The Viking: Volume 7, Issue 4

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February 2014 Volume VII Issue 4

“Follow  your  passion  with   an  enthusiasm  unknown  to  mankind.�

Jim  Harbaugh,  Head  Coach,   San  Francisco  49ers

CAREER MONTH

EXCELLENCE: Finding Passion in Work and Life From March 3-14 the students at PALY will have the opportunity to explore a variety of career possibilities during their lunch hour: 'JMN "OJNBUJPO t 1SPEVDU *OEVTUSJBM %FTJHO t 4QPSUT .PCJMF "QQT t "WJBUJPO 1JMPU t 1IZTJDBM 5IFSBQZ t .FDIBOJDBM &OHJOFFSJOH 3PCPUJDT t 7JEFP (BNJOH t .FEJDJOF t 4QPSUT 4PDJBM .FEJB t 'JOBODF t 'PPE )PTQJUBMJUZ t &OWJSPONFOUBM &OHJOFFSJOH t 6SCBO 1MBOOJOH t /PO 1SPĂśU t .JMJUBSZ t 5FBDIJOH t 7FOUVSF $BQJUBM t 4PMBS &OFSHZ For a detailed speaker schedule: www.paly.net/careermonth Sponsored by Palo Alto High School College & Career Center & the 2014 Career Month Committee palycareermonth@gmail.com

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2/28 FRIDAY, LUNCH KICKOFF STANFORD SOLAR CAR TEAM

The Viking Magazine would like to thank our sponsors...

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Zoom Systems Jonathan Patrick The Kinnaman Family The Bhargava Family Anonymous (14)

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Pamela J Sherwood Chryst Family Valencia, Wilberding & Tompkins

Bronze

Jim Mclennan Suzanne & Bert Bell

1/28/14 10:38 AM

LINEUP Volume VII Issue 4 February 2014

ZOOMS 4 6

Hands in the aye-r Can’t stop, won’t stop

7

Stare down

10 12 13 14

KICKOFF

Staff view

Hot or not & Pop culture Inside the mind of coach Jake Halas

10 Questions

with Noah Phillips (‘14)

SHORTS

22 26

by ANNA DUKOVIC and GARRETT REYNOLD

Food’s up

photo by Josh Stern

16

Spring previews

by SHEILA SUBRAMANIAN

Viking tries Insanity

by GILLIAN CHRYST and OLIVIA SCOLA

28

24

Viking’s valentines

by PAUL BIENEME and JOSH STERN

COLUMNS

FREE THROW Maddy Atwater (‘16) positions herself to take a freethrow.

As of Feb. 6, the Lady Vikings were 10-10 overall.

#Athlete

by MADDIE KINNAMAN

46

Last word

by ZACH RIZK

TRIPLE THREAT

30 A JUMP FOR WOMEN

Kevin Mullin (‘15) is now the top scorer and 3-point shooter for the Vikings after his sophomore varsity season.

by MEGAN VALENCIA

HOCKEY STOP

38

33 FIELD OF JEANS

36

After years of exclusion, women’s ski How will the new 49ers’ stadium Q\TWPUN OHZ ÄUHSS` ILLU PU[YVK\JLK PU JOHUNL [OL MHU L_WLYPLUJL& to the Winter Olympic Games.

by PRISCILLA BELL and BRYN CARLSON

THE END OF THE RAINBOW 42

7HS` H[OSL[LZ MHJL KPMÄJ\S[PLZ PU trying to play hockey in Calif.

The question lingers: How do LGBT H[OSL[LZ Ä[ PU[V ZWVY[Z H[ HU` SL]LS&

by ZOE BHARGAVA

by AUDREY DeBRUINE and ROWAN McEVOY

by ALYS OLMSTEAD and HAYLEY POORE

ON THE COVER

Quotes from the cover story. Design by Josh Stern

FEBRUARY 2014

HANDS IN THE AYE-R Alison Lu (`16) throws the ball into play against Monta Vista. The Lady Vikes went on to beat the Matadors, 4-0.

photo by Tara Lawrence

;9F L KLGH$ OGF L KLGH Cina Vazir (`14) looks for a direct pass downfield to help move the offense against Los Altos.

The Vikings would go on to tie the Eagles, 1-1.

photo by Tara Lawrence

KL9J= <GOF Alexis Harris (`16) anticipates a Lynbrook opponentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s next move. The Lady Vikes would fall to the opposing Vikings, 42-30.

photo by Tara Lawrence

ĚŝƚŽƌƐͲŝŶͲ ŚŝĞĨ WŝƉƉĂ ZĂīĞů :ŽƐŚ ^ƚĞƌŶ Managing Editors ƵĚƌĞLJ Ğ ƌƵŝŶĞ ŵŝ ƌĞnj ŚƌŝƐ ^ŵŝƚŚ Design Editor :ƵůŝĂ ^ĂƵů Photo Editors WĂƵů ŝĞŶĂŝŵĠ dĂƌĂ >ĂǁƌĞŶĐĞ ŽůƵŵŶŝƐƚ ĂĐŚ ZŝnjŬ DƵůƟŵĞĚŝĂ Editor WĂƵů ŝĞŶĂŝŵĠ ƵƐŝŶĞƐƐ DĂŶĂŐĞƌ dĂƌĂ >ĂǁƌĞŶĐĞ ^ƚĂī WĂŝŐĞ ĂƌĂ WƌŝƐĐŝůůĂ Ğůů ŽĞ ŚĂƌŐĂǀĂ ƌLJŶ ĂƌůƐŽŶ 'ŝůůŝĂŶ ŚƌLJƐƚ dŽƌŝ Ğ^ƚĞĨĂŶŽ ŶŶĂ ƵŬŽǀŝĐ <ĂƟĞ &ŽƵŐ ůĂƌĂ ,ĂƌƌŝŶŐƚŽŶ DĂĚĚŝĞ <ŝŶŶĂŵĂŶ ZŽǁĂŶ DĐ ǀŽLJ ůĞdž DƵƌƌĂLJ ůLJƐ KůŵƐƚĞĂĚ EŝĂůů WĂƚƌŝĐŬ ,ĂLJůĞLJ WŽŽƌĞ 'ĂƌƌĞƩ ZĞLJŶŽůĚƐ KůŝǀŝĂ ^ĐŽůĂ ^ŚĞŝůĂ ^ƵďƌĂŵĂŶŝĂŶ DĞŐĂŶ sĂůĞŶĐŝĂ ^ƚĂī ĚǀŝƐĞƌ Z͘ DŝĐŚĂĞů DĐEƵůƚLJ The Viking Palo Alto High School 50 Embarcadero Road Palo Alto, CA 94301 650-­‐329-­‐3837 Email contact: vikingeds@gmail.com ĚǀĞƌƟƐŝŶŐ ĂŶĚ ^ƉŽŶƐŽƌƐŚŝƉ ŽŶƚĂĐƚ͗ vikingads@gmail.com

From the editors Dear readers,

Over the past couple of years, issues regarding lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights have risen around the world. Six months ago, right before the Olympic Games in Sochi, a Russian court reinstated a hundred-year ban on gay pride events in Moscow. For the first time, issues involving LGBT rights in athletics were brought to international attention. In this issue, Audrey DeBruine and Rowan McEvoy’s “The end of the rainbow” (pg. 40) highlights LGBT injustices in the Palo Alto athletic community.

We are also excited to preview the eleven sports of the 2014 spring season (pg. 20). Even though many talented spring sport athletes graduated in 2013, this year’s Vi-

Sincerely, Pippa and Josh

^ƚĂī ǀŝĞǁ

dŚĞ ĮŐŚƚ ĨŽƌ >' d ĞƋƵĂůŝƚLJ ŝŶ ƐƉŽƌƚ ŝƐ ďŽƚŚ ŽŶ ĂŶĚ Žī ƚŚĞ ĮĞůĚ The Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics is currently underway and is so far impressive, but a certain section of the world’s population has been excluded from voicing their personal beliefs at the Games. The controversial anti-gay laws passed by the Russian Parliament, that ban “propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations” and impose fines on those showing public support for Lesbian,Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender rights, have caused many to question Russian ethics and the Games. President Obama responded to the ban by putting openly gay athletes, including former world tennis number-one Billie Jean King and two-time Olympic ice skater Caitlin Cahow, on the U.S. delegation to Sochi. This year will also be the first time since 2000 that a U.S. president, vice-president or first lady will not attend the games, a symbol for the United States’ stance regarding this kind of segregation.

Although the United States’ position is positive, the reality is that there is still bigotry in local sports communities across our nation. The usage of homosexual slurs is common in high school locker rooms and recreational leagues, evoking unwanted and dejected feelings by the gay community. Our sports teams represent our communities and more importantly, our values.

Regardless of one’s stance on LGBT issues, an undeniable human right is to be respected by one’s peers. Do we want our sports teams to be spreading a message that rejects this fundamental entitlement?

The root of this hatred starts with team etiquette. A The Viking͕ Ă ƐƉŽƌƚƐ ŵĂŐĂnjŝŶĞ ƉƵďůŝƐŚĞĚ ďLJ ƚŚĞ ƐƚƵĚĞŶƚƐ ŝŶ WĂůŽ ůƚŽ ,ŝŐŚ ^ĐŚŽŽů͛Ɛ ĚǀĂŶĐĞĚ DĂŐĂnjŝŶĞ :ŽƵƌŶĂůŝƐŵ ĐůĂƐƐ͕ ŝƐ ĂŶ ŽƉĞŶ ĨŽƌƵŵ ĨŽƌ ƐƚƵĚĞŶƚ ĞdžƉƌĞƐƐŝŽŶ ĂŶĚ ƚŚĞ ĚŝƐĐƵƐƐŝŽŶ ŽĨ ŝƐƐƵĞƐ ŽĨ ĐŽŶĐĞƌŶ ƚŽ ŝƚƐ ƌĞĂĚĞƌƐŚŝƉ͘ The Viking ŝƐ ĚŝƐƚƌŝďƵƚĞĚ ƚŽ ŝƚƐ ƌĞĂĚĞƌƐ ĂŶĚ ƚŚĞ ƐƚƵĚĞŶƚ ďŽĚLJ Ăƚ ŶŽ ĐŽƐƚ͘ dŚĞ ƐƚĂī ǁĞůĐŽŵĞƐ ůĞƩĞƌƐ ƚŽ ƚŚĞ ĞĚŝƚŽƌ͕ ďƵƚ ƌĞƐĞƌǀĞƐ ƚŚĞ ƌŝŐŚƚ ƚŽ ĞĚŝƚ Ăůů ƐƵďŵŝƐƐŝŽŶƐ ĨŽƌ ůĞŶŐƚŚ͕ ŐƌĂŵŵĂƌ͕ ƉŽƚĞŶƟĂů ůŝďĞů͕ ŝŶǀĂƐŝŽŶ ŽĨ ƉƌŝǀĂĐLJ ĂŶĚ ŽďƐĐĞŶŝƚLJ͘

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

kings have stepped it up, and the future looks bright.

On a lighter note, Gillian Chryst and Olivia Scola test out Insanity fitness DVDs in this issue’s “The Viking tries.”

This is our fourth issue of the school year; only two more issues will be released before summer begins. Between now and our next publication in March, make sure to keep up with all of Paly’s breaking sports news on our website: www.vikingsportsmag.com.

Thank you for your readership!

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

team’s culture is infectious; if one player begins to use gay slurs, then soon it becomes the norm. Players need to be responsible for their actions and eliminate this kind of behavior. Furthermore, coaches need to play an active part in eradicating this behavior. Players learn from their coaches. If an impressionable young athlete sees their coach respecting LGBT athletes and fans, then that player will surely follow in their steps.

The entire Palo Alto athletic community needs to foster a respectful environment. Our community prides itself on being progressive and thoughtful; if we are to uphold that reputation, then we must do our best to ensure the rights of all our citizens. This includes eradicating the use of homosexual slurs, but it does not stop there. Why don’t teams wear rainbow armbands or make LGBT positive videos to show unity for their fellow players and fans? It would create a positive atmosphere and athletes who do not agree with the message do not have to participate. In the end, the only thing that matters is our actions; we can continue to discuss this issue, but if we are to have equality in sports, then we need to start now.

