SportsXtreme

What can Brown do for You?

Level Up

BCS or BS?

The Whole World [Cup] is in our [Fan’s] HandsBy Jacob C.

SportsXtreme

Summer 2010

SP0RTS NUMBERS

98

days until the official start of the

2010 NFL season

9 days until the start

of the 2010 FIFA World CUP

30

days the World Cup will last

64

games that will be played in the World

CUp

The All-Star Lineup

The Hardworking Post PlayerKevin LuoBoston CelticsFavorite Sport- SwimmingFavorite Athlete- Michael PhelpsBest Event Ever Watched- 400 Freestyle Relay 2008 Summer Olympics

The Accurate 3 Point ShooterMatias KalaswadSan Antonio SpursFavorite Sport- SoccerFavorite Athlete- Lionel MessiBest Event Ever Watched- Argentina vs Brazil

The Agressive Point GuardJacob CantuOrlando MagicFavorite Sport- SoccerFavorite Athlete- Steve NashBest Event Ever Watched- 2005 College Football National Championship Texas vs USC

SportsXtreme1 Summer 2010

SportsXtreme

The RanksSportsXtreme

2010 FIFA WORLD CUP

World CupGroups, Brackets and Polls

19Barry Bonds

16NFL Overtime

102010 World Cup

Summer 2010

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All-Star Lineup

The Ranks

Play-By-Play

Swimming

NFL

Sports Tally

Coaching

Who’s Got Green?

Home Field

World Cup 2010

Tennis

College Football

The FIFA 2010 World Cup starts June 11th in South Africa

Departments

Bonds continues abusing the rules and pun-ishments are being dealt By Kevin L.

The spirit of the game and its impact on its fans By Jacob C.

After years of sudden-death overtimes, the NFL considers alternatives By Matias K.

Baseball

Pro Football

Soccer

2Summer 2010SportsXtreme

“This is the second year we have held the Spain vs France soccer game here at LASA. It represents the battle be-tween the Spanish and the French in the battle of Puebla in 1862.”

Señora Hernandez, LASA/LBJ Spanish Teacher

The Spanish vs French game has been played for the past two years now. It is played between the LASA spanish classes and the french classes, around the fifth of May. It is the first part of the spanish classes Cinco De Mayo, which is followed by a small fiesta the next day.

USA! USA! USA?The United States men’s na-tional soccer team will par-ticipating in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. How-ever, many analysts and die-hard fans don’t know what to expect from the team. The question is, which side will show up? The team that upset Spain in the 2009 Confedera-tions Cup and took a 2-0 lead on Brazil or the team that broke down and lost 3-2 in the same game against Brazil? Only time will tell, but an ear-ly match-up against England will be a good test for them.

The Mile High Messiahwas the new nickname given to first-round NFL draft pick Tim Tebow by the fans. Tebow, a former Florida Gator and Heis-man trophy winner, was pro-jected by many analysts to be

taken somewhere between the mid- second-round to as far as the late fourth-round. However, the very faith-driven rookie, will be challenged in team mini-camps because he is in a three-way competition. Already waiting in Denver are the two other quaterbakcs who will be competing for the team’s starting spot, Kyle Or-ton and Brady Quinn. The rest of the veterans on the team will also be waiting to see what Tebow can play like and if he will live up to the hype.

national team in the 2008 Summer Olympics and won a gold medal there. Other free agents that played in the Olympics for their country include Dirk Nowitzki, Yao Ming, and Manu Ginobli. There are another seven NBA All-Stars that will be free agents which means a lot of teams will be looking to make big additions to their teams or keep their stars. Some teams, like the New Jersey Nets, have been making changes recently that will open up cap salary room for multiple stars. They had to do this because of the limit of money a team can play its players. Will teams like this be able to attract big stars like James or Wade? We don’t know yet, but this up-coming off season should be very exciting and eventful.

Nashed Up Steve Nash is arguably the toughest player in the Nation-al Basketball League. In the playoffs he has already been el-bowed in the face three times resulting in a busted nose, a broken nose, and a huge bruise above his eye. His determi-nation to win has helped the Phoenix Suns make to their fisrt western conference finals since 2006, which included a 4 game sweep o fthe San Anto-nio Spurs, a team the lost to the

last three times they played in the playoffs. The question ev-eryone wants to know though is, Will all this pay off? The Suns still have to get through the Los Angeles Lakers to make it to the NBA Finals, and even if they do make it they will have to play either the Boston Celtics or the Orlando Magic, two physical Teams.

Crazy NewsA 21 year-old man from NEw Jersey plead guilty to vomiting on a another man and his 11 year-old daugh-ter at a Phillies game.


Play-by-Play by Jacob C.

NBA Free Agents This offseason in the National Basketball League (NBA) big stars will be free agents un-less their teams can manage to resign them. Some of these stars will be LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh, and Michael Redd, all players who played for the USA men’s

For more information you can visit our blog or join our group on facebook. You can check out our new podcast at [email protected]

