“Hard work” the JV girls volleyball team chanted in a huddle last Wednesday. The call echoed the walls of the Cate Gymnasium, but the scoreboard taunted Thacher with a 13-8 lead, favoring the home team. Cate fans filled the stands in the fleeting minutes of the final set and Thacher’s Coach Vyhnal set the scene for his team: “ You have set the stage for what could be the greatest victory a JV match has ever had.” And it was. Freshman Laura served seven straight points and the Toads home with a delicious taste of victory.

At the Thacher School the students strive to be good athletes, and commendable players. At the end of the game, we often refer to the “second scoreboard” to gauge not the score of the game but our effort as competitors. We commend good sportsmanship and being a good sport is not merely shaking your opponents hand at the end of the match. As Mr. Mulligan noted at last Friday’s assembly, the second scoreboard is there to assess whether or not we played our best game. No surprise that there is often a correlation and when you win one scoreboard, you  also win the other. However, it is with the second scoreboard we note not just the results of the game, but also the feeling the process endured. Therefore, it seems to be that second scoreboard that makes us crave our next win.

Wednesday’s game left our JV squad salivating for another victory, and sure enough they took home another win Friday afternoon in their match against Laguna Blanca–an accomplishment no other Thacher JV volleyball team has been able to achieve in recent history.

“Hard Work!” Is not just a chant for these girls, it’s a commitment!