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Letter From the Editors It’s been a long four months working on the first issue of Adrenaline, but we’ve had a lot of fun doing it. From writing about what a baseball is made of to discussing the problem of steroids among athletes, we’ve really enjoyed having the opportunity to put our thoughts down on paper. Our goal is to share our love of sports with Austin teens, and as you flip through the pages of this issue, we hope you’ll find articles that are interesting, inspiring, and just plain fun. Thank you for reading!
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Biographies
the editors behind adrenaline
Mark R.
Caleb S.
Mark is a football and basketball player for the LBJ Jaguars. Although he currently has an injured ligament in his knee, next year he will be strong enough to play for the Jaguars in his favorite sports. Mark is a very athletic person, and he watches every manly sport there is on TV (he’d like to let you know that golf is not a sport). His favorite team is the Longhorns, and if you see him in the hall, he will always be wearing something UT-related. Mark wrote the stories “Plaxico Buress,” “Man with a Plan,” and “Football through the ages.”
Caleb is one with animals. Every summer, he goes and works at his dad’s vet clinic, either in the back with the patients or up front with the clients. Caleb currently has four dogs, three cats, two horses and three birds as pets. His favorite sports to watch are football, basketball and baseball, and his favorite teams are from Missouri. He also enjoys playing basketball every once in a while on his backyard court. The articles that Caleb wrote include “Roid Rage,” “A Banging Brain,” and “Baseball Uniforms Through the Ages.”
Lizzie B.
Emily S. Emily is a former gymnast who’s now a member of the competitive cheerleading squad Inferno. She also recently began to play lacrosse, joining the LBJ girls’ lacrosse team. Her favorite sports to watch are gymnastics and football, especially any game the Longhorns are playing. In addition to playing and watching sports, Emily likes to shop, go to the movies, and go out to eat. The stories Emily wrote for Adrenaline include “Let’s Hear it for the Boys,” “The Warrior,” and “How to Berid the Knots in Your Muscles.”
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Lizzie does not like shrimp, papayas, or bumper stickers. She does, however, enjoy stepping on particularly crunchy leaves. Her favorite sport is figure skating (she figure skated for three years in elementary and middle school), but if you don’t consider that a sport, her second choice would probably be luge (no, she has not actually ever participated in luge, but she likes the word). Lizzie is the author of “The Stress of Sports,” “On the Field,” and “Anatomy of a Baseball.”
To learn more about Adrenaline magazine, visit us at thekabolios.blogspot.com.
ADRENALINE
From the Editors
03
Biographies
04
The Warrior
16
A Banging Brain
15
On the Field
20
The Man with a Plan
22
A letter from us to you.
Biographies of the editors.
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Emily S. interview with Roger Huerta, an up-and-coming Mixed Martial Arts fighter.
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6
10
An insight into women’s rugby in the US and an interview with a high school teacher who plays women’s rugby.
One former player converted into a coach. Success looming everywhere. Can he win the game?
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24
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26 Table of Contents
Concussions in sports are a huge problem and can ruin anything from a game to a whole career. Caleb S. interviews a man who has had two of them.
Opinion
REACHING
FOR JUSTICE
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Photograph by Karen Vibert-Kennedy
Twenty-one percent of professional football players had arrest records in 2007. If you are surprised by this simple fact, don’t be. Players in the National Football League are always running into the law. From the infamous “Pacman” Jones to the NFL icon Ray Lewis, many had many misdemeanors and a few low degree felonies, but no current events have had more uproar than that of Michael Vick and Plaxico Burress. Vick killed seven dogs by hanging and drowning, and that’s just what we know of. According to a searcher with a warrant, they found 66 dogs, 55 of them pit bulls, chained away from each other to prevent contact, typical fighting dogs. The fights were usually held late at night or early in the morning. The losing dog would be wet and electrocuted. Oh and of course if a dog was not ready to fight, then the dog would be thrown into a pool with a weight and would drown. If not that, then it would be slammed into the ground until it died, or even just flat out buried alive. Plaxico Burress has received 20 to 24 months of prison for illegal possession of a weapon and endangering a mass crowd of people. Michael Vick received 19 months of prison for dog fighting charges, which is the nicest way to put it. Plaxico shot himself in the leg. Plaxico Burress has received too much time when he didn’t hurt anyone. I know some people would probably say that human lives are more valuable than that of a dog’s, but who really was injured? No life was taken and no life was altered other than that of Plaxico Burress. According to Vick himself, he regrets everything that he did and paid his debt to society, and he served his time, but if he would have received the unjust time that Plaxico received, Vick would be in prison for life. According to Burress received fewer years than the law states should be given. He received 20 months to 24 just for shooting himself. That is ridiculous when he had no criminal intentions.
