Viking Magazine Volume XVIII Issue 2

Viking magazine

Vol. XIX

ISSUE 2

Dec. 2024

Social Media The digital lives of student-athletes Page 34

Viking

Volume XVIIII, Issue 2 December 2024

magazine

would like to thank our sponsors...

Bharat Family

Thieman Family

Cho Family

Wang Family

Dogan Family

Schoebel Family

Scott Joachim

Cheung Family

Steele Family

Tung Family Ginwalla Family Telyaz Family Weiner Family Lee Family Salvatierra Family Jonathan Levav Liu Family

STAFF

Editors-in-Chief Claire Cho, Ethan Wang, Roan Haney, Emil Bothe Creative Director Nathan Lee Photo Editor Lucas Tung Business Manager Sarah Thieman

Head Columnist Tyler Cheung

Social Media Manager Amanda Goody Online Editors-In-Chief Arjun Bharat, Luke Joachim Staff Writers Adi Weiner, Elena Salvatierra, Dylan Robinson, Isaac Telyaz, Evin Steele, Jonathan Yuan, Natalya Kaposhilin, Zoe Pashalidis, Malcolm Ginwalla, Max Merkel, Jake Liu, Elif Dogan, Carter Burnett, Ben Levav, Finn Schoebel

Pashalidis Family

on the cover:

Copy Editor Scarlett Frick

Junowicz Family

Adviser Brian Wilson

This cover, with photo by Lucas Tung, features Izzy Bienaime (‘25), Katelyn Pegg (‘25), and Kacey Washington (‘26) on their phones on the football stands. This feature story on the effects of social media on athletes can be read on page 32.

Viking Magazine Palo Alto High School 50 Embarcadero Road Palo Alto, CA 94301 650-329-3837 Email contact: vikingeds@gmail.com Follow us @vikingsportsmag or go to vikingsportsmag.com for current game updates/scores.

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. 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.

Advertising in 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 Viking, please contact Viking by email at vikingeds@gmail.com Printing Services 2,500 copies of The Viking are printed, five times a year by Folger Graphics in Hayward, Calif.

Logo Font Courtesy of Måns Grebäck

n e

Letter from the EDITORS

Hey Vikes! What an amazing year 2024 has been! Fall sports have wrapped up and we’re heading into the winter season. Continue to check our website, Twitter, and Instagram for score updates and to read recaps of recent Paly games.

We hope you enjoy our second print issue of Viking for the 24-25 school year!

Our cover story, “Social Media Unfiltered” (page 24) discusses both the positive and potentially negative effects that social media can have on student-athletes.

“Sweat to Strength,” (page 12) takes a closer look into the importance of electrolytes and how Paly athletes utilize them to improve their game.

There are different sibling duos represented throughout Paly athletics, and “Timeless Teammates,” (page 14) show-

Claire Cho

cases those relationships.

“Home Turf Triumph,” (page 16) looks at the existing advantages to playing on Paly’s home field for a variety of sports teams.

It is common for athletes to have athletes they look up to. “Guided by Greatness,” (page 20) reveals the impact that role models have on some of Paly’s athletes.

“The Balancing Act,” (page 22) puts the spotlight on multi-sport athletes and dives into how they balance playing multiple sports with other important aspects of life.

“Sports Photography,” (page 30) is an introduction to the world of sports photography and details the intricacies of it.

Check out “Jitters to Jerseys” (page 28) to read about the perspectives of a

Roan Haney

few Paly athletes who have shared their tryout experience.

“Parent Trivia” (page 38) reveals the results of an in-depth trivia for the girl’s water polo parents as well as parental knowledge of multiple other sports.

Continuing the spotlight on Paly athletes, “Point of Balance,” (page 40) focuses on junior Liam Li who has been fencing for most of his life.

“Mentors in the making,” (page 32) highlights student coaches here at Paly, and their commitment to helping kids.

Finally, our final word, written by Tyler Cheung, explores what relegation would look like in American sports.

That’s all for the second issue of this school year! We cannot wait for you to read it and let us know your thoughts!

Emil Bothe

Ethan Wang

STAFF OPINION

NIL, the Transfer Portal, and the 12-Team Playoff The college football landscape has changed for the better. The 2021 NCAA rule change allowing athletes to profit from their Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL), paired with the introduction of the transfer portal in 2018, has stabilized college football, narrowing the gap between teams and creating more intense competition. Along with the 12-team playoff format debuting this season, college football is the most competitive it has ever been.

Prior to 2021, powerhouse teams like Alabama, Ohio State, and Clemson stacked their rosters with the best talent, leaving others with little chance.

The best high school players wanted to play for the very best teams, even if it meant sitting on the bench for a couple of years. For example, in 2019, Alabama’s wide receiver room featured four future first-round picks in Henry Ruggs III, Jerry Jeudy, Devonte Smith, and Jaylon Waddle. College football was dominated by a few elite teams, causing repetitiveness for fans.

NIL disrupts this college football roy-

alty, creating an unofficial salary cap.

Colleges don’t have infinite amounts of money, so schools must choose which players to pay. Schools that were previously unable to attract top talent can now offer large sums of money. In a dangerous sport like football, health is not guaranteed, and no high schooler will turn down half a million dollars just to play for a better team. A college like Alabama can’t have all the best players anymore because they can’t afford everyone.

Last season, the college football playoff committee caused controversy by leaving undefeated Florida State out of the playoffs. Florida State wasn’t the only deserving team left out, as 12-1 Georgia also barely missed the playoff after a narrow defeat to Alabama in the SEC championship. The issue with the four-team playoff is that there is not enough overlap between teams from different conferences, so the committee must make decisions without sufficient evidence or an official metric that decides which teams are most deserving.

There will always be debate as to what

teams deserve to be included in the playoffs, however the 12-team playoff creates a more just system for competing towards a National Championship, as serious competitors are rarely ranked low enough. Furthermore, teams have more room for error. Teams can now have more than one loss, which is especially important for teams in the SEC and Big 10, where there are multiple playoff contenders. This allows the playoff committee to award both the best teams in weaker conferences and those with a more competitive schedule.

This season has seen an incredible amount of upsets, most recently with unranked Michigan defeating No. 2 Ohio State and unranked Syracuse defeating No. 6 Miami. This season has shown that the difference between teams is actually quite small, and any team can win on any given day. The addition of the transfer portal and NIL has intensified the competition, and fans should be excited for a 12 team playoff that will provide a more just way to determine the National Champion than ever before. @vikingsportsmag | Dec 2024 | 3

Contents Table of

Kacey Washington (‘26) lines up, in a 44-6 loss against Los Gatos. Photo by Lucas Tung.

6 Zooms 12

Sweat to Strength

14 Timeless Teammates Turf 16 Home Triumph by 20 Guided Greatness

22 The Balancing Act 26 Sports Photography

Jitters to Jerseys

28

Social Media Unfiltered

32

Parent Trivia

38

Point of Balance

40

Mentors in the Making

42

Survival of the Fittest

45

6 | VIKING MAGAZINE | vikingsportsmag.com

AIR

TIme

Abers Boyarsky (‘26) launches the opening kickoff against Los Gatos in a 44-6 loss on senior night.

Photo by Lucas Tung

@vikingsportsmag | DEC 2024 | 7

slam dunk

Maura Hambly (‘27) jumps up to spike the ball, in a 3-1 victory against Tamalpais.

Photo by Lucas Tung

8 | VIKING MAGAZINE | vikingsportsmag.com

@vikingsportsmag | DEC 2024 | 9

Rack

attack Jorell Clark (‘25) flushes home a huge dunk in a 6563 overtime loss to Gunn during the 23-24 season. .

Photo courtesy of Jason Hu

10 | VIKING MAGAZINE | vikingsportsmag.com

@vikingsportsmag | DEC 2024 | 11

STRENGTH

Kickoff

weat to

By NATHAN LEE and ADI WEINER

Electrolyte packets have always been popular by athletes for their hydration benefits. We found out which brands are popular among students and the reasons behind their choices.

“I use LMNT or Santa Cruz Paleo electrolytes. I use them to restore salt, potassium, and magnesium when playing tennis, and because it tastes better than water.”

-Tom Li (‘27) “I use electrolytes after training almost every day and after workouts. I use Relyte electrolytes to recover many of the key minerals that I lose to sweat while running.”

-Jacob Guhr (‘28) 12 | VIKING MAGAZINE | vikingsportsmag.com

Kickoff

“I use electrolytes during practice and competitions.

I use liquid IV because the taste isn’t too strong and it has less sugar than Gatorade or Powerade.”

-Nico Ogawa (‘25) “I use the brand liquid IV. I drink electrolytes after working out but also sometimes in the morning while I eat breakfast. I use electrolytes because they’re helpful for hydration but also because they taste really good.”

-Millie Reiter (‘26)

83% of Athletes use electrolytes According to the British Journal of Sports Medicine

“I use Nuun hydration tablets before and after workouts.

Electrolytes are good for replacing salts you lost through sweat and also loosen your muscles aiding in recovery.”

-Ryan Kim (‘25) @vikingsportsmag | DEC 2024 | 13

T Kickoff

imeless eamates

By Adi Weiner and Nathan Lee

Siblings who play the same sport have an experience unlike other athletes on their team. Playing with siblings creates opportunities to learn from someone they’ve known since birth.

Justin and Jeremiah

Fung

”The ability to trust Jeremiah on the field is a massive advantage. Playing with him has been a crazy experience because I never thought we would be playing on high school teams together.“

-Justin Fung (‘27)

Photo Courtesy of the Fung Family.

14 | VIKING MAGAZINE | vikingsportsmag.com

”Being brothers brings a different connection when we’re playing as teammates. In the games, we can just look at each other and know that Justin can trust that I will be in the spot he needs me to be.“

-Jeremiah Fung (‘25)

s Chang s

Kickoff

Tessa and Anika

”I like being able to give my sister advice and relate to her in the sport we play. I look forward to Tessa being involved in lacrosse and soccer and am super excited to watch her play at Paly.“

-Anika Chang (‘22)

”I think playing the same sport as my sister has helped me because I learn a lot of new things from her and it helps me push myself to improve even more.“

-Tessa Chang(‘27)

Photo Courtesy of the Chang Family.

Gin and Lizzy

Williams

”Playing water polo with my sister was a fun way for us to spend time together and to be a part of the same community. We push each other, and she motivates me to keep getting better.“

-Gin Williams (‘25) ”Playing water polo with her was fun because it gave us something else in common with each other and I got to spend a lot more time with her.“

-Lizzy Williams (‘25)

Photo Courtesy of the Williams Family. @vikingsportsmag | DEC 2024 | 15

Home Turf

Text and design by SCARLETT FRICK and ELIF DOGAN

Triumph The concept of a “home field advantage” goes far beyond the convenience of not having to travel: it’s fueled by pride, familiarity, and community support that energizes athletes and unsettles opponents. How much does it really impact Paly athletes?

GIRLS SOCCER

S

2023-24 season home

Away

Wins:

Wins:

Losses:

Losses:

occer fields each have their own surface, can build confiunique conditions- such as the di- dence. This familiarity mensions, type of grass or turf, and can help players infer even how the ball bounces. Practicing how the ball can react in on the same field regularly means play- different situations, makers adapt to these specific conditions. ing them more confident Sophomore varsity soccer player Zoe in their passes, positionit also comes with a unique kind of presQuinlan emphasizes how the physical ing, and shots. Playing at familiarity in the field contributes to a home can also give players advantages sure. Quinlan acknowledges that playteam’s advantage. when making strategic moves, as they’re ing in front of familiar faces - friends, “When you play on a field or in an envi- not using more energy mentally by ad- family, and classmates - adds an extra ronment that you are familiar with, you justing to new field conditions. Howev- level of responsibility. will play better,” Quinlan said. “We are er, the home field advantages go be- “I feel extra pressure at used to the field conditions we have and yond just the physical environment; the home, because I’m if it’s different from another school’s presence of a supportive crowd can in- playing in front of people that are fafields, so we will have more of an advan- fluence performance as well. tage because we are used to practicing “If fans are encouraging you, the team miliar and I don’t on our field.” will have more energy, and it’ll motivate want to embarBecoming familiar with every aspect of players which leads to playing better,” rass myself in the field - from the patches of grass, to Quinlan said. While home field advan- front of them,” the bounce and roll of the ball on the tages can bring comfort and confidence, Quinlan said.

