sports9
wingspan • may 12, 2010
Learning how to take life’s hurdles in stride
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urdle. It’s a word that signifies both a roadblock on the great highway of life or a piece of track equipment meant to impede an athlete’s way on a track. Most people do not understand why anybody would want to repeatedly leap obstacles while sprinting at top Ryan Duckett speed, but for us hurdlers, the answer is clear. Just like life’s hurdles, the athletic event challenges us to overcome difficulties, makes us stronger and teaches us, whether on the track or in life, to just get over it. But sometimes that doesn’t happen the way you want it to. I remember my first wipeout, which happened last year during practice. I guess I was going too fast (lame excuse, you can never go too fast) and my foot caught the underside of the top bar. I fell and skidded across the track, shredding my knee and most of my frontside. Staggering from my superficial but far-reaching wounds, I grabbed my stuff and limped to my car, avoiding Coach as best as I could. Painfully applying alcohol swabs across most of my body, I decided to stop for the day. I had made a mistake. But I didn’t stop for good, unlike a senior hurdler I met freshman year. If there is one thing you take out of this column, let it be this: Don’t try to jump the hurdle the wrong way. You see, these pieces of metal and plastic mayhem are only meant to run in one direction. If you leap it when it’s backwards, you risk catching it, launching forwards and slamming into the ground. This is what happened at practice to the above mentioned athlete who, after three years of hurdling, would never return to the track again. I recall the other hurdlers warning him not to try it backwards just before the incident. So what’s the lesson here? Life is tough, and there are going to be major challenges to overcome. There is a correct way to approach them and a wrong way (many wrong ways actually). If you attack those challenges the correct way, you might still wipe out, but at least it didn’t happen within your own power. If you take things the wrong way, you might hit the ground harder, and to add insult to injury, it was your fault you messed up in the first place. Which all ties in to hurdling. We are taught a certain technique to overcome the hurdle, and if we deviate from technique, the hurdle suddenly becomes much higher. Still, wipeouts happen, but we always have the choice to get back up and continue. When bad things happen, we can always take them in stride.
Softball team to play Erwin in the first round of playoffs
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Men’s golf edged by Pisgah for fourth place AAC finish
According to fellow team captain senior Katie Carpenter, unity was an issue for the team this season. “It’s not that we don’t play hard (during the games), it’s just that we wait on each other to do a big thing,” Carpenter said. “That’s a challenge for us because we’re a really good team, and we have really good players; we just need to act more as a team and just build each other up.” Several unexpected faces have shown up on the varsity field this season. According to Armstrong, after several team members left in the middle of the season, freshmen Ashley Spake, Selena McCall, Lauren Norris and Kayla Walker stepped up from the junior varsity team to take their places. “The players we brought up from JV have helped out a lot,” Armstrong said. The team finished fifth overall in the Appalachian Athletic Conference, but finished second out of the 3A teams, earning a spot in the playoffs. The team Record: will play Enka in the first round on May 17.
Ryan Duckett Senior Editor
very day for most of the softball season, senior D.J. Burrell has walked down to the softball field and enthusiastically prepared to join the team in practice. Donning baseball pants and a football helmet, he helped out by returning foul balls. Burrell has found his place as team manager. “I got into it for the fun of it. I used to be the baseball manager when I went to Hendersonville. I loved it,” Burrell said. According to senior captain Sarah Armstrong and her coach, Burrell did more than assist at practices and games. “He’s a good influence for the girls and ourselves (the coaches). He’s great to be around, and he’s just a great all-around person,” Head Coach Mike Matthews said. “I think the girls have learned from him.” They certainly have. “He helps us come together; he prays before the games for us, and he gets really upset when we lose,” Armstrong said.
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Matt Thielke
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Sports Editor
pproaching the first tee at Laurel Ridge Golf Club for the Appalachian Athletic Conference tournament, junior Chase Davis stood behind the tee box, taking a few practice swings to calm his nerves. He knew that he would need to play well in order to help his team qualify for regional tournament. When the fairway was clear, Davis placed his ball on the tee and sent it 230 yards down the fairway. After making par on the first hole, he went on to finish with a 40, second best on the team. After the scores were totaled, the Falcons finished the round in second place, 23 strokes behind Tuscola High. “At the beginning of the season we had a rough start and none of us were playing to our full potential. We all knew that to move on to regionals we had to play the way we were capable of doing,”
Davis said. “The competition was also stiffer this year, moving up a classification as well as moving into a new conference.” The Falcons finished fourth overall in the 10-team conference, losing to Pisgah by one stroke. Senior Jacob Harris, who along with teammate junior Chase Davis was named to the all-conference team, agreed that the new conference provided new challenges. “Being a 3A school now has given us some different as well as tougher competition, especially Tuscola,” Harris said. The Falcons had a new coach this spring, Dave Sciupider, who was the head coach of the recently crowned state champion women’s golf team during the fall season. “Having a new coach, Dave Sciupider, has been a lot different, and I think difficult to adjust to. But with time I think the guys will mesh well with him and show success in the future,” Harris said. The team advanced to the 3A regionals at River Bend YMCA Golf Club in Shelby on May 2, placing fifth.
