Volume 9 Issue 2

Through the crosshairs

by Meredith kinnaman and christian rider

pg. 26

The Thin Line

by Skylar Burris and quinn knoblock

pg. 38

The Paly football team runs into their huddle to prepare for their game. The Vikings went on to win Senior Night 45-7 against The Homestead Mustangs.

Photo by Maddy Atwater

Chelsea Fan (‘18) spikes the ball a their annual dig pink match against Los Altos.

Photo by Jamie Cullen

Katie Hetterly (‘17) chases down the ball in a game against cross-town rival Gunn High School.

Photo by Ethan Strern

Editors-in-Chief Kylie Callan Alys Olmstead Managing Editors Maddy Atwater Sam Desre Meredith Kinnaman Design Editor Alys Olmstead Photo Editors Maddy Atwater Meredith Kinnaman Copy Editor Daniel Douty Columnist Daniel Douty Multimedia Editors Sam Desre Daniel Douty Business Manager Kylie Callan Staff Writers Skylar Burris Ryan Chang Ben Cleasby Jamie Cullen Quinn Knoblock Lauren Koyama Talia Malchin Steven Marinkovich Christian Rider Peter Snodgrass Ethan Stern Mara Zenger Staff Adviser Brian Wilson The Viking Palo Alto High School 50 Embarcadero Road Palo Alto, CA 94301 650-329-3837 Email contact: vikingeds@gmail.com Advertising and Sponsorship Contact: vikingads@gmail.com

From the editors Dear readers,

Hey Vikings!

As fall sports wind down and temperatures start to drop, we here at The Viking are gearing up for winter.

Congratulations to all you seniors who submitted early college applications, and good luck to those of you still applying. For the rest of you Paly students, keep up the good work! Regardless of what you have going on, make sure to take advantage of the cold, rainy days and curl up with a cup of cocoa and the latest issue of The Viking.

In our cover story this issue, Meredith Kinnaman (‘16) and Christian Rider (‘17) look at the controversial sport of hunting and Paly students’ experiences with it. Skylar Burris (‘17) and Quinn Knoblock (‘17) explore body image expectations in athletics and how this differs from sport to sport, as well as how it extends to culture in general.

For those of you confused about the college re-

cruitment process, Ben Cleasby (‘17) and Lauren Koyama (‘17) have created a comprehensive explanation of how it works. Talia Malchin (‘17) and Mara Zenger (‘17) asked student-athletes about what they have learned over the years in their piece about life lessons that can be learned by playing sports. With Thanksgiving coming up, make sure to check out Steven Marinkovich’s (‘17) guide to popular holiday foods and the health facts behind them. Finally, if you’re worried about the winter weather cramping your workout style, Koyama put together a guide to the many places to exercise indoors around Palo Alto.

Stay healthy and keep up the effort Paly, finals and second semester are just around the corner! We hope you enjoy our newest issue of The Viking.

Sincerely, Kylie and Alys

Staff view

About the lack of student in and out privileges at games I’m sure you have been to a Paly sporting event, attempted to leave for whatever reason and come back, but were stopped by Paly administration. Football and basketball are both notorious for their big fan sections, but also for their lack of accessibility to enter in and out of the game freely. As a staff, The Viking has agreed that this rule is a bit ridiculous and believes it should be changed. We believe students should be granted the freedom to leave a game and come back.

There are many reasons and situations that students should be granted this freedom. For the unnamed reasons students are forced to stay at a game or leave and not be able to come back, it is made evident that there is a large gap of mistrust of the students. As the young adults we are, students should not be automatically mistrusted. The actions of a single person should not automatically reveal the actions of an entire group of people.

Basketball games typically include a warmer temperature in the vicinity than other sporting events.

The Viking, a sports magazine published by the students in Palo Alto High School’s Advanced Magazine Journalism class, is an open forum for student expression and the discussion of issues of concern to its readership. The Viking is distributed to its readers and the student body at no cost. The staff welcomes letters to the editor, but reserves the right to edit all submissions for length, grammar, potential libel, invasion of privacy and obscenity.

When in the student-section of the stands, student spectators also tend to get overheated. For this reason, many students want to step outside at breaks in the game in order to grab some air. With the current policy in place, students do not have the ability to do this. If no policy change is going to be made, The Viking believes an enclosed section outside of the gym should be created for students who do wish to get some fresh air.

While Paly administration may not agree with the views of the students, The Viking agrees that there should be in and out privileges of sporting events. We believe it would increase student attendance at these games as well as instill an idea of trust and respect among the student body. Therefore, The Viking wishes for more trust and believes it should start with the accessibility to leave and enter a game at the student’s discretion, as long as their entry has already been payed for.

Advertising in The Viking The staff publishes advertisements with signed contracts providing they are not deemed by the staff inappropriate for the magazine’s audience. For more information about advertising with The Viking, please contact the The Viking by email at vikingeds@gmail.com Printing Services 2,500 copies of The Viking are printed, six times a year by Folger Graphics in Hayward, Calif.

Volume 9 Issue 2 November 2015

LINE UP TOP STORIES 26

FOCUS Sophia Armitano (‘16) nar-

rows in on her target. Armitano has been shooting since she was young.

THROUGH THE CROSSHAIRS

A look at the growing controversies of hunting as the sport grows in popularity, as well as the steps hunters take to remain ethical and respectful of nature.

by MEREDITH KINNAMAN and CHRISTIAN RIDER

38

THE THIN LINE

The Viking investigates the difference between extreme dieting and eating disorders and how it ties into body image issues in the general population.

by SKYLAR BURRIS and QUINN KNOBLOCK

24

CURLING IRON

Explore how strength training can be especially beneficial for female athletes looking to avoid injury.

by MADDY ATWATER and ETHAN STERN

31

LIFE LESSONS LEARNED THROUGH SPORTS

How playing sports has influenced the lives of athletes.

by TALIA MALCHIN and MARA ZENGER

photo courtesy of Sophia Armitano (‘16)

ZOOM

2 4 6

Family Boom Chase

KICKOFF

Staff view Inside the mind of Kevin Bowers

Pop culture grid 10 questions

8 10 11 12

with Cassandra Fong (‘17)

Spirit week recap

14

THE VIKING TRIES Cyclo Cross

36

COLUMNS

Peter the Sports Reader 13 The Great Debate 20 The Last Word 47

16 TROTTING OFF THE TURKEY

A look at the traditional Thanksgiving meal and how to work it off.

by STEVEN MARINKOVICH

18

GET FIRED UP TO TAILGATE

The tips and tricks for master tailgating.

by JAMIE CULLEN and CHRISTIAN RIDER

22 WHERE DO YOU

EVEN LIFT, BRO?

A guide to the many places to work out in Palo Alto.

by LAUREN KOYAMA

34

BEHIND THE CLIPBOARD

What 5 students have learned from coaching.

by KYLIE CALLAN

44

RECRUITED

A guide to the college recruitment process.

by BEN CLEASBY and LAUREN KOYAMA

Inside the mind of Kevin Bowers Inside the mind of

as told to Ryan Chang and Jamie Cullen

On Water Polo

“We’ve handled not having a pool really well. We’ve been all over the place.

Rengstorf, various middle schools, across the school district and we just made it work. It has been awesome having the opportunity to travel with the team. People have been saying not having a pool is negative, but I think it’s team bonding.

We have a winning record so that means we’re doing well. It’s definitely been a memorable senior year.”

Thoughts on college apps “It’s definitely a stressful experience for everyone. Having sports and college apps at the same time is definitely not fun.

I’m only applying to five schools and some people are applying to a lot more. So I’m lucky that’s the case, but it’s still a very stressful time for everyone.”

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photo courtesy of Kevin Bowers

On Recruting

“I’ve been in contact with some coaches. A few phone calls and a few emails, nothing really that huge.

There’s going to be somewhere to go no matter what. I think that’s the most important thing that everyone should know that is always going to be somewhere to be. No matter your skill level there are always intramural clubs sports. There’s always somewhere for everyone and I think that’s important that we all realize that.”

Thoughts on the new athletic director “I don’t know her that well, but she seems pretty cool.”

P Culture Grid

The op W H AT D O PA LYJesus Ochoa (‘16) AT H L E T E S S AY ?

Football

Dr. Dre or Snoop Dogg?

Snoop Dogg

Jared Stanley (‘17) Water Polo

Snoop Dogg

Halle Biorn(‘16) Tennis

Katie Passarello (‘17) Volleyball

Tak Nishi (‘16) Football

No Preference

Dr. Dre

Celine Dion

It’s a tradition

Stupid

Weak

Thoughts on Egg Wars?

What’s egg wars?

NBA Champs will be the...?

Thunder

76ers

Warriors!

Warriors

49ers

Table Tennis or regular Tennis?

Table Tennis

Table Tennis

Definentely regular tennis

Table

Soccer

Spirit Week was...

Enthusiastic

Spirited

Amazing

L17

Yes

HOT Fall Playoffs

With the regular seasons for fall sports starting to wind down, things are starting to heat up in anticipation of the fall playoffs.

The Paly football team improved over last year and clinched a playoff berth with their win over the Homestead Mustangs.

Sports such as volleyball and water polo have made playoffs as well, which should lead to an exciting fall playoff season for the Vikings.

5 Locations

Kansas City Royals The Royals dominated the MLB all year long, and finished the regular season with the best record in the American League. The Royals capped off their amazing season by beating the New York Mets in 5 games to win the World Series.

Colin Kaepernick

The 49ers are a shell of themselves compared to recent years. What seems to be the biggest downfall of the team is the regression of Colin Kaepernick. We have seen Kaepernick go from the phenom that lead the Niners to a Super Bowl to an expensive bench warmer for Blaine Gabbert. Kaepernick’s benching marks the official rebuilding process of what was a short lived 49ers renaissance.

The Weather

Summer is long gone, and winter has hit Bay Area residents like a truck. It’s finally starting to rain, which is good for the water supply but bad for our comfort and warmth. With temperatures dropping, the weather is definitely not hot.

N OT NOVEMBER 2015

Q uestions 10 with

Cassandra Fong (‘17) as told to Ryan Chang

The Viking asked Paly volleyball player Cassandra Fong (‘17) 10 questions about herself and then compared her responses to that of her coach someone, friend Mason Wittman (‘17) and teammate Gabrielle Bains (‘16). Read on to discover who knows Cassie best!

Cassandra Fong (‘17) Varsity Volleyball player

Questions

Jekara Wilson Coach

Mason Wittman (‘17) Friend

Gabrielle Bains (‘16) Teammate

Listening to music

Favorite Hobby?

Volleyball

Listening to music

Eating

Foug

Favorite Teacher?

