Meditation Five Forty Five ay em. Rain falls. Turkey Bowl nine ay em. No Erin. Went inside to look. Glasses steamed. Couldn’t see. Noh one moves like an Erin. Noh drama.

Lay out clothes for bike ride. Rain falling. It’s okay. Noh drama. Week 23. On the Port Gamble – Talkeetna Trail the distance between birth and death makes good drama. Seventy one Weeks to Go.

JSerra Catholic High School’s girls’ cross country and boys’ water polo teams finished second Saturday in tight battles for CIF titles – and boys’ cross country finished ninth.

Mr. Waszak congratulates the team on its outstanding accomplishments

“All three teams were determined to win,” said JSerra principal Tom Waszak. “They may not have not reached their ultimate goal but all three teams gave a 100 percent effort. They should be proud of what they achieved. It was not long ago that our ability to compete in the league was questioned. On Saturday, I saw student athletes and coaches who were distraught about finishing second in the CIF championships. We’ve come a long way In a short time!”

The cross country team finished three points behind champion Harvard of Westlake at the CIF meet, which was held at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut.

“They ran their hearts out,” Waszak said. “They are determined to win at the state meet.”

The girls compete in Clovis this weekend for the state title.

The boys’ water polo team also finished an outstanding season Saturday, coming up just short against Trinity League rival Mater Dei. They fell 12-8 at William Woollett Aquatics Center in Irvine.

By Robin Carden

With its 14-8 victory over Servite High School Wednesday, JSerra’s  
boys’ water polo team has earned the opportunity to become the Lions  
first-ever CIF championship team.

They play Mater Dei for the Division II title Saturday. The game is scheduled for 2:45 p.m. at the William Woollett Aquatics Center in Irvine.

To read the Orange County Register’s round-up of semi-final action,  
click here.

Come out and support the Lions!

If you were paying attention, and I’ll assume that you were, as hanging on my every word is quite unavoidable, you’ll notice where I called this page a sports site. This is only partially true (you’ll find, as we go forward, that partial truths are one of my many fortes, along with sneaky lies, eloquent hyperbole, and expertly placed scorn). In addition to sports, I will also be covering games. To deal with issues of server space and short attention spans, the two have been amalgamated under the catch-all phrase “sports” in such a way that they’ve lost all distinction. Well, I’m here to set the record straight… which should have been listed amongst my fortes… setting the record straight. I’m very good at it.

And actually, the distinction is quite simple to understand… and here’s the litmus test; if a fat 60 year old can do it moderately well, it’s not a sport, it’s a game. Simple as that.

So let’s get to it, shall we?

But first, let’s start by saying I’m not going to mention anything that’s so obviously a game that its’ combatants won’t even complain at having it called so. These include poker, backgammon, Madden challenge, Scrabble, spelling bees, etc… These have at most a very little physical aspect to them, and thus don’t qualify as a sport under any definition of the world. Plus, a fat 60 year old, after some practice, could be the best in the world at any of them.

American Football – Sport. Clearly, our fat 60 year old could strap on a helmet and shoulder pads and proceed to play the game, but this is where the “moderately well” portion of our litmus test comes into play. I would also recommend a stretcher, ambulance, priest and his loved ones be nearby.

Archery - Game. Games can be broken down into two categories… strictly mental games, like the ones mentioned above (Poker, Backgammon, etc…), or games that combine both mental and physical aspects. Alas, when it comes to archery’s physicality, we’re talking hand-eye coordination (true of many games) and average levels of strength. A fat 60 year old can handle those aspects.

Australian Rules Football – Sport. I would, though, like to see our fat 60 year old in one of these. Wait, no I wouldn’t. Forget I said that.

Auto Racing – Game. Let’s be honest here… the cars are the athletes. They’re the ones competing in a sport. The drivers, not so much. Yes, it’s physically and mentally demanding… but can you really sit there and tell me, perched on your high chair like you most certainly are, that a fat 60 year old couldn’t win one race, let alone do moderately well? Already, Mark Martin of Nascar fares quite well at age 50, and the oldest winner was 52. Formula one’s oldest winner was 53. And we’ve got a fat guy that regularly wins in Tony Stewart. Would he win? Probably not. Could he do moderately well? Definitely.

Badminton – Sport. Yes, our fat 60 year old, depending on what strata of society he finds himself within, might play regularly… probably with regular breaks for tea and judging people. But put that same fat 60 year old in a competitive environment, and he loses every time. There’s nothing “moderately well” about that.

Baseball – Sport. Baseball’s one of the trickier ones to call, actually. Most players are involved in a sport, but pitchers, particularly those pansies from the American League (what with the designated hitter rule), might be playing a game. We’ve seen plenty of successful fat guys… C.C. Sabathia, David Wells, Bartolo Colon, Jumbo Brown… most of them pitchers (though certainly the aforementioned designated hitter and first base are prone to successful fat guys, like Cecil Fielder, and John Kruk)… but could our 60 year old do it, at least moderately well? Maybe, but he’d have to be pretty special. And since most baseball players qualify as athletes playing a sport (unless you could see our fat 60 year old chase down a fly ball, or steal second… I don’t), we’ll call baseball a sport.

Basketball – Sport. Through and through. Even if our fat 60 year old was 7′4″, he still wouldn’t hold up, and that’s saying something.

Bobsleigh – Game. Any activity where gravity does the most work is a game. That fact should maybe be at the top, but at least it’s here. A fat person actually benefits from these kinds of games. As a matter of fact, until the governing body instituted a weight-limit rule in 1952, bobsleigh crews were very heavy. It should also be noted that bobsleigh inverse to baseball, as the pusher might actually be playing a sport, at least at the start of the race. This is of course before the gravity takes over, and it’s the pusher’s job to get the sled moving. But for most of the race, all members of the team are playing a game, hence, its’ designation here.

