Sports Archives - the bird on fire

What I Do After School

April 8, 2025 by szachik@pvs.org 4 Comments

By Sixth-Grade Blogger Dior Halum

After a long day of learning and sitting and listening, Dior Halum jumps into extra-curricular activities. Like many of us, Dior embraces activities that make her move. Dior does Soccer and Dance after school. In Soccer, she plays left forward. In Dance, she studies different genres: such as Jazz, Hip Hop, and Ballet. She’s busy.

Dance

I study at Dance Dimensions in Palm Desert, California. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I have rehearsals for our winter and summer performances. We start in August to practice for the first performance which is called the Winter Show. We perform at the Civic Center in Palm Desert, California, in December. In the new year, our dance instructors make a new dance that we perform at Agua Caliente in early summer. On Tuesdays, I have ballet rehearsal from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. with ballet teacher Mr. Tiron. After ballet, I have Jazz from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. with teacher Ms. Maddie. On Thursdays, I have Hip Hop from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m. again with Ms. Maddie. Then, from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m., I have ballet again with Mr. Tiron. My ultimate favorite dance genre is Ballet because I have been taking it since I was four years old. Another reason Ballet is my favorite is because it helps a lot with technique. It helps with technique because as you do more stuff, the better it gets, and you learn from your mistakes. So, as you can see, I’m pretty busy with dancing, but there’s more . . .

Soccer

On Mondays and Wednesdays, I practice Soccer from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at the Hovley Soccer Park. From 5:00 to 6:00 p.m., I have personal training with Coach Rafael. We work on tricks, goal shots, and many other things to help me in my games on Saturdays. From 6:00 to 7:00 p.m., I go to practice with my team. Last season’s coach was Coach Collins. Last season we had 13 players on the team. I play left forward and enjoy scoring very much.

As you can see my days are pretty full, but for me it’s better than sitting around and doing nothing. Doing homework is pretty hard given how much is going on, but I still get it done either before or after sports. Same with eating, I usually do it before or after. What are your days like outside of PVS?

What’s the Hardest Sport and Why?

April 4, 2025 by szachik@pvs.org Leave a Comment

By Middle-School Bloggers Mason Conway, Calum Webster, and Elizabeth Greenwood

Here at thebirdonfire.org, we argue over everything–including Why my sport is harder than your sport! We thought we’d take it to the Palm Valley sidewalks. We asked people what they believe is the hardest sport and why. We know what the hardest sport is (Water Polo!), and we know everyone else is wrong, but wanted to hear their insights. Their answers surprised us, displaying a wide range of perspectives on the physical and mental challenges involved in different sports.

**John Webster, What’s the hardest sport?** “Formula 1 or rock climbing. F1 is difficult because you are driving at a high speed and you risk your life, but rock climbing is also difficult because there is a demanding mix of physical strength and balance.”

Mr. Kisling : “Open water swimming because if you stop, you drown.”

Ms. Maguire: “I think that decathlon is the hardest because you have to be able to run a marathon and do all of those sports really well, and I think that is really hard.”

Devlin Roosevelt: “Soccer because sometimes the refs are blind.”

Mateo Omier: “I think boxing or wrestling because you get beat up every single time.”

Maxwell Pretorius: “Boxing because you can get hurt.”

Ivana Vega: “I would say wrestling because you can genuinely die.”

**Addison Uhlhorn, What’s the hardest sport?** “Hockey because it’s physically demanding on multiple different levels.”

Emmy Kaminsky: “Hockey because you have to skate while you are fighting while holding a stick while moving a puck.”

Jaden Ramer: “Ice Skating because you have to be precise.”

Brooklyn Hatrak: “I agree with Jaden because you have to be flexible.”

Sami Alnabelsi: “The hardest sport and why? I don’t know soccer because the refs are blind.”

Grace Ghaly: “Soccer because the coaches in soccer are mean.”

Ryder Gardner: “Hardest sport? Football because you have to do conditioning.”

**Jaxon Pacilio, What’s the hardest sport?** “Football because you get get hit really hard.” Photo Credit: Mason Conway

Sarah Alnabelsi: “Soccer because it has a lot of running.”

Zoe Groendyke: “Ice Skating.”

Mr. Killeen: “F1 because you have to be short.”

Riley Jorgensen: “Football because it’s the most physical sport possible.”

Coach Jake: “I would personally say football.”

Julian Berumen: “Volleyball”

Cindy Wang: “Volleyball’’

Silvinita Garcia:” Volleyball or basketball.”

Now, Elizabeth says…

As you can see from the wide range of answers, everyone has a different opinion on what makes a sport difficult. Whether it’s the physical demands of hockey or the precision of figure skating. It’s clear that all sports require hard work and dedication.

And, Calum adds…

In my opinion, water polo is the hardest sport for a couple of reasons. First, you have to be treading water for a long period of time. The game is 50 minutes long with only 13 players and 7 playing at a time, and you can only get subbed out after a goal or a time out. So you are for sure going to be tired after the game. Secondly, you can only use one hand at a time. You can not pass in from hand to hand. You either have to dribble it or drop it in the water. This can be really hard because you are going to have to have a really good grip on the ball. The ball is constantly in the water, which means it is going to be wet and slippery. In addition to that, you can only shoot from 5 meters or farther. Finally, it can be a very physical sport. There is a lot of fighting that goes on under water that the ref doesn’t see. That is why water polo is the hardest sport.

