Paw Prints WeeklyThe student newspaper of Glen A. Wilson High School | Hacienda Heights, CA 91745

Volume 46, Issue 14 | Friday, February 14, 2014 | pawprintsweekly.com

2 3Tenure policy’s short probation period results in lack of quality teachers.

Writer believes lowering expectations is the key to a happier life.

By CINDY KIMSTAFF WRITER

The first Improv Olympics, hosted by Catstyles Theater, was held in the Little Theater at 6 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 7.

The advanced drama members were split into three countries: Burundi, Zimbabwe and Samoa. After each round, the winning team chose the next game. The team that won, Burundi, was awarded with gift cards to a place of their choice.

Chosen by drama members, some of the games included “ABCs,” “Good, Bad, Worst” and “Dating Game,” which tested the drama members’ ability to react to a hypothetical situation based on their acting skills.

Drama member senior Colin Greenup says that the event was inspired by their previous Improv

Comedy Night.“After brainstorming for a

while, we decided to model it off the Olympics because it also started on Friday,” Greenup said. “I think it’s a nice change from prior comedy nights because it’s fresh, more entertaining and the audience is able to interact.”

In the days leading up to the event, the advanced drama members practiced playing the games with their teammates during class.

According to Greenup, the teams strategized to find their strengths and strike the other teams’ weaknesses by constantly rehearsing the games and choosing who their strongest players were for each category.

Catstyles director Kim Weaver says that the event was a good learning experience for the students.

“I loved how the whole event was filled with energy. All of the students are very competitive so it

Annual choir concert showcases love songsBy NATALIE ONGSTAFF WRITER

Voices of Wilson presented their annual love songs concert, “Songs of Love”, in the Little Theater on Feb. 11 and 12.

The performance included love songs such as “Make You Feel My Love” by Adele and “Simple Song”,

an original duet composed by choir director Mr. Brown.

Brown handpicked songs for each choir group and allowed performers to choose their own songs through an audition process in the Little Theater.

Jazz Cat member sophomore Melissa Baez says that performing in a group gave her confidence.

“Being in a group, I wasn’t that nervous. Even though I wasn’t that

nervous a part of me felt that I was going to mess up,” Baez said. “I was so glad I could perform with them.”

Prior to the concert, Jazz Cats practiced incorporating feelings of love into the technical aspects of singing.

“In my class, Jazz Cats, we were working on learning what the song meant and tried to convey our feelings in dynamics,” Jazz Cat

member sophomore Megan Le said.

Mr. Brown says that he hopes to improve in the future.

“I think it went well. There were a few technical difficulties, but it went really smoothly. It went smoother than last year,” Mr. Brown said. “I hope next time we can transition more efficiently with the equipment we have.”

Burundi wins first in Improv Olympics

VOICES OF LOVE - (Top) - Wilson Rhythm, the mixed chorus, sings “Down the Road”, conducted by Mr. Brown. (Bottom Left) - Host senior Naomi Whiteley sings “Crazy for You”, accompanied by host senior Daniel Perla on the guitar. (Bottom Right) - Junior Ryan Luong covers “My Heart Will Go On” with reenactments from the movie Titanic.

PHOTOS/KATRINA WU, HANZHI RUI

Wilson student advances to regional speech contest

By PHILLIP LAWSTAFF WRITER

Three students competed against three schools in the annual Hacienda La Puente Administra-tors Association Speech Contest on Thursday, Feb. 6, at the Hacienda La Puente Unified School District board room.

Contestant senior Ashley Godoy won first place and ad-vanced to the Glendale Regional Contest in a competition against Los Altos, Workman and La Puente HS. Sophomore Nhat Tran, senior Firuze Barimani and all speakers from other schools received $25 for participating.

“I think it’s good for kids to gain skills in public speaking be-cause you will need them in life after high school,” adviser Samuel Barone said. “The better you get at it, the more persuasive, dynamic and confident you can sound.”

Each speaker presented a three minute speech presenting solutions for education problems and was judged based on speaking quality, body language, eye contact, per-suasiveness, support, introduction, body and conclusion.

Godoy says that the prompt was the most difficult aspect.

“I found the prompt to be most difficult because [it] was so vague. I had a very hard time dissecting and putting it together, [so] I went to the principal, Mr. Chang, and got his feedback,” Godoy said.

