Category / sports

by patclark15

Do you get enough sleep to perform at your best?

by Pat Clark

Whether it be working out, playing in athletic events, or sitting in a desk for 8 hours at school, one things is for sure: sleep is important. The amount of sleep you get dramatically affects your day performance, or does it?

Why do most experts say sleep is important to perform at your best? Well according to the national sleep foundation during the day when you exercise it depletes energy fluids and break down muscles. What most people do to recover is hydration and eating right. Sleep is way under looked.  According to the National Sleep Foundation, deprivation increases the chances of fatigue, low energy and poor focus at gametime.   The National Sleep Foundation also has recommended amount of sleep based on your age. 

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I asked students and athletes whether they thought it affected them and coaches to see if they could see a difference. Then science has its own opinions but does that apply to everyone. According to Sophomore Blake Davis it does.

“From personal experience when I don’t get enough sleep I can’t function right especially during any athletic event,” Davis said. “I have less energy.”

Another study from sleep.org said that basketball players who get an extra 2 hours of sleep before game day have increased speed of 5% and their accuracy by 9% which can dramatically affect how the play during the game.

But for some, sleep doesn’t seem to affect their game. Just ask senior hockey player Erik Sitar.

“Normally I don’t get a lot of sleep and I think my body has just adapted to it,’ Sitar said. “’cause I feel like I always have plenty of energy during games and practice.”

If you have trouble sleeping the night before a big game try taking a nap before the game. According to a Stanford Medicine article,  “everyone in the league office knows not to call players at 3 p.m…It’s the player nap.” 

Want some more tips from pros? 

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by mitchellkarcher

Is Baseball Dying?

by Mitchell Karcher

Once America’s pastime, baseball was a powerhouse other sports could barely compete with.  However, since its prime during the 1970’s-1980’s, baseball has been steadily losing steam. Once wheeling in about 80,000 viewers per game the viewer ship has since decreased to about 30,000 per game, raising the question is baseball dying, and why?

Attendance can be attributed to to various factors such as interest. As varsity baseball player Keaton Hamilton was quick to point out, “I don’t know if baseball is actually dying. If there is less attendance, like you said, it could be attributed to loss in interest for current players.”

If baseball is not dying, there is no debating the fact that baseball is not as popular today as other sports. With the last seven World Series being the least watched (with exception to the 2016 series), other sports have surpassed far in popularity among younger generations.

A poll given in 2000 stated that roughly 8.8 million American kids were involved in baseball, however in 2013 that number plunged down to roughly 5.3 million kids.

So why has baseball lost its cool?

Baseball being a slower sport compared to football and basketball has a huge impact, and in a generation with such a fast paced society such as ours today, it’s no wonder that the majority of baseball fans nowadays are 40 years and older.

Wanting to know what more of the current generation, multiple students around GHS were asked about what they thought about the sport. When asked what she thought about the statement “baseball is dying,” Paige Gkekas said “I don’t doubt that claim. Baseball, I have always thought was very slow, and I never had a great interest for it.”

Though the counter argument can be made that baseball is still thriving. It is financially at its peak, with the league making 7 billion dollars. This can be largely attributed to inflation rates and effective commercial advertising. With constant change in a fast paced world, the question that now stands is “will baseball ever return to its peak, or will baseball eventually die out?”

 

 

by ghsvoice

Tuscan’s path to GHS

by Jake Fontaine

There’s a new face here at GHS.

You know, that bald, middle-aged man with the barrel-chested physique who comfortably struts around the halls with his sweatpants, sweatshirt, sweat-everything attire and a whistle hanging around his neck? Well, that’s him: John (Coach) Tuscan, the new Physical Education teacher at Grandville High School.

When Tuscan’s wife was offered a corporate position at the Walker Meijer, Tuscan and his family moved up here from their previous home in Charlotte, North Carolina. After several job offers, he decided that the position at Grandville was the perfect fit.

