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Ida B. Wells Athletics Update

09/13/2021, 12:00pm PDT
By Mike Nolan, Athletic Director

“If my mind can conceive it, if my heart can believe it, then I can achieve it.”-Muhammad Ali

Greetings Sports Fans! What a great week to be an Ida B. Wells Guardian! Both of our soccer programs continue to battle it out in a tough pre-season schedule with some really exciting soccer on the pitch throughout all levels. Our Volleyball Program had an exciting week with a truly competitive match with our cross-town rival, the Lincoln Cardinals. The Cross-Country Program had a great showing at Lents Park this past Wednesday with the Varsity Women’s Team cruising to a victory at the meet. We had our first taste of Friday Night Lights when our football program hosted the Dallas Dragons. While the score wasn’t in our favor, the program continues to build a solid foundation. It was great to see our Cheer Program for the first time this year at the game on Friday as well! A huge thanks to our staff of EMS, ticket-takers, CSA, and admin team for all of their support on Friday night. We are looking forward to another exciting week ahead!

Positive Coaching Alliance + Sportsmanship- “I think sportsmanship is knowing that it is a game, that we are only as good as our opponents, and whether you win or lose, to always give 100%”-Sue Wicks
As we settle into a little normalcy this year after spending so much time away from school and competitions, I want to take the time to remind our student body the importance of sportsmanship and being positive. It has been great to see so many students attending soccer, volleyball, and football games and 99.9 percent of the time, our students do a great job of being positive but all it takes is one small thing that gets amplified in a crowd and to me, when a school is recognized for its sportsmanship, it is far better than any victory on the scoreboard. Below are some great tips regarding sportsmanship from our partners at

PCA.#LifeisaTeamSport
https://devzone.positivecoach.org/resource/book/roots-honoring-game-and-sportsmanship
https://devzone.positivecoach.org/resource/video/stevens-kerr-respect-your-rival

The Week Ahead-Our Volleyball Program has a big week when we host Jefferson on Tuesday and then travels to Grant for a big PIL showdown on Thursday. The Women’s Soccer Program faces some pretty tough competition when we host Mountainside on Monday and then they travel to Jesuit on Wednesday. Men’s Soccer continues to battle in a tough pre-season schedule when they travel to Beaverton and host Aloha this week. Both the Men’s and Women’s JV2 soccer programs also face some good competition this week as well with a big day Friday when they both play Lincoln. Our Varsity Football Program hosts Jefferson Friday night and the JV2 will play at their place. The Cross-Country Program has the week off this week. Come out and support our programs this week!

Ida B. Wells Youth/Middle School Programming- Our Youth/Middle School programming is in action for this Fall. We can’t thank the PIL Athletic Office enough for their support of our Youth/Middle School Programming. We hosted our first Middle School Volleyball Tournament over the weekend our Grid Iron Guardians participating in their first contests as well. The Middle School Cross Country Program is off and running as well!! A huge thank to all the parents and volunteers to help make all of this happen!

PIL Hall of Fame Mel Krause Memorial Golf Tournament- The PIL Hall of Fame is back to hosting this event at the East Moreland Golf Course on September 13th. You can find more information and registration at the following site. https://pilhalloffame.org/

8th Annual PIL Open Golf Tournament- On Wednesday, September 29th, the PIL will be hosting its annual Golf Tournament to raise funds for PIL Athletics to help support communities around our district. This year it will be held at Pumpkin Ridge. For more information and registration, please visit www.pilathletics.com

Mask Updates-
• Outdoors-All student-athletes will need to wear a mask when NOT competing. All coaches, spectators, and support staff will need to wear a mask at all times. 
• Indoors-All student-athletes, coaches, and support staff will need to wear a mask at all times, even while competing.

Thank you all for your cooperation.

IBW Booster Club- The athletics department would like to send a huge thank you to our Booster Club for all the great work they do providing for our school and community. If you would like to volunteer or become a member, please visit their websitehttps://www.ibwboosterclub.org/

Ida B. Wells Athletic Sponsorship- If you are interested or know of anyone who is interested in becoming an Ida B. Wells Athletics Sponsor, please email me at mnolan@pps.net for more information. We like to promote all things local in our community. If you would like to make a donation to help support Ida B. Wells Athletics, please visit the following site

Dragon Boats- Have you ever seen the Dragon Boats in the Willamette River? These beautiful boats were gifted to the people of Portland by our sister city in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Every year teams gather and compete in dragon boat racing during the Rose Festival. This year however there will be a special Fall season for the Ida B Wells Guardians Dragon Boat team to get on the water. We need a team of Twenty five students to fill our boat. Do you and your friends want to join? Email Mr. Butterfield, abutterfield@pps.net, to get the registration information. To learn more about Dragon Boating in Portland visit the Portland-Kaohsiung website. Our practices will be on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturdays at 4:30-6:00 pm. I hope you will join us on the river this fall.

Guardians of the Week
Women’s Cross Country-So. Lily Roller- “Lily Roller is an unstoppable force of positivity. Her energy powers the team in many ways. Lily’s excitement for her teammates and positive outlook on every situation lifts our entire team. She also has an incredible calming effect during stressful moments. She is a great leader for our team and community.”

