KEQ - The Sports Issue - Spring 2016

KEQ

[SPORTS] volume 3 issue 3

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{contents} 24

Same Sport, Different Game

12

Hanging up the Jersey

Questioning equality between mens’ and womens’ sports

Exploring the tough decision to give up the game

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Ellis Gunter

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IBA not NBA

Ellis Gunter’s experience playing male-dominated sports

A look into the competing cultures of IBA

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Too Cool for School

Athletes who compete for teams outside of BSM

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Coping with Injuries

Dealing with injuries and their effects on a sport’s season

letter from the editor Hi Readers, When I first told the staff that we’d be doing this issue on sports, everyone, except the sports writers, looked at me like I had struck out, fumbled, or (insert your own sports pun here). But I wanted to highlight this important element of our school and of many students’ lives.

So we all got our heads in game––including many new writers, new photographers, and new designers––and went out for the pass to produce this issue about sports.

Of course, there are a lot of sports at BSM, so covering them all just wasn’t possible. And it’s hard to get a picture of a sport when it’s not in season, but we did our best to cover the wide diversity of sports that the Red Knights play. But our focus wasn’t on the sports themselves, but rather on the big topics.

Of course, that means we wrote about hockey, see pages 26-27 on the players that we’re calling the “Ice Princes.” And that means we have a story on concussions on pages 22-23. But it also means that we’re looking at BSM’s IBA (pages 8-9), what it means to quit a sport (pages 12-13), and BSM’s e-sports (page 6). Plus, we covered some of the less

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common sports, like crew and bandy––not sure what those are? See page 30.

Believe it or not, I actually used to play sports. In fact, I was pretty good. But, alas, my knowledge of gym bags, squats, and pre-game playlists has diminished. Now, when faced with sports-related topics of conversation, I search for the best opportunity to trot away in a nonathletic fashion. So, my fellow thespians, my speechers, my friends who wouldn’t be caught dead in a pair of gym shorts, I stand with you. I stand with you in your refusal to step foot on turf or on a sweaty gym floor. But, I also ask that you give this issue a chance. I ask that you read with an open mind and learn more about the culture that shapes the lives of many students in our school: sports.

Thanks to the dedication of brand staff members and the endless editing of the advisors, this issue has turned out great. Now, read your hearts out. Game on!

Editor-in-Chief, Rachel Lyons

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Publication Policy

KEQ is written and produced by the journalism students at Benilde-St. Margaret’s School. The views expressed in this magazine are the opinions of the writers and not necessarily those of the Knight Errant staff, advisers, or BSM administrations. KEQ is produced with the support of anonymous donors. It is distributed for free to all BSM high school students.

Benilde-St. Margaret’s School 2501 Highway 100 South St. Louis Park, Minnesota 55416 Contact at kkoshiol@bsmschool.org

Staff

Editor-in-Chief: Rachel Lyons Photography Editor-in-Chief: Keenan Schember Graphic Editors: Will Keivit, Will Krane, Anna von Kampen Writers: Grace Gyolai, Gunnar Lundberg, Grace Hedin, Claudia Elsenbast, Griffin Ehlen, Lucas Latterell, Cara Vollbrecht, Abigail Letscher, Payton Miller, Cyril Blake-Tene, Julia Feld, Andrew Plouff, Michael Hunter, Ingrid Lundberg, Obasi Lewis, Photographers: Ginny Lyons, Collins Jones, Mary Hoyt, Ruby Strommen, Ashley Ortizcazarin Izabella Szarzynski, Sisay Shannon-Tamrat Designers: Noah Shields, Alex Kang, Maggie Condon, Vivian Lu, Sam Zimmerman, Johnny Byrnes, Henry Mullen, Riley Miller, Andrew Cadle Cover by Keenan Schember

volume 3 issue 3

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Photo by: Keenan Schember

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xtracurriculars can be big stressors for a student and it can be difficult to handle the time commitment required. School sports are a common way for kids to get involved in the athletics in their schools, but club/recreational options are also available for those who want to take their particular sport to the next level.

Sophomores Anna Carr and Hattie Hoffman each play both club and school sports, and know exactly how much it takes to participate in both and the time management necessary to be successful both academically and athletically.

Anna Carr plays volleyball year round, with the school season in the fall where she plays varsity and the club season that runs from late fall to early summer. “I think I get about a three day break in between seasons, but for the most part there is not a week when I am not playing volleyball.”, said Carr.

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Her club team, the 16-1’s at Vital Volleyball Club based in Eden Prairie, meets at least twice a week for three hours each, and Carr also does private lessons occasionally with a coach. Clearly this is a big time constraint for participating in other clubs and activites, saying, “I try to do extracurriculars that meet in the mornings so that I don’t have conflicts on these nights, but practices interfere with a lot of the sporting events for school, which kind of sucks. I’ve never been to a BSM hockey game, basketball game, or Flyers game, and I often feel like I’m missing out on fun opportunities.

Tournaments also interfere with dances sometimes, and it’s hard to go to a tournament and play on a Saturday or Friday night while knowing that all of your friends are together and having a great time.”, Carr said

Time management is important when participating in both club or school sports.

A common question is whether club takes more time commitment and which is a bigger stress on the student. “I think both have elements that can cause them to be stressful, but often school can be a lot more time consuming. Because school season is only a couple months, I think it’s harder to balance having 2.5 hour practices and games alternating every day. You have to be able to time manage and have a good plan to get all your work done. This being said, I also think that club volleyball can be more intimidating because it’s more weekends and practices for a longer season.” However, although “both sides come with a lot of stress,” she “[has] learned to balance it all as it is a conscious decision that [she] make to play because [she] loves doing it.”

Hattie Hoffman also plays both club and school sports, playing softball yearround with the school season in the spring and the club season lasting the rest of the

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While many BSM athletes play for their school, other student atheletes double their dedication by playing all year.

year. She plays for a team called the Minnesota Waves. It is based out of Prior Lake, but girls come from all over Minnesota. She is on a 16u team, meaning the girls are generally around the ages 15-17.

Hoffman’s experience with club sports is similar to Carr’s, with practices ranging from two to four times a week depending on the time of year. “Softball is usually one of my only after-school activities, so it usually does not interfere with anything at night.

However, if there is something like a certain club meeting after-school, sometimes my club practice can interfere,” Hoffman said.

However, she did note that both club and school can take a toll on her social life, with conflicts arising with packed schedules and little time for relaxing.

Once again, school sports were seen as more stressful by Hoffman just like they were by Carr. “School ball mostly takes place during fourth quarter, which is gener-

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ally my hardest quarter academically. It can be hard to balance all the schoolwork and the couple hours spent after school every day playing softball. Overall, I would say school ball is a little bit more stressful because it is so much softball packed in only a couple of months. I need to have dedication toward my schoolwork and my sport, and time home at night becomes very minimal,” Hoffman said

Although sports and other extracurriculars may seem too stressful for many, both Carr and Hoffman insisted that if it’s something that you want to do, it is worth it to put in the extra work and planning.

“Club sports can definitely be a lot to handle. But if you love the sport I think it’s a great way to improve your skills. The coaches for club sports are usually great, and it’s an awesome way to meet new people. I have become very close to three of my teammates that have been on the same club

team as me for the last couple years,” said Hoffman.

“I think that club sports are a great way to improve a skill that you have or continue a hobby or interest. It’s hard to balance this, and I will be the first to admit that, but I also don’t want people to think that club sports are just a huge time consuming thing that cause people to miss out on fun. I love playing and even though it can cause some conflicts, I have fun while playing and I wouldn’t quit or trade it for anything,” said Carr.

Writer: Cara Vollbrecht Photographer: Ashley Ortizcazarin Designer: Alex Kang

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laying video games has recently become a normal factor of everyday life. Almost anyone you talk to has at least tried their hand at Mario Kart, and there are many children, teenagers, and even adults who play video games. Many play these games just for fun; however, a small portion of players take these games seriously.

