High Tide: August 31, 2012 Edition

HIGH

TIDE Redondo Beach, CA // Redondo Union High School Aug. 31, 2012 // Vol. LMXXV // Edition 1

[Hightideonline.org]

p4-5 //

Students travel to Jamaica in a service trip over the summer.

p6-7 //

Football wins their first game against North Torrance, 42-35.

p8 //

Freshman Sophia Hardy practices arieal arts and plans to pursue it as a career.

2

NEWS // AUG. 31, 2012

Rodriguez now working at College and Career Center

by Emma Uriarte

In late July, when students are working on their tans and teachers are making the most of the little time they have left before working another school year, former AP US Government and Macroeconomics teacher Ms. Rodriguez made the decision to take over the College and Career Center.

“When [Dr. Wesley and I] talked about the huge loss in Mrs. Morris’ retirement, Dr. Wesley described what she was looking for and how, as a school, we would like to continue to develop the program with even greater outreach to our students,” Rodriguez said. “I understood that my experience in academic advisement would make me a good fit for the role.”

Principal Nicole Wesley thought Rodriguez would be a good fit too.

“When Ms. Morris shared with me that she planned to retire, Ms. Rodriguez was the first person who came to mind. Ms. R was an obvious choice because she has a rich history with preparing students for college and their post-secondary goals,” Wesley said.

But even with her previous experience supervising the counseling department, Rodriguez must work hard to replace Ms. Morris, the former advisor of the College and Career Center.

“It’s going to be hard to fill Mrs. Morris’ shoes. She’s an icon at RUHS, but I speak with her regularly about what she would have liked to change,” Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez plans to reach out to students more with ideas like a “College Application Boot Camp” to get juniors and seniors more prepared for the application process. Although she is happy with her new job, it is a bittersweet feeling.

“There is nothing that I won’t miss about teaching AP Gov/AP Econ. I love being around kids all day long. I would come home every day with a funny story. When I go home at night, even now, I think about what I would be teaching the next day,” Rodriguez said.

Five furlough days added

by Mannal Haddad and Tricia Light

Teachers will take five furlough days this year as part of the district’s solution to budget cuts.

“We had to cut the budget, either through furlough days or by other means,” principal Nicole Wesley said.

According to chemistry teacher Linda Dillard, many teachers are unhappy with the agreement, partly due to the fact that it results in a 2.73% pay cut.

“We wanted them to them to cut spending in other places. We consider furlough days the worst way to make up our deficit,” Dillard said. “You have to look at the budget and see where else you could save money.

Furlough days should be the last way to go.”

On the other hand, Wesley feels that the five furlough days were necessary to avoid further increases in class size and elimination of courses.

“I know for a fact that we would have had to make more cuts [without them]. It

would have been devastating,” she said.

The five furlough days will translate into four fewer days of school, with the total school year changing from 180 days to 176 days.

“I’m worried about how we can provide the same enriched curriculum in fewer days.

It’s already a struggle. Pacing is already so dense,” Wesley said.

However, she hopes that the impact on students can be minimized and that teachers will not need to omit topics from their curriculums.

“I hope that we can be creative enough to provide the same level of quality instruction, but I know that it is going to impact teachers’ abilities to go in depth,” she said.

“It may also negatively affect students who are already in trouble.”

Dillard believes that dealing with the furlough days, three of which will occur before standardized testing, will be a challenge for both students and teachers.

“Less instructional days is just as devas-

tating as a pay cut. I think everyone is going to have to work harder to accomplish the same level of scores. It’s difficult to work harder to attain that when you’re getting paid less,” she said.

She believes that teachers will be less motivated to spend extra time helping students.

“With a pay cut like that, expect teachers to be less willing to come back for a lot of after hours things,” she said.

Science teacher Anita Stoddard, the Redondo Beach Teacher’s Association’s Director of High School whom helped negotiate the plan, shares many of Dillard’s concerns.

“Not only will teachers have to work harder, but students will have to work harder to keep up,” she said.

An additional 12 furlough days may be added if measures increasing funding for education are not passed in the November election, according to a district letter sent home to all students last week.

“We are not out of the woods yet,” Wesley said.