“I narrowed it down between Grandville and Jenison. I could’ve been the Dean of Students at Jenison, but I really wanted to teach PE,” says Tuscan. “Here, I get to teach gym and weight lifting classes, as well as coach on the side. It’s a great gig.” image

Tuscan currently helps coach all levels of the football and baseball teams, primarily working with running backs and hitters. While in North Carolina, he served as the head varsity baseball coach for 9 years at South Mecklenburg high school, even winning a state title in 2013.

Despite 2013 being a year of triumph for Tuscan, he was also faced with the biggest obstacle in his life thus far: testicular cancer.

In the spring of that year, Tuscan’s dog, Mick, a hound mix, jumped on his lap while he was watching television. He instantly felt a sharp pain and fell to floor.

“I felt like someone kneed me in the groin,” Tuscan recalls.

The pain continued for the next week. After seeing four different doctors, Tuscan was eventually diagnosed with testicular cancer and would need surgery and aggressive treatment immediately.

“As a 29 year old sitting in a room from 8 in the morning until 3 in the afternoon with a needle in your arm going through chemo treatment and witnessing people who aren’t going to make, it really puts things into perspective,” says Tuscan.

He is currently cancer free and is in great health, giving gratitude to his dog for this.

“If Mick wouldn’t have jumped on my lap that night, who knows when the tumor would’ve been found. He saved my life.”

Tuscan’s goal as weight-lifting teacher and coach is to provide the best athlete possible through strength training, speed training, and putting athletes in difficult situations that will replicate adversity in a big game.

Spencer Notenbaum, one of the students Tuscan has in class as well as coaches after school, praises Tuscan and his coaching ability.

“He definitely pushes me in the weightroom and on the field,” Notenbaum says. “He’s one of the funniest coaches I’ve ever had, but when it’s time to work we get down to it.”

Eric Stiegel, the head varsity football coach at GHS, has similar praise regarding Tuscan and his coaching mentality.

“I love the jobs he’s doing here,” Stiegel acclaims. “He’s definitely one of–if not the most–important assets to the [football] team’s success next year and for years to come.”

Tuscan has one piece of advice for the students of Grandville:

“Don’t take things for granted, especially at Grandville. You never know when things will change. We have great coaches and a great facility here. Kids all around America would do anything to have the things we do here, so don’t take advantage of it.”

by ghsvoice

New coach and pre-seaon prep for track team

by Luna Johnston

Track season begins on Monday, March 12th. With the season quickly approaching it’s expected that athletes have already began conditioning.

“It is a very small window from our first practice to our first track meet,” Coach Kirkland said. “Coming in with preparation for the cardiovascular and physical aspect will help greatly.”

In past years, there has always been a group that does pre-season workouts together but this year athletes are expected to perform workouts by themselves. Matija Saarenheimovanderhorst participated in pre-season conditioning in past years, but has had to change her methods.

“Not having a preseason does stress me out a little,” Saarenheimovanderhorst said. “But I’ve been doing other workouts that previous coaches have taught me.”

Saarenheimovanderhorst’s goal this track season is to focus on discus. She had a twenty foot jump last year and if she has another, she could compete in states which is her main goal.

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Other new changes are forthcoming this track season, including the new head coach, John Ybarra. Ybarra has a history of coaching at Yale and has several accomplishments of his own as a thrower. He was a 2012 US Olympic Trials competitor and he finished fifth at the 2011 USA Indoor National Track and Field Championships and finished 2010 ranked in the top 20 in the shot put in the United States.

Co-coach Kirkland works with the girls track team, she has an extensive history with the sport and has been a coach for eighteen years.

“Coaching track and field has been a wonderful journey for me over the past 18 years” Kirkland said. “I am still a little giddy when we get to walk out onto the track for the first time each season.”

In highschool, Ms. Kirkland was a sprinter, participating in the 400m dash and several relays including the 4x100m, 4x200m and 4x400m. As a junior her 4x100m relay team broke the school record and it still stands today!

