The Viking: Volume 6, Issue 4 by The Viking Magazine

MARCH MADNESS p. 20

SPRING PREVIEWS p. 22

March 2013 Volume VI Issue 4

CAN “The cure is

CEL

worse than

the disease.”p. 36

-coach Eric Seedman on sudden end to girls’ varsity soccer season

3 p.

G UP” N A VE

H GI Z IL LY IDN’T “I D

Get Paly scores by e-mail every morning in Sign up for Express, the daily e-mail news digest from Palo Alto Online and the Palo Alto Weekly, and find out how Paly teams fared, with links to stories and stats. Plus an update on local news and upcoming community events. Sent every weekday morning at 10 a.m. Join 13,000 others and sign up for Express by going to PaloAltoOnline.com and clicking on the link at the top of the page. Or, visit PASportsOnline.com and find stories, photos, schedules and other updates on all high school and Stanford teams.

24/7 online

Fridays in print

Weekday mornings via e-mail

WWW.PaloAltoOnline.com

Do you have a PLAN B?

Do you have a passion for sports? Give it all you’ve got, but always have a back-up plan.

CAREER MONTH | EXCELLENCE: Finding Passion in Work and Life 19-30 the students at PALY will have the opportunity to explore a From March 18-29 variety of career possibilities during their lunch hour:

Law Enforcement • Advertising • Law • Real Estate • Journalism • Medicine Banking • Apps and Mobile Products Technology • Inventions and Product Design Gaming • Public Service/Politics • Professional Sports • Interpreting/Translating Forestry • Social Work/Non-Profit • Business Development/Entrepreneurship Automotive/Skilled Trades • Visual/Graphic Arts • Culinary Arts • Interior Design

“Dream big, have a plan, be prepared and passionate”

-- Steve Bono, former NFL quarterback, San Francisco 49ers.

For a detailed speaker schedule: www.paly.net/careermonth If you have any questions, please contact: Christina Owen, cowen@pausd.org: Career & Community Engagement Advisor Palo Alto High School, College & Career Center VikingAd_2013_2.indd 1

2/4/13 7:36 PM

LINE UP

Volume 6 Issue 4 March 2013 4

ZOOMS

KICKOFF From the editors First and 10 Paly pulse

INTRODUCTION

10 questions

with Molly Zebker (‘13)

Inside the mind of Tyler Valenti (‘13)

By the numbers Hot or not News brief Pop culture grid

COLUMNS

Viking tries Last word

The glass slipper

Walker Mees (‘13)

36 PM

FEATURES

LILY ZHANG Although the ping pong sensation is widely recognized at Paly through her “facebook fame,” there is much more to Zhang than meets the eye. by AMI DREZ AND CHRIS SMITH

CCS VIOLATIONS Revisiting and rebounding from the recent Paly sports violations. by NORA ROSATI AND AUDREY DeBRUINE

CALENDAR

photo by Grant Shorin

SPRINGIN’ FORWARD TRACK AND FIELD BASEBALL SOFTBALL LACROSSE GOLF SWIMMING AND DIVING BOYS’ TENNIS GYMNASTICS BADMINTON

Spring sports previews p. 22 The Viking prepares you for Palo Alto High School’s busiest sports season with in depth previews, season schedules and “players to look out for” for each of Paly’s 12 spring sports.

ON THE COVER Alyssa Maharaj (‘15) photo by Scotty Bara

MARCH 2013

ZOOM POPPED A VOLLEY Blake Smith (â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;14) smashes a forehand volley to win a point. Smith won his match in straight sets to help the Vikings sweep Los Gatos 7-0 on March 13. photo by Grant Shorin

ZOOM COMING THROUGH! Zach Levitan (â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;15) engages a Woodside Wildcat defender on March 4. The Vikings prevailed 23-16. photo by Grant Shorin

ZOOM BLAZIN’ BLONDE Kristen Destafano (‘14) navigates her way through traffic. The Lady Vikes beat St. Johns in a scrimmage March 9. photo by Scotty Bara

Editors-in-Chief Kevin Dukovic Alan Lamarque Nora Rosati Managing Editors Charlotte Biffar Colin Patterson Austin Poore Sammy Solomon Design Editors Nina Kelty Michelle Friedlander Photo Editors Scotty Bara Grant Shorin Columnist Jonny Glazier

Letter from the editors Dear readers, We hope second semester has treated you well. This spring season will feature 12 varsity teams in action, several of which will contend for their respective league titles. Check out our in-depth perviews for each team on page 22. On a more serious note, news has circulated about the girls’ soccer team’s forfeit of three regular season games and one postseason win. Plenty of blame has been attributed to various parties but the facts have not yet been made clear. We hope that our cover story “Cut Short” (p.

Video Editor Annie Susco Business Managers Hilda Huang Michael Strong Staff Paul Bienaimé Audrey DeBruine Ami Drez Jordan Gans James Harrison Tara Lawrence Niall Patrick Pippa Raffel Rohit Ramkumar Zach Rizk Julia Saul Chris Smith Josh Stern Staff Adviser Ellen Austin, MJE

The Viking Palo Alto High School 50 Embarcadero Road Palo Alto, CA 94301 650-329-3837 Email contact: vikingeds@ gmail.com Advertising and Sponsorship Contact: vikingads@gmail.com

8 |THE VIKING |

36) elucidates the situation. Also in this issue, Ami Drez and Chris Smith interview Olympian Lily Zhang (‘14) who recounts her experiences in London and reveals the challenges of balancing her time between ping pong and school (see p. 30). Lastly, don’t forget to fill out a bracket and join the “madness!” This is our fourth of six issues this year. We will release our fifth in late April. Enjoy this issue and GO PALY!

Kevin Dukovic Alan Lamarque Nora Rosati

News Brief | You Can Play Project Just over a year ago the “You Can Play Project” website was formed by Patrick Burke, Brian Kitts and Glenn Witman for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) athletes to visit in order to help them feel more comfortable in the lockerroom. It was formed in memory of Burke’s brother Brendan Burke, who was an openly gay hockey player that died in a car accident. “It’s basically a project that promotes inclusivity in sports, mainly focused on pro and college sports,” Paly librarian and member of “You Can Play,” Rachel Kellerman said. Kellerman found out about the project through the San Jose Sharks. Professional and college athletes post videos on the site for people to view, showing that they accept others for who they are and that everyone else should too. One of the first athletes to post was Tommy Wingels, center for the Sharks. In the video he said that he supports the LGBT community and that everyone should play if they have the skill. Not only have there been videos of athletes, but also

artists such as hip-hop artists Macklemore and Ryan Lewis. “It doesn’t matter,” Macklemore said in his video. “It could be baseball, football, basketball, soccer, piano, an instrument and if you have the skills, talent and heart then you can play.” Other videos have been posted from professional and college teams across the country. At the moment there are no current high schools participating in this movement. Kellerman believes it would be an important step for high school teams. “I think it would be great for the Paly community to know that this exists,” Kellerman said. “It’s education for athletes themselves and helps keep the conversation open and going about inclusivity.” With more and more schools and athletes joining and posting videos, fans and athletes are learning that someone’s ability to play should not be based on their orientation but rather their athletic skill.

-Colin Patterson

Read more online about the You can play Project at:

www.youcanplayproject.org

w w w. v i k i n g s p o r t s m a g . c o m

Staff view | CCS violations

tough loss in an elimination game is one of themselves, who were unaware of the rules surrounding their the hardest things for an athlete to endure, own situations? The Viking believes that each of the parties but at least we can stomach it knowing that involved shares some of the accountability, and that looking we put up a good fight on the field. For an around and pointing fingers is counter-productive. increasing number of Paly athletes, however, Instead, it’s time to make sure this never happens again. The seasons are being lost in stacks of paperwork Viking has a few suggestions as to how best to accomplish this goal. and offices following unintentional rule violations. In April of last year, Palo Alto High School athletic director The first step should include clearly defining and commuEarl Hansen, principal Phil Winston and assistant principal nicating what the rules are and a process for how athletes, Kathie Laurence stood before a room filled with devastated coaches and parents can be sure that our teams are competand confused players and parents from the girls’ lacrosse ing in accordance with them. This would avoid the confusion team. These administrators tried to explain why Central surrounding eligibility violations, which became an issue Coast Section (CCS) again just days followofficials had ruled one ing the soccer forfeiture Athletes, administrators, parents and of the team’s players inin the case of Paly athlete eligible, which resulted trying out for a national in six league victories coaches all have to do their part and be on team. One possibility being forfeited, and the lookout for any potential violations. for effective disseminahow this unfortunate tion of this information oversight had occurred. Naturally, the players were devastated by the news but they would be a series of sport-specific handouts to be distributed still had a chance to qualify for the league playoffs, unlike this to coaches and players at the start of each season. Players would be responsible for reviewing the information and sharyear’s girls’ soccer team. After a 5-0 CCS playoff victory over San Benito on Feb. 20, ing it with their parents, and then turning in a signed form the soccer players showed up for practice the next day and verifying their awareness of eligibility rules. were greeted with some stunning news; Jacey Pederson (‘16), Additionally, coaches should work to be more vigilant rea starting defender for the Lady Vikes, had been ruled ineligi- garding possible eligibility violations with their own players, ble by CCS officials after attending an unsanctioned Olympic since a single mistake can cost an entire team its season. ProDevelopment camp. Four victories, including the team’s first- tocols should also be put in place at the very least to deal with round CCS win over the Haybalers, had been vacated and, in transfer students’ eligibility, given that there have been multiple issues surrounding the athletic participation of students a flash, the season was over. After back-to-back school years in which athletic victories transferring to Paly. have been retroactively vacated (not to mention another in- These actions should be transparent to the Paly community, cident involving the eligibility of a basketball player in 2008), and engage those affected, including coaches, parents and it’s natural for Paly athletes, parents and fans to look for a students, to help improve the process and monitor progress. scapegoat upon which to pin the blame for these unfortunate It’s too late now to change the past and give the girls’ lavanishing wins. Regrettably, neither instance is sufficiently crosse team back its wins or the soccer team its season, but we black and white to provide an easy answer to the question as a community owe it to them to make sure their sacrifices did not occur in vain. It’s time for Paly athletics to get serious ‘whose fault was it?’ Should certain members of the school’s administration about never letting another team lose its season on a technishoulder some of the responsibility for allowing two ineligible cality, and there’s only one way to do it. Athletes, administraplayers to take the field for the Vikings within a year of each tors, parents and coaches all have to do their part and be on other? Absolutely. But what about the coaches who failed to the lookout for any potential violations. Because that part is double-check the eligibility of all their players? Or the athletes black and white. <<<

“

Letters to the editor The Viking, a sports magazine published by the students in Palo Alto High School’s Advanced Magazine Journalism class, is an open forum for student expression and the discussion of issues of concern to its readership. The Viking is distributed to its readers and the student body at no cost. The staff welcomes letters to the editor, but reserves the right to edit all submissions for length, grammar, potential libel, invasion of privacy and obscenity.

