Viking magazine Psyched
out
Volume XII, Issue 2 October 2018
p.30
Physical prowess is usually the first thing that comes to mind when defining players’ athletic ability. Less often considered is the mental game behind the scenes, which is guaranteed to take its toll. Most obviously in the make-or-break game moments when players either rise to the occasion and come up clutch, or ultimately choke under pressure.
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4 11
LINEUP
Zooms
17 24 22 Editorial
12
Intro
Burnout & the Rise of One-Sport Athletes
Adidas Arrival
Off the Gridiron
28 36 30 The 6th Man
Tear Terror
38 44 42 Basketball Preview
Psychology of Choking
47
Viking Tries E-Sports
Building Bonds
Final Word
@vikingsportsmag | OCTOBER 2018
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Maddi Page (‘21) reaches low for a return. Paly lost to Monta Vista 3-4. Photo by Jason Shorin
Hit
@vikingsportsmag | OCTOBER 2018
Tip
Siena Brewster (‘19) knocks the ball over the net. Paly beat Los Gatos 3-0. Photo by David Hickey
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@vikingsportsmag | OCTOBER 2018
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Ryan Stanley (‘20) shoots from distance. Paly beat Los Gatos 10-9. Photo by Jason Shorin
Shoot
@vikingsportsmag | OCTOBER 2018
Viking Editors-in-Chief Maria Fletcher Ellie Jeffries Stan de Martel
Managing Editor Lauren Daniel Design Director Zach Phillips Multimedia Editors Mallory Kuppe Cole Sotnick Business Managers Eric Aboytes Summer Daniel Beat Editors Zach Baumgarten Ryan Strathearn
Volume XII, Issue 2 October 2018
Staff Writers Alana Abeyta Ryan Bara Lincoln Bloom Sam Cleasby Kevin Cullen Sanaz Ebrahimi Dexter Gormley Gerzain Gutierrez Ella Jones Griffin Kemp Tina Lagerblad Joshua Lai Conner Lusk Joey Passarello Ya’el Sarig Ryan Stanley Jack Such
Photo Editors David Hickey Jason Shorin
Executive Senior Staff Writers Jackson Chryst Joshua Kasevich
Social Media Director Will DeAndre
Adviser Brian Wilson
Copy Editor Nathan Seto Video Editors Tyler Foug Nick Welch Head Columnists Nathan Ellisen Wes Walters
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 Folger Graphics in Hayward, Calif. Logo Font Courtesy of Måns Grebäck All photos taken from Creative Commons unless noted
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From the editors Dear readers,
With the conclusion of the first quarter of the school year, we would like to welcome you back to the second issue of Viking Magazine! Our cover story, Choking Hazard, delves into choking in sports and the psychology that backs it. From the Warriors choking a 3-1 lead in the NBA finals to the Falcons losing a Super Bowl while up 28-3, juniors Conner Lusk, Josh Lai, Yael Sarig, Griffin Kemp, explore what happens inside our brains while we are taking the game tying, or winning, shot. The second feature in this issue looks into the rise of one-sport athletes, and how many athletes who try to play competitively in multiple
T
sports will often burn out. Specializing in one sport has many pros and cons, and this claim is supported by stories from various Paly athletes. On a more lighthearted note, turn to page 22-23 to get a look at some cool designs for what our new Adidas jerseys could look like. We just recently terminated our jersey contract with Nike, so some students expressed their more creative side by creating their own ideal jerseys with the new adidas look. We have also included a short detailing the history of alternative football leagues, with descriptions of how they are played. In addition, in honor of college basketball season coming
up, we have taken a look at all of the teams in the preseason, giving our rankings and expectations for each team, as well as explosive payers that fans should be on the lookout for. We hope you enjoy this issue, have a great second quarter and the happiest of halloweens!
Sko Vikes!
Maria Fletcher Ellie Jeffries Stan de Martel
Staff View: On Weight Room Accessibility
he fifth-period bell blasts throughout campus; many students shuffle to class, those with a prep go home, but a select group prepares to workout. They enter the gym, shuffle down the stairs and end up sitting, waiting until 3:35 p.m. when they will finally gain access to the weight room. At the end of fifth-period, the group wishes to work out and carry on with their day, but are barred because of the lack of supervision. After the 10th-grade classes conclude their weight lessons, students do not have a supervisor who can guarantee access. As the year progresses, access to the facility may become an even greater issue because many teams have workouts, making it even harder for non-season athletes to lift. Earlier in the year, students were allowed to work out during their preps. As the year rolled on, however, students were told that they must wait until the end of the day. The dedicated students have become increasingly annoyed and disappointed with the operating hours of the weight room.
Although it would be ideal for the weight room to be open freely with I.D. cards like a real gym, this is not a viable solution. As a high school, Paly has a responsibility to supervise students for legal reasons. At the same time, students have the right to utilize the newly-built facilities in the Peery Center. Given the gym took two years to build and cost nearly $42 million to make, the administration should be willing to use extra staffing or hire a full-time strength coach to watch over the students who wish to become stronger. The most cost-effective solution is to use campus supervisors to look over the weight room two or three days a week. They only have to supervise students for 30 to 40 minutes after the 10th-grade classes are done with their lessons. This solution would eliminate the need to hire an extra supervisor and allow students to get their lift in before school ends. Additionally, many times the past weight room supervisor did not show up and left P.E. teacher Jason Fung responsible to stay after school and watch over students. Recently, the athletic department hired a new weight room supervisor, but he will not be on
campus until the end of school. To use this position most effectively, Paly should make his hours start at 2:30 p.m. By doing this, the weight room can be more accessible to students with seventh and sixth prep and will allow teachers to have staff meetings following the conclusion of tutorial at 2:50. The weight room was built for the students to better their physical and mental health. Here in Palo Alto, a lot of importance is placed on mental health. According to research by the University of Limerick, “resistance exercise training significantly reduced depressive symptoms among adults regardless of health status.� It is imperative that students can relax their mind from rigorous coursework, societal pressure, and extracurricular activities. Since the Peery Center opened in 2017, students have not been able to harness the full potential of the facilities. By reorganizing faculty or using funds to extend the hours of a new strength coach, the problems associated with timing and usage will be relieved. The next generation of Paly students will hopefully be able to reap the benefits of strength and conditioning.
@vikingsportsmag | OCTOBER 2018
Pop Culture Grid What animal represents your Favorite TV show? athletic traits? Eva Salvatierra (‘22) Field Hockey
Dog
Chesnie Cheung (‘20) Water Polo
Best team in college football?
The Office
Serena Williams
Oregon
The Flash
Jalen Ramsey
Alabama
Bojack Horseman
Naomi Osaka
Michigan
Gazelle
SNL
Noah Droddi
Alabama
Dolphin
THE OFFICE!
Dont have one
Stanford
Black Panther
Kylie Mies (‘21) Girls Volleyball
Favorite professional athlete?
Goldfish
Nike or Adidas?
Adidas
Adidas
Junacio Henley (‘20) Football
Nike
Donald Taggart Brooks (‘19) Cross country
Nike
Moment of the Month
Water polo holds on late to beat Los Gatos 10-9 in front of a rowdy crowd.
Charles Mitz (‘20) shoots around a defender. Photos by Jason Shorin
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10 Questions With
Viking Magazine had the chance to ask Paly Girls’ tennis starMaddi Page (‘20) 10 Questions. We then asked her coach, teammate and friend what they thought she said. Here are their responses...
Maddi Page
as told to Link Bloom, Jason Shorin, and Ryan Strathearn
Maddi Page (‘20)
Andy Harader Coach
Isa Cossio (‘19) Teammate
Heidi Mcintosh (‘21) Friend
Questions? Iris Li
Funniest Teammate?
Iris Li
Iris Li
Mayra
Fruit
Pre-game Meal?
Grapes
Green Grapes
Fruit
Doing HW in a car
Secret Talent?
Skiing
Singing
I have no idea
Alexander Zverev
Celebrity Crush?
Justin Timberlake
Zac Efron
Zac Efron
Dolphin
Favorite Animal?
Dog
Lizard
Dog
Dogs
Cats or dogs?
Dogs
Dogs
Dogs
Nephew -smokepurp
Hype song?
Who let the dogs out
Some rap song
Flip the switch
Roger Federer
Tennis GOAT?
Roger Federer
Rafael Nadal
Serena Williams
Drowning
Biggest fear?
Not performing well
Spiders
Drowning
Mean Girls
Favorite Movie?
Godzilla
Mean Girls
Mean Girls
40%
40%
40%
@vikingsportsmag | OCTOBER 2018
Inside the Mind Of
Andres Jimenez
Best Part about the Football Team?
The best part of the team is the bond we have with each other and with the coaches.
Do you have a pre-game ritual? The team pre-game ritual is the team prayer and I do my own prayer as well for my aunt who passed away last year from breast cancer.
If you weren’t playing football?
If I was not on the team I would be really bored and probably do homework or some other random stuff, but to be honest I do not even know.
Free time activities? In my free time I do my homework, watch film, and play Fortnite.
Goals for the team?
Make it to the CCS championship; Paly football hasn’t made it in a while.
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Match the Athlete Athlete Word Bank
Jamir Shepard ~ Damion Valencia ~ Charles Mitz ~ Henry Saul ~ Grace Rowell ~ Lexi Gwyn
A. A Paly football starter for three years
B. two-sport athlete starting wide reciver
C. class of 2021 and plays field hockey
D. Class of 2019 and runs sometimes
E. Class of 2021 and is on varsity water polo
F. Class of 2019 and is on varsity water polo
D. Henry Saul (‘19) E. Charles Mitz(‘20) F. Grace Rowell (‘19) A. Damion Valencia (‘19) B. Jamir Shepard(‘20) C. Lexi Gwyn (‘21)
@vikingsportsmag | OCTOBER 2018
Word Search Words: 1. Viking 2. Sports 3. Football 4. Animal Sports 5. Touchdown 6. Dunk 7. Pass 8. Athletics 9. Bonding 10. Adidas
11. XFL 12. Wipeout 13. Water Polo 14. Cross Country 15. Volleyball 16. Field hockey 17. Spike 18. Pregame 19. Paly 20. Fans
Viking's Top 5 Pregame Meals 5. PB&J 4. Fettuccine Alfredo 3. Chicken Parm 2. Pre workout 1. Nothing, gotta stay hungry
(C4, edge of insanity, creatine,and other energy bosting products)
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rs ing yea swimm on his rt in college. ts c e fl e spo (‘18) re Bundy not pursue th Ethan n to io is c e and d ook ward L y of Ho s e rt u co Photo
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t u o T N R U B l al More and more athletes are pushing themselves to play as many sports as they possibly can: are they spreading themselves too thin?
