Player Profile: Aly Murakami

Aly Murakami is currently a senior at Presentation High School and is one of the primary point guards on the varsity team. When out of the classroom, she can be seen wearing jersey #10, dribbling up and down the court executing impressive plays and scoring crucial points during high-intensity games. Even though she was injured during the majority of the last year’s season from suffering a tear in her ACL, she has recovered and is ready to bring her “A” game on the court. The Voice had the opportunity to speak with Aly about her basketball career and the upcoming season.

The Voice: When and why did you start playing basketball?
AM: I started playing basketball when I was in kindergarten because my brother used to play and I just wanted to be like him. My parents also played when they were younger too, so it just runs in the family.

The Voice: What’s your typical week schedule like during the season?
AM: During the season we practice Monday through Saturday and we have games at least twice a week. So after school I normally go home, do homework for a few hours and come back to Pres to practice. I try not to waste time and do my best to get things done as soon as possible.

The Voice: What’s your favorite thing about this sport? What’s the hardest thing about it?
AM: I like how basketball is a team sport.  My teammates push me as hard as I push them, which is helpful. But, I think the hardest part about the sport is just being able to read the game because it takes a lot of intelligence to understand what things need to be done, especially as a point guard.

The Voice: What are you most looking forward to this season?
AM: We have a really young team this season, so I’m looking forward to helping the new players because I was in their situation four years ago. Also, I’m looking forward to having a good season by keeping the C.C.S. title and hopefully win W.C.A.L. again.

The Voice: The team lost some key players from last year; how do you feel about this and how will this affect the team?
AM: We lost nine people; eight of them were seniors. Also, four out of our five starters are gone so we’re going to have a completely different team this year and a different style of playing.

The Voice: What makes Pres’ basketball team unique from all the other teams out there?
AM: I think this year we’re really close and we work well with each other around the court.

The Voice: Who’s your biggest rival and how will the team prepare?
AM: Our biggest rival has always been Mitty. We know their style because we play them all the time, so I think we’re just going to work hard in practices and prepare on defense and offense.

The Voice: If you didn’t play basketball, what other sport(s) would you play?
AM: I think soccer because I used to play when I was younger, until I stopped in eighth grade to play basketball.

The Voice: What was your proudest basketball moment?
AM: It might have been when our team won the C.C.S. championships last year.

The Voice: What advice would you give to a person who just started playing basketball?
AM: Probably just to work hard during practices and keep learning from your mistakes.

The Voice: What do you do in the off-season?
AM: I play basketball year-round, so there’s not much off-season for me.

The Voice: If you could play one on one against one player, alive or dead, who would it be? Why?
AM: I would probably want to play against Rajon Rondo from the Boston Celtics because I think he’s a really good player and I could learn a lot from him just by playing one-on-one.

Techie Profile: Rachel Whelan

Senior Rachel Whelan can almost always be found in the theater after school. No, she’s not an actor: she’s a techie. To learn more about her life as a stage technician and her role in The Phantom of the Opera, The Voice sat down to chat with her.

When did you begin doing theater tech?

I began teching freshman year for Into the Woods. Once I got involved, I just couldn’t stop.

For how many shows have you been on the tech crew, and what have some of your roles been?

I have teched for 20 shows to date. I have done everything from run crew to spotlight operation to stage managing.

What is a ‘run crew?’

The run crew consists of the people backstage who move the sets, as well as do rigging and special effects.

What do the other members of the tech crew do specifically?

There are light board operators, soundboard operators, spotlight operators, a costume crew, and a hair and makeup crew.

What is your role in Presentation’s current production, The Phantom of the Opera?

I am the Assistant Stage Manager and I am in charge of special effects. Since day one of auditions, I have been in the theater overseeing the rehearsal process. I collaborate with my fellow stage managers and Mr. Houle on how to pull off all the technical challenges in the show. I usually stay at the theater until about 8 or 9 p.m. every night.

What kind of special effects are in the show?

There is a chandelier crash, a boat on a lake, fog and air cannon effects, a trap door, and many more. The Phantom of the Opera is by far the most challenging show technically that Pres has ever done. In addition to the special effects, there are countless set pieces, costumes and backdrops that all have to change simultaneously. We have never needed a bigger crew for a production here than we need for this show.