Swimming is an excellent choice for exer-cise any time of the year, but becomes es-pecially popular during the warm summer months. People of all ages can enjoy swim-

ming as a workout because it is such a low impact sport and therefore protects joints from damage. The health benefits that can be gained from swim-ming are endless. Swimming is an excellent cardio-

your regular workouts. Before a land workout, you can use the pool for a warm-up ses-sion. Swimming with increas-ing effort to gradually increase your heart rate and stimulate your muscle activity is easily accomplished in the water. Af-ter a land workout, swimming a few laps can help you cool-down, move blood through your muscles to help them recover, and help you relax as you glide through the water. Spending time in a group work-out, whether water aerobics or a master’s swim practice, is a great social outlet. Exchang-ing stories, challenging each other, and sharing in the hard work make swimming with others a rewarding experience.There are other psychological benefits to swimming, if you allow it to occur. Relax and swim with a very low effort. Let your mind wander, focus-ing on nothing but the rhythm of your stroke. This form of meditation can help you gain a feeling of well-being, leaving your water session refreshed and ready to go on with the rest of your day. Many swim-mers find an in-direct benefit form swimming. They devel-op life skills such as sports-manship, time-management, self-discipline, goal-setting, and an increased sense of self-worth through their participa-tion in the sport. Swimmers seem to do better in school, in general terms, than non-swimmers as a group One thing swimming is not good for is losing a lot of weight. Swimming is not the best way to lose weight because of the

vascular workout, strengthens the lungs, and promotes weight loss through the formation of lean muscle groups.May-be you are a runner, train-ing on a regular basis, and want to find an activity that keeps your heart rate up but takes some of the impact stress off of your body. Perhaps you have been doing some other form of land exercise, andnow an injury pre-vents you from putting

weight on a knee or an-kle. Swimming can help you. Kicking workouts, water aerobics, pool running, or a regular swimming workout can all give you a great ex-ercise session with out the weight of your body pounding you with each move. Regular swim-ming builds endurance, muscle strength and cardio-vascular fitness. It can serve as a cross-training element to

4

cooling effects of being in the water. While you do use a lot of calories swimming, once you get out of the pool much of that calorie burning stops. Doing land based exercise like running or cycling may not use up the same amount of calories per hour as swim-ming, but once you stop exercising the land-based workout usually leads to con-tinued increase in calorie use for as long as 18 hours after the workout. Why? Because when you are in the pool you don’t heat up as much as you do on land, and your body does not have to work to cool you down as much once the exercise session concludes. Swimming does exercise al-most the entire body - heart, lungs, and muscles - with very little joint strain. It is great for general fitness, just not a great way to drop ex-cess pounds. Swimming is a form of endurance training that easily elevates the heart rate and stimulates the circu-lation. While swimming, all muscle groups are worked simultaneously, providing a challenging total body work-out. As endurance is built up over time, workouts will be-come easier. Workout length or intensity can then be in-creased to promote further cardiovascular strengthening. X

Grab your goggles and swim suit, and get ready to dive in By Kevin L.

Swimming for Life

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Swimming

Sports XtremeSummer 2010

The official rules to Ping Pong, oth-erwise known as table tennis, are in-ternationally recognized and easy to learn. Rules of play rely on standard equipment, serving, scoring, and il-legal moves. The basic equipment is two paddles, a smooth netted table, and regulation Ping Pong balls.Ping Pong rules begin with having a level table equipped with a short net across the center. For singles games, the white lines on the table do not mean anything. In doubles, one must serve diagonally from right to left. Paddles have rubber mats; sandpaper surfaces are not permitted. A game is won when one player reaches 11 points, as long as they are ahead by two points. Several games in a row can create a match, such that the champion wins the most out of an odd number of games, such as 4 out of 7. You switch sides between each game of a match. It’s Over, Time

an easier chance to win. True, the over-time rule saves time but it is driven by money, not the game’s best interests. The current NFL overtime rule should be changed; the rule gives the first team to receive the ball an unfair advan-tage, it is not a true test of each team’s offense and defense and most other sports have fair overtimes. Mike Sando, an NFC west blogger, writes: “Both teams would get at least one posses-sion in overtime unless one team scored a touchdown on the first possession. This would prevent a team from mov-ing quickly into range for the winning field goal before the other team had a chance to get its offense on the field.”On the other hand, most people will argue that the current overtime rule is quick and keeps viewers hooked. How-ever, the truth is that the overtime rule is being played by broadcasting compa-

Brett Favre stands in the middle of the field, anxiously awaiting the coin toss. The coin is flipped and the

New Orleans Saints choose to receive the ball first. Favre watches his team’s defense crumble as the Saint’s offense inches closer towards the end zone. He can only hope against all odds that he will be able to get his hands on the ball before the game is over. Now within field goal range, the Saints bring out their kicker, Garett Hartley. As Hart-ley punched it through the uprights of the Metrodome, Favre watched his chances of winning another Su-per Bowl fly by right before him. This is the case for the majority of overtime games played; the team who receives the ball first in overtime has

Ping PonG

You win some, you lose some. In the NFL, over-time wins and losses may be tainted BY MATIAS K.

nies. The rule is not one that has been made for the good of football, but rather it is a rule that saves broadcasting channels time and money. Since broadcasters don’t want to lose viewers for their other programs (such as Lost), they want football games to end quickly, making overtime football games less exciting and less suspenseful. Broadcasting companies pay the NFL big bucks so that they can air football games on their channel. In 1993, Fox bid $1.58 billion for four years of rights to the NFC. If the NFL was to make a longer over-time rule, the NFL might see a decline in broadcasting companies willing to pay as much money. To put it simply, the whole of the overtime rule is driven by greed. According to the NFL, 325 overtime games have been played since the rule was put into play in 1974. The overtime rule states: “The sudden death system of de-termining the winner shall prevail when score is tied at the end of the regulation playing time of all NFL games. The team scoring first during overtime play shall be the winner and the game automatically ends upon any score (by safety, field goal, or touchdown) or when a score is awarded by referee for a palpably unfair act.” Of

those 325 sudden-death games, 52 percent have been won by the team who won the coin toss. Also, a whop-ping 69 percent of the games have been won by a mere field goal. Therefore, the team to win the coin toss in overtime is much more likely to win the game.Both teams typically don’t get an equal chance to show their true skills. Either the

defense or offense gets to play in the overtime, but rarely both. This doesn’t allow each team to show their full abilities. If a really good offense gets the ball first in overtime, they are much more likely to win. For example, in the 2008 NFC divisional playoff, the Indianapolis Colts scored a field goal to squeak by with an overtime win against the Green Bay Packers. The Colts

then went on to take down the 18-0 New England Patriots in the Super Bowl. If the overtime rule wasn’t based on sud-den death, the Colts might not have won their divisional playoff, which means the Patriots could have had a perfect year. Most other sports have fair overtimes.

