‘Tis the season! Lakeland Lancers were spreading cheer and doing good deeds for others in the 2023 holiday season. Lakeland’s winter track team decided to spread some good, by buying and wrapping gifts that were donated to children at Paterson’s School #15. In addition, Lakeland wrestling started a sock drive to also be donated to St Paul’s Community Development organization.
Winter Track’s Service Project
For the second year in a row, the Lancer winter track team donated and wrapped presents to donate to the children of Paterson’s School #15. While wrapping the gifts before winter break, the team also used the practice as a way to get into the holiday spirit, as many of the athletes dressed up as Santa Claus, elves, or even the Grinch. Senior shot put thrower, Connor Struble, opted to show off his best ugly Christmas sweater instead. In addition to the athletes, coaches Mrs. Melissa Walker and Mr. Damiano Conforti also dressed up, with Coach Walker as a Christmas tree and Coach Conforti as a snowman.
In addition to donating to School #15, this year the team also “adopted” a student, a girl, by buying her specific gifts that she had asked for this Christmas. Sophomore Hope Walker was “excited to see everyone’s wrapping skills.” When asked about how she felt about the service project, “It was definitely a great way to build team chemistry early in the year.”
Coach Walker called it “one of [her] favorite days of the year.” She stressed the importance of her team “becoming better athletes and better people everyday.” It’s safe to say that this service project definitely helped these athletes become better people.
Wrestling’s Service Project
The Lancer wrestling team decided to join in the spirit of giving by starting a sock drive. This campaign was spearheaded by the captains of the team, seniors Jack Bergmann, Victoria Sabatelli, Cooper Struble, and Sean Walker, and Coach Joseph Cervino, who wanted to emulate winter track’s holiday spirit by starting a service project of their own.
The team opted for it to be a sock drive, as most wrestlers are known for their signature “sock tuck” in which they tuck their pants into their socks. The team coined the phrase “everyone deserves a sock tuck” to incorporate the wrestler’s sock tuck with the service project through the use of a slogan. The team also chose to start as a sock drive as many underprivileged individuals are often left without warm socks during this cold time of year.
Captains Walker, Sabatelli, and Bergmann put their heads together and created a flier to advertise the drive, which was posted on the T.V. ‘s throughout the school.
It’s safe to say that winter track and wrestling were in the spirit of giving this holiday season! Both ran extremely successful service projects, and impacted the lives of many individuals.
