the
CRYSTAL
BEING
LETTER FROM the Editor
October has rolled around yet again, and it’s time to break out your best sweaters, fuzzy socks, plaid blankets, and enjoy the zen that the cool breeze brings with it. Take a dive into the best sweets, and hot pumpkin drinks to indulge yourself in a total fall feeling. As the leaves continue to change, we hope to grow and change with it as this year starts to bring itself to a close.
I am super excited to appear as this year’s Crystal Editor-in-Chief for my second year in a row! I have been on the staff for as many years as I am able too, this is year three, and I am super happy that I was able to keep this position. Since I started I appeared in other editorial positions before getting to where I am now, and hope to continue and grow throughout the year.
Our staff this year is relatively small, but we have a relatively diverse crowd. We were blessed with two male figures this year, which is a very rare occurrence in this group, and they are both very valuable assets to our paper. Having them on our staff allows us to capture more than just the female perspective, and will give us a more diverse and varying articles throughout the year.
One of the goals for this article, and this year is to stray away from bringing Covid and the pandemic up in all of our articles. We want to cover new and heartwarming stories that will bring joy to all of the individuals that read our paper. We will still cover our typical topics that are always found interesting, but will definitely provide some new lovely stories.
As Editor-in-Chief this year, I will be working with the staff to make sure that everything is done in a timely manner, and that everybody is present in their work at all times to make the article as good as it can be. Making sure that everybody feels welcomed and comfortable is another main priority, so that everybody’s voice feels respected and properly heard.
Sincerely, KATE NOSIS, EDITOR-IN-CHIEFTABLE of Contents
The Crystal is printed by: The Argus-Press Company 201 E. Exchange St. Owosso, MI 48867
The Crystal is a member of the Michigan Interscholastic Press Association and has been awarded the Spartan Award in 2004-2005, 20052006, 2013-2014 and 2019-2020.
EDITORIAL Policy
The Crystal is a self-funded student publication distributed free of charge to all Lakeview High School students and staff with a total press run of 500. The publication is an open forum for expression and a two-way communication for both the school and community. The editor-in-chief and staff are solely responsible for the content. Opinions expressed in the newspaper are not necessarily those of the staff or the administration of the Lakeview High School.
The mission of The Crystal is as follows: to inform and entertain audiences of Lakeview High School and surrounding communities by providing diverse, relevant stories. The Crystal strives to remain objective, accurate and truthful while increasing school and community awareness of timely issues.
Businesses are encouraged to advertise in The Crystal when their ads adhere to the specified guidelines available in the publications room. Members of The Crystal staff can be contacted by calling the publications adviser at 269-565-3803 or emailing at thecrystal@lakeviewspartans.org
To the Moon and Back... gain
Previous generations grew up with NASA being the coolest thing. They saw the first people go into space and the first person to walk on the moon. They got to see the space shuttle launches to the International Space Station, making enormous strides in science. The younger generation didn’t get that experience.
Now, the James Webb Telescope is bringing new information with its infrared sensors, producing beautiful photos of the depth of the universe. NASA crashed DART into an asteroid successfully, showing the capabilities of being able to knock an asteroid off its orbit.
While this may seem useless to want to see what happens when a spacecraft crashes into an asteroid, it is the first in the planetary defense system to prevent another mass extinction.
The success of DART will help humans live on and not be a creature of the past like the dinosaurs. For the biggest mission of today, NASA is returning astronauts to the Moon with a three phase mission: Artemis.
The Apollo mission of today to inspire a new generation with the beauty and wonder of exploring, provide economic opportunities through growing new industries, and discovering new things in our universe.
Phase I:
Artemis I will be an unmanned mission that will fly around the moon and back, testing the Orion spacecraft. It attempted to launch on Sept. 3, 2022. However, there was a hydrogen leak between the liquid hydrogen
fuel feed line and the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. NASA attempted to fix the leak quickly but they missed the tight window for launching and postponed the launch to Sept. 27, 2022.
