B section of issue 8 of 2008-2009 MC SUN

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SPORTS & ARTS

Friday

March 13, 2009

B Mt. Carmel SuN

Wrestling defeats Westview to win League; repeats CIF championship kaveri gyanendra features editor

overtime 11-9. Senior Anthony Weber lost to his Westview opponent by one, 4-3.

“Nothing specifically went wrong,” Division II champs for the second Mavrin said. “The others were just better.” year in a row, the Sundevil varsity wrestling “We won as a team,” senior Weber said. squad will have the honor of being the “It wasn’t a good night for individuals but it pride behind yet another CIF banner hang- was a good night as a team.” ing in the gym.

Despite the numerous losses that the At the Feb. 21 Division II CIF finals, Sundevils faced, they pulled out a win and the boys came out sent six of the teamtriumphant over Hillmates to the Masters top High School. tournament.

“I’m happy we won CIF, Going into the At the Masters finals the Sundev- second year in a row and third tournament, three ils had more than a time in MC history.” of the Sundevil 40-point lead over competitors placed - Artem Marvin (12) Hilltop. however none of them qualified to Seven of the advance to the State meet. boys made it into the finals, but their skill Weber and Mavrin were both one spot swung the other way, as they dropped all away from making it to State as they placed seven final matches. fourth and the top three in each weight “It was kind of a demoralizing end,” class are sent to State. senior Artem Mavrin said. “Our team, as a Although CIF did not swing well for whole, did very well and all of our earlier them individually, the boys were overall satwins put us ahead in the finals.”

In the match between freshman Alex isfied with how their season went.

“We accomplished our goal of winning Weber and his Hilltop opponent, there was a dispute about the score, the officials un- League champs, beating Westveiw and winning CIF,” Mavrin said. “I’m happy we won certain of where the points were.

Eventually the disagreement was set- CIF, second year in a row and third time in tled with the Hilltop opponent winning in MC history.”

“

Matt COffelt | photo editor

Anthony Webber (12) struggles to pin his opponent during his match at the Masters on March, 7. No wrestlers advanced to state.

Girls soccer loses in shootout

Mary carmen gonzalez | photographer

Vanessa Currie (12) rushes down field in the CIF quarterfinal match against University City. The team reached CIF finals and lost to Point Loma in penalty kicks.

Melissa Roadman Editor-in-chief The stadium at Granite Hills was buzzing with excitement as the CIF Division II title game began last Saturday. With players in the ready position, the whistle blew and the game began.

Within two minutes, the Sundevil fans were coming out of their seats. Senior Kristin Poggioli had scored a goal, bringing the Sundevils the lead against Point Loma, 1-0.

“We came out strong right at the beginning of the game and got an early goal,” freshman Meghan Berry said.

“Everyone was playing the hardest I’ve ever seen and it was great to see us all working hard as a team,” senior Cindy Peralta said.

The girls held off Point Loma and ended the first half still in the lead. The second half proved to be rough for the girls.

“Kristin Poggioli hurt her ankle in the second half we... knew that we had lost force up top,” Peralta said. “The referees didn’t protect us that well so a lot of players were getting hurt and we weren’t getting all the calls that we deserved.”

A questionable penalty kick was called against MC, and Point Loma scored, tying up the game. The game proved to be a tight one

Basketball hopes crushed

as both teams continued to battle for the Division II championship title through overtime and into a penalty kick shoot-out. According to Berry, they were not as prepared for penalty kicks because “we just haven’t really practiced [them] that much.”

Point Loma scored four of their penalty kicks to win. Although the girls were not named CIF champions, they fought out a hard game.

Reaching the finals was an accomplishment not many MC soccer players have been able to add to their resume. Fourteen years ago, while current coach Dani Schelhorse was a junior, MC soccer entered the CIF finals.

Seven years later, the team once again reached the finals. Both teams lost. After another seven years, this year’s Sundevils reached the finals once again.

The road to the CIF finals was also an accomplishment for the girls.

They were seeded second, thus had a bye the first week. In the quarterfinals, the team defeated University City, 2-1.

According to Berry, the girls did not have their best performance, however, their determination led to the victory.

“We weren’t actually playing very well that game,” Berry said. “They had a really, really good keeper so after Kellie got that nice left footed shot and then we just got back in it. We never stopped fighting for it. We weren’t playing well at all, but we never gave up, so that’s what got us the win.”

Once again, the girls came out victorious in the semifinals against Scripps Ranch, 2-1.

“The Scripps Ranch game was tough and by no means our best game but we worked hard together to pull out a win in the end,” Peralta said.

Amanda Stintsman | photographer Although the third time in the finals was Brea Matthews (12 ) shoots a basket in the team’s win against Ramona. not the charm for the girls soccer team, they Going into the season, the girls basketball team had three goals: to go undefeated and still had a great season. Their final overall rewin league, get the second seed for CIF, and win another CIF banner. ( story continued on page B2) cord was 16-7-2.

Boys soccer defies early expectations, reaches CIF semi-finals Paresh Dave WEB Editor The positive news for the boys soccer team: they had only one senior starter. The bad news: that senior, midfielder Stephen Griswold, wished their surprisingly good season could have continued just a game longer.

Coming off a first round bye, MC pulled off a second half comeback to beat Hilltop 2-1 in the quarterfinals. But, against top-seeded Valhalla in the semifinals last Tuesday, MC mustered just a lone goal from junior Andy Bolin, losing 2-1.

According to coach Mark Green, the win

came with a huge sense of relief.

“Hilltop outplayed us and we were off in every facet of the game,” he said. “In the second half, everyone came to realize the impending doom and made up their minds to go.”

Green felt things that went poorly in the game were things they had done well all season.

He expected their play to rebound.

Against Valhalla, they did come out with an early goal, but Valhalla tied the game in the second half.

With about twenty minutes to play, Valhalla scored on a penalty kick awarded as a result of a handball violation. For MC, the

Friday’s luck had disappeared.

“It’s sad, you never want to see that happen because it’s unfortunate,” Griswold said.

“We were just unlucky.”

Green offered similar thoughts, but said he couldn’t blame it on the stand-in referees.

“No coach of a losing team likes to have the game taken out of their hands because we just had to play tougher to match Valhalla’s level of play,” he said. “It kind of broke our backs.”

Nonetheless, Green could not have been more proud of team full of youth and inexperience.

“We have a bunch guys from other clubs

who have never played before, guys who aren’t fresh, guys from JV, guys who didn’t even play at all last year and we spent the first half of the season trying to mesh together and figure out what we wanted to do,” Green said. “By the time we figured that out, we were 0 for our first 8 games and we needed to win 9 out of 12 to make the playoffs and we did.

“I’ve been coaching for 10 years and this is the best group of guys I’ve had,” he said. “We over-achieved, we got further than we should have, we won more games than we should have and my biggest regret is that such a great group of guys couldn’t experience going to and winning the finals. They did ev-

erything they could have possibly done to get there.”

The team will return next year without Griswold and a few other seniors, but the team will now have a core that will get another shot at the goal of winning a CIF title, this time with some playoff experience already behind them.

“I expect them to make it at least this far next year,” Griswold said. “This loss will give them some experience and they will know what it takes next year. We never really expected our team to do that well this year. And we actually made it pretty far. The team next year will have a lot more confidence.”

Sports

B2

March 13, 2009

>>

GIRLS BASKETBALL KNOCKED OUT OF CIF during semi-finals

Mt. Carmel SUN

New leadership guides boys lax team MACKENZIE LANCE SPORTS EDITOR

offs.

Continued from page B1

The team had a very successful season. They accomplished two out of three of their goals from the start of the season.

Although they didn’t win CIF this year, they did go undefeated throughout league play, win the Valley League title, and get the second seed for CIF. Sophomore Melissa Anewalt thinks that the team’s chemistry on the court had a lot to do with their leauge play success this season.

“We had good team chemistry, everyone on the team has such a good personality that it was really easy for us all to get along,” Anewalt said.

The team’s final game didn’t go the way they wanted it to go.

“We let West Hills get a big lead in the first half. We outscored them in the third quarter but we could never gain a lead.”

Coach Blalock did her best to try and motivate the team during half time.

“At the halftime, Coach Blalock gave an unbelievable inspiring and intense speech to motivate us to go out and win, I was so pumped up I was shaking.”

In the final minutes of the game, it sunk in that the season was over and there was nothing any member of the team could do about it.

“With less than a minute left in the game, down by 12, the crown yelling “this is over” is when it hit me that our biggest goal all season has not been reached.

“It was hard to fight back the tears as West Hills shot their final free throws with big smiles on their faces. It was hard for all of us of course, but I feel truly bad for the seniors who did so much for our team’s success this season.”

The end of the season was disappointing for the girls but they still remain optimistic about next season.

“I expect we will be a strong team next year as well, we will practice hard and try to work out in the off season more,” Voris said.

Although the graduating seniors will be missed, there are good players that will be brought up from junior varsity to fill their vacated spots.

“This year’s seniors were a big part of Mount Carmel’s program but, there are great girls coming up to varsity who have learned from the graduating seniors.”

-Sara Shantz Staff Writer

Lacrosse is a full contact sport.

Sticks smash into torsos as shoulders ram backs.

Once the initial shock of brutality fades, lacrosse is a game of technique.

“We practice game situations in practice,” senior captain David Darling said. “We prepare for different teams’ defenses and play five versus four.”

The initial tryout process took place three weeks ago, with the only requirements being basic knowledge of the sport and athletic ability.

Now that they have entered the season, the practices focus on possibilities they could encounter in the games.

