Senior Timothy Faerber was born clinically dead but was saved by the technology invented by a professor now teaching at the University of Michigan. Next fall he will attend the University of Michigan on a diving scholarship and hopes to meet the professor who created the technology that saved his life. Before that, in June, he will head to Seattle to participate in trials for the United States Dive Team for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. And he still has his whole senior season of diving ahead of him.

Faerber’s diving career began at the age of 7, initially sparked by nothing more than curiosity.

“I started because I saw people jumping off diving boards,” Faerber said. “I tried it, liked it and started taking lessons.”

Faerber then joined a dive team that was led by a conditioning coach for the Russian Olympic team, Antonov Slobounov. His first coach did not allow him to jump straight into competition but instead taught the team basic fundamentals for an entire year.

“I wanted to start competing right away,” Faerber said. “When I started, everyone was ahead of me, and it was frustrating, but it paid off because I had my fundamentals.”

From there, Faerber’s career continued to grow. He competed in the Junior World Championships in Germany in 2008 and has participated in diving competitions abroad in Canada and England, with a possible upcoming trip to Australia this year.

“It’s been a great experience,” Faerber said. “It’s really shaped who I am. It’s helped me perform under pressure; I’ve met people from around the world.”

His acquaintances include, among others, the members of the Bulgarian diving team, who he was introduced to by his Bulgarian coach at the 2008 World Championships.

Faerber says he has met many of his goals, including qualifying for Olympic trials, but he has continued to set goals for himself.

“Diving for Michigan, my goal is to place in the top 8 at NCAA’s,” Faerber said.

According to CHS swim and dive coach Brendan Roddy, Faerber’s success comes from his determination.

“Tim’s success is a direct result from a combination of hard work and a passion for diving,” Roddy said. “I see this every practice by just watching Tim on deck when he is either diving or coaching the dive team here at CHS.”

Faerber has worked through many injuries, from a concussion to broken wrists and a broken leg. His success was against the odds from birth, yet he has gone on to place number two in the nation for his age group, missing first by a narrow half-point margin.

“Tim is a competitor,” Roddy said. ”He will rise to the occasion and will not make excuses when he is competing, and is also willing to help others learn, grow, and finds success in his teammate’s achievements.”

She has played basketball
for eight years and has been on
the CHS varsity girls basketball
team all four years of high school.

Congratulations to senior Laila Judeh for verbally committing to play tennis at Cornell University next fall.

Judeh began playing tennis at age 7, played for the CHS varsity team her junior year and currently trains in Virginia.

Congratulations to senior Timmy Faerber for committing to dive at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor next fall.

Faerber began competitively diving at age 7 and currently trains at Dominion Dive in Fairfax, VA.

Congratulations to senior Sarafina Arthur-Williams for signing her letter of intent to play basketball for the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

She has played basketball for eight years and has been on the CHS varsity girls basketball team all four years of high school.

Srour started running competitively this year and remained undefeated against Maryland runners until she placed second by 2.7 seconds in the 4A West Regional Championship Nov. 3. She won the varsity title in counties Oct. 22, which featured all 25 MCPS high schools, making her the first freshman to win the title since 2003.

“Even though it is very difficult for a freshman to win the varsity title, I was not surprised Lucy won,” cross country coach Christine Carlson said. “She is someone gifted with natural talent who still works her hardest and continues to improve.”

Srour beat 150 runners in the county race with a winning time of 18 minutes and 51 seconds.

“I was definitely surprised that I won,” Srour said. “It was a really close race; I only won by a second.”

According to senior cross country captain Caroline Su, Srour has contributed to keeping the team’s overall score low by winning her races every week. Despite being a freshman in her first cross country season, Srour quickly became an imperative part of the team.

“It’s not that serious beating some of the older cross country members,” Srour said. “We all hang out. It doesn’t really feel like they are older than me.”

According to Carlson, varsity cross country racing is competitive. It is rare for freshmen runners to gain a lot of notice, especially in their first season.

“She runs with the same dedication and willingness to work hard that is expected of upperclassmen runners and leaders,” Carlson said.

Srour was the number one runner in eighth grade and number two in seventh grade on the Hoover Middle School cross country team. According to Srour, however, the CHS team is harder and more competitive.

“I have always liked running,” Srour said. “I thought it would be a fun sport and a lot of my friends were doing it too.”

Both Srour’s mother and father are runners, and while they do not race together often, Srour and her family always participate in a Thanksgiving 5K race in Frederick and the Potomac Autism Speaks run.

“When I watch her run, I can tell she’s there to perform and run her best, whether it’s during practice or a competition,” Carlson said.

Srour’s early achievements have her teammates and coaches expecting improvement and even greater success throughout the rest of her high school cross country career.

