Viking Volume 4 Issue 2 - Top 10 Sports Cities

Volume IV, Issue 2 November 2010

Staff List Editors-in-Chief Mary Albertolle George Brown Will Glazier

Business Managers Sam Maliska Talia Moyal Jack Smale

Managing Editors Gracie Marshall Mariah Philips Mark Raftrey Alistair Thompson

Staff Mira Ahmad Paige Borsos Sam Borsos John Dickerson Skylar Dorosin Marina Foley Kevin Kannappan Charlie Kelsey Emy Kelty Matt Lam Alan Lamarque Brennan Miller Nathan Norimoto Shannon Scheel Alana Schwartz Ben Sneider

Design Editor Cooper Levitan Photo Editors Brandon Dukovic Alex Kershner Copy Editors Peter Dennis Sam Greene Anne Hildebrand Columnists Michael Cullen Dustin Nizamian

Contributing Photographer Matt Ersted

Adviser Ellen Austin

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

Advertising in The Viking The staff publishes advertisements with signed contracts providing they are not deemed by the staff inappropriate for the magazine’s audience. For more information about advertising with The Viking, please contact the The Viking by email at vikingeds@gmail.com or call 650-329-3837 for more information.

Printing Services The Viking is printed six times a year by Fricke-Parks Press in Fremont, Calif.

KICKOFF 6 | STAFF VIEW 7|NEWS UPDATES 8|ZOOM 10|HOT/NOT METER AND

BY THE NUMBERS 12|ZOOM 14|ZOOM 15|10 QUESTIONS WITH KIMMY WHITSON 38|ZOOM

PREVIEWS

The Li

16| FALL WRAP-UPS

A quick overview of the fall sports: football, girls’ tennis, cross-country, water polo and volleyball.

PHOTO CREDITS (CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT): ALEX KERSHNER, BRANDON DUKOVIC, CREATIVE COMMONS, CREATIVE COMMONS, ALEX KERSHNER, BRANDON DUKOVIC, TALIA MOYAL, SAM MALISKA,.

COVER PHOTO LICENSED BY CREATIVE COMMONS

PAGE

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COLUMNS 21| THE VIKING TRIES SHOOTING The Viking blows off some stress at a local shooting range.

by Dustin Nizamian

23| UNDER THE HELMET Learn what it feels like to strap up and play.

by Brennan Miller

22| WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?

Let’s take a closer look at what makes sport a test of ability

by Sam Greene

16

21

24

FEATURES 24| JERSEY NUMBERS How uniform numbers impact an athlete’s performance.

by Shannon Scheel

27| BLOCK SCHEDULE

Exploring the effects of the new block schedule on Paly athletes.

by Sam Borsos

30|CLUB CULTURE

A look into the culture of club sports teams, and their relationship with high school athletes.

37| NO PAIN NO GAIN A look at the differences between injuries in boys and girls.

by Anne Hildebrand

39|ELIMINATED University of California, Berkeley cuts five varsity sports.

by Emy Kelty

Lineup November 2010 Volume IV, Issue 2

LAST WORD 62 | THE LAST WORD Michael Cullen has had enough.

Fair-weather fans watch out.

by Michael Cullen

COVER

52| TOP 10 SPORTS CITIES OF THE 21ST CENTURY A statistical analysis of cities all across America, to find out which one is truly a sports fan’s heaven.

by Nathan Norimoto

46

52

58

62 64

PROFILES 46| MEGAN COLEMAN

Megan Coleman (‘11) leads her team as the starting libero an co-captain of the varsity volleyball team.

by Skylar Dorosin

49| THE COMPETITOR Nikolai Solgaard races to be the best.

by Kevin Kannappan

58 | THE SERENE SPORT

A simple cure for sore muscles and over-stressed athletes.

by Mira Ahmad

43|GUNN vs PALY Paly’s rivalries through the years.

by Paige Borsos

November 2010

5

Kickoff

Editorial

Staff View

The Giants’ victory over the Texas Rangers rejuvenated the Bay Area that has been stuck in a decade of mediocrity

Up until Nov. 1, the Giants were a phrase that rang loudly in the no exception. The G-men, after aftermath of the Giants’ 3-1 vic- losing a heartbreaking Game 6 tory over the Texas Rangers in of the World Series to Anaheim game five of the World Series, in 2002, finished under .500 in seems misattributed to a region 2005, 2006 and 2007, despite -- our region -- that acts as the having home run king Barry birthplace of some of the great- Bonds. Incredibly, it took this est names in baseball such as year’s gaggle of “misfits and outMays, McCovey, Marichal and casts” to lift the team out from Bonds. But lately, the description under Bonds’s controversial

that television ratings plummeted after the Yankees and Phillies were eliminated from the playoffs, it was our time. Sports in the United States are ubiquitous, and championships will, and should, always be spread around to more teams than just the Yankees, Red Sox, Phillies, Celtics, Colts and Red Wings. The Viking objectively ranked the Top

baggage and return the Bay Area to a place of pride and legitimacy once again.

The Giants’ World Series victory has done more than simply energize the Bay Area: it has actually saved Bay Area sports culture. While there is no doubt

10 Sports Cities in the U.S. (page 51), but every city has a time to shine. And a few weeks ago, after 56 years, San Francisco’s time came. With the championship, the Bay Area made the leap from riding the pine to hitting a grand slam in the sports world.

“Torture never felt so good,”

The Giants’ World Series victory has done more than simply energize the Bay Area: it has actually saved Bay Area sports culture.

6

of the Bay Area as a place of torturous sports teams has been fitting. To say that the 49ers, who have not made an appearance in the playoffs (or had a winning record) since the 2002 season, have left their fans disappointed is an understatement. The glory years of Ronnie Lot, Jerry Rice and Joe Montana seem unattainable now for Bay Area football.

The San Jose Sharks have left their fans equally chagrined. The Sharks, perhaps the Bay Area’s most successful team in recent years prior to the Giants’ run a few weeks ago, consistently disappoint in the playoffs -- and 2010 was no exception. Across the Bay in Oakland, the Athletics, Raiders and Warriors have not given Bay Area fans much to fall back on either.

Issue 1 Corrections

Brandon Dukovic took the photo of Maurice Williams and Michael Cullen on page 18 Brandon Dukovic took the photo of Jackie Koenig on page 19 Alex Kershner took the photo of Shannon Scheel on page 23 Brandon Dukovic took the head shot of Paige Devine on page 47 Matt Ersted took the photo of Paige Devine on page 48, not Alex Kershner

Illustrated by Michael Cullen

FEAR THE BEARD Brian Wilson: The shaving industry’s biggest nightmare since “No-Shave November.”

Online Exclusive: The Evolution of Basketball Style

BY MATT LAM

From outfits we would ridicule today to “swagged out” uniforms that every fan admires, basketball style has revolutionized over the decades. It all began with one simple change: longer shorts.

While it was once fashionable to wear tight, hiked up shorts barely long enough to cover half of one’s thigh, the style for basketball players nowadays is shorts that extend down to the knees, sometimes even lower. Today, it is hard to imagine any basketball

player in their right mind wearing short-shorts during a game, but before the “Fab Five” it was tradition.

In 1991, the University of Michigan’s “Fab Five” recruiting class consisting of Chris Webber, Jalen Rose, Juwan Howard, Jimmy King and Ray Jackson brought a hip-hop style to the court with shaved heads, all black socks and shoes, and baggy shorts. The famous “Fab Five” set a precedent for basketball shorts and since then, loose, long shorts have been the preferred style.

Palo Alto High School basketball has included itself in the style changes over the years. The standard Paly team uniforms consist of loose jerseys with shorts that hang below the knees.

Short-shorts are not even an option for the members of the Paly varsity basketball team, but some, including Paly grad Brendon Rider (‘10), still appreciate what basketball began with.

For more, go to http://voice.paly.net/viking

November 2010

7

Photo by Brandon Dukovic

ZOOM ZOOM

Varsity volleyball player Caroline Martin (‘12) performs a jump serve in the Lady Vikes’ game against Los Altos High School on Senior Night. The Lady Vikes won in three games (25-22, 2519, 25-14) bringing their record to 34-1.

Photo by Alex Kershner

ZOOM

Wide receiver Davante Adams (‘11) catches a pass for the Vikings in their away game against Milpitas. The Vikings won 35-0, extending their win streak to 9-0. Adams produced 184 yards with two touchdowns on only seven receptions

Kickoff

Intro Section

BY THE NUMBERS

1 1 1

Seed number for both the Paly football and volleyball teams in the Central Coast Section (CCS) playoffs.

Amount of revenue in millions of dollars in an average Major League Baseball season, according to Forbes.com.

4,733

5

166

Number of University of California Berkeley athletes whose sports were cut in the face of their school’s budget crisis.

Number of injured football players after the Homestead game.

42 The only number in the MLB that will be retired, as tribute to former player Jackie Robinson.

THE POP CULTURE GRID

.

10

Emily Benatar (Cross-Country ‘11)

Aaron Zelinger (Wopo ‘12)

Hayley Tawzer (Volleyball ‘14)

Drew Rider (Football ‘13)

Sammy Soloman (Tennis ‘13)

Essential falltime Accessory

Cotton Bathrobe

Scarf

Gloves

Boots

Best Spirit Week Day

Theme Day

Salad Dressing Day

Generations Day

Generations Day

Camo Day

Favorite Giants Player

Edgar Renteria

Buster Posey

Brian Wilson

Buster Posey

Cody Ross

Pumpkin or Apple Pie

Apple

Pumpkin

Apple

Apple

Apple

Cal or Stanford

Stanford

Stanford

Cal

Stanford

Cal

Photos licensed by Creative Commons

Cardigans

Emilee Osagiede (‘12), Explain yourself....

HOT

or

San Francisco Giants In case you haven’t read the thousands of Facebook statuses, the Giants won the World Series for the first time since they moved to San Francisco in a 4-1 series victory over the Texas Rangers.

Jeremy Lin Although Lin is averaging only one point per game, he’s still on an NBA roster.

And that’s better than you can say...

Photo by Alex Kershner

Turkey Trot Not much beats the one day of the year when stuffing your face at school becomes a competition.

Pumpkin pie here we come!

“May the force be with you” -Cooper Levitan

“Like” The Viking on Facebook to see your caption for “Explain Yourself” in future editions.

s u w o l . l . . o F on

Brian Wilson You gotta love a guy who is fined for having too much “awesome” on his feet.

Plus, he is a ninja mensa who wants to rage right now.

NOT

Bandwagon Fans It is obviously exciting to see the San Francisco Giants win a World Series, but its not so exciting to see people who cannot even recite the lineup pose as true fans.

The 49ers While Giants fans are spreading fear of the beard, football fans are becoming criers overs the Niners. With a 2-6 record to start off the season, we don’t blame fans for the disappointment.

MCL Injuries Colder than the ice applied to them, the Vikings suffered three of them in their homecoming game against the Homestead Mustangs.

Finals after Winter Break Nothing like kickin’ off the new year with a ten page study guide in anticipation for finals. Move over Nutcracker sugarplums, because visions of study guides will be dancing in our heads.

www.twitter.com/thevikingmag November 2010

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Photo by Alex Kershner Photo by Alex Kershner

ZOOM

Photo by Alex Kershner Photo by Gracie Marshall

33

The 2010 world champion San Francisco Giants paraded in downtown San Francisco to fans’ cheers. People from all over the Bay Area flooded the streets to watch the players and coaches march down Market Street on the way to the Civic Center on Wednesday Nov. 3.

Photo by Alex Kershner

November 2010

33

Photo by Alex Kershner

Photo by Alex Kershner

Photo by Alex Kershner

Photo by Alex Kershner

Photo by Brandon Dukovic

ZOOM

Chloe Lischinsky (‘11) returns a hit in her singles match against Homestead on Oct. 28. The Lady Vikes beat the Mustangs by a score of 5-2. Two weeks later, the team beat Los Gatos in round one of the CCS playoffs, before falling to Menlo the next day.

10 Questions

with

Kimmy Whitson

WHO KNOWS JUNIOR VOLLEYBALL PLAYER KIMMY WHITSON BETTER? COUSIN NIKKI WHITSON, MOM AND PALY ECON TEACHER DEBBIE WHITSON or TEAMMATE CAROLINE MARTIN?

Kimmy Whitson

Used with permission of Caroline Martin

Photo by Sam Borsos

Photo by Brandon Dukovic

Photo by Brandon Dukovic

as told to Peter Dennis and Alan Lamarque

Nikki Whitson

Debbie Whitson

Caroline Martin

University of Washington

Favorite College Volleyball team

UC Davis

University of Washington

University of Washington

Mercedes

Prius or Mercedes?

Prius!

Mercedes

Mercedes

Penny and Daisy

Names of Cats

Penny and Daisy

Penny and Daisy

Penny? And I don’t know...just say pepper!

Gossip Girl

Gossip Girl or 90210

Neither

Gossip Girl

90210

Liam from 90210

Celebrity Crush

Channing Tatum

Actor from Psych... the funny one!

Jake Gyllenhaal

Football

Favorite sport to Volleyball of course Baseball...but only the giants in the World watch

Shannon Scheel

Best friend

She would probably say she doesn’t have one

Shannon Scheel

Shannon Scheel

Listening to Music

Relaxation Activity

Reading

Singing

Watching TV Shows on her computer

I have no clue

Something Loud!

Either stuffing or cranberry sauce

Pumpkin Pie

Mashed potatoes and Gravy

10% Correct

50% Correct

30% correct

“Let’s Go”

by Trick Daddy

Warmup Song

Pumpkin Pie

Favorite Thanksgiving Food

Images licensed by

Volleyball?

Series

“Remember the Name”

by Fort Minor

Wrap Ups

Fall Sports

2010 FALL WRAP UPS

Boys’ Water Polo The Palo Alto boys’ varsity water polo team kicked off post season play following a 9-7 loss against Monte Vista High at home in the semi-finals, finishing fourth overall in the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League tournament. This loss broke their six game win streak, including one win on October 28 against cross town rival Gunn on senior night.

