Freezin’ the season

A look into set and upcoming achievements of winter sports making an exit

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Glistening in the stage light, I was two years old with my golden fringed costume at my first recital as I danced to “All the Single Ladies.” That moment, I fell in love with dance. I kept up with dance classes as I got older. I learned the fundamentals of the ballet positions and pointed toes. As I advanced, I learned how to execute the proper turning technique and perform complex moves. What I loved most was dance’s power to express emotions through a beautiful outlet of movement that words could not convey.

This admiration for dance drove me to try out for the WWMSl dance team in eighth grade. I never had experience with a competitive dance team, so I was an “alternate” and did not partake in competition routines that year. The coach told me that she saw my passion and potential as I tried out. So, I was willing to put in the work to learn the competitive side of dance.

As I moved to the high school team, I had that same coach my first year. It was covid year, so the JV team only performed one dance: jazz. Looking back, I can see why we won State with that dance. The coaches knew when to be tough to ensure the state-winning quality of our routine, but also showcased an emotional story with our routine that we were able to portray.

It is hard to focus on sharing a story and conveying a message to the audience when a competitive dance team tends to forget about that artistry. The team seems to only pay attention to obtaining laboring skills, which results in many injuries and stress as dancers try to achieve them.

It is frustrating, especially for me, because I never focused on acrobatic skills prior to joining the team. I am not a gymnast, I am a dancer. Also, just trying to find time to obtain these skills involves an extra expense and space of time eliminated from dancers’ already busy schedule.

I have scheduled team practices every Sunday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and we sometimes have practices or a competition to attend on Saturday. Dancers are also required to be enrolled in outside dance classes, to maintain their dancing technique. With all this, dancers brought up that they cannot be in other activities that they used to do in previous years. Additional activities are needed to acquire graduation points and to be well-rounded. Dance is an art that should deliver an impactful story to the audience. When I attended dance camp last summer with the Munster Dance program, they had an improv dance session one evening. The camp instructors played music and watched us feel the music in our own unique ways. The instructors walked around and called specific people who stood out to them to perform in the center of the floor for the entire camp, and I was one of them. I did not throw any extreme skills, I just listened to the words and the beat of the music and portrayed that. What truly matters is the emotion and artistry, which separates a mediocre performance with a breathtaking performance, and is the initial reason I fell in love with dance.

Girls’ Basketball: On the bright side

josephine zangrilli photographer

Girls’ Basketball finished their season Feb. 4 after a loss to Lake Central in the second round of Sectionals. The girls recap their favorite memories and moments from the 2223 season.

“The best part of the season was beating teams that we lost badly to last year,” Trinity Hogge, senior said.

The season record, 17-8, was far different from the 6-12 they achieved last season. The players say they owe it to their new head coach, Deandre Williams.

“When we had 8 a.m. practices on Saturdays, Coach would bring his speaker into the field house with the biggest smile and say “It’s a great day to be a lady Mustang!” Gracyn Gilliard, freshman said, “I think every team needs that type of energy.”

Boys’ Basketball: Exceeding expectations

josephine zangrilli photographer

Tonight, Boys’ Basketball are set to compete against Whiting at home. The team played against Andrean Feb 17, naming them conference champions for the 6th year in a row. They are first in the Northwest Crossroads conference. The team has had a successful season going 20-2. Brandon Trilli, senior, hit 1,000 points Feb. 14 against Lake Station Edison, making himself the eigth student-athlete at Munster to earn this achievement.

“When I hit 1,000 points it felt like an amazing experience due to the fact that I reached it in two years,” Trilli said.

After moving from Arizona to Munster, Trilli took control of the court and contributed to bringing the team to the Sectional championship last year.

“We still have more goals that we want to accomplish as a team,” Trilli said.

Girls’ Swim and Dive: Happily ever after

josephine

mittelberger guest editor

Girls’ Swim swept every event in Sectionals with six athletes going to State, sophomores Jennifer Barajas and Arantxa Rivera, juniors Addison Sanow and Jasmine Wegman, and seniors Casey McNulty, Angelica Rzeznikowski and Lucy MacDonald. Zuzu Smith, junior, followed closely behind in Dive by achieving seventh in Regionals and going along to State. Smith placed 16 in State for diving and Barajas, McNulty, Rzeznikowski and Wegman placed 15th in State for 400 freestyle relay.

“It was hard to believe that it was my last meet ever, the last time wearing my seahorse cap,” MacDonald said. “So to end on a good note meant a lot to me because the program has brought me the best people in my life.”