12
Sports
December
Snowboarders prepare to shred into season
a K ate T olan _____________
Staff Reporter
After an im pressive first
place finish last year at
State, the Girls' Snow board
Team has a high standard
to uphold. A lthough the
pressure is on, m em bers are
still looking forw ard to the
season.
This year players want
to, "H ave fun, learn new
tricks and jum ps," Danielle
Ramsby, senior and
returning member, said.
However, problem s caused
by the w eather have left
both team s in a bind.
Last year the Snow board
Team practiced every
W ednesday, traveling by
bu s on H ighw ay 35 to Mt.
H ood M eadow s Ski and
Snow Resort. With the
recent flooding, H ighw ay 35
w as closed due to m assive
w ashouts from floods on
Nov. 6 and Nov. 7. Repairs
involved m oving 25 feet of
boulders before contractors
could even begin.
The team practiced at
Ski Bowl until M eadow s
opened on Dec. 9. However,
it cost $15 dollars per
m em ber to practice at Ski
Bowl.
Dry land practices
began the w eek after
Thanksgiving and the first
m ountain practice w as to be
on Dec. 6.
An all time high turnout
of 51 snow boarders and an
in-house coach, Jam ie Kelso,
biology teacher, m ark som e
of the changes this year.
The team has two
returning coaches, Ryan
Stephens and Forest
Alcam o. N ew coaches are
Kesslie Carlson-Ham, Brynn Hayes, junior, Danielle Ramsby, senior,
Hana Jacover, senior, walk up the mountain during a snowboarding
competition. The Girls' Snowboard Team finished first at State last
year.
Photo submitted by Nanette Boggess
Jenny Looper and Joey
Bruce. Looper will be the
Snow board Team's first ever
full time fem ale coach. She
com es from Tahoe, Calif,
and is highly skilled in the
half pipe.
To m ake the Snow board
Team, new m em bers had
to try out in April and
attend follow-up interviews
in October; last year's
competitive m em bers
earned an autom atic spot on
the team.
With the sport becom ing
more and more popular,
riders were cut this year for
the first time.
The Snow board Team
is expected to perform
well b ased on last year's
standings at State and on
the num ber of experienced
m em bers returning.
Volleyball Team's hopes for State squelched
m S ydney M ac N aughton
Staff Reporter
On Nov. 1, the Varsity
Volleyball Team played
D avid D ouglas for the
playoffs. They won against
the Royal Scots, 3-0 but a
Nov. 4 loss, 2-3, to North
M edford at home kept them
from advancing into the
State playoffs.
"We alw ays play to win,"
Carl Neuburger, Varsity
Volleyball Team coach,
said, before the loss during
the second round of the
playoffs. This w as the first
time since 1991 that the team
did not make it to State.
This year there were two
playoff rounds rather than
one, so only eight team s
went to State rather than 16.
"The best tight (teams) will
not be at State," N euberger
said.
"Our captains are alw ays
pushing us to be the best
we can be," Michelle Hurt,
Michelle Hurt, junior, and Brittney Beatty, senior captain, reach for the ball during against David Douglas
in the first round of the State playoffs. After losing in the second round of the playoffs, the team did not
make it to State for the first time in 15 years.
Photo by Kelsey Schrader
junior, said. One of the
m ost memorable gam es is
considered the gam e against
the Clackam as Cavaliers,
according to Victoria
Bechtold, senior team
captain.
This season, the team
struggled with injuries
to the back and w rists of
several players, including
Brenna Kelley, sophomore,
continued its winning streak
and Hurt. At times, the
• this season, reaching 108
practices could not be
consecutive league wins by
completed because of these
the end of the season.
injuries.
The team m ade up
for their struggles with
strengths. The team has
lots of experience, and is
skilled at ball handling,
especially setting. The team
Ski Team hopes for best
during building year
u H sllary K rippaehne _______
Swimmers start fresh with new coach
m E mmaue C ox ____________
Staff Reporter
Rumors were circulating
that there wasn't going to be
a Swim Team because Blake
Blackwell, former coach, left.
