Nico Young

Nico Young sets national record

Sarah Lu Photographer

Pulse racing, lungs burning, legs pumping and arms swinging, Nico Young, junior, sprints towards the fi nish line, desperate to win. Th e crowd’s cheering fades away as he focuses on breathing. In, out. In, out. Holding their breath, the crowd watches as Young wins the race, running the fastest time in school history.

When he fi rst started at age six, Young just wanted to run as fast as he could. Ten years later, Young is still running as fast as he can, now accomplishing achievements he never thought possible.

On Sept. 15, 2018, Young raced against 231 high school runners from across the nation in the Woodbridge Cross Country Classic. In the race, the Panther Boys’ placed second overall in the Sweepstakes race (the fastest heat at the invitation) and set a new school record for fastest team in school history. Young ran 14:01.1 for three miles, not only winning the race, but also setting the fastest time across the nation.

Young was pleased to see the results of his hard work. “I feel really good because that means colleges are going to notice me. It’s really nice to know that what I’m doing is working,” Young said.

Sean Brosnan, head cross country coach, knew Young had a lot of potential when he joined freshman year, but he did not have a lot of experience. Now, Brosnan says Young is doing workouts “I don’t think most college guys could do. He’s running really fast at a really high level, so as a coach I really believe I’m almost having to hold him back right now.”

From a Brosnan’s perspective, Young seems to have a confi dent and cool aura around him, even before races. “He’s confi dent he’s done the work, he put in the hard workouts, and I believe that he thinks he’s one of the best in the country and he can beat anybody at any given day,” Brosnan said.

Th is mentality is what helped Young win the Woodbridge race. “You have to go into it knowing that you can do it, and that it’s possible to do what you want to do in that race,” Young said. “At Woodbridge, (Brosnan) said that I could win it, so I just thought ‘I knew I could,’ so then I did. If he never told me I could win I probably would not have won the race.”

On average, Young runs more than eight miles per day and puts a lot of time into training. “I think people don’t really realize

Zoom-oom- Nico Young, junior, practices at Peppertree Playfi eld near NPHS. Peppertree is a common place to see the team putting in work. “We put in a lot of time for training. For example, this morning I had morning practice, and I still went to it even though last night I had a fever,” Young said. Two weeks after running the fastest time for the three mile race in the nation, Young is already back to practicing. Rahul D’Souza/Prowler

that we practice seven days a week, and practice goes until fi ve each day, and we have morning practice twice a week,” Young said.

While practices can be a struggle, Nicholas Goldstein, sophomore and teammate, can see that Young is determined and hard working. “Nico is always ready when he’s given a workout. He thinks, ‘Yeah, it’s going to be a little rough,’ but he always puts in his best eff ort,” Goldstein said.

While racing, Young’s focus never wavers from the race at hand. Th e thoughts that run through Young’s head are simple. “It’s either, I do it or I don’t,” Young said. “I don’t really have the energy to think about anything.”

Ever since Young won the Woodbridge Cross Country Classic, the team sees Young as an inspiration. “(Th e team has) started realizing he is one of the best in the country, but I also think he’s brought our other teammates up,” Brosnan said. “Th ey start believing that they can get better, and they can get faster, so it’s just kind of a snowball eff ect.”

Young is a key teammate that could allow the team’s goal of making it to nationals become reality. “My specifi c goal is to win the Division 2 state meet for cross country, so our team can make it to nationals,” Young said.

Young also strives to run fast enough to be noticed by colleges around the country, and believes that many coaches look for not just an athlete but also a leader. “He’s a great student, he’s a great athlete, he never complains and he’s just always willing to put the work in,” Brosnan said. “I think that’s contagious. And I think the good thing is having him as being one of our lead runners, it trickles down to the JV guys and all those guys and they see what the eff ects of the hard work.”

Young is proud of his accomplishment. “It just makes me feel really good, because that was my goal. I never knew I would be that good, but it’s really nice to know.”

Boys’ Water Polo preps for CIF

Rahul D’Souza Front Cover Editor

Boys’ Water Polo made the playoff s last year aft er a long drought. Th is year, the team has their sights set on another playoff run and even a splash at the championship.

Being almost two-thirds of the way through the season, the team is in full swing, currently holding a 14-3 record, but are still at the beginning of their League games.

“Th ere’s defi nitely areas we can improve but our team this year is for sure the best team we’ve had in my 4 years,” Jarrod Norton, senior, said. “Team strengths are defi nitely our individual talent and our eff ectiveness on the off ensive end. We have a lot of dudes who play club at a high level in our program which is really cool.”

