Viking His inspirational speech about loving the players around you and playing for them --- Matt Knowles (‘18)
s coaching style is relaxed but very individualized. “Jim as a coach is like toast with butter,” --- Adrien Tompert (‘18)
a player, he has helped me become an animal on the pitch. --- Matt Knowles (‘18)
Volume XI, Issue 4 February 2018
Jim is by fa greatest socce I have ever “He got us to pla intensity we had n into befor
“We were down at halftime and his inspirational Kickin’ it Kinckin’ itspeech about loving the players around you and playAcross the ing for them got us to play with an intensity we had Across the Pond never tapped into before,” p. pg. 3636 Pond
with an intensity we had never ed into before,”
--- Matt Knowles (‘18)
“Jim is by far the greatest soccer coach I have ever had. As a player, he has helped me become an animal on the pitch. His coaching style is relaxed but very individualized and he will often bring me aside during practice to tell me specific things to focus on. Jim is also a coach who knows how to get the best out of me and the other players. It’s like having a teacher who you want to turn in your best work for.” a coach who knows how to --- Matt Knowles (‘18) st out of me and the other players.
ke having a teacher who you want to turn in your best work for.”
Kickin’ it Across the Pond p36
Viking Magazine
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2 | V I K I N G M AG A Z I N E |
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Imperfection of Perfection
Short Athelets Big Impact
Kickin’ it Across the Pond
Viking Tries: Bowling
Sideline Sisters
Spring Sports Preview
30 The Recruit Depute
47
24
21 Lyrics and Layups
44
Leading Legends
42
18
16 Bills Mafia
36
32
Zooms Intro Package
34
04
Line Up
The Final Word
@ v i k i n g s p o r t s m a g | FEBRUARY 2018
Eric Aboytes (‘19) slides in for the tackle and recovers the ball. Paly beat Los Altos 2-0. Photo by David Hickey
Tackle
Shoot
Annika Shah (‘21) scores a lay-up to cap her 25-point first half, helping the Vikings beat Gunn 64-33. Photo by David Hickey
Pin
Aidan Gans (‘20) attempts a power half to pin his opponent and help Paly beat Wilcox 44-27. Photo by David Hickey
Viking Editors-in-Chief Sabrina Hall Bryan Look Executive Senior Staff Writer Will Strauch Multimedia Editors Wes Walters Matan Ziv Features Editors Lauren Daniel Sabrina Hall Design Editor Yue Shi
Volume XI, Issue 4 February 2017
Staff Writers Eric Aboytes Zach Baumgarten Jackson Chryst Summer Daniel Will DeAndre Nathan Ellisen Maria Fletcher Tyler Foug Ellie Jeffries Josh Kasevich Mallory Kuppe Zach Phillips Nathan Seto Jason Shorin Cole Sotnick Ryan Stanley Ryan Strathearn Nick Welch Jared Wulbrun
Photo Editor David Hickey Copy Editor Stan de Martel News Editors Max Jung-Goldberg Hayley Levine Head Columnists Wes Walters Matan Ziv Business Manager Lauren Daniel Adviser Brian Wilson
Viking Magazine 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 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 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 email at vikingeds@gmail.com Printing Services 2,500 copies of The Viking are printed, six times a year by Fricke-Parks Press in Fremont, Calif. Logo Font Courtesy of Måns Grebäck All photos taken from Creative Commons unless noted
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From the editors Dear readers,
We hope you are all enjoying your second semesters! This semester we have welcomed seven new staff writers to Viking, from seniors to sophomores, and are incredibly excited to see what they will contribute in upcoming issues. Each new member brings with them a unique point of view as well as a creative eye and is ready to learn. As winter sports get closer to playoffs and spring sports get started, we can’t wait to showcase the boundless athleticism that runs rampant through Palo Alto High School. Turn to page 44 for an insight into the future of all 12 spring teams. As we kick off 2018, we as a staff hope
to improve the quality of Viking with every issue that is published. With the publication of issue four, we have strived to include a varying array of eye-catching designs as well as enriching content. Our cover story this issue profiles an icon in the world of Palo Alto soccer coaching. From having his dreams of playing professionally dashed early on in his career, working in the movie industry, Jim Mackay has turned his struggle into a passionate drive to instill a love of the game of soccer in the youth of Palo Alto. The second feature in this issue looks into how female sportscasters are treated in the male-dominated field of sports reporting. The women discussed in this
piece struggle to be taken seriously, and hope that sharing their stories will illicit change. On a more lighthearted note, turn to page 21 to get a closer look at the athletes, both at Paly and in the pros, who are expressing their more creative side through the creation of original music. We have also included a spread detailing the history of #BillsMafia as well as descriptions of the Bills’ fans general delinquency. In addition, in honor of college football season coming to a close, we have taken a look at Nick Saban’s coaching legacy as well as the athletic dynasties that he has helped spawn.
Sko Vikes!
Sabrina Hall Bryan Look
Staff view
On morning practice
Morning workouts have become a recent issue that needs to be resolved. The required start time of 7:00 am from CCS has caused several concerns. Practices are being too short to get anything out of them, and stress athletes. The main solution to make a morning workouts better, is to fix the set start time and extend them to solve the numerous conflicts created by the current start time. These workouts benefit players by offering them a chance to get an early kickstart to their day which allows for their muscles to get going and their brain power to get boosted. When you warm up your muscles they work more effectively and efficiently. Getting in a work out in the morning is a great way to clear up the afternoon to create the opportunity to improve game mechanics. The brain is most productive when it is dealing with completing a task and an early workout can provide a perfect way to wake up the mind. Overall, an energetic start to the day can make a good day into a great day. Some sports like Water Polo and Swim-
ming get huge benefits from morning practices. They allow their athletes to get a solid workout in the morning and the afternoon. Having a practice start at 7 am does not give athletes enough time to get in a meaningful amount of work. If there were no restrictions, the teams could get a full practice in the morning and afternoon. This could put them ahead of their competition, and possibly give them more championships. The main argument to morning practice is sleep management. A student should get at least eight hours of sleep per night. If a student has to stay up late doing schoolwork, waking up early to do an exercise which will require a lot of physical effort. With not enough sleep a student will not be able to perform to their full potential. Morning practices could make this not possible for unprepared students, and it could set them behind. Athletes need to make sleep a priority in order for them to be able to get a useful morning workout. Despite creating some conflict, morning workouts can provide even more
than athletic fitness. Morning workouts are a great way to improve team chemistry. With better team chemistry, teams will be able to perform better in game and increase the chances of getting a win. Without good team chemistry, a team achieving a victory is nearly impossible. Therefore the best way to improve team chemistry is to spend time together as a team and with the help of extended time workouts this goal is very possible. Even though there are several cons to a morning workout, they offer more good than harm. Morning workouts provide a space where athletes can improve on their game along with creating a productive and generally safe environment which boosts team morale. However, in order to achieve this it is critical that morning workouts should be unrestricted and not limited to the set start time at 7:00 am. With the current limited slot in place it will be difficult to make a quality workout possible. Only when the time limit is changed will a morning practice be able to benefit athletes inside and outside their respected sport.
@ v i k i n g s p o r t s m a g | FEBRUARY 2018
Pop Culture Grid GOAT? Jonathan Maydan (‘19) Soccer
Omri Casspi
Messi
Vivian Feng (‘19) Joel Embiid Track
De’Anthony Thomas
Carly Leong (‘18) Basketball
Yoncé
Chipotle or Lulus ?
NBA rookie of the year?
Watch/Play Basketball?
Ski
Lulu’s
Lonzo Ball
Play basketball
For sure ski
Chipotle
Lonzo Ball
Leila Khan (‘20) Play Soccer basketball
Skiing
Chipotle
Ben Simmons
Snowboard
Chipotle
Lonzo Ball
Snowboard
Chipotle
Kuzma
Ski or Snowboard?
Watch bball
Play Kyle Mostofizadeh basketball (‘19) Baseball
Definitely play
Moment of the Mounth
Carly Leong scored her 1,000th point on varsity basketball.
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10 Questions With
Viking Magazine had the chance to ask Paly Baketball’s Matthew Marzano (‘18) 10 Questions. We then asked his coach, teammate and friend what they thought Schmutz would say. Here are their guesses...
Matthew Marzano as told to Ryan STRATHEARN and YUE SHI
Matthew Marzano (‘20)
Peter Diepenbrock Coach
Marvin Zou (‘19) Teammate
Lincoln Bloom (‘20) Friend
Question: Spencer
Funniest Teammate?
Marvin
Paul Jackson III
Wes Walters
Selena Gomez
Celebrity Crush?
Arianna Grande
Jennifer Aniston
Jordyn Jones
Nothing, gotta stay hungry
Pre-game Meal?
Spaghetti
How I Met Your Mother
Favorite TV Show?
The Good Doctor
Sky Hookers
Best PA NJB team?
Sky Hookers
Town and Country
Best Thing About Paly?
