Benicia High School - Panther Yearbook (Benicia, CA)

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Tack-tack-tack-: the sounds of spikes are all you hear now, coming up to the ppoint where you can leave your lane and break to the pole. You throw in a burst of speed and settle in behind the runner from Justin-Sienna, always tough, but the Vanden runner has maintained the lead going into the break, and as you fly down the back- stretch into the 330 mark, Vanden has nearly live yards on you. Clang! a pole-vaulter knocks off the cross-bar and thumps into the pit as you stride into the second curve. The field is beginning to string-out now. You come out of the turn and enter the straight in front of the stands, and you concentrate on keeping your stride smooth, your face, neck and shoulders relaxed. You very gradually accelerate again until you're only one stride behind the Justin-Sienna runner, about three yards behind Vanden, and you check your body for the hrst indications of fatigue, and you allow part of your mind to feel pleased that nothing hurts yet, not even the ankle you sprained two weeks ago . . . Past the stands and the welter of sound that inundates you like waves breaking on a beach, the sudden chlorophyl smell of newly-mown grass clogs your nostrils sweetly. HFifty-eight, fifty-nine, the timer yells at you as you float past him in a blur, clearly aware you are running faster than you've ever done the 880 before and you fight back the first insidious feelings of fear . . . what if I'm going too fast? , . . Around the turn again, and you brace yourself for a supreme effort, because the third 220 is the tricky one, the key to this race, because if a mental letdown is going to occur it will be here, where you are tempted to save yourself for the last sprint to the tape, so you dig in, lengthening your stride again, the air beginning to sear your lungs now. Ahead of you, as you come out of the turn, the Justin runner seems to falter and break stride, and you get a tremendously savage lift and are past Justin in a burst, willing yourself to stay smooth, ignoring the muscles of you chest and shoulders that are beginning to burn, ignoring the sudden weight that seems to have jumped on your back. You imitate the Vanden runner, dropping your arms by your sides, one, two, for a stride, and when you pull them back up to belt level it feels as though someone gave you an energy pill. You and Vanden head into the hnal turn, less than two strides between you now, and then you're coming out of the last turn, and ... Your head is roaring aand you're running in quick sand and you scream deep in your mind dig dig and your body is one vast ache your legs like lead like butter and all sound is gone all feeling all pain and you drive yourself even with Vanden half- a step ahead the tape! . .. You won! There is a vast roaring in your head, You feel as if every muscle is on ire. You feel great! HNice race, you croak at the Vanden runner as you stand side-by-side, bent over, hands on your knees, your lungs pumping like bellows. li Good jump lVlr Vault Fraiser. 21 T.C. Coats, Romantic Shack, David Soper, Dwight Smiley race for the finish line. 33 The Varsity Track team. 47 Albert Carinio Pushes the shot. 55 Betsy Brom, and Sonia Reuter take a break from the panther workout. 61 The Frosh-Soph Track Team. 75 Carla Williams, Cheri Bailey, Stephanie Simmons, Donna Ziegler, Janet Best, Shelly Robinson, and Kim Cherry practice for the big event. 85 The girls track team. FROSHISOPH: Roland Flores X, Glenn Stoops X, Mark Sinnons, Russ Dunaway Randy Santos, Tom White, John lVlcFadden, Eryke Broome, Alex Hill, Randy Huntimer, John 0'DeIl, Robert Baker, Jam Harder, Steve Schissler, Sevastia Goodrich, Miles Goodrich, Doug Snowder, Darrick Trammel, Chris Sans, Lan Ford, Dan Dressler X: Team Captains l l l fmtqgl ,. A ,,.. f 'VVA if f Panther