Because of this, several games started their own leagues for people to play against one another competitively. This gave birth to e-Sports, a sub genre of gaming where pro players compete against one another for cash prizes. At BSM, there are several students who also take gaming seriously, which made them decide to start their own “e-Sports” club at school.

The e-Sports club started last year, with a group of gamers who wanted to play the game “League of Legends” together.

It started small, with only about 10 people going to meetings, but this year the club has started to grow, with roughly 30 to 40 people attending. “I think the main draw of the club is that we introduced Super Smash Bros into the mix,” senior Evan Kincs, a co-founder and now captain, said. “When we only played LoL [League of Legends], not as many people came, because less people play it. A lot of people play and enjoy Super Smash Bros, so we’ve gotten more people to come,” Kincs said.

Besides playing Smash, the e-Sports club also features several other activities.

They can play approved games on their laptops, and they can bring in handheld devices to play as well. “It’s really a lot of fun, even if you aren’t into the serious gaming,” freshman Erin Masmann said.

The main draw of the club is competition. Although they currently have only one team, Kincs hopes they’ll add more down the road. “Right now, we only have a team that plays LoL together, but I’m hoping that several of the new kids this year will want to try their hand at playing different

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games competitively as well,” Kincs said.

Of course, there are many people who scoff at the idea of playing video games competitively. Many people assume that video games are made just for fun, and they shouldn’t be taken anywhere beyond that.

Kincs, and the tens of thousands of people who play video games competitively, disagree with that. “Sure, not all games can be played competitively, but there are several games that have been crafted to be played with a more competitive nature,” Kincs said. “MOBAs have a large sense of teamwork behind them, which makes them very competitive,” Kincs said.

A MOBA, or “Multiplayer Online Battle Arena,” is a type of game that is clearly defined by several, universal traits.

Each one of them is played with five players on each team, and has extremely similar play styles. There are three “lanes” which players must go through to reach the other teams “fountain,” or fort. Along the lanes, there are towers that teams must take out

before they are able to destroy the other team’s fountain and win the game. Each game has several distinct variations, but the same, basic formula is the same throughout all MOBAs. The largest component of a MOBA is its teamwork, and how much training it takes to become truly good at a game. Without teamwork and training, a team cannot win games at an upper level. Because of this, many fans argue that “e-Sports” are just the same as actual sports. “It requires the same amount of practice time as any sport, and it requires more teamwork than a lot of sports. There’s definitely a difference because video games are obviously on a screen and sports aren’t, but a lot of the skill is still there,” Kincs said.

Even if you aren’t a large fan of competitive gaming, the e-Sports club is a great place to casually play games with friends.

“It’s a great way to meet a lot of new people. I’d encourage anyone to come check it out,” Kincs said.

Writer: Henry Bird Designer: Maggie Condon

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E D M N n

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THE PANNEKS

Throughout BSM’s history many sibilings have learned and played sports side-by-side.

From the green to the swimming pool to the turf, BSM brothers and sisters play together and push each other to be the best they can be. These three families exemplify the athletic excellence that BSM prides itself on, while still nurturing their strong family ties.

THE SEMLERS Madison and Amanda Semler are not only sisters, but two of the strongest distance swimmers that BSM has ever seen. They raced side by side on the team for two years while Madison was in the junior high and Amanda was an upperclassman. Madison says that Amanda absolutely pushed to be her best, and they strived to beat each other. “Oh we most definitely competed. I was a sprinter before but saw her doing well in distance and was determined to beat her, so I switched lengths,” Madison said. A clear example of their sisterly competition was at sections when Madison was in 8th grade. “We raced side-by-side and helped each other not only race well but also qualify at state. And then I beat her at state,” Madison said. This athletic legacy unfortunately ends with the sisters. “If my parents tried to swim they would probably drown,” Madison said.

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When Billy Pannek entered BSM as a seventh grader, he already had his older sister Kelly to inspire him in his choice of fall sports. Kelly excelled as a four-year varsity soccer player and eventually was named Ms. Soccer in 2013. Billy says that his sister inspires him to be the best player he can be, and he uses her a role model of sportsmanship and dedication. “She was a leader on the team as a captain and an incredible player. I hope that one day I can play on the same level as her,” Billy said.Although they never played together on a team due to age and gender, they often kicked a ball around in the back yard and helped each other to do their best. This athletic legacy goes beyond the BSM walls with his other two sisters who also played soccer in high school and inspire him to play.

THE SCOTTS

Both Sophie and Gracey Scott share more than a last name as two of BSM’s strongest golfers and repeat members of the varsity team. “Sophie totally played a part in me joining the golf team, I planned on running track until she told me I had to do golf,” Gracey said. The sisters competed on varsity together and even against each other.

“I always was aiming to beat her, and she always wanted to be better than me; this definitely helped us both improve.

The best part of my season was probably when I beat her and moved on to section finals when she didn’t,” Gracey said. However, this athletic legacy spans far beyond the sisters. “Practically my entire family [plays] golf, even my grandpa played golf at BSM and the rest of family loves it,” Gracey said.

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IBA not NBA After a long day of studies, there is no better feeling than coming across my favorite activity at the Haben Center any time between 3:00-4:00 PM on a Tuesday or Friday afternoon and hearing the bouncing of the basketball on the cork floor, the “ooo’s” and “ahh’s” of the crowd generated by just a simple layup; at that moment, I know I’ve entered the realm known as the Intramural Basketball Association, or IBA to commoners and pros alike.

IBA is an after-school activity where any BSM student can gather a team of their friends, and face off in a 3-on-3 campaign with their faction, divided between the CBA and IBA divisions; CBA is the “lower” division and IBA is the more advanced division. For starters, teams must be picked, name included, before Christmas Break, and submitted to Mr. Snell, who stands as IBA Commissioner. The season is about eight games long, barring the post-season.

Intramural basketball creates a unique opportunity that no other sport really can; it allows those who maybe didn’t get a chance to play, or didn’t have the desire to play organized ball, the option of playing competitively, without the commitment of regular practices or being under the iron fist of a coach. However, that freedom also creates an underlying issue: an imbalance between those who take the game seriously and those who don’t.

Some say the light-hearted approach to IBA is the most alluring aspect of the sport, that IBA is a place to chill and kickback with their friends while shooting some hoops. However, others don’t see it that way because, for them, IBA is their only chance to play competitively. Those two sides butting heads is the one true hinderance to IBA, in my opinion, and it is an issue that I am not alone in witnessing. The separation of divisons were meant to quell that difference of skill, but it hasn’t fully succeded because there are teams every year that get stuck in a “no man’s land,” not good enough to compete in the IBA division but disappointed with the level of competition in the CBA league.

In contrast to the few jokesters of the league, there are some true ballers that take the game seriously. Many of these players are former JV/V players in previous years; for example, Griffin Ehlen started junior varsity in only his sophomore year, but, in the end, chose to play soccer and lacrosse over basketball, making him eligible for IBA play. Ehlen, co-captain of the IBA team “the Fab Five,” gave me his inside opinion: “As someone who played JV and Varsity, the level of intensity of IBA may be lower than my days as a BSM player, but in the higher league against competitive teams, it really isn’t a cakewalk like people think.”

Ehlen is not the only BSM-turned-IBA player in the school. Junior Ricky Floyd also has given up the red-and-white for IBA, even though it has led to some controversy. When asked about making the switch Floyd replied, “It was really easy. I wasn’t looking to exert

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the extra effort after doing football in the fall and then preparing to do track in the spring. I was looking to lay back and chill kind of, and the offer I was made made it simple.” Floyd has reached a level of infamy in the IBA community, as the first IBA player to be paid for his services. “I was approached by Evan Brown to join his team, and I was already verbally committed to another team, but then he offered twenty-five dollars to join, and I just jumped in. I only played three or four games though, because they were bad, and I kind of just checked out of the season,” Floyd said.