“We do a fair amount of fundamentals like passing and catching,” senior Alexander Gaurette said. “We also do a lot of off balance, where the offense is man-up.”

The team hopes to make play-

Their ambition has led to some unorthodox mottos for the season. “[It’s important to] be a savage, because every time you lose, a part of you dies,” Darling said.

Their first game on March 9 was a step on the road to making playoffs with a win over Monte Vista. “[The game] went pretty well,” Gaurette said. “The first half didn’t go so great, but we pulled through in the end, winning 6-4.”

The team has a bright attitude towards the new season thanks to new leadership.

“Our new coach is great,” Gaurette said. “He is much better than the one last year, so we’re looking toward a successful season.”

Other team leadership includes senior captains Darling, who has been playing for the varsity team since his freshman year, and Joey Pospichal.

The team finishes the week with two more games, against San Diegito ANA ALVAREZ | PHOTOGRAPHER Academy on Wednesday and Serra Trevor Rydahl (12) runs with the ball in a recent game against Monte Vista. It was the season opener, today. and the boys won, 6-4, after a comeback in the second half. Their next game is tonight at Serra.

Gymnastics prepares for upcoming season RACHEL MARTIN OPINIONS EDITOR

KYLE COVEY | PHOTOGRAPHER

Shelby Bruce (12) practices on the bars, as she prepares for the season ahead. The first match is on March 22 against LCC.

The girls in the room were glistening with sweat as they continued their sit-up routine on the floor.

A few minutes later, they moved on to push-ups and other strength exercises.

Since the week after February break, the MC gymnastics team has been working hard to get back in shape.

“That week is basically when we get back into working out every day,” senior Shelby Bruce said. “We do a lot of stretching, a lot of running, conditioning, strength exercises, like pushups, all that fun stuff.

“We start getting onto the equipment a little bit. Like on beam, we started doing our basic skills. We get a little bit into bars, but not heavy stuff.”

In the coming weeks, the girls

plan to perfect their fundamentals and apply them to their routines.

Currently, the head coach, Monique LT, and her assistant coaches are working to figure out who will compete in each event.

“They pick who they think would be most prepared,” senior Tina Wilhelm said.

The coaches are ever-present at practices, working to critique each girl to improve her skills in each event.

“There are five categories” Wilhelm said. “You can win an individual event or all-around, which is if you compete all four events, all your scores put together. There’s vault, bar, beam, floor and all-around.”

If you have ever been to a gymnastics meet, you know that the scoring system is fairly hard to understand.

“Each routine starts with a 10.0 start value,” Bruce said. “And depending on what you do wrong in a routine,

like bent leg or falling, has a different deduction value. Like, say you fall off the beam or something, that’s half a point, so five tenths.

“That’s one of the biggest deductions, or if you miss a skill in the routine. The judges count up all the things you did wrong and subtract it from ten, and you get your score.”

The team, slightly larger than last year’s Varsity team, which had 13 girls, is also working on their team dynamics.

Since the season has just begun, the team has yet to strengthen their bond outside of practice, but they definitely intend to.

“Throughout the season we have a lot of team sleepovers and spaghetti dinners before each meet, and after the meet we always go to eat,” Bruce said.

The team will compete in their first meet at home against LCC on March 20.

Smaller team promotes stronger chemistry among lacrosse girls VANDANA BHAIRI STAFF WRITER The weather is slowly changing from its usual gray skies to bright, blue days. Sports change with it from indoor, to outdoor. One of the many outdoor sports played in springtime is girls lacrosse, whose season started on March 2. The girls waste no time, even during tryouts, which, according to junior Jin Su, were a lot harder than before.

“You really had to work for it,” she said. “There was a lot more people, and everyone tries hard. The competition was up.”

According to junior Cammy Chapatte, the reason for the extra intense practices was to make a smaller team.

“Last season we had 21 girls but this season we only have 16,” Chapatte said. “I think the coach wants fewer girls, so they can get more playing time.”

Chapatte also believes that this

smaller team has had a positive impact on the team’s chemistry.

“There’s less cliques,” she said.

“We get along better than last season.

We’d fight because people wouldn’t try.”

With the switch of leagues, senior Melinda Ching expects a better season.

“We are going to have more wins,” she said. “And like our coach said ‘play and dominate.’”

Agreeing with Ching, senior Erin

Sundevil Spotlight

Moses hopes to follow through with the coach’s words.

“We want to win leagues and do better in CIFs,” she said.

Ching, along with many others, believes that one of the keys to winning leagues and CIFs is encouragement from the captains, junior Erin Menefee, Chapatte, and junior Carly Voris.

“The captains are just good leaders,” she said. “They are really good at making us try. They encourage and

support us.”

Being Captain involves important responsibilities, according to Chapatte.

“We have to try a lot harder to motivate girls; it’s up to us,” she said.

“It’s our job to keep things organized, and we have to set boundaries for JV.” With their captains hoping to lead them towards victory, the team plays their first game today against Bonita Vista in the Sundevil Stadium.

Matthews attributes success to entire team Fox shines on both soccer, softball teams QUICK HITS QUICK HITS

Brea matthews Shayon Said Staff writer To the line, ball in hand, the whistle blows, the ball flies, the net swishes. Just another shot, just another basket, just another Brea Matthews’ possession. It’s not hard to be far from ordinary, but it’s a challenge to reach extraordinary. However, considering that senior Brea Matthews’ beyondbelief characteristics on and off the basketball court, extraordinary doesn’t seem too complicated to accomplish for her.

Though she was named the North County Times Player of the Year for girls basketball, Matthews doesn’t take the credit for her reputation. Instead, she believes it’s the understanding she has with the team that makes her and her teammates so close, and that the

team is the true priority in the game.

“I believe that I have given all that I can to the varsity girls team,” she said. “I was a victim of many injuries; nevertheless, the success of my team was a priority before my own welfare.”

Having been part of such of a successful team obviously creates pressure. Paradoxically, for Matthews, the pressure on the team is what actually made the team they are.

“I think the reason why we’re such a good team is because we want to be, and we expect ourselves to be,” she said. “The players on our team want to get better and are willing to put in the time and effort to become better.

We are aware of the high expectations people have of the team, and instead of being intimidated, we work to exceed them.”

They ended with a CIF semifinals loss, but Matthews believes that her final high school season has ended strongly.

“I feel that my high school career has been a struggle, but in the end, I have no regrets, and I am confident that I have been a much stronger and better basketball player.”

And so the game continued, the ball bounced, and the team continued to score.

What is your greatest fear and why?

“My greatest fear is not that I’m inadequate but that I’m powerful beyond measure.” - Nelson Mandela What’s your weirdest food combination?

Potato chips and popcorn If you could un-invent one thing, what would it be?

Senior scrapbook Who do you admire?

I admire my parents, Candice Parker, Tyra Banks, Obama, and Oprah Winfrey.

If you could have any superpower, what would it be and why?

The ability to make people do whatever I say because then I’ll always have what I want.

If you could own any brand of clothes, what would it be?

Bebe, I love their sweat suits.

KELLIE FOX KAVERI GYANENDRA fEATURES EDITOR From the playground to college bound, junior Kellie Fox takes pride in boasting her list of accomplishments right from the grass of the soccer fields to the dirt of the softball diamond.

Starting off with soccer at age three, Fox has played on the MC varsity team for three years as the team’s forward. Ranked fifth in the county’s scoring leaders, Fox finds the toughest part of soccer the physical strain.

“I get really beat up on the field,” Fox said.

In the 2008-2009 soccer season, she scored 14 goals and made five goals. The week of Feb. 10 Fox was named Athlete of the Week by North County Times for her assist during the

game versus Westview and her two goals in the game with Valley Center.

She was also named All-League First Team along with teammate senior, Danielle Leiva. Although Fox outshines others on the soccer field, she is just as serious about softball.

Playing competitively since age 12, Fox is the varsity softball team’s shortstop.

According to Fox, it is the teammates who make the sport so enjoyable.

“I love being a part of the team and have a great group of girl friends that love being competitive the same way I do on the field,” she said.

The girls around her make the game fun but beside the good times, Fox says the hardest part of the game for her is the psychological part.

“The most challenging part of softball is the mental game, always having to know what the next play is and preparing for at bats,” she said.

With the softball season now started, Fox will be involved with that sport for the next few years as right now she is verbally committed to play for UCLA later down the road.

In addition to a busy schedule with soccer and softball, Fox is an active member at her church and also spends time with younger girls who want to learn more about softball.

What is your greatest fear and why?

Spiders because they are creepy What’s your weirdest food combination?

Peanut butter and chocolate chips If you could un-invent one thing, what would it be?

Computers, so people would meet up more and talk in person Who do you admire?

My older sister Kristie If you could have any superpower, what would it be and why?

Fly-- to travel and be able to see the world If you could own any brand of clothes, what would it be?

Nordstroms What is your worst pet peeve and why?

Guys wearing flipflops because their feet are nasty.

Sports

Mt. Carmel SUN

B3

March 13, 2009

Spring Sports Preview With new competition, softball team optimistic for season, hopes for third consecutive CIF title Vincent Pham staff writer

ana alvarez | photographer

The softball team huddles before their victory against Cathedral Catholic on March 10.

Winning is a tradition that the girls softball team would like to extend this year in hopes of capturing their third consecutive CIF championship.

With a team stacked with future collegiate athletes, the team is poised to go the distance. Senior Vanessa Currie believes the success over these past years has enabled the team to build camaraderie.

“Winning CIFs these past years have made us a lot stronger,” Currie said. “It has helped us develop our bond and be closer, because we’re able to share that title together.”

Junior Ashley Romano says that having many experienced players should be a key boost for the upcoming season.

