Big Red Winter 2013-2014

BIG RED JANUARY 2014 • VOLUME 9 • NO. 2 • WINTER 2013-2014

INSIDE

Girls’ Soccer

The Wolverines’ seniors hope to close their careers with a CIF title

p. 14-16

Jonathan Martin ‘08 and Locker Room Culture p. 17

Football Injuries

A look at the varsity football team’s injuries in 2013

One Last Shot After being plagued by injuries for most of his high school career, Derick Newton ’14 wants to show just how strong he and the varsity boys’ basketball team have become.

p. 10-13

p. 22-23

thePlaybook Grant Nussbaum: Derick Newton

BIG RED January 2014 • VOLUME 9 • NO.2

10

Derrick Newton has been struggling to stay healthy throughout his entire high school career, and will look to make a CIF run in his last season as a Wolverine.

Eric Loeb: Girls’ Soccer 14 Although the girls’ soccer team has never been crowned CIF Champion, they hope to make a push at the title this year with a strong senior base and promising underclassmen.

Sam Sachs: Athletes Face to Face

17

Current Wolverine athletes and alumni like Jonathan Martin ’08 are impacted by the privileged surroundings at Harvard-Westlake.

Big Red Staff: Roundtable 18 The Big Red Staff weighs in on the winter season, from players to coaches to memorable moments.

Elijah Akhtarzad: A Healthy Balance

20

Although athletes like Anthony Ridgley ’15 are pressed with time surrounding school work, it is vital to recieve a sufficient amount of sleep and nutrition.

Mila Barzdukas: Football Injuries

GRANT NUSSBAUM/BIG RED

22

A look at the multiple injuries the varsity football team suffered during the 2013 season, which was considered the main factor in the team’s disappointing 4-6 season.

Audrey Wilson: Flip Throw-In

24

Girls soccer player Courtney Corrin ’16 demonstrates her ability to perform a frontflip on a soccer sideline throw-in to get more power behind the toss.

Patrick Ryan: Gary Bairos 26 The varsity wrestling coach was raised by a family of hockey fans, so playing the sport was an obvious choice.

PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF THE MIAMI SUN SENTINEL

CAITLIN NEAPOLE/BIG RED

theStaff editor-in-chief Grant Nussbaum

adviser Kathleen Neumeyer

managing editors Eric Loeb, Lucy Putnam, Sam Sachs

presentations editor Jacob Goodman

associate editors Elijah Akhtarzad, Mila Barzdukas, Jordan Garfinkel, Tyler Graham, Audrey Wilson

2 • BIG RED WINTER 2013-14

staff Jack Goldfisher, Caitlin Neapole, Patrick Ryan, Noa Yadidi

BIG RED is a publication of the Harvard-Westlake Chronicle, the upper school newspaper at Harvard-Westlake School, 3700 Coldwater Canyon, Studio City, CA 91604, produced as a part of Advanced Journalism classes. The school has 1,500 students in grades 9-12. For any questions, or to purchase a subscription or to advertise, please contact us at chronicle@ hw.com or at (818)487-6512. Copies of BIG RED are distributed free on campus to students and faculty and are mailed to friends and family by subscription at $15 per year. Letters to the editor can be sent to editor-in-chief Grant Nussbaum, at gnussbaum1@hwemail.com.

BIG RED is a general interest magazine about athletics, including teams and individual athletic pursuits of Harvard-Westlake students and faculty, as well as health and fitness topics. For seasonal coverage of Wolverine teams, see The Chronicle or www.hwchronicle. com.

On the Cover: In his final season, senior Derrick Newton will attempt to make a run at both CIF and State finals this year after being injured throughout his career as a Wolverine.

Cover Photo by Grant Nussbaum

The Bittersweet Science

At the age of 11, Gabriel Preciado learned how to box in order to defend himself from gangs in Mexico.

BY TYLER GRAHAM

that exists between boxers, and that’s the beauty of it. When you go toe-totoe with another man you have full respect for each other, and you don’t see that in most sports.”

Preciado and Alberto Rivera ’14 have started a boxing club at Harvard-Westlake.

“Right now I just want to be available to students who are interested in learning,” Preciado said. “I am just giving them basic fundamentals on hitting the punching bag and teaching them basic tactics. To me the most important thing is that we can enjoy boxing but also stay fit.”

Rivera says, “my main goal was to add another way that students can form bonds at Harvard-Westlake.

Our passion for learning and getting together as a group definitely paid off considering I now have a place to learn about a sport. No matter how small a mark, I believe I left a nice memory in making the club, if not for Harvard-Westlake than at least for Mr. Preciado.”

Rivera believes that the enthusiasm and commitment Preciado has toward the sport of boxing will draw people into the club.

“Mr. Preciado is great,” Rivera said. “Personally, I know he relates things in life to boxing and he builds upon us a great character. His eagerness and excitement makes everyone else excited to learn and people will come back if they give him a chance.”

Rivera’s fascination with boxing also started with his family, who began watching the sport in order to follow the career of Oscar de la

Hoya, who is from Los Angeles. Rivera began to watch many pay-perview matches on TV, which led him to form a connection with Preciado over the sport they both love.

Jackson Beavers ’15 is another boxer at Harvard-Westlake. Beavers boxes with a trainer outside of school about once a week. Like Rivera and Preciado, Beavers wanted to be able to defend himself and prove to himself that he had the willpower to attack such a demanding sport, but the biggest reason Beavers was attracted to boxing was the inspiration he received from the Rocky movies when he was in third grade.

“There was something about the amount of drive that movie showed a man could have that made me want to fight and make something of myself,” Beavers said. “Boxing is a sport unlike any other in my opinion.”

“

Beavers, who also plays football for the Wolverines, believes that a special brotherhood exists in both boxing and football. Beavers started boxing at the Wildcard Boxing Club, which is now world famous in boxing circles for housing renowned trainer Freddy Roach and his protégé Manny Pacquiao.

“One of the things that has always been special to me about boxing is the community,” Beavers said.

“If you find yourself in a real boxing gym, then you’re also going to find some of the most amazing characters you’ll ever come across. It takes something special to drive someone to pursue such an unbelievably straining sport as boxing. Everyone had a story, everyone had a reason to fight, and everyone had a mutual understanding of this that gave us all respect for one another.”

I GOT INVOLVED WITH SOME GANGS WHERE THEY ROUGHED ME UP, YOU COULD SAY I WAS JUMPED. I WAS ONLY 11 YEARS OLD, SO ON MY OWN ACCORD I DECIDED THAT I WANTED TO TRAIN SO I DIDN’T HAVE TO LIVE IN FEAR,” PRECIADO SAID.

NATHANSON’S

As a young boy growing up in Mexico, Gabriel Preciado was surrounded by gangs.

