Every good thing must come to an end. This year the girl’s basketball team will graduate four dedicated senior girls. Kara Schnieder, Lili Runion, Brooke Lowry, and Alivia Smith will be graduating this year after each of them dedicating four years to the girls basketball program. Although it will be tough for the girls to leave after four years, they all have bright futures ahead of them.
Brooke Lowry is the first basketball girls senior. Lowry is involved in basketball, cross country, and is a member of the track and field team. She loves supporting other teams at the school, especially Friday night football games. When I asked her what her favorite basketball memory was, she responded with, “… beating Genoa at the beginning of the season this year” During that game Lowry also contributed ten points to help push the Wildcats to a win. She also said her favorite thing about the team is, “I love how we are there for each other and we always have each other’s backs.” Brooke also currently attends Penta Career Center in the welding program. She hopes after high school to get a welding job and hopefully an apprenticeship.
The next senior Kara Schnieder spends most of her time at Woodmore either on the field or the court. Schnieder has been a part of soccer, softball, and basketball! She has lettered all four years in all 3 sports. Schnieder shared, “Participating in all these sports can take a toll on you but with all the encouragement from teammates it makes everything easier.” She also shared with me, “I enjoyed this season best out of them all, especially at the beginning when we beat Genoa.” After high school, she plans to attend Bowling Green State University and major in Radiologic Technologies.
Lilian Runion is the next girls basketball senior. Lilian is also involved in track and field and plays roles in the school musical. Runion brings tons of energy to the team and never fails to bring teammates up when they are down. Runion said that her favorite memory on the basketball court was, “…beating Calvert this year.” She also shared that, “ The group’s chemistry helped this season because no matter who it was we were all happy and excited for them.” After high school, she plans to attend a university and major in sonography.
The last girls basketball senior is Alivia Smith. Liv is involved in multifarious clubs and sports some being Key Club, National Honors Society, Soccer, and Fellowship of Christian Athletes just to name a few. When she was asked what made the team’s bond so strong this year she replied, “… we learned a lot of lessons from last year. We saw what worked and what didn’t work and seriously made note of it. We knew that if we wanted to get better and come back stronger this year, our team chemistry would have to be at an all-time high and so that’s exactly what we made it.” She was also asked what she would miss most about basketball and she said, “ I’ve gotten so close with these girls so quickly and to one day not walk in the gym after school makes me really sad because it’s a space where we can all just be ourselves but I can’t wait to see what these girls do next year because they have something special.” Alivia will attend the Ohio State University with an undecided major next fall.
Head coach Kyle Clair was interviewed to get more of an insight to this year’s senior group. One thing that sets this group apart is the team chemistry. He shared with me that, “Team chemistry is at an all-time high as a result of this group, taking on various roles that contribute to team success like being vocal, encouraging, motivating, addressing conflict, and being an extension of the coach are all things they brought to this team. Selflessness and our underclassmen being able to see the different paths that each of them took to get where they are as contributing seniors has been beneficial. I don’t know if they know it, but all four of our seniors have had an impact on me as well. Toughness, perseverance, selflessness, resolve, and faith are all things that I have learned from them that I will continue to take with me.” he then was asked what made this group enjoyable, he said “In coaching, it is important to develop a connection with players. I feel that we have a special connection that goes beyond the court. When you witness the ups & downs of players throughout the years and then get to see them achieve things and grow as human beings, it is special. Each of them brought their unique, personable personalities to the gym on a daily basis which kept a great balance of when to get serious and when to be more light-hearted. It made me happy, win or lose, to be a part of their senior year experience and something I looked forward to every day when I got to walk into the gym.” He also shared with me that he will miss how “…they helped create an environment that we all wanted to be a part of and it brought joy to my day. Ultimately, you want your players to be prepared for life beyond basketball and hope that they leave your program growing and improving as people.” Clair has been able to work with the girls on the court and in the classroom because he is currently the school counselor at the high school as well. He has been able to learn each of their unique personalities which helps when coaching them on the court as well. “All four are great people with wonderful personalities and high character, and that’s what I will miss the most,” Clair added.