“Most of the girls on our team have been playing softball since they were about four years old,” Romano said.

Former head coach Ruby Chavez has decided to step down into the role of assistant coach. Instead, her husband Cesar Chavez will be taking over the role of head coach this season.

Currie believes that the coaches have done a lot to influence the team with their unique coaching styles.

“Coach [Ruby] Chavez and her husband are not like normal coaches,” Currie said. “They’ll make us work hard of course, but they are not super strict. If we want In-n-Out one day, they’ll go pick up In-n-Out for us. But we work for what we deserve.”

The team has been training rigorously for the start of the season. Their routine usually consists of doing a warm-up jog, then stadiums to get the blood flowing. Then afterwards, they do conditioning drills like hurdles and ladders before going through their offensive and defensive situations.

A switch from the Palomar League into the Valley League should give the team even more added confidence entering the season.

“Switching leagues is a definite plus,” Currie said. “We don’t have to deal with Poway and RB anymore but we can’t overlook these new teams so we’ll have to continue playing hard.”

The team is just looking for a catcher to fill a gap but is set elsewhere. The team’s most promising players this year are third baseman Currie, left fielder Romano, senior second baseman Maggie Doremus, junior shortstop Kellie Fox and junior center fielder Alix Johnson.

Romano has a very optimistic outlook and has high hopes for what the team can accomplish this year.

“Goal number one for us is to do well in all the tournaments we have coming up,” Romano said. “Goal number two is to win the Valley League. Goal number three is to play better, game by game, and ultimately win the CIF title.”

The team’s first game was on March 10 against Cathedral Catholic.

Then the team played Southwest afterwards.

Off season training prepares track After loss of nine seniors, baseball team team for another successful season struggles to win at beginning of season Abby Mansour staff writer BEEP BEEP BEEP! He reluctantly shuts off his alarm clock.

It is 5 a.m. and junior David Vasko is already up and headed to school, ready to run.

Vasko and numerous other track athletes have been hard at work, training for the track season.

“During pre-season we do things like road runs—we get the long runs in earlier,” junior Erin Menefee said. “Now we do more on the track to work on speed.”

“We simulate race conditions in practice to enable them to be at their best physically and mentally,” Coach Nathan Boyer said. “We also develop team camaraderie, which helps in the more difficult parts of races.”

However, this is exactly what these athletes want and have come to expect.

“Even though it’s running, when you’re with [the team] it’s really fun,” Vasko said.

The season is already up and rolling, with a Mission Hills dual meet on March 5 and the Cathedral and University City Tri-meet yesterday.

The team did well at the preseason meet at Mission Hills. Senior Sarah Tran easily won the pole vault. The throwers also did well, sweeping the discus. What makes this sport truly unique is that every athlete can have very specific individual goals as well as team goals.

“I want to break the school record for the mile and the 2 mile,” Menefee said.

“You always want to PR [per-

sonal record],” Vasko said. “My current mile time is 4:39. I want to get it to 4:25.”

Vasko also has big goals for the team.

“We should win leagues,” he said.

Boyer also has his goals for the team. “[I hope] For everyone to improve and to get the most of themselves, to develop a character of integrity, honesty and perseverance, and to enjoy the experience of competing as part of a team and to become lifelong fitness enthusiasts,” he said.

All share an optimistic outlook on the rest of the season.

“We are just a really strong team,” Vasko said. “We worked hard in pre-season, and it should pay off.”

Kaveri Gyanenera Features Editor Bound by team chemistry, the varsity baseball team is ready to swing into the new season with a positive outlook.

Despite the loss of over nine critical senior players last year, Coach Mike Giaime is optimistic about the months ahead.

“It’s a rebuilding year, but we have some returners with experience,” Giaime said. “We aren’t as talented a team, but we do have a better work ethic. Our practices have been awesome, and we are working hard.”

In comparison to last year, the team did not go through as strenuous and rigorous pre-season training.

“We really just ran a lot,” senior Kyle Karshner said. “It’ll help us later in the games because we will have more endurance.”

The team edged Chula Vista 7-5 in their opening game. Going into the last inning behind, junior Kenny James slammed a homer to win it.

According to Karshner, the boys did a good job of capitalizing on the other team’s mistakes and hitting well.

The next game versus Torrey Pines wasn’t as successful.

“Our hitting struggled and the pitching sucked,” Karshner said.

“Our team can outhit any other team but in the game against Torrey Pines we were not hitting well,” senior Dennis Bowman said.

Although the boys didn’t bring home a win against Torrey Pines, they look at these preseason games as a way to get ready for the critical games in league. On the Tuesday game against Scripps Ranch, the boys lost by one, 5-4.

“We know we should not make as

many mistakes and not walk as many people,” Karshner said. “Preseason games give us more experience, especially for the ones that are new on varsity. It gets then used to the speed of the game.”

In addition to the preseason games, the team will be heading to Las Vegas for a tournament with teams from various areas of the country. “[The Vegas tournament] will be a good test for the season,” Karshner said. “It’ll be fun to play teams from different areas and see how our southern California baseball compares to the other teams.”

Although the team lost many critical players, their pitching and defense will be essential for their success.

“We’re looked at as the underdog right now,” Karshner said. “But I really think we will be able to come together and surprise people.”

Swim looks to keep winning tradition alive; switch to Valley League brings positive, negative changes

New talent brings high hopes, goals of second CIF banner; first game next week

Kevin Lage Entertainment Editor

Sara Shantz Staff Writer

The 2009 MC swim team has a big reputation to live up to with last year’s success in CIF. In 2008, the boys team placed first in CIF and the girls team placed third. In an attempt to improve on this success, the team is going through a rigorous practice schedule.

On Mon., Wed., Fri., the team has morning practice from 5:15 to 7 a.m. and afternoon practice from 5 to 8 p.m. On Tues. and Thurs. the team practices from 2:45 to 5:45.

Boys

The past two years, the boys have brought home the CIF title, but they have failed to win the league titles. The team feels confident about their chances for a third CIF title.

“I believe we will have a great season; we are already a pretty strong team, stronger than we probably have been this early on in the past,” senior Chris Gallardo said. “As far as goals as a team we want to win CIF for the third time and win the league and if we could do that on the girls

side that would be great too.”

While the Valley League promises to be easier to succeed in, the team actually believes that it will hurt them in the long run.

“Our new league is not exactly the strongest, so it’s a positive because winning leagues is a very reachable goal,” Gallardo said. “But it also puts us at a disadvantage because we won’t be used to racing as fast of swimmers as we did in the past so we just need to make sure we work hard to counteract that.”

GirlS

Last season, the girls team went undefeated in the Palomar League and fell just short in CIF. Nevertheless, the team has high hopes for victory this year.

“We are looking to an undefeated win in the Valley League,” senior Taylor Bugg said.

“CIF is definitely a possibility and within our reach for both the guys and girls. Our goal is to have a great season with wins on both the guys’ and the girls’ side.”

The team might have a hard time achieving this goal because of the loss of many talented swimmers since last year.

“We lost several key swimmers but we have a lot of new freshman on the team that will potentially win us a lot of points,” Bugg said. “Our team also has a lot more depth this year, which is crucial.”

allison rogers | Photographer

Patrick Nowak (12) works on his butterfly technique during practice. The teams’ first league meet is March 20.

Although many key players graduated last year, the boys volleyball team is optimistic about this season.

“Our practices are going well so far, even though we’ve only been practicing for a couple of weeks,” junior Connor Mortland said. “We feel like there are many more good things to come.”

The team has big goals for this season and is looking forward to it.

“We want to come together as a team with such a new roster, do well in league, and hopefully take home a CIF banner,” junior Nick England said.

Choosing the players who would make the team this year was particularly difficult.

“The tryouts were four days long and lasted for about two hours per day,” England said.

“There was a lot of talent and so many players to choose from. Many extremely difficult decisions were made on who would make the team.”

The team is confident about winning a second consecutive CIF banner.

“I think winning CIF is a very reasonable goal; we do have a new, young team, but if everyone works hard, I think we will be a force to be reckoned with,” England said.

The new league will bring about big changes for the boys this season.

“Although we are not in the dominant Palomar League anymore, I believe that we still cannot take any team for granted,” Mortland said. “We have to play every team to the best of our ability.”

The boys plan on having regularly scheduled team bonding activities to help with chemistry on the court.

“Team bonding is an important part of our team getting to know each other better,” Mortland said.

“We have about three or four team dinners every year and we hang out before our tournaments in Santa Barbara and Redondo Beach. We usually go to a movie and dinner as a team.”

The team feels like their work ethic will take them far

matt coffelt | photo editor

Derek Osmon (12) concentrates on passing the ball while at practice. Their first game will be March 19 in the Sundevil Arena.

this season.

“We work hard at practice and really work on playing as a team, if we can do that we should do well in league tournaments and CIF,” England said.

Dive into the gym on March 19 at 5 p.m. to see the boys play their first game.

Entertainment

B4

Mt. Carmel SUN

March 13, 2009

San Diego’s Indie Scene Independent movie theaters provide less common films

Title: Uzumaki Rating: R

to enjoy; different kind of movie-going experience

Weird doesn’t even beto describe “Uzumaki.”

“Uzumaki,” which translates to spiral or vortex, is the live action movie based on the manga series written by Junji Ito. It has a very strange, but very interesting concept.

Put simply, it is about a small town called Kurôzu-cho, in which the people become obsessed with something very peculiar: spirals.

The story starts with Kirie Goshima (Eriko Hatsune) going through her daily life, along with her boyfriend, Suichi Saito (Fhi Fan).