However, based on anticipation of Hurricane Ian bringing winds that would interfere with the launch, the Artemis rocket was moved back to the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, allowing them to take precautionary measures to protect the rocket and staff before Ian makes landfall in the area. NASA will then be using the time until the next launch date, set for mid November, to run more tests and look at replacing parts that led to the leak during the first scheduled launch to ensure a safe launch and successful mission.
Phase II:
Artemis II will follow the same flight path around the Moon but will be carrying a crew of four astronauts, marking the first time since the Apollo missions that humans have gone to the moon. They will be testing the Orion critical
life support systems to ensure that it is safe for future missions. At this time, the astronauts have not been named for NASA and one seat will go to the Canadian Space Agency that has also yet to be chosen. Currently the launch date of Phase II is set for 2024 depending on the success of Phase
I. Assembling of the key components have already begun to begin testing as soon as possible.
Phase III:
Artemis III will be the end of the beginning for future space exploration. The mission will begin the same as Artemis II until the mission will go off the path to land on the Moon for the first time since Apollo.
NASA has already committed to having the first woman and person of color walk along the surface of the moon with the new Artemis Base Camp on the Moon. In addition, they will be establishing a Gateway that will orbit the Moon, like the (Story Continued on page 4)
International Space Station does Earth, allowing humans to live the furthest away from Earth that has ever been done.
The mission will provide proof that humans can live on the moon, and NASA hopes to send humans to the moon every year providing the opportunity for monumental scientific research. NASA plans on launching the first parts of the gateway starting in 2024, working with several companies: the European and Canadian Space Agencies and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.
Mars:
Now Artemis is only the beginning; this
mission is about more than just going back to the Moon. Through the setup of the gateway, NASA will be able to show the ability of humans to live longer distances away from Earth, showing that they are ready to go to Mars. The Moon gateway will not be used just as a science lab, but also a launching point.
Due to the extent of needed materials for a trip to Mars, NASA plans to assemble the spaceship to Mars at the gateway. Then allowing them to launch to Mars from the Moon, saving billions of dollars. Therefore, the success of the Artemis missions is just the beginning as NASA plans for the biggest human space exploration mission in history to land the first humans on another planet.
While space travel has been reserved for the geniuses of society, a future with commercial space travel will become a real ity. The space industry has been booming in recent years, with several companies look ing directly into commercial space travel. Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin have already completed commercial flights to space and have very expensive tickets for sale to join the next rides. SpaceX launched 3 commer cial passengers to the International Space
Station (ISS) following Russia who has been hosting tourists for years.
The ISS is the most exclusive and expen sive travel location in the world; however, it is to retire within the next decade. Although, several companies are looking into building their own space stations in low orbit, mak ing the first space hotels. From there, with the returned presence of humans living on the Moon with Artemis, trips to the moon could become available.
While living on Mars may be a little out of reach for this generation, it is possible for the next generation to have the opportunity to live in space, on the Moon and Mars and not just for the economic elite. The space industry has heavily invested in more af fordable and reusable methods of space travel that will make it cheaper and more accessible to everyone. So now the question is, who wants to go?
Caramel Apple Cider
For non-coffee drinkers, this drink is perfect for fall. It is super sweet and tastes exactly like its name.
Apple Fritter
BEST F A L L drinks & treats
Candy Corn
Pumpkin Creme Cold Brew
This cold brew doesn’t consist of an overly strong coffee flavor and the ratio between the creme and coffee is perfect. There is also a hint of cinnamon.
This drink has the perfect apple flavoring throughout. It mixes really well with the oatmilk, making it the perfect combination.
Pumpkin Spice Latte
This drink is the perfect amount of pumpkin and coffee. It has a hint of spice, but not too overpowering.
Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes with Brown Butter Frosting
This cupcake had the perfect ratio of sweet frosting to a savory cake. These flavors together aren’t something you would usually see paired but they compliment each other well.
