viking volume 2 issue 2 - there and back
DESCRIPTION
The cover story features John Anderton, a Paly soccer player who overcame cancer.TRANSCRIPT
RIEKES CENTER Human Enhancement
Volume 2 Issue #2 December 2008
Volume 2 Issue #2 December 2008
Staff ListEditors-in-Chief
Charlie AvisPeter JohnsonNoah SneiderAdam Zernik
Section EditorsOliver Davies
Cassie Prioleau Ahna Rao
Elizabeth Scott
Photo ManagerJohn Christopherson
Photo StaffCharlie Avis
Malaika DrebinEmily Fowler
Hana KajimuraAllison ShorinSpencer Sims
Design EditorsVarun Kohli
Noah Sneider
Copy EditorChristine Chang
Business ManagersGreg Stewart
Matthew Tracy
Distribution ManagerLiza Dernehl
Copy EditorChristine Chang
StaffSana BakshiSophie BiffarHanna Brody
Ben BrownChase CooperLiza Dernehl
Malaika DrebinEmily Fowler
Lauren HammersonWade Hauser
Hana KajimuraAshkaan Khatakhotan
Brendon RiderMarco Scola
Allison ShorinSpencer Sims
Kylie SloanScott Witte
VikingPalo Alto High School50 Embarcadero Road
Palo Alto, CA 94301650-329-3837
Email contact: [email protected]
Letters to the editorThe 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 VikingThe 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 e-mail at [email protected] or call 650-329-3837 for more information.
Printing servicesThe Viking is printed seven times a year by Fricke-Parks Press in Fremont,
Calif.
AdviserEllen Austin
PAGE
December 2008Volume II, Issue II
The Lineup
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 6 18 24
4
THE KICKOFF
6 | EDITORIAL: SPORTSmAnSHIP PAREnT mEETInG
7 | PLAYER POLL: mOST InTImIDATInG ATHLETE
10 | SAY wHAT/bY THE numbERS/ EXPLAIn YOuRSELF/POP CuLTuRE GRID
11 | wHO’S HOT & wHO’S nOT
11 | 7 THInGS AbOuT bEInG A LADIES’ mAn
14 | 10 q’S wITH KEvIn ASHwORTH
wInTER PREvIEwS24 | bOYS’ bASKETbALL
OFF CAmPuS
18 | SPORTS mOvIE GuIDE Greg Stewart gives his take on 10 sports movies you got to know
54 | GIvE AnD TAKE Emily Fowler and Hanna Brody interview former Paly football coach Steve Foug
34 | KInG CObRA Senior Eric Jones is one of the top hockey defensemen in the Bay Area and has his eyes set on playing in college by Emily Fowler
ph
ot
o c
re
dit
s (
clo
ck
wis
e f
ro
m t
op
le
ft
): m
ala
ika
dr
eb
in
joh
n c
hr
ist
op
he
rs
on
, ma
laik
a d
re
bin
, em
ily
fo
wle
r
15 | InSIDE THE mInD OF JOSH nEwbY
8 | ZOOm
25 | GIRLS’ bASKETbALL
26 | bOYS’ SOCCER
27 | GIRLS’ SOCCER
28 | wRESTLInG
20 | GIFT GuIDE The holiday season is upon us and The Viking has a list of must-have gifts
29
Corrections:In the October edition of The Viking, the photo on p. 20 credited to “Robert Drebin” should have been credited to “Robert Drebin/Stanford Athletics.” The Viking regrets the error.
PAGE
December 2008Volume II, Issue II
The Lineup
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 62 64
5
FEATuRES
38 | HARD-KOuR Paly’s parkour club hits the streets, literally. Read about Paly’s own urban acrobatsby Sana Bakshi
48 | THERE AnD bACK The story of junior John Anderton’s struggle with cancer and his return to the soccer fieldby Hanna Brody and Lauren Hammerson
29 | FALL wRAP-uPS The Viking reports on the Fall sports season
PROFILES
21 | COACH SLAYTOn The heir of Coach Diepenbrock’s basket-ball program, Andrew Slayton, hopes to con-tinue Paly’s basketball successby Hana Kajimura
45 | LEADInG THROuGH HOPE Senior basketball star Olivia Garcia is not only leading her team, but is also leading a fight against breast cancerby Kylie Sloan
THE LAST wORD62 | A SEASOn TO FORGET Ben Brown explains what it is like to root for Michigan Football
32 | PALY vOLLEYbALL An exclusive report on Paly’s CCS Final game against Archbishop Mitty, ranked 1st in the nationby Chase Cooper
42 | IT’S ALL RELATIvE Two pairs of sisters led Paly’s varsity volleyball team to the CCS Finalsby Allison Shorin and Cassie Prioleau
56 | SO YOu THInK YOu CAn PLAYWondering how to get recruited? Marco Scola has all the answers
38 42
SInCE wE LAST SAw YOu
COvER STORY
Letter from the EditorsATHLETES AND THE figHT AgAiNST CANCEr
Opinion
6
NFL D
ream D
ate?
A significant number of pages in this issue of The Vi-king involve Paly athletes and their struggles againstcancer.Ourcoverstory,“ThereandBack”(p.48),digsdeepintothestoryofjuniorsoccerplayerJohnAnder-ton’sbattlewithararecancercalledEwing’sSarcoma,while “Leading Through Hope” (p. 45) details seniorbasketballplayerOliviaGarcia’s fundraisingattemptstoaidhergrandmother’sfightagainstbreastcancer. Thesestoriestouchedthestaffwritersandphotogra-pherswhoworkedon themandTheVikingwould liketo thank the Anderton family for sharing their inspir-ingstorywithus.WealsocommendGarcia’scancerre-searchadvocacy. Athletesontheprofessionallevelwhohavebeenaf-fectedbycancerhavebecomeiconsforthecause.LanceArmstrong, throughhis LIVEstrong campaign, has raisedmillionsofdollarsforcancerresearch.ThisSeptember,Armstrongannounced thathewouldbecomingoutofretirementtoraceagainwiththehopeofspreadinghismessage:theimportanceoffightingcancer. Jon Lester, a pitcher for the Boston Red Sox, anothericonintheworldofsports,wasdiagnosedwithlympho-maafterhisrookieseason.Lesterreturnedayearlatertopitchinthefinalgameof the2007WorldSeries. Locally, Garcia and her “Hope” bracelets are likeArmstrong and his LIVEstrong bracelets. Garcia has al-readyraisedabout$13,000forcancerresearch. The Viking encourages all thosewho believe in thefight against cancer to purchase her “pink for hope”bracelets (see p. 45). Anderton resembles Lester andhis comeback from lymphoma. Garcia and Anderton areiconshereatPalyandhavecomparablestoriestoeventhemostfamousathleteswhofightcancer. Wehopeyouwill take the time toread their storiesand consider theeffects thatcancerhason thosewhoendure it.
~ The Editors
On Tuesday, November 18th, the Palo Alto High School admin-istration held a mandatory meeting for all winter season athletes’ parents regarding the CIF and CCS rules regarding sportsmanship. In the past, it was the coaches’ responsibility to educate the athletes and parents on proper sportsmanship, but due to recent athletic cri-ses involving hazing and eligibility, the administration decided to take matters into its own hands.
“It is the responsibility of administrators to make sure fans act appropriately,” Principal Jackie McEvoy said at the meeting.The Viking believes that this inaugural meeting with the parents is a step in the right direction for the administration, as well as the ath-letic department. However, there are still holes to fill in the content and manner of the meetings.
The meeting included a discussion on sportsmanship and eligi-bility, as well as a presentation by the Sports Boosters program and the new plans for the Paly athletic fields, all of which The Viking believes is relevant and useful for the parents to be informed about.
The Sports Boosters program, which funds all parts of Paly’s athletic programs except coaches’ salaries (which are funded by the state), was a great topic to cover because it explained where the $150 that each athlete pays at the beginning of the season goes and how the donations are allocated. The meeting gave a face to the program that keeps Paly sports running.
Along with the Boosters presentation, the administration made it very clear what the expectations are regarding sportsmanship on the field and in the stands. After the controversial handling of the “Freshmen Friday” incidents, the administration did well to set the standards of conduct for fans and athletes. Now the rules are defini-tive, and it will be clear if an individual breaks them.
However, while the information covered was useful, a few im-portant topics were left out of the conversation. Hazing, which in the past has been conducted under the supervision of parents, should have, but was not, mentioned. Another important topic that con-cerned parents in attendance, but was not mentioned was transpor-tation and rules regarding athlete transportation and whether student athletes are allowed to drive themselves or if parents can drive them to and from games.
The last improvement that the administration could make to its meetings would be to conduct them in a more orderly manner. Numerous parents that The Viking talked to following the meeting thought that the sign-up process-- to ensure that all parents attended because it is, in fact, a mandatory meeting-made them feel like they were being “herded”. The sign-up could have been more organized, but that is just part of the learning process.
The administration is on the right track towards improving the athletic program and preventing CIF rule violations, such as the transcript error that forced Paly’s basketball team to forfeit its sea-son. Assistant Principal Jerry Berkson said that improved meetings will be added to for seasons to come. Berkson mentioned that the topics to be covered will include NCAA requirements for athletes considering collegiate level athletics.
Staff ViewA step in the right direction...
7
Who’s your
NFL D
ream D
ate? Are you a New Orleans Saints fan?
Do you like Jason Mraz and Third Eye Blind?
Do you want to meet pro golf or poker players?
Do you like Lego Land?
Did you grow up as a 49ers fan?
Joey Harrington
Reggie Bush
Tom Brady
NO YES
YES
YES
Do you like watching music videos?
NO NOYES
NO NO
YES
YES
Helene Zahoudanis55%
June Afshar 14%
Emily Brown 12%
Daniella Florant 12%
Daron Willison 7%
Jenner Fox 33%
Sean Keohane 23%
Kevin Ashworth 14%
John Christopherson10%
Oliver Davies 10%
Tim Wenzlau 10%
Player PollsThe Viking asked 120 Paly students whom they thought the most attractive male and female student athletes were. Here are the results.
Most Attractive Female Athlete Most Attractive Male Athlete
Your NFL dream date is Joey Harrington:Joey was born in Oregon and is a quarterback for the New Orleans Saints. He is a Roman Catholic who attended the University of Oregon, and loves to play music. He has recently performed with Third Eye Blind and Jason Mraz. He is also the cousin of PGA golfer Padraig Harrington and pro poker player Dan
You NFL dream date is Reggie Bush:Reggie was born in San Diego, home of Lego Land, and was the first overall NFL draft pick in 2006. He attended USC where he was the starting running back, and now plays for the New Orleans Saints. Reggie was recently on the cover of the video game, NCAA 07 football. He also appeared in Ciara’s music video for her song “Like a Boy”.
Your NFL dream date is Tom Brady:Tom was born in nearby San Mateo where he attended Serra High School. He continued on to play football at the University of Michigan and is now a quarterback for the New England Patriots. Tom grew up as a 49ers fan.
ZOO
MPalo alto senior eric Jones battles one of his teammates to get to the puck first at a hockey practice. His team, the San Mateo Cougars, won the state cham-pionship last season with him at the helm. Photo by Emily Fowler
Junior Gracie Dulik fires a backhand shot during a CCS quarterfinal match against St. francis High School. Dulik, who normally plays doubles, was Paly’s #4 singles player on the day, and went on to lose the match 4-6, 2-6 4-6, 3-6.Paly defeated St. francis overall. Photo by Hana KajimuraZO
OM
“Our team is really close, we do everything together. We’re a lot closer than other teams; for one, we take team showers. I don’t know any other sport that does that. Football players just go home, alone and gross.”
—Eric Jones (Hockey, Sr.)King Cobra pg. 34
by thenumbers13,000 dollars raised for breast cancer research by senior Olivia Garcia’s bracelet design
0 Leigh’s offensive output after a valiant four-quarter effort by the Viking’s defense
1990 The last year that the Paly boys’ cross-country team reached the state finals as a team until this season
4 Number of sisters out of six starters who play on the Paly varsity volleyball team
Alex Kershner,Soccer, So.
Federico Clerici,Soccer, Fr.
Kevin brown,basketball, Jr.
The Pop Culture GridPaly Athlete
and SportHiddenTalent
FavoriteSlogan
Grossest Food
BiggestFear
Best T&CFood
Singing Impossible is nothing
Asparagus Heights Jamba Juice
Jack Sakai,wrestling, Jr.
Taylor Lovely,basketball, Sr.
Tying shoe-laces fast
Don’t Give A F*#&
Antelope Spiders Rojoz
Kirk’sNothing Bite Me Snails Spiders
Dancing Go Hard or Go Home
Oysters Raccoons Coldstone Creamery
Flipping tongue
Just Do It Spinach Soufflé Death Douce France
WHATSAY“He is small for his age, but I think he makes up for it
in other ways. He is really quick. He’s feisty.”—Jenner Fox (Soccer,Jr.)
There and Back pg. 48
“Parkour is not meant to be injurious. You do not have to be an idiot about these things.”
—Alex Browne (Parkour,Sr.)Hard-kour pg. 38
“But then she went on the only business trip that she has ever gone on in her entire
life, and I tried out for team and made it.”
—Marissa Florant(Volleyball, Jr.)It’s All Relative pg. 42
226 yards Sam Tomp-kins-Jenkins ran for in Paly’s first round victory over Leigh High School
1/4 final, the World Cup game Anderton went to with the Make-A-Wish foundation
13 Carries Tompkins-Jen-kins needed in order to gain 226 yards and 3 touchdowns against Leigh High School
30 minutes it takes for senior hockey player Eric Jones to drive one way to practice every day
“So I decided that I would screw with my mom by faking my report card so I basically recreated the Paly report card.” —Josh Newby (XC,Jr.) Inside the Mind pg. 15
10
“Whether you are a comedy buff, a drama queen or a fan of horror (not for me) the choices are all out there. ”
—Greg Stewart (Soccer,Sr.) Sports All-Time Movie Review pg. 18
Leigh High SchoolAfter talking some serious trash before the Vikings and Long-horns met in the second round of the CCS football playoffs, Leigh proceeded to get trounced 48-0.
Boys’ Cross CountryThe boys finished second at the CCS meet on November 15th, qualifying them for the state meet in Clovis. they are the first Paly boys Cross Coun-try team to make states since 1992.
7 Thingsyou need To know abouT:being a ladies’
man
Tim LincecumThe Giants ace right-hander won the National League Cy-Young award with an 18-5 record and a 2.62 era. He is the first Giant to win the award since Mike McCormick in 1967.
Paly Football GamesIn the final two regular season home games, three students have been caught participating in suspicious activity resulting in suspension.
SophomoresWith yet another last place finish in Spirit Week, the Sophomores are on pace to be the first class in Paly history to come in last for every single Spirit Week they have participated in. Step it up sophomores.
Paly Pre-season SoccerWith nine key players missing for a club tournament in addi-tion to several other scattered injuries, week-long school trips and suspensions, the team is not in good shape going into its first few games.
1) You have to be yourself, don’t put on some fake persona
2) It’s all about being fun-ny... but not too funny
3) Ladies just want to talk to you
4) Once you got it you don’t even have to do work any-more
5) I have hella girls in the bank just waiting for with-drawal
6) You have to be smart about your game
7) Best pick-up line is when you ask to see their hand, ask them some question that you don’t know the answer to, and then tell them you just wanted to hold their hand
11
Fall SportsSo far this year, every Paly sport, Football, Volleyball, Girls Tennis, Boys and Girls Water Polo, and Boys and Girls Cross Country made it to the CCS playoffs.
Ally Whitson Senior volleyball captain Ally Whitson leads the league champion Lady Vikes in both kills and blocks. Whitson plans on playing at UC Davis next season.
As told by senior wide receiver Ariel Arsac-Ellison
NotHot WHO’SWHO’S
iaS PROUDLY SUPPORtS tHe ViKiNG!
iaS PROUDLY SUPPORtS tHe ViKiNG!
the Paly wrestling team works on its moves during practice. they open the season with the Peninsula invitational on December 6th. top: Patrick Sheehan; Bottom: erez arnon.Photo by Hana KajimuraZO
OM
bullet and a Target
Anabel Snow
Scruffy
Sexually...?
navy blue
Zorro
Pumpkin Pie
Spot Pizza
neither
not Spencer
Top Played iTunes Song
Dream Date
Clean Shave or Scruffy
Position
Color Spandex
Dog’s Name
Favorite Thanksgiving Food
Favorite Off- Campus Lunch Spot
Liners Or The Cooper Test
Funniest Teammate
Elliot SnowFriend
Donald briggsSoccer Coach
Chelsea brunettProm date
Crank that Soulja boy
Peter Johnson’s Sister
Scruffy
Center midfield
black
Ruff... Get It?
