Written By: Delaney Cordes, Staff Writer
CHANGE: Fall sports transition into the winter sport season.
Throughout the whole school year, there are a variety of different sports that each student can participate in. There’s cross country and football in the fall, soccer and basketball in the winter, swimming and lacrosse in the spring, and so much more. Each sport provides a wide selection of options available to athletes and spectators alike. But before the switch of seasons and sports, league matches, CIF, or nationals take place. This allows the athletes to put their all into their sport and show off the skills that they have been training throughout the entire season.
As each school year starts, new friendships and bonds are created as more people return and newcomers join different sports. Neveah Henderson (12), the cheer and stunt captain, commented that “[they] are all pretty close with each other [and] trust each other,” as they have hung out with their teammates during games and practice since the beginning of the year.
Girls Volleyball Huddling Before a Game
Just doing one sport in itself can be a lot to handle and manage; between keeping up with classes at school in addition to training and practicing for their chosen sport. Not many are able to balance the double workload life, but some are able to manage. Many students have to prioritize and learn to continue throughout different seasons with different sports. Maddi Duncan (11), for instance, finds ways to manage being dance captain in the fall and doing soccer in the winter. “It’s very interesting” switching from one sport to the other, as they are “completely different.” The transition from one sport to the other can be difficult, as they each require a different mentality and focus. Furthermore, the prep work and practice could be challenging to balance – especially if the winter sport is already having after school practice that an athlete can’t make due to events or meets for their chosen fall sport.
Even though winter sports don’t start until October or early November, there is still training and practice that takes place in the meantime. Wrestling Captain Leilani Gryniuk (11) says “[she’s] excited to see all the hard work pay off” while also focusing on “mentality” during the winter season. Maintaining mentality and putting in hard work are two of the most important factors during the sports season. Focusing on how one can keep their head in the game and put all their effort into the meet helps them put more into the sport and into their performance.
The current scores of the fall sports for League and CIF are pretty exciting. Boys cross country is first for League and the top ten in CIF, and girls golf are 6-0 for League. Girls volleyball took third in League, and the Dance and Cheer team are some of the top for nationals. So, overall the fall sports did a great job of advancing throughout the season and lots of Poly Pride was spread throughout each sport over the whole fall season. There is a sport for everyone here at Poly to either participate in or simply enjoy. We are looking forward to the coming sports season. Go Bears.
Boys Cross Country Celebrating their Win after Woodbridge – Picture by Katie Beckman