The Mirror Winter Issue

NPMS Wrestling

By Ruofan Ren

The NPMS Wrestling Team is working hard to have a great season. Maybe you’ve heard of them before? They’re a dedicated team, full of energy and boldness. They work together, have fun, and play well. A typical practice goes like this: Wrestlers start by warming up by jogging, sprinting and some dynamic stretches. After that they learn new moves like pinning combinations, takedowns or escapes. Then they practice live wrestling, which is the most fun part.

The team’s W-L rate is 23-15, so the team is performing amazingly, and the opinions of the Wrestling members are also recorded here. They are coached by Mr. Nelsen.

The amazing team member I interviewed: 8th grade wrestler AJ.

Me: “How do you think the team is performing?”

AJ: “I think our modified team is doing well and I'm seeing great progress from the first timers including myself while learning.”

Me: “What is one thing that stood out to you?”

AJ: “One thing that stands out to me is that most of us start to learn while making our mistakes during that moment to undo it as I did myself once last night especially Silas, Ben and Devlyn.”

Congrats on the Wrestling Team performing so well! Let’s hope for many more crushing wins in the future!

Girls Basketball:

Competing, Scoring, and Playing to the End!

By Ruofan Ren

I bet that most of you have watched the WNBA, but what is it that makes basketball so fun to watch, for all you basketball lovers out there? Well, some background information is that the sport was invented in December 1981, so it’s been around for a fairly long time. The first game of basketball was originally played with peach baskets, so you can see how this game came a long way. All that information helps a little, but still, what else makes it fun to watch and play? Is it suspense? The teams?

To help answer that question, I interviewed a few basketball players on the Girls Basketball Team. (Please keep in mind that all the players are awesome but I couldn’t interview them all.)

The amazing players who got interviewed: Mackenzie Guglielmo, Sashi Colon, Ella Torre, Maggie Guglielmo and Gracie Bowe.

Question: What do you like the most about basketball?

Mackenzie: “I like the teams and relationships in the sport that I built.”

Sashi: “Scoring and playing [are] good.”

Ella: “Building relationships with friends and making my parents, friends, and coaches proud.”

Maggie: "Probably like building more friendships.”

Gracie: “I like the team sport.”

Question: What’s your favorite part of playing basketball?

Mackenzie: “Celebrating wins and learning from losses.”

Sashi: “Being able to bond with my teammates.”

Ella: “My favorite part of playing basketball is learning from failure and mistakes and building a bond with friends.”

Maggie: “Trying to score and helping my teammates.”

Gracie: “Attacking and scoring.”

Question: Are you better at defense or offence?

Mackenzie: “Definitely offence.”

Sashi: “Offence, I would say.”

Ella: “Defense.”

Maggie: “I would say offence.”

Gracie: “Probably defense.”

Question: Have you had any challenges during your basketball years? (Example: getting homework done before practice, etc.)

Mackenzie: "Definitely projects and some homework, because I have more activities outside of basketball.”

Sashi: “My brother’s basketball games.”

Ella: “My biggest challenge was probably juggling schoolwork, other sports, and my social life.”

Maggie: “Having time to do my homework.”

Gracie: “I struggle doing my homework and also injuries can slow you down.”

Question: What’s fun about watching basketball?

Mackenzie: “Seeing the other team’s dynamics and how they play.”

Sashi: “Watching other people and seeing how I can improve on them.”

Ella: "Definitely seeing the crowds and being hyped.”

Maggie: “Seeing the other team’s strategies and how they play.”

Gracie: “To see professionals play and how I can get better.”

Here’s a question for the coach of the Girls Basketball team, Ms. Motzkin:

Question: How do you think the team’s performing?

Ms. Motzkin: “We have improved to 2-2 on the season and scored 43 and 46 points in the last 2 games, which has been very positive. Offensively, it has been spread across many members on the team showing that we are an offensive threat from many sources. As far as defensively, we have been playing hard and doing a great job implementing our defense. We have improved significantly over the last two months and the future of NP Girls Basketball is looking bright!”

Congratulations on the girls playing so well during the season! Let’s hope for many more victories to come!

The Modified Girls Basketball Team

Teamwork at its Finest

By Derek Chen

The Boys Basketball Team is a winter sport that has been enjoyed every year. This year, they are being coached by Coach Raynard. With his coaching skills, the team has 3 wins, 2 ties, and 1 loss at the time this article is being written. During practice, the team does many fun things, such as running ladders. “Running ladders is my favorite part about being on the Boys Basketball Team,” eighth grade athlete Dominick Canosa told me.

Another good part about the Boys Basketball Team is that you can socialize with your friends. “My favorite part about being on the Boys Basketball Team is talking with all of my friends,” Eighth grade athlete Declan O’Rouke told me.

During the tense January 22 game against Kingston, New Paltz was losing by a few points but they never lost hope. They braved on and played from their hearts. Even though they knew that a win was unlikely, they still had fun and worked together as a team. This proves the point that playing sports like basketball isn’t all about winning, but about having fun and making progress, together.

Will you join the basketball team next year? If yes, amazing experiences of teamwork and hard work awaits you. On top of that, you might make new friends, get good at the sport, and even learn a few things.