Prior to the competition, Bar-one held auditions for applicants, selecting three representatives and three alternates. Practice ses-sions were held on Monday’s and Wednesday’s, in which Barone and each participant critiqued every speaker’s presentation.

Godoy encourages students to attend such events.

“There’s competition and you can only send three students from each school, but anybody who wants to participate can grow. You meet a lot of new people like the superintendent, so it gives you this moment to be proud of the school you represent,” Godoy said.

Godoy will participate in the Glendale Regional Contest at 6 p.m. on March 5.

was exciting to see them do their best and watch the audience have a good time. Also, it’s a great skill for the students to learn to improvise

IN IT TO WIN IT - Burundi celebrate their first place, winning by a small margin on Friday, Feb. 7 in the Little Theater. PHOTO/KATRINA WU

and act on the spot,” Weaver said.The next play, “Fools!”, is set to

take place in the Little Theater on April 10 to April 12.

8Girls water polo win league championships and qualify for CIF.

EDITORIALPaw Prints Weekly

Volume 46 | Issue 14Glen A. Wilson High School16455 E. Wedgeworth DriveHacienda Heights, CA 91745

www.pawprintsweekly.com

ADVISERKady Anderson-Fibrow

EDITORS-IN-CHIEFJason Li

Stephanie Lin

EDITORS

NEWSStephanie LinRu-Ping Chen

EDITORIALJason Li

FEATUREJoyce Noh

ENTERTAINMENTApril Chung

Joyce Ou

PERSPECTIVESTiffany YehJoann Cai

SPORTSAshley LeeJanae Yip

VISUALSKatrina WuSabrina Lim

STAFFOlivia ChangHelen ChenIsis CortesAnsel DengMaile FokAndrea Hu

Samuel HwangCindy KimVivian Kim

Marianna KwanDixon LamPhillip LawCarina LeeNilson LeeBrian LengJesse Limon

Caleb LinStephanie MaNatalie Ong

Jennifer QuachKarishma Shamdasani

Tiffany Tran Jin Uh

Yuko UsuiAudrey Wang Melanie Wang

Min Wong Kirsten Young

Melanie Yu Sabrina Zelaya

Every spring, thousands of teachers are given

the pink slip—a polite threat that their jobs are not safe.

The situation may be changing for these teachers, as nine California high school students recently sued the state over teacher tenure laws on the basis that incompetent teachers in poorer communities are tenured at the expense of the students.

After a 2-year probation period, these contested laws grant tenure to new teachers, who then may only be fired for poor performance or misconduct.

While these laws may protect teachers from unreasonable layoffs, they also keep many inadequate teachers on the job because it is too difficult to fire them, thus making it necessary for the state to revise the tenure laws.

Relieving tenured teachers is a lengthy and expensive process, leading to a Last In, First Out policy, where the most recent teachers are laid off when districts face budget cuts. Because of this, seniority is prioritized over skill.

Students deserve to have the best education available to them. However, while schools can easily fire new ineffective teachers, they face much more difficulty in dismissing those with tenure, even those with substandard abilities. In the end, these teachers can only be kept around or transferred.

Such was the case in 2009, when Carlos Polanco, a teacher at Virgil Middle School in Koreatown, insulted a student who attempted suicide. The school board voted to fire him, but the review commission, which preferred to avoid attempts to fire tenured

teachers, overturned the decision.

Still, tenure does provide benefits to the community by preventing schools from circling through new sets of teachers each year, creating familiarity within the community. Tenure also allows deserving teachers to stay within the same classroom and refine their skills to fit the needs of students in a particular community.

However, tenure protects all teachers equally, regardless of their quality of teaching. By having even a few unskilled teachers stay year after year, schools lose credibility and push concerned parents to seek other places to educate their children, cutting the schools’ budgets and making it even more difficult to fire those few teachers.

In addition according to a 2008 report, teacher evaluations generally

consist of a checklist of surprisingly basic items such as tidiness of the classroom and quality of work on the walls, which are not relevant to the effectiveness of a teacher.

Clearly, the tenure law needs revision. Extending the probationary period will ensure that teachers are thoroughly and accurately evaluated. Shortening the due process for firing tenured teachers, abolishing the LIFO policy and evaluating tenured teachers periodically ensures not only that tenured teachers will be fully qualified to teach, but also that their teaching will be consistently effective.

