![Reaching out. Christopher Lesh, student at Central Catholic High School, serves ice cream during the event on March 2, 2025, at the Portland waterfront. Central Catholic was just one of the schools that sent student volunteers out to cook, prepare, dish, and serve food. Interact club’s co-president Rachel Gerber, junior, plated the food during the event. “I like how direct the contact is,” Gerber said. “You’re there [and] you’re just doing something good. It’s simple, it’s easy, you can feel good about it.”](https://wlhsnow.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/interact-1-edited-1200x744.jpg)
![At the bottom of the third inning, the Lions are still scoreless. Rowe stands at home plate, preparing to bat, while Vandenbrink stands off to the side as the next batter up. Despite having the bases loaded, the team was unable to score any runs. “It’s just the beginning of the season. We’re just going to be playing out best by June, [and] that’s where champions are,” Rowe said.](https://wlhsnow.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IMG_3077-1200x900.jpg)
*WEB CONTINUATION: This article originally appeared in Volume 105 Issue 3 of our news magazine, Amplifier.
For the first time in eight years, the womens ski team traveled to Mt. Ashland for the state competition from March 6-7. The team’s final race of the season helped them achieve second place in the Three Rivers League and qualify the entire team for state.
Joining freshman year, Jordan Edgel, senior, competes in giant slalom on the team and helped them qualify for the competition. Having the whole womens team qualify has been a goal for Edgel in the past years she’s competed.
“[I felt] just excitement. I was like ‘Oh my god, I’ve been wanting this for so long, and it’s happening,’” Edgel said. “I was just so pumped and so proud of the team because we really came together [and] put the work in.”
Edgel felt honored to help her team get back on the pedestal and qualify for state again.
“Being able to contribute to the team and contribute to [advancing to state] was such an amazing feeling,” Edgel said.
The team has not only grown in strength, but also has grown in quantity. In previous years, the womens team had consisted of two athletes. Now that the team’s membership has increased, it has led to more opportunities for not just competition, but also team culture.
Chloe Oswald, junior, has been competing on the team since her freshman year, and has noticed the shift in the team.
“I think it’s been really nice to have that female camaraderie together and not just be me and one of the girls individually competing. It felt more like a team, like we’re all in this together,” Oswald said.
The team has been able to have more team bonding experiences with a bigger team. Before one of their competitions, the team was able to stay in Sisters for a night and spend time together prior to their races the next day.
“We all went hot tubbing together [in Sisters] and we had a free ski day before the competition. So me and a couple teammates skied around and explored,” Edgel said.
The womens team placed 10th out of the 20 teams at the state competition. Lauren McKinley placed 10th individually, and Bryce Susany from the mens team placed 30th, and Krishna Treinen also from the mens team placed 51st. McKinley and Edgel both qualified for the state team and advanced to regionals.
