Viking Magazine Volume XVI Issue 1

VOLUME XVI, ISSUE 1 OCTOBER 2022

pg. 34 CALIFORNIA: TAKING A GAMBLE

Viking

Viking

Volume XVI, Issue 1 October 2022

magazine

STAFF

would like to thank our sponsors...

The Gaither Family The Collins Family The Martin Family The Toland Family Elizabeth Olson Mollie Stitt

The The The The The The

Studdert Family Chia Family Mitra Family Vogel Family Li Family Harrison Family

Editors-in-Chief Owen Bittinger, Elizabeth Fetter Jackson Martin, Cameron Toland Creative Director Grace Li

Multimedia Director Managing/Copy Editors Yasmin Friedrichowitz Oliver Marburg Grace Gormley Business Manager Hillary Studdert

Interested in sponsoring or subscribing?

Online Editor-in-Chief Ivan Ijzerman

Head Columnist JJ Stoen

E-mail us at vikingeds@gmail.com Go to vikingsportsmag.com

Social Media Managers Trey Collins, Josie Vogel Photo Editor Caleb Wong

Staff Writers Aspen Stitt Caroline Mostofizadeh Eliza Gaither Jason Hu, Katie Yen Sirisha Mitra Takumi Weiman, Tyler Frick Tyler Harrison, Tyler Martin Tyler Wong

on the cover:

With California’s upcoming ballot, YouTube, Twitter, and Instagram feeds everywhere are flooded with ads saying, “Vote YES or NO on X Prop.” This year the two that are appearing everywhere are the sports gambling propositions: Prop 26 and 27. Our feature story this issue (pg. 34) provides an analysis of the pros and cons of these two propositions and an overview of sports gambling as a whole. (Cover by Alex Yan) 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

Letter from the Hey Vikes!

We’re so excited to bring you all a new issue of Viking to start off the school year! Paly Fall Sports are back in action after the summer off, so be sure to check out our website (vikingsportsmag.com) to read stories on every home sporting event at Paly. Viking has been lucky enough to partner with Palo Alto Online to share all our beat stories on a larger scale platform, so be sure to check that out as well. We’re so excited to both share our beat stories with you online, but also bring you the first print issue of Viking of the 22-23 school year.

Our Cover story, “California: Taking a Gamble” (Page 34), discusses California Proposition 26 and 27 and the impacts sports gambling has both on Paly students and on Native American tribes in California.

Over the summer, many Paly students adventured across the globe; both land and sea, doing their respective sports. In June, a group of seven Paly students set out to bike from Portland to California.

“PDX to PA: Bikepacking” on page 18

EDITORS

explores the athlete’s adventures over seven days on bikes.

On the other side of the world, Paly junior Cal Currier broke world records this summer sailing across the Atlantic Ocean from Massachusetts to Portugal.

Read more about his journey in “King of the Atlantic,” on page 40.

The Vikings spent all summer working hard, with some going to National Level Competitions and others going on personal journeys. “Summer Superstars” on page 32 showcases their accomplishments.

Now that the fall sports season has begun, athletes are back leaving their mark on their sport. On Page 16, “Gamechanger” profiles female freshman football player Lara Saslow and her impact on the Paly JV Football team.

Aside from their sports, all athletes at Paly face a difficult decision, whether to prioritize academics or athletics. “Student or Athlete: What takes priority” (page 22) dives deep into this discussion, interviewing both Paly teachers and athletes on their views on managing Owen Bittinger

Elizabeth Fetter

both academics and athletics.

On a more serious note, over the last few years we have watched the nicotine and vaping craze slowly reach our athletic community. On page 28, “Benching Nicotine” looks into the affects nicotine and vaping devices have on athletes and how they have reached Paly athletic teams.

The Viking Staff took their shot at West Point Military Academy fitness testing, preforming push-ups, sit-ups, pull-ups, a basketball throw then running a mile.

Check out their results and qualifications on page 44.

Be sure to check out our Viking Podcast, Vikes on Mics, available on both our website and Spotify. Podcast Host Oliver Marburg discusses high school, collegiate and professional sports, with a focus on Palo Alto High School.

Well that’s about it Vikes! We hope you all enjoy the first issue of the school year and can’t wait to see everyone’s athletic achievements throughout the year. Sko Vikes!

Jackson Martin

Cameron Toland

STAFF OPINION Certain sports in the American Conscience are associated with one gender.

Football is the first sport that comes to mind. The sport has been around since 1869 and was played almost exclusively by males until very recently. Excluding the Lingerie Football League – more of a short-lived exhibition than a serious attempt at league sports – the Women’s Spring Football League was the first serious attempt at adult women playing tackle football. But there are no such women’s football leagues in college, let alone at the high school level.

Flag football has gained in popularity recently for all youth athletes – regardless of gender – because it has a lot of the fun associated with tackle football, without the potential negative effects from a contact sport. Despite this surge in popularity, there is as yet no high school flag foot-

ball for girls. But that may be changing.

On September 29, the California Interscholastic Federation-Southern Section voted to approve girls flag football as an official high school sport. But this CIF-Southern California decision has yet to be matched by the Northern Section of California.

The staff here at Viking believes that having a girls flag football team in high school would be a positive development.

Football, one of the largest U.S. sports and most popular high school sports, has only been available to one gender at Paly (and elsewhere). But Viking believes that many girls at Paly would enjoy the opportunity to play the sport competitively, would compete favorably in the sport, and that the sport would provide yet another avenue for student bonding and school spirit. A girls flag football

team at Paly might also have the longer-term effect of allowing girls a greater opportunity to connect to the most popular American sport, football, for the rest of their lives.

In general, an introduction of flag football at the high school level — and to Paly in particular — will enhance overall enjoyment of the sport and our school spirit.

Sports are great at uniting people for a common cause and implementing flag football into our high school program will enhance that unity, especially for many girls at this great high school.

-Viking @vikingsportsmag | OCTOBER 2022 | 3

6

12

18

22

ZOOMS

BIKE PACKING

16

GAMECHANGER

INTRO PACKAGE

28

NICOTINE

STUDENT - ATHLETE: WHAT TAKES PRIORITY

34

32

SUMMER SUPERSTARS

CALIFORNIA: TAKING A GAMBLE

40

KING OF THE ATLANTIC

TABLE OF CONTENTS 44

VIKING TRIES: MILITARY BOOT CAMP

4 | VIKING MAGAZINE | vikingsportsmag.com

47

FINAL WORD: PARENTAL “GUIDENCE”

ISSUE 1

design by OWEN BITTINGER

@vikingsportsmag | OCTOBER 2022 | 5

EYES

ON THE

BALL

Paly girls water polo shut out MenloAtherton for their first win of the season, 4-0. “​​We came out with very strong defense and communication and it continued throughout the game and the execution was all there,” Paige Henry (‘23) said. Pictured: Fallon Porter (‘26) begins her counterattack, dribbling up the pool.

Photo by Caleb Wong

SWINGING

INTO

ACTION

Paly girls golf defeated Monta Vista for their first league win of the season with a score of 208-239. “It felt good [to defeat Monta Vista],“ Allyson Lee (‘23) said. Pictured: Angelina Chen (‘24) watches her shot after swinging at the Bayland’s 16th hole.

Photo by Caleb Wong

Photo by Tyler Wong

BATTLE

OF

650

Paly football played crosstown rivals Gunn for the first time in 12 years, winning 41-0. “The game was amazing,” Va’inga Mahe (‘23) said. “We were firing on both sides of the ball.” Pictured: Luke Young (‘23) flexes after blocking a Gunn player.

?

Which

FALL SPORT

by ASPEN STITT and JOSIE VOGEL

Suits You Best

Start here!

Treadmill or weightlifting

go-to Pregame song

Favorite energy drink

team or solo Prefered after practice meal

favorite field

prefered practice times?

swim sport vs. land sport perfered shoes

favorite Sport clothing brands 12 | VIKING MAGAZINE | vikingsportsmag.com

A competitive attitude is the key to Football. Football requires long hours of training as well as time in the weight room. These athletes are focused on their goals and don’t stop until they achieve them. You must be able to perform drills against teammates with the same intensity as your opponents. These players must also be willing to risk their bodies when tackling their opponents while also being resilient with injuries. “One aspect of my personality that helps me excel in football is my ability to lead,” senior Jack Newman said.

Water Polo players are fiercely determined. They put in the hours to get the results they want. Waking up early for morning practice and jumping into a cold pool takes a lot of commitment. They are hardcore and have incredible endurance. “Waterpolo is hard because it’s a fast paced game that requires a lot of focus and constant intensity,”junior Mary Henderson said.

Tennis players are some of the most skilled and intense athletes. To play tennis you have to be able to hit the ball at a precise angle to beat your opponents. These players have excellent hand-eye coordination and fine tuned skills in the art of deception. “I really like playing tennis and it’s fun to challenge myself by practicing with talented team members,” junior Carlin Lee said.

If you got field hockey, you are super fun and a cheerful player. You are the kind of teammate with excellent sportsmanship and a lively spirit that translates onto the field. In addition to this, you are not afraid to bring intensity to the game and aggression on the field. “I think field hockey itself is a sport that takes a lot of determination and there are so many skills to learn in order to be able to play at a basic level,” senior Kellyn Scheel said. @vikingsportsmag | OCTOBER 2022 | 13

Take it with a

grain OF SALT

SALT, or Student Athletics Leadership Team, is a club at Paly dedicated to promoting sports games for all teams in an effort to attract more fans.

Five quick

grains of info

on

Founders senior Sami Lee and sophomore Lydia Mitz, pose together. Photo courtesy of Sami Lee.

SALT

SALT decides the themes for Paly games and encourages members to attend the games to bring bring more fans to our Paly teams.

It is a great way to get involved with Paly athletics from a leadership perspective.

SALT is the student voice on the athletics budget and works to improve our athletic facilities.

They are currently working on painting a mural for the Paly Softball dugout.

