BEN MILLER

J.R. Celski

Born: July 17, 1990 in Federal Way (now lives in Long Beach, California)

Sport: Short Track Speed-Skating

J.R began inline skating when he was three years old and slowly moved up the ranks as he got older. In 2004, when Celski was fourteen, his parents decided that he should move to a location where the best possible coaching would be available.

So that year, his brother went with him to Long Beach where they lived together so that J.R could work with the very talented Dutch speed-skating coach Wilma Boomstra. After living in California for two years, J.R. decided to move back to Washington and give up his goal of becoming a professional skater.

After a year however he moved back to California to continue his dream. This time his dad came with him, while his mom stayed and kept her job in Washington.             “There is not one word that can describe what my family has been to me,” Celski said. “Dedication and sacrifice don’t even cover it because they have done what most parents would think would be crazy.”

Celski was seriously injured by his own skate during the olympic trials, but has been cleared by doctors to participate and is optomistic going into the 2010 Olympics.             This will be his first Olympic games, and although he has drawn many comparisons to superstar Apolo Ohno, Celski has a very different style of skating. He is one of the most aggressive skaters out there, and his aggressiveness may lead to medals, or it might lead to disqualifications (Celski was disqualified in the 500m for being reckles). He is a bright young star who, along with Apolo Ohno, will try to take down a very tallented South Korean team.

Patrick Deneen

Born: December 25, 1987 in Redmond (now lives in Cle Elum)

Sport: Moguls

Nicknamed “The Rocket” by 1994 Olympic Moguls champion, Jean Luc Brassard, because of his trademark speed. Deneen doesn’t often have the cleanest runs, but his speed allows him to compensate for a few minor technical errors he might make.             After being voted rookie of the year in 2008, he jumped onto the radar when he came out of nowhere to win the 2009 World Championship in Inawashiro, Japan. This came after he took 47^th place in Canada and 45^th in Utah earlier that year.

Deneen got off to an early start with skiing. His dad owned a ski shack, and put Patrick on skiis when he was only eleven months old. He started off as an alpine skier, but then focused his attention on freestyle instead.

“It just looked like so much fun” Patrick said, “and I tried it and it was even more fun than it looked.” Hopefully Deneen can use his speed and his training (190 days a year) to bring home a gold for the very young U.S team.

Nicole Joraanstad

Born: November 10, 1980 in Seattle (now lives in madison Wisconsin)

Sport: Curling

Even though she got a relitively late start on the sport, Joraanstad’s coaching made up for the lack of time. Her dad played on nationally competitive curling teams and  introduced her to the sport when she was fifteen. Joraanstad played in the U.S. junior nationals her first year, and decided to focus solely on curling. Three years later she moved to Wisconsin for college, and to be closer to the center of curling in the United States. She is the youngest member of team McCormick and is currently the team manager.

Torin Koos

Born: July 19, 1980 in Minneapolis, Minnisota (now lives in Leavenworth)

Sport: Cross-Country Skiing

Torin is the son of former olympic athlete Shaun Koos, who was on the national biatholan team. Koos, who had dreams of being an Olympic athlete since second grade, seemed destined to be a track runner. In fact, his skiing career took off when he was in college, which is fairly late for an Olympic trainee. Since then he has been all about skiing and has plenty of Olympic experience having made the team in 2002, 2006, and now 2010. His best shot for gold will be in the individual sprint. Hopefully Koos comes home with a medal, especially since the United States has not won a cross-country skiing medal since the 1974 olympics.

Scott Macartney

Born: January 19, 1978 in Crystal Mountain (now lives in Kirkland)

Sport: Alpine Skiing

Macartney grew up in the snow on Crystal Mountain and has been skiing his whole life. He also graduated from Dartmouth with a degree in economics. This will be the third time Macertney has been on an Olympic team, and has definitely felt the ups and downs of the sports. He has endured more than his share of crashes, one of which gave him a sever concussion. He was doing about 90mph and hit the last jump wrong, which caused him to land sideways and smack his head on the ice. Macartney then slid the remaining distance to the finish line. Even though the crash put him out of commission for quite a while, he continues to love the sport and train without fear.

