In Loving Memory: Doug Speck, Track Extraordinaire
Tuesday, 13 April 2010 12:50
Andrew Lin
Doug Speck, lifelong AHS history teacher, track and field and cross country coach, and visionary sports journalist whose enthusiasm was often contagious, inspiring athletes and coaches alike, died on Thursday, Mar. 4, in his sleep, at 10:07 p.m. at his home in El Segundo, CA. He was only 62 years old. Two years ago Speck was diagnosed with melanoma, but it was not until this past December, when a spell of dizziness during a road trip hit, that he and his doctors discovered the tumor had metastasized to his brain. When news of Speck’s health was disclosed, people he knew from all stages of his life, from here in Arcadia to as far away as southern Europe, sent up their prayers and good thoughts to him. A forum thread began on dyestat.com, the sports web publication whose California site of which he was a co-editor, and it bubbled and overflowed with well-wishing to his family. A certain Coach John Flores eloquently noted on the thread, "Every once in awhile the planets line up perfectly and the right person comes along at the right time and makes our lives better. Doug is a man of great dignity, humility and has a true passion for our sport...God Speed." Coach Mr. Christopher Schultz was hired by Speck to coach AHS track and field team, but met him before "as far back as almost 20 years ago." "He called the grocery store I was managing—I used to be a walk-on head coach at the time—and asked if I had coached Tommy Richards," Coach Schultz said, recounting an experience he had in the early 1990s. "We talked for about 20 minutes about Tommy’s marks in all of his different events and it was evident that the man on the other end of the phone not only knew the details of the sport of track and field, but also that he loved it." When asked how Speck had mentored him with his job, Coach Schultz said, "He helped me to get acclimated at AHS. Whenever I had a question about anything, I could go to him and I was confident that I was getting help from not only someone who was willing to help, but also knowledgeable in a sport that I have loved all my life." He was not, however, just knowledgeable about the sport—that would be an incredible understatement. Larry Elder, a contributor to the sports blog runblogrun.com, put it best when he said, "His level of involvement would have made mere mortals shudder." He not only helped make the prestigous Arcadia Invitational for Track and Field the world- class event it is today, but also, being the enthusiast and mystic he was, recognized the importance of the Internet to coverage of high school sports. John Dye, the current editor-in-chief of dyestatcal.com and employer and long time friend to Speck, had this to say, when asked what he discovered in Speck that compelled him to take Speck on as co-editor: "Doug Speck was a giant in high school track. No one in the US had more knowledge and passion for the sport." He stayed up nights to input meet results and his work was the lifeblood of the Internet publication. Larry Elder enthused, "Doug Speck and Rich Gonzales went on to the start dyestatcal.com site, and quite frankly, made it the best high school site on the web." With all the lives Speck touched, news of his death sent shockwaves through the sports community and even further outside of it. "Doug cared about this sport to which I have given up well over half of my adult life," Coach Schultz said. "He made me feel like it was all worth something." On a forum thread on dyestat.com, Coach Mike Wilson of Upland Cross Country related, "I have sat here now for 60 plus minutes trying to write something in memory of Doug. I cannot express my sadness in words…Doug, all my love and respect. God bless my friend." And in a stroke of grace beyond the grave, Speck communicated through his family his wish: "I know that, in lieu of sending flowers, our dad would like to have people show their support for his life by helping to support the Angeles Clinic Foundation and the hard-working doctors who work at the Angeles Clinic, where he was treated." And though he might be remembered for his Olympian feats in the Track and Field world, it should be noted that these gargantuan achievements stemmed from the humble but no less noble source that was his love and dedication to the sport. During Arcadia home track meets, he enjoyed the simple pleasure of sitting in the announcer’s booth and providing lively commentary and other sundry information. Friend and coworker Rich Gonzales remarked, "Doug always loved announcing [track meets] from an angle above the action. Now he has the best seat in the house." A "Celebration of Life" for Speck will be held during the prestigious Arcadia Invitational Track Meet this year to honor his contributions to the sport. On Friday, Apr. 9 and Saturday, Apr. 10, an open visitation room with photos and videos featuring Speck will be in the AHS Little Theater from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
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Baseball Knocks its Opponents Out of the Ball Park
Tuesday, 13 April 2010 12:48
Regina Liu
