Sports Update 2017 by Foundations of Journalism

SPORTS UPDATE

SPORTS

APRIL 7, 2017

CRUSH

As the ice skating season and school year comes to an end, Yuhka Nikki ‘17 and Amirah Azhari ‘17 reflect back on the memories they made together

SPORTS

BY JENNA WANG Instantly when the cold strikes, you embrace it. There is a hint of hesitation in the chilly air as you stand with your partner in flowy dresses. There is no one out on the smooth ice. Your nerves start pumping. Just as the announcer blasts out you and your partner’s names, you give a tight squeeze, take a breath, and take the first glide. It is as if all the hesitation melts away. You are one with the ice and your partner as you take off, your blades rush against the ice and carving out your intricate swirling and twirling moves. There’s a freeing sensation, as if all of your worries are frozen away. The wind gently flows through your hair as you slow to an ending pose with your partner. You can’t help but smile at the roaring applause that greets you both. This is a sensation common to Yuhka Nikki ’17 and Amirah Azhari ’17. Passionate about figure skating, both of them have discovered their love for the sport long before they even met each other. “I started skating when I was seven years old. It was just a hobby that I found when I first moved to Iowa City, but after lessons, camps, and encouragement from coaches, I realized that I wanted to take it more seriously,” Nikki said.

“Honestly falling teaches you that you’re still learning. So never give up and keep trying. Skills don’t come in a day’s time.” -Amirah Azhari ‘17 For Azhari, however, she was given a choice between different sports that could have thrown her on a completely different course. “My mom and I were at the mall and I saw a group skating lesson,” Azhari said. “I thought that was a really cool thing to do and my mom gave me an ultimatum between figure skating or gymnastics … I decided to start figure skating.” With that determined decision in mind, both of them would wake up as early as sunrise to visit the frigid ice arena at the Coral Ridge Mall instead of sleeping in, when not another skater would be around. Their practices are usually between one to two intense long hours five days during the school week and six days per week during the summer. Upon setting their heavy equipment bags on the blue-black rubber blocks, they grab their pearly white skates with blades that gleam sharply in the light and quickly lace the strings up on their feet, speedily twisting the strings left and right across zigzagging knoches. Then they speed away on the ice, ready to skate the day’s problems away. The effortless ability to make hard moves look easy and natural flow out of them. The rapid warm-up laps take place followed by advancing into harder moves. After

performing a move to the best of their ability, they scrutinize their successes and weaknesses before moving on to the next move. However, on one day, they both discovered they weren’t the only ones who liked to practice early in the morning and late after schools. “Yuhka and I met when we were about 7 years old. I remember we had different coaches so we didn’t really talk to each other that much yet, but we would practice during the same time so it was more of a gradual friendship.” Azhari said. Nikki distinctly remembers how she felt when she first met Azhari on the rink as well. “Honestly, I was pretty intimidated by her at first. She was already doing jumps and spins when I was just starting to get comfortable on the ice. When we started to talk more, I realized that she was not only a very motivated person, but also kind and genuine. I’ve really enjoyed getting to skate with her for the past 10 years.” Throughout the years of skating, it ultimately became the practices themselves that brought the two girls together. “I remember in sixth grade, our moms made a deal with Todd, the rink manager,” Azhari said. “... we would skate in the mornings almost every other day before school so we had a lot of skating time together. We eventually became friends and closer friends with the amount of time we saw each other.” Nikki definitely agrees and says, “We spent so much of our time at the rink, and often it was just us two. We used to be the only ones who skated in the morning before school, and any time between practice and school, we would be talking the entire time.” Practices in closed rinks, however, is only one part of Nikki and Azhari’s skating careers. On other days, they’re busy at competitive ice skating competitions in Iowa, nationally, and even internationally, competing for the highest awards and prizes among the best of the best ice skaters. However, before the booming claps and whoops can thunder, Nikki and Azhari both spend many days reworking moves with private coaches, improving technique, and even bracing through inhibiting injuries. “I got injured in 2015 and ended up hurting the top of my foot,” Azhari remembers. “I’m still recovering from that.” Nikki also experienced her own tough times with her career, especially during her freshman year of high school. “When I was about 14, I experienced a lot of problems with my technique that I didn’t have before,” Nikki said. “It became discouraging, but learning to overcome it and to work harder to get back the skills I had gotten before taught me positive discipline. Regardless of all the tough practice sessions, the positive discipline and hard work has indeed paid off when skating for prestigious certifications. “When I received the scores indicating that I was a USFSA Gold Medalist, I felt very content. I had felt confident stepping off the ice, but my mind didn’t completely settle

APRIL 7, 2017

until I received the certification. It represented all the time I had put into the sport since I was 7, making the whole experience very rewarding.” Nikki said. Even though Azhari had suffered from a injury in 2015, she managed to fight through the pain on the ice and said with a smile, “I won the 2015 Malaysian Nationals and it was the most exciting thing. I was so thrilled because it was one of my best skates that year.” Underneath all the intense practices, stress for competitions, and working on serious polished numbers, Nikki and Azhari are still high schoolers at heart and love to perform various performances for the public for fun. “In 2015, we decided that we wanted to perform in the winter show together, so we created a Frozen routine. Making it and practicing it is always fun, and it’s become a go-to routine for us whenever we are asked to perform.” Nikki says. “There are also some iconic routine that have been performed by other people we know or elite skaters that we look up to. We like to play their music and try to imitate the routines together.”

“Don’t try to avoid the fall when learning something new. Going full out on a skill is the best way to learn.” -Yuhka Nikki ‘17 Nikki and Azhari also enjoy each other’s company outside of skating. “[Nikki] loves traveling, sushi, and she’s really fun to bake with too.” Azhari recalls with a laugh. Even though the ice skating competition season is coming to an end and senior year is gliding to a close, the friendship and ice skating relationship between them is far from over, and both have big plans for the future. “I plan to continue to skate when I go to college, hopefully continue competing, and teach as well,” Nikki said. “...I also gain inspiration from those around me, like Amirah, to push myself further in my practices. I think Amirah and I will definitely keep in track.” The feelings are mutual for Azhari as well. “I want to be able to represent Malaysia for competitions around the world and I think I’ll always be great friends with Yuhka. Everytime I hang out with her, we make lots of memories and jokes so it’s always fun to spend time with her.” No matter where their careers will take them in the future, there’s one thing for certain. They will always be the best of ice skating friends for years to come.

DESIGN BY SELINA HUA AND JIN LEE

04 SPORTS APRIL, 2017

SPRING SPORTS TRADITIONS

Traditona i8n Sports

Every team has it’s weird traditions. West High’s spring sports are no exception. Here we have highlighted four sports and their weird and interesting traditions. By Jasmine Beemon, Fatima Kammona, and Emma Druian

Baseball Spring is here so that means it's time for everyone to ditch those winter layers. Except for the West High baseball team. “One of our traditions is that everyone must wear sweatpants to every practice until the seniors finish school/ graduate then we can wear shorts to practice.” , said Braden Houston’18, “It's a tradition that's important to the seniors because it's one of our many ways of honoring them”.

Cheerleading Austyn Goodale’20, a cheerleader for West High explains what one of their traditions that they do, “A tradition we have for cheer is we all cut off a little piece of our hair and we take clear packaging tape and put everyone's hair between the two pieces of tape so you can see the hair.” Another cheerleader for West, Ayanna Rost’19 explains why these traditions are important to them, “These traditions are very important to all of us including the coaches because it really just brings us all together and helps us bond almost like a huge family.”

E N T E R TA I N M E N T

FEB. 17, 2017

Tennis A tradition that the West High boys tennis team is that Friday nights before a meet on Saturday the team gets together to have a party. Even though Eddie Dowling’20 is only a freshman, he says that, “These traditions are important because of team bonding and getting to be a part of the team.”.

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APRIL 2017

Infographic by Emma Durian

Girls Track The girls track relay teams has a tradition of having the first three people who run kiss the baton and then the last person has to lick the baton, “First of all I thought it was very disgusting” said Claire Ronnebaum’18, a runner for the girls track team. When asked what she thought about the traditions that the track team participates in this is what Ronnebaum’18 had to say, “I think it's cool how our team does the baton tradition because it sets us apart from other teams and makes us unique in a weird way.”

