Undercover athletic pumas
Written by Chase Soylu Chee, staff writer
Watch out, there are spies all over Carrillo, and they’re blending in with all of us. These spies wear the same clothes and attend the same classes as us. There is more to these individuals than the eye can see, for they are undercover athletic pumas. These pumas are rarely seen playing sports that are not offered at Maria Carrillo High School. These sports pumas involve themselves in martial arts, swimming sports, racket sports, and sports people never hear about. Let's shed some light on these undercover pumas.
Vincent Kriner in Waterpolo gear ready to jump into a Waterpolo Scrimmage (Chase Soylu Chee, The Puma Prensa)
When not in class, Junior Vincent Kriner surfs and plays water polo. Kriner states he enjoys “chilling on the beach with the boys and shredding monster waves” at Salmon Creek and Doran Beach while balancing multiple Santa Rosa Junior College classes and hard-level classes. Grateful for the beach, Kriner states they “made me calmer, elated, and it keeps me active” during the week. Kriner periodically goes to Hawaii during the summer to learn and grow in surfing. A few days a week, Kriner spends time at the Finley Aquatic Center for Master Water Polo Scrimmages. Senior players, university players, and teenage players all meet up together to learn and grow from playing against each other. In the end, Kriner states that he wants to “keep surfing as I become older, compete in competitions, and stay fit.”
One undercover puma, Junior Alex McCord plays men’s volleyball outside of school hours. McCord enjoys being the middle hitter/blocker during volleyball matches. McCord plays at the Invasion Athletics Club which allows youth of all skill levels to learn and compete in a volleyball team. Volleyball is a good diffuser for McCord stating “It’s a good distraction and it is something active” from the amount of work and stress school gives. The amount of teamwork volleyball takes makes McCord a better teammate when it comes to group assignments in classes. Wanting to learn more about volleyball, McCord says he wants to be “as good as possible and be able to play all around the court.” Ultimately, these goals help McCord further his journey playing men’s volleyball.
Taking a different perspective, Sophomore Jackson Stekkinger practices Taekwondo outside of school. Taekwondo is enjoyable for Stekkinger because of the sparring matches. All of the sparring matches and lessons helped Stekkinger learn discipline in the classroom. Just like many other pumas, Stekkinger is inspired to do his sports through friends which helps him learn Taekwondo better. Stekkinger hopes to one day reach the highest belt within Taekwondo, the world-renowned black belt.
Maria Carrillo High School Social Science teacher Joseph Silvestri regularly plays pickleball, tennis, and disc golf, and plays in a softball team. Silvestri explains he enjoys participating in these activities because of the “physical activity, interaction with friends and people in the community.” Silvestri explained that the ability to interact with friends and people in the community provides him with a “healthy outlet” for clearing “stagnant energy and stress.” These outlets help him provide sports analogies, improve classroom engagement, and make him produce better results in all parts of life including the classroom. Inspired by friends who got him involved in sports, Silvestri encourages students to partake in sports. He notices that “experiences and skills serve young people in many areas of life,” hoping students can acknowledge “it's sports, it’s not like in the Olympics or anything, pretty casual.”
The spies at Maria Carrillo have been uncovered, revealing their true identities– undercover athletic pumas. Whether in a pool, field, or arena these pumas demonstrate excellence, discipline, and resilience.