This past weekend 10 Village High School boys competed in VHS’s first ever Ultimate Frisbee State Tournament in Round Rock, TX. The boys earned this birth by competing on weekends over the past school year against other Houston schools and winning the season-ending Houston tournament. The boys are:

Alvaro I
Duncan R
Marco S
Bin D Y
Mack H
Philip V
Federico R
Paschalis E
Ji H P
Yash A

The state tournament was dominated by torrential rain, and was moved to Selma Sunday. However, torrential rains cancelled the matches on Sunday also. (At the time of this writing there is still no declared winner.) Unofficially Village went 1-3-1 over 2 days, and although we were not among the teams vying for the championship, this state tournament was a first for Village school.

The VHS Ultimate team started as a Friday club 5 years ago on the fields where Dorm A now stands. Over the next couple years, they moved to the parking lot behind the middle school. They reached out to other high schools and organized weekend matches wherever they could find a place that would let them play. They referee their own games, designed and bought their own team shirts, and provided for their own equipment needs and tournament entry fees. In other words, the Ultimate Team is a prime example of a student-led and run entity. It could easily have died a number of times but for the passion especially of a few individual students, who not only kept the team alive but also discovered the essence of the game. So please recognize these boys who have taken us from a parking lot to the state tournament.

The 2016 Village Athletic Golf Tournament was another exciting and fantastic event. With 28 teams and 112 golfers competing in this year’s event, it made for a lot of excitement all over the course and throughout the day. Despite the weather, everyone at Pine Forest Country Club was in high spirits, and some groups had some awesome golf attire to make the event an instant “classic” (Marilyn Monroe’s, we are looking at you!!) With a wide range of Viking sponsors, contributors, staff members, parents, and students all competing in the event, it was great to see so many people come together in support of our community and Viking Athletics. All together, we were able to raise $32,000 which will directly impact our athletics program and teams. On behalf of The Village School Athletic Department, thank you to everyone who contributed and for making this a fantastic event.

Prior to tee off, the Helicopter Ball Drop took place over the golf range. As the chopper came in, it dumped numbered golf balls over a hole. Those numbers were assigned to people who purchased a golf ball/balls. With approximately 200 golf balls, it was anyone’s guess who would be the winner. The winner would be determined based on which numbered ball went in a hole, or closest to the hole. This year’s winner of the ball drop was our very own Village employee, Shaista Sheihk, who claimed $850! Congrats, Shaista!

The event also had awesome prizes, including: 3 closest to the pin contests, men’s long and straight drive contests, junior long and straight drive contests, and women’s long and straight drive contests. The winners of these events were: Aidan C, Taylor Hastings, Chris Hill, Alan Riffle, LaTonya Purnell, Brian Nedela, and Bo Bi Tian! Congrats to everyone who won a prize!

Congratulations to the winning foursome of: Rocky Montoney, Jeff Welch, Mike Willett, and Gary Kirkes, who posted a 60 (-12) to win the tournament! Your name is being engraved on our trophy and you will now be etched in history along with all of the event’s past and future champions! Congrats!

The Village Viking boys golf team advanced to the State Golf Tournament for the first time in school history. Looking back at their journey to get there, the boys finished 3rd at the District Tournament, the Vikings headed into the Regional Tournament seeded 5th out of 8 teams, with the top 4 advancing to State. The Vikings played incredible golf, breaking a school record by scoring 323 and finishing 2nd place at the Regional Tournament. The Vikings were led by Seniors, Ross B and Fraser K, who both finished top 10 overall. The girls team also qualified Mariana O as a medalist, who finished 8th at the Regional Tournament, and was headed back to the State Tournament for the second straight year.

At the State Tournament, the boys team was seeded 6th out of 8 teams based on Regional Tournament scores. Day 1 of the State Tournament was certainly a challenge for everyone who competed. With temperatures in the low 50’s, strong winds, and rain early on which took the golfers off the course for over an hour, the elements were certainly a force to be reckoned with. Everyone’s scores were higher and it was tough to score. After Day 1, the Vikings were in 6th place, but were within striking distance and single digit strokes away from the 5th and 4th place teams. Day 2 of the State Tournament was a much more enjoyable round with scoring friendly conditions. The temperatures reach the low 70’s, with little wind, and the sun shining. With that said, the Vikings improved on their first round score, but it wasn’t enough to make up the difference and finished 6th in State. Mariana also improved on her first round score, and shot a 94 on Day 2, with a 43 on the back 9.

