Emslie has attended the Bigfork School District since his freshmen year. “Augie has the ability to make me laugh just by looking at him,” said Mrs. Lander. He is an all around funny guy, and has always been able to put a smile on people’s faces. “My inspiration is Aaron Rodgers only because he is the best quarterback in the world.” On the field Emslie sets goals for himself week by week, usually along the lines of making very few mistakes, no turnovers, and to win the game. For the team “we try to play mistake free football. Play hard on every down because every player matters.” Todd Emslie encouraged him to play football. “Football has always been apart of my life. My dad has been coaching a long time and played college ball.” Every athlete has their favorite memories with the team. Emslies was beating Conrad. “I think the only thing I would tell upcoming players is you have to keep working hard. Nothing is ever handed to you.”
Athlete of the Month
New student Abigail Sue Ellison takes the November athlete of the month. Ellison joined the Bigfork School District in her junior year about nine weeks ago. Playing basketball, volleyball, and track Ellison puts her 100% into everything she does on and off the court. Ellion has been playing volleyball for five years (since she was in 7th grade). “Before I was old enough to compete, I would always pass the volleyball back and forth with my mom, and have loved playing the sport ever since.” Ellison stated during our interview. Like every great athlete she sets goals for herself before every season, “ this year my goal was to be the best teammate and player I could be. I wanted to become better at defensive skills and to always give my 100% during games and practice.” As a team the girls set goals to qualify for state in Bozeman, and although it was not reached the girls got very close. “I think I can say for the team that none of us feel like we “‘failed this goal.” Ellison has plans to go to college for volleyball but does not know exactly where yet. “I want to tell the upcoming players to work hard in practice, stay focused, be positive, and encourage others. Also, put in work in the off season. You always want to be ahead of the game, trust me it will pay off.”
Athlete of the Month
Fraley has attended the Bigfork School District since kindergarten. Knowing her is a blessing because she is willing to give any help to anyone who needs it. She knows how to make people happy when they are sad, even is she does not really know that person. Farley’s inspiration is her big brother Dillion. “He played sports through high school and showed what a positive impact they can have on you.” Being a two sport athlete, she plays volleyball and tennis. “You don't have to be a certain way or extremely athletic to play sports. It just matters if you like what you're participating in and if you’re having fun.” The team sets goals every year and they wanted to become better fundamentally than last year, and finish top two in districts and divisions. For Fraley her goals are to do the best she can, and to be the best teammate she can be.
Athlete of the Month
Trey McManaway has attended the Bigfork School District since his freshmen year. McManaway has been playing football for four years and has an unconditional love for the game. Like any great athlete he sets goals for himself and the team. “My goal is to always beat the guy across from me, always play to my full potential every time I set out onto the field, and win as many games as we can this year. For the team our main goal was to make it to playoffs.” McManaway’s favorite moment this season was when Matt Farrier and him got to walk up as the captions against Fairfield for the last time. And although he has had a great season McManaway has not decided if he is going to play football in college. “Some advice I would give the upcoming players is to hit the gym as much as you can. It will pay off, and do not be like Matt Farrier.” Great season this year McManaway number 57 will be a big number to fill next year.
March athlete of the month
The male athlete of the month for March is senior Ross Coleman Senior Ross Coleman has attended the Bigfork School District for 13 years. Inside the classroom, he is a respectful student, always gets his work done, and tries his best at everything he does. He not only does cheer, but is involved in track. After high school, Coleman plans to attend the University of Montana to continue his cheer career. Coleman has many inspirations, but his biggest is Bigfork graduate Tyler Iverson. “He taught me everything I know about cheer. I have always looked up to him when it came to cheer. I hope to one day be able to teach him a thing or two.” But Coleman would not have this inspiration if it wasn’t for Hannah Massey. “To be honest, the night before a Kansas State Cheer camp, a girl on the cheer team texted me and said “ we would really like it if you were there’, and I did not want to be mean so here I am. Thank you Hannah Massey.” At the beginning of the season, every great athlete sets goals for himself and the team. Some of Coleman’s goals he set for himself are, “I want to be better than Iverson, We have always competed against each other in both track and cheer. For my team we wanted to make the program bigger, more respected , and in general to have a great season.” For upcoming players, Coleman says to have an open mind, ignore the countless amount of haters, and have fun , and make the most out of everything you do. “I have a countless about of favorite moments but my best one is when I hit a new stunt or make a good throw. Hearing the crowd cheer my name, makes me realize how many people out there support me and what I do.”
