October brings a lot of promises: cooler weather, leaves that change color, lots of pumpkins, and, of course, sports. The overlap of the end of the Fall and the beginning of the Winter sports seasons means that the Forest is alive with competition, games, and meets.
While classes, competition, and practices matter the most to the athletes, there is also a lot of time for some other great October traditions. One seasonal experience stands above the rest during the month of Halloween: carving pumpkins. It’s everyone’s favorite fall activity (besides winning), and some Foresters have made it a team tradition.
At the very least, it’s a great way to break up the grind of training and add a little festive fun into the mix. Volleyball and women’s tennis, basketball, and soccer have all created some amazing pumpkins the past few years and turned the activity into an annual teambuilding experience.
“We started carving pumpkins about twenty years ago when I first started coaching. I always wait until almost Halloween because you can get a better price on pumpkins, and I thought it would be an inexpensive way to get together as a team outside of soccer. We pair up the kids so they have to work together, and I’m always surprised at how creative some of them are. We also do a Halloween practice, and later a Gingerbread house decorating contest,” says head coach of the women’s soccer team, T.R. Bell.
Women’s tennis has completed their competitions for the season, and volleyball and women’s soccer are wrapping up their seasons in the next couple weeks. Women’s basketball will begin their competition season on November 8 against MSOE and will have their home opener against Marian on November 12.
Men’s basketball opens at home on November 9 against North Park, women’s hockey on November 15 against St. Scholastica, and men’s hockey on November 13 against MSOE.