The only thing that the LGBT athletes are asking for is to be treated like any other athlete. Jackie Robinson, the first African-American athlete to play in the MLB, experienced his own battle with racism to play the sport he loved. In his words, “I’m not concerned with your liking or disliking me... All I ask is that you respect me as a human being.”<<< ĚǀĞƌƟƐŝŶŐ ŝŶ The Viking dŚĞ ƐƚĂī ƉƵďůŝƐŚĞƐ ĂĚǀĞƌƟƐĞŵĞŶƚƐ ǁŝƚŚ ƐŝŐŶĞĚ ĐŽŶƚƌĂĐƚƐ ƉƌŽǀŝĚŝŶŐ ƚŚĞLJ ĂƌĞ ŶŽƚ ĚĞĞŵĞĚ ďLJ ƚŚĞ ƐƚĂī ŝŶĂƉƉƌŽƉƌŝĂƚĞ ĨŽƌ ƚŚĞ ŵĂŐĂnjŝŶĞ͛Ɛ ĂƵĚŝĞŶĐĞ͘ &Žƌ ŵŽƌĞ ŝŶĨŽƌŵĂƟŽŶ ĂďŽƵƚ ĂĚǀĞƌƟƐŝŶŐ ǁŝƚŚ The Viking, ƉůĞĂƐĞ ĐŽŶƚĂĐƚ ƚŚĞ The Viking ďLJ ĞŵĂŝů Ăƚ ǀŝŬŝŶŐĞĚƐΛŐŵĂŝů͘ĐŽŵ WƌŝŶƟŶŐ ^ĞƌǀŝĐĞƐ Ϯ͕ϱϬϬ ĐŽƉŝĞƐ ŽĨ The Viking ĂƌĞ ƉƌŝŶƚĞĚ͕ Ɛŝdž ƟŵĞƐ Ă LJĞĂƌ ďLJ &ƌŝĐŬĞͲ WĂƌŬƐ WƌĞƐƐ ŝŶ &ƌĞŵŽŶƚ͕ ĂůŝĨ͘

>ĞƩĞƌ ƚŽ ƚŚĞ ĞĚŝƚŽƌƐ

ZĞĂĚĞƌ :ĞƐƐŝĐĂ &ĞŝŶďĞƌŐ ƌĞƐƉŽŶĚƐ ƚŽ ƐƚĂī ǁƌŝƚĞƌ ůĞdž DƵƌƌĂLJ͛Ɛ ĂŶƟͲĐŚĂŶŐĞ ŽƉŝŶŝŽŶ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ͞'ƌĞĂƚ ĞďĂƚĞ͟ ĂďŽƵƚ ƚŚĞ tĂƐŚŝŶŐƚŽŶ ZĞĚƐŬŝŶƐ ŽŶƚƌŽǀĞƌƐLJ Dear [Alex] Murray, I just read your article advocating the Washington Redskins keep their team name, and I must say, I had quite a bit of difficulty following your argument.

First of all, your argument that changing the name of the Washington Redskins is in some way comparable to changing the name of the Jacksonville Jaguars due to PETA is absolutely ridiculous. It is sensational and wholly irrational. There is no decent comparison to be made between naming a team after an animal and naming a team after a slur for the group possibly most maligned in United States history (and the present day, given a long history of complete governmental disregard for treaties and contracts signed with Native American tribes), a group rivaled only in terrible treatment by our abhorrent history with Africans and African-Americans. The term “jaguar” denotes an animal and is a technical, non-offensive, benign word. “Redskin” is an offensive word (as you admit and then fail to counterargue) that is accompanied by a long history of prejudice and absolute disregard for Native Americans’ right to our “unalienable rights” life, liberty, and property.

You said in your last paragraph that “We must actively reach out to Native American community [sic] and attempt to make a difference. That is why, as backwards as it may seem, the Washington Redskins must keep their name.” There is nothing between those two statements that connects them. You attempt to explain in the next lines: “They must keep the name for the sanctity and protection of the league’s past and future, for the precedent the NFL were to set if they did change the name, and for the need to get back to the sport we love to watch.” One would expect an article claiming to be originating from the perspective of Native Americans themselves, and that attempts to parallel this issue with the greater plight of Native Americans in our country for over two hundred years, might at least mention Native Americans in what is essentially the thesis of the argument. However, you do not, and I think this more than anything else shows that despite loose attempts, your article does not advocate the position it was, I believe, intended to.

You agree the name is offensive; this is stated at the end of your first paragraph. Already you have delegitimized your argument, because you spend the next four paragraphs attempting to prove that the name itself is NOT offensive.

You try to correct for this obvious discrep-

ancy by stating that it only matters what Native Americans feel about the name, and use statistics from polls to illustrate this. However, your use of polls dishonestly conceals the information the statistics truly contain. You state that a March 2002 Sports Illustrated poll found over 80% of Native Americans support both keeping Native American nicknames for high school and college teams, and keeping those nicknames, symbols and mascots for professional teams. You then go on to state “ten years on, this sentiment has not changed much,” and use a 2013 Associated Press poll to confirm that point. However, you neglect to inform your readers that you are comparing radically different polls.

First of all, your first two polls (those by Sports Illustrated) reflected the views of Native Americans themselves. Your second poll, according to USA Today, surveyed the immensely broad category of Americans, NOT Native Americans. According to census.gov, Native Americans compose merely 1.2% of the overall population. Of the 1,004 adults surveyed, this would amount to 12 adults, assuming the poll were completely representative of the ethnic breakdown of the United States, which is highly unlikely; the number of Native Americans surveyed in this poll is likely much lower than 12. However, you do not address this. You use the 79% approval rating from 2013 as if it is comparable to the 2002 statistics, which would indicate - for professional teams, and then the Washington team specifically - only a 4% decrease. However, there was actually a 10% decrease since the last AP poll (1992).

If you profess to tout the Native American perspective, you should consider using polls that do not completely marginalize that sector of the population, as you would thus avoid contributing to the misrepresentation of Native Americans in today’s culture. There is, in fact, some strenuous objection on the part of Native Americans to the Washington team’s name. For example, the Oneida tribe is actively campaigning for the name to be dropped.

United States House Representative Tom Cole, one of only two Native American congressmen, has stated the name is derogatory (and I suspect if you had been aware of Cole and his peer, Markwayne Mullin, you may have refrained from including Congress as an example of “middle-aged, wealthy, white Americans” that supposedly do not have a stake in this debate). The National Congress of American Indians, the self-proclaimed “oldest, largest, and most representative American Indian

and Alaska Native organization” that serves “the broad interests of tribal governments and communities,” not only supports changing the name, but has released a report that focuses on the negative effects of the legacy of racism embodied in these mascots. Certainly, the 2004 Annenberg poll came to the same conclusions as the 2002 Sports Illustrated poll you cited. However, were you aware that both had major methodological errors and issues and thus cannot be said to accurately reflect the opinions of Native Americans as a whole?

Discovering that information took less than a minute using a cell phone on a 3G network.

I understand your desire to “get back to the sport [you] love to watch,” but unfortunately I believe that the true debate among the place of this name in the sports world has been severely compromised.

Your statement that “if our society truly wants to make amends for this problem, then changing the team’s name is the wrong thing to do” is looking at the problem in an intriguing, but ultimately misguiding, light.

If we want to address our cultural legacy of mistreating, maligning, and misrepresenting Native Americans, we should start by correcting wrongs that are still prevalent today. The ultimate problem is not that the Washington Redskins are still named the Redskins, it’s that this option was ever on the table. Your ultimate point has merit - that we should not simplify the injustice the Native Americans have been dealt, that changing the name of a professional football team will not somehow correct, fix, or otherwise make up for the long history of racism. However, it would be a step in the right direction, an acknowledgment of years of mistreatment and, recently, apathy toward the bloodstains and blots on our long history with the Native Americans. It would not do society “more harm than good” to correct a longstanding wrong. It seems that your central argument against changing the name, barring the arguments that Native Americans don’t care or that it would be a slippery slope into too much political correctness that is “plaguing our society” (points which I hope I have refuted substantially), is that it could cause us to “lose some of the tradition that makes the sports so great.” If propagating ethnic slurs and ignoring terrible history that underscores that language is the cornerstone of this “tradition”, I firmly believe sports could - and should - be great without it.

Sincerely, Jessica Feinberg

FEBRUARY 2014

P Culture Grid

The op W H AT D O P A LY AT H L E T E S S A Y ?

Best Valentines Day gift?

Phil Lewis (‘15) Baseball

chocolate

Favorite winter Mens ‘ Halfpipe Olympic event?

Meredith Kinnaman (‘16) Lacrosse

Grete Saue (‘15) Track

Zach Levitan (‘15) Lacrosse

Sam Kelley (‘14) Swimming

Nike swag

teddy bear, flowers

chocolate, roses

peanut butter

Snowboarding

Snowboarding

Snowboarding

Curling

Nike

Nike

76ers

49ers

Nike or Lululemon

Lulu

Nike

Lulu

Favorit NBA team

Warriors

Knicks

Warriors

Talk Dirty by Best pump up Hate Being Sober Jason Derulo ft. song

by Chief Keef

HOT

2 Chainz

Stronger by Kanye West

Strong Enough

by Cher

Bear territory

The UC Berkeley Bears defeated the University of Arizona Wildcats 60-58 to break their 21 game winning streak. The Bears have a promising season ahead of them.

Homeless Olympians With two days to go before the start of the

Ads on ads on ads While the game may have been a bore, the Su-

Sochi Olympics, the Olymians had no place to stay. The construction on the hotels for the athletes had not yet been completed. In addition to the lack of rooms for athletes, the Sochi Olympics have been fraught with public safety concerns, including terrorism threats.

per Bowl commercials were highly entertaining. From the Doritos time machine ad to the adorable Budwiser puppy ad, the commercial breaks added much needed entertainment to a lackluster game.

The Boring Bowl When the Seattle Seahawks played the Denver

Broncos in Superbowl 48, the game was not the riveting competition expected from a championship game. The Seahawks shut out the Broncos in the first half with a 22-0 score. The Broncos ended the shut out when they scored a touchdown and went for two in the second half. The Seahawks defeated the Broncos with a final score of 43-8.

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

Shoot to Thrill

by ACDC

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

N OT Images taken from

Inside the mind of coach Jake Halas

as told to Katie Foug

On being a former player

On your motto

“I played defense mainly. I was a linebacker and strong safety, so my background has always been defense. [While I was coaching] at Paly I was the defensive of coordinator.”

“You don’t just tell kids what you do, you have to show them; and you show them again and again.”

On football “Even if you aren’t the best student, be part of the program. It will get you through and teach you life stories. It is such a physical game, mentally and emotionally. You deal with highs and lows and with defeats and losses just like in life. If you want to start - if you want to get that job - you’ve got to work harder than the next person.

You’ve got to be on time. [Football] teaches you teamwork and brotherhood and thats why I coach: To pass it on.”

On your career “I want to be here for the long haul. we are going to practice hard prepare hard and the winning will take care of itself.”

On Earl Hansen “I would like to explain how much of a legend he is and how I have learned so much from him.

I’m not trying to be different, and I’m not trying to be Earl Hansen. I’m going to be myself.

I’ve learned so much about how to manage a program from him.

Earl is very consistent - he has consistent temperament, he is tough, he’s firm and he’s fair, and I’m going to take those qualities. I’ve learned a lot about how to handle a program.”

On your players “They cannot be intimidated by me as a person maybe on the field but talking to me about life they need to be able to do it, and I hope that comes out in my personality.”

FEBRUARY 2014

10Questions with

Noah Phillips

as told to Ami Drez

The Viking asked Paly basketball player Noah Phillips (‘14) 10 questions about himself and then compared his responses to that of his girlfriend Hailey Hiss (‘14), coach Erik Olah and teammate Matt Fogarty (‘14). Read on to discover who knows Noah best!