Bossaball – Sport. And a wild one at that. And just look at that photo (you’ll have to hover over “bossaball” to see it)… if any of you know a fat 60 year old that could even do that without gravely injuring him/herself, I want their name and number. I have an idea for a viral video. Oh, and if you want to know just what the hell bossaball is, check this out.

Boules – Game. Uh, yeah. This one’s obvious, right? From a class of games that includes Bocce, Lawn Bowling, Petanque, Boule Lyonaisse, Klootschieten and Varpa… games seemingly specifically created for the elderly (but fun nonetheless).

Bowling – Game. Again, no questions here, right? If so, just head to your local bowling alley. You’ll see plenty of fat, drunk 60 year olds bowling in the 200’s regularly. Not a sport.

Boxing – Sport. This one’s a bit thorny. George Foreman, at this very moment, is a fat 60 year old (ironic for a man synonymous with the Lean Mean Fat-Reducing Grilling Machine, but I digress). Could he really not fare at least moderately well in the ring today? Probably so… but this one comes with a caveat. The only way this could work is in the heavyweight division, where lumbering, plodding heavy punchers will always have a place. You can be all of those things as a fat 60 year old. In no other weight class would this be plausible. So on the whole, boxing’s a sport, whether the heavyweight division is a game or not.

Competitive Dance – Sport. So us macho types, like, for instance, myself, don’t like to admit that dance is a sport. But step back and take a look at it… extreme athleticism? Check. Very competitive? Check. Exclusion of fat 60 year olds? That’s a big fat check. And those of you who have been to a competitive dance… uh… competition?… and seen the merciless backstabbing and cutthroat sabotage that regularly unfolds know damn well that this is no game.

Cricket – Sport. The art of bowling sets cricket apart from baseball. As opposed to the standstill throw a pitcher delivers, the bowler’s is a violent, full-body action with an extended run-up that would certainly throw out the backs of most fat 60 year olds. Even the act of batting is more involved, as batsmen have been known to switch sides of the wicket while the bowler is in his run-up (this would be akin to a right-handed batter jumping over home plate to bat left-handed during a pitcher’s windup). No easy feat, and no place for a fat 60 year old to tread.

Curling – Game. There’s nothing about this game that a fat 60 year old couldn’t handle. They might be the best in the world at it, for all I know.

Cycling – Sport. A fat 60 year old in spandex? We don’t think so.

Darts – Game. One of the few games where being a fat 60 year old is an advantage.

Decathlon/Heptathlon/Pentathlon – Sport. This would, of course, be the end of our fat 60 year old. We had some good times, fat 60 year old. We’ll always remember you.

Disc Golf – Game. Another addendum; if stoners, hippies and other movement-reluctant bums fancy it, it’s a game.

Discus Throw – Game. The actual throwing of the discus any fat 60 year old could handle, and while some of them might be hilariously awful, some could reach the “moderately well” threshold… that’s the rub. It’s the leadup to the toss that gets a bit dicey. Most athletic 25 years olds will end up on their ass following it… and a fat 60 year old? He’ll get vertigo… unless… he/she was already an experienced discus thrower. A former champion, let’s say. Could he/she still fare moderately well? Of course.

Diving – Game. Here’s the thing… at the elite level, yes, diving is heavily populated by 15 year old, 58 pound Asians. But tack on 45 years and 200 pounds to those same Asians… and splashy, cannonball-esque entry aside, could they not at least fare reasonably well in a diving competition? I think so, yes.

Downhill Skiing – Sport. OK, let me explain. Yes, gravity plays a major role here, in fact, it’s the agent propelling the skier down the hill. But what sets downhill skiing apart from say the bobsleigh or the luge is that the skiier must use his/her athleticism against gravity, to turn, sometimes sharply. Without the ability to do so, the ability to fare, oh, I don’t know, let’s say moderately well, goes down the tubes. Our fat 60 year old would be carried faster than most down the hill, thanks to the “fat” part, would his/her 60 year old muscles be able to turn him/her appropriately? We have our doubts.

Equestrian – Game. Again, who’s the athlete here? Is it the person riding the horse, or the horse doing all the work? The horses are certainly competing in a sport… the person sitting on the horse? Not so much. Though we will admit that we certainly feel for the horse that has a fat 60 year old on its’ back.

Fencing – Game. We’ll admit, fencing takes incredible instincts and quickness, and the reflexes of a… uh…. well, something that has really fast reflexes. So we’re under no illusion that a fat 60 year old could be a champion. But let’s say renowned champion Sergei Golubitsky hits 60 and has let himself go a little (or a lot, whatever picture you throw into that head of yours). Were he to enter a competition, could he not fare at least moderately well? It says here he could.

Figure Skating – Sport. Unless points were awarded for sliding along the ice on your ass or stomach, our fat 60 year old would stand no chance here. None at all. Though, this does give me an idea. Who wouldn’t pay money to watch fat 60 year olds attempt some of these advanced moves. It’d be a train wreck, and train wrecks make good televsion… hmmmmm…. We’d have to come up with some appropriate clothing, but yeah, I think I could make it work.

Fishing/Angling – Game. Go watch your local fishing tournament this weekend. Take note of the number of people that aren’t fat 60 year olds. Now, nod in agreement with me.

Gaelic Football – Sport. A fat 60 year old would spend the entire game getting embarrassed, thus causing him, if he’s Irish (as we would expect, if he’s playing Gaelic Football), to pick a fight with every player on the pitch, followed by that particularly intoxicating brand of Irish violence… utter chaos, generally speaking… which would subsequently lead to everyone getting drunk together and singing songs. Stereotypical? You betcha… but I’ve lived it. And stereotypes exist for a reason, right?