Captain Ken Wattana (‘11) finished league play with 42 goals, 12

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Photo by Brandon Dukovic

Jack

Photo by Brandon Dukovic

Coach: Giovanni Napolitano Record: 13-7 (overall), 7-2 (league) Smale (‘11)

steals, and 101 shots. Aaron Zelinger (’12) is leading the team in steals at 21, and Bret Pinsker (’13) leads with three assists, the team has a total of 187 goals.

In their first round CCS match, they defeated Wilcox 17-8. In their following match against West Catholic Athletic League powerhouse Bellarmine, the Vikings suffered a 12-4 defeat, bringing their season to a close.

Football

Coach: Earl Hansen Record: 10-0 overall, 7-0 league so far. Bono is backed by running back duo Dre Hill (‘12) and B.J. Boyd (‘12) who have combined for 1242 yards and 16 touchdowns. The defense has stifled opponents averaging 3.4 sacks per game and almost 76.3 tackles. Paly will play it’s first Central

Volleyball

Co

November 2010

Photo by Brandon Dukovic

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)

‘11

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a lem

League .The Lady Vikes took down Monta Vista in three games in the first round of the Central Coast Sections (CCS) playoffs on Nov. 10. They will play in the quarterfinals on Saturday, Nov. 13. Paly has only lost nine sets all season and looks to continue this high level of play in CCS, NorCal and State playoffs.

3) (‘1

Megan Coleman (‘11) have led the team to a nearly spotless season. Its one loss came to Los Gatos on Oct. 21 in five games.

Despite the loss, the Lady Vikes finished first in the De Anza

es

Melanie Wade (‘12)

Coach: David Winn Record: 35-1 (overall) 11-1 (league)

wl no yK elb Sh

The Palo Alto High School volleyball team (35-1, 11-1) wrapped up its league season with a 25-22, 25-19, 25-14 victory over Los Altos (19-14, 5-7) on Nov. 4, Paly’s Senior Night. The Lady Vikes’ two senior co-captains Trina Ohms (‘11) and

Coast Section (CCS) game November 19 against Archbishop Mitty High School. The Vikings beat Mitty in their first home season game this year 20-7.

Photo by Alex Kershner

The Paly football team is undefeated in the regular season after two important wins against Homestead and Mountain View High Schools and a decisive victory against Saratoga in which the Vikings came back from 14 down to accomplish their first undefeated season since 1951. Quarterback Christoph Bono (‘11) has had a solid season, averaging almost 200 yards per game and 1968 yards on the season with 23 touchdowns

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Wrap-Ups

Fall Sports

Girls’ Tennis top

courts and its senior leaders. Contributing to an overall successful season, number one doubles duo Felicia Wang (’14) and Mar-

got Gerould (’11) clinched victories in the majority of their matches. New to the squad, Wang played alongside Gerould and quickly learned the ropes to secure wins at the varsity level. Despite facing tough competition on the number one singles court, Mira Khanna (’11) led her singles players to consecutive victories on the number two and three courts. The team will miss its senior leaders Sabrina Yeung (’11), Maya Krasnow (’11), Emily Efland (’11), Chloe Lischinsky (’11), Gerould and Khanna coming into the 2011 fall season but nevertheless anticipates strong performances in the future.

Am yK e(

‘12

)

Photo by Brandon Dukovic

After pushing through the first round of CCS against Los Gatos High School, varsity girls’ tennis fell short in its quarterfinal match against Menlo Wednesday, Nov. 10. Despite its loss in the midst of CCS competition, the team wrapped up its season with a winning record in league, 11-8. The Lady Vikes recognize overall improvement in the underclassmen performances throughout the season and the significant impact they made in securing wins in key matches, particularly against crosstown rival Gunn High School. From the outset of the season, the team found its strength and support from the

Coach: Andy Harader League: 11-8 (league)

Girls’ Cross-Country

(‘13) placed 15th and 17th respectively to guide the team to a fourth place finish and qualification for a return to Toro Park in the CCS state meet qualifiers. Despite a strong effort from Heinselman and Gracie Cain (‘11), and an exceptional third place finish, the girls narrowly missed out on qualification, and their season came to a close.

“There were 22 teams at CCS an we came in 3rd and only the top 2 teams go to state so it was sort of a rough way to go out,” Cain said.

‘11)

18

ain (

Photo by Alex Kershner

ie C Grac

The Lady Vikes finished the season at a fast pace, led by team captain Susan Heinselman (‘11), who consistently placed first for Paly. The team entered the SCVAL meet coming off strong performances, including a first place finish at the Crystal Springs practice meet , a fourth place finish at Artichoke Invitational and a third place finish at the Monterey Bay Invite.

“We did really well this year and the boys usually do a lot better and this year we did so that was nice,” Cain said.

Heinselman and Chika Kasahara

Coach: Paul Jones

Coach: Joe Ginnani The varsity boys’ cross-country team looked to rebuild after replacing all seven runners from last year’s state qualifying team. Although the team did not match last year’s team’s success, there were signs of hope. Corso Rosati (’12) and Nikolai Solgaard (’12) were the only two members of the team to qualify for the Central Coast Section (CCS) meet. The team will look to be more successful next season, even with the loss of runner Marco Vienna (’13), who is moving to Colorado.

“We will definitely be better next year,” Rosati said. “Although we are losing our number three runner, Marco Vienna, the rest of the team will remain intact and improve.”

2) i (‘1 rill Ca

2) (‘1 ey els ie K arl Ch

Sam

Girls’ Water Polo After finishing third in the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League (SCVAL) tournament, the Palo Alto High School varsity girls’ water polo team (15-13) finished the Central Coast Section (CCS) tournament after a loss to Gunn in the quarterfinals. After a rocky season, the Lady Vikes went 5-2 Sky in their final lar Do ros seven i n(

‘12

)

Andre G ou

yet (‘12)

Boys’ Cross-Country

Coach: Cory Olcott League: 10-4 League: 10-4

games. While Paly suffered a 9-6 loss against cross-town rival Gunn earlier in the season, the team pulled out a 9-8 win the next time the teams met.

“The top 5 teams [in CCS] have all played each other and were all really competitive” Maser said.

The Lady Vikes defeated

Santa Teresa in round one of the CCS playoffs on Nov. 10, however the Gunn Titans took down the Lady Vikes in the next round.

“I feel like we didn’t go as far as we would like to, but we accomplished a lot of team building. I’m proud of it overall.” Katie Maser (’11) said. “Gunn had a better game than us that night.”

Photo by Hana Kajimura

19

Columns

Viking Tries... Shooting

Tries...

BY DUSTIN NIZAMIAN

PHOTOS BY SAM MALISKA AND DUSTIN NIZAMIAN

Kids at Paly know a thing or two about stress. To most of us, it’s

that not-so-warm and fuzzy feeling you get when your curricular, extracurricular, and extraextracurricular activities gather together like zones of high and low pressure air in “The Perfect Storm.” In hectic times like these, caught between calculus, college and that pesky cure for Cancer they’ve been working weekends on, even the most laid back kids will chew through their nails like any true Giants fan (Lord have mercy on your cuticles if you should find yourself stressed out during a Giants playoff game). Generally, it’s not a happy place to be, but since we often have very little control over our agendas, essentially all we can do is find outlets for our stress and power through the grueling list of “to-dos” before us.

Take, for example, a boy I know named Dustin. Now, it was not very long ago that Dustin found himself in a bit of a pickle with regards to a column he writes where he and friends venture around the Bay Area to find cool and unusual things to try on behalf of their magazine. Fancying paintball as a new and excellent adventure, he and his trusted comrade Sam Maliska (‘11) trekked all the way down to the wooded hinterlands of Los Gatos in search of air-powered, paint-splattering fun. Sadly, they were

Paintball

Shooting

turned away (I maintain it was caused by rampant Los Gatos bitterness after being pummeled 42-0 on the football field), and on the long drive home, the black clouds of stress began to accumulate over Dustin’s head. “Oh, what ever shall I do?” he pondered. And suddenly, the answer to all his troubles came to him like a lightning bol-actually, more like a white hot .22 round placed perfectly by a tactical scope and a bipod...

GUNS! Now, I know what you’re thinking: “Dustin, guns can’t possibly be the answer to all your problems, that’s idiotic,” but hear me out. Where else can you find a fun, friendly and safe environment where you can relieve all your pent-up stress one shell-full of birdshot at a time?

Where else can you feel a potent sense of power just by pulling a trigger back a centimeter? Where else can you use a long, phallic object to compensate for... um, right, never mind there are monster trucks for that too...Guns are incredible stress-relievers (I’ve heard Rambo was a part-time massage therapist) and for all the ballistic therapy you could ever ask for, look no farther than Target Masters West Shooting Range in Milpitas.

Walking into a gun store or shooting range for the first time can certainly be a bit of an intimidating experience.

However, if you’re able to overcome a bit of initial nervousness (much easier with a friend), you’ll see that the gun community is actually very friendly, very safety-oriented and very normal. Entering Target Masters, which has a front window covered by steel bars and ammo posters, was certainly a bit of a harrowing experience, but once inside, Sam and I found the staff at Target Masters to be both helpful and not at all pretentious (ahempaint-

TARGET PRACTICE From 30 feet away, paper targets quiver in fear at the sight of an armed and dangerous Samoan.

20

Check out videos and more online at http://voice.paly.net/viking ballahem). Meanwhile, the people shooting at the range were both down to earth and, believe it or not, incredibly... ordinary. I say this because there seems to exist a stigma around “gun people” (not to be confused with Gunn people) as pick-em-up-truck hicks who can’t spell O-B-A-M-A but who will rattle off the Second Amendment with ease. What we found was far from it. Our shooting comrades were simply Bay Area, working people blowing off some steam after a long day, as thrilled about the Giants winning the World Series as anyone.

And so, it was at this friendly, normal, and safe place that I shot my first gun. With my buddy Sam alongside, I slipped a yellow, plastic shell into the chamber of my dad’s old Beretta shotgun, which had been sitting in my attic for as long as I can remember. Standing in a room that smelled like a heavily leadened Fourth of July, I clicked a button which sent the bolt forward and I was locked and loaded. As I raised the shotgun to my shoulder and lowered my eyes to the sights, I had a general idea what to expect, although I might have underestimated the kick it would give me in the shoulder. I pulled the trigger, bringing about an instantaneous surge of all types of energypressure, light, heat and sound, but most importantly, a handful of tiny lead BBs careening toward the paper target. And then, almost as if nothing had happened, it was over, the only evidence of a disturbance a whisper of smoke at the end of the barrel and a spent shell cartridge rolling around the concrete floor.

Sam and I would go on to shoot a box of shotgun shells, as well as another box of .22 rounds with the laughably over-equipped rifle we couldn’t resist renting out. There’s something about shooting a gun, the raw

power you can hold in your hands, which dissipates stress like so much gun smoke and offers a certain sensation of vigor.

However, in this case it’s important to note the obvious: Guns are dangerous.

There is an essential distinction between the sport of shooting and simply shooting, where there is immense potential for idiocy to get people killed. And so, shooting at a range with knowledgeable staff who know that safety is paramount should always be your M.O. Target Masters even has a buddy policy, where in order to rent a gun you need a friend to vouch that you’re in a proper state of mind (see, gun people are compulsory socialites too).

So Paly, the next time you need to blow off some steam of that proverbial steam, it’s not a terribly far drive to Milpitas, especially with a friend in the car. Oh, and better yet, Target Master’s has ladies’ night on Wednesdays, so who knows, you might just find the love of your life in ear muffs an d safety glas ses with a Beretta in her han d...

OVERKILL People in the know might ask, “Really, a bipod and tac-scope on a .22?” But what the heck, there’s no kill like overkill...

November 2010

21

Columns

Under the Helmet

Under the Helmet

BY BRENNAN MILLER PHOTOGRAPHY BY ALEX KERSHNER

As Gunn High School running back Matt Mertz (‘11) leaked into the flats,

an imaginary eight yard box extending from the hash marks to the sideline, I realized my mistake. I was in man-to-man coverage with Mertz because my fellow linebackers Michael Cullen (‘11) and Will Glazier (‘11) were blitzing. Mertz snaked up the sideline as I trailed in hot pursuit. In an awesome display of blocking prowess, Gunn running back Josh Jackson (‘11) dealt me a body blow worthy of Ronnie Lott. Or as my Dad would say, “Roonnieeeee babyyyy!!!” Though I still maintain that the hit wasn’t very painful, it became somewhat of a viral video, earning a Play of the Week title on Eenersports.com. Even my fellow linebackers were quick to deal out the zingers.

In addition to the week long humiliation, I also was frequently asked the question, “Why would you play a sport where you can literally get the life knocked out of you?” Without thinking I responded simply, “Cause I love it.”

I love the defense, the offense, the special teams. I love blocking and throwing and catching. But more than anything, I love to hit.

That once-in-a-lifetime hit is a total release. It’s every muscle in your body working in perfect harmony to deliver one bonecrunching, potentially humiliating, smack down. You are discharging all the week’s trials and tribulations, hardships and havoc, into one testosterone filled, violent uncorking of legal assault.

Linebackers view opponents as nameless, faceless dark souls that solely exist to be destroyed. The only reason the opposite

22

team wears a different color is so that linebackers can distinguish those who may live from those who must die.

A middle linebacker is almost a coach in a helmet, the defensive equivalent of a quarterback. I’ve got to remember all the check downs, all the reads, all the keys; elements foreign and unnoticed by many Paly fans. Based on any number of wrinkles thrown in by a sly offensive coordinator, I have to recognize and react, changing the defense accordingly.

After these carefully deduced reads are taken into account, all in less than a second, a linebacker only thinks about one thing: ATTACK. What looks to the crowd as mass chaos and testosterone excretion is actually a calculated and methodical process of containing and subduing all potential offensive threats.

Finally, the moment I’ve been waiting for all week long. That first hit. That first taste of contact against a jersey that is not green and white.

I work towards the line of scrimmage and toss away the guard trying to block me like an unusually heavy bag of trash.

I spot the ball carrier trying to cut up towards the hole that is rapidly opening to my left and I shuffle towards it. I plant my left foot in the ground as my weight shifts, gearing up for the tackle. My arms wrap around him and my facemask buries into his chest. My hips roll forward echoing every power clean I did in the off-season. My legs drive under me, propelling me through his body, which feels weightless compared to the force I am delivering. The running back leaves the ground for a split second as his body accelerates towards the artificially green turf.