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APR. 7, 2017

BIG

SHOES TO FILL BY THOMAS DUONG

DESIGN BY LYDIA GUO

After winning the state basketball championship freshman year, Connor McCaffery ’17 broke expectations by winning the championship once again this year. Without McCaffery’s understanding of the role he plays, the future of the team becomes uncertain with a crucial skill left empty: leadership.

yatt Lohaus. David DiLeo. Nick Gallagher. These are all former basketball players considered legendary for their accomplishments during their time at West. They were the last state champions that West had in boys’ basketball. Athough Connor McCaffery ‘17 was a freshman, he was part of that varsity team. Now as the 4A state and conference player of the year, leading the team to become state champions again was not an easy task. Following the successful 2014 season, Steve Bergman, head coach of West High’s boys varsity basketball team, was hesitant about the future of his program. With nine players graduating out of the 16 players on varsity, the developing players were not able to fill the roles of those seniors immediately. “Someone else will have to step into those roles.” Bergman said. “We went from Wyatt Lohaus, [who] was a very good leader, to the next two years which was a struggle. Somebody needed to take that role.” As members came and went, the team never found great success. Even with great talent, they lacked the leadership and experience they had once acquired back in 2014. After getting to the state championship game in 2016 and then losing, McCaffery was more determined than ever to not leave his basketball career without winning another championship. “We lost, and I played poorly, and all it did was motivate me for the next year. I wasn’t satisfied especially not after how I played in the tournament.” McCaffery said. Most of the team returned to play the following year, and like Mc-

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Caffery, wanted to win it all after a disappointing end the previous year. Compared to freshman year, McCaffery improved drastically in shooting and individual play. However, defensive woes early in the season set them back, most notably by the loss to Cedar Rapids Prairie, ranked #31 in the state. “We had a really talented team so scoring the ball was not difficult for us, but we were not playing well on the defensive end,” said Patrick McCaffery ’19, Connor’s brother. Learning from those mistakes are difficult to deal with, especially after a loss. With the help of his teammates and the people around him, Mc-

way to the state championship. For McCaffery, the pressure to win the tournament was immense, especially after the disappointment that came with the previous two seasons. He knew that winning wasn’t an individual effort, but a team effort. “He and I spent a lot of time talking about the team. If I had a difficult decision to make, I’d talk to my assistant coaches and then I’d talk to him,” Bergman said. “He was really good with giving me input and when we made a decision, he backed it up. He was almost like another assistant coach.” In their first game of the championship, West escaped Newton in a thriller 57-51, and then defeated Cedar Rapids Kennedy 61-37 to reach the championship game. With McCaffery’s last game of his high school career, winning, in his mind, was the only outcome. West Des Moines Valley, who they previously played - Steve Bergman last year in the state championship, played a tough game, but West became valiant and defeated them 63-50. McCaffery’s leadership Caffery is able to use his previous experiences to not only led West to a championmove forward. ship, but with a legacy left be“The little pieces of advice, whether it’s from hind. Most players and coaches Coach Bergman here, or my mom after a game, undermine the true virtue or my brother even, telling me, ‘Oh hey, you were and value of leadership in doing this, you should’ve done this differently’ I basketball, but instead fothink that’s those are the biggest things you get.” cus on individual play. McCaffery said. Leadership isn’t someThese words carried McCaffery through many thing you can pracminutes of play. Communication on the court tice. Leadership isn’t and helping the younger, more inexperienced something you can players elevated not only them, but him as a play- gain from watching er and a leader. However, those skills took more footage. Leaderthan one game to develop. ship comes with “We stood around too much, and shot OK shots winning, and points per game too quick, and I think when your best player’s that’s what willing to pass up an OK shot because it’s too McCaffery early, then all the rest of the guys are more did. willing to do that. That’s kind of a leadership thing,” Bergman said. Ending the regular season at 20-4, field goal percentage West bounced back from their loss against Cedar Rapids Prairie and made their

“SOMEBODY NEEDED TO TAKE THAT ROLE.”

19.6 51.8%

41.0% 83.6%

: N IO ARD T I S PO T GU free throw percentage N I PO

three pointer percentage

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APRIL 6 2017

Horsin’ Around Hannah Luce ‘18 recounts her experinces as an equestrian. Article by: Grace Heller, Design by: Lucy Polyak and Taylor Streck, Photos by: Ayanna Rost

Hannah Luce ‘18 pets her horse, Atlantis, while out for a ride

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When you hear the phrase “after school sports”, horseback riding probably doesn’t come to mind, but for Hannah Luce 18’, it’s the first thing. Luce has been riding horses since before fourth grade and taking lessons since. Luce has always loved animals, so when she and her family went horseback riding on a camping trip in Minnesota, she fell immediately in love with the animal. “For some reason, horses just appealed to me,” says Luce. Luce has been taking lessons on horseback riding since to improve her skill. She even competes in competitions through her barn, Oak Meadow Farm. Competitions have taken her to places such as Kansas City and Des Moines, where she regulars in the summer. Her coach’s’ name is Amanda Middendorf, who has an accomplished career, with over 10 years experience.

Michael Barisone, an extremely accomplished competitive horseback rider and 2008 Olympic team member, and Olympic dressage coach. Luce’s mother has always been incredibly involved and supportive of her. Unlike other parents, Mrs. Luce stayed to watch the lessons instead of just dropping her off. “My mom would stay and she would have the same experiences that I would have, and be more educated in contrast to the other parents. And I really appreciate that a lot.”

Luce also gets support from her friend, Lily O’Brien, who attends City High School. “We’re both in it together, we’ve both been doing it for a while so we both lean on each other. We are sort of cheerleaders, especially when we’re competing together. If we are in the same class we always say, “Oh my gosh, that was such a good round, you did Luce is lucky enough to have her own such a good job” and support each horse, “Atlantis”. “He is such a sweet other that way.” says Luce, “ horse,” says Luce. “He is literally the Luce plans to continue riding horses. laziest horse ever. At first, he was meant “In college and stuff, I’ll probably ride, if to be a racehorse, but he was too slow.” Luce stops to feed Atlantis a carrot after there is a barn nearby,” says Luce. “I’ll grooming him. plan on owning horses in the future and introducing my future children to it, if At the moment, Luce is trying to build up her horse “Atlantis” they are into it.” to be sold. She, sadly, has outgrown his skill level. “He deserves a great owner,” says Luce. “It’s kinda sad. I will miss him.” Horseback riding is a challenging, but rewarding sport. For Hannah, it’s worth One of Luce’s proudest moments are the lessons she took from the effort. Horseback riding might not be the most popular sport, but those who do it, seem to love it.

Running through time By: Sierra , Carley ,and Lexie The story on the growing popularity of Girls cross country.

Spring 1998, under Coach Mike Parker, West High girls Track and Field won its first home meet; the Women of Troy Relay. This would only be the first in a record of home victories, twenty years strong. “It’s the twentieth consecutive year that we’ve won our home meet,” says Coach Parker, commenting on West’s most recent victory on March 28. This year’s Women of Troy relay not only yielded another victory, but two broken records for West. This is all in stark contrast to the first 23 years of girls track, in which the team hadn’t won a single championship, or even their home meet. “It took us a couple years to make the mental adjustment to a new level of expectation.” he says. This “track mindset” is crucially important to the success of many players. “It’s a lot more of a mental sport.” says senior track and field athlete Valerie Welch ’17. “Your training will carry you, assuming you’ve had good training, through a race, but if you’re not mentally ready to push yourself and know that it’s gonna hurt and rely on the fact that you’re physically in shape then you’re not gonna do well, no matter how much training you do.” Welch has been in West High Women’s track and field since freshman year, and has been doing various other sports since junior

high. “In junior high, I did pretty much all of the sports.” she says, but today, almost all of her focus is on track. “I do cross country [too], but it’s really just so I can keep running year round, and stay in shape for track.” She says that this level of commitment is required if one wants to succeed in high school track and field. “The number of girls who go out each year is declining, and I think it’s because a lot of freshmen come in from junior high and they expect it to be the same, and it’s not. It’s a lot harder, they expect more out of you.” she says. “It’s a lot different now than it was in 1998.” says coach Parker, “I think I brought a different level of expectation, I have hired assistant coaches that have a high level of expectation, and I think the girls will … achieve at the level that you challenge them to achieve at.” Girls Track and Field first came to West in 1975, but it wasn’t until 1998 that they had any success. This was also the year that West High hired Coach Parker, who turned it into the most successful female sport at West High. “I brought my ex-

perience as an athlete and as a coach here, and we planned to turn West into the most successful girls track and field program in the state, and I think we’ve done that.” he says. The players set expectations for themselves too, a many anticipate this this year’s team will go to the state relays. West High’s last victory at state was in 2010, and this year’s team has their hopes set on winning it again, this requires teamwork, according to Valerie Welch. “Everybody’s running together and you all know it’s hard and you just make these bonds,” says Welch, referring to her teammates that she’s shared her experience with for the past four years. “At this point it’s sort of expected of me, I expect it of myself as well, not just from others,” “What it takes to be a good track and field athlete, it’s not a secret.” says Coach Parker, “I think our girls are inspired to be as good as they can possibly be, and that’s lead to them succeeding at a high level.” This inspiration has led West High girls track through a legacy twenty years strong, and will hopefully continue to lead them in the future.

