When I imagine two athletes knocking balls with rackets I think of tennis.

And for those athletes who want a bit of both, squash is the perfect combination.

“Squash is a really intense sport,” says Junior Claire Miller.

For those who don’t know, squash is a racket sport played in a four walled court.  The objective is similar to handball in that each player tries to hit the ball off the wall so that their opponent is unable to return it.

“Squash is like racquetball,” Miller says, “but takes way more skill and concentration.”

Miller plays squash at the Seattle Athletic Club which her family is a member of.  Her dad got her involved in the sport when she was five or six, and she has been hitting hard ever since.

Because squash is much more popular on the East Coast, Miller often spends most of her weekends in East Coast tournaments. 

“Playing squash, you can meet people from all over the country,” Miller says. But all the extra travel time also has its draw backs.

Miller has had to miss a lot of school for these tournaments, especially this fall and winter.  And of course, like any battle-hardened procrastinator, she still finds it hard to get home work done during her many hours of plane time.

What does occupy her on her plane rides is explaining the difference between squash and tennis to fellow passengers.  Other fliers see her racket case and instinctively pin her as a tennis player.  Many would find this annoying, but to Miller, the uniqueness of squash is one of its appeals. 

“I like that squash is a really unique sport” Miller explains. 

But despite its popularity on the East Coast, Seattle stacks up quite nicely with the competition.  Miller’s own club was founded by a Pakistani star, and since then Seattle has produced a number of top international athletes.

Miller’s own coach is a superb squash player and an inspirational role model.  And for Miller, who says, “Going to tournaments is really intimidating,” having a good coach is important.

Squash is an old fashioned sport, and puts a huge emphasis on sportsmanship.  But squash players are very competitive, according to Miller, and sometimes their competitive nature comes before sportsmanship. 

Miller remembers one time when her opponent was “warned for hitting her racket on the wall.”

Miller has never thrown her racket or thrown a tantrum, but she is no stranger to the frustration that accompanies squash.  Instead of yelling at her opponents, however, she will yell at the ref. 

Besides bad refs, Miller also gets frustrated by many of her competitors, who tend to be stuck up kids from preppy schools and are sometimes trained for hours on end from a young age by eccentric parents.

“Some parents are creepy,” she says.

But even in a sport dominated by hyper competitive and super obsessed athletes, Miller is doing well.

She is an impressive athlete, consistently performing very well at national tournaments, and hopes to play squash in college.  All her success comes from hard work and her squash specialty, hitting hard.

“I hit the ball really hard,” she says “harder than most people.”

And in a sport that has been called “boxing with rackets,” we can all hope that Miller just keeps on hitting.

But this year, they’ve just come off a successful nine and three season, and are only looking to improve. 

Senior captain Becca Fine attributes their newfound success to the hard work, energy, and commitment the team has been putting in.

“Garfield Bulldogs are a tougher breed then the rest,” as Fine eloquently put it. “We’re not a group of eastside sissies.”

One Skyline coach even approached the Garfield assistant coach Lin Cook to tell her that “Your girls are the toughest I have ever seen.”

This toughness and strength doesn’t come from nowhere; they have worked for it.

“I always see room for improvement. There’s always something to change or improve,” says sophomore Arina Abbot, “I know I won’t be perfect, but I like to strive for perfection.”

Sophomore Catherine Most has also been working. “I’m not so good at tennis, more mentally strong,” she says. 

And that mental strength she learns from tennis carries over to everything else, she claims; “sports, school, even taking a test.”

Besides providing them with a successful season, the tennis team’s hard work is paving the way for success in future seasons.

They are losing only four seniors, and are keeping all their singles players other than Fine; Abbot, Most, and freshmen Anya Kazahjiah.  Besides returning players the tennis team is also expecting some incoming talent such as upcoming freshman Fiona Cerf.

With all the budding talent blossoming at Garfield, these lady bulldogs will be more and more competitive with powerhouse tennis schools. 

And more important then tennis’ growing popularity at Garfield, Garfield tennis has way more energy then Eastside schools, according to Fine.

“It’s really cool that we’re playing these Eastside teams who have been playing tennis since they were two and we’re winning,” Says Fine. “I’m really proud of us.”

“We take teams by surprise,”  adds Abbot “they expect we will be another Roosevelt or Ballard.”

But as all Bulldogs know, we aren’t just another Roosevelt or Ballard.  And until the Eastside teams figure that out, Garfield tennis will continue to rip the league up.

As Most puts it, “We’re amazing, definantly the best team at Garfield.”