Apolo Ohno

Born: May 22, 1982 in Federal Way (now lives in Salt Lake City)

Sport: Speed Skating

Ohno is two medals away from becoming the most decorated winter Olympic athlete in United States history. He is one of the most popular, if not the most well known, athlete on the U.S. team, due to his great success as a skater and his appearance on “Dancing with the Starts”, which he won.

This year Ohno will be skating in all three speed-skating events, as well as the relay, giving him four chances to win a medal. His resumé includes five gold medals, three Olympic games, and ten consecutive national titles. Look for him to be just as strong this year as ever.

Christian Niccum

Born: January 27, 1978 in Minneapolis, Minnesota (now lives in Seattle)

Sport: Luge

Growing up in Woodinville, Niccum loved to skateboard, wakeboard, and ride BMX. But when he took a simulative luge run down the Seattle hills, once again, he fell in love. Niccum has been a fixture on the U.S. luge team for years now and, even though he may be getting older, he still has the determination and skill necessary to compete at the Olympic level.

Niccum and his luge partner Dan Joye are currently solidified as the U.S. second fastest team. Niccum also had to overcome a devistating crash that resulted in a grade three concussion and forced him to miss two World Game events, and he barely made it to the 2006 olympics. This may be one of his final chances, so expect his team to compete and place well.

Bree Schaaf

Born: May 28, 1980 in Bremerton (still lives in Bremerton)

Sport: Bobsled

After initially starting with skeleton, Bree switched to bobsled. She is very new to the sport but has untapped potential as well. Last year, not only did Schaaf win U.S bobsled rookie of the year, she also was the U.S national bobsled champion. Since she is so new to the sport, she may not be able to match up with some of the more experienced bobsled drivers in the Olympics. However, her raw tallent might be enough for her to surprise some people and maybe even medal in the 2010 Olympics.

Karen Thatcher

Born: Febuary 29, 1984 in Bryn Mawr, Pa (now lives in Blain Minnesota)

Sport: Hockey

This will be the first olympic experience for Karen, but she is hardly inexperienced. She won the world championships with her team in 2007 and 2008, and was named to the 2007 Worlds team. After graduating from college, Karen moved to Blain, Washington, so she is very excited to be close to her friends and family who can support her in Vancoover. Thatcher also had to overcome an injury (torn mcl) but appears to be in great shape now and is ready to lead the U.S women’s hockey team in their persuit of gold.

#33 Teryn Bouché

Position: guard

Grade: 12

Varsity experience: Freshman, junior, and senior years (9,11,12)

Personal goals for the season: “To always give 110% whether at practice or in a game.”

Goals for the team: “Win more games than last year and to play as a team and know where everyone is on the court without having to think about it. And dedication, always.”

Pre-game ritual: “Listening to music with Cori. I used to listen to “Hey, Steven” by Taylor Swift, before every game.”

Interests: “I love to read and going to the [Broadway] theatre. I love watching musicals!”

Favorite movie: “Phantom of the Opera… the one with Gerard Butler.”

Favorite basketball memory: “Probably playing on my rec team when I was younger because now I’m playing on the same high school team with [those girls].”

Most anticipated game: “Meadowdale. We came so close to beating them in over time last year. I want them to be scared of us”

Idol or mentor: “My dad because he’s really patient about the game and got me into it. He supports me with everything and is always there to help me and encourage me.”

Favorite basketball player: “I like Lauren Jackson, but it’s really hard to say.”

#22 Corinne Pingul

Position: guard

Grade: 12

Varsity experience: 4 years

Personal goals for the season: “My personally goals are to be a good role model for younger players and to get everyone involved in the game.”

Goals for the team: “Working to play like a unit, and to understand each teammates playing styles and bring what they have to the court.”

Pre-game ritual: “Listening to music with Teryn.”

Interests: “I love to dance, sing and recite lines from movies.”

Favorite movie: “Any movie that has good quotes cause there’s just too many!”

Favorite basketball memory: “Freshman year when I would trip while doing lines. I got the nickname “Mop” for sweeping up the floor.”

Most anticipated game: “Meadowdale because I really wanna beat them; We always come so close.”

Idol or mentor: “Eleanor Roosevelt.”

