SPORTS
Sports Update
track 4th place Bishop Miege Invitational 3rd place finish for senior Meghan Kearney at Kansas Relays 2nd place Grain Valley Invitational (Photo by Sara Watkins)
Wisdom through Sports and Sion Senior reflects on the lessons learned throughout her high school career.
lacrosse 16-7 win against Olathe 9-3 win against Blue Valley 19-9 win against Lee’s Summit 8-9 loss against Shawnee Mission
soccer 2-0 win against Divine Savior; Wisconsin 1-2 loss against Kapaun; Wichita 1-0 win against Lee’s Summit West 3-1 win against St. James Academy
10LE JOURNAL APRIL
BY SYDNEY MANNING SPORTS COLUMNIST
Four years later. Here I sit in the same room where I painstakingly sat in my first hour tech-lit class. Thinking back to that time, I was just a 14 year old that was obsessed with country music and a 19 year old soccer professional player. I was still worried about making good first impressions and wondering if I would meet any boys on Friday night at the Rockhurst football game. Luckily, I’ve changed in more ways than one over the four years. A lot of things have come and gone from my life, but a few things have stayed the same; one of those being Sion. Sion has taught me a lot about who I am in a very indirect way. Some things I would be uncomfortable with freshman year I can do now at ease. From starting conversations with a random stranger to fully embracing my feelings, many things can be carried over from my school life to life beyond Sion’s front doors. Another thing that has remained constant since my freshman year is my love for Sporting Kansas City. I knew then that I would be involved with this soccer team for a long time, but I never imagined the kind of relationships I would develop with the players, fans and staff. For almost five years I have been a dedicated fan. During that time, I have learned how to apply so many life lessons that I have applied to everyday life as a Sion student and as a sports fan. I have learned confidence. Confidence that drove me to run against Courtney Tushaus for sophomore class president (bad idea). Confidence that made me stand up for a Sporting player when he was being yelled at by another fan. Confidence that has given me a voice to scream cheers and chants with 20,000 other fans. I have learned patience. Patience that has inspired me to sit through three hour assemblies because we got Sion cookies after. Patience that has
taught me how to live without my sister at sporting events. Patience that has given me the grace to watch countless Royals “rebuilding” seasons. Patience that has helped me watch players make full year recoveries from season ending injuries. I have learned joy. Joy that I see everyday in each face I pass in the hallway. Joy that I experienced after winning the MLS Cup Championship on my 17th birthday. Joy that was shown on my sister’s face after meeting her favorite player for the first time. Joy that has made me more than excited for Mizzou, and whatever I do for the rest of my life. I have learned faith. Faith that drove me to join the Daily Decade club freshman year. Faith that went beyond my religion. Faith that made me believe in the Cardinal’s postseason hope every game seven. Faith that made me feel like I was more than just a fan, like I was part of something bigger. I have learned love. Love that showed me how truly special each one of my Sion sisters is. Love that made me adopt a soccer team and care for all the players like my own family. Love that opened up my eyes to all that really matters to me, from God to sports and so much more. I have learned hope. Hope that made me look on the bright side after every change that Sion made completely altering my everyday life. Hope that made me believe there was a way to still win the game, whether we were down by two goals in the 90th minute or when we were going into the second round of penalty kicks that would determine a championship. Hope that has made me look to the future and all the great things that are yet to come. In the grand scheme of this, Sion is a small physical part of life. The four years here have flown by and have briefly prepared me for what’s ahead. Although I’m not completely sure what is coming next, I plan to keep spending my life around sports in every way I can. From going to the Women’s World Cup this June to following baseball more and more each year to spending my next four years in an SEC environment, there is no stop for my life around sports anytime soon. I couldn’t be more excited.