He failed. I won. Now let’s do it again 20 seconds later. <<<

What’s the Difference?

BY SAM GREENE PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRANDON DUKOVIC

I’ve had enough of this obsession with pastimes like football and baseball. Sure, they’re packed

with eventful moments and impressive turning points, but they don’t have the creativity and depth that sport is supposed to embody. I don’t doubt that they’re challenging in their own ways. I know it takes practice, determination and technique to make it to the top, I’m just saying these players don’t have half of what it takes to be an athlete as far as my idea of sport goes.

First, let me reevaluate some misconceptions. I don’t think

For me, the essence of sports boils down to what the game demands mentally from its athletes. A true test of skill is a test of an athlete’s vision. Vision is the ability to calculate on the spot how executing in one instant will impact the speed, flow and rhythm of play three, four or five steps down the line.

From basketball to hockey, each player focuses on unique sets of responsibilities that are essential to be competitive in his or her position, but all the while balance a multitude of demands.

What’s required of these athletes is never black and white. They learn the ropes for both capitalizing on offense and holding the line on defense while working their position and supporting others’. They compile and act upon more skills because of the variety of circumstances that their game throws at them.

But as a whole, football is too slow and broken-up to be a test of mental stamina. Every five seconds, everyone on the field gets to hit a reset button. it’s fair to say that quarterbacks can possibly be confined to simple set of options. When that ball is snapped, as both lines clash and the players jump into motion, quarterbacks process an overwhelming amount of information. But as a whole, football is too slow and broken-up to be a test of mental stamina. Every five seconds, everyone on the field gets to hit a reset button. Some players might argue that these decisions are more impactful in the moment than ones made in soccer, but when you define sport as a series of broken-up plays that are pieced together to reflect some end result, I think you lose the true challenge of sport.

Sport isn’t a test of how one executes second chances over and over again with adjustments and reactions scattered through the game and within each play. Sport is a test of how a team links together all these plays into one cohesive performance, uninterrupted by strategic time-outs, split offensive and defensive line-ups or frequent restarts.

Baseball players take the best spot in the sport world spotlight: they get most credit, the most breaks and the most time. They basque in the luxury of having all day to position themselves on the field, smack some gum, blow a bubble, play with their glove and give the pitcher an encouraging pat on the back before, once again, the game restarts. Sure, I’ll give the pitcher credit for figuring out a way to manipulate the strike zone to his advantage from pitch to pitch, but planting yourself on the field and adjusting your game after trial-anderror isn’t a test of the ability I think sport should challenge.

Besides having vision, these sports demand constant focus. There is a higher expectation of these athletes because of the duration of undivided focus they endure. Got knocked down, knocked around or knocked out of your zone? Take tminus one second to adjust yourself and get back into the swing of play. These athletes don’t wait for a reset and stop of play to get into focus, they reset the game with their own actions. The contributions that they make are always original, requiring creative off-the-ball movement to deceptively stretch out the other team. They find a way to break apart defenses and create opportunities without forcing the play to develop. So don’t be confused, the speed is quick but these athletes are in no rush to make things happen they just move the ball around the court, pass it up to the front line, receive it back, reshape the play and shift the point of attack. They hold tight to these aspects of the game and make them their domain. At the end of that day, it takes creativity and innovative design to develop this constant vision of how the game is interconnected. These athletes embody the true spirit of sport, the perfect blend of mental, physical and emotional stamina.

Before I leave this page for Paly sports buffs to chew me up, let it be known that I’m more than qualified to make these claims. I made it through pitching-machine in the Palo Alto Little League without knowing which hand I threw or caught consistently with and ran as a second-string running back on my middle school intramural team and I ran for the winning touchdown baby. <<<

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Features

Uniform Numbers

A NUMB3R FOUR A NAME

BY SHANNON SCHEEL

f someone asked a spectator at the 1932 World Series, “What does the number three mean to you?” they would automatically respond with two words: Babe Ruth. After famously pointing over the center field bleachers at Wrigley Field, “The Babe” smacked one so far out of the park, he changed the significance of the number three in the minds of baseball enthusiasts forever.

In the world of sports, a uniform number gives a player an identity. Whether it be a roman numeral dating back to the days of Cicero or a navy blue three on Babe Ruth’s pinstriped Yankee’s

Photo used by permission of Jacob Lauing

Licensed by Creative Commons

I

professional athletes.

Varsity volleyball opposite Caroline Martin (‘12) is one of these cases. Ever since she began playing sports -- first soccer and now volleyball -- Martin has been number eight. Over time, Martin has become partial to her number and believes it has become lucky as she has improved as an athlete. She recognizes that this luck has influenced her athletic performance.

“I’ve done well on all of my teams that I have had [number eight],” Martin said.

While athletes feel confident when donning their uniform, each number

Licensed by Creative Commons

How an athlete forever changes the meaning of a number

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“I bring out the inner ‘Pistol Pete’ Maravich when I wear 44,” Schmarzo said. “I feel [that] I play through him and that he lives vicariously through me.”

Schmarzo believes that channeling Maravich has helped his game both mentally and physically: his number gives him the confidence to run faster, jump higher, and execute as best he can. However, he is aware of the high expectations set for him each time he walks onto the court.

“I have not reached the full capabilities of number 44 yet,” Schmarzo said.

“I have big shoes to fill.”

AMERICAN IDOL Lauing (center) channels his role models Buster Posey (left) and Jayson Werth (right) during baseball season

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jersey, uniform numbers come with a story unique to every athlete. Numbers can be symbols, superstitions, a means of pregame motivation and a way of following a role model, and each of these meanings affect athletes in vastly different ways. Reasons for choosing a specific number are plentiful. However, more important than the story behind it is each athlete’s rationale for selecting their number, and its impact on their athletic performance.

Young athletes gravitate toward a specific number either by chance or because it is worn by one of their favorite

comes with expectations.

Such is the case for varsity Basketball player Max Schmarzo (‘11), who chose number 44 to follow in the footsteps of his role models. His father wore number 40 during his college basketball years and Schmarzo enjoyed hearing stories about 1970’s NBA star Pete Maravich of the Atlanta Hawks. He also got a thrill out of watching college basketball star J.J. Reddick shoot three pointers with the number four on his back. Schmarzo chose double digits to help him follow in the footsteps of each of his athletic influences.

Schmarzo’s teammate and varsity baseball player Alec Wong (‘12) had a similar experience with choosing his number. Since he saw Derek Jeter play, Wong has been set on number two. Growing up, he admired Jeter’s demeanor on the field as well as his overall skill. However, this is an extremely popular number, so Wong compromised. He could also choose numbers 11 or 20, since their digits add up to two. By wearing number two, Wong feels that he adopts the mentality of his favorite athlete while taking on the task of living up to its standard.

Photo by Talia Moyal

FOUR BY FOUR Max Schmarzo (‘11) with teammates Steven Kerr (‘10) and Joseph Lin (‘10) performs best wearing number 44. or Werth’s] number, you have to live up to their standards,” Lauing said. “ You are disrespecting them if you play poorly with their number on. There are a lot of numbers that famous athletes have worn, [so] if you wear one of those you had better play well.”

However, not all numbers are available to professional players. In 1972, Major League Baseball retired number 42 in honor of Jackie Robinson as a tribute to his career. Lauing believes this is necessary in order to preserve the legacy of the retired athlete.

“If anyone could wear Jackie Robinson’s number, it would not make him as special,” Lauing said. “ No one else should be allowed to wear his number [for this reason].”

For varsity water polo player Anna Glaves (‘11), this form of respect is

present at a lower level. In her mind, each number adopted by an athlete becomes uniquely theirs from the first time they wear it. If she wears another number other than her own, she feels that she will channel another athlete’s demeanor.

“If [I’m] number eight, I think I will play like [teammate] Paige [Devine (‘11)] and then I do,” Glaves said.

“Weird stuff like that happens. It’s all psychological.”

Schmarzo also believes that each player who wears a specific number contributes to that number’s legacy. He focuses on how he can adapt his method of play to give additional meaning to number 44.

“The number itself doesn’t mean much but what you feel about the number is what means most,” Schmarzo

Photo by Alex Kershner and Brandon Dukovic

“When I wear number two, I feel more obligated to act as a captain and a leader,” Wong said. “I feel obligated to lead by example and be [Jeter], so to speak.”

Jacob Lauing (‘12), a fellow baseball player, prefers to cover all the bases when choosing uniform numbers. He started out his baseball career in Little League, donning number 12 for four straight years. Now, instead of having a specific digit to depend upon, Lauing rotates between a few key numbers that major league players wear. Currently, he sports 28, the same number as big-timers Buster Posey of the San Francisco Giants and Jayson Werth of the Philadelphia Phillies. Lauing admires both of these players and hopes to earn 28 some recognition himself.

“When you are wearing their [Posey

DJ LIKE A WINNER “Derek Jeter is a winner, and who doesn’t want to be a winner?” Paly second baseman Alec Wong (‘12) said.

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Features

Photo by Alex Kershner

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INSPIRING INTEGERS Caroline Martin (left) and Alec Wong (right) perform their best when wearing their favorite uniform numbers, especially during important games. would try to trade with a teammate instead. Wong would go to this trouble for his number because in his mind, number two also serves a symbolic purpose. He views his number not only as a representation of his favorite player, but also as a reflection of the role he plays on each of his teams, especially while playing point guard for the basketball team.

“The point guard has to have leadership on the court and [with] their team,” Wong said. “The number [two] really represents being a leader on the court.”

Martin is more hesitant to share her number with other players. Like Glaves, Martin thinks that without number eight, she would not play to her full potential.

“I’ve never changed it [number eight] and I’ve had to fight people over having it,” Martin said. “I’ve never played without number eight so I think it would be weird without it.”

Many athletes, including Glaves, use their numbers and their significance as a means of motivation during games.

No matter the magnitude of the competition, Glaves depends on her cap number to help her execute a power-

ful performance in the pool. She thinks that the internal thrill that she feels on game days comes from the individuality she feels when wearing the number six.

“Your number says something about who you are as a player,” Glaves said. “I feel like I’m going to play well when I wear number six because it’s my own number. It defines a part of me.”

Once Wong sees his number on his uniform before a game, he feels energized and remembers the importance of competition.

“You see the uniform and the number there and you get pumped up and ready to play,” Wong said.

Although the reasoning is extremely varied, the point is clear: a uniform number is a key component of an athlete’s make up. They change a number’s meaning from a numeric value to an identity by incorporating a certain style of play and their own personal significance. This process is the reason why 78 years later, fans see number three and they think of Babe Ruth. Statistics and stories will be lost, but the connection between a player’s number and their legacy will always remain strong. <<<

Photo by Allie Shorin

SIX IN ACTION Glaves depends on her number to enhance her confidence.

Photo by Brandon Dukovic

said.

For Glaves, her number symbolizes an emotional attachment. During her first ever Junior Olympic club water polo tournament, Glaves was given the number six by her coach and immediately became attached to it. Her senior water polo buddy Christy Campbell (‘08), an aggressive player on the varsity squad Glaves’ freshman year, also wore number six. Campbell served as Glaves’ water polo mentor during that season. Thus, Glaves embraced the aggressive reputation of the number and incorporated it into her own game.

Now a senior, she sees her uniform number as an integral part of her athleticism “I couldn’t imagine being any other number,” Glaves said. “I’ve been number six for such a long time that it feels [like] when I wear a different number I’m going to play differently.”

Wong echoes Glaves’ superstition because he also feels uncomfortable when he is forced to wear a number he is not used to wearing.

“I’ll accept wearing a different number if it’s for a good reason but by choice I’d always want to wear two, 20 or 11,” Wong said. “I always blame it on the number if I don’t play well.”

Obviously, if his uniform number were to be assigned by his coach or was already occupied by a senior on the team, Wong would not object and

Uniform Numbers

Getting blocked

An inside look at the block schedule’s effect on athletes

BY SAM BORSOS PHOTOGRAPHY BY ALEX KERSHNER

I

n 90 minutes, you could play two water polo games, burn 1000 calories running, or do 26 different types of yoga positions. Or you could sit through a class at Palo Alto High School.

After much discussion, the recently enforced block schedule this year has replaced last years schedule at Paly, changing the start and end time of school, class lengths and the overall feel of classes, most of which last 90 minutes. This schedule change affects students, teachers and administrators, but how is it affecting athletes?

One of the block schedule’s main features is the later start time, theoretically allowing students to get 25 more minutes of sleep every morning.

Many athletes nation-wide are sleep deprived, especially due to demanding practice schedules. According to Health Behavior News Service, only about

eight percent of high school students get enough sleep. For an average night of sleep, it is recommended that teens get eight to nine hours of sleep.

“Are [athletes] getting more sleep?”

Paly athletic director Earl Hansen questioned. “I really doubt it. I don’t believe that the early start is going to help teenagers any more than in the past. They go to bed at the same time, too late probably, not because of homework but because of texting.”

While some argue that the start time of the schedule does not affect athletes, others disagree. Last year, The Viking discovered that about 44% of students at Paly are also athletes (Volume III, Issue 3, page 52). Athletes generally need all the sleep they can get. Sleep deprived athletes often perform more poorly than athletes who get the recommended amount of sleep on a regular basis.

“I like the later start because I don’t have to wake up as early,” varsity tennis player Amy Ke (‘12) said. “I feel like I get a lot more sleep compared to last year.”

While many athletes are thankful for the extra time to sleep in in the mornings, some argue that the actual time you wake up or go to bed may not matter as much as how many hours of sleep you get.

“They’ve done tons of sleep studies on how to get [athletes] to be at their absolute best when they need to be,” Hansen said. “Sleep is very important.

It has nothing to do with the time you wake up, it has to do with regular hours of sleep you get. You can get up at four in the morning everyday as long as you get your seven or eight hours.”

St. Francis High School, which has almost an identical schedule to Paly, demonstrates that the block schedule can

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Features

Getting blocked

be beneficial in helping students learn to balance sleep and academics. Widely known for its strong athletics program, St. Francis refuses to comprise its academic prestige. Its students must learn to prioritize their athletic responsibilities with academics in order to obtain a GPA high enough to participate in school sports.

