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Sports Shorts

For sure, tears shall flow at the Icardo Center as former Stockdale High School volleyball standout Mystie McNaughton breaks the career digs mark for Cal State Bakersfield. With seven matches remaining, McNaughton will breeze past former Runner Camille Mitchell who holds the record with 1,793 digs. The senior has been a most integral part of CSUB’s transitional period into Division I as her skill and poise has led the Roadrunners through the sometimes rough gauntlet associated with the transition from D-II to D-I. OK — tears might be going a little overboard here, but you can be sure that there will be those who will be “Mystie-eyed.”

While on the V-ball subject, how about those Patriots from Liberty High? The SEYL undefeated girl’s team secured the league championship and are sure to be a high seed come play-off time. LHS is led by Mariah Alvidrez, among county leaders in both kills and digs, and by Emily Cote who is the standard bearer for assists as she averages a healthy 9.5 per contest. Guaranteed, these Pats are no patsies!

Running back to CSUB, Fresno State football coach Pat Hill’s yearly “anywhere, any time” proclamation may be considered apropos for Coach Keith Brown’s Roadrunner Basketball squad as CSUB has inked a pact to travel to Westwood next November to engage the mighty Bruins of UCLA. This is an astonishing feat for CSUB’s program as UCLA is synonymous with collegiate basketball elitism. When one thinks of college hoops, one immediately thinks of the UCLA lore. The scheduling of this game once again spotlights the rise of Coach Brown’s program and speaks volumes of the man himself for his ability to schedule and recruit.

Epilogue: The Tampa Bay Rays’ light dimmed at the end of the weather-plagued World Series. They seemed to have fallen out of sync upon arriving in Philadelphia and they ultimately paid the price for it. Some personal caveats for the Rays not winning included: did not risk being fired by boss for missing four hours of work while handing out issues of The Southwest Voice at Truxtun and Chester avenues; did not clutter that particular corner on Election Day so as to hinder voters’ pathway; saved battery power on boom box; didn’t have to purchase a Rays hat; prevented possible scorn from authorities by not playing the Rolling Stones’ “Start Me Up.” It would have been fun, but one must remember that you “can’t always get what you want!”

Just child’s play

The ability to move around freely — walk, run, jump, skip, hop, throw, catch — is a gift most of us take for granted. As kids we don’t think of these motions as exercise, just fun. All kids are athletes, but what happens to that athletic spirit as we grow up? What if we could encourage our children to keep that athletic tendency through adolescence, teen years, and beyond?

Kids are becoming more sedentary and much more obese as a population. It is an epidemic that needs to be stopped. When they are young, they naturally seem to want to play physically. But as other options are introduced to them, they begin to lose interest, replacing physical movement with sedentary activities like TV, video games, and computers. This is a shame. We need to explore what makes a kid stop playing tag and retreat to inactivity.

The body was made to move, and the more it moves, the better it moves. Physical activity is mandatory to keep a body in motion, healthy, and active. Every effort should be made to make sure that our children get plenty of physical playtime. Otherwise, their bodies will accelerate the aging process, become overweight and “rusty,” just like a bike put in the corner of the garage and not used or maintained.

Since P.E. has been drastically reduced in our schools, we must find ways to keep our children active. I believe that exercise must be fun or it will not happen, especially for kids. Why do kids who liked to play suddenly stop and prefer video games? Perhaps they don’t enjoy the activities they were doing. A kid who isn’t competitive or doesn’t run well may feel humiliated on the soccer team. Or a child who can’t catch or throw well may not enjoy being on the baseball team. There are so many options out there for kids. Keep looking for the right activity and you will find it. Maybe it is a family touch football game, or a walk after dinner. Maybe tennis, golf, or swimming. Make the pursuit of fitness fun, and everyone will benefit.

