High pay to participate fees will only discourage participation

On April 10^th, the RB school board voted 6 to 1 to increase the athletic pay to participate fee from $75 to $200 per sport, instead of eliminating four sports (boys volleyball, girls golf, and boys and girls water polo). While this fee increase is estimated to raise over $100,000 for the school, it comes at a heavy cost to families struggling financially. It is evident that RB needs to find reasonable ways to solve their budget problems, but I don’t believe imposing even higher fees on students is the correct way to accomplish this.

In the past, one of the things I admired most about RB was the fact that it was so easy to get involved. The fact that there were no fees for clubs and sports made it a great opportunity to try new things. Extracurriculars and athletics have always been such a focal point at RB, and charging hundreds of dollars to participate really takes away from the character and mission of the school. I think this increase in pay to participate fees will take away many opportunities for students, especially incoming freshmen and those who are just starting to learn a sport.

As it stands this year, students on the free or reduced lunch program will get fees waived for participation in athletics.  However, what this plan doesn’t take into account is that, even though a family might not be receiving aid from the school through free or reduced lunches, they still might be facing financial trouble. I feel that these new fees with not only sports, but also certain clubs, will put unnecessary pressure on students and discourage participation in extracurricular activities.

Moreover, this plan cuts the athletic supply budget by 30%, meaning we will be paying more money for sports with equipment of lesser quality. I think that because of this, the predicted amount of revenue the school plans to gain from this is overestimated, as many students will probably forgo participation in athletics, or will simply not be able to afford it.

A good question is also posed when considering whether or not the school board made the right decision in saving the four sports originally thought to be cut.  Of course, we can be glad that students in the four sports on the cut list will still have the opportunity to participate in RB athletic programs, but this does come at a high cost to the entire student body. Many students feel that it is unfair to make every athlete share the cost of these four sports, and it’s easy to see why they feel this way. In many senses, I agree with them. However, I know we would all feel differently if it was a sport we participated on that faced being eliminated.

In addition, this new plan still leaves the current budget with over $400,000 in deficit. RB needs to do more to solve its budget problems, but imposing more fees on students is not the best way to do this. We need something more sustainable that will work to solve problems in the long run, and though this will be difficult to find, it must be accomplished if we want to have equal opportunities for all students, despite their economic backgrounds.

RB boasts 21 All-conference members this fall

All fall sports have concluded, but before we move on to winter sports at Riverside-Brookfield, the Metro Suburban Conference had to hand out some hardware. 21 student-athletes in eight different sports were given the All-Conference title.

Three girls’ tennis players made all conference. Becky Pendola made All-Conference for her play in singles and Joanna Keen and Madison Powers for doubles.

Both boys’ and girls’ cross country teams had runners that made the Metro Suburban squad. Keegan Buttimer was the lone boy on varsity to make the cut and Ken Sprague made it for Frosh/Soph. Maggie McLaughlin and Jacki Grisafe were the girls to get the honor.

The boys’ golf team had two members given the honor. Junior Jack Kemper and senior Kris Strnad were all-conference after the team made it to sectionals.

The 19-17 girls’ volleyball team had two girls make All-Conference. These girls were senior Kelsey Egger and junior Elena Duve.

Though the football team did not make the playoffs, they still had the most All-Metro Suburban members of any sport at Riverside-Brookfield. Seven players were given the honor. Three All-Conference juniors were Nick Callahan, Blake Beck, and Alex Huffhines. The four seniors were Tyler Radek, Watoris Slater, John Schraidt, and Zach Sollinger.

Lastly, the boys’ soccer team had three All-Conference members. Ruben Chavez was the Offensive MVP of the MSC, and seniors Alex Amaya and TJ Armic were named to the conference team.

Strnad to state for Boys Golf

The boys varsity golf team faced off in the Metro Suburban Golf Tournament on Wednesday, September 29^th.  The Bulldogs finished with a score of 336 leaving them in third place for the tournament.  Glenbard South won the tournament with an overall score of 323, and Illiana Christian shot a total score of 330 leaving them in second place. 

Senior Kris Strnad led the Bulldogs shooting an 80 with junior Jack Kemper just a score behind with an 81. Senior Mike LeBeau shot an 85 at the tournament. 

