On horseback, St. Edward junior volleyball player and equestrienne Samantha Pogorzelski earned more hardware, displayed by Canterbury Farm’s Greg Franklin, at the Dunham Woods Riding Club in Wayne on Aug. 24.
Courtesy of the Pogorzelski family
St. Edward High School girls volleyball coach Dawn Gross said junior Samantha Pogorzelski gives 110% effort.
Statistically, that’s impossible — but maybe not for Pogorzelski, given her mental and physical ability and her wonder woman schedule.
A team captain two of her three seasons as a varsity setter for the Green Wave — a high honor roll student named academic all-conference in the Fox Valley all three seasons — Pogorzelski is also an award-winning equestrienne, a member of numerous school clubs, a manager for the boys volleyball team, and an aspiring dental hygienist.
“Sam is the definition of overachiever and a young lady with dreams, with the kindest heart,” Gross said.
And an early alarm clock. Pogorzelski, 16, leaves her Elgin home around 4:50 a.m. and arrives about 5:30 a.m. at Canterbury Farm in Hampshire, where she takes care of her 6-year-old horse, Calgary Z.
She’ll attend to her horse, ride several others for her mentor, Canterbury head trainer Greg Franklin, and do what chores must be done as a working student to help maintain the stables.
By 7:30 a.m. on school days it’s time to head to St. Edward. After school it’s either a volleyball game or a club activity which could include Spanish, Yearbook, Catholic Outreach, Rock the Wave mental health club or another club or three. If there’s no volleyball game there’s volleyball practice.
“Then I go home and do homework. Every day is a long day for me. It is a lot of work, but it is so much fun,” Pogorzelski said.
Equestrian ribbons? She’s won “too many to count,” starting with small competitions before she entered grade school.
Most recently, on Aug. 24 she won several junior events, including her specialty, Jumping Seat Equitation — “riders being judged on position and style both over fences and on the flat,” according to U.S. Equestrian — at Dunham Woods Riding Club in Wayne.
She dates her riding experience to before she was born, since her mother, Kathy, was riding horses while pregnant with Samantha.
“I love how you can form an individual relationship with each horse, and you learn teamwork without speaking, and try to communicate through a different language,” she said.
“I’m a big animal lover, so getting to interact with animals every day and see how they work, see how their bodies are, it’s so cool to see.”
She’s considering equestrian for college and as a career, but there’s also the dental hygienist thing. Pogorzelski already has shadowed a dental assistant in preparation for a position in that field.
“There’s a lot of options that I’m kind of pondering right now,” she said.
There’s a lot of places that would welcome her.
St. Edward junior Samantha “Sam” Pogorzelski is a three-year varsity setter for the Green Wave girls volleyball team.
Courtesy of Dawn Gross
Going 1-0
Aidan Ploski, the 2024 Schaumburg graduate we noted here Sept. 5, won his amateur mixed martial arts debut on Sept. 7.
In the third round of a scheduled three-rounder at 130 pounds at Elm West in Elmhurst, Ploski beat Adrian Gallegos by submission on a guillotine choke hold.
Coached by Alex Trujillo at Midwest Training Center in Schaumburg, Ploski said he hopes for another bout after the new year.
Meanwhile, he’s working on improving his various MMA disciplines and increasing the speed of his kicks. “Tightening things up,” Ploski said.
Nothing but net proceeds
Braden Huff, Illinois’ Mr. Basketball in 2022 for Glenbard West’s Class 4A championship boys basketball team, and a redshirt sophomore forward at Gonzaga, held a basketball camp Aug. 18 for the Glen Ellyn Titans youth program.
Due to proceeds from the inaugural BH34 Day Camp, in addition to teaching drills and skills the camp generated more than $3,000 donated to the Glen House Food Pantry, to go to local families in need.
“Nutrition is a huge part of every athlete’s journey, and it takes a lot to fuel Braden at 6-10 and 250 pounds,” the Huff family said in a Facebook post.
“No child should ever have to wonder when and where their next meal is coming from.”
History
In Lake Park’s 41-14 victory over Conant to open the football season, Lake Park senior kicker Tessa Gismondo kicked an extra point.
That was the first point scored by a female in Lancers football history, dating to 1957.
A true diamond
For a third consecutive season, Schaumburg’s Wintrust Field was named baseball Stadium of the Year in the Frontier League.
The Schaumburg Boomers drew a franchise-record 231,322 fans, the second highest in league history, and the second team in the Frontier League to surpass 200,000 fans three straight years. The Boomers welcomed their 2 millionth fan overall this season.
Despite some storms that blew in, due to diligence by facility director Mike Tlusty and his crew, the Boomers didn’t have to cancel one of their 49 home games.