It’s not just the competition on the court that differs from JV/V play; it’s the crowd as well. As a fellow player, I asked about the effect of the crowd on the actual IBA competitors, as they tend to be more juvenile and sophomoric than parents at a BSM game: “Well,

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I think that Mr. Snell and Mr. Ola could do more to control the crowd, giving the players more space. However, I think the more you take the game serious yourself, the more the crowd will back off, in terms of a non-player environment,” Ehlen said.

Despite some concerns about crowd control and competitiveness, IBA remains popular: “We aren’t looking for any big changes in the near future, especially in terms of outside elements. However, we are looking into changes that would affect the overtime rules, changing the sudden death format to a 5 minute playout,” Snell said.

In the end, IBA has been subject to ridicule, but has also been subject to praise. In total, IBA is one of the best after school activities BSM has to offer, even though it isn’t without its flaws.

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As it nears its tenth season as a program, the Intramural Basketball Association is truly here to stay. In addition to being the biggest intramural basketball program in the Metro West Conference, edging out Chaska by only two teams, it continues to give those who don’t have the opportunity to play basketball anywhere else the chance to do just that.

Written By: Cryil Blake Designed By: Riley Miller and Henry Mullen Photographer: Sisay Shannon-Tamrat

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Jack of A T

here is not a day at Benilde-St. Margaret’s when the Speech, which he considers the most casual of his three main Haben Center is empty, the gym is not used, and the activities, still takes up a lot of his time. He will usually practice students are not practicing for whatever sport they are about an hour a week, but also has all day tournaments on the participating in. Students are blessed with a school that offers so weekends. While in debate, he will spend about four hours a week many different sports and activities. While some students choose to preparing for the tournaments, but also does extra work at home to specialize in the one sport they love most, others take advantage of make sure he is ready. Mock Trial is what takes up the majority of many different sports. his time. “Mock trial is like 100 hours a week!” he said. “It is about Junior Will Whitmore is quarterback for the football team, six hours at school for practice, plus I do stuff at home, plus scrimpoint guard on the basketball team, and participates in baseball mages, so in total about fifteen hours a week,” Larson said. While in the spring. He got interested in all three at a very young age. the workload is strenuous, Larson has never considered dropping “I started playing really early, probably kindergarden,” Whitmore any of his activities. “All the activities I do really help me in different said. Since then, Whitmore has practiced and trained for countless ways. I don’t want to just focus on one.” hours to improve and be the best player he can be.

Some students at Benilde choose to specialize in just one sport.

Whatever sport he is playing at the time, he will practice it An example of this are sophomore tennis players Frankie Trella everyday, usually for at least two hours, and the sports that are out and Natalie Kroll. Since the age of five Kroll has been on the tennis of season he will practice for an hour or two a week. “I’m always court. While she has tried other sports, like gymnastics, dance, and practicing other sports to prepare for the upcoming season,” Whit- lacrosse, Kroll has chosen to just focus on tennis. “I just liked tennis more explained. “If you don’t prepare then it makes it much more more than everything else, so I continued to pay it,” she explained. difficult to be successful when the season comes around.” While he Trella, who started at the age of four, tried golf, swimming, soccer, enjoys all three, he tries to focus more on basketand lacrosse, but by the age of ten decided to specialball than he does his other sports. “I really enjoy “I don’t really mind that ize in tennis. basketball because it is high-paced and really ex- it takes up a lot of time Kroll and Trella train just as much as a threeciting,” said Whitmore. sport athlete does, it is just focused on one sport: tenbecause it just means I’m nis. “I usually play about five to seven days a week However, the time commitment taken up by all three sports has had some downsides. It has getting to play the sports year-round,” Kroll said. Trella spends a lot of time on I love.” caused Whitmore to lose sleep, and has made him tennis too. “It’s about 15-17 hours depending on the unable to hang out with friends. Whitmore has week.” However, specializing on just tennis has created -Will Whitmore considered dropping baseball, as he wants to train some difficulties. “I’m always up late doing homework, more on basketball during the spring and summer. “I’m unsure if I and when my friends want to hang out I always have to say I can’t will continue to play baseball because it takes up a lot of my time in because I’m at tennis,” Trella said. This is very similar to Kroll. the summer, and I’m a little unsure how I will manage playing bas- “Sometimes I get sick of tennis, and sometimes I miss hanging out ketball during the baseball season,” Whitmore said. Even though with friends or doing things because I am playing tennis,” Kroll the constant training can be difficult, Whitmore loves it. “It sounds explained. Even though she has had interest in other sports, Kroll like a lot, but it’s really not that bad,” he explained. “I don’t really continues to play tennis as she enjoys just specializing in one sport. mind that it takes up a lot of time because it just means I’m getting “I wish I would have tried more sports and played them longer, but to play the sports I love.”

I only want to have one main sport,” Kroll said.

The time commitment has proved to be difficult for those who Whether BSM athletes or students participate in many sports play three sports, but it is just as rigorous for those in three activities, and activities, or hone in their abilities on just one, many have similike sophomore Ben Larson. “I do a lot more than just three, I think lar qualities. They work hard, they dedicate much of their time to I do at least twelve!” Larson joked. As a member of speech, debate, whatever sport or activity they are participating in (even if it does and mock trial (not to mention his numerous volunteer hours and create some difficulties), and most importantly, they love what they other clubs he is involved in), Ben Larson is constantly proving his are doing. dedication to the many activities offered at BSM. If it wasn’t because of a shoulder injury, Ben would most likely be playing three Writer: Michael Hunter sports, as he enjoys being involved. “Three activities is Designer: William Krane a lot, but I can manage it, and I love to stay busy” he Photographer: Ruby Strommen explained.

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All Trades

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Hanging Up

Writer: Griffin Ehlen Photgrapher: Sisay Shannon-Tamrat Designers: Noah Shields, Andrew Cadle

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lthough sports are a central piece of many students’ lives, dozens more decide that sports aren’t the best option for them. These students all have their own reasons for quitting, ranging from being too busy with school, to injuries, to getting cut.

The Red Knights are known for their high levels of competition in sports, winning multiple state championships for various teams. As a result, being on a team and having to quit can be a tough experience.

Junior Maya Berg was put into this situation her junior year.

With a history of concussions, she received her third while guarding the goal on the soccer pitch and the fourth while battling for the ball on the basketball court her junior year. After the fourth concussion, she had a decision to make. “[The doctors] said it would not be a wise decision to continue playing because getting so many head injuries could affect my overall mental health and my brain.

So I decided it was best for me just to stop playing contact sports, especially because I was more focused on school than sports,” Berg said.

With this conflict in her life, she has decided to take up new hobbies. “I’m involved in clubs like NHS, NAHS, and Pop Choir. I also participate in theater at Benilde, like the fall plays

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and spring musicals. This spring I’m going to be trying out for fast-pitch softball for the first time, since it’s not considered to be a contact sport. I’ll get to wear helmets, so hopefully I won’t get another concussion during the season,” Berg said.

Another career ending injury happened to senior Yani Powell.

She was rushed to the ER one night in mid-December, only to find out her basketball career was now over. There was nothing she could do because the doctors had found a slipped disk in her vertebrae. After the past two years of being injury prone, the third wasn’t much better. “Two years ago I tore my ACL and last year I got a concussion. It was more about my back because I was really concerned with it because I went to the ER that night and it’s kind of a big deal. I took it very seriously,” Powell said.

As a substitute for not being able to play basketball any longer, she has taken up the hobby of exercising by herself. “Working out is not a lot of impact, compared to running. Basketball [has] shifting and sliding and all the contact, but in working out I can go at my own pace; if I want to go lighter I can go lighter,” Powell said.

