By BRANT BARKER
Sheridan High School Student
Editor’s Note: The Sheridan Student Column is brought to readers by Sheridan High School’s 10th grade English class, taught by Abby Williams.
As a Sheridan athlete, I am surrounded by great people and coaches. We’ve had rough patches around all sports as a school. Although, as the school grows I also feel like the talent in sports will grow as well. We already have middle schoolers who I believe are capable of even playing in junior varsity and maybe even beyond that!
The community plays a huge role in how we all play. I’m happy to have everyone around us supporting us even when we have terrible games or terrible seasons.
As a basketball team, we visited the museum on Main Street, the Sheridan Historical Society, for the second year in a row. It taught us a lot about what Sheridan sports used to be like. We used to be a powerhouse and beat schools like Westfield, Carmel, Noblesville, and much more. As a team, this year it is our goal to not only have a winning season but to also win a sectional. The team, the school, and the community all want it. We need it! We have high expectations, but our team is very young, so we will be patient as we learn and grow as a team. It’s a work in progress, but I think Sheridan can become a powerhouse like it once was.
Fall sports were a success and there’s no doubt we are going to keep succeeding. Even with our star quarterback out this year, the football team still played well. The school supports us tremendously. The student sections are improving and they are making a comeback from the unusual times of last year during COVID. Last year and even this year, quarantines and positive cases are affecting our sports. The teams are still adjusting to quarantines and such, but we all need to be ready to step up.
The women’s basketball team is also very young. I can already see – and I’m sure many other people can as well – that they will be very successful. The new freshman class is filled with athletes, and it goes to show the years to come of new athletes.
The goals of the basketball teams are to win a Sectional Championship but also to learn. Last year it was rough, and we were one of the last high school teams in Indiana to start our season. On Dec. 4, 2020, the entire boys’ team was quarantined for a positive case. It messed with our flow, but we recovered and we ended up having a decent rest of the season.
We’ve had a rough start to the season so far, but we are just starting. We all have to adapt to a new coaching style from last year. Coach Flemmer is a great new coach and we all get along. We have practices every day after school. Sadly, we don’t always get to practice at the high school. Since the season has started, the majority of our practices have been at the elementary. Coach is starting to call it our home court. Luckily, we have been practicing at the high school a lot more often.
We have morning weights every so often to get better and improve. Our team is not nearly as tall as our rivals, so muscle has to make up for it. Coach Yoder does a great job focusing our workouts on basketball-related training.
Now I feel like I need to grow my muscle mass more than ever, so I have gotten a membership at a local gym most might have heard of, Dog Tag. It is a very nice gym with a very nice owner. I try to work out four to six days a week but that can’t always happen. Games interfere with that as well as my job. I know working during the season is not ideal, as I’m aware. I hear it all the time, Mom! Although, what is wrong with meeting new people as well as making some money on the off time?
I have a very busy few months ahead of me, but I’m prepared. And from the team, we’re prepared to win!