A
by ALANA ABEYTA, SANAZ EBRAHIMI, DAVID HICKEY, RYAN STANLEY
s soon as most kids begin their athletic journey, their parents encourage them to play as many sports as possible. As long as the parent thinks their kid is having fun, they will continue to play those multiple sports. However, once they start to seriously commit to athletics,some kids real-
ize that they have the potential to play at the collegiate or even professional level, thus begins their one-sport career while their multi-sport career slowly fades away. In order to play at the highest level, they constantly practice, often to the breaking point. Although these athletes believe they are creating a future for themselves, the reality is the constant practice slowly leads the athlete down a
dangerous rabbit hole that can, at times, end their career. A rising trend in high schools across the nation is the one-sport athlete. As the name suggests, a one sport athlete is an athlete who chooses to focus on one sport during the year instead of partaking in two or three. While many of these athletes play one sport because the demands of multiple sports can tire
@vikingsportsmag | OCTOBER 2018
even the most conditioned of players, the majority of the one-sport athletes pursue their sport with gusto throughout the year in the hopes of playing at a collegiate or professional level later in their life. There are both pros and cons that come with being a one-sport athlete. The major benefit to focusing on a single sport is that players can hone and refine certain skills, instead of having to juggle perfecting multiple techniques for sports with overlapping seasons. The lack of distractions from other sports allows players to solely focus on the skills specific to their main sport. For an athlete who only plays school sports, there is the plus of having a long offseason, a benefit that they wouldn’t receive playing multiple sports. The extended offseason allows them to give their body a chance to rest and return to full strength. Take Paly senior Aiden Gans (‘19), who started wrestling in third grade and stopped halfway through high school. Right after he started wrestling, Gans picked up lacrosse in fourth grade. Remarking on the practice hours, Gans said, “In season I spent about 15 or so hours [playing lacrosse], out of season I spend about six...I have a whole lot more time… and a lot more focus on that sport.” The lack of other sports allows for a greater flexibility of time commitments, allowing Gans to spend time recovering from the past season, getting in shape for the coming season, or spending time
brushing up on his skills. Unlike other students at Paly who play multiple sports, Gans has the fall and winter seasons to gain an edge on the lacrosse field. The freed up time allows those who yearn to play in college the ability to take the next steps towards achieving their dreams: joining a club team. High school athletes with dreams to play at the next level often join club teams that organize their schedule so that as soon as the high school season is over, an athlete can go directly into their club sport. Right away this cuts into the recovery period, wasting the precious time until the idea of rest remains only as a memories. The club sport turns what was a three month sport into a year round sport. The decision to forfeit recovery times comes with the promise of more practice and increased skill that could help pave the way to performing on the collegiate or professional level. This is where the cons of the one-sport athlete come into play. With less time to focus on recovery, the onesport athlete becomes more vulnerable to injury. Besides the added stress to their daily lives and the fact that injuries occur in sports, the constant repetition of the same motion over the course of a year with little rest exposes athletes to the risk of a RSI, repetitive stress injury.
“The risks of overuse are more serious in the pediatric/ adolescent athlete.” Joel S. Brenner
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Reflecting on his wrestling career, “some of the past sports I played, it was really hard because it was really intense repetitive motions,” Gans said. According to a report, “Overuse Injuries, Overtraining, and Burnout in Child and Adolescent Athletes,” published by American Academy of Pediatrics and written by Joel S. Brenner, repetitive stress injuries, also known as overuse injuries, are described as microtraumatic damage to a bone, muscle, or tendon that has been subjected to repetitive stress without sufficient time to heal or undergo the natural reparative process.”The journal later notes the importance of rest during the year, not just days off during the week. According to the report, “athletes should have at least two to three months off per year from their particular sport during which they can let injuries heal, refresh the mind, and work on strength, conditioning, and proprioception in hopes of reducing injury risk.” Yet these injuries can still occur without the athlete playing a club sport, or even playing year round. The main causes of these injuries is the simple fact that high school athletes are still kids, and therefore still growing. Brenner writes that “The risks of overuse are more serious in the pediatric/adolescent athlete for several reasons. The growing bones of the young athlete cannot handle as much stress as the mature bones of adults”. As a result, even if high school one-sport athletes don’t play club sports, the risk of an injury due to a repetition can still occur despite their efforts to remain healthy. Despite the most common injury for the one-sport athletes is physical, a psychological threat constantly remains at large and hampers with their ability to play. The threat: burnout. Burnout in athletes can be diagnosed as cognitive-affective syndrome, which is a syndrome that can eventually causes damage in the cerebellum of the brain. This damage is due to the chronic stress burnout athletes face. As players achieve higher and higher levels of a single sports, the amount of players that burn out also starts to increase. At a certain level of any sports there is nothing new to learn, all there is left for athletes to focus on is refining and advancing their
“It was really hard because it was really intense, repetitive motions” Aiden Gans (‘19)
old skills, causing a lack of incentive to take effect.. As a result, burnout is one of the main causes that leads athletes take a break from or discontinue their athletic career. Burnout is especially influential in people who are affected by others around them and are indecisive because they want to follow what others around them are doing. This is why it is possible to see multiple players burnout at the same time and leave the teams together, if they were on the fence about it before. Things that strip motivativation away from once amazing athletes can vary from stress in time management to missing out in social gatherings because of their sports. Half of the battle of burnouts comes from the character and motivation of an individual player. Some athletes reach a point where they cannot keep doing the same set of practices everyday, and feel like they are a factory working that never sees a change in their job. Although common in all athletes regardless of the number of sports played, burnout occurs with a greater frequency in athletes who only play one sport. The main reasons for burnout include paren-
tal or peer pressure, physical exhaustion, chronic stress, low self-esteem, and boredom. Similar to the repetitive stress injuries, burnout results in the constant stress of trying to perform constantly at the highest level with little rest. The result of playing the sport year round combined with performing the same actions repeated results in the mental burnout of many athletes, forcing them to continue and suffer or quit the sport they have dedicated countless hours over the course of their lives. In addition to stress, the “athlete may also have fatigue, lack of enthusiasm about practice or competition, or difficulty with successfully completing usual routines.” The report, “Overuse Injuries, Overtraining, and Burnout in Child and Adolescent Athletes, continues “ Burnout should be recognized as a serious sequela of overtraining syndrome”. The feeling of burnout is like no other. Emotionally trapped in a cycle of endless
“Athletes should have at least two to three months off per year.” Joel S. Brenner
Percentage of athletes that have burnt out
dissatisfaction causing one to fall into a period of gloom, resulting in a lack of motivation in a sport that was once loved. “[Dance practice] just wasn’t the same,” dancer Olivia Ramberg-Gomez (‘20) said. “I’d always try to get out of it because I didn’t have anymore motivation to push myself and work hard”. One aspect of Paly that is well recognized is the athletic department.
“I didn’t have anymore motivation to push myself and work hard” Olivia RambergGomez (‘20)
Number of hours per week spent practicing
@vikingsportsmag | OCTOBER 2018
Throughout the years the school has been applauded for the amazing achievements of young athletes. For example, in the past two years alone the boys and girls basketball teams have collectively brought home four league championships. Nonetheless, all of this success overshadows the struggles, such as burnout, that many of our athletes face as a result of their rigorous training and the pressure to be the best. Aidan Gans, a senior on the varsity lacrosse team, is an example of this. Gans was previously a multi-sport athlete who played on Paly’s wrestling and lacrosse teams since he was a freshman, but he burnt out of wrestling. “I only really got into it because it was a family sport, so I burnt out because I was never really excited about it for myself,” Gans said. “I kind of just did it because my family did and eventually I just got tired of it and... I got injured a couple times so it was really hard” Similarly to Gans, parental pressure is the cause of many athlete’s burnout. When a parent has a child actively participating in a sport, it can be easy to become overly-invested in the athletic lifestyle and try to live through their kids. When this happens, the child athlete’s feelings are made less of a priority and often ignored. Over time the constant critiques, consequences of failure, and
dehumanization become too much for the athlete to handle, and their sports become more like a chore rather than a hobby. There are several ways of preventing burnout in athletes that range from simple changes in practice, to working on mental skills that take time to refine. A good and easy start to change is having coaches make workouts interesting, if athletes are having fun they will willing participate and the idea of burnout is less likely to occur. Another idea that some find controversial is allowing a couple of days a week for athletes to just rest and let their bodies heal. It is when athletes are forced into a constant grind of work that they start getting discouraged. If they are offered days to rest, top notch athletes will begin to miss their sport and upon returning
will play better than if they were forced into practice. In addition to giving breaks periodically among weeks, it is beneficial to give athletes the time to take longer, full vacations. Athletes can take this personal time to get fit condition, refine skills and get better on their own. The easiest solution, however, would be teaching athletes about the dangers of burnout. By learning the symptoms, the athletes can then have greater awareness of the injury and will also know if they are starting to be affected. The increased knowledge could also lead athletes to seek treatment to ensure they avoid both the physical and psychological strains from their respective sports. As for now, it is best that families and athletes start working towards creating better sports environments to prevent severe burnouts.
