Streaks can be hard to break, especially the ones that are over a decade long. The students and teams of AHS didn’t allow this to cloud their judgement or break their focus. During the first half of the 2018-2019 school year, AHS has broken three streaks that have been weighing on the school for years.

For starters, Harmonics, the varsity show choir, broke the bronze rating streak at the Old West ChoirFest. They have received a bronze rating for the past two years. Now, two years may not seem like a long time to have a losing streak, but for the choir students, they wanted nothing more than to get out of their slump. In order to do this, the choir had extra morning rehearsals and spent class times focused on memorizing music and choreography. When awarded their silver rating, choir officers, Elizabeth Johnson and Brielle Alwin, accepted the award while the rest of the choir jumped with joy in the audience, for their streak had come to an end.

Aubrey Garrett, a junior, expressed her joy of the silver rating. “Only knowing a bronze your whole choir career and receiving a rating that matched an amazing choir, like Gering, is a huge confidence booster. It is also proof that we have grown.” With the streak only lasting two years, Aubrey stated earning a silver helped “to prove that we are worth so much more.” A major part that made this performance different than past ones was “More people put in the effort and there was less drama to distract people.” Everything that changed this year made the win possible.

The girls volleyball team broke the next streak of the year, and a very important one too. All season long, the team had been practicing and working hard to win districts and take the blue blood to state. For the first time in eighteen years, this goal was accomplished.  On November 3, the girls beat Bennington, 3-0, at the district finals. The following week, the girls headed to Lincoln for the state championship.

Coach Jessica Kaiser was extremely proud of her team and players. The girls had a different season this year as they were “more focused and confident and played as a team. We were more of a family this year and wanted each other to perform well and succeed.” As a coach, Kaiser was honored to be apart of this journey for her players. She also said this break was a great confidence builder for her team. The team put a lot of dedication and effort into this win. “Honestly, these girls have worked their whole career to get to where we were this year. We started lifting, conditioning, playing in leagues and attending camps right when school got out. We had a lot of conversations about being good teammates and being a family, that made a huge difference for us this year.” The coaches and players were very proud of their season as their supporters and fans were a huge part of their success.

The most recent streak that has been broken was done by the boys basketball team. They defeated Scottsbluff on December 20 with a win of 60-50 for the first time since January of 2010. This win was an amazing accomplishment, especially since Scottsbluff has been an arch rival for years. Even though the game was intense, and very close at times, the boys were relentless and pulled through with the win.

Coach Michael Baker was filled with just as much excitement as the boys were. The locker room was filled with cheers and pandemonium. “The boys were excited. There is nothing like being in a locker room after a big win.” Even though the team was well aware of the opponent, they had fixated minds. “Our players were focused on following our game plan. We wanted our players to be relaxed, play hard, but not put pressure on themselves.” Like most wins, the team felt their confidence being boosted. This particular win was proof that nothing is set in stone, and rising to the challenge can lead to a victory.

Streaks can be a tough thing to break, but the students and teams at AHS have proved that they are not impossible. With hard work, dedication, and belief in oneself, anything can be accomplished. Three streaks were broken in only the first couple months of school, lets see how many more AHS can break in the last few.