Viking Volume 10, Edition 2

Viking

LIVE CHAMP like a

Paly graduate Champ Pederson ('06) continues to live up to his name. p. 20

November 2016 Volume 10, Issue 2

LINE UP

SERVE 4

SET UP

6

RALLY

8

RISE

11 EDITORIAL 12 POP CULTURE 13

TEN QUESTIONS

14 INSIDE THE MIND

with Emily Hwang (‘17)

SET

BUMP 16 LOCKER ROOM TALK

38

VIKING TRIES

Bubble Soccer

18 THE LIFE OF A CONCESSION VENDOR

40 CONSUMERISM IN SPORTS

27

44

PRIVATE SCHOOL ATHLETE Q&A with Jack Devine

29

ATHLETE DEATHS

WEIGHT...

DON’T TELL ME

Viking outlines weight lifting exercises for beginners.

46 THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES A tribute to memorable athletes of our time.

SPIKE 20 LIVE LIKE A CHAMP

Viking interviews Champ Pederson (‘06) about living with Down syndrome.

33 ULTIMATE PEACE

Viking investigates an organization using ultimate frisbee to encourage peace amoung Palestinian and Isreali youth living in the MIddle East.

47

THE LAST WORD

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Set up

Senior Cassie Fong (‘17) sets up the ball for an incoming spike from junior Isabella Marcus (‘18) against Lynbrook High Schhol. The Vikings went on to beat Lynbrook 3-0.

Photo by Christian Rider

NOVEMBER 2016

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Rally

The Viking’s defensive line rally to tackle an Oak Grove Eagle in the back field. The Vikings went on to lose to Oak Grove 28-0.

Photo by David Hickey

NOVEMBER 2016

Rise

Senior Joanna Falla (‘17) rises up to block a shot from Fremont High School. The Vikings went on to beat Fremont High School 9-2.

Photo by Ethan Stern

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NOVEMBER 2016

Volume X, Issue 2 November 2016

Editors-in-Chief Skylar Burris Steven Marinkovich Features Editor Quinn Knoblock Design Editors Samantha Guillet Talia Malchin Multimedia Editors Ryan Chang Peter Snodgrass Copy Editor Jamie Cullen

Staff List News Editors Ben Cleasby Ethan Stern Photo Editors Haley Chalmers Christian Rider Columnists Ben Cleasby Peter Snodgrass Business Manager Bryan Look

Staff Writers Sabrina Hall Max Jung-Goldberg Hayley Levine Tess Preising Dillon Scheel Nick Smallwood Mara Zenger Videographer Alec Cohen-Schisler Photographer David Hickey Staff Adviser Brian Wilson

Viking Magazine Palo Alto High School 50 Embarcadero Road Palo Alto, CA 94301 650-329-3837 Email contact: vikingeds@gmail.com Advertising and Sponsorship Contact: vikingads@gmail.com Viking, a sports magazine published by the students in Palo Alto High School’s Advanced Magazine Journalism class, is an open forum for student expression and the discussion of issues of concern to its readership. The Viking is distributed to its readers and the student body at no cost. The staff welcomes letters to the editor, but reserves the right to edit all submissions for length, grammar, potential libel, invasion of privacy and obscenity.

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 The Viking, please contact the The Viking by email at vikingeds@gmail.com Printing Services 2,500 copies of The Viking are printed, six times a year by Fricke-Parks Press in Fremont, Calif.

Logo Font Courtesy of Måns Grebäck All photos taken from Creative Commons unless noted

Viking From the editors Dear readers,

ARE. YOU. READY. FOR. The second issue of Viking?

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

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

Lucky for you, the Viking stories this issue will be worth curling up for. Our cover story, “Live Like a Champ” is written by Haley Chalmers (‘17), Max Jung-Goldberg (‘18), and Nick Smallwood (‘17).

It includes an exclusive interview with Champ Pederson (‘06), who has managed to raise awareness about Down syndrome and also spread positivity to the sports community at the professional level.

Our second feature this issue, “Ultimate Peace” by Skylar Burris (‘17) and Sabrina Hall (‘18), delve into the con-

nections being made in the Middle East between Palestinian and Israeli youth in an ultimate frisbee camp called Ultimate Peace.

Another stand-out piece this issue is “The Life of a Concession Vendor” by Sam Guillet (‘17) and Mara Zenger (‘17), who interviewed vendors at a San Jose Earthquakes game to learn more about their experiences in this unique sales job.

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

Bleed green and white. Go Vikes.

Skylar Burris Steven Marinkovich

Staff view

On the attendance at Paly sporting events Over the past few years, the student sections of Paly home games have been slowly decreasing in size.

Despite this, there has been peak of student attendance has been at home football games and basketball games against Gunn.

At these events the crowd is crazy and you can feel the energy in the stands.

For many athletes, this is the highlight of their athletic career. Unfortunately, these types of nights only happen a couple times a year and only for a couple of sports.

The Viking staff believes that there needs to be systematic changes in order to encourage greater attendance at Paly sporting events.

For years now, Paly has had an extremely strong sports program and the talented athletes at our school deserve more support and appreciation. Paly sports consistently have success in league play

against other public schools and compete extremely well with advantaged private schools.

For example, in 2010 both Football and Volleyball won state championships along with four CCS titles. This kind of success is unprecedented for a public school.

It’s time for Paly students and members of the Palo Alto community to recognize the talent Paly sports feature, and to show support with greater attendance at sporting events.

The student sections at Paly home games need something to get them going. For one, students need to take more responsibility and simply attend more games independant of large social events.

Additionally, Administration and the Athletic Department need to publicize games more often and for more sports.

Last year, two Paly vs. Gunn boys bas-

ketball games were publicized as “Quad Night” and the student attendance was overwhelming and impressive.

On October 6th, a home volleyball game was publicized using the “Viking Cup”, a competition where athletes could win prizes for supporting fellow athletes.

Again, the crowd’s energy was amazing and Paly won the game against Los Gatos.

These three events were very effective and the idea of publicizing sports events like these need to be extended. Games like these need to happen much more often, perhaps once every couple of weeks, and less mainstream sports need to be recognized as well.

Playing in a game that has great crowd support and an electric atmosphere is an absolutely amazing experience. All of Paly’s athletes deserve this kind of support and it’s time we start giving it to them.

NOVEMBER 2016

pop culture grid WHAT DO PALY ATHLETES SAY?

Jackson Chryst (‘19) Jared Stanley (‘17) Julia Doubson(‘18) Sophie Frick (‘18) Cassandra Fong (‘17) Cross Country Water Polo Water Polo Volleyball Football

Heisman Trophy Winner?

Stanford or Cal?

Lamar Jackson

Stanford

Favorite sports brand?

Nike

Are you ready?

Yes

Favorite winter sport?

Basketball

Lamar Jackson

I don’t know what sport that is for

Christian McCaffery

I don’t know

Stanford

No preference

Stanford

Stanford

Nike

Nike

Adidas

Nike

No response

Always

For the PA Vikes cause we are ready for you

Girls’ Wrestling

Soccer

Basketball

For the PA Vikes cause we are ready for you

Basketball

What is Paly’s favorite Bay Area sports team?

“I love the A’s because their fans are always bleeding green and gold, and the team is always fun to watch, no matter what. Sure, they’ve been losing lately, but you have to trust Billy Beane.”

-Raj Lele (‘18)

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“Sharks are obviously the best, most imposing mascot. They are clearly the superior team.”

-Joey Kellison-Linn (‘17) w w w. v i k i n g s p o r t s m a g . c o m

Viking Magazine

sat down with Paly Water Polo’s own Dexter Gormley (‘20) and asked him 10 questions. We then also asked his coach, friend and teammate. Here are the results...

10 Questions with

as told to Nick Smallwood

Dexter Gormley (‘20) Water Polo

?

dexterGORMLEY Aaron Johnson Coach

Zach Phillips (‘20) Teammate

PENELOPE CRUZ

MICHELLE OBAMA

EMMA WATSON

FREEDOM

WATER POLO

BUSY SCHEDULE

EVERYONE IS BIGGER

ETHAN BUNDY

JARED STANLEY

Stefan Garduno (‘20) Friend

Questions EMMA WATSON

Celebrity Crush?

PREP PERIODS

Favorite part about Paly?

THE GIRLS

ONLY ONE YEAR Worst part about being a THREE MORE YEARS freshman?

WITH THE SENIORS THIBAULT JARED STANLEY Funniest teammate?

COLLIGNON

CHICKEN TIKA FROM PASTA TAVA SNOW IN SNOWBOARDING TAHOE

BAKED POTATOES

Pre-game meal?

TACOS

SNOW

Best part about winter?

SNOW

SHOOTING

Favorite part about practice?

SHOOTING

SHOOTING

SHOOTING DRILLS

TYPING WITH IPHONE NOISES ON

Pet peeve?

LOSING

NOISY EATERS

WORLD HISTORY

Pump up song?

LIKE A VIRGIN

REMEMBER THE NAME

LOSE YOURSELF

Favorite sport to watch?

SQUASH

WATER POLO

SWIMMING

20%

20%

LOSE YOUSELF SWIMMING

60% NOVEMBER 2016

inside the mind of (‘17)

EMILY HWANG as told to QUINN KNOBLOCK

ON PRE-GAME RITUALS

Paly so far has been a great experience. The staff and students have been very welcoming to make the transition into a new environment easier than I thought. Paly is an interesting place in terms of environment, academic standards, community, and athletic expectations. trive for within the football program.