Educators are a vital part of education, and an inept educator can set students behind for their entire lives. California must make the right choice and change its tenure law so that no teacher is paid for inefficiency.

ART/TIFFANY TRAN

Tenure policy in need of stricter guidelines

An open forum, Paw Prints Weekly, encourages the written opinion of its

readers in the form of signed letters to the editor or longer commentaries on topical

subjects.

While we recognize the individuality of all forms of expression we reserve the

right to edit and censor that which we feel necessary in accordance with California Education Code 48907 and standards of

good taste.

All communications must be signed and submitted to room C-9 or emailed directly to editor@pawprintsweekly.com It should

also be understood that the views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the opinion of individual Paw Prints Weekly staff members or the

policy of Glen A. Wilson.

pawprintsweekly.com2 OPINION FRIDAY, FEB. 14, 2014

Writer trumps stereotypical definition of leadership

Lower expectations results in happier lifestyles

PERSPECTIVESBy MARIANNA KWANSTAFF WRITER

Confident, social, assertive, outgoing, brilliant, bold, responsible, intelligent… these words often come to mind when we think of a leader.

We often take these adjectives and jumble it all up into one person, and call it a leader. But contrary to what most of us believe, being a leader doesn’t require you to be someone who possesses all those characteristics, simply because that would be impossible.

Leaders will have their strengths in one area, but have weaknesses in another. For this reason, there isn’t just one type of leader- there are actually multiple kinds.

A leader can be someone who is quiet, but strategic and analytical, a problem-solver who brings futuristic ideas to the table.

A leader doesn’t have to be the smartest person in the prestigious company, but can instead have the ability to delegate and to form well-rounded teams. Still others could excel at helping others develop and fine-tune their strengths.

For example, President Teddy Roosevelt was a head-strong leader who knew how to get the job done no matter the cost. But because of his stubborn will to execute things his own way, he may have

found himself lacking in areas of adaptability.

Although it’s obvious he had skills to improve on, that’s only to be expected of any leader. Much of the success of his presidency was contributed to the weaknesses that worked to make him unique in his leadership style- a stubborn and iron-willed president.

Teddy Roosevelt is an example of one of the many kinds of leaders. His leadership style and skillset may have been different from anyone else’s, but he was still a leader because he was able to bring about profound change to the nation. In

the same way, because everyone has so many different talents, strengths and abilities, most everyone can be a leader in their own right if they choose to be.

However, even after pointing this out, many people still feel that being a leader just isn’t for them. They may feel irrelevant, incompetent or insignificant. They may often dismiss the notion of stepping up to the leadership role, believing that they don’t have what it takes.

But contrary to what they may believe, the reality is that the world needs leaders- all kinds of

leaders. Yes, we need people who are commanding and adaptable, empathetic and outgoing.

But we also need others who are diligent and responsible, intelligent and innovative in their own way. We need people to lead and to set the example for others to follow.

It’s only through leadership that people and their nations can move forward and improve. People such as Martin Luther King Jr. understood this, and led the nation to move away from a time of racism into an era of peace and acceptance.

If people were to see that they themselves have the potential to be someone great, societies would never be lacking in the man power to make big changes.

Hassan Rouhani wouldn’t be alone in his attempt to bring peace to the Middle East, and Bono wouldn’t be alone in his philanthropic efforts.

The awareness of each person’s leadership abilities would bring about significant change- there would be more leaders, more influence, and at the end of it all, more impact.

ART/AUDREY WANG

Paw Prints WeeklyFRIDAY, FEB. 14, 2014 OPINION 3

By DIXON LAMSTAFF WRITER

Remember a time in your life when your parents made an empty promise to buy you that special gift that you’ve secretly wanted for months? I recollect a moment during my 7th birthday: my parents offered to purchase the newly released Nintendo DS for my birthday present that year.

Well, unluckily for me, the

promise never came through and I felt sad throughout the week.

However, what struck me most was not that I didn’t receive the gift— rather the underlying hope that there was a possibility that I would even get it.

In fact, had the idea of owning a Nintendo DS not been brought up in the first place, I would not have been able to consider it, and consequentially—not have been in the dejected state that I was.

Also, if by some chance my parents had bought the Nintendo

DS for me without telling me beforehand, the reward of owning one would be so much greater.

It is simply a human quality to be bothered by failure of meeting expectations. This is evident especially in today’s generation of over-achievers.

