Sports 2021-2022
PHS Spring Sports
Please visit this direct link to the PISD Athletics page for current sports schedules: https://www.pecos.k12.nm.us/athletics
Please visit this direct link to the PISD Athletics page for current sports schedules: https://www.pecos.k12.nm.us/athletics
2021 Tokyo Olympics
October 2021
By Lauren Vigil
For many of us, the Olympics are pretty important. We get to see who is competing and which team wins gold.
This year the Olympics happened in Tokyo, Japan with no spectators. This Olympic year was different than usual due to the pandemic, but it doesn’t matter because we still got to see amazing talents from around the world. We also got to see how beautiful Tokyo was when they did interviews outside. The athletes were probably very excited to be competing in their passion. There was new young talent this Olympic year.
Along with many people around the world, I watched these 2020 Olympics. I surveyed a group of students from Pecos High asking “Did you watch the 2020 Olympics?” 70% of those surveyed said no and 30% said yes. To put on the Olympics is a lot of work; they have to decide who will host the Olympics, and how many athletes can participate.
I interviewed Pecos High School student Kayla Garcia, asking her “Would you work for the Olympics?” She responde, “I would, because I'm sure they'd pay a lot.” The Olympics are always put on at a nice place in the world. I asked Garcia, “Would you travel to see the Olympics?” Her answer was “Depending on where it was, I would travel to see them.”
In the U.S., the women's volleyball team made history when they won the Olympic gold medal for the first time in U.S volleyball history. Out of the U.S sports, 15 teams had won gold medals. This is a very good number of teams to win that many. When you compete in the Olympics you might always be remembered or be known as making history. You also get to travel to new countries to show off your skills.
Are you going to watch these amazing talents at the next Olympics? It will be pretty cool to see what new talent there is.
October 2021
By Lauren Vigil
For many of us, the Olympics are pretty important. We get to see who is competing and which team wins gold.
This year the Olympics happened in Tokyo, Japan with no spectators. This Olympic year was different than usual due to the pandemic, but it doesn’t matter because we still got to see amazing talents from around the world. We also got to see how beautiful Tokyo was when they did interviews outside. The athletes were probably very excited to be competing in their passion. There was new young talent this Olympic year.
Along with many people around the world, I watched these 2020 Olympics. I surveyed a group of students from Pecos High asking “Did you watch the 2020 Olympics?” 70% of those surveyed said no and 30% said yes. To put on the Olympics is a lot of work; they have to decide who will host the Olympics, and how many athletes can participate.
I interviewed Pecos High School student Kayla Garcia, asking her “Would you work for the Olympics?” She responde, “I would, because I'm sure they'd pay a lot.” The Olympics are always put on at a nice place in the world. I asked Garcia, “Would you travel to see the Olympics?” Her answer was “Depending on where it was, I would travel to see them.”
In the U.S., the women's volleyball team made history when they won the Olympic gold medal for the first time in U.S volleyball history. Out of the U.S sports, 15 teams had won gold medals. This is a very good number of teams to win that many. When you compete in the Olympics you might always be remembered or be known as making history. You also get to travel to new countries to show off your skills.
Are you going to watch these amazing talents at the next Olympics? It will be pretty cool to see what new talent there is.
March Madness
April, 2021
By Aidan Holton
After a year of waiting for the NCAA tournament it has finally happened. The first rounds will surprise you but the outcome was what a lot of people expected. There were upsets all across the board that messed people’s brackets up after the first day of games. There were no perfect brackets and you could tell that the lower seeds definitely came to play.
In the first round of the tournament there were some notable names that were taken out in the first round. First of them being #2 ranked Ohio State losing to a #15 ranked Oral Roberts. The score was 75 to 72. The next was #5 ranked Tennessee losing to #12 ranked Oregon State. The score was 70 to 56. The other was #14 ranked Abilene Christian beating #4 ranked Texas. The score was 53 to 52. In the second round of the tournament there were a couple higher ranked teams that were taken out. One of these was #3 ranked West Virginia losing to Syracuse by a score of 75 to 72. The next was Oral Roberts beating a #7 ranked Florida by a score of 81 to 78. Also Oregon State beat #4 ranked Oklahoma State by a score of 80 to 70.
After hearing all of these crazy upsets we decided to interview some people to see how they felt about this. First off we asked simple questions such as if they watched basketball and how much they follow along with March Madness. Everyone interviewed said they watched and followed along. We next asked if people created brackets of their own. Of course they answered yes, and said that their bracket was messed up horribly by all of the upsets that had been happening.