Expect great things from these tough tennis players in years to come.

Since 1620, squash popularity has exploded. Presidents Washington and Jefferson BOTH grew squash in their gardens; Obama* identifies squash as “an American staple-no, pastime”.

Alas, owning squash is widely regarded as taboo. Since the dawn of squash cultivation a gang of alien pirate rebels, the Galactic Gourd Squad, have been vaporizing every squash grower in sight. Beware the Galactic Gourd Squad!!

“There’s no milk in squash!” says senior Jake Alhadeff.In fact, Jake loves squash so much that he attempted a raid on a squash field, during which he was paralyzed from the menorah down by police. Keep Jake in your prayers.

*Name has been changed

This is a bright and joyous time, but with the arrival of summer also comes the sad departure of many proud bulldogs. 

Each year, seniors that have led fellow teammates through thick and thin must say goodbye to Garfield athletics.

Many seniors will go on to play sports in college, and some exceptional bulldogs have been recruited to do so.

Senior Anna Dailey has been making headlines this year with her mind boggling cross country times.  At the 4A state competition, Dailey annihilated every other girl by about 20 seconds.  This earned her a first place title in the state and also the attention of prestige colleges. 

Being number one in the state comes with some serious perks.

“Being recruited helps you stand out in the application pool,” says Dailey, and with all the stress of getting into college, that alone can be a relief.

College recruits will normally get the run down from college coaches via email and if the athlete is interested, they can ask the coach questions over the phone. 

In the case of Dailey, and other D1 level athletes, phone chats aren’t the only debriefing they will get.

“Basically they fly you down and you stay for 48ish hours. It’s pretty cool.  On some visits, they took us out to eat at fancy places and you get treated really nicely,” Dailey reminisces. 

Overall, the experience is a pretty nice one, and for an athlete who wants to go further with their sport, a D1 university is as good an opportunity as they’re going to get. 

Next year Dailey will be running at Stanford University.

Seniors swim team captain Reid Walker has also been making a splash with college recruitment. 

Walker had been planning to take an athletic scholarship at UC Davis, a college with a history of talented swimmers, but was struck by bad luck when budget cuts forced the departure of its swim program. 

But Walker makes his own luck.  Even past admission deadlines, Walker was still able to look into new schools.  He is now deciding between USC and UT Austin, two swimming powerhouses.

That’s “what being a recruit can get you,” says Walker.

Colleges are racing to get their hands on another Gafield bulldog, Sharkyla Truth. Truth started drawing attention her sophomore year.  However, a bad injury at the beginning of Truth’s junior year meant that she ran the season injured.

Even with her injury Truth attracted attention from top D1 and D2 schools.

“It shocked me,” she says “I guess it tells them that I’m a dedicated athlete that wasn’t doing a bad job running hurt.”

Right now, Truth is looking at Eastern Washington University.

David Foy is one of the many rowers who has spent his days on Green Lake. For him, that time has paid off.

“The recruiting process for crew is a little different than other sports,” Foy says.

Unlike many sports where scouts will seek out athletes, rowers have to sell themselves to coaches by sending out emails and filling out recruiting questionnaires. 

To Foy it was worth it; he will be rowing at Cornell University next year.

“I love rowing; it’s one of my biggest passions in life.” says Foy “The fact that I could use my passion to gain admission to a great school was just an added bonus.”

Micheal Lukas, another passionate rower, has been recruited to row at Harvard Univeristy next year.

Lukas, who rows up to 24 hours a week, is one of the top rowers in the country.

He will not only be rowing at college next year, but says he hopes to compete at the under 23 world championships.

“I hope to go to the Olympics,” Lukas says, “but that’s still not a concrete goal.”

To all Bulldogs playing college sports next year, good job, and good luck.

Enter Purple Haze, the Garfield Ultimate Frisbee team. 
Many people don’t consider Ultimate Frisbee a “real” sport, but any Ultimate player will be quick to tell you otherwise.

This misconception is often brought about because people think that Ultimate Frisbee players aren’t serious athletes and just play Frisbee to mess around.  This isn’t true.

“Many people are really serious,” captain Kate Lemly says. 

Another point of confusion for many is Ultimate Frisbee’s unique “Spirit of the Game” concept.  Unlike many sports, Frisbee puts huge emphasis on fair and positive play.

This is a very foreign concept to many athletes accustom to smack talking each other and bad mouthing the ref. 

In fact, the “Spirit of the Game” also means that games are refereed by the players instead of official referees. 

