Wrestling Opens

The Warrior wrestling team worked hard to get ready for their first meet against Barrington on November 19. They are hoping to repeat their Conference standing of first which was achieved last year when five of the Warriors represented Maine West in the State Wrestling Meet.

This year's team has a total of four returning lettermen which include Randy Ryden, Greg Dolphin, Kurt Christensen, and Dave Grutzius. Other members of the team looking for positions are Mike Garcia, Ed Mordue, Keith Maculitis, Bill Caddy, Scott Gilmore, Gary Moranz, John Szaltis, and Geoff Sorensen. The team is a little short on experience with only two seniors and two junior lettermen, but Coach Richard Carlini is confident that the team will develop into a good grappling squad. Mr. Carlini also hopes that more students will show an interest in the minor sports, including wrestling, and come out to the meets and support the Maine West teams.

The wrestlers will have held three meets by the time they meet their first Conference opponent, Forest View. The meet will take place on Friday, December 9, starting at 6:30 p.m. in the A‑wing gym. Other important meets include the home meet against Maine South on December 16 and the Lake Park Quadrangular Meet which takes place on December 29 at Lake Park High School.

All of the teams in our Conference are tough so no one team can be singled out as the one to beat. Prospect, Wheeling, and Palatine always have good teams; with the entrance of Arlington in the Conference, they too are a threat for the Conference title.

Gymnastics Start

The varsity gymnastics squad has already opened the season with Evanston, New Trier West, and West Leyden, but will not begin holding Conference meets until January 7 against the Cardinals of Arlington. Tonight the musclemen will face Glenbrook North here at 4:30.

Mr. Sidney Drain, coach of the varsity gymnastics squad, feels that "Arlington and Wheeling will be our toughest competitors in Conference; and Evanston, Niles West, and Proviso will be the hardest to beat in State this year."

On side horse will be Larry Scully, who was the only Warrior to place in State last year, Ron Sass, Rich Suda, and Steve Fox. Leading off the event on parallel bars will be Ron Sass, Larry Scully, Gary Grooman, Bill Deuser, and Rich Suda. On high bar will be Jay Carley, Ron Sass, and Rich Suda.

Ron Sass, John Holtz, and Larry Cillo will represent the Warriors on rings as will Howie Tyler on trampoline. The tumbling event will consist of Rich Suda and Howie Tyler. "Apparatus‑wise we should be in good shape by mid‑season," declares Mr. Drain, "but our weakest events will be tumbling and trampoline."

There are four returning lettermen this year. They are Jay Carley, John Holtz, Ron Sass, and Larry Scully.

Following the meet against Glenbrook North tonight, the gymnastics squad will travel to Oak Park on December 13 and then face Glenbrook South on Friday, December 16, before starting their Conference meets. Mr. Drain urges everyone to come out and support the team because it is needed.

Swimming Begins

"We are in the toughest conference in the Midwest," stated Varsity Swimming Coach Harold Baer as he pondered the thought of facing perennial swimming powers: Deerfield, Niles North, New Trier West, Maine South, Glenbrook North, and Glenbrook South. The varsity tankers will attempt to combat these talented squads with what Coach Baer termed "the best team we have ever had at Maine West." The swimmers have been in a different conference than the rest of Maine's athletic teams because the regular Mid‑Suburban schools either do not have pools or lack interest in swimming. With the competition at such a high level Mr. Baer would be pleased "if we could win half of our league meets."

So far this season the Warriors have had a pair of meets and have already shown vast improvement in beating Waukegan 49 to 46 and dropping a close meet to Proviso West 52 to 42. In their campaign last year the Warriors were drubbed by Waukegan by 30 points but this year won the final relay to pull out a thrilling victory. Tonight t h e Warriors will get a true evaluation of their team when they meet the excellent team from New Trier in the Maine West pool at 7:30 p.m.

Most of the Warriors hopes this year ride on their 10 returning lettermen. Freestylers, Tom Wenzel, Dan Brinkman, Marc Bonniver, Jim Greenwald, and Larry Harrison; backstrokers, Norm Hudson and Chris Olander; diver, Mike Teegen; breastroker, Dave Klamer; and Paul Anderson in the butterfly will carry the greater part of the load for the Warriors this year.

Coach Baer opined that the factor that could hold his team back this season would be lack of depth which would especially hurt the team in the distance and in diving. The Warriors have only 22 swimmers and one diver on the squad; and since between 14 and 15 boys swim each meet, they will not have much reserve strength.