16 | VIKING MAGAZINE | vikingsportsmag.com

FOOTBALL

W

hat often comes to mind er, if you play with the mindset that the when a Paly student thinks conditions affect both teams, then I about a home football game think performance won’t be different.” is the image of hundreds of students, Kessler also emphasizes that the enfamily members, and friends filling the thusiasm and energy of the crowd matstands and dressing up according to the ter more than the sheer size of the stutheme of the night. Throughout the sea- dent section. son, the Palo Alto football team has con- “It’s super important to be engaged: if sistently drawn impressive crowds at you’re at a game and not engaged every home game. But for the players there’s no point in being there,” Kessler on the field, the question remains: do said. “I’d rather have 25 super engaged they feel the support from the stands, fans than 100 that aren’t. That’s what it and does it affect their playing? was like down the stretch last season.

“It’s great to play on a field in front of We had little to no student support, but friends and family,” captain and senior we had tons of family support and that football player Jeremiah Fung said. made the wins more meaningful.”

“Playing at home normally makes me While Joe Kessler acknowledges the feel more comfortable because we crowd’s presence, his focus on perforpractice on the field all week – getting to mance during the game doesn’t deplay there just makes it better,” Fung pend on external noise or interfersaid. ence.

Yet, Fung doesn’t seem to indicate that “I don’t pay attention to the playing with a larger support group af- stands, I tune out all the extra fects his ability to play. “The crowd usu- sounds because it doesn’t matally mutes in my head, so I don’t really ter to me,” Kessler said. “But it’s hear them.” nice being able to perform in Similar to Fung, captain and senior front of a lot of people.”

Joe Kessler believes that familiarity can While the players don’t play an important role in the outcome seem to believe that the of a game. “Each field differs with the crowd directly affects turf, and if you’re not used to it, it can be their performance, difficult to adapt,” Kessler said. “Howev- they both appreciate the sense of comfort that accompanies being able to play on their own field and enjoy the support of family and friends cheering from the stands.

Even with the given advantages playing at home can create, the Palo Alto vikings face a tough schedule packed with intense competition this season.

“I do believe

our home schedule is tougher than our away schedule,” Kessler said. “We play some of the toughest teams in the area on our own field, and while it’s amazing to be able to play that type of competition, I do wish that we could play a weaker team at home.”

With this tougher competition comes a potential decrease in student devotion to games. “[A tougher schedule] affects how many people show up, it’s frustrating that if the win is not guaranteed, most students don’t show up and support and when they do it’s fake noise,” Kessler said.

Being able to support the team regardless of a win or loss can mean a lot to the varsity football players.

Joe Kessler (‘25) strides down the field. Photo courtesy of JASON HUNG

2024 season home

Away

Wins:

Wins:

Losses:

Losses:

@vikingsportsmag | DEC 2024 | 17

2024-25 League season Riley Reckless (‘26) finishes a shot. Photo courtesy of DYLAN FUJITA

home Wins:

Wins:

Losses:

Losses:

BOYS WATER POLO W

Away

hile football often stands out as According to Ryans, Paly’s expansive playing at home can bring more presthe sport that comes to mind pool and resources set them apart from sure to win. “At times, there is some exwhen picturing the most signif- other teams in the league. tra pressure when playing at home, esicant home field advantage, other teams “The Paly pool is longer and wider than pecially when you aren’t having a good also experience unique benefits from most of the other schools we play game,” Ryans said. “I remember playing playing on their own turf. A prime exam- against, so when we play at home, the at home against Gunn, where I wasn’t ple is the Paly Boys water polo team, other teams get tired a lot faster than scoring as much as usual, and knowing where the characteristics of their home normal,” he said. “I think when you have that I have friends and family in the pool provide a distinct edge. a larger home pool, it affects your per- stands seeing me play badly made me “In water polo, home field advantage is formance positively because it helps think I was doing worse then I actually a big factor, as every pool is a different you to build up more stamina than other was. But I reminded myself that ultisize, and the temperature and chlorine teams and makes it easier when you mately the people in the stands don’t levels affect how you play,” junior and play at other schools with smaller pools.” determine how I play, so I should control varsity water polo player Felix Ryans Ryans also believes that fan engage- what I can.” said. ment plays a significant role in water More than just providing a morale A high school water polo pool is typi- polo. “When the fans are hyped up and boost or adding pressure, Ryans sees cally 25-30 meters long and 10-20 me- cheering a lot, the atmosphere helps the the crowd’s energy as a strategic advanters wide, however, there are no exact good players play better, but also de- tage. “Having fan engagement can help standard dimensions for a water polo moralizes the other team,” he said. “It us play better because it can intimidate field, because the dimensions adapt de- also makes the experience a lot more the other teams and cause them to compending on the size of the pool. This enjoyable for me, as I find it comforting pound their mistakes,” he said. means that certain pools are wider, lon- to have friends and family in the stands The presence of a vocal, enthusiastic ger, and larger than others, giving play- watching me do something I am pas- home crowd can turn the tide of a ers more distance to swim but also a sionate about.” match, pushing the Paly team to elevate larger and wider area to set up their of- While Ryans appreciates the support their game while both unsettling and tirfense. from loved ones, he acknowledges that ing out their opponents.

18 | VIKING MAGAZINE | vikingsportsmag.com

GIRLS VOLLEYBALL

G

irls volleyball may not always attract through in difficult moments. “It is so imthe same level of attention as foot- portant to have support,” Shumaker said. ball, but for the players, the experi- “It’s always nice to have our fans cheerence of competing on their home court is ing on the side because it keeps up our just as impactful. The support from fans energy and keeps up the mood in the can energize the team and make a tangi- gym. A lot of the time my team can get ble difference in their performance. down on themselves and that starts to af“I think [playing at home] does give a fect their playing, but without the energy slight advantage, especially depending from our fans it sometimes makes it more on the teams we play,” junior and volley- difficult to get out of that mindset.” ball player Marley Shumaker said. “If we However, playing in front of a home were playing rivals like Los Gatos or crowd can come with added pressures.

Gunn, it’s so fun to have our student sec- Similar to Ryans, Shumaker and her tion cheering for us in our own gym, teammates sometimes face the mental along with that just being in the environ- strain that comes with performing in ment of our home court is so fun. I think it front of an audience. fuels our energy and makes us fight hard- “It’s hard not to get in your head beer to ‘protect the house’, is what we call cause you never want to lose at home in it.” front of everyone,” she said. “But I think In some instances, the energy of the this just makes us want to fight harder. I crowd can make or break a game. “Last think we handle it by knowing that our year at the Gunn vs Paly game we had a student section and others watching are very big student section and everyone here to support us whether we win or was cheering, making the gym so loud,” not, and that is so important Shumaker said. “It was so fun to see ev- to us.” eryone laughing and just having a great Despite the impressive retime. I really believe it helped our team cord and standings of the pull out the win, and made it so much team at the top of the De more special.”

Anza League, Shumaker acFor Shumaker, the presence of fans knowledges that volleyball goes beyond just boosting morale: it games may not draw as large helps the team maintain their focus and a student crowd as other composure and even helps them pull sports at Paly.

“I do think we are at times underrepresented, we are a very strong team and I feel like people don’t know that,” Shumaker said. While Shumaker remains hopeful that more students will turn out to support the volleyball team, she and her teammates appreciate both their student section and the support of team parents, knowing that their presence can make all the difference, win or lose.

“It would be nice to see more of a student devotion at home games, however we all are still happy with the turnout,” Shumaker said.

Beyond just student participation, playing at home can provide comfortability, convenience, and an advantage in training, all of which can enhance an athlete’s abilities. Across all four sports, one thing is continuously shared: the support from fans and loved ones brings meaning to each game, and can inspire athletes to give their all.

2024-25 season home

Away

Wins:

Wins:

Losses:

Losses:

Naama Green (‘25) and Maura Hambly (‘27) extend over the net. Photo courtesy of MARLEY SHUMAKER @vikingsportsmag | DEC 2024 | 19

Guidedby

GREATNESS

by MALCOLM GINWALLA and JONATHAN YUAN

Role models play a huge role in fostering a Paly athlete’s ability to perform in a sport, whether that’s inspiring them to train harder or showing them techniques.

A

s they grapple for a position with proving athletes’ performances, giving the clock ticking down, Paly wres- them an established level of perfortler and junior James Otuhiva and mance to work toward. Athletes generalhis opponent Joshua Arevalo wait for ly try to imitate how the person they look the whistle to blow. For the victor, the up to plays in order to improve their own whistle signifies greatness: offering not performance. only a place in the State competition but “Someone that I look up to that used a spot on their championship wall. For to go to Paly, is Nick Heroes,” Othuhiva the other, it signifies going home emp- said. “He was not really the best technity-handed. When the whistle blew on cally, but he always had a really big heart Feburary 10, and always gave it 2024, Otuhiva his all every match. became the vicSo that stuck with tor of his match, me, and really inplacing third at fluenced me to do the CCS Coast the same.”

Section Masters.

Another examOtuhiva, a ple includes Hanmember of nah Oh, a sophothe Paly varsity more on the Paly wrestling team, swim team, who prides himself has someone on his hard work, she looks up to — dedication, and she has asked to commitment to keep them anon6) (‘2 a iv uh Ot -James wrestling.

Moymous — and has tivated by his tried to mimic teammates’ detheir technique dictaion, Otuhiva and race strategies to was able to grow as a wrestler. try to improve her ability to swim.

Many athletes at Paly look up to role “I look up to a senior on the team bemodels, whether they be professionals cause she has had a lot of experience or fellow students. Role models play a and has gone through most of the things huge part in both stimulating and im- I am going through right now,” Oh said.

“[Nick Heroes] always had a really big heart and always gave it his all every match. So that stuck with me, and really influenced me to do the same.”

20 | VIKING MAGAZINE | vikingsportsmag.com

“I sometimes try to imitate her to improve my own performance because she has good technique and strategies she employs when she is struggling either physically or mentally.”

According to a Sports Financial Literacy Academy article, athlete role models are associated with high levels of discipline, perseverance, and never giving up on their goals, despite the obstacles they may face. Because professional athletes embody the ideas of discipline and grit, athletes who look up to them are generally more motivated to persevere and work on their own goals.

For Silvia Rodriguez, a junior on the Cross Country team, her teammate Amaya Bharadwaj (‘26) has been inspiring her to perform at a higher level.

“I really look up to Amaya because she is just been so successful despite the fact that she moved here at the beginning of ninth grade,” Rodriguez said. “She has been such an integral part of both the Track and Field and Cross Country team and she is really dedicated herself. I feel like she has constantly been a leader and inspired others. During practices, she is always running ahead of the boys and pushing everybody else to be the best that they can be on the team.”

These upperclassman leaders make significant impacts on their teammates.

Their impact is felt across the team and

is crucial to motivating their teammates after. Swimmer Meryem Orazov (‘26) and making the program better. reveres widely known olympic distance For many Paly athletes, teammates swimmer Katie Ledecky. are not the only possible role models “I look up to [Ledecky] because we pushing them to be both are distance their best— some freestylers and I athletes also look feel like I have a up to celebrities. lot to learn from Dom Hernandez, just looking at a junior on the Paly her stroke techFootball team, nique,” Orazov looks up to a playsaid. “I see from er on the San Franher races that cisco 49ers. she really em“One person phasizes her pull I look up to is when she swims.

Nick Bosa on From watching the forty-niners,” her swim, I’ve Hernandez said. started trying to -Silvia Rodriguez (‘2 6) “He’s a defensive focus on my pull end and we both during practices play the same and at meets.” position, so he Junior and water definitely inspires me to play the way polo player Mila he does. On game day, he’s very fero- Bynum had the chance to meet her idols cious and plays very fierce. I like to mod- on the US national Women’s Water Polo el the way he plays during my games.” team last summer.

