Sophia Doromal stays rooted in her community
AZPreps365
Ten toes down. It’s a euphemism for commitment, for being grounded. Being rooted enough to be reachable, touchable.
That describes Sophia Doromal. Ten toes down.
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Premier athletes, and she is one, are perennially in search of the best situation to succeed. For girls' basketball in Arizona, that doesn’t mean Cesar Chavez High. The good ones tend to be better off at Desert Vista or Mountain Pointe.
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That just wasn’t an option for Doromal, the 5-foot-2 freshman point guard. She was loyal to her soil.
the Air Jordan we never knew
LPC Express Newspaper
When I was born, way back in 1996, Michael Jordan had just returned to the NBA after a stint in baseball. He had already won three straight titles before the doctor slapped my butt. I didn’t see him drop 63 in the Boston Gardens. I couldn’t witness him overcoming the Pistons or the mountain he climbed to beat them. I didn’t see his game-winning shots or his captivating dunks or his mass celebrity appeal.
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So, Jordan never really did it for me. I’d heard the stories of Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. I’d seen Space Jam. I knew about his shoes. But he didn’t mean much. He didn’t move me, The earliest I could remember seeing Jordan play, he was wearing No. 23 for the Washington Wizards. Not the Bulls.
Kobe Bryant:
—An enemy I never Thought I’d love
LPC Express Newspaper
As a kid from Oakland, naturally, I’m a Warriors fan. Kobe Bryant was drafted the year I was born: 1996. So from the time I could comprehend basketball, Kobe was the best in the league. I grew up hating him.
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I wished he would miss shots. Wished he would choke under pressure. Wished he would lose to Golden State. But he never missed, or choked, or lost. At least it seemed that way. Feels like I died a thousand deaths at the hands of Kobe. He flaunted in my face, and that of Warriors fans, how good we weren’t, and how far we were from his level.
Las positas
star michael hayes soars past adversity
LPC Express Newspaper
There’s a certain fire that engulfs Las Positas star guard Michael Hayes when he’s on a basketball court. It’s an energy, an urgency, you do not see in the everyday hooper. Yes, he’s a super athlete who can use his speed and strength advantage. But it’s the way he attacks the rim, like he’s avenging a wrong-doing. He rebounds like a man who hasn’t eaten.
Hayes’ fire comes from a deeper place within himself. Basketball doesn’t ignite this fire. Desperation does. He isn’t just wanting to be the best basketball player. He wants to have the best life, for him and his siblings, the kind of life that wasn’t supposed to be available for them.
Las positas
Soccer star Camryn Adams emerges triumphant
LPC Express Newspaper
You’d never notice it. Camryn Adams keeps it hidden.
What you will see is a smile of one who has found peace, the kind of warm invitation of one well acquainted with happiness. She is engaging in conversation, her dry wit, high-pitch giggle and honesty makes her a fun conversation.
She stands just over 5-feet tall, when on her toes, but her personality is hardly diminutive. Instead, she exudes confidence. She cracks jokes, even laughs at herself, as one who is comfortable in her own skin.
the end for boxing?
It was the fight of 2017, but it was roundly regarded as a gimmick.
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Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor. The undefeated king of boxing against the biggest star from the Ultimate Fighting Championship, known as UFC. It was all hype. McGregor didn’t belong in a boxing ring with Mayweather, a boxing purists who has mastered his craft. McGregor had some boxing in his past, but this was like LeBron James playing one-on-one against an intramural star.
This was the moment I knew I was whipped.
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It happened so fast. The first time I laid eyes… let me tell you. I couldn’t help but stare all day. We ate together, hung out for hours. Not one second was I bored. I didn’t even want to do anything else. I couldn’t keep my hands to myself. Yes, we slept together.
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When the game beats you
a tragic love story
He walked along the edge, shaking, trembling scared for his life. He looked out into the open blue, such a long way down. He conjured the courage and jumped in.
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This was the beginning of Joey Argoncillo’s diving career and just a piece of what he stands for. He became one of the best divers in California at the community college level by stepping out of his comfort zone. A comfort zone is a psychological state where things feel familiar to a person. Where they are at ease and in control of their environment, experiencing low levels of anxiety and stress.
Hawks diver thrives by breaking out of his comfort zone
She tried to envision herself with no hair.
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Would her sandy brown eyebrows really pop if her curly locks weren’t flowing from her head?
She tried to visualize it, imagine how pale her scalp would be, what shape would her head reveal if no longer hidden. She couldn’t do it. Couldn’t bring herself to cut it off.