Pumpkin Muffin
Iced Chumpkin with Marshmallow Flavoring with Sweet Foam and Oat Milk
The combination of marshmallow and pumpkin creates a soft light drink. These two flavors are not overpowering and mix super well together.
Having a hall of a time hall
This year, LHS began in August with a new face patrolling the halls and a new set of student planners. The need for a hall monitor was obvious when staff were continually focusing on students who were not where they were supposed to be during classes rather than the students in class.
Hall monitor Dean Hopson was hired to fill the vacant position when the former hall monitor resigned at the end of the school year.
Initially I had mixed opinions on the new rules and additions coming to Lakeview. Now that the planners are enforced, the tardy policy is different, and a new hall monitor joined our halls I can say the concerns were very exaggerated. I have rarely used my planner to use the restroom and haven’t had any issues with facing the hall monitor.
I understand why some people don’t agree with the new rules but, when you think about it, the planner is there to guide students, keeping them organized. The students who are having such an issue still are the kids who tried to skip class every single hour.
“The tardy policy is changed because more kids were losing class time by going to RTR,” principal Cody Japinga said. “And even when sent down, kids were skipping more by not even going.”
It is sad that as high schoolers we want to be treated like adults, but we can’t even stay in class or just do our day-to-day job.
“The hall passes and planners were not to stop you from going to the bathroom,” Japinga said, “but help keep students organized. And how do they get motivated to keep the planner? They have to have it to use the bathroom. There is a reason for everything.”
Kids are just frustrated because it limits them when, in reality, if your doing what your told these new policies and the hall monitor shouldn’t affect you.
“We will monitor the skipping reports from first trimester and look at what we are doing good and what needs to be changed,” Japinga said. “But we do know with a hall monitor to keep students where they should be has significantly helped reduce the amount of people who are skipping every hour.”
BRI SCHEIDLER, REPORTERGet Steppin’ Get Steppin’
What is your background (hometown, school)? Who are you?
I grew up in Albion, and I played a lot of sports. I then went on to play college basketball in Ann Arbor. I went into the semi-pros in Sweden but eventually went back for an education degree.
Q Q A A
Why did you become a hall monitor?
I was looking to work with kids, specifically older kids. I saw that Lakeview was a high school and I got to work with older kids.
Q Q
What has been the biggest issue so far?
Getting respect is all I ask. So far it has been a pretty smooth transition. Most kids have treated me well.
How can students stay out of trouble?
A A
Q A A
Just make sure you have a pass, say hello and say good morning. Just make sure you are in the right place at the right time.
What is the biggest problem from students?
Bathroom issues are a big thing- graffiti on the walls and trying to clog the toilets. Another big issue is skipping class.
Meditation can help an athlete’s physical and mental game
CHASE OURSLER, REPORTERMeditation is a powerful tool that athletes should use to eliminate their nerves and maximize their performance. Sports rely on eye-hand coordination, so many think that performance is directly linked to muscle memory, however, this is untrue. Top sports psychologists in the world found that the majority of our muscle memory or “feeling” is actually deep within our brains.
Athlete’s pre-game rituals, including the incorporation of meditation (or some form of it), is and should be different for all athletes.
“I like to get a good night’s rest, a big breakfast, stay hydrated throughout the whole day, get a long warm up, take a few deep breaths and visualize myself winning,” sophomore tennis player and golfer Eric Ryan said.
The same principles apply to team sports as well.
“The night before my game, I eat,
drink and sleep early,” soccer player junior Hung Ling said. “In the morning, I wake up early, jump rope and get my things ready. After school, I always go to the field, practice, and pray before the game so we can win.”
Despite small differences, athletes (team or individual sport) across all levels follow a similar pre-game routine. With that being said, having a pre-game routine is critical to an athlete’s per formance because it promotes more focus. But just imagine how much better
athletes at LHS could perform if they added meditation into their arsenal.
