P R IN T : Sports
ß »*• Wednesday, November 6,2013
Sports
literacy and
foosball
Ok
R E TÌPO
| | | ^fÌO N
WBÍ R"^
Brittany Home
Co-Editor-in-Chief
Are you a sports newb? Were
you more interested in video ;.<•
games, ‘girly’ things or education
to learn about i ports oi tXpeflewu
adequate exposure to the ‘game
night’ culture? And then maybe one
day you found yourself going out to
a football game with friends, your
child started playing volleyball
or you started dating a basketball
fanatic.
Whatever your story is, you
find yourself wondering what is
going on in the game. What is
everyone so excited about, all I see
is players fighting over a ball up
and down the field. Why does that
guy get a free shot? How do ! help
my child practice and train if i don’t f
know a thing about soccer? How
can I be a part o f my significant
others biggest interest?,
I’m here to save the day! Or, ‘
well, at least to lead the adventure - ‘
o f sports literacy. I will be research
ing and experiencing a variety o f
sports and interviewing sport-gifted
individuals to provide a sort o f
sports-for-newbs crash course. The
best part is that I’ll be learning with,
you, so hopefully what is new to me
w ill be new to you.
Each week will be focused on
a specific sport and include some
history, objective and rules, game
related terms and culture tid-bits.
This week we will explore foosball r >
as an example, providing some his
tory, culture and rules.
Foosball is “a tabletop version , .
o f soccer in which players turn f
rods fixed on top of a playing box
and attached to miniature figures o f ‘
players, in order to flick the ball and
strike it toward the goal,” according S
to Google definitions. Also known
as: tabletop football, fussball o r
kicker.
The origins o f this sport game
are hard to trace, but it is believed
that many countries befc,an develop- '
i n g different, variations of fooshail
in roughly the Mine Hint penod.
Organized soccer made its debut in
the 1860s; the soccer table version
appearing shortly after. The first
foosball table patent in th f O . .
was registered in 1901, a lth o ^ f ft
is agreed upon that its origins ate
western European like soccer.
According to Le Stxr Jllustre,
a Belgian magazine, a Frenchman
named Lucien Rosengart is cred
ited for the invention o f the foosball
table. He is also accredited with the
minicar, frontwheel drive and the
seat belt.
A popular belief is that foosball
was invented to rehabilitate war
veterans. This is not true. However,
foosball has been used for reha
bilitative purposes and is great for
rebuilding hand-eye coordination. .
Today it is used for social rehabili- ; '
tation as seen offered by corrections
facilities for recreational use.
So let’s get playing! Below are
the rules, according to wwwfoos-
ball.com.
The Three Golden Rules:
1. The tables have niire balls and
play the best out o f nine, or the
first team to five goals. .
.
2. If a ball goes into the goal
legally, then a point is scored,
no exceptions.
3. Do not spin the rods!
Some other rules you may want
*
to ase as well: *
4. To find out who goes first, flip
a coin.
5. Serve the ball through the hole
using any technique, but you
must touch the ball with a
‘man’ before you can score.
6. After a goal is made, the last
team scored upon receives the
ball.
7. If a ball goes off the table, the . '
last team scored upon receives
the ball.
8. If the ball has stopped and is
unreachable, the “Dead Ball”
is given to the last team scored
upon.
9. If the ball is in your posses
sion, you may call ‘Time Out’,
but must make sure the other
team is ready when you call
‘Time In’.
’
10. Do not reach on the table for
the ball or use your hand while
it is in play.
11. Have fun and respect others
while playing.
12. The ball should notbe in any one
place for more than 15 seconds.
1 hope you learned some basics o f
foosball in the first week o f ‘Sports
for Newbs’.
Tracking Cougar Gil-Juarez and
his cross country dreams
Chris Browarski
The Clackamas Print
Running through mud, grass,
hills and the occasional gravel
road, all in the rain or shine. Cross
country isn’t the sport for every
one; it’s a long grinding battle
from start to finish all on unpaved
trails. It’s more than just talent or
training. A cross country runner
needs both determination and
heart to cross the finish line first.