ETHAN
for any number of reasons. In Bundy’s case, he simply lost his drive to swim due to lack of enjoyment. ¨Towards the end of my time in high school I started to realize that I was losing my interest in the sport. My junior year I really only swam because I wanted to spend time with my friends on the team and senior year only because I knew I would regret it if I did not finish it out.¨ At the end of his high school career Bundy was still a phenomenal s w i m m e r. ¨Ethan was a different beast in the water,¨ said former teammate J a r e d Stanley(‘17). ¨Everyone knew that none of his opponents ever looked
forward to racing him.¨ When it came time to look into colleges, swimming was already out of the question for Bundy. ¨I did not look at any schools to swim at, and it did not affect my choice of the schools I applied to.¨ Despite a long 13 year career in the sport, Ethan Bundy decided that it was finally time for his swimming days to be over.
BUNDY
E
than Bundy(‘17), one of Paly’s great all time swimmers, started his career younger than most. “I swam from when I was six years old until after my senior year in high school.” Bundy said. His swimming career did not however continue into college as it could have because despite Bundy being an outstanding athlete and swimmer, he is a burnout. Now there are many ways to interpret what ¨burnout¨ means. Some might think that it is someone who was not able to keep up with the talent and ability of the others in their sport. However this is not at all what it is. A burnout is just an athlete who grows tired or bored with their sport
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Photo courtesy of Scotty Bara
A
s ’ t n Pare e v i t c e p s r
Pe
A Paly parent reflects on his experience trying to balance family life with sports, and looks back on what he could change if he could do it all again.
I
By MIKE ABEYTA f I could go back I would have parented a little differently when it comes to sports. I wouldn’t have put as much emphasis on them. I certainly wouldn’t have planned our lives around them – weekends, vacations, etc…Our entire family sacrificed opportunities to do really interesting things in order for our kids to remain competitive in sports. We could have had more fun and less arguments had we strictly treated sports as a hobby, that’s for sure. In the end, the education is still what matters most, even if your kid excels at sports. You never know what will happen down the road in terms of desire, ability or injuries that can derail even the brightest sports future but that college degree is something that you can always depend on. So looking back, as interests and abilities in different sports waned, I would have been more supportive and less critical because in the end the stress caused by being critical wasn’t worth it. It didn’t create more interest or more drive to succeed in sports. The one thing I will say is that I am glad that I always tried to tie the lessons back to other aspects of life….because I knew that a career in sports was always a
longshot so there had to be other value to the lessons. Drive and determination are often easier to quantify in sports because it manifests itself physically – you can see progress – you run faster or jump higher or push yourself through fatigue. But drive and determination go beyond sports. Success in any avenue of life require these same characteristics and I always tried to make that point. If nothing else, I hope that stuck. Parenting a competitive athlete can be a tough balance. Especially if you understand and follow the sport because then you also become emotionally invested in the outcome of the game and not just your own child’s happiness. Those two things sometimes conflict. You want to help your kid improve and be the best they can be, so there is a strong temptation to give them a lot of technical advice and criticism – sometimes even not so constructive criticism. But ultimately, a parent’s job is to support your child win or lose, succeed or fail. It is a coach’s job to teach the technical
aspects and put them in the best position to succeed in games through all the preparation in practice. If a parent doesn’t provide that support to tell them it’s going to be okay after a bad game, who will? You can’t rely on the coach to do it, just as the coach can’t rely on the parents to teach the kid how to play the sport, so those roles probably shouldn’t be crossed very often. Looking back at my own experience I think as a parent your best chance at providing success for your kid, as an athlete, is to find a program where they do get the coaching and attention to detail they need from the coaches so that the parent can stay in the role of cheerleader and provide emotional support when things get tough. If you find yourself in a situation where you are forced to come out of the parenting role then it may not be a good fit – or you may just need to back off as a parent. Build up their self-esteem so that they can handle challenges and hope that they find the drive within themselves to succeed. You can’t succeed for them.
“Put them [your kids] in the best position to succeed.” - Mike Abeyta
@vikingsportsmag | OCTOBER 2018
Dressed
For
Success
by Lauren Daniel, Joey Passarello and Josh Kasevich
Recently Paly’s partnership with BSN Sports has expired, and the school decided to secure a deal with Adidas. Over the next year, Paly will be phasing out the old BSN jerseys and implimenting the new Adidas ones. Here are some designs that Viking created for inspiration.
Look out for new Adidas jerseys in the 2018-2019 season for...
Girls Basketball
Boys Basketball Girls Tennis Boys Tennis Girls Lacrosse Boys Soccer 22 | V I K I N G M A G A Z I N E |
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Under Armour Nike Adidas
After the deal wth BSN ended, Paly was able to choose between...
“After polling student-athletes, coaches, and department staff we felt Adidas had the best incentives for all of our sports.” - AD Therren Wilburn
“I’m very excited to see what we are going to be wearing next year. the uniforms last year were getting a little old.” -Paul Thie (‘19)
“It’s really exciting that we are getting new jerseys this year. Adidas makes really great clothes and shoes so I can’t wait to see them.” -Carly Martin (‘21)
“[The football uniforms} are about to be so drippy. They are about to be the real deal.” -Damion Richard-Valencia(‘19)
“I am excited to get new jerseys {...} and it’s cool that we are getting a sponsorship from Adidas.”
-Vivian Feng (‘19)
Photos by David Hickey
@vikingsportsmag | OCTOBER 2018
Off the Gridiron
by RYAN BARA, SAM CLEASBY, and KEVIN CULLEN
The NFL is one of the most popular sports leagues in America today, drawing in over 23 million viewers for a single game in the first week of their 2018 season. In the wake of this league’s success, alternative leagues strive to achieve the same level of competition and entertainment. Although the NFL draws the most elite football players in the world, those who don’t get an opportunity to make it in the NFL often choose an alternative football league. Whether that be a league focused on pure entertainment through eliminating many of the rules put in place by the NFL to promote player safety, or a league that attempts to mimic the platform of the NFL, players just want a second chance. Although these leagues do not receive the same amount of popularity as the NFL, their unique style of play can be enticing for football fanatics looking to find a similar form of entertainment during the NFL offseason.
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XFL - Sunday Night Smackdown
n 2001 WWE – World Wrestling Entertainment – owner Vince McMahon created a new version of the NFL, what he considered to be football combined with entertainment, called it the XFL. In 2001 the XFL ran for a single season which consisted of eight teams that played ten games before entering a four team playoff series. McMahon has recently announced that the league will return in 2020. XFL rules are a little bit different from the NFL but not as drastic as some other alternative football leagues. In the XFL players will not be allowed to politically protest on the football field, which means they must stand for the national anthem. Players in the league also must have no criminal records to partake in the league. McMahon has also claimed that the new XFL will have two hour-long football games instead of the NFL’s com-
mon three hour plus games. As far as field rules go, the XFL is quite similar to the NFL barring a few exceptions. In order to increase the excitement of watching football, the XFL took out the fair catch rule which allowed punt returners to be downed once the ball is caught by the returner, and avoid being hit by the other team. By taking out this rule punt returns are required, which theoretically makes the viewing experience more exciting. To prevent players from getting severely injured due to this rule, the opposing team must stay at least five yards away from the returner until they catch the ball. Kicks also cannot be kneed in the endzone for a touchback, once again forcing kick returns to occur. In order to complete a pass, receivers only need to have one foot in bounds, as opposed to the NFL’s two foot rule. Extra points are earned by running another conventional play instead having the option of kicking a point after touchdown. Unlike many other football league’s common coin toss to decide who starts with the ball, the XFL likes to make it a little bit more action packed. Two players line up at the 35 yard-line and sprint to the 50 yard-line in attempt to recover a football, whoever gets the ball decides whether to accept or defer the kickoff. Entertainment is a major emphasis of the XFL which could entice a large consumer population for its return in 2020.
Rules
• 10 game season • 8 teams • Players are not allowed to politically protest(taking a knee) • Players cannot have a criminal record • 2 hour long games • Entertainment combined with football • Player from each team will line up on the 35yard line. The referee will blow the whistle and each player will dash to the 50-yard line where a ball will be placed. The team that recovers the ball has the choice to kick or receive. • Kicks can’t be kneed • No fair catches but players have to be 5 yards away from the returner until he catches the ball • No PATs • Players can customize the back of their jersey
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CFL - Second Chances n a league lingering in the shadows cast by Sunday night lights of the NFL, players that were once projected to excel in American football are found fighting to redeem their scattered path to the highest level of competitive football. Stars like Johnny Manziel and Warren Moon have battled on the snowy gridiron of our northern neighbors at one time or another. The latter transformed his impressive career as an Edmonton Eskimo, winning five Grey Cups (the CFL’s championship), into a Hall of Fame career in the NFL. The former, a first round draft pick in the 2014 NFL draft, had foreseeable greatness as a dual-threat quarterback in the league. However, his career path was diverted far North after a series of complications, where he now plays on the Montreal Alouettes. Not only did Manziel have to get used to the plethora of Tim Hortons and the fact that the majority of fans would leave early to catch the end of that night’s hockey game, he also had to familiarize himself with a couple different rules. Unlike the NFL’s typical 11, the CFL (Canadian Football League) enables teams to have 12 players on the field at a time. This extra man is often deployed as either a running back or a wide receiver in offensive schemes, while defenses often utilize the 12th man as defensive back to guard against the passing game. This passing threat is much harder to
defend against in the CFL due to the fact that offensive backs (wide receivers and running backs) are able to get a running start before the ball is snapped, allowing them to build up to full speed before making a move on defensive backs. This offensive advantage is opposed by the limit of only three downs to get a first down (if a team fails to get a first down the ball is turned over to the other team), contrary to the NFL’s four downs. Another major difference between the NFL and the CFL is the additional games incorporated into the schedules of Canadian teams. While the NFL plays 16 games in a 17 week span, Canadian teams are scheduled to play 18 games with three bye weeks between the months of June and November. Out of the nine total CFL teams (NFL has 32 teams), the six teams that come out with the best schedule at the end of their 18 games compete for the Gray Cup, the CFL’s equivalent of the Super Bowl and one of the nation’s largest annual sporting event. Currently, the Calgary Stampeders lead the Western division with a record of 11-2 while the East is led by the Ottawa Redblacks with a record of 8-5. Although unproven, many believe that key to success in the North is the substitution of Maple syrup, Canada’s natural nectar, for gatorade as the team’s sideline sustenance to quench their thirst.