Noah Phillips Varsity basketball

Questions

Erik Olah

Hailey Hiss

Matt Fogarty

Coach

Girlfriend

Teammate

Smile

Best physical feature

Bulgin’ biceps

Height

The upper leg

Hailey Hiss

Dream Valentine’s Day date

Hailey

Hopefully me

Hailey

Peanut butter & jelly sandwich

Favorite pre-game snack

Spaghetti

Fruit snacks

Simply Sandwiches

Shine

Rain or shine

Shine

Shine

Shine

Sweatpants

Favorite a winter accessory

Gloves

Beanie

Scarf

Matt Fogarty

Funniest teammate

Matt Fogarty (‘14)

Matt Fogarty (‘14)

Max Dees (‘15)

People

Thing you’ll miss most about Paly

Me

People

Good energy

Smacking gum

Pet peeve

Teammates that don’t charge

Loud chewing

Cats

Dwayne Wade

Favorite current NBA player

Stephen Curry

I have no idea

Dwayne Wade

Teammates

Favorite thing about basketball

Sinking 3s

Being the best

Competition

30%

50%

30%

Images taken from

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

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

You do your best to live healthy.

We do our best to keep you that way.

Palo Alto Medical Foundation

pamf.org

photo by Mary Tall

As winter sports come to a close, here is a glimpse at what is to come for spring varsity athletes.

by ANNA DUKOVIC and GARRET REYNOLDS

photo by Bob Drebin

2013-2014

Spring Previews

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

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

Softball

WIND-UP Varsity veteran pitcher Casey Glassford (‘15) winds up on the mound.

The Paly softball team welcomes new coach and former major league baseball player, Bill Laskey to its team this season.

Laskey played for the San Francisco Giants from 1982-1985 and again in 1986 after playing with the Montreal Expos in 1985.

“The new coach is going to be tough and I think our team needs it,” Hannah Bundy (‘14) said. “We need a good kick in the butt. I think he will take our team in the right direction, so I have high hopes for him.”

A new coach and a new year, the Lady Vikes are looking to do better compared to last year.

2012-2013 record 3-22 Who to look out for Hannah Bundy (‘14) Julia Saul (‘14) Casey Glassford (‘15) Mackenzie Glassford (‘17) Maddy Martinson (‘16)

Last season the team ended with a record of 3-22, subsequently relegating them to play in the lower league this year.

The team is hoping to make some changes in order to improve its statistics from last year and assume a spot in the upper league in the 2014-2015 season.

“The goal for our team this year is to come back a lot better than last year,” Bundy said. “It wasn’t true to how we can play. We can definitely play a lot better, we have very good players we just need to learn to play as a team and not individually.”

Major losses Anna Rizza (‘13) Maya Padilla (‘13) Rachel Day (‘13) Coach Bill Laskey

Baseball After finishing 18-16 last season, Paly’s baseball team is looking to bring back a league title.

After losing key players Michael Strong (‘13), Rohit Ramkumar(‘13), Isaac Feldstein (‘13) and four other seniors, the team has to make up for those losses. In addition to losing many players, the league is full of competitive teams.

“We probably have the toughest public school schedule,” Coach Erick Raich said. “The

2012-13 record 18-16 Who to look out for Jack Cleasby (‘14) Danny Erlich (‘14) Chris Smith (‘14) Austin Kron (‘14) Riley Schoeben (‘16)

biggest thing for us, is to control what we do.

If we do that and a team comes in and beats us we can live with that.”

The team features new talent this year including Justin Hull (‘16) and Owen Plambeck (‘16), along with long time varsity players Jack Cleasby (‘14), Danny Erlich (‘14) and Chris Smith (‘14).

“We will have a good team this year,” Nick Beeson (‘15) said.

Major losses Michael Strong (‘13) Rohit Ramkumar (‘13) Isaac Feldstein (‘13) Rowan Thompson (‘13) Austin Poore (‘13) Coach Erick Raich

SLIDE Daniel Tachna-Fram (‘14) slides into second base in a game against Homestead. The team finished 18-16 last season.

FEBRUARY 2014

Girls’ lacrosse The Paly girls’ lacrosse team return strong this season after losing to the St. Francis Lancers, 16-15, in a sudden death triple overtime in the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League (SCVAL) championship last season. Although the Lady Vikes beat the Lancers twice during the regular season, they couldn’t pull out the third win.

This was the third consecutive year that girls’ lost to St. Francis in the SCVAL championship.

This year the team is hoping to break St. Francis’s championship run.

“I want to end in a championship,” co-captain Kristen DeStefano (‘14) said. “I have been on varsity four years and we have lost to St. Francis [three consecutive years] in the cham-

DRIVE Kristen DeStefano (‘14) carries the ball during last season’s game against Los Altos.

Finishing 15-6 in the 2012-2013 season (third in the division) the boys’ lacrosse team is looking to come back and have another successful season this spring. After losing coach Craig Conover last season, a new coach, DJ Shelton, has taken his place.

Shelton is a Paly alum and has also coached against Paly as the head lacrosse coach for Mountain View High School.

“Making it to playoffs and winning a championship [is] a realistic approach because of the success the program has had in the past,” Shelton said.

In order to get to the championship, the team will need to win against tought opponents.

“The toughest obstacles for the team this season will be Sacred Heart Prep and MenloAtherton high school,”Shelton said.

The team suffered big losses, losing seniors Tyler Valenti (‘13), Walker Mees (‘13) and Skylar Anderson(‘13). Despite losing these players, Quentin Valenti (‘16), who came up to play goalie as a freshman last season, will be a major player this season. “[Quentin will be] an anchor in the lineup,” Shelton said.

With Valenti and other returning varsity

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2012-13 record 14-0 Regular season 15-1 with playoffs Who to look out for Ami Drez (‘14) Kristen DeStefano (‘14) Sama Soni (‘14)

pionship.”

The girls have a chance to reverse the outcome this year; however, the loss of 12 seniors will pose a challenge. The team lost Charlotte Biffar (‘13), who won a spot on the German National team, and Nina Kelty (‘13), who earned All-American honors and is a current starter on the USC women’s lacrosse team.

Coach Jamie Nesbitt looks at this loss of players as a motivating factor, rather than as a setback.

“I think people are going to really underestimate us because of the loss of the seniors,” Nesbitt said. “I think the underdog mentality is really going to help push them to work hard.

I think there are really good things to come.”

Major losses Nina Kelty (‘13) Charlotte Biffar (‘13) Coach Jamie Nesbitt

Boys’ lacrosse players the team is looking to go far in its season.

“With these new players [the team is looking to] go all the way which I know they are capable of,” Shelton said.

2012-13 record 15-6-0 Who to look out for Will Hare (‘14) James Harrison (‘14) Jordan Gans (‘14) Major losses Tyler Valenti (‘13) Walker Mees (‘13) Skylar Anderson (‘13) Coach DJ Shelton

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ONE-ON-ONE Jordan Gans (‘14) protects the ball while engaging a defender during a game against the Woodside wildcats.

Badminton The Paly badminton team, the last Paly team to play in the George S. Stewart “Big Gym”, is hoping to perform well again this season after finishing last year with a record of 10-1-1.

“I hope we can stay in the upper league [and beat] our rival Gunn High School and possibly Cupertino High School,” Promis Lee (‘15) wrote.

Although the team said goodbye to Gavin Chan (‘13), a nationally ranked player, and Oliver Wang (‘13) the number one Paly varsity player, the team still consists of talented players.

Eric Chiang (‘16) and James Wang (‘16) are both nationally ranked and will play for the team this spring.

2012-13 record 10-1-1 Who to look out for James Wang (‘16) Promise Lee (‘15) Alex Touloukian (‘14) Major Losses Gavin Chan (‘13) Oliver Wang (‘13) Coach Wesley Hsieh

SERVICE Priya Misner (‘16) watches the birdie soars over the net. The team finished 10--1-1 last year.

Boys’ golf After making it to CCS finals last year and falling short behind Stevenson and Sacred Heart Prep, the Paly golf team playoff run was cut short. “[We want to] make it back to CCS, win CCS and make it to Norcals,” John Knowles (‘15) said.

The team said goodbye to senior Grant Raffel (‘13) last year; he now plays at Williams

STROKE The boys’ golf team loses 2012-13 captain Grant Raffel (‘13).

2012-13 record 12-0 Who to look out for John Knowles (‘15) Patrick Fuery (‘14)

college. Despite this loss, with the returning talent the goal of NorCals is still within reach.

“I think we will do just as well. We have a couple of new freshman six of our top seven are back,” Knowles said.

Led by captains Knowles and Alex Hwang (‘15), the team will do its best to have a successful season.

Major losses Grant Raffel (‘13) Coach Doyle Knight

Boys’ tennis A team, which four years ago found themselves rebuilding, is ready for a breakout year this spring.

“After four years we have reached our pinnacle,” Coach Andy Harader said. “[It’s] going to be a good year for us.”

With returning underclassmen players Shiv Matta (‘16), Ronak Baldua (‘16) as well a heavy load of seniors, the team is looking to

2012-13 record 13-11 Who to look out for Blake Smith (‘14) Austin Leung (‘14)

have a successful season.

“Our primary objective is to get seeded in CCS. We should make it through to even three rounds in CCS,” Harader said.

The team went 13-11 last year. The team consists of seven seniors. Two underclassmen are in the team’s top four positions. “[The team] is very experienced,” Harader said.

Major losses Mason Haverstock (‘13) Coach Andy Harader

FOREHAND George He (‘14) returns an opponent’s serve.

FEBRUARY 2014

2012-13 record 5-1 Dual meets (2nd place) Who to look out for Megan Tall (‘14) Bryn Carlson (‘16) Audrey DeBruine (‘14) Jessica Branson (‘14)

believes that athletes shouldn’t stress winning.

“We all love to win and it would be fun to win, but it would be more or less [an achievement] to learn [and] put in hard work,” Monts said.

Although Monts is in charge of the entire girls’ track and field team, he will focus more on the distance, rather than the sprinting.

“Distance running it is a big mental aspect, being mental sharp. Hard work is the common theme here.”

Track sprinter, Megan Tall (‘14) believes the future looks bright for the team this season and she thinks the team will go far.

“The girls’ team has a good chance at winning league and there are a couple standouts that could definitely do well in CCS,” Tall said.

Major losses Nora Rosati (‘13) Alexia Garcia (‘13) Coach Taylor Monts

photo by Mary Tall

A few alterations and additions were made to the coaching staff of the Paly track and field program. Head coach and physical education teacher Jason Fung decided to step back from the main coaching position, and instead will take a smaller role in the 2014 season. New coach, Taylor Monts will take on many of Fung’s old responsibilities. Monts is bringing his running philosophies with him to the new job.

“Helping the girls have a foundation, an aerobic foundation and [making] sure that they can build off that to get them to where they want to be [is important]...,” Monts said.

“Everyone is different and I would like to see what each individual has to offer.”

In addition to building a foundation, Monts

ǯ Ƥ

STRIDE Megan Tall (‘14) runs the 4x400 in the 2012-2013 season.

The girls track team went 5-1 last season. Tall also competed for the Vikings in the 100 and 200 meter dashes and the 1600 meter relay.

ǯ Ƥ In addition to the girls’ track and field coaching staff alterations, the boys’ coaching staff has also been adjusted. Kelsey Feeley (Gunn, ‘08), the boys’ distance coach from last year, is expanding her coaching role this year and will be in charge of the entire boys’ team.

Despite being the boys’ coach she mainly wants to focus on strengthening a middle distance program at Paly, for both girls and boys.

“Paly track has set really high standards, so to get some of the guys and girls to get up to that caliber of running would be great all across the board: running, jumping and throwing,” Feeley said.

The boys’ track team finished last season with a 6-0 dual meet record and won first in

FULL SPEED Nick Sullivan (‘14) runs the 400m sprint in the 20122013 season. Nick went to the CIF championship (California Interscholastic Federation) last spring.

