Track Nationals

14 Panther Prowler • March 28, 2022 sports

NPHS Track races towards New York

Sarena Kabir Sports Editor Allison Nguyen Features Editor

On March 12 and 13, several track and field runners made their way to nationals in New York to compete against different high schools in the nation. Six NPHS students participated in different events, including the 4xMile relay, a 2 mile championship race, a mile race and an 800 meter. Running 16:29.31 in the relay, Colin Sahlman, senior, Aaron Sahlman, Leo Young and Lex Young, juniors, were able to come out victorious.

In order to reach nationals, the team must be invited by those who host the event. “They basically just invited us because they wanted us to bring some attention into the race and stuff. So we’re like, okay, I guess we’ll just do our four by four mile and then it worked out well,” Leo Young said.

Preparing for nationals took long and hard work. “We do all of our workouts on a track. We’re training for either a mile or two mile, [and in comparison to cross country,] everything is usually a little bit shorter,” Leo Young said.

In order to perform well in the race, each runner must be in the right mindset. “Anything can happen during the meet. So you just have to be prepared physically and mentally, and [not] think about anything else. Just think about your race, and then just make sure you feel good,” Aaron Sahlman said.

Another big component for the team was to focus on their individual selves. “Our mindset going into the race was to stay calm and relaxed and focus on our individual race. We wanted to go out hard and close hard which we did very well,” Colin Sahlman said.

Following the race, the team’s morale was high. “We celebrated by doing a victory lap with the crowd cheering and giving high fives…It [also] feels amazing setting a new national record with this team. We continue to keep surprising ourselves and the nation,” Colin Sahlman said.

Once again, a new historical moment for NPHS was set, bringing pride to the team, and the school. “It’s [the race] exciting. It’s like a lot of the other races that we’ve done well in, it’s just a fun environment, ” Leo Young said.

Shine- As runners from the NPHS track team came back home, many records were broken. Aaron Sahlman, junior, was one of the few that got the chance to go to New York. “The record has been there for a while so it feels really good to break it. Everyone was super supportive, everyone was cheering us on and it was just great,” Sahlman said. Colin Sahlman/With Permission

Hip hop choreographs creativity on campus

Melissa Geher Staff Writer

Once the music turns on, the excitement begins for the NPHS hip hop club as they practice for their next big number. Starting up at the beginning of the school year, the hip hop club strives to foster a collaborative environment to dance, choreograph and create.

Nour Abdelhadi, senior and co-captain and choreographer of the club, loves to oversee the positive energy that the club executes. Not having any studio training herself, Abdelhadi wanted to create a safe space where she and others in a similar position could come together and learn to dance. “My dance is less focused on technique and more fun, so that’s the best part about dance: to have fun and bond over it,” Abdelhadi said. “I’m less focused on the specific hard technique to match up. Hip hop is more of a free flowing dance style [and] it’s really fun because you could get really creative and have no boundaries.”

After locking in good choreography, Naomi Stewart, senior, co-captain and choreographer, is ecstatic to show others what the club has been working on during weekly practices. “Right now we are starting to make choreography and get ready for the spring concert that’s coming up, and we’re going to have more numbers then we had in the winter concert but we have a decent amount of time to work on our dances. In [addition] there’s gonna be a varsity lacrosse game that we’re performing at [halftime], ” Stewart said. “Cameo [Mrs. Carolan] talks to us about potentially pulling us out from our intermediate dances classes and having us teach a routine to an elementary school level class, so that’s something we might be doing in the future.”

The club ensures that all members, regardless of their background, will learn new dance moves that will be exciting to perform. Though Jessica Schwartz, senior, had taken some of the dance classes offered at NPHS, the hip hop club gave her an opportunity to focus on a particular style of dance. “I don’t really have any dance experience. I was a gymnast most of my life so this club has given me an opportunity to be able to dance and participate in something like that even though I don’t have any formal dance training,” Schwartz said. “I take lots of dance classes during school and a lot of my friends were talking about starting a hip hop that sounds really interesting. I want to get involved and I want to participate in all the concerts at the school.”

Through the thick and thin of high school, the hip hop club never fails to maintain a fun, safe environment for many to enjoy themselves while learning a new skill. “I love good vibes,” Abdelhadi said. “Knowing that I could make someone’s day better by just dancing with them is so fun because everyone at practice is so excited to be there.”

sports 15

Panther Prowler • March 28, 2022

NPHS Swim team dives into competition Taylow Gibson Staff Writer

Stroke- Finn Classen, sophomore, swims alongside his teammates during practice at NPHS. “It’s essentially an “escape” once you step on the pool deck, you forget all about the stress and chaos in your life and just end up having a good time laughing with teammates,” said Reese Bentley. Tiana Hoang Prowler

The NPHS swim team prioritizes repetition in practice in order to maintain success and accomplish their goals during this 2022 spring season.

