Girls win State again; boys take 4th

On February 5 and 6, the Judge swimmers took a trip down to BYU to compete in the 2010 State Championships. "The atmosphere was very intense and nail-biting," said senior Malori McGill, a swim fan who made the trip to Provo.

Girls swimming won their seventh state title in eight years taking first place with 380 points while fending off top-rival Park City. Park City and Wasatch followed with scores of 372 and 275, respectively.

The "Scarlet Heroes of Yore" coach Matt Finnigan, was overjoyed with the win. "This one was maybe sweeter because it had to be a team effort," Finnigan said. "We just forgot about scoring, swam hard, had fun and let the chips fall where they may." Junior Lydia Jones took the Bulldogs home with individual wins in the 200 (2:00.68) and 500 (5:27.29) freestyles. This year's girls talented squad was led by team captains Erika Eisenman '10 and Carolyn Carter '10, and got power and speed boosts with newcomers Lydia Jones '11, Meghan Brockmeyer '10, and Emily Murnin '13.

On the boys' side, Park City won the state title (339) while Wasatch took second (320) and Juan Diego Catholic placed third (251) while Judge took fourth. In his final high school meet, Judge senior Oliver Diamond, the defending 3A swimmer of the meet, left no doubt about who is the best male swimmer in 3A this year taking first in the 50 (21.44) and 100 (46.98) freestyles and grabbing another "swimmer of the meet" award . Diamond followed up first place in the 50 free on Friday by producing a super-fast win in the 100 free on Saturday.

Diamond scored 268 points — the second-highest total of anyone at this weekend's state meets. "It was my last race and I was excited for it," said Diamond. "My goals were to just come out and swim hard and support this team." And Diamond did just that, flying by the competition and showing that Judge is still and always will be a competitor.

Simplot Games: Throwing, Long Distance, and Hurdles.

The clocks ran as soon as the Judge team walked into the stadium. Two and a half hours in and out of sleep on a bus, and the indoor track team had finally made it to Pocatello, Idaho. It was late afternoon by this time, around four o'clock, and there was barely time to prepare for the first race, the 3200 meters. Runners began to jog around the track, and around the campus near the stadium, though many weren't looking too overworked, for 16 laps around a 200 meter track, the first four could substitute a proficient warm-up.
In these races competed senior Lizzie Hindert, freshman Conner Liston, and freshman Jordan Higley. Each person pulling through their monotonous events, and finishing decently. Along with physical endurance, these competitors required an esteemed level of patience for the 7 heats of the boys mile, and 5 heats for the girls ranging from 9 to 14 mintues per race.
During the seldom exciting exhibit of the 2 mile, reigned weight throw in the center of the ring. Sophomore Ofa Vaisima competed in the weight throw the first Thursday of the Simplot games, and then entered the shot put on for the second night. Ofa has been throwing for two years now, and throws roughly 28 ft. in shot put, her main event. However after her second year competing in the tournament, she was especially proud to have thrown further than her sister, a Senior at Woods Cross High.

Simplot Games: short distance and high jump

Last weekend the Judge Memorial track and field team traveled to Pocatello, Idaho to participate in the annual Simplot gamse, and the bulldogs really excelled. In the 200 meters, junior Kiersten Berg got first place in her heat, even though she was running in the first lane. The first lane is the hardest lane to run in because it is set farthest back and has the steepest curve around the end of the track. Junior Christian Barbiero and sophomore Kevin Ortiz also surpassed in the 200. Paul Clark did very well and was in one of the fastest heats for the 60 meter dash. Mary Morgan, a sophomore, joined Camille Overmoe, Kiersten Berg, and Lizzie Hindert to compete in the Medley relay, while Linda Frank mastered the high jump, jumping over the bar at 4'10''.

Freshmen Girl's Basketball: Undefeated

All the Girl's Basketball teams are tough to beat. The Varsity squad is heading into the playoffs as region champs and they finished with a regular season record of 19-2. The Freshmen Girls went undefeated, 17-0, in the regular season. Then won the next two games in the Freshmen tournament for an overall record of 19-0 . Their success reflects the hard work of the upperclassmen and the talent of the underclassmen. With the skill of all the teams in the program Judge Girls' Basketball can only get better. Make sure to support your Lady Bulldogs Varsity this Saturday, but don't forget the Freshmen as they play in the semi-finals this Thursday at Judge.