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2012-13 record 6-0 Dual meets (1st place) Who to look out for Nick Sullivan (‘14) Eli Givens (‘16)

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the league finals; however, the team was unable to clench the Central Coast Section (CCS) title, as it did in 2012. This year, Nick Sullivan (‘14) hopes to bring back the success that was achieved in the 2012 season.

“I am pretty confident that we can get the CCS title as a team. We have a pretty good distance team this year,” Sullivan said.

Feeley is also confident about the talent this year; she believes some individuals will go far.

“I would love to get a couple boys and girls to go to state this year. We have a tremendous coaching staff. We brought on a lot of new people this year and they are all more than qualified.”

Major losses Victor Du (‘13) Jayshawn Gates-Mouton (‘13) Matt Tolbert (‘13) Coach Kelsey Feeley

photo by Bob Drebin

Girls’ swimming

FLY Katie Francis (‘16) swims the buterfly in a meet in the 2012-2013 season. The girls’ lost to Gunn in the SCVAL championship last year.

2012-13 record 6-2 Who to look out for Grace Zhao (‘17) Jayna Wittenbrink (‘14) Mimi Lin (‘16) Haley Chalmers (‘17)

Major losses Molly Zebker (‘13) Serena Yee (‘13) Nadya Nee (‘13) Coach Danny Dye

A major focus this season is to win leagues for the Paly girls’ swim team who placed second in the SCVAL finals last year.

“The goal for the girls is to win league championship,” coach Danny Dye said. “Going undefeated is going to be tough...but the best thing about swimming is you can lose a meet and still get to the league championships and win league.”

Co-captain Karina Goot (‘14) thinks team identity will play a large role.

“Once we get our pace going and figure out where everyone clicks into the team dynamic, we will have a really good season,” Goot said.

In addition to working hard, she hopes to make the season enjoyable for the whole team.

“I have been a part of this varsity team for four years now and I think this is my year to give back, so I am really excited about the opportunity to be co-captain with Caroline [Moeser] (‘14) and just make the season as fun as possible for everyone,” Goot said.

With the incoming freshman bringing unique skills to the team they are hoping to win leagues and go undefeated.

“We lost some seniors, but we have a giant freshman class. We actually have 10 freshman, and each brings something special,” Goot said.

Boys’ swimming In addition to the girls’ swim team, the boys’ swim team also has high hopes for the new season.

The team ended with a 7-1 record last year and a few individuals made it to the Central Coast Section (CCS) meets.

One of the CCS qualifiers, Andrew Liang (‘14) has committed to Stanford and will swim there starting in fall 2014.

With a strong roster, the boys’ team is aiming to win league finals.

“It’s just a really solid team,” coach Danny Dye said. “They all have potential to score if they come out with the right attitude, work hard, work together as a team, and push each other then it could be a real team effort that gets it all done.”

Team captain Omri Newman (‘14) believes that the team could even break Bellarmine’s 28 year CCS championship streak.

“I think [the season is] gonna go great,” he said. “I have high expectations for our team.

This year we have our best shot yet to beat Bellarmine in CCS; we just have to work hard.”

2012-13 record 7-1 Who to look out for Andrew Liang (‘14) Willy Lee (‘14) Andrew Cho (‘16) Winston Wang (‘15) Reed Merritt (‘16) Scott Hillen (‘15) Major losses Alex Francis (‘13) Cole Plambeck (‘13) Coach Danny Dye

GLIDE Winston Wang (‘15) swims breaststroke in a meet. The team ended with a 7-1 record last season and some individuals made it to Central Coast Section.

FEBRUARY 2014

Food’s up!

Sports drinks and energy bars are consumed by athletes everywhere, but how helpful are they really? Read on as some of the most common beverages and bars consumed in the sports world are broken down.

by SHEILA SUBRAMANIAN

Per 12oz. serving Calories: 80 Total carbs: 21 g Protein: 0 g Sodium: 160mg

CytoSport’s Muscle Milk™ is most commonly known in the form of a protein powder. Athletes and weight room junkies commonly consume this non-dairy, trans-fat-free, lactose-free, and high fructose corn syrup-free drink to enhance fuel recovery before and after exercise and to also help build muscle. This protein shake contains a high amount of calories and a significant amount of protein.

United States Pharmacopeia has shown that particular Muscle Milk flavors contain higher-than-usual levels of certain heavy metals. It would be an exaggeration to say, however, that drinking this is dangerous. If you are not concerned with calorie-count yet do wish to “get big”, Muscle Milk consumed in lesser frequencies may be the right for you.

Per 2 scoop serving Calories: 8 g Total carbs: 18 g Protein: 32 g Fiber: 5 g

Calories: 0 Total carbs: 0 g Protein: 0 g Sodium: 0 g

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Gatorade® has been proven by LIVESTRONG™ to help replenish water, carbohydrates, and electrolytes that are lost by the body during a workout due to the extra levels of sodium and potassium inside. Because carbs are sugars, they give the body sufficient amounts of energy over a short period of time, hence the phrase “sugar rush”. If you are vigorously exercising, then it is okay to consume this drink; however, doing so while not working out for over the recommended one hour of time can result in the body retaining an unnecessary amount of sugar and sodium, which is only slightly better than drinking a can of soda.

Back to the basics. Water. It’s the world’s oldest sports drink, and is the easiest to get your hands on. Water is free of all carbohydrates, calories, sodium, fat, cholesterol, and protein. It can help fuel energy when dehydrated, but its lack of electrolytes and sugar make it less useful during a very rigorous workout session. Drinking water is good for you whether or not you are exercising. According to the American College of Sports Medicine, “we should not consume just large quantities of water after we exercise heavily because our existing electrolyte levels may drop too quickly”. Water is clearly a winner for those who wish to exercise without feeling the needed to replenish their bodies of electrolytes and carbohydrates.

Calories: 240 Total carbs: 45 g Total fat: 3 g Sodium: 200 mg Protein: 8 g

LUNA Bar® is most commonly linked to female consumption. Despite the common misconception, nothing in the ingredients list says men cannot eat them; however, the long list of vitamins and nutrients are offered to specifically help women. Despite the high levels of vitamins and minerals, LUNA bars contain hard-to-digest ingredients like saturated fats and unhealthy hydrogenated oils, making them less nutritious than expected. Like any other energy bar or sports drink, regular consumption of this product without frequent exercise is not healthy due to the high level of carbohydrates, which can cause longterm negative effects on the body; therefore, snacking on these on the run is probably a no-go.

PowerBar® is a popular brand among athletes who endure significant amounts of training. The high calorie and carbohydrate count can help athletes maintain energy and “power” during a long workout due to the carbs that give fast energy.

The sodium levels in the bar also help to replenish electrolytes lost while sweating during exercise in the same manner as sports drinks. It’s high in calcium and iron and low in saturated fat, making it easier to break down. Eating these regularly while not working out vigorously can cause weight gain due to the high number of calories and sugars.. New PowerBar gels contain fewer carbohydrates (27 grams) and less than half the amount of calories. They also contain caffeine and are made specifically for athletes undergoing endurance training for long periods of time.

Calories: 190 Total carbs: 25 g Total Fat: 7 g Sodium: 210 mg Protein: 9 g

Calories: 220 Total carbs: 23 g Total Fat: 12 g Protein: 7 g Potassium: 360 mg

LÄRABAR® is on the healthier-side of energy bars since it contains no more than nine ingredients, most of which are natural fruits and nuts. There are twenty different flavors offered, and none of them have any added sugar, preservatives, or artificial flavors. They are also gluten-free, dairy-free, soyfree, kosher, and vegan. They contain unsaturated fats, as well as fiber and protein. Although the healthiness of the bar makes it stand out among other energy bars at the store, the high fat and low protein content is not the best for those who are working out in endurance-based activities with intense rigor. LÄRABAR bars are, however, okay to eat even when the body is not undergoing vigorous exercise unlike many of the other energy bars on the market.

Images taken from

FEBRUARY 2014

#Hittinup thehashtags

by MADDIE KINNAMAN

Join Maddie as she explores the increasing presence of professional athletes on social media and their growing number of followers.

Images taken from

I

n our technologically-savvy generation it is hard to find many people who haven’t used social media sites such as Twitter, Instagram or Facebook. A large portion of social media users are celebrities; in particular, professional athletes. They receive thousands of favorites and retweets, but are they changing the way we view and interact with professional athletes?

Social media is bridging the gap between the athletic elite and the ordinary citizen. In the pre-social media world of the ‘90s, the latest and greatest athletic stars were Michael Jordan and Deion Sanders. Jordan’s excellence in basketball was what caught the world’s attention, not his latests posts on Twitter. Sanders gained fame for his impressive career in both professional baseball and football, especially for his flamboyant touchdown dances. The additional fame these players received were in the form

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of mainstream media, such as the print media and television; there was no social media for these players to use as their platform for sharing their daily lives. Because of this, the ordinary person would watch them play on game-day, read a news article, or see them on ESPN. Beyond the realm of news outlets and the occasional tabloid magazine, athletes were confined to being seen on game days only.

Because of this they were seen as allusive and larger than life figures.

However, modern day sports stars are now met with the constant pressure to share their private lives with the public, and as a result everyone knows everything about them. Athletes have found their way into many aspects of pop culture. We no longer only see our favorite athletes on game day, they are everywhere. From cameos in movies to commercials, professional athletes are now mainstream celebrities. So-

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cial media has propelled this rise to stardom.

Cristiano Ronaldo, the Spanish soccer player, leads the athlete Twitter game with over 23 million followers. The majority of Ronaldo’s tweets are professional, detailing highlights of his career and future appearances.

However, not all professional athletes use social media in this way. Anthony Dixon, running back for the San Francisco 49ers, uses his social media accounts as a window for a more in-depth look into his life. Although Dixon’s following on twitter clocks in at far less than Ronaldo’s at just over 62,000 followers, we must ask the question: Do we need to know every aspect of athletes’ personal lives?

In an information-propelled society, we have a need to know the latest information as soon as it happens. With the latest Twitter, Instagram and other social media apps, people can view their favorite athletes’ accounts at

Advertisment all hours of the day. But why? After watching them compete in the game and watching ESPN interviews, why do we need to read their stream of tweets and status updates?

We want to see professional athletes as people like us. Twitter, Instagram and Facebook gives us an outlet where we can interact with them through a computer. It’s easy to tweet at an athlete and make your voice heard. Who wouldn’t want their favorite athlete to see what they had written about them?

Ordinary people like you and I can find our thirty seconds of fame by simply tweeting at our favorite athletes. With Jimmy Kimmel’s NBA addition of Mean Tweets, and similar

news clips where athletes read what negative tweets their fans sent in even the ordinary citizen can have their tweets read on national television.

The increase of athletes’ presence on social media bridges the gap between the elite athletes of society and the ordinary people. The ability to follow athletes closely makes us feel like we know them personally. Because of this athletes are no longer ambiguous figures we only see on game days. We see them every time we log onto our Twitter and Facebook accounts, which allows people to have a greater insight into who the athlete really is. <<<

Social Media Corner

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SNAPSHOT: Cristiano Ronaldo posts a photo from a recent game to his instagram account.

MOVIE NIGHT: Anthony Dixon shares a tweet about his favorite movie with his 62,000 twitter followers.

GO TEAM: Cristiano Ronaldo informs is fans about an upcoming game.

Images taken from

Visit www.Tenacity10.com Visit www.Tenacity10.com for more details. for more details.

FEBRUARY 2013

PUSH Gillian Chryst (‘15) prepares for a push up in the Paly gym. She partook in a week of the “challenge”.

tries

INSANITY[OL Ä[ULZZ [HWL

Learn more about The Viking’s ^LLR ZWLU[ [Y`PUN [OL ^LSS RUV^U Ä[ULZZ [HWL Insaniy and how they have taken to workouts beyond their own living rooms.

by GILLIAN CHRYST and OLIVIA SCOLA Insane, whether you’re a varsity sport athlete or someone who has never considered themselves athletic, that is the only word that comes to mind after completing the workout.