What is a typical rehearsal like for you?

I make sure all the actors arrive on time. I also take notes on blocking, choreography, and vocals. I look through the script for props and any special technical effects. I maintain order and keep the rehearsal on schedule.

Do you tech for productions other than the fall musical and spring play?

Yes, I have teched for summer shows and I am also an International Thespian Society (ITS) Officer, therefore I am involved with all ITS productions. In addition, I have been involved with the TADA! productions of Little Shop of Horrors and You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown.

Why do you do theater tech?

I tech because I love it. Ever since my first show, I have loved to be a part of the fantastic productions we put on at Pres. As strange as it sounds, I live for the stress and intensity of the rehearsal process because, in the end, it is amazing to see all of your hard work come together into an amazing production.

Why do you do theater tech as opposed to acting on stage?

I used to act, but once I did tech for the first time, I realized how much fun it was being a part of making the show come together. Even though the audience only sees the actors, all the technical aspects of the show are equally important in making it a success.

What do you love most about theater tech?

What I love most is the reaction from the audience after a great show. I really enjoy being able to hear my friends say how great the show was, and I love knowing that I was a part of it.

What is your favorite memory from theater tech?

My favorite memory would be opening night of Always and Forever, Kate. It was an original show and I felt very connected to it because we had so much opportunity to create something new and unique. It was so exciting to see all of our hard work pay off at opening night.

Will you participate in theater tech in college?

Probably. Although I am not pursuing a theater major, I know I will not be able to stay away from the theater. I will participate in as many productions as I can.

What will you miss most about Pres theater tech after you graduate?

I will miss my theater friends the most. The friends I have made are the best kind: they are supportive, funny, unique, thoughtful and are just great people overall. I have enjoyed working with them so much for the past three and a half years. They’re my family.

Player Profile: Laura Vazquez

Laura Vazquez is currently a Presentation senior who runs for both the cross-country and track team; she has been a member of both teams since her sophomore year. She is looking forward to her final season and is hoping to continue running in college.

The Voice: How did you become interested in running?

LV: I became interested in running my freshman year—I wanted to try something new.

The Voice: How much do you run during practice?

LV: Our mileage changes depending on when we race. On average, we usually run six to seven miles a day. When we do not have a race we can run up to nine miles a day, however, when we have a race coming up we usually cut down our mileage to about three miles the day before.

The Voice: You are a member of both cross-country and track. Do you prefer one to the other?

LV: I don’t; I really like both of the sports. I like cross country because of the time of season and the hills, but I also like track because we have more races.

The Voice: How do you prepare for the cross-country season?

LV: I build my base mileage over the summer. This helps me recover from the track season and transition into cross country.

The Voice: What’s the fastest time you’ve run in your event?

LV: The fastest time I ran for three miles was an 18:10 just recently this season!

The Voice: What is your most memorable running experience?

LV: I have had many memorable experiences with my team, but I think the team trip to the Clovis Invitational last year was a lot of fun and I am looking forward to it this year. Another memorable experience was when my team placed first at the Lowell Invitational. I was really happy and it was nice to see everyone else excited too.

The Voice: How do you balance schoolwork and sports?

LV: By trying to complete the assignments on the day they were given. However, I also try to catch up on a lot of my school work when we have morning practice because then I have the whole afternoon to catch up. I also do a lot of work over the weekends.

The Voice: How has running affected you as a person?

LV: Running always makes me feel better. When I am having a bad day, running always makes me feel good.

The Voice: Do you have any advice for someone who might be considering joining cross-country or track and field?

LV: My advice for anyone that is interested in running is that you should try it! You don’t have to already be running; when I began my freshman year I had never run before and ended up enjoying it a lot. The team is very supportive and the sport is so much fun!

The Voice: Do you plan on running in college?

LV: Yes, I plan to run in college. I have sent out athletic resumes and letters to the colleges that I’m interested in. I’ve gotten a few calls from some of the coaches and have been staying in contact through email by sending them updates about my season.

