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In
Summer's Wake
by Ryan Eshoff
Over a blistering summer weekend, we surfed, skied, skated, all-kinds-of-boarded,
inner- tubed, and got quite drenched. All without straying from our
Malibu ski-boat. How to explain this phenomenon? That which started
in 1934 with Don Ibsen’s invention of the water-ski,
has evolved into the dog days’ most popular activity.
Water skiing, which can be performed single or double, saw an boost
in its popularity in the 1970’s and 80’s. This culminated with the
development of what we now call the wakeboard, which resembles the
traditional surfboard, in the early 1990’s. Characterized early on
as an elder-generation activity, wakeboarding in particular has developed
into the ideal extreme sport. Spinning off this success, boating fanatics
gradually constructed kneeboards, where a person sits on their knees
low to the surface of the water; wakesurfing, in which the rider surfs
on the boat’s wake a mere few feet from its stern, as well as wakeskating,
which with its more compact design, allows the rider to execute tricks
more often associated with its landbound inspiration, skateboarding.
Nowadays, professional wakeboarders are able to pull off inhuman stunts,
leaving us mortals to use every ounce of our energy to keep pace with
the growing trend. Teens everywhere have caught on with the thrill
provided by this extreme sport. One enthusiast, sophomore Todd
Grilli muses that wakeboarding is like “being Jesus on the
board, being on top of the water. And it’s a sick rush when you pull
off a successful new trick.” Not everyone is built for the physical
challenges. I watched a compatriot attempt to execute a 360. Unfortunately
for him, he forgot to include the 0 in 360, and his jump did not quite
end up as planned.
There are not any signs that this revolution will slow down any time
soon. With riders everywhere stretching the boundaries, and boat makers
like Malibu and MasterCraft producing more sophisticated models everyday,
the sport’s popularity can only go up. Senior Trevor Walker
contends that, “the major draw of wakeboarding is being able to glide
on the calm water. You can just enjoy the warm summer sun and, inevitably,
the cool water below. It’s the perfect summer sport.”
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Headlines
Shakespeare, Where Art
Thou?
For some people, spending eight hours on a bus seems like some new
type of torture. Everyone going on the 11th Annual Oregon Shakespeare
Festival trip, though, saw things a little differently.
Coming prepared, all the students had some sort of diversion from
the drive; the neon glow of iPods, cell phones, and even a Pokémon
gameboy, poured out of people's seats and into the aisle.
- Read
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Two '100 Year' Storms
Devastate Gulf Coast
Two monster storms, aptly called 100 year storms, savaged the Gulf
Coast last month. Hurricanes Katrina and Rita swept in from the waters
of the Gulf of Mexico. As winds began to blow, reporters gave horrific
forecasts of what was to come. Hurricane Katrina, a category 4 (intensity
level out of 5), devastated much of the United States along the Gulf
Coast.
- Read
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Warriors of the Waves
The start of the new season for the Warriors Varsity Water Polo team
has actually been going strong since the beginning of summer. An intense
training regiment filled early mornings and late evenings with long
hours practicing the fundamentals and conditioning. All this work
helped the Water Polo team prepare for another grueling schedule in
the West Catholic League. Senior Andrew Kikuta and
Junior Jonathan Langdon are this year's team captains.
- Read More
Gathering of the Unashamed
On the night of September 21 a large group of youth and
adults gathered together to worship God. The Ghatering of the
Unashamed is a worship concert that brings Christians together
to stand unashamed before God and the community. This year The
Gathering of the Unashamed took place in San Jose, Oakland, San
Francisco, Foster City, and Fremont. This concert brought teenagers
from all over the Bay Area to worship God.
- Read
More |