Rules • 21-week season, each team plays 18 games with three bye weeks • Three week playoffs to compete for the Grey Cup • Mid-june to early november • 6 teams compete in playoffs • 9 total teams • Running starts before the snap • 110 by 65 yd fields with 20 yd endzones • 3 downs to get a first down
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AFL - Balls to the Wall he AFL, better known as the Arena Football League has been around since 1987 when it was invented by Jim Foster, a former executive for the USFL (United States Football League) who looked to make football more interesting to watch. Most of us watch the NFL, but how does the Arena Football League compare to the well known franchise that is the NFL? First off, there are only four teams in the entire league. Games tend to encourage offensive performance, with higher scores and shorter possessions. Game attendance is low with approximately 9,500 people visiting each game while at Lambeau field over 81,000 are present. Eight players are allowed on each side of the ball, meaning eight offenders and eight defenders take the field compared to the 11 on each side of the ball that participate in the NFL. The field is 50 yards long and 85 feet wide, almost a half of the NFL standard field which is 100 yards long and 160 feet wide. There is no out of bounds, just foam covered
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barriers and the ball is still live if it bounces off the back net side barriers. A play is not blown dead until the player with the ball hits the ground, which results in many players getting bopped into the side barriers. The offense has a quarterback, fullback, three receivers, a center guard and a tight end who lines up next to the guard. The defense consists of three defensive linemen, two linebackers, and three defensive backs. An additional rule is that defensive linemen are not allowed to “stunt” or move laterally until the ball has passed the line of scrimmage, this results in defensive linemen having to bull rush forward at the quarterback. Traditionally in the NFL an extra point or a field goal is kicked from a placeholder, in arena football there is an option to perform a dropkick which will score an additional point. However, you are still able to do a standard placehold kick. Unlike the NFL, one offensive back may go into forward motion prior to the snap of the ball. Punting is also not permitted in the AFL. Last year, in 2011, the AFL drew 1,338,544 fans in the regular season. From having walls on the sideline to 11 men on the field, the AFL and NFL are very different but both worth watching.
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Rules
• 1 point conversion for a standard, placehold kick- 2 for a drop kick. • 4 points for a dropkick field goal • Punting is illegal • Kickoff from goal line • When throwing, a ball that bounces off the wall or net is live • The nets are 30-feet wide, 32-feet high and extend to 40 feet above the playing surface. The bottom bars of the frames are positioned eight feet above the surface. • 8 on 8 - 3 linemen
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@vikingsportsmag | OCTOBER 2018
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Generated by the students and lead by the band, Paly’s overwhelming school spirit has become a core part of what it means to be a Viking.
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heers erupted from the stands as Paly’s varsity quarterback, Jackson Chryst (‘19), scored a stunning touchdown after breaking two tackles. Without pause, the fans erupted. On the north side of the stadium, the stands shook and squeaked as the student section took to their feet. Out of nowhere, the Stanford fight song started playing; the crowd lit up. The familiar tune at ear-splitting volume threatened to shake the stands to their core. It was soon clear who was causing the commotion: members of the band who had come down to the front of the student section. The sixth man is, by definition, the first person off the bench in a basketball game. However, at Palo Alto High School, the sixth man
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is so much more than that. They are the their Viking pride is showcased at every team’s depth, and they are not necessar- home game throughout the football seaily on the roster. They are often the peo- son. The group contains an assortment ple in the crowd with spirit and smiles of instruments, with Javid Alasti (‘19) and that never quaver. They are the people Harrison Frahn (‘19) playing the tromthat play music bone and Zach to inspire the ViWeitzman (‘19), kings to achieve Lucas Wash“[the band] adds so much both on and off burn (‘19), and spirit to the games and keeps Miles Schuman of the field. Each varsity (‘19) playing the the crowd engaged” win is impresdrums. - Hazel Shah (‘20) sive, but as imEvery secpressive is the ond period the group of stugroup practices, dents who take it upon themselves to in addition to the band period. During rile up the crowd and bring out the spirit this time, the band learns both traditional that has become synonymous with high and popular music for Friday’s game. In school sports. These students perfectly many instances, they come up with new epitomize the modern definition of the songs and cheers, hoping to hype up the sixth man. student section. The sub-band is a group of some of Alasti, one of the band’s members, nothe most talented students at Paly, and ticed a lack of Paly pride in the student
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section. Alasti concluded that the student section was loud and rowdy, but it was obvious that something was missing. “We wanted to bring something to the students that no other school had,” Alasti said. “We liked the yelling and shouting [of the old student section], but we knew that we could make it better. People had told us that our music was really good, professional even, and that we should play in front of the student section; we gave it a try.” Today, the band has become a staple of many Paly events. Their ability to play multiple instruments is almost as impressive as their ability to lead the student section. Each game, they do more than just direct a small group of students in many familiar cheers at each and every home game. They bring an unparalleled sense of community, and camaraderie to both players and fans, alike. “We come up with cheers and lead the student section and the rest of the band to hype everyone up,” Alasti said. The student section is traditionally a very spirited group of students, but Alasti and his friends focus their enthusiasm, calling out their cheers. They create many different chants while also playing some of the most popular, current music.
Each strike of the drum improves the mood of the crowd, while also benefiting the player performance. Although the student section is a group of highly spirited students, cheering on the Vikings for nearly three hours can get tiring. “During the third quarter, the student section usually starts to lose its pep and spirit and we enjoy playing and getting hype ourselves, so we kill two birds with one stone,” Weitzman said. In addition to the band’s cheers between plays, they perform songs such as the Imperial March, when the defense makes a stop or the Paly fight song after a touchdown. They also showcase their talents during the halftime performance, unveiling the songs they practice throughout the week. The band’s musical talent and overwhelming spirit has created a buzzing
atmosphere at every game, creating a sense of joy and school allegiance. Even the players on the field feel it. “They [the band] add so much spirit to the games and keep the crowd engaged,” Hazel Shah (‘20) said. Alasti and his fellow bandmates are much more than a group of musically talented and spirite d students; they are students who have dramatically changed the demeanor of home g a m e s : bringing h a p p y tunes and happy times. Long live the 6th man.
@vikingsportsmag | OCTOBER 2018
Psyched Out
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he red analog numbers the Warriors in the Western Conference tick down. 15 seconds. Finals. The Atlanta Falcons blew a 28-3 14 seconds. lead. The Patriots lost in the Super Bowl Coach is screaming after going 16-0 in the regular season. in your ear – something The Seahawks passed on the one yard about high-low, and run line. JR Smith ran the clock out, thinking the clock out – but you his team had the lead, instead of shootcan barely hear him. Barely hear the rau- ing. cous screaming of the fans, and barely There are countless examples. But feel the slight tremor shaking the wood- why do such overwhelming favorites en court as they jump up and down on so often melt under pressure? It turns the rickety metal bleachers. outthe brains of athletes, which store Your team is down countless plays and two. You size up the sport-specific IQ, “We don’t try to analyze can also be their defender, he’s giving you space. You could what is going on in our own worst enemies. easily cut to the post, While competplayers’ heads during ing in close games, maybe dish it out to your teammate, feel like the these times, but we players who’s been camped world is watching prepare for these out on the three them, giving them point line for god choice but to situations because those no knows how long. think about every This is your mo- are the fun games to be step they take as ment, nine seconds, they strive for pera part of.” eight seconds. fection. This seemYou cross him ingly harmless -Coach Scott Peters once, then again. thought process Now you’ve got may be the reason room – more than enough, five seconds. that people choke in high pressure situYou shoot. No one within 10 feet of ations in games. According to research you, clear look at the basket. It’s a shot on athletes’ late-game meltdowns, the you’ve taken – and made – thousands of cause of choking can be narrowed down times in your life. You hold your follow to just three theories. through. The arena holds its breath. The distraction theory explains that The buzzer sounds, angry and inces- attentional resources favor the task-irsant, disrupting the seemingly frozen relevant information. This includes the arena. It’s a buzzing fly around your concerns about the situation and the head, but no matter how many times outcome of a high pressure situation. you swat at it it doesn’t seem to leave, An athlete who is performance-anxious echoing in your eardrums for seconds would have more thoughts about potenthat seem like minutes that seem like tial failure of the situation, which would hours. distract them from their task. This can Final score, 109-107. explain the deterioration of their perforYou missed, costing your team the mance. win. “If you’re playing a really close, You didn’t just miss — you choked. three- hour match, the only thing “What happened?” chides your that matters is what you’re thinkcoach. You give him a half-hearted ex- ing,” tennis player Anya Yakicuse about getting in your own head, menko (‘21) said. “So if you’re which is currently pulsating from the thinking really negatively, heartbeat that seems to have relocated which is something that itself to your temple. a lot of people struggle But really, that shot was makeable – with, it gets really hard so what did happen? to play a match, and Choking is a phenomenon that has you start playing a lot existed in sports for as long as anyone worse.” can remember. The 73-9 Golden State And it’s not just Warriors infamously blew a 3-1 lead in players who feel the NBA finals, becoming the first ever the added pressure; team in the NBA Finals to do so. Before coaches consistently them, the Oklahoma City Thunder ee- notice how added rily blew the exact same lead against pressure can deterio-
