Welcome• 3 Alpine Ski

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THE RUBICON

St. Paul Academy and Summit School 1712 Randolph Ave • St. Paul, MN 55105 rubicon.spa@gmail.com www.rubiconline.com • @TheRubiconSPA

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF CHIEF VISUAL EDITOR

NEWS EDITOR OPINIONS EDITOR GOOD QUESTION EDITOR IN DEPTH EDITOR FEATURE EDITOR FEATURE EDITOR A&E EDITOR SPORTS EDITOR MUSIC EDITOR FOOD EDITOR STAFF WRITER Salah Abdulkarim Eve Sampsell-Jones

Hazel Waltenbaugh Maddy Fisher Annie Bai Hobbs Lillygreen Milkii Tigro Eliza Farley Catherine Hooley Orion Kim Claire Kim Clara Garner Siri Pattison

WELCOME TO THE WINTER SPORTS ISSUE

The Rubicon is dedicated to providing comprehensive coverage of current events within our school community, locally, and nationally across a variety of topics. Spectator policies with regards to athletic activities have limited our coverage of sports, particularly indoor winter sports throughout the course of the pandemic. Achievements of student athletes and school teams are an event that should be recognized and reported on, which is why the staff decided to start 2022 with a focus on winter athletes.

This 12-page special issue contains coverage for all winter sports in an effort to provide a behind-thescenes look and tell the stories of every team. Many sports tend to define teams and athletes using records, times, scores, and other stats to tell their story. Of course, there’s much more to a team than their performance. The Rubicon aims to provide a better perspective by telling the players’ and teams’ stories; to tell the stories that no numbers ever could.

Sports teams rely on traditions to foster community and increase team chemistry. By focusing on certain events, games, and practices, learn more about how a team builds community and functions internally. The smallest of details -- chants, jersey numbers, celebrations, pre-game and post-game traditions, and more -- oftentimes have a larger significance and history behind them.

With this issue, we hope to take you from the sidelines to the huddle. Dive into the sports special edition, check the game schedule, and cheer on the winter teams.

SPA

BY THE NUMBERS

7

number of boys basketball teams, the largest winter sport offering.

3

number of co-ed teams in winter: Alpine, Nordic, and Fencing

1 in 4

students are involved in a winter sport

Salah Abdulkarim, Editor in Chief

CO- DIRECTORS OF ONLINE

VISUAL AND INTERACTIVES BEATS MANAGER

NEWS EDITOR OPINIONS EDITOR FEATURE EDITOR A&E EDITOR SPORTS EDITOR

RUBICON TV

PODCAST EDITOR

ILLUSTRATOR Elle Chen Elizabeth Trevathan Henry Burkhardt Tommy Verhey

Zadie Martin Zekiah Juliusson Ali Browne Eliana Mann Alexandra Cardwell

Ivy Raya Clara McKoy

Rita Li

Kevin Chen

ADVISER Kathryn Campbell, CJE

PUBLICATIONS ASSISTANT Colton Werner

PG4

IBID PHOTO: Freya Brokken LANE BYPASS. Captain Brandt Baskerville dibbles the ball, moving past the defender, into the lane, to score a basket.

PG5

IBID PHOTO: Sophia Bietz SET IT UP. Lindsay Browne slows the ball down so the Spartans can set up a play in the Jan. 12 game against Concordia Academy in Briggs Gymnasium.

MEMBERSHIPS

Columbia Scholastic Press Association National Scholastic Press Association MN High School Press Association Quill and Scroll Honor Society

PUBLICATION AWARDS

NSPA All-American, Pacemaker CSPA Gold Medalist CSPA Crown Award Winner SNO Distinguished Site JEM All State Gold

PG6

IBID PHOTO: Amir Dahm WATCH AND LUNGE. Fencers observe Head Coach Sasha Pai as he demonstrates proper technique, then practice in their pairs.

PG9

RUBICON PHOTO: Catherine Hooley NO GOAL. Goalie Greta Magnuson smothers the puck as Two Rivers advances the net in Drake Arena Nov. 19.

PUBLICATIONS POLICIES

PUBLICATION INFO The Rubicon

is published eight times a year. We distribute 750 copies of each issue to the Upper School which are available for free.

ADVERTISING The Rubicon does not accept advertisements. on. In the case of a student, the use of grade level as a name designation (i.e. Sophomore Student) will be the preferred method of anonymity.

BY LINES credit the individual who conducted interviews, drafted, revised and fact-checked an assigned story. Shared bylines are given to joint effort assignments, with reporters listed alphabetically by last name. Stories that include supplemental materials include a credit at the bottom that states “Additional reporting by” followed by the name of the reporter.

