(June 14, 2002) Nick Varga You can see him kicking a soccer ball for Glendale High School’s soccer team. His favorite moment on the field is when he is passing the ball so that someone else can score. His role model is James Hetfield of Metallica and his favorite place to eat is In-N-Out Burger. To him, the greatest thing in life is living it to the fullest and should a fire break out in his home he would save his photo album of when he was younger and first started to play soccer. Senior Nick Varga plays sweeper for Glendale High School’s varsity team. He first started playing soccer at the tender age of five when his dad signed him up for the soccer team because his dad used to play soccer. “He pushed me a little bit because he played soccer,” said Varga. Through sports, Varga has learned the importance of “teamwork, keeping physically fit, meeting new friends and setting goals for myself.” He says that he is in better physical shape and he always runs now, brought about by the necessity of having to run in soccer. Varga’s favorite moment was when he played soccer for the American Youth Soccer Organization in a playoff game and the referee ended the game, but the field marshal said there were still 30 seconds left on the clock. “The other team was winning and I guess that they thought that nothing could possibly happen in that 30 seconds. Then I scored a goal to tie the game and we won [that game] from a penalty shot,” he said. Playing soccer in high school is not the limit for Varga. His future continues onwards-full speed ahead. He commented “I will definitely play soccer in college and we’ll see what happens.” — Jenny Schellbach Alex Hong He has learned discipline and knows how competitive the world can be. Seven years of playing tennis have brought him an injured knee, but his sense of competition has just gotten stronger. “Which you can say,” he added, “is a good thing.” This out-of-the-limelight senior says that his mom inspired him to pick up tennis and that his favorite tennis player is Pete Sampras. “She [mother] thinks all ‘high class’ people play tennis,” he says chuckling. According to Hong, he’s “not a real sports enthusiast. It hasn’t affected [me] much, but [I] have gotten more competitive.” As of now, he said he hasn’t accomplished anything of great significance, but when his friend was down and about to quit tennis, he helped him hone his skills and gave him pointers and tips. All his hard work paid off and his friend made it into his school tennis team. Hong’s persistence and will is an accomplishment in itself to help others. Hong dreams of seeing the world. Of all the places to go and things to see, he wants to travel to Romania. “I want to meet Andrea Raducan, a gymnast,” he said smiling. All people have their sensitive sides. The sensitivity within Hong lies inside precious memories. “If I were to salvage only one thing from a fire, it’d be my photo album. It has tons of memories, memories you can’t replace,” he said. To relieve the stress and pressure before a game, Hong said he concentrates on a big yellow circle while taking ten deep breaths. “There is no real reason why I imagine a yellow circle,” Hong said. “I just find the color soothing.” “Of what life has to offer, don’t take life for granted,” stated Hong. “The greatest thing in life is life itself. Life is beautiful. Make the best of it.” — Sung Chong Jerry Richelson If you ask him what he’d salvage from a fire, he wouldn’t say pictures, journals or anything of the like. Senior Jerry Richelson said he would choose his pet snake. He said that cats can run out of a burning home, but a snake? He’s in a cage and “doesn’t’ deserve to die.” Richelson is number 23 on the Glendale High School varsity baseball team. His greatest accomplishment during the 11 years he’s played baseball is pitching his first three no-hit innings in a game against Pasadena. He first began playing when he was seven, and according to him, his “parents set him up.” Other than the favorite game he played, his favorite game in professional baseball history is the World Series game in 1988 where Dodgers’ player Kirk Bigson hit a home run in the last inning against the Oakland A’s to win the first game of the series. Confirming his fondness of the game, Richelson wants to see a baseball game at Fenway Park in Boston. His favorite professional baseball team is the Anaheim Angels and his favorite college team is UCLA, where he plans to transfer after completing his general education at GCC. Although Richelson enjoys playing baseball, he does not plan to pursue it anymore because he wants to “concentrate on school.” And the greatest thin in life is being able to wake up in the morning and enjoy another day of life, he said. — Martha Wang Cristina Kim Bananas. Those long, yellow pieces of fruit are all that stand between winning and losing for senior Cristina Kim. Well, that’s an exaggeration, of course; however, it is the pre-game snack that Kim enjoys, but why bananas? “They give me energy,” she said. But bananas were not what helped Kim to be the tennis player she is. At first, she did not believe she would accomplish a great deal in tennis. While most tennis players begin at a younger age, Kim started playing at the age of 13. “I thought I wouldn’t be good enough,” she commented. Nevertheless, with dedication and endless support from her coach, Kim made her way to a key position on the Hoover varsity team. Playing at the varsity level offered her new and challenging experiences. Her favorite moment on the team was when they were playing against Pasadena and they were able to break a tie. Beyond the tennis court, Kim finds that being close to friends is one of the most important aspects of her life. “Whenever you’re having a hard time, you can turn to them, [and] they can help you through it,” she said. Her friends are so important that if she had to save one thing form a burning building, it would be the bag of letters from her friends. Although Kim would like to continue playing tennis in college, she does not plan to pursue it as a career. Her aspirations for the future include becoming a pharmacist, and she says that she would much rather travel to South America to help the sick. For her, a sport is just something to help her “relax, to be physically and mentally fit.