Claremont Courier Healthy Living 2013

7/30/2019 Claremont Courier Healthy Living 2013

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Friday, April 26, 2013

Courerilaremont

claremont-courier.com

SportsPAGE 17

MarathonPAGE 10

Principal of ZumbaPAGE 14

SocialPAGE 4

COURIER photos/Steven FelschundneffSan Antonio High School Principal Steven Boyd, at right, is one of 2 men in a class of about 30 women in a Claremont Club Zumba class led by Anette Parker.


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HEALTHY LIVING/2013 3

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Fun-filled fitness by Sarah TorribioSan Antonio principal gets into shape using Zumba fitness craze.

Making REAL Connections by Beth HartnettLocal organization hosts social events for senior community.

Against the odds by Anam SethiAfter battling and beating cancer, Virginia and Van Garner run for a cure.

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Team spirit by Chris OakleyAthletics provide students with balance, opportunities.

The Claremont COURIERs annualHealthy Living special is a guide for localhealth aficionados and savvy seniors, asClaremonters are notoriously active wellinto their golden years. Our communityoffers a variety of senior centers, healthoptions and community organizations,making Claremont an ideal retirementlocale and a haven for families. In thisspecial edition, youll find out aboutresources for senior socializing, fitnesstrends, cancer research funding, healtheducation in schools and the residentswho participate these programs.


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The past several yearshave brought a lot ofuncertainty for

Upland resident JoanGuyon. With her husbandspassing and glaucoma tak-ing the sight from one of hereyes, she found herself, forthe first time in her life,inextricably stuck.

I was frustrated like mad, Ms.Guyon admitted. All my life Ivebeen an active, in charge personwho would jump in the car and go.And here I was, trapped.

Her one source of stability, shesays, was her home, where she hasresided for the past 57 years, raisingher 2 children and taking care of herhusband after he suffered from amini-stroke. But with her health fail-ing and her inability to get anywhere,even that was starting to slip awayuntil, by recommendation of herdaughter, she found an option thatwould keep the cornerstones of herlife in place.

Ms. Guyon is one of nearly 50 localseniors taking part in ClaremontSenior Services REAL ConnectionsVillage to Village Network, part of agreater grassroots movement calledthe Village to Village Network and

aimed at helping seniors remain intheir homes as they grow older.

REAL ConnectionsREAL stand-ing for Resources for AgelessLivingworks by highlighting thestrengths of each of its members andvolunteers to find out ways they canhelp each other. A network of pre-ferred professionals fills in whereextra help is needed.

If people want to age in place in

their own homes, it takes a village tomake that happen, explained BrandiOrton, REAL Connections directorof member services. The village hasreally become a community of peo-ple supporting each other.

The village model operates underthe principle that every communitymember has something to contribute.It could be the ability to drive a fel-low member to a doctors appoint-ment or, for homebound seniors, theability to make a phone call to anoth-er in need. Claremont resident EveTessier, 92 years old, is unable todrive, but is happy to share herenthusiasm with those in need. She

has an open-door policy for fellowvillage members.

If people are feeling sad, theycome in here and start laughing,Ms. Tessier shared with a cheerydemeanor.

The village movement was start-ed in 2001 by a group of Boston-areaseniors looking for resources toallow them the ability to continueliving in their homes.

We wanted more freedom andcontrol than we found in models thatfocused on single issues, such ashousing, medical care or social activ-ities. We wanted to be active, takingcare of ourselves and each other

rather than being taken care of, theBeacon Hill village expresses on itswebsite. We, the members, decide

Seniors make REAL Connections with community

COURIER photos/Steven FelschundneffREAL Connections Director Brandi Orton embraces member Margaret Wise at the end of a lunch gathering for thegroup recently in Ontario. One of the goals of REAL Connections is to provide social events where older residents canmingle with the staff and volunteers.

REAL Connections Director BrandiOrton leads a group discussionduring a recent party for the seniorservices organization. A large partof REAL Connections successrevolves around the social eventsthat keep participants involved in

their community.

REAL CONNECTIONScontinues on the next page


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what we need and want. We have anexpert staff, a great variety of serviceproviders, enthusiastic volunteers andstrategic partners, but we govern the

village, design its offerings and makeit all happen.

