Sorted by date Results 76 - 100 of 118
Name: Mary Grant Year: senior Hometown: Clarendon Hills When did you first start playing softball? First grade. My sister played and my dad coached, so I grew up watching it. What do you enjoy most about the sport? I just like being part of a team. It's really team-driven, and I like the game. I've always liked watching baseball and softball. Something has always drawn me to it, I guess. Is it strange playing after graduation? It's been kind of weird because normally we're...
Name: Kathleen Tobia Year: senior Hometown: Hinsdale When did you join the track team? My sophomore year. My brothers had always done track and cross country, so I always knew of it. When I quit gymnastics sophomore year, I knew running was what I wanted to do. How long did you do gymnastics? Thirteen years. (I quit because) I had injuries in both of my elbows, to the point where I couldn't write or brush my hair without pain. What do you enjoy most about track? I love that we...
Name: Ansh Shah Year: senior Hometown: Oak Brook When did you first start playing tennis? At 10 years old. I was playing a couple of sports when I was younger. I kind of just started at the park district. I started watching tennis a lot. I really admire Rafael Nadal. He's lefty and I'm lefty as well. Watching him got me motivated about the game. What do you enjoy most about the sport? I like the individuality of the sport. It's just you against another player. It just brings...
Name: Jack Salerno Year: senior Hometown: Hinsdale When did you start playing lacrosse? I started in third grade with the Western Springs lacrosse program. My older brother played it, and I always loved the physicality of it without having to tackle anybody. What was it like having last season canceled? It was tough because we knew that we had a great team and a great senior class, and they weren't able to have a final season. What do you love about the sport? I've grown to...
Name: AJ Hood Year: senior Hometown: Hinsdale What's your earliest memory of playing volleyball? I played at Hinsdale Middle School and we had fun, but it wasn't great volleyball. Then I played club volleyball in the off-season and had fun - and I realized I was kind of good. What do you enjoy about the sport? It's such a fast-paced game, and it's really a sport that relies on teamwork and communication between you and your teammates and having good chemistry. Is this year ext...
Name: Johnny Taylor Year: senior Hometown: Hinsdale When did you first start playing water polo? Freshman year. A friend, actually from Fenwick, we were in seventh grade or so, and he said, "I'm doing a water polo club at my school. Want to try it out?" It was a one-week club. I got really interested. When freshman year came along, I joined the team. What do you enjoy most about it? I enjoy how physical it is. I feel like I get all my anger out into a sport. All the guys love...
Name: Lindsey Theoharous Year: senior Hometown: Hinsdale What's your earliest memory of playing water polo? I stater playing for my country club team when I was around 12 because I knew the coach. In the summers I would play with my friends, not competitively but just for fun What do enjoy about it? I just liked how it was a different way to enjoy swimming, with more teamwork. How have your improved since freshman year? I've really learned the rules of the game more, learning...
Name: Koby Turrentine Year: senior Hometown: Clarendon Hills When did you start in gymnastics? I did it for a little while when I was 5 or 6. But I started really doing gymnastics my freshman year. What attracted you to it? My friend did it his freshman year and always had fun. I tried it and I just fell in love with it. What do you enjoy about it? I think it's the feeling of being able to do things that aren't normal and that I think are really cool and really hard to do. I...
Name: Luke Gatewood Year: senior Hometown: Hinsdale When did you first start playing football? My freshman year. Coach (Tom) Dodd, the freshman coach, recruited me and a bunch of others guys on the team called me out. I've loved it ever since. What do you enjoy most about the sport? We have a family built at Hinsdale Central. All the guys, we have mutual respect for each other. The hard work that goes into the game is something I've grown to love over the past four years. How...
Name: Jacob Marquez Year: senior Hometown: Clarendon Hills How is it playing soccer in the spring? It's definitely different. I think the majority sentiment on the team is that we're just happy we have a season. Has the postponement had any benefits? I think it allowed us to get better. We did have a lot of contact days in November and that helped build up our team chemistry. How has your game developed since freshman year? I've gotten a lot more confident on the ball and...
Name: Brooke Cooper Year: senior Hometown: Burr Ridge When did you first start playing volleyball? I started playing volleyball when I was in third grade, but I never really got into club until (age) 11. What do you enjoy most about the sport? I played tennis before I played volleyball, and it was a very lonely sport, I felt. When I got into volleyball and I felt that team energy, I loved it and wanted to get more serious and see where it would take me. How has COVID-19...
Name: Olivia Widtfeldt Year: senior Hometown: Clarendon Hills When did you first start gymnastics? I think I probably started doing the little mom and tot classes around 2 or 3. I started actually competing and doing more gymnastics in kindergarten or first grade. What do you enjoy most about the sport? There's so much. Obviously I enjoy all my teammates, and that's always been one of the best parts of it. I've enjoyed that it forces you to work out and stay fit and just have...
