Volume 59, Issue 5 The Newspaper of St. Ignatius College Preparatory February 18, 2011 Men’s basketball is an unstoppable force Women’s basketball is ruthless on the court Jackson Lindauer ’11 Contributing Editor Nick Ong ’11 and Chris Crowley ’12 Managing Editor and Contributing Editor e’re gonna fight! With all our might! We’re gonna fight, fight, fight, fight, oasting a roster led by only two returning seniors, the Lady ’Cats have clawed fight!” The roar of students singing the fight song echoed throughout their way into third place in the WCAL at 8-3. From their smooth offense to their “WUSF’s War Memorial Gymnasium. Over 3,800 fans transformed what Bstaggering defense, they execute every play with persistence and ruthlessness. would otherwise be a normal Tuesday in January into an unforgettable night. The SI “It doesn’t matter if we’re up 20 points or down 20 points,” said point guard Raquel Men’s Varsity Basketball team came into the game after two tough road losses (includ- “Rocky” Avila ’11, “the team always plays with determination.” ing the Jungle Game). But motivated by those games, the team’s preparation in practice Despite being vertically outmatched in nearly every game this season, the ’Cats’ helped give them the 42-40 win in dramatic fashion. ability to grab key rebounds has put them in position to run with any team they face. “We “We just treated it like every other game, even though in the back of our minds are one of the most relentless groups of people you will come across and that is what we knew it was one of the biggest games of our lives,” commented Matt Quintana ’11. makes us successful,” said Alex Legarza ’11. Their sense of calm and composure – of not letting the hype of the game affect their per- The ’Cats utilize a full court press and play tough defense to keep their opponents formance – played a big role in the victory. The ’Cats started out hot, racing to a 26-15 off balance. The team’s defense has given up the fewest points in WCAL play. Leading halftime lead. A big reason for their fast start was forward E.J. Silvia ’11, who single- the way for SI on the boards is Maria Kemiji-McDonald ’12, averaging just over eight handedly outscored the entire Sacred Heart team in the first quarter. rebounds a game, followed closely by Kaitlyn Crawley ’12, with just over six. But the Irish refused to go down without a fight. The third quarter saw a shift in mo- Two of the team’s biggest wins this season came against SH in the Bruce at USF and mentum, as SH started to close the gap. “We knew they were going to come out ready to against Presentation in a battle for first place. Alex Legarza said of the Bruce, “Growing fight [in the second half] and if we wanted to stay in the game, we were going to need to up I always dreamed of playing in the Bruce, and not only to be able to play but also throw some punches,” said guard Kevin O’Connor ’12. After facing a stifling defensive slaughter SH was one of the greatest feelings I’ve had in my four years of SI basketball.” performance in the first half, SH began to convert “open looks” and the intensity of the In the tight game against Presentation, the girls pulled out a narrow victory, thanks game picked up. to 24 points by forward Kaitlyn Crawley. This win gave the team sole possession of first The fourth quarter brought with it a renewed energy from both teams, fueled by the place;with their recent sweep of SH, they assured themselves a solid seed in Continued on page 3 Continued on page 3 We are obsessed with exercise Kate Christian ’11 Editor-in-Chief SEE INSIDE grocery store and back or biking across 6-7 2 town to see a friend. Now, it means a little bit of everything. Along with the standard running, yoga, and basic bodily upkeep, people are shifting to much different forms of exercise. With places like Bar Method and high-energy hip-hop dance studios popping up on what seems like every cor- ner, fundamental exercise is becoming a status activity. It’s no longer about whether you exercise, but how and where. In this FEATURE: Health SPORTS: SI Soccer way, fitness and exercise have weaseled into our social interactions, even if we’re not at the gym. 3 5 People today have become over- ly-conscious of their bodies, turning to Polk Street’s Alhambra Theather transformed into a extreme exercise as a means to achieve their commerical Crunch gym. “perfect” selves. Influences from the me- alling our society “obsessive” dia dictate that it is not enough to simply be would be a severe understatement. in shape – we have to develop an unhealthy CWe don’t take anything lightly, and