Sports
10
Thursday, October 17th, 2019
Early success: Freshmen deliver in varsity sports Alex Gurski and Hiba Samdani
Multimedia Editor and Staff Reporter As Conestoga begins its new fall sports season, six freshmen are applauded for making varsity teams. From preseason in August until now, these athletes have pushed themselves to make a positive impression on their new teams and to play the sports they love. Freshmen Amanda Hill and Kate Galica made the Varsity Girls field hockey team, snagging two of the 22 positions available to players. Hill began playing many sports at a young age but stuck with field hockey. She joined many clubs and played for teams like Fastflix and Mayhem Field Hockey Club. When Hill read the email announcing that she made the team, she was not only excited but had a huge grin across her face. However, as a freshman, she was apprehensive about making mistakes in front of her teammates. “The one thing I was really stressed about was whenever I made a mistake, but everyone is making mistakes. (What matters) is whether or not you will
run hard to get that ball back,” Hill said. Galica’s experience in a multitude of other sports helped her make the team. Playing lacrosse and having prior experience with field hockey have helped her become a faster runner, a crucial skill when playing on the field. “You have to run (a mile) every week, and try to beat your time. I had a bunch of lacrosse tournaments, so that helped fill in for the mile time, too,” Galica said. Even though she is a freshman, Galica has made an immense contribution to the team. Galica has scored in almost every game this season and is one of the starting players, a position given to players that demonstrate exceptional skills in their sport. Freshman Isabella Chen made the varsity girls’ tennis team this year after spending her summer training at the YMCA, spending time in the gym and on the tennis courts there. Chen started playing tennis at just 3 years old and has continued working on her game since, practicing at the YMCA and the Julian Krinsky School of Tennis as well as competing in tournaments.
Hiba Samdani/The SPOKE
Reaching for the stars: Freshman Isabella Chen delivers a serve at the YMCA. Chen previously practiced at the Julian Krinsky School and participated in tournaments before making the varsity girls’ tennis team.
Her extensive experience in tennis prepared Chen for her first high school tryout, but she still had jitters beforehand. “I was really nervous for tryouts. I knew a good amount of people on the team already, but I didn’t know too many people, and I was also really scared of how good they were,” Chen said. After finding out she made the team, Chen was “very surprised and really happy.” With only a few more weeks to go, Chen feels as though she gets along well with the rest of the varsity team, despite her status as the only freshman in the group. “Nobody really treats me differently because I’m a freshman,” Chen said. “Everybody just knows I’m on the team. I’m another teammate.” In an effort to make the varsity girls soccer squad, freshman Mia Galrao spent her time prior to tryouts working on her endurance. She exercised by running, practiced with her club team, FC Delco, and worked with her old coaches from previous clubs in preparation for the preseason. Galrao was “terrified” going into tryouts, but ended up as the only freshman girl on the team this year. She looks forward to becoming close with her new older teammates. “I was so happy and super excited to get close to the team,” Galrao said. “They are all so sweet, supportive and encouraging. They are like my big sisters.” Sara Walheim, this year’s only freshman on the volleyball team, made the team after spending the summer in preparation for tryouts, participating in tournaments with teammates from her club team. Walheim has been playing volleyball for two years, working on her skills through playing on her club team, TEVA. Despite the training done on her club team, she was still nervous about making the school team. “Being a freshman, tryouts were very intimidating at first. I was scared that I would mess up and that it would affect how the coaches saw me. Towards the end of tryouts though, I was just happy to be on the court again and play my game,” Walheim said. In the weeks since the season began, Walheim has become close with her teammates, despite being the youngest on the team. “I absolutely love the team. Being the youngest on varsity was intimidating at first but my teammates are the best and have made me so much more confident on the court.”
Ananya Kulkarni/The SPOKE
Digging for more: Freshman Sara Walheim watches the ball in a Pink Out volleyball game against Garnet Valley on Oct. 7. Walheim has played on her club team, TEVA, for the past two years before making the girls’ varsity volleyball team.
