Tennis at Skyline: An inviting learning experience for all

about getting a better shot at their mark, or just asking each other how they were. Christian Bebing, who is majoring in communications and is in their second semester of archery, expressed how this class was a good stress reliever

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for him.

“Since this is my last class for the day, it helps me out with all the other stress I have to deal with in my other classes,” Bebing said. “It’s nice to shoot and teach other people how to do archery as well.”

The wind in the air and soft spoken words of fellow students really add a nice touch to the class. Whether to be competitive or just curious about the class itself, everyone seems to be willing to have anyone come and join. Geraldine Alfaro, whose major is undecided, joined the archery class in January along with almost 50 other people wanting to sign up for this class.

“I love the environment,” Alfaro said. “I always wanted to try it out.”

This class presents a go-at-yourown-pace kind of vibe, allowing students to destress, or if they’re feeling a bit more competitive, they can try for a high score. If you are thinking that this course sounds interesting to you but you do not own a bow and/or any arrows, worry not.

“We provide all the equipment,” Watters said. “There is no cost to the student. We are able to supply everything for them, plus the instruction.” few days prior.

Most sports require you to shoulder some kind of stress or responsibility, but it would seem that archery is the first sport here at Skyline that services the students’ needs. So if you're looking for some stress relief and want to take a fitness class that isn’t as demanding as other classes, maybe give archery a try. It might just make those stress filled classes a bit more bearable.

Later in the same game, Sixers guard James Harden was hit with a flagrant two for the weakest of all the instances. Harden was attempting to drive in on Royce O’Neale and seemed to push his arm toward his groin. It was a normal basketball play, but the referees deemed it worthy of an ejection.

By Alex Gonzalez Reporter

Looking for a class that’ll push you physically while also getting the opportunity to meet new people in a smaller setting?

Look no further than the Tennis classes served here at Skyline College. All skill levels are welcome.

This inviting and friendly environment created by the smaller setting makes it easier for both the students and the professor to really get to know each other and improve their tennis skills, according to Professor Christopher Watters.

“I really enjoy being able to see the amount of individual progress each student makes,” Watters said. “Also with the small group interactions I feel like you really get a chance to get to know your students because in an environment like this it makes for more comfortable small talk than say a classroom setting.”

First-year student Samuel Ambriz also added on to the inviting nature of this class.

“Everyone in general in this class is pretty kind, you can see people helping each other out,” Ambriz said. “People don’t really judge you if you’re a beginner, they’ll give you tips to help you improve.”

Though both fun and relatively stress-free, this class may come with challenges. Tennis isn’t as well-known of a sport for most, so mastering the proper techniques may take some time.

However, these challenges may not be as daunting as they seem and may even come out as a learning lesson for the better, as said by Skyline student Russel Cainglet.

“Times where you get paired up with people who have experience may be challenging, but it’s more of a learning experience,” Cainglet said. “You’re going to be learning more techniques from these people with more experience.”

Professor Christopher Watters also added on to how his inexperience presented as a challenge, but with time was more about learning.

“My past experience with tennis was recreational, and that impacted the way I taught the class,” Watters said. “I’ve been teaching this class for three semesters and I’ve learned that the way that I understand the game wasn’t as easily transferable to the students as I thought it would be, so I knew I needed to understand the technical side of tennis.”

Overall, tennis can be a great learning experience for beginners looking for a challenge. We may not have a competitive tennis team here at Skyline, but the opportunities through this class are endless.

By Zach Hernandez Reporter

The NBA refs have been wildly inconsistent in the 2023 playoffs.

One of the biggest storylines that has taken place in the postseason so far revolves around Warriors forward Draymond Green and Kings big man Domantas Sabonis.

Sabonis was on the ground following a defensive rebound from the Warriors. Green, trying to take off running for a fast break, was restricted to do so since Sabonis was latched onto his ankle. The four-time champion had to catch his balance, which led him to step on Sabonis and ultimately leap off of him.

With a little over seven minutes remaining in the fourth quarter of game two, Green was warranted a flagrant two, which automatically resulted in an ejection from the game. Sabonis, on the other hand, was only given a technical foul, which seems like a slap on the wrist considering he initiated the entire altercation

The following day, it was announced that Green would also be suspended from game three.

The inconsistency in this one instance alone is enough to prove how illogical the NBA referees can be.

A few days following that fiasco, Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers got into an altercation of his own that was worthy of a suspension, but the NBA didn’t issue him one.

Following a dunk by Brooklyn Nets’ center Nicolas Claxton,

Embiid hit the floor and Claxton stepped over him. As he was hovering over the 76ers’ star, Embiid blatantly and intentionally kicked him in the groin area.

Embiid was handed a flagrant one foul, which allowed him to remain in the game. This left NBA fans everywhere confused on the criteria for an ejection after watching Draymond get tossed for something much less deliberate a

When the Memphis Grizzlies took on the Los Angeles Lakers a couple days after that, NBA fans around the world saw yet another ejection take place.

Grizzlies player Dillon Brooks was guarding LeBron James as he was dribbling up court. James, trying to keep the ball away from Brooks, dribbled the ball behind his back. This baited Brooks to try and steal the ball. When attempting to swipe it, he connected with James’ groin area and was ultimately handed a flagrant two which ejected him from the rest of the contest.

All of these cases occurred in the first round of this years’ playoffs, and inconsistency would be an understatement to describe these fouls, ejections and suspensions.

The referees need to crack down their criteria for what warrants an ejection because right now, it seems like it’s all over the place.

This is playoff basketball, which means tensions are high and so is the intensity. Ejecting players for silly fouls makes the game less appealing to the viewers, and ultimately just makes no sense. NBA refs need to get consistent with their calls because they are now running the flow of games, and ruining great matchups that NBA fans want to see.