Volleyball

Photo | Cassidy Smith Morgan Harvey, Hoyt, sets the ball to keep the rally. Harvey has 105 digs so far this season. Photo | Cassidy Smith Aubreigh Haxton, Argonia; McKinley Johnson, Lindsborg; and Cameron Letcher, Kansas City, all celebrate after the team scores a point. All three were freshman on the Blue Dragon team. Photo | Cassidy Smith Kristina Head, Lyons, and Sophie Connor, Derby, go up for a block. Head had 57 block assists so far this season.

Welcome to the Block Party

Second-year coach continues building her team.

Photos & Story | Cassidy Smith

Hutchinson Community College volleyball has had a booming season so far. The energy and support goes from the sideline, to the court, to the crowds. Teammates on the bench are always hyping up fellow players and setting the mood for the games. On the court, players are always positive no matter how the game is playing out. In the stands, Blue Dragon fans are loud and proud.

Last year, the team was forced to play their season in the spring, due to COVID. This year, things are back to normal and their fall season is in full action. The season is rolling and the girls are getting back into the swing of things. Second-year Head Coach, Delice Downing is finally getting to start the Blue Dragons year like it should be.

“This is the norm,” Downing said.”Everyone doesn’t get a full semester to prepare; they have to jump in and play with what they got.”

HutchCC is hosting volleyball

nationals and the Blue Dragons are working very hard to be able to play on their home court.

Downing has been coaching for 18 years. She graduated from Coffeyville Community College then furthered her education at University of West Alabama and was a dual-collegiate sport athlete. During her second year as the head coach she is still getting to know the girls and getting into the routine.

“Learning about Hutchinson itself is a big challenge I’m trying to face,” Downing said.

This team not only has 168 aces on the court so far this season, they also ace their classes. Balancing school work, practice, games, and still being able to have a social life, they have to put in hard work on and off the court. Getting behind is not an option if they want to play the game they love. Just like any other college student, these girls are busy, they manage to pass the ball and their classwork.

“My advice is to talk to your professors in the beginning and let them know when you need help,” Aubreigh Haxton, Argonia, said.

Even though the team has big blocks, some teammates grew up on a much smaller one.

Aubreigh Haxton, Argonia, said, “Hutch is so much bigger than my hometown, so that was quite an adjustment. I like that there is a bigger variety of students here at Hutch.” While Letcher is from a bigger city she said, “I love how close everyone is to each other, but I do miss the big city.”

Even though the players may not come from the same background they all get along as a team.

With a long season still ahead, Haxton is not only a great addition to the court, she is a member of the Blue Dragon family.

“We all love each other so much and get along better than any team I’ve ever been on,” Haxton said . “We are a team who wants to win and we put in the work to get there, pushing each other everyday at practice.”

Downing said that the girls are each other’s keepers, referring to the movie, “My Sister’s Keeper.”

“They are literally like my sisters,” Cameron Letcher, a middle hitter from Kansas City, said, ”We are so close to each other.”

These girls take care of each other, on the court they are a team, off the court they are a family. Being back to a normal season, the energetic coaching staff will set the team up for a great rest of the season. Come out, be loud and proud, Blue Dragon volleyball is on its way up.

Date Opponent Aug. 23 Ottawa University JV Sept. 1 Cloud County CC Sept. 3 Otero Junior College North Platte CC Sept. 4 McCook CC Iowa Western CC Result W 3-1 W 3-2 W 3-0 W 3-2 L 3-1 L 3-0

Sept. 6 Butler CC Sept. 8 Garden City CC Sept. 10 Neosho County CC Rose State College Sept. 11 Trinity Valley CC L 3-0 W 3-0 W 3-2 W 3-0 L 3-1

Sept. 13 Colby CC Sept. 15 Dodge City CC Sept. 17 Trinity Valley CC

L 3-1 L 3-1 W 3-0 Jefferson College W 3-1 Sept. 18 Missouri State Univ. - West Plains L 3-0 Laramie County CC W 3-0 Sep. 20 Garden City CC W 3-0 Sept. 22 Pratt CC W 3-0 Sept. 24 Barton CC L 3-1 Sept. 28 Seward County CC L 3-0 Oct. 2 Highland CC & W 3-1 Cloud County CC W 3-2 Oct. 6 Seward County CC Oct. 7 NE Okla. A&M College Oct. 8 TBA & Tyler Junior College Oct. 9 TBA & Missouri State Univ.West Plains Oct. 13 Colby CC Oct. 15 TBA, Mineral Area College & Vincennes Univ. Oct. 16 TBA Oct. 18 Dodge City CC Oct. 20 Butler CC Oct. 23 Pratt CC Oct. 27 Barton CC

Results as of Oct. 5, 2021

Photo |Cassidy Smith Blondie Penaflor, Las Vegas, Nev., celebrates after a kill. Penaflor had 182 kills so far this season.