The Freshman Report In comparison to the preceding class, the class of ‘15 had a lower percentage of students who were either advanced or proficent

Class of ‘15 Class of ‘14

97

80

96

76

37

23

35

6 ELA*

General Math

Algebra I

Biology

Meanwhile, the class of ‘13 had the most improvement in Chemistry with a 13% increase.

Construction Update

PHOTO BY DIANA LUNA

Opening Day. “I want this campus to be a place where students are comfortable to hang out,” Principal Wesley said.

Library: Expected to open in three weeks Cafeteria: Opens in six months Science Building: Will open near the end of the school year

PHOTO BY DIANA LUNA

A Whole New Look. Students will soon see the benefit after years of construction.

“Visiting other schools and seeing run down buildings really made me realize how important it is for school spirit to have a beautiful campus.

Hopefully students will take pride in going to Redondo and take care of it for generations to come.”

-Dr. Wesley

INFORMATION COMPILED BY SAVANNAH STERN

OPINION // AUG. 31, 2012

3

Around

Again students, I apologize, but due to budget cuts we’ve had to consolidate all English classes to one junior/ senior/ CP/ AP class.

Redondo What do you think about the furlough days?

“I know furlough days are bad for the students, but we still get a day off of school.”

-Cooper Gallion, 9

ILLUSTRATION BY COOPER LOVANO

HIGH TIDE

STAFF

Editors-in-Chief: Juile Tran; Emma Uriarte News Editors: Andrew Czuzak; Cedric Hyon Opinion Editors: Tricia Light; Haley Meyers Features Editors: Taylor Ballard; Taylor Brightwell; Shivaani Gandhi; Hana Ghanim; Anacristina Gonzalez; Mannal Haddad Sports Editors: Tatiana Celentano; Kylie Martin; Allegra Peelor Photo Editors:Vitoria Magno-Babtista; Diana Luna Cartoonist: Cooper Lovano Online Editors: Vivian Lam; Kayla Maanum; leAnn Maanum Staff Writers: Victoria Artaza; Ilan Avineri; Alina Bieschke; Joseph Bieschke; Jewell Black; Kenneth Bowen; Kira Bowen; Kolbie Brightwell; Ted Cavus; Deborah Chang; Edwin Chavez; Caitlin Cochran; Navikka Dasz; Yasmeen El-Hasan; Micah Ezzes; Zoe Ezzes; Anna Fauver; Stella Gianoukakis; Nageena Hamraz; Natalie Hardiman; Katie Hill; Haris Khan; Chance King; Angela Kim; Ilana LaGraff; Justin Lee; Daniel Loveland; Shawn Mallen; Nicholas McCarthy; Romy Moreno; Alida Newson; Kayla Nicholls; Susan Nieves; Rachel Orford; Lindsey Pannor; Cameron Paulson; Jene Price; Alejandro Quevedo; Sophia Ritchie; Jason Rochlin; Molly Rood; Shelby Salerno; Beth Shallon; Laura Smith; Cole Stecyk; Savannah Stern; Karissa Taylor; Claire Tisius; Grace Zoerner Adviser: Mitch Ziegler The High Tide dedicates itself to producing a high-quality publication that both informs and entertains the entire student body.

This is a wholly student managed, designed, and written newspaper that focuses on school and community events.

The High Tide is published by the journalism class at Redondo Union High School, One Sea Hawk Way, Redondo Beach, CA 90277.

Advertising is $7.50 per column inch, $6.00 if paid in advance. Call (310)798-8665 ext. 2210.

Signed commentaries and editorial cartoons represent the opinions of the staff writer of cartoonist and in no way reflect the opinions of the High Tide staff.

Cooperation to cope with crisis Editorial Some whines and complaints are inevitable as students see their schedules for the first time each year. This year, however, seemed even worse than usual; many students were enraged to find that certain periods and classes were cut, completely ignoring the fact that the school faced drastic budget cuts and some changes are to be expected.

Redondo faces an immense $2 million budget shortfall (redondobeach.patch. com), so the administration was forced to implement five furlough days, pack classes with up to thirty-five students, and eliminate some courses entirely.

Students are complaining in response to the changes, but often fail to understand why administration chose to make these strategic changes.

According to Assistant Principal Adam Genovese, administration cut classes that the fewest students enrolled in. Remember when administration asked students to take registration seriously and only sign-up for classes they decided on? This effort was to ensure that the administration could save classes that had the most interest and cut the classes that had the least interest in order to disappoint the least number of students possible.