They first begin to notice this obsession among the residents of the town with Saito’s father. He begins to stop going to work and brings everything with a spiral shape home.

Eventually, people of the town begin killing themselves in spiral related deaths, such as jumping down a spiral staircase, or even stranger, turning their bodies into spirals, like twisting their arms, or even stranger than that, some people turn into giant snail people.

Goshima and Saito have got to figure a way out of this before the obsession takes control of them.

“Uzumaki” was a very strange and, at some points, confusing movie.

The way the author of the book wrote this was that an obsession was like a spiral. It starts off normal in the beginning, but eventually, the obsession keeps going down and down until a person hits the bottom. However, in the books and movie, the spiral was not only used as a metaphor for obsession, but also as the literal obsession.

“Uzumaki” was a genius movie.

Every part of it draws in attention.

It is unlike any movie ever made. It is a truly weird, but interesting watch. gin

MELANIE DICKINSON STAFF WRITER Students flock to Mira Mesa for the latest flick, the “butter-flavoring” drenched popcorn, and cushy stadium seating. For Italian sodas, fresh-baked cookies, and foreign and indie treasures they couldn’t find anywhere else, they would go to one of San Diego’s independent theaters.

The nation’s predominant patron of historical and independent venues, Landmark Theaters, is the main reason the few indie theaters in San Diego are still around today. Ken Cinema was only the second of Landmark’s acquisitions since the company’s founding in 1974, following the Nuart Theater in LA. Like its sister Landmarks in La Jolla and Hillcrest, the Ken (Kensington), on Adams Ave. shows mostly indie, or at least less mainstream, films. While they tend to play movies that few have even heard of, they have recently been playing Oscar-nominated “Doubt,” “Milk,” and winner “Slumdog Millionaire.”

Unique to the Ken, however, was

a recent feature on Oscar-nominated shorts. It also plays host to the annual Film Out festival in May. Alongside the Kensington Grill and a very classy VHS rental place, you wouldn’t think the Ken would have as big a theater as it does tucked behind its tiny lobby. Although its screen is probably the size of Pacific screens, the theater fits over 500 in the one room. La Jolla Village Theaters is probably the most well visited of the bunch. Its four screens draw near full houses every weekend.

La Jolla Village is popular for its Midnight Movies, handmade displays, and proximity to UCSD and a wellvisited shopping center. It can also be rented out for “late-night videogame forays.” Most of the cinemas not obtained by Landmark have gone under.

But there are still a couple surviving treasures, most notably Balboa Theater, in the heart of Downtown. Built in 1924 and closed in 1986, it was recently restored, only opening again in January of last year. These historical treasures help contribute to San Diego’s thriving local culture, and are all worth a visit.

Unsigned bands offer escape from mainstream music SARAH CARRIGAN STAFF WRITER

-Sean Williams

Artist: The Dresden Dolls Album: No, Virginia PHOTO COURTESY OF JAMMINJAVA.COM

Piano and drums coordinate with rhythmical, satirical, and cynical lyrics to produce a mix of sound original to The Dresden Dolls.

Lead singer Amanda Palmer plays piano while drummer Brian Viglione creates great beats.

They call their music Brechtian Punk Cabaret, a genre of dark cabaret similar to Panic! At the Disco. Their most recent album, “No, Virginia,” is a compilation of some of their various unreleased works.

In their first track, “Dear Jenny,” a catchy, quick beat and bright piano starts off the song. The song talks about writing to a girl named Jenny.

As with many of their songs, the meaning can be interpreted in many ways; the way the lyrics sound, Jenny could be someone who died, or someone who just moved away.

“Night Reconnaissance,” the second track, features a melancholy but energetic song with cynical lyrics about a girl revisiting her hometown and reliving the prejudice the privileged kids had against her.

One of the mellower and happier songs in the album is “Ultima Esperanza.” It talks about an online relationship with a girl named Ultima Esperanza, who lost her legs in an accident and hopes that someone will take her away someday.

The album ends with a soft and menacing song, “Boston,” which is about a couple contemplating their past and future, ending with a satirical twist.

The Dresden Dolls offer a unique brand of dark and mysterious music that would appeal to anyone who is into the alternative or cabaret scenes.

-Dennis Sun

AMANDA STINTSMAN | PHOTOGRAPHER

Ken theater in the Kensington Park neighborhood of San Diego is one of the larger indie cinemas in San Diego County and some have given it the title of “best place to watch an obscure movie.”

The Downtown Fiction is an indie powerpop band that formed in 2008.

Indie bands have been gaining more popularity in the past 30 years, mainly due to internet sites, such as Itunes.

The 1980s are responsible for the start of a lot of things: Microwaves, MTV, parachute pants, a Jamaican bobsled team are just a few examples.

Musically, disco was dead and a rejection of the orchestral sound of the ‘70s was in full force.

Hair bands, and power ballads ruled the world, and hip hop was starting to make its way from the streets to the radio.

Unbeknownst to many however, was the start of a musical movement of free thinkers.

The independent or “indie” scene is formally defined as underground, unsigned bands.

Sometimes they conform to the sounds of the mainstream, sometimes they pave their own path, but in recent years, so called independents have gained quite a following.

In fact, indie is in.

An entire branch of today’s pop culture owes it’s identity to these rockers. American apparel, and Urban Outfitters can also be grateful because of subsequent shopping base.

Indie names that have made it big in the past years include Panic! At the Disco, Fall Out Boy, the Gym Class Heroes, and Paramore, all of Fueled by Ramen Records

fame.

Websites like Purevolume.com exist as a place for these bands to upload their music and present their image to an internet fan base.

At the end of last year, Purevolume released a list of the top 21 unsigned bands of 2008.

Among them were acoustic act Nevershoutnever, the Ting-Tings reminiscent TV/TV, and Vega Under Fire with their unique blend of post hardcore undertones and a slightly electronic flavor.

Seabird, with one of a kind melodies also grace the list along side the powerpop pretty boys from The Downtown Fiction.

Indie music has made such an impact that teen vogue frequently features a review on the hottest unknown group of the week, and iTunes has also begun to offer indie alternatives to the mainstream glitz of Rihanna and The All American Rejects.

In a way, this break through is good news for those want the genera to be more accessible.

On the other hand, does this make an entire movement of independents sell outs?

Will the success and recognition of a trendy obsessed world corrupt a sound that has, for the most part, maintained its integrity for nearly 30 years?

Only time will tell. In the mean time plug in, turn it on, turn it up, and just enjoy the music.

Independent, foreign movies gain popularity, receive recognition; deliver alternatives to big-budget films MACKENZIE LANCE SPORTS EDITOR

You’ve bought all the American Apparel you can handle. You listen to bands whose names are just a random combination of adjectives and nouns. You only read magazines that you have to have shipped in from overseas.

You are dangerously close to dying from being so indie. You look indie, you sound indie, and now all you need is to watch indie.

The popularity of foreign films and independent films has been on the mainstream rise, finding viewership with wider audiences.

Films like “Slumdog Millionaire” and “Juno” have broken through the barrier to become blockbuster hits.

These films are normally made for a small amount of money and eventually picked up by a large distributor and put into theater chains nationwide.

However, not all indie films reach a larger market, and not all small or low-grossing films are independent.

There are several theaters in San Diego, such as the Landmark chain, that carry independent films.

Some large studios specialize in independent films. Focus Features has a large budget, but generally releases indie films.

Race to Witch Mountain Today

Their most recent well known release was “Milk,” which was nominated for several Oscars.

“Brokeback Mountain” was another Focus release that won three Academy Awards.

Independently made films often become cult classics after their initial release in theaters.

“The Rocky Horror Picture Show” was made for $1.2 million in 1975 and grosses more than that every year thanks to DVD sales and special in-theater showings.

Another genre of lesser known films is foreign films.

Once in a while, as in the now famous case of “Slumdog Millionaire” a film from overseas can capture the American audience’s hearts and wallets.

More often than not, foreign films are experienced by Americans through DVDs and special showings.

The film “Paris J’taime” features actors from varying nations, including American, in a series of short scenes, each telling an individual story, each interconnected through the Parisian setting.

This abstract idea and a more artistic approach to cinema is common with European films.

When you just don’t want to see Julia Roberts smile one more time or are a little tired of watchPHOTO COURTESY OF OBSESSEDWITHFILM.COM ing Will Smith kill things with style in a sci fi flick, it Actors Dev Patel and Freida Pinto in “Slumdog Millionaire.” The film was originally might be time to explore the universe of not so well intended to go straight to DVD, but it ended up gaining so much popularity it was known films. released in theaters and went on to win eight Oscars as well.

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Mt. Carmel SUN

B5

March 13, 2009

Cook famous for energetic comedy ERICA BYERLEY STAFF WRITER

“Even now at your job there is a freak. There is a weird guy at your job that makes you concernicus every time he is around,” begins one of comedian Dane Cook’s now famous jokes. No, concernicus is not a word, but it is one of the reasons why he is so funny. The words he makes up and the random noises he makes comprise a big part of his jokes.

He could probably do a whole skit out of just sound effects if he really wanted to. The same goes for his gestures and body motions.

Cook is one of the only comedians who will actually use the entire stage.

When telling a joke about public restrooms, he flailed himself across PHOTO COURTESY OF THEINSIDER.COM According to the MC SUN poll, Dane Cook is the Sundevils’ favorite come- the stage, mimicking someone in dian. Cook started his career with just stand-up, but since then has moved distress entering the bathroom.

While this can be hilarious to on to acting, and has appeared in 20 movies.

watch, it makes it extremely difficult to understand what’s going on if you are listening to him on your iPod. Some of his jokes rely primarily on these gestures, so watching him on YouTube or seeing him live if you can get tickets is a much better option.