Finally, Mason concludes…

I’m going to agree with Calum on this one, I can barely swim, so imagine swimming for that long. If I was to try to play water polo, I would be at the bottom of the regulation 20-feet deep pool. Some people like to drag the players when the refs are not looking, which sounds terrifying; I’d die. I also believe lacrosse is one of the hardest sports solely because you’re allowed to break your stick over someone; the sticks they use are made out of carbon fiber and hard plastic, which I imagine would hurt a lot.

Figure Skating vs. Hockey: Which Sport is Harder?

April 2, 2025 by szachik@pvs.org 1 Comment

By 6th-Grade Bloggers Greenlee Bartley and Reagan Kaminsky

Reagan is a figure skater; Greenlee is a devoted hockey fan. They have had many disagreements on which sport is harder: Figure Skating or Ice Hockey. They have decided to each make their claim on what they think, then get a few people who have experience in both sports to make the final judgement. They, for one, were very surprised with the results, and they think you will be, too.

Reagan says . . .

Personally, I think that figure skating is much harder than ice hockey. Although I have no experience in hockey, I have figure skated for over a year now, and I can confirm that it is not an easy sport. Arguably, to me hockey is much easier than figure skating because you are not required to do jumps, spins, and more while being incredibly dizzy at the same time. Look at professional figure skaters; they are doing “Triple Axels” and “Double Salchows,” while hockey players are simply skating around trying to put a small object into a goal. Personally, I can’t do any of these crazy figure skating tricks, but I do get very dizzy while skating and performing my routines. Also, hockey players even get breaks in between playing time and get to wear special padding and warm clothing. Figure skaters, however, have to wear thin tights and short dresses while skating. Once again, I think that figure skating is much harder than hockey.

Reagan (Right) and Greenlee (Left) at a hockey game, snapping a picture with Coachella Valley Firebirds player Luke Henman.

Greenlee says . . .

I think that ice hockey is harder than figure skating. Although I have not much experience in figure skating or hockey, I do watch hockey a lot, and I have season tickets at Acrisure Arena. I go to almost every hockey game. Reagan claims that hockey is easier because “you are not required to do jumps, spins, and more while being incredibly dizzy at the same time”–which is untrue because hockey players get very dizzy because they are going so fast while sticks are being shoved at them. Also they get thrown into the glass; they fall, and sometimes they get in very bad fistfights that can make them very very badly hurt! Also, hockey players have no choice sometimes but to fight or just accept defeat! Hockey players get to wear padding and more clothes than figure skaters for a reason! It’s not only to keep warm; it’s because, like I said, they get in bad fights and need the padding. Also the goalies need way more padding because they have a hard puck of rubber coming at them at top speed, and hockey is rated #2 Hardest Sport in the World! (ESPN) Once again, I think that hockey is way harder than figure skating.

So, unable to agree, we interviewed three people with experience in these sports to see what the final result would be. First, we interviewed a fellow blogger, and hockey player, Mark Huber. We asked him, “Which sport is harder, figure skating or hockey, and why?” Mark said: “Hockey, because it challenges every single part of your body, even your brain. Also, you have to make decisions in like 0.5 seconds or something, and you wear all this equipment that makes you super sweaty which is annoying.”

Next, we interviewed a PVS Science Teacher, and also hockey player, Mr. Killeen. We asked him “Which sport is harder, figure skating or hockey, and why?” Mr. Killeen responded, “Figure Skating because… as a hockey player, you just have to skate one way until you run into something, but when you are figure skating you have to be graceful, and you don’t have a team to support you.”

Lastly, we interviewed Benjamin Rouche, a figure skater and hockey player, and also a PVS student. He answered, “It’s hard to say, but I think it would be hockey because you have to be able to shoot, control the puck, and sometimes get physical.”

In conclusion, we got many different opinions from students, staff, and even bloggers about which sport is harder: figure skating or hockey. Hockey came out as the number one answer with 3 votes, while figure skating had 2. Despite the controversy, we think that each sport has its easy and hard parts. Even though the votes say otherwise, both sports are hard!

How Not to Ski, with Mark and David

April 1, 2025 by szachik@pvs.org 5 Comments

By Middle-School Blogger and Graphic Artist Mark Huber

Part 1

“Hey, Mark, you okay?” David, my brother, asked me. My name is Mark, obviously, because that’s what David had called me. Anyway, I had just crashed into a tree while skiing, and I had hit it so hard that the snow on the leaves fell off and buried me.

I shook the snow off and did a thumbs-up, then put my skis back on.

“Whoa, Mark, look at that!” said David. There was a guy on a snowboard who had just slid on a railing and stuck his landing.

“That’s great,” I said. I now said that so often, that my parents thought of it as “my new catchphrase.”

We hopped back onto the trail, and I was heading straight for a ramp. I raced onto it, and then promptly veered off of the left side of the ramp, and into the forest (veering off the trail was a huge accident). I was still on my skis, and was still going fast. I had to dodge trees, boulders, and dead bushes. I had no idea where in the ski resort I was, or if I was still in it at all. Then, I saw a clearing, and darted toward it. Then, I fell into a ravine.

“AAAAAAAHHHHNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOO!!!” I screamed, and tumbled into who-knows-where. I could no longer see any light, and when I finally stopped tumbling, I hurt all over my body.

“Ow, I huurt aallll oooovvvvveeeeee…” I said, my words slurring.

And then I passed out.

I woke up in a hospital. I had all sorts of things attached to me, and my family was next to me, and they looked really worried.

“Hey, Mark, you okay?” David said, but less casual and much more worriedly than the last time he said it.

“Aye, aye, captain,” I said. David giggled the tiniest bit.

“What time is it?” David asked Mom.

“1:04,” she said.

“That’s great,” I said. Then, I looked out the window, and finally processed what Mom had said.