Men’s Cross Country-So. Orion Hess- “Orion Hess has become one of the best leaders in Ida B Wells XC program history. His sincere caring for teammates is unmatched and his unwavering energy and support is infectious. From leading the team cheer to leading drills to racing from his finish line back to the course to cheer in teammates still racing he optimizes TEAM.”

Guardians of the Week
Volleyball-Jr. Avery Fraser- “Avery is leading the Guardians on the court along with digs, aces and points scored Avery has been playing lights out. Her attitude, leadership and focus has been an engine for the team this season.”

Sunday Tid-Bits-
“When you want different for yourself, you have to start moving different. Old keys don't unlock new doors.” — Anonymous

I. Freedom = No Fear
“I'll tell you what Freedom is to me. No Fear.” — Nina Simone

• If we fail, never give up because Fail means First Attempt In Learning.

• The end is not the end. In fact, End means Effort Never Dies.

• If we get no as an answer, remember No means Next Opportunity.

• When we change our thoughts, we change our lives.

II. To Believe

Believe in your infinite potential.

Your only limitations are those you set upon yourself.

Our beliefs shape:

• What we see.

• What we hear.

• What we read.

• What we think.

• What we experience.

“Believe in your heart that you're meant to live a life full of passion, purpose, magic and miracles.” — Roy T. Bennett

III. With Acceptance Comes Peace

Life becomes peaceful when you accept:

• That you can't save people from themselves.

• That some people won't give you what you need.

• That sometimes, things don't happen for a reason.

• That some people will ask for advice, but still won't listen to you.

• That change can be complicated even when you know what to do.

Source: Nedra Tawwab, Set Boundaries, Find Peace

V. Question

When did I last push the boundaries of my comfort zone?

VI. This Week I Will

1. Feel gratitude.

2. Walk in my truth.

3. Build brick by brick.

4. Recognize the beauty in my days.

5. Focus on the next opponent / opportunity.

The Last Words…

“We are constantly learning, healing, and growing. We are trying to find our meaning in life while facing our traumas and choosing to rise above them. One thing is for sure, we can always help each other. Whether it is by making someone smile, helping the ones in need, checking up on someone you care about, being a good listener, or sharing your knowledge.  There are so many ways to be a good human being. Choose to be one for the people around you, whether you know them or not. Remember, you don't need a reason to lead with love.” — Dhayana Alejandrina, Writer & Poet

Coaches Corner- We like to highlight coaches in our program and this week we are highlighting our Head Cheer Coach, Lynsey Smith.
1. Where are you from? Where did you grow up? I grew up in Oakland, Oregon. Yes, there is an Oakland, Oregon, it's A thriving metropolis of 850 people, it's a 2A size school. We had 4-day school weeks which was AWESOME, as a student and as a coach.
2. Tell us a little about your family? Do you have any cool traditions?My mom was a flight attendant so we traveled a lot growing up. Given that every weekend was a 3-day weekend, we'd take a lot of weekend trips to Hawaii and New York. My mom and I really love Broadway. A big ongoing tradition for my dad's side of the family is making Christmas candy each year for our friends and family. My grandparents grew up in the Depression-era so they would make gifts for people when they couldn't afford to buy them. It's grown into a weekend-long event in early December with my cousins where we make pounds and pounds of fudge, caramel, buckeyes, and other goodies.
3. How long have you been coaching and where have your stops been?
This is my sixth season of coaching. Before here I spent 2 years coaching in San Francisco and one year at my alma mater in Oakland.
4. What do you enjoy the most about coaching?
One of the things I enjoy the most about coaching is the connection that you create with the athletes. Teenagers are notorious for being aloof and standoffish, so I cherish the way in which my kids open up to me. High school can be rough and I love that cheer can make it more enjoyable and create positive memories for them. I genuinely love getting to know my kids and spending time with them each week. I recently had to put my dog down and the support my squad showed me was so touching. My kids are truly awesome and I am fortunate to be their coach.

5. Do you have any game day superstitions or rituals?
Unfortunately, COVID has ruined our tradition of having big team dinners before home games but we're trying to find new ways to commemorate each game.

6. What lessons can you draw from participating in Cheer?
One of the biggest lessons my athletes learn is how to be accountable to each other, especially in their stunt groups, as when one person is missing, the entire group is unable to practice those skills. And the times when there are absences, it's a good learning moment for them as they learn to be creative and flexible while still making practice productive. It sets the stage for later in life when a partner on a group project flakes or when a coworker calls in sick.

7. Any one particular moment in your coaching or playing career that stands out?
Coaching through COVID has been quite impactful. Being able to weather this pandemic as aprogram has been rough but it has illuminated how much kids need sports and a supportive community. Last year, my girls practiced outside on the football field for 4+ months, in the cold and usually rainy weather. There were times when we'd be the only program practicing but week after week they kept showing up to work on material and to learn new skills. I was and still am so proud of their resilience and dedication.

8. Is there still time to come out for the Cheer program?
We just closed second change sign-ups and we are thrilled to have grown our program to over 26 athletes, including a new exchange student.

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