Golf – Game. First, it’s a favorite of fat 60 year olds. Second, you could easily see one heating up and shooting a 70 on the same day Tiger Woods shoots a 72. An activity where you could play better than the world’s best? That’s a game, my friends. Let’s put that same fat guy up against Lebron James in a game of one-on-one. Does he ever win? Of course not. If we tied one of James’ arms behind his back, does the fat 60 year old ever win? Of course not. I believe I’ve eagled this one.

Gymnastics – Sport. OK, picture the fat 60 year old, and let’s go with a male. Now… and this won’t be easy… picture him in a unitard. Get past it, you can do it. OK, good. Now, picture him going through a routine on the pommel horse. How many times did he crush his nuts? 30? 40? No, this is no place for a fat 60 year old.

Hammer Throw – Game. Like the discus throw, the problem lies in the lead up to the throw. And like the discus throw, most people would end up on all fours attempting such a thing, with probably a vertigo supplementation for our fat 60 year old. But, like the discus, an experienced discus thrower who just happens to be fat and 60 could fare moderately well… thus… it’s a game.

Handball – Sport. Like many sports, a fat 60 year old could play handball, and like all of them, against decent competition, he’d get embarrassed to the point of taking up shuffleboard.

Hockey – Sport. Whether it be the ice or the field variety, the end results are the same. Our fat 60 year old hospitalized, probably with a feeding tube and catheter. It wouldn’t be pretty.

Horse Racing – Game. A great sport for horses, a decent game for humans. Again, how is this a sport for jockeys? Actually, let’s put it this way, if the real athlete in the sport (the horse) would be better off without human involvement (you know, faster without something on its’ back), then it’s no sport for humans. There. And yes, we’d need a very special, strong horse for our fat 60 year old, but there’s one out there that could lead it to a moderately decent finish.

Hurling – Sport. And one I’m not sure should be legal. Picture, Americans, a combination of baseball, soccer and handball. That’s right, they run around with what amounts to baseball bats in their hands, freely swinging them on the field of battle, with others all around them. Hence the helmets. I don’t think we should allow our fat 60 year old to even try this one. Let’s move on.

Hydroplane Racing – Game. Another sport where the humans are just controlling the athletes… in this case, crazy-fast boats. And another one a fat 60 year old would fancy his chances in. He might even prevent things like this from happening, what with the extra weight and all.

Jai Alai – Sport. I don’t think “the fastest sport in the world” is any place for a fat 60 year old. I don’t know, maybe that’s just me, but I’m gonna go ahead and give this one the sport nod, and move on, thus saving the life of our fat 60 year old, in all probability. Ed Honcho, hero.

Javelin Throw – Game. As with most throwing sports, where your average fat 60 year old wouldn’t be able to compete, one with experience should be able to at least fare moderately well. Hence the designation as a game. They are the Olympic Games, after all, right?

Jumping – Sport. This includes the High Jump, Long/Broad Jump and Triple Jump, not to mention certain obstacles for fat 60 year olds… namely, the whole jumping part.

Luge – Game. This falls under our aforementioned gravity rule (see: bobsleigh). Our 60 year old’s girth would do nothing but help him/her. Sure, he/she might end up in the hospital, but that’s true of thin 26 year olds as well.

Martial Arts – Sport. Unlike boxing’s heavyweight division, there are very few plodding, heavy hitters when it comes to any discipline of the martial arts. My recommendation to our fat 60 year old? Start tapping out as soon as the competition begins. I’m tired of these hospital bills. It’s starting to add up.

Motorcycle Racing – Game. Again, and maybe I should just put this on repeat. The humans here aren’t the real athletes. The motorcycles are. They’re the ones competing in a sport. The humans… simply enjoying their game. And sure, your average 60 year old would struggle… but a former motorcyle jockey who spent 10 years gorging on Tastykakes? He could fare, you guessed it, moderately well.

Netball/Korfball – Sport. Very similar to basketball, though not quite as arduous physically as one’s movement is restricted. Thus, at amateurish levels, a fat 60 year old could hold his/her own. But once we start to creep into the levels of “moderately decent”, the fat 60 year old falls short.

Orienteering/Rogaining – Game. Navigation-based competitions will always fall into the category of games, for obvious reasons, the most clear being that many fat 60 year olds already participate, and can certainly fare at least moderately well. The “fat” part undoubtedly doesn’t help, as these competitions are all on foot, but this deficiency can be made up for in other areas.

Pole Vault – Sport. The mere idea of a fat 60 year old attempting the pole vault has me sitting in my chair laughing my ass off (or SIMCLMAO, from here forward). This is no game.

Polo – Game. This is a combo event between the horse and the human, with the horse playing a sport and the human playing a hand-eye-coordination-based game. Our fat 60 year old could play this game, with a big enough horse, and play it quite well.

Racewalking – Game. This one just feels like a game, doesn’t it? It’s got that game funk all over it. And I’m not coming at this from a “what’s shoved up those guys asses?” point of view either. Nope. I know they’re great at what they do, and it takes talent. It’s just, what’s the ceiling on speed if you’re walking? And what’s the ceiling on speed if you’re a former racewalking champ who’s put on a few and 60 years old? Are they that far apart? That’s the thing. The slower racewalking speeds allow for the discrepancies in time to remain close, as opposed to running, where the difference increases exponentially. Thus, our fat 60 year old can log his/her moderately well and move on with his/her life.

Rock Climbing/Bouldering – Sport. Yeah, our guy would be dead. Fat and rock climbing/bouldering go together like…. uh, fat and… modeling. I don’t know. Two things that don’t go together very well. Cut me some slack, I’ve run out of coffee.