rate a player’s performance, but instead of waiting until the game to see these effects, players practice these situations in practice. “Players face added pressure during close games,” girls varisty basketball coach Scott Peters said. “We don’t try to analyze what is going on in our players heads during these times, but we prepare for these situations because those are the fun games to be a part of. We practice for these situations so we can focus on playing our best and executing our strategies during these times.” Another theory is the processing efficiency theory, which is similar to the distraction theory. This states that the performance of an athlete decreases when supplementary resources are not available for execution of the required task, because attentional capacity is consumed through worry. Because the athletes’ thoughts are being consumed through worry, they cannot efficiently perform the task at hand: winning, or at least not losing. “In sports, choking is known as ‘taking the pipe’ (among a wide range of terms) because there is a sensation of actually choking for air for many people,” renowned performance psychology expert Bill Cole said. “They have a hard time breathing, they feel constricted and they tighten up, freeze, second-guess themselves, and look awkward, stiff, slow and feel numb.” The third and final theory is the explicit monitoring theory, which is the theory that is the most proven. This theory states that performance pressure raises self-consciousness and anxiety regarding correct performance, which may disrupt the automaticity of well-learned skilled movements, resulting in poorer performance. Athletes who’ve spent tireless hours in the gym and during practice aren’t just training their muscles to hypertrophy, they’re training them to remember, too. Muscle memory is real, and an athlete who’s practiced a certain movement – swinging a golf club thousands of times, for instance – should theoretically not even have to think about the movement. It should come as easily to them as breathing. But in close games, these movements become less than automatic. “When I’m doing taekwondo, I don’t have too much time to think,
@vikingsportsmag | OCTOBER 2018
so I have to rely on muscle memo- come pressure, which is the pressure ry,” Jun Hyuk Kwak (‘21) said. “I just let that is induced by offering an incentive adrenaline take over and trust my in- like winning a game. This pressure gives stincts and what I’ve trained for. I don’t the athlete a greater metacognitive overthink.” awareness of the performance situaAlthough these theories all propose tion. It may lead people – including the different reasoning behind worsened athlete – to simulate different outcome performance in the clutch, the common possibilities, or think about how they are thread throughout all three is the nega- measuring up during performance. tive effect of pressure. When close games As it turns out, while occur, the activity in “I just let late-game pressure can reward regions of seem like normal anxthe brain escalate. adrenaline take iety, the pressure itself This can show how over and trust my can be defined in unique excessive motivaterms. Sports are unique instincts and what tion registered in in that unlike simply takthe midbrain helps I’ve trained for. I ing a test or rushing to and produces chokmeet a deadline, all eyes ing. don’t overthink.” are on the athlete’s evOutcome pres-Jun Hyuk Kwak ery move. sure isn’t necessariAnd all those eyes, ly unique to sports; (‘21) pinning their hopes and plenty of people can faith in the team on one relate to the sinking payer’s back, lead to feeling in the pit of what’s known as monitoring pressure. their stomach right before a math test, Monitoring pressure is the pressure of or butterflies rumbling in their stomach being watched by others, which causes before a piano recital. But with sports, athletes to increase attention to the skill especially in America, the pressure to of the action, rather than going through succeed is insurmountable – in part due the motions as they’re comfortable do- to the incredible stock our culture puts ing. It’s particularly common while the in winning. athlete is being evaluated in some manCole, who specializes in the impact ner – and what better way to evaluate of sports on the brain and has been the someone’s worth than to put them in a mental coach and consultant to players win-or-lose, now-or-never position at ranging from Olympic athletes to high the end of a game? No pressure. schoolers, says there is no doubt that The other type of pressure affecting a cultural obsession with victory has athletes in late-game situations is out- harmed our athletes more than it has
helped them. “If an athlete has the narrow perspective that ‘winning is everything’ and that if they lose, they are ‘a loser’ and ‘worthless’, and that losing is catastrophic, then this mindset will lead to choking,” Cole said. “There was a 1976 book written by the pioneering sports psychologist Dr. Thomas Tutko, entitled, Winning Is Everything, And Other American Myths. In it Dr. Tutko posits that our obsession with winning at all costs actually increases pressure to perform, leading to choking, and also leading to perfectionism.” “I see this in my coaching practice all the time with athletes,” Cole said. “They are so afraid to make a mistake that they of course DO make mistakes—many of them. They are afraid to face their coaches, their parents and their teammates after an error.” Because of the strong value that winning has in the sports culture of America, many experiments have shown a correlation between higher and lower loss aversion and choking. The aversion response reflects the role of negative emotions like anxiety and fear of losing. High and low loss aversion can also be used to explain why we tend to remember the bad things that happen to us instead of the good things. The likelihood of a player, fan, or coach remembering a regular season tennis match that was easily won? Minimal. But the odds of vividly remembering the anguish and anger after a match in which the team performed poorly and cost your team the win? Exponentially high-
Members of Arizona State’s baseball team were subjects of muscle memory and pressure experiments.
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The Cleveland Cavaliers overcame a 3-1 deficit in the 2016 NBA Finals, being the first ever team to do so. er.
The higher the loss aversion, or the less a person wants to lose, the more likely they are to choke in high pressure situations. This can help explain why choking is very prevalent in our society, because many people are very competitive with high expectations of winning. Competition plays a natural role in sports. But the prevalence of choking suggests that athletes throwing themselves into the game, to the point that a win or loss determines their self-worth, will end up hurting their team - and their mental health - in the long run. In most high pressure situations, aspects of both outcome and monitoring pressure can be present, which can simultaneously disrupt your working memory availability and direct what attention that remains in ways that are counterproductive. Arizona State conducted an experiment on this issue to try detect a difference between how expert athletes, those with years of experience under their belt, and novice athletes who were new to their sport dealt with different types of distraction. During the first part of the experiment, both expert and novice athletes were asked to hit a baseball and identify a tone while in mid-swing. The researchers found that the novice athletes saw a decrease in their performance, while the experts saw no difference. In the second part of this experiment, the athletes were asked to focus on the motion of the bat while the tone was played. Interestingly, the novice athletes
were unaffected while the expert athletes hit much worse. Researchers also noted that the more accurately the batter described the motion of their swing, the more likely the batter would hit the ball. While this may seem to go against the grain of the theories – one would expect the expert athletes to be affected less by the distractions – this ties into the ability of an athlete to trust their body and subconsciously follow the right movements in-game. When the expert athletes were asked to describe their swinging motion, they batted much worse because they veered away from their muscle memory. These expert baseball players have hit thousands of balls, building up their muscle memory, but when they were asked to think about their action they start to overthink the seemingly simple task. Skilled athletes utilize a very streamlined brain circuitry that largely bypasses the prefrontal cortex. The prefrontal cortex is the seat of awareness, so when an outside stress shifts attention the prefrontal cortex stops working the way it should, and athletes start to focus on aspects of what they are doing that should be out of consciousness. The mind’s com-
plex functions are much more intricate than can be understood from just muscle memory. When choking occurs, many parts of your brain have a reaction in these stress filled situations. Cole described a Penn study in which researchers induced stress on healthy subjects by asking them to quickly answer mental exercises while their performance was being monitored. They found that there was activation in the right prefrontal cortex, which is strongly associated with anxiety and depression. There must be, then, a strong link between psychological stress and worsened mood. “Interestingly, the prefrontal cortex is also associated with the ability to perform executive functions, such as working memory and goal-oriented behavior,” Cole said. “This permits humans to adapt to environmental challenges and threats.” While the brain’s functions cannot be controlled, what can be controlled is the athlete’s view of the situation. If the athlete can shift their perspective, they can reroute some of the brain’s stress responses - and reroute the path that the game is taking. “The mediating factor would be the athlete’s own view of the situation,” Cole said, “Do they view it as a threat, or as a challenge? The threat leads to more pressure and the challenge response leads to inspired play.”
@vikingsportsmag | OCTOBER 2018
While this research is far from conclusive, it brings up an interesting additional question: does the level of experience an athlete has lead to better decision making in the clutch? In the case of the Golden State Warriors, not so much. The Warriors won their first championship in 30 years during the 2014-15 season. The Bay Area rejoiced – the Larry O’Brien trophy was back where it belonged. But criticism quickly arose. Both Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving – critical players for the Cavaliers – had been injured for the majority of the series, which the Warriors won in six games. Immediately, before the trophy had even touched down in Oakland, the cries of the Warriors being lucky and frauds abounded. And the Warriors took notice. The following season, the Warriors started the season on an explosive 24-0 win streak. Steph Curry, in his prime, had possibly the best offensive season in all of basketball history, averaging 30.1 points on just 34 minutes per game, joining the elite 50-45-90 shooting split club, and making 402 threes in a single season – more than anyone ever had before. By more than 116 threes. The Warriors would go on to set the all-time NBA regular season wins record of 73-9, cementing their names in the history books alongside Michael Jordan’s famed 72-10 Chicago Bulls. But they would go down in history for a much less savory reason. The storyline behind the 2016-17 finals was one for the ages. A rematch of the past year’s controversial matchup, with everyone healthy (save for Curry, who was playing after an MCL tear in the
previous series, but that’s a different sto- the ages. Most such stories end evenry). The behemoth Warriors, with three tually. And for Iceland, a minute island All Stars all in their prime. The playoff floating in the middle of the ocean, experience was there. They’d routed the sports glory isn’t at the top of the priorCavs in their regular season matchups. ity list. They looked unbeatable. But little old Iceland made it to the And after four games, it seemed Euros. And then the World Cup. as though they really were. Curry and They’re the smallest nation to ever Golden State had taken a commanding qualify for a major tournament, and 3-1 lead in the series, with a Game 5 at the smallest to clinch a FIFA World Cup home. It seemed like a storybook finish: berth. No, they didn’t win – but in this the Warriors, undersized underdogs, case, their youth didn’t seem to be any would go back-to-back on their home sort of deterrent to success. court. But one of the the most iconic NBA But we all know that’s not what hap- images ever resulted directly from an pened. opposite case, in which a player’s exThe stage was just a little too big; perience was invaluable in snatching lights a little too victory from the bright; and as throes of defeat. The easy as it is to long years “I love the feeling like athlete’s blame the susplaying gave them a pension of Drayveteran presence, a it’s close and this is mond Green, or cool, calm demeaneither where we the hobbled or that didn’t dissiWarriors missing pate during clutch make our stand or Andrew Bogut, time. Reggie Miller, where we fall. That’s playing a backlegendary Indiana spasm suffering Pacers lifer and Hall probably the best Andre Iguodaof Famer, has a repart.” la, and a weaksume that could span kneed Curry, the pages. But he’s re-Kevin Giffen (‘19) loss of the Warmembered most for riors was a choke his trash talk during for the ages. And the experience of the Game 1 of the 1995 Eastern Conference players - most on their eighth or ninth semifinals between the Knicks and Pacseason in the league – didn’t help them ers, in which the famous image of him avoid the humiliating loss. imitating himself choking was captured. And in the case of Iceland’s national Miller was an eight-year veteran by soccer team, despite the team’s tiny size the time his team reached the semifinals. and largely inexperienced players, they He’d played in hundreds upon hundreds defied all expectations. of games, establishing himself as the Headed by coach Hemir Hallgrims- team’s primary offensive superstar. But son, Iceland was an underdog story for no one could have predicted his unbe-