To join: Text palysalt to 81010 or email sl29001@pausd.us 14 | VIKING MAGAZINE | vikingsportsmag.com

Game Changer Freshman Lara Saslow, the jack of all trades for the JV football team, is quickly setting a new standard. She is swiftly changing the spectrum of the sport as she learns the game.

E

very afternoon around 4:00, the Paly football team streams out onto the hot grass field, cleats crunching, adrenaline pumping, and face and body sweating under heavy helmets and pads.

Although most of these players look identical in their matching bright green uniforms and oversized padded helmets, one stands out. Freshman Lara Saslow.

Despite being the only girl on the team, she remains dedicated and shows a willingness to learn the sport. ”[Saslow] comes to everything and isn’t like ‘oh poor me, whatever,’ and does everything [at practice],” Coach Jason Fung said. “She’s probably the most consistent player out of all the freshmen I have in terms of showing up.”

Each practice,

by TYLER FRICK and CALEB WONG

when the team divides up into their respective disciplines, Saslow joins the special teams group. Here, she practices her kicks, repeatedly kicking the pigskin, trying to get better and better with each run-through.

Saslow is one of the few female football players in Paly’s program history. Her presence on the team comes less than two years after Vanderbilt kicker Sarah Fuller became the first female player to play Power 5 (the top five college football c o n f e re n c e s ) Division I college football.

Fulle r b ro ke barriers on November 28, 2020, when she kicked off for Vanderbilt against Missouri. Two weeks later, she scored two extra points

against Tennessee, becoming the first woman to score in a Power 5 game.

“I think [Fuller] is really inspiring,” Saslow said. “I think it’s great to share these stories that can give other girls the confidence to play male dominated sports.”

Unlike Fuller, Saslow is not limited to just being a kicker. Currently, she plays as a wide receiver while on offense and a cornerback on defense. But she has not stopped here. She also spends her time learning a fourth position.

“I started out with just place-kicking and now my coach is helping me learn how to be a punter,” she said.

Unlike some others, Saslow didn’t grow up playing football through elementary or middle school. Nor did she play a power kicking sport like soccer. Instead, throughout elementary school, she played competitive ice hockey, which helped prepare her for the toughness that comes with playing football.

“I stopped [playing ice hockey] and didn’t play any team sport for all of middle school, which I regret, but I’m happy now to have found football,” Saslow said.

Fung is happy that Saslow decided to join the team this year.

“She’s probably the third girl that’s [played] since I’ve coached, so it’s exciting to see,” Fung said.

Beyond the simple fact of her gender though, Fung really appreciates her passion for the game, and the work ethic she

brings to the field. He enjoys that she risGiven the limited history of girls playes up to the challenge and the size differ- ing football, the idea of Saslow joining ences and does not back down from it. the team raised many eyebrows.

“She likes football and she’s great,” “When I first started talking about the Fung said. “It’s still great to see as she idea, many people thought I wasn’t capaovercomes that ble,” Saslow said. size differen“This pushed me “She’s probably the tial. She’s not even more. I wantthe biggest ed to prove them most consistent player one out there. wrong and I wantout of all the freshmen She’s not the ed to challenge smallest one myself and footI have in terms of out there. But ball seemed like showing up.” at the same something that time, when you would be hard - Coach Jason Fung get impacted and demanding.” by a hit, it’s still At heart, Saslow a very violent is a team player. sport.”

She’s committed Saslow has been loved by her team- to doing anything possible to help the mates as she helps bring the team spir- team win. it up and helps motivate the rest of the “I would love to be the main kicker/ team for their games. Senior captain punter. I’m still working towards that Vainga Mahe thought it was cool to see and aim to help our team win in any way her stay committed to the sport. possible,” Saslow said. ”I can’t wait to see “We’ve had girls say that we’re going to how the team comes together.” come out to play football but never show Saslow is still very excited for the rest of up,” Mahe said. “So it’s cool to see Lara the season; she can’t wait to experience come out to practice and see her play the many teams she is going to see even football.” after their first game did not go the way

they wanted it to.

“Our first game at St. Ignatius was not great,” she said. “We gave it our all but they were just better. We lost by a good amount but now we’ve moved on and learned from our mistakes.”

The games Saslow is most looking forward to were the biggest games in the season, the ones against Gunn and Homestead.

“I can’t wait for the game at Gunn because it’s a big rival school,” she said. “I’m also excited for our Homecoming game which should have a big crowd.”

For Saslow, it’s all about the experience. She loves the exploration football provided her, and her teammates and coaches appreciate her impenetrable drive to improve. Despite being only one of a few women to play on the team, the most impressive part of it for Saslow is learning about the sport and feeling like part of a family.

“I’m really excited to keep learning about the game and play different schools.” Saslow said. “I can’t wait to see how the team comes together [and finishes off the season] overall.”

@vikingsportsmag | OCTOBER 2022 | 17

PDX TO PA: BIKEPACKING

by TYLER HARRISON and HILLARY STUDDERT art by OWEN BITTINGER Photos by Elizabeth Fetter

DAY 1 Following a 20-hour train ride from San Francisco to Portland filled with card games and sleep, the group of seven embarked on their journey from the train station. The ride was short that day, only around four miles to a family friend’s garage where they were greeted by a nice home cooked meal and spent the night.

DAY 2

Feeling well rested, the group headed out for the day with excitement buzzing around the thought of seeing the Oregon coast. 65 miles in, the group stopped for a well-deserved meal in Newberg, Oregon. Shortly after that, Paly alum Sebastian Accetta got the group’s first flat tire. Quickly patched up, the group continued the first full day of biking. After reaching the coast in the late afternoon, the 108 mile day finally came to an end at Beverly Beach Campground.

18 | VIKING MAGAZINE | vikingsportsmag.com

This summer, a group of current Paly students and alums embarked on a not-so-typical trip: 800 miles, eight days from Portland to Palo Alto on a bike, carrying their supplies. It was no easy feat.

The group experienced numerous highs and lows over the journey, highlighted below.

DAY 3 This morning, the group was unpleasantly woken up by a rainstorm. Their supplies, sleeping bags, and bikes were soaked, but they began the long day regardless. The first 20 miles were wet, grey, monotonous. The group stopped for lunch in Bandon, Oregon, where they picked up sandwiches at a local deli.

A recurring conflict throughout the trip was where to eat — some members wanted an indulging restaurant meal, while others were satisfied with some grocery store delicacies. They finished the day in Winchester Bay, where they had a well deserved rest at Umpqua Lighthouse State Park.

“For lunch [that day] I ate a whole apple pie” - Phela Durosinmi

DAY 4 Leaving what group member Martin Stier described as “a meadow pocketed between mountains,” the group traveled across the tallest bridge in Oregon, then down the coast before they hit their lunch stop, a Fred Meyers grocery store.

This day brought a big milestone: they had crossed into California. After picking up dinner at a Safeway, the 112 mile day ended at the Elk Prairie Campground, where the name lived up to expectations — masses of elk surrounded the group as they arrived.

@vikingsportsmag | OCTOBER 2022 | 19

DAY 5 This day brought several ups and downs. The group experienced a lot of flat tires, which may not seem like a large inconvenience, but stopping for long periods of time proved a nuisance.

“It was very mentally draining because you had to give 100% attention every second to stay safe and away from the cars which just taxes you,” Sebastian Accetta said.

For dinner, the group stopped at a homey diner — many declared this to be the best meal on the trip. The night was not as smooth as it could have been, though.

The group, all ready to tuck in for the night after an 100 mile day was unpleasantly woken by a ranger, who alerted them they were actually at the wrong campground, forcing the group to get up and relocate.

DAY 6 After a rough previous day, the group had a new sense of excitement brewing. On this night, they were sleeping at group member Sebastian Accetta’s grandpa, “Baboo’s” house. For group member Diego Diaz, this was his first night not sleeping on the ground, as he didn’t bring a sleeping mat.

After their routine grocery store lunch, the group kept rolling to Baboo’s in Fort Bragg, to complete a 90 mile day where they were welcomed with a nice meal and roof over their heads.

“The long days were tough, but we were all suffering at the same time and we had each other” - Diego Diaz

20 | VIKING MAGAZINE | vikingsportsmag.com

DAY 7 After a restful night at Baboo’s, the group got back on the saddle, headed towards Bodega Bay. The day started off rocky. Rain and wind tested the group’s strength, and member Martin Stier fell off his bike, proving to be a large test of morale.

“This really killed my mood. I was really contemplating getting my mom to pick me up,” Stier said.

Successfully relying on others for support, the day carried on, filled with beautiful ocean views along the staggering 112 miles.

For their final night, they were able to secure accomdation at a friend’s vacation home in Bodega Bay. A sense of excitement was rising as they relaxed on their final night of the trip.

DAY 8 The group had reached the final day of the trip. Pedaling into increasingly familiar areas after a restful in-house sleep, the morale was extremely high. They could practically taste a home cooked meal, clean clothes, and a nice warm bed. Passing

by Sausalito, across the Golden Gate Bridge, and finally, the trip ended in the Fetter’s driveway, greeted with a warm cheer from families and a hearty meal.

“I am unsure of how it feels to be back. I’m happy, I’m sad” - Phela Durosinmi

STUDENT OR ATHLETE: WHAT TAKES PRIORITY?

by YASMIN FRIEDRICHOWITZ, SIRISHA MITRA, and TYLER WONG

art by YASMIN FRIEDRICHOWITZ

Students at Paly are well known for being talented academically and athletically. How do they balance and prioritize their time, inside and outside the classroom?

Photo by Tyler Wong

J

uggling academics and athletics is a challenge that the majority of Paly has to deal with on a daily basis, which can often lead to increased stress and declined performances in both fields. An athlete’s sole focus is to be the best at their sport, yet, on the opposite side of the spectrum, a student’s primary focus is to perform the best they can at school. Student-athletes learn to balance their two priorities.

However, the balance cannot be perfectly even and will always tilt towards one or the other. The great question is: which takes priority?