Science
The people
Basketball team
Baking
Secret Talent?
Guarding The Ball
Rapping
Fortnite
Jack in the box
The Office
Sky Hookers
Choc Milk + Fishy Crackers Family guy
Sky Hookers
Antetokounmpo
NBA MVP?
James Harden
Harden
KD
ESPN
Favorite App?
Snapchat
Feel It Still
Favorite Song?
Thunder
Silence by Marshmellow
Feel it Still
10%
10%
20%
@ v i k i n g s p o r t s m a g | FEBRUARY 2018
Inside the Mind Of
Aidan Gans Junior Year
Pre-Game Rituals “ I like to visualize and try to plan out what I am going to do, maybe set a certain target for the game. when it is close to game time I have a few songs that I like to listen to that get me ready and pumped up.”
“Junior year has been alright for me. I am definitely maturing and this makes sports easier, now that I am bigger and stronger. The work load has been toUgh but I’ve been able to manage it.”
Sp
ring “Spri Seas ng on really season i s excit ed fo somethin wait rb g t this w o play lac ecause I I am can’t rosse ill be and h a really f . I think un se opef u a succe lly I can b son e ssful.”
Future Plans “In the future I want to go to a Division III college for lacrosse so I can play but it doesn’t take up all of my time.”
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W int
er
Seas “The on winte r been seaso p n for gone retty frus tratin me has over whic winte g. I was h I rec set me b r break en ac knee tly injure k and , en d m y ding seaso n. “ my
w w w. v i k i n g s p o r t s m a g . c o m
20% discount Monday-Friday from 3-5 pm Students must have student ID, 1 item per student, 1 coupon per student
Sko Vikes!
Want to advertise here? contact us at vikingads@gmail.com
#BillsMafia
1,000,000,000
by STAN DE MARTEL and WESTON WALTERS
J
ust outside Old Ralph Wilson Stadium in the parking lot, there’s a man on fire. He’s holding a beer and the crowd surrounding him chants “Jump! Jump! Jump!” He takes a deep breath and then leaps from the top of his pick-up truck on to a table, face first. The crowd goes wild and tries to pour out the fire with whatever booze they can find. This is Bills Mafia. The last time the Buffalo Bills were in the playoffs, Penn St. running back Saquon Barkley was two years old. Tom Brady was in college. More importantly, Twitter and Facebook didn’t exist yet, so there was no way to document and share what the Bills’ fans were doing at the time. Now there is, and, the Bills are back in the playoffs. After 17 years of long and depressing playoff-less seasons, Bills fans have absolutely lost their minds, and they created the #BillsMafia. Bills Mafia is a movement created by the fans and embraced by the players. Thanks to Barstool Sports and other social media platforms, the Bills fans have become an internet phenomenon for destroying tables and partying harder than the rest of the NFL fans combined.
It all started in the 2010 season when former Bills’ receiver Stevie Johnson dropped a game-winning touchdown against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Later that
ral. They created a hashtag called #SchefterBreakingNews with bulletins such as “Man Discovers Fire.” A man named Del Reid tweeted a response with the hashtag #BillsMafia. Months later, the hashtag was retweeted by newly traded Bills’ player Nick Barnett and it caught on. The hashtag was embraced by more and more Bills fans all over the nation, but since the team wasn’t winning there wasn’t much to celebrate. The hashtag has expanded into an internet sensation every weekend thanks to the media company Barstool Sports. Barstool made a documentary about the origins of it and the mafia has since become one of the hashtags they are known to post about. The site [Barstool] started as a satirical media company that provided gambling advice. The site has expanded into one of the major media company. They really exploded onto the scene during super bowl week last year when they were banned from super bowl media day. That week they had their daily show of super bowl coverage on Comedy Central. As that was happening the Colts punter, Pat McAfee, informed the world he was retiring to join Barstool sports as a Podcaster. With their Insta-
The Bills Mafia improves how the team plays. Like the 12th man in Seattle. -Matthew Marzano night, Johnson blamed god on his Twitter feed. It became a big story and was even discussed on “The View”. Hours later, ESPN football analyst and writer, Adam Schefter, retweeted John-
When the team is good, the city comes alive. Something is different when the team plays meaningful games in January. -Del Reid
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son’s post on social media. A group of passionate Bills fans thought that it was funny that a person like Schefter, who lives for sharing breaking news, had discovered this a while after it had gone viw w w. v i k i n g s p o r t s m a g . c o m
gram page on the rise, gaining millions of followers in just a matter of months, their platform allowed the #BillsMafia to take off. After a hot 5-2 start in the 17-18 season, the Bills fans realized that there was playoff hope, and the #BillsMafia took over. Every sunday, fans would tune in to Barstool and other social media accounts to see what kind of crazy things Bills’ fans were going to do that week. Through Week 16 of the NFL season, the Bills had pulled off an unlikely 8-7 record, where a Week 17 win and a loss from the Baltimore Ravens would send them to the playoffs. On New Year’s Day, Buffalo faced off against the Miami Dolphins in an intense AFC East rivalry contest. The Bills ended up winning 2216, but now their fate was no longer in their hands. It was all up to the Bengals Quarterback, the notorious Andy Dalton, who has a history of choking in games that involve playoff implications. What could go wrong? The Bengals are down 3 with 53 ticks left. On the opposite 49, it’s 4th and 12, this is the game. Dalton drops back and throws a dart over the middle. And….. It’s caught by Tyler Boyd at the 23! He’s running across the middle of the field and he could…..go…….all……. the…..way……… and yes he does! It’s a miracle, not for the Bengals, but for the Bills. The drought was over, Buffalo had done it. After this, the Mafia lost it. There was finally reason to celebrate. “When the team is good, the city comes alive,” Reid said “Something is different when they play meaningful games in January” This season, the Eagles won the super bowl, their first super bowl in franchise history. The fans went crazy, having riots in the streets and burning things, flipping over cars, dancing on street lights and looting stores, but the next day the city was still there. If the Bills were to win a Super Bowl there, there would probably be no city left. The Bills Mafia, the infamous movement that started with some friends messing around on twitter, has become one of the craziest things in the sports world. The performance on the field isn’t the only show in Buffalo on Sundays. “The Bills Mafia improves how the team plays.” said Matthew Marzano (‘20) ”like the 12th man in Seattle #BillsMafia”.
Bills’ fan passed out on a broken table
Bills’ quarterback jumps into the stands after scoring a touchdown
@ v i k i n g s p o r t s m a g | FEBRUARY 2018
Leading legends
by COLE SOTNICK, TYLER FOUG, and SUMMER DANIEL illustrations by HANNAH LI Nick Saban is known for his dominance of the college football world, winning 13 bowl games and five National Championships in his 22 years of coaching. Saban has produced many great players out of Alabama, Michigan State, and LSU, but also created some of the most elite coaches in the world.
While at LSU, Jimbo Fisher and Will Muschamp worked under Saban. Both assistants eventually became head coaches at FSU (then Texas A&M) and South Carolina respectfully. Fisher led his FSU team to seven bowl games, winning 70% of them. Muschamp led his South Carolina team to two bowl games in his first two years of coaching.
Mark Dantonio was an assistant coach under Saban. Shortly after his departure in 1999, Mark Dantonio was named head coach in 2007. In the following years he led the Spartans to four bowl games, including the Rose Bowl and Cotton Bowl. His coaching record at Michigan State is 100 wins and 45 losses.
2000 1995
1999
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During Nick Saban’s career in Alabama he has produced the most coaches, including Jim Mcelwain, Lane Kiffin, Kirby Smart, and Jeremy Pruitt. As head coaches, they have an overall record of 111-59. Georgia’s head coach Kirby Smart has the best record with 21 wins and seven losses in his two seasons with the Bulldogs.
2004 2007
Now
THE NUMBERS Head Coaches Produced
9
Bowl Game Record
13-9
National Championships
5
Dear Seniors,
Madrono Yearbook would love to have your help!
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Contact your editors!
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Xander Take our buzzfeed quiz! goo.glXEqpx2 20 | V I K I N G M A G A Z I N E |
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Lyrics And Layups by LAUREN DANIEL and JARED WULBRUN Many professional athletes have tried their hand in the music business and all have experienced varying degrees of success. The combination of sports and music has been going on for a long time and even extends to those at the high school level.
UVWX ef ijk 6
T
he life of a musician may seem starkly different than that of a professional athlete, but sometimes these two are meshed when the same person is both. Over the years, many athletes have ventured into the music industry. It is due to their large income that they are able to pursue these interests. Very few athletes can juggle being a star in the sports world while being a newbie in the music industry which is why most athlete’s music careers are short lived. Perhaps some of the most well-known athletes to pursue music include Lonzo Ball, Damian Lillard, Cole Beasley, Shaquille O’Neal (Shaq), and Victor Oladipo. Almost all tend to be rappers with a few exceptions who go into other genres. Many of their songs mention their sport and some even center the whole song around it.
