As the new school year fast approaches, ACGC Fall activities are well underway! Week 1 was filled with a lot of anticipation, excitement, and promise for the 2024 season.
Cross Country: Cross Country was reintroduced to ACGC this year, and Coach Kelley Heimerman couldn't be happier with the start of the 2024 season. "It was a very good week for our brand new cross country program! Numbers continue to grow and have improved a lot in just one week. We had a beautiful day on the trails in Atwater on Tuesday; starting our “Trail Tuesday.” As the season continues, and school begins, we’ll continue to look for more athletes to join the team."
With their first event on August 30, the team will have an extra week of practice to get better and grow the program.
Volleyball: With a change in coaching staff, Micah Tolzin and Jillian Korpi will be leading the charge for the program this year, as co-head coaches. Coach Tolzin said, "during our first week, the team hit the ground running, getting back to basics and focusing on the fundamentals. We’ve honed in on movement, reaction time, and high-energy drills, and the girls are putting in the work while showcasing their incredible talents."
Coach Tolzin's message this week was clear: "Be where your feet are, give 100% every day, and support each other like family. The energy and effort have been outstanding, and it's clear that we're building something special together.”
Football: Coming off a 6-4 season in 2023 and graduating a number of starting positions, Coach Blom and staff are seeing a lot of promise for the 2024 season.
“We were incredibly lucky to have beautiful weather this week which made practice even more enjoyable. The team is stepping up to all the challenges we are throwing at them. Our upperclassmen are showing a lot of enthusiasm, which has been trickling down to our underclassmen. We've been focusing on building fundamentals and conditioning, while pushing this young team to break down whatever barriers come at them.”
Coming up is week 2...the start of full contact! This week will most certainly help the coaching staff evaluate their players.
Fall Musical: Off the field and into the theatre, week one went great for the Fall Musical, The Little House on the Prairie. Per Director Thomas Dougherty-Rosengren, “The 38 students who will be on stage for this fall musical came back ready and raring to go! We got two read-throughs of the show and there is a lot of seasoned talent and a lot of fresh faces.”
Aside from being on stage, they’ll also be starting a Theatre Leadership Committee. This group will consist of nine students, who will take on more roles in the way of warm ups, social/emotional aspects, behavior management, attendance, fundraising, and social media/advertising.
There is a lot of excitement to get the rehearsals going and to bring to life the beloved story of Laura Ingalls and her life on the prairies of the Midwest!
As we move into week 2, volleyball and football will see their first taste of competition. Volleyball will be at Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted High School on August 23, at 9:00am. And football will be at Lakeview High School on August 24, at 9:00am.
GO FALCONS!