On December 5, 2024, Heritage High School held their annual Snowman Slam Competition. Every dollar that was spent to enter the stands will go towards new volleyball equipment, which they desperately need. To nobody’s surprise, the senior class won the championship after an intense game against the sophomores. Despite the senior boys winning the game, the real winner is the volleyball team, who can now afford the paraphernalia they desperately needed.
For the freshman of Heritage High, this was a horrible experience. Things were already going downhill before they even got to the gym, when they found out that wrestlers and basketball players couldn’t participate, forcing them to reinvent their roster. Coach Bella Grace “BG” Burroughs verbalized her struggles when she told reporters how difficult coaching was. She knew that there were players who genuinely wanted to win, but there were also players who were just doing it for the laughs. She said that coaching had changed her as a player because now she will, “feel some sympathy for [her] coaches.” The freshman battled valiantly, but, ultimately, ended up in last place on the bracket.
For the sophomores, though, it was a different story. Isaac Berry said that the competition was “light work.” He really enjoyed setting because he ”was able to assist everyone.” They were pretty well put together, with their only downfall being their lack of knowledge about the game. Other than that, they went after the ball relentlessly, and they proved themselves formidable opponents by beating the juniors and landing themselves against the seniors in the championship.
The juniors ended up in third place. They really wanted the win; you could see it in their eyes. However, they just couldn’t pull through. Maybe they will be able to emerge victorious next year when they are seniors. Junior coach, Addy Kissner said that her final piece of advice to the boys was to “go out there and have fun.” And boy, did they do that. Even though they didn’t win, anybody watching could tell that they were having fun.
Finally, the winners; the senior class was the one to secure the victory over the other grades. Their practices sure paid off as they climbed the brackets with ease. They were determined to go out with a bang, and they sure did. To Ben Breedlove, the best part of the whole experience was “when Travis [Faulkner] tipped [the ball] over and won the whole thing.” Breedlove stated that “this was the easiest year” so far. The seniors were the ones to beat for the 2024 Snowman Slam, but nobody was able to rise to the occasion.
To sum everything up, the seniors wrecked everybody. They were able to show up and show out; going out victorious seems to be the running theme for them. If you went to the Snowman Slam, make sure to also show up to a volleyball game or two next year to see all the apparatus that you helped purchase. If you didn’t attend the Snowman Slam, make sure you show up next year for a very entertaining afternoon.