”

Advertising in The Viking The staff publishes advertisements with signed contracts providing they are not deemed by the staff inappropriate for the magazine’s audience. For more information about advertising with The Viking, please contact the The Viking by e-mail at vikingeds @gmail.com or call 650-329-3837 for more information. Printing Services The Viking is printed six times a year by Fricke-Parks Press in Fremont, Calif.

MARCH 2013

FIRST AND 10: Get your phones charged and your popcorn ready, folks, because March Madness is here! Over the course of the next three weeks, basketball fans everywhere will get their fill of buzzer-beaters, upsets, Dicky V, PTPers (prime-time performers) and, of course, utter madness. by AUSTIN POORE “Brandon Rozzell” ©2011 Jeffery P. Horne used under a Creative Commons Attribution

SAY IT WITH YOUR CHEST Virginia Commonwealth University guard Brandon Rozzell celebrates his squad’s 71-61 upset victory over Kansas in the Southwest regional final. Cinderella stories like the ‘11 Rams are a large part of what makes March Madness so awesome.

here is no better weekend in sports than the Thursday-Sunday chunk that marks the start of the NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Championship. No offense to the Super Bowl, World Series, NBA Finals, Capital One Bowl Week or any other big sporting event; you’re all fun to watch, don’t get me wrong, but none of you come close. March Madness, as it is known more colloquially, offers the perfect combination of feel-good underdog stories, incredible comebacks, passion, heartbreak and euphoria that will captivate any viewer, and it never fails to live up to its nickname. Forgive me if I seem less than focused in class for the next few weeks, especially on Thursdays

12 | T H E V I K I N G |

and Fridays (those 9 a.m. tip-offs mean there’s hoops on basically all day). I’d like to apologize to all my teachers in advance. It’s nothing personal, of course. Sports fans just have a higher purpose in March, one that transcends our other responsibilities. It’s in our blood. We have to watch basketball or we run the risk of going mad ourselves. To those of you with smartphones or iPod Touches, I highly recommend the March Madness app. For a small fee, it allows you to stream games live over the internet and watch them on your mobile device. It’s a life-saver when you’re away from home! Naturally, the hard work comes before the hoopla starts, when it’s time to fill out a bracket. A rookie might just grab a bracket,

w w w. v i k i n g s p o r t s m a g . c o m

sit down and fill it out, but those of us who have lost our fair share of bracket challenges and pools know that’s not how it’s done. For truly dedicated bracket veterans, the process of evaluating teams starts at the beginning of the year and continues through the conference tournaments. While I certainly can’t claim the same level of dedication as many of my peers (which is probably why I lose every year), I pay enough attention to pick a few key upsets every year, and I’ve got some tips to help you do the same. First, turn up the volume on your TV when Joe Lunardi comes on. The man is a bracketologist, for crying out loud! Then, take a few days to plan your picks and read up on all of the

teams before you actually fill out your bracket, or else you might miss that upset everyone else could see coming from a mile away. Once your picks are made and the brackets are locked, it’s showtime. The more astute readers may have noticed that I referred to the “Thursday-Sunday chunk that marks the start” of March Madness. I assure you, this was an intentional “mistake” on my part. I do not believe in the so-called First Four, just like I didn’t believe in the old play-in game. For me, the tournament has always started when there are 64 teams remaining, ready to battle for supremacy, not when a random pair of 12 seeds square off. Now, back to my initial claim about the opening weekend of March Madness being the best weekend in all of sports. Some people, namely hardcore fans of other sports, probably disagree with my statement. They’ll tell you all about how the Super Bowl makes that first weekend in February the best, or how Major League Baseball’s opening weekend takes the cake. Sadly, these misguided souls are just plain wrong. There is no other time during the whole year that offers the magic of March Madness opening weekend: non-stop games all day (sometimes four at a time!!) for four days straight, where everyone watching (who filled out a bracket) has a vested interest in every single game. It doesn’t get any better than setting up on the couch for the long haul, with a bracket in one hand and cold beverage in the other, ready to will your teams on to victory. One of my favorite parts of March Madness is that bracket competitions give every spectator a rooting interest, if only until his or her predicted champion falls in its first game (I’m looking at you, 2012 Missouri Tigers). Even then, there’s usually still a chance for the games to break your way, and even when you’ve been mathematically eliminated, you can always root for underdogs and just enjoy the awesome basketball games you’re guaranteed to witness. The fact that CBS provides several scoreboards on the screen at once so that viewers can successfully monitor several games at a time further enhances the experience. Nobody has to wonder if Indiana’s going to put away that upstart 16-seed they’re playing; we can watch them slowly pull away in the top corner of the TV as we pay closer attention to a hotly contested 7-10 game. For me, that’s what makes March Madness so exciting. I always have a team to root for, and even if the games don’t turn out the way I’d hoped, they’re still tons of fun to watch. The players bring a passion and energy to the game that is unrivaled in professional sports (particularly in the NBA!). Though the tournament itself is always unpredictable, there’s always one thing fans can count on: Madness. <<<

PALY PULSE

Where is the best place to ski in Tahoe? Squaw Valley

42%

Northstar

26%

Kirkwood

14%

Other

18% Percentages based on votes from 50 Paly students.

MARCH 2013

Q uestions 10 Molly Zebker

with

as told to James Harrison photos by Grant Shorin

The Viking asked Paly swimmer Molly Zebker (‘13) 10 questions about herself and then asked the same questions to her teammate Chelsea Chen (‘13), friend Masha Toulokhonova (‘13) and swim coach Danny Dye, to see who knows Zebker best.

Molly Zebker Varsity swimmer My birthday Cheesecake and ribs Cupcake (my dog) Long school days Blast some R. Kelly or Tech N9ne Getting DFL (finishing last in a race)

Questions

Danny Dye Coach

Chelsea Chen Teammate

Masha Toulokhonova Friend

Birthday

Thanksgiving

Cheesecake and ribs

Cheesecake

Margaret Wenzlau (‘12)

She loves everyone

Chloe Kesoff (‘12)

Class

Bathroom lines

Pre-meet ritual?

Laughing and having a good time

Pluto’s

Getting a hair wrap

Most embarrassing swimming moment?

When our team lost in CCS

Swimsuit ripped

Getting pooped on by a bird before a race

Favorite holiday? Favorite food? Best friend? What you will least miss about Paly?

Christmas Pasta

Mac (Mr. McNulty)

Favorite teacher?

Mr. Winston

Mr. Olah

Mr. Geller

Miles Kool (‘13)

Most entertaining peer?

Alex Francis (‘13)

Miles Kool

TV for sure

Reading or TV?

Watching TV

“Big Brother”

Favorite TV show?

“The Bachelor”

“Survivor”

“Storage Wars”

10%

50%

Images taken from

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w w w. v i k i n g s p o r t s m a g . c o m

30%

VIKING ONLINE

EXCLUSIVES Visit www.VIKINGSPORTSMAG.com to read the rest of these stories

Mountain biking

by Scotty Bara

The narrow trail drops at a 20 percent grade and is very rough from the spring showers. Bikers who want to take on the trail are looking straight ahead. They finesse their way around rocks and exposed roots across the trail while simultaneously being whipped by coyote bush. The thrill of the ride is worth every risk. The Coastal Mountains are crisscrossed with so many challenging trails that mountain biking in the Bay Area can fulfill any rider’s need. Paly junior Jason Trisler has been riding for eight years. He competes in off road biking contests and continues to ride highly technical trails. “I’ve been to eight competitions and placed top three in six of them,” Trisler said. “I’ve won four including the 2009 Fontana National. I placed third overall in the Northstar downhill series.”

READ MORE ONLINE

MARCH 2013

The Pop Culture Grid W H AT D O P A LY AT H L E T E S S AY ?

Kristen DeStefano (‘14) Lacrosse

Victor Du (‘13) Track and field

Casey Glassford (‘15) Softball

Will Dwight (‘13) Lacrosse

Katie Francis (‘16) Swimming

Best spring break vacation spot?

Mexico

Miami

Hawaii

San Diego

Bora Bora

Dream prom date?

Scott Powell (‘14)

Kate Upton

Zac Efron

Jordan Gans (‘14)

Ryan Gosling

March Madness is ________?

Crazy

Basketball

What’s March Madness?

Unpredictable

Beach or pool?

Beach

Ice cream or fro-yo?

Fro-yo

Ice cream

Fro-yo

Ice cream

Fro-yo

HOT Miami Heat

LeBron and company have rattled off a franchise-record 22 consecutive victories as of March 18. They are still a ways away from the Lakers’ all-time best mark of 33 straight, but the Heat are showing no signs of cooling off.