VICTOR OLADIPO
Victor Oladipo, Indiana Pacers shooting guard, started his music career off singing in a children’s church choir according to Slam Magazine. His debut single “Song For You,” which is a cover, was well received upon its release. Oladipo didn’t follow the norm when it comes to athlete musicians as he chose to go down a soul route instead of the usual rap path. He describes his choice by saying he didn’t want to be a rapper like all the other athletes, he wanted to be a singer. Oladipo told Bleacher Report that he’s always liked all different genres of music. During high school, after he joined the chorus, it became hard for him to balance both basketball and singing and he was forced to choose. For Oladipo, he didn’t feel he had to choose music over basketball or vice versa, he has found a balance where he can juggle both of his loves at the highest level possible.
SHAQ
Shaq may be one of the most famous athletes to become a musician. He
has released five studio albums and one compilation album. According to Rolling Stone Magazine, his first album “Shaq Diesel” went platinum and his second album “Shaq Fu: Da Return” went certified gold. He has even collaborated with people such as Notorious B.I.G. and Jay-Z. As one of the first professional athletes to release music, O’Neal is a pioneer in this area.
COLE BEASLEY
Cole Beasley, Dallas Cowboys Wide Receiver, has been one of the most recent athletes to go in to the music business as he released a single called “80 Stings,” under Cold Nation Records on January 9. His love for music began in high school when his friends would rap together in the car after school, but he didn’t begin writing his own music until he was in college when he found the program “Studio One,” an interactive music program made for making new songs or experiencing music in a different manner. “80 Stings” is one song in an album that will be released later this spring and mainly talks about football and family in it. Although people may question the aspiring rapper’s commitment to the game of football given his new career, he claims his priorities will stay family first, football second, music third.
DAMIAN LILLARD
Damian Lillard is considered to be a rapper who plays basketball rather than a basketball player who raps. Most of his lyrics center around growing up in Oakland, California. He gives exposure to up and coming rappers by posting videos of them on his social media during his “4 bar Friday.” Recently, two of the most important aspects of his life have come together as his songs “Wasatch Front” and “Shot Clock” have been put in the NBA 2K18 playlist.
LONZO BALL
NBA rookie, Lonzo Ball, has also dabbled in the music industry. Ball released his first song, “Melo Ball 1” to promote his younger brother, LaMelo Ball’s, new shoe release. His most recent release has been “Get Off,” a song he released to celebrate his 20th birthday. Ball told XXL Magazine that they actually set up a Big Baller Brand label and he plans to release more music in the future. Ball’s rapping is just one aspect of the plethora of goodness the Ball family brings to us. Lavar’s antics are as popular now as they will ever be causing the Ball family’s popularity to soar, making Lonzo’s music skyrocket through the charts. With Liangelo, Lamelo and Lavar out in Lithuania starting their pro careers, you know that more lyrics will be on the way from Lonzo for all of us to enjoy. For many years, professional athletes have been pursuing their interests in the music industry, each with varying degrees of effort and success. Athletes tend to take advantage of their income and the opportunities available to them from their professional careers in order to have the best chance to succeed in this field. This intersection of sports and music will most likely continue for a long
gh time.
EXODUS TUPOU
ANNIKA SHAH
HYUNWOO ROH
photo by David Hickey
photos by David Hickey
Some Paly athletes have also tried their hand at music. One example of this is Exodus Tupou (‘18). Tupou is a strong safety for the vikes on the football field, but his true passion is his music. He uses the rap name “Feo.” Tupou’s older brother is the one who got him interested in music and finding time for his music is difficult given his busy schedule. As a high school athlete, time is hard to come by after a rigorous school day followed by football practice thats end is unknown. Add homework to the mix and the time for creating music has disappeared. In order to deliver to his fans, Tupou spends a solid chunk of his weekend free time on creating new music. “I’ve been meaning to write and record, but I haven’t been able to do that with homework and practice,” Tupou said. After high school, Tupou plans to focus solely on music. “I’m going to college first to major in music technology,” Tupou said, “I feel like that will help me in my music career so right after that I’ll just start recording and putting my songs out there.” Tupou has mixed feelings on professional athletes who have ventured into the music business. “Damian [Lillard]’s good, [but] Lonzo [Ball]... I don’t really feel him,” Tupou said. “I think it’s kinda cool to have something on the side.”
Balancing school with athletics is tough to begin with, but adding a musical instrument to the mix creates an even bigger conflict with time. Basketball player Annika Shah (‘21) is already making a splash as a newcomer to the squad as the second leading scorer for the Vikes scoring 17.3 points per game. Her game resembles that of a beautiful symphony in a quiet auditorium, but she prefers an electric guitar in contrast to her playing style. Shah sees similarities between sports and music. “I believe there is a connection between music in sports,” Shah said. “Focusing on basketball, pounding the ball makes a beat like a drum or the strumming pattern on a guitar. This is why many people practice their sport listening to music because it gives them a good pace to practice at.” Shah supports the athletes who have ventured into the music world. “People who play sports and are musicians like Damian Lillard and Lonzo Ball are very talented,” Shah said. “Lillard and Ball both great rappers and I like listening to their songs.” Shah uses her guitar and music to relieve stress and get her mind off of her busy life. “This is why music is so powerful,” Shah said. “It’s able to take your mind away from anything stressful and make you think about your strumming, your beat, your tone, etc.”
The struggle of balancing many activities and school is one baseball player and clarinetist Hyunwoo Roh (‘19) knows very well. Roh has been playing clarinet since fifth grade and really started getting serious about it in sixth grade. Today, he is part of both the school band and the El Camino Youth Symphony (ECYS) senior group. He also has been selected for the CASMEC all state ensemble and the County honor band for the past four years. Over the years, Roh has noticed that very few athletes are musicians like him and very few musicians are athletes due to the time commitment. “To be honest, there aren’t many people who play a sport and do music at the same time because of how much time it takes for each thing,” Roh said. “It’s already a huge commitment to do one of those two, and so doing both take a lot more time.” Roh believes that being able to play music and sports has allowed him to be exposed to many different types of people. “The music culture in bands, orchestras or choirs is completely different from the sports culture,” Roh said. “The way people talk or how they spend their free time is completely different so by doing both, I experience being in both cultures. This really helps me when I meet new people because I have a lot of possible things to connect to that person.”
tuvwxyz
@ v i k i n g s p o r t s m a g | FEBRUARY 2018
SIDELINE SISTERS The impact of females in the sports broadcasting field and the challenges they face. by MARIA FLETCHER, WILL DEANDRE,
ZACH BAUMGARTEN, and ZACH PHILLIPS
24 | V I K I N G M A G A Z I N E |
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as men in the same positions. Even today, women still battle sexism, harassment, and even abuse in their careers as
B
ut
broadcasting is the prevalence (or lack thereof) of women reporters. In the 1940s, the very idea of a “housewife” commenting on sports was ludicrous. Even today, within these media conglomerates, 90 percent of editorial roles, 90 percent of assistant editorial roles, 88 percent of columnists, 87 percent of reporters and 95 percent of anchors, are men. Of the 183 sports-related talk shows in the United States, there are only two female hosts. While gender inequality is not exclusive to sports-based broadcasting, it is clear that a large discrepancy exists between the representation of each gender within the realm of media. Sports journalism is one career that wom-
does anyone ever ask a man in sports broadcasting, ‘Why did you pick that profession… do you like sports?’” Kelli Johnson of CSN B a y Area said. Johnson is one of the few females in the sports broadcasting field who has been able to speak out about her struggles in a male-dominated field. Although the difficulties are numerous for female sportscasters, the women of her generation have been working hard to change years of sexism and inequality in various careers. However, as Title IX awareness increases throughout society and appreciation for women’s sports grows, awareness for equal female representation in sports media has expanded in the past several years. On May 17, 1939, the Princeton Tigers and Columbia Lions faced off in a football game, the United States’ first-ever televised sporting event. Not long after― in October of 1939―NBC broadcasted the first NFL game, between the Philadelphia Eagles and Brooklyn Dodgers. Since then, these small broadcasts have turned i n t o “On the road, I make sure to not even make eye houseand analysts. Most recently, h o l d contact with players or even really talk to them un- reporters the social media movements #MeToo names less I’m doing an interview. You block everything out and #TimesUp have taken the news such as storm and every day more stoRedor else you become a ‘whistleblower’ and no one by ries of adversity in women’s careers zone, wants to have you around.” surface. However, the movement N B C hasn’t seemed to have an impact on S u n the world of sports broadcasting. d a y – ANONYMOUS WEST COAST-BASED All one needs to do is Google “feNight male sportscasters” to be barraged SPORTS TELEVISION REPORTER Footwith pages of articles that objectify ball, women in the field. Under the picF o x tures of some of the most famous female Sports Sunday, and the Super Bowl. The local broadcasting companies en have had perhaps the toughest chal- sportscasters, the words “hottest” and have also changed; they are no lon- lenge earning a place in, and furthermore “sexiest” flood the following pages. The ger the small companies of yesteryear earning the respect of their audiences next 30 plus links that appear (with the but massive media conglomerates. and their male counterparts. Women exception of a couple) boast lists of the One thing that has been slow to are often underrepresented and rarely, if female sportscasters who are placed change since the early days of sports ever, garner the same amount of respect in the beauty box and flaunted for their
@ v i k i n g s p o r t s m a g | FEBRUARY 2018