Inspiration can change athletes’ aware“The USA national team came to play at ness of their capabilities, confidence, Paly and we got the opportunity to meet and motivation. These inspirations can them and ask them questions on the substantially benefit athletes, as it gives sport,” Bynum said. “It was really cool to them someone to model themselves see them in person and since then, I’ve

“I really look up to Am aya Bharadwaj because sh e’s just been so successful and she’s been such a integral part of both the Track and Field an d Cross Country team.”

James Otuhiva (26’) stands next to his role model, Nick Heroes (24’). Photo Courtesy of Nick Heroes.

looked up to them and tried to replicate their strategies in the game.”

Professional athletes exemplify the potential that younger student-athletes can reach if they persevere. Along with this, role models can also embody the values of support, teamwork, and positive mental attitudes. One such example is junior and baseball player Nate Robinson, who looked up to his teammate Ari Solar-Eisenberg (‘24) for his outstanding sportsmanship.

“I looked up to Ari because last year, he was a great teammate, and he was always nice to the younger guys,” Robinson said. “I want to eventually be like that when I’m a senior and hopefully become a team captain.”

Idols in sports play a crucial role in shaping and inspiring others, whether by fueling their motivation or encouraging them to become more supportive teammates. Athletes at Paly have the ability to set a positive example for younger athletes, by demonstrating hard work, integrity, and collaboration. By doing so, they can cultivate a legacy of leadership and inspire the next generation to thrive both on and off the field.

Silvia Rodriguez (26’) stands next to her role model, Amaya Bharadwaj (26’). Photo by Malcolm Ginwalla @vikingsportsmag | DEC 2024 | 21

The alancing BAct At Paly, multisport athletes balance intense training and academics, building resilience and time management skills. Despite the challenges, benefits like personal growth often outweigh the risks and shape well-rounded individuals for life beyond sports.

I

by AMANDA GOODY, BEN LEVAV and ISAAC TELYAZ

n the high-stakes world of high school freshmen and sophomores, however, training for one sport and regular season athletics, some students aren’t just when a student is participating in a sea- games and practices, schedules can be competing— they’re doubling down. sonal sport, they are typically excused very demanding.

Athletes often pursue multiple sports from PE to make up for after-school home- Sabrina Meyers, a sophomore at Paly, is a dual-sport varsity for reasons beyond external rewards. work time lost due to team sports schedathlete: a varsity Some chase personal growth, others ules. To be excused from PE and gain a swimmer and a crave new challenges, and many thrive on “prep” period, a student must obtain a coach-signed paper confirming the starter on the the variety of experiences that different girls varsity sports offer. These motivations highlight student is an actively contributing water polo the deeper connection athletes have with athlete on the team. team. their sports, transcending competition Paly students are eligible to play one sport each season, so many “When I’m alone. playing two At Paly, a majority of students have par- student-athletes take advantage ticipated in a school sport since athletics of this. There are three seasons for are such a vital part of Paly culture. Some school athletics: fall, winter, and photo of Sabrina Meyers students play more than one sport per spring. Each sport has a typical courtesy of Dylan Fujita year – which may have initially stemmed pre-season training, which is usually the most physically demanding from an interest in maintaining a “prep” period – but evolved into a much more se- and intense part of the season, and when students are particirious commitment.

Physical education is a required class for pating in both pre-season 22 | VIKING MAGAZINE | vikingsportsmag.com

sports at a time, sometimes I’ll have multi- reporting they spend as much time or said. “Playing sports and getting exercise ple practices in a day,” Meyers said. more time on athletics as during their allows me to stay on a routine, which al“When I get home, I am exhausted and I competitive season. lows my health to be consistent.” don’t have as much time to do homework Senior Svina Narang has been involved Conditioning is objectively the most imor other work.” in competitive gymnastics for 12 years portant and the most physically demandBalancing multiple sports can be re- and high school diving for three years. ing part of many sports. Therefore, being warding but exhausting, as Meyers ac- Some sports such as high school diving a multi-sport athlete doesn’t just take its knowledges the strain on her time and are only one season long, whereas com- toll mentally, but also physically. energy. Varsity swim coach Danny Dye petitive gymnastics requires yearlong “Training can definitely be a lot both encourages athletes to participate in mul- dedication with few and short breaks. physically and mentally at times, but I tiple sports during the high school “I definitely have had to have learned to have a balance,” Narang season, though his intense learn to balance my said. “I think it’s very important that I am training sessions often time, and often- aware of how much I am doing so I don’t push swimmers to their times athletic overwork myself and burnout, which is relimits. practice can ally easy to do.”

“I’m a proponent take away To effectively balance training and acaof athletics,” Dye from my demics, student-athletes often explore said. “I think athtime to do various extracurricular activities. Particiletics are very a c a d e m i c pating in multiple sports allows them to good for the stuwork,” Na- discover their passions while developing dents, mind and rang said. time management skills and learning body, especially “I try my valuable lessons in teamwork and dediin a high school best to cation. setting, because continue to “I have been involved in gymnastics they’re representdo well aca- since I was five years old, and I think ing their school. d e m i c a l l y , getting involved in such a time-inTheir friends are but learning to tensive sport at such a young age there to support them, do so was defi- has allowed me to learn how to their teachers, parents, nitely an adjust- work effectively,” Narang said. all their team, all of those ment.”

Parents typically enroll their positive aspects, are there to Even though Narang children in multiple extrasupport the athlete.” has learned to manage her curricular activities as a A Paly student is typically responsible for time, the intense training and stress on way to unlock doors for keeping track of assignments and prep- her body caused her to suffer during her possible futures. a way ping for tests. However, student-athletes freshman year from a stress fracture in her to unlock doors for are not only responsible for their academ- spine. A stress fracture results from over- possible futures. a ics, but also their athletic performance. use of certain musway to unlock doors Student-athletes are forced to learn time cles/bones, and for possible futures. management skills that allow them to split usually occurs up their time and still perform to the best when physical activPhoto courtesy of Svina of their abilities. ity puts too much Narang.

“I believe that athletes are smart enough pressure on a bone to know what it is that’s and it doesn’t have right for them,” Dye enough time to recover. said.

“Gymnastics is very physiHigh school stu- cally demanding, and impacts d e n t - a t h l e t e s my body a lot,” Narang said. spend on aver- “Especially during competition age 10-15 hours season, practice tends to ramp per week on up a lot. Because of this, during s p o rt s - re l a t e d my freshman year, I got a stress fracactivities during ture in my back due to lots of overuse.” their season, with Although balancing multiple sports many dedicating and academics can have negative imeven more time. Ac- pacts on some, other students argue that cording to Untapped Learning, this balance can be beneficial. Junior and studies found that 80% of stu- year-round multi-sport athlete Jake Wang dent-athletes feel over- believes that staying physically active imwhelmed by their responsibili- proves his mental activity and overall ties at some point during the health. academic year. Even in the “I think playing multiple sports allows my off-season, many students still mental health and physical health to stay maintain a rigorous schedule, with 67% consistent throughout the year,” Wang

“I believe that athletes are smart enough to know what it is that’s right for them.”

- SWIM COACH DANNY DYE

@vikingsportsmag | DEC 2024 | 23

Exploring different activities and experi- from your main sport cannot be ignored. coach a phone call letting him know about ences, including athletics, can help indi- According to John Hopkins Medicine, in my ACL and MCL tear, he was very underviduals discover their strengths and inter- the US, more than 3.5 million sports inju- standing and supportive,” Harding said. ests. As a result, as many student-athletes ries occur each year. This is about Harding, like many other multienter high school, there may be multiple 1/3 of all injuries sustained sport athletes, took a risk in sports that an athlete participates in, even by children. One of the his athletic career, unif that sport is purely for fun. sports with the highderstanding that by Balancing multiple sports can offer est injury rates is playing another unique rewards, providing athletes with football, as it is an sport his future in diverse experiences that can enhance extremely conbaseball could personal growth, teamwork, and skill dif- t a c t - h e a v y be diminished ferentiation. sport. or impacted.

“I love playing both [football and basket- Senior Henry Amidst these ball],” Wang said. “Each has a unique team Harding repossible dynamic which I love, and the benefits of cently comlife-altering playing multiple sports are that each sport mitted to the risks, Harding can help you with all-around athleticism.” College of the still chose to However, while the enjoyment of partici- Holy Cross in take the risk pating in multiple sports is clear, athletes Massachusetts and fulfill his must also be mindful of the physical and to continue his dreams of playmental risks that come with juggling dif- academic and athing football in ferent commitments. letic career as a high school, even if Some student-athletes who play multi- pitcher for the Division I it was just for fun. Even ple sports have a “main sport” –which baseball team. Despite his though his risk didn’t have could be the sport they wish to continue commitment to baseball, Hardpermanent consequences, at the collegiate level – ing decided that for his senior year, he there are still prevalent temporary conseand the other sport wanted to train and play with the Paly var- quences that could be possible issue facmay be to fill a desire, sity football team as a kicker. tors in the future. like filling the stereo- “I wanted to play football because I “In terms of performance for the college typical role as a high knew the football team’s strength and season next fall, it will definitely be a proschool football player conditioning coach was very good and I cess to get back to the level I was at beplaying under Friday wanted to get stronger for the baseball fore my injury,” Harding said. “All of the night lights. season,” Harding said. “I also wanted to coaches and medical professionals I have Whatever the join because I didn’t want to go all four talked with are confident that I will be able motive may years of high school having never tried to to get stronger than I was before my injube, the risks play football.” ry, and focus during physical therapy will of playing While the reward of being on the foot- be on rebuilding my strength from the another ball team seems substantial, the risks can ground up.” s p o r t still outweigh the benefits. As a commit- According to Athletes Untapped, while aside ted athlete, coaches are committing physical recovery is a crucial part of rethemselves to the promise of the skill and turning to competition, mental and emohealth of a player, and being injured can tional resilience are equally important in cause serious liabilities. an athlete’s journey. The process of reha“I thought about the risks and I talked it bilitation offers both an opportunity for over with my parents and my college renewal and a challenge that tests endurbaseball advisor, and we all thought ance beyond the physical. However, replaying as a kicker was a good idea covery must also balance against the since it would be unlikely that I would broader concern in sports today—athlete get hurt,” Harding said. “They also burnout. saw the upside of me getting a lot One of the most pressing concerns in stronger and staying in shape for the athletics is the chance that an athlete may baseball season.” burn out at some point in their career. The Harding is facing significant injuries, in- pressure to do and achieve more in athletcluding a torn MCL, a torn ACL, and a frac- ics is an exponentially increasing issue, ture of the femur. As a result, he is expect- and far too rarely is consideration given to ed to be out of action for 9-12 months. the costs of operating in this non-stop When asked about his status at Holy fashion.

Cross, Harding explained that his offer “After years and years of playing a sport, Photo courtesy of would not be pulled and he still has a spot expectations and competition build up Henry harding. on the team for the next season, but Hard- and take away from the fun I used to ing is out for his senior high school base- have,” Narang said. “Coaches especially ball season. can add to losing your love for the sport.”

“When I gave the Holy Cross pitching In reality, however, the human body

“Each has a unique team dynamic which I love, and the benefits of playing multiple sports are that each sport can help you with all-around athleticism.”

