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By Dan Chamness NEWS@THEWOODSTOCKINDEPENDENT.COM

Jeni Crain has suited up for a college in the United States of America, namely Augustana College in Rock Island.

Because of the Woodstock graduate’s prowess at the collegiate level, she will get the chance to pull on the uniform and play in Great Britain.

Not only will she get the opportunity to play in England, she will do so while going to law school at Newcastle University in England. It is not professional in the traditional sense, or like America’s perception of professional, but she is getting her law degree paid for while she plays for Newcastle, which is more like a scholarship in America.

“I have always wanted to travel to England since I was a little girl,” Crain said. “I never really thought of playing women’s basketball professionally there and never knew

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there was an opportunity like that, until agents representing those teams approached me. I have always been fascinated with the country and how different it was. When I got the opportunity to play there, I was very excited!”

In addition to Newcastle, there was one other school in England hoping to get Crain’s services.

“Newcastle was the right fit for me,” Crain said. “It was more qualified in basketball and academics, so for me, it just made sense. This has been one of my biggest dream jobs and I never really thought I would ever reach it. It is very surreal to be here. Holy cow, I made it!”

- Jeni Crain

At the present time, her basketball season is scheduled to start in January. She is currently still in the U.S. taking classes. As soon as she gets her passport/visa and the COVID-19 travel ban is lifted, the former Blue Streak turned Augustana Viking is en route to England.

“As soon as those two things happen, I am packing my bags and getting on that airplane. I have already been doing Zoom classes and homework here,” the 2020 Augustana graduate said. “There is not any practice going on there, so thankfully, I am not missing anything for basketball. I am training here and doing things on my own to stay in shape and ready.”

Crain took part in some showcase tryouts, but ultimately, those did not lead to her being getting the spot with Newcastle. Initially, she was contacted by an agent through social media. The agent explained to her some teams that would love to have her.

That led to her being signed to the British University-Based Basketball Club Team, which currently competes in the BUCS Northern Premier Division and National

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Basketball League Division 2.

“Other than getting my degree, I want to play in an efficient manner,” Crain said. “The showcase was beneficial because it informed me of some of the rules and the things that are different. The basketball is very different, so I got a Euro Basketball to use here at home. This will be a much different experience for me, but an exciting experience. I am looking forward to it.

“The level of commitment is different, but it’s balanced well and I believe this will be much more competitive, just because everyone we are playing is recruiting like they did me, so I will be playing against very high level talent. I believe I will be in much more control of my game and how I want to play.

“I will have a bit more ability to test some of the new things I have been working on during COVID.”

The Great Britain-based team will be coached by a Spanish coach, which is a language that Crain is fluent in.

“I can’t even believe how this is coming together,” the law school student said. “My coach has discussed the possibility of playing in Spain. That would be another country I would love to play in and travel to. I have already been there, and I love the country. I would love to live there.”

By Sandy Kucharski SANDY@THEWOODSTOCKINDEPENDENT.COM

In the absence of fall football, the Woodstock North Thunder continued the annual homecoming tradition of hosting a bonfire. While it looked a little different from years past, the spirit of the event was the same.

To maintain social distancing, guests were asked to group as families and remain inside their cars. In addition to a roaring fire, the event included a food drive and a video projected on a wall of the school. The video featured cameos from past players offering encouragement to the current team and sharing the legacy of Thunder football.

“I thought it was a great way for our guys to learn a little more about our tradition and hopefully gain some inspiration to keep working toward their athletic

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goals,” Thunder head coach Jeff Schroeder said.

The video also included current players during their fall contact days, along with several still photos. Schroeder described the presentation as using technology to bridge the past to the present.

The video is available to view on the Facebook pages of Woodstock North High School and the Woodstock North Thunder Football.

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

JACK HANSEN CROSS-COUNTRY Woodstock High School senior Jack Hansen has been a valuable member of the WHS cross-country program for four years. During his junior and senior seasons, he was instrumental in the program capturing conference championships. He saved his best for the last race of the season where at the Lakes Sectional he earned an individual spot at the state meet. Thanks Jack for four great years!

CONGRATULATIONS!