“WHAT?!?! You guys are 4 hours from home at one in the morning all because of ME?!?!” I said, worried about everyone’s sleep.

“Shhhh, shh, shh, shh, shh, shhhhhhhhh!!!” said Mom. “Be quiet, there’s other people.”

“Oh, it looks like Mark is ready to get out!” said a doctor. Then, he and the other doctors removed all the thingamajigs from my body, and I went to sleep.

I woke up in our hotel room inside the ski resort’s hotel. I was on the nice, comfy bed in the corner of the room. Then I fell off the bed. The people who had rescued me had apparently grabbed my skis along with me out of the ravine, so I saw them leaning against the wall.

I put a beanie on, grabbed my skis, and headed for the door.

“Where are you going, Mark?” asked Dad.

“Ski,” I mumbled sleepily.

“Wait, what? Nonononononono-” said David. Then I closed the door, and went down to the ski trails to ski. I picked a really steep one, and went down it. I gained speed pretty quickly, and soon everything next to me was a big blur.

“AAAAAAAAAHHHHWWWWWWWWHHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!” I screamed, feeling really happy.

I saw a hill, with a sign saying “DO NOT ENTER.” I needed to take a tight turn, but I knew that if I did, I’d wipe out, big-time. Besides, I couldn’t control myself anymore. I would go on the hill, fly off, and land in who-knows-where. And that was exactly what I did.

I could make out the hotel that my family was in. Oh, no, I thought realizing that I would crash. Right before the impact, I saw David turn around towards the window, and make a very surprised face.

THUMP.

You should’ve seen me in that window when I hit it. Speaking of which, you can make something showing me in that window with Google Drawings, and online drawing tool that…

No. I am not telling you about this blog post’s sponsor in the middle of the story. But, here’s the picture anyway:

“Mom, mom! Open the window, Mark’s back!” I heard David say, muffled through the glass.

Mom opened the window, and I told her what happened.

“Wow, that’s COOL, Mark! You really skied up a hill and flew off onto the window?” said David in awe.

“Yeah, I did. Now, I’m gonna rest because my head hurts,” I said.

And then I went to sleep.

Part 2

“Rise and shine, buds!” said Dad.

“Aayyy, let’s go skiin’!” I said.

I put on my skis, and waited for everyone to put on theirs. Then, we went to the trail where I had flown off that hill and back to the hotel room. When we got there, David gulped.

“Uh, Mark, are you sure about this?” David said, a bit of fear in his voice.

“Yeah, totally!” I said. “I’ll lead the way.”

We headed down, and we all went cautiously slow down the trail. When we saw the hill ahead, I told my family to go the normal way, and I’d go on the hill again. They were very unsure of this, despite my telling them that I’d go slower, and I finally convinced them to let me go.

What I was thinking was that because the trail goes around the hill, taking the hill would be like a shortcut.

I was in the air, having a great time, and I could see the surprised faces of my family watching me fall with style towards the ground, when I got shot by a missile.

Who would do that? Chris Ideeyowt, whose life mission is to destroy me because I got him expelled from my school (to be fair, he was the biggest bully at my school and was feared by all the kids).

“Darn you, Chris!!!” I yelled, and me and my flaming butt fell way off the trail, into the snow, where fortunately my butt was extinguished. I saw a helicopter above me, and a little orange dot inside of it. Then, I saw the helicopter shoot more missiles at me. I opened my mouth wide enough to let a missile through, and the missiles went into my mouth. I spit them, rapid-fire, at Chris’s helicopter, and it blew up.

In reaction to this, Chris said some very bad words. I got back on the trail, and met with my family again.

“Sorry, had to attend to some Chris problems,” I said.

“Err, Mark… you’re crispy on one side, and your butt is charred,” commented David.

“Great,” I said.

“Uh-oh, Chris comes to town,” said David. That was what we said when Chris was around. I got a banana out of my snout storage and threw it at Chris. (Chris hates bananas for some reason.)

“Enjoy!” I said to Chris, just to annoy him even more.

Epilogue

We went back to the hotel, and took our skis off after a long day of skiing. I made a joke that the last three days of skiing should be called “How NOT to Ski, with Mark and David” in the hotel room.

When we got back home, I decided to write a Google Doc about what we did at the ski resort. My parents and David really liked it, and I decided to post it on my school blog.

And that is the long story that you just read.

The end

The Truth About Gymnastics: Benefits and Risks

March 27, 2025 by szachik@pvs.org 3 Comments

By Middle-School Blogger Soleil Antle

Whether you’re tumbling across a floor or swinging on the bars, you’re doing the unimaginable. Soleil Antle, an aspiring gymnast, writes about the benefits and risks of gymnastics, and she argues why gymnastics truly is the hardest and most worthwhile sport. Gymnastics isn’t one level with a bunch of thrown-in skills; it’s divided into levels 1-10 with the exception of an excel program which gives you more variety in the skills you do. The WAG program (women’s artistic gymnastics) has a code of points, and you must have a certain amount of rating skills for your routine to be eligible. All gymnasts compete in the four events: vault, bars, beam, and floor. To get broader perspective, Soleil extends the discussion to the insights of her teammates Lindsay Soulier and Ava Pryor.

Lindsay Soulier has been practicing gymnastics for ten years. She is a member of Cygnus gymnastics training center and competes level 7 of 10.

Soleil: If you could wrap up gymnastics into two words what would they be?

Lindsay: Hard work and perseverance.

Soleil: What are the benefits and risks of the sport?

Lindsay: I think a huge benefit of gymnastics is I have a lot of amazing friendships, and I’m surrounded and supported by so many people who I wouldn’t know if it weren’t for the sport.