Photo | Cassidy Smith Rachel Easom, Houston, Texas, digs the ball at the last minute for a save. Easom played as one of the libero on the team.

Stream, Binge, Repeat - Continued from page 19

growing streaming platform of all time, securing 10 million subscribers in one day and 26 million subscribers by the end of 2019.

“I really like the wide variety of content available on Disney+ with old and new movies, shows, and especially most of their Disney+ original series. The Mandalorian and Star Wars Visions stand out to me because of the sheer value and effort put into them. Not to mention I just like Star Wars,” Breadon Martin, Hutchinson, said.

This boost in subscriber numbers for Disney+ may be what inspired the massive amount of streaming services that have been launched recently. Services like HBO Max, Peacock, Apple TV+, and more have been released to varying amounts of success, with older streaming services like Hulu and Showtime lagging behind in content and user numbers.

April Gulder, Hutchinson, who uses Hulu as her main service, said “(Hulu) should add newer movies because they have a lot of older movies so I wish that they’d add more current stuff.”

For some, this volume of available content can make the current streaming climate difficult to navigate. Deciding which service has the right shows while also keeping up with what’s coming to and leaving each service, which services can be bundled together, and how much each subscription costs is hard to keep up with.

“I would say so because there’s a lot of streaming services, so it’s hard to figure out things like which show is where and if it’s on multiple services or just one, so I would say it’s pretty difficult,” Gulder said.

So what does the future of streaming look like? With streaming services adding features like original content and premiere access to theatrical releases, streaming has been poised to overtake traditional brick and mortar movie theaters, and with the recent drop off in ticket sales due to a global pandemic, many believe that theaters may soon die altogether.

“I think the future of movie theatres is bleak,” Martin said. “With the onset of online streaming and simultaneous releases, movie theatres will need something unique to keep them going, and their overpriced nature

plus public setting is not helping them. Movie theaters will certainly die out if they cannot innovate.”

Movie theaters won’t truly disappear because of streaming however. Even with the rising popularity of movie and TV streaming, theater ticket sales are beginning to see a new rise as more begin to open up again. In the end, one thing is certain, as long as movies and TV shows exist, there will always be a new, efficient way of viewing them.

“Movie theaters will certainly die out if they cannot innovate.”

-Breadon Martin

Don’t Worry Be Happy - Continued from page 3

can blame being unhappy on bad events and not understand that the root of happiness is in the choices they make and how they perceive things. This class is an “exploration of happiness” according to Lau, it is a way for students to learn new ways to de-stress and focus.

“A lot of students will try out these different activities and go, you know, I didn’t realize how good it feels to walk outside without my phone and just pay attention to the way the air feels and the sun on my skin,” Lau said.

Being present in conversations or classes is hard for some students. When practicing mindfulness, it allows the body to be focused on relieving that stress.

“Honestly I don’t think back to that class often, but if I were to keep it in mind, I think meditation and other methods of achieving mental relaxation would be helpful in stressful situations,” Serena Chantra, Fairfield, said.

Meditation takes practice and dedication. Being able to put aside all the chaos from the day and focus on having a positive mind is hard to do, especially for college students. Taking 10-15 minutes before starting the day to relax and start off on a positive note can help understand mindfulness and how it truly helps. For some, it may be helpful to receive tips on how to

meditate effectively. Lau suggested a free application called Headspace or watching YouTube videos. Graber said, “I’ve attempted practicing meditation and mindfulness, which is a huge part of this course, and it has proved to be useful from time to time.” College is difficult. It may appear overwhelming and time-consuming, but it all boils down to attitude and perspective. For busy students, “I think meditation and other balancing all of the pressures and stresses methods of achieving mental of adulthood can be relaxation would be helpful in tough. Fortunately, our stressful situations.” campus offers a course to help students learn -Serena Chantra that they have control over how they handle stress. If a student finds they are struggling, take a break. Block out 10 minutes of the day and meditate, think positive and from the wise words of Bob Marley, “don’t worry, be happy.”

Fighting the Freshman 15 - Continued from page 23

Other students stay active by different means of exercise. Some never see the effects of the dreaded weight gain, while some may say it’s not a true statement for all college freshmen.

“No it’s not an accurate statement, because I’ve lost weight,” said Goetz who is in a fitness class for fire science.

According to studies, the Freshman 15 is not actually 15 pounds.

The Washington Post stated, “weight gain is common during freshman year, 15 pounds is more than the average. The actual weight gain of freshmen varies greatly among different studies, with an overall average of seven and a half pounds.”

“I try to combat the Freshman 15 by watching my portions.”

-Harley Goetz

Portion control can be one way to help fight weight gain.

“I try to combat the Freshman 15 by watching my portions,” Goetz said.

Overall, balance is key, eat healthy foods including fruits and vegetables. Staying active by incorporating fun workouts like walking with a friend or dance parties can be beneficial. The Freshman 15 isn’t something to be feared, it’s something students can overcome and can take the fear out of it one step at a time.