Sports update 2018

PLAYING REAL FOOT BALL

BY SOPHIE NIMS

The freshmen on this year’s boys varsity soccer team.

#19 GRAHAM

GAMBRALL

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21 # YULONG SHAO

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Gra looks ham Gam off in brall to th durin e dist ‘21 g an anc in in the door prac e ti West High ce gym.

“

It’s fun to play, to me.

[There’s] a lot of new friends, [and I] try to accomplish something take takes a lot of hard work.”

-GRAHAM GAMBRALL ‘21

all Gambr nd u o r looks a a e k a to m g in r u d pass n o e ic pract y, a d r u Sat h.

April 6t

GRAHAM GAMBRALL FOR VIDEO COVERAGE, GO TO INTRO.WSSPAPER.COM

G N I S I R

One of the most popular activities to participate in at West High School is sports.

With over 14 different sports offered at West, athletics play a big part of many students’ extracurricular activities, boys’ soccer being especially popular. Many strive to be on their A-game and make the varsity team , but only few are successful. The majority of players on the varsity team are upperclassmen, but joining them this year are two freshmen.

According to Soccer Head Coach Brad Stiles, the most freshman players they have ever had on the boy’s varsity team is two. “I always take [at least] one freshman on Varsity,” Stiles said. Stiles also said that it’s important for there to be someone on the team that has four years of varsity experience,

which is why he always includes least one freshman be on the te Yulong Shao ‘21 and Graham Gamb ‘21 are the freshman that made the b varsity soccer team this season. Ha played for around 10 years, both b are very experienced at soccer. S and Gambrall play on Iowa Soccer C (ISC), which is a soccer club that g toward providing professional coach to youth soccer players in all levels of programs. Gambrall plays as an out back and outside midfield, while S plays as a forward in club soccer outside back or center back for W There’s many factors that come into when deciding who is going to be on e team, making it sometimes very diffi on deciding who to put where. “Grah is very competitive and coachable versatile as far the amount of position can play,” Stiles said. “Yulong is also

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Yulong Shao ‘21 dribbles the soccer ball down the field during West’s varsity game against Ankeny.

YULONG SHAO ol ontr ing a c s r in ll du . o ga Sha the ba ractice r ove rday p u Sat

S R A G ST

s at eam. brall boys’ aving boys Shao Club gears hing f the tside Shao and West. play each fficult ham and ns he very

coachable and can fill a specific role as a left footed center back. This center back position is a position where we graduated lots of experience and minutes played.”

Both boys said they were surprised to have made the team. “You’re pushed very hard on the varsity level,” Shao said. “In club [soccer], I’m playing with players that are my age and my physical size or strength. At West soccer, I’m playing against players that are faster, stronger, and more experienced and I need to be able to adapt to play at their level.”

Between club soccer and high school soccer, there are bound to be similarities and differences. One of the main differences being the players and the coaches. “The coaches of West and Club are kind of similar,” Shao said. “They both expect you to listen and apply what they’re telling you and they both expect you to try your best, the only difference between them is the different things they’re

coaching and how they coach us.”

Gambrall says that he has played with some of the other boys on the teax m before, while Shao has not.

“I used to play with some of them on rampage and the ISC team, and when the ages switched I didn’t get to play with them,” said Gambrall. “So I’m sure some of them are happy that we get to play with each other again.”

The season has only just begun, which means there’s much to look forward to for both of these players. “It’s fun to play, to me,” Gambrall said. “[There’s] a lot of new friends, [and I] try to accomplish something that takes a lot of hard work.”

“My favorite part of soccer is being able to play the sport I love and being able to meet new people at the same time,” said Shao. “You can really start to feel a bond between you and your teammates after you’ve gone through so much with them, winning and losing and all that.”

“

You can really start to feel a bond between you and your teammates after you’ve gone through so much with them, winning and losing and all that.

-YULONG SHAO ‘21 PHOTOS BY HUNTER HERMAN COVER DESIGN BY BRENDA GAO SPREAD DESIGN BY AMY LIAO WEB VIDEO BY MIA DILINGHAM

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BEHIND THE RACKET

BY ALICE MENG & FAREEHA AHMAD

Jessica Moonjely ‘20 was able to win all of her 19 matches last season due to her passion and commitment to tennis.

DESIGN BY ELLA SMITH PHOTOS BY ELLA SMITH

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W

hack. A small bright green ball goes flying over the net. Smack.

Over and over again. Until it is too far out of your reach. A sigh escapes the coach as she quickly scribbles down some notes. The wind whips through your hair as you tighten your grip around the racket handle. Whack. There it goes again.

Over and over again. Everyone holds their breath. You feel the damp sweat on your palms collecting up. At last, a cheer emerges from your teammates.

Moments like these are glorious for Jessica Moonjely ‘20, who has been playing tennis since she was eight years old. Her father always loved watching tennis, but since he never had the chance to take lessons, he wanted Moonjely to have the opportunity he never got. With his support, she came to love it.

Moonjely had a remarkable season last year, as she won all of her matches as a freshman. At the time, she never thought much of it and was more focused on helping her teammates. She didn’t feel pressured, which helped her build up her confidence.

“I think the lack of expectations to live up

to definitely was one of the reasons [why] I was able to accomplish what I did last season,” Moonjely said.

Looking back on the memory, she is proud of the accomplishment and is looking forward to another season of hard work.

Moonjely thinks that people often get their motivation from trying to be better than the other players around them, but she drives her motivation from trying to improve from her previous games.

“J ESS I CA I S A LITTLE BALL O F F I R E .”

“Comparing from last season, she had some challenging matches. She just found a way to overcome the nerves and was able to stay focused on the objective of the match and her plan,” said Amie Villarini, her coach. “That’s how she was able to overcome the tight matches. She stuck with her plan and her footwork really helped her.”

Tennis is often seen as one of the easiest and least strenuous sports, but Moonjely

thinks otherwise.

“Some people might just see two people smacking a ball back and forth over a net, but it’s a lot more than that. Tennis actually requires a lot of mental strength,” she said.

“You’re constantly having to anticipate where the ball will come next and [...] where you need to hit it. Tennis takes a lot of cardio, balance, and coordination.”

However, nothing comes without its doubts. With tennis being a sport not played by many, Moonjely has wondered if she has chosen the right sport to play. She later came to realize that the sport is unique and doesn’t regret joining the high school team.

“She’s very nice and very passionate about the sport,” said Vivian Mitchell ‘19, her teammate. “She always has a really good attitude on the court. She shows that more than anyone.”

Villarini agrees that Moonjely has a positive impact on the team.

“Jessica is a little ball of fire. She’s just the most positive person I know,” said Villarini.

“She plays with such intensity and she puts a hundred and twenty percent in for every point.”

BY THE

I N D IVI DUAL

#1

in position 4 during the 2016-17 season

14 - 0 17-1 FOR VIDEO COVERAGE, GO TO INTRO.WSSPAPER.COM

of Jessica’s matches won

sets won by Jessica

N U M BE RS

TEAM

95% 7

matches won in the 2016-17 season returning players from last year

17-1

sets won by Jessica

FOR MORE COVERAGE, GO TO INTRO.WSSPAPER.COM

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APRIL 6TH, 2018

The Split By: Alyssa Skala, WSS Intern

Revolution’s, 15 and under (15U), ISC boys soccer team has been growing with the up and coming stars, Yulong Shao ‘21 is one of the two freshman who made the varsity team. Making the varsity team as a freshman is a very credible accomplishment. When Shao found out he was going to be playing on the varsity team he was surprised and excited, “I feel neutral about it (making the varsity team) because I know that the team I am on is gonna be good but I will miss the team I have been playing with for years,” Shao says. Most of the time you want to just stick with the crowd you know, less anxiety and less judgement, but sometimes it’s good to take a chance and risk it all.