I think the risks of gymnastics are injuries. You might do something and get injured if you don’t do it right, which adds a huge risk factor to the sport. Gymnastics puts a lot of strain on your body, which can also overuse different muscles, tendons, ligaments, and tissues. . . . A key thing with gymnastics is to listen to your body and don’t overdo things if you feel pain.

Soleil: Why do you think it is the hardest sport?

Lindsay: I think gymnastics is the hardest sport because although it looks cool and it is so fun; most people don’t realize it’s way more than that. You have to have really good cardio and strength and be able to maintain it. Gymnastics is a sport that requires a lot of commitment, drive, and determination, and if you can’t stay committed, it is probably not the sport for you.

Gymnastics is a great sport and has taught me how to persevere and handle situations–not just in the gym but outside of the gym in my daily life. I’m forever grateful to be in the sport as it has given me mental and physical toughness, and it is something I look forward to and truly enjoy.

Lindsay salutes the judges after her 2025 Gymnix beam routine.

Ava Pryor has been a gymnast since she was 18 months old. She is now 13. She is also a member of Cygnus gymnastics training center and competes at a level 8.

Soleil: What does gymnastics mean to you?

Ava: Gymnastics means so much to me. I have spent my whole life in a gym to become the best version of myself in this sport. Gymnastics is really my happy place. I get to be with the people I love most, and I get to make memories along my journey through gymnastics. It’s truly the one thing that will always make me smile. That’s what gymnastics means to me.

Soleil: Why do you think it is harder than any other sport?

Ava: Personally, I think that gymnastics is harder than any sport because of both the physical and mental aspect of it. Gymnastics can be very challenging on the body from taking so many turns over and over again. They say practice makes perfect, but it can hurt the body so much to the point where injuries can occur . . . . The mental aspect of it is also very challenging; there is a lot of stress that you have to deal with from a very young age. You have the fear of falling all the time. You compare yourself to others, and you have mental blocks that you have to get over, but learning how to deal with these are the things that make gymnastics one of the greatest sports of all time.

Soleil: What are the benefits of gymnastics?

Ava: There may be a lot of risks in gymnastics, but there are many benefits as well, as it teaches you confidence, bravery to work hard, achieve balance, and more. It also teaches you determination to never give up. For example, if you have a bad meet–say you fell off the beam–you keep going. You don’t think about that one thing you did wrong; you think about what you did right. A positive mind is key.

In my opinion gymnastics is definitely the hardest sport because it isn’t always happy and perfect. There is a huge mental aspect that goes with it, and it’s very mentally draining and frustrating at times. It’s incredibly hard because you have to have the strength to hold on but the courage to let go. And that’s not easy. You don’t know how the next move is going to go, so you have to trust in yourself and your training.

I just got injured myself and am out for most of the season; it’s hard not being able to do everything. I’m walking around in a boot, and trying to keep up with my strength is a challenge. I’m able to learn from this though; if I’m positive, it helps move the process along faster. Gymnastics doesn’t just teach you skills in the gym but in your daily life as well. In order to do your best, you have to step out of your comfort zone, even if you don’t want to. It’s all about the mental mindset.

–Soleil

What’s New for Tennis in Indian Wells?

March 14, 2025 by szachik@pvs.org 1 Comment

By 7th-grade blogger Morgan Richardson

The BNP Paribas Open is running now from March 2nd to March 16th in my home town of Indian Wells. The event brings in huge crowds and will hopefully break last year’s record of 493,440 guests (bnpparibasopen.com). The streets of Palm Springs and Palm Desert are filled with visitors eager to attend this annual tennis tournament in our very own tennis paradise. In the past, many celebrities including Tom Holland, Zendaya, P!nk, Bill Gates, Will Ferrell, and Patrick Mahomes have attended, and who knows what stars will surprise us at this year’s BNP. Rumors are Timothée Chalamet and Kylie Jenner have been in this year’s crowds. One of the main attractions, outside of world class tennis, are the many high-end restaurant options like Nobu, Porta Via, Molé, and Ristorante Mamma Gina. Many local favorites including J’s Deli, Tanya’s Kitchen, and even Coachella Coffee in case you need to hide from any bad weather are available at the BNP. To kick off the BNP, a family day is also available for free with face painting, yoga, crafts, and tennis lessons included.

Fun Facts

The BNP has the second biggest outdoor tennis court in the world!
The BNP has held the event at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden since 2009.
It is the best attended tournament outside of all four Grand Slams, which is why it is often called the fifth Grand Slam.

I was first introduced to the BNP by my father, who attends religiously each year. And, if my father isn’t at the Gardens, he’ll be keeping up with matches via television. My mother is fortunate enough to see the finals every year with Dad, for this reason she’s become smitten with Carlos Alcarez, who has moved up in the ranks recently beating previous champion Novac Djokovic twice at Indian Wells. Some say that Carlos Alcarez is the GOAT of tennis.

I turned to my fellow classmates and asked who their favorite player or former player at the BNP is?

7th-grader Gavin had to go to Google to get an answer:

“Simone Bolelli is my favorite tennis player.”

Ms. Maguire gives a shout out to her hometown Buffalo girl:

“Jessica Pegula is the best tennis player out there.”

Mr. Satterfield, with little to no tennis knowledge, puts a historic player at the top of his tennis pyramid:

“My favorite tennis player is Roger Federer.”

Elizabeth Greenwood answers with a popular tennis favorite:

“My favorite tennis player is by far Serena Williams.”

My favorite tennis player is Novac Djokavic, though at a losing streak he has become my tennis inspiration. Winning or losing and still getting back on the court is one of the many valuable life lessons tennis has taught me.

