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by Tim Reichmuth
Track and field is a sport not many people understand. It has many different events: 400, 800, 400 relay, shot put, javelin, the list goes on. The events that seem to go most unnoticed are the field events.
“I throw disc and javelin,” said Kyle Potter, senior, “It’s always off away from the track and no one wants to come down and watch us. That or they simply don’t know we’re doing it,”
What do the field events consist of? In high school there is long jump, high jump, triple jump, pole vault, discus, shot put, and javelin. These events are completely different than the track events. For the field events, athletes only perform individually. Along with that, the athletes get multiple chances instead of one.
For high jump and pole vault, the athlete gets to perform until they fail to get over a set bar three times in a row. With each successful attempt, the bar will move up, and the athlete with the best height is the winner.
The rest of the events (long jump, triple jump, discus, shot put, and javelin) are all started behind a line. These events are won by the athlete that jumps or throws the farthest. The throwing events get typically six throws to get the farthest throw they can get. The jumps typically have three jumps to get the farthest jump overall.
“[The most challenging event is] one of the throwing events because it’s all about consistency and technique and the repetition,” Potter said.
Clifford Hess, sophomore, added, “The most challenging part is when you’re first learning and getting the technique down.”
To prepare for these events “we throw medicine balls and we throw shot and disc using many different forms in practice,” Hunter Wheeler, junior, said.
This year according to Hess, the team has strong atheletes in all the field events. “I think we’ll do pretty good,” Hess said.
by Cole Peterson
Miles Orscheln, junior shortstop, has a love for the game of baseball that not many others have. He has been playing the game since he was 3 years old.
“My dad got me interested in baseball. He played in college and my whole family has just always loved the game,” Orscheln said.
Orscheln is in the midst of his third year at the varsity level and bats third in the lineup. He has been an active contributor on the team during his years on varsity.
“My favorite part about baseball is how relaxed it is. You can just have fun and meet guys that you soon become friends with,” Orscheln said.
by Tess Hart
Kahli Barrett, senior, has played softball since she can remember.
“My dad played baseball his whole life so he got me into softball as soon as I was old enough to play,” Barrett said.
Barrett is currently in her fourth season on the Varsity team and has been the starting pitcher for the last four years as well.
“I became a pitcher mainly because I love being put in pressure situations and I love the challenges that I am faced with,” she said.
Barrett not only plays for the high school team, but also is on a competitive travel team that plays in tournaments consistently throughout the year.
“I’ve gotten to travel all across the United States because of softball and gotten to experience a lot of things that many teenagers don’t get to while in high school,” she said.
Barrett will be attending William Jewell University next year on a softball scholarship. She chose to attend there because it is close to home, which is important to her because she is very close to her parents.
“I think that a good softball player is one who can lead without being bossy, someone who can pick everyone else up when they’re down and a good positive motivator. That is what I strive to be,” Barrett said.
by Hannah Wiens
Four freshmen girls have proven to be key to the success of the girls varsity soccer team in this season.
This core consists of twins Brooke and Paige Prondzinsky, Kim Gleason and Kylee Kopatich.
At forward, Brooke Prondzinsky is currently the lead scorer with three goals. Paige Prondzinksy is contributing in the center-mid position as well as Gleason at mid-fielder and defender and Kopatich at forward.
Being on the varsity basketball team, Kopatich had a late start to the soccer season after their taking fourth at the 6A State Tournament with the basketball team. “We were wondering just where she would fit in after missing tryouts and a week of practice,” Coach Will Stoskopf explained.
However, Kopatich’s entrance spoke volumes as she scored the first goal in the season.
“Based on these past few games, I think the season will go well. Everyone seems nice and my teammates are very supportive,” Kopatich said.
Despite the new team members entering the team, team chemistry seems doesn’t seem to be a problem. “Our upperclassmen did a great job in making the newer teammates feel accepted and welcomed,” Stoskopf said.
Every year the varisty team has four “covenants” which they strive for in order to be more successful in every aspect of their game. This year’s covenants include family, heart, passion and consistency, which are a part of the program these newcomers are not used to.
“There’s always going to be a learning curve for freshmen players. They’re entering into a much faster and more physical game now being at the varsity level compared to what they were used to,” Stoskopf said.
