Name: Christian Mangini

Grade: 12

Sport: Wrestling

How long have you been playing?

I have been wrestling since freshman year.

How did you start playing?

At first I wasn’t really interested, but my older brother started getting serious in it so overtime I started to appreciate it and I wanted to try it out.

Do you want to play in college and or, do you know what school you’re attending?

I’m attending FGCU [Florida Gulf Coast University] but I’m actually not going there for sports.

Do you play any other sports?

Yeah, I also play soccer and was on the varsity team.

Do you play outside of school?

Usually in the summertime I wrestle outside of school to practice, but otherwise no.  

Do you like playing in school or outside of school better?

I enjoy wrestling in school because of the teammates.

What was the hardest thing to learn about the sport?

Well, I love eating food, so I would say the hardest thing about the sport would be cutting weight.

What is your favorite thing about the sport?

I would say it is probably the team and the coaches, because without them I probably wouldn’t want to do it.

What was your greatest achievement in the sport?

I would say my largest and greatest achievement would be becoming district champion.

What was the greatest moment you had during the season?

I would say it would be becoming district championship that’s year as well because it was such a large accomplishment.

How do you stay in shape?

I go to the gym after school, but otherwise it is just eating the right foods and making sure I keep healthy.

Is it hard for you to balance school and wrestling?

It definitely is or can be, but I try my best to make it work.

Do you ever think about going pro?

As far as going pro it’s a hard choice, but if i had the opportunity then i’d definitely give it a shot.

Do you have any before game superstitions or rituals?

Honestly I just enjoy being left alone listening to my music, basically just preparing for my match.

How does the team look for playoffs?

We have to beat other teams so that we are ranked above them and so for the post season we keep a good record, but we looked pretty good.

How are the season stats so far?

This season we did really well and definitely had a positive record overall.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS (STATISTICAL OR OTHERWISE) FROM THE MONTH:

>District 21 Champion

>Region 6 Qualifier

>Went 3-0 at the Matawan Quad on February 9th

ATHLETE’S IMPACT ON THE TEAM’S OVERALL SUCCESS THIS MONTH:

> Christian’s hard work through the year led him to avenge multiple losses en route to his District Championship.

> Christian’s win in his match against Middletown South helped secure the team points needed for the Patriots to win the match.

> Christian finished the season 23-12; good for 2nd on the team in wins and he led the team in pinfalls.

Name: Sarah Orenski

Grade: 11th

Sport: Bowling

How long have you been playing?

I have been bowling since I was about 4 or 5.

How did you start playing?

My sister joined a league  that ended up being a Saturday morning thing that i went along too and I fell in love with it. My dad had also traveled around the world for bowling when I was little so i decided that i wanted to join as well.

Do you want to play in college and or, do you know what school you’re attending?

I do not know what school i’m attending but i definitely want to play in college because there is a lot of scholarship involved.

Do you play any other sports?

I used to play soccer, but I gave it up before high school to get more involved with bowling.

Do you play outside of school?

Yes, I participate in a league outside of school.

Do you like playing in school or outside of school better?

I would say inside of school because it is more of a team atmosphere and it is something that not many states or schools offer, so we are lucky to have it.

What was the hardest thing to learn about the sport?

I would say that the hardest thing about bowling is your mental game, because if you make a few bad shots or make a good one and don’t get the result that you want, it can mess you up.

What is your favorite thing about the sport?

I would say that my favorite thing would be the team atmosphere and the excitement of your teammates and other winners as well.

What was your greatest achievement in the sport?

I would either say winning states or being on TV last summer with a nationals team would be my greatest accomplishments.

What was the greatest moment you had during the season?

I would say that states were our best accomplishment, because we got in, had faith, and were actually able to win which was a great accomplishment for us.

How do you stay in shape?

I just practice often and go to the gym occasionally as well.

Is it hard for you to balance school and bowling?

I definitely say that sometimes it is, however you just have to time manage and try your best to get all of your work done.

Do you ever think about going pro?

I probably would accept the opportunity if I was given it, because I would like to try it out.

Do you have any before game superstitions or rituals?

Basically just hanging with the team, and we normally bast my speaker on the bus.

How are the season stats so far?

States are over, but we won so….

ACCOMPLISHMENTS (STATISTICAL OR OTHERWISE) FROM THE MONTH:

> Finished 6th in Tournament of Champions after bowling the second highest series at the sectional tournament.

> Bowled a 209 average (3rd in the entire Shore Conference)

> Highest Individual Game at Monmouth County Championships

> Qualified for Individual Shore Conference Tournament

ATHLETE’S IMPACT ON THE TEAM’S OVERALL SUCCESS THIS MONTH:

> Helped lead team to three championships:

o Group 3 Championship (1st in school history)

o Divisional Championship (3rd consecutive)

o Monmouth County Championship (2nd consecutive)