The WCHS family is built on many things, but one strong foundation of the Bulldogs community is athletics. Sports teams give a sense of belonging, spirit and connection with other students and these qualities are especially present when teams succeed. This past season, many WCHS teams have taken the WCHS name to state and regional championships. 

“My favorite part about going to states is the tradition of spaghetti dinners, and the bus rides,” varsity cross-country senior Lauren Kuo said. “We all just sing and have fun and enjoy the day as a team and not stress about the race.”

Spaghetti dinners, or “spag dins”, are one of the many traditions of WCHS runners. For state championships this year, the athletes made special state quarter zips and ribbons to spread spirit. 

The 2019-2020 athletics season saw victories from the varsity girls volleyball, varsity girls soccer and varsity cross-country. Although these are all varsity teams, each group of athletes partakes in the teams’ different traditions and customs. 

“Our biggest tradition is definitely that when you make varsity, you learn the meaning of P3,” varsity soccer sophomore Gracie Yoon said. “I love our beach trip that we take together during preseason because it’s the first chance we get to bond as a team.”

P3 is the secret code of the team that has been a tradition for ten years on the varsity team, and its meaning is revealed to the players at a special ceremony. 

The progress the teams have made and the team traditions allow the WCHS community to come together, spreading spirit among students, staff and parents alike. That being said, sometimes the successes do not come easily at first. 

“I think that our team really stepped up as the season progressed,” Yoon said. “Going into the playoffs, we had just finished a somewhat disappointing regular season. However, we continued to work hard and stay focused and with each game we improved.”

With the strength and perseverance of any WCHS student, the girls soccer team rose to the occasion, winning the regional championship. 

Girls varsity volleyball is no exception. They raised $2,545 for their Dig Pink game spreading awareness for Breast Cancer month and with the end of season banquets and sleepovers, these girls are more than a state semi-final championship winning team, they’re a family. 

Students and staff alike enjoy going to the games to see the Dawgs take the win. These successes have boosted the pride of WCHS and given motivation for teams to try just as hard for more years to come.