MIAMI HEAT Finally Champions! by Ismail Ercan, Age 14Coral Springs, FL

The pressure was on the Miami Heat this season. After a disheartening loss to the Dallas Mavericks in the finals of last year’s NBA sea-son, many people had selected the Heat to win it all this shortened season. With more playoff experience under their belt and the addition of veterans Shane Battier and Eddy Curry to help their ailing bench play, the Heat seemed to be getting closer to fulfilling LeBron James’ prom-ise of winning multiple championships.

But at times during this year’s NBA season, the Heat looked not only vulnerable but soft. The Heat were getting out-hustled and out-played in the second round of the playoffs against a pesky Indiana Pacer team. Heat haters were delighted while Heat fans groaned with despair as the Pacers went up 2 games to 1 in a best of seven games series. The “Big Three” of Miami was really only the Big “One”; LeBron James was the only Heat superstar performing up to level while Dwayne Wade was abysmal, playing the worst ever in his career, and Chris Bosh was out with a lower abdominal strain for the series. The Heat’s highly criticized bench players were simply on the court, watching LeBron carry the team on his back. With all of this in mind, every basketball fan in the nation had one major ques-tion in their mind: Could this Heat season end up just like the last….a failure?

At the time, the Heat seemed destined to breeze through to their second consecutive NBA finals. Their main rival in the Eastern Conference, the Chicago Bulls, lost their main playmaker Derrick Rose due to injury, and were knocked out of the playoffs by the Philadelphia 76ers. The only possible team that could give Miami some trouble was the Boston Celtics, a veteran group with championship experience often hampered by injuries. Many people con-

sidered them too “old” to have a serious chance of contending for another championship.

But even before the Heat had the chance of playing Boston in the Eastern Conference fi-nals, they were caught off-guard by a trash-talk-ing, physical, and youthful Indiana Pacer Team. After winning Game 1 of the series in Miami, newly crowned MVP of league, LeBron, and the Heat seemed to be in cruise control of the series despite Bosh injuring himself in the first half of the game. But Game 2 was a completely different story.

With no true “big man” (or center) to guard the paint around the basket and get rebounds, the Heat were even more exposed without the pres-ence of Chris Bosh on the floor. Indiana center Roy Hibbert seemed to wreak havoc around the rim, putting back in missed shots and getting rebounds. And Miami’s highly criticized play in the fourth quarter, (when they often “choke”) continued with LeBron missing two free throws in the last minute and Wade missing a driving layup to tie the game in the final 20 seconds. In-diana stole home court advantage with an ugly Game 2 victory of 78-75.

Game 3 was horrendous for the Heat. Wade scored just 5 (yes, like “5 dollar footlong”) points on 2 for 13, shooting in arguably his worst game of his career. Even worse, Wade unleashed some of his anger upon Heat Coach Erik Spoelstra in the middle of the tension filled second half, and had to be calmed down by oth-er Heat players. LeBron continued to carry the team and had some help from Mario Chalmers, the starting point guard for Miami, but Indiana still prevailed, easily winning 94-75. Former coach and current Heat president, Pat Riley and Heat owner Micky Arison, were shown visibly shocked sitting behind the Heat bench. The Pacers outscored the Heat 51-32 in the second half behind strong performances by Roy Hib-

THE CIRCLE GAZETTE Volume 3, Issue 10 JULY 2012

A Newspaper by Children, of all Ages, from all Over the World

“How To Submit” See Ad Page 2

Moments That Made Historyby Patrick and Robby Griswold, Ages 11 and 13Paoli, PA

When I think of July, three things come to mind. Number one, I think of summer vaca-tion, two, I think of hanging out by the pool, and three, I think of baseball. During July, one of the biggest baseball events of the year hap-pens, and that event is MLB All-Star Week-end. This weekend includes the Midsummer Classic (A.K.A. the MLB all-star game) and the MLB Homerun Derby. These two events have the greatest collection of baseball talent in the world! Due to that collection of talent there have been many great moments in All-Star Weekend history.

Probably the most heartwarming moment was during the All-Star Game in 2001. This moment included Hall Of Fame Shortstop Cal Ripken Jr., and future Hall of Famer third base-man Alex Rodriguez. This is what happened. On the lineup card was Ripken at third base and Rodriguez at shortstop. After all the players ran out onto the field Rodriguez pulled off one of the classiest moves ever. Rodriguez went over to Ripken, who used to be a shortstop but was now playing third base, and told Ripken to go to shortstop. This moment might not seem that heartwarming, but the thing is that Ripken, who was retiring after that year, was one of the greatest shortstops of all time. What Rodriguez did was let one of the greatest shortstops of all time play the position he was born to play in his last All-Star Game of his career. This is just one of many great moments in All-Star Game history.

Another great moment happened in the Homerun Derby in 2008. It had already been a great comeback season for center fielder Josh Hamilton, but what happened at the Homerun Derby was the cherry on top. Josh Hamilton

was drafted first overall in the 1998 first year player draft by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. He had lots of potential but struggled with drug ad-diction in his first few years after getting draft-ed. He was let go by the Devil Rays and was picked up by the Cincinnati Reds. He finally got over his drug addiction and started showing his true talent. In 2006 he broke out with the Reds and was then picked up by the Texas Rangers. So back to 2008: he had already been having the best year of his career and was selected to his first All-Star Game, but he was also voted by the fans to appear in the Homerun Derby, and he sure didn’t disappoint. In the first round he hit a whopping 28 HOMERUNS!!! A few of those home runs were 500 feet far or more! After the first round he advanced to the second round and then made it to the final round. Sadly he lost in the final round. He was all out of homeruns to hit. His 28 homeruns in the first round were the most homeruns in one round in Homerun Derby history. What an awesome moment for someone who had fought so hard against drug addiction. This is definitely one of the greatest moment in Homerun Derby history.

These are two great moments, but there are so many more. I think it’s pretty safe to say All-Star Weekend has a much storied history. From Babe Ruth to Josh Hamilton there have been tons of great players. I for one will be watching this year’s All-Star Weekend to see new mo-ments and watch history being made.Please turn to page 18

Dara Torres by Daniela GómezPage 11

Vlad PolyakovOlympic Swimmer

by Emma and Daniela GómezPage 10

A Seed of Hope Immigration Law

by Ismail ErcanPage 4

EnvironmentalIssuesby Aaron and Sara CrossPage 3

Arlene SemecoThird Olympics

by Daniela GómezPage 11

X X XOLYMPIAD

PAGE 2 THE CIRCLE GAZETTE JULY 2012

O lympic Summer, Olympic Dreams, Olympic Possibilities

A Word from the Editorby Patty GómezEditor-in-Chief

Being involved in a sport or two is part of the daily routine for many children today. Last month we highlighted the role of the arts in kids’ lives. This month, to cel-ebrate and embrace the Games of the XXX Olympiad, we’ll feature sports stories, poetry, art, and special coverage on swimming, an Olympic sport. Why swim-ming? Well, the Circle Gazette happens to operate from South Florida where swimming is a ma-jor sport. Even better, we are lo-cated a few miles away from the Coral Springs Swim Club, home to renowned Olympians and as-piring young swimmers, divers and synchronized swimmers. A few of our writers are athletes at this facility and have sought to pen the stories that bubble up in that splashy place.

Of the 76 million children in America today, between 30 and 40 million are estimated to be en-rolled in an organized sport pro-gram at any given time. Though participating in organized sports is not the only way to have a physically healthy childhood, it is one of the main forms modern families choose. Forty million children in sports sounds like a great number, but according to the Surgeon General’s Office, “nearly half of American youths 12–21 years of age are not vigor-ously active on a regular basis. Moreover, physical activity de-clines dramatically during adoles-cence.” This is certainly an alarm-

ing reality that has a direct link to the 20% obesity seen in children in America today.

According to the American Academy of Child and Adoles-cent Psychiatry, “sports help chil-dren develop physical skills, get exercise, make friends, have fun, learn to play as a member of a team, learn to play fair, and im-prove self-esteem.” These are all well-accepted benefits of partici-pating in physical activities, but there are also larger, less tangible perks that kids will take with them from the experience; for example kids learn to manage their time better as indicated by Donna Burt, a mother to a 13-year old full time swimmer. “Thanks to his involve-ment in swimming, he is now a better planner. He is disciplined and efficient with his homework.” Another mom, Thania Cooper, shares that the number one skill her daughter (12) will take with her for life is the self-discipline she has developed as an athlete. “I never have to wake her up to bring her to early practice in the summer. She wakes me up.” Cooper also said. “She would be able to apply this discipline in the future in all aspects of her life.” Cooper compares her daughter’s level of discipline to that of a mature 18-year old. Both Burt and Cooper agree that these ben-efits reach across the board to all young athletes and touch them in different degrees. “There is also a combination of personality and positive habits developed through the years she has been at sports,” Cooper said. “My daughter push-

es herself and keeps reaching for higher goals.”

Not all is rosy. We are also familiar with the challenges sur-rounding organized sports for young children: hectic schedules that reduce time for free play, overly competitive atmospheres that sometimes develop, and the high cost involved with partici-pating in some sports. All these can keep many families from having their children be part of the organized sports world. Nev-ertheless, for those who remain interested, it may be possible to overcome these obstacles by be-ing proactive about fostering the right environment, joining clubs with the right philosophy, train-ing with highly qualified coach-es, and finding financial aid op-portunities.

Regarding the set of chal-lenges for families with children involved in sports, Kelly Biro, mother to a 10-year old girl swimmer, shares that her big-gest challenge is providing bal-ance for her daughter’s life: “We strive to find ways for her to have a regular kid’s life, have regular fun, and play with friends outside the swimming world. She is at the pool for many hours, six days each week. She loves it, but it’s a lot of time.” “It is a challenge to support the hours of practice, the commitment the child needs to have in order to be success-ful,” added Burt. Her concern was echoed by other parents who also face their own scheduling

THE CIRCLE GAZETTE A Newspaper by Children for Children

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The Journey is the RewardAt the 2008 Olympic Games in

Beijing, China, I competed in the 50 meter freestyle; an event that lasted a total of 23.2 seconds. All the work I had done during the previous 20 years of my life had been refined into that short burst of energy. Yet, one of the most lasting memories of those Beijing Games was seeing a T-shirt worn by Danish athletes that read: “The Journey is the Reward.” Looking back on my athletic career, I real-ize that I have collected hundreds of T-shirts marking achievement and participation in esteemed sporting events. This is no exag-geration as my mother, father, and wife can attest to the lost storage space. Yet, upon seeing this Dan-ish jersey-T my perspective of Olympic sport was changed. Yes, a gold medal may be the ultimate reward; however, the chance to chase a dream is priceless. The people encoun-tered, places visited, and obsta-cles overcome in getting to the Olympics will remain with me for the rest of my life.

I encourage children every day as a swim coach to explore their

physical abilities, in the process equipping them with tools and mental maps that they can use in their own personal journey through childhood and beyond. The obstacles encountered in sport, whether it is injury or dis-appointment, provide great op-portunities to learn life lessons of perseverance and humility. Kids should remember that they have the freedom to explore every day and determine where they would like to go on their journey. A jour-ney can be within your own mind or to the nearest beach: you de-cide and explore. As I get older,

I have forgotten some of the stops on my journey. Fortunately, I have a “few” T-shirts that my par-ents saved to remind me where I have stopped on my way here. I imagine some of my T-shirts have been given away to charity and continue on their own journey – inspiring others.

“The journey is the reward” -- Chinese proverb

Joshua Laban is a two-time Olympic swimmer from the U.S. Virgin Islands. Laban was hon-ored as his country’s flagbearer for the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the 2007 Pan American Games. Currently, Laban is a swim coach for the South Florida Aquatic Club. In April 2012, he was named as part of the coach-ing staff for the Florida Gold Coast’s Zone All-Star team that will compete in Rockwall, Texas, this summer.

Did You Know...… that the Olympic Creed says, “The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part, just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle. The essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well.”

JULY 2012 THE CIRCLE GAZETTE PAGE 3

My Experiences with Wildlife

Lizards and Salamanders

by Emma Gómez, Age 8Margate, FL

Green Tip 2.

ECO FEATURETons of Debris Washing Up From the Sea

by Aaron Cross, Age 15Boca Raton, FL

In the past few months there has been a wave of debris wash-ing up on the Alaskan shoreline. Examining this trash you can find Japanese writing on it, and tracing the currents back you can find it did in fact come from Japan. So what are tons of Japa-nese garbage doing on the shore of Alaska?

Remember the tsunami that hit Japan last year in March? Well that is how Japanese stuff ended up in the oceans in the first place. The tsunami ripped through the land taking garbage and nuclear waste with it. The nuclear power plant that was de-stroyed released inconceivable amounts of radioactive uranium and cesium into the environ-ment, left to intoxicate wildlife and destroy native populations. Although this article is not about nuclear toxicity, I thought it was worth mentioning.

This article is really about the environmental hazards of the debris washing up in Alaska. For example, think of the mounds of yellow urethane foam insulation washing up by the pound. There were acres of this stuff stacked up in Japan before the tsunami. Now it has all been washed away and has been found beach-ing itself in Alaska 4,000 miles away. Research about the insula-tion’s effects on the local wild-life is still in development, but I think that due to the high levels of chlorine and other ozone re-

ducing chemicals it would kill any animals that tried to eat it or nest in it. This is of course just one out of hundreds of types of garbage that have been found on the shores of The Last Frontier.

Other than the garbage itself there are other environmental problems in the making. Certain marine animals like barnacles, clams, oysters, and crabs have caught rides on the passing de-bris and ended up wherever it landed. These hitchhikers could establish themselves far away from where they are based and become an invasive species. You all know from my article in the February 2012 issue of The Circle Gazette, that when an invasive species like the Bur-mese pythons in the Everglades take over they endanger the na-tive animal populations, but could harmless creatures like clams and seaweed rival the na-tive wildlife? Well according to the Oregon State University, it is very realistic for non-native crabs and other sea creatures to rival the natives. Even if they are not out-competing native animals of their type for a food source, the food they eat may suffer. For instance, the San Francisco Bay houses over 500 invasive species brought in on shipping boat hulls. The inva-sive creatures, such as certain crabs, are feeding on the native fishes along with the species of crabs that belong there. With twice as many mouths to feed, the native fish population is ob-viously decreasing. The same thing could happen in Alaska if

the invading sea life takes root. What about the clean-up of

contaminated beaches? There are very few people who live in Alaska, and due to harsh weath-er conditions, there is less incen-tive to clean up the mess. No one is legally responsible for the disaster, but there is still a mess to clean, which will require the investment of many years and resources. I believe that effec-tively cleaning up the trash in an acceptable amount of time will require voluntary organiza-tions, government help, and sup-port from Japan, Alaska, the rest of the US, and other countries around the world. As of May there have been some efforts to get this under control. A small group of Alaskan citizens and environmental cleanup special-ists plan to remove 30 tons of debris from the island of Mon-tague. You can help by provid-ing support and donating money to organizations like this. The 30 tons destined to be removed is not a lot compared to the es-timated 1.5 million tons the Na-tional Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) say are on land and still afloat. If you have the funding you can even try and start your own organiza-tion dedicated to cleaning up the debris. If you want to go the ex-tra mile you can write a letter to your local congressman asking to start a government project to clean up the junk. Whatever you do to help, no matter how small the action is, it is still something; and will put us one step closer to solving the problem.

On a cloudy, bright, wet, and beautiful day which had been boring and felt like a long one, I went outside to play. My little sister Ellie joined me. We played and played and played some more. After what had been about two hours we came from the yard into the patio and we played there, but not nearly half the time we had played earlier. Ellie went inside because she complained, “it’s too hot.” I knew the feeling, so I let her go.

I played till I was dizzy. It was then that I noticed something creeping and sneaking behind the grill. I called Ellie out again and she came to find me crawl-ing around the grill as if I were a cat. She asked me what I was doing and I couldn’t blame her for asking because I looked like a

cat. I told her, “there is someone here that looks like a salaman-der.” Since Ellie loves salaman-ders she got down as well but the little one was nowhere to be seen. After a while though, Ellie said: “Look there it is!” I got excited and looked to the side and in clear view the baby salamander rested.