Person who got you involved/interested in basketball: “My dad. He sighed me up in kindergarten; been my coach since I was a little kid.”

Favorite basketball player: “I don’t like pro players. I prefer college teams and there’s been too many good players to pick one.”

Favorite basketball movie: “Heart of the Game.”

#24 Mindy James

Position: guard

Grade: 11

Varsity experience: 3 years

Personal goals for the season: “To cheer the team on cause I’m injured, and to get more wins than last year.”

Goals for the team: “Get more wins than last year…”

Pre-game ritual: “I listen to my iPod to pump up; usually something country.”

Interests: “Softball, hanging out with friends, family, facebook & myspace.”

Favorite movie: “Finding Nemo.”

Favorite basketball memory: “Playing at the Key Arena for championship game for my rec team [in 8th grade].”

Most anticipated game: Lynnwood

Idol or mentor: “My family!”

Person who got you involved/interested in basketball: “Mom. My brother plays hockey and I wanted to play but mom said no. So now I play basketball.”

Favorite basketball player: “Michael Jordan. He’s an all around player and that’s the type I want to be.”

Favorite basketball movie: “Like Mike.”

It was about ninety minutes before the district wrestling tournament and the crowd could feel excitement in the air. Anxious wrestlers mulled around in the locker rooms and gyms waiting for their chance to take their opponent down. Amid these anxious wrestlers, some may have caught a glimpse of a Terrace wrestler wearing multiple jackets and sweat pants, running around outside and away from all the activity.                         One may have thought he was trying to warm-up, or he was simply calming his nerves, but that was not the case. Eric Quintero was attempting to lose four pounds before the weigh-in at the start of the meet. When he started running, Quintero weighed 116 pounds, but when he stepped onto the scale just ninety minutes later, he had lost the four pounds necessary to drop him into a lower weight class. He admits that this is not at all healthy, but he felt that it was necessary for him to do well in districts and makes it worth it.

Quintero ended up placing very well that day and qualified to be a state alternate. This year looks to be even better. He weighed in at 116, but once again must cut down to 112. However, instead of being able to drop weight whenever he wants, there are some new rules in place. The WIAA (Washington Interscholastic Activities Association) is putting in new standards for weight loss during the season because of all the dehydrated and malnourished athletes that made themselves sick just to drop weight classes.

According to Quintero, “I didn’t eat much food at home, I just had sips of water, and I went to sleep in sweats [to lose weight by sweating overnight].”

He was constantly drained of energy, but his passion to succeed overrides the complaints of his body. He is not alone with this mentality either. Wrestlers across the nation and around the world are aware of their weight classes and many athletes do things like Quintero to drop a few pounds and get into a lower weight class, whether their ways are healthy or not.

Taylor Call also runs to keep weight off. Over thanksgiving break alone he ran twenty-five miles “to keep off the weight from thanksgiving dinner,” he told the Hawkeye.  Mrs. Shannon, the athletic trainer at MTHS said, “athletes were dehydrated and malnourished, so [something needed to be done] to keep them healthy. The old system allowed athletes to lose as much and as often as they wanted. There was not a lot of control.”

The WIAA has taken notice to this and changed the system. Now, wrestlers cannot drop as many weight classes as they want during the year. The WIAA also mandating skin fold measurements along with urine tests to calculate the body fat percentage of athletes and the minimum weight class the athlete can participate in. A male wrestler has to stay at 7% body fat or above for the entire season, or, if they are starting below 7% body fat, they cannot drop any weight classes.

Females have the same guidelines, but with 18% instead of 7%, for obvious reasons. There is an appeal system for those athletes who feel that their original assessment was incorrect, but this process forbids parent or coach involvement and has to be done by a certified weight assessor that did not originally test the athlete.

There are mixed reactions to these new rules however.

“Even though these new weight rules are meant to keep wrestlers healthy, it shouldn’t limit us to how much we can lose,” commented Quintero.

Mrs. Shannon on the other hand likes the new rules. “Yes, I do. I believe that the controls in place for weight loss keep athletes healthy and safe – two attributes that are unquestionably vital for success in athletics,” she explained. “These controls protect the athletes from becoming overly dehydrated or malnourished; this means that the athletes’ bodies are consistently ready for training and competition thereby increasing the athletes’ opportunities for success.”

