Volume 76, Issue 1
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Wednesday, September 12, 2018
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Wrestling team remembers former elan BY ANDREW AYALA Staff Writer Former East Los Angeles College student and wrestler Joshua Newman died in a car accident on August 25. His former wrestling coach, Ralph Valle said that “Joshua was a quiet leader who never complained and was naturally talented.” Newman had been recognized and mentioned in multiple articles over the years as a great talented wrestler. He wrestled and attended ELAC during the ’11-’12 and to the ’12-’13 seasons until he tore his ACL and never fully recovered.
“He would have gone to wrestle at University but his injury got in the way.” RALPH VALLE
Wrestling Coach
Newman’s entry into the team wasn’t a typical one, Coach Valle said. “Every now and then I will go to a kid’s house, but he was different because he lived in Long Beach. I spoke to his mother and recruited him. He came from a program at Long Beach Wilson. The kid was very gifted and very smart. He could figure things out quickly. He was pointed out to me by the Long Beach Poly coach. It took him about a year to learn everything properly but for the most part he was all natural
talent,” Coach Valle said. Newman’s former teammate of two years and current assistant coach to Valle, Hugo Perez said, “Joshua was very quiet and humble. We had strong guys on the team but he was very strong. He won a lot and was humble about it. I needed that motivation to do well. He never missed a day and always trained hard.” Some of his biggest accolades as a wrestler included being the team MVP for ’13. “He didn’t feel the need to say a lot. His wrestling, attitude, and work ethic spoke for him. He was a shut up and work type of guy,” Coach Perez said. Newman took fourth place at the 2012 California Community College Wrestling Championships and was ranked the No.3 wrestler in the state until his injury. He had done so well he even wrestled the No.1 ranked wrestler in the state at one point of his career. “He would have gone to wrestle at University but his injury got in the way,” Valle said. During his career at ELAC, he was recognized All-American, which is when a player is recognized as being the best in their sport. “He was the guy who loved to fight but wasn’t mean. I just had to talk to him not yell at him like some of the other kids and even after I chewed him out he would say I’ll get them next time,” Valle said. “Josh was always focused. We were the same age but I still looked up to him. He was one of those guys who made everything look easy. He showed up every day and put the work in. He would do
COURTESY OF TADZIO GARCIA
GOING DOWN— Former ELAC wrestler Joshua Newman, left, during his wrestilng years. a lot when others didn’t want to do it,” Perez said. “I hope he is remembered as somebody who motivated others to be better, and not just in wrestling. He pushed others and inspired the rest of the team and me. He
made me want to do my best in school, work, and just in general. I needed that at that time in my life. Aside from a parent, a teacher, or a coach, I needed a friend that really motivated me.” A few weeks before the passing
of Newman, Perez and Valle both mentioned a day when their former team all met up and practiced one last time at ELAC. The session was unplanned but went as smooth as when they used to wrestle.
“I still keep in touch with those guys on a constant basis. Josh’s death was very heartbreaking and shocking. It’s never good when you lose a friend. As a matter of fact, we lost more than a friend. We lost a brother.” said Perez.
Athletic Department splits workload with two new directors BY JOE DARGAN
CN/GISELLE PALOMERA
Staff Writer
ELATED FINGERS— Pianist and assistant professor of music, Lucy Nargizyan, plays a short piece by one of her favorite Russian composers, Alexander Scriabin.