The head coach, Brad Stiles, was a soccer player himself in high school. “Since I was a player myself I was always more in favor of playing and learning with the ball, so I have adopted that and we keep fitness to certain days and playing and exercises to other days.”

Stiles said. The players really enjoy having these separate days in practice. “I really like Brad, he’s a good coach, and I think he really gets how we feel on the field” Michael Wu ‘21 said.

A lot of coaches find it hard to really connect with their players and that complicates their coaching greatly, but with Stiles they find a way to really connect and perform well.

The team that Shao has been playing with consists of quite a few students on West’s Soccer team, including Owen Smith ‘21 and Andy Lu ‘21,. Chris Clegg was the coach of their ISC soccer team this past year, and he led them to a state title last year. Smith and Lu agreed that playing on a team lower than Shao might be a benefit for them,

“IT GIVES US A GOOD GOAL TO RE ACH BEC AUSE WE ALL WANT TO WORK AND IMPORVE TO RE ACH VARSIT Y WITH HIM NE X T YE AR .”

Soccer is such of a big part of their lives, spending about 2 hours at practice after school everyday, is a huge chunk of time in a week. Another time consumption that Shao has is hockey, he’s been playing for around 3 years. While juggling the two sports he loves, Shao is still a straight A student. How does he do it all? “I have to be able to organize all the times so that I have little to no overlap” He says. “Then once I finish my day I go and do homework, no matter how much there is or how tired I am. I try my best to finish as much as I can during school so I don’t have it after school” He continues. “Playing Varsity soccer is tough as a freshman, but Shao and Gramball have a lot of potential” Stiles said. “If they keep working they could be really good.” Shao knows he is going to keep working on his communication and playing skills for a long time, he even hopes to play college ball in a couple years with a scholarship.

THE

STATISTICS

2 34 88 18 20

freshman boys made the varsity boys soccer team this year.

freshman tried out for the 2017-2018 team. boys tried out for the team. seasons Brad Stiles has coached at west cuts were made.

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APRIL 6TH, 2018

PHOTOS AND DESIGN BY ALYSSA SKALA

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PRO: T

By Edward Keen

anking has been one of the most contentious topics in sports as of late, one which many fans have vocally criticized for its backing of purposeful losing in games. However, in my opinion, tanking is not as bad nor as prominent of an issue than what most people have made it out to be.

To start, look at what tanking is - “the losing of sports teams on purpose.” But why do they do this? Because teams that have lower records at the end of the season end up gaining higher draft picks, allowing increased chances at getting potential future star players.

Once a team drafts these talented players, their team will have taken an exponential step forward into becoming better. See, that’s precisely what tanking is. Teams don’t tank for fun, or to goad their fans. No, they tank for the benefits out of it. Fans want their teams to try and win at the moment, but if their team is already poor or meandering, then there really isn’t much that can be done to improve, except for trying to draft better players on the team. And tanking, thus, is an easy way for teams to achieve this.

A recent example is the Philadelphia 76ers. They notoriously tanked for several prior seasons, scraping records as low as a mere 10 wins.

Now, take a look at their current record: a solid 50-win season and a third place position in the Western Conference. This is only one such exemplification of how tanking has been used and has benefited teams.

Plus, teams should be allowed to do what they want without fan intervention. No team wants to be permanently bad, and they make their decisions based on how their team can improve in the future. If they think that tanking is an appropriate way to get better in future seasons, then fans should let them be. Any “fan” who thinks that they know more or care more about their team than the people behind it are not actual fans. If fans legitimately cared about their team, they would let the teams do whatever they want to do to improve.

It is also rather inscrutable that tanking is only becoming such a widespread controversy now. Did anyone complain as much several years back when the Cavs obviously tanked in the 2010-11 and 2011-12 season with records of 19–63 and 21–45? Barely anyone batted an eye, and it ended up benefiting the Cavs later on. But when teams do it now, they are met with a multitude of outrage. Yes, tanking did some controversy before, but it is much worse today, which does not make a considerable amount of sense, seeing that it was the same exact situation back then as it is now.

DESIGN BY PATRICK TAYLOR

Tankin

Play or Boun

Tanking - the losing of team spread controversial subject We give differing points arg

ng:

Fair Out of nds?

ms on purpose - is a widet in sports at the moment. guing for and against its

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By Sam Fennell-Chamtezky

T

ANTI:

anking, the intentional losing of basketball games, is a major problem that must be addressed. Its preponderance goes against the very essence of basketball.

In basketball, as in any sport, the purpose is to try your best and hope to come out victorious. However, tanking causes players to not play with their best effort and thus takes away from the whole purpose of the game. Also, it’s unfair to the fans. Who wants to watch their favorite players purposely play badly and miss shots?

Some may argue that tanking is a perfectly justified strategy that teams employ in order to play their best in the future. That may be true, but it shouldn’t be. Self-sabotage should not be allowed, much less incentivized. The system is quite fixable, and there are many ways in which the loopholes that reward tanking can be closed. One such fix would be to create a new way of running the NBA draft. In the new and improved draft, each team of the 30 teams is randomly given the 1st pick for one draft each of the next 30 drafts. After 30 years have passed, another 30 year draft is held.

Another solution, this one more simple, would be to simply change the draft back to the way it was in the late 80s. Back then, there was one envelope for each team that reserved one randomly selected pick in the first round of the draft. Each team had as good a chance as any at getting the 1st pick, or any pick for that matter. And this system worked.

No such thing as tanking existed in the NBA of the late 80s; on the contrary, the era was known for being an extremely physical era in which everyone played really hard.

Also, in response to Edward’s point about the Cavaliers, I must digress.

Let me read to you the Cavs win totals in each season for the past 10 years, from 2006-07 to 2016-07. Those win numbers in which LeBron James was on the team are in bold. 50, 45, 66, 61, 19, 21, 24, 33, 53, 57, 51. As can clearly be seen by these numbers, the Cavs improvement had nothing to do with tanking. Instead, it had everything to do with whether LeBron James was on the team, as in between his two stints with the Cavs he spent several years with the Heat.

Finally, I would also like to address the point that nobody complained about tanking until recently. While tanking has increased precipitously in recent years, it did occur in the past and was also complained about. For example, in the 200607 season, it was widely acknowledged that the SuperSonics, Trail Blazers, and Celtics were all tanking that year in order to be able to draft either Greg Oden or Kevin Durant. Famed sports writer Bill Simmons even referred to that season as the “Tankapalooza 2007.”

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Overwatch: The dangers of eSports

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APR. 10, 2018

DESIGN BY RAIN RICHARDS INFOGRAPHICS BY HOLDEN LOGAN

BY EDDIE WILSON

T

hroughout the ages people have viewed sports for entertainment; the enjoyment of being a part of something, the thrill of the players putting their well-being in danger for the game, and the excitement of the crowd have been around since well before the Roman time. However, with the advent of the 21st century a new type of sport and a new way to play has emerged, eSports (electronic sports) and more specifically the Overwatch League. These new ways of playing come with a completely new set of death defying risks that players must take precautions for, as they could be risking the use of their finger 50-60 years down the line.

