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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By: Braden Munns The Covid-19 pandemic has taken a toll on all of us. Some of us in different ways than others. Some, who are normally quite active, have put on an extra couple of pounds. While we all wait for our sports and conditioning to come back, all athletes need to stay in shape. This article will give some pointers on how exactly to do that. Corbin Kierstead, a junior at BRHS, has also shared what he’s doing to stay in shape during the pandemic.
1. Kierstead said simply, “I got a job.” He is now mowing lawns which is a lot of exercise and activity. Experts agree that something as simple as having a job is great for health and staying in shape. Jobs that require physical labor are not only great for staying in shape, but they help you make money as well. 2. Working out is simply the best way to stay in shape. Kierstead said, “I try to run every day and do a simple workout.” The easiest way to stay in shape is just working out which can take many forms. Running is great for your cardiovascular health. With weight training and eating right you can not only stay in shape but you can lose weight and get better at any sports that you play. 3. Doctors say it’s very important to keep your brain sharp as well as your body. Kierstead says he “reads books and does his school work.” Many doctors have said that little things like reading books and doing simple math can keep your brain functioning better. Surprisingly enough, sleeping is one of the most key and brushed over parts of brain health. Getting enough sleep is often hard to get during school. During quarantine, many have also found that their sleep schedules have shifted, but getting eight hours of sleep is still very important. For teens and kids, adequate sleep helps our brains develop properly and increases our ability to retain information. 4. Staying socially healthy is extremely important too. Kierstead said, “I try to keep in touch with my friends and stay active.” Doctors have said the best way to keep social health up is to stay in touch. With so many platforms making themselves available right now, it should be easy, you just have to reach out. If these new platforms aren’t an option, many high schoolers have found ways to talk while still being distanced like sending letters, meeting in parking lots and distancing themselves, and even traditional phone calls. Staying active physically, mentally, and socially is especially important during a time of stress and uncertainty. These many ways are helpful and readily available. All we have to do is take advantage of them. By: Morgan Rose There are big changes coming for the 2020-2021 Bear River High School drill team. One major thing that will affect the drill season is the delay of try-outs due to Covid-19. Another big change coming their way is the new coaching staff. The new head coach is Stevie Aoki, and the new assistant coach is Starlee Buttars; both have many years experience with dancing and can not wait to coach an amazing team this year.
An upcoming senior, Brinley Burrup, has a big year ahead of her and looks forward to the new team. One major thing that Burrup is looking forward to is going to camp to learn the new dances and getting to know the new girls. As it will be her senior year, and therefore her last, Burrup also looks forward to making this year one to remember. Burrup shared some advice that has helped her and wants to offer to anyone trying out for drill: “Make the best of the years on drill, during the hard practices don’t give up, make new friends.” If there could be one thing this year on drill that Burrup has hopes of doing, it would be to place in the drill down competition. The drill down is a command competition performed by the dancers at the end of the main competition. All the dancers who wish to compete, from all the schools, line up one-by-one and individually get out as they fail to complete the correct command. The last four dancers standing at the end of the drill down then get to place in the drill down for that competition. Burrup said, “It will take some practice, but it will be worth it to hopefully achieve something so incredible my senior year.” Burrup can’t wait for everything including tryouts, practices, and spending time with the team. Burrup said of their sport performances, “Football being my favorite of course, but I love them all.” When the girls aren’t practicing their dances, they like to have pool parties and sleepovers throughout the year to stay close to each other and have some fun. All in all, the 2020-2021 drill team will have a lot to look forward to. Burrup has big, exciting things coming her way for her senior year on drill, along with exciting hopes she has for the team. Burrup “hopes we can place higher this season than we did last season and make it to state.” She knows it will take hard work and dedication from everyone, but she can’t wait to be a part of a motivated team. By: Rheagen Hartfiel It was the start of what we thought was going to be an amazing year for the seniors. Many seniors were preparing for their spring sports hoping to finish off with a bang and prove how far they have come and how hard they have worked.
