Iron volleyball took a break from practice on Oct. 17 to focus on team bonding, holding a pumpkin painting competition in the senior cafeteria.

The 16-player roster’s competitive spirit was on display as the athletes spent nearly two hours perfecting their creations.

Gallery • 17 Photos

Image Courtesy of: Ms. Christine Konopasek

That was time well spent, according to head coach Ms. Christine Konopasek.

“I feel like there’s something to be said for working to the best of your ability and taking pride in what you’re doing,” the coach said.

The roster seemed to share that sentiment on Thursday.

“The girls,” Konopasek said, took the competition “super, super seriously.”

That effort paid off, as nearly 70 Community staff members reviewed the athletes’ artistic creations and voted for their top three favorite pumpkin paintings on Friday afternoon, far exceeding the players’ expectations.

“They thought I was gonna have like three teachers vote,” Konopasek said, “and I was like, ‘Oh, we should have all of them.’”

The three pumpkins with the most votes will earn their creators a $10 gift card of their choice.

This pumpkin painting contest is just one of the volleyball program’s yearly bonding activities designed to foster team spirit.

“Every match that we play is listed on the board,” the coach said, “if you win the game that corresponds, you get to pull the piece.”

“Sometimes there’s something on the back,” Konopasek said. “It’s like a little prize, an incentive, a team-building thing.”

“It might be like Portillo’s shakes. It might be pumpkin painting. It might be a day off,” the coach said. “And sometimes you don’t win anything because sometimes you just have to go play.”

One of the team’s 18 victories this season earned them a pumpkin painting day.

The team’s focus on team bonding can be traced back to Konopasek’s own high school volleyball experience.

“My high school volleyball coach was very team-oriented,” Konopasek said. “When I was in high school, we had team themes.”

One year, it was stars; another, it was hearts; another—butterflies.

“She would have us over to her house for team meals before every home game,” the coach said. There was a stuffed bear awarded to players throughout the season.

Konopasek has integrated these concepts into her program because these moments are what the coach remembers most about high school; years later, these memories remain, not who won which game.

“I remember riding with one of my teammates to Mrs. Akey’s house and blaring music,” Konopasek said. “I remember what her favorite songs were [from] when we were in the car together.”

Those experiences are what Konopasek wants to provide her athletes with similar experiences where they can create memories both on and off the court.

“While we want them to like volleyball and we want them to have fun playing volleyball,” Konopasek said, “I want them to think of this as something that was enjoyable for them outside of that, where they got memories with their friends and teammates.”

“Sometimes,” Konopasek said, “seasons go better than others.”

But these memories won’t rely on how the team played at a tournament or in conference. They will instead be “positive and fun to look back on,” no matter how the season ends.