They now reach out to help othersto do the same. To date, 89 villagecommunities span the globe, with123 in development. The REAL

Connections village is thrivingthanks to the help of ClaremontSenior Services and a team of volun-teers and members throughout theInland Valley, to which the servicecaters. Each village operates withone employee and a network of vol-

unteers. Ms. Orton keeps the opera-tion functioning with the help of 58fully vetted volunteers.

Though volunteers and membersdo help with daily tasks like drivingeach other to the grocery store or

provide health care advocacy, it isntall routine duties. REAL Connectionsalso hosts a series of social events forits members, from monthly potlucksand coffee klatches to regular pokernights, with a pinochle group to soonbe added to the list.

Our members tell us what theywant and then create it, Ms. Ortonsaid. A village is not just aboutmeeting someones needs as far asgetting them to the doctors or takingthem to the grocery store. Yes, thats

part of it, but villages are more aboutbuilding relationships.

REAL Connections programminghas provided Ms. Guyon, who isnewly widowed and unable to drive,with the social opportunities shecraves but has sorely missed in

recent years.The big wide world is still out

there, I discovered. And people, too.

James Clay, left, greets Jim Graham during a recent party for Community Senior Services REAL Connections program at a volunteers Ontario home. Mr. Clayis a member of the program and Mr. Graham is one of the drivers.

REAL CONNECTIONScontinues on page 6

REAL CONNECTIONScontinued from the previous page


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Eve Tessier shows a photograph of her son to REAL Connections volunteer Carol Raybould last Friday at Ms. Tessiers Claremont home. Ms. Raybould drivesmany area seniors to doctors appointments and other events as part of the REAL Connections program. On Friday, Ms. Tessier was headed to Pilgrim Place forone of their social gatherings for seniors.

My goodness! Ms. Guyon jested,but on a serious note she added thatit has given her the chance to breakfree from her confinement to her

home. After being stuck in myhouse, this was just the answer towhat I needed.

The social outings and servicesprovided by REAL Connectionsreach beyond its membership. Theprogram has been a godsend for

Brenda Schmit, who works at thecolleges full-time while also assum-ing primary care of her mother, MarySchmit.

Between rushing back-and-forth toher home, where her mother resides,to help with her needs and spendingher weekends catching up on errands,

the overload in responsibility begantaking a toll.

My mom is a real social butterflyand it was challenging for me to findenough things for her to do while Iwas away at work, Ms. Schmit said.

She felt a loss of freedom and I was

limited in what I could to do help her.In September, Ms. Schmit met with

Ms. Orton and signed her mother upwith REAL Connections. Since then,Ms. Schmit says she has seen a vastimprovement in her mothers healthas she returned to the busy socialschedule that makes her happy.

Shes probably more busy nowthan ever before, Ms. Schmitlaughed about her mothers itinerary,which includes shopping onMondays, volunteer work at a localhospital on Tuesdays and learningabout social media with a REAL

Connections intern on Thursdays.It gives her something to look for-

ward to and I dont have to worry abouther when Im at work, Ms. Schmitsaid, appreciative of all the help.

Its like I have 2 or 3 new sisters,she says of the volunteers. Theyhave definitely become a part of the

family.Above all the things that REAL

Connections providesthe ability tolive in home longer, a source of dedi-

REAL CONNECTIONScontinued from page 5

REAL CONNECTIONScontinues on the next page


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cated providers with discounted ratesand a one-call stop for all membersneedsit is this relationship-buildingaspect that hits home most for Ms.Orton.

The village really goes back to theway we used to live, where we knewour neighbors and we relied uponeach other for help, Ms. Orton said.The relationships are the mostmeaningful part.

You do not have to be a Claremontresident to be a part of REAL

Connections. Members and volun-teers span Alta Loma, Claremont, LaVerne, Pomona, San Antonio

Heights, Rancho Cucamonga, SanDimas and Upland. To become a partof the REAL Connections team,either as a member or volunteer, con-tact Ms. Orton at 621-6300 or byemail to [email protected] is $54.50 a month andincludes all services, except for con-tracted work through one of the non-

profits preferred providers.Becoming a volunteer is free.

Beth Hartnett

[email protected]

REAL CONNECTIONScontinued from the previous page

COURIER photos/Steven FelschundneffMs. Raybould helps Eve Tessier to her car in Claremont. Ms. Raybould hasbeen a volunteer with REAL Connections since last summer but this washer first time giving Ms. Tessier a ride.

