First-Time Athletes

Rookies Ris ng

By Angelina Buell and Jeneen Doctor A HS offers a variety of 19 sports. Most people have joined these sports at school because they have former experience in the sport. However, there are some students who have never participated in a sport before and have only started in AHS. Below are six students who started a new sport in high school.

Sophomore Johnny Pham joined swimming last year. Pham was first thinking of joining track but later joined swimming after he heard how fun it is. He knew how to swim but not well enough to join a swim team. He had a hard time learning the different strokes, but as time went on, he began to get comfortable in swimming and this made him a better swimmer. Pham is most excited to try out new strokes this upcoming swim season.

“[I am] mainly excited about trying out new swim strokes because I mostly freestyle, but this year I want to try backstroke. Swimming now has become one of my hobbies that I like to do,” Pham said. • Sophomore Johnny Pham - Swimming

Senior Alyssa Hayward first joined cross country during her senior year. She originally played softball, but her friends convinced her to join cross country.

“It was new; it was definitely the last sport I would have picked because I have played softball since I was four, and I played through my junior year; then I quit. So I needed to find something else, and I decided to do cross country,” Hayward said.

Senior Daniel Williams had a disease called Osgood Schlatter which makes it harder for him to run, jump, and squat. Around sophomore year, he was able to start running more and joined cross country when he heard about it through Coach Andrew Eckloff. Williams started to get better with his condition and found the sport intriguing. “I was really interested in that because I was starting to get better with my condition and I really wanted to run,” Williams said.

Now Williams has grown to love the sport and the competion it comes with.

“The thing I liked most about the sport was the competition and it is something I am passionate about because I really love running,” Williams said. • Senior Alyssa Hayward and Senior Daniel Williams - Cross Country

Junior Miguel Yanez and Junior Arturo Garcia - Track

Junior Miguel Yanez heard about track through his friend and joined. Yanez wanted to get fit for soccer, and track helped with that. He believes that running laps is not hard, but some of the workouts are. Junior Arturo Garcia joined track because his mom forced him. The hardest part of track for Gracia is sprinting because he does cross country and he is most comfortable with long distance. “I would say it’s sprinting. I don’t like sprinting,” Garcia said.

Both will continue track in their senior year because they want to make state.

“We want to make state,” Yanez and Garcia said. •

Freshman Deloris Allen-Vaughn joined the girls’ golf team freshman year. She never played golf before, but after she played in a summer camp, it sparked her interest. The challenge Allen-Vaughn experienced while learning how to play golf was learning how to hit the ball. Even though it was difficult for her to learn, she is joining golf again next year because golf really interests her now and she has no other sports to do. Allen-Vaughn is planning on playing golf next season and does not regret joining this year.

“I do not regret it because it was a new experience, and I like experiencing new things,” said Allen-Vaughn. • Freshman Deloris Allen-Vaughn - Golf

Photos | Jeneen Doctore