Issue 8, 2015-2016 by The Lancer

Volume 55, Issue 8 » April 13, 2016 » Thousand Oaks High School » 2323 N. Moorpark Rd, Thousand Oaks, CA 91360 » www.tohsthelancer.org » thelancer.tohs@gmail.com » Circulation 2,400

BERNARD MOON Surrounding schools honor the life of senior Bernard Moon by wearing green. His friends and fellow Lancers wear pink bandannas to show their support.

IN REMEMBRANCE— (Back L to R) Friends Supreet Shah, Brian Lee, Paul Moon, George McGuigan, (front L to R) Ryan Clydesdale, Justin Bucci, Cam King, Noah Jackson, Josh Pritz and Christian Kim share their stories with The Lancer on pg. two.

PHOTO » ANDREW CHAU » THE LANCER

TALENT SHOW

THE PIANO MAN

PITCH PERFECT

Students perform in TOnight Talent Show in honor of Bernard Moon. pg. 03

With only four years of lessons, senior Alex Bazan became attuned to the piano. pg. 08

Baseball looks to make it to CIF playoffs despite the loss of several gifted seniors. pg. 10

IN MEMORIAM

Remembering bernard moon On Monday, April 4, Thousand Oaks High School tragically lost a fellow lancer. Senior Bernard Moon was one of the most accomplished students at TOHS, participating in Boys State, winning science fair, being captain of the varsity boys tennis team and more. However, he is not only remembered by a list of achievements, but by his close friends and some of their favorite memories with him. I think it was freshmen year, Ryan, Noah, Bernard and I went trick or treating. Ryan was a female volleyball player, Noah was Santa Claus, I was a Taekwondo dude and Bernard just comes out with a tee shirt and headphones on and we asked him ‘what are you?’ And he goes ‘a K-pop star!’ —Christian Kim

“There’s so many quirky, weird stories that I can’t sum up in one story. I can’t imagine not having anymore funny moments to share with him, but I’m glad that I got to be the only younger brother that he ever had.” —Paul Moon

“When I first met Bernard, I promised him that I’d teach him how to longboard. On our first day of practice, I found the biggest hill in my neighborhood and asked Bernard if he wanted to try it. He was confident that he could do it, but ultimately crashed into a bush and scratched his glasses. I should have taught him how to stop first, but he thought it was awesome anyways.” —Josh Pritz

“He told me ‘do you want to learn how to break dance with me?’ I was like ‘how are you going to learn how to break dance?’ and he just said ‘I’ll watch some YouTube videos and learn how to do it’ So I was just thinking, ‘don’t you have other things to do?’ and he just said ‘I’ll find the time.’” —Ryan Clydesdale

“Bernard ‘Kim Jong’ Moon was my doubles partner on the tennis team. I remember playing a really obnoxious doubles team from Camarillo that after every point they won they would yell ‘let’s go Scorps!’ and all the other seven guys playing on different courts would echo back the same celebratory phrase. In between points we would joke about how to get back at them when it finally hit us—the next point Bernard served an ace and yelled ‘let’s go Scorps!’ Sure enough, all the Camarillo players echoed the cheer back and we kept this stunt up for the rest of the game. I had never heard the other team cheer so much for TO when we finally won the game and yelled ‘LET’S GO SCORPS!’” —George McGuigan

“We were playing this game called “Werewolf” and halfway through playing Bernard managed to sprint into a sandbox. He fell over and started laughing so we carried him to our friends house who lived up the street. We just started duct taping as many paper towels as we could to his leg to stop the bleeding, our friends mom asked him how he was gonna get home and he said ‘it’s okay I only need one leg and I drive with my left leg all the time.’ He got home and the next day he showed up at school with one crutch and a Band-Aid. I asked him if he got stitches and he said he went to urgent care but the wait was two hours and he didn’t want to wait so he put another band-aid on and it ended up scarring so bad as a huge crater on his shin.” —Brian Lee

“Thursday night, the first night of spring break, we played hockey and then went to Carl’s’ Jr.. He left, went to a party, didn’t get in, came back, and then went to the party because someone that knew the host was hanging out with us. Then at two in the morning he calls me and is like ‘hey, can I come over?’ I’m just in my garage with my friend Robbie, but he rings my doorbell six times. Thankfully my dad is half deaf.” —Cam King