“My part of town was kind of a rough place,” said Preciado, Attendance Coordinator at the Upper School.

His father was a semi-pro boxer in Mexico, and the father and son enjoyed watching the fights.

“I started to get really into boxing only because of my father, who was a natural. We watched boxing fights regularly, almost every weekend.”

“There was an event that happened in my life where I got involved with some gangs where they roughed me up, you could say I was jumped,” Preciado said. “I was only 11 years old, so on my own accord I decided that I wanted to train so I didn’t have to live in fear.”

Preciado began working out with his father and on his own regularly in order to live without the constant dread of being picked on.

“I started boxing mainly to fight my stress of fear,” Preciado said. “Boxing carried me through and made me confident. It gave me good discipline and gave me a good work out.”

Not only is Preciado grateful for self-confidence that came along with boxing, but he also enjoys the physical benefits and uniqueness of the sport.

“I got into great shape because of boxing,” Preciado said. “It’s also really fun to watch. Two guys competing their hearts out and showing their skill. There is a special camaraderie

popCULTURE Wolverine Athlete JAKE BRACKEN ’14 Wrestling

CHLOE CASTANEDA ’15

Girls’ Soccer

NOAH GAINS ’15 Boys’ Basketball

KATIE ZIPKIN-LEED ‘15 Girls’ Basketball

Favorite Winter Olympic sport?

Super Bowl Favorite?

Beyoncé is...?

Favorite TV show?

SNOWBOARDING

CHARGERS

HOT

“WALKING DEAD”

ICE SKATING

SAINTS

SO HOT

“AMERICAN HORROR STORY”

CURLING

SAINTS

THE GREATEST EVER

“WALKING DEAD”

LUGE

I DON’T KNOW

MY IDOL

“FRIENDS”

GRANT NUSSBAUM/BIG RED

Sasha Fierce

Chloe Castaneda ’15 eyes the ball in a non-league game against Oaks Christian. The Wolverines won 2-0.

BIG RED WINTER 2013-2014 • 3

FLOAT LIKE A BUTTERFLY...

After dribbling past two defenders, guard Alex Copeland ’15 shoots a floating shot in the boys’ basketball team’s 64-52 win over St. Bernard Dec. 12.

Photograph by GRANT NUSSBAUM

SHOTS FIRED Midfielder Mackenzie Howe ’14 watches as her shot skips past the Oaks Christian goalkeeper. Howe scored the team’s second goal in its 2-0 win Dec. 11.

Photograph by GRANT NUSSBAUM

FENDING OFF DEFENDERS Henry Quilici ’15 dribbles the ball past a Cathedral defender in the boys’ soccer team’s 2-1 win Dec. 12. The squad begins its Mission League season against Crespi Jan. 8 at Ted Slavin Field.

Photograph by ELIJAH AKHTARZAD

don’t call it a

COMEBACK

10 • BIG RED WINTER 2013-2014

BY GRANT NUSSBAUM

Robbed of his entire freshman season and the core of his junior season by shoulder injuries, boys’ basketball forward Derick Newton ’14 vows to make the most of his final year in the Wolverine uniform.

GRANT NUSSBAUM/BIG RED

R

eading 1.8 seconds remaining in regulation off the game clock with the boys’ varsity basketball team down 59-57 to Palisades on Dec. 4, Derick Newton ’14 shuffled into position in front of the opposing basket and prepared to run the play “home run” to tie or win the game.

After teammate Bryan Polan ’14 launched a pinpoint pass from the Wolverines’ own baseline, spanning three-fourths the length of the court, Newton maneuvered himself to the top of the key, towered above two Palisades defenders to secure the ball, and turned to the rim, stepping into a wide open paint.

All that remained was the finish, and with a flex of his surgically-repaired right shoulder, Newton rose up and escorted the ball softly into the hoop. The senior’s lay-in beat the buzzer and sent the game to overtime, where the Wolverines would close out their first game of the season to earn a 70-66 victory.

“Let me show them what Derick Newton is going to be like this year, and what HarvardWestlake is going to be like this year. That was my goal for the first game,” Newton said.

Ten months earlier, the forward found himself in an all-toofamiliar position: on the bench, watching helplessly as he recovered from an injury to that wartorn right shoulder. Now, after kicking off his senior year with a bang, Newton hopes to close the chapter on his haunting shoulder wounds and make the most of his final year in red and black.

“When you look at it literally, he’s been here three years and only played one, his sophomore year,” basketball head coach Greg Hilliard said in the November issue of the Chronicle. “He played no games his freshman year, played a full season sophomore year, and last year missed17 games. So, he’s trying to make up

for lost times.”

Having missed more than a season and a half out of three seasons, Newton proceeds through the early stages of his last year with a chip on his shoulder.

“I feel like I have a lot to prove this year,” Newton said.

“I have to prove that I can stay healthy. I have to prove that I’m not just a guy who just puts up numbers and can’t win. I want to prove that I can put up numbers and carry a team, and win some games. I haven’t won Mission League since I’ve been here, I haven’t been past the third round of the playoffs since I’ve been here, so I just want to win league and get past the third round – at least show some type of improvement for my last year.”

Newton joined the varsity team his freshman year in 20102011, but his first season ended before it began. Newton elected to have surgery on his right shoulder, as the forward’s shoulder troubled him often prior to his freshman year.

Newton suffered a torn labrum after dislocating his shoulder, which, according to the Palo Alto Medical Foundation, would him prone to reoccurring dislocations.

“In eighth grade, my shoulder would just constantly slip out,” Newton said. “It would slip out of its socket and dislocate, and I’d constantly have to sit out two weeks at a time. I could’ve not gotten the surgery and played my freshman year, but my shoulder probably would’ve dislocated three times in that year, so I decided to have the surgery and never have to deal with it again.”

The 2010-2011 season provided a bittersweet finish for Newton. The basketball team, led

by Damiene Cain ’11, Zena Edosomwan ’12, Josh Hearlihy ’12 and Michael Sheng ’14, battled to win its first CIF Championship in six years, all the while Newton watched from the sideline.

BIG RED WINTER 2013-2014 • 11

DON’T CALL IT A COMEBACK Following his year quarantined to the sidelines, Newton did not miss a beat stepping back onto the court as a sophomore, playing 29 games and emerging as the team’s leading scorer with 17.1 points per game in 20112012. The team, however, was eliminated in the third round of CIF playoffs by Serra.

At the beginning of his junior year, Newton picked up where he left off, once again leading the Wolverines in scoring by the end of 2012. But the forward suffered another setback Jan. 9, 2012, when old demons reappeared and Newton reinjured his shoulder against Chaminade.