In the sweet sixteen there were some good games. Some notable ones were UCLA beating the #2 ranked Alabama by a score of 88 to 78 in overtime. There was also Arkansas who just barely snuck by Oral Roberts by 2 points, 72 to 70. In the elite eight the four teams that won were Baylor, Houston, Gonzaga, and UCLA. In the final four Gonzaga beat UCLA with a half court buzzer beater in overtime. In the other game Baylor beat Houston by almost 20 points. In the championship there was no competition at all and Baylor beat Gonzaga by 16. When the tournament ended we did a survey of ten people and 10 percent of them had predicted the championship right.
This year there were a lot of people that made brackets and there were definitely a lot of people that were mad that their bracket was toast after the first round. This doesn’t mean people were completely upset because they still got to watch some good basketball and some close games. They saw close games the whole tournament except for the ones that Baylor played in. Every game that Baylor played in was not even close and they always beat the other team by a lot. They were the best team in the tournament by far, but it stinks that the championship couldn’t have been a closer game.
During the tournament there were many teams that were not expected to go as far as they did. They weren’t even expected to make it past the first round since they were going against some high ranked teams. These teams include Oral Roberts, UCLA, Abilene Christian, and Oregon State. They took out high ranked teams that were predicted to go decently far into the tournament. These upsets were a major part of why so many people’s brackets were messed up early. The biggest one was when Oral Roberts took out Ohio State which had a lot of people upset because of how it messed up the brackets. UCLA made it to the final four and were seconds away from winning and making it to the national championship, but Gonzaga point guard Jalen Suggs made a half court shot to win the game. These teams showed that just because they had low seeds doesn’t mean that you count them out.
Overall, the tournament was great after last year where there was no tournament. It really showed how great a team Baylor was, especially since they didn’t really have a close game throughout the whole tournament. Even with them easily walking away with the championship there were still some underdog performances that no one expected. To end off our survey we asked people if they think it is possible to ever get a perfect bracket. Everyone said it was impossible; what do you think?
The Benefits of Sports
April, 2021
By Mistidawn Roybal
Have you ever felt destined to do something? Something extra curricular that has just called you? Do you have a dream or goal set for this sport/extracurricular activity? Well, sports were my calling.
We are down by two in the fourth quarter...Sweat is dripping off my forehead,My heart is beating out of my chest. Not only is the sound of the clock ticking down in my head, but the opponent next to me is breathing like she just finished running a marathon. The ref blows his whistle for a timeout. I run to go in the huddle and my coach is telling us that “we need to make this last shot. It's our ball...I'm taking it out I pass it in and as the ball slides off my fingertips I knew that I had to make a move. I cut to the basket asking for the ball. My teammate doesn't see me. She calls for a play, and we get into position; I get passed the ball and go in for a layup. I leap off one foot towards the basket with the ball in my right hand reaching so that the ball will go in perfectly. The shot goes in and the buzzer goes off. We head into overtime!
The adrenaline and the lessons in how to keep my composure--these are the reasons why it is my dream to play basketball as a sport in college.
The benefitsThe activity involved in most sports promote the fitness, stamina, mental balance, and years of healthy life for teenagers. Exercise releases adrenaline, which decreases stress, and endorphins--the normal feel-good chemicals in our bodies. Among other health advantages, athletic activity is related to decreased heart disease and diabetes.
“Participation in high school sports is linked to better grades and professional success in the workforce. If you’re an athlete, you tend to have a more positive attitude toward school, improved academic performance, and higher aspirations for college.” This statement was brought to my attention when reading an article about the benefits of sports.
Playing sports presents you with the special beneficial advantages of personality development, much like most extracurricular hobbies. For teenagers, sports are a perfect way to shape an identity outside of their families. And because most sports take place after school hours, teenagers have an incentive in the classroom to forge their own direction outside of their name. Teens are proud of being champions, which allows them to build their status and differentiates them from their peers.
The advantage of peer membership is also given by athletic activity. You belong to a community while you are on a sporting team--an organization bigger than yourself. You have a built-in social network, and you know that anytime you need it, you will have your teammates' support. Because social recognition during puberty is so critical, having good relationships with one's teammates will do wonders for the well-being of a child. A preventive mechanism against depression is simply being part of a sporting team.
