White began swimming competitively at the age of 11 when his mom decided he needed to do something productive with his time, so she signed him up for the Kailua Swim Team.  “ I really didn’t want to swim at first; my mom had to force me to go to every practice.  I stuck with it for a few months, and my coaches all agreed I had a lot of potential,” said senior White.  He sure did; Ian has been breaking records throughout his high school swimming career. White’s freshmen year he broke two Hawaii swimming records and made it all the way to sectionals in Washington, which was his first taste of national competition. White measured up fairly well against the national competition on the mainland and, in fact, even won some events.  “Hard work, perseverance, and a commitment to any sport will pay off in the end, I promise,” said senior White.

White is currently being heavily recruited, in large part, due to the many accolades he has received throughout his swimming career.  Schools such as Linfield, Bakersfield, La Verne, and the University of Hawaii are all showing special interest in him. “Personally I want Ian to swim at Linfield, I think it would be a good fit for him,” said Brandi Halemano, who is a freshman on Linfield’s Women’s Swim Team.

“I had heard Ian was a gifted swimmer, but I never knew he was nearly as accomplished as he is,” said senior Matt Kuriyama.  Many of White’s Le Jardin classmates don’t know much about his swimming career because he is humble and soft spoken.  White is in the midst of demonstrating exactly where hard work, determination, dedication and athletic ability can take a talented high school athlete.

So far the Bulldogs have played six league games and are having an up and down season. They have won three and lost three.  The Bulldogs have been on a small break and are working hard to get some more wins. “Sorry to disappoint the fans.  We are prepared to win the rest of our games,” said senior Frankie Montalvo.

On Friday, Jan 6 the Bulldogs had a nail biting game against Punahou that had the crowd on their feet. The game went back and forth all 32 minutes before the Bulldogs went on a streak in the last minutes of the fourth quarter. Freshman Alec Macleod hit the biggest layup of his entire life sending the game into overtime. The Bulldogs then outmatched Punahou winning the game 55-52. McWhinnie had 21 points coming up huge for the bulldogs. “I thought that we shouldn’t have gone into overtime but I am glad that we won,” said McWhinnie.

The bulldogs have six games remaining in their season, five of which are at home. Our home support has been lacking with a small crowd of LJA students watching games. Luke Shimmon has been a dedicated fan and attends every home game.  He wants to encourage more support for the team.  “Everyone come out to the games and support the team,” said Shimmon.  Let’s show some school spirit and support our bulldogs!

“I think the team, although young, has a great chemistry, and we are definitely going to work better and better as the season progresses.” Miller said. Team Chemistry in basketball is a huge factor, and with a group of girls as close as this team, it shouldn’t take long for them to find it.

The Lady Bulldogs opened the season with a win at home against University High. This was a huge confidence booster for the young team. Going back to last year, they had lost 16 straight games, so being 1-0 was a great way to start the year.

“I knew going into this game we had to put on a good performance, and we did that and much more. I was really proud of the whole team.” said guard Stephanie Ramos.

After the big win, the Lady bulldogs had an up and down stretch in which they lost four out of five, and then won 3 straight, before losing to Kamehameha. Last night they were the victors over the Iolani Red Raiders, winning 48-34. The team has four more games left in the regular season, before beginning postseason play.

“Winning at least two of these games would leave us with a winning record, which would give us a better seed in the playoffs so that would be huge for us. Also finishing with a winning record after last year’s team would really show how hard we have worked this year,” said sophomore point guard Olivia McCabe.

Le Jardin’s last game of the year is at home against Maryknoll on Jan. 27, at 6 pm. They would greatly appreciate all student/parent fan support.

Basketball has the largest number of popular sporting venues. There are some crazy competitions played from college basketball, from Women’s National Basketball League (WNBA) to the National Basketball League (NBA). For instance, Michigan State and North Carolina met up on Veterans Day in San Diego to play a game on an aircraft carrier in honor of the military. The two teams wore camouflage jerseys representing U.S.A. President Obama and many other military members attended the game.  The WNBA’s unusual sporting venue was hosted in the Detroit Shock at historic Radio Music Hall where they played on a stage while their fans watched.  The NBA had another unique event where two teams clashed outdoors in the desert at Indian Wells Tennis Center in California.

Tennis also had three events which were played in unique areas.  One of the most memorable moments for tennis fans happened when Andre Agassi and Roger Federer played a match on a helipad in 2005. The match was played 700 ft above Dubai’s Jumeirah beach on the roof of the Burj Al Arab Hotel.  Both players were feet away from falling to their death. Tennis fans watched all over the world “I remember watching this. It was crazy,” said senior Jessica Vala. Another memorable moment for tennis fans was the King of Turf against King of Clay match. The game was played in 2007 Mallorca, Spain on half clay, half grass court. This match was to determine who the best all- surface player was. Squash, similar to the sport of tennis, had a special event held in New York City’s Grand Central Terminal. The arena was built especially for this event, a huge four walled glass court inside Vanderbilt Hall.