Plaxico Buress admitted that he made a mistake, and he did plead guilty, but what other choice did the man have? The District Attorney, or DA, bullied this man for shooting himself. I cannot stress how idiotic that sounds. It’s like the principal suspending a high school student for running into a pole outside the school around a lot of people. It doesn’t make sense to me and it doesn’t make sense to a lot of people. I know that the reason for the full extent of prosecution was so some sleazy, no-one-knows-him type of judge could appear in the news and make a false name for himself, which makes this case even worse. Think about your time in pre-school or kindergarten when you had a bully that was in a higher grade and was more powerful than you. This is the same exact concept. This is the classic example of a bully and a small kid. Michael Vick lied his way into prison. He lied to everyone and was convicted anyways. Michael Vick even received an extra month of prison for writing a letter to the judge (which I do admit was wrong of the judge).- Mark R.
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Emily S.
Let’s Hear it for the Boys! Stereotypes may turn boys away from
Cheerleading is cheerleading, but there is more to the sport than known to be a sport of specifically one gender: they think. female. Cheerleading is stereotyped as a female sport. But the fact is that, cheerleading is a sport for men and women or boys and girls. The sport is fun and energetic and should be appreciated by both genders. A guy should not be ashamed of being a cheerleader. Cheerleaders need to be strong in order to complete the stunts. Men are a benefit to the women on the team because they assist with the stunts. Guys should be in cheerleading for the energetic rush you get when you are in front of a crowd performing and not the girls in skimpy outfits. There are many opportunities in the sport, but no man wants to try it because of the pressure from their peers. Many people are quick to judge about the sport and forget that cheerleaders need to have coordination, strength, skill, and flexibility to do the routines. Infosports.com says, “We practice, compete, have rules, go through training, sweat, get hurt, and dedicate our lives to cheerleading....there is NO reason why cheerleading should not be considered a sport.” Men on the team are encouraging and inspiring to the team as a whole, a coed team could help with making the team look more prominent and more dynamic. A man’s strength is the key to power, power leads to the skill of the stunt, and the skill of the stunt is something that proves to fans why cheerleading is a sport.
Opinion 08
Illustration by Lena Ray
According to life123.com, cheerleading was started by men in the early 1880’s at Princeton University. Men were in the stands chanting with bull horns and got fans to start repeating the chants. This led to the start of cheerleading and continued to be a male sport until World War II. During World War II, men were off at war and weren’t able to cheer. Women took over and did very basic dance steps moving left to right with pom poms. Men were given more freedom of the sport, they were allowed to cheer and do whatever stunts they wanted. I believe that high school is a very sacred time for many teenagers. It is a time to grow and become an adult. According to serendip.brynmawr.edu, 97% of cheerleaders in high school are female and only 3% are male. Growing up is tough and the pressure is sometimes too much. Peer pressure is intense; so many guys choose to not join cheerleading because of the reputation they might receive. High school is about finding out what you want to do with your life, and this involves trying new things. Guys should not be afraid to step outside of the box and try cheerleading. According to serendip.brynmawr.edu, in college 50% of cheerleaders are female and 50% are male. Helium.com says, “Today’s society seems to take a step back and look at the men as precise, fit, strong athletes. They may not be getting as much attention as a football player, but they are just as fit and skilled. Their athletic scholarships have helped to educate the public on what it takes to be a cheerleader now.” So by the time college comes around, the public takes pride in the male cheerleaders realizing that they are athletes. According to collegesportsscholarships.com, “There are over 225 colleges and community colleges that offer full and partial cheerleading scholarships.” Cheerleading is a great sport to get scholarships for college, according to helium.com, cheerleading isn’t for every man but those who are cheerleaders are very successful. Cheerleading is a sport that can Photograph by Dallas Photography
make a male stronger than his peers, can help fight down the stereotypes if men work together on joining, and will help the women in the sport perform the routines better. Male cheerleaders require an enormous amount of strength to lift, throw, and catch the women in the air. An analogy to serendip.brynmawr.edu is that, male cheerleaders are lifting and throwing humans, while football players are throwing and catching leather balls. So male cheerleaders are gaining natural muscle just from performing the sport, they may not need to go to the gym to gain extra power; such as football players will have to do. Men should not be afraid of the stereotypes they are given because if more men join the cheerleading team, then that would be a reason for the stereotypes to be thrown out. If one man joins the team, he can get his buddies to join the team, and this could change America’s culture on men in cheerleading. Men trying out for cheerleading in high school could create competition for men and women in the sport.
