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_______ _____________ Sports_____________________________ il
Athletic Department helps guide student athletes
a C hristopher E rbin __________
Staff R eporter
Regularly recognized by
the Oregonian sponsored
OSAA Oregonian Cup
„as a school for achieving
an exceptional balance
of superiority in sports
competition and performance
in the classroom, WLHS is
currently in second place
behind Jesuit, a private high
school that has won the title
for the four years previously
The Athletic Department
oversees the progress of
student athletes both in
the classroom as well as in
competition.
"Our job is to oversee and
work with the students and
coaches as they negotiate
their seasons. We want all
of the teams at WLHS to set
high goals and work hard
together as a team in efforts
of achieving them," Rob
Holstrom, Athletic Director,
. said.
The Athletic Department
is composed of multiple
members with the team
being led by Holstrom. He
has worked at WLHS for
10 years and is responsible
for overseeing and working
with the coaches. His main
goals are to achieve a balance
between his involvement
and the decisions made
by the coaches. He is also
responsible for evaluating
their performance at the end
of the season.
In the 2008-09 school year
alone, a number of teams
and individual athletes have
topped the Three Rivers
League standings and gone
on to State. In the fall, the
Volleyball Team placed
second at State; the Cross
Country teams finished in the
top 10 with the boys' team
taking third and the girls
taking tenth, and the Football
Team reached the State
quarterfinals.
"Winning seasons and
league championships are
a by-product of achieving
these goals. The process that
programs go about achieving
these goals; commitment,
dedication, hard work,
togetherness, perseverance
and overcoming adversity are
all part of the life skills that
are practiced everyday within
their programs," Holstrom
said.
Each of these teams was
equally impressive inside
the classroom, posting team
GPA's that were awarded
"Top 10 in State" for Oregon's
Rob Holstrom, Athletic Director, answers his phone and checks e-mails
from parents and student-athletes. One of the challenges of Holstrom’s
job is dealing with issues between athletes and coaches.
Photo by IVlark Popper!
Academic All State Awards.
In Holstrom's experience,
one of the challenges he's
faced is the disagreements
among athletes and coaches.
Conflicts occur in all sports
to a certain extent, according
to Holstrom, and when these
occur, athletes are counseled
Snowboarders head to State
m R iley S wanson ________ _
I
Staff R eporter
The Snowboard Team
competed at State which was
held at Mt. Hood Meadows
last weekend. The entire team
did not qualify, however,
as the number of entries is
limited.
Graham Peterson, head
coach, has been striving to
improve and broaden the
team's range of tricks. To
prepare for State, the team
has been practicing Bank
Slalom, which is running the
race through gates, and Half
Pipe and Slopestyle, which
is where the athletes try the
rails and jumps. They have
been working on improving
in those three core areas, and
working on their speed and
technique.
"For the most part all of the
team has improved by leaps .
and bounds," Peterson said.
The team has placed first
or second in most of the
events and normally brings
a high level of competition
to the races, according to
Peterson. The main concern
for State is having the team
focused and working extra
hard to compete well.
"We are a dominant force
in the Three Rivers League,"
Peterson said.
With the snow sport season
drawing to a close, Ski Team
members lost their chance at
one last race, which would
have been the biggest of
the season, the State Skiing
ompetition.
Throughout the season a
point-based system ranked
to have a conversation with
the coach about the issue.
Most of the disputes center
around playing time or
participation and the head
coach has the final call on
those decisions.
Also working in the
Athletic Department is
Holly Scheid, Athletic
Secretary. Along with
providing support to coaches,
teams and athletes, she is
responsible for coordinating
and communicating the
scheduling of all games,
officials and transportation
for all sports. She is also
responsible for making sure
all athletes and coaches are in
compliance with league and
OSAA regulations regarding
athletic competitions.
"I enjoy the fact that I
have contact with students,
teachers, coaches and
administration on a daily
basis," Scheid said of her
job. "I never feel like I am
working in a bubble and I
love sports!"
Scheid is joined by Sue
Bradley, Special Projects
Secretary. Along with helping
Scheid, Bradley has been in
charge of facility scheduling
and athletic bookkeeping, but
is "officially" retiring at year's
end.
"It's been a joy working
with her and she is absolutely
invaluable," Scheid said of
Bradley.
Rounding out the Athletic
Department are Brian Bailey,
Transition Specialist, and Toni
Snapp, Education Resource
Center, who manage all
sporting events including
set up and supervision. The
custodial staff prepares and
cleans up after all activities.
"We are incredibly
fortunate that we live in a
school district where the
administration supports our
athletic programs," Scheid
said.
The Athletic Department
has much to be proud of,
watching students succeed
in and out of the classroom
each and every season, but
as Holstrom said, none of it
would be possible without
the cooperation and hard
work of students, staff and
coaches alike.
"This process is one of the
great life skills that can be
acquired through athletics,"
Holstrom said. "Another
great life skill is learning
to cope with adversity,
and to be accountable for
one's own actions and
performance. Athletes have
the responsibility to work
hard and perform to the best
of their abilities regardless of
how much they play."
Students lead way in
promoting awareness
continued from page 7
Joshua Gertlar, sophomore, attempts a trick on the Halfpipe during
the Snowboard District competition on Jan. 31. Gertlar placed 21st
out of 59 competitors, and West Linn finished first, earning a spot in
the State competition.
Photo courtesy of Julie Edwards
each competitor by how they
placed in their individual
races as well as their times.
The race on Feb. 7 ended
with Girls' Varsity athletes
Madeline Martus, sophomore,
placing first out of all the
competitors, and Emily
McNabb, freshman, placing
ninth. The team was ranked
fourth out of five teams
competing. The Boys' Varsity
had one athlete, Alec Ramsey,
sophomore, place second in
the race, and the team was
ranked fifth out of seven
teams.
The girls' team fared
slightly worse on Feb. 24 with
only Martus, who finished
seventh, placing in the top
ten. The team ranked third
out of five teams. The boys'
team had no members place
in the top ten, so they ranked
sixth out of seven teams.
The film has already
influenced several students
to start trying to improve
the school’s environmental
status. A group of students
made a presentation to
administration proposing
that the school begin fueling
buses with B-5 fuel, a fuel
made up of 5% bio-diesel
and 95% diesel.
The change from
diesel to B-5 would be
easy according to Sachie
Hayakawa, senior,
considering that the
bus engines are already
compatible with the B-5.
They also wouldn't have to
go that far to fill up on the
bio-diesel as it is available
locally. While the fuel is a
little bit more expensive it is
worth it she said, since the
fuel is better for students
who ride the bus, the bus
itself, and the environment.
The film has also
encouraged students
to carpool with friends
who live nearby instead
of driving to school
individually. This could
also open up more available
parking spots in the Tripp
lot and the senior lot.
The move would reduce
emissions and costs.
According to Hartmann,
the film did a good job
addressing the issue at
hand: America's addiction
to oil. But he said it did
an even better job in
suggesting solutions to
the problem. Instead of
just pointing out one thing
that needs to be done in
order to lessen America's
dependency on foreign
oil, the film showed that
there are be many different
solutions to the problems.