Paly’s Perspective
What is the biggest choke in sports history? Atlanta Falcons blowing a 28-3 lead in the 2017 Superbowl
5%
35%
12.5% 12.5%
Blair Walsh misses a 27 yard game winning field goal 2004 Yankees choke 3-0 ALCS lead to Red Sox 35%
(1)Virginia getting upset by (16) UMBC Golden State Warriors blowing a 3-1 lead in the 2016 NBA Finals
Out of 63 responses
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lievable performance in that first game. The Pacers, trailing for much of the game, were desperate. With barely seconds remaining in the game, it seemed to be a foregone conclusion that the Knicks would be victorious, taking a decisive 1-0 lead in the series and protecting their home court advantage. Miller had other plans. He scored a stunning 8 points in just 8.9 seconds – what seems like a mathematical impossibility, and in the debate for the most clutch play of all time. The Pacers pulled off an unprecedented victory, and Miller’s name went down in history. So if experience isn’t a consistent indicator of whether a team chokes or not, how can athletes control their performance late in a game? Some athletes opt for therapeutic treatments, which can range from complex psychological therapy to simple tasks you can complete on your own. One type of psychological therapy is known as systematic desensitization, which is a type of behavioral based therapy. This type of therapy helps to remove the fear response of a phobia. “Here we subject the athlete to escalating levels of pressure where they can eventually succeed at each level,” Cole said. “This builds their mental coping skills and also their confidence. I’ve developed many psychological games and skill tasks I put my clients through that facilitate this process.” This type of therapy uses a three phase process. The first phase includes learning deep muscle relaxation and breathing exercises, which is important because of reciprocal inhibition. The second phase is creating an anxiety hierarchy with anxiety-provoking situations or stimuli being arranged from least to most distressing. An example of this occurs when someone is afraid of a spider the least provoking image would be thinking about a spider, while the most provoking image would be having a spider crawl on your bare arm. With this information, phase three can be started. The patient works their way up their fear hierarchy starting with the least unpleasant stimuli while using their relaxation techniques. When they feel comfortable (no longer afraid of) the situations they move up their hierarchy. When the patient no longer evokes any anxiety from their phobia the therapy is successful. This is useful training athletes because you can use this same technique to slowly work an athlete up
to having almost no anxiety in high pressure situations. Although there are professional clinics that are able to help train your mind to deal with these high pressure situations, there are still many ways that athletes can train themselves. One way of doing so is to replicate these high pressure situations in practice, so when they occur in games, there is less shock. This allows athletes to make their mistakes in practice before the competition occurs, instead of making mistakes when the real event takes place. Besides seeking professional treatment, coaches emphasize that it’s all about attitude. The key lies in trusting yourself, acknowledging that it will be difficult to win, but not panicking. “I say, ‘Ladies, it’s supposed to be this hard,’” girls volleyball coach Benji Saetang said. “‘These are the moments we live for. Work hard, trust your training, and earn your points. Everything else will follow.” Some players, of course, thrive under the pressure. “[Clutch time is] my favorite time to be playing football,” Kevin Giffen (‘19) said. “I love the feeling like it’s close and this is either where we make our stand or where we fall. That’s probably the best part.” A number of athletes share the sentiment of entering a “zone” during the game – overthinking isn’t something they struggle with during a stressful match, necessarily; the trouble is with overthinking the result of the game afterwards. “I wouldn’t say [I overthink] during the game,” volleyball player Trisha Razdan (‘21) said. “When I’m playing, I usually feel like I’m in the moment and then later when I’m done playing and I’m off the court I’ll reflect on what I did.” So although being clutch in these high pressure situations may be the best feeling in the world, choking in these situations can feel like the worst. “The feeling after blowing a big game where you have a lead is probably the worst feeling in the world because you know your team could have done better, pushed a little harder, maybe let
up during halftime,” Giffen said. Players can train the brain all they want, but choking at some point in their sports career is likely inevitable. The feelings of guilt, shame, and embarrassment after blowing a lead can be overwhelming, and if left unchecked, can render a player to an insecure shell of their former self. So how can this be prevented? How can players bounce back after blowing a lead, especially in an important game? Most athletes state that despite it being difficult to forgive themselves, a short memory and outlook towards the future rather than the past is essential. “You just have to think that you have to be positive for the next match, and if you miss one ball it doesn’t matter,” Yakimenko said. And coaches recommend respecting the other team for a tough comeback, rather than framing the loss as a personal failure. “When we lose a game where another team came back on us, we view it as that they made more plays to win and we didn’t,” said Peters. “We will watch the tape and try to learn from our mistakes so we can do a better job the next time we are in a similar situation. Every coach and team experiences a tough loss at some point of the season, so responding positively to a tough loss is something that we really stress.” Ultimately, it all comes down to perspective. Nobody likes to choke and feel like they let their team down, but by practicing mindfulness, breathing methods, and training the mind to think positively, some of the risks can be diminished. But mostly, it’s important to remember that blowing a lead isn’t the end of the world. If the Warriors could come back from the choke of all chokes to win back-to-back championships, aiming for a three peat this year – why should one loss determine an athlete’s worth? “A common thing we say to the team is that losing a game is the third worst thing that can happen,” said Coach Peters. “Number one is getting injured, two is beating ourselves and then three is losing. Realizing that losing isn’t the end of the world can relieve some pressure.”
“These are the moments we live for. Work hard, trust your training, and earn your points. Everything else will follow.” -Coach Saetang
@vikingsportsmag | OCTOBER 2018
College Basketball Preview
by: JACKSON CHRYST, WILL DeANDRE, and NICK WELCH
As the 2018-19 NCAA basketball season approaches, we rank our top ten teams in the nation and point out some of college’s most intriguing players to watch.
Players to Watch:
Pictured: Zion Williamson
Zion Williamson: There are physically gifted players throughout sports… Then there is Zion Williamson. Williamson committed to Duke in February and is what is known as a “physical specimen,” his abilities are unmatched. Zion is 6’7 with a 6’10 wingspan and is still projected to grow an inch or two. Many analysts and scouts compare him to Lebron James and Kevin Durant due to his physical gifts. Not only is he tall, his speed and build are key in order to dominate in the paint and throw down dunks that excite fans and terrify opponents.
Nassir Little: Nassir Little is looking to help UNC redeem themselves after last season’s disappointing end in which they lost to Texas A&M in the round of 32. Little was the fourth ranked player in the nation in 2018 and is projected to be the third pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. The 6’7 Forward has a 7’1 wingspan and has a max vertical of 40 inches, known for his scoring and playmaking. Little’s play style is similar to former Tar Heel and Future Hall of Famer Vince Carter. Little is explosive yet graceful while attacking the rim, leading to highlight dunks and posterizers that end up on sportscenter. Bol Bol: Bol Bol is son of the late NBA Legend Manute Bol and he is a generational talent. Standing at 7’3 and 7’8 wingspan Bol is an absolute unit, Bol’s size is a huge problem as many teams won’t have a player nearly as tall and as long as him giving Bol a huge advantage in rebounds and blocks. But Bol is a lot more than just a big body, he adds to his game with an underrated shooting touch and freakish athleticism for his size. Watch for Bol to be a national leader in blocks and rebounds, and a Pac-12 title for the Ducks.
Jahvon Quinerly: National Champions Villanova Wildcats are looking to reload after losing four starters from last year and the Naismith Award winning player Jalen Brunson. Stepping into Brunson’s role is freshman Jahvon “JellyJQ” Quinerly. Quinerly was one of the point guards from the 2018 class and has some of the best handles in college basketball. He is known for his flashy play style and signature Jelly layup, that has become a viral sensation. Don’t be shocked if you see Quinerly and the Wildcats making a deep run in March Madness this year. Pictured: Jahvon Quinerly
Top 5 Teams 1
Duke
Where to begin? Well, the Blue Devils are one of the greatest college basketball franchises ever. Led by Mike “Coach K” Krzyzewski, who is the skipper of the U.S. Men’s National Team and producer of countless professional players, the Blue Devils 2019 recruiting class was one of the best ever. The Blue Devils snagged four five-star recruits including the top three players in the nation. With this arsenal of new talent, Duke is going to be a terrifying opponent to face in the tournament and has the greatest chance of taking home the trophy for the sixth time in school history.
2
“Never bet against Jay Wright.” Last year Villanova won the tournament beating many top talents on their way to the championship. This victory was the Wildcats’ third title in school history and the second title under head coach Jay Wright. Although they lost many elite players such as Naismith Award Winner Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, Donte DiVincenzo, and Omari Spellman, this year they add Jahvon Quinerly, a five star recruit and one of the founders of JellyFam. With Wright behind the wheel and top tier talent such as Jahvon Quinerly and Eric Paschall added to the roster, Villanova has a chance to be back to back champions.
Villanova
3
Kansas
Another legendary dynasty dwells in the fine town of Lawrence, Kansas. The Jayhawks have had hundreds of NBA players attend the institution over the years from Hall of Famer, Wilt Chamberlain to the fourth overall pick of 2017 draft, Josh Jackson. Kansas was a one-seed last year and went far in the tournament, making it all the way to the Final Four but ultimately losing to Villanova. Regardless of their tough loss, the Jayhawks led by head coach Bill Self and elite players such as center Udoka Azubuike,have the potential to wreak havoc in the tournament.
4 One of the most prestigious and consistent franchises in all of college sports, is the Kentucky Men’s Basketball Team. Since 1942, the Wildcats have made a heinous amount of elite eight and final four appearances, along with eight national championship titles. This is the second most titles held by one school. Last year Kentucky made it to the Sweet 16. They defeated Davidson in the first round, 78-73. In the second round the Wildcats bulldozed Buffalo beating them by 20 with a score of 95-79. However, they lost in the Sweet 16, after an intense matchup with Kansas St, which ended with Kansas St winning 61-58. However, despite this loss, the Wildcats led by the legendary John Calipari look like a serious contender for the tournament.
