Sports & Spirit

         

 Fall Soccer Preview      

         Garrison Forest Middle School just got our new teams and we already feel like a family!  A and B team are both already working hard to win their first games of the season, which has just begun.  Coach Lahat is already pushing A Team to be the best they can be, while Coach Cline is trying to review the technical things through the game of World Cup, Knockout, and other drills!

Perspectives from A Team

A team is kicking along very fast.  We are having so much fun getting to know each other and all of us are quickly getting better.  Everybody is striving to be the best they can be. Coach Lahat and Coach Rommel are making A Team possible and making practice super fun. We are all coming together to be the best A team Garrison Forest soccer will ever have.  By our first game on September 27th, A team is playing Bryn Mawr and we are going to be ready to WIN!

A Team got ahead of the game and chose their captains, Kayla B., Mia G., and Nina K. Middle School Soccer captains make announcements at Morning Meetings, take care of secret “supporters”, and do the coin flip at games.  Being a captain is a big responsibility, but it is really fun!

Perspectives from B Team

          B Team is a great opportunity for students that want to learn how to play soccer or are returning to the sport after a long break.  The first week has passed and we already are scrimmaging, playing games, and learning new ways to have fun while playing soccer!  B Team coaches, Coaches Burns and Cline, make scrimmaging an enriching and fun experience for all of us.  Our team members love being here and are very helpful and we are already becoming friends outside of soccer. On B Team, it is fun to meet students from all grade levels and learn more of the great game of soccer.  B Team learns new skills through games and other interesting ways that keep soccer fun. GO B TEAM!

          B Team has chosen their captains, Paloma and Alexa C.  With their first game on Thursday, September 27th, B Team is working harder than ever to finish reviewing important skills that are both basic and advanced.  The Thursday game is at 3:45 and is home, a little after A Team’s game, and B Team is playing against McDonough School.

If you want to see our upcoming games go to http://www.gfs.org/athletics/scores.aspx

Written by Eve A. & Ashley W.

Sports Pep Rally 2012

At Garrison Forest Middle School, we have 3 sport pep rallies each year. One in the fall, winter, and spring. Recently, we just had our fall sports pep rally for the year 2012-2013. At Garrison, you have the option to play a sport every season. In the fall there is soccer, field hockey, and cross country. During our pep rallies Mr. Trinh, the Dean of Students, announces A field hockey, B field hockey, and so on. In between each team, he says the names of all of the players on that team. Every pep rally is held in the Middle School Auditorium. Between each set of seats, we have our spirit leaders at the end forming a pyramid. Mr. Trinh will say each name of the member of that specific team and they will come running down while the crowd cheers them on.

Our Middle School does this for many reasons. One of the many is to get the teams pumped up. Not only because they made a team, but for a great season. We also do this because it’s always nice to cheer people on and if they would like, to come down to our home fields and support our classmates. At GFS, it’s as if we are family. We are an all-girls school so it doesn’t matter if we embarrass ourselves. We may not always show it, but we are always there for each other on and off the field. When we have this pep rally, that’s when it really shows because you hear the loud screams of the friends who want you to have a great season.

Below, you will see many pictures and even a video! Our pep rallies create memories that will last a lifetime but who says we can’t have pictures? These pictures show a variety of what happens during a pep rally. We have each member from a team line up outside the entrance doors when Mr. Trinh announces the team that you are on. Then you run down, high five people, and you get to stand in front of the whole Middle School smiling and even cheering on the rest of your teammates along with the coaches. 

Written by Mia G. & Alli S. 
Photos by Mia G.

ICE HOCKEY

Rachel G. protecting the goal.

When you’re in the goal, you can see everything. You can watch the faceoff from straight ahead, and you can feel the ice that’s being lifted up from the player’s skates. Your job is too defend the goal, like it’s your battlefield, and not let anything past you. There is a lot of pressure. Imagine, your whole team counting on you, and you’re the person it all depends on. If you lose the game, is it your fault? Could be, or maybe it’s your team’s fault. Sometimes, you just sit there. Your team is just that good that you don’t have to worry about anything going into the goal. That’s the best type of team. A team that you can depend on, and they can depend on you.

On Friday, February 11th, we had our last game against the Susquehanna Rapids, a real travel team. The Grizzlies were down a few players because the St. Paul’s boys were having their championship game. A lot of the players were subs, who hadn’t played for the team regularly.

In the first period, the Rapids scored two goals. In the second period, the Rapids scored three more times, making the score 5-0.  Thankfully, we pulled together and scored two goals. In the third and final period, the Rapids scored one more goal, but so did we. We lost 6-3; however, the game was very well played and both teams should be proud of themselves.

(The North Prep team has been created to give girls a chance to learn how to play hockey.  Some girls have been playing for a very long time while others have just started.  The team is comprised of girls from St. Paul’s and Garrison Forest Schools.) 

Text and Photos by Rachel G.

Lights and Darks

          At Garrison Forest School, the teachers and students are divided into two teams: Light Blue and Dark Blue. Light Blue and Dark Blue are a very important part of Garrison’s history. Throughout the years, the competitions that the Lights and Darks have had have been very contributing to the needy. Although there is a competitive factor between the two, Lights and Darks have been able to work together to make Garrison Forest School a better community.

         Play Days are a very important part of Light Blue and Dark Blue in the Middle School. At the end of every marking quarter, the Light and Dark leaders will conduct a Play Day. Some games that usually take place in the Play Days are levitation, freeze dance, relay races, and hoops. At the end of every Play Day, there are dodge ball games played by each grade between the Lights and the Darks. And every now and then, Mr. McManus will come and help out one of the teams.

          The Lights and Darks of Garrison are very helpful to the society outside of Garrison. Every month, the Lights and Darks help out the Donald Bentley Food Pantry by seeing which team can bring in the most amount of cans for that month. By doing this, the Lights and Darks can earn team points and help the areas outside of school! As you can see, Light Blue and Dark Blue are a very important to the Garrison community.

-- Written Sophie Polovoy, Class of 2016