Player Profile: Emily Sklar

Emily Sklar is currently a senior at Presentation High School and is one of the stars on the varsity volleyball team, playing as an outside hitter. Her perseverance, dedication and full commitment to the sport has truly shaped her into a fierce competitor. This past summer, she attended the 2011 USA Volleyball Junior National Championship and was one out of 15 girls selected as an All-American. She has also recently committed to playing volleyball at Duke next year. The Voice had an opportunity to speak with Emily about her volleyball career and what to look out for this upcoming season.

The Voice: When and how did you start playing volleyball?

ES: I started in the fifth grade, but I didn’t really think I would do it seriously. During my freshman year, tryouts were the first week of school and the Athletic Director was Ryan [Cooling] then. He came up to me at lunch and asked me why I hadn’t tried out. So I came the last day of tryouts and he put me on the freshman team.

The Voice: Do you play on a club team? Which one?

ES: Yes, I play for Vision.

The Voice: What’s your favorite thing about the sport?

ES: My favorite thing is probably no contact because you don’t get hurt; but it’s just satisfying to hit the ball and have it hit the ground.

The Voice: If you didn’t play volleyball, what other sport(s) would you play and why?

ES: I would probably play soccer because I used to play since I was in kindergarten. I played freshman year, but I quit after that.

The Voice: What are your goals for this upcoming season?

ES: This season I feel like we’re kind of underdogs, since we lost a lot of people. So I think we just want to be a come-from-behind team that no one expects. I don’t want to be overlooked, but I think I just want to surprise people.

The Voice: Who do you think would be the team to beat this year? How will the team prepare?

ES: I think the team to beat this year would be Saint Francis. We would have to prepare mentally because we lost to them either four or five times last year, so I think it’s kind of a revenge match.

The Voice: Do you think the team is closely bonded? Do you have any traditions you like to do during the season?

ES: I think we have a lot of new players, so we don’t really know each other all that well yet, but I think that everyone gets along so far and we bond pretty well. We have our initiation and we kind of just make that up as we go along. We have a lot of people to initiate this year and we do little pregame dance, which is a little hard to explain.

The Voice: Have you experienced any downfall? What have you learned from it?

ES: The biggest downfall was probably losing to Saint Francis three times in the post season last year. I think it was kind of upsetting because we beat them three times before and we came to the matches when it really mattered and we couldn’t pull through.

The Voice: When you receive any constructive criticism from your coaches, how do you turn it around into something positive?

ES: I guess I just look at what they’re saying is something that I should be doing and they just want me to be a better player, looking out for me and the team. I think listening to it is important, because it’s just not about me it’s about helping the whole team plan.

The Voice: What would you like to improve on?

ES: Maybe being more of a leader and being louder. I’m naturally not very talkative, so I probably would like to be more emotional and encouraging, I guess.

The Voice: What was your proudest volleyball moment?

ES: When we won the Santa Barbara Tournament last year.

Player Profile: Jennifer Fields

Jennifer Fields, a senior swimmer at Presentation, is taking on her tenth year of swimming. Swimming only a 27 second 50 meter dash, Fields will surely be a strong competitor this swim season.

1.       When did you first start swimming?

I started swimming about 10 years ago

2.       Why did you start swimming?

My mom was a swimmer, so she put me on swim teams at an early age, so I just kind of evolved a love for it and then that is when I started swimming competitively.

3.       Did you ever try any other sports?

I tried volleyball, soccer and other normal sports during middle school, but I always liked swimming more.

4.       What is your favorite event?

I like distance and breast stroke, so I swim the mile and the 500 and the 1000 meter.

5.       Do you have a proudest moment?

At CCS Freshman year and I just did really well compared to the beginning of the season and I dropped 40 seconds total time in the 500 meter so that was a really happy moment for me and Marisa was cheering on the sidelines for me. It was also at Stanford which was pretty cool.

6.       Do you plan to swim in college?

Ya, I think so, but I don’t know where I’m going to go yet.

7.       Do you swim for a club? What club?

I swim on DACA DeAnza Cupertino Aquatics.

8.       Where is the coolest place you have ever travelled for a meet?

I don’t know if this is exactly cool, but we went down to Mission Viejo one year which is a little bit South of LA.