You Are what You Eat... So Turkey
His House
Liners
michael
no Idea...
maya Fielder
Clean
Defense
black
Zorro
mashed Potatoes
His House
The Cooper Test
Spencer
Category
70% 10%
We went to senior soccer player Kevin Ashworth to ask him ten questions about himself. Then, we asked the same ten questions to his friend El-liot Snow, soccer coach Donald Briggs, and prom date Chelsea Brunett to see who knows Kevin best. Here are how the results played out:We went to senior soccer player Kevin Ashworth to ask him ten questions about himself. Then, we asked the same ten questions to his friend Elliot Snow, soccer coach Donald Briggs, and prom date Chelsea Brunett to see who knows Kevin best. Here are how the results played out:
1010 with
Kevin AshworthSenior soccer player
WANT TO ADVERTISE?
Please contact The Viking at [email protected]
Questions
20%40%
14
Crazy by Pitbull
no Comment
Scruffy
midfield
Red
Zorro
Saucy Turkey
His House
Liners
michael, by Far
Kevin Ashworth
Questionsthe video I recorded the car burning down a cardboard box with the word “orphanage” writ-ten on it. This caused a stir among the YouTube community, and in the end I had to take it out because I guess, in today’s society it’s not ok
to burn down an orphanage. During its prime, I lit things on fire from the safety of my
room. I controlled it out my window.
ON HIS LIFE ASPIRATIONSI’ve always wanted to be a crossing guard because they get to wield those massive stop signs. You could just flash that bad boy at anyone. Plus what’s cooler than a pair of neon pants and a vest? Unfortunately, social etiquette at Paly doesn’t permit me to wear such articles of clothing. I definitely would like to do that, and if for some reason I could not fulfill that goal, maybe a toll booth operator.
ON HIS EPIC PRANKWell, Mr. Sabbag’s class was pretty great because we just pulled some epic pranks in that class. One time I brought my universal Mac remote to school and I just messed with his computer all period, just like switching slides around and playing music. He thought his computer was broken and every time he would turn it off, I would just turn it back on, and, like, turn the music up. It was hilarious. This went on for about a week before he
caught me. He wasn’t too mad. I mean, he was laughing about it, too.
“Inside the Mind
Josh
ON HIS APRIL FOOLS’ JOKESo I decided that I would screw with my mom by faking my report card. So I basically recreated the Paly
report card; which I still have if anyone’s interested for ten bucks. So I made it basically horrible grades, but not so horrible that it is unbelievable, like in the realm of possibility. I put the letters at the bottom ‘Parent, please contact teacher’, ‘Distracting in class’ and finally one that corresponded to ‘April Fools’, so it was executed beautifully. My mom was so mad and worried, like on the verge of tears and so she was like ‘Oh My Gosh’ and then she looks down at the one of the comments and saw the ‘April Fools’ and was like, ‘Oh Josh!’ I filmed it obviously as I left my camera in the corner watching the whole scene play out.
ON “JEFFSPECT”So basically, freshman and sophomore cross-country and track seasons, I strove to achieve the respect of my father, Jeff Billing. It is like he is my father figure. I would always want his acceptance, so I was always working hard trying to earn his “Jeffspect.” Recently, with my improvement in cross-country this season, I maxed out on “Jef-fspect,” and that’s a quote from Jeff Billing. He said, “Josh, I heard about you and Alex and ‘Jef-fspect’ and you just maxed out’. So basically game over. It’s the equivalent of him adopting me, which I have always wanted.
ON BEING A LADIES’ MANPretty much, I stay away from the ladies in order to keep them from getting too jealous. I don’t talk to them really be-cause I don’t want anyone getting their feelings hurt. It is quite simple. I can’t make any of them feel more special than the other.
ON HIS FLAME-THROWER CARSo me and my friend Julian built a remote control flame-thrower car which was fun. Of course I filmed this, and during
C r o s s - C o u n t r y E x t r a o r d i n a i r e
Junior Josh Newby has completed his third season on the boys’ cross-country team, and was a leader on the varsity squad this year. Newby is so devoted to the sport that he has recently acquired some serious stress fractures. But even with all that considered, Newby is the ultimate team player and epitome of a XC stud.
BY AHNA R AO PhotographybySpencerSims
Newbyof
15
cardboard box with the word “orphanage” written on it. This caused a stir among the YouTube community, and in the end I had to take it out because I guess, in today’s society it’s not ok
to burn down an orphanage. During its prime, I lit things on fire from the safety of my
room. I controlled it out my window.
ON HIS LIFE ASPIRATIONSI’ve always wanted to be a crossing guard because they get to wield those massive stop signs. You could just flash that bad boy at anyone. Plus what’s cooler than a pair of neon pants and a vest? Unfortunately, social etiquette at Paly doesn’t permit me to wear such articles of clothing. I definitely would like to do that, and if for some reason I could not fulfill that goal, maybe a toll booth operator.
ON HIS EPIC PRANKWell, Mr. Sabbag’s class was pretty great because we just pulled some epic pranks in that class. One time I brought my universal Mac remote to school and I just messed with his computer all period, just like switching slides around and playing music. He thought his computer was broken and every time he would turn it off, I would just turn it back on, and, like, turn the music up. It was hilarious. This went on for about a week before he
caught me. He wasn’t too mad. I mean, he was laughing about it, too.
So I decided that I would screw with my mom by faking my report card. So I basically recreated the Paly
report card; which I still have if anyone’s interested for ten bucks. So I made it basically horrible grades, but not so horrible that it is unbelievable, like in the realm of possibility. I put the letters at the bottom ‘Parent, please contact teacher’, ‘Distracting in class’ and finally one that corresponded to ‘April Fools’, so it was executed beautifully. My mom was so mad and worried, like on the verge of tears and so she was like ‘Oh My Gosh’ and then she looks down at the one of the comments and saw the ‘April Fools’ and was like, ‘Oh Josh!’ I filmed it obviously as I left my camera in the corner watching the whole scene
So basically, freshman and sophomore cross-country and track seasons, I strove to achieve the respect of my father, Jeff Billing. It is like he is my father figure. I would always want his acceptance, so I was always working hard trying to earn his “Jeffspect.” Recently, with my improvement in cross-country this season, I maxed out on “Jef-cross-country this season, I maxed out on “Jef-cross-country this season, I maxed out on “Jeffspect,” and that’s a quote from Jeff Billing. He said, “Josh, I heard about you and Alex and ‘Jef-said, “Josh, I heard about you and Alex and ‘Jef-said, “Josh, I heard about you and Alex and ‘Jeffspect’ and you just maxed out’. So basically game over. It’s the equivalent of him adopting me, which I have
Pretty much, I stay away from the ladies in order to keep them from getting too jealous. I don’t talk to them really be-cause I don’t want anyone getting their feelings hurt. It is quite simple. I can’t make any of them feel more special than the other.
So me and my friend Julian built a remote control flame-thrower car which was fun. Of course I filmed this, and during
“
The Vikingwould like to thank all of the
wonderful Paly parents, coaches, administrators, and
the PTSA for helping us get off to another great start!
18
Plain and simple, this is not your grandfather’s or your father’s minor league hockey. As a mat-er of fact, this is not even your minor league hockey. Well then what is it? It is Reggie Dunlop (Paul Newman) gracing the ice as the minor league hockey player-coach for the Charleston Chiefs. It is a bunch of goons resurrecting a cellar dwellers season. It is a new style of hockey where the gloves are the first to go. It is fight night on ice. It is what it is. It is Slap Shot.
On paper, Hickory High School was never supposed to win a game. However in a recent dis-covery sweeping the nation by storm, it has been determined that a team cannot win a game on paper. Thanks to this phenomenon, Hickory High School had a chance, slim, but a chance to win the Indiana State Championship. With a mix of scrubs and a drunken old coach the team takes the tournament by storm, marching all the way to the final game.
You have gotta see this
Cinematography has enchanted humans around the world since 1890. Whether you are a comedy buff, a drama queen or a fan of horror (not for me) the choices are all out there. However, nothing seems to have the mystique, the aura or the charm of a sports film. No other genre gets the heart throbbing and sweat glands functioning like sports. Sports tales based on true stories keep you on the edge of your seat even though the outcome is inevitable. The hairs on the back of my neck still find a way to stand up as I slip Miracle into my DVD player for the umpteenth time. If film and sports never came together as one, Michael Jordan and Bugs Bunny would never have co-starred in Space Jam and Squint would never have hooked up with a life guard twice his age in The Sandlot. So I thank you, sports god, for getting together with those big shots in Hollywood who time after time turn sports stories into 120 minutes of pure gold. Here’s to the past, the present and future of sports on the big screen: a match made in heaven. Due in large part to the lack of diversity in a recent student movie poll dominated by Friday Night Lights and Remember The Titans, I have created my own list of sports movies. As you can see it does not have to be about high school football to be good. So, get out to your local movie rental store or utilize your Netflix service, whichever you please. When you watch these movies, goose bumps are guaranteed.
SLAP SHOT (1977) directed by george roy
HOOSIERS (1986) directed by David Anspaugh
Rocky’s got nothing on the Jake La Matta, The Bronx Bull, (Robert De Niro). After running challenger after challenger out of the ring, La Matta turns to the mob, with help from his brother, to get a shot to be the middle weight champion of the world. Upon throwing a bout, and nearly being suspended in the act La Matta rages the ring to win the 1951 middleweight championship. Following the title, La Matta’s involvement with the mob catches up to him, as his brother, wife and friends all turn on him and watch as he dissolves into yet another athlete dying young.
RAGInG buLL (1980) directed by Martin Scorsese
He’s Irish, 5’6” and 165 pounds. Is there anything else you could possibly ask for in a guy?No. Daniel “Rudy” Ruettiger (Sean Astin) stars in a true tale of inspiration. Since his birth, Rudy dreamed of nothing but playing Notre Dame Football. Doubted by everyone including his own family, Rudy shoots for the moon. Despite getting knocked down time and time again, he keeps on chugging. Once accepted to Notre Dame, Rudy makes the scout team, but never cracks the game roster; that is until his teammates give him a shot. Watching Rudy running onto the hallow grounds of Notre Dame Stadium, I felt as if I too, had made it. Rudy! Rudy!
RuDY (1993) directed by David Anspaugh
19
eLeMeNtaRY sChooL CLassiCs
FoR a RaiNY DaY
The most tear jerking film of the bunch; Brian’s Song (based on a true story) exemplifies friend-ship between two teammates, Brian Piccilo (James Caan) and Gale Sayers (Billy Dee Williams). Both are star running backs for the Chicago Bears of the NFL, a place where egos are large and tempers run high. The two men take the competition in stride, and when one is unable to play due to a knee injury, the other takes center stage until he is stricken with cancer. The injuries, stardom and disease bring Piccilo and Sayers together in a film that portrays what being team-mates is all about. Current NFL players Adam “Pac Man” Jones and Terrell Owens would most certainly benefit from a screening of this great motion picture.
bRIAn’S SOnG (1971) directed by Buzz Kulik
Typically conceived as dull and boring, documentaries are now making a name for themselves in the American media, such as An Inconvenient Truth and Super Size Me, to name a few. How-ever, nothing has yet to top Hoop Dreams. The film crew follows two Chicago boys, William Gates and Arthur Agee in their quest to become basketball superstars. With many ups, downs, bumps, twists and roadblocks along the way you begin to root for each guy as if he was your brother. Never before have I been so enamored while watching a documentary, or any other film for that matter. What was originally intended to be 30 minutes of programming piece, turned into five years of filming and 177 magical minutes.
HOOP DREAmS (1994) directed by Steve James
Minor league veteran Crash Davis (Kevin Costner) is demoted to the Class A Durham Bulls to help groom rookie pitching sensation “Nuke” Laloosh (Tim Robbins) into the next Cy Young winner. Laloosh fails to comply with Davis’ advice, and struggles during the beginning portion of the season. Their tension is not limited to the ball field as they both get involved with team announcer Anne Savoy (Susan Sarandon), forming a comical love triangle. Eventually siding with Laloosh, Savoy teams up with Davis in transforming Laloosh into the pitcher everyone expects him to be.
buLL DuRHAm (1988) directed by ron Shelton
Move over Wrigley Field, stand back Fenway Park; the Sandlot is America’s favorite ball yard. Scotty Smalls (Tom Guiry), Benny the Jet (Mike Vitar) and the rest of the neighborhood boys star in a summer filled with baseball and other related shenanigans; a summer that only appears in my dreams.
THE SAnDLOT (1993) directed by David Evans
12 year old, Henry Rowengartner (Thomas Ian Nicholas) breaks his arm in such a funky way that it allows him to throw a baseball upwards of 100 mph. He is then noticed by the Chicago Cubs, becoming the ace of their staff, leading them to a stunning pennant victory. Hard to think of which is more fiction. I’ll take the latter. Needless to say, after watching this film, thoughts of breaking my own arm to help the Boston Red Sox win the World Series crept into my head.
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR (1993) directed by Daniel Stern
Hostages on Moron Mountain, the Looney Tunes challenge their captors (Nerdlucks) to a game of basketball to earn their freedom. With Michael Jordan and Bugs Bunny on the same set, could an eight year old in the 90s ask for much more? No.
SPACE JAm (1996) directed by Joe Pytka
20
OFF-CAMPuS
Holiday Gift Guide
SIGG WATER BOTTLE
This eco-friendly water bottle is sure to bring holiday cheer this win-ter. Sigg, known for its durability, is a smart choice over other water bottles, most notably the controversial Nal-gene brand. Sigg water battles are made from high quality steel, which is reflected in its steep price tag. Siggs come in a variety of colors and sizes. You can also choose between differ-ent cap styles including the sport style and sip style. Children’s sizes also available.
Is the holiday rush getting to you? Too busy getting the guest rooms ready to shop for holiday gifts? The Viking presents the Holiday Gift Guide, filled with great sports-related gifts! Just call us your little elves!
NIKE SHORTS
Nike running shorts are clearly hottest item for the cross-country team, not to mention the rest of the female (and some daring track boys, too) population of Paly. Comfortable, styl-ish and limitless in color options, you truly cannot have too many (ask Kait-lyn Tracy). These shorts are designed with Nike’s signature Dri-Fit material to wick sweat away and are fully equipped with the classic built-in runder-wear as well as a small pocket perfectly sized for money or keys.
NINTENDO WII FIT
The new Wii Fitness is verii fun for the whole familii, bringing everii sport into the tvii room. The new wii is physicallii demanding and you get sweatii. It includes sec-tions of yoga, aerobics and strength building. As you play, you get more points and more games are unlocked. Most impressively, Wii Fitness designs a per-sonalized workout plan and tracks your prog-ress. This game is one of The Viking’s top picks for the season and will cer-tainly please any friend or familii member.
FIFA SOCCER09
Avoid the cold and stay inside with FIFA Soccer 09, EA Games’ latest version of the FIFA Soccer series. This new version has an option for 10 vs. 10, play as well as a feature that allows gamers to compete against other gam-ers online. Choose a league, such as the Premier League or Serie A, to join and through the another new feature “Adidas Live Season”, statis-tics for players will be integrated into your game based on real results. Surprise someone with this stocking stuffer this holiday season!
FIFA SOCCER09
FIFA SOCCER09
FIFA
Avoid the cold and stay inside with FIFA Soccer 09, EA Games’ latest version of the FIFA Soccer series. This new version has an option for 10 vs. 10, play as well as a feature that allows gamers to compete against other gam-ers online. Choose a league, such as the Premier League or Serie A, to join and through the another new feature “Adidas Live Season”, statis-tics for players will be integrated into your game based on real results. Surprise someone with this stocking stuffer this holiday season!
OLYMPICS DVD
Warm up your chilly toes with this past summer’s 2008 Beijing General Highlight DVD. Run-ning 180 minutes, this DVD includes perfor-mances by medal-win-ning Shawn Johnson, Kerri Walsh, Misty May-Treanor, and world’s fastest man Usain Bolt. Another great Olympic documentary is Michael Phelps: Greatest Olympic Champion...The Inside Story. This hour long documentary shows behind-the-scenes foot-age of Phelps’ races, as well as commentary and Phelps’ journey to make his childhood dreams a reality.