In the middle of all the action, was senior and two-time State Soccer Champion, Ross B. Ross shot a 79 on Day 1 of the State Tournament, which put him in 8th place. The top 10 golfers after the second round of the tournament would finish First Team All-State. Paired in the second group for the final round, Ross battled against some of the state’s best golfers, some of which who are already committed to top flight Universities on golf scholarships. Ross held his own and played beautiful golf. After an Even par front nine, Ross had some bad luck on the back nine and battled through adversity. After an unfortunate turn of events on hole 12, Ross had to re-tee after losing his ball in some thick rough that was just off the fairway. Ross was 6 over on his back 9 heading into the 16th hole. On the Par 3, 16th, Ross hit his tee shot just left of the green, but had a tough up and down to save par. After a beautiful pitch shot that left him with a 5 ft par putt, Ross buried it to save par. Clutch. On the Par 4, 17th, Ross hit a beautiful tee shot that split the fairway. His approach shot was just right of the green, which left him another delicate chip shot. Ross executed to perfection, and tapped in a par putt. With the par 5, 18th remaining, Ross was 6 over and needed to at least make par to have a chance to make All-State. Ross’ tee shot was solid, just off the fairway, but had a look at the green. Needing to make a move, Ross went for the green in two and ended up just left of the green, with a pitch shot over a bunker that needed to be executed. About to hit his 3rd shot, Ross pitched the ball up on the green, but left it about 40 feet from the hole. Not his best effort. At this point, you have to make sure that you make a nice lag putt, cozy it up by the hole, and take your par. Ross studied the putt from all sides of the hole. He committed to his line, stood over the ball, and struck it crisply. The ball started on a promising line with plenty of pace. About halfway towards the hole, you could tell that the ball was tracking nicely. It kept rolling, and rolling, and rolling, still on line. And then…IN IT WENT! On the final hole of his high school career, Ross B birdied the par 5, 18th hole to finish with a score of 77, tying the school record. At this point, we had to wait and see for the scores to come in. When it was all said and done, Ross tied for 9th place and finished All-State. That birdie putt on his last and final hole proved to be the clinching putt that secured an All-State finish. Cinderella ending for the young lad.

The 2015-16 VESPY Awards was held on Saturday, April 30th, at the Wyndham Hotel. This event celebrated the remarkable year our athletes and teams had during the 2015-16 schoolyear. As soon as our athletes, parents, and coaches entered, they walked the red carpet, took pictures, and gave interviews about the highlights of their season! They were the stars of the evening.

Once they entered the large banquet room, the beautiful décor captured everyone’s attention. The white linen tables with black chair covers were an elegant touch. In the center of the table were trophy centerpieces, which were filled with hydrangea flowers. The Viking blue black-lighting and senior banners decorated the walls of the room. The stage area featured a streaming video where everyone was able to see all of the athletes arriving who were walking the red carpet. The athletes and guests then flowed in and out, snapping fun pictures in the photo booth, and then settling down to enjoy the delicious food. Soon after, it was time for the opening remarks from Associate Athletic Director, Jeff Bond, and Athletic Director, Dustin Embrey.

The award presentation is always a very thoughtful and touching moment. Each coach celebrated the success of their season, and praised the commitment, character, and development of each of their athletes. Our boys soccer team had special State Championship ring presentation. There were also a series of new specialty awards: Newcomer of the Year, Staff Supporter of the Year, Performance of the Year, Strength and Conditioning Award, 4 Year Varsity Athletes, Academic All-State Recipients, and the Exemplary Athlete Awards. All of the deserving award winners were on hand to receive their awards.

The award presentation also featured two special presentations. The first special presentation honored a legendary coach, great leader, and friend, Judi Klausmeyer. Coach K built the high school volleyball program. In her time as coach, she was able to successfully grow her program, experience tremendous success, and make an everlasting impact on so many young ladies. Two of her current players spoke about their relationship with Coach K and the lasting impact she has had in their life. One of Coach K’s former players, Lauren Fernandez-Miller, who is currently playing college volleyball, was also on hand to share her love for her former coach. The second special presentation recognized the commitment our Viking athletes and teams have made to serve the community around us. The Athletic Service Learning Program had 136 athletes participate in Service Learning projects, combining for over 500 hours of community service. The girls helped a local elementary school by providing reading assistance to their kindergarten ELL students. The boys volunteered at Open Door Mission, which is a drug and alcohol recovery program, by helping in their kitchen area. They prepped food for 170 residents, organized the pantry, washed dishes, and served the men. This growing Service Learning program has been able to help the community around us and help instill the proper values and character into each of our athletes.

The night concluded with the presentation of our final specialty award: The Male and Female Exemplary Athlete Award. The Exemplary Athlete Award recognizes a male and female Senior Viking student-athlete that not only excels in his or her athletic life, but also contributes to the betterment of our school by his or her community involvement, leadership, and academics. These two people epitomize a Viking student-athlete and it is considered our most prestigious award. The recipients of this year’s Exemplary Athlete Awards were Michael Wille and Michelle Menkiti.

The 2015-16 VESPY Awards was a fun night. It had a red carpet, photo booth, and a beautiful banquet room to celebrate our memorable year. The evening had a million laughs and smiles, kids cheering for their teammates, videos, and funny presentations. As much fun as it was, the VESPY Awards was also an emotional goodbye. Our senior athletes will be moving on, but their legacy will remain. The close relationships and memories will be lasting. On behalf of the Village Athletic Department, thank you to all of our athletes, parents, staff members, coaches, and supporters, for a wonderful 2015-16 year.

For a list of all the Award Winners, please click the attached document.

Houston Methodist West Hospital will be holding physicals at The Village School Moore Gym on May 18 from 3:00 P.M. – 6:30 P.M.. Cost of the physical will be $25; we ask checks be payable to The Village School.

Students must bring the following forms correctly completed by both student and parent: Physical Evaluation and Medical History Form, Physical Assessment Form, Houston Methodist Physical Consent Form, and the Impact Testing Form. All forms can be found on The Village Athletics website under the tab Student Resources, or click the link below.

As a reminder, students do not need to be accompanied by a parent or guardian but must have all forms correctly completed and signed by parent/guardian in order to be able to have a physical completed.