Dance Team

NP Dance Team adapts to change

Reese Kelem Staff Writer

Newbury Park’s dance team rises to the stage for another year and as they train for competition, several coaching changes have been made. All three coaches, as well as about half of the dancers, are fresh to the team.

Cameo Carolan has taught at Newbury for 12 years until she took a four year gap from the team, returning this year. “I’m excited to come back to it. During that gap, I really missed out on the relationships with the kids and the parents… so that’s what I’m most excited about is coming back to it, with experience, but kind of like a new breath of fresh air,” Carolan said.

Many of the dancers even describe Carolan as the “mom” of the program. She has been focusing mostly on organization and communication with her team this year to keep her team relaxed and know whats happening. Emily Halpern, senior captain, believes that the return of Carolan has been really good for the team. “She knows a lot about how dance team works and what we need to do to win,” Halpern said. In addition to Carolan’s return, the dance team gained a new head coach this year, Mark Mundi. Mundi started dancing on the Newbury Park Dance Team before moving to L.A. and became a professional dancer and choreographer. He has now returned to the school to teach the new generation of dancers. He continues to professionally dance and choreograph in addition to his new position as head coach.

Jane Saylors, sophomore, is one of the 11 new additions to the team out of 25 total dancers. Salyors has been doing studio dance for six years before joining the team. “It was a big transition from going to a studio but everyone is super welcoming and I love it,” Saylors said.

As one of the older, more experienced members, Halpern serves as a role model to the new dancers. “Now we get to meet a bunch of new people and expand our family. It gives the old

5, 6, 7, 8-, 6, 7, 8- The NPHS Dance Team performs at halftime of the home game against Oaks Christian High School. “We worked all through the summer so that was a good opportunity to get to know everybody then. Once school starts we’ve kinda hit the fl oor running straight into football season,” said coach Cameo Carolan. On average, the girls spend 10 hours a week practicing for performances and competitions, all while getting to know each other better. Reese Kelem/Prowler

members more of a leadership role to show them how everything works out,” Halpern said.

With the experienced dancers’ help, the 11 new dancers will learn how to dance the NP Dance team to victory. With many events ahead of them like competition season in June, the Winter Show, and Best Dance Crew, the dance team says they are very excited for the season.

Strike a pose-trike a pose- Becky DeRoy and Maya Galipeau, seniors, go piggyback at the end of their performance during the October 11th football game halftime. The dance team showcased the seniors in their performance that night as it was one of the last few games of the season. “Tonight’s overall performance went pretty good. Of course there’s always stuff to work on as we head into our (competition) season,” said Rachel Anderson, senior team captain. Next home game, the team is looking forward to dancing with Westlake High School’s dance team. Reese Kelem/Prowler

Dance- The dance team does their second to last halftime performance of the football season. This year, the team has been focusing on bonding with each other and fundraising for the program. One of the senior captains, Emily Halpern, said, “It’s really community oriented you get really close with the girls you’re on team with and you do a lot of fun stuff.” That night, the dance team incorporated junior-high students into their pre-game performance as well as the cheer team for the fi rst time ever. Reese Kelem/ Prowler

Boys ’ vars ity basketba l l a ims to “sweep league”

Reese Kelem Staff Writer

As fall sports come to a close, winter sports prepare for their time to shine. Th is year, boys’ varsity basketball stars are ready to jump into action with new approaches to their training and collaboration.

Th e main focus of this season consists of two words: team chemistry. One of the seniors, Matthew Smith, emphasizes the team’s dynamic. “I think that everybody’s really bonding well together. And we’ve been creating more of a brotherhood and it’s just it’s super cool,” Smith said.

Smith also believes that this season has been running smoothly so far. “Th ere have been no confl icts this year where we’re all getting along as a team. And everything is extremely positive,” he added.

Adam Segal is a sophomore on varsity and has positive expectations for the season. “I expect us to win a lot and hopefully have some great team chemistry,” Segal said. Th e bonding of the players is a common theme this year and the team greatly values it.

Andrew Wilson, senior, described a typical daily practice for basketball. “First we usually lift weights. Aft er that we usually do free throw series, get some shots up and then normally we work on our defense and then off ense and then scrimmage,” Wilson said.

Th ere also has been a new addition of running on the track incorporated into the team’s practices. Th e varsity practices are about two hours long and are three times a week.