9.       Do you know your 50 free style time?

27 seconds

10.    What is some advice that you would give to a girl trying to become a swimmer?

Try hard every practice; working hard really helps. Also, always try to improve yourself by working hard and keep at it, even if you had a bad day. Just because you had a bad day, doesn’t mean you’re a bad swimmer.

11.    Who was your main inspiration in the sport?

My mom from the beginning and now it is Natalie Coughlin because she can balance swimming and a social life.

12.    Swimming is usually an individual sport. How close are your team members to each other?

We’re very close! If there is a social event that we are hosting, we will invite swimmers. You build a sense of community even though you’re like dying at practice [laughs].

13.    How do you expect the team will do this year?

I think it is going to be a transition year because we don’t have a lot of seniors. It’s going to be a challenge but I think we will pull through.

Player Profile: Chelsea Punian

The Voice had the opportunity to sit down with one of the stars of the varsity basketball team, Chelsea Punian. Chelsea gave us a glimpse into this season and the teams’ plans for the State Championships.

V: How long have you been playing Basketball?
CP: Since forever. No, I think I started playing real competitive basketball in 4^th grade.
V: Why did you start playing basketball?
CP: My mom suggested it to me. I was tall and she thought that she might as well bet me into basketball.
V: What position do you play?
CP: Shooting guard.
V: On average, how many points do you score in one game?
CP: I think around 13 or 14.
V: How close are the players on the varsity team?
CP: I think we are all pretty close. The eight seniors are definitely close because we have been playing together. There is no negativity, it’s all positive.
V: What is the worst injury you have ever received during a game?
CP: My nose. I’m not actually sure what happened. I was diving for the ball, and one part of the other player’s body–she’s actually my friend–89either her head or her elbow connected with my nose. It was really swollen and started bleeding on the court. I still played on it, but it was really painful.
V: What is one thing a coach has taught you that you will never forget?
Keep your head up because I used to be really hard on myself. Don’t be in your head too much because I am overly critical of everything I do. My JV coach really taught me to have more confidence in myself.

 
V: What is your favorite memory from basketball?
CP: I would say beating Mitty, but it’s kind of cliché. I think our upset over Saint Ignatius sophomore year would be my best memory. No one expected us to go to the WCAL semifinals and we played so well as a team. Even though they had beat us twice that year, we came out on fire. We were all pumped, and we all went out to dinner after we beat them. That was the best.
V: Do you plan on playing in college? Have you committed anywhere?
CP: I weighed my options between basketball and school, and I realized that the schools I wanted to go to weren’t looking at me for basketball. I have a couple schools where if I get in, I will probably play, but I think for me the education was more important that playing basketball.
V: Who is the team’s biggest rival this year?
CP: It’s normally Mitty, but I think its Saint Ignatius right now.
V: Any hopes for the Presentation basketball team this season?
CP: State. We want to go to state. That’s our goal this year. At the very least get to NorCal finals, but state all the way.

Player Profile: Sara Mazzoni

The Voice had a great opportunity to sit down and chat with goalie and co-captain of the Varsity Field Hockey team, Sara Mazzoni. Leading the team to the CCS semi-finals last year, Sara is looking to have another great year with the Field Hockey team.

Voice: How long have you been playing field hockey?

SM: Freshman year I wanted to play a sport, so my friend Jen [Randazzo] and I decided to try out for field hockey.

Voice: How did you get involved and why?

SM: I played club volleyball in middle school and I wanted to try something new.

Voice: What made you want to play goalie? Have you always played goalie?

SM: Yes, the first day of tryouts coach asked if anyone wanted to try out for goalie, I thought I would give it a shot. A couple of my uncles had played goalie for ice hockey, so I thought it was worth a try.

Voice: Are you ever scared when the balls come flying at you?

SM: Freshman year it was very scary, but after 4 years you get used to it. I am pretty much immune now.

Voice: On average, how many stops do you make in one game?

SM: At least 10. On JV the goalie is lucky to get much action; they make maybe 2 stops per game. But varsity is very different; the other teams are all very good and can get the ball to my side of the field often.

