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About The amplifier. (West Linn, Oregon) 1921-current | View Entire Issue (April 1, 2007)
1 % 07 13 Sports Unified Girls' Lacrosse Team builds strong framework J on H elmkamp co-Sports Editor With a roster almost identical to last year's, two new alumni coaches and a unified team, things couldn’t be going any better for the Girls' Lacrosse Team. This year, Tess O'Shaughnessy and Audrey Sheppard were hired as two new coaches, and were accepted by team members right away. "We all love them, they're great. It’s really easy to tell that they're excited to be here," Keri Robinson, senior captain, said. Prior to 2005, the Lacrosse Team consisted of girls from Lake Oswego, Lakeridge, West Linn and Wilsonville. As interest grew in the sport, each school broke off from this program and developed their own teams. Both O'Shaughnessy and Sheppard were a part of the program. O'Shaughnessy has played lacrosse for six years, including three years with West Linn. Sheppard played all four years as a Wilsonville High School student with West Linn. They bring a sense of history to the girls they are coaching. "Keeping the same team together has been huge for us. We know exactly how each other plays, and we know what each player is capable of," Sarah Normandin, senior, said. This year, Alister Bunch, Varsity Head Coach, has three main goals for his team: for everyone to improve, to be competitive in the league, and to make a run in the playoffs. So far, they're meeting their goals. "The main thing for me is to critique the little things. If I see a problem I have to address it and correct it before it turns into something bigger. It all comes back to fundamentals," Bunch said. These goals aren't just goals Bunch has, these are the goals of the entire team. Everyone on this team wants to improve, play well, and have a successful Jennifer Kimbrow, senior goalie, defends the goal against Oregon City, our league rivals, on April 11. The Lions lost the battle for the top of the league, 6-5, dropping them to second place in the Three Rivers League to Oregon City. Photo by Malia Chong our transitions and our defensive communication," Robinson said. To get back into the swing of things before the season started, they went to a pre-season jamboree at Bainbridge, Wash., where they won all three games in which they played. So far this season, they are 4-1, outscoring their opponents 60-17. Their only loss was to Lake Oswego on April 3, 5-6. On March 19, the girls beat Beaverton with their best score of the young season, season. Combined with their ever-growing bond off the field, their sound fundamentals and their communication, they have a solid framework. "We're really good at Softball seeks Improvement over last season Z ak L aster co-Sports Editor Wn recent seasons the ^ptball Team has had its share of struggles. This year has been no different, losing four of their first five by a combined score of 25-2. It remains to be seen how this season will unfold but according to Kassandra Vernon, senior captain, and first baseman, the team will This year's seniors have had to deal with having three different coaches. Three players quit the team. Through all this, the players have managed to keep a positive attitude about the season. "I am so excited for this season and the outcome. I think that with our coaches and the players we have this year, we have a very Las Vegas during Spring Break, and while there they played four exhibition games. Although they didn't win a game, it was a good opportunity for the team to gel and hopefully lead to a few more regular season victories, according to Vernon. Upcoming home games are April 25 against the Lake Oswego Lakers; April Golf swings into new season Staff Reporter « * * ** I H Iti ' * * P » l* ¡ÍltP É :P y - Susan Schrank, senior, lies down a bunt against the Milwaukie Mustangs on April 13. The Lions went on to earn a much needed victory, beating Milwaukie 6-1. Photo by Zak Laster need to fix one problem if they want to turn the season around. "The biggest problem we need to fix is hitting! We need to hit the ball better!" Vernon said. The team has been shut out three times this season. jjf r e Softball Team has struggled the last few years. good chance at playoffs and I am really excited for that," Ashley Bruser, sophomore and third baseman said. Part of the reason for the team's struggles has been that half the team is young and inexperienced and that some don't get along well. For the first time, they went down to 18-0. Robinson led the team with a solid performance, racking up three goals on four attempts and three assists. In the first four games, Robinson had 11 goals and seven assists. The Girls' Lacrosse Team will be playing Oregon Episcopal School at OES on Wednesday, Aloha High School on Friday, Hillsboro High School on April 30, and Oregon City at home on May 2. "Having fan support is really important to us," Bunch said. 27 against the Clackamas Cavaliers and April 30 against Lakeridge. In May, they finish off the regular season at home on May 7 against Oregon City; May 11 against Milwaukie Mustangs and the regular season finale on May 14 against the Putnam Kingsman. a After a week and a half of tryouts and coaches evaluat- mg players on their golfing potential, both the girls' and boys' golf teams have been practicing non-stop for up coming tournaments, which occur every Monday for the Varsity team, and Wednes day for Junior Varsity. "We w ere very excited about the large number of kids that showed up to tryout — especially the interest by girls this year!" Shawn Hoff man, assistant coach, said. The teams practice four to five days a week after school at Oregon Golf Club on Pete's Mountain. "We are very thankful for the opportunity to practice and play at such a beautiful course," Hoffman said. "At least one day is spent on the range, practicing putting and chipping greens. The teams also get out to play at least two days a week." Both the coaches and the team members said that it is sometimes difficult to stay motivated during practice. "IPs sometimes hard to sta y fo cu se d , esp ecially during February when it's cold and rainy, but the kids do show up and continue to work on their game," Hoff man said. "Everyone on the team is improving a lot because of all the practice. It's starting to get m ore com petitive, which is fun," Elie Enderle, freshman Varsity member, said. Boys’ Varsity player, Jor dan Hongo, junior, added th at m an y p ra ctice s are also qualifying rounds for tournaments, so they (the team members) want to play Every Thursday, both teams play a few holes in order to qualify to play Varsity the next week. The top five best scores during the m atch make Varsity. The girls' Varsity team has started off well, taking home first place its first match. On April 16, at Stone Creek, the girls placed third scoring 413. On that same day, at Lake Oswego, the boys' placed fourth with a score of 337. Although the boys' team has not gotten off to the best start, team m ates say that they have becom e m uch better. Both the boys' and the girls' next Varsity match is on Monday, April 30 at the Oregon Golf Club. m
