By: Olivia Veibell Water polo is a game that combines speed, strength, endurance, energy and teamwork. Water polo consists of 14 players on the field at a time, seven players for each team: one goalkeeper and six outfield players.
The objective of the game is to get as many points as possible. Players are not allowed to touch the bottom of the pool and have to tread water the whole time. Players can move the ball by throwing it to a teammate or swimming while pushing the ball in front of them. They can only hold the ball with one hand, other than the goalkeeper who can use both hands. The match starts with a swim-off. The ball is released in the middle of the pitch with the players lined up along their own goal lines. The first team to reach the ball has the first possession of the game. After each goal, the team who conceded resumes the match with the ball. All players for each team must be in their own half at the resumption of play. Water polo matches have two referees with one standing on either side of the pool. The referees are in control of the game and are the only officials who can award fouls. The clock is stopped when the ball is not in play and the average quarter lasts around 12 minutes. Each team is only allowed to hold onto the ball for a maximum of 30 seconds before shooting for the goal. If they haven’t done this, then possession passes to the other team. Bear River’s water polo team consists of 15 boys and 11 girls. The team has about 21 games this season. Peter Ingleby, a junior and valued player of the team, said water polo “should be very interesting this season regarding new players” and they will also focus on strengthening returning players to make them better. Dacia Hook, another player on the team talks about why people should consider trying water polo by saying, “It’s just a good way to let your anger out, and we need more girls, otherwise we might not be able to play next year.” Water polo is a great outlet for people to get involved and wanting to make some amazing friends. The game may be difficult to understand at first for new players, but as you get more into it the easier it is. Ingleby talks about it by saying, “It is a little hard to understand at first, but once you understand, it’s easy.” Water polo is a very fun sport and would be a great sport for anyone who likes to be in the water and wanting to try something new.
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By: Braxton Christensen Wrestlers placing at state. Photo Credit: Melanie Smith. The Bears wrestled their last tournament of the season on February 20, 2021 and placed 3rd as a team. Twenty four wrestlers from Bear River participated at state and eight placed individually in the end. Bears were neck and neck with Uintah and Mountain Crest the whole tournament. Cael Wilcox and Trenton Ward both brought home state medals.
For Ward, this was the second time winning state. Last year, Ward won it at the weight of 106 lbs and at 113 lbs this year. Some would think COVID would ruin a season, but not for Ward. Despite COVID and a quad injury that occured early in the season, Ward has been fighting all year. Some people thought he was done, one of those people being him: “After my quad injury, I didn't think I could do it. [But] when I stepped out on that mat, I knew I was ready.” Indeed he was pinning his kid from Stansbury in the late 2nd round. After the match, Ward got all the treatment he could ever ask for from his team mates. Walking into a crowd of friends, they lifted him on their shoulders and chanted his name! Ward said, “The feeling of winning is nothing like I’ve ever felt. Your body is speechless.” Ward ended the season with a 14-2 record. Junior River Smith also had great success placing 6th in one of the hardest weight classes: 152 lbs. Smith won his first match, then lost his second. He then climbed back up to accomplish 6th. Smith said, “I knew it was gonna be hard, but it was my goal to place at state.” Some would be disappointed with 6th place, but Smith, with a 21-11 record, feels very good about what he accomplished at state this year with it being his second medal at state. Smith brought home a 5th place medal as a freshman. With these accomplishments, Smith knows next year is going to be his year. With this year’s success at state, there are high expectations and big things coming for the Bear’s wrestling team. This year was great and many of the Bear’s toughest wrestlers will be returning for the upcoming season. It should be very fun to see what happens! By: Aleksa Evertson For many years now, Bear River High has had a baseball team that has done very well. This year, 2021, the baseball players are preparing for tryouts as they will be held at the beginning of March. Kellen Hess, a sophomore, has shared some insights on the expectations of this year’s season because, as we all know, this past year has been something else.
