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

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Injuries Cause Disappointments Athletes who were injured during practice or games were forced to sit on the sideline and watch as their team paraded to victory or lost with dignity. Be- ing on the team was satisfying, but after being injured some- thing was missing and the satis- faction lessened. The deserving individual was denied the op- portunity to show off their hardwork. Disappointment was imbed- ded in the player's heart along with the pain of injury when the accident occured. Even though the crowd applauded as the player hobbled off the field, a smile was hard to find when the pain of injury drowned out all other feelings and noises. Senior Anna Pablo expressed her feel- ings about injuries by asserting, When I was hurt, the first thing that went through my mind was whether or not I would play volleyball ever again. After I was taken off the court and settled down on the sideline I supported the team. I wanted them to keep going. Although play resumed n the field, the team was still re- minded that a member was sit- ting on the bench observing the rest of the game instead of play- ing it. Unity was destroyed by this interruption. Now their hearts were set on winning the game for the player, who couldn't finish with them. The player who took over the disabled person's position felt obligated to fulfill that position to the best of their ability. They had pressure put upon them to play up to the team's expecta- tions. I felt worried that I wasn't going to play as well as my teammate, but I ended up doing a good job, expressed ju- nior June Moetului. Injuries caused frustration to the hardworking players. It was the sideline for them for ex- tended amounts of time. This broke many hearts, but situa- tions such as this can never be avoided. Perhaps another time will prove more satisfying. After receiving medical attention for an ankle injury sophomore Tala- Iemotu Ili awaits the outcome ofthe game. g , 97 l 0 Everyone is familar with the old saying, Practice makes per- fect. The members and coaches of each athletic team stood by that statement. Practice, hard work, and determination were the heart of each team's success. Most fans agreed that the play- ers were talented, but very rare- ly did they contemplate the hours of practice which brought the team to their victorious mo- ments. Varsity basketball play- er, senior Mike Conness de- clared, Practice takes time, cooperation, patience, and a love of the sport. At about T00 p m everyday the locker rooms were cleared and practice had begun Indivi duals involved in sports gave up Practice Makes Perfect their free time to their sport. After school jobs were out of the question, Free time to rest after a mentally draining day of aca- demics was replaced with hard physical labor. Dedication to the sport was a must because practices could sometimes be grueling. Fresh- man football coach Mr. Marcus Lewis declared, Practice is the work behind the sport so that on game day the team can relax a little and have fun. Practice didnlt always result in a win. Some teams practiced and put forward their best effort at a game and still lost This be- came discouraging yet to many winning wasn t everything Var sity soccer player senior Kevin Sherwood stated, I learned that deep down inside every- body has the power to do what they really want. The coaches continually encouraged players to do their best, and their best was what they did. Q So, it came down to the final question. Did all that practice pay off? After polling several members from various teams it was concluded that all of the hard work involved in practice was worth it. Volleyball player, freshman Dolores Davoren as- serted, Hlf it came down to it I would do it all over again. The Varsity Wrestling team begins practice by running laps. Practice required each member to take the initiative to do their best, 1 . . . . - - s i ' . . , 276 Sports