Disk Northwest’s mission statement states “games are governed by Spirit of the Game™ — a tradition of sportsmanship that places the responsibility for fair play on the players rather than referees.”

“Spirit of the Game” does in no way take away from the intensity of the game.

“Just because there is no referee, (Ultimate Frisbee) still takes athletic ability,” insists Lemly.

Disk Northwest describes Ultimate Frisbee as a sport that requires “non-stop movement and athletic endurance.”
Ultimate Frisbee also has other draws beyond its positive attitude and athletic challenge. 

“Its so much fun playing a coed sport,” says Hannah LeBlanc.

Frisbee enthusiast Will Luna agrees, saying, “Frisbee is awesome!”

Both LeBlanc and Luna play on the Garfield coed varsity team. Garfield Frisbee claims to have the “Hardest D,” and so far the Purple Haze is fairing quite well, having been scored on less than almost any other team.

With a 2–1 season, the Garfield’s men’s team isnt fairing quite as well, but has many games to prove themselves.

Overall, Garfield Ultimate Frisbee is still a growing sport with more and more participants each year.  This year, a huge number of freshmen are playing, and building the team up for years to come.

If one questions the authenticity of Ultimate Frisbee as a sport, they should come out and see these bulldogs at work.  Any Garfield team wants boisterous fans, and these disk throwers are no exception.

However, one of those things would be to see the soon to be owner of the Nets, Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov, slam the ball in for a dunk.

At 6’ 9,” Prokhorov says, “I’ll be the first NBA owner who can dunk.”

Prokhorov’s athleticism doesn’t end at dunking.  “I’m addicted to sports,” he says. He spends two hours a day working out in his personal gym.

Beyond basketball, Prokhorov practices kickboxing, does Jet-Ski stunts, and skies. He loves the thrill and challenge sports give him.

As an incredibly successful businessman, he also loves the risk and challenge involved with his work.  “For me, life and business in particular is a big game,” says Prokhorov.

Prokhorov has other interests as well. “Frankly speaking, I like women,” Prokhorov tells reporters. But so far, Russia’s richest man remains a bachelor.

But Prokhorov is by no means unfamiliar with the opposite sex.  He often attends night clubs with male friends and an entourage of attractive Russian models.

Prokhorov’s habit of bringing babes along with him has gotten him in trouble in the past.  In 2007 Prokhorov was detained in a French prison on the accusations of pimping, when he brought eight young women to a French ski resort with him and his friends.

Accusations were quickly dropped and Prokhorov was released from prison.  French president, Nichols Sarkozy, apologized and gave Prokhorov a shout out as “a man who obviously wants to please his friends.”

Looking back, Prokhorov laughs at the misunderstanding and says that although “it sounds strange, but it was really fun for me. It was a good experience.” Prokhorov thinks that any challenge is worth overcoming.

Even more than women, Prokhorov’s has money.  Forbes list of the world’s richest billionaires puts Prokhorov at 39 with a fortune of $13.4 billion.  But Prokhorov’s real fortune may be as high as an estimated $17 billion.

Regardless of the exact amount of money in Prokhorov’s pockets, it’s clear that it’s a lot.  And in a recession, money is exactly what the NBA needs.

The current Net’s owner, Bruce Ratner, has been trying to move the Nets to Brooklyn since he became the owner of in 2004.  That’s where money comes in.

Prokhorov is investing over $200 million and buying the Nets a new stadium in Brooklyn.  But he is also replacing Ratner as the majority owner of the team, and buying himself 80% of the team.

However, his ability to dunk won’t be the only thing that sets him apart. Prokhorov will also be the only non-North American owner.  This is a big step for the NBA and one that many believe is in the right direction.

“It was really a natural import of globalization,” says NBA Commissioner David Stern. He is excited by the possibility of spreading basketball’s popularity to Russia and Europe.

Stern isn’t the only one who should be excited. Nets fans can also hope to see an improvement in their beloved team’s terrible standings.  Sitting as the worst team in NBA, the Nets can only improve with Prokhorov.

As a man who loves challenge, the Nets are the perfect team for him.

The Nets’ current standing doesn’t worry Prokhorov, “I’m really excited to take the worst team in the league and turn it into the best,” he says confidently.

Watch the news, the final vote by the National Basketball Association is approaching. See if Russia’s richest man gets to own America’s worst basketball team.

Of the many athletes that walk Garfield’s halls, few can claim the title of triathlete.

Sophomore Cameron Vohr stands at 5’11.” He isn’t particularly big or bulky, but his lean body moves smoothly, like a well oiled machine.

