Category: sports

Uh-Oh Superbowl

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The Super Bowl. Probably one of the most American things to happen in America.

Being an American for my entire existence I’ve come to enjoy this sporting event. I’ve seen so many, that I know if it is relatively good or not.

This year was the 50th Super Bowl. That means half a century of an annual celebration of two team going head-to-head throwing around a football. Because of this, I had high expectations. And I was let down.

Now, I’m not a huge football fan, but the actual game wasn’t that exciting. From pretty early in the game, the Broncos were dominating the Panthers. The best football games are the ones that captivate you until the last quarter. But by the fourth quarter, the Panthers didn’t stand a chance.

The next disappointment was the half-time performance. This year it was Coldplay ft. Beyonce and Bruno Mars. Now, I thought Coldplay and Beyonce were going to perform their new song, Hymn For the Weekend. And during their colorful performance, Coldplay provided plenty of buildup to make the final number worthwhile. Unfortunately, that was not the case. Coldplay performed some of their most popular singles and then Bruno Mars and Beyonce just popped up. Donning black leather outfits with gold accents, the two stars competed in a dance battle. Unfortunately for Coldplay, Beyonce completely upstaged them. Especially, revealing her Formation World Tour right after. Overall, there could’ve been more cohesion during the half-time performance.

Finally, the commercials. Oh how terrible they were. The only one that gave me hope was the Heinz commercial with the wiener dogs running in a field of flowers. Now that was cute. Besides that, there was honestly no good content. I mean there was a commercial for IBS and toenail fungus.

And that’s why this year’s Super Bowl was not my favorite.

growing up

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I used to fear the monster under my bed, now I fear the monster that lives within.

I used to think that a scratched knee would be the worst pain I ever felt, now I know that the pain that doesn’t bear a scar is far worse.

I believed that I would never grow up, but someday in between the AYSO soccer games and the playground, I did.

Life doesn’t wait for you.

It is constantly pushing to let change in and day-by-day, the world that our parents want us to believe in is gone.

We are taught to keep our innocence, don’t let the evil in the world ruin your pure soul, but day-by-day it does.

We see the boy in the news who is never going to come home.

We hear the whispers that adults exchange as the secrets get passed along to us.

As teenagers we are expected to act like grown up, and then they tell us that we are growing up to fast.

Maybe we are just trying to fill these impossible shoes that you have left us.

 

 

Dreams Fulfilled

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The OVS Cross Country Team (left to right): Coach Apple Alvarez, Tracy Zeng, Ally Feiss, Gilim Bae, Sunny Chang, Winnie Chang and coach Fred Alvarez — Photo by Momoe Takamatsu

When I was in high school, a time so long ago my students will assure you dinosaurs roamed the earth, I was a pretty fast runner.

I ran cross country and track all four years, and eventually got IMG_2656fast enough that I was able to run Division I cross country in college. But for as fast as I was in my high school years, I was never the fastest on my team, not to mention my league.

I was a middle-of-the-pack runner, good enough to earn a varsity letter three out of my four years, but not good enough on my own to earn a post-season CIF berth, the holy grail of high school sports in California. And my high school team, filled with runners faster than me, was never fast enough either to qualify collectively for CIF.

That was the dream for every member of my cross country team, and one that for me had obviously gone unfulfilled for decades.12208743_747617005343947_8825205504728621762_n

Until this past weekend.

On Saturday, for the first time in Ojai Valley School history, our girls’ cross country team competed in the CIF Southern Section preliminaries, a race that drew more than 3,000 high school runners from across Southern California.

Decked out in their new OVS jerseys (thanks Mr. Floyd!), my five girls toed the line against 148 other runners from 22 schools, nearly every one with a larger student population than ours. My runners were nervous. I told them there was no need to be.

IMG_4572 (1)Because as far as I was concerned, we had already won. Our victory was just getting to CIF, for being a team that sweated and bled and cried together to accomplish a goal that at the start of the season seemed unattainable.

I told them not to worry about how they placed, or how the team finished. I told them before they started to have fun, and to remember to look up at some point during the race and remind themselves where they were, and what they had accomplished together.

And I told them this: I have never been prouder of any team I have coached, and no team I have coached has ever displayed more heart.

These girls this season gave me a great gift. Yes, I finally got to go to CIF, only three decades later than planned. But there was more to it than that. I got to see these athletes develop a power they never knew they had, the power to come face-to-face with adversity and keep moving forward.