Insanity is far from a typical workout, which is exactly why The Viking chose to try it for a week.

Shaun Thompson, famously know as Shaun T is the creator and face of Insanity. Thompson made the 60 day “challenge” which consists of six, 45 minute tapes that you do throughout the week. In the tapes there are about ten people behind Thompson doing all of the exercises

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with him to help and inspire you to keep pushing yourself. One question is how people can get into shape with a videotape that does not incorporate weights or time.Thompson solved these problems using the knowledge from his major in Sports Science and minor in dance.

From his knowledge on exercise, the body and dancing is why his workout is so physically successful for people who participate. The workouts are designed to burn body fat (which is why people tend to sweat an insane amount) and evenly build muscle all over your body. It is proven that this is a weight loss program that

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also tone and sculpts your body.

The Viking’s own Olivia Scola (‘15) and Gillian Chryst (‘15) gave the well known DVD workout system a go to see if the hype actually lived up to it’s great reputation. From the very first workout we found that the rigorous exercises and non-stop movement works your body every minute. Thompson shows how to do each workout in detail so you never get lost.

He even modifies it for the people that may not be ready to hut working out at at full speed.

The workouts go in cycles so that you can repeat the reps to work each part of the body.

Eventually, the exercises are blended into a mix of fast pace movements to the work muscles and burn fat. We found that the workout gets easier as you go and that through each daily session Thompson focuses different parts of the body to get rid of body, not only to rid the body fat but also to tone various muscle groups. Following the first day we were extremely sore, despite the vast amount of stretching we had done before the workout.

Every two weeks you retake a fitness test to measure your progress. The test also sets goals for you as you go to help so you see a greater improvement.The only way you will see results is if you try your best, you will only get into better shape if you push yourself every single day. Insanity is designed to push limits, both physical and mental, while rewarding them with a healthy body.

The workout begins with a few minutes of cardio followed by Thompson leading a long stretching period. The tape goes by quickly and you only have time to realize how hard you are working during the short breaks. The water breaks make the rest of the workout feel like you have been running a marathon do to the high intensity cardio workouts.

Typically when we worked out, it was outside of practice, such as running, going to the gym. Doing exercises such as crunches, push ups and planks. Overall, our workouts were nothing special considering that it is our off-season. However, in Thompson’s workouts you’ll do exercises that target all parts of the body in one concise workout that you can’t get simply can’t get elsewhere We discovered that the hardest part about Insanity is being mentally prepared to try as hard as possible because your coach and teammates aren’t there to push you or keep up. For

the first time in a while we pushed ourselves as individuals to stay on track with the sessions.

It was a great feeling to know that the strongest and most influential voice that pushed us was ourselves.

The Viking members Gillian and Olivia were influenced by our fellow student athletes.

The girls’ varsity lacrosse team began doing insanity last year over spring break. The Lady Vikes used this great program to get back in shape and condition.

“It’s hard and makes you push yourself, but it makes you feel super good after doing it.

The workout helps with footwork and quickness, which is important in lacrosse. Over all it’s great and would recommend to others,” Meredith Kinnaman (’16) said.

Whether you’re a multi-sport varsity athlete or someone who hates to work out, both will see considerable results and feel accomplished afterward Insanity.

After following Thompson’s insanity for a week, we decided to go into the gym and on the football field to do some of the workouts we obtained from the tape. Now that Thompson helped push us, it was time for us to be the driving force for our success. If you are willing to work hard, keep going even if your body wants to give up and you are mentally committed, Insanity will give you great results whether you are trying to lose weight, gain muscle, or get into better shape. <<<

STRETCH (Left) Olivia stretches legs before starting a workout in the Paly gym.

SQUATS (Middle) Gillian shows perfect form for Insanity squats.

JUMP (Right) Olivia shows how to do a high knee work on the football field.

POWER KICK (Below) Viking memebers Olivia Scola (‘15) and Gillian Chryst take their insanity moves out to the Paly track.

Shaun Thompson is openly gay and married to long time partner Scott Blokker. For more on the topic of sexuality in sports check out the editorial.

FEBRUARY 2014

Vikings’ Valentines Paly’s athletes share their thoughts on how to do Valentine’s Day right this year. as told to Paul Bienaimé and Josh Stern

Dream date “Johnny Manziel.”

Jacey Pederson (‘16)

“Jennifer Lawrence for the body and the brain.”

“Alex Liang, he’s single, ladies.”

Owen Dulik (‘16)

Andrew Liang (‘14)

Best gift “I don’t know, but Askmen.com will hook you up. Literally.”

Frankie Comey (‘14)

“Sour Patch Kids, because they’re sour and then they’re sweet!”

Alex Pelayo (‘15)

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Do’s

“Make your valentine feel like they’re the only one in the world.”

Casey Glassford (‘15)

“Buy chocolate hearts and watch a romantic comedy.”

Alex Dees (‘15)

“Take your lady on a ÅPNO[.”

Theo Zaharias (‘15)

Don’ts “Don’t do Valgrams, they just aren’t sensual enough.”

Kevin Mullin (‘15)

“Don’t make a collage of you and your boyfriend on instagram.”

“There’s a day for everything. Don’t break out the red solos.”

John Young (‘14)

Tess Van Hulsen (‘15)

Your plans?

“I plan on getting ÅV^LYZ and a teddy bear for a certain someone.”

“Probably take a lady to In n’ Out. Just us. And of course the adult that is required to be in the car while I drive.”

Owen Dulik (‘16)

Omri Newman (‘14) All images taken from

FEBRUARY 2014

the triple threat

This year, Kevin Mullin’s (‘15) hard work and determination have helped him to become the top scorer and top 3-point shooter for the Vikings.

I

n high school basketball, a 3-point shooter stands 19 feet, 9 inches from the basket. Kevin Mullin (‘15) has no trouble with this distance, as he has the highest overall point count and greatest number of successful 3-pointers on the Paly varsity team. Though statistics represent the measurable athletic successes of a player, an immeasurable amount of personal effort is responsible for Mullin’s 3-point potency. “[Mullin] is a fantastic kid,” Kings of Palo Alto basketball coach Brandynn Williams said.

“He is a really hard worker, one of the hard-

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Photo courtsey of Shelley Chryst

by MEGAN VALENCIA

RELEASE Mullin shoots a 3-pointer against Gunn for the Paly basketball team. The Vikings went on to beat Gunn 65-56.

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

est workers I have ever coached and one of the best players I have ever coached.”

Mullin’s basketball career began as a preschooler with a plastic hoop in Seattle, Wash.

After Mullin and his family moved to Palo Alto, Calif., Mullin played at the YMCA, in the NJB and in All-Net. According to Mullin, his favorite basketball memory was when he hit a 3-pointer at the end of a game to send his sixth grade team into overtime, where they eventually won the game.

“Basketball is fun because it is a team sport, but it is more individual than other [team] sports,” Mullin said. “For individual sports, it is just you. For basketball, you get to touch the ball a lot, but there is still that team dynamic.”

Last year, Mullin played on the Paly varsity team as a sophomore. In promoting Mullin to

lin brings a stronger skill-set to the basketball team. Along with learning the varsity plays, his offensive abilities have been enhanced. As of Feb. 3, Mullin leads the team with 51 successful 3-pointers.

“Kevin learned a lot from sophomore year,” Sax said. “He developed a lot of skill in passing. Some of his strengths are his ability to shoot threes and pull shots.”

Though Mullin’s sophomore varsity experience was a positive for the team’s future, his reserve status made the year difficult for him as a basketball player.

“Last year, not playing was pretty hard,” Mullin said. “I was used to starting and playing the entire game, and last year I didn’t get to play except in complete blow-outs. Even then, I wasn’t playing well because I was nervous.

[Mullin] works hard at practice and it shows in games. As a teammate, he makes everyone around him better with how he plays.

- Corey Bicknell (‘15)

”

brought him up and wanted to groom him and teach him the ropes of defense and competition. [Mullin] needed to go against stronger and older players. He always dominated his age group, so what he needed was to play against more experienced players.”

Now, as an experienced varsity player, Mul-

Photos courtsey of Carol Mullin

“

Paly varsity, Coach Adam Sax saw the Mullin’s potential to be an effective, able varsity basketball player.

“We saw a very skilled player,” Sax said of the decision. “He could really dribble the ball and he could shoot it. He was going to get more out of playing and practicing on varsity. We

BOUNCE Mullin dribbles the ball towards the basket. Mullin was pulled up to the varsity basketball team last year by Coach Adam Sax.

LAYUP During a game for his Midnight team, Mullin goes for a layup. Mullin began playing basketball in preschool with a small plastic hoop.

FEBRUARY 2014

photos courtsey of Carol Mullin IN THE KEY Mullin prepares to take a shot from inside the key. Mullin played for the NJB league.

DRIBBLE Mullin dribbles up the court. He played club basketball during middle school.

FOLLOW THROUGH During an NJB club basketbal practice, Mullin takes a jump shot.

That was pretty tough, mentally.”

Although Mullin only played 16 games out on the court last year, he was exposed to a higher level of play and was able to become comfortable with varsity game strategy.

“I’m really glad that I played varsity last year instead of junior varsity, even though I didn’t get that much game experience,” Mullin said. “[Being able to learn the plays] was really helpful in our coach’s system. I think that it takes time to adjust to the pace of varsity basketball.”

Mullin’s improved abilities have aided the team this year as they lost many of their starters from previous years.

“We lost all of our top seven guys from last year,” Sax said. “[Our players this year] waited their turn and now they’ve stepped up. In games in the beginning of the year we had more turnovers, but now everything’s coming together. It’s fun to watch.”

Teammates like Corey Bicknell (‘15), acknowledge and appreciate the offensive and defensive strengths which Mullin brings to the team.

“Kevin’s strengths as a basketball player are

definitely his ability to shoot and score consistently and his on-ball defense,” Bicknell said.

Along with the athletic ability that Mullin brings to the team, he also brings his personality and attitude to practice.

“He has a gregarious personality, he’s very outgoing, so he brings that onto the basketball court,” Sax said. “… He’s a very polite, academic individual. He has matured a lot in the last year, and he definitely brings a lot of life to

ral-born leader,” Williams said. “I’ve coached a lot of guys, and he just has determination and will.”

In regards to his future with basketball, Mullin wishes to play basketball in college and has begun exploring Division III options. “[Mullin] has ambitions to play in college, and if he keeps improving his defense and if his game continues to grow, then there is a good possibility [that he will],” Sax said. “I definitely think that he has the skillset to play at the next level.”

According to Williams, Mullin’s hardworking attitude in both life and basketball will play a key role in his future.

“I believe the sky’s the limit for [Mullin’s] future,” Williams said. “If he’s doing something athletic, I think he’ll be extremely successful because of his hard work. If you work hard in life, good things will happen.”

As the Paly basketball season continues, the 3-point line will not change; it stays the same 19 feet from the basket. However, change is certain with regards to Mullin’s 3-point count, and there is nowhere to go but up. <<<

“

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[Mullin] is a really hard worker, one of the hardest workers I have ever coached and one of the best players I have ever coached.

- Brandynn Williams practice.”

Mullin’s effort-driven attitude is beneficial both for his personal success and for the success of the team.

“He works hard at practice, and it shows in games,” Bicknell said. “As a teammate, he makes everyone around him better with how he plays.”

Mullin’s attitude not only affects the Paly varsity team. It affects all of his teammates, including his clb team.

“Not everyone is a leader. [Mullin] is a natu-

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”

A JUMP FOR

WOMEN

Women’s ski jumpers have fought for participation in the 6S`TWPJZ MVY THU` `LHYZ HUK ÄUHSS` PU 9\ZZPH [OL` HYL able to compete for the prized medals.

R

acing down a steep decline, gathering speed, jumping and then flying through the air, skis in the shape of a V, back flat, and watching the ground come to meet you. Jumping off of a 400-foot-high ice track is not something that many dare to try, but for those who participate in the sport of ski jumping, this is what they do every day. Reaching speeds of up to 60 milesper-hour and flying through the air for lengths as long as one and a half football fields, ski jumpers must have extreme athleticism and dexterity.