Sources:

https://bnpparibasopen.com › history

desertsun.com

I Will Never Ski in Spring Again.

May 9, 2024 by szachik@pvs.org 1 Comment

By 8th-grader Jackie Padgett

During Spring Break, I decided to accept the invitation to go skiing with my friend. Last time I skied it wasn’t necessarily bad – but that was almost three years ago. I was also not prepared at all and that led to my, not so great, skiing experience that wasn’t even necessarily skiing as I… walked down a slope. After looking back at this trip, I have found three main reasons that led me to tread down that mountain:

1) Equipment,

2) Personality,

3) Technique.

Don’t feel bad about laughing in any part of this story; I survived the humiliation and danger.

So our trip started with us driving 10-12 hours up to Salt Lake City, Utah, and if you’ve ever been in a car that long, it could be the best or worst experience. Luckily, this one was good. We stopped in Las Vegas for a bit, went to Area 15 for the interactive art in Omega Mart and stopped at a Terrible’s gas station.

As advertised, they did in fact have clean restrooms, and also a grocery store set up for the vegetables. There was real food in Terrible’s, which is rare for gas stations. Photo Credit: My friend’s mom

Once we made it to my friend’s house in Utah (which feels like years away from civilization), we needed to prepare for skiing the next day.

Skiing Problem #1: Equipment

For skiing, you have the basic ski equipment: the skis, the boots, the pants, the sweaters, the jackets, the mask, the goggles, the helmet, and the poles. With skis, you preferably want them as long as the length of your foot to your nose or eyes (from what I’ve heard). Last time I skied, I was 11. I have grown quite a bit in those two years, so my old skis are too short. Similarly with my boots, they’re too small now. Luckily my friend has two older brothers, who weren’t on that trip with us, so we decided that I would use a pair of their skis. My friend and her brothers all have their skis and boots “tailored” to fit perfectly, so whichever boots fit me would relate to what skis I would be wearing. I ended up having skis a couple inches taller than me, not too bad, but it did make it more difficult to turn which also helps you slow down (this will be important later). The other equipment was fine. The goggles were a little big, which got snow in my eyes a couple of times–but that was okay.

I’m on the left, and my friend is on the right; you can see how my skis look big and a bit awkward. My ski mask fell down on this slope, and I didn’t even notice until the next morning when I saw my sunburn (I swear I wore sunscreen). Surprisingly, the sun is very intense on the mountains.

Skiing Problem #2: Personality

If you don’t know me well, then you probably don’t know that I’m scared of falling and that I’m very “risk averse” (as my friend likes to say). These two things aren’t great when going down a ski slope. When you ski, there are different tiers of slopes: you have the greens which are pretty flat and easy, the blues which are a little harder and less flat, the blacks which are vertical slopes with moguls (little bumps in the mountain that are fun to some people), and finally there are the double blacks which I don’t even know how to explain–they are just like the black slopes but 10 times worse.

A good example of slope tiers from Ski Profiles

Skiing Problem #3: Technique

Once we made it on the lift, up to the slope, I started to panic. Below me, I saw people wipe out left and right and others speeding straight down the slope. There were very different people on very different levels with very different techniques. Once we got off the lift and I looked down the slope (after watching my friend easily ski down it), I felt more relaxed. So, I started skiing down doing my little swerves across the mountain, but I wasn’t really turning fast enough, so my “free fall” moment was too long, which made me go faster, which I didn’t want to do.

This homemade graph points out the little “free fall” moments where you go straight down before you turn.

The problem was that the snow was pretty slushy, and I had never skied during slushy snow season before. I had never skied in the spring. So, I was pretty inexperienced in this type of snow, and, instead of turning, I would go straight down as my skis would get caught in the slushy snow. Being the wise and professional skier that I totally am not, I panicked and went into pizza mode which eventually let me pull off to the side of the slope, and I just stopped. I definitely thought I was going to go off the mountain when I reached the side. I was literally eight feet away from the “point of no return” rope (that’s what I like to call it). Then, and this is kind of embarrassing, my friend’s mom was like, “You got this! You made it down almost half way! Hooray!” and blah blah blah, super supportive, very kind, but I was not going down that mountain. So I just refused to move! Isn’t that great?! My friend’s mom eventually got fed up with me standing still for what felt like years, so she took off my skis and went straight down the mountain with them and waited for me at the end. Then, of course, I took the walk of shame, and had many people come up to me asking what in the world I was doing and what happened to my skis. After that walk, I retrieved my skis, and I skied down the rest of the run (the area was much flatter, I think; I really don’t remember it much at all).

It might look like I have skis on, but I don’t. I’m just struggling to walk. Also this photo does not do justice to how steep it looks.

Side Note: I will not be giving the name of the slope because many people could have easily gone down it without having to walk. I witnessed everyone skiing past me – even five year olds.

After I made it down the entire slope, we went into the little lodge where they had a buffet and I got myself a pumpkin bread, my absolute favorite (though this version put too much nutmeg in it, so it was pretty intense). I walked around while my friend and her mom skied five or so more slopes without me. I was very glad I didn’t have to continue. Have you had any embarrassing moments like this? I’d love to know so I don’t have to feel like too much of a coward.

A Look into The Masters

May 2, 2024 by szachik@pvs.org 1 Comment

By 8th-Grade Blogger Jack Edelstein

As Spring colorfully rolls in, I often look forward to many things: more daylight, vibrant flowers, blue skies, and a nice middle ground between hot summers and chilly winters. But, what I look forward to the most is The Masters. The Masters is the most prestigious tournament in golf; every person who plays golf wishes to go or even play in The Masters because of how iconic it is. Here is this rich, history-filled event.

