Lacrosse boys stick with it Athlete of the Issue

by David Anton Golridge staff reporter

The Mounds View boys lacrosse team gears up for the spring season with new goals and some new players.

One of the largests goals the team plans to achieve is building upon what they had last year. Last season, the team had some difficulties getting into action. “We had a young team this past season, and the record is not a good indicator of the growth and improvement our team made,” said Coach Sam Hnastchenko.

Tennis

Q: How and when did your passion start?

A: I’ve played tennis for about eight years.

Q: What is your favorite thing about tennis?

A: My favorite thing about tennis is probably the satisfying feeling of hitting a good shot, especially after winning a long point.

Q: What is the most difficult part of tennis?

A: The most difficult part about the sport is definitely the mental aspect. During important matches it’s really easy to get nervous and being able to overcome that can be very difficult because it can cause you to play much worse.

Q: What do you do to prepare for a match?

A: To prepare for big matches it’s important to just have everything ready — have your bag packed, rackets strung, stuff like that. The less things you have to think about the day of the match, the more relaxed you’ll be and probably play better.

Q: What does your season look like?

A: Our season is pretty short. Being in the spring makes it really hard to start off because of the bad weather. Unfortunately, tennis is one of those sports where we can’t play even if the courts are a little bit wet because it makes them a lot more slippery. Once we do get out on the courts, we practice six days a week (unless we have matches) and [also] stuff with the team like carboloads, which are always fun.

However, he also acknowledges that this season will be better because of the improvements made last season. “We are returning many of our important players and they are expected to make the next step and get to the next level,” said Hnastchenko.

Senior Kenneth Guerrero feels that their relationships with each other will be a key factor for their performance. “I feel like our chemistry is better this year, and we have been improving,” he said. “I think the players have a big responsibility in many ways like making sure everyone is heard and supported, and they have to make it known that they’re there to support everyone.” With this mentality, Guerrero hopes to make it to state next year.

Even if lacrosse is a team sport, individual performances from players are really important and they set personal goals for themselves which they want to achieve.

“My personal goal right now is to step up this season… Make some saves that I couldn’t save during the last season and generally step my game up as a varsity goalie,” said junior Tommy Asch.

A major challenge every season is dealing with player injuries. Because they can be such an obstacle, Hnastchenko makes conditioning a priority. “We work to be conditioned and in shape for the season which reduces injuries. We also make sure we are warmed up and prepared for whenever we enter the field,” he said.

Players and coaches alike feel that if they take these steps to success, they will stand as tough competition in sections as they aim for state.