Refuse to lose

REFUSE

to LOSE

Girls Basketball goes 12-0 in league and competes in three rounds of CCS playoffs BY ANNA JEROLIMOV AND MICHELLE ZHENG

Refuse to lose — that’s the motto that guided the Varsity Girls Basketball team through arguably its most successful season since 1999. As the buzzer sounded to mark the end of the team’s final league game against Saratoga High School on Feb. 15, the players exclaimed with joy — they had just won 53-43, winning the league championship undefeated with a 12-0 record.

Entering the 2021-22 season, the team had three main goals: to win the league championship, be undefeated in league and make it further in CCS than in the previous season. Although they accomplished the first two goals, MVHS was eliminated in the CCS quarterfinals for the second season in a row, losing to the No. 2 seed Evergreen Valley High School 50-30. Head coach Sara Borelli and fourth-year varsity player senior Siri Adusumilli agree that the team was having an off day, and that its shooting was especially impaired.

“It was a very surreal moment,” Borelli said. “It just felt like our team wasn’t there. [That’s] how I felt at the last CCS game against [EVHS]. Something was not right — like the stars weren’t aligning.”

Junior Varshini Peddinti’s performance in the game, however, was especially exceptional. Out of the team’s 30 total points, she scored 16, 12 of which she scored in the fourth quarter. Reflecting on the team’s overall record, Borelli notes that different players “step up” in each game.

“If you look at our book, it’s several people scoring in every game consistently, and it was different people,” Borelli said. “One game Siri stepped up. One game Vivian [Ong] stepped up. One game Varshini, Julianna [Kimm]. The key is having that camaraderie with their friends on and off the court. It’s [not] like, ‘Oh, I didn’t get my points today.’ When you’re on the court, you have to have each other’s back. That was the mentality and they were so supportive of each other.”

Borelli points to the team’s game against North Salinas High School in the second round of CCS, where the team won 80-73 in overtime, as a time when the team chemistry allowed them to shine. After entering the fourth quarter up by 13 points, the team faced multiple fouls that Borelli described as illogical. However, Borelli says that after NSHS tied up the score and pushed the game into overtime seconds before the fourth quarter ended, the players “didn’t put their heads down.” Rather,

they adopted a resilient mentality that led to their win. Adusumilli and Peddinti both agree that defeating NSHS was the highlight of their season. “We went into overtime WE WENT INTO OVERTIME for the first time and FOR THE FIRST TIME AND it was the [loudest], IT WAS THE [LOUDEST], craziest gym I’ve ever CRAZIEST GYM I’VE EVER played in,” Adusumilli PLAYED IN. IT WAS EAR said. “It was ear splitting. SPLITTING. THREE OF MY Three of my teammates TEAMMATES HAD FOULED had fouled OUT AND WE WERE JUST out and we were just GIVING IT OUR ALL AND giving it our all and I’ve I’VE NEVER FELT SO never felt so hyped and HYPED AND ANGRY ABOUT angry about anything in ANYTHING IN MY LIFE. my life. We played as SENIOR SIRI ADUSUMILLI a team and it was one of the most defining games I’ve ever played in. It was the first time that [NSHS] lost in their home gym.” Due to being league champions for two seasons in a row, MVHS will move up to the De Anza league from the El Camino league for the 2022-23 season, which is the upper division of the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League. This means that next year, the

Juniors Julianna Kimm (left) and Lucy Choy (right) celebrate after the team’s 49-25 defeat of Sequoia High School in the first round of CCS playoffs. (CONTINUE READING ON NEXT PAGE)

team will face stronger teams in league play, such as Homestead High School, which defeated EVHS in the CCS semifinals. Peddinti states that she is excited for the change, as it will allow the team to “bring what they’ve accomplished from previous seasons and channel that into a new environment and setting.”

