Monitor 2012-5-10

monitor

ohlone college

ohlonemonitor.wordpress.com

Vol. XLIII No.13

Fremont, California

BYE BYE BIRDIE Injured owl attracts concerned campus

May 10, 2012

Write-ins win seats in ASOC

By MANIKA CASTERLINE Editor-in-Chief

Steve Cho

Cho seeks Fremont’s top office

By ASHLEY LAM Features editor

Steve Cho, a native Californian and a resident of Fremont for over 38 years, is running for Fremont mayor in November.

He has had his fair share of time serving the city of Fremont.

“I have served eight years on City Council. I have the experience to know how the city works. I would say that I am still young enough to serve and wise enough to know how,” Cho said.

Cho does not see himself as a politician. Instead, he describes himself as someone who is concerned about the city of Fremont.

One of the first things that Cho says he would do as mayor is to rebuild some of the trust between the city and residents.

“I don’t think that there is a high level of trust between the city and residents, community and city government. I want to open up the channel of communication, but the city has not gone out of its way to hear Fremont residents,” said Cho. Cho admits that there has been a lack of communication between the city and its residents because when the city asks people to support certain things the community is not willing to participate, said Cho. “This starts with the mayor and council going out to engage the public in town hall meetings and encouraging them to come and have a dialog or conversation with the people who are making decisions,” said Cho. That has not been done, said Cho, adding that he believes that everything starts with communication.

“In communication, silence Continued on Page 10

MANIKA CASTERLINE / MONITOR

The fledgling owl was found stranded outside of Building 1 in the fountain on May 4. The bird was taken by the Animal Protection Agency later and has a broken leg, which explains why she was trapped in the fountain. Her two siblings were also take from the nest for observation and her mom has not been spotted.

Write-in candidate Amit Patel was elected to the office of the Associated Students of Ohlone College (ASOC) president and Hanquin Lin, who is also a write-in candidate, won the vice-president position.

There was only one name running per office so none of the candidates faced opposition. Natsuki Itoh won for secretary. Marketing and communications representative went to Elliot Yang. Ben Bark won for treasurer.

Write-in candidate Sonam Babu was elected as legislative representative and current ASOC president Jason Trinidad’s brother Joshua Trinidad was elected to the seat of representative at large.

Not every executive office is filled.

Positions as Newark center representative and as student member to the board of trustees remain vacant.

In the first ASOC election to utilize online voting, there were technical problems from start to finish.

Server issues delayed the election results from being reported once the polls were closed May 2 since the Ohlone system is simultaneously open for class registration.

“There was a difference between our list and Admissions and Records,” said Gabriel Manalac, who serves as the ASOC elections commissioner. The confusion delayed the opening of online voting on April 30.

The Block opens to rave reviews

MARRA-MARIE MAGSAKAY / MONITOR

The Block at Pacific Commons consists of Century Theatres and Target. See story and photos on Page 4.

OPINIONS

2 monitor May 10, 2012

Still young When I started writing The “B” Side in March 2010, I was a different person than I am today as I’m sure is true for readers as well.

A lot of things both good and bad have happened in the interim.

When I started this column, it was with an observation of how the March in March event was reminiscent of the 1960s student movements.

I looked at it as a positive sign of things to come.

Fast forward to today.

The same issues of college courses are being slashed, the cost of tuition is still rising and students are still participating in the March in March event.

The negative tone and vigor has just grown over the past two years.

We are backsliding instead of progressing forward in what we can be.

Ohlone College isn’t in so terrible a position compared to other schools, but we are more complacent with letting things stay as they are on this campus.

We are a college that makes the most out of very little and its one our best assets, especially during trying times.

However, in 2010 we had a growing student government.

Looking at last week’s ASOC’s election. It has me questioning the whole point of its necessity all over again.

Only one candidate was running per executive position and it was fairly inevitable who would win.

Yet, three write-in candidates won three posts.

Write–in candidates?

What’s up with that?

The truth is that whatever write-in campaigning was occurring seems more sneaky and underhanded than going through a typical campaign in the first place.

It makes a mockery of the electoral process much like how in national politics Bush v. Gore did the same thing in 2000.

Since that first column questioned the campus, local and national politics have always remained.

I’m starting to think that those are eternal frustrations with how things are.

Maybe that it’s better that we – or in this case, I – don’t have all the answers to every dilemma I come across, but rather the possibility of remaining open to multiple perspectives is what is more important.

Fremont campus tries to deal with trash

By ALLEN KRIMMEL Staff writer

While walking up and down the stairs of Ohlone College, as well as the insides of the buildings, one thought crosses the minds of many students: “Why is there so much trash on this campus?”

Ironically, most of the people asking themselves this question will later litter something of their own.

I believe one of the major contributors to this situation is the cleanliness and newness of the Newark campus.

Readers may think this is a crazy idea, but it isn’t so far off.

The Newark Campus is smoke-free. There are trash bins for recyclables, metals and even glass.

For the most part, the buildings run on solar power and the walls are even made out of blue jeans!

How does this affect the Fremont campus?

It could be jealousy that minimal renovations have been done to the Fremont campus, or perhaps there is a brand new functioning campus just minutes away.

These thoughts leave people caring less about the old run-down Fremont campus.

What would a little bit of trash hurt if this campus already has this appearance?

The truth is that it really is slowly dragging this campus down and really making it show its age.

It’s not just the outsides of the classrooms, but the insides as well – not to mention current students are setting a bad example for future students.

High school graduates or transfer students are going to see the campus the way it is now and think to themselves: Continued on Page 3

Monitor staff

LAURA KNAB / SPECIAL TO MONITOR

The Spring 2012 Monitor staff bids readers a good summer. Staff members are from top left: Allen Krimmel, Sophia Vaughn, Thomas Phy, John Hughes, Scott Pegueros and Shamir Ejaz. Bottom row from left are: Claire Ewing, Heather Hegeman, Deeba Nabizad, Isabella Ohlmeyer, adviser Jeanie Wakeland, Editor in chief Manika Casterline, Features Editor Ashley Lam, Business Manager Jamie Madamba and Marra-Marie Magsakay.

OPINIONS

May 10, 2012 monitor 3

Campus monitor trash ohlone college

Editor-in-Chief: Continued from Page 2 What’s a little bit of their Manika A. Casterline own trash going to hurt also?

Features editor: What the students need is Ashley Lam some encouragement to put this littering to an end.

Sports editor: This could be done through Joe Nichols clubs, through seminars, fundraising and posters around the Opinions editor: Joe Nichols campus as well as stories raising awareness right here Online editor: in the Ohlone Monitor.

However, I feel that realistiIsabella Ohlmeyer cally, students outside of those Staff writers: who care for the environment, Thomas Phy as well as the well being of our Isabella Ohlmeyer campus, can only be enlightMarra-Marie Magsakay ened through rewards.