“I had a healthy sophomore year, though we didn’t do much in playoffs,” Newton said. “Junior year – that was just a freak

accident. I’m tangled up with [Chaminade forward] Jack Williams, and he’s a very emotional player. I’m walking the other way with our arms still tangled, and he yanks my arm.”

Newton’s incident with Williams devastated the forward, ultimately costing him 17 of the Wolverines’ 29 games in 20122013, including most of league play as well as the team’s first playoff game.

“The injury was really surprising because I didn’t have a single problem with my shoulder,” Newton said. “I thought I was completely healthy, and I didn’t think I would ever have to deal with problems to that shoulder again. But it was really depressing, because I put in a lot of work to come back, and I had a

LETTING IT FLY Boys’ basketball forward Derick Newton ’14 takes a mid-range shot against Redondo in his junior season.

12 • BIG RED WINTER 2013-2014

JACK GOLDFISHER/BIG RED

great start. I put up big numbers, I help my team upset the number seven team in the country, and suffering that injury really hurt me.”

Given the history with his right shoulder, Newton initially feared the long-term implications of the mishap against Chaminade.

“When I first heard about my injury, I was scared,” Newton said. “I thought, ‘Did I re-tear my labrum? Was the surgery unsuccessful?’”

Newton’s fears were allayed, however, after further diagnosis.

“When I went to the doctor, he said that I had just tweaked it, and that it was just a freak accident,” Newton said. “He said that it could have happened to anyone, even someone with a healthy shoulder. To me, that was a really positive evaluation of my shoulder.”

One month and eight days passed with Newton once again relegated to the bench.

The forward made his return to the Wolverine lineup for the second round of CIF Playoffs against Laguna Beach Feb. 15, scoring 21 points in the Wolverines’ 73-60 win.

“I was pretty mad at [trainer] Milo [Sini] and the doctor for keeping me out that long, because I thought I was ready in within a week or two, like I would be in eighth grade,” Newton said.

“But I appreciate it now, because now I have no problems with it. I feel like, what if I came back early – a week after getting hurt – and it slipped out again? I would’ve had to have surgery again, and I wouldn’t be playing this year.”

Despite Newton’s strong scoring performance in his first game back, however, the basketball team was once again bounced in the third round of CIF playoffs the following game, at the hands of Bishop Montgomery.

Returning to the Wolverines one final time off last year’s Bishop Montgomery loss, Newton believes overcoming his damaged

By the Numbers 18.6

Newton’s career Points Per Game

10

twenty-plus point games last season

17

Games missed due to injury his junior year

past will fuel his renewed present.

“This whole thing has definitely provided me some motivation, because I want to win CIF,” Newton said. “Freshman year is the only time I won CIF, but I didn’t play. Sophomore year we probably had the most talented team, with Zena and Josh and me, but we lost in the third round of the playoffs. And then my junior year, we have a great record, but then I get hurt, we go 6-6 in league, and when I come back, we’re playing the number one team in the nation at that point, my second game back.”

While the forward missed a few games this season with a minor ankle injury, Newton nevertheless feels primed and ready to give his best in 2014.

“I think this season, healthwise, I feel it’s probably the best shape I’ve ever been in,” Newton said. “I’m as strong as I’ve ever been, I’m as healthy as I’ve been in a while.”

“I kind of adapted to having a bad shoulder in a way, though now it’s healthy,” Newton added.

“I always feel comfortable with my shoulder, I’m not afraid for

I FEEL I HAVE A LOT TO PROVE. I HAVE TO PROVE THAT I CAN STAY HEALTHY. THAT I’M NOT JUST A GUY WHO JUST PUTS UP NUMBERS AND CAN’T WIN. I WANT TO PROVE THAT I CAN PUT UP NUMBERS AND CARRY A TEAM, AND WIN SOME GAMES.” NEWTON SAID.

“THIS YEAR, I’M AS STRONG AS I’VE EVER BEEN, AND I’M AS HEALTHY AS I’VE BEEN IN A WHILE.” JACK GOLDFISHER/BIG RED

it to slip out. And that’s when a lot of people who get injured get scared. They don’t come back the same because they’re afraid to injure it again. It got to a point where I wasn’t afraid to injure it again, because I knew I was going to come back in two weeks and play the same.”

Although he has missed significant time on the court, Newton reflects fondly on his time in a Wolverine uniform and feels eager to act as a veteran leader for the team in his last year.

“Before, I never really understood what Coach Hilliard meant when said that most of his players don’t really ‘get it’ until their senior year, or that something ‘clicks’ their senior year,” Newton said. “Sophomore and junior year, to be honest, all I cared about was, ‘am I putting up big numbers?’ But now, I don’t care if I scored 26 points in a game that we lost – I’m just angry that we lost. I take the game a lot more seriously this year as far as winning is concerned. And it’s click-

ing. As Coach Hilliard said, it clicked.”

“I’m feeling very confident about this year,” Newton said.

“I’m going to miss it. Playing Palisades was my last first game of the year. This was the last time I went to Palm Springs for the holiday tournament. I’m going to really miss playing here at Harvard-Westlake, at this school.

So I’m ready to see how the season goes, and I’m ready to give it my all.”

BIG RED WINTER 2013-2014 • 13

THE FINAL STEP

For the past three seasons, the girls’ varsity soccer team has faced high expectations, having been named one of the best teams in the nation last year. But in that time, the Wolverines have yet to clinch any CIF gold. In their last season, the team’s seniors aim to go out on top and finally clutch the CIF plaque.

BY ERIC LOEB

A

ny member of the girls’ soccer team would tell you that last season’s CIF Semifinals loss to Chaminade in penalty kicks left her with a sour taste in her mouth. The team was 20-2-3 entering the game, had lost only one league game all season, and expected not only to defeat the Eagles, but win the CIF Championship, regardless of who got in their way. But that’s not how it played out.

Now seniors, McKynzie Dickman ’14 and Malanna Wheat ’14 have something to prove. Although both have already committed to colleges to continue their soccer careers, Dickman to Creighton and Wheat to SMU, both have one goal they have to achieve at the high school level, winning a CIF Championship.

There is no argument that the teams Head Coach Richard Simms has put on the field have consistently been some of the most talented in California. That has not been the issue for the program.

“In past years, each player has been very good and talented as individuals,” Dickman said. “But we didn’t seem to work well as a team. I felt like it was a couple players wanting to do it all themselves.”

Wheat echoed the idea of a young team lacking experience, but felt that some of the individual egos on the team have been the cause for its demise in the playoffs.

“The girls’ soccer program at this school has always been a strong one,” Wheat said. “A program that deserves to play for and compete in a Division I league.

14 • BIG RED WINTER 2013-2014

The players that have come through this program are some of the best in southern California and this is what has prevented us from winning. With such a large pool of talented players, when we lose sight of the team goal, we then rely on our individual talent. Furthermore, with excessive amounts of talent comes arrogance. We’ve won the Mater Dei tournament, we’ve been league champions, we rarely lose, and in the final game we can’t perform.