Interviews for the new coach
began the week of Oct. 30, and
Jessica Hauser was hired on
Nov. 2.
Blackwell took over for
the previous head coach,
A1 Marsh (former Southern
Oregon University and Lake
Oswego Swim Club coach).
He was Marsh's assistant
coach for two years prior to
that. Blackwell, a West Linn
alumni and former Swim Team
member, announced he would
be leaving.
"He was a great coach.
It kinda' sucks that he had
to leave because this is my
senior year and I wanted to
finish with someone I was
familiar with. But it's good
for the freshman because they
are new and coming into the
Swim Team with a new coach,"
Sarah Wilson, senior and team
captain, said.
Hauser's practices consist
of a dry land practice where
swimmers usually run two
laps, work in the weight room,
and play endurance games.
Pool practices are a mix of all
the strokes and some drills
focusing on technique.
"At first I thought she
wasn't going to push us
very hard, but by the second
practice, she got harder on
us. She is really nice and
determined," Kelsey Lissman,
freshman, said.
Last year, Lake Oswego
was the toughest competitor...
again but Wilson also cites
Locke and A lyssa O'Neil,
sophomore, were nam ed
to the Three Rivers League
First Team. Neuberger won
Coach of the Year for the
league.
"The whole season we
all worked really hard,
winning league and getting
far in the tournaments,"
Hurt said, "Also, making
it to the semifinals at the
West Linn tournament is a
pretty big accomplishment
because for the past couple
of years, we have not done
very well. The team w as
sad we lost the gam e, but I
think we realized how far
we came and how much we
improved. The loss m ade
us determined that we will
succeed next year."
Clackamas as being a tough
competitor. "They are the
hardest because we are both at
the same [skill] level," Wilson
said.
She is confident that this
year will be different. "Even
though last year we had
pretty good seniors on the
boys team, we have heard that
there are going to be three or
four freshman club swimmers
joining the team," she said.
The Swim Team competed
on Nov. 30 against the Oregon
City Pioneers, with the girls
beating the Pioneers but the
boys losing. Whitney Finnerty,
sophomore, placed first in the
100 meter breaststroke and
Wilson placed second in the
100 meter butterfly.
Their next meet is on Jan. 4
against archrival Lake Oswego
at the Lake Oswego Pool.
Staff Reporter
With 13 seniors who
graduated last year, Ski Team is
planning for a "building year."
Bmce Rodway, coach, and
Jeff Woodsen, assistant coach,
accepted 10 beginners on the
team this year.
The team also lost Katie
Whitbeck, senior, due to an
injury. After suffering from
disease in both of her knees,
Whitbeck decided not to
participate in Ski Team this year.
"Skiing will cause my knees to
get worse, which would be bad,"
Whitbeck said. She thinks they
will do well, but also expects it
to be a rebuilding year.
"The kids have a great time,
and their families are always
there," Sue Wenger, mother
of a graduate, said. Wenger is
planning on helping out with Ski
Team this year. "I help because I
love seeing the team succeed."
Chelsea Spitzer, junior, joined
the team for the first time this
year. "I like competitive racing
and skiing seemed like it was
right up my ally," Spitzer said. In
the off season Spitzer runs four
to five times a week and works
out at the gym.
Ski Team is both a team and
an individual sport. Participants
ski down the mountain and
receive a score. The individual's
score adds points to the team
total.
The first meet, the Christine
Cato Memorial Race, is Jan. 6
at Timberline Lodge. The race,
dedicated to a high school
skier who died, is the largest
high school ski race in North
America.
The skiers practice from 3:30
p.m. to 10 p.m. and work hard
according to Sandy Slossar,
parent of freshman on the team.
"They are doing fantastic. They
have started their dry ’and
training and the coach says they
are in good condition. I think
they will do well this year,"
Slossar said.