City College player Jamie Lowery on second base leaning to 3rd. Photo by Susanne Shirley

The City College softball team continued to perform well finishing off their week with two victories on Sunday, March 13.

After playing eight of the past nine days and losing only once in the stint to current conference leader Sierra College, they continued to play to their expectations: To win.

Sunday morning’s opening game featured the highly anticipated game against the College of Sequioas (20-5), a highly regarded ball club in the state.

City College Coach Robert Maglione, couldn’t help but give the utmost praise to his team.

“The Sequioas, are a very good team with a lot of talent. They gave us all we could handle, but the team came out and started hitting well and our pitchers came in and closed it out for us,” Maglione said.

With the Panthers behind going into the bottom of the 5th inning, 4-3, the Panthers scored two runs to take the lead going into the sixth where they added one more run and then used pitching to close out the game for the victory.

“I felt that we didn’t play to our best ability but good enough to win. We got hits when needed to,” said City College right fielder Lauren Liming.

Game 2 of the double header was against De Anza College and featured a dominant performance by the Panthers as Brittany Schwieger improved her pitching record to 5 – 0 for the season.

In the opening inning, Shannon Donovan of De Anza reached base on an error by Panthers first baseman Victoria Sendejas.

The next batter Ashley Velez, hit a line drive back to Schwieger’s face who turned it into a double play by throwing it back to first to get out the unsuspecting Donovan.

Schwieger finished off the first inning with her first of 8 strikeouts on the day in her 4 innings of work.

In the bottom of the 2nd inning, Katie Campbell put the Panthers up 2-0 with a solo homerun over the left field wall.

The 3rd inning featured the best hitting performance of the day for the Panthers as they delivered 4 runs on their way to an 8-0 victory in only 5 innings.

“Today, those were two different types of ball games with one team playing at our level and one up and coming team in De Anza. The team did what they were supposed to do out there (against De Anza), go out and dominate,” said Maglione.

One parent had plenty to say about the number 2 Ranked Big 8 Conference team. Rich Campbell, “I got to see my daughter hit her first homerun today,” referring to Katie Campbell’s second inning shot to left field.

He went on to comment, “Overall their doing really good. I think it’s all a work in progress trying to make it to the playoffs.”

Sacramento City College’s next game will be Tuesday, March 16, at Modesto Junior College at 3pm. With their next home game being Thursday, March 18 at 3pm against San Joaquin Delta College, a team currently tied for second place with the Panthers in the Big 8 Conference.

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Brooke Brooks watches the direction of the ball that he just hit. Photo by Terri M. Venesio

City College Panthers breezed by the Diablo Valley Vikings 7-2 Saturday in a baseball matchup at Union Stadium.

The top of the first inning began with the Panthers’ starting pitcher striking out the first two Vikings . The third batter was thrown at first base. The bottom of the inning ended with the Panthers getting two hits and scoring a run, cluing game fans to the pace of a competitive game.

“It was team effort,” Panther catcher Lucas Kephart said.

En route to victory, the Panthers earned 11 hits, while the Diablo Vikings only had four.

“We beat a quality opponent and feel good about it,” Panthers coach Andy McKay said.

Stay tuned to SacCityExpress.com for an in-depth review of the game

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City College thrower Ellie Fanaika practices her moves. Photo by Juan De Anda

Perspiration drips from her face and the muscles and veins in her arms and legs twitch with each lift and lurch of a training weight. She isn’t slim and slender like a fashion runway model, but Ellie Fanaika doesn’t care because, for the sport she participates in, she can’t have a slender physique.

Fanaika just laughs, smiles a wide, bright grin and continues to pump more than 200 pounds of iron in preparation for the shot put she is going to thrust through the air.

Fanaika, 19, is a thrower for the women’s track and field team. She specializes in throwing the shot put, hammer and discus. Though the sport demands a muscular build, she is still feminine. Lifting weights doesn’t retract from her femininity—it enhances it.

“Athletes come in a lot of different sizes, and I’m proud to be breaking the stereotype that women athletes are thin and slim because I’m far from that—I’m a bigger, thicker version, yet I’m still an athlete,” says Fanaika, an undecided major. “I don’t feel like a buff man when I throw in the track meets.”

