When science teacher Sebastian Vollmar and House 3 assistant principal Crystal Rich heard students’ requests to bring the Ski Club to the high school, they decided to implement it this year. The Ski Club has been a program in the elementary and middle schools for some years now and the community thought it was time to bring it to LHS.
“I was a huge Ski Club fan when I was in high school,” Vollmar said. “It was [me and my friends’] favorite club there and we looked forward to it every year. The memories came back, and I realized that we absolutely should have a ski club here.”
There are currently 52 students in the club, and Vollmar said there’s been “a lot of enthusiasm for it.”
One of those students who has been enthusiastic about the club is freshman Audrina Hayes. She has been involved in the Ski and Snowboard Club since elementary school and “really enjoyed it.”
“In middle school, it was such a fun thing to do so I decided to do it again this year,” Hayes said. “It was such a good way to hangout with friends and be outdoors which are two things I really enjoy.”
The Ski and Snowboard Club does not care if you’re the best snowboarder in the state or if you’re just learning how to get your boots on. Vollmar says that there is “no requirement to join.”
“If it’s your first time strapping on ski boots, that is perfect,” Vollmar said. “[Pats Peak] is a very family friendly mountain so there is a lot of room for beginners there. There’s a lot of beginner trails and a lot of opportunities to learn. So, no skills are required.”
Photo by Coach Sebastian Vollmar
Students can also take lessons if they are just learning.
“If they just ride around with their friends and have fun they can do that,” Vollmar said. “If they want to hang out in the lodge for five hours and just eat food they can do that too.”
Many people have joined simply to enjoy skiing and snowboarding with the company of friends. One such student is sophomore Julia Pizzi.
“My dad and I learned how to ski in 2020 because COVID made a lot of restrictions on things and we thought it would be fun,” Pizzi said. “We went to Pats Peak and just started skiing and since then I have been hooked. I also work at a ski shop with people my age, so talking to them about skiing is fun. I’m so excited to hangout with my friends and get to do what I love with the people I love.”
While it is now too late to join the club, club advisors hope that the Ski and Snowboarding club will cement itself among the roster of clubs and extracurricular opportunities offered every year to Lancers. Though this opportunity slipped under the radar for many this year, with the great turnout of students eager to join, it is safe to say that the Ski and Snowboarding Club is here to stay.
Boys basketball shows exemplary perseverance this 2022-2023 season
The team stands for the national anthem before their 72-64 win against Portsmouth.
With being more than halfway through their 2022-2023 season, boys’ basketball has demonstrated spectacular perseverance—observed by new head coach Jared Piecuch. Piecuch was ecstatic to join Lancer Nation and saw early on what this group of kids can accomplish.
“We are practicing hard every day and learning a new system,” Piecuch said. “The boys’ commitment level has been tremendous.”
While winning and beating their competition is an exciting aspect to the sport, this team doesn’t lose sight of the importance of teamwork and what it means to be an exceptional athlete.
“With having such a great group of kids making up this year’s team, they are able to all get along and have a collective understanding that being on a team means more than just basketball,” Piecuch said.
The 2022-2023 boys basketball team has an upcoming game this Friday, February 10 at Winnacunnet. Wish the boys good luck when you see them in the halls! (Courtesy of Lancer Nation Boys Basketball Association’s Facebook)
After seeing the exemplary camaraderie this team displays, Piecuch is hopeful for this season.
“I am looking forward to watching our program grow and become one of the most competitive programs in the state,” Piecuch said.
Although they can be considered a “younger” team (with only three seniors taking the court this year), senior Kevin Rourke feels like they have come along quickly so far.
“I feel like we’re going to get better every week,” Rourke said. “I think we are very balanced on offense and have some work to do on defense to reach our potential.”
After persisting through a challenging first two games, senior Kyle Rondeau had no doubt that with their hard work in practice, they would be able to break the cycle.
Left to Right: #24 senior Kevin Rourke, #55 senior Trevor Edmunds, and #14 senior Kyle Rondeau. (Courtesy of Lancer Nation Boys Basketball Association’s Facebook)
With the close-knit dynamic of the group, Rondeau is certain that he and his teammates will have a “blast” playing together and that this season will be more than enjoyable.
“[I am] looking forward to a great season with these guys and couldn’t ask for a better group to play and cheer for everyday,” Rondeau said.
Girls basketball looks for another playoff Berth in 2023
The court is packed in the gym, and the Lancer Girls Basketball team is looking for another playoff appearance this year. With the season well underway, many on the team have high hopes for the year ahead, including sophomore captain Kate Sloper.
“I’m feeling hopeful and positive about this upcoming season,” Sloper said. “We’re a very young team and have a lot to improve upon, but we keep getting better every day.”
The team has taken their preparation for the season very seriously and hope that the hard work can relate to play on the court.
“We’ve prepared in the gym and weight room,” Sloper said. “We’re in the gym six days a week, two hours a day. We currently see [LHS Athletic Trainer] Michelle once a week and throughout the fall we saw her as well. We played in a summer and fall league to keep the ball rolling.”
