By: Sydney Brammer
Redwood athletics are a big part of the school culture and always comes to an end for students at one point in their career. Seniors finish out their overall careers in high school or some even go on to play in college maybe even pro. There are so many wonderful aspects of high school sports and seniors below are share their thoughts as they reflect on their time participating in Redwood sports.
Varsity Girls Soccer captain, Jill Nelsen ’19 has played varsity since her first year at Redwood. She loves playing for “one of the greatest schools” and will miss playing with the girls. Nelsen says, “What I’m going to miss the most is all the memories we make and friendships I’ve built with each and every girl. We aren’t a team at Redwood, we’re a family.” Nelsen treasures all the tournaments, games, and practices and is so sad her 4 years are up. Nelsen says she’s grown more as player and realizing it’s not all about winning, but leaving it all on the field. She says, “I take pride in what I did these 4 years here and I know that without Redwood, I wouldn’t be becoming the woman I am in the game and in life. Nelsen will continue to play soccer at Cal State East Bay! She’s very “excited and blessed”. She’s always wanted to play in college and feels that East Bay is the right fit for her.
Three-sport athlete, Cade Batchman ’19 plays water polo, soccer, and swim. He was on varsity water polo and swim all 4 years and was on JV soccer one year, then varsity the rest. Batchman will miss “all of the stuff that comes with playing sports. The big playoff games, the team bonding, the trips, and the overall experience.” Batchman loved playing all of these sports, he loved the competition and focusing on one thing at a time. Batchman will continue to play water polo either at Cuesta or on a club team.
Halle Patterson ’19 played on JV volleyball her freshman year, then varsity the rest. Patterson will miss everything about Redwood volleyball. She says, “It brought me some of my closest friends and so many memories!” She also says, “I’ve become a person who will put others first because of Redwood volleyball. One practice, we had another coach come and work us out. When everyone was super tired and had ice packs on their necks I wanted to keep going for my team.” Patterson is talking to a couple colleges right now about playing volleyball, but is still not sure if she wants to further her volleyball career.
Two-sport athlete La’Dre Aguilar ’19 plays football and basketball. He played varsity all 4 years for both sports. Aguilar liked to play basketball more than football because “in football, all you do is get hit.” Aguilar is going to “miss playing with my friends” most about Redwood football and basketball. He isn’t sure if he’s going to continue his sports career in college yet.
Bronson Chamberlin ’19 played on JV baseball one year, then varsity the rest. Chamberlin is going to miss “playing with my bros” the most about Redwood baseball. Chamberlin appreciates all the staff and coaches he’s worked with throughout his years and “learns something new everyday.” Chamberlin will continue to play baseball at COS.
Sydney Brammer
Sydney Brammer, '22 is currently in her fourth year writing for the Redwood Gigantea. She has a strong passion for featuring the humans of Redwood, and enjoys putting the spotlight on the underdog. She has written for the Visalia Times Delta and Sungazette Sports. You can reach her by email at sydneybr17@gmail.com.