EMAIL thekabolios@gmail.com
09
a
Roid Rage
By Caleb S. Steroids have changed the game of baseball forever. When athletes use steroids they get the upper edge in power and strength, allowing them to hit the ball harder and farther. While some people think that the steroid use is under control in Major League Baseball, it is not, according to baseballssteroidera. com, there have been more than 25 steroid suspensions since 2005 and already a couple this year, the steroid usage is growing. In 2005, the first known steroid usage in the game of baseball was revealed. Tom House of the Red Sox used steroids in the 1970’s and 60’s, said this about his usage, “We were doing steroid they wouldn’t give to horses, that was the 60’s when nobody knew.” Ever since House’s use of steroids in the 60’s, about 100 MLB players have been convicted for steroids total and more than 70 players since 2000. When steroids are used, the body changes, the steroids increase muscle growth, allowing the body to inflict more power on the baseball, creating more homeruns
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Opinion
Picture
Illustration by Forrest James
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and increasing the average hits of a player. According to ehow. com, steroids also increase the production of testosterone and protein synthesis, which does not let the body perform in its natural way. Because of this, many side effects follow steroid usage, like violent mood swings, depression, and paranoia. Along with this, many adults have increased hair growth, deepening voices and baldness, while teens who take steroids develop increased acne and may have a stunted growth. Steroids also have many
to wonder more and more if this performance was with the aid of steroids. After McGwire’s great years his career went down hill and he retired after the 2001 season. McGwire was found to be using steroids and had been taking them since 1992 and in 2004 the news leaked out. In 2001, Barry Bonds had great year hitting 73 home runs beating McGwire’s old record and leading people to believe that he also had been using steroids. Two years later, in 2003, Bonds was found to be using steroids,
thirty years ago, 40-50 home runs in a season was amazing; now each year, 5-10 players hit the 40 mark
health concerns that can be fatal, including high blood pressure, cholesterol, joint flexibility and an increased chance for kidney and liver failure because of the larger amount of steroids that need to be processed. Steroids have affected the stats of the game in major ways. Thirty years ago, 40-50 home runs in a season was amazing; now each year, 5-10 players hit the 40 mark. In 1998, Mark McGwire hit 70 home runs shattering the old record of 61. A year later McGwire almost beat his own record by hitting 65 home runs. After these two amazing years skeptics started
though Bonds is still in the league he has not played since 2007 and not hitting above 46 home runs in a year since his great season. Clearly, it is going to be hard to break the record while still being honest and using your own natural power. The MLB needs to Crack down on steroid policies to where none of these records can be broken with the aid of steroids, so players can earn the records. Some may say that steroids are not growing and just because there are more confirmed cases now day then there were 50 years ago because of the ability to test for them. But
this is not true, because even from 1995 to 2005 when steroids were tested for regularly only a little over ten people were using them and since 2000 more than 60 players have used steroids. Some might say that in 1961, Roger Maris hit 61 home runs to set the record and that he was never found positive for steroids, but like I said how they wouldn’t know in the 60’s when nobody was tested. Some may say that the benefits outweigh the side effect of steroids because, with all the money you make by playing at a higher level, you can fix whatever could go wrong. But how could you repair death, with heart attack risks and kidney and liver failure sometime becoming fatal? After all your death that can’t be reversed with money. Steroid in the game of baseball have changed the game forever and is leading the game down a path of no return. At the rate we are going at in the next 20 years, the home run total will top 100 and hundreds more players will be using steroids. Many people have had life changing injuries from steroids and as the usage goes up, so will the injuries and death’s related. The game of baseball needs to crack down on steroids and quick, so the game can remain fair and the players natural abilities can shine.
Fast Facts: Steroids -In 2005, 660,000 high school students between the ages of 14 and 17 admitted to having used steroids. -Beyond the commonly known physical side effects, steroids have been shown to cause mental deterioration that does not necessarily reverse once steroid use has stopped. -Several studies have connected use of steroids and related drugs to abnormal or failing liver function. -Since 1991, steroids have been placed in Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act, meaning that it is illegal to sell or possess them without a prescription. Source: Association Against Steroid Abuse
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Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
The Stress of Sports
Pressure on kids has become too much. What are we doing wrong? Late night practices, twice-weekly travel games, coaches who’ve gone too far- the name of kids’ sports is in jeopardy. What we need to change, and why. - Lizzie B.