The most important part of the med itation process is to feel yourself on the court, field, etc, as if you’re already out there. Understand that having nerves is a good thing, because it means you care. But you can either choose to let those nerves crumble you down or build you up to your peak performance. Don’t try to pretend that you aren’t nervous. Simply acknowledge that the nerves are there, and forget about them.
STEP ONE: Find a comfortable seated position
STEP TWO: Close your eyes
STEP THREE: Take deep breaths
Take deep breaths for 1-2 minutes inhaling through the nose and exhaling through the mouth. Focus only on your breathing, nothing else.
STEP FOUR: Clear your mind
Begin to erase all of your thoughts completely. Try not to think about anything at all for another 2 minutes.
STEP FIVE: See your success
Once you’re ready, begin to visualize your best performance. Make sure to nail it down to all mechanics of your game. Ex: If you’re a basketball player, visualize your dribbling, passing and shooting.
oneseasondown
The Lakeview women’s golf team had an amazing season in their first year in Divi sion One. They didn’t have super high expec tations, but ended up being more successsful than they ever imagined. They finished second in Regionals, and senior Sydney Ross finished in sixth place at the state competition.
“It’s very bittersweet that this was my last season of high school golf,” Ross said, “but I’m very happy with how the season turned out and will forever charish the memories I’ve acquired over the years being on the team.”
With the arrival of the new field, the players were excited for this year’s football season.
“Playing on the new field has been an adjustment being that it’s turf and not grass,” senior Andrew Berryhill. “The biggest thing you have to look out for is turf burn.”
Even though the seniors only got one season on the new field, they took their leadership roles seriously.
“The new field is nice to play on,” senior Andres Rugel said. “I’m hoping when we leave the underclassmen continue to lift everyday and listen to the coaches to improve.”
Junior Avonte Wilson was also excited for what the season had to offer.
“I’ve made some really good memories and friendships with the guys and it’ll be tough when the seniors leave,” Wilson said.
The girls swim and dive team was ex cited to have a great group of fresh men join the team this year. The team had a great start to the sea son and is still improving. The girls’ goal this season is to be one of the league’s most improved teams from last year and show everyone all the progress that they have made, led by co-captain senior Alexis Winer.
“It’s bittersweet that my swim career is com ing to an end, but I’m grateful for all of the peo ple I’ve got to meet and help over the years,” Winer said.
The divers this year are also off to a great start as co-captain senior Bradleigh Palmer leads the group.
“Make sure you work hard and go to the morning practices. It may seem tough but you’ll improve so much more” Palmer said.
With amazing weather and an amazing season, the cross country runners tore up the courses this fall. Junior Aiden Moore broke the school record this season with a time of 15:46. Moore has a deep love for running and the team.
“I’ve grown really close with Caleb Bost,” Moore said. “When I broke the record and he met me at the finish line we hugged and cel ebrated together. I’ll definitely miss him when he’s gone.”
Senior Austin Lee was excited to begin his last season after months of training and building a team throughout the summer.
“My all time PR is 17:56 and I’m hoping to beat it this year,” Lee said. “I think the team, as well as myself, is better and stronger than we were last year and I’m hoping to see us do great things.”
After a successful 2021 season winning districts, the volleyball girls hope to have the same success this year. With the majority of the team being seniors, the girls want their last year on the team to be their best.
“I’m really gonna miss playing with my best friends everyday and the feeling of winning in high school,” senior Jenna Morris said.
When senior Aisling Rankin hurt her ankle, senior Ka lyn Smith was given the opportunity to lead the team with her setting skills.
“I’m glad I was able to set up the team for success and help us win when we were down a player,” Smith said.
With the team being filled with seniors this year, the boys had their sights set on doing big things. After losing the first round of districts during a hard fought game against Portage Central in 2021, the team had the motivation to come back and to go even farther to win districts.