No Idea

Gallagher

Foug

That’s So Raven

Favorite TV Show?

Pretty Little Liars

Mo Money Mo Problems

Favorite pump-up song?

Sail

Mo Money Mo Problems

Anything Fetty Wap

Karl Malone

Favorite Athlete?

Kerri Walsh

Stephen Curry

Stephen Curry

Catalina Island

Favorite Vacation Spot?

Fiji

Islands

Her Bed

Team Bonding

Favorite Thing About Volleyball?

Setting

Team Bonding

Teammates

Any light-skinned athlete

Celebrity Crush?

Channing Tatum

Channing Tatum

Chocolate Chip gatorade bar

Favorite Pregame Snack?

Chipotle

Chips

People who dont say please and thank you

Biggest Pet Peeve?

Annoying People

Singing Out Loud

0%

40%

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The Office

That’s So Raven

Any Light Skinned Energy Candies People Who Don’t Match

40%

Peter the Sports Reader

Y

es, it is I, Peter the Reader.

After a three-year-long hiatus, I have risen from the ashes of being an avid reader and weekly segment host. For those of you who do not know me, I began my book reviewing career at Jordan Middle School on Jordan Television (JTV), Jordan’s equivalent to InFocus. In my journey, I have visited the peak of Mount Olympus as well as the depths of the Hades’ Lair, and now I have turned to sports reading. Thus, the new name, Peter the Sports Reader, has begun and I plan to release a book review every issue.

This chapter, I will be reviewing a new nonfiction book, The Boys in the Boat,

by Daniel James Brown. This outstanding novel depicts the journey of the University of Washington’s rowing team’s victory in the 1936 Olympics. The team of nine young men was a distinctive and squirrely group, yet rose above their differences to win gold.

The focus of the story is Joe Rantz, a Washingtonian who was abandoned by his father as a boy. Brown’s description of Rantz’s inspirational story shows the character of the book as a whole. He recalls how Rantz fought off poverty, made his way onto the rowing team (which was dominated by privileged kids), and achieved a gold medal through perseverance.

by PETER SNODGRASS

While Rantz was a focal point of the novel, Brown goes into immense depth of the lives of all the rowers and coaches to complete the story. These intricate details provide a strong backbone in the story, allowing the reader to create their own informed perspective of the novel.

One of my personal favorite stories in The Boys in the Boat is when the novel overlaps with the story of Louis Zamperini. Zamperini, who is the protagonist in the acclaimed novel and movie Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand, was described as the only Olympic athlete-

Peter the Sports Reader’s Credentials

who ate more than the rowers.

The significance of this team’s journey goes beyond it winning the 1936 Olympics. The fact the team was able to make it to the Olympics was extraordinary. It defied the odds by beating California, who was its rival, and by beating the privileged East coast schools such as Cornell, Yale and Harvard. Once the team won its bid to the Olympics, the United States was unable to fund its journey to Berlin. Eventually they overcame this financial crisis, went to Berlin and won the gold medal. Not only did they win the most prestigious rowing award, but they defeated the hosting country Germany in a time of great duress between the two countries. With a true Hollywood ending, the book will give shivers to all patriotic Americans.

Brown builds upon each detail to create interest in the book. While it may not be the new episode of Keeping Up with the Kardashians, Brown maintains a contrast of immense detail with a juicy plot to constantly keep the reader engaged. He takes the normally uninteresting topic of rowing and transforms it as if one was learning about the “Most Interesting Man in the World”. For a regular reader this book will probably take anywhere from one week to one month, depending on how interested you are in the book.

The Boys in the Boat earns my stamp of approval.

Once read 1000 pages in one day Former book critic on JTV 6 time winner of the Summer Reading Program at Walter Hays Barnes and Noble Weekly Newsletter Recipient

Spirit Week Recap That time of the year rolled around when everyone brings out their school spirit for everyone’s favorite Paly tradition: Spirit Week! Every grade came out to support their class and as always, it was a blast. Missed what happened? Want to relive the week? Check out this recap!

by DANIEL DOUTY photos taken by Cooper Lou

Day One: The sophomores made a statement on day one by winning two lunch events and finishing in first place overall. The juniors came to play as well, as they finished second overall, second in cheers, and won best dressed. The seniors did not perform well in the events, but they brought their spirit by winning cheers. The freshman felt the learning curve, as they ended day one in last place. In other news, the year’s first streaker struck at the very end of the rally.

Day Two: The seniors seriously turned things around

on the second day of festivities, sweeping all events and claiming first place. They went all out for toga day by building an ancient Greek style litter to hoist up the class’ best dressed. The sophomores maintained their lead over the juniors by defeating them in the tug-of-war.

Day Three: The seniors broke open the spirit week race on day three, once again sweeping all competitions, including the ever-important relay race.

Day three had an added bonus, as the very first night rally was held, hopefully beginning a new spirit week tradition. The seniors were able to win both events at the night rally, which were a hamster ball race and a sock throwing fest called “Clean Your Room.” The sophomores made up for a rough lunch rally by finishing second in both, however they trailed the juniors by just 10 points three days into the week. The freshman kept their spot in the basement, but they showed much improvement in the cheering department. But wait! We had our second streaker of the week! An anonymous nude goon dashed across the football field before hurdling a fence and vanishing into the night.

Day Four: Not a huge amount of activity on day four. The seniors once

again took home best dressed- shoutout to Katie Douty and her fantastic old woman apparel. The sophomores were able to carry their momentum from the night rally over to the the next day, as they reclaimed second place and established a 390-point lead. The freshman weren’t able to gain any ground and stayed put in last.

Day Five: More of the same for the seniors during the Friday lunch

rally, as they made a final push to cushion their lead before the main event- the after school rally. The freshmen didn’t go down without a fight, placing second in best dressed and first in pumpkin carving. Every class impressed with both their floats and dances. The seniors’ space-themed float featuring a spacecraft and a UFO abducting the other grades earned the top prize, followed by the juniors, freshmen and sophomores. The dances were scored sequentially by grade, and the seniors and sophomores each had tons of students in their respective dances.

Final Recap: In the end it wasn’t all that close,

as the seniors rightfully took home first place by a healthy margin of 5,160 points. The rest of the grades followed under the seniors from oldest to youngest. The seniors showed all week that they really had the most spirit by placing first in cheers in every rally and being the best dressed nearly every day. The juniors and sophomores duked it out all week, but experience eventually won second place for the juniors. Kudos to the freshmen class, as they showed a lot of improvement over the course of the week. It looks like they could be a force to be reckoned with in years to come.

Trotting Off On Thanksgiving Day, the average American will consume...

450 calories: The meat of the meal may not seem that bad, but nobody eats only one serving.

400 calories: Everybody knows they’re setting themselves up with the stuffing. These may be the best spent calories of the meal.

320 calories: Everybody loves their pie, but is it worth the 320 calories for only one slice?

300 calories: Mashed potatoes aren’t as bad as the rest, but can still cost you a decent amount.

Facts from grandparents.com

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These four items aren’t your entire meal and we all know that nobody eats just one serving of Thanksgving dinner.

The entire night will cost you

4,500

calories

the Turkey

by STEVEN MARINKOVICH

To burn off those 4,500 calories you need to...

Play football for

6 hours and

41 minutes

Play basketball for

7 hours and

27 minutes

Play water polo for

Play soccer for

5 hours and

6 hours and

58 minutes

58 minutes Facts from healthassist.net

NOVEMBER 2015

F I R E D UP TO T A I L G AT E GET

by JAMIE CULLEN and CHRISTIAN RIDER

There are many strategies and maneuvers when entering the spirited environment that is the tailgate community. Here we explore some of the more popular ways to have your time before the game be a success.

“That looks delicious!”

Walking around the smoke and fandom-filled parking lot can be overwhelming... especially if you’re starving. No guarentees, but I can pretty safely say if you go up to any proud grill master and say “that looks delicious” some grub might be in your future.

B.Y.O.F. You’re checking out the scene trying to find a cool hang out spot, no better way to start a conversation than with the classic “go long!”. Bring your own football (BYOF) and use it as a way into the party.

Plus, it never hurts to have a way to burn calories after you chow down.

Prep, prep, prep The key to a good tailgate is planning. You drive all the way to the stadium, cook twenty burgers, and forget the ketchup? I don’t think so. Make a list, check it twice, and be on time. A common mistake is starting too late and missing kick-off. Remember what you’re there for, make it worth while.

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Designated Fan Almost everyone over 21 at a tailgate is loaded on alcohol, be ready to interact with the countless drunk fans who shout. Also many of them are in a state of inebriation so be ready to dodge and step over all the drunk fans. Stay above the influnce

Games before the game To get hyped up for the game, participate in various pre-game tailgate activities, such as cornhole, frisbee, ladderball, and Kan Jam. These games are great for a little competiton before the real game begins.

Trash talk Tailgates are a battleground. Both teams are in close vicinity so a fight is bound to break out. Best to just stay out of it and just watch. Enjoy the action but do not get involved. Let the fans settle their differences and show their team pride.

Keep track In the midsts of the tailgate action, it is easy for you to lose your possessions. Bring a bag to keep all of your stuff together and on your back. NEVER leave you bag unattented, or some rival fan might snatch it up.

NOVEMBER 2015

THE GREAT DEBATE:

The Great Debate is back for round two. Four of our staff members have decided to take a side on a controversial sports topic in today’s media and explain to you what they think about the issue.

NO.

We believe that aging athletes should not feel obligated to take a paycut because players deserve the money they earned earlier in their career, and teams should not be the only ones profiting on these players’ past success.

R

by BEN CLEASBY and PETER SNODGRASS ecently, many players have begun taking pay cuts, mostly to make room for younger players who give teams a greater chance to win a championship. While the argument for pay cuts is somewhat valid, is it fair for a player to not get paid for their accomplishments in the past?

Marketability

Due to past play, some players marketability is worth millions. An example of this is Kobe Bryant. Although he is a five-time NBA champion, recently Bryant has not been the force that he used to be. However, his name alone is worth a fortune and earns his franchise millions of dollars on and off the court. Last year he only played in 36 of the 82 regular season games, but his jersey sales did not falter and he still ranked third in jersey sales in the league. Who cares if he isn’t as good as he used to be, who wouldn’t

want to see Bryant in action? He is a legend who is soon to retire and never play again.

Therefore, doesn’t Bryant deserve to be overpaid for his success? Also, if his team is profiting from his namesake, he should receive compensation from it.