- JAKE WANG (‘26)

24 | VIKING MAGAZINE | vikingsportsmag.com

needs recovery to thrive. Without it, per- Ultimately, being a multisport athlete is a and maintain discipline in the face of conformance can begin to suffer and an balancing act between the stant demands builds a unique resilience. athlete can start breaking risks and the rewards. These athletes aren’t just learning how to down. The state of burnout For many athletes excel in different sports—they’re also masis often regarded as the at Paly, the vari- tering life skills that will serve them long endpoint of this ety of experi- after their playing days are over. breakdown proences and After all, the true value lies in realizing cess and is charp e r s o n a l that limits are not finish lines but starting acterized by the g r o w t h points. Each challenge reveals new potenabsence of mog a i n e d tial and deeper strength, proving that tivation as well f r o m growth happens when you push beyond as complete playing what you thought possible. For mental and m u l t i- multisport athletes, success is physical exp l e not just about victories haustion. s p o r t s or accolades, but Surprisingly, far out- about redefining what burnout is w e i g h s they’re capable of common in not the chal- both on and off the just high school lenges. field. athletes but also Participatcollege athletes. Acing in multiPhoto courtesy of cording to the NCAA, ple sports Jake Wang. statistics show that 72% of provides more student-athletes experienced than just physical a state of staleness during their conditioning: it also fossports seasons, 66% have experienced ters mental health benefits, like the overtraining, and 47% reported feeling routine physical activity that Wang enburned out at some point during their col- joys, and helps develop time manlegiate career. agement and resilience skills, as seen Playing multiple sports can help miti- in the experiences of Meyers and Nagate burnout among student-athletes by rang. It can help athletes discover providing variety, which maintains motiva- new passions, stave off burnout, and tion and enjoyment. cultivate a sense of teamwork and “I think playing multiple sports does dedication. However, as Harding’s help prevent burnout because each story illustrates, the risks are real. A sports have different elements to them torn ACL or overuse injury can derail which can make them interesting for dif- not just one season, but an entire athferent reasons,” Wang said. “When you letic future. play multiple sports you get the best of Yet, for many, the joy of competition and your favorite sports, but you don’t usually the opportunity to represent their school get sick of them.” or challenge themselves in new The concept that increasing ways makes the gamble schedule load by playing worthwhile. At its core, multiple sports can the decision to purhelp to mitigate sue multiple sports burnout in a “main is deeply personsport” can be al — one that resurprising to quires a balsome athletes. ance of “Surprisingly, passion, resilyes I think ience, and playing multicommitment. ple sports While the helps to mitiroad is bumpy gate burnout in and often filled my main sport,” with sacrifices, Narang said. “I the experiences think that even and lessons though I am commitgained through multing the same amount tisport participation ofof time to gymnastics even ten shape athletes into during diving season, I am not as more well-rounded, able indiconsumed by one thing.” viduals. The ability to adapt, manage time,

“All of the coaches and medical professionals I have talked with are confident that I will be able to get stronger than I was before my injury.”

- HENRY HARDING (‘25)

“After years and years of playing a sport, expectations and competition build up and take away from the fun I used to have.”

- SVINA NARANG (‘25)

@vikingsportsmag | DEC 2024 | 25

Viking’s Guide Sports Photography

By Lucas Tung

Photography in sports has shaped how we experience and remember the emotion, triumph, and stories behind every game. Learn the basics and tips from professionals in this guide.

I

t’s not just the click of the shutter istence trying to define its existence. when it comes to sports photograThis guide to sports photography, phy. It’s capturing the spirit of athlet- brought to you by the Viking Sports ic competition within the moment. The Magazine brings not only the essential focused gaze of an athlete committed fundamentals necessary to start your to their goal or the jubilant eruption of photography journey; but also insight a victorious crowd. Sports photography from professional photographers who captures both the highs and lows of are going to help you learn the tips and peak human performance. One shot is tricks used by the best of the best. enough to speak to millions of people For any aspiring photographer, the first invested in the global phenomenon of step in their journey is to learn about sport, living, struggling to get by, and their camera. A photographer needs to then overcoming to get the victory. understand the capabilities of the camWhy is sports photography important? era they have on hand. There are so Because it is more than just what’s going many different variables necessary to on in the field; it’s the emotion, the an- understand about your camera for when ticipation, the agony of defeat, and the it is time to take photos. “Is my lens suitjoy of victory. While all of this can occur able for this range?” or “Is my shutter fast in mere seconds as part of a split se- enough to freeze the moment?” Underquence, and fade away quickly, behind standing these details are crucial for capthe camera, a moment can live forever. turing the perfect shot.

One photograph can validate emotions, For all sports, a fast shutter speed is a nespark debates, and unite people from cessity for capturing the brief intervals of all walks of life. From the hometown each play. A speed of at least 1/500 of high school championship game to the a second is recommended for shooting world final being broadcasted world- high speed action, the faster the better. wide, sports photography relates the ac- Furthermore, without knowing how sention on the field with the world outside sitive your camera is to light, all of your of sports. Beyond personal significance, photos will be either pitch black or bright sports photography holds a crucial place white, cameras use the measure of ISO in our shared cultural narrative. Millions to control this variable. Although most of images from sports and other topics cameras have an automatic feature to are constantly being contextualized: control ISO, sometimes manual input that was a photo of perseverance, that is the best. When shooting a game or a was a photo of hope, that was a photo match during a sunny day, shooting at a of change. They document the evolution lower ISO is key. When shooting during a of our jerseys and gear and the night game or in a dark setting, the highdismantling of gender er the ISO the better. Despite this rule and racial bound- of thumb, the light sensitivity through aries. Therefore, the lens is directly correlated to how sports photogra- fast your shutter is moving. Therefore, phers do much the faster your shutter speed, the higher more than cap- your ISO should be. ture the cham- Another important setting when taking pionship game photos for sports is aperture. Aperture and the score; controls how wide the lens of your camthey capture era opens. This influences the lighting of the story of ex- the shot as well as the depth of field. The @vikingsportsmag 40 | DEC 2024 | VIKING | 26MAGAZINE | viking-

aperture of your camera works exactly like how you control the width of your eyes. When you squint, it is the equivalent of a camera using a high aperture; similarly, when your eyes are wide open, it’s the same as low aperture on a camera. Therefore, a higher aperture gives more light, and allows for greater focus and sharpness on the subject of a photo. Whereas a lower aperture gives more light and a bigger depth of field.

These three settings are the foundation of photography, often referred to as the exposure triangle. Mastering how to apply and combine these tools together is essential for any aspiring sports photographer.

Having a feel for the sport you are shooting is just as important as knowing your camera. Knowing where and when to be in the best location to get the best shot is a very valuable skill when taking photos of sports. For example, being aware of who is on offense or defense during a football game, or how much time is left in a soccer match, can be the difference between the perfect up close shot and missing the moment. Before you go to take photos of a game, familiarizing yourself with the rules and flow, will make taking good photos significantly easier.

Understanding the rhythm and strategy of the sport allows photographers to anticipate key moments before they happen. For example, in basketball, knowing that a fast break often leads to an exciting play can guide a photographer to position themselves for the best angle.

SEach sport has its own special rhythm, by being able to predict what happens next, photographers can be able to capture the action at its best.

Ultimately, the combination of technical skills and an acquired feel for the game will lead you to be able to take stunning, meaningful photographs that capture the action and tell stories that can resonate far beyond the sidelines.

Pro Tips Chris Hurtt Professional Photographer

Karen Ambrose Hickey Professional Photographer

• “Take lots of shots and don’t think about it, the more shots you take, the more things you’ll see.”

• “Try and get the athlete’s face, the ball, and the full body. Those three are the most important parts of a shot.”

• “Photography is about context—the thought you put into the shot creates the meaning behind it.”

• “Use cropping to focus the viewer’s eye, you want to tighten the image to show the viewer what you want them to see.”

• “When you take photos, step back and be a spectator. Let the moment unfold, and focus on capturing the moment.”

• “Try to take a variety of shots, mix up the angles and the focus, to give diversity to your portfolio.

@vikingsportsmag @vikingsportsmag| DEC | DEC 2024 2024| 41 | 27

Jittersto

by TYLER CHEUNG, LUKE JOACHIM, and FINNEGAN SCHOEBEL

Jerseys

Fears surrounding tryouts are a near universal feeling for Paly athletes. How can practice and mental exercises combat these issues?

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round fifty boys, ranging from For junior and basketball player Gra- to perform to the best of their abilities freshmen to seniors, stand around ham Vaughan, that extra practice came d u r i n g tryouts. For soccer player Paly’s lacrosse field. Some stretch, in the form of extra hours shootOliver Payne ('26), this talk with friends, or pass a ball, while ing baskets ahead of tryouts. balance means being others stand awkwardly in silence. The “I was spending hours evextra attentive to injuatmosphere is filled with mixed feelings eryday in the gym practicing, ries. of excitement and anxiety. For each of shooting baskets or doing "When it's getting these athletes, the next three days will drills, and I played some basclose to school seadefine their season, and possibly their ketball outside of school son, I start addsporting careers. It’s tryout season for as well, like AAU or with ing a rest day “any coach would Paly winter sports. friends,” Vaughan said. here and there not be telling you Tryouts are the stereotypical scary Adding on to the to make sure sporting event with every athlete asking idea of playing in AAU, I'm fit," Payne the truth if they told the same question: will I be the next cut? many athletes join said. you that previous Athletes are required to endure days or club sports in order Getting an even weeks of grueling sessions, afraid to keep themselves injury before experiences... might that one or two missteps could com- in shape and ready a tryout can not impact at pletely derail their chances at getting to play school sports. be detrionto the team.

Club sports create an mental for least some of their So what are the best ways to manage environment where players, these stresses? Many athletes put in extra players can play in especialdecision-making.” work in the weeks or months leading up competitive settings ly if when to tryouts in order to be at the top throughout the enmaking a of their game. Whether tire calendar year. first impresplaying club, work- In the case of junior sion on the ing in the gym or Temuge Battamur, he coach. Provspending extra joined Palo Alto Soccer ing oneself after time on drills, Club, a private club soccer team recovering from an ina t h l e t e s that helped him prepare for the season. jury can be very difficult, so it is importwill put “I go to practice three times a week ant for athelets to always warm up and in many with Palo Alto [Soccer Club],” Battamur stretch properly leading up to tryouts. e x t r a said. “It’s helped me a lot in both my conBalancing sports and school is anothhours in fidence and my abilities and makes me er layer of student athlete’s lives that hopes of feel way more prepared for tryouts.” increases stress. Going to practice after shining However, the combination of school school everyday is already difficult, but w h e n and club sports can lead to athletes be- rigorous academics can make it very exthe time ing worn down by the time school sea- hausting to train extra everyday to earn a comes. son starts, and therefore not being able roster spot.

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-Coach Brandon Byer

"High school [season] is really physical- a greater impact on a player’s stress re- season started while football CCS was ly demanding, so it takes a lot of work to garding tryouts. still going on. Some players were cut make sure that I'm ready,” Payne said.

Last spring season, junior Dylan Liao from the team because it was known that For many athletes, learning what you attended tryouts for both golf and swim- some of the football players were good can and cannot control is the most effec- ming. His performance in tryouts would enough to make the basketball team. tive way to manage stress. You cannot determine what sport he would play, When football CCS finished, a few playcontrol other players' actions, coaches adding on a new level of pressure. ers essentially automatically made it on actions, or any of the conditions of the “I was trying to get on the golf team the team with no tryout, purely because tryouts. However, you last year because I had of their reputation. This appears unfair to can control your no desire to be on some players who got cut. Junior Oscar effort, hustle, the swim team Barillas Otsby was one of the non-footand attianymore ball players who got cut from the team tude. at that last year.

If an point,” “I definitely feel like it was unfair how athlete L i a o football players got a free spot on the possesssaid. “If I roster without even trying out,” Barillas es qualdidn’t get Otsby said. ities that on, my parOthers feel like this bias from coaches reflect high ents were go- isn’t necessarily bad, because the coacheffort, hustle, and a ing to force me to get es impressions can be based on real positive attitude, they on the swim team.” performances in the past. If a coach has can put themselves in At tryouts, every a positive impression of a player, it most the best position to athlete’s goal is to im- likely means they are actually good at the make the team. press the coach, but sport.

