Ida B Wells Athletics Weekly

“The miracle isn’t that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start.” – John Bingham

Guardian Athletics

Be Courageous

Be Encouraging

Be Helpful

Be Gracious

Be Energetic

Be A Guardian

• We don't lie awake haunted by the risks we took. We lie awake haunted by the words we swallowed, the love we withheld, and the version of ourselves we never gave permission to exist.

• There is no expiration date on reinvention. No matter how much time has passed, how many wrong turns were taken, or how far you feel from who you were meant to be, the door is still open.

• Nobody is coming to hand you the life that's calling your name. The world will measure you, categorize you, and offer you a very comfortable box. Refuse it. The life that stirs something in your chest, chase that one.

• Stop waiting for the perfect moment and bet on yourself. Today, right now, is not a warmup. It is the thing itself.

• Time doesn't move in a straight line. It moves like water. And the longer you move with it, the more you learn to release what was weighing you down and hold fiercely to what was always worth keeping.

• One day, how you loved, how you showed up, and what you refused to quit on will be the only thing that remains. That is your legacy. Build it like it matters, because it does.

Greetings Sports Fans!|

I'm currently in Central Oregon attending an annual conference for all the Athletic Directors in the State of Oregon. I look forward to sharing the work we do at this conference with our coaching staff.

Things have moved very quickly this spring and we are now thick into league play. I'll share more next week after I return. Leanne is holding down the fort right now and there is a huge week ahead. Varsity baseball kicks off their league play with a series with Lincoln with a home game on Wednesday and Varsity Softball has games scheduled with Cleveland and McDaniel. The Track and Field program has a big week with the JV team heading to Franklin for the JV Relays on Wednesday, hosting the PIL Youth on Thursday and the Varsity Team heading to Sunset HS on Friday for the Sunset Team Challenge. The Golf programs battle on Tuesday for standings in the PIL race. Our tennis teams take on Franklin and we have home games for Men's and Women's Lacrosse, Flag Football and Men's Volleyball. For all the details of the times/places and any weather disruptions, please check the schedule on our website. The link is just below.

Also, the Ida B. Wells Booster Club is hosting the Awesome 80s Auction this Saturday, April 18 You can buy tickets or donate here.

The purpose of the Booster Club is to help student programs advance, foster community spirit, and raise funds to complement the IBW student body. Our Booster Club supports Athletics Teams, Organizations and Student Clubs by providing grant funds for critical needs not covered by the PPS or PIL budget. Booster Club has given $160,000 in grants the past 3 years that have paid for needs such as camps, conferences, specialized training, equipment, student scholarships, tournaments fees and much more.

Thank you, Booster Club, for organizing the Auction but also for coordinating the Concession Stands. They need volunteers to sign up to keep them open during the spring. See the signup below!

Great to Be A Guardian!

You can find our spring schedules on our website here: https://www.ibwathletics.com/this-week In the event of weather cancellations or delays, this schedule will be updated.

Freshman Finn Carnevale is the baseball program player of the week. On the week Finn had two hits in four at-bats and in the JV2 game vs Lincoln, Finn pitched 6 innings in relief only allowing two hits and striking out eight.

Flag Football's Athlete of the Week is Abby Drucker. Abby has been a solid defender for us this season at the Force position. Her aggressive style and consistent effort make her an outstanding example of how we want our players to carry themselves on the field. It's especially important to have leadership like this for us as a new team in an emerging sport. Abby has made countless plays during our first six games, but her biggest highlight was at Forest Grove. On the very first play from scrimmage, Abby jumped in front of the receiver on her side, intercepted the pass, and took it all the way back for a touchdown. Her touchdown was the difference for us that day, giving us a hard-fought 7-6 victory over the Vikings. We look forward to many more highlights to come!

Jack Kern earns athlete of the week for Men's golf. He shot a personal best 87 to move into the top 5 and earn a spot to play in a scoring event. Jack has worked hard this season and his improvement is showing that. He was our third lowest score from our team. Jack will play in the number 5 spot for Ida B. Wells this Tuesday at Heron Lakes on the Greenback Course. Congratulations to Jack, play well.

The Wells Women’s Golf team recognizes senior captain Quinn Wardlaw as our Athlete of the Week. Quinn has entered her final high school season on a mission, and the results speak for themselves. In every single match so far this season, Quinn has surpassed her previous career-best scores—a testament to her hard work and dedication over the off-season. Beyond her impressive performance on the scorecard, Quinn’s leadership and kindness set the tone for the entire golf program. She leads by example, encouraging her teammates and representing Ida B. Wells with true Guardian spirit. Congratulations, Quinn!

Coming off her first triple last week, Liv Firestone has stayed red hot at the plate. On Thursday against McDaniel, she launched a GRAND SLAM line drive over center field, her first home run as an IBW Guardian. She followed it up Friday night against Lincoln by going a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate, capping off an incredible week of batting .833 with 6 RBIs.

Men's Tennis Athlete of the Week is Freshman Marcus Donovan! He showed exceptional poise as he was called up to play varsity matches and rose to the occasion. He got three consecutive wins at the Singles 3 position, with his first being against Beaverton which gave Wells the extra team point that led to an overall victory against Beaverton.

Women's Tennis Athletes of the Week are Samantha Roark and Isa Llados. Samantha went 6-1 at the number 2 singles line with wins against Rex Putnam, Beaverton and Southridge, Parkrose, McDaniel and LaSalle. Her win against Southridge was particularly impressive as she came back from a set down to close out the match 4-6 6-2 6-2 against a tough opponent in unseasonably warm weather. Samantha has shown excellent early season progress and has added an attacking dimension to her game that will serve her well as we progress into the PIL section of our season.