ON SENIOR YEAR

Paly so far has been a great experience. The staff and students have been very welcoming to make the transition into a new environment easier than I thought. Paly is an interesting place in terms of environment, academic standards, community, and athletic expectations. trive for within the football program.

ON MISSING PALY GOLF

Paly so far has been a great experience. The staff and students have been very welcoming to make the transition into a new environment easier than I thought. Paly is an interesting place in terms of environment, academic standards, community, and athletic expectations. trive for within the football program.

ON SPORTS INSPIRATION

Paly so far has been a great experience. The staff and students have been very welcoming to make the transition into a new environment easier than I thought. Paly is an interesting place in terms of environment, academic standards, community, and athletic expectations. trive for within the football program.

ON QUIRKS

Paly so far has been a great experience. The staff and students have been very welcoming to make the transition into a new environment easier than I thought. Paly is an interesting place in terms of environment, academic standards, community, and athletic expectations. trive for within the football program.

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Stern & Sons Investments

Lets Talk ((650))) 468-5808

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LOCATION: MIDDLEFIELD BALLPARK 3672 MIDDLEFIELD ROAD NOVEMBER 2016

“Locker Room Talk”

by SKYLAR BURRIS, BEN CLEASBY, PETER SNODGRASS and ETHAN STERN By now, unless you’ve been trapped in an actual locker room for the last month, you’ve probably heard all you want to hear about locker room talk.

There is no official definition of the term “locker room talk,” because “locker room talk” isn’t confined to the locker room. What generally occurs is a private conversation between teammates, co-workers, or just a gathering of people, and these talks can range from a casual check-in to the raunchier and more sexually-oriented conversations that we have recently heard in the media. The unspoken law of these talks is that they are meant to stay behind closed doors, but in many instances this does not hold true.

Locker room talk has made its way into the headlines with the leaking of a 2005 recording of Donald Trump being interviewed by celebrity journalist Billy Bush. Trump was quoted using crude language about women. He

- Donald J. Trump bragged about kissing, groping, and making sexual “moves” towards women and described these quotes as “locker room talk,”.

The reactions to the leaked video were mixed in terms of the voting population, but generally resulted in a negative response towards Trump and his campaign. One outspoken individual on the minority side of the argument is cornerback for the Denver Broncos, Aqib Talib, who believes that Trump would fit in just fine in the Broncos’ locker room.

While Talib may be in support of Trump, many critics, including athletes who spend a considerable amount of time in the locker rooms he mentioned, have not only attacked Trump for his comments, but also attacked what Trump has labeled “locker room talk.”

For example, Detroit Lions wide receiver, Golden Tate, dismissed Trump’s comments and his generalization of locker room talk as inexcusable. Many critics have objected to our society’s trend to allow Trump’s comments, and vulgar talk in general, to fall under the category of, “boys will be boys.” In the past, that phrase has been used as a device to make up for a man’s objectification of women. Many see this as a way to dismiss sexism in our daily lives, and instead call for reform and accountability for those making such comments.

The counter argument that some have made, of course, is that this sort of talk actually does go on, both in locker rooms and beyond them. Some people have gone further to argue that it isn’t just men who participate in this type of conversation, but women as well.

Most people, however, agree that in order to stop this vulgar talk and gender shaming, the justification of “locker room talk” must end. Both genders must see each other as equals and remain open-minded to new ideas.

A Viking’s View Plenty of Paly students have a diverse range of thoughts on this topic. Read below to see a few of these opinions.

“I think that both guys and girls often talk about each other in really degrading ways, but I still don’t think passing it off as “locker room talk” is okay or justifies it in any way. I don’t think “locker room talk” or “boys will be boys” are good excuses [for either Trump’s or other’s comments].”

- Talia Stanley (‘18)

“There is no excuse for talking about women in such a way, and if Trump had actually acted in the ways in which he described, those actions would have constituted sexual assault. There is no justification for why Donald Trump said what he said, and this made up term called “locker room talk” is just an excuse for his despicable, vulgar comments.”

- Darrow Hornik (‘18)

“I think the fact that Donald Trump dismissed his comments as just ‘locker room talk’ is a clear representation of the respect that he believes women deserve. What he said was not harmless ‘locker room talk,’ it was extremely offensive and should not be brushed off as just ‘guys being guys.’ I know that ‘locker room talk’ exists, however it is not appropriate for anyone to make comments such as Trump did in any situation.”

- Emma Staiger (‘18)

“I believe that his term ‘locker room talk’ was meant to downplay what what he said, because what he said was clearly disgusting … However I feel that only people who have never participated in ‘locker room talk’ themselves should have the right to criticize anything he said.”

- Ethan Bundy (‘17)

“I believe that the stuff Trump said was despicable. He had no basis for it and it worries me for our future. However, in our historical past, we have rarely judged a presidential candidate based on his personal life. Is what he said worse than what other presidents said about black people or even them having slaves?”

- Arthur Halsted (‘17)

“I think that sometimes when guys are around other guys they will say inappropriate things. But I never heard a teammate or anyone else ever talk about forcing themselves onto anyone else or try to even try to make a joke out of that. Swearing and talking s*** to each other is one thing that I might consider locker room talk and it could be dismissed as boys will be boys but what Trump said crossed a line.”

- Jake Varner (‘18)

The Life Of A Concession Vendor NOT YOUR AVERAGE SALES JOB.

B

eing a concession vendor is not an easy job. It is very physically demanding, and requires certain set of skills that are necessary to thrive and do well in the job. Eric Watkins, a concession vendor in the Bay Area, has come to adopt these skills, learning to make the most of his time so that he can excel in his job.

Watkins first started working as a vendor when he was in seventh grade, and his first job consisted of selling coffee for $0.50 a cup.

Working as a vendor was just a means of earning money while in school, but the job gave him lots of field experience and time to gain many useful skills. He has worked at the majority of professional and collegiate venues in the San Francisco Bay Area, including: Stanford, the San Francisco Giants, and the San Jose Earthquakes.

“I am probably one of the few vendors with over 25 years in the business,” Watkins said.

In the beginning, being a vendor was not something he necessarily looked forward to, but the job grew on him, and his outlook soon changed.

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Photo by Samantha Guillet

by SAMANTHA GUILLET and MARA ZENGER “When I first started I didn’t care for the job,” Watkins said “and it has now turned into something that is very fun to do.”

Working as a concession vendor is not Watkins’ only job. He also works in the field of engineering and science, and used the money he earned from concession vending to pay for his college lab and text books while in school.

“Vending has always been a second job for me, and in some years it was a third job” Watkins said.

The work that concession vendors do is not easy, and it takes strength to go out and walk around selling and carrying food.

Although working as a vendor is considered a sales job, it is not what one would traditionally picture.

“Vending can be very physically demanding,” Watkins explained. “And with that in mind it is probably the only sales job of its kind … the value of one’s services as a vendor depends on the individual’s experience and sales ability. This is evident when someone new applies for a vending job and can’t make a living … usually because of how physically demanding [the job] can be.”

The money comes only when you are

working hard, and if you are not being of an impact concession vendors have on proactive in trying to sell food then you a game’s atmosphere, but it is important won’t leave the game with a good amount to recognize the valuable service that they of money. provide and understand the skills and “If I want to make money, I can’t and typ- work that go into such a job. ically don’t watch any of the entertainment “The concessionaire provides valuable when I work,” Watkins said. customer service, we are the front line of The work that concession vendors do is guest service once the guests enter the very important to the atmosphere of the facility, whether it is through concessions, game, the fans, and the team. The skills in-seat dining, suites service, or catering. needed in order to do such a job are very It is the concessionaire’s job to make the crucial to their success, and having those guests feel at home in their facility while skills helps bring about a better atmo- they cheer on their team,” Dickert exsphere at the games. plained.

A concession vendor who works the Working as a vendor at a game takes up Stanford Women’s Volleyball Games, and a lot of time, especially when they go to has chosen not to be named, has worked overtime. as a vendor for five years. Aside from The amount of time a vendor will have working as a concession vendor, he works to work can vary. For instance, some volin taxing, and has also learned the skills leyball games could go to five sets, while necessary to be a concession vendor. others may only last three, so it is import“You have to be a people person,” the ant to take advantage of the limited time anonymous vendor said. in the game.