From an early age we are taught by our parents to “Strive to be the best you can be” and to “Be anything you want.”

Yet it is these ideas our parents instill in us that lead to our misery—these high expectations

that are seldom met.In fact, according to economists

Rakesh Sarin and Manel Baucells, in their book Engineering Happiness, they bring up the fundamental equation: “happiness equals reality minus expectations.”

To many, Sarin and Baucells’ equation may seem as “settling for less”. However, if you have little to no expectations in the first place, nothing is seen as less in your eyes; everything will either meet or exceed your expectations.

This feat is exhibited by the happiest nation in the world: Denmark. When studying why Danes tend to be such happy people, demographer James W. Vaupel, proposes that “year after year Danes are pleasantly surprised to find out that not everything is rotten in the state of Denmark.”

Danes inherently know that low expectations breed happiness.

By anticipating a disastrous year, Danes are strategically setting themselves up for success. They are not saddened if their country is in turmoil as this is expected. However, they are overjoyed when a year in Demark simply passes smoothly without hardships.

We can learn from the Danes as they teach us an important lesson: happiness is transient. It comes and goes when it wants to, but having managed expectations alleviates us from the pressure of trying to attain the intangible, bleak quality labeled perfection.

Often times, we expect far too much from people and life in general. By taking things for granted, we place a tremendous amount of stress onto ourselves when our expectations fall short.

Instead, take pleasure in the attainable; lower your expectations and your gratitude towards the good in life will be greatly amplified.

As for me, well, my 7th birthday was incredible anyways.

ART/TIFFANY TRAN

Let us be together for eternity.

– Spencer Chen

Dear Joyce, Thank you so much for all you do! You’re an awesome TA and a joy to be with. I’m stoked to see where you’ll go in life (yes I know… you’re just a junior). Sincerely,

Mr. Lawrence.

To: TracyEven if you were my brother, I would still want you.

Especially if you were my brother.

Thank you for all the hard work you have done this year. I love you all… Think about it. –Mr. Brown

Wei

Yearbook is better than Paw Prints, but I still

love you guys! #lessthanthreeILY all.

Dear Alvin Liu, you’re cute. Joey Sun is sexy. Firuze

Barimani Mr. Wilson 2014. Alvin Tran PAD GOD! Paven Chung Princess

Kawaii <3 desu

Changed

You’ve

Jon

My dearest TeddyYou are my one and only. I want to spend the rest of my life hugging my Teddy bear. – Samantha Shyong

Hi fona pona fona pona fona pona fona pona fona pona fona pona

fona. I’m only dating you so I can hold your stuff.

Marianna Gloria Kwan… I got some fries for you, a quarter

pounder with cheese how bout some dim sum and some shu

mai so tasty ;) nah nah nah nah nah nah nah. <3 S.S.

Je suis une pomme.

Gissela, Lindsay, Iliana, Megan, Rachel, Catherine, Kaelyn,

Elena, and Sabrina. Thanks for being AMAZING best friends! I’ll miss you when high school

ends. Love you guys!

Kaelyn!!!!! You are the best person ever!!

Love you always! – Justin Chan

I feed and love all my little WAM

Babies.

pawprintsweekly.com4 FEATURE FRIDAY, FEB. 14, 2014

VALENTINE’S DAY SHOUT-OUTS

pawprintsweekly.com FEATURE 5FRIDAY, FEB. 14, 2014

Big C-Dawg, I’m still waiting on

night 7 ;)To Mark

Thompson, Happy

Valentine’s Day! You are wonderful.

WE LOVE TRIMBORN – SIXTH PERIOD +

VIVIAN KIM

Who needs a Valentine when you have chips? (P.S. sorry for the roller coaster)

Hi Simone Yu, you’re my favorite

person I love you <3Subscribe to

MelSimanie on YouTube! Melanie and Simone are “cool” like Elsa and Anna (LOL.)

Youra [cutie] Bae, My love for you is

like a thousand suns. Forever Burning.

Dearest Paw Printers— thank you for making

each day so much fun!

- Mrs. Fibrow

Happy Birthday, Mrs. Anderson-Fibrow!

Jodi your chocolate

complexion is perfection. Let

me LEI you down. Don’t deny it baby.

