April 29, 2016
SPORTS
Blueprint
11
Both lacrosse programs stick it out despite adversity By Eileen Tyrrell, Head Copy Editor The crowd erupts in cheers as Zack Figura whips the lacrosse ball into the goal, scoring his team’s third goal of the game and carrying them to victory against William Fremd High School. Players run to hug Figura and cheer for him in what appears to be a typical victorious celebration -- however, something is different about this game. Unlike almost all other sports played at DGS, the players cheering in victory aren’t from the same school, because in District 99, lacrosse players from both DGN and DGS play on the same team. DGS junior Caroline Grannan explains what she enjoys about playing on a co-school team. “This is the only sport that brings DGN and DGS together, rather than being rivals,” Grannan said. “It’s super fun to meet new people who share a common interest, even though they don’t go to your school.” The girls varsity team is composed of three players from DGS and 17 players from DGN, while the boys varsity team is composed of 10 players from DGS and 14 players from DGN. Many players enjoy the fact that the team has athletes from both DGN and DGS, as it allows them to meet people they otherwise wouldn’t know. Girls lacrosse coach Leea Hruska describes what it’s like to coach a coschool team. “I honestly don’t see them as two different schools because of how they work together and how well they get along,” Hruska said. “If no one ever told me that it was two different schools, I would have never known.” While both the boys and girls lacrosse teams combine players from DGN and DGS and follow the same basic rules, there are some differ-
ences between the teams, such as the level of physical aggression permitted during a game. A player on the boys team may body check, or use his body to block his opponent, while that same move in a girls game would result in a foul. DGN senior Liam Budnik describes how the girls and boys programs compare. “Girls and boys lacrosse are very different games. Players from the girls Girls lacrosse is less physical than boys lacrosse because they wear less padding,” Budnik said. “As far as the girls and boys programs at DGN and DGS, the programs are treated equally, except for the fact that the girls wear purple and the boys wear blue.” Grannan adds that although there are differences between them, the two teams enjoy supporting each other. “The boys are allowed to [be] more aggressive on the field, legally, while the girls have many calls on stick checks and body checks. The concept is basically the same, but how we play is different. We love to support each other at games, though,” Grannan said. Traditionally, the lacrosse program’s biggest challenge in District 99 is the low level of participation, which is the reason why DGN and DGS were initially combined into one team. These days, however, participation isn’t a problem, and players cite field space, cost and the physical aspect of the game as the biggest
lacrosse team storming up the field for a rush against Trinity High School on April 12.
obstacles to joining lacrosse. DGS junior Jake Lackner explains why lacrosse is so physically demanding. “The worst part is the conditioning and the physicality in some cases. We have to condition on the same level as soccer players, plus we do it all with equipment,” Lackner said. “There are kids out there who can throw me around like a rag doll. Throw in large metal sticks and limited rules, and you better believe you’re coming off that field bruised and sore after every single practice and game.” Although there are some difficulties that come with playing lacrosse, players feel that the benefits far outweigh the downsides. “It’s hard to describe what makes the sport so addicting, because the idea of coming off the field bruised and sore every day isn’t appealing to most,” Lackner said. “However, the team makes it amazing; the coaches put double the effort the team does
into each Photo by Michelle Hroma practice and every game, and the pace and excitement of the game makes it so much fun to play.” Not only that, but each team expects to put in work and make it far this year. Budnik explains why he has high hopes, despite having a relatively new team. “Our team is quite young this year, but that isn’t going to stop us from achieving our goal of making a deep run in playoffs,” Budnik said. “We have a lot of guys with a ton of lacrosse experience, so we have the weapons to do well this year.” Both the boys and girls lacrosse teams believe that they will do well against their competition, even with less experienced teams than other schools in their league. Only time will tell if the program’s tenacity will carry over into the rest of the season. Contact Eileen at etyr2717@csd99.org
Gymnast Marius Mueller motivates team members By Michaela Burton, Social Media Director Senior Marius Mueller is a member of the boys varsity gymnastics team. One of the things he enjoys about the sport is the team atmosphere. Throughout the past four years he’s met people from other schools and created new friendships. “Everyone up in the balcony becomes good friends with one another because we are a relatively small team so you get to speak and interact with everyone up there,” Mueller said. “This [atmosphere] creates a fun environment where you become friends with everyone. Everyone wants to help one another improve.” Mueller’s favorite part about the sport is the relationship he has with the team. He really likes the bond the team has. “My favorite part of the sport is the camaraderie that you develop with the rest of the team as well as other gymnasts. You compete as much against yourself as you do others, and you can commiserate with individuals from other teams when you are competing against them,” Mueller said. “However, it is the actual team that you bond
Senior gymnast Marius Mueller does an L hold on the parallel bars during practice.
[with the most] and get to know very well because you’re around each other so often.” The head coach for the team, William Norris, talks about how Mueller steps up as a leader and helps the
Photo by Michaela Burton underclassmen learn new skills and routines. “Marius’s best qualities are that he is a positive role model for all members of the team: Marius is always
at practice on time, has great grades in school, is encouraging to his teammates and works hard in the gym,” Norris said. Having such a good role model in the gym to train by is motivational for junior Brock Herion, who notices all the effort Mueller puts into the gym. “His best quality is his willingness to learn and correct his mistakes. He listens to what you tell him, says it back to you, and tries to make those corrections without a second thought,” Herion said. “It can be very hard to break habits and make corrections, but he is very easy to coach and really pushes himself all the time.” Mueller not only loves the sport for the competitive side of it; he also loves the feeling of being around other gymnasts who help push him to make himself better. “I do it for a combination of both. I enjoy the competitive nature of it and putting myself against others because it forces me to keep improving. Not only that though the team has a great atmosphere and it’s a lot of fun being up in the balcony with the other guys,” Mueller said. Contact Michaela at mbur1533@csd99.org