The long-awaited baseball season has arrived once again and the defending league champions, our very own AHS Varsity Baseball team, does not intend to disappoint.According to Coach Mr. Nick Lemas, the Varsity Baseball team “has a lot of passion and a ‘never quit’ attitude that will take [them] far this year.”Of course, a team is only as strong as its players. Coach Lemas said, “I look for players who work hard, don’t complain, and give me everything they have. I think everyone on our team exemplifies these qualities [in] one way or another. I know they will be successful and it will be fun to watch and be a part of.”Coach Lemas recognized seniors Garrett Tuck, Jonathan Larson, Kyle Schneider, and junior Tyler Dominguez as the team leaders. He said, “These boys bleed Cardinal and Gold and will do whatever it takes. We will go wherever they lead us.” With such a strongly built team this year, it’s hard to expect anything but a great outcome for the season.Not to mention Coach Lemas, “the anchor of [the] team,” also has a very important role in the team’s success. Tyler said, “[Coach Lemas] leads us and he pushes us to do our very best. He will to lead us in the right direction for success. To put it simply, “he’s a great coach.”“Our practice days are very productive,” Tyler explained. “We go over stuff we need to work on to keep improving. Repetition is big in baseball, so we practice hitting, fielding groundballs, and catching fly balls.”Aside from regular practices, the members of the team also participated, for the second time, in a training camp called Camp Goalz, where they trained and worked with US Marines. Like the previous year they attended, their time there served as a positive learning experience. According to Coach Lemas, the team learned about “teamwork, hard work, and dedication,”Larson recalled, “Camp Goalz was definitely one of the most physically and mentally demanding experiences I have ever been through, from having to sleep in rain that made a pond in our tent to waking up at 5:15 [a.m.] ready to go on a three mile hike up a very steep hill. Going there brought our team so much closer. It will contribute a lot to our success this season because [we learned that] we are all pulling on the same rope and we all have each others’ backs. We are a family.”Overall, Larson said, “I feel very prepared for this upcoming season. As long as we go out confident, execute, and play our game, not a lot of teams can beat us.”Even with such an unstoppable team, it’s wise for them to never let their guard down and to continue to consider any possible threats. Coach Lemas said, “Crescenta Valley is our biggest rival. We swept them last year so I’m sure they will be looking for revenge. Burbank was the only team in league to beat us last year so there’s a developing rivalry there. We’ve had some classic bouts with Burroughs over the years so that will be fun. And now Pasadena is starting to rise up. We are the defending league champs so teams will be gunning to beat us, but we are prepared to handle it.”The baseball team’s hard work paid off as they started the season with a victory against Temple City, 6-1. The team continued to succeed in the next two games as well, winning against El Monte and the Duarte Falcons, 7-2 and 11-3 respectively.Unfortunately, the baseball team faced its first defeat against Northview on Mar. 16, 0-5. A week later, however, the team members managed to redeem themselves as they defeated Hoover, 10-2.In a game against Burroughs on Mar. 26, a fight broke out while the team was up 12-5 in the sixth inning. Senior Jonathon Tom was up to bat and attempted a bunt. The Burroughs coach then made a comment to Coach Lemas about the bunt attempt, and accused him of unsportsmanlike conduct by trying to increase Arcadia’s lead. Meanwhile, the Burroughs dugout confronted Arcadia’s first baseman junior Jonathan Wong, starting a fight between the players. “Honestly, I didn’t really know what was happening, everything happened so fast,” recalled Wong, “All I knew was that I was standing up for my team and I knew that they’d have my back; we’re brothers.”The Varsity Baseball team was built for success and has practiced long hours toward it as well. Their past games have exemplified this and, no doubt, so will the upcoming ones.
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Boys and Girls Track and Field Gets a Running Start
Tuesday, 13 April 2010 12:46
Joyce Liao
Life is like a circle: its beginning is indefinite, its middle is unclear, and its end seems unfathomable to the human mind. For the members of the Varsity Track and Field team, however, life is more accurately compared to a oval. A red, distinctly surfaced oval of torture on Mondays and most Thursdays.On Mar. 4, the team kicked off its season with a double triumph, beating out San Gabriel and Bishop Amat at one time. They left them in the dust, with a final score of 115 to 42 and 0 on the girl’s side, and 107 to 41 and 10 on the boy’s.Even at a more competitive invitational, the girl’s team swept, capturing first in many relays and individual events, and came home with a first place plaque and outscoring the ten other teams in attendance. The boys also performed well, coming in fourth in the final tally.The competition against Temple City and La Salle on Mar. 11 went as smooth as they expected it to go and the team cruised to victory on all four levels, 108 to Temple City’s 32 and La Salle’s mere 30 points. The boys also dominated with 118 against the opposing team’s 31 and 32 points. Junior William Miyoshi also celebrated a personal record in the 400, running a sub-52 split for his team.“We have another good chance on all four levels of scoring 44-0,” said senior Monique Spata.Despite it being early season, Coach Mr. Christopher Schultz does not expect anything less of his team. His perspective is that the team has yet to live up to his expectations.They train Monday through Friday, with a competition most Thursdays and Saturdays. Any workout done less than satisfactorily is repeated again until the coach is finally happy with their performances.Though it may seem extreme, the effort they put in is what will ultimately determine each individual’s, and consequently, the team’s, success.