Once it saw us it sprang to its feet and scurried away. Ellie and I ran after it. After a while Ellie and I got tired of springing up ev-ery five seconds and we sat down on the floor. Then we got up and started walking inside. We came into the air conditioned room. After we drank water and ate bread, we came outside again and got down in front of the grill. To our surprise, there he sat, his legs stretched out in front of him and his back legs at his side. Ellie and I stared amazed at the sight of the salamander lying there as if noth-ing in the world mattered more than the rest he was taking in. As soon as he got just one glimpse of us he shot off the ground and dashed away as fast as he possi-bly could. Ellie and I scampered after him but he was far too fast

for us to keep up.He dashed here and there send-

ing us back and forth through the patio. The salamander kept fly-ing around the screen sending us zigzagging so many times that it was hard to count. Finally the salamander took a rest because he was tired of running. After about two minutes of rest the salaman-der jumped high in the air and was gone in two seconds. We were so surprised that we didn’t have time to follow. After a while we got extremely exhausted and lost track of him for the fifth or sixth time. We waited for him to pop up suddenly but he never did. We started walking slowly until I heard a small tapping behind me. Slowly, I turned and there he was looking at me in a suspicious

way. Then I understood: he was playing games with us! I turned to tell Ellie only to discover she was nowhere near my sight range. I turned back but little salamander wasn’t there anymore. I turned to where Ellie had been and there she was. I asked where she had gone and she told me she had gone to get water. I nodded and told her my story. She was impressed.

We chased him for a little while longer until finally he ran out one of the holes in the screen. We came inside all excited about what had happened. We drank some water and then told our mom a brief outline of the ad-venture. After that we went and worked on our school work and relaxed for the rest of the day. My other sister Dani got curious about the story so we told her the same brief outline that we had told our mom. Anyway, I think that you should look and observe the different kinds of lizards and salamanders in your own back-yard and see what happens. Well that will be all for this issue of My Experiences with Wildlife!

Marine Malfunctions: Coral Conservationby Sara Cross, Age 12Boca Raton, FL

There are over 6,000 known species of coral worldwide. Over 82 are present in Florida’s reefs. According to the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network, in the year 2000 over 25% of coral in reefs had died, were dying, or were severely damaged. Another 30% were critically threatened and were in danger of dying.

But why is the coral going ex-tinct? Research has shown that a lot of the reason the coral num-bers have gone down is because of humans. Coral mining is dras-tically making an impact along with global warming, pollution, and various types of fishing. The effects of coral mining are quite obvious. Mining too much of a substance is sure to lower the amount left behind. The ef-fect of fishing is also quite clear. Whether it is net or long line, if near a reef it will tear apart the coral, catching on to the out-crops that stick up. There is an-other problem though.

The problem caused by pol-lution and/or global warming is somewhat more complex. Cor-als have a relationship with an algae called zooxanthellae. The zooxanthellae provide the coral

with food and energy using pho-tosynthesis. The benefit, if there is one, for the zooxanthellae is unknown, but there has been some speculation. Some people say that the coral provides the algae an anchor so to avoid get-ting eaten by other sea life when loose in water. Then again, lots of fish eat the zooxanthellae off the coral anyway, or fish like the parrotfish just eat chunks of coral, so that theory might not be the best. Another theory is that there is no benefit for the zoo-xanthelae, that it is a parasitic relationship, the coral being the parasite. Leaving that aside, let us continue to talk about dangers to coral. When pollution poisons the water by the coral, or if glob-al warming is making the waters too hot and acidic, the water is no longer in the right condition for the algae. So the zooxanthel-lae leave the coral, in search of better waters. The coral has no way of getting nutrients by it-self, so it gradually dies. The zooxanthellae are what give the coral its color, so when the algae leave, the coral appears white. This is called coral bleaching.

Coral play an important part in the marine ecosystem. It pro-vides food, shelter, and protec-tion from predators to other sea

wildlife. Without it, the oceans would fall apart, the small life not being able to hide from the larger predator life, and the coral eaters starving. The more the reefs die out, the more these things start to take place.

People have done and are do-ing some things to help the coral. A few examples include: sinking boats with baby corals on them (coral grows on shipwrecks) and transplanting lab grown coral into the reef. They are mak-ing an effort, but sadly it is not enough. So what can you do? I would start by helping take care of the pollution problem. Take a group of friends cycling in your neighborhood or at the beach with a few garbage bags, pick-ing up any trash you see. When you are done in your neighbor-hood, go trash collecting in your friends’ developments. Even if you are nowhere near the ocean, everything eventually ends up there because of the water cycle. Near the beach this takes place on a much, much, much, quicker time scale. Also don’t buy prod-ucts made from coral (fish tank coral, coral jewelry, home dec-oration coral, etc). Spread the word about the coral problems and make a difference, one small step at a time!

PAGE 4 THE CIRCLE GAZETTE JULY 2012

A Seed of Hope Editorial by Ismail Ercan, Age 14Coral Springs, FL

President Obama’s recent immigration policy has definitely raised many eyebrows throughout the nation as he announced on Friday, June 15, that illegal immigrants with certain qualifications would be able to reside legally in the U.S. for at least another two years without fear of deportation. This swift move was seen by many people (par-ticularly Republicans) as a desperate po-litical ploy to gain Latino voting support in states such as Florida, Arizona, Colorado, Virginia, and Nevada, which all have large and growing Hispanic populations. The Republicans also accused the President of “overstepping his legal bounds” by avoid-ing Congress’ approval of the new law. But for Mr. Obama, who is struggling to maintain his lead over Republican candi-date Mitt Romney in many of the national polls, this policy could not have come at a better time. The states with large Hispanic populations could end up deciding the win-ner of the upcoming presidential election in November and this new law is positively viewed by many Latino voters. A similar law called the “Dream Act,” which was designed to pave a road to citizenship for some illegal immigrants, was denied by Senate Republicans two years ago. Mr. Obama again called upon Congress to pass the “Dream Act” bill on Friday “for the American people.”

The news of the new policy was met with great joy and relief from the many il-legal residents who have been protesting and urging the President to do something

about their status for the past year. “It’s great news,” said Pedro Rodriguez, a stu-dent who had been protesting for such a change. “I’m definitely speechless.”

The policy’s certifications have been es-timated to affect about 800,000 immigrants who currently are illegal in America. These immigrants must have arrived in the U.S. before the age of 16, are currently less than 30 years of age, have lived in America for

5 years, earned a high school diploma or served in the military, and have no crimi-nal record as of date. These immigrants will now have the opportunity to apply for work permits, have a driver’s license, and become legally employed after graduating from college.

The President has taken on all forms of criticism by stating, “It’s the right thing to do.” The policy will have to be re-newed in two years, and its survival most

likely depends upon Mr. Obama’s reelec-tion this November.

“These are young people who study in our schools, they play in our neighborhoods, they’re friends with our kids, they pledge al-legiance to our flag. They are Americans in their heart, in their minds, in every single way but one: on paper,” said the President when he announced the policy at the White House Rose Garden on Friday.

Soon afterward, Arizona governor Jan Brewer (who herself passed State Bill 1070, a controversial immigration law) criticized the President’s actions. She called his policy “unconstitutional” and “blatant political amnesty.” The legality of her state bill is currently being ruled on by the Supreme Court.

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, a major player in the mak-

ing of the new law, responded to the governor’s criticism by saying, “It (the bill) is not immunity. It is not amnesty; it is an exercise of discretion to … ensure that we are not clogging the immigration system with low-priority cases involving productive young people.”

President Obama has admitted that his new policy is not a permanent fix or “long term solution” to the 12 million illegal im-migrants who currently reside in the US, but he said that it is “a step in the right direction.” Initially Mitt Romney side-stepped around commenting about the new law in some of his daily campaign rallies by simply promising to “find a better and longer solution.” However he eventually laid out an immigration plan that he would back if elected. It included doubling ef-forts in securing the US border, modifying green cards to keep families together, issu-ing green cards to foreign immigrants who earned advanced degrees in the US, and offering a path to legal status for undocu-mented US military immigrants.

Regardless of anyone’s view of this new law, its effects are still pending. Last year, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Depart-ment deported nearly 400,000 illegal im-migrants out of this nation. Will that num-ber go down this year with the addition of Obama’s new law? What will happen to the hundred or maybe even thousands of children currently waiting to be deported back to their native nations? Will they be deported? Or how about the children who were recently deported? Will they be re-called back to America if they qualify un-der the new law?

For the moment, no one is really sure. But if there is anything that can be taken from this new law, it is that there is hope for the millions of illegal immigrants liv-ing in this nation.

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CURRENT AFFAIRS

“President Obama has admitted that his new policy is not a permanent fix

or ‘long term solution.’”

Arizona governor Jan Brewer,who passed State Bill 1070, criticized his

policy “unconstitutional” and “blatant political amnesty.”

JULY 2012 THE CIRCLE GAZETTE PAGE 5

My Interview with Linda Guarin, a Children’s Books Author by Alizdair Sebastien Ray, Age 8Hope Mills, NC

I was very excited to interview Mrs. Linda Guarin at her home on May 21, 2012. We arrived there after 10 a.m. Linda Guarin is an author of educational books. The books come with read-along CDs and interactive maps. Mrs. Lin-da’s books are for kids 0–9 years old. She co-authors these books with her mother, Sally Singer. Here are the questions I asked Mrs. Linda about her books.Alizdair: Why did you want to write these books?Mrs. Guarin: It was a dream for my mother.Alizdair: Do you love to read?Mrs. Guarin: Yes!Alizdair: Are these books long?Mrs. Guarin: No! Only 20 pages!Alizdair: How old were you when you started to read?Mrs. Guarin: I was 6 years old and in the 1st grade.Alizdair: Where were you born?Mrs. Guarin: St. Petersburg, FloridaAlizdair: What kind of books do you like to read?Mrs. Guarin: Non-fiction Alizdair: What are the names of the characters?Mrs. Guarin: Brandon, Jo, Sophia, and Sam.Alizdair: Do you love writing?Mrs. Guarin: YesAlizdair: What did you want to

be when you were a child?Mrs. Guarin: I wanted to be an astronaut.

Here is the list of books that Mrs. Linda & Ms. Sally Singer wrote together.• WhichHatWillIChoose?• AWideOpenMouth• The Mystery of the No

NeckMonsters• ChanceandCharlie

I read one of her books and it was The Mystery of the No Neck Monsters. It was a good book. Mrs. Linda made these books so kids will learn life skills and love to read. She is a local author. Make sure to visit her website at www.BoogerBooks.com.

Support our local authors!

Hatchet: A Book by Gary PaulsenA Reviewby Brandon Burt, Age 12Coral Springs, FL

Hatchet was written by Gary Paulsen. It is about a thirteen year old boy named Brian Robinson. He is riding in a private plane to see his father, because his parents got divorced. All of a sudden the pilot has a heart attack and the plane crashes. Brian survives but is all alone with nothing but a hatchet to cut down branches and make shelter. Is someone going to come and save him?

Throughout this book, Brian uses his creativity to establish a survival plan. He only has one

tool, which he uses to make an assortment of other tools. He uses his hatchet to build a shelter and make hunting weapons. He catch-es some fish and other animals to eat to help him survive.

I would recommend this book to kids who like stories of surviv-al. If you would like some tips for surviving in the wild, this is the book for you. I think the book has a little less action in the middle than at the beginning and the end. I would also like to have a better description of how Brian makes his tools and shelter. Overall, I think this is an interesting story with some exciting adventures. I would rate it 4 out of 5 stars.

My First Year in Florida By Aaron Organ, Age 13Coral Springs, FL

For all the people out there reading this article who have ever moved, you know the first year is tough. I am going to tell you about my first year in Flor-ida. Last August I moved from Staten Island, one of the five bor-oughs in New York City (NYC), to Coral Springs, Florida.

I didn’t like moving away from my friends. Not knowing anyone here in Florida, I had to start from scratch. It took a while but I did make some new friends. I was still able to stay in contact with my best friend in NYC. We talk almost every day. That made the move much easier to get used to.

First and foremost I must talk about the weather. Florida weather is very different from NYC’s. In NYC it’s hot and hu-mid during the summer, but it lasts for a few days and drops down. Here in Florida the heat in the summer is a scorcher and lasts for weeks with no letting up. I do love the ocean so this is a great plus for Florida as it is easy to cool down from the heat. Also, having a pool in my back yard is really nice. The beaches in NYC aren’t as clean and nice as the ones here. The winters here are great, perfect temperatures of 55-65 degrees. It is a bit funny seeing people wear-ing coats and gloves when it’s 55 degrees and I’m comfortable in shorts and tee-shirts. The “native Floridians” tell me my internal body temperature will adjust in a few years, and I’ll be cold when it’s 55 degrees, too. In NYC, I did like seeing and playing in the snow; there isn’t any snow here in the winter. I miss that.

I’ve learned a new card game since I moved, called Vanguard. A local card shop hosts compe-titions every Saturday with oth-er “duelists.” It is so much fun. If you want to duel, contact me through this newspaper.

Also, since moving here I have been able to develop my writing skills and now write for this newspaper. I think of

myself as a professional writer. This is something we didn’t have in NYC, and really helped me adjust to moving here.

The middle school in Florida seemed much easier than the school I had in NYC. But, since I didn’t know anyone I felt like a total stranger. There weren’t as many field trips here in Flor-ida but there is a bigger winter break here than I had on Staten Island, so the school year went by fast. There are a lot more trouble makers in my Florida school than I had in NYC, but I did make more friends here than I had in NYC.

Florida has a greater variety of sports and outside activities. My favorite ones are riding my bike, and playing basketball. I have even played paddle ball and gone fishing, oh and of course SWIMMING!!

Moving is good and bad. It is sad to leave people and things you are familiar with, but excit-ing to see new things and meet new people. It takes some get-ting used to but it is something almost everyone does. To help others, I suggest you develop your hobbies and meet other people through them. Continue doing the things you enjoy and stay positive. Talk with your parents and friends -- even your old ones can help you adjust. Remember, before long you will adjust and be a “native” in your new environment.

SARAH’S C INEMAA Monthly Movie Review

by Sarah Thompson, Age 13Boynton Beach, FL

Movie: Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most WantedRated: PG

The plot:Alex the lion, Marty the ze-

bra, Melman the giraffe, Gloria the hippo, and their sidekicks - the partying lemurs and schem-ing penguins - return to the big screen for the third installment of the Madagascar series. The lost animals are still trying to find their way home to the New York Zoo. This time, their jour-ney takes them to Europe, where they find a traveling circus bound for the Big Apple. They join the troupe with the intentions of running off once they get back home, but as time goes on, find themselves growing closer to the circus animals.

The verdict:“Three’s a charm,” as the old

saying goes. But in the case of movies, I often disagree. When a film does very well in theaters and is popular, you can almost guarantee that soon, three, four, even five sequels will follow. Sometimes each sequel is a hit. Other times, the sequels don’t do justice to the original film. When it’s the latter, even the most dedi-cated fan may start to cringe at the sight of yet another preview for yet another sequel, which will be even worse than the one before it! When I heard about a third edition to the Madagascar movies, my initial reaction was excitement. But after further thought, I felt a lot like the cring-ing fan…

Europe’s Most Wanted is defi-nitely a lot different from the other two Madagascar films, and it’s hard to decide whether this is good or bad. It’s very much like a cartoon; there are tons of explo-sions and wild stunts, slapstick humor, and car chase clichés. It’s also extremely fast-paced, which takes away one key element of

the other two Madagascar mov-ies: it lacks heart. Everything is happening so quickly, there are only a few minutes - at the most - for relationships, before it’s back to the action. The movie is funny, but because it is so much sillier and childish than the oth-ers, it’s difficult to decide whether I enjoyed it or not. Yes, I laughed, yes, I am glad I saw it, but no, I’m not convinced this is an improve-ment over the clever humor and heart of the original Madagascar.

Alizdair with Author Mrs. Linda Guarin.

Covers of some of authors Mrs. Linda Guarin and Ms. Sally Singer published books.

“Florida has a greater variety of sports and outside activities.“

“Florida weather is very different from NYC’s.”

PAGE 6 THE CIRCLE GAZETTE JULY 2012

Living HealthyBe Hurricane Ready, and Healthy too!

by Sara Cross, Age 11Boca Raton, Fl

Hi kids! And welcome to Living Healthy, a column that talks about how to keep your body healthy and energized. The hurricane season has started, so how about helping your parents stock up on ready-made foods? You can help them stay healthy during time without pow-er. Just because you do not have power, does not mean that you should not be the healthiest you can be. This month we will tell you all about how some of the shelf-stable foods have much healthier alterna-tives. You also need to have a balanced diet, so we will go up the food pyramid to make sure you get the nutrition you need.

