2013-2014 Sports Wrap-Up

The 2013-2014 sports year for Providence Academy is coming to a close. Through fall, winter and spring, all of the sports teams have competed at a high level.

The fall sports, including boys and girls cross country, football, boys and girls soccer, girls tennis and girls swimming, all had exciting seasons.

The cross country team had a good season. Jackson Rastetter ’17 says, “We had a good season but sadly we are losing two good seniors.”

The football team also had a good season ending with the record of 4-4. The captains for fall 2014 are Ryan Richelsen ’15, Ryan Ylitalo ’15 and Trent Wiebusch ’15.

Henry Van Dellen ’16, the teams starting quarterback, comments on the teams previous season and the team by saying, “This season was good but next season will be better. We will fly like the Phoenix. When we lose we come back stronger.”

The soccer teams also had successful seasons with the boys going 4-5-1, and the girls going 3-5-2.

The season was good for the girls tennis team, going 12-6. Eva Sullivan ’14 says, “Season went really well. It was sad because it was my last year, but the team accomplished all that we wanted to by going to state and becoming closer as friends on the team.”  

The volleyball team ended their season with a record of 8-17.

The girls swim and dive team was  combined with Osseo. Sarah Whims ’16 sums up the season by saying, “The season turned out really well, a lot of the girls made to to section prelims and a few moved on to finals.  And one relay and one individual went to state.”

For winter sports,  the boys basketball team ended their season with the best record in school history, going 16-10. Dominic Miller ’16, one of the teams captains for the 2014-2015 season says, “The team is always improving and I am looking forward to next season.” The other two captains for next season are Jack Koslrud ’15 and Riley Loew ’15.

The girls also with a great season going 13-12.

The boys hockey team finished with a record of 6-19 and the girls team, which is combined with Minnehaha Academy,  finished off 3-17-1.

The boys swim and dive team was, like the girls, combined with Osseo. The only PA competitor was Joe Beaman ’14. The Osseo High School’s teams record was 3-2-3.

The spring sports also had their ups and downs. The boys tennis team finished in the record of 4-8, losing in the semifinal game.

The boys golf team, consisting of five seniors and one freshman finished currently have the record of 2-5. The girls golf team had a fantastic season ending with a winning record of 6-1-2.

Both boys baseball and girls softball have been having a successful season. The boys baseball team went 11-4 and is currently in the section 5AA playoffs.

Fans and athletes are looking forward to another great year for Providence sports.

Providence Academy Sails into Spring

Sailors from the PA team are out on the water soon after winter. --photo courtesy of Frances Christianson
Sailors from the PA team are out on the water soon after winter. –photo courtesy of Frances Christianson

With their season starting April 1st, Providence Academy Sailing team is looking to have a good year.

This year’s captains for the sailing team are Frances Christianson ’14 and Patrick Buehler ’14. The team consists of 16-18 students, from grades 7-12. Providence’s sailing team competes and practices against other schools like Benilde-St. Margaret’s, Wayzata and Chanhassen. Ms. Katie Lahti helps out by being the faculty director and Mr.Thomas Jones helps out with other administrative pieces as part of his role as the Upper School Activities Supervisor, but for practices, because of the distant practices, most help is from students from the schools competing.

Practices start April 1st if the lakes are not frozen. The team holds their practices at Lake Minnetonka at the Wayzata Community Sailing Center but compete at lakes across the Twin Cities and other locations. They compete on Lake Minnetonka, Lake Calhoun, and White Bear Lake. The sailing team also plans to go to Milwaukee, Wisconsin to sail Lake Michigan and hopefully Pewaukee, Wisconsin to sail Pewaukee Lake as well.

Sailing competes in two different categories. The first is fleet racing. Fleet racing is when a group of sailors sail a predetermined course and points are assigned for the place they finish (1st gets 1 point, 2nd gets 2 points) and the team with the lowest score wins. Fleet racing can consist of many boats sailing at one time. The second category of racing is team racing. Team races have more complex courses with only 6 boats sailing (3 per team). The scoring is the same for team racing and fleet racing except the fact that in team racing you want to make the sum of your team’s points be less than 10.

Buehler described the sail boats the team uses.

“For the most part, we sail a dinghy boat called a 420,” he said. “It holds two people, one skipper and one crew.  The skipper is responsible for steering and trimming the mainsail.  The crew is responsible for trimming the jib, adjusting the mainsail controls, and helping the skipper with tactics.”

PA Lions Baseball Hosts Breakfast Fundraiser

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The PA Lions Baseball team is hosting a breakfast fundraiser on Sunday, April 13th from 8:30 am to 12:30 am at Dobo’s Café and Bakeshop. Dobo’s Café and Bakeshop’s is located 4425 Highway 55, Loretto, Minnesota 55357.