Vohr has been doing triathlons for several years, ever since his mom told him she didn’t think he was up to the challenge.

So far he has participated in three of the four triathlon distances: the Sprint, the Olympic, and the impressive Half Iron Man—a 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, and 13.1 mile run.
“Bike is my best event,” says Vohr. “I’d say it requires the most mental toughness, because timewise it is about half of the triathlon.”

But being talented at just one of the tree events isn’t enough.  Iron man triathletes can’t just be marathon runners; they have to bike 112 miles and a swim a distance equal to over 70 laps at Medger Evers Pool.

“To be a top triathlete you have to be equally skilled in each event,” says Vohr.

For the top triathletes, however, being a tremendous athlete isn’t enough.  Because races are often won by minutes or even mere seconds, triathletes try to trim their transitions between events to the quickest possible time.

“People will plan out their entire transitions,” explains Vohr. “They even roll their sock up so they can get them on quicker.”

Don’t let the intensity of the sport be discouraging however. Many triathlons are much less competitive and more about setting goals.

“Everyone should try it,” encourages senior Laura Muñoz. “You don’t have to be really athletic.  People are really friendly and will cheer for you.”

When Muñoz competed, she was on a team with seniors Lily Anderson and Mia Palmisano.  Each one of them did the event that they were best at.

Anderson, the runner of the team, has also participated in two other triathlons.

“It’s a good way to challenge yourself and work towards a goal,” she says.

When these inspirational athletes competed, they were participating in a fundraiser to broaden healthcare access.  Many triathlons support similar causes, such as breast cancer research.

However, moral satisfaction isn’t the only incentive to compete in triathlons.

“They’re a good excuse to get in shape” says Anderson.

“My abs are better then Ariel’s,” says Vohr. And he has the goods to prove it.

Any sane bulldog will testify to the top notch physique of triathletes.

“Triathletes are hot!!” exclaims sophomore Anna Jacobson.

Having a chiseled body isn’t all triathlons are about. Often, mental determination is an even larger factor.

Vohr goes so far as to say, “Mental discipline matters more than strength in triathlons.”

That’s why the 35–40 year old age bracket, which normally has the most experienced and disciplined athletes, is normally the most competitive.

Both Anderson and Vohr’s moms are triathletes.

She plans to keep on competing in triathlons after high school, as there are less options available to stay fit.

But whether a hot bod or a good cause is the motivation, all these bulldogs agree that after all the work has been done, the feeling of accomplishment is great.

Interested in triathlons? Go to http://www.trifind.com/wa.html. to find and participate in local triathlons.

“Triathlons are like when old people have sex,” explains Vohr. “They last a really long time, and you never know if you actually have it in you to finish, but at the end it’s all worth it.”

Soccer

After a solid season, soccer fans were left with a bitter taste in their mouths when the soccer team just missed the playoffs after losing a tie break game to Eastlake. This season, the Bulldogs plan to replace last year’s bitter end with the sweet taste of victory.

The team will suffer from the loss of solid seniors, including a few foreign players, but captain Chris Perkins is confident the team will be even better and has “a lot of potential.”

Perkins says there will be a “solid core group,” consisting of himself and other co–captain Reid Shaw, junior Sean Russell, and sophomore Aaron Kovar, but is also pleased by the team chemistry, which was a problem last year.

Perkins is also “enthusiastic about the coaching staff.” GHS Soccer will be led by seven Garfield alumni coaches, including returning coaches Carlos Enriquez and Reed Miller, as well as new varsity coach Quauhtli Martinez.

This year the soccer team wants people to get out to the games. It’s going to be an “exiting year” for the Bulldogs and Perkins wants a “boisterous student section” to cheer them on.

Track

The track team also has a new coaching staff this year. Senior Tory Sheffield “eagerly awaits the new differences,” but the track team doesn’t plan on having any differences in there successful record. Although they lost some exceptional athletes to graduation, Garfield track looks to be just as successful this year. In particular, the long distance team is confident in their ability to perform and compensate for the losses in other areas of the team. After the cross country boys team and superstar Anna Dailey’s success at state, they have the record to back up this claim.

Ryan Peterson says, “The team will be deep this year; we keep getting better.”

Golf

Last year was a tough one for girls golf, which had a nearly brand new team filled with first year players. This season, a lot of those players are back with the experience of last year and Coach Butler say the team will “be a lot better.”

Girls golf isn’t all about winning however; they are known more for their sportsmanship. Coach Butler says

“Our team is super friendly, and a lot of fun to play with.”