“I’m glad we are moving up,” Peddinti said. “I think it will be challenging, but it’s also a good way to test our new skills. Coming in as a senior, I know there’s more expectations knowing it’s my last year, but I’m definitely inspired and empowered from previous seniors and memories that I’ve had from games from previous seasons. I think we just have to have fun, play hard and just do what we love, which is to play basketball.” Borelli says that although the team’s league championship and 11-1 record in the 2021 season should technically have been enough to move them up a league, the

team’s hard working mentality allowed them to repeat its success. “[Not getting moved up] was disappointing,” Borelli said. THE KEY IS HAVING “But we were like, ‘We’ll THAT CAMRADERIE [win in league] again.’ So we WITH THEIR FRIENDS did it again. I think what we ON AND OFF THE COURT. need to address is the work WHEN YOU’RE ON THE ethic that these COURT, YOU HAVE TO young ladies had because HAVE EACH OTHER’S our preparation for the season BACK. THAT WAS THE actually started in September MENTALITY AND THEY of 2020. We were out there WERE SO SUPPORTIVE practicing in 104 degree OF EACH OTHER. weather. I don’t think people really recognize HEAD COACH SARA BORELLI how much work these girls have put in to be as successful as we are.” Reflecting on the close of her four years on the varsity team, Adusumilli says that the team’s CCS run and successful season overall was an unforgettable experience for her. “You only get four years, and especially the pandemic made me realize how much you should value those moments,” Adusumilli said. “Basketball is like a second family to me. I see them so much in the span of four months and my teammates, I can’t imagine [not seeing] them. So I’d say cherish the people around you, because there’s very few moments that it’s quite that perfect. It’s never going to be that perfect again.”

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PHOTO COURTESY OF HILARY BARRON | USED WITH PERMISSION

History teacher Hilary Barron dances with the Orchesis Dance Company at Cal Poly.

BACK IN ACTION

MVHS teacher athletes discuss their journeys through sports BY MICHELLE CHEN AND MICHELLE ZHENG

History teacher Hilary Barron was 3 years old when she first started dance, taking ballet lessons and dabbling in jazz. Her love for the sport carried into high school, when she competed on the dance team, and into college, where she eventually became president of her university’s non-competitive dance organization, the Orchesis Dance Company at Cal Poly. After graduating, she worked at Kennedy and Hyde Middle School and ended up connecting with the dance coach at MVHS “who was kind of phasing out.” She “[helped] a year as an assistant coach” and took over the program at MVHS for about nine years. Ultimately, it was dance that prompted Barron to start teaching at MVHS.

Like Barron, English teacher Megan Choate began dancing at a young age. Choate’s experience with dance eventually led her to join cheer in high school. However, Choate says softball was her main sport in her youth, since EL ESTOQUE | MARCH 2022 her parents introduced her to T-ball when she was five.

Guidance counselor Clay Stiver also participated in T-ball at age six. In addition to baseball, Stiver played soccer and competed in YMCA-organized basketball competitions throughout his childhood. When Stiver entered high school, he stopped playing other sports to focus on basketball for his high school as his main sport. However, Stiver regretted dropping his other sports and branched out into playing other sports, such as flag football, in college. Ultimately, however, basketball remained Stiver’s main sport and was what Stiver

coached when he started working at MVHS. While Barron, Stiver and Choate enjoy competing in recreational sports, they struggled IT’S HARD COACHING, to continue NOT JUST THE TIME competitive COMMITMENT, BUT ALSO THE EMOTIONAL COMMITMENT OF THE sports as they took on other commitments in their lives. INS-AND-OUTS AND However, they UPS-AND-DOWNS AND all found ways TROUBLESHOOTING ALL THE VARIOUS THINGS. to continue their athletic journeys, with

HISTORY TEACHER Choate choosing

HILARY BARRON to run “casual, not competitive” marathons, Barron taking yoga classes at home and Stiver hitting the gym. According to Barron, as the time she spent on commitments other than sports began to grow, she felt like it was time for her journey as the MVHS dance coach to wrap up and for her

to begin a new chapter in her life as a the community parent and teacher. of friends that

“When I was coaching, we were come with that practicing four days a week after and peers who are school for two hours a day, plus camps enjoying the same in the summer, thing. Now as plus competition an adult, and season, which moving into [would take] full running, it’s Saturdays, so I more of was just ready something to explore other that is selfchallenges,” fulfilling Barron said. “It’s for me. But hard coaching, when I want not just the time to seek that commitment, but community also the emotional aspect, it’s commitment of the great doing ins-and-outs and things like a ups-and-downs and troubleshooting marathon or all the various things.” half marathon

Nevertheless, Barron still … sharing appreciates the sport — she follows in moments local studios and ballet companies like where we’re the New York City Ballet on Instagram all individual and describes professional dancers as runners, but we “amazing and inspiring to watch.” come together to

Similarly, with “a lot of life stuff do a race.” happening” when Stiver was 30, he wanted to take a “little bit of a break” from his five-year coaching career with the Varsity Boys Basketball team. However, according to Stiver, he “eventually would love to get back into coaching,” as he enjoys the competitive experience and cherishes the relationships that coaching a team sport brings him.

