Originally published in print in November 2025. View print issues here.

At Branham, some sports have teams that don’t compete officially and instead are represented in clubs. These sports include ice hockey, surfing and chess.

Junior Yannick Fandli participates in both Branham’s hockey club and the joint competitive team with Leigh. 

“At Branham, I don’t feel included,” Fandli said. “All these sports are being mentioned and talked about, but there’s never anything about hockey. If there was a hockey team, I’d definitely be glad to feel represented, and it would be nice to be fully a part of the school.”

He says forming an official Branham hockey team would require generating more interest within the student body.

“We’d need to advertise the sport because I feel like it’s very unpopular, and there’s not too many people that play at Branham,” Fandli said.

Senior Maayan Grinstein is the president of the Surf Club at Branham. He presents about surfing at club meetings, but he wants members to have the opportunity to experience surfing in real life.

“Surfing is in the Olympics, which helps to gain a lot of recognition,” Grinstein said. “I do wish we could take the Surf Club to the beach one day.”

However, at Branham’s Chess Club, members play both physical and digital forms of the game. Senior Owen Smith, president of Branham’s Chess Club, enjoys the atmosphere of the club.

“Everyone here is pretty knowledgeable about chess, and it’s a very chill environment.” Smith said. “No one here is heavily competing, and if we are, it’s for a good game, so it’s a lot of fun.”

Additionally, Smith provided details in relation to how the club is already successful with its current practices, sharing how being a small person group is impactful.

“Having a smaller, more fun group that likes to do chess every Wednesday is better than a big tournament between different schools because then it becomes forced to play so often, rather than doing it for fun,” Smith said.

However, for students who play other sports, Smith shared optimism for allowing them to compete as Branham athletes.

“I know tons of friends who want to do ping pong, hockey, archery, fencing, all sorts of other sports that they have to do outside of Branham,” Smith said. “If that were to be incorporated in Branham, it would get a lot of people to join.”

Heather Votava serves as Branham’s Surf Club adviser. She shared optimism for students to continue creating clubs relating to sports.

“There is a club for everyone here at Branham,” Votava said. “I love that about our community. If there isn’t a club, create that space for yourself and your friends.”

In addition, Smith shared how he thinks clubs could eventually adopt a competitive aspect, carrying a coach and players on the team.

“[The clubs would need] funding and a lot of students to be interested in playing,” Smith said. “I definitely see other other sports starting out as clubs, but then becoming an actual sport.”

Over time, more sports clubs and teams will continue to emerge, though it leaves room for wondering what is to come in Branham’s future.

“When someone is passionate about something [and] when people feel that sincerity in their passion, it’s contagious,” Votava said.