We freeze up, we underestimate our opponent, and we think that we deserve to win just because we’re good. That’s the problem.”

As Dickman alluded to, this years team is much more experienced than that of years past.

Six other seniors stand alongside Dickman and Wheat, along with a core of young players that are not only ready to continue the program’s successes into the future, but are ready to win now.

One senior specifically plays a big role in the team’s increase in onthe-field leadership.

Dickman has already played three years on varsity, but has had trouble staying healthy. Prior to the start of her sophomore season, she badly sprained her MCL, and said she fought off pain throughout the year. Last season, she had hip surgery, and missed the entire year. This year, players hope that her on-the-field leadership will help in clutch, late game situations like they faced last season against Chaminade.

Prior to the start of this season, players say the team has invested practice time in different ways they had not in years past.

Because of the team’s immense talent and the fact that most of

FIELD GENERAL Defender Malanna Wheat ’14 runs up the pitch as Midfielder McKynzie Dickman ’14 surveys the field for a pass against Oaks Christian Dec. 11.

GRANT NUSSBAUM/BIG RED

the players play for club teams during the offseason, the team’s coaching staff has decided that investing time in regular workouts is not the best use of its already limited practice time.

“We haven’t done any extra physical work in terms of skill and ability,” Wheat said. “Instead,

we›re focusing on the morale and chemistry of the team. We are working towards encouraging the younger players and providing an environment for them where they aren’t scared of authority or upperclassmen because at the end of the day we need them.

We are so lucky and thankful to

“

IN PAST YEARS, EACH PLAYER HAS BEEN VERY GOOD AND TALENTED AS INDIVIDUALS. BUT WE DIDN’T SEEM TO WORK WELL AS A TEAM. I FELT LIKE IT WAS A COUPLE PLAYERS WANTING TO DO IT ALL THEMSELVES.” DICKMAN SAID. BIG RED WINTER 2013-2014 • 15

THE FINAL STEP

get the chance to play with and experience their greatness, so it’s only fair that we encourage them to self-sacrifice, create plays, participate and add to this team›s success.”

Dickman says that these workouts have done their job in helping the team come together for a common goal.

“We are much more a team than my past three years on varsity,” she said. “We all trust each other and support each other rather than just blaming and pointing fingers at each other.”

Although Wheat believes in the team has a shot at winning CIF, she is hesitant to guarantee a championship.

At the end of the day, I really do believe this team has the ability to take it all the way,” she said. “But then again I’ve felt this way in years past, only to get my hopes up and then crushed.

It’s an odd feeling. Trying to balance being confident and having faith in your teammates but at the same time, refraining from getting cocky and letting victory get to your head. I guess we just have to keep everything in perspective, that’s the main goal for us this year.”

16 • BIG RED WINTER 2013-2014

GRANT NUSSBAUM/BIG RED

Dickman agreed with Wheat’s points, was more optimistic on her team’s chances of winning CIF this season.

“We have been working on just working hard and keeping consistent with our effort,” the midfielder said. “We have been taking everything we do just one step at a time. We support each other constantly and I think we have developed a better team chemistry than last year. We have a very talented team this year and I believe we have a great chance of winning a CIF championship.”

Despite all of the work the team has done to prepare for this season, and all of the agonies of defeat the team has faced in the in the past few seasons, players say that if they were to accomplish what they describe as their final goal, the only one they have failed to achieve in the past, they would not be satisfied.

This is the seniors’ last shot, and they plan to refuse to let anything slip away from their grasps.

“If we win, there will be lots of tears and smiles, hugs and screams,” Wheat said. “It would be very rewarding, but I think instead of excessive celebration we would focus on the next task which would be state.”

JACK GOLDFISHER/BIG RED

GRANT NUSSBAUM/BIG RED

SENIORITIS Mackenzie Howe ’14, top left, Malanna Wheat ’14, top right, and Mikaela Hong ’14, bottom right, are three of eight girls’ varsity soccer seniors hoping to finally come away with a CIF title in their final season.

The Privileged Player Jonathan Martin ’08 is just the most recent Harvard-Westlake athlete to be in the news.

Does the environment here affect the way our athletes behave once they leave campus?

BY SAM SACHS

J

onathan Martin ’08 walked out of the Miami Dolphins practice facility on Oct. 28 after a cafeteria prank. Martin has not returned to the team and was placed on the non-football illness list on Nov. 30.

Martin, who graduated from Stanford with a degree in classics, was at the center of bullying scandal that dominated national news cycles for weeks. Here at Harvard-Westlake the scandal was discussed around campus and, more formally, in some Civitalks groups.

Inside the locker rooms underneath Taper Gym the controversy surrounding Martin has brought out the opinions of many HarvardWestlake athletes. The “Boys’ Club” that professional sports have always been has fostered a tough guy way of thinking and acting in locker rooms, specifically those of men’s sports, and Martin apparently didn’t fit in, and it’s hard to argue his background wasn’t a part of the reason why.

“Jonathan Martin represents all of us as sensitive intellectuals in today’s society, and in some professions like the NFL, there aren’t many of us,” Black Leadership Awareness and Culture Club leader and varsity basketball player Miles Williams ’14 said. “The sad thing is, he becomes an outsider for being intelligent when he should be embraced... He is fragile yet powerful as his mind speaks louder than his actions.”

Martin was the victim of racial slurs and bullying that three sport athlete (football, wrestling and lacrosse) Ben Klein ’14 characterized as out-of-line and unlike anything that happens here at Harvard-Westlake. However, despite the bullying, teammates didn’t throw their support behind the second-year player out of Stanford. Instead some players came to the defense of Richie Incognito, the alleged perpetrator of Martin’s bullying.

One anonymous player who left the Dolphins this past summer took it so far to say

“Richie is honorary. I don’t expect you to understand because you’re not black. But being a black guy, being a brother is more than just about skin color. It’s about how you carry yourself. How you play. Where you come from. What you’ve experienced. A lot of things.”

Presumably, this player is referring to Incognito’s tough background compared to Martin’s privileged upbringing, both of his parents are lawyers, and his Harvard-Westlake and Stanford education, not to mention that 12 of his relaives are Harvard College graduates.

“If you want to look at Richie Incognito and say the way he lives, and talks, and walks and does his thing makes him honorary black, that’s

“The sad thing is, he becomes an outsider for being intelligent when he should be embraced” -Miles Williams ‘14

fine, you can do what you want,” Upper School Dean and Assistant Basketball Coach Chris Jones said. “But to look at Jonathan Martin and say that because his walk through life is different than most people’s who are black then somehow or other he’s less black, I can’t buy that. Because there is no singular black experience, like it really is fairly diversified.”