At the bottom of the food pyramid are your carbohydrates. Hurricane friendly carbohydrates are breads, crackers, and dry cereals. When you are looking for car-bohydrates, always turn to whole grain. When grains are processed the outer shell is removed. The outer shell, or epidermis, is full of vitamins, minerals, and lots of fibers, all of which your body needs to run healthily. Arrowhead Mills cereals are great sources of whole grain nutrients. Go on to www.arrowheadmills.com for more information on these healthy hurricane

carbohydrates. The next group of foods contains fruits

and vegetables. For shelf-stability, this group can be canned or dehydrated. The thing to look out for in canned fruit is the amount and source of sugar. Try to get canned fruit products that are sweetened with raw sugar or cane juice rather than corn syrup or regular cane sugar. If you can find (and like) brands that contain just fruit and fruit juice, get those. Dried fruit can be very high in sulphites, compounds that are used as preservatives. Sulphites are only a problem if you are allergic to them or are asthmatic, but you can de-velop an allergy to them at any time. Try to find brands of dried fruit that say that they are unsulphured. Canned vegetables can contain lots of table salt (sodium chloride). Try to get vegetables with the only other ingredients being water and sea salt, or just plain water. (We will talk about the advantages of sea salt versus table salt in another column). If you do get vegetables containing table salt, here is a tip that comes from a study run by Duke University. It states that rinsing your canned veggies for a minute can re-move up to 41% of the sodium chloride. Dehydrated vegetables are another op-tion. You can rehydrate them for a quick-cooking dinner, or you could just snack on them. Order them in bulk, if you want, for a great hurricane snack.

Next on the list of food groups are proteins. There are three examples of high-protein foods: beans, nuts, and ani-mal products (meat, fish, dairy). Canned beans are a great source of proteins. Just make sure to get beans with no artificial flavors, colors, preservatives, or table salt.

The next category of protein food is nuts. Nut butters are full of proteins. We rec-ommend all-natural butters −any nut will do. Just make sure to get the ones that do not say that they need refrigeration. The third and last group is animal products. Tuna is very high in mercury, a poisonous mineral. We recommend you stay away from it or minimize your consumption. Tuna is the most common of the mercury-high seafood, but there are others. Find out more on these high-mercury seafood at www.edf.org/seafood. When you are looking for canned meats just look at the nutrition panel and ingredients to make sure that you are getting a good product. The only dairy that is shelf stable and not full of chemicals is the shelf stable milk. If you just want a drink we recommend single-serve size containers, because once opened they need refrigeration.

At the top of the food pyramid are the fats, oils, and sugars. We refer you to last month’s column for healthier alternatives to chips and crackers. We also recom-mend Yummy Earth candies if you want something sugary sweet. They are sweet-ened with all-natural, raw, organic, cane sugar; and are flavored with real fruit. Go to www.yummyearth.com for more infor-mation on these sweet snacks.

Even though it is not on the pyramid, it

is vitally important to stay hydrated with water. We refer you to the dehydration column published in the November 2011 issue of the Circle Gazette (which you can find at www.enrichmentcircle.com). For hurricane season there are a lot of drinks that are shelf-stable, but the best option is still bottled water. If you want something more exciting than water, you can flavor it using herbal and fruit teabags.

When you are looking to buy food, al-ways be sure to check the ingredients list. Just because a product is on the shelf at a health food store does not necessarily mean that it is healthy. Always check for artificial flavors, colors, preservatives, trans fats, MSG, high fructose corn syr-up, cane sugar (when it does not specify, assume that it is highly processed; raw sugar and cane juice are good sugars), and salt (again, when not specified, nor-mally sodium chloride). Anything that you cannot pronounce is probably too complex a chemical to be good for you. Products that say on their package that they do not have any of the ingredients listed above may still have them, which is another reason to make sure to check out the ingredients list. That holds for times other than hurricane season, too. Stay hurricane healthy for this season, and we will see you in July!

Seasonsby Sarah Thompson, Age 13Boynton Beach, FL

When asked what my favorite season is, my initial reaction is to say autumn or winter.

I love autumn for many reasons. I love the slow change from scorching hot sum-mer days to cooler, breezier October eve-nings. I love the glow of candles inside a Jack-o-Lantern. I love my family’s tradi-tion of visiting the pumpkin patch and then stopping for dinner at Doc’s. I love going to different stores to look at the Halloween decorations. I love handing out candy to trick-or-treaters, and then sneaking a few

chocolate bars for myself. I love watching my favorite Halloween specials and scary movies. I love watching the Macy’s Thanks-giving Day Parade before sitting down to a Thanksgiving feast with my family.

I love winter for many reasons as well. I love Christmas carols! I love how hearing my favorite carols brings back memories. I love decorating the house. I love look-ing at the beautiful lights and ornaments on the Christmas tree. I love our tradi-tion of visiting Hoffman’s Chocolates to look at the decorations and each pick out a chocolate treat. I love baking Christmas cookies. I love how during the winter, my dance teacher decorates the studio and we do our warm-up to Christmas carols. I love

my family’s Christmas Eve tradition; we visit with my uncle and grandma (on my dad’s side) in the daytime. Then we go visit with my grandma (on my mom’s side) in the evening. We open all our presents from her, then watch A Christmas Story, while sipping hot chocolate and munching on her home-baked cookies. Not to mention my birthday is in December too!

These are some of my favorite memo-ries. It’s easy to tell why autumn and win-ter would probably be my favorite seasons. But I have realized that no matter what sea-son it is, I always manage to be happy.

Even though it’s hot in the summer, and I prefer cooler weather, I like to swim laps in the pool or play in the waves at the beach. I also love that the extra free-time allows me to pursue different interests and try new things. Almost every summer, I find a new hobby or interest. Last year, I discovered that I love baking and reading comics! I

also like eating fresh fruits in the summer, while they’re in season. I love that I can hang out with my friends more, since we are not busy with schoolwork. I used to hate thunderstorms because I was terrified of lightning, and I still am, to be honest. But I’ve come to where I really love a rainy summer day. I love being safe and snug in-side while the rain is coming down outside.

No matter what season it is, what the weather is like, or what I’m doing, I can al-ways find blessings around me. When life is a little dull or frustrating, it’s easy to think, “I wish instead of being like this, it would be like…”, “I wish instead of being here, I could be…” (you fill in the blank.) But now, when-ever I start to do that, I stop myself short, look around me, and see that I am so blessed to be right here. Right now. Some days are more challenging than others, but in the end, everyday can be a good day, if you’re just willing to be grateful for right now.

Did You Know...… that Hurricanes are known by different names in different parts of the world? For example, in the Northwest Pacific Ocean and West of the International Date Line, they are called typhoons. In Australia, they are known as Willy-willies. In the Philippine Islands, they are called bagnios. There are 6-8 hurricanes in an average season. Hurricanes rotate anti clockwise in the Northern hemisphere and rotate clockwise South of the equator. The first 12 hours of any hurricane is the most deadly. Hurricane Katrina was the costliest hurricane in US history, causing over $75 billion dollars of damage.

restrictions. In the end, for most parents it is their children’s interest in the sport that keeps them there.

The world has been a witness to what sports can do for people in the most strain-ing conditions: war, oppression, famine. Through sports, people come together to celebrate effort and the power of the hu-man mind and body. Over and over again, the Summer Olympic Games are that platform in which, every four years, the world finds out about amazing athletes that have made it there through amazing feats of determination, hard work and chasing seemingly impossible dreams.

From developed and developing coun-tries alike, the human soul aspires to experience the satisfaction of mastering high physical and mental skills.

From July 27 to August 12, 2012 the world will be watching as the best athletes compete for gold, silver and bronze med-als. Qualifying for the Olympic Games and representing their country is usually the ultimate goal and enough of a satis-faction for athletes everywhere. In any discipline, the chase for the gold adds a nice extra kick to the experience. The Opening ceremony of the 2012 Summer Olympics will be held on July 27, 2012, and will be called, “The Isles of Wonder.” Athletes from 204 countries are expected to participate.

IN THIS ISSUE Accounts of young athletes from differ-

ent disciplines who share their adventures, their challenges and their dreams.

Interviews with five-time Olympic swimmer Dara Torres, and two-time Olympic swimmers Arlene Semeco and Vlad Polyakov. These swimmers are on the path to the 2012 Olympic journey. Through meetings with our young report-ers these talented athletes share their very own remarkable adventures.

On page 2, The Journey is the Reward, an editorial by two-time Olympic swim-mer Joshua Laban.

Interview with Olympic Coach Bruno Darzi in which he provides a behind-the-scenes perspective on how athletes pre-pare for an Olympic summer. Page 10.

Olympic Tennis, an article that discusses the current prospects for this summer. Page 7.

Diving as an Olympic Sport on Page 12,

features an interview by Emma Gómez (8) to diving coach Ivan Bondarenko.

A collection of fun sports poetry and art!Usual columns (Green Tip 2.0, Living

Healthy, Sarah’s Cinema), that bring re-freshing information about environmental issues, health and entertainment.

We welcome new contributors this month Brandon Burt, Delaney Biro, Isa-bella Pittinger, Yasmin Daiha and Molly Mason.

Enjoy this sporty issue of the Circle Ga-zette, watch the Olympic Games and get inspired.

Would you like to be a published writ-er or artist?

Send us your work at submissions@cir-clegazette.com, visit us at enrichmentcir-cle.com or call 954-918-2541 for more information.

O lympic Summer, Olympic Dreams, Olympic Possibilities

A Word from the Editor

by Patty GómezContinued from page 2

JULY 2012 THE CIRCLE GAZETTE PAGE 7

DIALOGUE BOXMeet Olivia Mason

From the city of Parkland, Olivia Mason weaves passion into everything she does. She is 9 years old and is one of four sisters. In her family she is af-fectionately known as Livie. Her favorite way to spend her time is doing sports and writ-ing. Olivia describes herself as smart, athletic and nice.

Olivia is most proud of achieving first place in the coun-try for her grade in Mathfax, a National Online Math Compe-tition in the 2011-2012 school year. Hundreds of schools from grade 3 through high school participate in this educational contest. A well-rounded stu-dent, Olivia has a keen interest in writing. Some of her fiction work and poetry has been pub-lished in the Circle Gazette and she imagines herself as an au-thor when she grows up. Olivia loves to read and her favorite book is Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J. K. Rowl-ing. She is a 4th grader at River-

glades Elementary School. Olivia is also a young ath-

lete. She is a swimmer, a soft-ball player and a soccer player. She thinks most of her friends will be surprised to know that she can beat an 11 year old in a swim race. She is a very strong softball player and her team relies on her skill and speed in tough moments.

Olivia enjoys eating spaghetti and to her, the best holiday in the year is Christmas. Her least favor-ite thing to do is to eat spinach.

Olivia would like to meet Sponge Bob to discover if the outfit he wears is a costume. From the celebrity world, she would love to shake hands with Nicki Minaj, Trinida-dian-born American rapper, singer, songwriter and voice actress. Minaj wears many colorful costumes and Olivia would like to see them.

Olivia Mason is a remarkable young lady who doesn’t give up no matter what.

Tennis Olympicsby Ismail Ercan, Age 14Coral Springs, FL

As this year’s London Olympic Games are approaching, count-less athletes from countries all over the world are preparing to bring home a medal for their country. One of the lesser talked about sports, tennis, is actually one of the 2012 Games’ main headlines. This year, just three weeks after the grand slam Wim-bledon is held at the historic All England Lawn Tennis and Cro-quet Club, the tennis portion of the Olympics will be held at the same venue over nine days. The All England Club’s grass courts have not hosted an Olympic tennis match since 1908, when Great Britain swept all the ten-nis events. For the first time in over 100 years, the tradition of wearing white at the club will be broken, as players are being en-couraged to wear their countries’ colors to the tournament.

Tennis has only been played fourteen times in the modern era Olympic Games (which started in 1896) after it was dropped in 1924 and resumed again in 1988. At the 1896 Summer Olympic Games, although tennis was con-

sidered a major sport, none of the top players participated and there were only two events, men singles and doubles.

Today, over 172 of the top ten-nis players in the world are ex-pected to compete, not only for their country, but for their world ranking as well. The International Tennis Federation (ITF) has made the Olympics count as a major tournament and the players will be eager to compete in 5 medal events including men and women singles and doubles, and mixed doubles. Mixed doubles is being reintroduced into the Olympics again for the first time since 1924 and there will only be 16 teams admitted into the draw. Many top level players will be expected to play in this event because it is the shortest path to medaling.

The singles events will include the top 56 ranked players in the world, with no more than 4 play-ers representing a single country in all events. So strong tennis countries such as Spain (who may have over 9 men players in the top 56), will only select one, possibly two men to represent them in London so they can have

women participate as well. One thing for certain is that Rafael Nadal, the current world number two, 11 time Grand Slam Cham-pion and gold medalist in Beijing in ’08, will definitely be playing. The Spaniard is fresh off his re-cord breaking seventh French Open title, surely securing his nickname of the “King of Clay” forever. He has the honor of car-rying Spain’s flag at this Olym-pics’ opening ceremony.

“For me the chance to carry the flag representing all the Spanish athletes in London is a true hon-

or,” Nadal said, “I think carrying the flag will be one of the most moving moments of my entire career. I can only say thanks and wish my fellow athletes the best of luck.” Nadal will be compet-ing in doubles as well, alongside Marcel Granollers.

Here are some more play-ers to watch out for at the All England Club:

Venus and Serena Williams --They know how to win at the

Olympics. Venus has three gold medals and Serena has two. Al-though both have not been in top form lately, they captured the gold in Beijing as a doubles team and are always a threat in singles.

Maria Sharapova -- Currently the women’s best player in the world, she is coming off win-ning her first French Open title and her favorite surface to play on is grass courts. She has been selected to carry Russia’s flag at the opening ceremony and is the first female tennis player to ever carry the flag for Russia.

Novak Djokovic -- Currently the world number uno on the men’s side, Novak is almost im-possible to beat when he’s having a normal day. He will carry Ser-bia’s flag at the opening ceremo-ny as well.

Roger Federer -- Considered the greatest men’s player to ever play the game, he won a dou-bles gold medal in Beijing and his most successful and favor-ite surface is grass. One of the only prizes that has eluded his trophy case is the singles Olym-pics gold. He has carried Swit-zerland’s flag twice at the open-ing ceremony and is expected to carry it again this year.

Andy Murray -- The hometown favorite, the British superstar is currently the world number four, and has failed to win a Grand Slam yet. But in London, there will be colossal expectations to medal for Great Britain.

The format for all matches is best two out of three sets, with the exception of the gold medal match, which will be best three out of five sets on the men’s side. There is certainly much to look forward to at this year’s Olympic Games, not only in tennis but in all the other sports as well.

Did You Know...… that at the International Olympic Committee (IOC) meeting on July 7, 2005, baseball and softball were voted out of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London? This made the sports the first voted out of the Olympics since polo was eliminated from the 1936 Olympics. The elimination excised 16 teams and more than 300 athletes from the 2012 Olympics. The two slots left available by the IOC’s elimination were subsequently filled by golf and rugby sevens. It was also officially decided that baseball and softball would not be included in the 2016 Summer Olympics. On April 1, 2011, the IBAF and the International Softball Federation announced they were preparing a joint proposal to revive play of both sports at the 2020 Summer Olympics.

“Olivia is a very strong softball player and her team relies on her skill and speed in tough moments.”

Maria is a force to be reckoned with. Photo by Getty Images.

Venus and Serena Williams. Photo by Getty Images.

“Everybody pulls for David, nobody roots for Goliath.”

~Wilt ChamberlainAndy Murray. Photo by Getty Images.

olympic summer

PAGE 8 THE CIRCLE GAZETTE JULY 2012

Did You Know... … that football or soccer, has been included in every Olympiad except 1896 and 1932 as a men’s competition sport? Women’s football was added to the official program in 1996. The gold medals for women’s and men’s football went to the United States and Argentina, respectively, at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Did You Know...

… that gymnastics has been a part of the summer Olympics since its modern beginnings in 1896? At that time it was a sport restricted to men only until 1932 when women were allowed to compete in Artistic Gymnastics, which includes events such as floor exercise, bars, vault, and balance beam. Athletes representing the former Soviet Union have captured the most artistic gymnastics Olympic medals, 200 in total, almost 25% of the total medals awarded.

Did You Know...… that synchronized swimming, a water sport which requires great strength and

endurance along with grace and artistry, had its first official competition in 1891 in Berlin, Germany and existed as an all-male sport? Because of the nature of the movements, which require beautiful arm and leg extensions, graceful body postures and a more compact center of gravity, it quickly became a sport dominated by females and world and Olympic competitions are now open only to women.

GYMNASTICS SELF-INTERVIEWby Elizabeth Abrams, Age 8Fort Lauderdale, FL

I’m excited about the gym-nastics Olympics coming up and wrote some questions to ask an Olympic gymnast when I get to meet one (as I hope to do in the future). In the meantime, I de-cided to answer the questions my-self. Here are my answers:

How long have you been do-ing gymnastics?

I have been doing gymnastics since I was a toddler. I started in the preteam when I was four and a half. I just turned eight and I am in level 4.

What is your favorite activity in gymnastics?

There are four activities in gymnastics and they are called bars, beam, floor, and vault. On bars you use your upper body muscles to glide and swing and fly, and your lower legs for bal-ance and jumping. On beam you use your lower body to jump and balance. On floor you use every part of your body to do routines with music. On vault you run and jump onto the springboard and flip onto the mat.

