Coach David Springfield leads the boys lacrosse team during a game.
Provided to the LVN
Oasis Academy 2017 graduate Isabel Martinez has discovered her calling by working in higher education. Martinez is excited to begin her new position with the University of California, Berkeley as an Institutional Giving Associate this month.
“I will be helping with the funding/grant writing process for the education initiative at the Lawrence Hall of Science,” Martinez said.
She is transitioning into the position after previously working on the leadership team at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco.
“I’m looking forward to the new role at UC Berkeley and want to continue learning more about nonprofit/museum work,” she said. “This and continuing to contribute to the education community are important for me for now and for my future plans. I also enjoy being in the Bay area with friends and being part of the community here.”
During her time at Oasis, Martinez was also part of the Jump Start Program. She graduated from Western Nevada College with her Associate of Arts degree along with her high school diploma. She then went on to graduate in 2021 from the University of Nevada Reno with bachelor’s degrees in Spanish, Education, and Social Studies.
“I’d like to give shoutouts and much appreciation to Counselor Andy Lenon and Coach Brandon Bird. Mr. Lenon for keeping me focused and Coach Bird for teaching me the importance of effort and dedication,” Martinez added.
“My advice to future students (and to my high school self) is to be proud of yourself. Remind yourself that you are doing a good job. School is hard, life gets messy, and there is always so much 'to do' – but remember that you are trying your best, and you should be proud of that.”
Summer strength and conditioning
Coach Amanda Gilbertson is offering free strength and conditioning classes to all incoming eighth-12th grade students who are playing sports for the Bighorns next year. The Monday through Thursday classes are either from 6:30-7:45 a.m. or 8-9:15 a.m. and began June 12.
Classes will focus on speed and agility training, mobility and flexibility, strength training, injury prevention, and improving athletic performance.
“We offer this class in the summer (and during the school year) for three reasons: injury prevention, provide proper long-term athletic development, and give the student athletes a competitive edge that not all high schools have — a legitimate strength training program,” said Coach Gilbertson. “The benefits of strength and conditioning in high school are infinite, but my biggest hope is that the students really buy into the program this year to help them be more competitive and prepare for the transition into 2A.“ There are still spots available. Contact Gilbertson to enroll or for any questions at agilbertson@oasisacademyfallon.us.
Middle-school lacrosse teams finish season strong
Both the boys and girls middle school lacrosse teams played in the end of the season tournaments this past weekend. The Lady Bighorns finished third and the boys finished 5th. Both teams saw a lot of improvement as the season progressed.
“This is the best season we’ve had since we started the team again. It was really fun, and I could not be prouder of them,” said boys Coach David Springfield.
“I couldn't be prouder of this team,” added girls coach Karla Craig. “Our team was super competitive all season with the top teams from Reno and Truckee. Many of the girls on the team have never played lacrosse before or were playing up an age division. We also played most games with no subs. However, we didn't let those obstacles stand in our way. Our girls played with heart, grit, and determination. Those are the attributes that I love about these girls, and it was evident in their winning season. Great job girls.”
Oasis Lacrosse is run through High Sierra Lacrosse and is open to all students in the Fallon area. For information, contact Coach Springfield at dspringfield@oanv.org or Coach Craig at kcraig@oanv.org.