NOCTILUCA June 2017

SPORTS Appleton, Wisconsin June 2017 Volume XXll Page 11 Lady Lightning become state champions: Season in review Issue VIII

A couple months ago, I wrote an article talking about the expectations for the Girls’ Basketball team. Players and coaches alike set high expectations, which included winning the al- ways prestigious, Golden Ball, otherwise known as the Girls’ Basketball State Championship. For the first time in Apple- ton North’s history, and also in the history of the city of Appleton, a girls’ basketball team brought home top prize in the state. However, not only did the Lady Lightning win the State Championship, they did it in an undefeated, con- vincing fashion. It was an exciting thrill ride to watch these ladies Coach and players reflect on favorite season moments By Kyle Hoffenbecker

accomplish their goals, see them compete, and see them beat some of the best teams in the state. “No one expected us to go undefeated. We just fo- cused on the game in front of us, and playing to our po- tential for the upcoming 36 minutes,” said junior Kari Brekke “I knew we had a great team, but I didn’t expect us to win every game. Each practice we were focused on what we could control,” said senior Callie Pohlman. “I knew there was a chance, but we would have to stay healthy and handle the teams with poise and respect. Our schedule is a beast and no one plays a tougher one in the FVA than us,” said Head Coach Joe Russom. Besides the state champi- onship victory, players had very different takes on their favorite moments of the year. Brekke’s favorite mo- ment was the victory against cross-town rival Appleton West in the sectional semi- final game. “I don’t think I have played in a louder at- mosphere than that game. Beating Appleton West in that atmosphere was some- thing that I will never for- get,” Brekke said. Sophomore Paige Scha- bo’s favorite moment of the year was when the team went to Indiana and played against two great girls’ bas- ketball teams and won the tournament. She later added that her 23 points and 11 the program had very few par- ticipants but since then, it has grown to over 400 participants. The increase in participants is thanks to the coaches, who vol- unteer their time to help with NASSA. Mr. Bleck, who helps run NASSA, said, “A lot of times it’s still volunteered by coaches. They get paid for some [of the time], but it’s a very small amount.”

The Lady Lightning celebrating their state championship as the buzzer sounds. Photo courtesy of Appleton Post-Crescent

ment of the sports season. This was a great moment for the Appleton North commu- nity because no one can take away the fact that the 2016- 17 Appleton North Girls basketball team are the state champions. “No one expected us to go undefeated. We just focused on the game in front of us, and playing to our potential for the upcoming 36 minutes.” - Kari Brekke, junior

rebounds against Appleton North’s arch-rival Horton- ville was her favorite indi- vidual performance this sea- son. Even though the girls had a perfect season, there were still many obstacles they had to face in order to raise the Golden Ball at the end of the year. Some of these ob- stacles could have cost the girls a perfect season and a state championship, but their poise, hard work, and dedication helped the girls fight through and get to the promised land. “A huge obstacle we faced was missing lay-ups. Our whole team got into a funk, but we worked before it cost us in the long run. We spent hours in practice fixing our mistakes. If it wasn’t for that, we may have never ac- complished as much as we she can stay in shape. NASSA isn’t just about get- ting in shape, it’s about injury prevention. “If you don’t train during the off season, it’s kind of like not wearing your seatbelt in the car. You put yourself at risk for different injuries wheth- er it’s a concussion or a knee injury. Whatever it might be, your injury risk goes up without training,” said Bleck. Also, NASSA is about mak- ing new friends or bond with your current teammates. “My favorite part about NASSA is that I got to meet a lot of new people,” said Platten. If you want information on NASSA, you can either tune in to the announcements, check out the Twitter page for NASSA, or head up to the weight room and look at the information posted there.

did,” said Schabo. Coach Russom had mul- tiple takes on obstacles the team faced. “Ego was one. Ego is the enemy. We are deep and talented. There are only so many minutes in game and to keep everyone happy and on the same goal is a daunting task. The kids and parents did a great job of putting the team first. The second obstacle was han- dling energy vampires. Jeal- ousy, naysayers, etc. were all distractions that could have sucked our energy and focus away from the task at hand. The kids, however, handled it all with class and poise by using as a motiva- tional force instead allowing the crabs to pull them down to their level,” said Russom. It was a huge season for our Girls’ Basketball team, arguably the best sports mo-

Senior Callie Pohlman driving in for a layup in the state title game. Photo courtesy of Appleton Post-Crescent

NASSA: Making friends and preventing injuries After school program

focuses on more than just sports By Maddie Clark

ALL HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS WILL RECEIVE 2 SERVICES FOR JUST $20 only at SPARK events SPARK will be held monthly. Please like us on facebook and follow us on instagram to stay posted with new dates for these events.

NASSA, NASSA, NASSA. If you have ever listened to the announcements during I/E time, you’ve probably heard this acro-

nym quite a few times. NASSA stands for North Acceleration, Speed, Strength, and Agility, and is a free training program for student athletes and students alike look- ing to stay fit during

Often athletes find themselves coming to stay in shape or improve their performance for their sport. Examples of this are junior Marissa Mullen and sophomore

SPARK SHARING PASSION AND RECEIVING KNOWLEDGE

Mr. Kevin Bleck

the off season or in general. But what is NASSA about? Why should students join NASSA? NASSA was started by Rob Salm and was originally called the Running Program. At first,

Sophie Platten. “I participate in NASSA because it is a great training program to improve my performance in my sport,” said Mullen. Likewise, Platten said she participates in NASSA so

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