With the conclusion of the US Swimming Olympic Team Trials in June, the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics seems closer than ever. Since over 700 swimmers competed at trials, I decided to recap just a few of my favorite stories.
Caeleb Dressel
One of the best comeback stories at trials this year was Caeleb Dressel’s return. After completing the 2020 Tokyo Olympics with 5 golds, it seemed as though Dressel was unstoppable. However, due to overwhelming stress, he took a 9-month mental health break in the middle of 2022, withdrawing from all competitions.
While many were unsure of his return, Dressel would resume training in early 2023. Since then, he has slowly returned to the top, taking first in the 50 Free and 100 Fly at the Olympic Trials.
Katie Ledecky
In swimming history, few athletes have come close to the longevity and dominance of Katie Ledecky. With 21 world championship gold medals (surpassing Michael Phelps in 2023), she was, once again, one of the most anticipated swimmers going into trials this year.
As many viewers expected, Ledecky won all 4 of her events. She also extended her reign on the 1500 Free; she now holds the top 19 times in the event globally.
Lily King
Lily King, the world record holder in the 50 and 100 Breaststroke, is now the first American swimmer to qualify for the 100B and 200B in 3 straight Olympic Games. In addition to King’s impressive performance at trials, she is now engaged; her boyfriend James Wells proposed to her moments after she clinched her spot in the 200B.
Alex and Gretchen Walsh
Finally, Alex and Gretchen Walsh have become the first sibling duo to qualify for the US Olympic Team since 2004. Alex Walsh clinched her spot in the 200 IM, which qualifies her for her second Olympic Games. Gretchen Walsh, the younger of the two, qualified for the 100 Fly, while setting a new world record in the process.
Steph Curry and Klay Thompson revolutionized the game of basketball by hitting ridiculously long-distance threes consistently. The second they step past half-court, they are an immediate threat to shoot and score. Teams have to bring their defense up past the three-point line to ensure that doesn’t happen. They are the first to have defenses be so frightened of such incredible shooting. They were given the nickname “The Splash Brothers”. When a basketball cleanly goes into a hoop, it makes a splash sound. That is why they are the Splash Brothers because they splash threes consistently and continuously.
When they first began contending for championships, lots of people doubted them because they thought shooting alone couldn’t win championships. The championship teams before Steph and Klay normally always either have a point guard with a great big man scoring and dunking, or two-way wing players. For example, Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the point guard and big man, or Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen as two-way wing players. But Steph and Klay completely changed that narrative.
From 2015-2022, they proved that you can win championships with great shooting alone. They also had a great playmaker in Draymond Green to find them open to shoot or set screens to get them open to shoot. They dominate the NBA together, winning four championships in seven years.
Men’s volleyball is one of the fastest-growing sports in the United States, having increased by 40% since 2017. This fun and easy-to-learn sport has a rich and interesting beginning, and it all started in 1895, at a YMCA in Holyoke, Massachusetts.
William George Morgan was born on January 23, 1870, in the town of Lockport, New York. Morgan attended the Northfield Mount Hermon Preparatory School, where he met James Naismith, the future inventor of basketball. After that, he attended the International Young Men’s Christian Association Training School (now known as Springfield College) in Massachusetts, where he and Naismith both pursued careers in physical education. In 1895, Morgan moved to Holyoke, Massachusetts, where he became the Director of Physical Education at the local YMCA.
Morgan noticed that while playing basketball, the non-athletic/older men playing would have a hard time keeping up with the strenuous physical activity involved. He decided that he wanted to make a different game, similar to basketball, but more inclusive and easier to play. Morgan used ideas from handball, tennis, badminton, and his own experience to develop his new game.
