Seniors accomplish excellence

There comes a time in high school that requires seniors to put these last four years behind them. Some will go to Bethel University and play their sport like Alyssa Montague, Jimmy Davis, and John Kraft.

Davis and Kraft are both very talented bowlers. They strive for excellence in every game and have been doing so for the last four years at Bartlett High School.

“So many people do not know there are scholarships available for both men and especially women in the field of bowling,” said Coach Art Thompson.

For the very first time in the history of Bartlett High School, these two students have been awarded partial scholarships for the sport of bowling. They have signed a letter of intent to go to Bethel University with $9000 per year.  This includes room, board, tuition, meals, and books according to their coach, Art Thompson.

Yes, being a panther is fun but the reality is that when one becomes a senior the days of college are right around the corner.

“I’m definitely prepared for college. I know I’m going to miss my friends and all the fun I had these years, but now I’m going to have to focus on the future at college,” said senior Jimmy Davis.

Going on to college and leaving the days of high school behind is tough for one to do.

“I’m ready to leave high school but at the same time I’m not ready to leave everything behind,” said senior John Kraft.

Track star Alyssa Montague will also attend Bethel University. She signed her letter of intent on March 24. She holds the top two school record times in the 800 meters, having broken it twice and is close to breaking the record again. She is also close to breaking the 1600-meter record. With all of these achievements under her belt, she is qualified for the sectional championship in the following races: 200 meter, 400 meter, 800 meter, and 1600 meter according to her coach, Steve Sullivan.

“I’m excited for college because my sister goes there and I think the track team will be fun,” said Alyssa Montague.

Montague has put a tremendous amount of work and effort into the track team.

“She has shown leadership and work ethic by overcoming injuries, sickness, lack of transportation and set two school records and is close to setting two more,” said Coach Steve Sullivan.

Bartlett High School says goodbye to all of those seniors in Spring, Fall, and Winter sports.  They are all going to higher places and nothing but success is wished upon them.

Sport seasons end with mixed results

What confusing times! With some sports starting up around this time and other sports beginning to slow down, it’s hard to keep up with it all. Which sports are over? Which sports are just about to begin?

Boys’ cross country

The boys’ cross country season closes off with a startling finale, because usually the boys’ team does well through out the season and their accomplishments are said over the intercom at Bartlett High. This year, however goals and victories did not go as planned. Though many of the team members suffered from injury, the seriousness of the injuries were not as serious as the previous year. The boys’ just couldn’t push through this year.

Jim Steinbrecher, the boys’ cross country coach, hoped the guys would recover their mileage and pull out for the last couple meets and the regionals. He agreed that they had gotten better since the start of the cross country season, but certainly not where he wanted them; in their district a few weeks ago they were 5th in the West Tennessee Division, whereas a team needs to be placed 3rd to make it to State. The boys headed off on Oct. 27 for the Region Championship 7AAA, where the top 3 teams and the top 10 runners head to State on Nov. 6th. Though they gave an earnest effort, the team didn’t make it to state and neither did any runner.

Steinbrecher is already planning for next year, and knows well to learn from the mistakes of this year. He hopes to bring back a running camp the boys’ cross country team went to a couple of years ago, or the boys will have to take up running twice a day over the summer.

Football

As a season of many injuries from concussions to numerous broken limbs comes to a close, Bartlett High comes to terms with their football team’s season. At our homecoming game they beat out Raleigh Egypt 35-0,  a surprise to many fans. On Oct. 8 the football team faced Jackson North Side, the team ranking 3rd in their district, and for the first quarter they were tied. The ending score was 22-44, with Jackson North Side taking the win. On Oct. 15, the boys’ played against Cordova and the final score was 6-10, with Cordova taking that win. The final game of the season was played on Oct. 29 against Craigmont where the final score was 13-32, Craigmont taking the win for that game.

Coach Armbruster is excited for the end of the season, and knows the boys played their best in the last couple of games. He’s already looking forward to the next season with the upcoming freshmen. He knows the team this year was very young, but he’s hoping that throughout this year they have gained experience of the game on that field.

“I want them to walk away with confidence, and I want them to know what it’s like to play in a big game,” said Armbruster.