More recently, the varsity golfers competed in the IHSA regional and sectional tournaments October 3^rd -9^th.  At the regional, Strnad shot an 84, Kemper an 87, and senior Max Recht shot a 91.  They all advanced to the sectional at Nazareth.  LeBeau missed sectionals by just one stroke because he double-bogied the 18^th hole. 

LeBeau said, “I was very disappointed by not making it to sectionals because it was my senior year.”

At the sectionals, Strnad shot a 76.  He just missed being a medalist at sectionals.  Strnad will compete at the state tournament in Bloomington this weekend.

Girls Golf having a strong rebuilding year

The Riverside Brookfield Girl’s Golf team is in a rebuilding phase this year, with much of the 12 member team represented by underclassmen.

Golf is a new sport to many of the girls on the team, and they have made great strides this season in their games. Coach Barb Panek said, “We have a very inexperienced team and many new golfers, but everyone has gotten better each match and improved their scores, and that’s the goal for this year.”

Returning senior Taylor Dalton is the captain this year, and is one of five members who always golf. Dalton, senior Ellie Hutchison, Kim Dawid, Sam Shelhof and Kelsey Stirek form the bones of the team, and the other seven members of the team are rotated in, so everyone gets golfing time.

Panek said, “Everyone gets free golf, and the girls work hard to improve. This year, the team is one of the nicest I’ve coached. They excel academically in addition to playing golf. It’s great to be able to coach a good group of kids.”

The year may not have been filled with lots of victories, but the focus on improvement has helped many girls lower their individual scores. “The ultimate goal is for everyone to improve, and to be playing their best golf at the end of the year,” added Panek.

Boys Golf Chase to Sectionals

The boys golf team is looking forward to making a run down to sectionals this year.  Their top four varsity golfers consist of Kris Strnad, Max Recht, Mike LeBeau and Jack Kemper.  These golfers have put a lot of time into their games over their years as Bulldogs.  Now they are looking to take their talents to sectionals this season.

The Varsity Bulldog golfers had three invites between August 16-21.  The Bulldogs came in third place at the Nazareth invite as Strnad shot a 75, second overall in the tourney, and Kemper shot an 80.  At the Addison Trail invite the Bulldogs finished 15^th overall against some of the state’s top teams such as Hinsdale Central and Lyons Township.  Lastly, the Bulldogs competed in the Lemont invite.  Strnad shot an 85, while Kemper and Recht each shot an 86, to lead the Bulldogs to a 10^th place finish.  More recently, the Bulldogs faced off against De La Salle on Tuesday September 7^th.  It was awfully windy this day, but Lebeau managed to shoot a 40 while Strnad shot a 41.

When Kemper, a junior varsity golfer, was asked about his chances at sectionals he said, “Pretty good if I can keep my game consistent.”  Kemper believes that Timothy Christian and Illiana Christian will be their toughest in conference competition this season.

Lebeau, a top senior varsity golfer, said, “Yes, if the top four stay consistent,” when asked if they will make it to sectionals.  LeBeau has been playing golf since he was a young boy, so he does not lack any experience.

Matt Meindl, a Riverside-Brookfield graduate, went down to sectionals last season for the Bulldogs.  Meindl has golfed with this year’s team during practice to teach them what it takes to get to sectionals.  He looks to continue his golfing career this year at North Central College.  Meindl made it to sectionals last year for the Bulldogs, so now the real question is who will step up this year for the Bulldogs?

Phil Mickelson “Masters” Another Major

With the return of Tiger Woods at Augusta Golf Club for the 2010 Masters it was one of the most watched and anticipated golf events in history. With stars such as Phil Mickelson, Anthony Kim, returning champion Angel Cabrera and many more greats in the field it was going to be a battle to the finish.

After one day of play, 50 year old Fred Couples had the low of the day with a 66 giving him the edge by one stroke. But it wasn’t long until Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter (both from England) were taking the lead heading into the weekend. Tiger Woods was not far behind just trailing by 3 strokes.

Heading into Saturday it was looking like there was no man that was going to get into the way of Lee Westwood, until Phil Mickelson stepped foot on the thirteenth hole where he eagled. Then at the fourteenth hole with the shot of the tournament Mickelson eagled again making a shot 120 yards out. Phil never looked back from there and almost made another eagle on the fifteenth and ended up in second place, one shot behind Lee Westwood going into the final round.

