38
SPORTS
DEC. 21, 2018
BY MARTA LEIRA & MISHA CANIN, WSS INTERN
Players’ jersey numbers allow others to identify them on and off the court or field. They carry these numbers on their back, and for some, it has become an integral part of who they are. Whether they are scoring a goal, shooting a three-pointer or hitting a home run, what makes each individual athlete special is the number they wear on their jersey. Learn the stories behind some of these numbers. PHOTOS BY ALYSSA SKALA & KARA WAGENKNECHT AND COURTESY OF SCHUYLER HOUSTON DESIGN BY AMY LIAO
AUDREY KOCH’21 “My basketball number is meaningful to me, because it’s the number I had when our team won state last year. It’s also meaningful because it was the number between my sister [Emma Koch ’19] and a teammate [Logan Cook ’18] who graduated, and they wanted me to be the number between them. Lastly, the number 23 was also my dad’s number when he played basketball.”
JUSTIN THOMAS’19 “Number three was actually randomly assigned to me in fourth grade football. It kind of became a part of my identity. Some people call me JT3. Since eighth grade, I’ve worn 13, 20, 11 and 46, but I was thrilled to return to number three for my senior season. ... It brought me back to the start of my football career and why I fell in love with the game”.