How skilled each student is and their goals for their respective sport play a big role in how different students prioritize academics and athletics. Athletes who are looking to be recruited for college have to make sure their grades stand out as well as have exceptional talent in their sport. Sometimes school work becomes an afterthought for athletes with professional aspirations. Social Studies teacher Eric Bloom belives that students should prioritize academics to athletics.

“The idea is that you’re a student-athlete, you’re not an athlete-student,” Bloom said.

After being a Paly teacher for over 20 years, Bloom has encountered many student-athletes prioritizing their sport over

his class. to manage their time between academ“[Many student athletes] can demon- ics and athletics. There are choices to strate the discipline for their sport but be made whether to prioritize sports or they can’t show that same sort of disci- school, a lot of this is dependent on if pline for their classes,” Bloom said. they want to be recruited for their sport Many student-athletes forget the “stuor not. Lincoln Tutor, a Paly dent” aspect of their t i t l e . senior football playBloom has been er and track runner, emphasizing the has high hopes for importance of his final year in high tying academschool athletics for “The idea is that ics to sports. himself and others. you’re a studentAccording to “Prioritizing school Bloom, getting is more important beathlete, not an coaches on cause not everyone athlete student.“ the same page can go pro[fessional],” - Eric Bloom about the two Tutor said. “For lots will create not of us senior athletes, (teacher) only a better morning lifts and relationship three-hour practices between teachmake it sometimes hard ers and coaches but it will to balance out school with sports.” create a cohesive path that leads to the Many seniors are taking multiple AP same goal for the adolescents, the teach- classes and are getting ready for college er, and the coach. applications. It can become overwhelm“What I would love is for coaches to be ing with the amount of work they are like ‘Oh you cut Mr. Bloom’s class? You’re doing, but students must remember that not starting,’” Bloom said, “Or if the stu- being a student-athlete comes with a lot dent has a C or a D on a report, the idea of responsibility. of tying their athletics to their academics “Especially when you have multiple APs I think would be nice, to get that kind of and college applications,” Tutor said. support from the coaches.”

“Honestly, it does feel like sometimes Paly students must be very disciplined that there isn’t enough time for school @vikingsportsmag | OCTOBER 2022 | 23

work, but you just have to stay up later looking to pursue an undergraduate defor those days, it’s the commitment of gree, specifically in finance or economics being a student-athlete.” and as far as continuing his athletic caIt is not uncommon for sports to conflict reer, Tutor is not limiting his activity in the with school. Good communication has future to being recruited. been a recurring theme “I definitely will walk on the track or in gaining balance in football team, if not recruited for colone’s schedule. lege,” Tutor said.

“Teachers are Justin Gu, a senior at Paly, usually very stopped playing basaccommoketball after sufferdating if you ing from career-almiss a test to tering injuries and “Prioritizing school is play in a game, wanting to have a more important because ask a teacher greater focus on not everyone can go pro. if you can take schoolwork. Before Morning lifts and threeyour test [at a becoming a fullhour practices make it hard different time] time student, Gu to balance out school with because of your was fairly adept sports.” sports, [most] at balancing - Lincoln Tutor ‘23 of the time they schoolwork and would say yes,” athletics.

Tutor said. “Just “It was definitely communicate with your teachers and hard,” Gu said. “ I was really busy, escoaches and come up with a solution. pecially during the basketball season, There are times when my college writing because there was practice for over 10 class conflicted with practice, but be- hours [per week] but then I had a lot of cause I communicated with the coach or homework. My sophomore year wasn’t the teacher, everything turned out well.” too bad in terms of school and extraTo further his academic studies, Tutor is curriculars. It was just having to realize

what is important to me and getting my work done, not spending too much time just goofing around and things like that.”

During his sophomore year, Gu was still able to balance his time well. He would work on getting schoolwork done before and after practice. Many studies have shown that getting enough sleep has a dramatic effect on how efficiently a person can work. Justin Gu has personal experience with such results.

“I slept at around midnight every day,” Gu said. “I’d say that is definitely reasonable, especially during the basketball season. People just need to be able to stay focused in the time that they are working so that way, they are not dragging work on for too long.”

The decision to stop playing basketball was not an easy one. At the start of Gu’s junior year, he had knee surgery and was not ready to play for the team by the time basketball season rolled around. He explained that he was also very busy with school; after all, it was junior year, and he Photo of Kramer about to perform a spike

Photo by Tyler Wong 24 | VIKING MAGAZINE | vikingsportsmag.com

was taking four AP classes including and a partial scholarship. schoolwork, so my sports fit in perfectly.” many extracurriculars. Along with his “I think I balance [school and sports] This balance Friedman has achieved is multiple AP Classes, he was part of equally,” Lotterer said>. ”They’re the two the culmination of years of dedication Silicon Valley Youth, an organization most important things in to his sport. Since the global pandemic, that teaches underprivileged kids my life that I prioritize in most school work has been moved onmany different skills. Along with his life above everything line, which meant athletes could catch volunteer work and heavy school else. It definitely up on missed workload, he still found time to gets a little diffischool work run his club. cult every now and much easier “I think I balance “My club is a sports analytics then when I have to than before. club because that’s what I’m start sacrificing my This allowed school and sports really passionate about,” Gu sleep schedule or athletes to equally; they’re the two said. “That is the way I still kept sometimes it takes continue to most important things in in touch with sports because I am a toll on my menplay games, my life that I prioritize still really passionate about sports. tal health, howas well above everything else.”

It allowed me to apply the things I’m ever, I’m continuas keep - Alena Lotterer ‘24 passionate about, such as data analyt- ously prioritizing up with ics into something else I am passionate those two things. schoolabout –– sports.”

When I’m at home work.

Looking from the teachers’ perspective, my focus is towards my “With that Gu believes that teachers and coaches school work and when I’m diving being said, are usually pretty accommodating. He my focus is towards diving.” they expect us to be doing our best to agrees that communication is key to havBeing a dedicated athlete requires make it all work out without having to ing teachers and coaches on the same hard work and persistence. Besides be- miss practices and especially games,” page. When he had requests to skip ing skilled at the sport, a great deal of Friedman said. practice to focus on a test or a project, support from coaches, teachers, parents, Being a recruited lacrosse athlete for they have been understanding of his du- and friends is often a necessity.

Oberlin College, Friedman works above ties to his sport. Gu also has impressive “I think the teachers are really accom- and beyond to maintain his academic aspirations for his future in academics. modating just as long as you communi- and athletic success.

“I’ve only had high goals for myself aca- cate in advance,” Lotterer said.

“First off, I am a student before I am an demically,” Gu athlete,” Friedman said. “With that being said. “I want Photo of Harrington diving off the said I need to make sure I don’t get too to go to a top blocks at the start of a race stressed from school, which is why I need college and sports. To balance them, I try to be very pursue maybe productive with my time. It helps me a lot a dual degree having a to-do list and knowing by when or something.

I would like to get each thing done.”

Just kind of Just as Friedman does, many stuget ahead in dent-athletes use their sports as a way college so that to clear their mind of much of the stress [it] can prepare coming from school work. On the other me for work hand, some also use sports as an exlife at a faster cuse not to do schoolwork or show up pace.” to class. Long-time teacher and Paly LaPaly junior crosse coach, DJ Shelton sees firsthand Alena Lotterer, how athletes manage and balance their dives competvarious responsibilities. itively for the Photo courtesy of Ethan Harrington “My experience, in general, is that Stanford Club student-athletes tend to either be very as well as for good students or to be vastly underperPaly. She is in the midst of the recruiting Asher Friedman is a Paly senior and forming [academically],” process, with a few schools showing in- varsity lacrosse player who has delt with Shelton said. “It’s hard as terest already. this situation while being a recuit athlete. a teacher, and previous “I just started the recruiting process in Already committed to Oberlin College student-athlete June and hope to have a school picked for lacrosse, Friedman has an interesting myself, to see out by the end of junior year,” Lotterer take on student-athletes. some stusaid. “I’m taking recruiting trips right now “I would say I prioritize [school and dents reand talking to a bunch of coaches which sports] differently,” Friedman said. “I ally sucis super exciting.” know school is much more important c e e d At many schools, grades play a major but I need to stay happy so I need to a n d role in the selection process for recruit- play sports as well. I think because I have o t h e r s ing. Having below-average grades could sacrificed most other extracurricular ac- s t r u g mean the difference between a full ride tivities, I can’t spend all my time doing gle.

I

think the overall situation is a product of so that I can enjoy socializing when I’m all students either using athletics to better done.,” Shelton said. “Student-athletes organize and prioritize their time, which also need to acknowledge that they will results in better academic performance not lead a ‘normal’ social life while in seaor, they see athletics as an excuse to not son. This doesn’t mean don’t have any complete work fun ever during the season, but you need and miss class, to be intentional about it and set aside a which results specific time when in low acayou know demic peryou can take formance. some time “It’s really up to you — it I know that for yourself. some stuLastly, you depends on how good you dent-athletes need to priare at your sport, how good view themoritize sleep you want to be at school. selves as over all else Everyone has the same only good at –– if you’re amount of time, it just sports, not at not rested, depends on what you want school. Howyou won’t to do with it.” ever, if they do well in Ethan Harrington ‘23 just applied school or the same in your level of atgames, tention, effort, and that and resilience to will become a the classroom as they do the positive feedback field, they’d find themselves succeeding loop quickly if not addressed; in school.” sleep, sleep, sleep!”

As previously mentioned, Shelton was Many responsibilities rest on the shoulan athlete himself when he was in high ders of student-athletes. Being able to school. At that point in his life, he often prioritize school and extracurricular achad a hard time maintaining his friend- tivities is one of them. ships outside of his team. However, “I have no issue with students missing looking back, he says adequate rest and class for games,” Shelton said. “Being a recovery should be the most prioritized student-athlete is a choice and privilege, above all of it. and they need to understand that they “I’m an extrovert through and through, will have to work harder to make up work so this was very tough for me, and I have and teach themselves missed learning. had to develop a strong work ethic to Being a student-athlete is a privilege. It is keep myself focused on individual tasks not your teacher’s responsibility to catch Photo of Bloom’s class at Paly

26 | VIKING MAGAZINE | vikingsportsmag.com

Photo by Sirisha Mitra

you up because you had a game.”