According to her cousin Ignatius Smith, a City College psychology major, Fanaika is an inspiration to all women.

“I see a confident woman in Ellie and she is a reflection that not all women are skinny because she is fit for her body type,” Smith says. “She makes her throwing look elegant in a way like a ballerina does to dancing—graceful, refined and simple. Ellie is in a sport that is thought of as manly, but she is showing these men that she is a woman, she is feminine, beautiful, independent and making the men work harder.”

Fanaika became interested in weightlifting and throwing during her junior year of high school so she could hang out with friends on the team. But when she competed more and more, she enjoyed the thrill she received from throwing the heavy objects great distances.

When she enrolled at to City College in 2008, she decided to pursue the sport seriously. Fanaika credits her family for her decision to pursue throwing at the collegiate level.

“When I was younger, my dad never said, ‘You can’t play this because it’s a guy thing,’” Fanaika says. “Instead he would say, ‘You can play whatever you want. You can play this or that because there is no limit for you just because you are a girl.’”

In the shot put competition, the thrower must throw an 8-pound steel ball. In the hammer, another event Fanaika competes in, the same ball is attached to a metal cord. A discus is a little more than 3 pounds that the thrower flings afield after a series of short momentum-building swings.

This season, she has dominated in all categories.

Photo by Juan De Anda

In shot put, Fanaika shot a 11.36 meter (37.3 ft) throw at the Modesto JC Rotational on Feb. 12, earning first place overall in the meet. The next week she was in fifth place at the Chico State Rotational meet Feb. 27 but beat her own record with an 11.81-meter (38.74 ft) throw. In hammer, Fanaika threw 44.52 meters (146 ft.), receiving first place only to get first place again at the Kim Duvst Invitational at CSU Stanislaus March 6 with a 47.74 meter (156.6 feet) throw. In discus, she threw a fifth place overall throw at 33.42 meters (109.6 feet) at the Chico meet and at the Stanislaus meet she received third place with a 39.94 meter (131 feet) throw.

In the weight room or on the field, Fanaika has grown accustomed to men staring, shocked to see her athletic prowess. She squats 385 pounds, her heaviest weight and on the bench press, she pumps weights totaling 175 pounds.

“When I’m lifting weights, a lot of guys are staring and saying, ‘Whoa, what the heck? Did she just lift that?’ I’m not embarrassed that I can lift more than other guys,” Fanaika says. “I’m happy that I can achieve these things, and because I’m a woman many guys think I can’t do that.”

Enimoa Laui, a beginner thrower on the team, says she learns much from Fanaika.

“Ellie strives hard and she is my role model for the ideal thrower,” Laui says. “She is confident and since she is breaking barriers, I want to be a lot like her because she doesn’t lose her femininity and individuality with each pound of muscle she gains or with every ball or disc she throws.”

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City College women’s track and field head coach Marisa Avendano watches her athletes practice. Photo by Rob Small

Many head coaches at City College oversee one sport each year. Marisa Avendano is in charge of two.

Avendano, 36, is the head coach of the men’s and women’s cross country teams, and is in her first year as head coach of the women’s track and field team. Her love of running and competing has kept her coaching.

“I consider myself a very competitive person,” Avendano says. “I competed in practice as well as I did in an actual competition. I loved track practice. Running on the roads, running on trails, I loved every single minute of it.”

Even though she loves what she does now, she didn’t see herself being a coach. She was originally a business major and received her master’s degree in kinesiology, the science of human movement.

In 1997, she started training for cross-country in the Olympic Trials, which were held before the summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia. The trials were held at Sacramento State University in 2000, where she holds three of the school’s cross-country records.

“It took a lot of dedication and hard work,” she says. “I was running around a six- minute pace (per mile) for 14 miles.  I loved every single step.”

Avendano trained from 1997-98, but a foot injury ended her hopes for the trials.

“I really couldn’t do much with my running career,” she says. “I said, ‘Hey, why not start coaching?’”