My favorite activities are bars and floor. On bars I feel like a bird. On floor, I love doing round-

off back handsprings and dance. (A round-off back handspring is a running cartwheel landing on two feet and then flipping backward).

How do you feel in competi-tion?

In competition you go and com-pete with other teams and gym-nasts. You wear your team leo-tard and a hairstyle like a bun or braids. Each team has their own style. My team wears a shiny blue leotard with black swirls on the front and rhinestones. We wear our hair in two French braids which we can tie in the back. Competition is when you show yourself to judges and get points and deductions for your routines. At my level, you have to compete in all four events – bar, beam, floor, and vault. At competition, I feel nervous but excited.

What is it that makes gym-nastics fun for you?

Everything. My coaches, my team-mates, and DOING gym-nastics.

What do you like about floor?I love learning the skills, and

practicing them over and over until I can do them as perfectly as I can.

What do you like about bars?I like the movements like “cast-

ing,” where you hold on to the bar with your hands and dive into a swing, going up in the air to the bar and landing. I also like “kips” where you jump from the spring-board to the bar, catch it with your hands, and glide and put your feet to the bar and swing and hold.

What do you like about beam?

I like it because it looks so scary and so breathtaking. When I am on the beam I feel like I am not part of gravity.

What do you like about vault?

I like running and flipping.Have you ever felt scared on

beam?Yes. Definitely. I felt scared

when I did my first split jump on the high beam. I overcame my fear by practicing over and over -- and practice made perfect. I kept doing the jumps because I knew I could overcome my fears and that I would feel impressive. When I did, I felt spectacular. Now when I have to learn a new skill, I feel confident that I can overcome any fears and I feel brave.

Have you ever gotten a 9.95?No. But I have gotten a 9.8.

My team-mate got a 9.9 on bars at our last meet because she practiced hard and did such a great job.

What is your least favorite activity?

Vault. What is the name of your

team?The name of my team is Fort

Lauderdale Stars. Did you ever win first place?Yes. For my age group.

Have you written a book on gymnastics?

Not yet.What do you dream of

achieving?I dream of doing gymnastics

for my whole life and I dream of going to college.

How many years have you

been in the Olympics?None yet. How have your coaches en-

couraged you to succeed?My coaches have inspired me

by taking their time to train me extra hard and doing it from the heart. They sometimes tell me funny sayings about how to suc-ceed and that has brightened my day and made me want to practice more and get better. My coaches have been kind and have led me through the gymnast world.

What inspires you?DOING gymnastics inspires

me. Just having it and know-ing it’s there and waiting for me. Practicing inspires me because it makes me want to go further and get better.

What have you learned about life in gymnastics?

I have learned a lot of things from gymnastics, like: you have to work very hard to get some-where but where there’s a will there’s a way. Sometimes prac-tice can be hard but the hard work makes a difference. There are no words for how great I feel when I achieve a new skill. You have to have strength, courage, and pa-tience.

What do you like to do when you are not doing gymnastics?

I love to read! And I love to draw.

What advice would you give to someone interested in start-ing gymnastics?

I would tell them: you can do it! And, at first it’s hard, but keep trying and you will get it and you will feel amazing.

DIALOGUE BOXMeet Molly Mason

Better known by her family as Molly-Jolly, Molly Mason is a 9-year-old from Parkland, Florida. Next fall she’ll be join-ing the 4th grade class at Riv-erglades Elementary School. Originally from the neighboring city of Boca Raton, this cheer-ful girl has a smile to gift every-one who meets her. Molly is a young athlete. She is a swim-mer, a softball player, and a soc-cer player. Molly’s favorites are softball and soccer. She can be easily described as a smart and funny athlete. Molly is proud of her straight A’s report card and she dreams of becoming a fa-mous soccer and softball player.

Molly is number one at the table when tacos or pizza are served, and she doesn’t get tired of watching Alvin and the Chip-munks Chipwrecked, her favor-ite movie. If she could, Molly would like to meet the Grand High Witch from the 1983 book Witches by Roald Dahl. She likes the fact that the Grand

High Witch is very powerful. If booking the meeting with the witch proves to be difficult, Molly will enjoy meeting real life Canadian pop singer Carly Rae Jepsen.

Whenever there is a minute to relax, Molly likes to spend time on the computer. The holiday she looks forward to the most is Christmas. On a funny note, Molly thinks her friends will be surprised to know her middle name, which at this point she chooses to keep secret.

Molly’s least favorite thing to do is dryland exercises. When things don’t go as ex-pected and she is unable to fin-ish her work on time her best excuse is that she “didn’t feel that good last night.”

Very insightful, Molly thinks that adults have a hard time un-derstanding that kids “just want to have fun.” This multi-talent-ed girl also plays the piano.

Molly Mason looks forward to years of fun at the fields.

Molly Mason controls the ball, center and in pink.

“Practicing inspires me be-cause it makes me want to go

further and get better.”

“I told myself there was no way I was going to let this training go to waste. It was my time, and I was ready to go.”

~ Katie Hoff

JULY 2012 THE CIRCLE GAZETTE PAGE 9

DIALOGUE BOXMeet Matt Jordan

In an interview for the Circle Gazette, Matt Jordan, the newest addition to the age group coach-ing team of the Coral Springs Swim Club (CSSC), shared his experiences as swimmer and coach. Jordan (26) is a five-time champion for the state of Maine and a record holder for the Whea-ton College Swimming Team for 100-meter Backstroke (2005), with a time of 52.62 seconds, and for 100 Individual Medley (2006), with a time of 56.13. Since 2006, Jordan has been a co-record holder at Wheaton for 4 relay events, 200-meter and 400-meter Freestyle and Med-ley. Today, Jordan coaches 8 to 13 year olds at the two elite age group teams at CSSC.

This New Englander started swimming when he was eight years old and shares that for his first swimming lesson he did not know how to put his swim suit on properly and ended up wearing the Speedo backwards through the session. “You’ve got to start somewhere,” Jor-dan said with a smile. He finds South Florida a vibrant commu-nity for the sport of swimming, very different from the one he experienced in the North where swimming is a seasonal sport for young kids. He swam at the YMCA in Ellsworth, Maine. By the age of 11, Jordan was a seri-ous competitive swimmer, but as anybody involved in an activity long term, he experienced a pe-riod where he lost interest. Jor-dan points out that he can trace the source of his lack of interest to losing his coach. From ages 13

to 14, Jordan did not swim and explored other disciplines. He played basketball and football. It was in his freshman year of high school when Jordan felt his passion for swimming rekindle, and yet again he pins that to the positive influence a new coach brought to him. Under the tute-lage of Matt Montgomery (26 at the time), Jordan placed third and fifth in the State for 200 IM and 100 Back respectively. At the end of the first season after his comeback, Jordan fell in love with the sport again. “My coach made my training meaningful. I developed a great connection with him. I trusted him,” said Jordan. Montgom-ery was his coach for the rest of high school. “We keep close,” Jordan added.

Jordan works under the bright sun of South Florida, with more than 40 young swimmers. He started coaching as assistant to his coach during his high school years. “I’ve coached swim-mers much older than me. I’ve coached kids of all ages.” When he started coaching he felt teach-ing others offered a great aid to his own swimming. “I like rac-ing,” he said. “I improved in my own swimming when I had to think and explain to others what they could do to improve their strokes, their strategy.” How-ever, Jordan feels today that he had to be a successful swimmer first to discover what he likes to do: coaching. As a coach, he thinks his goals are to refine technique, develop speed, and, above all, help his swimmers have a healthy mental attitude. He believes swimmers need to be mentally strong to train, to race and to cope with the results. “I want my swimmers to be in a tougher physical and mental state than the one I found them in. I want them to be in a better shape for their next stage in life, regardless of whether they keep swimming or not.”

At the Coral Springs Swim Club, Jordan feels his coaching experience will gain a dimension he never had before. Being an Olympic year makes the Aquat-ics Complex at the edge of the

Everglades a very exciting place. Jordan is enjoying sharing his “two cents into the training of many-time Olympic swimmers such as Dara Torres and Arlene

Semeco.” He is happy that his swimmers are involved day in and day out with nationally re-nowned swimmers. He feels the coaching team is quite diverse in styles and he is happy that he brings his own flavor to the mix.

Jordan knows in his own skin how important a coach can be for young swimmers. He loves the sport and hopes to spark con-nections that will make training meaningful and foster the right

mental attitude in his swimmers. He wants for his swimmers “to walk away from their stage with him with more pieces of the puzzle.” Jordan aspires to make them ready and strong for the fu-ture. He strives to connect with each swimmer and understand their learning style. He wants to know what their dreams are and what they fear.

When I met Matt on a bench by the pool, he showed me a stack of cards he had all his swimmers complete. He asked them to write their perceived strengths and weakness and to state their goals. It was heart-warming to see him pull out the tattered cards that showed they had been wet and dried many times. They looked dirty and frayed at the edges. They looked used. He flipped through them demonstrating that he regularly handles them. He spoke about his swimmers with warmth and pride and it got me thinking about that invisible fuel that ig-nites passion and hard work in children: knowing that someone cares. Matt Jordan cares about what he does. He cares about his swimmers and doesn’t take light-ly the responsibility he has in his hands week after week. “I want to create for my swimmers the environment that I would have liked to have when I was a young swimmer. I had a great coach, but there were not many kids in my team, in my level,” Jordan said. “Here, they have each other; we have a strong team sense. I want them to learn to coach each other and support each other.” Jordan maintains a sense of humor in his coaching. He shared a funny an-ecdote: A few months back when he had just started coaching at CSSC, his mother came from Maine to visit and he brought her over to the pool. She sat close to

where the kids stored their bags so she could have a good view of the practice. Jordan did not men-tion to anyone that his mother was on deck. As the kids arrived, she made casual conversation with some. She inquired about the coach. “The kids said: Oh! Our coach is Coach Matt. He is all right. He is not Vlad, but he is cool,” Jordan said laughing. Vlad Polyakov, two-time Olym-pic swimmer, had coached the team last year before he started training for the London Games.

Matt Jordan is a hands-on coach full of spirit, and just like him the group of women and men who work with the different level teams at this Club, dedi-cate their intellectual energy and most of their waking time to em-powering young swimmers.

R o a d t o N a t i o n a l sby Yasmin Daiha, Age 13Miramar, FL

I am a synchronized swimmer from the Coral Springs Aqua-

cades. If you ask anyone who watches synchronized swim-ming, what might they say about the sport? They might say that it is about swimmers in the water just dancing to music; but to us it’s much different. Synchronized swimming is a very dedicated sport for which you may spend your whole day in the water. It’s also a great and amazing experi-ence. We swimmers spend the whole season competing against other teams to make it to Nation-als, a nationwide competition of the best teams. We “battle it out” to see who is going to be at the very top. This year Nationals will be held in Ohio.

Being part of the Coral Springs Aquacades is something special. Ranked first in Florida, team

members work long and hard to win as many competitions as they can. With Head Coach Ashley Johnson creating the best rou-tines I have seen, this can be pos-sible. We spend up to seven hours per day in the pool working on duet, trio, team, and on figures. We never stop. As a team, win-ning Nationals, or as we say the “Super bowl of Synchro,” is our top priority. We all have laughs and have our jokes but when we have to work we give it our all. It can sometimes be hard but with your teammates supporting you there will always be a way. So, synchronized swimming isn’t just swimmers dancing in the wa-ter, it’s people dedicated to what

they do, and having fun doing it. I hope you all enjoy synchronized swimming competitions during the Olympic Games this year.

Young Matt Jordan (left) with his baby brother get-

ting ready to go to the pool. As an older brother, Jordan knows what it means to be

a role model.

“We spend up to seven hours per day in the pool working on duet, trio, team, and on figures.”

“I hope you all enjoy synchronized swimming competitions during the

Olympic Games this year.”

This summer, Jordan has his eye on Ryan Lochte, a Florida swimmer who got the world’s attention at

the 2011 World Aquatics Championship where he defeated Michael Phelps

in the 200-meter Freestyle and Medley competitions.

Lochte “has radically changed his diet since

2008 and really stepped up his dryland training,”

said Jordan.

Jordan competing at NCAA Meet for Wheaton College.

olympic summer

PAGE 10 THE CIRCLE GAZETTE JULY 2012

Going to London?The June 2012 Olympic Swimming Trialsby Daniela Gómez, Age 12Margate, FL

The Circle Gazette welcomes readers to this special coverage of the Olympic Swimming Tri-als, the final qualifying meet in the United States for the Olym-pic Games.

In the Coral Springs Swim Club (CSSC) side of the South Florida Aquatic Club (SOFLO), there are already two swimmers who have qualified for the Olympics. One is Arlene Semeco, a Venezu-elan two-time Olympic swimmer, who participated in this competi-tion in Athens 2004 and in Bei-jing 2008. Semeco is also a Pan American Games gold medalist (2007). Head coach of CSSC, Bruno Darzi, said that Semeco’s goal at the London Games this summer is to make semifinals and finals. The other qualified CSSC swimmer is Kazakhstani Vlad Polyakov, who is swimming in a 400 Meter Medley Relay in the breaststroke leg. Swimming with him are Aleksander Tarabrin, Fe-dor Shkilev and Artur Dilman. The team swam a time of 3:36.99, ty-ing with the Brazil relay team for 16th place. For more information on Polyakov and Semeco, read article below and on next page, respectively. Besides, Polyakov and Semeco, Darzi also trains two other Olympic hopefuls, Dara Tor-res (USA) and Sharntelle McLean (Trinidad and Tobago).

The US Olympic Trials will be in Omaha, Nebraska from June 25 to July 2, 2012. This event is overseen by the United States Olympic Committee and run by USA Swimming, the national governing body for competitive swimming in the United States. Torres will be in Omaha at the end of June. At the time this issue of the Circle Gazette prints, the competition results will already be known and the US Swimming Olympic Team will have been formed. Torres, a freestyler, is the only swimmer who has gone to the Olympics five times and is trying for her sixth. She has

twelve Olympic medals. Darzi says that Torres will have perhaps one of the most exciting swims at Omaha. To know more about Tor-res, read the exclusive interview (P. 11) she granted to the Circle Gazette. Another Olympic hope-ful, Polyakov, has already quali-fied in a relay, and is still trying to qualify for the 100-meter and 200-meter breaststroke individual events. He is a two-time Olym-pic finalist and London 2012 could be his third Olympics. He is a breaststroker and has sev-eral records in the 100-meter and 200-meter breaststroke events. Finally, McLean, a two-time Olympic swimmer for Trinidad and Tobago (Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008) is a strong free-styler/butterflyer and she is 0.8 seconds away from her 50 Meters Freestyle Olympic Trial cut.

I met Bruno Darzi after my swim practice and we talked about the upcoming Olympic Trials and the London Olympics. Besides being the Head Coach for the Coral Springs Swim Club, Darzi is the coach of its National Team. He is already going to London, because Polyakov and Semeco are already qualified. He leaves early in July and comes back in August after the Games are fin-ished. Darzi said he is very excit-ed about the next few months. He spoke about each of his Olympic hopefuls. He said that Polyakov is battling against particularly difficult-to-get Olympic cuts. About Torres, Darzi said that an important part of her training was making the recovery easier and

that he had to be careful with the workouts he designed because training Torres (46) isn’t the same as training a younger swimmer such as Semeco (28). Torres has many more physical limitations after a full reconstructive knee surgery and more than 35 years of competitive swimming. Darzi said that Sharntelle McLean faces the challenge of being a little too far from her cut, but that she is making progress toward her goal.

Darzi had a funny anecdote to share that happened earlier this year. A Brazilian 14-year-old boy guest swimmer had been training for a few days with the National team. They had been doing a set of two 50s freestyle sprints, the first lap being a slower sprint than the second one. They did the first 50 and the visiting boy beat Dara Torres in the sprint. When he got to the wall and real-ized it, he started jumping up and down and celebrating loudly. Tor-res watched him un-amused and pointed out that she hadn’t been sprinting. They did a few sets in between, and then went back to the other 50 sprint. This time Tor-res beat the boy, and it was her turn to laugh and celebrate. Darzi felt that it was neat to witness the joy of two swimmers racing and defeating each other in practice, one 14 and the other one 45.

Darzi pointed out that without a doubt the hardest challenge he had faced in his coaching ca-reer was the passing of former head coach and friend Michael Lohberg in April 2011. It was a mental challenge for him. “It was

very hard to deal with that,” he said. Darzi became the next head coach and has tried to continue Coach Lohberg’s work since then. Lohberg, a six-time Olym-pic coach, was instrumental in the development of the Coral Springs Swim Club and the founding of the South Florida Aquatic Club. He has been sorely missed by his swimmers and co-workers.