Despite his busy schedule and the fact that he is “not in as good shape as [he] was when [he] was younger,” Stiver has found ways to continue his passion for sports. For example, in order to still enjoy the exhilaration that competing brings him, Stiver started to lift more weights, run miles and play golf to “have some kind of a competition with [himself].”

As for Choate, during the COVID-19 pandemic, she found herself missing physical activity. Since she had always enjoyed running because of the “runner’s high” and feeling of accomplishment afterwards, she decided to begin training for a marathon, which she says further helped her “fall in love with the sport of running.” “[The marathon] was really special because it was actually on my birthday,” Choate said. “They had canceled it because of COVID, and it got rescheduled to my literal birthday, so it was really special. My best friend ran it with me too. And I had a birthday crown and sash, so everyone was wishing me a happy birthday. It was a really warm, positive experience.” Throughout their childhood and into their adulthood, the relationship that Barron, Choate and Stiver had with sports changed, as seen through their experiences; however, the community that these sports introduced into their lives – whether it’s the people Choate met while running, the students Barron worked with at MVHS or the teammates Stiver played with in his high school basketball career – has been an unchanging factor that influences their passion to continue sports. “In high school, it was a way to just be involved at school,” Choate said. “I think that [sports] help make the high school experience special, just

English teacher Megan Choate runs in her first marathon on her birthday in October. Guidance counselor Clay Stiver does the second set of his workout’s final routine on a row machine in the MVHS weight training room.

I THINK THAT [SPORTS] HELP MAKE THE HIGH SCHOOL EXPERIENCE SPECIAL, JUST THE COMMUNITY OF FRIENDS THAT COME WITH THAT AND PEERS WHO ARE ENJOYING THE SAME THING.

ENGLISH TEACHER MEGAN CHOATE

PHOTO COURTESY OF MEGAN CHOATE | USED WITH PERMISSION PHOTO BY MICHELLE ZHENG

MUSCLE ENVY

Examining the body insecurities male athletes face BY TVISHA GUPTA AND AASHNA PATEL

The thundering sound of feet slamming onto the field filled the air as the athletes on the MVHS football team sprinted across the field for their running drills as part of their daily practice. Senior Ronit Ramachandani, who was a freshman at the time, pushed himself to keep up with the others, panting and sweating. However, he soon found himself falling behind and ending up as the last player to cross the finish line, the upperclassmen long cooled down. After finishing last in numerous other drills over and over, Ramachandani found himself comparing his body to those of the other, faster and fitter members on the team.

ILLUSTRATION | SONIA VERMA

“My freshman and sophomore years, I was not really focusing on my diet,” Ramachandani said. “I wouldn’t be in the best shape compared to the others and it made me feel bad about myself.”

According to Sports Connect, sports like football and wrestling often require certain body types, and players frequently find themselves feeling pressured to keep up the body standard prescribed by their respective sport. In the process, athletes like first-year football player and junior Dillon Huang experience distressing feelings and frequently find themselves feeling low.

“I don’t actually go to the weight room,” Huang says. “I feel like I’m being kind of teased for not being strong enough.”

Senior Kaushal Amancherla adds that in the past, comparing himself to other wrestlers who are more muscular than him has negatively affected his image of himself and reduced his confidence before tournaments. Similarly, Ramchandani recalls comparing his body to those of other, more experienced players when he first started playing football. He experienced discomfort in his own body upon seeing others that better fit the typical body standards of his sport — standards that include toned bodies and large muscles.