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HIGH OF THE CROWD BY ANNA BROWN AND EMMA GELBAUCH

DESIGN BY SOPHIE STEPHENS

Every athlete has felt the exhilaration of a win. The hype of a well played game, and the shame of failure. Each competition is an opportunity for players to bring home honor for their school and show off their skills to their peers. In preparation for this, hours of practice are spent every day conditioning for the games between schools that provide the chance of bringing home a win. But have you ever thought of other factors that contribute to the high of a game? With each game and player, through victories and disappoint-

“I just like cheering really loud and hanging with my friends...just going crazy.” -Ellie Kouba ‘19 ments, there stands a section of students decked out in crazy clothing, cheering the team on. On game days, the hallways are flooded with a sea of green and gold. A buzz of anticipation for the competition fills the air. Students are anxious to get out and support their school, but for Ellie Kouba ’19, cheering in the student section is more than just a hobby. It’s an obsession. “I just like cheering really loud and hanging with my friends...just going crazy,” said Kouba, who attends nearly 30 West games every year, and hopes to compete for “most spirited” on homecoming court her senior year. “I just have a passion cheering for students. It’s fun to watch, especially when it’s your friends doing great things for the team, and when they make it to state, [it’s] representing your school,” Kouba said. This support helps improve West players’ performance and attitude towards the game. In this way, students have a chance to affect players and the outcome of

the game without ever having to step foot on a field or court. “[The student section] is really encouraging. If there are more people watching, you want to do better,” said Grace Gilbaugh ’19, a defender, on West High’s Junior Varsity One girls soccer team. “I think it’s important to encourage other people… if there’s at least one person who gets excited… it rubs off on other people,” Gilbaugh said. When talking about a match against Cedar

SPRING SPORTS CALENDAR April 8- Boys Track 10:30 A.M April 11- Girls Golf Girls Tennis 4:00 P.M 6:45 P.M April 13- Boys Soccer 6:45 P.M April 15- Boys Tennis 9:00 A.M 1:00 P.M April 18- Boys Tennis 4:00 P.M April 21- Boys/Girls Soccer 5:00 P.M 6:45 P.M April 22- Girls Tennis 8:00 A.M 12:00 P.M

Follow West Athletics on Twitter @wssathletics

Rapids Kennedy, Gilbaugh pointed out,“[The lack of a student section] made the game seem slower and not as important.” Kouba agrees. “When your student section is getting up and cheering for you, it gets you hyped and [the student section] wants you to do [well] for your school, and wants you to represent your school, and just win the game,” she said. This idea is also expressed by Micah Smith ’17, a frequent attendant of the varsity girls’ basketball games. “The players definitely feed off of the energy of the crowd,

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so if you have a large, hyped-up crowd… it helps the players,” said Smith. However, students don’t go to games just to support their team. Attending the student section allows them to participate in a variety of different clothing themes, ranging from wearing gold t-shirts supporting kids with cancer, to dressing in the colors of the American flag. “My favorite theme [is] camo for sure,” said Kouba. She added,“My next favorite would probably be frat-out; and then my third favorite...that’s a tough one...I really like neon or jersey.” Smith agrees with the fun of the themes. “My favorite theme is the USA game, just because it’s fun to get all decked out in red, white, and blue and you do the ‘USA’ chant,” said Smith. The cheers of the student section are to be expected. Both new and old cheers are incorporated into each game. This is student section’s number one way of showing school spirit and pride. “I like the cheers that we do, like “pump up the team,” and in timeouts we can do crazy fun stuff like [imitating a] roller coaster. That’s pretty fun,” Kouba said. Even though the student section doesn’t directly participate in competitions, they play an important role in the outcomes of games and matches. The hype of the crowd when a game is close, the amount of support, and West pride is overwhelming. “I think it’s important for students to represent their school… it’s always cool to see people show [up] in green and gold face paint,” Smith said. This encouragement inspires players to give it their all and not let down their supporters. Overall, it’s just a fun time, and creates bonds between the students of West High.

“It’s always cool to see people show [up] in green and gold face paint.” -Micah Smith ‘17

“[The] seniors are just really good leaders, and they teach me the new cheers [and] the old cheers,” Kouba said. To find out themes, locations, and times for upcoming games, students can follow @ICWestStudents and @wssathletics on Twitter.

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MARCH 2017

BORN TO MAKE HISTORY A STORY OF ONE GIRL BUTTERFLY-JUMPING HER WAY TO THE STARS BY LUKE REYNOLDS

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She

MARCH 2017

starts out with a simple

medal in her very first competition, something she

glide across the ice, her

finds incredibly surreal to this day.

skate blade carving a

white line that follows her as she blazes past the few people around the Coral Ridge Mall skating rink. All of a sudden, she jumps. Her legs are off the shine of the solid water beneath her and are in the air, close

“I competed against, like, six people and they were all taller and bigger than me,” Azhari said. “It was one of [those] experiences that if I could go back and relive it, I would, because [it was so] amazing.”

together and swinging to the right like a butterfly

Although she personally admitted she doesn’t

spreading its wings. Then she’s back on land, arms

find herself as good at the sport as her peers, that

out with only one foot on the ground and somehow

hasn’t changed Azhari’s positive attitude. She loves

staying balanced. It’s an incredible performance

to laugh and make bad puns, continues to be

and she’s not even doing this for an audience at a

inspired by Korean figure skater Yuna Kim’s graceful

competition.

performances on ice and even enjoyed teaching kids

That’s what Amirah Azhari ’17 is capable of. Originally from Malaysia, she came to the United

about skating in a seminar once when she returned to her home country.

States when she was five so her mother could

“I think one of my proudest moments was being

complete her PhD at the University of Iowa. She

able to teach [those] kids,” Azhari said. “It was really

started doing gymnastics for a few months and only

nice to see that they were able to follow kind of what

did skating for fun. However, when she saw a private

I was saying and that’s inspired me to keep it up. I do

group lesson, she was intrigued.

have proud moments of competing and winning by,

“I asked my mom if I could start doing my lessons that way,” Azhari said. “And she decided to give me

like, .2 points and that’s great, but inspiring people to accomplish their goals is [more important].”

an ultimatum of doing either gymnastics or skating.

Now Azhari is back in Malaysia to compete in the

So I chose to do skating and I think that was a good

nationals and reunite with old friends. She’ll have to

decision for me, even though I wish I could do

confront that pre-competition numbness until she

flips.”

gets onto the ice and everything hits her. But she

She didn’t consider skating competitively at first,

won’t let it get the best of her.

but once her coach pushed her in that direction, she

“When they announce my name, [and] I step onto

found herself enjoying it. She even received a gold

the ice and go into my starting position, I’m like, ‘You know what? I don’t care,’” Azhari said.” “‘I’ma do my best. I’ma do what I came here to do. And if I do well, that’s great. If I don’t, I’ll just keep practicing and get better.’”

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DESIGN BY TING GAO INFOGRAPHICS BY MELEAH CHANG

STILL KICKIN’

Melissa Fitzpatrick ‘20 discusses her experiences in Taekwondo so far.

BY MADDI SHINALL

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undreds upon hundreds of competitors file into a high school gym, full of nervous energy and excitement, ready to compete for first place in their respective divisions at a regional tournament in Shakopee, Minnesota. Adding to the pressure, they have the chance of potentially earning the opportunity to go to District Championships and compete for district champion. Despite the energy and pressure, Melissa Fitzpatrick ’20, tries to tune it all out. “I try not to think about the nerves [and] just focus on what I’m doing,” Fitzpatrick said. But this isn’t Fitzpatrick’s first tournament. After seeing Taekwondo in Wickham’s Got Talent around six years ago, Fitzpatrick knew that she wanted to join, and since then, she has gone to a countless number of tournaments. “[I] thought it looked really cool so I started it, [but] if you told me [when I first started] that I would still be doing it after six years, I would’ve been like, ‘You’re funny.’ It’s not what [I thought] it was going to be at all,” Fitzpatrick said. Even though she never expected to still be in Taekwondo, Fitzpatrick hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down. Since starting Taekwondo, she has earned her first degree black belt, been state champion in both 2015 and 2016 and won first place at districts last year.

Through practice and focus, she said that she was able to earn those accomplishments. “I keep practicing and [then] just practice more. [It helps me] remember the forms because the newer ones can be confusing,” Fitzpatrick said. Her sister, Nicole Fitzpatrick ’19, who joined Taekwondo with Melissa, thinks Melissa’s dedication helps her, too, especially when she’s trying to improve something. “She doesn’t just give up when something doesn’t work out, she works until she gets [it],” Nicole said. “She went to a black belt camp recently and you could definitely tell a difference in her sparring.” One of Fitzpatrick’s competitors, Alexis Dick ’21, who has competed against her for two years, said that the work Fitzpatrick puts in makes her tough to compete against, and pushes her to work harder herself to keep up. “She works hard, so I always have to w o r k hard to e v e n come close to her, she’s

so good,” Dick said. “There’s not many people in our ring that give me a challenge like Melissa does.” When Fitzpatrick gets to her ring, she is focused on doing her best and observing how her competitors do in order to find ways to give herself an edge against them. “I watch everyone else. I pay attention to [other people’s] scores and then I pay attention to pat-

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terns when people spar,” Fitzpatrick said. Through figuring out patterns in the other girls’ sparring, Fitzpatrick is able to find openings to help her score more points against them, which help her win and get more medals to add to collection. “She’s got a lot of medals, like, there’s so many,” Nicole said. “[But] I’m proud of her for doing it because it’s hard. Every time she gets first I’m like, ‘That’s my sister!’” Fitzpatrick isn’t slowing down or stopping. She plans on continuing to go to tournaments and Taekwondo class with the hope of reaching her next goals. “I want to get to World’s and I want to get my second degree [black belt] soon,” Fitzpatrick said. “Going back to districts would be cool, too.” COMPILED BY MADDI SHINALL

BY THE NUMBERS

6 11 25 50

years Fitzpatrick has done Taekwondo belts she has obtained so far tournaments she has gone to

approximate number of medals Fitzpatrick has earned

What Should You Be Listening To When You Work Out? Everyone has their own genre of music. And everyone has their own genre of music they listen to during their weekly workout session. Or maybe even their own playlist. Either way, everyone is probably listening to music. Whether its rock, country, rap, hip hop or even blues, it doesn’t matter what kind of music you listen to while you work out, but it’s good to be listening to music that gets you pumped up. Music with heavy and fast beats make you feel powerful. It’s also important to find songs that have more beats per minute (bpm). The more beats per minute in a song, means that the song is faster. Faster songs give you more motivation. Motivation is very important in working out. To find how many beats per minute are in your songs of choice, you can look up how many beats are in your songs per minute to see if they’re good songs to work out to. Since there are so many different things you can do while working out, there are also different songs you should listen to with higher or lower beats per minute, depending on what you’re doing. If you’re stretching or doing yoga, you’re going to want to listen to songs with 100-110 bpm. If you’re doing cardio, you’re going to want songs with 120-140 bpm. But there are many other things you can do to workout than just yoga and cardio that require songs with different amount of beats per minute.

