![“[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)
For most people, weekends are a time to recover from busy school days and prepare for the week ahead. But for some avid sports fans, weekends bring more stress in their busy schedule. Why? Their fantasy sports teams.
In fantasy sports, competitors select players, defenses and other specialized sporting positions onto personal rosters and earn points based on their players’ live statistics. Friends, family or even online fans often form individual leagues.
Fans can engage in their favorite sport with a variety of fantasy leagues, but fantasy football boasts the most players in the U.S., with 29.2 million players as of 2022.
“Fantasy football makes the entire football season more interesting,” fantasy football player Kylie Anderson (12) said. “Instead of just focusing on your favorite team, you have a reason to watch all of the games and root for your players. It’s also a way to compete with my friends.”
Many members of the student body take part in fantasy sports, and faculty members also established their own fantasy football league at school. Founded last year and led by history teacher Jonathan Rim, the league includes 14 faculty and staff who compete annually for bragging rights and a massive golden belt.
“I started a lower school teacher’s league about 22 years ago,” Rim said. “We were able to build a really good rapport. I thought it would be a good idea to bring it to the upper school. The idea of the championship belt is that whoever wins it gets to keep it for a year.”
Fantasy football creates an opportunity for players in the same leagues to bond. Harker’s own varsity football team plays fantasy football together every year to build camaraderie outside of practices.
“The league definitely helps us bond as a team,” running back Pedro Castro III (10) said. “The way that fantasy football is structured, it’s just friendly competition. It brings us together, and it’s fun to talk friendly smack to one another.”
Beyond football fans, other fantasy sports drum up enthusiasm for other sports fans. Fantasy Formula 1, launched in 2018, has a Global League, where the top two performers win tickets to a 2025 Grand Prix. For junior Brenna Ren, playing fantasy F1 encouraged her to track the performances of drivers in each race more closely.
“I’ve always been really interested in Formula One, and I saw this ad for fantasy F1, so I got some of my friends to play with me.” Brenna Ren (11) said. “I usually watch most of the races, but this was another way for me to look deeper into the stats.”
Not all fantasy sports are created equal, though. The greater amount of resources and databases providing information about fantasy football makes it easy for players to learn as they go. For more niche fantasy sports, like fantasy Premier League soccer, competing in senior fan Alec Zhang’s league requires more detailed knowledge.
“There’s a lot more strategy involved in fantasy Premier League,” Alec said. “In soccer, it’s hard to see the impact unless you watch the game because there are less goals scored than in American football. The strategy becomes really important for managing your team.”
Fantasy sports provide fans with a unique way to stay connected and build bonds, whether among friends, coworkers or even strangers across the globe.
“Every year, my friends from college and I get together and do a draft,” Rim said. “It’s been going on for almost thirty years, and we all get together one day out of the year to do it. We have guys from Singapore, Minnesota and all over come. It keeps us talking, keeps us connected. It’s really a special thing.”
