(May 10, 2006) — The clock is ticking and the match is coming to the end. One…two…three—the basketball dribble echoes throughout the gym while freshman Narek Yesayan carefully places his feet in stance at the designated spot. As he throws the ball quickly he retrieves another and gets ready for another shot. By the time he finishes halfway, his sweat drips drop by drop. The audience sits uneasily. They cheer when a basket is made, but boo when the basket is missed or the shot is thrown badly. Physical Education/Health teacher Randy Tiffany is at the microphone; he compliments the player when they make a nice shot but when the player misses he says, “A-i-r-b-a-l-l” in a deep, low voice, extending every syllable for an extra second or two. Time is running out, and the audience counts down the last five seconds. The player is disappointed about his performance, knowing he could do better. This was the first round of the annual Three-Point Shootout. Despite the upcoming but dreaded testing period, P.E. teacher Judy Thomsen started the fourth annual Three-Point contest May 2. Approximately 115 students participated in the beginning, but almost half were dropped during the first round. Each student has a minute to shoot three balls from five spots—making a total of 15 available shots. The player can earn a maximum of four points from each spot; each shot is worth one point except for the last shot. If there is a tie, the person with the lowest completion time goes on to the next round. The first and second place from each division will be awarded with trophies. Still, the feeling of anxiety existed inside the players. “Because I was the first one to join, I was nervous about the competition,” said junior Gaby Yoo, “especially with the big crowd of spectators.” Others enjoyed the indescribable mixture of feelings. Sophomore Denvin Robles said, “Even with my sprained finger, I don’t regret joining because basketball is my life, and I had fun being part of this challenge.” The Three-Point Shootout will continue throughout May and into the following weeks.