Sports Night 2026: Showman Seniors Take Home the Trophy

Maria Tsevdos

On March 22, the 2026 Sports Night season officially came to an end. After a month of hectic practices and a busy Spirit Week, each grade went above and beyond on the dance floor, on the tumbling mats, and in the stands, proving their hard work and creativity.

Sports Night ended with the Fast and Furious Freshmen in fourth place, the Shipwrecked Sophomores in third, the Junior Miss Juniors in second, and the Showman Seniors in first. The seniors’ win was well-deserved, as the Class of 2026 has truly worked from the bottom up these past four years.

My class had a rough start with Sports Night. We placed fourth in our freshmen year—which is to be expected—and again in our sophomore year. However, that loss in 2024 (sophomore year) was exactly the kind of push we needed. It told us that we needed to start giving our all to Sports Night.

A year passed and the next Sports Night rolled around. We placed second. And not just that—we also earned the most points in tumbling. Our junior year was the boost our confidence needed; it was this small success that proved our hard work had paid off. It showed us that we did have a chance at winning Sports Night.

From that moment on, the Class of ‘26 had one goal in mind: winning the 2026 Sports Night trophy. And on March 22, we reaped the success of that dedication, taking the win with 318.5 points.

But the points that handed us that win weren’t just earned on Sunday; they also came as a result of our creativity during Spirit Week. On Monday, we filled the halls with lavish red, black, and gold decorations, and we even brought in a clown to greet students as they walked through the doors.

The next day, the Junior Miss Juniors covered the school in pink, pink, and more pink. On Wednesday, the Shipwrecked Sophomores greeted students with a pirate, along with various pirate-themed decorations. Finally, the Fast and Furious Freshmen decorated on Thursday, covering Fontbonne’s halls in traffic lights, road signs, and other roadway-oriented decorations.

Spirit Week closed off with an intense pep rally that Friday. The pep rally began with a dance-off between the grades. After a final dance off between the juniors and seniors, the juniors took the win for “bragging rights.”

Relay races followed the dance off. This year's relay races brought students’ competitive spirit to life in a way that Fontbonne hasn’t seen in a while. After some passionate races and furious chants, the win went to the seniors. Each grade truly put their blood, sweat, tears, and teeth (see Mr. Somma for more information) into Sports Night.

After the races, the final volleyball games were played, and the sophomores took first place. The last volleyball game marked the end of quite a monumental Spirit Week.

Bright and early on Sunday morning, each grade performed for students and teachers before all other guests arrived. As always, we all watched, admiring (and judging) their shows, while weighing our own strengths and weaknesses. After dress rehearsal, each grade left the gym to handle some last-minute preparations for their final performances.

After the final performance, grades competed in a basketball shoot-out. The juniors took a quick win with a total of 5 points.

Soon after, final scores were calculated. Each grade huddled together on the floor, anxiously waiting for the results. As the first few scores were revealed, it became clear that there would be a battle for first place between the juniors and seniors.

As the scores were announced, there were a few particularly nerve-wracking moments for my grade, especially after the juniors earned the most points for their skit (which was, I’ll admit, very funny). The anxiety rose after we tied in multiple categories, like dance and song. However, there was a moment of relief when the tumbling scores were shown, and we learned not only that we’d won, but that we’d also received a perfect score.

When final scores were revealed, we didn’t even give Ms. B enough time to finish reading our score before we began to jump and cheer in celebration of our win. Sports Night is one of the last milestones of senior year, and for the Class of ‘26 it ended just the way we wanted.

Sports Night is an integral part of life at Fontbonne, as it is one of our core traditions. Each year, my class learned something new about Sports Night, and these lessons helped lead us to our senior year—our winning year. Together, we learned about the importance of determination, creativity, and teamwork. The struggles and successes of each Sports Night season taught us patience and resilience; but more importantly, it brought us closer to one another.

Seeing my grade connect after each loss—and especially after our win—proved to me that it is truly Fontbonne’s greatest tradition. Sports Night represents all of Fontbonne’s core values, and when you put everything into it, it will give you the greatest of them all: sisterhood.