A hurricane is often considered one of the most destructive forces of nature. The same could be said about the Hurricanes who sweep across the artificial turf at Rockville Sportsplex with skill and expertise, taking no prisoners on their way to total domination.

The Hurricanes are an indoor rec soccer team comprised primarily of CHS students. The team includes seniors JP Bouquet, Matt Brothers, Ben Culleen, Maddy Jacobs, Bret Johnson, Mark Kato, Rachel Marincola, Adela Miller, Krista Quicker, Vinay Rao, Justin Settlage and Andrew Shebest.

The team was formed in the elementary school days when a couple  of players decided to gather some friends and join a rec soccer league. Original members of the Hurricanes have left since the team’s first season several years ago, but the replacement players have filled in seamlessly, all the while contributing to the laid back atmosphere of rec soccer.

“There is no pressure to win, only to have fun,” Johnson said. “We have been playing together since elementary school, and we just mess around.”

Although the team’s overall record was less than impressive, the players focus less on the result of the games and more on the camaraderie that they have developed throughout the seasons.

“No matter how bad or good we played, we were always cheering for each other,” said Miller, who played defense on the CHS girls varsity soccer team. “We lost the majority of our games, but at every game we rooted for each other like we were the best team that ever played.”

Certainly, a positive attitude is preferable when it comes to recreational competition. No one appreciates someone who takes it too seriously and slide tackles others for no reason. In fact, being laid back allows members of the Hurricanes to create lasting memories.

For Rao, the best memory of the season was going to IHOP after losing to a team 16-2. He didn’t mind the defeat because he was able to enjoy a moral victory with his teammates in style.
Even though the season ended in mid-March, Hurricanes players are still representing the team they love. Around the halls of CHS, the proud players wear the red and black Hurricane sweatshirts and purple Hurricane t-shirts.

“Sometimes we coordinated sweatshirts on game days,” Johnson said. “Now, we just wear them like normal clothes.”

Overall, the indoor soccer season was an unusual success for the Hurricanes. Performance is not the point of rec sports. The purity lies within the experiences shared between teammates and the bond formed when a team of seniors plays for the fun of it.

Perhaps the Hurricanes will act as a model for future CHS rec teams. Gather a group of friends who don’t take themselves too seriously and the result is a memorable experience.