Heather Hegeman Perhaps if the students Deeba Nabizad were promised renovations Sophia Vaughn and additions similar to those John Hughes Allen Krimmel constructed upon the Newark campus, they would show Distribution manager: more initiative to keep this Joe Nichols campus clean.

The only other effective Photo staff: method would be punishment, John Hughes such as fines for littering, just Sophia Vaughn as there are fines for parking Claire Ewing without a permit.

Shamir Eijaz We need to keep the campus clean and neat to make the Graphics: Fremont campus liveable for Amy Scott Scott Pegueros both staff and students alike.

Ad manager: Jamie Madamba

Cyberbullying needs to be stopped

Ad staff: By JOE NICHOLS Amy Park Opinions editor Adviser: The cyberbullying epidemJeanie R. Wakeland ic is fast getting out of hand.

With social media such as JACC NorCAl Twitter, Facebook, Instagram Student President: and many others becoming Manika A. Casterline more widely used, it makes it Printer: easy to victimize others and FP Press become a victim of cyberbullying.

According to the i-Safe Foundation, more than half of all adolescents and teens have experienced some form of cyberbullying.

California Newspaper One third have experiPublishers Association enced cyber threats online and well over half of the victims of cyberbullying do not report it.

Journalism Association of Community Colleges Contact us:

According to the Cyberbullying Research Center (CBRC), more than 80 percent of all teens use a cell phone, which makes texting one of the most common forms of cyberbullying.

According to the CBRC, victims of cyberbullying are more likely to suffer from low self-esteem and to have suicidal thoughts.

Sites such as Facebook allow anyone to set up a page and act like someone else.

Members can post whatever they want. This needs to be curtailed.

There should be some form of identity verification put in place to prevent this from taking place.

With all of the other hate out in the world, bullying in any form should not be tolerated.

Adults and children need to be able to come together and stop the bullying in any form, but especially cyberbullying because it allows people to remain anonymous.

Parents should talk to their children not only about the dangers of being a cyberbully, but what to do if they fall victim to the senseless act of cyberbullying.

School administration also should talk with students about the long-term effects of cyber bullying.

Schools also need to take a hardline stance against not only bullying, but also cyber-

bullying of any form.

Parents should take a more proactive approach to help prevent their children from being cyberbullies and becoming victims of cyberbullying by monitoring what goes on when their kids are online.

Most importantly, parents should have an open line of communication to what is going on with their kids on the Internet.

Children and teens should not be afraid to report instances of cyberbullying to their parents or school officials.

There needs to be an open line of communications between everyone so they cyberbullying can be erased.

This needs to be stopped.

Campus Comment >>>

What are your plans for summer break?

Offices: Room 5310 Call: 510.659.6075 E-mail: monitor@ohlone.edu Read: http://www.facebook.com/ Ohlone.Monitor www.ohlonemonitor.wordpress. com

Opinions expressed in the Monitor are those of the respective authors and are not necessarily those of the staff, the college or the Associated Students of Ohlone College.

Alexander Rich

Maddie Kohler

Raul Quintana

Sebastille Paragas

“This summer I’m going to Mexico and the beach.”

“I’ll be going to Germany to visit a friend in August.”

“ This summer I’ll be working on my clothing company.”

“I don’t know what I’m doing, but it will be fun.”

UNDECIDED

UNDECIDED

BUSINESS MANAGEMENT

UNDECIDED

NEWS

4 monitor May 10, 2012 u

News bites Quiet At least one-third of the people we know are introverts.

They are the ones who prefer listening to speaking, reading to partying; who innovate and create but dislike self-promotion; who favor working on their own over brainstorming in teams.

On May 15 from 4 to 5 p.m. the library will hold a book club discussion on “Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can’t Stop Talking” by Susan Cain.

For more information please see http://www. ohlone.edu/org/bookclub/.

Around the BLOCK

Faculty Peter Werner joins Ohlone as the new part-time engineering, physics and microscope imaging laboratory technician.

Werner also works part-time at Merritt College.

Werner served as a field biologist in Nevada City and was a proctor and graduate assistant at San Francisco State University.

He earned his B.S. in botany from the University of Washington.

Resume Career counselors from the Tri-Cities One-Stop Career Center will provide three free resume critique sessions for Ohlone College students in May. Critiques are offered in the Ohlone College Newark Center lobby area on a first come, first served basis.

For more information please MARRA-MARIE MAGSAKAY / MONITOR see http://www.ohlone.edu/ The new Century Theatre at Pacific Commons: The Block is drawing in huge crowds for new releases such as “The Avengers.” org/.

Prior to opening, the main cinema in this area was at Union Landing, which is in Union City, or at the Great Mall in Milpitas.

Finals Spring semester final exams will take place starting May 12.

For the full schedule please go to http://www. ohlone.edu/org/admissions/ springfinalexamschedule. html.

Photo Every book made from Paul Mueller’s digtal photography students are available for purchase at http://www.blurb. com/user/store/OhlonePhoto.

Math Ohlone math team placed ninth in the national AMATYC competition. Eight out of the top 10 were schools in California.

Century Theater debuts at Pacific Commons

By MARRA-MARIE MAGSAKAY Staff writer

As the fourth largest city in the Bay Area, Fremont welcomed Cinemark’s Century Theatre as the new addition to the city’s plan of the Pacific Commons: The Block.

With 16 screens, the new Cinemark Century Theatre opened to the public April 20.

The newly built theater includes NextGen technology.

According to Cinemark’s website, NextGen is “wall-towall, ceiling-to-floor screens, Barco DLP projectors, RealD 3D, custom JBL sound JBL sound systems XD auditorium.”

Barco DLP projectors feature “unparalleled brightness, ensuring reliable consistent and compelling image quality.”

RealD 3D technology provides “crisp, bright, ultra realistic images so like you feel like you’ve stepped inside the movie.”

The biggest NextGen auditorium of this theatre has a 70-foot screen, which is “the largest in the Bay Area,” said Cinemark’s Marketing Manager Jennifer Frederick.

The auditorium also contains 18 custom JBL speakers positioned along the walls so the audience can truly experience the movie.

“It’s like Cinemark’s version of an Imax,” said Frederick “You could feel the seats rumble.”

Each auditorium contains high-back faux leather rockers with movable armrests.

City of Fremont Associate Planner Clifford Nguyen, who was staff planner of the project, said that difference

between this theater and the theater in Union City is that Fremont’s “is built from the ground up.”

Each of the 16 auditoriums were designed and customized to project the NextGen XD quality.

“Union City used to be a drive-in,” said Nguyen.

“The Century 25 theaters were upgraded to retro-fit the technology.”

The theaters can hold up to 2,885 guests, has a selfserve concession stand, an arcade area and a birthday party room.

Moviegoers are allowed to choose from the self-serve concession stand.

