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32 | April 19, 2018 | The glenview lantern sports
glenviewlantern.com
Warrior Update
Boys volleyball arrives at OLPH School
Submitted content
The growing interest
in boys volleyball made
its debut at Our Lady of
Perpetual Help School
this spring as the program
opened its inaugural season
on March 5.
While working around
some scheduling hurdles,
the athletic department
opened registration with
the understanding that during
the first two weeks,
practices would be held in
the morning. While hoping
for enough interest for one
team, surprisingly, 27 boys
eagerly signed on and an
additional team and coach
were necessary.
One coach to volunteer
was Nancy Speers, the
decorated and longtime
head coach of the girls
volleyball program. Speers
has been impressed early
on with the enthusiasm
and dedication of the boys
as they transition to learn a
new sport.
“I’ve never seen so
much energy and excitement
surrounding seventhand
eighth- grade volleyball,”
she commented,
following the team’s first
match.
The teams have performed
admirably in the
early season, and the boys
are learning important lessons
about practice, perseverance,
and improvement
through mistakes.
Athletic director Kyle
Aksamitowski believes
this is paramount to developing
and building a successful
youth program.
“The players’ willingness
to try and fail, and
self-evaluate is how we
not only create better athletes,
but athletes that are
better equipped to handle
setbacks in many aspects
of life,” he said.
The Speers team from front left — Michael McNeil,
Nolan Schmitt, John Almond, Michael McNaughton,
Sam Zummo, Coach Nancy Speers, Spencer Leadbetter,
Luke Holecek, Jack Campbell, Eddie Dreher, Jack Drake
and Luke Gamber. photo credit xxx xxx xxx
The Flanagan team from front left — John McCormick,
Ryan Cowen, Evan Schultz, Jack Wetoska, Jack Mulvey,
Frankie Lisowski, Coach Briana Flanagan, Tommy
Engels, Vivek Joseph, Hayes Sadler, JP Desherow,
Vishal Joseph, Luke Collins and Luke Meyers.
There is certainly a good
reason for all the energy
surrounding the program,
as the team is young, motivated
and making considerable
gains in both
knowledge and fundamentals
of the game, thanks to
Coach Speers and coach
Briana Flanagan.
Girls Badminton
Familiar rivalry intensifies
between Titans, Spartans
NEIL MILBERT
Freelance Reporter
As a rule, high school
girls badminton is a lowprofile
sport.
An exception to the rule
is when Glenbrook South
plays Glenbrook North.
“They’re our sister
school and they shall forever
be our rival,” GBS
coach Terri Kimura said
before the teams met on
April 11 in the Titan Dome.
“But we all get along.”
Kimura’s defending
Central Suburban League
champions remained undefeated
in dual match and
tournament play as did two
seniors on coach Tiffany
Kim’s GBN team that won
the sectional tournament
last season, Sara Chen and
Ally Rosenbaum.
In doubles, they teamed
Titans fencer commits to Northwestern
Staff report
One of Glenbrook
South’s fencers is traveling
down the road this fall.
Senior Natalie Kim
signed her letter of intent
Wednesday, April 11,
to fence collegiately at
Northwestern University.
Kim had been fencing for
much of her life and was a
key members of the Titans’
team this season. She also
particiaptes for club fencing
in the city and has traveled
the world because of
fencing thus far.
GBS fencing coach John
Skorupa described Kim’s
level of fencing as “exceptional.”
up to defeat Christina Moy
and Rhea Shah, 21-12,
21-17, and in singles Sara
Chen bested Shah 21-13,
21-13, and Rosenbaum
had to go three sets to turn
back Moy’s bid for an upset
21-17, 20-22, 21-15.
Those were the only
three triumphs for the
Spartans: The Titans
stayed undefeated thanks
to a 15-3 victory.
“We’re very good this
year,” said Kimura, who
has been coaching GBS
since 2000.
In the forefront in the
victory over GBN were
seniors Sophia Lau and
Emily McClanahan. They
pooled their resources to
turn back Maddy Chen and
Ashley Yoshikawa 21-18,
21-16 in doubles and then
in singles Lau defeated
Maddy Chen 21-13, 21-14
“The wisdom that Natalie
shared with her teammates
was the biggest perk
as a coach,” he said in a
press release. “I couldn’t
and McClanahan defeated
Yoshikawa 21-116, 21-14.
Both McClanahan and
Lau are two-sport athletes.
Lau was a four-year
member of the Titans’
golf team that went to the
state tournament last fall.
She played badminton on
the varsity as a freshman
but then focused on high
school golf the next two
years and “just played badminton
during PE.”
She is glad she rejoined
the badminton team. “I’m
having a lot of fun and its
one of the closest teams in
the school,” Lau said.
Although the deliberate
game of golf is completely
different than the
fast-paced and often hectic
game of badminton, Lau
said there are carryovers.
Please see badminton, 31
Natalie Kim (left) signs her letter of intent with
Glenbrook South coach John Skorupa on April 11 in
Glenview. Photo submitted
be more proud of her going
to compete with a Division-I
school.”
Kim will study engineering
at Northwestern.