They train four hours a day, often waking up at 4:30 or 5:00 for before-school practices. Their evenings and weekends are eaten up by twice-weekly travel games. They skip PE in order to have time to finish their homework. Every day is the same; there’s no break- not even on the 4th of July. No, these aren’t Olympic-caliber professionals. They’re kids. The benefits of sports are undeniable. They create camaraderie among teammates, teach valuable life lessons, and promote healthy, active living. It’s not surprising that, according to CNN, 41 million American children play competitive sports. But when does this become too much of a good thing? With crazed parents who believe they’re the referees and coaches who push their athletes to the point of injury, the stress of sports is more apparent than ever. This pressure can harm the development of social skills, create a stressful environment that counteracts the positive effects of sports, and result in warped life priorities. Youth sports are designed to be fun, not a job. Treating them like one can lead to harmful consequences. A 2003 poll in SportingKid magazine discovered that 84 percent of athletes’ parents had observed belligerent behavior in other parents at games and competitions. Eighty percent had been targets of this behavior. What does this say about sports culture, and because of it, American culture as a whole? Some parents have become so obsessed with their child winning that they don’t stop to think about what this entails. According to shatteredpeace. com, three adults were arrested in
Opinion GREEN/ C:46 M:0 Y:26 K:30 Illustration by Susana Pinales
YELLOW/ C:0 M:9 Y:48 K:5
ORANGE/ C:0 M:56 Y:93 K:15
RED/ C:0 M:87 Y:100 K:35
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Juan Capistrano, California, when a fight broke out among coaches and parents after a 2001 soccer game. A coach and two parents were permanently banned from American Youth Soccer Organization, and others suffered injuries such as cuts, bruises, and bites. If athletes are constantly surrounded by adults who scream at coaches and assault sports officials, they may begin to think that this is what they need to be doing. They’ll do what they see and try to win at all costs- even if this means cheating or attacking opponents. In other words, they won’t know how to accept failure and learn from
affirms that a 13-year-old Pony League baseball player struck and killed a 15-year-old with an aluminum baseball bat after the two started an argument. When teens begin to physically hurt each other in the name of sports, it’s obvious that change needs to occur. Physical activity is necessary to stay healthy, but with the amount of time some athletes spend practicing, it can become more of a danger than an advantage. According to Sports Illustrated, in 2003, over 3.5 million athletes younger than 15 suffered from a sports-related injury that required medical observation- that’s
ries. US News and World Report states that over 70 percent of children eventually drop out of organized sports, and it isn’t difficult to see why. The time commitment that many competitive sport teams require is enormous. They oftentimes have over 100 travel games a year- many clubs and squads have two games a week- eating up time needed for homework and school. It can be be very difficult and even impossible to maintain a healthy balance between sports and “everything else”. Emily S., a former competitive gymnast who is now a freshman at LASA High School, practiced 24 hours a week by the When teens begin to physically hurt each other in age of nine, breakonly on Sunday the name of sports, it’s obvious that change needs ing and some holidays. She eventually had to to occur. quit because, as she says, “I was too over☼ worked. I didn’t have it. Instead, they’ll likely throw a nearly one in 10! Some injuries, time to focus on my schoolwork, tantrum each time they lose. This like torn ACLs, can often require and sometimes I’d even have to kind of activity may be acceptable surgery and cause permanent skip homework. For the first time, in two year olds, but not in somedamage if not treated correctly. I wasn’t making all A’s.” This is the one who’s 10. With bad habits like Ignoring the facts, coaches and plight of many young athletes, but this cemented in childhood, young parents continue to push children some sacrifice schoolwork and a athletes won’t be able to effectively to the limit. A Minnesota Amahealthy balance of extracurriculars function in disappointing situations teur Sports Commission survey for sports, believing that diligent when they become adults. showed that 45 percent of players practice will pave the way to pro The influences of adult lack have been put down or yelled at in fessional and high school sports. of sportsmanship can be dangergames. 22 percent have also been So what can we do about this ous, too. A 2005 LA Times article encouraged to play despite injuproblem? Continued on page 21
The Effects in Numbers: 2008 US Youth Sports Injuries Cheerleading- 75,307 Football- 1,024,022 Gymnastics- 67,542 Soccer- 368,726 Volleyball- 187,000
SOURCE: Consumer Product Safety Commission, youthsportsparent.com
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Photograph by West Austin Youth Association
A BANGING BRAIN BY CALEB S.
“THEY
DIDN’T EVEN STOP THE PLAY FOR
me,” says Robert Spitz about the time when he lay on the grass of the football field for a matter of minutes in a daze. Robert grew up in St. Louis, Missouri and was a tough kid. Robert played for his local Little League Team for the beginning years of his teenager life. He played tackle football and was a star at everybody looked at as a leader on the team. At the age of 12 Robert was voted most valuable player on the team at his spot of linebacker. He would hit hard and be relentless. He goes as far to say that he would “throw himself at everybody.” At 12, Robert got a concussion and 21 years later at the age of 33 he experienced another concussion, but from a different situation all together. At the age of 12, Robert experienced what he though was nothing, but little did he know it was the slamming of his brain into his skull. “I was put right back onto the field, I didn’t know I had a concussion, and neither did my team or coaches.” Robert was diving in for a tackle on the ball handler when he slammed his head right into the running player’s knees. “I just lied there in a daze,” said Robert. After the game was over he though nothing of the whole thing just going on with his daily life, until 21 years later when he had the exact same feeling. In 1991, 21 years after his football concussion, Robert was taking a nap in the back seat of his friend’s car while driving through Louisiana. “My friend that was driving, reached for a tape, swerved and we ended up in a creek after rolling over about 7 times,” said Robert. Not one of the three people in the car was seriously injured, but Robert got off the worst. Robert was all cut up and had to be hospitalized for one night. The doctors that were caring for Robert said that even with all of his pain that he couldn’t have any pain control due to the risk of head trauma.