This theater offers meals such as chicken wings or Buffalo wings with fries, pizza and others. The traditional go to movie snack of popcorn, candy and soda combination

is offered as well.

In addition, the theater also serves Starbucks drinks, Dreyer’s desserts and kettle corn popcorn for guests who want more variety.

General manager Melanie McFadden said that almost every showing of Marvel’s “The Avengers” was sold out.

For the midnight release, the theater sold 15,756 tickets and the total tickets for “The Avengers” on the same weekend was 17,357.

“People come in to see what’s new and update,” said McFadden.

“New locations get more traffic.”

Christina Briggs, the city’s economic development manager, described the development as the city’s primary entertainment.

“We officially have a date night for the city,” said Briggs.

NEWS

SOUL CYCLE

May 10, 2012 monitor 5

MARRA-MARIE MAGSAKAY / MONITOR

Above: Jaren Freeley is a proponent of biking to school. Freeley bikes on a regular basis to his classes on both the Fremont and Newark Ohlone campuses.

Below: On the Newark Ohlone site, bicycles colorfully line the racks used as cyclists parking.

Students use a different set of wheels to get around

By MARRA-MARIE MAGSAKAY Staff writer

Commuting and traffic are daily hassles that every student encounters.

Those who lack sleep, did not hear their alarm clock or are running late are prone to accidents and expressing various forms of road rage.

Why should anyone start his or her day like that?

Ohlone College students illustrated an alternative way of commuting: bicycling.

The fresh air, wind against his face and the open road invigorated Joshua Yang.

He biked down an empty street where he could see the 680-north highway packed with cars bumper to bumper.

Through a Fremont neighborhood, he rode into a path called the Sabercat Creek.

The sun glared down, nature embraced his presence and the secluded road challenged him. His commute became therapy before the long day of school. Ohlone College students Joshua Yang

and Jaren Freeley advocate the benefits of bicycling to school.

The two Fremont residents bike to both the Fremont and Newark campus for class.

“It takes 15 minutes to ride to the Fremont campus and 30 minutes to Newark,” said Yang.

Freeley and Yang plan to speaking up to the City of Fremont to further bike safety and better paved paths.

“We need more bike lanes in Fremont to promote safe transportation via bicycles so

that residents would actually want to ride,” said Yang.

Another student, Charles Chiou, started biking to school two years ago.

From South Grimmer Boulevard to the Ohlone Fremont main campus, Chiou takes the challenge.

“It’s very tough going over hills,” he said.

Chiou scheduled how he commutes according to his classes.

“On a lazy day, rainy day or test day I drive to school, but when I have lecture and

any other day I bike,” he said.

Regardless of those obstacles, Chiou biked to school for “exercise and it helps relax my anxiety and stress.”

In addition to those benefits, he also saves $54 on a full tank of gas every 200 miles, which he said is about every three weeks.

“I recommend more people to bike to school,” said Chiou.

“You benefit by being healthy, you don’t have to go to the gym, save money of gas and you don’t have to worry about car accidents when

parking on campus.”

These three bicyclists are not afraid of their bikes getting stolen.

“The bike racks at the Fremont campus by Hyman Hall is near the police station, so it’s pretty secure,” said Freeley.

“I feel safe because of all the security around the bike racks in Hyman Hall,” said Chiou.

Student Darren Cruz experienced the thrill and effort of biking to school.

The Newark resident used to ride his bike to the Newark campus for his night classes.

“Driving is more convenient, of course,” said Cruz.

“But if you want to save gas and have an adventure, then biking would be more preferable.”

Student Deidre Jimenez sees the benefits: “Save on gas, save money like not purchasing a parking permit,and exercise.” For next semester, she is considering on biking to school.

“It’ll take a bit longer but I think it’s worth it,” said Jimenez.

6 monitor May 10, 2012

FEATURES

Marvel Studio Films stays true to superhero flair

By ALLEN KRIMMEL Staff writer

The moment has finally come. On May 4, Marvel’s “The Avengers” opened in theaters. A question some individuals might be asking themselves is this: Is the superhero genre way past its prime?

The answer to that question should be no. In the last decade the genre has become arguably better.

In light of the “Avengers” film, a retrospective of all of the Marvel Studios films thus far deserve a second look. It should also be mentioned that Marvel Studios independently produces its films in conjunction with Marvel Comics, to ensure that the films are faithful to their comic book counterparts and that larger film studios do not bastardize them.

What excites many people

about these films is that they are all linked together and characters as well as situations from each movie are referenced in one another.

In 2008, Marvel released the first “Iron Man” film.

Not only did this film further showcase Robert Downey Jr.’s acting skills, but many would say that it also saved his career.

The film also earned one sequel that was released in 2010.

What people love about the series is that Tony Stark isn’t your typical superhero.

He is not only a playboy, but an alcoholic who relies on his smarts and technology to save the day.

Marvel also

released a reboot titled “The Incredible Hulk” in 2008.

Compared to Ang Lee’s catastrophic “Hulk” in 2003, this film resonated quite well with its fans.

Thanks to a fast paced direction and a great performance by Edward Norton, this film showed that when a Hulk film is more about the characters alter ego, Bruce Banner, it is all the better.

In 2011, the film “Thor” showcased Chris Hemsworth as the god of lightning. This film took its audience to the mystical realm of Asgard

and took the sci-fi element of a super-hero film to the next level.

What this film brought to the table was another great character showcase.

In the film, Thor loses all his powers, and the creators of the film made it so that a god could be sympathized with and even relatable.

The final Marvel Studios film before the epic team up was also released in 2011, “Captain America: The First Avenger.”

This film was a period piece set in the 1940s dur-

“The Avengers” cast inlcudes characters Hulk, Thor, Iron Man, Captain America, Black Widow and Hawkeye.

ing the final stretch of World War II. The result is another satisfying film that also identifies with its audience.

Showing just what would happen if power were placed in the little guy’s hands, knowing that those who had never had power before, would surely value it more.

Finally, it is time for the film “The Avengers,” which brings together Iron Man, Hulk, Thor, Captain America as well as the lesser known Nick Fury, Black Widow and Hawkeye.

Aside from “The Avengers,” the year also looks promising with the reboot “The Amazing Spider-Man” and Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight Rises.”

Superhero movies are not tired. They are only getting better with time and this is the best time to be a fan.

COURTESY OF / MARVEL

‘The Avengers’ leaves audience wanting more tain America (played by Chris Evans), the Incredible Hulk (played by Mark RufThe first thought that falo), Black Widow (played crossed my mind after

by Scarlett Johansson), Nick watching Marvel’s “The Fury (played by Samuel Avengers” was that they had L. Jackson) and newcomer actually pulled it off. Making Hawkeye (played by Jeremy sure such a large ensemble Renner). cast gets equal screen time, The plot of the film is simwhile maintaining such a ple enough. Thor’s brother compelling story is no easy Loki – both gods – uses a task. weapon called the tesserIt has been four years act to summon aliens from since the release of the origiacross the galaxy to overtake nal “Iron Man” film, which the Earth.