9 songs to work out to: Song: 1. Monster Skillet 2. Die Young Kesha 3. Country Girl Luke Bryan 4. Back In Black ACDC 5. Till I Collapse - Eminem 6. No Matter What - T.I. 7.Crazy Town - Jason Aldean 8. Eye Of The Tiger - Survior 9. My Kinda Party - Jason Aldean

BPM: 135 bpm 130 bpm 106 bpm 188 bpm 130 bpm 146 bpm 181 bpm 109 bpm 177 bpm

Generally you’re going to want to listen to songs with 130 bpm. There are so many songs in the world to listen to. Especially when you’re working out. It doesn’t matter if it’s country, hip hop, rap, rock, blues, or whatever you listen to, it doesn’t matter how many beats per minute are in your songs or if they get you really pumped or not. Everyone has their own thing. Especially when it comes to music. As long as you’re enjoying yourself when you’re working out, that’s all that matters. (But, songs with more beats per minute give you more motivation. And who doesn’t like motivation?)

On the junior varsity girls tennis team there is never a shortage of new faces. Virtually, each new season there are brand new players ready to pick up the racket and attempt tennis for the first time. These newbies can be any age or grade but the majority of new talent comes with the freshmen. For the most part, people new to the junior varsity team have little prior experience on how to play on a tennis team.

Two different ends of the spectrum Article by Carmela Cohen Suarez Photos by Corissa Gavin Statistics compiled by Ava Wessinger

SPORTS

APRIL 7, 2017

One sport, two sport, old sport, new sport

Sasha Merkle ‘20 is no stranger to how it feels being a first time player on the high school tennis team. Merkle has participated in many sports including: softball, basketball, tennis and swimming. “One sport didn’t work out for me, another sport didn’t work out, Merkle said. “But then my parents were a big motivation because my family kind of plays tennis.”

New Challenge

At 5’0” Bri Buckley ‘20 stands tall on the court, shoulders back, racket in hand, she is prepared for tennis practice and fun. In contrast to Merkle, Buckley has taken part in many lessons and camps. But, similarly to Merkle, she has never experienced being part of a tennis team. Buckley joined the

Instead of playing softball like usual, this spring season Merkle opted for a new sport, tennis, because she missed the softball tryouts. One would expect the more experienced upperclassmen to be a bit reluctant to open their arms to underclassmen who have never played before, but that wasn’t the case for Merkle. “Everyone was really welcoming, to me especially, because I really had no clue what I was doing so I came out here and everyone was just really nice and cooperative,” Merkle said. Walking onto the tennis courts during warmups one immediately hears dozens of tennis balls bouncing off the racket and ground. In the background coach Sanders giving tips on technique and teammates are laughing. The atmosphere is open and friendly. According to Merkle, “anybody can play tennis.” Do

not be fooled. Tennis is no cake walk. Merkle believes that even though tennis is open to everyone it also has a lot of strategy involved that she has yet to get the hang of. She still has trouble with hitting the ball too hard and new tennis players must be prepared to learn how to hold the racket properly and hit the ball at the right angle. All sports have their differences. Merkle has played many sports but says she has learned something more from tennis, “it’s good to get to know the people and not be prideful and take some advice.” When starting tennis she believed it was going to be much more competitive and people would not be as friendly, “I thought you were supposed to come and be like ‘yeah, in your face’ with the ball and it’s not like that.” Even though Merkle is still learning she is confident

high school team because she believed she would have fun on it and be good at it. She wanted to gain more knowledge on the sport and how to play it with teammates. Like Pigge, she is a swimmer in the fall and a tennis player in the spring. She only participates in school offered swimming and tennis but is thinking about doing tennis year round. Unlike Pigge, Buckley finds tennis more to her liking, it is “fun and invigorating” states Buckley. She enjoys her fellow team mates and the team atmosphere, “The whole team has a great connection.” Buckley believes that there are many ways tennis differs

from other sports, “I think tennis is different because we always find ways to have fun.” Practices for her are fun and teach her a lot. Tennis has helped her gain new athletic skills and a new perspective on being on a team. She is excited for the season, “I’m excited to spend more time with my team members and win some meets and I expect more fun experiences.” “We always find ways to have fun” Bri Buckley ‘20

and excited for this season. Merkle also believes tennis is for all ages. “My 56 year old dad plays tennis and he’s doing really good.” Thus far, Merkle is enjoying the beginning of the season and meeting all kinds of new people that she would not have met otherwise. “It’s a good way to get to know other different types of people that you might not even notice in the school.” She also says it helps on a personal level. “I really like that I get to control what I’m doing in tennis, and I feel like it’s almost calming me down.” Merkle thinks more people should consider going out for tennis since it is such a welcoming sport and is considering continuing playing sophomore year.

The six best players on the tennis team that play singles to earn points for the team.

SPORTS

APRIL 7,

Varstiy Swimming and Junior Varsity Tennis From chlorinated water to fresh breeze on the tennis court. From one sport to an entirely different one. From varsity swimming to junior varsity tennis… Jenny Pigge ‘17 participates in both tennis and swimming. As a varsity swimmer she understands the pressure and competitiveness that a high school sport may contain and as a junior varsity tennis player she also knows a different side of the spectrum. “Swimming is definitely a bigger part of my life, because my team is more like my family, I’ve been a part of it for four years, and I just love everything about it, it’s a lot more serious for me and I have a lot of fun doing both (Swimming and tennis).” Pigge began playing tennis her junior year of high school without prior experience. Although swimming is a bigger part of her life, she

enjoys playing tennis and is excited to see how the team grows throughout the season. “One of my favorite things about sports in high school is that I get to meet other people.” Pigge enjoys talking to underclassmen on both the tennis team and the swim team. In tennis she can easily relate to them as she only be-

“One of my favorite things about sports in high school is that I get to meet other people”

Jenny Pigge’17

gan playing tennis her junior year. Pigge has fun at tennis, “We are doing this because we want to have fun, I can’t think of a specific funny time but we laugh every day.” Like Kopf, Pigge has big plans after high school. Pigge is planning on going to Vanderbilt University in Nashville as part of their ingrown

College, Top 6, and Knee Surgery

Many younger tennis players, like Merkle, have no idea what is in store for them each new season on the junior varsity girls tennis team. Unlike Merkle, Annika Kopf ’17 knew exactly how her season was supposed to go her junior year. She was going to have a great season

and make top six in Junior Varsity. “I was really devastated, because I was like ‘oh yeah this is going to be my year, like top six’ and I knew it, I knew it, I could feel it.” Kopf injured her knee playing tennis, she went in for a forehand and her knee went sideways and twisted. Her junior year she was out the whole season because of her knee surgery. She was able to participate in a total of two matches, but still played a bit at practices by occasionally hitting the ball back and forth to teammates. Not including wisdom teeth removal, Kopf had never had a surgery before she hurt her knee. Although

scholarship program. She found out she was accepted about a week ago and is very excited, “I don’t even know what other schools I got into but I don’t even have to care.” Although she is unsure if her plans will change, she is currently in the College of Engineering and plans to major in some sort of computer science. Pigge believes that they have began the tennis season well, “People want to get better, people are being very friendly and open to talking to people that they have never met before.” says Pigge. The season has just began but the team seems to be getting along just fine, “Our season just got started but it seems like everyone’s getting along

she was scared for the surgery she recognized that it was necessary. “Now it’s not going to hurt me in the future or bother me then.” Life and tennis after the surgery took some getting used to, “I did stand there after the surgery and hit em’ (Tennis balls) back to people” It was difficult for Kopf to be in crutches because she missed tennis, so she was happy to play two meets. Despite her injury she has high hopes for the future. After going on crutches for about 6 weeks and going to the school physical therapist, Sheila Stiles, she is ready for the new season. She has taken all the precautions to make sure that this will be her

season. If her knee or ankle pain begins to flare up she puts her brace back on. “I was actually in a boot right before the season started,” Kopf said. With high school coming to a close her future in tennis seems bright, not many JV tennis players get to play in college but she is excited about going to play at Buena Vista on academic scholarship. Although she is nervous for playing in college she is also looking forward to the new experience. Her time on the tennis team has been fun. For this season, she is excited to make top six and to bond with her teammates. “I expect to make fun memories and just have fun.”

SPORTS

APRIL 7, 2017

SPORTS

APRIL 7, 2017

STRON E G WRITTEN BY ABBIE CALLAHAN

PHOTOGRAPHED BY JESSICA MOONJELLY DESIGNED BY LEELA MAHAJAN

EMMA KOCH â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;19

WEST HIGH SCHOOL

NOT BEING ABLE TO PLAY FRUSTERATED ME MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE. HOWEVER, IT TAUGHT ME

NOT TO TAKE ANYTHING FOR GRANTED.