Rowing – Game. This one’s not so easy. Could a fat 60 year old row well. Yes, and with great power. Would his/her girth keep him/her from our “moderately well” standard? We say no, not if he/she were an experienced rower. This one definitely toes the border between sport and game, though. But hey, the rules are the rules… hard and fast. Just like me. Except for fast. Sometimes… depends what we’re talking about. Let’s just move on.

Rugby – Sport. Sure, Rugby (both League and Union) has its’ fat guys, but they’re not really fat guys, they’re just sports fat guys. You know, the kind of guy that drinks all night and doesn’t pay any attention to what he puts in his body… fish & chips, meat pies, etc… But they’re not really fat, not by society’s standards, at least. They’re just sports fat. Our 60 year old is society fat, plus, you know, he’s 60. He might hold his own in a scrum, but otherwise, it’s back to the hospital with him.

Running – Sport. Including sprints, marathons, hurdles, etc… And we’re moving on.

Sailing – Game. Now, we certainly don’t want to downplay what they do, but could a fat 60 year old be part of a winning team? You betcha. Could he win an individual competition? Unlikely, but could we expect him to do reasonably well? Were he a former champion, yes, we could. And I’m sticking with it, no matter how many hateful emails I get.

Shooting – Game. Encompassing sporting clays, skeet and trap shooting, our fat 60 year old is already moving into the semifinals.

Shot Put – Game. Our fat 60 year old is excited to try this one out. No running, no jumping, just sheer strength. And it says here they’ll fare at least moderately well.

Shuffleboard – Game. Funny story, our fat 60 year old is actually the reigning world shuffleboard champion. True story.

Skateboarding – Sport. We’re eagerly anticipating our fat 60 year old’s turn on the half-pipe. We’re guessing the judges don’t throw the term “moderately well” around. Maybe something more along the lines of “OH MY GOD! CALL 9-1-1!!!”

Ski Jump – Game. The ski jump, as opposed to downhill skiing, requires very little active resistance to gravity. Gravity hurls it’s participants down the ramp, a small, quick, powerful burst of the legs when the ramp turns up, then it’s all about holding your form. Our fat 60 year old, a former ski jumper, could handle this sort of thing, and his performance would be deemed “moderately well,” grammar be damned.

Snowboarding – Sport. And this includes virtually every form of snowboarding sport there is, whether it be boardercross, halfpipe, big air, slopestyle or simply racing. Now, some of them do start to creep into game territory… for instance, our fat 60 year old could get good air, and maybe perform enough tricks to fare moderately well… but we doubt it. And the rest of the events would leave him/her at the ski lodge in a full body cast… so yeah, we’re going sport.

Speed Skating – Sport. It’s a matter of sheer physics, really. As our fat 60 year old made a turn, provided he/she had any sort of speed built up, the centrifugal force would carry him/her into the boards, everytime… partly because their mass would be difficult to stop/turn, and also because their older legs wouldn’t be able to do it. I like to call it the “law of hilarious crashes where hopefully nobody gets hurt”. I am having some trouble getting it to stick. Maybe you guys can help me out? Spread the word. Spread the love.

Soccer/Football/Calcio/Futbol – Sport. Sure, lots of fat 60 year olds play soccer, but have you watched them? Let’s just say that their version is a sedentary one, rife with mis-kicks, hand-balls, shin-shots, beer and singing. OK, so it’s not that much different than the EPL… but just enough that our fat 60 year old narrowly fails the test.

Softball – Game. Though really, the way women play it, it’s a sport. But the way the vast majority of people play it, it’s barely a game. More like a mixer, or a party, or something between grilling and horseshoes. Our fat 60 year old is right at home.

Surfing – Sport. First of all, fat, in the surfing world, means shark food. Second, well, let’s go back to physics. The best surfers don’t sit too far down in the water. They skim the surface. Fat means skimming becomes more difficult… means jumps don’t look as good… means tubes aren’t properly navigated… means “moderately well” is out of the picture.

Swimming – Sport. Unless you consider drowning a success, in which case, you need to go talk to someone. Seriously.

Table Tennis – Game. To play at the highest level, with the best of the best, you cannot be fat, or 60. It takes hummingbird-like reflexes that, let’s face it, have left our fat 60 year old over time. But to play the game moderately well? Our fat 60 year old can handle that, especially if he/she has history in the game.

Tennis – Sport. It’s like table tennis, if the table were expanded to 10 times it’s normal size and you got on top of it. This means 10 times more ground to cover for our fat 60 year old. That’s about 9 times too much.

Triathlon – Sport. Maybe if the swim were 25 yards, the bike 1/4 of a mile, and the run 30 steps… maybe, our fat 60 year old could fight his/her way into the “moderately well” category. Anything more and he/she suffers a stroke.

Ultimate Frisbee – Sport. That’s right. Ultimate has moved out of the realm of hippies and stoners and been taken over by real athletes. The amount of athleticism required to catch the many errant throws that occur alone dooms our fat 60 year old (and if you don’t believe me, check out the photo if you hover over “ultimate frisbee”, or this one).

Volleyball – Sport. If we’re talking water volleyball, our 60 year old might stand a chance. But beach, or indoor? Uh, no. Even if he/she were 7′0″ tall, his/her lack of quicks would doom him/her. Plus, that’s not even an insurmountable heighth these days when it comes to volleyball. No, we’re quite sure our fat 60 year old would be humiliated.

Water Polo – Sport. Treading water is an underestimated exercise. It’s exhausting. Trust me. Ed Honcho spent his formative years as a lifeguard (what did you expect?), where part of the certification process was to hold a brick over your head and tread water for 1 minute. Go ahead and try it, we’ll wait… no? Pansies. What you’d find is that it’s not the sort of thing a fat 60 year old should be attempting under any circumstances, brick or no. Though, I will admit, it might come in handy during a lifeguard certification class, as you would most certainly be dragging them off the bottom of the pool, maybe putting them on a backboard, and potentially administering a little mouth-to-mouth. Three birds with one stone. I’m surprised they haven’t thought of this one yet. What I’m not surprised about, is that I have.