Cuts were necessary; it was just a matter of what to cut and how many people to upset.

Students fail to understand the need for a positive outlook towards these changes, especially considering that other districts have been forced to make much more drastic cuts in response to the budget crisis. Los Angeles

Unified School District is facing a $390 million deficit and as a result, has implemented ten furlough days (nbclosangeles.com), while Redondo has actually been adding classes.

“We are being asked to do more with less,” Genovese said. “We’re being forced to work together more to make it work.”

Students and teachers should be paying attention to the way the budget cuts are affecting them, but shouldn’t overreact. Instead, they should focus on working together to make the best of the difficult situation.

Although there are thirty-five people in most classes, it is only because the number of offered periods for each class had to be cut in order to avoid cutting the class altogether. By creating fewer of these class “sections”, Redondo can still offer most classes.

Unfortunately, there is no longer enough money for much flexibility, so we must work with the fewer sections that we have.

Rather than complain about the cuts that were already made, students should look at what they can do to prevent further cuts.

For example, if Proposition 30 is not passed in November an additional twelve furlough days will be added.

Students should realize that this is a real threat and band together to raise awareness for the issue if they are so concerned with the current state of affairs.

Essentially, it is up to the students how this situation gets handled. Either the students, teachers, parents, and administrators suck it up and deal with the situation with teamwork and understanding, or the students whine to no avail because they find some of the cuts inconvenient. Cuts are going to happen, and there’s no way around them.

“I understand that it’s bad because teacher get less instructional time and are getting paid less.”

-Kait Ritter, 12

“I love them. We just get to have fun instead of going to school.”

-Amanda Towler, 12

PHOTOS BY DIANA LUNA

“It doesn’t make that much of a difference for me because I still have to go to school for practice.”

-David Thomas, 11

QUOTES COMPILED BY HALEY MEYERS

4

FEATURES

AUG. 31, 2012

At your service

by Shivaani Gandhi & Hana Ghanim

2

Talking politics is not the best way to make friends, but the Boys State program in Sacramento stands as an exception.

Seniors Emil Shallon, Mahir Eusufzai, Malik Ensley, and Garrett Klatte were chosen to participate in Boys State, a program by the American Legion that is designed to teach incoming seniors how the government works at a state level.

“The purpose of the program was not to create future lawyers or politicians, but

YOLKed 3

4

PHOTOS COURTESY OF ERIN SOUTH

Service. 1. Horowitz and the other teens from her youth group dance with the children. 2. Horowitz, South, Chacon, and Grantz arrive in Jamaica with their group. 3. South bonds with a young Jamaican boy. 4. Horowitz became friends with many people during the trip.

by Taylor Brightwell

People can never appreciate what they have until they have lived without it, and this is something that rang true to four seniors after their life-changing service trip.

For eight days this summer, seniors Erin South, Emily Horowitz, Christian Grantz, and Reina Chacon accompanied the First United Methodist of Redondo Beach’s Youth Group on a service trip to Jamaica.

They ran a vacation Bible study and a sports camp, began making the foundation of a building, and visited an infirmary. Breaking down the cultural barriers, they met people who changed the way they view life.

“I will never forget being asked, ‘So do you actually like black people?’ by a little girl I met, nor will I forget being complimented with ‘Now I know not all white people are evil,’” South said.

They met so many people with no living

family members and others without arms, legs, and sight that were still “grateful” for life.

“I’m more thankful for pretty much everything. Seeing how they live and how happy all the kids are despite their hardships is really inspiring,” Horowitz said. “As cliché as it sounds, it really made me appreciate everything I have in a new way.”

While visiting the infirmary, South met a blind man named Henry. As they sat on a porch, he held her hands and told her stories.

One thing South will never forget is when Henry sang “Amazing Grace” for her.

“Never have I ever felt more moved by a song. I will always have his voice in the back of my head when I hear the music,” she said.

“The visit was absolutely surreal and humbling. My body felt literal waves of happiness flow through it. I’ll never forget him.”

One thing that Horowitz learned was that

even a small gesture can make a huge difference.