On April 14, 2020 all Utah school sports were cancelled due to Coronavirus and this broke a lot of seniors’ hearts. No one knew this day would ever happen. Everyone is devastated for these seniors especially all their coaches and parents. Seniors Dillon Marble, Dallas Moyes, Kati Gibbs, Emily Laumann, Carter Christensen, Braxton Stokes, and Bracken Bjorn were all interviewed and asked for their thoughts on the cancelled spring season. Dillon Marble has been on the baseball team all four years. Marble feels very sad with his season being cut short because, even though he plays other sports, baseball is his favorite. He also looked forward to playing on the team with his younger brother: “I just wished that I could have finished the season especially where Garrison was on the team. I always looked forward to playing with him, so I wish I could have finished it out.” Dallas Moyes has been a part of the soccer program all four years. Moyes has worked very hard for his final year and feels like he has been robbed. He said, “One thing I wished I could have done is shined senior year. I feel like I have always been slept on and I wanted this to be my year.” Kati Gibbs has been on the softball team all four years. Gibbs feels like all the hard work that she has put in has been taken away because of one simple little thing. Gibbs says, “Not getting to play, not getting to hangout with my teammates, throwing away my senior night speech, cancelling my last banquet, and losing my last chance to take state has been unthinkable.” Emily Laumann is a part of the track team and feels during this time “as if something I love was just ripped from my hands.” Laumann wishes that she could have had the chance to qualify and compete at state. She was only two seconds away from qualifying. Laumann has been training and working really hard and then all of a sudden her chance was taken away from her. Carter Christensen has been on the tennis team since his freshman year. Christensen says he is “disappointed that [he] has worked so hard since his freshman year” and now it’s cancelled. Christensen was looking forward to playing at state. State is always such an excitement because it makes you feel like all your hard work has paid off. Braxton Stokes is a part of the rugby team along with nine other seniors. They all felt they had a lot to offer and were waiting to do such amazing things this season. Stokes said, “I was really excited to see what we could do.” Bracken Bjorn is a part of the lacrosse team. Bjorn has put in a lot of time and effort to show what he's got. Bjorn and his team worked really hard over the past couple years to bring Bear River a successful lacrosse team. He was bummed that they didn't get a chance to show everyone. “I wish I could have had a senior night to honor my best friends and their dedication to me and each other,” says Bjorn. All of these seniors expressed great disappointment and wish they could have had their spring season. While these wishes are unfulfilled due to a global pandemic, we wish them the best as they move forward with their otherwise bright futures. By: Nikayla Williams The first time playing on her high school softball team was a huge deal for Kortnie Burton. Burton has been playing softball since she was little and always knew that she wanted to play for her high school team. Burton worked hard and, her freshman year, she got on the high school softball team.
While at practice one day, Burton was playing second base. She went up to get the grounder coming her way and, after running to it, she planted her foot on the ground and twisted her knee. “I heard a pop and it was really nasty,” Burton recalled. A doctor later confirmed that this nasty pop was a torn ACL. As bad as that was to hear while just starting off her year there was even more bad news. Burton was also told that she would have to wait for surgery because her growth plates were not closed. Despite this serious setback, this injury was not going to stop Burton from doing what she loved. She continued to work to get her leg strong for a whole year. Burton was not inclined to give up and had the goal to play again: “I totally was planning on playing again. I wasn't going to let my injury hold me back from what I wanted to do.” Burton ended up getting her surgery during her sophomore softball season. While in recovery after her surgery, Burton worked hard to make it back in time for volleyball (which she also plays). Burton is now in her junior year of softball and she is excited to play. She made the team again and was ready to show everyone how much she has improved. Due to Covid-19, all spring sports are postponed until further notice, but Burton is ready for anything. She is determined to get back out there whenever she can. By: Braden Munns Here we are again, another beautiful spring rolling around just in time for sports to kick off. Girls’ golf looked poised to have another great year. They placed first in both pre-region tournaments they attended and had a strong core of seniors leading the team. When asked about her thoughts on the upcoming season, senior Makensy Thompson said, “I feel like the season would have gone really well. I’m kinda bummed out about the whole thing, but I’m trying to make the best of it.”