Cook has an extremely loyal following and is one of the most successful comedians to come along in recent years. He has fansites, memorabilia, and several CDs. However, he is not so popular among other comics. Some people claim that he has stolen content.

While this may or may not be true, one thing that is certain is that he writes jokes about just about everything. Covering so many topics makes it difficult for other comedians to write jokes about them, which is apparently a big taboo in those circles. There is definitely a big difference between this and

stealing jokes though.

Either way, what he brings to the table is entirely his own. It is the way that he says things, not what he says that makes him funny. No other comedian could be Dane Cook, and his fans will always appreciate this about him. “He is not a fat guy, but he is shapes,” the joke continues.

“He’s like an amoeba—he’s always a different consistency […] He’s got the pocket with the whole jubilee of pens coming out of there, in case he has to write A LOT. “Nobody talks to that guy. Any job I’ve ever had in my life, I talked to that guy. I would have little chitchats with him.

I’d be like by the way, here’s a Snickers. That’s for you. Put that in your mouth, enjoy that.

“Because when that day finally comes where he snaps and he comes into work with a sawed-off shotgun, and he finally gets to my office, he’s gonna be like, thanks for the candy.”

Martin utilizes unique comedic styles KEVIN LAGE ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR “I was talking to one of my friends, and I said ‘ATM machine.’

And he says, ‘you know, the m stands for machine, so you’re repeating; you’re basically saying ATM machine machine.’ So I corrected myself, so now I say, ‘ATM…achine.’”

This is just one example of comedian Demetri Martin’s odd twist on traditional stand up comedy.

Martin’s journey into stand-up comedy, is certainly a weird one.

He graduated from Yale University and was in his last year at New York University Law School on a full scholarship, when he suddenly decided to drop out to pursue comedy full time.

Martin got his big break when he appeared on Comedy Central’s

Premium Blend. From there, he went on to write for Late Night with Conan O’Brian, and he worked on The Daily Show.

Throughout his career Martin has released three albums, “Invite Em Up,” “These Are Jokes,” and “Demetri Martin: Person.”

Currently, Martin is working on his new TV show, “Important Things with Demetri Martin,” which airs every Wednesday at 10:30 p.m. on Comedy Central.

Each week, Martin picks one important thing and spends the episode doing stand up and sketches about it.

Martin is most known for his use of sketches, which he incorporates as either the punch line, or a background drawing for his jokes.

He is also known for his comedic songs.

He is able to play, the guitar, piano, and harmonica, and often times, he plays all three instruments at once.

In his show, he breaks up his stand up segments with some very funny sketches, like what would happen if Galileo, Shakespeare, and Ben Franklin ate dinner at TGI Fridays. The thing that makes most of his jokes hilarious is that he takes simple things or sayings that most people never think about and turns them into some really original jokes that no other comedian would ever think up for their acts. An example of this is conjoined twins.

On a recent episode of “Important Things,” he said, “I think Siamese twins are interesting; because Siamese twins are the only people that can write a biography and an autobiography at the same time.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF HUFFINGTONPOST.COM

Demetri Martin performs in an episode of his show “Important Things with Demetri Martin,” which airs every Wednesday on Comedy Central at 10:30 p.m. Martin is known for his prop and sketch comedy.

Dunham proves dolls Foxworthy brings new popularity to redneck jokes are not just for girls JORDAN UGALDE STAFF WRITER When a boy plays with dolls, some would consider it unnatural. But when a middle aged man plays with dolls, that’s just downright creepy.

However, comedian and ventriloquist Jeff Dunham makes a profitable living off of playing with dolls without coming off as creepy.

In fact, if being voted Top Comic in Comedy Central’s Stand-Up Showdown and the hundreds of millions of views his videos have gotten on YouTube are any indicator, his playing with dolls is thoroughly enjoyed by the public.

Dunham doesn’t consider what he does to be a “real job” though; he considers it more of a learned skill that anyone can acquire with enough practice.

But since he’s the only person to win two “Ventriloquist of the Year” awards, apparently nobody is as skillful at the art of ventriloquism as he.

Dunham began ventriloquism at the age of eight, but he didn’t make his television debut

on “The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson” until his thirties.

Since then he has made guest appearances on shows such as “Blue Collar TV” and “Good Morning America”.

His first appearance on “Comedy Central” was made in 2003 and since then he has had three hour-long specials which have spawned the majority of his YouTube videos that have garnered so many views froms his fans.

His act with the puppet Achmed the Dead Terrorist, a failed suicide bomber who is now just a skeleton, alone has over 80 million views.

Achmed is just one of Dunham’s many puppets, some of which he constructed himself.

Jose Jalapeño on a Stick is the first puppet Dunham created himself and his name is pretty much self explanatory.

Jose is often paired up with Peanut, a purple skinned woozle (a fictional species supposedly from a small Micronesian island that looks slightly like a monkey), who constantly mocks both Jose and Dunham.

Other commonly used puppets include Walter, a grumpy old man who insults both his wife and the audience, Bubba J, stereotypical white trash.

Sweet Daddy Dee, who is self proclaimed as Dunham’s PIMP (player in management profession), and Melvin the Superhero guy who is taunts other super heroes and whose only real superpower is his X-ray vision.

Clearly, playing with dolls has been extended to more than just girls.

He shows that you are never too old to play with toys.

KATELYN CUTTS NEWS EDITOR When asked what the definition of a redneck was he responded by saying, “a glorious lack of sophistication.” Being a redneck himself, comedian Jeff Foxworthy could not be more wrong.

Born and raised in the south, Foxworthy was surrounded by the stereotypical redneck throughout his life.

When he began stand-up, redneck oneliners became his trademark.

He slowly made his way towards the top of the comedic charts with albums such as: “You Might be a Redneck If…,” “Games Rednecks Play,” and his last solo album ever, “Have Your Loved Ones Spayed or Neutered.”

Through his albums he received three Grammy nominations, an award for Best Standup Comic, and multiple top-charting records.

In between making CDs, Foxworthy began a career in movies and television. “The Jeff Foxworthy Show” aired in 1995 and was based off his comedic persona.

Although the show was not successful, he soon found himself back in the spotlight for the comedic troupe called the Blue Collar Comedy.

The very successful comedy tour featured four comedians, including Foxworthy, all doing humor on what society knows best, the common man. The tour soon evolved into a hit TV show, “Blue Collar TV.” It became a movie on Comedy Central, which become one of the most watched movies for that network.

Like every other self-respecting comedian or celebrity, Foxworthy wrote multiple books on what he knows best, the South and rednecks.

The books were dictionaries of common words used in everyday life, but with a redneck twist.

The most recent edition to his redneck dictionary was titled “Learning to Talk More Gooder Fastly.”

Although Foxworthy’s comedic career has slowed

down since the beginning of the millennium, he is the host of the game show, “Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader?” and has appeared as the voice of Lyle in the movie, “The Fox and the Hound 2.”

Since 1999, he has been the host of the radio show, “The Foxworthy Countdown,” which he received a nomination from CMT awards for Broadcast Personality of the Year.

“The Foxworthy Countdown” is a nationally syndicated show with the top 30 songs in country and interviews with top country artists.

Rednecks everywhere are now classified based off the one-liners of Foxworthy. Although classified as a redneck himself, Foxworthy is anything but unsophisticated.

His humor is for the common, hard-working American and has brought about one of the most popular and famous comedians ever.

Movie: Fired Up Rating: PG-13

The disappointment of football star Shawn when he finds out Carly has a boyfriend could not compare to my disappointment that I had wasted $10 to see this excuse for a movie.

In “Fired Up,” star football players Shawn (Nicholas D’Agosto) and Nick (Eric Christian Olsen) bail from their annual summer football camp, instead joining the Tiger’s cheerleading team.

The two are looking forward to one thing: the girls. Their scheme? To go, to “score,” and to leave.

However, by the middle of the movie, the boys begin to genuinely enjoy cheerleading. They soon become assets to the team and share the teams’ goal: to beat their rival team, the Panthers.

Unfortunately for them, their original plan was found out and the duo ran into some problems.

Now, I will be the first to tell you that stupidity can be hilarious. The difference is that “Fired Up” crossed a line. They simply took it too far.

Throughout the movie, the maturity level is that of a 6th grader.

From the random displays of useless cussing to irrelevant, unnecessary nudity, this movie had little to praise.

Among the few positives was the acting. Both D’Agosto and Olsen got totally into character and played the sex-obsessed adolescents extremely convincingly.

Still, the lack of maturity and meaningful content trashed the potential that these young, couldbe talented actors might have had become.

The bottom line is that “Fired Up” was predictable, cliché, and ultimately was made to appeal to hormonal teenage boys. And the money that comes with them.

-Abby Mansour

Restaurant: Pho Hoa Cali Express Locations: Mira Mesa, Rancho Bernardo

One only needs a small sampling of a bowl of pho noodle soup to recognize why it has turned from the most treasured dish in its origins of Vietnam to a culinary sensation in America. Pho Hoa Cali Express offers a wide assortment of choices, usually under $7, that will never fail to fulfill your appetite. If you are new to pho, you may want to try it with the most common meat selection of flavorful rare steak (tái) or meatballs (bò viên). For a more authentic taste, you could add slices of well-done beef flank (nam) to your bowl. If you are feeling especially bold and can add a little chewy substance to your dish, pho with tripe (sách) and beef tendon (gân) should do you wonders.