The Games of the XXX Olym-piad promise to bring close races and excitement in all sports. More than 1,800 swimmers will try in Omaha for the USA Swim Olym-pic Team; only 52 will make it to London. Up to 26 men and 26 women will receive the highest athletic honor – representing the U.S. at the 2012 Olympic Games. Other remarkable American swimmers who will race in Oma-ha include Natalie Coughlin, Ryan Lochte, Michael Phelps, Missy Franklin, and Elizabeth Beisel.

Let the best man and woman win. The best of luck to our South Florida contingent.

A Conversation with an Olympic Swimmer Vlad Polyakovby Emma and Daniela Gómez, Ages 8 and 12Margate, FL

Vlad Polyakov is a two-time Olympic finalist from Kazakh-stan. He competed in Athens 2004 and in Beijing 2008. Polyakov is a breaststroker and has quite a few records in the 100 and 200

breaststroke events. Polyakov is in the qualification process for the 2012 London Olympics. He said he is very excited about go-ing because last time he only got to race. He points out that this time he will actually be able to

watch a lot of other events and embrace the event instead of just racing. Polyakov started swim-ming when he was 10. His moth-er urged him to try it. When he started, he fell in love with the sport. He watched the best swim-mers since he was little and he wanted to be like them.

Polyakov said that his train-ing involves “harder ‘dryland’ [workouts] than swimming right now.” He said that when he was younger, he focused more on swimming and on building an-aerobic endurance, but once the endurance was there, he focused a lot more on dry land exercises: the building of strength.

In Polyakov’s opinion, the lev-el of commitment and amount of time required to succeed in this sport brings a set of challenges. The social life of an athlete is different from that of a regular person. Once you get to a cer-tain point in your career, “it’s sometimes necessary to sacrifice other things like parties or time to hang out with friends.” A per-sonal challenge for him was to overcome a huge time plateau. At that time, he wasn’t dropping enough time despite his hard work. His friends kept beating

him in races and he started to get slower times. It was so bad that he felt like quitting. Thankfully, his parents and family were there for him to help him get out of this stage. They supported him.

Finally, he got out of the stage and learned that bad races hap-pen and all athletes have bad seasons. He also learned that

olympic sWimmiNG

Darzi is the Head Coach for the Coral Springs Swim Club and coach of its National Team.

“I met Bruno Darzi after my swim practice and we talked about the upcom-

ing Olympic Trials and the London Olympics.”

From Left to Right: Emma Gómez, Vlad Polyakov and Daniela Gómez, at the Coral Springs Swim Club on the

weekend of the Michael Lohber International Invitational.In This Photo: (far right) Vladislav Polyakov, Stanislav Kuzmin,

Stanislav Ossinskiy, and Fedor Shkilyov. Kazakhstan team pose with the bronze medals won in the Men’s 4x100m Medley

Relay final during day six of the 16th Asian Games Guang-zhou 2010 at Aoti Aquatics Centre on November 18, 2010 in

Guangzhou, China. (Source: Adam Pretty/Getty Images AsiaPac) Please turn to page 15

JULY 2012 THE CIRCLE GAZETTE PAGE 11

American Female Swimmer Inspires a Generation Dara Torres

by Daniela Gómez, Age 12Margate, FL

This year, London is host-ing the 2012 Summer Olym-pic Games, or the Games of the XXX Olympiad. The motto of this year’s Olympics is “Inspire a Generation.” This is the first Summer Olympics to have no sports in which women cannot compete. This year, women’s boxing has been added to the events in the Olympics. Women first participated in the Olympics in the 1900 Summer Olympics hosted in Paris. Still today, there are some countries that have never sent a female athlete to the Olympic Games. Some are, how-ever, planning to do so this year. Dara Torres is one of the most accomplished female swimmers in the United States. She says: “It’s an honor to inspire people.” She is a five-time Olympian and a twelve-time Olympic medalist. As a female athlete, it means a lot to me to see this woman set an ex-ample of hard work and success.

At 45, Dara Torres swims five times a week, does four weight ses-sions per week, and three Ki-Hara Resistance Stretching sessions per week. Ki-Hara is a stretching technique in which two people stretch out the athlete’s muscles while they try to resist that move-ment. “It gets rid of lactic acid and soreness quickly and relaxes your muscles,” said Torres.

She trains in my club and I see her training every day. My friends and I are very excited to bump into her and we lose all concen-tration when she is swimming a lane or two away from us. A week before Olympic Trials I spoke to her and she graciously answered my questions. The first thing I wanted to know was how differ-ent she felt about going to Trials this year compared to how she felt the first time she qualified for this competition in 1984. “Now I know what to expect,” she shared. She now knows how to deal with the nerves better but she feels just as excited as she did 28 years ago. There is something that Tor-res accepts now that she didn’t when she first went to the Olym-pics. She now knows she is as fast as all those other swimmers. She accepts now that she is one of them. When she was younger she thought: “Wow! I can’t be-lieve I’m racing against all these fast swimmers!” There isn’t any-

thing that Torres has learned that she wishes she didn’t know. “All experiences, good and bad, have made me who I am.”

Torres is the author of two books. She wrote her first book, Age is Just a Number, as a story of who she really was. Her sec-ond book, Gold Medal Fitness, was written to share her train-ing experience since so many people seemed interested in how she trained. In her first book Torres said, “I’m aware that set-backs have an upside; they fuel new dreams.” Torres said to me: “setbacks make you a stronger person.” Though she doesn’t re-call one difficulty in particular that made her realize this fact, she does know that bad races and mental plateaus can teach as much as --and maybe more-- than good times and good meets. One of the worst experiences she has been through was having her coach, Michael Lohberg, pass away —“That was horrible,” she said. “One of the most trying moments of my career has been losing my coach. It has been a sad year com-ing to the pool and not finding him there.” She also had major recon-structive knee surgery and she has to be careful in her training. She cannot run anymore.

Torres has pointed out in sev-eral recent interviews that recov-ery is the biggest challenge in her training. It’s just harder for her right now than it used to be. Be-cause of that, stretching is a big

part of her training. The Ki-Hara stretching and mashing relaxes her muscles and makes her feel much better. Torres recommends

young swimmers to stretch a lot and not to underestimate the power of good warm-ups, which are, “almost as important as the actual workouts.” On a training note, Torres says that nowadays she only does a few “circuits” in her workouts. Circuits are a group of sets usually focusing on a par-ticular stroke or technique that repeat more than once. The cir-cuit is usually the main set of the practice. Torres said she used to do many more circuits when she was younger.

She shared some tips: “Choco-late milk is great post-practice drink. It provides high-quality protein and it’s easy to digest.” “It fuels your muscles,” she added. Chocolate milk helps replenish the strength in your muscles and is, of course, delicious. Drinking a cup of chocolate milk within half an hour of finishing practice is great to help muscle recovery. Torres absolutely agrees. She also thinks that bananas are a great source of potassium and she defi-nitely recommends them.

Hydration is a necessary key to swimming fast. I know that, and

yet it is hard to drink all I need to. So I asked Torres what she does to keep herself hydrated. Torres empathizes with me and says that she isn’t the kind of person who just drinks water without think-ing about it. She has to constantly remind herself to drink water and she does it, it’s just not as easy for her as it is for other people.

With regards to the future, Torres says that though she en-joys coaching and would like to experience it at some point; she feels that there is a lot at stake when you are a coach. “It’s a big responsibility to train young peo-ple.” She is not sure whether she will pursue this career.

Dara, as we call her at the pool, is a very well-known swimmer and many people have at least heard her name on TV, so a lot of strangers walk up to her and talk to her. Torres thinks that most people are just curious about her. She likes making con-versation. Yes, sometimes some-one will run up to her, ask for an autograph or a picture, and then

olympic sWimmiNG

Third olympic gAmeS for Arlene Semecoby Daniela Gómez, Age 12Margate, FL

“Take your mark….” Wait! Something felt weird. The whis-tle blew and I dived into the wa-ter; when the impact of the wa-ter hit my eyes, I realized what was weird: I had no goggles! I was racing Venezuelan two-time Olympic swimmer Arlene Sem-eco in a 50-meter Freestyle race. This is not fiction, I really raced her. But it didn’t go well. What

do you do when you lose your goggles in a race? You go on, and that’s what I did. I just sprinted to the end, seeing her in front of me, with a huge lead. My name is Daniela Gómez, I am a swim-mer, and I interviewed (and raced) Arlene Semeco. Now you know how the race went. I put two seconds on my best time. But it was exciting. Now here is how the interview went:

The last time I spoke to Sem-eco was in September, right

before the Panamerican Games in Guadalajara, Mexico. In that meet, Semeco got a 55.43 and a Bronze medal in the 100 Meters Freestyle event. Semeco says it was her best time in that event without the ankle-length body suits that were made illegal after the last Olympic Games. In this event, she swam in the first lane. She was disappointed about that, because Lane 1 is the lane seeded slowest. However, Sem-eco got satisfying results. She also broke the national record for the 4 x 100 Meters Freestyle with her relay team. She enjoyed the experience overall, even though she was unhappy with her 50-meter Freestyle event, for which her time was 25.43.

Venezuela was ranked third overall in swimming in the Pan-american Games (1st was the US and 2nd was Brazil.) Soon, the Venezuelan Olympic Team will be going to London. This is the first year that Venezuela sends a relay to the Olympics. The relay is a Men’s 400-meter Freestyle. Semeco said that Venezuela will do very well this Olympic year, especially because all the people swimming individually have the “A” cut, the highest cut you can get. Two swimmers in the Ven-ezuelan team we should look out for are, Semeco suggests, Andreina Pinto, a long-distance swimmer who will be swim-ming the 400 Meters Freestyle, the 800 Freestyle, the 200 Indi-vidual Medley (IM), and the 400 IM. She definitely has a busy meet ahead of her, but Semeco

Did You Know...… that South Florida Aquatic Club (SOFLO) is currently ranked No. 1 in the Florida Gold Coast USA Swimming Virtual Club Championship Rankings for long course. SOFLO swimmers have 162,144 points, followed by Davie Nadadores, 160,149; Metro Aquatics, 132,121; Fort Lauderdale Aquatics, 117,104 and Lake Lytal Lightning, 104,959. The championships keep track of individual and relay performances for points to recognize the top swim clubs in the nation.

Dara Torres, in training at Coral Springs Aquatic Complex a week before Olympic Trials, with Reporter Daniela Gómez.

Daniela Gómez (far) races two-time Olympic swimmer Arlene Semeco (close) for fun at the Coral Springs Swim Club. Please turn to page 15

Please turn to page 15

PAGE 12 THE CIRCLE GAZETTE JULY 2012

From Red to Nationalsby Audrey Mason, Age 14Parkland, FL

I have been swimming for the Coral Springs Swim Club (CSSC) for the last seven years, moving through the levels starting with Red group, and now I swim with the National team. Moving up to Nationals seems like a really big deal, considering you are now in the top group on our team, with Dara Torres, one of the fastest swimmers in the world, but in reality, it’s not so different from the other groups within CSSC. Of course, the workouts are harder and the people are very different, but after you get used to it, you fit in perfectly.

First, the people. Our group ranges from 12-year-olds to 44- year-olds, but age doesn’t really matter to us. We have exchange

students from Germany, swim-mers from Saudi Arabia, Kazakh-stan, Kuwait, and many other places around the globe, but a lot of us are still from Florida. Every-one gets along very well, although in some cases, the only thing we have in common is swimming. Everyone is different, either by age, heritage or ability, and that is what makes our group so unique from the rest of the groups. The practices are definitely a big step up from Blue group, or any other group, but Coach Bruno usually starts us out slow so that we can adjust to being in this group. Af-ter being on Nationals for almost a year, I only started swimming the full workout about a month or two ago, and by then, I was com-pletely prepared. The workouts are usually about 6000-7000 me-ters, in the long course pool, but

before that, we do an hour of dry-land. We do a different dryland set each day, sometimes going in the gym, and sometimes stay-ing in the woodroom. The type of practice varies; sometimes we swim sprints for time, and some-times we have a set so long that it takes up the whole practice. Ei-ther way, the practices are about 2 ½ hours long, and by the time we are finished, I’m usually so tired I want to fall asleep in the car on the way home. That doesn’t mat-ter, though, because we have fun, too. Sometimes, after Saturday practice, Coach Bruno takes us all to breakfast, or sometimes, on the days when we have more en-ergy, we all jump off of the diving boards. Swim meets are fun too, when you know you have some-one to sit with, and to watch your swim, or sometimes, to be in the

lane right next to you, pushing you to go even faster.

At first, it might be a little bit hard to adjust to the new group, but soon, the team welcomes you, and you feel like a part of a family. Moving up to Nationals

helped me to make new friends, to become a little more mature, and of course, to become a better swimmer. Anyone nervous about moving to Nationals has nothing to be scared of, because we wel-come anyone from anywhere.

WHO IS MISSY FRANKLIN?by Isabella Pittinger, Age 12Parkland, FL

Missy Franklin is a 17-year-old Olym-pic hopeful from Colorado. Being one of the youngest, she has a lot of pressure on her competing against swimmers with more experience and more training. She started swimming at age 7 and did not always love practice; sometimes Missy would sit out during a set of timed 50’s.

She is from a less fortunate club that doesn’t even have its own pool --the team has to rent out lanes in order for them to train! Missy achieved her first Olympic Trials time at age 12, and came in 39th in the 50 meter freestyle at the 2008 Olym-pic Trials. Currently, she holds the world record in the 200 meter backstroke.

Missy is a favorite to win because of the type of club she is coming from, and because of her young age and cheerful spirit. We all wish her the best!

Divers: Masters of the Air and Waterby Emma Gómez, Age 8Margate, FL

I’d like to share my interview with Ivan Bondarenko. He is the Head Coach and Pro-gram Director of the Coral Springs Diving Club (CSDC). He shares this responsibility with his twin brother Dennis.

Ivan got into diving as a very young boy. He was jumping around in the pool when he was in swim lessons and his coach told his parents that he should try the diving classes. He tried it and liked it a lot. He started diving when he was seven years old. Ivan and his brother Dennis are from Kazakhstan and they have been diving for more than 18 years. They both were part of the National Olympic Team of the Re-public of Kazakhstan. Ivan represented his country as a diver in many competitions in Europe, Asia and North America.

Ivan enjoyed sharing his experience with younger divers and has been coaching for more than 15 years. He has coached in Kazakhstan, in Maryland and now here in South Florida. He has been at CSDC since 2011. The CSDC is part of the Florida Gold Coast Diving Association and of the USA Diving and Amateur Athletic Union.

The week of June 17 to June 24, the best 119 American divers met in Seattle at the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials. That’s the week I met Ivan. He coached two divers attending the trials and knows many more. He recommended his current divers to fol-low the event because at the end of that meet the US Olympic Team would rise. That’s the team that we will see this month in London.

Diving is a sport where the athlete has to have complete control over his or her body to do the basic jumps and flips. To me this sport is a combination between gymnastics and falling. Ivan mentioned that part of the workouts for his older group of kids in-volves leaning hand stands, flips and back bends and summersaults.

Ivan’s approach includes training his older divers off the higher platforms. “I would put the experienced divers directly to work on the 5 meter platform,” he said. He likes his divers to feel challenged. Ivan’s approach to take young divers into a higher level of performance is to give them

a lot of practice and dryland training. The dryland includes jumping off the dry board and the trampolines. On the dryboards they practice what they would do on the spring-boards (1 and 3 meters) and on the trampo-lines they practice balance. They also work with a harness on the trampoline to learn the flips. It looks like a lot of fun when I see them.

To keep his divers motivated Ivan talks to them about diving and about how fun it is and how much the skills they develop will help them in lots of other sports.

At the 2012 Olympic Games, Ivan thinks the Chinese team will do very well. He is keeping an eye on Cassidy Cook, a girl that started diving at CSDC and later moved to Texas and also on Mike Mosca whom he coached in Maryland.

Ivan has a good time working with his twin brother. He says that it’s like talking to himself but to another person at the same time. If you visit the Coral Springs Aquatic Complex to check out the diving program, you might not recognize Ivan from Dennis.

I enjoyed meeting Ivan Bondarenko and had fun knowing more about div-ing. I will be following the Olympics this month and I’ll be very attentive to people springing off boards and jump-ing gracefully from high platforms.

For more information about the Cor-als Springs Diving Club visit their web-site at www.coralspringsdiveclub.us or call 954-345-2121.

olympic summer

“Everyone is different, either by age, heritage or ability, and that is what makes our group so unique from the rest of the groups.”

Head Coach Ivan Bondarenko.

Missy Franklin . Photo Courtesy of the Washington Post.

Did You Know...… that Missy Franklin currently holds the world record in the 200-meter back-

stroke (short course) and the American record in the 100 and 200-meter backstroke (long course)? Melissa Jeanette Franklin has been coached by Todd Schmitz from the Colorado Stars club team since she was 7 years old.