Where and When?

The Masters is held in the very exclusive Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia, about 150 miles east of Atlanta. The Masters generally happens during April; this year it was April 11-14.

“I shall never forget my first visit to the property which is now Augusta National. The long lane of magnolias through which we approached was beautiful. The old manor house was charming. The rare trees and shrubs of the old nursery were enchanting.” – Bobby Jones. Photo Credit: *usatoday.com*.

The Start of The Masters

Founded by golf legend Bobby Jones and investment banker Clifford Roberts, who also served as former chairman of The Masters (1934-1976), the first ever “Masters” happened in 1934. At the time it was not called The Masters, instead it was the “Augusta National Invitation Tournament” because Bobby Jones thought that “The Masters” was too egotistical (masters.com). It was then changed to The Masters after five years (1939).

The Green Jacket

The Winner of The Masters is presented with the The Green Jacket. The Green Jacket does not just represent The Masters; it represents the honor of being a Masters champion. The tradition of The Green Jacket dates back to 1937 when the members of Augusta National Golf Club wore them to allow tournament patrons to identify the club members (masters.com). Then, in 1949, Sam Snead became the first Masters champion to be presented with The Green Jacket (masters.com). Only the winner of The Masters can take The Jacket outside of Augusta National Golf Club property. The Jackets were made by Brooks Uniform Company in New York City until 1967 when the Hamilton Tailoring Company in Cincinnati, Ohio, took over The Jacket construction (galvingreen.com). The Jackets are a Masters Green with gold buttons engraved with the Augusta National Logo. The finishing touch is an embroidered patch with the logo on the left breast pocket (masters.com).

The Menu

When The Masters began, Clifford Roberts realized that feeding the crowd that came would be necessary. At the time, The Masters was still a new event, so the organizers used the residents of Augusta kitchens to make cheap, easy-to-make sandwiches, snacks, and drinks (masters.com).

“We want the experience to not only be the best but to be affordable. And we take certain things very, very seriously. Like the cost of a pimento cheese sandwich is just as important as how the second cut (of grass) is going to be.” – Augusta National Chairman Billy Payne, 2007 (masters.com).

Iconic Food Items at The Masters Consist of . . .

Egg Salad Sandwich ($1.50)
Pimento Cheese Sandwich ($1.50)
Pork Bar-B-Que Sandwich ($3.00)

I’ve tried the sandwich flavors, and I think the Pimento Cheese is the best with the Pork Bar-B-Que being a close second.

“We were particularly pleased to learn that you could provide a really good sandwich for twenty five cents.” – Bobby Jones and Clifford Roberts in a letter to one of the original makers of the pimento cheese sandwich. Photo Credit: *intentionalhospitality.com*.

Amen Corner

Amen Corner consists of holes White Dogwood (hole No. 11), Golden Bell (No. 12), and Azalea (No. 13). This tricky three-hole stretch can determine a player’s score. These holes have notable water features, and only three players have ever aced (hole-in-one) at Amen Corner. Another significant part of Amen Corner is the two bridges going over the water: The Hogan Bridge, named after two-time Masters champion Ben Hogan and The Nelson Bridge, named after Bryon Nelson, another two-time Masters champion (masters.com).

Hole #13, named Azalea, is particularly challenging due to its dogleg left fairway format. Photo Credit: *masters.com*.

The Masters of The Masters

Players will over time become familiar with secrets of this tournament. The most notable players have been Jack Nicklaus with six wins and Tiger Woods (my favorite athlete of all time) with five. Nicklaus was the first player to win The Masters back-to-back (1965 and 1966) and the first to win it three times (1963, 1965, and 1966).

Tiger won in 1997, 2001, 2002, 2005, and his “get back” win in 2019 (masters.com). In his first Masters win (1997), he won with a historical 12-stroke lead. Then he had back-to-back wins in 2001 and 2002. Then, after his win in 2005, Tiger had arguably his most iconic Masters in 2019 when after 14 years of controversy and poor golf, Tiger came back in his ever iconic Sunday Red and won it all. Fun fact, when Tiger first won The Masters (1997), Augusta National didn’t have a jacket small enough for him.

The GOAT. Photo Credit: *golftoday.usatoday.com*.

Conclusion

The Masters defines what it means to be a champion. This tournament is the greatest challenge in golf, and that’s why the players love this course. It is a great honor to have your name in the history books as a Masters champion, and for 88 years players have tirelessly competed for it. In the words of three-time Masters Competitor Mac O’Grady, “This is where God hangs out.” Let us know what you think of The Masters in the comments.

The Past and Present of the NBA: Which is Better?

March 26, 2024 by szachik@pvs.org 1 Comment

By Sophomore Oliver Martinez

Recently, the NBA hosted the All-Star game. Although this is supposed to be one of the most hyped events in the NBA, as it unites the best from each division, it really doesn’t live up to the hype. People are seriously disappointed with it and prefer the way it used to be in the past, when players did make an effort to win and actually played defense. This led many to believe the past NBA is better. But could this be true? To answer, I will compare the past and present of the NBA in three major categories, and then give my opinion on which I think is better. The categories are as follows: Players (two players on each position from each era compared), Jerseys, and Overall Game (Defense, Offense, Strategy). For the old NBA, I’ll be looking at the years 1960-1998 and for the present 1999-today.

The Players

The players are what makes the game so special. The majority of players have their own individual set of abilities that distinguish them. It’s always satisfying seeing a great player display their abilities, like sometimes a player is really good at scoring a three-pointer but not so good at guarding his man. That’s why I’ll be comparing the two best players at every position from the past and the present.

