Varsity boy’s basketball senior night a let-down for class of 2013

Emma Kauffman ’13
Feature Editor
A cheering crowd, a tunnel of cheerleaders, crying parents and a reminiscent coach. Robert Klein ’13 and Kyle Longcore ’13 remember clearly how exciting past senior nights have been for the CSHS varsity basketball team. Unfortunately, their own senior night will never be included in those memories.

Senior night, Friday, Feb. 26, went differently than past years. During the varsity boys half-time, Coach Scott Taylor gave each of the girls a rose and brought them to center court. Once he announced their future plans and listed their many talents, the four girls took the microphone and thanked the crowd, their parents and coaches.

And then it was the boys’ turn.

“It wasn’t really the same as it’s been in the past with stuff that he’s done, but with a different coach I guess you can expect that” said Klein.

The boys wandered out of the locker room and to center court, and while the crowd chatted away, the class of 2013 senior night commenced.

“I could barely hear him [Coach Jeff Patin] standing right next to him, and everyone was talking” explained Klein.

The boys were disappointed with the way the evening went. Coach Jeff Patin began coaching this year, and did not have the history and memories with the boys that past coaches have had.

“He basically said the same thing about both of us, that we both worked really hard, and came to practice every day,” commented Klein, “Knowing that there were only two seniors on the team that we’d have to step up and be team leaders.

In past years, the whole student section would come down on the court and make a tunnel for the senior team members to walk though. The coach would talk about each of them for at least three minutes before the game.  All of the seniors got to start.

“I wish Kyle would have gotten to start, because he’s worked hard, and we were all expecting him to, and I saw that he wasn’t, and I felt bad for him.” said Klein.

Senior athletes are highly recognized in Cedar Springs. Many of them have been contributing to their various programs for many years, and are a large presence in the community. Although Longcore wasn’t able to start, he was more upset about the negative connotations of this year’s senior night.

“There were only two of us; Robert and I, so it felt like we were overlooked, or nobody cared about us.”

More than teammates: Siblings strengthen their bond through sports

Molly Holtrop ’13
Staff

Why do we play sports? Is there a certain drive inside of us all that makes winning the only option? Or do we just play for the love of the game? Everyone has their rationale for why they step out onto the field or court. For CSHS students Sayge Wight ’14 and Luke Dault ’15, their sport hits close to home. Not only are they playing for their team and themselves, but ultimately, for the ones they look up to the most: their siblings.
“Hannah [Wight ‘13] has a big influence on me when it comes to basketball. She started playing before me, and because of her, I wanted to try it too,” says Sayge.

SISTERLY LOVE: Sisters Sayge Wight ’14 and Hannah Wight ’13 debate on a picture pose. The Wight’s compete side by side on the varsity basketball team. Basketball is just one of the many things they share in each other’s lives. Photo by Sirena Johnson ‘13

The Wight sisters are a mere one year apart and are undoubtedly each other’s best friend. Many of the things they experience, they experience together, and that’s how they like it.
“Basketball is much more enjoyable because of Hannah. She’s a good player to look up to and learn from,” states Sayge.
Like the Wight sisters, the Dault brothers also share the bond over a sport. Soccer has always been an important aspect in their lives.
“Aaron [Dault ‘13] was the one who got me into soccer in the first place. He’s a great leader and player. I look up to him because of that,” says Luke.
Both Sayge and Luke agree that while playing with their older siblings, they have learned many new concepts.
“She’s always there to tell me what I need to work on and what I do right. Hannah can criticize me differently than anyone because she’s my sister,” states Sayge.
Over the years, these sisters and brothers have had their ups and downs, but it is clear that they are thankful to have them in their lives.
“I don’t think that I’d be as good at soccer if I didn’t have Aaron. Things would definitely be different without him,” says Luke.
Sayge also sees the positive affects her sister Hannah has on her.
“She has so much passion for the game that it rubs off on me. I want to do good and win because of her,” states Sayge.
Their seasons might come to an end, but they’ll always have each other for life, no matter how far.
“I’m sad she’s going to college. It’s going to suck not having her there to go to practice or games with. I’m going to miss her,” says Sayge.
Although seeing your best friend, sibling, and teammate leave for college is a tough transition, Luke thinks on the positive side.
“I’m excited to see what he’ll do in college. I know Aaron has a good future ahead of him,” states Luke.
Role models are different for everybody. Whether it’s a NBA all-star, or a hometown hero, dreams are built on being just like them one day. However, for some, the person they most look up to is a sibling.
Luke says, “Someday I hope to be just like [Aaron].”

The hawks are taking on the wildcats

Alyssa Alger ’15
Staff

Tonight, the boys and girls varsity basketball teams will be playing against Northview High School. The boys’ game will start at 5:30 p.m., and the girls’ game will follow. The theme for this game is 80’s.  The dance team will be performing at half-time of the boys varsity game and will be doing a hip-hop routine. The varsity girls are looking forward to parents’ night on Tuesday, Jan 29 at their home game. The game on Tuesday will start at 7:00 p.m.