According to an article by Serious Eats “Serving the public is very demanding about ballpark hot dog vendors, the av- of your time ... and job stability is not long erage concessioner will walk 6.5 miles term,” Watkins said. during a game. They will climb about 66 The work concession vendors do is not flights of stairs within the first seven in- widely regarded as important, but when nings of the baseball comes to fully un“Concessionaires provide one game while carrying derstand everything around 25 hot dogs in not only food service the job entails it is very a 16 pound metal box but guest service to the captivating. The sucfilled with condiments. event, faculty and cess it can bring to a Vendors at a baseball atmostphere” venue is very great, and game are required to the difference it makes - Tim Dickert to the fans is much bigshow up one hour before the first pitch is thrown. The longer ger than you might realize. you have been a vendor, the more prior“It is great to see interest in the Concesity you get when picking which food you sions side of the events and how it directly want to sell at the game. A little advantage affects the guest and the venue,” Dickert such as picking the food you sell might not said. “Think about any type of event you seem all that important, but if you were go to, whether a sporting event, concert ... selling Dibs on a cold, rainy day, it would movie, or a party ... the one common item most likely end in you leaving the game is food and beverage. Dining together no with very little money. So, having advan- matter how intimate or large of a gathertages like those can prove to be very deci- ing brings people together to celebrate sive in the amount of money a vendor will life and enhances the event you are at. The leave a game with. event would not be the same without the Tim Dickert, the General Manager for opportunity to have food and beverages Food Services and Hospitality for the San available to share and talk about during Jose Earthquakes, has seen and under- the event.” stands the critical role concession vendors It is important to observe and unplay in the sports world. derstand the many different jobs “Concessionaires provide not only food and professions there are in the service but guest service to the event, fa- world. Many people may not recility, and atmosphere,” Dickert said. “It is alize the importance they have crucial that the concessionaire and their right away, but looking and obstaff are welcoming to the guest as well as serving different professions knowledgeable about the venue and the more carefully can bring about guests needs.” a greater appreciation for the Many people may not realize how much many different talents others have. photo by Mara Zenger

NOVEMBER 2016

Photo Courtesy of Taylor Baucom

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LIVE LIKE A

CHAMP Champ Pederson (‘06), a motivational speaker and ambassador for the Best Buddies organization, shared his amazing story about living with Down syndrome.

His journey was anything but easy, yet through it all, he has become a role model for many around the nation.

by HALEY CHALMERS, MAX JUNG-GOLDBERG, and NICHOLAS SMALLWOOD NOVEMBER 2016

oto Courtesy Shelly Pederson

L

ife is hard. Everyone knows that. Everyone knows they’re going to face life. The test of one’s true character though, is how they deal with that adversity. Some people become depressed, some people struggle through it, and then there’s Champ Pederson (‘06).

Champ was born on October 2nd, 1987 at Stanford Hospital in Palo Alto, California. If you were the nurse introducing him to the world, you wouldn’t be able to tell he was any different from the baby down the hall, but he was. Champ was born with Down syndrome.

His family knew of his disability, and so did Champ, but he didn’t, and still doesn’t, care. He lives his life to the fullest and he does it with a smile stretched from ear to ear. This same smile would be reflected on the faces of his three younger siblings: Tyger (‘08), Joc (‘10), and Jacey Pederson (‘16).

Down syndrome occurs when a child is born with an abnormality on the 21st chromosome, which is why the medical term for the disease is Trisomy 21. A child with Down syndrome often experiences delayed development, a distinct facial appearance which is typically a bit wider than the average human, and learning disabilities. Sometimes, individuals with Down syndrome need lifelong care, but Champ was, and is, so vastly dif-

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ferent.

Champ doesn’t hide his disability, he instead conquers it and doesn’t let it control his life. At the age of 29, Champ is as content as they come.

“Down syndrome — it is not a disease. It doesn’t hold me back, but it is my disability and I know what my disability is. I just try even more. Some people say words about it. Words that are hateful. There is a word, called the r-word, and if anyone ever says that to us, it is really hateful. For some people that don’t know about Down syndrome, it’s about 21 chromosomes — we have an extra chromosome. That extra chromosome makes us special because we touch a lot of people’s hearts. It’s also how we talk to people too,” Champ said in an interview with his brother that made it onto The Players’ Tribune.

Both Champ and the rest of his family don’t care that Champ was born with the disease.

“It’s kind of complicated and hard at times. For me, without having a disability I don’t know what I can do.

I wouldn’t know where my strengths and weaknesses are,” Champ said when asked if he would want to live without his disability.

Champ’s younger brother, Joc Pederson, an MLB all star, often has people tell him how sorry they are that Champ has Down syndrome, but Joc doesn’t feel sorry at all.

“Really? No, it’s a blessing, and

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

I wouldn’t be the person I am without him. There is nothing to be sorry about. I am extremely lucky,” Joc said when responding to people talking about his brother’s disease.

Above all, Champ is happy with his life, and has a plethora of friends and family who can attest to that. Countless professional sport stars enjoy hanging out with him as well.

“Honestly, I think you might have more players’ numbers than me,” Joc said in the same article with The Players’ Tribune.

Champ is a positive person to have around, and nearly everyone he meets can attest to that. He brings an unparalleled energy and happiness everywhere he goes, whether it’s to work or if it’s into the Los Angeles Dodgers’ locker room.

“It’s like you bring this joy out of people. There are superstar players who go out of their way just to see you,” Joc said, again in the same article from The Players’ Tribune.

Champ doesn’t despise any of the attention he receives, but instead embraces and owns it. When his brother, Joc, was being honored at the Santa Clara Hot Stove Banquet, Champ got up and spoke to the crowd of over 500 people. He addressed the whole audience and talked about baseball’s value and the importance of being close with friends and family. He was warmly greeted after his speech with the roar of an applause from the audience.

“It’s kind of complicated and hard at times. For me, without having a disability I don’t know what I can do. I wouldn’t know where my strengths and weaknesses are” – Champ Pederson (‘06) “He stole the show,” said Tyger Pederson, Champ’s younger brother. “People can feel his emotions — they’re drawn to him. Almost every time he speaks, people are cheering or crying.”

Champ is the oldest of four children.

Jacey, his younger sister, graduated from Paly in 2016 and received a scholarship to play soccer at UCLA. His two younger brothers, Joc and Tyger, have both played for the Los Angeles Dodgers, the same team their dad, Stu Pederson, played for during his MLB career as well. Joc was named an All-Star in 2015 and beat future Hall of Famer, Albert Pujols in the Home Run Derby. What many people don’t know, however, is how similar Albert Pujols and Joc Pederson are.

Albert Pujols, like Joc, also has a family member with Down syndrome. His daughter, Isabella Pujols, has Down syndrome. As a result of his daughter’s disabiilty, Pujols started The Pujols Foun-

dation, which benefits children with Down syndrome and similar diseases.

Albert Pujols and Joc Pederson met for the first time while at a screening for a movie called “When Hope Grows,” a movie about baseball and down syndrome. When Champ first met Pujols, he was ecstatic, and he screamed about Pujols being his favorite player, despite his brother, Joc, being in earshot. Champ begged for a jersey, and Pujols happily obliged to his request, despite his superstar status.

Later that year, Joc and Pujols encountered each other once more, this time on one of the biggest sports stages of the year: The Home Run Derby.

Champ walked out with his younger brother, Joc on his way to greet Pujols. What followed would be talked about around the league for months to come. Champ and Pujols embraced one another with a hug, but rather than a normal hug, Pujols’ 6 foot 3, 210

Family

pound frame, picked Champ up and gave him a massive bear hug. Commentators and baseball fans alike felt a warm feeling within, it was the kind of moment that brings everyone in the sports community together.

“It was such a great moment that, no matter whether we were at the derby or on TV, I would have had. I know how important these times are to Champ and people like him,” Pujols said after the touching moment with Champ.

To this day, Pujols continues to play golf with Champ and other children with Down syndrome.

Outside of what one might call a personal lifestyle, Champ maintains a busy schedule professional life that includes a job at the Apple Store in downtown Palo Alto. Champ helps customers with their products and also helps with new purchases. He often talks about how he’s not allowed to give insider information on new prod-

Photo Courtesy Shelly Pederson

Champ and his two younger brothers, Tyger and Joc, (upper left) model their stylish New Era “Live Like a Champ” hats in the dodgers dugout.

Winners

Champ points at his superstar brother Joc (bottom right) after winning the National League West championship in the 2015 Major League Baseball playoffs.

NOVEMBER 2016

“He has always been one of my biggest supporters and I know I can always go to him to cheer me up. He has taught me how important it is to love everyone, no matter their differences or difficulties in life, we’re all human.”

– Jacey Pederson (‘16) ucts that Apple is producing. Along with his job at Apple, Champ also works for the Peninsula Creamery in downtown Palo Alto.

“I go to work for Apple and that’s my everyday job instead of going to a daycare,” Champ stated proudly. “I’ve been there since 2007. I’ve been working for the creamery too.”

Champ also does not let his disability hold him back from doing his favorite activities. He makes sure that like everyone in his family, he stays in top athletic shape, no matter the exercise he’s doing.

“I’m still a swimmer,” Champ said with confidence. “I really like biking.

I like going on walks and I like to be me.”

Because Champ has grown up in an athletic family, sports have always played a major role in his life. Champ embraced his athletic potential by trying, and excelling, in both swimming and golf. He even qualified to compete in the Special Olympics, and ended up doing extremely well.

“I was in the 100, 200, and the 500 freestyle. I took first, second, and third,” Champ boasted on his athletic

Photo by Haley Chalmers

achievements.

Being an athlete in the Special Olympics isn’t the only impressive and inspiring aspect about Champ. While he is loved by many, he also has faced his share of trials and tribulations throughout his life. Champ knows all the hardships that come with being disabled, including being made fun of by his peers. Champ overcame these obstacles, and turned the negativity into motivation to not only change people’s assumptions about himself, but also to change the assumptions about people today who struggle with hav-

Promotion

Champ writes out his personal slogan as he presents his gratitude for and experience with Paly’s Best Buddies Club. “Live Like a Champ” is a collaboration with his family to raise awareness for Down syndrome.

