Nathaniel Potrepka – illustrator
This past Spirit Week, UR came out on top with electrifying victories against NYU from both the Men and Women’s Basketball teams.
Their victories were inspired by their supporters, covered in face paint and spirit merchandise.
During halftime of the Women’s game, free t-shirts were flung into the crowd while a group of girls came onto the court to play.
These girls are members of a fourth grade team from Penfield Youth Basketball.
This youth league based in Penfield, a suburb of Rochester, aims to develop the skills of youth in the local town by conducting clinics, training sessions and competitive league games. The teams consist of girls ranging from third grade to fifth grade.
UR Women’s Basketball Head Coach Jim Scheible was excited to have these girls working with the University team.
“Our team did a clinic at the Eastside YMCA on Jan. 4 and they were in attendance,” Scheible said. “They wanted to come see the team play after we conducted the clinic. Several of them also come to the [UR] camp in the summer.”
What does their appearance mean to the UR campus community? For one, they brought their spirit and passion for the game of basketball to our campus for a short period of time.
Small gestures like this can create an ongoing network with the Penfield community and the University of Rochester Athletic Department, according to Scheible.
Coach Scheible commented, “We are excited to have local kids at games as they bring a lot of energy and support. In addition, it is fun for our players to get out into the community to promote UR and our team. These are some pretty good players for their age and you never know if they might want to play at UR someday.”
All told, who would’ve imagined that a fifteen-minute appearance could have such an impact on our campus spirit?
Moving forward, the UR Women’s basketball team hopes to continue to make an impact on the Rochester community by supporting youth programs to help develop young girls into athletes and to foster a community that encourages them to stay physically active.
Gulston is a member of the class of 2016.
