Head over to the weight room, Elizabeth and Mary Catherine’s athletic training room, or the locker rooms and stop for a moment to view the multitude of records set by Ross High School student-athletes. While the incredible achievements of RHS athletes may seem daunting to underclassmen aspiring to succeed in their sport, the records serve as a challenge to inspire continued excellence.
Many student records are broken within one or a few years, but some RHS records have set a high bar, having stood unbroken since the 80s or 90s. Even so, often record holders are just normal students you see in class or sit with at lunch. These athletes are set apart by their special drive, determination and dedication.
Ross athletes have broken several records recently. These include Lucy Bowling’s 27 wins in one tennis season this year, alumnus Sam Davidson’s doubles wins in his tennis season and career (18, 29) in 2022-2023, and many swim records set by seniors Cooper Burt and Connor Bennett, junior Luke Mignery, and alumnus Conner Norton in individual and relay events in 2023. Additionally, alumna swimmer Anabelle Smith set four personal records and two relay records in ‘21 and ‘23, and senior Ben Voegele set an RHS baseball record for the highest number of stolen bases (31) in a season in 2023.
Justin Beck, RHS Athletic Director, expects these senior swimmers to break their own records yet again this year, after having done so the past two years. He stated, “Our goal is to break records every year. If you’re breaking records every year, you’re doing some good things.”
Bennett, RHS senior swimmer and Makos swim team member, explained, “I broke these records because of my personal drive and perseverance, which have been with me since I was 5 years old.”
Additionally, Lanie Lipps, a senior at RHS, scored her 1000th career point in the Ross vs. Madison game on Dec. 7. While this does not officially break a record, it is a huge personal milestone and has not been achieved by a Ross girls’ basketball player in a long time. She was elated and said, “All the hard work I put into playing basketball … feels like it’s all paying off. In the moment I really just wanted to celebrate with my teammates because they are my second family.” She spoke of the uplifting impact her coaches (Coach Buener and Assistant Coach Lipps) and teammates had on her.
Through any athlete’s journey is the impact of countless coaches, teammates, family members, and other influences who support them. Beck gave the reminder that “although a record may only reflect your name on the board, more often than not, it’s actually a reflection of the team’s efforts to help you get there.”
Setting or breaking a record here at Ross High School is an amazing achievement that should be worked for and celebrated. Both Beck and Bennett spoke of the cruciality of hard work for an aspiring student-athlete. Success in a sport does not just happen, it takes immense discipline and initiative to strengthen and improve oneself. Any student-athlete aspiring to break a school or personal record must remain focused and consistent, “set[ting] a goal for [themselves] and work[ing] hard in and out of season to achieve that goal,” as Bennett encouraged.
Most importantly, athletes should work to beat themselves and not worry about their performance compared to others. The best person to beat is yourself, and a positive attitude and strong effort will take any athlete far in their sport. Congratulations to all alumni and students who hold records at RHS, and best of luck to current Rams who are working toward their own athletic goals.