Isa has also had an impressive run at the number 1 singles line, using her powerful baseline game, excellent footwork and much improved serving consistency to run off 7 straight set singles wins including comfortable wins against tough opponents from Parkrose, Southridge and Beaverton.

Congrats Samantha and Isa!!

Ronan continues to build consistency as one of Oregon's premier javelin throwers. Ronan is sitting second in the PIL and is now 10th all time for Ida B Wells. In addition to his personal pursuits, he has become an amazing leader. He is constantly giving and helping others improve their own throwing techniques. He is highly respected by teammates and coaches alike

Jane had a great day at the Sherwood Invitational. She ran a season best of 4:52 in the 1500 and later placed an impressive 3rd place in the 3000. She continues to be a source of great inspiration and leadership for her team and teammates. Her infield dance moves have become legendary among Oregon track and field fans.

Get ready—this is an event you won’t want to miss!

The 9th Annual Playmakers Summit is happening on April 18th at Oregon Episcopal School, and spots are filling quickly. If you’re involved in girls’ and women’s sports in any way, this day is for YOU.

This FREE event brings together athletes, coaches, and leaders for a powerful day of inspiration, leadership, and connection. Even better—lunch is provided, so all you need to do is show up ready to learn and be energized! Link to Register. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdt3HoAp_0obZhbmn4HpHMNLA8hdZrKSReEh4si_6qhB9H3eQ/viewform

Here’s what makes this event so special:

• Dedicated Athlete Programming designed to empower and inspire female athletes
• A simultaneous Coaches Clinic specifically for those who coach female athletes
• Opportunities to connect, grow, and be part of a strong, supportive community

Whether you’re an athlete, coach, or supporter of girls’ and women’s sports, you are invited to be part of this incredible experience. Don’t wait—registration is required, and space is limited!

Spring sports are underway and we need volunteers to allow the concessions stands to open! Teams rely on these funds to pay for gear, admissions, training, etc - so keeping them open for as many events as possible is essential! Find a spot that works for you here: https://signup.com/go/ycboLia

Seniors, if you are going on to play a sport in college (any level), please notify the Athletic Department so we can be sure to include you in our College Signing Day which is scheduled during FLEX on May 13th.

Photo: 2025 College Signing Day

Get Your IBW Sports Button! Show your school spirit by purchasing a IBW sports button for just $5-- add up the amount of buttons needed and pay that x5 ! Once your button is ready, we’ll deliver it directly to your student to bring home or you can email ecaldwell@pps.net if you prefer to pick it up from our school. Purchase on SchoolPay today
https://www.schoolpay.com/pay/for/Photo-Buttons-w-IBW-Athlete-Photo/SeywSvE

“The chief task in life is simply this: to identify and separate matters so that I can say clearly to myself which are externals not under my control, and which have to do with the choices I actually control." - Epictetus, Discourses

I. The Beliefs You've Never Questioned

Most of what we believe about ourselves was assigned to us before we had a say.

"I'm not a morning person." "I'm bad at math." "I'm not creative." Many of these weren't conclusions you reached. They were handed to you by someone else at an age when you couldn't push back.

The stories we inherit become the walls we don't realize we're living inside. Questioning a belief doesn't mean abandoning it. It means choosing it consciously instead of by accident.

The most limiting beliefs aren't the ones you know you have. They're the ones you've never thought to inspect. Most people go their whole lives without auditing a single one.

Source: Don Miguel Ruiz, The Four Agreements

II. Same As Ever

Reminders from Morgan Housel’s Same As Ever that leaders need to hear:

Expectations move faster than outcomes. Happiness is rarely about what we have; it's about whether we have more than expected. Keeping your expectations in check is one of the hardest and most underrated life skills.

People almost never learn from others' mistakes, only their own. Most of the hard lessons of life get relearned by each generation from scratch.

The biggest threat to any long-term goal is changing your mind or giving up midway through, not because the facts changed, but because the discomfort became inconvenient.

Source: Morgan Housel, Same As Ever

III. Rest is Not the Opposite of Work

We've been taught that rest is what you earn after productivity. The research says it's what makes productivity possible in the first place.

The most creative breakthroughs don't need to happen at desks. They happen in the shower, on walks, in the space between waking and sleep.

Chronic busyness can be a sign of poor prioritization wearing the costume of effort.

A rested mind makes better decisions, has more patience, and sees options that an exhausted mind simply cannot access.

Elite performers in almost every field protect their recovery the same way they protect their best working hours.

Unrecovered people make the worst decisions at the highest costs.

Source: Alex Soojung-Kim Pang, Rest

IV. Question

If you lost everything you have today and got it all back tomorrow, how differently would you treat it?

V. This Week, I Will

• Identify one belief I've been carrying about myself and ask: Did I choose this, or was it given to me?

• Protect at least one block of unscheduled, unproductive time, and not feel guilty about it.

• Before making a financial decision, ask whether it's driven by logic or emotion.

• End each day by naming one thing that went well, however small.

• Say no to one thing this week that I would normally say yes to out of habit.

The Last Words…

“How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives. What we do with this hour, and that one, is what we are doing." — Annie Dillard, The Writing Life

Website: https://ibwathletics.com
Phone: 503-916-5280, ext 75318

Athletic Director, Mike Nolan, mnolan@pps.net
Athletic Assistant, Leanne Van Horn, lvanhorn@pps.net
Instagram: ibw_athletics
Facebook: Ida B Wells HS Athletics
Trivory App: A great way to see the daily Athletic Schedule

Thank you to all of our sponsors - both to those who are continuing on this year and to some brand new sponsors! It's not too late if you are Interested in being a sponsor this year? See the different options below and contact Athletic Director, Mike Nolan, at mailto:mnolan@pps.net