Clackamas cross country run
ner Jorge Gil-Juarez has what it
takes to be an excellent cross-coun
try runner. On Oct. 26, Gil-Juarez
took home second place in the
Northwest Athletic Association
of Community Colleges Southern
Region Championship, help
ing to seal a spot för Clackamas
Community College in the
upcoming NWAACC champion
ship.
Gil-Juarez is a very talented
young man. His excellent running
ability is the product of intense
training and determination. He
pushes himself to run farther and
faster.
“The more miles you run,
the faster you can go,” said Gil-
Juarez.
Gil-Juarez trains by running
70 to 80 miles a week, alternating
weekdays between long distance
legs and speed training to stay in
top physical condition. Saturday
is usually race day where the two
styles come together to really test
the body. Allison Pugsley, a close
friend testified to his drive.
“He’s not one to slack off at
all,” said Pugsley. “I’ve never met
anyone who is so positive and
strong-hearted for this sport.”
Pugsley says Gil-Jäurez will
run no matter the conditions; he’s
out training every single day.
While the ideal running day is a
nice cool 60 degree overcast day,
Gil-Juarez doesn’t hesitate to run
in rain, snow, or heat. He says the
only condition that might keep
him from training is a lightning
storm.
Gil-Juarez wasn’t always in
love with running; it wasn’t until
his junior year at Phoenix High
School that his friends pushed
him and he decided to try out for
cross country.
“My best friend wanted me to
start running so I tried it... That
was like my catalyst,” he said.
Gil-Juarez started slow but
found that his times quickly
improved with training. So he
constantly pushed himself.
Training harder and harder, Gil-
Juarez’s running improved until
it clicked for him his senior year.
He became the best distance run
ner on his high school team. His
high school and college friend
Zach Hibbs believes Gil-Juarez’s
natural talent gives him an edge.
“He trained with the rest of
us and did the same thing,” said
Hibbs. “In fact going into our
sophomore year at Clackamas I
was putting in more miles than he
was but I still couldn’t compete at
his level.”
Natural talent aside, Gil-
Juarez’s determination for his
sport would come under trial
his sophomore year as a severe
camping accident put his running
career in jeopardy. While cutting
wood with a hatchet, Jorge took a
swing a bit too close and chopped
through his shoe, cutting the mid
dle toe of his right foot in half. A
nasty injury for anyone, but truly
reason to panic for a runner.
The injury sidetracked his
sophomore year and left him
using red-shirt status to preserve a
year of eligibility for a third year
at Clackamas. When he was able
to get back on his feet and run
ning, Gil-Juarez wasn’t anywhere
near the pace he left at the end of
his freshman year.
“I was really worried about not
being able to compete at the same
level,” said Gil-Juarez.
Gil-Juarez was back to square
one and had to train hard to
resume being competitive again.
For four grueling months he ran
every day, building up to the same
pace he had left off at.
Despite his reputation for
hardcore training, Gil-Juarez is
an easy-going and fun-loving
guy. He has an athletic body,
floppy hair and a big smile.
Hibbs calls him super hilarious.
“Wherever he goes, he’s the life
of the party,” said Hibbs.
He is studying animal science
as he loves animals, particularly
household pets. He hopes to trans
fer to a university with an animal
studies major as well as a good
cross country program.
Currently he is hopeful to
finish the season high at the
NWAACC championship with
the strong Clackamas team.
Teammates Badane Sultessa and
Jackson Baker are also top run
ners, and Gil-Juarez feels that
having three elite athletes at the
head of the pack is intimidating to
other teams and gives Clackamas
an advantage.
Gil-Juarez’s goals seem attain
able with his incredible work
ethic. Grinding away at every
challenge, there is no limit to what
this young man can achieve.
GIL-JUAREZ
Gil-Juarez, who is from Pheonix, Ore. realized he was a good runner his last race o f his high school Junior year. When he was beaten to state by a teammate,
he was determined to make it to state his high school Senior year. He won third in state that year. A t the Southern Region Championship, Gil-Juarez placed
second fo r m en’s cross country.