HP011719

hplandmark.com sports
the highland park landmark | January 17, 2019 | 27
Athlete of the Week
10 Questions with
Lucas Absler
Absler is a junior at Highland
Park High School
and a member of the boys
gymnastics team and boys
swimming and diving
team.
How did you get
started in both
gymnastics and
diving?
When I was little, I
would always jump around
and do somersaults around
the house, so my parents
signed me up for gymnastics.
I stopped for a little
bit, and in middle school
I started back up in a club
that I would go to once a
week. Then I decided to
join the high school gymnastics
team. My friend
told me I should try and do
diving, so I joined the diving
team sophomore year.
Was it an easy
transition to start
diving after being a
gymnast?
I think the gymnastics
really helped toward the
diving, because I was used
to finding myself in the air,
knowing where the spots
were to look so I could
land properly.
Do you prefer one of
the sports?
I really do like them
both, but I think I do like
gymnastics more. I’ve
been doing it for longer.
What’s your favorite
memory with either of
the sports?
I like team dinners —
those are always fun to
get to know the team more
and get to know them as a
group.
What do you think
is your strongest
event in diving and in
gymnastics?
For diving, I always
switch off with which
category I prefer. Either
fronts, or backs, or reverses
or inwards, never really
twisters. I’m not a big fan
of those. It’s definitely
harder to choose in diving
because it can go both
ways so easily. In gymnastics,
I really like the rings.
What is the best
advice a coach has
ever given you?
To stay positive because
I get really hard on myself
sometimes in sports,
so whenever my coaches
tell me to stay positive, or
keep my head up, it always
makes me happy because I
usually do better.
Photo submitted
What’s your favorite
thing to do when
you’re not doing
sports?
I like to hang out with
friends or family. Maybe
I’ll go out with my friends.
What music do you
like to listen to?
I like EDM music. I listen
to any music, really,
and if I like it, I’ll add it
to the playlist. The music I
have is just a wide variety
of pretty much everything.
What’s your favorite
movie?
I am a big fan of “The
Matrix.”
If you could travel
anywhere in the
world, where would
you go?
I went to Israel once. I
would like to go to Israel,
maybe Australia.
Interview by Editor Erin
Yarnall
The Varsity: North Shore Podcast
Guys talk hockey,
boys basketball
Staff Report
In this week’s episode of The Varsity:
North Shore, the only podcast focused on
North Shore sports, hosts Michal Dwojak
and Michael Wojtychiw recap Loyola
Gold and New Trier Green boys hockey,
talked to New Trier boys basketball’s
Scott Fricke, play Way/No Way with
hockey and preview the War on the Shore.
First Quarter
Dwojak and Wojtychiw recap another
classic showdown between New Trier
Find the Varsity
Twitter: @varsitypodcast
Facebook: @thevarsitypodcast
Website: HPLandmark.com/sports
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Green and Loyola Academy Gold.
Second Quarter
The guys hear from New Trier boys
basketball’s Fricke after a big game
against Evanston.
Third Quarter
Our hosts stick to the ice, playing their
weekly guessing game Way/No Way with
hockey.
Fourth Quarter
To finish things off, the guys preview
the War on the Shore tournament.