Sports 

Softball season is coming up! Softball is a sport that is fun to play and you should sign up! Softball is a fun game with a fun team. Everyone is a good sport on the team and it would be an excellent experience. Yes, there is a playing fee, but it includes a hoodie and your jersey. If this sport is not your thing, maybe show up to a game or two! Did I forget to mention it is free to enter?! Consider bringing snacks because concessions are usually closed!

If you are considering signing up for softball, the signup sheets are in the office! Think about joining the team, Softball is a fun sport, and playing the sport makes the rest of the year go by fast!

Edited by Collin Malone

On Tuesday, January 30th, your Northview Wildcats took their first victory against Jenison! 

     Starting off strong with our divers! We saw many flips and turns from both teams, with the overall winning diver coming in first place being Kale Miranda with 160.15 with a close runner-up being Henry Williams, scoring 111.25 points

    In event number 7 we saw a very close competition in the 100 yd Freestyle. 1st place when to Hudson Lowe Jenison took second place and 3rd place went to Nickolas Seitz with just milliseconds between the two times.

    In event #1 we saw amazing team work and participation in the 200 meter medley relay. Your Northview wildcats took 1st place with the winning team being, Oliver Nibblink, Trevor Witgen, Nickolas Seitz, And Lucas Chappell. 

    Your Northview wildcats won 6 races. Overall Crossroads beat Jension by 16 points with the final score being 85-69. Great work from everyone on the team and good luck at your next meets!

The Crossroads 2023-2024 wrestling team has had a great season! There are 33 athletes on the team this year, coached by BJ Schroder, Trip Gallery, and Bob Nowak. Managed by Hailey Brown, Makenzie Fox, and myself (Ainsley Marsman). This season we have three lady cats on the team 7th graders Nayeli Duron, Lilianna Vanhorn, and Alaina Miller who have all wrestled well in each of their matches. This team has worked hard all season, and it definitely shows on the mat! Every person on this team has pushed themselves to do their very best, and put in a lot of hard work. So, here are four reasons the Crossroads wrestling team thinks that you should join the team for the 2024-2025 season!

“It's a really cool experience, and you get to build a team of people who will support you.”

~Lilianna VanHorn

“It gave me a stronger mentality, and I became part of a good community.”

~Emi Duron

“It’s a hardcore sport, it strengthens your mindset and your body, but also it’s just really fun”

~Micah Rill

“You get to make friends that will stand by you.”

~Jackson Wurm

With high school approaching very soon for eighth graders, opportunities for sports and extracurricular activities open. This article will be talking about the color guard, a part of the marching band.

Marching band uses multiple objects that they move and throw around. Some of these include sabres, swords, rifles, and even flags. Color guard is not only like a sport, but can also be interpreted as a form of art.

It doesn’t matter if you have little to no coordination, or good throwing/catching skills, because you will develop those skills. 

Some benefits to look at are that you work with a team, and will create a bond with that group. Also, there are so many opportunities for different objects you get to use!

From the words of the color guard coach, Ms. Oliva Brown, some of her favorite parts of color guard are the competitions they perform in, watching the friendships grow, and seeing confidence blossom in students!

Color guard is open for anyone and everyone, so why not give it a try!

Edited by: Olivia Minto

With spring just around the corner, spring sports follow too. And one of those main sports is tennis! Currently, there is tennis, along with spring sports like lacrosse with sign-ups in the main office. Tennis is offered to 7th and 8th-grade students and is a co-ed sport. Additionally, all students wanting to play tennis, or any other spring sport, need a physical for our school dates after April 15, 2023, to play. After signing up, you should receive a paper with the first practice dates and other information. We hope you enjoy the time you spend playing these sports, and be sure to try your best!

It’s that time of year, when the flowers start to bloom and the weather starts to feel like spring, which also means baseball season is starting! Tryouts are March 11th and 12th, Seventh Grade from 4-6pm and Eighth Grade from 6-8pm. The cost is 130$ to cover the cost of the uniforms and league fees. Come back to the next issue to see the roster and schedule. As it’s the 10th on publication, hurry to tryouts! Go! Make your decision now!

Unified Sports is a team where people with and without intellectual disabilities play various different types of sports. Everyone is on one team and they go against other schools and play sports. Today, I am going to interview Mrs. Sugiyama and ask her about Unified Sports.

Mrs. Sugiyama has answered these questions to help better understand what Unified Sports is about.

1-  What made you decide to help with Unified Sports?

I was contacted by a Unified Liaison last summer. At the same time, two of my student’s parents inquired about the program's existence at Crossroads. I felt it was a sign to move forward.  After gathering further information, I presented to our staff that I would be starting this program and Mrs. Vogel and Mrs. Swayze jumped on board, and now we are tackling this together.

2- What do you do in Unified Sports?

We are playing basketball this year, but there are so many different sports opportunities to offer, from bowling to football.  We meet weekly to practice or come together as a peer-to-peer group planning for upcoming events, such as our recent Inclusion Week at Crossroads.  

3- What are your goals for the team?

To create an inclusive environment for Crossroad’s students.  So all students can make a connection and provide opportunities to branch out from their normal social circles. Also, to have a great time playing basketball! 

4- Who are the members?

We have 25 students in both 7th and 8th grade participating in our program.  Mrs. Sugiyama, Mrs. Vogel, Mrs. Swayze, Mrs. Johnson and her son, Mr. Johnson all have their parts too. 

5- How did you come up with Inclusion Week?

