Open Forum

Farewell to the Santa Cruz Interscholastic Sports League

     Reviewing our coverage of the break-up of the Santa Cruz Interscholastic Sports League, we realized that there was one constituency that hadn’t been heard from – students, and particularly student-athletes. We asked for comments, both face-to-face and by e-mail, and we got some. But we will be glad to have more. Just send them to David Boldt (boldt27@gmail.com) or Trevor Reed (mktrevor@gmail.com).  We reserve the right to condense comments, and to edit them to meet journalistic standards.  – The Editors.  

      Andre Larsen, senior, Christian Learning, another outstanding performer in all four sports, said, “"Due to cultural differences and lack of communication and integrity, this great league that taught us the importance of perseverance has come to an end."

          Hyun Kim, a Cooperative junior, track standout, and captain-elect of the soccer team for the coming year, wrote: “I don't feel competent enough to point fingers or blame anyone, nor is that my intention . . . . Taking my own conclusions, it is blatantly obvious that SCCS and SCIS is withdrawing from the league for other motives than "fear." I congratulate Cambridge's (boys basketball) teams for their performance in the finals, both Varsity and Junior Varsity. In addition, SCCS's soccer squad still remembers that 3-2 defeat by Cambridge in the 2009 championship final.

      “But we also have enjoyable memories.  We have memories of soccer games where, if someone just showed up and looked at the scoreboard, he or she might have thought it was table-tennis.  (11-1, 10-1, etc). If anything, I thought Cambridge would be scared of us. In fact, we joyfully awaited that first game of the League -- home against Cambridge as usual -- where we could display dominance, just as Cambridge did in basketball this year.

      “Furthermore, I fully respect both SCIS and SCCS athletic directors for not specifying the incidents that triggered the break-up in the meeting. I think it is better to call it to an end peacefully.  I find the part, about "differences between Latinos and Gringos" very interesting. To justify the withdrawal of the two schools because of ethnic or racial differences is plain wrong. Sports, at least at the high school level, are played for the opposite reasons . . . . It is precisely to set aside the racial, ethnic, and socio-economic differences and play in unison to achieve great things, not the other way around.

     Many times, Coach (and high school principal Nicolaas) Mostert has instructed us to not make fun or play in a scornfully manner, and to respect our rivals. At SCCS, we are taught to lose with dignity, something we haven't always achieved, as in that 3-2 defeat by Cambridge.  (Yes I admit it). However, learning from mistakes is another crucial aspect about competitive sports.

      Today is a sad day for all student athletes of all four schools. Whether the league is reunited or not is not under my control and if the league doesn't work out, I am certain that SCCS student-athletes will courageously take any other challenge the school proposes, perhaps a different league with other schools.

 

       Valeria LaTorre Vilar, a Cambridge senior who played soccer, volleyball and track, said, “When it was announced that Cooperative and International had decided to leave the league, I was shocked. I refused to believe that the League was breaking up; I had really been looking forward to the volleyball and soccer season.

      “Soon after the announcement, I read the article from the blog to find out more about it. One of the things that stood out to me was the comment about how Cambridge had beaten International by a 100-point margin (in basketball) and then didn’t apologize. What came to mind then were the several soccer games when we lost dismally to Cooperative – ten goals difference and with a celebration of each one. Cambridge never complained about “sportsmanship” in such cases because we were there to play the game, purely because we enjoy playing the sport.

        

    Cambridge had a good new star (in basketball) this year, and showed notable improvements from the previous “slacker” reputation we had built up as a result of  organizational  problems in the past (missing I.D’s, or uniform problems)  This year it can be said that we were exceptionally responsible with the formalities.

    As for the comparison between gringos and Latinos, I’m giving it the benefit of the doubt, but if true it was out of line. What kind of message is that comment sending out to the school’s students?

       Cami Johnson, International Class of 2011, who starred at both Cambridge and, later, at International in soccer and basketball, commented on Facebook regarding the League break-up, “!Que barbaridad!” She later wrote to add, "I was very surprised when I saw that the league was no longer going to exist, and sad because many of my school memories where gained throughout the years playing in the league. But the only thing that makes me even sadder is the fact that the new coming young athletes won’t have the same opportunity as we have had. I have seen in the school I graduated from how the younger generations were always so positive and keen about the fact that they would eventually participate in the league. The basketball team for SCIS was majority middle school students.
      
       "I still have hope that this will not be the end of the SCISL. But if it has reached to an end I would like to congratulate all four schools for their performances throughout the leagues existence. The Jaguars, Eagles, Knights and Griffins have all had triumphs that have been very well deserved.”

            Abby Phillips, Christian Learning junior, and all-around all-star with honors that include several track and field records, wrote, "Along with many other student-athletes, I was taken by surprise when I first heard of the break-up of the SCISL. Sports have always been a highlight of the school year for me and the League has served as a great way for students from all four schools to come together and compete. Sports aren’t just about winning; they’re about heart, attitude, and ability. I enjoy sports for fun, competition, and being able to set and achieve goals for myself. I have enjoyed competing against other athletes in the League and I have had the pleasure of getting to know some of them as well.

      " It is disappointing to see the League end and it brings doubt as to what will happen with sports next year and in the future. I do think, though, that after so many years of competition in the League between only four schools some tension has been created. With such a small league that has been active for so long, it is reasonably predictable which school will win which sport, and that takes out much of the excitement and anticipation that comes with competitive athletics. I admire the athletic directors who have realized that it may be time for the schools in the league to seek a new direction.


