Never Underestimate Trinity Athletics!
There are times that potential families express fears that because we are a small school, we will not be able to offer competitive athletics like the bigger schools. I always smile when this concern arises because Trinity has a long-standing history of outstanding athletics alongside our strong academics. Over the last 17 years, our Athletic Director, Terry Stenklyft, has done a wonderful job of recruiting fantastic coaches who teach our young athletes how to improve on the court and thrive as leaders off the court as well.
This season was especially exciting for our 7/8 girls’ basketball team—expertly coached by Jeff Roethel and Abby Wietfeldt--who made it to the State Tournament! The girls finished the season with a record of 14-6. They took 4th place in the Grafton tournament and finished in 2nd place at the Bethlehem tournament. This team kept every game exciting, joking that their motto was “overtimes are our thing." The team finished four games in overtime, winning three of the four. The girls’ strong display in season and tournament play earned them a bid to State. Our school body had a blast sending these girls off to State with a pep rally last Friday that included a staff-versus-student basketball game, flash mob dances, and cheers and prayers all around.
At State, the girls lost their first game in the tournament Friday evening, but came back Saturday morning with a victory. Their third game was against First Immanuel Lutheran, who had proved to be a challenging opponent earlier in the season. Our girls fought hard, ultimately losing the close game. The girls shed many tears after the last game, not only because of the loss but also because it marked their final time playing together as a team. And wow, did they play as a team! If you had the opportunity to watch the girls play over this season, you quickly noticed that every player on the court was unselfish and focused on working together to make great plays. Our 7/8 girls truly modeled what Christian leadership looks like on the court, and we could not be prouder of them!
So, the next time people ask you if Trinity can athletically compete with other schools, invite them to come and see for themselves! We cannot wait to see what next season brings as more of our boys and girls step out on to the court to showcase their God-given talents and to give Him the glory in all things!