Teachers have a unique look into the world of student-athletes, especially if they have the perspective as a coach.

“I do think that student-athletes should be held to a higher standard of attendance and grades if they wish to miss class for athletics,” Shelton said.

Raenen Mathen a senior and varsity football player, sheds light on his experiences with his school and sports and how they have affected each other negatively.

“Practices after school lead to being tired and leaving only a few hours for homework and being tired could affect the quality of work,” Mathen said. “Being tired from practice the night before also makes classes hard and boring because you’re tired.”

Senior and varsity volleyball player Evie Kramer has had experience with sports positively affecting her mental health.

“I think my mental health is a lot better when I’m in season, just having something [to do],” Kramer said. “Again, I’m almost always in season because club starts as soon as school ends, but I definitely get a lot of mental health release and it’s a big outlet for me to do something with my time.”

For Kramer, there has also been a positive correlation between her sports and her academics. She learned to balance her time between the two for a filled schedule. Keeping busy keeps her on track.

“I think that when I have one thing after another, I am more efficient,” Kramer said. “I don’t get distracted. I don’t procrastinate. I think sports are a huge area for me; [I] output a lot of my energy and it’s a way for me to recharge.”

Students and athletes, teachers and coaches alike have reiterated that having a plan, prioritizing, and being prepared is essential to setting yourself up for success whether you are an athlete or student, or both. But in the end, each student-athlete’s division of work will be different, not only because we are each different, but because we each make our own distinct choices. Ethan Harrington, a senior at Paly and Division I commit to Princeton University thinks that at the end of the day everything comes down to the student.

“It’s really up to you — it depends on how good you are at your sport, how good you want to be at school,” Harrington said. “Everyone has the same amount of time, it just depends on what you want to do with it.”

@vikingsportsmag | OCTOBER 2022 | 27

by CAROLINE MOSTOFIZADEH, OLIVER MARBURG, and KATIE YEN

Vaping nicotine has become extremely prevalent within the Paly community, especially in athletics. Viking takes a look at the culture and effects of using nicotine on a student-athlete’s mental health, team dynamics, and academic success.

O

ver the last several years, the use of e-cigarettes — more commonly known as vapes — has taken the youth by storm.

The sweet-smelling smoke has infiltrated school bathrooms around the nation and here at Paly.

Vapes contain nicotine, a highly addictive substance that keeps people hooked and using long-term. Nicotine can come in many different forms, and numerous different devices, from Juuls to puff bars, carry the chemical.

These devices heat the liquid nicotine until it becomes a vapor to be inhaled.

There are many different vape designs, including refillable or pre-filled nicotine containers or disposable cartridges that hold the liquid. With cigarettes becoming less and less popular because of high state and federal high taxes, as well as the negative social and physical stigma surrounding them, vapes and e-cigarettes have taken their place as a “cleaner” alternative. Although vaping is considered less harmful than cigarettes, because it doesn’t deliver nicotine through healing tobacco, it is still not a healthy option. The numerous chemicals, as well as the inhalation technique of these products still cause short and

“Nicotine has affected my life in many ways... I wish I never started using it.”

- ANONYMOUS 28 | VIKING MAGAZINE | vikingsportsmag.com

long-term damage to a person’s lungs.

This lung damage is especially harmful to athletes, who rely on strong lung capacity and endurance to thrive in their respective sports. In order to be a powerful athlete, your physical abilities, including that of your lungs, need to be in top shape –– something vaping does not promote. An anonymous Paly athlete who has experience with nicotine use reflects on the negative effects it has had on their body.

“Over time, I assume that I have lost some ability of how fast and far I can run,” the student said. “My endurance has gone down.”

Other Paly athletes agree.

“I believe vaping nicotine has prohibited me from playing my sport to the best of my ability,” Another anonymous player said. “Sometimes I get a sharp pain in my chest and I feel nauseous during my practice if I have been away from the nicotine for too long.”

These negative health effects would

not be surprising to additional researchers.

Nationwide studies have shown that vaping has serious negative side effects on an individual’s endurance.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), e-cigarettes and vapes contain harmful substances beyond nicotine. Vape aerosol consists of nicotine and ultrafine particles that are inhaled deep into the bronchial tree of the lungs, potentially leading to the development of cancer.

Vapes also use the chemical diacetyl for flavoring. Diacetyl is linked to serious lung disease and is only one of the many cancer-causing chemicals that are found in vapes. The chemical causes this disease because the smallest airways in the lung, the bronchioles, become scarred and constricted, blocking the movement of air.

Jena Hillard is a writer for the Addiction Center Organization who focuses on educating the public on substance-abuse-related problems. In 2019, she wrote the article titled: “Vaping is Crushing the Health and Dreams Of High School Athletes.” This article mentions a study performed by Massey University about athletes who vape. In the study, they found that teens involved in sports centered around a team such as baseball, football, and hockey were the most regular users of nicotine products out of all the high school sports demographics.

“I think people on team sports are more likely to use vapes because of peer pressure,” an anonymous athlete said.

There are two most common types of peer pressure: active and passive. Active peer pressure involved literally forcing others to perform certain activities –– like drinking or smoking. Passive peer pressure, on the other hand, is more subtle, and oftentimes more dangerous.

“Peer pressure is really present in the locker room and you can see how it affects

it as

the use of nicotine especially,” one team sport Paly athlete said.

In a team environment, if the athletes want to feel like they belong, they might start vaping to conform to the group or because it makes them feel like they “fit it.” Additionally, another study, found that e-cigarette users are not just more likely to participate in team sports, but intramural and non-competitive sports too. The opposite, however, is true for smokers.

In the end, any athlete that uses nicotine products –– either in the form of cigarettes or their electric counterpart –– will feel the negative effects on their physical health.

At Paly, the imp a c t of the n e g a t i v e health effects is not only felt by the specific player, but by t h e whole team, leading to frustration in teammates of nicotine users.

“I think that my teammates using nicotine is really detrimental to the entire team as a whole,” the teammate of a nicotine user said. “Seeing that in the locker room or whatnot is really just a bummer because we’re all in it [together] and taking it seriously. It just feels like they don’t value

much.”

In addition to negatively affecting an individual’s ability and team’s performance in athletics, the addictive properties of the drug also have an insidiously harmful run-off into their academic lives.

“I have noticed that using nicotine has made my attention span decrease, especially during school,” an anonymous student-athlete said.

This, again, would be unsurprising to addiction — and specifically vaping — specialists. A study from the University of Rochester Medical Center found that vaping has a direct relationship with brain fog.

“Both adults and kids who vape were more likely to report difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions than their non-vaping, non-smoking peers,” the study stated.

But why does it distract students so much from their classroom tasks?

“Nicotine starts as being a stimulant, helping kids focus until it’s all you want to do” An anonymous Paly teacher said. “It makes students very sensitive to stress, which leads them to crave it, and also makes them more vulnerable to other addictions.”

The difficulties that nicotine brings to the classroom does not escape the notice of teachers, whose job it is to help students learn the material. An article from Addiction Prevention Coalition (APC), noted the number of teachers who felt that vaping affected their classroom environments.

“I have noticed that using nicotine has made my attention span decrease, especially during school,” -ANONYMOUS

@vikingsportsmag | OCTOBER 2022 | 29

“The Truth Initiative discovered that nearly 33% of teachers thought vaping affected their students’ academic performance,” the APC wrote.

“Teachers reported noticing both nicotine dependence or addiction and other behavioral changes.”

In addition to hurting young adults in their respective sports, and in their respective classrooms, the detrimental effects of vaping and e-cigarettes also penetrate the mental health of users.

When the brain becomes dependent on an addictive substance, like nicotine, it cannot function without it, going into “withdrawals,” when withheld from the substance for extended periods.

These symptoms include restlessness, feeling anxious, depression, trouble sleeping, problems concentrating, and irritability. When addicts are unable to use nicotine, their attitude may become impatient and angry. This can damage relationships between those they love most, teachers, classmates, and teammates.

“Nicotine has affected a lot of my relationships because a lot of people don’t want to be around me when I vape nicotine because of their own safety concerns,” an anonymous athlete said. “My peers have expressed their concerns for me and my nicotine use, getting

frustrated because I won’t listen to them”.

In 2021, through a National Youth Tobacco Survey, the CDC states that 43.6% of all high school students and 17.2% of middle school students reported using e-cigarettes on over two-thirds of the days the study was conducted. This means that almost half of high-school teens and nearly one-third of pre-teens use nicotine-related products over 60% of the time. Of those high schoolers, 27.6% reported using these products daily. The study found that overall, the vaping epidemic has allowed for 2.06 mil-

30 | VIKING MAGAZINE | vikingsportsmag.com

lion adolescents to be currently using e-cigarettes or other nicotine products.

One of the reasons for the increase in the number of those using, and the widespread pen-

etration of the drug is because of increasingly easy access to disposable, or reusable, products.

“It was crazy how many smoke shops would sell to you even if you were obviously under-aged,” an anonymous athlete at Paly said. “They did not even ask for your ID”.

The main reason for this lack of accountability comes from the notion and nature of our capitalist economy. Because of the for-profit system, smaller smoke shops, or bigger brands like Juul and Puff Bar, are not motivated to limit who they sell their

61%

students that use nicotine to feel a high

37%

students that vape expiramentaly

85%

students that use flavored e-cigs

If you or a friend needs help with mental health or addiction, call 1-800-662-4357 or text “DITCHVAPE” to 88709 or “QUIT” to (202)899-7550

29%

students that use to feel a high

product to: the more they sell, the more money they make.

“I think that is a big issue of the vaping epidemic because kids easily can go to smoke shops and buy vapes because the sellers don’t care about us, they just care about the revenue they make off of us,” the anonymous student said.

