There are so many athletes throughout our NA student body, including uncommon sports. Sports such as swimming, golf, and tennis often get less attention from the community.
In an effort to learn more about some of these sports, the Buzz interviewed students involved in them.
Andrew Towner, a senior on the NA swim team, states that he enjoys swim because “…it really pushed me to my physical and mental limits trying to do my very best. It also is very therapeutic, helping to clear my mind from all my work”.
This doesn’t come without hard work, Towner says “…it is a lot more exhausting than you would think”.
Towner also does things outside of practice to help him to succeed. He walks and stretches to avoid muscle cramps, and to allow him to be more flexible.
Towner says that there were about twenty members on his team and they all got along very well. He says that “Two of the greatest feelings when you are on the swim team is cheering for your fellow team members and also when you are swimming and you hear your team cheering for you”.
Another uncommon sport is golf. A senior on the NA golf team, Olivia Johnson, says that when she was little, her mother took her to a tournament she was volunteering at and “one of the players let me hit the ball and I was drawn to it ever since”. Johnson played in 6th and 7th grade, took a break, and started back her 11th grade year.
She says that “our team is very close this year and it resulted in not only effective, but beneficial practices”.
A member of the NA tennis team, Ansley Hooks, was also interviewed. A junior on the NA tennis team, she states “I enjoy it because I get to be with my friends everyday and it is something I will be able to do even after high school unlike other sports”.
She says “I have had private lessons once or twice a week since 8th grade to try to strengthen my serve and come up with better strategies. My twin brother also plays tennis and sometimes he helps me warm up for matches”. Hooks also stated that their team “has great chemistry and we are always trying to push each other to get better at practice”.
Although these sports are lesser-known in the North Augusta community, there is immense value in both the sports and those that play them.
Pictured here is Ansley Hooks, who is getting ready to serve her opponent the ball beginning the tennis match.
Photo contributed by NAHS Tennis team.
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