WHEN SOMET H I N G

BREAKS WSS: When did you start playing tennis? Koch: I’ve been playing sports as long as I can remember. I started tennis when I was about eight, but I played other sports like basketball, soccer, and softball before that. WSS: What have you learned about yourself through sports? Koch: I’ve learned that I can always push myself harder and continue to try and improve my skills. I’ve also learned that I’m really, really, competitive, too competitive sometimes. WSS: Who has had the biggest influence on your tennis game? Koch: My tennis coach from the HTRC,-

Michele, probably has the biggest influence on my game. She has been coaching me since I started playing and has continued to coach me and help me with my game.

& QA

The match is about to begin, and you feel adrenaline pulse through your body faster than a river current. The coach is attempting to plant critical game strategy and positive thoughts in your head, but all you can think about is your busy family members in the stands and the yawning man sitting next to them. You look toward the student section to try and gain inspiration, but there are a meager four students who chose to attend. As you sit next to your teammates, you know that the comfort you feel beside them will be long gone as soon as you step onto the court. This feeling is one only a student tennis player will feel, and one that Emma Koch ’19 feels throughout the tennis season. Just imagine going through all the stress, preparation, and hard work only for all of it to be ripped away in the blink of an eye. You are injured and sitting on the bench for the rest of the season. Each year 1.35 million youths have serious sports injuries and 47% of those injuries happen to ages twelve to fifteen, says usatoday.com. Koch has faced her fair share of sports-related injuries from a sprained ankle to spondylolysis and a broken foot. WSS caught up with Koch and long-time coach and mentor Michele Conlon to get a deeper look at Koch’s tennis journey.

WSS: What are the best and worst parts of tennis?

Koch: The best part of tennis is that it’s fun. It’s really intense and unlike any other sport. It’s fun because there is always something you can improve upon no matter how good you are. The worst part of tennis is probably how stressful it can get. Even though in high school you have a team, you are still out there playing all alone. WSS: What are your expectations for the season and how have you been preparing?

Koch: I’m expecting it to be a really good season. Our team has put in a lot of outside work and it’s a really fun group to play with. I played tennis this summer and fall at the HTRC with other high school players from Iowa City and Cedar Rapids. I didn’t play much during the winter because of basketball, but I tried to get out and hit when I could. WSS: Is there anything that the team is doing differently this year, as opposed to years in the past? Koch: I think this year we are focusing on being aggressive and taking control of the match instead of playing down to our opponent’s level.

WSS: Do you have any team/personal goals for the season?

Koch: A big team goal we have is to make it to team state this year. We weren’t able to do that last year, but I think we have the skill and the drive to do it this year. Personally, I just want to continue to improve my game and my mental toughness.

EMMA KOCH

WEST HIGH SCHOOL

31 SPORTS

Koch: Not being able to play really frustrated me more than anything else. I hated just sitting there and watching other people play. However, I think it taught me not to take anything for granted when I am healthy. WSS: During your time out, what did you do to stay active and in shape? Koch: When I hurt my back, I couldn’t really do anything but my physical therapy exercises. When I broke my foot, I swam and lifted weights. WSS: When you got injured, how did your teammates and coaches react? Koch: My teammates and coaches were all really supportive of me. I tried to go watch as many practices and games as possible, and my teammates and coaches always made sure I felt included. WSS: Does suffering from numerous injuries make you a more cautious or stronger player? Why?

Emma Koch ’19 warms up her serve at the first home tennis meet of the season against North Scott March 31, 2017. WSS: What are the biggest challenges this season? Koch: One challenge was losing a few players this season. A couple were too busy to play tennis and one of our teammates might be out for part of the season due to injury. WSS: What are some injuries that you had? How did they happen? Koch: A few years ago I was diagnosed with spondylolysis. This is a small stress fracture in one of the vertebrae on my back. I was playing in a tennis tournament when I stretched out to try and hit a backhand. My back completely froze up and I couldn’t move for a few minutes and my parents had to pretty much carry me off the court. I didn’t do anything for the next few weeks, but it was still hurting. We got an MRI and they told me I had spondylolysis due to overuse from tennis and basketball. I broke my foot from overuse also. I developed a stress fracture in the outside of my foot from all the lateral movement

in tennis and basketball. When my foot began hurting I ignored it, but this eventually turned the stress fracture in my foot into a clean break. This year during basketball season I injured my elbow playing tennis. I was told I just aggravated my tricipital tendon, but the pain got to the point where I was unable to straighten my elbow for a while. WSS: What is the longest that you have been out of a sport due to an injury? Koch: The longest I was probably out was about 6 months with my back injury. I couldn’t do anything for 2 to 3 months, and after that I had to do a lot of physical therapy. It took another couple months because I had to take recovery really slowly and introduce tennis and basketball back bit by bit. WSS: When you were out, how did it affect you mentally?

Koch: I definitely think it makes me a more cautious player. I find myself worrying more about getting injured than I used to. I also stretch way more than I used to in order to prevent injury. I think the injuries made me stronger. They help me remember to not take any game or practice for granted, so I give 100% effort with that in mind. WSS: What have you learned about yourself through sports? Koch: I’ve learned that I can always push myself harder and continue to try and improve my skills. I’ve also learned that I’m really, really,

competitive, too competitive sometimes.

WSS: What would be your best tip for athletes

with injuries?

Koch: Stay involved. Keep hanging out with

your teammates and watching games and practices. Try to remember how frustrated you are when you are healthy so that you don’t take your health for granted. Another big thing is to always remember that it’s just a small setback and isn’t the end of the world!

Q 32 SPORTS

WEST HIGH SCHOOL

WSS: How long have you been Emma’s coach? What are her strengths (both on and off the court)?

Conlon: I have been Emma’s coach for about 7 years. Emma is a terrific competitor—you know you will get her best effort—I want the ball in Emma’s hands with only a few seconds left on the clock. On court, she is athletic and strong. She has an all court game so she has a lot of tools to use which gives her the ability to employ the best strategy against her opponent. Emma is smart, works hard and respects everyone around her including peers and coaches. WSS: What are your expectations for this girls tennis season? Conlon: My expectations of

M I C H E L E C O N L O N

them are to keep getting better everyday whether it is practice or meets, work hard, and listen to their coaches—then good things will come! They are a great group of people. Most importantly, I hope they have fun! WSS: How do you help a player who is suffering from a tennis injury? How have you helped Emma in the past with her injuries? Conlon: Iowa City has world class sports medicine, so it is great to have guidance from the health professionals. My role is to help provide appropriate drills for players to progressively get back into the game. I create an environment to help gain confidence in movement and ball striking after getting back from a layoff. Like most top athletes, Emma has had a few injuries over the years.

Emma is easy to work with in this regard because she is smart with her injuries. She will let you know her limits, yet push herself when she can. WSS: What is your proudest/most memorable moment of Emma’s tennis career? Conlon: I am most proud of Emma for keeping her integrity during challenging situations that she has encountered during junior tennis. Unlike most sports, the junior tennis players make their own line calls. Emma has played tennis all over the Missouri Valley, a state region, and has earned a high ranking [8th in the Missouri Valley]. Many of Emma’s opponents have been terrific sports. Yet, there have been a few who have not been as ethical— sometimes in critical situations. Everyone can count on Emma for doing the right thing.

E M M A’ S INJURIES

This year during basketball season I injured my elbow playing tennis. I was told I just aggravated my tricipital tendon, but the pain got to the point where I was unable to straighten my elbow for a while. I broke my foot from overuse also. I developed a stress fracture in the outside of my foot from all the lateral movement in tennis and basketball. When my foot began hurting I ignored it, but this eventually turned the stress fracture in my foot into a clean break.

WEST HIGH SCHOOL

33 SPORTS

A few years ago I was diagnosed with spondylolysis. This is a small stress fracture in one of the vertebrae on my back. I was playing in a tennis tournament when I stretched out to try and hit a backhand. My back completely froze up and I couldn’t move for a few minutes and my parents had to pretty much carry me off the court. I didn’t do anything for the next few weeks, but it was still hurting. We got an MRI and they told me I had spondylolysis due to overuse from tennis and basketball.

SPORTS APRIL 2017

From One Court to Another By Morgan Hawkins

The serving line lays at your feet, the sweat drips down the bridge of your nose and you turn the ball around and around in the palm of your hand like a merry-go-round. This beginning has two endings for Grace Fleckenstein ’19 that depend on one major question, which court is she on? Being a multisport athlete is nothing new to Fleckenstein. Ever since she was 5 years old, she has experimented with different athletics till she found her niche. “Athletics have always been around for me,” Fleckenstein said. “Volleyball is what I am really passionate about, but tennis was kind of just a leap of faith with some friends that turned out really fun.” Now, in the dawn of her second year as a JV tennis player, she says she can’t imagine going back. “Tennis is such a great environment, almost every practice I laugh till I cry at least once.” she said. She credits this environment to some of her mentors, Jaya Blanchard ’17 and Sydney Shie ’17. Blanchard is in her senior year at West High School and has been a member of JV tennis all four years. She, like Fleckenstein, believes the sport and the team go hand and hand in promoting a cheerful environment. “Grace is just a great gal, she is super positive and you can tell she is working hard out on the court.” Shie, too, is in her senior year at West and has participated in JV tennis for all four years. “Fleck is a great teammate, she always has a smile on her face!”

