BETHEL — Telstar sports are good options if you are looking for fun, new friends, and the ability to improve on certain skills. There are many different options to appeal to each kind of person. This fall the district had a third of all students participate in some type of sport. Football is rough, soccer is footwork, cross-country is a test of endurance.

At the start of the field hockey season, the school barely had half a team. They started to recruit a lot of players who were dedicated to the team and learning a new sport. The Telstar field hockey team only had three players who had ever stepped foot on a field before.

They started off their first game with a 1-2 loss. The season showed next-level perseverance and dedication. At the end of the season, they scored eight goals (six by Vivi Charette, one by Natalie Charette, and one by Evy Cummings). They had two wins and six losses.

Coach Renee Charette and said some highlights of the season were “coming back after a couple of tough games against Spruce to get our first win at home against Lisbon. We won on a Friday afternoon, and it was the fourth game we played that week! Another highlight ending our season with a win against Dirigo, who was an evenly matched team to TMS.”

Telstar’s soccer team started the season with an insane amount of players, which was hard to manage playing times for all the players. The amount of playing time per player is a con to playing soccer in the fall but there are a lot of pros too. A benefit to playing soccer this fall was that players got to dedicate time to doing something in the afternoon. Another positive is that kids get to meet new people and make new friends.

By the end of the season everybody knew each other’s names, which showed growth considering nobody knew each other at the beginning of the season. Team Captain Cyrus Mills said, “It was different than the past years but was fun to end off middle school soccer by being the ‘big kids’ of the league for once. It was also fun to see how the younger kids played compared to the older kids. Playing soccer was way more fun this year because our team was able to work together well and have fun at the same time.”

The football team consisted of eight players who persevered through many injuries and obstacles, including COVID-19. Considering all the hardships, their ability to play as well as they did this year and the ability to try new positions were outstanding. The seventh-graders really stepped up and most of them have never played before. The players improved their skills throughout the season and had an incredible 28-0 victory. Often team captains lead warm-ups and help the team get ready for the games. “It’s nice to see the younger players improve over the year,” said Coach Jack Mallory.

Over the course of the cross-country season, there was a lot of progress in multiple categories. One part of the sport the team improved on was stamina. Each player learned to pace themselves, control their breathing, and have fun. Some of the star runners, Yuma Cretaou and Mallory Raymond, really stood out with their outstanding performances at every meet. Kaiden Manjourides and Parker Gillman had great progress shown as well. The team also won the Sportsmanship Award for the season. Overall, the team really stood out when they went to the Winthrop meet; everyone did great and really demonstrated their improved skills.

Coach Raymond had been coaching for two years during the season and really helped the kids find a love for the sport and the ability to have fun while running. Fall sports are a fun addition to the school year;  they help students get out of their house, meet new people, and improve on certain skills. With the winter season starting, players are lacing up their basketball court sneakers, and waxing and tuning their alpine and cross-country skis. Many thanks to all the adults who coach and work to make these programs a success. Go, Rebels!

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