Jones grew up on the infamous South Side of Chicago and played basketball at his local YMCA, but attended a private Christian high school with a privileged student body before playing basketball at Williams College.

“With the kids that I grew up with, there is a hunger there that isn’t the same as it is in a more privileged environment,” Jones said.

“I definitely think his upbringing made him react the way he did,” Klein said. “When you’re brought up like we are, where we are told to resolve conflicts diplomatically instead of violently, it is going to translate to your life beyond Harvard-Westlake.”

In most cases one would consider this kind of peaceful resolution as a positive, but is there room for this type of thinking in the machismo and testosterone filled NFL locker room?

“I think that we as viewers enable the NFL to become like a gladiatorial arena, and with that comes a cruel and cold culture,” varsity baseball player Michael Vokulich ’14 said. “It’s sad that Jonathan Martin was subjected to bullying but the said truth is that if he isn’t willing to deal with it then somebody else will.”

Here, at Harvard-Westlake, we live in a bubble. Our campus is populated by kids mostly from wealthy and well-educated families. This type of environment that we are so proud of is not conducive to developing a natural edge or mean streak that so many NFL teams covet.

“I have to believe that a guy who has been playing to put bread on the table is going to put up with more bullying than a guy who can walk away and still eat,” Vokulich said.

BIG RED WINTER 2013-2014 • 17

Wolverine roundtable

Members of the Big Red staff give their take on key issues in current Wolverine sports.

Q:Who is the most valuable player of the winter season so far?

Putnam: I would say that for the winter season there cannot

be just one MVP. Instead, the award must go to Michael Sheng ’14 and Alex Copeland ’15. These two players are the foundation of this year’s Wolverine basketball team. Sheng’s ball handling couples with his innate ability to playmake ensures he is a strong force this year. A fourth-year starter, his experience will lead the team. In addition, the Wolverines would be struggling without Copeland’s reliable shooting and spectacular drives.

Nussbaum: The entire soccer team is composed of MVPs, but

I think Courtney O’Brien ’15 stands out. O’Brien brings her speed and goal scoring to the team. The Princeton commit is the top goal scorer on the team, and she will be the team’s go-to in tough situations.

Barzdukas: Despite being only a sophomore, Lindsey Tse ’16

is my choice for MVP. After being an impact player last year, she is now consistently one of the top scorers for the girls’ basketball team. Her efforts including 16 points in a 52-48 victory over Clovis North and a whopping 33 points over Burrows in a preseason tournament.

Q: Halfway through the year, who is your early choice for coach of the year?

Barzdukas: Flacks has already led one team to a CIF Cham-

pionship this year, and now he has the potential to do it with another. He led the boys’ water polo team to their first league championship in five years and their first CIF championship ever.

His team is ranked number one in the nation, and Flacks was named CIF Southern Section coach of the year. His work with the boys’ water polo team is so tremendous, it’s crazy to realize that he also has the promising girls’ water polo team to coach this season.

Putnam: Erin Creznic rebounded from the loss of most of

her players to graduation last year to put together a CIF winning team. Consistency has always been the key to Creznic’s success as a coach, and I think her steady lead was the reason we won. She is a great coach, and now she has a ring to prove it.

HUDDLE UP Brian Flacks ’06 rallies the boys’ water polo team in a time out against Agoura Nov. 9.

The team won a CIF title this season for the first time in program history.

CAITLIN NEAPOLE/BIG RED

18 • BIG RED WINTER 2013

LIKE MIKE Point Guard Michael Sheng ’14 dribbles the ball down the court in the University Tournament against St. Bernard Dec. 13. Sheng led the team to a 71-62 win.

GRANT NUSSBAUM/BIG RED

Wilson: With his team’s impressive standings during his Har-

vard-Westlake career, girls’ soccer coach Richard Simms gets my vote for coach of the year so far. When Simms first joined the program, he led the team from being unranked to being ranked 17th in the nation after making it to CIF Finals in 2006. Since then, Simms has maintained this high standard of play and the team has been consistently going far in Division I. Simms has coached many of the country’s most talented players who have continued to play soccer at the college level. Despite this, Simms has never walked away with ring. His hard work and this year’s talented, deep team can make this year the year for his CIF championship.

Q: Which winter team do you see going farthest in CIF playoffs this year?

Sachs: As a member of the boys’ basketball team I am obviously

biased, but that being said I think the Wolverines boys’ basketball team has a good shot to make a deep run in CIF. The team just came off a national invitational tournament where they finished 3-2 without starter Derick Newton ’14, which included a 53-44 loss to eventual tournament champions Jackson High School (Mill Creek, WA). Newton is set to return in time for league play.

Despite not being ranked as highly as Mission League teams like Loyola and Alemany, I think we have the chance to surprise other teams in the league. Bryan Polan ’14, Michael Sheng ’14 and alltournament selection Alex Copeland ’15 also set up the Wolverines well to make an excellent run through league play and into CIF playoffs.

PHOTOS BY LIZZY THOMAS/BIG RED

Audrey Wilson Lucy Putnam Mila Barzdukas Associate Editor Managing Editor Associate Editor Wilson: I think that girls’ water polo will go furthest in CIF

this year. With CIF championships in 2011 and 2012 and head coach Brian Flacks ’06, who led the boys’ team to a CIF victory already this year, the girls are in a very good position for success.

Though it will be a challenge with only two seniors on the team, Sydney Cheong ’14 and Rebecca Armstrong ’14, I think they can help take their younger teammates far in CIF playoffs.

Loeb: I think the girls’ soccer team will finally achieve their

goal of winning a CIF Championship this season. After last year’s disappointing semifinal loss to Chaminade, the team’s seniors are determined and refocused, and with the emergence of young talent like Courtney O’Brien ’15, the team appears to be destined to win it all.

Eric Loeb Grant Nussbaum Sam Sachs Managing Editor Editor-in-Chief Managing Editor

Q: What was the biggest storyline of 2013 in Wolverine sports?

Sachs: The biggest storylines of 2013 have to be the success of

our baseball and boys’ water polo teams as both were able to capture CIF titles. On their way to being named the best team in the country the baseball team outscored their CIF opponents 28-4 fueled by the dominating arms of Conor Cuse ’13 and Jack Flaherty ’14. The boys’ water polo team was not quite as dominant but was able to beat powerhouse Mater Dei 9-6 in the CIF championship game, avenging an 11-8 loss to the Monarchs earlier in the season.

Loeb: After being defeated in CIF finals last year, the girls’ field

hockey team’s championship season this year was well earned.

After the team’s more experienced players suffered an overtime loss last season, watching them finally get their ring they deserved was great to see.