Ski jumping originated in Norway in 1809, when the first jumps were only 20 feet long. The sport came to America in the early 1900s and gathered more

Ski Jump at Holmenkollen © 2010 Max Froumentin, used under a Creative Commons Attributuion 2.0 Generic license.

by PRISCILLA BELL and BRYN CARLSON

THE BIG JUMP The Holmenkollen ski jump in Oslo, Norway is a K-120 ski jump (the size of a large hill in the Olympics). The record on the hill for the longest jump is 141 meters.

FEBRUARY 2014

participants, both male and female. Men’s ski jumping has been in the Winter Olympics since it first took place in 1924. It was only in 2011 that the event of women’s ski jumping was added to the Olympic Games.

The sport itself consists of first skiing down a ramp, then jumping off at the very end in order to fly the farthest, and land. There are two hills: the smaller K-90, and the larger K120. The skis used are long and wide.

The 2014 Sochi Olympics will be the first time that women ski jumpers will compete at the games. Women have been excluded from countless international ski jumping competitions in years past, but segregation in the sport has existed practically since the it was invented.

Early in the 20th century, medical reasons were posed for why women should not be allowed to participate.

“Ski-jumping is not good for the female organism,” Gustave Klein-Doppler wrote in the 1926 Wintersports Yearbook. “At this time there is no need or reason to organize jumping competitions for the ladies. Because of this unanswered medical question as to whether ski jumping agrees with the female organism, this would be a very daring experiment and should be strongly advised against.”

This precaution was accepted for many years to keep women out of competition, and only a few of them dared to try the sport.

In the 1990s, women were first allowed to participate in international competitions with men, though only as pre-jumpers before the real competition. Finally in 1998, a girls-only competition was held in Switzerland, though it was not sanctioned by the International Ski Federation (FIS). Also that year, there was a women’s event in the US Ski Jumping Championships. FIS began sanctioning events in 2003.

Women ski jumpers were accepted officially on the international level when in 2009 they were given their own World Cup. Further recognition came in 2011 when they were allowed to compete in the World Championships.

Women could now participate in international ski jumping events, but they were still missing the coveted Olympics.

Despite pressing the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to grant their acceptance in the 2006 Torino Olympics, women were refused. The IOC ruled that women ski jumpers were not skilled enough to be allowed on the jumps, there weren’t enough participants, and women’s jumping was not developed enough as a sport.

Women pushed again for participation for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. A lawsuit was filed against the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC) by 15 female jumpers, including the then-world champion Lind-

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

sey Van. In the British Columbia Supreme Court, it was ruled that the IOC had the ability to make the decision, not VANOC. When it came to the decision, the IOC did not allow women’s ski jumping, and for that year, women ski jumpers were excluded again.

“If you have three medals, with 80 athletes competing on a regular basis internationally, the percentage of medal winners is extremely high,” IOC President Jacques Rogge said in 2008, before the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.

“In any other sport you are speaking about hundreds of thousands, if not tens of millions of athletes, at a very high level, competing for one single medal. We do not want the medals to be diluted and watered down.”

Finally, on April 6, 2011, the IOC announced that ski jumping would now be included in the 2014 Sochi Olympics.

“When you really look at this, this is a win for equality for women,” vice president of Women’s Ski Jumping USA Vic Method said in

a New York Times article.

Participation in ski jumping had increased since 2008, and so had the distances that women had been jumping. At the FIS World Cup in March 2013, Japaneses ski jumper Sara Takanashi jumped the longest of the women, 134.0 meters; the longest men’s jump was 139.0 meters.

Now that women can reach the high level of the Olympics, participation is expected to rise.

“Once the girls know that they’re in the Olympics, more and more want the opportunity to do better,” president of the Women’s Ski Jumping Foundation (WSJ-USA) Deedee Corradini said in the New York Times article.

The athletes who will be members of the first US Women’s Ski Jumping Team include Sarah Hendrickson, Jessica Jerome and Lindsey Van. Hendrickson is the current world champion, but had a crash landing on August 21, 2012 after a jump in Germany. She severely damaged her knee, but has recovered in time to compete in the Olympics.

Sarah Hendrickson © 2012 Piotr Drabik, used under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.

NOTHING BUT SMILES USA ski jumper Sarah Hendrickson at the Continental World Cup in Zakopane, Poland. Hendrickson was the world champion until she had a crash landing in Germany.

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

“

sider it a legitimate sport,” Austin said. “But I think it’s starting to change.”

With women’s wrestling just added to the Olympics in 2004, a significant parallel is seen between ski jumping and wrestling. The future for women in both of the sports will involve in-

Bjornsrud said. “Equality cannot come from invisibility. We have to watch the event and call NBC and say ‘Thank you for showing women.’”

As the first female Olympic ski jumpers take the podium, an important moment will be made for women in sports: every sport in the Olympics will now have both a mens and womens event.

This pivotal change can be an example for how far women have come and can go.

“Every time there’s another step, small or large, in the women’s sports community, that opens up more possibilities,” Bjornsrud said.

“Then I think that every little girl gets to think more broadly about what can she do without limit, and so whether small or big—it’s important.” <<<

Every time there’s another step, small or large, in the women’s sports community, that opens up more possibilities.

-Marlene Bjornsrud clusion and recognition from the whole sports community.

In all sports, women can still push for total acceptance of their abilities in order to make for a more equal sports world in the future. It comes from the viewers as well as the athletes in order to make that happen.

“Women need to support other women,”

“

There is still more progress to be made to reach equality within the sport of ski jumping. Women only have an event on the smaller K-90 hill, while men additionally have a second larger K-120 hill to jump, a team event and the Nordic combined (which involves cross country skiing as well as the ski jump).

“I think in the whole that the women skiers have really fought a battle,” Mar l e n e Bjornsrud, co-founder of Bay Area Women’s Sports Initiative (BAWSI), said. “[They] have had to prove their ability to do this every inch of the way.”

Women’s ski jumping is not the only sport where women have fought for more equality, in fact, it is just one example of women being excluding in sports. Gender-based discrimination in sports has existed since 776 B.C. when women were prohibited from participating in the first Olympic Games.

In 1924, the first Winter Olympics, figure skating was the only sport open to women.

Then, in 1928, women were allowed to participate in track and field events, although they weren’t fully acknowledged in the sport until it boomed in popularity during the 1970s. Similar to ski jumping, cases for women’s health were stated as to why women could not run.

“I think there are some interesting parallels to years and years and years ago when they wouldn’t let women run the marathon,” Bjornsrud said. “And now...there are women running marathons and longer distances all around the world. And there was a sense of fear that physically they weren’t able to do that.

In fact, there is a myth that if women ran that much their uterus would fall out.”

In the sport of tennis, Billie Jean King, then 29, accepted an offer in 1973 to play Bobby Riggs, then 55 and a 1939 Wimbledon champion. In a nationally televised event which came to be called ‘Battle of the Sexes’, King won against Riggs on Sept. 20, 1973. Her stunning win proved that women could succeed greatly in sports.

“It’s just like Billie Jean King said, women need to stop feeling like they need to audition,” Bjornsrud said.

At Paly, a similar break for girls is occurring in wrestling, with girls beginning to join the team. In Volume VIII Issue 3 of The Viking, female wrestler Alexa Austin talks about being a female in a predominately male sport.

“Originally a lot of people would think that girls cannot compete with guys and don’t con-

Students of the University of Houston. Houstonian 1974 - Current Events. Houstonian Yearbook Collection. Special Collections, University of Houston Libraries. Retrieved from http://digital.lib.uh.edu/ collection/yearb/item/1340/show/1164

QUEEN B Female tennis player Billie Jean King dominated opponent Bobby Riggs in a match that became known as “The Battle of the Sexes”. This win was a pivotal moment for women in sports.

FEBRUARY 2014

;OL ÄLSK VM QLHUZ Palo Alto 49er fans have mixed opinions about the opening of Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. How will the crowd’s experience change and will it be worth the increased price?

by ALYS OLMSTEAD and HAYLEY POORE

A

photos by Alys Olmstead fter 43 years at Candlestick Park, the San Francisco 49ers will start the 2014 season in their new home, Levi’s Stadium, in Santa Clara. The opening of the stadium will start a new chapter for the 49ers franchise, which has brought mixed emotions from season ticket holders and fans alike.

Many Paly students and families are ticket holders, and the new stadium has opened up a new topic of discussion around the 49ers. The new location and the increase in ticket pricing are among the many changes that have fans angry or excited for the first season of football in the new Santa Clara stadium.

Levi’s stadium has a total seating capacity of 68,500 people, which is 1,400 seats less than Candlestick Park. However, the reduced number of seats has nothing to do with the actual size of the stadium, which has a square footage of 1,850,000 square feet compared to the 985,000 square feet of Candlestick.

A main focus for the construction of the new stadium is making the fan experience more enjoyable. The new stadium will feature open pedestrian plazas, commercial community space, a 49ers team store and a 49ers Hall of Fame.

“The fans will be greatly surprised by how much better the overall fan experience will be: wider concourses, many more places to access food and restrooms, new food choices and

great seating site lines,” 49ers Project Executive Jack Hill wrote in an email to The Viking.

These new luxuries, however, come with a steep price for fans. Season ticket holders now have to buy a Stadium Builder License (SBL), which is a one-time cost that helps finance the building and maintenance of the stadium, before being able to purchase season tickets to the new stadium. The cost of an SBL alone ranges from $270 to $1,630 depending on the location of the seat.

Many fans have decided to reduce the number of season tickets they buy or stop being season ticket holders altogether due to the price of an SBL and the already expensive price of season tickets.

NEW SOIL The new 49ers stadium, Levi’s stadium, is scheduled to open before the start of the 2014 season.

The 49ers will move from San Francisco to Santa Clara.

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

CONSTRUCTION Levi’s stadium cost $1.2 billion to build.

It will feature open pedestrian plazas, a 49ers team store and a 49ers Hall of Fame.

“If [the tickets] hadn’t been quite as expensive we would have bought the same number of tickets as before, but because they are we have three instead of five,” Maya Benatar (‘16) said.

The price raise, however, does not seem unreasonable for some fans. With the new improvements of the stadium and compared to the prices of other teams tickets, many think the new cost is reasonable.

“The prices for all professional sporting teams have gone up significantly and the 49ers prices up until this point have actually been relatively low,” Paly parent and season ticket holder Ron Valencia said.

The 49ers project executive also agrees that the new stadium is worth the amount of money the fans have to pay for admission.

“I believe the seat pricing is appropriate and in line with other comparable, new stadiums,” Hill wrote. “Our goal is to make the fan experience a quality experience regardless of how the team plays.”

The pricing of the tickets is not the only reason that fans are upset about the seating in the new stadium. Fans will now be seated next to

“

GAME TIME The 49ers prepare to play a game at Candlestick Park. The team played 43 seasons with The Stick as their home stadium.

new people, away from the other ticket holders they have grown to know over the years of sitting next to each other.

“We were friends with the people we sat next to at Candlestick for a very long time, which was nice,” Benatar said. “If we ever needed an extra ticket and they weren’t going, we would get it, and vice versa.”

In addition, some fans have opted out of season tickets because of a longer drive to the stadium, while others are happy to have the new

49ers will no longer be “San Francisco’s team” due to the new stadium location being in Santa Clara.

“I think Candlestick will always be their real stadium,” Benatar said. “They are a great team no matter where they play, but it makes a difference to play in the city you represent.”

Even with all the changes, 49ers season ticket holders, who will continue buying tickets for the new stadium, are excited for the seasons to come in Levi’s Stadium.

“My grandpa has been taking my dad to the games since he was really little, so it’s just a family tradition,” Benatar said.

“We hope that we will have the stadium for a long time and future generations can continue to use the seats.”

