Senior Mackenzie Wintrich is especially looking forward to the leadership that comes with being a senior. She has played soccer since she was six and plans on using her experience to help her teammates. 

“I’m a senior, so I’m trying to take on a leadership role this season,” Mackenzie said. “We haven’t picked captains or anything, but that doesn’t even matter. I just want to be more of a leader and step up for the team.”

Seniors are the top dog. They not only rule the school, but they are also commanders when it comes to the variety of sports teams FHC offers. Mackenzie is excited for this season, and she does not know how well they will perform since they lost eleven seniors last year, so there are a lot of new faces on the field with her. The younger, or simply new, girls allow for Mackenzie to step into the leadership role; that is her goal for her last year. 

Part of being a leader is giving speeches and giving others motivation. Mackenzie wants to part some of her wisdom onto the teammates she will leave at the end of the season. 

“Honestly, I would say try to look at all the positives because there’s a lot of negatives in soccer, and you get frustrated a lot,” Mackenzie said. “It’s important to focus on what the team is doing well and looking forward, and at some point, you’re going to be like, ‘Oh, where’d the time go?’” 

Senior Lucas Thompson is also looking forward to being a role model for the younger baseball guys. 

“[This being my last year is] heartbreaking but also exciting,” Lucas said. “It’s exciting because I finally get to be one of the leaders, the people that step up, and that’s super exciting. I’d like to help lead our future groups into future captains.”

Lucas has ambitions for more than just being a leader. As this is his last year, Lucas has multiple goals. 

“So, another goal that I have is definitely winning regional championships,” Lucas said. “A personal goal of mine is [to make this a] season to remember. Good or bad, I still want to remember this group of guys; I want to remember lots of memories.”

Memories are of great significance to the departing seniors. Lucas is no exception. Well, he is hoping to make grand memories this year. He also cherishes the memories from previous years. 

“So, I think one of my favorite memories [from these last] four years has been the story [our coach told us about] this guy named Stach [who was a] baseball player,” Lucas said. “It means a lot to him. [The team] decided to make these stickers to put on our helmets that were honoring Stach, and our coach was really happy about [the stickers].” 

Senior Lauryn Gaskin, like many other seniors, is looking forward to the chance to build more memories. 

Memories are at the forefront of her mind, but so are some other more personal goals for track. She wants to keep her times fast and keep being competitive, and she hopes her teammates will keep up their drive as well.

“I feel like track is a very mental sport,” Lauryn said.  “It’s just all about your mindset. It’s not always about being with us. It’s about as much as you can be so hard on yourself.” 

Lauryn not only wanted to impart some advice to her underclassman team members, but she also wanted to give thanks to the coaches that have been with her for four years. 

“I feel like my coaches have been very supportive,” Lauryn said, “and they all understand that we’re not always going to have our best days.” 

Lucas also gave thanks to his coaches as they influenced him over his four years of high school baseball and made him the leader he is now. While giving thanks, he also gave advice that every athlete should adhere to. 

“My coaches have given me a positive example,” Lucas said. “And [they] also [showed me] how to enjoy the sport itself because, in the end, it’s just a game, and if you’re not enjoying it, you’re not doing it right.”