People El Gato • Tuesday, December 11, 2012 • www.elgatonews.com 17 BRIANNA VARIOT ROCKS THE ROLLER RINK by Ruth Murai When asked what culture they most identify with, the majority of LGHS Opinion Editor students would probably say “Pop Culture.” Variot, however might answer a Comedian Rodney Dangerfield once said, “I went to a fight the other night, and a game broke little differently. While she was born in the U.S, Variot moved to Hong Kong out.” As one of the most intense and dangerous out there, most stereotypical high school girls afraid of when she was just three years old because of her dad’s job. All her childhood breaking a nail shy away from hockey, but sophomore Brianna Variot, known as “Binnie” to her friends, is memories are from Hong Kong, as she lived there from ages three to eight. unafraid to play the and is confident in her ability. When asked what she remembers about her childhood in Hong Kong, Variot is the only girl on the otherwise Variot said, “It’s really dirty there and the beaches are gross, but I lived in a all-male team at LGHS, and beautiful apartment and got exposed to a lot of things my friends from one of the only girls in the league. Variot here have never experienced, which is really cool.” began to play roller hockey in the middle When in Hong Kong, Variot attended school with other children of eighth grade. “It was really challeng- from all around the globe, acquiring friends not only from China, ing and intimidating at the beginning, but also Australia and England. but once I got used to the sport and Variot was fluent in Mandarin, even writing the noto- my team members it became a lot of riously difficult language, but forgot everything once fun,” Variot said. she moved back to the U.S. “I guess I was just out of Three years after picking up roller practice,” Variot laughed, “you never need to speak Mandarin hockey, Variot continues to love the sport, in Los Gatos.” and today she plays for LG Orange. While she Now that she is back in the U.S., Variot loves the beach and the had wanted to take a more traditional route and water, pristine compared to the beaches of Hong Kong. Variot describes try out for like a lot of her friends, her ideal day as spent with friends in Santa Cruz, swimming and tanning. she decided to try out for roller hockey because Variot says her life motto would be ”YOLO,” but instead of using the her brother plays as a goalie for the team. Variot motto as an excuse to do dangerous and dumb things, Variot sees it as practices with LG Orange two times a week and plays games on Saturdays. She says her favorite part about encouragement to seize the day, and dare to do things everyone else is roller hockey is the new friends she has made while playing a sport she loves. too afraid to try. photos courtesy B.Variot Foster races to the finish Koji hits the pool and the books by Liat Rubin by Rachel Salisbury People Editor News Editor Among the fast and the furious of the running world lies sophomore Chris Foster. This Freshman Koji Kusumi Clark rises above regular students both in the swimming pool and in his academic accomplished young man has conquered course after course, creating a place for himself pursuits; however, Kusumi does not allow his commitment to swimming and studying prevent him from pursuing among the top runners at LGHS. other activities, like learning to do a backflip or flying a plane. By the time you have put on and tied your shoes, Foster has already run a mile, and is The biggest commitment in Kusumi’s life is swimming, and he dedicates twenty hours a week to improve taking off his. This sophomore ran a 4:33 mile as a freshman, and in the recent cross coun- his performance in the water. “I have try season ran three miles with a time of 15:27, running an average mile in 5:07. This goes spent so much of the last eight years without saying that the three-mile race was run on grass, hills, and dirt. swimming, but I do not regret a minute Foster started running in elementary school at age seven and comes from a family of of it.” The long hours of training with his committed and talent runners. “I started running because my parents put me and my sib- club team, the South Bay LG Polar Bears, lings on a children’s running team; it just turned out that I have been running ever since.” paid off, and he reached the Far Westerns Running comes so naturally to him that he competition this year. His other achieve- “[has] never even thought of a reason not to ments include placing in the top eight in run.” His father, Grant Foster, holds numer- the 400 Individual Medley at the Junior ous records in the Bay Area for his running Olympics, making him a finalist. accomplishments. Foster’s older brother is To go hand in hand with his in-pool also a skilled runner. He currently runs at training, Kusumi started playing for the UC San Diego. Foster, however, is managing LGHS water team this fall. “I can to match both of their times. definitely see myself playing more water Foster runs cross country in the fall and polo in the future,” said Kusumi. “It is a track in the spring, but finds his true passion great group of people and a