     "Instead of looking at the SCISL disintegration as being a completely negative event, we could try looking at it in a positive light in that it could provide new opportunities and competition for the student-athletes. There is great athletic potential that has been displayed by numerous student-athletes in the League, and perhaps this is a step forward that will allow the student-athletes to compete at new levels and reach new heights in their athletic performances."

      Vanessa Flores, a Cambridge senior who starred in soccer and track, said, “When I first heard about the withdrawal of Cooperative and International Schools from the Interscholastic League I was amazed.  I didn’t really understand their reasons for doing so, and probably won’t.  The comparison that was made between the ethnicities of our schools was out of place; sports are supposed to bring people together because no matter where you go it’s the same game.

         “In twerms of sportsmanship, when a team wins, they win. In the past Cambridge never complained about losing a game, and, boy. have we lost some. It seems weird that now that we were stepping up the (two other teams) decide to leave. We will continue to participate in sports and to do our best, with whomever we compete against.”

           Milan Marinkovic, Cooperative senior, a star in all four League sports, wrote the following:   “I was not aware we had withdrawn from the league; this comes as a surprise to me. It hurts to see it end, it’s been a great part of my experience at SCCS, but I do support (Athletic Director Alvaro) Ludueña's decision. I feel like some lines were being crossed in what involves sportsmanship and values, two pillars that have always sustained the relationship between our schools. Today, I feel like the concept of these two pillars has been lost. Mr. Luduenñ has always looked out for the students of SCCS, All athletes in my school both respect and care for him . . . .

      “I also read about the remark supposedly made by (International Athletic Director) Eli Vilar, another coach I've had the pleasure of getting to know over the years. I do believe her comment is being twisted, After all, International harbors students from all over the world and to the best of my knowledge is the most inter-cultural of the four schools.

    “This decision surprises me, and I can't say it doesn't pain me. It probably does the same to the coaches who found themselves forced to take it. I hold great respect for both coaches Luduena and Vilar. I know they're actions are not unprovoked, and I ultimately trust their decision is in the interests of the student's general well-being.


          Joshua Mann, Christian Learning '08, basketball stand-out, wrote, "I played sports for several years within the SCISL league during my time at the Santa Cruz Christian Learning Center.  The league, with its devotion to sportsmanship and good fun, fostered a relationship between our school and other similar schools in the area.  Through playing sports, I met friends in other schools and learned to overlook our differences for more than just a sports game.  When I learned that the league was closing, I shook my head.  What a tragedy.  That grown adults and coaches cannot seem to manage the same level of mutual  respect and inter-school teamwork that they expect from the students in the league seems to me ridiculous. Perhaps it is in the schools' best interest to pursue different venues to play competitive sports.  Perhaps it is best to throw in the towel and walk away from the ring, shaking our heads and muttering that "some things will never change".  Perhaps our differences are indeed to great and an agreement cannot be reached.  Perhaps that is the legacy we want to leave behind us, the example we want to leave for the students watching.  So be it.  I only hope that we can manage to have some respect for each other as we begin our different paths."  

-Joshua Mann 

      Lisa Delboy, a Cambridge senior who has played volleyball and other sports, said, “When I got told that Cooperative and International were leaving the league I was pretty surprised and of course I wondered why. I was appalled by their decision and found their reasons more like pitiful excuses. Cambridge has never injured anyone and we have always played fair even though we´ve had a handful of players injured at the games. So those fair play arguments don´t seem valid to me. Their other excuses were in no way true either. Maybe clearer statements would clear up everyone´s ideas, because as of now it´s all still quite foggy.”

     Bekah Kienzle, Christian Learning freshman, who was expected to be4 a key factor in her team's challenge for the basketball championship next year, wrote,   “Seeing the sports league split up after so many years is very sad. I would have never expected it. I only hope that there won't be any bitter feelings between the schools and that maybe in the future we can compete again as friends. Thanks to Cooperative, International and Cambridge for your friendship through all these years. I hope to see you all again.”    


      Ana Peredo, Cooperative senior, valedictorian, and star player in soccer, basketball, and volleyball, wrote with, among other things, some kind words about the website. “I had no idea that SCCS wasn´t part of the League. I think that Mr. Ludueña doesn´t have the right to be making a decision like that. Something I, as an athlete looked forward to was getting back home to read the game comments on the League website because I thought that it was the only recognition I had each game, even if my name was barely mentioned, I believe it was some sort of a challenge I gave myself: make them write more about me the next time. This means that the reviews made me try even harder.

       “Also, my parents never had the chance to go to my games because both work a lot and don´t have time so the reviews were a way for them to know what happened. Almost after every game I would show them what the game comments were and then they would give me their comments.What I´m trying to get at here is that I believe this League website gave me, and my team the certain joy the school doesn´t give us. especially when some sports lack fans and school spirit. Many of us used to post the articles on Facebook. These articles were the cheering of the fans we never heard. I would like to see our school get reintegrated into the website. I think the next generations of players to come would like that.” 

      

      Jose Aldano, a junior at Christian Learning recently arrived from Brazil who played soccer and basketball, said, “The recent secession of SCIS and COOP, causing the imminent break-up of the league, is extremely sad and disappointing. The Christian Learning team was looking forward to the upcoming season, but we still hope a consensus can be reached. Otherwise, I think the school should look for other options."

       Gabriel Alonso, a Cambridge sophomore who was regarded as the best defensive player on the basketball team, and also played soccer, volleyball, and track, said, ¨”Upon hearing the news of the League´s extinction I wasn´t that surprised. There had been some hints of discord during the season, and even over the years.  Compared to SCCS and SCIS, Cambridge had been looked upon as the irresponsible ones, and we always had some glitch when time came to present our teams to a match, but it was the love of playing that kept us going. At Cambridge we knew that we weren´t the best, but we still showed up and if we lost, well, we lost.

