sports7
wingspan • october 21, 2011
Athletes shouldn’t have to pay to play
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rofessional athletes get paid to play sports, college athletes get scholarships to play sports and now high school athletes have to pay to play sports. Because of budget cuts from both the state and county, the Henderson County Board of Education recently decided that each athlete has to pay $20 to MICHAEL participate TURLINGTON on a sports team. This money goes toward transportation costs for travel to away games. Our school system is in a tough time financially, but does that mean that our athletes should have to pay? To begin with, will the price for playing go up with inflation? Many students have friends or relatives that have to pay hundreds of dollars to play sports at their schools. I doubt that most of these schools began with a huge fee. Some of them might have even started by only charging $20. Is there any guarantee that our athletes will not have to pay excessive amounts in the future? Will the transportation fee be removed in the future when it is not needed any more? Finally, people pay to join club and travel teams. When high school athletes are asked to pay for sports, the team atmosphere changes. No longer do the best students make the team; the ones who can afford it do. On a personal level, high school students pay enough for sports by representing our school. They pay enough by working and sweating for their team when they could be doing homework or earning money at a part-time job. It is not right to penalize the best athletes in our school by making them pay. It is one thing to ask a professional player to take a salary cut; it is another thing to ask a high school athlete to pay for gas to get to games. Funding has been cut and this affects our sports programs. The school cannot be expected to pay every expense, but I know Henderson County can find a better way to pay for gas than to have our athletes bear the brunt of the expenses.
Lady Falcons look to repeat at state golf championship MICHAEL TURLINGTON sports editor
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ast year, the golf team finished with both team and individual state championship. Even though the team lost state champion Kayla Sciupider, it still has its sights set on one goal: a state championship. “It was a huge loss when Kayla graduated last year,” sophomore Chandler Danielson said. “When a team loses a state champion, it is tough to reload. Our team has had to work extra hard in practice to make sure that we can repeat what we did last season.” Earlier this week, the team’s 33-match win streak ended when the Lady Falcons finished second at the 3A west regional tournament at Asheville Municiple Golf Course. The team qualified for the state tournament Oct. 31-Nov. 1 at Fox Fire Golf and Country Club near Raleigh. At the Appalachian Athletic Conference tournament, the team finished with an 81-stroke lead over Pisgah. Danielson finished in first, shooting 148, and her teammate, sophomore Payton Culler, finished in third, shooting 157. After the tournament, Danielson was named the WNCAC Player of the Year. Sophomore Stasia McMullen and Culler were also named to the all-conference team. “We have had a very good season,” Danielson said. “One of our best matches early in the season was at the Mill Creek course in Franklin. At this match, we had a team score of 122, which was good for us.” Now that the season is drawing to a close, Danielson is looking forward to the state tournament. “Our team still has the talent to win state this year,” Danielson said. “We have to make sure that we play well and stay focused for the rest of the season. If we do this, we will be able to repeat as state champions.”
Cross Country teams take top spots in conference meet
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COLLIN ARMSTRONG asst. sports editor
s her legs became more and more weary, she came around the last turn and headed down the home stretch towards the finish line. Sophomore Anne Ignizio had just finished her first meet of the season. “When I come around the last turn and I could see the finish line, I just thought to put the last kick that I had in and pushed myself as hard as I could,” Ignizio said. At the Appalachian Athletic Conference meet on Oct. 18, the women’s team placed first and the men’s team placed second. “So far this year, the team has done really well,” Ignezio said. “We have leaders like Ashley Heywood (senior), Angela Gross (junior) and Hannah Owen (junior).” Both the men’s and women’s teams has high expectations for regionals, Oct. 29, and state, Nov. 5. “We’ve been doing pretty well. The men’s team has gotten first in a couple of meets and the women’s team has finished second a couple of times,” senior Sean Rapp said. “I would like for both the men’s and the women’s teams to win at regionals. Personally, I would like to go to state and compete.” Firstj-year physical education teacher Allison Cohrn has taken over as the cross country coach for the men’s and women’s teams. “I like her a lot,” Rapp said. “Her style is different from the previous coach. She is more laid back, but she can put her foot down if need be.” The men’s team has benefited from competition between the underclassmen and the upperclassmen. “We have a bit of a rivalry between the upperclassmen and the underclassmen at races, but everyone is constantly working hard and getting better,” Rapp said. “So far sophomore Logan Sewell has improved a lot this season.”
Run Ahead
In an away game against Madison, junior Tyler Pedersen makes a break toward the goal. The Falcons won the game, 2-1.
Soccer team battles in conference play PATRICK MARTIN feature writer
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s senior defender Josh Griffin took control of the ball during the recent home match against conference opponent Smoky Mountain, he had a perfect opportunity to give West one more goal. Up until halftime, West and Smoky Mountain had played a consistent headto-head match, and the score was 3-2. Finally, Griffin took his shot, but watched it bounce off the goal post. With a quick response, senior defensive midfielder Caleb Brown took back the ball and managed to pass the Mustangs’ goalkeeper to score. West finished the game with a crushing 6-3 victory. The soccer team started the season slowly but has progressively gotten better, team members said. They currently have a record of 12-7-1 and are 9-4 in conference. “This season has been going well. We had a rough start, but we’re doing better now,” Brown said. The team won five straight games
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TIERNAN TURNER feature writer
s junior Deana Belcher walked onto the court, she watched her opponent’s every move. Belcher was serving first, and in her head she went through every action before her serve. When she served the ball she knew it was a good hit. She got ready to return her opponent’s shot, but the ball struck the far side of the court and kept bouncing. Belcher was the number one player for the Lady Falcons after the team lost
Team Statsts Best team 9 hole score —127
Best team 18 hole score — 246 Best individual 9 hole score — Danielson and P. Culler (36)
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Heather Waldrop to a leg injury. The team finished the season at 5-10 and was third in the 3A Appalachian Athletic Conference. “The team held me together,” Belcher said “ Playing better people is really making me step my game up and work twice as hard.” The team had no seniors, so juniors had to step up into leadership roles. The team had to learn how to play together to make up for the injury of one of their key players.
STAT BOX VOLLEYBALL
12-7-1
7-0
with little competition to help overcome their slow start. In three of those games, the Falcons kept their opponents from scoring. Against Brevard, midfielder Roberto Vaca scored twice in the 4-0 victory. “A lot of times midfielders don’t get an opportunity to step up and score,” Head Coach Brian Brewer said. “Roberto knocked in two that night against Brevard.” Recently, West had it’s most competitive and important week, playing against conference rivals East and North Henderson. The game against East Henderson determined who would hold the second spot in the conference. West scored first, but as the game drew on, East took a 4-3 lead. As time expired, the Falcons’ five game win streak came to an end. “It was an intense game, but we fell apart at the end,” Griffin said. “We’re looking to beat them next time. It would be a great upset for our last game.” The soccer team will finish the regular season at East Henderson on Oct. 26 and will open the 3 A state playoffs against Enka on Nov. 2.
Tennis team recovers after losing top player
SOCCER
GOLF Record
photo used by permission of Lifetouch
On Deck
22-5
Goals — D. Rodriquez (14) Saves — Z. Ledford (99) Assists — D. Rodriquez (9)
Kills — R. Hyatt (220) Aces — K. McNamara (51) Serving Points — T. Moore (224)
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