Senior Richie Cortez shares personal pastimes, classmates’ passions during shelter-in-place

The Last Dance

Although this may not have been the of the year students and faculty would have liked, there is a bright side to this pandemic. I have been making more time for things I love to do as hobbies. I’ve taught myself how to play worship songs on the guitar and the keyboard. 

Many athletes have stories besides scoring a goal or throwing a no-hitter. As I was struggling to find stories and stick to my forte of writing about sports and athletes, I drew a blank. Many professional sports organizations have cancelled the rest of their remaining seasons or weren’t able to participate in a season at all. 

To most senior friends of mine who were active in a spring sport, this was supposed to be the icing on the cake; the last dance, the final note. I feel for them and hope this doesn’t hurt their post-high school plans, because many bright futures are coming from the FC senior class of 2020. 

Behind the scenes: Angel Ruelas

Senior soccer player Angel Ruelas was able to finish his senior year of sports, as the high school season concluded in February. However, Ruelas also plays soccer competitively year round. After the summer of 2019 spent in Italy competing for California Youth Sports Management, Ruelas’s professional soccer career has been put on hold due to COVID-19 restrictions.

Ruelas has created a habit of perfecting his passion. Athletic training in general is something he loves to do as it advances his ability to play “the beautiful game”. 

“Soccer is a huge passion of mine, and it’s something I’d love to pursue professionally”, Ruelas said. “Training only helps me with the soccer part, learning different languages expands my worldly domain. Having the ability to communicate and form relationships with more people is something I really enjoy.”

Besides soccer, Ruelas enjoys listening to music in different languages. His ability to learn languages through song also benefits him on the pitch when playing against opponents.

Ruelas is able to speak Spanish and English fluently and some Croatian. He spent time in Croatia during the summer of 2018 playing soccer and professionally training. Without Spanish, he would not have been able to communicate with his grandparents. Once he was able to speak Spanish fluently, he thought to himself, “Why stop at two languages when there are so many?” 

Since the coronavirus outbreak, Ruelas has had more time to work on his hobby and reach out to family and friends. Learning new languages allows him to take a break from a busy schedule. 

“I definitely see myself as a professional soccer player one day,” Ruelas said. “As long as I familiarize myself with some languages, I won’t struggle as much when playing in other countries.” 

Ruelas will be furthering his soccer career at Fresno Pacific University. He is thrilled to be able to play ball at the collegiate level and is ready to start this new chapter of his life. 

Behind the scenes: Deborah Ingerson 

Deborah Ingerson, ‘20, transferred to Fresno Christian her sophomore year from Shreveport, Louisiana. She was one of the senior athletes who was able to finish her last season at FC, winning a CIF Valley Championship with the girls soccer team. 

Besides soccer, Ingerson spends her free time hanging out with friends, watching movies, riding her bike, hiking, traveling and listening to music. 

“All of these things make me so happy,” Ingerson said. “They’ll relieve me of stress. If a friend tags along it’s so much better and I’m always laughing a lot when I’m with my closest friends. I’ll listen to music when I walk my dog everyday and it calms me down and puts me in a good mood.” 

From Valley champion to worship team leader, Ingerson strives to find new passions and hobbies amidst her school participation. Surfing is something she has always wanted to do and she hopes to try it out once the beaches open up for the public.

“I’ve always wanted to learn how to surf or wake surf,” Ingerson said. “Once I get a board and the beaches open back up, I’ll definitely just have to commit and go out there and learn.” 

Ingerson will be attending college at Grand Canyon University, in Phoenix, AZ. As she plans to major in nursing at GCU, Ingerson reflects on her time at FCS.

“I’m so ready to graduate,” Ingerson said. “I’ll miss high school, but I’m ready for the next step in my life. It’s wild to think it’s almost over, high school has been a huge part of my life.”

Behind the scenes: Logan Lewis

Senior Logan Lewis was not able to finish off his senior year of tennis at Fresno Christian. However, Lewis completed his junior tennis season with a 2019 CIF Valley Championship. The team was led by coaches Daniel Jessing and Robert Foshee.

Besides tennis, Lewis takes part in many extra curricular activities such as worship team, boys basketball (2020 CIF Valley Champions), The Feather and showing his school spirit at sports events. Lewis enjoys the outdoors and spends most of his time with friends and family.

“My three favorite things to do are kick back with my friends and family, serve at the church, and spend time outside,” Lewis said. “All of these things are major stress relievers, they make me feel like I’m floating. These are things I’ve always enjoyed since I was a kid, but they have evolved over time.”

Lewis has always been a creative person, someone who knows what they are doing when it comes to making an image come to life. Graphic design and fashion are just some ways Lewis enjoys expressing his style. With this time of being stuck at home, Lewis’s creativity has been jumping off the walls.

“Now that I have a lot more free time on my hands, I’ve been able to pursue my hobbies,” Lewis said. “I’ve been working hard on some new graphic designs and I’ve even been learning guitar on the side. These activities are timeless and I see myself doing these activities for a long time. I hope I can use these skills of mine as apart of my future; I want to take on the pastor role at my local church.”

Saying goodbye

This is a perfect time to stop and take a breath. God made us specifically for this time period. Right now is when we need to focus on him and build up the Kingdom more than ever. 

Now that senior year is officially ending, this time at Fresno Christian and being apart of The Feather have been so great.

This is my last official article and I’m so thankful to Mr. Stobbe for pushing me so hard and believing in me, that as long as you put your mind to something and do more than just the required elements, you can go far in life.

For more of Cortez’s articles, check out ‘Girls soccer seals the deal, wins DV Valley championship’ and ‘Basketball defeats Fowler, wins Valley in 2OT thriller’.

Richie Cortez can be reached via email, or twitter @richie_cortez9.