Nussbaum: 2013 saw not one but two former Harvard-West-

GOLAZO Forward Courtney O’Brien’ 15 evades an Oaks Christian defender in a non-league game.

The team recently won the Mater Dei Invitational for the second year in a row.

GRANT NUSSBAUM/BIG RED

lake athletes make national headlines and bring issues to light on the stage of professional sports: Jason Collins ’97 after becoming the first active professional male athlete to come out as gay, and Jonathan Martin ’08 after leaving his Miami Dolphins team, alleging that his teammates bullied him. With the nationwide buzz and impact created by these two alumni, they certainly should be at the top of the “biggest storyline” list. Collins and Martin have both brought awareness and helped move the professional sports scene toward becoming a less hostile, more welcoming environment, and have represented Harvard-Westlake in doing so.

BIG RED WINTER 2013 • 19

Healthy Balance

BY ELIJAH AKHTARZAD

A

fter his intense water polo practice ends at 6 p.m., Anthony Ridgley ’15 rushes straight home only to be met by the homework he has to do before the next day. Too tired to work after a combined five hours of lifting and practice, Ridgley goes to bed after an hour and a half of working, only to wake up the next morning to go through the same routine again.

“During season I pretty much try to do only the most important work, the things that actually get turned in, and can only get through about an hour and a half of work once I get home,” Ridgley said. “I felt like I was getting a good amount of sleep because I would just go to bed whenever I felt tired. My position was that if I was too tired I would just have a bad day and then a bad practice.”

However, unlike Ridgley, varsity girls’ basketball team guard Teeana Cotangco ’15 forfeits valuable hours of sleep in order to complete her homework each night.

“If I stay up late it’s usually until like one or two, and if I get to bed early I usually knock out at like nine and wake up at four or five,” Cotangco said.

With the rigorous work load Harvard-Westlake have, student-athletes are pressed to finish all their work that is due the following day. In a recent study

by Stanford professor Cherri D. Mah, Mah concluded that athletes are more readily able to reach their optimal performance and sprint times, if they are able to get a sufficient amount of sleep the night before. Mah also determined that athletes who get ten or more hours of sleep each night, are able to function at a higher level the next day and with a better overall attitude. Mah tested her experiment of sleep on the 2009 Stanford men’s basketball team, which included Toronto Raptors small forward Landry Fields, who was drafted by the New York Knicks in 2010.

Due to tournaments nearly every weekend and games almost twice a week while in season, varsity athletes like Co-

20 • BIG RED WINTER 2013-2014

tangco are ultimately fatigued after receiving a minimal amount of sleep the prior night. Cotangco’s lack of sleep and frequent practices has contributed in the development of her knee tendonitis.

“Especially with all the tournaments and games I usually get home later and decide to sleep early and wake up early to finish work, or stay up late and have a rough day the next day,” Cotangco said.

“I guess overall during season I’m pretty tired, mentally and physically and I have to adjust my schedule to get enough hours to feel all right the next day.”

On a normal day of training and practice in season, Ridgley spends nearly the same amount of time practicing and training for water polo as he does in classes. With lifting in the morning, watching game video before practice, and then spending three hours in the pool with his teammates, Ridgley is able to stay healthy during the season by putting his health ahead of his schoolwork.

Cotangco has been on the varsity girls’ basketball since the start of high school, and has been a major factor in the program’s success. Although she doesn’t lift in the morning like Ridgley and the water polo team, after her practices that end at 5 p.m., she is directed towards the weight room where her whole team must lift for 45 minutes. After both practice and lifting, Cotangco’s body takes such a high toll that she must stay at school for another 30 minutes to ice her body and knees.

“After school on regular practice days I have practice from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. and then lifting right after,” Cotangco said. “Then I see the trainers and ice my body because I have knee tendonitis. I would say after practice and lifting I usually am pretty exhausted and sleep on the bus on the way home and I then have to decide whether to stay up and do homework or go to bed and wake up early the next morning.”

While Ridgley gets enough sleep at the expense of his school work, he also must focus on his nutrition to maintain his high performance in practices and

games. The water polo team recently defeated Mater Dei in the CIF Finals 9-6 to be subsequently named the number one team in the nation, and Ridgley was later placed on the All CIF Division I third team. Ridgley has been drinking milk with almost every meal since he was in middle school in efforts to maintain a healthy diet.

“I definitely felt like I ate healthier during the season,” Ridgley said. “Our coach doesn’t give us restrictions on what to eat or anything like that, but he recommends that we eat healthy. I’m a goalie so I don’t need to get really bulked up, but some other players eat anything they can and want to weigh more during season to sustain their body mass.

I don’t eat anything too specific, but I have protein shakes after all our lifts and just try and eat as healthy as I can with what they have in the cafeteria, which usually isn’t too good. I would always go for rice, chicken breast, and whatever vegetables they had that day. That was pretty much my lunch every day during the season.”

Although boys’ water polo coach Brian Flacks and varsity girls’ basketball team head coach Melisa Hearlihy do not restrict their players’ diets, the food athletes eat during the season can greatly influence their performance on the court according to Mah. The girls’ varsity volleyball team, which has placed first in the Mission League the last two seasons, invited Kristen Bell, a health professional to speak to the team regarding the benefits of eating healthy during season play. Although the squad didn’t have any specific diet they had to follow, some players decided to take diet into their own hands to help their performance during the season.

“Kristen was really nice, and she showed us several healthy options for food during the season that would make us more energetic for practice and games,” Rachel Savage ’15 said. “She taught us a lot without getting too scientific.”

“

AFTER PRACTICE AND LIFTING I USUALLY AM PRETTY EXHAUSTED AND SLEEP ON THE BUS ON THE WAY HOME AND I THEN HAVE TO DECIDE WHETHER TO STAY UP AND DO HOMEWORK OR GO TO BED AND WAKE UP EARLY THE NEXT MORNING,” COTANGCO SAID.

“

“

THE ONLY I GUESS OVERALL DURING SEASON THING I’M PRETTY TIRED, MENTALLY AND NEGATIVELY PHYSICALLY AND I HAVE TO ADJUST AFFECTED MY SCHEDULE TO GET ENOUGH HOURS FEEL ALL RIGHT THE NEXT DAY,” DURING THE TO COTANGCO SAID. SEASON WAS MY ABILITY KRISTEN WAS REALLY NICE, AND SHE TO COMPLETE SHOWED US SEVERAL ALL OF MY HEALTHY OPTIONS WORK,” FOR FOOD DURING THE SEASON THAT WOULD RIDGLEY MAKE US MORE ENERSAID. GETIC FOR PRACTICE

“

AND GAMES,” RACHEL SAVAGE ’15 SAID. “SHE TAUGHT US A LOT WITHOUT GETTING TOO SCIENTIFIC.”