“I feel like when gocoaches don’t always “Some people do have an advantage ing into tryouts, the have a neutral position for sure, but I feel like this could be good goal shouldn’t be to going in. Through prior or bad because the coach knows who’s impress people as teams or relationships, good and who’s bad,” Liao said. much as to put your many coaches build a Even though many coaches can be bibest effort,” junior socbiased impression of a ased, many do a good job of remaining cer player Naveen Narayanaswami said. player before entering tryouts. In fact, as neutral as possible. Narayanaswami “You should believe in yourself by being some athletes who participate in tryouts explained that even though varsity socconfident in what your best effort can feel like their competitors get a free pass cer coach Luiz Lodino is his club coach, do.” onto the team without actually going to he is certain that he can remain fair and Adding on to this, it can be very difficult tryouts. Last year, the JV unbi ased in his team selecfor those multi-sport athletes to transition baskettion. from different sports. Multi-sport athletes ball face unique challenges when switching sports. Each sport requires different skill sets, and it can be stressful for players to try out for a team in which they are out of practice. Junior Kacey Washington plays both football and basketball and has to transition his sports with no break in between.

“I’d say that football and basketball require two different sets of stamina,” Washington said. “Transitioning workloads from catching to shooting can be difficult, but I usually account for this by attending basketball open gyms about a week before tryouts.”

In addition to this, personal stresses are not the only factors that affect players before tryouts. Parents can put some high expectations on Paly athletes, causing prolonged stress both during the tryout period and the regular season. Athletes have a much closer relationship with their parents compared to teammates and coaches. This Athletes huddle during a tryout for soccer. Photo by Tyler Cheung means parent pressure can have

"I definitely feel like it was unfair how football players got a free spot on the roster without even trying out."

-OscAR BARILLAS OTSBY ('26)

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@vikingsportsmag | DEC 2024 | 29

“I don’t think anyone has an advantage going in even if they know the coach,” Narayanaswami said. “I know Luiz, of course, but I also know he is a very fair guy and will choose the best players for the team, whether he knows them or not.”

Most coaches try to mitigate these biases, but it can be difficult to filter out their inner conscious favoritism when evaluating players. This conscious bias from coaches can be unfair for new players and transfers who hope to make a good first impression.

Five year Junior Varsity Basketball Coach Brandon Byer feels that through experience, coaches should be able to accurately evaluate players without bias.

“I think any coach would not be telling you the truth if they told you that previous experiences of seeing players from previous seasons or in the off-season might not impact at least some of their decision-making,” Byer said. “For me, I go through a process of acknowledging these biases that I hold, over the course

“When going into [The] tryouts, the goal should not be to impress people as much as to put your best effort in.”

-Naveen Narayanaswami ('26)

of tryouts, and self-reflecting on whether these previous conceptions are heavily impacting, semi-impacting, or hardly impacting my individual decision making processes.”

For all the stress felt by the athletes to perform, coaches are under just as much -- if not more -- pressure.

Coaches need to distinguish between athletes after just a few hours watching them perform and build teams around players of all different levels and abilities, many of whom have never played with each other before.

Additionally, coaches need to try and choose athletes with the right personality traits to make sure team dynamic is the best it can be. Tryouts only recognize a small window of the lives and personalities of athletes that are much more diverse than what coaches see during tryouts.

These challenges stress coaches greatly, as making the wrong choices could unfairly hurt kids, lose the respect of the team, or even derail an entire season. However, Byer feels that coaches can become better at managing these stressful situations overtime.

“Having conducted tryouts for five going on six years now, I actually do not stress anymore about having to make decisions with regards to who makes the team,” Byer said. “My assistant coach and I have clear criteria that we look for in student-athletes, during the tryout period, which presents things pretty clear to us as we move throughout this time frame.”

Even though certain coaches

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might be able to avoid the stress of tryouts and can grow accustomed to the challenges of selecting the right athletes, it is not the case for everyone. Many coaches struggle with the idea of being responsible for whether a kid makes or doesn’t make the team, and fears picking the wrong players -- whether for skill or for personalities.

The pressure to perform leads to rising stress for athletes, many of whom experience dips in their performance due to the sometimes overwhelming stress.

However, some coaches are used to recognizing and managing the stress of kids. For example, coach Byer reminds players to focus on being the best person they can be instead of being worried about their performance. This is because focusing on providing personal skill can cause people to hog the ball or be overly physical.

“How I handle the stress of kids during tryouts is to reiterate the message that you can only ‘control your controllables’,” Byer said. “The idea of this is that the focus for each person trying out should be on intangible things such as effort, attitude, communication, listening, body language, etc. These transcend multiple sports and frankly life in general.”

Even though tryouts are known to induce stress in both players and coaches, it is always important to remember that hard work and dedication will always show during tryouts, and while current form might just be temporary, class will always be permanent. When focusing on effort and attitude, athletes give themselves the best chance to succeed.

@vikingsportsmag | DEC 2024 | 31

Social Media

by MAX MERKEL, ELENA SALVATIERRA, and SARAH THIEMAN,

The digital lives of student-athletes

The rise of social media offers student-athletes new ways to learn and reach beyond the field, however new challenges arise among the pressures of competitive sports and academic expectations.

E

very athlete is familiar with the rush cons of these online platforms. dent-run, like the Paly Girls Water Polo inof adrenaline you get from compet- The Paly community has greatly benefit- stagram account, run by junior Maeva ing. Now, with the rise of social me- ed from the positive aspects of social me- Herbert-Paz. dia, a new kind of adrenaline fills an ath- dia. For example, Paly Athletics updates “It definitely helps us gain some recognilete as the likes and comments flood in. In school sports news daily on their insta- tion about gamedays, and it’s just fun to recent years, social media has become an gram account, making it easy for students post content in general,” Herbert-Paz said. integral part of almost every aspect of life, and other members of the community to “It gives a place to post cool pictures takrevolutionizing how we communicate, support their peers. For emerging stu- en at games, boost team bonding, and connect, and create. Gen Z especially has dents, social media can also be a huge just create a fun environment for team populated platforms like TikTok, Insta- support to connect spirit.” gram, and Twitter, which have now be- younger stuIn addition to enhanccome powerful tools in all areas, including dents with a ing school spirit, social sports. For many student-athletes, social broader grade media helps with getmedia is now a part of daily routines, al- range and help ting noticed by collowing them to reach an audience ex- them gain a leges, one of the main tending beyond the playing field. But, good idea of focuses of many young when it comes to high school, social me- Paly to start their athletes. Throughout dia can be both a blessing and a curse. high school cathe season, athletes The rise in social media has come with reer off right. Sodon’t always have opcountless transformations and gateways. cial media presportunities to display Numerous school sports teams can now ence increases their best performance, use platforms to promote games, high- hype and spirit but an athlete’s social lights, and team spirit. They also can share around the many media presence can important dates, such as tryouts, team teams offered at significantly help drive meetings, and gamedays, encouraging Paly. Almost evtheir success. Stunew students to join sports teams they ery sports team dent-athletes now wouldn’t have otherwise considered. So- can be found on have vital doorways to cial media has also transformed the re- Instagram, where catching the attention cruiting process, the learning/teaching they post importof not only their peers environment, and athlete’s creativity. ant gamedays, but recruiters as well.

However, an increase in social media photos of the Social media has among student-athletes can be a slippery team, and entertransformed the reslope when it comes to self-esteem. As ev- taining content. cruiting process, espeerything moves online, it is important to Most of these accially through offering learn how students balance the pros and counts are stuan outlet for stu-

According to Pew Research Center,

45%

of teens say they use social media “almost constantly”

32 | VIKING MAGAZINE | vikingsportsmag.com

dent-athletes to gain recognition and es away, and many outlets weren’t avail- and get a good idea of you.” reach out to coaches. Platforms like X, Ins- able.”

Another positive aspect of social media tagram, and LinkedIn provide direct lines Social media also allows student-ath- is the possibility of learning opportunities of communication to schools they are in- letes to build their own brand through from other athletes everywhere. By folterested in and give them a space to up- posting skills, highlights, and other posts lowing experienced athletes, coaches, orload their athletic highlights. Senior foot- about their personal ganizations, or ball captain Jeremiah Fung explains how life and progress, even fellow social media has played a positive role in which increases the high-schoolhis recruiting process. chances of getting ers, young “I use social media, especially Twitter, recognized. This is athletes can now known as X, to get recruited for my true for Fung, who gain valuable football, that’s where all the coaches to- primarily uses Instainsights on day recruit and contact you,” Fung said. “I gram for this purpose. training tips, know other athletes can use social media Recently, AMAZN HQ, rules, nutrito follow schools that show interest to stay a news and media tion, recovery updated and help them make an in- platform for Asian tactics, and formed decision on what school they want and Asian American skills. For exto go to.”

Sports with 70.4k folample, Fung Websites like MaxPreps and Next Col- lowers on Instagram, models his lege Student Athlete, NCSA, are platforms recognized Fung route by runthat help athletes get recruited by provid- from his Instagram. ning on creing online connections, views, messaging, As a result, they came ators like and tips with college coaches around the to Paly and filmed James Everett country. These platforms also help stu- and featured his athon instagram dents stay up to date on schools’ staff leticism and accomand also folchanges, scores, and training camps, plishments for their lows profeswhich helps create a well-rounded image platform, a major acsional names of their prospective schools. Based on the complishment for the like Davante content posted by schools or programs, young athlete that Adams and aspiring athletes can get a glimpse of the stemmed from social Calvin Johnteam culture and environment. Junior media. son who share football captain Jake Wang uses social “I use Instagram to content on media primarily as a consumer but has create popularity for myself and create an YouTube. In-person coaching is effective begun to utilize it for various recruiting image for myself,” Fung said. “People can on its own, but it is important to learn perbenefits. see who I am and understand who I am spectives and techniques from others.

“It definitely helps coaches learn about through the content I post. Consistency “I use YouTube and Instagram a lot to student-athletes that they might be inter- on posts is important, you shouldn’t switch learn certain drills or certain releases that I ested in, and vice versa for the up content, and that helps for followers to need to do in certain situations, like situaplayers to get to know see who you are tional football,” Fung said. “Like, oh shoot, coaches and that guy did something really cool, now I schools,” Wang should go try to see if I can do it, and then said. “I think bepractice it until I can.” fore social The easy access athletes have to others media was a turns social media into an interactive big thing, all learning environment that extends an of that athlete beyond their immediate team, wasn’t postrainers, or coaches. Senior Kennedy sible from Do participates in competitive far distancdance, and uses social me dia to stay connected with the dance industry.

“People can see who I am and understand who I am through the content I post.”

- Jeremiah Fung (‘25)

@vikingsportsmag | DEC 2024 | 33

“As a student-athlete, I use social media physical as well, with possible symptoms rest needed to improve. According to a in creative ways to improve my dance of nausea, headaches, muscle tension, 2023 survey from Statista, the average skills by learning tips from top industry and tremors. Social media also risks loss teenager spends 4.8 hours on social mechoreographers in of sleep due to dia platforms every day. While this time all styles, worldspending too spent on social media may feel relaxing wide,” Do said. “I much time and relieving in the moment, putting off am also inspired m i n d l e s s l y other things only builds up stress. by other dancers scrolling or “Social media is bad, don’t get me who post their watching, and wrong,” Fung said. “It’s a positive from the highlights. Dance for an athlete in recruitment side, but for everything else, competitions and season and a it’s a big-time distraction. You really have companies often growing teen- to know when you need to shut it off and post videos of ager, adequate get your workout in, or get on the field their technique sleep is vital to and get in shape.” and conditioning p e r f o r m a n c e Alena Lotterer, a former Paly student, atclasses, so I take and health. tends the University of Virginia and particinspiration from “I view con- ipates on the diving team, and talks about their exercises and tent a lot and the role social media plays in the world of drills and incorpoenjoy it, but Division I sports. Her schedule differs from rate them in my sometimes, it other college students, as she has to balown training.” gets carried ance academics, morning workouts, Social media is away late into maintaining health, and limited social not just a place for the night and time. This leaves little time for social melearning, outreach, I’m still watch- dia. She includes how her perspectives and consumption: ing it, and when have changed as she has moved to the it is also a powerful I wake up, I next level of sports. tool for creative have lost a ton “We get so busy as student-athletes that content creation. of sleep,” I never realized how important it is to get Paly junior and W a s h i n g t o n a full eight hours of sleep,” Lotterer said. multi-sport athlete said. “During “In high school, I’d get by on five hours Kacey Washington has taken his use of so- practice, I’m slower, tired, and I lag be- and just keep going, but since coming cial media to the next level by creating hind. I’ll think about a motion through my here, I’ve realized how crucial sleep is to online highlights and edits. These edits body, and I’m just so tired that it takes an my productivity.” focus on himself and other players and extra emotional process for me to actually In addition to harming productivity and uses this content not only to share his love do it, affecting my performance.” physical health, maintaining a presence of sports but his love for video editing as The most prevalent challenge social me- online can be harmful to mental health well. dia has created is the risk of distraction due to the constant comparison to others.