Voice: Do you ever blame yourself when the other team scores a goal, even when it is not your fault?

SM: I used to beat myself up about it sometimes, but then I realized it was not the right attitude to take and I didn’t want to stress myself out. I try not to worry too much anymore; I just focus on stopping the next ball that comes my way.

Voice: What does it mean to you to be a team captain?

SM: Jen and I are both team captains this year, and we have been working hard to get our team focused this year. It is the problem we have been having but the team is coming together. We both try to lead the team by example and work get the team focused and ready before a game.

Voice: Do you plan on playing in college? Varsity or intramural?

SM: I do not plan on playing Varsity in college because it is such a time commitment, but club or intramural sure.

Voice: What is your favorite memory from field hockey?

SM: Last year in the CCS semi-finals we beat Mitty. We worked so hard as a team together and we got to the CCS finals. We lost in the finals, but the fact that we even got there was amazing and really showed how hard our team worked. We were so happy to have made it that far.

Voice: What has field hockey taught you that you can take with you in life?

SM: Field Hockey has taught me about hard work. I started out with no knowledge of the game and in four years I am a captain on the varsity team. It has taught me how to work as a team and perseverance through the good and bad times. Field hockey has taught me to always keep trying.

Player Profile: Angie Korpusik

The Voice had the great opportunity to talk with Angie Korpusik, a senior at Presentation and a super star athlete. She is on the Varsity team in both cross country and track and field. Angie has competed in a number of local competitions as well as extremely competitive races at WCAL and CCS.

Voice: How did you become interested in running?AK: My sister did running, and I really liked doing sports in general so I decided to try out for the track team in middle school.

Voice: How much do you run during practice?AK: Last week we did around 30 miles. We are developing our base right now so the mileage will decrease later on. But we run around five miles a day.

Voice: What/where is your favorite practice run?AK: My favorite run is at Quicksilver Park and it is called “Crazy Kate” because it’s nine miles. I like it a lot because it is a lot of uphill and downhill.

Voice: When did you make it to the Varsity team? What did it take?AK: Sophomore year when I went out for cross country and I got into varsity. Training over the summer and doing track in freshman year helped prepare me for varsity.

Voice: What are some of your most proud achievements in running?AK: Besides breaking my two-mile time, another race that I am especially proud of was the cross country CCS finals at Toro Park my sophomore year. This was a tough race due to the course’s several steep hills, but I was able to place 16th.

Voice: You are a member of both cross country and track, so do you prefer one over the other?AK: Cross country. I like running on hills, forests, wilderness, and nice scenery.

Voice: Who’s your running mentor?AK: [Coach] Cozort. He encouraged me to try out for cross country and he is really positive overall, and if we get really tired, he will start singing or joking around.

Voice: What is your most memorable running experience?AK: My most memorable running experience was last year’s WCAL track two-mile. I was really excited to beat my previous time by more than 20 seconds in order to finish with a time of 11:34. It enabled me to compete in the CCS meet and place 14th in the trials.

Voice: How has running affected you as a person?AK: It has helped me to stay healthy by keeping me fit and motivating me to eat nutritious food and to get adequate sleep every night.

Training with the other Pres distance runners has also shown me the importance of working with other teammates so that I not only meet my personal goals, but also help my team to improve as a whole in order to reach our collective aspirations. Running also makes me happy in general since I love running on hills in the forest and working hard. After all, hard training helps to increase my endorphin levels, making me even happier!