The game would feature:
A 30 feet wide, 60 feet long playing area
A 6-foot, 6-inch net in the middle, separating the play area into two halves
5 people on each side of the court, making a total of 10 players
A ball, which would be sent over the net in a “volley”
Innings (inspired from baseball), later called “sets,” to add a competitive tone to the game
A problem that Morgan had was finding a ball to use for his new game. A basketball was too heavy and hard, and just the bladder of the basketball itself was too light, so he contacted A.G. Spalding & Bros to make him a custom ball. They created a leather ball, around 26 inches in circumference, and was the perfect weight for his sport, 9-12 ounces. Finally, all the new sport needed was a name, and Morgan named it “Mintonette,” a word derived from badminton.
In 1896, William Morgan first presented his sport at the to the YMCA Directors of Physical Education at the YMCA in Springfield. The object of the game was to keep the ball off the floor as it went from one side of the net to the other. One person that was especially intrigued was Professor Alfred T. Halsted, who was the first person to suggest naming the sport “Volley ball,” later formed into one word, volleyball.
As the years went by, many major things happened:
1900 – Spalding starts to produce the volleyball
1920s – First beach volleyball courts are created in Santa Monica, California
1922 – First YMCA volleyball national championships held in Brooklyn; 27 teams appeared
1928 – the United States Volleyball Association (USVBA) was created, which made rules and held tournaments (now known as USA Volleyball)
1937 – USAV recognized as the national governing body for the sport
1947 – FIVB (The Federation Internationale De Volleyball) was founded
1964 – Volleyball was introduced to the Olympic games in Tokyo, Japan
1983 – The Association of Volleyball Professionals (AVP) is formed
1996 – Two-man beach volleyball becomes an Olympic sport
On December 30th, 1984, one of the greatest players in NBA history was born named Lebron Raymone James Sr. Growing up, Lebron had a difficult childhood. His father, a convicted criminal, was not a part of his life nor did he support the family in any way. As his family moved from apartment to apartment, his mother constantly looked for a stable job to maintain the family. When James was nine years old, his mom decided to send him to live with Frank Walker, a football coach who presented him with the sport and saw potential in him. Although he started out playing football while he was in Elementary School, he changed to playing basketball when he got older. James would practice basketball whenever possible to improve and achieve his dream of making the NBA.
Once James got to High School, He became the main topic of every newspaper and magazine. He was crowned the Best High School Player in the Nation. James had the whole world watching his every move and was given the nickname “The Chosen One”. A few years later in 2003, Lebron James entered the NBA draft. He went straight into the NBA draft without attending College which very few did because they did not have the talent. And to nobody’s surprise, James was selected number one overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2003 NBA draft.
Many were excited to watch Lebron James’ first season in the NBA. He had immense pressure to live up to what was expected from him. Lebron went on and had one of the greatest rookie seasons of all time and won Rookie of the Year in 2004.
Books about LeBron James are available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library. They are also available to download for free from Libby.
Ronald Acuña Jr. ,number 13, is a right fielder for the Atlanta Braves. He was born in La Guaria, Venezuela on 12/18/1997 now he is 26 years old, his height is 6 feet on the dot and his weight is 205. He was hitting very well in the 2023 season with a batting average of 0.337 which is the 2nd in the National League. He’s hit 41 home runs which is the 5th in the National League, and 106 RBI (Runs Batted In) which is the 8th tied in the National League. Also his OPS (On-base Plus Slugging) is 1.012, a good OPS for a MLB player is above 0.800 and he is .200 above the good OPS number. Also he stole 73 bases which only few people can steal more than 60 bases. He has been doing well in the postseason as well by hitting 2 home runs and 3 runs in.
Fun Fact about Ronald Acuña Jr.
He is the only player in MLB to at least hit 40 home runs and steal 70 bases in a single season.
He became the fifth member of the 40-40 club in 2023.
He signed with the Atlanta Braves for 100 million dollars for 8 years in 2019.
Kevin Durant joined the Warriors for three years from 2017-2019. They obliterated the NBA together, making the NBA finals all three years in a row, and winning two championships. They are considered to be one of the greatest teams ever assembled.