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Junior Gilim Bae was the top runner for OVS, running a personal best at the Riverside course — Photo by Momoe Takamatsu

I got to see a group of girls – three from China, one from Korea and one from Ojai – make the always mysterious transformation of going from strangers to friends to sisters. They will have this bond the rest of their lives.

Through a flurry of fortunate circumstances, I got to coach the team this year alongside my eldest daughter, a talented young woman as smart as she is dedicated to the teaching profession. Her star is rising, and I beam with pride. My heart nearly bursts when I think of the role model she provided these high school runners this season.

And I got to forge deep friendships, the kind that will last forever. In a world where so much goes wrong on a daily basis, a world where the spotlight shines too often on misery and the prospects of doom, what these girls achieved this season was commendable, and should be celebrated.

What greater gift could there be? Thank you girls for a phenomenal season. Go Spuds!

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Freshman Tracy Zeng (left) and junior Winnie Chang gut it out on the Riverside Cross Country course — Photo by Momoe Takamatsu

 

 

 

A Different Type of Family

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CIF.

Ever since I became involved in sports I had always thought of CIF as the place where the best of the best go to compete. I never thought in a million years I would make it there, especially for cross country.

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Photo Credit: MomoeTakamatsu

This past weekend, my high school girls’ cross country team (only consisting of five members), our two coaches and a few key members of our support group, made the long haul to Riverside, California. It was an all day event, starting from the early hours of the morning and not returning until well after the sun had gone down. The traffic was horrendous, the dust was suffocating (leaving us with the worst “runner’s cough,”) and the pain felt never ending.

I would do it all over again.

This is a memory I will cherish and I will always be grateful for being given this opportunity. The traffic, coughing and eternal pain, pale in comparison to the memories we made that day. The girls, some I knew from years before and some I just met this year, are now like sisters to me. All the long practices, blisters, sweat, tears and countless times of feeling like our chests were going to explode or we were going to lose our lunches, brought us together in an unexplainable bond.

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Photo Credit: Momoe Takamatsu

Running has changed me and made me into the person I am. It has taught me so much more than just how to breathe or use my arms to make it up a hill. It has done more than just help me get into shape. It has been tough and very painful but it has taught me a sense of commitment, strength, and family.

I would have never experianced any of this if it wasn’t for my coach.

Our coach shared with us after the race that we were the first team he’s ever taken to CIF. When he told us how proud he was and how much growth he’s seen in us, it brought tears to my eyes. I have been running for him since my freshman year. I am now a senior and this past race was my final one. This man that I call a coach, teacher, advisor, and friend is the most generous and inspiring man I know. He has been there cheering me on and encouraging me more times than I can count. He is like a second father to me, pushing me to the point that I want to yell back, but always knowing what’s best for me, supporting me to no end. Turning my jersey in means so much more than just an end to a sports season. It is an end to that chapter in my life, but not an end to the friendship that was made. I know that will always be there and he will always be there, cheering me on at the finish line.

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Photo Credit: MomoeTakamatsu

 

When it Hits…

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P.G.P. something also known as the Pre Game Poop.

If you’re a real athlete, then you’ve definitely had a run in with this situation once or twice.

For those of you who don’t know (the non-athletes), the P.G.P. is no joking matter.

It doesn’t happen during just one certain sport, it is all, it doesn’t affect just one type of athlete, it is all. The athletes who experience this range from inexperienced high school athletes to professional athletes.

It is a stomach-wrenching sensation that plagues many athletes right before they set out for competition. It can hit at anytime, but the most common time for it to set in is about five minutes before starting something that won’t allow any stopping to use the bathroom. This sensation will hit and you will make a mad dash for the bathroom at the last minute. However, once you actually get through the long line (due to other people that are experiencing P.G.P) you realize that you actually don’t have to go to the bathroom and it is really just your nerves acting up.

Photo Credit: http://4.bp.blogspot.com

 

Doctor Talib

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The Broncos defense was extra aggressive last Sunday when they visited the Indianapolis Colts.

It’s safe to say that the Broncos defense is the best in the NFL and their secondary prides themselves as a “no fly zone.” However, the Andrew Luck led offense of the Colts easily picked apart the Broncos defense and this angered many defensive players.

Picture Credit: “extras.mnginteractive.com”

Frustrated about his team’s performance, Aqib Talib, a corner of the Denver Broncos, took to unorthodox methods of playing defense. On one of the last plays of the game, Colts tight end Dwayne Allen and Von Miller were jawing when Aqib ran up and stuck his fingers in Allen’s helmet and purposely poked Allen’s eye.