Bring in itring in it- Head Coach Matt Eichenger introduces the new Student Assistant, Any Meinhof, to the varsity basketball team. The team is training in preparation for basketball season, with their fi rst game versus Crespi on November 18th. “I think we just had a really good chemistry the past we’ve been doing a lot of off-season games and we’ve been working together and working out and we just been getting better ready for the season,” said Matthew Smith, senior. The players have incorporated new features into their practices such as weight-lifting and running on the track. Reese Kelem/Prowler

Besides their work on the court, some players, like Wilson, take even more time out of their schedules for personal training. “I’ve been lift ing weights every night with my friend Matt (Smith) and they’re normally really heavy. Also we’ve been practicing everyday too in the gym and we’ve been getting shots up as well as working out on the track,” Wilson said.

One new addition to the team is Cooper Lucas, freshman. Cooper is a point guard on varsity this year and feels accepted by the team already. “(Th ey are always) supporting and give me opportunities to succeed say the seniors really... the seniors are welcoming. AJ Spears been bullying me a lot though.” Lucas said.

As new players come in, older players prepare for their last season at Newbury. Players such as Wison and Smith want to bond with their team this year and win as much as they can. Wilson found it important in his last year “that we all work together we have a pretty good just like team dynamic and everybody is doing the best they can.”

Th e team has also had a positive response to the coaching staff this year. Th e staff consists of Head Coach Matt Eichenger, Coach Mike Noble, Coach Kalin Walling, and Student Assistant Andy Meinhof, sophomore.“Th e coaches have been absolutely amazing and supportive for us. Th ey’ve also pushed us really hard to get better,” Wilson said..

Th e boys’ fi rst game of the season on Nov. 18 versus Crespi, and they encourage everyone, including the pit, to come. Wilson described the ultimate goal of this year’s boys’ varsity basketball team: “We’re gonna league gonna sweep league. Aft er we win league... we’re gonna win CIF.”

Color Guard advances into upcoming season

Abby Gorman Staff Writer

Newbury Park High School’s color guard team is making a strong entrance into 2019-2020 the school year. With only four team members this year, their talent and achievements oft en go under the radar. However, this is not stopping coach Jack Trieger from being hopeful for this year’s competition season.

“Other high school teams in Ventura county are usually 12-20 members, depending on how popular the sport is at that school,” Trieger said. Trieger has been coaching color guard throughout Ventura County since 2010 and is looking forward to where this year will take the NPHS team.

Color guard is a unique activity with infl uence from dance, gymnastics and theater, where teams compete with their performance abilities and are judged on the technicality, artistry and creativity of the presentation. “It has evolved over many decades into a unique performance art form,” Trieger said.

Trieger fi rst found his passion for color guard when he began in junior high and he became a coach because of his desire to bring others into the sport. “I enjoy sharing my passion with younger performers, and helping them fi nd the same passion for the activity that I have,” Trieger said.

According to Trieger, the biggest takeaway from his coaching experience has been being able to watch his students improvement over time. “Th ey get to grow as a performer beyond what I can teach them in high school,” Trieger said. “It is rewarding to know that I have helped them in the development of their skills to get to that level.”

Danny Pechter, junior, is a new edition to the color guard team this season. Th ough he may be new to the sport, he has already made some memorable moments with his teammates. “My favorite memory so far is the very fi rst football game. Th e feeling of adrenaline as you walk onto the fi eld is unreal,” Pechter said. Participating in color guard has taught Pechter the importance of working together to ensure optimal success, especially with such a small team. “It’s very important to do your part on the team,” Pechter said. “You have to pull your weight, because if you

don’t, the whole team suff ers.” Emma Deakins, junior, has been a member of the color guard since her freshman year. “My mother did color guard in high school, so my parents encouraged me to do guard with the marching band,” Deakins said. “I wanted to try it out, and it looked fun and a new experience.” Color guard competes in several competitions throughout the school year; alongside marching band in the fall, and then at independent competitions during the spring semester. Sounds of Conejo, a gathering of the area’s marching bands and color guards, stuck out in particular to Pechter. “Everyone from eight or so schools join into one band and plays songs. Th e color guards from all the diff erent schools do the same choreography and it looks really cool,” Pechter said. One aspect the three can all agree on is that color guard is a lot more challenging than it may seem. “Nothing is as easy as it looks. Practice makes perfect,” Deakins said. Evidently, Coach Trieger agrees. “Behind every trick, or toss, or maneuver there are hours and hours of practice needed to master the foundational skills required to do impressive and entertaining routines.”

Focusocus- Danny Pechter, junior, focuses hard on perfecting one of the many complex tricks during the color guard routine. “It evolved from Sharp military style equipment maneuvers and strict military style marching in formations,” said Trieger. Color guard performs alongside the marching band at the Friday night football games halftime show, in addition to their own competitions throughout the course of the year. Reese Kelem/Prowler