With the leaves falling off of the trees and the temperatures dropping, that means fall sports are swiftly wrapping up and winter sports at St. Louis High School are stepping into the limelight.
At SLHS, there are a few sports teams that really take center stage during the winter season. The wrestling team, coached by Kevin Kuhn, is a standout. As well as the wrestling team, the basketball teams, both girls and boys JV and varsity teams hit the court during the winter season. The winter poms season is starting up as well, alongside competitive cheer.
Before every season, though, there are many factors that go into how things turn out for the team. It’s no small task assembling teams and getting them hyped up for a season. Luckily, though, coaches know the secret.
“Going into this wrestling season, this is probably the best team I’ve ever had in my career,” shared Kuhn. “We should probably be competing for a state championship.”
Having faith in the team and getting ready for the season is a huge part of things on the coach’s end, but what about the student athletes? Athletes already have to balance academics, and, with the winter season, midterms. Also, with the combination of sports during the winter, many students end up dual sporting.
“It’s fun being part of so many teams, but it can be a struggle to pick between them,” stated sophomore Trinity Bergey. Bergey is a member of the JV girl’s basketball team, as well as the competitive cheer team, and is passionate about the teams she participates in. “As long as I stay on top of everything, it’ll be okay.”
With preparing for the season, there is always a bit of struggle. Every team works differently and overcomes different challenges, and that’s one of the biggest things the winter sports teams are looking to tackle this season.
For wrestling, Kuhn stated, “The biggest thing about preseason is that a majority of my wrestlers have issues with their grades. I can’t even start to think about technique, and lifting, and conditioning because we have to focus every bit of energy on constantly checking grades.”
For the basketball and competitive cheer season, things are aligned pretty similarly. “The biggest challenge is remembering to make time for other things and people, but other than that, I’m ready to have a good season,” offered Bergey.
With the conclusion of fall sports and the startup of winter sports, the winning mindset at St. Louis will continue throughout the year. For those interested in the upcoming season, the link provided links to all winter sports schedules: https://slhssharks.bigteams.com