However, the real fun in this film is watching all of the characters put their overinflated egos on display and finally learning to fight COURTESY OF / MARVEL side by “The Avengers” cast attended their premiere night on April 11 in Hollywood. side.

By ALLEN KRIMMEL Staff writer

was produced by Marvel Studios.

Marvel Studios has been independently producing and its financing own films so that it can put the most accuracy into their films as well as intertwine them for the initial release of “The Avengers.”

The film sees all of Marvel’s biggest heroes teaming up on screen together: Iron Man (played by Robert Downey Jr.), Thor (played

by Chris Hemsworth), Cap-

Character relationships are what really make this film thrive.

To most of the hardcore fans, this should be no surprise, considering the film is directed and written by Joss Whedon (creator of “Firefly” and “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”).

Typically, all of his projects involve large ensemble casts and there is character development to spare for everyone.

Whedon also has comic book experience, writing both “Astonishing X-Men” and “Runaways” for Marvel Comics.

Whedon’s ideas for the film came mostly of “The Avengers” comics of the 1960s.

“In those comics these people shouldn’t be in the same room let alone on the same team - and that is the definition of family,” he said.

Fans of each respective character and their films should be happy to know

that the characters are given just about the same amount of things to do.

But the biggest surprise of the film is the hilarity and heart that Mark Ruffalo and the Incredible Hulk bring to the table.

The odds were stacked up against Ruffalo, who had replaced fan favorite Edward Norton from the previous film.

However, Ruffalo makes for a compelling Bruce Banner, as well as a trash-talking, god-whooping Hulk.

The visuals of the film are amazing. While most of the effects are computer generated, there are a handful of practical effects.

The 3D conversion of the film is also good as it was planned, campared to many other films that are post-converted at the last minute.

“The Avengers” has a running time of 142 minutes, yet the length of the film isn’t felt because it leaves the audience with a desire for more.

FEATURES Take a look back into the past...

May 10, 2012 monitor 7

‘Metropolis’ defines itself as a culture icon

By SCOTT PEGEUROS Staff writer

The American movie industry has been flailing with certain unappealing movies lately. I watch old or obscure movies and recommend them to others in an effort to spread or preserve the culture.

One such example of cinema that should be perpetuated is the classic film “Metropolis,” directed by Fritz Lang more than eight decades ago.

The silent film “Metropolis” is widely regarded as the pinnacle of science fiction and possibly movies in general from that era.

It ranks right up there with, if not higher than, “2001: A Space Odyssey” as one of the most influential films ever made.

This movie is the most crucial contributing factor to the creation of the dystopian movie genre.

The cinematography and designs in scenery are simply breathtaking.

The plot of “Metropolis” revolves around the rich upper

class that controls everything Through following her into in the city of Metropolis and the inner parts of the city their teetering relationship where the workers are, Freder sees the working condiwith the workers who build tions and the anger of the and maintain the city’s facilities. workers towards the Freder Fredprivileged few who ersen, played by run Metropolis withGustav Fröhlich, out exposing themthe son of the masselves to hard labor. ter of Metropolis Meanwhile, the masbecomes enamored ter of Metropolis and with a woman Freder’s father, John named MaFredersen, played ria, played

by Alfred Abel,

by Brigitte concocts a plan to gain conH e l m s . trol of the workers through

COURTESY OF / UFA

The 1927 film is famous for its scenes capturing the skyline.

the use of an invention of the robot he calls Hel. “Metropolis” has been released in multiple versions, with one of the most successful releases being the 1984 restoration presented by Oscarwinning composer Giorgio Moroder.

This version of the film has been restored and edited with a few added effects.

In addition, it has also been tinted COURTESY OF / UFA throughout the movie The original 1927 movie poster has giving an earthy, beige become an American cultural staple. color to scenes in nature like a cave, or a melThe soundtrack was aplow, blue color for scenes propriate in each scene, in the city. The silent movie giving the movie’s creepier was also given a musical scenes an eerie background soundtrack featuring pop music as well as uplifting and rock idols ranging from music for dramatic scenes.

Pat Benatar, to Adam Ant But what really caught my and even the late Freddie eye over everything else was Mercury. the scenery of the city’s skyThe Giorgio Moroder ver- scrapers and the architectursion of “Metropolis” did the al design the movie depictformer silent film justice as ed. It was these scenes that the tinted colors comple- make “Metropolis” an icon, mented the cinematography deserving to be perpetuated for ages to come. and lighting well.

Alumna makes it big and returns to Ohlone

By ISABELLA OHLMEYER Online editor

Many people only hope that in their lifetime they can achieve success through their passion.

At the tender age of 24, former Ohlone student Jessica Stanley has achieved a slice of success in her theater professional career.

Her love for theater did not begin until her junior year at James Logan High School.

“I was a cheerleader my first two years of high school, but then got kicked off the squad due to academic probation. After cheerleading did not work out, I decided to try theater, so I joined drama and the improvisation class,” Stanley said.

She continued her newfound love for theater into her community college career. In 2006, she enrolled at Ohlone and took both Acting for the Camera and Student Repertory Theater as an actor after a brief hiatus from theater.

“I had taken a year off

from theater and was miserable, so I took Tom Blank’s Acting for the Camera class,” Stanley said.

Stanley made an impression on at least one student in that class, longtime theater student James Devreaux Lewis.

Lewis asked her to fill the roles given to a girl who dropped out of the Student Rep course and Stanley gladly accepted. Soon after, she entered in her first full scale production of “Romeo and Juliet” in Fall 2007.

“I played the nurse. It was a traveling show. We performed at every high school in the immediate area and even hit as far as San Mateo,” Stanley said.

She continued participating as an actress in the Ohlone fall productions for two more years as Consuela Conrad in “Much Ado About Nothing” in 2008 and as Izzy in “Rabbit Hole” in 2009.

Stanley was nominated for the prestigious Irene Ryan Acting Competition for her role as Izzy. Along with being actively involved in the fall

plays, she was still involved in Student Rep Theater as a light board operator, stage manager and actress.

In 2010, Stanley was asked by Blank to stagemanage the Fall 2010 production of “Time MachineLove Among the Eloi.”

She was recognized yet again by the American College Theater Festival, but this time she was nominated for a Stage Manager Award.

Stanley has also been a member of the Young Actors Theater Camp. She has been a part of YATC for six years now.

Stanley started off as a counselor and then moved up to co-activities director and now the activities director and an associate to the founders and directors, Shawn Ryan and John Ainsworth.

Stanley said, “I wanted to join the Young Actors’ Theatre Camp because it seemed like an amazing entertainment-based program to get into. I had worked as a recreation leader in the past and it was up that alley.

