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On Their Own Dime
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spotlight sports
Students participate in non school-sponsored activities Jacob Paschal Reporter
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tudents at BV West rarely gather at Friday night lacrosse matches, hockey games or horseback riding competitions. Instead, they usually pack the stands at football games in the fall and basketball games in the winter. Yet even without school support, many students participate in a variety of sports. The participation is high for these “unsponsored” sports; the question is “why bother?” Some kids choose the sport they want to participate in by finding out what sports their parents participated in, while others tend to choose on their own. This is what leads them to pick the sport they desire, and love. Some of these sports are lacrosse, hockey, and horseback riding. These are all not school sponsored. Without being school sponsored, they don’t receive money from the school to buy their uniforms or any gear that they need or transportation they need for out of town events. Lacrosse is a sport that is growing rapidly in our generation. Lacrosse is also referred to as “lax.” The lacrosse players at West tend to wear pennies and their lacrosse shorts to show their pride. In the BV district, there are two lacrosse teams with different schools that feed into the team. The first team is the BV West Jaguars, who have players from BV West, BV Southwest, and Mill Valley High School. The second team is the BV North Mustangs, with players from BV North and BV High. “We practice Monday through Friday every week, which is a lot of work” said Brad Dickerson, a sophomore that has been on the West team since 8th grade. “But it’s a lot of fun to play the game that I love.” The BV West Jaguars were formed in 2002, with the
help of supportive parents and players. Big additions have been made over the years, with the creation of the BV West Jaguars website, a booster club, and funds for an end of the year banquet for the team and parents. Lacrosse can be an expensive sport to play. “It costs around $350 to $400 to buy gear,” Dickerson said. “It can also range around $50 to $100 to repair
The Jaguars lacrosse team tries to win the ball in a face-off. They were playing the Lancers lacrosse team. Photo courtesy of Brad Dickerson
a broken stick or pocket, and you usually go through 4 or 5 a year.” Hockey has also been a popular sport around this area. With the recent shutdown of Pepsi Ice Midwest, it is hard for coaches and teams to find places to practice and play games. “I have to drive at least 45 minutes to each practice out at KC Ice” sophomore Ty Ennis said. “Plus we practice three to four times a week, which gets a bit stressful when I have a lot of homework and have no
time to do it.” Along with lacrosse, hockey can also be an expensive sport to play. “I usually break about two sticks a year, and each one can cost around $200 if you get a nice one,” Ennis said. “The gear can cost about $500 because there are a lot of different layers and pads you have to buy to make sure you’re safe.” Hockey also has out of town tournaments. “The farthest I have been is a city in Texas, which was about 12 hours away,” Ennis said. “Out of town tournaments are always fun because you get to stay in a hotel with your team and play hockey, which is a good mix.” Finally, horseback riding is one of the most expensive sports that in which students participate. A single horse can cost around $5,000, along with the supplies and the housing of the horse at the stables. “Horseback riding is a lot of fun because you can do it as a recreational sport, or as a competitive sport,” junior Katie Jo Wernes said. “Not to mention, it’s also very relaxing and fun to be around the horses.” Horseback riding can also be a very dangerous sport. You could easily get injured from falling off your horse, and landing the wrong way. These falls could lead to broken bones, or even more severe injuries. “I fell off my horse and injured my back, so I’m not allowed to ride anymore” said Wernes. “But I took a job at a nearby stable and groomed and bathed the horses.” Just because a sport isn’t school sponsored, doesn’t mean it’s not popular or isn’t fun. Many of these students like to play the things they do because it is different and that makes it special. Every sport is unique in it’s own way, and that’s what makes them fun.
Sports Briefs, continued Girl’s Tennis
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he girls’ tennis team will be hoping to start the season well to help their postseason chances. Coach Rhodes has been preparing all of the players for their upcoming matches and tournaments. Luckily they have plenty of impact players back from last season including senior Ariel Mittleman, junior Bristol Miller, and freshmen Katie Fries and Lisa Erhart. The schedule ahead will be tough and there are several important games to keep an eye on. “Our match ups with each of the Blue Valley schools are always intense and then Regionals are always tough too,” said Coach Rhodes. “BV North is the team we always chase. But SME is also a team we have to constantly look out for. We have two great tournaments in Wichita and one on the Plaza in order to play the best teams from both Kansas and Missouri.” They are looking to build off last season’s success by working hard in the offseason. A successful season is clarified differently in every sport, for the girls tennis team there is a common goal shared by all of the players and coaches- to win more matches and have fun doing it. “We want more wins to losses and improvement from all of the players.” said sophomore Olivia Matthews. A successful season on the court is hopefully on the way for the Jaguars this year. “The best part about Coach Rhodes is that she inspires us to work our hardest and maintain a positive attitude,” said Matthews.
Boy’s Soccer
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Alec Aguirre and Harrison Whitney Reporters
oy’s soccer team will be looking to follow in the footsteps of last years’ state championship team. They are also excited to live up to their new motto, “Same dream, different team.” To achieve the success the team is hoping for they will need to listen and learn from coach Aiman. “Every player brings something to the team and all are valued,” said coach Aiman, “We have a smaller team both in size and numbers so everyone will have an impact on our success.” Repeating as state champions won’t be easy, especially since the roster lost so many key seniors from last season. The schedule ahead is another challenge that the team faces, with every game presenting a different test to the club. “Every EKL league game is big,” said senior, Andrew Miller. “And coach helps us win games with his leadership.” Every day after school you can find varsity practicing and getting prepared for the upcoming game. The practices consist of several drills and scrimmages to make them as game-like as possible. “We train everyday working on the same stuff,” said coach Aiman, “We should be able to out pass any team we play against. We don’t worry about what the other team is going to do. Instead - we focus on what we are good at.” This season will be much tougher but that hasn’t gotten any of the players’ hopes down. The returning varsity players will help lead the team in the direction they want to go, and coach Aiman will put them in a position to win.