“For myself, losing is not coming second. It’s getting out of the water knowing you could have done better. For myself, I have won every race I’ve been in.”

~ Ian Thorpe

JULY 2012 THE CIRCLE GAZETTE PAGE 13

Did You Know...

When I’m in the Olympicsby Delaney Biro, Age 10Coral Springs, FL

My dream is to go to the Olympics be-cause I have been swimming for a long time. Five whole years! My brother knew how to swim and that’s when I decided I wanted to be a competitive swimmer. I swam to my stars in the wall of my pool 500 times to teach myself to swim. When I got old enough to swim at the Swim America Program, I did well and I moved up fast. I entered the Coral Springs Swim Club and I was in Red Group when I was 5

years old. I swam in Red group for 2 years until I got strong in all my strokes. When I was 7 years old I moved up to the next level: Green Group. I started participating in Siz-zler Meets (swim competitions that are for swimmers 8 and under) and often got first place and ribbons. Later on I moved up to White group. I was so excited. I was finally 8 years old. I stopped doing Sizzler Meets.

In my first big Swim Meet I got first place and my first medal. When I was nine I moved up to Blue Group (the higher level age group team). I was young to move up to Blue group.

I’ve had a lot of coaches. We get new coaches when we move up or when one has to take the place of another one. Last year I got a coach named Vlad Polyakov. He is an Olympic swimmer. He is trying for the 2012 Olympic Games. This would be his third Olympics. Vlad inspired me in my Olympic dreams. I hope my dream comes true. I want to inspire people too.

olympic summerDIALOGUE BOXMeet Catherine Cooper

Cathy is her nickname and she is a stellar competitive swimmer. This spring she ranked among the top 5 girl swimmers for 50-meter Freestyle in the United States in her age group. She is 12 years old and lives in Coral Springs. Last year, Cathy ranked #16 in the na-tion for the same event. Besides being at the pool, Cathy enjoys many things, and reading and writing are among the top activities she would rather spend her time on. Her favorite movie is Just Go with It with Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler and her favorite song is Ai Se Eu Te Pego, interpreted by Brazilian artist Michel Teló. She is a health-aware girl and eats well. She loves to eat mozza-rella and tomato Panini.

Of the holidays and festivals of the year, Cathy favors Christmas.

She regrets when she is lazy over the summer. She doesn’t like to do the dishes and when she has not completed her chores at home, her best excuse is: “I forgot!” Cathy is a straight-A student and if she ever misses turning in her homework on time it is because she “left it at home.”

Cathy would really like to meet Olym-pic swimmer Maritza Correia, the first Puerto Rican of African descent to make the USA Olympic Swimming Team. Most of Cathy’s friends would be sur-prised to know that her heritage is His-panic, her family being from Panama.

From the fiction world, Cathy would love to meet Aria Montgomery, a char-acter from the young-adult novel series Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard. Cathy thinks Aria stands out for “being

different from everyone.”When she was little, Cathy dreamed of

becoming a veterinarian. Now she wants to be a pediatrician. Cathy defines her-self as unique, radiant and smart.

Cathy Cooper, born in Philadelphia, is a 7th Grader at Ramblewood Middle School. Her goal for this Olympic sum-mer is to drop her time in 50 meter Free-style from 28.95 to 27 seconds. Cathy swims with the South Florida Aquatic Club (SOFLO) at Coral Springs.

Cathy defines herself as unique, radiant and smart.

“I hope my dream comes true. I want to inspire people too.”

My brother knew how to swim and that’s when I decided I wanted to be

a competitive swimmer.

“Olympic Rings” Oil pastels on paper by Sofia Serrano, Age 6, Frankfurt, Germany

… that London will become the first city to officially host the modern Olympic Games three times? This city also hosted the Olympic Games in 1908 and in 1948.

… that the Olympic symbol, better known as the Olympic rings, consists of five intertwined rings and represents the unity of the five inhabited continents (America, Africa, Asia, Australia and Europe)? The colors of the rings — blue, yellow, black, green, and red — over a white field, forms the Olympic flag. These colors were chosen because every nation had at least one of them on its national flag. The Olympic motto is Citius, Altius, Fortius. This Latin expression means: “Faster, Higher, Stronger.”

… that months before each Games, the Olympic flame is lit in Olympia in a ceremony that reflects ancient Greek rituals? A female performer, acting as a priestess, ignites a torch by placing it inside a parabolic mirror which focuses the sun’s rays; she then lights the torch of the first relay bearer, thus initiating the Olympic torch relay that will carry the flame to the host city’s Olympic stadium, where it plays an important role in the opening ceremony.

… that the Paralympic Games are a major international multi-sport event where athletes with a physical disability compete? These games include athletes with mobility disabilities, amputations, blindness, and cerebral palsy. There are Winter and Summer Paralympic Games, which are held immediately following their respective Olympic Games. “Spirit in Motion” is the motto for the Paralympic movement. The symbol for the Paralympics contains three colors, red, blue, and green, which are the colors most widely represented in the flags of nations. The colors are each in the shape of an Agito (which is Latin for “I move”). The three Agitos circle a central point, which symbolizes the athletes congregating from all points of the globe.

… that the Olympic mascots for the 2012 Olympic Games in London are called Mandeville and Wenlock. Mandeville is the blue one and Wenlock is the golden one. They were named after two towns in England that were hosts of forerunner versions of the modern Olympic and Paralympic Games.

… that if there would have been no interruptions of the Olympic Games from ancient times to today, we’d be celebrating the 698th Olympic games this year? The most widely accepted date for the inception of the Ancient Olympics is 776 BC.

PAGE 14 THE CIRCLE GAZETTE JULY 2012

Coaching PhylosophyIn my quest for understanding the amaz-

ing success of the United States in the Olympics, ranking #1 in the all-time medal count with a total of 2,302 medals, out of which 929 are gold, I took a look at how coaching philosophy and community sup-port impact American sports.

I witness the same intensity in volun-teer and non-volunteer coaches at sports like swimming, soccer, baseball, softball, football, and basketball. There is league after league of organized sporting events for kids of all ages. I hear it from parents everywhere: “We are so lucky; my kid has a great coach.” Of course we know that a “good coach” can mean different things to different people, but trends indicate that those coaches whose philosophy is one of empowerment by positive interaction and modeling, one of constructing self-esteem and confidence, one of understanding developmental timetables, one of estab-lishing healthy physical and mental chal-lenges, are the most effective in bringing forth successful and balanced athletes. The same trends indicate that when coaches use more forceful and negative approaches, kids quit or lose motivation and programs fail according to the Center for Kids FIRST in Sports.

One of my personal favorite insights into a coach’s mind was from a conversa-tion with swim Coach Chris Jackson from Coral Springs. Jackson has more than 11 years of experience coaching swimmers of all ages. He coaches the Masters pro-gram (swimmers ages 18 to 99) and the very competitive Senior I team (swimmers ages 13 to 18) at CSSC. He was explaining how young swimmers’ performance is al-ways in a constant state of change. “When

a particular skill is finally mastered, three other ones will become out of tune and when those three get fixed, the original one will get messed up again,” Jackson said. That paradoxical situation didn’t seem to rattle Jackson. He said, “as a coach you have to expect it, and the challenge is to help the swimmers understand that it is going to happen.” Then he added, “It is how we handle those ups and downs that makes a difference.”

In 2008, the United States sent 596 ath-letes to Beijing (310 men and 286 wom-en), and competed in 27 out of 28 Olym-pic sports (the U.S. did not participate in the team handball tournament in Beijing). This year, for the 30th Olympiad, the Unit-ed States will be represented by a similar amount of amazing athletes from all disci-plines. Those athletes evolved and grew in this American system of organized sports. Swimming in their neighborhood pool, playing in their local field. They’ve grown from beginners into world class athletes thanks to hard work, determination and the support and constancy of the right coaches with the right philosophy.

Give it up for those who sit on a bench or stand on a deck, hours on end, guiding and challenging themselves to be an instrument of success for young people.

What athletes say about their coaches

“When my coach (Michael Lohberg) got sick and then passed away, I tried to con-vince myself that I had learned a lot from him and that I could continue to coach my-self. I’ve worked hard but I have missed that person looking over the strategy and having the vision. When you have a coach he takes care of that, you just have to fo-cus on your part: working hard. I believe that one cannot get to the pinnacle of one’s career without that psychological support that a coach can give.” – Vlad Polyakov

“One of the most trying moments of my career has been losing my coach (Lo-hberg). It has been a sad year coming to the pool and not finding him there.” - Dara Torres

“In my senior year of high school, my coach could not be with me. In that last race, I wasn’t sure I would be able to get the time I wanted. When I stood on the block I looked up to find my mom and right next to her I saw him. He had come to see me swim. He was there for me. I heard his whistle through the race and I got the time I wanted.”- Matt Jordan

Volunteer Work Taken to the Next LevelThe seamless organization that makes a

swim meet or a baseball or softball tourna-ment possible is the effort of many people, 95% of whom are volunteers. The govern-ing organizations for each sport provide guidelines, standards and regulations. They also provide training and certifica-tion programs for coaches and officials. These organizations provide the founda-tion on which clubs around the country op-erate. However, in many children’s sport-ing competitions, the only paid people are the coaches. Who are these volunteers and why do they do it? They are parents. Par-ents who dedicate many unpaid hours to supporting their children’s interests

I’ve spoken to a few volunteers at dif-ferent arts and sporting events in search of those ulterior motives that move them to participate. Across the board, the senti-ment of appreciating and supporting the hard work of children and their coaches or teachers seems to prevail.

Beth Wilkerson has been a USA Swim-ming Official for more than 12 years. She is the Head Referee at the Coral Springs Swim Club (CSSC). As I discovered, of-ficiating can be a full time occupation. To perform this position she has undergone many hours of training, year after year. On a competition weekend she is the first one to arrive at the pool and among the last ones to leave. During a regular two-day meet, she can easily put in 13 hours of work per day. This time does not include the administrative preparation of the meet documents that starts months before the meet takes place. Wilkerson describes her experience as a rewarding one. She works with a great team of people and her love for the sport is fueled after every event. She got involved through volunteering for the club when her children were young. Her oldest son is now in college, her daughter

(15) still swims at CSSC. Wilkerson’s job is not just about being prepared to call on situations that can disqualify a swimmer in a race. It is about overseeing that the whole meet is run to standards; that fair condi-tions are set so the swimmers can have the best chance. “Children and coaches work so hard every day,” said Wilkerson. “With what I do, I intend to honor that hard work and support it.” Wilkerson has had exciting adventures and has officiated at national meets where top swimmers such as Phelps, Lochte and Beisel have swum. From the oldest and most accomplished swimmers to the youngest, Wilkerson says she enjoys witnessing “their joy when they get the time they were looking for.” As a parent and as an official, Wilkerson rec-

ommends other parents find ways to get involved in their children’s pursuits and volunteering is a great way to do it. It al-lows parents an opportunity to be involved while keeping the distance that will allow the coaches and kids to work indepen-dently. “I believe there is nothing a par-ent can do to make a child faster or to make him want to practice more,” said Wilkerson. “It has to come from within.” Wilkerson is a full time working mother and business owner.

Speaking with other volunteers, I discov-ered further reasons that nourish parents’ participation as volunteers. “My daugh-ter’s eyes lit up when she heard I was con-sidering getting involved at her club,” said Thania Cooper, an accountant who for the last two years has served as the treasurer on the Board of Directors at the Coral Springs Swim Club. That sealed the deal for her. As a working mother, she was happy to find a way to connect with her daughter’s athletic life beyond the dropping off and picking up. “It’s a lot of work,” she added. “But the more I get to know what the club is about and what they do for our children, the more I want to do it,” Cooper said.

Finally, under heavy rain and wearing uncomfortable ponchos, I met Mary Lin-coln, Head Timer for CSSC. She had two stop-watches around her neck, one in each hand, her eyes attentive to the starter. I asked her about her reasons for volunteer-ing. She was in sync with the reasons other volunteers gave, but she also mentioned a new dimension. “With my volunteer work, I hope to model a community building at-titude for my daughter.” It takes a village.

Barbara Venkataraman, a lawyer and author, is a very active volunteer at the Fort Lauderdale Children’s Theater. To the question of “why do you do this?” she said, “I enjoy my regular work, but it’s so re-

freshing to come to the theater to help. It’s so different from what I do for a living. I feel great doing this.”

Volunteering is, as Wilkerson would say, “about giving back.” Rain or shine com-mitted parents show up with their kids to practice, for competitions, and to volun-teer, giving children the opportunity to be active, healthy and acquire life time skills.

All-Time Medal Standings

Nation Gold Silver Bronze Total

United States

929 731.5 641.5 2302

USSR

440 357 325 1122

Great Britain

208.5 258.5 257.5 725.5

Germany

195.5 222 241 658.5

France

192 209 231 632

elemeNts to success: coaches aNd commuNity support

731.5 silver medals and 641.5 bronze medals? Can one get half a medal? It turns out that in early Olympic

Games, teams could be formed with athletes from different countries as in the case of the 1900 tennis mixed dou-bles team formed by American Marion

Jones and Lawrence Doherty from the United Kingdom. The team got a Bronze medal in the 1900 Paris Olym-pics. That meant half a bronze medal

for each of their countries!

“It is how we handle those ups and downs that makes a difference.”

Coach Chris Jackson

“Beth Wilkerson (Left): “Volunteering is about giving back.”

“I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my ca-reer. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”

~ Michael Jordan

A Word from the Editor

by Patty GómezEditor-in-Chief

JULY 2012 THE CIRCLE GAZETTE PAGE 15

olympic sWimmiNGA Conversation with an Olympic Swimmer The Thoughts of Vlad Polyakov

by Emma and Daniela GómezContinued from page 11leave. She doesn’t mind, but it doesn’t

happen that often. Most of the time, she feels people want to know her better.

This five-time Olympian doesn’t have a particular favorite when it comes to racing suits. She thinks that a person shouldn’t spend too much time putting on and worry-ing over suits.

Almost in unison with all the accom-plished swimmers I have the pleasure of speaking with, Torres thinks everyone has plateaus and moments when you work hard and it doesn’t seem like you’re progress-ing. Eventually though, “that stage will pass if you keep working hard and pushing through,” she said.

In Dara’s opinion, the three elements that are necessary to be a successful swim-mer are hard work, dedication, and sacri-fice. Balancing her family life with her life at the pool isn’t an easy thing, but Torres looks up to other parents for guidance on how to balance the two and she has been

very successful.Torres says that throughout this week,

the week before Trials, she hasn’t been thinking much about going to London or Omaha. She has been really relaxing a lot and enjoying her tapered practices. She doesn’t want to be stressed out the week before one of the most important swim meets of this year.

I walked in the gym with my camera and my friend Hannah, who had volunteered to take a picture of Dara Torres and me. We walked inside in a sort of uncertain way since neither of us is old enough to actually be allowed in the gym. I was about to ask at the front desk if the Olympian was there when she came walking out. We greeted each other and I noticed the pink shirt she was wearing with the Miami Heat symbol on it as she posed for her picture. “I like your shirt!” I said with a smile. Wait until I tell my coach that Dara Torres supports the Heat too… You can be sure I’ll be glued to the TV on Sunday July 1 watching Dara Torres race her 50-meter freestyle.

Third olympic gAmeS for Arlene Semecoby Daniela GómezContinued from page 11says she has good chances of making fi-nals. The other one is Albert Subirats who is swimming the 100 Meters Butterfly and also has a good chance of making finals.

Semeco qualified for the Venezuelan Olympic Team almost a year ago. She thinks being qualified so far in advance is an amazing thing. She can focus on just training hard for the Olympics. She doesn’t have the stress of having to make the cut. She doesn’t have to taper for every qualifying meet either. The hard training makes her stronger and more prepared for London. “It is a huge mental advantage,” she said. Speaking of going to London, Semeco has really enjoyed watching the US Swimming Olympic Tri-als. Semeco was at home, eating pasta for dinner on Monday, June 25 and the Trials were about to begin. Suddenly, she be-came very nervous, as if she was about to swim an important race. She told herself to calm down and sit down to watch the meet. She watched the 400 IM in which Ryan Lochte beat Michael Phelps. That event has been her favorite in the Trials by the time we met. She also really loved watching 17-year-old Missy Franklin race. Semeco thinks that Franklin is very fast and that her 100 Meters Backstroke was amazing. In that event, Franklin not only got to race against her hero, Natalie Coughlin, but she broke Coughlin’s re-cord. “It was nerve-wracking,” said Sem-eco. Franklin and Coughlin also competed again in the 100 Meters Freestyle finals, both making the Olympic Team, Franklin finishing 2nd and Coughlin 6th.

Before the Olympics start, Semeco will not even get to travel to her home country for a while; instead, she will go straight to Barcelona to meet the rest of the Olym-pic Team before they go to London. Her teammates will already have been in Bar-

celona for a while doing some altitude training. But Semeco won’t do altitude training because she’s only swimming two sprint events.

