Bishop Amat High School - Tusitala Yearbook (La Puente, CA)

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l I Wrestlers Make Moves For Victory Wrestling is an individual sport, real one on one. It takes hard work, but that's the way I like it. Eric Villasenor Some forty students showed up on the first day of practice to receive their first taste of a wrestler's life: a run around the block. Unfortunately, the block on which Bishop Amat rests happens to be a mile and a half long. Thus, a three-month sea- son of pain, abstinence, and vic- tory was initiated. In a month, those students who tried out for the team were narrowed down to thirteen forming the Junior Varsity Wrestling team, a squad of first and second year wrestlers who, though not of varsity caliber, still put on a good show when they got on the mat. First year wrestlers had little notion of what the sport was really like. Coach Richard Al- meida soon introduced them to some features of wrestling- namely pain, weight loss, and the push-up. Wrestling was probably the most grueling and demanding of any sport, both physically and psychologically, for in addition to two hours of intense practice daily, wrestlers were working under strict diets of less than 2000 calories a day to achieve their desired weight. Thus, the appeal of wrestling to some may seem strange, but freshman Eric Villasenor had his own views. Wrestling is an individual sport, real one on one. It takes hard work, but that's the way I like it, he re- marked. Apparently, the long hours of practice paid off, for the team ended with a great season. Fin- ishing with a 6-2 record overall, they accumulated victories such as 51-10 over Azusa and 42-27 over San Dimas. Yet training was not the only rea- son for success. There was a great deal of talent on the team and many wrestlers showed po- tential, remarked Coach Al- meida. What drove these wrestlers on? Through pain and suffering there was definitely a sense of pride that was seen in the team. I developed a sense of self-dis- cipline and accomplishment through wrestling and the win- ning's great, said sophomore Alan Arbolado. ga N V ii Bottom to top: Kevin Wilson, Chad Barnett, Kenneth Lim, Frank Orozco, Aristotle Dizon, Alan Arbolado, John Hernandez, John Juarez, Tim Ober- gon, Tim Hatfield, Carlos Padilla, David Hernandez, Eric Villasenor. Junior Varsity Wrestling Mater Dei tAzusa Crespi 'Baldwin Park Wilson iSan Dimas 'Gladstone t'Sierra Vista WON I won won lost won won won lost Overall record: 6 wins 2 losses ' Indicates Montview League Bonita Tournament 5th place El Rancho Tournament 9th place Rosemead Tournament 4th place Junior Varsity Wrestling 253

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Countering the Sierra Vista wrestIer's attack, sophomore John Juarez struggles to gain the advantage. For the wrestlers, experience on the mat was their most important teacher. Sophomore Chad Barnett looks for a chance to take the offensive. In order to win, the wrestlers were taught to be aggressive yet careful, Struggling against his foe, freshman Eric Villa- senor tries to drive him to the mat. The team soon learned that skill, not just strength, was essential to wrestling. 252 Sports Driving his opponent onto his back, sophomore Frank Orozco goes for the pin. The victory was the reward for the hard work exerted during practice. A Wilson wrestler faces off against junior Ke Wilson. At 128 pounds, Kevin was one of 1 most experienced wrestlers on the team. f S n

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Girls Track Makes Great Strides The coaching staff was excellent especially with a world class olympic hopeful training us. Rhonda Kaufman As the Girls VarsityfJunior Varsity Track team season commenced, the coaching staff was tentative. By mid-Febru- ary, they had fortunately ac- quired the talents of Mr. Fred Vartanian, Mr. Gary Brown, a 1983 alumnus and olympic hopeful, and Mr. Marcus Cheeks. The team response was stated by junior Rhonda Kauf- man, The coaching staff was excellent especially with a world class olympic hopeful training usf' To the runners, the coaches made the differ- ence. They encouraged positive attitudes among the team mem- bers. The coaching staff relat- ed well to us, stated Dana Wright. They knew what we were going through. They had been there themselves. Maria Rivas added, They helped out mentally and physically. The coaches were an important part of running, but the athletes were the ones who won the meets. All runners had events in which they were prominent. In the 110 and 330 hurdles, senior Maria Rivas and sophomore Dana Wright excelled. Junior in such events as the 400 sprint, the 440 relay, and the mile re- lay. Junior Kim White aided the team with her excellent form in the 800 and mile relay. In the distance races freshmen Kristie Bubbert and Norma Edge showed incredible stam- ina. This year we had good tal- ent and were a well rounded team. We were strong in various events, not just one in particu- lar,', stated Jackie Watts. Through team spirit and unity they broke strides never achieved. The team was confi- dent and showed impressive talent. They were committed to the squad and to each other. Our strong practices paid-off when we caught up in the end to win the race, stated Coach Fred Vartanian. Like all sports, it took time, effort, and teamwork to make a winning team. The coaches along with the athletes needed to want a winning season to achieve results. Freshman Kris- tie Bubbert summed up the track season by stating, Track was not just coming out and running, it was practicing hard and getting good results. Jackie Watts was a powerhouse Girls Varsityflunior Varsity Track i Bronco Invitational Montclair iChaffeyJ 'Pius X ,'Northridge Invitational Servite 'Bishop Amat Relays Bishop Montgomery Mater Dei Valencia Invitational 'Saint Paul lk lk Ik Ik ik 9' Indicates Angelus League Front row: Rhonda Kaufman, Dana Wright. Jackie Watts, Kristie Bubbert, Norma Edge. I Melinda Arnold, Jennifer Sandoval. Second row: Rosa Postovoit, Rebecca Calderon, Rita Martin, Nicole Apodaca, Paula Asinas, Rachel Postovoii, Nancy Diaz De Leon. Tricia Arlotti. Third row: Gloria Garcia, Coach Gary Brown, Leticia Cuellar, Ryan Pascal, Nicola Deidrick, Liz Marchioli, Sandy Gait, Kathleen Coleman, Jenny Anthony. Kathleen Sessman, Eloise Bradshaw, Monique Yamaguchi, Coach Fred Vartanian. Not pictured: Kim White Maria Rives, assistant Coach Marcus Cheeks. L ..... . ... ... .. . ' ... .. 254 Sports H Indicates Varsity Only