physical appearance over intellectual of the 14th Amendment. The case was joined the staff of “NFL Today” in 1971 ability, athletic knowledge, or skill in the a significant moment, as light was shed and was one of the first women with a profession. This issue has been prev- on the inequalities that female sports prominent, nationally-televised role in alent since women were first allowed reporters were subjected to daily. sports journalism. Although this was a into the world of sportscasting almost fifty years ago. When women were first being accepted into jobs in the WOMEN TRAILBLAZERS field of sports journalism, their roles were limited. The Rhonda Glenn (below), the first female national sports broadcaster, was a golf development of equality for female sports reporters has commentator for ABC from 1978 to 1994 and started as an national sports anchor been a long, challenging at ESPN in 1981, two years after the network started. process. As recently as the 1970s, female reJulie Foudy is a two-time FIFA porters were not allowed to interWomen’s World Cup champion and view players in the Olympic gold medal winner. After her locker room before soccer career. she served as president and after games. While facing great of the Women’s Sports Foundation intimidation and and has been working as a commenobstacles, a few tator for ESPN for 13 years. female reporters remained determined, and over time they were Robin Roberts was an achor on able to challenge ESPN from 1990 to 2005 and is curthe status quo. In rently on Good Morning America. 1977, reporter Melissa Ludtke sued Before her journalism career, she the New York Yanplayed collegiate kees after she was basketball at restricted from the Yankee lockSoutheastern er room for postLouisiana game interviews. University. Ludtke claimed that she was not allowed to enter the clubhouse due One of the monumental event, George’s former cato her gender. In first female reer as a model made her role as a sports federal court, the sports re- reporter seem more like a mere pretty judge ruled that banning female sports reporters was in porters was Phyllis George at CBS. The face rather than an experienced analyst. violation of the Equal Protection Clause former Miss America Pageant winner However, over time the role of women in the sports journalism world has evolved. Robin Roberts is one of the many pioneers in the industry, and provided a new reputation for women in the field. The ex-college basketball player joined ESPN in 1990 and eventually climbed her way up to prime time with Sportscenter. However, like many female sports reporters at the time, Robins started at the very bottom of the industry. Her starting salary was $5.50 an hour, working as a news anchor for a small company in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. As a former player, Roberts added an analytical perspective to the coverage of women basketball. Robins transformed the field in many ways, and was inducted into the Wom-
“And the one time you mess up, mispronounce a name, get a stat wrong, it will be because you are a woman and just a cute skirt who doesn’t know sports.” – KELLI JOHNSON, NBC BAY AREA
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en’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 2011. into the field of sports broadcasting, innuendos from players and coaches in“She put a stamp on our coverage of the challenges they face as females terfere with their reporting responsibiliwomen’s college basketball, and par- have not dissipated. Compared to the ties, affecting their ability to complete ticularly the tournament,” says Sports modern movements of female em- stories or interviews. As SI.com’s article Broadcasting Hall of Famer George powerment and the sharing of abuse on sexual harassment in sports media Bodenheimer, former president of stories, the world of sportscasting says, “... There are industry implications ESPN, “here she was, an ex-player, an seems like it is still in the dark ages. as well”. In an interview with an anonyexpert in college basketball, and a very The few anonymous stories that have mous female anchor for a regional sports high-profile prominent person to help leaked about the kinds of harassment network, it was shared that despite being put women’s college basketball — at females deal with as reporters are apstalked by an assistant head coach– least, the TV coverage of it — on the map.” palling. From unwarranted online eventually leading her to blocking Another influential figure in the de- messaging, racy slurs yelled from him on social media and reportvelopment of female sports reporting the field, and the spreading of faling him to her director–she was was Gayle Sierens. During the 1987 sified implicating rumors, the list not removed from the story NFL season, she broadcasted the De- of atrocious behavior exhibited but in fact was sent every cember 27th game between the Se- towards female reporters is long. other day for two weeks to attle Seahawks and the Kansas City Several news outlets like ESPN continue covering the team. Chiefs and became the first and only and Sports Illustrated have “The coach started askfemale sports reporter to do a play- begun helping to publicize ing her what she was by-play call for an NFL football game. these harassment stories by doing on weekends Over time, female sportscasters have publishing interviews with and where she lived gained more credibility. The past de- female reporters, concealbefore demanding cade has seen the rise of more popular ing their names. What is that she see him and well-known female sportscasters quickly made clear when outside their profeslike Erin Andrews and Rosalyn Gold-On- one begins to read these sional relationship. wude, newer faces to the profession narratives is that this is When she blocked that have become favorites of the fans only the first small step his Facebook and that watch their networks’ programs. in uncovering the issue. Twitter accounts, Today Erin Andrews, a sideline report- Female journalists ofhe used his orgaer for Fox NFL, has practically become ten face crude and nization’s Twitter a household name. Debuting with Fox demeaning behavior account to conSports Florida as a freelance reporter, during locker room intinue his advancAndrews has made a place for herself in terviews, and in one of the es,” SI.com said. the sports“Making matters caster inworse, in [her] dustry over view, was the fact the last 17 that her direc“I would like to see women in roles with years. Antor obliged the drews has head coach’s self-esteem, and we’re getting there, but it proven impassioned rewould feel more diverse and real if women that beauty quest to have her and knowlcontinue to cover were in positions to do play-by-play, or to edge of their games… ‘[despite] be color analysts, instead of just being off s p o r t s how uncomfortable I don’t have felt, and how much I to the side.” to be muasked him not to send – KERITH BURKE, tually exme to these games.’” clusive; The women who face NBC SPORTS BAY AREA more than harassment throughjust a “pretout their careers are not ty face”, only forced to deal with she is known to be a knowledgeable bigger incidents, a reporter was the burden of what their and skilled reporter. Andrews has always interviewing in the Patriot’s locker job requires, but keeping been athletically inclined, grew up watch- room when “naked players crowded their stories quiet. In fear ing NBA games with her father, and opt- around her to make lewd gestures in of losing their jobs, counted to hang out with guys rather than girls an aggressive manner”, according to less women can’t publicize to discuss sports. Andrews did not play TheGlobeandMail.com. The price of the violations against them sports herself but was surrounded by getting an interview often results in and the men who persecute them growing up, and eventually decided unwanted advances, online harassthese reporters are allowed to pursue a sports journalism career after ment, ceaseless texting, revealing to continue their foul behavior. watching Hannah Storm and other role pictures, invitations to players’ hoWhile it is clear that females models of women’s sportscasting on TV. tel rooms, and being wantonly hit on. in sports broadcasting face an Although more women are breaking For many women, unsolicited sexual uphill climb, the future seems to
@ v i k i n g s p o r t s m a g | FEBRUARY 2018
be looking brighter. From the time Rhon- “Ros” Gold-Onwude. Gold-Onwude group for women who work in sports meda Glenn was employed in 1981 until was a fan favorite around the Bay Area, dia. Currently, 750 women and men are now, there has been a steady growth in known for her charisma and knowledge members of this landmark organization, the percentage of female sportscasters. of the game. The Stanford graduate which continues to support students asAlthough the growth is slow, the percent- has now moved onto a bigger stage, piring to careers in the industry. AWSM age has gone up by nearly 12 percent, and is reporting nationally for TNT. promotes diversity within sports mea c c o rd i n g dia through to the Incareer enstitute for hancement Diversity networking and Ethics and mentor“I’m not sure any other field is so thoroughly domin Sport. ing initiatives Obviously, with profesinated by men, from the athletes we cover to the these numsionals. Since people in power of hiring and firing. While a numbers are 1990, 150 festill far from male college ber of us have shared stories on social media and unideal, but students der the #MeToo movement, sports and sports media the upward have been trend is enplaced in are unscathed by this scandal.” couraging. paid summer Members positions as of the Via result of – ANONYMOUS FEMALE SPORTS REPORTER king Staff AWSM’s tireAT A MAJOR EAST COAST OUTLET sat down less efforts. with the OrganizaWarriors’ tions like sideline rethese hope porter Kerto increase ith Burke women’s to talk about the future of the women Undoubtedly, Gold-Onwude has left influence within the sports world, and in her field. Luckily, she believes that big shoes for Burke to fill but accord- as far as we can see women are closing the field is not so divided at the mo- ing to staff members for the Warriors, the gap between their male counterment in terms of how she gets treated. she is fitting in perfectly. Coach Steve parts. However, progress is still nec“There are a lot of sexual harassment Kerr spoke to the Mercury News about essary for equality. Men continue to stories, or just weird things that happen, Burke’s first year in broadcasting. dominate the field of sports commenbut those are not frequent, thankfully, “We love Kerith,” Kerr said, “She’s as tating. Specifically, the coverage of the at least in my experience,” Burke said. smart as a whip. She understands National Football League (the largest One reporter that unfortunately can- the game. She understands her po- professional sports organization in the not agree with this statement is NFL sition and is really good at it. I’m im- world) is predominantly reported on sideline reporter Erin Andrews. In pressed, especially given that it’s by men. Besides sideline reporting, 2009, a video of Andrews was leaked year one and I think she’s killing it.” both play by play and color commenin which she was naked in her hotel Burke is aware of how her field is tating is solely occupied by males. room. The video was taken by a man very male-dominated, however, she In a career and industry that is dominatstaying in an adjoining room had who knows how far the field has come. ed by men, it is time for the narrative to “The good thing is there are enough change. As we have witnessed in recent had used a peephole to videotape her. “I just felt like I was continuing to be female sports reporters now that it months, it starts with courageous womvictimized, I did nothing wrong,” An- doesn’t feel special, at least I don’t en telling their stories, even at the risk of drews said, “it’s been a nightmare.” feel special,” Burke said, “all of us losing their jobs. It continues with playAs Burke pointed out, these horror stories just do the job, like anyone else.” ers, coaches, and fellow reporters being This seems to be the point that wom- held to higher standards for the way they are very rare, but nonetheless are one of the issues that female sportscasters, and en are at in sports broadcasting in 2018. treat women in the field. Those in posifemale journalists in general, have to While many could see this as an accept- tions of power must crack down on punfear on an everyday basis. Despite these able place to let it be, Burke and other ishments for transgressors, emphasizing anomaly stories, Burke says that she gets reporters want more advancement. real consequences for those who behave “I would like to see women in roles with badly, and providing real protection for treated respectfully by her co-workers. “We have colleagues working alongside more esteem, and we’re getting there,” victims. As long as men are in charge of us who treat us like everyone else, so Burke said, “but it would feel more di- networks, the pressure to remain silent we’re just fit to do the job,” Burke said. verse and real if women were in positions will be an obstacle to bringing attention The staff that Burke works with at the to do play-by-play, or to be color-ana- to the issue. When authority figures in Golden State Warriors organization is lysts, instead of just being off to the side.” the industry take more responsibility for the same group of people that helped In 1987 the Association for Women in the well-being of their female reporters, another budding female sports report- Sports Media (AWSM) was founded we can begin to move toward a better er get to where she is today: Rosalyn 1987 as a support network and advocacy environment for female sportscasters.