Motivation

Having older players that have established themselves as NBA stars that get paid substantial amounts serves as a motivational task for future talent. If young athletes see players who have reached the ultimate goal of still getting paid while not playing the best, younger players will do everything possible to help solidify their financial future. Not only does this increase the competition in the league, but as fans, it makes our experience more enjoyable because these young players are competing for their livelihood.

Bankruptcy

Most importantly, many players fall into a life of economic insecurity after their sports careers. Sports Illustrated studied this notion, finding that 78 percent of NFL players and 60 percent of NBA players face bankruptcy or serious financial stress within just two years of leaving the game. The extra push of financial gain towards the end of a player’s career can help this player as they begin a new life after sports, especially since the career span of an athlete is so much smaller than that of normal careers. It begs the question, why not take the money to ensure financial security later in life?

Money

KOBE! Bryant is the highest paid basketball player in the league.

Meanwhile he continues to rake in merchandise sales.

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Similarly, if teams are willing to pay players a lucrative amount of money, why not take it? Take Lebron James, for example. When he came back from the Miami Heat, he signed a two-year, $42.1 million deal. In this deal, however, he can opt out every year to join

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BANKRUPT Allen Iverson is one of the many professional athletes who have declared bankruptcy after retirig from a succesful career. free agency. So far, each year he has opted out, and then resigned with the Cavs at the maximum possible contract. According to Business Insider, this move will net James more than $30 million through 2017. For James, who is trying to bring a championship back to Cleveland, he is taking up critical cap space for key role players. This hypocrisy shows that even those who want a championship most are unwilling to take a paycut to ensure their financial future.

Should Aging Superstars Take a Pay cut?

YES.

For several reasons, we believe that it is not only in the team’s best interest, but the players’ as well, for those aging athletes being paid well over their due and stop being greedy. We have gathered a few prime examples of this for your reading pleasure.

A

by DANIEL DOUTY and ETHAN STERN round the league aging veterans are making insane amounts of money on struggling teams. Some of these guys have made hundreds of millions of dollars over the course of their careers and are set for life. The problem is affecting teams in all leagues, especially the NBA, a league that has a strictly set salary cap.

The issue:

There are a lot of aging superstar athletes who are past their primes, but still occupying massive amounts of their respective teams’ salary caps. These are generally players who have already made tons of money in their careers and would be fine if they didn’t make another dollar in their life.

By taking these immense contracts, the players are not only hurting their teams, they are hurting themselves. The goal of any professional athlete is to win a championship, however, when one player is taking up over $20 million they are seriously debilitating the chances of the front office acquiring a championship caliber team. Here’s why we think more athletes should be open to taking pay cuts.

Candidates:

There are two NBA players specifically who could benefit greatly from taking a pay cut. Number one is the New York Knicks’ Carmelo Anthony. Right now the Knicks are one of the worst teams in the league, and while Anthony is still one of the

most prolific scorers out there, he has little support around him and his time to earn his first Larry O’Brien Trophy is dwindling.

Currently Anthony is raking in just short of $23 million, leaving only $47 million to distribute amongst the other 14 players on the roster. It’s no wonder the Knicks don’t have another star to push the team’s title chances. 12 years into his career, it seems like Melo will never reach the top.

Our second candidate is the Black Mamba, Kobe Bryant. Kobe, earning $25 million this year, was asked about his openness to taking a pay cut this past offseason.

He laughed at the idea. Subsequently, his Lakers were unable to make a splash in free agency this year, and it doesn’t help that Kobe is not the most desirable teammate according to many players in the league. Not-so-coincidentally, his Lakers took home three consecutive trophies from 2000-2002, when his salary was less than half of what it is today. Likely in his last season, there is no chance that Kobe will win that elusive sixth ring with L.A. The worst part about Kobe’s reluctance is that he is worth over a quarter billion dollars and will continue making money off his name and brand for the rest of his life.

Does it work though?

The simple answer is yes, it does.

Plus, how could it possibly hurt? Guys like Kobe Bryant just don’t go broke.

Leaders in Sync Leaders of the Big Three in Miami, James and Wade, strategize mid-game.

The method has been pulled off before.

Remember the Big Three in South Beach?

First, Dwyane Wade took a pay cut to make room for the offseason. Then Lebron James and Chris Bosh, a real live dinosaur, each took much less money than they would have garnered elsewhere in order to form a juggernaut in Miami. Even center Udonis Haslem took a four million dollar pay cut.

When others saw how good this team was going to be, more signed with the Heat to tag along for the inevitable championships to come. Vets Mike Bibby and Ray Allen each accepted frugal contracts to hop on the bandwagon on the road to greatness.

That Miami team went on to reach four consecutive finals, winning two. The Big Three over in San Antonio has also hung a few banners thanks to its core accepting modest contracts in order to stay together.

That cap room helped them sign Lamarcus Aldridge this offseason, while David West took the veteran minimum salary to join the club. They should be competing for years to come.

NOVEMBER 2015

Where do you e

by LAUREN KOYAMA

EQUINOX Equinox is the most luxurious gym in Palo Alto, providing a spa, workout classes, personal trainers, and a rooftop pool in addition to the traditional weight room.

Customers are offered different levels of personal trainers based on the Equinox Tier 4 system, which matches trainers depending on the customer’s desired workout intensity. This lush gym has a variety of classes, including martial arts, pilates, dance, cycling, and yoga sessions. After your workout, you are welcome to relax at the spa, which offers massages, facials, and many beauty services. In the lobby, there are food options and a store for athletic wear. The only downside of Equinox is the steep price point, at $175 per month. For an average student this gym is too pricy, but if willing to spend the money, Equinox is the most extravagant gym in this area.

FORM FITNESS Form Fitness is a small, two-story building off of University Avenue, which has a traditional weight room downstairs, and an area for class sessions upstairs. Personal trainers are available for all ages, or customers can work out at their own pace. Many classes are run everyday, consisting of cycling, zumba, martial arts, kickboxing, and traditional cardio exercises. Form Fitness even has their own line of clothing that they sell in the lobby area of their facility. One down side of Form Fitness is that there are no pools or courts for other sport related types of activities.

At $139 per month, Form Fitness is the second highest costing gym in Palo Alto, and not realistic for many Paly students.

JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER The Jewish Community Center (JCC) has many fitness facilities that are offered to their members. With a gym membership, you are provided access to the weight room, indoor and outdoor pool, and fitness classes. With an additional charge, members can make appointments for massages and sign up for classes, like pilates.

At both pools, customers can sign up for swim classes, swimming lessons, and can rent them for pool parties. At this community center, many of the extras other than the cardio and weight equipment cost extra, in addition to the $60 per month.

Aside from high price point, the community center is affiliated with religion, which could make some uncomfortable.

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u even lift, bro?

YMCA The Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) is a great family gym including a weight room, pools, and a court. The weight room has both cardio and weight machines, and an small area for exercises or stretches that do not require any equipment. The basketball court is used for a variety of sport’s open gyms, adult sport leagues, rock climbing, and dance classes. There are two pools at the YMCA, one for lap swimming and the other for recreational swimming. The YMCA is a community center that is welcoming to all ages, and has a discount family membership price.

They also have a student discount, which makes membership only $15 per month.

Located on Ross Road and with a cheaper price point, the YMCA is the most practical choice for many students living in this area.

PALY WEIGHT ROOM The Paly weight room is where students can come to lift after school everyday. It is in the new Physical Education building, managed by Scott Reese for two hours after school, Monday through Thursday. Inside, there are many lifting machines and hand-held weights that are available. Students are welcome to hook up their phone and play music on the speaker, as long as the lyrics are not very explicit. After school many Paly athletes are training, so you are bound to run into at least one of your Paly peers. This could either be a positive or negative, depending on if you want to workout in front of your classmates. The weight room is very convenient for Paly students, because it is on campus and free.

24 HOUR FITNESS

24 Hour Fitness is a large chain gym facility that is located on California Street in Mountain View. It offers cardio and weight equipment, an indoor lap pool, sauna and steam room, a basketball court, along with providing different exercise classes.

While using the facilities, parents or guardians have the option to put their kids in the gym’s “Kids’ Club”. Individuals or duos can sign up for their own personal trainers, and make sessions with them accordingly. The option of fitness classes are also provided, such as zumba, strengthening, cycling, yoga, and even aqua routines.

24 Hour Fitness has an initial fee of $150, in addition to $50 per month. This gym provides a variety of fitness options, and is cheaper for students overall.

NOVEMBER 2015

Curling

IRON

by MADDY ATWATER and ETHAN STERN

M

any high school male athletes lift weights and work out on a very consistent basis for sports training, getting stronger, or even building muscle. You can walk into pretty much any high school weight room and see a male student working out, but you typically will not find a girl in the area. With female athletes at higher risk of serious injury and given the amount of female participation in high school athletics, shouldn’t more girls be in a weight room?

According to Doctor Steven Horowitz and a recent study around anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries, girls are six times more likely than boys to suffer a serious ACL injury.

This is partially due to the fact that women’s limbs are shorter and smaller in relation to their body height. With such an epidemic, how can female athletes avoid tearing their ACL? Strength training is an important part of any athletic career, but for a female, it can help prevent a serious injury like an ACL tear.

An instant reaction for many high school female athletes is the opposition to “bulking” up. Well, lifting and strength training are not terms used interchangeably, but rather two different forms of exercise comprised of the same types of activities. Lifting to get bigger is essentially all about size. This means people partaking in “lifting”, are doing so in order to build muscle rather than to develop functional strength, according to FitDay. Strength training encompasses the other end of the “workout” spectrum. In this, the athlete is improving the strength and function of their muscles by gradually increasing the ability to resist force. To be put into basic terms, strength training involves lifting

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Strength training is an important part of any athlete’s workout regiment, yet many athletes still do not do it. Well, if it could prevent a serious injury like an ACL tear, would you? Read more to find out why athletes, especially female ones, should begin a strength training program.

weights, and using other resistance methods, to improve athletic performance and reduce the risk of injury, according to the Iowa High School Athletic Association. Also, because girls have lower testosterone levels than males, girls will not develop large, bulky muscles as a

room at school or through an outside place.

The girls’ swimming and basketball teams can be found a few times a week in the weight room working on increasing muscle strength to benefit it in season. Sara Aguilar (‘17), a varsity wrestler at Paly, also can be often found in a weight room. By lifting to stay conditioned and gain overall strength, Aguilar is able to participate at a higher level of competition while also helping herself avoid serious injury.

“I feel like female athletes should look into strength training because there are many

“Girls are six times more likely than boys to suffer a serious ACL injury.”

- Dr. Steven Horowitz result of a strength training program.

Here at Palo Alto High School, many different female athletes have begun strength training programs, whether it be in the weight

GAINZ Basketball player Courtney Lovely (‘16) gets her off-season grind on, helping her stay injury free throughout the season.

