A Run Down Memory Lane

We asked the members of the Sports Department to take a run down memory lane. Here are their favorite sports memories:

“My favorite sports memory is when I ran the Fifth Avenue Mile when I was younger and all of the professional athletes were there to high-five us at the finish line. I got to talk to some of them, and it was incredibly inspiring.” —Julianne Yotov, junior

“My favorite sports memory is when I watched the final minutes of the 2016 NBA Finals. The teams were missing a lot of shots and they were going back and forth. I remember when LeBron James blocked a shot toward the end and when Kyrie Irving made a three-pointer to seal the game. It was mesmerizing, and I was so excited when they won.” —Alicia Yu, sophomore

“My favorite sports memory is in eighth grade when I won the MSAL Manhattan soccer final for the middle school championship with my team. The game went into overtime thanks to a goal from my teammate in the final minutes, and eventually into penalty kicks. I hit the game-winning penalty kick for my team into the bottom-left corner, and then got mobbed by my teammates at the bottom of a dog pile.” —Ben Hamel, sophomore

“My favorite sports memory is when I watched my favorite soccer team, Chelsea, play in person. I was there with my dad and brother as Chelsea faced Newcastle. I remember watching the warm ups: it was crazy to be so close to the players. Then, during the actual game, Chelsea let in the first goal but came back to win 3-1.” —Vernon Hughes, freshman

“My favorite sports memory is when I was in fifth grade and my dad pulled me out of school to go to a Mets game. It was in the middle of the day and I was completely surprised. The Mets ended up beating the Royals after a back-and-forth game, but the best parts were the peanuts and crackerjacks with my dad, and that day made me fall in love with baseball.” —Maya Brosnick, freshman

“My favorite sports memory is when I went to a La Liga soccer game in Seville in which they played Atlético Madrid. The atmosphere was absolutely electric: 45,000 strong fans bellowed their team’s chants, with the visitors’ section holding their own, surrounded by riot police. It was crazy to see how passionate and loud the fans were, and it really showed how important sports are around the world. Atlético ended up thrashing Sevilla 5-2, with a hat trick from Atlético’s Antoine Griezmann, silencing the boisterous crowd.” —Krish Gupta, sophomore

“My favorite sports moment is when I was in eighth grade on my middle school soccer team. It was the coldest game of the season. I had not scored and had barely crossed the halfway line all season. In the semi-finals, I scored two goals, both off of corner kicks, in a 3-1 win.” —Aidan Fingeret, sophomore

“My favorite sports memory is my eighth grade lacrosse season: my school’s team advanced from being the lowest-ranked team in New York City to one of the top-seeded teams. We had many close games and impressive goals and ended up winning our playoff game 8-3 but losing 3-2 in the championship. Despite our loss at the end, the whole season was an amazing experience.” —Deven Maheshwari, sophomore

“My favorite sports memory is the combination of events that surrounded my club soccer team winning dual championships last season and making club history. I had been on the same team since the fourth grade and this was our first time winning a state cup. The buildup to winning the New York State Championship was unforgettable, with penalty kicks in the semi-finals and a close final game. We celebrated our win with an amazing party right after and showed up all dressed up (and sweaty) with our medals and a huge trophy. For our other championship, we played a Monday night game that went into double overtime and penalty kicks. Our goalie saved multiple shots and she kicked the game-winning penalty to win us the championship. Just an overall great season full of the best memories, and it was the best way to close it off.” —Aki Yamaguchi, junior