Varsity basketball celebrates senior girls
With a roar of cheers from friends and family, Naomi Chew, Ava Kim, and Sofia Tom, walked out onto the court, starting the girls basketball senior night ceremony on Feb. 5.
Kicking off the celebrations, each senior walked out through a balloon arch, arm in arm with those who lifted them up throughout their basketball career. Each senior brought their loved ones, both the family they were born into and the one they made along the way, through the arch in honor of their contribution to their athletics career.
As each senior walked through the arch, another player would get on the mic and give a speech about her teammate.
“I enjoyed giving a speech for them [Kim and Chew] and everyone else just to thank them for the past years and memories,” said senior captain Tom.
Throughout the ceremony, the seniors had a chance to reminisce on their time on the team, with friends holding silly and supportive posters as their family and team rooted for them. Seniors shared touching memories, sharing how their basketball journey shaped them to where they are today.
“It was a memorable moment that made me grateful for the team I had and made me know that I was going to miss the seniors when they leave,” reflected varsity freshman Sarah Yang.
“The ceremony was entertaining and it felt extraordinary, especially from seeing other people’s senior nights in the past it was crazy seeing how fast time went by,” said Tom.
Though the actual game was hard-fought and tough, it wasn’t as important as the occasion and the people who showed up around them. The girls just wanted to have fun… and preferably win.
After the game ended, the team huddled together and congratulated their Class of 2025 teammates, bidding farewell to their time on the CVHS basketball court.
“Senior night was truly a bittersweet goodbye but I enjoyed spending that last game with my loved ones,” said senior captain Ava Kim.
Sadly, their senior night was right before one of our varsity boys basketball games, which caused a portion of the annual heartfelt closing celebration to be missed. Specifically, seniors would usually invite their loved ones onto the court after the game, receive leis, and take photos with friends. The team would shed happy-sad tears saying goodbye to the end of the 24-25 varsity girls basketball season and wishing the seniors well on their goals after high school.
“Senior night was definitely very memorable and it was really nice to have a night dedicated to the three of us, especially because I’ve played basketball with Sofia and Ava from a very young age. I truly enjoyed playing with both of them over the years. My favorite memory from my time on this team was definitely the potlucks we had and all the team bonding,” said senior captain Chew.