Chester High School - Hambletonian Yearbook (Chester, NY)

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Hard work and desire was the foundation that the Hambletonian soccer machine used to build its way to a winning 19 75 soccer season and a trip to the sectionals for the first time in twelve years. The team started working out in June and continued working hard throughout the summer and straight through the season. In my opinion as coach, no other team in the past ten years has ever worked or drilled harder than the nineteen athletes who composed the Hambletonian Soccer Team this year. As the season developed, the Diamond Defense and The Spiders became tougher and more proud of their county leading shut-out statistics and their goals scored-- against percentage. The Road Runners were becoming known as the three toughest half back in the Orange National Conference. The striking skill, speed, and tough- ness of the Cobra front line, instilled fear and concern in all those who had to de- fend against them . There was, however, another very important factor that kept the Hambletonian soccer machine in action--the eight players who made up the Hambletonian bench. These players gave the first team the back-up that a successfull athletic team needs. Time and again the bench had to be called upon to fill in for injured players. The attitudes of the substitutes typified the attitude of the whole team . They, too, worked and drilled as hard as the starting eleven. This continually created a competitive atti- tude within the team for the entire season, which made for a more competitive game and a successfull season. The basic characteristics of a good athlete are determination, pride, desire, self discipline, attitude, leadership, and physical and mental fitness. lt was these qual- ities that each player had, that made Chester strong as a team. lt was that fantastic practice attitude of Practice the way you want to play the game. lt was the team discipline that said, Do as you've been told , and We play our game, not theirs. Finally, the team slogans of We will not accept defeat--winning is everything. We take everything and give nothing , that made the Hambletonians victorious. With all of these ingredients working together for us, we had to win, and we did. We will be even better next year because of it. Nly congratulations to the nineteen athletes who have set the example and who have paved the way by doing it all. Coach Payne 28