I was actually offered the job at the Ohlone Theatre Festival,” she said.

She was hosting in the Jackson Theatre for Musical Theater finals and Shawn Ryan was one of the judges.

Stanley was waiting on stage for the judges to finish writing their critiques and was swinging the stopwatch around her neck.

Stanley did it once, twice and then on the third time it smacked her right in the face.

She put her head down and walked off stage.

“Due to the fact that they are theater kids, they are supportive and gave me a huge applause. I walked back on stage and did a big dramatic bow,” she said.

Founder of the camp Shawn Ryan said, “From that moment, I knew I had to have someone like that at my camp.’ ” More theater opportunities came Stanley’s way, but this time, it was through connections from Young Actors Theater Camp.

“I got the chance to be the

casting assistant through a casting director that I had built a relationship with through YATC,” Stanley said.

The casting director attended camp for a few years, saw her work ethic and knew it could be something she was good at.

“I literally had a week to pack everything up and move to Los Angeles. I even had to turn away one of YATC’s summer camps I had agreed to work,” Stanley said.

Through her eyes as a casting assistant, Stanley gave her perspective on talent.

“Talent is everywhere it’s just about knowing how to get where you want to shine. It is also about who you know.”

While Stanley felt exuberant and grateful for this once in a lifetime opportunity, she faced struggle along the way.

“It was hard. My first month was the hardest. I had a week to leave everything I knew behind. When I arrived at my apartment, it was crap. I had subletted it for two months. It was on fraterContinued on Page 10

FEATURES Gerolaga spins through colorful competition

8 monitor May 10, 2012

By ALLEN KRIMMEL Staff writer

This is the inspirational story of what the sport of Color Guard is, how Kristine Gerolaga fell in love with it, how she became a teacher of the sport and how she had made it to the World Division tournament in Ohio.

It is also the story of never being too old to do what a person loves.

Kristine Gerolaga, 25 has been “spinning” in the sport of Color Guard for nearly 13 years.

Although Gerolaga has been spinning in tournaments for such a long time, once she and her friends had passed the age of 24, they were considered “aged out” to compete in a lower division guard.

The only way Gerolaga and her team could compete was if they had made the World Division, which has no age limit.

The sport of Color Guard is, Gerolaga said, “something that you really have to see to understand!

“Today, it’s described as a sport of the arts. It’s a visual representation of music through dance, storytelling and of course, the traditional spinning of flags, sabers and rifles.”

The verb that describes the action being performed is also called spinning.

In seventh grade, Gerolaga absolutely fell in love with Color Guard after trying out for her middle school team.

Gerolaga had fallen so much in love with spinning that she wanted to share the sport as well as teach it to others.

“I started teaching my senior year of high school. I

COURTESY OF / GEROLAGA

Team Perpetro performs a flag routine at World Guard International competition on the University of Dayton Arena floor.

just thought it was the natural order of things: Join the team, work to become captain of that team and then instruct when you graduate.”

“It’s been a dream of mine to be an instructor at the high school I graduated from (Vallejo High School) and now I have been teaching for seven years,” said Gerolaga.

Once Gerolaga and a few of her other teammates had aged out, it was time for her to move on to bigger things.

The only event that she and her team could compete at was the WGI (World Guard International) World Championships in Dayton, Ohio.

In terms of the scale of the tournament, “It is basically the Super Bowl or the Olympics of color guard,” said Gerolaga.

Gerolaga’s team was comprised of her closest friends, as well as some of her own students.

“It’s always been a dream of mine as well as other

people I’ve spun in Vallejo throughout the years to have an independent (meaning you’re not part of a school) world guard because we knew we had the talent and the heart to do so.

“It’s just been something that everyone talked about for years and this year a friend of mine and I finally made it happen. And so our team, Perpetro, came to fruition,” said Gerolaga.

Once finally competing at the WGI, Team Perpetro didn’t make it past the preliminary round. However, the team’s ranking in the tournament had no effect on them.

“We can actually say that we finally got the chance to compete on the legendary University of Dayton Arena floor and share that very same floor with the best world guards that I’ve been following since I was 15 years old,” said Gerolaga.

How could Gerolaga follow up on such a lifetime

COURTESY OF / GEROLAGA

Team Perpetro gathers minutes before one of their color guard performances.

achievement? The answer to that question is simple.

By doing what she loves the most – continuing to spin through teaching.

Team Perpetro is looking to make a comeback in their second season and once again make their way to the WGI. A more creative aspect

is also in the works for her team.

Gerolaga said that her team is looking to develop a new web series.

The series will “put together shorter show concepts that we’ve been dying to do and present them in a cinematic way which has yet to be done.”

Loyal fans stand by motto ‘Gotta catch ’em all’ the franchise originated. I’m sure almost everyone reading this is old enough to reWho didn’t like the 1990s? call those days quite vividly.

Those were good years: Bill Since then, “Pokémon” Clinton was president, comi- has expanded into a whole cally oversized cell phones industry with a game for were the hottest thing on the every Nintendo, hand-held market and some of the best console since the first Game franchises came out, such as Boy and expanded into the “Pokémon.” other Nintendo game conCan you believe it’s almost soles since the Nintendo 64. been 14 years since the first And now — you guessed it Pokémon games came to —the manufacturer is comAmerica on Sept. 30, 1998? ing out with another PokéActually, “Pokémon” be- mon game for the Nintendo gan in 1996 in Japan where DS. Still raking cash in from

By SCOTT PEGEUROS Staff writer

2010’s release of “Pokémon Black and White,” the game developers, Game Freak, decided to come out with two more installments, aptly named “Pokémon Black 2” and “Pokémon White 2.”

The new installments are set to be released in Japan on June 23 with a North American release in the fall.

Not much has been revealed about this game except that it’s supposed to take place two years after the events of the first “Black” and “White” games.

The concept of Pokémon was first thought up by Satoshi Taijiri, currently the CEO of Game Freak. According to his profile on Bulbapedia, he first developed the idea by seeing two kids playing their Game Boys with a link cable and imagined little insects crawling through the cable.

The premise of the game has been the same exact successful formula, which is to catch a team of creatures called Pocket Monsters appropriately abbreviated to

“Pokémon,” where players battle other Pokémon trainers and become the master.

The franchise’s trademark creatures have expanded and amassed a huge cult following and made itself into a cultural icon of games.

What started with 151 Pokémon in the first two games has grown. The creators kept adding more and more Pokémon until today when the count has reached to 649 Pokémon and a television show that has lasted just as long as the game.

NEWS

May 10, 2012 monitor 9

Final exams loom over Ohlone students

By ASHLEY LAM Features editor

With finals coming next week, students around campus are preparing themselves for testing, each in their own way.

Different students take unique approaches to the finals that wrap up the spring semester.

Alhad Deshpande, who is studying for his second semester at Ohlone, is majoring in math.