BY C ASSIE PRIOLEAu AND CHRISTINE CHANGDESIGN BY VARuN KOHLI
$28.00 at Nike stores
$89.99 at anylocal electronics store
$19.99 at nbcdvd.com
$14.93-29.95 at REI
$59.99 at soccer.com
21
PROFILES
ndrew Slayton strode through the familiar doors of the Palo Alto gym
on a warm Wednesday afternoon. Like countless times before, his eyes met the expanse of the dimly lit court and the towering windows tinged with age. Slayton entered those very doors almost every day for ten years as an assistant to basketball head coach Peter Diepen-brock. However, this time Slayton will call the shots.
Slayton previously held the title of boys’ varsity head coach at Pinewood
School, a small private school in Los Al-tos Hills where basketball was not a pri-ority to most students. Slayton now has the responsibility of training a new team and building his own legacy at a school with a rich basketball tradition.
“The first day I went for the pre-sea-son basketball meeting I looked up in the stands and there were 50 kids star-ing back at me,” Slayton said. “At Pin-ewood, I would be looking at seven or eight kids.”
Last June, Slayton accepted the po-
sition as head coach of the Paly varsity boys’ basketball team after a six year stint as the boys varsity coach at Pin-ewood. He will continue teaching physi-cal education to kindergarten through second graders on Pinewood’s lower campus. Slayton replaces Diepenbrock
CALLING THE SHOTSBY HANA K A JIMuR A Photography by Malaika Drebin & Design by Emily Fowler
ANTICIPATION “The players know what to expect,” Slayton said. “They work at a high level and they ask a lot of themselves.”
A
New boys’ basketball coach, Andrew Slayton, looks to follow in the footsteps of friend and mentor Peter Diepenbrock and to continue the legacy of Paly basketball.
22
PROFILES
who coached the Vikings for 11 years, and led the 2006 team to a Division II California state championship title.
“Coach Diepenbrock has definitely been a guy who has shaped my coaching philosophy and a guy who I consider a mentor,” Slayton said.
Doc Scheppler, the current girls varsity coach at Pinewood, serves as the original connection between Diepenbrock and Slayton. Scheppler coached Diepenbrock at the JV level in high school, and the two remained in contact even after Diepenbrock left to attend UCLA. Slayton met Diepenbrock while playing intramural bas-ketball at UCLA, and then followed suit when Diepenbrock chose to play and coach in Eu-rope after graduation. The two quickly became friends and Slayton later took a position as an as-sistant coach to Diepenbrock at Paly for roughly ten years. When a coaching position opened up at Pinewood, Diepenbrock suggested to Schep-pler that Slayton would thrive as a coach at Pin-ewood. Earlier this year, when Diepenbrock re-signed from his head coaching position at Paly, Slayton jumped at the chance to coach the Vi-kings once again and continue the legacy of his mentor.
arly on, Diepenbrock noticed the qualities in Slayton as a player which have contributed
to the way he coaches.“He was a very unselfish player. He likes to
pass the ball and get a lot of assists,” Diepen-brock said, reminiscing about his first impres-sions of Slayton as a college student.
Playing and coaching with Diepenbrock throughout the years has had a large influence in the development of Slayton’s coaching phi-losophy.
“Our coaching styles are very similar: Play great defense,” Slayton said. “Play to your strengths on offense to eliminate your weaknesses.”
Slayton’s methods are rooted in basic tech-nique, allowing for a structured defense and more creative offensive plays.
“I like fooling around with different ideas on offense and seeing if there are any plays from coaches or other teams that I’ve watched and tweaking those to best fit your team,” Slayton said. “Defensively, you have to drill the good habits and stay after it so that the players are consistent.”
Diepenbrock has watched Slayton develop his own coaching style, and notices that while both philosophies are woven together by the same underlying core beliefs ingrained in de-fense, they each channel their own distinctive flair.
PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT Slayton smiles as he watches his players execute a drill. Slayton looks to lead the Vikes to a successful season in his first year as head coach.
E
23
PROFILES
“We do a lot of things similarly defen-sively and we have the same sense of humor- though I think I’m a little bit fun-nier,” Diepenbrock said. “He’s a little bit more no-nonsense than I am and more serious in terms of his coaching.”
Players attest that Slayton gives them more creative freedom on the court and is less structured than Diepenbrock.
“I think that Diep’s defensive-minded style is something that no one can re-ally match, but coach Slayton gives you a chance to just go out there and show him what you can do on offense,” junior Kevin Brown, a starter on the team since freshman year, said.
Scheppler was there to watch Slay-ton grow as a coach and learn the in’s-and-out’s of the game, noticing the tac-tics that Slayton pieced together from Diepenbrock’s success and experience.
“Nobody prepares as well as Andrew [Slayton] does, and he learned that from Peter [Diepenbrock], as far as prepar-ing for a specific game,” Scheppler said, “In terms of X’s and O’s he’s one of the better coaches that I’ve seen at a high school level.”
Diepenbrock, Slayton’s mentor and predecessor is confident in Slayton’s ability to take on an established pro-gram.
“He will bring a lot of coaching expe-rience, a lot of individual skill develop-ment, and competitive pride,” Diepen-brock said.
Scheppler believes that while Pin-ewood lost a beloved coach in Slayton, the opportunity at Paly was simply too good to pass up.
“He has the right personality to keep the program going in the right direc-tion that it has been for the last 12 or 13 years,” Scheppler said. “He’s in a posi-tion at Paly where he will get the players that want to play and want to perform in a particular way and he will do a really nice job there. I’m really looking forward to watching his team play.”
Senior veteran Nick Robinson is look-ing forward to getting acclimated with his new coach.
“My hope is that Slayton builds a rela-tionship with everyone on the team and becomes a coach that we can really trust and compete for,” Robinson said.
Slayton feels that his players have
helped most in familiarizing him with the ways of Paly.
“The players are great,” Slayton said. “They’re fired up which makes it easier. They’re interested in working hard and they’re a fun group.”
Slayton recognizes the opportunity he has in his new position and is candid about the allure of Paly.
“Paly is one of the best jobs in the area and I know lots of the kids and lots of the people in the community, so it was an easy decision,” Slayton said, “It’s got a great tradition here. A lot of the program has already been built. I am grateful to step into this kind of a pro-gram.”
It seems as though the Vikings are in adept hands as the season approaches
and both the players and coaches are adapting well to the new coaching change.
“We know each others basketball in-stincts very well,” Diepenbrock said. “He does a lot of things similar to how I do them so it should be a pretty easy transi-tion on the guys.”
This period of adjustment will not be all smiles, but Diepenbrock has faith that Slayton will thrive at Paly and create a legacy of his own.
“Even when he was coaching his own team the last several years at Pinewood, he was always there to help out,” Diepen-brock said. “He’s always been very sup-portive of Palo Alto basketball. It’s very fitting that he ends up being the coach now.” <<<
NEW STYLE Slayton provides ample instruction for his players as they adjust to his new coaching style. Slayton and former coach Diepenbrock have complementary coaching meth-ods.
BOYS’bASKETbALLWINTER SPORTS PRE VIE W 2008-2009
ollowing a season in which the Palo Alto High School varsity boys’ basketball team had to forfeit 11
games on a technicality, the team hopes to improve under new head coach, Andrew Slayton.
“I think we will rebound well because we have a bunch of younger guys on the team,” senior guard Nick Robinson said. “We need to think about the upcoming season, and leave what happened in the past in the past.”
THErUNDOWN
PALO
ALTO
HIG
H SC
HOOL
COACH: Andrew Slayton07-08 LEAGUE FINISH: Disqualified07-08 CCS FINISH: DisqualifiedRETURNING STARTERS: 2
FOCuS Junior guard Joseph Lin looks to play a big role in the Vikings’ success as a team this year.
F
STAr WATCHJoseph Lin
-JUNiOR GUaRD-Junior guard Joseph Lin will be an
integral part of the Vikings’ offense this season. The brother of Paly legend Jeremy Lin, Joseph is a deadeye shooter who the Vikings will rely on to keep opponents hon-est.
“I think my offensive skills, especially my shooting, will really help the team this year.” Lin said.
The Vikings currently have a starting lineup with three players under six feet and will need to get many of their points from the fast break and perimeter shooting-Lin’s speciality.
Lin, who spent last year as a reserve on varsity, figures to play a very prominent role on the team this year.
“Joseph’s ability to score at anytime cre-ates openings for others, he is the defini-tion of a playmaker,” junior guard Brendon Rider said.
Lin’s production in the ‘08-’09 season will spell victory or defeat for the Vikings.
24
Slayton is a big part of the new look for the Vikings. Hav-ing coached at Pinewood for the last six years, he hopes to restore the team to its former glory. After 11 years under coach Diepenbrock, the basket-ball program’s adjustment to a new coach could have been difficult; however, the players seem happy with Slayton.
“It has been a pretty smooth [transition] because he is a re-ally good coach from what I have seen so far,” sophomore forward Davante Adams said.
Under their new coach, the Vikings will have to overcome the loss of last year’s top three players guard Mike Scott; and forwards, Jordan Jefferson and Dom Powell, which leaves an a lack of height on the team. The tallest remaining player, junior center Kevin Brown, is 6’5”. To counteract this, the Vikings will need to make adjustments in their game plan to keep op-ponents from taking advantage of Vikings’ small size.
“We want to run the floor this year,” Brown said. “We are small, but we have a lot of fast guys and we can get most of our points from the fast break.”
The rest of the team agrees.“We are going to have to press more,”
Robinson said. “We have to get more of-fense with our defense and always pres-sure the ball.”
In order to implement the new game plan, the players will need improve their skills for the new season.
“Nick Robinson is a solid floor leader,” Slayton said. “And Joseph Lin and Kevin Brown are going to play well. But we have
many new players that need to step up it.” The Vikings are working to improve
their overall play in order to make a splash in the Central Coast Section, CCS, play-offs.
“I think we need to improve on our de-cision-making because that is a huge part of the game, especially if we want to run the fast break effectively,” Robinson said.
With all the work that they are putting in, the players believe that a strong season lies ahead of them.
“We expect to win league champion-ship, beat Gunn twice, and hopefully ad-vance in the CCS playoffs,” Adams said.
~ Ashkaan Khatakhotan
oming off a disappointing 2007-2008 season, the Palo Alto High School varsity girls’ bas-
ketball team is looking forward to what could be a breakthrough year. Experience will prove to be a key factor in the team’s success, as seven players return from last year’s squad.
“Katerina [Peterson] is really the only post player we have,” senior guard Olivia Garcia said. “And Taylor [Lovely] brings a lot of experience to the team.” Lovely
GIRLS’bASKETbALLWINTER SPORTS PRE VIE W 2008-2009 THErUNDOWN
PALO
ALTO
HIG
H SC
HOOL
COACH: Scott Peters07-08 LEAGUE FINISH: 5th07-08 CCS FINISH: first roundRETURNING STARTERS: 4
INTENSITY Senior Olivia Garcia will be a key compo-nent to the Lady Vikes success this season.
C
STAr WATCHTaylor Lovely
-SeNiOR SHOOtiNG GUaRD-Senior captain and three-year varsity
player, Taylor Lovely hopes to play an integral role on this year’s squad. With her aggressive play, Lovely brings tenacity to the game, creating opportunities for herself and her teammates.
A versatile player, Lovely contributes on both sides of the court. She is a solid shot blocker and plays lock-down defense, and excels on the offensive attack from beyond the arc, being one of the best three-point shooters on the team.
Not solely depending on her skills, Lovely succeeds by utilizing her great vision and advanced knowledge of the game.
Along with her physical abilities, Lovely also contributes spirit and support to her teammates.
“Taylor has a leadership quality, and everyone looks up to her as a role model,” junior guard Lauren Mah said. “Her leader-ship on the court as well as off the court helps keep our team together.”
25
is expected to be a team leader throughout the season. With a more experienced team, Love-ly’s role will be easier than last year, ending the season with a record of 8-14.
“Last year was tough on the girls, they all had to be baptized by fire,” head coach Scott Pe-ters said. “Most [players] didn’t play as sophomores.”
Junior Nehika Miglani agrees that the difference in experience will come as help to the team this year.
“We have a lot more return-ing players than last year,” Miglani said. “Hopefully that can help us.”
This coming season, cama-raderie will also prove to be important to the girls success. A mutual goal for the players is to improve as a unit, and become more intact with every team-mate.
“Expect us to improve as a team,” senior guard Lakia Young said. “We’re not going to focus on winning, but more on person-ally getting becoming better players.”
Without dominating size or skill, the girls are prepared to work hard and play disciplined to finish the season success-fully.
The leaders of the team know what they need to do to win games, and the message is being relayed down to the younger play-ers.
“We’ve definitely had more skilled teams,” Miglani said. “But we are still going to pull through and always try our hardest.”
The team plans on practicing hard, and putting an emphasis on conditioning.
“We need to focus on being in shape,” Garcia said. “We may not be the strongest or have the best skills, but we can out hus-tle other teams and win games.”
The Lady Vikes are going into the sea-son expecting to do well and finish at the top of their league. With a main goal of competing for the league title, the team has critical games during the regular sea-son. Cross-town rival Gunn and the always strong Wilcox Chargers will be two of the tougher teams on this years schedule.
“Our biggest goals this year are beating Gunn and Wilcox,” Peters said. “Beating both teams are always high on our list.” ~Scott Witte
BOYS’SOCCERWINTER SPORTS PRE VIE W 2008-2009
fter two consecutive losses in the Division II CCS championship game in as many years, the Palo
Alto High School boys’ soccer team looks to finally take home the championship this season. With a returning line-up that al-most mirrors that of last season, the team has oriented its goals towards winning the CCS championship. “I want to get back to the CCS cham-pionships and finally win leagues,” senior midfielder Michael Hanabusa said.
THErUNDOWN
PALO
ALTO
HIG
H SC
HOOL
COACH: Don Briggs07-08 LEAGUE FINISH: 2nd07-08 CCS FINISH: finalsRETURNING STARTERS: 8
HOPS The team practices corner kicks before its first preseason game against Mountain View high school.
A
STAr WATCHKevin Ashworth -SeNiOR MiDfieLDeR-
After an incredible first season, earn-ing the prestigious awards of First Team All-League as well as Co-Offensive Player of the Year, senior Kevin Ashworth looks to have an even more successful season. In his first year playing for Palo Alto High School, Ashworth scored a respectable 9 goals in league play, and helped the Vikings reach the CCS championship game. This year, he and the rest of the team aspire to return to the championship game, and this time win it.
“We definitely have a good chance this year because we have so many returning starters,” Ashworth said. “We have a really good midfield with me, Adam [Zernik], Michael [Hanabusa], and Jenner [Fox].”
However, in order to accomplish all that they did last year, and hopefully more, Ashworth feels like there are still things that the team, as well as himself, can work on.
“This year, I really want to work on teamwork,” he said. “Last year there was a lot of individuals, but this year I definitely want to help us play more as a team.”
26
This year’s team is filled with playoff experience, as it has a group of juniors and se-niors that have been on the team in previous years.
“We have almost the exact same line-up as last year, so we definitely have the experience we need,” senior fullback John Christopherson said.
The team is looking forward to the continued improvement of chemistry between Hanabu-sa and senior Kevin Ashworth, who joined the team last year as juniors and were integral to its success. After a solid first season, look for the powerful tandem to have an even greater effect on the team.
Along with Hanabusa and Ashworth are two other expe-rienced center midfielders: se-nior second year captain Adam Zernik and junior Jenner Fox. Together, they should supply the team with a powerful at-tack through the middle.
“We definitely have the best midfielders in the entire league,” senior outside midfielder Greg Stewart said.
As well as winning the championship game this year, the team also strives to de-feat their league rival Los Gatos, who has beaten Palo Alto in its last four matches.
However, in order to defeat Los Gatos this year, the team will need to focus on its offensive side of the game more. The team is strong defensively, with sopho-more Rily Smith, junior Ryan Holland and Christopherson. However, the team lacks a powerful goal scorer who can help put the team on the score board.
“We have a really strong defense and midfield, which is always good,” senior
goalie Peter Johnson said. “But we lack that one player who can just provide that spark and score goals.” The Viking’s hope to find that spark in juniors Spencer Sims and John Anderton, or sophomore Ricky Minno this season. “We’re looking for them [Sims, Ander-ton, Minno] to step up and take a leader-ship role for next year, and realize that they too can contribute even though they’re not seniors,” Hanabusa said. With the experience of the returning players, as well as the solid new under-classmen prospects, the Vikings aspire to finally become CCS champions.
-Matthew Tracy
GIRLS’SOCCERWINTER SPORTS PRE VIE W 2008-2009
fter a disappointing end to the sea-son last year, the Palo Alto High School varsity girls’ soccer team
is poised to be the team to beat this year. With girls from twelve club teams coming together to form this year’s school team, there is no lack in talent or motivation.
