![“[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)
- Boys Water Polo
- Cheerleading
- Cross Country
- Fall Sports
- Football
- Girls Tennis
- Girls Volleyball
- Girls Water Polo
- Sports
Fall sports kickoff with preseason training
Jason Yi (9) jukes out a defender during football practice on August 13. The football team placed second in a 7 vs. 7 passing tournament in July.
August 22, 2021
The upper school girls tennis, football, water polo, cheerleading, girls golf, girls volleyball and cross country teams began training in early August on campus to prepare for their upcoming matches.
Girls tennis tryouts began on Aug. 12 and ended on Aug. 20 in preparation for their first away game against Monta Vista High School. As the team starts the new season, they aim for getting a national title.
“I’m excited [to see] how far our team will get and also [to be] a senior on the team,” Anishka Raina (12), a girls tennis captain, said. “I’m looking forward to the new team because we are getting a lot of new freshmen again this year.
From Jul. 9 to Jul. 23, the cross country team held preseason training, and since the season began on Aug. 9, cross country has been meeting three times a week. In order to prepare for their first meet on Sept. 11, the team participates in occasional weight training and working on proper running techniques for uphill and downhill running.
“Coming out of the pandemic, I didn’t really exercise that much, so my running is kind of out of shape,” cross country member Dawson Chen said. “I think [that] as a senior this year, we’ll have to play more of a leadership role, so [we will have to] lead the warmups and everything at the meets.”
Girls volleyball tryouts started on Aug. 9 in preparation for their first game on Aug. 26. Throughout the summer, athletes practiced at open gyms to get accustomed to their team and practice schedule.
“I’m mostly nervous about playing against girls who are probably a lot older than me and taller,” said Navya Samuel, a new freshman on the varsity girls volleyball team. “I’m also nervous about the season in general cause I have never played a high school sport before.”
Football practice began Aug. 9. Rohan Gorti (11), the 2021-22 quarterback, contemplates what the new season will bring and how having two seasons back-to-back will benefit or hurt their team.
“We didn’t get to [play games] last year so I think it’ll be fun to finally compete with other teams,” Rohan said. “I also think [having back-to-back seasons will] benefit us because our playbook can be a bit complicated at times, so having it quick in the mind can help us become a better team later.”
Growth and development have been a trend for the water polo team for the last two seasons, according to team member Thomas Wisdom (11). He hopes that the team will have the opportunity to play more difficult competition in their fall games this year.
“I’m looking forward to having close games this year since we’re in the upper division of our league so we’ll get to play more competitive teams,” Thomas said.
