![“[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)
Winter sports practices begin this week
Lyndsey Mitchell (11) juggles a soccer ball at practice. Girls varsity soccer started holding practices for their athletes on Nov 2.
November 4, 2015
The winter sports season begins this week, and basketball, soccer and wrestling held practices at the Bucknall, Blackford, and the Saratoga campuses. The cheerleaders will also support the basketball team at their games for this coming season.
Although practices have only recently started, most athletes have already prepared through individual training and pre-season workouts. Coaches held team exercises and conditioning sessions during the fall sports season.
“When school starts in September, we go through open gyms where we’ll work on some conditioning and just play a lot of basketball,” coach of the girls basketball team Tomas Thompson said.
The soccer teams this year hope to play well at all their games and outdo their performance of last year. There are varsity teams for both boys and girls and a JV team for the boys as well. So far, the girls team has 13 players and four more are expected to join according to Aislinn Coveney (10), the goalie of girls varsity soccer.
Aislinn mentions what the team looks forward to this season.
“All we’re trying to achieve during the season as the coaches said is to become more fit and be the best we can be,” Aislinn said.
Basketball consists of varsity and junior varsity teams for both boys and girls. Gene Wang (9), a member of the JV boys team, said the number of freshmen that will participate in this sport was surprising and commented on their current mindset going into the season.
“A large majority of the freshmen playing are pretty good,” Gene said. “So, we’re trying to win as many games as we can.”
This will be the last season of performing for the senior cheerleaders. Marita Del Alto (12) mentioned her eagerness in transitioning to basketball season and spending more time with the rest of the team.
“Being on the court and being really involved is exciting,” Marita said. “I’m really looking forward to the rest of the year with these girls.”
Varsity girls soccer, JV boys basketball, and wrestling will have their first games on Dec. 3, Nov. 25 and Jan. 7, respectively.