Despite the experience, both coach Er-nesto Cruz and team captains believe that team-bonding will be essential to Paly’s success this season.
“We have to unite as a team to be suc-
THErUNDOWN
PALO
ALTO
HIG
H SC
HOOL
COACH: Ernesto Cruz07-08 LEAGUE FINISH: 3rd07-08 CCS FINISH: Quarter-finalsRETURNING STARTERS: 3
FRESH TALENT Freshman forward, Marina Foley de-fends against Gilroy High School game on Nov. 19th
A
STAr WATCHSammi Bengston-SeNiOR MiDfieLDeR-
Senior Sammi Bengston is once again expected to be an integral part of the strong Palo Alto High School girls’ soccer team.
Last year, Bengston consistently contrib-uted to the Viking’s midfield line.
In addition to playing for Paly, Bengs-ton plays on Juventus, a local club team. Between extensive club practices and tournaments, she still finds time to bond with and support her school team. Her teammates comment on her relaxed style and keen sense of play.
“She is calm when she plays,” senior Jessie Duller said. “She makes good choices with the ball and is one of the toughest players I know.”
All of Bengston’s hard work paid off when she committed to play soccer at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo as a junior.
Bengston recently returned from the Super-Y National tournament in Tampa, Florida, where her club team finished second in their group.
27
cessful,” senior captain Sydney Lundgren said.
The loss of Gatorade Player of the Year, Teresa Noyola, will no doubt change the team dy-namic.
“Losing Teresa is like losing six players,” Lundgren said. “But we will do our best to make up for her.”
Cruz stresses the importance of the Paly “style” this upcom-ing season.
“We like to see as many players touching the ball and switching the pace throughout the game,” Cruz said.
The seniors: Jessie Duller, Sammi Bengston, Sarah Brown and Sydney Lundgren look to start the new team off strong with their experience and team-work.
“They are a very talented group of seniors,” Cruz said. “They have been playing to-gether for four years and really lead the team.”
Another returning star is sophomore goalie, Alex Kershner. Her quick skill cultivated a strong reputation and the nickname “el gato,” or “the cat.”
In addition, junior forward Kelley Jenks and junior midfielder Maeve Stewart add to the sophisticated squad.
The goal for this year’s team is unani-mous among the players and Cruz: win the Central Coast Sectional (CCS) Division II competition.
“We have made it to CCS in past years,” Duller said. “But this time we want to win.”
This will require the team to perform well in the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League, which has the hardest competition
of the area, according to Cruz. Powerhouse teams such as Monta Vista, Los Gatos and Mountain View pose the greatest threat to the team’s CCS title.
On November 18th, the Lady Vikes lost their first game against Menlo School with a score of 3-0. Six of the team’s starters were unable to play because of a college-recruiting tournament.
The next day, the team tied its first home game against Gilroy High School.
“The outcome of the first games isn’t representative of my expectations for the team,” junior Hana Kajimura said. “We can surprise a lot of teams in the league.”
- Elizabeth Scott
BOYS’wRESTLInGWINTER SPORTS PRE VIE W 2008-2009
fter a disappointing 2007-2008 reg-ular season and an early exit from CCS, the Palo Alto wrestling team
is hopeful for the upcoming season. “We’ve got an exciting group of young
wrestlers, as well as a handful of solid re-turning varsity wrestlers,” head coach Dave Duran said.
Replacing graduated wrestlers Cooper Newby, Kevin Hall, and Ryan Drebin may be a challenge for a young Viking team this season, but the team started training early,
THErUNDOWN
PALO
ALTO
HIG
H SC
HOOL
COACH: Dave Duran07-08 LEAGUE FINISH: 7th07-08 CCS FINISH: 16thRETURNING STARTERS: 6
POWER Senior Erez Arnon practices his technique in preparation for the upcoming season. The Vikings ex-pect to finish atop their league this year.
A
STAr WATCHPATRICK SHEEHAN
-SeNiOR CaPtaiN-Senior Patrick Sheehan expects to come
off a strong junior year and lead the Vikings to a successful 2008-2009 season.
“As an individual my goal is to place at the CIF state tournament,” Sheehan said. “As for the team, we have a lot of strong individuals and we expect to do well in tournaments.”
At the same time Sheehan recognizes that the team will have a difficult time competing against the strong competition in the league.
“The end of the year is going to be hard, Los Gatos brings tough competition,” Sheehan said.
With the loss of many strong wrestlers, Sheehan must lead the young team.”
“This season I really have to lead by example,” Sheehan said. “I have to go the extra mile and work hard to set an example for the young wrestlers.”
The team still maintains high expecta-tions for the upcoming season.
“Our goal is to place in the top four in our league,” Sheehan said.
28
with many players already in-volved in rigorous off-season workouts.
“We did a lot of weight train-ing this off season, as well as a bunch of on mat practice,” se-nior Noah Feldstein said.
Along with Feldstein, seniors Erez Arnon, Kasey Fields, and Patrick Sheehan are projected to be team leaders.
“[Sheehan] is our number one wrestler,” Duran said. “We also expect Kasey Fields and Noah Feldstein to have big years.”
With tough competition from Fremont, Gunn, and Los Gatos, the Vikings will not have to only rely on their senior leadership, but also some underclassmen to help carry the load.
“Joey Christopherson, Gabe Landa, and Ryan Oshima are all really good wrestlers for fresh-man.” Duran said. “Especially Oshima; he has the chance to be one of the better wrestlers to have ever come through the pro-gram by the time he is done.”
With high expectations coming from the coaches, the freshman look for guidance from the older wrestlers.
“They really help us learn the difficult moves, and are really good role models,” Christopherson said.
With a solid core group, Paly has set high goals and expectations for this upcom-ing season.
“My goal is to reach state,” Fields said. “And to not get pinned.”
Coach Duran, however, has more mod-est goals for his squad.
“Our goal right now is to finish in the top three in league, and improve our record in dual meets,” Duran said.
Dual meets were a problem last year for the Vikings, as they excelled more in a tour-nament format. Their first big tournament will be held in Reno, Nevada, a tournament where the team has often found success in previous seasons.
“We usually have a few guys place high in that tournament,” Duran said. “That is a pretty good test to see where you stand.”
With the season fast approaching, the team knows it must come together and uni-fy if it wants to be successful.
“If we step up our game and come to-gether we should do alright,” Arnon said. “We just need teamwork, hard work, and discipline.”
- Wade Hauser
SInCE wE LAST SAw YOu...
VOLLEYBALL AfterdismantlingleagueopponentsSaratoga,LosAltosandLosGatos,thePaloAltoHighSchoolvarsityvolleyballsquadhasmomentuminit’sfavorgoingintopostseasonplay.TheLadyVikeshadaseasonfullofupsanddowns,butfindthemselvesatop theDeAnzaLeagueand inposition tocon-tendforaCCStitle. “Wehaveall therightpieces inplace,”headcoachDaveWinn said. “We just need to go outthereandplaythewayIknowwecan.” The Lady Vikes went through their share oftroublesontheirwaytotheleaguetitle,losingtoLosAltosandMountainViewinthesameweek. “Wehadtobouncebackfromthosetwolossesandputthembehindus,”seniorAllyWhitsonsaid.“Inthelong-runIthinkitactuallyhelpedusbe-causewethenknewwhatwehadtoworkontoim-prove.” Withover400killsthisseason,Whitsonisonpace to break the single-season record and hasbeenaforceupfrontfortheLadyVikes. “WewouldnotbewherewearenowwithoutAlly,sheissuchacompetitorandreallyleadsbyexample,” junior Ke’ili Deal said. “We all havelearnedalotjustbywatching[Whitson].” Withfiveofthesixstartersasseniors,theLadyVikesrelyheavilyontheexperienceoftheirolderplayers; but they also have confidence in theiryoungerplayerstocomeinandbeprepared.
fOOT
BALL RECORD: 8-3
FInISH: Advancing to CCS finals (as of november 30th) With talent on both sides of the ball, the Vikings were expected to bea top contender for the CCS championship this season, and they havenot disappointed. After getting off to a 5-1 start, the Vikings appearedready to cruise into CCS playoffs. However, consecutive losses to Wilcoxand Milpitas had the Vikings reeling until they came back stronger nextweek with a 56-0 thrashing of Mountain View. Another win the followingweek at Los Gatos vaulted the Vikings into the playoffs, and gave them achance to defend their CCS title from last season. “Those two losses put things in perspective,” junior linebacker Jar-ed Beeson said. “We realized that we need to refocus for the playoffs andnot play on autopilot.” Although they made it to the playoffs, the team agrees that it couldhave played better throughout the season. “This season we did not play to our potential as a team,” junior line-man Troy Boyland said. “But I still think we can win CCS; we just needto play strong all four quarters.” Regardless, the team still had a successful regular season with con-tributions from both junior receiver Joc Pederson and linebacker JaredBeeson who have done extremely well this year. Pederson has hauled in35 passes for 603 yards and four touchdowns leads the team in receiv-ing, and Beeson is among team leaders in tackles. However, the playoffs are a whole different scenario; to do well the
“Ourseniorsreallycarryusintoughmatches,”Winnsaid.“Itisaluxurytobeabletostickinsomeunderclassmenandknowthattheycanalsogetthejobdone.” Due to a successful regular season, the LadyVikeswillbe rewardedwitha top seed in theup-comingpostseason.Thisputsthemontheoppositesideofthebracketfromothertopteams. “[ArchbishopMitty]isareallytoughteamthatreally has no weaknesses,” Winn said. “We willhavetoplayalmostflawlesslyandplaywithagreatdealofenergytocomeoutwithavictory.” The seniorswent outwith a bang as they de-featedaLosGatosteamthatwasalsofightingforashareoftheleaguetitle.Anticipatingaclosematch,theLadyVikesweresurprisedwiththeirownplayastheydefeatedLosGatoseasilyinthreestraightsets. “Wecertainlyknewwecouldwin,”Winnsaid.“But thewaywewonand thedominance thatweshowedwassurprisingtomostpeople.” The girls were able to upset the St. FrancisLancers in their first round playoff match, withstrongplay fromJuniorMarissaFlorantandAllyWhitson. “Marissaplayedoneofherbestgamesof theyear, she has been huge for us.” junior KristenDaulersaid. ~Chase Cooper
Vikingswillneedtoimprovetheirexecutionanddiscipline. “Tobesuccessful intheplayoffsweneedtotheruntheballwell,”seniorrunningbackSamTompkins-Jenkinssaid.Alongwithastrongrunninggame,theVikingswillneedtoexecuteinallaspectsofthegametosucceedintheplayoffs. “Everybodyneedstodotheirpart,”Boylandsaid.“Theoffensivelineneeds topush, thequarterbackneeds to throw, therunningbacksneedtorun, thewidereceiversneed tocatch,and thedefenseneeds tostoppeople.It’sthatsimple.” Astheteamlooksahead,itisconfidentthatithastheabilityandworkethictogetthejobdoneintheplayoffsandclaimathirdconsecutiveCCSchampionship. “Wehavethemomentumfromthelasttwogamessoweshouldbeabletogodeepintotheplayoffs,”seniorsafetyWillHoldersaid.Paly,asixthseedintheplayoffs,playeditsfirstgameonNovember21stagainstthirdseedLeighHighSchool.WhatwassupposedtobeatightgameturnedintoaVikingblowoutastheyoutplayedLeighfromstarttofinishforafinalscoreof48-0. TheVikingsnext game is against two seedMontereyonNovember29thatSanJoseCityCollege. “Wehavetoplaywellthisweek,”headcoachEarlHansensaid.“Andplaysolid,mistakefreefootballtherestoftheway.” ~AshkaanKhatakhotan
RECORD: 20-4FInISH: CCS Semi-finals
29
FOCuS Paly gets ready for a point against Arch-bishop Mitty in the CCS semifinal match.
ANTICIPATION The Viking football players look on during their game against Archbishop Mitty.
SInCE wE LAST SAw YOu...
girLS’ CrOSS-COUNTrY This season, the Palo Alto High School girls’ cross-countryteamfinishedwithmanyaccomplishmentsunderitsbelt.Withhighmoralegoingintotheendoftheseason,theteamwasdisappointedwhenitwasnotabletocontinuetostates. AttheSantaClaraValleyAthleticLeaguePreviewMeetatCentralParkonSeptember23rd,theLadyVikes’showedexcellent performances from two underclassmen runners,sophomores,GracieCainandSusanHeinselman,whoranthe2.3milecourseintimesof15:31.6and15:46.9respec-tively. “Thisisthestrongestteamwe’vehadinyears,”juniorKathleenHigginssaid.“Weworkwelltogetherandenjoywhatwedo.” TheSCVALScrimmageonOctober2ndwasalsoasuc-cessfulmeetfortheLadyVikeswithimpressiveperformanc-esfrommanyoftheseniorcaptains.SeniorElizabethScott,cameinthirdplacewithatimeof19:15.SeniorGillianLuicameinnextforPalywithatimeof20:16totakeseventhplace,followedbyseniorSarahHaydockin11thplacewithatimeof21:22.Althoughthemeetwassuccessful,theLadyVikes declare the team’s successwas not reflective of theteam’shardwork. “Wewereseparatedbygrade,whichwaskindofdis-orienting,”Higginssaid.“Iwasn’tracingwithanyofthepeopleInormallyrunwith,soIdidn’tknowhowfastIwasrunningandIhadahardtimekeepingtherightpace.” AttheMontereyBayInvitationalatToroPark,theLadyVikessteppeditupwithasecondplacefinishoverall.Scottfinishedwithatimeof19:54overthethreemilecourse,fin-
BOYS
’ CrO
SS-C
OUNT
rY FInISH: 2nd in CCS, State qualifiers ThePaloAltoHighSchoolboys’cross-countryteamislookingforward toasuccessfulend to its seasonat theCalifornia Inter-scholasticFederationstatemeetonNovember29inFresno,Cali-fornia. “Ourgoalsatstateareforeveryindividualontheteamtoruntheirbestraceyetandbeinthetophalfofthe23teams,”juniorPeterWilsonsaid. After a standout performance at the Central Coast Section(CCS)meetonNovember15thatToroPark,theteamplacedsec-ondinDivisionIIandqualifiedforaspotatthestatemeet.JuniorPhilipMacQuittyfinishedthirdoverallwithatotaltimeof15:48onthethree-milecourse.Seniorco-captainCharlieAvisplacedsev-enthwithatimeof16:30. “Weactuallydidnotrunthatwellbecauseofthebadconditionsattherace,butstillplacedsecondinCCSwhichisreallygood,”MacQuittysaid. Overall,theseasonhasbeenasuccessfulone.AtthePaloAltoCityChampionshiponOctober28,Avisandseniorco-captainSky-lerCumminsfinishedfirstandthird,respectively.Avisfinishedwithatimeof10:42,thethirdfastesttimeinthe2.2-milecourse’shis-tory,andCumminsfinishedclosebehindin10:45.BothvarsityandjuniorvarsityteamsdefeatedGunnatthatmeet.
ishingfirstoutofthePalygirls.Caincameinsecondwitha timeof21:01andLuicomingclosebehindat21:02.ThiscoursewasanimportantracefortheLadyVikesbecauseitwasheldonthesamecourseastheCCSmeet.ThePaloAltoCityChampionshipswasalsoa substantialmeet fortheLadyVikes,whichwasheldattheGunntrackonOcto-ber28th.Thismeetshowedgreatimprovementfromthefirstmeetoftheseason,whichwasheldonthesamesite. “Weranthesamecoursethatweranforourfirstmeetoftheseason,”Jonessaid.“Ofthe30plusgirlsthatran,allbutonehadsignificantimprovementsovertheirfirstrace.Onetofourminutesovera2.18milecourse.” The seasonfinishedwithgreatperformancesfrommanyrunners,butespeciallyfromtheseniorcaptains,Haydock,Lui,Scott,GraceParkandJessieKuo.Comenextfall,theteamwillbedisappointedtolosemanyoftheirseniorrun-nerswhohave improvedgreatlyover the yearsandhaveprovedtobestrongleadersoftheteam. “Iamverypleasedwiththeseason,”Jonessaid.“Wehavegreatleadershipfromourseniorcaptains.” OnNovember fourth, theLadyVikeswerenotable toaccomplishalltheirgoalsatthefinalleaguemeet,butstillhad acouplegreatperformancesfromunderclassmenandplacedthirdinleagueoverall.CaincameinfirstforPalyinan overallspotoftenthplaceallowingthemtocontinuetoCCS,wheretheyplaced7thoverall. Regardlessofteamrank,theLadyVikeshadpersonalimprovementsallacrosstheboard.Lookforequallygreatperformancesfrommanyoftheserunnerscometracksea-soninthespring. ~LaurenHammerson
AfterthePaloAltoCityChampionship, theteamcompetedattheElCaminoLeagueFinals onNovember 4th at the 2.95mileCrystal Springs course. MacQuitty placed second with at 15:25timefollowedbyCummins,whoplacedthird.Asawhole,thevar-sityteamplacedsecondoverallwithacumulativetimeof80:27forthetopfiverunners. “Ourwholevarsity teamhasbeenreallygood thisyear,” ju-niorHenry Jordan said.“Hopefullywewill continue to improvethroughouttherestoftheseason.” Inadditiontotheteamsteadilyimprovingasawhole,individu-alrunnershavestoodoutintheeyesoftheircoachandpeers. “JuniorAndrewStoberhasprobably improved themostoverthepastcouplemonths,”coachJoeGinannisaid. Astheseasoncomestoanend,thevarsitysquadlookstosuc-ceedatitsfinaltest,theCIFstatemeet.Thesquadhasadjustedtoacoachingchange,variousinjuries,andayoungteamtoearnitselfaberthinthestatemeetforthefirsttimesincetheearlynineties. “Ourseasonhasbeenhighaboveexpectations-ithasbeentheresultofdiligenttraining,andconstantlystayinginshape,”Wilsonsaid.“ThishasbeenthefastestteamPalyhaseverhad,soobvi-ouslyithasbeensuccessful.”
