Sporting WCA

Spirit Week Day One: Junior Games Preview

Every Spirit Week assembly features trivial games that are played with the highest intensity. Monday’s assembly will feature Chariot Relay and the inaugural game of Blindfold Dodgeball, followed by Ultimate Chicken and the Half-Court Shot.

Each day of Spirit Week 2019, Sporting’s Junior representatives will preview each game, and starting Tuesday, recap the previous day’s results. The Road to Winning Spirit Week starts here.

Chariot Relay: After a big win in the relay last year, the Juniors hope to come back better than ever with a slightly modified team. This year’s squad consists of Brennan Orf, Brock Malcom, Koby Schmer, Natalie Ford, Ava Hollman, Josie Christen, Tori Jessie, and the anchor, Alex Daiber. Daiber led this Junior team to the win last year, and he will certainly be a force to be reckoned with this year.

Blindfold Dodgeball: There’s a lot of hype surrounding the inaugural “blindfold dodgeball” game. The game consists of two partners, one who is blindfolded and throws the dodgeballs, and the other who leads the blindfolded player around. The Junior squad will be headlined by Zach Benes and Jack Martin, both of whom are well-known for their Sky Zone skills, and Macey Lottmann and Lauren Gates for the girls.

Ultimate Chicken: The Juniors come into this upcoming Ultimate Chicken as the reigning champions after defeating the Seniors last year in a close game. This year, the Juniors look bigger and better than ever, adding hockey star Ben Parres to the team. Parres will add height and aggression, giving them that extra edge they’re looking for. Returning from last year are Ben Straub, Brennan Orf, Mason Andrasko, Heidi Hightower, Grace Dempsey, and Hanna Ottsen. It’s hard to imagine any grade defeating this Junior lineup.

Half-Court Shot: The half-court shot today will be taken by the man, Ben Parres. Parres is perhaps one of the grittiest athletes in this school, and there is no doubt in my mind he will sink the shot. Parres was seen playing on the 7th and 8th grade B-team for basketball, averaging close to double digits, and at least four fouls, every game.

Floor is Lava: The Floor is Lava game is a Westminster Spirit Week tradition, and the Juniors are loading up for it this year. The team consists of Justin Fuller, Mike Lemp, Zach Benes, Lauryn Rhodes, Victoria Smith, Lily Duda, Libby Thomas, Lydia Abebe, Jaela Ginger, Cody Smith, Henry Hartshorn, and G-Baby Davis.

Girls Tug O’War: The Junior class ladies Tug O’War is for sure a top contender this year. With a similar look to last year, the squad contains Heidi Hightower, Grace Skiljan, both Cunninghams, Sophia Sacco, Katie Stout, Hanna Ottsen, and Katrine Freitag. The only new addition to the team is Katrine Freitag, who looks to get her first spirit week win in her first spirit week game.

Boys Tug O’War: With perhaps the biggest upset in all of Spirit Week 2018, the Sophomore boys (this year’s Juniors) fell to Jack Powers and the Freshmen. This year, with lifted heads, the Juniors boys hope to bounce back. The hope this year lies on the shoulders of Ben Chereji, an absolute unit. The boy’s confidence remain high with Chereji, but will it be enough to outmatch Jack Powers and the Sophomores or John Fregene and the Seniors? The remaining slots are filled with Ben Straub, Ben Parres, Henry Jung, Bennie Anderson, Max Radloff, Toby Davidson, and Brennan Orf. Bigger is better.