SELLING, BUYING OR RENTING? Advertise in theClaremont COURIER! Call Jessica at 621-4761.


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Ten students from the Claremont Colleges forewenttheir typical spring break of beaches and relaxation thisyear to teach hundreds of children in Claremont, Pomona,Diamond Bar, Chino and Chino Hills how to save energyand help the environment.

During the last week of March, members of the studentorganization CALPIRG Energy Service Corps worked tospread the word on energy savings. Educating 829 kinder-garten through 12th grade students in the area, ESC volun-teers highlighted simple steps students can take to improvetheir environment by becoming more energy efficient.

Hundreds of kids in the local area are now equippedwith the knowledge that CFL bulbs last 10 times longerthan normal incandescent ones and the desperate need totrade non-renewable energy resources for cleaner andhealthier renewable alternatives.

The passion and excitement you could see the kidsdevelop as they understood our lessons was amazing to

be a part of. It truly was an experience I will rememberfor the rest of my life, said Claremont McKenna CollegeK-12 Education Coordinator Caleb Case (16).

Student members also reached out to dozens of home-owners in the area. With simple home surveys, volunteerswere able to give tips on what an average homeowner orrenter can do to cut back on wasteful energy habits, sav-ing money on their energy bills and protecting the envi-ronment at the same time.

CALPIRG Energy Service Corps is a joint program ofthe California Public Interest Research Group (CALPIRG)and AmeriCorps and is based on 14 college campusesacross the state. The programs mission is to mobilize col-lege students to increase energy efficiency in their local

community through service and education projects.During their third annual Alternative Energy Spring

Break Trips, nearly 100 university students have organ-ized trips in Los Angeles, South Lake Tahoe, the BayArea, Pomona and San Jose. Through these five trips,over 10,000 K-12 students will be educated about whatthey can to do save energy and the environment.

Following spring break, CALPIRG Energy ServiceCorps will continue teaching young students acrossCalifornia throughout the semester, in addition to educat-ing the community about energy efficiency throughworkshops and performing free home energy assessmentsand weatherizations. For more information or to request alesson or weatherization, contact Claremont CollegesCampus Organizer Melanie at [email protected] or visit www.energyservicecorps.org.

Claremont Colleges students spread word on energy savings during spring break


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TODAYS PARENT/2013 10

Claremont residents Virginia andVan Garner have been marriedfor 45 years. During the course

of their relationship, they have bothstruggled with and defeated cancer, bymeans of clinical trials. They haveraised more than $280,000 for cancerresearch and provided care for manypatients, including each other. Together,they have run and walked 27,118milesmore than the circumference ofthe earth. Now, it is their joint mission

to make a cancer a thing of the pastmerely a distant memory.

On August 6, 1997, Ms. Garner, then a highschool teacher, paid a visit to her doctor for herannual physical. What she discovered left hershell-shocked.

I heard the world leukemia, Ms. Garnerrecalled, and after that I didnt hear much else.

Ms. Garner was diagnosed with ChronicMyelogenous Leukemia (CML), a rare cancer that,according to her, was not salvageable.

It was Van Garner who came to the rescue. Heassumed the role of caregiver, fixed the food, andlearned where everything was in the kitchen.

I didnt care of I ate or not, Ms. Garner said.But he kept me alive by feeding me.

More importantly, though, Mr. Garner, then thedean of the College of the Extended University atCal Poly Pomona and a professor of history, used hisskills and connections as a researcher to find a clini-cal trial at UCLAone that eventually saved Ms.Garners life.

In April of 1999, after about a year of typical cancertreatments and drastic side effects, Ms. Garner swal-lowed her first life-saving pill: a drug named Gleevecthat tackled the molecular cause of cancer and openedthe door for many other drugs to do the same.

I became the first person to swallow itin thewhole world, she said, adding that April 19 is herrebirth day.

It was not until 2000, when she received a flyer in

the mail from Team In Training (TNT), a programsponsored by The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society(LLS), that Ms. Garner discovered her passion inlife. She found out that the LLS was a major suppli-er of grants that helped research the pill that hadsaved her life.

Although they had no former experience runningor walking marathons, Mr. and Ms. Garner became

participants in the San Gabriel Valley (SGV) Team inTraining Marathon Team.