~Hanna Brody
FInISH: 7th in CCS girLS’ TENNiS Forthefirsttimesince1981,thePaloAltoHighSchoolgirls’varsitytennisteammadeitto theCentralCoast Section semifinals.Al-thoughitwasknockedoutbyitstoughestop-ponent,Saratoga,theteamwascontentwithitsperformance. In league play, the team lost only toHomesteadandSaratoga. “We played well, but we lost,” juniorLaurenMah said in reference to hermatchwithdoublespartnerChristineKoepick. Mahagreesthatvastimprovementshavebeenmade. “Peoplealwaystalkabouthowwehaveimproved in terms of our skill,”Mah said.“ButIthinkthekeycomponentinhowfarwewentinCCSwasduemostlytohowourteamwas able to improve mentally. We gainedthementaltoughnesstogetustothesemifi-nals.” PriortotheCCSquarterfinals,theLadyVikes handily beat Notre Dame 6-1. Theythenwenton toknockSt.Francisout inanexciting4-3match.TheirCCSlineupwasde-signedforawinoverSaratoga,withsopho-more,JanetLiuplayingnumberonesingles,followedby sophomore,MiraKhanna, thenby junior, Sophie Biffar, and lastly junior,GracieDulik.Sophomores,EmmaMartiand
30
withThis
becausePalofor
Octo-first
meetall
race.
manyHaydock,
therun-have
“We
tostillandinto
personalgreatsea-
Hammerson
Championship,Championship, the team competed atNovemberNovember 4th at the 2.95 mileplacedplaced second with at 15:25
placed third.third. As a whole, the var-cumulativecumulative time of 80:27 for
been reallyreally good this year,” ju-we willwill continue to improve
girLS’ TENNiLS’ TENNiLS’ TENN SiSi For the first time sincesince 1981, the Palo AltoHigh School girls’varsity tennis team made itto the Central Coast SectionSection semifinals. Al-though it was knocked outout by its toughest op-ponent, Saratoga, the teamteam was content withits performance. In league play, the team lost only toHomestead and Saratoga.Saratoga. “We played well, butbut we lost,” juniorLauren Mah said in referencereference to her matchwith doubles partner ChristineChristine Koepick. Mah agrees that vast improvements havebeen made. “People always talk aboutabout how we haveimproved in terms of ourour skill,” Mah said.“But I think the key componentcomponent in how far wewent in CCS was due mostlymostly to how our teamwas able to improve mentally.mentally. We gainedthe mental toughness to getget us to the semifi-nals.” Prior to the CCS quarterfinals,quarterfinals, the LadyVikes handily beat NotreNotre Dame 6-1. Theythen went on to knock St.St. Francis out in anexciting 4-3 match. Their CCS lineup was de-signed for a win over Saratoga,Saratoga, with sopho-more, Janet Liu playing numbernumber one singles,followed by sophomore, MiraMira Khanna, thenby junior, Sophie Biffar,Biffar, and lastly junior,Gracie Dulik. Sophomores,Sophomores, Emma Marti and
girLS’ TENNiS A seasonfilledwithquestionsandmixedemotionsabout a young, yet talented boys’ water polo team,endedindisappointmentafteracrushingdefeattoSaintFrancisinthequarterfinalsoftheCCSplayoffs.AfterastrongstarttotheseasontheVikingslookedtotakecon-troloftheSantaClaraValleyAthleticLeaguebybeatingrivalGunn10-5. ThefollowingweekPalysufferedlossestoLosAltosandMountainView,killingthemuch-neededmomentumtheVikingsdesiredgoingintotheCCSplayoffs. “Itwastoughlosingthosetwogames,”JuniorBob-byAbbotsaid,“thosetwoteamshavealwaysgivenustroubleinleague,andlosingtothemjustleavesabittertasteinoutmouths.” Following the shaky end to the league season theVikingsmovedontobeatSalinasHighSchool12-11inovertime. “Thatgamewaswonallonourenergy,”seniorTimWenzlausaid,“Theycontinuedtofightandwewereabletokeepourenergylevelupandbeatthemintheend.” ThedrivePalyacquiredafterthedramaticovertimewin,unfortunately,didnotcarryontothequarterfinalsagainst CCS powerhouse Saint Francis High Schoollosing15-3. “I thought thatour inexperienceplayedakey role
inthatloss,”seniorJeremyKimsaid.“OnlyhavingtworeturningstartershurtusintheendIthought.” ThoughPalysufferedatoughlossinCCSthefuturelooksbrightfortheVikings.Althoughseniors’TimWen-zlau and JeremyKimare graduating this year, theVi-kingslooktobeledbyjuniorBobbyAbbotnextyear. “Bobby just knowshow to score,”coachGiovanniNapolitano said,“healsohas the experience to beanevenbiggerroleonourteamnextyear.” The teamhasseenBobbyasaleaderthisseasonaswell.“IthinkthatBobbycouldmakeagreatleadernextyear,”Wenzlausaid“hehasthetalenttoleadteam,andI think thathe ismentallystrongenough tohandle thepressureacaptainmustgothrough.” After thisyearsexperiencetheVikingswillbefullofexperience. Havingfivereturningseniors tonextyearteam,Paly’steamnextseasonlookstotakeadvantageoftheknowledgegainedthroughthisgrowingseason. “WehopedtowinleagueandCCS,butthemajorfac-torcomingintothisseasonwasjustgaininggameexpe-rienceforouryoungerunfamiliarplayers,”Napolitanosaid. With next years season looking bright the VikingshopetoputtheLancersthrashingbehindthemandad-vancetheirfocustonextseasonsgoalsandhope. ~BrendanRider
BOYS’ WATEr POLORECORD: 18-11 FInISH: CCS quarterfinals
girLS’ WATEr POLO In a season lacking expectations, the Palo AltoHigh School varsity girls’ water polo team sur-prised many by finishing second in the postseasonleague before falling out early in the Central CoastSection (CCS) playoffs.After losing six of last year’s seven starters, the
Lady Vikes held their own, ending the season witha 7-5 record going into the postseason.“The young players stepped up and played re-
ally well,” head coach Corey Olcott said. “Oneexample is sophomore Haley Connor, she playedvery well.”The Lady Vikes’offensive improvement benefited
the team most.“Our communication skills improved, which
helped us play better on offense during games,”senior captain Tara Murao said.In leagues, the girls needed to play to their full
potential to move on in a tough bracket includingLos Gatos and Los Altos.“It was a combination of things; some days we
are not on our A-game and at leagues we reallywanted to play our best,” junior June Afshar said.“It was a combination of being determined to winand being on top of it.”
Following their surprising second place finishin leagues, the girls moved on to CCS competition,
wheretheyfacedArchbishopMittyinafirstroundmatchup and came out on top by a score of 7-6.Unfortunately,theirseasoncametoaclosewitharoughsecond-roundlosstoSt.Francis.Thesecond-roundexitwasnotabadresultforthePalyteam,whichlostinthesameroundinthepre-vioustwoseasonswithteamsheldinhigherregard.Muchofthisyear’steam’ssuccesscanbeattributedtothecaptainsandotherseniors.“Thecaptainshavehadahugeresponsibilityandplayedabigrole,”Muraosaid.“Itriedmyhardesttoleadtheteam.”Alongwiththeseniors,headcoachOlcottworkedhard to rebuild the team and prepare for futureyears.“OlcotthadbigshoestofillandIthinkthathedidagreatjobinrebuildingourteam,”Muraosaid.Althoughthegirlsdidnotachieveallthegoalsthat they set at the beginning of the season, theyfoundsomeconsolation inaccomplishingsomeofthem.Oneofthegoalstheteamachievedwasgrow-ingasateamandgainingnewskills,somethingOl-cottworkedonallseason “Bytheendof theseason,wehadgrownasateamandbecome less relianton individuals,” ju-nior June Afshar said. “Most of the girls reallysteppeditup.” ~SpencerSims
RECORD: 15-13FInISH: CCS Second Round
Margot Gerold played number one doubles followedby seniors Vrinda Khanna and Lisa Ke playing atnumber two. Mah and Christine Koepnick playedat number three. Dulik was Paly’s alternate player,which allowed her to play number one in doublesagainst Saratoga with Gerold who stepped into playnumber four singles. Unfortunately, the Vikings fellto Saratoga in the CCS semifinals. Head coach Andy Harader was proud of histeam, but was frustrated by the outcome. “It feels wonderful to progress as far as we did,”Harader said. “But, at the same time we were withinstriking distance of winning it all. There are only twoteams going to the ‘Superbowl’ - we were #3.”Harader attributes this loss on the lack of Vikingswho did not play during the offseason. “There were very few players playing tennis ortournaments during the offseason,” Harader said.“Consequently, our player improvement level wasvery high. I sincerely hope the players expecting tomake varsity next year play competitive tennis, par-ticularly doubles in the off-season.” Despite Harader’s disappointment, the playerswere satisfied with their season and are looking for-ward to coming out strong next year.
“Last year we were in the lower league and thisyear we came close to winning the higher division,”j unior Sophie Biffar said. “It gives me hope that wewill win it all next year.” ~Liza Dernehl
RECORD: 19-3 FInISH: CCS Semifinals
31
STANFORDSPEED Senior Elizabeth Scott (top), and Junior Philip MacQuitty (bottom) running at the Stanford Invitational on September 27.
32
NEWSBRIEF
Fighting off a second game run by the Lady Vikes, the nation’s top-ranked Arch-bishop Mitty Monarchs proved to be too much for the visiting Lady Vikes in the CCS semifinal match.
With the likes of junior hitters Rachel Williams and Kristina Graven in their front-court, Archbishop Mitty lived up to its high expectations and sent home the opposing Palo Alto Lady Vikes, ending their improbable run at a CCS title.
The green sea of Paly fans desperate-ly rooting for the underdog Lady Vikes made for a lively atmosphere, but the en-ergy did not translate into a victory.
“This is the largest visiting crowd I have ever seen,” a Mitty fan said. “It is in-credible that all these people traveled this far to be here and support their team.”
The Lady Vikes were able to postpone
their inevitable defeat by making numer-ous tough digs and not backing down from the powerful hits of the Monarchs, but did not have enough tricks up their sleeves to pull off the upset victory on Wednesday night..
“We gave it everything we had to-night,” head coach Dave Winn said. “I am really proud of our girls for putting up such a good fight against a great team like Mitty.”
As the top team in the country, the Monarchs expected an intimidated Paly squad, but were surprised to see their op-ponent unshaken by their impressive 34-1 overall record.
“We treated this game like any other.” senior hitter Ally Whitson said. “We knew that if we came out and played our game, we would have a chance to win.”
The Lady Vikes proved that they could contend with the Monarchs when they narrowly lost the second game 25-23.
“That second game really defined us as a team and showed what we are all about,” Winn said.
The resilience displayed by the Lady Vikes garnered respect from members of the Monarch coaching staff.
“Those girls fought hard tonight, and gave us a scare in that second game,” Archbishop Mitty head coach Bret Alma-zan-Cezar said.
After losing the first game 25-14, the Lady Vikes showed their true character throughout the match, not worrying about the scoreboard and sticking to their game-plan.
“We just never gave up and kept fight-ing until the end,” junior outside hit-ter Marissa Florant said. “We showed how tough we can be and put up a great fight.”
The Lady Vikes were sad to see their seniors lose their last game, but recognize their accomplishment.
“I’m sad to see all the seniors go, but I am glad they got a chance to come this far in the playoffs,” junior Ke’ili Deal said. “They got to go out on a high note and have something memorable to look back on.”
The loss marked the end of a magi-cal season for the Vikings, who defied all odds by even reaching the CCS semifi-nal.
“This loss was a bad last chapter of our season,” Winn said. “But that doesn’t mean that it was a bad book as a whole.” <<<
Lady Vikes fall to nation’s best, Archbishop Mitty, in a hard-fought CCS semifinal match.
BY CHASE COOPER
Too Much to Handle
DEFEAT Senior Allie Coleman reacts to a lost point in Wednesday’s semifinal loss to Archbishop Mitty.
Photography by Spencer Sims
Too Much to Handle
33
NEWSBRIEF
Capturing The MomentCLOCKWISE LEFT TO RIGHTSenior Allie Whitson serves the ball. Vikings strategize during a timeout. Freshman Melany Wade blocks. The Palo Alto crowd watches on as their Lad Vikes take on Mitty. The Lady Vikes encourage their teammates from the bench. Mitty gets pumped up in a team huddle.
34
PROFILES
King
CobraBY EMILY FOWLER Photography by Emily Fowler
BY EMILY FOWLER
35
PROFILES
he San Jose Arena is com-pletely packed with an over-
flowing sea of teal and black. The avid fans make the famous shark bite move and sing along to the blasting music as the San Jose Sharks smack in another goal. Amid all of the chaos, a young boy sits mesmerized by the skaters tearing up the ice below.
The game of hockey is so embedded in Eric Jones’ child-hood that he does not even re-member how old when he first attended a Sharks game.
“I remember my favorite player was Owen Nolen; he liked to hit,” Jones said. “It just looked really fun and I always wanted to play.”
Jones was immediately drawn to the fast-paced and aggressive nature of the game. Now a senior, he is one of the best defensemen in the Califor-nia Midget AA hockey league. Jones has played for almost eight years, and last year he led his team, the San Mateo Cou-gars, to the state championship. His coaches and teammates are confident that he has a promis-ing future in hockey. The Cou-gars’ goalie Mario Retana has no doubt that Jones will con-tinue to play hockey.
“If anyone could go far in hockey, it would be Eric Jones,” Retana said. “College hockey and Junior A (a level of amateur hockey for players under the age of 20), are all real possibilities in his future.”
While those who surround Jones are all willing to boast about his talent, he remains modest. After talking to the pleasant, soft-spoken Jones, one would find it hard to be-lieve that he has one of the most ferocious hip checks in the league.
The Cougars’ head coach, Aaron Mullagh, even says Jones, or “Jonsey” as he calls him, is one of the most tacti-cally dangerous defensemen he has ever coached.
“Jonsey plays a conservative style, with a strong ability to hit,” Mullagh said. “Most no-table would be his hip-check. I compare his ability to surprise an oncoming player, by using his hip-check, with the surprise striking ability of a Cobra.”
Retana does, however, also notice Jones’ humble person-ality. His quiet nature can also appear on the ice, which makes his aggressive playing style even more surprising.
“[Jones] is a silent leader, whose actions speak louder than his words,” Retana said. “He is a great teammate.”
t takes approximately 30 min-utes to drive from Palo Alto
to San Mateo. After a long day of school, Jones endures this trip four days a week to go to practice. After arriving at the ice rink, Jones laces up his skates, puts on all of his equip-ment and prepares for another rigorous workout.
“Our practices are very de-manding,” Jones said. “We have to put everything out on the ice. We pour our hearts out.”
These grueling practices con-sume at least 18 hours of Jones’ time every week.
“I have no free time,” Jones said. “Every once and a while I will have a free weekend and I can do other things, but other-wise, no.”