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Have you ever wondered what it's like to run track? If you've had the glorious opportunity to be on a track team, of course, then you will already understand what it is like to have such an experience, if not, put on the spikes of your imagination and hang on. You about to run an 880-yard dash, the most demanding of all track races because it combines elements of both the short dashes and the distance events. It requires both speed and strength . . . HLast call for the 880-yard dash, the announcer intones, and your stomach turns over queasily. You strip-off your sweats and step up to the starting line in the lane you've been assigned, Your mouth tastes like brass, it is as dry as cotton, you can feel you heart pounding, the blood rushing in your ears. The palms of your hands are sweaty. You look down at your starting blocks as if from a great distance, but you can see every detail of the chipped surface of the blocks and the crunchy-looking red cinder of the track. The white- chalked line stretches away from you, straight as a die, to the curve. You try not to look directly at the other people in the race, particularly those dressed in the Green-and-Gold of Vanden, because they have dominated this event for what seems like forever, but today you hope to bring their streak to a halt. Individual faces in the crowd have merged into a blur at the periphery of your vision. You can hear friends, coaches, teammates shouting words of encouragement to you, but it's as if their voices are coming at you from under water. They fade into the background of your consciousness. You wipe your sweaty hands on your jersey and exchange quick handshakes and mumbled Ugood luck with the muscles of tirst one leg and then the other. From up the track a whistle blows. Your heart lurches in your chest, and you take a deep breath that unaccountably turns into a jaw-wrenching yawn, There is a sudden Hurry of activity along the length of the course as athletes and officials hurridly clear the track. The noise and motion in the stands diminish, slow down, stop. You can feel the concentrated gaze of the massed spectators narrowing, focusing on you. Your skin feels separate from your body. Runners! Come to your marks! The starter walks across the track in front of your block, off-handedly checking the load in his pistol as he walks. Crunch, crunch: the sound of each step he takes is isolated, distinct. He wears a red satin sleeve on his gun arm, the color flickers brlefiy past your field of vision as you gaze down at the while line marking your start. You watch your hands reach down to the line, see the tendons and muscles stretch, tense as you precisely place your thumbs and fingers parallel to the line. There is a restless shufiiing as the runners adjust themselves to their blocks. You can see the shoulders and arms of the runner ahead and outside you in the straggered start shift and bunch, and your mind skitters away from contemplating your adversary's strength. THER TRACK USet!ll The pores of your hands are huge! You can't feel your legs! Your arms tingle- needles and pins! Your heart is hammering as you raise into the sprinter's crouch! A sudden, icy, calm determination grips your mind .. . BLAIVI! You're out of the blocks and four yards down the track before consciously registering the fact that you've begun. You begin lengthening your stride, knees coming up almost imperceptably higher as you come into the first curve, beginning now to make up the staggered distance on the runners in lanes outside yours, a red blur and white straining face as you pass the first one, the whirl and grunting throw of a discus athlete seen out of the corner of your left eye as you pass another but the Vanden runner is inside you and accelerating smoothly, blonde hair bobbing, already into that high, fioating pace that is the signature of the good middle-distance runner. You know you must stay close! if f i '.rvr 's:HL ' i9 1 A i --'7 'QY - -'M-...mf fi-1. f ..., f +',,p-v ff' i mess Hs-sf 'sf'L . ,, , 1 ,. -rbe ' 1 , . V . - V - 'I rug, . -', 1.- 5 .'a . L- Jgilrf T if 'J . ,-' 1' .ha I. 5 ,rr -- 521' ef' P Q 1 '-'li-lf' 4 4' so q f I ' 3- ' -'kristi ' .417 ' .. s 1 't J . 'iff ' T.-. be . i- ' li f 5 if 3' N 1 i' 7 'z if v r,,r,:,f s ., . w. .. ' n ,gs f 5 . ,, A . A 'a . . 4' i n M: J- .. 5 g iv- , 'I -14 ik ...zip 'lf '16 wm5'b 2 A. ' U' ml if .Y-Ft . f . .1 -rr ni 'li + if-f A 'M ...twig A. 5 L- l 5 1 ,- 'F . -' 1 4- -, , fy . 1 . ' 1 f . 5 . ' . , Kyiv V ,L 'Q Qi ,L ' 3. X-5 I . I J 5 im N X i - 'Y 5 4 s Y - f if I : 4 J H 5 v.Q V v I- 1 'sb ff' K, A ftwhiv - if I .u My hai' 1 Q -- , frqk x 'I I tl s A -- V 0 D I -H' Y K V I' V! r. . 01 0 .c ...u ,. , P i ' T' s ' t t 1 - .- 3 n -H 11' if w. 7 ?...- - 1, Q f A. Rv, . 15 '? ':i X' A ' ' ' ' ' v , f' i an , I V 1. M J . w 04 M.-. N , , ilv1. 1-1, ,-e T is

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The 1981 Benicia High School Tennis Team showed great strength and ability on the courts. Their successful nonleague matches against Hogan and College Park began the rewarding season. lVlr. Doug '!Devo Houser coached the 1981 Panther Team which consisted of 18 players, He believed that after years of building and re-building the team, the dedication of hours of practice and conditioning resulted on one fine team. There were nine returning Varsity Players which included: Arnold Abansado, lVlary lVlonzon, Jason Chan, Adam lVlcNulty, Howard Jenkins, Brian Nishuimura, Jim Dunlop, Joey Segura, and Rhoda Chua. Jill Porath, Steve Bortolazzo, Cindy Christensen, arshawn Woods, Nancy Kim, Lynn Nishuimura, Amy Russell, Sean English, William lVlurtey, and Sheila Williams were the new members ofthe Panther Team. Their talent of playing consistant tennis proved to be dominant. Each of these players were essential ingredients in making the team as one. Not only did the team work as a unit on the courts but also off the courts by raising money to purchase new and better equipment for the team. As of the 1980-81 year Arnold Abansado was nominated lVlost Valuable Player for the third year. The team worked together to lead themselves to victory!! 1. Mary Nlonzon is determined to return the ball over the net. 2. Andrea Jaegar and Tracy Austin you better watch out 'cause Jill Porath is Moving Up. 3, Everyone say cheese!! 4. Jason Chan and Nancy Kim team up for Mixed Doubles . 5. Cindy Christensen prepares herself for a hit. 6. Arnold Abansado, third time Varsity lVlVP, returns a good solid hit to his opponent. 7. Adam lVlcNulty, our strong singles player, is one tough cookie. 8. Darshan Woods goes for a rare slow ball. 9. Steve Bortalazzo awaits for his serve. 10. Joey Segura leaps for a slam. mmm ED LBJEDIIII TENNI TEAM 19 1 ' 5 'xr 1-Q u? 1 ,wr 'V'- Fw.. ' 4 'in lA'u.f'r 5 'l 1 bv x X ' X ' '1' I 1 'f ' ' ' ' 'Q I I c ' ' 1 I Y ' E' 'Quin QM! 1 4' Yr.: I-fax EHLITQ J4v'1 vii 't L'- li- 'W .fftlt .1 N' A X , if -N K IM ,,q. 5 .Q-JQQQVJ 'r J- XIA l C 7' iff- Q-.2 i V. .Q fam! QQQLLQI . I gum. .rj A v . l 1 '- ,. Ii L i vfwii . , Qi . A --.l ,cifll '-Q 100-Tennis ,I A .A lvg-'U .av U' Ji I A I 1 , I I I I fn, I 1 1. .l, L u ' l suv-