For example, soccer games end in penalties, in which both teams have an equal oppor-tunity to win the game. Each soccer team gets to shoot 5 penalty shots; the team with

the most penalty shots wins. This should further pressure the NFL to do some-thing about the current overtime rule.The NFL should feel pressured by their viewers and followers to take action regarding the overtime rule. The NFL must understand how the overtime rule can taint football games and how im-portant it is that the rule gets changed. By changing the rule, viewers of all ages could enjoy longer and more exciting games. We would see more balanced statistics that do not favor either team and possibly even higher viewer ratings.

All photos courtesy of ESPN

WRESLING THE ODDSPismolenit iril ulluptatio er acin ea facip et luptat. Ut praesecte feu

43 Summer 2010SportsXtreme

Nobody i n major league b a s e -

ball (MLB) has ever hit as many home runs as Barry Bonds. However this re-cord may be tainted. Barry Bonds did not just test positive for one type of ste-roids, ESPN and the New York Times states that he tested positive for at least 3 different types of steroids. These were the 2000-2003 test results, the same time period when Barry Bonds broke the Major League record for home runs in a single season with 73 home runs. In 2006, one year before he broke the all-time home run record, the Huffington Post report-ed that Barry Bonds also tested positive for amphet-amines in a urine sample. The simple fact that Barry Bonds used multiple types of steroids over at least 5 seasons during his profes-sional career should be enough to strip him of his

all time home run record. On the other hand, many people will argue that ste-roids weren’t banned from use until the year 2005, and that Bonds tested positive for steroids before that year. However, he also tested positive for amphet-amines, which became a banned substance in base-ball in 2005, in a urine sample in the year 2006. CNN also reports that Bonds also got four perju-ry charges against him be-cause he knowingly lied to a federal grand jury in De-cember 2003 about not us-ing steroids, which he still denies using even after be-ing convicted of the crime. When an athlete choos-es to break the rules of a sport, they not only create an uneven playing field for the other clean players, but they compromise the integ-rity of the sport in the eyes of the viewers and fans. Imagine if a track runner had attached rocket boots to his feet during a meet in the summer Olympics. We

would definitely not give him the gold medal even if he won. The same thing should apply to steroid use in baseball; if an athlete is caught using steroids then we shouldn’t give him any records that he might have won while doping. If rules are broken and no conse-quences are being dealt then the fans will think that they are no longer watching a fair sport in which both teams have an equal chance to win. In other sports like boxing, martial arts and

weight lifting, if an athlete is caught using perfor-mance-enhancing drugs, then they are automati-cally stripped of their med-als and titles. Even though gold medals and records are not the same, they still have the same significance because of the fact that it is acquired over a whole life-time and it shows that the athlete is the best in the whole world at what they do. So if the MLB allows this tainted record to stand, then it would damage the integrity of the sport.

More Juice for Bonds

Bonds tested positive for three different steroids in 2000.

The use of steroids in baseball is becoming far too common BY KEVIN L.


Photo by Kevin R

ushforth

Sports TallySportsXtreme

If MLB gives him the re-cord and lets it stand, then we send out a message to other athletes and fans that cheating and lying can be a new strategy for winning. It would give the other players that dishonesty pays off without punish-ment and so they would be more inclined to use them knowing that, even if they are caught, their achieve-ments will still stand. Al-lowing cheaters to go un-punished would also give the rest of the world the image that we, as a country, turn our backs to cheat-ers and liars and let them stand with their records. Barry Bonds achieved his record by cheating. There should not even be a question as to whether or not it should stand. There should not be an asterisk next to his name. His name shouldn’t even be in the record books. To let it stand would blemish the great game of baseball. Bonds cheated, and cheat-ers have to be punished.

Top MLB picks for 2010There’s little Heyward can’t do. He’s got great bat speed, an excellent knowledge of the strike zone, a plus arm from the outfield, runs well and is an excellent base-runner.

Posey can hit to all fields. While not a huge power guy, he’s got plenty of extra-base pop. A very good athlete who runs well for a catcher and has a plus throwing arm.

Strasburg’s power breaking ball -- some call it a curve, others a slider -- is also a plus pitch that is virtually unhit-table. He’s big, strong and durable with clean mechan-ics and good command.

Stanton’s calling card is clearly his raw power. He has power to all fields, good speed, and good range in right field to go along with an excellent arm that fits well for that position.

SportsXtreme 8Summer 2010

X

Matusz is a lefty with stuff and command. He has two outstanding break-ing pitches, a curve and slider. His changeup is an above-average offering, as well. He throws strikes and keeps it down in the zone.