Heading into the 2019 playoffs, everybody believed the Warriors were easily going to win the championship again due to their overpowering roster. In the first round against the Clippers, the Warriors shockingly blew a 31-point lead in game two, allowing the Clippers to tie the series up at 1-1. The Warriors would take games three and four in Staples Center, and everyone assumed they would close the Clippers out in game five. But the Clippers held on in the fourth quarter to defeat the Warriors and make the series 3-2. Everyone thought the Warriors might be in some trouble, but in game six, Kevin Durant scored 50 points to propel the Warriors to round two of the playoffs.
The Warriors in round two beat the Rockets just like they had done the year before, but the big concern was Kevin Durant. Midway through the third quarter in game five, Kevin Durant suffered an Achilles’ tendon injury and had to head back to the locker room. The injury seemed to be severe and he would have to miss at the very least the entire Western Conference Finals.
The Warriors faced the Portland Trail Blazers in the 2019 Western Conference Finals. They knew they would have to face them without one of their best players. Many people were thinking the Warriors without KD were going to struggle a bit with Portland. But Stephen Curry proved the world wrong again. The Warriors swept the Blazers 4-0. In three of the four victories, the Warriors were down double digits and rallied back to defeat the Blazers. Stephen Curry averaged 36.5 points in the series, which is the highest average in the history of the NBA in a four-game sweep. This is one of the most impressive playoff series of all time.
In the NBA finals, the Warriors took on the Toronto Raptors, who had just defeated the Milwaukee Bucks with the league MVP, Giannis Antetokounmpo in six games, 4-2. The Raptors have the home-court advantage in this series due to their slightly better regular season record. The Warriors and Raptors split the first two games at Scotiabank Arena, evening the series at 1-1. But unfortunately for the Warriors, Klay Thompson would be out for game three due to an awkward landing after taking a jump shot in game two. Now the Warriors are missing Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson, leaving Steph Curry on his own to carry all the load on offense.
Stephen Curry stepped up to the challenge and did not disappoint in game three. He scored 47 points with 8 rebounds, 7 assists, and 2 steals. But his effort simply was not enough to defeat the fully healthy Raptors team. All five starters for the Raptors scored at least 17 points. Every time the Warriors hit a shot to try to start a run on their home court, the Raptors would hit a shot to respond right back. The Warriors were trailing for nearly the whole game and they never led again after 95 seconds into the game. The Warriors are now in trouble and have to find a way to win game four without their best players.
Klay Thompson decided to return in game four, but many thought he was not 100% healed. He just wanted to come back to help his team despite not being fully healthy. He knew if they were down 3-1, it would be extremely difficult to win three games in a row to come back in the series. In game four, the Warriors came out playing great in the first half and held on to a 4-point lead heading into halftime. The last three minutes of the third quarter was what lost them the game. The score was tied 61-61, but then the Raptors went on an 18-6 run to take a 12-point lead at the end of the third quarter. The Raptors held on to their lead in the fourth quarter and won game four by 13 points. Klay Thompson played well scoring 28 points on great efficiency. But Stephen Curry simply couldn’t duplicate his performance from game 3 and scored only 22 points on mediocre efficiency.
Down 3-1, heading back to Scotiabank Arena, many thought the Raptors would be crowned champions that night. But before the game, Kevin Durant was cleared to play in game five, giving the Warriors their full healthy roster back. Knowing the news, many started giving them a chance of completing the 3-1 comeback. With Kevin Durant on the court in the first quarter, the Warriors felt like a completely different team. The Raptors were not able to throw their entire defense at Stephen Curry because they had to worry about Kevin Durant as well. And it seemed like if this continued, there was nothing the Raptors could do. Durant played most of the first quarters and scored 11 points on three made threes. But in the second quarter, Kevin Durant was trying to drive past Serge Ibaka on a play. He fell and landed awkwardly. He struggled to get up. At that moment, the world just knew that it was something serious. Kevin Durant tore his Achilles, and he will be gone for the rest of the series. He had only played 12 minutes before getting injured.
