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HIGHLIGHTS SPORTS SEPTEMBER 9, 2013
Amanda Block vaults in Junior Olympics, AAU competition Brenda Mehdian staff writer Over the summer, sophomore pole vaulter Amanda Block traveled to Las Vegas, Nev., and Orlando, Fla., to compete in various Junior Olympic and Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) meets and was ranked sixth in the state. In Las Vegas, Block competed at a regional meet against athletes from the western region of the country and walked away with the top spot. Next, she traveled to Orlando for the AAU National Championships, where she placed fifth in the 15-16 age group of pole vaulters primarily from Florida. “The UCLA program was one of the best in the area and I couldn’t pass up an opportunity to help my daughter with something she likes,” her father, Alan Block, said. Block first got into pole-vaulting when she was in eighth grade. She was a competitive gymnast for about 12 years, and in her last year of gymnastics, she began pole-vaulting once a week. Block soon realized she preferred the sport to gymnastics and decided to stop doing gymnastics completely. “I switched because gymnastics didn’t seem like a sport I would want to do in high school or college,” Block said. According to Block, her foundations in gymnastics gave her the strength, athletic coordination and ability to pole vault. “I like pole-vaulting better because there’s nothing subjective about it, you either clear the bar or you don’t, unlike in gymnastics where you are scored by a judge,”
Block said. What began as a simple suggestion from a fellow gymnast’s parent turned into something more when Block’s father found a club at UCLA called No Limits Sports, where she has been training ever since. Block pulls her athletic inspiration from Kaitlyn Merritt, a junior at Santa Margarita High School. Merritt has been the California state leader since her freshman year in high school and she holds national and state records for her age with a personal record of 13-8. “She is my role model because of all of her outstanding athletic achievement, and also because I’ve competed against her before at an invitational. Like me, she was a gymnast first and later became a pole-vaulter. She is one of the nicest girls I’ve met and is very supportive to her teammates. I strive to emulate her achievements as an athlete,” Block said. Block plans on pole-vaulting throughout the rest of high school and hopes to continue through college as well. “It’s still early in my career to look too far ahead, but if the opportunity were to come, I would definitely like to go beyond collegiate pole-vaulting,” Block said. Block looks forward to the Pole Vault Summit, which will take place in early 2-14 in Reno, Nev., the Arcadia Invitational and the Indoor State Championships in Fresno, Calif. As far as her participation with the Beverly track and field team, Block’s goal is to go further this year in the CIF Championships.
The Jackson Fives: Week One Fantasy Football Advice Jackson Prince staff writer Pickups that make you look smarter than your CST scores suggest, as well as this week’s version of “High Fives” and “Low Fives” As the Sept. 5 showdown between the Denver Broncos and the Baltimore Ravens inches closer, the fantasy football community licks its metaphorical lips in anticipation of another chance at proving its prowess. Depending on the players you selected during your draft, you are either anxiously fearing Week One, or eagerly awaiting its arrival. Regardless, the choices you made during your draft are irrelevant now. Boys and girls, there is a championship to win,
and win you must. With the right pickups, trades and start-sit decisions, you can propel your team to fantasy football glory. A seemingly hopeless team can join the elite class with a few crafty, in-season moves. However, without an understanding of the importance of these vital week-to-week decisions, your team may become buried at the bottom of the standings. A successful season cannot be accomplished alone. You might be asking, “Where can I find that partner to lead me to the holy grail of fantasy football?” If I must. Jackson Prince, three-time fantasy football champion, at your service. To read the full story, go to www.beverlyhighlights.com
PHOTO COURTESY OF AMANDA BLOCK
LEAP OF FAITH— Amanda Block competes in Las Vegas, vaulting her way to the top spot in the standings.
Basketball stengthens core through summer league work Arman Zadeh sports editor Following a second round playoff exit against Compton last season, the basketball team began a productive offseason, participating in seven tournaments and leagues during the condensed summer. The broken up squad, missing team members both for personal reasons and recent graduates, competed against California’s top teams in competitions in Westchester, San Diego, Providence, Crespi and others to sharpen its skills during the offseason. Head coach Jarvis Turner noted that, even without the entire team participating this summer, the team managed a number of wins, a majority, according to forward Ben Cohen, against top schools while improving its individuals and the team as a whole. “I think we had a pretty good summer, a productive summer,” Turner said. “Guys got better individually and I think we also got better as a team collectively.” One of the biggest assets this year’s team has that past year’s
teams lacked is chemistry, according to Turner. The team’s core this year is comprised of seniors Cohen, Siavash Yektafar, Brandon Neman, Eli Sachs and Nima Rafizadeh, all of whom have played all four years of high school basketball together since beginning on the freshman team. The team also features senior Ronan Massana who has been a member of the varsity team since his freshman year. “Both the JV and varsity teams got to go down [to San Diego] for one weekend, bond a little bit. Just playing together, working out together, has created a stronger bond for our guys,” Turner said. “I think the guys have matured a lot more. Our core is pretty much seniors and they matured a lot this summer.” The team’s individual’s performances this summer were highlighted by a 46 point performance from Yektafar in San Diego and a 30 point performance from Cohen in Westchester. “Individually we all improved our games by playing against good competition and players we aren’t used to playing,” Cohen said. “We became
closer as a team and developed more chemistry which is definitely going to be important for us if we want to be successful this season.” As for the upcoming season, Turner looks to take the year step by step in hopes that it can lead the team back to CIF playoffs for the third year in a row. “Our goal is to just take it one day at a time and work hard every single day. We want to come to conditioning, practice, and work as hard as we possibly can,” Turner said. “As far as what’s out in front of us right now, we’re just focused on what we have to do to get better every single day, and I think the guys understand that.” Before the season begins, though, the team will continue to participate in preseason leagues in the fall hosted by Nike in Inglewood along with other local leagues in preparation for the year. “We’re excited about the year. I’m very proud of my guys just for the steps they have taken. They’re becoming better people and becoming better basketball players,” Turner said.