Not feeling the pho craze? Try the broken rice. Broken rice with barbecue pork, steamed meatloaf, or barbecue chicken are just some of the zesty and fresh-tasting options the restaurant has to offer. Rice vermicelli with assorted meats (bún bò hue) is another popular Vietnamese dish. The broth can range in spiciness depending on your preference.

An invigorating meal should never go without some splendid appetizers. One can get egg rolls (chà giò) in rolls of six or spring rolls (gòi cuõn) in rolls of two. You can’t go wrong with either choice, really. As for beverages, the tri-color pudding (chè ba màu) is a must-have. Pho Hoa Cali Express has been voted San Diego’s Best Vietnamese Restaurant by Critics’ Pick multiple times.

With reasonable prices, quality food, and prompt service, it is certainly the place to be.

-Vincent Pham

Features

B6

Mt. Carmel SUN

March 13, 2009

From the End of Heaven

Sarah Carrigan

Even the lone ranger had a sidekick Henry David Thoreau is arguably the world’s most infamous recluse. You know the guy. He spent long hours alone by a pond in Connecticut contemplating the universe and the warring habits of ants.

Knowing this, it is not a surprise that he was the one to observe, “The man who goes each day to the village to hear the latest news has not heard from himself in a long time.”

Good point, and in a thoroughly Thoreau way, profound. He implies that solitude is something rare and often avoided. He would not be alone in this declaration. Many, especially those of other nationalities, have commented on the American need to constantly be surrounded by distractions. I would argue the epidemic is worldwide.

In the old days, a distraction would have been other people, perhaps those gossiping down at the local watering hole. Today, a never ending barrage of technology offers an endless escape from the world. Cell phones, texting, MySpace, Facebook, AIM, television, radio, iPods, etc, etc.

Really, I could go on for ever.

The question then, is why do we choose to immerse, even drown ourselves, in a sea of microchips?

The answer: silence is painful.

Silence forces us to listen. It does not allow for a retreat behind a shield of superficiality. We are left alone to our minds, our thoughts and our emotions in an utterly unadulterated fashion. Silence makes us vulnerable, and in a world that exalts the powerful, most are not comfortable with being vulnerable.

Often I feel as though a town council meeting is in session in my head. Different characters, with different personalities struggle for dominance in various situations tugging at a very small version of me in the direction of their choosing. The trouble is, all of the characters are pieces of me, representative of my hopes, logic, and desires. They are each powerful personalities and in my most vulnerable, raw moments I wonder, “Who’s in charge in there?”

I hear from myself plenty, thank you very much. In fact, every second my mind is buzzing as I shuffle through life.

If solitude is how often we hear from ourselves, then solitude is my norm. I bet it’s yours too. The escape, then, is not hiding in a corner, but seeking the company we long for in community.

Historians have proven that Thoreau walked the two miles from Walden Pond to Concord every day and often welcomed visitors to his sanctuary. But even Thoreau was lonely, which is why he eventually moved back to town.

Over 100 years after this, a duo of free thinkers presented their own ideas on solitude.

“And in the naked light I saw/ Ten thousand people, maybe more/ People talking without speaking/ People hearing without listening/ People writing songs that voices never share/ And no one dared disturb the sound of silence. ‘Fools’, said I, ‘you do not know/ Silence like a cancer grows. Hear my words that I might teach you/Take my arms that I might reach you.’”

Simon and Garfunkel were onto something.

Solitude is not the same as loneliness. It is a boat floating in a sea of other possible companions. No man is an island and that’s why Thoreau wrote “Walden” down. He transcended solitude, existing alone, but was not lonely. He reached out to the world through his words.

And that’s why I write my words to you. I am floating the boat of my life within speaking distance of yours.

Hello…

Mother-Daughter Sundevil Duos

Wilshire, Ward pairs maintain close familial bonds while teaching simultaneously at MC Wilshires assist MC; similar but different MELISSA ROADMAN EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

DANIEL THAN | PHOTOGRAPHER

Wilshires spend time together inside of school as well as outside. Kim (left), an office assistant in for special education, and Vanda (right), a guidance counselor, love spending time together, cooking and volunteering at an exotic animal shelter.

After three months of class, an “ahha” look overtakes a student’s face. He recognizes the same last names, but figures it was a coincidence.

Why does one Wilshire have an accent?

Why do they say it two different ways?

Guidance counselor Vanda Wilshire and her daughter, office assistant in the special education department Kim Wilshire, have been working together at MC for 18 months.

“Sometimes it takes [students] months to realize the relationship, and when they do, they are usually frustrated with themselves because we look so much alike,” Kim said.

Vanda has enjoyed working with her daughter on a daily basis.

“Working with Kim is certainly a special treat,” she said. “I have seen her grow personally so much over the past 18 months.

She is still considering what she wants to do with her life… She is thinking about a career in teaching now that she has been able to see

what life is like on the other side.”

Kim also enjoys working with her mom because they are able to guide each other.

“We often run into each other,” Kim said. “We share similar responsibilities and often converse to get ideas. It is definitely an advantage to have two Wilshire brains solving issues.”

Both Kim and Vanda find it hard to leave the job at home because of their connection at MC. “We interact so much during the day about work, it is hard to unwind and let the issues go once we get home,” Vanda said.

Kim went to MC and feels her relationship with her mom has changed drastically since beginning to work with her.

“In high school I never really bragged about my mom and her job at MC but now I am more than proud to say “That’s my mommy’,” Kim said.

Besides working together, the mother, daughter duo spend much time together doing a variety of activities.

“My mom is my best friend and it is easy to do things together, such as shopping,

eating out, and traveling together,” Kim said. Recently, I took her to Disneyland and it was a great treat. She actually went on a rollercoaster...I am sure she had fun being dragged from ride to ride.”

The Wilshires recently moved to Escondido and enjoy making use of their new, spacious kitchen.

“Kim and I are avid cooks,” Vanda said.

“We love to spend time together preparing dinner for the family. Fortunately we have a large kitchen, and the rule in our house is if you cook it, you don’t have to clean the dishes afterwards.”

They also spend time together volunteering at an exotic animal shelter.

“We also spend time with a non-profit organization called Zoofari,” Vanda said.

“Kim volunteers to help with the animals every weekend. I go once a month to help with the chores. I have to say, it is such a treat to spend time petting a cheetah, or playing with an Arctic fox.”

Whether it is brainstorming ideas for MC or playing with a cheetah, the Wilshire duo is a special bonus to the MC family.

Wards bond with shared love of teaching KYLIE BARANOWSKI CENTERSPREAD EDITOR It’s not exactly the most common dream job, working closely in the vicinity of one of your parents. But for beloved German and AVID teacher Sarah Ward and her daughter Rachel Ward, this arrangement has given them a unique opportunity to spend more time together.

Rachel attended MC as a high school student where she took the opportunity to excel in band and even take a German class taught by her mother.

“The only problem is that she knew everything before she got home because she could talk to all my teachers,” Rachel said.

Rachel enjoyed her time on the MC campus so much that she returned to work with the band program that had influenced her life so much.

“When she came back to San Diego to earn some money before grad school the band department said ‘Please apply!’ because they love hiring people who went through the program,” Sarah said.

“As a music assistant I work one-on-one with students or in a chamber, a small group atmosphere,” Rachel said.

“I also work with the pep band and do any technical stuff that needs to be done. I’m working with amazing directors and really talented students. The program was amazing when I went through it and it still is today, both band and orchestra.”

The Wards have both become irreplaceable members of the MC community. Sarah is more than happy to take this opportunity to spend time with her daughter.

“I love having her here! I have a great relationship with both of my daughters. I know she won’t be here forever though.”

Having your daughter working on the same campus can pose some unique challenges for teachers.

“Sometimes I’ll be walking around campus and someone will call ‘Miss Ward’ so I turn around and wave, and then realize they’re talking to Rachel,” Sarah said.

But mistaken identities aside, working together on the same campus is well worth it for this mother-daughter pair. They bond over a shared love of working with the students of MC. “I never want to lose the aspect of working with kids,” Rachel said.

“I’ve learned things from working with them that I never knew before. They make

me a better musician.”

Still, the Wards have had some funny experiences with the reactions of students to their unique arrangement.

“During summer I carpooled with her to band camp and the kids were like ‘Your mommy dropped you off at school!’” Rachel said.

Sarah has had some similar experiences.

“The kids think it’s funny that her mom makes lunch for her,” she said.

But the family’s close connection doesn’t end at school.

“I live at home so I kinda do a lot with my family,” Rachel said.

“That’s a-ok with me because I don’t have crazy parents.”

The Wards both appreciate the special opportunity that working at MC has given them.

“I think it’s really nice that MC has the tradition of looking for former Sundevils to hire,” Sarah said.

“There are so many quality people who went through our program and want to come back and work at such a special place. MC is the only place I’ve ever taught. I’ve never even had the desire to work anywhere else.

The meal is great; having her here is just the gravy.”

ALLISON ROGERS | PHOTOGRAPHER

Rachel Ward (left) is an MC alumna who enjoyed her time on the MC campus so much that she returned to work with the band that had influenced her life. She and her mother, Sarah Ward (right), a German and AVID teacher, share a love of working with the students of MC. They appreciate the special opportunities that working together on the same campus has given them both.

Sign language proves useful to more than just hearing impaired JORDAN UGALDE STAFF WRITER

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Many years ago, a man approached a woman from across the room and began to “chat her up,” but she seemed impervious to his charm.

He was about to give up on her, but upon discovering from his friend that she was deaf, asked her out on paper, and she said yes.

That man and woman are sophomore Corinna Roles’ parents. In the years following their first date, her dad learned sign language to better communicate with her mom. Since then, the two have started a family and taught both Corinna and her brother to sign as their first language.