Baseball is the third most favorite sport in the United States which is reflected in how many try out at Bear River. Hess said, “There are usually 40-50 kids that tryout.” With that many kids trying out for the team, the coaches have to cut about half of them because there are only around “20-24 spots” available. Practicing can be hard for baseball players because of all the different drills they do and how long they practice those drills. There are nine different positions in baseball and each one has a different way of improving different skills that are needed for that position. Hess mentioned that they each practice “all of the drills.” Those drills include conditioning, batting practice, infield drills, and much more. If one of the players is struggling in practice, Hess said, “the coaches tell them what they are doing wrong and explain what they need to do instead.” The potential players practice every weekday for about two to three hours depending on how hard they practiced that day and what drills they did. Getting along with your teammates is a crucial key to playing baseball because, as Hess puts it, “You need to be able to trust your teammates.” Trusting your teammates is how the team is able to get to the top and succeed in their season. Hess enjoys the relationships and bonding with his teammates and said, “I know them all very well.” Hess’ favorite thing about baseball is “Everything! Just being able to play with my team and just being with the boys.” Hess says his main goal this season is to “help my team win a state championship.” To improve before tryouts, Hess says he is going to put in a lot of practice to be ready when tryouts come. Hess prepared for practice by “getting [himself] locked in and ready to go.” Having that mindset can impact your practice and games for the better. Hess explains that his expectation for this season is to get to the top and be “region champs.” By: Braxton Christensen Senior wrestlers lined up at divisionals for the National Anthem. Photo Credit: Melanie Smith. Bears wrestled at the Utah 4A Divisionals on February 5th and 6th and are now sending 24 wrestlers to state. This definitely sets them up to succeed! By scoring 398 points at divisionals, they nailed 2nd place and are in the top three in their division, alongside Uintah and Mountain Crest.
Being one of the top three teams, the bears are going to state with high expectations. Cael Wilcox said, “We as a team are capable of winning this!” Wilcox was one of the wrestlers many expected to do great, and he has. Taking 1st at divisionals sets him up well to go in hot and repeat it at state. Wilcox is one of the Bears top wrestlers and with his 22-2 record, many argue he may be one of the best in the state which he’ll get to prove soon at state. After winning divisionals, Wilcox said, “It felt good because my work was finally starting to pay off!” Wilcox has worked hard all year to get where he’s at. He goes in before school and stays after practice. Holden Richards has coached Wilcox on some of his moves he used to win the State Championship. Eugene Wilcox, Cael’s father and coach, works just as hard in the room to make his son the best he could possibly be. Regarding Coach Wilcox and Richards, Wilcox said, “They made me work harder when I wanted to take it easy, and saw things that would make me better that I couldn’t see at the time.” Wilcox has big plans for state as he goes in as the one seed: “My plan is to be a state champ.” Also going to state is Kaeson Burn who placed 2nd at divisionals. Burns has a 17-2 record with 16 of those 17 wins being pins. Burn is the Bear’s 182 pounder, but some say he wrestles like he’s a 1000 pound truck, ramming through his opponents left and right all season. Burn says, “I plan on taking state not only this year but next year too.” Based on his current record, he’s definitely capable of these goals. Burn works hard on his off time in the gym and in the wrestling room, and it shows. Burn and Wilcox plan on leading the Bears to victory at state along with all of the great wrestlers on the team! By: Ammon Hunter On February 12, Senior Jefferson Kowallis at Bear River High School competed with his team in the state swim meet in Bountiful. There have been ups and downs over the course of the swim season and some records have previously been close to being broken.
One of the swimmers who showed great potential in setting a new record is Jefferson Kowallis. In many previous meets, Kowallis came close to beating the school record for the 100 meter breaststroke, but has come short by just a few seconds. This particular section is a race where instead of peddling your arms through the water individually, they are peddling simultaneously. While this race may be difficult, Kowallis has been practicing every day with his team and is confident he will succeed in his goal. As well as hopefully breaking a school record, Kowallis also aims to place in the state meet. It won’t be easy as there are a couple of very talented swimmers. In most racing sports, good competition drives competitors to push their limits. However, when swimming, you're mostly face down in the water, only surfacing your face to take a quick breath. Kowallis states, “You can only really see someone if you're ahead of them.” He explained that having competition isn’t really a factor, so it all comes down to your own self determination. On February 12, all the work Kowallis put in during the season paid off. Kowallis was able to beat the previous 100 breaststroke record of 1:02 and set the new record at 1:01. Not only was he able to score the record, Kowallis also placed 4th in state. Most of his team probably weren’t surprised as they all know what a good swimmer Kowallis is, but achieving this win for his team is a great accomplishment. By: Olivia Veibell Bear River Girls’ Basketball had their Senior night on Thursday, January 28. They had a ceremony before the game and the senior girls (Cami Gibbs, Olivia Taylor, Ashley Mickelson, and Kaitlyn Mckee) each shared what they are doing after high school and how long they have been on the basketball team. The girls were then awarded flowers and a small gift for a great season and all of their hard work. These girls played hard and played well for senior night but took a loss to Logan (60-44).
