After a slow start at the beginning of the season, Girls soccer has been speeding up their pace with wins as they prepare for their first regional matchup on May 14.

Before the Kits could prepare for their first regional match, they had some other business to attend to. Evanston has been on a roll winning 4 of their last 6 games including a 7-1 victory over Niles West, a 7-0 tromp against Waukegan, and a 3-2 nail biter against St. Charles East.

The rivalry against New Trier was renewed April 29 as Evanston faced the Trevians at Lazier Field. At (11-3-3), New Trier is ranked second among the south division and second overall in the CSL standings behind top-ranked Glenbrook South. In windy conditions, The Kits played their best defense they’ve played all year as they left last year’s super-sectional finalists to a (0-0) tie at the end of regulation.

Evanston’s defenders sophomore Jamie Donahue, junior Lydia Hoopingarner, and senior Alesia Hunter each had an impact on the field playing hard defense on the Trevians. Goalie Olivia Post was the star for Evanston with eight saves. Three of those attempts came from the Trevians star player Maddie Mulford who was struggling all night.

New Trier’s Goalie Nora Mabie had two fantastic saves over her head from attempts by junior Morgan Muno and junior Ryan Berkley, but received little to no action as offensively Evanston was a no show. With this tie and a loss to Maine South April 30, Evanston drops to fourth in the division and fifth overall in their conference.

Last season the Kits were ranked fifth in their regional and had a rather short offseason as they faced Lincoln Park demolishing them (5-0), but fell to Lane Tech (1-3). Coach Mauritsio Grillo likes the changes he has seen out of his team during this past stretch, “We are passing better and looking for width a lot, but we still need to work on some technical details,” he said.

The Kits have always been a defensive minded team, but they recently found an answer on offense, “We play a more spread out field so as long as we can keep the ball moving inside and out we can get up the field with a chance to score,” said junior, Ryan Berkley.

Evanston faces Maine West for their first regional match. (2-7-1) Maine West was last year’s regional finalist as they lost to New Trier 1-0 with a (13-9-3) record. With nine seniors graduating from last year’s squad, the Warriors inexperience played a role in this year’s losing streak.

Maine West and their seniors will heavily impact this game as their co-captains Bridget Burger and Genesis Vargas will anchor the defense and Sandra Reyes and Alexa Prosperi will have to showcase that one-two scoring punch if they want to upset Evanston.

The Kits have no set game plan and are going to play like it’s a regional match “We are going to play them as it’s a final match and you either win or you go home,” said Coach Grillo.

Evanston looks to make a run in the offseason and goalie Olivia Post believes that their communication needs to be spot on, “We need to work on playing together as 19 players and continue to push each other and show our strengths,” she said. If the Kits advance they will either play Lane Tech or St. Ignatius on May 17.

“This organization has been going on for forty years,” said Colwell. “It’s honoring legendary coaches, teams, players, media, and officials.”

The 41st Annual Hall of Fame Induction Dinner was held at Illinois State University on Saturday, April 27. The Board of Directors of the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association elected Colwell, who has worked as both a Sports Officiating teacher and as a head softball coach at ETHS, to the Illinois Basketball Hall of Fame in the officials’ category.

“When I looked through the program, I noticed that it was all men,” said Colwell. “Of the 40 years that this banquet’s been going on, there have only been two women inducted—Pam Young, who’s my mentor, and myself, so that floored me.”

Along with the eight other inductees in the class of 2013, Colwell is one of the pioneers in women’s officiating in Illinois. In her long, illustrious career, she has officiated for softball, basketball, and volleyball games at both high school and college levels.

“I’ve been reffing now for 34 years with IHSA,” said Colwell. “I started my senior year of high school and I just kept on with it and it’s been fun. I’ve even been teaching a class and that’s been around for ten years.”

In addition to her accomplishments as an officiator, she is also the creator of the Sports Officiating course at ETHS, which has led many students to become officiators themselves. She also teaches various health classes at the school.