The Southwest Voice Pumpkin Carving Contest

This Halloween, we asked Southwest Voice readers to submit photos of their creatively carved pumpkins. Possibly deterred by tough economic times, or the fact that pumpkin patches were practically non-existent this year, we did not receive many submissions. However, we did receive a few snapshots of kids in their creative costumes and a spectacular “super pumpkin” created from lights - our winner. We’d like to share those submissions with all of you and encourage you to be on the lookout for the next big contest!

Morgan the monster bride

Normally bright as sunshine, Morgan Freiburg went dark & spooky as a monster bride this Halloween! Ooooh, scary!

Happy birthday Alyssa!

Happy first birthday, Alyssa!

Tia Ana, Tio Paul and your cousins love you, Little Princess!

Contest & Article Deadline

A FEW FRIENDLY REMINDERS:

Free dinner's a photo download away!
Send us a snapshot of the fam all decked out in their Halloween gear with a creatively carved pumpkin and we'll enter you into a contest for dinner on us! Entries are due tonight at midnight, so that means as soon as you get home, download those photos and submit by:

1. Going to: www.swvoice.com
2. Signing in
3. Posting an article (or replying to the Halloween Contest article on the homepage) with your photo and a short caption.

Deadline for Nov. 12 issue is:
TONIGHT: MONDAY, NOV. 3 AT MIDNIGHT!!!
Be sure to send in any articles, contest entries or celebrations that you want to see in our next issue!

Check out this issue!
The Oct. 29 issue of The Southwest Voice is on stands now. Meet neighbors like:
- Jaime Johnson, a local artisan who along with other crafty creators decided to sell her goods to the world on Etys.com
- Nanette Bonilla, an average, everyday mom who took on the Ultimate Challenge of the 2008 Volkslauf like a true warrior!
- and many, many more!!!!

Want The Southwest Voice to come directly to you? We'll deliver it directly to your mail box as soon as it comes out, all you have to do is go to: www.swvoice.com and click on the Subscribe link.

Pumpkin carving contest!

Our mutli-talented copy editor, Debbie Weaver, got into the spooky spirit over the weekend, carving a Southwest Voice inspired pumpkin.

Show off your own trick pumpkin carving skills and we'll treat you to dinner at a favorite Southwest haunt. Snap a photo of your creatively carved pumpkin - don't forget to include the kids in their costumes - and post it in a reply to this announcement.

The winner will be announced in the Nov. 12 issue of The Southwest Voice.

Editor’s note

Creativity abounds in Bakersfield! In the past couple months as the editor of The Southwest Voice, I have met amazing people doing amazing things. People walking unique paths of life to better themselves or their community.

Nanette Bonilla is one of those people. I met Nanette while training for the Volkslauf. In August, Nanette shared with our readers her excitement and fears in preparing for what is known as “The Ultimate Challenge.”

In this issue she recounts her unique experience crossing the finish line a healthier, more accomplished woman. It wasn’t easy, but it was worth it! Get inspired to get fit by reading her article.

Speaking of unique, if you’re looking for one-of-a-kind gifts for this holiday season that will not only wow the recipient, but will go easy on your wallet, check out our cover story featuring local artisans who are selling their handmade goods to a worldwide market via the Web.

Also, read how Stonecreek Junior High students are finding creative ways to raise money for The American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life. Maybe you can help!

Vacations during the school year: A challenge for students

Taking a break, being outdoors, enjoying nature, sitting by a warm campfire late at night … wait a minute, what is wrong with this picture? For students who miss a week of school or more in the middle of the year, it is a huge problem. Vacations are something we all live for and greatly enjoy, but during the school year the break can do more harm than good for some students.

Moving at a faster pace than ever, junior high and high school students work on seven different subjects daily. We do our best as teachers to keep them on track by teaching them how to use an assignment book, how to be organized, and how to turn their work in on time. For the most part, students are able to stay on top of their studies. Vacations in the middle of the school year are a challenge for many students. Even if they get their work in advance, they don’t understand what to do because they missed the lecture in class that drives the assignments. Consequently, they come back with nothing to turn in and not only have to try to make up a week’s worth of work in seven classes, but also have to worry about staying up on what they are doing in class on a daily basis. For most students, even the strong ones, the results are disastrous — especially for students who miss more than a week of school on vacation.