Coach McDaniel, along with the other coaches, hopes to work on the fundamental part of the game for next season. They have to band together and make sure the team stays together, despite the losses of this season. The football team’s season has come to a somber end, and a year full of injuries behind them, the young team powers on for next year.

“We feel as coaches when we’re brought upon the situation, we’ve got to dig deep to find a way to get everything we can out of these guys,” said McDaniel.

Golf

The golf season sneaked in and out quickly and quietly. They practiced at Quail Ridge every Monday and Tuesday, and had games on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Coach Billy Holt instilled one main point into the team composed of five seniors, one junior, and two freshman.

“Hopefully, the kids will walk away with forgetting a bad shot and proceeding on to their next shot,” Holt said.

He went on to explain that this lesson will help in life as circumstances don’t always go as planned. Though the games and players rarely made the announcements, the team pulled out well in this season. They all made it to the Regionals, and a couple of golfers were close to advancing to the state tournament. The golf team competed in 11 matches and played in the District and Region Tournaments.

Sports-in-Brief: Track takes off with a bang

For most Bartlett students March 13 was a Saturday spent preparing for Spring Break. The track team, however, devoted this day to the West Tennessee Jamboree, which more than 20 schools attended. This meet marked the official start of the track season. Many Bartlett athletes participated, both male and female, including senior Xin Huang, who placed seventh in the shot put and second in the discus throw. Huang and sophomore Ryan Wilcox, who took eighth place in the 1600-meter run and ninth place in the 3200-meter run, placed in the top ten in multiple events.

Also, in another meet on March 23 at Houston High School, the boys’ team placed third overall, and the girls’ team placed fifth overall.

Senior swimmer dives into future

“Going to the Olympics would be a big goal,” senior Chris Lott said. “I have a shot for the 2012 Olympics, but definitely 2016.”

Some may say that aspiring to be an Olympic athlete may be too lofty a goal for a mere high school senior. Nevertheless, Lott has an ethic that compels him to give his all both at and away from the pool.

Lott was born and grew up in Memphis with his three brothers Vincent, Kyle, and David. He has been swimming since childhood at the Scenic Hills Recreation Club, where his family are members.

Growing up, Lott swam over the summer, but hockey took over in the winter months.

“I played with River City Hockey over the winter,” Lott said, naming a major youth hockey league in Memphis.

Nevertheless, swimming remained Lott’s true athletic passion. As soon as he became a freshman, Lott joined the Bartlett High swim team, competing not only in County but also in State championships every year, which is rare. This year he even placed in two State events.

“I got fourth place in the 50 [yard] free[style] and sixth in the 100 [yard] free[style],” Lott said.

Lott was also named to the Scholastic All-American Swim Team, the qualifications for which are strict. Students who apply must have a 3.5 grade point average, be a junior or senior, be a USA Swimming member, and make a good time in an event set by the Junior National Bonus Time Standard. However, Lott did not see making this team as his crowning achievement. He set his goals higher, seeking a win at the Southeastern Swimming Championships.

“State just has swimmers from Tennesseee, but Southeastern has swimmers from all the states in the Southeast,” Lott said.

The competition took place in Nashville Feb. 25-28. Lott placed fourth in the 50-yard freestyle in his age group overall, and his team, the Memphis Tigers, placed third out of all the competing teams in the region. Lott says that these kinds of achievement do not come without diligence.

“I work really hard,” Lott said. “I get up at four in the morning and swim until 6:30, which gives me only half an hour to get to school from the University of Memphis. We have practice nine times a week, including practices after school from 3:30 to 6:30.”

The next challenge is the USA Swimming 2010 ConocoPhillips National Championships in Laguna Beach, CA. The event will not take place until the first week of August.

“It gives us a long time to train,” Lott said.

Lott even has a job that relates to swimming which he has held for four years.

“I’m a lifeguard at the Scenic Hills Rec Club,” Lott said. “All my friends I was growing up with were becoming lifeguards, and it looked easy.”

Lott’s interests, however, do not lie merely in athletics. Both Florida State University and the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, have offered him swimming scholarships, which Lott will use to pay for an engineering degree.

“I’ve always liked roller coasters,” Lott said. “I kind of want to work at Disney World and design rides and stuff.”

