Track and field teams perform well at Southport Invitational

The day after a long night of prom festivities, the girls and boys track teams traveled to Southport, Indiana on April 24 for the Southport Relays. This meet features different relay events not found at a normal track meet. Some of the relay races include a shuttle hurdle relay for sprinters and a 4-by-mile relay distance runners can participate in.

The girls took fourth place out of eight teams, breaking four school records in the process. The 4-by-mile team of freshman Kendra Foley, sophomore Hannah Pimley, senior Megan Bowles, and freshman Renee Studt scored first in the meet and set a new school record. Other school record-breaking events included the distance medley, which consists of 1200, 400, 800, and 1600 meter distances; it was set by the team of sophomore Helen Willman, senior Alex Kacer, Pimley, and Foley. Senior Emily Goggin, sophomore Tori Mumaw, sophomore Liz Potee, and senior Charlie Maxwell set a new record in the shuttle hurdle relay. Senior Isabelle May also set a new record in the discus.

The Lady Millers won six of the fifteen events the meet offered, including the 4-by-mile, long jump, discus, 4-by-800 meters, shuttle hurdle relay, and distance medley.

The boys scored third place out of eight teams. Junior Jake Bates scored second place in the shot put. Sophomore Daniel Purvlicis and junior Leroy Bibbs captured first place in the team pole vaulting event. Christian Bowers got first in the 2 mile run, running a personal best of 9:46.

The girls’ and boys’ next big meet is this coming Friday, May 7 at The Hamilton County Meet, hosted by Carmel.

Noblesville Millers golf meet: April 20, 2010

Girls’ lacrosse continues strong season

Led by senior Captains Stephanie Tirman and Katie Sherrill, the Noblesville girls’ lacrosse team has continued a strong season since its win against Covenant Christian High School last month.

Both varsity and junior varsity teams are left undefeated after April 21′s JV 10-2 win against Herron High School. Seniors Celeste Bremmer and Brianna Handy made a goal each under the leadership of sophomore Anna Resiak, team captain.

The teams will next compete against rivals Hamilton Southeastern on Thursday, April 22.

For more information, visit www.eteamz.com/NoblesvilleLadyMillersLAX.

Millers show heart throughout basketball tournament

Blown-up photographs of so-and-so at his third birthday curtained the railings of the stairs in the Commons; homemade posters painted with cheers coined by the award-winning student section hung from the brick pillars of the cafeteria; and the key phrase “r u goin to the bb game?” spread through the cellular grapevine.

What time was it? Game time. And the Millers scored their way through a groundbreaking tournament season.

Noblesville started out the competition strong on Tuesday, March 2, with a 47-42 victory against the Zionsville Eagles. Three days later, the Millers continued their winning streak, defeating Hamilton Southeastern 43-42 on March 5. The Millers topped off their week of domination on March 6 with a 47-41 victory against Westfield – a success that earned Noblesville the title of Sectionals Champion.

“I was extremely pleased with the performance of the Millers last week in the sectionals,” head basketball coach David McCollough said. “I thought we did a great job defensively. I felt we were prepared and focused. They knew the task ahead of them and they performed admirably.”

McCollough also asserted that the Millers truly play as a team – which has proven to successfully lead them through the season.

“There were players who put up better numbers each game but the key was the contributions by the entire team,” McCollough said. “It was all facets of the game that allowed us to succeed.  We defended, we rebounded, we took care of the ball and we outscrapped our opponents.  It was a total team effort.”

The Millers took that group effort to Saturday’s Regional game against Perry Meridian and crushed their opponent 65-44. Later that night, Noblesville hit Butler’s Hinkle Fieldhouse once again to face off against North Central. After two intense halves, the Millers tied North Central, extending the game into overtime. The Millers fought hard, but missed the Regional victory by one point, ending the game at 54-53.

As Noblesville left the court, its devoted Student Section remained standing and chanted “We love the Millers” until the last player disappeared into the locker room – showing just how much the students support and love their team. Win or lose, the Miller basketball team had its fans behind it the whole season, encouraging the team’s talented and hardworking crew to many a victory.

Girls’ lacrosse team gears up for spring season

The snow has melted, the birds are chirping, and the spring sports are just beginning. That includes Noblesville’s club women’s lacrosse team: the chicks with sticks are back and hungry for victory.

The team began official practice on Monday, March 1, just as their indoor season came to a close with the league’s championship game, which earned the Millers another runner-up honor at Off the Wall Sports.

Now however, Noblesville Lacrosse is migrating out of doors to start their official season and battle the elements of Indiana’s intemperate spring weather. The team’s schedule for the season is as follows:

Date/Time	Game (Home vs. Visitor)	Location
Tues. 3/23/10 6pm	NHS V vs. Covenant Christian V	Covenant Christian High School
Fri. 3/26/10 6pm	NHS V vs. HCHS V	Heritage Christian High School
Sat. 3/27/10 5pm	Concord V vs. NHS V	Hare Chevrolet Field
Mon. 4/12/10 6:30pm	BJHS V vs. NHS V	Hare Chevrolet Field
Sat. 4/17/10 TBA	NHS V vs. Homestead V	Homestead High School

Swimmers make their final splash

They’re possibly the most committed athletes on the planet. They arrive at school at ungodly hours of the morning – only to plunge into the icy waters of the natatorium. They never have to buy perfume because they’d rather get eaux de chlorine for free. They’re the swimmers – the ladies who sport hydrodynamic swimsuits and “bust theirs to beat yours.”