      “Our teams have always played fair and have never caused an injury, which I might point out is not the same for other teams. Athletes and coaches have to accept that sometimes they have to lose. Everyone plays to win, to do their best but losing is a part of sports. Comparing different cultures has nothing to do with it, it´s still the same sport and every player plays because they like to play and they want to do their best for their school.

      “As part of the basketball team, I can understand how our coach may seem on the outside, but I do think he was actually subdued this season and those were some harsh accusations -- especially since there are some other people who are worth mentioning in regard to `aggressive attitudes.’

      “I am sad to see the League end. It has been a great part of my experience at Cambridge over the years. However Cambridge players will have to find other competitors to play with, because it´s playing that we care about.”

       Sofia Sotelo, Cooperative senior, salutatorian, and star in all four sports, felt her school needs to look for new fields to conquer. “I am shocked with the news, but I also think that the sports teams in SCCS would have the potential to become more skilled if there was more challenging competition. If SCCS remains in the league, the girls' soccer team will continue beating the other teams.  The league is no longer competitive, at least for the girls.

     “There is no incentive for the girls teams in SCCS to be more disciplined or practice more because we know we will win. If the other teams in the league would put a little more effort and energy into the games, playing against them would be more interesting and more people would come to watch the games. But year after year our teams become better and the other teams become worse.

       “Regarding (Cambridge basketball coach) Victor Coronado, I have witnessed his bad sportsmanship for the last seven years and even if there is no longer fake documentation (and other irregularities), his negative attitude in the court and field is still the same. I do believe Ludueña should look for other teams to play against, teams who are better prepared and that challenge SCCS teams. At least the girls' teams.

             Chiemi Tanaka, Cambridge senior and volleyball player, said, “It´s regrettable that a sports league that was founded for the sake of the students has gone awry due to disagreements between the adults. One wonders if they even took into account what the athletes and student bodies think.

      “I can´t really say much about all the matters that were brought up, since words might have been twisted around or misinterpreted, but I do think that some comments were completely out of place. Whether they are true or not, what is the point of pointing out ethnic differences between international schools with students of different nationalities.

        “To imply that a school is inferior because of its students’ ethnic backgrounds seems a perfect example of the kind of the things that should be suppressed in such a League. If this is how some people see it, then it may just be a healthy step for Cambridge to distance itself from such ways of thought.”

      Jonathan Reichsfeld, Cooperative’s 2011 valedictorian, now a student at the University of Pennsylvania, wrote, “I have played tennis for twelve years and attended roughly ten nationals. I have seen ridiculous stuff going on, but what I just read sounds stupid.

       “First, it's utterly disrespectful that Ludueña and Vilar accused the Cambridge's team 9th grade all-star. If he's good, let him be and encourage him to be better. Tough luck, not everyone can win and if that kid is much better than the other players, no one should be able to complain about that. It just defeats the purpose of the sport. Second, trying to win games by pointing out irregularities on the uniforms? I think that is just nonsense. Kids are there to play. They don't get bonuses if they win.

        “I think that (International athletic director Vilar's use of the terms "gringo" and "Latino" is derogatory and harmful to the school.  I don't know what it is about Cooperative and sports. For some reason, we can't get a stable league. There is always something wrong. One starts to think that there is something in Cooperative that repels other schools.”


      Marlon Castillo, Cambridge senior, soccer and volleyball player, "I think the matter of the situation goes beyond whether it’s surprising or just, I think it’s about negligence on behalf of the coordinator of all our schools to make such an important decision forgetting to take into account what we, the ones who actually participated in the league, would want.We put time and effort into our training and we do it in hope to improve our skills every year, and did so with clarity because we knew who we were up against .  It was truly lamentable to see such a strong motivation taken away from us, and this may just turn a spirited and enthusiastic team into unmotivated athletes.

       "I believe that through the years I’ve participated in the league there were never such issues as apologizing for winning with big margins, which was seen every year by the SCCS girls soccer team, which has always been the best and very enthusiastic about rubbing it in, or by SCIS in volleyball. Thiese things were normal, every team knows their game level and what they’re aiming for. If it doesn’t go well what is left to do is to improve.

       "This past basketball season it was SCIS’s teams and SCCS’s boys basketball that faltered for several reasons which they know better than anyone else. But it’s not about the poor results; it’s about having self- appreciation and taking the responsibility for doing your best, and to know that it’s not about winning and making the losers feel bad. In a way, I see a fault in those who forgot to teach how to act and be worthy of representing your school whatever the outcome. You win some and you gotta lose some.

      "About the uncalled for comment on the difference between gringos and latinos I will only say that  if there is anything I’m sure of it is that I will never be embarrassed or ashamed of who I am and where I come from I would just like the ones who made the decision to end the league to know that athletes like myself feel that something has been taken away from us and has caused great discouragement and disappointment."

     Wesley Ordoñez, sophomore goalie from Christian Learning commented, "Whether we won or lost, playing in the league was extremely fun. Sports were always something to look forward to when facing the stress of school. I hope there will be a new league created to help divert some of the stress from classes."

       Karen Kofler, Cambridge 2009, basketball and  volleyball star:  “It’s gloomy to know that the league got to a point where our cultural differences was the only excuse they had. The league was very important during my school life. It provided wonderful memories.The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of determination. This league was HUGE, not only because of the actions of the coaches and administrators. The students were the ones who really built that League.".   

        Mariel Palacios, Cambridge junior and volleyball player, said, “When the news of the league´s disintegration was announced at the school, I think I can speak for everyone in saying we were surprised. I was personally looking forward to volleyball season. Though it is a sad thing, I didn´t see it as a very big deal until I read the reasons that were given when Cooperative and International announced they were withdrawing from the League.

