Sophomore Greer Swoboda (right) with her equestrian drill team.
Interscholastic athletics are an integral component of year-round life and the culture at CHS - from volleyball, cross-country and football to wrestling, softball and soccer, among others. Yet, there are many CHS students in pursuit of their athletic passions in sports either considered lifestyle or are outside of the CHS athletic program all-together. Cross-country and alpine ski racing, equestrian, hockey, rock-climbing, mountain bike racing and competitive dance are just some of those. Often, students participating in these sports chase their goals with an extraordinary level of zeal and dedication that matches, or even outpaces, that found in sports offered by CHS.
Junior Derek “Buster” Richardson (pictured below) is one of these athletes. Buster has been cross-country skiing for longer than he can remember: “Probably from the time I could walk.” While he has also been an accomplished soccer player, runner and alpine skier, Richarson’s pursuit of, enthusiasm for and success in Nordic racing, widely considered the most exacting and demanding of all sports, has led him to place it above all other athletic endeavors. “I’m putting my energies into Nordic skiing now - by training and racing six days a week on skis for six months and then on roller-skis and foot for the other six months, while always keeping up with strength workouts.” Buster is a member of the highly competitive Plain Valley Nordic Team (PVNT) and under the guidance of head coach Pierre Niess. Niess describes Richardson as “a special skier,” who “leads our team by example. Buster practices and races with uncommon intensity. His preparation, focus on technique and work ethic have helped make him one of the top racers his age in the country. His future in the sport is unlimited and the opportunity to coach him at this stage of his development is both a pleasure and a privilege.”
Those pursuing sports outside the purview of CHS, though, have wide ranging goals. Senior Stella Johnson, no stranger to CHS sports, rides for local mountain bike outfit Icicle Bicycle Club. “I really just love the idea of combining my competitive nature with getting out on the trails with friends. Win, lose or draw, it’s hard to beat being on a bike and racing in the Cascades!” To note: despite Stella’s humility, she wins more often than not.
Off the trail, freshman Ellie Holm, a student of and competitor for Edelweiss Dance Academie in Leavenworth, stated that “being a dancer is who I am. I’ve been twirling and whirling before I could even walk. Going to dance competitions is just part of the path of life for me. Where it ends up? We’ll see. For now, I’m just enjoying the journey.”
There are also so-called non-traditional high school sports at CHS that fall under the “club” label and are not within the athletic department. Equestrian is one such sport. Sophomore Greer Swoboda (pictured above), an accomplished rider, humbly stated that “more than the competitive aspects of equestrian, I love the horses, caring for them and just being in the barn with the other girls. We all have such a good time.”
Similar sentiments are shared by Sophomore Tilley Leroy who is a climber on the loosely affiliated to CHS Cascade Climbing Club: “Getting to be outside and challenging myself in the beautiful climbing destinations our state has to offer, including right here in the Tumwater and Icicle Canyons is a remarkable opportunity. I’d say that topping out on Castle Rock [a 400-foot granite monolith towering above the Wenatchee River on Highway 2] is my most proud climbing moment.”
While these sports are considered by some to be the alethic pursuits of the elite or labeled as “niche,” opportunities do exist for anyone to participate. The financial barriers to entry can be real, but so too are scholarship opportunities and emerging and innovative team models like that of PVNT, which, for nominal tuition, provides high-end coaching, equipment, camps, race fees, uniforms and room and board at away races. As Buster, revealing a slight smile, put it: “Yes, I have to drive up to Plain for practice every day and travel far for most races but, this year alone through skiing, I’ve been to the Methow Valley numerous times, Mt. Hood, Mt. Bachelor, Mt. Spokane, Park City, UT and Sun Valley, ID. It could be worse.”
Do you participate in a sport outside of CHS that is not mentioned in this article? If so, let us know in the comments below and tell your story.
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