Deshpande’s approach to studying is very regimented, as he has made a tailored plan to study for his calculus final.

Deshpande said that depending on what final he is taking, his studying techniques differ.

He is currently taking Calculus 101B, macroeconomics and general psychology.

“In studying for my calculus final, I plan on first going over chapter 6, which covers advanced integration methods and then moving on to chapter 5,” said Deshpande.

Deshpande added with a smile, “My teacher said our final is literally the first one in the semester as it starts a 7 on Monday morning of next week.”

“She (math professor Anh

Nguyen) gives us a study guide so we can narrow our scope to certain subtopics, rather than studying everything we learned over the semester,” Deshpande said.

On a scale of one to 10, Deshpande said he thinks that in terms of preparedness, he is a 7.

Joey Chen, who is majoring in civil engineering, takes a similar approach to Deshpande, reviewing chapters of mathematics that were taught over the semester.

“I usually start studying for the final a week or two before, so I spend about 40 hours worth of studying in total,” said Chen.

K.G. Greenstein, who has been an Ohlone librarian since 1999, notices a definite change in the library’s atmosphere as students change their study habits when finals approach. Greenstein suggested: · Get a lot of sleep the day before the final. · Work in a study group to have discussions with fellow peers. · Use the library’s many group study rooms that are equipped with white boards.

“I think it’s important for students to collaborate when

studying, especially when it comes to visualizing subject material,” said Greenstein.

“I have found that around finals time, there is a sort of focused energy that I feel from the students.

“Often when I see students goofing off in the computer area on sites like Facebook and YouTube, I make an announcement to make it stop.”

“But, before finals week I have noticed that students

tend to do less of this because they want to help their peers and they have a better understanding of where each other are at because they are all on the same boat,” Greenstein said.

Laila Khan wins English Dept. writing contest with ‘Kismet’

By ISABELLA OHLMEYER Online editor

Student Laila Khan has been deemed the winner of the Spring 2012 Ohlone Writing Contest.

Laila Khan

Her story “Kismet” is a compelling short fiction about a young woman who finds herself with no choice but to

leave her home behind and head for an uncertain future.

Khan’s story was selected among 14 other entries this semester.

Professor Jeff Dean is one of the judges of the contest.

He distributes originals and copies of the writing submissions to others in the English Department.

Judging the contest is a diligent and careful task that all of the judges are honored to be part of, Dean said.

According to Dean, the “number of readers vary from year to year, depending on availability of other professors and the number of entries which need to be read.”

Clear composition skills and the ability to sustain a compelling narrative are two of major criteria that are common in judging.

From his own personal judging perspective of the stories, Dean said, “I can only speak to my own specific criteria, but stories which have the ability to leave a lasting impression tend to rank highly.”

Even winners can procrastinate.

Khan said that she turned in her story at the last minute.

“I wrote until April 29, the night before the last day to turn it in. I felt unsure about it, but I thought there was no harm in taking a chance,” Khan said.

The English Department encourages all students to check back next March and April for information about entering into the Spring 2013 writing contest.

Khan’s winning story can be viewed on the Ohlone qwebsite at http://www.ohlone.edu/ instr/english/writingcontest/ .

NEWS Alumna’s new role Councilman Cho seeking position as Fremont mayor 10 monitor May 10, 2012

Continued from Page 7

nity row for UCLA. I didn’t know anyone. The people I did know from Los Angeles was away at the Young Actors Theater Camp,” Stanley said.

She said that it took her almost an hour to get to work everyday and she could only take one road down to work.

“It was so hard to learn the names of important people that I have never heard of before.”

Stanley was on an 11week contract to learn everything fast with no room for mistakes.

The reward for doing well at her job meant that she could be employed for a longer period of time.

“I starved a lot, was lonely a lot and felt like giving up,” she said.

Stanley was a casting assistant on NBC’s “Community,” a video audition

screener for Oxygen’s “The Glee Project,” helped assist in John Favreau’s feature film “Coffee Town” and “Ladyfriends” on NBC. “Casting was something that had always been an interest of mine. It wasn’t really until I received the opportunity with “Community” that I saw myself doing it as a career.

“Coming to L.A. really showed me how important your degree is, so that is why I’m coming back to Ohlone in Fall of 2012 to get my degree and become a drama teacher.

“Teaching runs in my blood. I took a look at what my strong points were, put that together and thought that would be a good career fit for me.

“Moving down here showed me how temporary your jobs really are down here,” Stanley said.

Continued from Page 1

is not golden,” said Cho. Cho said that he has seen Fremont almost double in its size since he first moved to Fremont.

“There was a time when Fremont did not even have one department store. Even today we have Kohl’s right now and Nordstrom Rack moved in recently,” he said.

For a city with more than 205,00 people, Fremont needs to have shopping options for economy and job growth, Cho said.

Cho said he believes bringing businesses to Fremont will make the city more attractive to other businesses as it is important to start filling up “some of the vacancies.”

Bringing respect to Fremont is one of Cho’s biggest missions.

He stresses that he wants to make a collective step with the community in going out and representing Fremont the way it used to be.

“We need a higher level of recognition to make others know that we are No. 4 (the fourth biggest city in the Bay Area) and we have to gain that level of recognition we deserve,” said Cho. To expand opportunities, Cho suggests, “Don’t be locked within the city, go out and find business development commerce to introduce Fremont to potential businesses that are looking for places to go to.”

Among other issues that Cho finds pertinent to Fremont, he said safety is another one of his concerns.

“It’s true that Fremont is very low staffed, in terms of the public safety office. We are one of the lowest staffed cities of our size compared to all the others, but our crime rates are still on the low side,” said Cho. Cho has high hopes for Fremont.

“Fremont is on the verge of becoming an even greater city.

However, this will not happen without some hard work.

Fremont needs a mayor who spends more time out front to promote our city,” said Cho. Cho’s main campaign issue that he would like to address is joblessness in Fremont.

“I’m not sure that we have done an efficient or adequate job to go out and attract businesses to come here,” Cho said.

What Cho means by “product” he is referring to jobs in Fremont, which will come from companies that he has already been working with to bring to Fremont.

Cho said that he believes jobs mean more opportunities for Fremont residents, in that they can have the opportunity to earn a decent living while bringing revenues to the city.

In comparison to the other candidates also running in the mayoral election, Cho said he thinks that each person has good intentions.

“It comes down to how am I different than the other candidates. I am willing to commit my time 100 percent. The mayor position in Fremont is a volunteer part time position, but I am willing to devote my time 100 percent in order to

David Makki Professional Tutoring

15 Years Teaching Experience Reading Writing Math History Science Economics 510-396-7643 makkiburger@gmail.com

do what it takes. The others cannot do that because they have family and work obligations,” said Cho. Ohlone Professor Alan Kirshner, who has been at Ohlone for 41 years, majored in political science in college.

