By Abby Chong, Co-Sports Editor
On Tuesday, Feb. 4, the Conestoga girls’ basketball team celebrated more than 50 years of the team with a halftime celebration.
During the celebration, alumnae from various girls’ basketball teams were honored, recognizing their contributions to the program and the growth of girls basketball at Conestoga over the decades. The event gave former players a chance to reconnect, share memories and reflect on how the sport has changed overtime.
“It (the celebration) was really very nice. It brought back a lot of memories,” alumna Susan Benton Clover said. “I was able to go back to my memorabilia and find newspaper articles, things I hadn’t thought about in many decades, and then get back in touch with some people who I haven’t seen since graduation.”
Benton Clover was a senior on the 1973-74 Conestoga girls’ basketball team that won the Central League for the first time for Conestoga. She recalls the competition and strong friendships she made on and off the court.
“I was just so fortunate to be on such a talented team, and we played really well as a team,” Benton Clover said.
Juliet Corderio, a 2000 graduate, was among the alumni in attendance at the event. Corderio played on the girls’ varsity basketball team for four years, was the team captain her junior and senior year and became the third girl in Conestoga history to score 1,000 points.
“I love how much basketball has grown. Many years ago, it was like women didn’t play basketball. And then they started playing,” Corderio said. “Now WNBA, women’s rights and women’s sports came about. How much it’s grown is really beautiful.”
David Schmidt, a parent of a current player on the team, played an essential role in organizing the event. He first began planning the idea of a halftime celebration after reading an article by Ted Dahlberg, a local sports writer. This article detailed the 1973-74 season where girls basketball won the Central League Championship.
“I thought to myself, how neat it would be for the current team to walk down a little bit of history and meet the true pioneers of girls basketball at Conestoga,” Schmidt said.
Schmidt then contacted Dahlberg and together they began reaching out to former coaches and athletes. Schmidt’s idea came to life through a halftime celebration that was hosted Feb. 4.
“Giving women the opportunity to play sports and encouraging them and allowing them to excel and shine is important,” Dahlberg said. “That’s a big part of this whole event. It’s a great source of pride for Conestoga High School, not just for basketball.”
Abby Chong can be reached at achong@spoke,news.