School is a nine-month block of growth, and students learn so many skills. It is difficult to expect success when they are not given the opportunity to be present during that crucial period of time. We all know life happens and sometimes school is missed for very serious reasons. The point is this: vacations can be built around a school year. The good news is there is a way to take vacations during the school year. For many districts, school calendars are posted on the district Web site for parent access. Do your kids a favor: schedule vacations during holidays. As a result, everyone will get to enjoy their vacation thoroughly without students falling behind in school.

— Amy Luther is a teacher at Warren Junior High School in the Panama-Buena Vista Union School District.

St. John’s Lutheran is awarded a fabulous first!

It’s nice to be the first at something — just ask Neil Armstrong, Geraldine Ferraro or Barack Obama. Or, you can ask St. John’s Lutheran School.

On Oct. 15, U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings named Bakersfield’s St. John’s Lutheran School as a 2008 No Child Left Behind – Blue Ribbon School, the first private school in Bakersfield to receive this distinction.

What does Blue Ribbon School mean, exactly? Blue Ribbon is a program that honors public and private elementary, middle and high schools that are either academically superior or that demonstrate dramatic gains in student achievement.

“It’s a long application process, and we have to meet certain criteria,” said Patrice Appold, the Lower School Instructional Pod Leader. “Only 50 private schools are selected per year in the United States.”

Some criteria private schools must meet include offering a foreign language, and providing five consecutive years of standardized test scores in the 90th percentile.

St. John’s met all the requirements. “We teach Spanish in kindergarten through eighth-grade classes,” said Appold.

That’s high achieving — and exactly the type of achievement it takes to be considered a Blue Ribbon School.

“These Blue Ribbon Schools are an example of what teachers and students can achieve,” said Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings. “Now our challenge is to help other schools follow their lead.”

Following their lead won’t be easy. Appold says that St. John’s parents and teachers provide a united front inside the classroom and out.

“We have a very strong parent-teacher-administration relationship that we develop from the beginning, when our teachers do home visits prior to the first day,” said Appold. This relationship, she added, forms a “trickle down” effect, positively affecting the education of each student.

And it must be working because enrollment is up. In the last three years, enrollment has increased by 80 students. On a prior campus of 223 students, 80 more makes a big difference.

Superintendent Stephen Dinger couldn’t be more pleased.

“Receiving this award is an acknowledgement of how richly God has blessed our school,” he said. “Those blessings come in the form of students striving to do their best, families who realize the importance of providing a solid educational foundation on which all future learning is based, and teachers who are dedicated to encouraging children and bringing out their gifts.”

— St. John’s Fall Festival fundraiser will be held Nov. 1 at the Kern County Fairgrounds. Admission is $35 per person, and there will be live and silent auctions, wine tasting and great food. Casual attire is suggested. For more information, call the school at 664-8090.

Big Brothers Big Sisters returns to Kern County

Imagine this: You are a 10-year-old child. Your father is incarcerated in state prison and has never really been a part of your life. Your mother works two jobs to support the family and as a result cannot be around a lot. Much of your time is spent at your grandma’s house and while you love being around her, she is not able to play the games you are interested in. Your older brother who you have always looked up to just recently joined a gang. You want to do well in school and get in to college, but have a hard time concentrating and doing well on tests.

Who do you turn to as your role model?

Many of the children growing up in Kern County are not able to answer that question. An alarming 29 percent of our children will drop out of high school and an estimated 53,205 children are living below the poverty level.

But there is hope. This month the Big Brothers Big Sisters mentoring program has returned to Kern County. Their local evaluations in neighboring counties show that of the children matched with a mentor in their program 61 percent improve in academics, 86 percent experience a boost in self-confidence and 94 percent show improvement in their ability to trust.