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SportsXtreme

What Can Brown Do For You? As Marcella Brown heads up the stairs at 7:40, a long day awaits her. Brown teaches eight hours of health and PE, sponsors PALS and on top of all that, coaches softball, vol-leyball or wrestling for two more after-school. But health and sports seems to come natu-rally to Brown, because she likes having such a sports-oriented career here at LASA. “What I most enjoy is breaking down and teaching sport specific skills, helping stu-dent athletes learn about the game and help-ing them to develop responsibility and ac-countability to themselves, their team and their school community,” says Brown. Brown has only been teaching at LASA/LBJ for three years, but she has already piled up as many as six different classes and sports onto her schedule. In her first year alone she only taught health education, but by the second year she had racked up PE and wrestling in addition to health. For Brown, taking on all these extracurricu-lar activities is not as much a challenge as it is a pleasure. “I couldn’t have a job that would require me to be indoors all the time,” says Brown “I like teaching and coaching student athletes.” For Brown, coaching allows her to be outdoors for at least a couple of hours every day. Sports have been a top priority in Brown’s life. In first grade, Brown took up tee-ball. She was the only girl in the entire league, but that didn’t bring her down. In fact, she continued to play tee-ball and even added piano lessons, dance and volleyball to her schedule. “My par-ents thought of every activity to register me for,” says Brown. Throughout her years in high school, Brown stayed true to softball and volley-ball. In her junior year, Brown asked her dad if she could join the women’s wrestling team. His answer was simple: “No, absolutely not. You’ll

break your collar bone and your soft-ball season will be over.” But patience paid off: about 10 years later, Brown took-up an offer to coach women’s wrestling. Like several other success-ful coaches, Brown’s dedication came from a couple of sources of inspiration. “I would have to say my grandmother’s are my heroes. One raised ten children. The other raised four children as a single mom. They did it all on their own, without going insane,” Brown says, “and I think they are incredible and com-

passionate women.” By coaching ap-proximately 50 kids per semester, Brown’s admirable dedication to her coaching career resembles her grand-mothers’ dedication to raising children. When asked about who she felt was

the most influential person in her life, Brown said “my father.” “He is also a teacher and used to coach athletics,” said Brown. Brown and her father nev-er stop developing new ways to make sports fun, healthy and educational. “My father and contin-ue to talk about game strategy, sports drills and conditioning that would be beneficial to include in my program,” says Brown, “I consider him to be my best resource in coaching and teaching.” Brown’s career at LBJ/LASA came to a fast start, along with many accomplishments. This

“What I most enjoy is breaking down and teaching sport spe-cific skills, helping student athletes learn about the game and

helping them to develop responsibility”Sports

Xtreme 43Summer 2010

Clockw

ise from top right:

(above) A soft-ball in a softball glove and an-other softball on the ground (left).

By Matias K.

Coaching

school year, Brown has driven her teams to win the girls regional wrestling championship in 2009-2010, unexpectedly beat McCallum’s freshman volleyball team and earn JV’s softball first win of the season against McCallum. Brown’s teams haven’t been the only people to win things. For the 2009-2010 school year, Brown won LASA’s Teacher of the Year, as well as Regional Wrestling Coach of the Year. Brown feels her biggest accomplishment here at LASA is creat-ing a health and physical program specifically for LASA students, because before, students took health and PE in combined LASA/LBJ classes. “I was able to start fresh and new by building a curriculum that fit the needs of LASA students.”

BCS. How do you know you have cho-sen the two best teams? These are all flaws with the current BCS system col-lege football uses. First, the main purpose of college football is to prepare players for the NFL and for the NFL scouts search for the best players in the nation. Paul Mroczka, a sportswrit-er for The Greek sports book, says, “ The QB is typically the playmaker. He must be able to com-prehend a changing situation, analyze it, and re-

act to it.” A playoff system in college would be a great way to prepare a play-er for the NFL and get them recogni-tion from many different professional teams. A playoff system would also give scouts more chance to see players

in important games. Usually during the regular season, top teams don’t play each other and so the games are relatively easy. In a playoff, teams would play two or three really good teams that would provide bigger challenges for the players.

SOFTBALLTwo regular, everday softball bats (left)

Mark Ingram broke 2 tackles to make his touch-down run against the Carolina Panthers.

43 SportsXtreme Summer 2010

BCS or BS?

On the night of January 7th, the unde-feated Boise State football team was stuck watching the national champi-

onship game between the University of Texas and the University of Alabama football teams, a game they felt they should have been in. This was happening in other places as well, Cincinna-ti and Fort Worth to be more specific, where the football teams of Cincinnati and Texas Christian University (TCU) were feeling the same anguish because once again this year in college football undefeated teams were left out of the national championship game. These teams worked hard whether it was in 2-a-days in the summer, run-ning wind sprints in the scorching heat or run-ning hitting drills while completely exhausted. But they didn’t get a chance to prove that they were the best in the nation, even though they won every game they played, and their players won’t be as recognized in the upcoming NFL Draft. This is all thanks to the Bowl Championship Series (BCS), a system that consists of multiple bowls played between different teams. However, there is only one national championship that is played between the top two teams in the coun-try, which can cause some major problems. For example, what happens if there are more than two teams with the best regular season record? You have to choose only two according to the

Manny Pacquiao $40 Million > Boxing “Pac Man” has been claimed to be the #1 pound-for-pound boxer in the world. Pacquiao, with his speed and power, he has beaten champs such as Oscar De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton. He makes millions per fight and makes millions more through endorsements with Nike, McDonalds and many more.

Who’s Got Green?

Kobe Bryant $45 Million > Basketball Kobe Bryant is one of the greatest players in the NBA today. Known as the ‘Black Mamba’ Bryant earns $21 million a year, which is more than doubled by endorsement deals with Vitamin Water, Coca-Cola, and Nike. He is ranked the second highest paid athlete in the world.

Lebron James $40 Million > Basketball “The King” became the league’s youngest MVP in the 05-06 season and then again received the Most Valuable Player award in the 07-08 season. He signed on with the Cleveland Cavaliers for $20 million a year. His salary and endorsements with McDonalds, Nike and several others puts him at at least $40 Million.

Phil Mickelson $40 Million > Golf Phil Mickelson is one of the two pro-golfers to make the list. With his endorsements frowm Callaway and Rolex and regularly won tournaments, he has definitely made himself very well known. He has won countless tournaments, not to mention The Masters twice.

