Sports

Columbia Cougars Baseball Season Ends

-By Dustin Ramos

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The Columbia Cougar baseball team knew they had a tough road ahead of them when they began to practice in march. They lost their best returning pitcher, Louis Krahm, to an elbow surgery and the team knew he would be out the entire season. Only three seniors remained, and experience looked like it could be a factor in the Cougars season.

The start of the season went as poorly as one can imagine, as the Cougars only won two of their first ten games. Colin Smith ‘15, was not able to use his throwing arm the whole season and had to watch as his team was losing. When asked about the losses he said, “In the beginning of the season the team looked like they weren’t ready to compete. Part of that was since we couldnt practice outside, but we all knew something had to change.”  Change is something that the Cougars quickly accomplished, as they won five of their next six games. Anthony Starzynskii ‘15, is the starting second baseman and when talking about this run of games he said, “As a team we really came together and realized what we had to accomplish. Practices got more serious, we were gaining confidence, and then to be able to win those games was a great feeling. While most of the team enjoyed the streak they were on, Smith felt a different way, “It was just tough for me not being able to play everyday when the team was winning. But I still enjoyed being able to support the team as much as I could.”

The Cougars now found themselves in the Essex County Tournament, and believed they had a chance to go far. They beat Glen Ridge in the first round to set up a matchup with New Jersey baseball powerhouse Seton Hall Prep. The Cougars came out determined to win, but suffered a 9-1 loss. Following their elimination from the Essex County Tournament, the Cougars   all shifted their focus  to the state tournament,

Their first round game was away, against a strong Bayonne team. The Cougars held a 4 run lead in the last inning of the game, but a determined Bayonne team tied the game. Looking back at the game, Starzynski said, “When they came back, we had to come together as a team and knew we had to pick up the intensity. We were able to string some hits together and win the game. That was my favorite memory of the season, as it was great to watch us work together and finish the game.” That win led to a game against cross-town rival Millburn, in which the stakes were high. The Cougars had a slow start, but were able to rally to a three run lead late in the game. Millburn was able to come back and force extra innings, which the Cougars instantly opened up another three run lead. Yet is was Millburn who stood victorious, as they took a series of hits to win the game in extra innings. Following the state tournament loss, the Cougars lost their final two games, finishing with a 10-18 record.

Although the season ended with a losing record, the future of this program is bright. This years squad only had three active seniors, leading to younger players being able to gain experience. Alex Nathan ‘15, said, “I’m confident for next season. We were very young this year, so we have the potential to be able to do well.” Starzynski adds, “ Next year I see us competing for the state and county title. We have almost the same team coming back, and now we have tournament experience. Expect some great things from Columbia baseball next year.”

-The Cougars huddle up during their state tournament game against Millburn

Student Athletes Working in the Summer: Too Stressful?

-TraciMarie Chandler

As the school year winds up and it starts feeling like summer, students are on the hunt for a job. Just because it's summer does not mean its a time to be completely free for everyone, there it still summer school, work and sports. During the school year, student athletes struggled with balancing school, sports and a job. Either they would have to give their shift away and lose money or they would have to miss practice or a game letting their team down a few too many times.

When asked what she thinks summer is about, Hannah Gibbons, ‘15, replied by saying “Catching up on sleep and having grilled pineapple.” This is a typical teenager’s summer, maybe minus the pineapple. But for the teenager’s who engage in sports and a job have a different view. John Power, head football coach and Columbia High School teacher, thinks that athletes should not take the summer off. “You win games in your off season. By the time August comes, you have either put the work in you needed to or not because it’s kind of too late at [the start of the season]. The football players started working out in February. But the question is, are the summer workouts on top of a job too stressful to balance? According to Sue Boer, CHS guidance counselor, it is not. “Not  during the summer it’s not. There’s an excess amount of time since there’s no school.”

The best way to balance the two is to learn time management. “When I was in high school, my biggest challenge was time management. You would think that in the summer it would be easier, but it’s not because old habits die hard,” said 2010 graduate Danielle Martin. She managed to have a paid internship at a law firm while being the captain of the CHS Cross Country team and doing summer fencing workouts. “It was hard, but I think it’s essential that students get use to busy schedules because once you get to college, it’s a whole different game,” explained Martin.

There are different views on working in the summer while attending summer workouts that tend to be vigorous.  Although they may be hard workouts, it’s necessary to get prepared for the sport season approaching and practicing time management.