![“[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 sports train over summer, begin seasons
August 31, 2018
Girls Volleyball
Girls volleyball has finished tryouts and is into the season now, with 16 people on the varsity team. Due to a large turnout for tryouts, the coaches decided to create an intramural team, so this year there will be four teams, with freshman, JV, and varsity participating in g
ames. Practices started Aug. 16, and the first scrimmage was against Saratoga High School on Aug. 17. They play Mountain View High School at home today in a non-league game.
Cross Country
The cross country team started preseason practices on July 9 at Rancho San Antonio Open Space Preserve. Their first meet is on Aug. 30 at Gunn High School. This meet is not a full-length 3-mile run, but rather a 2-mile practice meet with races separated by grade. This meet includes an alumni race where coaches, teachers, parents and other alumni of the two schools get to participate. The first large meet is the Lowell Invitational on Sept. 8 at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco.
Football
The football team lost their first game of the season 47-20 against Big Christian on Aug. 17, but won their second game against James Lick 22-18. Summer training started on Monday, June 11. There is no JV team this year, and it a relatively small team compared to previous years, with just four new freshmen. The team is headed by captains Ayush Vyas (12), Mitchell Granados (12), Anthony Meissner (12) and Jared Anderson (12). Their starting quarterback is Anthony Meissner. The team’s next game is tomorrow against Washington High School.
Girls Water Polo
The girls’ water polo team began practices on Aug. 13. There is only a varsity team, and the team has just one new athlete joining. The team’s first game is a home, conference game on Sept. 4 against Saratoga High School.
Boys Water Polo
The boys’ water polo team comprises both a JV team, consisting of sophomores and freshmen, and a varsity team. The varsity team’s first game is a league game on Sept. 4 at home against Saratoga High School. This will follow the girls’ water polo game on that day.
Girls Golf
The girls’ golf team held their first tryout on Aug. 25 at Baylands Golf Links. The team has 12 girls and participated in an unofficial scrimmage on Aug. 28 against Palo Alto High School and Valley Christian. The team will compete in the Helen Lengfeld Memorial Tournament on Sept. 4 and in an official tri-match against Sacred Heart and Belmont on Sept. 5.
Girls Tennis
Girls tennis held tryouts three weeks ago and began practices this Monday. There is only a varsity team, with 17 girls on the team. There are six new freshmen. The team competes in the California Girls Tennis Classic on Sept. 7 and 8 in Fresno.
This piece was originally published in the pages of The Winged Post on Aug. 31, 2018.
