The football team here at YLHS is full of talented athletes. Both on and off the field these boys prove their excellence. In addition to the stellar football boys, the coaching staff is some of the best. The efforts of many go in to the perfected performance of the football team, but some go continuously unrecognized. One of these groups includes the YLHS Water Girls. Although their title may not sound all that glamorous, these ladies put in hours of work to prepare for game time.

This year’s water girls are Lily Johnson (12), Madison Miller (12), Alyssa Jamison (12), and Maddie Freund (12), all being seniors. The title “water girl” does not really give the full picture. These girls arrive at the school about two hours before the whistle blows. During these two hours the girls fill up all of the gatorade water bottles with ice and cold water, which they then bring to the players as they warm up. Then they meet with Jose Aldama (Staff), the equipment manager, and make sure that all headsets are functioning properly so the coaches have a smooth-sailing game. 

Once the game starts the girls split up on separate sides of the field. Waiting on the sidelines, the girls have completely refilled the water from the warm up and are ready for the boys to call for water. As one boy goes on the field and another comes off, these ladies stand along the bench anticipating a parched athlete. When timeouts are called the girls rush out to the huddle and pass out the gatorade bottles so everyone is properly hydrated. Once halftime rolls around, the Water Girls follow the boys into the locker rooms where they refill the bottles and prepare to repeat all the tasks they performed in the first half.

When it comes to away games, the routine is a little different. The girls arrive at YLHS 45 minutes before the bus leaves so that they can fill not only the individual gatorade bottles, but also a gatorade cooler which gets filled completely with ice and water. Together, the girls lift the heavy cooler and water bottles and load them into Jose’s truck. Once they arrive at the foreign field, the girls empty the truck and also help Jose bring out the rest of his equipment he uses as equipment manager. After that, the ladies help Kate Buckner (Staff), the athletic trainer, setup all of her equipment as well. The same cycle as home games is repeated during the actual game. After the games the girls help clean up all the equipment and load it back on to Jose’s truck.

Without knowing the job description of a Water Girl, the task may sound effortless. As seen in movies or in books, being a Water Girl is not much work at all. The Water Girls at YLHS prove that stigma to be anything but the truth. From getting all the waters and coolers filled so the football team can be hydrated, to preparing all equipment so that the coaches do not run into any unnecessary problems, the girls are working nonstop for hours on end. Although it may be hard work, Madison Miller (12) believes that “it is worth that feeling of accomplishment after every game”. The success of the YLHS football team would not be what it is if it were not for the constant hard work of YLHS Water Girls.