By Jacob Raphael

He gets the ball at the three point line and looks at the basket. The clock is winding down and the crowd is electric. With defenders running towards him, he sets his feet towards the basket and shoots the ball. As the ball gently glides through the net, the crowd erupts.. He hits the game tying shot—leading his team to win the division.
Dr. Gitz is more than just the principal that students see standing in the main hallway. Playing both basketball and football, he was once very involved in Rebel athletics.
For Dr. Gitz, his high school athletic career was an exciting experience. “I loved playing sports in High School,” said Gitz. He later added, “I made many great memories from playing basketball and football.”
Although he loved both sports, . he admitted,“ “Overall I enjoyed playing basketball more. ” Although he made many great memories playing football, he created even better ones during basketball season . His favorite memory was hitting the game-tying shot in a game his senior year that clinched his team the division championship. Describing the experience, Dr. Gitz said, “Unforgettable. The crowd was going crazy. It was a true high school athletic experience.”
In addition to the memories he made playing sports, some of his favorite moments also came from joking around and bonding with his teammates. Gitz mentioned how after every Friday night basketball game during his senior season, the team went out to a restaurant and played pranks on each other. “I used to love going out on Fridays with the team. Every time we went out, we used to tell this place it was someone’s birthday—a different person each week—and watch him blush while the waiters sang happy birthday to him.”
Dr. Gitz looks back on his athletic career with no regrets. Although he stated that there were a few things that he wish he could have done better , like listening to coaches more and working harder, he loved every part of being a student athlete. “The memories I made and the skills I developed from playing sports were priceless; I’m very glad I had the opportunity.”