Waterskiing – Sport. Have you seen some of the things these people do? Yes? Can you imagine a fat 60 year old doing any of them? Yes, but only poorly, and quickly followed by a horrible wipeout? Me too!

Weightlifting – Game. Plenty of fat people excel at weightlifting… remember, fat people can be very strong, whether they be 20, 40, 60 or 80 years old.

Wrestling – Sport/Game. Truly, in wrestling moreso than any other sport, it depends on the discipline. Freestyle or Collegiate wrestling is a sport. Fat 60 year olds would get twisted into pretzels. Greco-Roman wrestling is a game, since it relies almost solely on upper body strength, which a fat 60 year old might have in spades… or, at least enough to fare moderately well. Submission wrestling is a sport, as a fat 60 year old wouldn’t have the speed to contain someone at the top of their game… not to mention someone at an average level of their game. Arm wrestling is a game, which should be patently obvious to anyone but the dullest of minds. Sumo wrestling is a sport, as, though our 60 year old is fat… that gives him no advantages. Instead, it’s about quickness at that size, something that puts our 60 year old at a decided disadvantage. And, of course, professional wrestling is neither a game or a sport, it’s what we like to call “acting” in the business.

So there you have it… I would normally spend the next few hours waxing poetic about my prophetic… ness. But it does appear as if our fat 60 year old is in need of immediate attention. What do eyes rolled back in the head usually mean? Is that bad? Yeah. OK, I gotta go. Spread the word people. Let’s make this stuff fact. Oh, and if you want to send any particularly hateful emails my way, sure, I can take it. Just send it to icanbesurprisinglysensitive@edhoncho.com. Yo.

By Robin Carden

The JSerra Catholic High School boys’ water polo team will play Trinity League rival Servite High School tomorrow for a spot in the CIF Final. The semifinal match is scheduled for 5 p.m. at William Woollett Jr. Aquatics Center in Irvine.

Last week, the Lions beat Long Beach Miliken 16-4 in a second-round playoff game.

The “Pride of Pool” came back on Saturday to defeat El Modena 10-6 in the quarterfinals.

Come out and support your LIONS !!!

The WA Hall of Champions is a very prestigious place to be, as you must have excelled in your chosen sport.

The Hall of Champions was originally put forward by the Sportwriters Association of WA in 1983. The criteria to be accepted into the Hall are as follows:  Outstanding sporting achievement at the highest level, the athlete must be accepted as a product of the WA sporting system or have established their reputation while resident in WA. The athlete must also have retired from the highest level of competition for five years.

The current members of the selection committee are: Mr David Hatt (Chairman), Mr Ken Casellas, Mrs Liz Chetkovich, Mr Alan East, Mr Ray Wilson, Mr Glenn Mitchell and Ms Pam O’Connell.

We were privileged to witness on Friday night the latest three inductees, Cyclist Darryn Hill, Golfer Maxine Bishop and Australian Rules Footballer Sammy Clarke.

On the night we were given a run down on the achievements of these athletes that warranted their elevation to the Hall of Champions, and those of Darryn Hill and Maxine Bishop appeared thoroughly deserved. Hill having been the 1995 World Sprint Champion, having also won silver in 1994, and bronze in 1996 and 1997. He also won bronze as part of the team sprint combination at the Sydney Olympics and won another World title in 1996.

Ms Bishop was the first Western Australian golfer male or female to win an Australian amateur championship, in 1951. And was the first to win an overseas tournament, the New Zealand Open also in 1951. She was state women’s champion 11 times and won the Victorian title three times, the only three times she entered.

Then came the induction of Sammy Clarke, and we have to say that this one just did not have the same feeling of merit. He won the Sandover medal in 1933 in his first season of Australian Rules football for Claremont-Cottesloe. He won it again the following year, and represented WA 8 times. All impressive, but does it really warrant induction into the Hall of Champions? We cannot believe that there are not people from other sports with more impressive credentials.

Louise Sauvage is one to spring to mind who won 9 Paralympic gold medals and three silver in four Paralympic appearances. She also won gold in the 800m demonstration event at the Olympic games in Atlanta(96) and Sydney (00). She also won the Boston, Los Angeles, Berlin and Honolulu Marathons. She was voted Australian Paralympian of the Year in 1994, 1996, 1997 and 1998 has been awarded numerous other awards including the 1998 Young Australian of the Year in a sports category, the 1999 Australian Female Athlete of the Year, and also an Order of Australia Medal. Yet she is overlooked for the Hall of Champions?

Louise is an exceptional example, but if you are going to honour the likes of Sammy Clarke then you must compare his achievement with others in other sports. In state football, Theo Papp won, what is now the McInerney Ford Gold Medal four times in 1964, ’67, ’68 and ’70. The only man to have done so. Norrie Sutton won the same award twice, in 1982 and fourteen years later in 1996. Both also represented Western Australia.

If we look at Rugby Union, I have been unable to obtain a list of the PG Hampshire Award winners, however surely John Cecil `Jock’ Steggall deserves to be in the Hall of Champions. “Jock” was born in Geraldton in 1909, the son of a watchmaker and played 10 tests for Australia between 1931-33 at fullback. He sadly passed away in 1985. Although born in Geraldton he was schooled in Toowoomba and spent time in Brisbane before his Wallaby call up. as in those days the only chance you hade of a call up was if you came from Queensland or new South Wales. Now according to the criteria he may well be excluded even though he is in fact a product of Western Australia, and someone that Rugby in WA recognises as a Western Australian. Yet because he headed over East to further his aspirations at a time when WA was not on the Rugby map he is excluded. Is this right?

