![Wearing their varsity jerseys, brothers Jack and Sam Goedde smile for a photo. This year, the brothers had the opportunity to play on the same volleyball team, but their season was cut to only two weeks due to the outbreak of COVID-19. “I know that Jack worked extremely hard to prepare for this season so that he would have a chance to make varsity and play with Sam,” boys varsity volleyball coach Susan Anderson said. “Had [they] been able to play, I know they would have pushed each other on the court and really bonded.”](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/IMG_6670-e1587398670189-900x866.jpg)
From practicing volleyball in their front yard to sharing the varsity court, senior Sam Goedde and freshman Jack Goedde took their bond to a new level as teammates on the boys varsity volleyball team. Both Goedde’s have been playing volleyball since they were young, starting on Catholic Youth Council (CYC) teams.
“My favorite thing about the sport is definitely the energy that can be produced,” Jack said. “After passing a really good ball [or] getting a really good kill, it is so easy to turn to your teammates with excitement and build the overall energy on the court from there.”
This year, Jack aimed to be on the varsity team. His position, libero, was left vacant this year.
“I knew that the varsity coach and players respected me as a player and I had known they were looking for a new libero,” Jack said. “I knew I had a shot at making it, but I also knew I would have to be working pretty hard for the spot.”
Jack and Sam often play with their family at home and at the gym and head coach Anderson has coached and known all four of the Goedde’s, including their older siblings.
“My favorite part of playing with Jack was that, growing up, we always played sports together in the front yard,” Sam said. “To be able to play at the varsity level with him was definitely something special.”
After CYC, Jack joined a club team, High-Performance St. Louis (HPSTL), in seventh grade and Sam joined his junior year.
“All of my teammates have been super supportive about me making the varsity team,” Jack said. “I knew a lot of them as my brother’s friends but also I knew them through my club team HPSTL.”
With the outbreak of COVID-19, the volleyball season has ended, cutting the Goeddes’ time together on the same team to only two weeks of practice.
“Had we been able to play, I know they would have pushed each other on the court and really bonded during our games, celebrations and [training] a great team,” Anderson said. “I know that Jack worked extremely hard to prepare for this season so that he would have a chance to make varsity and play with Sam. I will miss them playing together.”
While this season is cut short, Jack plans on continuing through high school. Sam is still undecided about whether or not he will play in college.
“I think next year is going to be weird being with some of the people that Sam has been friends with for a bit that I’m just now starting to get to know,” Jack said. “Just not having his presence around might be a little weird at first, but I’m sure it won’t be too hard to adjust.”
Even with only two weeks, Anderson believes that Jack and Sam have both demonstrated their dedication to the team.
“When it comes down to it, they will give their all for whatever the team needs and give all their energy,” Anderson said. “This is a Goedde trait. All four kids have this extreme work ethic, intensity on the court, and will run through a wall for their team.”
![Holding the disc, senior Nathan Thompson waits for an opportunity to pass to senior Timmy Fry. Parkway United’s ultimate frisbee team is made up of students from each of the four Parkway schools. “The one thing I really like about ultimate [frisbee] is the community because it’s so different from any other sport I've been a part of. [My] national teammates are people who we play against in the regular season, so we see each other all the time. It's always fun hanging out with [them],” Thompson said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/C96A6823-1200x800.jpg)
![Senior Josie Grunzinger watches the football game intently from the sidelines on Oct. 18. Grunzinger stood out to the crowd as the only girl on the football team, encouraging other girls who want to play football to take a chance and go for a sport outside of their comfort zone. “If you think you could [play football] and you want to do it, just try it, because all it takes is to actually try it out,” Grunzinger said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Untitled-design-1200x675.png)
![With her arms held high, junior Jenna Rickelman throws the ball across the pool during a girls water polo practice. With hours of practice after school and over the summer, Rickelman saw many improvements in her water polo skills. “When I look at [my] stats, I'm so much better than I was last year,” Rickelman said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Untitled-design-2-.png)
![Putting on his helmet, catcher and senior Tommy Eschbach prepares to get in his primary stance. Despite losing 6-1 against Eureka on April 16, Eschbach didn’t let the tough loss affect his playing or mental health. “It's [so] easy to get caught up in the sport and what you're doing that [after] one bad game or a stretch of games it is hard to remind yourself that your worth as a person isn't directly related to your performance on the field,” Eschbach said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/DSC_0415-1-1-1200x800.jpg)
![Sports organizations have changed lives on and off the field, improving athletes’ muscle strength, reducing their risk of diseases and building energetic work capacity worldwide. However, many student-athletes struggle to balance schoolwork and athletic commitments, hoping to seek more understanding and support from their teachers and coaches. “To lessen mental strain student-athletes [face] and create a healthier, more comfortable lifestyle, there shouldn’t be any homework. I'm already [at school] for eight hours and [homework] creates a bigger load for student-athletes in AP or honors classes,” track and field sprinter and sophomore Lucy Penton said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/DSC_0095-1-e1713883278514-1200x847.jpg)
![At the Spring Pep Rally on March 8, boys varsity water poloist and junior Jack Brau stands with the boys water polo team. The group, hoping to include everyone — whether boy or girl, varsity or JV — cheered on the girls water polo team during the sports team runouts. “Even though we all play separate games and have different practices, we like to see ourselves as one big group who represent one water polo [team],” Brau said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/DSC_8810-1-1200x800.jpg)
![Looking for an open teammate, freshman Patrick May passes the ball across the court at the Nov. 28 game against Parkway Central. May started in the game against the Colts. ”Growing up, [my parents] always gave me a basketball, [and] we had a basketball hoop outside. I grew up playing [all the time], playing on the [driveway] and shooting hoops with my dad.” May said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/image2-1-1200x801.jpg)
Carly Anderson • Apr 23, 2020 at 10:15 am
Thank you Mrs. Bowen for making that correction!
Pamela Bowen • Apr 23, 2020 at 7:01 am
CYC is Catholic Youth Council.