Overwatch is one of the games which has been included within eSports. The way you play it is through selecting a character that have been split into different roles. There are tanks, which are meant to soak up damage and protect their teammates. Healers are meant to mitigate the damage done to teammates by healing them.

DPS characters are meant to do the actual damage to the enemy team and make them take enough damage that they need to respawn. The overall goal is to either capture an objective for a select amount of time or to push a payload to the end of a specified route.

The Overwatch League, the main competitive outlet for Overwatch, started on Nov. 4, 2016. It involved the best players that Blizzard, the company that made Overwatch, could find to play the game. Blizzard then paid them full time to hone their skills and become the best at the game, basically they play the game full time in order to face off against one another. Since the professional scene has appeared many injuries have occured, finger strain, broken keyboards, lung collapses, hurt wrists, and much more.

Some of the injuries that people have had at this very school are horrific, as Max Collins ‘18, frequent gamer and occasional Overwatch League viewer says, “I punched a hole through my laptop screen and cut up my hand when I was 12.”

He admits that there are other possible dangers, such as “Becoming a “no-lifer”, carpal tunnel, bad eyesight, not having any real friends, [and] never getting an actual job.”

Danny Rompot ‘19, who plays competitive Overwatch avidly says, “No [injuries], except just mentally, being frustrated, tired, or stressed from playing too much or An injury that is semi-common among profe s s i on al gamers is lung collapses.

While Song Jun-hwa, a professional Over watch player, was competing in Over watch he had this happen to him. It happens through something called spontaneous pneumothorax, which translates to spontaneous lung collapse.

It’s something that isn’t quite known how it works yet as the lung collapse isn’t cause by physical trauma of any sort. It just seems spontaneous, as the name says.

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Due to the nature of competitive things, it can be extremely stressful. Just think of all the clicking that’s needed when playing such a game.

As Rompot said, “It should not be stressful, it should be cool and relaxing, but if people are doing it competitively, it can be quite stressful.

I personally stress over winning ‘cause I like winning.’”

Ronan Smith ‘19 admits that with his stress, “I’m a screaming, profuse, angry teenager from the second I pick up the controller to the second I set it down.” The nature of competitive games can do terrifying things to someone whose goal it is to win and only win. In fact, the players themselves could become the largest danger to themselves.

Seagull, one of the most famous competitive players in Overwatch, has some tips on how to avoid RSI (Repetitive Stress Injury), the most common injury from playing such games. He said, in an interview conducted by Brandon Padilla, “It just comes down to making sure your desk and your chair at each tournament are at least somewhat comfortable … For the monitor, raising it up or down so I don’t crane my head or neck too badly” … “Make sure to stretch beforehand, do some hand yoga, that’s one of the important parts.” eSports are one of the most, if not the most dangerous sport there are out there. When it comes to the OWL they’ve given tips on how to avoid that damage that can come to your hands, we’ve explored the injuries that students themselves have experienced while playing the game competitively at our very own school, and we’ve seen the amount of pressure the game can put on people. This goes so far as to perhaps damage people for the rest of their career. Although eSports may be fun to watch, they are no joke.

PUSHING THROUGH THE PAIN

Eva Oleson ‘21 seems like any other easy-going ninth-grader, but if you take a closer look, specifically an x-ray of her bones, you would see that she is literally one in a million.

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APR. 11, 2018

BY MADELINE EPHRAIM, MARTA LIERA, AND ANNABEL HENDRICKSON

I

n February of 2015, Oleson joined the group of less than 7,000 people diagnosed with Chronic Recurrent Multifocal Osteomyelitis (CRMO), a rare bone disorder present in .0001 percent of the population. It is characterized by symptoms of joint pain, swelling, and sometimes fever.

While there are treatment options, such as corrective surgeries, there is limited data on this rare disease, making it hard to cure. The diagnosis came as a shock; “I would consider Eva a high energy child.” Oleson's mother, Ellie Oleson, said. “She wasn’t bouncing off the walls, but she has always been one to find outdoor activities to keep herself entertained.”

“I HAD TO GIVE UP MOS T AC TIVITIES THAT HAVE ANY THING TO DO WITH RUNNING, BUT I K EEP TRYING .”

Running has been a part of Oleson’s life since she was young. She participated in Girls on the Run, Mileage Club, and Run for the Schools every year. She was also involved in basketball throughout all of elementary school, which was the first of many things she would have to give up after her diagnosis. “It was really hard for me to stop playing basketball," Oleson said. “That’s what I had liked for a really long time; it was one of my favorite things.”

Oleson decided to attempt running again in seventh grade, when she joined the cross country team. It was a difficult endeavor, marked with immense pain and mixed emotions, but Oleson managed to finish the season. “I tried cross country... t didn’t work out.” Oleson said, “I cried in every meet that I ran in from the pain. In the second to last [meet], I cried so much the coach made me sit out.”

Despite her ailment, Oleson continued pursuing her passion for running. Over the summer, she started going for shorter jogs, building up her endurance step by step. In August, Oleson was able to run a little over a mile without stopping. “Running over a full mile was a very big accomplishment for me because it is something that I hadn't been able to do for the past few years,” Oleson said, “It felt good to finally reach a big goal that I had been working towards.”

This accomplishment spurred a dramatic change of events, ending with Oleson attempting track in February. Winter conditioning started in November, and after a few months of training, Oleson had her mind set on joining track. “I was a little surprised, but quite pleased that Eva decided to go out for track. I am even more pleased now that I have witnessed the effects of the winter strength training practices.” Ellie Oleson said, “I don’t know if strength training is something that Eva would have taken interest on her own, but this girl has muscles now!”

good," Durian said.

Oleson has overcome a great deal in her lifetime, and she plans on continuing to try to do what she loves. “Track has been hard, but I’ve been pushing through the pain,” Oleson said. “I know that if I keep trying, I will eventually be able to get better.”

Although Eva's future is unclear, her mom

hopes that she continues to pursue running “I see the joy in Eva’s eyes when she describes achieving a new weight lifting goal or skill set, but I also see the disappointment when the pain is too unbearable to participate in the normal practice routine," Ellie Oleson said. "It is always important to focus on the positive and to appreciate all that life has to offer, no matter what the challenge is.”

“APPRECIATE ALL THAT LIFE HA S TO OFFER , NO MAT TER WHAT THE CHALLENGE IS”

One of Oleson’s favorite parts about track is the sense of community that comes from being on a team. “It’s amazing to be part of a team that’s so supportive of everyone.”

Oleson said. “I’m proud to be around such great people everyday.” One of those teammates is Emma Durian ‘19, a member of the track team. "It takes a committed person to do track because you have to put in a lot of time if you want to your team to be

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APR. 10, 2018

THE CHOSEN TROJANS West High soccer players give their takes on the next season and their expectations for themselves and their team.

