Sports

By Russell O. Karr “Set your goals high, and don’t stop ’til you get there.” – Bo Jackson “Honestly, I want to be the first woman to get two Olympic gold medals in volleyball; one in indoor and one in beach.” This is how Kathryn Plummer clearly and confidently explained her goals to High School Illustrated in a recent interview. …

By Ryan Bundy | Photos by Bob Leivy Close your eyes for a minute and prepare to imagine. Imagine being a 17-year-old high school athlete, winning a state title in track. How great of a feeling would that be? Now imagine being the eighth-ranked football player in America with every college football program wanting you to play for their alma …

by Norma Palacios and Russell O. Karr Dedication, solid work ethic, strong family support, and a noteworthy focus on balance in her life provide Fremont High School basketball star, Jessica Shepard, with a solid foundation for success in sports and life. Ranked third in the country by ESPN and first in her position, Jessica was also Gatorade’s 2013-14 and 2012-13 …

Tacko Fall, a 7-foot-5 high school senior from Senegal, thrives on and off the court by Kristen Giddings   TAVARES, Florida__As young players across the country gear-up for the upcoming basketball season, Tacko Fall stands above them all. Literally. The 7’5″ high school senior currently holds the spot as the tallest player in the country, standing two inches over even …

By Madeline Stokell The new era of cheerleading has all heads turned in its direction, waiting to see what’s next. Feats of strength and coordination dazzle the eye in performances of spirit and positive energy. The sheer difficulty of the routines seen at national cheerleading competitions seem to dispel any prejudices against the sport; old ideas of pom poms waving are …

By Kendall Murtha ‘Tis in ourselves that we are thus or thus. Our bodies are our gardens to which our wills are gardeners. – William Shakespeare, Othello We generally think of gymnastics as a sport in which the athlete’s body is their primary instrument. Each time Amelia “Millie” Andrilenas, a junior at Juniata High School in Washington, takes to the …

To most of us, the net on a tennis court divides the physical space between the opponents; the place where they move and play, a boundary to define whether a ball is in or out. For Tommy Paul, one of the nation’s top teen tennis players, the net demarcates the psychic space of strategy, mental toughness, and a place where …

Jim Spier has been a fan of track and field since he was a high school student in the late 1950s. When he attended track and field events as an adult he got interested in the Junior events (under 20) and noticed that the Junior teams did not represent the makeup of the top high school track and field athletes …

By Ryan Bundy Students trek through high school looking forward to their senior year as a capstone and celebratory year of school achievement…but the truth is…senior year is tough. It’s filled with tough decisions. It’s the year where young people ponder for countless hours just what it is they want to do with the rest of their lives. During the …

Ninety seconds on the game clock. Spain and the USA are tied 71-71. The FIBA (International Basketball Federation) Under-17 World Championship for Women taking place in the beautiful, romantic city of Pilsen, Czech Republic, will be decided in those seconds. Katie Lou Samuelson is the USA team captain. She’s on the floor those final, electrifying seconds, leading her team, searching …