“I woke up at five a.m. that day, to go to Disneyland, and I got home at 10:30 p.m. and Bernard texted me ‘we need a place to hang out, we’re coming over.’ And I was like ‘no, I’m tired,’ but he came over anyway. I was dozing off when I heard the call and then he came in and we just had a lot of fun. I went to bed at five a.m., so twenty four hours, plus Disneyland, plus Bernard.” —Supreet Shah PHOTO » JAMIE JENKINS » WITH PERMISSION

NEWS

STAFF

2015-2016 EDITORS EDITORS-IN-CHIEF

Brian Lee Jessi Soporito

Talent TOnight

NEWS Katie Dang Natalie Pagan OPINION Andrew Chau Gavin Norton Sierra Waters ENTERTAINMENT Shraya Blaisdell Sebastain Maya IN-FOCUS Joyce Huchin Hannah Mercer FEATURES Clarissa Kano Kylie Patterson

TALENTED TRIBUTE—Seniors Josh Pritz, Supreet Shah and Christian Kim perform a Bollywood dance routine in honor of Bernard Moon and Ryan Clydesdale.

SPORTS Cam King Allison Medley Paul Moon

STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS Natalie Dulansky Rebecca Heinzel Quincey Smithers Jade Tiszler WRITERS Abby Austin-Wood Emma Caudill Justin Gonzales Austin Gregory Abby Kawaii April Sanchez Samantha Shipiro Nate Swanson ADVISER Tasha Beaudoin The Lancer is the official school publication of Thousand Oaks High School, created and produced by students in Advanced Journalism. This publication and additional stories can be found online at tohsthelancer.org. The Lancer reserves the right to refuse advertising deemed inappropriate for high school publication. Guest editorials and “Letters to the Editor” are welcome, but must be signed and are subject to editing for length, libel, obscenity and grammar. They can be sent to thelancer.tohs@gmail.com. The Lancer is a member of the Journalism Education Association (JEA), National Scholastic Press Association (NSPA), Columbia Scholastic Press Association (CSPA) and NSPA All-American Hall of Fame.

KATIE DANG

News Editor

The night of the talent show was a night that not only showcased the school’s array of talent, but was also a night of remembrance for the late senior Bernard Moon. Moon, along with seniors Supreet Shah, Ryan Clydesdale, Josh Pritz and Christian Kim, known as The Boyz, were going to perform a bollywood dance. On April 8, the group went on with their dance despite only having three out of the ﬁve members. Their act, a bollywood dance to Beware of the Boys, won the People’s Choice Award and $50. Senior Kyle Amott, one of the three emcees who performed a short comedic skit in between each of the acts worked along ASB to create an entertaining show. “Planning took 2-3 weeks, but the emcee script took a day and laying out the skits took another additional day,” Amott said. The preparation process involved ASB organizing the performers and the technical elements in order to put on an organized and successful performance. “We made a poster in the lobby, and we also had to make sure the screen was down in time to play the video for Bernard,” sophomore ASB member Allison Fisher said, “We also had to make sure we had all of the equipment backstage to double check that each act was executed in the way the performer wanted.” Despite being nervous, Amott felt comfortable, seeing that the audience was interactive and involved. “Everybody was really excited backstage. They knew that we were doing a tribute for our fellow lancer,” Amott said.“We were all motivated to perform in front of all of our friends and family and community.” Senior Cassiel McEvoy, performed “Zigeunerweisen“ by Sarasate with her violin. McEvoy, who has been playing the violin since the age of 4, won the Technical Merit Award. Sophomore Gavin Norton and junior Matt Liebowitz performed the winning act, an original comedic feature titled “A Bad Idea”. Norton rewrote the classic comedy skit “Who’s on First,” done by the duo Abbott and Costello, in order to make the skit more original and to take creative liberties “I was legitimately perplexed,” Norton said. “Yes, I was proud of our act and I could tell the audience liked it, but I never expected a win; not with all the talent on stage that night.” Winning the $100, both Norton and Liebowitz, decided to donate the money to Moon’s scholarship fund. “Matt and I didn’t feel justiﬁed taking any money home.” Norton said. “That night was Bernard’s night, It was simply the right thing to do.”