Janae; surfboard ;) grindin on that...be

mine? You make me wanna Yip Yip

- Turtle

“This is a change in hydrogen with

breathable oxygen… they’re flowers. Do you sell them? I’m

afraid not. Maybe we could make a deal,”

Taffy Lee Cho ~ -Froyoboy.

Be my Nigerian Queen? Lemme take you down. You make me wanna Monyei. ILY Patricia.

– Boo Thang

Dearest Robert Rogan, Shall I

compare you to a fine summer day?

Marilou, Estefania, Karen, Catherine, Lindsay & Sarina

ILY all.

To: Angel YiThe moment I laid my eyes on you I knew you were the one.

Go to prom with me. From: Benjamin Hsieh

Dear Alvin, Hey bro…you’re awesome. :) Mr.

Lawrence

Joann Cai, Please accept

our love. – Hans Li & Dixon Lam

NOH one compares to you.

I paid $2 and all I got was this lousy ad.

Paw Prints, you guys have a bomb

paper! Keep up the good work!

Kae will you be my bae? You

already know tho what’s going down

Kawamoto ;) –Your Dark

Lover

Yitsac, always getting ladies left to right

with that smile of yours that’s so brightLove you even though you’re full of poo

You’re a great friend and I’m always here for you

Happy Valentine’s Day, Stud.

Win or lose we’re still a family <3 Go Ladycats!!! <3

Dear Nelson, Where would I

be without your help? You’ve been

so kind to me everyday. Thank

you for being you! Sincerely, Mr.

Lawrence

KAELYN, I’ll miss you next year, have fun in college! :) Love, Jared

Kawamoto [Bro]

Loneliness is only in the mind.

Thank you for your company, I

appreciate it beyond words. Remember, it’s always best to smile. Justin An,

Ily.

Captains Chris and Derek,We appreciate all the hard work and time you guys

sacrifice for our team. Let’s finish the season strong! :)

- Wilson All-Male

You guys brighten up

my day, Alexia, Brianna, Cao,

Emily, Liz, and Martha <3

-Estefania

MARILYN TSAI: WE MERMAID FOR EACHOTHER… BE

MINE?

To: PoptartThinking about you and pieces of a cider sky, all

the catchy melodies, our little talks. Let’s go back

to the beginning, you & I.

OU. OU. OU. Manyan OU!

Uyyy c; lemme love you

bby gurl.

Hi Sab. Sorry I’m Muddy DOE.

Ditcher Phillip, Hi Kirsten!!! Hi Melanie I think you guys are

amazing :) - Jam Yeh

Dear reader, Are you a fruit because Honeydew you know how fine you

look right hon?

The beautiful Scarlette Rose, is no Hester Prynne. Her love is a faithful sun-

set. Whenever I glance upon her, my jaw drops like an earthquake ~ da da da

da da da da –MK

pawprintsweekly.com6 FEATURE FRIDAY, FEB. 14, 2014

PAAAAU-UULLL!!! <3

– Sophia, Oscar, Alex, Vivian, Will

I know we are going to Sadies, but Vivian

Nathaniel Song is cute. Jocelyn is awesome.

(TY Katrina for the dollar)

By K.SHAMDASANI STAFF WRITER

Kidnappings, car chases and evil aliens: the dangers three sixth graders face in Adam Alexander’s Shifter’s Trail.

Andromeda Brown, the protagonist, is a sixth grader with a penchant for numbers. After she and her two best friends end up shipwrecked during a sailing trip, the three children find themselves onboard an alien starship, which had crashed and sunk into the same lake. There they learn about another alien race bent on conquering Earth and embark on a quest to defeat them.

From here on, Shifter’s Trail

takes the form of a classic adventure but with a twist. While keeping the excitement of fantasy, it replaces magic with science.

For once, our heroes do not have superpowers, magical ability or godly parentage. They are forced to rely solely on their own quick wits and intelligence. Indeed, Andromeda and her friends continuously apply knowledge learned in school throughout their quest to defeat the invading alien race. This is a fresh concept in a literary world drowning in heroes and heroines that are too powerful to be relatable.

Science is also pervasive throughout the novel via scientific references, such as naming the Brown family’s boat Schrodinger’s Cat, rewarding readers well-versed

in scientific studies and principles. At the same time though, this

can also detract from the reading experience. These unnecessary explanations become cumbersome to read when the reader really wants to get back to the action. For example, a detailed explanation on finding the volume of a figure in the middle of a novel seems to belong to a textbook, not a fiction book.

