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Newspaper Archive of
Shelton Mason County Journal
Shelton, Washington
October 27, 2011     Shelton Mason County Journal
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October 27, 2011
 
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ATHLETEOFTHEWEEK ses By EMILY HANSON Lindsey Nicolas has found many avenues with which to express herself. One avenue for the Shelton Sophomore is her participa- tion on the cross country team. Head coach Daryl White said Nicolas has been a top run- ner for the girls' team all season. "I decided to do cross country mainly because I like run- ning and I've always been good at it," Nicolas said. "It's my favorite sport because everything is really quiet when I start to run; I feel like I'm in control of my own life." She began her cross country career as a freshman when she started running with the team a little late into the sea- son. "I didn't start until the day the team does its time trials, which is a couple of weeks into the season," Nicolas said. "So, last season didn't go as well as I thought it would. This season, I turned out to be the top runner for the girls." Nicolas said running is in her jeans: her father, Hum- berto Nicolas, was an Olympic runner for Mexico in 1988. At first, Nicolas said she was scared to be a cross country runner. "I'd never run more than 800 meters, so it was scary to hear that all of our races would be three miles," she said. "After I got over my fear of not being able to finish, I got pretty good at it. I learned my limits and my pace. That came from the coaches telling me I could do great things. I got the confidence I needed." Though Nicolas lost her fear toward the sport during her first season with the Highclimbers, an unexpected situation scared her this season. During the Ho- quiam meet on Saturday, Oct. 8, Nicolas did not finish because she collapsed a few hundred yards from the finish line. The course required runners to reach the top of a hill before running down the Lindsey other side to the finish line. At the top of Nicolas the hill, Nicolas said she blacked out. "I have a sauna at my house that I'd been using because I was sore after prac- tice and I wasn't drinking enough water so I was dehydrat- ed before the race and didn't feel well," she said. "I thought it was just pre-race jitters but then I blacked out. I woke up in the ambulance on the way to the hospital." Nicolas said that when she returned from the hospital, she asked her coaches and teammates what happened and they told her she was trying to crawl her way to the finish line, but she doesn't remember the event at all. "I will continue running because I noticed that since I started, a lot of people have been looking up to me: my younger sister, my grandma," she said. "I felt a lot of pres- sure to do well at league so I'm disappointed because, since I wasn't fully better from the Hoquiam meet, I ran about one minute slower than I usually do." Since Nicolas feels like people are looking up to her as a runner, she said she plans to go talk to the junior high cross .... ~ I~ • ii~ FL¥ONTHESIDELINE is Friday, November 11th Honor your favorite veteran with a photo ad in the 11/10 Journal! Deadline h 5pm Monday, November 7th Shelton-Mason County www.masoncounty.com 227 W. Cota- (360) 426-4412 Page C-6 - Shelton-Mason County Journal - Thursday, October 27, 2011 country runners. "I want to talk to the kids to get them to stick with run- ning," she said. "Not just because we're low on runners for the girls' team but because I see a lot of power in the younger girls." Nicolas said she also plays basketball in the winter and fastpitch in the spring. Though she earns all As and Bs, she said no extracurricular activities outside of sports have caught her eye yet. Outside of school and sports, Nicolas said she is a fairly artistic person. She has been playing the guitar for three years and before that, she played the piano. "I really like music," she said. "I like making music be- cause it's another way of expressing yourself." Nicolas said she also loves to paint and loves to model as well, though she said there are not a lot of opportunities to model in Mason County. "My mind bounces from thing to thing," she said. "My plan was to be a nurse, but I don't think I want to do that because of how scared I was when they put an IV in my arm." As a sophomore, Nicolas hasn't looked into colleges much yet, but said she wants to go to a school with dorm rooms so she can live on her own and added that she would really like to go to modeling school. "The art of modeling draws me to it," she said. "It's so intense how a model can look into the camera like she's looking into your soul. Modeling is precise; you have to angle yourself for the light. It's another way of expressing yourself." Nicolas said her biggest fear right now is what the fu- ture is going to bring. "I want to pick a career but I don't know a lot about what's out there," she added. It's how you piay the game By EMILY HANSON sonal foul, but it didn't. So far this season, that Throughout this fall ath- was the most unsportsman- letic season, I've stood on like thing I've seen. The origi- the sidelines for 13 different nal act of taking out the cen- teams in six sports for three ter after the quarterback has separate schools and I've already knelt is bad enough, seen minor acts of unsports- but to then argue with the manlike behavior in about head official, trying to justify half those games, that action is completely in- It's understandable: emo- excusable. What makes this tions are nmning high, matu- player believe his actions rity levels are lower and frus- were right? The only thing trations need to be vented. I can figure is a poor coach- What is not understand- ing staff that has failed to able are the actions of the teach the boy the importance Wishkah football team dur- of playing with good sports- ing its game at Mary M. manship. Knight this past Saturday. The final nail in the sore During the four quarters loser coffin was when the of this fairly close game, I Wishkah quarterback, on the heard Wishkah players argu- final play of the game, turned ing with the officials and try- toward the MMK fans, who ing to correct them on calls were cheering for their team and I saw a Wishkah coach in an appropriate manner walk to the middle of the field and yelled at them. to debate a call with the head The quarterback, with official. While inexcusable, true lack of judgement, both of these offenses are not yelled: "How old are you?" at much worse than what is nor- the Knight Owl fans and fol- mally seen in a high school lowed it up with 'Why don't football game. you grow up, you [homopho- Then the last minute of bic epithet]?" the game rolled around and This is completely in- the poor sport spirit of this excusable and should be team really came out and grounds for this particular made a statement, player to miss at least one In the final minute of the game. However, the official game, the Knight Owls chose did not call a penalty on to play honorably by kneel- the player, the clock wound ing on the ball for the last few down and the game ended plays. They were up 24-16 with Willey's final kneel. and could have tried to score When a Knight Owl coach one last time, as they were tried to ask the head official in Logger territory, but they about the incident, the re- took the high road. sponse he got back was: "The MMK quarterback Kyle game's over." Willey knelt the first time, As if that makes it okay. signaling that the Owls Throughout this poor be- would not continue their fi- havior of the Wishkah team, nal drive to the end zone. The which occurred regularly second time Willey knelt, a during the entire game, the Wishkah defensive lineman Knight Owls kept their heads surged past the line of scrim- up and their mouths shut. mage, took out the center and They did not stoop to Wish- caused him to fall backward kah's level. They stayed fo- onto the kneeling Willey. cused and won the game the This garnered the Wish- way it should be won: with kahplayer apersonal fouland hard work, sportsmanship gained the Owls 15 yards. As and dignity. the teams moved to their new I want to commend the position, the Wishkah player Mary M. Knight coaching argued loudly with the head staff, fans and especially official, trying to justify his players for remembering that actions and have the penalty it's not about who wins or revoked. This should have loses, it's about how you play cost the team another per- the game.