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Photograph by Aliah Armendariz
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By Shania Martinez
On Tuesday, February 13, 2024, 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. was Pueblo County’s 8th Grade Night. Eighth-grade night happens every year at Pueblo County High School to help the upcoming freshman navigate through their new school. Parents appreciate the tour of the school to get a perspective of what kind of environment their kids will be in for the next 4 years. To start the 8th-grade night off Principal, Mr. Brian Dilka, introduced himself in the Hornet gymnasium. After the introduction of administrative staff and instructors the band played, and then the dance team performed. These performances can help the incoming freshman decide if that is something their interested in. Once the performances were done the eighth-graders took a tour of PCH to get an idea of what their classes might look like. Many student clubs and all instructors were on hand to answer any and all questions from both students and the parents. Eighth Grade Open House is a great yearly event that helps the upcoming freshmen and parents in so many ways. It’s always exciting to see new Hornets join the nest. By, Abigail Medved On Feb. 19, 2024, several Pueblo County High School students traveled to Denver to compete in the HOSA State competition. During the HOSA State competition, students compete in events that pertain to their desired medical career. “HOSA is a club that helps prepare students for the medical field and is a major asset to students as it provides real-world experience that engrosses them in their dream field,” said Junior Willow Stephenson. Those who participated had a great time and finished well! “I love being a part of HOSA,” said Stephenson. “My dream job is working as an OBGYN, and I feel as though HOSA has been a great tool to prepare me for that. Besides the practical aspect, it's simply a fun club. I've met many friends through it and has given me great memories.” The students benefited from this experience and would encourage others to join in the future. “I highly recommend HOSA to anyone interested in medicine or science. There is undoubtedly an event for everyone, so give it a try! There are even dentistry and veterinary events,” said Senior Amanda Alfonso. “At state, endless opportunities exist. It's an excellent opportunity to place yourself in a healthcare environment to see if the medical field could be the right fit for you.” Good job Hornets! By Audrey Schmitz Nick Schmitz is a senior at Pueblo County High School, and has been on the JV soccer team all four years. He was a captain for his senior season. He has been putting in the work at practices, which take around seven to eight hours per week. He has worked with many coaches including Coach Gibson, Coach Timmins, and Coach Granato. Through this hard work he has achieved many accomplishments. His biggest accomplishment was scoring some impressive goals. His biggest obstacle this past season were his injuries. He suffered a concussion just past halfway through the season and wasn’t cleared to play in games. He worked his hardest in practices and helping his team succeed. “My biggest obstacle was getting a concussion because that makes it hard to play,” he said. Nick has played soccer for most of his life, starting when he was three years old. He’s been on different teams for every season since then. He has been supported by family and friends in his sport. His future plans are to be in the military, which he has already begun preparing for, he plans on enlisting in the Army. Schmitz said, “ the Army is my new soccer.” Once he has access to it again, he plans to continue his sport in his own time. He does plan to devote the majority of his time to the Army. One jump, flip, and dive away - Lily Nibert strives to be the best in and out of the water2/21/2024
Kaylina Frates
Pueblo County High School is proud to be home to Lily Nibert, A freshman diver who is extremely talented and passionate about her sport and her academic future. Lily devotes most of her time to perfect her skill. She consistently shows tremendous promise for the future in her athletic career. Lily said that, “she goes to practice every day from around four to six, Monday through Thursday, and then I go again on Fridays from 9am to a little after 10am. So I am spending around nine hours each week practicing. We frequently have invitationals on Saturdays which normally take around four hours including warm up time.” Lily’s parents have been a huge support to her throughout the season. Not only is it amazing to have such supportive parents but they also seem to play a role in how far Lily is willing to push herself to success. Lily mentions “I have always felt fortunate to have parents that allowed me to know what it is like to have to work for what you want. So my parents have helped me so much in all of the sports that I do., but my coaches as well