THE LION’S ROAR|THELIONSROAR.COM|Sports
Whitings share track experiences
January 9, 2015|page 21
Basketball’s Appeal
Brendan Duggan sports columnist
DUGGAN’s corner
photo by Bailey Kroner
Senior Matia Whiting and freshman Noah Whiting motivate one another as siblings to continually train harder for indoor track. ing. willing to push yourself, and that extra Noah Shelton Behind each runner is a distinct 20 minutes of sleep make no difference,” Sports Reporter routine that they said allows them to she said. “So now I just try to stay pretty succeed at races. Noah said his routine Several sibling tandems at South calm, just eating a banana and listening is simple, but proven to be effective. “I compete not only in the same athletic to music.” always lay out my uniform the night program, but also on the same team. Noah said that he is influenced by before,” he said. “Then I just drink lots Senior Matia Whiting and her brother, older teammates to succeed. “The other of water and eat a peanut butter and jelly freshman Noah Whiting, both members runners expect a lot after you run a fast sandwich a couple of hours before the of the indoor track team, are making an time for a freshman,” he said. race.” impression in their time as a sibling duo. Although each has distinct rouMatia also used to follow a strict Matia is one of four captains and tines and motivations, the two said that in her last year of track before graduating routine. “[I made sure I got] at least nine being on the same team has influenced hours of sleep, [ate] a banana and some to attend Middlebury College in the fall. their attitudes toward running. “I’m She started running in sixth grade, Cheez-Its two hours before [and drank] definitely motivated by the fact that he three water bottles and a bottle of Gatobut joining the team was not originally looks up to me,” Matia said. “Running on rade during the day to stay hydrated,” she her idea. “I started running … because the same team as him has pushed me to said. “But in the last few years, I’ve found my mom pressured me into doing a run every workout harder because I want the less I prepare and stress, the better I sport, and all my friends were [runto set a good example.” run. Often my best races are the ones in ning],” she said. Noah agreed that running with which I’m sleep deprived and overcomNoah started hot out the gates Matia has motivated him as well. pensating and pushing myself harder.” in his first few weeks as a high school “I feel like she has set a high Matia added that sleep does not runner, finishing the one-mile time trial standard that I have to live up to as her have a huge effect on her performance. in 5:12, a time usually seen in outdoor brother,” he said. “I do feel pressure to “How well you run is how hard you’re runners who typically have more trainrun as well as she does.”
Noah Whiting Class of 2018
Matia Whiting Class of 2015
I’ve never really been a big track kid, but my sister motivates me to get up and run harder even on vacations.
I no longer skip my Sunday long runs, which I started my junior year, to set a good example for Noah.
“Basketball is my favorite sport. I like the way they dribble up and down the court.” Bow Wow knew what was up back in 2002 when he starred in “Like Mike,” a classic basketball movie. Although a lot has changed since then, one thing certainly hasn’t: Basketball is still one of America’s favorite games. Invented in Springfield, Mass., basketball remains popular among both the youth and the professional leagues. Basketball is dynamic. While watching NBA or college games, you never know when someone is going to throw down a monster dunk or block the ball into the stands. Players like LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Kobe Bryant are some of the world’s best athletes; they are capable of making highlight reels on a nightly basis. College basketball is just as popular for a few reasons. First, college players actually play defense, making the game more competitive and tense. The second — and most pivotal to the sport’s success — is March Madness. To end the NCAA season, 64 teams play in a huge tournament for the national championship, as countless Americans fill out brackets with hopes for the perfect bracket. The chance of filling out a perfect bracket is one in 128 billion — in simpler terms, you would have a better chance of winning the lottery or catching two foul balls at a baseball game. This is why Cinderella stories emerge and “upsets” happen daily as the two-and-a-half weeks of “madness” ensue. Additionally, basketball movies are some of the best around, including “Space Jam,” “Semi-Pro,” “Coach Carter” (my personal favorite), “Glory Road” and more. Scenes like Adam Sandler playing one-on-one to recruit football players in “The Longest Yard” are humorous yet action-packed. Some of these movies are instant classics, and others will emerge as legendary later on. Basketball is an international sport, but as Americans, we have the opportunity to see the greatest players in the world within the country. The U.S. Men’s Basketball team has won the Olympic gold several times since NBA players were finally allowed to compete in 1992. An HIV-infected Magic Johnson shared the court with Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen in ’92, helping to make up the famed “Dream Team,” while also promoting respect toward HIV patients. This gold-medal showing by Americans proved that basketball can break barriers. As the winter season goes on, I want to make sure students at South support as many teams as possible. If you haven’t gone to a basketball game in a while, I highly suggest you come watch a game. Some may argue that baseball or football is America’s pastime, but I believe basketball is the most entertaining game to watch. You never know which players will emerge as the game’s MVP, and you can always expect some spectacular plays to be made. Most importantly, basketball has the power to bring people together and allows individuals to be a part of something bigger than themselves.