Accomplishing great feats in not new to the fami-

ly. Mr. Garner is the grandson of Herman and BessGarner, who were among the leading families ofClaremont at the time they built the Garner House in1926. In 2001, the houselocated in the heart of

Claremont at Memorial Parkbecame a home forClaremont Heritage and a symbol of Claremontshistory.

For the Garners, TNT also seemed like the perfectbalance between being healthy and aiding cancerresearch.

I was so thankful to feel good again, Ms. Garnerrecalled. Since it was so personal, that meant a lot, too.

Against the odds:

Claremont couple, survivors run for cancer cure

RUNNING FOR A CUREcontinues on the next page

COURIER photos/Steven FelschundneffVan and Virginia Garner sport their team shirts for honored teammates Tyler, a 10 year old who has strug-gled with cancer and Ale, who recently succumbed to the disease. The couple are cancer survivors them-selves and run for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society in order to raise awareness and funds for research.

Longtime Claremont residents Van and VirginiaGarner make their way down 12th Avenue whiletraining in the Claremont Village. For over 10 yearsthe couple have been running as a means to stay inshape and raise money for charity.


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TODAYS PARENT/2013 11

In 2001, soon after discoveringTNT, Mr. Garner was diagnosed withmetastatic melanoma. Ms. Garnernow found herself in the role of care-giver, looking after the man who hadsaved her life. Mr. Garner, on theother hand, found himself a patientand derived inspiration from his wifeand her journey.

Mr. Garner continued running andwalking marathons during treatment.He was eventually saved by a clinicaltrial that was ironically funded in part

by the LLS.Virginias whole experience proba-

bly saved my life, Mr. Garner said,

adding that the research and knowl-edge he garnered over the past fewyears helped him make an informeddecision. He had previously rejectedan offer to participate in a clinical trialthat later proved to be unsuccessful.The trial that saved his life was thesecond he was offered, and led to thediscovery of a drug named Yervoythat aimed specifically at treatingmelanoma.

Interlaced within Mr. and Ms.Garners story is the story of a young

boy named Tyler Cordova, who wasonly 5 years old when he met theGarners. He was fighting his own bat-

tle against cancer at the time andimmediately connected with Mr.Garner, who was doing the same.

Tyler soon became an honoredteammate for the SGV Team inTraining. After several treatments andstruggles, Tyler is now 10 looking likea normal 10 year old, according toMs. Garner. He recently completed hisfirst 5K race and has been an inspira-tion to all those who surround him.

As for Mr. and Ms. Garner, they con-tinue to inspire countless lives as well.Since 2000, Ms. Garner has completed2 full and 30 half-marathons and Mr.Garner has completed 31 full and 49half-marathons. Ms. Garner now

serves on the board of the Greater LosAngeles Chapter of the LLS and con-tinues to provide support to familiesstruggling with cancer. She, along withMr. Garner, is currently trainingand fundraising for the Nike WomensHalf Marathon in Washington, DC on

April 28. Together, they have met more

than 80 percent of their goal to raise$300,000 for cancer research beforethis date.

For people struggling with cancer,Mr. and Ms. Garner have a few piecesof advice to offer. It is of utmost impor-tance to be active in your treatment. Adoctor can go through his entire careerwithout ever encountering a CML

patient, according to Ms. Garner, so itsimportant to get in touch with an expertwho deals with your certain kind ofcancer. As for clinical trials, follow thesame rule.

We believe in clinical trials but youneed to be informed, Mr. Garner said,who was initially offered a trial that

failed to achieve success. It is alsoessential not to isolate yourself and toreach out to an organization such as theLLS that can provide financial andemotional assistance, among manyother types of support.

Mr. and Ms. Garner also recognize

the critical role of the caregiver.

Its hard work and its hard on yoursoul, Ms. Garner said. Mr. Garner agrees.Its a really hard thing to dofilled

with fear. At the same time, it is yourresponsibility to help that person and tofind all the answers, he noted.Educate yourself. You owe it to the

person on the other side.To help Mr. and Ms. Garner achieve

their goal of raising $300,000 by April28th 2013, visit Ms. Garners website athttp://pages.teamintraining.org/los/nike

whlf13/virginiagarner or Mr. Garners

website at http://pages.teamintraining.org/los/nikewhlf13/vangarner.Online donations will be accepted untilMay 28th 2013. You can also emailMs. Garner at [email protected] discuss other forms of making adonation.