have always been so amazing to work with. Radiff is one of the best coaches I have ever had and he is a very large contributor to where I am in my athletics. He is so good at pushing me and my teammates so that we always try new things without getting too nervous.” Given though she is only a freshman and qualified for state proves that hard work pays off. Lily explains that not only is this a physically draining sport but a mentally draining one as well, “This is my first year trying out diving so my biggest obstacle was definitely just getting started. It was very rough in the beginning and I didn’t really know what I was doing quite yet. Another thing is how mentally challenging this sport is. You really can't let yourself get in your own head or things wont go as planned. But I would say my biggest accomplishment is just how much I have grown and where I am placing in some of the larger meets. I was able to qualify for state within my first few meets which I am proud of.” Lily's previous sports has helped her shape the diver she is today, knowing the basics really put her on the path to success so the knowledge and hard work came naturally to her. “I have done gymnastics my whole life and so many of the girls that were years above me did diving. I have heard from my teammates and so many of the people around me how easy diving would come for me because of my experience in gymnastics. So since this was my first year I don’t really have many memories of this sport, but gymnastics really has helped me a tremendous amount.” Lily's goals have not yet been made but one thing is clear, She is amazing at what she does “I have no specific goals for this sport because I mainly just wanted to try it out and give myself something to do. I plan to do this throughout my high school career and to improve every year. I hope to eventually get my name known and to place exceptionally in some of the very large meets.” If Lily doesn't show what it means to be an honorary member of the hornet family then i don't know what will because she has put hours into diving after school and on weekends, challenged herself to trying a new sport that she has never done before, and being one of the best divers on the team all while only in the ninth grade. By, Javin Martinez
As the year ends, so do the sports that were active during the season. One of these sports is wrestling. Pueblo County High School is famous for wrestling as it’s produced state champions for a long time. The banners from our past wins are visible in the gym for all to see, what's noticeable is that they dominate most of the gym wall. Reyli Gonzales is a junior in wrestling, this is his second year playing the sport although that hasn’t stopped him from dominating the competition. As Reyli has had a pretty successful year, the question is how? How has he persevered through the competition? What was his toughest challenge? And how did it feel winning a competition his second year trying the sport? When asked how he perseveres through the competition Reyli had this to say, “To get through the competition I had a goal for every match, I would get ready and practice my moves I would be calm and focused. This was a big tournament so I knew that it wasn't going to be easy, but with what I learned in practice I was confident.” Obviously Reyli knew how to prepare for the competition, but what about his toughest challenge? Reyli said, “My toughest challenge was not giving up when I lost and that it was not over. When I lost, my first thought was to go for the next best thing and wrestle harder.” Although faced with incomparable odds Reyli managed to place seventh in second year of the sport, when asked how he felt, he responded, “I was very happy especially since it was my second year of wrestling, seeing my growth overtime made me realize that I can learn new things and inspired me to take on new challenges.” Reyli won seventh place in a wrestling tournament in his third year of high school. As wrestling is the most competitive sport in the county, it provides the wrestlers with motivation to improve and keep on winning competitions to potentially see their name on the wall. As Reyli looks forward to his senior year of high school he aims to potentially win his next competition earning a banner on the wall. By Colt Antle