By: Chris Kim, Bernardo Perez, Kareem Shoukih, and Andrew Burgess West High kicked off the 2018 soccer season by hosting the first tournament on March 31st. Several teams from the Cedar Rapids and Iowa City areas attended. With a quarter of the team replaced from last year, each student has their own expectations for this coming year. Here are some of their thoughts:

Omar Salem ‘21 JV1

Omar Salem ‘21 is an ISC Rampage player who joined West High’s Junior Varsity 1 team in the hope of making a difference. Omar stated, “...we have the potential to go undefeated,” and this symbolizes the determination that Omar has along with the rest of the incoming freshmen on the JV1 team. Salem has been playing since he was nine years old, and ever since then his love for the game has only grown. Salem has been playing left outside midfielder, and as he says, “I really like sprinting down the side and catching speed.” He also likes scoring, but most importantly, enjoying the game as a team and being with his friends.

Salem’s opinion on his future with soccer reflects how he plays the game. Salem said, “In a way, I don’t really like to think that far ahead. I just go ahead and play how I play.” This shows how focused he is on each game, instead of worrying about the future.

Eric Shaffer ‘20 JV1

Eric Shaffer ‘20 is another player on West’s team. He started playing when he was young, following his sister into the sport. “I was like, ‘oh, I want to be like my big sister.’ I’ve liked the game ever since, and I never really thought twice about it.” Although Shaffer enjoys the sport itself, he finds other benefits from playing on a team. “I enjoy the team aspect of it, having kind of a community around you. Support, friends and a group of hardworking people.” Along with this, Shaffer has been having a great time with West as well. “It’s been great. I had so much fun last season. I guess that’s just what I’m hoping for this season.” Now, with the start of a new season, he has high expectations for this season’s JV1 team. “My goals are for my team to go undefeated. We have a pretty strong team this year, and a lot of great potential for the upcoming year. I’m really excited.”

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APR. . 10, 2018

Caleb Kwok ‘20 JV1

Idris Kecira ‘20 Varsity

Caleb Kwok ‘20 has played for most of his life. “I played rec before [club] and I played with my grandpa when I was four or five,” Kwok said. “I was just visiting. We might as well have passed time playing.

Gotta teach them young.” Kwok started at West on the varsity team. “Winning is fun. The sense of joy you get from running over other people. That sounds harsh, but i’m the smallest kid usually, and when there’s a big guy that thinks he can challenge me, I bust his…” However, midway through the season last year, Kwok’s back was injured by another player during a game. This disabled him from being able to jump, or from even running.

“I had to sit out state. I got injured before state which sucks.” Although he was injured, Kwok was still able to develop during his recovery time. “Overall, it let me see the game from a different perspective. I had to help my teammates without playing.” Now, his goal is to get back on the varsity team. “I will work hard and play better than I did during tryouts.”

Liberty High School’s newly-formed soccer team is ready and excited for the upcoming season. Idris Kecira ‘20 joined Liberty’s Varsity team as soon as it flashed open. He said, “A realistic goal would probably be to avoid losing all of our games and make it to state.” As a new team he knows it will be hard to bolt onto the scene, but Kecira is hoping to take one strike at a time, and truly reach the clouds in his school. He’s especially excited for the next storm of high schoolers and the growing thunder around Iowa’s soccer scene. “Soccer culture in Iowa is pretty hard to come by, especially by schools. As of right now, City and West have done a really good job creating a culture and hype around soccer as well as provided more knowledge about it throughout the school and community in general. If Liberty could reach that level of anticipation and excitement about soccer, the next generations would be supported and pushed to other levels.” His hopes will stay high this season, and work together with the rest of the Liberty soccer team to achieve greatness for their new school.

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APR. 10, 2018

Freshmen on the field STORY BY BESS FRERICHS DESIGN AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY GWEN WATSON

“I WA S RE ALLY E XCITED, LIK E I COULDN’ T SHOW IT THEN, BUT I WA S ES TATIC .”

- MAK AYL A SL ADE ‘21

17

The wind rushes past your face as you run to kick the ball. You can hear the chatter of your teammates as you all warm up. A kick has the ball flying, heading toward your partner. Today, you’re working on passing to each other through a row of cones. Later on, you’ll split into two groups and do some scrimmages, or practice games. For Makayla Slade ‘21 and Grace Curran ‘21, two of the five freshman on the girls Varsity soccer team, practices like these happen every day after school.

Slade has been playing soccer for approximately 10 years. She’s been a part of Iowa Soccer Club (ISC) since seventh grade, and has played with Alliance, a soccer club from ages 7-14. This year she joins the West High Varsity Girls Soccer team.

Curran has played soccer since she was three.

She was in a couple of soccer clubs from her hometown, and after moving to Iowa City in 7th grade, she’s become a part of ISC along with Slade.

Finding out they had gotten into Varsity shocked both of them.

“I was walking to the Varsity [girls locker] room and Niyati [Vyas ‘21,] she’s on JV, she like nudged me and told me I was on Varsity and then I looked at [the roster]. I was happy.” Curran says.

“I was really excited, like I couldn’t show it then, but I was ecstatic,” Slade recalls. “Honestly, I thought I was going to be placed in [Junior Varsity] even though people told me I was going to be on Varsity.”

When they joined the team they fit in almost instantly.

“It was at first [hard to fit in with the upperclassmen]. It’s kind of hard because I’m friends with some of the seniors and talking to them while they’re talking to other people is hard. It’s a little awkward but other than that it’s fine,” Slade says. “Most of the time it’s like really good. I mean, we are all friends, we all know each other…. We do team bonding a lot.”

It helps that Slade and Curran have known each other since 7th grade.

“We work well like with passing the ball and she works well on defense,” Curran says. “It’s just a lot of fun.”

“Usually at practice [Curran and I are] pretty focused. We don’t mess around, but we kind of like make jokes. We’re usually mostly focused,” Slade says.

The first game of the season was on April 2, where West girls Varsity lost 0-1. “[At practice] we looked at what we needed to change and if we needed to change the formation, which we are actually going to [do] for the [next games]. We figured out what we needed to change, we figured things out, moved some players around, but [the loss] was still sad,” Slade explains.

Looking toward the future, Slade and Curran want to continue playing for West and ISC throughout high school.

“I’d like to play college [soccer] but I haven’t really decided yet.” Slade says.

“[Soccer is] just all fun,” Curran says. “When you win it feels great and it sucks when you lose, but you learn and can get better.”

SPORTS

APR. 10, 2018

BY THE

NUMBERS

94 436 89%

Goals were made in 21 games by West High Womens Soccer last season.

shots were attempted. 21.6% of shots attempted made goals.

of attempted goals against West were saved

Design by Gwen Watson

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APR. 11, 2018

SWINGING INTO SPRING The girls golf team has just started their season, and the team is filled with players ranging from veterans to ambitious beginners hoping to bond with each other and have fun.

By: Claudia Chia, Emma Gibson, Ellen Moser

Julia Austin ‘18

Jessica Lowman ‘18

Q: Why did you choose to play golf?

A: “ I chose to go out for golf because I wanted to get involved in something else at West and I knew it was a sport I could play my whole life.”

Q: What do you think about how some people think golf is easy?

A: “For some people it is, but it includes a lot of thought, hand eye coordination, the ability to perceive distance, and patience.”

Q: What do you think about how some people think golf isn’t a sport?

A: “I think you have to understand golf in order to really appreciate it and its difficulty. A lot of thought and technique goes into each and every shot that someone who has never played might not see.”

Q: Do you have any plans to pursue golf in college?

A: “I’m going to play, but they don’t have a Girl’s Golf team at Kirkwood so I’ll just have to do it for leisure time until 2020.”

Laurel Kelley ‘19

Q: What are your hopes for the season? What are you excited or nervous about?