Due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, we may never know the outcome, but these golf athletes are trying to make the best of it. Junior Kelby Jensen said, “I’m going outside whenever I can [to] practice, trying to stay warm in case there is a make up season.” All is not lost, though. More information has come down from UHSAA (Utah High School Athletics Association). They currently have two plans to try if we do go back to school. The first being that we just return to school as normal and the sports be played as many games a week to make it work again. That could be as many as three games per week for some sports. Golf would be mostly unaffected by this particular plan as they usually only have one tournament per week. The second option being explored by UHSAA is pusshing sports into the summer which would work out well for all involved. Except for vacations of course. This second option is being discussed by the UHSAA, but has not been put out for the schools to vote on yet. These are two very good options which should leave these golf athletes and all spring sports’ athletes very excited and optimistic despite the current shutdown. For now we should stay home, complete our schoolwork, and sharpen the axe. When the sports return, we should be ready and hopefully it’s sooner rather than later. By: Braxton Cunningham At first, many of us thought the Coronavirus wasn’t that serious. We weren’t worried about the Coronavirus; that’s just in China. For some, including Rudy Gobert, a basketball player for the Utah Jazz, the virus was something to joke about. Gobert then inadvertently sent everyone into a frenzy. He was joking about the virus and touched all the reporters’ mics. He was careless in the locker room and touched all his teammates' stuff. Then minutes before tipoff, they delayed the game. An hour later it was announced that Rudy Gobert had tested positive for the Coronavirus.
This incident brought some of the craziest 72 hours in most of our lifetimes: the NBA suspended its season, the MLB delayed its season, and then the NHL and MLS suspended their seasons. Fellow teammate Donovan Mitchell tested positive for Coronavirus as well. This chain of events caused the entire United States to go into full prevention mode. Schools have been shut down, gatherings have been limited, and people have been stocking up on food and other supplies because of the fear that all this has generated. Gobert has taken a lot of criticism because of testing positive but the thing is we don’t know if it's Gobert’s fault. What if Mitchell had been tested first and his test came back positive. He would’ve been the one that had gotten all the blame. Gobert apologized for his joking and careless actions like he should have, but all the blame for all the postponements can’t be on him. The NBA was not totally prepared for the Coronavirus and it led to the craziness happening around us. The lack of preparation can be a reason for why the panic is happening. A good thing that has happened from all this, though, is that everyone is learning to be more careful and prepared. We are all learning how to do new and hard things. We are all learning to practice better personal hygiene. Everyone is hopeful that everything will calm down sooner rather than later. China, where the virus originated, is starting to see stabilization and their Chinese Basketball League is set to start up again soon. By: Rheagen Hartfiel Justin Ritter, a senior, has been on the BRHS rugby team since his sophomore year. A majority of the team are seniors who have played together for the last three years. Because of this, the team has a strong connection and performs well together. Ritter is confident in his team and looks forward to making memories with his friends/teammates.
Ritter feels good about this year’s team and is excited to see how they will perform. He believes the key to rugby is communication and this year’s team has that going for them. Ritter also said their “tackling has been even better this season.” After their first game and win against Cache Valley, the team was hoping for a great season. Unfortunately, they only played this one game before their season was postponed due to Covid-19. The team has not been able to practice together during all this, so they have to do what they can on their own. “The team has been conditioning at home trying to stay in shape,” says Ritter. Despite the difficulty of the situation, Ritter feels he is more than prepared to step back out on the field with his teammates when things get better. Finishing out your senior sports season is the dream of many high school athletes. Ritter is excited to see how far his team will go and is ready to take on an exciting season. By: Dallas Moyes The state wrestling tournament was held on February 14 and the 15 and, as always, many wrestlers from Bear River High School made their competitive presence known. Each year, the wrestling team shows up to the tournament meaning business.The school’s reputation for wrestling is like none other. Other schools and coaches know what Bear River Wrestling is capable of. People expect greatness from Bear River every year and the team always delivers. This year the team took third overall out of every 4A school in Utah. With no surprise, Bear River had three state champions this year: Maverik Skinner, Jeshua Koch, and Trenton Ward.