She does have one complaint though. “Where I have some misgivings and disagree is the minimum [body fat] percentage for females. I believe it is set too low and so leaves female wrestlers vulnerable to conditions and disorders that would negatively impact their overall health and safety and thus their ability to participate fully and successfully.”

Terrace does have at least one female wrestler this year, with the possibility of more coming out in the future. So even though the new rules have made significant changes perhaps for the better, there is still some controversy. This season will be a good parameter on how efficient the new rules are.

The Woman’s volleyball team had a rollercoaster season this year. They had a rocky start at the beginning of the season with only 1 win in the first five games all against schools outside their league. However once October came around they claimed 4 league victories in a row. Shortly thereafter their winning streak was cut short with the rest of the seasons matches being losses. Raechel Pendergraft, Kaitlyn Hatch, Christine Jenson, and Stephanie Mcgee celebrated their last year with the team as graduating seniors. The team finished with a record of 4-2 in the league and 5-9 overall. The girls took the No.4 seed into the 4A District 1 playoffs. Their first crossover game was at Nov. 2 against Cascade, who they defeated with scores of 25-15, 25-23, 18-25, 25-16.

Despite the overall misfortune, which reared its ugly head for the men’s tennis team this year, one of the biggest highlights of the season lies with senior tennis partners Joe Kim and Chris Raunio. Though the team as a whole won just one match the entire season, the two captains dominated in the WesCo South doubles championship. According to Coach Alberto Ramierez, “This is the first time in decades that any tennis team [from MTHS] or a member has been in the WesCo South finals.”

The WesCo South Finals took place at the Harbor Square Athletic Club, Oct. 23. There, Kim and Raunio played against Edmonds-Woodway for championship. Coach Ramirez said this of the match; “Today’s match will be a great opportunity for the tennis community in the area to know that Mountlake Terrace can develop good players in the tennis program.” People are definitely paying attention now, since Kim and Raunio became the WesCo South champions with scores of 6-3, 3-6, and the tiebreaker 6-4.  “It was a great match. I am very proud of how the team played.” Coach Ramirez said. “They took care of business on the court.” Joe was also quite proud of their achievement. “It feels great. It was a tough battle, but in the end, victory feels sweet.”

Through the mud, grass, woodlands, and rain, cross-country has ran close in both times, and in bonds. 4A is a tough league to run in, especially for a team with such similar times. In the 5,000-meter race for WesCo South, senior runners Jacob Howell and Brandon Hines, had times within 1 second of each other.

The varsity team, consisting of all seniors, has been running together all four years of high school so it is no wonder how they have progressed.

“We’ve got a tight pack when competing [and training].” Howell said. “The top four runners are close in times for the most part, which makes it difficult to race other teams because we get going at the same speed.”

But keeping the pack on each others flanks has not exactly hurt the team. The individual runners, senior top-four pack runner Michael O’Neill and sophomore Nina Penner, placed for the WIAA 4A state championships, which is a 5,000-meter race on the Sun Willows Golf Course in Pasco, Washington this Saturday.  The women’s varsity race begins at 1:00 p.m., and the men’s varsity race begins at 2:30 p.m.

Though after this season there will be a very small cross-country team if at all because it now consists of mostly seniors, there will still be forces to be reckoned with from the JV team.

Among the contenders are Sophomores Justin Frazier, Matt Black, and Ben Pierson, and Juniors Tyler Baker and Abdi Jama.

The swim team had a rocky season overall but individually they had outstanding achievements. Eight members of the team qualified for districts and one of those eight is very close to qualifying for state. Sophomore Hunter Goncalves is going to districts to compete in the 200 and 500 free. She had a qualifying time of 2:08 for the 200 free and a time of 5:27 for the 500 free. Her times nearly qualify her to compete at state level and she has two more opportunities to achieve those times. Senior Kari Sjolin and freshman Riley Morgan both qualified for the 50 free with times 28.5 and 27 seconds. Morgan also qualified for the 100 free with a time of 1:01.  Five other members of the team qualified for the district relay. Competing members are Senior Teryn Bouche, Senior Erin Gustafson, Senior Alyssa Kier, Freshman Jerusalem Kifelew, and Freshman Mackenzie LeSueur.