relationship with our physical appearances. we always yearn for more of something. Senior Renuka Fernandes comments, “The Our society no longer approaches matters media gives us the impression that skin- with moderation, and this is particularly nier is better. We are constantly bombarded Two Cents: Wildcat Spirit SI NEWS: Dance Concert evident in how we relate to exercise. with ‘Are you fat?’ ads and Exercise used to mean walking to the Continued on the page 3 2 SPORTS Men’s golf: every stroke counts SI soccer gears up for victory Christian Santos ’13 Contributing Editor Bryant Nagelson ’12 Contributing Editor ow can you top a championship, are certainly capable of doing so. Led by cap- he high point of the girls’ season so The first game against Bellarmine especially the first championship in tains Nick Satterfield ‘11 and Jack Persons far was their second game against proved to be a tough one on the men’s side. H30 years? Well this year’s golf ‘Cats ’11, these golfers are determined to retain the TMitty. Mitty had early opportunities, “We went in knowing it would be one of the WCAL title. “With several returning seniors and capitalized to put toughest matches of the and promising underclassmen,” says Coach them ahead 1-0. “Our season. We started the Yap, “we have high expectations for this captains pumped us up game pumped up and year.” But for any championship team there at halftime. We came played aggressive,” said are rivals. “We have to be ready for teams back and got a goal to Shane Slosar ’12. After like St. Francis, Mitty, and Bellarmine. Any tie,” said Nicole Mullen taking an early 1-0 lead, one of these teams could have won it last ’12. At the time, Mitty the Bells got a lucky year.” That is for sure. All six of last year’s was in first place with goal and then another to matches between these teams were either an unbeaten record. “It go on and win 2-1. This won or lost by no more than 11 strokes. And was a good confidence was a big game, espe- of the three teams, many players are return- booster for the team cially for head coach ing from last year. Wildcat golfers are primed because a lot of people Brian Rhodes, who to make every stroke count and repeat their had their doubts,” said went to Bellarmine. Jack Persons ’11 rolls a put. championship year. Nicole. Captains Sarah The SH game at Stinn ’11, Audrey Gib- Kezar was another big Men’s tennis team serves hope son ’11, Hannah Farr game. Under the lights Nico Cunanan ’11 Contributing Editor ’11, and Emily Lynch with a huge turnout, the fter a great 2010 season where they training, and the entire team is anxious to hit ’11 will try to lead the game had the makings finished with a 19-3 record, the Men’s the courts and make a run at the WCAL and team to their second of a classic rivalry. SI Varsity Tennis team looks to serve up CCS titles. When asked what the team needs CCS semifinal in three Kate Bettinger ’12 sweeps past an opponent on J.B. ended up winning 2-1 A Murphy field. another outstanding spring. The team placed to do to excel this season, Francis Cuenca ’11 years. in a close battle. second in the WCAL rankings, finishing be- responded, “Our success will require a culmi- hind Bellarmine. They continued their run nation of hard work and team chemistry.” The past the first round of CCS before unfortunate- upcoming season should be an exciting one to AndrewMen’s Allanson volleyball ’13 aims for CCSContributing Editor ly falling short to Palo Alto in the CCS quarter watch! Come out and support the tennis ’Cats fter successfully making their put this advantage into context when he finals. Through it all, it was a tremendous as they begin their league matches in March! first appearance in the CCS remarked, “We look forward to carry- season. “Everybody constantly wanted to im- A Playoff Tournament last year, ing over our strong team dynamic from prove their game and the results were obvious the Men’s Varsity Volleyball Team will last year onto the court this year. Our in our WCAL ranking and CCS run,” states not only be looking to improve but also returning players can without a doubt Steven Galerkin ’11. to win it all. lead by example for those entering the This year, they will rely on a fresh squad, Nate Woo ’11, one of the varsity team.” as half of last year’s team was comprised of veterans noted, “This year’s team is With so much potential sur- graduating seniors, including former captains already looking to improve its game.” rounding the entire Men’s Volleyball Matthew Hauselt ’10 and Matthew Micheli The entire volleyball program has Program, Varsity Head Coach Steve ’10.