The Great Wall of China run is one the most exhilarating but trying of all the sporting venues. About twenty- five percent of the run is through a scenic route for 26.2 miles, and the rest is a deadly 3,800 stone staircase until the finish line. The course record belongs to a Spanish man who finished in three hours and twenty- three minutes.  “I think that it’s a complete waste of time and no one should spend their life trying to do that,” said senior Christian Riggs.

At an intense football event in 2010 between Northwestern and Illinois at Wrigley Field that turned out to be embarrassing. The games organizers did not specify the lengths of the field and the space between the outfield walls of the baseball arena. This resulted in organizers having lack of space to create two end zones and only had enough space for one. This was the first college football game to have only offense played on one side and the embarrassment made this football even memorable.

The Winter Classic is one of hockey’s biggest annual events held on New Year’s Day.  The game is played in the number one team’s city at a popular college football stadium.  A hockey rink is built on the football field and the teams play outside on the rink like they did before the huge stadiums were built.

Golf is one of the sports that requires accuracy; imagine playing this sport in arctic conditions. “That’s insane. It must be freezing,” said senior Matt Kuriyama.  Every March, a tournament in Greenland takes place, known as the World Ice Golf Championships.  Golfers gather together and play with orange golf balls, while glaciers and icebergs are placed as new hazards.

It is amazing how all of these sporting venues were created into memorable games. All across the world people watch these incredible events.

Le Jardin Academy may be a small school on the eastside of the island, but Sam Spengler’s ambition and undeniable work-ethic create opportunities for him. “I’ve been one of Sam’s basketball coaches since he was in the 7^th grade, all I can say is the kid loves to compete,” said Coach Sean Rabes.  Sam Spengler also plays club basketball for “Dream Hoops Elite” during his off-season. “Sam is a great guy.  He plays hard and always has something positive to contribute to the team,” said senior water polo teammate Ian White.  Sam was also recognized as ILH “Goalie of the Year” and helped lead his water polo team to their first Division II State Title. It is no secret that playing a varsity sport and maintaining an extremely high GPA is a difficult accomplishment. Sam has played three varsity sports since his sophomore year and currently holds a 4.2 GPA. The entire Le Jardin Academy community is extremely fortunate to have a student like Sam Spengler. He is a great example for our entire student body.  He is reaping the rewards of his uncommon dedication, hard work and a positive attitude.

For her first season ever to throw, Sherrill has gotten plenty of attention. She has already drawn attention from many colleges, 98 in totals, with many colleges offering her full ride scholarships and pre-paid official visits to their schools. So far she has visited three schools and is planning on visiting ASU, UCLA, and USC this upcoming week.  But all of these amazing rewards comes great strife too, not only the stress from rejecting schools and deciding which are her top choices, but also the ongoing pressure of training has caused great discord in Sherrill’s life. Sherrill trains in the morning, afternoon and even in between classes. “It’s hard because I’ve never had to do something this challenging, and it’s frustrating when I can’t perform well, or get injured.  Now we are training for the Olympics.  Starting we thought it would be fun, something I liked; my coach quit her job and so now she is a full time trainer,” said Sherrill. Sherrill is not only training for the Olympics, but this summer she has been invited to the Australian Games of 2012, Jr. Olympics, and Nationals. Sherrill is also going not only to represent Hawai’i, but also the represent the US as a thrower. Sherrill is also on the All American team for Discus, and she has placed 2^nd in the nation for discus and 9^th in the nation for Shot-put. She has had many coaches fly out to watch her, and for three weeks in December she is going into major training, with no outside contact for eight hours a day for three weeks straight. “It is a time to focus and train,” Sherrill said. “I think that shows intense commitment to her sport and preparation to do great things, but it is very upsetting that I won’t get to see her during Christmas” said her best friend Natalie Strong.

The pressure is not only on Sherrill; all of her training has affected her family too. Sherrill’s mom went through a period where she would get upset because she would never see her. She used to be home all of the time cooking dinner, now she can barely make it home in time to sleep. “Well I can see that Hannah has truly found her passion in the track and field sports arena. It’s been crazy and exciting at the same time. Her work out and school schedule is demanding and challenging…she loves every minute of it. I’m thrilled she has her driver’s license; personally I could not keep up with the schedule. We are thankful she has great support from her friends and teachers.  The past few months have been amazing kind of like Christmas with college coaches inquiring about this awesome thrower that attends this GEM of a school in Kailua, Hawaii. These are great and exciting times,” said Sherrill’s mom, Laura Sherrill.