Witnesses

The audience at the Best Buddies speech from Champ (right) looks on as Champ gives his speech. The audience seemed mesmorized by Champ’s inspiring words. Champ received a standing ovation for his truly mesmerizing talk.

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Photo by Haley Chalmers

ing a disability. Despite the negativity and criticism Champ has occasionally faced in his life, he has always stood up against the ridicule and taken the higher road.

“He has always been one of my biggest supporters and I know I can always go to him to cheer me up. He has taught me how important it is to love everyone, no matter their differences or difficulties in life, we’re all human,” Champ’s younger sister, Jacey, said on some of the values he has instilled in her.

Champ, along with his mother, created the “Live Like a Champ” campaign which has taken the country by storm. This campaign was created to raise awareness and understanding for people living with disabilities.

Many athletes and average citizens have merchandise associated with the foundation, including many students at Paly. His merchandise focuses on his motto “Live Like A Champ” and has helped to raise awareness for his disability and ones like it.

“My mom and I created the ‘Live Like a Champ’ campaign because my mom wanted to do something with me and she’s a part of my life. She’s my biggest advocate,” Champ said with a sense of pride.

Champ’s family has played a major role on keeping his positive outlook on life, and he has continued to rub off and do the same on them. Champ’s positive attitude and never-stop-smiling demeanor influences all those around him to be happy too. His younger sister, Jacey, has been influenced her entire life by his encouraging and supportive attitude.

“Champ has been a huge influence on me growing up. He taught me to live life as he does, with a smile and not sweating the small stuff,” Jacey said about her big brother. “Champ has been the glue of our family.”

One of Champ’s greatest accomplishments has been his involvement as a role model in the Best Buddies program. Best Buddies is an international non-profit organization founded in 1989 at Georgetown University, Washington, D.C. This organization was created to help eliminate stereotypes and break the isolation of people living with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). There are opportunities for anyone to take action by donating, volunteering, buying apparel, and more to help raise awareness.

There are Best Buddies programs in middle schools, high schools, and colleges all over the nation. Champ was one of the first members of the Best Buddies program at Paly, and believes it is something that has left a mark on who he is today.

He is currently an ambassador for the club, and his responsibilities reach

beyond Paly. Champ’s responsibilities as an ambassador allow him to spread his story, and stories like it, across the nation. As an ambassador, he travels to various Best Buddy chapters (such as the one at Paly) and gives motivational speeches to the members. Many people with disabilities aren’t permitted to speak, but Champ’s eloquent speeches give him the freedom to spread the word and his stories.

One of Champ’s most prestigious accolades to date will be presented to him in the coming month. Champ will soon be given the award of MVP (Most Valuable Person) at the 2016 Game Changer Reception in San Francisco, California on November 5 for his significant contributions to the Best Buddies community.

Whether you see Champ at a major event, at his one of his jobs, or just around Palo Alto you will never see him let his disability slow him down from living life to the fullest.

He embraces his disability and uses his story to help raise awareness about Down Syndrome and similar genetic disorders.

Champ has become an inspiration nationwide for his work with the Best Buddies organization and as a motivational speaker, Champ prides himself on who he is, and flaunts his true self.

He doesn’t hide behind a curtain, he just owns up to himself.

“I do things my own way and make my own decisions.”

One thing’s for sure, there is not a day he won’t be living like a champ.

All Smiles

Champ flashes his pearly whites as he poses for some pictures (below) in his “Live Like A Champ” Los Angeles Dodgers hat. His style of fashion is exemplified in his bold fashion choice with this pink shirt.

Photo Courtesy of Shelly Pederson

NOVEMBER 2016

Let us

paly madrono 2016-17

KNOW...

The Madrono staff [you know, those guys ^] would love to hear from YOU: • Have an idea for something we should cover? Let us know!

• Take a cool photo we might want to put in the book? Let us know!

• Interested in joining us on the staff next year? Let us know!

• Want to just see how the yearbook is put together? Let us know!

Stop by MAC 104 during 6th period and say hello! or email us at: madronoyearbook@gmail.com

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Q& A with

Jack Devine

I

by BRYAN LOOK and QUINN KNOBLOCK

n order to investigate the differences between private school and public school athletics, Viking interviewed Varsity athlete and D1 recruit, Jack Devine. Devine, a junior, lives in Palo Alto, and had he decided to attend public school, he would be enrolled at Paly.

Devine excelled at athletics in elementary and middle school and because of this, elected to attend Bellarmine College Prep. Since then he has continued to improve at both football and lacrosse. He is currently the backup Quarterback of Bellarmine’s football team and has already committed to play lacrosse at Marquette University.

“I haven’t witnessed it firsthand, but from what I’ve heard, I think it’s a bit more of a commitment if you’re playing a private school sport.”

-Jack Devine VIKING MAGAZINE: What is playing sports like at a private school compared to a public school?

JACK DEVINE: I haven’t witnessed it firsthand, but from what I’ve heard, I think it’s a bit more of a commitment if you’re playing a private school sport.

VM: How so?

JD: With Bellarmine Football, during the summer, it’s every single day twice a day five days a week.

And then during the season we have morning practices Monday

and Wednesday from 6:30 to 8 [am], and practice after school from 3 to 5:30 [pm]. It’s a lot.

VM: Why did you decide to go to Bellarmine?

JD: Summer going into 8th grade, one of my best friends from lacrosse told me all about Bellarmine.

I literally had no clue about it until he told me about it and my parents loved it. I wasn’t so sure. So I took the test, I got in and my parents really really wanted me to go so I decided to go there and I do not regret the decision at all.

VM: What was your college recruiting process like?

JD: I’ve been trying to get recruited since 8th grade and I’ve been going to tournaments on the east coast, trying to make a name for myself. Last summer was the summer where I finally got attention from college coaches. I got offers from Marquette, UMass and Loyola.

It’s a hard decision to decide where you’re going to go to school but I think Marquette’s a really good fit for me because I visited, I know a lot about it, it kind of seems like the perfect fit for me.

NOVEMBER 2016

Writing many wrongs

Pressures that female sportswriters deal with on a daily basis, just for doing their job.

by HAYLEY LEVINE and TESS PREISING

T

he sports industry is constantly adapting and changing to society’s standards.

Recently there are more female analysts and journalists covering the same sports games as men. When women go to cover the games, they get unnecessary attention and comments that men would not normally get if they were covering the games.

According to an ESPN article, “Death to Locker Room Access,” locker room interviews after games have been a strong component for sportswriters to gather information. However, when women go into a locker room after a game, they can be treated like an object for the players to prey on rather than a professional sportswriter. According to the same article, some fans have also acted inappropriately through attacking these women via Twitter.

Another article on USA Today titled, “Men Read Terrible Tweets to Females Sportswriters in Eye-opening PSA,” shows Chicago-based radio anchor and Sports Illustrated contributor Julie DiCaro and ESPN reporter Sarah Spain as victims of tweets that male fans have posted online. The tweets that these reporters received were not only rude, but also contained d e a t h threats.

I n i t i a l l y, the tweets from discontent fans ridiculed Spain for sounding similar to a “nagging wife” and stating that DiCaro is a “run of the mill beat writer.” However, the tweets soon turned more abusive and

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discriminatory, saying that the reporters should get “hit in the head with a hockey puck and killed” and others mentioned that these writers should be Bill Cosby’s next victim.

One tweet reads, “One of the players should beat you to death like the whore you are.” Many of these tweets say things that are sexist and talk about how men should rape them.

Aside from the vicious tweets online, the players have also been involved with misconduct in person. According to a Sports Illustrated article titled, “Sexual Harassment toward Female Sportswriters is Far too Common,” just last year a baseball player pulled his pants down after his game and enticed a female journalist to turn around and look at his penis. Another player would continually flirt with the reporter at the venue and this eventually escalated to calling her hotel room asking if she wanted to watch a movie with him. When the reporter declined these advances, the player would not speak to her on a professional level for several months after the incident.

Another incident described in the article was with the same female reporter, describing the actions between her and a National Hockey League player. The player had told the reporter that one of his teammates was telling the team she had slept with him and the player wanted to clarify if the rumor was true. Since there was no ‘paper trail,’ the reporter had no evidence to prove that the situation was in fact false.

Female sportswriters are just trying to do their job, and do not deserve to be sexually harassed for working just as hard as men in their field.

As player misbehavior continues to increase, team employers have begun participating in the discrimination and abusing their power. According to the Sports Illustrated article mentioned earlier, the article claims that employers would ask

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for a reporter’s phone number and then hand it out to the players. The players would then start calling and texting the reporter and asking her to send pictures to him before games. This inappropriate behavior should not be tolerated in the sports journalism industry. There needs to be higher standards in the expected professional relationships between players and reporters to ensure that the relationships remain strictly work-related.

The same Sports Illustrated regarding sexual harassment, discusses that players’ agents have succumbed to these actions as well on behalf of their clients and also themselves. Sometimes agents will try to shift the conversation from professional to personal, and then begin to make sexual advances; when the situation gets too uncomfortable, the reporter then leaves. These types of situations not only are completely offensive, but also impede on the reporter’s ability to do her job.

Due to traditional sexism in the workplace, there are some lingering effects which cause some players to easily give in to inappropriate behavior. When this does happen, the people who do get penalized are not necessarily the players, but rather the reporters. There continue to be fans that still feel that women do not belong in the sports industry due to their gender. This conflict should not be a representation of how society should look, and in order to progress as a nation we need to properly address these acts of injustice.