EDITORIALS articulate the collective opinion of The Rubicon staff, while mini-editorials, opinions pieces, arts reviews, and columns belong to the author. edition. Letters to the Editor should not exceed 400 words and Submitted Opinions should not exceed 650 words. Both may be edited for length and style. All pieces must be submitted and will be published with a full name.

UPDATES AND CORRECTIONS

to a staff member. Corrections should be directed to the Editor in Chief or appropriate section editor.

IN PRINT: Corrections are printed at the bottom of News p. 2. Corrections will be printed in the month following the error and, if the story is also published online, will be corrected following the online corrections policy.

PHOTO: @spaalpineskiteam on Instagram MOVING MOUNTAINS. The alpine team regularly practices their runs and specific skills at Buck Hill. “Skiing down a slope never gets boring, even after doing it many times,” Nicholas McCarthy said. The techniques the members learned were crucial to their performance at competitions.

Alpine furthers personal progress with group effort

CLAIRE KIM THE RUBICON

As an individual sport with a solid team behind it, alpine skiing stands out from others for its unique competition. While downhill skiing can be a leisure activity, competitive alpine skiing has elements that make it especially intense, including the impact of technique on results.

The individual aspect of alpine in competitions is rewarding, but the team as a whole is also an important factor. Alpine skiers have plenty of time to spend with each other while waiting at practices or at races, where they participate in a total of two runs.

“Alpine is a unique sport because it blends personal competition and speed with [the] outdoors and a team atmosphere,” Autumn Spaulding said. “I also like how much time there is to talk with friends on the chairlift, and alpine would not be nearly as fun or rewarding if there wasn’t a social aspect.”

Rowan Hofmann agreed, saying “I think a big behind the scene factor can be each other’s entertainment value seeing as when we are not skiing, we are probably sitting on the lift or having a bit of down time.”

The alpine team especially bonds over its rivalry with Nordic or cross-country skiing. While the rivalry is not serious, both teams are heavily invested in debating which sport is superior.

“I think our sport is more fun because, in truth, Nordic skiing is just running with some fancy long shoes and is really not as cool as alpine skiing. I don’t know how the rivalry started, but it’s now essential to the team,” Hofmann said. Another distinctive feature of alpine is how technique is crucial to success. The alpine team regularly has strength training and drill practice, which come together during competitions where they must race for speed on a downhill course.

“Our coaches encourage us to always focus on a specific skill involving skiing, which we work on during practices. I haven’t been to a competition yet, but in practices, we have a lot of focus on proper form,” Nicholas McCarthy said.

After refining skills during practice, they are used effectively in competitions. “More so than other sports, alpine relies on form and mechanics. It’s not brute force, and speed comes with form,” Spaulding said.

Although the actual races come down to minutes and seconds, the time invested by alpine skiers is what makes those differences. Whether by practicing or supporting one another, members successfully blend individuality and team spirit into a standout sport.

SEASON AT

OPPONENTS

vs. Mound Westonka/PA, Blake, Breck, Minnehaha Academy, Academy of Holy Angels

DATE AND TIME

01/19 @ 4 p.m. 01/21 @6:30 p.m. 1/26 @ 4 p.m.

LOCATION

Buck Hill Wild Mountain Buck Hill

ALPINE

BY THE NUMBERS

473

The total number of points earned at the 1/5/22 IMAC

6

The number of members on each varsity team

3

The number of alpine practices per week

SUBMITTED PHOTO: Alba Markowitz-Mulet LIFT LIFE. Alba Markowitz-Mulet and Harper Glass ride the chair lift after a practice run. Team members have thad he opportunity to get to know each other better during downtime at races and practices. “I also like how much time there is to talk with friends on the chairlift, and alpine would not be nearly as fun or rewarding if there wasn’t a social aspect,” Autumn Spaulding said.

SPA Q&A Q:

Jane Higgins

A:

WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT ALPINE SKIING?

YOU CAN SEE YOUR OWN DIRECT PROGRESS THROUGH RACES.

A:

I CAN GO FAST DOWN THE HILL AND IT IS VERY EXHILARATING.

Q:

DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE TEAM MOMENT?

SOME KEY MEMORIES ARE OTHER TEAM MEMBERS GOING UP THE TOE ROPE ON THEIR STOMACH, AND IN GENERAL TEAM BONDING BEFORE RACES.

MY FAVORITE MEMORY IS WHENEVER I PERFORM WELL AT A RACE.