When talking about sports, one might typically imagine someone running down a field, catching a ball and scoring a touchdown. However, some students at the high school think of slicing through the water, gripping the tiller and the mainsheet with all their might as they race past the finish line. The clicking and clanking of swords as they swiftly dodge a jab at one another. The feeling of striking someone down on the mat.
These students have found their place in specialized, less common athletic endeavors.
Junior Hadley Langolf, who competes in sailing, said she was raised in the sport.
“I think the first time I went sailing I was a month old,” she said. “Both my parents grew up in the sport.”
She is also planning on continuing sailing after high school, Langolf said. She is looking for colleges that would allow her to continue to compete, such as schools close to the water or those that have a sailing team which most Big Ten Conference schools and East Coast schools do, Langolf explained. For now, though, she competes all around Ohio and the country, she added.
“This summer, I got an opportunity to compete in San Diego for a sailing national championship,” she said.
She explained only 22 teams from around the country qualified to compete in this event. Langolf was also one of the youngest female contenders in the most difficult freshwater race in the world, she added.
Langolf said sailing has expanded her horizons and allowed her to meet new people.
“From Michigan, California, Oregon, literally all over the US, sailing has given me friends,” Langolf explained.
To start sailing at a beginner level, LeatherLips Yacht Club has a beginners program, as does Alum Creek Sailing Association, Langolf said. There is no experience needed to join Bexley’s own sailing team, she added.
Freshman Isabelle Kermisch, whose mom introduced her to fencing when she was young, said she fell in love with the sport as a kid and has stuck with it ever since.
“It’s like a mental puzzle,” she said. “There’s never a point when I was practicing or competing that I was unstimulated.”
After high school, Kermisch said she is determined to compete in college. She hopes to receive a scholarship to a college and have the opportunity to compete with their team, she added.
There are many entry level ways to get into this sport as well, Kermsich said. The Ohio State University has a very good program for beginners, she added.
Junior Sadie Blasczyk, who practices karate, said her mom put her into the sport when she was young. She explained her mom wanted her to have something to do, but she stuck with it because it has helped her come out of her shell and be more positive. Karate has also taught her discipline because it focuses on respect and tradition, she added.
Blasczyk said she doesn’t see herself competing at a collegiate level, but she still wishes to continue the sport as it has become a regular practice in her life.
Karate isn’t just a way to stay active, though–it’s also a way to make friends, she said.
She explained XL Karate, where Blasczyk practices, is now moving into Bexley where Roll once was.
“It’s really fun and it’s definitely not something you would expect,” she said.
Blasczyk strongly encourages people to try out these sports and hopes that they become more available to students, she said.
“I think it would be good for a lot of kids to get to have those opportunities,” Blasczyk added.
