While the losses weigh heavy on athletes and coaches alike, from the bottom, the only place a team can go is up. Whether that is seen in winning games or growing a stronger mentality. 

“It’s allowed us to raise our level of competition, and it’s allowed us to raise our level of preparation. I think a lot of times, it’s natural for us as humans to get comfortable. It’s definitely pushed a lot of our student-athletes and coaches out of their comfort zone,” said head coach of the boy’s basketball team, Josh Ortmann. 

Switching from the Mississippi 8 to the Lake Conference was a huge jump in competition level. It was a shock many athletes and coaches weren’t prepared for, but players have used the challenge to make them stronger.

“I feel like it’s a good challenge for us at the same time because then it like makes us strive to do better,” said Kaylee Dehmer ‘24, captain of the gymnastics team.

The endless challenges of being in the Lake Conference have forced Buffalo teams to grow mentally, but at what point do the challenges cause more harm than good? 

 “It kind of changes our mindset to work harder and like gets us to put more effort into practice, but I also think it can kind of get in our heads a little bit if we’re constantly losing. In a way, it takes away from the mental part of it. I ultimately think it does help us get better because we’re getting challenged more and more every game,” said Anya Pery ‘25, a member of the girls’ basketball team.

Some sports teams have been able to find success in the Lake Conference, while for others, it has been a continuous struggle. Being in the Lake Conference is a challenge for all, no matter the level of success. There has been some push to switch conferences now that we are eligible and many people are questioning if the challenge of being in the Lake Conference is worth it.

“I think every one of our student-athletes deserves an opportunity to see success. When it gets continuous, and you continuously lose, and lose and lose in different areas, it can be hard, it’s hard for the players, and it’s hard for the coaches because it’s not like anyone’s going out there trying to lose. Mentally, to be in a state of mind after losing a lot can be extremely difficult. And that’s when you’ve got to lean on the people that you trust in buying the little victories within the games itself,” said Ortmann.

During the game, fans noticed the air smelling of smoke as well as a growing fog as the game went on. It didn’t take long for people to wonder and ask what was going on and why the people in charge weren’t saying anything. People at the game were becoming concerned that it was something in the gym that was causing the smoke.

After a while, the arena announcer said that the smell was coming from bonfires happening in the neighborhoods surrounding the school. After the announcement was made, the student section started buzzing with speculations.

“My friend Hope Bjornson ‘25 said that it was really hard to breathe for her, since [the gym] was foggy and hazy,” Karsyn Zumbusch ‘25 said. “When we looked on our weather app, it said that the air quality was good outside.”

Besides fans in the stands, the smoke impacted the players who were expected to keep playing like nothing was going on.

“I could definitely feel [the smoke] in my lungs. It was kind of hard to breathe,” basketball player Nolan Mahannah ‘24 said. “I thought someone burnt popcorn at first.”

Even though the rumors of a fire in the school or a fuse blowing were put to an end by the announcement, that didn’t stop fans and the basketball team from wondering if that was the truth.

“I don’t really think a campfire would go into the school,” Mahannah said. “So maybe there was something, maybe there wasn’t.”

“I end up having to do extra work and putting my trust in people who I don’t know,” said Ava Peterson ‘25. “When they don’t do their part I have to do it anyway, so I might as well do an individual project.”

“I was never a huge fan of group projects because I like to be in control,” said Spanish Teacher Jess Nickelson. “However, as a teacher I do believe that they are absolutely necessary to help students learn to work with people they aren’t comfortable with and grow skills they will need later in life.”

Out of 30 students surveyed, 80% said that they did not like group projects and would rather do an individual one. Many agreed that although they don’t like them, they are beneficial and they understand why teachers do them.

“I like working in a group because there are multiple people with different brains and ideas and you can bounce off of each other,” said Ella Kragerud ‘25. “Group projects have helped me learn to speak up, but also know when to take a step back and let someone else do their thing.”

According to students surveyed, group projects can be a good way to promote connection in classes. They can help people learn how to communicate with others which they can carry over after high school.

“I have been able to connect with so many people because of group projects,” said Eden Johnson ‘25. “I am very outgoing and I love having the opportunity to work with new people. I was able to connect with an old teammate because of a group project and now we are really good friends.”

Although group projects often have a bad reputation, according to students they aren’t all bad. Teachers might just be trying to help prepare you for the future.

Next year Crosland will be swimming at the collegiate level for Luther College in Decorah, IA. Going to college was already going to be a big change for Crosland, and losing the sport that she’d done for most of her life wasn’t a part of the plan.

“I’ve always wanted to swim in college just because I knew that I wouldn’t be ready to be done competing,” said Crosland.

According to Zoe Hiers ‘23 another aspect of competing at the collegiate level isn’t just continuing to be challenged, but doing it for the team aspect. Hiers is joining the swim team at Concordia College in St. Paul. Just knowing that there’s a supportive team willing to lift you up can make moving into a new situation a little easier.

“I’m looking forward to being part of a team atmosphere again,” said Hiers, “and just knowing that I’ll have a team that’s really supportive is going to be great and it calms some of the worries about making friends in a new place.”

For Crosland, making sure that she felt like she had a team that had her back was a very big deciding factor. She wanted to make sure that she fit in with the team and the coaching staff.

“I leaned towards Luther,” Crosland said, “because I enjoyed hanging out with the team a lot more than others. They seemed a lot more involved in getting to know me.”

According to Hiers, the memories made by having a good time with teammates last longer than the ones of winning a race or swimming at a meet.

“I loved the fun holiday practices we did,” Hiers said. “We always had fun sets to swim and we really grew as a team during those practices.”

Crosland and Hiers are both very excited to start a new chapter in their lives and are looking forward to making memories with their new teams.