A: “I’m excited to see how I will improve but nervous to compete against really good players.”

Q: Have you played any other sports and if so do you feel that they have benefited you with golf?

A: “I play volleyball and with volleyball being a sport where you make mistakes often, it helped me be okay with making mistakes in golf as well.”

Rylee Fay ‘20

Ellie Kouba ‘19

Q: How long have you been playing golf and how did you start playing?

A: I’ve been on the team since my freshman year and I wanted to do golf because my dad loves it and I would occasionally go to the driving range and I really liked it so I wanted to get the competitive aspect.

Q: Favorite club?

A: Oh, I love my sand wedge. Her name’s Sandy.

Gotta love her.

Claudia Chia ‘20

Q: Have you played any other sports and if so, do you feel that they have benefited or put you at a disadvantage?

A: I play volleyball and I definitely think it’s helped me with golf. They are both very mental games.

Q: How long have you played golf and how’d you start playing? Who taught you how to play?

Claudia: “I started playing when I was 5 and I only recently started playing again. My dad is the one who got me playing in the beginning and also coached me.”

Q: What do you think about how some people think golf is easy?

A: Trust me, it’s not. You could be the most athletic person on the earth and still not be good at it.

Q: What are your hopes for the season?

Claudia: “I hope we grow as a team and bond a lot.

Making it to state would be amazing. I’m nervous because I’ve never been on a high school sports team before and I haven’t played a course in a while.”

Mackenzie Donovan

Rylee Goodfellow ‘21

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APR. 11, 2018

Q: Have you played any other sports and if so do you feel that they have benefited you with golf?

A: “Softball helps because I have a strong swing and it helps me [with] keeping my eye on the ball.”

Q: What do you think about how some people think golf is easy?

A: “I thought the same until I actually tried it, and it’s harder than it looks.”

Madison Kiersch ‘21

Q: How long have you played golf and how’d you start playing? Who taught you how to play?

A: “This season is my first time playing, and I started playing because my friends were doing it. I guess Mary and Don taught me but I’ve also gotten pointers from my parents who play golf.”

Q: What are your hopes for the season?

What are you excited or nervous about?

A: “Just to get better and have fun! I’m excited to learn all the rules and hopefully get somewhat good. I’m nervous to look silly at meets, [about] not knowing the rules, whiffing.”

Q: Have you played any other sports and if so, do you feel that they have benefited or put you at a disadvantage?

A: I play softball and it helps with your hand eye coordination, even though they are two completely different swings, like hitting the small ball off of the tee is harder than hitting a big ball coming at you.

Q: What do you think about people who say golf isn’t a sport?

A: It’s hard to be perfect at it. You can get one aspect of your game perfect or pretty close, but putting and chipping you’re never going to perfect that.

Maddi Logsdon ‘21

Q: How long have you played golf and how’d you start playing? Who taught you how to play?

A: “This is my first year, and I started by hitting balls into a batting cage.”

Q: Have you played any other sports and if so do you feel that they have benefited you with golf?

A: “I have done gymnastics which surprisingly helps with the feet positions when you swing.”

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APR.11,2018

BOYS TRACK & FIELD

PREPARATION

With spring comes spring sports, from golf and tennis to soccer and track and field. Each coming with sweat drenching practices and racing hearts before games or meets. Every athlete prepares themselves in different ways in order to do their best before the big event. Our boys track and field team knows how to get ready under their own circumstances before and after a meet. Here are a few examples from some of the best.

Before:

“When I hear about a meet, I get hyped just like during basketball season. I do my warm ups with my friends to make sure I don’t cramp or anything during a race and we like to joke around. I especially like to warm up with my best friend, Seybian, because we are new to track this year.”

After: “After an event, I usually get congratulated by the team and then I get right back into stretching. Stretching helped me a lot in basketball and I already knew that for every sport that your body should be relaxed.”

Dante Eldridge ‘19 sprinting in the 100 meter race.

Before:

“To start preparing for my events, I find out West High high jump coach and work to strengthen my jump for basketball next year. I work hard but I’m not to worried about placement or winning. I just want my vertical jumping to improve.”

Seybian Sims ‘18 jumping over the pole in high jump.

After: “I like to hangout with the rest of the team after an event. We usually just do more warm ups together and if I’m hungry or thirsty then I go to our spot on the bleachers and get something from the cooler. ”

Before: “I usually prepare for a meet by eating pasta, fruits and vegetables because they have a lot of carbohydrates and that helps me maintain the energy I need to run a race. I think what you eat before a meet matters and it could determine a race sometimes. For warm ups I usually start by jogging for 10 minutes to get the blood flowing.

Then I do some dynamics like lunges, knee hugs, figure fours, and high kicks. After the dynamics I do static stretching.”

Osman Salama ‘20 running the 800 meter of the 1600 sprint medley.

After: “After an event I go on a cool down jog for 10 minutes and then do static stretching. And after a meet is over the entire team would jog around the track and we would do static stretching together again.”

Before:

“The first thing I do is decide what clothes to wear because some of the meets can be cold or rainy and there is a lot of sitting around at the meets. All of the other throwers and I have the same warm up each practice. It’s important to keep things consistent and to make sure your whole body is loose and warm so that you can perform to the best of your ability.”

APR. 11, 2018

WEST HIGH RECORDS 100 meters:

Alonzo Markham 10.70 2009

400 meters:

Alonzo Markham 48.46 2009

800 meters:

Brady Fritz 1:54.25 2008 110

200 meters:

Tavian Smith 21.84 2013

1600 meters:

Patrick Karanja 4:19.45 2016

meter hurdles: Dan Davis 14.47 2008

Shot Put:

Thomas Reynolds 57’ 0 400 meter hurdles: 2008 Austin West 55.65 2017

Long jump: Charlie Rogers 22’ 5.75 2012

After:

“I try to eat a lot of carbs and protein. I try to not eat anything too greasy or anything that would upset my stomach. I also do some more warm ups to relax my muscles after throwing to make sure that I didn’t pull anything.”

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SPORTS

Jonathan Gannon ‘18 throwing his best in discus.

Discus:

Thomas Reynolds 191’ 10 2008

High Jump:

Jared Sams-Merriwether, 6’4 2017 BY: ANGIE GERMAN & SIMONE WILLIS

23

SPORTS

SPRING SPORTS STARS APR. 10, 2018

BY LILY MENG

As spring begins, athletes awaken from slumber. Brad Dileo, Bailey Nock, and Patrick and Anthony Shirazi are four of many with big ambitions for this season

BRAD DILEO Many high school students heading off to college worry that they won’t be able to find friends or choose which student groups to join at their new home. But this isn’t a problem for West High varsity tennis player, Brad Dileo ’18. This senior already knows that tennis is still going to be a part of his life, even in college. Dileo committed to play on Central College’s tennis team in December.

“I was really debating about [playing tennis in college]. I chose that because then it will give me something to do in college, and I can just look forward to going to tennis practice. [Central College’s] program is pretty strong, so I’m happy to go to a program that has a very good tennis team and very nice guys,” Dileo said.

Tennis has played an important role in his life even before high school. He has been playing the sport for 12 years, and was inspired by both of his parents to start the sport.

“My mom was a tennis coach here at West High, and my dad... he played with a recreation league at the University of Iowa Recreation Center. I would go with him and watch my mom’s tennis meets, and I was like, ‘Oh I want to try that sport!’ So I just tried it and I loved it.”

