These three seniors have been a part of Baruch sports teams since their first years of high school. Samantha Viotty has been a part of the girl’s soccer team since freshman year. "I started to like soccer in the eight grade, and I knew that joining a sports team in high school would be a good idea," said Viotty, "I was somewhat nervous, but the captains (the seniors when I was a freshman) were really helpful and welcoming for the most part."$0$0Armend Cobovic has played on both the boy’s soccer team and boy’s junior varsity basketball team for two years. He plans to play for the boy’s varsity basketball team this year, demonstrating that commitment and hard work can really pay off. Carla Gantt has been playing for the girl’s volleyball team for two years and has been a part of the softball team for three years. This year she wants to play for the girl’s varsity basketball team. All of these seniors are intricate parts of the athletics program at Baruch. They have shown their leadership abilities and school spirit by representing our school well, both in school and out on the fields.$0$0$0$0Joining a sports team, however, requires a lot of time and comes with some challenges. "I think the hardest part is the amount of time you put into it–meaning practices, workouts and games. I miss out on a lot of partying because of sports," said Cobovic. Viotty agrees, saying, "Sports teams meet five days a week, and prioritizing becomes essential. A lot of students end up quitting teams because they can't juggle." It is important to learn how to fit in practices into your daily routine, "It really sucks when people quit because they think they can't manage." Honestly, it's just a lame excuse." In addition to time management, Carla Gantt says trusting your teammates is equally important. "My teammates taught me how to trust and appreciate others more. When playing school sports you are not on the court or the field alone, you have to trust in your teammates to play to the best of their ability and you have to make that mutual promise," she said. Likewise, Samantha Viotty said, "Sometimes unreliable people make the team, and it kind of ruins the stability. Its like a family, if one person in the family isn't there, the dynamic changes."$0$0$0$0$0Despite the challenges, being a part of a team can be rewarding and a lot of fun. Not only are friendships created, but memories are created that will last a lifetime. When Cobovic was asked about one of his most memorable experiences on the soccer team he replied, "I can't remember one from the past years, but one thing that happened–the game against Bridges was on a throw in, I noticed Jesu was standing back and breathing very hard and he was angry that he didn’t score yet, so I said, ‘Run up there and get your goal Jesu,’ and he ran up there and scored his first goal ever." Carla Gantt’s most memorable experience was actually her first time pitching at a softball game, "I walked the whole team twice. This hurt at the moment, but gave me the drive to make myself a better pitcher. Ever since that day I promised myself I will never walk a team like that again." We all make mistakes, but it’s how we learn from them that determines whether we become better students, teammates, and in the end, people.$0$0When the class of ‘10 graduates, Baruch will be losing a lot of talented athletes. But we will also be able to look forward to the new era of Baruchians, who will hopefully provide Baruch with more bright students as well as talented and dedicated athletes. When asked for his final words Armend Cobovic said, "I will truly miss the people on my teams, the students and the staff, because like the best teams ‘We Are All Family’ and that is what I will miss the most: the sense on family." Similarly, Viotty said, "Although Baruch Blue Devils are not known for having school spirit, I will miss the family feel of being on a team. I have built friendships on the soccer team that I would not have made otherwise. I must say that overall, being on the soccer team has been the most memorable activities I have participated in during my high school years." Gantt sums it up by saying, "I will miss the huddles when we say ‘BLUE DEVILS ON THREE. ONE, TWO, THREE. BLUE DEVILS!" I want to thank these seniors for being a great example for other Baruchians and being a great source of school spirit. I know we will all miss seeing these athletes in Baruch jerseys and I wish them the best of luck in the future.$0