The CG Buddies program has been something that unites the school, and really the town of Cary, for as long as it has been around. It has brought Cary-Grove a new level of joy, fun, excitement and entertainment.

But then, COVID hit and CG Buddies stopped in its tracks, just like everything else going on at the time. 

The whole country experienced a pandemic unlike any other, one that taught all of us that the things we do and experience should never be taken for granted. 

COVID brought us together in many ways, but what really brings us together are the traditional, elation-filled events that are the building blocks for our happiness in life.

Thursday, October 14, provided a night at Cary-Grove High School that really brought the town of Cary together again after the COVID-19 hiatus. 

The CG Buddies participated in their yearly soccer match that night, with the CG Buddies leaders helping out and cheering on the stars playing on the pitch. 

Before the game started, the players from both sides and the Buddy leaders ran through a tunnel made by the cheerleaders. After that, the player introductions came, then the national anthem, and finally, on to the games! 

Goals were scored in bundles on both ends of the field, with a lot of cheering and overall elation seeing the students out there having fun and experiencing their own night of fame. 

It didn’t end there. At halftime, the students and CG Buddy leaders took part in a flag dance, with the CG Buddy stars waving the flags and expressing smiles from ear to ear. 

The end of the games brought more fun and joy, with the players holding custom-made signs, walking along the fence and high-fiving the parents and fans, just like the football players, and taking a team picture. 

What a night, not only for the players on the pitch, but the school, the town of Cary, and everyone out at Cary-Grove High School rooting for the awesome soccer match that is provided each year. 

These nights that we are able to experience remind us of how much we want to get back to these traditions. Any time you get to see students, really anyone, have a night of fame that feels like one in a million is awesome. 

Let’s hope we get more nights like this in the near and far future. 

For now, CG Buddies is officially back, and this soccer match is not the last CG Buddies-related sports event. Basketball is next – let’s hope that is a three-point swish!