![“[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)
The beginning of winter marks the start of the Upper School’s soccer season, which will last until March of 2013.
Through the nippy winter evenings of November through February, soccer players will perform drills and practice on Davis Field to gain skills in coordination, ball-handling, and movement.
Several of the players are eager to begin the season.
“I love soccer. It’s fun to be with everyone else, and the coaches too,” Varsity player Oisin Coveney (9) said.
This year, the boys’ Junior Varsity soccer team has grown in size and includes more freshmen than in previous years.
“I think this is good,” Junior Varsity player Hemant Kunda (10) said. “Sure, this means some of us will get less playing time, but I think it’s good to see so many people taking an interest in a sport that’s not really American.”
The Varsity Team, however, has remained roughly the same size to give players more time on the field.
The boys’ Varsity team is coached by Shaun Tsakiris, and the Junior Varsity team is coached by Brian Pelton. They tailored the players’ training regimens to include dribbling, passing, and scoring drills; strength and endurance exercises; and scrimmages.
“These drills are all about combined and coupled movements,” Pelton said. “It is all coordination and some psychomotor work. This is all meant to improve their ball-handling ability.”
A typical practice includes a warm-up, which focuses on agility, coordination, and balance followed by technical practice, which involves ball handling and player stations. Lastly, the players move to tactical work, which, according to Tsakiris, will help the team play cohesively.
Both coaches want the players to have a positive playing experience with one another.
“A big [goal] for us is that we always want to be successful, but how do you measure success? I think that I want to make sure these guys enjoy the season,” Tsakiris said. “I want them to look back and say that they really enjoyed playing, but also that they learned something about the game and learned something about each other.”
The Junior Varsity team will play their first game on November 28 against Lynbrook High School, while the Varsity team faces off against Saratoga High School on November 20.