Serving up competition is nothing new to Grace Fleckenstein ’19, but now she is furthering her abilities in a totally different ballgame.

SPORTS

APRIL 2017

Although, Fleckenstein said she can not credit all her success to having a good time, she believes volleyball has helped build a strong foundation that helped her breeze through her freshman and, hopefully, sophomore season. “I believe they are totally different experiences,” she said, “but I think, depending on your views and everything, that they can teach similar, important values.” Through the years, these values have taught her to refocus when things are not going her way and learning how to cope, overcome, and eventually grow from that. “I have had some disappointing seasons, from sitting bench to just feeling constantly frustrated” she said, “but I think they were necessary, it helped me be a better player for upcoming ones.” Now she has her own advice to give, from one court to another. “I really would just recommend that you put yourself out there. JV tennis is a really warm environment and is a great starting place for athletics or like just a cool activity.”

SPORTS

APRIL 10, 2017

GET YOUR

HEAD GAME IN THE

BY THE NUMBERS

9000

14 1

fans at the Sweet 16 tournament

years of devotion towards the sport of basketball

hardworking, multitalented athlete

BY LEEN HANZA

ost West High students know Maureen Head as a science teacher; but what many of her students donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know about her is that she is a former Trojan basketball star. Growing up, Head played a myriad of sports from track to volleyball, but it was her love of basketball, which she developed as a third grader at the YMCA, which led her to playing on organized teams from elementary school through college. However, because a few years ago, she began to suffer from back pain and arthritis in her knees, Head focuses most of her energy on teaching science to underclassmen creating a team environment in her classroom. The West High class of 2000 graduate played basketball in youth leagues from third through sixth grade, and started Amatuer Athletic Union basketball in seventh grade. She played varsity for West freshman through senior years, and went on to play college basketball at Drake University.

SPORTS

APRIL10, 2017

Of course, the joy of winning and being part of a team are not the only aspects of being a student athlete. One angle to consider is the pressure that these athletes are under, from their point of view. According to Head, -MAUREEN HEAD some athletes feel the need to live up to their coach’s expectations, which leads to the teammates forming a strong bond with their coach, and having to adjust when “My sophomore year of college, their coach is replaced. “I had a couple Drake beat Syracuse and Baylor coaching changes that were difficult. to go to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA I thought I would be playing for Lisa tournament. We played at Baylor and Bluder, the current Iowa coach, but upset them (we were seven seed and she left and I had two more they were two seed) in front of 9,000 coaches during my time at fans. It was awesome,” Head wrote Drake.” in an email. She also said that if she Head said were to give current athletes advice, she would she would tell them to be a good team absolutely player. Today’s student athletes are forced do it all to choose one sport to play and o v e r stick to it, according to Head. “Overall, I think kids are starting to specialize earlier, [like] pick only one sport to play because coaches and organizations are demanding more of their time. Which isn’t fair because kids should be playing lots of sports and having lots of different experiences. They shouldn’t be forced to choose one,” Head said. She believes that the competition to earn scholarships are more cutthroat, and that this is one of the biggest differences between being a high school athlete in the late nineties and today. She believes that basketball players in particular have more prehigh school playing experience now than when she was younger due to the increase of AAU players.

“THE RELATIONSHIPS YOU FORM ARE THE LASTING AND MOST IMPORTANT PART OF PLAYING SPORTS.”

again, and recalls her years as a West and Drake player fondly. “The relationships you form are the lasting and most important part of playing sports,” Head said. Although she is rarely seen on the basketball court now, her legacy as a Trojan lives on. She believes that playing sports was one of the best parts of her academic experience overall, and encourages students of all ages to go out for a sport. “Very few of us [teammates] go on to play professional sports, but we all have great friends, experiences, and memories that are attributed to participating in sports.”

PHOTOS BY ESRAA MOHAMED DESIGN BY FRANCES DAI

SPORTS

APRIL 6 2017

JEFF GORDON Gordon’s 1997 Yearbook Pic

Jeff Gordon is the new Liberty Football coach as of 2016. His Childhood was spent in Iowa. He is the creater BoltJuice. He’s highly respected by his peers, players, and all alike. BY HENRY KRAIN

Funny Quotes That Gordon Says;

Gordons deafening yell, and his ludicrous quotes, along with his experience and homemade BoltJuice, have become part of his identity as a coach. Here is a quote from Gordon, and two of his players, Cayden Duhaime, and Alec Boldt.

Gordon; “The worst invention is the snooze button.” Alec; “Ain’t no deep freeze in the Jungle. (you)Can’t go get a pop tart from the freezer.” Cayden Duhaime; “First thing I want you guys to do on kicking is hit someone in the mouth and look at them and scream, it’s a trap.”

Gordon’s Experince

Coaching is a tough job, and doing it well is even harder. However, being a coach gets a lot easier when you have some experience to your name. Before Gordon decided to bring his coaching back to his home town, North Liberty. He was the assistant varsity football coach for Prairie High School, and Gordon has coached a total of 13 seasons, since 2004. Before coaching, Gordon was on the field, playing four years for West at the offensive line, during the 1995-1998 seasons. As a captain, he helped lead West to the State Championship in ’97 and ’98, and was later named an All-State Elite, a title given to someone who is exceptional at the sport they are playing. Gordon then went on to play as an offensive lineman for two seasons at San Jose State University. Through his current and past understanding of the game, Gordon shows his love of it; by returning to North Liberty.

SPORTS

APRIL 6 2017

Serious Note

Gordon is taking the approach one game at a time. What he wants to accomplish this season is nothing more than, “To play perfect football games.” To Gordon that’s when the opposing team calls it quits at half. Having fun isn’t on Gordon’s on agenda. It’s all about the clock on the scoreboard, and you have 48 minutes to compete against the players across from you. Gordon doesn’t want to speculate on what’s to come. He just wants to accomplish his favorite thing as a coach, “competing 365 days a year.” No matter what it is Gordon, and Liberty football are ready to

BoltJuice

challenge the task head on. Gordon is hoping to create a rivalry with anyone who will take it. Gordon says, “a rivalry is great it raises the bar it creates an intense environment, and heightened competition.” However we can agree that a rivalry with West would be the best. Gordon isn’t looking back on last year. He’s just focused on making this year the best one it can be. To do that Gordon won’t be straying far from the motto that got him where he is today. “Worked for me in everything in my life. Believe, do you best, never give up.”

Jeff Gordon 2016

Everybody knows that hydration is a necessity. Especially if you are in the middle of a game. Well Gordon has the juice that cures all: Bolt Juice. A homemade mixture filled of Gatorade, Powerade, and any other energy drink you can think of. However Gordon has a much more memorable response about what’s in BoltJuice, describing it as a, “big ol’ scoop of belief and pan fulls of doing your best.” Gordon also claims that it can help you boost morale to get through they day. You could say BoltJuice is just as vital to Liberty football as the fans are to each game.

SPORTS APRIL. 2017

Nolte Dance Academy Backstage Photos by Sandrah Ochola and design by Michelle Kim

â&#x20AC;&#x153;You have to learn that you have to dance for yourself and not compare yourself to others.â&#x20AC;? -Hayley Miller

SPORTS

APRIL. 2017

Nolte Dance Academy

Nolte Academy dancers posing for a picture after winning 1st in overall high score for a group dance

Issy Gray waiting back to get on stage for the next song.

West High School students from the Nolte Dance Academy.

Making a

Racket

Picture

Davis D

‘19 awson

9 lackal ‘1 a k c a h Sasha C

‘1 Walling Robert

Introduction Tennis is a sport that originated in England during the 19th century. It started off as a small fun game to keep people entertained. Since then, it has become a competitive sport that many strive to become the best at. Tennis is no easy sport - it takes time and dedication. 44 SPORT APRIL 2017 INTRO TO NEWSPAPER

BY MARY LONGMIRE

Tennis is a sport that originated in England during the 19th century. It started off as a small fun game to keep people entertained. Since then, it has become a competitive sport that many strive to become the best at. Tennis is no easy sport, it takes time and dedication. Sasha Chackalackal ’19 is a varsity tennis player and has been on the varsity team since he was a freshman. He intends on continuing his tennis career for the rest of high school and through college as well. Chackalackal started playing tennis when he was in fourth grade but decided to quit due to little interest in it at the time. However, he returned to the sport in sixth grade since he couldn’t stay away from the sport. He looks up to the coaches that taught him to play at summer camps he attends. He practices everyday during the season and every other day while off season to keep up his skills. His most memorable match happened in 2013 when he was playing at a season tournament. He was down 0-5 and was about to lose, but he ended up pulling it together and winning the

The new tennis courts were completed in the fall of 2016 and feature 6 courts, 2 more than the previous ones that West tennis had used for decades. match. Chackalackal loves tennis and can’t wait to see what the future holds.