The Providence Academy Lions will be raising money for Gianna Homes- Glady’s Place in Plymouth, which is a senior memory care clinic. Along with this charity some of the money from the fundraiser helps pay for items that compliments the baseball program. The Providence Academy baseball team has been around for 4 years, so this will be the teams 4th breakfast.

The team helps out with this fundraiser by doing many jobs. Work for the team varies. The team will wash dishes, be part of the wait staff and even some will get to work in the kitchen! All 24 players, coaches and volunteers are participating in the years fundraiser.

Coach Tapani comments on the work of the players by saying,  “It is their event and they staff it and work it with the help of the Dobo Cafe owners who insure the quality of the service and food is up to their high standards.”

Team Captain Michael Villafana ’15, three time participant in this fundraiser, comments on the fundraiser by saying, “First off, I think this fundraiser is a good way for team bonding and to get to know each other more. Secondly, its a great way to meet the people that will be supporting us throughout the season. It’s a good way to thank them before the season starts.”

Villafana also says some fun memories that happened in the past, he says, “I remember we have had a couple prom proposals in the past. No word yet if there will be any this year.”

Paul Stankey ’17 Golf Superstar

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Paul Stankey ’17 has been dedicated to the game of golf, ever since he started playing at the age of two. Stankey says, “Some friends put a club in my hands when I was one or two and my parents just kept me playing since then.” Now, Stankey has an intense practice schedule, which varies with the seasons. In the winter he will practice around two hours a day, but in the summer he will practice as much as fourteen hours a day. In the winters, because of Minnesota’s crazy winter weather, Stankey has to train indoors. Stankey practices at Hazeltine in the winter. Lucky for Paul, he lives on a golf course, so when the weather gets warm enough he can practice in his backyard.

Outside of golf, Stankey will lift weights and run to help and try to advance his play. He competes in tournaments in many different locations, from right here in Minnesota to all the way down South. Stankey says he participates anywhere from 45-60 tournament rounds every year.

Stankey’s ultimate goal is to play at the collegiate level.

Stankey says his favorite player is Jordan Spieth. Paul says, “My favorite player on tour is Jordan Spieth because he is only 20 years old, but he still has a strong faith and family grounding in his life. Plus he lights it up on the course.”

 

Opinion: College Sports vs. Professional Sports

One controversial topic frequently talked about amongst sports fans is whether professional sports or college sports allow for a better game and overall experience. With the NFL playoffs beginning, and the NBA and NHL in full swing, some sports fans will argue that professional sports provide a better viewing experience.

One reason for this could be that professional sports games are easier to follow. With the extensive media coverage of professional sports, fans can easily keep track of their favorite teams and players.

Another advantage of pro sports is the skills and experience of the athletes. Lebron James, Tiger Woods, Peyton Manning, Roger Federer, Floyd Mayweather, Lionel Messi, and Sidney Crosby – some of the best athletes in the world – are why some fans may prefer pro sports players over the less-experienced student athletes. Over time these players have accumulated large fans bases because of their flashy moves and ability to secure victories.

Another factor that goes into fans preferring professional sports over college sports is the complicated Bowl Championship Series college football has. NFL fans enjoy the organization of the NFL playoff system.

On the other hand, even though professional athletes are sometimes considered more talented, college athletes show much more energy and hustle in games. Many NBA players portray selfishness in games through their actions. Caring about themselves and their paychecks tends to become more important to a player than winning, which makes pro sports less competitive.

In college sports, players don’t get directly payed, instead they get the chance to go to college on a scholarship. Student athletes play with more fire and heart with the hope that they can make it to the next level: the pros.

The energy felt at college games is another thing professional games sometimes lack. College stadiums, consisting mostly of college students, are oftentimes full of energy. Professional sports games attract the people that can afford them, people with jobs or the means to afford the  price tag that comes with a professional game ticket. They are not as rowdy as college students and do not completely match the energy of the crowd at a college sporting event.

While sitting at home, with nothing to do, usually the answer to our boredom is TV. When first flipping on the TV and scrolling through the channels, basically every hour of the day you can find a college sport being played. Using basketball as an example, there’s always a college game being aired. Whether the game is at noon, or late at night, college basketball is always a solution to our boredom.

NBA on the other hand, seems to always be played around the same time. With all the games being aired around 7 p.m.,  it’s hard to watch all the teams you want. With all the games being so close together, or being aired at the same time, some hard decisions come into play. With all the publicity pro sports get, you will be able to watch highlights from the games you missed the next day.

Joe Kahnke ’17 says, “I prefer pro sports, I like the experience and skill within every player. I also like the flashy plays.”

However, I would have to disagree. I think that the energy college sports brings provides for a better game and overall experience.