LANCERS IN THE NEWS Olivia Vinckier’s TEDx Goes Global

More than 1,200,000 people already have viewed Olivia Vinckier’s TEDxSaintFrancisHS talk in spring 2022 on how she approaches the issue of race as a multiracial individual. As a recent selection on the official TED platform, Olivia’s talk joins those of the world’s leading thinkers.

Now a junior and serving as the school’s TEDx director-in-training, Olivia is grateful to those who helped her craft her story and use her voice, something she insists anyone can do. She says how she framed her story helped her stand out. “Anyone can learn how to do anything like telling a good story,” she explains. “Everyone might not think their story is important, but it can touch people, who do appreciate when you’re vulnerable. It’s a great experience to feel that sense of relatability.”

Since 2018, the Saint Francis student-run TEDx program has given students a space to talk about what’s important in a setting wholly different from the classroom. Through these talks, students demonstrate that teens don’t have to reach adulthood to share reflections and impart wisdom. For the spring 2023 TEDxSaintFrancisHS event, Olivia is shadowing the current directors to assume co-leadership next year.

Girls Wrestling Finds Community

The Lancer girls wrestling team left its mark on the mat with its own dedicated coaching staff and new head coach Joey Bareng, who pepper foundational skills with wrestling-inspired life habits. “Seeing the girls’ growth each week motivates me,” says Coach Bareng, who spent nine years as the Menlo College women’s wrestling coach and earned two national championships. “One of the main things I’m instilling is setting expectations so they understand what it means to be a wrestling athlete at a high level.”

April Gao ’26 joined the team to try something new and mentally demanding. “Unlike other sports, wrestling is individual,” she says. “When you make a mistake on the mat, there’s no one to blame except yourself. How you react to your opponent is on you and nobody else.” Co-captain senior Graycie Duncan-Horning appreciates that the team developed its own sense of camaraderie “There’s more opportunity to build relationships with each other. I’ve gotten to know more people than I would have if we were a mixed team,” she says.

Recent Championships

Congratulations to the Lancer girls volleyball and soccer teams for their fantastic seasons. The soccer team defeated Carondelet High School to win the Northern California Division I regional title. It also captured its first Central Coast Section Open Division title, reversing heartbreaking losses the previous season when the Lancers lost the CCS Open Division final and regional championship game.

The volleyball team prevailed over Archbishop Mitty High School for the sixth time during their season in the fall to win the Northern California Open championship and earned a berth at the state tournament. Though the team eventually lost to No. 1 nationally ranked Cathedral Catholic-San Diego–the Lancers’ sole loss during an otherwise perfect season–it did not take anything away from their magical season. Go Lancers!

Lancer Rugby 101

As Saint Francis celebrates its newest athletic programs, girls and boys rugby, here’s a primer on what happens on the pitch.

Scrum - a process to resume play after a penalty

Ruck - the name for the competition over the ball after someone is tackled. Two players try to drive each other off the ball.

Gate - players, when rucking, must enter through the gate, which is created by the ball carrier’s body when they are tackled.

Lineout - when a ball goes out of bounds, a lineout is formed. The teams have to leave about a meter between them, and the ball must be thrown directly through the middle. This is where you see people being lifted.

Maul - like a scrum, except anyone can get in and drive it. This usually happens with a lineout, and is used to pull in the forwards on the defense to counter the drive.

Pods - the name for the predetermined grouping of forwards in a tactical formation, which is typically a trio in an arrowhead formation.

The 22 - refers to the 22-meter line, which is used when kicking. Forwards - these positions do most of the tackling and rucking in a game. Backs - they are the quick ones and make a back line.