The 2023-2024 sports season has officially started, some of which include cross country, football, softball, boys golf, and boys soccer. The teams have been working extremely hard, by training for many hours, lifting weights as well as being a student, in the past weeks for a successful season.
Cross country had a busy start to their season with girls varsity placing third and JV girls getting second through the last meet in Grand Junction. With a bigger team than last year, the boy’s team has been able to develop a full team for the first time in a couple of years. Qualifying for states or nationals is different for each team member, depending on their specific season goal. But the whole team is working together to become better. Both the boys and girls teams would like to qualify for states which require the top four of teams at regionals in October.
Darienne Kenny is a junior on the varsity team and has been running cross country since middle school.
“The best piece of advice that we’ve received from our coaches is that when you are really tired and feel like you can’t keep going, look at your teammates around you struggling as much as you are, and keep fighting for them. When you can’t find it within yourself to fight for yourself, fight for your teammates and keep pushing,” Kenny said.
The football team began with a challenging start to the season by losing games, but the team is ready to work for amazing end-of-season results. There are many returning teammates as well as many new members this fall, helping grow the team. This year the Aspen community has been stronger in numbers at the home games, boosting the enthusiasm.
William Gerardi is a senior and the starting kicker of the varsity team.
“Our team this year has a lot of talent, and we can still put the pieces together to have a strong finish this season. We are still raw and make too many big mistakes. Our team’s overall goal this year is to make it to the playoffs, and hopefully turn some heads while we are there. I think the biggest thing we can do to be successful in the future is to continue to come together and be one strong unit for the rest of the season. The best advice I received from coach Mccready is to do everything with confidence, even if you make a mistake because there will never be any doubt or regret if you give something your all,” Gerardi stated.
Niklaus Kuhn is a senior this year and comments on the season so far. This season of boys golf has had its ups and downs with the score but the boys are doing a great job overall.
Khun is excited to be playing with the team this year and has been successful this season. The team’s goal is to qualify for states and shoot low in regionals. Kuhn said that to be successful in the season ahead, the boys need to look out for each other and be supportive. One piece of advice that the coaches gave Kuhn is, “Every hole is new and no matter what the score is, play to your best potential and have fun.”
Boys soccer has had a home game, August 24th against Rifle with a score of 0-5 and an away game against Vai with a score of 0-8, which both they unfortunately lost. But the team is looking forward to having a successful and exciting season. They have been working hard to create new strategies and come together more as a team. Because of these new strategies, they can move forward with a greater attacking and midfield presence. This year more athletes have been excited to join the team, making it a possibility to be able to have a JV team which has not been possible in past years.
Kurtis Kowar is a junior on the varsity soccer team and has been a part of the sport since he was five.
“This year, I am confident that the team will be able to stay focused and disciplined to win a few more games than last year. So far, the team mentality is excellent, and we are looking towards making playoffs.” Kowar said. “The goal for the overall season is to make the playoffs while also having fun. Kowar also says “In order to be successful the team needs to listen to the coaches during practice and really focus on playing games the way we prepare in practice. I think we also need more discipline and focus during practice as well as commitment to physical conditioning in the weight room,”.
The softball team has gained many new members of the team this year helping the community grow and bringing more recognition to the sport. They have had three exciting games so far this season, and the team is working hard to succeed in the season.
AHS junior Graceann Viola is the head captain of the team and comments on the team and season.
“I’m feeling pretty good about the team this year, we have a lot of new people that are picking up the game fast and I’m really excited to see what they can bring to the table this year and in coming years. The season, for us, has been going pretty well so far but we need to be working harder and be more focused if we want to keep getting better. Our team’s overall goal is to win a game. Of course, we really want to have a 7-inning game that we are competitive in. For this upcoming season, I think we can work harder and get more pumped before games. We are really lacking urgency and I think if we really need to work on one thing, it’s the Urgency,” Viola said.
Let’s wish all of these amazing athletes a great season!