David Beckham $42 Million > Soccer Now one of the best known soccer players on the planet, David Beckham is also one of the highest paid athletes in the world. He’s only getting $6.5 million/year through playing but is making much more through endorsements from Gillette, Pepsi, Adidas, Armani, and more.

Tiger Woods$110 Million > GolfWoods, despite all the bad rep he has been getting lately, is on track to pass $1 billion in earnings from winnings and endorsements from his 13 year career. Even with his recent chain of affairs, he tops the list for being the highest paid golfer and athlete in the world. He not only has endorsements from Nike, Gillette, and Buick but he also has a golf-course design business, which is currently constructing a course in Dubai and N. Carolina.

ByKevin L.

Sports Xtreme11 Summer 2010

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Sports Xtreme

Darrell K Royal Memorial Sta-dium is currently the home field for The University of Texas Longhorns football team. It was built in 1924 and since then, has proven to be a great home field for the Longhorns, they have gone 342-91-10 (77.8%) while playing there. The stadium seats 100,119 people, making it the stadium with the largest seat-ing capacity in the state of Texas.

Soccer Citywas formely known as FNB Stadium and was first built in 1986. However, it was recently renovated in 2009 and now has a capacity of 94,700 people. It is located in the Soweto area of Johannesburg, South Africa and hosts most of the country’s major events. It played host to the 1995 Finals of the Rugby World Cup and will also be the host of the 2010 FIFA World Cup and will be the site of the finals.

Fenway Parkis the home field for the Boston Red Sox baseball team. It was built in 1911 and was opened April 20, 1912 and is located in Boston, Massachus-sets. The park has also been the site of other sporting events as well. On January 1, 2010 the Boston Bruins played the 3rd annual National Hockey League Win-ter Classic game in the park. During the 1960’s the field was used for soccer and football and was used by many teams.

Noack Parkis the home field for many of the east side Austin Independent School District schools. It serves as a home field to LBJ/LASA and Lanier. There are baseball, as well as soccer, football, and lacrosse fields used by the schools for sports and other recreational ac-tivities. For example, LASA hold its annual field day competitions at the park and the soccer skillz extension course also used the fields.

Nelson Sta-diumis one of the few stadi-ums used by AISD for sports and other UIL competitions. LBJ/LASA share this as a home field also with Reagan. The soccer and football teams play on the artificial turf frequently and are fairly successful. This year, the LBJ/LASA varsity soccer team made it the farthest in playoffs than ever before after strong performances in the regular season at Nelson.

LBJ Fieldsare the very fields located at the school itself. The fields provide enough space for all the teams at the school. They are mostly used for practice by the teams, which include, football, girls and boys soccer, girls and boys lacrosse, boys and girls track, baseball, softball, and even ultimate frisbee. However, the lacrosse and JV soccer teams sometimes play games on the fields.

The Players

Will you watch the World Cup?

Who is your favor-ite team?

Who is your favor-ite player?

Who will win the World Cup?

Who will be the MVP?

Who will be the sur-prise team if anyone?

Home Field by Jacob C.

Brooks B.I will Brazil Lionel Messi Argentina Cristiano

Ronaldo

I think that the “cinder-ella” will be South Africa

Amy H.

Only at my friend’s house

England Cristiano Ronaldo

Spain Carles Puyol Australia

Laeeq B.

The ones in the after-

noonBrazil Ronaldinho Spain...

possiblyFernando

TorresUSA

Connor P.-B.

A little bit USA Oguchi Onyewu

USA Landon Donovan

The USA is going to

win, even as an underdog

World Cup WisdomInterviews with fellow LASA students on the upcoming World Cup

by Jacob C.

Sports

The fields athletes here at LBJ play on VS the professionals’


Xtreme

Underdog?Connor has a strong be-lief that the USA will win the World Cup. He doesn’t think the US team should be seen as underdogs, but that they are real contenders that

should be feared.

The Whole World [Cup] is in our [fan’s] hands

They didn’t go to the any

of the past three World

Cups, but they can still feel

the impact of the event.

Thomas Mas-sad and Fotis

Kallivokas love the sport of soccer and enjoy watch-ing the sport

on its biggest stage: the

World Cup.

by JACOB C. all have in common, which is soccer,” said Thomas, now a player for his high school team. The World Cup affects many peo-ple, even teenagers, and shows how connected we are to people across the world. It is something that is very special and important to many people and inspires many people to do great. “…by watching the professionals you learn something yourself about the next time in a game when you

The World Cup is undoubt-edly the largest sporting event in the world. Every four years the best 32 na-tional teams attempt to win

their country one of the greatest titles in the world: World Soccer Champions. The event is huge; dreams come true and many people are inspired to strive for their own dreams. How would you feel knowing you, no matter what age, race, class, or gender you are, are a part of it all? Guess what? You are a part of it, everyone is. “It’s only 12 inches high, it’s made of solid gold and it means England are the world champions,” said Bobby Moore, a member of the English team in the 1966 World Cup. The world Cup trophy is just a symbol of the power to inspire and excite people all over the world. “This upcoming World Cup will be my third World Cup. Seeing all the people and how many countries there were and seeing the effect it had on other peo-ple in other countries really made me excited about soccer,” said Thomas M., a LASA freshman. This year it will be held in South Africa and once again many people will be inspired to play soccer, or strive to do their best in something else. “Aw man, well when I see all those fans it sort of just reminds me that soccer is the world’s favorite sport. Billions of people are involved in it in some way and the World Cup signifies something that we