      “Taking part in sports is all about playing the game, there are rules and standards of course, but sometimes disputing over what ball to play with just seems plain out silly to me it sounded like small things were made to sound much worse than they should be.

      “The Latinos and gringo comparison came across as offensive and I think people were actually hurt by it. It was a low blow.  Besides what kind of message is that kind of comment sending out?  If an authority figure focuses on ethnic differences, then so will the students, and as international schools such as well all profess to be, that goes against the grain. All in all, I´m just sad to see it end, and to be portrayed as the bad guys in the story.” 


      Sammy Frith, Christian Learning ninth grader, up and coming soccer and basketball player, wrote, “When the news first came to me that the sports league was breaking up, I was worried. I loved playing in the league and representing my school, and at first I was worried that there would be no more sports league for me to play in. I had high expectations for the next few years, and it would be hard to get any kind of sports scholarship for university without a league to play in. However, so long as we do have a sports league to compete in next year, no matter who the teams may be, I'm happy.”

Personal Opinion Column

David Boldt Takes his Mask Off

     I started the SCISL weblog after witnessing the basketball championship game between Christian Learning and Cambridge in 2007. That was the first year that I was fully retired from journalism and a short stint teaching history at Cambridge, where I had also been athletic director and swimming coach. (We got up to third in the department in my time, and the team has done even better more recently.) 

     I had gone to a lot of the games that year because I enjoyed them, but that championship game was something special. I don’t think I have ever seen such an exciting game. Cambridge came from nine points behind in the last five minutes, shooting four three-pointers, to win by one point.  It was unreal.

     I thought that this was probably the best basketball game played in Santa Cruz that year, and if people had just known about it a big crowd would have come to watch (maybe even buy tickets). There was a decent crowd at the championship game though far from capacity – Christian Learning could always turn out its fans – but I had been amazed, and somewhat saddened, by the sparseness of the crowds at many regular season games.

      So that was the idea. It was sort of a variation on the theme of the movie “Field of Dreams,” where farmer Kevin Kostner hears a voice in his cornfield saying, “If you build it, they will come.” So he builds a baseball diamond in his cornfield and sure enough, people do come. My thinking was that if I just built up awareness of the game, people would come. It would be like high school sports as I remembered them.

      It was not as easy as I had hoped it would be. There was a bigger cultural change involved than I had counted on. But there was progress. Christian Learning, whose parents are largely American, continued to turn out a crowd, Cambridge was able to build up its fan base (notably the “mothers’ corner”), and even Cooperative was making progress during the most recent soccer season when the student government made it a goal to increase attendance. But the stands at International never contained more than a handful of fans (though academic director Amanda DuPlessis was almost always on hand).

     But for the most recent basketball season things at Cooperative and International seemed to go backwards. Cooperative’s gym was mostly empty, except for teachers and administrators, as Ana Peredo makes poignantly clear in her comments in the “forum” above. (In her note to me accompanying those comments she added that she also spoke for her classmates and teammates, Carla Limpias and Sofia Sotelo.)

       International’s gym was even more depopulated, which, in a way, was understandable. Those big losses were no fun to watch, even for the winning team. I only saw one of the 100-plus games, but the striking thing to me was not how amazing it was, but how boring it was, despite the two baskets a minute scoring pace. International didn’t even put up token defense. There was a total lack of triumphalism on the part of the Cambridge team I saw win, which seemed to regard playing the game as a dirty job, that somebody had to do.

       It may have been a little different at the Cooperative girls game in which the Jaguars scored 102 points. Scoring over 100 points against someone was a goal the team had set for itself. “We wanted to do it before we graduated,” one of the players told me. They got the opportunity, and they took it. And they were not the least bit sorry.

      Less remarked on, but possibly as telling, was the collapse of the International track teams last season. The Griffins had once ruled this sport, but this year their girls came in second, and the boys (dare we say it?) last. It had to be a very frustrating year for the school, and perhaps doubly so because it was a year in which Cambridge, under the direction of ex-International  coach Eduardo “Presi” de la Riva, was in a clearly ascendant phase.

    De la Riva has barely been mentioned in all this, but it is my informed guess that his change of schools from International to Cambridge had a lot to do with the problems that broke apart the League. For instance, when International athletic director Eli Vilar made her strange, and not-so-wonderful little speech about gringo schools and Latino schools at the athletic directors meeting, she started off by announcing that she was switching into Spanish to make sure everybody understood her.

     The only person in the room who doesn’t speak fluent English was de la Riva.

      I don’t know why International wanted to withdraw, other than that they had trouble fielding a boys basketball team this year. I´ve heard reasons. They just don’t add up. Supposedly Cooperative is going to play in the Friendship Games against other Bolivian “American Schools,” and against an American School in Asuncion. I just hope no Cooperative student tries to pass off on his college application two weekend tournaments against weak, inexperienced teams as an “athletic achievement.”

    The question arises at this point in regard to game attendance: So what?  What does it matter if you give an athletic contest and nobody comes? Ana Period gives one answer, but I think there’s an even more important one. There is actual research showing that sports strengthen school communities.

     Why? Because it is a time when students, teachers, parents, and administrators get together on something other than a formal administrative or academic occasion. Parents and teachers can talk to one another, and get to know one another, in a context quite different from a parent-teacher conference. Teachers get to see another side of their students. Students get to meet and talk to their teachers as “real people.” The game provides an easy conversational context.

