Richmond Hill grapplers make history
Seven Richmond Hill wrestlers made school history last weekend by making it to the state level in competition.
This is a huge accomplishment, considering that this is our first year as a bonafide varsity team. To send close to half our starting wrestlers to state this early in the program’s history, I believe, is a great indication of an extremely bright future for our wrestling team.
John Phifer, the Wildcat’s 145-pounder, brought particular glory upon both himself and RHHS. I got a chance to talk to John about his feelings on wrestling at the state tournament and what he sees on the horizon for RHHS wrestling.
Q: What were your thoughts on not only going to state, but being the top 145 in the region?
A: Wow, all that hard work paid off, and if in our first year in varsity we made it this far I look forward to next year.
Q: How would you describe state?
A: Overwhelming, because there were so many schools were competing. Not until you experience state can you imagine the enormity of it.
Q: How did you do?
A: I won my first match, but unfortunately I lost the other two.
Q: What do you think you’ll walk away with after wrestling at state?
A: A better understanding of how large and competitive wrestling is overall, and how to better prepare ourselves for next season.
Q: What are your thoughts on this past season as a whole?
A: It was a very successful season. Seven of us advanced to state our first varsity year.
Q: What do see in the future for our team?
A: To work even harder, and to bring home some medals from state, and to have everyone qualify for state.
Q: Do you plan on returning to state next year?
A: Yes, yes, yes.
Shamrocks for a good cause
Green and Gold shamrocks have become a common sighting at RHHS lately. The Richmond Hill Beta Club is selling shamrocks to RHHS students, faculty and staff for $1 and $5, depending on what color you purchase, with the profits going to disabled children. Mrs. Exley, the sponsor for the Beta Club program at RHHS, was able to better enlighten me as to why the shamrocks are being sold, where the money’s going, and some other finer details about this gracious charity.
Q: Why is Beta Club selling shamrocks?
A: We’re selling shamrocks to raise money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association.
Q: How long has Beta Club been doing this at RHHS?
A: Since before I took it over, and I’ve been doing it for about 12 years now. They’ve been doing it, probably since Beta Club was started at this school.
Q: What is your donation goal this year?
A: They way it’s looking right now, I’m hoping we’re going to make the $1,000 mark. Some of the past years we’ve had it as a competition, and made around $2,000. It wasn’t feasible to continue that competition so it’s just been kind of within the club, a competition within the members in the club instead of by classes. So our donations dropped down to probably about six or seven hundred dollars, but this year it looks like we may actually top out at a thousand. So I’m looking forward to that.
Q: What do you think club members will gain from selling shamrocks?
A: Hopefully they’ll gain appreciation for the association itself for going out and actually fundraising and making money for other people, other than themselves, and just a sense of accomplishment and self worth for themselves.
Q: How long will you be selling shamrocks?
A: Through the 13th of March.
Q: What happens to the shamrocks after they are bought?
A: Generally we try to display them, I’ve got to find somewhere that we can put them up and display them. After the students write their names on them the ones [students] selling them bring them back to me.