Anam Sethi

RUNNING FOR A CUREcontinued from the previous page

Longtime Claremont residents Van and Virginia Garner begin their regular workout recently along Yale Avenue atMemorial Park in Claremont. The couple began running in 2000 when Ms. Garner, who is a cancer survivor, signed themup to run a marathon for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.


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Long known for her forthright-ness, Elizabeth Palmer, a 10-year resident of Claremonts

Pilgrim Place, did not let the festiveatmosphere of her 100th birthday cele-bration on April 17 subdue that quality.

A native of New York City, the woman whobecame a true citizen of the world attended andgraduated from the Masters School in Dobbs Ferry,New York, a preparatory elementary and highschool. She then spent a year in Italy where shelearned French and Italian and studied art history.

After returning to the United States, the youngElizabeth worked in her fathers furniture factory

and majored in religious education at ColumbiaUniversity. She became acquainted with theYoung Womens Christian Association (YWCA)through her involvement in summer day camps forunderprivileged childrenit was there that shemet a woman from the YWCA. In the mid-1930s,not many knew of the YWCAElizabeth wasteased at the time by a boyfriend who called herLittle Sunshine from the muscle factory.

After becoming a young YWCA Secretary(today theyre known as Executive Directors orChief Executive Officers) in New York, she wasrecruited by the British branch of the YWCA dur-ing World War II for help. Elizabeth crossed theAtlantic by way of a troopship in 1942 andbecame the General Secretary of the YWCA of

Manchester, England. Two days after the Germansurrender in 1945, she drove an army truck fromBrussels to Utrecht, gathering delegates for ameeting in The Hague. She worked with localgroups in France and Belgium, and then widenedthat association to Germany, Holland andCzechoslovakia as she organized the conference.

By 1947, she was instrumental in a WorldYWCA Council meeting in Hangchow, China, thefirst legislative assembly ever held outside Europeor North America, and was appointed as the firstWorld YWCA Secretary for Southeast Asia.Although the position involved a great deal oftravel, Elizabeth reflected in later years that shewas fortunate to have had the time to get to knowthe people since, at the time, most of the travelwas by ship, allowing time to work out details and

learn languages.After returning to Geneva in 1952, Elizabeth

became a secretary for interpretation of finance, aposition she held until becoming the GeneralSecretary of the World YWCA in 1955, a positionshe maintained until 1978.

Elizabeth returned to London for the 100thbirthday of the World YWCA on April 24 in 1994when the occasion was marked with a service atWestminster Abbey.

I was lucky to have a lot of travel, Elizabethreflected this week of her long career. It pushedme and occupied my mind and my being. She isespecially proud of another aspect of YWCAactivities. Today, it is the most inter-racial move-ment in the world, she quietly declares.

Lest anyone think that Elizabeth was a one-interest person, it should be known that she was anactive skier. I started skiing when I was living inNew York Citywe would take the train on

Elizabeth Palmer: Marking a milestone and a world of experiences

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Friday night and come back on Sunday night.She also played at the Claremont Golf Course 3

times a week, reluctantly giving up her time on thegolf links at the age of 96. Fellow Pilgrim CharlesBayer, who presented a congratulatory letter fromPresident Barack Obama to her at the party,recalled, with gratitude, that it was Elizabeth whoabout 10 years ago advised him to slow downyour backswing.

In addition to that honor, a proclamation honor-ing Elizabeth was presented from formerClaremont mayor Larry Schroeder. Carolyn

Flowers, treasurer of the World Wide YWCA,made the trip from her home in Greensboro, NorthCarolina to be present for the occasion.

Elizabeths god-daughter Lucy Shepard, herhusband, Dwight Shepard, and their daughter Lisacame from Longmeadow, Massachusetts, andmade the announcement that the World WideYWCA was to announce on its day on April 14an endowment in Elizabeths name, along with aplaque in her honor at the World Wide headquar-ters in Geneva. Ms. Shepard noted with a smilethat Elizabeth is known for being never, neverever at a loss for words.

True to her giving nature, Elizabeth was amongthe givers for the occasion, donating whatPilgrim Place describes as significant funds fora video streaming system in Pitzer Lodge whereshe makes her home, in the Napier Center and inDecker Hall to keep residents up to date withwhats going on. I believe it should be one com-munity. It will make people feel connected. Sheis a strong advocate of keeping up, admitting thatshe cant live without a world map and that shefeels lost without a newspaper to read.