        As anyone who read the book, saw the movie, or watched the TV series “Friday Night Lights” knows, there are times in the US when the heat generated by high school sports competition gets excessive, but I don’t think the SCISL ever got close to that point despite all the talk about “irregularities on the part of Cambridge.

      One of the insinuations made against Cambridge was that the school had, over the past seven years been what might best be described as overly welcoming to two students who also happened to be outstanding athletes.

      First of all, I don’t believe the insinuations are true, and no proof was ever offered. But secondly I would ask, “What’s wrong with that?” Both were regular, full-time, properly enrolled students with passing grades whose biographical information was fully disclosed and accurate. Where was the crime?

      My favorite coach in SCISL history was Chad Jackson, who led the Eagles to championships in 2008 and 2009. (I like to call it the “Jacksonian Era.) While other people at his own school would worry that Cambridge had “invited” new players into the League, Jackson always hoped that Cambridge had. He was as disappointed as Cambridge coach Victor Coronado that Cambridge star Juan Manuel Salas had moved to Lima for Salas’ senior year in 2009, because Jackson could see that would seriously weaken Cambridge. Jackson had a good team, and he relished the idea that they would be challenged. That was a spirit that was missing from much of the rest of the League.

       As time passed, and I got to know the relative strengths and weaknesses of the four English-speaking schools in the League (two of which my daughter, now 14, has attended), my “Field of Dreams”-type visions widened. I suggested privately that there were other areas in which the four schools could co-operate. Indeed, it seemed that each school had failings, but together they could offer a pretty complete range of high school extracurricular activities.

      Why not have, for example, an Arts Week Festival? Christian Learning and Cambridge have strong theater programs. The other schools do not. Cooperative has a good and improving band. The other schools do not. International puts on what is reportedly a dynamite program of Latino folk dances. None of the other schools do.

     If they all got to see one another’s achievements in these areas, couldn’t there be a cross-fertilization that enriched everyone? Maybe International and Cooperative could start theater programs and there could be a play contest. Maybe an all-school concert band could be created. It seemed as if all kinds of opportunities were there for the taking.

     But the dream is gone now. Some people think there’s an easy fix – new leagues. I don’t think it will be that easy, partially because there really are cultural divides. Sports programs are not a part of the Bolivian tradition. (They are, however, a part of the “Latino” tradition. I am given to understand that schools play sports against one another with gusto in other South American countries.)

      Numerous, sincere efforts have been made to attract other teams into the SCISL over the years without success. The costs, in money and effort, turn out to be too much. The variance in ability between schools in the League and schools outside it has gotten too great.

        Before joining the League, Cambridge competed in a tournament put on by another school in which scoring 12 points in a basketball game was considered a big deal. Hard as it may be to believe in this era of 100-point blow-outs, that was true at the beginning in the SCISL too. The improvements in techniques and tactics that have been achieved in the SCISL are truly remarkable. I don’t think there are many schools that can play at that level in any sport other than soccer.

       There’s another factor as well. An important part of any league is traditions and history.  In writing for the website I always tried to get across the idea that today’s players were part of a continuum, a historical flow; that there were people who had come before them, and others who would follow who would be aware that there games were matched up against those of the Christian Learning-Cambridge basketball rivalry of the early 21^st Century, and so on.

      The great Cooperative girls soccer and basketball teams will be forgotten, or, worse, become irrelevant. Gone will be the fun of arguing over whether some future girls volleyball team was as good as the International team of 2011. Speaking of girl’s volleyball, will there ever be a comeback like that of the 2009 Christian Learning girls, who went from last place during the regular season to winning the championship. Will anyone remember it?

      For myself, I liked the years when things were the most even, even that crazy 2008 boys soccer season when more than half the games ended in ties, after which International and Cambridge tied in the championship game . . . in the overtime period . . . and were still tied after eight players had taken their turns in the penalty shoot-out.

       And just who was the greatest all-time boys basketball player: David Hwang of International? Juan Manuel Salas of Cambridge? “Big Juan” Peredo of Cooperative? Or Danny Canavari of Christian Learning?

     It will be a long time before the teams in the new leagues can start thinking about such things.

      Finally, I have indeed been wounded by claims that the story I largely authored on the break-up has been called ¨biased¨ by high officials at certain schools. To the best of my knowledge, I wrote it right down the middle. And, believe me, I know how to write a biased story. (I was not named editorial writer of the year in Pennsylvania for nothing.) If I were to slant it, for instance, would have put the nonsense about the “gringos” and “Latinos¨ in the first paragraph, not the 18^th

      But truth to tell I was indeed offended by the way International and Cooperative ambushed Cambridge at the meeting, with no warning, no explanation of the charges against them, and no day in court. I am quite certain the reason that there was no proof offered is that there really wasn’t any that could have stood up in “open court.”

       I realize that this is very gringo-ish of me. There really is no reason to think that the US Bill of Rights should apply in a meeting of Bolivian athletic directors – a closed meeting at that. If this means that I am biased on the side of justice and fair play, I guess I do have to plead guilty as charged.

     (David Boldt, faculty advisor to the SCISL website, is a retired journalist and winner of the Pulitzer Prize. He has been Editor of the Editorial Page of “The Philadelphia Inquirer,” and a staff writer for “The Washington Post” and “The Wall Street Journal.” While he was editor of the Inquirer’s Sunday Magazine, that publication won three consecutive Pulitzers. He has been named editorial writer of the year and columnist of the year in Pennsylvania by the Associated Press Managing Editors organization. He has also won a “citation for excellence” from the Overseas Press Club for his coverage of the Islamic Revolution in Iran, and an award from the Education Writers Association for columns on school choice. He lives in Santa Cruz with his wife, Kelly Clark, and daughter, Julia. Boldt both bats and throws right-handed.)  