ISSUE 7 CORRECTION

VELVETY VOICE—Sophomore Jake Clark plays the ukulele and sings to the song “Mess is Mine.”

BROADWAY BOUND— Junior Kristen = performs a Broadway routine to the song “Model Behavior.”

Last issue, Off Campus Pass, pg. 3, reported that Harvard offers the most scholarships for varsity sports when it should have reported that Harvard offers the most varsity sports.

Grand Prize Winners: $100 Gavin Norton and Matt Liebowitz

People’s Choice Award: $50 Supreet Shah, Josh Pritz, Christian Kim Ryan Clydesdale* and Bernard Moon*

Technical Merit Award: $50 Cassiel McEvoy *At the performers’ request the name in the original line up have been unchanged from the original wording

SOLO STICKS—Sophomore Issac Estrada performs an original drum solo titled “Tom’s Desire.” ALL PHOTOS » ANDREW CHAU » THE LANCER

OPINION

SeaWorld steps up Seaworld announced that it has officially ended the orca breeding program, prompting people to once again invest in its research and in their parks. SIERRA WATERS

By THE

NUMBERS:

Since it opened in 1959, Seaworld has rescued

479

dolphins and whales, about

8.4

animals yearly

In spring 2014, Seaworld faced an

84%

drop in net worth, presumably as a result of the “Blackfish” documentary. STATISTIC » TIME

No human-bred orca or dolphin has ever survived release into the ocean because they don’t know how to live on their own.

Opinion Editor

SeaWorld has ended its orca breeding program, Huzzah! The public is happy, activists are happy, and the marine world is one step closer to peace. But despite this large step, I fear that SeaWorld will still be seen as an inhumane program, and that is simply not true. After the release of the documentary “Blackfish” in 2013, a film that showed SeaWorld mistreating its whales, SeaWorld lost millions of dollars and much of its fans’ support. “Blackfish” stemmed from the death of trainer Dawn Brancheau in 2010. The filmmakers attempted to exhibit SeaWorld’s “harmful” behavior and “cruel” treatment of animals. But let’s look at the big picture here. SeaWorld cares for its animals the most modern, human techniques, and is always trying to improve the lives of the creatures. That said, there are a few misconceptions that I’d like to clear up. The fault and blame for this whole mess doesn’t belong to the trainers or the employees—it belongs to the greedy businessmen who overlooked the well being of the animals in hope of a larger profit. In their minds, more orcas equals more money. The public, however, didn’t see it that way. We know that’s not what SeaWorld, and the people who work for those businessmen, stand for. They stand for helping marine life and educating the public about it. It is a business, but a business that is motivated by much more than just money. I don’t think the decisions of the executives represent the employees who dedicate their lives to caring for these animals and furthering marine research. Even if you think SeaWorld is corrupt, you can’t deny that the employees try their hardest to create the best life possible for these animals. That’s what the company has stood for in years past, and that has never changed. It’s good that the death of Brancheau was never ignored—what the media failed to do was shine light on the safe environment the employees of SeaWorld try to provide for all its animals. Shaming the corruption of SeaWorld and “rogue” killer whales is counterproductive. What we should see is an opportunity to enhance our research and our understanding of these creatures. And ending the breeding program was a leap in the right direction. The organization also received criticism for not releasing the orcas into the wild. Well, sadly real life isn’t “Free Willy.” In fact, even that whale died shortly after being released into the wild. These

