North Sound Christian recognizes Bunger, Waller

Published 2:04 pm Thursday, June 26, 2008

North Sound Christian, formerly known as Snohomish County Christian School, recently named senior Elyse Bunger and junior Jeremy Waller as its Athletes of the Year.

The award is given to athletes who are active in a local church, demonstrate outstanding citizenship, have at least a 3.0 GPA and letter in at least two sports.

The recipients are selected by a committee of coaches with the athletic director. The school principal gives the final approval.

Bunger played volleyball, basketball, ran track and went to state in all three sports. She had a 3.7 GPA and will attend Seattle Pacific University in the fall.

Of the three sports, volleyball is definitely her favorite.

“I have a passion for volleyball,” Bunger said. “I could play volleyball in the mud and the rain.”

While being the only senior on both her volleyball and basketball team, her proudest moment came during a track meet late in the season this year. Behind almost a quarter of a lap in the 1,600-meter relay, Bunger needed to place at least third to qualify for state. In the last leg, she kicked it in gear and passed the girl ahead of her.

“I got my team to state,” she said.

Bunger said that the award is just a reflection of all the hard work she has dedicated to her sports.

“I’ve been wanting it for a while,” she said. “It really shows how much work I put into it … how much I love the program … (how much I’ve) grown over the years.”

The other recipient, Jeremy Waller, currently has a 3.8 GPA and is the starting point-guard and captain on the basketball team. He also plays midfield and striker in soccer and led his team in scoring while taking the Lions to the state quarterfinals two years in a row.

“It’s really rewarding to see all the hard work, energy and passion that I put in pay off,” Waller said of the award.

Jeremy’s father, Jim Waller, the athletic director and college career counselor, said the goal of their program is to promote good character in students and teach life lessons through sports.

Yet, having a father as the athletic director raised some eyebrows when Jeremy won the Athlete of the Year as a junior, an award traditionally given to seniors.

Because of the family connection, it is extremely important for Jim that the awards be objective and given to the most deserving athlete.

“It’s critical to have awards that are well defined,” he said.

Jeremy doesn’t mind going to the same school where his dad works. In fact when asked about it, Jeremy laughed and said that it is actually helping him to be better prepared and thinking ahead for college.

Outside of sports, Waller is a member of the National Honor Society, is the student body treasurer, and also sings tenor in the school choir.

It was a transitional year for North Sound Christian, which merged with Cedar Park Christian Schools, and hired 11 new coaches. Nevertheless, five out of seven of the Lions’ sports teams competed in the state playoffs.

Waller said he and his teammates adapted to the new coaches and new systems rather smoothly. His basketball team won seven more games last season and just missed going to state.

Bunger admitted that the coaching changes didn’t affect her sports since the male athletic programs had more coaching turnover. In fact, the women’s basketball coach and volleyball coach are married and have been coaching for all of Bunger’s four years.

“I grew up with my coaches,” Bunger said. “They are like my family.”

Waller said the biggest motivation for him is seeing his teammates get better. After he graduates, he hopes to play at the collegiate level.

Bunger plans on coaching high school volleyball later in her life. She said she hopes her passion on the court will one day inspire others to succeed in life.

“I can reach a lot of people through sports,” Bunger said. “I can relate with them and help them with things that don’t have anything to do with sports.”