Finding the Light

Viking looks at how sports have managed to bring people together in the darkest of times

by STEVEN MARINKOVICH and DILLON SCHEEL

NOVEMBER 2016

L

ast month, the sports world saw the tragic loss of 24 year old Miami Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez. One of the elite pitchers in the MLB (Major League Baseball), Fernandez’ death was a shock to anyone even slightly associated with the sport of baseball. On the day of his death, September 25th, 2016, all of the baseball world stopped and gave tribute to the young pitcher who left this world too soon. Nobody gave more of a tribute to Fernandez than his Marlin teammate Dee Gordon who

9/11

On Friday, September 21, 2001, the New York Mets were set to square up at home against their biggest rivals: the Atlanta Braves. It was the first professional sports game in New York since the 9/11 attacks.

Relief was one of many mutual feelings among those in attendance at Shea Stadium. Fans were glad to be back into the swing of things and enjoy a game of baseball after a week of remorse. Mets manager Bobby Valentine called the contest a “return to normalcy.” The atmosphere in the stadium that day united fans and

players

to rise above the rivalry and focus on a much greater issue: the peace of our nation.

Still, once the game began to heat up, competition grew serious. Mets fans were especially thirsty for victory, hoping that a win could help brighten the city’s spirits. Emotions were held back all game as the New York fans had little to cheer about through seven and a half innings. The Mets were down 2-1 in the bottom of the eighth.

Everyone in the stands could feel the tension growing stronger as Mets’ catcher Mike Piazza came up to bat with one man on base. He delivered a two run shot to center field. The crowd erupted. Piazza retraced the moment, when he described, “It was just this incredible release of emotion, and I think it became evidently clear that people just wanted to cheer — cheer about something.”

Indeed he had everyone cheering. Even the city firefighters, whose close friends had tragically passed away just nights before, were smiling boldly. The home run turned out to be the difference in the game and the Mets won 3-2. Piazza turned the whole city around. He reminded fans just how great of a game baseball is for America.

In late August 2005, New Orleans was hit by Hurricane Katrina. Katrina is regarded as one of the worst hurricanes to ever hit America. The damages caused by the storm are the costliest on record, requiring $108 billion in repairs. The Louisiana Superdome, home of the New Orleans Saints, was used as a shelter for a large number of people in New Orleans who had been left with nothing following the devastating events.

With the Superdome being used as a shelter, in addition to the damages the stadium sustained in the storm, the Saints’ 2005 season, which was set to begin in early September, was in question. The team spent the season with their headquarters temporarily based in San Antonio, Texas and played half their games at that location and the other half in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. During this season away from home, the franchise was pondering relocating the team away from New Orleans.

The team returned to the Superdome the following season on a year by year lease deal, keeping the team in the city for the short term. In their first game back, the Saints took on the Atlanta Falcons, and after forcing a punt on the Falcons’ opening drive, Steve Gleason blocked the attempted punt. Teammate Curtis Deloatch recovered the ball

and scored a memorable touchdown to send the Superdome into a frenzy. The moment is now forever captured in a statue outside of the Superdome.

The 2006 season would go on to be the Saints’ best ever up to that point, reaching their first ever NFC Championship game.

Just three years later, before the 2009 NFL season kicked off, the team’s owners signed a new lease deal that guaranteed to keep the Saints in New Orleans through at least 2025. That 2009 season would go on to be the greatest in the franchise’s history, culminating with a first ever Super Bowl win and helping bring the city of New Orleans back to its feet.

HURRICANE KATRINA

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led off the first game after his death with a tear-jerking homerun. How do sports work like that? How can they work to bring everyone together in times of the deepest pain and allow those people to feel relief? Here at Viking, we have taken a deeper look at instances like the death of Jose Fernandez. We look at how sports sports brought people together following the horrific events of 9/11, Hurricane Katrina, the Boston Marathon Bombings, and the aforementioned death of Jose Fernandez.

BOSTON MARATHON BOMBINGS

After the Boston Red Sox lost to the Cleveland Indians in the ALDS this postseason, David Ortiz announced his retirement.

He will certainly be remembered for his slugging ability at the plate. Yet, perhaps Big Papi’s most defining moment as a Boston legend came when he gave an emotional speech on Saturday, April 20, 2013. It was the first game at Fenway Park after the terrorist bombings at the Boston Marathon. Overcome with intense emotion, Ortiz stood atop the mound and preached, “This is our f***ing city, and nobody is going to dictate our freedom. Stay strong.”

Ortiz received national recognition for his patriotic words. In 2016, Obama said that hearing Ortiz’s pregame speech was one of his proudest moments as president. Obama added, Ortiz’s speech “is the kind of resilience and the kind of strength that we have to continually show in the face of these terrorists.”

The Red Sox team responded to the attacks in the best way that they could: they posted strong performances on the field. They churned out wins, finishing 97-58 on the season. Showing up in postseason play, the Sox did their city proud when they took down the St. Louis Cardinals in six games to claim the 2013 World Series Title. That team showed resilience, becoming only the second team in MLB history to win the world series after finishing last in

their division the year before.

It is heart-warming to see how the Boston players responded to their city when it mattered most. The degree to which these bombings actually factored into the triumph of the Sox’s 2013 campaign is impossible to know.

Yet, the way that Ortiz reacted so passionately to the bombings goes to show just how motivational this event must have been for everyone involved in the Red Sox organization. The fact that the Sox completely turned around their program in just one year suggests that this motivation must have had some serious effect.

The aforementioned death of Jose Fernandez, the motivation of this story, was a huge shock to the baseball, and sports, world. The 24 year old passed away from a boating accident in Miami, Florida early in the morning on September 25th, 2016. The young pitcher was one of the best in the league and was in contention for the 2016 National League Cy Young award.

Fernandez’ death left much more than a hole in the Miami Marlins’ rotation. The young stud was born in Cuba and defected from the country to the Miami area in his teenage years. Miami is the hub for most Cubans who defect from their homeland, having the

highest population of Cubans in the country. For all of those people, Hernandez was one of them. They looked at him and saw resemblance of themselves. Fernandez was the one carrying out other Cuban’s American Dream.

When he passed away, the entire sports world was brought to a stand still. The Marlins cancelled their game on the 25th with the team not in the mental state to play. The following day, the Marlins returned to the field playing the New York Mets, paying tribute to Fernandez with video memorials and a moment of silence.

The entire team wore #16 Jose Fernandez jerseys on that day and the game couldn’t have been written any better by a Hollywood script writer.

Marlin shortstop Dee Gordon stepped up to the plate to lead off that game and despite having not hit a homerun all season long, hit an absolute shot to right field.

As Gordon ran around the bases, he was overwhelmed by his emotions and started sobbing.

When he reached the dugout, all his teammate were there to greet him and more emotions poured out.

Sports are crazy. They have the ability to bring people together in times of pain all by chance and Dee Gordon’s home run is a prime example of that.

JOSE FERNANDEZ

NOVEMBER 2016

“Michael, you can’t imagine what that home run meant to the country. It united everybody.”

-Vincent Piazza (Mike Piazza’s father) to Mike Piazza

“This jersey that we wear today, it doesn’t say ‘Red Sox.’ It says ‘Boston.’”

-David Ortiz

“I felt like I was in every inch of the Superdome, up in the crowd, just so happy that I could do that for the people.

I couldn’t ask for anything more … I just sat, thought about it and thought about it, believed I was going to make a big play for this team and this city. And I did it.”

-Steve Gleason

“I ain’t never hit a ball that far, even in BP. I told the boys, ‘If you all don’t believe in God, you better start.’ For that to happen today, we had some help,” - Dee Gordon

UPletiamc ate by S SAB KYLA R RIN A H BURR ALL IS a nd

e

Photo courtesty of Ultimate Peace NOVEMBER 2016

W

ith gunshots flying and mysterious planes circling overhead, people living in the conflict-affected areas of the Middle East must be constantly aware of the threats that surrounds them. But, in the midst of the surrounding trauma, an outlet is offered to children and teens of the clashing nations. This outlet is Ultimate Peace (UP), an organization that uses ultimate frisbee (commonly known as ultimate) to provide a “positive, edu-

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Photo co

urtesy of Ultimate Peace

cational, multicultural experience that is healthy, enriching, inspiring, and fun for youth� in the words of the organization. Because it is based in an area embroiled in so much turmoil, Ultimate Peace uses the values that playing sports instills, to change the pre-existing notions of people from

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specific areas that are held by the kids in their program.

Viking was able to interview different members of the Ultimate Peace organization, ranging from administration faculty, to coaches and players to better understand how UP works to create

an environment that brings youth from different backgrounds together.

MEREDITH TOSTA Meredith Tosta has been an active participant in Ultimate Peace since 2013, and has volunteered as both a coach and, more recently, the Director of Programming, in charge of making the camp run smoothly. She first heard of Ultimate Peace when she met with David Barkan, one of the founders of Ultimate Peace, while working with UP (then called the Ultimate Players Association).

“When I heard that Barkan was trying to use ultimate [frisbee] as a vehicle for

bringing peace to the Middle East, it was a no-brainer to get involved,” Tosta said.