Photograph by Simon Tong

SportsXtreme 43Summer 2010

World Cup 2010

need to do in a position. It’s good to have some kind of hero or figure to look up to,” Fotis K., a school and club team player, said. The importance of international players goes beyond trying to win the World Cup. They are role models for younger people and inspire those people to do the best the can and not be afraid of anything. Being respect-ed, as a good player and role model could probably be one of the greatest things a soccer player

could receive. “My favorite player, I would definitely say Carles Puyol. He’s a defender for the Spanish team, he’s not like the most known guy ever, but he’s pretty well respected. I just like his style of play, he is a really physical defender…. if I had a favor-ite player it would probably be Puy-ol,” said Thomas. The players in the World Cup not only provide people with role models , but they make it exciting. “For me that is everything I have worked toward. Every step

Repeat?After winning the last World Cup, will Italy be able to stay on top of the world?

of the way, dwiffi-cult as it has been, I have had the World Cup as my target,” said Char-

lie Davies, a US forward, while speaking to Yahoo Sports. Davies has trained and played hard to try to make it to the World Cup, even though he has been injured. The players’ hard work make tourna-ments, like the World Cup, the amazing events they are. (continued on next page)

43 SportsXtreme Summer 2010

Algeria

KarimZiani

Midfield

Exceptional ball control and positive in his think-

ing.

Argentina

LionelMessi

Forward

His ball skills are second

to none. His runs from

midfield are usually lethal.

Australia

TimCahill

Midfield

Finishes like a striker,

without peer in positional

instinct.

Brazil

Kaká

Midfield

Highly skil-ful player, a

great shooter, superb vision

for a pass.

Cameroon

SamuelEto’o

Forward

An expert at getting on

the shoulder of the last

defender and accelerating.

Chile

MatiasFernandez

Midfield

Skillful, great provider of

goals and free kick specialist.

Denmark

ChristianPoulsen

Midfield

Great stamina, fierce

in the tackle and a good work ethic.

England

WayneRooney

Forward

Powerful and strong on the

ball, his ability to pick a pass is excellent.

Mexico

Cuauhtemoc BlancoForward

Great player with excep-tional skills.

Excelent forward.

Netherlands

Wesley SneijderMidfield

Quick, strong and powerful with accurate shooting abil-ity. Plays with

both feet.

New Zealand

Ryan NelsenDefender

A quality player, who is proven at the highest level of domestic club football.

Nigeria

Obafemi MartinsForward

Blistering pace, ac-

complished in the air and

possesses a fierce shot.

North Korea

Chong Tese

Forward

Quick, strong and good in the air. Strikes a fierce shot.

Paraguay

Roque Santa Cruz

Forward

Height ups his aerial game and

is the main weapon in his

game.

Portugal

Cristiano RonaldoMidfield

Fast and tricky, he has

a thunder-ous dipping,

swerving shot.

Serbia

Nemanja Vidic

Defender

A strong, powerful

weapon from set-pieces at the opposite

end.


PLAYING FOR THE WORLDGet ready for summer, because the World Cup is kicking in

“…When they score, I go crazy. I saw two games Greece played in the Euro Cup 2008, although they lost their games, it was an amazing feeling being in the crowd and rooting for your team it’s really good to have some kind of like support for a very strong team,” Fotis said. This excitement is why the World Cup

“If I could go to the World Cup that would be the coolest thing that had ever happened to me… I think that it would be a really good opportunity for me to expe-rience different cultures because so many different countries go to the World Cup....it would be really exciting,” said Thomas. The World Cup will provide many

is so popular. The World Cup is being held in South Africa this year, but even though that is far awa you can expect to see thou-sands of people from other countries such as the United States, France, and Spain. Games will be full with many fans there to see nations compete on the most com-petitive level of the sport.

France

ThierryHenry

Forward

One of the most com-

plete forwards of recent

times.

Germany

MichaelBallack

Midfield

Ballack has admirable

stamina levels to match his excellent ball

use.

Ghana

MichaelEssien

Midfield

Has power, drive and re-

lentless work-rate. Possesses an incredible

shot.

Greece

TheofanisGekas

Forward

Fast and furi-ous. Posesses

great ball-control skills.

Valuable player.

Honduras

WilsonPalacios

Midfield

Athletic and powerful,

with a fearless attitude when

it comes to tackling.

Italy

GianluigiBuffon

Goal-Keeper

An agile, commanding shot-stopper who is hugely experienced.

Ivory Coast

DidierDrogba

Forward

Aerial prow-ess and pow-er; there are

few players in the world as

strong.

Japan

ShunsukeNakamura

Midfield

Blessed with excellent

vision and an admirable cre-

ative streak.

Slovakia

Marke HamsikMidfield

His best asset is being in the right place at the right time.

Slovenia

Robert KorenMidfield

A creative player, with

decent goal-scoring

ability.

South Africa

Steven PienaarMidfield

Has a great sight for plac-ing the ball.

South Korea

Ji-Sung Park

Midfield

Awesome all-around player. Sets up beautiful

plays.

Spain

Fernando TorresForward

A born scorer, he

possesses all the qualities of a world-

class striker.

Switzerland

Alexander Frei

Forward

Frei is a poacher who

is always in the right place at the right time.

United States

Landon DonovanForward

His pace, ability to put

the ball in the back of the net and

tenacity.

Uruguay

Diego ForlanForward

A lethal finisher with either foot.

16Summer 2010 SportsXtreme

of how international events, like the World Cup, can create even the most unlikely bonds. “Well of course I’m rooting for my home country, Greece. Once Greece is out, I’m going to have to root for Spain because that’s where Cesc Fabregas plays,” said Fo-tis, who enjoys watching those teams play.

bonds this year between people, whether it’s because people have a common favorite player or thattheir cultures connect while watching the event. “It was pretty cool to meet Ashley, and we gave each other a lot of motivation,” said Davies, speaking of Ashley Cole, a defender for England. The two are rivals, but are a perfect example

The World Cup will always provide peo-ple with inspiration, but it will connect them as well. “If I had a European team to root for usually I would go with Spain,” said Thomas. Fotis and Thomas both en-joy watching their favorite team play and in that they share a bond,, one that can be found throughout the whole world. X

“Hard work is what gives you wins, not talent”

(right) preparing for a serve .