After a dazzling performance by many a swimmer and diver at sectionals, seniors and captains Audrey Welklin and Meghan Potee; juniors Marley Cripe and Katie Bittner; sophomores Michelle Hance, Cora Meeham, Aubrey Kluth, and Claire Brolsma; and freshmen Katie Horn and Heather Hayes, qualified to compete at the 2010 IHSAA Girls State Swimming Finals held on February 12 and 13. There, the girls swam their way to number eight, thanks to a hard team effort – including Potee’s first place in 1 Meter Diving and Welklin’s inexhaustible endurance used to swim the most yardage one can at a meet (which means the 200 Yard Freestyle, the 500 Yard Freestyle, the 200 Yard Freestyle Relay, and the 400 Yard Freestyle Relay).

Although the team had hoped to rank in the top five – especially since the number two spot was up for grabs – they placed eighth with 88 points, behind the infamous Greyhounds, who championed their twenty-fourth state title with a sweeping 419 points – a whole 232.5 points ahead of Center Grove’s second place spot (ihsaa.org).

Despite the disappointment at state, Welklin said, “The overall season was, really, pretty good. I’m proud of my girls.”

Indeed, the season proved to be rather successful, highlights including the team’s second at the Carmel’s Sectional and the smashing of two school records, provided by Meehan (100 Yard Back) and Hayes (100 Breast Stroke).

And just as the swimmers taper before a meet, the swim now season tapers to a close – yet, not entirely. Noblesville Swim Club resumes directly after school swimming takes its bow, proving once again just how dedicated these athletes are.

But remember, no matter how crazy they may seem, the swimmers’ hard work pays off, and through daily practices, they become something of a family. Hance has enjoyed her time in the pool and said, “It’s really fun to participate.”

Students tune in to Olympic events

At a time when gold is worth roughly $1100 per ounce, the value of an Olympic gold medal lies in both its physical worth and its symbolic meaning. That golden circle hanging around champion’s neck? It represents years of training and sacrifice, the pride of a victory, and the pure hard work of beating out every competitor and becoming the best in the world.

 

Cue up the Olympic theme song in your head.  The soaring notes work to showcase that broadcasting of exhilarating victories and bittersweet seconds, of devastating mistakes and the spirit of these 16 days of competition on the world stage.

You’ve heard the names: Shaun White, Apolo Anton Ohno, Lindsey Vonn. The hype surrounding these athletes and their sports hit a feverish pitch just prior to the Games, and it continued as these athletes all competed, eventually winning gold. Students caught onto that gold fever and tuned in, witnessing the best of the world go head-to-head in competition.

“Last night I was watching Lindsey Vonn and was really surprised when that German girl [Maria Riesch] won [Ladies' Super Combined],” sophomore Zach Isaacs said. “I mean, she [Riesch] had more medals, but Lindsey was expected to take it all.”

Shaun White’s dominance in Men’s Snowboard Halfpipe brought him a second gold medal and more fans, especially with the unveiling of his new trick, the Double McTwist 1260. Sophomore Luke Vandewater enjoyed watching White’s performance, but he cited a different kind of race as his favorite.

“[My  favorite was] that one event where the girl got completely trashed by the pole, the Swedish girl, not Lindsey Vonn,” sophomore Luke Vandewater said.

Wipeouts were aplenty in many of the events and drew viewers, but senior Kelsey Corbett looks forward to another heavily favored event.

“I’m super pumped for Women’s hockey finals because Canada’s going to win gold,” Corbett said, supporting her native country.

Hockey, snowboarding, skiing, and figure skating may be crowd favorites, but one event has drawn a large following in these Vancouver Games.

“Curling. Curling’s the number one sport, best one in the Olympics,” sophomore Charles Logan Knotts said.

Boys’ wrestling team fights through sectionals

The boys’ varsity wrestling team took sectionals this season after a 19-8 season.  The team’s win at sectionals was Noblesville’s first, wrestling, sectional win in 10 years. 11 wrestlers also qualified individually for the regional competition.

The following boys qualified: freshman Mitch Hensley, sophomores Ivan Keene, Wayne Specth, Cody Bond, and Alex Wormuth, juniors Tyler Carlotto, Jordan Edwards, Tyler Gadient, Alex Bowers, Derrick Holpuch, and Steven Rushforth.

Bowers, Gadient, and Holpuch all advanced to the semi-state competition before being eliminated, all by third place state wrestlers.

