14
June
Sports
Close bonds, strong play aide Softball Team in accomplishing goals
M ary E arp
The Girls' Softball Team
ended their season with a
fourth place finish in the
Three Rivers League, resulting
in a record of 9-6 in their
conference. The Lions faced off
against the Roseburg Indians
for the first round of the State
Playoffs on May 23. The team
fell 6-2, finishing a season filled
with challenges.
"We battled hard and played
well," Aubrey Pesicka, junior
pitcher, said. "We just had one
rough inning, but we ended the
season playing well which was
all we could ask for."
Overall, this year was much
more competitive than those
in the past, according to Jamie
LeVeque, head coach.
"The league was very
competitive this year," LeVeque
said. "Every team played us
close, and there were no easy
games.”
That competitiveness is not
the only difference this year,
though, according to Pesicka.
"This team is a lot closer
than it has been in the past,"
the season progressed, we have
done so much better," Pesicka
said.
Another problem the team
faced was the skill of their
competitors and the closeness
Boys' Golf takes second at Districts, fifth at State
J ennifer S itton
The Boys' Golf Team fin
ished its season with a fifth
place finish at the State tourna
ment with a combined team
score of 631. The Lions were
led by Zach Foushee, junior,
who took second overall with
a score of two over par, three
strokes behind the individual
champion Adam Bean from
Lincoln.
After the first day at State,
the team found itself in 25th
place, with323strokes. Foushee
finished the first day one over
par, putting him in fifth place
entering day two. Connor Jet
ton, junior, shot an 82 while
Charlie Moore, sophomore, fin
ished with 83. Anders Otterlei
and Bryant Bushnell, juniors,
both contributed individual
scores of 85.
The team began playoffs at
the TRL District match on May
3-4, taking second place behind
Lake Oswego. The Lions were
led bv Foushee who posted a
Photo by Janice Moore
Anders Otterlei, junior, hits his
approach shot on hole 18 of at the
State golf tournament. Otterlei
finished with a final score of 164,
helping propel the team to a fifth
place finish.
score of 71 the first day and 74
the second day. Foushee finished
third place overall.
"It all starts with Zach Foush
ee," Justin Paredes, head coach,
said. "He led the TRL in scor
ing with an average below 70
(during league). Every time he
steps out onto the course, he is
expected to w in."
However, at Districts, the
Lions found a new star in their
team. Moore took fourth place
overall with scores of 75 and 74.
"W hilel was proud of all our
boys, Charlie blew me away.
He came through big for us,
shooting75-74for an individual
tie for fourth," Paredes said.
"I am hoping he can take this
momentum through to State."
Regardless of how the sea
son ended, things look bright
for the team's future as it will
return four seniors and many
young players with great po
tential, according to Paredes.
But first, the team reflected on
this year's successful season.
"I couldn't be more proud
of my guys one through 12,"
Paredes said.
Photo by Laurel Massaro
Caroline MacAusland, junior, swings at the ball during a 1-0 win
against Lake Oswego. According to Aubrey Pesicka, junior, the team
played better this year due to the closeness of the team which finished
fourth in the Three Rivers League.
Pesicka said. "We all love the
game and have a great time
playing together."
According to Pesicka, the
bonds formed have helped the
team to continue through the
season easier. Along with these
friendships, the team has been
playing its hardest and has
worked through adversity.
"At the beginning of the
season we had some trouble
hitting and scoring runs, but as
of their records compared
to other teams. This season,
there was no major gap in
records within the Three
Rivers League, with West Linn
running neck-and-neck with
Canby, Lake Oswego and
Clackamas.
"Pitching is a major part
of softball success," LeVeque
said. "Also, our team had to
be playing well and avoid
injuries."
: ik
At this point, high school
basketball has been over for
a few months, but the extra
time has not made it any less
difficult to accept. There is
nothing worse than waking up
the morning after a playoff loss
and realizing that the thing that
has been your entire life almost
every day for the last five years
is suddenly over.
Melancholy tears aside, I
decided it was time to reflect on
my last four years of high school
basketball, because it was a
huge part of what made me who
I am today.
Every student should have
the opportunity to play a high
school sport. The benefits and
lessons that go along with
sports remain a part of you
for your entire life. There are
other extracurriculars that can
be just as beneficial, such as
participating in the Mock Trial
Team, Thespians, ISEF or band.