Jack Wenzel ’19, one of Dileo’s teammates, recalled a memory from when they were little.

“I’ve known Brad ever since we were little from going to our brothers’ tournaments to playing doubles and competing against each other at tournaments.”

Dileo’s memories from when he first started still stick with him, but he is looking to both the present and the future regarding his tennis career. One of his goals this season is to play in the line-up again, which consists of the top six singles players on the team.

“I played number five last year, and I had an undefeated season last year, so hopefully I can play up in the lineup again and keep

that going. “ Besides being a strong player on the team, Dileo also showcases his leadership skills.

Since he is the only senior on the team, he is considered a team leader as well as a team bonder. He wants to help foster a friendly and supportive environment where everyone is welcome, and help strengthen the bonds between his teammates through different team-bonding events. Some of these activities include going to dinner and a movie together, or even just talking about random things during the trip to different tennis meets.

“I want my team to develop as a team, because right now, we kind of have groups within groups within groups. Everybody has their friends that they want to hang out with, so I want us to bond as a team.”

Mitch Gross, head coach of the West High varsity boys tennis team, said that Dileo is a great role model for the younger boys on the team, and that his positivity helps encourage the team as well.

“He’s always encouraging his teammates, and yelling ‘come on!’ and ‘let’s go!’ It’s a really invaluable trait of a teammate.”

Wenzel also alluded to Dileo’s leadership skills.

“He is always very supportive of us and helps us keep our energy up on the court.”

Dileo is excited about the future but will also miss his high school team.

“I’m excited to meet new people because the team that I’m on now, I’ve known [the players] all my life, so I’m excited to meet the new team,” said Dileo.

Gross will miss a lot about Dileo when he graduates, but the thing he’ll miss the most is his positive and energetic personality.

“Brad’s a guy you smile at every time you see him, and he brings a lot to our team.”

Dileo concentrates on the ball as his opponent serves it back.

Dileo concentrates on the ball as his opponent serves it back.

Q&A WSS: What are you looking forward to most this

tennis season?

DILEO: “I’m looking forward to the van rides, because they’re so much fun, because we just talk about random things and listen to music. I’m looking forward to team nights- it’s where our team goes to dinner, goes to see a movie, so we can hang out and do other things with the team.”

WSS: What is your favorite part about tennis?

DILEO: “My favorite part is being on the tennis team and having the guys there to have my back and supporting me, and how it can get me a lot of exercise.”

“ H E I S ALWAYS VE RY SU PPO RTIVE O F U S AN D H E LPS U S K E E P OU R E N E RGY U P O N TH E COU RT.” - JACK WE NZ E L ’19

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APR. 10, 2018

Q&A WSS: How long have you participated in track?

NOCK: “Since like fourth grade. I did the Hershey Track Meet from fourth grade to sixth grade, and then junior high track and high school track.”

WSS: Which events are your strengths?

NOCK: “I run anywhere from a 400 to a 3000.

I’d say my favorite event is the 1500, but I’d say competitively, I’m probably best at the 3000, the 1500, and the 800, but any of those three I enjoy and on the state level I can compete at.”

WSS: How do you prepare for meet days?

NOCK: “We usually have a pre-meet practice,

where we all go on a easy run, have an easy workout, practice hand-offs, all that. Then we have a team meeting, where my coach gives us all a motivational speech, because that’s his job, he’s a motivational speaker.”

“ BAI LEY ’S WO R K ETH I C I S U N B E LI EVAB LE , SH E ’S PRO BAB LY O N E O F TH E M OST HAR DWO R K I N G TEAM MATES I K N OW.” - K IA N O I B I ‘18 Nock warms up for track practice with a light jog.

BAILEY NOCK Your double-knotted shoes dig into the rough track. A cool, light breeze passes by, ruffling your hair. The audience stomps and cheers, but all you can hear is the sound of your own heart pounding and the blood rushing through your veins.

Boom! The starting pistol sounds sharply, and you take off running, eyes fixed on the daunting finish line ahead.

Many people stray away when they hear the word “run,” but this sport is something that Bailey Nock ’18, has fallen in love with.

A key member of the West High track team, Nock is placed in this situation every week, but there’s so much more to a track meet than meets the eye. Hours of practice and dedication go into every sprint, every relay, every distance run.

“We train six days a week; we get Sundays off. We meet after school for two and a half hours usually. We either have a really long run, a short easy run, a workout on the track or a hill workout.”

These often arduous workouts can prove to be a difficult obstacle for many athletes.

Nock has experienced her fair share of challenges with many of these workouts.

When asked what she does when she faces an obstacle during practice, she said, “I talk to my coaches, I let them know what’s going on. They usually tell me what to do, how much more to do, if I should stop, if I should just muscle through it, because there’s somethings like physical things where it’s an injury, where you want to stop, because you don’t want to get physically injured. Then there’s mental things, where you still have five reps to do of a hill workout and you’re dying, and maybe you didn’t get enough sleep, or maybe you didn’t get enough to eat, or anything like that.”

But Nock doesn’t let these mental blocks during practice stop her. Even her teammates have noticed her perseverance and work ethic throughout her track career.

Kia Noibi ’18, a sprinter on the track team, doesn’t usually see Nock during practice since Nock is a distance runner.

But on the days she does see Nock practicing, she can see her determination.

“Bailey’s work ethic is unbelievable, she’s probably one of the most hardworking teammates I know. On the days that I do see [her during practice], she’s always pushing herself and others even during challenging workouts and is always focused. She works to get better everyday so she can perform better at meets.”

Although these workouts can be tough, Nock has somehow found a way to bring fun into the mixture. Deniz Ince ’19, a distance runner on the team noticed just this.

“She always works really hard in practice but she’s found a balance between being serious and having fun with it, which I think makes her an excellent leader on the team.

She knows when to be light-hearted and when to focus in on a workout.”

Nock hopes her hard work and dedication in practice pays off this season, as she has several goals that she would like to accomplish before heading off to college.

“I’ve never won conference Athlete of the Year for track. Last year, I was beat by a couple votes to win, so that was upsetting. I’ve won three state titles but this year I definitely want to win four. And then, finally, a team state title, because as an entire team, we’ve never won, and I’ve been here for seven seasons. This is my eighth.”

Nock has set many goals for this season, but she hasn’t forgotten that winning isn’t the most important thing to her. She knows that simply trying her best for every meet is also something important to both her and her family.

“My family [motivates me], just because I want to make them proud. So they motivate me to do well, so that I can feel the feeling of knowing that they see me and they’re proud to be related to me. I could lose, I could get last every time and they’d still be proud, but I know that if I don’t do my best, then they’re going to be disappointed.”

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SPORTS

APR. 10, 2018

ANTHONY & PATRICK SHIRAZI

The Shirazis practice dribbling in the gym because of snow.

Q&A WSS: What are you two most excited for this season?

ANTHONY: “Playing with the guys and just hanging

out. The team dinners and practices are fun, and then, winning games.”

PATRICK: “Just playing again, we’re a pretty young team this year, we had a lot of seniors graduate, so we kind of got to learn how we all play together and figure that out, but I’m just excited to play again.”

WSS: What’s your craziest or funniest experience

playing together?

PATRICK: Every time [Anthony] messes up or something, he just does this little weird kickout or something, I don’t know, it’s kind of weird but whenever he does it, I just notice it and I laugh.

