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Advantage In Air gives back to community
Hannah Simon Co-Sports Editor Walking the grounds of his local tennis court where dozens of lost and deflated balls lay scattered, junior Surya Namana began to wonder just how much waste tennis players produce. “I was watching these kids hit balls into the woods. ‘Where are they going? What are they actually doing to the environment?’” Namana said. To solve this issue, Namana founded Advantage In Air (Ad+ Air), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that empowers students to drive sustainability and inclusiveness in tennis. Its mission is to reduce tennis’ environmental impact and provide access to underprivileged communities. “Basically, what we do is we take these old tennis balls that people normally throw away, and we find ways of making use of the memory by repressurizing the ball. That can be done over and over until the felt of the ball is worn out as a result,” Namana said. “We then donate them to this other project called Level the Playing Field, which gives them to underserved communities in Philadelphia.” The repressurization method, according to Ad+ Air’s
website, uses a unique process to repressurize tennis balls, ensuring they are ready to perform at their best on the court. Its system leverages the principles of thermodynamics and utilizes a series of kegs set at different pressures to equalize the pressure between the kegs and the balls. The executive board, along with Namana as CEO, is composed of three other Conestoga juniors: Tony Xu, CFO; Katherine Emmanuel, CMO; and George Zhang, COO. All of them see tennis as uniquely positioned for growth, and as a new generation of players trying to make the sport more equitable and sustainable, aim to give back to the community. “We are preventing tennis balls from going to landfills, but also helping kids who need their equipment to play tennis, so we’re making tennis more accessible at the same time,” Xu said. Since 2022, Ad+ Air has received and repressurized more than 2,000 tennis balls through its partnerships with tennis facilities or its drop-off locations around Philadelphia. Each month, Ad+ Air donates more than 300 tennis balls to Leveling the Playing Field Philadelphia, saving the tennis community more than
$1,000 by repressurizing and reusing old tennis balls. “Originally, we started with a fundraiser last year where we hosted a mixed doubles tennis tournament at the YMCA. At the event, we sold food and other stuff to fundraise for the initial investments needed,” Xu said. In less than one year, Ad+ Air was selected as the United States Tennis Association Philadelphia Area District Tennis Non-Commercial Organization of the Year, a culmination of the team’s dedication and progress since its launch last May. “This award means a lot to all of us because it shows the amount of work we put in a qualified award,” Namana said. With chapters at Conestoga, Downingtown and Methacton High School, Ad+ Air continues to mobilize and increase. Currently, the organization works with several businesses to support its cause. Namana hopes to work with major tennis tournaments in the future. “We have three branches in Pennsylvania. We’re getting a branch in California soon, and talking to some people in the Midwest,” Namana said. “Hopefully, that all works out, but I think as an organization, we’re maturing a lot right now.”
Sports
Tuesday, April 25, 2023
Michael Tierney/The SPOKE
Fasting and fitness: Junior Zane Khalil works out on the seated cable row machine at the Life Time King of Prussia gym. Khalil ate before his daily workout to fuel up for the physical exertion. He will hold onto the lessons of resilience and self-control he learned during Ramadan and apply them in his life beyond the holy month of fasting.
Fit fasting: Students exercise during Ramadan Michael Tierney
Business Manager The sun is just starting to rise, casting a soft golden glow as a group of students make their way to the gym. As they walk, they greet each other with quiet nods and murmurs of “Salaam” — Arabic for “Peace be upon you” — before settling into their workout routine. Some Muslim students are observing Ramadan, the month-long Islamic period of fasting and spiritual reflection, during which they abstain from food and drink from dawn to dusk. Despite the physical challenges that come with working out while fasting, these students are determined to maintain their fitness routine and persevere to push themselves to new heights. In junior Zane Khalil’s routine, he waits until sunset to eat a meal, goes to the gym and then eats again when he returns home.
“It’s tiring, but I have to keep pushing forward,” Khalil said. “It gives me a new outlook on life (and) makes me more appreciative of all the food and everything I have.”