Kate Sloper shoots a game-tying 3 in Dover. Photo courtesy of Kate Sloper
This year’s team has many qualities they think can give them the edge against some of the best competition.
“Our strength is speed,” Sloper said. “We’re probably one of the fastest teams in the league. We’re small, which doesn’t help, but we’re quick and can move around people. Our defending is what we’re known for, so once we get our offense rolling we’ll be in good shape.”
This year’s team is mostly based on youth, and Sloper hopes that both groups can come together during the season.
“The dynamic of the team is good,” Sloper said. “It’s kind of a divide between upperclassmen and underclassmen. Half of us are so young and the others are seniors. Once we gel as a team, we could be unstoppable.”
Sloper believes that this team is perceived as the “underdogs,” but thinks they can make a push against some of the best.
“I’m looking forward to what we can be,” Sloper said. “Obviously the competition is tough, but we’re a team that no one can sleep on. We have the upper hand on most and they just don’t know it yet. We have so much to learn and grow from which will help us in the long run.”
Along with Sloper, other players like senior captain Shannon Ball are also excited for the season.
“I’m excited for this season because we have a talented group of players,” Ball said. “I think we are going to do very well this season.”
Ball believes that her team has been well prepared for the competition this year.
The players boxing out after the free throw. Photo courtesy of Kate Sloper
“In the off season, we played against the top teams to prepare ourselves,” Ball said. “We have also been working hard at practice everyday.”
The team seems to have a lot of various strengths, and Ball hopes they can combine them during the year.
“Being a young team is definitely one of our weaknesses,” Ball said. “We all have individual strengths, but we need to be able to put them together to play the best we can as a team.”
Another captain on this team is sophomore Reagan Anderson and she’s ready to go for the season.
“I’m really excited for the upcoming season,” Anderson said. “I think we have a great team with lots of different strengths.”
Along with the other captains, Anderson believes that the team is prepared for the season.
“Our team prepared by playing in competitive summer and fall leagues,” Anderson said. “We have also been working really hard in practice and push one another.”
The team in warmups prior to their matchup. Photo courtesy of Kate Sloper
The team this year might not be the strongest, but Anderson believes that they can do it all.
“We are a little undersized,” Anderson said, “but we have a lot of depth and can all fill multiple roles.”
This year looks to be a fun one for Anderson, and she’s eager to get onto the court.
“I am looking forward to playing lots of competitive games this season,” Anderson said, “as well as experiencing the team’s camaraderie on and off the court.”
Another senior and captain on the team, Jordan Furlong, is looking forward to what the season has to offer.
“I am looking forward to seeing what our team accomplishes this year,” Furlong said. “We have a lot of strong players who will contribute and I think we have a lot of potential to compete with each team this season.”
Furlong thinks the team’s practice this summer helped bring them to where they are now.
“We have had great opportunities to play before the official season in summer and fall leagues,” Furlong said. “Now, we are working hard at practice each day to prepare for our upcoming games.”
Furlong believes the team will take time to mend together due to it being primarily made up of underclassmen.
“We are definitely a younger team, so it will take some practice to really get the team chemistry and energy high,” Furlong said,
However, Furlong is excited for what the team has to offer.
“I am very excited about this group of girls,” Furlong said. “We are all committed to the game and have great friendships with each other.”
The bench rolling with energy in Dover. Photo courtesy of Kate Sloper
Furlong looks forward to the season ahead and hopes to continue working hard.
“I am looking forward to spending the next few months with the team and doing our best to get better everyday and work through hardships together.”
Along with the players, head coach Jon Doherty also has a positive attitude toward the season.
“Optimistic,” Doherty said. “We are very young as a whole, but we have a lot of talent and a lot of hard-working kids. If we can figure it out, we can compete with some of the top teams.”
Doherty trusts the preparation that was put into this team.
“Other than sickness, the girls are pretty focused and optimistic going into the year.”
Doherty sees the youth as a weakness, but also notes how it could be a strength going forward.
“I think we have a lot of shooting this year as well as defense,” Doherty said. “Our defense is going to be a strength for us this year. We have a lot of speed and a lot of kids who can make the right read.”
Coach Doherty also hopes that both the upper and underclassmen can cooperate well.
“I think a lot of the girls get along really well and a lot of the older kids are working hard to make good examples for the younger kids.”
As Arianna Conomacos's first year on the editorial board, she is excited to help young beginning journalists and to help spread awareness on all the going ons of the school. Arianna has been a member of the Lancer Marching band since her freshmen year as a flute and piccolo player. She has been playing the flute for over a decade. She has been writing stories even before since she could write and can almost always be seen with a book. Known for her outspokenness in her opinions, you can almost always...
Senior Emma Desrosiers is cordially occupying the position of Assistant Editor-in-Chief for her second year on staff. In her free time, Emma enjoys playing field hockey on her club team, hanging out with her friends and family, and listening to music.
Dillon Tufts has been on staff for two years. Last year he was a sports editor and this year is the Sports Executive. Dillon spends a lot of his free time hanging out with his friends or playing sports. He currently plays football and lacrosse for LHS.
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