WE ’ R E PR ETT Y CO M PETITIVE , AN D WE PU SH EACH OTH E R TO B E B ETTE R .”

- PATR I CK SH I R AZ I ’18

Many people already have a hard time telling Anthony and Patrick Shirazi apart.

But it’s even harder when they’re out on the soccer field together, dressed in the same color jersey and speeding across the field.

Anthony Shirazi ’18 and Patrick Shirazi ’18 are twins on the varsity soccer team.

The two of them joined the soccer club Kickers when they were in first grade, but have been playing on the same team since seventh.

Their parents put them in a variety of different sports when they were little, but soccer was the one sport that they both enjoyed and have stuck with since.

Anthony’s favorite part about soccer is getting to meet new people.

“I’m kind of shy outside, so it kind of forces me to interact with others, and it’s good, because I’ve met a lot of friends.”

Many people might wonder if they think it is weird playing together. Even though they are twins, they have different thoughts about their brother being on the same team as them.

“I don’t feel weird or anything, because I don’t know anything different. We’ve always been on the same team, so I’m alright with it,” Anthony said.

Patrick disagreed. “It’s a little weird, but I think we understand each other pretty well on the field, more than the other people would because we just know each other so well.”

Although the two are on the boys varsity soccer team, they consider the sport to be more of a leisure activity and hobby. But despite this, they still have many goals for the season. They both want to advance to state, win the NBC title, but most importantly, beat cross-town rival City High.

“Obviously, we always want to beat City, because it sucks to lose to them, especially because we play with some of them in club, so it’s kind of a close rivalry,” Anthony said.

As for the future, the twins won’t be playing together, as they are attending different colleges. They agree that playing soccer in college is a big time commitment. Despite this, they still want to keep playing the sport because it is one of their passions, so they are planning on participating in non-competitive intramural events.

“I find [soccer] fun, but I don’t want to devote the time and the effort to playing competitively, it’s a lot of work, and I kind of want to focus on school, but I still find it fun, and it’s something I like to do,” Patrick said.

As with many siblings, Patrick and Anthony are competitive and both want to be the better soccer player. But they have found a balance between being competitive and being supportive of each other.

“We’re definitely competitive, I guess I’m supporting, but I always just want to try to be better than him. We’re pretty competitive, and we push each other to be better,” Patrick said.

Their competitiveness has been noticed by their teammates as well. Despite this, the team knows that the brothers both play important roles in both the offense and defense of the team. Teammate Kaiya Luethje ’18 said, “Patrick is vital to our attack because he can send in crosses that most of our teammates can’t do as well. Whenever Anthony plays defense I know he will do his job and protect the goal. It’s always funny to see the two going at it in practice because they’re so competitive.”

Their competitive streaks were revealed when they were asked who was better at soccer.

“I mean, I’m sure he’ll probably say himself, but we’re pretty equal,” Anthony said.

Patrick said, “Definitely me. Just make sure you tell him that everytime. You always got to have confidence in yourself, but I mean, we’re pretty similar. I’m just going to say I’m better because it’s me.”

DESIGN BY SIMON JONES PHOTOS BY WIMAR WIDIATMO

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APR. 11, 2018

The Strive For Success The one that conquers girls track with the large amount of determination.

“I feel that she should strive for the best that she can do and maybe even better,”She said.She also said that she wanted, “to try track to follow in the footsteps of two of her biggest role models;” her father and Florence Griffith Joyner. Florence Griffith Joyner was on the USA track team. They have both inspired her because she wants to be as fast as Florence and wants to be able to do better than her dad did when he ran track when he was younger.

Most of her is time spent running and it is a part of her family, so they wouldn’t know what to do with their free time if they didn’t do track. Most of her support is from family and friends. She has all of them pushing her forward and helping her do what she needs to do to succeed.Shaw said “that her team can win and make it to the championships.”

Shaw practices track outside of school with all of her friends in order to improve, but if no one is free then she will run by herself to get better. During track season her emotions vary from nerve racking to being happy and being able to relieve stress from life.

Isyss Shaw ‘21 has been said to have more determination than most people.

She is known as a runner for the girls track team at West High School First .She runs for fun, when she wants to practice or be with friends. Shaw hasn’t had any expectations set for her, but she would always try to do her best. Most of the people that support her are family and friends.

27

Another reason is “She can academically benefit from track because she has to keep her grades up in order to stay in track,” said Shaw. Shaw makes a great addition to the team.

She helps and makes winning faster with the work of one another because like many sports track is all about teamwork.

Shaw gets along with the team really well, they hang out and go on runs together. If Shaw were to get injured she would try her best to get better fast, so she could get back on track. If it was in the middle of the season she would give it her all and come back ten times better than before.

“If she is injured before the season starts then she can prepare for it while also resting”, but that has been a deep thought for a while what would she be able .to do if she was to get injured at any point in the school year.

SPORTS

APR. 11, 2018

Fellow team mates encourage Isyss Shaw (on the right) before the first running event.

Shaw’s friend, Doroteya Kiza ‘21, said that “she is determined and focused and she just wants to do her best,”.They have known each other a little bit before track but” they don’t have much of a friendly relationship” Shaw’s coach also had a few words to say about her” she is a very talented freshmen she does the 400m all the way thru winter and even now in the track season.” the coach also said” isyss has a good impact on the team plus she is a great friend and a great member of the team.” the coach will try his best to help and encourage everyone in his team because that is what can keep them very motivated.”everyone has something different making them keep determined and always ready so that they can win and possibly all have a friendship.

Design by Abdul Ahmed Photographs taken by Ke’asia Mullen Profile written by Ivan Ramos

Isyss Shaw ‘21 arrives in 2nd place in the 4x100

Get To Know Her! - Isyss has 9 siblings who all surprisingly get along well.

- Isyss’s zodiac sign in Aquarius.

She has the same birthday as Harry Style s who is her idol.

- Although her parents are divorced, that does not stop her from achieving her goals.

- She has an obsession with coffee.

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APR 10, 2018I

A Similar Swing

29

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APR 10, 2018

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Q& A W I T H JACK W ENZEL ‘19 & JA S O N S T R U N K ‘19 West Side Story: Hello do you play

sports? Add in questions here like that?

Catherine Ju: Their answer goes here and he or she tends to talk a lot in the interview about a fun activity or his or her talent that is special.

WSS: Blah blah blah new question about the subject goes here?

CJ: Fun answer here pertaining to the question that we just asked. This is how the interview goes woohoo.

WSS: Blah blah blah new question about the subject goes here?

CJ: Fun answer here pertaining to the question that we just asked. This is how the interview goes woohoo.

WSS: Blah blah blah new question about the subject goes here?

CJ: Fun answer here pertaining to the question that we just asked. This is how the interview goes woohoo.

FOR MORE COVERAGE, GO TO INTRO.WSSPAPER.COM

Graphics from iClipart Design by Chen-You Wu

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NOTHING BUT NET

BY NATHAN, ELLIE, AND CINDY

. Basketball is all about commitment. For these two players, it is what led them to the State Championship.