Avendano began her coaching career at City College in 2000 as an assistant coach for a cross-country team that wasn’t prominent at the time. She wanted to make a difference in the program.

Last season, the women’s cross-country team, coached by Avendano, earned the 2009 Big 8 Conference Championship. Now, she hopes to continue winning while coaching women’s track and field.

“She brings a lot of energy,” women’s track and field assistant coach Bill Carr says.  “She brings the experience of having been part of the program for years past. I think she’s very dedicated and focused on continuing the tradition that the ladies’ program has here.”

Like other coaches, Avendano also teaches classes on campus, but she says she was reluctant to teach at first.  Former women’s track and field coach Lisa Bauduin encouraged her to teach athletic classes at City College. After being put in charge of a walking class, Avendano discovered she loved teaching.

“The way I teach, it’s kind of like having a team, but now you’re in a classroom,” she says.

Avendano has taught classes in weight training, aerobics, boot camp and yoga.

As a head coach, she has to keep track of the athletes who practice during various times of the day. Although it may be difficult, sprinter Samantha Tansil knows that her coach is doing the right thing.

“She brings a lot of support to our team,” Tansil says. “She allows us to all sit together as a family, which we should be.”
Avendano has always been a competitor.  Her passion for the sport will burn through the season coaching the track and field team to be the best.

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Aja Rasmussen dances in Joan Tierney's ballet class. Photo by Randy Briggs

She glides barefoot across wooden floors with arms extended delicately in front of her body.

Sharply pointing her toes, she gracefully jumps into the air kicking her legs back into impossible directions and upon landing, the ground seems to cushion beneath her feet.

With long, black dreadlocks, a septum piercing and traditional-style tattoos, Aja Rasmussen’s modern appearance is a breath of fresh air within the conservative world of ballet.

“I think dance is important to people,” says Rasmussen. “It gets endorphins going in the brain, it’s totally a different way of expressing yourself and I think it’s very important to your mental health.”

At the age of 8, Rasmussen took her first steps as a dancer with the Galena Street East dance troupe here in Sacramento and also started dancing and singing in the Sacramento Opera, performing in everything from “La Bohème” to “I Pagliacci”.

Although Rasmussen has an understanding of strict dance environments, she says her experiences in City College dance instructor Joan Tierney’s ballet class, have been the most satisfying.

“She’s not so traditional. She’s not uptight, and people in my class are pretty colorful in personality,” says Rasmussen, describing Tierney’s philosophy of dance. “I’ve studied in a lot of ballet studios where the teachers are complete Nazis. They make you balance a tea cup on your foot or they like hit your leg if it’s not right or they crank your foot to point correctly.”

Peering into the open-doors of south gym 214, Rasmussen’s mother Juli, can also be seen dancing elegantly beside her daughter.

“Her mom came and watched the class [last semester] and now she’s in my class,” Tierney explains. “She was actually great, and she knew what was going on in the class. It was really kind of neat.”

Juli also took her share of dance classes throughout her college career and says life has come full circle as she watches her daughter grow as a dancer and as an adult.

“She is very coordinated, she looks like a fairy,” says Juli, describing Aja’s dance technique.

“I’ve watched her dance as a child and it’s very enjoyable to watch the transition from child to adult.”

At the beginning of each semester, Tierney informs all students that her dance environment is snob-free and says she has dancers of all calibers in her classes. Having watched Aja dance for two semesters, Tierney notices some of her distinct strengths as a dancer.

“I liked her from the first day that I met her,” says Tierney. “She has great background technique. She has a lot of control and she’s strong. This is not just a P.E. class, this is an emotional outlet. It’s a creative outlet. It makes them feel great about themselves. They feel like, at the end of class, they’ve been a piece of art and I think that’s vital in their life.”

In addition to her dance talents, Aja is majoring in fashion design and also has a thirst for aerospace engineering, and says she dreams of working on rocket ships for NASA. In her spare time, Aja finds herself in serious seamstress mode, creating everything from dresses, hats, and gloves, all the way down to shoes. And if you think she can’t possibly fit anymore on her neverending list of creative capabilities, she can also play the flute, cello and sing.