“From an athletic standpoint, [the block schedule] is great because students get into a good routine of doing their homework after school,” St. Francis Athletic Director Michael Pilawski said. “It better prepares them for college.”

Pilawski has worked at St. Francis for fourteen years, with a block schedule for the majority of his career. While St. Francis students have adapted to this schedule over time, it is still fresh to Paly athletes. One concern is the question of the length of class times. Athletes who have a hard time focusing for long periods of time may dislike the block schedule.

“Educationally, you’re going to look at [the fact that] you have a lot of ‘A’ student [athletes],” Hansen said. “We have plenty of ‘A’ students in Palo Alto, and you can give them any schedule you want. They’re still going to be ‘A’ students.”

Although Paly rises above many schools academically, the balance between academics and athletics is challenging. A 90 minute block period could go by quickly for athletes if they are interested in the class subject; otherwise, it can be very hard to focus on a subject.

“What [the block schedule] affects is some of the kids on the other end of the spectrum,” Hansen said. “They have to sit for 90 minutes in a class. If they don’t like that class or they miss a class where they feel like they’re getting behind, it makes them feel like they can’t catch up. I don’t like that part.”

An athlete’s ability to focus definitely plays a roll in the new schedule this year.

TIME FOR FOCUS Emilee Osagiede (‘12) attends basketball practice for 2-3 hours most school days, and struggles to focus both during practice and in school classes.

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“I find it hard to sit in class for an hour and a half and focus,” varsity basketball player Emilee Osagiede (‘12) said.

“I really can’t focus at my after school practice either. I just want to go crazy because I’ve been sitting in a classroom all day, but then my coach will be like ‘focus!’”

For some, adapting to the schedule isn’t a matter of how long it has been in place. Students at St. Francis who have had the schedule their entire high school careers find it hard to focus during the block periods as well.

“Classes are really long and sometimes super boring and days seem like forever,” St. Francis three-sport athlete Jenna Thompson (‘12) said. “If I could, I would make the classes a little shorter.”

Thompson participates in tennis, basketball and track throughout the year at St. Francis and has practice after school anywhere from one to three hours. Despite the strenuous classes, Thompson generally enjoys the block schedule as an athlete.

“Having that block schedule gives us less homework and lets us go to bed earlier, get more rest, do better in school and do better in practices and games,” Thompson said.

Like many athletes, Thompson feels the pressure of balancing school with demanding practice schedules. The unique schedules at both Paly and St. Francis offer a wide variety of options for athletes, mirroring a college schedule with many opportunities for athletic freedom.

“The block schedule helps a lot just because of the fact that we have a lot less homework,” Thompson said. “It gives us more time to do other things since our sports are completely time consuming and take up our lives.”

Another similar change in this year’s schedule is the dismissal time, which is later than last year’s. The usual dismissal time, 3:25 p.m., pushes back sports practices and games to later in the day.

“On Mondays and Wednesdays we get home [from football practice] to eat dinner around eight,” Hansen said regarding football.

“I think it would be better if tutorial were optional for students” — Aaron Zelinger (‘12)

STUDY TO SWIM Aaron Zelinger (‘12) has adapted to this years’ schedule as a varsity athlete on Paly’s water polo team, and generally likes the block schedule compared to last years’ seven-class days.

The later practice times regarding gym space and court time affect this year’s schedule, because the schedule ends at different times depending on the day of the week. For example, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, school gets out at 3:25 p.m., Tuesdays at 2:25 p.m. and on Thursdays, school is dismissed at 2:55 p.m.

“It’s inconsistent, because we always have practices at different times,” Ke said. “It’s a little inconvenient.”

Regardless of its inconsistency in dismissal times, the schedule allows for having fewer classes per day. Many students have had a positive response to the fewer classes, as having three or four classes per day makes homework loads lighter and easier to manage. “[Getting out later] really isn’t a problem,” varsity water polo player Aaron Zelinger (‘12) said. “I prefer it to last year actually, because it’s easier to focus all my attention on three subjects, rather than have to worry about all [seven of] my classes while I’m working out.”

One last change for the schedule this year incorporates a mandatory window of time for students to have more individual help with teachers. Called tutorial, this period is open for students at the end of the day once a week on Thursdays. It lasts for about an hour.

Tutorial has the possibility of acting as a prep for athletes, who could use the time to go to the gym to lift weights, or even leave early for games without missing a class set.

“This year’s schedule has made it easier to make up school work missed because of sports games,” Zelinger (‘12) said. “For example, we have a lot of Thursday games. Luckily I miss tutorial instead of an actual class for games.”

While some athletes appreciate this

“From an athletic standpoint, [the block schedule] is great because students get into a good routine of doing their homework after school.

It better prepares them for college.”

— Michael Pilawski, St. Francis Athletic Director

Photo used by permission of Michael Pilawski

new addition to the schedule this year, others think that tutorial is unnecessary.

“Tutorial is a complete waste of time,” Osagiede said. “It’s like being forced to sit in a class, when you actually don’t have to use the time for that.”

A similar period at St. Francis is called collaboration, except this occurs at the beginning of the day, and is also optional. It also occurs twice a week instead of once.

“It’s optional, so mostly only freshman and sophomores go,” Pilawski said. “But it’s great because athletes have the opportunity to catch up on sleep, or make up quizzes or tests they’ve missed.”

As an athlete, Zelinger thinks that the Paly tutorial should be similar to St. Francis’ policy for students.

“I think it would be better if tutorial were optional for students,” Zelinger said.

Despite some controversy, athletes at Paly have experienced this unique schedule change aimed towards providing students with more time, less homework, and individual help with teachers. All of these aspects affect the lives of Paly athletes. The new block schedule has both pros and cons for athletes, but is headed toward benefiting students in the long run. <<<

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lub ulture

BY BEN SNEIDER ADDITIONAL REPORTING

BY ALAN LAMARQUE

For Joc Pederson (‘10), club baseball

is what helped him earn his Major League contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Pederson was the star center fielder for the Palo Alto High School varsity baseball team last year. He helped lead the Vikings to its best baseball season to date, capped off by a Central Coast Section championship berth.

Despite tremendous success as a member of the Paly program, Pederson does not attribute the breadth of his development as a player to high school baseball.

“High school is like Spring Training,” Pederson said.

Photo used by permission of Shelly Pederson

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL Joc Pederson takes batting practice in the cages at the Los Angeles Dodgers’ training

Features

Club Culture

Photo by Alex Kershner

Photo used by permission of Drake Swezey

and effort, they can reap the benefits.

Alex Kershner (‘11), the Paly girls’ soccer team’s starting goalie and a recent Duke University commit, believes that club soccer was key to her recruitment. She feels that the greatest benefit came from the competition she faced.

“Club soccer gives you the opportunity to play against the best girls, not only in your area, but all over the state and all over the country,” Kershner said. “It brings [the competition] to a new level that you can’t get in high school.”

While Pederson agrees with this sentiment, he remarks that the ex-

colleges. They open up the sporting world to athletes, expanding the boundaries of competition beyond their local high school, and to the state and national levels.

Alec Wong (‘12), who plays on the Roadrunners Sports Club Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) basketball team, feels there is a great sense of pride when competing on a national stage, an opportunity made available by club sports.

“There’s more pride in repping your state than repping your high school,” Wong said. “It’s more of a motivation to say, ‘Oh yeah, we’re playing a team from

Photo used by permission of Katie Bell

M

any Paly athletes play on club sports teams when they are not playing for the Vikings. Offering opportunities to play against a variety of players, at a higher level of competition, coupled with an ability to expose athletes’ talents to college and professional scouts, club teams have a strong allure. While many athletes and coaches support the contention that club sports provide more benefit than high school sports, they also see the importance of playing during the high school season. Both seasons play significant roles in shaping the athletes and players, and preparing them

FROM LEFT: Drake Swezey (‘11) makes an off balance throw while playing for California Club Baseball; Christian Lonsky (‘12) at the plate against Burlingame in the Central Coast Section championship game last Spring; Alex Kershner (‘11) takes a goal kick at the regional championships in New Mexico

for higher levels of competition, while also creating a sense of character and an identity to take with them. If forced to make a choice between the two, high school athletes would find it a difficult decision.

Few dispute that club sports have a positive impact on high school athletes.

If players choose to dedicate the time

posure an athlete receives from club sports is the most profound benefit. It gives scouts and coaches opportunities to watch you play, which is valuable for athletes who want to compete at the next level.

Club sports serve another key purpose beyond challenging athletes and helping them receive recognition from

Georgia tomorrow.’”

Club sports provide athletes with exposure to some of the best players in the country. Erick Raich, head coach of the Paly varsity baseball team, established his own club baseball program, California Club Baseball (CCB), in 2006.

He created his “College Development Baseball Program” to provide an envi-

“With a high school team you have 20 guys who are out there e (‘11) said. “With a club team, with a roster of 30 g

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club teams,” Kershner said. “I have a friend that’s at UCLA, at Oregon, at Santa Clara. You just don’t get that in high school because the level is not as high.

[Through club] you make friends from all sorts of areas, from different countries and from different states, that you’ll see later on in your career.”

Drake Swezey (‘11), who pitched and played shortstop for the Vikings last year, acknowledges the tougher competition in club than high school, but does not believe that talent is the biggest disparity between the two.

“The biggest difference between a high school team and a club team is

a baseball team was that everyone really got along and we had a cohesiveness as a group.”

With such a large number of athletes benefiting from offseason club teams, some argue that it is hard to find equal benefits in playing high school athletics. But high school sports provide their own unique opportunities.

Ernesto Cruz, Paly’s varsity girls’ soccer coach and a club soccer coach himself, feels players get the best of both worlds by playing for both because high school sports can help them improve in different ways than club.

“In high school, [you’re taught] how

Photo by Brandon Dukovic

Photo used by permission of Alec Wong

Photo by Brandon Dukovic

Photo used by permission of Al Chang

ronment for players to sharpen their skills through quality instruction and by playing competition from around the nation.

“They get to establish new relationships and they get to get out of their own backyard,” Raich said. “Players get to see where they stack up against the majority of the best guys around the country.”

While athletes see their high school teammates every day walking from class to class or when they go grab lunch, club teammates see each other irregularly. Despite this fact, players still develop close relationships with

FROM LEFT: Gracie Marshall (‘11) dribbles the ball down field in a high school game; Alec Wong (‘12) watches an opponent’s free-throw in the 2010 AAU National Championships; E.J. Floreal (‘13) sets up for a free-throw attempt in a game versus Gunn High School

those teammates, which they can take with them for the rest of their lives.

Kershner, who traveled to Portugal last spring to compete against international opponents, believes club has exposed her to more people from a broader geographic range, and has brought her relationships that will last.

“I’ve made my best friends on my

team chemistry,” Swezey said. “With a high school team you have 20 guys who are out there every day, who you can depend on every day, and you get to build more of a relationship with.

With a club team, on any given weekend, with a roster of 30 guys you could get maybe 10 guys showing up. A huge part of our success [at Paly] last year as

to represent your school, which is one of the most important things,” Cruz said. “Scouters look for how you bond with [your teammates].”

Others share the idea that recruiters look for personality traits of players that become visible in the high school setting, beyond what they can see in the club season.

e every day, who you can depend on every day,” Drake Swezey 0 guys you could get maybe 10 guys showing up.”

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Features

Club Culture

Photo used by permission of Jimmy Wallace

Representing your school is special, but athletes take more pride in representing their countries and their states on international and national stages of competition.

Skylar Dorosin (‘12) starts as a driver for the Lady Vikes water polo team. She has recently started playing on the USA Youth National team as part of the water polo Olympic Development Program (ODP).

“The national team has a really different system than my club and high school teams,” Dorosin said. “You are playing with people with a lot more experience.”

Dorosin has not yet competed internationally with her

USA GOLD Pitcher Jimmy Wallace (‘12) helped lead his 14U USA Baseball National Team to a gold medal in 2008 with a perfect game against Cuba.

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“[College coaches] are looking for guys who want to be leaders,” Willow Glen High School assistant baseball coach Kris Hesenflow said. Hesenflow works as the pitching coach at Willow Glen, but also works as a club coach for CCB. “While being an individual matters, they look for guys who take pride in where they are playing,” he said.

E.J. Floreal (‘13), a member of the Paly boys’ varsity basketball team and the Roadrunners AAU team, knows that skill is not all that scouts look for. “[Coaches] usually want to see how you play with a set play, set team, set everything,” Floreal said. “College is not going to be one versus five, you’re going to have to do many different things, and you have to show that in high school ball.”

Both teams, both seasons, both lives, contribute to the development of teenage athletes, whether one carries more weight or not.

Behind every great team there’s a great coach. The quarterback makes the pass, but the coach chooses the play. The pitcher throws the pitch, but the coach calls the sign. If there’s such a vast difference in competition, ability and mentality between club sports and

national team, but looks forward to the chance to play for the red, white and blue.

“It’s a different kind of hype,” Dorosin said. “You are always looking forward and preparing really far in advance.”

A pitcher for Bellarmine College Preparatory and for CCB, Jimmy Wallace (‘12) knows this experience. Wallace played for the 14U National Team in 2008, and pitched a perfect game against Cuba to take home the gold medal. For him, representing his country invoked a tremendous amount of pride.

“I didn’t think that it was going to be that big of a deal, I thought it would just be another game,” Wallace said. “But when the anthem started playing and you’re standing on the [baseline] for your country, it’s significantly different.”

Wallace also attended the Junior Olympics tournament in Jupiter, Florida this past summer with CCB, taking home the gold medal there as one of only three California teams present.

“I had a lot of pride in representing California and beating everyone we played,” Wallace said. “It was awesome to show them what [California] baseball is like.”

high school sports, why shouldn’t there be a divergence in coaching?

“The coach’s job in high school is to get the team to win and to get all the players to do their best,” Jones said.

“But the coaches for club are trying to make you better and help you out. They want to develop you as a player, not just the team, and they want you to get to a good place.”

According to Cruz, who coaches high school and club, the better coaches are the ones who coach year round on both high school and club teams.

“There are some high schools that have great programs because they have good coaches,” Cruz said. “Some of the high schools are not that good because some high school coaches [only coach

What if the culture had not morphed that way?