Images taken from

Stephen Curry

Curry has been red hot for the local Golden State Warriors. With a team-high 21.9 points per game, Curry has lead the Warriors to a 38-30 record as of March 18. His best game was in Madison Square Garden Feb. 27 when he dropped 54 points against the New York Knicks.

Morning practice

Nothing is worse than taking away another two hours of a high school student’s sleep. The need to practice at 6 a.m. still baffles us and other students if teams have the time to practice after school as well. A lot of the coaches at Paly still find it necessary to bring their already sleepdeprived students back onto the school campus. What’s next? A team workout during the lunch break?

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Lax replacement refs

The old CCS referees moved on to another league as they were paid less than they wanted, which allowed new refs to come in. The only problem is that these new refs have no experience and there are so few of them that schedules had to be changed and game play is being affected greatly. Read more online.

N OT

w w w. v i k i n g s p o r t s m a g . c o m

Inside the Mind of

Tyler Valenti

“

aka “The Councilman” by JORDAN GANS

On being ‘The Councilman’

My brother’s friends used to call me ‘The Councilman,’ so that has carried through high school. They said I walked with the stature of an elite man and that the way I sat demanded authority. That was how that nickname came about during my freshman year..

On senior year

I’m loving senior year. I’m already into a bunch of colleges, so I don’t really have to do anything right now. I have kind of been coasting through second semester so far, loving all of my classes, trying to avoid class as much as possible.

On the lacrosse team

I think the team is shaping up good this year. We have decent team chemistry, [and] are starting to develop better team chemistry. Started off pretty rough this season, but I really hope that we can make a run in the playoffs this year. I think we have as good of a chance this year as any year.

On Walker Mees

Ladies, I hear that Walker’s single these days. The guy is real good at lacrosse, going out to Kenyon to play in the middle of nowhere. Walker is a crazy dude and a good leader on the team.

photo by Grant Shorin

FEBRUARY

tries go-karting Zach Rizk and Paul Bienaimé raced to “K1 Racing” in South San Francisco for the latest edition of Viking Tries.

by ZACH RIZK AND PAUL BIENAIMÉ photos by Zach Rizk

ALL GAS Bienaimé keeps his foot glued to the floor en route to a record lap time of 25.457 seconds. The Viking satisfied their pursuit for pure adrenaline at the robust facility of “K1 Racing” in South San Francisco.

t was a chilly Saturday afternoon when Viking staff members Paul Bienaimé and Zach Rizk arrived at “K1 Racing,” a facility not too far from the San Francisco airport. When we pulled up the scene, the two of us weren’t entirely impressed. The facility literally looked like a gigantic, grey warehouse. However, when we entered through the huge glass doors, our impression immediately changed. The interior was absolutely exhilarating. The track was visible from the front door and the place was equipped with authentic racing gear and memorabilia: a NASCAR race car was parked to the left and a Red Bull Formula One car to the right. The staffers wore racing stripes and excited smiles on their faces. Loud speakers played party music, strobe lights illuminated the track and various couches and flat screen TVs provided a spacious, comfortable

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waiting area that surrounded the track itself. Without a license or the inclination to pay the $50 race fee, Zach instead decided to take pictures and videos for The Viking’s archives. Paul, on the other hand, was eager to get behind the wheel. After receiving his electronic key card, which serves to time the laps, he picked up his head sock (which was itchy and uncomfortable for the most part) and then strapped on his helmet and hopped into the last kart in line. Unlike cars, the karts have a much lower center of gravity, enabling them to accelerate more quickly and make sharper turns. First of all, you have to understand that these karts aren’t your average “go-kart.” Trust me, these things can gas. Paul didn’t hold back, coming in first place in his first race, recording a “Best Lap” time of 25.457 seconds. Having previously driven only gas go-karts

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on a one-mile track, Paul had low expectations for the speed and control of these electric karts. Driving a Nissan Leaf around the track was not something he felt up to. Amazingly, these karts had rapid acceleration, and with their low centers of gravity held up through fast turns. As the last driver in line, his only goal was to pass the six others in front of him and become the leader of the pack. The first few people were incredibly slow and easy to pass, but others strategized to keep him from passing them. Their left to right swerving left no room for Paul to squeeze through, so he had no choice but to bump them. The so-called “flaggers” of the track kept telling him to stop bumping, and helped him by signaling the others to slow down, merge left and let him pass. The first round ended rather quickly, and barely seemed worth the money Paul put into it. His second time up was definitely more

SPEED KILLS Bienaimé drifts across the track’s first turn and tries to gain speed on the straightaway. Bienaimé came in first and second, respectively, in his two races. competitive, and he was eager to beat his fastest lap of the first round. With “noobs” on the track, the race quickly became a round of bumper cars. Once again, Paul was told to slow it down and be more respectful. Disregarding their instructions, he “accidently” rear ended a middle aged woman, confusing her and causing her to slam into the hard plastic two-foot walls of the track, which then ended up above her cart and alarmed K1 Speed’s personnel. In all honesty, Paul got a kick out of it, but they did not appreciate his playful driving. All in all, the day had its ups and it downs. From getting first place to being warned about our possible expulsion from the facility, the afternoon was fun and satisfied our expectations. Some might expect a longer track and more adrenaline in their veins when buckling into the hard plastic seats or find it time consuming to drive to South City just to waste their money to race on a short track, but we will say that it’s definitely worth every penny to do it once. Just one heads-up: remember to obey the rules or else you might find yourself booted from K1 Racing forever. <<<

GOING PRO Bienaimé adjusts his GoPro before heading onto the racetrack. Make sure to check out our video of his races online!

TOP: Last in line, Bienaimé awaits to roll out onto the track. BOTTOM: All geared up, Bienaimé focuses on the upcoming race. MARCH 2013

Predicting 1 Louisville 16 NCAT/Lib 8 Colorado St. 9 Missouri 5 Oklahoma St. 12 Oregon 4 Saint Louis 13 New Mexico St. 6 Memphis 11MTSU/STM 3 Michigan St. 14 Valparaiso 7 Creighton 10 Cincinnati 2 Duke 15 Albany

1 Gonzaga 16 Southern University 8 Pittsburgh 9 Witchita St. 5 Wisconsin 12 Mississippi 4 Kansas St. 13 BSU/La Salle 6 Arizona 11 Belmont 3 New Mexico

The Vikingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s picks for what could be one of the most unpredictable tournaments ever.

1 Louisville

1 Louisville 9 Missouri 1 Louisville 12 Oregon 4 Saint Louis 4 Saint Louis

1 Louisville

6 Memphis 3 Michigan St. 3 Michigan St. 3 Michigan St. 10 Cincinnati

10 Iowa St. 2 Ohio St.

1 Gonzaga 1 Gonzaga 8 Pittsburgh 5 Wisconsin 5 Wisconsin

1 Louisville 5 Wisconsin

4 Kansas St. 2 Ohio St. 11 Belmont 3 New Mexico 3 New Mexico 2 Ohio St. 7 Notre Dame 2 Ohio St. 2 Ohio St.

15 Iona

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Louis

2 Duke

14 Harvard 7 Notre Dame

Win

2 Duke

w w w. v i k i n g s p o r t s m a g . c o m

MADNESS

1 Kansas

Western Kentucky 16

1 Kansas 8 North Carolina 5 VCU 5 VCU 5 VCU 4 Michigan

3 Florida

11 Minnesota 3 Florida 3 Florida 3 Florida 7 San Diego St.

ner

2 Georgetown

ville

2 Georgetown

1 Indiana 1 Indiana 8 North Carolina St. 1 Indiana 12 California

2 Miami (FL)

Kansas 1 North Carolina 8 Villanova 9 VCU 5 Akron 12 Michigan 4 South Dakota St. 13 UCLA 6 Minnesota 11 Florida 3 Nâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;western St. 14 San Diego St. 7 Oklahoma St. 10 Georgetown 2 Florida Gulf Coast 15

Indiana 1 LIU/JMU 16 North Carolina St. 8 Temple 9 UNLV 5 California 12

12 California 4 Syracuse

Syracuse 4 Montana 13

2 Miami (FL)

6 Butler

Butler 6 Bucknell 11

6 Butler 3 Marquette 2 Miami (FL) 10 Colorado

Marquette 3 Davidson 14 Illinois 7 Colorado 10

2 Miami (FL) 2 Miami (FL)

Miami (FL) 2 Pacific 15

Logos taken from

MARCH 2013

Grant Shorin (Furrier and Kelty); Scotty Bara (Newman and

SPRING

PREVIEWS

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w w w. v i k i n g s p o r t s m a g . c o m Paul BienaimĂŠ (Softball); Grant Shorin (Haverstock)

GIRLS’ LAX The girl’s lacrosse team has been strong on both sides of the ball this season, having scored 80 goals and allowed just 18 as of March 13. The Lady Vikes’ 2012 season was one marked by disappointment and controversy with the passing of beloved former teammate Emily Benatar (‘11) and a CCS violation that forced the girls to drop an 8-1 league record to 2-7. Now two years removed from its league championship winning season, the team has moved past last season’s unfortunate events and is apporaching this season with a passion on both sides of the ball. Despite losing top scorer Kimmie Flather (‘12) and standout Emy Kelty (‘12) last season, the girls have managed to outscore their opponents by an average of 12.4 points per game thus far and have won all five of their games as of March 13. <<<

UPCOMING GAMES: photo by Paul Bienaimé

March 21 March 26 March 28 April 10 April 18

@ St. Francis v. Pioneer v. Los Gatos v. St. Ignatius v. St. Francis

WHO TO LOOK OUT FOR: Nina KELTY (‘13) Charlotte BIFFAR (‘13) Julia FARINO (‘13) Ami DREZ (‘14) Emma BECKSTROM (‘13)

Allie Peery (‘15)

