Page 60 June 2 014 ARCADIA SPORTS Arcadia student athletes thank their dads for support By Nicholas Smith Sarah Phillips: Softball, Arcadia Having your Dad as a coach isn’t always easy. While your Dad knows what motivates you and how to push you as an athlete, it can be hard to separate the father-daughter relationship from the coach-athlete relationship. However, I consider myself lucky having had my Dad as my softball coach for nine out of the 12 years I’ve played. He taught me to never give up, to give 110% effort one-hundred percent of the time, and to love every aspect of the game. Even though he is no longer my coach, my Dad is still, and will always be, my number one fan. Kylie Herd: Basketball, Former Arcadia Student Throughout my entire basketball career my dad has been one of my biggest supporters. No matter how I felt he was always there to help me make the right decisions. He was at every single high school game home and away. At Mesa Community College he has been to every home game and majority of the away Follow us on Announcing the Valley’s Newest Furniture and Design Gallery ~ Now Open ~ 4747 North Central Avenue 602.265.1077 www.aestheticsaz.com Fran Hasslacher, ASID, Interior Designer Fran@aestheticsaz.com ~ Like us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter games. I could not have gotten through this journey without the support from my dad. Josh Arndt: Baseball Player, Arcadia I have grown up in a baseball family. My dad played up to junior college ball in California, where he grew up, but was hindered by an arm injury on his throwing arm that did not allow him to advance any higher. Even after junior college ball ended and he was forced to stop playing the game he loved, he still continued to stay in the game any way he could. One of these ways was passing along all the knowledge and joys he had with the game to my brother and me. I quickly caught the love that my dad had felt towards the game. He has always been there for me when I needed a second opinion on my swing or if I needed someone to practice with, and often times he is the one who is encouraging me to keep practicing. He believes you can always make an improvement and that baseball is a game that requires constant work. He believes that you should strive for your best and these beliefs have rubbed off on me as well. Marissa Dominick: Soccer, Arcadia My father is the driving force behind my athletic career. A collegiate baseball player himself, my dad coached my older sister’s Arcadia Little League, Arcadia Little League All Stars, and competitive traveling softball teams; he even coached Dallas Escobedo, the pitcher for ASU’s softball team! I followed in my sister’s footsteps and was a slugger for my dad’s Little League teams until I “aged out” and decided to pursue my passion of playing competitive soccer. Upon switching out my bat and glove for shin guards and turf cleats, my dad accordingly swapped his Google Chrome “favorites” from the Triple Crown Sports website to “Underground Soccer,” the NCAA recruiting hub, and the National Weather Service (you know, to check the weather for my out-of-state soccer tournaments). I’ll never forget when he wore all ASU colors to a tournament in Las Vegas and everyone thought he was a college scout; he LOVED gossiping about college soccer recruitment with other scouts! While his coaching career may have ended, his support for my athletic endeavors will continue throughout my next four years playing soccer at Carnegie Mellon University. Dad, thanks for all of your love and support, soccer statistics, chauffeuring, weather updates, and most importantly, for being my biggest fan! Marissa Dominick’s dad coached her and her sister years ago in little league. Sarah Phillips’ dad is her number one fan.

Page 61 June 2 0 14 ARCADIA SPORTS By Nicholas Smith When Sarah Phillips walked through her front door that Sunday afternoon, she was ready to relax. The high school junior had been away all weekend at Calculus camp, a getaway for students to study for their upcoming A.P. exam. But before she could slide onto the couch, a pair of letters on the kitchen table caught her attention. They were addressed to her and sent from the school district. “Seeing the letters made me concerned,” she said. “A letter from the district had to mean I was in trouble for something, but I couldn’t figure out what it was. I decided to open them, in order to form a plan of action for breaking the bad news to my parents when they got home.” But to Sarah’s surprise, the letters contained very good news. She was one of two Arcadia softball players to be chosen for the Scottsdale Unified School District All-Stars, and had been invited to attend their Spring Banquet on May 12. “I could not have been more shocked,” Phillips said. “It is such an honor!” The journey to being an All-Star began when Sarah was just five years old, when she followed in her two older sisters’ footsteps and began to play softball. The sport was one of several she played growing up. “I did everything when I was little,” she said. “I played soccer, track, volleyball, Softball players become Scottsdale Unified All-Stars earn $50 read details and fine print at giantscottsdale.com under “pay it forward” this summer, don’t dread the heat... wish for it! the higher the temperature, the greater the discount! save storewide! see complete details about our summer promo (and other awesome deals) at giantscottsdale.com PMS 267 C 2902 N. 68th St. (68th st. and Thomas) 480-773-7706 widest selection of Giant bikes open 7 days a week family friendly & locally owned softball.” As she began to attend high school, Sarah began to focus more on one sport. She stopped playing volleyball when she was a freshman, and soccer ended for her the next year. “It was difficult to give up those sports,” she said. “But I loved softball, and playing on club teams and school teams didn’t really give me a ton of spare time.” This season, Sarah plays center field for the Arcadia team, while pitching and playing first base for her club team, the Lady Dragons in Chandler. Although others might find the intense and difficult art of pitching in softball to be intimidating, Sarah had the benefit of a personal trainer to help her learn. “My sister Emily pitched as well,” she said. “When I was younger I would try her windup and mimic what she would do. But it definitely takes a while to learn proper release form and how to pitch without hurting yourself.” Sarah has had her pitches clocked between 57 and 60 mph and served as a co-captain for the varsity this season, along with seniors Abby Schneider and Ana Huff. Sarah says all the girls have loved being part of Arcadia’s rise the last few seasons. “We’ve basically gone from the bottom to a 15-3 record this last year,” she said. “The school pride part of it matters a lot to me. And it’s kind of fun to show off a little for your friends and show them what you spend all your time doing on weekends during the offseason.” Sarah wasn’t the only one to make the All Star Team from Arcadia’s softball team this season. Although she is only a sophomore, Emily Ingles was also honored as one of by the Scottsdale Unified School District. Emily was one of the team’s best pitchers this last season and looks to be a dominant force for Arcadia during the next two seasons. “Emily and I used to play club team together when we were young,” Sarah said of her teammate. “She’s come into her own as a pitcher, and to say she is extremely good would be an understatement. She honestly has the talent to go as far as she wants to go.” Both girls will be leading a team next season with high aspirations. Although the team has experienced a sharp turnaround in recent years, Sarah is not Sarah Phillips was thrilled to be honored by the SUSD. satisfied with last year’s record. “It was a great season, but I know we can do even better,” she said. “Our goal next year is to make the playoffs and go as far as we possibly can.” er and her