Mental preparation is huge. Semeco’s mindset is: “just concentrate and have fun.” She thinks that the more you enjoy yourself, the faster times you get. At the 2008 Olympics, she had been too busy worrying about her injured shoulder to enjoy just being in the Olympics as much as she would like. The first time she went, in Athens (2004), Semeco was just re-ally nervous because she was new to everything there. “Knowing what to ex-pect is a great advantage,” Semeco ex-plained. She doesn’t think that there are any disadvantages to having two Olym-pic experiences, except perhaps that she is older now. Recovery is also different than it was eight years ago. Semeco says

this is possibly the last time she com-petes in the Olympics. She has no par-ticular expectations of herself this year except to do her absolute best.

This Olympian is working toward her Master’s Degree in nutrition but swim-ming gets in the way of her internship and so she will take a few months off from swimming after the summer to finish her Master’s and will try to get a job during that time. She wants to be a dietitian so she can help educate young athletes about the importance of good eating. Semeco thinks that a lot of athletes overlook the importance of healthy eating because they think they can just burn all the calories in workouts. What those athletes don’t realize, is that while they might burn the calories, they won’t get all the nutrients and vitamins they need for their bodies to function properly in a McDonald’s burger.

Semeco says that her personal experience with being an athlete and having to deal with choosing the right foods will impact people better than simply learning all about diets in books. Semeco adds that no dietitian, no matter how good, who has never stepped on the field or in the court, will ever know how hungry an athlete can get during and/or after a workout. Semeco wants to work with the swimmers of the Coral Springs Swim Club when she be-comes a dietitian.

Swimmers of all ages who train at the Coral Springs Aquatic Complex see and talk to Olympic swimmers on a daily basis. It is extraordinary to train next to a swimmer who has world records and Olympic medals. I sat with my friend as I wrote this article and here is what she has to say about this. “Hi, my name is Julie Mason [11] and I love being able to swim around Olympic swimmers. I am always around people like Dara Tor-res, Arlene Semeco, Vlad Polyakov, and many more. They encourage and inspire me. I love watching them swim in real life. It has definitely helped me become a better swimmer.”

Earlier in the day, during my Olympic race, I took a breath, saw the flags and thought of my practiced sprint finishes. I put my head down and forgot about breathing and slammed my hand into the wall. I looked up, tired but happy. I heard my time, not a very good one. But it didn’t matter. Arlene and I stayed in the water for a while chatting about lost goggles. We swam back to the other end and got out. We took pictures and I thanked her for the interview and the race as I left.

When I got to the car I realized some-thing else. I had forgotten my flip-flops on the pool deck. I forget my shoes, my gog-gles and my cap, many times. But I never forget experiences. I will never forget rac-ing Arlene Semeco.

by working hard through those bad sea-sons one can eventually get out of them. This happened to him twice when he was around 11 or 12 and later, when he was between 15 and 16 years old.

Polyakov is not just a swimmer. He is also a coach. He coached the White and Blue groups at the Coral Springs Swim Club before he started training for his third Olympics. At the 2012 Coral Springs Swim Club annual banquet, he said that his young swimmers inspired him to try again. He explained that the dedication that his swimmers showed made him discover a new mindset that helped him get faster than before. Polyakov also said that his training approach was different this time and that has helped.

The motto for this year’s Olympics is “Inspire a Generation.” Polyakov thinks that “These Olympics will serve as a great example to younger children.” Polyakov wants this Olympic year to help people realize that when they try something, “they have to give 100% effort, not just 40% or 60%...I want people to give them-selves a shot,” Polyakov said. He thinks

that people shouldn’t quit because of one small mistake, or one bad race. And even if things don’t work out, you have to always keep trying to do your best, in whatever you do.

It seems like Vlad Polyakov with his work ethics and enthusiasm is inspiring generations right now. He has the abil-ity to inspire young people to succeed in whatever they are working on. We met this Olympic swimmer on a rainy, drea-ry Sunday. It was a week before the US Swimming Olympic Trials and right after the first session of the Michael Lohberg International Invitational Swim Meet. We had a great time talking about swim-ming, a sport that all of us love.

“Semeco’s mindset is: “just concentrate and have fun.” She thinks that the more you enjoy yourself, the faster times you get.“

American Female Swimmer Inspiresby Daniela GómezContinued from page 11

“...the dedication that his swimmers showed made him discover a new

mindset that helped him get faster than before.”

“You can’t put a limit on anything. The more you dream, the farther you get.”

~ Michael Phelps

Did You Know...“Dara Torres is a twelve-time Olympic medalist and theonly American swimmer to compete in five Olympics.Torres prepared for the 2012 Olympic Trials, 28 yearsafter she made her first Olympic appearance. Torres is, together with Jenny Thompson, the most decorated Americanwoman in her sport. She is already the oldest female swimmer ever to compete in the Games. Dara Torres is a mother and an author.”

PAGE 16 THE CIRCLE GAZETTE JULY 2012

Swimming the 100 IM*by Julie Mason, Age 11Parkland, FL

You look at the board, That is when you realize it is time to get ready to swim.You find your cap and goggles and quickly put them on, You run to your lane and line up behind the block. The heat in front of you is making their last turn!Then you hear the whistle, It gets your attention.Next comes the long whistle, You step up on the block and it is still wet from the swimmer before you.The official says, “Take Your Mark.” You bend down to grab the block and get in your stance,BEEP!!!! ! ! ! ! ! !You’re off with butterfly to start, You bring your hands up and out of the water.You start your kick with both feet going up and down,You keep your stroke in a nice steady pace. You don’t want to die on the first lap!You do your two-hand touch, Next is backstroke.Your arms go around in fast circles as you stare at the white puffy clouds,At the same time your legs kick and push you forward.You now touch the wall with one hand,And push off into your breaststroke underwater pullout.First arms,Then legs.You come up out of the water,And start your stroke.You swim like a frog,Suddenly you push ahead of everyone but one person.Two-hand touch and breaststroke is over,Now the final lap, freestyle.You try to sprint,But you are just so tired.Everyone is cheering,You build up all your strength for the last half a lap. You see the wall getting closer and closer,Then you slam your hand into the wall,You look to your left and to your right.You see everyone else just coming into the wall,That is when you realize you won!It took all your strength,But it was worth it.As the next heat dives in,You drag yourself out of the water.Suddenly you are surrounded by people congratulating you.That was an amazing race!

Natureby Emma Gómez, Age 8Margate, FL

Leaves rustle,Ants creep,Squirrels scamper,Whirling winds,Tall trees,Wide lakes.Nature is pretty.

Readingby Emma Gómez, Age 8

Margate, FL

A book in my hands,Letters flutter through my brain,A thousand words there must be.

With hours and hours worth of books,Reading is awesome.

Runningby Chyna Tucker, Age 15Coral Springs, FL

The start is the hardest:Gaining momentum,Building courage.The time,The distance.

Wind against your skin,Through your hair.Frustration in your thighsIn your calvesBreathing: in-and-outIn-and-out.

No teammates.Almost there.Sprint to the finish?Competition intensifies,But the line appears.

Finish.Winning,Running.

The Parkby Logan Shield, Age 12Coral Springs, FL

In the park you hearPeople walking around

In the park you hearChildren playing tag

In the park you hearChildren screaming

In the park you hearYour mom saying: “Time to go honey!”

“Olympic Race” Mixed media (colored pencil, marker, and acrylic paint) on canvas by Sofia Serrano, Age 6 Frankfurt,

Germany

“Breaststroking” Watercolors on paper. Anonymous.

*IM stands for Individual Medley and it refers to an swimming event that involves an equal amount of laps of each of the four swimming strokes in the following order: Butterfly, Backstroke, Breaststroke and Freestyle. That order is known as the IM order.

JULY 2012 THE CIRCLE GAZETTE PAGE 17

Ms. JongAn Biography Poem

by Maria Betancourt, Age 13Weston, FL

WaverlyMischievous, rebellious, young, dreamerDaughter of Mr. and Mrs. Jong.Lover of freedom, happiness, adventureWho feels trapped in Chinatown, independent when defying mother and frustrated with rulesWho gives respect, determination, wit.Who would like to see the world, her inner strength and her mother transformedWho lives in Chinatown, San Francisco.Jong

WaverlyA Biography Poem

by Carlo Capulong, Age 13Weston, FL

WaverlyEmbarrassed, unique, powerful, intelligentDaughter of Lindo JongLover of chess, salted plums and lifesavers.Who feels restrained with mom, thankful during holidays and used in the family.Who gives pep, attitude and inspiration.Who fears Ms. Jong, a lost chess game, and dark alleysWho would like to see America, peace with her mom, and harmony with her brothers.Who lives in a two bedroom flat above a Chinese bakery.Jong

Who am I?by Maria Betancourt, Age 13Weston, FL

San Francisco, ChinatownFlats, Alleys, Fish marketFragrant beans, pungent leaves, chicken crescentCrowded streets, customers shouting, kids shrieking with laughterTourists, kids, lau po, families, old Li, Vicent, Mrs. JongShe learned how to play chess and she challenged the Chinese culture.She learned how to play chess and she challenged the Chinese culture.Waverly played chess, her opponent was two angry black slitsBlack deep eyes, wise, strict, tough, proud, powerfulThe truth “strongest wind cannot be seen”Why she is not good enoughThere are not escape routes in real life.

Shades of Pinkby Sumayyah Shareef, Age 12Miramar, FL

Pink is the feeling of cold pink lemonade in your stomach.Pink is the newest bloom in spring.Pink is the sound of birds singing merrily Pink is the taste of sweet Laffy Taffy.Pink is the sound of laughter.Pink is the taste of a raindrop on your tongue.Pink is the feeling of running through the grass barefoot.Pink is the sound of humming.Pink is the color of coral.Pink is the smell of fresh watermelon.Pink is the feeling of making someone smile.Pink is the color of rosy cheeks.Pink is the smell of strawberries.Pink is the feeling of joy.Pink is the color of love.Pink is the sound of shouting, singing, and whistling.And Pink is a color of joy and sweetness.

“Black and White Meets Color” Mixed media on paper by Dan-iela Gómez, Age 12, Margate, FL

Did You Know... … that Waverly Jong is a character from the best-selling novel The Joy Luck Club (1989) written by Amy Tan. This book focuses on four Chinese American immigrant families in San Francisco, California who start a club known as “the Joy Luck Club,” playing the Chinese game of mahjong for money while feasting on a variety of foods.

Black and White Meets Color

by Daniela Gómez, Age 12Margate, FL

Suddenly too bright, too vividA spark of this, a hint of thatI wish I were awake to live it

To ask, what’s this? and what is that?

I am made from shades of grey,Some white here and a bit of black there

And I feel like shouting “Hey!”“To find this color I must go where?”

Folded into one green colorLive so many endless shades!

Oh! how strange is my grey pallorAgainst these winds of bright,

these waves!

Flying through a diamond sky,Chirping birds with pinks and

bluesEven though it’s just a lie,

I would love to believe it too.

I know that I must wake up soonBut I wish this continued foreverI open my eyes and color floods

the moonI will never forget this, never…

PAGE 18 THE CIRCLE GAZETTE JULY 2012

by Isabella Torbar, Age 11Caracas, Venezuela

When I woke up, I heard the sound of the majestic birds that I usually see in the mornings at my house. I opened my eyes and looked around; I was shocked to know that I wasn’t in my or-dinary house. There were trees everywhere. I couldn’t believe my eyes. I had never seen such a magical place. Then I remem-bered the picture from the war my brother died in. The background looked just like this forest, but, I would never know for sure if this was the forest he died in.

I walked curiously through the forest. I had never been in a place like this one before. Suddenly I saw a mysterious light peeking from behind the trees. My mind went blank. The only thing I knew was that it wasn’t the sun, from the way it didn’t damage my eyes when I looked at it. I was suspicious . . . . “Where will that light lead me to?” I asked myself. A while later I decided to start my journey to follow that light. After all, that was the only choice I had -- I couldn’t just stay there hoping for someone to come pick me up.

As I walked through the forest, I learned more and more about

nature. I walked for hours follow-ing the light; my bare feet were started to hurt, so I took a deep breath, and sat on a tree stump. I was thirsty and tired. I thought I could not take a step further, but I had to. I sat for a few more minutes on the tree stump re-membering everything that had happened that crazy morning. I lay back on the tree stump resting my eyes, although, unexpectedly, I felt an uncomfortable object on my back. I opened my eyes and realized it was the necklace I had given to my brother so he could always remember me before that horrible war where he was killed. My mind lit up with many rea-sons, but I didn’t know which one was the correct one.

“Now I have proof that my brother might have died here,” I thought. But I was still thinking about why I had even woken up in this magical forest.

I looked up and saw the wind brushing through the trees’ leaves. A storm was approaching. I jumped up from the tree stump and rushed towards the mysteri-ous light. Each time I took a step forward I felt I was nearly there. I could already feel the heavy tears coming down from the clouds. So I accelerated my step.

When at last, after the never-

ending journey I had walked, I finally arrived at the bright light, it appeared to be a locked door which glimmered and shined. I tried to open it, but it was too hard. My hands got tired, so I de-cided to search for a key to open the door.

I looked everywhere. I couldn’t find it. I looked under a rock, and there it was, lying on the floor. It was almost as bright as the door.

I picked it up from the ground, and realized it said ‘key to the truth.’ I was desperate to know what was inside this suspicious door, and I was just seconds away from knowing the truth.

I carefully placed the key in-side the lock, and twisted it around. The door opened itself, I looked inside, and all I could see was a table with chairs, and a man sitting in one. The man had his back turned to me, not even knowing I was there. The man had ripped clothes and he looked strangely familiar. Suddenly, the man turned his head and looked up at me with teary eyes. It was my brother! I felt butterflies in-side my tummy. I just couldn’t believe it.

My brother got up from the chair and rushed to hug me, and the only thing he managed to say was “I missed you.”

Walking AloneEpisode I by Jadzia Escoto, Age 11Coral Springs, FL

I listened as the leaves un-der my feet crunched with my weight. I looked at the golden leaves scatter in the chilly wind that passed by. I let my mind wander. I tucked my hair behind my ear and hugged myself. I looked at my black gloves with a big white snowflake pattern. I tugged my kitty hat tighter on my head. I felt the soft fake fur of my kitty cap I bought a while back. I wiggled my feet in my black knee-high boots. I walked along the golden leaf-covered walkway that snaked its way through the park. I looked up at the clear gray sky.

I watched my breath dance in the air. I marched along; I didn’t pay attention to the flock of birds migrating. I didn’t smile at the laughing children playing on the seesaw. I wasn’t curious as I glanced at two dark shadows in the trees. I just marched along. One step in front of another. One. Two. One. Two. I glanced at my watch. The sun was start-ing to go down. I turned around and walked home.

I didn’t bother to notice peo-ple saying excuse me as they bumped into me to get across the street. I didn’t bother to listen to the cars honking at me to hurry up. I felt like I was in my own world. People talk-ed and chatted around me. Car engines rumbled. Basketballs hit concrete. But all I heard was silence.

My hair escaped from my cap. I shuffled along. I walked across the lawn and dug my keys from my coat. I fumbled with my keys and ended up having to take off my gloves to open the door. I stumbled into

the doorway. I closed the door behind me and breathed in the warm, musty air.

I shed my clothes; I put my gray coat on the hook along with my kitty hat. I brought my boots and gloves to my room and collapsed on my bed. I barely blinked before I heard someone walking up to the front door and softly knock. Knock, knock, knock. I rolled over and fell onto the floor. The knocking on the door got more desperate. I rushed down the stairs and peeked through the window. I opened the door.

A man stood there. I stepped back. He took a step closer. I tried closing the door. He put his foot and blocked the door. He stepped closer to me and al-lowed himself inside. I took an-other step back. I slowly backed up to the back stairs. He hung his coat on the hanger besides my coat. He glanced at me. He marched up the stairs. I turned around. I watched him slowly walk up to the second floor. He didn’t look back. He reached the top. Now he did turn around. He glared down at me. His green eyes shone in the dim light that sneaked its way out of the half covered window. I held in my breath. I couldn’t make myself breathe. I felt myself pale. He disappeared into a room. I stood still, not moving.

He came back five minutes later. He had a red suitcase in his hand. He walked down the stairs. His eyes bore into me the whole way. I felt like he could read my every thought. But he continued walking until he reached the front door. He opened it and left. I let myself breathe. I collapsed on the floor in a heap. What was I going to do with myself?

bert (20 points, 19 rebounds), Danny Granger (17 points), and George Hill (20 points). Indiana 2, Miami 1.

