The Lehigh Valley Academy Jaguars are off to an incredible start to their winter sports season! Showing remarkable improvement, the girls’ basketball team is excelling with an impressive 8-4 record so far this winter season. Varsity Girls Captain, Senior Natalia Smith shares her thoughts

“What do you think has been the key to your teams improving this year?”

“Honestly it has been team bonding and team spirit. We try to keep everything very upbeat and positive. Even the little things like having fun in practice, but that doesn’t mean that we’re also not dedicated and very serious about the sport. Everybody shows up, everybody tries their hardest 100 percent at practice and we make sure to show up. Especially all weekend practices even though they’re really early in the morning. We make sure to come to the lifting and physical training during the offseason. Practices during the summer, which I think really helped us improve from last year, so all of our skills have been sharper.

“As a senior, how has this experience shaped you, and what lessons will you carry with you into college?”

“As a senior I feel like this experience has really shaped me and made me dedicated to a sport. It has allowed me to show up and learn discipline. I always show up now matter how hard and this trait can really help me in college. I know college is going to be really tough at first and there will be days when I want to quit but I have to keep going, because I know it will get better, that’s something I learned playing on this team and something I am going to carry on into my future.”

That’s not all for the Jaguars’ sports program! The LVA Indoor Track and Field team proudly launched their inaugural season at the ESU Warrior Classic. The team showcased their talent by competing in various events, including the long jump, long-distance running, sprints, and discus throw. We can’t wait to see what incredible improvements they will make for their upcoming spring season.