Dave Gleisberg, head coach, further believes that team is very strong, especially with regard to their game sense and understanding.

“Th ey all have a very high knowledge of the game in game situations. Th ey’re all students of the game that understand what it takes to get to a higher level. Th ey understand their own strengths and weakness and how to help their teammates. Th ey understand the positions and where they excel at,” Gleisberg said.

Despite their strengths, the team is still focused on improvement, trying to get even further in the playoff s aft er last year’s accomplishments. Gleisberg has been working with the team, helping them improve their skills and patch their weaknesses.

“We are working on a little bit of everything. Team defense, awareness on off ense, working on our counterattack into off ense, and also speed and strength,” Gleisberg said. “Our weaknesses include playing our best for four quarters. We’re going to make mistakes and we have to minimize that.”

Th ese improvements are all aimed towards a strong CIF performance. With this competition in mind, Alexander Sanderson, junior, has high hopes for a long run.

“I expect us to make a strong showing in CIF this year, since we have a deep roster with plenty of talent and skill throughout. We most likely will have a rigorous CIF bracket this year but I think that we can make it far and really show how strong of a program Newbury Park is,” Sanderson said.

Sarah Lu Photographer

Emily Nagamoto Chief Photographer

Reach for the starseach for the stars -The Sparkles cheerleaders raise their hands, while showing school spirit at Friday’s homecoming rally. Hannah Neiyer has been the Sparkles President for three years, but the program started at Newbury seven years ago. “We were the first California team, so we spread it to other schools like Westlake and Thousand Oaks, and last year Moorpark started it. We’ve been continuing the legacy of it,” Neiyer said. This year, the Sparkles team has 22 members, including some Sparkles cheerleaders that have already graduated. The ‘Sparkle Effect’ was started in Bettendorf, Iowa 10 years ago by Sarah Cronk, and has now spread to many across the nation.

Go Panthers! -o Panthers! - Cynthia Martinez, senior, strikes a pose next to fellow cheerleader Madison Weise, senior, during the homecoming rally. Martinez has been on the Sparkles team all four years of high school and according to Sparkles President Hannah Neiyer, senior, is a dedicated member of the squad. “Cynthia is one of our best dancers. You turn the music on and she’s going. She really feels it,” Neiyer said. Martinez said that her favorite cheer is “Hay Hay What Do You Say.”

All smiles! -ll smiles! - Avery Finger, sophomore, smiles at the crowd at the homecoming football game during the halftime show. She works with her peer coach and sister, Jenny Finger, who is also a sophomore, on stunts and cheers. “(Avery) always has the biggest smile on her face when she's dancing on the field and everyone is cheering her on,” Jenny said. Avery’s favorite dance move is jumping, and she also loves stunts, with the homecoming rally being the first time she performed some new stunts in front of an audience.

Hooray! -ooray! - Nathan Summersgill, sophomore, sits on two cheerleaders, while participating in the Sparkles cheer during Friday’s homecoming rally. The Sparkles team practices every Monday and Wednesday, learning new dances and stunts. “It’s not go go go the whole time, we play games,” Sparkles President Hannah Neiyer, senior, said. “We go around and make sure we stay connected with all of them.” The Sparkles team performs at most home football games, and some basketball games, and sometimes travel to other schools with sister Sparkles teams and do a group dance.

Palmer Jones leaps into cheer sports 15 Panther Prowler • Oct. 5, 2018

Brian Fang Staff Writer

Th e spirit cheer team added their fi rst male team member this year since over the last half decade, an addition that has positively changed the team dynamic.

Palmer Jones, senior, is a new member of the spirit cheer team this year and has decided to take a step out of his own comfort zone.

“I wanted to try something crazy and I’ve been having a blast since the beginning,” Jones said. “Cheer is like any other sport, it is what you make it.”

Maddy Weise, senior and teammate, believes that the team was initially tentative about Jones’ addition to the team, but has seen him grow and fi nd his place on the squad.

“We were nervous that he would try out and make it but not actually be invested in the team so there was a little hesitation in welcoming him right away. But we quickly realized that he really wanted to be there and to learn so he earned my respect quickly and grew on us,” Weise said.

Overcoming this fi rst bump in the road, the cheer team has made an eff ort to make sure that Jones is comfortable with the team. “We took to him and hopefully him to us. We all look out for each other and I think we came together to make sure he felt welcome and valuable to our whole team,” Weise said.

Additionally, Weise has felt that Jones gives the team a new energy even when they are worn out from the long hours of practice.

“I think it has been really benefi cial to the team to have Palmer. He is really dedicated to the team and kind of pushes us to be more competitive but at the same time teaches us to have fun.” Weise said. “Our practices are long and we work nonstop so his humor is much appreciated.”

