![“[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)
Fall athletes begin after-school practices
Alexis Gauba (11) finishes her swing during girls’ golf practice.
As the school year starts, athletes who play fall sports have begun preparing for the beginning of their season.
Golf
Varsity girls’ golf kicked off their season with their first practice on Monday. Led by Head Coach Ie-Chen Cheng, the girls look forward to improving as a team even more from last season where they placed 3rd in league championships.
“We have around six new freshmen joining the team this year, so that’s very exciting because we’ll have a lot of new blood, a lot of new people that can play,” Alexis Gauba (11) said. “It’s going to be a fun season; it’s the biggest it’s been since I’ve been in high school, so I’m definitely really excited and really looking forward to it.”
Football
The football team practices running plays during their summer practices.
Followed by a summer of preseason workouts, the varsity football team officially started their season on Aug. 10 on Davis Field. This year, the team will be led by a new head coach, Mike Tirabassi.
“I think for this season, all the guys have really improved,” William Park (11) said. “A lot of us have really high expectations, and so do our coaches, and I really believe we can go undefeated this year.” The team will have their first game on Sept. 4 on Davis Field against Yerba Buena.
Girls’ Water Polo
Karen Tu (12) throws a water polo ball during a girls’ water polo summer practice.
Varsity girls’ water polo officially began their season on Aug. 14. Since many of last year’s key players were seniors, Head Coach Allie Lamb plans to rebuild the team through the incoming freshmen.
“I think throughout the season we’ll grow a lot,” Lamb said. “I’m expecting almost as many freshmen as every other class combined, so it’ll be exciting to watch them mold into our team and grow throughout the year.”
The girls will play their first match against Fremont High School at the Singh Aquatic Center on Sept. 15.
Boys’ Water Polo
Andrew Chang (9) hits a water polo ball during summer practices for boys’ water polo.
Varsity boys’ water polo started their season on Aug. 14. The team, led by Head Coach Ted Ujifusa, lost many seniors but still plans on improving from its last season.
“This year, most of the team went to summer practices,” Mikhail Ivkov (11) said. “Although last year we had a stronger shooting team, this year we are better all-around.”
The team will play its first match against Fremont High School in the Singh Aquatic Center on Sept. 15.
Girls’ Tennis
The girls’ tennis team warms up during a summer practice.
The varsity girls’ tennis team started officially practicing on Aug. 14. This year, the team will also have an additional head coach, Eileen Schick. Narrowly missing an undefeated record last season, the girls look forward to playing even better than last year and hope to advance further in CCS finals as well.
“This season we are hoping to first do well at our Fresno tournament and hopefully further our run in CCS,” Elizabeth Schick (10) said. “In general, we also want to surpass last year’s record.
Cross Country
The cross country team prepares for their upcoming fall season during practice.
Varsity cross country had their first official practice of the school year on Aug. 14 at Rancho, San Antonio. Led by Head Coach Scott Chisam, the team captains are Niki Iyer (11), Alexandra Dellar (12), Jack Rothschild (12) and Lev Sepetov (12).
“It’s going to be a good season; we had 12 people at practice [on Aug. 10], which is a record for the preseason, and we have a really strong group that’s going to do extremely well this year, so I’m really excited,” Sepetov said.
Girls’ Volleyball
Doreene Kang (12) hits the volleyball during the girls’ volleyball summer practices.
Varsity girls’ volleyball held their first official practice on Aug. 14. This year, the girls plan to surpass their performance last year where they finished second in CCS finals and advanced to the semifinal round in Norcals.
“This year, we got a lot of good players,” Xiaofeng Foret, Junior Varsity volleyball coach said. ”I’m really happy, and I think that we will be much better than last year.”
The varsity girls’ volleyball team will play against Homestead High School in their first match on Sep. 3.
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