Karaoke, game prep and getting ready: how NGU sports teams spend their bus rides
Ava Henderson, Staff Writer
Photo Courtesy of Ben Leikam
Some sing, some prepare for the game and some make themselves look game ready. Regardless, all North Greenville University sports teams fill their bus rides to games the best way they can. It looks different on the way to games versus on the way back from games, but no bus ride is ever boring.
The Trailblazer baseball team is most known for how the spend road trips. They sing karaoke. Someone on the team is in charge of bringing a Bluetooth speaker and a microphone that connects to it. Once set up, stars of the game get first dibs at karaoke coming back from games. On the way to games it’s first come first serve.
Ian Squires, junior right-handed pitcher, said, “Obviously coming back after a win is when there is more hype on the bus, but we try to do it regardless of the score to bond and boost morale.”
This tradition started a few years back, in order to help the team relax before a game and to unwind after. The team has enjoyed doing it, and the upperclassmen have made sure the tradition doesn’t go anywhere. It’s so popular that the team has also been seen doing karaoke on ESPN’s social media.
“We really love our white girl music,” senior shortstop Mason Swinney said. “Honestly, that’s the most popular genre the team sings.”
Songs such as “Baby” by Justin Bieber, “Party in the USA” by Miley Cyrus and numerous Taylor Swift songs are team favorites.
The baseball team attributes their success to this tradition, because it helps bond the team while also getting them hyped for a big game. It’s also a fun way to celebrate after a win, with a song like “All I do is Win” by DJ Khaled.
While the baseball team spends their bus ride energizing themselves, the softball team likes to take this time to calm down and finish getting ready.
Sydney Price, sophomore infielder, said, “We have some girls that will braid hair the entire way there to make us look cute on the field.”
Taking time to braid a full teams’ hair covers a majority of the ride to the game. While this is happening, coaches and lead players will go over game strategy and give pep talks to get everyone in the right mindset. The entire drive there is focused on getting the team zoned in and ready to play.
“I like to sit down by myself in the back of the bus and do a devotional,” said Jordan Slocum, junior centerfielder. “This helps me get in the ready headspace and remember that I do everything for the glory of God.”
On the way back, just like the baseball team, they like to take that time to chill and take a deep breath after a long seven-inning game. Some do homework, some watch a movie, and some also turn on their favorite post-game songs and jam out.
The football team has two very different bus rides on the way to and from games. On the way, the ride is spent getting the team locked in and going over important game information, such as plays to remember and lineups. On the way back the team will celebrate if they won, and if they lost coaches will go over what went wrong and how to fix it for the next game.
Redshirt junior running back Reggion Bennett said, “We have a routine on the way to games that we follow very strictly to prepare us for the game.”
On the way back from wins, they sing and unleash their personalities. However, on the way back from losses, they’re serious and listen to what coaches have to say about the game.
“All of us stay focused before the game, and after the game we get to relax and have fun,” Bennett said.
These bus ride traditions may be different from team to team, but it’s these traditions that make the teams who they are. All athletes hope these stay for good and also want to find new ones to enjoy with incoming players.