“I am often asked if I have roots in the region, as people seem to be looking for an answer to the question of why I would travel halfway around the world, and the truth is I don’t. But I do believe that everyone deserves the chance to live in peace and I have the means and the time to help.”

In fact, the Board of Directors for Ultimate Peace is comprised of mostly outof-region volunteers, some residing in the Bay Area, others on the East Coast, and even a few in places around the world. However, their primary objective is the same: to create an environment where kids from different backgrounds can be provided with a safe escape from the treachery of war and play ultimate frisbee.

“Ultimate Peace builds bridges of friendship, trust, and leadership between youth who live in communities divided by conflict, using the values-based sport of Ultimate as its tool,” Tosta said. “We focus on the core principles of mutual respect, friendship, non-violence, integrity and of course, fun.”

Ultimate frisbee differs from most organized sports in that instead of requiring outside referees, rules are enforced through self officiating. Fouls and rule violations are called by players, and it is up to members of each team to resolve conflicts that may be encountered on the field.

This need for level-headed problem solving directly correlates to bettering relationships between players. Respect for each player is the only way the game

can continue, so it is key to encourage the kids to forgo their preconceived notions about the other nations, and get to know their teammates on a deeper, more personal level.

“There are not many opportunities in life to practice both conflict resolution and speaking up for yourself, so when we have a sport like this and we take it into a region of conflict, it’s truly remarkable how you see kids grow and adapt,” Tosta said.

In addition, being around kids from conflict-affected areas gives the Ultimate Peace staff a better understanding of the conflict they’re surrounded by, and allows for them to better handle tense situations with the players. Although the staff can understand the more political aspects of the major disagreement, they still struggle to find roots behind the emotional battles that so many people in war-torn areas engage in. Once the kids in the program learn that everyone just wants to throw the frisbee in an accepting environment, they seem to work together incredibly well.

“What I love best about Ultimate Peace,” Tosta said, “is that we don’t focus on the sticking points of the conflict. We provide a safe place for kids to be kids, and the magic that comes from that is what starts to break down barriers of ingrained prejudice and build mutual respect.”

Teamwork and communication is something that seems to bypass a possible language barrier. The nature of team sports at a young age or recreational level is to encourage the development of life skills that are not only important to the creation of a successful team, but are also vital to living a successful life. As a part of Ultimate Peace, the players learn how to communicate their thoughts and disagreements in healthy ways, with people of different nationalities and backgrounds. Later in life, their ability to connect effectively with people of varying ethnic groups or ideas will serve them well, and could ultimately lead to them spearheading positive change in the region.

“Even though it seems impossible at the outset, there is without fail a magical point where communication shifts to a common language, sometimes spoken, sometimes not. Everything starts to flow, smiles are contagious, and you look around and realize that here is a group of kids who would literally never interact, if not for this program…and they are

NOVEMBER 2016

Ph o to

sy of U lt

ce Pea ate im

“ The main thing that I think I have learned from my experience as an LIT was that at the end of the day everyone is a person."

-Caleb Seamon

te ur co

hugging, high-fiving and bounding as a team,” Tosta said.

CALEB SEAMON Caleb Seamon, a 17-year old from Massachusetts, was exposed to ultimate frisbee at a young age, as his older brothers both played and coached.

Seamon has continued his love of ultimate to this day, competing for his high school’s varsity ultimate team and has played at the Youth Club Championships with his club team, Boston BUDA. Growing up in a house where ultimate is so prevalent, it was inevitable that Seamon would hear about Ultimate Peace. Seamon originally learned about Ultimate Peace from his eldest brother, who has now been working with Ultimate Peace for the past five years. After hearing about the amazing memories his brother was making in the Middle East, Seamon knew that he had to experience Seamon had only met one of the other LIT’s briefly before it as well. arriving in the Middle East. Although the Seamon stepped onto the field as a summer camp was only eight days Leader in Training (LIT), long, Seamon admits that fast very similar to a Coach friendships bloomed. in Training. As an “We [the American LIT, his main LITs] ranged from goal was to the Northeast to assist head the midwest and coaches, to the west -- so maintain much distance positive separated us,” energy, Seamon said. and “An outsider occawould not he sionally able to tell this run a drill now, howevor scrimer, because the mage. He 8-ish days we was one of spent constantly the thirteen together brought American LIT’s us so close. The way working at camp in which UP brings pasthis past summer, sionate people together for a a minority compared week catalyses special friendships.” to the roughly 45 Middle Even to this day Seamon admits that East LIT’s. Before arriving at camp, 36 | T H E V I K I N G | w w w . v i k i n g s p o r t s m a g . c o m

the LIT’s remain close in contact, relying on social media and Skype to keep in touch.

According to Seamon, the group chat between the American LIT’s is active daily, and they try to plan Skype calls with the Middle Eastern LITs as often as they can. One of the biggest changes is that now the majority of Seamon’s Facebook feed is in Hebrew and Arabic.

However, the connections made between LIT’s are not the only connections made in Ultimate Peace: by the end of camp, many campers find friends from backgrounds they never thought they would find similarities with. The three distinct backgrounds at camp – Arab-Israelis, Israeli Jews, and Palestinians – normally wouldn’t be found intermingling due to the separation in their communities. However, at Ultimate Peace they have a chance to come together and bond over ultimate.

“The main thing that I think I have learned from my experience as an LIT was that at the end of the day everyone is a person. While I did not think otherwise before camp, the first-hand experience of witnessing the connections

made between campers from disputing backgrounds was inspiring,” Seamon said. “From this I have developed a great optimism, especially regarding conflict resolution.”

When we asked Seamon to recall his favorite memory from the eight days he spent at camp, he admitted it was difficult, but decided on “Night Activity”.

Night Activity is a night where all the coaches and campers are on the field under the lights, playing different ultimate-related games and dancing to the music that blasts from speakers. During Night Activity, Seamon was asked to look for the “lonely campers” and invite them to play games instead of sitting on the sideline alone.

“There was one night where there was a boy who was looking sad and was all alone sitting off by himself. I walked over to him and after much discussion I finally convinced him to throw with me,” Seamon said. “As we were throwing I tried to bring him out to play some ultimate or to dance, but he repeatedly refused.”

After failing in bringing the boy to a station, he decided to bring the station to the boy. Seamon grabbed one of the nearby games and brought it to where the boy had been sitting alone.

“This attracted so many other campers to come on over and play [the game] with the boy that I was no longer needed,” Seamon said. “The kind of feeling I got when I looked over as I left to see him smiling and laughing with other campers is a feeling I have not had since. Pure and genuine happiness, because that is what Ultimate Peace is about.”

STEPHANIE WONG Stephanie Wong has been involved with Ultimate Peace for over three years, during which her role in the organization has shifted from Assistant Coach in 2014, to Camp Medic, Head Coach, and Club Leader in 2016. Wong has been playing ultimate frisbee for an estimated 15 years, and it was through her college team that she was introduced to the Ultimate Peace Program.

“I went to College Nationals in 2009 and met Linda Sidorsky at the [Ultimate Peace] tent. She gave me an Ultimate Peace pendant and told me about the program and I was hooked. I knew I couldn’t go then, but when I could afford both time and money, I’d go” Wong said.

Working in an area so heavily affected by conflict allows for Wong to gain a new perspective on the fighting that surrounds her. As an adult from the United States, working with kids from all differ-

ent backgrounds, with all different types valley towards Nazareth was a very small of experiences, Wong is able to gather and humbling feeling” Wong said. new information and history about the Ultimate Peace’s influence on kids conflict in the Middle East day after day. throughout the areas they are able to That being said, understanding the his- travel to is something that very few orgatory of the conflict does not make it eas- nizations have been able to achieve, and ier for her to grasp why people are still the way that they aim to achieve peace fighting. is done in one of the most seemingly “I didn’t understand [the conflict] con- simple ways, but it would fail without the ceptually before I went but now that I dedication of people like Wong. ‘understand’ why it’s happening I don’t Wong’s leadership over the course of understand why it’s happening. The kids her time with the organization has given that we’ve worked with, their families, her the ability to help shape its mission and total strangers that I’ve met ALL want and program, and has allowed for her to peace” Wong said. be touched by many of the inspiring stoLearning to navigate the differences be- ries held by the kids involved in Ultimate tween working with kids in America and Peace. In addition, her position has given kids in the Middle East seems as though her a glimpse into an area that very few it would require a steep learning curve, Americans are able to experience, and but Wong realized that running around has allotted to her the privilege of influand playing sports is something of a uni- encing the lives of possible future peaceversal love, no matter your background. makers in the region.

“I work with youth in the States and in Ultimate Peace affects the lives of many, my years have learned that ‘a kid is a kid and uses ultimate frisbee to create bonds is a kid’ - they just want to have fun and between people of warring nations. Each experience things in life. With no talk of individual who takes the time to contribpolitics, religion or even school, kids get ute to the betterment of UP, whether they to just play and meet new friends” Wong are coaches or players, becomes deeply said. connected to the organization and the This summer was the first year that Ul- area it operates in, and connection that timate Peace was given the opportunity never seems to die. Through instilling to travel to areas outside of their usual the values of teamwork, acceptance, and camp location. This enriching experience communication in all of the kids in the allowed for campers to gain a deeper un- program, they become more aware, understanding of the lives that their peers biased, and inclusive global citizens. The lead, and gave the leaders a deeper per- conflict in the Middle East is not somespective regarding what it is like to be a thing that can be resolved in a day, but kid living in the Middle East.

