SPORTS

BIO

Barrowed Talent

Off to the Nationals

Defining Red Shirt

Youth Basketball league

Trailblazer Biographies By Vanessa Hafner

Melisa Cansado Sport: Women’s Tennis Position: Singles and Doubles Height: 5’5” Age: 19 Grade: Sophomore Hometown: Junin Argentina HS: Instituto Juan Bautista Debrabant Opinion of Season: Good season, very nice group. Hobbies: Hanging out with friends and playing Soccer Season Highlight: Regionals Goal: Do our best at Nationals Next Years Plan: Move south to play tennis, but undecided on which University.

Jessica Vasiloff Sport: Women’s Soccer Position: Sweeper Height: 5’7” Age: 19 Grade: Sophomore Hometown: Granite City H.S.: Granite City Opinion of Season: Going pretty good. Get past one round in Regionals and we will play for Nationals. Hobbies: Hanging out with friends and playing Soccer Season Highlight: Beating Meramec with 12 seconds left Goal: Go to Nationals Next Years Plan: Undecided.

Karla Ogle Sport: Women’s Volleyball Position: Libero Height: 5’6 1/2” Age: 18 Grade: Freshman Hometown: Collinsville HS: Collinsville Opinion of Season: Finally coming together we had tons of potential but took too long to come together Hobbies: Going shopping, hanging out with new friends at LC Season Highlight: First night at Danville Tournament Team Goal: Beat last years record Personal goal: Get ranked for digs Plans after LC: Transfer to McKendree

Scott Thrailkill Sport: Golf Height: 5’7” Age: 19 Grade: Sophomore Hometown: Nashville HS: Nashville Opinion of Season: Things started rough but got better. Season Highlight: Pariare Vista (everyone shot in the 70’s) Goal: Nationals After LC: Undecided.

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Borrowed Talent: Moritz Wohlers BY Stephanie Wright Sports Writer

The LC Men’s Basketball team has a new recruit for this season. His name is Moritz Wohlers, and he is from Wolfenbuttel, Germany.  Wohlers spent one year in the US in Benton, Ill. He was part of a foreign exchange student program. Because he joined the program he skipped a year of high school and he was able to play basketball in the US. “Sports play a bigger role in the US than in Germany,” said Wohlers. Wohlers is a 6’8 forward/center. He has played basketball for 13 years. In Germany he played on a men’s team and on an 18-and-under national team. Wohlers spent three months of last summer in Germany. “I miss my friends, family and the food. I don’t like all the fast food in the US,” said Wohlers. He will get to visit Germany again during the Christmas break. “My flight leaves on Dec. 14,” said Wohlers. And he is very excited about going back. TOP

Heading to Nationals:
Women's Tennis Taking Off

By Stephanie Wright
Sports Writer

The LC Women’s Tennis is having an especially good season. Now, near the end, the girls are going to Nationals.
“They have done a super job all season,” said head coach Gene Ursprung. “The sophomores have one year of experience behind them, and they are more effective.”
The team has four returning sophomores: Melisa Cansado (Argentina), Erin Crause (East Alton-Wood River), Erin Sibley (Triad) and Stacey Vassier (Roxana).
They are joined by three freshmen: Kelley Church (Jerseyville), Elizabeth Perica (Alton) and Stephanie Rother (Granite City).
“The girls on the team all are really nice,” said Perica.
“They all have made good improvement,” said Ursprung.
Last season Cansado and Sibley competed in the doubles in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) tournament in Dallas, Tx. and in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) tournament. Cansado also played singles in the ITA tournament last season.
At the Region 24 tournament on Oct. 12 and 13, Cansado finished as the Region 24 No. 1 singles champion. She also ended the season undefeated with a record of 20-0. “It gives me a lot more confidence with being undefeated,” said Cansado. Cansado won her final game against the player from Springfield who beat her last season at Regionals. Sibley finished as the Region 24 No.2 singles champion. She finished her season with a record of 14-7. The No. 3 through 6 singles players, Church, Vassier, Crause and Rother respectively, advanced to the finals at Regionals. Because the LC Women’s team finished second in Regionals they are all going to compete at Nationals.
“We could of probably took first, but one of our girls got hurt,” said Ursprung. Rother injured her arm during her match. “But we got second, and we’ll take it,” said Ursprung.
Cansado and Sibley also won the No.1 doubles title at Regionals. They ended their season with a record of 10-2. Church and Crause ended at 8-4.
In Regionals LC came in second out of five teams. Rend Lake won with 22.5 pts., Lewis and Clark had 17 pts., Lake Land 5pts., Springfield 3 pts., and Olney 2 pts.
“It is a lot better this year because the whole team is going to Nationals,” said Cansado.
“I am excited to be going to nationals,” said Crause.

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Defining Red Shirt

By Vanessa Hafner
Sports Editor
 

Sports fans may recognize the term “Red-Shirting” as the practice of removing an athlete from one year of the regular season’s games. Red-Shirting is practiced in most college athletics, but not normally used in high schools.
It is commonly believed that Red-Shirting entails benching an athlete for a season for various reasons. These may include poor academics or the need to improve their game.
The term “Red-Shirt” is slang for the National Junior College Athletic Association rule of “Medical Hardship.” In actuality Medical Hardship entails a season of being benched because of injury. Although there are other forms of Red- Shirting, injury is one aspect of a year of benching. While under Medical Hardship, the athlete is allowed to participate in practices and be included in all team functions other than playing in games.
Even though the athlete does not participate in games, they are still considered a member of the team, also allowing them four years of eligibility to play the following years.

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Youth Basketball League at LC
By Stephanie Wright
Sports Writer

LC has had a Youth Basketball League for 10 years. Fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth grade boys come from different areas of Illinois and Missouri to compete. The fifth and sixth grades are split into one age group and seventh and eighth into another.
“This year we have teams for the Alton, Godfrey, Jerseyville and Edwardsville areas,” said LC Men’s Basketball Coach Doug Stotler.
This season, the number of teams in attendance are fewer than previous years. In 1998, there were 12 teams for each group. There are only four teams now.
“More sports are being played during the fall like fall baseball and soccer. That is why the number of teams has gone down,” said Stotler.
The boys play seven minute quarters in the game. They are coached by a parent or community member that wants to take over the team. The entry fee is $200 dollars per team. This pays for referees and scorekeepers. Referees are member of the LC Men’s Basketball team. They must have passed a test by the state of Illinois so that they know the rules of basketball.
“The league usually goes from the beginning of September to mid of the end of October,” said Stotler.
“I have seen the results from this league. Ross Laux, Brent Wolk and Matt Allaria,” said Stotler. Laux and Wolk are freshmen on the LC basketball team this season, and Allaria played for LC two seasons ago.

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