Another example from rugby is  NZ born Bob Thompson who was picked to play for Australia whilst playing for Wests in 1971. Probably the first player to picked to represent Australia while playing in Western Australia, in the days before the Western Force, and recognition that Western Australia could match the east coast.

There are bound to be others in other sports but hopefully the point is proven.

Now the reason that “Not The Footy Show” was launched in September 2006 was because we felt that there were athletes and sports that deserved recognition that were being overlooked by a media that seems obsessed with Australian Rules. It would appear that the most prestigious awards in the state have also been hijacked, as without wanting to offend Mr Clarke’s family, his place in the Hall of Champions is premature when there are in other sports others who appear certainly equally if not more worthy.

We have gone through the past Inductees to see if there is a fair representation of the athletes that Western Australia has produced, and we will let you be the judge, but there does appear to be a very strong bias to what were traditionally the “Australian” sports, Australian Rules in winter, and cricket in summer.

The following sports have the following number of athletes in the Hall of Champions (sports such as Hockey include male and female athletes) :
Australian Rules – 23
Hockey – 21
Cricket – 13*
Athletics – 9
Swimming – 9
Netball – 4
Water Polo – 3
Harness Racing – 3
Horse Racing – 3
Tennis – 3*
Squash – 2
Surf Lifesaving – 2
Golf – 2
Billiards – 2
Lacrosse – 2
Surf Riding – 2
Cycling – 2
Bowls – 1
Speedway – 1
Basketball – 1
Yachting – 1
Association Football – 1
*Ernest Parker was inducted for both Tennis and Cricket.

There would appear to be an imbalance. After all this is not even an international sport. Hockey is an Olympic sport and deserves to be where it is, but there are many other athletes and sports that are not being given the recognition that they deserve, and this needs to be righted. It seems a little strange that some Western Australian athletes are in their chosen sport’s national Hall of Fame before their home state acknowledges them.

There would also appear to be an imbalance on the selection committee with Messrs, Casellas, Mitchell, East and Wilson all having strong Australian Rules ties, or are we being unfair?

One thing that these judges must be careful of is devaluing the honour of the Hall of Champions by pushing an agenda for their favoured sport. It would be a very sad day if that were to happen.

By Robin Carden

JSerra Catholic High School opens CIF playoffs as the second seeded team in Division II and earned a first-round bye.

The team will play at home on Thursday against Millikan High School, which beat Capistrano Valley today.

Let’s fill the stands on Thursday!

This past weekend we had the Southern Division Water Polo Championships.  We ended up losing in the finals.  This tournament really didn’t count for anything.  The big tournament is the Eastern Championships which are in two weeks.  The winner of that gets to go to the NCAA Final Four, which is conveniently at Princeton this year.

I’ve been playing water polo since third grade, and the games in two weeks could be the last competitive water polo games I ever play.  It’s been a great run, I’m definitely going to miss the sport, but at the same time it has taken up so much of my life I am kind of ready to move on and pursue other interests.

Water polo has been a huge part of my life and here are some of the things I’ve taken away from it and playing competitively at a very high level.

Practice makes perfect.  Its sad to say, but I seriously think that I have consistently gotten worse year after year since I started playing at Princeton.  Why is this?  Because in high school I practiced a minimum of 2 hours a day and sometimes up to 5 hours a day.  I also had games almost every weekend against the best teams in California.  At Princeton the most we practice is 2 hours a week, and the competition is very often sub-par.

How does this translate to the real world?

Surround yourself with the best.  Love what you do, and always be working to get better.  Find the people who are the best at what you want to do, and learn from them.  If you try to learn from people who are average that’s all you’ll ever be.

This day and age there is no excuse.  Connecting with people is so easy, and most people will be flattered to be asked for advice.

Don’t get fancy.

Fundamentals, fundamentals, fundamentals.  In high school sometimes we would spend hours doing passing drills.  This was probably one of the most boring aspects of playing water polo, but it was definitely one of the reasons we were the best.  You have to master the fundamentals before you can elaborate on them.  Of course there is always room to get fancy, but if you can’t do the basics correctly you’re never going be successful at getting tricky.

This point is commonly referred to in the software and web 2.0 space.  I forget which class I learned in, but the professor emphasized the importance of the acronym KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid).  Simplicity is key and once you are successful with simplicity, then you can start to get fancy.

Always give it 110%.  Realize that every practice matters.  If you aren’t giving it everything you’ve got, then you’re giving your opponent the opportunity to catch up.

How this carries over into the business world is easy to see.  As an entrepreneur you need to be going balls out at all time.  If you aren’t your giving your competition the chance to catch up.

Overall I think I’ve had a pretty successful water polo career.  I’ve won two national championships, played in the national team development program, played water polo in over 5 different countries and hopefully in a couple weeks I’ll be able to say I made it to the NCAA final four.

I’ve made a lot of friends, learned a lot of lessons and had a great time.  Its been a good trip, but its time to move on and keep **LIVING THE DREAM**

After Jude Law and Shakespeare’s existential movements and after the Danes and other Scandinavians got off the stage I was left feeling ok again.  So what did I do ?  This writer ventured over to Greenwhich, Ct. (where in the library on a personal computer he sits typing this blog out faithfully now) to meet Neil at the Greenwhich Y.M.C.A where he had been watching local water polo teams compete at the olympic size swimming and spectator water polo pool.

From the La Cañada Valley Sun:

La Cañada boys’ water polo is on a hot streak as they beat Monrovia 17-1 on Monday, their fourth straight victory in Rio Hondo league play.

La Cañada (6-17, 4-0 in league) has beaten the other three teams of the Rio Hondo, including a 11-10 overtime win against South Pasadena.

The Spartans scored nine unanswered goals in the second half.

