On the sunny morning of Sept. 27, I was up at 9 a.m. on a Saturday. I know, we slave all week long at school and finally, when we get a day to sleep in, it backfires. Normally, I would be upset to find my wonderful sleep time terminated, although this Saturday was different. This was the Saturday our local soccer teams and cross country teams looked forward to. This was the Saturday of our annual homecoming.

I woke up smiling and jumped out of bed because I knew today was going to be a great day. I ate breakfast in moderation out of a “goodie bag” I had put together the night before. It was made up of granola bars, cereal, gummi worms and apples. For beverages I had grabbed a Gatorade and water. This was just what I needed to maintain natural energy during an important game. I rushed to the school with my gym bag, goodie bag and warm up suit all neatly organized. It was a beautiful morning to play soccer. When I arrived I was bummed to find out that both parking lots were filled and I would have to park across the street, in the parking area our town uses for the Monmouth Fair. I hurried out of my car, grabbed my stuff and ran across the street to join my teammates in the crowded and excited locker room. I put my stuff down and ran out to join the rest of the teammates who were on the hill.

Every year, we spray paint our big hill that overlooks the field parking lot. Last year, we inscribed the words “YOU CAN’T TOUCH THIS,” our team motto. This year, we decided upon drawing a soccer ball and writing the words, “CRAZY ‘STANGS,” our mascot and motto for this season. However, this year we had to do it the morning of the games due to heavy rain the night before. Sophomore Alex Gauthier, a teammate, and I ran around looking for the sound system to play our warm up music that help pumps us up before games. After a long and hard struggle, we found it and asked another teammate’s father to help us hook it up. We got it done just in time but were only able to hear three songs due to the microphone being used to announce the winners of the cross country races.

As a team, we then ran down the hill, as we do every home game, and began warming up and stretching before our game. Our game started at 11 am. We were hyper and anxious to play our game and as a result ended up winning over Dirigo with a score of 1-0. The boy’s JV soccer team was also playing at the same time on their field and won their game against Mountain Valley 3-1. When these games were over, the fans allowed themselves a bathroom break and treated themselves to the concession stand. The girls and boys’ soccer teams went over to the center of both fields and the seniors gave their parents hugs and roses.

At 12:30 p.m. the boys’ varsity soccer team began their game against Mountain Valley winning overall with an outstanding score of 7-1. At the same time, on our field, the girls’ JV soccer team played their game and lost, unfortunately, with a close game of 2-1.

The Boy’s and Girl’s cross Country teams also competed in a home race with the boys winning and the girls losing to Wiscasset by one point. Overall, it was a great homecoming that helped the teams move up in their conference. We all know what helped us win that day was the support and cheering of our community as we battled our way to the finish. So thank you for all the people who got up early on their Saturday morning to support their local sports teams. Also, we thank the past Monmouth Academy graduates for coming back from college to support us.

After the games, we all rushed home to begin getting ready for our yearly homecoming dance. Being a girl, we all know how long it takes us to get ready. Our hair has to be just perfect, our make-up outstanding and the dress? Thats another story. Every girl knows how important it is to make sure you have an original dress that suits yourself and your personality. For me personally, it took almost ywo hours to do my hair and then another two getting ready. Most couples go out before the dance for supper and then arrive at the dance after. This year the dance lasted from 7:30-10:30 p.m. After an hour and a half of bustin’ our moves and nervously slow dancing with that special someone, it was time to announce the homecoming king and queen. This year’s winners were junior, Bianca Cloutier; and, senior Brian Gardner. The last hour and a half was the same as before. People dancing to the fast beats and floating to the soft. As far as I know, no girl had the same dress which made everyone’s night a little easier.

When the clock struck 10:30, all the girls gathered their shoes and the boys gathered their overshirts. All the fun had ended and all the hard work that was put into looking good was over. It was now time to head home and add more memories to our scrapbooks. For us girls, our dresses were retired to our closets, probably never to be worn again and our hair stuckout with all the leftover hairspray and gel. For many it would take hours to get out and days of replenishing. For some, it would be their last homecoming at Monmouth Academy and for others it was their first. Nonetheless, it was a safe homecoming and left many anxious for next year’s.