Is this the end of the SCISL?

Cooperative, International withdraw from League

    Cooperative and International announced at a meeting of athletic directors last Friday that they were withdrawing from the Santa Cruz Interscholastic Sports League, effectively terminating the existence of the League, which began in 2004.

    “As of now there is no League,” said Alvaro Ludueña, the athletic director of Cooperative who had been the athletic director of the now defunct League. “There will be no soccer and volleyball seasons,” he said. The meeting had ostensibly been called to prepare for the soccer and volleyball seasons, which normally would have begun in August.

     Officials at Cambridge confirmed the defections, but Juan Carlos Coronel, the assistant manager of the school, said Cambridge was determined to continue the League with added schools, despite the departure of International and Cooperative. 


  Keith Wilcke, the athletic director at Christian Learning, reportedly did not take a position at the meeting, saying he lacked authority to do so and would have to bring the matter to his school's board. He reported Wednesday that the board had decided not to continue in the SCISL, and that he had no further details about the school's plans. 

      Both Ludueña and International athletic director Eli Vilar said that the main reason for deciding to withdraw involved problems with Cambridge and its long-time basketball coach Victor Coronado during the just-completed basketball season, but neither was specific, and Ludueña acknowledged that there had not been formal complaints against Coronado or Cambridge.

     “There was nothing we could prove,” Vilar said in a phone interview, “and I will not be specific, but we were not happy with the way things were being handled at Cambridge.” She also said that “there were too many irregularities. They seemed to have a different point of view . . . . they were more focused on results than other values.”

      Ludueña said in an interview said Coronado had used profanity and attacked Ludueña  personally and Cooperative players during the League championships last month. Coronado in past years has been criticized for a loud and combative manner, but many thought he had been unchararacteristically subdued this past season. Luduena and Vilar disagreed. 

       Cambridge’s boys varsity and junior varsity teams won the championships in their divisions, and each of those teams defeated International during the season by huge margins, scoring more than 100 points. However, Vilar insisted that the defeats were “not at all” related to International’s decision to withdraw from the League.

      The Cooperative girls team had scored over 100 points in defeating International this season as well. In that case Ludueña had apologized for his team’s running up the score. Cambridge did not apolog¡ze, but did take steps to try to slow the pace of scoring in the varsity game, which it won 113 to 4. Coronado instructed his players that in the fourth quarter they were to only take shots from outside the three-point line.

      While he was not the subject of any specific charges made by Ludueña and Vilar, there were also several references made during the meeting to Cambridge’s leading player, Luis Mercado, a nearly seven-foot tall ninth-grader who was Cambridge’s leading scorer and rebounder during the year.

       Mention was also made of a Cambridge soccer player who graduated several years ago, Junior Sanchez, and veiled references to possible improprieties in the enrollment of both players, which were vigorously denied by  Coronel, who attended the Friday meeting together with Cambridge athletic director Eduardo ¨Presi” de la Riva.

      Coronel said he attended the meeting because de la Riva had heard a rumor that Cooperative would seek to drop basketball from the League program,and wanted Coronel on hand to help him with translation.

      Cooperative’s girls team was undefeated for the third straight year this past season , but Cooperative had trouble fielding a boys team and forfeited two games, the most games forfeited by a varsity team in one season in League history. Cooperative´s boys varsity finished last in the regular season, and was third in the post-season playoff. 

       International’s decision to withdraw from the League was a surprise to most observers, though it was no secret that there was bad blood between Cambridge and International all season, going back to the first meeting between the two teams when International coach Reyes Gil sought to have Cambridge’s best female player disqualified because her shorts didn’t have stripes on them.

       Coronado responded that two of the Griffin players didn’t have stripes on their shorts either, and since without them International had fewer than five players, he demanded that the game be forfeited to Cambridge. The officials initially agreed, and announced a forfeit, but after a half-hour or argument the schools agreed to play the game, which Cambridge won.

      In the next encounter between the two teams Coronado complained that two International girl players had on the same number, and that the International uniforms used the numbers 1, 2, and 3, which are supposedly banned because referees use those numbers in their hand signals to indicate the number of foul shots a player gets, after indicating which player drew the foul.  Having players with those numbers can cause confusion in the communication between the referees and scorer. Play continued, but only after a long argument.

       When the two girls teams met in the playoffs there was another long argument, this time over what ball to use.  

      The meeting last Friday reached its most heated moment when Vilar offered the observation that the basic problem with the League was the differing philosophies between the teams, saying that some of the schools were “gringo” schools, with high standards, while others were at a lower “Latino” level, which she indicated with a hand gesture.

       Coronel, incensed by this apparent racist reference, demanded an explanation as to which schools were “gringo” schools and which “Latino,” and what, exactly, she meant by that. Accounts differ as to what, if anything, Vilar said at that point, and she declined to comment on the references afterwards, saying only that Coronel had “twisted” her words.   

      Ludueña said at the meeting that his school intends to concentrate on the Friendship Games against other Bolivian “American Schools,” and also intended to play games against the American School in Asuncion.

      It wasn’t known what plans the other schools will make to continue sports activities. Cambridge will announce the departure of Cooperative and International from the League at an assembly Tuesday morning, and also its intention to continue the League in its current form with new teams.

       Vilar said her school had no specific plan, but did intend to continue to play sports. Christian Learning’s plans were also unknown as of Monday.   

       The League was started at the impetus of Cooperative athletic director Todd Parham in August of 2004,  The original members of the League were Cooperative, International, Christian Learning, and Eagle’s School. Cambridge joined the following January at the same time that Eagle’s dropped out.