Women’s track team places first, men’s team fourth in conference Camen Royse Asst. Sports Editor
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inging fills the track bus as the men’s track team leaves North Buncombe, coming off its most dominating win of the season. Seniors Matt Thielke and Brandon Hawkins led the song after their team-leading performances. The team would never have sung after a meet last spring. The team has had a revised attitude so far this season through Thielke. After suffering from hip problems last spring and spending the season as a coach’s assistant, he returned for a strong senior season of track. “I think the biggest difference from last season is that we have Matt Thielke this year,” Coach Walt Fletcher said. “Last year, it was different, just because our strengths were different last year. We’re still finding out who we are. Last year we knew what we could do; this year we’re still finding that out. The team just has a different personality.” Junior Chase Andrews has also noticed a significant change in the team. “Our attitude this season is really good; everybody likes going to the meets. It’s a lot of fun because everybody is willing to go out there and give everything they’ve got,” Andrews said. “Last year the team wasn’t as dedicated.” Fletcher said the team lost a lot of talent from last year’s seniors. “We had Jonathan Newton, so I knew I had a first-placer every time I went out there. We’re not as strong as last year in the field,” he said. “Last year we had more of a veteran group.” Andrews said the increased size of the men’s team has its benefits, which was demonstrated in the conference meet on April 20. “This year if we need somebody to fill an event, everybody is willing to do it. We placed fourth in conference, and our freshmen helped. They may not be experienced, but they have the potential,” Andrews said. “The men’s team is working as hard as we can, but the women’s team has taken
Photo used with permission of Lifetouch
The view up here
High Hurdles
At the Polk County Wolverine Coed Classic on March 19, freshman Tyler Pederson competes in the finals of the 110 meter high hurdle event. Pederson placed sixth, while the men’s team finished eighth and the women’s team finished sixth. working hard to a completely different level.” The women’s team has enjoyed success this spring as well, placing first in the county meet and the conference meet. Things didn’t look that good at the beginning of the season, though, sophomore Savannah Carland said. “We’ve been more successful than I thought we would be,” Carland said. “The first week of practice, it didn’t look like there was much potential. Now we’re first in conference.” There’s a lot of motivation for the women’s team to do
well as this is Coach Rodney Proffitt’s last season after 12 years. “I’m looking forward to moving to another state, but I will miss West,” Proffitt said. “It’s been a great situation for me here and West has given me great memories. But as for now I’m looking forward to defending our conference crown and finishing the season strong.” The teams will compete at the 3A West regional meet on May 15 at Western Carolina University. For those who qualify, the state meet is May 22 at North Carolina State University.
Baseball coach offers something new to team Kevin Robinson Asst. Sports Editor
I had already hit one before that at-bat, but it didn’t go nearly as far as that one,” Peery said. The Falcons are trying to get the best seed possible enior Jesse Ivens took a deep breath and stepped for playoffs in order to advance as far as they can. “We into the batter’s box. It was the bottom of the ninth have played inconsistently,” Peery said. “When we play inning against Smoky Mountain and the bases were well, we are almost impossible to beat, but when we play loaded. The Falcons had come back from being down by badly we can lose to teams we really should have beaten.” However, the season has not been what the players seven runs, and the score was now tied. The Smoky Mountain pitcher went into his motion expected to this point. With the talent on the team, the and threw to home plate for what could be his last pitch players thought they would be in a different spot. “We lost to East, North and of the game. With a powerful swing, Hendersonville in the same season, Ivens knocked the ball over the center and I don’t think that’s ever hapfield fence for a grand slam. A celebraI couldn’t believe pened,” junior Ryan Gordon said. tion ensued. I hit a walk-off “We are way better than we have been “I couldn’t believe I hit a walk-off playing lately, but I know we can get it home run,” Ivens said. “I just didn’t want home run. I just together and make a good push at the to strike out; the thought of a grand slam didn’t want to end of the season.” never entered my mind.” The team is also playing its first The Falcon baseball team finished strike out; the season without longtime Head Coach the regular season, 12-9, including a thought of a Jim Hyatt. Rookie head coach and forwin over county rival North Henderson. mer West baseball stand-out Brandon This year, beating North was a preseason grand slam never Ball has taken over the coaching posigoal for the Falcons, but to one player it entered my mind. tion, and players said they are pleased meant a little bit more. “It was great to with how he has done. “He is a good beat them,” junior Cameron Brogden, Jesse Ivens coach; you would never be able to who played for North last season, said. senior tell this is his first year,” junior Dillon “They were trying to get in my head all Baker said. “He knows baseball, he game, but I didn’t let it get to me.” Some players attributed the team’s success to the knows how to motivate us, and he wants to win just as Falcons’ pitching by Brogden and junior Michael Peery. bad as we do.” The Falcons will play Erwin in the Peery also helped the team at the plate. At an away game against Franklin, he hit two home runs, one of which trav- first round of the playoffs May 14, having Record: secured the Appalachian Athletic Confereled over the 400-foot fence in center field. “As soon as I hit it, I knew it was gone; I got so excited ence No. 2 spot for the 3A classification.
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12-9
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