And the formula is easy. One caring adult volunteer and one child and a couple hours a week is a life-changing positive impact — or as Big Brothers Big Sisters says, “Little moments. Big magic.”

Through the Big Brothers Big Sisters program, our community has a chance to change what it means for our children to grow up in Kern County. We urge you to get involved.

For more information, visit: www.bigs.org or call 900-1222.

Little known VA pension benefits

Did you know that some veterans may be eligible for what the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs calls an improved pension? To qualify, a veteran must not necessarily have a service related disability nor have retired from the military nor even been in actual combat. In very general terms, to qualify for basic improved pension, you need to meet these requirements:

1. Have been honorably discharged from service.
2. Served 90 days or more of active duty with at least one day during wartime during World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War or the Gulf War.
3. Be age 65 or older, or be permanently and totally disabled.
4. Meet income requirements.
5. Meet net worth requirements.

If you qualify for a basic pension, you could get additional money under one (not both) of two additional benefit programs: aid and attendance or housebound. The aid and attendance program is for those who require the aid of another person to help perform daily living functions, those who are bedridden, a patient in a nursing home, or who are blind. The housebound program pays extra money if you are 100 percent disabled and permanently confined to your immediate premises, or you have a single permanent disability evaluated as 100 percent disabling and another disability evaluated as 60 percent or more disabling.

Surviving spouses of qualified veterans may be eligible for a death benefit pension as well as for aid and attendance or housebound benefits.

If you would like a free VA pamphlet, “Summary of VA Benefits,” call 328-0363 and leave your name and address.

Please note: Information presented here is made available for educational purposes only. It is not intended to provide specific legal advice. This article was written in August 2008. The law is subject to change. This article cannot substitute for competent legal advice about your specific situation from a licensed professional attorney.

A proud moment: Completing my ultimate challenge

Almost three months ago I began training for the Volkslauf Mud Run to challenge myself to become more active and in overall better shape. I started out strong and was doing well in my training along with Team TW and awesome trainer Leigh Pozas of Total Woman. My eating habits changed and I was improving in my physical activities daily. In early August I dragged myself across the river bed and along trails. I stayed with it, and in just five weeks I improved my performance in physical training, workouts and improved running the timed mile by three and a half minutes! This in itself was a great accomplishment for me — one of the many I knew I had to look forward to before the “Ultimate Challenge” of the Volkslauf.

Being just half way through training, I was very confident that by the end of my 10 weeks I’d be in even better shape! I was ready to push myself to the next level and endure the pain of physical gain ... then life got in the way.

I lost my focus on training when I had to turn it on other things in my life that would affect my family — it was my priority and new challenge. I was forced to move out of my comfort zone and find a new home. Everyone faces different obstacles and sometimes they just come up unexpectedly. I was literally stumbling over my obstacles in life while training to run the 10K obstacle mud run and I was ready to give in to my exhaustion and stress. But because of the people who surrounded me and passed on encouraging words or shared their own struggles, I was inspired to keep on keeping on. I was so nervous up to the day of Volkslauf, I no longer felt ready and confident. It was more like, “Oh my gosh, I can’t believe I’m doing this ... and why?” Although I may not have done as well as I would’ve liked, I am pleased to say I completed the run in a little over two hours. As Leigh said in the beginning, it’s just an awesome feeling of accomplishment when you pass that finish line — then you can breathe!

Overall I did meet my goals by improving my physical abilities, and lost some inches along the way. My finish time for the timed mile was just under 12 minutes, I can do a couple of pull-ups assisted, and I can jog a steady pace for a longer period of time. The different experiences I’ve had over the last couple of months have made me a stronger person physically, emotionally and spiritually. I thank God for giving me strength and faith — through him I can do all things. Thank you to Leigh the leader of the pack, to Valerie for sticking through it, too; to Ronda for running with me at the event; Natalie for her kind words and allowing me to share mine; and to every one else who took the time to say hello and acknowledge when I was there or not — you helped me keep coming back. And to my husband, Marcos, who told me not to let anything get in the way of what I want to do — he is my support and my back bone. I had a great time and I’ll be back!