Ultimate Peace has been working for “We were invited to various communi- years to make peace in the Middle East ties of our LITs (Leaders in Training) and become a reality. it was a whole different experience being outside of our Camp bubble. We te Peace ltima held practice for the local U f o esy kids and standing on urt o top of the mountain oC ot on their practice h P fields looking out over the

NOVEMBER 2016

S E I R T

G R N I E C K I C V O S E L

B B BU

by TALIA MALCHIN, TESS PREISING, and MARA ZENGER

A

s we looked on the field, we saw the enormous red and blue bubbles.

No, these bubbles were not made out of soap film, but rather out of a clear PVC plastic. There was one small opening on the side of the bubble which provided enough space for almost our whole body to slide through, except our legs.

We all got into our bubbles, putting them on like a backpack. The tough polyester belts dug into our shoulders making even the simplicity of walking difficult due

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

to the extra weight. Since walking was already a strenuous task, soccer was unfeasible. We began to play as well as we could, while having a five foot bubble strapped around us. However, the difficulties of the bubble got even worse.

Besides the fact that we were now four times bigger because of the bubbles, we could barely see. Crashing into people left and right and falling on the ground became habitual. First off, the “clear plastic” was all scratched up, and once we started breathing inside of the bubble, it all fogged up. The bubble also blocked the view of our feet. Whenever we kicked the ball, we were never sure that our kick would be a swing and a miss, or go in the complete opposite direction we intended.

All of the confusion and distraction of the bubbles made it a much more interesting game; someone got knocked over

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within the first 20 seconds of the game start time.

Normally most people wouldn’t enjoy getting knocked over, but given that we were playing bubble soccer, almost everyone tumbled.

Push really came to shove during the intense five on five games. We not only struggled to get the ball in the net, but also to stay on our feet for very long.

Since the bubbles provided a nice cushion to fall back on, getting knocked over was not a big casualty. However, the difficulty came when trying to get back up after being knocked down. If we landed on our backs, and then tried to get up from being on our backs, we soon realized that the task was quite difficult. The players who were pushed to the ground looked like turtles on their backs, rather than soccer players. When one of us got hit, we would first see the reflected colors of the spinning bubble. Finally, the sideways legs flailing in the air as the player would generally fail to get enough force to push themselves back up. We soon re-

alized after many failed attempts, that the best way to get up was to flip onto our stomachs and use our knees to help push ourselves up.

The next difficulty came when the soccer ball was far away and we had to run to go get it. You would think that it wouldn’t be very challenging because most of our legs were outside of the bubble, and that the bubble didn’t hinder any mobility in our knees, but that was not the case. With our arms being strapped up inside of the bubble, we could not use them to help propel ourselves forward as we ran, adding to the difficulty.

After playing soccer with the bubbles, we moved onto two other games. First we played sharks and minnows, which became very tiring, and made the bubbles even foggier because we knew that to survive we couldn’t get knocked over.

Like we said, the bad part wasn’t getting knocked down... it was when we had to get back up. And if we landed on your backs, we would have to do the roll maneuver to get on our stomachs.

The favorite among the participants was a game called Last One Standing, and this was similar to sharks and minnows, but it wasn’t as tiring because it didn’t require any running. People started getting knocked over right away, and it ended with the last two in a standoff until one of them finally got knocked over.

The highlight for everyone playing was just jumping around on the bubbles. We would also run towards each other at full speed and knock each other over, seeing who would go flying the farthest. Due to the fact that the bubbles provided us with a shield from the impact force, we were much more confident in attempting backflips, frontflips, or endlessly rolling on our sides.

Overall, bubble soccer was a great experience. Although it came with its challenges, in the end the challenges were what made it so much better. To see someone struggling to get up was so fun to watch, or to see someone fly five feet backwards after getting pummeled by someone else, that is what made this experience so great. We would recommend this to anyone who wants to have a good laugh, and isn’t afraid of getting knocked around a little.

NOVEMBER 2016

Adidas’ Stan Smith is a tennis shoe inspired by tennis legend Stan Smith.

However, nowadays, the shoe is not only used for tennis, but as sneakers as well.

STAN SMITH X ADIDAS

Bolt earns Fresh Heidi 10 million out of an Klum has dollars a Olympic an athleiyear with victory, sure deal Puma.

Neymar with New Puma is one of Balance. has been the world’s Klum is an sponsoring rising suambashim since perstars sador for 2003. He in soccer. the combicurrently He has nation of is earning sponsors sports and 10 times from Nike, style. more than Red Bull, any track Panasonic, star in the Konami world. and Gillette.

USAIN BOLT X PUMA

NEYMAR X NIKE

-

HEIDI KLUM X NEW BALANCE

Manning’s partners include Nike, Buick, DirecTV, Gatorade, Nationwide and Papa John’s.

Although Manning retired last season, his presence is still felt on the media market.

Curry currently has an endorsement deal with Under Armour. He also has a deal with Chase, Kaiser Permanente, Degree, Muscle Milk, Brita and Fanatics.

Rihanna has a shoe line that is sponsored

by Puma.

Rihanna fuses her independent approach to music and fashion to sports driven designs with Puma.

PEYTON MANNING X NIKE

STEPH CURRY X UNDER ARMOUR

RIHANNA X PUMA

Consumerism

Cristiano Ronaldo has an endorsement with Nike.

On top of that, Ronaldo has the highest media value in the world. He also has a perfume line called Cristiano Fragrances.

Simpson has an athleisure line with Macy’s.

Accessories include pants, shoes, and and tops.

Kobe had a five year deal worth a total of 75 million dollars with Nike.

Although Bryant’s career came to an end this year, His brand will continue for generations.

in

Steve CaMichael ballero is Jordan a Bay Area currently born skat- sponsors er that has 21 aca spontive NBA sorship players. with Vans, He also Indepen- endorses dent, Pow- Nike Air ell Peralta, Jordan ProTec, Products. and AuJordan tobahn also sponWheels. sors other leagues such as the MLB, NFL, NASCAR, and the WNBA.

Beyonce is sponsored

by Pepsi, H and M, Ivy Park, along with deals from Nordstrom and TopShop.

Her most noticeable endorsement was her Pepsi Super Bowl halftime show.

SPORTS

by RYAN CHANG and TALIA MALCHIN

Endorsements are deals that athletes and celebrities dream CRISTIANO about. Here RONALDO is a list of X notable NIKE deals in the sports industry.

JESSICA SIMPSON X MACY’S

KOBE BRYANT X NIKE

STEVE CABALLERO X VANS

MICHAEL JORDAN X JORDAN

BEYONCE X IVY PARK

Viking

Science with

Ahmed Ali

by BRYAN LOOK

Ahmed Ali (‘18) performed well on the boys’ golf team last year as a sophomore at Paly. The lefty had a lot of success in league play last year and is coming into this year looking to make a big impact on the golf team. To figure out just how he is tearing apart the competition, we broke down his swing in the first-ever Viking Science.

19.5 ft 18°

125 mph

42°

The average launch angle on a golf shot can be anywhere between 10° and 20°, but when we asked Ali to hit some short range chips, he over doubled his launch angle all the way up to 42°. This allows the ball to fall back down to the ground at a steeper angle.

This steeper angle allows the ball to roll less after hitting the ground and allows Ali to be more accurate on these precise chips.

Short Game

Ali recognized his short game as his main strength.

“Anytime I’m not hitting the ball well I can really rely on my putting and chipping to keep me in it,” Ali said. We watched as Ali practiced at the Stanford Golf Course and he really showed off his abilities when within 100 yards of the hole. His accuracy on chips and accuracy on mid-range putts stood out.

10/10

One of Ali’s biggest strengths is putting. We wanted to see just how consistent he is on making easier putts. We asked him to attempt ten 5-foot putts and without even batting an eye he sunk all 10. Though 5-foot putts appear easy, if Ali misses by only 2° either direction from the center of the cup, he would miss the hole entirely.

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2° 5 ft

Y

ou’re doing that wrong.”

I have just finished my second set of squats when I hear an unfamiliar voice giving familiar advice. I turn to see an older man who frequents my local YMCA. He has an expectant look on his face, as though I’d been waiting for him to correct me.

I take a deep breath and smile politely, “Oh. Thanks.” And then I turn my back and prepare myself for my third set.

I often have men telling me I lift incorrectly. On every exercise. What they don’t know is that I am trained by a professional and have been lifting (accurately) with a trainer for a few years now. They don’t know that I am lifting at the gym three to five days a week, that I spend thirty minutes a day pushing myself, and on busy school days I make sure I am in the gym by 6:50am.

I am an athlete and I know my form is judged every moment I spend at the gym and that this scrutiny is because I am woman.

Growing up, my two role models were Larry Bird and my dad. My dad introduced me to the world of sports, and inspires me to better myself every day. Larry Bird reminded me of the impor-

The

Weight of

being

tance of being resilient, because no matter the size of his opponent, he left the court everyday knowing he had won the effort battle. As a kid, male athletes had been my role models because I thought female athletes, though amazing, could never dunk like Michael Jordan or pass like Steve Nash. However, as I grow older, I have learned that female athletes are ultimately tougher: they have to work twice as hard just to be recognized for their efforts. Nneka Ogwumike – 2016 MVP of the WNBA – embodies who I want to be as a basketball player and a woman: strong, outspoken, powerful, with Larry Bird’s resilience and my dad’s drive. Yet, when I’m asked about her signature on my shoes, I either get a blank stare or a laugh. If women aren’t recognized as legitimate athletes, then why work so hard? To that, there is only one answer: we love to play.

