Capistrano Valley High School - El Gato Yearbook (Mission Viejo, CA)

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P(jm vTo fiflt It ' s not whether you win or lose, it ' s how you play game! Charlie Brown ' s earnest excuse for blowing yet another baseball game doesn ' t quite comply with Capo ' s tradition of athletic excellence, for we play the game very well. Although our teams belong to the tough South Coast League, the Cougars have always been competitive. Most of our teams reached CIF - waterpolo, swimming, tennis, surf- ing, basketball , and in what was supposed to be a rebuild- ing year for football, they, too, managed to advance into post-season action. Given the overwhelming success and winning tradition of Cougar athletics, it ' s not surprising that some 1000 of us participate in 22 sports, ranging from track and field with over 250 participants to golf with only 20. A few out of the thousand may have the potential and ability to pursue athletics in college and perhaps even at the professional level, but most participate knowing that they will never be recruited by UCLA or offered a scholarship to Penn State. But still they practice as diligently as the stars, and even though they warm the bench, they had their moments of glory, even if it was during garbage time. For both stars and the Waterboys, participation in sports bred discipline. Eight o ' clock Saturday morning practices and long bus rides for away games stretched our dedication and will power beyond the normal capacity of a flaky teen. Whether as participants or as spectators. Capo learned to win, to lose, and to be proud of its dominance in the world of sports. So, Charlie Brown, maybe it is how you play the game that counts, but winning and losing are important lessons for us to learn. Why do you think we keep score? 118 Sports

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T HI THERE! — Junior Ed Lind finishes a day ' s work after making the campus beautiful. Ed ' s job as a janitor kept him very busy during ► LET ' S RAP — Mr. DeCeer teaches his stu- dents to RAP , which is a reading strategy. His learning techniques motivated his stu- dents to achieve. Picuf M(y cud tah (fowv kdfofftb ' Mt. OejGem Numbered ping-pong balls rattle and click as they tumble against each other. Players watch in hushed silence as each numbered ball pops up, checking to see if they have a winning match. It ' s the Califor- nia Lottery, right? Wrong! It ' s Mr. Mike DeGeer ' s special day class for learning disabled students at Capo. We play lottery every week with a five dollar prize, he explains, and students who an- swer bonus questions and do their home- work are eligible tor an additional two dol- lar prize. While other students may scoff at such a learning strategy, Mr. DeCeer says that with his kids, it ' s a must. It helps motivate the students to excel, he said. It ' s not all fun and games with DeCeer, however. Teaching lower level students can be extremely demanding. I have to wear a lot of hats. 1 have five classes and 1 have to find different ways to teach five different people in every one, he said. The goal of the special day program is to merge the special students ' learning and behavior with other students. And in spite of the obvious differences between his kids and others in the school, DeCeer points out that they are teenagers, the same as stu- dents in regular academic classes, and they want to be treated like everyone else. And how does he see this happening? I would like other students to talk with them and not be afraid of them. 1 want other students to realize that these kids are per- haps more sensitive and often feel embar- rassed about their disabilities, too. ■ HEY, THAT ' S GREAT - Sophomore Adam Thornfield daydreams about somewhere far far away. Daydreams helped pass the time away for some students when in class. Special Offerings 117

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m .a- ?r (Is Wl m 1 ' ■JL. S l •« PREPARE TO FIRE - Soph waterpolo play- er, Steve Hinton, gets ready to score for the Cougars against Mission. THE IRON LINE - The Cougar ' s varsity football team sets up to destroy all who stand ▲ PHOTO FINISH - Senior Brian Tucker races to the finish line, bringing the Cougar cross-country team i luscr to victory. -« NO PAIN, NO GAIN - Even in pre-season the Cougar ' s basketball team works to make themselves the best they can be. k Sports 119