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Cheer
The crowd goes wild at the boys basketball game versus Gunn on January 13th. Paly won 56-40. @ v i k i n g s p o r t s m a g | FEBRUARY 2018
The Recruit Dispute by JACKSON CHRYST and NATHAN ELLISEN Our opinion on how recruiting as well as the private versus public high school debate have changed high school athletics.
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oday’s high school sports are continually overrun with recruited athletes and the long running debate of whether or not private high schools receive more attention than their public counterparts continues. The argument also surrounds the common opinion that recruiting wrecks high school team athletics, and how many high schools athletes are more conserned with their college team before the even attend a University. Not only does an obsession over recruiting often times ruin high school sports, but the choice of public versus private can completely change the opportunities certain athletes get to prove their skills. Just this past year, the NCAA implemented a new December early signing day, where high school athletes can commit to their top college choice earlier than other students. This completely changes decisions high school athletes have when being recruited and signing. Not only do some student athletes have
The Paly girls’ volleyball and boys’ basketball teams huddle before their games. (Photos by David Hickey) to decide on their university earlier than other students, but they also are under pressure from these colleges to meet the early signing day so they have priority selection over other March signing day athletes. This then gives a disadvantage to the students who take their time to decide on the appropriate school using the March signing day, even though they are more likely to make a decision better for their athletic career. This signing day can also be completely different at private and public schools, as public schools generally have minimal recognition of this success while private schools make sure to emphasize the importance of signing day. Another issue that has arisen is the complete separation of private and public schools in high school athletics. The CIF leaders even considered completely separating the private and public high schools for football state championship playoffs, which would even further extend the opportunities the private schools students get while limiting those
of public school attendees. Scouts would likely focus more on the private schools rather than watching the public schools compete, as the private schools try to help bring in recruits for their students while public schools are required to stay out of the process as a whole. In the basketball world, all of the top 12 recruits in the 2018 ESPN top 100 currently attend private high schools. Although part of the problem is that private schools offer these top athletes more than their public counterparts before even attending, it is also certainly possible that these students are considered “better” because they attend these private institutions and receive more hype and attention because of this. Another example of an obsession over recruiting ruining high school athletics lies in the state of Florida. The private institution IMG Academy ruins Florida high school sports as they average 15 DI athletes per team, and run through their local competition. The school is constantly recruiting the best athletes in
the area and overseas, leaving the public overshadow the success of a team. schools with far less talent and diminishAlthough Paly certainly has had plening competition, having not lost a varsity ty of Division I recruits and athletes who football game since ended up succeedearly 2013. ing at the collegiate Often times obsesand professional sions over recruiting level, some athletes can waste the high believe they do not school athletic exreceive the same atperience many playtention as other priers are looking for. vate school athletes Especially at private and some believe schools, where the the recruiting can main goal of athletruin the fun they have ics is to prepare for in high school sports. college sports, the - Matthew Marzano (‘20) “I feel like recruiting recruiting becomes in high school takes obsessive and the away from the team team aspect of high school sports is lost. aspect of basketball,” Matthew Marzano Many parents and players alike are more (‘20) said, “when a player is getting reconcerned with individual success rather cruiting, they care too much about getthan the success of the team as a whole. ting noticed by colleges than the actual For example, if a player was benched be- team and what’s best for them.” cause he was sick or wasn’t playing his Obviously, the preoccupation of recruitbest, oftentimes players and parents get ing affects plenty of high school athletes upset because they wanted the viewer- around the country. ship of the scouts. Even if the team endPlenty of current professional players ed up winning, the obsession over the were not heavily recruited or hyped goappearance of individual players can ing into their college and pro careers,
“
Recruiting in high school takes away from the team
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The private athletic-oriented high school IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.
however, they were far more successful than other high anticipated players. For example, Paly graduate Jeremy Lin was not very highly rated or recruited, especially compared to some other top private school basketball players. Lin was only a 2-star recruit coming out of Palo Alto high school. However, after graduating from Harvard, he was able to have a prosperous career in the NBA. On the other hand, more than half of the top 20 recruits in his same class never made it to the professional level. Although other factors can contribute to this issue, such as the special case of Greg Oden and his injuries, in the long run, high school recruiting often times does not influence future success at the professional and even the collegiate level as much as it seems like in todays high school sports. The current recruiting process for high school athletes planning on competing at the college level has many flaws that influence everyone across high school sports. The private versus public debate can ruin some players careers while giving others too many opportunities, and an obsession over recruiting can oftentimes ruin high school sports for good.
16 The Perfection of Imperfection by NATHAN SETO and JASON SHORIN
After finishing the 2017 regular season with a “perfect” record, the Cleveland Browns fanatics ironically celebrated with a parade. The numbers reveal the truth about the Browns’ stuggles.
1-31
3
Record under head coach Hue Jackson
.232 Winning percentage over the past 10 seasons
15
Consecutive seasons with the worst record in the NFL
8
Different starting QBs over the last three seasons
20
Years since the Browns’ last playoff appearance
Years since the Browns’ last playoff win *Bill Belichick was the coach
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Players’ Thoughts “Going 0-16 was embarrassing Ogbah enough as a player” Emmanuel @EmanOgbah “Don’t kick us when we’re Kirksey down. Lift us up.” Christian@Kirksey
-111.8 Average point differential over the past 10 seasons
1
Parade “celebrating” the Browns’ 2017 season
3K
Fans attended the Browns’ Parade
28
Years since winning their division
53
Years since last championship *Super Bowl had not been created yet
409 Days since last regular season win
*Statistics are up to date as of February 6th, 2018
@ v i k i n g s p o r t s m a g | FEBRUARY 2018
Short players
BIG impact Darren Sproles
by STAN DE MARTEL, MALLORY KUPPE, and RYAN STANLEY
Viking studied the effect of being short in height-advantage sports. After conversing with multiple short athletes here at Paly as well as researching short professional athletes, we came to the conclusion that the lack of height makes these players work harder outside of practices. Thus, the shorter players who train harder inevitably become very skilled players. Whether the sport is football or basketball, short players have found a way to step up their game and battle with the taller opponents, even defeat them. Specifically, we spoke to Will Schmutz (‘18) and Annika Shah (‘21) at Paly, and looked into the methods of professional athletes Darren Sproles, Jose Altuve and Isaiah Thomas.