The huge time commitment of hockey has occasionally become an issue for Jones. He tried to play football his fresh-man year at Paly, but stopped when head football coach Han-sen asked him choose between hockey and football. To Jones, the choice was obvious.
SlapShot� Eric Jones speeds towards the goal and prepares to shoot. The Cougar’s season looks promising with a record of 13 -5- 2 as of November 20, 2008.
T
I
left� Senior Eric Jones prepares to pass the puck.
36
PROFILES
“It’s a huge commitment, but I love it; it’s all worth it,” Jones said. “Hockey is different from other sports. I like to think it’s more physical, and faster paced.” For the Jones family, hockey is a life-style rather than a sport. Jones’ father, Jeremy Jones, grew up in Canada where a love for hockey can often become an obsession. Mr. Jones is an assistant coach and the chiropractor for Jones’ team. He maintains that hockey is not only a major part of Jones’ life, but has also become a family investment. “Everything about it is expensive,” Mr. Jones said. “From equipment, to en-try fees, to team membership, to travel, to time, it is a huge commitment, but I have no reservations about it at all.”
ones grew up playing street hockey, but at age 11, he decided to trade in
his roller blades for ice skates. He began playing at the Winter Lodge in Palo Alto, before playing his first season at the Ice Oasis in Redwood City. Jones quickly picked up a knack for the game and de-cided to try out for a more competitive team.
“I remember coming to the first Cou-gars practice,” Jones said. “I tried my best and I made it even though I was the youngest on the team by three years.”
Jones has continued to play for the Cougars for the last four years and is now a team veteran.
“I bring leadership to the team now that I am the oldest,” Jones said. “I lead by example.”
He has started in every game of his career, and continues to grow as a player. Mullagh has been lucky enough to wit-ness the substantial progression in his level of play throughout his years of coaching. “[Jones’] ability, character, and skill set have all flourished in the time I have had the pleasure to watch him develop as a hockey player,” Mullagh said. “[Jones] brings 100% every game, every prac-tice, and understands the value of hard work.” Last year, the Cougars were the hock-ey champs of California. They dominat-ed all local competition and even moved up a division because of their seamless season.
DeDiCat�ion “[Jones] is the guy I can trust protecting me in the net. [Jones] works hard on and off the ice,” teammate Mario Retana said.
J
On this talented team, there are several accomplished players, but Jones stands out among the crowd. He will be a key compo-nent this year in his team’s success in a more difficult playing field. “Eric works hard on and off the ice,” Retana said. “He brings
leadership, dedication, passion, and a drive to win to the team.” Jones’ love for the game is evident in his level of commitment to the team. The game of hockey demands dedication, and Jones never fails to rise above all expectations. With his passion and drive hopefully the Cougars will reach their season goals. “Eric has the opportunity to take his game to a further level in the future,” Mullagh said. “He is the type of player, and person, who deserves to be, and is, a state champion.” <<<
37
PROFILES
Considering they spend virtually all of their time together, the athletes have developed a strong bond.
“Our team is really close, we do everything together,” Jones said. “We’re a lot closer than other teams; for one, we take team showers. I don’t know any other sport that does that. Football players just go
home, alone and gross.”This intense bond contributes to its success, as all members
share a deep trust and a strong dedication to the team. Now that the Cougars have proven themselves in the state of California, they are looking on to bigger and better things.
“This year, anything less than a national championship means failure,” Jones said. “If we play our hockey, nobody can beat us.”
Though the team is enthusiastic, this is an ambitious goal consid-ering the more intense level of play in their new league. Jones notes that the play is harder, faster, and involves a lot more hitting. How-ever, he remains confident that his team will do well this season.
ambit�ion “I want to win nationals, try my best and be fully committed to my team,” Jones said.
“THIS yeAR, AnyTHIng leSS THAn A nATIonAl CHAMpIonSHIp MeAnS fAIluRe,” joneS SAId. “If we plAy ouR HoCKey, noBody CAn BeAT uS.”
38
FEATuRES
BY SANA BAKSHIPHOTOGRAPHy By CHARlIe AVISPHOTO IlluSTRATION ByVARuN KOHlI AND NOAH SNeIDeR
What was once a serene stair railing in front of the Tower Building is now the base for Palo Alto High School senior Alex Browne. In a matter of seconds, Browne will launch himself at the railing, picturing his body flying over the railing and landing successfully on the other side. As Browne looks at the railing, a feeling of apprehension fills his head.
Closely related to martial arts, parkour is hard to compare with other sports; it is neither a conventional sport nor an ex-treme sport. Rather, it is the act of getting from point A to point B and overcoming any obstacles that fall in the way. Participants train to react to each unique obstacle as a new challenge. Parkour is not technically considered a sport because it has no particular moves like gymnastics or plays like in football. When an athlete thinks of a sport, he or she thinks of the four main components: athleticism, skill, competition, and difficulty. Parkour requires a high level of athleticism and skill. It is also considered a high level of difficulty. The only aspect lacking in parkour is competition between participants.
SMOOTH SAILING Alex Browne performs a tic-tac off the wall of the Paly tower building.
Hard-kour
39
FEATuRES
40
FEATuRES
Each jump is different depending on the size, positioning, angle, and the athlete’s body structure. There is no universal way to jump over a wall because of the differences between each and every person. Consequently, junior Rishi Patel consid-ers parkour a universal sport.
“Parkour is a sport you can do anywhere,” Patel said. “Anyone can do it.”
One of the main components of parkour is efficiency. Frenchman David Belle founded parkour in order to escape any emergency in the quickest way possible without injury. This separates parkour from free running, because parkour focuses on acrobatics, flips, and turns.
A sport like this comes with the danger of both long and short-term injuries. For most athletes, the risk involved in park-our would immediately turn them away from engaging in it. But for those who do participate in parkour, the chances of get-ting hurt are the same as in any other sport.
“If you get hurt, you get hurt,” junior Cameron Weigel said. “You get hurt in most sports.”
To avoid injury, athletes must be aware of their surround-ings at all times. They need to know exactly what is going on throughout each jump. Injuries are rare in parkour because it focuses on knowing one’s limits rather than trying to test them.
“After I hurt my back in gymnastics at the end of sophomore year, I started doing parkour,” Senior Alex Nee said. “It’s not that parkour is any safer. But now I know my limits and I’m not going all out, all the time.”
Parkour quickly became popular all over Europe after its de-velopment in 1997. In pop culture today, parkour is used in ac-tion movies such as District 13 and Casino Royale.
“In Europe, it’s everywhere,” Nee said. “But here, it’s just in the Bay Area and maybe Southern California. The best place to see it would be college campuses, especially Brown [University].”
The best places to practice parkour are elementary schools, college campuses, play structures and the urban areas of San Francisco. Browne and Nee often need to drive to San Francisco
or to Cupertino to practice parkour seriously.Regardless of where people practice, parkour is not always
well received by administration or security guards. Some call it public disruption, while others call it vandalism. Since the secu-rity guards do not know a lot about parkour, they often rule it out completely.
“Some [security guards] are chill with it, but others get really uptight about it,” Nee said. “They say its disturbing the public in a way.”
Browne and Nee began parkour at the end of their sopho-more year and they are the co-presidents of the parkour club at Paly.
“As of right now, the club is not fully functional yet,” Nee said. “We will probably be doing more during second semester.”
The advisor to the club, James Hamner, a fan of martial arts, has a lot of faith in the parkour club.
“I love to support all sorts of creative enterprises,” Hamner said.
After starting at the play structures at Walter Hays Elemen-tary School, both Browne and Nee joined Bay Area Parkour (BAPK), a Bay Area group that gets together to train for parkour. Browne and Nee also started the South Bay chapter of BAPK.
For Browne, parkour is about getting in touch with his sur-roundings and the city.
“They say you can get in touch with nature, so why can’t you get in touch with urban surroundings?” Browne said.
Parkour also helps Browne build confidence in his mental and physical ability.
“Sometimes I think I just can’t do it [a trick]; that it’s impos-sible,” Browne said. “When I do complete a trick, I’m just like, ‘wow, I can do that.’”
The satisfaction of making it over a fence, avoiding a colli-sion with a stair railing or getting around an obstacle appeals to both Browne and Nee.
“There is all this apprehension when you don’t know if you are going to make it,” Browne said. “It’s a great feeling knowing your going to make it. It’s a feeling of accomplishment.” <<<
41
FEATuRES
Parkour is NOT...* “Meant for running away from the cops. It may have been created to get out of a situation where you are being chases, but do not go out and learn it just to run away from the po-lice.”
* “Injurious. You do not have to be an idiot about these things. There is always a safe way to do something and if you are smart about it you do not have to get hurt.”
* “Vandalism. Or a public disturbance. I do not even know where people get that idea from.”
* “Free running. Some people get really worked up when people confuse them. Free running is totally different. It is all about tricks and flips, whereas parkour is all about Efficiency.”
According to Alex Browne and Alex Nee
42
IT’S ALL RELATIVE
BY CASSIE PRIOLEAU & ALLIE SHORIN
PHOTOGRAPHy By JOHNCHRISTOPHeRSON & MAlAIKADReBIN, DeSIGN By eMIly FOwleR
COLEMAN SISTERS Allie (left) and Megan (right).
FLORANT SISTERS Daniella (left) and Marissa (right).
43
FEATuRE
enus and Serena Williams are un-questionably America’s favorite
womens’ tennis players. Ask Venus who she would love to play, and she will say Serena. And Serena? She would chal-lenge her sister in a heartbeat. For spec-tators, watching sisters play changes the whole aspect of the game. If you watch closely, you notice that the competitive sparks in their eyes turn to admiration as they exit the playing field as sisters, not opponents. When two outstanding athletes hail from the same family, the highlight of the game is not the winning point or incredible save, but watching the sisters shake hands after the game.
This year’s Palo Alto High School vol-leyball team boasts a unique dynamic: two sets of starting sisters: the Coleman sisters and the Florant sisters, who have been key components to the team suc-cess. These sisters fill four of the six start-ing spots on the court, and two are also senior co-captains
In 2008, the team counted a Paly re-cord: 33 wins and six losses. This fall, the Paly girls went 10-2 in league, earning their third consecutive league title.
Daniella Florant takes off and smash-es the ball straight through the lancers’ blockers arms and to the floor. Turning around to celebrate with her teammates, she looks to her right and high-fives her sister. Marissa Florant celebrates with her sister, then the two return to the net, side by side.
The Florants are the characters of the team. Laughing and completing each other’s sentences, teammates say the two speak a different language when they are together.
“They really work well together,” ju-nior defensive specialist Ke’ili Deal said. “They’re really funny together. They have these nicknames for each other that don’t make any sense to anyone but themselves.”
According to their teammates, the Florants constantly crack jokes on and off the court. When they start joking, the whole team finds itself on the verge of tears from laughing so hard. Even the coaches are captivated by the humor.
“They really are very funny,” head coach Dave Winn said. “When the Flo-rants are telling a joke, I want to make sure I’m around to hear it.”
Daniella, a 6’1’’ middle blocker, and Marissa, a 5’9’’ outside hitter, could be mistaken for twins. Both have curly brown hair and are tall, but graceful. Side by side, the Florants’ long arms stretch over the net to block the oppos-ing team’s hit, sending the ball to the floor. They turn around to their team-mates, yelling and celebrating, with a similar intensity in their eyes.
The two have always been close, and the trust they share affects the rest of the team. In a sport with such a high concentration of people in a small area, where every player’s actions depends on a teammate, team chemistry is vital.But the sisters agree that Marissa is not following in her sisters’ footsteps, but rather creating her own path. Marissa’s initial interest in volleyball began when Daniella began playing.
“What happened was that I was al-ready playing about three different sports: softball, basketball and soccer,” Marissa said. “Daniella started playing volleyball and she kept coming home every day after school saying it was so much fun and I got so jealous. And then I asked my mom if I could play, and she said I was way too busy and I wouldn’t have time for it. But then she went on the only business trip that she has ever gone on in her entire life, and I tried out
for team and made it.”The two first played on the Paly ju-
nior varsity during 2006, and both made their varsity debut during the 2007 sea-son. They are a huge part of the team’s offense and overall play.
Marissa has the team’s second best season average for kills and digs, aver-aging 2.9 kills and 3.6 digs per game. Daniella has racked up 17 solo blocks over the course of the season and leads the team with 57 assisted blocks.
The tight-knit Florants admit that dur-ing Paly volleyball season, they spend an excessive amount of time together, both on and off the court. Although the minute they step onto the court they are just teammates, before matches they have sisterly rituals.
“We have these superstitions--,” Dan-iella said.
“--Like she always does my hair be-fore a game,” Marissa said, finishing Dan-iella’s thought.
“And we always play ‘pepper’ togeth-er and run out onto the court together,” both girls said nearly simultaneously.
Their coach agrees that the Florants’ close bond adds another layer to the team chemistry.
“When you have your sister on the team, you have a built in sense of trust,” Winn said.
V
DYNAMIC DuO The Florant sisters set up to block in the Los Gatos game.
Leading ThroughHope
44
FEATuRE
egan Coleman quickly dives to the floor and digs the oppos-
ing team’s hit. Allie Coleman hustles to the ball and sets it up for Paly’s hit-ter who crushes it to the floor. As the team gathers to the middle of the court to celebrate the Coleman sisters high-five, grin at each other, and reset for the next point.
Their teammates describe the Cole-mans as intense and possessing argu-ably the best work ethic on the team. They are two consistent, solid players who never flinch in high-pressure situ-ations.
Teammates describe Megan, a soph-omore, as calmer but tenacious, while senior Allie is passionate and hardwork-ing.
“Marissa and Daniella are the team characters, while the Colemans are very intense,” Winn said. when the Paly team lines up on the edge of the court applauding as their starters are announced, Megan steps forward coyly, waving after her name is called. Her thick hair is braided into a ponytail and she wears a different color jersey because of her position. A few teammates down the line, Allie jumps out, throws her arms up, and smiles at the crowd after her name is called. un-like her sister, Allie’s dark brown hair is so curly it almost hides her braid.
The Colemans have always been dif-ferent, but still close. Playing on a vol-leyball team together has improved their relationship.
“Since being on the same team, we communicate a lot better,” Allie said. “We’ve spent more time together--”
“--We aren’t afraid to tell each other what we think,” Megan finished.
However, it is not always easy to com-pete and play with a sibling. The pres-sure to measure up to an older sibling can be a challenge.
“Being compared to your sister is hard,” Megan said. “Being the younger sister, I always feel like I have to live up to Allie’s image.”
Megan uses the comparison to her sister as a source of inspiration to work harder and do her best and she their competitiveness “healthy competition.”
The two agree that this season, the first time the two have played on a team together, has brought them closer.
Megan originally began playing vol-leyball after Allie started playing in sixth grade. Both sisters are extremely ath-letic and versatile and have played an impressive number of sports, including basketball, soccer, softball and lacrosse. Allie plays for the Paly softball team and Megan plays Paly soccer, but volleyball is their one mutual sport.
Allie is a setter, creating offense for
the team. She leads the team in assists, or sets that result in a kill. She averages 10.8 assists per game, making a total of 1,044 assists this season.
Allie has been on varsity since her sophomore year, the three consecutive years the Paly girls have won the league championship. Her teammates describe her as a great leader and as very inspira-tional.
Like Allie, Megan made the varsity team as a sophomore, securing a start-ing spot as the libero, the main defen-sive player. Megan leads the team in digs, averaging 4.4 per game with a to-taling of 424 this season.
“When you play on a team with girls and spend so much time together, you almost become sisters,” Allie said. “But with Megan, I already have that bond so everyone’s just that much closer.”
heir bond as sisters is not a con-scious thought during volleyball,
but their teammates recognize the spe-cial connection.
“Once we’re on the court, we’re all just teammates,” sophomore teammate Trina Ohms said. “But you can tell there is a special spark between Megan and AC [Allie] when they play. The same goes for Marissa and Daniella.”
Winn explained that they would be the same players even if they were not sisters, but it certainly makes the team closer. The sisterly bond the Colemans and the Florants share translates to the rest of the team.
After their final defeat in a match against Archbishop Mitty, the Paly girls gathered in a circle in the corner of the Valley Christian gym. Holding hands, the girls looked around, at their teammates and at their sisters, remembering their incredible season together and all they had accomplished. winn reassured the girls that their greatest victory of the sea-son did not occur on the court. The bond the girls had established was the real win. winn has said that although the 2008 Paly volleyball team may not have been the most talented group of players, they were the most cohesive team he has ever coached.