Trenton Ward explained what it takes to become a state champ: “For me to become a state champ it took so much practice and a lot of extra work put in over summertime, at home, and even after practices.” Ward took the title this year at the state wrestling tournament. It has been Ward’s goal to become a state champion since he started wrestling. Though it would be easy to, Ward doesn’t give all the credit to himself. He gives credit to Coach Jason Bingham for pushing him to be the wrestler he is today. Ward said that becoming a state champion was no easy task and the hardest part of the grind was keeping track of and cutting his weight. Most wrestlers agree that this is the most difficult part of wrestling. Wrestlers go on a crazy diet and arguably the worst part of the diet is the low amount of water wrestlers are permitted to consume. Being a wrestler is not an easy way to live. Although it seems like being a state champion wrestler is too difficult, Ward explains that everything came together perfectly in order for him to win his final match. By: Jacob Jensen It’s always a big deal to our community when students from Bear River High School excel in a sport or activity. It’s an even bigger deal when they are recognized enough to have the opportunity to display their talents at a post high school institution. Caeden Miller, a Bear River senior, has earned a spot on William Penn University’s lacrosse team through his hard work. William Penn is a University in Oskaloosa, Iowa, and they recently added lacrosse to their list of sports they endorse.
Caeden Miller has been playing lacrosse for nine years now and was part of the Bear River lacrosse team when they were founded, and was one of the captains during his sophomore and junior year. Miller chose to play for William Penn for many reasons: they have great facilities, they also have a good coach. Miller stated about the coach, “He grew up in Utah too, so he is super relatable.” Miller also liked the fact that William Penn has a newly sanctioned lacrosse team like Bear River. William Penn also has one of the best programs that Miller wants to major in: digital communications. Caeden knows many people at William Penn which will help with the transition. He has many former teammates who are on the team and an old neighbor who plays for their baseball team. Miller expects a lot of hard work to be put into the season: “It’ll be a grind for sure. The team is in its first year this season, so when I go there it’ll be their second, so it’ll be interesting to watch and gain experience”. Miller is excited for the season, “I am just grateful to get to play the game I love so much.” He plans on going straight to William Penn this coming fall. By: Rheagen Hartfiel Bailey Theurer recently recovered from a torn ACL and is ready more than ever to make a comeback her senior year. During her junior year, Theurer tore her ACL while participating in the flag football game. However, she has always had knee problems. In consequence of this accident, she was out for quite awhile with a long recovery ahead of her. She was also part of the basketball team in her junior year, but was physically unable to play.
Theurer was out for a little over six months, but she was able to come back to the last few softball games and pitched. She was supposed to be the starting pitcher, but with her torn ACL, she wasn't able to start until she was completely healed. Although it was difficult, Theurer remarked how she has “learned a lot of patience from not being able to play.” Sitting on the bench was very different from actually being on the field: she noticed different details of the game. So with this experience, she was able to see things that she wasn't able to ever see while she was playing. In the last two weeks of her junior year, she was able to pitch a little; she pitched at region and at state. Thuerer said her emotions were like a roller coaster and she recalled how scared she was to go to state, but as soon as she got out on that field, she did what was needed. Last year, the team exceeded people’s expectations and Thuerer is hoping to accomplish that again this year. In the summertime, she started traveling again with her competitive team. She said it was kind of hard when she first started because of her physical barriers. Theurer has pitching lessons two to three times a week and also pitches every day on her own to increase her strength and prepare for the upcoming season. She's most excited to be able to finally play her original position. This year she is still wary about her team placing at region and state, but she believes that the younger ages will have a positive effect. Her final year, Theurer has been through a lot and has had such a positive attitude through it all. She is excited to see what her senior year of softball has for her. By: Braxton Cunningham Photo Credit: BRHS Admin. Sky View student body wearing red (their opponents' school color) to support Coach Reggie Shaw. On Friday, January 31, the Bear River boys basketball team went to go play against Sky View and ended up getting a surprise from Sky View’s student section. The student section decided to wear red to support Coach Shaw and his journey with the recent discovery of a brain tumor. They also gave Coach Shaw a shout out after the Bear River starting five was introduced. This was a very generous gesture from Sky View and was proof that sportsmanship and respect is not lost among student athletes and their schools.