       Cooperative wanted to start a League in Santa Cruz in part to replace the Friendship Games, which had been terminated because the American School in La Paz had stopped participating in them after joining an international league of American schools.

       The La Paz school dropped out of that league later when the American Embassy in La Paz  sent home many of its personnel after the expulsion of the American ambassador, sharply decreasing enrollment at the school. However, the Games did not immediately resume because of security concerns in the country.

      They did start up again three years ago, and have been played twice in the last three years, with Cooperative winning all of the championship trophies awarded in both competitions.

        Meanwhile, the Santa Cruz League had continued with four teams, despite several attempts to get other schools to join. Many schools showed initial interest in joining until they became aware of the costs in money and effort that were involved.

       Some potential members may also have been intimidated by the level of play in the League, which has steadily improved over the years.

        Although individual schools in the League have dominated play in a given sport over many years – Cooperative, for example, has won every girls soccer championship – nonetheless there has been an overall parity. Every school has won several championships in one or more of the four sports played – basketball, soccer, volleyball, and track and field.

        Somewhat ironically, Cooperative and International are withdrawing just before the season in which the sports they have dominated are played – soccer and volleyball.   

        Do you have any comments or opinions on these recent happenings? Email them to boldt27@gmail.com or mktrevor@gmail.com! 

Cambridge Statement

"Seguiremos . . . ."


The following is the text of a statement read to students at Cambridge College by Juan Carlos Coronel, the school's assistant manager, at an assembly on Tuesday morning:

      El dia viernes hubo una reunión en el Colegio Cooperative. A ella asistieron representantes de los cuatro colegio miembros de la Liga. El propósito original de esta reunión era comenzar a coordinar las temporadas de Volley y Soccer. Sin embargo la reunión tuvo un giro inesperado.

    El colegio Cooperative y el Colegio International anunciaron su decisión de retirarse de la liga de forma permanente. El Colegio Christian Learning Center no anuncio ninguna posición oficial.

     El argumento principal que expusieron ambos colegios  fueron “problemas con Cambridge y con el entrenador Victor Coronado”  aunque no especificaron cuales fueron estos problemas. Dijeron que “había habido quejas,” sin embargo, todas informales.

Ustedes deben saber que una queja informal no es mas que un rumor.

      Esto me llama mucho la atención ya que este ano no hubo una sola queja formal o siquiera directa sobre este tema.Tambien me llama mucho la atención que esta decisión de abandonar la liga viene en el ano en que Cambridge College se ha presentado a todos los eventos deportivos, no ha tenido problemas con documentación de los deportistas,  ni problemas de ningún tipo con la Liga.


     Ellos dicen que la decisión no tiene nada que ver con el hecho de que en basket, el deporte estrella de la liga, que atrae la mayor atención y publico, los Cambridge College Knights  derrotaran tanto al Cooperative como al International por enormes diferencias, mas de 100 puntos  y salieran campeones tanto en Juniors como en Varsity Varones.

     Ustedes sacaran de esta situación sus propias conclusiones. Yo tengo mi propia opinion sobre los motivos por los cuales se da esta situación. Si ustedes leen el articulo del sitio web,  se enteraran de que hubieron también otras cosas dichas en esa reunión. Algunos comentarios sobre “diferencias entre gringos y latinos”, algo totalmente inaceptable, eso también esta registrado en el articulo del sitio web.
.

      Sepan ustedes que Cambridge College se enorgullece de ustedes, sabemos quienes son ustedes, sabemos quienes son sus padres y sabemos también quienes somos nosotros, y no tenemos sino orgullo, de nuestros estudiantes, de nuestra cultura. No solo eso, sino que apoyamos al entrenador Victor Coronado, quien esta con nosotros desde el nacimiento de la liga asi como lo apoyan los padres de los deportistas a quien Victor Entrena.

      Sepan también que la liga no es propiedad de ninguno de los colegios que la componen. Es propiedad de todos, de modo que habiendo el Cooperative y el International anunciado su salida de la liga, Cambridge College seguirá en ella y remplazara a los colegios salientes con nuevos miembros. 

Varsity Basketball Championships Scoreboard

Boys Championship:


Cambridge 39, Christian Learning 28


Girls Championship


Cooperative 52, Christian Learning 22


Boys Consolation Game


Cooperative 54, International 24

Girls Consolation Game


Cambridge 29, International 19

Varsity Boys Championship Game

Knights triumph over Eagles in Thrill-Packed Contest


By Jesse Mann

            After four years of playing in the shadow of the Christian Learning basketball powerhouse, the Cambridge Knights won a championship to remember against the Eagles Tuesday afternoon in the Eagles gym.

      The contest was reminiscent of the era, not so long ago, when the two teams’ intense rivalry dominated the League, a time perhaps best remembered for the Knights’ come-from-behind one-point victory against the Eagles in 2007, engineered with four three-point shots..

     Cambridge won this time by a wider margin, 39-28, but the electric tension was much the same as in days of yore.

     Led by the towering Luis Mercado, a giant that even Eagle center Andre Larsen could not match, the Knights slowly but surely beat their opponents in a brutal battle that raged all over the court, as both teams fought each other for every inch of ground. But the Knights really showed the steel of their resolve by holding their  ground – even widening the lead -- after Mercado fouled out with 4:08 left to play and the Eagles lest than ten points down.  

      Fans, players, and even coaches screamed constantly in frustration and exultation at each other and the referees, who were always disappointing one side or the other. Amid the pandemonium, all attention centered on the unforgiving digits on the scoreboard.          

    Both teams bounded onto the court itching for action, causing league officials to herd courtside fans into the stands, fearing for their security.