The cheerleaders have had a bumpy road these past few years. They lost the majority of their squad two years ago after an incident that led to the termination of the program. Now, the somewhat newly assembled team is ready to pump some spirit into the stands at the Homecoming game at the end of the month (see above).

As what might have been witnessed at previous games, the cheerleaders have a little something new this year that has been lacking in past – skill.

“With the combo of our tumbling, lots of practice, and stunting it has made everyone at Terrace take the team more seriously this year,” Jenna Donahue, senior newbie and one of the Tumbling Duo, said. “I think everyone is taking more interest.”

The other part of the Tumbling Duo is Marissa Danekas, junior newbie and retired gymnast.

“There isn’t a [gymnastics team] here. This is the only way I can sort of get back into that,” Danekas said. “It’s a lot of fun.”

Though the tumblers bring a certain flair, all of the team’s new found success is not solely their doing.

“I don’t think the tumblers have been the defining factor in what has improved the team,” cheer coach Kacee Jensen said. “I think overall, each member has added and worked really hard to make the team what it is; the tumblers just add the frosting on top.”

Another season begins for the women’s volleyball team and as the crowds flock to each home game, hopes of a winning season fill the Terraceum. In the first match of the season on Sept. 10, Hawk fans came out to support the girls as they took on the Jackson Timberwolves. By the last buzzer, disappointment set in, with Jackson taking down the last three of the four games played that night. But no matter how unfortunate a loss, the women stay positive and encourage their teammates to play at the best of their abilities.

One particular player, who has stepped up her game as a major point contributor, is sophomore, Shawna Pung.

“[Shawna] is only 5’6” and she’s playing the huge middle.” Coach Marietta Snyder said of Pung. “She’s got 4 block kills. That’s big. Usually 6’3”-6’4” girls are the ones doing those.”

But Pung doesn’t let her height hurt her game and shows that being 5 foot, 6 inches is not a hindrance to her ability to kill as middle. Pung said, “I want to show the tall girls that I can beat them and they’re not better [because they’ve got a little height on me].” She accomplished just that during the first game, where the Hawks came out victorious with a close 25-23 win, Pung surprised even her team mates, by blocking hit after hit. “[Playing middle] is fun,” Pung said. “I like blocking. [Getting praise from the team is] really exciting and makes me want to work harder so I’m consistent and get more kills.”

Pung, who started playing volleyball in fourth grade, has had a lot of time to work on her game, and is said to have an amazing work ethic. Coach Marietta explained that, “The team really appreciates and likes her. She works hard, doesn’t screw around, and is totally focused.” Coach Marietta said. “And she’s only a sophomore!”

The affect of Pung, one of the youngest players on varsity, and her having a higher maturity is not lost on Coach Marietta or the team. “She has a great attitude. Never goofs around.” She said. “I love this team.” She laughs. “I don’t have to deal with a bunch of cattiness.”

The lack of cattiness can be credited to the amount of talent and the bonds of the team. “The seniors especially like [Shawna] and Leah Lechtenberg.”Leah, who was hurt at the beginning of the season was thought to be out for the duration, but will come back after training with help from Marietta. “[Leah] has worked really hard to get back into the game. The young girls have real dedication.”

Shawna acknowledges Lechtenberg as a positive contributor to the team. “All the seniors encourage me a lot. Leah too. Even though she can’t play right now, she keeps the team pumped up. She can see what you’re doing wrong, and help you out.”

Just as Lechtenberg brings dedication and determination, Pung brings a positive energy to the court that makes her stand out. When asked about what she thought of Pung, Senior Captain Stephanie McGee said, “When things get rough in a game, she stays positive. She has that kind of mindset where, if she makes a mistake she doesn’t get pissed off.” McGee said. “She lets it go and gets it the next time.”

Shawna is not the only Pung expected to do great things for MTHS Volleyball.

“Shawna has a little sister, [Sarah], on the freshman team.” said Coach Marietta. “I’m looking forward to [her] coming up and to watch her grow as a player.”

