Meet your captain > Samantha Kell named captain of the women’s soccer team Davie Wong Sports Editor | hard to believe that it’s almost been a year since the Royals’ women’s soccer team’s historic run to Nationals. With the season quickly approaching, there are certain formalities that need to be taken care of. For coach Chris Laxton and his team, this means picking a new captain to lead them since both of last year’s captains have moved on. For Laxton the choice was clear, so he called upon third-year veteran Samantha Kell. The 1996- born midfielder was a key part of last year’s team and is no stranger to Laxton’s system. One way or another, much of Kell’s life has been involved with soccer. She has played soccer for 16 years and doesn’t plan on stopping anytime soon. “Soccer will always be a part of my life whether I am playing or coaching, and I never plan on giving that up. I guarantee you will always find me ona field. “My personal goals for soccer have always stayed the same. No matter what team I’m playing for, my goal is to make a difference. There’s a quote I often look to for inspiration: ‘Play for the name on the front of the shirt and they'll remember the name on the back’ (Tony Adams). Every time I step on that field Iam playing for my school, for the former and future Royals athletes, and for my team. As long as I continue to play with the same passion I played with when I was 10 years old, I will have achieved my goal.” Despite last year’s success, Kell is looking for something more. “This is a completely different team from last year, you can't deny that, but that doesn’t mean we are expecting anything less. Last season our team made history, and I know that all the girls returning from last year, including myself, are ready to build off of those results. I think I speak for the team when I say that we want to continue making history and will settle for nothing less.” It’s a big goal that the team has set, but no matter what happens, Kell can be sure that she has the support of her teammates, who have backed her as their captain since the announcement. When talking about her appointment, Kell did not shy away from the responsibilities that come with it. “I have had so many inspirational leaders in my life and my teammates the last The Other Presses > Some less-popular exercises to help keep your summer body the way you like it Jamal Al-Bayaa Staff Writer Ge is a time of preparation and perspiration for athletes in the off-season, and students are looking to build stronger and leaner bodies. Hiking trails open up, parks become instantly more agreeable, and the squat racks at the gym become considerably more available, so long as you're not trying to go after 5 p.m. So the Other Press is going to take advantage of that availability and energy with nothing but a squat rack, pull up bar, and good running shoes. We've picked out three different exercises that are variants on the generically-used workouts, with a focus on fun and novel exercises for the gym, or at home. Individually, these workouts are great. We've picked one for each type of person. Tie them all together and you also have a quick but versatile workout. To really learn the techniques for each, a quick YouTube search will get you good results. So instead we'll leave that to the pros, and go over what workouts you should try this summer and why. 1) For the powerhouse: The Front Squat Front squatting is one of the least done moves in the gym. I’ve only seen it done a handful of times, and all by the same three or four people. Front squats are one of the few exercises that hit your whole leg. They load your hamstrings (back leg) on the way down, and fire your quads (front) on the way up. That hamstring isa very difficult muscle to hit two years at Douglas. Being one of the seniors this year my goal is to inspire the team just as my former teammates inspired me.” This year will be a test for the Royals. The saying goes, the only thing harder than winning a title, is defending it. without special equipment or a deadlift, which isn’t for everybody. 2) For the sloth: Active Hangs Imagine a pull-up in which your arms stay perfectly straight and only your shoulders move up and down. Face your palms away from your body. There, you now know how to do an active hang. Active hangs are great for But Kell believes the team is more than ready to defend their provincial banner. “I think last year definitely provided us with a certain level of confidence. Going into this season we are the team to beat and we are all aware that this is not the time to Image via thinkstoc shoulder mobility, flexibility, and injury prevention. They strengthen your straightened arm (which almost no general gym workout does) and prepare you for greater mobility challenges like swinging from one bar to the next—which could save your life one day. Developed, or at least popularized, by the famous movement coach Ido Image via douglascollegeroyals.ca sit back. This is our time to push harder and prove to everyone that our successful season was nota fluke” A second banner win in a row would certainly solidify the Royals as one of the premier soccer programs in the PACWEST. Portal, active hangs are a great way to use a pull-up bar for something other than the average pull-up. Continued use can see strengthened shoulders as well as necks, which is incredibly useful for anyone who is seated a lot of the time or looking at phones and computers. | often crack my neck out of habit, and I find this workout very useful in reducing that tendency. 3) For the competitor: Sprints No one seems to do sprints! They're muscle-building, fat- cutting, and heart-strengthening beasts of that get neglected because they require maximum effort. Sprints are another workout that really hit those hard to reach hamstrings, but they also work the entire body through the swinging motion of the arms and the intensity of the training. Hills make these workouts even better, but starting out with hill sprints isn’t generally a good idea for beginners. Best practice would be to go for runs and incorporate short sprints into your longer runs. And if you don’t run, best way to start that is to go for walks and throw some shorter jogs into your longer walks.