Girls Varsity Basketball Coach ready for Season by McKayla Ivey

Nate Pelletier, a math teacher at Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School (OHCHS), has been coaching basketball for 13 years. Before he moved to South Paris 10 years ago, Pelletier grew up in Brunswick, Maine and went to Brunswick High school and there he played 4 years of high school basketball. Pelletier went to Saint Joseph’s College in Maine, where he also played four years of college ball. He explains, “I kind of worked my way up. My senior year in college I coached an 8th grade boys basketball team, and then I coached JV girls at Edward Little for three years and now I’m the varsity coach and it’s my 10th year here.”

As a basketball coach, he states the thing he loves most is, “I love the kids. I mean they work hard every day. I love basketball. And you know you kind of put it together and it’s really one of my passions.” He also states the most difficult thing for himself as a coach, “Sometimes its difficult for me, as being a player, to get across what i’m looking for them to do as a player, and I’m just on the sidelines. Just watching the games a knowing exactly what I want them to do, and sometimes its hard for me to explain what I want them to do. Its definitely a different realm of being a player and a coach, but I’ve gotten there. Its taken a while but I've finally figured it out.”  Pelletier says that nothing really prepared him to be a basketball coach other than the fact that he was a player himself.

To prepare for this season, Pelletier explains, “You know, I think we are in a good situation this year, with a lot of kids coming back. I think it’s just everyday we are just trying to improve on our skills. We have a lot of talent. Were not really in a phase of trying to figure out where we are, its just trying to get better at what we do.”  Last year the OHCHS Girls Varsity basketball team won playoffs, the Eastern Maine Championships and went to the State Championships. There they lost to McColley. This year they have the goal of going to playoffs, and then the goals will continue to get bigger as the season goes on.

“...right now its just day to day. We’re trying to get to playoffs, and I think we have a talented team that could get back to where we were last year. But thats really far out in the realm of what’s going on right now.”

High Expectations For Oxford Hills Boys Basketball by Shannon Kriger

The Oxford Hills boys basketball team are more than ready to make a statement about themselves this year. After losing to Hampden Academy in the Eastern Maine Finals to last year, the team is determined to make it back to the Augusta Civic Center.

With 6-foot-6 junior Andrew Fleming and 6-foot-3 junior Tyus Ripley, the Vikings are expected to dominate in the paint this year. This season for the two is looking very promising after their first regular season game against Edward Little, where Fleming had scored 27 points and Ripley contributed 13 points.

Although the team had lost several senior players last year, they are confident in their young team.

“We are adjusting to the change by trying to teach the new players about being and acting like varsity athletes. Also, having them play in preseason games benefitted them in getting used to the speed of the game,” Head Coach Scott Graffam explained.

The team is looking forward to their 18-game season and are prepared to compete against all the teams in their league night in and night out.

The team of 10 is very confident with their offensive skills. Graffam mentioned that once the athletes get used to playing together and strengthen their competence on the defensive end, they will be practically unstoppable.

“We are a very hardworking team. We are very capable of scoring, and we are getting better at defending,” Graffam commented.

Scott Graffam has led the Oxford Hills Vikings through numerous successful seasons. He has always pushed the boys to become the best that they can be, and he also often emphasizes the importance of working together and playing like a united team.

When asked about his coaching philosophy, Graffam replied, “Athletics are a good way to teach life lessons without some of the consequences of real life problems. Also, I find it important to coach how to behave and prosper in situations where you can’t control what goes on around you.”

The boys have had their fair share of setbacks, but it has only made them more motivated and ready to dominate in the Eastern Maine Class A conference this year.

Ambitious Foreign Exchange Student Adjusts to New Home by Shannon Kriger

Leaving your home country to come to a completely foreign nation is clearly a rather difficult concept, but 17-year-old Jette Vogel of Northern Germany makes it look easy.

When passing her in the halls, you’d never guess that Vogel is from overseas. She is eminently friendly and always appears to be enthusiastic when it comes to learning something new.

Attending a school where everyone speaks a foreign language is undoubtedly difficult, but Vogel proved herself willing for new experiences even more when she decided to join the basketball team at Oxford Hills.

“I decided to play basketball this winter because I wanted to learn a new sport. In Germany I had done track and field for 12 years and I never had the chance to learn something new,” Jette explained. “I’m happy to play basketball and I enjoy the time I spend with my team.”

Although Vogel loves Maine and being in the USA, she pointed out that she is not too fond of all of the woods that surround Maine. She’s used to a more metropolitan environment; especially when it comes to public transportation.

“There’s no form of public transportation or anything like that in this area, and that’s kind of bad if you don’t have a car or license,” Vogel clarified.

Another diversity that Jette had noticed in the United States is the school system. She explained how in Germany, you have to take all the classes that are offered; giving Vogel a school schedule of 14 different classes in her home country. In Oxford Hills, students class schedules usually consist of 7 or 8 classes.

Vogel appreciates the freedom in Oxford Hills when it comes to the classes she is taking among the various classes offered at the school.

“I really enjoy not having so much pressure with so many different classes. It’s a lot easier,” Jette commented.

Aside from having to adjust to Maine’s diverse environment, Vogel is thrilled to be in Maine and is making countless memories that she’ll cherish for the rest of her life.

“I have never had an experience like this and I had never been in the US before, so the whole thing is really exciting for me.. I like Maine and am very happy to be here.”