“The lady whose house we painted was over 90 years old, mostly blind, [and] couldn’t hear or speak. People might say that she can’t even see her house, so it doesn’t matter if it’s ugly,” she said. “Seeing her face light up on the first day we came made me realize that just the fact that we were there to help her made all the difference.”

Another major part of their trip revolved around children. Before they left for Jamaica, South’s father made some racing batons and she was able to coach a few girls on running relays and even raced them.

“Running was a universal joy to us, which allowed us to enjoy each other’s company on a different level,” South said.

The children enjoyed running despite their poverty.

“Jamaicans are famed to be fast,” Grantz

Cho, Son prepare for SAT over summer

by Allegra Peelor

As it becomes harder and harder to get into “the” college, SAT scores become more and more important to high school students, leading some, like sophomore Timothy Cho, to take SAT prep courses before they even take the PSAT. According to Cho, it was his parents’ idea for him to take the course but ultimately he decided for himself because he felt it would help him in the long run.

“I did it earlier because of the opportunity we got,” Cho said. “But even without that,

it’s recommended that you prepare earlier so that you can apply that to the PSAT.” Junior Matthew Son also took an SAT prep class this summer and plans to take it in October. He believes that it is a good idea to get ahead of the game and start taking SAT prep classes early, but to “not stress too much about it.”

“This summer was pretty stressful because I had [the SAT class] everyday and I had to study a lot. If you do it early, it’s better to do an SAT class that’s not rigorous,” he said. “You can do it by yourself at home. It’s

5

Boys State encourages student involvement in politics

Four seniors spend part of their summer volunteering in Jamaica with their youth group.

1

AUG. 31, 2012

not that hard if you buy enough SAT books because in class we just do a lot of practice problems.”

Another reason that Cho took the SAT prep class so early is because, according to The Princeton Review, scoring well on the PSAT determines your eligibility for a National Merit Scholarship, which can look good on college applications and also prepares him well for taking the SAT junior year.

“The longer you have to practice for the SAT the better you’ll be when you take it,” Cho said.

said. “While I was racing the Jamaican teens in sneakers, they were racing barefoot.”

Chacon also learned a lot from the kids she worked with, especially a nine-year-old deaf boy named Ainsley.

“Ainsley used sign language but he didn’t let the communication barrier stop him. He participated in everything, watching us and the other kids to follow along,” Chacon said.

“He also took charge a couple times, having us make a conga circle. I was so impressed that he was so outgoing despite the communication problem.”

South, Horowitz, Chacon, and Grantz all left Jamaica with amazing memories, life lessons, and new outlooks on life.

“I will never be able to un-see, un-hear, [or] un-feel the smiles, laughs, and joy we shared together, and that joy is truly addicting and contagious. If I could stand up and go back right now, I would,” South said.

Senior Ryan Woolner’s band faces changes as they are considered for a potential record deal.

by Alejandro Quevedo

The lights dim and chatter dies as the band moves onstage. They start to play, electrifying the crowd, and as they build up momentum, time slows and everything comes into complete focus: the roaring crowd, flashing lights, and the music that hovers above it all. This is what alternative/indie group YOLK experiences when they take the stage.

YOLK is composed of senior and ​ drummer Ryan Woolner, lead singer Asia Graves, bassist Jake Abernathie, lead guitarist Travis Brown, and rhythm guitarist Matt Graves. The band hopes to gain a record deal by December. ​“ I am so stoked at the idea of a potential record deal,” Woolner said. “It would be amazing to be able to share [our] music with tons of people.”

After a show in San Pedro last No​ vember, producer Loren Israel found the group. He has worked with many famous bands, including Coldplay and Jimmy Eat

rather to inform us of how politics work,” Emil Shallon said. “I went to learn more about government, as it is important to be well-rounded and have knowledge on as many topics as possible.”

Although Eusufzai does not wish to pursue a career in politics, he felt that he learned a lot during the week.

“Even though [politics is] not my career path, discovering how meticulously the government functions was very insightful,” he said. “I have a newfound respect for how hard politicians work.”

Ensley found the experience enlightening as well.

“It really brought to light how our government works, and how complicated and [corrupt] it can be, even at just the city level,” Ensley said. “But I learned how to become an active participant in government.”

In addition to gaining insight on the way the government works, Eusufzai gained the confidence to interact with others at a larger stage.