“It’s good to know [how to sign] if you know somebody who’s deaf, but aside from that, it’s not really practical,” Roles said.

And with deaf people making up about two percent of America according to the National Health Interview Survey, the chances aren’t great that one would ever need to sign language, or how to sign.

But practicality isn’t necessarily an issue for people like sophomore Avalon Bulley, who is currently learning it for fun more than anything else.

Bulley is learning from her mother who is fluent in sign because, as an audiologist, she has worked with the deaf and people who require

hearing aids.

According to Bulley, learning sign is easier than learning a foreign language because learning how to speak ASL (American Sign Language) is just a direct translation for normal English.

“Sign is easier to learn than Spanish because you don’t need to learn the different rules of grammar,” Bulley said.

Sophomore Ashley Purdy, like Bulley, prefers sign over Spanish and picked up sign language by choice.

However, Purdy learned a good amount of sign language from deaf people themselves and thinks that is where the true value of learning how to sign lies.

“With signing, you’re using your hands to communicate with others who would have difficulty communicating by way of mouth,” Purdy said.

Though Purdy doesn’t know many actual words in ASL, she is still able to communicate with her hands by quickly signing out the individual letters that make up the word she wants to say.

But if one knew even this little amount of sign language, it could still come handy in the future; just in case that special somebody turns out to be deaf like Roles’ mom to her dad, or if one wants to wants work with the deaf like Bulley’s mom.

LEARN ASL ALPHABET A

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COMPILED BY JORDAN UGALDE AND DENNIS SUN | STAFF WRITERS SYMBOLS COURTESY OF SOUNDKEEPERS.COM

Features

Till Death Do Us Part

Mt. Carmel SUN

March 13, 2009

B7 ‘Don’t Blink’

Teen expresses consent towards young marriage ADITI PAI STAFF WRITER

Some girls dream of that beautiful Vera Wang strapless a-line gown with a silk taffeta sash. Others see themselves on a beach in the Caribbean with their hair blowing in the wind and bare feet gliding across the glistening sand, while the walk down an aisle lined with hibiscus flowers. No matter what, every girl dreams of a perfect wedding.

For senior Brittany Bourrie, her wedding is coming sooner than most. December 4, 2006, Matthew Hunniecutt met her at her locker. He pulled out a ring and asked, “Will you spend forever with me?”

At the time she wasn’t allowed to be anywhere but school with him.

“My parents didn’t like him,” Bourrie said. “He got me pregnant.”

Since then, they have all accepted the situation and moved forward.

“We never talked about [marriage] before,” Bourrie said. “It was implied. I knew it wouldn’t happen for a long time.”

Bourrie and Hunniecut were mainly waiting so long for financial reasons.

“My parents told me if I wait until he gets back from boot camp, they will pay for the wedding.” Bourrie said.

As part of Hunniecut’s education, he is going to boot camp from March to June and to military school from June to September. They plan to have their wed-

ding after that.

In regards to location, Bourrie has dreamed of a castle her whole life.

“You know the Mormon temple in La Jolla?” Bourrie said. “I always dreamed of having a wedding in a big beautiful building that looks like a castle. Obviously now, I know I cannot have it there, but my mom and I are looking into having my wedding at the Disneyland castle.”

Though she does not know if it will be small or big, in a church or at Disneyland, Bourrie knows she is ready to spend the rest of her life with the man she loves.

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY MATT COFFELT | PHOTO EDITOR

And the MC goes to: Chase Ellison NICOLE BUSTAMANTE STAFF WRITER Out of roughly 2,225 students that attend MC, how many of them actually have their very own Wikipedia entry?

The answer is not many, if more than one.

Sophomore Chase Ellison happens to be the lucky kid with an entry of his own.

If you look on his Wikipedia page, or even his fan website, you will see a list of movies and shows he has acted in.

Automatically one would think of the all the glamour or fun that would come with acting and meeting stars.

Although, what the websites won’t tell you is that acting is stressful and takes a toll on a high school student.

“Acting is hard and stressful, because of all the auditions,” Ellison said. “For example, I have five auditions in the next two weeks, and they are all super hard.

All my free time is being taken up by them.”

With hardly any free time, Ellison barely even finds time for school or homework.

“It is hard with school because I’m always trying to catch up, and it gets pretty stressful at times,” he said. “It’s also hard to do homework in a bumpy car at

night on the way home from L.A.” With all the stress it seems as though an acting career would not be the least enjoyable, but he finds that acting is what he feels he is meant to do.

After his sister started acting he decided to try it out. It looked like fun.

Ellison’s favorite thing about his job is the fact that he often gets to travel to interesting places.

Of course, a major perk of acting is meeting big name actors.

“I’ve gotten to meet the Rock, Julia Roberts, Ben Stiller, Adam Sandler, and a few other miscellaneous celebrities,” he said. “The majority of them have been really nice.”

His best movie experience happens to be his most recent, when he worked on the upcoming movie “Tooth Fairy,” featuring The Rock.

“All the people were really cool and I got to do a few stunt scenes in it,” he said.

Overall, Ellison has collected many great memories from his movies experiences, such as one about on-set animals.

“For one movie I was going up to my hotel room in an elevator and then two guys walk in with monkeys on their shoulders,” Ellison said. “I got to play with them for a little bit. It was a lot of fun. You would be surprised at how friendly movie monkeys are.”

NICOLE BUSTAMANTE | STAFF WRITER

As well as acting in the upcoming “Tooth Fairy” with The Rock, Chase Ellison (10) will also be in the school production “Our Town” next week.

PUSD high school stereotypes reflect significant differences KELLY FAN AND VANDANA BHAIRI STAFF WRITERS ALL ART BY CHRISTIAN JUN

MT. CARMEL

When many Poway District students hear the words “Mount Carmel”, the words “asian invasion” instantly appear in their heads.

MC is often thought of as a school consisting of mainly Filipinos or Asians, and a very small percentage of Caucasians, and other asians.

While MC has received some good comments from other schools for being laid back and relaxed, many students believe that being too relaxed can be detrimental in high school. “[MC is] a little too chill,” a freshman girl from Westview said. “[Being too laid-back] isn’t really beneficial for their education.”

It’s not only academics that other students are critical of.

Many think that MC is falling behind in athletics as well.

“Sports-wise, [MC students] suck,” one Rancho Bernardo freshman said.

WESTVIEW

The phrases “academic focus” and “learning center” seems to resound in the circular buildings of Westview.

Westview students tend to be seen as studious figures who emphasis a lot on education. One Poway sophomore’s only words about Westview were “smart school.”

At Westview, there are “basically two races,” according to one Westview freshman, Caucasian and Asian, with approximately threefourths Caucasian.

The students are also viewed as being wealthy.

“The first thing that pops to mind is palm trees and rich people,” Chua said.

Some Westview students have been perceived as being snobbish and stuck-up.

“A lot of [Westview students] are rude to others,” one Westview freshman said. “It’s hard to make friends.”

POWAY

RANCHO BERNARDO Poway High is by far the oldest school in the district, established in 1962.

Since then, many things have changed, and not only their new

buildings.

One student who has attended both Poway and MC has certain problems about Poway’s image.

“Poway is really dramatic,” sophomore Daniel Amabile said. “People make a big deal out of nothing, and think they are tougher than they are.”

Several Westview students add on with what they think Poway’s behavior is like.

“It seems like there are a lot of drug problems,” one Westview freshman said. “…and alcohol and behavior problems.”

The overall response from people was that Poway was “the stoner school” and “the party school.”

Even though their mascot is a bronco, Rancho Bernardo High is nothing like a rodeo.

While freshman Joseph Ho likes some aspects of RB, he doesn’t like the intensity.

“It’s really competitive,” Ho said. “It’s hard to get into sports, and nearly everyone is in an extracurricular activity.”

Sophomore Daniel Amabile, who is rivals with RB, simply dislikes the students’ attitude.

“They’re aggressive, and they want to start fights,” he said.

It has been echoed in many places that the school is predominately white.

According to Chua, the school doesn’t seem to have much diversity.

“There are a lot of rich, white kids,” she said. “Their Fil-Am is really small.”

Overall, Rancho Bernardo was described as a preppy, cliquey, and competitive school.

THIS ARTICLE PRESENTS PUSD HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT’S PERSPECTIVES OF THE OTHER HIGH SCHOOLS IN THE DISTRICT. IT IS STRICTLY WRITTEN FROM THEIR OPINIONS AND IS IN NO WAY REPRESENTATIVE OF THE TRUTH. THE SUN STAFF WILL BE INVESTIGATING THE TRUTH BEHIND THESE OPINIONS. LOOK FOR THE ARTICLE IN AN UPCOMING ISSUE.

Melissa Roadman

I promise I am not 12; add five more years Walking up to the ticket window and ordering my ticket for “Slumdog Millionaire,” I could see the look that I dread seeing in the cashier’s eye.

It is one that says something along the lines of “haha, there is no way that girl is 17. I’m totally going to ruin her night…she thought she could get past me.”

“I’ll need to see your ID,” the cashier said. I pulled it out and slipped it under the window.

“Oh, alright, I guess that works then,” she said after studying my birthday for 30 seconds.

For my whole life, I have always looked younger than I am. This is both a curse and a blessing.

Let’s start with the advantages.

I have been able to purchase tickets (movies, amusement parks, etc.) for cheaper, been able to order off the kids menu (up until a few years ago, I had never been refused it), and people think I am extremely mature for my age—until they realize I’m about five years older than they thought.

This past summer I was in Missouri looking at the University of Missouri as a potential school. My dad and I decided to go to the movie theater and see “Wall-E.” When we went to go buy the tickets the woman assumed I was under 12 and gave me the kid’s price (which by the way was only about $4).