“Lakeview soccer has taught me discipline, to be punctual and how to work hard.,” senior co-captain
The boys tennis team was led by co-captains seniors Kamden Ethridge and Xander Renker. The boys had one main goal for their season this year: to go to states.
“I’m hoping we can make it to states this year. As a team we’re looking pret ty good, I hope I can make everyone proud individual ly,” sophomore Colin Yarger said.
Having exchange student Lorenzo Pierini this year made a big difference for the team and they did their best to bring him to their tennis family with open arms.
Lorenzo Pierini was the only player to advance to the state competiton this fall. He lost in the quarter-finals and finished in the top eight out of 20 people in his draw.
“I’m really enjoying the team and playing in America,” Pierini said. “Playing here is very different than in Italy, but I’m really happy being on the team and I’m going to miss the players and coaches when I go back home.”
The cheerleaders were super excited for their sideline season. With many seniors on the team and lots of incoming underclassmen, the squad grew tremendously in skill and numbers. They also always made sure to have positive, up lifting attitudes.
“It’s fun working with the team and everything,” sophomore Haley Nelson said. “I love going to games and pep assemblies because I’ve built good bonds with the girls and have gotten to know foot ball players.”
Mathew Bacik said. “I have a good bond with the guys and am excited for this season. I’m hoping we ad vance further in districts this year and I would dream to win states.”
The boys have put more time and effort this year by doing weekend practicing and getting in better shape in efforts to achieve this goal.
ALL ON US
Any students who participate within student sections should know the expected etiquette
SENIORITY RULE 1
It’s the senior’s last year (you will understand when you’re seniors). Just listen.
Seniors: 1st priority(floor/first row)
Juniors: Behind Seniors
Sophomores: Behind Juniors
Freshmen: Behind Sophomores
Do NOT Throw Stuff RULE 2
Throwing stuff and leaving it is called littering. It is rude and can hurt others.
Clean Up TrashRULE 5
Pick up your trash before you leave the stadium; make it less work for the custodians. Picking up after yourself will keep the whole section clean if everyone does their part.
Hey, do you like music? Do wanna relive stress from your everyday life to make everything a little easier to handle? Well do I have a thing for you, Spotify! Endless music, endless playlist, so many artist to discover. It’ll show you most popular songs of the year and you can listen to all of your favorite artists.
IF YOU LIKE THEN TRY HERE’S WHY
“As it Was” by Harry Styles “Blank space” by Taylor Swift Both have a relaxing vibe
“Sweetie Pie” by Dua Lipa “Deja Vu” by Olivia Rodrigo Both have a good beat “Understand” by BoywithUke “When I was Your Man” by Bruno Mars Both have a “break up” vibe
“The Motto” by Tiesto “Happier Than Ever” by Billie Eilish Sound great when played together “abcdefu” by Gayle “Gasoline” by Halsey Both are very catchy
“Light Switch” by Charlie Puth “FAKE LOVE” by Jungkook Both have a “falling in love” vibe
WHATS THE WORD?: MAKEUP AND SKINCARE
Keep up with thelatest scoop on makeup and skincare. Break freeofthefalsetruths theindustry has told you and get ready to slay that runway with these exclusive tips, tricks and recommendations.
Q A
How did you first get into doing makeup?
The internet. I saw a lot of different people being creative in different ways. I thought that’s cool! I wanna do that!
Q A
What advice do you have for people trying to put their makeup on social media or aspiring to do this for a living?
I practiced a lot before I put anything out there. I had to get comfortable in myself and skills to get more creative. Not many people are watching now... but its fun to put my art out there.
Q A
What careers in makeup interest you?
I want to do makeup backstage for runways or Broadway. Pos sibly even doing beauty campaigns. I always loved the makeup for Lion King on Broadway. It’s so bright and over the top. It’s so cool to tranform a person to an animal with just makeup.
Q A
How would you describe the makeup look that you go for?
