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Keep Calm, and Hoop On!

Sofia Gomez
BUCKETS. Sophomore Lillie Youman shoots and scores to start the season on the right foot. It’s finally basketball season and the VHS Girls Basketball team is ready to start the season. Photo courtesy of Sofia Gomez.
BUCKETS. Sophomore Lillie Youman shoots and scores to start the season on the right foot. It’s finally basketball season and the VHS Girls Basketball team is ready to start the season. Photo courtesy of Sofia Gomez.

Many girls at VHS excitedly wait for basketball to start every year. Working as a team is a principle for VHS students to improve themselves. Game after game they see things that they not only have to work on individually, but as a team. To prepare themselves mentally for these tough games, every girl on the team has their own way of getting ready.

“To get ready mentally for a game, I listen to music, eat a snack and spend time with my team to get excited and energized about each other's energy,” Senior Maddie Youman said.

Like Youman, some of the players on the team do small things to prepare for the games like listening to music. Even surrounding yourself with your teammates can help players mentally prepare for a game, and bouncing off each other's energy can definitely help calm down the nerves you get before a game. Others already have their routine down, and they use it for more than one sport that they play in.

“I do the same thing before a basketball game that I do before a race, which is to walk through possible outcomes of a game, bad and good,” Junior Cecilia Gunther said.

Many players already have a set routine for every game they play in, regardless of the sport. Going through possible outcomes of games can be a very good way of preparing players for any hardships that could happen in a game, which could help recover if anything goes wrong.

“To get ready mentally for a big game I like to get a good night's sleep, go over plays, and stay focused,” Junior Emily Harrington said.

Mentally preparing yourself for a game doesn't just include going through possible outcomes of games, or listening to music before a game, or even getting energized through your teammates. Like Harrington, preparing yourself isn't just mental it can be physical like getting a good night’s sleep the night before your games.

Through the years the girls have had some very memorable games, but one that sticks out in the team's memory was when they won against Life Christian with only a few minutes left on the clock last year.

“A memorable moment from my basketball career was when Emily Harrington scored the town winning game free throws with only a few seconds left on the shot clock,” Gunther said.

Many of the players on the team excitedly reminisce on the game that they won with such a close score.

“We were down by one point with only a second left in the game, and I was able to make two free throws in order for our team to win,” Harrington said.

Harrington will forever be able to remember when she brought us such an extraordinary win.

Not only is the team expecting to improve a lot this year, they are also getting two amazing new additions to the team. The team is adding a freshman and an exchange student, who will be great additions to the team.

“The thing I look forward to the most is the school spirit experience with my new team,” Exchange Student Junior Ida Lauinger said.

“I hope that I can get help from the upperclassmen that have been in my position so I can improve,” Freshman Faye Arends Said.

This season seems to be very promising with all the great additions coming to the team and the amazing players that have played years prior. Hopefully this will be a successful season, where we'll bring some amazing plays and even wins.

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