While parents were at the polls for Election Day, children were on the fields, enjoying a day of fun and learning from many Staples athletes. Staples teams such as field hockey, soccer, cheerleading and lacrosse held clinics this year.
The girls’ soccer team has run an Election Day clinic for the past four years, each year gaining an attendance of more and more young players. This year, the team set up shooting drills, small sided scrimmages and one vs. one drills that the players rotated through. Kindergarteners through fourth graders played from 9-10:30 a.m, followed by fifth graders through eighth graders, who played from 10:30 a.m-12 p.m. In total, 103 girls participated. Girls’ soccer’s main goal was to make sure the kids have a good time.
“The Election Day clinic is an amazing tradition that brings the community together each year,” Natalie Chudowsky ’26 said. “It’s a great opportunity for the kids to do some fun drills and competitions. There’s also a raffle at the end which the kids are always excited for.”
For the kids, getting to know the high schoolers is their favorite part. Many of them recognize players from watching them in games, and they are always so excited to learn from them. Girls’ lacrosse loves to build connections with the young players and are always eager to share what they love with the next generation.
“It’s really fun to interact with the kids and give back to the youth program,” Katie Fitzgerald ’25 said. “We had a great turn out and it was beautiful outside so it was a really successful day.”
These clinics are a pillar in the Westport community, as seen through the large turnouts and constant return of so many of Westport’s youth. Staples cheerleading is one of the most popular clinics, especially because kids get to learn what being a Wrecker is all about.
“We split them into groups based on their age and then taught them some of our cheers like ‘blue and white’, ‘m-o-v-e it’, and ‘who rocks the house’,” Caitlyn McGrath ’27 said. “They learned dances, jumps, stunts and got to create routines they performed to their parents at the end.”