BOYS’ LAX This year’s varsity boys lacrosse team looks to improve on a solid 2011-2012 season in which the boys lost in the CCS semifinals to a strong Menlo-Atherton squad. Senior captain Weston Preising is thrilled about this year’s squad. “I’m excited for this season,” he said. “Our team has a lot of camaraderie this year. We’re definitely relying on our great senior leadership to show the younger players how to play to the best of their ability.” The team returns 10 seniors and seven of last year’s starters. “The seniors need to step up and be leaders. We do have 10 seniors on our starting line, but if one of them gets hurt, the younger kids need to step up and if they’re not ready to step up then we’ll fall apart,” Preising said. The team opened up with a strong 13-5 win over Archbishop Mitty, and it is now preparing for a stretch of games in which it will be playing Menlo-Atherton, the team that knocked Paly out of CCS last year. “We play Menlo-Atherton soon,” Preising said. “They are a great team. It would be a great win for our team.” <<<

March 22 March 25 March 28 April 10 April 13

v. Menlo v. Mt. View @ Los Gatos @ Burlingame @ Granite Bay

WHO TO LOOK OUT FOR: Jonny GLAZIER (‘13) Walker MEES (‘13) Will DWIGHT (‘13) Skyler ANDERSON (‘13) James HARRISON (‘14)

photo by Grant Shorin

UPCOMING GAMES:

Skyler Anderson (‘13)

MARCH 2013

GIRLS’ TRACK The Palo Alto High School girls’ track and field team finished last season with Lindsey Black (‘12) and Anna Dukovic (‘15) each earning seventh place at the CCS finals in shot put and high jump, respectively. This year without Black, Torie Nielsen (‘12), who ran the 100 meters at the semifinals and Lydia Guo (‘12), who contributed to the 4x100 meter relay at the De Anza League finals, the team will need younger athletes to step up to fill the gap. “We have a couple strong runners on sprints, like Pippa Raffel (‘14),” shot put thrower Sasha Robinson (‘13) said. “There are some new freshman and sophomores that started in there pretty good.” As for long distance running, the team seems to have a good outlook. With sophomore Katie Foug (pictured right) coming in 16th last year in CCS semifinals, and Chika Kasahara (‘13) and Audrey DeBruine (‘14) both doing well in the De Anza finals, the girls seem to be poised for another good season. <<<

March 21 March 26 April 11 April 18 April 25

@ Mt. View Los Altos @ Lynbrook v. Milpitas v. Gunn

WHO TO LOOK OUT FOR: Julia ASIN (‘15) Anna DUKOVIC (‘15) Pippa RAFFEL (‘14) Audrey DeBRUINE (‘14) Katie FOUG (‘15)

photo by Scotty Bara

UPCOMING MEETS:

Katie Foug (‘15)

Boys’ Track After winning the CCS championship and sending several athletes to the CIF state meet last year, the boys’ track and field team has lost some key runners: E.J. Floreal (‘13), Tremaine Kirkman (‘12), Morris Gates-Mouton (‘12) and Nikolai Solgaard (‘12). The team is off to a promising start, nevertheless, dominating its first meet against Saratoga, 117-10. The team’s success is highlighted by 400m sprinter Nick Sullivan (‘14), a strong relay team consisting of Matt Tolbert (‘13), Justin Gates-Mouton (‘13), Jayshawn Gates-Mouton (‘13) and Sullivan along with jumpers Victor Du (‘13) and Grant Shorin (‘13). Michael Johnson (‘13) also contributes in the 300m and 110m hurdles. The season is also looking promising with the contributions from new coaches Kelsey Feely and Tolu Wusu. The boys hope to repeat their success from last year. <<<

photo by Scotty Bara

UPCOMING MEETS:

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March 21 March 26 April 11 April 18 April 25 Justin Zhang (‘13)

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@ Mt. View Los Altos @ Lynbrook v. Milpitas v. Gunn

WHO TO LOOK OUT FOR: Nick SULLIVAN (‘14) Matt TOLBERT (‘13) Victor DU (‘13) Michael JOHNSON (‘13) Jayshawn GATES-MOUTON (‘13)

photo by Grant Shorin

BASEBALL

Daniel Tachna-Fram (‘14)

The Palo Alto High School baseball team ended last year’s season losing eight starters. Some of the most prominent players that the team will be without this season are centerfielder B.J. Boyd (‘12) and shortstop Austin Braff (‘12). “We lost a lot of talent but every other team did as well,” Isaac Feldstein (‘13) said. “Our offense isn’t going to be that good but I think Austin Poore (‘13), Michael Strong (‘13) and Rowan Thompson (‘13) are going to step up and then for pitching Rohit Ramkumar (‘13), Danny Erlich (‘14) and Chris Smith (‘14) are going to have to step

UPCOMING GAMES: March 22 March 27 March 29 April 3 April 5

v. Gunn @ Los Altos v. Los Altos @ Mt. View v. Mt. View

April 6 April 10 April 11 April 13 April 15

@ Willow Glen @ Burlingame @ Bellarmine v. College Park @ Gunn

up to make the difference.” If the team manages to fill the gaps from last year, Feldstein believes that the Vikes will have another good year. The SCVAL De Anza Division has also improved from last year, which will make it tougher for Paly to win its league like they have for the last three years. Some key matchups to look for in league play will be April 17 and 19 against Wilcox. Some non-league matchups to look for are March 16 against San Ramon Valley and April 8 against nationally ranked Campolindo. <<<

WHO TO LOOK OUT FOR: Michael STRONG (‘13) Austin POORE (‘13) Rowan THOMPSON (‘13) Rohit RAMKUMAR (‘13) Danny ERLICH (‘14)

MARCH 2013

BOYS’ TENNIS Despite the key loses of Nicky Hu (‘12), Dar Shavit (‘12), Will Lichtenger (‘12), and Justin Wang (‘12), the boys’ tennis team looks strong. The team has new additions including singles player Ronak Baldua (‘16). “[Ronak] has been clutch in the lower singles spots,” senior captain Mason Haverstock (right) said. With many exciting matchups to come, doubles partners Jack Paladin (‘14) and Adi Mahadevan (‘14) are poised to make a run at CCS. George He (‘14), Blake Smith (‘14), and Peter Skorokhodov (‘13) have come back on to the team from last year, ready to help the new players while improving their own games. Number one singles player Austin Leung (‘14) and Haverstock have also returned and are excited about this year’s squad. “Our team looks stronger than it did last year, and hopefully it’ll be even better when everyone’s healthy,” Leung said. <<<

March 26 March 27 April 11 April 15 April 16

@ Monta Vista v. Mt. View @ Lynbrook v. Stevenson v. Los Altos

WHO TO LOOK OUT FOR: Mason HAVERSTOCK (‘13) Jack PALADIN (‘14) Austin LEUNG (‘14) Blake SMITH (‘14) Ronak BALDUA (‘16) Mason Haverstock (‘13)

photo by Grant Shorin

UPCOMING MATCHES:

GYMNASTICS Gymnastics kicks off its fourth season after a decade-long hiatus that threatened to extinguish March 25 @ St. Francis, Gunn the sport from Paly’s rosv. Cupertino, Mercy, Gunn ters. This season heralds April 3 the first official team of April 8 @ Gunn, Tracy, Kimball, Gunn Maya Ben-Efraim, Victoria Dumas, Chloe Finley, April 11 v. Lowell, Gilroy, Cupertino Sharissa Hopolanien, SoApril 25 @ Gunn, Half Moon Bay, Lowell phia Moss and Michelle Yin. Though the youth of the team suggests strength in the near future, Yin does not feel that the team will enjoy as much success as it had last year, for both former team captains and lone CCS qualifiers Sophie Jorasch and Sarah Miller now attend Vanderbilt University. Without these experienced and competitive gymnasts, the team is instead left with athletes who compete primarily at the high school level. “Since we are competing varsity this year, we’ll probably not do as well as last year because everyone is from JV and has no experience with varsity skills other than Sharissa [Holopanien] and I, who were pulled up for varsity leagues last year,” Yin said. With only one all-arounder, Tiffany Liang, the team will struggle to secure a team berth to the Santa Clara Valley League Athletic championships without scores on all events. Further, with girls set to compete in varsity, the pressure is on to master new skills and routines, instead of merely perfecting old skills. <<<

photo by Hilda Huang

UPCOMING MEETS:

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Michelle Yin (‘14)

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Golf For varsity golf captain Grant Raffel (‘13) the success of his fourth and final Paly golf season will hinge on one March 21 @ Cupertino accomplishment: capturing the league tournament title that has eluded the @ Wilcox March 23 Vikings for a decade. “We’d like to go v. Gunn March 26 undefeated in our 12 matches and we would most importantly like to win @ Fremont April 9 the league tournament and put up @ Homestead April 10 that 2013 plaque in the gym,” Raffel said. “There hasn’t been one since 2003.” According to Raffel, this year’s roster is loaded with talented, hard-working players who are determined to bring home a title. “We didn’t lose anyone [from] last year,” Raffel said. “All of our starters [have] a year more of experience. People have been practicing all throughout the fall and winter and we [have] a couple new freshmen coming in and everyone’s just really motivated to do well for the team.” Raffel and standout Sam Niethammer (‘14) will be joined by three talented freshmen in Henry Hughes, Henry Gordon and Matt Lewis and up-and-coming sophomore Alex Hwang, who also holds lofty expectations for this season. “I think we’re going to win league and do really well in CCS and hopefully go even farther because our team is way better than last year and we did really well last year,” Hwang said. Head coach Doyle Knight shares his team’s desire for a league championship and thinks this year’s squad has what it takes to end the drought. “The league title is always our goal,” Knight said. “I think we have a very good chance of winning the league and I don’t see why we shouldn’t. We’re the team to beat.” <<<

photo by Scotty Bara

UPCOMING GAMES:

Mathias Schmutz (‘13)

Badminton In his first year as head coach of the Paly badminton team, Wesley Hsieh has already made his expectations extremely clear for this season.“My goal is to put another year underneath that badminton banner hanging in the Palo Alto gym,” he said. “It’s going to be a big challenge. It’s up to the players.” Hsieh has inherited a talented team that went 10-2 last season and finished third in its league. “They’re pretty talented,” Hsieh said of his players. “These kids are athletic and they have good sets of skills.” While there are talented, extensively trained individuals on the team already, Hsieh “wants to try to bring that extensive training here” to the rest of his players. The team is led by senior captain Oliver Wang (right) and number one singles player Gavin Chan (‘13) and according to Wang has “two new players [in Eric Chang (‘16) and James Wang (‘16)] that both competed in national tournaments.” Wang shares the same goal as his coach and believes his teammates are poised for a big season. “I think we have a very strong team,” he said. “I have a feeling we will win leagues.” <<<

March 21 March 26 March 28 April 9 April 13

v. Los Gatos @ Mt. View v. Santa Clara v. Fremont @ Los Gatos

WHO TO LOOK OUT FOR: Gavin CHAN (‘13) Oliver WANG (‘13) Eric CHANG (‘16) James WANG (‘16) Oliver Wang (‘13)

photo by Scotty Bara

UPCOMING GAMES:

MARCH 2013

photo by Paul Bienaimé

Softball

Hannah Bundy (‘14)

In recent years the Paly softball team has struggled to have a successful season. Coming off of a tough 2012 season with a 7-18 overall record, the team has acquired a new coach, George Marshall, who was the team’s assistant coach last year. The squad lost standout Caitlin Tirador (‘12) who was selected to the SCVAL first team last season. In spite of high aspirations for this season, the girls are off to a 2-3 start as of March 12. The Lady Vikes have four captains in Anna Rizza (‘13), Maya Padilla (‘13), juniors Hannah Bundy (pictured) and Julia Saul. Saul and Padilla lead the team in on-base percentages with .417. The team will look to Saul for runs as she currently leads the team in

UPCOMING GAMES:

March 21 March 26 March 28 April 9 April 11

@Wilcox v. Santa Clara @ Monta Vista @ Los Gatos v. Gunn

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slugging percentage at .545. Upperclassmen are not the only ones that will serve roles on the team, however, as pitcher Casey Glassford (‘15) has risen to the occasion several times this year as evident in the girls’ season opener this year when Glassford relieved fellow pitcher, Saul and went on to shut Burlingame down to secure a 6-3 win. Although the team hasn’t had an optimal start to the season, co-captain Bundy believes her team is in good shape if she and her teammates can limit their mistakes. “I think we started the season OK,” she said. “If we cut out [our]errors then we’ll be fine because we’re hitting really well. We’re definitely doing a lot better than we were last year.” <<<

WHO TO LOOK OUT FOR: Hannah BUNDY (‘14) Julia SAUL (‘14) Casey GLASSFORD (‘15) Maya PADILLA (‘13) Anna RIZZA (‘13)

photo by Scotty Bara

GIRLS’ SWIMMING

UPCOMING MEETS: March 22 April 12 April 16 April 25

For this year’s Palo Alto High School girls’ swim team, the girls hope to continue off of last year’s 10th league win in a row, even with the loss of six swimmers. Along with returning swimmers, this year the Lady Vikes have some young talent among freshmen Kayleigh Svensson (‘16), Melinda Wang (‘16) and Katie Francis (‘16). Girls’ diving looks pormising under the leadership of Nadia Nee (‘13) and Serena Yee (‘13). “All of our swimmers this year allow us to have depth and versatility at meets and have been working very hard so far to be able to come back and win leagues, hopefully, for the 11th year in a row,” senior Abbey Kinnaman (‘13) said. “We have been working hard to have a more cohesive team by doing more team bonding and building a tight-knit team that will be able to grow over the next couple of years.” Katrina Nguyen (‘14) With all this in mind, an 11th win this year looks promising. <<< Katrina Nguyen (‘14)

WHO TO LOOK OUT FOR:

Jayna WITTENBRINK (‘14) Molly ZEBKER (‘13) Kayleigh SVENSSON (‘16) Katie FRANCIS (‘16)

@ Los Gatos @ Gunn v. Los Altos v. Homestead

Boys’ swimming and diving head into a 2013 season off of a second place 2012 CCS finish and a SCVAL sweep. The team has lost a number of talented seniors including Byron Sanborn, who swam in the U.S. 2012 Olympic Swimming Trials. The team now ushers in new leadership, including Andrew Liang (‘14) and Cole Plambeck (‘13), who qualified for the U.S. 2012 Olympic Trials. Head coach Danny Dye will begin his ninth year coaching for Paly with much excitement and hope, especially as a slew of talented underclassmen and new athletes show great potential. “This year I have the most talented boys’ team I’ve ever had, by far,” Dye said. “They’re young, but if we can work hard and use all of that talent it’s going to be a great season.” With a team that’s shaping up to be even stronger than the 2012 team, Dye likely has an eighth boys’ SCVAL championship in his reach. And if all goes well, he hopes to capture the gold for the green and white. <<<

UPCOMING MEETS: March 22 April 12 April 16 April 25

@ Los Gatos @ Gunn v. Los Altos v. Homestead

photo by Scotty Bara

BOYS’ SWIMMING

Winston Rosati (‘16)

WHO TO LOOK OUT FOR:

Andrew LIANG (‘14) William LEE (‘14) Alex FRANCIS (‘13) Cole PLAMBECK (‘13) MARCH 2013

LILY

started from the bottom

by AMI DREZ AND CHRIS SMITH photo by Grant Shorin

Many Paly students recognize Lily Zhang (â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;14) as the girl who participated in the Olympics, met NBA superstar Kevin Durant and shook hands with President Obama. However, her road to glory is far more complicated than the posts we see on Facebook.

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n an arena filled with hundreds of people at the U.S. Women’s National Junior Championship, Palo Alto High School student Lily Zhang (‘14) felt the pressure as her opponent was preparing to serve for match point. She recalls the sweat dripping down her face and her palms beginning to clam up. Holding a one-point lead, knew that everything she had sacrificed for was for this one play, this one moment. “Everything was on the line,” Lily said. “ I had worked so hard to get here and it all came down to this.” Her opponent blasted the ball over the net. Without hesitation, she returned it back, feeling the rush of adrenaline spreading to her head. She had returned long-time rival Ariel Hsing’s serve one last time to clinch the U.S. Women’s National Junior Championship. This tournament marked a pivotal point in her career, but how did her journey begin? As a wise man once said, “don’t judge a book by its cover.” On the surface, Lily may appear to live the perfect life, participating in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London at age 16, traveling, missing school, receiving sponsor-

ships, gaining college attention and much more, but in reality, it is far from that. Between the lines, she has encountered many obstacles, making her road to glory more difficult than people might think. When she was 12, while most children her age were attending Bar Mitzvahs and birthday parties in the summer, she traveled to China for intense table tennis training. At age 14, when other lads were spending time with their peers, she was practicing four hours of table tennis on a daily basis. At age 16, at the time many of her high school classmates pursued their drivers’ licenses, she trained all summer and competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. Starting from ground zero to now ranked sixth in the world for girls age 18 and under, Lily truly has never lived a normal life. It all began for Lily at age seven when she went to the India Community Center (ICC) Table Tennis Program with childhood best friend and current Paly student Felicia Wang (‘14). “It started out as something just for fun and not serious,” Lily said. For the next two years, she practiced occasionally, playing every

MARCH 2013

photos courtesy of Lily Zhang

2011 As a 15-year old at the 2011 Pan American Games, Lily and her teammates, Erika Wu (right) and Ariel Hsing (left) won bronze medals.

At age eight, just a year after picking up a paddle for the first time, Lily began her journey to becoming the player she is today.

As a 16-year old at the 2012 world junior championships Lily was the first American in history to reach the quarterfinals.

2005 now and then for the enjoyment of the game. Soon after, she began to feel a strong connection with the sport, gradually taking it more seriously and participating in many local tournaments. Then, at age nine, she traveled to the U.S. Women’s National Table Tennis Tournament. Although she did not make the cadet team for players 15 years old and under, she had the opportunity to experience the world of competitive table tennis. “I saw the competitiveness and everything

and I just thought it was so cool,” Lily said. “That was the point where I really wanted to start playing and my goals started to go up.” The next year, Lily fully dedicated herself to the sport, qualifying for the cadet team at age 10. Just four years after picking up a paddle, she became the youngest person to qualify for the U.S. Junior National Team. Not only did she make the team from which she had been cut a year before, but she also placed second overall in the tournament.

“At that moment, I just really started to like everything about the sport; how uptempo it is and how there’s a lot of mental game too,” Lily said. Due to her true commitment to the game, Lily’s success augmented. At age 13, she made U.S. history by becoming the youngest person ever to qualify for the women’s national team. But despite the accomplishments early in her career, Lily expressed uncertainty of her future going into high school.

photo by Grant Shorin

BACKHAND Lily works on her backhand at the ICC with her personal trainer. She has been training at the ICC since she was seven years old.

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July 2012 At the 2012 Summer Olympic Games, Lily met Michael Phelps, who was one of many celebrities. Last summer, Lily also met NBA star Kobe Bryant and President Barack Obama .

In Lily’s most recent tournament, the 2012 U.S. Women’s National tournament, Lily placed first and defeated her long time rival Ariel Hsing, to whom she had lost the previous year.