“I would love to go to Juilliard and become a prima ballerina in the New York Ballet or I would love to work for NASA in Florida and build rocket ships or I would love to be the newest designer sitting on a plane with my face painted on the front,” Aja admits with a smile. “I’ll go down any road and I’ll take any opportunity that comes towards me. I’m not going to close my doors by saying, ‘I’m only going to do science’ or ‘I’m only going to do fashion or dance.’ I’m just going to do an even slate of everything and then see where it takes me.”

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City College track and field athlete Brandon Lawson studies in the SPORTS 90 lab. Photo by Vincent Fernandez

In the back corridors of City College’s South Gym, Room 144 is a place most students will never have to enter—unless they happen to be part of a college sports team.

Every student athlete is required to enroll in Academic Study Skills for Student Athletes, known as SPORTS 90—a study skills class that serves as a small-scale learning facility and provides resources such as tutoring, Internet and computer access, and for most students, a tranquil and orderly place to study.

Student athletes have a lot on their plates to begin with.  Like other students, they struggle balancing and navigating the everyday realities of college life: homework, quizzes, midterms and studying.

But unlike other students, athletes also face rigorous daily rituals of practice and training. SPORTS 90 is a valuable resource for athletes trying to stabilize their arduous schedules.

Garrett Barnett, an outfielder on the City College baseball team, takes advantage of the services SPORTS 90 provides.

“We have tutors, [and] we can come in whenever we want,” Barnett says. “There’s really a lot of resources—a good way to study and get your homework done. So I think a lot of students take advantage of it.”

Coaches make up part of the SPORTS 90 faculty—and assist students by furnishing daily information on a variety of student topics, like financial aid and scholarship information.

According to physical education professor Deborah Blair, head coordinator for SPORTS 90 the staff responsibilities change daily.

“We teach, we tutor, and we also maintain order. Every day and every hour is different,” Blair says. “Sometimes it’s simply advice on what to do next.”

Scheduled tutors also aid students in subjects such as math and English.

Treshenia Solomon, a social science major and first-year basketball player concurs.

“It’s like a more concentrated environment. I can actually get work done amongst my peers instead of being amongst the whole school, and it’s not as crowded,” Solomon says.

Make no mistake: the center is not a hangout spot. If you want to Facebook or talk to friends—go somewhere else, says Solomon.

“There’s rules now against doing outside activities on the computers, so most of the time if you’re not studying the instructor will ask you to leave, or make sure you’re on task,” she says.

According to Blair, the program has been successful with substantial improvements in GPAs, units passed, and transfer rates, even with rising budget cuts to education.

“The main goal is to keep the student athletes on track, so that they can graduate on time and transfer to a four-year college,” Blair says. “We are incredibly proud to be the only community college in Northern California to have a comprehensive academic advising and student-athlete success program that has proven itself.”

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City College's Dean of Physical Education, Health and Athletics Mitch Campbell hangs out in Hughes Stadium. Photo by Jack Remson

Dressed in a crisp white shirt and a red tie, Dean Mitch Campbell heads to his office tucked within Hughes Stadium to see what issue is on his desk.

Campbell has been at City College for two-and-one-half years serving as dean of Physical Education, Health and Athletics and as an athletic director. While his duties, like sports, change with the season, Campbell is responsible for overseeing matters in the sports academic division, including physical education and faculty, and 18 athletic teams.

“The opportunity for positive influence on people’s lives is tremendous within athletics,” says Campbell.

He reviews the quality of athletic faculty’s teaching, meets with coaches, decides which PE courses to run and supports all athletes in their endeavors.

Campbell has been involved in athletics and education for his entire professional career. He has worked in high schools and community colleges as a coach and instructor and most recently at UC Davis as assistant athletic director, which led him into athletic administration.

His position, he states, was a “progression throughout [his] career.” One thing was for sure: He saw something worthwhile in sports.

Growing up, Campbell says he “played ‘em all,” focusing on football, basketball and baseball in high school, and later in college.  Campbell took his interests in sports and crafted a profession, striving for student success via physical education.