Among the pressures of being both a and addiction, getting in the way of an Highlights can be posted on various platstudent and an athlete at Paly, Washing- athlete’s productivity. With endless op- forms, which can lead to athletes feeling ton uses his content creation as a way to tions of content, from TikTok to YouTube, pressure to live up to those they see destress. Washington posts highlights it is easy to spend excessive time online online that are seemingly perand edits on his personal YouTube chan- while putting off other tasks. A key asnel to showcase his passion and skill. pect of being a student-athlete is “I create content for many reasons but a balancing both academics big one is de-stressing from school and and athletic performance sports,” Washington said. “It gives me a efficiently and sussmall purpose, and something that makes tainably, but some excited, you know, it’s something I can cial media prolook forward to because I enjoy making vides a it.” distraction Despite the numerous new benefits us- that can ing social media has given to student-ath- easily veer letes, it can come with a lot of significant teenagers risks, especially to the mind and body of a off path. growing teenager. The constant threat of The urge addiction, harmful comparison, search for to scroll or validation, or opportunity for hateful com- answer notiments can cause social media use to fications can quickly turn downhill. create a cycle According to Mclean Hospital, the earli- of procrastinaer teens begin to use social media, the tion and turn athPhoto of Kennedy Do more impact it has on their health. It can letes away from viCourtesy of Kennedy Do take a toll on not just mental health, but tal training or

“In reality, social media is one big highlight reel.”

- Alena Lotterer (‘24)

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fect images of success. This comparison actions that may be deemed inappropri- social media makes it important to stay increates unrealistic expectations and a loss ate. This is called a digital footprint, or the formed about effective ways to use social of motivation, as athletes judge them- data left behind online. A digital footprint media to improve as an athlete withselves based on what others have can be tracked and monitored by coach- out falling into a toxic pattern of achieved. es, competitors, or parents, which dis- overconsumption, loss of pro“Mentally a common thing with social plays an athlete not only for their skill but ductivity, and addiction. media is body image on social media,” also their character and behavior. By putLotterer said. “But in general looking at ting oneself online, especially with things others and comthat may seem paring yourself, I harmless at the know one thing time, it can be I’ve done is gone difficult to redown rabbit member to think holes looking at about who may other divers and see it in the fuseeing how good ture. they are, and I’ll Extended time get mad at myon social media self or start freakcan also make it ing out about easy to partici‘why I am not pate in negative there’ or ‘why practices, like don’t I do that hate commentlike them.’” ing, cyberbullyOther mental ing, or supporthealth issues can i n g be accelerated problematic by social media, creators. A including body lot of these image, an issue practices felt by many feare considmale athletes eve r e d erywhere. The retrendy or lationship normalized, between girls causing and social media can be complicated. Ac- many people to feel pressure to parcording to Harvard T.H. Chan, exposure to take. When choosing to participate in videos and photos on social media plat- social media, it is important to be forms can contribute to body dissatisfac- careful and mindful with every tion, eating disorders, and mental health post and interaction. Manissues among teen girls. To avoid harmful aging screen time and setcomparisons, Lotterer stresses the impor- ting personal boundaries tantance of keeping in mind that social helps reduce the risk of media only shows a limited view of some- creating a negative footone’s life and accomplishments. print, online peer pressure, “In reality, social media is one big high- and loss of productivity. Solight reel,” Lotterer said. “Everyone will be cial media is not slowing out doing fun stuff while we are working down or going away, so manaway at school-practice-school-practice, aging it correctly is crucial to keeping so social media can create a bit of FOMO, a responsible digital presence. but then I remember that social media is Overall, social media has transformed just highlights.” the lives of student-athletes, both posiThis feeling spans across all sports, in- tively and negatively. On the positive cluding dance. end, it serves as a platform to showcase “For me, social media can exacerbate talent, connect with colleges, and learn Photo of Kacey pressures that already persist in the dance from or teach others in the athletic Washington world,” Do said. “For example, dancers of- community. On the other hand, soby Lucas Tung ten only post their most impressive skills cial media can have many downwhich can create an unrealistic picture of sides, including addiction, loss of abilities and progress.” productivity, harmful comAnother harmful possibility is a stu- parison, and digital footdent-athlete damaging their reputation print. The wide and through posts, comments, or other inter- growing spectrum of

“Social media can exacerbate pressures that already persist.”

-Kennedy Do (‘25)

@vikingsportsmag | DEC 2024 | 35

PARENTTrivia

by EVIN STEELE and NATALYA KAPOSHILIN

What position does your child play?

How many timeouts is each team allowed during a water polo match?

Driver or set.

Three timeouts.

MARK WILLIAMS

Sometimes she plays set, sometimes she plays on the side (wing?).

Not sure, three per half?

RYAN FRICK

5 [editor’s note: ‘5’ indicates a position on the right side]

Three.

Driver/Utility/ Attacker.

Three: two full timeouts, as well as one 30-second timeout.

ELIZABETH OLSEN mother of Lydia Mitz

father of Gin Williams

father of Scarlett Frick BRETT BYNUM

father of Mila Bynum

Rules can be complicated. With over 17 basic rules alone in soccer, keeping track of all of them can be difficult. We interviewed three parents of different sports to test their knowledge on the rules of the games their kids play.

Q: What is the punch through move in basketball?

“When you hard push the ball foward into a dribble to go by a defender. ”

-Austin Lee, father of Iverson Lee (‘26)

36 | VIKING MAGAZINE | vikingsportsmag.com

A: A basketball move where a player takes a big step foward while dribbling the ball at the same time.

Q: What is a third party obstruction in field hockey?

“I know what a third party, in general is, is it somebody who is on the outside?”

-Inga Thurstant, mother of Charlotte Barclay (‘26)

m h?

e

Our parents are our biggest supporters, always cheering for us—even when they’re not entirely sure what they’re cheering for. Viking put the parents of Paly Girls Water Polo to the test to see how much they really know about their kids’ sport.

What is sudden death in waterpolo?

How long does a team have to take a shot on goal after gaining possession?

What is the “two-meter rule” in water polo?

Whichever side scores first wins the game (after overtime).

30 seconds.

Like an offside. Offensive players cannot go inside the two-meter line unless they have the ball.

Score tied at end of game means two more shorter periods (three minutes each). If score still tied there is a shootout, teams alternating shots kick.

30 seconds.

If you have the ball you can cross into the two-meter line.

Two three minute OTs followed by a shootout.

30 seconds.

It’s kind of like “offsides” in soccer or hockey.

You can’t be inside two meters while teammate with ball is outside two meters.

If the game is tied after regulation it goes to two overtime periods. If it’s tied after both overtime periods then it goes to alternating penalty shots.

In most cases 30 seconds, exceptions being if game clock has less than 30 seconds remaining.

Depends on the context. Most common context is that an offensive player cannot be inside the two-meter mark unless the ball is inside two meters.

“You have to be

behind the last Q: What A: Offsides means defender and if does it mean that the opponent you’re in bein soccer is closer to the goal tween the last when a playdefender and than the last er is offsides the goalie when the ball is passed, defender. it’s an offsides” foul. ” foul?

-Ashwin Rao, father of Areet Rao (‘26)

A: Third-party obstruction is a foul called when a player blocks an opponent so a teammate can play the ball. @vikingsportsmag | DEC 2024 | 37

POINT OF

Balance

by ZOE PASHALIDIS and DYLAN ROBINSON

Due to its limited availability, fencing can be an overlooked sport. Junior Liam Li describes his motivation behind choosing the sport and how fencing has changed his life

F

encing probably isn’t the first thing ty center that happened to have a foil. In part of its athletic program, Liam had to that pops into a person’s mind fencing, a foil is a light, flexible sword seek training and mentorship outside of when they think of high school used for scoring points with controlled the traditional school environment. This is sports. While football, basketball, or track touches to the opponent's torso area. Im- when he joined the local fencing club, usually receive the most attention, fencing mediately, he seemed to connect with the where he trained several times a week receives little. But for one Paly student, foil. with experienced coaches. fencing is a crucial part of his life.

“From the moment I “They pushed me hard, and practice was Meet Liam Li, a junior who has been started, I was tough,” Li said. “But it was fun having praccompeting in fencing since he was six hooked,” Li said. tice Monday through Saturday, with four years old. His journey into the world For Li, there was private lessons dotted throughout the of fencing began differently than something unique week.” most. Growing up in a family that about the blend of With practice taking up a lot of time strongly emphasized the importance physical and mental during the school week as well as the of physical activity and sports, Li was abilities needed for weekends, Li’s commitment to fencing is nudged to try out different sports at a this sport that very demanding. Though many stuvery young age. While most of the peoseemed to capture his dent-athletes find the commitment of a ple around him started playing soccer intrigue. sport plus school to be very hard and reand other common sports, Li was Since Paly stricting, Li has thrived in this type of atdrawn into the gracefulness of does not mosphere."My parents always remind me fencing.

“I reo f f e r that school comes first, but they know member watching a fenc- how important fencing is to me," Li said. fencing match on TV,” i n g "It's all about finding a rhythm. Some Li said. “The way they a s weeks are tougher than others, but I've moved was so prelearned to manage my time." cise and intense, Aside from fencing, Li also but also elegant. plays for Paly’s football team.

It just grabbed The commitment to both these me.” sports and academics speaks to Li first enhis impressive time management countered skills. Playing such a physical sport fencing like football can create many injury when he risks and concerns, but can also was visitcreate many opportunities. These ing a local two sports complement each othcommunier in unexpected ways.

38 | VIKING MAGAZINE | vikingsportsmag.com

Photo Courtesy of Liam Li

“Football may come with injury risks, but surprise and his torn knee, Li kept the lack. it pushes me to be faster, stronger, and score always within one or two points. “It teaches you that in order to be good more agile,” Li said.

Matches are won when a player reaches at something, you really just got to keep Li also recognizes that fencing has 15 points, and with their match tied 14 to doing it over and over again,” Li helped him in his academic life.

14, Li knew he had to take a fierce said. “Fencing helps you “Fencing and academics, unlike other approach. develop really fast sports, actually go hand in hand quite “I had to be extremely agthinking, not only rewell,” Li said. gressive towards him,” Li action.”

In fencing, there are different letter rat- said. “I hit his blade out Li’s journey in ings based on your abilities. They range and hit him right on the fencing has not “It teaches you from A to E and also U. Li received an E stomach. It felt great.” been without its rating when he was only ten years old. He With this, Li had won challenges. that in order to recalls competing in the North America the match and was Just like most be good at someCup (NAC) where he had his most memo- headed into the top athletes, he rable match, for good and bad reasons. eight of the NAC. It was has had his thing, you really He had gone into the eliminations round then that he and his stepbacks that ranked 103 out of 247 people, just above coach, Vitaliy, decided have varied in just got to keep half, which is not the ideal start. The to forfeit the next match difficulty. Howdoing it over and rounds before eliminations are known as due to the pain he was ever, these pools, where competition rankings are experiencing in his stepbacks set a over again.” given to head into eliminations. Li didn’t knee. Though he had to fire in Li, and he - Liam Li ‘26 know at the time, but he had torn his me- drop out of the match betakes each fall as niscus in his left knee during fore the next level, Li an opportunity to pools. With the pain he and his coach were grow and adapt. was experiencing, Li still proud to be Looking ahead to did not have high leaving with a the future, Li wants to hopes of doing medal. continue his fencing well, but with the “Vitaliy didn't rejourney and dreams of support of ally care about repossibly competing at a colsome teamsults, he just wanted us legiate level one day. “I’m excitmates, he preto improve every day. ed to keep pursuing fencing and reach pared to rise This mentality really new heights,” Li said. “My goal is to keep above the made me enjoy fenc- striving for excellence, and seeing just challenge. ing,” Li said. how far my dedication can take me.”