Senior Dylan Schmidt won the female athlete of the month for March. Senior Schmidt has attended the Bigfork School District since kindergarten. In her time at Bigfork, she has become Winter Formal princess her junior year, as well as Homecoming princess her senior year, and Winter Formal queen her senior year. Schmidt has also spent a large amount of time putting in 110% to the cheer squad. Going to the University of Montana after high school, she is hoping to become part of the cheer team they have, and will be trying out for them in the spring. “I have always wanted to be a cheerleader. No other sports really have my interest. There is so much more to the sport than what people think. You have to be an athlete. You need strength, determination, and goal oriented. There is no limits, every person can progress at their own rate and that is what I love about cheerleading” Schmidt is inspired by her coach Heather Epperly. “There has been plenty of times I have wanted to give up but she helped me through the hard times. She made me a better person, I could not thank her enough for everything she had done for me,” said Schmidt. The best feeling that Schmidt has had since she has been cheering is her junior, when year in the middle of the basketball season they performed their first half-time dance to ‘Uptown Funk’ and the crowd went crazy. Schmidt sets goals for herself before the season starts, “ I want to work hard to get all the requirements done before tryouts start. I also want to perfect my back handspring” “As a team we set goals for the whole group, and since we are such a big squad this year our main focus was getting everyone comfortable with the co-ed stunting and making everything as sharp as possible.” For upcoming cheerleaders, she has some advice, “Always have a positive attitude, and whenever you are on the field or the court, always give it your all with a smile on your face.”
February athlete of the month
The female athlete of the month is sophomore Grace Olechowski.
Olechowski has attended the Bigfork School District since she was in the 8th grade. “I love it here and I am so glad we moved to Bigfork, said Olechowski. In the classroom, she is a great student according to most of her teachers. The other students will go to her to get help if they are busy. Olechowski won the stated championship for Original Oratory in speech in debate this year. At state Olechowski wore the code 1011, which now she claims that to be her favorite number. She is inspired by Sam Benkelman, a competitor of hers in Original Oratory from Whitefish. “Benkelman was winning first place all season long and really inspired me to step up my game, write a new speech, and go win.”The best feeling for Olechowski was when she took 8th place at one meet and the next week she was a divisional champion and then took state. She worked hard every competition, and it finally paid off. “I just wanted to improve myself every single meet, but always remember to have fun. Winning state was not on my mind very much, because I just took it one meet at a time and enjoyed every second of my season.Her freshman year, Olechowski tried doing Lincoln-Douglas Debate, but it just was not for her. “My parents, coach, and teammates encouraged me to try a different event. Mr. Appleby introduced me to Original Oratory, and I fell in love with it! I also wanted to improve my public speaking ability, because I think it’s fun and a really important skill. Plus, I love to talk.” Being a state champion in Original Oratory for the speech team, Olechowski wants to continue to do speech in college. For some future speechies, Olechowski said “ Just have fun, work hard. Practice, and when you think you’ve practiced enough, practice some more. Set reasonable goals for yourself and learn how to conquer your nerves. That’s the biggest thing: don’t let your nerves conquer you.
The male athlete of the month for February is senior Connor Meyer. Meyer has attended the Bigfork School District for four years. He is a two sport athlete, doing wrestling and football. Inside the classroom, Meyer stays on task and works hard at every assignment he is given. Although Meyer is an amazing athlete, he does not plan on going to college for any of them. Cael Sanderson is his biggest inspiration, because “he is known to be the best wrestler.’’ “Seeing his strategies on the mat and how he is able to beat everyone, is exactly how I have always wanted to wrestle to become the best.” “I set myself goals at the beginning of the season to win divisionals and to place at state. I did end up going to state, and that was a good enough accomplishment for me.” For the team, one of the goals they set is to be the top team within the division. “My parents have always supported me, and have always been a huge influence. I want to thank them for everything they have done for me throughout my high school career.”
Senior Logan Bivens Morley wins the male athlete of the month for November/ December Logan Morley has attend the Bigfork School District since kindergarten. In the classroom he is a sweet and respectful student, who works hard to keep up his grades. With the hard work in both the classroom and on the track Logan has been expected to go to college in Colorado for running. Teacher Sue Loeffler said “I have coached Logan since he was in the sixth grade. He has always shown great leadership through his actions. He definitely showed that throughout the season. He has always been a great teammate and works very hard to become a better runner everyday. The only thing I would tell Logan is to quit looking back”. Because he was suffering from iron deficiency, Morley did not run a whole lot this season. However, he did not let that slow him down; Morley ran at state and won with 15.36.02 on the clock. This was his second year winning the championship for cross country.
