Magnificat High School - Magnifier Yearbook (Rocky River, OH)

Page 64 text:

An opponent was Friend As I ambled into the gym, I saw her standing with her teammates in the corner. She looked casual even though it was our home court. She hadn’t seen me yet, but I knew that as soon as she did, she would come running over to say hi. As I looked at her, I couldn’t help thinking about what a good friend she was. In grade school we were best friends. We practiced together and constantly challenged each other to contests in order to determine who was the better server or who could make the longer shot. We never dreamed that we would be playing against each other. Yet there we were set to play one of the biggest games of the sea¬ son as opponents. That wasn’t the first time we met in different colored uniforms. Some¬ times she made me nervous. I really wanted to impress her with my skill as a player. When that happened, I usually played my worst games. Sometimes, though, it was just like grade school again. It was a personal challenge to see who was better. When¬ ever I was at the service line, she knew I was aim¬ ing at her. Likewise, when she got the ball on the basketball court, she drove right at me. That was when playing was the most fun and of the best quality. I saw her off the court too. We discussed coaches and our strategies against various teams. We warned each other about players to look out for and officials we didn’t like. Then we talked about more impor¬ tant things like who she was going out with at the time. Well, she’s seen me now. “Hey, how ya doin’? Good luck tonight! (But not too much.)”pi| —Molly McCloskey Comraderie can in¬ crease competition for Ka¬ ren Bito ’86, Molly McClos¬ key ’85, and Joy Gorecki ’84 as well as Leslie Day SJA ’84, who moves toward center for the hit. Many Mags girls had friends on a SJA team. Photo by C. Trzcinski. Unintimidated by St. Joseph Academy senior Leslie Douglas, Sue Trzcinski ’85 hits from the right front position in a match at SJA. Leslie was a friend of Magnificat’s co¬ captain, Barb Wallenhorst ’84. Photo by C. Trzcinski. 60 COMPETING AGAINST FRIENDS

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The disadvantages of a 6-2 offense show when Mar¬ tha Cutarelli ’84 can’t get to the ball as Karen Bito ’86 moves to the back row. MHS lost the match to SJA. Photo by T. Pietromica. (continued from page 56) When the conference season ended with a tie for first place, everyone was a little tense. Miss Gail Schneider had to go to a meeting to find out which team would only have to play one match. The phone call came during dinner. My daugh¬ ter really screamed when she was told that her team got the bye. When she wasn’t jumping up and down, she paced all over the room. When she finally sat down again she told us that St. Joe’s would play against Holy Name and then Magnifi¬ cat would play the win¬ ner. She also said that three of her teammates, Joy Gorecki ’84, Molly McCloskey ’85, and Barb Wallenhorst ’84, had been named Conference All-Stars. I think at that moment all the hard work and sweat that she had put into her season became worthwhile. Al¬ though Magnificat event¬ ually lost to Holy Name, my daughter was proud of their accomplishments in the conference. Obviously the team had some exciting moments on the court, but it also had some great times off the court. The girls were all thrilled to go to Toledo to watch the U.S. Olympic volleyball team play Ja¬ pan’s team. My daughter said that it was incredible to watch those women play. I think, though, that one of the highlights of their season was their trip to Cleve¬ land State University to cheer on the junior varsity team. Although they had been behind them all season, the varsity team members let the JV players know how much they support¬ ed them by screaming until they were hoarse and by literally tackling the JV conference cham¬ pions when they pulled out a victory. I was proud of my daughter and her teammates not only because of their record but because they contin¬ ued to improve throughout the season. I wonder if other mothers end up so enthusiastic and involved in their daughters’ extra¬ curricular.[»1 —Molly McCloskey VARSITY VOLLEYBALL 59

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Their concentration fixed on the finish line ahead of them and not the Avon Lake runner behind them, Beth Crowley ’85 and Joanna Butts ’86 forge on in a meet at LCCC. The Blue Streaks had an excel¬ lent rapport with the Avon Lake team because many Mags runners had friends on the Avon Lake team. Photo by T. Crowley. The game ' s opening tip-off pits Barb Wallen- horst ’84 against Holy Name junior Vicki Bent- kowski as Martha Cutarelli ’84 takes a characteristic tuck in her shorts and pre¬ pares for the jump ball. Martha and Vicki, who were friends, had a few things in common. Because they were both such out¬ standing basketball players, they were named to The Plain Dealer’s Dream Team. Photo by A. Sheridan. In the left back posi¬ tion, Holy Name junior Annette Samame bumps to the front row in a match against Magnificat. Annette was named a conference All-Star. Her twin sister, Bridgette ’85, was co¬ captain of Magnificat’s champion junior varsity volleyball team. Photo by C. Trzcinski. COMPETING AGAINST FRIENDS 61