“I’m a pretty introverted person, but

World. A few weeks after contacting the lead singer, he offered a “band boot camp” deal, which is an intensive six month trial of song/performance analysis and songwriting. One month after their first song with him, he decided to sign the band with a production deal. ​T heir plan between now and December is to release six songs, one at each of their monthly shows, which Israel will take into a production studio. After they have built up a good reputation, he plans to shop them around record labels.

“I think [the opportunity is] awesome,” Matt Graves said. “Sometimes it’s hard to believe that my band has this opportunity.” ​T he last few months have been a “big” transition for YOLK. They went from a casual band, “The Kitsch,” to a band they now take more seriously. With this change in outlook, they are focusing on songwriting and recording, marketing, and performance training. ​“ There’s been a huge personal growth and change, good and bad, for everybody,” Asia said. “It’s been hard to adapt, because it’s not just a change in workload, it’s a complete change in lifestyle and way of thinking.” ​All their hard work has paid off for the band as they improve both as a group and as individuals. ​“ I’ve focused more on getting tighter as a drummer rhythmically and in my performing,” Woolner said. “I feel like it has improved my skills as a musician overall.”

Through it all, the band plans on staying true to their music and doing what they love.

“Nothing feels better than connecting with people through music,” Asia said.

Debbie Johnson becomes certified nurse assistant

OUT OF 115 STUDENTS POLLED:

41%

did not begin preparing for the SAT until their junior year.

29% did not pre-

pare at all for the SAT

PHOTO BY JENNY OETZELL

New beginnings. Woolner continues to be the drummer for his renamed band, YOLK.

[Boys State] allowed me to learn how to work with a large group of people,” Eusufzai said. “It’s a great experience and you’ll probably never see a more diverse group of people.”

According to Ensley, Boys State encouraged him to be more involved, despite being too young to vote.

“There’s always volunteer work and spreading the word about our beliefs,” he said. “It’s all about finding people in your community that will listen and in turn make your voice heard.”

by Cedric Hyon & Anacristina Gonzalez

PHOTO BY DIANA LUNA

Accomplished. Senior Debbie Johnson has been volunteering at Little Company of Mary hospital for years and became a registered nurse assistant this past summer. Her interest in nursing began when she was just five years old.

She makes her rounds and checks on the patients that can’t feed themselves. Then she goes on to give showers or baths, and finally takes patients to physical therapy. After a month of working from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and a final test, senior Debbie Johnson is a certified nurse assistant.

“I wanted to become [a nurse assistant] because I knew it would be a big stepping stone for me in the nursing field. I wanted to learn everything about nursing and figure out if this field is right for me,” Johnson said.

To become a certified nurse assistant, she had to pass a 65-multiple choice test and three practical tests. She was the youngest one, which only fueled her motivation.

“I felt empowered because I was getting A’s on my tests and people in their 30’s weren’t. It gave me a lot more confidence,” Johnson said.

Johnson previously worked for a foot surgeon, which she found a rewarding and pleasant experience.

“I loved working so close with someone

that was so knowledgable about the medical field,” Johnson said.

One of the difficult things about being a nurse assistant is that several nurses teach different styles, which causes stress.

“It gets stressful because all nurses do things differently. People just have to figure out which way they feel comfortable with,” Johnson said.

Johnson’s mother, Vana Johnson, is a former surgical nurse. She has taken note of her daughters passion for nursing.

“Debbie from a young age was very interested in taking care of people. I’m very, very excited and proud of her,” Mrs. Johnson said.

Johnson enjoys helping and hopes to continue her career in the medical field and to better people’s lives in the future.

“It seems like it would be so much fun and such a rewarding job,” Johnson said. “I have wanted to be a nurse for a long time and I cannot wait to get out there and make a difference in peoples’ lives.”

6

SPORTS // AUG. 31, 2012

Ready for take off The cross-country team looks forwrard to a successful season after preparing all summer for the challenges that they will face.

by Kylie Martin

After intense summer training in Big Bear and Mammoth, the cross-country team faced fierce competition against each other at their alumni inter-squad meet on August 11th.They fought for varsity spots and gave newcomers a practice meet before the season starts.

“There was a lot of depth and competition between the boys at the inter-squad meet because there are a lot of boys fighting for one of the top seven varsity spots,” senior Cara Ulizio said.