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Coaches Go Beyond The Limit On the sidelines Coach Tom Salter reassures the Freshman Football team. Coaches were valuable for boosting morale at crucial mo- ments. According to athletes as well as coaches themselves, a good coach went beyond simply re- viewing techniques and con- ducting practices. A coach should have been concerned about the athletes as individuals while teaching the importance of sportsmanship, discipline, and team work. ln general, the difference among coaches laid in the way they related to the play- ers. An obvious aspect of a coach's job was to mold the team into a unit with a single objective-to win. It was imperative, however, that a coach not let his or her ego hinder the development of all the players on a team. Ath- letes also needed to learn to take constructive criticism and not just praise. A good coach was one who loved the sport. Mrs. Tish Ja- cobs related, l love the sport of soccer. I play myself and teach the girls what l've learned. In addition to liking the sports, Mr. Glenn Martinez more fully explained his job as a varsity baseball and football coach: lt is important to give players the opportunity to compete or per- form at something that is just as important as academics. He felt that sports provided a more realistic learning exper- iencef, Just as coaches enjoyed work- ing with devoted athletes, ath- letes had ideas about coaches with whom they performed best. Varsity football player, senior Kevin Szalonek said, A coach that stands out in my mind takes time to talk with the athlete, formally expresses strengths and weaknesses, knows the student as a person and as an athlete, cares enough to make the person be the best he can be in all areas . . . Coach Mark Paradesf' A coachis job did not only en- tail producing a winning team. The coach was the corner- stone of the team, relied on for aid in both the physical and psychological aspects of a sport. Special Team Provides Helping Little did people know that behind the sports teams them- selves another team existed. A team that much of the time re- mained invisible, but existed none the less. They performed the jobs that needed to be done but that the coaches and players were too busy to do themselves. This team was made of statistic keepers, equipment managers, and water girls or boys. Statistic keepers had a diffi- cult task to perform. They had to keep a record of each player's performance during games. This wasn't always the easiest thing to do because the stat keeper had to keep from getting in- volved in the game so they could keep an accurate record. Junior Monique Molina exclaimed, 4'People donft realize how hard we really workedf, The stat keeper's records were the basis of how coaches worked the play- ers at practice by showing in what areas they needed im- Sophomores Cynthia Garcia and Stephanie Ruiz keep statistics for the Sophomore Football team. Hand provement. Many of the stat keepers were given uniforms just like the players themselves. Equipment was essential to play all games, and it would have been easily lost if it hadn't been for the important equip- ment managers who were also required to attend all games. They were responsible for keep- ing track of all equipment. They also made sure that the equip- ment stayed neat during the games and that it got home safe- ly. Anyone who had been to a sports match could see that the team players got extremely hot and thirsty. At the beginning of the season, coaches chose a cou- ple of students to be the team's water girl or boy. These people made sure that the water bottles were always full and that each player received water when they needed it. Although these people often felt overlooked, that was not truly the case. Coaches and players knew that they per- formed a vital task and appreci- ated them very much Behind The Scenes 275

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Balancing Two Heavy Loads r M9530 Playing team sports involved more than just actually partici- pating at practice and games. Athletes were required to keep their grades at a satisfactory lev- el. If they failed to do so, they risked being eliminated from the team. The rule regarding a satisfac- tory grade level was that each athlete must maintain a 2.0 grade point average. Many ath- letes were forced to change their study habits. Junior Anna Con- treras played on the varsity vol- leyball team and maintained a grade point average of 3.2. Anna felt, uPlaying sports made me Work faster on my homework. Athletes found themselves doing their homework at the od- dest times. Some did their homework on the way to games while others waited until they arrived home. Concerned coaches arranged study periods before practices making sure that their players kept up their grades. Their concern showed that athletes not only had to learn to concentrate on their sport but they also had to main- tain concentration on their much important school work. Junior Anna Contreras maintained a 3.2 grade point average and re- mained on the first squad of the vol- leyball team. 1 r-X. .K a l i r i ill .ff fi f' l - 1 . 1 . s X l 1, fl iq gn. lf i M ,.fr 'K 1 H V, Second String Scores Winners Sophomore football players ob serve their starters run the ball a few more yards Being second string meant watching from the sidelines A team is only as good as their second string, stated Coach Alex Acosta. This held true for all sport teams and were words to live by in the athletic world. Although the second string didn't play as often as the starters, they possessed as much talent. When the team was down by 20 points, the second string was always there to lift their team- matels spirits and rally their emotions They inspired them to keep golng and relingurshed some of the confidence they may have lost in the earlier min utes of the game Even though some players had to sit the bench they still practiced and worked just as hard as the players who started Second string had to learn the same plays so that they would be prepared to go into the game when necessary. Junior Brian Collins asserted, 'AEven though I sit the bench for most of the game, I am still part of the team. I practiced with them, I traveled with them, and I worked just as hard as the starters. Seniors who were second string sometimes had a harder time accepting the fact that a junior or sophomore could start over them. I was just happy that I could be on a winning team First string or second real ly didn t matter exclaimed senior Peter Beck Having been chosen as a play er on the team was what count ed most The good of the team outweighed egos for enthusiastic athletes First string and second string were equally winners after all v ti - M - - Behind The Scenes 277