What if you had to choose between club and high school?

What’s the “right” choice?

during] the high school season, not the whole year. It makes a big difference.”

Of course, one of the most obvious differences between club and high school sports is money. Athletes’ families pay for club participation, and club coaches often face a trade-off between translating payment into playing time and putting the best team on the field.

“With some of the programs, you see [coaches] who are just taking it for the money,” Hesenflow said. “They have no interest in coaching anything outside of club where they won’t make anything out of it. The real coaches, I think, are the guys who are going to go out there and coach the different levels regardless of the income.”

In the Roadrunners AAU basketball program, coaches do not face this conflict, because they are not paid. The true dedication can be seen through their unsalaried commitment.

“It’s all volunteer work, and they’re really dedicated to getting the kids into college and just making them better people,” Wong said.

With so many reasons to play for your club team and competing rationale to play high school, it would be a no-brainer to play both if given the opportunity. But what if the culture had

Photo by Brandon Dukovic

not morphed that way? What if you had to choose between club and high school? What’s the “right” choice?

“I think you’ve got to take the time to play high school,” Cruz said. “If you want to be successful in college, or [at a higher level] than that, it’s very important for you to serve the community, and one of the biggest parts of communities are the high schools. That shows what kind of person you are—you are not a selfish player. In club, you’ve been playing with those players all yearround, of course you’re going to be good when you play with the same person over and over.

“There are challenges when you go to high school. You go to play with different people, different mentalities, different coaches, different systems, and then you bond with them. It makes it easier for you when you go to college, because you are going to do the same thing [there].”

As someone who also coaches both sides of the spectrum, Raich acknowledges the choice is not always an easy one.

“I couldn’t advise that, I couldn’t tell them [which to] pick,” Raich said. “I’m an old school guy with high school, and I think representing your high school is such a valuable commodity to be able to say that you’ve done, so they are both basically important.”

For Hesenflow, the choice is plain and clear.

“You should play for your high school

team, that should be your priority,” tournament.

Hesenflow said. “Play for your school.

Gracie Marshall (‘11) has been a Club is good, but I think a lot [of cred- starting middle-infielder for the Lady it] is getting taken away from the high Vikes’ softball team since her freshman school level just because it may not be year, and plays club softball in her offas competitive.” season.

One of the big“In the fall we gest dilemmas have five tourin the culture naments, four of club sports is of them in Los the time commitAngeles,” Marment involved shall said. “The in playing yeardrive is six hours round. Athletes each way so your dedicate their weekends are bavacations, their sically eaten up.” weekends, and For some parts of their soplayers, however, cial lives, all to the commitment play the sports doesn’t really they love. bother them. The “At Paly we chance to play have practice ev- Willow Glen pitching coach overrides any eryday,” Melanie Kris Hesenflow stress the obligaWade (‘12) said. tion creates.

Wade has been the starting blocker on “Traveling takes a while,” Christian the girl’s varsity volleyball team since Lonsky (‘12), who was the designated her freshman year. “For club we only hitter for the Viking varsity baseball have it twice a week but we also have team last year, and also plays catcher tournaments more often and for longer, for CCB, said. “It takes a lot of commitso our weekends are usually more time ment, but it’s fun. I could play baseball consumed than during the week.” all day.”

Club sports place an added burden While club opens up a national on student athletes who already juggle sports scene for players all over the the competing pressures of school- country, high school is where they work and sports. Imagine writing that spend four years of their adolescence, English essay you blew off until Sunday shaping their identities and growing while in a car on the way back from a with their peers. Club teams do not have a Homecoming game or a Senior Night. High school launches you into the next phase of your life, where maturity and a grasp of the meaning of loyalty become pivotal to participate in both athletic pursuits and in society.

“In high school you represent,” Cruz said. “And there is nothing more beautiful than to represent your high school.

It’s about pride. The minute I put on the green and white, I love it.” <<<

“You should play for your high school team, that should be your

priority.”

REACH Alex Kershner (‘11) stretches out to save an oncoming goal. Kershner has committed to play goalie for the Duke University Blue Devils next year, and is set to sign her National Letter of Intent in Feb. 2011.

Editor’s Note: Ben Sneider plays baseball on both high school and Cal Club Baseball teams. He has also played with Joc Pederson, Drake Swezey and Christian Lonsky. Alan Lamarque does not participate in high school or club sports.

November 2010

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Features

No Pain No Gain

No Pain, No Gain?

BY ANNE HILDEBRAND PHOTOGRAPHY BY ALEX KERSHNER ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY EMILY BROWN

IRON WOMAN Emilee Osagiede (‘12) drives for a lay up while scrimmaging during practice last year. Osagiede partially tore her ACL her

A

36

s he lept into the air at the goal line in an attempt to surpass the defense and further his team’s lead in a game last year, football running back Jahvid Best of the University of California Berkeley was wrenched down to the artificial turf by an Oregon State defender. The back of his neck was jammed into the ground and his helmet instantly flew off.

As seen in a YouTube video, Best bounced like a rubber ball for two seconds before coming down to rest stiffly on his back, resulting in a severe concussion and back injury.

If a girl were in a similar position, it is likely that her muscle structures would

cause a different injury because girls and boys have different builds. They play sports differently, run differently and jump differently; all of these lead to distinct injuries.

After age 12, boys and girls develop at different rates. Girls’ legs start bending inward at the knee, leading to common injuries such as ACL tears.

Because of their leg alignment, girls’ tendons are more likely to tear if they land with their knees going inward.

“Girls are a lot more prone to injuries from the hips down, [with their] knees, shins and ankles, hip flexor issues [and] shin splints,” Palo Alto Medical Foundation sports medicine doctor

Sally Harris said.

Palo Alto High School basketball point guard Emilee Osagiede (‘12) partially tore her ACL during practice her freshman year.

“It was like I felt a huge pop and I felt like something exploded in my knee,” Osagiede said.

Osagiede elected to pass on surgery, which commonly heals torn ACLs. Nevertheless, Osagiede does not think her injury compromises her playing.

“If anything, it has made me be tougher, because when I injure myself it’s because I’m going too soft and the other person’s going harder on me.”

Osagiede said.

fr

WAITING GAME Ben Macias (‘12) sits out during a 2010 game because of a torn ACL. use.

“Muscle pulls and things that put pressure on joints because the muscles around are too tight [are the most common injuries in boys],” Harris said.

“When [boys] go through that growth spurt, the growth is more dramatic than it is in girls and their muscles tighten up.” freshman year at Paly and now must wear a brace.

Paly Varsity Football running back Osagiede is not alone in her recovery, as girls are four to eight times more likely than boys to tear their ACLs, according to Harris, who estimates that on a girls team of 10 or 12 girls, at least one needs surgery during a season. According to Elizabeth Quinn, a sports medicine writer, more athletes are tearing ACLs at younger ages, or during their teenage years. To help prevent injuries, Harris recommends one to two months rest every year between seasons and one to two days off a week in order to recover.

Boys begin to fall victim to lower leg injuries as their muscles grow rapidly because of their tighter joints combined with muscular and skeletal over-

said.

On top of dealing with the injury itself, athletes must endure extra practices and special training while injured to speed recovery.

“I itched to run every day I couldn’t [after I got my stress fracture],” crosscountry runner Jessica May (‘12) said.

“It was very frustrating as an athlete, I was used to running every day after school, but once I got injured I could no longer rely on running as a stress reliever and social activity [in fear of getting another stress fracture].”

The pain athletes feel and the additional training they go through while they are injured is not the end of the ordeal. Often old injuries in both genders resurface through re-injury either of the same type or as a result of playing differently.

“If you have a previous injury to a certain area, you are much more likely to re-injure it,” Harris said. “Usually [the cause of re-injury is that] the area was never entirely allowed to heal.”

Rugby flyhalf Kevin Lavelle (‘13) still feels his old injuries in his knees and back.

“I was hit just below my knee and it now hurts when I run too much or with improper form,” Lavelle said.

Although girls and boys endure different injuries, the chance of any injury

“I itched to run every day I couldn’t.”

-Paly cross-country runner Jessica May (‘12) Ben Macias (‘12) was playing in the junior varsity homecoming game during his sophomore year against Los Gatos High School when he tore his MCL, ACL and meniscus while tackling an opponent. After surgery and physical therapy, his injury has slowly began to heal.

But even a year later, he is still injured and unable to play today.

“There’s no way to prevent [injuries from happening], it’s just a risk everyone takes if you play football,” Macias

is always there. Just because girls and boys are more prone to different injures does not mean that anyone cannot fall victim to a certain injury. Anyone can endure an ACL tear, a stress fracture or a concussion. If any girl went through the same scenario as Best, it is likely that she would receive a different injury. The only thing that differentiates injuries between girls and boys is the way they are built. <<<

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ZOOM

Wide receiver Maurice Williams (â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;11) evades a Gunn Titan after catching a pass during the Vikings 49-14 victory over their cross town rivals. Williams finished the regular season with 8 touchdowns and 517 yards in 19 catches.

Photo by Alex Kershner

Eliminated

BY EMY KELTY

The University of California Berkeley cuts five sports teams leaving athletes, coaches and teams stranded

A

Photo by Allie Shorin/File photo

DOMINATION The Cal Rugby team defeats BYU to win the national title on May 1, 2010.

round the country a handful of high school athletes dream of someday playing sports at University of California Berkeley, one of the top athletic and academic universities in the world. 814 young adults are lucky enough to play their respective sports there. On September 28th, 163 of these athletes’ dreams were shattered, when their sports were taken away from them. They are left without a Cal National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) team to play on.

“One hundred and sixty three student athletes who were in no way responsible for the economic issues are basically being punished,” Cal womens’ lacrosse head coach Theresa Sherry said.

Cal is not immune to the economic crisis our country is facing.

With the school facing a budget crisis, the administration was forced to make decisions fast. To solve the budget deficit, the chancellor, Robert Birgeneau, made the controversial decision to cut rugby, baseball, women’s lacrosse, mens gymnastics and women’s gymnastics from its varsity lineup.

“Clearly, this is a painful outcome after months of deliberations,” Cal’s athletic director Sandy Barbour said in a statement. “I deeply regret the impact this will have on so many valued members of our community.”

Through this cut the school will save an estimated $4 million a year, but at the end of this year these athletes will no longer represent the Bears in the NCAA.

November 2010

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Features

Eliminated

Rugby has consistently been the most successful of Cal’s 29 varsity teams. It stands as the oldest sport at Cal, with 128 years of tradition. Since 1980, the Bears captured 25 of the last 31 collegiate national championships. The team has also posted an impressive 117 All-Americans and 46 National Team players.

“They are the dominate team in college rugby,” Will Holder (‘09) rugby player at United States Military Academy said. “I [am] kinda excited because it gives us a chance [at winning].”

Even with this incredible reputation and unprecedented success as a team, rugby was one of the sports affected by the Cal sports cut. It was not completely cut from being a team, but their varsity status was taken away.

Jared Braun, a sophomore rugby player at Cal, is surprised by the decision to cut his team.

“It was just a slap in the face,” Braun said. “Out of all the teams to be cut they cut us.”

There is confusion in the Cal sports community about why the most successful team was one of the sports affected. It is speculated that Title IX was a large factor in making the decision. Title IX says that the amount of women and men playing sports must be proportional. Rugby’s 60-man squad disrupted this balance. However, even with this factor, the community is still left wondering if cutting such a successful team was the best option.

“We were shocked because it is Cal rugby. Everyone knows about Cal Rugby,” Braun said. “We win. We give money back to the school even though we don’t take any from the school.”

Whether or not rugby deserved to be dropped, it is clear that it will be a loss to the Cal community. Although the team is dropped from the NCAA, it will still continue to compete as a club team.

BASEBALL

40

For the 118 years Cal has had a baseball team they have sent a whopping 135 athletes to play in either minor or major league baseball. In recent years the program sent Brandon Mar-

Image license by creative commons bruin805

RUGBY

COMPETITION Cal womens’ gymnastics team competes on the beam in a meet against the U

“One hundred and sixty three student who were in no way responsible for the issues are basically being punished.”

-Cal womens’ lacrosse coach Theresa Sherry

row (‘06) to the Toronto Blue Jays. At the beginning of the season the Bears were tied with Loyola Marymount University for having the most alumni’s currently on a major league roster.

Even with the team competing at a high level and producing professional athletes for over a century, at the end of this season the Cal baseball tradition will be only a memory.

Drake Swezey (‘11), a Palo Alto High School baseball player was a prospective recruit at Cal. He liked the school for its competitive baseball team and academics. Cal was second or third on his list. Since baseball is such a traditional and popular sport, Swezey was shocked that the administration chose to cut it.

“Their baseball program is big,

they’re DI, [and] they are in the Pacific-10 [Pac-10], so it just seems strange that they chose to cut it,” Swezey said.

Palo Alto High School athletic director Earl Hansen thinks the cut will lower the level of collegiate level baseball in Northern California.

“You’re going to lose all the top baseball players [to other schools],” Hansen said. Starting next school year Cal will be the only Pacific-10 (Pac-10) school to not have a baseball team.

WOMENS LACROSSE

Traditionally, lacrosse has been an East Coast sport. Only recently has the sport gained popularity on the West Coast. The Bay Area currently has an estimated 8,000 youth players ac-

Image licensed by Creative Commons lumpynose

he University of California Los Angeles last season.

Photo used by permission of Theresa Sherry

athletes economic

cording to the United States Lacrosse Northern California Chapter. California is currently the home of 362 boys’ and girls’ high school lacrosse programs in 2009, a 64 percent growth rate since 2005. While other sports are on the decline, lacrosse is emerging on the West Coast, and Cal has been a major contributor to this shift.

“It’s just starting to get big out here,” Emily Klein, a 2011 Cal recruit, said about the growth of the sport on the West Coast.

Klein, a senior at a Foothill High School in Davis, California committed to play lacrosse at Cal before the cut was made. Although she is scrambling as a senior to see if there are any other opportunities to play in college, she still plans to apply to Cal for the academics.

BEARS Dylan Tonneson (‘11), the regular catcher for the Cal Bears baseball steam , was drafted in the 36th round by the San Diego Padres in the 2009 Major League Amateur Draft during his junior year.