Senior Evan Malone-White, the boys’ crosscountry captain, believes that the same level of effort and competition at the alumni inter-squad meet will carry on into their first invitational meet at Cerritos Regional Park next Saturday.

“We expect to win our first meet. We are as good as any team in the state and we believe that we should win every time we step on the line,” Malone-White said. “We want to taste victory in the beginning of the season so we know what it takes to replicate that feeling when it counts.”

Ulizio, the girls’ cross-country captain, expects no less from the girls’ team. She plans on the girls

Golf Goals The girls’ golf team is planning on improving this season by scheduling more workouts in addition to usual Monday and Wednesday practices times.

“

holding the first place title that they have earned for the past three years at the Great Cow Run Cerritos Invitational meet.

“Cross-country is all about progression. We can be just as good, if not better, than past years. I still have the same aspirations and expectations for the team this year as I did last year,” Ulizio said.

Both captains see potential in the freshman runners this year and feel that they will prove themselves in the upcoming season.

“It’s hard to tell which freshmen are going to be key runners until after the first meet,” MaloneWhite said. “However, a few freshmen have separated themselves from the others, and we feel that they can continue with the same level of success that we have had in the last few years.”

With the immense talent the cross-country team possesses this year, Ulizio feels that the season could turn out in their favor.

“The team this season is poised to make a run at Bay League, CIF, and State Championships. This is the deepest team Redondo has had since 2008, which is the last team to make the state meet. We expect to compete for championships and have a much better season this year,” Ulizio said.

Setting off to a good start With some strong new additions to their team, a positive group mindset, and a couple of finalist finishes already under their belt, girls’ volleyball is ready to start off the season and face top competitors with an entirely new level of confidence.

by Haley Meyers

I hope we can win some matches and improve on our record from last year.

We have a good relationship with the Alondra Pro golf course. On off days we plan on going down there to practice on the putting green and range and play he par 3.

-John Burke

”

PHOTO BY DIANA LUNA

Fight to finish. Senior Serge Ganous and junior Waseem Radi run in the Alumni meet.

The girls’ volleyball team, currently ranked 25th in the country, returned home with a finalist finish at the Ann Kang Invitational Tournament in Hawaii and a first place finish at The Oxnard Tournament.

With these high spirits, the girls set “hefty” goals planning to win Bay League, CIF, and State according to head Coach, Tommy Chaffins.

“I think having a lot of returners this year will have an extremely beneficial affect to our game. We really trust each other’s abilities and that is what is important when we are on the court,” captain, senior Skylar Dykstra said.

The “strong” set of nine returning seniors in addition to building comradery, has built “strong” fresh faces including

starting freshman setter, Norene Iosia and starting sophomore middle hitter, Abril Bustamante. Middle hitter is a new position for Bustamante and she is counting on her team’s support for the adjustment.

“Our main strength will be the chemistry between all the teammates,” Bustamante said.

The Ann Kang Invitational proved to be a strong start training wise as well for the girls—not only beneficial to building needed chemistry, but to solidifying the fundamentals of passing.

“We don’t make many unforced errors and we can stress our opponents in a variety of ways. Skylar Dykstra has been an outstanding captain during the summer,” Chaffins said.

According to Dykstra, the team had a focused mind-set before playing against

every team at the pre-season tournaments.

“Everyone is competition, especially at the beginning of the season when everyone has the chance to prove themselves.

But, each team that we play, we will play our hardest, regardless of where they came from,” Dykstra said.

As the girls are excited to tackle each team, they are especially excited to play Redondo’s long-time rival, Mira Costa who is currently ranked 88th in pre-season (prepvolleyball.com). In addition to Costa, Chaffins warns to look out for the girls’ top competitors: Marymount, Los Al, CDM, Vista Murrietta, Mira Costa, Mater Dei, and Newport Harbor.

“Regardless if it is practice or a game against our greatest competitor, every time we step in and out of that gym there is progress made,” Dykstra said.

SPORTS // AUG. 31, 2012

Back for revenge The football team celebrates their victory against North Torrance in a tight game and a proud victory, to redeem themselves for last year’s loss.

by Allegra Peelor

The football team beat North Torrance 42-35 in a “back-and-forth battle” last Friday night at their first game of the year.