The new stadium is set to open before the start of the 2014 football season. Although it was initially thought that the stadium would not be able to hold weeknight games because of limited parking and traffic with the location being in the middle of Silicon Valley, new parking locations have been added so that weeknight games will continue to be possible at the 49ers home stadium. <<<

I think Candlestick will always be their real stadium. They are a great team no matter where they play, but it makes a difference to play in the city you represent.

-Maya Benatar (‘16)

“

location closer to their homes.

“I probably would have bought [season tickets] anyway, but I certainly like the new stadium being about 10 minutes from my house,” Valencia said.

Other fans who are disappointed with the new location are not only concerned about it being farther away, but also with it being in a different city altogether. Many argue that the

FEBRUARY 2014

CENTER ICE Oliver Rowles (‘15) and Eli Givens (‘16) are two of Paly’s student athletes who found passions for the sport of hockey at a young age. Both Rowles and Givens had to give up hockey when coming to Paly.

HOCKEY STOP

Although a popular sport in many parts of the world, playing hockey can IL KPMÄJ\S[ [V W\YZ\L PU *HSPMVYUPH

H

by ZOE BHARGAVA ard, fast hits. Cold, slick ice.

Long wooden sticks and one small three inch rubber puck. All of which are key parts of hockey, an intense sport for the physically tough and proficient skaters with deft stickhandling ability that can endure long periods of fast play and constant body aches. Played in every single one of the 22 Winter Olympic Games, ice hockey has dominated as one of the

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

most commonly watched and discussed sports in the winter games. Despite its vast popularity through the Olympics and the National Hockey League (NHL), hockey is a sport played by only a small number of high schoolers in California.

Three of Paly’s student athletes have found a passion for the sport of hockey outside of Paly.

They have all endured the sport’s physicality, but have come across bigger obstacles regarding the regional accessibility of the sport in the

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

area. Nate Althoff (‘17) has managed to continue with the sport through high school, but like a large majority of hockey lovers in Palo Alto, Oliver Rowles (‘15) and Eli Givens (‘16) have found it hard to pursue the sport in high school and have both given up the sport that they love.

Althoff has experienced the physically, financially and timely intensive sport of ice hockey at the club level in California. He plays center and is the captain of his A-league team, the

Photo courtesty of Mike Rowles

“

Photo courtesty of Karen Althoff

Redwood City Blackstars. Althoff discovered his love for the ice at a young age.

“I started playing hockey when I was 7 years old,” Althoff said. “I did a program at the rink where I learned to skate and found it really fun, so I started playing hockey.”

A fast-paced game, hockey is not an easy sport. What makes hockey unique is the level of skill required to play the game. Ice skating is a prerequisite to compete in the sport, and only then can a player become proficient at the ins and outs of the game.

“At the beginning I was a really bad skater and my form was bad,” Althoff said. “But I just had to work at it and eventually got better and I now love it. I love how fast it is, how quick paced it is. You are always going.”

On top of the skills needed to play the game, hockey requires a lot of physical strength. A contact sport, hockey consists of constant checks and hits. In fact, ice hockey is the only professional sport where fist fights are common in games; fans often look forward to these key moments of games.

“You are always sore, you are always beat up, but you get used to it after playing for a long time,” Althoff said.

Due to the lack of teams within the Bay Area available for younger players, hockey in Palo Alto requires intensive time commitment.

The dispersal of teams throughout California and outside of the San Jose area causes Althoff to travel often with his team for games far away.

“Our games are all over, we go as far as Tahoe,” Althoff said. “We have to travel a lot for the sport.”

This lack of accessibility to teams is why

GAME TIME Nate Althoff (‘17) skates down the ice during a game with the Redwood City Blackstars. Althoff is a captain of his club team. many players have seen their hockey careers end while living in California. Hockey is easier to play in places where it is a dominant sport, such as in Canada. In the 2013 NHL draft, 96 of the drafted players were Canadian, 58 were

from New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Montana, with not a single player from California.

The lack of California professional hockey players draws a parallel between the number of hockey players at the high school level because of the clear limit of access to hockey teams in California.

Similar to Althoff, Rowles has a passion for hockey.

Rowles played the sport in New York up until he moved to California at the beginning of his junior year. He noticed a difference in attitudes towards hockey between living in New York and California.

“Hockey is a big deal on the East Coast, but it doesn’t seem as much of one [in California],” Rowles said.

In New York, Rowles started playing hockey at a young age and continued with the sport on both club teams and school teams as he grew up.

“I started playing hockey when I was 6 years old when I lived in New York,” Rowles said. “I played for a school team all throughout middle school and for a club team throughout high school.”

Rowles expressed that the time commitment was huge when playing in New York, similar to

You are always sore, you are always beat up, but you get used to it...

-Nate Althoff (‘17) European and 57 were American.

In addition to being popular in Canada, hockey is also common on the East Coast and in the Midwest, where snow and ice are abundant in the winter time in comparison to California. The 2014 American Olympic men’s hockey roster consists of players originally

”

FACE OFF Rowles waits for the puck to drop at the faceoff circle. Rowles played hockey for 10 years when living in New York.

FEBRUARY 2014

the experiences of Althoff.

“Last year I played about six days a week, it was pretty hard,” Rowles said. ”I would have late practices from 8:30 to 10:30 every night. I missed a lot of weekends for tournaments outof-state. It was a big commitment.”

The availability of teams in New York helped Rowles continue on with the sport through all levels, but after moving he found it harder to play in California.

“I would’ve played here had it been more accessible and easier to get to,” Rowles said.

In California the majority of teams are club teams and the few high schools that have hockey teams are private.

The cost of being a part of a club hockey team adds up as club dues, ice time fees, equipment costs, and travel fees are just some of the many expenses of playing hockey at the club level.

Like Rowles and Althoff, Givens enjoyed playing hockey from a young age of 7, but because of the huge financial commitment Givens had to give up the sport at the beginning of his freshman year.

“I played until freshman year because it got very expensive and hard,” Givens said. “Unfortunately I had to give it up.”

Playing goalie for a travel club team after fourth grade, Givens experienced the same serious time commitments that other players

“

face as they grow more competitive with the sport. Like Althoff, Givens played games all over California because of the lack of teams in the closer regions.

“I played in house for a club team, and in the fourth grade I started playing on the travel team for the California Cougars,” Givens said.

“It was a lot of time and pretty hard. I would have to wake up before school for practice, and I would have to play games in a lot of different

the sport. As high school sports are supported and funded primarily by the school resources, many more students have opportunities to play sports sponsored by schools.

“If Paly had a hockey team, it would’ve made it a lot easier,” Givens said. “I would’ve really loved to keep playing the sport, but even with scholarships from the team I had to give it up.”

Despite having to give up the sport himself, Givens still continues to be passionate about hockey as he is a huge San Jose Sharks fan. Givens also works at the Winter Lodge, so he still gets to be around the rink. Rowles also still loves the sport and hopes to pick it up again in the future.

“It was hard to give up because I love the game,” Rowles said. “I’m still considering playing next year or in the future.”

Though ice hockey may be difficult to continue to play at the California high school level, it is an intense sport to follow at the professional level. With the San Jose Sharks and the presence of NHL teams, the sport lives on in California despite the sport’s regional ties to colder areas. In addition to the NHL, hockey lovers can look forward to the Winter Olympic games where both the American men and women are poised to be in competition for medals in their respective ice hockey events. <<<

It was hard to give up because I love the game.

- Oliver Rowles (‘15) and far places.”

Givens expressed the same beliefs of Rowles regarding ice hockey in California in comparison to the sport in the East and Canada.

“We just don’t have as many tools [as players in other areas] because it isn’t as big of a sport here,” Givens said.

Primarily limited to being only a club sport for most students, hockey is a difficult sport to continue playing throughout high school due to the time commitment, financial regards and regional accessibility. When asked if they would have continued hockey had it been offered at Paly, both Rowles and Givens contested they would have loved to continue

”

PALY PREDICTIONS

Hockey in Sochi

“

The Canadian team will probably win from what I saw from their roster, they have some pretty talented players.

- Eli Givens (‘16)

Unfortunately, I think Canada is gonna win it all. Hopefully Team USA pulls out a medal.

- Oliver Rowles (‘15) It should be fun to watch. I think it’s gonna be Canada, USA and Russia in the top three.

- Nate Althoff (‘17)

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”

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LGBT athletes and their allies seek out equality in athletics

by AUDREY DeBRUINE and ROWAN McEVOY

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ne hundred years is a long time. It is greater than the average life expectancy anywhere in the world. A century ago, World War I broke out, Oreo cookies were invented and the Titanic was on the ocean floor. Putting the past century of humanity into perspective allows us to see just how long one hundred years can be.

Six months ago, a Russian court reaffirmed a 100-year ban on gay pride events in Moscow -- just one of many actions against the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Russian community in recent memory. With the 2014 Winter Olympic Games currently being held in Sochi, Russia, the situation in the country has attracted worldwide criticism. Many athletes, delegates and fans that are members of a vast LGBT athletic community will be traveling to the games. While leaders of many countries appealed to the Russian government to guarantee the safety of their citizens entering the country, the country’s stance is clear.

Though Russia faces extra scrutiny as it is in the international spotlight, over 75 countries have laws criminalizing homosexuality; in Uganda, for example, penalties are as severe as

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life imprisonment.

Here in the U.S., gay marriage is now legal in 17 states and Washington, D.C. at the time of this writing, and polls show that a slim majority of Americans are in favor of legalization across the country. However, those with alternative sexualities are not fully accepted.

“Our society, for lack of a better word, is heteronormative, so your straight friend never needs to come out as straight because that’s assumed,” Paly Queer-Straight Alliance copresident Jessica Feinberg (‘14) said. “So when someone makes a decision to tell people that they don’t fit into that, I think that people recognize that as being something that is often hard to do.”

Feinberg came out as lesbian during her junior year after concealing her sexuality as a sophomore. Although she appreciated those who recognized her ‘coming out’ for the difficult process it was, her feelings on the attention it received contrasted.

“I think that it shouldn’t necessarily be such a big deal because [being lesbian] is not the most interesting thing about me,” Feinberg said.

As Feinberg illustrates, the issue is not one dimensional. As the world turns its attention

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to the Winter Olympics, an underlying question remains: How do LGBT athletes fit into sports at any level?

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ith the intolerance many LGBT athletes face on the playing field, it is clear that they do not always find themselves in welcoming environments. Paly water polo player and swimmer Max Usman (‘17), openly gay since the end of seventh grade, has faced discrimination in the pool.

On his club team last season, Usman hit it off with a new player during the first practice.

Only after he found out about Usman’s sexuality did his attitude towards Usman change.

“If I would ever block his shot or shut him down, he would yell slurs at me, like ‘Get your faggot hands off me,’ [and] ‘If you touch me one more time I’m going to punch you,’” Usman said. “He never followed through on it but he would always say that kind of stuff and it did create some sort of tension.”

Although Usman’s club coach as well as much of his team is supportive of his sexuality, Usman cites that slurs are a commonality in his life, both in the pool and at Paly.

“Something rude is said [to me] probably every other day,” Usman said. “I just sort of

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let it slide. I’m not going to be able to change them, so I might as well ignore it.”

While Usman’s case occurred at the high school level, prejudiced comments are prevalent in college and professional sports as well.

Furthermore, these slurs are used to insult players of all sexualities.

Last spring, video recordings of former Rutgers basketball head coach Mike Rice surfaced, showing Rice using derogatory language against his players. In one video, he calls one player a “fairy” and a “f---ing faggot.” Rice was later fired for his extensive physical and verbal abuse of his players.

In the NFL, discrimination likewise exists.

Prior to last year’s Super Bowl, San Francisco 49ers cornerback Chris Culliver expressed during an interview that he was against openly gay players on his team, and encouraged any players having non-traditional sexualities to leave.

Although this attitude may not be shared throughout the football community or the athletic community as a whole, Paly defensive end and team captain Justin Rittman (‘14) recognizes how the message is interpreted.