These girls have been adjusting to the changes of the team and are “working really hard to figure out how the system works and are getting better with each game,” Ali Sligar, senior center, said.
Stoskopf said, “This year we are strong overall with these girls added and are excited to continue to have them on the team for the next four years.”
by Hannah Wiens
The varsity baseball team had the opportunity to play at none other than the AAA Kauffman Stadium, home to the KC Royals on Wednesday, April 4.
The Royals allow seven high school games to be played at Kauffman each year, and the Olathe South team received an invitation from cross-town rival, Olathe East, to be their opponent and make this rivalry game even bigger than it always is by playing at the stadium.
OE has played in the arena the past few seasons by selling ticket vouchers to Royals games, which OS also contributed to.
With the big match-up at hand, there was a sense of school pride for the OS fans, which stood out measurably, having at least twice as many fans as OE.
“You could tell from the moment they walked in the stadium it was a memory that they will never forget,” Coach Josh Perkins said.
The size of the stadium is obviously far larger than any stadium a high school team is used to playing in. Although there were hundreds of fans at the game, there were still 45,000 empty seats.
“It was kind of funny because even though we had great fan support, the stadium is so big that it still felt empty; but even with the empty seats, the energy at the game was great, and it was a great atmosphere to play in,” Perkins said.
However, with the opportunity came an added sense of pressure being at a much larger and more impressive field, where actual pros play.
According to Perkins, “the most difficult thing for them to overcome was realizing that we were in the same dugout that the Royals sit in. We took batting practice in the same tunnels as the Royals hit in—legends like George Brett and current players that they idolize all hit in the same tunnel. I was even in awe of the moment.”
The team defeated OE 6-5; Miles Orscheln had a huge triple with bases loaded to give them the lead. Also, Connor Brady and Greg Fry, seniors, contributed on the mound, the two having “great games,” Perkins said.
Brady said, “We were nervous to start off, but we got over it really fast. It was a surreal experience.”
The game put the team’s record at 5-2, and according to Brady “says that [the team] should finish off strong in the Sunflower League.”
Perkins concluded: “Kauffman Stadium will probably be the nicest field and largest arena that our players will ever play on. It was great to attach a win over Olathe East to that memory.”
by Amanda Schoep
Brittney Griner, the 6ft. 8 in. center for Baylor University, is one of the most dominating players in the NCAA. She averages 23.2 points per game and has had close to 600 blocks in the three years she has been playing at Baylor.
While she has amazing stats that would easily land her a spot in the WNBA, she might be almost too good to be competing against women. Rumors have been that Griner is going to tryout for the New Orleans Hornets, a team in the NBA.
She would fit in with the guys with her enormous size and masculine features, but the strength aspect is one to be worried about. Griner has a bigger muscle to fat ratio in comparing female athletes to male athletes, but the dynamic muscle and fast-twitch muscles are not as strong.
If Griner were to play in the NBA although she would be a work in progress, she would be a positive contribution to the guys team because she brings intensity, aggressiveness and a large fan base.
Baylor, located in Waco, Texas, is close enough to New Orleans that if Griner were to be signed with the Hornets, then the fans would transfer over. Ultimately if the New Orleans Hornets decided to sign Griner, they would benefit from the publicity stunt aspect with increased size profit in ticket sales.
by Brandon Hardman
Tyler Thomas, senior forward, has had a passion for basketball ever since he started playing in the Salvation Army league at the age of four. Basketball has been the center of his life for as long as he can remember.
“Basketball is my place to get away from everything,” Thomas said. “You don’t have to worry about anything else besides basketball when you are on the court…no family or friend issues, work or school. It’s just you and the ball.”
Thomas is a three-year letterman and has been a major contributor to the team all three years. His first two years on the team, Thomas learned how to lead by watching others lead. This year, however, Thomas is widely seen as the senior leader of the team.
“I love the role of being the leader because that’s just my personality. I have the most experience and it has to show for us to go where we want to be,” Thomas said.
After high school, Thomas plans to attend college where he will continue with his passion of playing basketball. He still has not decided on where he will take his talents next year, but he hopes to come to a decision sometime in the near future. |