I’m more in the alternative community... I’m really into emo. punk, goth.
CRAIL SOPHIA KAUR LOVEPREET
MUST HAVE 4 PRODUCTS
1 NARS LIGHT REFLECTING FOUNDATION
It is buildable and can be used for a natural base or full coverage.
2 SUMMERS FRIDAY JET LAG MASK
Brightens skin and brings it life. Moisturizes with no frangrance.
3 ELF LIQUID LINER
Makes the sharpest wing every time!
4 FENTY BEAUTY KILLAWATT BLUSH
Long-wearing and blends effortlessly!
BUST THOSE 3 MYTHS
1 EXPENSIVE MASCARA= BETTER
Drugstore mascaras can be just as efficient as high end and maybe even better!
2 OILY SKIN= NO MOISTURIZER
Drying out the skin and neglecting moisturizer can actually worsen oily skin conditions. The skin will begin to overproduce sebum and oil to hydrate the skin! So make sure to lather up!
3 PRIMER IS INEFFECTIVE
Primer can actualy be really suitable for those with oily skin OR those with dry skin. Using a hydrating primer for dry skin or a mattifying primer for oily skin will keep your makeup in place and looking fab all day long!
Q A
How did you first get into doing makeup?
It was my older cousins who I would see doing their make up and I would get intrigued by it. And then on top of that I got into watching this one youtuber’s channel where she did her makeup and also talked about true crime.
Q A
What is one makeup step OR product that you cannot go without?
One thing I can never go without is lip gloss. I always have one lip gloss in my bag, one in my pocket, and one in my car. Never have I ever had chapped lips. I even keep one in my track bag before workouts.
Q A
Is makeup a hobby or something you would be interested in pursuing?
I do consider makeup as a hobby. It reinforces some type of routine and really helps me feel good which helps me do good. If the pay was better than it was now I would definitely be an esthetician, makeup artist, and hair stylist. Considering that could be a job I would enjoy waking up to.
ADD THESE INFLUENCERS TO YOUR YOUTUBE WATCHLIST!
- Monet McMichael - Robert Welsh
- Skincare by Hyram - Brittany Broski
Come home, Spartans!
After three years of disrupted traditions, Homecoming Week was finally back to nor mal with the much awaited spirit days, class games inside the gym, pep assemblies, and lots of cheering and dancing.
Senior Grace Cherney went all out for her last Homecoming Week, enjoying every aspect of it.
“My favorite parts about Homecom ing were the spirit dress up days and the anticipation leading up to the game and the dance,” Cherney said. “I even participated in every single day and had so much fun.”
The entire Top Ten enjoyed the experi ence of being on Homecoming Court.
“Being on the homecoming court was one of the best experiences of my life,” senior Emily Anderson said. “It was so much fun; every single part of it. From practicing the dance every night, to performing it, to build ing so many bonds.”
The members of court are not always close friends, but they usually come away from the experience with new and stronger friendships.
“My partner ended up being pretty cool,” senior Jacob Sarg-Lopez said. “I didn’t ex pect to have such a good time with some one I didn’t even really know personally. The dance practices were slightly
chaotic but it ended up actually being lots of fun and I enjoyed the experience overall.”
In addition to the dance, the court also got to enjoy the other traditions of getting pictures taken together and having brunch at Clara’s on the River with Homecoming Mom Kathy McGlynn and Homecoming Dad Nick Eckstein.
“When we all met up for pictures I really enjoyed it,” senior Mathew Bacik said. “I definitely think we all enjoyed each other’s company. We all had lots of fun as a group just listening to music while creating the dances.”
Creating memories was the highlight of their experiences over the week.
“I bonded with a lot of people,” senior Jovon Wanzer said. “The dances were hard at times because it was kind of chaotic, but it was really fun overall. The title of King is basically legendary and I even get noticed in public as king sometimes, too.”
Being recognized by the school is an hon or that all Top Ten members felt.
