F.C. Sisters Score Six Ice Skating Medals

Hannah Schlesinger, 9, of Falls Church won gold in her pre-preliminary free-skate qualifier, and silver in the final round, at the 2009 South Atlantic Regional Non-Qualifying Competition held at IceWorks in Aston, Penn. last weekend.

Schlesinger skated in a field of 100 skaters in her level at this U.S. Figure Skating-sanctioned event, landing axel jumps and executing jump combinations, spirals and step sequences. Overall, she collected three medals in the competition, one gold and two silver, in her three events. Schlesinger’s 5-year-old sister, Becky Schlesinger, skated in the Tots category, winning silver in the Tots free-skate qualifier, and bronze in the final round. Becky also collected three medals – one silver and two bronze – in her three events. The 2009 South Atlantic Regional Qualifying Competition began this Tuesday, leading to the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in January 2009.

V-ball Winning Streak Secured by Lady Highlanders

The McLean High School Girls Varsity Volleyball squad’s winning streak continued last Monday night, Oct. 6, when they faced the Edison Eagles. They defeated Edison in three straight games (25-19, 25-18, 25-14), which improved the Highlander season record to 9-2. Their Liberty District record is 2-0. McLean will travel to Stone Bridge High School on Thursday, Oct. 16 to face another Liberty District opponent.

This Tuesday, McLean fought cross-town rival Langley High at a “Dig Pink” match to raise money for the Side-Out Foundation, which supports breast cancer research. McLean raised a total of $930, $370 of which was raised through a bake sale.

TJHSST Girls Outpace Lake Braddock, Take 1st

Earning their fourth win, the Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJHSST) Girls Varsity Cross Country Team overwhelmed the nearest competition in their 5K event at Bull Run Park with a score of 89-148. Three TJHSST girls earned medals in the top 15 places – freshman Sarah Stites from Reston placed second with a time of 18:43, Stephanie Marzen from McLean placed eighth with a time of 19:10 and Lisa Junta from Springfield placed 13th with a time of 19:18. Katherine Sheridan, Vienna, and Neesha Schnepf, McLean, placed 24th and 42nd respectively. Every girl on the team achieved either a season’s or personal best time.
Also placing first were the TJHSST freshman boys, who were led by Michael Wattendorf from Alexandria, who placed eighth, and with Andrew O’Shea of Clifton placing a very close ninth. Both boys’ times were recorded as 18:05. Jacob Zucker of Arlington, Elliott Simon and Dylan Keightley, both of Alexandria, rounded out the team. The TJHSST varsity boys placed sixth in their event and the JV boys placed third.