Although there is a lot of talk about people quitting sports due to injuries, there are many other reasons, such as focusing on things that mean more to them. Senior Lucian Parece came to BSM his sophomore year after moving from Rockhurst High School in

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p The Jersey

Kansas City. Wanting to experience more as a new student, he joined the football team, as he had played on the freshman “A” team at Rockhurst. After wrapping up the football season, he had decided it would be his last year. “I wanted to focus more on lacrosse.

It was more like I wanted to branch out and I wasn’t feeling it [the next] year,” Parece said.

Senior year came around for Parece and he almost joined again.

“I did; I actually really considered joining as a senior, but it wasn’t in the cards. They were gonna have a good team, I had friends on the team, and I like to hit.” Parece said. But Parece stayed off the field in order to work on school and prepare for the lacrosse season.

Other students pack their schedules so much that they make conflicts for themselves, forcing them to choose one activity over the other. Nathan Carpenter has had this problem for the past couple years, trying to choose between lacrosse and trap shooting for his spring sport. As a junior, Carpenter chose to continue lacrosse, but wanted to attempt trap shooting so signed up for both. By compromissing lacrosse practices for trap and trap practices for game days, it was tough to be a top notch competitor in both activities. This past winter, he decided that he could no longer do both anymore.

“It was a ton of fun for a lot of years, but I lost interest in the sport.

Trap team and lacrosse are both spring sports that overlap. I was

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mostly leaning towards trap, not a lot towards lacrosse,” Carpenter said.

Most cases of people quitting high school sports happen for students who load their schedules, have a personal conflict, or tragically have a season (possibly career) ending injury. Yet, last year, Mr. Fix, a high school Social Studies teacher, determined that the time had come to take a break from his coaching career. “I can now spend more time with family; the basketball season happens during Thanksgiving, Christmas, Presidents Weekend, all the extended breaks––mainly the holidays. And my wife travels for work, so if she’s traveling and I have games, who is going to deal with the kids?

The two conflicted with my life, wanting to do the other while you were at one of them,” Fix said. Fix now has two kids next to his side at all times and still stays connected to the game. A few home games a year, you can see him intensely analyzing the game from the bleachers while trying to tend to his little boys.

While students and teachers throw more and more into their schedules, they eventually have to make sacrifices. They will continue to make decisions like these, hoping to make the choices that will improve their lives and relationships.

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Story: Obasi Lewis Photo: Collis Jones Design: Johnny Byrnes

TACKLING

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G STEREOTYPES I

n the past decade, more women have been playing high school football than ever before. Women in football have become more common in US culture, with a few even going on to play on the collegiate level. This year, Ellis Gunter has shown promise to become one of the first girls on a Varsity boys team for BSM. This year however, we redefined BSM History by having our first girl on the boys Freshman team.

Ellis Gunter has been playing football since she was in third grade. She was the running back for the BSM 9th grade boys’ football team. While playing football, Ellis claims that she has always been treated the same as all of the boys. “If I ever sacked a quarterback they would cheer me on. There’s a lot of good teamwork on the team. They help me if I need help, if I need directing they direct me,” Gunter said.

This year the team finished the season with a 4-4 record. Her teammate, John Whitmore, attributes some of the team’s success to Ellis, “I believe everybody on the team accepts her, and they treat her like they would anybody else. That’s what makes our team unique, we just want to win, and Ellis is a big part of that,” said Whitmore.

Growing up, Ellis always knew that she would get into sports: “My family is a big rugby family, I started out with football and kept just with it.” In fact, her inspiration to play is her mother who is both in a women’s football league and a professional rugby league.

Ellis hasn’t noticed boys treating her differently in any of her sports. “They definitely don’t go easy on me. They always go their hardest [in each sport],” Gunter says. She certainly returns that fire.

“She is always working hard, and giving people good looks on scout team,” teammate John Whitmore said. As a running back, Ellis has to be prepared to take and give hits. Throughout the season she met and exceeded that expectation. Her best game, according to Whitmore, was against Cooper when she busted into the backfield

and tackled their quarterback.

While she was playing football this past fall, she was also being scouted for sports in the spring. Mr. Johnson, the wrestling coach, recruited her from the football team to wrestle in the winter. She was recruited by Mr. Johnson because during the football season he saw her as “very active and not afraid of hard work.” His observations proved true when he saw that she was a good workout partner during the wrestling season; she even wrestled a on the varsity team a few times.

All sports have their costs and benefits, but one of the main negatives to wrestling is cutting weight. Cutting weight can be a physical and mental downside to wrestling, the best parts are “the physical contact and the teamwork,” said Gunter.

Unfortunately, Ellis was injured for part of the wrestling season this year, but “her willingness to continue to push forward as a new wrestler is inspiring,” said Mr. Johnson. She not only plays football and wrestles during the week at BSM, but Ellis is also in a US National Women’s Wrestling Team that meets at Augsburg College on Sundays. She will compete in the state competition the weekend of March 5th. According to Gunter wrestling with girls is a huge benefit to wrestling out of school. “[My favorite part is] seeing how many girls are in the sport and that I’m not the only one,” Gunter said.

Before Ellis found her passion in football and wrestling, she tried out hockey in Jr. High. Although this didn’t turn out to be her favorite sport, it is part of the reason that she was recruited for wrestling. However, her impressive skills in football and hockey weren’t the only reasons that Ellis got recruited to wrestle. “Another reason I sought after Ellis was the number of female full ride wrestling scholarships that go unused every year. With three more years of coaching opportunity, I hope to help her secure one of those scholarships,” Mr. Johnson said.

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hen the lights come on and it’s time for a team to go out and perform, everyone is thinking about the competition ahead. Some athletes like to focus in before a match, others like to get pumped up before they go out and perform, and many just like to get good and relaxed. How teams and athletes do all of these things varies from team to team, but there are definitely some funny and outright wacky pre-game rituals that BSM athletes participate in to get ready before a competition.

One team that likes to get hyped up is the BSM Dance Team, who like to prepare for their dance competitions with even more dancing, according to Junior Dance Team member Morgan Hovanec. “Every year we’ll come up with a new little dance move that only the team knows and we keep adding on, so now we have like a thirty second dance from the past however many years,” she said.

“While I think that we can still perform without our ritual, it definitely helps our team bond and helps me personally feel more comfortable before we go out to compete,” Hovanec said.

In contrast, BSM hockey players, like Junior Defenseman Connor Mayer, like to calm down and focus before games. “Most of us listen to music; we’ll sit in the stands and watch the JV game and tape their sticks.” Mayer said. “We also have our individual rituals, like I’ll eat Air Heads with (Senior Captain) Nick Austin...

Some people have handshakes, like I have one with (Senior) Cade (Gleekel) and (Senior Captain) Auggie (Moore),” Mayer said.

Members of the BSM Ultimate Frisbee team like to relax before their games, even taking some traditions normally done by fans. “We’ll tailgate for our own games, we’ll go and barbeque in the parking lot before we play...Sometimes we’ll go in cars and listen to pump up music right before the game,” Senior Sam Rocheford said. This strategy of relaxing before the game isn’t just fun, but it also helps the team bond. “I mean when you share a hotdog made by your teammate, that’s true brotherhood. There is no greater bond than that,” Rocheford said.

Whether you like to get pumped up or lay back before competition, Rocheford says that pre-game rituals are more than just trying to get ready to succeed: “Being with your teammates, getting ready to go out and have fun, that’s really what it’s all about.”

Writer: Lucas Latterell Designer: William Krane Photographer: Collins Jones and Keenan Schember

Ultimate Frisbee We’ll tailgate for our own games, we’ll go and barbeque in the parking lot before we play. I mean when you share a hotdog made by your teammate, that’s true brotherhood. There is no greater bond than that. Sometimes we’ll go in cars and listen to pump up music right before the game. Being with your teammates, getting ready to go out and have fun, that’s really what it’s all about.

As far as funny stories go, we’ve just had a lot of injuries. I’ve had one of my teeth knocked out, Alan got a knee contusion, we really go hard.