orcas were bred in captivity. If they were released blindly into the ocean, they wouldn’t have a good chance of survival. They wouldn’t have a pod, essential to the animal’s well being. Hypothetically, even if they did find a pod they would most likely be isolated from the group. Releasing the animals would have been reckless and inhumane. SeaWorld makes countless animal rescues every year all over the country. In fact, it has made over 25,000 rescues since their opening in 1959, according to official SeaWorld documentations It rehabilitates the ill or injured animal back to health then release it back to its home. Millions of dollars every year are poured into ocean conservation efforts, and we have learned so much about the animals from research that would have taken lifetimes to obtain in the wild. Nowhere did the media explain that. And when the public continued to shame SeaWorld, the organization still cared for its animals and still made rescues. However, with funds for the research being cut because of its negative connotation, it has been getting harder to do good. The end of the breeding program should inspire rejoicing and remembering of all the work SeaWorld has done for the marine community, rather than keeping the “Blackfish” mindset. Yet despite criticism, SeaWorld is still doing its job, saving thousands of animals and being committed to understanding the world around us. Yet it’s been hard to carry out this mission statement when they’re losing our support, and they deserve it back. If we stop supporting and giving money to SeaWorld, less rescues get made. Yes, we would be sticking it to the CEOs that started this whole mess in the first place. But remember, we’d also be taking away the jobs of the employees, the people who are actually doing good. Last year, SeaWorld helped to rescue 19 manatees stranded in a storm drain. Rescues like this are not possible without our money and support. The more money the organization has for research, the more amazing discoveries we will make. It’ll be another step to understanding the animals and help us prevent another mistake. At this rate, SeaWorld can only progress, and we can only become more educated. So I am proud to say that I am in support of SeaWorld and I applaud them for all that they have done. Mistakes were made, but they are using them to grow and better understand the animals they care for. Their resilience to criticism and dedication to animals and public education makes SeaWorld an organization to support.

STATISTICS » LA TIMES PHOTO » JAMIE LANTZY » FLICKR

ENTERTAINMENT

ALL PHOTOS » SEBASTIAN MAYA » THE LANCER

COFFEE CRAZE Recently opened coffee shop Ragamuffin Coffee Roasters impresses its customers with natural, gluten-free ingredients. The restaraunt balances its quirky energy with homey decor and declicious comfort food. Banana Chocolate Chip Muffin - $3

SHRAYA BLAISDELL SEBASTIAN MAYA Entertainment Editors

Between school, sports and staying up until two in the morning to scroll through your Instagram feed, coffee is a necessary part of our angsty teen lives. So new coffee shops are always welcomed with open mouths in Thousand Oaks and Ragamuffin is just that. Ragamuffin Coffee Roaster provides savory dishes with a homey interior design that makes eating there worthwhile. Obviously this restaurant specializes in coffee, but offers such a variety of foods, you’ll never get bored. When we first walked into Ragamuffin, the impressive coffee making station immediately caught our eyes. The stainless steel equipment and fridge made us feel like we were ultra-hip. However, the overall ambience was what we found most appealing. With a combination of snug, rustic and retro vibes, Ragamuffin California Toast - $7 provides a cozy and relaxed atmosphere. Some elements seemed like what you would find in a stereotypical grandmother’s house, like the patterned vintage chairs and flower arrangements. The mismatched chairs and a barrel table added a quirky feel. Its greyish-white walls accentuated the openness of the room. Since the tables weren’t right

next to each other either, we didn’t feel crowded while we ate. The succulents and minimalistic paintings around the room added a cute touch. The customer service left us happy and smiling. The baristas were extremely friendly and suggested staff favorites. The service was relatively fast and we weren’t sitting too long. The only downside was the barista didn’t call out the dish name very loudly, let alone our names, when it was done. When Ragamuffins gets crowded, orders can get confusing and you might grab the wrong dish if you’re on the run. We highly recommend the Affogato coffee, which is an espresso with vanilla ice cream. It was very satisfying and the presentation made us excited to dive in. The bitterness of the coffee complimented the sweetness and smoothness of the ice cream. Your eyes will be instantly drawn to one of many Banana Chocolate Muffins wrapped in red paper sitting on the counter. They are a healthy sized muffin if you’re looking to cheat your diet. The chocolate chunks in the muffin are overpowering and melt in your mouth, but there was only a slight hint of banana. As much as we enjoyed it, the muffin was a bit bland. Unlike your usual Starbucks, Ragamuffin seeks to impress with wholesome, natural ingredients. Their California Toast uses gluten-free toast with organic local honey and home grown avocado. For $7.00, we weren’t complaining. Most of the other menu options were all natural too, but that doesn’t take away from the foods’ taste. Ragamuffin’s portion sizes were satisfying for the price ranges. The Affogato was relatively small, but