Diagram By Mark Nowlin/Seattle Times
Life
The doctors told him that he would have to pay extra for the MRI to find out the extent of his injuries. “I said yes, please give me an MRI, I want to know what is going on in my head.” After Robert’s MRI his injuries included only a concussion, the doctor gave him his medications and he headed home for Austin. While Robert was in Austin recovering from his injuries, his mom (Daisy), came down from St. Louis to help care for him for a week or so, even just for the little things like getting groceries. Because of wanting her son to stay in bed as long as possible, Daisy would drive on the highways which she never ever liked to do. Back in St. Louis she would always avoid the highways and take smaller back roads to get to her destination so for her to take the highway in an unfamiliar city was a very unusual thing. “In the future, she was bragging how she even drove on the highway for me, I remembered not one thing from the whole week, I didn’t remember that she even came to Austin,” said Robert. Robert was not sure if part of the reason for this was because of the drugs he was on, but he credits believes that it was most likely due to the concussion itself. Concussions in sports are a growing issue that have been around since the first day football was ever played, they are something you have to think about in sports or in regular day to day life. In Robert’s case, no problems have been permanent, but many others are not as lucky. Past the years he played as a teenager, Robert has not played since, he now owns and works at a veterinarian clinic and has moved on from his rough game play of football, though the memories or lack of, will stay with him forever. l
2 The force from the impact causes the
3 In severe
brain to strike the inner surface of the skull and rebound against the opposite side.
concussions as the brain rebounds, the brain twists.
Intial Impact 1 SPINE
ANATOMY OF A CONCUSSION
4
SPINAL CORD
The brain swells. In a severe injury, the swelling puts pressure on the brain stem, which controls breathing and other basic life functions.
Life
The Warrior Roger Huerta, a mixed martial arts enthusiast started as a wrestler in high school and then went on to fight in the MMA for the UFC.
H
Photograph by Dave Mandel
BY EMILY S.
He walks through the dark tunnel out to flashing lights, cameras, and fans screaming his name. Roger Huerta is ready to step into the octagon before a Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) match. Huerta is an MMA fighter for the Ultimate Fighting Championships (UFC) who
trains in boxing, wrestling, jujitsu, and muay thai to prepare for facing his opponent. He started fighting in the MMA when he was about 20 years old and for the past few years he has learned many skills for fighting that have helped him shape a path for his career and to have a steady income. “The UFC [has] the most competition and [allowed me] to make a career out of what I was doing,” Huerta says. Many don’t realize that the UFC is not a profession; it is just a brand you are apart of. “Ultimate Fighting Championships is a brand, but what happens in the UFC is called Mixed Martial Arts, or MMA,” Huerta explains. “Before facing the fighters, you have
Left: Huerta kneeling after his last fight against Gray Maynard
to have a name and a look. Everyone who wants to be known has to have something interesting about them to get spectators interested in the fighter, so every boxer has a special name. Huerta’s is “El Matador,”A name that came from his mentor and trainer Dave Menne’s brother Pat Menne. Huerta was 20 years old at the time, a young adult from Texas living in Minnesota. Residents from Minnesota referred to him as “The Texas Kid,” but Menne started telling Huerta that he was the Matador. To Huerta, the name was sissy; it was a name that referred to men in tights and strange outfits. But when Huerta thought about the name and
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the meaning behind it, he felt a Matador was very methodical, focused, and at ease. “When I went to fight, I would hardly make any facial expressions and I would always go in there with instinct,” Huerta says. When training for an MMA match against another MMA fighter, Huerta is in full work mode at the gym and at home. Huerta trains six to eight hours a day, and it is not easy. It is a very physical sport, and you have to train in all aspects. “I train in boxing, muay thai, wrestling, jujitsu, and every other sort of things that are out there,” he says. “It’s a full time job,” Huerta says.
coach Justin Hagen. He uses a lot of repetitions in training, so that by the time a match comes around, he is well prepared. The repetitions become a part of him and help him in a match, which makes the fight less mental and more physical. “Everything is action and reaction,” Huerta says. While in a fight, the opponent may be hitting him, but Huerta is hitting the opponent back hence, the action and reaction. In the octagon, Huerta, the referee, and the opponent may be the only ones in the rink. But outside the octagon is the arena where thousands of fans have come to see the fight, there are cameras, fans, and flashing lights. This can be very distracting, but to Huerta it is only him and the
He has a set day plan in which he trains certain things on specific days. On Monday, he may train for boxing, so he does cardio in the morning, boxing in the afternoon, and weight training in the evening. On Tuesday, he may train in jujitsu. The next day, he would have a mixture of skills to do, such as cardio in the morning, spar in the afternoon and weight train in the evening. Although Huerta trains a lot, he doesn’t do it alone. He is now living in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and trains with his strength, jujitsu, and wrestling coach, Dave Menne. He also trains with his strength, conditioning, and preparation
opponent. “Your whole focus is on your opponent,” Huerta explains. “I don’t tend to see the crowd, everything is tunnel vision and at the end of the tunnel I am seeing him.” “I tell myself that I will be the best,” Huerta says. Before becoming an MMA fighter, Huerta was a wrestler and he started wrestling at Crockett High School in Austin, TX and continued to do so in college. But while in college, Huerta started practicing mixed martial arts and found that he really enjoyed it.