With players making runs such as Tiger Woods, K.J. Choi, Fred Couples and Anthony Kim, the green jacket was up for grabs on that beautiful Sunday. However once Phil stepped on Augusta Golf Club that evening, he knew that jacket belonged to him. Shooting a 67 with no bogeys on the day of the 2010 Masters and the green jacket once again belonged to the great lefty Phil Mickelson.

Miendl takes regionals

Unfortunately, in the busy world of athletics at Riverside-Brookfield High School, the name Matt Miendl is one most commonly associated with the varsity basketball team’s bench. This is where the senior had spent his winter season. Waiting for those few precious moments when he would win the crowd over with his incredible acts of athleticism, but unless you were able to catch a golf meet this year, you have yet to seen half of his ability.

Miendl has been able to show off his talents at the surrounding golf courses, and just recently was able to capture the regional championship, shoot an impressive seventy-two.

He began golfing at the age of nine, when his father would take him to their country club and teach him the basics. Since then he’s always had a special place in his heart for the game, but it wasn’t un till just two years ago when Miendl began to take golf seriously and signed up for private lessons at Oak Brook.  Which he claims to be a huge part of his success.

“The lessons were a big help, I credit a lot of my success to him.” explained Miendl. “My game truly elevated to another level after that”, but according to Miendl there seemed to be one more component to his success.

Larry Rocco.

Rocco has been the head coach for all four of Miendl’s years and was no doubt a favorite topic.

“Rocco, what can I say, one of the greatest and funniest men you’ll meet in your life. He’ll live forever, he’s just got it,” Meindl said.

For Miendl, next year won’t include coach Rocco, as he still is currently looking for a new coach to play for at the collegiate level.

“Illinois Weslyan is a really good school and I’m interested, but for now so much it’s up for grabs.”

Frampton, Devolio, Dalton lead Girl’s Golf

Riverside Brookfield’s Girl’s Golf team’s road to glory came to an end last week at Regionals. The Lady Bulldogs were 4-8 in regular season play with great performances from Kristy Frampton, Jackie Devolio, and Taylor Dalton, a first time golfer.

Dalton first picked up a club in August 2009 at summer camp. With the help of coach Barb Panek and her fellow Bulldogs, Taylor placed tenth at the conference meet.

The Lady Bulldogs advanced through conference with Frampton, Devolio, and Dalton all placing top ten. Regionals were not as successful.  Frampton was the only Bulldog to move on to Sectionals with a score of 90.

Frampton shot a 100 at Sectionals, which wasn’t enough to place. The 100 was over Frampton’s average of the year, but the conditions were misty and cold.  Frampton’s average for nine holes was 46 with her best game being a 37 at Ken-lock, where she medaled.

All of the Bulldogs showed a lot of improvement as the year advanced.  Forty percent of the team received Academic All-Conference.

Sports worthy of the Olympic dream?

As you may have heard, golf and rugby were recently introduced to be apart of the 2016 summer Olympics in Rio de Jeneiro. But what sports should be included in the Olympics but are not? I have come up with a few good ideas that the International Olympic Committee should seriously consider.

To fill you in, a sport becomes a part of the Olympics by first being recognized by an International Federation. The sport must follow the Olympic Charter, and must be approved by the International Olympic Committee. Once it has passed all the criteria, it can then become an  Olympics sport.

I think that some traditional American sports would be a good addition to the Olympics. Two good ones would be baseball and football.

Baseball, the American pastime, would be amazing in the Olympics. I already know that baseball is also practiced in Japan so they would most likely be in favor of the new addition.

Football is fun enough to watch in America, but imagine football on a world wide scale with whole new competitors and a new set of tactics. The end product would be explosive.

In my opinion some more fierce sports would be a nice addition to the Olympics, like mixed martial arts, dodge ball, and paintball. MMA would be better than Greco-Roman wrestling, and it involves freestyle wrestling which are two sports already in the Olympics. In the case of Paintball and dodge ball, it would be interesting to watch the intensity of these already very intense sports at the Olympic level.

 A couple more ideas, like poker, tubing, water skiing and an intense obstacle course would be great to see in the Olympics. So if golf and rugby could be in the Olympics why can’t these great activities? These are just a few ideas for the International Olympic Committee to let roll around in their minds.