As for the honoree herself, Elizabeth declared ofthe occasion, Theres no virtue in it, really. Itslearning to live with diminishment, and people actas if youve done something wonderful.

Of her younger years, Elizabeth remembers thather father would wake me up by saying somethinguncomplimentary about President Roosevelt, butshe quickly adds that she never had pressure fromher family.

Among the pluses in her life, Elizabeth listsPilgrim Place as being very good to me. And sheadmits that during all her travels, I never felt badabout being an American.

One of her main goals, through the YWCA, wasto help women, when theyre young, to see them-selves as a person.

Elizabeth does worry a bit about society gettingaway from common responsibility. Our historyshould teach us. And, we should study our history.

Pat Yarborough

Photo courtesy of Tim Sunderland/Pilgrim PlaceElizabeth Palmer, left, chats with Mary Douglas at her 100th birthday partyheld at Pilgrim Place last Wednesday. Ms. Palmer was the General Secretaryof the World YWCA, playing a key role in helping the nonprofit organizationbecome known world-wide. The birthday celebration reportedly included, "allkinds of good food and champagne, and cake to boot!"

I never felt bad about beingan American.Elizabeth Palmer

Reminiscing at 100 years old about her travels

100TH BIRTHDAYcontinued from the previous page


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In a workout room at theClaremont Club onMonday, 30 women gave

their all, shimmying, samba-ing, salsa-ing and shufflingtheir way to fitness.

Two brave men were also among theirranks, one of them Steven Boyd, princi-pal of San Antonio High School. A 4-year member of the Claremont Club, hedecided 2 years ago to enliven his fitnessroutine with the aerobic dance sensation

Zumba and hes never looked back.Like most people, time and a busy

work schedule had crept up on Mr.Boyd over the years, adding a fewpounds. More disturbing was the severesleep apnea he had developed, a condi-tion characterized by pauses or disrup-tion in breath while sleeping. It cancause chronic tiredness and, if leftuntreated, can increase the risk ofhealth issues such as high blood pres-sure, heart attack and stroke.

Mr. Boyd had resorted to sleepingwith a Continuous Positive AirwayPressure (CPAP) machine, equipmentthat blows a constant flow of air intothe nasal passages to keep the airwayopen, but he found it bothersome.Increased exercise is among thelifestyle changes that can help lessenthe severity of sleep apnea, so he hit thegym with renewed zeal.

Mr. Boyd had dabbled with spinclasses, but they werent his thing and,while getting in shape was a priority, hedidnt derive much enjoyment fromrunning on a treadmill with his eyesglued to the television.

He saw a Zumba infomercial oneSaturday morning and was intrigued.Soon, while working out on themachines, he began to glance over at theglass-walled dance classroom andnotice that the Zumba classes were par-ticularly lively.

I said to myself, they look liketheyre having fun, Mr. Boyd said.

The classes were immediately engag-ing for Mr. Boyd, but it was roughgoing for a while. He initially hid in theback of the class, not wishing to standout as a novice. But it was impossibleto see what the teacher was doing from

that vantage, so he gradually begancreeping further and further forward.Now he is there 4 times a week, 6 or

7 times during the summer, at thehead of the class.

Erikca Brown, an Upland residentwho has been taking Zumba at theClaremont Club for 4 years, has enjoyedMr. Boyds presence in the classes.

Zumba! San Antonio High School principal gets

fit through dance-filled exercise craze

San Antonio High School PrincipalSteven Boyd keeps time with the musicas he participates in a Zumba Class onMonday at the Claremont Club. Mr.Boyd has been keeping in shape with

Zumba for 2 years.

ZUMBAcontinues on page 16


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COURIER photos/Steven Felschundneff

Zumba instructor Anette Parker leads a class in the dance-style exercise on Monday at The Claremont Club. San Antonio High School Principal Steven Boyd, atright, was one of 2 men in the class of about 30 women.


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Its nice to have a male presence inclass, Ms. Brown said. Hes in hereholding his own.

Holding your own is a considerablechallenge. Zumba entails an ever-changing barrage of moves derivedfrom an array of music and dance gen-res, including salsa, merengue, cumbia,hip-hop and even a touch of flamenco.Other than a few brief cool-down peri-ods, the hour-long classes featuremusic with a beat ranging from festiveto frantic. Mr. Boyd estimates that heburns from 1,000-1,200 calories peraverage Zumba class.