Tennis is said to be a game one can partici-pate in for a lifetime. The great thing about playing tennis is the

ability to improve a player’s tennis techniques at your own pace. Tennis is a complex game that revolves around proper stroke technique, physical agil-ity and mental toughness. Start today on a path to an improved tennis game. Any tennis player looking to up their game to the next level has to look at their fitness lev-el. Fitness is an essential part of tennis, and its importance increases at the higher levels. Playing a sport that requires many physical requirements, such as good flexibility, co-ordination, aerobic fitness, strength and a good mental ability, provides lots of room for im-provement, in even the best athletes. “Hard work is what gives you wins, not talent,” Krishna V said. Krishna is the senior captain of the LBJ tennis team and has qualified for the championship level for the 14s, 16s, and 18s age group in USTA tournaments. “Getting that far came only after years of les-sons, hard work, and practice.” One major factor in improv-ing a tennis player’s game is how long the games last. For exam-ple, men’s Grand Slam matches

regularly last for around 5 hours, while the average for most games is around 3 ½ hours. The distance covered is also a factor. In a typical game of tennis, a player can expect to cover anywhere from three to five miles. However, un-like simply running a similar distance, in the course of a tennis match, most of this distance will be short side-to-side spurts of energy, or sprints to and from the net. “For me, the running

in tennis has always been the hardest and most difficult part of tennis,” Krishna said. Because tennis is such a high impact game, it requires both upper and lower body strength to withstand the force of the impact. This re-

quires a player to not only practice on the court, but also do some off-court strength train-ing as well. There are a number of ways to do this. For example lifting weights (dumbbells or barbells) is an excellent way to gain strength. However, push-ups, ex-ercise bands and medi-cine balls are other great

ways to increase a player’s upper body strength. To increase one’s lower body strength, the main thing to do would be to practice sprints for short pe-riods of time. Most tennis games start in the morn-ings and can go on well past noon. So to be fit to last the long hours of a tennis game, there are two main things that an athlete can do to improve their car-dio: sprints and long distance jogging. As Krishna said, “My game is a lot about footwork. If I move well, I play well.” While tennis does not necessitate cardiovascular demands like swimming or running, they still need to sustain movement for several hours at a time and not be overly fatigued. Cardio fitness also helps with recovery time between points. Do-ing either of those alone can work one’s cardiovas-cular system differently, so by training with each of them, any athlete will be prepared for the short sprints around the court and for the lengthy games.

Upping Your Game


Tennis

Vickihuang2001 (right, top), Symopp (left)

Roger Feder-er (left) of Switzerland hits a return

“In the first game I ever played in, I was worn out before 1 hour of play-ing, but after jogging every other after-noon I could last a lot longer into the

matches,” said Avi W, a LASA freshman. Not only does tennis require the strength to hit the ball just once or twice, but because of the lengthy games that tennis players have to go through, they have to do this over and over again. This demands muscular endurance from an

athlete so that they can quickly recover from games and be ready to play again with minimal rest in between. For

an athlete to hit their last ball as well as their first one should be the goal for every tennis player, and practic-ing is what makes it happen. “Prac-tice practice practice. That’s what tennis is all about,” Krishna said. To develop muscular endurance a tennis player needs to add more repeti-tions to their routine rather than add more weight. Athletes can also use the same techniques for muscular endur-ance as they did for gaining strength. However the point is to increase the number of reps and decrease the num-ber of weights, and then gradually add more sets to the player’s routine. Overhand shots, quick starts and stops to hit the ball and lunging out for wide shots all test a tennis player’s flexibility. “Flexibility is one important skill that all tennis players need, and is what most people overlook,” Krishna said. Having a consistent stretching routine before

games and practices is crucial to prevent injuries. The Achilles tendon, for example, is the strongest and yet one of the most easily damaged tendon in an athlete’s body. Simple stretching however can prevent most of the common injuries in the game. “What some people may not know is that a big part of tennis is the mental aspect of the game,” Krishna said. Tennis players need to be both physically AND mentally ready for a game. Stay-ing focused on the game, and thinking about nothing but the next point is essential for im-proving one’s game. “If you can’t learn to have a focused attitude, it’s hard to do well,” Krishna said. A simple way to develop better focus and better results is to avert all of the attention a player has to a single object nearby and to focus on one’s breathing process. This easy exercise will help keep players focused between points and will help one get more prepared for the next point. Tennis players have a lot to think about when designing a training program. In addition to devel-oping muscular strength and endurance, aerobic fitness and flexibility, they also have to think about core work. Many athletes don’t realize that one’s core muscles are the base for the body’s hip and shoulder stability. Having a strong core is what helps move any tennis player’s limbs more efficient-ly and effectively. Perfect balance, coordination of strength and stability are just a few of the many things that a strong core can help players accom-plish. A few excellent exercises to help strengthen one’s core are the bicycle maneuver, captain’s chair, exercise ball crunches and reverse crunches. Performing these exercises at least three days per week will build a strong core, allowing other skills to be performed and worked on more effectively. The combination of all these elements with an effective training routine will take hard work and dedication. “Make sure you enjoy tennis enough that you feel a personal desire to improve. With that, you will be able to push yourself to be a better play-er and will have fun at the same time,” Krishna said.

14Summer 2010 SportsXtreme

X

BCS SponsorsThe playoff system will conserve the major sponsors of BCS bowl games and will not change the sites of where the games will be played.