“Winning queen took me by surprise,” Cherney said. “In that moment at the game when being crowned, I had never felt more loved in my life. I’m beyond grateful to had made an impact as large as I did on the Lakeview student body.”
ASHLEY MOUNTAIN, REPORTERLearn some different ways to protect yourself when you go out and about
Karate
became systematized in Okinawa during the 17th Century, after evolving in East Asia for a number of centuries. The Okinawans that systemized it used it for protection, as they were not allowed to carry weapons around.
By the time the 1920s came around, it had started to get imported into Japan. While it con tinued to spread around the world, it never stayed the same. Each individual that it reached changed it ever so slightly, which brings us to modern day having over 75 different karate styles that can be practiced. While all of these styles may exist and differ ever so slightly, they will all teach relatively the same thing.
Entering a karate class you can expect to learn a number of different self defense actions such as, how to get out of front choke, back choke, wrist grabs (cross hand and same hand), bear hugs, as well as taking people down to the ground. You would also learn your basic punch es, blocks, kicks, forms, as well as fighting.
With fighting being the main thing that draws people to karate, there are some misconcep tions that can be found if you are only basing it around the media’s representations.
The Netflix original show “Cobra Kai,” released
in 2018, continues the story line from the Karate Kid movies dating back to 1984. Throughout these films and shows, you witness a numerous amount of fight scenes all based in different settings whether it be in schools, dojos, tourna ments, or on the street.
While it is true that fighting can be seen in all of these locations, the way that it is portrayed may not be accurate. One of the biggest mis conceptions is the theatricality of it all. When you are in a fight, regardless of setting, you need to be smart. It isn’t always going to matter
if you are the biggest, fastest, or strongest; you just have to be the smartest.
Therefore, trying flips, swinging punches, or the infamous crane kick isn’t necessarily going to help you in a real world application, or modern day tournament fighting.
While karate is a good skill for all to learn just to merely protect themselves, looking at it from a competitive perspective is fun for anyone involved.
There are a couple different things you can compete in-forms, weapons and fighting. Forms are a combination of the basic movements you learned coming up put together to essentially create a dance. Weapons are essentially the same thing; you just have a weapon added in such as a sword, katana, fans, bo staffs, pad dles, nunchucks, and some people even use morning stars.
Since
I was ten years old, I have been doing karate alongside my dad and my brother, freshman Andrew Nosis. To put it bluntly, I absolutely hated it when I first started.
The slow moving pace of hav ing to do forms and basic actions took all of the fun out of it for me, I wanted to do what everybody knows karate for, fighting.
After a couple months of learn ing the basics and forms that I was required to know at the time, I finally got to do some fighting and it completely shifted my mindset, I started to actually enjoy it.
All I wanted to do was fight, and because of that, six months later I was entered into my first Grand Rapids tournament. At that tour nament, I placed 2nd in fighting and that only made me want to train more since it was clear that I could be successful.
At our second tournament, we had to fight on concrete and my dad slipped and blew out his knee, tearing his ACL. He didn’t want to see this happen to me or my brother, so we decided to give De troit tournaments a go.
When the start of 2018 rolled around, we knew that we would be attending the first tournament in Detroit that year. At this tourna ment, I fought and placed 1st in my division, however, my brother chick ened out and didn’t want to fight. After that incident my dad vowed that we would continue attending the monthly tournaments until An drew grew out of this funk.
We continued to go each month. We learned that every time you place, you accumulate points in the Michigan Sport Karate Circuit (MSKC) and if you place in the Top 4, you receive an award at the banquet that occurs in December.
Because of this we kept going, and by December I had earned my first “big” award-State Champion 2018! Throughout this year was also when we met the Plowden family, and learned about the WKC circuit.
In 2019, I made it through to compete in Niagara Falls, NY, in forms. This wasn’t neccesarily what I wanted to compete in, but I was happy to see the world level com petition up close.