The best point guards from the mid 60s to the end of the 90s were Magic Johnson and Oscar Robertson, compared to today’s Stephen Curry and Chris Paul. Though it’s close, I think that the older players are better. It is difficult to justify the modern players being better when Chris Paul hasn’t won a single ring in 19 years of being in the League. On the other hand, Magic Johnson (who has five rings) is considered the best at his position, only competing with Stephen Curry (who has four rings) and Oscar Robertson who has one ring which is more than CP3’s zero. Since the point guard position’s role has changed so much from an opportunity creator and making many passes to more of finding the open three and heavy reliance on handles, it is more difficult to compare these players, but I would still consider the older era better.

At the shooting guard position, the best from the past are Michael Jordan and Clyde Drexler compared to today’s best, Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade. Personally, I would take today’s best all day over the past. The older combine for seven rings (MJ has six, Drexler one), while the players of the present combine for eight, (Kobe has five, and Wade has three). This is also somewhat based on personal preference; I just prefer Kobe over everyone in the NBA. That’s why I think the present is far better in this position.

Legends of the sport, Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan deep in discussion during the 2003 NBA All-Star game. Photo Credit: Los Angeles Times

The best of the small forwards of the past are Larry Bird and Julius Erving. It’s tough to decide between Dr. J (Julius Erving), and Scottie Pippen, but out of respect I think Dr. J deserves it. And, for the present, LeBron James and Kevin Durant win. This is a no-brainer. The present wins by a mile and a half. LeBron James is arguably the best of all time, and Kevin Durant is a top player of all time as well. Larry Bird and Dr. J just can’t compare to the legacy these two players are building.

The best power forwards of the past are Karl Malone and Charles Barkley. The best of the present are Tim Duncan and Dirk Nowitzki; once again, the players of the present are just better. In a way, Tim Duncan is like Kobe except they played different positions; they both have five rings and won all with one team. Dirk also went on a crazy playoffs run, even beating the Miami Heat super team in 2011. Neither Charles Barkley nor Karl Malone won a ring, but they’re both very dominant players who knew their game really well and scored loads of points.

Finally, the best centers of the past are Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Bill Russell. For the present, the best are Shaquille O’Neal and Nikola Jokic. The past takes this win; Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was extremely dominant and managed to score tens of thousands of points without the three-point line and also winning six rings. Bill Russel’s record is unbeatable; he has 11 rings. Shaq and Jokic are great but are nothing compared to what Kareem and Bill Russel did for the game.

Overall, the present has better talent in most positions. But what about the apparel?

The Jerseys

In the past, jerseys were made by Sand-Knit (AKA Champion); there are some really nice jerseys like the showtime Lakers jersey:

Icons of basketball Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, James Worthy, and Magic Johnson rocked this iconic Lakers jersey. Photo Credit: silverscreen

These are extremely clean and look great. I personally prefer when the jersey has the logo of the brand that made the jersey printed onto it, but these are great regardless. I like the way the “R” stretches below the “S.” Even the modern Lakers jerseys take inspiration from these.

Another great older jersey is this Super Sonics Classic jersey:

This jersey is great; the basketball going around the “SONICS” in a circle looks good, and I like that the letters go kind of on an upward slope.

I love that these jerseys were simple and showed what the team was about rather than trying to get some secret meaning behind an insanely overcomplicated designed jersey. One complaint I would have is the quality of the numbers and logos because they were kind of like stickers, and when you use the jersey a lot, the numbers would kind of start to peel off, and it would ruin the jersey. Overall, older jerseys look great.

Now, the newer jerseys. This is when Adidas and Nike, and a little bit of Reebok, come in. Although I would argue that Adidas didn’t make the highest quality jerseys, they have some classics–like the special edition Christmas jerseys which were some of the most amazing jerseys ever released.

I love the way the lettering works; they look so smooth. They’re not simple enough to be boring but not complicated enough to be mind-boggling.

Another example of some great Adidas jerseys were the 2014 jerseys that had the players’ first name rather than the last name.

These are really cool, maybe not the most creative design. But, it is refreshing to see something different being done with the jerseys. They made the logo smaller, and emphasized the player’s first name rather than last name. I think it looks really cool. I kind of wish we could still buy these.

I won’t even put a picture of Reebok jerseys; in my opinion, they are extremely lazily designed and are very low quality.

Lastly, there are the Nike jerseys, which are the ones we have now. I’ve already talked about my favorite Nike NBA jerseys, so I’ll only mention one. Here is the Black Mamba Lakers jersey:

Photo Credit: helmut=lakers-to-don-black-mamba-jerseys-for-game

The jersey holds a huge meaning, representing the Black Mamba himself, Kobe Bryant. It looks great, the black makes great contrast with yellow. Even though it’s just the basic design with yellow and black, it looks super clean, and it looks even better in-game.

I struggle to decide which era has better jerseys; it’s really hard to come up with an answer because in the past the NBA almost never made a horrible jersey, but instead made simpler ones with solid designs but generally more boring. Today’s NBA can make incredibly bold designs that work 65% of the time and are very interesting, while the other 35% are just terrible jerseys that are quickly forgotten or are never really popular. I’d say the deciding factor is that since my collection is based primarily on apparel of this era, I’ll give the win to today’s jerseys.