great sport.” to be cross country. “Cross country is more Even with the commitment, strategic and scenic; it is just much more Kusumi still swims with his club team interesting than track.” His zeal and facil- year round. ity for running has led him to commit fully Kusumi has not just dedicated his life to the sport he loves so much. “I might not to swimming, he also engages in a vari- know what I want to do in the future, but I ety of other extracurriculars, including courtesy K. Kusumi do know I want to run.” recreational gymnastics. For the last six years he has been training in a gym, and he is now proud to say that Although he has placed first in numer- he can do a backflip. Kusumi adds, “I like gymnastics because there’s no competitive pressure, and it’s cool to ous cross country races, Foster finds his know I can do things I couldn’t do a few years ago.” greatest accomplishment to be placing Even with swimming, water polo, and gymnastics, Kusumi does not struggle to maintain a high GPA and fourth in nationals for Junior Olympics his academic interest. He is enrolled in all honors classes and takes Algebra II accelerated, so he receives a heavier freshman year. workload than the average freshman. Kusumi cannot always finish all of his homework every night, so he spends courtesy C. Foster Not only does Foster enjoy running the majority of his tutorials and some of his lunches finishing homework. Although he would rather be social- competitively, he also takes pleasure in mountain biking and listening to music. “I mostly izing, he has to make a sacrifice to be both an accomplished swimmer and an exemplary student. like bands like Avenged Sevenfold and All That Remains, although I do occasionally listen The school week can be stressful for this student athlete, but he still makes time on weekends and breaks to classic rock.” He also plays guitar and drums. to have fun. For his last birthday, Kusumi was given the opportunity to fly a small plane over Monterey. “It At such a relatively young age, Foster has managed to accomplish more than most teen- was definitely one of the coolest experiences I’ve had, and I was lucky to get the chance to do it,” stated Kusumi. agers. He has beat thousands of upperclassmen in his running career and manages to stay In his free time, Kusumi regularly makes arts and crafts projects, his favorite being stencils and spray paint. humble through it all. He is currently taking woodshop as his elective and he hopes to be able to incorporate woodworking into his art.

Shirin has poise and promise

by Wade Wallerstein years of hard work and dedication are what gave her an edge, as Editor-in-Chief Mavandad has been running cross country since the sixth grade. When you first meet freshmanShirin Mavandad, she may When she is not pounding the pavement, Mavandad likes to feel appear demure—but this is definitely not the right word to the wind in her hair a different way: on horseback. She rides English describe her bubbly personality and bright spirit. style, and takes lessons in an advanced class using a horse that she This perky frosh is continuing the legacy of her brother, senior rents. Her inner tween came out full force when she gushed, “I love Kiarash Mavandad, at LGHS and may be the next big track star. horses!” Mostly, she rides for merriment and also for her deep love From August through October, Mavandad ran cross country of the majestic animals. with the LGHS girls’ Junior Varsity team. This year Mavandad was In her free time, Mavandad relaxes by catching up on her favorite number one on the team. “I have a love for running,” Mavandad TLC reality shows. Her favorite show by far is Dance Moms. “The said. Love alone is not what brought her to the top of the team— best parts are when she makes fun of the girls; it’s hilarious!” she admitted. Though the show is a guilty pleasure, her true passion is food, which she could not stop talking about. “I love donuts! They’re the best. But really I love everything, all food,” she said. To help her relax, Mavandad practices cooking as a hobby. With so much inherent potential and an apparent drive for suc- photos courtesy S. Mavandad cess, surprisingly Mavandad has no specific plans for the future. When asked what she wants to be when she grows up, Mavandad Mavandad dreams of gracing the stage with elegance, poise, and pliés. simply stated, “I have no idea. My favorite classes are English and Hey, it’s never too late to sign up for a ballet class! she chuckled. Biology, so maybe something in one of those fields. They interest Her optimism and pep is utterly contagious, which is why wher- me the most.” Her number one goal? “I want to be above people, for ever Mavandad goes, a gaggle of giggling girls is sure to follow. people to respect me,” she explained, an admirable goal. Always a An all-around great girl with a bright personality and big dreams dreamer, Mavadad added, my real dream, though, is to someday be to boot, this one is surely going places. As she is just a freshman, a ballerina. Despite never having taken a dance lesson in her life, the next three years are going to be very interesting for Mavandad.