Volume CX, Issue 4
Walnut Hills High School
Thursday, October 22, 2015
Face off: club and high school sports
LUKE WARREN/ CHATTERBOX ECC champion Ibra Goumballe, ‘17, shown in his club uniform on the left and his high school uniform on the right. Goumballe, like many Walnut Hills students, plays not only in high school but also for a club team for the past six years. When Goumballe was a freshman, he was the only ninth grader to make the men’s varsity soccer team, until this year he played on a team one year older than him in club soccer.
Aaron Espelage ‘18 Krijn Schwartz ‘16 Whether it’s playing for a high school, club, or travel/ select team, athletes seem to be categorized into the level at which they play a sport. In a Walnut Hills High School online survey, 114 students answered questions about sports. Ranging from fencing to football, 61% of the students said
Students who play sports for Walnut Hills
Of the 114 students surveyed, 61.1% play sports for Walnut Hills and 38.9% do not.
that they played a sport for Walnut Hills. In addition, 46% of that same group of students said that they played on a team outside of Walnut Hills. SENIOR C.J. Hughes started playing lacrosse in the 6th grade when Walnut Hills first started having clinics for the sport. “That was the first time I’d ever touched a lacrosse stick,” Hughes said. He’s been playing for Walnut Hills since seventh grade and has started on varsity since freshman year. In addition, he has been playing for the club teams Titanium Ohio and Titanium Elite for four years. “The level and speed of play is much higher with my club teams. We travel east to play against the best teams in the best tournaments. High school lacrosse in the midwest is growing. And the more it grows, the level and speed of the game out here will build with it,” Hughes said. In the 2014 and 2015 season, along with Team Ohio, Hughes won a national championship at the Brine National All American Classic. Since they won, they will represent the US against Canada, England, the Iroquois, and Australia in January for Worlds at the University of Tampa, Florida. Ibra Goumballe ,‘17, has also been a Varsity athlete since his freshman year, playing for the Walnut Hills men’s soccer team. Outside of Walnut Hills, he has been playing for Kings Hammer Academy for 6 years. “I travel a lot more for club and club soccer is way more competitive,” Goumballe said. This season he was named first year all conference. Lauren Doepke, ‘18, is a goalie for the junior varsity lacrosse team, not playing with any outside teams. Lacrosse for her is every day after school during the spring. “Walnut sports programs are good and have taught me a lot,” Doepke said. Walnut Hills has many student athletes that play for both school and club teams. There is a large variety of sports
available in the area for students to play at any level. With so many student athletes at the school, Walnut Hills is able to represent a large number of these extra curricular activities.
Students who play sports outside of Walnut Hills
Of the 114 students surveyed, 46% play sports out side of Walnut Hills and 54% do not. Students may play for other teams than Walnut for many reasons, one of which is the availibility of the sport at school.