Despite sports officiating at both high school and college levels being male-dominated, Colwell’s drive to succeed as an official has never dimmed and it has resulted in the highest possible honor awarded to Illinois officials.

“That moment in time, you have to stop and get a snapshot in your head,” said Colwell. “I realized all the hard work I’ve accomplished, all the meetings I’ve gone to, all the stripes I’ve worn, all the whistles I’ve blown, all the places I’ve traveled, and all my sacrifices were worth it because I got to give back to the kids.”

Evanston does a great job of setting up its sporting events to be fun for fans, and students should make an effort to get out and support as many teams as possible.

While there isn’t always success on the field or in the gym for the Kits, the reality is that we are lucky to have the athletic programs that we have. The athletic department does an excellent job of supporting its programs with resources and promoting them to the school. A major goal of this is to encourage attendance for all its teams.

While many students do attend big football and basketball games, though, the reality is that other sports often go unnoticed and unappreciated. There are dozens of sports teams at this school, boys and girls, who work hard every day in practice and come out to perform. It would be nice if big games could have good crowds for some of these other teams.

At the girls soccer game vs. New Trier last week, the student section was significant. Fans came out to support the girls, and made their impact felt with lots of noise and cheering. Seeing this fan base made me proud to be a Wildkit, and happy for our school.

The question, then, is why can’t we have support like this more often? Students should come out in groves to support not just the major teams, and not just for the New Trier Games. The swimming team deserves a crowd like that. The tennis team deserves that kind of support.

Even if it isn’t every time, ETHS students should take advantage of every opportunity to root on their squads. High school only happens once, and sports events are a great chance for students to come together with each other as well as show love for classmates who work hard.

Don’t get me wrong—our students do an awesome job coming out for their teams. They make noise at games and when they are there they are awesome. Having been to numerous away games for various sports, I can say that Evanston’s fan support is some of the best in the area. That being said, it is important that all teams here at this school get that kind of support.

Athletes work hard every day in practice. Games are the reason they do this, to compete and put on a show. I think every team’s show deserves a good audience.

With playoffs beginning Monday, tomorrow the Kits will receive their postseason seeding, and with it, who they will be facing in the first round.

With the regular season over, the Kits are now prepping themselves for what looks to be a highly competitive postseason.

Sitting above .500, at 9-6, Evanston finished third in the CSL South, one of the toughest divisions in the area.

“We’ve played some very tough teams to close out this season, and that’s going to be a good test to see where we are for the playoffs,” stated head coach Sarah McKenna.

Starting on April 25, the Kits went on a tear. Earning their first shutout since 2007, Evanston shutdown Regina 19-0. Senior Maggie Krause and sophomore Rachel Kornbluh combined for a total of nine goals. Continuing the streak, the Kits stomped Lane Tech last Tuesday with a final score of 17-7, and went on to punish Mather, putting up 20 goals and only allowing two. However, the offense couldn’t stay hot as Evanston then suffered a tough loss to conference powerhouse New Trier last Thursday, falling 16-3.

“I feel very confident we will do well. By working on our weaknesses everyday we have become a powerful team,” stated junior midfielder Kate Pingry.

The explosive offense of the Kits has been present through much of the season, putting up massive numbers. Last week Evanston found the back of the net a total of 40 times.

“This is a very athletic team that has a great desire to win. They work really well together, and have taken everything we’ve taught them and really applied it, and in that sense I think they’re ready to show the Evanston community how good girls lacrosse is,” explained McKenna.

Leading the attack has been senior midfielder Maggie Krause who leads the team with 43 goals. Having scored in 14 of their last 15 games, Krause will be a key weapon for the Kits come playoffs.

“We are really excited to show off our skills and the improvements made in the program. Hopefully our hard work and dedication will shine through in the playoffs,” stated Krause.

The team is staying upbeat and focusing on what is within its power. The team would love nothing more than to find a good run of form before playoffs start next week.