To become a Unified School you are required to host a whole-school engagement piece.  We thought that spreading the word of inclusion and offering an opportunity to learn about different abilities and the need to spread kindness would be a great way to celebrate.

6- Do you have plans to continue Inclusion themes throughout the year?

We hope that inclusion and spreading kindness continue to grow and thrive at Crossroads.  We also hope to incorporate school-wide activities throughout the school year to promote this culture. 

7- Are you planning on doing Unified next year too?

Yes, absolutely. 

8- Does the high school do Unified Sports?

Not at this time.  We hope to create a continuum of programs throughout our district, but as of now, Crossroads is the first.

9- How do you think the game this Friday will go?

I know that our school will bring positivity and energy to all of the basketball players.  We are so excited to host Northern Hills Middle School at 10:00 with a kick-off presentation of The Red Glasses Movement. You will hear from our very own Lexi Borek and Ella Atkinson on our morning announcement for this great cause “Live Boldly. Love Big. Pass it on.” 

Starting strong with school records. In the 200 freestyle, Oliver Nibbelink took 6th place in Crossroads history with a time of 2:08.87. Another Crossroads record was broken by Trevor Witgen for 9th place with a time of 1:15.41. We then saw Oliver break 2 more school records in the 50 butterfly and 100 backstroke. 

In the dive conference, the day before divers Henry Williams and Kale Miranda both broke school records. Kale Miranda took 2nd place overall with a total score of 245.75. Henry Williams took 4th place overall with 203.40  points. We saw great dives from Max Clapp and Brandon Van-Stensel. In the divers conferences. 

In event number 1, the 200 medley relay Crossroads took 2nd place with a time of 2:06.15, your swimmers were Oliver Nibbelink, Trevor Witgen, Nickolas Seitz, and Hudson Lowe. We also saw some good times from Lucas Chapell, Oliver Williams-Wert, and Charlie Patanicezick in the 200 freestyle. 

In the 100 Individual medley, the Crossroads winner in 8th place was Nickolas Seitz with a time of 1:14.02. In the same race, we saw 2 other good times by Everett Nibbelink and Declan Martin. In the 50 freestyle, your 4th place winner was Hudson Lowe with a time of 27.17. We also saw many comebacks from Gavin Mcpheron, Reid Hinkley, and Max Troyer. 

In event number 6 the 50 fly Oliver Nibbink took second place with 28.23 seconds and Trevor Witgen took 4th place with 30.61. We also saw Nickolas Seitz place 10th with a time of 34.13.

In event number 7 the 100-yard freestyle, we saw Hudson Lowe and Charlie Pataniczek, place in the top 15. We also saw good races from Bennett Kunnath, Reid Hinkley, Gavin McPheron, and Max Troyer. 

In event 8 the 100 backstroke Oliver Nibbelink took second place with a time of 1:04.38. We also saw many good races from Declan Martin, Oliver Williams-Wert, and Lucas Chapell. In event number 9 Trevor Witgen took 1st place in the 100 breast with a time of 1:15.41 while also taking 9th place in Crossroads history. We also saw good swims from Everett Nibbelink and Brandon Van-Stensel.

Lastly in event 10 Crossroads took 5th place in the 200 free really your swimmers were Charlie Pataniczek, Oliver Williams-Wert, Bennett Kunnath, and Lucas Chapell. Overall your Northview Wildcats took 5th place overall.

This year the Crossroads cheer team has had an amazing season!

 This year the competitive team has gotten first place in the second division with a high score of 312.3 points! Coached By Taylor Walendzik, these 22 girls had all proved and showed their dedication and love for the sport in many ways. Yes, over the season we had some struggles-- from hitting the stunts to mental blocks when learning new skills, But we all pushed through and grew through them with the support of our teammates! The trust and confidence these ladies had in themselves and their teammates is like no other! Not only do you make friends on the team, but during the season we became friends with many schools from all over, creating friendships like never before! If you want to make lifelong friendships and learn new things, you should try out for the upcoming sideline season for 2024! 

 Signups are online so either contact Coach Taylor at taylorwalendzik@gmail.com with any questions or ask some of the former 2023-2024 cheerleaders  (like myself) for the link!

Girls lacrosse has its kickoff this Monday. In tribute to this new season, this article shares some facts and even some traditions in girl's lacrosse!

Some rules in girl's lacrosse are very different from the boy's sport. Some of these rules consist of: no checking-the act of hitting the ball out of the stick above the shoulder, no hitting, etc.

Girl's lacrosse is more reliant on skill, as opposed to strength. Because hitting is not permitted in the sport, the sticks are much different as well. Cradling is a crucial part of how you play since the stick's pocket is much smaller. Due to this, the girls have to work harder to keep the ball.

The equipment is also different. In boy’s lacrosse, helmets, and padding are used, much like football. In contrast, girls only have goggles, unless they are the goalie. 

Some might argue that it isn’t as fun as boy's lacrosse, since hitting and shoving aren’t allowed, but there is so much to the sport that makes it enjoyable. Making friends, creating a team bond, and just being able to play on a field competitively make it such a fun environment to be in.

Lastly, the tradition. The game was introduced as a women's sport in 1890, at St Leonards School, in Scotland. Until the 1930s, women’s and men’s lacrosse teams were not much different from each other, with similar ways of playing, and rules.

All of these different pieces of facts and history come together to make the sport we know today. As the season kicks off, consider watching a game!

Edited by Olivia Minto