satisfied our coffee and ice cream cravings. We would definitely recommend this drink to anyone who loves ice cream because there was a lot in it. The California Toast wasn’t overwhelming in its size either. Yet, its absence of a bathroom is a bit concerning. Everyone knows what happens when you drink coffee, so in a coffee shop, people will probably need to go. If you want to stay at Ragamuffin for a long period of time, bet on having to go next door in the middle of your stay there. The wide variety of decorative elements in Ragamuffin was a definite positive when we were eating our food. Some dishes were lacking in some flavor, but our eating experience was enjoyable overall. Whether it can maintain a steady audience and keep its loyal clientele remains to be seen, but Affogato - $5 we hope it does, so we can come back for more delicious Avagados or whatever they’re called.

@RagamuffinRoast 111 N Reino Rd, Newbury Park, CA 91320

(805) 375-9000

6:30/8 AM - 6 PM Closed on Sundays

$2-8

12 PM, 3 PM, & 8 PM

Ragamuffin Coffee Roasters

IN-FOCUS

Economic Pro-Women illiterates Anti-HIllary vote for Bernie

Feel the

Bern

Hillary for America

“Cr

uz” out on ta her e

Dump Trump Make America Great Again

TrustTed

John Kasich

for president

PHOTO » JOYCE HUCHIN » THE LANCER

IN-FOCUS

Policy vs. personality Students find themselves intrigued by the dramatic and entertaining presidential campaigns but lose focus on candidates’ actual policies.

Bickering, mudslinging and antagonizing all characterize politics. The entertaining world of debates and campaigns draws in potential young voters every year. Those who are informed and get involved have a voice in their country; they play their part in a democracy. “Politics are amazing because it’s so important and affects so many people on such huge and deep levels, and we’re so petty about it,” senior Amber Ackerman said. “I would think that we would hold ourselves to a really high standard for morality with something that important, but we don’t.” The lack of ethics brings attention to candidates. Students are drawn to the chaos, and many are alarmed by politicians’ behavior. “In government, it’s very rare that those in power actually respond to the interests of young people,” Ackerman said. “There’s a general frustration in young people. They feel like their voices aren’t being heard, and they want to change that.” The desire to be heard is seen throughout the Bernie Sanders campaign, which has sparked the interest and involvement of numerous millennials. Aside from those itching to have a voice, some ﬁnd interest in politics only because the candidates’ drama and hair are captivating. “I absolutely think [students] could be entertained by politics,” Ackerman said. “Even if your interest comes from an aspect of wanting to be entertained more than being actively involved, that’s better than not being involved or informed at all.” The behavior that draws people into politics is like a reality television show due to all of the dramatic encounters politicians have with one another in both debates and interviews. The mudslinging between potential future leaders can get young people hooked on the controversies going on in our country.This initial interest could lead youth to become further informed. “[Students] are getting involved in politics, maybe not the best of politics, but they are getting involved, and that’s a start,” junior Allison Devine said. “It bugs me because we should focus on our country’s problems, but at least they’re talking about government.”

The entertaining presidential campaign has captivated the attention of millions. Discussions are meant to be about differing views on how to solve problems facing the American people, yet there is an emphasis on the theatrics. “This campaign is like no other I’ve seen in years,” government teacher Robert Del Sesto said. “There is certainly an entertainment factor involved this year, especially considering the main characters. Huge issues face our nation and the citizens are unhappy, but I do hope our youth makes no mistake and realizes that the issues are serious.” Being aware is the ﬁrst step to realizing the severity of real world complications. In order to formulate an educated opinion, students must receive accurate information. “School can encourage students to be informed by just discussing it in class more,” Ackerman said. “It gives students incentive to try to look into politics on their own, and if they hadn’t before, it gets them to start thinking about it more actively.” Considering the information presented is the next step towards political apprehension. Disinterest leads to decisions that are unrepresentative of the population as a whole. “Whether or not students care about the issues in politics, those issues affect them, and they can affect them in very large ways,” Ackerman said. “Young people barely ever go vote. That’s a problem because that means the people in government are making decisions that affect them and they don’t have any say in it. That’s not how a democracy should work.” Students obtain knowledge about politics from many different sources, including social media, news media, peers and family members. Many young people have been raised to have certain views based on what their parents believe, so they do not learn to formulate their own standpoints. According to Gallup, an American research-based company, 7 out of 10 teenagers in the United States consider their political beliefs to be about the same as those of their parents. “You look and think about the stuff that’s happening and what the effects of that are going to be,” Ackerman said. “Think about who that’s going to affect, in what way, and how you feel about that. Do you agree with that or do you disagree with that and want to see something happen?”

