Paratroopers

Paratroopers soar in to kick off the homecoming game

Abby Gorman Staff Writer Reese Kelem Staff Writer

Friday the 13th was a special day for NPHS students. Not only was it the homecoming game versus Ventura High School, but they also enjoyed a very unique surprise before the game: the US Army Golden Knights Aerial Demonstration Parachute Team dropped onto the ! eld and delivered the game ball to the school.

Shortly before the school year started, the local army recruiter informed Assistant Principal Michael Godfrey that the Golden Knights would be available the night of the homecoming game.

“" ey had already scheduled to drop in at the UCLA game at hal# ime, and the Rams game on Sunday. " ey’re just beginning to do high schools on the Friday nights before,” Godfrey said. " e Golden Knights are the only Department of Defense (DOD) sanctioned skydiving team in the army. Principal Steven Lepire felt the experience was unforgettable, especially with the aid of new age technology to document the moment. “It will be in the yearbook, it will be in everything. It will live in a memory of this school year, so it’s an exciting event,” Lepire said.

Godfrey commented on how perfectly the event worked that evening. “It was amazing to see a plan come together. All that work that went into organizing, and preparing, and working on the timing, all the logistics, came together, and how appreciative our crowd was,” Godfrey said.

One notable moment from the demonstration was watching the students assist in the packing up of the parachutes and trying the parachute backpacks on. “It was a really immersive and interactive experience,” Godfrey said.

Performing the demonstration were Sta$ Sergeants Mike Koch and Blake Gaynor, along with four other jumpers. Jumping from planes had been a dream of Koch’s since his childhood, leading him to start skydiving as a hobby on the weekends and eventually to join the Golden Knights in 2009. " e Golden Knights require a rigorous training process in order to join the team. “You go through an eight to ten week selection process, where you get about two hundred jumps. If you make it until then, you go to the annual circulation cycle, where you get about another 150 jumps,” Koch said. Gaynor has been a member of the army for 15 years where he serves as a logistics transportation operator, and has been skydiving as a Golden Knight for the last eight years.

Although Gaynor, a Camarillo High School graduate, may not have initially intended to be a parachuter for the army, he is grateful that this is the path he took.

“" is is the best thing I’ve ever done,” Gaynor said. “" ere’s been some hard days, and there’s been some really good days, but overall, it put me into a really great career.”

Soaring- Golden Knight Mike Koch made his entrance by parachute to deliver the game ball last Friday at the homecoming football game. The U.S. Army Golden Knights Parachute Team, known for its aerial skydiving demonstrations and are one of the only teams of its kind. Koch says his favorite part of the job was the thrill of the departure. “The exit’s great; as soon as you go out that door, and feel that wind. For me, the exit’s also the scariest part of it, the most nerve wracking part of it,” said Koch. At Friday night’s game, the paratroopers jumped from 4500 feet above ground level in order to achieve the feat.

A# er having its grand opening over the summer, students from Newbury Park High School have transitioned from Fitness 19 to LA Fitness for its advanced facilities. " e new gym was under construction for over a year before ! nally opening its doors this summer to members of the community.

Matthew Smith, senior, decided to start going to the new gym to work out because of the numerous accommodations that the facility compared to other ! tness centers such as Fitness 19.

“My main reason was pretty much just that they had a basketball court. And the gym was a lot bigger and nicer. So I thought that me and my friends could go move up a little bit. And also just li# , get stronger for season coming up,” Matthew Smith said.

He felt that LA Fitness provided everything he needed in one location, something that Fitness 19 could not do. Fitness 19 contains a large gym with numerous free weight and strength stations, whereas LA Fitness utilizes a larger building, including a gym along with a pool and an indoor basketball court.

“I think it’s a lot more convenient to use also. We’ll go out and we’ll get food a# er the workout and at the food court. We’ve also been going to sandwich spot recently,” Matthew Smith said. " e gym is popular among athletes due to the basketball and squash courts. Matthew Smith made the switch to the new gym along with two of his friends: Hayden Smith and Aidan Bute, both seniors.

“I have been going since July of 2019, so it’s been about two months. My main reason for switching was because I wanted to play basketball before or a# er I workout. My mom decided it would be best to go get a plan with her and save money,” Hayden Smith said.

LA ! tness costs $29.99 a month with a $99 initiation fee, or $39.99 a month without an initiation fee. On the other hand, Fitness 19 is $14.99 a month for access to the gym.

“It’s about $20 more, but the price is worth it because they have it all there… I can swim one day and the next play basketball or workout. It’s just the perfect workout experience,” Bute said. LA Fitness comes to Newbury Park Aditya Vunnum Editor in Chief Getting big- Matthew Smith, Senior, goes for a late night gym session because he knows he must get big. Smith has been hitting the gym for years now, evidenced by his massive arms, but has only recently started going to LA Fitness. “I’ve been going pretty much every day here. As much as I can either to get shot up or to lift,” Smith said. Here, Smith is in the middle of an arm day routine, shoulder pressing an astonishing 50 pounds.