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Darren Sproles is one of the shortest active running backs in the NFL, currently playing for the Philadelphia Eagles. At 5’6”, Sproles’ frame is not appealing to many coaches, but it hasn’t prevented him from having a great career. He attended college at Kansas State, where he dominated the field. In his sophomore, junior and senior years he gained over 1,500 yards from scrimmage. After his senior year he decided that he would enter the draft, but despite his jaw dropping stats, he was on the board until he was picked in the 4th round (130 overall) by the San Diego Chargers. He had many good seasons, with his best coming in 2011. In his first year with the Saints, he had 1,313 total scrimmage yards and 10 touchdowns. That year he broke the NFL record for most all purpose yards in a single season with 2,696 yards. He has amassed over 8,000 yards from scrimmage throughout his career, over 11,000 return yards, and 61 total touchdowns. Sproles made 3 pro bowls and was selected for the Second Team All-Pro. He has proved time and time again that a player can be short, but still have a big impact.
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Jose Altuve Jose Altuve is the Houston Astros’ All-Star second baseman. He was born and grew up in Maracay, Venezuela where his love for baseball began. Ever since he was a child, Altuve’s dad was his mentor and leader. Altuve’s dad taught him the fundamentals, which Altuve says is his key to success in the major leagues. After getting rejected by numerous MLB scouts, Altuve saw his dreams slowly slipping away. Luckily for him, Altuve’s dad was friends with the Houston Astros scout. This was Altuve’s last chance at going pro. He impressed the MLB scout and got a contract with the Houston Astros minor league team. After this, the rest was history. Altuve’s career took off in 2014 when he lead the league in hits with 225. He has continued to lead the league in hits every year since. In his career, Altuve has totaled 1,250 hits, 84 home runs, and 231 stolen bases. He is a five-time all star and was even named the league’s MVP in the same year he and his team won the World Series.
Isaiah Thomas Isaiah Thomas is currently a point guard for the Los Angeles Lakers. He is the shortest active player in the league, standing at 5’9”. However, Isaiah doesn’t let this affect his game, and it certainly doesn’t stop him from excelling. He attended college at the University of Washington, where he averaged 16 points, 3 rebounds, and 4 assists throughout his 3 year career, and won many prestigious awards: First team all Pac -10 twice, Pac-10 tournament MVP twice, and AP honorable mention All - American. He then declared for the 2011 NBA draft, but was drafted with the last pick, 60th overall, he was Mr. Irrelevant. Although he had been impactful in college, coaches and scouts didn’t believe that with his small frame he would be able to compete in the NBA, where the average point guard height is 6’3, 6 whole inches taller than Isaiah. On top of that the league has been changing, with point forwards taller point guards] such as Giannis dominating the game. Isaiah Thomas was traded to the Cavaliers in a deal that included star guard Kyrie Irving, and Thomas looks to have another All-Star caliber year.
Annika Shah Annika Shah (‘21) is one of just four freshman on the Paly girls varsity basketball team. Standing at just 5’3’’, Shah has defied the odds and has made an astounding impact on the team. She has already solidified her role as a starter and her stats are off the charts. She is averaging 19.4 points, 3.9 assists, 3.1 rebounds, 2.1 steals and she is shooting 60% from the field. “I feel that height does impact my game but not necessarily in a bad way. I just have to work harder during the games. Such as boxing out, defense on bigger people, and shooting over bigger people. But being smaller can be a good thing because you are faster and can get steals easily,” said Shah. Her height has not held her back from achieving her basketball goals. Shah plays for a boys AAU basketball team in the offseason and she is still able excel at that level. “I don’t feel that people should expect less from me. There are many great players that were small such as Isaiah Thomas and Muggsy Bogues.”
Will Schmutz Will Schmutz (‘18) is a point guard on the Paly basketball team. He stands at only 5’9” but still plays a crucial role on the team. “It has always been really hard being one of the shortest people but it has made me a better player overall,” said Schmutz. “I have always had to work harder and be more skilled than everybody else in order to compete with [taller opponents].” Although height gives you an obvious advantage in basketball, Schmutz has learned to compensate for this by becoming an extremely skilled player. He trains extra hard and spends extra time outside of practice perfecting his technique. Additionally, if players are taller they usually have the advantage of intimidation while shorter players tend to be underestimated. Schmutz fully exploits this faulty mindset in his opponents. “I’m not really sure if opponents think less of me because of my height but I hope they do because that would give me a huge advantage,” said Schmutz. He is a shining example of an athlete who has harnessed his unique abilities and skill despite his height disadvantage.
@ v i k i n g s p o r t s m a g | FEBRUARY 2018
n i k c i
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it Across the
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by WILL STRAUCH and MATAN ZIV Students from all around Paly grow up playing sports, and most of them have a coach who they really look up to. For many Palo Alto Soccer Club players, coach Jim Mackay fits that description. @ v i k i n g s p o r t s m a g | FEBRUARY 2018
COACH
PROFILE
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will never forget kicking the ball around with Jessica Biel,” Jim Mackay says in the most nonchalant way possible, “she’s actually a soccer player from Colorado so we were bonding over that on the set of Seventh Heaven.” This was just one of Mackay’s experiences working on the set of multiple very successful Hollywood shows, ranging from Seventh Heaven, to Desperate Housewives, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Yet this extravagant Hollywood life wasn’t his real passion, he considered it a side job. His real job was playing semi-professional soccer in Los Angeles, California. Jim Mackay was born in Dumbarton, Scotland, a small town of 20,000 on Scotland’s western coast. Dumbarton is located on the River Clyde, making it a prime location for shipbuilding. However, even in a town focused on the production of ships and whiskey, the main focus is soccer. “The goal in mind was to try to make a professional team, every kid wanted to play and become professional. It was very difficult in Scotland to break through and become professional because it is the national sport, so every kid is wanting to play soccer,” Mackay said. Growing up just 13 miles out of Glasgow, Mackay was a massive fan of Glasgow’s biggest soccer club, Celtic F.C. “Obviously growing up you want to play for the team you support which was Celtic. I think playing for Celtic is every kid growing up near Glasgow’s dream. Some of the guys that I played with were lucky enough to make it through. I was unlucky to not make it that far, but I played at an all boys school and I made it onto the high school team and I played at a really good level. We won a lot of championships up in Glasgow,”
Mackay said. Unlike in the United States, kids in Scotland are born and raised on soccer. Even though kids here do play youth soccer, a lot of them develop into athletes in other domains, such as football and basketball. The most talked about leagues in the United States are the National Football League and the National Basketball Association, but in Scotland soccer is in their blood.
environment, where the only instruction given to the kids is to have fun. However, Mackay’s experience growing up in Scotland was very different. “We played 11v11 right from the start with no build up like there is here. We also played on red blaze fields, which is basically like a baseball diamond so we were playing in this gravel most of the time. I remember also always playing with the big size five balls that were half my size when I was young,” Mackay said. The biggest thing that the United States Soccer Federation has been trying to do to reboot youth training is create a system where they play 7v7 and then 9v9 before 11v11 so every kid that wants to play has the opportunity to do so. This creates an environment that is less competitive for kids at younger ages. “The biggest difference between youth soccer here and in Scotland is in Scotland when I was growing up, the coach would pick 13 players for the game so the other five or six kids didn’t get to play in the game. Also once you come out of the game, you don’t get to go back in as you do here. It’s really competitive in that way,” Mackay said.
