Junior Hannah Fawzy has been a member of Rock Ridge’s Cheer team for the past three years. Fawzy appreciated the community and connectivity that the cheer team displays, valuing how everyone is there for each other and uplifts her. “I had a lot of support [from teammates and teachers],” Fawzy said. “My coach [is] also a therapist, so she’s really supportive, and she knows how to help deal with emotions, and then [for] my team, they all are like, ‘You can do it,’ and stuff. Even if you don’t hit it every single time, they’ll still support you no matter what.”

Junior Angelica Batac has been on the cheer team for three years and has been competing for two. This season, Batac was a captain, and the collaboration and teamwork members stuck out to her. Additionally, Batac appreciated the coaches and their efforts, as well as the respect received from other teams. “Something I love about cheer is the sportsmanship,” Batac said. “At every competition, all cheer teams greet each other good luck before stepping on mat and cheer each other on during the performances. I [also] felt incredibly supported by my teammates and coach this year. When there were times I felt like giving up, everyone kept telling me to push through the season.”

Junior Daniela Rojas has been playing field hockey since seventh grade, and her five years of experience and dedication to playing the sport have allowed her to get to the place where she is today. Rojas is satisfied with the turnout of her season. “I try to be humble, but I do say that definitely I’ve worked hard for the position that I’m in, so I think I’ve earned it,” Rojas said.

Freshman Nandita Shaju is new to the field hockey team, but she is not new to the sport, as she has been playing for over three years after she decided to join a sport following the pandemic. Despite being a relative newcomer to the sport, Shaju was happy with her performance this season.“I thought during the season that I did some good games, others not so good, so I was surprised and happy when I made All-Districts, but I wasn’t super shocked,” Shaju said. “I felt like I earned it. I was happy with my overall season. Next season, I want to score more goals and do better.”

Junior Lily Omo has been playing field hockey since she was six years old and continues to play at Rock Ridge High School. “I think that field hockey has always been part of my life, and the bond I have with some of the people on the team from before high school to now is really special,” Omo said. “We have been playing for many years together, and now getting to share the field in high school is really special to me.”

Senior Kenidy Nguyen has been playing volleyball since her freshman year after she decided that she wanted to play a sport in high school. She was deciding between volleyball and cheerleading and ended up choosing volleyball, and has loved the sport ever since. Nguyen is the captain of the girls’ volleyball team at Rock Ridge. “You’ll always find people who love the sport just as much as you do, regardless of if you’re on the same skill level, and I think the fact that all these people just come together to play one sport that we all love is really special,” Nguyen said.

Senior David Lassisi has been playing football since his early childhood, and he has emotional ties to the sport which motivate him. This being his last season at Rock Ridge, Lassisi plans on playing Division one or two football in college, continuing his journey with the sport.

“I’ve been playing football since I was three years old, because my grandma introduced me to the sport,” Lassisi said. “She was a big football fan, [and] her husband played it. Ever since my grandma died, I have wanted to play football and [have] continued, keeping my promise [to her]. I plan on playing Division one, Division two, [in college], [and] I plan to continue to play football and keep my promise with grandma.”

Senior Xavier Smith has been playing football for five years, and although he initially began playing for enjoyment, football has become serious for him. Smith plans on continuing to pursue football in college, and he wants to improve some of his playing skills. Smith also has appreciation for his teammates, who have supported him this season, and his coaches, who have had faith in him.

“Our team has faced a lot of adversity for years with the coaching changes and all the injuries we go through,” Smith said. “[However], my teammates supported me a lot throughout the year, and my coaches always had trust in me to do my job, so they helped a lot. I could improve my vision at running back and my passing ability when playing quarterback, as defense is also a big weak spot for me. My goals for next year are to be first or second string on a college football team.”