“The hardest part is getting enough sleep because I have to wake up early, and if I get home too late, I get too tired and fall asleep without doing any homework. I combat this problem by doing my
“I definitely think this brings me and other people closer to their faith because Ramadan teaches you many things like self-control and patience,” Haloui said. “Ramadan is also a time where Muslims refrain from doing certain things like listening to music so that they can get closer to their faith and be more religious.” Exercising during this religious observance has led students to adjust their daily routines and eating schedules, which cultivates responsibility and self-disciJunior pline and results in a rewarding experience. “Even though it gets tiring at times, I have to remember to keep doing my daily routine (as) I would without fasting because the entire point of Ramadan is to have self-control and empathize with those who are less fortunate,” Omair said. “Even if I feel hunger or tiredness, I feel accomplished knowing I stuck through with it.”
It’s tiring, but I have to keep pushing forward. It gives me a new outlook on life and makes me more appreciative of all the food and everything Zane Khalil I have.
Courtesy Advantage in Air
Paving the way: (From left to right) Juniors George Zhang, Katherine Emmanuel, Tony Xu and Surya Namana accept the United States Tennis Association Philadelphia Area District Tennis Non-Commercial Organization of the Year award.
Similarly, junior Ammaiza Omair typically goes to the gym later at night before she breaks her fast. This way, the sun sets during her workout, and she can drink water to avoid dehydration. However, she must also overcome other obstacles, such as waking up early to eat breakfast before sunrise.
homework during the school day and making the most of my time during Ramadan,” Omair said. Although staying disciplined and facing obstacles during Ramadan can be difficult, it helped sophomore Yaseen Haloui deepen his religious devotion and gain a deeper understanding of himself.
New throws coach for track program after 20 years Ryan Ding and Howard Kim Staff Reporter and Co-Sports Editor The Conestoga track and field program has gained a new addition with family and consumer sciences teacher Grace Hafer joining as a new throws coach. A former high school and college thrower herself, Hafer coached for six years at Fugett Middle School and West Chester East High School prior to her arrival as ’Stoga’s first throws coach since 2000. In previous years, most students interested in throws received coaching from jumps coaches. It was only after sophomore Bradley Younce requested a throwing coach when Conestoga athletic director Kevin Pechin began his search for one. Younce made his proposal after running into Conestoga athletic director Kevin Pechin after a football team workout. Pechin suggested throwing shot put to Younce, who wanted to try out a spring sport after the football season, believing it would suit his build. Following the athlete’s agreement, Pechin sent out an email to the faculty to gauge interest and received a response from Hafer. “I was excited. I was glad to hear that they would have a coach again,” Hafer said. “I love track, so I was happy to do it, and I was happy to meet the kids who wanted to throw.” Due to the previous lack of a throws team, the program doesn’t have throwers with lots of experience. To compensate for this, Hafer plans to
build the throwers’ skills from the ground up. Starting with the basics, she dedicates time to focusing on throwing dynamics and proper technique. “They’ve spent a lot of time the last two weeks working on what it takes to throw,” Hafer said. “They’re the ones who are putting in the work, showing that they’re willing to give the effort to become great throwers, and I’m just giving them the tools that they need.” She also often enlists additional assistance to develop the athletes’ skills. Hafer’s husband, who is also an experienced thrower, often comes to Conestoga to help her work with the athletes, giving pointers and helping them improve their technique. “A lot of the people on our team have really good builds, so it’s just a matter of unlocking the full potential with the form,” freshman Zac Costas said. “That’s the primary thing with shot put, discus and javelin; you can have the body to throw really far but (be unable to) if you don’t know how.” Although the team lacks veteran throwers, Costas believes they make up for it in work ethic. To improve, throwers frequently spend their free time watching YouTube videos and gather for daily workouts after school. Senior javelin thrower Josh Penny predicts the team has a high chance of success in upcoming and future seasons. “There’s a lot of ambition, there’s a lot of drive to do well, and there’s a lot of pressure to have a good first season and to be able to continue that past this year,” Penny said. “But it’s really just for fun, just to try it out and see where it goes.”
Ryan Ding/The SPOKE
Ready to release: Freshman Zac Costas launches his shot put throw. Costas began throwing in seventh grade and brought his past experience to the throwing team.
Commitment Corner charlie bascome WEST CHESTER UNIVERSITY SPORT: RUGBY GRADE: 12 Why WCU: “After exploring many options for playing at a Division I rugby school, I chose West Chester University because of their astounding rugby program. After visiting the team and playing with some of their members throughout my high school career, I truly thought WCU was a great fit for me. It also has an excellent reputation for academics.”