(Nov. 15, 2012) — Sophomore Pateel Jivalagian has been playing basketball since kindergarten. Jivalagian currently plays on two teams: Glendale High’s soph/frosh team and Shant Homenetmen, a local Armenian basketball team. “I love basketball,” Jivalagian said. “It’s intense and I get a feeling of urgency when I play.” Jivalagian said she likes how the sport is aggressive and not gentle; however, she feels that nothing one does in the game reflects one’s personality. “Just because you’re mean or aggressive doesn’t mean you’re that kind of a person,” Jivalagian said. “You get to switch characters.” After school, Jivalagian can be found at Glendale High practicing and conditioning with her team. Jivalagian said that practices consist of lots of drills. “We go and run a lot, even though we’re not cross country. We need to get in shape before we actually start playing basketball,” Jivalagian said. “The running isn’t fun but it’s something you have to go through to play, so I’m okay with it.” Jivalagian said she manages her time well and doesn’t goof around while doing homework in order to manage practices and games with schoolwork. Not only did Jivalagian join the Glendale team because she has a great passion for basketball, but also because she knows that colleges pay attention to a student’s extracurricular activities. Being on the team has instilled in Jivalagian commitment and responsibility and she hopes to continue and advance on the team throughout high school. The Homenetmen Shant team is really fun, Jivalagian said, and she said that she will continue on that team as well. She says that playing on this team is a good stress reliever and it’s good to play for fun with your friends. “If I had to choose [one team over another], I wouldn’t because both of them are equal,” Jivalagian said. “One place isn’t better than the other.”