“Lucy not only wins but she is confident,” coach Paul Jacobson said. “She is going to be one of CHS’ greatest female runners.”

With intensity, vigor and a will to win, senior Kristina Roberts adds so much more to her team than just the regular key traits necessary to be a successful field hockey goalie. She makes the team flow.

Roberts has been a goalie on the field hockey team since her sophomore year. While she was a late bloomer to the sport, her great sense of agility and speed has lead the field hockey team to a great 8-1 record this season.

“She was somewhat timid at first because she was learning the sport, but has shown incredible improvement since then,” varsity field hockey coach Catherine Miller said.

An integral part of being a goalie is taking control on the field. During every game Roberts is responsible for keeping her teammates in check and ensuring that their positions on the field are good enough to keep the ball as far away from the goal as possible. If the ball happens to move toward the goal, Roberts has developed a clear and concise kick to ensure that the ball does not enter.

“Kristina has a strong kick that can clear the ball out of the circle with one move,” Miller said.

What makes the game of field hockey work, though, is team unity, and that is what Roberts loves most about her sport.

On the field, Roberts is in charge of making sure that the offense and defense are talking to each other. If they are not, she must direct players to move so that they are in position to score. This requires team unity.

“In some sports, one player can take the ball all the way up the field alone and then score,” Roberts said. “However, in field hockey you really have to work together as a team.”

Roberts has not only received awards from her coaches like Most Improved Player but, the Washington Post has also recognized Roberts’ achievements. In the 2010 season, Roberts was ranked eighth in the D.C. Metropolitan area for her number of saves, which Roberts estimates is over 100.

According to Miller, Roberts has had some of her best games this year.

During the season’s first eight games, Roberts recorded five shutouts. She has also had huge games against B-CC, Quince Orchard and Wootton.

This year has been unique for Roberts, as her sister, junior Catherine, also joined the varsity field hockey team.

“The sisters cheer for each other, and they push each other,” Miller said. “They often go head-tohead since Catherine is a forward; they have a great relationship.”

While Roberts hopes to continue field hockey at the club level in college, she is now just focusing her energy on the CHS team.

“I have made a lot of friends on the team,” Roberts said. “Field hockey will always be a happy memory for me.”

When envisioning a shark, among the first few adjectives that come to mind are predatory, brutal and ruthless. All of these traits are captured by senior linebacker Bret Sickels, which explains why many of his teammates refer to him by his nickname “The Land Shark.”

Sickels has started at linebacker on the varsity football team for three straight years and is in his second season in a row as team captain. Last season, Sickels made 1st Team All League.

“I started to play football seriously at age 6, and football has been my favorite hobby ever since,” Bret said.

His father, Bob Sickels, introduced Sickels to the sport. Before Bret came to CHS he played for the Maplewood Football Team his father coached.

“My parents have really supported me playing football,” Bret said. “They make sure I do my workouts and help me get my transcripts out to colleges.”

Sickels has a “never give up” attitude and showed signs of his determination at a young age. When Bret was 9 he broke two fingers in a Maplewood football game. He went over to his father, the coach at the time, and pleaded to stay in the game.

“I felt like the world’s worst father, but Bret was so hungry to play I finally gave in,” Bob Sickels said. “So I taped up his fingers, let him finish the game, and he ended up playing one of his best games ever.”

Not only is Sickels willing to play through injuries, but he also has one of the most focused and determined work ethics on the team. In the offseason, Sickels lifted or did speed training five days a week, once or twice per day to get stronger and faster.

“After the football team lost the last game of last season, head coach Allen told the boys they had a month off before workouts would begin,” Bob Sickels said. “And I remember Bret telling the coach there is no offseason in football and he was back in the gym the next day.”

Bret plans on continuing his football career in college. He is considering playing at William and Mary, Cornell, Towson, JMU or Indiana.

“My individual goal is to make the All Met team and play college football,” Bret said.

This year the Bulldogs are 3-0, and have held their first three opponents to only 14 points total. Sickels is a crucial reason why the team has had so much success defensively, as he lead the team with seven tackles against Kennedy and had a game-changing interception against Whitman.

“I’ll do anything I can to help my team win,” Bret said. “Winning games is the most important thing so we can achieve our ultimate team goal to win a state championship.”

The Sickels are a football-oriented family. Bret has three brothers and two sisters, and all his brothers played CHS football. His older brother, Jake Sickels, graduated last spring, played football all four years of high school and is currently playing football at Susquehanna University. Bret’s younger, brother Will, is a junior who plays on the varsity team, and his youngest brother Max is a freshman who plays on the JV team.

“Football is more than just a sport to me, without it I honestly think I would be a different person,” Bret said. “Ask my friends, they would say football is my life, and I would have to agree.”