They’ll have a great opportunity to do just that as they play hosts in the annual Evanston Spring Fling Tournament starting tomorrow. With the home crowd behind them, senior John Corydon has highlighted this tournament as a big deal. Nonetheless, the competition will be stiff as the likes of Loyola and Notre Dame will have their eyes set on stealing Evanston’s glory.

`We’re playing to win,” said Corydon. “Loyola has won this tournament the past four years and I would love nothing more than to win our tournament in my senior year.”

Currently sitting at 8-16, the varsity squad did not expect to be eight games under .500 this deep into the season.  The team is saturated with talent, but team inconsistency has derailed any attempts to build momentum so far. Most recently, the Kits recorded an impressive win over Niles North, but followed that performance with a 19-25, 15-25 loss to rival New Trier.

“We are surprised to be where we currently stand,” said senior Jonah Lindley. “That said, we’ve all come together in the past few weeks, put our struggles behind us, and focused on proving to ourselves and the rest of the CSL that Evanston Volleyball is a force to be reckoned with.”

Head coach Mike McDermott echoed the opinions of his starting hitter and threw in a few kind words about Lindley’s contributions this season.

“We have not performed to our expectations,” said McDermott. “I knew it would take a while to find some consistency but I thought that at this point of the season we would be past that. That said, we have improved vastly in the past couple weeks. Jonah Lindley’s efforts have been a huge plus for us this season. He did not play in his junior year but he has more than made up for that with his enthusiasm, work ethic and ability in his senior season.”

Coach McDermott also heaped praise towards sophomore hitter Xavier Ajamia.

“He has proven to be one our most consistent hitters,” said McDermott. “He is a strong passer as well. Considering he is only a sophomore I am looking forward to see how he grows in the coming weeks and years.”

The Spring Fling Tourney starts tomorrow, and although a tournament win would be nice, the team is ultimately looking to be playing their best ball come playoffs. While the average statistician would look at the team’s record and throw out the possibility of the Kits finding any success in the playoffs, the team says otherwise.

“The playoffs should set up nicely for us,” said Lindley. “We’ve played all the top teams in the state already in the regular season and none of them were out of our league. Considering that we were not at our best early in the season I think teams will be surprised to see what we are capable of should we find our top form.”

Look out for a Cinderella story starring the Evanston boys volleyball squad.

After GBS, the squad concludes the season as they will host Loyola on Tuesday then travel for to Lake Zurich for a doubleheader on Saturday. Then, the team moves into the playoffs.

“We just need to stay consistent,” said junior outfielder Ben Marienthal. “We need to come into every game like we are playing for a state title, because we can compete with any team out there when we are on our game.”

Recently, ETHS struggled. On May 4, the team fell apart in the seventh inning as they lost to the lowly Maine West by a score of 10-3. On May 3, the squad got dominated at home by Niles West by a score of 17-3.

“Defense is the key to winning these games,” said junior outfielder Joe Franke. “We weren’t making key plays in these games and we lost all momentum which caused us to panic and lose confidence. We can’t win games without confidence in our abilites.

However, before that, on May 2, the Kits beat a competitive Waukegan team 7-3. Franke led the offensive surge as he went 2-4 with two doubles.

“We were able to stay focused, put together quality plate appearances, and make plays on defense,” added Franke.

On April 29, the boys came back and squeaked out a 9-8 victory over Deerfield. The Kits were down 8-2 going into the top of the fourth. Then they put up seven runs and took the lead in the fourth after the go-ahead three RBI double by junior Jackson Mihevc.

“We never got down,” commented Mihevc. “We knew we had the hits in us, and the bench got loud. Really loud.”

Two days before, on April 27, the Kits also fell behind early, this time against Glenbrook North. However, they weren’t able to muster enough hits to come back. The squad fell to GBN 8-2.

“We had a bad first inning,” said coach Frank Consiglio. “We played with them after that.

However, these bad first innings seem to be a trend. Consiglio attributes this to a lack of focus.

Moving forward, while the team all hopes to win some playoff games, Consiglio tries to stay away from focusing on these goals.

“I don’t talk about the big picture. We need to prepare and give focus everyday. We will get lost in the big picture.”