Prior to the cut, Cal was a pillar in the northern California lacrosse community. With only five NCAA Division I programs in California, Cal was one of the few options for California lacrosse players. “[For] all the girls in northern California who [were] looking to play in college, their best bet was usually Cal or Stanford,” Klein said.

“Now that Cal is gone there are a lot fewer places for them to go.”

Today, the Cal team of 30 has 12 players from California, the highest number of California lacrosse players on any Division I program. Cal’s lacrosse staff worked with countless youth lacrosse players in the community. They motivated many to start playing the game

and brought them to a competitive level, comparable to that of the East Coast.

“We went from 70 to about 250 [players] in one year,” Sherry said about the growth of her program.

Although Sherry is attached to the area, she plans to move to a coaching job at a different college. She worries about how this will affect the growth of the sport in the area.

“Schools on the West Coast have played a really big role in the growth of lacrosse because they [offer] camps, clinics and clubs,” former Stanford women’s lacrosse head coach at Michele Uhlfelder said. “Who knows how this will exactly affect the growth.”

Despite the downfall of the Cal program, the future of California lacrosse looks brighter with the addition of University of Southern California as a Division I program.

MENS’ AND WOMENS’ GYMNASTICS

Both the womens’ and the mens’ gymnastics teams have a history of success, especially on the mens’ side. The Cal Men’s Gymnastics team has had an impressive 29 NCAA Event Champions (14 in the last 20 years),18 top 5 NCAA team finishes, 4 NCAA team championship titles and nine Olympians. The mens’ roster still highlights some world-class athletes, including two members of the national team.

This cut will leave Stanford as the only Pac-10 School with a Division I mens’ gymnastics program still standing. There are only 16 remaining varsity mens’ gymnastic squads left in the country; a decrease from 129 in 1970. Womens’ gymnastics is also on the decline at the collegiate level. According to head women’s gymnastics coach Cari DuBois there are only 85 NCAA womens’ teams left in the nation.

“My biggest concern with Cal dropping gymnastics is that it could have a domino effect across the country,” DuBois said. “The last thing I want to see is the [popularity] of gymnastics and the number of programs decrease anymore.”

The cutting of Cal’s gymnastics team adds to the fear of the eventual extinction of gymnastics at the college level.

November 2010

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Features

Eliminated

Image licensed by Creative Commons Patrick Boury

HOME TURF The University of California Berkeley home field that houses the home games of Cal teams including the rugby and lacrosse team.

REACTIONS

Cal’s Operation Excellence board, that regulates campus spending, said in an email.

According to Schlissel the other options for cutting spending were even less appealing than cutting sports.

“Alternatives to cutting some sports were cutting other things which would have made it more difficult for our students to graduate on time by getting the classes they want and need, or by further increasing tuition for example,” Schlissel said.

Although there may not have been

entire lives,” DuBois said. “They chose to come to Cal because of the opportunities that they had and now its been taken away from them.”

Even those who implemented the cuts showed emotion over the decision.

“Making sports cuts was the best available option,” Birgeneau said in a statement. “The impact of this decision is far-reaching. I am deeply saddened by the impact this decision will have.”

To play sports at Cal an athlete has to be at the top of his or her sport.

Whether its rugby, baseball, lacrosse

“All aspects of our university have been affected by the new budget realities and athletics should not be protected to any greater extent than mathematics or English or chemistry or philosophy.”

- Dean of Biology Mark Schlissel

43

been affected by the new budget realities and athletics should not be protected to any greater extent than mathematics or English or chemistry or philosophy,” Mark Schlissel, the Dean of Biology at Cal and member of the

other options, there is no question that the cuts were difficult to those affected.

“Taking [athletics] away from these young gentlemen and ladies is taking away something that they have been passionate about their whole

or gymnastics, the 163 athletes whose sports were cut had to work incredibly hard in order to secure their spot on a Cal roster. With these cuts they will be left without a place to show all the work they have put in. <<<

Photo used by permission of Mark Schlissel

Chancellor Robert Birgeneau says that these are the last of the cuts, but says he is unable to discuss re-implementing these sports. Current athletes will be able to transfer and play their sports without the usual NCAA rule of sitting out for a year. The athletic scholarships of the athletes will also be retained.

Many are saddened by the cuts, but just as many think the cuts were the right thing to do.

“All aspects of our university have

Photo used by permission of Madrono

m.

PALY RIVALRIES through the years

BY PAIGE BORSOS

A closer look into Paly’s athletic rivalry history, from Sequoia to Gunn

Photo used by permission of Mark Schlissel

until 1964. In the beginning of its athletic program, Paly faced schools such as Menlo Atherton, Sequoia, Cubberly and Ravenswood High Schools.

The most vigorous rivalry in the league was Paly football’s toughest competition: Sequoia.

In the 1960s, both Paly and Sequoia dominated the football field, winning alternating league titles. The similarities in skill inevitably resulted in a rivalry.

Paly alumni Alan Loveless (‘63) played basketball while attending Paly.

According to Loveless, the Sequoia and Paly football rivalry was extreme. Because the spirit of the school’s rivalry game drew so many fans, the game was held at Stanford University.

“The last game of the year was during Thanksgiving break,” Loveless said. “[Paly] played a football game at Stanford against Sequoia. It usually drew

around 20,000 people.”

Although the Paly and Sequoia rivalry spread amongst all sports, football was the most prominent because of both team’s competitiveness.

“It was an unbelievable football rivalry,” Loveless said. “For about forty years, Paly or Sequoia won the league every year.”

But the rivalry came to an end, according to a 2006 Campanile story written by Zev Karlin-Nuemann, when Paly moved from the Peninsula Athletic League (PAL) to the South Peninsula Athletic League (SPAL), leaving Sequoia behind. Because the two teams no longer faced each other during the regular season, the rivalry eventually faded.

With the emergence of Gunn around the same time as the league change, Palo Alto had Paly, Gunn, and Cubberly participating in the SPAL. According to the Palo Alto History website, Cubberley, established in 1956, had a decline of nearly one thousand attendants between 1967 and

“The last game of the year was during Thanksgiving break. [Paly] played a football game at Stanford against Sequoia. It usually drew around 20,000 people. It was huge. It was amazing.”

- Alan Loveless (‘63)

November 2010

Photo by Brandon Dukovic

On a chilly Friday night, the creaking bleachers along the Hod Ray football field are more crowded than they are during any other home game during the season. The excited home team fans sport green and white attire while cheering excitedly as the players prepare for the kickoff. Fifty-three and a half yards away, the opposing team’s fans, dressed in red and black, overcrowd the visitor’s bleachers. This football game is one of the most highly anticipated of the Palo Alto High School football season. The opponent, Henry M. Gunn High School, is Paly’s crosstown rival.

Paly and Gunn, the only two public schools in Palo Alto, have a sports rivalry that dates back 46 years. However, Paly’s rival was not always Gunn.

While today’s Palo Alto High School was established and built in 1919, Henry M. Gunn High School did not exist

1964 Paly football vs. Sequoia

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Features

Paly Rivalries

PALY VS. GUNN

FOOTBALL SCORES *wins in bold

YEAR

49 27 43 49 55 42 22 26 19 34 13 6 34 26 27 21 49 27 35 34 32 40 38 30 8 15 0 0 34 12 14 0 16 47 20 12 13 8 32 0 6 6 29 7 12 34

Average Score

44

23.9

14 7 0 0 12 7 13 21 40 7 21 21 33 6 0 0 12 22 0 9 20 0 14 14 10 0 34 13 26 0 0 28 8 6 7 23 12 21 7 44 28 26 6 0 13 13

13.4

2009 season, the Lady Titans had a perfect pre-season and league season record, with a 28-game win streak. The team advanced to the Central Coast Section (CCS) Division II championships against Archbishop Mitty where its journey ended in defeat. Despite the loss, the season proved that the programs improvement significant. The Paly-Gunn rivalry within the girls’ basketball program continues to be competitive today.

Along with the football and basketball rivalries over the years, Paly and Gunn have participated in school pranks, causing the rivalry to escalade past the world of sports.

According to a 2008 Paly Voice article, in 2005, Gunn spray-painted its logo onto the Paly football field. Although the prank caught the Paly students off guard, Paly was able to take the victory that night by a score of 42-7.

Similarly, a 2008 Palo Alto online article reported that in 2007, Paly student spectators at a rivalry basketball game wore T-shirts showing a Paly student urinating on a Gunn student. In response, in February of 2008, Gunn students peeled off sweaters at a basketball game to reveal “Puck Faly” shirts.

In addition, Paly alumni Dom Powell (‘08) was pranked in 2008 at the Paly-Gunn basketball game. Gunn students contacted Powell pretending to be a girl and revealed she was

1969 Vikings vs. Titans basketball at Gunn.

Photo used by permission of Madrono

2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 1998 1997 1996 1995 1994 1993 1992 1991 1990 1989 1988 1987 1986 1985 1984 1983 1982 1981 1980 1979 1978 1977 1976 1975 1974 1973 1972 1971 1970 1969 1968 1967 1966 1965

PALY GUNN

1979. On May 30, 1979, the school was forced to close. As a result, students from Cubberly had the choice of attending either of the two standing Palo Alto high schools: Paly or Gunn, changing the schools’ competition.

In the mid 1960s, the schools’ spirit and community melded together at the rivalry sports games, just as they do today. Paly Athletic Director and head football coach Earl Hansen, with over 20 years of experience in Paly athletics, has seen change in the 46-year-old football rivalry.

“A successful season would have been 1-9, as long as that one win was Gunn,” Hansen said.

However, according to Hansen, although the school spirit still lives on, the presentday competition is different.

“I don’t know where it changed, but it’s not much of a rivalry [anymore],” Hansen said. “They’ve had a couple of good years when we were not very good.”

In the last 46 years, Paly has beaten Gunn 34 times. The last time Gunn beat Paly was in 2002, when the score was 4019.

Although the rivalry is unbalanced on the football field, the basketball rivalry between the two schools is mixed. While the boys’ varsity team has been victorious throughout the years, the girls’ varsity teams have been shown to be closer in competition.

A 2008 Paly Voice article reported that the varsity boys’ basketball team has only lost to Gunn three times in the rivals’ history; 1998, 2003 and most recently in 2009. The Paly team held onto a five-year win streak including its victory over Gunn the first time the teams met in the 2009 season. Joseph Lin (‘10) scored a buzzerbeater with 0.7 seconds in the game to get the win. Although Paly barely managed to slip by the Titans in their first encounter, the team was not so fortunate the second time around in February. On Friday the 13th, Gunn took a 42-18 win over Paly and their victory was one for the books.

The Paly girls have been close in competition with Gunn. According to a Palo Alto Online article by Craig Wentz, the Lady Vikes held an eight-year win streak over the Titans from 1999 until 2007. However, the Titans fought back to grab wins over Paly in the next four seasons. In the 2008-

PRANKED Paly alumni shares his experience of being pranked by Gunn students Paly alumni Dom Powell (‘08) was victim to a prank during a PalyGunn basketball game at Gunn in 2008. Gunn students contacted Powell pretending to be a girl and revealed she was fake during the game.

“Basically the [prankers] created a girl the week before the game and somehow got my phone number and started texting me as her, but I was super sketched out,” Powell said. “Then they made her a Facebook [profile] and added a bunch of the Gunn kids to make it seem more legit before adding me, but I was still iffy about it.

“So, we are at Gunn and come out of the locker room at halftime and the student section starts chanting ‘DOM DOM DOM DOM!’ I look and they all hold up their little print outs of ‘her’ profile

fake during the game. (see story above) Although the schools have participated in such demeaning gestures, Paly Principal Phil Winston believes that the rivalry is overall friendly. Winston, Paly’s new administrator, worked at Gunn High School for four years as the assistant principal and has seen the rivalry from within both school settings.

“It’s certainly friendly,” Winston said in an email. “I think things are blown out of proportion and romanticized, that is it’s all good between the two schools. People who say it isn’t don’t understand the schools.”

Gunn Athletic Director Chris Horpel, who has worked as Gunn’s wrestling coach for nine years, agrees with Winston.

“In essence, it’s mostly a friendly rivalry with a couple of exceptions where people get a little carried away,” Horpel said in an email.

Today, many teams enjoy the rivalry because of the dated history. Gunn head volleyball coach Kevin Hwang believes that the rivalry changes the mindset of both Paly and Gunn players before they face off.

“I always try to tell [my team] that they should treat every game the same,”

picture and start chanting ‘shes not of the year once the story got out. real!’ You could just tell ev“It wasn’t the players idea at all. eryone else in the gym was There were three masterminds be besuper confused except for hind it but [only one Gunn student] [Paly players] Jordan got suspended and banned from Jefferson (‘08), Mike all sporting events for the rest of Scott (‘08), and that year, which I thought was [Gunn] fans. I still pretty excessive. I tried to tell laugh about that. both administrations I had “I thought the no problem with it and that prank was hilarious at serithey shouldn’t take it so seri the time and I still do. It ously but they were pretty set didn’t really affect my in stone about punishing him. game at all. [Diepen“But I’d say I am great brok] did yell at me friends with those guys.

There’s kind of a respect a little to stop laughfactor on both sides now. ing, but we ended It’s things like [the up winning so I can’t pranks] shirts that make say it did too much the rivalry special. It for them. The worst Photo used by permission helps the fans from both part by far was hear-of Dom Powell (‘08) sides kind of contribute ing about it from evto a home court advaneryone at school and tage and feel like they are part of the win.” especially at practice for the rest

Hwang said. “I think naturally, they get up to play Paly more. I’m sure Paly gets up to play us, too.”

In addition, Tory Prati (‘12) a lineman on the Paly varsity football team, feels that the rivalry between the schools is fun and competitive.

“There’s a lot more emotions,” Prati said. “We get more pumped up for games and more Paly [students] come out.”

Prati, along with other athletes at Paly, feel a different level of excitement while preparing for games against Gunn. The rivalry increases emotions and therefore desire to win.

The level of emotion that Paly students feel while playing Gunn is due in part to the fact that the Palo Alto community participates in youth sports together as a whole. Many athletes who go to Paly have played with players from the Gunn teams. These youth sports include, among others, Little League baseball, National Junior Basketball (NJB), and American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO).