Water. cool, cleansing, serene, and calming are common words that come to mind when thinking about water. The water is steaming with spirit from all the competitors and the races make white water rivers look like a wade in a kiddie pool. One such competitor is Pueblo County High School’s very own Grace Gray. Her interest in swimming stemmed from as far back as she can remember, “I honestly started out swimming just as a way to stay in shape for the upcoming spring soccer season, I never swam competitively before but I had been swimming since I could remember.” Gray would then start to dedicate her time to swimming and becoming much stronger and skilled in the water. This dedication shaped her career path as well, with her going on to work at the YMCA as a lifeguard. This extra practice has been a good way to keep her body in top form for meets and other gatherings. As for these meets, her time in them speaks for themselves. In the 50 Free swim she got a time of 00:36.20, the 100 Fly she got 01:30.98, on the 100 Breast swim she got 01:46.79, she got 02:09.47 on the 200 Free Relay, on the 200 Medley Relay she got 02:38.51, and on the 400 Free Relay she had a time of 05:07.05. Gray said, “I spend around seven-eight hours a week practicing, and if we have meets it can be three- four hours or even eight depending on the number of meets and how long they are.” Much like a ship captain out at sea, struggles must be faced in order to brave the storm. Struggles of doubt and self worth, which can be especially hard on a freshmen who’s just getting their feet in the water and might be treading new and unfamiliar territory. Gray faced this very same issue when she first started out in her swimming career. “My freshman year halfway through the season I thought I just wasn't going to get any better and that I couldn't do it anymore. I remember feeling helpless and weak and that I wasn't strong enough to continue” said Gray. After much perseverance Gray was able to push away her clouded and doubtful thoughts and see the lighthouse on the other side. She got better and eventually her pride and dedication began to show with her athletic achievements. She said, “My biggest accomplishment is being able to swim all four years of high school and earn the senior sports letter, which is different from the sports bar pins.” Even her brother, Walker Gray, has begun treading the not so shallow water of swimming. Walker is currently taking a swim class and is even the manager of the swim team. One final word from Gray, “My biggest supporters throughout my athletic career have been my parents and family.” It seems that the minow doesn’t swim far from the stream. By Abigail Medved
For most, going to the pool means games, sunbathing, and ice cream, but for Pueblo County High School swimmer Tate Lanham, the pool means long practices, beating records, tough competition, and love of the sport. Lanham is a sophomore at PCHS and she has been involved in competitive swimming for years. “I first pursued this sport because my whole family has been really involved in swimming and has either swam or coached,” Lanham said. “I really learned to love swimming over time and made really great friendships.” Having started competing in swimming at such a young age, Lanham fell in love with the sport and strives to make it a consistent part of her everyday life. “I dedicate about 12-13 hours a week to swimming and dry land workouts,” Lanham says, “I try to go to practice six days a week and two to three of those days I do an hour of dry land.” Though this training schedule is rigorous, it seems to work for Lanham as she has already qualified for the 3A State Championship Meet in the 200 IM, 50 Freestyle, 100 Freestyle, 500 Freestyle, 100 Backstroke, and 100 Breaststroke. However, qualifying in these events this season is not the only accomplishment Lanham has made in her swimming career. “Some of my biggest accomplishments in swimming have been being able to qualify for out-of-state, national meets,” Lanham said. “I have been to Washington for senior western zones and came back for finals in three events. I also went to California during long course season for another senior western zones and I qualified for sectionals in the 100 Breaststroke there.” Just like most athletes, Lanham has friends and family who support her in her swimming journey. She says that her mom and grandma have been a couple of her biggest supporters. “I have been swimming for about 10 years of my life and they have both contributed a lot for me to be where I am now in my swimming career,” Lanham says, “They have been driving me to practice and meets all these years and have supported me in any decision I make regarding swimming.” But, accomplishments are not the only thing Lanham has faced. Mixed in with successes are also challenges, “My biggest obstacles,” Lanham shares, “have probably been being able to overcome mental challenges and being able to have a positive mindset at practices and meets, even on bad days. Also being able to push past the feeling of not wanting to go to practice and having to regroup when I don't get the time I was hoping for.” Despite occasional doubts and tough practices, Lanham has high expectations for her future in this sport. “My expectations for this sport is qualifying and competing at nationals when I'm a little older. I also want to swim at a D1 college, close to home. I would just all around love it if I could just keep swimming in the future because I am so passionate about it,” Lanham said. Lanham is currently one of the top swimmers on the Pueblo County Girls Swim and Dive team. She will compete in the League Championships as well as the 3A State Meet. Good Luck, Tate! |