If you come out to a match, be forewarned that the real fun starts at the after party where the GHS golfers hold up the motto written on their team shirts, “We Be Clubbin.”

Baseball

Last years record was a serious disappointment for baseball fans at Garfield, but captain Joseph Lucia says many of those games were “hella close,” and lost by only a few points.

The baseball team only lost two players to graduation, and this year there is a “great senior class,” which means that the team as a whole should be “really good this year.” Baseball fans can hope that this is the year that Garfield get out of their slump.

Lucia is confident of the team’s ability and says that he, co captain Jack Jajewski, and Sean Foster will “run the league.”

Softball

Don’t be fooled by the name; these girls are nothing but hard. After a not so successful season last year, they are ready to take another swing.

Tired of losing, these bulldogs will be bringing their A games out of the dugout and onto the field. Captain Maddie Lee says

The dog house reverberates with the sound of athletes pounding down the court, the blares of the marching band, and the cheers of high kicking cheerleaders.  But all that noise is drowned out behind the roar of the student section.

Everyone knows the boys basketball team is hugely successful, that’s why it pays to be a Bulldog.  But take a step back and take a closer look at that crowd in the bleachers.

They hoot and they holler.  They make more noise then anybody else, but sometimes the student section doesn’t get as much credit as they deserve.

The Spartans were savage warriors, but even they could not have fought without the support of their helot slaves.  Like the Spartans, bulldog basketball team needs the support of its fans.

Like the Seahawks’ 12^th man, the Garfield student section pushes bulldog basketball on to new heights.  They cheer Wilson “hardest workers in the game” Platt to keep on working.  They praise scoring machine Glenn Brooks for each of his baskets, and can’t get enough of DesJuan Newton’s flying rebounds.

Garfield student section’s Facebook quote is “We go hard.” The Bulldogs play hard and the student section cheers hard for them.  They yell for defense and scream at every shot.  Every swat is met with jubilation and every point with celebration.

With an impressive 12–1 home game record the team is holding true to the motto.

But Garfield student section’s cheers aren’t limited to friendly encouragement.  The student section also likes to give helpful reminders to the opposition.

Only excellence is accepted on the Garfield court. So when kids bring their fouls and cheating ways to the Doghouse, Garfield student section tells them what they need to hear,

“U-U-U-U-U-YOUUUUUUU SUCK!”

When it comes to basketball, the problem with a lot of schools is that they don’t like getting the beat down. Some of them, like the Athletic Director at Redmond High School, John Applegate, get a tad bit whiny.

The folks in Redmond might know how to program a computer, but they do not know how to play basketball.

The always helpful Garfield student section was just pointing out a few of their all too common travels and airballs and the Redmond AD got all huffy.  He comes over to our very own Athletic Director, Jim Valier.

Valier recalls that the Redmond AD told him fans “couldn’t yell ‘AIRBALL’ or ‘BACK TO BASICS,’” two of the student section’s favorite cheers.

I don’t blame Applegate completely for trying to settle the bulldog fans.  If I was getting smacked by Garfield, I wouldn’t be the most receptive pupil to the Garfield type of teaching.  If a congregation of fans told me “YOU CANT DO THAT,” I’d be mad too.

Anybody that has been to a Garfield basketball game knows the pleasure of ridiculing a non-Bulldog, and anybody who hasn’t is missing out.

There are times to be nice all day long, but there are only certain circumstances that chanting taunts is appropriate. And Garfield basketball games are definitely one of those times.

That being said, there is a line that can be crossed. Valier says he condones the common “BACK TO BASICS” type cheers that are just part of the game, but things start getting iffy when fans “find personal things about a kid to exploit or get inside their head.”

Many high school principles and athletic directors are advocating for stricter and/or more standardized sportsmanship rules to prevent what could be considered mean spirited chants.

This discussion is not a new one; in the Garfield Annual Yearbook of 1996, there are pictures of Garfield students at an interhighshool sportsmanship meeting.  Unfortunately, Garfield and other intercity schools, who historically have a poor attendance rate, are often out of the debate.

Complaints about mean spirit set aside, the student section is a generally positive group. Coach Ed Haskins encourages all bulldog fans to come out and cheer on the team.

Valier is also happy to talk about the student section, which he think “builds community,” in a school of about 1700 and is a great way to “show school spirit.”

It’s also a blast to cheer on fellow bulldogs. Garfield is a very diverse school, but every bulldog has a common interest in a nasty basketball team.

If you haven’t boasted your purple and white at a game yet, then its time to show some bulldog pride. Lets go bulldogs, HARD.