The team lost to North last year in overtime and, according to senior Christian Fernandez, it “felt good” to beat them in their opening game.

“We were expecting to beat them, but it felt good since we lost last year,” Fernandez said.

According to junior Colin Hindle, two players who especially contributed to the team’s success were junior Harrison Faecher and senior Anthony Philyaw.

PHOTO BY MATT MARDESICH

In it to win it. The boys team up against North Torrance player in last Friday’s game, resulting in a close victory of 42-35.

“[Faecher] is a leader, and he threw the ball well,” Hindle said. “[Philyaw] ran for a lot of yards and scored most of our touchdowns.”

Head Coach Matt Ballard believes that the Seahawks “kept up the pressure and eventually slowed the Saxon offense,” which led to their victory.

“We want to be competitive in every game,” Ballard said. “We set concrete goals that we try to obtain and if we meet these goals, we’ll come out with a victory.”

In addition to setting goals, Hindle believes that practice is an important factor that will lead to the team’s success this season.

Compiled by Allegra Peelor

“[Practices are] a lot more upbeat and a lot faster,” Hindle said. “We do many more drills that make us ready for games, and our practices are more exciting.”

Fernandez agrees that this year practice is more intense and will help them do better against their main Bay League rivals: Palos Verdes and Mira Costa.

“We have a higher tempo and more game-speed in practices to allow the younger players to get used to game speed and gain experience,” Fernandez said.

“We want to win [against Costa] because we lost last year and we want to get to the CIF championship.”

Another reason Ballard believes prac-

tice is crucial is because they can “scout” teams that they have not played before, like Santa Monica, who they play this Friday. According to Fernandez, Santa Monica has one player who is already committed to USC. “To make sure we know what the other team’s strengths and weaknesses are, we run scout practice, which is when you practice against plays that the other team does,” Ballard said.

According to Ballard, in order to beat Santa Monica the team needs to stay on offense as much as possible.

“We have to be able to stop their running game and keep the ball,” Ballard said.

Sharks in the water

Getting to know Coach Ballard Football hires new head coach, and looks forward to a season full of change.

7

by Tatiana Celentano

PHOTO BY VITORIA MAGNO

Ballard. Head football coach Matt Ballard hopes to bring his many yea0rs of experience to Redondo football.

Coaching style: “I’m an upbeat and enthusiastic coach; I like working with teenagers and young players. I think I relate to them and I enjoy being around them.”

History with football: “I played football at UC Davis then helped out at Davis for a year, then I coached football at Half Moon Bay High School and realized it was just something I wanted to do.”

What he hopes to bring to Redondo: “I don’t dwell on the past; I try to come and cultivate tradition and grow on it. I like making athletics exciting and something that’s a huge source os spirit and pride for everybody at the school.”

The water polo team’s main motive this season is to improve, win, and gain respect as a competitive opponent. According to senior Michael Chang, the team has taken advantage of this past summer to work on strategies to fulfill this goal.

“We worked on conditioning to get in shape, having a higher conversion rate on power plays because

we can draw ejections but don’t always convert, and counter attacking,” Chang said.

Juniors Jonathan Ortiz, Nicolas Gutierrez, Lucas Duffy, and other Redondo water polo players took advantage of playing club over the summer to condition and practice for this upcoming season.

“We trained very hard over the summer in order to better prepare us for the difficult teams we will be

Ready, set, match

by Emma Uriarte

After finishing last in league in their previous season, the girls’ tennis team plans on working hard with old and new players to make it to CIF this year.

Fifth-year tennis coach Jessica Seibert wants to improve on the girls’ doubles matches.

“Last year we didn’t reach our potential in doubles and that’s something we can work on as the season

facing. We also benefited from playing together and being able to take that team chemistry and use it in the school season,” Ortiz said.

The boys have high hopes this season to prove themselves as individuals and as a cohesive unit.

“I hope to grow as a team [this season], become a strong presence in Bay League, sweep all competition, and have fun my last year,” Chang said.

The tennis team reflects on last season to improve.

progresses,” Seibert said.

Senior Lia Quilty, a strong doubles player according to coach Seibert, plans on continuing her success in matches.

“Last year my partner and I swept at [Mira] Costa, so we’re planning on winning as many matches as we can again [this year],” Quilty said.