Boy's Tennis Preview

As spring begins, it means something important for a group of
bulldogs: boy's tennis is starting. After pulling an upset victory in
the 2008 season, the bulldogs are the current 3A state champions and
are hoping to keep it for at least another year. Despite some
graduating players, the varsity team still has depth. Andrew Lamb,
Trey Kennedy, David May, and Kolbe Newton should be returning to the
team for the 2009 season, along with other players. The tennis season
will begin in early March and the bulldogs will start the search for
another state title.

Girls' Junior Varsity Soccer

Are you looking for a new extra-curricular activity to do here at Judge? Soccer might just be the perfect idea. I recently sat down with a soccer player, Shiona Smith. We talked about how she has enjoyed playing this sport so much.

"It was really fun to get to meet new people before coming to Judge, because on the first day of school I wasn't as nervous as I could have been because I knew a lot of the freshman already." Shiona replies. "It's a really fun sport and I encourage everyone and anyone to get involved." She has been playing soccer since she was just five years old and her favorite position is defense.

This year there is a new soccer coach. Shiona says that she just recently met him and is very excited to get to know him more out on the field. "This season, I am really looking forward to getting to know the new coach." Shiona says smiling. "I'm also looking forward to new training and conditioning."

"I would tell anyone to get involved in soccer. It's fun, it gets you moving." I can tell how excited Shiona is about this upcoming season. "I love getting to interact with the other players and the coaches. It's a great way to get to know new people."

Shiona's advice to future soccer players is, "Try your hardest and do your best, don't be put down by the fact that someone else is better than you." The season will be starting soon. If you would like information on how to get involved with the soccer team, please contact Wayne Voorhes.

Girls Golf

Spring sports are now upon us and the girl's golf team is one of the sports quickly gaining interest. The number of senior girls now looking to play the sport has grown drastically since last year, not to mention the several juniors and underclassmen planning to join the team. The girls will start practice on March 2nd under the coaching of Patty Brimley and they are all very excited to start playing. "It's mostly about learning and the experience, but we are all really excited to play," said senior Marquel Reddish. The girls will compete in 6 upcoming tournaments and they are all hoping for the best.

Bulldog Basketball

This week is a big week for Judge basketball; the Varsity boys' team had a 40-39 win over Wasatch leaving them with a 7-0 region record. The Varsity girls had a tough 50-51 loss to the Wasps; this leaves them with a region record of 6-1. Wednesday the freshmen girls and boys will take on Highland, while the sophomore and JV boys will play Wasatch. Sophomore, JV and Varsity boys and girls all take on Uintah on Thursday. Good luck bulldogs!

Our Team, Our Town, Our State

With basketball state championships and the opening of the main stage production on the horizon, Judge students everywhere are getting pumped up and excited. Whether part of the cast or part of the team, we are all part of the community- and that's why JM's Student Council created "Our Team, Our Town, Our State". You've heard it all before: As a community, it's important to support each other in every way. But now's the time to enforce it- Judge is getting ready for some amazing things.

"I'm having a lot of fun- I'm really excited-it's my last year," says Varsity Basketball member Danny Franks. The team hasn't qualified yet- but things look promising. With a region record of 7-0, the boys are well on their way to the glory of the state title.

On February 2, students piled into the auditorium for Judge's first ever Directors Night, in honor of Our Town. As Mr. Hathaway says: "The play is the closest thing you can get to classic American." Although the play has a dry script, it is infused with meaning and emotion that are present in the lives of real people. Our Town is moving and deep, it explores the deepest sense of community possible. Our Town premiers on February 19th and closes the 21st.
So, with these two big events looming in the distance, it's time to gather your friends and support your school, whether part of the team or in the bleachers. Reserve those tickets and practice your cheers, because it's Our Team, Our Town, Our State.