Player Profile: Sheila Murray

The Voice took a splash into the life of senior Sheila Murray, who has been swimming on the Presentation team for all four years.  She has the top five fastest time for the 50 butterfly junior varsity.
The Voice: When did you start swimming?
SM: I learned how to swim when I was 4 years old. And then I swam in my cabana club every summer until I was about in fifth grade. When Pres swimming started, I started becoming involved with swimming again. Up until junior year, it was Pres swimming in the fall. And then junior year I decided to join Sunnyvale club team and I swam that for a year from September to February when Pres started again. And then this past season at Pres.
The Voice: So you started when you were four years old—was there a reason why you started so early?
SM:I learned how to swim at four years old. But, five years old is when I started to do strokes. At that age, at cabana club, you’re basically swimming a lap—that’s your race.
The Voice: What do you like most about swimming?
SM: You feel amazing after a really good workout at swimming; you get a really good workout. I love when you put in so much effort to swim and you knock off time at meets. That is definitely amazing. It’s a great feeling—the amount of strength and athletic ability it gives you.
The Voice: Do you plan on swimming for college?
SM: Yeah, I’m hopefully going to be joining the club team at Purdue. Hopefully, I’ll be swimming year round because I really enjoy it.
The Voice: Is there anyone who motivates you? Your parents? Coach?
SM: Yeah, I have a best friend and we’ve been best friends since freshman year, her name’s Claire. And we’ve both really pushed each other to do better. We both swim different strokes though. She swims breast stroke and I swim fly. We definitely motivate each other to knock off time because both of us are stuck at this time, where we can’t break any more seconds off. She definitely motivates me to swim better.

The Voice: Is there a competition or experience that sticks out to you the most?
SM: Every time that you hit the wall and you realize “Oh I knocked off time” that’s a really great feeling. Last year, I swam the 50 fly and literally could not break 30 seconds. It was so frustrating because you train so hard and you can’t break that—the 30 is like the border—and we went off to Valley Christian and we had a meet. I went up to the race and I was like “Okay whatever. I don’t think I’m going to break 30 because I haven’t done it yet.” And I hit that wall and I turned around and I saw Marissa on the wall and she’s like “YEAAHH! You did it!” And I turn around and I saw my 29 96 and it was amazing! And I did the whole like “YESSS!” It was like, finally, it happened! And it wasn’t one of those moments when you were like “I’m gonna do this. I’m gonna do this.” I just kinda went in like relaxed and I was gonna try to do it my best. But it finally happened. Oh my gosh it was amazing.
The Voice: You do the butterfly stroke. Is it your favorite? Or are you the best at that stroke?
SM: I do it every day at practice.  It’s really difficult when you do a lot of it because it definitely takes a lot of energy out of you. Being able to swim it and being able to do it with the amount of power it takes definitely makes it worth it. When you’re swimming against everyone else in the team and the next think you know there’s no one next to you. It’s nice. I enjoy doing it.
The Voice: Is there a figure you look up to for swimming or just life, in general?
SM: My sister. She tried really hard at Pres and got into a really good school. She’s always been really good at water polo.  And I guess I just love her a lot.

Player Profile: Savannah Morgan

The Voice caught up with varsity basketball player, Savannah Morgan. This year Savannah is the only senior on the Presentation basketball team. From the looks of it, Savannah is on her way to a successful season with the panthers and a hoops-filled future.

The Voice: How long have you been playing basketball?
Savannah Morgan: I’ve been playing basketball since the year before 4th grade.

V: How did you get started?
SM: I needed something to do during the summer and I didn’t want to go to a summer camp. There was a little girls’ league called G-Ball. My dad took me to try out, even though I didn’t want to, but then I loved it!

V: Where are you playing basketball? How did you choose that school?
SM: I am playing at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. I played on a traveling team this summer and they saw me play at a tournament. Coaches from Emory called me and said they were interested. Then I got to know the coaches better, went to see saw the campus and fell in love.

V: What are you looking forward to most in playing college basketball?
SM: I’m looking forward to getting better, meeting my new teammates, and playing at a higher level.

V: What is your favorite position to play?
SM: I play point guard and it’s my favorite.

V: Do you have any favorite professional teams or players?
SM: I have a lot of favorite players. Right now my favorite player is Tyreke Evans. He plays on The Kings but I don’t really like The Kings.

V: Explain the best game you’ve played in at Pres.
SM: My favorite game was the SI game, the first round of WCAL playoffs last year. We beat them 52-51. The whole team played really well as a team, it all came together in that game, and it felt really good.

V: Being the only senior on the team, what are you doing to be a leader?
SM: I try to help the younger kids as much as I can when they come to ask me questions about plays and what to do in certain situations. And of course I lead by example.

V: What is one goal you are trying to achieve this season with the basketball team?
SM: I’m hoping to win a CCS championship with my team. And beating Mitty.

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