Without Kevin Durant, the Warriors still had to win the game to stay alive in the series and bring it back home to Oracle Arena. The game was close the whole night, going back and forth between these two teams. But with three minutes left, the Raptors were up 6 points at home. It seemed like it was over. But Steph and Klay hit three consecutive threes in the next minute and a half to take a three-point lead. Down the stretch, the only two points the Raptors scored was a layup to make it a one-point game with 29.9 seconds left. The Warriors held on to win by one 106-105.
With all the momentum going home, it seemed like the Warriors had the chance to do the impossible. However, the Raptors came out in a great rhythm from three, shooting nearly 70% in the first quarter, but only led by one, 33-32. The game continued at a stalemate until halftime. During the third quarter, both teams tried to gain momentum but were unable to. However, Klay Thompson had been playing incredibly, already having 30 points with still three minutes left in the third quarter. With 2:22 left, it happened again. Klay Thompson was going for a fast break, and Danny Green was chasing him trying to block it. They both jumped and Klay got fouled hard. He landed awkwardly on his leg and was immediately in pain. The Warriors had suffered another injury. Klay Thompson immediately headed to the locker room and was unable to return to the game. Stephen Curry, without his two best teammates, was faced with 14 more minutes of game action, and his team was only up three points. In the fourth quarter, the teams fought it out but it ultimately ended with Stephen Curry missing a three for a chance to take the lead and the Raptors winning the 2019 Championship. Klay Thompson’s injury ended up being a torn ACL, which means he could miss all of the next season too.
Although it ended like that for the Warriors in game six, I believe that even if they had won game six, it would take a miracle for them to pull it off in game seven. They would have been down Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant again like they were in game three, and 47 points from Steph was not even enough for them to win.
In conclusion, if Klay Thompson had not torn his ACL in game six, I believe that they would have completed the 3-1 comeback and defeated the Toronto Raptors in seven games. And if Kevin Durant was healthy the entire series, they probably would have swept the Raptors 4-0, or at the very least won the series in five games 4-1. They were a way better team when fully healthy, and they were still the better team even without Kevin Durant.
Today I went to an Angels game with my mom and my baby sister. This was a typical Angels game that we got a lot of autographs near the bullpen and in the players parking lot. I got to the line a bit late than last time but i was able to get autographs by many players.
Oakland Athletics Starting Lineup:
Ryan Noda: First Base
Zack Gelof: Second Base
Brent Rooker: Right Field
JJ Bleday: Left Field
Shea Langeliers: Catcher
Jordan Diaz: Third Base
Carlos Perez: Designated Hitter
Nick Allen: Shortstop
Esteury Ruiz: Center Field
Game Result:
Oakland Athletics vs. Los Angeles Angels
7-3 Athletics Win
Baseballs and Autographs from Players and Coaches:
An autograph on my baseball glove by Athletics Quality Control Coach Marcus Jensen.
An autograph on my baseball glove by Angels Pitcher Davis Daniel.
An baseball from Angels Catching Coach Drew Butera and an autograph on the baseball by Angels Catcher Logan O’Hoppe.
An autograph on my baseball glove by Athletics Bullpen Catcher Wilkin Castillo.
Fun Facts about Ryan Noda
Ryan Noda is a 27 year old who first got drafted to the Toronto Blue Jays back in 2017 as a first baseman then he was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2020. Then he was traded to the Oakland Athletics. Ryan Noda attended to Great Community High School and he went to University of Cincinnati to play baseball.
The San Antonio Spurs dominated the NBA from 1999 to 2014. They won five NBA championships during that stretch and made the playoffs all fifteen of those years. There were many key reasons why they were able to dominate for so long.