Judge Swimming

The Judge swim team is seeing its season come to a close and state is moving ever closer; the girls looking to redeem themselves after last year's close loss to Park City in the state championships. The boys looking to improve from a 4th place finish. The girls being led by captains Kate McMinimee, Melissa Nichols, and Megan Bush, and the boys being led by Oliver Diamond and Will Bowers. The girls rank 1st going into the races and the boys 5th. The event takes place February 6th and 7th at the BYU swimming pool.

indoor track kicks off

It's been a slow start for Track and Field, but the season's meets won't wait for the last person to catch up. Indoor season will be in and out the window, like a cold chill in the night. So far we've had a high of nine participants in one meet, ranging from 2 to 9 people at each new event. This year the team seems to be recuperating from the loss leaders, but it simply needs new talent to step into the spotlight. A couple think you need experience and skill in order to run, jump, and throw, well you can't meet the bar if you don't face it, meaning you won't get any better unless you try. From sprinter/hurdler/thrower/jumper Jenna Sliwinski, to distance pro Luke Puskedra, part of their success attributes to their constant trial, practice, and dedication even after facing failure. There is still much talent on the team, and if you haven't tried racing give it a shot, because you can only gain once you've begun.

Judge Basketball vs Wasps

On Tuesday February 3, 2009 the Judge Memorial Bulldogs face off against the Wasatch Wasps in what could be the most important basketball game of the season. There will be a good match-up between the teams and the bulldogs will have to work hard if they want to come up with the "W." The game will be at Judge at 7:30 P.M. Chuck Edmunds, a senior on the Judge Varsity basketball team said, "It should be a great game and be sure to look for D-Franks [Danny Franks] to come up big from behind the ark [3-point line]." Be sure to show up and show the basketball team your support in the game that could be the deciding factor for who becomes the region champ's.

Men's Swimming: The REAL Men

Judge Swimming has always had its rightful place in the State competition. The men's swim team had won the state title 3 of the past 6 years but then lost many strong seniors and had to start from nearly scratch. Coach Matt Finnigan has taking on the challenge and this year the Men Bulldogs look like they have a very good chance to take the state title. They took 3rd in Region trailing Wasatch by 11 points and Park City by 88 points. They plan to gain those 88 points by using the other competition in the state to heighten their performance and surpass Park City in all races. It will be no easy feat for the Bulldogs because they lack depth in their team but have great talent. "We have no outstanding swimmer in breast stroke [and other strokes/relays] and Wasatch has three. It will be tough to keep up."

The team is lead by captain, Judge Memorial junior Oliver Diamond, who is ranked in the top 3 of every event in 3A schools. Senior Will Bowers also has stepped up as captain and driven the team in positive directions. Both encourage the entire team to show respect to all swimmers and coaches and give support for their team mates. Both juniors, Willis Shafer and Will Voytovich look to be strong leaders next year. Willis will be key in two relays and the 100 back. Will will be necessary in 2 relays and the 500 free.

State will come down to what team has the most dedicated team. It won't matter on depth or even how much talent a swimmer has but how well the mens team can work as a team and rack up points.

Girls Lacrosse

Girls Lacrosse

The lacrosse playing, butt-kicking, lady bulldogs are back and ready to play their favorite game. The girl's lacrosse season is just beginning and already the girls have been jogging, passing, shooting and catching, braving the icy elements and getting mentally and physically prepared for an exciting spring season. The team had a great season last year, moving up as a Division 1 team. The squad lost many excellent senior players but are ready to play again with the help of several talented freshmen. Ladies lax also moves forward with new leadership- new head coach Jamie Wilhite and assistants Kate Baker and Kimberly Frost. The team is excited to get back out on the field, but for now must dust their cleats off and get back into their favorite sport.

X-Country team

The Judge Memorial X-Country team had an excellent season. They went to state and finished closely behind the state champs, Park City. X-Country training will start up again late this summer. Most practices are held at Sugar House Park. If you would like to start training, Coach Cordova will be in the weight room Monday – Thursday for those of you who would like to start training ahead of time. Everyone is welcome to join the team. If you are interested or would like more information you can contact Coach Reed at mreed@judgememorial.com.