“Your whole focus is on your opponent. I don’t tend to see the crowd, everything is tunnel vision and at the end of the tunnel I am seeing him.”
“In the process [of training MMA], I fell in love with it,” Huerta explains. “I was very intrigued and wanted to pursue it and I did.” When making the switch from wrestler to boxer, it wasn’t too difficult for him. Huerta already had a few skills from wrestling but he spent more time on his striking for boxing. He had to balance all of the skills needed for boxing and not overwork just one thing, so he worked on all of the components of boxing to be the best he could. “From the beginning it was natural, and everything just came into place,” Huerta claims. After the great rush Huerta felt after standing in the octagon with a proud win in his hands. Exiting the octagon and walking back through that tunnel is a great feeling for Huerta. Hearing the fans scream his name is something that makes him proud of what he is doing. “You know things happen in life that you never know,” Huerta says.
Above: Huerta trains for a fight with Clay Guida
Anatomy of a Baseball What’s Inside the American Pastime
§ Twine
§ The Pill
§ Black Rubber § Red Rubber
§ The Cover
This comprises the largest portion of the baseball and is located directly beneath the leather cover. Depending on the brand of baseball, various other fibers can be interwoven with the twine.
This is the dense, cushioned center of the baseball. It’s made of cork and tightly surrounded by two layers of rubber,
This inner layer of hard rubber is directly wrapped around the core.
The cover of the baseball is made of cowhide leather and stitched together with exactly 108 stitches of raised, waxed red thread that provide a strong grip for players. -Lizzie B.
Fitness Photograph courtesy of the National Basball Hall of Fame and Museum
The less dense, softer outer layer of red rubber allows for more “bounce” and flexibility in the baseball.
Life
On the Field
by Lizzie B.
A mob of people crowds together under the hot Texas sun, pushing and shoving in hopes of gaining possession of the ball. The tension is high as the ball is kicked backwards, and the players immediately begin to run toward it. Several are knocked down, but that doesn’t stop the stampede. The ball is thrown to another player, and feet change direction to chase the new target. It may only be the beginning of the Austin Valkyries women’s rugby game, but the athletes are ready to win. Alison Earnhart, a Scitech teacher at LASA High School, is one of these athletes. But she’s not the only one. One of the
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fastest-growing sports in America, rugby has been played in the US since the early 1900s and among women since 1972. “It’s a very fun way to get exercise and meet people,” Earnhart says. Earnhart was a sophomore at Juniata College when she started looking for a way to get in shape that was more motivating than exercising alone. “I wanted to join some kind of a sport, because doing a sport is a lot easier than going out and working out on your own, and I wanted the aspect of a team,” she explains. After some searching, she found it. “A couple of my friends were already on the rugby team and they had been telling me how cool it was and they thought I’d be really good at it, so I started showing up to practices and just immediately fell in love with it.” When Earhart moved to Austin after college, she wanted to continue playing rugby with an adult league. “One of the first things I did [when I decided to move to Austin] was google ‘Austin women’s rugby’ and I found the website for the Valkyries,” she says. Soon after, she joined the team, a Division 1 league affiliated with USA Rugby. There are several different classifications of leagues under USA Rugby, Earnhart explains, and the teams can be made up of high schoolers, college students, or adult players. Division One contains the largest and most talented teams, while Divisions Two and Three are comprised of smaller, more recreational groups. Earnhart’s team is one of the best in the area, and it plays
Photograph by Steph Gajewski
with adult and college teams throughout the United States. “The teams are all selforganized and independent and all volunteer,” she says. “They can organize their own regional leagues and regional tournaments and games with the next town over. It’s all a very volunteer kind of thing.” Rugby, she explains, has a very strong do-it-yourself ethic. The sport mirrors American football in that involves an oval-shaped ball, tackling, and downs, but the two aren’t as similar as most people think. There are 15 people per team, Earnhart says, and they’re subdivided into what
more cautious than it otherwise would be. “Everyone on the field is a smarter player,” she says. That’s not to say that the sport is free of injuries, though. Earnhart has had a large share of them throughout her rugby-playing career. Her most serious injury was when she was tackled by three people at once and ended up fracturing her skull. “I have a titanium bolt in my head for a hearing aid that I wear, and it actually knocked the bolt loose and eventually out of my skull,” she says. During another game, she was kicked in the face by a
It’s all a very volunteer kind of thing.