BIG RED WINTER 2013-2014 • 21

t r o p e R y r u j n I e h T A

BY MIL A BARZDUK

S

star players to s e ri ju in s u ro e d from num re e ff u s m a te ll a aight losses. tb tr s ix s h The foo it w rt ta s hing its 4-0 is in im d , n o s a e s this

During the second play of the football team’s homecoming game against Palisades Charter High School, running back Garrett Robinson ’15 was running down the field when he heard a pop after his left ankle bent into an unnatural position. He tried to walk it off, but the pain persisted. He consulted the trainers, tested his ankle by jogging on the sideline, and realized that he would be unable to finish the game. He was diagnosed with a high ankle sprain.

Two games later, quarterback Marshal Cohen ’16 was running the ball down the field. A St. Paul player tackled him, and Cohen tore his left ACL, ending his season.

“I got injured trying to do a triple spin hurdle flip over the defender,” Cohen said.

One game later, Desmond Butler ’15 tackled a St. Francis fullback in the fourth quarter. The fullback fell on Butler’s knee in an awkward way, and Butler was diagnosed with a sprained MCL. Injuries are common to the sport of football. The huddle of medical personnel around a fallen player is seemingly part of every game at every level of play. The fast pace and high impact of the sport contributes to almost 350,000 football-related injuries a year. The most common injuries are sprains, followed by fractures and dislocations. Science Daily estimates that football-related concussions account for about 8,631 injuries a year. During football season, an average of 57 players a day are sent to emergency rooms across the United States for football-related concussions. The Center of Disease Control and Prevention said in a 2006 study that there is a 12.09 percent chance of a football player getting injured in competition.

The varsity team started the year 4-0, but as the season wore on, injuries to key players took a toll on the team. The at-first promising playoff contenders finished 0-5 in league and 4-6 for the season. An administrative decision was made to not apply for a playoff bid. The team’s injury situation, and the probability of a difficult playoff draw on-the-road factored into the decision to not apply for a playoff berth “I think injuries did play a big part of it,” Head of Athletics Terry Barnum said. “We are not a deep team and so when we lose starters, replacing them is more difficult, and so I think

22 • BIG RED WINTER 2013-2014

that played a role in it. We had some injuries to some key members of our team and we were unable to replicate the production that they were giving us.”

Barnum believes the large number of injuries this year was an anomaly.

“I’ve seen 10 football seasons here, and in 10 seasons this might have been the worst or second worst in terms of injuries,” Barnum. “That’s gonna happen. It’s not the fault of the coaches, its not the fault of the kids, its definitely not the fault of sports medicine. It happens. You just have years where you’re snakebitten with injuries, and I think that’s what happened this year.”

Head Coach Scot Ruggles also said the injury numbers were greater compared to previous years.

“It was a very weird year with injuries, more than any year in my time coaching,” Ruggles said.

Barnum said the athletic department is investigating possible causes for the large number of injuries on the team.

“We would be irresponsible if we didn’t look at it and try to do what we could do to make it better,” Barnum said. “We are going to look at our offseason training regimen and make sure that our guys are in tip-top shape and ready to compete.”

Barnum also believes players playing offense and defense could be a factor.

“You tend to get injured when you are tired, and if we can have guys be less tired, that means looking at kids that go both ways,” Barnum said.

“We obviously will have to have kids go both ways, but we want to do it only in places where we can afford to do that. We’re also looking at nutrition and sleep. We’re going to be purposeful in making sure we address those things.”

Barnum also cited the toughness of the Mission League as a factor contributing to the team’s slide over the course of the season.

“Our competition got better,” Barnum said.

“We were playing teams in league that were better than the teams we played before league.

When your competition gets better and you’re a depleted team from an injury standpoint, that’s going to make it more difficult to win.”

This year, fellow Mission League teams St.

Francis, Chaminade, and Serra made the CIF Southern Section semifinals. Chaminade won the CIF title over Serra with a last minute tiebreaking field goal. They then went on to win the State Division II final in a blowout victory.

According to the National Institutes of Health, football is the most popular boys’ sport in the United States, with 1.1 million athletes playing annually. At Harvard-Westlake, however, football is less popular. This year, only 37 high schoolers were on the varsity team, over 20 players fewer on the next smallest roster in the Mission League.

“Injuries pretty much destroyed our team because we don’t have a lot of players,” Cohen said. “When we lost Garrett we lost our running game which we had based our entire season on.”

Several players believe the football season would have been more successful if the team were larger.

“If we had more numbers, we would have a backup who would be devoted to only that position,” wide receiver Noah Pompan ‘14 said.

“When Marshal went down, if we had more numbers we would have had a true quarterback who would have done those drills all summer.

We had to put in Ryan Dominic ’17, a freshman, into the quarterback position and we struggled.”

“Guys just have to come out and play,” Cohen added. “I think some people don’t understand that if they come out, they will make a difference. First time players can come out and play and still be effective.”

However, there is still a stigma attached to football that prevents people from trying the sport.

“My dad wouldn’t let me play,” Cole Fletcher ’15 said. “He didn’t want me to get hurt and then not be able to play my main sport, soccer.”

“The nature of Harvard-Westlake is we’re just not a football school,” Pompan said. “At other schools kids have been playing since they were little and they need football to go college.

We are in such a fortunate situation where we can get into schools based off of academic merit.”

Pompan has had an unusual football career at Harvard-Westlake. He played football in eighth and ninth grade before quitting the sport once he reached the upper school. Pompan de-

Hassan Smith ’15 suffered a leg injury again

st Sylmar Sept. 20.

JACK GOLDFISHER/BIG RED

cided to play lacrosse in college, devoting his sophomore and junior years to the sport. He came back to the football team for his senior season.

“I joined because I had gotten my college looks for lacrosse and I just thought it would be fun to come back,” Pompan said. Pompan will be playing lacrosse at Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania next year.

Pompan suffered a concussion this year against Sylmar. He did not miss any games, and he still loves the sport.

“There’re so many kids around HarvardWestlake that have the size and athleticism to play football, but it’s just not a part of their culture,” Pompan said. “There are so many things telling them not to play football, but they don’t

Outmanned

see the advantages. I came back this year and I had a great time.”

In the age of the single-sport athlete, the time demands of specialization have forced student-athletes to choose only one sport they want to play. Many believe that they can not play in college unless they focus only on one sport. Ruggles still welcomes multisport athletes.

“Most of our kids play other sports,” Ruggles says. “Football is a very tough game, that should not be played year round. I like the fact our kids compete in other things and are coached by other people, not just in sports. Many of our kids are involved in the arts, which I think is great. My advice is to be well-rounded.”

Despite the injury situation and lack of depth to the team, Barnum draws positive things from the season.