Picture Credit: “localtvkdvr.files.wordpress.com”

Talib has been suspended by the NFL for one game. He was suspended ONE game for trying to gouge another player’s eyes out. Talib definitely should be suspended more than one game.

Oh, and someone had the great idea of changing Talib’s position from cornerback to optometrist.

Picture Credit: “dailysnark.com”

 

American Football Meets Crumpets

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October 25 marked the thirteenth NFL game in London’s Wembley stadium since 2007. The less than disappointing bout between the Buffalo Bills and Jacksonville Jaguars was witnessed by over 84,000 cheering Brits.

Picture Credit: “www.usnews.com”

I hope that they know they are cheering for the Buffalo Bills and the Jacksonville Jaguars…

Regardless of what low echelon team plays in Wembley, the soccer loving British will always find a way to fill the seats.

They have managed to hold two sell-out games in two weeks. The Bills versus Jags, and the Kansas City Chiefs versus the Detroit Lions.

In the 2015 season there are three scheduled games in London, next year league officials have told London fans that there are to be four.

This growing popularity in pigskin slinging in London has encouraged London officials to encourage a permanent team in England.

The most popular NFL team in London are the Jacksonville Jaguars – yeah I know.

NFL representatives are optimistic that a team could be moved to the crumpet-munchers around 2022.

Jumping In My List

thericemuncher1 Comment

As an adrenaline junky and extreme sports enthusiast; I encourage activities that include lapses of free-falling. That’s why I felt so compelled to write about the 36th annual Bridge Day in Fayetteville, West Virginia.

This event attracted an estimated 400 jumpers and 10,000 spectators to the 800 foot drop of the New River Gorge bridge. One after one, the jumpers stepped off the edge of the bridge to commence their free fall.

Picture Credit: “www.xtremespots.com”

 

What is BASE jumping and why would anyone ever do it?

Well, let’s explain the easy part first.

B.A.S.E stands for buildings, antennas, spans, and earth. The latter of the two meaning bridges and cliffs. The basic idea is that the jumper climbs to the top of one of the four mentioned and jumps off of it with a parachute. Jumps are usually under 1600 ft and speeds can reach up to 120 mph – Dang!

When questioned whether BASE diving was worth dying for one anonymous jumper explained, “BASE Jumping isn’t worth dying for, but it is worth risking dying for.”

One jumper from New River Gorge explained that BASE jumping feels like “nothing else in the world is a thought that goes through your brain, it’s just pure serenity.” Another jumper said that she could “convince myself to do pretty much anything,” if she could convince herself “to do something like this (meaning BASE jumping).”

Most people probably won’t BASE jump in their lives, but I know I will.

 

WOO FOOTBALL! not…

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In the US of A every Sunday is a day of gathering between family and friends. No, not church, football!

Picture Credit: “cdn.fansided.com”

Now picture this, you’re sitting with your friends on Sunday and turn on a NFL game. You tune in just as commercials start. You think, “oh no big deal, I’ll just go grab some more chips and guacamole”. When you get back one of the teams is running a play so you sit down to watch it. Five seconds later the play is over and commercials come back on.

Now you have food, but no entertainment. Unless, of course, you enjoy the same commercials being repeated for three hours.

This infuriated me, I felt that I was watching less of the actual game compared to commercial time. So I did a little bit of research.

Picture Credit: “www.sportsgrid.com”

 

 

This pie graph will help demonstrate my frustration. According to the graph, the actual action in a football game (meaning when the ball is snapped till the play is called dead by an official) happens in a mere 11 minutes. Compared to that there are 63 minutes of commercials, 67 minutes of players standing around, 35 minutes of random shots of coaches, the crowd and cheerleaders. Even the replays take up more time with 15 minutes.

If that doesn’t annoy a football enthusiast like myself, then I don’t know what will.

Homecoming

happyrose15
Photo Credit: reflector.uindy.edu

This past weekend many schools held their homecoming dances and games.

A time in the year when school show their spirit and during their dances the student body dresses up and post on Instagram how they got asked to this “magical” night, most likely to spark a flame of jealousy into their hundreds of followers.

Photo Credit: twitter.com

At OVS we don’t have homecoming, for a couple of reasons.

First, we don’t have
a football team making those ever so famous homecoming scenes, where the home team pulls through when their star player is injured and the water boy ends up making the game winning touch down – impossible for us to recreate.

Next, we are a school of less than 200 people so it makes little sense to have a dance where only twenty people who really want to be there.

Homecoming is a time when of the student body comes together as a community and shows their dedication to their school, but since OVS is already such a tight-knit community we don’t need a dance or a sports event to bring us together.