SPORTS

February 27th marked the beginning of the spring sports season, and with five teams running full force on campus, it is Garfield’s busiest sports season of the year. Here’s a look at the teams.

Track

A surge of new people joined track this season. With 200 students on the team this year, it is the most populated sport at Garfield. This is because it is one of the few no cut sports and according to long distance runner Kamil Zeri bi, very accessible. “Anyone can do it. You don’t need ma terials… you just show up and run.” Zeribi said.Though track season officially started on Feb ruary 27th, the long distance team has been preparing for months. They have had preseason practices six days a week since January, “It’s cold and it sucks, but it’s good preparation,” Zeribi said. Running long distance takes a lot of time and effort. “Progress isn’t linear, it’s very much exponential,” Zeribi explained. This confidence carries over to the short-distance team as well. “I feel like it’s game where you have to deal with the pressure and be confident in yourself. The Garfield team tries to have a team envi-

Garfield spring sports preview.

By Kennedy Greenfelder, Asmah Bah, and Eli Silver

ronment where we can be supportive of each other, “ Taylor said. Some prominent players to look out for are Lakelle Bridges, Sydney Vinnedge and Kai Murphy. “We are trying to play well, hoping to make it to state and keep fighting hard,” Taylor added.

Softball

For the first time in almost a decade, there will be both a varsity and junior varsity softball team at Garfield. While this is exciting, it brings unique challenges to the program. “Our coach decided to have two really small teams, but not by necessity. People were cut and we have small teams. Which doesn’t make sense,” Scarlett Baebler, varsity softball player said. “People are going to be over worked.” This will be a problem if a team member gets injured. “It seems [like] everyone gets hurt at some point,” Baebler said. With only nine people on the JV team and nine players on the field at a time, it doesn’t leave much wiggle room.

Baebler is looking forward to many things this season, especially playing non-metro teams. The team will be travelling to places like Burlington and Vancouver, Washington to play. But Baebler is most looking forward to the connection she’ll have with the team. “You make unique friendships and strong bonds doing school sports.” Baebler explains, “community is big from day one… there’s no judgement, it’s very ers, including freshman pitcher Eli Hurst and sophomore Prince Davis, will anchor the team for years to come, while senior ace Ben Bennet will look to have another dominant season. Several big names appear on Garfield’s schedule including

torically Roosevelt

and Holy Names have been very good. But she is not overly con

Hogan be lieves that with proper prepa- ration and the right attitude, anything can happen. “I think the sky’s the limit. I think with the talent we have we can make it all the way to state. If guys are showing up, playing loose, not letting the moment overtake them like it did last year, just competing and having fun.”

Soccer

Boy’s soccer is back and bigger than ever. “Over 100 people signed up this year which is a record high for Garfield,” varsity captain and junior, Cooper Haley said. Players reported a fun but challenging try who did make the team look at the positives. “The coaches they set a really clear standard for what they wanted to see,” said varsity player James Carey, “They’re looking for players who not only have technical skill and ability on the ball but also a mindset where they have a good attitude, they’re tenacious, they want to work hard for the team, and they really want to win.” Varsity looks ahead to a season packed with close games. “Last year Lincoln had their way with the league, it’s going to be a really big challenge for us.” Haley said. However with proper preparation, both Haley and Carey believe the team has what it takes. “I think we have a team with a lot of mental strength and because of that we have the ability to go far,” Carey emphasised. The team also possesses a fair bit of talent, and potential young stars. Santiago Celis who moved to Seattle from Colombia last year is looking to build on a productive last season, and sophomores Itamar Iron-Jobes and Yanis Dillo could see breakout years. “They’re two smart, hard working players [and] with one year of varsity soccer already under their belt, I’m looking forward to what they can do on the field,” Haley said. Like many years, the team’s hoping for

Bulldog baseball heads into the spring season in a metro league packed with solid teams. Luckily, the team con tains quite a bit of promise itself. “Hitting wise we have a ton of depth. We have a lot of guys putting in a ton of work,” varsity captain Ollie Hogan said. On the defen sive end several promising young play

Art by Kennedy Greenfelder