-Sam Rocheford

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In The

HuddlE Boys’ Basketball I don’t really have a set pregame ritual. I normally get ready for the game by listening to music, at the start of the year I would always listen to “Hello” by Adele before games but now I listen to “7 years” by Lukas Graham. One thing that I always do before games is text/snapchat bae. It just gets me in a good mood, which is key before games.

-Eli Cave

Hockey For bonding I say we just hang out alot as a team. Like in the locker room, and just in general as well. Some pregame things that we do, most of us listen to music, we’ll sit in the stands and watch the JV game and tape their sticks. We also have our own rituals, like I eat Air Heads with Nick Austin before the games, I don’t know why we just do. We have our team warm up on the Ice, some people have handshakes. I have a handshake with Kade and Auggie. I know Ristau taps the glass when we’re doing the starting lineup and that’s really about it. We were in Grand Rapids and it was really loud and Bischel couldn’t hear the announcer and Bishel couldn’t understand what was going on. So he skated up to the blue line like way before his name was called and just stood there all alone for a long time. Another time he forgot his jersey and had to go out with another one, and had to scramble to change it during the national anthem.

-Connor Mayer

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Boys’ Soccer We head to Mr. Platt’s room 2 hours before every game, before going to change. Once back, we would slowly get our equipment on while either listening to music through his smart board, watching Eli’s summer basketball highlights, or watching some soccer videos to get us motivated and in a soccer mindset. About 45 minutes before the game [Coach] Platt comes in and gives us the rundown about what to expect in the team we are going to play. Leaving us 35 minutes to warm up before our own game.

-Griffin Ehlen

Dance Team Well the team doesn’t really have like one thing. We pray before every meet, sometimes we’ll just jam to songs as a team, depending on how much time we have. I gotta feeling by Black Eyed Peas comes on quite a bit, or Timber by Kesha. We dab a lot. Every year we’ll come up with a new little dance move that only the team knows and we keep adding on, so now we have like a thirty second dance from the past however many years.While I think that we can still perform without our ritual, it definitely helps our team bond and helps me personally feel more comfortable before we go out to compete. One time [freshman] Molly Segner, well she’s really weird about walk-ons, and she always gets really nervous about them even though it’s the easiest part. One time Ashley Zagaros started walking on before everyone and she screamed at the top of her lungs and grabbed her and it was honestly like the funniest thing.

-Morgan Hovanec

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Theater A senior will tell a supportive speech as we line up in a circle, then they begin our strongest tradition. The senior grabs both hands of someone in the circle, looks into their eyes, and says “I will hold you up.” They then go down the line supporting every cast member. The person that they started with follows their lead.

Eventually each actor has said it to all of their cast mates. It is a reminder that we, as a cast, are in it together. We will support each other through all of the ups and downs that come with a performance. We are one.

-Carson Knoer

Boys’ Swimming Yeah before every meet we do a chant saying “what do we want” then everyone replies “blood” and we repeat that twice and then we say “when do we want it” and everyone says “now.” We do that to kind of psych out the competition. Besides that, the only other thing we do is go into the hallway or locker room and our coach tells us the competition is good and to try your hardest and not make mistakes and then I chime in saying “but remember to just have fun.”

-Peter McCague

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UNDER

Writer: Payton Miller Photographer: Sisay Shannon-Tamrat Designer: Vivian Lu

THE LIGHTS The phrases “just have fun” or “winning doesn’t matter as long as you have fun,” are thrown around a lot in sports.

Coaches try to instill these in the minds of athletes, but then yell at them when they make a mistake. Athletes have to devote almost an entire year to one sport which often means giving up other sports, family time, and part of their social life just to stay competitive. All of this and then the added weight of doing well and possibly getting a scholarship takes a toll on competitors. Is there too much pressure in today’s sports?

Playing at the highest possible level usually means dedicating more time to your sport as time goes on. Senior Taylor Gelling, a defender for the BSM Girls’ Soccer Team this past fall, spends many hours a week with soccer. As a member of the club team for the MN Thunder Academy in the winter, spring and summer, she usually has multiple practices in a week. “I have three practices a week that are an hour and a half, and I do workouts at Performance Ath-

letics on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday for two hours,” Gelling said.

For senior Mae Fullerton, a star runner for BSM, her vigorous workouts and self motivation kept her going from an early age. “I’ve always had this internal drive, that isn’t really related to sports. It’s kind of a personal value. I’m not motivated by place, or title, or any championship. I just like to take everyday and any challenge, and if I can give it my all, I can always be happy with what the outcome is,” Fullerton said.

As both Gelling and Fullerton improved, they realized that their talents could get them a scholarship. However, as more colleges started paying attention, there was more pressure. Fullerton, who signed with Brown University, saw this added stress as even more fuel for her inner drive. “As you approach college and you realize that maybe your running can take you somewhere and can open doors for you perhaps, then that is more inspiring to pressure yourself,” Fullerton

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said.

Gelling, who signed in early February with the University of Nebraska at Omaha, definitely felt this added pressure. “I started feeling the most pressure around sophomore year when colleges started coming to our games to watch because when they first start to come, if they didn’t like you the first time you played, then they aren’t going to look again. That was really stressful,” Gelling said.

Athletes feel many different types of pressure. Whether it is from teammates, coaches, parents, or even themselves, pressure always seems to be in sports. Fullerton feels that the most pressure comes from herself and her reputation. “I do feel pressure from an iternal drive to do well. A little bit external because people expect you to do well if you are ranked or if people know you, then you are kind of expected to meet those standards,” Fullerton said.

Gelling doesn’t put a large amount of pressure on herself, but she still feels pressure from other sources. “My parents are really into it. They come to every game and they go on the sidelines of where I am on defense, so when we switch halves, they go to that half. They sit on the defense line, and they watch every move,” Gelling said.

Gelling admitted that she also feels pressure before games.

“I get really nervous. If I get really nervous, I play bad, so I

try not to, but my coach knows I get super nervous, and he tells me to just take three deep breathes and calm down,” Gelling said.

Gelling feels that there is a time when pressure is good, but that there is also a time when pressure is harmful. “I think pressure is good when you actually need to care, like big games, just to remind yourself that you need to focus and get better. Especially during practice, because if you don’t practice well you don’t play well. If you want to win then you need pressure or else you’re just going to let go. However, I think negative pressure is the worst, when people start yelling at you to do this and that and your coach is screaming at you when you are playing bad. That’s just the worst. Then you just keep going downhill and you get worse instead of getting better,” Gelling also said.

For many athletes, playing sports is all for the love of the game and where it can take them. The stress of sports doesn’t get to them when they are doing what they love. “In running, first of all, I love it. It naturally came easier to me, so because of that, I was extra motivated to see where I could take it by putting in work,” Fullerton said.

The love for sports outweighs the amount of pressure athletes feel. They may get crushed when they can’t deal with pressure in the most important moments, but that’s what makes sports so great and it’s why athletes continue to compete.

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Making an A

n estimated two million to four million sports-related concussions happen every year in the United States. A concussion occurs when an impact or force causes the head to violently move. As the brain moves inside the skull, the brain tissue is stretched resulting in concussion symptoms. Some of the symptoms include headache, temporary loss of consciousness, confusion, dizziness, fatigue, appearing dazed, and delayed response to questions. A variety of cognitive and memory problems can result, with the possibility of lasting only a few days or lingering for months or years.

In 2014, over 3,000 teenagers in Minnesota experienced a sports-related concussion.

Forty-seven percent of all reported sports concussions are from high school football. Other than American football, the most common concussion-causing sports are ice hockey, lacrosse, soccer, rugby, basketball, wrestling, and downhill skiing. However, any sport or activity in which there is an increased probability of having contact

either with other players or the surrounding area is likely to be associated with concussions.

Concussions are one of the most difficult injuries to identify and treat. This is a persistent dilemma because just one concussion has the possibility of leaving a teenager with disabilities. Also, only one concussion can lead to another. After a concussion, a person is three to four times more likely to sustain another within the same season.