“I expect everyone to work as hard as they can in every single thing we’re doing,” explained Coach Schultz.“My goal for the end of the season would be for everybody on this team to live up their capabilities,” he added.Hour after hour, they test their limitations as they fight to move lead-filled arms and brick-laden legs to the final stretch, and then head to the weightroom for even more work. Track is a very time-consuming sport, as practice usually ends around 4:30 p.m. At the end of the day, though, it pays off.At the Irvine Invitational on Mar. 13, the team displayed its individual strength with super juniors Catrina McAlister taking first in both the 1600 and 3200, and Ammar Moussa taking first in his 3200. Senior sprinters Angela Liou and Mariana Luna also excelled in their events, taking sixth in the 200 and fifth in the 300 hurdles, respectively. The night ended with some strong performances from the 4 by 400 teams and many medals went home with the team.It is a tough, long, and slow process that takes the inexperienced runner and molds him or her into an awe-inspiring athlete. For those who choose to stick with it, it is an amazingly rewarding experience.“It’s really tiring, but it gives you a good feeling of satisfaction after the race,” added sophomore Francis Lee.On Mar. 20, many of the varsity boys distance runners set invidiual bests in events ranging from the 800 to 3200 at the Great Oak Distance Carnival. Junior Eric Garibay flew, clocking a time of 4:26 in the 1600, and was soon followed by sophomore Francis Lee, who finished in 4:27.The first league meet of the season, which took place on Mar. 25 against Muir, was a demonstration of the Apaches’ strength and the depth of their team. Both the Girls and Boys Varsity teams won, 129 to 5 on the girls’ side and 94 to 42 on the boys’. Hopefully, things will only get better for the hard-working members of track and field.At the Mt. Carmel Invitational on Mar. 27, the Boys and Girls Varsity team competed against many quality teams, taking second in many of the relays.As this track and field season continues on, we look forward to the many victories that the team is expected to earn.
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Ammar Moussa: Gatorade Player of the Year
Tuesday, 13 April 2010 12:43
Regina Liu
The Boys Cross Country team has established itself as one of the best cross country teams in the entire state. However, one outstanding individual in this group of talented runners deserves individual recognition.The title of California’s Boys Cross Country Athlete of the Year was awarded to AHS’s very own junior Ammar Moussa in January. He recalled that it was during his Calculus final that his coach, Coach Jim O’Brien, told him—to his complete surprise—the good news.To those who have witnessed Ammar’s running abilities and the steady stream of recognition he has received, his new title probably does not come as a shock. Ammar managed to outdo even himself when he won the 2009 State Meet with the remarkable time of 14:29. With this success he and his team redeemed their past performance at the “incredibly disappointing state meet” of 2008. Ammar said, “Crossing the line, I felt relieved and happy that every single mile I had run for a year had finally paid off.”Not to mention, Ammar was chosen from every other cross country athlete in the state of California as Gatorade Player of the Year, “one of the most prestigious accolades in high school sports,” according to the official Gatorade website.Furthermore, his amazing career as a runner exceeded state boundaries when he went to the Nike Cross Country National. Ammar recalled, “The ‘experts’ had said that I was inexperienced in running against all the big names, and that would hurt me. [Even] so I was really pumped up to be running, and I had a little mental fire going.” Ammar earned his spot in the top five when he finished in fourth place, which he said was higher than he “had ever thought [he] could place.”As if fourth place at the national level wasn’t incredible enough, Ammar proved it wouldn’t do him justice to settle for second—or fourth—best when he placed first at the USA Track and Field National Junior Olympic Cross Country Championships.Even with such an astounding accomplishment at Nationals, Ammar feels that his proudest moment was when he mounted the podium with his team at the 2009 State Meet. Ammar said that after the team’s 2008 experience of barely missing the podium, “[they] promised each other [they] would get on the podium the next year.” He recalled, “We talked about it, dreamed about, and worked for it for 365 days. When the day came, and we stood there accepting our medals, it was surreal.”In addition to bringing him well-deserved glory and recognition, running has also provided Ammar with “a rock in [his] life.” He also added, “It keeps me from doing stupid things … I don’t go party, or do dumb things to my body because I want to do my best as a runner, and that means I have to keep my body healthy.”However, there are other factors in his life that motivate him to run as well. He said, “I also am driven to do my best because I know my teammates are depending on me to [do] my best and to not give up.” As proven by his past performances, if there’s anybody his teammates can depend on, it’s him.
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