“Not being able to hit as hard as other people affected me,” Ramachandani said. “I didn’t have enough muscle, and I was always looking and [thinking], ‘I wish I was like that.’ It’s really draining because every day you see these people and see them performing better than you and you want to be them.”

According to Gatorade Sports Science Institute, weight management is exceptionally important to football players. Often, higher body masses correlate to acquiring desired positions on teams, higher playtime

and higher pay in the NFL. These benefits frequently appeal to high school playersW and push them to pursue the body types of professional players. Mishra explains that linemen and tacklers are generally “larger,” while other positions like the wide receiver require one to be “more agile and fast.”

“It creates a culture like ‘Oh [if] you play at a line … you’re fatter or not as fast [and] skilled,” Mishra said. “But it takes [an] equal amount of talent to do both.”

Huang emphasizes that nationwide representations of football frequently pressure high schoolers to maintain a certain and unrealistic physical appearance. He adds that the significance of football in American culture only adds to this pressure, and leads to people pursuing impractical appearances.

“People in football want to look like professional NFL football players with big muscles [and look] really fit,” Huang said. “Sometimes people prioritize aesthetics over strength. They want to be the person on the field who looks the most ‘football-like.’”

Ramachandani echoes Huang’s belief that the media’s representation of football players can cause body insecurity for athletes. He says that when he “wasn’t in the best shape,” viewing posts on social media promoting a stereotypical, unattainable body type hindered his confidence.

“[People] show a lot of things on the internet [that] is not reality,” Ramachandani said. “You want to check out your physique when you’re done working out and it affects your mental health. Because looking at other people you’re like, ‘Wow, they look so good. Wow. I want to be like them.’”

SOMETIMES PEOPLE PRIORITIZE AESTHETICS OVER STRENGTH. THEY Similarly, Mishra adds that a lot of videos on TikTok promote

WANT TO BE THE PERSON an unrealistic

ON THE FIELD WHO LOOKS exercise and

MOST FOOTBALL-LIKE. diet culture, which encourage athletes to strive JUNIOR DILLON HUANG for idealistic body types. “Having a really shredded body [is] something that [has been] popularized a lot online,” Mishra said. “But I think it gets a little bit overwhelming at times [when] people will start judging people for it.” However, both Huang and Ramachandani agree that players can often use these negative, distressing feelings as a form of motivation in order to help them succeed on and off the field. Huang says that he uses his frustration as encouragement at practice to push himself to achieve his desired body type when training. Similarly, Ramachandani has used his feelings of discomfort to push himself to build a type of body that he feels 43% comfortable with, one that can help him achieve on the field. “I like to work out a lot of MVHS athletes to improve my body and my have experienced body confidence. insecurities in their sport *According to a survey of 106 people The gym and the sport was a really big part of my life,” Ramachandani said. “In the beginning, it was really frustrating, but getting that motivation and push from teammates … and [talking] to coaches would motivate me overall. It was a good environment.”

WEIGHT CUTTING

Stomach grumbling and mouth dry, senior Kaushal Amancherla feels his energy sapping out of him as he does his tasks for the day. Amancherla, a member of the MVHS wrestling team, is cutting weight in order to fit into his assigned weight category for his upcoming wrestling tournament.

Cutting weight is a common practice for wrestlers and athletes in combat sports, in which athletes reduce their intake of food and water and wear many layers of clothes in order to dehydrate the body and take off as much weight as they can. However, Amancherla feels increasingly exhausted as the negative impacts of this process catch up to him.

“I was so sluggish that day,” Amancherla said. “I could not function properly. It really does take away from your performance if you don’t do it correctly.”

Junior Aditya Mishra says that wrestling’s culture became tougher for him as he progressed in the sport. Mishra pinpoints the moment he realized the effect that wrestling’s weightcutting culture could have on a wrestler’s physical health, when he witnessed one of his friends trying to cut down 10 pounds in one day by running the whole day. Mishra thought attempting to lose this much weight in such a short period of time was not only nonsensical but also extreme and dangerous.

“They’re not eating — they’re completely fatigued,” Mishra said. “When they do end up going into their matches, they’re completely wasted because they’ve spent the entire day losing all this weight and they made it, but they’re not able to wrestle at their best.”

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PHOTO | KRISH DEV

PHOTO | KRISH DEV

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