Following a major winning season with varsity football competing in the semi-finals at Hofstra University and girls’ varsity soccer becoming conference champions, fall sports have concluded as the colder weather welcomes in winter sports.
Before the season begins, athletes prepare extensively. Junior Aiden Renois, a winter track athlete who competes in the 55-meter run, the 4×200-meter relay, and the long jump, has put in the work to perform to the best of his ability in this year’s competition. Renois says he hit the track in the fall and “stayed in the weight room.” He shared that he is “looking to be an all-state athlete after just missing it last year.” Other members of the team start their preparation early by competing in other sports to incorporate different skills into their repertoire; for winter track, a clear prologue is running cross country, a fall sport concentrated on longer running distances that builds an athlete’s stamina. Renois explained that as these sports end, “that’s when our season starts, we’re committed to the practices that come every day.”
Another sport that is focused on goals and teamwork is varsity gymnastics. In just their third year of competing, this group has already “truly grown into a second family,” according to senior and Captain Gianna Marafioti. She said, “Honestly, our team’s vibe is totally unmatched. One of our favorite [traditions] is learning parts of each other’s floor routines so we can do them on the sidelines while someone is competing—it always brings the best energy.” For this winter season, the gymnasts are looking forward to competing at their meets, especially their Cartwheel for a Cure Meet and the Coaches Invitational, while growing as a team and in the future, qualifying more gymnasts for state qualifiers to demonstrate their progression. Off the mats, the team has already gone above and beyond with their chemistry. Marafioti reflected, “The support, the inside jokes, and the way we show up for each other are some of my favorite accomplishments—just seeing how close we’ve become feels like something to be proud of.”
As the bond of the gymnastics team has developed an encouraging tone for the season, a bright future is ahead for other LHS sports through some standout performers—one being senior Tyler Tjaden of the bowling team. Tjaden’s passion for bowling originated with weekly visits to the bowling center owned by his grandmother; after she passed away a couple months ago, she still continues to be one of his biggest motivators. Tjaden has worked hard to become an outstanding player, which is reflected in his statistics. For league play and school meets, bowling is scored throughout three games strung together, known as a series. The highest attainable score in an individual game is 300, and 900 for a series. Tjaden’s records make it clear that he is a star on the team: he bowled his highest series in practice of 762; in league play (documented in the records) a 678; in a school meet 639; and in one individual game, a high of 279. His goals for the season are to “shoot 300 and make it to states.” Tjaden said, “Three hundred is one of my goals just because it is so prestigious and very hard to accomplish, so having that under my belt would feel so amazing.” To qualify for states, one must maintain a 200 or higher average for counties, then bowl head-to-head against people from all over Long Island until the top-10 go on to states. While bowling is a sport more focused on individual performance, the bowling team also demonstrates a tight-knit bond. Tjaden commented, “I’d say this year is going to be great; we’ve got some good freshmen and sophomores trying out and veterans from last year who are pretty good. We’re all really good friends with each other, so it’ll definitely be a fun season.”
Through their chemistry, determination, and grit, it is clear that these winter sports teams will certainly be making some noise this season.
