BOYS BASKETBALL
“I have been a Coach and a Player Development specialist for over 25 years. In those 25 years I have worked with athletes form all walks of life and skill levels. I have coached in over 800 basketball games and have competed multiple State and National Basketball championships. The time that I have spent coaching has given me an extensive mental database of things that I have tried – some successful and others unsuccessful but with that lesson in my “mental database” it helps me make the best possible decisions today. I feel we are going to be a fun and exciting team to watch play. We are going to be involved in the community and we will be very well respected off the court as well. We will be more talented during games and that will lead to more wins and to a team that the school can be proud of.” – Head Coach Robert Soler
“I’ve made a lot of friends on the team, so I get to enjoy all of their different personalities,” junior Alex Suarez said.
“We really focus on acting like a team and not just having all the focus on one player,” junior Matthew Cole said.
“We have a motto, ‘We over Me,’ and we use that on and off the court as a team because that’s how we are going to win games,” senior Mickey Griggs said.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
“I have been playing the game since I was in the 3rd grade. I have coached at all 3 levels, middle school, high high school, and college. I have taken away something from each level that has influenced my decision making. My staff and I are looking for a great season. We believe we are going to surprise some teams. I believe we are going to play more up tempo then in the years past. Our IQ for the game is good and if we work hard we will see improvement. Our players are coachable and willing to work hard on the court and in the weight room, as well as off the court.” – Head Coach Sam Story
“During practice we keep things light by doing a lot of bonding activities because the conditioning can be so intense,” sophomore Larissa Figueroa said.
“Even when you think you’ve given all you can, it’s important not to give up,” sophomore Issabelle Rennaker said.
“I have definitely become more open to working with people and listening to others opinion because of basketball,” senior Mary Boerboom said.
BOYS SOCCER
Tryouts took place the week of Oct 23.
For more information contact Alex Bright at bright007soccer@gmail.com.
“I strive to win and get to a point where I’m better than my opponents,” sophomore Jonathan Lima said.
“A good soccer player needs to have coordination, strategy, and trust in their teammates,” senior Graham Blunt said.
GIRLS SOCCER
Tryouts took place the week of Oct 16.
For more information contact David Sisk at davidsisk31@yahoo.com or Danielle McMann at drmcmann@volusia.k12.fl.us.
“There can be times that it’s hard to focus, but if you work hard in practice, it’ll be easier in a game situation,” junior Briana Eads said.
“It was nerve-wracking to work with the high school team at first, they all seemed so much more experienced,” junior Natalia Diaz said.
“I think that the most challenging part of soccer is continuing to have confidence in yourself, even when you fail and make mistakes,” freshman Rachel Kenis said. “You have to get back up and continue to succeed.”
WEIGHTLIFTING
“This will be my first year coaching at UHS, as well as my first year coaching girls’ weightlifting. I have experience coaching girls’ basketball from my time in Tennessee, which has extended to this team. That experience has influenced my decision making for our training schedule – what lifts to do, when to do them, when/what to lift around competitions. I expect that several of this year’s lifters will be very competitive. Everyone is very excited about the upcoming year, particularly following the results of our first meet on Wednesday, November 1. We had seven girls win their weight class and another six place in the top three of their weight class. For weightlifting, the most important trait of a good lifter is self-motivation. The desire and drive to lift every day, and to lift more and more weight must come from the lifter. Additionally, a good lifter must be comfortable with failing. Most competitions will end in failure, so the lifter needs to be comfortable with the idea of failing and use that as motivation to improve for the next meet.” – Head Coach Richard Wampler
WRESTLING
A good wrestler works hard, doesn’t look for a pat on their back for doing the job, and has good leadership skills. I have been coaching for 22 years and have been at UHS since it opened. Most of my decisions are based on experiences I have had with previous teams. The attitude we’re trying to take this year is going to be more fun. We have a good amount of experience back which if everything plays out will result in a lot of success. – Head Coach Matt Weaver
“Going through hard practices forces you build up mental strength to succeed in meets,” junior Zion Gonzalez said.
“Freshman year I was pretty laid back but now because of wrestling it’s almost automatic to give my all in everything I do,” senior Antonio Liberti said.
“You need dedication for wrestling after long practices, when you’re beat, sore and tired,” senior Derek Garcia said. “You need to keep pushing yourself.”