Competition can be used as motivation to go out there and perform successfully, but sometimes that can get in the way of being a good teammate or a respectable opponent. The tribute Sky View paid to Coach Shaw and Bear River was impressively considerate for being an opponent. Bear River Junior, Trevin Toone, who is part of the team, witnessed the event and remarked, “I think it’s cool to see the region come together like how they did. It’s nice to see them as friends and not just opponents.” Unfortunately for Bear River, they did end up losing to Sky View by a score of 89-57, but this did not lessen the impact of what Sky View did for Coach Shaw. What’s even cooler about this gesture is that Coach Shaw is new to Bear River: this is his first year coaching here. Other schools in this region have performed very sportsmanship actions including the poster that Ridgeline brought and the check Mountain Crest gave Coach Shaw to help with medical expenses. Toone responded to these actions saying that “it kind of adds onto the pride that’s already there because it’s a tough region and all the teams are tough and respectable. Seeing these actions that the schools in the region are taking is pretty cool and something that I think we should take to heart.” We need to remember to be grateful for this great school we have and the great region we live in and always exemplify good sportsmanship. By: Dallas Moyes It’s always exciting when new activities or sports are added to Bear River High School. This school year, one of the biggest additions is the newly sanctioned sport of lacrosse. Lacrosse has always been played in the valley, but it was never considered a high school sport until now. Many girls and boys play this springtime sport but they all play on club teams, or at least they used to.
There are many benefits to having lacrosse become a high school sport. Students can have absences for games become school excused, they can receive school transportation, and generally receive school support and recognition. Within the past few years, there has been a significant push to make lacrosse a sanctioned sport and supported by the school. All of the hard work that came from parents and players has paid off and now lacrosse is sanctioned. Easton Eggli, a well respected player on the high school lacrosse team, has seen the process of the Bear River Lacrosse team from its small beginnings.. He was overjoyed when lacrosse became a high school sanctioned sport. When asked what the biggest benefit of becoming sanctioned he said, “Being able to have busses take us to our games.” With the lacrosse team being sanctioned, it will bring a sense of belonging to the players that they have sought after for years. Eggli confidently explained that this year the team will be very strong and they are ready to represent Bear River High School. With six seniors in the squad, the first year of high school lacrosse is sure to be a good one. Tryouts are February 24 and all are welcome to come. It’s a new sport that is drawing a lot of boys and girls in because of the friendships and bonds it offers. The coaches and players are trying to build the organization so come out and give lacrosse a try. A new sport is in town and it looks like it’s going to make a big impact. By: Rheagen Hartfiel Photo Credit: Taylie Nessen Brooklyn Stevenson, a senior, is one of the top varsity golfers on the girls’ golf team. She is predicting a regional title this upcoming season. The head golf coach is Jimmy Thomas; he’s been head coach for six years and coached Stevenson since she was a freshman. To make her prediction a reality, Stevenson has been attending open gyms to get ready for the tryouts, and their first tournament which is coming up in March.