Luckily, Shifter’s Trail finds success in the relationship between our three human protagonists and their new alien comrades.

In spite of the unlikely circumstances, their companionship develops slowly with realistic interaction. They look out for each in the face of danger and learn to work t o g e t h e r

despite their obvious and extensive differences. This gradual transformation is heartwarming and gratifying as they rely on each other more with each increasingly dire situation.

One of the most lovable characters in the novel, Nurse Cook, is an alien-made robot. His naiveté is evident but endearing. With only outdated knowledge of human history and culture to rely on, he sports a gray ponytail, speaks like an eighteenth century Englishmen and uses thousand-dollar bills. As the children’s first friend in a strange new world, Nurse Cook earns the readers’ approval for being caring and dependable.

Unfortunately, this novel is overly conscious of itself

when it comes to its human characters. The author tries too hard to portray Andromeda and her friends as children. Their interactions and personalities come across as stereotypical and inauthentic. Consequently, over-the-top and cliché vocabulary crops up randomly, obstructing the flow of events and alienating the audience.

Shifter’s Trail comes off as a fast-paced adventure, albeit a little difficult to invest in at first. It is a distinctive story, mixing together sci-fi, mystery and adventure. Though the novel’s corniness is enough to make your eyes roll at times, the action and sense of camaraderie ultimately make up for it.

IMAGE/OUTSKIRTS PRESSGRAPHIC/OLIVIA

CHANG

By ANSEL DENGSTAFF WRITER

Rapper Macklemore’s future looks promising as he continues to dominate billboards. However, his uncommon category of music may have brought him into bad terms with hip-hop fans.

Recently, controversy arose when Macklemore took home trophies for “Best Rap Album,” “Best Rap Song,” “Best Rap Performance” and “Best New Artist” at the 2014 Grammy Awards. Many were angered that rapper Kendrick Lamar, with his promising album good kid, mA.A.d city, was snubbed in favor of Macklemore.

Fans of rap believe that Macklemore’s supposedly hip-hop-style music appeals to the wrong audience: mainstream radio and pop music listeners. After all, pop fans are more drawn to Macklemore’s fresh and progressive song topics—which range from drug abuse to thrift

shopping—than hip-hop fans are.

Yet it is important to understand that there is gray area when defining “hip-hop.”

In my opinion, hip-hop is a culture that includes rap music, a concept many people do not understand. In strict categorization, Macklemore is a rap artist but should not be viewed a part of the hip-hop community.

Rather, artists such as A$AP Rocky, Kendrick Lamar, Tyga and others embody hip-hop culture. What contrasts the aforementioned artists with Macklemore is their discography, personal life and behavior. The artists’ rich but lavish lifestyles, their constant conflicts with paparazzi and most importantly their dynamically rhythmic songs all contribute to their distinction as hip-hop artists.

For example, rapper Meek Mill manifests hip-hop because most of his songs fall under “hype,” a type of rap that involves hard-hitting beats and rapid

articulation. His speedy rap execution and his rhythmic flow are remarkable, and most of his songs feature aggressive beats accentuated by forceful rap and flow. In addition, Meek Mill does not exactly live a frugal and penny-pinching lifestyle, nor does he forget to boast of his wealth in his songs, such as in “Rich and Famous.”

On the other hand, while Macklemore’s music outshines hip-hop rappers in catchiness and melody, he lacks the rhythmic value that hip-hop stresses. When people think of Macklemore, the emotive “Same Love” or funky “Thrift Shop” comes to mind.

Macklemore’s classification in the pop, rather than the hip-hop genre, is due to his unique discography.

In fact, Macklemore, given some time to develop his special blend of pop-rap fusion, may dominate not only the radio, but may also win the approval of everyone—even his hip-hop fan critics.

GRAPHIC/JENNIFER QUACH

Macklemore: more pop artist than hip-hop rapper

Shifter’s Trail a unique blend of action and sciencepawprintsweekly.com ENTERTAINMENT 7FRIDAY, FEB. 14, 2014

Olympics 1954: Never underestimate the underdogsBy BRIAN LENGSTAFF WRITER

Heading into the Winter Olympics of 2014 in Sochi, the

Girls water polo closes season as league champions

U.S. hockey team is living under the shadow of a miracle, Thirty-four years ago, 8,500 attendees at the Olympic Center in New York watched a hockey game considered to be a modern

By SAMUEL HWANGSTAFF WRITER

Girl’s water polo swam to victory in a 16-2 win over Baldwin Park HS.

