Ranz and Shevock to Lead Kempsville in 2007
On the horizon for Kempsville High School are two promising young athletes who are poised to make as many waves around the athletic department in 2006-07 as they have in years past.
Kelly Ranz, a rising junior, participates in athletics year-round. As a member of the field hockey, indoor and outdoor track teams, she stays active throughout the fall, winter and spring seasons.
Becoming involved in athletics for Ranz was something that involved the urging of others. “I got involved in field hockey because my mom played it and said I should give it a shot,” she explains. “The reason I started running track was that a friend told me about it.”
Kempsville is much the better for Ranz's involvement in athletics; she is quite an accomplished young lady. Last season, she won a state-level award for pole vaulting. Moreover, she received recognition on her field hockey team because her grade point average is so high.
Ranz's talent makes itself evident when she is competing for the Braves. Her hard work and determination allow her to be a large part of her individual and the teams' success. “I usually set goals for myself. When I know what I want, I work toward it until I accomplish it,” she says.
This resolve is apparent both on the field and in practice. On the field hockey team, Ranz is a defender and she exhibits the aggressiveness necessary to keep attackers from penetrating the goal. She likewise possesses great foresight, having an uncanny ability to anticipate where the ball where end up and using that knowledge to her advantage. While training, too, Ranz gives all that she can. She explains, “I like to practice as well as I can, whatever I'm doing. For instance, I do a lot of sprinting drills and intervals for track and I repeat those until I can get as close to perfect as possible.”
For the 2006-07 school year, Ranz is optimistic about the prospects for the teams in which she is involved. Even though the field hockey team lost nine seniors, she still believes that the athletes who remain are a nucleus of talent strong enough to make a good showing in the fall. Last season, the girls' track team was regular season district champion for outdoor track. “The whole team is good, but we especially have great sprinters and distance runners,” she says. “We will make a run for the district championship again.”
Ranz, no doubt, will contribute mightily to Kempsville's success in the upcoming year.
So too will seventeen-year-old rising senior Justin Shevock. Kempsville's boys' volleyball team benefited last year by Shevock's presence and, lucky for them, he will be around for one more season.
In addition to playing during the varsity season, Shevock participates in the Ocean Volleyball Club in the off season. He was recently named Most Valuable Player for this team.
Shevock is versatile on the volleyball court, able to play several positions well. “During the past varsity season,” he explains, “I played the libero position.” This position can be considered somewhat of a defensive specialist who stays in the back row and does not serve. “Next season,” says Shevock, “I'd like to be setter.”
Volleyball is not new to Shevock. His parents introduced him to the sport years ago when they played in a league and would bring him along. They passed along that affinity for the sport and it is now one that Shevock adamantly enjoys. “The sense of accomplishment and the camaraderie that volleyball presents is rewarding.”
Shevock describes himself as a volleyball player that is always “striving to become better.” In practice, repetition is the key to making successful plays. Even when he is by himself, Shevock will find a wall and practice setting the ball. To stay fit in the off season, Shevock runs track.
Last year, the Braves finished in the top tier of schools within the Beach District. Shevock is optimistic that they will have a repeat performance in the 2006 season. “We will definitely win most of our games,” he says. “We are going to be a team that competes with the best not only in the district, but in the region, too.”
With Shevock as a team leader, that prospect seems all but assured.
