Pulaski Academy - Bruin Yearbook (Little Rock, AR)

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qs My awk. t 4 ..,, ff 33 i K Q 'N S -P' xv , at , D Q If V it 1' 2 1' sw' gs.,- Play Ball! Listening closely to coach David Sewell, kindergartener Matthew Ducan prepares to catch for his junior Deputy League T-ball team. Spinning Winner. Second grader Melissa Owen practices for an ice skating competition in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Melissa won a bronze medal in her division of Freestyle 3. Little League'51

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50.Sports l - UN S? gi-,X,lXl EW Pint Size Players Athough most thought of Bruin athletes as coming in the 6'2 , 185 pound variety, some 3'2 students were equally involved in athletics. Along with a variety of activities to participate in, first graders found a variety of reasons for participating. Tom Bruno said, I take karate because it's fun doing all the kicks and moves. Other students needed a little persuasion. Sara Leonard said, l take dancing because my mother makes me. However, one second grader took her after school athletics more seriously. Second grader, Melissa Owen skated competively and had won a bronze medal in the nationals. Her reason for skating was Because it is funl Third grader Shereen Soqhier, worked at a variety of sports including tennis, kickball, swimming. Her reason for putting so much time into these sports was l'll be active and not lazy. Brett Tucker, an active baseball player said, We won all of our games. We played every team and never lost. We all went to Gatti's and got gold telephones with our names on them. Dancing was popular among fourth grade girls. Cindy Black said she danced because I love to dance and I also like gymnastics because you can win lots of things like ribbons and trophies. Courtney Ku ns, another fourth grader, was named the best all-around gymnast out of 178 girls at the Northside YMCA gymnastics meet. Her ambition was to someday go to the Olympics. It was obvious that the lower school would soon provide P.A. with many top athletes to support and cheer for.

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2 Yea Showing a lot of poise and maturity early in the year, the senior boys' basketball team was more successful than any other in the history of the school. The Bruins started the season strong by winning nine games in a row, the longest winning streak ever at P.A. They finished the season with the best record ever, 23-7, winning the Magnet Cove Invitational Tournament and the Pulaski Academy Invitational Tournament. Averaging more points per game than any other team, the Bruins also set a school record of 93 points scored in one game. The team was almost entirely made up of seniors who provided leadership and experience, helping the team to react appropriately to the tactics that the other teams used to try to overcome their style of play. We were a finesse team rather than a power team, said Coach Gary Shoptaw, who explained that the Bruins played an intense pressure type o' defense which caused problems for their opponents who were usually bigger and not as quick. The first high point of the season was the victory over l.A. Fair, a AAA team with a great height advantage. The homecoming victory over Harding was especially satisfying after the questionable loss to Harding at Searcy. lt allowed the seniors to finish the conference season at home with a win and was also a great confidence builder going into the District Tournament. Senior Carson Hampson said of the Harding win, It felt great to avenge the loss at Searcy, and we didn't feel like Harding deserved a share of the conference championship. Senior Steve Crane added, It was a great thing to win our last Homecoming game. li