OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

CCS Double-Qualifier Kelly Bishop / Competing at Leagues

OK, OK…I have been behind, and you are right, I should post about the CCS Semifinals before the Finals occur tonight!

The quality of the Central Coast Section meet cannot be understated.  Our section meet could compete with the championships of many states–seriously.  So just getting to the meet is an achievement.

Monta Vista had four athletes compete on Saturday, May 23 at San Jose City College.  James Migdal was competing in his second straight CCS high jump competition, as was Sanjna Bharadwaj.  While unfortunately neither athlete was able to move on to the finals, this is the third straight year that Monta Vista high jumpers have competed in the CCS meet!  Clearly, Coach Rick Blomquist and our MV jump squad are building something good.  This was a good season, and there is more to come!

On the track, Rohan Choudhury competed bravely in the 3200m and unfortunately for the second straight year he was in the less advantageous first heat, and ended up as first alternate.  However maybe this year there will be a scratch…and if so, let’s see if we can have a storybook ending!

Kelly Bishop was the MVTF star for the semis, moving on to the finals in two events — both the 1600m and the 800m.  Kelly ran brilliant races in a championship setting to advance.  Amazing job, Kelly, as always we are so proud!  We hope that you come tonight to San Jose City College to see the finals–and cheer Kelly on to another wonderful performance!  Kelly has been running great with a wonderful season already–let’s cheer her on once more!

photo 1

Monta Vista Athletic Boosters Scholarship Winners

MVXC:  Julia Chang (heading to Johns Hopkins University) at left, Rohan Choudhury (CalTech) 3rd from left, and Jenny Xu (MIT) far right.

SENIOR AWARDS NIGHT

Monta Vista track and cross pretty much cleaned up during senior awards night on Thursday, May 28.

I am constantly amazed at the ability of MVXC/MVTF athletes to manage multiple priorities.  Our team is walking, talking proof that it is possible to succeed at more than one thing–people don’t have to pick ‘academics’ or ‘athletics’ or ‘the arts’, if a person manages their time and has the passion for different things, it’s possible to excel in multiple areas.

Some personal highlights included watching the athletes who competed at a high level of varsity for multiple years recognized with activity awards (Emilio, Jenny, Rhea, Akshay and David–where did they find the time?), others with life membership in the California Scholarship Federation (Albert, Akshay, Jenny and Rhea), and a personal favorite, winning French medals (Emilio, Rohan and Rhea–who I hear use French to complain about their parents to each other at the dinner table).  Jenny, Julia (who had also claimed an art award at this point and I think was getting tired going from her seat to the awards stand at this point–almost doubled her mileage for the day) and Rohan claimed half of the college scholarships awarded by the Monta Vista Athletic Boosters this year!  And of the twelve senior athletes recognized for outstanding contributions, a full third of them had ties to MVXC–Julia, Jenny, Rohan and our own Christina Jennings (who did some other sports also, I have been told; yet we claim Christina as one of our own, don’t we?).

(Please note:  The Monta Vista Athletics Boosters do a lot for athletics in general, and MVXC and MVTF in particular.  If you get a chance, please thank the parents who volunteer their time to run the MVAB.  They put in an inordinate amount of time to support our kids.  Cameron Reid is the current president and deserves a hearty handshake and heartfelt thanks.  Also, please remember this when it’s time to join Boosters again this Fall, and be generous…what we give does come back to our kids and future kids too.)

I’d match our team up against any other not only in athletics but any other field–you pick it, from chess to art to French to physics, I’ll take you guys.

Congratulations, seniors!  You are a fabulous senior class, and we are going to miss you.

photo 2

Outstanding Athletes of the Class of 2015

MVXC:  Top row, 4th-5th and 6th from left are Christina Jennings, Jenny Xu and Julia Chang (all three seniors on the varsity team that represented MV at State!); bottom row, 2nd from left is Rohan Choudhury.