Ask a Wine-Know: Drink well as you — and the wine — age

As a senior citizen, I’ve sent and received a number of greeting cards celebrating both the attributes and foibles of old age. My friends and family have always been well aware of my wine hobby and have gifted me over the years with cards expressing sentiments such as “age well, like fine wine” or “some things just get better over time” or “like great wine, you just get better with age,” etc. I know you have seen the like, so let’s talk about wine and age.

Does wine really get better with age? Quick answer - yes, but very little of what you see on the shelves. 90 percent of all wine is made to be drunk within the year it is bottled and released.

So what about all this hoopla over storing wine, building wine cellars, and reading about thousands of dollars being paid for a single 20- or 30-year-old bottle of wine? Because some wine really does have the ability to age — to live and change — to go from tough and young to mature, soft and charming. No other drink does this. That’s why it appeals to the intellect and that’s why wine lovers are always standing around talking about the wine while sipping and savoring. “Is it ready?” We never know what to expect, and that can’t be said for orange juice.

That’s why it’s been around for centuries — its ability to age and the fact that bacteria harmful to man can’t exist in it. Remember: when in a foreign country don’t drink water, drink wine! Getting a little glow from the alcohol probably helps endure anything else, too!

Anyway, having said that most wine we encounter is made to drink now, let’s talk very briefly about what makes a wine worth putting down to age.

It has to be red, never pink, or seldom white (two exceptions are German Riesling and French Sauternes). This is because of the tannins, a substance found in the skins, seeds or stems of grapes. These parts of the grape make wine red. The juice is really colorless. Riesling has high acid and French wines have beaucoup de sugar, both of which are preservatives. Late Harvest or Botrytised wines, all very sweet, will also last seemingly forever. In other words, the wine has to have the capability of aging. All the right components must be there in the grapes, the right fruit structure picked at the right time and handled correctly by a talented winemaker.

Also, to age well a wine has to be stored properly — at correct cool temperatures and away from light and air — in the wine shop, the restaurant, your home. Finally, the last factor for great aged wine is money. Wines that will age well are expensive. Very expensive. Only a posh wine shop will have really old wines, and those few will be under lock and key. It’s terribly expensive to hold merchandise for over 20 years. How many restaurants can do this?

OK, so you might save up for a bottle or two and put them down in the back of the closet to see what the fuss is all about. Follow the advice of the experts to find out what to buy and how long it should age to be ready. These men (and a few women) write for major wine journals available at all bookstores. Their evaluations of specific wines will include advice on aging potential. Go online to find the wine although we have some good shops here in town, too. Check them out.

My advice to you about finding an opportunity to taste a great bottle of aged wine is to make friends with a collector. And, obviously, you need to taste a young bottle of that wine to appreciate the difference. Your new friend might be able to help in that regard, too. My advice about buying wine yourself is:

1. If over 65, don’t buy wine to put down to age.
2. Don’t buy cases of anything to try (two bottles is plenty — if the first one is tasty, you can rest easy because you’ve got another to hold you until you can get more).
3. Don’t drink anything that you don’t really like or want (small pours, small pours — save those calories and your alcohol capacity for the good stuff). If the rest of the group doesn’t finish it off, refrigerate the rest of the bottle to cook with.
4. Don’t buy too much to put down — be selective. (My biggest mistake: too much wine “over the hill” when I got around to opening it.)

My reasoning for the above is as follows: there’s a lot of really good wine out there ready today and there will be even more tomorrow!

Questions? Comments? Send Ann e-mail at: Acierley@etcrier.net

Did you graduate from BHS in the 80's?

BHS homecoming is Nov. 7. The theme is “Now’s the time in 2009.” The junior class is looking for alumnae from the 1980’s because they need cheer and athletic uniforms, letterman jackets, etc. Anyone have any of these items can contact Marianne Keathley at ptsa_bhs@yahoo.com or 831-8321.