It’s that time of the year again, folks. The air is numbingly cold and the Christmas decorations have come and gone. This time of the year also means that winter sports are in full swing. Central offers a variety of winter sports: boys and girls basketball, boys and girls swimming, and wrestling. Central’s speech, debate, and drama team is also at the peak of its season. Students at Central have the opportunity to cheer on their classmates involved in these activities and can add school spirit.
Swimmer Kelly Early is excited about the team aspect of her sport. “I am most excited just to see the new team. The team changes every year, and I feel like friends change every year, so I’m excited to see what that’s like.” The Billings Central girls swimming program has been very successful, winning 14 of the last 17 state championship titles. If they win this season, it will be their 5th consecutive title. “While we are successful in the pool, my favorite part of swim is the team dinners and bus rides. I love how I get to hang out with my teammates and build relationships outside of the pool,” said Early. On the boys side, the team has also been successful and has taken home 12 of the last 17 state titles, including the trophies from the last three years.
The Billings Central Swim Team completes their warmups during practice at MSUB. (Ella Fairbanks )
On the speech and debate side, participants are excited to hone their skills in different events. Junior Anna Kim, who participates in dramatic interpretation, is excited and nervous about the season. “I’m most excited for the meets and just hanging out with people between rounds. Though the meets take all day, I have fun hanging out with others during them. State is the highlight of my season. Though it’s stressful, it’s definitely the most fun.”
Both boys and girls basketball are eyeing trophies this year. Their practices started on the 16th of November and they practiced during Thanksgiving break to prepare for the rest of the season. “I am excited for the season,” said senior Jori Haugen. “My favorite part about the season is divisionals because the team is all together for 3 days and we have fun.”