Likewise, the evil nature of the for-profit system is seen in the children-targeted ads, which come about in the form of flavored cartridges. The aforementioned study found that out of all those who used, 85.8% were using flavored e-cigarettes. This means that nearly all nicotine users are using flavored cartridges.

In 2020, California and Florida among other states, sued Juul for the way that it advertises, claiming that the colorful pallets used in the ads were catered to a younger audience. According to a 2020 lawsuit by the Massachusetts attorney general, Juul purchased ads on youth-oriented websites such as Cartoon Net-

work and Nickelodeon, among others. Juul founders have been persistent in saying that their products are not meant for kids but as an alternative to cigarette-hooked adults. Additionally, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) temporarily banned the sale of Juul products from the U.S. market in late June 2022. The decision was based on a lack of “sufficient evidence regarding the toxicological profile of the products,” according to the FDA. The ban has since been lifted, with the health agency claiming that they will do a review of Juul’s marketing approach.

The nicotine epidemic has affected millions of students and athletes across the country and worldwide, and although the FDA is taking steps to curb underage sales and teen-targeted ads, thousands more are getting addicted each day.

Many of those who choose to take that initial hit at some point in their adolescence feel a sense of remorse and hopelessness for what is to come in the future. Many of the anonymous users at Play urge others to try to stop using, and better yet, to not even take that first hit.

“Nicotine has affected my life in many ways,” one anonymous user said. “I wish I never started using it because I am hooked.”

From the CDC 2021 National Youth Tobacco Survey

@vikingsportsmag | OCTOBER 2022 | 31

Summer Superstars

by GRACE LI and TYLER MARTIN

Summer is a time for fun and relaxation, but not for these Paly athletes. They spend their summer competing at some of the most prestigious events.

PLAYER: ARTHUR BALVA

A

rthur Balva started swimming at a mere 2 years old. He swam year-round and began to compete at 6 years old with Palo Alto Stanford Aquatics (PASA).

Four years later, he moved from the Stanford site to the Rinconada site and has swam there ever since.

From the start of the summer, Balva’s schedule has been packed with practices, and meets. In the Santa Clara for USA Swimming’s Futures championship, he ranked first in the 200 fly and 200 IM and third in the 400 IM and 100 fly.

However, Balva’s swimming feats did not end there: he made the Olympic trial cut in the 200 Fly at 2:00.47.

SPORT: SWIMMING

“The 200 fly was my first event of the entire meet and was also my focal point.”

These achievements did not come easy.

Balva and his team have to be at the pool at 7 a.m. sharp every day of summer vacation. For the next two hours, they swim vigorously and then have two and half more hours of dryland.

Even through this extremely intense preparation, Balva was driven and set on achieving his goal of making the Olympic trial cut. All summer long he focused on improving and training without fail.

Finally, the day of the meet, Balva was feeling confident in all of his preparation to this point, but with that confidence, came nerves.

“The 200 fly was my first event of the entire meet and was also my focal point,”

32 | VIKING MAGAZINE | vikingsportsmag.com

Balva said, “I had put together a series of really good 200 fly swims throughout the season untapered but I really wanted to achieve my goals which made me a tad nervous.”

However, his nerves were not reflected in his amazing performance—reaching the end of his final lap at 2:00.47.

“When I finished that race though and saw that I got my cut,” Balva said. “It was a downhill ride from there and the rest of the meet was so incredibly fun and I felt like I was surfing an emotional wave for the next three days.”

Now, he only has to wait for the final meet where the 2024 Olympic team is chosen.

SPORT: GYMNASTICS

PLAYER: JARED NOYMAN

J

“Having the week to just focus on gymnastics helped me get in the competition mindset.”

ared Noyman started his gymnastics career in the Stanford practice facilities at the age of 5.

It is there where Noyman fell in love with the sport he has been training ever since.

This summer, Noyman was invited to the esteemed Nationals competition in Arizona, where he faced elite-level competition. Most of the gymnasts are D1 college athletes, all with the same goal of qualifying for the USA championships.

When preparing for a competition, Noyman follows a strict schedule given by his coach that consists of a warmup, conditioning, strength training, and event training. In addition to this training

plan, Noyman’s weeks are divided into easy weeks, medium weeks, and hard weeks, in order to get the most out of his time in the gym.

However, this plan was abandoned as Noyman suffered two broken fingers just two months before Nationals. For the following six weeks, Noyman was unable to practice his routines but found other ways to prepare for the competition.

Once he was fully healed, he quickly got back to practicing his routines. He trained intensely in order to make up for the significant time that he lost.

The week before the event, Noyman traveled to the gym where the event was held, so he can train before the actual

competition.

“Having the week to just focus on gymnastics helped me get in the competition mindset,” Noyman said. “I knew I was well prepared which gave me a sense of confidence.”

At the competition, Noyman scored 75.7 in the all-around category after the first day, including an impressive pommel horse routine. At the end of the competition, Noyman placed 5th in the nation on parallel bars for his age group, lifting him into a 20th all-around finish nationally.

Noyman looks to continue his gymnastics career and hopes to compete on a collegiate level in the NCAA. @vikingsportsmag | OCTOBER 2022 | 33

CALIFORNIA: Taking a

gamble?

During midterms, California voters will decide whether to legalize sports gambling via either Proposition 26 or Proposition 27. These two measures are complicated and deserve an in-depth overview.

by GRACE GORMLEY, TAKUMI WEIMANN and IVAN IJZERMAN art by DAVID TOMZ

S

teven Delaney, a recovering sports gambling addict in New York state, read aloud on his podcast a message from an online chat support group: “Please pray today for one of our brothers. He took his own life due to this insidious disease. He leaves behind three teenage boys. They are but for the grace of God,” he said.

Delaney, the host of “Fantasy or Reality?

The GPP” (Gambling Problem Podcast), speaks openly about the dangers of sports gambling and the negative effects that his addiction has had on his life and others.

“All it did was deliver crushing guilt and despair more horrible than [my] worst nightmare,” Delaney said in an interview ith Viking. “I felt so isolated when I was in my gambling. … This disease is so serious that … now there’s a family and children and teenage kids that don’t have their father anymore because of [it].”

He says on his podcast that his main method of placing bets was using the major online betting company DraftKings. He states that the online accessibility was a large facilitator of his addiction and that it could pose dangers to others.

“I’m sure there’s going to be a whole new wave of gambling issues in NY state and wherever else this becomes legal,” Delaney said.

Delaney’s worries about online sports betting becoming legal will soon be an issue on California ballots.

Currently, if you’re a California voter, you may be seeing a barrage of ads in favor of, or opposing both Proposition 26 and Proposition 27.

Proposition 26 would legalize sports betting in-person only, at American Indian casinos and four racetracks in California. Proposition 27 would legalize online sports betting for people 21 years or older and would

also impose a 10% tax on sports betting revenues. This money will go into a fund directed toward (among other things) fighting homelessness in the state.

How did this question of gambling end up on your ballot? In 2018, the Supreme Court ruled that states could make the decision to legalize sports betting.

Since then, 35 states have legalized it, according to CalMatters.

Now, California is making the move, although not for the first time; in 2020, CA lawmakers were working on a deal to legalize, but they did not finish it in time for it to be seen on the ballot.

Currently in California, online betting is illegal for all sports events except horse racing. Most other gambling is generally only allowed in Native casinos and card rooms. Because these casinos are placed on land with tribal sovereignty, states like California do not have the ability to prohibit gambling, as classified by the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988.

Currently much of the discussion about these laws is about the money that could be brought in and where it will go.

But this worries Delaney.

“It seems like California, just like many other states, only cares about the tax revenue that will be brought in and is not thinking about potential long-term damage … and is doing very little to nothing to address it,” Delaney said.

Currently, the California Council on Problem Gambling reports that 1.5% of California adults are disordered gamblers now (meaning they frequently gamble and lack control over their gambling). However, this data was collected from an analysis in August of 2006, so the actual current scope of this problem is only vaguely known. Delaney fears that this said scope will increase with changes to the current gambling laws.

“By legalizing [gambling], you are inevitably going to create harm. ” -Steven Delaney

“It’s kind of scary right now … with the sports betting expansion; I just feel like there’s gonna be a lot more people that [will] have a problem with this,” he said.

The National Council on Problem Gambling reports that the rate of sports bettors developing gambling addictions is twice as high compared to bettors playing chance-based games like the lottery or roulette.

Sports betting is unique in the way that bettors often believe that their skill and knowledge of sports will translate to higher rates of success.

Although sports bettors may have slightly higher rates of winning than chancebased bettors, the idea of skill-based wins over inflates the monetary game.

According to the Professional Gambler Newsletter, even for a professional sports bettor, the average long-term winning percentage is seldom over 55% and often can be as low as 53%. The misconception of skill translating to an unrealistically high win rate for sports bettors incentivises them to come back more often. This sustained practice can often lead to gambling addictions and problems over time.

An anonymous Paly student that participates in online sports gambling agrees.

“A lot of people know that they are addicted but they physically can’t stop because they are constantly thinking of the potential amount of money they can win,” the student said. “Most people who bet know that the odds are that they will lose money rather than win.”

Along with this, online gambling is significantly more accessible than in-person gambling.

“To go to an in-person casino, you need the time and actual cash to play,” Delaney said. “With online betting, you can use credit cards and can play from anywhere. I’ve heard many people talk about betting while in the bathroom, … in the car, even on the couch next to their spouse, and no one knew they were gambling away their life savings or going deep into debt. It’s much easier and quicker to do more damage with the ac-

“There’s going to be a whole new wave of gambling issues ... wherever ... this becomes legal.”

-Steven Delaney

@vikingsportsmag | OCTOBER 2022 | 35

cessibility of betting online.”

Statistics agree with this point. Numerous states have measured that, after the legalization of online gambling, the number of calls to the state’s problem gambling hotlines spiked.

There was a spike in calls to the state’s problem gambling hotlines.