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AN ATHLETE’S NIGHTMARE This is an in depth diagram of what actually happens during an ACL tear.

OUCH!

benefits. Lifting not only builds stronger muscles, but it increases joint stability and builds stronger connective tissues which helps prevent injury in the longrun,” Aguilar said.

“Strength training also boosts your metabolism and your confidence.”

According to doctors Aisha Dharamsi and Cynthia Labella, adolescent girls who participate in competitive or recreational sports are at higher risk for ACL injuries than adolescent boys, but through neuromuscular training and knowledgeable coaching some of these injuries may be preventable. An ACL injury is very serious and creates both short term and long term problems, especially for younger athletes. Typically a tear to this ligament requires surgery with a recovery span of six to nine months for rehabilitation of the knee, but recovery sometimes takes even longer. Doctors Dharamsi and LaBella also stated that a study of high school athletes found that compared with boys in similar sports, girls were more likely to have surgery and less likely to return to sports after an ACL injury.

The girl’s basketball team at Paly has experienced three ACL tears and one posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) tear in the past four years. Starting in the 2015-2016 season, the team has begun a strength training program twice a week after school with coach Danny Dye. “Our team hasn’t done weight lifting since I was a freshman and I think it’s great that we have started it back up this year,” Courtney Lovely (‘16) said. “I can’t wait to see it pay off this season.”

It has been stated that these female athletes are indeed more prone to serious knee injuries, especially ACL tears, but here is the reason why. During female puberty, as the height and weight along with a changing center of mass, activities such as cutting, pivoting and landing much more difficult to control.

In male puberty, the body undergoes a large testosterone surge which creates increases in muscle mass and strength, then allowing them to better control their center of mass in athletic manuevers, according to doctors Dha-

ramsi and LaBella. They also suggest that girls have less neuromuscular control of their knee movements, which could lead to the higher ACL injury rate in noncontact events.

“Girls need to be fit for their sport just as much as guys do,” Lovely said.

Overall, strength training reaps nothing but positive benefits for athletes, especially female ones. Endurance and general fitness level will greatly improve through proper strength training programs and activities. As far as injury, strength training programs help protect ligaments, tendons and bones according to Wright Training.

More recently, the American Journal of Sports Medicine released a study that suggests that the ACL injury rate for female athletescan be significantly decreased if the athlete follows a specific exercuse program.With such a great risk of female athletes seriously injuring their knee, strength training needs to be a more prominent option for high school athletes. Whether it be offering something at school or through sport, or even just informing athletes of the benefits of a program and risk of injury, the word needs to be spread.

I just want to encourage all the female athletes or those that are not playing sports, just to give strength training a shot,” Aguilar said.

“It is worth it.” <<<

ACL Tears: 70%

of ACL injuries involve little or no contact with another player

150k

Acl tears occur every year in the United states

6-12

months is the average recovery time for an ACL tear NOVEMBER 2015

Through the Crosshairs

by MEREDITH KINNAMAN and CHRISTIAN RIDER

We take a look into the controversies of hunting as it

grows as a sport.

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ou grip the trigger of your gun tight, but just loose enough so you don’t fire it. You narrow your eyes in through the crosshairs of your weapon. Your breath is the only thing that can be heard around you.

Suddenly you hear movement in the trees where you have stationed yourself. The animal you have been tracking for hours now, is finally active. In an instant you find it through your crosshairs. Pop! Pop! You have a kill.

For those who hunt, it is just like any other sport requiring practice and ending in competition or a kill.

Hunting requires discipline, precision, accuracy, stamina, and a good eye. All of these traits are traditionally paired with athletic activities and qualities needed to be on a sports team. Although, unlike most traditional sports, hunting results in death as a measure of winning opposed to points on a scoreboard.

Hunting dates back to the hunter-gatherer period in history, but has changed since then into a way of life for those who partake in it. For most people, hunting is a way to control the population and remove threats that might endanger HUNTED Sophia Armitano (‘16) kneel’s next to an impala that she shot on the environment rather than help it her African Safari. grow.

Recreational hunting, by some, is considwhere people hunt for lions, it’s considered then with a high caliber gun. In a New York ered immoral, wasteful, and cruel. According beneficial to the ecosystems by the governTimes article released about the killing of to the South Dakota Department of Game, ment because then you will have the funding Cecil, journalists wrote how “trophy hunting” Fish and Parks, “3 million wounded ducks to actually put in place regulations to stop the for a sport has sparked debate about the true go ‘unretrieved’ every year”. Some believe poaching of animals.” motives of these hunters who travel to other that hunting can may be the reason behind Many believe that hunting is apart of the countries just to hunt animals. the extinction of different animals or cause American culture, while Jamison contradicts Hunting is protected by the constitution certain species to evacuate their habitat due to this by the negative impacts hunting has had through the second amendment. The second hunting threats. on our food manufacturing practices. amendment states that the people have the Chris Jamison (‘16) feels that hunting has “I believe that hunting on an individual lev- right to “keep and bear arms, and shall not destroyed resources and used up valuable el is a cultural norm of the American society be infringed.” A hunter’s rifle or bow is their land. and the great frontier, but on a mass food sup- pride and joy. Much like how a lacrosse player “The issue we encounter with hunting in ply scale it is very messed up,” Jamison said. will spend hours stinging a stick, a hunter the great American society is the tragedy of Jamison feels that hunting of endangered will spend hours on end polishing, repairing, the commons, which is when too many indispecies should never occur regardless of govand adjusting their rifle. According to the viduals are added to the system, populations ernment funding.

National Rifle Association, the most popular begin to decrease which include the animals There has been a lot of debate on the legalihunting rifle is the Winchester Model 70 rifle, that are in them,” Jamison said. ty of hunting, even so to cause the controversy and the most popular bow is a Bear archery While hunting in America is mainly for to hit the news. In a more recent news story compound bow. sport, hunting in impoverished countries arguing the illicitness of Dr. Walter J. Palmer, In California, a hunting license is required can frequently be native peoples main food a dentist from Minnesota who killed Cecil, to any person who participates in hunting. source. the famous lion from Zimbabwe. The controThis requirement is the only way to legally “Hunting for apex predators is very versy over this story is the fact that Cecil lived hunt in the state. In the classes required to profitable in developing countries in places on a National Park and accidentally wandered obtain a permit, a person learns hunting like [Democratic Republic of] the Congo off the preserve. While off protected grounds, regulations and safety skills in order to hunt and even Nigeria,” Jamison said. “[In] places he was first shot with a bow and arrow and properly. These courses also teach gun safety

hunted in Northern California where we went squirrel target shooting. I want to do Elk and duck hunting next.”

Just like every other hunter in California, Armitano has gone through the process of gaining her hunting license.

“It’s like getting your driver’s license. There is a booklet you study and you go to a class for eight hours.

They teach you all this information and you take a test at the end of the class, and you can only get a certain number wrong to pass,” Armitano said. “In the class you learn about population control, about which weapons you can use and which ones you can’t use. We learn about the different laws in California regarding hunting.”

For Armitano, recreational hunting is an important part of her and her family’s identity.

“I think I was 10 or 12 and all of my brothers were getting their hunting license. It was a whole day class, so I decided to do it with them,” Armitano said. “That was when I first started hunting, but we would always go shooting and practice target shooting.”

As a female in a traditionally male dominated culture, Armitano feels compatible to her brothers and other males that she hunts with as they all Bullseye Quintin Valenti (‘16) waits for his target to become active. Valenti have the same passion for the activity.

“I don’t really notice the fact that hunts with a bow and arrow to reduce noise when hunting. that I’m a girl very much, because portunity, Armitano was able travel for hunting and information about population control. they don’t make an effort to discrimiexcursion. She also has taken part in what is Hunters mainly hunt in rural, less popunate or exclude me,” Armitano said. “We are out lated areas in order to cause the least amount known as trophy hunting, or selecting or killing there for the same reason and they treat me with the oldest male animals in an animal pack. of disturbance, in regards to noise and land the same respect as they would to another male “In California we mainly hunt for Boar. destruction. In many states there are certain or anyone else who is hunting with them.”

When I was in sixth grade we went on a huntzones where hunting is prohibited and if a For many, Armitano included, hunting is ing trip in Africa and hunted impala, blesbok, something you grow up knowing. Many times person hunts outside of these zones, they zebra, springbok,” Armitano said. “I have also hunting is generational and carries over from will be subject to fines and criminal charges.

According to the parents to kids.

National Rifle As“My dad hunted sociation, the most when he was younger popular animals to so he decided to teach hunt in the North his kids about it,” ArAmerican region mitano said. are whitetail deer, Armitano faces the mallard duck, and dilemma of morality Elk. whenever she hunts Sophia Armitaand the controversies no (‘16), like many over it being considhunters, tends to ered a sport. typically hunt the “[Hunting] is a same animal. But, controversial topic, but when given the opanyone who has been hunting and anyone

“If you think hunting is morally wrong you may as well be a vegetarian because there is no sport in buying packaged meat in a store.”

– Eric Maser (‘17)

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who has tracked an animal would consider it a sport,” Armitano said. “When I went to Africa I tracked an animal for four hours. My brother has had to track an animal for two days.”

Quintin Valenti (‘16) also participates in hunting on a regular bases.

“I started hunting when I was really young, probably when I was 7,” Valenti said. “I started going out in duck lines with my dad and brother and from then on I just loved it and kept going with it.”

For Valenti, hunting can neither be classified as a sport or not because it is an experience that is more than just hunting animals, but rather a bonding experience he can share with his friends and family who hunt with him.

“In a way hunting is a sport, but it’s also a tradition for those who partake in it,” Valenti said.

Eating what you kill is common for many hunters, but people that hunt solely for sport let all the meat from an animal go to waste. If a hunter does not eat his kill, then he or she has no reason to kill an animal other than a trophy for decoration.

Hunting originated as a method of feeding, but has now transformed to sport.

Many opposed to the hunting lifestyle

argue that it is an immoral practice. Valenti shared his beliefs on the difference between moral and immoral hunting being, not the act itself, but what you do after the kill. There are multiple resources from an animal that can be used once they are dead. Hunters feel pressured into making sure they use every bit of an animal once they have killed it to be morally right.

“If you are eating the animal and being completely ethical about it, then yes, it’s morally right,” Valenti said.

Eric Maser (‘17) adds that by killing an

erly hunt.

“I do think hunting is morally right,” Maser said. “I feel much better about eating an animal I worked to get rather than buying meat that has been on a farm its whole life.”

“In Defense of Animals” represent the population of people who consider hunting for sport an immoral lifestyle.