Quilty and Seibert are also looking forward to welcoming the freshmen to the team. Although there are a lot of new players, they both say that the

new faces are an opportunity to build the team from the bottom up.

Junior Erin Shy looks forward to the mix of old and new players.

“We have some good doubles teams with experience and a lot of new freshmen good at singles,” Shy said.

Overall, Seibert is looking forward to a good season with a good mix of girls.

“There is a lot of new talent and the team is strong from the bottom up,” Seibert said.

8

SPORTS // Aug. 31, 2012 Flying high.

1. Hardy performs a trick on the aial ribbbons appratus 2. Hardy paints her face before a performance while going over her routine in her head.

FLYING HIGH

2.

UP IN THE AIR

1.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF SOPHIA HARDY

Freshman Sophia Hardy trains 15 hours a week in order to make her dream a reality.

by Kayla Maanum

She swings in the air using the strong, silk aerial ribbon hanging from the ceiling. Her costume glitters as the lights flash and the music blasts. One flip and she hears the cheers and applause erupting from the audience.

The crowd’s reaction is the best part for freshman Sophia Hardy.

“My favorite part about performing is wow-ing the audience because they’re always so surprised, even if [I perform] something that is not very hard. It’s fun to see them after, and they ask ‘how long have you been doing that?’” Hardy said.

Hardy’s aerial coach Ray Pierce recognized her talent from the beginning.

“From the time she started, she had a very natural aptitude for aerial artistry,” Pierce said. “Sophia is fairly unusual. She has actually progressed faster than other people simply because she has a very good natural gift as an aerialist.”

Hardy was first exposed to the sport when she was nine years old, and was immediately interested.

“I saw a girl performing [acrobatics] at a Renaissance fair. I was like, ‘Mom, I’m doing that now’,” Hardy said.

Ever since, Hardy has practiced 15 hours a week with her troop, Le Petit Cirque, perfecting her skills.

“Sophia is so dedicated, and is so strong with what she does, that we

don’t really have to motivate her,” he said. “She wants to do this, so every time she comes in to train she’s always looking for a way to push her own limits to try and be a better aerialist and a better performer.”

Hardy has performed at the L.A. County Fair in front of over 500 people, and on Nickelodeon’s show “Figure It Out,” but they weren’t her greatest achievements.

“With my first troop, we flew to Atlanta, Georgia for an adoption agency. We put on a really big show for 500 kids that had been adopted,” she said. “It was a celebration of the fact that they were adopted, and I really liked that because it made the kids really happy.”

UPCOMING GAMES Football

Aug. 31 vs. Santa Monica AWAY

Girls’ Tennis

Sept. 4 vs. El Segundo AWAY

Cross Country

Girls’ Volleyball

Boys’ Water Polo

Girls’ Golf

Sept. 1 vs. Ventura Inventational AWAY Sept. 6 vs. Harvard-Westlake AWAY Sept. 4 vs. El Segundo HOME

Sept.11 vs. Mira Costa AWAY

Hardy’s love for acrobatics and performing has made her realize it isn’t just a hobby.

“I see a future with this because a lot of my coaches have made a living out of it, and they’re doing great.

You can travel the world, or you can work with a standard circus. There are plenty of different things you can do with it, so I definitely see it as a career,” she said.

Hardy’s ultimate goal in her career as an acrobat is to perform with Cirque du Soleil in Las Vegas. Because of her ability to learn complex choreography and “create something interesting that draws the audience in,” Pierce believes Hardy can have a future in acrobatics.

“All she has to do is just keep moving forward because she has a very strong work ethic, and she’s a very strong performer. Then it’s just a matter of having the right opportunity with Cirque,” he said.

When that opportunity comes, Pierce knows she’ll be ready because she has special talents that make her an excellent performer.

“It’s really unusual to get somebody that has a combination of intelligence, strength, and desire, and [Sophia] has all three of those,” Pierce said. “She’s still growing and advancing and still has the same passion and discipline, which I think is going to make her an amazing performer.”

“Set goals, not limits.”

Position: Center GPA: 4.0

#54

Bench Press: 290 lbs Squat: 490 lbs

Years on varsity: 3

LOOK OUT FOR BRETT KASSEL