Overall Game

Today’s game is way more offensive than before. The reason why is that in 2004-2005 the NBA got more serious about hand-checking. “Hand checking is when a defender illegally uses their hand or arm to touch or control an offensive player’s movement. It’s a personal foul” (homeschoolhoop). Now, the defenders can BARELY touch the defender without the refs immediately calling a personal foul on them. Thanks to this, every game goes to around 110-120 points scored by each team (basketballreference). In the mid 1990s to 2000s, teams scored 95 ppg each; that is a crazy difference and is all thanks to the hand-check enforcement. On top of that, refereeing has gotten so annoying recently, with refs calling fouls on basically everything, from hanging on the rim to literally just passing the ball to the ref–anything can get you a technical foul. In a way, refs are just too soft nowadays, soft meaning they get annoyed easily and call almost anything a foul. “As of January 14, players have been ejected 29 times so far in the 2023-24 season. Moreover, the sheer number of these rulings has led to many fans calling the NBA and its refs ‘soft.’ Some players have received techs for the smallest and most ridiculous infractions” (LWOS). I can see why the NBA would implement these changes though. More points equals more viewership and more intense games which attracts more people. However, I also argue that it is more satisfying to watch a team score because they created a brilliant play that allowed them to score rather than the other team just playing lackluster defense or the referee calling a foul on non-existent contact. So, for this category, I have to give it to the older NBA.

To conclude, both the past and present of the NBA have amazing talents, apparels and overall game. But, it should be noted that the NBA has improved over the years, and that’s why the newer NBA performs better in most of these categories. My personal opinion is that this modern era is better than the older. But, then again, I didn’t grow up watching Michael Jordan, or collecting the Sand-Knit jerseys, so due to that, I may have to admit a bit of bias towards this newer generation.

What do you think? Do you prefer the newer or older NBA? Let me know in the comments.

The Mere Concept of the Sports City Edition Jersey

March 7, 2024 by szachik@pvs.org Leave a Comment

By Sophomore Oliver Martinez

In one of my most recent posts, I talked about the best sports jerseys. And, in doing so, I mentioned City Edition jerseys and had them in my list. But what do “City Jerseys” even mean? And, what’s so special about them?

What is a sports City Edition jersey?

In the NBA, a City Edition jersey is a jersey made to express a feeling or remember something memorable about the city in which they are located. In other words, their purpose is “to represent the stories, history and heritage that make each franchise unique” (NBA) .

When were they introduced?

City Edition jerseys have been in production since 2017 when Nike took control of the NBA jerseys. So for the past seven years, every team has had its own City Edition jersey–updated yearly.

Examples of City Edition jerseys—

So, for example, look at this 2022 Atlanta Hawks City Edition jersey:

The meaning for this one is easy to figure out; the letters stand for Martin Luther King, Jr., and since Atlanta is the city where he was born, it makes sense this City Edition jersey commemorates him. It perfectly represents what a City Edition jersey should be. By having a jersey like this, the Hawks make tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and also to Atlanta.

However, there are other jerseys that make it hard to understand what the meaning is.

For example, look at this season’s Grizzlies City Edition jersey:

Can you guess what it’s supposed to represent?

Me neither. I had to look it up. According to NBA.com, “The Memphis Grizzlies 2023-24 City Edition uniform represents the joy growing up playing basketball.” I have no idea how nine lines that look like strips of bacon represent joy and basketball, but apparently that’s what it means.

What’s next for City Edition jerseys?

Typically, people enjoy the City Edition jerseys; however, this season people are really having mixed feelings about them.

2023-24’s City Edition jerseys. Photo Credit: NBA

I’d say a little over half of this season’s jerseys are terrible.

As an example of a bad jersey, look at this season’s Miami Heat City Edition jersey:

The problem I have with this is that “CULTURE” is bigger than “HEAT.” It doesn’t make any sense, the team is called Miami “Heat” not Miami “Culture.” It’s a shame because there is potential with the whole Heat/Culture thing. It’s also super plain and boring; it has the same color as their base jersey. It’s just generally a bad jersey.

One more example of a bad jersey this season is the Washington Wizards City Edition; just look at it:

This is single-handedly ruining NBA basketball for me. It’s an extremely ugly jersey. The gradient on the shoulder part is super ugly. Is that supposed to be rust color with turquoise? This jersey has managed to become one of the worst jerseys of all time. It does nothing right. The colors don’t go well at all, and the font is ugly as can be. I don’t even want to know what the meaning of it is.

Due to jerseys like this, I’ve heard some people say we should take a break from City Edition jerseys for a year so that Nike can reflect on the monstrosities they have created. But, one bad year of jerseys doesn’t mean they are terrible. I would say that to have a good City Edition jersey it has to first of all look good (obviously) but also have a deep meaning behind it that isn’t impossible to figure out.

A good example of a meaningful City Edition jersey came out in 2018-19. We had this Chinese New Year Warriors jersey:

This is a stunning jersey with great meaning, representing San Francisco and its Bay while also paying tribute to the Chinese New Year and the local population that celebrates it.

Major League Baseball City Connect Jerseys

The MLB also has these City Connect jerseys. Baseball isn’t really my thing, but I still appreciate their meaning and looks. According to MLB, “The MLB launched the Nike City Connect program during the 2021 season to celebrate the bond between teams and their home city. This year’s City Connect uniforms explore ‘the personality, values and customs that make each community and their residents unique.’”

A quick example of a City Connect jersey is this Washington Nationals jersey:

According to CBS, “Nationals managing principal owner Mark D. Lerner explained the meaning behind the uniforms, saying: ‘Washington, D.C.’s cherry blossoms represent hope and new beginnings, making them the perfect symbol of this Nationals team.’”

In conclusion, I think City Edition jerseys are a great staple of sports. They’re very memorable and help us celebrate and cherish different cultures from different areas in the US. They are something I look forward to every year.

Now do you understand the concept of City Edition and City Connect jerseys? Did I miss a sport that also does City Edition jerseys? If I did, let me know in the comments.