“I think that we made some progress, and I think a lot of our young kids stepped up and played really well, which prepares our team for next year,” Barnum said.

Robinson missed four consecutive league games before he was cleared to play in the last game of the season against Cathedral. He reinjured his ankle in the second half of the game when an opposing linebacker’s helmet hit his ankle during a tackle. He is resting and working to make a full recovery before he begins his track season. Cohen had surgery on his ACL on Dec. 23, and is rehabbing it to get back to the field as soon as possible.

The Harvard-Westlake football team has the smallest roster in the Mission League.

Cathedral

= 74

Serra

= 62

St. Paul

= 61

Chaminade

= 58

St. Francis

= 57

Harvard-Westlake

= 37

= 10 Players BIG RED WINTER 2013-2014 • 23

Flip Out Step-by-step flip throw-in

1

Corrin ’16 starts running with a quick, short burst of speed to gain momentum.

24 • BIG RED WINTER 2013-2014

2

Next, she plants the ball on the ground with both hands as she begins lifting both of her legs off the ground.

3

With both legs in the air, Corrin enters the front handspring phase, flipping both legs over her head.

Courtney Corrin ‘16 demonstrates a flip throw-in on Ted Slavin Field. Corrin is a member of the varsity girls’ soccer team and also does track and field both in and outside of school. Last spring Corrin won the national long jump title at New Balance National outdoor track and field championships, jumping 21 feet even, the national freshman record.

BY AUDREY WILSON

4

As she comes up from the front handspring, she prepares to use the momentum to propel the ball forward.

5

Finally, she lands close to the ground to help maintain her center of gravity and balance and releases the ball.

6

Photographs by AUDREY WILSON

Corrin rises after releasing the ball, and she completes her throw-in and front handspring successfully.

BIG RED WINTER 2013-2014 • 25

A Junkyard Dog:

THE GARY BAIROS STORY Wrestling coach Gary Bairos made the decision to stop wrestling competitively following a storied collegiate career at Arizona State. Rather than try to make the Olympics, he chose to make documentaries and write screenplays. Along the way he took over the Wolverine program as head coach.

BY PATRICK RYAN

G

ary Bairos began wrestling at the age of 10 because he was too small to play Pop-Warner football. By the time he graduated from high school he was the California state wrestling champion.

“I liked the sort of virtuoso, you were your own team. You controlled your own destiny,” Bairos said. “That appealed to me. It was scary in some ways but I really responded to it and found it a great challenge.”

Bairos went on to wrestle under coach Bobby Douglas at Arizona State University, who was the United States Olympic team coach at the time.

“

I BASICALLY PROMISED MYSELF THAT I AM GOING TO STAY IN THIS SPORT LONG ENOUGH TO GET ALL THE PEOPLE BACK THAT HAD BEATEN ME,” BAIROS SAID.

26 • BIG RED WINTER 2013-2014

Bairos was team captain and the Sun Devils won the NCAA team title in 1988.

“I used to get beat as a kid and I basically promised myself that I am going to stay in this sport long enough to get all the people back that had beaten me,” Bairos said.

While he had aspirations to go to the Olympics, Bairos decided to stop wrestling competitively and focus on documentary filmmaking and screenwriting.

“When Bobby Douglas recruited me out of high school, the whole pitch was [to] go from college wrestling to having an international career. That was his journey and he wanted to recruit athletes that were

DIDAX

Gary Bairos

world class,” Bairos said. “After four years of college wrestling, I just really wanted to go in another direction and I made a decision and it was tough.”

Bairos never planned to be a high school wrestling coach but while he was living in Los Angeles he was offered the opportunity to help with the Harvard-Westlake team and his commitment grew until he became head coach.

When he came to HarvardWestlake, the six-man team had a room in Taper but it was removed to add the weight room.

The school built the current wrestling room in the old Hamilton gym locker room.

“It started with six guys, but two or three of those six were pretty darn good. They started to make some noise in CIF. We’ve never been a huge team but we’ve had some kids that have done really well,” Bairos said. “We are respected around California wrestling as a team that’s not big but always has a few guys that will win big.”

The team’s numbers have grown and the team has around 20 wrestlers now. Bairos said the ninth grade class is the best class of wrestlers to come through the school during his time at HarvardWestlake.

“We are really building something,” Bairos said. “I can really feel

it.”

Bairos said that he believes this year’s senior class has a lot of potential to place in CIF. The rest of the team is composed of young wrestlers, mainly freshmen.

Alex Lange ’14 credits Bairos attention to detail with the improvement of the team this year. “[Bairos] pays attention to everyone on the team and knows what everyone needs to work on and how to help them improve,” Lange said. “He always makes an effort to connect with every wrestler and I’m proud to have him as my coach.”

“The older kids are nurturing the young kids,” Bairos said. “We’re really a tight knit group. It’s worked really well that 12th graders are working with ninth graders.”

Patrick Halkett ’14 said Bairos is extremely patient with his athletes, never yelling at them and understanding the amount of stress associated with going to HarvardWestlake.

“I think Gary is one of the most respectable coaches there is. He has taught me so much not only about wrestling, but also how to be a good leader,” Halkett said. “I probably

THE JUNKYARD DOGS Gary Bairos, seated in center, poses with his team for the team photo in the wrestling room in Hamilton gymnasium.

PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF REGGIE FERRAZ/WWW.REGGIEFERRAZ.COM

wouldn’t be the same kind of athlete or person without him.”

Bairos said that Jake Adler ’17 is the most developed wrestler he has ever seen as a freshman.

Adler has worked with Bairos for the past three or four years with Bairos’ Junkyard Dogs Wrestling Club.

“I’m really excited to watch Jake Adler and see what he can do this year and develop into a high school wrestler,” Bairos said. “The sky is the limit.

He could be really something.

He’s a very exciting wrestler to watch.”

“We are trying to strengthen our middle school program. I really feel for the first time that we have some sort of continuity,” Bairos said. “We’re on the same page. I feel good about things right now going

forward.”

Bairos made a documentary film entitled Junkyard Dogs, which chronicles the development of Kenji Porter ’06 who placed fifth in the California State Championship his senior year.

“I enjoy taking a kid who maybe never even thought he could be an athlete and turning him into a good wrestler.

That means something to me,” Bairos said.

“Even if the kids never become state champions or we never win the state team title because we don’t have enough kids, I get great enjoyment out of seeing kids find themselves and gain confidence that they never thought they could ever wrestle somebody and win. I get a lot out of watching them grow and gain confidence.”

A WATCHFUL EYE Gary Bairos offers instruction to Jake Adler ’17 during the team’s dual against Bishop Amat Dec. 11.

CAITLIN NEAPOLE/BIG RED

BIG RED WINTER 2013-2014 • 27