10 (sports)
Behind the blockers
The Reporter • November 2012
Pomatto, Moala share what allows them to perform their best in competition caleb hecker editor-in-chief
Joe Pomatto, senior
Tiana Moala, sophomore
Q: What sports do you play? A: Football, wrestling, track and baseball
Q: What sports do you play? A: Volleyball, basketball and track
Q: Why do you play sports? A: To kill time.
Q: Why do you play sports? A: I started because my mom played and it was expected, but now I play because I love it.
Q: How do you get better in the off-season? A: Every opportunity I am in the weight
Q: How do you get better in the off-season? A: I play basketball on a tournament team to
room, or doing something that benefits athletics.
get a better chance at scholarships.
Q: What satisfaction does it give you to
Q: What satisfaction does it give you to
improve? A: To know I can beat people up in competition and not be beat up on.
improve? A: I enjoy getting the approval from the coaches and the fans.
Q: Does it get easier or harder to improve as you get older? A: Harder because the areas you need to improve upon are narrower and require you to work harder. Q: How do you stay positive when things aren’t going your way? A: I realize that if I give 100 percent then I have nothing to regret. Dedication to my team also helps me keep going.
Q: Does it get easier or harder to improve as you get older? A: Harder because the skills you need to learn are harder than when you were a kid. Photo by Kenzie Getz
Photo by Katey Colwell
Senior Joe Pomatto blocks a Spring Hill lineman on Sept. 14. Paola beat Spring Hill 16-14 for the first win of the season.
Sophomore Tiana Moala blocks a spike attempt in a game against Ottawa on Oct. 2. Paola swept Ottawa.
Staying local Opinion caleb hecker editor-in-chief A lot of talk surrounds all kinds of sports and the different levels at which they are played. With the national attention on pro sports teams, sometimes we put local teams on the backburner. Our peers make up these teams, so they deserve our main focus. The Royals last playoff appearance was in 1985, according to the baseball reference website. The Chiefs last playoff appearance was 2010, according to the pro-football reference website. Despite a lack elite of status for either team, fan support has never really been an issue in Kansas City. The Chiefs somehow manage to sell out every game and have one of the most feared crowds in the NFL. Every week people
Q: How do you stay positive when things aren’t going your way? A: I try to laugh a lot, sometimes it is just to much because I am mad at myself not my teammates.
Sports fans need to show more support for school, not as much for professionals
arrive at the stadium hoping to watch the Chiefs stomp on their opponent; instead they have watched the Chiefs lose 24 home games since 2008, according to the ESPN website. A total of 36 games have been played at home since that time and seven of those 12 wins came in 2010 when the Chiefs won the division. It isn’t considered homefield advantage when you can’t get it done in Kansas City. The Royals have managed only two winning seasons since 1994. The Royals shouldn’t sell a single ticket to a game because of the lack of production on the field. The Royals have lost 1,715 games in that time span, but have one of the best minor league systems in the game. Let’s be honest, the minor league players have been there for a while, but never seem to make it to the big leagues and when they do they never seem to contribute.
Photo Illustration by Caleb Hecker Photo by Journey Capettini
People fill the stands for the district championship game against Louisburg on Oct. 25. Paola won the game 14-7 and were district champions.
With the pro sports teams’ lackluster performance of late, one reason our sports are so appealing is because they are always winning. Volleyball was undefeated league champions; football made three straight sub-states and girls cross country won regionals. There aren’t hundreds of millions of dollars being thrown around in an attempt to buy the best
talent available for our team. Talent is grown and coached in our community and we take great pride in it, so no matter how bad it may get, the crowd will be loud at any game. Let’s keep showing our Panther pride, because the pro teams aren’t getting better any time soon.