjoy movie marathons with friends as the rain pounded the grass outside. For us swimmers, is also meant a few extra hours of sleep, as morning practice was pushed back to midday. Laughing about the oddity of walking to practice with actual light in the sky, we made it to practice in one piece and were ready to hit the water to do what we do best.

But walking back outside after completing yet another challenging practice, the sky had morphed into an ominous and angry grey. Though the winds were deceptively strong, between our car pools and linked arm huddles, we were safely able to reach the swimmer’s ultimate post-workout location: the dining hall. And another team lunch meant another opportunity for bonding. I love how much time our team spends together and how quickly us freshmen were made to feel a part of the team, even before we arrived on campus just over two months ago.

This week also marked the transition into Phase 3 of our dryland program. With our unbeatable combination of lifts, jumps, slams, throws and presses, we can feel ourselves getting stronger and it’s exciting to see it translating into fast times in the water. With our first official swim meet of this season less than a week away, we’re practicing harder, swimming faster and bonding more as a team each day. Training with these girls is an absolute inspiration and I can’t wait to join this unstoppable force of black and crimson next weekend.

After all, if Sandy couldn’t stop us, I don’t know what can. :)

”We survived Frankenstorm!” The team cheering at the end of practice