In New Jersey, the state’s council on compulsive gambling reported a 500% spike in calls to their hotline since online sports gambling was legalized in 2018. The Michigan Department of Health & Human Services also saw almost a 300% increase in calls to the state’s problem gambling hotline after online gambling legalization.

This means that after the legalization of online gambling, five times more people were calling in for help with gambling addictions.

This increase in addiction is one of the central arguments made by the Yes on 26/No on 27 campaign.

They also fear that if Prop 27 were to pass, more youths would become addicted to gambling. Kathy Fairbanks, a spokesperson for the campaign explains why this is.

“The accelerated speed of play and easily accessible nature of online and mobile gambling are especially attractive to youth,” Faribanks said.

The Yes on 27 campaign says that there will be provisions to prevent childhood gambling, but many critics disagree.

“Prop 27 has no fool-proof way to ensure kids aren’t gambling online,” Fairbanks said. “Every laptop, cell phone, tablet and gaming console will become a gambling device under Prop 27.”

“The more [that] sports betting and gambling is normalized, the more young people will begin to bet and… could easily fall into addiction without realizing, and could potentially be impacted for the rest o f

their lives,” Delaney said.

Even though gambling will be harder The same anonymous Paly student who to enforce online, problem gambling participates in online sports gambling numbers could also increase in the world agrees. of Prop 26. If it is legal to gamble, more “It would make people will gamble, and anyone gam[underage gam- bling could develop an addiction. bling] much eas“By legalizing [gambling], you are inevier because they itably going to create harm to not only can use an ac- those gambling, but the people and count from a par- communities around them,” said Delent,” the student aney. said.

That risk of increasing the prevalence Because online of this dangerous disease is a serious issports gambling sue to be considered when voting. is illegal in CalHowever, it is not just the lives of gamifornia, the stu- blers that would change if either of these dent currently two propositions were to pass. In Califoruses a VPN that nia, there are over 80 tribal casinos that replaces their IP address, making it look operate various slot machines and card like they are in a different location. How- games. They also have a stake in the deever, if Prop 27 were to pass, there would cision in the upcoming election, evident be fewer barriers stopping youth from in the millions of dollars raised to supaccessing online gambling. This would port or oppose certain propositions. lead to an overall increase in youth As of August 20, native tribes have gambling, and likely an inraised $357 million to fund one crease in youth gamproposition or the other. bling addictions.

Currently in California, “I think Prop 27 over 50 native tribes e s y r e s aw J will in fact insupport the “No on w e crease sports 27” campaign. betting at More tribes Paly beare opposing cause a lot Prop 27 than in calls to their gambling of Paly stusupporting it. dents enThe reasonaddiction hotline when they joy watching behind legalized online sports gaming sports, this is that and betting many tribes bling. on the game could lose g g to m makes it more money were one the l state rob entertaining to line gambling to ’s council on p watch,” The stube passed, as their dent said. in-person casinos “There’s evidence could lose traffic due to now that a significant the accessibility of online betnumber of high schoolers are ting. betting,” said Fairbanks. “And it’s super Were these tribes to lose this source easy to open an [online] account, or it of revenue, many believe it would harm would be very easy for a child to take tribal self-sufficiency. his parents phone, if they had the app “[The reason] more than 50 Indian on their phone. And the company would tribes … oppose Prop 27 [is] because it is never know that it wasn’t the child’s par- a direct attack on tribal gaming and Indients doing the betting.” an self-reliance,” Fairbanks said.

Mary-Beth Moylan, the associate dean According to Proposition 27, large onfor Academic Affairs at McGeorge School line gaming corporations would be reof Law notes that the nature of the gam- quired to give 10% of their money to the bling being online makes it inherently state as a tax. This, according to the Propharder to police. osition 27 Legislative’s Analysis, could “There are provisions [in Prop 27] possibly increase state revenue by up to that say that it is only allowed for $500 million, which would go partially people 21 or older. [But] that’s into funds for homelessness relief and obviously difficult to enforce in mental health support. the cyberspace,” Moylan said.

This is why Prop 27 is supported by

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36 | VIKING MAGAZINE | vikingsportsmag.com

N

“A lot of people know that they are addicted, but they physically can’t stop.”

-Anonymous Paly Student

some California organizations seeking to help end homelessness.

One such organization is Sacramento-based City of Refuge, co-founded by Rachelle Ditmore. Ditmore was featured, somewhat accidentally, in an ad for the Yes on 27 campaign when the producers of the ad requested her comment on set.

She initially planned simply to accompany some people who had been involved with City of Refuge’s programs to speak in the ad, but then found herself in front the camera. Despite being unprepared, the interview came easily to her because of her deep affection for the subject.

“I started talking and obviously, you can hear this is my life’s passion,” Ditmore said.

Ditmore’s organization emphasized the importance of mental health and family-oriented outlooks on homelessness.

“If people don’t address their trauma, address their addiction, address their mental health, no one will be permanently housed,” she said.

Despite being a relatively small organization, City of Refuge has had an immense impact on the community, and on turning around the lives of many people, one of whom is one of their current employees, Olivia (not her true name).

When Olivia walked through the doors at City of Refuge, she had been addicted to meth since she was 13. She had been trafficked at 12 and had lost a baby due to her addiction. When she reached 18 she was working as a prostitute to survive and became pregnant. CPS took her baby and she came to City of Refuge at her lowest point, seeking help.

Now, with the help of City of Refuge, she’s in her second year of college, working on a degree in social work.

“I look at [Olivia] today and she is an incredible young woman and incredible mother,” Ditmore said. “And I look at someone like her in a lifetime of addiction, a lifetime of trauma, such an overcomer, and I’m like: how many women with children, and how many families are just like that, in need of a different chance.”

City of Refuge has numerous stories just like that of Olivia: people whose lives have been completely transformed by the opportunities presented to them. Ditmore truly believes that sometimes all people need is the chance to make a change, and they’ll take it upon themselves, something that City of Refuge has been devoted to for over 23 years in Sacra-

mento alone.

Some opponents of Prop 27 point out that California this year has already allocated a total of $7.2 billion to fund homelessness projects around the state, according to the Legislative Analyst’s Office. The highest projected amount prop 27 would raise ($500 million) is only around a 7% increase, and even that number is not guaranteed.

But City of Refuge believes the funding from Prop 27 could provide them with opportunities that other federal funding could not.

“We actually had [Olivia] as a referral from another organization, and that organization had a [federal] grant for beds,” Ditmore said.

“And while [Olivia] was with us, that organization’s grant ended, and they called us and they said ‘We’re going to have to exit everyone from the house’. That happens a lot in programs: grants end and when grants end… people just get put back on the streets again.”

Prop 27 could provide permanent funding, something absolutely crucial for non-profit organizations.

Opponents of Prop 27, on the other hand, say that other states require much higher percentages of gambling corporations to go to the state. For example, New York requires a tax rate of 51% for these large companies.

But Ditmore b e -

lieves t h a t a n y chance for increased funding could change a life. “[Prop 27 may] give a chance for those that don’t get another opportunity,” she said.

But Prop 27’s revenue would not only go towards homelessness and mental health resources. Another fund that could be supported by the revenue from Prop 27 is a Native support fund, which would receive 15% of the state’s increased revenue (possibly up to $75 million). Supporters of the proposition point to this fund to explain that Prop 27 would be beneficial to the California native tribes. This money would go to California tribes that do not run casinos, providing them with another source of funding.

But supporters of Prop 26 claim that this money is not guaranteed (a claim corroborated by an analysis conducted

by CalMatter’s Grace Gedye). Gaming tribes also claim that in-person gambling would be a more reliable and better source of tribal economic independence.

“The tribal fund in Prop 27 sounds good, but it’s all smoke and mirrors,” Fairbanks said. “While Prop 26 would nearly double the revenue sharing for non-gaming and limited gaming tribes, Prop 27’s tribal fund offers tribes less money and even that is not guaranteed.”

Tribal self-sufficiency is an important value in many native communities. The right to run their own casinos was a big step for a lot of tribes in this regard, because it gives them a reliable source of revenue. Tribes were willing to fight for it.

Take the story of a small tribe in Arizona: the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation.

The generation of the current tribe leader, Bernadine Burnette, grew up without running water or electric-

“It would make it [underage gambling] much easier.”

-Anonymous Paly student

@vikingsportsmag | OCTOBER 2022 | 37

ity, and had to travel over 10 miles to the nearest school. The previous tribe leaders had hoped to change the poverty-ridden life led by their community.

Their opportunity came when, in 1984, they opened a bingo hall. It was the first and only casino in Arizona’s east valley.

Over time, five other tribes in the valley also opened gaming venues.

The Yavapai Nation’s business grew and in 1992, they added video poker and slot machines to their operations and were earning $3.4 million, which went to new housing, jobs, and healthcare for the native community.

But at the time, the Arizona governor was opposed to native gaming businesses and tried to get them shut down.

The six gaming tribes maintained that they were allowed to operate their casinos according to the 1989 Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (a law legalizing gambling in casinos run by registered native tribes).

Then, the government branch in charge of tribal gaming released a rule clarifying that a tribe must have a compact with the state before it can legally operate slot machines.

Immediately after this rule was announced, the governor, with the help of the US Attorney in Phoenix, raided the six tribal casinos to confiscate their slot machines, since these tribes had not yet made their compact (since the rule was just recently announced.)

They took their machines and loaded them into semi-trucks, but the members of the Yavapai nation did not plan to let their livelihood be taken away. They brought their own vehicles and blocked the path of the semi-trucks. Members of the community, native and non-native alike, came and sat together to guard the trucks while others brought them food and drinks.

Different sources disagree on the length of the standoff: claims range from five hours all the way up to six months, though the general consensus is three weeks. What is guaranteed is that the Yavapai Nation’s persistence garnered national attention.

Under pressure, the governor finalized their compact and returned the

machines. Debora Krol, a spokeswoman for the Yavapai nation, noted the importance of this act.

“The casino was critical in propelling the then poverty-ridden tribe to economic self-sufficiency,” Krol said.

