Creekview Baseball

Baseball season has finally begun! After all of the anxiousness of waiting for the teams to be posted, the players finally get their chance to play the game. But with the new season comes new changes. Many people tried out this year to be part of the Creekview Grizzly Baseball team. There was one difference this year, the players would be put into two teams and not three like the years before. So this year the players had to put even more into trying to be the best that they can be. On top of it all, try outs were more difficult. Not only because of the increased competition with the new freshmen trying out, but also because the weather did not allow the players to be on the field for almost a week. However this still did not stop the athletes from giving their all 100% of the time. “The weather affected us a lot during try outs. It rained for almost the whole week which stuck us at the indoor batting cages for a while. It took away a huge amount of our field time, but once we had the slightest chance to take the field we took advantage of it,” says baseball Head Coach Mike Nayman. This small set back gave the players less time to practice for their first game of the season on February 21st, which fell on the February break. The varsity baseball team had to work hard and take advantage of what time they had to prepare themselves. Sadly this was not enough to help the team defeat their opponent, Cherokee High School. After losing 7-2, the players can only work harder to better themselves for the next time they play Cherokee. One loss means nothing though, because the Grizzlies have the rest of the season to prove that they can be invincible. Written by: Amber Herrington

Girls Tennis

Tennis is a sport of extreme skill and technique. You must have the ability of knowing how and when to hit the ball into the perfect spot to win the match. One perfect example of this skill and hard work is the Creekview Grizzlies girl’s tennis team. These girls practice every day, working hard on improving their game so when their next match comes, they will be ready for whatever competition is thrown at them. The girls have played against a lot of competition and whether they lose or win, they improve on certain skills that help them beat the competition next time around. When asked what she expected of this year’s team, third time season player Emily responded, “I expect us to go to region and actually win it because there are a lot of girls with great talent on this year’s team and I believe that with our hard work and dedication, we can reach this goal.” To play tennis does not only consist of showing up to practices and claiming you are part of the team, but it also consists of your ability to work harder by practicing and working out on the side. These girls have to be in shape to be running up and down the court. Some of these girls take the time to run while they do not have practice or anything else going on. Also, some of the players play on recreation tennis teams where they can improve their weak spots and also keep in shape for the season to come. These girls work hard to be the best that they can be and fulfill their goal to win regions. “Our record so far is 1-2. We have beat Cherokee but lost to 5AAAAA power houses Woodstock and Etowah, but we played well against them,” says Coach Hubbard. The girls played their match on March 2 against Pickens which ended in a win of 4-1 and the following day they played against Lambert but lost 5-0 against the number one team in the region. Written by: Amber Herrington

Emily W

Since she was a freshman, Emily W, who is now a junior, has been playing singles one for the Creekview tennis team. With her skills and dedication, it’s no wonder she has held her position these past three years.

Emily W started playing tennis when she was eight, and immediately fell in love with the sport.
“I started young and I just had the passion that drove me,” Emily replied.

Ever since, she has been working hard to become the best she can be, and to do this, it means putting everything else aside.

“For me its tennis then school and then everything else; however, school is still very important to me,” laughed Emily.
Emily plays and practices tennis at Jim Harp Performance Academy, which is in Forsyth County. She also goes to the gym any chance she can get to become stronger and to work on different techniques. In a week, Emily spends about fourteen hours on training, but this doesn’t include weekends. On weekends, you can usually find Emily competing in a variety of tournaments. These tournaments last all day on Saturdays and Sundays.

Junior year is an athlete’s major recruiting year. Emily is hoping to be recruited this summer for college, and then go to the college on a full ride.

“Even though I love tennis, I don’t want to play professionally,” said Emily.

Where would an athlete be if they didn’t have an inspiration? Alyssa H is Emily’s role model. Alyssa is a senior this year, who is home schooled, and she also attends Emily’s Academy. Alyssa received a full ride for tennis/academics to United States Military Academy at West Point.
“Alyssa is dedicated to tennis; she eats, sleeps, and breathes tennis. I hope to be like this too,” Emily replied.

Lucky for the Creekview tennis team, Emily is only a junior and will be playing next year. There will also be two other strong seniors returning next year, Olivia Reed and Kathryn Hunter, making Creekview a very competitive and challenging team to beat.
Written by: Paige Amoss