Other Sports: The Southwest Voice

Youth Athlete of the Month

Olivia Bryant is an 11 year old black belt, in the art and sport of taekwondo. She finished first winning the gold medal in the 11-12 lightweight division at the annual Jimmy Kim Invitational Taekwondo Championship (www.thejki.com) held on Saturday, September 27, 2008 at the Walter Pyramid on the campus of Cal State Long Beach.

Olivia had three fights on her way to the gold winning the first two by point gap (7 point gap ends the contest). Her first match was against Evangeline Tsai of California which ended 11-4 her second match of the day was against Rebeca Acuna of Mexico 7-0, with the final victory over Justine Junio of California which ended in a much closer 8-6 win for Olivia.

The clear high point of the day was the fight with Rebeca Acuna which left those in attendance in shock. In a match that was scheduled for two 90 second rounds, Olivia reached the point gap ending the match in an unprecedented 15 seconds. The entire match can be seen here.

This marks the beginning of her 2008-2009 tournament season and she's off to a great start! More information on her upcoming competitions & training, will be posted on her website at www.teamlibbytkd.com.

Team Libby Taekwondo - Because Champions Don't Start Training At 35!

Athlete of the month: Junior Olympics gold medalist

There has been so much on the news and in the newspaper regarding the Summer Olympics in Beijing, China, the AAU Junior Olympics were held in Detroit, Michigan July 23 - August 2, 2008.

Louis Bennett, 13 years old, placed 1st in the High Jump on August 1st, and received the Gold Medal in the youth boy's division. As a member of the Bakersfield Grayhounds Track Club, the youth boys also placed 4th in the 4X1 and 4X4 relays. The club also participated in several meets during the summer.

Louis was also a participant on the Warren Junior High School track team. In May, he advanced to the San Joaquin Valley Track Meet held in Clovis, California where he placed 1st in the 4x4 relay, 2nd in the High Jump and 4X1 relay, and 5th in the 100 meters. He also received outstanding 8th grade male athlete and was on the honor roll all 8 quarters.

Louis is looking forward to being a Falcon at Independence High School where he plans to participate in football, basketall, and track.

Airsoft in Kern County

Today, many people are taking up the sport of Airsoft here in Kern County. Airsoft by definition is a sport where players simulate military or law enforcement combat by using realistic looking guns and other combat gear. Airsoft guns are non-lethal replicas of real firearms which use compressed air to propel light weight plastic BBs at speeds between 100 and 650 feet per second.

Airsoft guns come in 3 varieties, spring, electric, and gas. Spring and electric guns both employ the use of a spring, a piston, and a cylinder as their firing mechanic. The spring is compressed, drawing the piston back and filling the cylinder with air. Once the trigger is pulled, the spring is released forcing the piston into the cylinder and the air out of the cylinder into the barrel of the gun where the BB is staged for firing. Gas guns, however, use compressed “green gas”, propane, CO2, or high pressure air. These guns have chambers which store the gas (or CO2 cartridge) and release a small amount into the barrel of the gun when the trigger is pulled. Electric guns us a battery and a motor to compress the spring allowing semi-automatic and fully automatic firing. Gas guns, like electric, are capable of both modes of fire as well. Spring guns must be manually cocked between each shot which prevents them from being capable of fully automatic firing.

Even though the name Airsoft is quite safe-sounding, airsoft guns are capable of causing injury when used improperly. However, with the right safety equipment and an adherence to some basic safety guidelines, the sport is quite safe.

Airsoft guns should always be treated as real fire arms (with the exception of shooting other players wearing appropriate safety gear during a game). They should never be brandished in public places (anyplace the public can see) and should be concealed in some sort of carrying case when transporting them. If you are seen with an airsoft gun in a public place and someone believes it to be real, the police may respond as if you have a real firearm. A note to parents of children using airsoft guns. If your child brings an airsoft gun to school or uses it in any other public place, they can be prosecuted just as if they had a real firearm since airsoft guns can be quite easily mistaken for the real thing.
Never aim or shoot your airsoft gun at an animal or a person who is not wearing the proper protective gear. Minimum protective gear consists of eye wear rated for airsoft or paint ball, and clothing which minimizes exposed skin. It’s recommended that you wear full face protection (eyes, ears, and teeth), leather gloves, and durable clothes like jeans and multiple layers of shirts.
Research all local and federal laws governing the buying, carrying and use of airsoft guns. Contact your local police department for more information.

While airsoft guns can provide a great deal of fun, misuse of these guns can result in unnecessary injury or harm to users and innocent bystanders alike. It can also cause negative repercussions for the sport in general. Having a few rules will not detract from the fun of playing airsoft, rather it helps everybody to get the best out of the sport and it keeps everybody safe.

If you are interedted in learning more about Airsoft, visit the Kern County Airsoft Community online at http://www.kernairsoft.org

11 Year Old Bakersfield Girl Now Ranks No. 2 In The World In Taekwondo

Bakersfield, CA (February 14, 2008) – Olivia Bryant of Bakersfield, California won the silver medal at the US Open Taekwondo Championships held February 8-10 in New Orleans, LA. This gives the 11 year old Van Horn Elementary 5^th grader and straight “A” student the #2 ranking in the world in the 11-13 year old Bantam weight division according to United States of America Taekwondo (USAT- www.usa-taekwondo.us ), the national governing body for Olympic taekwondo.

Olivia Bryant in her first year of eligibility for this event left a lasting impression on many in attendance by dominating all of her opponents before loosing in the finals to Canada. But for those who know her dedication and determination to the art and sport of taekwondo, it's hardly a surprise. Because there are no schools in the area that offer the specialized program she needs, she travels 11/2 hrs each way 4 days per week to train at Victory Taekwondo Center in Palmdale, CA while still managing to squeeze in 2 hrs a day 3 days a week training at home. All while maintaining straight A's in school and a healthy dose of friends and girly parties and events.

She often says that one day she would like to represent her country in international events, especially the Olympic Games and at the tender age of 11, her resume puts her right on track, which include:

2006 Junior Olympics – Gold ( http://www.usa-taekwondo.us/ )

2007 Junior Olympics – Silver ( http://www.usa-taekwondo.us/ )

2008 – Member of the Official California State Taekwondo Sparring Team (http://www.cutkda.com , http://www.cutkda.com/events/CUTA_TeamTrials08_Kyoroogi.xls )

2008 US Open – Silver ( http://www.usa-taekwondo.us/ )

You can also see Olivia in action at the 2007 Junior Olympics Here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZW4hUqMEbk

New water polo club, join today!

There is a new Bakersfield water polo club and swimmers are needed. For more information please visit: http://www.bakersfieldwaterpolo.org. Bakersfield Water Polo is coached by the Cal State Bakersfield girls water polo team head coach. Training is held at the CSUB pool.

Jamz Nationals Starz

Stars Extreme recently took five of their competitive all-star cheerleading teams to the Jamz Nationals, held at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, March 10 and 11.

To make it to Jamz Nationals, the teams had to first qualify at a regional competition by being in the top 30 percent.

There were over 10,000 participants competing in cheer and dance at the nationals.

Stars Extreme had a great showing, and came home with four national championship titles and one third place.

Stars Extreme’s Mini team, ranging from kindergarten through second graders, took first place at their very first nationals.

The Youth Elite, Senior and Senior Elite team also took home national titles, and the Large Junior team placed third place in a very tough division.

Stars Extreme teams are made up of boys and girls ages 3 to 18.

To find out more information about Stars Extreme or to join our program, check out our Web site at: www.starsgymca.com, or call 833-3986.