This victory brought the girls to an overall 12-6 record (8-1 league).

Co-captain Stephanie Gonzalez (12) led the team with four goals, as the team’s set.

Going into the game Gonzalez felt positive due to the team’s hard work during practices.

“We continued focusing on defense and practiced limiting the number of shots. As (coach) Leonard always says, defense wins games,” Gonzalez said.

After the win, Gonzalez expressed her contentment with the girl’s play, but still sees room for improvement.

“We did really well on offense and defense. However, we made some careless turnovers and we need to work on perfecting our play,” Gonzalez said.

Additionally, last Saturday the girls played in a tournament hosted by Los Altos at Wilson.

At the tournament, the girls won one game against Schurr HS and lost the others against

Downey and Whittier HS.Co-captain Ashley Lee brings

up her concerns for CIF after the results of the tournament.

“I’m concerned with who our first match up will be in the first round of CIF. In the tournament we lost to a division 2 team that we could’ve beaten,” Lee said.

In preparation of CIF, head coach Leonard Canchola is focusing on specific areas during practice.

“We are working on improving our extra man offense. Currently our ability to score off an extra man situation is not strong at all. In order for us to be successful in the playoffs, we will also have to work on strengthening our defense,” Canchola said.

The girls will soon be heading into their first round of CIF.

GOODBYES - (Top) The team’s seniors are honored for their commitment. (Left) Sophia Banh (12) attempts to pass to a driving teammate. (Right) Sabrina German (11) goes for the goal as the clock runs out.

PHOTOS/KATRINA WU

FEATUREday David vs. Goliath story.

The 1984 team, consisting of amateurs, managed to take down an invincible Soviet team that had won every Olympic championship since 1954.

This event, which was just the start of a historical run towards the gold medal, has since been dubbed the “Miracle on Ice”.

And rightfully so. The Soviets consisted of legendary players –from team captain Boris Mikhailov to arguably the best goalkeeper of that time, Vladislav Tretiak. These men were considered the greatest in the world.

On the other hand, the U.S. team consisted of college recruits, making it the youngest team in US Olympic history. Coach Herb Brooks, the head coach from Minnesota University, led the 20-man group.

Despite the huge difference in skill, the entire nation knew that this was an important game. After all, Russia and the United States had been rival superpowers ever since the Cold War began. Thus, the arena was packed as many fans showed their national pride.

In the first half of the game, team USA found themselves losing to the Soviets just as expected. However, they were only down by a slight 3-2 margin, which surprised many viewers who had predicted a slaughter.

Russian coach Viktor Tikhonov shocked both teams by switching Tretiak with a backup goalie. In a later interview, he would admit that it was the worst mistake of his career.

Things began to pick up in the second half as the Americans managed to score two goals and take the lead with ten minutes remaining.

Panicking, the Soviets attacked wildly, finding themselves unable

to score. The crowd began to countdown as sportscaster Al Michaels said his famous line, “Do you believe in miracles? YES!”

Since then, the game has become a pinnacle of American hockey. In 2008, the International Ice Hockey Federation dubbed the “Miracle on Ice” as the century’s number one international hockey game.

In addition, the pregame speech by coach Brooks was recorded and is now known as one of the greatest speeches in sports history. It has since been referenced and used by many American teams in need of motivation.

Decades later, a stronger American team faces a similar situation at Sochi. While we may no longer be the underdogs of international hockey, it’s no secret that our Olympic matches are going to be intense. Russia has home court advantage this time around, and in this new era, the Americans are going to have to defeat the defending champions, Canada, to win the gold—a milestone we haven’t accomplished ever since that fateful day.

The past has proved that miracles could happen, so the Americans should not underestimate their opponents coming into the earlier rounds.

Above all, it is important for Team USA to move on from the miracle. Instead of lingering in the past, they should look to strive for their own historical achievement.

No one may ever repeat what those college kids managed to do, but it’s time we bring back the gold in their honor.

GRAPHIC/STEPHANIE MA

pawprintsweekly.com8 SPORTS FRIDAY, FEB. 14, 2014