The official student newspaper of Walter Johnson High School

The Pitch

The official student newspaper of Walter Johnson High School

The Pitch

The official student newspaper of Walter Johnson High School

The Pitch

Student Standouts: Meghan Donaldson and Hannah Claire Allgood

Hundreds of students participate in dozens of available extracurricular activities at WJ, but outside of school, many students pursue unique interests unbeknownst to the majority of their peers.

In particular, two students, junior Meghan Donaldson and sophomore Hannah Claire Allgood, both dedicate a good portion of their time to their special extracurricular activities.

Ice-Skating: A Test of Mental, Emotional and Physical Strength

Donaldson has been ice-skating for at least 10 years. One friend introduced her to the sport and the two were excited to participate in something together.

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Currently, Donaldson spends four to seven days a week practicing at Cabin John Ice Rink depending on her upcoming events.

A typical practice begins with a warm up to stretch her muscles and a couple of jumps or spins before the lesson. She then works on improving harder level spins and techniques for usually two hours, but the result is worth the hard work.

“The best thing about skating is…the gratification you feel after finally landing a jump you’ve been working on forever,” said Donaldson. “There’s nothing else like that feeling.”

Donaldson competes frequently in showcase competitions where theatrical skating routines are performed. According to Donaldson, they can be very hectic.

“There are people running around in crazy costumes and props are everywhere,” she said.

At competitions, Donaldson arrives an hour or two before her event to make sure she has plenty of time to prepare. She enjoys watching her other friends who are also competing and cheers them on. A five-minute warm up is designated for all skaters before a certain event, and afterwards the rankings of the skaters are revealed.  Competitions are nerve wracking for all participants and confidence is a key part to a successful routine.

“The most frequent struggle I face is self-doubt,” said Donaldson. “It can really screw with your head and make you mess up a jump you’ve been landing for years.”

Another difficult challenge she encounters is balancing ice-skating with school. Donaldson usually sacrifices sleep to achieve her schoolwork after a long day skating.

“Some days it feels like I spend more time at the rink and school than at home, especially when I go right from school to skating,” she said.

Despite its time consuming demands, Donaldson said she definitely sees herself skating in the distant future. She hopes to continue taking lessons and possibly coach certain difficulty levels of skaters.

“[Ice-skating has] been such a big part of my life for so long, I don’t think I’d know what to do if I didn’t have some sort of involvement,” she said.

Because ice-skating is a more uncommon sport, the commitment behind it is usually underestimated.

“I wish more people understood how much athleticism it takes,” said Donaldson. “People have this misconception that we skate around in tiny skirts doing ‘twirls’ and it’s a ‘girly’ sport, but that’s not what it is at all.”

Horseback Riding: More Than a Balancing Act

Allgood has been horseback riding since she was five years old. Her passion for horses came at a very young age.

“A lot of people say you just get ‘horse fever’ and you are stuck with it for the rest of your life,” she said. “My parents said I was obsessed with horses from the start.”

If it were her decision, Allgood would ride everyday.

“Riding is all about practice and sometimes I get frustrated only riding twice a week because I want to excel,” she said.

Allgood practices at Bascule Farm in Poolesville for up to two hours. Her horse, Chipotle, used to be a racehorse but the duo now competes in show events. When she is not with one of her instructors, Allgood perfects her dressage, a branch of riding that focuses on balance, flexibility and connection between herself and Chipotle. With her instructor she typically works on jumping.

Allgood occasionally competes and these competitions require at least one day of cleaning and packing the necessities for the event and then another day for the actual show. The day before competition, Allgood bathes and braids Chipotle, hoping that he does not get dirty overnight.

On competition day, all participating horses are loaded onto a trailer and a large amount of water and hay is brought along. The order of the events is always dressage and then cross country riding or show jumping. Allgood said it is fun to try to spot Olympic riders who sometimes compete with her.

“[The accomplishment and connection that I feel when I am riding] is something that just clicks for me and I have fun doing it,” she said. “In no other sport is your teammate 10 times your size and could kill you with one misstep. It’s thrilling and I just love it.”

According to Allgood, her time at the barn depends on how well she is doing in school.

“My parents understand that I am doing my best [balancing school and horseback riding] and that going to the barn relaxes me, but I still have to keep reasonable grades or else my riding time is cut back,” she said.

Allgood said she is happiest at the barn and because of this she would like to keep riding in the future.

“Hopefully I won’t be cleaning stalls my whole life and will end up running my own rescue and training facility one day,” she said. “No matter what I don’t want to get stuck behind a desk.”

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About the Contributor
Christine Bersabal, Staff Writer
This is senior Christine Bersabal’s first year as a staff writer for The Pitch, and she is very excited to become a part of such a dedicated and fun group of people. At school, she is a member of the Filipino Club and Varsity Soccer, while outside of school she enjoys playing Tetris, blogging and eating. One of her favorite shows is 30 Rock, partially because she secretly aspires to be Tina Fey. She hopes you enjoy reading The Pitch!
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