Students thrive in unique sports outside of school teams
More stories from Morgan Barnes
Junior Brian Wedel, guards the puck in mid-April against the Tri-City storm. Wedel’s inspiration comes from Jonathan Toews, the captain of the Chicago Blackhawks, because of his play and friendly personality.
While many students choose to participate in school sports, some students find the option of non-school sports more appealing. A few of these students include junior Brian Wedel, a hockey player, junior Matthew Sattler, who rides motocross, and sophomore Alexandra Murray, a taekwondo purple belt.
“I kind of got kicked from the basketball team, and it was really motivating for me. So I just went to a sport (hockey) that I thought no one else played,” Wedel said. “I like how it’s more physical than all of the school sports besides football. It changes the atmosphere from like a warm type of sport to something that is cold.”
For some, non-school sports provide more of a challenge, and the opportunity to stand out.
“I like motocross because it’s a challenge for me, it’s really fast paced. There’s the aggression, there’s a very high risk. If you love it, and you have a passion for it, just do it,” Sattler said. “I ride post production+5, which is where your bike has to be five years or older. Then I ride 450c, so I ride the same classes as (senior) Steve Gay. I do it on a 125cc, the smallest big bike. I’ll be out there (on the track) and like I said, the satisfaction of beating someone, it’s that much better when you are on one of the smallest bikes, and can still ride that class and beating someone on one of the biggest bikes.”
While these sports are not offered by the school, that does not mean that they are any less expensive or more time consuming.
“Usually events are pretty close by. Gear is the thing that costs the most, like fighting gear, shin pads and chest protectors,” Murray said. “We have tournaments and usually I’m there Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, and I’m usually there for two or three hours.”
Non-school sports also offer different, and in some cases higher, levels than school sports can.
“For our organization I play on the high school team, and that’s the highest level for my organization. Then you move up to junior, and college hockey, and then you move on to a club,” Wedel said.
These students end up following a lot of the same stipulations that students who play for the school do.
“My parents say that if I don’t have As or Bs then I can’t ride. They really push me to be a student-athlete. Just like here at the school with all of the school sports, where you have to have good grades in order to play,” Sattler said. “I have to have good grades in order to ride. To me it’s a school sport, that the school doesn’t offer.