For BSM sophomore Andrew Cadle, “you have a concussion” is a phrase he knows all too well. Cadle has had five concussions in his lifetime, all of them coming from ice hockey-related activities. Most of Cadle’s concussions came from falling or being pushed from behind and hitting his head against the ice or the boards. “Most recently, I was doing a drill in Captain’s practice and was transitioning from backwards to forwards after receiving a pass and right as I had turned to go forwards, I was hit head on, helmet to helmet, then fell backwards and the back of my head hit the ice,” Cadle said. This latest concussion caused Andrew to sit out from sports and activities for 10 weeks.

There is no magic cure or medicine to treat concus-

Writer: Grace Hedin Designer: Will Keivit

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an Impact sions. Symptoms of concussions can last for days, weeks or months. Most doctors will recommend patients who have a concussion to slowly return to their regular activities. They suggest a great deal of rest: plenty of sleep at night and taking it easy during the day. Doctors also suggest avoiding activities that are physically or mentally demanding such as exercise, sports, schoolwork, video games, texting, and computer use. Cadle sat out of sports and activities for three of his five concussions. “I couldn’t watch TV for more than 30 min at a time. No reading or using screens (computer, phone, etc.) for more than a couple of minutes at a time. No riding bike, no trampoline, no water activities, no running, no baseball, no golf, no driving, no bright sunlight without sunglasses. I mostly sat around and did nothing for the first few but for the last one, I was trying really hard to keep up at school, so probably had more screen time and more strain on my brain than I should have,” Cadle said.

For some athletes, repetitive concussions can be the final straw and can put them out of a sport they have grown up with and love. “I continued to play after every concussion except for this most recent one. I went back because I had been playing the game since I was five years old and I love hockey. With being out for 10 weeks, I hung the skates up because I felt like I had gotten so far behind with not being able to do any conditioning, drills or skills for far too long to catch up,” Cadle said.

However, when one door closes, another can open.

“Coach Pauly asked me to be the manager for the Boy’s Varsity Hockey Team, an invitation I accepted and am

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really glad I did. The night I made my decision to be done, I sat by my bag with my stick in my hand, thinking about all the awesome memories the game of hockey had given me,“ Cadle said.

In the past decade, rule changes have taken place in many sports and this has made a huge impact in the decrease of concussions. Specific rule changes like no checking or spearing have directly reduced major head and neck injuries. “Ever since Jack Jablonski’s injury, there have been many rules set in place to protect players that are defenseless. I think they did a really good job with it, but kids will still make big hits that have the potential to cause injury, that’s just how the game is and probably how it always will be,” Cadle said.

There is no way to completely eliminate concussions in high school athletes. As long as there are sports, there will be concussions. However, there are things that can be done to reduce the risk of concussions. Rule changes in the sports and modifications to the protective gear are two of the best ways. Also, it is important that doctors, coaches, parents, and teenagers be educated about concussions.

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SAME

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itle IX was passed in 1972. It is a law that requires any high school or college that receives federal funding to treat women and men the same in areas such as education and athletics. It states: “No person … shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination” in any school-based program, including athletics.

Sadly, even though the law was put into place over 44 years ago, women’s sports still have a long way to go before they can be considered equal.

According to the Women’s Sports Foundation, male athletes receive $179 million more in athletic scholarships each year than females do, and colleges spend just 24 percent of their athletic operating budgets on female sports. These statistics show that collegiate sports aren’t treated the same, but what about high school sports?

Well, according to the national Women’s Law Center states like Alabama, Mississippi, and Tennessee have close to a 50 percent or more gap in gender equity. This means that even if the number of girls and boys who play sports are the same, the funding between the two are still largely unequal. Minnesota was on the lower range with less than a 10 percent of a gap, but how are sports treated specifically at BSM? Mr. Jerry Pettinger, Director of

SPORT

Athletics/Activities, brought his insight to sports at BSM. When asked how many girls and boys were playing sports, he replied, “Without ever crunching [the numbers,] I would say it’s about half and half.” Pettinger also explained how BSM funds each sport: “Each sport is funded what they need to operate. So for example if there are more kids in one group than another then you could have more money in that one.”

BSM supplies an amount of money to each team, and then it’s the captains’, parents’, and coach’s job to raise the extra money they deem is needed. The money is usually raised through some form of a booster site, where people can donate money to the specific team they want. So, it would figure that if BSM is providing the appropriate amount of money each sport needs to operate, regardless if it’s a male or female sport, then the disparity lies in what the booster club raises. Pettinger doesn’t agree. “No, I don’t think male sports bring in more money from boosters; in fact, dance is one of the larger booster clubs that bring in money,” Pettinger said.

Having seen the administrative side of the discussion, it was now time to see what the students thought. Aleksa Tataryn and Griffin Ehlen, both captains of their soccer and lacrosse teams, were interviewed.

Writer: Ingrid Lundberg Photographer: Ginny Lyons Designer: Anna von Kampen

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Lacrosse is one of those weird sports where there is a huge difference between the male and female version of the game. Tataryn explained, “for boys, they wear helmets and pads because they can check, whereas in girls’ we only wear goggles and mouth guards, because we can’t check.” “There are just a lot of unnecessary rules that I don’t even know half the time.”

When asked if she ever wished that they had the same rules as the guys she said, “to be honest, I think girls would look pretty weird checking each other like boys do, so I'm fine with that, but I do wish that, for example, in girls’, when the whistle is blown you can't move, but in boys’ lacrosse you can, so that is one rule that I wish we could have.”

Ehlen also shared his opinions on rule differences. “When I have watched a girls’ game I don't understand what is going on,” Ehlen said. It’s clear that male and female versions of the same sport have different rules, but it’s unclear why. Anna DeGiulio, the girls’ hockey goalie, said she wished girls could check. “Then people couldn't say that girls hockey is a joke.”

There have been a lot of discussions about why there are gender specific rules in sports. Many people think it’s based on an outdated idea of femininity, because there’ is

no actual science to back up the rules, while others say it allows the sport to concentrate on skill and finesse.

Are boys’ and girls’ sports treated the same in high school? Every student I interviewed said “no.” “I don't think they are treated equally. One example is that during warm-ups at our soccer games, we could barely hear the music, but then when the boys played their warm-up music they could have it full blasting. So that really frustrates me; and also at BSM you can notice a big difference between the number of fans that go to boys’ and girls’ sports,” Tataryn said.

The difference in number of fans at games seems to be a very common indication of difference. “You look at the attendance levels for each of the sports, and the boys always have more hype than girls sports do,” Ehlen said. Deguilo agreed, “boys sports always get more fans to cheer them on.”

At the end of the day, the paper trail would suggest that boys’ and girls’ sports are not on a level playing field. However, the funds aren’t the only factor that cause the disparity, and attendance totals would show that their isn’t as much support or enthusiasm for girls.

When push comes to shove– although you can only push and shove in boys’ sports– the two factions are far from equal.

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S E C N I R P E C

I For most BSM seniors, going to college after graduation is a given, but for seniors Zach Risteau, Auggie Moore and Cade Gleekel, athletics will take center stage as they prepare to play Junior Hockey next year ahead of their aspirations to ultimately play Division I college hockey. While Risteau and Gleekel plan to stay in the US to play, Moore plans to head over the border to British Columbia, Canada.

Spending a few years playing hockey in a Junior League is becoming more com-

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monplace among D-I hopefuls as the world of collegiate hockey continues to get more and more competitive. Junior Hockey organizations operate out of both the US and Canada, and together have over 250 teams representing varying skill levels. In the US, Junior Hockey is played on a tier system in which prospective players are drafted, meaning they can’t just pick a team to play for. There are three tiers in the US, with Tier I being the most elite, and therefore the most competitive. “In the broad scope of Junior Hockey, there’s the USHL, which is the best league you can go play in before playing in college. Then in the US, there’s the NAHL, the North American Hockey League, that’s Tier 2; the USHL’s Tier 1.

