The Lincoln Log

Photo by Dana Lui

Sophomore Sainie Huang does dragonboat and volleyball while keeping her grades steady and high.

Whether it’s paddling her way to the finish line, spiking the ball ashard on the ground, or getting good grades, sophomore Sainie Huang cankeep it all up.

One of Huang’s favorite sports is volleyball. She joined Abraham Lincoln High School‘s volleyball team her freshman year, and became a junior varsity outside hitter. During Huang’s sophomore season, her coach invited her to take an opening on the varsity team.

Huang was hesitant, but thought, Why not? It will give her more experience, although she would not be playing games as regularly.

“It didn’t matter to me if I played in the games or not. I just wanted to improve,” Huang said.

Huang first became interested in volleyball when she was in the 4th grade. Her dad would always take her and her older sister Connie Huang out to practice, and help them improve. Volleyball is a sport that runs in the Huang family.

Dragon boat is another one of Huang’s passions; she is on Abraham Lincoln’s dragon boat team. She’s not an average paddler, she is superior. She’s the only sophomore on Lincoln’s gold boat (Lincoln’s “A” team). Huang joined dragon boat in the spring season of her freshman year and started off on the black boat, then continued into the fall season as a sophomore and made it onto gold boat. While Huang paddled for the black boat as a stroker, her team placed 4th in the A division. She also raced in the all girls division and took 2nd place.

During the fall season of her sophomore year, she raced with gold boat and took 1st place in A division, and 2nd once again in all girl’s division.

Huang is also the Key Club treasurer at our school. Huang joined Key Club because a friend asked her to join, but later discovered the club it as a good opportunity to do community service.

It’s not all about sports and clubs for Huang. She works hard on her schoolwork; she has a 3.67 GPA. Huang wants to keep her grades up and succeed. Huang is currently taking chemistry, English honors, and advanced algebra, which are considered rigorous as for 10th grader. Even so, she still can keep up her grades.

Now that Huang is on gold boat, she hopes to continue the streak of placing 1st in A division. She hopes to win varsity championships for volleyball next year, instead of their rival Lowell High School always taking 1st place. Huang personally wants to improve in both dragon boat and volleyball, and also get stronger.

“I really love how everyone on both sport teams is hardworking and dedicated,” Huang said.