Stevenson's favorite part of golf this year is the opportunity she has to end her senior year with a bang. This year, Stevenson believes that their biggest competition is going to be Ridgeline. Because Ridgeline lost a lot of seniors last year, Stevenson said, “I think we're going to be the top dogs of the region.” The girls’ golf team has four strong seniors that have been golfing as part of the varsity team since freshman year. Stevenson also has confidence that Andi Gardner, a sophomore, has really improved personally, which in turn helps the team out. She has been getting lessons all summer and has seen improvement in her golf game. Stevenson herself has been seeing a swing coach this past summer and has been doing more summer tournaments to try and advance her techniques. From practicing this summer, Stevenson has seen progress in her score and is hoping to keep growing for the upcoming season. Upcoming tournaments are on Mondays and Thursdays. They only have eight tournaments this year, and only one or two preseason tournaments. The weather has a big affect on how Stevenson performs. She said that when it's snowing and cold she doesn't play as well. She also said that her golf opponent affects her strategies. The hardest part about golf is staying mentally positive and having a good attitude. If you don’t have any of those two you won't perform to the best of your ability. Golf is such a mental game and that's why some may struggle to play because it's so mental that they can't handle it. In golf, there are so many strategies and you have to be on your toes and know what you will be doing next. By: Jacob Jensen On Sunday, January 26th, it seemed as if the world stopped with the death of the legendary basketball player Kobe Bryant. Kobe died alongside his 13 year old daughter, Gianna, and seven other passengers in a helicopter crash. Typically, a helicopter crash in Calabasas California wouldn’t make it in a school newspaper in Garland, Utah, but Kobe was no typical person. Kobe (also known as the Black Mamba) had millions of fans who absolutely adored his competitive attitude, his work ethic, and the passion he showed every time he was on the basketball court. Many students here at Bear River grew up watching Kobe play and idolized him.
Anthony Wong is a senior who loved watching Kobe Bryant play, even to the point where he enjoyed watching Kobe beat his favorite teams. When asked about what made him a Kobe fan, Anthony said, “His mentality and love for the game was what initially drew me to him.” Anthony’s favorite memory of Kobe is when he tore his Achilles tendon but still went on to shoot his free throws. Anthony said that when he found out about Kobe’s accident he could not believe it saying, “Kobe’s a legend; he can’t be dead.” Senior Keaten Berret is also a die-hard Kobe fan. Keaten’s family has always watched Kobe’s games, making him very familiar with his game. Keaten even went as far to say, “If I could be any basketball player, I’d be Kobe.” At the time of Kobe’s death, Keaten said that he was so shocked he couldn’t think straight for days. “It was hard to comprehend what happened,” says Keaten. Tragedies are a common thing in life, and sadly not even our favorite heroes can escape them. Kobe Bryant wouldn’t want his fans to get hung up on his death, though. The best way to honor his memory would be to show passion and competitiveness in everything we do like the Black Mamba would’ve done. By: Jacob Jensen We are less than one month away from the State Wrestling Tournament and things are looking bright for Bear River. The past decade, Bear River Wrestling has performed well at state, and it appears the same will hold true this year. The team is feeling confident with a record of 15 wins and 2 losses. Bear River was last ranked 17th in the whole state, and that was before they dominated in Vegas. After coming up third in last year's state tournament, the wrestling team is hoping to bring the title back to Garland.
Paxton Smith is a senior varsity wrestler who competes in the 195 pound weight class. Smith has wrestled with the team all four years of high school, and has seen many teams come and go. Every year that Smith has been on the team, they have done generally well in the tournament, but they haven’t won. When asked if the team’s mentality or game plan has changed throughout the years, Smith said, “We’ve been about the same every year, it's just a matter of whether we can step it up.” This year, Bear River’s biggest threat is going to be Mountain Crest. Mountain Crest is one of the top teams in the entire state and will be the team to beat. According to Smith, Bear River is going to have to improve their physicality if they are going to be able to topple Mountain Crest: “We have the talent we just need to keep working hard,'' says Smith. With the tournament coming up on February 15th, it is time to get excited for Bear River Wrestling. Although the competition is going to be a challenge this year, it looks like the Bears have what it takes to move to the next level. By: Dallas Moyes Junior Jazz is an organization designed to teach the concepts and techniques of the game to adolescents. Rather than learning the game of basketball, high school age boys and girls play Jr. Jazz primarily to have fun and goof off. Emilio Mendoza, a senior here at Bear River High School, loves Jr. Jazz for that reason. Here in the Bear River Valley, Jr. Jazz is taken both seriously and as a joke. Athletes who want to play basketball, but don’t have the time, commitment, or skill to play high school ball usually play Jr. Jazz basketball. Jr. Jazz is so appealing because it has a reputation of being pretty low key.
