KEEP IN SHAPE

Let It SNOW

Winter Sports Played by Students Many students participate in a variety winter sports despite the fact that they aren’t offered at Lakeview. Hockey, ice skating, skiing and snowboarding are a few of the winter sports that keep students active during the cold Michigan winter. Hockey is a sport in which two teams play against each other by trying to manoeuvre a puck with a hockey stick into the opposing team’s goal. “I play for the Battle Creek High School Prep team. Hockey is mostly a mental sport. You have to get to know your teammates so well that you know what they will do at all times,” senior Zachary Wood said. When it comes to ice skating there are many skills needed to perform well. These include balance, strength to jump and land, flexibility, and agility. “I would describe skating as a combination of art and athleticism, you have to perform difficult elements while looking graceful,” junior Hannah Oo said. The development of snowboarding was inspired by skateboarding and surfing. Snowboarding takes place on a slope covered with snow while the rider is standing on a board attached to their feet. A common place snowboarders go is Bittersweet and Swiss Valley. Although there are other options than going to a slope. “When I can’t make it to the slopes I try and ride the street,” senior Adam Schrader said. Although Lakeview doesn’t have any outdoor winter sports, students still find a way to participate in these more traditional winter sports.

Other Winter Sports Curling: Teams are made up of four people. Each person has a different position: the lead, second, vice and skip (the team captain). To participate you need a warm sweater and a very, very clean pair of running shoes. At the start of the game the two skips from opposing teams go to the far house. This starts direct play for the two teams. Each team alternates throwing

their

stones. At the end once each teams stones are done being thrown measuring devicess are used to determine which stones are closest to the bulls-eye. After the scores have been calculated it is traditional for the teams shake hands and say “Good Curling.” Skeleton: A person, rides head first and face down on a small sled, known as a ‘skeleton bobsled,’ down a frozen track. To begin the rider sprints and jumps on the sled. To win the rider must get the fastest time. There are four ‘runs’ that are added together to determine the winner. Times tend to be very close so they are timed down to the hundredth of a second. This sport is thrilling yet dangerous. Riders are inches from the ice going speeds of 80-90 miles per hour while maneuvering the sled. Although experts learn proper techniques to steer the sled, beginners are advised to do nothing. This tends to be hard for these beginners to do because the force of gravity is difficult to resist.

DELANEY ROSE, REPORTER by Bobsledding: The rules of bobsledding are very similar to skeletoning. The biggest difference is there are teams of two or four people. Another difference is instead of a flat sled it is enclosed. Each team runs in four ‘heats’ and the four times are added together. The fastest time is the winter. The two components of the sport are steering and braking. Steering is performed by the pilot. It needs to be done carefully and subtly in order to keep the sled on track at high speeds. Braking is performed by the ‘brakeman’ who presses down on a set of pads at the right time in order for the vehicle to take corners fastly and safely. LEAD IN The second sentence is in past tense and provides the background information as to the why or how. “I use to watch old snowboarding clips of Torstein Horgmo and I always wanted to do the tricks he did so I picked up a snowboard and started riding, I

normally ride at Bittersweet,”

Schrader said.