Kirshner jokes that he was first drawn to politics because of his love for power.

Kirshner said that it takes many attributes to run for mayor and win the election.

Anyone running for Fremont mayor should have previous involvement in city politics, positive name recognition and funding, said Kirshner.

One of the issues that Kirshner thinks is pertinent to Fremont is the lack of the city’s culture and fundamentally the arts.

“A city the size of Fremont should be showcasing a legitimate theater, not simply the new Century Theaters at Pacific Commons,” said Kirshner.

Kirshner said that there should be a theater in Fremont where dramatic productions, operas and concerts can be held for the community. With the city of Fremont being well established, there should at least be a major art museum .

“I use to joke that one reason for taking my Western/ World Civilization courses was so that a student could go to a party in San Francisco or travel to Europe and sound educated. I would add, ‘Hey, you might even want to go on a date to visit an art museum or see the ballet besides just spending your Saturday night in Fremont at the movies or roller skating,” said Kirshner.

Essentially, according to Kirshner, Fremont needs to offer its community what other large cities do, more diverse cultural opportunities.

“The mayor of Fremont cannot act alone to do the first thing. The mayor can only try and promote his or her vision.”

Ohlone students who live in Fremont should be involved in local politics, said Kirshner.

“The first thing about becoming involved is knowing what is happening around you. Fremont is where Ohlone students live and they should want to have a say and a part in what goes on in their extended house or apartment, the Fremont community,” Kirshner said.

Kirshner encourages that Ohlone students who may want a career in politics should take the first step in getting involved and active.

Kirshner suggests that students volunteer in a local campaign or work as an intern for an office holder or political party. Ohlone students can recieve up to three transferrable units for getting involved.

SPORTS

May 10, 2012 monitor 11

Teams prepare for big games

Ohlone Softball wins against SJCC Continued from Page 12

that I could get to it,” said Ohlone center fielder Ashley Vignola after catching a long fly ball in the top of the sixth inning.

In Sunday’s Ohlone softball action, hitters gave starter Katie Bihl an eight-run lead after two innings of play.

The Lady Renegade’s bats were on fire with Lauren Ermitano getting things started with a three-run homerun in the top of the first inning.

Renelle Traylor hit a solo homerun and catcher Shelby Fowler and right fielder Lauren Poffenbarger kept the hits coming.

The Lady Renegades are hoping that injured center fielder Ashley Vignola will recover from getting hit by a

“The ... geese honk not to make humans look up, but to encourage the leader to keep flying and lead the formation.”

Continued from Page 12

- COACH DONNA RUNYON

pitch during the first inning and again in the fourth inning.

The second time, she was hit squarely on the shin, forcing her to leave the game.

Playing catcher in the high 80-degree heat was no joy, said Shelby Fowler.“It’s really hot out there,” she said.

The Lady Renegades will travel to College of San Mateo JOHN HUGHES / MONITOR May 12 and 13 for the second Starting Pitcher Brittany Wright pitches a shutout May 5, deround of the Northern Califor- feating San Jose City College 1-0 to start the Northern California playoffs at Ohlone. nia playoffs.

AWARD RECIPIENTS include these honorees:

“ One of the most inspiring events on campus!”

TERRY TASKEY, COUNSELOR

Nicky Lim

Jaren Feeley

Cassie Mastroieni

Tricia Menchavez

Hoyoung Lee

Xue Fan

DEAF PROGRAM

LIBRARY RESEARCH PAPER

DSPS

Steven Vogel

LIBRARY RESEARCH PAPER

ACTING

ENGLISH LANGUAGE INSTITUTE

Andrea Graf

Jaren Feeley

Chisui Tsai

Sichao “Allan” Jiang

David Harvey

Wilson Zhang

Christopher Joseph

Ju Yeon (June) Bae

PHYSICS AND ASTRONOMY

Laurie Anderson

PHYSICS AND ASTRONOMY

BIOLOGY—TRANSFER

Philip Enguancho

PHYSICAL THERAPIST ASSISTANT

Thursday, May 10, 2012

Alex J. Platero

BIOLOGY—TRANSFER

Heather Warren

Steve Kopp

Chun Wei Fang

Tabatha Stewart

Terriann Wong

5 pm Reception with light refreshments and entertainment 6 pm Ceremony Smith Center at Ohlone College, Fremont Campus

BIOTECHNOLOGY

HEALTH & WELLNESS

RESPIRATORY THERAPY

Kayla M. Briones

Alaina Gold

HISTORY

SOCIOLOGY

Christina Horton-Peterson

Jamie Lee Madamba SPEECH AND COMMUNICATIONS

Nandar Lin (Hanray)

Hoai Huong Thi Ngo

JOIN US in celebrating the outstanding academic achievements by Ohlone College students, who are recognized for their top performance and superior commitment to learning.

Listen to students’ stories of overcoming challenges, exceeding expectations, and rising to new heights of accomplishment.

CHICANA/O STUDIES

ANTHROPOLOGY

2011-2012 STUDENT AWARDS CEREMONY

ART

ASL & DEAF STUDIES ASL & DEAF STUDIES

Randal E. Martinez BIOLOGY

Qianyan Li

Deanna Bernal

BUSINESS SUPERVISION/ MANAGEMENT

Thein Htaik CHEMISTRY

Leah Dorman CHEMISTRY

Tricia L. Dutra

Mobina Baseer CNET

Li Caruso

MATH

Anh-Khoa Tran MATH

ENGLISH ENGLISH

Francisco Hernandez MUSIC

Tricia Menchavez NURSING

ENTERTAINMENT TECHNOLOGY

Anh-Khoa Tran

ESL

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FORENSICS FORENSICS

INTERIOR DESIGN

INTERNATIONAL STUDENT

Thein Htaik

Cheree Simmons REAL ESTATE

STUDENT SERVICES

Manika Casterline JOURNALISM

Kaylene de Bord KINESIOLOGY

COAT

Frank Mock

COMPUTER SCIENCE

Patricia L. Retanubun DANCE

For a complete list of recipients, or more info visit www.ohlone.edu/studentawards

FREE & OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

While the do-or-die style of the CCCAA tournament would seem to put the teams on edge, both teams are excited about the possibility of capturing a state championship.

The softball team was also looking towards their weekend series with a mixture of nerves and excitement.

Prior to their first game against San Jose City College Saturday, Head Coach Donna Runyon addressed the emotions her players had to deal with as they tried to advance to the next round in the tournament.

“I know some of you may have butterflies in your stomach, but that’s natural because you’re in an important situation,” Runyon said.

FIRST SUCCESSES The Lady Renegades went on to take a 1-0 victory on Saturday and knocked out San Jose City College from the tournament with a 13-5 win on Sunday to move on to the super regional playoff versus Sierra College.

The Renegade’s baseball team went into their matchup versus Chabot as the favored higher seed, but Coach Russell was sure to not look past their first opponent.