Tribal gambling has been a crucial source of income for many California tribes the same way as the Yavapai nation. “[The impact of casinos] is huge,” Fairbanks said. “They have helped tribes pull themselves out of poverty. [Tribes] have been able to build reservation schools, health facilities, even something as essential as a fire station, which many tribes didn’t have on their reservations.”

The legalization of in-person sports gambling under Prop 26 could bring revenue to native tribes, which explains why over 50 native tribes support the proposition.

Opponents of Prop 26 point out another aspect of the the proposed law: the gaming enforcement mechanisms, one of which grants people or organizations the ability to sue gambling venues if they believe illegal activity is taking place. Opponents of 26 say this provision will allow Native casinos to sue cardrooms and create a monopoly by burying their opponents under frivolous lawsuits. Is this statement true? In CalMatter’s analysis, it says that supporters of Prop 26 don’t belie that they do plan to sue competing cardrooms, but lawsuits will only affect these cardrooms if their activity is in fact illegal. Otherwise, ‘frivolous lawsuits’ likely won’t be raised, given that California has methods to deter them (such as penalizing lawyers who raise lawsuits without substantial backing).

Yet another interesting aspect voters should consider is that some believe that legalizing sports gambling could increase the viewership of female sporting events. According to a UNESCO survey, women make up 40% of all athletes, but only receive around 4% of sports coverage. If betting were allowed, interested gamblers would need more information on their teams and players, and perhaps women’s sports

“I don’t buy into this theory that ... gambling would increase women’s sports viewership.”

-Samantha Lee ‘23

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would receive more attention.

This could allow viewers to feel more connected to women’s teams and follow their sports more closely, whether to spend money or not. This, however, would mean womens sports would be then used for the main purpose of gambling, taking away part of the essence of sports in general.

“I do not want people to be watching my sport solely for the purpose of manipulating the odds and trying to make money off of it,” senior Samantha Lee said. “People should be recognizing the women’s efforts in the sport, not for the reason of trying to make money off of it.”

Dramatic spikes in viewership of women’s sports were also not seen in any other states that legalized sports gambling, so it is generally unlikely that such a change would occur in California without a major industry shift nationwide.

“I don’t buy into this theory that allowing sports gambling would increase women’s sports viewership because I believe there’s already so many male dominated sports that would be gambled on,” Lee said. “I don’t think just legalizing gambling would inherently make women’s sports more popular.”

This November, California voters will decide whether to legalize sports gambling, and choose whether it will be online, in person, or both. There are a myriad of decisions to consider when voters are making their choice this November.

To legalize gambling will inherently increase addiction, as Delaney remarks.

Both measures claim to support tribal sovereignty, and different tribes (and different numbers of tribes) support different measures.

As with any vote, it is crucial to consider all sides of the equation and make an informed decision based on your own values.

Supporters say:

Critics say:

@vikingsportsmag | OCTOBER 2022 | 39

King of the Atlantic: Cal Currier

by TREY COLLINS and ELIZA GAITHER

This past summer, Paly junior Cal Currier broke records becoming the youngest person to sail solo across the Atlantic. On his journey, he braved storms, boredom, and other unforseen diffculties.

A

fter 18 days of tirelessly leading his sailboat across the Atlantic ocean, 16-year-old Cal Currier, a junior at Paly, found himself in the Azores Islands; a group of volcanic islands about 1,000 miles off the coast of Portugal. There, he faced a life-threatening decision.

While exploring the archipelago, north shore winds mixed with the coastal warmth and a large storm was brewing, right along his route to mainland Portugal. Currier had to make a choice: he could either leave the Azores three days early and continue his journey eastward to Portugal –– risking getting caught in the storm and potentially setting his trip off course –– or he could stay stranded on the Azores for another 17 days, with no money, and no support from family and friends.

Currier now holds the world record as the youngest person to ever sail solo across the North Atlantic Ocean. Although a mind-blowing achievement to the rest of us, Currier found that breaking this record was not the most meaningful part of the trip. In fact, he had no idea that he was even breaking a record until he had already left.

The journey truly began months before Currier even touched the water. The idea was born in the car on the way home from Thanksgiving dinner with his family while discussing summer plans. Currier’s brother proceeded to suggest the possibility of sailing across the Atlantic Ocean.

Although for most families this would seem quite far-fetched, for the Currier family, this is not a novel idea. Both Currier’s grandfather and father had embarked on their own trips across the Atlantic in their twenties, and his family has always been adventurous. To the Curriers, the crossing of the Atlantic is a rite of passage, of sorts. After his brother mentioned this venture, the seed was planted in Currier’s mind. Watered and fed by desired dreams, Cal became obsessed.

In Mid-December, Currier flew to Boston, Massachusetts to look at potential

boats for his voyage. Currier met a man selling his boat on the east coast.

“This guy who sold it to us built it for the sole purpose of sailing to Bermuda, but he got too old and decided to sell it,” Currier said.

“So we bought it from him.”

The man was selling the boat for only $12,000, quite cheap for boats with similar abilities, and although it needed some fixing up, it was the perfect single person boat for his solo journey.

Most sailors spend about $300,000 of their savings to purchase a sailboat, and most aspiring sailors spend five years of their lives getting the experience to sail across the Atlantic Ocean.

Currier and his family did it with less than $25,000 out of the bank and seven months out of a year.

They even made most of the money back when they sold the boat.

Paly senior Will Rowell heard about the young teen crossing the Atlantic in June, and was intrigued to hear about the financial process of this feat.

“It's amazing that he was able to go on this trip using such a low budget and still make it all the way to Portugal,” Rowell said.

Before buying his boat, Currier had to do a lot of preparation. He had dabbled in sailing lessons before, but was now spending many hours a weekend learning the ins and outs of sailing.

“I was going to sailing lessons for about 16 hours a weekend, eight hours a day,” Currier said.

He learned how to tie knots. He learned how to lift a sail. He learned how to read the wind. He learned how to map his nautical miles and direction using complicated sailing maps and how to identify numerous kinds of fish and sea creatures. Currier and his father ­— who had become very invested in the journey — started seriously considering the summer adventure across the Atlantic.

"I was intellectually static because there was nothing to think about because I was experiencing the same thing every day, and I was also emotionally raw"

- CAL CURRIER

Despite this excitement, each minute Currier spent on the boat with the sea wind in his hair and the sea spray in his face training, was one minute away from his schoolwork. As a second semester sophomore, the struggle of balancing school with sailing lessons became prominent “Outside of the long weekends I would also watch about one or two hours of sailing every day on YouTube, so I definitely put more time into sailing than homework, which wasn’t great for me school-wise,” Currier said.

Almost sooner than expected, it was summertime. After months of hard work, Currier felt himself swept along by his vision, with each building block falling unexpectedly easily into place.

“As soon as summer started, I flew to

@vikingsportsmag | OCTOBER 2022 | 41

the East Coast immediately and started preparing in Cape Cod,” Currier said.

Currier’s vision was slowly coming into fruition: his journey was starting and he was soaking up every second.

What had once been a hypothetical adevnture had become his reality.

“Spending time with people and getting to make something from nothing was really fun,” Currier said.

With his boat filled to the brim with supplies, his brain stuffed with new sailing knowledge, and his heart surrounded by supportive family, Currier was ready to take off, but faced was one final barrier.

“When I left to go across the Atlantic, I had never been off shore on my own, so I decided that I would go out for two days and see how I feel and then just go back if I wanted to,” Currier said.

This was a concern for both his family and himself, but despite being told that his lack of open ocean experience was not ideal, Currier had his heart set on the trip.

“I latched onto the idea and couldn’t stop thinking about it, so I pursued the idea with vigor, even though people were not all excited about it,” Currier said.

Cal left off for his great journey on June 27 at 1:15 p.m. from Marion, Massachusetts. He had prepared for these next few weeks for months and he finally put his planned route into action.

While on the boat, he slept for 90 minute intervals so he could wake up and make sure everything was on track and going as planned. The food he ate was certainly not gourmet, as he only had a limited amount of ingredients and prepackaged foods.

“All I had was freeze dried food that you put into boiling water, not to be confused with the astronaut stuff,” Currier said.

He sat along his boat looking out onto the crest of the great Atlantic and found

himself thinking, although not about a deep revelation or the meaning of life. Instead, Currier was thinking about what he had to do to keep moving and where he had to be next.

“I was intellectually static because there was nothing to think about because I was experiencing the same thing every day, and I was also emotionally raw,” Currier said.

Currier would spend his days repeatadly reading the same G re e k Mytholo g y a n d Pe r c y

Jacks o n books or playing solitaire, while taking breaks to sit up on the deck of the boat to let the cool water splash over him. ““It felt like a like a frying pan whenever you were out in the sun,” Currier said. “I would reread the same five Percy Jackson books that I had because those happen to be the books downloaded on my phone.”

About 19 days into his voyage, Currier landed in the Azores Islands. He hopped

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off the boat with his legs touching solid ground for the first time in over two and a half weeks.

“When I hit ground I first got some food then took a mo-ped up to the top of the volcano, which was pretty cool,” Currier said.

Currier finally ate fresh food, that had not been dehydrated and then rehydrated again. He was most excited though, to hit land and tour the islands, which he did.

After fueling his body and walking around, Currier caught news of a storm heading his way, and was faced with a difficult decision.

“The plan was to be there for two or three days because I was going to be missing people and also have no wifi, but there were really high winds going on the coast of Portugal, so I either had to wait 17 days in the Azores or leave right away,” Currier said.

Currier left the Azores im-

mediately so that h e wouldn't hit 50 knot winds, the equivilent of greater than 90mph, which could be lethal. In a race against the storm, Currier, safely arrived in Portugal eight days later, three days before the winds would have caught up with him He spent a total of 24 hours and five minutes on the Azores, which was a lot less time than he anticipated, but thankfully, the young sailor made it home safely.

