Douglas County High School - Huskie Highlights Yearbook (Castle Rock, CO)

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QE FRONT ROW: Trina Buttram, Rae Krivohlavek, Marcia Vicki Chase, Paula Wills, Coach Steve Ball. NOT PIC- Noble, Rochelle Payne, Lisa Feenstra. BACK ROW: Su- TURED: Dana McKinney. zanne Sutton, Kim Henwood, Laura Clint, Nicole Pruim, . Blocking the ball is an important defensive tactic used in volleyball. Sophomore Vicki Chase performs this skill so well that her teammates ha ve named her sky because of her ability to jump over two feet. Soph DCHS OPP 1 Arapahoe 2 2 Gateway 0 0 Greeley West 2 2 St. Mary 's 0 1 Marycrest 1 1 Adams City 2 2 Jefferson O 2 Rangeview 0 0 Ponderosa 2 Season: 44-1 JV DCHS OPP 0 Arapahoe 2 0 Gateway 2 1 Greeley 2 I 2 BroomHeld 0 2 St. Mary 's 1 2 Marycrest 0 2 Centa urus 1 0 Englewood 2 1 Adams City 2 2 Highland 0 2 Jefferson 1 0 Rangeview 2 2 Ponderosa 0 0 Brighton 2 Season: 7-7 17

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JV ix- I A soPH ' Fast Team Deemed Coach's Dream They were a real coach's dream. So often there is something you'd like to try, but afraid they can't handle the change. That wasnlt true for this team! exclaimed coach Steve Ball, who coached the JV volleyball team. He ex- plained that the team was fast . They were fast learners and they were fast movers. They improved immensely and they had great atti- tudes. He stressed that the team looked the way I think they should look at the end of the sea- son. The team pulled out of a slump to slaugh- ter Ponderosa in the last game. Coach Ball concluded I enjoyed volleyball so much this year! JV player, sophomore Vicki Chase empha- sized, It took a lot of hard work, but it was worth it. The team finished their league sea- son with a 7-4 record. The sophomore team showed drastic im- provement. Coach Mitch Koppel labeled it amazing. He also tagged the season enlighten- ing, I learned a lotf' Their learning exper- ience, he felt, went beyond volleyball and into life and people and how to work with them. Introduced to a totally different style of play- ing, the girls were forced to change. I had to relearn all my skills because what I was taught in ninth grade wasn't what the high school teacher taught, remarked Sara Gonsalves. Once they learned to play, they never gave up. They hung in there and did their best to be tough, exclaimed Coach Koppel. He also voiced his major team goal. It was to train and build up an attitude, that with work they'll go places and without it, they won't. The majority of the team members agreed that their season was one of improvement. We played rotten at the beginning but at the end had enthusiasm. We began communicating and had fun on the court, pointed out Mindy Wright. Shanna Taylor commented, We may not have won all the games we wanted, but we learned how to work together as a group. Both teams seemed to reach their goals, and finished their season with success. The girls attributed their success to their coaches. All three volleyball teams interchanged coaching and they claimed that they couldn't have suc- ceeded without them. Shanna noted, The coaches were great. They didn't teach us only how to play volleyball, they taught us how to work together and respect each other. FRONT ROW: Rachael Bernd, Kandy Dorrow, Joey Skurich. BACK ROW: Amy Fritts, Lisa Feenstra, Vicki Chase, Coach Mitch Koppel, Sara Gonsalves, Heather Gottdenker, Margo Green, Mindy Wright. NOT PIC- TURED: Shanna Taylor, Angel Thomas, Piper Miller When the ball is passed correctly it can set up a powerful spond. Junior Marcia Nobel crouches low, while retaining play. However, too many times the ball has been spiked her balance, and passes to waiting setter Laura Clint. The downward and a low defensive position is needed to re- play aided their 2-1 victory. 16 Setting the ball is the only way to achieve a great offensive attack. Sophomore Angel Thomas concen- trates on the volleyball's flight at our home game against St. Mary 's September 13,

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CROSS fiaf el-f!a75541 UN-1-'RIL - Seniors Race To State I think this year's team had the -potential to be the best Douglas County has had in ten years, exclaimed senior Jeff Croteau. Jeff and teammate senior Jenni Nellessen both qualified for state at the District Meet held in Broomfield. Jeff placed third with a time of 16:07, his best time. This beat his prior best by 43 seconds. From his finish at districts Jeff went on to state where he placed 19 with a time of 16:38, his second best time. Jenni also scored a seasonal best of 20:42 at districts. She completed the course with a fifth place finish, which was high enough to qualify for state. Jenni felt this was her best meet of the season. At districts everything came together at the right time. It was a peak performance. The race was held on a road which made a fast, flat course. This was much easier than running on the grass, explained Jenni. From districts she went on to state, where she placed 89 out of 176 competitors. Although Jenni qualified for state she felt disappointed with her season. If I had trained this summer, like past summers, I would have been awesome. But I didn't and the result was a disappointing senior year, she reflected. One reason for Jenni's frustration was the snow-caused postponement of the state meet. The first week I was excited, but by the sec- ond week I felt like, who cares? It seemed like just another race, she expressed. uh For Jeff it was the opposite. It was some- thing special. I worked for three years to get there, Jeff stressed. Before the meet I was nervous, very excited! he exclaimed. Jeff expressed that his family and friends helped him achieve his goals, but he stressed that his father was his greatest influence. He pushed me and helped me to train over the summer. Dad really helped me to do it, Jeff said. For Jeff state is just the tip of the iceberg, My ultimate goal is the Olympics, it's what I'm working toward, Jeff concluded. For Jenni her goals are more immediate ones. I want to make a comeback in track, I want to beat a six minute mile time, she con- cluded. The team's season, according to Jeff, was dampened by their inability to make it to state as a team. He felt that this and the team's loss to Ponderosa were the hardest part of the season. Senior Mike Crouch felt that the season had its down points but for the most part was successful. We had the drive, we learned to push our- selves and to set goals. The DCHS Invitational was our best showing. It gave us the incentive and motivation for the following meets. Overall it set a pace for the rest of the'season, Mike reflected. Jenni summed up the season, Cross coun- try is only as hard as you make it. FRONT ROWI Kaffifla Kfl9W!SOI1, Bev B0ySfUH, Defli-92 Chuck Camptield, Daryl Hunt, Dave Boystun, Coach Mike Mikita, Rebecca Shunk, Jenni Nellessen. SECOND ROW: Varone, Brian Peterson, Ivhke Crouch, Heath Haddock Mike Neft, Brian Knewtson, Brian Kavanaugh, Guy Scharlii NOT P1CTUREDg Kevin Henry, Kim Sullivan. Dave Pippin, Jeff Croteau, Scott Sickafoose. BACK ROW: 18 Racing toward victory, senior Jeff Croteau takes top hon- ors at Skyline South Meet. Jeff accomplished his goal to make it to state and to finish in the top 20. He placed third at districts and qualified for state meet where he was 19, a line conclusion to his three-year cross country career. Running in tandem, seniors Denise Mikita and Rebecca Shunk pace each other. We work together and help each other until we see the finish line, then it's a sprint, ex- plained Denise.