In Canada, they have what’s called “Junior A”, which is where I’m going. You could put it pretty much on the same level [as the NAHL]. It’s a ton of information,” Moore said.

The United States Hockey League (USHL), however, is truly the best league for college hockey hopefuls. On average, 95% of its players get D-I opportunities each

year, and in 2014, the league saw 99% of its players commit to play NCAA Division-I hockey.

The USHL is the United States’ only Tier I league and holds 17 teams, most of which are located throughout the Midwest.

In the league’s thirteen-year history, it has seen over 200 of its alumni either play in the NHL or be awarded an NHL contract.

In 2015, they produced 37 players that were drafted by the NHL. Risteau has been drafted by the USHL’s Chicago Steel and plans to play for them next year. “You get drafted by one team, but it’s like [the] NHL, you can get traded to other teams; you can trade players one for one and things like that,” Risteau said.

Getting drafted to “The Steel” made Risteau’s decision to commit to juniors quite easy, as many of the USHL’s teams are in places like South Dakota or Iowa. “I lucked out being in Chicago. I think it will be an even better time off the ice too, so I didn’t have to put a whole lot of thought into it because I got lucky with the team I got drafted by,” Risteau said.

Moore too, didn’t have a lot of trouble deciding to play juniors, ultimately doing so after an opportunity to play arose. “For a lot of people, it is hard to decide whether to go to school or to go play juniors. I had made my mind up this summer that I would take the juniors route. I always wanted to play in the BC rather than NA so when I got an offer from Alberni Valley, I was really interested. I talked to a few players who I know there, and they had nothing but good things to say. It was a pretty easy decision, honestly,” Moore said.

In Canada, it’s run a bit differently.

The highest level of Junior Hockey in Can-

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ada is called “Major Junior”, which is considered to be a professional league since its players sign professional contracts, as well as get paid. Playing Major Junior makes that player ineligible to play college hockey in the US, but not ineligible to play in other junior leagues. However, where Moore is planning to play is one step below Major Junior at the “Junior A” level, Canada’s second most elite league, a favorite for players who still hope to play US college hockey sometime down the road. At the Junior A level, players aren’t required to sign professional contracts, and as a result, remain eligible to play college hockey in the US. Each Canadian Province has its own league, and in some cases, more than one.

Moore will be playing in the BCHL, the British Columbia Hockey League, which is widely considered to be the best of Canada’s ten Junior A leagues.

While being traded before the season is unlikely once a player is drafted to a specific team, after the season starts, no one is safe.

“Right now, the plan is to go play for the Alberni Valley Bulldogs, they’re in Port Alberni, British Columbia­­. I won’t get traded before the season starts, but once things get going, you never know what can happen,” Moore said.

While Risteau and Moore get ready for their moves to Chicago and British Columbia, respectfully, senior Cade Gleekel is also preparing for a move: to join the NAHL’s Aberdeen Wings in Aberdeen, South Dakota. “As of right now I think I’m playing in Aberdeen, South Dakota, but the USHL draft is after the [high] school season ends.

If I get drafted, then I’ll [go] play in the USHL,” Gleekel said.

Juniors is a “step up” in a lot of ways from high school hockey, and will be chock full of new and often times, nerve-wracking experiences. “One thing I’m nervous about is how I’ll compare to the other kids out there, because it ranges from kids who are 17 to around 22, so it’s going to be a way faster [pace]; kids are stronger and more

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developed. I’m nervous how I’ll perform against them,” Risteau said.

Risteau, Moore and Gleekel aren’t the only seniors planning to keep up with hockey in the future. Senior Jerry Calengor, though unsure about committing to junior hockey, isn’t prepared to completely give up the sport he’s devoted almost his entire life to. While playing in college at some point is one of his goals, either a club team or college team would suit him. “[I’ll] hopefully major in either history or political science. I want to go to law school after college; I don’t really feel like that’s something I should put on hold too long. I don’t feel like I can go anywhere in hockey after college, so I want to get my life started as soon as possible,” Calengor said.

On the contrary, senior Jared Gherardi is dead set on going to college next year, only entertaining the thought of going to play juniors. “In college I want to major in Finance and Math, then go somewhere in the financial field for a job. Everyone’s going to have to stop playing at some point, so why not just stop at high school, take on my career, and get educated,” Gherardi said.

Gherardi, too, isn’t planning to quit the sport cold turkey, and hopes to continue playing casually in college. “[I’d] definitely play intramurals; I don’t think I’d do club, I wouldn’t want to be that dedicated. I definitely still want to be throwing on the skates [just] for fun,” Gherardi said.

Going to school at some point is important in all of the boys’ minds and though each of them has different goals for getting there, it continues to remain a top priority.

Though the boys still have a lot to do before heading off to join their teams, this much they know for sure: they’ll be keeping up with a passion instilled within them since before they can remember. “Honestly, I don’t remember the process of learning how to skate, it’s almost like reading, and I don’t really remember specifically learning how to read. It’s just one of those things I’ve always remembered how to do,” Moore said.

Writer: Julia Feld Photographer: Keenan Schember Designer: Anna von Kampen

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How to cope with injuries

H

igh school sports have become extremely competitive and require more time from players than ever before.

As student athletes dedicate increasing amounts of time to their sport, more critical injuries happen that can leave an athlete out of an entire season. After an injury, everything students have been working towards can be dashed with a single doctor’s visit. Sports injuries can be devastating and difficult to overcome, but for students who love the sport they play, it is the price they pay to fulfill their passions.

BSM junior and captain of the football team, Eric Wilson, knows firsthand what it is like to cope with a sports injury. Wilson has experienced multiple injuries in his years of competing, but one that he distinctly remembers occurred during his sophomore year football season at BSM. “Last year I fractured my Tibia during a football game against Cooper, and I missed four conference games because of it,” Wilson said.

Many injured students go to physical therapy or rehab in order to speed up the healing process and return to their best playing abilities. “I had to [go to] rehab three days a week after school for an hour-and-a-half each time. I needed to get back into the season quicker, and I did that for five weeks,” Wilson said.

Another student in recovery who is working to get back to perfect health is BSM junior and varsity basketball and soccer player, Maria Van Hove. She tore her anterior cruciate ligament (or ACL) and meniscus during a soccer game against Holy Angels last fall.

“For physical therapy, I do workouts six days a week, and I go to an actual physical therapist two days a week,” Van Hove said.

ACL tears take a long time to recover from, and Van Hove will not be able to play any sports for nine months total, but with her extensive rehab routine, she will be ready to compete soon. “For the first month we focused on getting the range of motion back, and then I progressed to walking. At three months I learned how to run again. Now I’m learning cutting, or change in direction,” Van Hove said.

While injuries seem like they only affect the students physically, they also take an emotional and mental toll on the player. “I think the hardest part about the recovery is the mental toughness. It’s hard to be motivated to do workouts everyday, or go to team events and stay positive or not get down on yourself,” Van Hove said.

Some of the emotional strain also stems from an apparent lack of involvement that injured athletes often feel when they can’t compete. “The most difficult part [about being injured] is watching your team go through good times and bad times. During bad times you wish you could be out there to help them,

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and during good times you wish you could be there with them. You don’t feel like you’re a part of the team when you’re injured. As much as the team helps you it doesn’t feel the same,” Wilson said.

Staying positive is not easy when watching the rest of the team grow and develop, but sophomore Abigail Sohm found some relief from her rotator cuff injury in picturing her future progress. “I knew it was going to be fine, but it was difficult at the time. I just needed to get that season over with and focus on getting faster,” Sohm said.

Sohm tore her left rotator cuff in her left shoulder during the swimming season this year, but did not receive surgery until after sections. “I had surgery in mid-November. I did physical therapy, and I’m just finishing that up now. We did a lot of stretches to regain the range of motion, and now we are working on strengthening the muscle,” Sohm said.

