Oshkosh West High School - Notebook Yearbook (Oshkosh, WI)

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CROSS-COUNTRY: BOTTOM ROW: Sue Weyen- Finger. ROW THREE: Cherste Johnson, Julie Akin, Krebs, Jodie Drake, Paul Lehman, Fred Hintz, kee. berg, Kim Sosnoski, Doug Lampe, Paul Smith, Kurt Coach Russ Hoxtell, Tom Harron, Keith Krystek, Eric 2 Bowen, Todd Kile, Matt Thill, ROW TWO: Sue Niendorf, Jim Lemkuil, Steve Kubeny, Troy Dur- FRI E ND Steve Gordon, Shawn Brady, Scott Morrison, Tom 67 3A bet

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Things To Do-Sports 66 Cross-country: 1: proceeding over country side (as across fields and through woods) and not by roads 2: of or relating to cross-country sports. (Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary) If you happened to be driving down Jackson Avenue at about 4:00 some fine autumn afternoon, you might have seen a few motley looking young men and women from the Oshkosh West Cross Country team. They should have been running, but a few have been known to walk a block or two. In 1983 though, you would not have seen many walkers. Dedication was commonplace, and most everyone ran the dreaded ten mile route at least once. And the hard work paid off. They consistently placed well in what Coach Russ Hoxtell considered one of the tougher conferences in the state. “We worked hard,” he said, “and had no major injuries.” Names like Pierce Park, SPASH, and Terror Invitational, conjure up memories of steep hills, tough competition and hard races. There was New Berlin and its ten foot trench filled with murky brown water, that defied you fo try to cross it without sliding face first into the muck. Who could forget Yahara Hills and its serene flowing meadows that provided a refreshing break from the urban blight before your race, but made you want to take a Flame thrower to and burn down every blade of grass after running the course? Faces wincing from pain, the smell of Cramergesic, and the sound of the starter’s gun were common af a meet. The season was a good one with the team placing second at conference out of teams. Senior Steve Kubeny dropped minutes from his times of the previous year making him the most improved runner, and sophomore Cherste Johnson and junior Julie Akin placed high making them the biggest surprises of the season. But the brightest spot of the season was when senior Shannon Voss went to state. He also became only the third person in Oshkosh West cross-country history to become a four year letterman. “It was a good end to his career,’” Coach Hoxtell commented. ‘He really deserved to be there.” The team had an unoffical motto: ‘Pain is my iriend.” You might have overheard one of the runners saying this, trying to convince himself that the agony in his feet wasn't that bad. 4. With the finish line not far away, Shannon Voss and Steve Kubeny start their kick. 2. As he emerges from the woods, Steve Gordon takes the lead. 3. Pacing herself as she goes, Cherste Johnson heads for the finish line.

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Things To Do — Sports “I've got a lot of faith in this team,’’ said soccer coach Fred Werner, Faith alone did not carry the soccer team into semi-sectional play before losing to rival Neenah, who was the state runner-up. In presectional play, West beat Stockbridge 4-3 in overtime, with Dave Ehlke scoring the winning goal. They advanced on to play Sheboygan North, which was considered by many of the players to be the best game of the season. When West finally met up with Neenah, morale was high despite two losses to Neenah during the regular season. Senior Kip Spanbauer noted, ‘We really wanted to kick: we thought there was a chance of an upset.” Spirits sank as West ended their season with a disappointing 1-5 loss. The team’s conference record was a frustrating 5-6-1 after they had completed the first half of the season with four wins and two losses. The second half was almost a complete turn around with only one win, four losses and one tie. The route of the season paralleled the pattern of their games. “There were too many games in which we went flat in the second half, and it hurt our record,”’ said senior Mike Rodman. The second half was not the only thing giving them problems. ‘The team was young and | think inexperience was one of our biggest problems,’ stated Coach Werner. The varsity team was comprised of eleven sophomores, two juniors and five seniors. There were many positive things said about the season. “We always had enthusiasm when we were playing,” commented sophomore Chris Hageman. Rodman added, “We were a team to be contended with. We weren't going to be a pushover!” High scorer for the season was Dave Ehlke with six goals. Scoring five goals apiece were Andy Schweda, Jamie McKeon and David Davies. Rodman led in assists with seven. Goalie Spanbauer definitely would win the award for endurance because he played every game in its absolute entirity. Receiving all-conference honorable mention were McKeon, Spanbauer and Garth Sawall. The junior varsity team had a record of 2-5. ‘They have real potential and good morale; all they need is a little self-discipline,” said Coach Ray Sebero. Matches were hard for the J.V. soccer team to come by. They played whenever their coach could find another J.V. team. “'It was hard because we weren't sure of when we were going to play, and it made it harder to prepare for the game,” said freshman Jay LeBeck. Their best game came against Neenah even though they lost. They were the only J.V. team in the conference to score against Neenah’s J.V. team.