15.5% are extremely interested in politics

45.5% would vote for Bernie Sanders

57.4% feel that they know enough about each presidential candidate’s policies to make an educated vote

73.1%

believe school is an appropriate place to discuss politics

57.4% 24.5% are not at all interested in politics

feel that they can make an educated vote

In-Focus Editors

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JOYCE HUCHIN HANNAH MERCER

out of 110 st u de

ADVERTISEMENTS

FEATURES

Keys to success CLARISSA KANO KYLIE PATTERSON

Features Editors

As a child, senior Alex Bazan could be found in the spotlight in his apartment complex in Redondo Beach, putting on shows for his neighbors. Once a week, his parents would dim the lights and 6-year-old Bazan would come up with an impromptu song title and piano performance for a room full of people, making up his own rhythm as he went along. “[The songs] probably sounded disastrous and so bad, but it was probably just cute,” Bazan said. “I would just do my thing on the piano and would look around the audience all cool, which is my favorite memory of piano.” Despite the adorable antics of a child with an electric keyboard, Bazan didn’t consider seriously taking up piano until many years later, when he was 14-years-old. “Even though I wish I would have started learning piano piano [when I was 6], I’m still glad I picked it up eventually.” Bazan said. His interest in the instrument was sparked in between middle school and freshman year, when he came across a ﬂyer for a free piano. “It was this light tan upright piano- horribly out of tunebut I would come home and see it there and I would mess around on it,” Bazan said. Everything he played since acquiring the secondhand instrument were pieces he constructed on his own. Bazan had played the guitar before, but he had no real experience with the piano. “That ﬁrst six months was just me messing around with notes, and I wrote a few songs that I thought sounded cool,” Bazan said. “I look back on them now and they’re kind of corny and basic, but they were cool at the time.”

Since freshman year, senior Alex Bazan takes his passion for piano and works to shape his future with his talent.

Through much encouragement from friends and family, Bazan decided to find a piano teacher. After an over-thephone audition and a new piano purchase, he was attending his first lesson with Olympia DeCarlo. “She said my playing was impressive, but my theory and everything else sucked. I needed to work on my reading and theory,” Bazan said. “I started taking lessons and practicing scales: going up and down the piano, and then learning actual classical pieces.” Along with learning classical songs, Bazan has composed his own pieces by taking inspiration from his favorite composers, Frédéric Chopin and Franz Liszt. “I definitely admire Chopin for his chord progressions and how he blends things together,” Bazan said. In admiring his favorite composers, Bazan explains the genius of the simple intricacy in their work and compares it to his own. “The pieces I wrote, they’re cool, but if you brought them down to the basic fundamentals, with chord structure and everything, mine are very basic, theirs are crazy, but you don’t even notice it and it’s so beautiful,” Bazan said. Bazan doesn’t have stage fright, he loves interacting with people, but performing still makes him nervous. “I’m not necessarily a perfectionist, but I want my performance to be good,” Bazan said. “I want to be able to represent myself as best as I can and play this instrument to these people.” His apprehensive attitude towards performing is due to the fact that he wants to play to the best of his ability and exemplify his talent as well as he can. The night of the talent show, Bazan played Chopin Nocturne Op. 9 No. 2 in E-Flat Major. “I was surprisingly calm throughout my performance, and the whole night in general,” he said. “Once I finished