Gym Wars: A nightly battle to be the best

Katie Weiler ’13
Sports Editor

Eight teams.

One gym.

Three and a half months of chaos.

“The conflict of gym space is definitely one that needs to be acknowledged” commented Justin Jones ’15.

Competitive cheer in the middle school cafeteria. Wrestling in the old weight room. Basketball…everywhere.

Practices are at different times throughout the week.

“It’s never nice,” explained Mr. Scott Taylor, girls varsity basketball coach. “One day we’re practicing at 2:30, the next 4:30, and the next 7.”

Cedar View’s gym is rubber.

“The dirt ruins our shoes,” mentioned Sam Taylor ’16.

Red Hawk’s court is ten feet too short.

“It makes it hard to run certain drills,” said Mikenzie Francis ’14.

Temperatures may be negative outside, but the gyms are staying red hot with use. The screeching of shoes and the drumming of basketballs can be heard long after darkness settles upon Cedar Springs.

“It affects the team because the less time we have in the gym, the worse we will get,” added Nick Krajewski ’14.

A scheduling struggle. A space struggle. A team struggle.

“Practicing with the freshman, I feel like we don’t work as hard and just go at the level they’re at,” acknowledged Marissa Oakes ’15. “But when we practice with the varsity, we struggle.”

Overlapping. Using four gyms. Studying early. Studying late.

Adapting.

“I’ve joked it’s like a Rubik’s cube, because once you make one move then it affects everything else,” admitted Jen Myers, athletic secretary. “It gets really tricky to do.”

An inevitable problem year-to-year, solutions are obviously scarce. Or extremely unlikely.

“We need a multimillionaire to build a new facility,” joked Mr. Taylor. “Then we could have three or four gyms in one building.”

The result of the gym wars?

Commitment. Dedication. Time management.

Acceptance.

“We have a place to practice every night,” expressed Robert Klein ’13.

Graphic by Sabrina Wheeler ’13

What it’s like to sit the bench

Alyssa Alger ’15
Staff

He doesn’t play. He gets water for his teammates. He watches the clock drift to zero. He sometimes forgets what it feels like to stand out on the court. Kyler Marble ’14 has had his fair share of court withdrawals.

“It’s been really tough not being able to play in any games for the first [part] of the season,” says Marble.

After transferring from Kent City, Marble is unable to participate in a portion of his basketball season. He has been allowed to practice everyday, but he has to sit out eleven games before he can participate.

“As I go into each practice, my mindset is to improve my individual skills and to be an asset to the team,” states Marble.

Without a game to look forward to until later in the season, Marble is able to focus on his own things and prepare for upcoming games. He feels that missing out on games has helped him understand what he needs to do as a player to better help his team.

“It’s really tough just watching and not being able to play or dress for the games, but I’m almost to the point where I can play. I have three games left [to sit] and then my first game is against Wyoming Park,” states Marble.

Marble has been practicing, building friendships, and preparing for his first game of the season. While his teammates have been playing out on the court since before winter break, Marble has been waiting for his first opportunity to play. He has enjoyed being able to work with the team and further his skills but he is ready to be able to finally play. He is glad for the chance to gain relationships with his teammates on and off the court.

Marble says, “Being able to practice with the team has helped me build some chemistry with my teammates, which will be very helpful by the time I can finally play.

I’m really enjoying my high school basketball experience [at Cedar Springs] and I hope I can contribute to the team.”

Basketball Girls Kickoff Their Season

Hannah Wight ’13
Staff

After two hard weeks of conditioning, the Cedar Springs basketball girls started tryouts on Monday, Nov. 5.  Due to the number of girls, there were cuts made only on the varsity team.  Because of the tough decision, varsity coach Mr. Scott Taylor, waited out 11 hours of tryouts to determine his squad for the season.  After coming to a conclusion, the teams consist of the following girls for all three levels:

Freshman- Tatyana Grody ’16, Briana Mosher ’16, Alyssa Keaton ’16, Lauren VanDenHout ’16, Jessica Wells ’16, Gabrielle Howard ’16, April Yearsovich ’16, Madeline Hopkins ’16, Allison Monroe ’16, and Coral Castro ’16.

JV- Taylor Noskey ’15, Marissa Oakes ’15, Breanna White ’15, Conner White ’15, Sara Kriekaard ’16, Allison Snavely ’15, Katie Shumann ’15, Shelbi Link ’15, Annemarie David ’15, Julia Faccio ’15 and Ashley Vanderhoef ’16.

Varsity- Molly Holtrop ’13, Hannah Wight ’13, Allie Veltkamp ’13, Brittany Todd ’14, Ai Sakura ’13, Kenzie Francis ’14, Aly Hamilton ’14, Sayge Wight ’14, Nikki Matzke ’14, Jessica Kriekaard ’14, Alysha Chaney ’14, Aubree Mouthaan ’15, and Sam Taylor ‘16.

They will be hoping for their first win on Nov. 27 at LowellHigh School.