“I find it shocking that my life has changed so much in 10 months. In May I got contacted by my first school and this whole summer has just been crazy. I’ve recently started throwing the hammer and this is my 10^th practice throwing 125 ft. This is something I’m definitely going to do in college; including the shot-put, discus, hammer and the weight which is about 25 pounds. I say that I’m going to college for education and psychology but my main priority is the good coach and training for the Olympics. It’s like my job. Everything is about training, the way you eat, the amount of water you drink, it’s a whole life alteration that is difficult but I think I have adjusted quite well. It is sad and hard not being a normal high schooler, but I would never trade this for the world, because this is what I love doing, and I’m happy I found what I love. I think very few people find their purpose in life at such a young age, and I’m sure I found mine and I’m never going to stop throwing,” said Sherrill.

The game was very hyped up and the outcome was not what many believed would happen. Le Jardin went through most of the season tied with Punahou and Iolani for first place. That is, until the final games where they defeated Iolani 4-2 and Punahou 9-8. Victory for first place looked easy for the bulldogs coming in to the playoffs.

The boy’s first game was against fourth place Kamehameha. The game was an unfortunate upset as the boys lost to Kamehameha 7-6. “We went in cocky,” said senior Sam Spengler. “We had just taken out Puanhou and Iolani and we thought we didn’t have to try. Kamehameha went harder than us and they earned it.”

Since the LJA boys finished the season in first place, a tie breaker for championship was to happen Oct. 27 against the underdogs Kamehameha. Junior Jake Blaskowski said “It was payback, all or nothing. We need to come out strong and play our game.” The boys came out with intensity starting in the first quarter. Within the first minute, senior Jackson Shimanoff scored the first goal, followed by two more goals by Jake Blaskowski and Ian White.

At the end of the first half the score was 5-0, Bulldogs. “This was the first game they’ve ever had where the parents could sit easy and not panic till the last minute of the game,” said Amy Blondeau, mother of athlete Chris Blondeau on the team. By the end of the third quarter the bulldogs were up 8-0. Coach Krislin decided to put some of the subs in for the final quarter and the bulldogs took the win 8-2.

“It was the best season we’ve ever had, from the beginning. We’ve worked so hard, practicing over 20 hours a week, waking up at 5:30 and swimming before school, and it paid off,” said Spengler. The bulldog water polo team established a new tradition at the school, being the first team to ever win a state championship. Hopefully, the team will remain strong in the years to come, and continue the tradition.

They kept a substantial lead throughout the entire first set of the match, ending with a 25 – 7 score.  Their energy level was so high that the entire crowd was out of their seats by the start of the second set.  The second set proved the strength of the lady bulldogs.  They kept their intensity up throughout the entire set and ended the game with an impressive 25 – 7 score to take set 2.  They dominated Saint Andrews Priory in two sets to take the match.  “They were good, we were just that much better,” said senior Samantha Gabrelcik.  The varsity volleyball team has put a lot of preparation into their off season and it showed through their play on Friday.  “They’re okay, the games are fun, but they interfere with my homework hours,” said senior Logan Fornes.  The games are all primarily during 6 or 7 so it’s understandable how it couldn’t interfere with homework schedule. “We played really well as a team and we were lucky enough to come out with the W,” said senior Kea-Marie Olaso.

On Oct. 4, our Lady Bulldogs played in their senior night game and it was extremely successful.  They took the first set and battled to take the second, there was fantastic school support there as well.  The Lady Bulldogs are currently 5 and 3 in the regular season.  Come out and support them in the playoffs coming up!

Junior, Tanner Gillespie has gotten “Bulldog of the Week” recently and for good reasons too. So far he has scored 1^st place in all of the 2km distance races and 2^nd in the 250m sprint. Paving the way to victory for the bulldogs another year, even against 8^th best sprinter in the world, Scanner Chung from Punahou. “I can’t believe how far I’ve come, racing only exhibition my freshman year and now beating the 8^th best kayaker in the world!” Said Gillespie after racing a 2 kilometer distance race against Scanner.

How and why the Le Jardin kayaking team can fair against such stiff competition are good questions. “Our boats and paddles are a collection of hand-me-downs and give-aways, every other school has full sets of Epic V10’s to epic V12’s; top of the line equipment. The only Epic’s we own have either been bought by us for ourselves or have seen better days. When we show up to races our school looks like a joke but we still hammer and win” said Junior, Coburn Hopkins. Hopkins’ view is not wrong either, the kayaking team has been arguably the most successful and largest sports team in the history of Le Jardin Academy but receives no funds in comparison to what other kayaking teams. It’s a good thing Le Jardin Academy is a school full of water sport champions to make up for it.