     When at last the tip-off occurred, Mercado scooped it back to a teammate, and then, after getting it back, deposited it a few moments later in the Eagle net.

     After two more minutes of fierce – but scoreless – play, the match suddenly ground to a halt.      An eerie silence filled the SCCLC gymnasium as Eagle coach Keith Wilcke stopped play by standing in front of the referee with the ball screaming at him and pointing at his chest and the ball, and complaining about which ball ought to be used for play. (No one in the gym knew that at the time, and the spectacle was mystifying to the big crowd.)

     After nearly three minutes of consultation and debate, in which the Cambridge athletic director was called in, the game ball was changed to one Wilcke apparently liked better -- and Wilcke was charged with a technical that gave Cambridge two foul shots.

     Mercado, apparently untroubled by the new ball, made both shots, doubling Cambridge's score to 4-0.  

     Action resumed, and Cambridge quickly widened their lead. Andres Hurtado took control of a rebound, sending the ball down the court where Mercado dished off to Juan Carlos Paniagua, who slipped it into the Eagle net.

       Cesar Flores landed a shot from outside the key for the Eagles, but on the whole the Knights solid defense kept the Eagles at bay. Any Eagle that attempted to drive into the Cambridge key was immediately swarmed on by red Cambridge jerseys, or stopped cold by Mercado underneath the net. But before the half was over Mercado was in foul trouble, though often he just stood under the basket like an innocent bystander.

      Nevertheless, the Eagles managed to nearly even up the score by the end of the first quarter, assisted by three free throw shots they made, a fraction of the opportunities they were awarded (but better than they would do from the free throw line in the second half), plus baskets by Larsen and Flores.

           Neither team actually seemed to have a hot shooting hand in the early going, either from the floor or the foul line, but Cambridge held the lead, 10 – 7, at the end of the quarter.

            The Eagles continued their offensive efforts with more success in the second quarter.  Supported by solid work by Andre Larsen on defense, the Eagles achieved considerable momentum when Flores raced ahead of the Knights down the court, reaching the key with only Hurtado left between him and the net.

      Flores plunged forward, colliding with Hurtado and flinging the ball into the net on his way down towards the floor.

     Josiah Canaviri scored in a similar fashion a few moments later, and a long jumper from the top of the key by Larsen gave the Eagles the lead over Cambridge. Mercado quickly tied the score again, but a fantastic lay-up by Cesar Flores in the dying seconds of gave the Christian Learning boys a slim 15 – 13 lead at the half.  They had outscored Cambridge 8-3 in the second quarter.

      Eagle fans rejoiced, and Coach Victor Coronado hustled the Knights outside the gym for a serious discussion.

       Whatever he told them, it worked. When the Knights re-entered the arena, they did so with renewed confidence. Cambridge would go on to outscore the Eagles 26-11 in the second half, and allowed their rivals only four points in the third quarter, both on baskets by Wesley Ordoñez.  

     The near-stalemate in which the second half began was finally broken when Hurtado plowed through three Eagle defenders like a tank, scoring two points, and picking up a foul. He made the free throw to complete the three-point play, and this seemed to ignite a Cambridge scoring drive.

    After that Mercado found no competition underneath the net, and together with some fine shooting by Gabriel Alonso, the Knights began to pull away from the Eagles, and led 27-19 at the end of the third quarter.

     This trend continued in the fourth quarter, but all bets seemed to be off when first Paniagua, and then Mercado fouled out, leaving Cambridge without its only two tall players.

     Even so, the Eagles failed to breach the Knight's defense. A flurry of foul calls, loudly complained about by the large Cambridge contingent present,  gave the Eagles no less than twelve free throw opportunities in the second half, of which they made only one. Shot after shot bounced off the rim or missed the net altogether, spoiling a perfect opportunity to narrow the gap.

    Cambridge, by contrast, got only three foul shots in the second half, all after a player was fouled while making a successful lay-up attempt, and made all three.

    As the clock began to run down, the Eagles threw themselves at their opponent's net with increasing fervor, but their shots somehow failed to end up in the net. With a nine-point lead, 31-22, the Knights began to stall, going into four corners mode, dribbling and passing the ball around the perimeter to run down the clock.

       But when Paniagua and then Mercado fouled out, that nine-point lead began to look vulnerable, and a basket by Larsen cut it to seven.   

      At this point Hurtado, only a tenth grader but a long-time veteran of SCISL basketball wars, took it upon himself to secure the trophy for the Knights. The chunky player – and “tank” overwhelmingly suggests itself as the appropriate simile, took control of the ball and hurtled down the court, a seemingly unstoppable force, and not meeting an immovable object.  

       Four times he drove the ball to the basket at high speed, and each time the Eagle fans moaned. Twice he put the ball in the basket with an artistic flair, picking up a foul, and making the foul shot.

      Two last-minute baskets by Canaviri and Haziel Martinez could not save the Eagles, and Hurtado put the final nail in the Eagle coffin swishing in a three-point shot in the final seconds. Of Cambridge’s 12 points in the final quarter, Hurtado scored ten.

            When the buzzer sounded, the Cambridge fans spilled onto the court as the Knights celebrated their long anticipated return to stardom with a victory lap around the gym. The Eagles stayed silent in the huddle as the victorious Knights dumped water on their coach and cut down the net from one rim.

    After four long years of second- third- and fourth-place disappointment, the Knights were again number one.     The Eagles had fought hard, but were done in by Cambridge's superior defense and their own inability to make free throws.

     Now it’s time to look ahead to next year and wonder if it will see a continuation of this once-legendary rivalry.  


     (Jesse Mann is a senior at Christian Learning and managing editor of the website.) )