How would Miami react to this stunning change of events? Some people were already calling the Heat’s season over, as they would need to eventually win in the hostile Indiana environment in order to win the se-ries. Everyone knew LeBron would have another huge game for the Heat; the only question was whether Wade was going to show up….. He did.

Game 4 could have been labeled the “LeBron, Wade, and Co.” show. The two Heat superstars had a mon-ster game, combining for 70 points, including a stretch where they scored 38 consecutive points for the Heat. In the second half, the two out-scored and out-rebounded the entire Indiana team! Udonis Haslem (an experienced Heat veteran who won the championship back in ’06 with Wade) came off the bench to score 14 points and ensure Miami’s win. He received 9 stitches during the game due to a cut he got just above his eye. Final score: Miami 101- Indiana 93. Series tied at two apiece.

The tide was turning as the two teams headed for South Beach. Indi-ana was still puzzled, scratching their head about how two (possibly three if you count Haslem) players beat them at home. Meanwhile, the Heat were eager to close out the series at home at the American Airlines Arena, where they knew they could feed off of their loyal fan’s energy.

Game 5 proved that Miami was now in the driver’s seat. Before the game, the Heat distributed over 20,000 stickers in homage to Udonis’ bandage that he wore, covering the stitches he received in Indiana. Mean-while, James and Wade both had a good night putting up good numbers, but the main storyline was the Heat bench; for the first time this postsea-son they showed up to play. Shane Battier, an important pickup during the offseason, scored 13 points. Has-lem, appreciative of the Heat crowd, scored 10 points, and Mario Chalm-ers scored 11 points and 8 rebounds. The “physical” larger Pacer team was out-rebounded by Miami 49-35 and even their president, Hall of Famer Larry Bird called his team “soft” af-ter their miserable performance. Final

score: Miami 115, Indiana 83; Miami in command of the series 3-1.

Game 6 was the icing on the cake for the Heat. Wade outshone LeBron for the first time this postseason (he scored 41 and LeBron scored 28) and the Pacers could not find an answer to stop the dynamic duo. Final score: Miami 105, Indiana 93. Series won by the Heat 4-2.

The Heat finally arrived in the Eastern Conference finals only to face their old rival, the Boston Celt-ics, who had struggled to beat the 76ers in 7 games. After strolling to a commanding 2-0 advantage in the se-ries, the “beaten up” Celtics flabber-gasted the sports world by winning three straight games and just like that, Miami was facing elimination, down 3 games to 2. But the Heat showed the same resilience that appeared in the Indiana series, behind legend-ary Game 6 and 7 performances by LeBron James and the return of Chris Bosh, who proved to be the missing ingredient to the Heat’s success. Mi-ami won in seven games 4-3.

On the opposite side of the ring, the Oklahoma City Thunder, winners of the Western Conference, awaited the Heat in the finals. Led by their “Big Three” of All-Stars Kevin Du-rant and Russell Westbrook, and sixth man of the year, James Harden, Okla-homa was in great form going into the finals. They defeated defending champions Dallas Mavericks 4-0, the Lakers 4-1, and the San Antonio Spurs 4-2 on the way to the Finals.

Since 1985, the format of the NBA Finals has been played in a 2-3-2 format. The first and last two games of the series are played by the team who earned home court advantage by having a better record during the regular season. The Thunder ousted the Heat for home court advantage by only one game during the regular season; their record was 47 wins and 19 losses while the Heat had 46 wins and 20 losses! The important key to the series for the Heat was that if they could steal one of the first two games in Oklahoma, then they could finish off the series at home in Miami.

That’s exactly what they did. After blowing a 13 point lead in a Game 1 loss to the Thunder, the determined Big Three (of Miami) “played like the All-Stars that they are,” said Shane Battier, describing their Game 2 victory performance in Oklahoma

City. Miami managed to cling onto an early lead the whole game, and held off a furious Thunder rally in the fourth quarter to win the game 100-96. Kevin Durant missed a layup with 9.9 seconds left to tie the game and Miami made sure they held on for the win. It was the first (and only) time this postseason that the Thunder had lost at home! More importantly for the Heat, their bench players had caught fire and the Miami Heat was now truly a team, not just a bunch of individual stars.

Games 3 and 4 were highlighted with greater team play by the Heat and more MVP performances by LeBron James in the two Heat wins. Unlike last year’s finals where he settled for jump shots, this year he attacked the basket. LeBron would steamroll past two Thunder defenders on the way to the rim and, if he couldn’t score, he would dish the ball out to a wide open Shane Battier, Mario Chalmers, or Mike Miller who would drill the three. And everyone could tell how much LeBron wanted his first cham-pionship; at the end of Game 4, LeB-ron’s knee was cramping and could hardly stand or run. But with less than three minutes remaining in the game, he made a clutch three that allowed Miami to ultimately run away with the game. LeBron was now one game away from his first NBA title.

The Heat were looking to close out the series, up 3 games to 1 in the all critical Game 5 in Miami. It became apparent in the opening few minutes of the game that the Heat wanted to finish the series that night. The Heat were playing with a sense of urgency that reminded many people of the way they played facing elimination against Boston earlier in the playoffs. LeBron, Wade, and Bosh all put up great numbers, but the story of the night was not just about them…it was about the team as a whole.

The Heat put on a shooting clinic for the Thunder, which could only watch as Miami hit an NBA tying re-cord of 14 three’s during the game! Mike Miller, a Heat player who had been used sparingly throughout these playoffs, hobbled up and down the court with back pain; he couldn’t even sit down during timeouts due to it! But he made sure he made his impact upon these finals. Left wide open beyond the arc because of Wade and LeBron attacking the rim,

Miller knocked down 7 three’s, tying an NBA Finals record! Afterwards, Mike commented on his huge night. “That’s why it’s fun playing with these guys….Tonight, I had some op-portunities and fortunately I knocked them down.”

As the fourth quarter commenced, everyone in the American Airlines Arena sensed that the end was near-ing…the Thunder did too. Down by more than 20 points for most of the game, they finally surrendered with three minutes to play by taking Du-rant, Westbrook, and Harden out of the game. The Heat then took their starters out, who got a wild standing ovation from the crowd, and LeBron and Co. started celebrating on the bench. Final Score: Miami 121, OKC 105. Series won by Miami 4-1.

Afterwards during the trophy pre-sentation, with Heat players on the podium already celebrating, newly crowned Finals MVP LeBron James was interviewed by ESPN reporter Doris Burke. The visibly pleased James admitted that he had been wrong in the past about trying to be the league villain, “The best thing that happened to me was us [the Heat] losing in the Finals [in 2011], and me playing the way I played (terribly)….It humbled me. I knew I was going to have to change as a basketball player, and I was going to have to change as a person to get what I wanted.”

And thus LeBron showed to the world (and more importantly to him-self), that he had changed since last year’s finals. The stubborn, hard-shelled man had turned into a more humble, appreciative basketball player who was now comfortable within his own skin.

Wade would also admit that the

Heat had been too arrogant and self-confident in the past. “Two years ago,” Wade said, addressing the Heat’s pre-season LeBron James-Chris Bosh ar-rival party, “we all expected it to be a little easier than it was.”

But the important thing out of this whole mess is that the Heat has now done it! They captured their second franchise NBA championship, with hopefully many more to come. But the credit does not only go to LeBron, Wade, or Bosh, AKA the “Big Three” of the club. It goes to the entire Heat organization, from Pat Riley and Micky Arison, to Heat Coach Erik Spoelstra, who did a tremendous job bringing this Heat team to the Finals in back to back years in just his fourth year as head coach.

A repeat is possible for this Miami Heat team, maybe even a dynasty, but the road ahead will only get harder. With the competition heating up (no pun intended) throughout the league, teams are trying to come up with their own group of superstar duos and trios this off-season. Superstar athletes, having seen the results of the Heat’s Big Three taking less money for the greater cause of winning a cham-pionship ring, will be willing to do the same. Not to mention, Wade and Bosh are both nursing nagging inju-ries which will cost their hopes of playing on the U.S. basketball Olym-pic team this summer in London. But if the Heat can keep their group of guys healthy, and more importantly maintain the ambition and desire to win another championship, it is cer-tainly within reach.

MIAMI HEAT: Finally Champions! by Ismail ErcanContinued from page 1

JULY 2012 THE CIRCLE GAZETTE PAGE 19

H o m e ru n by Olivia Mason, Age 9Parkland, FL

Two outs and bases loaded, it was the last inning. The Panthers were down by one run, so if the batter knocked in two of the run-ners the Panthers would be the champions. The first basemen yelled: “Two outs, plays at first, second, third, or home, softball ready!” The coach stepped onto the rubber, took a deep breath and got into position to pitch the first ball. The batter did not swing and said softly to the coach: “A little bit slower.” The coach stepped back on the rubber and got back into position. “Ball!” roared the umpire. The batter still did not swing. The batter knew that the next pitch was her pitch. The pitch was not a strike but the bat-ter fouled the ball.

“F-O-U-L-B-A-double L, foul ball!” cheered the batting team. The next pitch was her fourth pitch and you were only allowed to have five unless you fouled the last pitch. If you fouled the last pitch you would get continuous pitches until you either fouled

the ball or hit the ball. The bat-ter stepped out of the batter’s box and took a practice swing. She turned her hips and followed through with her hands. The bat-ter stepped back in the box and put the edge of the bat to the other end of home plate. She bent her knees, put her bat in the air, and looked at the pitcher for her fourth pitch. “Ball!” roared the umpire again.

Her fifth pitch had to be either fouled or hit. The pitch was per-fect! The ball flew right across the middle of home plate. The batter swung hard and crushed the ball in the middle of left field and cen-ter field. The ball soared through the air, leaving the field over the fence. Each and every one of the runners, including the batter, scored and the Panthers won the championship against the hard-est team in the league. The other team had only lost one time in the whole season. Both teams lined up to shake hands. After that, the awards were given out. The Pan-thers drove home with the large first place trophy. It was a true grand slam.

Jordynn & Danielle at the 2012 London Olympic Gamesby Whitney Galindo, Age 12Coconut Creek, FL

Jordynn Montgomery and her best friend Danielle Hastings were practicing gymnastics for the 2012 Olympics in London, England.

Jordynn had been trying to perfect her back hand-spring. She was very nervous, but be-lieved she would do fine the day of the big competition.

Danielle was practicing all of her stunts. She wondered how her best friend, who lived next door, was doing. She decided to call her.

“Hey, Jordynn, do you want to come over to practice?”

“Why not? I’ll be there in a few minutes!”

The two girls felt more con-fident about themselves with a few more hours of practicing together. They decided to have a sleepover so they could be ready to fly to London the next day.

When the two girls woke up, they hurried to eat breakfast, change, and brush their teeth. Jordynn said her goodbyes, and hurried next door to her house.

At their respective houses, the two girls helped their parents move the suitcases into the car. The two families drove to Mi-ami International Airport.

When the Montgomery and Hastings families arrived at the airport, they checked in with their baggage. They still had 3 hours before boarding time, since that was the protocol for international flights.

“What should we do while we

wait?” Danielle asked her best friend.

“Why don’t we get a snack or something?”

“Okay.”The two girls and their fami-

lies walked around until they found a place to eat. They en-joyed their meal, and afterward, had a donut for desert. With 30 minutes until boarding time, the two families headed towards their gate, Gate 20.

Soon, the 30 minutes of wait-ing turned into 45 and then 1 hour! The girls were already nervous and now they were freaking out. What if they didn’t get to London in time?

“Jordynn, this can’t be hap-pening! We need to get to Lon-don for the team meeting!” re-marked a worried Danielle.

“I know Danielle. And we can’t miss practice the next day!” answered Jordynn.

The girls’ parents went up to the counter to ask why the flight was so behind. The answer they got was that there was a hur-ricane near Chesapeake Bay, and it was too dangerous to fly a plane. Since they were stop-ping in New York, and then fly-ing to London, they would have to wait a couple more hours or maybe a day.

If the girls were worried be-fore, now they were a wreck. As the next 10 hours went by, Jordynn and Danielle felt ex-tremely frustrated. They didn’t even calm down when they were finally boarding the plane.

At their stop in New York, Jordynn and Danielle tried to calm down, but were semi-

consciously hurrying everyone. They wouldn’t even let their parents buy a snack or some-thing to drink. At the gate, they were the first ones to line up to board the plane.

“Girls, stop worrying! We will get there in time for your meet-ing!” Jordynn’s mom, Alyssa, tried to reassure them.

When the girls were settled in their seats on the airplane, they took advantage of the long flight to relax and get some sleep. If they were going to make it to the meeting, they needed to be active.

When they arrived in London, the sleep had helped, but the girls were still nervous. The limo waiting for the girls and their families drove them to the hotel. From there, Jordynn and Dani-elle hurried to the suite where the meeting was supposed to be held and made it just in time.

Now that the girls were in London, they began to forget their worries. Jordynn and Dani-elle were actually anticipating the day of the inauguration, where they would perform gym-nastics. The girls were surround-ed by all their close teammates and their family. Jordynn and Danielle no longer had a reason to worry; it would be the best Olympics ever!

In all of the events Jordynn and Danielle participated in, they performed their best. Their families were very proud of them. Jordynn and Danielle each returned to their homes in Florida after the Olympics with medals!

The Adventures of Super Cat and Fluffy with the

Dinosaur of Earthby Alizdair Sebastien Ray, Age 8

Hope Mills, NC

There were 23 seconds left. Super Cat tried to get out but he couldn’t. There were 10 seconds left…,10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1…. Super Cat busted the circle glass and escaped out right on 1 second. Super cat knew Fluffy had the dinosaur, but he didn’t know how to stop it. Super Cat

walked out of the building. He saw Fluffy charging to Super Cat’s home, and he destroyed his home. Super Cat ran so fast to Fluffy that nobody saw him. The dinosaur karate kicked Su-per Cat with his giant foot very hard. Super Cat could not move an inch. To be continued…

“Soccer Ball” Pencil on paper by Molly Mason, Age 9, Parkland, FL

The Gorilla Who Played Soccerby Molly Mason, Age 9Parkland, FL

Once there was a gorilla who played soccer. The gorilla was on the Tigers soccer team. The rest of the players on the Tigers were all humans - the coaches were humans also. The gorilla was so extraordinary that he could make a goal every minute because he was such a fabulous soccer play-er. Whenever it was the gorilla’s turn to bring a little treat after the soccer game he would bring LEAVES! All of the other players would not eat the leaves, so the gorilla had all the leaves to him-self. He thought that the leaves were the best things in the whole world - even better than cake.

During one of the games the head coach came over to the go-rilla and his parents. They talked for a while, and then finally, the head coach got to the point and

said that the head director of the league said that a gorilla wasn’t allowed to play soccer with the humans ever again. He also said that if the gorilla kept play-ing on the Tigers there would be a big fine. It would be about $500,000,000! The coach said they didn’t want to pay such a big fine just for a gorilla to play on their team. So the gorilla had to leave the Tigers.

After two seasons of not play-ing soccer, an old friend from the Tigers called and told the gorilla that there was a soccer camp for gorillas. So, the next season he tried out the gorilla camp. When his parents took him there to check in there were thousands of gorillas waiting to check in also. When they got to the front of the line they were surprised to find out that the team name was the Tigers. He made it into the team. He was a Tiger again! A couple of games passed and finally the

playoffs came. The Tigers knew they would make it to the cham-pionship easily and they did. The day of the championship was so much fun. There were 10 min-utes left in the game and the Ti-gers were down by 5 goals. They scored a goal - now they were with 9 minutes left in the game, and 4 goals to score. In 4 min-utes they scored 4 goals! Now they only had 5 minutes left in the game and it was tied! 4 min-utes passed and no one scored. The defense on the Tigers got the ball. The gorilla made some moves around the players on the other team and got a wide-open shot. He was about to shoot but an opponent on the other team pushed him to the ground. It was a penalty in the box! He made the penalty shot as it landed in the top left corner of the goal. It was a goal!!!

Everybody on the Tigers went home with a nice big trophy.

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PAGE 20 THE CIRCLE GAZETTE JUNE 2012

“Pretty Pony”Soft pastels on paper

by Abigail Griswold, Age 8Paoli, PA

“Bunny”Soft pastels on paper

by Delaney Biro, Age 10Coral Springs, FL

“Roserush, a Florida Wildflower”

Watercolors on paperby Emma Gómez, Age 8

Margate, FL

“Snow White’s Portrait”Oil pastels on paper

by Ellie Gómez, Age 6Margate, FL

“Giant Flower”Watercolors on paper

by Molly Mason, Age 9Parkland, FL

“Sailboat”Watercolors on paperby Ellie Gómez, Age 6

Margate, FL

“Torch Lighting at the Temple of Hera on Mount Olympus”

Pencil on paperby Kate Maier, Age 8

Sunrise, FL

“The Chariot Race”Pencil on paper

by Kate Maier, Age 8Sunrise, FL