Girls Varsity Gymnastics with Jessica Taylor
With one meet behind them, the girls gymnastics team is off to a fresh start. This year’s team looks different from last year’s, with only one senior, leaving juniors to step up.
With many new girls on the team, junior captain Jessica Taylor decided to take on this position as she strives to set a strong example for the team. Taylor understands it is vital for the team to work together to improve themselves as individual gymnasts but also as a team.
“We got some new skills. Some girls were kind of scared because they’ve never done gymnastics before, but they got some [skills] and that’s good,” Taylor said. “So we have some floor music and our floor routines, so everyone should be competing.”
However, the new season does not come without its challenges and doubts. After not practicing during the offseason, Taylor believes the team feels the drive to regain the skills that were lost.
“We’re pushing past it, but me personally, it’s been six months since I’ve done stuff, so I lost a couple things [and] we’re working on getting them back,” Taylor said.
Boys Varsity Basketball with Ben Rickerman
Starting off the new season slower than expected the boys varsity basketball team aims to shake off the pre-season jitters with more practice and higher expectations for themselves. Recognizing that each practice and each game will bring them closer to reaching their goals for the season, senior captain Ben Rickerman focuses on uplifting his teammates to advance their skills.
With encouragement from Rickerman, the boys kept their heads held high after the loss against Lakeshore. Now, the team continues to focus on improving their skills to win more games.
“We had a little bit of a slow start, but we’re treading forward now,” Rickerman said. “I mean the early loss to Lakeshore was obviously a setback, but it doesn’t really affect us. We just put it behind us, we keep moving forward.”
Rickerman plans to keep the team motivated throughout the season, hoping it will improve their performance and lead them to a district win.
“Our main goal is to win a district title this year,” Rickerman said. “Obviously a win against South would be nice, but in our eyes a district title would be great.”