Sophomore Bryn Morley wins the female athlete for the month for November/ December Morley has attended the Bigfork School District since kindergarten. Never seeming to fail to be a great person, she is loved by most her teachers and fellow peers. Always having a smile on her face, you would never know that she has shin splints and is in pain all the time. Most runners would not be able to run as much and as fast as she did all season. Coached by teacher Sue Loeffler since the sixth grade, she has worked hard everyday. Loeffler said “she is a great leader by her actions, personality, and work ethic. She is very self motivated to be the best. Always being thoughtful and a great teammate, Bryn brings a lot to the team; the other runners look up to her. The only thing I would tell her is to be her own person. Run your own race, because you are an amazing runner and a amazing person that is going to go far in life. Winning state with 17.26.15 on the clock she beats out her competition by 1:40. Because of this amazing feat, as well as many others Morley hands-down won athlete of the month of December.
September/october Athlete of the month
The Bigfork male athlete of the month for September/October was won by junior Quentin Matthew Farrier.
Farrier has attended the Bigfork School District since the seventh grade. Farrier is a good student, and loved by most of his teachers. Working hard on and off the field, Bigfork High School should be expecting a lot from this talented young athlete. One of his inspirations Herschel Walker, wore the number 34, so it is unsurprising to see Farrier tout that number. Another inspiration, Adrian Peterson, wears 28, but embodies Farrier’s running style. Even though both of his main inspirations are running backs, Farrier has been playing football for four years as a running back and has big plans to become all state in more than one position. Working hard to achieve his goals for the upcoming years, Farrier would like to have a full ride to Alabama State or Florida State. One of Farriers favorite feelings is “When you run past everyone who is trying to tackle you, and you know you are going to score a touchdown that is the best feeling on the field’’ said Farrier.
The Bigfork female athlete of the month for September/October was won by senior Mattison Elizabeth McAnally.
McAnally has attended the Bigfork school district since kindergarten. She is adored by many students and teachers. Although McAnally is a soccer stud, basketball is her main sport. Coaches say she is a great kid, easy to coach, and a great team player and leader. McAnally has been playing soccer for Bigfork High School since her freshmen year. Over the years of her soccer career she has wore #13 and has gained a real love for the game and said that she plays to stay active and to have a good time. Scoring 7 goals this years for the Val’s have got her teammates really appreciating her being on the team. “ I want to work on encouraging my teammates more and just becoming a better player all around ” said McAnally. McAnally finds her inspiration in almost all college athletes for working hard and taking their love and talent toward the sport to the next level. Although the soccer superstar does not plan to go to college for soccer, she hopes to get some scholarships for basketball or track.
january Athlete of the month
The male athlete of the month for January is senior George Gibson. Gibson has attended Bigfork School District since kindergarten. In and out of the classroom, he is a kind-hearted,caring,soft spoken guy. Being a three sport athlete, he works hard at everything he does and always tries his best. After high school, Gibson wants to attend MSU, and study engineering.
One of his biggest inspirations is his father. “He has always supported me, been there for me after bad games and has coached me through the years.” Before the season started Gibson set some goals for himself and for the team. “I wanted to start, and always play my best in the games. For the team, it is our ultimate goal to make it to state, but another one of our goals is to win state.” On the court, Gibson wears jersey number 23. He likes it because it is the same number as Michael Jordan. He plays a center, because he is one of the tallest on the team. According to Gibson one of the best feelings on the court is “when the team isn’t playing well and I make a big play and the whole team gets motivated and gets them going.” Gibson would like to tell the upcoming players that you need to play as a team. Don’t make it about you, if you play as a team now it will make it a lot easier then if you don’t play as a team and just start one game. You will be able to learn more about each other on and off the court. It makes it a fun experiance for everyone.”
The female athlete of the month for January is senior Lana Berg. Berg has attended the Bigfork School District since she was a freshman. In the classroom she is a hard worker and a great student to have in class. Being a three-sport-athlete Berg wants to go to college for basketball, but does not know where yet. On the court, Berg wears jersey number 30, and plays the power forward. Her inspiration is her team and her parents. “I love my team and want to do well for them; we all love to play and we play great together. My parents always support me, and I want to do well so they’ll be proud of me.” Berg sets goals for herself before the season to help her become a better athlete. She wants to go to state, place at state, and improve on her dribbling and rebounding. Since she has been playing since she was in the 3rd grade, she has some advice for the upcoming players. “Practice is hell, games are heaven. Teamwork makes the dreamwork.”