SPORTS NEWS

“Those aren’t the rules!” “It’s my turn!” “That’s not fair!” Be prepared to hear these soon, as it’s the perfect time of year for summer barbeques, outdoor parties and classic lawn games that end up being way too competitive. Whether it be horseshoes, Spikeball, cornhole, ladderball, lawn darts, Kan Jam or croquet, everyone has had their fair share.

Though they are all certified fun, each activity has its own strengths and weaknesses when it comes to being a physical workout.

Let’s start with an old-time favorite-- the traditional game of horseshoes. Anybody can enjoy this game, meaning that both young and old can get gains from it. Horseshoe pitching takes both mental and physical effort to win. Tossing a metal horseshoe mainly works on your shoulders. Cornhole and ladder ball take similar control and use the same muscles, but to a lesser degree.

Next, we’ll ramp it up with some faster-paced games like Spikeball and Kan Jam. With these games, you’ll be sweating even worse in the warm weather from all of the jumping around and arm swinging. Look at the chart below to see what kind of calories you’ll be burning at your upcoming parties.

Activity Calories Burned*

Horseshoes 211

Spikeball 464

Cornhole 211

Ladderball 211

Lawn darts 176

Canjam 211

Croquet 176

*Estimated average (usually based on a 155lb person) per hour. Sources: Valdosta, Shape.com

Story by: Brent Porter and Alex Castle

Track at Alfred Almond has changed this year in many aspects. From new coaches to Covid-19 restrictions to the number of members compared to usual, there is no drought of adversity.

The boys track and field team welcomed Coach Adam Dwyer (who was the assistant coach for years past) to the head coach position and Assistant Coach Tom Murphy to the team for the first time. The girls’ team still has the same coach, Mr. Decker.

Now for the topic that everyone is tired of talking and hearing about. Due to Covid-19, all participants have to wear masks, but runners can take their masks off if they reach 6 feet apart during running events.

The team captains of the boys’ team are Seniors Alex Castle and Micah Ford, Juniors Zack Ledbetter and Ben Lloyd, and Sophomore Imre Hunter-To. “Being a captain makes me feel responsible and respected,” said Alex Castle, who is a leader to 17 other teammates. The team captains of the girls’ team are Seniors Zoe Balinsky and Amber Weinar, who lead a team of only 9 members. Alfred-Almond is not used to these low numbers, but coaches had to adapt and place some members of the teams in events that they are not used to.

Story by: Grant Watson

With spring sports starting back up, the guys’ tennis team has begun their season, hoping to make up for the year they’ve missed because of COVID-19. This lengthy break, along with losing many seniors last year, is why Senior Mike Roberts is concerned that the team is weaker than normal this year. Nonetheless, like the rest of us, he still has hope that the Eagles will have the determination to make up for said losses and succeed in the end.

With the pressures of the fourth quarter looming over them, some may wonder how people can handle spring sports. However, Roberts explained that in his life, “tennis is a way for me to relax in between the stress of homework and life,” allowing the fourth quarter to go smoothly for him.

Lastly, concerning how the Coronavirus is affecting the sport, Roberts shared that the singles players have the privilege to take off their masks while they aren’t around their opponents, while the doubles players must keep them on at all times.

In the end, while many of us can’t wait to take off these masks for good, it is courteous that the school districts have allowed students to breathe freely in the singles matches. Story by: Daniel DuMond

Scores:

When: Opponent: Score: Singles Winners: Doubles Winners:

May 4th Addison Win 5-0 Mike Roberts Lucas Koegel & Chris Mormino.

Cameron Heinig Maddox Dixon & Noah Dusinberre.

Liam Harris

May 6th Campbell & Win 5-0 Mike Roberts Lucas Koegel & Chris Mormino.

Savona Cameron Heinig Maddox Dixon & Noah Dusinberre.

Liam Harris

May 13th Avoca & Loss 1-4 Liam Harris

Prattsburgh

May 18th Wellsville Loss 2-3 Mike Roberts Lucas Koegel and Chris Mormino

This year, Alfred-Almond’s spring sports started later than usual and the games are back-to-back. Due to small numbers, we lost our JV program and only have a modified and varsity team.

The varsity softball team consists of young players, none of which have been on the team before. The team has a lot of pressure on them since they are following the legacy of the state runner-up squad from only two years ago and multiple sectional wins.

Jessica McMahon and Ryann Donlon are this year’s team captains and leaders for the varsity squad. They are working hard to guide the team to do the best they possibly can.

Coach Gemmell encouraged the girls to “trust the process” and Coach Donlon stated “we are a young team, what comes with that is a lot of good and a lot of bad, we just have to work hard and do our best.”

The varsity softball team opened with their first game on Wednesday, May 5th against Addison and has a total of 14 regular games. Good luck to our lady eagles softball teams!

Article by: Andrea McMahon

This year with the ongoing pandemic, sports have taken a major hit with the number of players signed up to play. The 2021 Alfred Almond Varsity Baseball Team is not like years past. The team is much smaller than years past, and even has five freshmen on it. The coach, Mr. Turner says this is the first time he’s had freshmen on the varsity baseball team in his three seasons of coaching.

The COVID-19 restrictions for the spring sports season are much looser than what we expected based on previous regulations. Each player is able to have four guests at their home games. The outfielders are not required to wear masks and infielders don't have to wear masks if no one is on their base. Batters, however, must wear masks.

The five freshman and their positions:

Aidan Patterson - Outfield

Joe Taggart - Outfield

Riley McMichael - Outfield

Kanye Cumberbatch - Second Base

Nathan Munson - Catcher

Comments from some freshmen on the team:

Aidan Patterson- “I've been playing baseball for 2 years now. I have never played a varsity sport before. I enjoy the team very much, I am very excited to play on varsity. I think our season will go fairly well.“

Joey Taggart- “I’ve been playing baseball for ten years. This is my first varsity sport. I enjoy the team. They are very uplifting and welcoming of us younger kids. I'm excited to play on varsity but definitely nervous. I think this season will go well. We certainly won’t go without making mistakes but I do know there will be a lot of learning and we will all improve this year.“

Kayne Cumberbatch- “I've played baseball for 9 years. I have not played a varsity sport before but during the wrestling season after my modified practice ended Coach Cook asked me to practice with the varsity team so I had been practicing with them after I was done. The team is very encouraging and supportive, the seniors and juniors have helped us when we didn't understand along with Coach Turner. I am very excited to be playing on varsity even though it can be a little overwhelming. Sometimes I get to understand the game better with older people who have more experience with it. So far our team has shown great growth during practice and in the two games and I think as the season goes on we will get better and better growing closer with each other. “

Story by: Maggie Griffin