BCS ConfusionThe current system used has produced some un-

clear national champions because they haven’t

included undeafeated, small school teams like

TCU.

react to it.” A playoff sys-tem in college would be a great way to prepare a player for the NFL and get them recognition

from many different professional teams. A playoff system would also give scouts more chance to see players in important games. Usually during the regular season, top teams don’t play each other and so the games are relatively easy. In a playoff, teams would play 2 or three really good teams that would provide bigger challenges for the players. This will show the scouts how players deal with different chal-lenges and situations within the game. In the BCS system, you only see a player play against one team that they have been preparing for, this means scouts can’t determine a player’s ability to react to different strategies. A playoff system will also solve the prob-lem of unclear national champions. In the past de-cade, there have been a total of 8 undefeated teams left out of the national championship game, even

past decade.Finally, these games are not just affecting college players and NFL teams, they’re also affecting high school players. Many high school stars watch the national championship game to evaluate the “best” teams in the nation. Teams left out of that game will not be recognized by high school standouts that don’t follow the team already. If the recruits are focused on the teams in the national championship game, they could possibly be hurting themselves if they are not looking for the program that would best fit them or that could help improve their skills the most. The over-exaggeration of the teams in the national championship game distracts recruits from what they really need to prepare themselves for the NFL, like a game-plan that fits their style of play, or a coach that works with all play-ers to develop their football skills. Critics will say that that if a playoff system is used, then

This is all thanks to the Bowl Championship Series (BCS), a system that consists of multiple bowls played between different teams. However, there is only one national championship that is played be-tween the top two teams in the country, which can cause some major problems. For example, what hap-pens if there are more than two teams with the best regular season record? You have to choose only two according to the BCS. How do you know you have chosen the two best teams? These are all flaws with the current BCS system college football uses. First, the main purpose of college football is to prepare players for the NFL and for the NFL scouts search for the best players in the nation. Paul Mroc-zka, a sportswriter for The Greek sports book, says, “ The QB is typically the playmaker. He must be able to comprehend a changing situation, analyze it, and

though in some cases they were the only undefeated team left in the nation. That was the case in 2008 when undefeated Utah was left out and forced to play Alabama. Before the game, almost every sports analyst in the country gave Utah no shot at beating the might Crimson Tide. Utah then destroyed what was supposed to be the third best team in the nation in a very con-vincing manner, in a 31-17 win. In 2003, the USC Trojans were left out of the national championship game and dominated Ohio State so much, that the national championship was actually split between the Trojans and the Louisiana State University Ti-gers. At the end of each season, each voting poll (Associated Press, Coach’s, or BCS) crowns who they believe is the best team in the country, usu-ally agreeing on one team. However, in 2003, the

AP and Coach’s polls chose USC, while the BCS poll decided on LSU. Only allowing two teams to play for the national championship is unfair to other great teams and has only pro-duced clear national champions a few times .”If I have to vote for somebody only because people have said these are the two teams that ought to be in the BCS championship game and I think they left somebody out that prob-ably ought to be in it, that’s when I’ll feel a playoff ought to be appropriate. I’ve always been for a playoff,” said Penn State football coach Joe Paterno. Paterno, who has been the head coach for Penn State for over 40 years, has been fighting for a playoff system for the

BCS or BS?BY: JACOB C.

Photo courtesy of RM

Tip21


Photo courtesy of markr82

COLLEGE FOOTBALL the bowl games and all their advertising will be lost. However, this would not be the case if the locations and sponsors of the bowl games were used in the playoffs. For example, this year Citi financed the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. Instead of moving the game and dropping the sponsor, we can simply keep them both and make it one of the final games in the playoff. The only thing different would be that they had national title implications, meaning even if it wasn’t the final game of the playoffs, it would still help decide which teams will move on. BCS supporters may also say that a playoff will lengthen the season too much. Right now with the BCS system a national championship team plays 13 or 14 games. If conferences eliminated their conference championship games, which would be unnecessary with playoffs, then the teams that make it to the final game would only have a total of 14 games. Critics would also be wondering how the playoff teams would be decided. This part is simple, take the top 8 teams in the country(based on the average

43 Summer 2010SportsXtreme

the bowl games and all their advertising will be lost. However, this would not be the case if the locations and sponsors of the bowl games were used in the playoffs. For example, this year Citi financed the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. Instead of moving the game and dropping the sponsor, we can simply keep them both and make it one of the final games in the playoff. The only thing different would be that they had national title implications, meaning even if it wasn’t the final game of the playoffs, it would still help decide which teams will move on. BCS supporters may also say that a playoff will lengthen the season too much. Right now with the BCS system a national championship team plays 13 or 14 games. If conferences eliminated their conference championship games, which would be unnecessary with playoffs, then the teams that make it to the final game would only have a total of 14 games. Critics would also be wondering how the playoff teams would be decided. This part is simple, take the top 8 teams in the country(based on the average

rankings) of the Associated Press and the Coaches’ Polls. That way it is guaranteed that the best teams have been chosen and no deserving team is left out. There will also be no automatic bids based on conference and no limit on how many teams from a conference can be included. On average, there are about three undefeated teams a year, but usually two happen to be left out of the national championship game because they are from minor conferences. The flaws in the BCS system have been dealt with for over a decade now and it has caused huge problems over the past years. It should be changed as soon as possible to an eight team playoff which targets each flaw and provides a solution. Thisparticular system would also be able to please opposers with simple changes. We need this playoff system so that no more lives are affected and, for the fans’ and teams’ sake, a true national champion-ship team is crowned. X

Lebron James (center) propels himself towards the net at the 2003 McDonalds All American Game, where he was named the MVP of the game.

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