“This was one of the better games they’ve played [this season],” said Spartans Head Coach German Lopez. “They were being aggressive, they were pushing the [counter-attack]. We haven’t done that against South Pasadena or Temple City.”

For more, read here

So, the other day I was bored and transitioning between homeworks and I decided to start screwing around, and I made a semi bucket list.

My Semi-Bucket list–

1. Finish the first season of the TV show I’m writing.
2. Learn to use a computer really well.
3. Become a beast at In-Design.
4. Join a year-’round water polo team.
5. Get a job.
6. Get my license.
7. Have one day where I do all my homework without procrastinating.
8. To go out to the park or wherever for a day and take pictures.
9. To learn to work/master Photoshop.
10. To find some actual intense/important things to put on a Bucket List…

Santa Rosa, Ca. -   The Santa Rosa men’s water polo team keeps up its winning ways. Coach Tyler Denize has his team playing well and near the top of  the Big 8 Conference. After having their best year ever in their 2007 campaign, coach Denize is keeping up the Bear Cub’s winning tradition. That same season they were second in the Nor Cal Playoff Tournament and  finished ranked 3rd in the state compiling a 27-8-1 record.  Pooling lots of local talent, along with players from Washington and Oregon the program started in 1973 keeps winning and growing. They have compiled a current record of 9-2, 2-0 in conference, with the Big 8 championships starting on Nov 6-7, 2009.

abol

ABOL- Australian Business Online

Sport and Leisure Management – Sport and leisure management is an expansive and eclectic field which encompasses many sectors, including sport and fitness, adventure and outdoor tourism, wilderness and natural park recreation, facility management and community recreation. Students examine the role of sport and leisure in contemporary society. Various leisure industry operations and contemporary leisure management issues are explored, in the context of current industry operations providing a deeper understanding of the relationship between work and leisure experiences. Graduates work in federal, state and local government recreation departments; community-based agencies; community recreation, sport and aquatic centres; amusement centres; commercial venues; tourist resorts and not-for-profit agencies.

Established in 1999, Sport Employment Australia (SEA) is the specialist recruitment & human resources consultancy for the sports, recreation, events, leisure & entertainment industry.

• Basketball
• Cricket
• Golf
• Hockey
• Racing
• Rally racing
• Rowing/kayaking
• Rugby league
• Rugby union
• Sailing
• Swimming
• Tennis
• Water polo

SEA has conducted assignments across Australia and internationally, for a range of positions – Chief Executive Officer, Events Manager, Finance & Administration, Sponsorship / Sales / Marketing, Sport Development and Coaching Staff.   We are well placed to assist your organisation with its staffing requirements.

Sport in Australia is popular and widespread. Levels of both participation and observation are much higher than in many other countries. Testament to this is the level of achievement in the Olympic Games and Commonwealth Games as well as other international sporting events in comparison to the population of the country, particularly in the areas of water sports and team sports. The climate and economy provide ideal conditions for Australians to participate and watch sports.

Australia is a country that has always been known for its outdoorsy nature and love for sports. Be it adventure activities, rugby, soccer, cricket or even martial arts, the Australians are ready to have a go at everything even distantly related to sport. No wonder, some even go on to refer to Australia. And going by the way Australians rave about sports and their apparent success in sporting events across the globe, this epithet seems to be well deserved……..More

My day:

6:30am- Wake up, eat breakfast, make lunch
7:30am- Leave for school
7:45am-8:35am- Pre-Calculus
8:40am-9:05am- Advisory
9:10am-10:00am- AP Bio
10:00am-10:10am- Take a quick break, it’s brunch
10:15am-11:05am- APUSH (AP US History, someone kill me now XP)
11:10am-12:00pm- AP Spanish (On second thought I’ll live through APUSH if I don’t have to go to Spanish)
12:00pm-12:30pm- Take another break, it’s lunch!
12:35pm-1:25pm- Ceramics!!! Hooray!!!
1:30pm-2:20pm- PE (Yippee, a junior who still has to take PE…)
2:25pm-3:15pm- English (Naptime, yay)
3:15pm-6:00pm- Water polo practice and occasionally a Newspaper meeting
6:00pm-7:00pm- Come home, shower, eat dinner
7:00pm-12:30/1:00am-ish- Do homework

And people want to know why I’m tired?

by Robin A. Carden

JSerra Catholic High School’s boys water polo team starts the season with high expectations.

Boys water polo a top team in the polls

On Tuesday, CIF released the division polls, in which they ranked the team No. 2 in Division II. OCVarsity.com, the Orange County Register’s prep sports Web site, ranked JSerra No. 5 in the county.

JSerra’s inaugural varsity season in 2007 was a success, and started the winning tradition. In 2008, the young team earned the distinction of placing second in the very competitive Trinity League and made it all the way to the semi-finals in CIF Division II, surprising a few opponents along the way.

We are excited about the 2009 season, as the varsity team returns all of its starters and has strong bench players who will play key roles. Although our team may be small in numbers, we are mighty. Under the guidance of coach Peter Asic, the boys are aiming high this season.

For the schedule: Click here.

For the roster, click here.

Crescenta Valley High’s Jan Sakonju, who was named Coach of the Year for 2008-09, recently became the father of twins, an experi-
ence he said altered his perspective on coaching during a run to the CIF Southern Section Division VI championship with the boys’ water polo team and a best-ever seventh place finish in CIF Division II with the boys’ swimming team.

“During [water polo] playoffs, I knew my wife was pregnant and I think that also kind of changed my coaching style and outlook on coaching and it kind of gave me a different focus,” Sakonju said. “Now
that that the two twins are here, it’s definitely changed my life.

“I think guys looked at me as a father figure at times, but when you actually are a father I think that changes everything [as far as] the role you play and how they look at you.”