“We know a lot of people on the other team, “ Prati said.

In addition, the rivalries formed between the three Palo Alto middle

schools (Jordan, Jane Lathrop Stanford (JLS) and Terman) date rivalries back to ages as young as 11 or 12 for some players.

Both Hansen and Horpel believe that the rivalry simply exists due to the fact that both Paly and Gunn students have faced each other before.

“It’s a natural rivalry because we’re in the same town,” Hansen said. “We played Little League and all the youth sports together and they know everybody.”

Horpel echoes this belief. “[It’s] just some high school kids trying to play sports against their neighborhood friends,” Horpel said. “This rivalry brings out the best in our kids; our fighting spirit.”

The Paly-Gunn rivalry is evident in both schools’ athletic cultures today.

The rivalry started not long ago, but it has stayed a rivalry throughout the centuries. Although pranks and unruly fans have caused tension in the past, Paly and Gunn students make a tight-knit community. And though the Paly and Gunn rivalry may remain unchanged for many years to come, both schools will always be unified through the Palo Alto community. <<<

November 2010

45

Profiles

Leading from the Back

LEADING FROM THE Co-captain Megan Coleman (‘11) leads the varsity volleyball team as the primary defensive player

46

F

BACK

BY SKYLAR DOROSIN

ormer NBA star Dennis Rodman built a career off of rebounds. He helped five teams win NBA championships and had the capability of turning the course of a game around without ever taking a shot. Just as Dennis Rodman was the backbone for his basketball teams, Megan Coleman (‘11) is the defensive strength for hers.

As the senior co-captain and starting libero on the Palo Alto High School varsity volleyball team, Coleman stops the ball from hitting the gym floor and keeping the play alive outside of the limelight in the back row.

“She will never let the ball drop,” teammate and outside hitter Trina Ohms (‘11) said. “The way she carries herself on the court it’s not like she is always going for the spotlight, she will just do whatever it takes to win.”

Coleman started playing volleyball in fourth grade because her sister, Allie Coleman (‘09), began playing on the Jordan sixth grade team. Volleyball, however, was nothing new for the Coleman girls. Their parents both played volleyball and introduced the sport to the sisters when they were young.

“There was no pressure,” Coleman’s father Kevin said. “I think Megan watched [her mom and I] play a little bit and really liked it. She had the opportunity to play with us to build fundamentals when she was young.”

Ohms remembers growing up playing volleyball with the Coleman family. “Growing up, that was the thing to do, dig with Kevin Coleman or go hit some sets with Allie,” Ohms said. “[Volleyball] was an every day part of our routine.”

Although Megan plays a different position than her sister, Allie has always had a significant influence on her. Megan has always looked up to her and tried to follow in her footsteps. The sisters played on the same team at Paly in the 2008-09 season during Allie’s senior year and Megan’s sophomore year.

“I felt like a lot of people expected a lot from me because of [Allie], but once we were on the PREPARATION Coleman sets the ball in a match against Los Altos on Nov. 4. team together she made the pressure go away because she helped me calm down and get better,”

Megan said.

Coleman proved that playing as the center of attention was not the key to her success as she grew into her role as libero and backbone of the team.

As libero, Coleman is responsible for leading the defensive side of the game.

Setter Kimmy Whitson (‘12) voiced that Coleman does not need the glory of getting kills on offense for motivation. Her importance on the team is never questioned as she is necessary to jump-start the team’s offense.

“She isn’t the one to get the most

“She isn’t the one to get the most kills, she is the one who digs and produces for the big hitters. She is the one who pushes our team forward without needing the spot light to do that.”

-Trina Ohms (‘11) Coleman sets the ball and creates passes for her teammates behind the attack line. By keeping the ball from hitting the ground and feeding the offense, she gives the other five players on the court the ability to focus on the offense.

“Her job is really important because without the steady person serving or digging we couldn’t use all of our offensive tools,” coach Dave Winn said.

The glory of volleyball is very much focused on the offense. The Lady Vikes have found a lot of success in their offense, but they would not be able to succeed without the efforts of Coleman.

kills, she is the one who digs and produces for the big hitters,” Ohms said.

“She is the one who pushes our team forward without needing the spot light to do that.”

Coleman sets herself apart from other teams’ liberos through her intelligent play and anticipation on the court.

“She is really smart in reading the hitters on the other side of the court,” Whitson said. “She is good at getting in the right position and reading where the block is, where the players are moving the ball.”

Most liberos are quick and find suc-

cess in diving across the court in attempt to hit the ball. Coleman, however, is capable of diving for a dig, but often times she does not have to.

“A lot of times I have heard college coaches say, ‘why doesn’t she dive?,” and I say, ‘well, how many times does

she miss a ball?’” Winn said. “She is always in the right position so she doesn’t have to run around and dive, but she is willing to.”

Coleman finds satisfaction holding the team up without the credit of the kills, and has fun going for digs.

“Volleyball means a lot [to me],” Coleman said. “I really enjoy playing it, I’m happy when I play it, and I play it all the time so it kind of defines me.”

Both teammates and Winn call Coleman the glue of the defense. Coleman’s role as stabilizer is not restricted to her role as the leading defender, but also

JUST IN TIME Coleman dives to keep the ball from hitting the gym floor in the team’s Senior Night against Los Altos on Nov. 4.

November 2010

47

Profiles

Leading from the Back

the anchor of the team’s emotions. She maintains the composure of the team regardless of whether the team is winning or losing.

“There is a lot that is going on in her mind, but on the top she’s cool,” Winn

keep their cool on the court.

“Megan has really good relations with everyone on the team,” Kevin Coleman said. “She is not part of one clique or pact, I think a lot of kids especially the younger kids will come to her and talk

that’s why she shines as a leader.”

Ohms and Whitson both feel that Coleman is a natural leader. Her manner on and off the court colossally helps the team. “[Megan is] calm, cool, and collected,”

said. “That’s what helps our team when we get a little frazzled, we can look at Megan and think, ‘Hey everything is good.’”

Her quiet, cool manner worked to her advantage in her role as the team co-captain with Ohms. Coleman’s soft spoken personality helps her teammate’s feel comfortable approaching her about things, and helps her team

to her about things and she really pulls the team together.”

Ohms feels Coleman is very easy to talk to, and that anyone on the team could approach her about anything.

“You won’t have a doubt that she [will] give everything she’s got,” Ohms said.

“She will give her best serve, she will fight for every dig, she will always put out as much effort as possible and

Winn said. She knows where she’s at, she knows what needs to get done and whenever the pressure is on she just kind of stays the same.”

Dennis Rodman once said, “I want to do for rebounds what Michael Jordan did for dunks.” Forget kills. In the game of volleyball, which focuses on the glory of offensive feats, Coleman certainly does that for digs. <<<

“There is a lot that is going on in her mind, but on the top she’s cool. That’s what helps our team when we get a little frazzled, we can look at Megan and think, ‘Hey, everything is good.’”

-Coach Dave Winn

Photo by Brandon Dukovic

KEEPIN’ IT IN PLAY Coleman goes to dig the ball as her teammates look on in a match on Nov. 4.

48

THE

COMPETITOR Nikolai Solgaard will take nothing less than victory

BY KEVIN KANNAPPAN PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRANDON DUKOVIC

after stride, cross-country S tride runner Nikolai Solgaard (‘12) treks

APPETITE FOR VICTORY Solgaard drives to the finish at the Stanford Invitational.

through another six mile practice.

Solgaard knows that he cannot rest after a long week of core workouts and hill runs. He has a meet the next day in which he is expected to finish first for the Palo Alto High School Vikings.

Though the next day is brutal, Solgaard pushes himself up and down the hills with a sense of pride in his first place finish among the Vikes. But his finish isn’t strong enough as he places 13th overall in the Artichoke Invitational.

Solgaard is a competitor, the kid that won’t take anything short of the best. What most students do not know is that he flips a switch when it comes to his passion: winning.

As a former Paly junior varsity soccer player, Solgaard evolved into one of the leaders of the team. Friend and teammate on the team, Geraldo Neto (‘12), looked up to Solgaard.

“On the soccer field, he was really serious during the games and he was always on top of people trying to get them in the mindset of the game,” Neto said. “He told people what they needed to do and he never made jokes on the field.”

Yet, after playing soccer all of his life, Solgaard decided he enjoyed running more and gave up soccer.

“I like running more than soccer because I am my own coach and I put

November 2010

49

Profiles

50

in what I am willing to give,” Solgaard said. “It is about how hard I push myself. I feel that I push myself more in running.”

Solgaard’s father, Olav, originally pushed Nikolai to run to get him in shape. The running proved to be the foundation for his future career at Paly. “[My dad and I] did a lot of real distance running that would help keep me in shape for soccer and I think it is what led me to competitive running,” Solgaard said.

Much of the foundation was built in Nikolai’s long summers in Norway as a child.

“We spent long summers in Norway when he was little, and he used to race his older cousins up from the beach half a mile away,” Olav said.

“Like Nikolai, I have been running my whole life,” Olav said. “I ran both cross country and track, but focused on Orienteering, which is not very popular around here, but big in Norway.”

Orienteering is long distance trail running in which the runners have to use a map in order to check into key points along the route to finish.

Orienteering requires dedication and endurance to finish the races. Much of Olav’s endurance and speed acquired through Orienteering has passed onto his son.

Solgaard uses these aspects to fuel his desire to win. He pushes all of his

The Competitor

“Nikolai’s personality is primarily defined by his competitiveness.”

- Corso Rosati (‘12) teammates and himself to be better in order to reach their goal.

“I am trying my hardest to be the leader and bring my time down,” Solgaard said. “We want to make it to CCS [Central Coast Section playoffs], so since I am the fastest on the team, and since we are scored on a team average time, I need to be well below the team average.”

Solgaard feels that his friends motivate him because he wants to beat them, especially his key teammate and competitor Corso Rosati (‘12).

“Nikolai’s personality is primarily defined by his competitiveness,” Rosati said. “He is a guy who will surely make you laugh. At the end of the day though, he is a focused runner who gets it done at races.”

The rivalry between Rosati and Solgaard dates back to last track season, when Rosati had the commanding lead, and Solgaard pushed forward and eventually left Rosati in the dust.

“As painful as it is to admit, however, [Solgaard] has beaten me consistently this year, so although we trash talk a lot, he has definitely been the faster runner this season,” Rosati said.

Just as Solgaard beat Rosati, he has also had three top 15 finishes this year.

“People race to get a best time or to get into college,” Solgaard said. “I race to beat someone else.” <<<

AMBITION TO WIN Solgaard pushes on in the Stanford Invitational on Sept. 25.

TOP 10 SPORTS CITIES

BY NATHAN NORIMOTO STATISTICAL ASSISTANCE FROM WILL GLAZIER AND GEORGE BROWN DESIGN BY BEN SNEIDER PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY COOPER LEVITAN

51

BEHIND THE NUMBERS

IN ORDER TO CALCULATE THE TOP 10 SPORTS CITIES IN THE UNITED STATES, STATES

THE VIKING SPENT HOURS UPON HOURS COMPILING STATS FROM CITIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY THAT HAVE TEAMS IN THE NBA, NFL, MLB AND NHL. THE VIKING ADDED UP THE TOTAL NUMBER OFF ALL-STARS, TEAMS AND CHAMPIONSHIPS FOR EACH CITY IN THE 21ST CENTURY. WE DIVIDED THESE THREE CATEGORIES

BY THE TOTAL NUMBER OF POSSIBLE ALL-STARS, TEAMS AND CHAMPIONSHIPS FOR ALL CITIES OVER THE PAST DECADE (A CHAMPIONSHIP APPEARANCE COUNTS FOR ONE POINT, AND A CHAMPIONSHIP WIN COUNTS FOR AN ADDITIONAL POINT). THEN WE CALCULATED THE WINNING PERCENTAGE OF ALL TEAMS FROM EACH CITY AND AVERAGED THEM TO CALCULATE THE WINNING PERCENTAGE FOR THE CITY. WE ALSO TOTALED THE REVENUE EACH CITY GENERATED AND ITS AVERAGE ATTENDANCE. WE THEN DIVIDED EACH OF THESE CATEGORIES BY THE SUM OF THE AVERAGES FOR EVERY CITY TO CALCULATE THEIR POINT TOTALS. Note: The Viking considered major metropolitan areas in our calculations, therefore Newark, NJ is part of New York City, and Anaheim, CA is considered part of Los Angeles. Also, Oakland, San Francisco and San Jose are combined to form the Bay Area.

THE VIKING WEIGHTED THE CATEGORIES AS FOLLOWS:

NUMBER OF CHAMPIONSHIPS: 25% NUMBER OF ALL-STARS: 15% WINNING PERCENTAGE: 20% TOTAL REVENUE: 10% ATTENDANCE: 20% NUMBER OF TEAMS: 10%

ALL CALCULATED POINT TOTALS MULTIPLIED BY 10

So, who’s on top?

New York Los Angeles Boston Detroit Bay Area Chicago Pittsburgh San Antonio Indianapolis Philadelphia

All-Stars New York Boston Bay Area Denver Minneapolis Chicago Philadelphia Miami Phoenix Seattle

Championships 31.7 points 29.9 points 26.4 points 19.4 points 10.1 points 10.1 points 10.1 points 10.1 points 8.8 points 7.0 points

11.0 pts.

7.9 pts.

7.3 pts.

6.1 pts.

5.7 pts.

5.4 pts.

5.1 pts.

5.0 pts.

4.8 pts.

4.8 pts.

The Yankees have won the most championships out of any sports franchise in the United States.

Running Point Standings 70 60 50 40

NY BOS

30

LA DT

20

BA

10 1st

2nd

3rd

4th

5th

Winning Percentage The San Antonio Spurs originally started as the Dallas Chaparrals in the American Basketball Association before the moved to the NBA in 1973.

San Antonio Indianapolis Boston Dallas Philadelphia Denver New York Baltimore Pittsburgh Los Angeles

9.1 pts.

8.0 pts.

7.5 pts.

7.2 pts.

7.0 pts.

6.9 pts.

6.6 pts.

6.6 pts.

6.5 pts.

6.5 pts.

Revenue New York Dallas Seattle Bay Area Baltimore Boston Houston Chicago Cleveland Philadelphia

2.9 pts.