(Continued on page 15)
(Story Continued from page 15) As the week went on I gained a lot of experience watching so many world level competitors whom I had admired since we started. I earned yet another State title in 2019 and was looking forward to 2020 as I was confident that it would be my year to make the USA team in fighting.
When shutdown happened, I was devestated. We couldn’t go to class, we couldn’t compete and I didn’t have a chance to do what I wanted to do, fight at Worlds.
Our instructor at the time didn’t host any type of classes, so we just did our own thing and attended some online classes with some of the top level fighters through a program called Virtual Fighters World. We grew a lot over Covid, but we still wanted to be doing classes to maintain struc ture in our training, so my dad reached out to Mr. Plowden. We started doing classes with them and, because of their elite instruction, we grew even more.
As things started opening back up they an nounced the dates for the 2021 Nationals, and I was over the moon. I finally was able to get back to competing and I felt more ready than ever. It got time for me to fight, and the one girl that was supposed to be in my weight class didn’t end up making weight, so I had nobody to compete against. I made it through uncontested, which ob viously wasn’t what I wanted, but I knew I got the opportunity that I wanted.
When October rolled around, I had just gotten my black belt and knew that now it was anyone’s game because rank could no longer be held against me. The girl who didn’t make weight at Nationals, made weight at Worlds so it was only
us in our division. We faced off in two two-minute rounds competing for what could have been ei ther one of our first World Titles... and I walked out of it the winner! The 2021 WKC World Champion Title was mine, and I was thrilled.
I knew this meant I had to continue to work harder and harder, and by the time the beginning of this year rolled around I felt as if I was in a funk. I struggled all year with my confidence after we left our in-town instructor and I just didn’t fight the same.
I lost in the finals at Nationals this year, still making it through to fight at this year’s World Championships, but I was scared. In this time frame, we also became offically a part of Team Plowden but I still struggled in my training as I didn’t have any confidence in myself, and was convinced that I was going to lose.
When we got to Ireland, I continued to try and give myself pep talks hoping it would work but I was still so nervous. The night before I fought I did a private lesson with Coach Morgan, and it eased my mind A LOT.
The next day, when it was time for me to fight, Morgan sat in my coaching chair and everything she said I started to execute (and this was big because I have always had an issue listening to the person in my coaching chair). I won both fights the first day, which meant I made it to the finals, and this more was a huge accomplishment because I had earned it. I was confident going into the finals, and I absolutely crushed it. I won 19-4 and claimed my second World Title! I obtained so much knowledge over the years, and have so much skill that I can use when I believe in myself. It is truly all a process.
Champions Corner
While karate is gaining popularity, not a lot of people realize how much talent is in their home state. The Plowden family (Richard, Debra, Richard “Avery” and Morgan) are all black belts out of Detroit. Richard, being a decorated veteran fighter himself, continued his legacy by training his own children.
Morgan, 32 years old, with 24 years experience, has a lot of wins under her belt, and is easily considered thebest female fighter in the world.
Growing up she also played softball and was a pitcher for her high school team before giving it up to focus on karate full-time. Some of her massive achievements include being a 14x WKC World Champion, four diamond rings from the Diamond Nationals, five AKA Warrior cups, three ISKA U.S. Open Champion ships, and many more!
Competing alongside Morgan is her built-in best friend, Avery. He is 29 with 22 years of experience in the sport. Just like his sister, he is easily considered one of the greatest heavy weight men in the world.
Growing up he tried mutliple other sports, and karate was the only thing that he was ever really good at. Some of his major accomplish ments include being a 6x WKC World Champion, four ISKA U.S. Open Championships, three AKA Warrior Cups, and a Diamond Ring from the Diamond Nationals.
While competing alongside each other, Morgan and Avery have both won every major karate event in the country, as well as living very successful profes sional and private lives. For more information about them, or to fol low their accomplishments through other events, take a look at Jackson Rudolph’s Black Belt Magazine.