One man, daytime facilities manager Renato Ponce, has seen it all. He answers all your uncertainties about the differences between girls and boys bathrooms at our beloved school.

Evanstonian: What are the physical differences between boys and girls bathrooms?

Ponce: The physical differences between the boys and girls washrooms are that the girls washrooms typically have intact mirrors, where most boys washroom mirrors have been removed due to vandalism. Girls washrooms have all toilets as opposed to the urinal/toilet mix in the boys washrooms, and there are feminine hygiene product dispensers in the girls washrooms. Otherwise they are very similar.

Evanstonian: Which gender’s bathroom is dirtier? Why?

Ponce: The girls typically keep a dirtier washroom but the boys have worse “bad days.” When a boys bathroom is bad, it’s really bad, whereas the girls are pretty consistent. My opinion is that girls typically spend more time in the bathroom therefore dirty it a bit more. There are higher occurrences of vandalism in the boys washrooms.

Me: What is the strangest thing you’ve found in the bathroom?

Ponce: I have personally found a multitude of items and substances that aren’t supposed to be in a school or used by minors. We occasionally find wallets or food in the toilets. There was this one instance where I remember a student was caught by Safety trying to climb above the ceiling tiles; I can only imagine his motive for doing that.

Me: Do you see graffiti often? What’s the weirdest thing you’ve seen written on the stalls?

Ponce: Graffiti is found fairly often, but is usually removed as soon as possible. Graffiti was much more widespread in the past and has consistently reduced in occurrences over the past several years in my opinion. Oddly there has been an increase in graffiti in the girls washrooms the last few years. As far as weirdest thing I’ve seen written, it is not appropriate for minors. There was also an occurrence where something supposed to go in the toilets was used as a writing material. That was not a banner day when I had to clean that.

Every school has cliques, but these few that call ETHS home are certainly unique, and their actions and motivations tend to differ greatly by gender.

Many think the discrepancy between genders is a myth, but it’s pretty apparent among students of all grades.

“I feel like my group of friends is more inclusive than the girl cliques in the school and we like to branch out and chill with other groups and grades,” says Jacob Fajerstein, senior and member of the ‘Jew crew.’ “The girls are super exclusive and I don’t see many of them getting together and doing creative and musical things like we do.”

The female perspective isn’t exactly opposing, either.

“I’ve noticed guys are very forgiving, but don’t always look out for each other,” says Rosie Kirschenbaum, senior. “Girl friends hold grudges very easily, but usually like to stick together.”

“Girls can be more cruel with their words and finding a group that you fit in with can be difficult,” says Marley Marriott, junior. “They have different types of conflict and competition than boys.”

Fighting tendencies between genders are even on experts’ radar.

“Males are more likely to be physically aggressive whereas girls have more relational aggression- they may spread rumors, gossip or exclude others,” explains Margaret Pennoyer, psychologist intern. “I can’t say this debunks any stereotypes, but instead might support them.”

Girls may be generally more prone to drama, but according to some students, the issue isn’t so black and white.

“With the Birds and the Penguins drama, [a past junior class friend group rivalry] the boys were always huge instigators,” says Savannah Gallas, junior and member of the ‘Penguins.’  “It was as if they wanted to plot the groups against each other and used it as amusement sometimes. That in itself created more drama amongst the girls.”

Even male students agree.

“What I hear from people is they think girls gossip and guys don’t, and that’s not true,” says Metri Mareno, senior. “With guys it is seen as looking out for each other, but with girls it seems like they’re just talking bad about each other.”

A National Institute of Mental Health study provides some insight into the gender behavior disparity. Brainwave scans of teens while they rated their interest in others reveal that certain regions of adolescent girls’ brains involved in social learning and motivation become more active upon meeting new people, while in boys there is a decrease in activity.  This supports previous research that males are less interested in one-on-one interactions than girls and more interested in competition within larger groups.

Evolution might also be a contributing factor, since men had to compete for mates and women had to judge potential fathers to protect their children. But in 2013, society may be a better explanation.