“The first What sets Li apart Li also hopes to bring popularity to the couple of from others is not just game he loves. This may start with the oprounds went his technical abilities, portunity to fence at high schools, includby fast,” Li said. but his strategic think- ing Paly. He believes that the addition of He was ranked ing. He understands that fencing to the already academically 13th in the nathere will always be strong Paly would enhance the school tion when he someone with some sort even further. reached the top of physical advantage, but “I’d love to see Paly offer fencing one 16 in the tournathat isn’t everything. day, it’s an incredible sport that builds foment. Li then real“You don't have to be the cus, agility, and resilience,” Li said. “It will ized that he had a fastest or the strongest, or even open up new exciting opportunities for fighting chance to take the tallest,” Li said. “You can win students to challenge themselves and home the trophy. by just out-thinking your opponent. grow physically and mentally.”

“It was when I got into the All I had was a little bit of speed and just Li’s journey in fencing emphasizes pastop 16 that I realized that I got a a lot of quick thinking.” sion and dedication, which can someshot,” Li said.

Fencing is a great sport for developing times be overlooked in common high As he approached his upcoming op- many other life skills. Liam has advanced school sports. His commitment to balancponent, Li realized that the opponent many skills that others around him may ing rigorous training with academic rewas left-handed. This was a big sponsibilities doesn’t just highlight his deal, as it was fairly uncomincredible time-management skills, mon to face a left-hander, but also lessons from the sport that and he have helped him in life, including had miniresilience and strategic thinkmal pracing. Continuing with his purtice going suit of his goals, Liam up against them. Alstands as an examthough he was at a ple to prove that disadvantage perseverance with this pays off.

“My parents always remind me that school comes first, but they know how important fencing is to me.”

- Liam Li ‘26

@vikingsportsmag | DEC 2024 | 39

M

entors in the aking

by ARJUN BHARAT, CARTER BURNETT and JAKE LIU

Many Paly athletes feel inspired to coach in order to further their connection with a beloved sport, as well as build stronger bonds within the community.

T

he field buzzes with excitement as cheers from parents and student-athletes echo through the air. Coach Ian Johnston, a junior at Paly, paces the field deep in thought, searching for the play that will win his team the match.

For many Paly athletes, the thrill of the game isn’t enough— they also want to inspire the next generation. These students are coaching young athletes, sharing their passion for the game, and helping youth build skills while deepening their own connection to the sport.

Having received many years of coaching and expertise themselves, a transition into coaching can be a natural progression. Local grassroots programs provide coaching opportunities for those interested: a fact many students are taking advantage of.

Junior Liam Johnson plays as a forward for Silicon Valley Soccer Academy and coaches during the summer at its sister club, Palo Alto Soccer Club.

“I decided to start coaching to be around the field after my tournaments,

during my off-season,” Johnson said. “I think I just really love the sport, and the community that Palo Alto Soccer Club and SVSA have built locally.”

Coaches play a big part in the development of athletes, and accomplished student-athletes have the privilege of playing high-caliber games, experiences which they can use to benefit the athletes that they are coaching.

Many athletes recall fond memories regarding their own coaches and the encouragement they received from a young age. Junior Ben Zhu shares his experience as a youth player and explains how his coaches influenced his basketball philosophy.

“I really liked my middle school coach, Coach Pat,” Zhu said. “He mostly just let me do my own thing, and that’s how he shaped my coach-

40 | VIKING MAGAZINE | vikingsportsmag.com

ing style. I want my players to play how they want, it’s the most natural and most fun for them.”

Other coaches get the most inspiration from mentors after they start coaching, inspiring them to continuously improve their coaching techniques.

“Last summer, I had two guys that were in their twenties that just moved here internationally, and they were really awe-

“I want my players to play how they want; it’s the most natural and most fun for them.”

- Ben Zhu (‘26)

some mentors,” Johnson said. “They taught me how to improve my coaching, and how to get kids to understand and be excited about the sport.”

Additionally, coaching can help athletes gain a deeper understanding of tactics and strategies that they can apply to their own game. “[Coaching] has made me understand my game a little bit more, even though the kids are in elementary school, it’s made me just understand how important some of the basics are,” Johnson said. “I think I’ve actually learned the most from the kids that have never touched the soccer ball, and they’re like, I want to be playing in the scrimmage at the end of the week, get me there, and it’s like, where do I start?”

Furthermore, sometimes the fundamentals of a sport, which athletes haven’t thought about in years, can be reinforced through teaching youth.

“I think it was really helpful to have coached before because it was just something where it helps you hammer in those basics,” Johnson said. “Things like checking your shoulder, where sometimes it’s like, I’ve been

“When we lose a game or don’t play to our standards, it always lights a fire under the players.”

- Ian Johnston (‘26) playing my whole life, I don’t even need to check my shoulder, but you have to because that’s how you can tell if there’s space.”

However, coaching as a teenager can have many drawbacks. For one thing, they often struggle to gain the respect and confidence of the athletes’ parents.

In many cases, this can cause feelings of self-doubt and uncertainty about their leadership, in what is often their first position of authority. Johnston explains that in football, sometimes the hardest decisions are best for the team.

“A really difficult thing that’s really important is to find the balance between what’s good for the team and what will make people happy,” Johnston said.

“Substituting kids in and out is sometimes really hard because you have to get everyone to play, and someone is always going to be disappointed.”

Even at a club or recreational level, athletics are very important to both kids and parents, which can often put lots of pressure on the coaches’ young shoulders. Many parents are often vocal in their criticism, making it easy for young coaches to lack confidence in their abilities, something that all coaches face, even at the professional level. Junior water polo coach Maeva Herbert-Paz shares this experience.

“Very often, parents can get overly involved, and in some cases interfere with the game,” Herbert-Paz said. “This makes the water polo games really intense, and I think that parents should just come to the games to support their kids.”

To many coaches, the spectators are as much part of the game as the players.

Johnston explains how he’s learned to focus solely on his team, rather than external pressures.

“Last year, a kid’s dad texted us through

this kid’s phone and was wondering why his son wasn’t starting as quarterback,” Johnston said. “I don’t think these things really affect me, because I don’t really care what the parents think.”

Many student coaches also struggle with earning the respect of their peers, as many students feel that because of the close age gap, their coaches are more of a friend. Senior Justin Lee, who coaches a local ultimate frisbee team, shares his struggles with getting through to players.

“One thing I think that frisbee teaches the middle schoolers is that you can’t win all by yourself.” Lee said. “In frisbee, you have to have at least two players to score and that really helps with ‘ball hogs’ as they learn that they have to trust their teammates and understand that it’s a team game.”

While most athletes just have to balance their athletics with schoolwork, student coaches experience increased difficulty and added responsibility balancing their coaching with other activities. Similar to athletes, many coaching positions require hours upon hours of work off the field, coordinating practices, traveling to games, and addressing the needs of the team.

“I have to spend a lot of time creating lineups, to make sure all my athletes play equally,” Junior and middle-school basketball coach Kamili Fossati-Moiane said. “I also have to think of drills and exercises for my players to do during practice.”

Playing a sport along with coaching is difficult in many ways, but being able to balance can be the key to success.

Maeva Herbert-Paz (‘26) Photo by Carter Burnett

@vikingsportsmag | DEC 2024 | 41

Oftentimes, athletes who juggle both playing and coaching struggle with time management and scheduling issues.

“Luckily for me, it’s the same sport and the coach runs the program that I play, so I have the opportunity to make my schedule easily around my sports schedule, making the hours more flexible,” Herbert-Paz said.

Youth coaching can be considerably more arduous than high school and professional sports, in that the kids may be at all different levels, both physically and mentally. While high school athletes generally have been playing the sport for multiple years, young children might be afraid to come out of their shell.

“I used to be shy, so I think that we help bring them out of their comfort zone by doing team-building exercises as well as pairing up players for drills and throwing which helps them be more willing to join in on drills and games.” Lee said.

A key struggle that coaches deal with is organizing practices. As a coach, they have to coordinate practices that will help the team improve and get better.

However, this oftentimes requires lots of time, effort and stressfrom the coaches.

“I feel that coaching takes more time than people think, for me it’s around six to seven hours a week for coaching, which requires a lot of time and commitment from me.” Zhu said.

There is also additional time re-

“I’ve seen that the kids that are the most successful are the ones that have minimal reaction to the mistake.”

- Liam Johnson (‘26)

quired to make plays and to plan out game plans during the game weeks.

“My usual plan is to draw out a playbook before the season starts and use that for the rest of the season,” Zhu said.

“Making the playbook only takes a couple hours and I can look up plays on the internet to help with that process.”

Johnson doesn’t see his many responsibilities as chores: it’s an enjoyable experience that helps him better connect with his athletes.

“Over the summer, my responsibilities vary day by day, but it’s usually I have to be there, helping or leading drills for the kids, and it’ll be me working with them and teaching, providing tips on how they can improve and get better, and being supportive,” Johnson said.

“Obviously, if someone gets a little bit of a bloody nose, then I have to deal with some first aid, but my responsibiliIan Johnston ties are kind of just to be like a fun, helpful person, to encourage kids to learn (‘26) Photo by and get into the sport.”

Carter Burnett Mistakes and setbacks can teach young coaches valuable lessons: not only about the sport, but also how to encourage and motivate their kids after a loss.

“When we lose a game or don’t play to our standards it always lights a fire under our players, it causes the players to bring greater intensity to our practices and hold each other accountable,” Johnston said.

In many cases, a loss at the beginning of the season can actually help, as it allows for wounds to be healed and progress to be made, also allowing a coach to build a humble and overconfident team.

“Last year we steamrolled our first

42 | VIKING MAGAZINE | vikingsportsmag.com

two opponents and came into our third game cocky and underestimating our opponent. We played a close game and the refs made some game changing calls, but we ended up losing by one.” Johnston said.

“We ended up winning out the season, and when we met that team in the playoffs we came ready and had a convincing win over them, I feel like that was in big part because that early loss gave us.”

Despite this, coaching is no easy task.

Many challenges can often arise when coaching students whether it’s between multiple kids or disciplinary issues between a single athlete, young coaches definitely have their hands full. Kids disagree all the time, both on and off the field. Sometimes these turn into big issues, but often times, it’s just small disagreements between athletes. As a camp coach, Johnson has to deal with new kids each week, most of which have never met each other before.

“Usually, the conflicts between the kids are silly, it’s like someone thinks the ball went into the net, or someone else doesn’t,” Johnson said. “I would actually say the most common one is when the kids complain that teams aren’t fair. To calm things down I’ll say, ‘Okay, we’re gonna play, and we’ll play for five minutes and see what the score is.’ After that, we can change teams, or if it gets to a certain score, I’ll jump in myself.”

In other cases, conflict can help form bonds between athletes, which can put them on the road to success.

“I feel that Ultimate, like many other

some mistakes happen and you just have to move on,” Johnson said. “I’ve tried to ingrain this in my own playing, the ability to just move on. They have other ideas floating around in their head, but their ability to move is just very impressive in my eyes.”

As time goes on, and coaches get to work more with individual players, a strong bond begins to form between coaches and players.

“One of my proudest moments was when there were two boys that were probably eight years old that didn’t know how to play soccer at all. By the end of the week, they were probably in the top three or four kids in the entire camp,” Johnson said. “I worked with them all week and they thanked me at the end of the week for getting them into the sport.”

Johnston has worked with the same group for over two and a half years, and he sees great progress in Paly junior Maeva Herbert-Paz gives instructions to her water polo team, the Golden State Bears. his players, not only in their ability Photo by Carter Burnett but also in their character.

