As high school nears its end for the Class of 2021, seniors are participating in their final seasons of high school sports. Over the past four years, they have made countless memories, friendships, and valuable lessons while participating in Rosary’s athletics, and many shared how playing sports has continued to make a positive impact on their lives today.

Volleyball player Daphne Ruffier ’21 said creating friendships and bonds with her teammates was her favorite part of being on the team. Daphne’s most memorable moment from volleyball was encouraging her teammates during games: “I will always remember dancing and cheering on the court when we would score a crucial point.” Volleyball has had a significant impact on Daphne and has taught her to manage her day-to-day life: “Volleyball at Rosary has taught me a lot about the importance of teamwork, resiliency, and consistency.”

Lolani Blas ’21 has played soccer and softball for the past three years and joined the cross country team at the beginning of her senior year. Lolani recalled her favorite memories from soccer and softball and said, “The most memorable part of soccer was the Arizona trip. I loved getting closer with the girls, which helped us play better. For softball, I’d say the most memorable part has been the van rides. We’re a smaller team, so we became a real family by driving everywhere together.”

Although Lolani has only been on the cross country team for a short amount of time, her favorite part of running on the team was mile repeat days: “I enjoyed mile repeat days because we were in it together, and even though it was challenging, we found solidarity in the discomfort.” Rosary sports have impacted Lolani by helping her be an effective leader, and by helping her encourage others to lead as well. She shared this transformative experience: “I’ve gained a voice to become a great leader. I have also had a great opportunity to get to know upper and underclassmen.”

Noelle Bermudez ’21 ran track and cross country and said the most memorable part of being on both teams were competitions: “The most memorable parts were the meets when I was having fun playing the sport I love with my best friends.” Noelle also mentioned that the biggest impact cross country and track had on her was being able to meet and get to know new people: “Playing sports during my years at Rosary was great because I was able to meet new people and have such wonderful experiences running with my friends.”

Senior Giselle Castaneda also ran track and cross country. The most memorable part of participating on both teams for Giselle was getting to spend time with her friends: “We just got to hang out while doing something good for our bodies. Even during track when we got to practice at Servite, it was awesome to make more friends there and talk to everybody.” Giselle also loved getting smoothies from her coach every time she would set a personal record at a meet or race: “This kind of fun encouragement had a positive impact on me because it taught me to have a healthy mindset. I became invested in keeping my mind and body healthy after being on the cross country and track teams, which is super important during this day and age.”

Playing sports at Rosary is a very positive experience, and these four girls will remember every moment on their respective teams for a lifetime. Although high school is coming to an end for seniors, they will take Rosary’s spirit of hard work and competitiveness wherever they go.