“The media and stereotypes perpetuate ideas surrounding ‘dramatic’ girl and ‘chill’ guy friendships,” says Jenny Gray, junior. Other students add that social norms of same-sex friendships are also to blame.

But despite all the differences, there is one area experts find where the fine line blurs.

“Especially in crisis I have noticed how both male and female ETHS students provide unbelievable support for one another,” Pennoyer adds.

“It’s a time to develop a sense of self they are comfortable with,” says David Allen, social history teacher. “It’s a fascinating times for teens.”

Both boys and girls feel the pressure of gender roles. The girls who face big expectations of being skinny and the guys who have the expectation to be tough are just a few examples that most of us know.

“I am very aware of expectations put on women regarding body images,” says Allen who has a daughter. Allen says he is also aware of the pressures put on men such as being macho and unemotional. “It’s the first thing I hear when I talk to my kids about stereotypes,” he explains.

However, today’s generation is breaking through the barriers of gender expectations.  “It starts with awareness,” says Allen

Future generations to come will still have a hard time fighting gender expectations, but there has and will be progress to end them.

“To get rid of gender roles, the next generation just has to see everyone as an equal,” says Meryl Davis, sophomore. “Which is difficult because it’s been beat into our minds for such a long time that women do certain things while men do others.”

Already, some teens don’t feel the pressure of gender expectations. “I don’t think I am [affected by gender expectations] because when it comes down to it I am just myself. I think a lot of teens are because they want to take part in the social norms,” says Ian Eulinberg, junior.

Tiaira Scott, senior, is defying gender roles by changing the norm. She is on the wrestling team and recently was featured on Sports Illustrated. Tiaira has had to deal with discouragement from other students, but she didn’t let them stop her.

“Even the teams I wrestled against, they would just smile and laugh. They took me as a joke when I first started freshman and sophomore year,” say Tiaira. “That motivated me to do better. I’m representing females and that we can do anything we can if we put our minds to it.”

Gender roles are still prevalent, but it has already become the norm to step out of them. It’s encouraged for students to be themselves. “I don’t really believe in gender roles; everybody should be able to do what they want, when they want,” says Tiaira. “I do hope to change the stereotypes.”

Teens already have difficulty finding themselves, but it might be a little easier without the pressure of gender roles. It is hard to step outside the box of societal norms, but people are doing it everyday.

“This organization has been going on for 40 years,” said Colwell. “It’s honoring legendary coaches, teams, players, media, and officials.”

The fourty-first annual Hall of Fame Induction Dinner was held at Illinois State University on April 27. The Board of Directors of the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association elected Colwell, who has worked as both a Sports Officiating teacher and as a head softball coach at ETHS, to the Illinois Basketball Hall of Fame in the officials’ category.

“When I looked through the program, I noticed that it was all men,” said Colwell. “Of the 40 years that this banquet’s been going on, there have only been two women inducted—Pam Young, who’s my mentor, and myself, so that floored me.”

Colwell is one of the pioneers in women’s officiating in Illinois. In her long, illustrious career, she has officiated for softball, basketball, and volleyball games at both high school and college levels.

“I’ve been reffing now for 34 years with IHSA,” said Colwell. “I started my senior year of high school and I just kept on with it and it’s been fun. I’ve even been teaching a class and that’s been around for ten years.”

In addition to her accomplishments as an officiator, she is also the creator of the Sports Officiating course at ETHS, which has led many students to become officiators themselves. She also teaches various health classes at the school.

Despite sports officiating at both high school and college levels being male-dominated, Colwell’s drive to succeed as an official has never dimmed and it has resulted in the highest possible honor awarded to Illinois officials.

“That moment in time, you have to stop and get a snapshot in your head,” said Colwell. “I realized all the hard work I’ve accomplished, all the meetings I’ve gone to, all the stripes I’ve worn, all the whistles I’ve blown, all the places I’ve traveled, and all my sacrifices were worth it because I got to give back to the kids.”