The coming of spring is always an exciting time of year, especially when the temperatures are warming up and the drive to school isn’t in pitch-black darkness anymore. Everyone seems to be motivated and happy, making it the perfect time to start the last season of high school sports. This year the girls have a broad variety of sports to choose from, including fastpitch, tennis, lacrosse, track & field, and water polo. Although there are fewer options, the boys can opt for either baseball, golf, or track & field. The athletes are all excited for the start of the season.
Some people start their training early to be as ready as possible for tryouts. The head coach for track & field, Mr. Eager, has organized winter training for the athletes to get in shape for the season. Many participated in the program where they got the opportunity to practice every day after school in between the fall and spring seasons. “It was a good way to progressively improve but not cause injury,” said Joshua Minner (10). He is excited to achieve the physical goals that he and his coaches have set for him, as well as trying to spend as much time as possible with the people on his team. One of them is Annika Hsu (9), who also took advantage of the winter training program to get herself as ready as possible for her first year of high school track. She has a little experience from doing the sport in 6th grade but is excited to take it more seriously this year. As an avid long-distance runner, she is aiming for the long and mid-distance category. She is very excited for the season to start. “I’m most excited about running with friends and meeting new people,” said Hsu. This year there are just short of 150 people signed up for track, so the chance of getting new friends is high this year!
Girls water polo ended their previous season with a 3rd place finish at State and are looking forward to another successful season this year. Zoey Nichols (12) has been a part of the team and devoted herself to the sport since she first tried the sport during her freshman year. She spends a lot of time in the pool all year round, whether that is with the school’s swim and dive team during the fall or practicing water polo with her club team during the winter. “It was much easier to transition into the high school season already having that practice, not being completely out of shape,” said Nichols. Her goals for her last high school season are to get better at offensive shooting and to defend a whole set, as well as the team making it to the top 5 at state.
Another devoted club player is Hallie Hunter (10), who has played softball since she was 5 years old. She has always had a love for the sport, which started when she was outside simply hitting with her parents and sister. She is optimistic and believes that they will have a victorious season this year. “I feel like we’re going to have a really good team this year and that we will win a lot of games and hopefully make it far into state,” said Hunter. In addition to athletic success, having fun on the field is just as important. “I have so much fun out there just sharing the most enjoyable and memorable moments of the year out on the field with my friends,” said Hunter.
In addition to excited returning players, there are also many new athletes who have signed up this year. Natalie Eckerdt (10), who has been a golfer since, is ready to welcome all the freshmen into the golf team and help them improve their game. She is looking forward to playing matches. “I think it’s going to go really well for us,” said Eckerdt. Her main goals this year are to get a straighter drive and to learn from her mistakes every day. “I think I’m going to get a lot better, and I really like my coaches too, which will help,” she said.
The anticipation is high, and the students are all excited for the last season of sports to begin, whether as a participating athlete or an avid supporter. We wish all of our teams the best of luck and hope that they will have a successful and enjoyable season!