However, I can't speak to those,
because they are not ingrained
in my soul as basketball is.
I gave so much of myself to
basketball. It dominated my
thoughts, actions, schedule,
meals and sleep pattern.
Looking back, I had to have
learned something from the
activity that monopolized my
life for so long. So, for this
column, I sat down and decided
to share what I believe are the
top eight benefits of playing
high school sports.
1.
Solid, impenetrable
friendships—There is no
bond stronger than that of a
teammate. They are the only
ones who can understand
entirely how you are feeling.
The things you experience
together—running excessive
amounts of lines, celebrating a
playoff win, mourning losses,
and bonding over massive
amounts of food—are events
that are so unique to your team
that they create an impenetrable
bond that only the team can
understand. The friendship
between teammates is exclusive,
strong as steel and something
I cherish more than anything
else from my last four years of
basketball.
2. Organizational skills—
During the season, a high school
athlete would kill for a few more
hours in each day. Time is a
commodity that one can never
truly appreciate until you spend
seven hours at school, two and
a half at practice and at least an
hour to shower and eat dinner
afterwards. I have learned
that weekends were created
for homework. Anything that
I can possibly finish over the
weekend, even if it isn't due
until Friday, I will do. My
advice to every freshman who
enters the world of high school
athletics: Obtain a planner and
USE IT.
3. Sense of community—
Every sport has its own
community. It just so happens
that the basketball community
is very tight and I am ingrained
in every aspect of it. I cherish
the fact that I can go into
a restaurant or even to the
grocery store in West Linn
and find people who I know
or know me simply because
of basketball. For some, that
sense of community can give
you a purpose and make you
feel as though you are a part of
something bigger than just you.
4.
Confidence—Confidence
can either be built through
athletics or tom down; usually
both at some point in your four
years. Every athlete has ups
and downs but I truly believe
to communicate with coaches
or their fellow teammates, they
must find it. We have all faced
situations where we have to sit
down with someone and say
what needs to be said. High
school athletes leam this early
on in and it is a skill that will
serve them well for the rest of
their lives.
Photo by Kristin Stringer
Mikayla Kraemer, junior, and Hayley Bigoni, senior, collaborate to
unravel a frozen t-shirt during a team-building activity at the Varsity
Girls’ Basketball Retreat. Retreats and team trips play a huge part in
building lasting friendships between teammates, the number one
benefit to playing high school sports.
that playing a sport builds
confidence, even if it isn't found
until that athlete's senior night.
Everyone does something well
and generally, there is someone
around who cares enough about
you to tell you. Sometimes,
"good game" is all you need to
hear to make everything okay
again.
5. Communication skills—In
athletics, individuals must find
their own voice. Whether it is
6. Competitive drive—To
be a competitive person you
don't have to be a crazed, macho
athlete chanting "draw blood"
in the locker room before a
game. The competitive spirit
is something that is ingrained
in all of us; it simply must
be drawn out by someone or
something. The adrenaline
and excitement an athlete feels
before a big game is a feeling
that can never be replaced or
duplicated.
7.
Leadership—By the time
they are a senior, everyone
is a leader in their own way.
Whether they lead by example
on the floor, bring everyone
together as a team in tough
situations or quietly encourage
those who are struggling,
everyone has the capacity to
be a leader. Sports bring out
the leader in every athlete who
survives to make it to their
senior night.
Everyone's experiences with
high school sports are different.
Some are positive experiences
and some are not. Some come
away with lasting memories and
friendships that they will keep
for the rest of their lives and
some do not. Regardless of how
you feel about sports, it cannot
be denied that there are many
benefits that come from them.
I am a completely different
person today than I was the
day I walked into tryouts as a
freshman. Whether or not that
can be attributed to basketball
is debatable. All I know for
sure is that 40 years from now,
when I look back on my four
years of high school, I probably
won't remember what courses
I took or the person I sat next
to in health class. What I will
remember are the girls I spent
essentially every waking
moment with for four and a
half months out of every year.
I'll remember the laughter. The
tears. The feeling that, unified
together, we were a part of
something so much bigger than
just us. Above all, I'll remember
my team.