Granger high school
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TRICOLORTIMES.COM
FEBRUARY 2022 LXIV-3
Basketball teams tip off with strong starts By Natalie Pereira SPORTS are very important to Granger, so many students are eager for the winter season to commence. Despite student enthusiasm, there is a bit of pressure on this year’s players. “Basketball should be fun, it should be sort of an outlet for both boys and girls,” coach Shawnee Smith said, “sometimes that can be additional pressure though, so I would say self-care is really important. Make sure you’re doing all the basics. Getting enough sleep, drinking water, and eating right. Don’t neglect yourself.” Not only is physical health im-
portant, but mental health is important, too. According to Coach Stephen Tidwell, what can really help students is goal setting. “We set goals, and we try to prepare them the best we can. I want to help them build their character and try to put them in situations they can be successful in,” Tidwell said. Coach Tidwell values hard work and wants to make sure that the players are going to class and getting their grades where they need to be. “I always tell my players to believe in themselves and work hard. Don’t make excuses,” Tidwell said. Coaches also look for talented
players. Tidwell says that they should focus on shooting open threes and open layups. “Highadvantage shots are always great,” he said. Coach Tidwell is looking forward to going against Hunter since they are West Valley’s rivals. “I’m excited to see how our team does,” he said. The team relies on their coaches for support and encouragement, but in the end, it all depends on the players to bring their game out on the court. “I love to play basketball. I’ve been wanting the season to start for a while now,” Avante Lee (9) said. Lee has been playing basketball since he was in 6th grade, but discov-
ered it was his passion when he was in 7th grade. “I’m very good at driving the ball with my left hand, so that’s an advantage,” Lee said. Lee recommends others to join the basketball team to have a better experience in high school and to be aware of how fun the sport is. “I’m prepared for the upcoming season. I know that there is no point in bringing myself down in a losing game and that there is always a chance to come back and win in the next game. In situations like those, I just breathe and keep my head in the game,” Lee said, “I can’t wait to go against continued on page 3
Avante recommends that students join the basketball team to have a better experience in high school.
A different kind of sporting experience
By Whitnie Larsen VIDEO games have been at a steep uprise within recent years. The popular way to live stream is using the Twitch.tv website. Twitch has helped ordinary people become some of the most well-known gamers in the world. Now that people are finding out that they can make money playing video games, it’s becoming less of a joke and more of a serious competition. Six schools within the Granite School District have created an Esports team, where they compete in playing various video games. Cottonwood, Hunter, Taylorsville, Skyline, and two junior high schools are competing in the Ken Garff Esports Fall Festival for the first time. This festival has participants from twenty Utah school districts. Students are put
into teams of three and will play against other teams from all over the state. They played two popular games: Rocket League and Super Smash Brothers Ultimate. This event was live streamed on Twitch. Chris Larsen is the Director of Educational Technology for Granite School District. He is coordinating the district’s efforts for an Esports team. “It’s not officially recognized [as a high school sport] yet. Right now, Esports in Granite is a student-led club at the school where it is being held,” Larsen said, “there’s a chance that it will either become a sport or part of a curricular club.” To create a team at Granger, students who are interested should find a teacher to be their supervisor. Then, the adviser will reach out to Larsen at the district office.
Granite can then make sure things are working and get the club connected to other organizations that are used for Esports. Sergio Mederano (9) feels as if a team should be added to Granger. “I love the idea of an Esports team. I wasn’t a video game person, but then I was introduced, and I started playing,” Mederano said. Battle Royale games are some of the ones that were played during the festival, and they are the exact ones that people play on their own time, too. “I like Fortnite, Rocket League, Warzone and Apex,” Mederano said. Mr. McCarl is the game development and the virtual reality teacher at Granger High School. He has helped with Esports within the district before. However, there was not enough student interest to form a team in time for the Ken Garff Esports Fall Festi-
val. “Lots of people expressed interest, but no one ever came to the meetings. There are limitations to everything we can do as well,” McCarl said. The games that are being played for the Esports team are not games that kids think of when they say Esports. “Some games are too violent — we can’t be playing first-person shooter games. We can play Minecraft and Smash Bros but those aren’t team games, they’re individually played.” McCarl said. To overpass these games, the district has given Granger a router to bypass websites. Lancers who are interested in Esports should talk to Mr. McCarl about starting an after-school club. Students would have to organize a club themselves, but Mr. McCarl has expressed that he would love to be the club adviser.
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Swim kicks off By Leyla Ilyazova IN YOUR typical high school, it is not difficult to see all the athletes. Cross-country is running laps around the track, soccer players are on the field, Swim team is in the pool, and tennis players are occupied on the courts. Regardless of the sport, high school athletes devote hours to their game. Playing a sport is a big responsibility, it teaches students lessons that cannot be taught in a classroom. Many students at Granger High School students are on the swim team. The swim team helps athletes sharpen skills, get steady physical activity, reach goals, and creates better team players. Being a part of a team will guide a person in finding out more about themselves and teammates, it can give various insights, benefits, and advantages in the professional world. It’s easy to overlook the impact participation in a sport can have on students’ lives, even after their athletic career is over. “I will definitely look more into college swim teams after high school,” Brian Wilkey (09) said. Swim coaches start each season by having their swimmers set preseason goals. “We all set out to reach our goals, and we don’t stop till we’ve pushed ourselves to our limit,” Gale Cutshaw (12) said. This gives swimmers motivation needed to work progressively harder to reach their goals The importance of goal setting is that, in addition to the fact that it provides fulfillment when the goal is reached, it is something that can be used outside of the game also. Although all goals might not be accomplished, that is OK since it gives a powerful steppingstone towards progress and offers the chance to be the best person that they can be. Another advantage of swimming in a team is that it constrains athletes to manage their time through a more insightful lens. “It takes up a lot of time, maintaining schoolwork, swimming, and other activities,” Grayson Bigler (10) said. Dealing with school, home obligations, jobs, and athletics on top of all things considered, is an ability that swimmers will have to acquire. Regardless of whether the swim team has one, two, or three practices a day, swimmers will have a lot of involvement with managing their time. This will help hugely in the professional world.
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