“Hunting is often called a ‘sport,’ to disguise a cruel, needless killing spree as a socially acceptable activity,” IDA said.

One debate on the topic of the morals of hunting is the suffering of animals. In a football game, if a player is injured he is treated immediately with professional medical care. In hunting, if a deer is wounded by a hunter and is able to escape, then the deer is likely to die by infection.

Game, fish and waterfowl biologist Spencer Vaa records, “11% of deer who are killed by hunters are shot two times or more times before dying, and wounded deer suffered more than 15 minutes before dying.”

Escape from a hunter after being shot is unlikely, but the ones who manage to do so are very weak, and are likely to starve to death. Wildlife Ecology and Management

“Even though animals can’t consent they would get killed anyways because they are part of the food chain and its the circle of life.”

– Sophia Armitano (‘16) animal you are gaining resources from it that can be used for food and materials such as furs and animal hyde.

“Yes, I always eat what I hunt,” Maser said.

“I was taught from an early age that if you kill an animal, you better be prepared to eat it.”

Maser began hunting at a young age, too, and has grown up learning the ways to prop-

Left: Quintin Valenti (‘16) smiles proudly with a deer he just shot.

Right: Sophia Armitano (‘16) poses with a zebra killed on her hunting Safari in Africa.

NOVEMBER 2015

Ten Commandments of Firearms Safety 1. Treat every gun as if it were loaded.

2. Watch that Muzzle! Be able to control the direction of the muzzle at all times.

3. Be sure the barrel and action are clear of obstructions.

4. Be sure of your target before you pull the trigger.

Bringing home the bacon Sophia Armitano (‘16) poses with her dad and brother after having a sucessful hunting trip in Northern California professor Steve Ditchkoff records that, “‘Twenty percent of foxes who have been wounded by hunters are shot again. Just 10 percent manage to escape.’”

Hunting doesn’t only affect the animal being hunted, but also the animal’s young. If a mother deer is killed during a hunt, the baby is left vulnerable to predators.

The organization known as PETA (People for Ethical Treatment of Animals) records that “Quick kills are rare, and many animals suffer prolonged, painful deaths when hunters severely injure but fail to kill them.”

As a hunter, Armitano knows the costs of killing a living animal and has learned that as long as the human population desires meat in their diet that someone has to be the one to pull the trigger.

“Even though animals can’t consent they would get killed anyways because they are part of the food chain and its the circle of life,” she said. “Hunters are trying to stabilize the population and have to kill off the threats that are posing a danger to another animal population.”

Regardless of the controversies and negative stigma surrounding hunting as a sport and in general, hunting has been apart of the american society for hundreds of year and will

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continue to be apart of our culture as long as there is a desire for animal meat in our diets.

Being a hunter requires the same traits as being any other type of athlete, however, unlike any other athlete, a hunter has to face the controversy of killing another living species. As hunting is grows as a sport so are anti-hunting organizations such as PETA. When PETA brings more attention to poachers who kill animals such as Cecil the lion, it threatens the hunters who hunt for more than just sport. A hunter has to be patient, quick, and accurate and with their discipline their award is their kill which then the hunter decides on what they want to do with it, whether it be to eat it or to hang it on their wall.<<<

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5. Unload guns when not in use.

6. Never point a gun at anything you do not intend to shoot.

7. Never climb a fence or tree or jump a ditch with a loaded gun.

8. Never shoot a bullet at a flat, hard surface or water.

9. Store guns and ammunition separately, beyond the reach of children and careless adults.

10. Avoid alcoholic beverages and mind altering drugs before or during shooting Information from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife

Life Lessons

Learned Through

Sports Sports are mainly advertised as sources of excercise, fun, and promoters of physical health, but can also take on roles as teachers of significant life lessons.

n

by TALIA MALCHIN and MARA ZENGER

A

student sitting at their desk for hours on end, working on only one problem they have already mastered is a practically pointless method of studying. To get better, focusing on the things that needs improvement would be considered smart practice. This is one of the many lessons that are applicable to both sports and life.

Though sports are mainly commercialized for their physical benefits, they can be very effective teachers of life’s necessary lessons. For many athletes, sports offer more than just a way to get out and exercise. Many parallels can be drawn between teachings that sports have to offer and life’s most important skills.

For most young athletes, sports act as one of the first organized activities outside of school. Because of the competition and determination to be the best, athletes can subconsciously pick

up skills like resilience, mental toughness, accountability, sacrifice, teamwork, persistence, and an infinite number of other factors that all combine to make an athlete.

Peter Colombo, former baseball player and current Palo Alto High School baseball coach, is a big believer in using sports as a way to improve one’s life in all aspects.

“This one thing always stuck with me from this coach that I had at Serra, and he said, ‘it takes no talent to hustle,’” Colombo said. “No matter what, you learn to control what you can control, and one thing is always playing hard and hustling.

And that whatever happens, happens after that.”

This quote has greatly affected

Colombo’s life and he has been able to apply it to nearly every field, whether it be his coaching or athletic career.

Not only was Colombo able to see this lesson play out in his own life, but he was also able to see it play a role in his players’ lives, too. Colombo relayed his “work hard, play hard” lesson to his team, reiterating its importance in hopes of showing his players the power

of hard work. This has taken an especially important role in one of his players’ life, Elliot Katz (‘01). Katz emailed Colombo years after his days playing for Paly, telling him that he uses the lesson of hustling no matter what every day in his law firm by not ever letting anyone outwork him.

Flynn Thompson (‘17), has found specific ways in which he has learned to practice smarter and more strategically in order to become better with each practice.

“Practice does not make perfect.

Smart practice makes perfect.

Putting time into things that you need to improve, that’s how you get better,” Thompson said. “I think that applies to numerous things in life, not just sports.”

U.S.A. National Team gymnast, Bennet Huang (‘17) agrees that only certain practice makes perfect, and that even that does not guarantee ideal results.

“Every little thing counts. Every turn counts, so it’s not just ‘If I go up and mess up I can just do it again’; you have to keep doing it right. And even if you

do keep doing it right, in competition it can still go wrong, and you just have to learn from that,” Huang said.

Practicing may seem like a simple task, but your time during each practice is limited and learning how to take advantage of the time you have so that you can produce the best performances possible is an important, and not always easy, skill to learn.

“If you have a team of 20 people, only

found direct similarities between the way sports teams work together, and that of people in the working world.

“Today in the business world, everybody is working in teams, coming together to try to work hard together, to come up with different ideas for a common product or a common idea,” Colombo said.

Teamwork sprouts from dependence and trust between each person on a team; enjoyment, team chemistry, and ultimately performance all depend on mutual reliance within a team. In his many years of playing sports, Colombo has found that teamwork is one of the most valuable lessons that sports can offer.

“It’s very important that kids in an early age can learn it’s not about me, but about us, about we,” Colombo said.

Co-dependence takes a lot of respect and trust from others, and part of that respect is always being present, as well as being mentally checked-in at all times.

“One thing I’ve always tried to em-

“Be an all-around winner... Pain is temporary. Pride is forever.”

-Flynn Thompson (‘17)

a twentieth of the coach’s time goes to you, so that other 19 out of 20 times you have to work by yourself,” Huang said. “So I think that coaches are really trying to get you to learn how to work by yourself and how to train smartly by yourself, have your own plan, and come in every day with your own goals.”

Colombo has drawn many connections from baseball to his daily mindset.

Along with working hard, Colombo has

phasize is hard work, learning to be early, not on time, because 80% of life is being on time, the rest will take care of itself,” Colombo said.

A sports team is a collection of people who all have a common interest in their sport. Playing on any sports team nearly guarantees that you will have to work with people who are very different from you. Even though this may turn out to make the experience of playing on a sports team more stressful or difficult, it is exactly what happens in life. Working and interacting with various types of people and personalities is impossible to avoid, but learning to deal with those people is a very important characteristic both on and off the field.

“You learn to deal with people that one, you don’t like, and two, you learn to deal with all types of adversity, and you try to better yourself as an individual while still trying to contribute to a thing greater than just one person,” Thompson said. “I think it’s just really unique that you won’t find in many other activities other than sports.”

Despite having to give up organized

sports, Thompson still credits many of his most precious lessons to his days of wrestling and playing football. In any athletics, it takes more than just one skill to be good, so being versatile is important in order to transfer better performances into your sport. And, because sports involve playing against an opponent whom you are trying to beat, learning to control your emotions, and show good-sportsmanship is key to gain

er... Pain is temporary. Pride is forever.”

Many athletes experience injuries or other setbacks similar to any rough patches or setbacks in life. Those athletes have to learn to push through their setbacks, and not give up despite how hard it might be to continue struggling.

“I think the most important thing for me is really just to keep doing the stuff when you really don’t want to,” Huang said. “Because really you get better when everything sucks the most, if you’re injured, or if you’re practicing badly, if you’re practicing no matter what you’re gonna get better.”

Obstacles encountered in sports mirror those in real life, and the way of thinking to solve these kinds of problems is interchangeable.

Whether the lesson hustle, teamwork, independence, or all three, the partaking in sports consistently positively affects lives and evidently inspire athletes to excel outside of the team. Exercise indubitably trains the body,sports train the mind and condition people to problem-solve with or without a uniform.

“It’s not about me, but about us, about we” -Peter Colombo

respect from your teammates, coaches and opponents.

“Coaches always taught us to be polite, considerate, and courageous, off the field. You represent the game when you’re off the field,” Thompson said.

“Transfer the effort you put into [sports] into what you do every day, have the same pride into academics and all other aspects. Be an all around winner. Don’t just be a one-dimensional type of play-

Behind the clipboard

by KYLIE CALLAN

As a second-year youth soccer coach, I have had the privilege of teaching 20 kids about the sport I love. Coaching has its ups and downs, from watching my team all work together to move the ball down the field to seeing half my team in tears after a warm-up drill ended in tackling, but at the end of the day all of the effort is worth it.

I caught up with five Paly students who coach youth sports to get their opinions on what coaching means to them.

Eli Givens (‘16) Seventh grade boys’ basketball

“I just love how every day I get to come to Jordan, my old middle school and see all these new kids trying to do something with their lives and be wonderful.”

“I wanted to interact with the kids...show them the true meaning of basketball, [how to] make plays on and off the court and make the right decisions and just have a good time.”

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“I think the hardest part about coaching is [that] sometimes the kids...don’t understand the rules of the game, but we work through that. There are sometimes kids on the team that are...not coachable.”

