![“[Building nerf blasters] became this outlet of creativity for me that hasn't been matched by anything else. The process [of] making a build complete to your desire is such a painstakingly difficult process, but I've had to learn from [the skills needed from] soldering to proper painting. There's so many different options for everything, if you think about it, it exists. The best part is [that] if it doesn't exist, you can build it yourself," Ishaan Parate said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/DSC_8149-900x604.jpg)
![“When I came into high school, I was ready to be a follower. But DECA was a game changer for me. It helped me overcome my fear of public speaking, and it's played such a major role in who I've become today. To be able to successfully lead a chapter of 150 students, an officer team and be one of the upperclassmen I once really admired is something I'm [really] proud of,” Anvitha Tummala ('21) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Screen-Shot-2021-07-25-at-9.50.05-AM-900x594.png)
![“I think getting up in the morning and having a sense of purpose [is exciting]. I think without a certain amount of drive, life is kind of obsolete and mundane, and I think having that every single day is what makes each day unique and kind of makes life exciting,” Neymika Jain (12) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Screen-Shot-2017-06-03-at-4.54.16-PM.png)
![“My slogan is ‘slow feet, don’t eat, and I’m hungry.’ You need to run fast to get where you are–you aren't going to get those championships if you aren't fast,” Angel Cervantes (12) said. “I want to do well in school on my tests and in track and win championships for my team. I live by that, [and] I can do that anywhere: in the classroom or on the field.”](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/DSC5146-900x601.jpg)
![“[Volleyball has] taught me how to fall correctly, and another thing it taught is that you don’t have to be the best at something to be good at it. If you just hit the ball in a smart way, then it still scores points and you’re good at it. You could be a background player and still make a much bigger impact on the team than you would think,” Anya Gert (’20) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/AnnaGert_JinTuan_HoHPhotoEdited-600x900.jpeg)
![“I'm not nearly there yet, but [my confidence has] definitely been getting better since I was pretty shy and timid coming into Harker my freshman year. I know that there's a lot of people that are really confident in what they do, and I really admire them. Everyone's so driven and that has really pushed me to kind of try to find my own place in high school and be more confident,” Alyssa Huang (’20) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/AlyssaHuang_EmilyChen_HoHPhoto-900x749.jpeg)
Athletes begin training in preparation for winter sports
Harker’s JV basketball team practices in the Upper School Gym. Their first game of the season is on Dec. 2.
“Let’s Go!” Coach Mentillo said, as he urged his junior varsity basketball players to finish a drill. This year’s winter sport athletes begin to prepare for the season by starting off with pre-season training exercises. As the season approaches, boys and girls soccer, boys and girls basketball, and wrestling teams begin to prepare in advance for the upcoming season with team exercises and clinics.
“I got to know all my fellow teammates while also being able to improve myself, the workouts really brought us together,” Vedant Shah (9) said.
Students have been practicing during the offseason for these sports, and now, as the winter sports season nears, clinics for the whole team are happening so that they can begin practicing together.
Though clinics started about three weeks before the season, some students expressed concern about the late start to the girls soccer pre-season practices.
“I think it would be better if we started implementing the practices a little earlier” co-captain Gabriela Gupta (12) said. “You just kind of have to hope that other people are taking it seriously sometimes and that they’re going to come prepared.”
Though there were these reservations, most students found that the group trainings were beneficial to the overall strength of the team.
“By playing with other people who are trying out, it allows us to build team chemistry,” Nirban Bhatia (9), who tried out for basketball said.
Both boys soccer and boys basketball players began training six weeks before their seasons with Coach Forbes in order to prepare for the first games.
“Before the official basketball practice started, we went into the weightlifting room, three days a week and worked on strength and conditioning,” Elijah Edgehill (11) said. “Since basketball practice started, we are working hard every day on the court.”
Every player that was asked about pre-season training agreed that it was beneficial to the team’s overall strength.
“It definitely helps us prepare for the season,” soccer player Krishna Bheta (9) said.
These preparations mirror those of fall sports, as both football and cross country had practices before school started in order to prepare for the first games.
Soccer and basketball practice officially started on Nov. 3, with the first games of the season coming up in Dec. 2 for Varsity soccer, Jan. 2 for wrestling and Dec. 3 for Varsity basketball.
This piece was originally published in the pages of The Winged Post on November 21, 2014.
Neil Bai (12) is the senior copy editor for Harker Aquila and is tasked with copy editing and approving all articles before they are published. Neil’s...
Lauren Russell (10) is a reporter in her second year on staff for the Winged Post. After joining the staff for freshman year, she looks forward to continuing...