“I feel like football would be an intimidating place for someone who is openly gay to be,” Rittman said. “I just think that some sports, especially football, can be viewed as somewhat of a ‘Ra ra!’ sport, and that usually leads to a lot of masculinity.”

With the issues of gender roles and sexual orientations so closely intertwined, stereotypes about alternative sexualities often contradict stereotypes pertaining to particular sports. For many, issues arise when traditional ideals collide with preconceived notions about what it means to be a member of the LGBT community.

Paly student Trevor, a bisexual athlete whose name has been changed, believes that the sports world is lagging behind when it comes to eradicating these stereotypes, which he perceives as unwarranted.

“The sports world hasn’t really caught up yet, and I’m not sure it will,” Trevor wrote to The Viking. “Men’s sports are supposed to be ‘manly.’ Someone who is part of the LGBT community might be stereotyped [as not being] aggressive, a stereotype which isn’t even remotely true.”

Paly athlete Jasmine, whose name has also been changed, faces a certain, pervasive stereotype in her sport as well: as a softball player, Jasmine is accustomed to herself and her teammates being profiled as lesbians. Jasmine, as a lesbian, happens to fit the stereotype, but this does not afford her any more comfort.

“I kind of feel bad [perpetuating] the stereotype, but I can’t help it,” Jasmine said. “Even though it’s a stereotype, it’s such a tabooed topic in the softball community.”

photo by Paul Biename

photo by Zoe Bhargava

AFLOAT Openly gay athlete Max Usman (‘17) floats in the Paly pool before one of his swim practices. Usman also plays for the Paly water polo team.

STANDING ASHORE Rower James Hindrey-Nelson (‘14) stands ashore before a practice. Nelson is an LGBT athlete who found support from his teammates.

Jasmine opened up about her sexuality to the Paly softball team last year but does not feel nearly as secure anywhere else. She has not disclosed this information to her club teammates and does not want to test the waters.

“I don’t talk about it [being lesbian] with my travel ball team because I don’t know how people stand,” Jasmine said. “With my travel ball team we have very Catholic players, very religious players, and I don’t want to share that information [about my sexuality] all the time.”

In Usman’s experience, assumptions linking his sexuality to his sport are pervasive.

He contests the notion that he plays water polo because of his sexuality, a part of himself that he feels plays no role in his athletics.

“A lot of people ask me, ‘Did you start doing water polo because you’re gay?’, and I always take great offense to that,” Usman said. “I started playing water polo before I knew that, and I fell in love with the sport before I found out [I was gay].”

The dearth of openly LGBT athletes in many sports at the collegiate and professional levels poses a problem for younger LGBT athletes looking for role models who share their sexual orientations. Rittman expressed his belief in the importance of role models, especially for LGBT athletes.

“I think everyone should have someone to look up to that is an influential person,” Rittman said. “I think there are a lot of LGBT athletes, younger athletes, that need someone to look up to like that.”

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Despite playing football since the age of 12, Rittman cannot recall meeting an openly gay football player on any of his rosters. At the professional level, the NFL is no different and has never had an active openly LGBT player. Even with the nonexistent number, Rittman is open to the idea of LGBT players.

“If you can play, you can play,” Rittman said.

“If you’re good, you should be allowed to play no matter your skin color, or sexuality or anything.”

Even though athletes like Rittman accept LGBT competitors and teammates, the num-

as bisexual, Hindery said his teammates did not have a notable reaction.

“They [my teammates] may not have been okay with it [my sexuality], but they didn’t use their not being okay with it as a form of aggression, and so it didn’t seem like it was much of a positive or negative impact on the environment,” Hindery said.

According to Hindery, the team atmosphere feels relaxed, and the climate as a whole is safe and encouraging. Like Usman and Rittman, Hindery believes that sexuality should not be an issue in determining an athlete’s ability to play.

“If you are dedicated and if you are good enough at your sport, your teammates are not going to care [about your sexuality],” Hindery said. “They’re going to realize that you are contributing … to the overall success of the program.”

- Trevor, anonymous source Newly appointed head ber of open active players in sports remains football coach Jacob Halas agrees with low. As is becoming more evident, many play- Hindery’s viewpoint and tries to foster an acers choose to conceal their sexuality -- wheth- cepting environment on his team. er because of slurs and homophobic comments “Personally, I don’t care what race, relior having to deal with the publicity that ‘com- gion or sexual preference a player has,” Halas ing out’ entails -- until after their playing days. wrote to The Viking. “If the kid is willing to give everything he can for the good of team, n spite of the more difficult experiences of why would I care? The ability to block, tackle, athletes like Jasmine, LGBT athletes can find throw, run and hit has nothing to do with your support upon coming out to their teammates sexual preference.” and coaches. A rower, James Hindery (‘14) joined the NorCal crew team midway through he challenges faced by LGBT athletes his sophomore year after ending his football today are not new to the sports world: career due to concussions. After he came out Women once faced inequalities in sports

The sports world hasn’t really caught up yet, and I’m not sure it will.

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paign is also an official partner of the NHL. As more teams, from amateurs to pros, become accepting of their players’ sexuality, more athletes start developing the courage to come out.

Just recently, Division III college punter Conner Mertens became the first active openly bisexual football player at the collegiate level.

Mertens, who attends Willamette University,

make our team any different,” Mees wrote to The Viking. “I think we [the team] are all a lot more conscious about saying stuff like ‘that’s gay’ now that he has come out … [but] there haven’t been any bad situations at all.”

With the work of LGBT athletes and their allies, light now shines on the previously taboo topic of sexuality in sports. While non-traditional sexualities are not universally accepted, headway has been made in the direction of equality. Athletes have grown more confident, and in turn have began to open up on the issue of their sexuality.

High-profile LGBT athletes such as Jason Collins and - Marlene Bjornsrud Brittney Griner have come out in the past year, providing an exannounced his sexuality publicly via Twitter ample for other players. on Jan. 27 after coming out to his coach and “Since [so many] people are coming out teammates the week prior. now, there will be more people for gay athletes Elsewhere in college sports, other athletes to look up to,” Jasmine said. “There will be are opening up about their sexuality as well. more acceptance a generation from now, and At Kenyon College, lacrosse player Holden I think that’s going to help.”

Richards came out as gay this past year. TeamAs the cause for LGBT equality moves into mate and Paly graduate Walker Mees (‘13) the mainstream, Bjornsrud believes that progexpressed the positive effects that the incident ress cannot come fast enough. has brought about.

“We’re making strides,” Bjornsrud said. “Just “Just because he happens to like guys doesn’t darn slow.” <<<

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and had to fight to gain the acceptance they command today. Since Title IX passed over 40 years ago, women have arguably achieved parity with men in athletics.

Marlene Bjornsrud, recipient of the International Olympic Committee’s Women and Sport Award for the Americas, believes that creating a sports culture that is accepting of differences in sexuality is the next battle to be fought and won. In a visit to Paly this January, Bjornsrud, an out lesbian, gave some insight into the future of activism in athletics.

“I think the movement in sport now is a little bit less gender-based and much more making it a safer place for the LGBT folks to compete,” Bjornsrud said.

Advocates for LGBT rights have created efforts in the athletic sphere, focusing on making sports at all levels a more inviting environment. The social activism campaign You Can Play, launched in 2012, is sloganed by, “If you can play, you can play.” The campaign aims to eradicate sexuality-based discrimination and to promote the creation of environments which are accepting and respectful of all athletes, regardless of their orientation. The cam-

We’re making strides. Just darn slow.

Out in the open

Holden Richards, Kenyon lacrosse player and teammate of Walker Mees (‘13), came out as gay during fall ball last year.

According to SBNation.com, when Richards arrived at Kenyon College from his hometown in Ore., he was having difficulties in acknowledging his sexuality. Kenyon is a private, religious liberal arts college in

Ohio, and was founded as a seminary affiliated with the Episcopal Church.

Wrestling with his sexual orientation throughout high school, Holden graduated from Valley Catholic High School and attended Nazareth College, a former Roman Catholic institution in Upstate New York, before becoming Mees’ teammate at Kenyon. photo courtesy of Walker Mees

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“

Holden came out to a couple of the guys on our team at the beginning of the year so the word spread pretty quickly. I believe he officially came out to everyone including the school and our coaches at the beginning of this spring season... I mean just because he happens to like guys doesn’t make our team any different. I think we are all a lot more conscious about saying stuff like “that’s gay” now that he has come out but he is super cool about that kind of stuff. ... There haven’t been any bad situations at all, I think Holden was worried about team showers at first but that it wasn’t an issue at all.

He is just another one of the guys.

- Walker Mees (’13)

Columns: The Last Word

Conservative to Fanatic

Originally an outsider to the world of sports, I have come to love and join a community I never would have met - all because of Super Bowl XLIII.

A

by ZACH RIZK h, Super Bowl Sunday, my favorite day of the year. A time that I can kick back with friends, and watch the two best teams in the NFL faceoff to crown the kings of the league. An avid football fan, I have come to love this holy day, but it hasn’t always been so.

Although it may seem like I have always had a burning passion for the game, I’ve only been following the sport for several years. While college football is a traditional Saturday spectacle and watching the 49ers play is the only proper way to spend a Sunday, football has provided me with something more. It has introduced me to a crowd I never would have connected with.

Before high school, I really didn’t know enough about sports to be able to talk about them. Sure, I played soccer, ran track and enjoyed exercising, but I had never watched much of any sport on the professional level, let alone a Super Bowl.

My first Super Bowl viewing was in eighth grade when the Pittsburgh Steelers and Arizona Cardinals squared off in 2009. The only reason I actually watched the game was because I had been invited to a friend’s house and didn’t want to be rude.

The opening action of the game was great and all, but I was having a better time devouring the platter of honey barbeque wings on the snack table and was looking forward to getting away from the TV at halftime. Football was just - dare I say - boring?

But when James Harrison of the Pittsburgh Steelers picked off Cardinals’ QB Kurt Warner at the Steelers one-yard line (taking it back 99 yards for a TD) with just seconds left in the half, and everyone in the room started jumping around, I couldn’t help but eagerly join in. Harrison, this colossal human being, was rumbling down the sidelines with a convoy of blockers laying out opponents in front of him.

I can vividly remember Harrison shedding off defenders. There was no stopping this man’s quest for the endzone. And I loved every second of it.

FAN FAITHFUL Football has provided me with a medium to connect with people such as the Cardinal faithful I otherwise never would have approached.

The following Monday I was able to talk about Sunday’s events with my friends, who were shocked to hear me even speak about football. My eighth-grade self was gleaming with joy, being able to join in on all the hyped talk that I had been ostracized from for the past couple of years.

Following my first Super Bowl, I was fascinated. I committed myself to learning more about this thing called football. Since then, my passion for the game, and sports in general, has grown exponentially. Just a couple days after the party, I biked to GameStop and picked up a copy of Madden. Not initially knowing what a slant was or why in the world someone would punt the ball instead of going for it on fourth down (I received a plethora of spankings over Xbox Live), I slowly began to teach myself the game, enlisting in freshman football over the summer. I had three carries for seven yards and an interception in my illustrious career. I began to follow Stanford football religiously, creating my own blog to analyze the team. I indulged myself into Fantasy Football and here I am now, with my own column in a

sports magazine.

While the Super Bowl has yet to engineer a cure for cancer or put an end to poverty, it is a special day that unites the entire nation. It’s an event that almost any and every American can resonate with. The traditions associated with Super Bowl Sunday, ranging from gathering with family and friends, eating to your stomach’s limit, or cheering on your team in the biggest bowl of them all, are all means of ways to bring people together for some pure, American fun.

It’s the community, really, that has been the most important entity that football has introduced me to. Football has provided me with a medium to connect with people I otherwise would never have approached. While this Paly community is a rather cliquey one, across the school, football (among other sports) has the ability to break “clique barriers.” I’ve had the Fantasy Football talks with kids who are enrolled in robotics to the guys who actually play the game for Paly. In retrospect, football is one of the greatest things to ever happen to me.

Without it, I don’t know who I’d be today. <<<

FEBRUARY 2014

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