“The best part...is being able to make the girls “I gained a lot of problem want to come back and solving skills from coaching. play again because they I learned how to adjust to enjoyed their experience situations on the spot and so much, which is really “The hardest part “I started coaching how to handle working with one of the main goals about coaching is findbecause after quitting different kinds of people.” ing a balance between basketball in 8th grade at this level.” assertive and fun...it was I realized I really missed it, hard to get the girls to listen to but it was too late to start playme and view me as a coach rather ing again at the competitive level than a friendly older sister.”

I was playing before.”

Jasmine Abeyta (‘17) Third and fourth grade girls’ basketball

“You gotta be patient with these kids, you can’t be too hard on them, otherwise you’re not going to get the outcome you want during the game. You gotta make sure that they understand what they’re doing.”

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Kelly Branson (‘16) “I started coaching U10 girls’ and U8 boys’ soccer

because I got another serious concussion sophomore year and had to stop playing goalie competitively…[I] figured if I couldn’t play then I should coach.”

Louie Marzano (‘17) Sixth grade flag football

Nicole Cox (‘16) U10 girls’ soccer

“The best part of coaching is making connections and spending time with the kids...It’s also a super nice break in your day.”

“The best part about coaching is to see the kids grow and get better throughout the season.”

“My soccer team folded and I wanted to continue soccer in some way so I figured coaching was a good way to do that.”

“The hardest part for me has been learning patience with the kids.

Also, it’s hard to step back as a coach and just let the kids play and learn on their own without instructing them.”

“I have learned how much kids look up to you and how much of a difference you can make. It has also taught me to be a role model. I also grew up playing competitive soccer so coaching has reminded me of how fun sports can be.”

“You learn a lot from these “We get a lot of kids kids, more than you would who have never played expect. They teach you how the sport they are trying to be patient when they want out for and it is always “The hardest part to mess around. And when so rewarding to see my team isn’t doing very about coaching is them get better.” well...[I] need to deal with keeping the kids together and focused. tough situations.”

All the kids have such great team chemistry since they’re such good friends, but they do love to mess around.”

“At least half [of] our team has never played soccer before, so there was a lot of room for improvement and it’s nice to be able see our coaching actually doing something.”

“I learned how to collaborate better, because our team has four coaches with varying opinions on how to run the team, so we often have to share ideas and compromise in order to make “[The hardest part sure we are accomplishing all about coaching is that] our goals for the team.” they don’t really listen, we have to try to find a balance [between teaching and having fun].”

NOVEMBER 2015

tries

Cyclo-cross

Photo by Parker Gara

ARASTRADERO Samuel Desré (‘16) rides his cyclo-cross bike at the Arastradero Preserve. The preserve is one the best place to try out cyclo-cross because the trails vary in difficulty levels allowing cyclo-cross riders of all skills levels to find a place to practice in the preserve.

W

by SAMUEL DESRÉ hat do cross country skiing, ice hockey and luge all have in common? They are all Winter Olympics sports. Lately another sport has been making a push to become a Winter Olympic sport: cyclo-cross. Although cyclo-cross is not practiced on ice or snow, the races take place in the fall and winter.

The bike riders pedal through mud, up steep hills, staircases, on cobblestone and much more.

The Viking Magazine followed cyclo-cross rider Parker Gara (‘16) on one of his training

36 | T H E V I K I N G |

rides at Arastradero preserve. No cobbles or staircases were part of the ride, however the steep hills, tree roots and dirt were more than challenging enough, allowing The Viking Magazine a close-up view of the ground after a tree root got in the way on a particularly tight turn.

According to Gara, crashes in cyclo-cross are much more common and less severe compared to road biking. The downhills are steeper and the riders face more obstacles such as tree roots and barriers that riders have to jump over while carrying their bike on their shoulders.

To avoid falling off your cyclo-cross bike,

w w w. v i k i n g s p o r t s m a g . c o m

Gara suggests that you “lean your body, and not the bike towards the turn and stick out your leg towards the inside of the turn.” Taking the turn on the outside will also grant you more control of your bike and will eventually make you a faster rider despite taking a longer route. He also advises cyclo-cross riders to use a low gear for better performance on uneven terrain.

Gara started riding cyclo-cross towards the end of September in 2016 and has been successful since. Gara was runner-up at his last two races: Super Pro in Oakland and Surf City Muertos Cross in Santa Cruz. Although he hasn’t won, Parker stays optimistic believ-

ing that he still has a lot of room for improvement since he has been practicing for less than three months. Gara noticed that junior riders are less skilled in cyclocross than in road biking because they lack racing experience.

Cyclo-cross differs from road biking as it not only requires endurance and explosiveness but also requires bike handling skills.

“To be good at cyclo-cross you have to have good bike-handling and be in shape,” Gara said. “That makes it is easy to improve if a person is already in good shape.”

However, the most unique part of cyclo-cross is not the technical side of the sport but the mixture between cycling and running. Many steep hills and obstacles such as staircases are impossible for athletes to bike up. Athletes must run with their bike on their shoulder until they can ride their bike again.

It is crucial to know when to run or not in cyclo-cross. Some riders may lose enormous amounts of time trying to bike through sand or mud when they could run through that part of the course. Riders also risk injuring themselves or having a mechanical problem when riding through challenging sections.

Typical cyclo-cross courses are two to three mile loops and the race length ranges from

half an hour to an hour. Courses include obstacles that are nearly impossible to ride.

Staircases, slippery hills, man-made barriers, mud, and sand pits test the running abilities of athletes at most courses.

Cyclo-cross bikes are a mix of mountain bikes and road bikes. Cyclo-cross bikes do not have suspension and they have bigger tires than road bikes. The tire pressure is an important factor in cyclo-cross. Experienced cyclocross riders take tire pressure seriously because a flat tire can easily cost them the race and precious minutes.

Cyclo-cross has risen in popularity in the U.S since the 2013 Cyclo-cross World Championships were hosted in Louisville, Kentucky. The Cyclo-Cross World Cup Circuit also added a race in Las Vegas to attract the best cyclo-cross riders in the world to the United States every year. Former cyclo-cross world champion Sven Nys sees the World Cup race in Vegas as an opportunity to promote the sport and calls for even more races across the globe.

“In an ideal world, each country has one or two races,” said Nys. “I know I speak to our organizers. But if you want to promote the sport, you have to spread your wings.” <<< Photo by Parker Gara

MUDDY Former Cyclo-cross world champion Sven Nys runs through a muddy field. Nys’ nickname is the Cannibal because he has won 46 World Cup Races.

Photo by Samuel Desré

AROUND THE BEND On the left, Desré displays poor cyclo-cross skills by taking the turn on the inside and not leaning his body towards the turn. On the right, Gara has proper form as he takes a sharp turn on the outside and sticks out his legs towards the turn NOVEMBER 2015

Thin

THE

LINE

BY SKYLAR BURRIS AND QUINN KNOBLOCK

In this day and age various factors have led to body image issues and eating disorders, not just among athletes, but throughout the general population. Here we explore the issue and how it presents itself within not only the Paly community, our society as a whole.

F

or the majority of people, it’s hard to imagine dropping 15 pounds in a month. For the majority of wrestlers and other weight class athletes, they are given half of that time. This intense process can contribute to unrealistic expectations of health, weight, and body image, which are issues also prevalent in many sports and the world.

Seth Goyal (‘17), a varsity wrestler for Palo Alto High School, has been competing for five years, but did not start cutting weight until eighth grade. Dropping more than eight to ten pounds within a two weeks preceding a meet is not typically expected of Paly wrestlers, however, given Goyal’s experience and skill, he is one of the few athletes on the team that is occasionally expected to drop up to 15 pounds.

The process begins with the coach desig-

nating the amount of weight to be cut within a certain time frame. For example, fifteen pounds in two weeks.

“To a normal person this might seem impossible,” Goyal said. “However, the way to do this would be to cut down on meal amount and increase the meal frequency. Instead of having three big meals [a day], you would have five or six meals each of much smaller portions.”

Aside from cutting down on portion size, wrestlers try to take in as much water as possible. Drinking up to two liters a day, athletes become accustomed to constantly drinking water. According to what Goyal has been taught, water flowing throughout the body makes it easier to sweat and rid the body of fluids.

“One week before competition, [we] start to cut down on water each day,” Goyal said. “Instead of having two liters a day, [we have] a liter six days before, half a liter four days before,

a quarter liter two days before, and [the] day before have no water.”

If there is any more weight to lose, the wrestler is expected to work it off. To do this, wrestlers put on at least three layers of clothes and work on a treadmill or stationary bike. The athlete exercises in an attempt to burn as much weight as possible, only stopping once they have made weight or physically cannot go any further. The last resort is a sauna, where teams can sweat off the remaining water weight. By then, the wrestler has normally made their weight and is ready to compete.

“Cutting weight is the hardest thing you can ever do in your life,” Goyal said. “Every time I cut weight I always say to myself that I’ve never wanted to make my weight class more than at that moment, and every time I step on the scale I pray that it’s close or on the weight that I need it to be. At the end though it’s worth it,

every single time.”

Athletes have to train their bodies to be able to withstand extreme dieting, but the line between winning and health is frequently blurred. Before “the National Collegiate Athletic Association”(“NCAA”) started regulating weight loss, three collegiate wrestlers died from unhealthy weight cutting 1997 alone.

According to The New York Times, 19-year old Billy Saylor’s preseason weight was 233 pounds, and over the course of ten weeks he dropped 23 pounds. The weight class he was attempting to enter began at 195, and he decided to try and cut the remaining 15 pounds in the 12-hours prior to the match. According to the Centers for Disease Control, after an 8-hour workout period, the man began experiencing extreme fatigue and became uncommunicative. Within the next hour, he developed cardiorespiratory arrest, and resuscitation was unsuccessful.

they promised themselves they would be able to lose. With all this said, wrestlers and athletes at Paly and the collegiate level today are taught the healthy way to cut weight, as Goyal explaine.

“Wrestlers don’t really develop eating disorders unless you try to lose weight the wrong way, [either] by trying to starve yourself or [trying] to vomit right before weigh in,” Goyal said. “But wrestlers are typically well informed about this and there are many websites and books about how to manage one’s weight efficiently, especially at Paly.”

Wrestling is not the only sport that has faced controversy when it comes to weight cutting, although some sports don’t cut weight the same way. For example, gymnastics is an aesthetic sport, meaning it focuses on the appearance and shape of an athlete’s body. According to Dr. A. Jay Binder, a member of the Medical Commission of the Federation of International

“At the end [of cutting weight] though it’s worth it, every single time.”