I volunteer each week for the Bay Area Women’s Sports Initiative, because I want to be a role model for elementary school girls to show them that they can be athletes. My father imparted this message to me at a young age, and I know that has influenced how I play. I am fearless, passionate, and ready to challenge any

opponent, but these characteristics, although valued in basketball, are not always thought of as feminine. I know off the court, these same traits are thought of as out-of-line, stubborn, and confrontational. I remind the girls I mentor to ignore this double standard and that they can work just as hard, play just as well, and immerse themselves in the game just as much as any boy.

I wouldn’t trade one moment on the court or in the gym for anything else.

Leading my teammates in a huddle or making the last-second buzzer beater, it all ties back to the literal blood, sweat, and tears that I leave on court in practice. For every I-don’t-want-to-behere-anymore moment, there are a hundred I-would-never-be-anywhere-else moments, too. From my experience as a basketball player, I have learned that hard work might not always be rewarded when it manifests itself in a female form but that will never stop me from giving my all.

My identity is simple: I am a female athlete. These two words, separately but equally, have molded me into what I am today – passionate, hard-working, and strong – without any help from a man correcting my squats at a gym.

a

female athlete

by SKYLAR BURRIS

NOVEMBER 2016

Weight...

W

by JAMIE CULLEN and CHRISTIAN RIDER

don’t tell me

inter is coming. While some people call this time of year the holiday season, we know it as bulking season. We are, at heart, animals, so we need to pack on mass for our hibernation. However, instead of sleeping through the winter, we lift until spring. It’s cold and wet outside anyways, and we know you have nothing better to do than spend some time in the weight room. No more putting it off until tomorrow; tomorrow is a relative term and tomorrow is never coming. It’s time to get big, and Viking is here to show you how. Pick up the nearest dumbbell and get ready to eat seven meals of pure protein a day, beacuse it’s time to lift.

Bench Press

Bench Press is the most generic and well-known lift. If you want people to think you’re big, bench is the only lift you need. Nobody cares how much you can do on leg extensions if you can bench 250.

Muscles Trained: Pectorals, Triceps, Anterior Deltoids

HOW TO: Lay flat on your back and lower the bar down until it touches your chest, then push it back up

HOW TO: Squat down, keeping your heels flat and chest up, until your legs reach 90 degrees, then stand up

Squats

Squats are the go-to in leg work outs.

Your leg day will start here. Squats are great because they work out all the muscles in your legs as well as your lower back. Remember to start off with low weight and focus on form.

Muscles Trained: Quadriceps, Hamstrings, Glutes, Lower Back

Deadlifts

The beauty of deadlifts is that they make you look jacked. Once you start putting on enough weight, the bar will start to bend, proving that you are stronger than iron. However, if done with poor form deadlifts can cause back injuries, so go light weight and focus on form.

HOW TO: Grab the bar with your preferred grip, keep your Muscles Trained: Glutes, back, legs weight in your heels, chest up, then start to rise up 44 | T H E V I K I N G |

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Military Press

Ever want to feel like you’re in the military?

Well military press has absolutely nothing to do with the military, but your shoulders will be so broad you will look like you’re in the military. It’s a fun and useful lift just make sure not to drop the weights on your head.

Muscles Trained: Deltoids, Triceps

HOW TO: Get the dumbells to 90 degrees, press up until arms are straight, then slowly lower back down to 90

HOW TO: Lay down and hold the weight straight above you, lower weight to head, then re-straghten your arms

Skull Crushers

Biceps are the flashy muscles that make your arms look big, leading triceps to often be neglected. However, biceps are almost useless, while triceps have use and make your arms look big. Skull crushers show how useful triceps can be in your everyday routine and when stopping objects from crushing your skull.

Muscles Trained: Triceps

UPPER BODY WORKOUT

LOWER BODY WORKOUT

BODYWEIGHT WORKOUT

Post Workout Nutrition

Bench Press (dumbbell/barbell) Military press Shrugs Bicep curls Rows (cable/dumbbell/barbell) Lat pulldown Tricep Extensions Skull Crushers -NO WEIGHTS REQUIREDSit-ups Russian twists Pull ups Push-ups Bodyweight Squats

Squats (both/single leg) Deadlift (trap/barbell) Leg press (Machine) Leg extensions (Machine) Leg curls (Machine) Weighted lunges Calf Raises

Protein and carbs are important after working out to refuel your body and start building muscle.

Some examples of good post-workout meals are: -Chocolate Milk -Protein Shake -Meats (Especially Chicken) -Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich -Nuts NOVEMBER 2016

1946-2016 “He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life.”

-Muhammad Ali

Thanks

for

the

Memories

1929-2016 “The most rewarding things done in life are often the ones that look like they cannot be done.”

-Arnold Palmer

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s

The Last Word...

by BEN CLEASBY and PETER SNODGRASS

Baseball vs. Lacrosse

Last issue, we embarked on a journey of what if’s. What if the Giants won the World Series again.

What if Marshawn Lynch came out of retirement. What if the Raiders stayed in Oakland. Unfortunately, our prophecy did not shake out how we hoped. The Giants did not win the World Series. Marshawn Lynch continues to enjoy his retirement. The Raiders’ owner, Mark Davis, recently announced that Las Vegas will publicly fund 750 million dollars worth of the stadium.

As Prophets, we deeply apologize. Our prophecy was very far from being correct. In fact, we were incorrect (yes, we admitted we were wrong).

To hopefully make up for our past mistakes, we hope to enlighten you on the atrocity of lacrosse as it relates to baseball.

Warning!

This is a satirical article and is not meant to be taken literally.

O

ften times, thousands and thousands of little demons learn how to play baseball for the first time every year. They tend to stick with the sport up until they realize that they are no longer as good as their fellow young athletes. However, a lot of these failed baseball players still crave a sport to play. Where do these wandering misfits find their home? Lacrosse. As members of the Prophecy, we have some strong feelings toward this relationship between baseball and lacrosse and plan on ruffling some feathers.

A few years ago a new sport emerged on the scene, lacrosse. These athletes believe that they rule the sport world with their long flow and daddy’s money.

However, lacrosse players are reluctant to realize that they’re the new kid on the block, and are in no position to be a major sport. While we respect their obvious effort of making lacrosse a mainstream sport, its popularity is still extremely low (in regards to income and TV viewers).

Lacrosse has a simple task, run with a ball and throw it in the other team’s net to win. Plays are simple, it’s not that hard

to think about what’s going on, it can’t be that difficult (after conversing with fellow staff members who play lacrosse, they confirmed that this sport is very simple to basketball).

On the other hand, baseball is profoundly complicated and can be a struggle mentally. There are endless situations that you have to think about. For example, if you are a infielder and multiple men are on base, you must know what to do in all situations when the ball is hit.

The amount of possible situations that could occur never stop coming and one must be prepared to react in all of them.

Baseball, mentally, is more difficult than lacrosse.

In America’s pastime sport, you have no room for error. It takes an absurd amount of skill to take a round bat and hit a round ball for at least a single. If you hit the ball slightly under the barrel by a centimeter, it rolls on the ground to a defender. If you slightly hit the ball above the barrel, the ball skies to far in the air giving time for a defender to catch it. You have to hit the ball perfectly to knock a line drive. On the other side, lacrosse has a large margin for error. With a net attached to the end of a stick, you could miss where you want to catch the ball by as much as an inch, that’s a lot of space.

Other than that, the only precision in the game is when you shoot; and aiming at a six by six box doesn’t seem like much of a challenge. Once again, baseball is more difficult in regards to precision.

A lot of people assume that baseball

doesn’t require a lot of running and is less physically demanding. Au contraire my friends. Baseball is actually incredibly demanding; it just requires maximum effort in short spans of time instead of a medium effort the whole time like lacrosse. Off the field, players need to grind for massive gains, exceed the usual bicep size, and their thighs need to bulge like Hams (Peter). We mean, afterall, that’s what it takes to hit a ball over 400ft. Lacrosse players can relax and focus on grooming their hair with no offield training other than staying in basic shape. Yes, we admit that you have to run more in lacrosse, but we do stand to argue that baseball is more physically demanding when considering the whole picture.

Now finally, the coupe de grâs, to those who still think lacrosse is better than baseball. How come every baseball player that was atrocious at the game, is actually at least an average player in lacrosse? We just don’t get it; imagine if the baseball players who are actually good played lacrosse, they would probably ruin the game for everyone else because they’d murk their opponents.

There’s a reason that they all went to lacrosse. It’s because they all bond over how bad they were at baseball.

If you ask us, baseball is by far a more challenging, competitive, popular, and overall better game than lacrosse is and will ever be. No sport on the face of the earth with replace baseball as America’s pastime. Period.

NOVEMBER 2016

Come Party with

The band plays gigs to raise money for PiE Contact Jeff Scheel at jscheel@yahoo.com or Mike Brown at michael.brown@quantum.com

Winner of the Palo Alto Battle of the Bands