Alex Gurski/The SPOKE
Achieving goals: Freshman Mia Galrao walks across Teamer Field during a soccer game. Although she said she was initially “terrified” during tryouts, Galrao became the only freshman to make the team.
Closing the gap: Freshmen girls tackle football Alexis Costas Staff Reporter
Rain or shine, it’s not unusual to see Conestoga football players working hard to perfect their offensive and defensive lines hours after the school day is over. Some people may be surprised to see both boys and girls taking the field to practice their plays, but to freshmen football team members Ella Bass and Brooke Braslow, it’s nothing new. For Bass and Braslow, who play safety/wide receiver and quarterback respectively, athletics have always been part of the daily routine. The two are definitely no strangers to sports: Braslow plays basketball and lacrosse, and Bass has passionately played softball for years. However, while both have played football in the past for their middle schools’ unlimited teams, as well as the Conestoga Generals
in Braslow’s case, this is their first time playing the sport together on a team. It’s not easy being the only female players on the field, especially in a male-dominated sport like football, but the girls are more than up to the challenge. “It’s tough. We work a lot harder than we did (before playing for Conestoga),” Bass said, “but I like it. I like having to push myself harder.” Aside from the increased practices, some of the differences the girls say they’ve had to adapt to this year are keeping track of jerseys and equipment, talking more with coaches and playing with/ against boys who are stronger and/or larger than them physically. Like the rest of the team, the two attend daily practices and weekly games. Although an unfortunate finger injury is currently keeping Bass off the field, she
goes to all practices and games to learn the team’s strategies and support her fellow players, including Braslow. While the girls occasionally feel that their teammates make a point of going easy or hard on them because of their gender, for the most part they fit right in among the male players. Girls playing “doesn’t make a difference to the sport. It’s still the same game,” said Karan Kang, wide receiver and free safety for the freshman football team. Freshman football coach Aaron Lockard, a strong believer in the importance of teamwork, feels that there are unique benefits to having a mixed-gender team. “Sports, like football, are important for students to build teamwork and leadership skills while overcoming physical and mental challenges. Every good team finds a way to build each other up and
embrace the positive characteristics each player brings to the table,” Lockard said. Of course, there are challenges besides physical ones that the girls have had to deal with. Both say they have dealt with unfair bias from opposing players, and even other coaches. “A couple years ago, there was this one coach who completely pointed me out,” Braslow said. “He said, ‘That is a girl, you have to go hit her harder, you have to go hunt her down, take her out of the game.’” Sometimes, the players they go up against try to bother them even without a coach’s direction. “It’s harder in game situations. Guys see your hair and they like to pull at it. That’s not fun, but you keep going,” Bass said. The two had similar sentiments on the importance of self-confidence for other girls who are considering playing male-dominated
sports such as football. “I would say, just put yourself out there. Just be you. Even though the guys might be stronger or faster than you, just ignore that and be your own person,” Braslow said. Considering the adversities the girls face, one may wonder what makes playing a male-dominated sport as a female worth it, but both are passionate in their belief that physical, mental and social challenges should never stand in someone’s way of doing what they love. “If you like to play a sport, go for it. Who cares what you are off the field? You’re all people at the end of the day,” Bass said. “If you want to play football, no one should be able to stop you from doing that.” Both Bass and Braslow are open to the possibility of playing football in college and plan to continue playing the sport for ’Stoga.
Commitment Corner Corner Commitment Lily Bielinski Temple University SPORT: CREW GRADE: 12 Why Temple: “I chose Temple because of the amazing athletic opportunities I am going to have rowing there. I also love the campus, being in the city and I’m excited to stay around the school.”
Courtesy of ‘Stoga Football
Breaking ground: The freshmen football team poses for their team photo. Freshmen Ella Bass and Brooke Braslow (bottom right) joined the team this year as safety/wide receiver and quarterback, respectively.