A study was done and evidence from a wide-ranging meta-analysis found that during their final years in high school, “students who played varsity sports were less likely to drop out of school or smoke than their peers." On the other hand, “teenagers who do not engage in extracurriculars, such as athletics are more likely to drop out of high school and get arrested." However, “student athletes are far more likely than peers who do not play any sports to drink alcohol and participate in binge drinking. And male athletes are more likely to become teenage parents and participate in sex.”
Interviews
For this article I interviewed Fenyx Morning~Dove and Emma Lovato.
“What sports do you play”?
Fenyx: Football, Track and basketball
Emma -Basketball, volleyball, cross country and track.
What do you see yourself accomplishing in 5 to 10 years?
Fenyx: I see myself eventually playing at the next level and beginning to start my journey to accomplishing my big dream which is creating generational wealth for my family.
Emma- Going to college on a sports scholarship and being a self employed welder.
What do you believe to be one of your weaknesses and what are you doing to improve it?
Fenyx: I’d say a weakness of mine is having high standards and asking a lot from people and getting hurt when they can’t give; I'm working to improve that by not asking anything of anyone.
Emma-My main weakness is laziness, if I don’t have motivation to do anything I won’t do it.
Why are you so passionate about playing sports?
Fenyx: Ever since I was younger I used to watch my moms ex-husband beat her and I always wanted to be stronger to be able to defend her and any other female for that matter, being good at sport was a by product and my love for them grew as I got better.
Emma: I am passionate about playing because it’s what I love to do, I love the competition and I love being active.
What is one important lesson you've got to learn from being an athlete?
Fenyx: Manhood/ being a good man. This one is hard to explain but through playing sports and the coaches I’m so great we’re kind and have taught me so much about being a man and growing up to be strong.
Emma: The most important lesson I’ve got from being an athlete is that you cannot quit ! No matter how much it hurts and how frustrating it is, quitting is not the solution.
What strengths do you believe you have that make you a great athlete?
Fenyx: Hard-working coachable and I don't resist change. I embrace it.
Emma: The strength I believe I have that makes me a good athlete is good attitude and always being on time.
Survey
I conducted a study on my own. I asked 28 people If they knew that student-athletes are less likely to smoke and drink then others that don't participate in sports. The results demonstrated that 38% were extremely aware of this fact, 24% were very aware, 22% were somewhat aware, 6% were not so aware, and 10% were not at all aware.
Conclusion
Sports have been a big part of my life and changed my way of thinking. This knowledge has also opened up my eyes to seeking out people who would be interested in playing sports. Competitive sports have multiple benefits, but there are always downsides. Not only can Sports be stressful and hard on the body, but the demanding schedule can also take time away from family. However, the benefits of sports far outweigh the drawbacks, and sports could change your life, as they did mine.
How Well Is NMAA Handling Sports?
By Lorenzo Ortega
In the last few days I have conducted survey questions and got a handful of survey responses. The data will be presented in this article, with a discussion on what it all means relating to the NMAA and how well they are handling our sports. Finally, I will talk about what we all can do to help sports come back one day at a time and what we can do to improve our current state. We will all play sports once again as soon as we can.
I asked everyone to comment on how well they believe the NMAA is handling sports, and almost half of the people I asked said "Moderately well.” About a quarter of the people I asked said they felt the NMAA is handling the situation “Very well.” The second question I asked people was what their mentality was going into the rest of the school year and 75% of them were really sad about it, and didn’t really care about it anymore. Then, 25% of people said they were either going to keep working, or they were glad because it was keeping us safe. The third question was if they are going to continue to workout and keep putting in workouts without school sports and all seventeen people I surveyed said “Yes.”
The next question I asked the people was if they had a sport in the fall if they would want to have it now where it is colder or in the spring where it is warmer. The answers I got is that 80% of people said they would want it in the spring and 20% wanted it now in the fall. The fifth question I asked my subjects was how many sports they did and how they will help sports to come back. Most of the people said two or three sports, some of them said four or one, and they all said they would wear a mask until everything gets better and one of them said they would not want sports to come back until 2021 or even later than that. The final question asked how will they make a difference in sports and help them come back. 85% of the people said they would wear a mask and follow protocol and 15% said they weren’t too sure.
