Imagine walking through the hallways of school and seeing your peers’ hair dyed blue, or in mohawks or cornrows. While this may seem unconventional or strange for a typical high school, it becomes the norm as  as postseason games approach.

Each year, Staples varsity sport teams decide on a fun hairstyle to do, in preparation of the FCIAC and state tournaments. For the 2019 fall sports seasons, Staples girls’ field hockey, girls’ swim and dive and the football team have all taken part in this tradition. 

In honor of the homecoming game, the football team shaved their hair into mohawks. Although the hairstyle was not exactly required, the majority of the team voluntarily participated in shaving their hair. 

“The mohawks are not mandatory and we heavily emphasize that, but it’s also a great bonding activity,” captain Jake Thaw ’20, said. 

Though many received their mohawks from team members, Thaw and some other athletes went to Supercuts to have their heads shaved. 

In addition to the football team, the Staples girls’ field hockey team did cornrows on the side of their head, and the Staples girls swim and dive team dyed a streak of their hair blue. 

“We get the cornrows as a good luck charm and keep them in until we lose,” field hockey team member Ava Ekholdt ’22 said. “So far we have had them in for a while and hopefully we can keep them in throughout states.” 

Not only do the hairstyles provoke team unity and bonding, but they also hold a tradition for all teams. 

“The simple answer for why we do it is tradition,” Thaw said. “I was raised into this when I came into this program and I think it’s a really fun experience for all of us.” 

This tradition has been going on for many years at Staples and will continue for years to follow.

“I love seeing all my friends with fun new hairdos because it shows how passionate they are about there sport,” Jenny Bradshaw ’23 said. “It helps to show the school spirit of our Staples varsity sport teams.”