Summer Olympics events: I’m so impressed with the women’s water polo team. Ashamedly, I know little about the team but silver is great! I hope the appeal has a chance of changing that. Brutality seems like an awful thing in sport (well, anywhere really, but seriously, what happened to sportsmanship??).

Canadian water polo protest denied by FINA

There is a men’s team and a women’s team, with competition seasons in the fall and spring, respectively. Practices are held at the Payne-Whitney Gym.

A co-ed league is formed over the summer, and is open to non-Yale affiliated players. Contact the men’s team coach for more information on joining the summer team.

Well, it’s not exactly a picture of me. But it’s a picture I took. I’m working towards making photography staff for The Tech, MIT’s student newspaper. In order to make staff, you have to complete three assignments in one semester. My first one was covering the men’s water polo game against Brown. I was actually shooting alongside another, more experienced photographer, so I was surprised that mine made it in. Hit the link below to see the pic.

http://tech.mit.edu/V129/N40/graphics/waterpolo.html

I have had so many discussions with my clients and friends on this topic that I think it’s about time to write something on it. Growing up playing basketball and waterpolo and being a swimmer, I have an eclectic sports background. One that has allowed me to see great “athletes” in “sports” that can’t even dribble a basketball or catch a cold, I mean a ball. But what makes a sport? What makes an athlete? The latter debate will be a whole other blog. I have some issues calling Nascar and golf a sport, but then I’ve had some great discussions on why they should be and I was compelled to keep them on the list, but I was not happy with it. So I have finally created a list that sits well with me. Please feel free to tear it apart and leave me comments on what you think.

There are many “sports” that are in the gray area of what I consider a sport. But Nascar and golf were the biggest. And here is why they were hard for me. Golf, does not really raise one’s heart rate or have anything to do with anyone else in the competition, except of course for their score. You are basically playing the course by yourself and only have “pressure” for making a shot. You don’t have Ray Lewis charging at you as you try to make a shot. There is NO defense in golf. MAJOR issue for me. And I’m a swimmer! And yes, I also have a problem calling swimming a sport. Don’t get mad yet, I will explain soon how swimming fits into my definition. Back to golf. It is obvious that Tiger Woods is an athlete. But Phil Mickelson? Or Vijay Singh? I’m not sure I would pick them first at even my own family BBQ for a game of hoops or volleyball. I would be way more impressed with golf (I already I am because I suck at it) if they only had 10 seconds to hit the ball and the crowd got to say whatever they wanted like a Boston vs. Yankee game, AND  they were timed and there total time to complete the course counted into their score.

And then there’s Nascar. Hardly any body movement. There is no weight-bearing movements or even large body movements AT ALL. I know how hard driving that car is because I’ve done indoor go cart racing. Don’t laugh, that is hard stuff! I can only imagine what it’s like doing the real thing. At least there is defense. I like that. But the fact that there is no running  around or throwing or any real type of body movement, ehhhh I don’t know about calling it a sport.

So these two sports have led me to my definition of a sport. Heeerrre we gooo.

There must be two different categories; combative and non-combative. In combative, this is the ultimate sport categorie in my opinion. There is defense, cardio, strength, skill, you name it. The non-combative category allows the swimmers, gymnasts, Nascar drivers, golfers, track and field, and others to enjoy the title of “sport.” Here is the criteria.

Combative Sport

• Must use legs for movement/action (not sitting on a bike)
• Must be a cardiovascular challenge (at least 80% of max heart rate during some times of the competition) and endurance of over 60 minutes at high levels
• Must be some sort of coordination involved with the feet and the hands, i.e. running and throwing or catching or kicking, etc.
• Must be defense from the opponent
• There must be a learned skill involved
• Must keep score and therefore have a winner

*Sports included are; tennis, hockey, baseball, football, soccer, wrestling, water polo, basketball, volleyball, ultimate frisbee, rugby, lacrosse, mixed martial arts, boxing, and the like.

Non-Combative Sport

• Defense is not mandatory
• Cardiovascular challenge is an option
• There must be hand to eye coordination involved
• There must be a learned skill involved
• There must be a score or time and therefore a winner
• There must be some sort of strength or intensity involved**

*Sports included are; golf, Nascar, arm wrestling, ping pong, swimming, track and field, running, surfing, fencing, skiing, snow boarding, cycling, and the like.

**this omits darts, curling, pool, and other GAMES.

So what do YOU think??

Next we will talk about the definition of an ATHLETE.

I don’t really hate Miley Cyrus. I actually kinda maybe feel bad for her. I don’t know why she makes music.

But, you gotta admit the Radiohead incident was pretty hilarious. You’re going to “ruin” Radiohead? Come now, princess…

I saw a parody of a new video of hers, so I decided to check it out. The parody wasn’t really very funny…but at least it got me to check out the video. Which was interesting. It instantly reminded me of 10 Things I Hate About You. So I googled the connection and was glad to hear someone else thought the same:

Isn’t that fun? The rest of the post is definitely worth checking out, too. I found out about Bikini Kill and Sleater-Kinney by reading it…me likes ‘em.

BY THE WAYYYYYYY, if you haven’t seen it, please please check out Radiohead doing 15 Step at the Grammys! They performed with a college marching band and it was amazingg.

I’ve had a thing for marching bands since about 7th grade when went to my brother’s freshman orientation at good ol’ North Miami Sr. I was totally blown away by the drum line. I held onto those awkwardly-short auditorium chair armrests for dear life…I thought my guts were going to explode.

In high school I was obsessed with water polo, but now I don’t think it really matters what you do, as long as you do something and get nuts about it. If I could do it again, I would be a band geek…but you know, my brother played water polo and my friends were swimmers so that’s what I got drafted into.

…

And in the words of Conan O’Brien,

KEEP COOL MY BABIES!