“We had no seniors in our starting line up, so if everyone works hard in the off season we look forward to an even better year next year,”

Olympic thrills, spills, and surprises

Photo from www.vancouver2010.com

The Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games have not only brought together 82 nations to compete, but they also have brought a vast array of Olympic Moments. From the tears of near-misses and podium pride to the smiles and cheers of at-last victory and unexpected success, these Games have provided an outpouring of emotion from athletes and fans alike.

Check out a few of these moments the Mill Stream has picked to showcase the latest Winter Games.

The Thrills:

-American snowboarder phenom Shaun White’s second gold medal in Men’s Halfpipe. The Flying Tomato lives up to the hype, laying down the “Double McTwist” at the end to awe audiences with another golden performance.

-American skier Lindsay Vonn fights a bruised shin and a rough, icy course to add Olympic gold medal to her list of skiing achievements in Ladies’ Downhill, then goes on to win bronze in Ladies’ Super-G.

-Johnny Spillane’s silver makes him the first American to medal in Nordic Combined, an event dominated by the Europeans since its arrival to the Olympic Games.

Sports of the decade

Broken records, shattered dreams, the blood, sweat, and tears of a grueling and trying season, and the ultimate payoff, a championship. The 2000s were full of all of these and in epic proportions.

Sports can be a very controversial subject at times, but during some of our darkest hours, they can bring people together and unite them in ways that not many things can. After the Sept. 11 tragedy, the following Yankees game was full of emotion for everyone at the game. There were tears, tears of sadness, tears of pain, and tears of hope. The spectators were moved by the resilience of the players and the symbol that they represented for the city of New York.

After the Virginia Tech shootings, 32 balloons were released into the air as the football team ran onto the field, and a short memorial service was held in the honor of the fallen students.

After Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, the return of the Saints to the football field in the city created an energy of strength and rebirth in the city. As they ran onto the field, a thunderous cheer and applause greeted them. They went on to beat the Atlanta Falcons, and this win fueled change and rebuilding in the city.

It has been a very eventful and emotional ride in the sports world in the last decade. We have seen some of the most illustrious and prized records and streaks broken during this time.

In 2007, Barry Bonds broke the all-time Major League Baseball (MLB) home run record. Hank Aaron had previously held the record with 755 home runs, but on this warm summer evening in San Fransisco, Bonds hit his 756^th. This was the last home run that Bonds ever hit. This is considered one of the most hallowed honors in professional sports.

The 2000s were also a decade of controversy. In Dec. 2007, former US Senator, George Mitchell, released “The Mitchell Report,” the most infamous report of allegations against a group of professional athletes ever.

The report chronicled the use of steroids and growth hormone by MLB players. After years of investigation and research, Mitchell published a report containing the names of 89 former and current players who participated in and facilitated steroid use in baseball. Among the more illustrious names were Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte, Miguel Tejada, and many others.

This created much controversy over the records that had been set by these players. Since the report was published, some of the greatest hitters of all-time in baseball have admitted to use, including Sammy Sosa, Alex Rodriguez, and most recently, Mark McGuire. All accomplishments made by these players are now tainted.

The decade also had several teams emerge as dynasties of the 2000s. In the National Basketball Association (NBA), the Los Angeles Lakers won four championships and in the National Football League (NFL), the New England Patriots won three championships. Tiger Woods became the first billionaire athlete. Lance Armstrong won seven straight Tour de France titles, Jimmie Johnson won four straight NASCAR Sprint Cup titles, and Michael Phelps won eight gold medals in one Olympics. All three are unprecedented records that may never be broken.

There are always influential and important figures in sports that can impact not only the world of sports but also the social aspects of our society. They can touch our hearts, sadden us, and most of all, they can make us think about our own lives, and it is always a tragedy when they pass away.

On November 26, 2007, Sean Tayor, a former NFL cornerback, was shot in the leg during an attempted robbery of his home, and died the next day in the hospital at the age of 24.

On April 9, 2009, Nick Adenhart, a former MLB pitcher, was hit by a car that ran a red light and smashed into the car that Adenhart was a passenger in. He was taken to the hospital, but died shortly after due to injuries from the crash at the age of 22.

Both of these deaths were shocking and impactful to their respective communities and to the entire country. In each instance, players around the leagues wore stickers or patches to remember the loss of a fellow athlete, while fans set up memorials and had ceremonies for the fallen stars in the stadium where the team played.

It is astounding how much sports shape our world. Long ago, they were created as competitions of strength to see who was the “strongest” person, country, or team. Today, they are a symbol of how many completely different people can come together and unite, even for such a short time as a sports game. During times of trouble, they can help ease the pain, they can make us come together, and they can give us hope for the future.

To some, they may just seem like silly games that don’t make sense, but even if someone can’t understand what is happening in a game, they can still get in the spirit, and have fun with all of the other fans around them. Sports bring towns and cities together, sports bring states together, and on the biggest stages of all, they bring countries together.

Even through fear, dispute, and war, they can make us all equals on one large scale. There are not many other things that can do this in today’s world, and as long as there are sports, we can always count on this happening.

Photo from http://www.customauthenticjerseys.com

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