Amana but he plays for the West High junior varsity team. He was looking for a high school team to play on, Robert Walling ’18 is on because his school does not the Junior Varsity tennis currently have one, when team at West High School. he discovered West High’s He was inspired to join the tennis team and decided to team because of his sister try it out. He instantly felt who played when she was very welcomed and part of the team and quickly made friends with the other boys. Dawson ’19 has been “EVERYONE ON THE TEAM playing tennis IS REALLY NICE AND IT IS A for as long as he can remember FUN ENVIRONMENT TO BE and has many IN.” memorable matches. His most memorable -WALLING ‘19 match happened five years ago. “I was eleven years old and up in high school. Walling ‘18 has been playing tennis for against the biggest challenge two years. He practices every of my life. Jimmin, five years week and has a lesson every old, stands on the other side weekend. He loves being on of the net. Fear builds up the team because everyone inside me as we begin our is super nice and it is overall duel. After twenty minutes i a really good supportive emerge victorious. I had beat environment. Something the younger brother of the unique Walling does before a state champion.” He looks serve/ serving a ball is pin his forward to all the matches racket. Walling ‘18 is looking he will play this season and forward to a fun season with can’t wait to get started.

Tennis Fun Facts Arthur Ashe was the first African American to win the U.S. Open. The fastest serve was hit by the Australian Sam Groth at 283 km/h. Tennis courts were originally shaped like hourglasses. The original tennis ball was made of leather and stuffed with hair or wool. The shortest tennis match ever lasted 23 minutes. The longest tennis match lasted 11 hours and 5 minutes, with John Isner beating Nicolas Mahut in five sets.

friends.

Davis Dawson ’19 is a sophomore at Clear Creek

INTRO TO NEWSPAPER APRIL 2017 SPORT 45

SPORT

APRIL 7, 2017

Getting to know the Girl Soccer Coaches Who Are They Really? Five years ago, Collin Swanson went to Coach Rosenthal asking if he could help at all. At the time, there were no open spots, so he chose to volunteer for four years, helping whenever he could until a spot finally opened for him to become a coach. He enjoys working with kids and helping kids who need that extra help, which is just an extension from his classroom. Swanson is a special education teacher, and he loves every day of it. “I found that I keep learning more and more and I also love this sport.” Swanson has played soccer since he was five years old, but he loves being able to learn more from coaching, and he loves passing his own knowledge on. The craziest thing he’s seen in his years on coaching is when West High won the State Championship in. The hardest part about coaching for Swanson is “managing the emotions of the players and making sure everyone is happy.” Nonetheless, he tries his hardest, doing the best he can.

Worst Soccer Games Played:

-Last year, lost the state championship -Losing the state title last year. “It was really hard knowing that was the last time all the coaches were going to work with a really large group of seniors that had done so much for the program.”-Steward -Cedar rapids Xavier we ended up losing 5-0 This coach’s first time teaching wasn’t here at West, but was at Maryland. He loved playing and the team was in need of a soccer coach. Rosenthal may have started coaching soccer to help pay rent but it’s evolved into something he loves. He loved teaching even if the team he was coaching only won five games out of the four years he was there. “We were horrible,” he said, but nonetheless, he enjoyed it very much. Rosenthal loved working with the students in a different environment. “The assessments aren’t the paper and pencil or the projects, they’re the games.” He loves to observe the teamwork and seeing the team come together as one to win or to stop the other team from scoring. His favorite thing about coaching is the tactics, which is solving the puzzle of the game before it’s played or while it’s being played. The hardest part about coaching, for Rosenthal, is making the decisions about which players go on which team or who might be cut from the program. “It’s hard to make those types of decisions but it is part of the job. I’m very fortunate to have great assistant coaches to help.” Mr. Rosenthal isn’t just a coach and a teacher though. He was once part of a team in his day, doing soccer clubs and playing in high school and college. He slowly built his way up to the very top of being varsity coach. He’s truly living the dream.

47 SPORTS APRIL 7, 201

Best Soccer Games Played:

-State championship from two years ago. -Beating Kennedy the first year Steward was apart of the staff to go to state. Tia Saunders finished a great goal to win the game -Semi-finals , quarter-final we ended going to a shootout. West won it was pandemonium Fiordellisi coached in college with the boys club team. When he first came down to Iowa city, there was an opening with the girls program, so he decided to apply and ended up getting the job as a girls soccer coach. What motivates him to keep coaching is seeing the players grow and develop, that he gets to help them grow and he loves the social interaction and being around all of it. Some of Coach Fiordellisi’s favorites things about coaching is helping those players out with a sport he loves and has played his entire life. He likes the competition and trying to compete to win. The first thing that comes to mind when he thinks of coaching is helping people. The hardest part about coaching is the time commitment. “You have to give up a lot of

evenings and weekends when I could be spending time with my family, or things I like to do. Also I get really passionate about the sport and when i’m putting in a lot of time and energy into coaching and the players aren’t giving the same back, it can be difficult.” One of the easiest thing about coaching girls soccer, in Coach Fiordellisi opinion, is that they’re always willing to have fun and it’s never a dull moment.

Believe it or not, Steward first started coaching at City High when an assistant Varsity position opened up. He coached until 2011, when he had to leave for another teaching opportunity. When he came back he was interested in coaching again, so he contacted the head coach, David Rosenthal, for “potential opportunities”. “I was always open to coaching soccer since graduating college. I had played my whole life and I wanted to share a game that I loved. His favorite thing about is getting to work with a great group of kids. He genuinely cares and respects each player and it makes it easier for him to coach. The first thing that comes to mind when he thinks of coaching is hard work. “That goes for the athletes during training and games as well as the coaches to prepare practice plans and to get ready for the games.” The hardest part about coaching for Steward is watching the senior players leave. “You build a bond with these kids for at least four years and it’s tough at the end of the season knowing that was the last time you are working with a group of athletes.” And lastly, the easiest thing about coaching for Steward is getting excited about going to work. As cliche as that sounds, it is true. He loves working with the whole team and doing his best to develop players skills as well as build a positive relationship. Working with the athletes makes him want to be a better coach.

By: Haley Wojciechowski

COMPILED BY MIKAIL SYED

BY THE NUMBERS

NBA Playoff Season is upon us! That means it’s time to tune into ESPN, TNT, NBA TV, and ABC. For those of you that are unaware, the NBA stands for National Basketball Association. As I am a sports nut, some of the terms in the article may not make sense to casual fans or non-fans, so I apologize for that. As of March 28th, these are my predictions for each conference’s final standings/seedings: East Cleveland Cavaliers Boston Celtics Washington Wizards Toronto Raptors Milwaukee Bucks Indiana Pacers Atlanta Hawks Miami Heat

West Golden State Warriors San Antonio Spurs Houston Rockets Los Angeles Clippers Utah Jazz Oklahoma City Thunder Memphis Grizzlies New Orleans Pelicans

2015 16

The NBA Playoff formula is revised.

NBA teams playing in the NBA Playoffs in 2017.

NBA teams in each conference

And for all of you dying to know who I have for the Most Valuable Player award, here you go. Sports Guy’s MVP Race Russell Westbrook: the guy is averaging a triple-double. Let that register again: averaging a freaking triple double. No way he’s not the MVP. LeBron James: having one of his five best seasons and… wait; those other four years he won the MVP in each. James Harden: Playing like Steve Nash circa ‘07 but with Gilbert Arenas’ mentality and the rebounding numbers of prime Jason Kidd. So basically, he’s playing like three of the five best point guards from the last decade rolled into one player? Yeah… really good. Kawhi Leonard: Probably the best two-way player in the league and quietly carrying the not-so-good Spurs into a 60-plus win season. Simply amazing; the 25-points-per-game from a DPOY hasn’t been seen since the days of Hakeem Olajuwon and David Robinson. And of non-bigs, the only guy to do that is, you guessed, it Michael Jordan: the GOAT! John Wall: had to pick one of the three (very different) point guards Wall, Isaiah Thomas, and reigning MVP Stephen Curry. I chose Wall because he plays both ends of the court and is the greatest pure point guard in the league not named Chris. And now for the meat of the article. Playoffs And for the meat of the article. by now Round Round 1 Eastern Conference Cavs v. Heat: Cavs in Four Description: The regular season proved otherwise, but I still believe that was a fluke. Miami does have depth, but Cleveland’s star power will overwhelm Erik Spoelstra’s squad. Celtics v. Hawks: Celtics in Five Description: If Paul Millsap plays like an All-Star, this will be an interesting series with two of Atlanta’s top three players being big men. Boston’s weakness (rebounding) could be exposed, especially in small lineups featuring Jae Crowder at Power Forward.

Note: ALL photos belong to their owners. WSS does not own any of these pictures.

West Side Story: Which team has won the most NBA finals? Answer: Boston Celtics

Wizards v. Pacers: Wizards in Four Description: John Wall and the red-hot Wizards will not be slowed down, especially by a mediocre team whose star can’t seem to understand his own squad (Paul George). Wizards’ three-headed perimeter attack of Wall-Bradley Beal-Otto Porter should obliterate Indiana.

WSS: Who is the NBA Playoffs

all-time scoring leader? Answer: Michael Jordan WSS: What is the Finals trophy that the winning team receives called? Answer: Larry O’Brien Trophy

WSS: Blah blah blah new question about the subject goes here? Answer: Fun answer here pertaining to the question that we just asked. This is how the interview goes woohoo.

WSS: Where do the 2015 NBA

champions Golden State Warriors play? Answer: Oakland

WSS: When were the first NBA playoffs?