2.9 pts.

2.8 pts.

2.8 pts.

2.8 pts.

2.7 pts.

2.7 pts.

2.5 pts.

2.5 pts.

2.3 pts.

The Dallas Stars were originally called the North Stars after the Minnesota state motto â&#x20AC;&#x153;Etoile du Nordâ&#x20AC;? (Star of the North).

Running Point Standings 70 60 50

NY BOS

40

LA DT

30 20

BA

10 1st

2nd

3rd

4th

5th

Attendance

Teams On an average day 1,600 students do not show up to school in the San Francisco school district. On November 3, 2010, the day of the World Series celebration parade 32,000 students were absent.

New York Dallas Seattle Bay Area Baltimore Boston Houston Chicago Cleveland Philadelphia

7.4 pts.

7.3 pts.

7.2 pts.

7.2 pts.

7.1 pts.

7.0 pts.

6.9 pts.

6.9 pts.

6.9 pts.

6.6 pts.

2.9 pts.

2.9 pts.

2.8 pts.

2.8 pts.

2.8 pts.

2.7 pts.

2.7 pts.

2.5 pts.

2.5 pts.

2.3 pts.

TOTALS

Boston The Lakers were San Antonio originally founded Chicago in 1946 in Detroit, Cleveland Michigan where Minneapolis they got their name Philadelphia from the MichiDallas gan’s nickname “The Land of 1,000 Indianapolis Lakes” New York Los Angeles

F

n i

l a

1. New York

2. Boston 3. Los Angeles 4. Detroit 5. Bay Area 6. Chicago 7. Philadelphia 8. Indianapolis 9. Pittsburgh 10. San Antonio

65.8 57.2 54.1 40.9 36.4 36.1 32.1 31.8 31.8 31.3

re

s

u l

ts

A top ten sports city without Boston at the top? I’m not so sure about that. The dominant decade by the Red Sox in which they reversed the curse, added another title in 2007, sold out over 600 games dating back to 2003, and made the playoffs in seven out of the last ten years, should have been enough to propel the city near the top. Add in the Patriots and Celtics tearing up their respective leagues and you have a winning city in every sense of the word. Sadly, I’m a Bills fan so reveling in the Patriots success is impossible, but the Red Sox give me hope that one day, just maybe, the Bills will have their glory. New York snuck away with the victory because of old championships from the dying Yankee dynasty, and their massive amounts of revenue. And don’t even get me started about the Giants bandwagon fans.

So the Bay Area didn’t come out on top. But, the Giants did win the World Series. The points that the Giants got for the Bay Area for winning the ‘ship counterbalanced other teams that truly are “torturous” to watch (meaning the A’s, 49ers and, once it’s playoff time, the Sharks). I guess if you look at it realistically, the Bay Area was not going to come out on top – there’s too much East Coast bias in this country for that to happen – but I have to say that, even though I hate the American League (Red Sox and Yankee fans: go back to the East Coast), I am pleased that New York topped Boston, for the sole reason that I (might) get a day or two of peace from Will’s constant Red Sox idolization. Though it would have been exponentially more enjoyable without Tim McCarver and Fox’s television delay, this victory will stay sweet for more than a few days.

The evil empire reigns supreme yet again. Sorry Boston, Los Angeles, and Detroit you were destined for a runner up spot from the beginning.

Jay-Z had it right, New York is: “the concrete jungle where dreams are made.” But didn’t the Yankees just lose to a team who had never been to the World Series? And where did LeBron decide to “take his talents” this season? Who needs “the concrete jungle” when you have an emerging sports power: the Bay Area. After looking at the Oakland A’s dismal attendance over the past ten years I was surprised they even cracked the top 15. On a brighter note, the Giants are the 2010 World Series Champions, the Oakland Raiders are currently atop the AFC West at midseason, and the San Jose Sharks made it to the Western Conference Semifinals last season. Watch out New York, the Bay Area’s on the rise.

Features

The Serene Sport

The Serene Sport

BY MIRA AHMAD

Yoga helps athletes mentally and physically, despite negative preconceptions All athletes know what it feels like to be sore.

58

Photo used by permission of Torie Nielsen

Whether it is because of a tournament, practice, tryouts, all athletes have rolled out of bed with tight hamstrings, sore arms and aching feet before spending the day hobbling from class to class, unable to laugh because of sore abs. Luckily, there is a solution to the aches and pains that high school athletes experience every day. Salvation comes in the form of a four-letter word: yoga.

Because of the competitive nature of high school sports, athletes train five times a week during the high school season. Although this repetition may be great for refining details and perfecting play, it also means that players have very little recovery time on a day-to-day basis. The lack of a rest period often leads to injuries. Yoga offers a solution to this problem without having to cut down on practice time.

Palo Alto High School varsity baseball coach Erik Raich supports the idea of high school athletes’ involvement in yoga to help with their flexibility, which is an important part of baseball, but also to help reduce injuries during the season.

“It helps with preventing injuries, but also allows them to have better recovery time and less soreness from everyday play,” Raich said. “It increases a player’s overall athletic ability.”

Paly athletic trainer Stacy Koffman agrees with Raich that an important part of a player’s athletic ability is balance and flexibility.

“Yoga can help deal with balance issues and athletes’ flexibility,” Koffman said. “This will help eliminate potential injuries due to muscle imbalance and stiffness. The more flexible you are as an athlete, the greater range of motion you can go into, and the less likely you are to hurt yourself.”

Larry Hatlett, a yoga instructor at the California Yoga Center on Cowper Street in downtown Palo Alto, agrees that yoga can help alter an athlete’s performance. Hatlett has worked with a few members of the San Francisco 49ers and professional swimmers, and notes that yoga has helped them improve balance, concentration and agility.

“There are several ways yoga can help athletic performance,” Hatlett said. “First, through yoga, concentration techniques bring better sensibility to one’s body. Second is through better balance, and staying in balance is key to

TREE POSE Yoga relaxes while strengthening athletes’ bodies.

many sporting activities. In general, yoga develops better posture and that reduces tension and increases energy flow.”

But if yoga is so good for young athletes’ bodies, why are there not hordes of teenage athletes in yoga centers at least once a week? The problem with getting athletes involved with yoga, especially boys, is that they think that yoga is an activity reserved for the later

A lot of people think of yoga as a very feminine thing to do, which is a bad stereotype,” Martignetti said. “Once athletes can get past the stereotype, then people can really open up to it and benefit from it.”

Another one of the issues Hatlett sees is that people believe they need to be very flexible to even attend a yoga class.

“People get discouraged by see-

to help him alleviate soreness and create a balanced workout.

“I would like to do yoga if I had more time,” Cohen said. “It would help my shoulder and would be good for me in general. It’s a good way to get a workout.”

Cohen feels the time limitations also affect his teammates and with more time, a yoga class would be feasible.

“I think a lot of high school athletes

stages of their lives.

“Some [baseball players] think that it’s for sissies,” Raich said. “But once you explain the benefits of it, most of the players come around and try it.”

Cross-country runner Caroline Martignetti (‘13) agrees with Raich’s sentiment that many male athletes think yoga is for “sissies.”

ing others being much more flexible,” Hatlett said. “But they don’t know that flexibility is only a small part of yoga.”

Another pressing problem high school athletes face when deciding to practice yoga is simply time.

Paly varsity baseball outfielder Jeff Cohen (‘11) says that if he had more free time, yoga would be a great outlet

would do it if they had time,” Cohen said. “For team bonding and to stretch out tight muscles.”

However, there are athletes that find the time and courage to try yoga.

Boys’ varsity water polo driver, Aaron Zelinger (‘12) began doing yoga this summer because of small injuries that were starting to bother him.

“They don’t know that flexibility is only a small part of yoga.”

- Larry Hatlett, California Yoga Center

Photo by Mira Ahmad

LARRY’S CLASS Students practice Vinyasa yoga at Larry Hatlett’s Sunday morning class at Yoga Source in downtown Palo Alto.

November 2010

59

Features

The Serene Sport

Yoga Styles BIKRAM

Bikram, or hot yoga, is done in a 95-100 degree room. This practice is meant to loosen muscles and cause sweating, which is said to cleanse the system.

Bikram concentrates on making the body more flexible and is a fairly vigorous practice. One should always keep a water bottle on hand when practicing Bikram so that the body does not get dehydrated.

VINYASA

Vinyasa, also known as “flow yoga,” focuses on synchronizing one’s breathing with the body’s movements. This synchronization causes the poses to blend into a dance-like routine.

Vinyasa encompasses a series of poses and encourages everyone to work at their own pace. Flow yoga is a good option for a beginning yoga class.

Ashtanga yoga is an athletic and vigorous practice of yoga. Each student must go through a series of preset poses. Once a student knows the sequence of poses, they have the ability to move through at their own pace. Ashtanga can be beneficial to strengthen athlete’s weaker muscles, but needs to be done on a regular basis.

tor Janelle Spanier agrees that increased body awareness through yoga can help reduce small injuries, like those Zelinger experienced over the summer.

“When you start practicing yoga, you start to become aware of some of the imbalances in your body.”

-Janelle Spanier said. “Depending on our game schedule, I usually go before school and then on a Sunday night.”

Castilleja High School yoga instruc-

60

This practice of yoga is based on the perfect alignment of the body in different poses.

The objective is that each student, through practice, should be able to hold the perfect pose. Iyengar yoga introduced the concept of props to help achieve an ideal pose. Iyengar is not an easy form of yoga and targets more experienced students.

Photo by Mira Ahmad

“I got really scared over the summer because I broke my finger and hurt my wrist, and then I pulled my groin during two-a-day practices, so that’s what really got me started on yoga,” Zelinger

ASHTANGA IYENGAR POWER

“When you start practicing yoga, you start to become aware of some of the imbalances in your body, and you start to become aware of places where you

YOGA

Inspired by Ashtanga, Power Yoga has an emphasis on strength and flexibility. Power Yoga is fashioned more like an aerobics class. People looking for a yoga practice with minimal meditation and are in shape will enjoy the fast pace and workout they receive from Power Yoga.

might have had a previous injury,” Spanier said. “So then you can work on a certain area before a game, because if it is tight going in, that’s where you get an injury.”

Zelinger sees the multiple advantages to doing yoga, both for his physical and mental well- being. He sees improvements in his flexibility, focus and overall fitness.

Spanier sees that yoga plays a key role in the mental aspects in a game for young athletes.

“It helps us focus and when you learn the yoga breath helps if you get too fired up in a game situation,” Spanier said.

“You can use the breathing technique to just pull back and take a moment.”

Athletes strive for consistency in both their physical and mental game; yoga helps them achieve this goal. <<<

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The Last Word

Get Off The Wagon

The Last Straw Get Off The Wagon!

by Michael Cullen

S

Photo by Brandon Dukovic

eriously guys, the bandwagon will not be able to move if anyone else gets on. This is the greatest time of year for sports, hands down. Not only is there 40+ hours of football airing from Saturday morning to Sunday night, but the World Series has just finished, while the NHL and NBA seasons are only just beginning. The air is crisp, the leaves are changing, and the merchandise sales of everyones’ “favorite teams” is through the roof.

I’m a confrontational guy, so here is a simulated scenario to give you my opinion on fair-weather fans.

MC : “It’s strange Mr. Fair-weather, you weren’t rocking the Giants hat last year when we were 87-74.”

“Giants fan” [GF] : “Well it was a birthday present this year…”

MC :“Riiight… who’s the closer again?”

GF :“Uhhh… Rob Nenn?”

MC : *Knocks hat off head* I was born and raised a Bay Area sports fan. I have lived through the heartbreaking defeats of the Sharks in the playoffs, the tumultuous Barry Bonds era, and of course, the past decade, in which my beloved 49ers have floundered miserably and hovered consistently around disappointing mediocrity. Having said this, let me tell you how incredible it feels to finally witness a Bay Area team (besides the Sabercats or Earthquakes), win a championship. No one outside of the Bay gave the Giants a shot at making it past Atlanta, and yet here we are three weeks later, watching Bruce Bochy hoist the World Series trophy high, rousing an ear splitting cacophony of yells from a sea of orange and fake beards. That, my friends, is the sound of victory.

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The Giants’ offense was aptly nicknamed ‘torture’ this season, but I think that the Niners’ offense this year could fall under this the same moniker. After all, choking is a type of torture, right? I love my Niners, and the expectations going into this season were high, so a 2-5 start is disappointing. However, while fair-weather fans will turn their backs on the local team who they “support,” I stick with my boys through thick and thin. If you so choose to support the opposing team, and the Niners’ get so much as a first down, I’m gonna get in your face and shove my foam finger so far up your ear that it tickles your temporal lobe. True fans take what they get and enjoy it.

He who is bold enough to pull on an Alex Smith jersey in the morning shall stand beside me as my brother, and will have my shoulder to cry on through all four quarters. I’m telling you, turn your back on the Niners now, and you’ll regret it in the near future.

Across the street from Palo Alto High School, Jim Harbaugh has worked wonders with the Cardinal football team.

Before he came, I knew a lot of people who would have taken an axe to the Stanford Tree. But once Toby Gerhart started (literally) running over everyone, people weren’t embarrassed to show their faces at a Stanford game anymore. My friends and I were at the games during the “down” years, and although we spent most of the game heckling opposing players from behind their bench and trying to cop gear from them, we still showed our support for the Cardinal. Now that Andrew Luck and the Cardinal are winning games, you see a lot more people grilling hot dogs and throwing the pig skin in the parking lot. Interesting…

Through all of this, I’ve come to realize that true fans and an unwaivering of ones’ team are something to genuinely appreciate. As much as the quarterback and hot dog vendor have a place at the ballpark, so does the fan. It takes dedication to wake up at 8 am on a Sunday and cover oneself in body paint, then proceed to tailgate hard for 3 to 4 hours, scream yourself hoarse through a game, and then wrap it up with another tailgate. It takes loyalty, pride, and perhaps a bit of insanity to be able to call yourself a true fan. The reality is, you can question the dedication of the man in a Favre jersey snuggled up in the press box of Lambeau Field, but you don’t even think about doubting the commitment of the dudes in the front row wearing nothing but shorts and a cheesehead. <<<

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