The first reason is the greatness of Tim Duncan. Duncan was selected as the number one overall pick in the 1997 draft, and his impact could be seen in the first game he played. Scoring fifteen points and grabbing ten rebounds, the Spurs have found their key player for the foreseeable future. They also hired Greg Popovich at the end of the 1996 season to be their new head coach, and he would become one of the greatest NBA coaches of all time
The Spurs immediately won fifty-six games with a rookie Tim Duncan. A thirty-six game improvement from the previous year which is an NBA record. Then went on to win the championship the following year with Tim Duncan and veteran David Robinson.
The Spurs drafted Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili in the 1999 and 2001 NBA draft to add more talent around Duncan after David Robinson had retired. With the trio of Duncan, Parker, and Ginobili, the Spurs won three more NBA championships within the next six years in 2003, 2005, and 2007.
In 2011, The Spurs were looking to add more talent to their roster as the players had gotten older and were no longer at their absolute best, they traded for a rookie Kawhi Leonard. With another star player added to the team, the Spurs took on the hardest challenge in the NBA Finals that they had faced against Lebron James and the Miami Heat. After splitting the first two games at home in San Antonio, The Spurs would go on the road and completely dominate the Heat. They would win games two, three, and four and end the series four games to one. Their new young star, Kawhi Leonard, would win Finals MVP for playing outstanding defense on Lebron James.
The San Antonio Spurs were one of the greatest dynasties over the fifteen years in the history of the NBA. They were consistent every year and were always among the top few teams that were most likely to win the title.
Fun Fact: The Spurs were a couple of seconds away from winning another NBA championship in 2013, but the most clutch three that was hit by Ray Allen with five seconds left in game six took it away from them.
The Oso Fit 5K Fun Run and Community Health Fair is an annual event in Mission Viejo and focuses on promoting health and wellness. This event is hosted by the City of Mission Viejo and the Mission Viejo Chamber of Commerce. There is a 5K as well as a kids’ quarter and half mile run. If you walk around the free Community Health Fair, there are more than 100 health and wellness organizations offering giveaways, handouts and free health screenings. All of the runs are along the scenic Oso Creek Trail. The fire department had little firefighter hats that they were handing out to the kids. There was music, and different food vendors who had lots to offer as well. I was there hosting a craft table with the Mission Viejo Activities Committee and got to see witness all the joy that was at this event.
Why I loved it, and why you should go next year:
There are so many cool vendors that have super fun games, crafts, and more.
It is a wonderful all-inclusive experience for the whole family to join in on.
This event supports and gives back to local charities (which we all want).
The medal has the Oso Fit bear mascot on it.
As a Mission Viejo Activities Committee volunteer, this event is great because you get a lot of hours for helping the community with activities and crafts.
You can find pictures of this awesome event on Instagram @mvactivities and at this hashtag: #osofit5k
Almost everybody knows about Shohei Ohtani. Not only is he a very famous baseball player, he’s a legend. He has played for the Los Angeles Angels previously now he signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers. This is life when he was with the Los Angeles Angels.
Ohtani with the Angels
He was drafted by the Angels in 2018, he spent 6 seasons with the Angels. His main position is pitcher. He came to the Angels as a pitcher only, then he started hitting when he was with the Angels. He received 2 American League Most Valuable Player Award, 3 Best Major League Baseball Player ESPY Award, Best Male Athlete ESPY Award, and a Commissioner’s Historic Achievement Award. He had 608 strikeouts and 171 home runs when he was with the Angels.
Fun Facts about Shohei Ohtani
No player has hit at least 20 home runs for both the Angels and Dodgers, at least not yet.
He used to sim during high school.
He is a high level two-way player.
He is one of the best sluggers in MLB.
Holds a record for the fastest pitch by a Japanese player in MLB.
Struck out Mike Trout, one of the best hitters in MLB during 2023 WBC.
Books about Shohei Ohtani are available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library.
Mission Viejo Library Teen Voice 