“Playing for Celtic is every kid growing up near Glasgow’s dream” -Jim Mackay
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“It’s a very different culture there obviously. No one cared about basketball and all that, it’s just all about soccer,” Mackay said. Since so many kids in Scotland play soccer, the competition is fierce starting at a young age. Most kids in Palo Alto begin playing soccer in a league named AYSO. This league is a sensitive, relaxed
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Jim Mackay teaches young children valuable soccer lessons. As a typical high schooler in Scotland in the 1990s, Mackay didn’t have a support system when it came to getting the best possible education. Playing sports and doing well in school have never gone together in Europe. Many professional clubs make kids quit high school at the age of 16 to enable them to practice three times per day to help them focus on their soccer career. “I feel like having a good education is really important because if you’re a soccer player, anything can happen to you. You can get a really bad injury and then you’re done, you’re out the game. Even if you don’t get injured and play into your thirties it’s a very short career so you can only play for ten-to-fifteen years and then what are you going to do after that?” Mackay said. Throughout his playing career, Mackay has crossed paths with many former professional players. Some of these former professionals’ lives after their career end-
ed are much different than one would expect. “I know some people that have played with Celtic and when they played back in the 1980s and after they finished their career they had to go and work in a building site. I’ve spoke to a few of them and they wished that they had an education so that they could have continued to make the same living they were making as professional soccer players,” Mackay said. When Mackay was living in Scotland he joined a fire brigade at the age of 22. After completing all of the basic firefighter training Mackay began to go out on calls which showed him all of the horrific accidents that take place. “Being a firefighter, it really does open your eyes,” Mackay said. “When you talk about alcohol, there’s a bit of culture there in Scotland, there was a couple of times where we had to cut people out of cars when they were drinking and driv-
Photo by Will Strauch
ing.” Mackay had a personal experience of his own when he heard about an accident that happened. He had been called back from the scene because another engine was closer but later learned that both his ex-girlfriend and his best friend’s ex-girlfriend had died in an accident because they were being driven by someone under the influence. Mackay’s playing career in Scotland came to an end as he made the move to Los Angeles in 1995. However, Mackay refused to give up on playing the game he grew up with and that he has always loved. He started playing on a semi-professional team in Orange County and even helped start a semi-pro team called L.A. Celtic. “Playing in Los Angeles was very different than playing in Scotland. I played against different styles of football here; we played against South Americans, and a lot of Latin players in addition to some
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Europeans too,” Mackay said. Even though Mackay moved to to the United States, he refused to let go of his Scottish culture. Every soccer team has their style of play, and it varies from country to country. Mackay wanted to find himself a team in Los Angeles that fits his style of play. “I was able to join a team that was mostly British players, and I had a lot of really good experiences playing semi pro,” Mackay said of his time in Los Angeles. Los Angeles is home to many movie and television stars. However, in Mackay’s playing days in southern California, many former soccer stars called Los Angeles their home as well. “I played against Jurgen Klinsmann down in Orange County after he finished his career. I got to play against guys like Rod Stewart and a lot of other former professionals like Vinnie Jones, a lot of guys that had just finished up their careers in Los Angeles,” Mackay said. When Mackay first arrived in the U.S. in 1995 he was looking for a job and thanks to help from Allan McIntyre, an old friend, he got a job working for Disney and Universal Studios in Hollywood. Mackay worked in the construction part of the movie business, helping to build sets and props for an assortment of TV shows and movies. “I got to see a lot of movie stars and work with a lot of movie stars which was
actually really fun,” Mackay said. Mackay’s favorite memory was kicking the ball around with Jessica Biel but he got to interact with many other actors during his time in Hollywood. As Mackay was playing on the semipro team in Los Angeles he suffered a terrible knee injury that needed surgery. Luckily, since Mackay was working for these large movie studios he had access to good insurance that provided a talented surgeon to perform the procedure. That being said, his knee was never
also share some of my experiences with them and guide them to make them better players as well.” Mackay began by coaching a girls team down in southern California, who had only won one game the previous season. Mackay transformed them into a team that only lost a single game and barely missed out on winning their league. Mackay’s love for coaching only intensified as he began to do it more. “I just tried to get as many coaching licenses as possible now that I knew that this is what I wanted to do and it just went from there, year to year trying to get better as a coach,” Mackay said. “I feel like you can always keep learning, you just gotta keep trying to get your coaching badges, learn from other coaches, go to clinics, and different things like that.” Mackay eventually moved to northern California where he began coaching the U19 boys team for Prospector Soccer Club in Sacramento. Mackay found this experience very helpful in improving himself as a coach because he got to coach soccer at a high level which allowed him to understand more of the detailed parts of coaching. After Mackay’s time in Sacramento he moved down to the Bay Area where he got a job coaching for Palo Alto Soccer Club. Mackay has been coaching for Palo Alto Soccer Club for ten years. Mackay has been coaching many of his player for all of his ten years in Palo Alto and
“Jim as a coach is like toast with butter”
-Adrien Tompert (‘18) the same again. Mackay realized that his playing days were limited and was asked by a friend if he might be interested in taking up coaching. “I was kind of against it at first because I wanted to keep playing but then I decided I’ll just go down and give it a go,” Mackay said. “So I went down and helped my friend out coaching, it became quite infectious, and I thought this is great! Not only can I teach kids to be better I can
Mackay motivates his team at halftime during a tournament in Los Angeles Photo courtesy of Ganlin Wu 40 | V I K I N G M A G A Z I N E |
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they have fond memories of Mackay as a coach. “We were down at halftime and his inspirational speech about loving the players around you and playing for them got us to play with an intensity we had never tapped into before,” Matt Knowles (‘18) said. Mackay builds strong relationships with his players by always being supportive and kind, while pushing them to become the best players they can be. His players love his style of coaching and always enjoy showing up to practice to put in work. “Jim is by far the greatest soccer coach I have ever had,” Knowles said. “As a player, he has helped me become an animal on the pitch. His coaching style is relaxed but very individualized and he will often bring me aside during practice to tell me specific things to focus on. Jim is also a coach who knows how to get the best out of me and the other players. It’s like having a teacher who you want to turn in your best work for.” Since Mackay has coached the same team for all of his time at Palo Alto Soccer Club the players enjoy joking around and having a fun time while practicing. Mackay believes this is an important part about a team because to be able to play well players need to feel comfortable. “Jim as a coach is like toast with butter,” Adrien Tompert (‘18) said. Mackay looks to build strong relationships with all of the players he coaches to make sure they become comfortable on the field. This philosophy has made Mackay the favorite coach of many players in Palo Alto. “[Jim] is the most empathetic and down to earth guy,” Tompert said. Mackay’s relaxed nature is what makes him the figure he is to his players. Even in games, Mackay never loses his cool. Whether he is on the sidelines coaching, on the field playing, saving people from fires or passing the ball around with Jessica Biel, Mackay always has the same look on his face: a smile.
Mackay thanks the refs after coaching a challenging game Photo courtesy of Ganlin Wu
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Viking Tries: Bowling
by ELLIE JEFFRIES and MAX JUNG-GOLDBERG
The competition was fierce as the Viking staff went head to head in a tenacious battle of uber elite bowling.
F
or this issue of Viking Tries our entire publication delved into the competitive world of bowling. A sport seeming as old as time, with its roots dating back to 3200 B.C.E., is seen as a fun, rainy day activity or a go to kids birthday party to the less informed. However, to those who are actually familiar with the world of bowling they understand the game can be incredibly cutthroat and requires practice and refined skill. Bowling rose to popularity in the the 1960s when over 12,000 bowling alleys were constructed in the U.S.. In the golden era of bowling, the 60’s and 70’s, professionals bowlers signed multi-million dollar deals and could be paid twice as much as NFL stars at the time. The creation of the PBA (Professional Bowlers Association) set the stage for 38 tournaments to take place and over $1,050,000 of prize money to be given out. However, today
bowling isn’t regarded with the same high profile it once was. Pro bowlers who used to be seen in Sports Illustrated are now taking up second jobs to support their athletic careers. Around the nation there has been a noticeable decline of both interest and popularity in the sport. Regions where bowling was most popular, like the midwest, saw a steady decline in attendance and a number of alleys had to shut down. Here at Viking, we believe that the world is ready for the triumphant return of competitive bowling so we took a trip to Bel Mateo Bowl to test our own talents at the sport. To make our experience a little more interesting we split up into six teams of four or five and faced off against one another. Leading up to the match each team thought they were a favorite, and did not hold back from letting the rest of the publication know. “I’m looking forward to bowling and having my team beat everybody elses.
“I’m looking forward to bowling and having my team beat everybody elses. I’m going to go out there and prove to them that I’m the best bowler in the nation” Jackson Chryst ('19) said.
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I’m going to go out there and prove to them that I’m the best bowler in the nation” Jackson Chryst (‘19) said. The clear favorite of the draft, and supposedly the best bowler in Viking was Jared Wulbrun (‘18), a new addition to the Viking staff. “I’m just keeping my head down and preparing for February 3rd. There is a lot of speculation about my bowling talents but all I’m looking to do is shock the world,” Wulbrun said. While Wulbrun was the obvious favorite, some believed that they had been overlooked and were ready prove their doubters wrong and show their true talent. “Besides myself there is a lot of hype around Jared Wulbrun. True talent is decided by W’s. Since my team will be winning on game day we collectively as a squad are the best bowlers in the class,” Ryan Strathearn (‘19) said. At 6:30 P.M. February 3rd, our publication arrived at Bel Mateo Bowl to try our luck. The place was great, everybody working there was super friendly and accommodating; our magazine would definitely recommend this location for any bowling parties or outings. However, it is very popular and was pretty much packed upon our arrival so we would suggest making lane reservations like we did.
Josh Kasevich ('19) attempts a strike with his unique form alongside former staffer Steve Marinkovich ('17) Once settled into our lanes the competition ensued almost immediately. It was clear that this was not some of our staff members first time at the bowling alley, with Wulbrun, Steve Marinkovich ('17) and Max Jung-Goldberg ('18) pulling ahead almost immediately. Other staffers, considered sleepers before, showcased their talent as the night progressed. Perhaps the most entertaining aspect of our time at Bel Mateo bowl was the varying techniques different staffers used when it came their time to bowl. Some, like staff writer Josh Kasevich (‘19) opted for the tactic of placing the ball on
the floor then rolling it forwards with two hands. Another staff writer with a unique bowling form was Ryan Strathern, who put his whole weight behind throwing the ball sideways two handed down the lane. “Accuracy. I can have full control over the bowling ball with two hands instead of one which leads to more consistency,” Kasevich said.