2012 Practicing two two three hours per day plus four to five hours on weekends, she must balance the demands and pressure of table tennis and school. Although her parents support Lily in her ambitions, they also feel that the balancing of both is often too much for a teenager to handle. “Sometimes we think she can easily handle her schoolwork without spending too much time on table tennis,” her father Bob Zhang said. “But she has to make double the effort to manage both.” With an immense amount of training and constant schoolwork, Lily must forfeit time with her friends and family. However, she is willing to make the sacrifices in order to play the sport she loves. As her father points out, in some ways she is at a disadvantage encountering players who commit full time to the sport, while Lily also has additional priorities. “The athletes from many other countries are training full time,” Bob said. “But she has to compete with them.” Sure enough, upon entering high school and dealing with the larger workload, she also started facing some of the toughest competition in the world and fell into a major slump. “I was playing really bad, and I lost to everybody and I wasn’t improving, and everyone was saying that I was done, that I couldn’t go further anymore,” Lily said. “But I didn’t give up.” Her struggles continued at the 2012 Summer Olympics, where, despite her hard work and dedication, Lily did not play anywhere near her full potential and ended up without a single victory. Although encountering tough

losses in the biggest event of her career, she was still grateful for the opportunity and experience of being able just to participate in the Olympics, and for all the support she received from friends and family. “At first I was really disappointed in myself,” Lily said. “I went to the Olympics and I didn’t play well at all, but it just motivates me for the next Olympics to play better. This summer’s Olympics gave me a lot more experience. I know what the atmosphere is like. I know how

Dec. 2012

hilarious.” Wu said. “I love being her teammate and roommate.” Not only do her friends speak very highly of her, as do her teachers, characterizing her as a reserved student who, despite frequent absences is competent in getting her work done. “Lily balances her academic world and her athletic world brilliantly, she’s working at the highest levels,” history teacher Dr. David Rapaport said. “She’s a national champion at her sport yet she is still a very well-liked, hard working student. She is a student athlete and that is a great accomplishment.” However, Rapaport does express the plights faced when dealing with an athlete who plays at such a high competitiveness. “It is difficult because she has to make up work, and she has other classes besides social studies,” Rapaport said. “Being aware of her opportunity to express herself in this sport, it would be folly to impede or get in the way of this skill and so the staff has to work very hard to understand the demands of someone who is working at this high of a level.” Through her strong support system, notwithstanding her obstacles, and drive to become the foremost player she can be, Lily feels that more than half of table tennis is mental game and confidence, and that during rough times, having a substantial foundation from others and faith in one’s self is key to success. As she learned to continue pursuing her dreams through adversity, she must also look to the future for her career. Even though school and table tennis can be hard to manage, Lily is certain she wants to continue playing professional table tennis after high school. She has a strong desire to attend college while pursuing

“I was playing really bad, and I lost to everybody and I wasn’t improving, and everyone was saying that I was done, that I couldn’t go further anymore, but I didn’t give up.” to adjust to different difficulties.” The struggles Lily has faced have became a major turning point in her career, as she learned to bounce back and grow stronger, making her into the girl she is today. Good friend and classmate, Caroline Moeser (‘14), describes her as a valuable friend who is genuinely humble. “Lily is really nice and friendly,” Moeser said. “She is very modest and not cocky at all.” Her Olympic teammate, Erica Wu, also shares Moeser’s sentiments, characterizing her as an exceptional teammate on and off the court. “During matches Lily is very calm, collected, and intensely focused, but off the court she’s

MARCH 2013

FACEOFF Lily faces off against her trainer as she prepares for her next tournament.

Many view the game of ping pong as a fun, recreational activity played in a garage, but in the competitive world of table tennis things are much more serious. Lily practices for almost four hours daily at the India Community Center (ICC) in Milpitas, where she has harnessed her table tennis ability her whole career. She goes through drill after drill working on technique, strategy and agility with one of her many personal coaches. She also works on her athleticism during warmups by stretching and running, and also increases her strength by doing push ups and lifting light weights. After warming up, she faces off with her trainer, working strictly on her backhand for 30 minutes. She then works on her serve as well as returning her opponent’s serve. She then talks mental game with her coach assessing the weakness of her opponents in her next tournament. For the rest of the practice, she scrimmages against the best male table tennis players at the ICC to improve her overall table tennis game. Lily cools down at the end of her practice by rallying back and forth with her trainer working on her technique. While the intense atmosphere at the ICC can prove to be challenging, it is also a familyfriendly place where kids and parents come to play for fun. 34 | T H E V I K I N G |

photo by Grant Shorin

photo by Ami Drez

Typical Practice at the ICC

her career as a table tennis player and possibly playing for a small college team. However, since education is one of her top priorities, she is unsure how she will handle table tennis and a rigorous college workload. Ideally, Lily would like to stay somewhere in California to be closer to home. If she were to attend college further away from home, it would be difficult to adapt to a new environment. “If I go to college, lets say on the East Coast, then I won’t have the same coaches or club,” Lily said. “I’m hoping I can go to a school nearby so I can continue going to the same team.” If she does decide to leave for the East Coast for college, traveling far from home is not out of the ordinary for her. Although people might expect traveling to be one of the superlative aspects of her career, presenting once in a lifetime experiences, she admits it is often hard to be away from home for long periods of time. “Although I do love seeing new places and meeting players from all over, sometimes I just want to be home with my family and friends,” Lily said.

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Needless to say, Zhang’s life as a serious student-athlete requires many sacrifices and a deep commitment. Although she may miss out on many classic “teenage” experiences, nothing will stop her from pursuing her dream. Despite her early success, she is not satisfied and still has many long and short-term goals for the road ahead; chief among them is to represent the United States once again at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Other short-term goals for this year include traveling the world to compete in over 10 major tournaments. Evidently, Lily lives a life that falls far from the teenage norm. However, she has a unique opportunity to experience things most high school students can only dream of. Despite all the difficulties she has faced becoming one of the best table tennis players in the world, she feels it has shaped her into the person she is today. “I think the important thing is to always keep trying,” Lily said. “Just go back and practice and use those experiences to work on your mistakes.” <<<

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MARCH 2013

photo by Scotty Bara

CUT SHORT This winter, the girls’ soccer team was en route to the Central Coast Section quarterfinal round when news of a California Interscholastic Federation rules violation resulted in an abrupt end to its season. Unfortunately, this is not the first time this has happened to a Paly sports team, nor is it the second. This is the third instance in the past four years in which a Paly team has paid the price for fielding ineligible players. by AUDREY DeBRUINE AND NORA ROSATI

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“Helpless” and “frustrated.” That is how varsity soccer and lacrosse player Nina Kelty (‘13) was left feeling after her two most recent high school sports seasons. Both were lost to violations of California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) rules when Paly fielded ineligible players. Last spring, the failure to recognize that an athlete on the girls’ lacrosse team did not have residency paperwork on file led to the forfeiture of six league victories and ruined the team’s chances of capturing a Santa Clara Valley Athletic League (SCVAL) title. In a separate instance this winter, a member of the girls’ soccer team participated in an unsanctioned event during the Paly season which, when discovered, led to the forfeiture of three league victories and a first round Central Coast Section (CCS) championship playoff win. The team was disqualified from the tournament and may have lost its chance to move up to the De Anza division of SCVAL next fall. In 2008, the boys’ basketball team faced a similar fate when its season was cut short due to a player’s ineligibility. When events like these become familiar to athletes, delving into problems of the past can

present solutions for the future. Insight comes from more than just the student-athletes of the Paly sports community: Coaches, parents, the athletic department and administration, section- and state-wide governing bodies and national and international teams can all offer valuable perspectives. Despite the wide breadth of the Paly sports world, student-athletes make up the foundation. These are the individuals whose firsthand perspectives present problems in their most basic form. For Kelty, a member of both teams, the two events that caused back-toback seasons to end suggest a shortcoming in Paly’s athletic program. “The soccer and lacrosse incidents are exactly the same,” Kelty said. “Both come down to paperwork not being turned in, and the problems not being caught by the people [they] should be caught by.” The Paly administration, though not fully responsible for the problems that have occurred, has not taken the lacrosse nor soccer circumstances lightly and hopes to avoid any future discrepancies between their own responsibilities and those of the athletic department and athletes involving CIF and CCS rulings.

MARCH 2013

SLING IT Midfielder Charlotte Biffar (‘13) rips a shot on net in a game against Cherry Creek. The Lady Vikes lost the game 20-8. “As much as I want to guarantee the world that nothing like this will ever happen again, that’s super tough,” principal Phil Winston said following the news of the soccer season’s end. “If things don’t go right we have the responsibility to figure out what happened and make sure it doesn’t happen again.” Some members of the Paly sports community feel it is not enough to depend on the administration for CIF rule management. An opportunity for an athlete to take responsibility for her eligibility presented itself only days after the girls’ varsity soccer team’s season came to an end. Varsity lacrosse captain Charlotte Biffar (‘13) was packing her bags in preparation for her tryout for the German Women’s National Lacrosse team when she caught wind of the soccer team’s forfeitures.

“I didn’t realize that I might be violating [CIF] rules by going to the tryouts and putting my whole team in jeopardy,” Biffar said. “I was really concerned that my team might yet again suffer devastating consequences similar to last season and to the soccer team’s situation. I wasn’t aware of any rules until the whole soccer incident occurred, and that’s when I realized I had to check in and figure out what the rules were.” Through her proactive investigation, Biffar consulted with her coach, Jamie Nesbitt, and Biffar’s parents then confirmed with both Hansen and CCS staff that her participation in the tryout would in no way place the Paly team in jeopardy. Fortunately for her lacrosse teams, Biffar was cleared to participate in both her tryouts and the Vikings’ season.

Thurs. Dec. 27 The day that the U.S. Soccer Confederation needed to submit U15 National Camp paperwork.

Sat. Jan. 26 Pederson begins her four day camp with the U15 National Team in Carson City, California where it plays four “friendly” games.

Wed. Jan 23 The U.S. Soccer Confederation turns in the paperwork three days before the national camp begins.

