Tonight is the first of three nights of Sports Night, a time-honored Mercy tradition since 1979. Previously the school celebrated field day, but to honor the hard-work and dedication of parents and alumnae who lobbied, recruited, fundraised and built the new sports complex, Kieran Hall, a new tradition was born!
As a Freshman, students are assigned a team - Dots or Stripes - and so as not to cause turmoil at holiday dinners, families are “grandmothered” onto the same team. If your mother was a Dot…you are a Dot. Each team picks a theme, and coordinates dance, exercise, cheer and kickline routines supporting their theme. Games and races are thrown in for good measure. Judges score routines and the team with the highest points wins.
For those of us who have witnessed and participated in Sports Night, it is truly a spectacular experience! All of the skills and talents you could hope for in a young women….creativity, passion, artistry, intelligence, humor, athleticism, teamwork, compassion, friendship…are on full display.
We beseech all of you - the Sisters of Mercy, parents, alumnae, friends, community members - to watch, participate and question….how can we allow this to end? When there is so much “wrong” in our world, how do we not do everything in our power to support what is “right”? We reluctantly understand that it is not possible for the school to remain open in September, but does this mean that there needs to be an end to Mercy, and Sports Night, forever?
Tickets are still available for Thursday and Friday’s performances, and the school will be livestreaming the event Saturday night. Watch last year’s event HERE.
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