Student athletes playing Jr. Jazz come up with fun ways to make playing more enjoyable. In addition, it is really convenient to play Jr. Jazz because games are on Saturday mornings. Contrary to most people’s beliefs, most players do not mind sacrificing their day to sleep in on Saturday mornings. They plan fun things to do in order to take their mind off how early it is. Each and every week, players plan what the dress-up is to wear at the game. This year, Jr. Jazz players have not only gone all out for their pregame attire, but also for their in-game attire. Most players have bought headbands and unnecessary accessories. With the players dressing this way every week, it helps players cope with nervousness and gives everyone a laugh before game time. With that being said, players still want to win. Sometimes things get heated and tensions rise, but that is expected. Mendoza, a Jr. Jazz enthusiast, said that he loves the competitiveness Jr. Jazz basketball has to offer. He started playing Jr. Jazz last year because everyone made it sound so enjoyable. Every week without fail, he finds a way to make everyone smile with what he wears to his games. When asked about his favorite part of Jr. Jazz, he immediately said, “Playing with my friends and the fun competition that comes with [it].” Mendoza loves improving his skills and the memories that come with being in Jr. Jazz. Mendoza encourages all to take part in the amazing experience of playing Jr. Jazz. By: Rheagen Hartfiel The Dance Company, coached by Anna Jorgenson, is a new activity offered this year at Bear River High School. Kinley Richards, a member of the cheer team, is a member of the new dance company. Unlike cheer and drill, Dancey Company is not competitive; they simply practice and enjoy performing for audiences. Otherwise, Dance Company is just like any other sport: they have a class hour dedicated to their dance team for practices.
Richards is super excited to be a part of a dance team. Because Dance Company is not competitive, she is also able to be on cheer which is. This newly created class/group will give students the opportunity to try something different. Richards said that Dance Company has been able to bring her out of her comfort zone because she really had to open up with the other girls. She really likes the creative side of the Dance Company. Richards said, “Cheer and drill are more strict [than Dance Company] because they’re more competitive and the teachers are choreographing dances for them.” Jorgenson is teaching the students in Dance Company to choreograph their own dances, and allows them to be creative with their style of dances. With it being the Dance Company’s first year, Richards has felt a lot of pressure to be able to do well in order to make sure she can come back next year. Richards said that she has really liked it and so have the other girls. They are hoping to get more girls to tryout next year so they can expand the team. Richards said that she has talked to younger girls and encouraged them to join. Overall, the Dance Company is improving each day and they are having a lot of fun. By: Braxton Cunningham It is football fans’ favorite time of the year: the Super Bowl. This game crowns the best team in the National Football League with the Lombardi Trophy.
The two teams that will be going head to head in the Super Bowl this year is the San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs. They are both incredibly talented and tough teams so it is expected that this game will be intense and well remembered. To figure out who Bear River thinks will win, a poll of 180 students was taken and Coach Park and Coach Rasmussen were also interviewed. 57% of school thinks that the 49ers will win it all but Coach Park chose Andy Reid and the Chiefs. Coach Park reasoned that “they have a good coach, and one of the best quarterbacks in the game [Patrick Mahomes] who is a versatile player and has a very good passer rating. They also have a very tough defense.” Coach Rasmussen also thinks that the Chiefs will win because “they beat the hottest team in the NFL [Tennessee Titans],... they have a cooler story...I think the AFC as a conference is stronger than the NFC.” Both coaches think that it will be a good game because, as Coach Park said, “The 49ers have all feature backs who are really good.” Coach Rasmussen also said, “the 49ers have a tough defensive line.” Both coaches want the Chiefs to win because they both like Andy Reid and the fact that he is from Utah. Coach Rasmussen believes that Andy Reid has never quite gotten the credit that he deserves. When asked what their favorite part of the Super Bowl they both said that they love to be able to spend time with their families and able to have some good food. Coach Park is excited for the Super Bowl commercials and Coach Rasmussen is hopeful that the commercials this year will be better than they have in years past. On Sunday, kick back and relax, spend time with your family, and enjoy the game. |
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February 2024
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