“At the end of the day,” Winn said. “It’s the team that trusts each other that is going to win games.” <<<
M T
GAME FACE The Coleman sisters bring intensity and focus to the team.
Leading ThroughHope
pink bracelet with the word “Hope” carved into its silicone body dangles from senior Olivia Garcia’s wrist. That same wrist snaps
when she shoots a jump shot and steadies a drib-bling ball as the Lady Vikes’ star point guard ap-proaches halfcourt. Though this bracelet appears to be just another article of clothing, to Garcia, it has a deeper meaning.
In eighth grade, Garcia had an idea. She de-veloped all her thoughts into a plan that she single-mindedly put into action.
“[Garcia] goes ‘I know you guys are really busy and really concerned about grandma but I was just wondering if you would be willing to make a $3,000 investment in this idea’ - that’s Olivia,” her mother, Kimberly Garcia, said.
And so the breast cancer campaign began...When Garcia was in fourth grade, her grand-
mother, Faye Johnson, was diagnosed with meta-static breast cancer.
Garcia created her own, independent campaign for breast cancer called “Pink for Hope” to benefit her grandmother. She designed the bracelet that she proudly sports, and raised $13,000 in sales for the Stanford Cancer Center.
“My grandmother has had breast cancer for a couple of years, but, in eighth grade, she had back surgery and I really wanted to help the bigger picture,” Garcia said. “I wanted to do something for a lot of women, for breast cancer, not just my grandma. Her sickness really affected me so I kind of knew
A
how it would feel for other families.”When Johnson was diagnosed, Garcia said that she had
difficulty making sense of the situation. However, once her grandma had breast cancer related back surgery, the situation came into perspective.
“I think she felt left out, and I think she felt like there wasn’t anything that she could do to help,” Mrs. Garcia said. “She just wanted to help because she saw that all the adults were very overwhelmed.”
Sure enough, Garcia found her own way. After requesting
PRETTY IN PINK Garcia poses wearing the “Pink for Hope” bracelet that she designed.
By Kylie SloanPhotography By John Christopherson and Malaika Drebin
45
PROFILES
Olivia Garcia found her own way to benefit society by designing a bracelet that raised roughly $13,000 for breast
cancer research. Her actions in the campaign transfer to her role on the court as she returns for her final year
on the varsity basketball team.
46
PROFILES
her product on a global trading compa-ny website, contacting a manufacturer in China and sending in her designs, Garcia saw her own artwork inspire true “Hope” in a mere six weeks.
Then, she spread the word using vari-ous methods to promote her campaign. She supplied her basketball teammates with “Pink For Breast Cancer” shoelaces, handed out fliers and created her own website. Garcia also continues to stay in
contact with the Stanford Cancer Center by keeping track of her sales and pre-senting at meetings.
“I think what [Garcia] did is really in-spiring,” senior teammate Taylor Lovely said. “[Garcia] was only in eighth grade. I don’t think I would have been able to do something like that, and it’s really nice that she did it all for her grandmother.”
Garcia describes her grandmother as more than just an inspiration, but as an overall role model for her strength, courage and determination. Garcia ad-mires these characteristics and they are reflected in her own personality. She will draw upon these quali-ties when she returns to the hardwood for her final varsity basket-ball season.
Garcia start-ed playing b a s k e t b a l l in second grade, in a youth YMCA l e a g u e . Through the years, she continued to play on the girls’ basketball teams at Jordan Middle School, and on club teams, such as NJB (National Junior Basketball) and AAU (Amateur Athletic Union).
This year, Garcia will return to her spot as a point guard, and the Lady Vikes will count on her to bring the same lead-ership that spearheaded her “Pink for Hope” campaign, to help carry the team to victory.
“She’s a natural leader, and people tend to gravitate towards her,” head coach Scott Peters said. “She has enough confidence in herself to verbalize her opinions.”
Garcia’s junior teammate, Lauren Mah, agrees that Garcia’s natural leader-ship abilities are an asset to the team.
“[Garcia] helps guide the team with Taylor [Lovely] which is nice because she really picks you up when you’re down,” Mah said. “[Garcia] helps me improve.”
While much of Garcia’s leadership skill is innate, her breast cancer awareness
campaign helped her realize a practical application for this skill. She believes that assisting her community helped her learn to take the initiative both on and off the court. Garcia emphasizes the need for more teens to get involved in this eye-opening experience as well.
“I think that community service is really important for young people be-cause it gets them connected to some-thing bigger than themselves,” Garcia said. “In high school, you’re so focused on yourself; your grades, your own achievements. But community service allows you to affect the bigger commu-
nity outside yourself.”Garcia’s love for help-
ing others stems from her optimis-
tic personality. “[Garcia] is a really positive person,” Mah said. “She always says ‘hi’ to me and she’s just really
happy. She’s a very person-
able person.”Garcia’s posi-
tive, personable ways can also be found
in other areas of her life; basketball only makes up a fraction
of what she does day to day. Garcia’s interests vary, this fall she was an avid participant in the Barack Obama 2008 presidential campaign: making phone calls, working at events, fundraising, and advocating throughout the neigh-borhood.
Garcia recently formed a club at Paly called UNITY (Unifying Neighbors in Today’s Youth) that aspires to eliminate barriers between races. This is a theme that she promotes through her art, such as the t-shirts that she spray-paints em-blazoned with hearts and peace signs; a promotion form she plans to expand to “Pink for Hope”.
“She is really inspired by peace,” Mrs. Garcia said. “She’s a little independent activist in her own way.”
Garcia’s playing style for basketball reflects her peaceful persona as well.
“In hIgh school, you’re so focused on your-
self; your grades, your own achIevements,” garcIa saId. “But communIty servIce allows you to
affect the BIgger communIty outsIde yourself.”
AIR BORN Garcia practices her jump shot.
PROFILES
“She’s very calm with the ball,” Pe-ters said. “We relied on her a tremen-dous amount on defense last year.”
Although the bulk of her play was focused on defense last season, Garcia will do more on offense this year, ac-cording to Peters. In addition to her point guard duties, Garcia will play as a shooting guard to spark the offense.
Besides making it to Central Coast Section (CCS), Garcia hopes that the team will be able to beat Wilcox and Gunn this year, although her own goals are more fundamental.
“My personal goals are to definite-ly stay positive throughout the whole season because for the past couple of years we have had a difficult time,” Garcia said.
No matter how much pressure is put on Garcia in her leadership role, Peters is confident that she will be able to handle it.
“[Garcia] doesn’t panic,” Peters
AboutBreast Cancer
3,000,000 Women currently living with breast cancer1,000,000 Number of those women who do not know that they have it182,460 Women who will be diagnosed with breast cancer in 200840,480 Number of women who will
die from breast cancer in 2008
What You Can do to HelpBuy a pink bracelet!
1 band: $32 bands: $55 bands: $1010 bands: $20
For more information go to:Pink4hope.org
All proceeds go to:Stanford Cancer Center
for research towards new treatments
Total estimated donations:$13,000
Do your part.
said. “She sees the floor very well.”Beyond basketball, Garcia’s calm
composure will be useful for her future college plans: law school, yet another leadership position. Although Garcia is not planning to play basketball in college, she will still make basketball a part of her life.
“I think I will definitely still play for recreation because when I play it’s a lot of fun,” Garcia said. “At some point, I would like to coach younger girls.”
Whether she is coaching, on the court or in the courtroom, the leader-ship experience that Garcia gained through her “Pink for Hope” campaign will help her accomplish whatever she chooses to do.
“You need a leader all the time,” Gar-cia said. “I want to be the person who steps up and does that.”
As she leads the way, Garcia will continue to make additional differenc-es that better society. <<<
STEALING THE SHOW Garcia dribbles the ball away from teammate Lakia Young.
Fact
s co
urte
sy o
f the
Nat
iona
l Can
cer I
nstit
ute
(ww
w.c
ance
r.gov
) and
the
Stan
ford
Can
cer C
ente
r (ca
ncer
.sta
nfor
d.ed
u)
47
T H E R E AND BACK
By HANNA BRoDy AND LAuREN HAmmERsoNPHoTogRAPHy By mALAiKA DREBiN
As the referee blows the whistle signify-ing half time, John Anderton, a ju-nior at Palo Alto High School, runs
off the soccer field, eager to play the sec-ond half. His green Paly jersey ripples in the wind, and his quick feet move back and forth as he weaves through the herd of other players strolling towards the side-lines. Anderton snatches his water bottle from the bench and listens as his coach and teammates congratulate him for the goal he scored right before the halftime whistle. He looks down, concentrating on what he can do to improve for the second half. He listens intently and soon enough, the whistle blows. He sprints back to his position as forward, as he runs by, people on the sidelines see the blur of his number two jersey flying past.
It is hard to believe that less than four years ago, Anderton barely had enough strength to prop his body up to watch soc-cer from his hospital bed.
48
n 2005, when Anderton was in seventh grade, doctors discovered he had a case of Ewing’s Sarcoma, an extraordinarily rare type of cancer in his bones. The cancer, which was localized to a tumor in his rib cage, required surgery and chemotherapy. His battle against cancer lasted one year.
As he struggled to hold on to his life, soccer became a way to escape from the pain, and a way to stay connected to a world he loved. By the time Anderton was able to return to the field, he discovered the connection had grown even deeper.
Soccer has always been a major part of Anderton’s life. His father, Mark An-derton, grew to love the sport as a boy growing up in North Africa, where Anderton’s grandfather worked as a diplomat. While living there, Mark became immersed in soccer culture, and passed on his love for the sport to his son, who started playing at age three.
Anderton grew up reading about professional soccer. He constantly read the World Soccer Magazine, and began to develop favorite teams and players.
Anderton joined the American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO) in kindergarten and in fifth grade he made the transition to a California Youth Soccer Association (CYSA) club team. He began to play more competitively and develop a greater appreciation for the sport.
In seventh grade, Anderton had a plan for the next five years of his soccer career. He envisioned himself succeeding in club soccer, help-ing his team win tournament after tournament. He imagined himself spending long afternoons at the soccer field perfecting his touch. He even saw himself eventually trying out for the Paly soccer team his freshman year, persevering through the dreaded two-mile run.
And then it happened.As Anderton was biking home from school one Friday afternoon
in February of 2005, he felt an extraordinary pain in his chest and was suddenly fatigued. He could barely force himself to power the pedals all the way home. As he slowly walked through the front door of his house, he knew that something was not right.
His mother, Gail Kaiser, suspected pneumonia. She took his tem-perature, which was a dangerously high 104 degrees, and she and An-derton immediately left for the Stanford Hospital emergency room.
Anderton sat in the waiting room, nervously anticipating the doctors arrival. He was unsure what was wrong because the inconceivable pain was greater than anything he had ever experienced. Worried thoughts
rushed through his head as he awaited the diagnosis.
Soon, a nurse came out and took Anderton to an examination room where a doctor questioned him and listened to his breathing. When the doctor ordered an X-ray of his chest, Anderton’s worry increased.
“After all this, I kind of thought I had something worse,” Anderton said. “But I still hoped that I just had pneumonia.”
Doctors could not determine the cause of his symptoms, and sent him to Lucille Packard Children’s Hospi-tal for an MRI.
That evening, the doctor entered the examination room with a grim face. The MRI confirmed the family’s worst fear: Anderton had cancer.
ijohn Anderton, a forward, in
a recent practice with paly’s varsity squad.
“My stomach felt like it dropped out of my body,” Mrs. Kaiser said. “I was shocked.”
A group of doctors then entered the room to ask him if he knew what cancer was.
“I just sat there and replied to them, ‘You die’,” Anderton said.Anderton had an Askin’s Tumor in his rib cage, an extremely rare tumor that is
often lethal. His left lung was also filled with fluid. The morning after his diagno-sis, Anderton had surgery to implant two chest tubes in his lung to drain the fluid, thus beginning what would become a year-long treatment process.
It was difficult for Anderton to emotionally process the news. Almost a week passed before the severity of his condition hit him. Anderton realized that he might not make it through his illness.
“I didn’t cry when I was first told I had cancer,” Anderton said. “I was in shock
my sTomACH fELT LiKE iT DRoPPED ouT of my BoDy. i wAs sHoCKED.
gAiL KAisER (ANDERToN’s moTHER)
“my s“my sT“Tf“fELT“ELT
“
(ANDERT
“
(ANDERTo
“
oN’s
“
N’s THER)
“
THER)
50
i’D KNow THAT AT THE END of CHEmo, i HAD soCCER To wATCH AT HomE.
JoHN ANDERToN
“i“i’“’D“D K“ KT“THAT“HAT A“ A
and awe. I cried a week later at the hos-pital when I realized that I wasn’t able to do anything at all, when I realized that I might die.”
His parents knew that losing the ability to play soccer really hurt their son. Unable to play, Anderton still wanted to stay connected to his pas-sion.“When he got sick, we got cable,” Mr. Anderton said. “He was then able to watch a lot of the soccer he used to read about. That was the one thing he would look forward to after a week of chemo when he came back home. Being sick forced him to look at the technical side of the game.”In order for Anderton to fully recover, the tumor had to be surgically removed. To John’s father, the removal of the tumor was one of the lowest points.“He was in pain,” Mr. Anderton said. “The operation was really long, and he had to stay in the ICU for a couple of days. He was pretty beat up.”After the tumor was removed, Anderton underwent two different types of chemotherapy: outpatient and four-day treatment. During outpatient therapy, he would go to the hospital for 12 hours to receive medication, and then return home. This was better because it was not as intensive and he was also able to sleep in his own bed.During the four-day sessions, he would come to the hospital every third week and be assigned to a room to undergo a nonstop treatment. Ander-ton often had to share his room with another patient.“It was the worst if you had to share a room with a baby because it would cry all the time,” Anderton said. “I wouldn’t be able to sleep.”For those four days, Anderton would receive medicine through an IV in his chest.Anderton was always exhausted. Almost all of his time was spent in his hospital bed. For a teenage boy
Anderton (left), with close friend and teammate jenner fox.
used to moving around and play-ing sports, he missed simple pleasures like walking around without help from others.
One of his most exciting moments during chemotherapy was finally getting a chance to leave his hospital bed. He called it an “accomplishment” to be able to walk down the short hallway.
In addition to fatigue, Anderton’s stomach weakened. The first time he ate during chemotherapy, he threw up soon after. He learned that his body was not able to take in nourishment during chemotherapy. Any taste in his mouth would make him queasy; even swallowing his own spit made him vomit.
“As the day wore on, I would feel more and more sick,” Anderton said. “I would spit into a bucket next to my bed so I wouldn’t throw up.”
Because he was not able to eat, Anderton experienced massive weight loss during his chemotherapy. His weight dropped to a shocking number in the low sixties.
“He lost a whole lot of weight during chemo,” Mr. Anderton said. “I stopped count-ing after 20-25 percent of his weight was skin and bones.”
Anderton’s ability to think, focus and concentrate also suffered. When his mother tried to hold a conversation with him, he was too tired and too sick to be engaged and was only able to talk for a short amount of time before he was exhausted.
Since social interaction became too difficult for Anderton, he turned to watching television for entertainment.
Watching soccer became a major pastime for Anderton. Soccer was always there for him after a rough week of chemotherapy. His passion for soccer influenced him to look at the sport as an escape from his difficult experiences, and watching soccer on TV al-lowed him to cheer week after week for his favorite team: England’s Chelsea FC.
“Soccer was always something to look forward to,” Anderton said. “I’d know that at the end of chemo, I had soccer to watch at home. It was something fun and enjoyable that helped me to get away from chemo and everything.”
“
ANDERT
“
ANDERTo
“
oN
“
N
51
“It was almost a last minute thing,” Mr. Anderton said. “The Make-A-Wish rep was obviously a magician. With the help of Yahoo and other sponsors, we were able to get tickets to a game. John was a happy guy.”
Anderton flew to Europe and traveled around the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany, where he lived out his dream and witnessed the home team, Germany, take on Argentina in the World Cup quarterfinals. It turned out to be a thrilling match that was determined by penalty kicks, with Germany coming out on top.
“One of the things I wanted to do in my lifetime was go to a World Cup game,” Anderton said. “I was rooting for Argentina, but it was pretty awe-some seeing Germany win, because it was in Germany and everyone was celebrating.”
After the once in a lifetime experience, however, it was back to the strug-gles of making a complete recovery.
The removal of Anderton’s chest tumor had taken a toll. After the surgery, his left lung would never fully function again. To this day, Anderton has a 75 percent lung capacity due to a severed nerve to the diaphragm.
