Spring season kicks off at TPHS

Spring sports season is just around the corner, and the TPHS Falcons are preparing for another successful season.

With their minds set on a CIF title, the boys volleyball team has already gotten to work, preparing for their first game on Feb. 28 against Rancho Bernardo High School.

“I’m expecting that we go undefeated and win our league,” varsity setter Brandon Pho (11) said.

This season, Pho looks forward to their game on May 23 against Carlsbad High School, who are their biggest rivals.

Track and Field has also started their preseason. Captains Dominika Janik (12) and Karina Janik (12), have been preparing with their team since the start of the school year in their Track P.E. class. The team has grown significantly in numbers compared to last year.

“We are more likely to place in the meet, and if there are injuries, there are a lot of alternate [athletes] to fill in,” Dominika said.

This season, Dominika and Karina both look forward to their meet against Cathedral Catholic High School.

“I want to become a state champion in the 300 meter hurdles and beat the Cathedral girls,” Karina said.

The team is competing against RBHS for their first meet of the season on March 2 at TPHS.

For the girls beach volleyball team, this is only the second year the girls beach volleyball has been considered an official CIF sport.

“We have such an amazing team of talented players and an amazing coaching staff … we are all really excited to start competing,” varsity defender Isa Wiklund (11) said.

Last year, the team was undefeated in the Avocado League and placed second in the open CIF division. This year, the team is hoping to win the CIF finals.

“[We are expecting] a very good turnout this season because we have a very strong team that I think will take us all the way,” varsity defender Layla Williams (11) said.

Playing in the sand is a difficult part of playing beach volleyball, so training on sand is a major part of the players preseason training.

“Preseason training has included lots of practice on the sand and weight training in the gym,” Wiklund said.

Last year, the team lost to Cathedral in the final round of CIFS, but they have hope for a win against them this year.

“My goal for the girls this year is to win leagues and be very competitive in CIF finals,” Coach Williams said.

The sun beats down on the concrete expanse of the skatepark, its surface worn and scarred from countless wheels grinding, flipping and sliding. A group of skaters gathers at the lip of the half-pipe, surveying the obstacles that loom before them.

To them, skating is not just a pastime – it is a way of life, a constant challenge and never-ending journey of discovery. It is a fusion of dizzying heights, split-second decisions and pure adrenaline that cannot be replicated anywhere else.

Jorge Acevedo (11) crouches down amid the bustle. With a quick pop of the tail, he launches upward, flipping his board in a gravity-defying feat of skill and finesse that seems to defy the laws of physics. He lands with a satisfying thud and rolls away with a prideful smirk, having nailed the trick once again, not by luck, but through years of repetition.

“I started skating at about age five or six. Every other day, I’d go to my neighbor’s [house] to skate with him and that’s what we’d do all day,” Acevedo said.

From the famous La Jolla Cove to the bustling Gaslamp Quarter, San Diego is a rider’s playground and a skateboard is the ticket to seemingly endless possibilities.

“Skating means the ability to go wherever and still feel connected to the world around you,” Finn Hecko (11) said.

There is simply no feeling like the thrill of cruising down a smooth pavement carving curves. The breeze rushing past, the sound of wheels on the concrete and the freedom to travel wherever you want spell invigoration and liberation.

“I have been skating for about five years, and I like that the environment is supportive and laid back,” Hecko said.

According to Hecko, skateboarders often eschew the rigid rules of more traditional sports, preferring to express themselves through creativity and style.

The calm and cool nature of the sport has helped to make it one of the most popular and enduring

“I picked up my first skateboard during COVID-19 when I wanted to try a new hobby,” Salvatore said. “With persistence and practice, I found the rhythm that I have today, and I’m glad that I can skate whenever I get the chance.”

Whether they have been skating for three years or 10, skaters are united by a common conviction – their skateboards provide them with a shared creative outlet of art and creativity all in one electrifying experience.

According to Hecko, his friends who skate are consistent contenders at the Sun Diego Am Slam, an annual surf, skate and music festival hosted by sports gear brands such as Billabong, Quiksilver and Roxy. Such events offer opportunities for likeminded individuals to connect with each other to celebrate the sport they love.

According to Acevedo, these social get-togethers are important occasions in the skating community.

“My friends who skate tend to come together in a sense of brotherhood,” Acevedo said. “It’s exciting to see that the skate community is From vintage boards to cutting-edge gear, local businesses are not only supporting the growth of the sport in the county but also enabling

“I usually shop at Sixes and Sevens Skateshop by Rancho Penasquitos Park. Its location is helpful; people get boards, trucks and wheels right where they’d skate,”

According to Mayberry and Preske, the sales of skate gear has skyrocketed in recent years, as more people are looking to get into the sport.

“I would definitely see more customers in shops and more skaters at the pump tracks,” Preske said. Acevedo agreed with Preske.

“It’s so exciting to see as the SoCal area has adapted itself to offer more skate contests from shops, local riders and fundraisers, allowing for younger riders to hone their skills,” Acevedo said. As the sunlight begins to wane and the park’s lights flicker on, the group of skaters let out a collective long sigh, exhausted but exhilarated from a day of pushing their limits and perfecting their skills. With their limbs heavy and hearts full, they peel off their helmets, pack up their boards and eagerly look forward to their next skate adventure.

by Joy Ma