Kentucky
5
Tennessee
Next 5:
The SEC is not the dominant conference it used to be, yet Tennessee is looking like an elite team. Last year, Tennessee decimated Wright State in the first round of March Madness with a score of 73-47. Sadly the boys from Knoxville had an unfortunate end to their championship run last year as they were knocked out in the second round by Loyola Chicago, who won the game on a last second shot. After suffering this tragic elimination, Rick Barnes and his crew will be hungry to make a run for the national championship.
6
Gonzaga
7
North Carolina
8
Michigan State
9
Nevada
10
Oregon
@vikingsportsmag | OCTOBER 2018
Terror Tear
by ERIC ABOYTES, SUMMER DANIEL, NATHAN ELLISEN, and TINA LAGERBLAD
Thousands of athletes, famous and amateur, suffer from the infamous ACL tear every year. These constant injuries raise the questions of how and why these injuries occur. We go into the science behind the ACL tear and why this injury with such a long recovery time seems to happen so often.
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immy Garoppolo steps back in the pocket. His receivers are heavily covered by the stingy Chiefs defense. Garoppolo leaves the pocket, attempting to make a run towards the end zone. Near the sideline, he cuts back towards the center of the field and immediately falls to the ground, grasping his knee. Garoppolo has suffered a devestating ACL tear, devastating for himself as well as the entire 49ers organization, solely from making one awkward step. The ACL tear is an exceedingly common but also extremely dangerous injury across all sports. Millions of athletes lose functionality in their inner knees from this non-contact injury, and it often costs players their entire athletic careers. The tear originates from the anterior cruciate ligament on the inside of the knee. Some athletes will solely lose car-
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“The surgery itself was not the scariest part... it was jumping and running for the first time” - Kailee Correll (‘20) tilage or some functionality in this crucial joint ligament, while others will have a full tear in their ACL, requiring months of recovery. One problem with the ACL tear is the long recovery time. It takes months or longer for the ACL to fully recover and
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regenerate even with reconstructive surgery. More than 70 percent of all ACL tears come without contact, meaning that the athlete was not touched by another player but still suffered the horrifying injury. Generally, the tear comes when the knee bends the wrong way, either to the side or behind its normal rotational space, snapping or damaging the ligament and causing the athlete to lose functionality in bending and putting weight on their knee. According to Paly’s assistant trainer, Mark Huang, the main culprit behind ACL tears is change in velocity and direction, primarily cutting and planting. However those are not the only factors that could lead to an ACL tear. “Other examples could be just how your legs are shaped, if your knees bend in and out, or hormonal imbalances, landing posture, or how much give and flexibility you have in your knee,” Huang
said. Various athletes, including Julian Edelman Another contributing factor is the type of sport an athlete plays. Certain sports are and Adrian Peterson, suffer a torn ACL and more likely to result in the tearing of the ACL reveal the agony associated with the injury such as “sports that involve a lot of running, but also a lot of planting and change of direction like soccer, football, lacrosse, field hockey, any sports that require high loads on the feet,” Huang said. “High load, and a rapid change in direction.” The treatment and recovery of the ACL tear often is adjusted depending on the severity of the patient’s injury, and has changed over the course of the last 100 years. When the ACL is fully torn, the surgeons will place an automated model of the ligament in place of the damaged one. The new ACL works just as well as the genetically generated ligament, but takes months to mold into the patient’s knee. This forces many of those effected to take months off from putting weight on or making use of their kneeto allow the new prosthetic ligament of fully function before using the knee. Many high school athletes have suffered this unfortunate injury during their sports career. This includes Paly soccer player Kailee Correll (‘20), who fully tore her ACL during pre-season her freshman year. While trying to gain control of the ball, Correll “heard and felt a pop on the inside of [her] knee joint and fell backwards.” This injury resulted in a fully torn ACL along with a partially torn lateral meniscus, which made for a significant rehabilitation period. “I had never had an injury as severe as this one, so the whole process was new and honestly a little frightening”, Correll said. Due to the severity of the injury, Correll’s recovery time was a little longer than the typical ACL injury, starting off with a surgery that left her afraid that she had been paralyzed. “I woke up, panicked because couldn’t feel my entire left leg” Correll said. While a numb feeling in the affected leg is not uncommon following an ACL reconstruction surgery, it is still an undoubtedly frightening experience. Despite this, for Correll, “the surgery itself was not the scariest part about [her] whole injury, instead, it was jumping and running for the first time”. This was because of the extreme level of uncertainty that came with the injury and subsequent recovery period. Thoughts of whether or not the next step she took would be the one that set her back a month in recovery time would constantly be in the back of her mind throughout the challenging period. ACL Recovery Timeline Would she be able to keep playing ACL Tear Diagnosed
Day 1
Day 2 Damaged ACL replaced with proshtetic
Rest knee with ice, compression, and elevation
Week 2
Week 3 Begin to walk with brace and crutches
Walk regularly with brace attached
Week 5
Month 3 Run and begin full speed exercsize with brace
Without any setbacks, return to sport
Month 6-9
@vikingsportsmag | OCTOBER 2018
the sport that had caused the injury in the first place? Would she even be able to regain the muscle that was lost due to the injury? Thankfully, after almost seven months of intensive physical therapy sessions twice a week and very specific training instructions from her surgeon, Correll would be able to take up exercises focusing more on strength training in order to prepare herself for her return to soccer. “[The torn ACL] made me more cautious of what I was doing, so when I’m playing there is sometimes a slight hesitation before going into a one v. one challenge” Correll said, speaking on how
The
“It made me more cautious of what I was doing” the injury has affected her negatively as a soccer player. But while having some
clear negative consequences on her as a player, such as being less aggressive in some situations, her torn ACL has also made her focus more on strength and cardio training, which has attributed to making her an overall stronger athlete on and off the field. Injuries amongst athletes even at the highest level are practically inevitable, and ones as severe as ACL injuries can be especially destructive and disruptive; while they will likely result in an exceedingly long recovery time, it is imperative to remember that the athlete will most likely be back, and possibly even better than before.
UCL
Tear
It is common for baseball players (among other athletes) to suffer a UCL tear, requiring Tommy John surgery which is similar to the ACL surgery.
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n addition to the infamous ACL Tear, the tear of the UCL, the equivalent of the ACL in the elbow, is incredibly common among baseball players. Many baseball pitchers will overuse their elbows in a game and rupture this ligament in the arm, requiring a year of recovery time after “Tommy John” surgery. Similar to ACL surgery, the UCL surgery replaces the torn or damaged ligament with a new one and takes time to mold into the arm. Many pitchers never pitch the way they could after this surgery, since they mentally and physically do not have the same internal structure. The only difference between the ex-
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Tim Collins throws the ball to the plate for the Rays. Collins has had two full Tommy John surgeries during his baseball career.
tremely complex Tommy John and ACL surgery is that a separate ligament from a different person is put into the elbow (or sometimes leg if the Tommy John repair is needed there) rather than a prosthetic one. This is good and bad, as it can bring back a player’s arm to full form, but can also take longer to mold into the new athlete. The origin behind the name Tommy John Surgery for the repair of the Ulnar collateral ligament comes from legendary Dodgers pitcher Tommy John. In 1974, John went down with a devastating elbow injury and many thought his
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baseball career would be over. However, Dr. Frank Jobe discovered a possibility in repairing John’s elbow. Jobe decided to take a tendon from Tommy John’s forearm and replace the damaged UCL with this new body part. John recovered well after months of recovery and was still able to throw with the same power and precision as before the newfound surgery. All in all, many baseball players fall victim to the unfortunate UCL tear and require a similar recovery as the ACL.
900 High St., Palo Alto
www.kitchenbathpaloalto.com
Paly Sports Boosters Annual Tree Lot Buy your beautiful holiday tree at Paly and support student-athletes! With very limited financial support for athletics from the school district, Paly Sports Boosters is charged with raising the necessary funds to ensure Paly’s competitiveness on the field, on the court, and in the pool. All proceeds from tree sales go to support Paly Athletics and more than 45 teams in a variety of sports. Visit us and buy gear at palysportsboosters.org
• When: Nov. 23-25 and Nov. 30-Dec. 2 • Where: The Paly Parking Lot (corner of El Camino & Embarcadero) @vikingsportsmag | OCTOBER 2018
building Bonds While hardwork, conditioning, and skill all contribute to a team’s winning record, successful play is impossible without strong team bonds. Paly athletes create these crucial relationships in a myriad of ways, using team bonding to increase team success.
by ELLA JONES, MALLORY KUPPE, and WES WALTERS
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hen it comes to building a team, team bonding is essential for a strong foundation and competitive play. Nothing is harder than playing a sport with complete strangers, especially if there is little to no communication or chemistry. When a team gets to know each other, their bond is reflected in the team’s overall performance. The better players know each other’s strengths and weaknesses, the better they can adapt in a game situation. Bonding events encourage teams to develop trust, communicate and increases stress management skills. Teams at all levels are utilizing team bonding experiences to improve their team’s performance. One Paly team that is more committed to team bonding than most is girl’s basketball. For far away games, the girls have a team overnight before game day. Last year, this excursion included doing a ropes obstacle course as a team.
“I think it helps us play better as we are more comfortable with one another and will always be positive towards one another.” -Chesnie Cheung (‘20) Kevin Cullen (‘20) and Walker Rosenthal (‘19) embrace post tough loss to Wilcox. Photo courtesy of Karen Ambrose Hickey.