Senior Girls Cami Gibbs, number 4, has always played many different sports when she was younger, but basketball and softball were her favorites. Gibbs has been playing basketball since she was nine, and has loved every second of it. She started competitive basketball in high school her freshman year. One of her biggest achievements is ending games with 100% free throw. Gibbs also plays softball and plans to attend Snow College to play. She isn’t continuing basketball, but she is super glad she did play through her whole high school career. Gibbs talks about senior year by saying, “I feel really good. Super excited to graduate! I will miss playing as a Bear River Bear!” Gibbs plans on staying very active after high school and occasionally having fun with her friends playing basketball. Kaitlyn McKee, number 1, has been playing basketball when she first fell in love with the sport. She spends around 18 hours a week just working and playing basketball. One of her biggest achievements this year is being able to play varsity. She worked really hard to get to play on varsity. Mckee also used to run cross country, which is a bonus when playing basketball. After high school, Mckee plans to finish her cosmetology degree and go on a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Mckee talks about her senior year saying, “I'm sad that it's senior year already, but I have had so many experiences already that have made this year so memorable.” Mckee has worked very hard, and she is determined to get where she wants; it will be very exciting to see what she does in the future. Ashley Mickelson, number 2, has always loved sports. Her parents made her do a bunch of sports when she was younger, and ultimately basketball just stuck with her. Mickelson has been playing for almost seven years. Since her high school basketball career started, she has done some amazing things. This year, her biggest achievement is winning games and all the hard work she’s put in practice. When she goes to practice she puts in the effort she needs to succeed and spends about 10 hours a week. She talks about being a senior by saying, “I’m really excited to move onto new things, but I will definitely miss playing with my Bear River team.” Mickelson is excited for her future although she doesn’t plan to continue her basketball career. She plans on going to college and staying active. Olivia Taylor, number 20, has been playing basketball for about five years. She started competing in eighth grade and has loved it ever since. She loves the game because of how fast-paced it is, and she’s gotten to meet some of her most favorite people. She is currently averaging 16 points per game, which is crazy! She makes sure she works hard by practicing two and half to three hours a day. Her plans after high school are to play softball at the College of Southern Idaho in Twin Falls. Taylor talks about being a senior saying “It’s bittersweet! I’m excited to graduate, but sad to leave high school sports! Basketball the past four years has been a big highlight and enjoyable time for me!” Taylor will miss being in high school, but is so excited for the future ahead of her. These girls have worked really hard to get where they are: many hours of hard work, lots of team interaction, and lots of mental training. They have put in a lot of effort and they are doing great. They have fought their way to be better players, teammates, and individuals. These girls are super sweet and are going to do amazing things in the future. By: Aleksa Evertsen Here at Bear River High School, we just created our first girls’ wrestling team. A junior here at Bear River, Haylee Farnsworth, wrestles on the team. She and many others were quite excited when they got the news that a girls’ wrestling team would be made here at their high school. The students wanted a girls’ team because it expands more options of sports and keeps their bodies healthy.
At this point, when you join the wrestling team, you automatically make it. There is one big team that splits up into different weight classes. Practices are every day after school for two hours with lots of conditioning. Farnsworth said, “I would say around the start of school, September or October, is when they said there would be an open gym.” She also mentioned that there are about 20 girls on the team. Farnsworth said that she and many of her friends had to reach out to other people to join the team. One of the reasons they created the girls’ team was because they knew they couldn’t wrestle the boys. “It would just be awkward because the boys don’t want to hurt the girls, so then the boys would just let them win, which doesn’t make it fun,” Farnsworth mentioned. Despite only wrestling other girls, some injuries have been sustained including shoulders, ribcages, tendons, snapped arms, and many more. They currently have three girls sitting on the bench right now because of their injuries. Farnsworth mentioned that she wanted to wrestle because she wanted to get into shape for softball season. When she started participating in wrestling, she didn’t love the conditioning, but she knew she wanted to be ready for softball. Otherwise, Farnsworth has loved the new adventure of wrestling. Her goal this season is to make it to the top three in state: “The coaches just wanted to see how we did because it is our first year, but overall, I think the most important thing was the thought of the end in mind.” Farnsworth believes that she gets lots of support from her team. She disclosed that this sport is very individualized, yet you need the team to cheer you on to win for yourself and your team. Farnsworth mentioned that wrestling is a very mental and competitive sport. “Once you get on that mat, if you even have the slightest lack of confidence, you will lose.” She said that her team is very dedicated to making the team closer and motivating each other to improve. Her favorite part about the girls and wrestling with them is that she has made friendships she never thought she would. |
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February 2024
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