Acting It Out By: Michael Flowers
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A chronicle of the interesting people and events at Caprock High School in Amarillo, Texas.
This year the Varsity Boys Soccer team is doing great. We have a really
good team composed of a strong and fast defense. This year, we started
by beating Amarillo High School 1-0 in a scrimmage. They wee a tough
team to beat, but we played smart and that gave us the victory. We had
not beaten them since six or seven years ago, so at first we thought
that we were going to lose this game. Then we started district, by
beating Pampa 2-0.Last year, we lost to them 3-0, so I think that we
made a lot of progress. The second game of district we played our rival
team "Palo Duro." This is the school that we never want to lose to. Last
year, we lost both games against them, but this year we tied 1-1, but
the second game we are going to beat them. We still have eight district
games ahead of us that we are trying to win. We are stepping up to the
challenges, and we are accomplishing our future goal which is to be
district champions. This year we are getting a large amount of fans that
go to support us at every game. These wins have helped bring all of the
fans to support us, because last year when we were not doing so good we
didn't have as many fans to support us. Our coach is training us real
hard because he wants us to win District and to go to the playoffs.
From the time we were in elementary school back in the third grade up to
our High School Junior year at Caprock High, we have had to worry about
passing what every student hates....... (The TAKS Test) Every teacher
every year stresses and worries about all of their students passing, so
instead of the teachers bringing fun to the classes and their own way of
teaching,they all need to be teaching by the book and the real thing.
On the other side, the juniors are required to pass. The main thing we
hear is "you don't pass, you don't graduate!" So we all stress all the
time about passing because it is every high school students dream to
walk across the stage and be handed a diploma. But the good part is the
state gives us plenty of chances to retake the test before we graduate
in May the following year. So if we all get on the ball and do all of
the reviews, we can do a lot better and pass the TAKS!
After making the playoffs last year, we became more popular as a team,
and now this year we have about 83 players all together. We've never had
so many students try out. In fact, we have so many that we actually have
to cut people now .It'll be nice to have enough players for a full J.V.
varsity, and freshman team without having to worry about someone failing
or somehow becoming ineligible.
Due to graduation, we only lost four seniors last year in which only
three started. This year, we have another four seniors who will
hopefully step up and fill in for the ones we lost. If they don't, then
we have plenty more who are capable of doing so. On varsity, there are
approximately 24 players: 4 seniors, 1 maybe 2 freshmen, 2 sophomores,
and the rest are juniors. Hopefully if we all stick together, will be
able to make it to the playoffs, or even further in these next couple of
years.
Have you ever thought about being a licensed athletic trainer for a
career. Sometimes it can be very fun, but to get there you have to work a little
bit. First, you have to go to college for four years and get a
bachelors degree. Then most of the licensed athletic trainers have to be
certified by the National Athletic Trainers Association Board of
Certification. After that, you have to find a job that allows you to help prevent,
recognize, evaluate, and treat athletic injuries. Some duties
that come with being a Licensed Athletic Trainer are emergency care and
immediate on-site medical assistance. Then if they there is something
really wrong, they will send you to the appropriate health care provider.
So if you really want to become a Licensed Athletic trainer, you should work as one
at your school, and it will help you get started on your new career
goal.
Continuing a tradition........The girls at Caprock High School have been
state champs for nearly a decade. These girls are dedicated, working
hard to get where they are. It's about winning. It's about doing what we
love also the fun we have all together, says Daffney Barbosa. "We have
fun, but when it comes down to the mat we get serious, blocking
everything from the outside, focusing on our moves," says Daffney.
Working hard now will payoff our senior year with a scholarship. They
stand up to be leaders for the girls who slack off. I asked some of my
fellow classmates if we had enough reasons to have school pride. Most of them
who answer yes said it could be better especially in football. The girls
say they had some ups and downs, but everything they had become was
thanks to their head coach Scott Tankersley, and assistant coaches
Ronnie Johnson and Chris Allen. Girls say that they put just as much
effort in practice as any other sports. The girls wrestling team is one of
the reasons we should all have school pride. "We should always be able
to put on our orange and white."
Caprock athletic trainers are pretty much behind the scene of every
sport. There are four student trainers and two head trainers. They are
there for every game and meet. They do everything from, wrapping ankles,
or anything that is hurt. They also give different types of treatments.
One is shock treatment therapy. There is also a whirlpool in the
training room which is used to relax muscles. The trainers also stay for
all the after school practices. They also keep records of all the
athletes' medical information. When trainers attend games, they bring
water bottles, a medical kit, and an AED. An AED is used for
resuscitation (when your heart stops). Depending on the event, they
bring different equipment, but those are the ones they always bring. As
a trainer, they start school one month earlier than all the other
students. When there is a game on the weekend, they are always there.
"Being a trainer is not difficult; we just spend a lot of hours after
school," says Brittany Vallejo, one of Caprock's trainers. The other
trainers are, Ryn Woodard, Rachel Mejilla and Marcus Escobar.
It has been a great year for the Caprock Diamond Dancers. You have
probably seen them performing and cheering at football games, basketball
games and even some wrestling meets. Unfortunately, the dance season is
coming to an end, and the time for competition and travel is just around
the corner. Last year, three young ladies were chosen from the team to
become a member of the National All Star Drill Team and perform a
seven-minute routine in Dallas with many other dancers from all over the
nation. This year three more girls were selected to become a member of
the National All Star Drill team. Monica Chavez, Charly Gibson, and
Laura Castro will travel to Dallas in late April to participate. There,
they will learn a routine, be in a fashion show, meet real life dancers,
and attend clinics from professional choreographers from around the
country. All three girls are very excited and even a little nervous to
leave for a few days, but it will all be worth it when they come back
with new moves and routines for the team. We can't wait, and it's going
to be such a great experience for us all!
"The hands of HOSA mold the health of tomorrow." We hear this every
time we step into the meetings. When I see myself in a class like the
one I'm in now, in the environment that it's set in, it makes me believe
that I might be able to become what I've always wanted. The program,
HOSA, stands for Health Occupations Students of America, a program that
is specifically for students interested in the medical field. Learning
how to take blood pressure in your freshman year, getting you ready for
your junior year when you are allowed to start helping in the hospitals.
Job shadowing, following a nurse or a doctor around, even sometimes
being able to see a surgery, are just a few things that we are allowed
to do. At first I was reluctant, I had been going for a semester, and I
didn't like it right away. It was frustrating and so time consuming,
but I stuck it out and I'm glad for it. It has been the most rewarding
program that has ever been offered to me, and I've learned so much. HOSA
is a great program and a great opportunity to get a step closer to
reaching your goal.