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Paly Girls Basketball on a ziplining excursion. Pictured above Annie Niethammer (‘19), Grace Thayer (‘20), and Ellie Jeffries (‘19). Photo courtesy of Ellie Jeffies. “Team bonding trips are what really bring teams together,” point-guard Carly Martin (‘21) said. “We really get to know each other better which allows us to play as a cohesive team. My favorite part of the team bonding overnight is when we play right fun games right before we go to bed.” Girls basketball’s head coach Scott Peters has seen the effects of team bonding on his team. “I think team bonding is huge,” Peters said. “It really helps us to get through hard times.” The coach’s support for bonding is echoed by the team and their traditions. Paly volleyball goes to the Menlo Park
Stacks restaurant at the beginning of every season for team bonding. This year, the girls included laser tag as an activity down at the San Carlos Laser Quest. Ever since 2010, the team has had a “rage” before each game. This rage consists of the team blasting music and dancing in the last couple of minutes before game time. “It’s always cool to get to know your teammates better,” middle blocker Ashlyn Callan (‘19) said. “It really helps us prepare for games and brings us together to have more of a team mentality.” The value in team bonding is appreciated by Dean Casey (‘20), a pitcher on
Paly Girls Volleyball jumping for joy during their team photo shoot. Photo courtesy of Karen Ambrose Hickey.
Paly’s baseball team. Due to team dinners post games and team lunches, the team is able to develop comfort and confidence between the players. “It affects how we play because it builds trust between each of the players,” Casey said. “For example if I’m close with my infielders then I probably won’t be annoyed or frustrated if they make an error behind me.” In strengthening relationships between players, the fluency in which teammates play together and, consequently, the level of play increases. Paly Girls Water Polo’s Chesnie Cheung (‘20) also sees tangible perks to her team’s bonding activities such as day-trips to the beach or dining together. “I think it helps
“To really become a team you have to spend time together and really get to know each other.” -Andres Jimenez (‘19) us play better as we are more comfortable with one another and will always be positive towards one another,” Cheung said. Paly football improved its team bonding from the previous year and there have been many positive effects on the field. The players think this has a direct correlation with the improvement in the team’s record from the last few years. “Last year we never hung out as a team and we never created a super strong bond as a team. To really become a team you have to spend time together and really get to know each other, last year we didn’t have that and this year we have built lots of bonds,” Andres Jimenez (‘19) said. The team also talked about how they are a family and do not just watch out for each other on the field, but also throughout their lives. “It’s not just about football. As a teammate you want to make sure your family is doing good with schoolwork and just in life in general,” Jimenez said. Constant throughout Paly athletes, team bonding holds weight in forming a cohesive and cooperative team. Team bonding takes different forms from team to team, but, all in all, it serves a consistent purpose: strengthening the team, in play and in relationships.
@vikingsportsmag | OCTOBER 2018
VIKING TRIES: ESPORTS
TEXT AND PHOTO-ILLUSTRATIONS BY: JACK SUCH, DANNY RABELLO, and ZACH BAUMGARTEN For this issue of Viking Sports Magazine, we decided to replicate a Fortnite tournament and experience esports for ourselves
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hen one thinks of the most popular sport in America, football, basketball, and baseball come to mind. They may even think of NASCAR, golf, soccer, hockey, or tennis, which round out the top eight most popular sports by revenue. The sport that probably did not come to mind was esports, known more commonly as video games. However, recently esports has had a colossal surge in popularity which prompted us at Viking to experiment with this up and coming pastime. The viewership of most sports is tracked by the television networks that sports are aired on, but esports are different. The primary channel for esports viewership is a streaming service called Twitch, which was purchased by Amazon in 2014 for an eyebrow-raising $970 million. On Twitch, players broadcast the game they are playing and can make a living off of paid subscriptions,
donations, and advertisements on their channel. Twitch has shot up in popularity, increasing its viewers, minutes watched, and broadcasters all by at least 40 percent over the past year. Its growth can be mostly attributed to the popularity of Epic Games’ Fortnite, the game Viking experimented with. As of September, 52 percent of streamers on Twitch broadcast Fortnite, and Fortnite boasts over 125 million users worldwide. With immense popularity inevitably comes revenue, and as the money in esports increases, so does the brand. For example, streamer Tyler Blevins, more commonly known under his gaming moniker “Ninja”, has gained massive personal fame and fortune through esports. In March, a record 533,000 viewers tuned in to watch him play Fortnite with rappers Drake, Tra-
“I think esports targets a new demographic of people that don’t watch the regular sports and taps into that scene very well”Jake Humble (‘19)
Thousands of fans fill the L.A Galaxy’s StubHub center to witness a Fortnite tournament live 44 | V I K I N G M A G A Z I N E |
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vis Scott, and Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Juju Smith-Schuster. Over the past year, Blevins has made over $2 million a month off of revenue from Twitch, YouTube, tournament prize money, and sponsorships such as PSD Underwear, Samsung, Red Bull, and glazing the cover of ESPN The Magazine. As with any other sport, professionals are not the only ones to play. The esports wave has washed over the student population. Some of the students, who take it more seriously, have even began streaming professionally. Gunn student Jake Humble (‘19) is one such student. When asked about the sudden success of esports, Humble responded, “I think esports targets a new demographic of people that don’t watch the regular sports and taps into that scene very well”. This sentiment is surely echoed in Twitch’s increase in users, and the sky is the limit for the industry. While Humble is just starting out his esports career, Viking also got a chance to catch up with professional streamer Hippie Habitat, who chose to keep his real name anonymous. “I saw the top streamers making a living out of their passion...Esports is only getting bigger and bigger and I wanted a piece of the pie,” Habitat said in response to why he started streaming. “I believe esports will be as big as the NFL, soccer, or baseball”, he claimed. Only time will tell, but in the meantime we can only enjoy the ride.
Esports, just like any other sport, practice makes perfect. And as enthusiasts of all things sports here at Viking, we figured we would try esports out. Due to its immense surge in popularity, Fortnite was the obvious choice of game to experiment. The premise of Fortnite is that 100 players are dropped onto an island, and the last team standing wins. Using weapons on the island, you can eliminate other players, which is how tournament scoring is kept. Eight Viking students teamed up in pairs of two and competed in a bracket based on eliminations. The duos face off head to head, and whoever finishes with the most eliminations advances into the next round. Since one game per round wouldn’t be enough to display our talents, each team played three games. The nature of esports requires players to be sitting with their face glued to a screen for the duration of the tournament, but this doesn’t mean there was a lack of competitive energy throughout the tournament. “The atmosphere was crazy,” participant Conner Lusk (‘20) said. “Nothing but bragging rights was on the line so it really shouldn’t have been that intense, but it was a high pressure situation that was a lot of fun.”
According to Viking tournament co-champion Ryan Bara (‘20), an esports match felt the same as any other sport. “It felt just like a football or lacrosse game, everyone was operating with high intensity,” Bara said. “The adrenaline rush of
winning was the same as hearing the final whistle blow in football.” The full extent of the future influence of esports is yet to be determined, but based on our experience, the future looks bright for the up and coming sport.
Viking member and tournament champion Ryan Bara (‘20) is locked in as he battles for victory online against his classmates
@vikingsportsmag | OCTOBER 2018
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The Final Word..
IN THE C.E.O.S WE TRUST
By Wes Walters and Nathan Ellisen
In this edition of the Final Word we tackle the issue of Performance Enhancing Drugs in high school athletics. We talk about the dangers of acquiring the drugs and the effects on different sports. We also investigate the mental health implications and long term effects of PEDs.
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igh schools athletes can and do make use of the unfair advantages associated with Performance Enhancing Drugs, and never suffer the consequences. Paly, and other high schools nationwide, should recognize the rampant unregulated use of PEDs across the country that are changing athletes’ lives while creating an unfair high school athletics atmosphere for everyone. If a high school athlete is struggling in their favorite sport, unable to make the varsity team or unable to get that last starting job, they may turn to PEDs to improve their chances of succeeding. Often times high schoolers become insecure about their abilities and will turn down the unfair and dangerous road of PEDs. Students will find steroids or other drugs almost anywhere to improve their image and add to their self-satisfaction. If a system that tests these high schools athletes were put in place in high schools – similar to their place in collegiate or professional sports – students would b e unable to turn down this road and create an unfair and hostile h i g h schools sports environment. One issue that arises without the regulation of PEDs in high school is the difficulty and danger of obtaining and using these drugs. Since many students are not 18 and do not have any reason
Nathan throws a penalty flag at Wes’ use of PED’s to use PEDs, they must go to the black market to purchase them. This can cause more problems than solely the unfair advantage these players would get, as drugs can be laced or can be more dangerous than expected. High schoolers will find
“I know I spent time trying to imagine how much of Lyle was Lyle and how much of Lyle was steroids,” Tom Jackson, a teammate of Alzado’s, said. Another friend talked about how he made a choice and how it came back to hurt him. “He made a deal with the devil, and it was time for the devil to collect,” Marc Lyons, Alzado’s lifelong best friend, said. Our school should not make it an option for athletes to abuse PEDs. By testing our athletes we will set a standard for the rest of the student body. It is not only an issue for athletes to abuse steroids, but it can also be an issue for “gym rats” to use them. These instances can be particularly disturbing because they are doing it to improve their self image. Athletes should only be tested for performance enhancing drugs rather than a full drug test because other drugs have real medical benefits for professionals and even for high schoolers. Many pain killers and conditional medications are valuable drugs that can help treat pain and swelling, whereas PED’s have no benefit other than making you falsely appear strong. There is absolutely no reason high school athletes should be allowed the dangerous and unfair advantage of PEDs while their collegiate and professional counterparts are not.
“He made a deal with the devil, and it was time for the devil to collect” - Marc Lyons
themselves in serious trouble while trying to get drugs on the black market, something that could be completely prevented if these drugs were tested for. Of course, the major issue with these drugs especially in high school sports is the unfair advantage they provide. In high school sports, a little bit of an extra edge can set a team ahead by a mile. Another issue with kids using steroids is that they don’t think about the long term effects it can have. Many kids use them to help their self image and although it may make them feel good as a teenager it will harm their health 20 to 30 years down the road. Lyle Alzado, an all pro defensive linemen in the NFL, believes that steroids helped cause his mental health issues and brain cancer that he had in his 50’s. After the traumatic experience, he became a symbol of the dangers of steroids.
@vikingsportsmag | OCTOBER 2018
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“I enjoy encouraging my teammates while they’re playing and I like to promote a sense of community for the players on the bench” - Grace Rowell (‘19) (Second from right)
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