Answer: 1947

A close-up of LeBron

Raptors v. Bucks: Bucks in Six Description: Supposing Toronto’s star Point Guard Kyle Lowry comes back, I’ll predict he won’t be in top form. Without him, they’ll go to DeMar DeRozan every time down; he is known to choke in the Playoffs before. I’m expecting a huge series from Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo. Round 1 Western Conference Warriors v Pelicans: Warriors in Seven Description: Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins form one of the most formidable frontlines in NBA history, and with the Warriors playing best when they go small, this’ll be an awesome matchup. Side-note: this is a rematch from two seasons ago. Spurs v Grizzlies: Spurs in Four Description: A rematch from last year, only this time Memphis will be healthier with Marc Gasol and Mike Conley in the mix. That doesn’t change much, as Kawhi Leonard looks to destroy whoever coach David Fizdale trots out at Small Forward and San Antonio’s second unit will spit fire. Rockets v Thunder: Rockets in Six Description: Battle of the heroes. Westbrook and Harden are sure to have classic duels throughout. Houston’s bench, with the dynamic scoring guards Lou Williams and Eric Gordon gives them the edge when everything comes down. Clippers v Jazz: Jazz in Five Description: Utah’s bench featuring Dante Exum, Alec Burks, Boris Diaw, and company is overwhelming for Los Angeles’s notoriously atrocious reserves. Add in the fact that Gordon Hayward is about 10 times better than Luc Mbah a Moute or anybody else that Doc Rivers sends to start at Small Forward. Eastern Conference Semifinals Cavs v Bucks: Cavs in Four Description: Giannis Antetokounmpo alone can’t carry Milwaukee to their first semifinals since ‘01. They will make it in the future but for now I see the defending champs continuing their run to the Finals.

Celtics v Wizards: Wizards in Seven Description: In a matchup between two marquee Point Guards (if Isaiah Thomas really is one), Wall gets the edge because his sidekicks are better- Beal and Porter. I also like their new bench featuring Brandon Jennings at the “1” and Bojan Bogdanovic at the “3.” Western Conference Semifinals Warriors v Jazz: Warriors in Seven Description: Utah is like New Orleans but better, James. preferring to play a slow-it-down style with two big guys in the middle: Rudy Gobert and Derrick Favors. How they’re better is that George Hill, Rodney Hood, and Gordon Hayward are all above-average starters on the wing. Golden State’s firepower will get the better of the defense, as always, in the end.

Eastern Conference Finals Cavs v Wizards: Cavs in Seven Description: This Washington squad is probably the best team to face LeBron in the Playoffs since Derrick Rose and coach Tom Thibodeau Chicago Bulls in 2011. But, LeBron’s LeBron: the best basketball player in the world. Cleveland’s new depth also gives them versatile offensive lineups with tons of floor spacing that make up for their defensive problems.

Steph Curry pumps up for support.

NBA Finals (!) Cavs v Spurs: Warriors in Five Description: After long and hard Conference Finals games, the two veteran teams will go all out in Part Three of this epic storyline. LeBron and Co. will be tired by the end. The Spurs v Rockets: Spurs in Five Warriors are also just too good Description: MVP candidates James Harden and for anybody- four of the top Kawhi Leonard face off in this Texas matchup. I twenty players in the league has pick San Antonio to win handily because of their playoff experience and big men who can abuse Ryan not been seen for a long time. Anderson and Nene down low including LaMarcus Finals MVP: Klay Thompson (Averages: 23-2-2 on 54-42Aldridge and Pau Gasol. 91 percentages). Your NBA Champions!

Western Conference Finals Warriors v Spurs: Warriors in Seven Description: The real Finals will be in this series. Assuming Kevin Durant has been healthy and at 90% of his normal self (e.g., 22-73 instead of 25-8-5). That’s the difference maker: the Spurs don’t have enough firepower and I’m afraid of Kawhi icing his teammates and chucking the ball up 20 times in a half. That said, the Spurs well-roundedness (Manu Ginobili, David Lee, Patty Mills, and Pau Gasol off the bench) should keep them competitive with the Golden State superteam.

Blake Griffin dribbles the basketball in a

TEE SPORTS

APRIL 7TH, 2017

BY TEYA KERNS, GRACE BRUSEGAARD, EVA BURBIDGE

eing around someone who is exactly like you could get annoying. On the other hand, it could also motivate you to be your best. Ashley and Allison Bys ’17, identical twin sisters and golf athletes at West High, know what this is like both on and off the golf course. “[Having a twin is] good and bad. It can be good because you always have someone there if you need them, but then it’s bad because if you’re always with someone you drive each other crazy,” Allison said. Both girls started off golfing their sophomore year when their friend Jordan Amelon ’17 encouraged them to start playing. They also got a lot of encouragement from their dad because he knew of their love for sports. Golf was

ALLISON

something different that they wanted to try out. It ended up being a lot harder than expected. “It takes a long time to figure out how to swing well and how to get a feel for how to putt. Putting is really hard when you first start,” Ashley said. Even though it was hard at first, they stuck with it. Now, Ashley and Allison share a love for golf. Although they both enjoy it, they tend to stay away from each other while golfing. “When one of us is doing [well], the other one starts doing bad because we’re just frustrated, and it’s not good to be frustrated during golf,” Ashley said. They perform better when they are not around each other because they are very competitive. A f t e r playing golf for a couple years, they each have some great accomplishments. Ashley went to a meet while playing on varsity and didn’t perform as well as she hoped, but when she got the opportunity to go back and play on the same course, she had her best meet yet. “To come back on the same course and play my best was really fun,” Ashley said. Allison also had great achievements on the golf course. She has shown huge

SPORTS

APRIL 7TH, 2017

improvements from season to season which she is extremely happy about. “My average dropped a lot between my first and second year and I think that’s a big accomplishment, because I didn’t really know how to golf going into the first year,” Allison said. As for the upcoming season, Ashley and Allison h a v e similar goals they hope to reach. “I want to break 50 in several meets, I’ve never broken 50 before,” said Allison. Meaning that she wants to be under 50 strokes in one meet, which consists of nine holes. Ashley hopes to attain the same goal. “Breaking 50 would be huge, [...] that’s our coach’s goal for everybody,” Ashley said. Both girls have high hopes for the season and are planning on working as hard as possible to exceed their personal best and reach their goals. To do so, Allison practices during 6th and 7th period and Ashley plays nine holes a day with her teammates. Many people believe golf to be an effortless sport. But Ashley and Allison both agree that it takes a lot of commitment and practice to have a successful season. They believe

ASHLEY

that golf should be a more respected sport because of how much time is put into becoming a valuable asset for the team. “[Golf] deserves respect because it is such a hard sport to play. You don’t realize until you go out and try to play nine holes how hard it is to hit it straight and consistently,” Ashley said. As for new golf players, Ashley and Allison have some handy advice. “Don’t give up. It’s a frustrating sport, but it’s rewarding once you figure it out. [...] When you hit that good shot it feels great and it makes it all b e t t e r , ” Allison said.

TWins

SPORTS

APRIL 7, 2017

SWITCHING SIDES OF THE NET BY NATALIE ROETLIN DESIGN BY HANNAH CANTRELL INFOGRAPHIC BY EMERIE BELL PHOTO BY THOMAS PETERS

Gingrich winds up for a serve during a practice.

hree years ago Preston Gingrich ’19 had a change in focus when transitioning from soccer which he had played since a young age, to a challenging sport requiring agility and coordination: tennis. Gingrich decided to play tennis because he played a lot of badminton with his friends and was really good at it, so he thought he would give it a whirl. This is his third year playing tennis and he is a starter on West High’s Junior Varsity Team as a sophomore. “It wasn’t too bad of a transition from soccer to tennis,” said Gingrich ’19. “Soccer requires a lot of coordination and requires you to be quick on your feet, s a m e goes for t e n n i s ,” “Soccer requires a lot of said Ging r i c h . coordination and requires Gingrich not only you to be quick on your p l a y s t e n n i s feet, same goes for tennis.” for West -Gingrich “19 but High, he participates in a club team during the off-season. Most of his practices are held at the HTRC (Hawkeye Tennis Recreation Center), and the North Dodge Athletic Center in Iowa City. “A lot of my time is devoted to tennis, I practice eight hours a week on average during the season and about four during the off season” said Gingrich. His serving percentage has significantly increased this year since last year. That being said, he’s had to replace 3 strings just in this year from learning to hit the ball much harder. Serving is a hard concept to get the hang of right out of the gate, he has a 60 percent serving average and is “striving to improve,” said Gingrich. Most matches are played in sequences of either best out of three or five. Mainly three matches are played at the high school and intermediate level. The West tennis team has made it to state every y e a r for the past 5 “Preston is always fun to y e a r s . P re s t on play with, he’s pretty good is very h a p p y but he’s also humble about with his position it which is a good mix.” on the -Walling “18 Junior Va r s i t y team, he would rather play on JV than be benched on varsity. He is excited for the season and ready to have fun. “Preston is always fun to play with, he’s pretty good but he’s also humble about it which is a good mix,” said Robert Walling ‘18. Walling and Gingrich play together a lot and have a good relationship on the court. Whenever they play doubles they partner up. The transition from soccer to tennis helped Gingrich not only focus on his single matches but also his doubles and care for his team and how everyone’s individual matches go. He is dedicated to getting better and being the best asset he can to his team. “He goes to all the optional practices and gives it his all when he plays,” said Walling. “It was not an easy transition, but it was a good one,” said Gingrich. He’s pleased with his decision he made three years ago to start tennis, and won’t regret it.

APRIL 7, 2017