nov. 9, 2016
Catching upwith Keeghan Andrews
tribal missions
25
A gobblin’ good time
Junior Keeghan Andrews, a varsity All-State volleyball player, is committed to Syracuse University. How much training goes into being at this skill level? Do you train outside of practice? “I go to the gym a bunch and I do private lessons and I practice with my coaches. Practice obviously makes the most impact.” So you’re committed to Syracuse? What are your thoughts about your future with volleyball? “I’m really excited, I know it’ll be the next step. I’m really excited to play at the next level and keep going. I love the sport.” How do you think you’ve improved from this year to last year? “I’ve gotten a lot better. I’ve gotten a lot stronger, I’m a lot smarter. A lot of that is from my coaches. They’ve helped me improve as a player.” What has volleyball done for you in your life? “It’s given me a different outlook on life, I socialize with good people and it’s gotten me into a family. We’re all friends and family on the team and we all love each other. It’s gotten me a good friend group and made me make good decisions.” -- Compiled by Kat Kollegger
Kat Kollegger // photo
Junior Edward O’Neil teaches senior Hannah Rothkopf how to shoot a gun at the 2016 East Cooper Outboard Motor Club Turkey Shoot (Top).
First time ‘hunter’ finds experience enjoyable
I life.
Hannah Rothkopf staff writer
I was definitely nervous. I have never done anything like this in my
I had already made up my mind that I was not going to like it. I’m 17, have lived in South Carolina for 10 years now. I had never shot any kind of gun before that night. And I honestly thought I would go my entire life without even touching one. The three of us, Edward O’Neil, Kat Kollegger and I met at the Publix on the far side of Coleman Boulevard. We all piled into Edward’s car, who then drove the rest of the way to Goldbug Island where the annual Turkey Shoot for Charity is held by the East Cooper Outboard Motor Club. -- not a real turkey, just a target. The only way onto the island is a tiny, barely visible dirt road just before the Sullivan’s Island connector. To the right of the entrance stands a tall white sign with the words ‘Turkey Shoot’ printed over a funny little illustration of a terrified turkey running for its life. I really connected with that cartoon turkey on the way in. As soon as I opened the car door, I was hit with the smell of barbeque and smoke. Light poured from each open side of the range, “Are you scared?” Kat asked. “It will be
okay. You’ll probably end up really liking it. It’s a rush.” We walked up to the first counter we saw, paid the $4 for a slot and waited. It was probably the longest three minutes of my life. ‘I’m so clumsy. What if I accidentally kill someone? I won’t be able to handle that’ was all I was capable of thinking in those three minutes -- which was ridiculous. Everything was going to be fine. But my brain just would not let it go. The only time I ever killed anything was in the seventh grade. I was walking to the bus stop and accidentally stepped on a snail. I cried for an hour. “Numbers 11-20. Numbers 11-20, it’s your time to shoot.” Two men in bright orange safety vests stood at the front of the range. one of the men led Edward, Kat and me to our assigned slots. Edward shot first so he could show me how to load the gun and where to point it. He shot once. The noise was jolting. I had forgotten that guns are supposed to be so loud. Then Edward handed me the gun. The man in the vest who showed us to our slots immediately walked over to help. Smart man. I held it up to aim at the target labeled 16. The man showed me how to hold the gun properly and what to do before you shoot. “Don’t put your finger on the trigger yet,” he said. “Pull that top lever down before you do anything else.” I took a breath and then someone behind me told me to shoot.
I held up the gun, aimed at the first target I saw and pulled the trigger. I think I closed my eyes. I don’t really remember anything besides the ringing that filled my ears. And the pain in my arm from the kickback. I loved it. “That was quite a shot!” the man in the orange safety vest laughed. It was the craziest feeling, getting an adrenaline rush from just pulling a trigger. I felt like I had just run seven miles. I handed the gun back to Edward who loaded it for Kat. She shot once. I wasn’t jolted by the noise this time though. This time I laughed at it. After Kat put the gun back on its rack, the three of us decided to go see how our targets looked. Target 16, my target, was perfectly pristine and white. There was not a single hole or defect. I had missed completely. Somewhere in the woods behind the range, some poor tree had probably been turned into swiss cheese. Or maybe I hit someone else’s target all together. Who knows. All I know is that I managed not to kill anyone, and shooting a gun is incredibly fun. So try new things and make an effort to keep an open mind. It’s something we’ve all heard before, but no one can truly know how they feel about something until they actually try it. Don’t be the scared turkey from the sign. Instead go shoot a gun, laugh about it, and try not to kill anyone. It will be fun. I promise.