Lott still remains undecided regarding which college he will attend. However, the two aforementioned schools are his top choices.

“They’re in the top 10 swimming schools in the country,” Lott said. “But if I can, I’d like to go to Florida State. That’s where my brother Vincent goes.”

With the Olympics and an engineering career set as his future goals, Lott looks forward to his graduation from Bartlett. And his go-for-it attitude will remain his inspiration both in his athletic future and his job endeavors.

United States cheers as Team USA returns from Olympics

The Olympic Torch seen ’round the world lit a fire of sportsmanship and national pride in all the countrymen of the athletes congregating in Vancouver, Canada on Feb. 12. Now, weeks later, American citizens welcome home the triumphant Team USA with open arms.

DEATH AT THE OLYMPICS
The 2010 Olympics did not meet just with happiness and expectation, however. The death of 21-year-old luger Nodar Kumaritashvili of the Republic of Georgia caused emotional distress. Some merely mourned the loss of a beloved fellow citizen and athlete, while others turned their wrath upon the Vancouver Organizing Committee. According to the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network (ESPN), many people cried foul to the Committee for not allowing foreign athletes ample time to familiarize themselves with the sports venues, particularly the Whistler luge track where Kumaritashvili died. Canada had wanted the the visitors’ foreignness of the venues to give the host country’s own participating athletes an extra competitive edge, according to the New York Times.

Nevertheless, the Olympics continued. America started strong and continued to persevere. By the end of the Olympics, Team USA had won 37 medals total in sports such as Alpine skiing, short track speed skating, and freestyle skiing.

HOCKEY
Plus, the U.S. Ice Hockey teams, both women’s and men’s, defeated all of their preliminary opponents (China, Russia, and Finland for the women; Switzerland, Norway, and Canada for the men). The men’s victory against Canada was a great joy to the United States because Canada has such a formidable team. However, in the finals Canada returned to best the United States, both the men and the women. Still, playing second fiddle to Canada is no shame: Even before the Olympics, many people knew that Canada had some of the best hockey players in the world.

FIGURE SKATING
The United States also made a breakthrough in an event that Russia had dominated since 1988. Evan Lysacek of Naperville, IL, became the first American in 22 years to win a gold medal in men’s singles figure skating, another cause for celebration. According to the official Olympics website, Lysacek’s top opponent, 27-year-old Yevgeny Plushenko of Russia, was shocked to learn that Lysacek had won, and responded, some believe, rather rudely and ungraciously.

“I was positive that I won,” Plushenko said about his performance. “But I suppose Evan needs the medal more than I do. Maybe it’s because I already have one.”

OTHER EVENTS
However, in curling, the luge, and other events, Team USA had no such luck. The curling team lost to all but four of their competitors in all the Round Robin sessions: Russia, Great Britain, Sweden, and France. Britain and Sweden returned to defeat them later in competition.

None of the individual lugers won medals, but Tony Benshoof came close, placing fifth in all but one of his runs at the Whistler.

Throughout the Olympics, Team USA posed a constant threat to Canada, and Canada knew it. While the athletes started training, according to the Canadian Press, the Canadian Olympic Committee set a goal of attaining at least 30 medals in the 2010 Olympics.

Canadian skeleton racer Jon Montgomery expressed concerns when he heard of the Committee’s lofty aspirations.

“It might be reaching a little bit and perhaps putting a little undue pressure on some athletes that aren’t necessarily medal potential,” Montgomery told the “Canadian Press.” “It’s an ambitious goal to undertake.”

Montgomery’s fears were well-grounded. In the end, Canada earned only 26 medals total, and even though 14 were gold, they placed third overall in total medals. Team Canada could not knock the United States, who placed first, off its lofty pedestal.

Three wishes granted: Entire Bartlett swim team heads to county

Perhaps the smallest the school has ever seen, this year’s swim team consists of a mere three members: senior Chris Lott, junior Liz Harmeier, and sophomore David McGhee. However, all three members have qualified for county championships on Jan. 30 and have until then to improve their times to qualify for state on Feb. 12-13.

“We’ve progressed twice as much as last year, a lot faster,” McGhee said.

