LF_012617

LakeForestLeader.com sports
the lake forest leader | January 26, 2017 | 31
Words From Wolff
Road trips bring teams together
Miroslaw Pomian/22cm
1st-and-3
Stars of the
week
1. Annabelle Capstick
(ABOVE).
The senior
gymnast helped
the Scouts
compete in a
close matchup
with Libertyville on
senior night.
2. Elizabeth
Bartusiak.
Bartusiak tied
for the team
high in points
as Woodlands
dropped a girls
basketball contest
against North
Shore Country Day
School.
3. Jessica Pasquesi.
Pasquesi put
on quite a
performance
during the girls
gymnastics meet
with Libertyville,
winning the
all-around after
posting solid
scores in all four
events.
Derek Wolff
d.wolff@22ndcenturymedia.com
Every team across
every sport will
have athletes that
tell you the team feels
like a second family to
them.
It’s the nature of sports
and competition that
brings these feelings of
brotherhood and sisterhood,
unshakable camaraderie
and commitment to
team play and unity, that
brings these statements to
the surface.
The special bond that
athletes feel after months
or years of sacrificing together
is always increased
when the team hits the
road for a trip. While the
collegiate ranks put these
athletes through travel
schedules to other states
and occasionally countries
throughout their seasons,
at the high school
level the out-of-state road
trip is becoming more
commonplace.
In Illinois, where the
frigid reality of winter
keeps most spring sports
Listen Up
“I think she’s a really great leader when
it comes to sports or any kind of academic
event.”
Jessica Pasquesi— The LFHS gymnast speaks up about
senior teammate Annabelle Capstick on senior night.
teams like baseball,
softball and soccer confined
to the indoors until
March, many teams will
travel to southern states
in order to play quality
competition before
returning to the cold for
the start of their state
seasons.
Highland Park High
School’s girls basketball
team traveled to Orlando
for a tournament earlier
this season, while
its baseball team has
announced plans to travel
to Memphis, Tenn. this
spring.
At the varsity level, it’s
always helpful for teams
to make these journeys
early in the season as it’s
a great opportunity for
veterans to bond more
with newcomers to the
team. Typically this will
involve some sort of
rookie “hazing”, which
has matured over the
years from cruel, real
punishments to lighthearted
fun.
When I played club
baseball in college, we
naturally had many road
trips where these acts occur,
though those are not
fit for print. When I was
in high school however,
our baseball road trips
typically revolved around
prank wars between the
coaching staff and players,
as well as feuds with
other players.
Arriving at the ballpark
usually came with the
surprise of finding shaving
cream or breakfast
food covering your glove
or inside your cleats. One
time, our starting catcher
had to have his parents
run out and buy him a
new pair of spikes about
an hour before a game
started because someone
had wrapped his cleats
in tin foil and duck taped
it all together using an
entire roll; he didn’t have
enough time to get them
out.
Last weekend, I traveled
with the Lake Forest
Academy boys prep
hockey team to Minnesota
for a tournament at
Shattuck St. Mary’s, a renowned
hockey factory in
the United States responsible
for producing some
of the NHL’s top players
like Jonathan Toews and
Sidney Crosby.
Being around the team
for three days gave me a
familiar look at the close
bonds teams form as a result
of these trips. Student
athletes study together,
eat together and find
downtime together that
brings everyone closer
together. The LFA hockey
boys spent a healthy
amount of time during
the trip playing sewer
ball—otherwise known as
two-touch—a game that
involves standing around
tune in
What to watch this week
BOYS BASKETBALL: The Scouts welcome their rivals from
Warren in a prelude to the weekend.
• Lake Forest hosts Warren, Thursday, Jan. 26, 5:30 p.m.,
Lake Forest High School (East Campus).
Senior Ryan Nolan (center, white hat) heads a volleyball
during a game of sewer ball played by the Lake
Forest Academy boys prep hockey team on Friday,
Jan. 20, in Owatonna, Minn. The team was in town for
a tournament up the road at Shattuck St. Mary’s in
Faribault. Derek Wolff/22nd Century Media
in a circle and kicking a
soccer or volleyball, with
the intention of trying to
knock out other players.
During a trip to a local
restaurant for lunch, players
discuss the college
hockey rankings this year
on one end of the table,
while others play heads
up, 7 up. Once everyone
has nearly finished
their meal, senior Jimmy
Krzeminski stands up on
a chair, phone in hand,
and begins serenading the
room with a song.
Senior goaltender
Zach Rose tells me that
typically the team gets
a rookie to sing at a
restaurant on each trip,
Index
28 - High School Highlights
26 - Athlete of the Week
a bit of lighthearted fun.
It’s Krzeminski’s first trip
with the prep team after
getting called up from the
varsity team. He finishes
the tune to a chorus of
raucous applause.
The team went 2-1 over
the weekend, including
a pair of incredible wins
over top competition. It
will help strengthen their
resolve and their bond for
the rest of the season.
These kinds of trips are
beneficial for everyone
involved, as athletes form
closer friendships and
teams become stronger
after playing better
competition earlier in the
season.
Fastbreak is compiled by Sports Editor Derek
Wolff. Send any questions or comments to
d.wolff@22ndcenturymedia.com.