playing I was definitely proud of myself for getting up there and playing well, especially in front of a crowd.” At the end the show, Bazan was congratulated by strangers and loved ones alike for his performance. “It was awesome how many people I didn’t know from the audience, parents and all, that came up to me and told me how well I did,” he said. “It’s so heartwarming, it really is.” After the talent show’s completion, Bazan marvels over the rapid growth of community and comradery among the performers and crew. “I didn’t know many of the performers or stagehands and it was awesome how everyone already acted as though we’ve been friends for years,” Bazan said. “Everyone was tremendously supportive and talented and made me wish I did the talent show in years passed.” Bazan wants to continue to perfect his music in the future. He is planning to go to college to major in composition, but he’s aware that it’s a challenging industry to make it big in. “If you want to major in music, it’s kind of hard to find a stable and well-paying career, but I still want to continue with it and learn classical pieces for myself and learn how to compose more,” Bazan said. He also wishes to double major and pursue a career in computer science for game design, and maybe even combine his two passions and professionally compose tracks for video games. He wants to work hard to make sure that piano is still a significant part of his life and others. “If you know theory or if you’re educated in classical music, then you can actually appreciate what you’re listening to,” Bazan said. “There’s no visuals to it, really. It’s all sound.”

IN THE SPOTLIGHT — Senior Alex Bazan plays Chopin Nocturne Op. 9 No. 2 in E-Flat Major. For Senior Seminar, he plans to play a Franz Liszt piece. He has also composed original pieces, such as one titled “Illusions of Peace.” PHOTO » ANDREW CHAU » THE LANCER

AKE S AARI » THE LANC ER

SPORTS

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Despite a rocky start to its season, baseball is focused on improving in order to make it to CIF playoffs. With the help of standout players, John Glenn, Riley Jones, and Ben Martz, the team is ready to challenge its opponents. ALLISON MEDLEY

Sports Editor

Losing a group of talented seniors from last year has left somewhat of a damper on baseball this season. As a result of the transition, the team has come off to a relatively slow start this year, with its current overall record standing at 6–11. “[Losing players] deﬁnitely hurt us because we have a lot of ﬁrst year varsity players who are still learning,” senior pitcher Riley Jones said. “We have started off pretty slow but have been improving game by game.” It hasn’t helped that baseball has also been dealing with a stroke of bad throughout the past games. Out of the total 17 games they have played, the Lancers have lost nine by of them by only one run. “We have really been working hard and it’s tough to fall short as much as we have,” junior catcher Ben Martz said. “We have really had opportunities to win every single game.” Despite falling short and losing a talented lineup, the team is still being led by a group of experienced

upperclassmen, including standout players: Jones, who hopes to play baseball at Sonoma State, Martz, who just recently verbally committed to play at Cal State Northridge, and senior first baseman John Glenn who will be playing at Cal Baptist. All three of these players were members of the Thousand Oaks Big League team that won the national championship this past summer. With experience playing on varsity and, across the country, these players have used their skill to lead the team throughout the season. “Because the three of us have played in a lot of high pressured games, I think it really helps us a lot with the high school team,” Jones said. “We have the experience and are able to handle the big moments.” The team has also been aided by first year varsity members who have stepped up to fill their new roles. Junior pitcher Roy Wilson, and junior shortstop and leadoff hitter Andrew Berard have steadily contributed to the team’s successes in their positions. Junior outfielder Steele Ledford, who came in from football, has also been successful using his speed in the center field

to challenge hits and catch ﬂy balls. “[These] juniors have really stepped up to make things happen for us,” Martz said. “They have stepped up to ﬁll in the those missing roles that we lost from last year.” As of right now, baseball is looking to improve its record in order to make it to CIF playoffs by the end of the season. The biggest challenges will likely come from playing rivals Agoura and Newbury Park who boast talented lineups and experienced pitchers. “It’s always hard scoring runs off their pitchers. But at the same time it is hard for them to score against us as well,” Jones said. Despite the challenges posed to making playoffs, the Lancers are ready to take all opportunities to win the coming games. “Right now we are just trying to take the good with the bad and make the most of the games that we still have left to play,” Martz said. “The rest of the teams in the league have kind of counted us out of the race for playoffs. We are looking to shock those guys.”