And soccer? Anderton had reservations about ever playing again.His mother recalls dragging him to practice in eighth grade against his
will after his chemotherapy. Anderton felt embarrassed and uncomfortable, but was able to go out on the field. “At first I thought that my lung capacity wouldn’t let me play at all,” Ander-ton said. “But then it got better and better as I exercised more.”Even though Anderton was physically able to go back to soccer after his chemotherapy, he did not feel ready to join his club team again so quickly.
Anderton valued his days at home between chemotherapy sessions, using them as days to recover and eat. He needed to make up for all the weight he lost the previous week and gain weight for the next chemotherapy session.
Even though Anderton was receiving cancer treatment, he was still determined to attend school as often as possible. After a couple days at home, Anderton would gain enough strength to begin catching up on his schoolwork.
“The teacher wouldn’t make me try to make up everything,” Anderton said. “But I would try to do it all anyways, because I felt like I should. I didn’t want to be an exception.”
Jenner Fox, a Paly junior and fellow soccer teammate, was an important friend to Anderton. Fox was always there to kick the soccer ball around on a Sunday afternoon, or to help John catch up on his schoolwork.
“We were, like, ‘baby’ friends,” Fox said. “We played on the same AYSO team in kindergarten and have played on the same team until this past summer.”
Although he had the support of friends and family, Anderton’s health became worse and worse.Because his cancer had become so severe, he became eligible for an opportunity to participate in
the Make-A-Wish Foundation, whose purpose is to enrich the lives of children with life-threatening medical conditions through its wish-granting work. When a Make-A-Wish Foundation associate approached him in July 2005, Anderton had just one wish: a chance to go to the 2006 World Cup that was less than one year away.
But he would only be able to go to the World Cup if he completely finished his chemotherapy.In the eleven months after making the wish, Anderton successfully finished the long process,
unaware that his wish would come true. When June rolled around, he was surprised that the Make-A-Wish foundation had in fact organized a trip for him.
In 2006, Anderton went to the world Cup in germany through the Make-A-wish foundation.
AT fiRsT i THougHT my LuNg CAPACiTy wouLDN’T LET mE PLAy AT ALL.
JoHN ANDERToN
“AT “AT fi“fii“i TH“ THoug“oug
“
ANDERT
“
ANDERTo
“
oN
“
N
52
“It was a slow process,” club soccer team Stanford Landslide, coach Vilmar “Vava” Marques said. “I was first trying to help him work on the mental part of it because it is hard to come out of therapy and go into practice. I was careful not to push it, so I gave him time to become comfortable again.”
Because he was short of breath sometimes, Anderton took breaks from the field when he needed.“He used to only be able to play for 10 or 15 minutes, then for a half,” Marques said. “[After a while] I couldn’t
get him off the field, he wanted to play the whole time and he could.”Teammate Daniel Kwasnick agrees.“At first he had like no endurance; he could only play for a short amount of time,” Kwasnick said. “But he kept
on playing and built up his endurance to the point he could play the entire game.”Anderton’s year of chemotherapy had also taken away a year of possible growth at a crucial time for many boys.
He now stands at 5’6”, significantly shorter than most of his teammates.
“He is small for his age, but I think he makes up for it in other ways,” Fox said. “He is really quick. He’s feisty.”
Although Anderton is small, he finds in-spiration in professional soccer players who are also small. Shaun Wright-Philips, who currently plays for Manchester City and the England national team, is a role model in Anderton’s life. He stands at 5’5” and encompasses the qualities that Anderton ad-mires in a soccer player, like tenacity and a genuine understanding of the game.
“I like him [Wright-Philips] not only be-cause he is a fantastic soccer player, but also because he is short like me, and we short people have to stick together,” Anderton said.
Defying even his own expectations, An-derton made Paly’s varsity soccer team as a sophomore. Despite his doubts, he turned out to be a vital team member.
“I think he did not believe he was going to be on the [varsity] team,” Fox said. “But throughout the season he got a lot of playing time, and I think he got more confident.”
In reflection, Anderton has mixed feel-ings on his view of his experience. Although he did not necessarily believe it changed his outlook on life, it did make him realize how strong his love for soccer had become.
“Having cancer definitely helped me re-alize how much I loved soccer and getting to play around and get hurt,” Anderton said. “When I was sick, I really couldn’t do any-thing. I would be too tired and it would be unhealthy and dangerous. It just made me realize how much I took being able to play for granted.”
Anderton’s experience has not only had an impact on him, but also his family and friends as well, inspiring others to appreciate life as they have it.
“When you’re parents, you are always looking for things that will make your kid
better,” Mr. Anderton said. “It’s just natural human nature. I came out of it feeling like I was just grateful for everything he was as opposed to worrying about what he was not. I was just grateful.”
Anderton has over-come severe illness and today remains cancer free, but he knows that his quarterly checkup at Stanford Hospi-tal looms in the near future. Imagining the familiar white walls of the hospital and the sterile scent of the waiting room brings back memories of one of the hardest times in his life.
Although the remainder of the soccer game is not the only thing on his mind, he sprints back onto the field and takes his posi-tion, preparing to play the second half. <<<
Anderton makes up for his size
(5’6”) with a soft touch and sound
technique.“He is really quick,”
teammate jenner fox said. “He’s
feisty.”
53
E&H
E&H
SF
E&H
E&H
The Viking’s own Hanna Brody and emily fowler chat with teacher and former football coach Steve foug.
E&H
E&H
E&H
E&H
When did you start coaching Paly football?
I started in 1996, I had been coaching two years prior at Ann Arbor Pioneer High School in Ann Harbor Michigan
Did you play football when you went to Paly?
I did. My senior year was 1990, the year before Hansen was hired, so that tells you a little something about Paly football- it was terrible.
Really? Even with you on the team?
Thank you, but yes. Well, I played left guard and defensive end. We went 4-6 and we ended the year with two terrible games. We beat Gunn, but the game was called in the fourth quarter because both benches cleared in a brawl and the refs just left the field. The game was over at Gunn and the crowds came out of the stands. The players, students and the coaches were fighting.
Were you fighting?
I was not fighting. I was in the mob. Except football fights are pretty dumb, you know what can you do? You just shove people. It’s not too different than from what goes on the field. But then after that, we lost to Lynbrook and they hadn’t won a game in two years. So it was a great way to end the old senior year football campaign. But it was from having kind of a sour experience playing that I wanted to coach. It was a very unsatisfying football career and I wanted to see what it was like to win, because we never did.
Well, you beat Gunn...
Yeah well, beating Gunn was like beating Addison, so you know.
So then you went to Michigan, right?
Yup. I went there because I had the family ties. I was born and raised a Michigan fan.
Did you ever consider playing football for Michigan?
Uh, NO because there is no way on God’s green earth I could ever make the team. I would have been worse than Rudy (see page 18) if I had made the team.
What are your thoughts about Michigan football this year?
I mean, the deal is; the whole thing with Michigan is ever since I’ve been alive they’ve never had a losing season- the last losing season was 1967.
SF
SF
SF
SF
SF
SF
54
give and Take...
E&H
E&H
E&H
They’ve had a long tradition continuity where other programs just kind of hire and fire coaches. Michigan has always had guys they promoted from within the program into the head coach position, and they keep this con-tinuity. They’ve always had quality quarter backs, good linemen. And peo-ple nowadays want trendy offense and everything so their coach from last year retired. So, they get the new hot coach who runs the new hot flavor of the month offense. He does so many things differently. They brought in a whole different style. Players are transferring and it is a season in upheaval. I am not happy with him at all. I have been uncertain about him since he was hired in December last year. I haven’t liked what I’ve seen so far. And yeah, so for the first time since 1974, I won’t be watching them in January.
E&H
Why January?
You know, in like a bowl game. They normally always play in a bowl game. So yeah, I’ve caught a lot of heat this year but, I don’t know if students realize that with every snarky Michigan comment that is made their grade goes down at least ten points. It is so easy to criticize because what are they? Stanford fans or something? Yeah, send me a postcard when they make a bowl game or when they win a national title for crying out loud. Good grief. Stanford is like a pet project, a distraction from the real things in life, which are Michigan football and the San Francisco Giants.
So back to Paly, do you get along with coach Hansen?
I get along with him great, I’ve been working with him for 11, 12 years and the more I’ve coached with him, the more I’ve learned about how to run a team. I’ve learned all the little things that involve being a head coach. With all these types of personalities, anyone who has been on a team sport, especially in high school, has invariably been involved with some sort of what you guys would call ‘drama’. Coaches must have the ability to handle that off the field, to make players feel comfortable, and to find a spot for them. I like football because it takes all kinds. You don’t actually have to be that good of an athlete; they can find a spot for you. I’m living proof. He’s really good at finding spots for players and putting them in the right place. We have a great open and working relationship, well until I decided not to coach this year.
Speaking of which, why did you decide not to coach this year?
So, I’ve been doing it every year since ‘94. It’s weird because you coach because you like football and you love the sport, but that means your only exposure to football when you’re coaching, is going to be high school. You don’t have time for anything else. Last year, not because of the team, but because of the grind, I was getting a little more stressed, in terms of all the work I had to do. I felt exhausted. Like anything you’ve done for a long time, it was getting to the point where if I didn’t take a little step back, I maybe wouldn’t keep doing it, and I love doing it. I just needed a little break. Sometimes you need to step back to kind of reevaluate things. It’s given me time to just be a teacher for a year and see what that’s like. I am now done with that. At this point in the season, when I’m watching them in the playoffs from the sideline, I miss it desperately. So if Coach Hansen will have me back- I may have to reinterview and resubmit my resume- I would like to try to be a part of the team next year. I am glad I did it though. I just needed a one year break.
Are you a Tim Lincecum fan?
If Tim Lincecum were up for adoption, I would apply to adopt him. He is the best thing to happen to the Giants since 2002.
SF
SF
SF
SF
55
22
OFF-CAMPuS
Bobby abbott throw
s a pass in Paly’s gam
e against Moun-
tain View. the Vikings lost the
match, but kept the score close
during the loss on Paly’s Senior N
ight.Photo by H
ana Kajimura
ZOOM
DEC
EMB
ER30
12
34
56
78
910
1112
13
1415
1617
1819
20
2122
2324
2526
27
2829
3021
12
3
at St. Ignatius (6:00)
at St. Francis (6:00)
at James Lick Tourney
vs Gunn (3:30)
at James Lick Tourney
at James Lick Tourney`
vs Mtn. View (7:00) W
restlingGirls’ Soccer
Boys’ BasketballGirls’ BasketballBoys’ Soccer
SUNDAY
vs Riordan (6:00)
at Rocklin Tourney
vs Wilcox (7:30)
at Rocklin Tourney
at St. Francis Tourneyat M
enlo-Atherton (7:00)
Winter Classic Tourney
at Homestead Tourney
vs Monta Vista (3:30)
vs Los Altos (5:30)
at St. Francis Tourney
at St. Francis Tourney
at Monta Vista (3:30)
vs Milpitas (Dual)
at Sacred Heart (3:30)
at Sierra Nevada Classicat Cupertino
at Rocklin Tourney
at St. Francis Tourney
at Carlmont (4:10)
at Homestead Tourney
at Homestead Tourney
Winter Classic Tourney
Winter Classic Tourney
Winter Classic Tourney
at Santa Clara (3:30)at Gunn (5:30)
at Homestead (3:30)
at Peninsula Invitational
at Menlo-Atherton (Dual)
at Coast Classic
at Coast Classic
at Sierra Nevada Classic
by Ben Brown
A Season To
Forget...
The Last Word
62
Last issue, I mentioned the fact that I am a huge Michigan football fan, and how it’s been a little tough for us Wolverine fans for the past couple of years. I realize now that choosing Michigan as my favorite college football team may not have been the best idea.
All the teasing and bullying I get after every loss, it’s like someone gave me a massive wedgie. Thankfully, I have no clue what that feels like, but I’m pretty sure watching Michi-gan try to play football causes much more pain.
I would never consider leaving the fanhood of Michigan football because I just remind myself that they have the most wins, and the highest winning percentage in Division 1 col-lege football history. Just doing that makes me feel like I just saw the wedgie-givers have their favor returned.
For those of you who don’t know about Michigan’s recent failures, first of all, lucky you. Second, you should know that Michigan football has brought me to tears numerous times. It’s not funny.
Michigan has lost to its archnemesis Ohio State four years in a row and six out of the past seven years. On top of that, Michigan can’t seem to make it past its “easy opponents.”
The worst was last year when Michigan, ranked 5th in the nation, played a Division 1 AA (practically Division 2) school. They lost 34-32 at home in arguably the biggest up-set in college football history.
This year, the Wolverines played Toledo, who was ranked 115 out of 120 schools in Division 1, and lost. Actually? Are you @%&#ing kiddin’ me?
Maybe that’s because they have a white quarterback trying to lead an offensive scheme that requires a mobile quarter-back. I’m not trying to be racist, but a clumsy 6’6” white guy is not going to be able to lead a fast-paced offense like Jamarcus Russell would.
My friend Nate Munger is a big Notre Dame fan, and every year when they play each other, we have a gentlemen’s bet. Unfortunately, I have lost the majority of these bets recently, even though all time, Michigan has more wins head-to-head.
So, Munger, if you’re reading this; haha. Munger is argu-ably the funniest kid at the school, and he is so fun to an-noy.
A few tips for annoying Munger: repeatedly change the subject while talking to him, say the restaurant name Togo’s
like “to go’s”, and always ask: “What does that have to do with the price of tea in China?” I sidetracked a little from Michigan football, but Munger is sometimes more fun to talk about than the woes of Michigan.
Some might wonder why I haven’t left the bandwagon of Michigan; in fact, I’ve wondered that myself. Now, I say this in the manliest possible way; but you cannot control what the heart wants.
No need to get all touchy-feely or anything, but when the Michigan Wolverines win a game, the feeling is far better than that of having the first kiss with the girl (or guy) of your greatest fantasies.
My dad introduced me to Michigan football when I was young, and ever since I have been attached. Throughout my life, I have been fortunate enough to be able to attend four Michigan football games, including three Rose Bowls in Pasadena, Cali-
fornia. When I see 110,000 scream-
ing fans all yelling for my favorite team, I become hap-pier than Stewie when he kills Lois on Family Guy. There’s nothing like seeing a bunch of 300-pound freaks-of-nature run out onto the field wearing matching maize and blue uni-forms.There are few comparisons to
my love for Michigan football. I guess you could say that my attraction to Michigan football is like many teenage boys’ at-traction to Sofia Bush. Sorry, I couldn’t let two of
my articles go by without mentioning Sofia. She is like God, Jesus, Buddha, Allah, Zeus, and every other God combined. What I would do to be Chad Michael Murray on One Tree Hill….
You could say that I have a huge crush on all the guys on the Michigan football team, a little “bromance” if you know what I mean.
Everyone has felt the confusion of the body when they have a crush. And for guys, that feeling can sometimes be embarrass-ing.
Thankfully, Michigan has not given me these feelings, yet. Ms. Burton taught me exceptionally well in Living Skills last year, so I know that these feelings are normal. Just try to keep some of those “thoughts” to yourself.
GO BLUE.
You could say that I have a huge crush on all the guys on the Michigan football team, a little “bro-mance” if you know what I mean.
The Last Word
Sports, Orthopedic And Rehabilitation Medicine Associates
M id Peninsula500 Arguel lo Street , Suite 100Redwood Cit y, CA 94063-1526Telephone 650.851.1202Fax 650.995.1202
S outh B ay550 S . Winchester B lvd. Suite 110San Jose, CA 95128-2544Telephone 408.247.4900Fax 408.249.4900 w w w.soarmedical .com
w
Did you miss the last issue of
The Viking? No problem, just
visit voice.paly.net today to catch up on everything you
missed!
palo alto Unified school districtpalo alto hiGh school50 embarcadero roadpalo alto, california 94301
Non-profit Org.U.S. POSTAGE
paidPermit #44
Palo Alto, California
PASportsOnline.com is
your most comprehensive source
for the latest on Paly Sports.
Today’s Sports, News and Hot Picks
WE COVER PALY SPORTS LIKE NO OTHER SOURCE.
Check out PASportsOnline.com and Express, our new e-daily
from Palo Alto Online and the Palo Alto Weekly. You can sign up now
to receive Express via e-mail every weekday morning for free.
Express provides the perfect quick-read digest of local sports, news
and events in our community from the last 24 hours to the next.
™
24/7 online
Weekday mornings via e-mail
™ Express is a trademark of Embarcadero Publishing Company ©2008 Embarcadero Publishing Company
Fridays in print
Sign up today to try at www.PaloAltoOnline.com