“We discovered that in the tryout I wouldn’t be scrimmaging any outside teams, so I could go to the tryout and also play on the Paly team,” Biffar said. Biffar is not the only Paly athlete who has been invited to represent her nation. In the case of soccer player Jacey Pederson (’16), however, accepting such an honor led to unintended consequences. The story behind the soccer forfeitures reveals forces at play that go beyond those existing within the team or the school. Problems arose out of miscommunications between the U.S. Soccer Federation, the sport’s national governing body, and the CIF. In Paly athletic director and head football coach Earl Hansen’s mind, that is why the events leading up to the two similar fates of the lacrosse and soccer seasons were “totally,

Mon. Feb. 4 Nancy Blaser is made aware of CCS bylaw 600 violations at Santa Teresa and begins to look for other players who partcipated in the camp.

Sat. Feb 2

Paly soccer coaches go to a meeting to decide the CCS tournament seeding and the Vikings are placed sixth. Soon after the tournament’s one seed, Santa Teresa, realizes that its leading scorer was not “cleared” by CCS to play after the National Camp.

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photos by Grant Shorin

JUKED Defender Emy Kelty(‘12) evades a Cherry Creek defender. Kelty finished the game with one goal and three shots on goal. totally, different.” The rule broken in the case of the girls’ soccer team was CIF bylaw 600, which prohibits players from competing on other teams during the high school season: “A student on a high school team becomes ineligible if the student competes in a contest on an ‘outside’ team, in the same sport, during the student’s high school season of sport.” On Jan. 26, Pederson traveled south to Carson, Calif. to join 26 other girls from across the nation in the U.S. Soccer Federation Under-17 National Team Training Camp. The camp and the two “friendly” games it included against the German national team were not sanctioned by CIF as they had been in years past. Eleven days later, Pederson returned to play for Paly. Coming off a disappointing record (5-9-5

overall) and relegation to the El Camino division of the SCVAL in the 2011-2012 season, the Paly girls had made a monumental turn around. This year’s regular season ended with a 12-0-1 record, a league title and the sixth seed in the CCS Division I championship tournament for the team. The athletic department’s first hint that there might be a problem came roughly one hour before the start of what would be a decisive 5-0 rout of San Benito High School in the first round of the postseason tournament on Wednesday, Feb. 20. CCS commissioner Nancy Lazenby Blaser informed Hansen of a potential issue with an athlete through an email that was “not specific,” according to Hansen. The players were told at practice the next day that they had been disqualified from the tournament, which naturally came as a surprise to

many members of the team. “I think [I], as well as the whole team, was just completely in shock and devastated that this could ever happen,” midfielder Katie Foug (‘15) said. “It seemed so far-fetched. It seemed just unreal at first.” California and Michigan are the only states that require Olympic Development Programs (ODPs) to apply for approval. CIF bylaw 604 states that “during their high school season of sport, a high school student who has been selected or qualified for an Olympic Development Program by the respective National Governing Body for that sport” will be permitted to participate if certain conditions are met. At some point, the camp that Pederson attended was listed on the CIF’s website on the “Olympic Development Programs” page under the heading “Not Approved.” The camp, however,

Wed. Feb 6

Thurs. Feb 7

At 5:30 p.m. CCS commissioner Nancy Blaser informs Hansen of an issue with Pederson’s eligibility via an email that was “not specific.”

Wed. Feb 6

At 6:00 p.m. the first round CCS tournament matchup between Paly and San Benito begins. Paly wins 5-0.

At 5:00 Winston and Laurence inform the girls and coaches that they have been disqualified from the CCS tournament and they have to forfeit their last four games.

Tues. Mar 5

Hansen apologizes for misunderstanding the meaning of the National Camp in which Pederson participated, and promises to be more involved with Paly teams to prevent this from happening again. MARCH 2013

is not technically considered an ODP by athletes or girls’ soccer coach Eric Seedman. “I would never have clicked on that because this [the camp Jacey attended] is a national event,” Seedman said. “It’s not an ODP event, and I know I didn’t have any ODP players. Our players aren’t involved with that. The ones that are really good are involved in different programs. So I thought it wasn’t going to be under that heading, so I didn’t even look there.”

started, it would have been approved. Blaser was first made aware of any violations of the bylaw within CCS on Monday, Feb. 18, when coach Richard Spencer of Santa Teresa High School informed the CCS board that one of his own players, Tegan McGrady (‘13), had participated in the camp, which prompted an investigation by Blaser herself. That Tuesday, disciplinary action was levied against the Santa Teresa girls’ soccer team: The

California were finding out that the camp had not been sanctioned. “A couple girls on my team who live in Southern California [had] their athletic director [tell] them about [bylaw 600] and they said that they were going to have to sit out a lot,” Pederson said. “They found out within a couple days of returning from camp. So there were two girls that found out probably within two weeks of returning from camp and then the

1. The varsity girls’ soccer team in 2011. 2. Kristen DeStefano (‘14) drives to the goal. 3. Ami Drez (‘14) carries the ball in a lacrosse game last season. 4. Dom Powell (‘08) listens to coach Peter Diepenbrock at half time.

team forfeited the final four games of its season and McGrady was suspended from competition. The team was not, however, disqualified from the CCS tournament. Because Santa Teresa had a first round bye in the tournament, and McGrady’s ineligibility was discovered before the team’s first game, Santa Teresa was able to move on in the tournament. Blaser then moved on to looking into other athletes in CCS who may have participated in the camp. At various times throughout the month, other participants who go to high school in

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photo by Scotty Bara

photo by Grant Shorin

Notice of the unsanctioned camp would have signaled the Paly coaches to hold Pederson from participating in high school competitions. Because it was unsanctioned, all players from California who participated in scrimmages during the camp were considered ineligible to play for twice the number of games in their high school season. However, if the U.S. Soccer Federation had submitted its paperwork within the 30-day window required by CIF, instead of three days before the camp

other girl from Santa Teresa [and I], we found out within 24 hours of each other.” Blaser explains that the delay in communication resulted from a failure to recognize the conflict posed by the unsanctioned camp until it was too late. “I had no idea what high school teams they [athletes who participated in the camp] played for, if any,” Blaser wrote in an email to The Viking. “We have a staff of three administrators for 140 high schools and over 75,000 student athletes each year playing more than 40,000

athletic contests. So you can imagine, I have a few more responsibilities than to check every camp or clinic that is approved or not.” This delay, coupled with a general, widespread unawareness of possible issues posed by the unsanctioned camp, resulted in irreversible consequences. According to CIF’s stated vision, “athletic competition is an integral part of the high school experience. CIF strives to strengthen

pete on any school team are eligible under all CIF, CCS, league, district and school regulations.” Team parent Hiromi Kelty, Nina Kelty’s mother, points out that the players seem to be shouldering an unfair punishment for something that was out of their control. “The girls were told to suffer the consequences of some adult not filing proper paperwork in time, some adult not communicating

comfortable,” Kelty said. However, while in the lacrosse incident Kelty felt responsibility was never addressed, “[in soccer], they took some blame for it. Winston says they are changing things, but it’s hard to tell.” N. Kelty speaks from her experience 10 months prior, when the varsity lacrosse team forfeited six games as a result of having a transfer student who was unaccounted for: Julia Farino (‘13) transferred from Menlo-Atherton

photo by Alek Milovidov

photo by Grant Shorin

the integrity of students and adults across the state by promoting the concepts of sportsmanship, honesty and quality academics.” While athletes should also be aware of CIF rules dictating their eligibility as players, the athletic department is ultimately relied on to sort through potential problems before they can become serious issues. This is in accordance with the CCS general statement found on its website, which dictates that “it is the principal’s or designee’s responsibility to make sure that all students who com-

clearly, some adult not understanding or enforcing CCS rules,” H. Kelty wrote in an email to CCS and CIF officials following the decision to disqualify the Paly team. The administration’s response to and handling of the soccer and lacrosse violations are what set the two apart in N. Kelty’s mind. “[There are] two main differences [between lacrosse and soccer],” Kelty said. In comparison to soccer, the lacrosse news came with instructions from the administration “not to tell our parents about it, which made me un-

High School (M-A) to Paly at the start of the second semester of her junior year and joined the varsity lacrosse team shortly thereafter. Farino was welcomed to the team with no special attention from the administration or athletic department. “It was just like normal, no one had really talked to me,” Farino said. “Hansen said he didn’t know who I was until CCS contacted him.” The Vikings accumulated a league record of 8-1 before Farino was approached by Hansen

MARCH 2013

RULES

all athletes should know

#207B

A player is considered a transfer (and thus the transfer rules apply to them) when... in been enrolled a. He/She has s, y a 5 or more d a school for 1 ed ey have attend regardless if th the school

b. studen AND/OR the t game played in a or con their s test for chool

c. The stu den team five t practiced with a or more d a y s b e fo the schoo re l year.

#605

A student shall become ineligible for any CIF competition if...

a. He/Sh ep professio articipates in any nal team try sport du in any C out for a ring the IF-approv high sch ed ool seas o n sport. of

ayer school season, a pl c. During their high l team r any professiona cannot try out fo of the same sport.