Not only do his teammates believe that he has had a positive impact on the squad, but Coach Megan McCarthy believes so too.

“I defi nitely believe that Palmer contributes to the dynamic of the squad,” McCarthy said. “He has always been a ‘follow whatever coach wants’ kind of person and always goes the extra mile.”

Furthermore, McCarthy believes that Jones will be a good role model to both young boys and other new girls on the team.

“He is defi nitely a top person when it comes to what he puts into practice,” McCarthy said. “He is a great example for boys who aren’t already a part of the cheer world to understand that they can be a cheerleader and that it’s not just a sport for ponytails and bows. A lot of people think that just standing on the sidelines is the only thing that you can do but they do a lot of stunting and tumbling.”

Jones shares this perspective. “I think the cheer program will positively aff ect any young testosterone-fueled stallion like myself,” Jones said.

Jump- Palmer Jones, senior, fIashes a grin as he jumps and does the splits in mid air at the halftime show at the homecoming football game against Saint Bonaventure High School. Jones is a new cheerleader this year, and decided to join it because he wanted to step out of his comfort zone. “He comes from a totally different background,” Megan McCarthy, cheerleading coach, said. “He has never done a sport like this which I’d say compared to football is so different.” Jones plans to go into the army, so he is very disciplined, and knows what should be done when it comes to cheer. Sarah Lu/Prowler

Girls’ Volleyball starts off the season strong

Aditya Vunnum Sports Editor

Th e ball whistles through the air as it smashes into the ground on the other side of the net. Th e crowd goes wild, teammates rush to congratulate each other on earning the point. Winning set aft er set, this years girls’ volleyball team hopes to reach new levels of success on and off the court this year.

As of Oct. 5, the varsity team is 3-5 in league and 16-12 overall. Th ey hope to use this momentum to push themselves as far into CIF as possible.

Olivia Coronado, junior, is playing her fi rst year on varsity and enjoys the atmosphere of the team this year. “It’s a lot more competitive, passes are harder and games are longer. Coaches and girls play more seriously. It’s totally diff erent than the games we played on JV and Frosh,” Coronado said.

Kenzie Hebert, junior, is also currently playing her fi rst year on varsity. “We’re doing pretty well, we are second in league right now. We have a lot to improve on but I think it’s all going to come together,” Hebert said.

Under a relatively new coaching staff leading the program, the girls on the team have both individual and team goals going into season.

“We want to push ourselves harder so we can keep our place in league. By being better teammates to each other we can push ourselves farther into CIF. All the girls on the team are supportive of each other. Th at is really nice and that keeps us together. We support each other on and off the court,” Coronado said.

Teamwork was emphasized by head coach, Chris Forrest, who joined the program two years ago to help establish the girls’ volleyball team at Newbury Park.

“A lot of what I have been trying to do is getting the team to understand what it is to be a good teammate, what it is to be selfl ess, what is to have good character, to have integrity for the game, having respect for your

Serve it Up-erve it Up- Nicole Geis, senior, jumps up as she practices her serves before a home game against Calabassas. Going into the game, the team record was 3-4 in league. “It’s not so much the wins as the commitment they’ve made and how they can band together and put their trust in their teammates.” Chris Forrest, head coach, said. The team has been focusing on their teamwork in order to improve their chemistry. Gianna Spiro/Prowler

teammates, opponents, coaches, referees,” Forrest said, “and building fundamental skills along with having a system in place regarding how we play volleyball- and sticking to itand making it as fun as possible.”

Forrest has one main goal for the season, and it’s not the generic “win league”.

We aren’t focusing as much on winning and more on what we do as a team and the process. I want the girls to understand that winning becomes a byproduct of that,” Forrest said. “I reinforce to the girls a lot, it’s not whether you win or lose all the time but it’s how you play the game.”

His mindset has carried over to the members of the varsity program and they share his views on teamwork.

“We want to work together better, have a lot of fun on the court, as much as we do of the court. Our team chemistry is not where exactly where we want it, but if we keep it up I think we will get there,” Hebert said.

Archer is happy with the team’s progress this year and looks forward to see what happens as their season continues.

“Th e team has defi nitely had its ups and downs but for the most part I am happy with where they are now and the things we have accomplished and the teams we have beat,” Forrest said.

Th e head coach likes what he sees so far during the season and how the team has progressed towards their goals.

“We’ve come back from behind multiple times to beat teams, which shows a lot of heart, shows a lot of eff ort and commitment to the team and trust in each other,” Forrest said. “It’s exactly what I’m trying to build.”