“I’ve been impressed with my quarterback Dylan [Goodwin],” sports, helps students understand how have to those mistakes,” Johnson said.

Johnston said. “He’s a very focused and to communicate with each other through “I’ve seen that the kids that are the most motivated player and his progress this issues.” Lee said. “When I come back ev- successful are the ones that have minimal season has been outstanding. His coachery year, I see that the kids have learned reaction to the mistake. That’s been, I ability has made my experience coaching to be more responsible, respectful, and think, the biggest thing that I’ve seen with a lot easier, and I think he has a bright furesilient when they face new challenges.” the working with the kids at summer camp ture ahead of him.”

Another challenging aspect of coaching that I’ve tried to green in my own playing, “The biggest thing that I’ve learned is is the psychological aspect. Quite often, which is like the ability to just move.” that you have to be patient, communicate young athletes will get frustrated and can The ability to pick oneself up is somedirectly what you want to happen with be too harsh on themselves. Johnson ex- thing Johnson admires and strives to apdemos and examples,” Lee said. “Coachplains how athletes’ reactions can be a ply to his game, noting that it’s one of the es need to be flexable because not evtell-tale sign of their mental strength. most important things that coaching has erything is going to go perfect, but make “I think the biggest thing though, is just taught him. sure that what you are teaching is fun.” seeing the mistakes that kids make and “I think that’s been the big The experience of coaching a youth the reactions they thing for me, where it’s like team provides all coaches with a valuable experience that they will take away with them for the rest of their lives. Not only can they learn to be a leader and how to juggle many different components of coaching, they can also learn from their own athletes values of resilience and perseverance that they can use in their future.

“I’ve learned that you need to be patient, communicate directly with what you want to happen, coaches need to be flexible.”

- Justin Lee (‘25)

@vikingsportsmag | DEC 2024 | 43

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The Final Word

Survival of the

BY TYLER CHEUNG

Fittest

Soccer leagues around the world have successfully used a system of relegation and promotion for many years. Should American sports leagues incorporate this precarious system?

I

t’s the final day of the 2023 English overlooked and have irrelevant games Premier League season. Fans pack towards the end of a season. Relegation into Goodison Park ready to watch is a system where the bottom teams in a football (soccer) match between the highest league get demoted, and Everton and Bourenmouth. Every seat they are replaced by the top teams from is filled, the energy in the stadium is the lower league at the end of every seahigh, the stakes could never be greater. son. Introducing the idea of relegation However, Everton isn’t fighting for glory, would cause low tier teams to have high they are fighting for survival. With a re- stakes games at the end of the season. cord of 7-18-12, Everton needs to win Teams on the verge of relegation would to avoid getting do everything relegated out of in their pow“Teams on the verge of relethe league. As er to stay in halftime hits, the upper gation would do everything in the crowd is tense as league, turntheir power to stay in the upthe score remains ing previously 0-0. Suddenly, as per league, turning previously non-competthe 57th minute itive games non-competitive games into hits, Everton midinto some fielder Abdouof the most some of the most important laye Doucoure important games of the season.” scores a beautiful games of the goal. The crowd season. Getgoes ecstatic as ting relegated there is hope for the future of the club. would be devastating for a team because No more goals would be scored in the the lower leagues earn much less money match and Everton would live to fight for and are provided with inferior resources. another season.

The NFL, MLB, and NBA operate as Every sports team experiences ups closed leagues. This means that every and downs, but in all major American team and division stays fixed no matter sports leagues there is little to no conse- the result of the previous season. In conquence for performing poorly in a sea- trast, the English Premier League, the top son. Instead, struggling teams are often tier of soccer in England, follows an open

league system.

The English Football (soccer) System is built up of seven levels with the Premier league sitting at the top. After every season, the bottom three teams from the upper league and the top three teams from the lower league will get promoted and relegated to the respective leagues. Another main aspect that separates the English football system from American sports is their recruiting system.

Premier League revenue: $7.7 billion

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Championship League Revenue: $9.5 million @vikingsportsmag | DEC 2024 | 45

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English Football Pyramid

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Teams have youth academies where they recruit young as eight years old.

The English football system also doesn’t enforce salary caps on any teams which means there is no limit on how much a certain team can spend. This system can allow some teams to get extremely rich, but it also reinforces the idea of the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer.

The main reason introducing a relegation system is good for american sports is it eliminates the idea of tanking. In the american sports draft system, the teams that are worse usually get the earlier draft picks in the following college draft.

The intention of this is to give them a fair opportunity to rebuild and create more competitiveness within the league. However, this system is far from perfect. Midway through the season, if a team knows they aren’t going to make the playoffs, there is no reason for them to perform better. In fact, performing better during the tail end of the season would actually negatively affect the team because they would get a worse draft pick.

For example, during that 2020 season, the New York Jets were head to head with the Jaguars in terms of getting the number one overall pick, but they won a late season game against the LA Rams

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@vikingsportsmag | DEC 2024 | 46

relegation system, the teams on the chopping block will be doing everything in their power to stay in the upper league. The final games of the season for these teams will feel like playoff games because of the importance of them. This will add a whole layer of entertainment to these leagues and make watching American sports more exciting as a whole.

The goal of American sports draft systems is to give the worst teams the best players, but this usually doesn’t actually result in better outcomes for those struggling teams.

In the 2023 NBA draft, the top five picks were taken by the Spurs, Hornets, Blazers, Rockets, and Pistons. Even with the top five players in the draft, these teams still ended up as the bottom five teams in the NBA the following season. Another example is when the Carolina Panthers traded a plethora of draft picks and starreceiver DJ Moore to the Bears in return for the 2023 number one overall pick.

They used this pick to draft quarterback Bryce Young who is clearly performing poorly today in the NFL. At the time of writing this article the Panthers have only won three of their last 21 games with Bryce Young as a starter. The NFL does have some teams who have successfully rebuilt, but the NBA has struggled with teams that are bad and stay bad. All of this proves that top prospects are always hit or miss and giving bad teams better draft picks is not enough to keep leagues balanced and entertaining.

Another problem that comes along with tanking is players sitting. When a team is out of playoff contention, it is common for them to sit some of their star players to avoid the possibility of getting injured. Some avid fans can only afford to attend one game every season. Imagine how disappointed a fan would be if their favorite player wasn’t playing at the one game they could attend. Tanking doesn’t only take away from the entertainment of games, it can be detrimental to the fan experience.

The main reason relegation has become such a big possibility in western sports is the development of the lower tier professional leagues. Recently, the United Football League has become a prominent league during the spring in

“Even with the top five players in the draft, these teams still ended up as the bottom five teams in the NBA the following season.”

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when the punter made a touchdown saving tackle. This resulted in the Jets getting the second overall pick in quarterback Zach Wilson. Through the past few years, it has become very clear that Trevor Lawrence is the better quarterback and Jets fans wished they had lost the game against the Rams back in 2020.

On the other side of the scale, the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2020 were the worst team in the league with a record of 1-15.

Because of this, they made some management decisions that clearly showed they were giving up on the season. They traded away star cornerback Jalen Ramsey mid-way through 2019, they released running back Leneard Fournette, they traded defensive end Yannick Ngakoue and defensive tackle Calais Campbell. All of these were pro bowl players that they gave up for future draft picks. Though this did secure them the number one overall draft pick in Trevor Lawrence, it made the rest of the 2020 season demoralizing for Jaguar fans and boring for the NFL as a whole. This “planning for the future” may benefit teams in the long run, but it makes current sports uneventful and one sided.

Adding a relegation system will also create an exciting mini playoff at the end of the year where the worst teams are all at the center of attention. Currently, towards the end of the season, bad teams are forgotten about and are often considered irrelevant in the grand scheme of the league.

With the

National League North Southern South League

Isthmian League

addition to the NBA G League and Minor League Baseball. Most of the players in these leagues are players who formerly played in the upper leagues. Promoting some of these strong teams from the lower leagues will give an opportunity to rising stars who otherwise would have never gotten a chance in the big leagues.

Promoting these teams will allow a fresh new look for leagues and allow a wider fan base.

Incorporating lower leagues into the overall scope of big professional leagues will allow american sports to expand internationally.

The NFL has already tried expanding their influence overseas by organizing games in Europe and South America. Lower professional leagues can have the flexibility to create new teams that are based in international locations. For example, instead of being affiliated with a NBA team, G League teams could expand to teamless cities like Seattle. This will allow fans from all over the world to become more involved in American sports.

Furthermore, lower league players have done more than enough that they are competent enough to create good competition for top professionals. According to Fox sports, 60% of UFL players were invited to NFL workouts last year and 78 individuals signed contracts on NFL teams. A prime example of success after promotion is kicker Brandon Aubrey who played on the Birmingham Stallions for two years before being signed by the Dallas Cowboys.

Now, Aubrey is considered one of the best kickers in the league, making 95.8% of his total field goals including one from 65 yards. It’s not only in football: according to NBA.com, on opening night of the 2023 season, 50% of NBA rostered players had previously played in the G league. This proves the lower league players clearly have the competence to perform well at the higher level.

However, this relegation system would

be a lot more feasible in non-tackle sports like basketball and baseball.

This is because it can be dangerous for football players to face players that are much stronger and hit harder. If a whole UFL team gets promoted to the NFL, that team would most likely sustain a lot of injuries, as the players are not used to the speed and physicality of the NFL. This is one of the reasons the NFL does not allow college players to declare for the draft before they use up their college eligibility. Some people argue that superstars like 17 year old Ryan Williams should be drafted in the upcoming year, but the reality is it isn’t safe to allow such young players go up against full grown men. In contrast, promoting minor league teams in basketball and baseball can be safe and exciting for these teams. In basketball, it is a lot more common to see players get drafted into the NBA after only one year of college play. For example, in 2019, Zion Williamson was drafted first overall after only playing one year of college basketball at Duke. In basketball and baseball, young and developing athletes can still safely compete against their professional counterparts.

Considering that the NBA is a lot more fit for relegation, there are many teams in the NBA that are bad with little room to improve. For example, the Detroit Pistons have not won a playoff game since 2008 and have only achieved a winning record once in the past 16 seasons. They even set the record for most games lost in a row last season with 28. The Charlotte Hornets have also failed to win a playoff round since 2001.

These teams stay persistently uncompetitive and it results in a large amount of blowout games.

Allowing G League teams to separate from their NBA affiliates along with promoting some of them will allow teams like the Pistons to start winning games in the G League and rebuild properly without being destroyed every season.

“50 percent of NBA rostered players have previously played in the G league.”

“As fans, we deserve to see players give it their all for the whole season. We deserve to have a system where every game counts.”

Photo courtesy of BOBBY DAVERMAN

Gary Yan (‘26) takes a strike at the birdie. “Going into the season we were scared about getting relegated, but as the season went on, we started feeling better about ourselves,” Yan said. The Paly badminton team has been caught in a cycle of constant relegation and promotion for the past few seasons.

The main argument against relegation is it financially impacts relegated teams too much, however there are many solutions to this problem. When a team gets relegated, they will receive a “parachute payment” from the league, which is a large sum of money given to cover a dip in player wages and TV broadcasting costs. Likewise, it would be included in player contracts that if their team got relegated, their salaries would go down.

This is reasonable, because their poor performances were most likely the reason for their relegation. Players will be motivated to try harder in their games if they know their paycheck is on the line.

In terms of game ticket scales, most loyal fans will rally behind their team regardless of relegation. If a fan is not loyal, they most likely would not support the team anyway if they were tanking at the bottom of the league.

In conclusion, relegation would create end of season excitement that american sports currently lack. It could redefine the meaning of competitiveness and resilience. As fans, we deserve to see players give it their all for the whole season. @vikingsportsmag | DEC 2024 | 47 @vikingsportsmag | DEC 2024 | 47

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Maura Hambly (‘27) and Naama Green (‘25) jump to block the shot against Tamalpais High School. Photo by Lucas Tung. @vikingsportsmag | DEC 2024 | 48