“It’s [athletics is] a great potential learning tool,” Campbell says.

Athletic counselor Victoria Cornelius has worked with Campbell since the dean began at City College in 2008.

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Mary Reardon, a second-semester yoga student who is also an English major, practices a Warrior II pose Feb. 17 at City College. Photo by Randy Briggs

Yoga instructor Marisa Avendano guides students in a City College yoga class by creating a dark relaxing environment with soft music and dimmed lighting. At the same time, she modifies challenging poses, according to the student’s athletic level, shape, and size.

Although yoga can appear to be only stretching while on a mat, the principle of the class is to connect mind and body. Students get a workout while listening to soft music, in a well-coordinated flow of stress relieving poses.

City College offers basic yoga classes in a complete fitness program to improve physical coordination, posture and flexibility. Avendano says students enroll in the class for different reasons.

“Many students take the class for stress and back pain,” Avendano says. “Students get a workout while keeping the poses and focusing on the moment, which is the hardest thing for beginning students. But after class, students tell me they feel relaxed and loose.”

Markeida Reddrick, an American Sign Language major, enrolled in the yoga class to keep occupied.

“I didn’t just want to sit around while pregnant. I wanted to do some type of exercise,” Reddrick, who is seven and a half months pregnant, says. “So I joined the yoga class to stay fit and help relax me during labor.”

There are 50 students that fill the large-sized gym to begin the slow dance-like movements, which many find physically and mentally challenging.

Mary Reardon, a yoga student and English major, who has taken the class twice, says yoga helps her get through her busy schedule.

“After two morning classes I am stressed. This class helps relax me and clears my mind to help me focus for my afternoon classes,” Reardon says. “Afternoon yoga class is the best time for me.”

Another yoga student, Jessica Hodge, an environmental science major, feels she gets more out of the class than a traditional exercise regimen.

“It makes me feel really, really good. Better than a regular workout,” Hodge says. “The class helps me focus and clear my mind during classes.

While it is impossible to list all the possible yoga positions available there are many poses widely practiced in a tranquil, stress-free session of yoga.

One of the positions practiced is called the dhanurasana or “bow tie” position. The person lies on their abdomen, grasps the feet over the back, and lifts the legs into the shape of a bow.

Another is the paschimottanasana, when the practitioner sits on the floor with legs flat on the floor, straight ahead then bends forward from the hips to bring the trunk parallel with the legs.
Like any other athletic or fitness regime, there should be some form of guidance and supervision from a qualified person.

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Photo by Terri M. Venesio

Head wrestling coach David Pacheco said that although seven wrestlers were named Big 8 All-Conference wrestlers, the team has had many more accomplishments which have gone unnoticed by the City College student body.

“We have a lot more accomplishments other than placing,” said Pacheco. “We have academic awards, and personal goal attainment. My personal goal is to have our wrestlers be above average and be able to go wherever they want to go in life and go to whatever school they want to go to.”

The team placed fourth in the California Community College State Wrestling Championships, achieving more points than they have in their history. They also won more medals than they ever had.

“It shows we have a good team,” said Pacheco. “It’s only the 2nd time we qualified all 10 (wrestlers), and that is quite an accomplishment.”

Pacheco says that to be a student athlete, you have to cover both parts — be a good student, and a good athlete.

Coach Pacheco says that another big accomplishment is the fact that two members of the wrestling team have also been named to the Academic All-American Team for this season. Both Justen Lockling (Sophomore – 2-time Academic All-American) and Shawn Michalek (Sophomore – All American, 3rd place in State Championships) made the Academic All-American team this year. The Academic All-American team is a team made up of athletes that excel not only on the playing field, but also in academics.

This brings the total Academic All-Americans for City College to 58 total athletes from all sports for this year. That is by far the most in the state according the the City College wrestling website. The next closest is 27. Other members of the team still could make the team this year, but must wait until the end of the spring semester for eligibility.

Despite the teams success, Pacheco feels wrestling might be misconceived by some on campus.

“If you have not watched it before you may not understand it, but it is very exciting … Nothing like the WWF you might see on TV.”

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