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at the start of the lacrosse team’s afternoon practice on Thursday, April 19. This was their first encounter. “He asked our coach if he could see me,” Farino said. “He was like, ‘Who is Julia Farino?’ and he pulled me aside, asked me about paperwork and told me I was ineligible. I felt like I was left in the dark because I felt that there was something that had to be done that wasn’t.” CCS had contacted Hansen to inform him of their discovery of a violation of CIF bylaw 206, which requires transfer students to request eligibility from CCS after transferring. Farino claims she was unaware of this bylaw, and as a result never completed any such form. “I was told at M-A that because my whole family was moving [to Palo Alto], we didn’t have to do [the CCS form] and everything was fine,” Farino said. The consequence of Farino’s unnoticed ineligibility provoked a response from the athletes and parents of the girls’ lacrosse community. A meeting with athletes, players and members of the administration, including Winston, was called to discuss how this circumstance could be prevented in the future. According to N. Kelty, “Mr. Winston just took [the situation] as a leader and said it was no one’s fault and there was no one person to blame it on.” Last spring was not the first time issues caused by transfer student eligibility have plagued Paly sports. Five years ago, the Paly boys’ basketball team was forced to vacate 15 league games in which Australian forward Ed Hall (‘08) participated due to a violation of CIF bylaw 204, which stipulates that an athlete is ineligible if he or she has already completed eight semesters of high school. The forfeitures, 11 of which were wins, dropped the team’s record from 16-8 (8-4 in league) to 5-19 (4-8 in league) and dashed its playoff hopes. Hall’s residency requirements were fulfilled when he moved from Australia to Palo Alto before the start of the school year, preventing a violation of bylaw 206, the same bylaw that was violated in the case of the girls’ lacrosse team. Even so, it was not discovered that he had violated bylaw 204 until the season was nearly over. “From what I understand, his transcripts were not looked at when he came here, and had they been looked at we would have known there was a problem,” former coach and current physical education teacher Peter Diepenbrock said. “I think that was one thing that was said at the time: what they [the administration and athletic department] were going to change was that when kids transfer in there would be a more thorough process.” In response, then-principal Jacqueline McEvoy issued the following press release outlining the violation and promising that the ad-

ministration and athletic department would be more careful regarding student-athlete eligibility moving forward. In the future, no student transferring into Palo Alto will be allowed to participate in our athletic program until his or her athletic eligibility has been thoroughly investigated and officially confirmed.” McEvoy resigned from her position as principal at the end of the 2009-2010 school year

“

“Mr. Hansen could make a sheet with the key rules that every player needs to know about CCS and SCVAL,” N. Kelty said. “All it needs to have is the given rules that are specific to each sport, letting them know what they can and can’t do. Rules that every player should know.” Laurence endorses this idea and plans to support the movement towards spreading general athlete awareness of CCS and CIF rulings.

athletic teams at Paly to account for, it is impossible for responsibility to rest on the shoulders of a single party. As evidenced by the mere number of seasons that have been forfeited due to CCS violations, mishaps occur when these parties do not act in accordance with each other. Questions about what specific actions should be taken, where they should come from and how they will integrate the individual needs of each team in order to prevent future mishaps is a matter yet to be determined.

“In the future, no student transferring into Palo Alto will be allowed to participate in our athletic program until his or her athletic eligibility has been thoroughly investigated and officially confirmed,” former principle Jacquleine McEvoy said in a 2008 press release. and her commitment lasted only two more years. As evidenced by the lacrosse episode four years later, it was easier promised than fulfilled and demonstrates that the administration cannot be expected to be solely relied on to prevent errors from taking place. Now, following a couple of missteps, Winston says he is determined to make the administration and athletic department more accountable for athletes and teams. “There is no doubt we have to be thorough about everything, and we cannot make assumptions about what happened the year before,” Winston said. “Some people will say part of the responsibility is on the student-athlete. I do believe that, but it can’t be on the studentathlete if we don’t do our part. To me this means we have to be on our top game all the time, and it’s not easy, it’s hard, but that’s too bad. We have to be on our game.” Following the lacrosse episode, the administration and athletic department responded to the athlete and parental concerns through revision of the transfer-student process. A new procedure has been developed which helps fulfil the duties Winston believes the administration has regarding transfer students. “We created a form last spring that the counselors fill out when a new student enrolls at Paly,” assistant principal Kathie Laurence wrote in an email to The Viking. “The student is informed that they must speak with the athletic director and the form is given to the athletic director who works with the new student to determine eligibility.” As evidenced by Biffar’s realization regarding her own eligibility, athlete involvement in understanding CIF and CCS requirements may be a vital step in a new process. N. Kelty believes that all athletes should try to be as aware of their own eligibility as Biffar was.

“We have an Athletic Handbook, and we are in the process of updating it,” Laurence wrote. “We hope to include it with the Student Handbook next year. One of the athletes suggested a one page sheet with things to watch for as an athlete that might affect eligibility. I thought it was a terrific idea, and we will work on that for next fall.” For student-athletes, knowledge of CCS and CIF guidelines is one way to help prevent recurrences of the past soccer, lacrosse and basketball issues. W i t h over 20 varsity

“I think it’s an honor to play, particularly at Paly, because we are pretty c o n c e nt r at e d in high performance athletes, and we [the administration] have the responsibility to support them in every way,” Winston said. “I don’t think we have to define any goals, because diligence–being thorough–is clear. While I can understand that people would be interested in goals, I don’t think they’re necessary. We just have to do our job. We just have to do it, period.”

”

When the rules are not broken

Charlotte Biffar (‘13) qualified for the German Women’s Lacrosse National Team. She will compete with the team in the Federation of International Lacrosse World Cup in Oshawa, Ontario this summer. In addition, in her fourth year of the team, Biffar is a Paly varsity girls’ lacrosse team captain as well as a top scorer.

Though Tegan McGrady (‘15) was disqualified, her team, Santa Teresa High School, went on to the CCS Division I Championship final. The topseeded Saint Bernards tied the Woodside High School Wildcats 0-0 in overtime to become co-champions of the section.

MARCH 2013

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CALENDAR MONDAY

Spring sports: Boys’ lacrosse Girls’ lacrosse Swimming and diving Softball Baseball Track and field Boys’ tennis -----------HOME / away

TUESDAY 12

v. Saratoga 7:00 @ Los Altos 4:00 @ Cupertino 3:30

@ St. Francis 7:00 @ Wilcox 4:00 @ Mountain View 3:15

28 @ Los Gatos 7:00 @ Los Altos 3:30 v. Mountain View 3:30

FRIDAY v. Sacred Heart Prep 7:00 @ Saratoga 3:30

21 @ University 6:00 @ Gunn 3:30 v. Gunn 3:30

v. Pioneer/Mountain View 7:00 v. Santa Clara 4:00 v. Los Altos 3:15 @ Monta Vista 3:30

Watch PALY’s athletes take on league and state rivals as they aim for SCVAL, CCS and State Championships.

THURSDAY

v. Mountain View 7:00 v. Saratoga 3:30 v. Los Gatos 3:30

v. Gunn 7:00 v. Homestead 4:00 v. Monta Vista 3:30

@ Menlo 3:30

@ Sequoia TBD v. Los Gatos 4:00 @ Saratoga 3:30

WEDNESDAY 13

MARCH

sunday

APRIL

VIKING ATHLETICS

v. Los Gatos 7:00 @ Monta Vista 4:00 @ Los Gatos 3:00

16 @ San Ramon 12:00

23 v. Menlo 7:00 Charlie Miguel Tourney AD v. Gunn 3:30

30 Charlie Miguel Tourney AD v. Los Altos 3:30

4 @ Mountain View 3:30

saturday

6 v. Mountain View 3:30

SPRING BREAK MARCH 2013

Columns: The Last Word

Slipper

Why upsets speak far more to the character of the “favorite” than to that of the underdog.

ardly any entity in sports receives a more polar public reaction than the Cinderella. The team that rises from obscurity to steal the spotlight from the nation’s top teams has become an annual March affair. To many, this team is nothing more than a pesky bracket-buster that insubordinately comes out of the blue to destroy the potential of each and every bracket you diligently mocked up. To others this team is an inspiration, proving that you can do anything you set your mind to if you invest the hard work. Regardless of your opinion of the Cinderellas, they bring one thing to the table each and every year: excitement. Under a different annual moniker, the VCUs and George Masons of the world add an element of unpredictability to the mix, giving the term “March Madness” its merit. This added entertainment value is a gift to elated fans, but a curse to many of those who find themselves donning the uniforms of the Dukes and Kentuckys of the world.

While I could ramble on and on about how Cinderellas are role models to players who have been told they aren’t good enough, I find that when a Cinderella inevitably upsets a topranked team, it speaks significantly more to the character of the “superior” team. Many college athletes, especially in basketball, seldom find themselves lacking confidence. When a player is recruited by some of the most famous coaches of all-time to play at a historic school where thousands of fans lose their minds over his play on Saturdays, it can be easy to let it go to his head. As a result, when one takes the court against seemingly lesser opponents, they may take it as a given that they will come out with a victory. When a top flight program comes to battle with an upstart mid-major, certain things are settled before the game. Vegas makes its odds, the experts make their predictions, but there are still 40 minutes of basketball to be played. When certain players have already come to terms with the notion that they are going to win the game, it makes them incredibly sus-

photo by Scotty Bara

The ‘

by Jonny Glazier ceptible to an upset at the hands of a scrappy team that has everything to prove. While one can take many things away from March Madness, I’d say that the most beneficial message to take away is that nothing is ever a given. If you expect someone to back down or give up based on legacy or reputation, you are going to be in for a shock when you see the results of your half-assed effort. No one will crown a king based on what experts say, and no one wins championships from talk. Simply put, the actions make the man. Now, I’m sure there’ll be a Cinderella this year. But we all know that the clock eventually strikes midnight and the glass slipper shatters. However, it only takes one game to shatter the season of even the most storied team in the land. This makes it all the more crucial that every player on every team in the tournament takes no game, play or breath for granted, because if they let their foot off the gas, Virginia Commonwealth could be the ones cutting down the nets. In sports, as in life, one must never take anything for granted. <<<

BELLE OF THE BALL Michigan fans storm the court in 2008, celebrating the Wolverines punching their ticket to go dancing. This year, the Wolverines have displayed that they are more than susceptible to an early round, bracket-busting upset. “Party is on,” © 2008 Glenn Simmons, used under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license

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