Name: Angelia Berti Year: senior Hometown: Hinsdale What was the feeling last year when the season was canceled? I was extremely disappointed because I only play one sport, and when you train for something all year and then for it to get canceled, it just feels like you wasted a lot of time. Does this season have more significance? In a way because it's my last year, and I think I have to do my best. My goal is to win a state medal with my doubles partner Lily (McCain). What g...
Name: Erkan Ozgen Year: senior Hometown: Burr Ridge When did you first start swimming competitively? I was about 5 or 6 years old when I first competed. My mom used to (swim) in high school, so she had my brother start. After watching him, I wanted to start doing it. What do you enjoy most about the sport? Just all the relationships I've made throughout the years I've been swimming. All of those guys are some of my closest friends. Did COVID-19 make it tough to stay in shape i...
Name: Maria Rivera Year: senior Hometown: Clarendon Hills How did you react to learning there'd be a girls basketball season? We really had not hoped as a team that there would be a season. It was literally like we learned it was happening and we had practice the next day. We were all super-happy, and being a senior, I knew this is my last time to shine and to play a sport in high school. What's your earliest memory? I've played basketball since I was able to walk. I played in...
Name: Lainey Harvey Year: senior Hometown: Willowbrook When did you first start bowling? Freshman year. My friend at the time, she was going to try out and then she encouraged me to try out. At the time, I really knew nothing about bowling. At the first tryout, I did surprisingly well. What do you enjoy most about the sport? It's just a fun activity that you can kind of pick if it's competitive or not. How has COVID-19 affected competitions? It used to be three girls on one...
Name: Gavin Chami Year: senior Hometown: Hinsdale How does it feel to be playing again? It feels great. I feel like athletics at Hinsdale Central are back in big way. When did bowling become a pursuit of yours? I really only started bowling in high school. I had a neighbor across the street, and he would tell me about what a great after-school sport bowling was, going to practice to throw a few balls and hang out with the guys. You also play soccer. How do the sports differ? S...
Name: Quinn Cain Year: senior Hometown: Hinsdale When did you first start playing basketball? The first time I ever played on an actual organized team was second grade. I played with two other seniors on the team, Charlie Sessa and Charlie Herbst. What has kept you playing? Obviously, I love the sport. On top of that, just the friendships you make through it. When is the last time you played? The last time I played in an actual game before the whole pandemic was the playoffs...
Name: Katie Wilson Year: senior Hometown: Hinsdale When did you first start running? I started running my freshman year. I was not very good when I first started. I always heard that it was a nice group of girls at Hinsdale Central and I had a neighbor who did cross country and she absolutely loved it, so I was like, 'I think I'm going to give it a try.' How have you improved since your freshman year? My times have definitely improved. I was so slow. It's crazy how far I've...
Name: David Lacayo Year: senior Hometown: Clarendon Hills How did you get into cross country? Back in sixth grade a group of my close friends did cross country and said I should try it. So in seventh grade I tried it and absolutely loved it. I really felt like mentally and physically it was the sport I enjoyed the most. What do you enjoy about it? I honestly think it's the grind. It's the feeling of getting up at 6:30 in the morning in the summer and running 25x400 intervals....
Name: Emily Ascher Year: senior Hometown: Clarendon Hills When did you first start golfing? I played with my dad for a while - he dragged me out for a while. I actually started liking it on my own around seventh grade. What happened in seventh grade? It sounds super basic, but I actually started getting the ball off the ground and into the air, and that was really encouraging. Playing with my dad and my grandparents was definitely a motivator. How has COVID-19 affected the...
Name: Drew McMillin Year: senior Hometown: Clarendon Hills What's been the biggest challenge playing during COVID-19? Probably having to wear our masks before and after the rounds. But I haven't really found it to be that big of an issue. When did you start golfing? I started golfing the summer before my freshman year of high school. I grew up playing competitive tennis and picked up golf as a hobby. I stuck with it because I just found it to be a much more relaxing sport,...
Name: Yasmina Eshac Year: senior Hometown: Hinsdale When did you start playing tennis? I had just moved from Egypt and I didn't know what sport to start playing, so I started playing tennis when I was 7. What do you enjoy most about the sport? If I put hard work into the sport, the hard work pays off. It's different from a team sport. It's my go-to when I'm having a bad day because I can just let it out while I'm playing. Do you enjoy playing doubles as well as singles?...
Name: Rosyln Tischke Year: senior Hometown: Hinsdale What led you into diving? I had originally been a competitive gymnast for the majority of my life. Because of a few injuries, I decided that I wanted to try something different for my own health. I decided to give diving a shot, and it ended up being a good fit for me. What do you enjoy about it? Probably the variety and all the different dives you can do. And the coaches bring a lot of positive energy to the sport every...
Name: Ammar Hussain Year: senior Hometown: Oak Brook When did you start throwing discus? In seventh grade, a bunch of my friends were doing track, and my wanted me to run. I started running, and (the coaches) wanted me to try discus. I was pretty good at it. My junior high didn't have a track team, but then I started throwing again here freshman year. How have you evolved as an athlete since freshman year? I didn't have a lot of technique coming out of middle school. I came...