“Sports has always been in my blood,” she said. “Track was one of my favorite sports to participate in when I was in high school.”

 

by ghsvoice

Freddy vs. EK: The Rivalry

by Emily Sarjeant

He was talked up to be an amazing high school basketball player. He was said to have perfect shots, amazing dribbling skills and sped up and down the court. But he was a transfer student, so he had to be benched for part of the season.

Frederick Baker, junior and starting guard on the Grandville varsity basketball team transferred this year from East Kentwood. His first game playing for the Dawgs was on January 26 at home. versus, oddly enough, the Falcons of East Kentwood, Bakers old team.

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Baker shoots a free-throw during his first game playing for Grandville and against his previous team, the East Kentwood Falcons.

Most people would imagine that the transition alone would be a challenge for him and on top of that playing against your old team and boys you called family for your first game of the season.

“The transition wasn’t easy at first, but it helped that everyone accepted me and offered help if I needed it,” Baker said. “East Kentwood and Grandville are two different worlds, but the love and unconditional support from the Grandville community won me over.”

The Dawgs won over East Kentwood, 73-67. This was a huge win for the team and the Grandville community is proud of these boys.

Bakers presence at this game helped the Dawgs come out on top. Senior and Varsity captain Ethan Rycenga noticed Bakers determination to beat his old team.

“He brought the intensity and we could tell that he wanted to beat his old team,” said Rycenga. “It made the rest of the team want it more too.”

The whole team was striving to defeat the falcons and they did exactly that.

“We knew it was a big night for Freddy, and we all wanted to support and be there for him to help him achieve his goal,” Rycenga added.

The Dawgs play the Falcons again tonight, February 23 at East Kentwood.

 

by levihoutman

Bowling coaches speak on the challenges of the job

by Levi Houtman

Every coach experiences the major amount of difficulties that they experience as the season continues on. Each coach needs to motivate, support, and provide for each of their players needs.

This is easier said than done. Different types of players introduce different obstacles coaches need to overcome to keep the team on track. Coaching takes time, practice, motivation, determination, and careful planning so no mistake is costly. People overlook the barriers that coaches go through, and typically blame them for everything a team does incorrectly.

I spoke with Mike Eaton, who currently coaches Davenport University’s DII bowling team, and had coached for Grandville’s Varsity bowling team for the past few years, to get his insight on the difficulties that coaches go through each year.

Q: What are some difficulties you go experience when preparing for an upcoming season?
“From previous years, you gain experience on what you can expect. Trying to predict what types of players will be on the team.”

Q: What are some ways you’re able to keep your players healthy throughout the season? 

“Not overworking them. Bowling isn’t the most physically demanding sport, but regardless of sport, having your guys healthy is very important.

Q: What do you do if they’re having trouble in school?

A:  “If one of my players is struggling in school, I’d have them focus on their schoolwork because it’ll get them farther in life.”

Q: What are some of the barriers that you experience as the season progresses and how do you continue on past them?
“Players motivation sometimes begins to go on a downfall. Trying to keep them motivated, and constantly having them improving their shot.”

Q: As the season continues how do you keep your players on track? Having a major goal in mind?

“Tell them the importance of what they’re currently doing and how it could help them on later in life. You’d be surprised what bowling can do for you.”

To get more in depth on what others think about the difficulties coaches go through when overseeing a team, I spoke with Christian Lubbers who was on Grandville’s bowling team for the 2016-2017 season to get his thoughts on coaches barriers.

Q: What do you think is the most challenging thing coaches go through?

“Keeping all of their players on track throughout the season. Having a large number of players that you have to keep watch on and knowing on what areas they can improve on seems difficult to me.”

Q: Do you think coaches or overlooked or underlooked?

“I believe that most people today don’t see the difficulties that they go through so under looked. They don’t see the difficulties that they go through in order to operate a large team.”