Walt Disney Music Hall to welcome ELAC professor BY STEVEN ADAMO Staff Writer Pianist and assistant professor of music at ELAC, Lucy Nargizyan, will perform at the All-Russian chamber music concert series at the Walk Disney Concert Hall next month. Nargizyan, along with violinist Mark Kashper and cellist Barry Gold, will perform Dmitri Shostakovich’s “Piano Trio No. 2,” which Shostakovich composed when he was 19 years old. The event will also include a violin duet performing Sergei Prokofiev’s “Sonata for Two Violins” and a sextet performance of Pyotr Ilyich
News Briefs
Tchaikovsky’s “Souvenir de Florence.” Performing a portion of the piece by herself would be unfair to the music, Nargizyan said, because it is meant to be played with other people. “When we play in a chamber music setting, it’s the collective interpretation— so you have to agree on many aspects,” Nargizyan said. Between teaching at ELAC and focusing on her own trio called The Elixir Trio, her schedule has prevented her from taking on extra work. When she received the invitation however, she said, she couldn’t pass up the opportunity. Though Nargizyan is excited to
play the Walt Disney Concert Hall, she enjoys teaching students about music and performing. “As much as I love performing, the teaching part, being connected to the students here, is just so meaningful,” Nargizyan said. Every week, students get to perform in the recital hall, allowing them the opportunity to practice performing in front of an audience. “It’s one thing to practice on your own or to play for your teacher in the studio; It’s another thing to go on stage and deliver,” Nargizyan said. The “All-Russian” concert takes place at the Walt Disney Concert Hall Tuesday, October 2 at 8 p.m. For tickets, visit www.laphil.com.
Latin American films coming to VPAM
Vincent Prince Art Museum will show multiple films from Latin American Cinemateca of Los Angeles (LACLA), Cine Sin Fronteras Saturday from 1 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Robert “Bobby” Godinez and James Hines were named co-athletic directors by President Marvin Martinez in the wake of Al Cone’s abrupt resignation after 19 years of service. “I bowed out gracefully and respectfully to let the new regime take over in any way they see fit.” said Cone. Godinez, who’s also beginning his third season as the East Los Angeles College head football coach, will assume 80 percent of the athletic director duties, while Hines, ELAC’s baseball coach, will take on 20 percent of the responsibility. Godinez’s contract states that during the 4-year tenure process if an individual is chosen for a 1.0 release, a description given to positions like athletic director which will require 100 percent of Godinez’s time to be spent outside of the classroom, that employee will only be able to take over 80 percent of the responsibilities. The other 20 percent is to be spent in the classroom for evaluation, making way for an opportunity for Hines to fill the gap. Hines, who has been the head baseball coach at ELAC since 1999, approached President Martinez about the athletic director position for himself, but was informed that Coach Godinez had already been chosen. Hines says he’s still gracious for the opportunity to lend a helping hand. The athletic director oversees the administration of all school sports.
University Transfer Fair
From hiring and firing coaches and other athletic department employees, to fundraising and budgeting. “I’m overseeing every single sport, including their responsibilities and coaches. That includes scheduling and attending events, as well as making sure student athletes’ eligibility is on track. Basically overseeing everything. Any facility issues have to be rectified. We went through an audit last year so we‘re trying to make sure the infrastructure of the way things are run is done with better protocol so we don’t run into any problems,” said Godinez. “I look at it as myself continuing to be involved in the department as a whole. Even if it’s not me, I’m still on board with what’s best for the program, and, more specifically, Coach Godinez’s success. I want to make sure that Bobby is the main voice and that the decisions are coming from him,” said Hines.
He also cited Cone as being one of the best mentors of his life. Hines was coached by Cone at ELAC in his early years as a student athlete. Though he’s a baseball coach, his role in the position mainly involves the overseeing of all football operations. “Myself and president Martinez were wondering who’s somebody that could take that 20 percent load and help me in this process and really oversee some football since I’ll be coaching during the games. I needed someone to manage the event and James Hines was hands down the person that we thought of. It’s way more responsibility than the 20 percent he’s getting credit for with all of the work that we have to do during this transitional period. So I want to commend him for that,” said Godinez. The two men will hold the position until further notice.
ROBERT “BOBBY” GODINEZ
JAMES HINES
The Transfer Center is hosting a University Transfer Fair at the E3 Quad on Monday from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.
ASU Club Rush Week
Begins Tuesday and runs through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the E3 Quad.