Continued From Page 14 Some may argue that this isn’t a problem at all, that sports have always and will always be competitive. But did your grandparents spend hours each day practicing tennis or volleyball? No. They probably played baseball with the neighborhood kids after school, not worrying about winning or improving their technique. All they wanted to do was have fun. And that’s what we need to do to change youth sportsfocus on enjoyment. Kids under the age of 10 are too young to face the risks of physical and psychological damage that can result from excessive sports pressure. It’s time to start recognizing that. ////////////////////////////////////////////////
are traditionally titled forwards and backs. The forwards, who do most of the tackling, are the bigger and more defensive players, while the backs are smaller, more agile offensive players who run with the ball. In addition, because of rugby’s rules, the athletes must be very careful when tackling and maneuvering. “The only protective equipment you have [in rugby] is a mouth guard,” she explains. “If you tackle improperly, you can seriously injure people.” This means that the players must carefully plan their actions beforehand. “Statistically, rugby has way fewer injuries than American football,” Earhart says. The reason, she says, is that because there’s no safety gear for players, the team is much Illustration by Susana Pinales
steel rugby cleat. “The arch of the foot, where there are no cleats, was right above where my eyeball was, and I had perfectly circular purple bruises going up my head that lasted about two days,” Earnhart says. Despite occasional injuries, though, Earnhart loves the feeling of being alive that rugby gives her. “In rugby, I am forced to run as fast as I possibly can,” she explains. “I am forced to hit hard and be hit, all of these different experiences that I would never get otherwise. And I feel like my life is more full because of that.”
Writer Lizzie B. (thekabolios@gmail.com) also wrote On the Field.
/////////////////////////////////////////////// Email the author at thekabolios@gmail.com.
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The Man With a Plan by Mark R.
“Success is achieving goals, setting out to do something special and having an opportunity to achieve it and actually achieving it. I think that is what success is.” -Demosesneeds Odems
“I 22
Above: Jaguars storm onto the field; Right: Coach Odems coming out of the locker room, a determined look on his face.
call it the calm before the storm…”. The crowd is piling into Nelson Field for the LBJ vs. Crockett game on October 1, 2009. The air is still and everyone can sense something arising. A storm, not of the weather kind, but a storm of fury bottled up in the man walking towards the sideline to put on his headset. Demosesneeds Odems was ready for war. Demosesneeds Odems was raised in Austin, Texas. He went to LBJ high school, where he now coaches, and was a three year starter. He then went on to start three years at the University of Iowa. After college football, he went on to coach and play Arena Football. He has been the coach for two years now, if you count this year. He is a relatively young coach, but it doesn’t seem like it. Photographs by Becky Gdula
Life The coin toss is won, and the game is nearing its exposition. Daunte Price is back ready to receive the kick off from the Crockett kicker. The ball is kicked and the war had begun. “That was a humbling experience…” He is referring to being red-shirted in college when he attended Iowa. He meant that being sat down for a year after being an all star was odd, but it brought him back down to Earth. The coach must have been a heck of a player to be recruited to a major conference in college football. The game is tight and LBJ has a slim lead. Coach Odems is making hand signals to John Kavanaugh, the quarterback, that read “silver, 2-2”, which is a running play. “Started out as a position coach and junior varsity coach, so I had to learn a lot…” Coach Odems is a young head coach, but he has been doing some kind of coaching for twelve years before he was given his first head-coaching job. “We prepare the same, maybe a different game plan and a lot of times it is a different game plan, but we prepare the same as far as intensity…” The coach knows what he is doing, and the fact that he prepares the way he does shows this. He doesn’t let his players goof off if the team they are playing next isn’t a good one. He still knows that looking ahead could actually cause the team to lose that week. LBJ is a successful school when it comes to sports. The clock is winding down and the Jaguars are now trailing, but not by much. Coach Odems is in the game. He is calling plays like he has never called them before.
The offense is rolling and nothing can go wrong. Touchdown. LBJ is now ahead. “Being the coach you kind of have to control your emotions, so to speak, and you have to be focused on what’s happening.” Coach Odems can get pretty fiery when he is on the gridiron. It is good to see that he knows what he must do to keep
his team from getting constant “unsportsmanship like conduct” penalties. I have personally been on the sideline at the games and I’ve seen how easy it is to become angry at the referees or at a blown play. Coach Odems looks like he is about to blow his top. Crockett is driving. The ball goes up into the endzone. Interception. LBJ wins. Coach Odems is ecstatic.
Fitness
Baseball Uniforms Through The Ages By Caleb S.
A series of pictures showing how the uniform has changed through the years.
1868
The Cincinnati Red Stocking’s were the first team to wear knickers instead of pants. Knicker’s are pants that only go up to the knee, then the players would have socks covering the rest of the legs.
The Brooklyn Bridegrooms were the first team to wear a checkered pattern on their uniforms in the history of Major League Baseball.
The New York Giants were the first major league baseball team to use the collarless jersey, this type of jersey has been used ever since.
The St, Louis Cardinals, after the defeat of the New York Yankees in the world series, were the last team in MLB history to wear the word, “World Champions,” on their jersey’s.
