Photo courtesy of Laiche Family.
Amber Laiche:
The future looks bright for Sandpoint High School senior Amber Laiche. A member of the SHS dance team where she served as captain this year, Amber recently learned that she will be on the squad for the University of Montana Grizzlies.
“I leave to begin training on July 31,” said Amber, who won dance competitions throughout the South before moving to Sandpoint at the age of 12. “I’m very excited to start!”
In addition to the training she does for the SHS dance team, Amber also takes dance classes at Studio 1 Dance Company. But dance is much more than a hobby to Amber; it is the field in which she hopes to work.
“I plan to major in dance and minor in business,” said Amber, who plans to one day own a competitive dance studio in Sandpoint.
Amber said that the best quality of being a dancer is being able to tell a story without using words. “There is nothing better than the feeling of telling a story with your team through dance,” she said. “Seeing our audience after a great performance gives you such a feeling of love and accomplishment, such a feeling that you could never forget.”
Amber said that one thing she has learned through dance is that there is always room for improvement.
“In dance, we are given at least 30 corrections a class,” she said. “A very important quality in dance is being able to take constructive criticism.”
Photo by Jason Duchow Photography.
Charlie Crane:
A senior at Sandpoint High School, Charlie Crane said sports, particularly soccer, have taught him an important lesson that he will carry with him through life.
“Effort is the basis of success. In soccer and in life, worthwhile goals can be accomplished only with hard work, and I’m glad that soccer has given me the opportunity to experience that firsthand,” he said.
Charlie said soccer has dominated his life in the best possible way. “I love everything about the game, and it has contributed to the person I am today,” said the four-year SHS varsity player. “I made the All IEL [Inland Empire League] two years, and in my final season I was captain and was selected to the All-State team.”
Also a member of the SHS tennis team, Charlie has persevered in academics and maintains a 4.0 GPA.
He will attend the University of Utah in Salt Lake City where he will work toward a pre-medical degree in biology. “I then hope to go into a career in the medical field because I enjoy science and math courses, and I want to help people,” said Charlie.
One of the most difficult challenges in soccer, according to Charlie, has been the mental part of the game. “It’s difficult to persist if you’re tired and your team is down, but you keep on playing in pursuit of those rare moments of satisfaction that happen when you can come back from a deficit,” he said.