ART BY//ASHLYNN YOKOM
PAGE DESIGN BY//BLAKE OETTING
INTRAMURALS:
Students at West this year have started several new competitive sports team this year including rugby, ultimate frisbee and soccer PHOTO BY//FRANK WEIRICH
Rugby
BY BLAKE OETTING
During an intramural rugby game, Jackson Peplow ’13 loos downfield.
blake.oetting@wsspaper.com First it was soccer that made its transition from a European phenomenon to a highly played American sport. Now a new activity has burrowed its way into the pastimes of many this side of the pond. It has even found its way into the confines of West High. That’s right folks, rugby has arrived. For now it is classified as a club, but with the pastime gaining more and more popularity, one might want to watch out for the first West High
rugby team. Chuck Adolph ’13 and Joel Hurt ’13 founded the club earlier this year with the intention of it becoming a competitive team - playing matches against other teams across the state. “Joel and I [started the club]. Our football coach told us about it and got us interested in the sport,” said Adolph. This initial interest has produced a full-fledged squad with around sixteen people participating in practices and games. The team holds two to three practices a week where they work on various aspects of the sport such as hitting, running and passing. However, with the nature of the sport being the
Ultimate Frisbee BY BRENNA DEERBERG
brenna.deerberg@wsspaper.com On many a Saturday afternoon several West High students can be found fighting over a frisbee or two in Willow Creek Park. While there are occasionally newcomers who attend these Ultimate Frisbee games with their friends, this group is made up of a select few regulars who are part of a Facebook team. Darra Stuart ’13 started playing last year after becoming a fan of the game during Early Bird PE with her
older brother and her friends. Stuart said she enjoys playing Ultimate Frisbee because it’s good exercise and good fun. Fellow frisbee thrower Andy Rosse ’13 also said he enjoys playing Ultimate for the exercise. However, that’s not the only reason he enjoys playing. “[I like] the thrill of the game ... It’s great exercise and lots of fun. [I also get] to spend more time with Cort Pugh ’13,” said Rosse. Like Stuart, Rosse was first intro-
PHOTO BY//FRANK WEIRICH duced to Ultimate Frisbee during the sunrise hours in Early Bird PE.While busy schedules may occasionally keep these intramural athletes away from their game, they both agree that they love having Ultimate Frisbee in their lives. “I’m not able to go all the time, but I really like [playing Ultimate Frisbee],” said Stuart. “It’s always the highlight of my week when I can go.”
Soccer
BY BLAKE OETTING
PHOTO BY//ADAM CANADY During an intramural soccer practice, Kasra Zarei ’13 fights for possession of the ball. 20 SPORTS
blake.oetting@wsspaper.com Soccer has a long-time tradition of excellence here at West High. The Trojans have won six state championships and passed along many players to division one athletic programs. What many people aren’t aware of is the existence of another soccer program at West High. West’s intramural soccer team has been passed down through the generations and placed in the hands of the team’s current leaders Zach Hingtgen ’14 and Kasra Zarei ’13. Hingtgen and Zarei got the idea of reviving the intramural squad from their
The name R2-D2 comes from film jargon meaning reel two, dialogue two.
way it is, people are bound to get hurt. “We’ve had two concussions, a root canal and several broken fingers. It’s a pretty violent sport,” Adolph said. All of the injuries and the practices will pay off when they challenge the plethora of other teams in the Quad Cities, Cedar Falls, Muscatine and several in Des Moines. Even though traveling around the state sounds like a promising venture, the team’s favorite part of rugby remains clear. “Hitting people,” Adolph said.
While practicing in the courtyard, Katie Harper ’13 practices her passing. older siblings who participated in the club during their own high school year, “Kasra’s and my older siblings used to do it when they were in high school. We would go along with them and it was a lot of fun. So we decided to continue on the team,” said Hingtgen. The decision to gather up a group has produced a team consisting of around 14 players who play against each other each Sunday evening. The games can sometimes get intense, but in general, they are laid-back and fun, “We always play [at practice]. It can get serious, but it’s not too hard core we’re there to have fun,” Hingtgen said.
For many of the players on the team, the less intense intramural team provides an opportunity to play soccer in a stress-free environment. “We’re more into just having fun with it. I still love playing on a team though,” Hingtgen said.