1906
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1889
1927
1940
1951
The Springfield Cubs were the first team to wear to numbers on the front of their uniforms. This type of uniform caught on and is used by just about all of major league teams today. The Chicago Cubs were the first team to wear a uniform with no sleeves with a knitted long sleeve undershirt.
1987
1956
The Chicago White Sox were the first major league team to put the players names on to the back of their uniforms. This uniform has conitinued and is now used by every major league team.
Photographs by Marc Okkonen
The Atlanta Braves revived the Tomahawk under the team name that was once used by the team used it in 196 and the Phillies in 1969.
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Football: Thro The Schutt Ion 4D is a revolutionary new helmet that changes the way that we will think of helmets forever. This new helmet prevents concussions the way that old helmets have attempted to, but have never succeeded. This helmet absorbs shock through the gel padding inside which beats the air padding of the Riddell Revolution and the Revolution Speed. I personally think that the helmet looks cool, and is the best out ther in terms of look and performance. This helmet may still be young, but it seems to have a bright future. -Mark R.
Fitness
Photo courtesy of www.amuseum.org/jahf
1940-50 Football equipment started off humbly with just a leatherhead helmet and leather shoulder pads. This is when the National Football League was starting to induct better players such as Sid Luckman (above).
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Photo by Tony Tomsic
1950-70 Football took a turn around the time of Johnny Unitas (above). Players began to wear plastic helmets which provided some more protection against the many concussions that would occur. Shoulder pads also evolved into a plastic material to prevent shoulder injuries.
Border photographs courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
ough the Ages
Photo courtesy of midwayillustrated.com
1980-90 Equipment really improved at the time of Mike Singletary (above). The shoulder pads are bigger and provide more cushion to the blow. Helmets now have foam inside to also add cushion. You see more advanced gloves and elbow pads at this time.
Photo by Gary Bogdon
2003-Present As you can see D.J. Grant (above) is what football looks like nowadays. As you can see players in high school and college have a tendency to wear many bands around their arms and legs (not shown). Helmets and shoulder have advanced so far that it doesn’t seem like the companies (Ridell and Schutt) can go any further. But they do. And other equipment, such as forearm shivers, are also used.
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Health
How to... berid the knots in your muscles The foam roller can help develop balance, postural alignment, flexibility, strength, and rehabilitation for an injury. The foam roller stretches muscles, tendons, breaks down soft tissue and scar tissue. It works by using your own body weight and the foam roller by giving a self massage, break up of stress points, soothe your muscles, and increases blood flow and circulation to the soft tissues. -Emily S.
ITB Roll
Sit on the roller with your legs slightly in front of you. Place your weight on either your left or right side and roll across from your glutes to your knees.
Calf Roll
Support your weight on your hands and place your feet on the roller. DO NOT SIT ON THE FLOOR. Using your upper body, roll from your heel to your upper calf.
2 8
Thoracic Spine Mobility
Roll back and forth on the roll from the back of your shoulders down to your rib cage. This will help the mobility of your spine in each segment.
Quad Roll
Lay face down on your elbows then place the roller under your quads. Roll back and forth from your hips until your knees.
Photographs by Emily S.
Special Thanks to... Adrian Zamarron, who gave us tips on improving this magazine. Thank you for your advice
Lizzie.
You are Ms. Bossy. You have bossed all of us around like little dilinquents to get us to do work (mainly Caleb), but we still love how you have contributed your knowledge to get the work done.
Alison Earnhart.
Thank you for taking the time to let Lizzie interview you. Lizzie learned a lot from the experience.
Emily.
You have been the executive and co-director of this magazine and have put up with all of Caleb’s mistakes. We thank you for being helpful and having the best article design in the magazine (“The Warrior”).
Roger Huerta.
Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to let Emily interview you. Emily had a fun time working on your story.
Robert Spitz, who is a very
good person for giving Caleb the time to interview you and learn about concussions.
Demosesneeds Odems.
Thank you for giving Mark the time to interview you. The football season was good, and it was fun for Mark to be around while it was all happening.
The Liberator.
Thank you for giving us the swimming picture for our double page spread after 4 hours of searching for a photo to fill the double page spread, Emily was very happy when you found this photo thank you for that.
Photograph courtesy of Allproducts.com
Mark. You gave us the idea to do a sports magazine. and although no one wanted to write about sports in the beginning, we’ve finally completed a magazine we can be proud of. Thank you for your hard work. Caleb.
Unfortunately, no thanks to you.
Photographers.
Thank you for giving all of us permission to use your photos for our articles. They really made the magazine look more professional and interesting to read.
Artists.
Thank you to all the art students who gave us art for the opinion pieces. The different styles of art added variety to the magazine.
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Photograph by Pat Tomsho
LASA High School sophomore Justin Duck swims freestyle in a heat at the AISD Invitation Swim Meet in October 2009. The LASA boys’ swim team has placed 1st or 2nd among AISD schools for the past 10 years, and in 2008, it placed 2nd at state. -Lizzie B.
A Parting Shot