I didn’t say anything…hey, who isn’t stoked when they get a cheaper ticket?

Now I’m wondering if I can still pass as a kid at that movie theater, when I’m there as a poor college student next year.

But now to the disadvantages. Do I really want people thinking I’m 12 all of the time?

It is frustrating when you are in a group of friends, and you are the only one asked to see your ID while trying to get into a R rated movie.

When I’m driving, I can see the police officers peering at me, just waiting for me to do something wrong so they can pull me over. I’m sure the thoughts going through their heads are along the lines of, “There is no way that girl is over 16. She must have stolen that car. I’ll just follow her until she does something wrong so I can pull her over and bust her.”

Probably the most frustrating experience I have had with looking younger than I am was at the airport.

Shortly after receiving my driver’s license, I was flying out to go see my sister in Texas. I was super excited to finally be able to show my license at security.

So I did this but there was a mix up with our tickets so we had to go back to the ticket booth.

Going back through security, I handed my ticket to the guard and she promptly said “How old did you say you were? Six?” I just stared at her in amazement.

Did I really look like I was six? I may be wrong, but I think I look at least 12.

People fantasize about looking younger, but it’s not all that it’s cracked up to be.

Maybe it will get better when I am older; possibly I will be flattered by it.

Right now, it is just frustrating.

For at least the next ten years of my life, I will most likely be carded when it comes to any age level being imposed. I’m used to it.

I’m not really sure what makes me look so young. It could possibly be that I am petite (I prefer this term to short).

Whatever it is, I’m going to try to turn it into a positive thing and hope it doesn’t go away before I turn 30.

Features

B8

Mt. Carmel SUN

March 13, 2009

Shoes: Attitude you can wear NICOLE BUSTAMANTE STAFF WRITER “You never truly know someone until you’ve walked a mile in his shoes.”

Though this well-known quote only talks about shoes figuratively, it demonstrates the importance of shoes in today’s society.

Out of all the clothing we put on each day, the one thing that stays consistent is shoes.

No matter what shoes you choose, you know that every morning you are going to have to wear one pair or the other.

For most people, their choice in shoes is dependent on the weather or the outfit that they have chosen for the day, but for those few die-hards they stick to their same pair day after day.

Shoes can show personality or

simply be a way for someone to express themselves. We, as a society, love shoes so much we dedicate huge sections if not stores to shoes on their own.

For designer shoes, one can go to a Steve Madden store, or if you want similar looks for less Payless is always a cheaper alternative.

According to Yahoo Answers, the average person owns 200 pairs of shoes in a lifetime.

When the YouTube video “Shoes” was released millions of viewers went online to watch the much talked about video, and it became an instant hit.

With its catchy song “Lets get some shoes, oh my God shoes!”

Whether you are wearing Steve Maddens or Air Walks from Payless, shoes are always going to be a way to express yourself.

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY MARY CARMEN GONZALEZ AND AMANDA STINTSMAN | PHOTOGRAPHERS

It’s all about the sole: shoes reflect personality SARA SHANTZ STAFF WRITER She stands at just over 6 feet tall, and while most girls of this stature would try to hide their height by wearing flats, she rocks three inch stilettos.

Most people just think of shoes as something you’re supposed to wear, but they’re so much more than that. You can tell a lot about a person by the type of shoes they wear.

People’s shoes often reflect their level of confidence. For example if a tall girl is wearing heels, it screams confidence. That girl wants to get

noticed. While if a tall girl wears flats to a dance just so she isn’t taller than her date, she likes to be just another face in the crowd.

Shoes can also say a lot about a person’s hobbies.

Laid back, beach-going people love to wear Rainbows, while skaters might choose Vans, DCs, or Etnies.

The way people take care of their shoes is often a reflection of how they take care of themselves.

Someone who has had a pair of shoes for a while but still manages to keep them perfectly clean takes pride in their appearance. On the other hand, someone whose shoes are super dirty doesn’t really care

about their appearance.

The type of shoes someone wears can also indicate what type of music they listen to.

It’s safe to say that if a person wears Nikes all the time, that they’re into hip hop, rap, or R&B. On the flip side, if someone wears cowboy boots, they’re into country.

Sometimes short girls try to make up for their height by wearing outrageously tall heels (especially short girls trying to reach their tall boyfriends).

Next time you’re out and about, look down at someone’s feet and let the shoes do the talking.

Shoe styles evolve throughout the decades SARAH CARRIGAN STAFF WRITER Fifty years ago, Andy Warhol honored the best friend of fashionistas everywhere: shoes.

His piece, creatively titled “Stamped Shoes,” showed the different shapes, colors and sizes of footwear, but a lot has happened in the world of fashion since then.

As 1959 became the 1960s, old favorites like penny loafers and saddle shoes remained.

However, edgy options also graced runways

and department store shelves. Patent leather first appeared on the scene modernizing old favorites and enhancing new ones. Go-Go boots added spice to any outfit and bright colors helped push the limits of a formerly conservative wardrobe.

Shorter heels of the ‘60s eventually experienced a growth spurt in the ‘70s. The colors were psychedelic and the designs were gaudy, but then again what wasn’t in the ‘70s? Stars like Elton John and Cher will forever be revered in the halls of shoe fame for taking plat-

forms to new heights. Nike ran on the scene in 1972 after a fateful run-in with a waffle iron.

Back at Berkeley though, hippies chose to go more natural with sandals or even bare feet.

With the dawn of the ‘80s came the birth of brand consciousness. Designers everywhere hustled to dress the yuppies of a healthy economy. Women claimed the ladder of success was harder to climb in high heels and so they demanded an alternative. The image of a power-suited woman in athletic shoes rushing off to work is quintessential ‘80s.

In the casual world, fluorescent shades and killer kicks were rocked on all fronts.

Chucks and vans were favored especially after the film “Fast Times at Ridgemont High.” Jellies were a cute option for young ladies.

The excess of the ‘80s met its match when the ‘90s dropped. Think clunky. Nikes, Doc Martins, Sketchers, etc.

The boot was a favorite in masking the flaws of foot nature.

A revival of flower power could also be found on the left and the right. Pastels to blacks were everywhere.

And who could forget those light-up LA Gears?

With all of the change in the world of shoes through the past 50 years, the industry is running out of fresh material.

The 21st century has experienced a revival in not only chucks and vans but ancient fashion like gladiator flats.

Ugs keep us warm in winter and Rainbows are perfect for summer days at the beach.

Who knows what the next decade will bring? Only time will tell.

Rainbows, Steve Madden shoes popular among teens ALL PHOTOS BY AMANDA STINTSMAN | PHOTOGRAPHER

(Right) A shoe display in Macy’s shows this season’s popular pumps. Bold straps that make a statement have been dubbed this spring’s trend. (Middle) The wall display at Foot Locker showcases Nikes and Adidas, which can be worn for both athletic and casual, trendy purposes. A pair of Adidas starts around $50 and can go up to as much as $160.

(Top) Vans, Nikes, and Converse are among the different brands of shoes that are popular at MC. Out of the 206 students polled, 63% own or have owned a pair of Vans.

KAREN MICHEL AND NICOLE BUSTAMANTE STAFF WRITERS For many, a shoe is what can best express your personality. If you’re feeling hot: sandals, if you’re feeling stylish: boots, if you’re feeling energetic: tennis shoes. Lately, for teens, shoes have become one of the easiest ways to express themselves. Luckily, teenagers now have a variety of name brand shoes to choose from, such as Vans, Converses, Uggs, and the infamous Steve Maddens.

In 1966, designers Paul and Jim Vandoren, and Gorden Lee founded Vans shoes. Later on in its development, Vans shoes became the famous footwear for the young skateboarding and surfing kids. Vans are now one of the most preferred shoes that all types of teens wear today. Unfortunately, Vans has stopped producing new styles as of July 2007, but you can still go online and make your own custom made shoes.

“Chucks” were first introduced to

teens in 1917 as the “all star” shoe. They were first originally made to capture the basketball shoe market. They were not particularly popular until basketball player Chuck Taylor adopted them as his preferred shoe. Now, Chucks are one of the most popular shoes that you can find in almost any shoe store.

Ugg boots, first founded in 1971 by Shane Stedman in Australia, have become famously known among the feet of teenage girls. Although produced for both men and women, they are mostly seen among women. These shoes keep the feet extremely warm during cold winters by using sheep’s wool to fill the inside of the boot.

Steve Madden, founder and former CEO of Steve Madden Shoes, targeted his footwear company primarily to cater to young teenage girls. They sell shoes such as Greek sandals (which wrap around your feet at least 25 times, apparently to make sure that they don’t fall off), slat sandals, stilettos, and boots. Although these shoes may not be a day-to-day kind of shoe, they are good for the occasional night out, dinner date, or even for one day that you actually decide to match with your outfits.

Sandals are the oldest form of shoes, and today they are still around and thriving.

While immediately one thinks of the ever-popular flip flops when mentioning sandals, they are not the only kind.

There are sandals for hiking and fashion, and separate styles for dress and casual sandals.

Among the most popular everyday flip flops are Rainbows, Reef, and Quicksilver. Most wear them because of their comfort and convenience. Almost every summer a new style or returning style of sandal will hit the scene.

For example, this past summer the gladiator sandals were in high demand, with every designer coming up with their own twist on the ancient style.

No matter the year or season sandals will always be prominent in our everyday lives.

As you can see, millions of shoes have been developed over the last century to express the personality of people everywhere. Whether you’re feeling sporty, stylish, or even lazy, shoes are the best ways to let everybody know.