WEST HIGH GIRLS BASKETBALL TEAM CELEBRATES THEIR WIN AGAINST INDIANOLA IN THE STATE SEMI FINALS. PHOTO BY KARA WAGENKNECT

Basketball is all about teamwork. The goal a team sets at the beginning of the year is to win state. But it’s a long journey to get there. Athletes have to be tough and work hard everyday to improve. Some seasons might end well for some and end bad for others. Both the West High girls and boys basketball teams ended their season this year with a winning record and

BOTH THE WEST HIGH GIRLS AND BOYS BASKETBALL TEAMS ENDED THEIR SEASON WITH A WINNING RECORD AND A TRIP TO STATE.

a trip to state. Both teams made it to the championship game after long hard fought games to get themselves there. Most of the time, the boys make it farther but this time, the girls finished on top.

Lauren Zacharias ‘19 is the starting point guard for the girls basketball team. Her role is to run the plays and function the team to her best ability.

She has been playing on the Varsity team for West since her freshman year. She started playing basketball when she was four years old.

“I think we had a fantastic season,” said Zacharias “We were a target in the beginning of the season and then became the underdogs mid season where nobody thought we would even get to the state tournament. We wish we would’ve played a little better but in the end, it all depends on who comes out on top.”

The girls team finished their season 19-7 overall and 13-3 in conference play, topping it off with a win over City 56-45 in the state championship game. City was a struggle for West in the middle of the season. West lost both times to them in conference play. Zacharias said, “I think playing City in the middle of the season helped us learn how they play and what we could do to stop them.” Winning state is an incredible feeling. Zacharias said, “It’s a dream come true. There really isn’t any words that can describe the feeling I have when I think of the state championship game beating City High.”

The boys basketball team also had another incredible year, finishing the season 25-6 overall and 20-3 in conference play. Marsean Rhodes ‘18 is a guard for West. Rhodes has played basketball since he was in eighth grade, and has played for West High since his sophomore year.

Rhode’s goal is to make it to the NBA.

When asked how the season went, Rhodes said, “I think the season went well. We made it to the state finals.”

West High’s season went well but unfortunately they couldn’t finish with a championship this time. West lost to Cedar Falls in the state championship game 65-45. “As a senior, it’s disappointing going out without a championship this season but we had a great season and I’ll never forget my junior year when we won it all,” said Rhodes. Rhodes is going to continue his goal to make it to the NBA by playing for Kirkwood Community College next year. “I will keep trying to achieve my goal by going to Kirkwood this fall. I feel that there are bigger things coming for me in the future.”

Both West High’s girls and boys basketball team had an incredible season. The two teams made it to state and had a winning record. West’s athletics continue to improve each year. Almost every year, a sport for

“As a senior, it’s disappointing going out without a championship this season but we had a great season and I’ll never forget my junior year when we won it all.”

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West is going to state to compete.

Zacharias said, “I really enjoy playing for West because of the way the coaches have so much faith in us while we play and they listen to our ideas with play calls and everything else. Plus we are basically a huge family and that is really what makes playing for West so much fun, not a lot of schools or even players in general can say that.”

Rhodes said, “I’ve become a great basketball player because of West High’s program and I’ve made a lot of good friends here” West High is a place that allows students to succeed in academics and sports. The reason for this success is the motivation that the athletes and coaches bring to the game. Without our amazing basketball program West High wouldn't be such an enjoyable place to be. Rhodes said, “I wouldn’t want to play for any other High School.”

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APR.10, 2018

Meet The

Captains

By Aditi Borde and Emily Moore

Rachel Olson ‘19

“I eat a chocolate chip waffle with butter and syrup [and I] drink two cups of coffee. I rarely change it. I don’t know what it is about eating sweet foods and drinking coffee, but it makes me feel best, I am crazy for that!”

Rachel Olson ’19 is an enthusiastic player with lots of little things she enjoys about soccer. She brings vitality to the team on and off the field.

“Oh god, my energy just really peaks before the game. I get really hyped up and then I’m excited to play. I really hate feeling nervous because I play bad.”

Olson tries to prevent mishaps from affecting the team’s mood.

“So it was the last six seconds of the semifinal tournament and we were definitely going to lose, then I went up for a header and this girl’s leg just hit my head on the way down. On the way home I had this huge goose-egg. [They] said we were gonna have a horrible ride home, but did we? No. We had a great time. [...] Yeah, we lost. We were sad for maybe five minutes. Then we realized we had a great time and figured, why would we cry on the way home when we could still have fun?”

PHOTOS BY ADITI BORDE

DESIGN BY EMILY MOORE

Marnie Vonderhaar ‘19 Just like the other girls, Marnie Vonderhaar ’19 recalls some fun times from soccer.

“One time [..] we played our music too loud before a game and someone called the police and complained. So we had to listen to country music. It was pretty funny,” Vonderhaar said. Contrary to Olson, Vonderhaar likes to eat light before games, otherwise she gets queasy and isn’t ready to play her best. Along with this, she tends to feel anxious.

“I actually get pretty nervous [before a game] but it’s gotten better over time as I get more comfortable playing soccer.

Usually [my nerves] just kind of go away once I get on the field and start playing. Then I don’t really notice them.”

Besides playing together, West High Girls Soccer has some team traditions. “After home games, we go to Dane’s Dairy and eat ice cream. We also go to West High boys soccer games or get breakfast at Bluebird on Saturdays. Going to The Vine on Friday nights is always a tradition, too.”

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Carlin Morsch ‘18 Carlin Morsch ‘18 has been playing soccer since third grade. Now, she’s a senior facing her final year on the team at West.

“It’s my last year, so I just want to have fun with it.”

Morsch, having been on varsity for three years, has seen the team grow with the addition of new and the absence of old players.

“We lost a lot of players so we have to kinda change how we play now.”

This year five freshmen have joined the varsity team.

With many new players, older players have take a role of leadership among the team as captains. “[As captains], we talk about different things we want to do at practice and what we want to work on, [and] who should play where. We [also] work on team bonding.”

Holly Paulsen ‘18 Holly Paulsen ’18 has been involved with soccer since kindergarten and joined Iowa Soccer Club (ISC) in her early elementary years. Before games, Paulsen tends to not eat much and tries her hardest to remain calm. She says, “The overall energy of the team is delirious,” and that gets her excited. They listen to songs such as “Who Let the Dogs Out?” and “Throw That Ass in a Circle” to pump themselves up for games. Afterwards, regardless of a win or loss, Paulsen says that the whole team sings and dances home. Paulsen also comments on why she prefers West Soccer to ISC. “There are a lot of different people you play with, since club soccer is not as big of an age range but in soccer [at West] there are freshman through senior players and it’s a lot more competitive, since you’re playing to represent your school.”

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APR 11, 2018

FOR THE LOVE OF THE GAME DESIGN BY SIDNEY KIERSCH PHOTOS BY CATIE MILLER

The West High Women of Troy JV2 soccer team braved the Iowa cold and winds to get some time out on the practice field,l working on drills and maintaining skills for their upcoming games this season on this bitter Wednesday afternoon.

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PHOTOS BY CATIE MILLER DESIGN BY SIDNEY KIERSCH

1 2

3 4

5

6

Captions: 1: Taylor Streck ‘19 and Josie Gale ‘20 run a drill down the field.

2: The coach adresses the team in a huddle during warm-ups.

3: Junior Grace Gilbaugh prepares to kick the ball to her teammate.

4: Gilbaugh ‘19 practices dribbling the soccer ball.

5: The team walks along to the practice field carrying their equipment.

6: Gale ‘20 rests her foot on the soccer ball to keep it in place.