What was once just a conversation over Thanksgiving Break with family resulted in Paly’s own Cal Currier holding a world record title. Contrary to expectation, Currier would summarize the true success of his trip as not simply breaking a world record or successfully crossing the Atlantic Ocean but rather the memories and experiences leading up to the voyage that allowed him to grow closer with family and consecutively learn more about himself.

“Building the boat and spending time with my dad was so fun,” Currier said.

“We got to challenge ourselves and work hard together which I think is very special especially for a teenage boy.”

@vikingsportsmag | OCTOBER 2022 | 43

VIKING TRIES:

MILITARY

BOOTCAMP text by JASON HU and JJ STOEN • design by OWEN BITTINGER and JJ STOEN Viking staff members attempt the candidate fitness assessment to see if they are fit to join the military.

W

est Point, also known as the United States Military Academy, was founded in 1802, just a decade before the United States would declare war for the first time.

Fitness tests, however, date back to the year 1858. They intended to evaluate the fitness of aspiring American military cadets. In those days, Cadet Candidates (CCs) had to perform a 15-foot wall climb, 15 hands high horse vault (5 feet), 10-foot ditch leap, 1 mile run under 8 minutes or 2 miles run under 18 minutes, 4.5-mile walk in 1 hour, and a 3-mile ruck in 1 hour with 20-pound ruck, arms, and equipment.

Nowadays, the test –– and the academy –– look a lot different. Not only have women been seen on campus since 1976 (changing the paradigm of the fitness test), but the physical standard has likewise shifted.

The USMA website states that “The CFA is a test of strength, agility, speed, and endurance. It is used to predict a candidate’s aptitude for the physical program at the service academies.” Editor-in-Cheif Jackson Martin feels that the physical rigorousness of the standards of the USMA will provide an exciting challenge.

“I’m excited to test my abilities,” Martin

said. “I think that it’s going to push my limits and I’m gonna be stepping out of my comfort zone. I’m just going to push myself as hard as I can and do my best.”

CCs must complete a basketball throw from their knees, pull-ups, a 40-yard shuttle, 2 minutes of sit-ups, 2 minutes of pushups, and a mile run –– in the listed order. Each segment requires a three-minute break after it, and an eight-minute break before the mile. All exercises must be supervised by a PE teacher or other certified instructor.

Additionally, both the pull-ups and push-ups must be filmed and submitted to the West Point application portal for admissions officers to check for the proper form.

West Point publishes maximum or “top” standards in addition to the average standards for each exercise and gender. See the chart below for these

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numbers and how you would compare.

“After seeing the maximum performance score, it really showed me how hard it is,” Martin said,” It really shows how much time and effort it takes to put up such high performing scores,” Here at Viking, the staff is full of athletes that excel in their respective fields –– whether it be cross country, swimming, football, water polo, or field hockey — but how will they perform with these rigorous tests? Will they pass the standard of the United States Army?

By comparing the test results of staff members to said maximum and average scores, we will evaluate their readiness and fitness, and how they would shake up in comparison to a regular applicant.

First, contestants tried the basketball throw. Although this seems like a relatively basic exercise, the staff found it

“I think that [the test] is going to push my limits ... I’m just going to push myself as hard as I can and do my best” -Jackson Martin

much more challenging than expected.

A CC is required to sit on both knees and twist their upper body, throwing the basketball forward with one hand. The throw measures upper-body strength and throwing-arm ability which at the surface seems pretty straightforward, but throwing a basketball while sitting on both knees is quite the challenge.

The maximum West Point standards for the basketball throw are 102 ft for men and 66 ft for women.

The average standards are 67 ft for men and 41 ft for women.

Staff members Ivan Ijzerman and Martin did the best out of the whole staff, throwing 44 and 63 feet respectively. Both, however, are still below even the average standards for CCs. “Being on the water polo team helped

me with the basketball throw because I was used to the motion of throwing the basketball,” Ijzerman said, “The challenge was really difficult and it made me realize how difficult military training really is.”

A similar trend was seen for other upper-body exercises: nobody was able to reach the average pull-up or push-up numbers for their respective genders, except Yasmin Friedrichowitz on pull-ups.

According to staff member Elizabeth Fetter, this is because the upper-body exercises are more challenging than the others.

“I was worried about the pull-ups and the pushups because they take a lot of upper body strength,” Fetter said. “I think a lot of sports prioritize endurance and leg strength through running. There are

“I think that the fact that everyone at the Academy has to pass this test just to get in shows that [West Point] has very different standards than a civilian college,” - Elizabeth Fetter

hardly any sports I can think of –- besides weightlifting or wrestling–– that are solely, or even mostly arm-based.”

It seems like Fetter’s theories hold, as most staff members were able to meet or even exceed the standard for the sit-ups and mile run.

“I think the sit ups coming after the push ups are kind of a stress reliever,” Martin said,” The situps were a good way to cool down and prepare myself for the run.”

In addition to depicting the larger overall trend of strong lower bodies and core, and weaker upper bodies, the fitness test also showed the more specific prioritization between sports. Martin and Ijzerman, basketball and water polo players respectively, did the best relatively on the basketball throw. The sport of basketball trains athletes for throwing and shooting: the same that was being tested in this exercise. Likewise, water polo is a sport that prioritizes a similar motion to the throw.

“I thought that being in shape to run up and down the court would help me in running the mile. I was a little disappointed in my performance based on the fact that I played basketball,” Martin said.

Similar trends are seen in other areas.

Fetter is a runner, compete for Paly in

Photo by Owen Bittinger Photo by Owen Bittinger

@vikingsportsmag | OCTOBER 2022 | 45

OUR ATTEMPTS

Photo courtsey of Malcolm Slaney

50

*Bolded numbers are stats that exceeded the average standards set by the military both cross country and track and field.

Friedrichowitz, a swimmer, has been a long-time runner, competing in middle and early high school. Fetter far exceeded the average time for runners; running faster than the maximum standard of 6:00.

“I knew that I would have the running one down because that is my kind of sport,” Fetter said. “I hope that can carry my score and make up for any lacking from other categories.”

What Fetter is referring to as “carrying her score,” is the idea that West Point admissions compiles the test results for

an overall score out of 300 points. The reason why no minimum is posted –– besides not wanting to encourage cadets to service for a “minimum” standard –– is because there isn’t one. If a cadet scores very poorly on the pull-ups, for example, they can make up for it by excelling on other exercises.

“I was surprised by how hard the average times were. This just shows how high the military standards are,” Marburg said.

Even with this “averaging” notion, however, CCs cannot score “zero” on any category. This speaks to the physical fitness and rigorousness of the school and the test.

“I have a lot more respect for those people that put in the time and effort and work to get into the military” -Ivan Ijzerman

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“I think that the fact that everyone at the Academy has to pass this test just to get in shows that it has very different standards than a civilian college,” Fetter said. “It means everyone at the school is going to be in at least pretty good fitness shape, which is neat.”

Based on the results from the Viking staff, nobody would pass the test with glowing scores. Ijzerman reflects on how this fact has changed his mindset since before the test.

“I have a lot more respect for those people that put in the time and effort and work to get into the military,” Ijzerman said. “I think that’s a really hard feat and it takes a lot of practice. Maybe if I kept training for a couple of years I could make it, but I’m just not fit for it right now.”

Overall, this test has assured Viking staff of the rigor of the Military fitness test and increased the estimation of the school and students that attend West Point.

THE FINAL WORD with JJ STOEN:

Parental “Guidance” text by JJ STOEN • design by OWEN BITTINGER

I

n the world of athletics, parents are crucial to a child’s commitment to their sport. Parents drive their kids to practices, pay for equipment, and are often their number one cheerleaders.

At any sporting event, you will likely see a crowd of passionate parents screaming from the sideline, behind the blocks, or in the stands.

The most stereotypical are the “soccer moms” and “baseball dads” who, like any parents, want to see their child succeed.

The trouble is, some people will do anything to achieve this “success” for their kid.

The moments that make me worry the most at sporting events happen after “blown calls” –– when an official messes up a call or misses something in the game or sport and fails to call anything entirely.

Examples of these kinds of calls are unseen contact in football, inaccurate calls from the umpire at home plate, or even athletes strategically drowning each other in water polo, away from the watchful eyes of coaches and officials.

Specifically in baseball, parents go absolutely ballistic over a close call at the plate. They might scream until they are purple in the face, throw their chili dog at the umpire, or even leave the game in frustration (often not voluntarily, as ac-

Photo courtsey of Karen Ambrose Hickey

tions like this typically lead to an ejection). Not only is unnecessarily unfair toward the umpire, these explosions cause embarrassment for their child, and make other parents and coaches uncomfortable. Society frowns upon –– but accepts –– when a child throws a temper tantrum, be it in sports or because they didn’t get the biggest slice of cake, they are children after all. But when an adult does this? We tell them to grow up and find some maturity.

Sports should –– number one –– be enjoyable and fun. Secondly, they should be a safe environment to make mistakes and learn and grow as people. This is especially true for younger athletes. Unfortunately, sometimes overbearing parents can ruin the game for their child.

As a competitive swimmer, I have seen countless examples of this at the various swim meets I participated in. While I am now 17, in the past few years I have witnessed kids as young as eight verbally accosted by their parents for not swimming fast enough or for losing a race.

The child, who barely comes up to t h e i r mom or

dad’s hip, stands there dripping while the screams and saliva shower their face.

Who would find that fun? Swim meets and other sports in general are for the kids to improve, have fun, and develop as people. Being yelled at for losing or not improving – even though you tried your best – is not only not fun, but what kind of message does it send to your child? What kind of person are you going to turn them into? If your young athlete needs feedback, leave it to the coaches.

Otherwise, leave them alone to have fun and make mistakes, it’s all part of growing up and learning.

How do we solve this problem of overbearing parents? It’s simple—just let your kid play the darn game. Praise them for their achievements, don’t drag them down for their mistakes.

Most importantly, have fun with your child. Sports are supposed to be fun and a way for the child to grow. Not everything has to be a competition, especially when it’s athlete versus parent. You are both on the same team, remember that.

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