Although there are plenty of sports at Bolles, one can’t help but wonder if we can do better.

A diversification in sports could increase camaraderie among students and give them something to look forward to besides usual mundane sports practices that involve running and weightlifting.

Although most schools don’t have sports such as cricket and archery, mostly due to funding and space, it’s nice to imagine a Bolles where such unique activities exist. We must remember that at Bolles, all things are possible.

I spoke with students to get an idea for what sort of sports they would like to see at Bolles and how they would differ from what we already have.

In an ideal world, Graham Ungrady (’17) wishes we could bring back quidditch. “Besides being able to fly around on a broomstick,” Ungrady said that “quidditch is not only great exercise but it also allows a someone to grow as a person through friendly competition.”

Mr. Stam who was in charge of the quidditch club actually claims that “the game has never ended.”

The goal of quidditch is to catch the golden snitch and “Matt Morris who graduated a few years ago is the golden snitch.” No one has ever caught him.

Stam says, “he’s really fast over long distance like he ran a marathon without training.” He adds, “he’s really fast over short distance too so no one has ever kept up with him.”

So perhaps what we need is an awakening of quidditch.

On a more serious note, Kuba Korek (’16) would want to see rugby brought to Bolles because “it demands an incredible amount of determination, hours of practices and strong will from the players.”

Even though rugby shares similarities with football, Korek believes rugby requires more effort.

But rugby also “introduces a different culture unlike most of the sports currently held at Bolles.” said Korek. Although a foreign sport, “It is also quite preppy,” and so perhaps it would be a perfect fit for Bolles.

Upon mentioning this to Mr. Stam, he responded “if we have rugby we’ll also have 18,000 broken knees.”  

Kayla Fender (’17) wants to see fencing brought back. She claims to have “enjoyed doing it for the short time I could,” and during that time Fender’s “reflexes improved a lot” she said.

But the issue with fencing is that “it is rather expensive,” said Fender, a factor not everyone considers before signing up for a sport. But perhaps the pros would outweigh the cons, after all “schools don’t normally have it” making fencing a pretty unique sport to have.
Whether it’s flying on brooms or poking each other with swords, perhaps Bolles stands to benefit from diversifying its sports program.