Sherman Oaks Center for Enriched Studies - Excalibur Yearbook (Los Angeles, CA)

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INSIDE SPORTS Me and my shadow — This young tennis player hopes to be like John McEnroe someday, so he takes time to practice his swings and serves. During P.E. he has the advantage to learn some new techniques. SOCES 61 Monroe 68 SOCES 62 Jefferson 92 SOCES 92 Downtown 79 SOCES 68 Locke 51 SOCES 43 Van Nuys 69 SOCES 51 Marshall 65 SOCES 81 Pius X 43 SOCES 83 Si. Monicas 100 SOCES 53 Muir 76 SOCES 65 Locke 53 SOCES 6! Lincoln 70 SOCES 67 Hollywood 58 SOCES 61 Belmont 79 SOCES 61 Bus. Magnet 65 SOCES 41 Verdugo Hills 35 SOCES 49 Wilson 69 SOCES 46 Eagle Rock 74 SOCES 45 Franklin 69 SOCES 52 Verdugo Hills 42 SOCES 62 Wilson 61 54 Tennis Sports Tennis Team {left to right) front row: Ali Zahedi. Brian Sweet. Nell Janis, Renee Min. James Cheung. Jeff IVeishach. Michael Barchohana. .Alon Shamir. Coach Mac Beckkr. Back row: .Adam Tenn. Oleg Ka- spar. Tommy Nohavandi. Chris Giroux. Bran Gon- sor. Moran Haddad. Tom Sobelman. Kevin Wright.

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Catch me if you can — Juan Linares, tenth grader, shows his great volleyball skills by dumping the ball over the net and making a point for his team. For some after practicing so much, the moves come natu- rally. Up Down — Cinchai Chuvichien jumps up to help his team by hitting the ball over the net and slamming it onto the floor. Jumping is one of the many skills the players practiced every day during and after school. erfection by working hard and practice After three years of trying to get it to- gether, the boys volleyball team finally got to play in the 3A league. I have good feelings towards the boys volleyball team. This year ' s team has got lots of talent and great abilities. 1 feel that when its time for us to compete, we will be a top contender in our league. Eric Ngo. captain of the volleyball team said. The volleyball team was formed in .lanu- ary. At this time they had good potential as a team but lacked experience. Ngo said. The boys had to work hard during the end of March for their practice games. I think that with all the practice we ' ve had. we will be ready for not only the prac- tice games, but for the real competition too, Tom Lungin, eleventh grader, said. When the students decided to try out and join the team they knew they were in for hard physical work. Work that would not only test their ability to play the game, but their ability to move fast, think fast, take pain, and learn to endure. Probably the hardest part of being on the volleyball team is the painful practice. But when I joined the team pain was some- thing I had to expect in order to be a good player, said Juan Linares, tenth grader. The team has 20 members and with the help of Ann Young, their coach, and the help of Scott Sperber, the assistant coach, they all worked hard to prepare. I think that with hard work and perse- verance, we are more than ready for 3A, Keivan Stassun, eleventh grade, said. In order to prepare the students have to practice during and after school. ■ ' The things the students practice after school are bumping drills, jump block drills, setting drills, dives, digs and rolls, offense, serving and strategy. After weeks of all this practice they also have practice games to prepare them to compete in the 3 A league, Ann Young, the head coach, said. By Heidi Lazo From all the volley- ball skills that you learned during prac- tice which did you find the hardest, and why? Eiic Goidun — I think the most diffi- cult drill was the dig and roll. This move consisted of diving for the ball in unrea- chable places and rolling backwards, while bruising my shoulder in numerous places. Boys volleyball team — Members are: Bottom row: Michael Prince. Cinchai Chuvichien. Eric Ngo. Timo- thy Hernandez. Jake Keshishyan. Darwin Ramos. Top row.- Coach Ann Young. Joseph .Antonio. Chris Miramontes. Eric Gordon. Ritesh Kumar. Juan Lin- ares. Tom Lungin. Boys ' Volleyball Sports 53

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Going for the casual ace — Kevin Wright, tenth grad- er, displays his awesome tennis skills. So advanced in his game. Kevin Wright feels quite blase about play- ing with his inferior teammates, but is able to still enjoy his game. Hey you watch out — Here comes the tennis ball. Recklessly playing without a teacher around. Rene Min takes a chance and swings. He is an avid tennis player, who practices daily. P.E. enables him to gain strength. hirtv-love What ' s love got to do with it? Anyone for tennis ' Mr. Becker ' s fifth pe- riod class is and it ' s not just any P.E. class. It is a class full of students aspiring to be- come Wimledon champions, and French and American Open winners. Tennis is a game, partially of stamina, in which the participants must be physically fit in order to play well throughout the en- tire match. One may cover a numerous amount of round running back and forth and side to side throughout six sets. I get tired sometimes when the other guy hits the ball all over the place. You have to be a good athlete to make it to the ball in time to send it back over the net. You also have to outsmart the other guy, said tenth grader, Kevin Wright. One ' s mind must also be alert and re- sponsive. The brain only has a split second to be attentive and take in all data neces- sary to calculate the next move. It must consider distance, velocity, position of the sun, size of the court, size and strength of the racket, and the position of the opponent along with their size and reaction time. Preparing for a tennis match I primar- ily psyche myself up as well as going over the plays in my head, said senior, Tommy Nohavundi. An added incentive for students to join the tennis team is the 3 A league. By playing in this league the tennis team encounters challenging opponents from numerous high schools such as Monroe, Marshall, Holly- wood. Van Nuys and many more. In the future I would like to play profes- sional tennis against the great ones. With all the hard work and practice I think that I ' m good enough. Especially now that our tennis team is 3A, there would be more recognition for me, said eleventh grader Ali Zahedi. Tennis players ' health and minds are also accompanied by the skills they have devel- oped and by the drills Mr. Becker has taught them. But dreams, aspirations, and numerous practice sessions are also key mo- tivators of young tennis players, by Lea Jayasinghe What qualities are needed to be a suc- cessful tennis player and how do they en- hance the sport? Ke in Wright — a successful tennis pla. er must be both an intellectual strat- egist and a strong athlete, many people don ' t realize that. I guess that ' s why I enjo) it so much, it ' s mentally and phys- icall challenging. Come on make it over the net — Michael Barcohana and tennis buddie. .4lon Shamir do some intense prac- tice to sharpen their tennis skills before a competition. Mr. Becker, a determined coach, stands by to watch their every move. Tennis Sports 33