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About The amplifier. (West Linn, Oregon) 1921-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 1, 2009)
10 Sports December Varsity Girls' Basketball Team uses experience to gain momentum during pre-season games J ennifer S itton The Girls' Varsity Basketball Team hopes to use its experience and athleticism to make a big impact on opponents, especially in the Three Rivers League. The team earned second place in the TRL last year and advanced to the second round of playoffs before being knocked out by second-in- state South Eugene. This year, the Lions hope to draw from that experience. "This year's team is experienced. Our six returning players played extensive roles on last year's team and achieved post-season experience," Glen Lee, head coach, said. With four new additions to the roster this season, there was the possibility of needing to play catch-up, but that hasn't been the case this year. "Our four newcomers are very familiar with how we run things in this program." Many members of the team have played on club teams in the off season and the entire team has been working on strength and conditioning since August. "The biggest difference between this year's team and last is that we're more athletic from top to bottom. I believe that this year's team is more court savvy' than our teams in the past," Lee said. This year's team differs greatly from last year's team in that this year there is only one senior, Morgan Joscelyn. According to Lee, Joscelyn communicates and works well with her teammates to reach a common goal. While having one senior is an adjustment, it hasn't had that much of an effect on the team as a whole. "Being the only senior is challenging, but it makes me appreciate my teammates and all that they do," Joscelyn said. "We really are a cohesive group and I don't feel as if I stand apart from the rest of the team." The team chemistry is extremely tight and according to Lee, this closeness should make the difference in close games. "Our team is unique because we all have the same personalities, and when we are together we have so much fun," Isabela Romero, sophomore, said. "Our unity definitely shows on the court. We play together." The team's preseason schedule consists of a number of potential pre-season top 10 teams including Franklin, Tualatin, Reynolds Photo by Mark Poppert rMÊSm Located in the basement, through a series of storage rooms and locked doors lies the Vault. The Vault holds school records going back decades, including Amplifiers from as far back as 1921. Our editors have sorted through the papers to reprint past articles, bringing you an interesting view of life from students of another generation. "From the Vault" articles will appear in the irin u corresponding section in which they were originally printed. Check each issue of the Amplifier to find more treasures from the Vault. Team effort earns gymnasts second place at State ! D ecember 5, 1985 Spurred on by an am bi- tion to better a predicted third place slot, the W LH S g y m n a s tic s s q u a d to o k second place off their arch rivals, Parkrose, at the State M eet held at W LH S, Nov. 9. A com bin ation of co n sistency and depth carried th e team to th e se co n d place position. A ccording to C oach Rocky Sagers, "W hat pleased m e the m ost w as the fact that everyone had their best perform ances of the season at the state m eet. C eleste G arcia finished third individually with Ter rell M arshall right behind her in fourth. The other team m em b e rs, Jill D a n ielso n , Sherry H ale, D iane O ’Dell, and Daisy Farw ell all put in very strong perform ances that m ade the second place finish possible. According to Sagers, "The team w as stron g enough that even if either Garcia or . -\ Ipi Sill m0mm N ■ M arshall had not com peted, the team still w ould haTr~ finished in second place.” Sagers added that it w as ~ -----* ----------- 1— ---■ both the m eets a t W est Linn. S ta te M eet Standings A ll-A ro u n d : 3rd C eleste G ar c ia 3 6 .8 5 ; 4th Terrell M arshall 36.5 V . a u l t : 4 t h ' * C e le s te G arcia 1 8 .6 5 ; T e r r e ll M a r s h a l l 6 th 18.25 B e a m : 3rd p la c e C e le s t e G a r c ia 1 8 .4 5 ; 4th place Terrell M arshall 18.25 B ars: 3 r d* P la c e T e rr e ll M arshall 18.4 F lo o r E x e r cise: 2nd Place C e le s te G arcia Senior Celeste Garcia does her beam routine at 18.7; 5th Place the AAA State Gymnastics Meet. Garcia placed Terrell M arshall third in the All-around competition. 18.05 . ¡II ' N s Morgan Joscelyn, senior, shoots over a Barlow player during the team's third home game on Dec. 8 losing to the Bruins 34-44. The team's next home game will be against Milwaukie on Jan. 8. and McKay, among others. According to Lee, a number of the teams the Lions will face in the pre-season will be first, second or third in their respective leagues. "The TRL will have another exciting year as all teams will continue to strive to knock off Oregon City from the perch they've been on for many years," Lee said. Oregon City has been TRL League Champions for the last 23 years. While many teams have come close, no one has been able to take that title from them. The TRL will provide challenges for the Lions in Oregon City, Clackamas and others. The team suffered their first loss of the season in their season opener against a tough Franklin team 79-66; the Quakers should win the PIL League title. Later that week, the Lions took on Reynolds, winning 70-31. The team lost in the championship game of the West Linn Tip-Off Classic Tournament to St. Mary's, 50- 52. Later in the week, the team lost to Barlow. Snowboard Team prepares for season with dryland training N icole C ampbell ____________ The Snowboard Team will be carving the slopes, led by head coach Graham Peterson and assistant coaches Rob Miller, Ryan Stephens and Dan Byer. The team held its tryouts last April, and will begin training at the mountain on Dec. 9. While preparing for the mountain, the team completes dryland training to strengthen the muscles essential for snowboarding. This prevents injury and allows the athletes to perform at their best. These athletes include Gabrielle Estey, sophomore, who placed fourth in State in Half Pipe last year and Joshua Gertlar, junior, who was part of the Slopestyle Team which placed ninth last year. Once Mt. Hood Meadows opens, at least one on-the- mountain training day is held each week, beginning with a meeting on what the team's goals are for the upcoming competition. Then, each snowboarder takes a few warm up runs and meet again at the top of the terrain park. From this point, each snowboarder is asked what he or she wants to work on, and the task is pursued with help from the coaches. For example, if the athletes want to work on a Halfpipe trick, they keep trying and hiking back up to the top of the Halfpipe, until they nail it. "The best part about the Snowboard Team is going Photo courtesy of Bernd Scholz Kyle Holmes, junior, performs a tail grab during h alfpip e c o m p e titio n at M t. H ood Meadows last season. This year he wants to improve on Backside 540s, 720s and on his front side spins. up and snowboarding on Wednesdays, being coached, and having a blast snowboarding," Gertlar said. Competitions will begin in January, and are divided into three categories; Boardercross, in which the snowboarder goes around gates competing for the fastest time, Halfpipe, and Slopestyle, which is a series of jumps, and rails judged by technique and difficulty. "When the athletes have a really positive attitude they tend to learn and land more tricks. A positive attitude is really the driving force of the team," Miller said. According to Miller, the Snowboard Team will be propelled by spirit.
