![“[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)
- Baseball
- Boys Basketball
- Boys Golf
- Boys Tennis
- Boys Volleyball
- Cross Country
- Football
- Girls Basketball
- Girls Lacrosse
- Girls Tennis
- Girls Volleyball
- Showcase
- Softball
- Sports
- Swimming
- Track and Field
- Volleyball
Girls golf and girls tennis teams dominate in league, more sports to kick off soon
Natalie Vo (12) hits a tee shot with her driver during the girls golf team’s victory against Notre Dame Belmont last Wednesday. The girls now have a record of 3-0, with three matches still left on their schedule.
March 22, 2021
As COVID-19 cases continue to decline in Santa Clara County, a majority of Harker sports have been allowed to resume practice, and in some cases, competition. Sports seasons were initially scheduled to kick off in December and early January, but were ultimately postponed due a surge in COVID-19 cases during the winter.
The first sports to resume were cross country, girls golf, girls tennis and swimming.
The cross country team maintained a hybrid format for their practices, with head coach Mia Purnell leading a small group of runners in-person, and the remaining athletes performing remote workouts using the fitness app Strava to track their runs. The cross country team participated in four meets over the course of their season, which ended on March 19.
The girls golf season began on March 22, and prior to their first match, the team practiced at a variety of courses around the Bay Area. The girls are currently 3-0 on the season, with three more matches left on their schedule.
The girls tennis season also began on March 22. They won their first four matches of the season, and in the process, snapped Menlo’s 24-year-long win streak in league play with a 4-3 victory on March 11.
Baseball, girls volleyball, softball and boys and girls basketball also started practicing in-person recently, and the boys volleyball season is scheduled to start in early April.
“It has been really great to get back into team practices after not seeing everyone for so long,” junior Austin Wang, a member of the baseball team, said. “In terms of safety precautions, we wear masks at all times and get our temperatures scanned before practice, and then after practice, we wipe down the shared equipment that was used.”
Cindy Su (11), a member of the girls basketball team, was surprised to learn that the team would not only be having practice, but also a regular season.
“It was really surprising, because I thought we had a super slim chance of being able to practice in person, let alone have a season. Now, we’re scheduled to start practicing in a couple weeks, and our season starts at the beginning of April,” Cindy said. “Even though we won’t be able to have normal practices with contact and scrimmaging, I’m really excited just to be able to practice with my teammates and get to know the freshmen who are new to the team.”
Students can still register for any of the following sports: track and field, swimming, water polo, boys golf, boys tennis, soccer, girls volleyball, baseball and softball.
The softball team is actively searching for additional members: those interested in participating can sign up by following the instructions in the link above. Due to a lack of members, the football and lacrosse programs were not able to form teams this year, and instead are offering skill development seasons throughout the season.