Under the instruction of coach Sam Gaddie, who also coaches the Memphis Tigers, Lott, Harmeier, and McGhee have all improved on their time from last year. However, the members have to go through rigorous practice for a full 90 minutes from Monday through Thursday.

“Sam usually makes us do ten 100 [yards freestyle] on 1:30 [intervals],” McGhee said. “That’s just a warm-up.”

With only three students on the team this year, Gaddie has higher expectations for the three Bartlett swimmers.

“[Practice] is a lot harder now,” Harmeier said. “We do about 4500 yards a day in an hour and a half, and we do lots of 500s. It’s almost two miles, I think.”

The small size of the team has reduced the type of events the team can do, but the three members have benefited from this dramatic change in their numbers.

“We can’t do relays,” Harmeier said, “but everything else is not that bad. You get more one-on-one time with the coach, and he’ll make you faster.”

Even though Bartlett only has three swimmers, the team does not practice alone. In the past Bartlett practiced with Bolton. Now Gaddie has revived that tradition, only with Arlington instead of Bolton.

“I look after about 14 kids, which is roughly the same size Bartlett was last year alone,” Gaddie said. “I’m coaching roughly the same size team, just split between two different teams.”

As the season draws to a close, Lott, Harmeier, and McGhee look forward to county championships with ever-growing anticipation. However, county is not the only focus of their attention.

“Liz and I are just a few seconds off of state time,” McGhee said.

With such an opportunity dangling over the the swimmers’ heads, the team will practice more vigorously than ever: not just to prepare for county, but to qualify themselves for state competition.

Lott, however, has already qualified for state championships, as he has done every year since ninth grade. Also, colleges have been scouting him continuously.

“He’s being considered for recruitment by some of the best swimming schools in the country,” Gaddie said.

And so, with success at their fingertips and three weeks before county—the deadline for state qualification—the Bartlett swim team will be sprinting all-out to reach their final goal. Although the team may be the smallest ever, they may end up setting a new record: Bartlett’s first team to send all its members to state.

Multiple universities scout Bartlett seniors

Normally, to draw the attention of college scouts, high school athletes must contact coaches from numerous schools and hope for the best, but some players just get lucky.

Senior Dionne Vann is one of those lucky athletes.

The University of Tennessee at Martin spotted Vann when a scout attended a match to watch a player on the opposing team. Now, the university is recruiting Vann as their defensive specialist.

Varsity volleyball coach Sherrie Walker said that the scout was originally looking at a girl playing a totally different position.

“It was kind of accidental,” said Walker.

However, Vann is not the only student in the spotlight.

UT Martin is also scouting senior Carrie Conner. Girl’s cross country coach Steve Sullivan said that Connor was scouted not only because she is a talented runner, but also because she has earned additional scholarships. Sullivan said that even if two athletes are the same quality runner, that coaches will often choose the one with more scholarships, in order to save the university money.

He also said that once cross-country is done with the regional championship, that more girls will be scouted.

A number of schools are currently showing interest in senior Willie Matthews as well.

“Arkansas State University, University of Memphis, Southern Mississippi, Middle Tennessee State University of Central Arkansas . . . just to name a few!,” said varsity football coach Robert Armbruster.

Armbruster says that Matthews sparked the interest of so many universities due to his overall athletic ability. Matthews is the state champion in the triple jump in track, he runs a 4.4 40-yard dash, and according to Armbruster, he is a big hitter and has great leadership qualities.

“He has many abilities you just can’t coach,” said Armbruster.

Matthews is also fourth in the state in rushing and is expected to break the school record for rushing.

For any hopeful athletes the National Collegiate Scouting Association has come up with the five suggestions:

1. Get evaluated. Players should get an objective, expert opinion on their performance.

2. Post an academic/athletic resume online. Coaches check the web before they check the mail.

3. Create a winning highlight/ skills video. These athletes need to showcase their talent.

4. Contact a minimum of 100 coaches. Coaches contact thousands of players in case they have spots that they need filling. Players should do the same.

5. Start building relationships and following up with coaches now. Coaches should be familiar with their recruits.

These athletes have caught the attention of scouts with their skill, hard work, and leadership abilities. They earned their spot on a college team with their drive and determination, and now they can look forward to playing their sport in the years to come.