INKLINGS
Wrestling season begins with success BY NOAH THOMAS co-editor-in-chief The wrestling team just came off a 71 to four victory yesterday against Lake Central High School. Before that, Crown Point fell to the defending state champion, Cathedral, based on criteria. They tied 28-28 thanks to the Crown Point wrestlers who won got extra points in their respected matches. Criteria is used to determine who wins in a tie, and Crown Point lost because they won six matches and Cathedral won eight. Veteran head coach Brandon Lorek was happy with their effort but knows more points should have been earned. “Our wrestlers who won in matches won more points and that made a big difference. For them to have more wins then us and for us to tie them is amazing. It’s a credit to our guys who won their matches and we left some points out there. There were some points we could’ve picked up and there were extra points we gave them and we came up on the short end of the stick,” Lorek said.
Freshman Paul Clark also knows they left more points out there, but remains confident in the team. “We’re trying to win a blue ring at the end of the year and try to get better during the season,” Clark said. “A close match against Cathedral, we probably should’ve won but we’ll get them eventually. We gotta beat Cathedral, we had a few matches we should’ve got some extra points in and a few matches we shouldn’t have given up points in.” Lorek said one of the team’s most impressive wins so far this season was a win against Chesterton, the second-ranked team in the state. “We’ve won some huge matches, we’ve had a lot of success. We beat Chesterton who was ranked second in state last Wednesday. The kids have been working really hard, getting to the weight room, working on technique, so it’s been good,”Lorek said. Lorek cited senior Javen Estrada as one of the heroes of the Chesterton meet. Estrada’s overall goal for his senior season is simple.
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“My goal is to win a state title,” Estrada said. The COVID-19 pandemic has affected many winter sports in the Region, with many teams canceling practice because of exposure. Just like other teams, wrestling has been affected by the pandemic as well in efforts to keep the coaches and athletes safe. “We’ve had to split our team up. Our freshmen team is practicing, and some of our JV team is practicing in the field house or in the cafeteria, that’s a first. We have divided our mats up into sections so who will only work with two or three kids and normally they stay in their section and practice,” Lorek said. “We’re not using the locker room as much because we are trying to minimize contact in the locker room. The Athletic Department has provided us with two fans to keep the air moving and mats get washed multiple times a day.” Coming up, the Bulldogs look forward to The Carl Carnahan Wrestling Invitational, named after the founder of Crown Point Wrestling. The Invitational will be tomorrow starting at 8 a.m. at home.
Gymnastics team practices COVID-19 precautions with hopes of successful and healthy season BY SAMUEL BREWER co-sports editor
After graduating six seniors, including top scorers Paige Hein and Madison Rolle, the girls gymnastics team is preparing for another successful season. Even without these seniors, head coach Amy Pysh is confident in her team to compete at a very high level. “I’m expecting it to be a great year for us competitively. We have 17 gymnasts this year who will all contribute nicely. I’m really thinking we can contend in the top three in the DAC with this team,” Pysh said. Other gymnasts like sophomore Ysabel Maunes are fully confident in the new senior class to perform and lead. “I would say this year’s se-
nior class is just as strong. Only having two seniors has been a little different, considering we had six last year, but Megan (Pappenheim) and Leah (Dexter) are both amazing gymnasts and leaders. They never fail to make people laugh, but also are good at reminding us when it’s time to be serious and stay focused,” Maunes said. As the gymnastics team prepares, they face the problem of keeping themselves and their season safe. According to Maunes, all possible measures are being taken to keep the preparation going. “At our first practice we were split into groups of about four to five people. We stay with those same people every practice and rotate to each event with them, limiting the
amount of interaction between everyone on the team as a whole. We also make sure to wash our hands after every event,” Maunes said. These precautions are likely most important to the seniors on the team, if the season ends, their high school careers go with it. Senior Leah Dexter has already come to terms with the possibility, but chooses to look on the bright side instead of being cynical. “If my final season gets cut short, I am still grateful for what we still had. We got to practice together and create a team bond. This year I’ve just been trying to enjoy every moment and have fun. You never know when it can be cut short so making the most out of it is what counts,” Leah Dexter.
While she still has her season, Dexter, who was voted a team captain, is making it a priority that everyone on the team enjoys the season while they can. “It’s definitely different leading the team this year, I try to make it lighthearted and fun for everyone because there’s been a lot of change due to COVID. I try to make sure everyone is doing okay and try to be there as much as I can. There’s a little pressure of being a leader on the team but it’s definitely fun to be a role model and be able to help the other girls with whatever they need,” Dexter said. Dexter and the team will travel to La Porte tomorrow for the LaPorte Pairs Invitational at 11 a.m.