– Seth Goyal (‘17)

As The New York Times reports, the two other student-athletes were both wearing rubber suits while exercising in heated rooms to work off their weight. One of the two died from kidney failure and heart malfunction trying to lose four pounds, and the other died after refusing to drink water, failing to gain back the liquid he was sweating off. He was trying to lose six pounds, and instead succumbed to cardiac arrest.

“After that incident they instituted what’s called a weight certification, also known as the hydration test,” Goyal said. “You have to pee in a cup and they measure the acidity of your urine. If you pass that then you can weigh in at whatever you weigh. They measure height and then using a special scale, determine your lowest possible healthy weight that you can go to based on your body mass index.”

Although these weight cutting restrictions are helping save lives, there are still problems with unhealthy practices. According to the United States Naval Academy’s research, wrestlers seem to share a mentality with people who suffer from eating disorders: the constant need to improve. Dan Gable, a famous wrestler and the retired head coach of the University of Iowa, was once quoted saying, “There’s nothing like success.” That may be true, but with that same mindset wrestlers, and many athletes alike, find themselves yearning nothing but success. Not just success on the field, but also the success of losing the eight pounds

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Gymnastics (FIG), most gymnasts are classified as power athletes, and it’s important for them to build as much muscle as possible. Of course, one of the core ingredients to building muscle is to eat plenty of carbohydrates. According to the National Eating Disorders Association, nearly 33% of aesthetic and weightclass athletes are affected by eating disorders.

Bennet Huang (‘17), a gymnast who attends Paly, understand where the pressure stems from.

“I’m not surprised about this because highly competitive athletes are willing to do nearly anything to enhance their performance in their sport,” Huang said. “Also, diet is something easy to change, compared to enhancing your technique [or] consistency in your sport.”

Many gymnasts have been known to face eating disorders throughout the course of their career and even beyond. One of the more broadcasted cases was told in 2011 by the Los Angeles Times. Alyssa Kitasoe, a former gymnast for UCLA, found herself struggling with anorexia after quitting the sport she had loved since she was seven years old. When the ex-gymnast found herself gaining weight from discontinuing her intense, 25-hour-a-week work out regimes, she assumed something must be wrong.

“You still have the mind-set that you need to be tiny,” Kitasoe said to the Times. “You compare yourself to the way you were.”

Unfortunately, Kitasoe is not alone when

w w w. v i k i n g s p o r t s m a g . c o m

In a survey of 10 female and male Paly students, we asked...

Have you ever felt that your body was either too thin or too fat for social standards?

8 boys

said yes

9 girls

said yes

Has your weight ever bothered you?

4 boys 10 girls said yes

said yes

Have you ever felt that you either have too much or too little muscle?

8 boys 7 girls said yes

said yes

it comes to her body image. In a study done in 2002 by the University of Utah, 43% of female college-athletes admitted to being afraid of gaining weight, and 55% reported feeling pressure to maintain or lose weight. Although some claimed that it was self-imposed pressure, others said there were outside forces, whether coaches or peers, that they felt the need to improve for. Rachel Wayne, a student at Paly whose name has been changed to remain anonymous, has had first-hand experience with eating disorders and their side effects. After she was forced to stop participating in her sport because of injury, she found herself using unhealthy eating habits to maintain the body she expected herself to have.

“I found myself not gaining actual fat, but I lost my muscle definition,” Wayne explained.

myself,” Wayne said. “I’d say [for] two months [I] was pretty bulimic, [and] I would throw up after big meals.”

According to The National Institute of Mental Health, “An eating disorder is an illness that causes serious disturbances to your everyday diet, such as eating extremely small amounts of food or severely overeating.” About thirty million people in the US suffer from eating disorders which can range from overeating (binge-eating disorders), to anorexia and bulimia, whose victims suffer from not eating enough nutrients. New research shows that eating disorders may not solely be accredited to feelings of loss of control or the extreme desire to be skinny, but may be caused by complex interactions of genetic, biological, behavioral, psychological, and social factors. For

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, anorexia is most common in people who see themselves as overweight, while quite conversely, they are underweight. For people who suffer from anorexia, control over their food, weight, and body becomes obsessive.

They are likely to limit their food intake and weigh themselves more frequently than they should. In some cases, anorexics may also suffer from binge eating disorders, and to offset the excessive amount of food their body has taken in, will follow the binge eating with extreme exercise and dieting. Although for some, anorexia may not be a lifelong battle, for others it can be. The problem is, according to WebMD and Diane Mickley, MD, when the body does not get the sufficient nutrients it needs to thrive, it works in the reverse of building

CONTROL People with eating disorders have been found to share a mentality of trying to control an aspect of their lives, and their body happens to be the easiest target.

“You don’t realize how toned you can get just from doing things everyday, and when you stop it’s very abrupt how quickly your body changes.”

Wayne was not able to exercise for six months, and she expected to continue to look the way she did while she was working out for at least an hour a day. She began regulating what she was eating until she found it was easier to just skip meals altogether. She wouldn’t eat breakfast or lunch, and when she got home she might have had a small dinner and a snack, or sometimes just skip dinner altogether.

When she was finally able to exercise again, it actually escalated the situation.

“I started to eat more, but every time I [ate] a lot I would feel bloated and just gross about

Wayne, although sports and media did place importance on her body, social pressures were one of the major factors that led to her disorder.

“If you’re not light enough it’s harder [to run]. [With the media,] I don’t look at a Victoria’s Secret model and think, ‘Oh I’m gonna look just like her,’ because her whole life is to look like that,” Wayne said. “I can look at the girl sitting next to me in math and [say,] ‘She probably has just as much as me if not more and she looks awesome, [so] why don’t I look like that?’”

Bulimia and anorexia are often words used somewhat interchangeably. However, besides the fact that they are both eating disorders, they are different.

bone mass, and one actually begins to lose bone, which is an irreversible consequence of anorexia. This problem is most apparent in teens and adolescents who “are supposed to be gaining the critical bone mass that will sustain them through adulthood”.

In addition though, patients may also suffer from heart damage. When the body begins to lose its muscle, the heart (which is also a muscle) becomes smaller and weaker. Dr Mickley says that “ [The heart] gets worse at increasing your circulation in response to exercise, and your pulse and your blood pressure get lower.” Damage to the heart can be fatal, and is the most common reason for hospitalization.

Bulimia patients suffer from frequent and repetitive binge eating. As a result, they feel a

NOVEMBER 2015

PERFECT Many people endure unhealthy practices, including bulimia and anorexia, to sculpt their figure. commonly self-induce vomiting, fast, and/ or over-exercise. Dissimilarly from anorexics, bulimics are most commonly people who are of healthy or average weight, and in some cases, may actually be overweight. Similarly to people who suffer from anorexia though, bulimics just want the same thing, to lose weight and have control over their body. Typically bulimic behavior (self induced vomiting for example) is done in private because the feelings that go hand and hand with it, are sickening to the person.

Although both anorexia and bulimia have a great deal to do with control, they are also very closely related to body image issues. Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD), also known as body dysmorphia, is defined as a mental illness involving obsessive focus on a perceived flaw in appearance.

Although sometimes body dysmorphia may be confused with being overly or hypergly critical, according to a UCLA study, “New imaging research reveals that the brains of these people look normal but function abnormally when processing visual details.” The study also shows that “Thirty percent of people with BDD suffer from eating disorders, which are also linked to a distorted self-image.” So it seems that eating disorders, in some cases, may be a

result of BDD. These disorders have become so common that there’s a term for the consequences they can cause: the “Female Athlete Triad.” The FAT includes disordered eating, amenorrhea (the prolonged absence of a period), and osteoporosis (a condition in which the bones become weak and brittle). Amenorrhea is usually the most obvious sign that an athlete is affected

by FAT. According to the US National Library of Medicine, amenorrhea in premenopausal

said. “I’m not saying I’ve never felt pressured to look a certain way because I have been by the media, [and] it’s kind of hard to look at models or celebrities and not compare myself to them, but figure skating hasn’t impacted me in that way.”

Although Drover isn’t personally affected by the pressures of figure skating, she mentioned another external pressure: the media. With photoshopped images of models and perfectly sculpted bodies, body image has become a major problem with youth.

According to Teen Futures Media Network, 40% of a survey of nine and ten year old girls said they wanted to lose weight, and the number only rose as they grew to 17-years old, when the statistic was upwards of 70%.

Girls are not the only victims to body image issues. Anyone, no matter the size, ethnicity, or gender, can be affected. Tyler Kingkade, a writer for Huffington Post, wrote a story recently about his own struggles with weight and anxiety about how he looked. He found shortly after writing the story that, although he thought he was the only male dealing with this issue, he was not alone.

“I decided to write the story because covering male body image was something I was interested in as a writer, but not something I

“... It’s kind of hard to look at models or

celebrities and not compare myself to them...”

– Caitlin Drover (‘17)

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women decreases bone density at a time when bones should still be forming, leading to osteoporosis.

Although any female athlete could develop the Female Athlete Triad, the sports in which it happens most commonly fall within the aesthetic sports, such as gymnastics or figure skating. Caitlin Drover (‘17), a figure skater for Winter Lodge in Palo Alto, does not diet for her sport, although she was not taken aback by the question.

“I feel like that’s only something you would do if you’re really intense with your training and maybe if you have a strict coach,” Drover

w w w. v i k i n g s p o r t s m a g . c o m

saw much about in the media,” Kingkade wrote in his follow-up story. “Lacking a person to serve as a subject for my story, I looked into my own issues and sought out research and experts to help explain what drives anxiety about one’s own body.”

According to the Alliance for Eating Disorder Awareness, reports that between 2.4 and 3.6 million men suffer from eating disorders, including anorexia and bulimia, today, and account for five to ten percent of anorexia and bulimia cases. One of the reasons that men’s weight anxieties aren’t broadcasted in the mainstream media, is because of the idea of “being a man.” We’re taught that men aren’t supposed to fret over trivial problems like the way they look. However, it is a daily health problem for men around the world.

Quite contradictory to men, women’s body image in the media is overly emphasized. The push for women to have a size zero waist while keeping her curves is forcing women to strive for an almost impossible body type, one that is only seen on Victoria’s Secret models whose sole job is to maintain that body. Women are constantly scrutinized for being too thin or too big, and impressionable young girls are forced to think that their bodies need to be absolutely perfect to fit the standards society holds to them.

Serena Williams for example, has been a focal point in the media scrutinization of women’s bodies. The strong, muscular tennis player has been under the microscope because she has the untraditional body type of a woman, being that she is much bigger and stronger than the average woman athlete.

Ronda Rousey, professional mixed martial artist, has also faced similar criticism. Women with bodies that have not been praised by the media are often no longer seen as “beautiful” in societal beauty standards. The ideal image of a woman’s body is not versatile and inclusive of all shapes and sizes, and today, many young girls are unaware that their

body does not define them, as it seems that a body is all that matters today.