Girls Volleyball

The 2008 Judge Memorial girls volleyball ended their season with varsity

taking 8th place in State, and 2nd place in the Regional tournament. The girls

loved the season, and had a blast getting to know new people and playing

the sport they love! "Every team has the potential to be great if they fully

commit, and have the desire to be great." - Teran Horner.


Tryouts for the 2009 season are the first week in August. To prepare, there

will be three different Spring clinics to freshen up on your skills. "Do the

clinics, come prepared, and stay in shape!" is the advice given be Teran

Horner, coach of the JV and Varsity volleyball teams. "Think of volleyball as a

year round sport, and keep in shape always." Being on the freshman team

this 2008 season, I would have to agree. Tryouts can be brutal, so keeping in

shape will help you tremendously if you decide to try out. (Which i would

recommend, it was SO fun!)

Freshmen Football

This past season the Judge Memorial Bulldogs Freshmen football team finished with a record of 6-3. It was a very successful season for the bulldogs and these boys will surely be a solid addition to the JV and Varsity football teams next season.

If any incoming freshmen are interested in playing football the best things you can do is to come to summer weight and speed training which is Monday-Thursday almost all summer.

Last season there was an average of almost 25 freshmen each day at workouts and it would be great to see that kind of turn out this summer as well.

Judge Hockey: Another Season Gone

This hockey season for the Judge Memorial Bulldogs was thought to be a season of rebuilding. A new coach with many fresh faces had many people optimistic about this season. They started out the season with hopes of playing in a state title game. Even though nobody thought this was possible, the coaches and players still had faith. Well, the season is coming to an end and the Bulldogs hockey team fell short of their goal of a state championship.

"We all had very high hopes for this season, but some of them couldn't be fulfilled," says Wilson Lamb, who plays on the varsity team, despite being a freshman. "Obviously, we would have like to see out team go farther, but it was still a very fun season and I loved every second of it."

The Bulldogs are finishing off the season with a mediocre record, but they are still proud of it. "I'm very proud of all of my teammates; not just from their performance of the rink, but also because of the way that each and everyone of them kept their composure throughout our struggles and triumphs. They are all great sports," says Lamb of his teammates.

This was thought to be a season of rebuilding, and in a way, it was. All of the teammates were brought together by first year coach, Todd Brown. Even though this wasn't the year that the Bulldogs had hoped for, there is always next year. Junior standout, Shawn Benvugnue, and rising stars like sophomore Steve Strehl and Wilson Lamb will make up one of the best hockey teams to ever play at Judge Memorial.

JV Volleyball

The lady bulldogs season for volleyball has ended with a title of 8th in state at a 3A tournament. Coach Taryn Horner was a great coach and gave much hard effort into teaching the girls.

Freshman Alex Clark, who played on the Junior Varsity team, said, "It was a great season, I loved working with all the girls, they always gave 110%." Summer camps are help at the beginning of the summer for the younger girls interested in playing when they arrive at high school. IVA is also a way to improve and progress in the game of volleyball.

Girls Tennis

Judge Memorial's own lady bulldogs sliced, smashed and swung their way through the season, finishing in fourth place at state, just one point under their all time rivals Juan Diego. The season concluded on that cool October evening, at the state tennis tournament held at BYU. "We may not have came in first place, but we won in every aspect of team spirit, citizenship, friendship, and integrity." Says senior Chesley Price.

Unfortunately, the team is loosing some great seniors, who brought much skill, and positive attitudes to the team. " The team will not be the same without the girls. They always knew how to make us laugh, and were so kind and accepting, regardless of their age or ability." Proudly states sophomore Chloe Ropner. The girls and all of their positive attributes will be missed.

"Though the team will be loosing a few members, a very bright season is expected of the girls next fall. All of the girls have improved so much this season, that we have so much to expect of each and every one of these girls!" Claims head coach Lani Wilcox. Though the season may be over, the lady bulldogs are keeping up in the tennis circuit, and will surely be shining in the bulldog spotlight next fall when the season begins.