At Mondays session, Mr. Boyd, cladin a bright orange shirt and shinysneakers with day-glo soles, burned awhopping 1,500 according to a monitorhe wears to chart his heartrate.

Mr. Boyds weight has continued togo up and down since he began

Zumba-ing, mainly, he admits, becausehe doesnt watch what he eats.Nonetheless, he has gained steadily inthe kind of endurance you need to getthrough the classes.

And in general, Ive got a lot moreenergy, he said. The more you workout, the better you feel.

Its energy that Mr. Boyd can apply towork at the continuation school, whichinvolves taking kids who are not agood fit for Claremont High Schooland helping guide them toward gradua-tion and life success.

San Antonio High School has a pop-ulation of some 105 kids, ages 16 andup. They have transferred to the contin-uation school, most after attendingCHS, because poor school perform-ance has left them in danger of not get-ting a diploma.

It may be that a student suffers frompoor organizational skills or some kindof attention deficit. Perhaps a studenthas experienced some personal prob-

lems or illness that has caused them tomiss classes or lose focus. Other stu-dents, those Mr. Boyd refers to as MyMohawk kids, may have difficultyfollowing the lock-step required forsuccess at a traditional high school.

Theyre high-functioning, just a lit-tle odd. Theyre intelligent, they justwant to rage against the machine,Mr. Boyd explains. They dont wantto fit into a mold. They want to be theirown person.

SAHS also includes 20 kids, rangingfrom 7th through 12th grades, whoneed added supervision due to behaviorissues or an unwillingness or inabilityto complete homework.

The maturity just hasnt kicked inyet for some of them, Mr. Boyd said.

Many students begin to thrive oncethey are at a smaller school character-ized by a high teacher-to-student ratio,lots of access to technology and indi-vidualized attention to the difficultiesthat may be holding them back. Insome cases, the real underlying prob-lem is poverty.

Some of these kids come in with alot of baggage. Ill have a kid come inand say, My stomach hurts, Mr.Boyd said. Ill say, Did you havebreakfast? and theyll say, No. Ill

say, Lets get you some breakfast,because if you dont feel comfortableyou dont learn.

SAHS has a winning record of doingright by Claremont students who needextra support. Mr. Boyd, who has beenprincipal for the past 9 years, notes thatSAHS students have a 90 to 95 percentgraduation rate. What they do oncethey are out of the high school walls isup to the students, but a staggering 100

percent of San Antonio students areenrolled in college when they graduate.

Seeing the upward trajectory isincredibly rewarding, according to Mr.Boyd: I get to see the light turned backon in students eyes.

SAHS graduations, which for thepast few years have taken place atCHSIf they cant graduate fromClaremont High School, at least theyget to walk with their peersare par-ticularly emotional, because each stu-dents outcome was touch-and-go for awhile.

If you look around at a graduation,

you know who the San Antonio HighSchool parents are because theyre theloudest, Mr. Boyd said. Theyre justso excited, and so thankful. I cry atevery graduation.

Mr. Boyd may be open with hisemotions, but he admits that he has afew awkward moments at each Zumbaclass, especially given that hes hadsome of his students moms in hisclasses. There are hip rolls, grointhrusts and more than a little booty-shaking.

Shake it, Steve! Ms. Brown joking-ly called out to Mr. Boyd during achest-shimmy move at Mondays class.

I feel weird, because I am a princi-

pal, he said.He relishes the feeling of greater fit-

ness that he has derived from Zumba,however. Hes such an aficionado thathe is a sort of evangelist for the exercisegenre, though Mr. Boyd hasnt wonmany converts yet.

I try to get my male friends to come,but they just wont do it, he said.

Sarah Torribio

[email protected]

COURIER photo/Steven FelschundneffSteven Boyd attends Zumba as often as his schedule will allow, which is about 3 or 4 times a week during the school year.

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Yeison Ferree is a Claremont

High School sophomore whoplays on the junior varsity

soccer and volleyball teams. Yeisonis also the team mascot, meaning hedons the big Wolf suit, which basi-cally cooks anyone who wears it.Yeison moved with his family fromthe Dominican Republic to theUnited States when he was 12, anddid not speak any English.