Although male body image isn’t often broadcasted in the media, when Prince Fielder, a Texas Ranger in the MLB, was apart of ESPN’s 2014 Body Image Issue and featured nude, Twitter blew up with complaints. Taken in a powerful stance, Fielder was attacked on social media for not being as thin as the majority of other athletes that had been on the cover.

He was compared by a reader to Kerri Walsh’s own cover photo in ESPN’s issue the year before, where she had been photographed pregnant.

When young boys and girls look in the mirror, they need to learn that it doesn’t make them better or worse people based on the way they look. They need to learn as soon as possible that they are beautiful for who they are, regardless of what society tells them. Eating disorders and extreme dieting may develop from these standards society places on our species and it is important to show our youth that although it is important to stay healthy, the way a person’s body looks is not all that matters.

The line that lies between eating disorders and losing weight in a healthy manner is a thin one, and with the increasing importance placed on body image, is slowly getting blurred. It’s hard to learn to love the body one is given, and it is a problem for the majority of youth in the world today. Athletes, in some ways, are hit the hardest by this problem because of the difference between how an athlete is expected to perform for a sport and the way that the media and society portray what beauty is.

If you or someone you know is struggling with their body or their diet, no matter the cause, reach out to them and try to guide them to an adult who can help. Do not find a temporary solution to a potentially life-threatening problem.

Use the sources of help written below.

Help is always there as long as you know where to find it. <<<

The Twitter-age has brought about a new way for fans to communicate with athletes. Of course, the side affects of this are both good and bad.

SOURCES FOR HELP

National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) OPEN Monday-Thursday 6am-6pm, Friday from 6am-2pm National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders (ANAD) OPEN Monday-Friday 7am-3pm

1-800-931-2237 630-577-1330 NOVEMBER 2015

Recruited Cracking the code to the recruitment process.

by BEN CLEASBY and LAUREN KOYAMA

As signing day for athletes quickly approaches, students are reaching the end of their recruitment process.

Since this can be a confusing time for many high schoolers, a lot of them seek help from their coaches and former teammates who have gone through the process.

173,500

Is the numberof student athletes playing a Division 1 sport in 2015.

18

Is the number of sports at the Division 1 level.

82% Of colleges are outside the Division 1.

Football Being one of the biggest sports in high school and college, football players are heavily recruited across the country. According to College Sports Scholarships (CCS), coaches can only send campus brochures, informational questionnaire, and are allowed to receive phone calls from potential athletes before September 1 of the student’s junior year. However, coaches cannot call the prospect and are not allowed to call back if left a voicemail.

Following September 1, a coach is allowed to send and respond to emails as well as release information about their athletic program and school to the athlete. Following July 1, coaches can make face-to-face contact in off campus meetings. Also after the July 1 mark, coaches are allowed to make one phone call a week for each athlete

being recruited, while the athlete is allowed to call as often as they please.

After the first day of class of an athlete’s senior year, they are allowed to make five official expense paid visits lasting up to forty eight hours in total per visit.

The coach needs a high school transcript along with an American College Test (ACT) or Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) score. As for phone calls and emails, they remain the same following the July 1 junior year contact date.

“Jason Fung has helped and also just working hard towards my goals, making a highlight tape and sending it to coaches.”

- Givens (‘16)

Photo Courtesy of Skylar Burris

UMATCHED FOCUS Eli Givens (‘16) prepares to dissect the defense.

Volleyball The volleyball recruitment process is very similar to every other college sport. Similar to football, players can only receive written information from division 1 colleges until September 1 of their junior year. Div. 2 colleges can send this information to athletes starting June 15 of the prospect’s sophomore year, and Div. 3 and National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) can send it at anytime. Yet, athletes can call coaches at anytime of their high school athletic career.

Prospective athletes are able to have unlimited unofficial visits, but can only take one official visit per college after beginning their senior year.

As for exposure to gain interest from college coaches, club volleyball has more benefits than high school volleyball. College volleyball is the same season as high school, so coaches do not

have the opportunity to recruit during this time. While playing club, players have the opportunity to compete in front of college coaches live. Some tournaments include the National League Qualifiers, the Las Vegas Showcase, local tournaments, and camps hosted by the college itself. Yet, most players reach out to coaches to ensure exposure at the collegiate level.

“In terms of exposure, I really did it myself for the most part. There are some recruiting service out there but I really wanted a genuine and narrow approach.”

-Dennis (‘16)

Photo Courtesy of Jamie Cullen

CLEAN KILL Claire Dennis (‘16) spikes the ball to score a point.

Swimming Another relatively large collegiate sport is swimming and it consists of many of the same complications seen in volleyball and football. However, there are a few changes in dates and contact eligibility. Similar to football, coaches are only allowed to send college campus brochures during an athlete’s freshman and sophomore year.

Starting on September 1 of a swimmer’s junior year, coaches are then allowed to send recruiting materials and information. Following the September date, on July 1, following junior year, phone calls can be made once a week by the coach, athletes can call as often as they wish.

Off campus visits are allowed after July 1, or on the first day of an athlete’s senior year. Official visits are also allowed the first day of an athlete’s senior year.

Emails and phone calls remain the same

following the July date.

“Other swimmers, like former teammates, really help you get the connections and a better understanding of the process and team that they are on. Also, club and high school coaches really help alot with the process and introduce you to the college coaches if they come to visit your practices.”

- Cho (‘16)

Photo Courtesy of Andrew Cho

SUPPORT Andrew Cho (‘16) claps in celebration with his team.

Basketball Being a heavily watched college sport, basketballs recruiting system is very competitive. Across the country there are hundreds of college viewing tournaments, where coaches watch potential athletes.

As underclassmen, players can only receive letters, brochures, and questionnaires. Coaches can start physically contacting players once they reach their junior year of high school. For men’s basketball, any contact outside of April must be at an athlete’s educational institution or the player’s home. Coaches can begin calling players after June 15 of the athlete’s sophomore year. After January 1, players can start making official visits. Women’s recruiting has more rules: During July there is a silent period when only email communication is permitted, physical meeting can only occur after September 1 at a student’s

46 | T H E V I K I N G |

educational institution, and no official visits until after the NCAA Division 1 championship game.

Yet, Alexis Harris (‘16) did not experience many challenges while she committed to San Jose State University (SJSU).

“[Colleges] contacted me after a viewing tournament. There wasn’t any challenges, it was easy because I’ve been playing AAU for a long time.”

-Harris (‘16)

w w w. v i k i n g s p o r t s m a g . c o m

Photo Courtesy of Jeff Tobin

Block Alexis Harris (‘16) blocks opponents shot.

The Last Word

Double Time for the Dubs

by DANIEL DOUTY

Last year the Golden State Warriors had a season for the ages. They dominated in the regular season, vanquishing all opposition on their path to destiny. They were incredible last year, but I believe they will be even better this year. How could they possibly one-up themselves? Read on to find out how and hear a few of my bold predictions for the rest of the season.

I

n his first season as the coach of the Bay’s ball club, Steve Kerr brought a title to dub nation and set the record for most wins by a first year head coach. His coaching seems to have pushed the Warriors from a playoff-caliber team to a team in a league of their own. With another season to gel and perfect Kerr’s system, the Warriors have only one way to go: up.

Looking Back

First I’ll go over why the Warriors won it all last year. Steph Curry had his true breakout season, providing ridiculous plays and splashes galore over the course of his MVP season.

He is the perfect baller for the internet age, with the potential to go viral every time the rock enters his clutches. Speaking of clutch, his splash bro Klay Thompson went from a threeand-D wing to a multi-faceted scorer and absolute pest on the perimeter. Draymond Green and Andrew Bogut made up the leagues more fearsome defensive duo. Andre Iguodala led the league’s best second unit, a group that had the ability to enter a close game and then pass it off to the end of the bench. Possibly the most important thing, though, was the health of the team. Aside from Bogut no essential players

missed any significant amount of time. Add an incredibly efficient offense and suffocating defensive scheme to that, and what you get out is the best team in the sport.

Room to Improve

While these Warriors showed a ton of improvement last year, they will only get better.

As I said earlier, the Warriors put up last years results after just one year in Kerr’s system. The more they play together in the system, the better and more efficient they will become. They are deep in the front court as Festus Ezeli has proved he is a ferocious defender, while rookie Kevon Looney should be able to contribute if he recovers from hip surgery before the season’s end. Harrison Barnes should continue to improve in his second year as a starter after becoming a much more efficient player last year.

Green will be a force on both ends of the court and could take home the Defensive Player of the Year award that should’ve been his last year.

Klay may be close to his ceiling, but that’s not a bad thing, as he is one of the best guards in all of the West. Now for Curry. He shocked the world last year, but I think he’ll do it again this year. If the first week of the season was an indicator, he isn’t going to hold back this year. He won Player of the Week honors by putting up 39.3 points per game. This year he will be even better. I expect he will score over 25 per game, break his single season three-point field goals record once again, and add another Most Valuable Player award to his trophy room. Curry was quoted saying that he believed they were even better this year after their fifth win in a row to start the season. But wait... there’s more!

Apparently after a rough offensive start to last season, the Dubs tabled some of Kerr’s more intricate offensive schemes. If they can perfect those and bust ‘em out this year, look out, this team will wreck the West.

A Target on their Back

COMMANDER IN CHIEF: Head Coach Steve Kerr led the Warriors to a title in his first year.

The Dubs won’t be without competition in the upcoming season. The Thunder have Kevin Durant back and the “other L.A. team” retained DeAndre Jordan, so they will continue to compete. The Spurs picked up Lamarcus Aldridge

and David West during the offseason, so Pop should make a run into the playoffs once again.

Plus, everyone wants to give the defending champs their best shot, so they will face plenty of motivated teams. If there’s any team up for the challenge, the resilient Warriors are it.

SPLASH: Reigning MVP looks to rain down 3’s all year and lead his team to the Finals again.

Some Bold Predictions

The Warriors will field 3 starters in the All Star game. Curry will be the top vote getter for the second year in a row.

Curry, Klay and Dray will all make the AllNBA First Team.

The Dubs will win the NBA Championship without playing a game six. If they meet the Clippers there won’t be a game five.

They will topple the ‘95-’96 Chicago Bulls record of 72 regular season wins. They will also be the top rated team on both offense and defense.

Luke Walton will win Coach of the Year.

Am I joking, you ask? Yes. However, Walton has done a great job leading the team wihile Kerr recovers from surgery, which speaks to the depth that the Warriors carry in their great coaching staff. <<< Image taken from CC

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