Other than rehabilitation and therapy, both Van Hove and Sohm all agreed that the key to their recovery was support from their family, friends, and teammates. “I had a nice doctor, which really helped. My team supported me and cheered me on during my races. My parents took me to physical therapy and made sure I was doing okay, or not overusing my shoulder,” Sohn said.

Even with the support of close friends and family, every athlete copes with their injuries in a different way. For some, the start of their recovery is accompanied by a lot of doubt and questioning.

“There was a time before I had surgery when I regretted playing.

Nine months is a long time, and I was asking, ‘why me, why now, why do I even play sports?’ I definitely had a loss of faith,” Van Hove said.

After having surgery and realizing that after a long nine months she would be able to go back to doing what she loves, Van Hove has a new appreciation for sports. “I would never give playing up. If anything it’s made me appreciate playing more. When I go back I will definitely appreciate every single second I’m able to play. It made me realize how much I love sports,” Van Hove said.

Whether it be a broken arm or torn muscle, sports injuries can be challenging and painful to overcome, but with a strong support system, and the right mindset, recovery will come easier even if it takes longer than hoped. “Do what you can to heal it, but don’t try to force the healing. It can take a while, but bear with it for now, and you will heal over time,” Sohm said.

Writer: Grace Gyolai Designer: Will Keivit Photograph: Mary Hoyt

3/14/16 12:21 PM

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3/10/16 12:16 PM

You Play WHAT? With the stress of prior expectations and prestigious scholarships gone, athletes in obscure sports focus on the love of the game, not their rankings.

The crowds aren’t packed, colleges aren’t offering many scholarships, and people may need a dictionary to look the sport up, but all these differences only make the work players put in more genuine. Without the incentives mainstream sports offer, these athletes compete solely for the love of competition. From rowing, to bandy, to rugby– welcome to the world of odd sports.

Let me preface this story by saying that I feel completely qualified to write about odd sports, because I myself compete in one.

As a speedskater, I experience first hand the trials and tribulations that accompany participating in a sport the general populace knows nothing about. I know what it’s like to have no one understand the dedication and effort put into something that may be obscure, but means the world to the athletes who play it.

Erin Patton, a BSM junior, laces up her skates to compete in one of winter’s most underrated sports–– bandy. The difficult sport is basically a cross between hockey and soccer. The game takes place on an soccer field-sized sheet of ice with two nets positioned on either end of the rink. Players skate around trying to score goals by hitting a small ball with a short hockey stick. Patton has played bandy for for just under five years, and even managed to place fourth in the last Junior Girls World Championship. The sport isn’t very popular, but that doesn’t bother Patton. “ My favorite thing about competing in bandy is that not many people know about it so the pressure to win is very low. While you are out there skating on the rink you’re just trying to have a good time,” Patton said.

In the world bandy community there has been a revived push to add it to the Olympic Games alongside the similar sport of hockey.

With China debuting a women’s team in the 2016 Women’s World Championship, players are optimistic of an Olympic debut sometime soon.

Senior Ana Vigil has been storming the rugby field for four years, drawn back each season by its aggressive, fast-paced thrill.

Although immensely popular in Europe, rugby is absent from the minds of most Americans. However, rugby is gaining in popularity in the US at an exponential pace, with a record number of participants each year. Rugby is a combination of soccer and football, where players are allowed to punt or carry the ball in a constant

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flow of action. However, unlike football, rugby is not broken up with plays and downs. Vigil was recently named a captain of her team, which comes as no surprise considering all the hard-work she puts in. Although often plagued by the stigma of the sport being stacked with jacked 200lb men, in reality rugby is a sport for everyone– that’s one of the things Vigil likes most about the sport: “My favorite thing about rugby is that size doesn’t matter. I’m small, but I’m still pretty good. There are different positions for every body type and every position is really fun,” Vigil said.

When water sports come to mind, most people immediately think of swimming, but BSM senior George Torvik is in another boat entirely. Rowing––also known as crew––is an age-old sport that combines tradition with ingenuity, strength with precision, and individual effort with teamwork. Torvik has competed in crew for four years, beginning after his mom, a former collegiate rower, signed him up for a summer and he fell in love. Because rowing isn’t a recognized high school sport, Torvik competes for the Twin Cities Youth Rowing Club. Torvik, along with his teammates, had the opportunity to compete at the Head of the Charles, one of the world’s most premier races, located in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Although the team didn’t place very well, Torvik was grateful for the once-in-a-lifetime experience. As for the obscurity of the sport, that actually appeals to Torvik: “When so few people compete, it’s really easy to be good at a sport,” Torvik said. However, don’t mistake his humor to mean rowing isn’t hard work; the movement required to paddle the boats utilizes all the major muscle groups and is said to be one of the most strenuous exercises.

Most odd sports are usually only on people’s radars for two weeks every four years, but that doesn’t mean these athletes have the luxury of taking all that time off. Competing in a lesser-known sport, professionals in these fields usually have to work other jobs just to fund the cost of their training. People are often under the impression that professional athletes live privileged and glamorous lives– and some do, but it’s important to remember that there are others, who do not train for the money, the lifestyle, or the spotlight, but rather for their moment on the podium, and their love of the sport.

Writer: Gunner Lundberg Designer: Will Keivit

3/10/16 12:13 PM

Life Coach W

hen people are put under a significant amount of stress, they look to those around them for support and guidance on how to deal with their tension.

Many sports players feel substantial pressure with the combination of practices, games, school, and other activities. Coaches can play an important role in shaping their players and showing them how to deal with difficult situations. This creates an important relationship between the coach and player that can have a great impact in a player’s life.

First and foremost, a positive or negative relationship with a coach affects how well a team plays. “Chemistry between a coach and the players is one of the best things you can have for a sport; it really helps you win,” sophomore football player Liam Ford said.

If there is tension between a team and a coach, there is less trust.

The players won’t listen to a coach they don’t trust, which inevitably results in losses.

When a whole team has a close relationship with their coach, the athletes have more to play for. The motivation of making their coach proud inspires the team to work harder. “One of my coaches had brain cancer, and he was with our team for several years. The season after he passed away, we really played for him, and that year we went undefeated. That relationship we had motivated us to play harder when we played for him,” Ford said.

A personal relationship with a coach also affects each individual player’s experience. Play time and personal skill can be affected by how close a player is with his or her coach. “If you are not able to respect your coach, then you won’t be able to learn or improve your skills. Likewise, if the coach knows you have a bad attitude, you are more likely to be sitting on the bench instead of playing on the court,” sophomore basketball player Hannah Nichols said.

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A coach gives players everything they need to thrive in their sports, giving players support and teach them how to benefit from the game. Winning is not always the main goal of participating in a sport. Sometimes, the goal is learning more about yourself. “A coach will always believe in you, so when you see that, it makes it easier to believe in yourself and that helps you succeed, even outside the realm of sports,” sophomore Morgan Williams said.

Indeed, a coach’s impact is not limited to an player’s athletic ability. When a teenager looks up to an adult in their life, that adult has the chance to help shape the teen’s values and life outside of sports. “My coach really helped me become a better person and build a stronger character for myself,” senior basketball player Sam Baker said. When a player works with a coach frequently, they learn to trust their coach and take their coach’s advice.

School also plays a large part of every teenager’s life. Coaches can motivate their players and encourage them not to let their grades slip. “My club coach [has had] a big impact on me regarding college and hard work. He pushed me not to have the senior slide,” senior Aleksa Tataryn said. The values coaches teach their players applies to every part of a teenager’s life. Supporting hard work in school is also present in school sports, because players frequently need to have certain grades to participate in a sport.

Every student needs people to look up to during high school, whether it be teachers, parents or another mentor. Coaches can be one of these resources. When they are important to their players Writer: Abby Letscher Designer: William Krane Photographer: Ginny Lyons

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3/11/16 11:58 AM