Unconventional sports: Samo athletes defy the norm

Lillian Kalish Staff WriterThe air is frosty as sophomore Kimia Paridehpour steps onto the ice. She begins skating backwards, turning one foot over the other—a technique that’s known as a backwards crossover. She prepares for a ‘camel spin,’ which requires her to extend her right leg in the air as she moves gracefully in concentric circles. She sticks it with a perfect center and finishes with poise, gliding away around the rink seemingly unaffected by the force of her spin. Unbeknownst to any of the fellow skaters at the rink, Paridehpour is a Samo sophomore.Most of the athletic community at Samo revolves around sports like football, volleyball, tennis and the like. However, a large number of student athletes don’t participate in sports that fall into this traditional category. Perhaps the desire to stand out from the rest has driven students such as Paridehpour to participate in such nontraditional sports as figure skating, equestrian riding, fencing, and rowing.In Paridehpour’s case, her love of figure skating came from watching it on TV.“I started [ice skating] four years ago, during the summer of 6th grade. I used to watch figure skating on the TV and I was always really amazed by the jumps, the spins and all the pretty outfits,” Paridehpour said, recalling the year she fell in love with ice skating.Paridehpour also tried out for volleyball at Samo her freshmen year but later decided against it when she saw how much time she would have to commit to the team, time that would take away from her ice skating.Paridehpour says that the sport has become her means of self expression and relaxation. Other than the risk of falling on the ice, which is inevitable, Paridehpour doesn’t regret her choice.For sophomore Nina Gilshteyn, an avid fencer, it’s all about the adrenaline rush and the rewarding feeling she is left with after beating her opponent or learning a new sparing technique.“I think [fencing] is really unique; it’s one of those sports that is really competitive,” Gilshteyn said. “You get to go across the country and the world once you get really good.Plus, you get such a good workout from practice and then when you finally get that touch, it feels so good to know that you finally got it.”Participating in a sport outside of school, however does come with a time commitment.“I get home around seven or eight depending on whether I stay at practice,” Gilshteyn said.Although figure skating and fencing are generally considered more cardio-based, another highly competitive activity that requires the strength of a team is crew.Junior Tessa Youngs has been on the Marina Acquatic Center Rowing Team since freshman year. She began her rowing career on the novice team and then moved on to the  varsity team.“My  family shares a boat house with UCLA, and once I tried rowing I realized I really enjoyed it,” Youngs said. “I used to play basketball and soccer but nothing stuck.”Youngs goes to practice everyday from 4:15 p.m. to 6:45 p.m. and from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. on Sundays. She also competes in crew races in the spring.“Rowing allows each person to focus and concentrate on themselves,” Youngs said. “With each person working hard on themselves, the team as a whole is a lot better. I really love working with all of the girls on my team. We all have a lot of fun.”These alternative athletes are touche-ing their way through the world of high school sports yet making their marks off campus.lkalish@thesamohi.com