At the end of the night we had packed a solid amount of bowling into the one hour reservation we made, and were ready to head out. The big winner of the night was staff writer Wulbrun with a whopping score of 120, no surprise to anyone on staff. “I had a pretty poor night but I still managed to get first place due to the lack of skill among the other staff members,” Wulbrun said. The experience, looking back at it, was a successful and fun hour of bowling. Collectively, we saw a lot of competition and trash talk from the majority of our staff which made for a joyful time. As we saw in our laser tag edition of Viking Tries, there are elite level athletes across the entire staff that proved to have athletic versatility with their success in the sport of bowling. As a publication it is very clear that we love to show our talent on different ends of the athletic spectrum and we would definitely come back to bowl at Bel Mateo. If you are looking for a very entertaining time with friends or family, that overall is equally competitive and relaxing, we would absolutely recommend trying your luck at Bel Mateo bowl.
“Accuracy. I can have full control over the bowling ball with two hands instead of one which leads to more consistency,” Josh Kasevich (‘19) said.
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Spring Sports Previews After ending last season with an impressive league record of 13-1, the boys baseball team is looking to keep this winning mentality. Although they were the top seed during last year’s CCS Open Division playoffs, they were eliminated by Archbishop Mitty. “The team we have this year definitely has potential of getting far into CCS. We got eliminated in the first round without scoring a sign and we are looking to break that curse,” Hyunwoo Roh (’19) said. This upcoming season, the boys baseball team is hoping to improve their offensive game and hopefully beat rivals such as Saint Francis, Valley Christian, and Los Gatos.
Baseball
After finishing in 5th place in the De Anza division, the boys tennis team is looking to swing past their opponents this season. The last three seasons, the boys’ tennis team has not made CCS. However, this is something they are trying to overcome. “In all three of my previous seasons on the team we’ve never made CCS, so that’s a goal I’ve set for this years team,” Hunter North (’18) said.
After falling short of the league championship last season, the girls’ lacrosse team is hoping to reclaim the championship. Going into the 2017 season, the team had lost many great players. However, as the season progressed, they rebuilt and are looking really competitive. “Our defensive line is looking really solid this year. We have a lot of great players coming back. Mattie Orloff (’18) is an incredible goalie and she will be incredibly impactful this season,” Ellen Goncher (’18) said.
Boys Tennis
Girls Lax Boys Lax
Softball
Boys Boys’Golf Golf
The softball team is looking to swing into The boys’ golf team looks to carry their the season with last year’s success. After winning spirit from last year to this not making CCS for 6 years, the softball upcoming season. “Last season was team ended last season with an overall great winning league…as a team we record of 12-6. In order to continue with just need to be consistent and relaxed this success, defense will be vital. “Solid out there,” Ahmed Ali (’18) said. With and reliable defense is the absolute the help of players like Anthony Ha (’21), most important key to success, because the boys golf team will be able to repeat defense wins games,” Sydney Liu (’19) their league championship, and get even said. An opponent the softball team will further into CCS playoffs. have to beat this season is Gunn. They have beat Gunn three times in a row, and with the help of players such as Sophie Frick (‘18) and Ella Jones (‘20), they can achieve this for the fourth time. 44 | V I K I N G M A G A Z I N E | w w w . v i k i n g s p o r t s m a g . c o m
This upcoming season, the lacrosse team is looking to finish with another strong season. Although the team finished with a league record of 8-1, they are looking to improve their non-league record (4-8). “A challenge will be to not underestimate any team we play. I hope we can have some more success in our non-league games,” Benner Mullin (’18) said. The team is looking to win SCVALs again and they will be able to achieve this with the help of Aidan Gans (’19) and Peter Gold (’18).
by ERIC ABOYTES As the Spring Season approaches, Viking Staff takes a look at what to expect for this upcoming season.
The Paly girls swim team is full of talented swimmers that will hopefully lead the team to major success, including a possible CCS win. Two swimmers to look out for are Claire Lin (‘18) and Zoe Lusk (‘18), both school record holders for relays. Both of these athletes are hoping to make it to states at the end of the season. After having to travel across town to practice for two years, they are excited to finally use the Peery Family Center and pool.
With the addition of the Peery Family Center, the Paly diving team finally has their own pool to display their skills. The team hopes to add strong divers that could help them place high at CCS. “We want to place well in CCS, and I think that this year we have a great group of people that are going to be able to accomplish that,” Jack Callaghan (’19) said.
As the spring season approaches, the Paly badminton team hopes to be successful and competitive in their league. “I would say that our main goal is to stay in the upper league, where the competition is better,” Zakir Ahmad (‘19). An important part of badminton is creating strong doubles teams that can compete at a high level. “Our key to success will be pairing people who have good synergy together,” Ahmad said.
Diving
Girls Swimming
Badminton Boys Volleyball
Boys Swimming
Track and FIeld
This upcoming season, the boys swimteam is hoping to win their league, after coming up short in years past. “We believe we have a relatively good shot at winning our league if we all work hard,” Jack Andersen (’18) said. Although the swim team features a small senior class, the team hopes underclassman and juniors step up. “We have a lot of underclassmen talent as well as a very strong junior class,” Andersen said.
As the track season approaches, the team is training hard, making sure each individual player reaches their goals, as well as the team’s goals. “We hope to become De Anza league winners, CCS winners, and win the biggest event: the Arcadia Invitational,” Bryan Kagiri (‘19). The teams biggest deficit would be the loss of some key athletes to injures, as well as avoiding the unpredictable winter weather. However, the team is hoping to leap all these obstacles and reach their goals as a whole.
One of the sports to check out this spring season is boys volleyball. The team will be coached by Ed Yeh, a Paly grad, and will compete in the De Anza division. Although tryouts are still in progress, Yeh thinks the group of boys is special. “I’m thoroughly surprised by the skill level and the enthusiasm of the boys,” Yeh said. Although the season has not commenced, Yeh has already set some goals for the team. “One of the goals for the season is improvement. If the skill level of the team improves from the beginning to the end, I think it will be a good season,” Yeh said.
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THE FINAL
WORD.
Matan and Wes take a deep dive into why we are wasting our time with the current P.E. system.
by WES WALTERS and MATAN ZIV
P
eople have been forced to take P.E. for two years and have not gotten any stronger or any faster. It is unfair that to graduate you need to take at least two years of P.E. Most people don’t even run or participate in the programs that the teachers have set up. If we really want to see improvement in our school’s fitness level we should force people to play a sport. If students were forced to do a sport they might find a passion, or at the very least they would be forced to compete. If people are going to be lazy and complain that they don’t want to play a sport, then the school should have options similar to athletic conditioning that give people the ability to do something that they will enjoy and not complain about. If you walk around the school one of the things students complain about most is running. If people don’t want to run then they can have the option to do some other form of cardio. If you want be a full on alpha you have to be at peak physical form, not just jog three times a week in P.E. We are not arguing for the removal of working out, we just think that it is ludicrous that Paly is forcing kids to take two years of useless P.E. The sports that the teachers make you play are a joke. They would be helpful if kids actually cared about them. The teachers think that the kids will enjoy
the activities and might actually try. That is completely wrong. There are always three kids that are actual athletes and will try and absolutely dominate everyone else. The rest of the game becomes people standing around talking and guys going to the bathrooms to Juul. If we are being perfectly honest, we do not remember the last time we actually did the run the P.E. teacher sent us on. If the teacher says to go do the signature “Viking” run, we are hopping the fence every time. There is simply no point in sending kids on a run they won’t actually do. The attitude people have towards P.E. is here to stay, so why not change the rules. This column is in no way blaming the P.E. teachers for the current situation. The P.E. teachers are talented enough to provide a much more valuable education to the students. However, the current curriculum that is in place limits what the P.E.
teachers can do. It is evident that the P.E. teachers themselves are at times frustrated with the way students treat their class. The biggest alternative to P.E. is a class taught by Mr. Halas called athletic conditioning. In this course, all of the participants take part in supervised weightlifting. It is the clear alternative to the typical physical education class because it is impossible to get by in the class without actually learning. It is a great way to get younger kids into the habit of caring about their health through teaching them about the muscles in their body. Athletic conditioning is a much more structured class where anyone fits in. Mr. Halas, along with other experienced weightlifters, are always available to help the younger and less experienced kids. Additionally, it ensures that kids interested in lifting get into it the right way and don’t hurt themselves. Many kids begin being interested in lifting around freshman year, but they go into it completely blind and end up hurting themselves. Mr. Halas is always watching over everyone and ensuring that everyone has good form. Making kids take athletic conditioning would help ensure that kids aren’t hurting themselves when they start lifting. In conclusion there is zero reason to keep doing P.E. All of the kids who try hard in P.E. don’t get in shape from it, so what’s the point? Athletic conditioning would be a much better use of everyone’s time and would actually get people in the habit of working out.
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