Reese Bentley, sophomore, swims for the varsity team and has been swimming competitively since she was nine. Outside of the high school team, Bentley also swims for a club team. “I am more prepared and have had the exposure to long training sessions as well as meets that are back to back,” Bentley said. “It has allowed me to learn different skills and strategies from various coaches as well, and as a result of doing club in between seasons, I continue to see improvement in my times and stroke.”

Because she swims with club teams outside of school, Bentley has seen greater improvements which help her swimming for NPHS. “By swimming year round, you will see major differences in your times and technique. If I just go as much as 4-5 days with no practice, it is hard to keep up,” Bentley said. “That’s why club swim is beneficial to help maintain your endurance as well as stay active and continue to develop your stroke.”

Bentley swims with John de Vere, sophomore on the varsity team, who has been swimming for about eight years. De Vere swims for two club teams outside of high school, Daland Swim School and Horizon Swimming. “It definitely helped with falling in love with the sport and getting my core form down as well,” de Vere said.

De Vere’s motivation when it comes to swimming has a lot to do with breaking records as well as making friends. “I love the thrill of getting a new PR. That thrill is why you love swim. I also like the social part of it during and after meets going to dinner,” de Vere said.

Swimming has become important to de Vere over the years and he is now able to make it a priority. “It’s a source of happiness for me. I enjoy swim a lot and it brings me joy which brings importance and purpose to it,” de Vere said.

Thea Duc, senior, and captain of the varsity team, has been a part of the high school team for four years. “Being a captain, I love seeing all of the other people swim, so really just being with my friends and having fun competing, getting faster times, is how I stay motivated,” Duc said.

Duc’s biggest success in swim was during her junior season. “Last season, I dropped 17 seconds in my 500 free. The 500 is the distance event in high school and I’m the only girl consistently swimming it, so it was pretty awesome,” Duc said.

While practicing, Duc has a lot to think about in terms of bettering herself and performance. “So I’m injured, but I try to work on making sure I move through the motions correctly so I can swim for longer and not be in pain,” Duc said. “My favorite thing about practice is getting good distance sets. I like to ask for personalized sets so I can really work towards my own goals.”

During meets, Bentley tends to have a lot running through her mind. “I am of course nervous, hoping I don’t miss my event or get disqualified. But, I think of all the things I have worked on in practice with my coaches and apply that to my race. I also think of strategies for how I swim each particular event,” Bentley said.

Newbury Park stunt cheer team soars into action

Rithu Velu Staff Writer

The Newbury Park stunt cheer team eagerly counted down to the start of the spring season, working hard to perform their best at the first regular season competition on March 25 at Agoura High School.

For many on the team, their love for stunt cheer sparked years before beginning high school. Lauren Kulle, sophomore and second year stunter, views stunting as more than just a competitive sport, but also a personal hobby. “I’m personally a big fan of stunting, and it’s always been like a hobby of mine. I started going to a class that taught me how to stunt, and once I found out that I was pretty good at it, I decided to try out for cheer,” Kulle said.

Along with stunt cheer during the spring, NPHS is also home to a spirit cheer team in the fall. The two both have distinguishing factors and different purposes. “[Stunt Cheer] is very strict and it’s more of a competition level, because there are judges who are watching the tape to see how many corrections you have. And the overall point of stunt cheer is to be as perfect as you can. Whereas spirit, there’s a lot of flexibility,” Kulle said. Kailey Johns, senior, has experienced the competition atmosphere since freshman year.“The first quarter is called partner stunts, the second quarter is pyramids, the third quarter is jumps and tumbling, and the fourth quarter is all of those combined,” Johns said. “Both teams are going at the same time, and the judges watch the film back and see what mistakes were made.”

Kaleigh Catalano coached the team in 2019, and is returning back to support them with her coaching and high school stunting experience. “Our goal is to just do our very best, and we all want to be the best in the league and go to CIF. I want to stay humble and just take on one game at a time,” Catalano said. “We try really hard and most of us are really healthy. I think it’s going to be a good competition season.”

Through the uniqueness of the sport, the stunt cheerleaders strive to show the strength and effort that it takes to be a strong member of the team. “I would recommend anyone who doesn’t even have any interest at all, to at least come to one competition to just watch or see what goes on because I feel like a lot of people underestimate what we do. And it takes a lot of hard work and strength,” Kulle said.

Rah rah- Leilah Edwards, freshman, is held up while the team practices various stunt tricks, preparing for their upcoming competition against Calabasas. “We are ready to compete. We try really hard so I think it’s gonna be a good competition season,” said coach Kaleigh Catalano. Cameron Winick/Prowler