Now I will give my take on how well NMAA is handling sports, and answer some of the questions. I think that NMAA is handling sports moderately well. They could be telling the athletes a lot more and letting the athletes decide what they want to happen and see how they can somehow make that work; even if they can’t make it work, then they could tell us that we can’t do that. My mentality going into the rest of the school year without sports is that I am going to continue to work and keep doing the sports I love and put hard work into my training. For the third question, I have the same answer as I do to my second question. Since one of the sports that I do is supposed to be happening in the fall and it is my main sport, I would want to have it in the spring where it is warmer. By then, hopefully the Covid-19 cases will go down and we can go back to living normally, rather then going back now and risking a lot of people getting the virus. I only do three sports and I will wear a mask so that our sports can come back.
What we can all do to improve our state's Coronavirus cases is wear masks and take everything seriously. We should quarantine as much as we can and not be around anyone. This time of quarantine will help us to focus on just us and our bodies and get ready for when our sports do come back. Once our sports come back, most people will not be ready because they have been taking a big break, but this is our time to rise up and put in the work so we can overcome this challenging time.
Above all, we should wear masks and keep putting in work through everything that happens. Clearly there are a variety of viewpoints on this subject, but there is one thing I hope we can all agree on: we should all move forward by staying safe, positive and healthy, so we are ready for what the future brings.
New Athletes Wanted! By Angelique Olonia Pecos has a small selection of athletes with an even smaller selection of sports. I'm sure the coaches and students would love to see some new fresh faces out there on the field and court. You are encouraged to join and try a sport you’ve never done. If you say that you think that you won't be good at the sport, don’t discourage yourself just yet. You have a window to try out sports for up to 10 practices. From the first official practice to the tenth practice is your chance to try it out and see if you like it. If you are interested in trying out a sport, do it! Take the chance, go to a couple of practices, check out the team, and see if you’ll like being in that atmosphere. Never doubt yourself on something you’ve never tried. Take a chance--our athletes don't bite! New sports open up many new opportunities for you. You can experience the closeness that a team needs to consist of. You’re going to experience how good it feels after a game or meet when you take that win that you all worked so hard for. |
Recognizing Our TeamsTeam recognition throughout Pecos is limited. We as a student body need to recognize each and every single team and athlete that Pecos has to offer.
Since our school is so small we don't have too many sports. It's very important that all of our athletes have our full support! If your able, you should try to attend the games and meets we host. Athletes really appreciate it when their peers, teachers, and families support them. It really boosts the team's confidence when they know that their town and school believe them. So why are we only giving attention to certain sports? Every team deserves to be recognized. For instance, the baseball, softball, wrestling, and volleyball teams all need more support. At the highschool volleyball games there's an average of about 20-40 people attending the games. At the basketball games, the bleachers are full. Pecos Panther teams deserve our full support. So let’s get out there and cheer on our Green and Gold! By: Angelique Olonia |
Staying Fit!
By Jasmine Quintana
Staying fit is very important. To have a healthy life you need to stay active throughout your years. There are many things that you can do during the day to maintain your health, such as eating healthy foods, and portioning what you eat. The way you can find if you are eating healthy is to watch what you eat. You want to find food that is low in carbs but high in protein. This may seem like a lot of work but there are healthy choices all around, such as eggs, boiled potatoes, salmon and leafy greens. These are among the many healthy foods.
Another alternative healthy habit is portioning your food. You don't want to eat a lot in just one sitting, but instead eat small healthy snacks throughout the day. Eating snacks throughout the day will give you the energy that is needed to do healthy activities.
Most people don't have the time to exercise, but it is very important to do things that better your health. Exercise is the key to a healthy life; it keeps you strong, and studies show exercise can expand your lifetime.
So when you have nothing to do, just think of something you can do that is healthy for your body. Always put your health first!!
By Jasmine Quintana
Staying fit is very important. To have a healthy life you need to stay active throughout your years. There are many things that you can do during the day to maintain your health, such as eating healthy foods, and portioning what you eat. The way you can find if you are eating healthy is to watch what you eat. You want to find food that is low in carbs but high in protein. This may seem like a lot of work but there are healthy choices all around, such as eggs, boiled potatoes, salmon and leafy greens. These are among the many healthy foods.
Another alternative healthy habit is portioning your food. You don't want to eat a lot in just one sitting, but instead eat small healthy snacks throughout the day. Eating snacks throughout the day will give you the energy that is needed to do healthy activities.
Most people don't have the time to exercise, but it is very important to do things that better your health. Exercise is the key to a healthy life; it keeps you strong, and studies show exercise can expand your lifetime.
So when you have nothing to do, just think of something you can do that is healthy for your body. Always put your health first!!