In the Dominican, we always

played baseball. When we moved toNew York, I saw 2 of the new friendsI had made kicking a soccer ballaround and decided to join in. I endedup loving soccer, especially becauseso many Spanish-speaking peopleplay the sport, Yeison said. It didnttake long for me to get good at it.

Yeison has also played volleyball fora long time, and picked up figure skat-ing around this time. The Ferree fami-

ly moved to California a couple of

years later, just in time for Yeison tostart high school.

I played club soccer for the FoothillStorm for a while, but high schoolsports has been more fun, Yeisonsaid. CHS soccer has been good formy confidence. Club soccer developedmy competitive side and honed my

COURIER photos/Steven FelschundneffClaremont High School student Yeison Ferree leaps to stop the ball during a shooting drill last October at Padua Park.

Jenny Darroch

Claremont High Schools Ben Jardine does the breaststroke on his way towinning the 200-meter individual medley recently during a meet in La Verne.

A competitive edge:

High school sports offerlife-long opportunity

Our nation values youth sports to the extent that, ataround age 14, teenagers are offered an assortmentof after-school sports and activities. This is likely

intended partly to keep students busy and wear them outbefore they tackle homework assignments. But the mostimportant aspect is that sports can help with students con-fidence and work-life balance. High school sports help stu-dents stay in shape physically and mentally, while they formbonds with teammates and make strong friendships.

Additionally, high school sports can give student-athletes anedge when applying to and financing college.

SPORTScontinues on page 18


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fundamental skills, but I hope play-

ing CHS soccer will help me get ontothe Citrus team. I want to play forFred Bruce-Oliver at this level, andin college.

For a young man new to the country,sports were Yeisons way of meetingnew people and challenging himself,but his parents made sure that theywere not his only focus.

My parents always emphasizedtheir policy of school first, thensports, he said. They have alwaysbeen supportive of my choices. They

knew that I love soccer, and that iswhat I would focus on getting good at.In the beginning, my folks questionedwhether I would keep with it. They

[urged] me to keep pursuing soccer ifI thought I would commit to it.

Jenny Darroch is another immigrantwho sent her sons to Claremont High.Ben and Sam Jardine came with theirmother to California from NewZealand a few years before high school.

It is a water-based country so every-one can swim there, she explained.Our oldest son Sam went to the ele-mentary school championships andrealized he was quite good. We toldhim to stick with tee ball and soccer and

give it another year before committingto swimming.

Sam currently swims for LouisianaState University, and Ben is a CHS

senior with a spot on Pitzers swimteam lined up for next year.

Our youngest, Ben, was 7 when hestarted swimming. He would watch hisbrothers meets and was driving uscrazy, so we got him into it. Then weswitched countries and came here. Theboys enjoyed the social part of the sport,especially Ben. It is about the wellnessand the feeling that you can achieve.That was the first place he made friends,swimming club, she said.

Ms. Darroch emphasized the differ-ence between her sons, and how eachhad a distinct motivation to swim.

Sam was the one who you knew

would practice all day to get better; weknew he wanted to swim in Division Iin college, she explained. Bensnumber-one motivation was about thefriends on the swim team, hanging outat meets and before and after practice.If you asked Ben his times, he could-nt tell you. He didnt have the pres-sure on him, even though his brotherwas so successful.

A recreational swimmer herself, Ms.Darroch learned about her sonsincredible resiliency when he came

down with an illness that physicallydebilitated him 2 years ago.

Last years season was magnificentfor him coming back from his sick-

ness. He made CIF as an alternate andhe got to swim there. He got thecoaches award for his attitude;Courtney Eads has been great withhim, keeping him motivated during histough times. Swimming was such animportant part of Bens return to well-ness. He got his confidence back andkept getting stronger, joining clubagain after quitting for a year.

High school sports offer young ath-letes just the right amount of competi-tiveness for teenagers reaching theirphysical peak. Young athletes run thegamut between beginning and tryingout an array of new sports, to the

focused one-sport athlete who aspiresto compete in the NCAA.Both Yeison and Ben are relatively

new to the United States, and theyhave each found sanctuary in ournations high school sports arena. Nextyear, Ben will have left ClaremontHigh for college, but we will seeYeison continue to improve and pro-vide that X-factor for CHS sports for acouple more years.

Chris [email protected]

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Documents

Claremont Courier Healthy Living 2013