Much like the Seidlitz sisters (Kori & Kelsi), who played together in previous volleyball history, the team will see a new, possibly strong family duo; The Pungs.

Jhalen Brown. Son. Brother. Friend. Leader. 6 feet 1 inch and 180 pounds of MTHS running power. He has caused quite a stir, beginning his 11th season on the football field this year.

“So far, he is one of the league leaders in interceptions with three,” said Hawks’ Coach Tony Umayam. “He has caused and recovered fumbles, made big catches, and took a school record [with a] 99 yard fumble return for a touchdown in the win vs. Mariner.”

Already with a school record and helping to lead the team to a superlative start, this must be asked: What makes Brown such a good football player? For some, the first thought might tell them that it is skill. Some might say genetics. But, after taking a few minutes to listen to him talk about the game of football, one would see that it is his heart. Brown’s whole soul is in this game, and for good reason.

As many star athletes could tell you, they did not have the after-school-special childhood; where your dad is an early morning TV anchor and your silly uncle lives in your basement, and you get into all kinds of damage with your annoying neighbor with the geek glasses and suspenders, but at the end of the day everybody loves Raymond and you live happily ever after. The same can be said of Brown’s childhood.

“Growing up rough, [my] parents weren’t always together and we didn’t always have money to do [anything],” Brown recalls. “I’ve been through a lot of [stuff], you know, and I’d be in the worst mood, hating life, but at the end of the day, I knew I’d get to play football. It’s my first love,” he laughs. Sorry ladies.

Brown started playing at the age of 6, after his older brother, Justin, showed an interest.

“I wanted to play because [my older brother] wanted to and my little brother wanted to play because of me. We all started young,” he said. “It’s a family thing. My dad’s always been there coaching me when I was growing up. Never wanted anything more than for me to succeed.” Brown now dreams to be a professional. “I want to go pro but right now I’m just taking it one step at a time,” he said, “focusing on making it to the next level.”

But the dream did not manifest into as big a part of Brown’s life as it is now.

“Funny story actually,” Brown smiles, remembering the day. “One summer, my mom, my dad, two brothers and I went to this camp thing, can’t remember exactly. But there was this raffle, and my chair was No. 3… No. 4 I think. They called my number. So I went up there and they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I was younger and I had no idea. But, I said I’d be a professional football player. And they laughed at me,” he laughs. “And you know, that’s why I do it. I’m not the type to take no for an answer. I’ll go out and do something if someone tells me that I can’t.”

Intense.

Though his focus seems all too fierce on paper, Brown is a big team player and leader for the Hawks, on and off the field. “He has meshed with the team very well, the coaches enjoy coaching him, and he has become one of the emotional leaders on the squad,” Coach Umayam said. This emotion was witnessed by anyone who stayed after the Meadowdale game on Sept. 18.

After a disappointing loss against the Mavericks, Brown went onto the field solo, and kneeled before the scoreboard. “I had all sorts of emotions going around. I was frustrated. I was pissed. I thought about what I could have done better as a player. What I could have done better as a teammate, to bring us into a win.”

John Hernandez, fellow linebacker and friend said, “[Jhalen] brings leadership on and off the field. When we’re feeling down, he’ll give speeches in the locker room. He pretty much does what the coaches should be doing.”

Besides wanting to win, and wanting to show that he can be whatever he chooses, the main motivation for playing the game is his brother, who is out of state.

“My unusual ritual… every time, before every game, I go alone before the scoreboard and take a knee,” Brown says. “I think about my [older] brother, [19], and about how I’m going to play. Every game I play is for him.”

After hearing about the amount of passion Brown has for football, it is hard to imagine there being anything he enjoys as much. When asked about what else he is fond of, Jhalen responded, “Music. I love music.” When he transferred here in April of last school year, Jhalen could be seen walking the halls alone, headphones in, rhymes spitting out.  Passers by would say, “He’s so weird.” Some, just smiled and walked on.

To this, Brown says, “I don’t care what other people think of me. They can think I’m weird, but the reality is, I am me and I’m not going to stop doin me. I’m gonna do me wherever I go.”