“We’re gonna take it one game at a time, one pitch at a time. Every game is gonna be tough. Chabot is a great team and they always play well.

Every team in the playoffs is a good team.”

Dylan Morrow, the starting pitcher in Saturday’s game versus Chabot, was more than ready for the opportunity to move a step closer to the team’s second State Championship in three years.

“I feel like we’re all really excited. We’ve had a week off so we’re really hungry to get back at it and compete to win a Regional and play in the Super Regional,” said Morrow.

While the level of competition will be sky high for both the Renegades’ baseball and softball teams in their respective tournaments, the overall goal will not be lost as they look for the state championship.

“This is the fun part of the year. This is the part of the year that we worked really hard for all the way from summer and fall. Conference is a battle and we got through all the tough parts and now it’s the time when we get to sit back and have fun and enjoy the experience. That’s the best part about playoffs,” said Coach Russell.

RecyCle this newspaper

SPORTS

12 monitor May 10, 2012

Ohlone softball beats San Jose City

Ohlone baseball moves to round two

By JOHN HUGHES Staff writer

By THOMAS PHY Staff writer

The Lady Renegades played well in the first leg of the Northern California playoffs, beating San Jose City College May 5 by a score 1-0 and again May 6, defeating them 13-5.

The game got started with Coach Donna Runyon talking to the team about leaders and honkers of geese flying in the “V” formation.

“The lead goose cuts the wind to make it easier for the rest of the formation to fly behind the leader. The other geese honk not to make humans look up, but to encourage the leader to keep flying and lead the formation,” said Runyon. “When the leader is replaced by another goose, the leader will become a honker to encourage the new leader.”

Livermore High School senior Jamie Orr sang the National Anthem. She’ll be attending Ohlone College in the fall semester, playing for the Lady Renegades.

Ohlone starting pitcher Brittany Wright went seven strong innings on Saturday, holding to Lady Jaguars to zero runs and only two hits.

Lauren Ermitano provided the big hit in the bottom of the fifth inning, knocking in the only run that they needed to win the game.

“I had it tracked and I knew

Ohlone baseball captured a two-game sweep over Chabot this past weekend to move one step closer to the state championship.

Needing to win two out of three games to move onto the Super Regionals in San Mateo, Ohlone fought back to win the first game Saturday in dramatic fashion before finishing off Chabot with another victory Sunday.

The Renegades trailed Chabot 5-1 going into the seventh inning of Saturday’s matchup, but managed to string together a couple late inning rallies to get themselves back into the game.

Going into the ninth, Ohlone still trailed Chabot by one run but tied the game up before setting up a game ending walk with the bases loaded.

“They decided to walk the bases loaded and try to get the double play but it didn’t work out in their favor,” said Ohlone Head Coach Julian Russell.

“We’ll take a win any way we can get it.”

Starting pitcher Dylan Morrow had a solid performance, giving up zero runs with three strikeouts and two walks in 5-2/3 innings pitched.

Michael Rogers took the mound Sunday for the Renegades as they looked to finish the series in two games rather than being forced into ing rubber match later that afternoon.

Ohlone was first on the board as they put up four runs in the fourth inning before Chabot answered back with two runs of there own.

It wasn’t until Tyler Helms’ sixth inning bases clearing three-run double that Ohlone pulled away from Chabot to capture a 7-3 victory.

“It was pretty close. We had one inning with the bases loaded and Helms came up with the big hit for us to get a couple RBI’s,” said Russell.

The victory earned the Renegades a spot in the Super Regional Tournament where they will face Consumnes River College on Friday.

Ohlone faced Consumnes River earlier in the season, losing 2-0 Feb. 24.

“We’re pretty familiar with what we’re up against,” said Russell.

“We’re excited to extend our season another week. Our guys are looking forward to it.

It should be a good weekend battle.”

JOHN HUGHES / MONITOR

Lady Renegades Brittany Lema-Keesis and Kayley Marden practice bat swings before the Northern California playoffs.

Ohlone softball, baseball teams work to catch fire for playoffs

By JOHN HUGHES and THOMAS PHY Staff writers

State championships are on the line as both the Ohlone Baseball and Softball teams prepare for the 2012 California Communit College Atheletic Association Tournament.

Winning is all about catching fire at the right time in competitive sports and both teams have done just that as they head into the playoffs.

The baseball team has won 10 of its final 11 games as it Continued on Page 11 marched to a first-place finish

OHLONE COLLEGE and TRI-CITIES ONE-STOP CAREER CENTER

• Meet your next employer • Explore career options • Learn about opportunities

and network with key contacts • Interview on-site (with select companies)

Employers will be recruiting for all levels and job titles.

FOR A COMPLETE LIST OF EMPLOYERS VISIT:

tricitiesonestop.com 510.742.2323

FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

OHLONE COLLEGE NEWARK CENTER 39399 Cherry Street, Newark

“I feel like we’re all really excited.

We’ve had a week off so we’re really hungry to get back to it and compete to win a regional and play in the super regional.”

- PITCHER DYLAN MORROW

in the Coast-Pacific Conference with a 28-10 overall record and third place ranking in Northern California.

The softball team has found similar success at the end of its 2012 regular season campaign as it won eight of its last nine games and finished second in the Coast-North Division with a 29-11 overall record.

That success will mean next to nothing, however, as records are wiped clean as the teams enter the tournament.

Each team had nearly two weeks off between their grueling regular season finale and the first game of the regional playoffs.

That time off gives the players and coaches a chance to get their minds and bodies prepared for the most important time of the year, but also poses the risk of losing the coveted momentum each team has built up at the end of their seasons.

BASEBALL: ROUTINE “We’re staying in the same routine, throwing bullpens and coach has us playing inter-squads,” said Ohlone Baseball starting pitcher Dylan Morrow.

Head Coach Julian Russell hopes those inter-squad games will keep his team fresh as it goes into the playoffs.

“We had regular practice Monday-Wednesday-Friday

and then Tuesday-Thursday.

We had some inter-squad type stuff. It’s always good to see live pitching and have the pitchers throw to live hitters,” said Russell.

There was nearly a lighthearted feel around the park as the baseball team took the field for practice last Friday prior to the start of their Regional Playoff on Saturday.

“These guys are excited.

A week of practice isn’t the most fun, but it’s good for the guys to rest a little bit and then you can really feel the excitement building up,” said Coach Russell.

At the same time, the team was well aware of the importance of the best of three weekend series they were going into.

“If you lose that first game then obviously the pressures on a little bit because if you lose again, you’re done,” said Russell. “It’s really important to get that first win and take your chances into Sunday.”

SOFTBALL: FOCUSED The softball team has taken a similar approach to dealing with their time off between games.

“We’re just trying to keep our strength up and stay focused for the playoffs,” said Ohlone Softball outfielder Megan Tyler.

Continued on Page 11