Dedication to Avila: Gary Gallup

By Sky Roberts

Although only being at Avila for a year and half, Gary Gallup has made a tremendous impact on Eagle athletics. As an athletic director since June of 2012 here at Avila, Gallup continues to bring his positive outlook to the athletics and the university. Gallup has always had a passion for all sports. He played both football and baseball in high school and college. Gallup began at a small college—New Mexico Highlands—and finished at Texas El Paso. In Texas, his interest in sports broadcasting began. There, he was also the assistant athletic director. For over 30 years, Gallup continued to do freelance sports broadcasting, and for 16 years he has been an athletic director.

“My favorite thing about being an athletic director is the student athletes,” said Gallup, “I take pride in the philosophies I have created. We have a family atmosphere here at Avila. I love the staff and everyone is so great. It doesn’t even feel like a job because I enjoy coming to work.” There has been an excellent growth in the facilities since Gallup has been here. “I love the competitive nature in the athletes,” said Gallup. He continues to watch all of the students grow as both athletes and adults. Gallup puts an extreme emphasis on the athletes—and all students—in the classroom. “College athletics is my passion. I view my job as creating an environment of successful athletes along with successful academics. I strive to set up my athletes to be professional individuals,” said Gallup.

He shows his dedication to Avila immensely through the condition he faced in the first semester. Gallup had a heart attack—one that threatened his life. Though, within 24 days, he was back at work, even against his doctor’s wishes. “I went to rehab every day and worked really hard to keep myself healthy through exercise and my diet, so I continued to show up at work every day at noon,” said Gallup. “While I was in the hospital, I was amazed by the staff and athletes that all visited and prayed for me,” he said. Gallup knows that there was some kind of miracle through the prayers he received, and thanks this family here at Avila for that. “It really shows that we are a family here at Avila,” Gallup added. Gallup stated that he feels great now, and if you didn’t already know about his heart attack, you wouldn’t even guess that he ever had one.

Gallup is a strong individual who has no fears. He does, however, feel strongly about his ability to do the right thing, and never wants to do differently. “I always want to do the right thing,” said Gallup, “It can be challenging and not the most popular thing to do, but I strive to be fair and consistent. I don’t fear this, though, because I always know I’m doing it.”

After years of sports broadcasting, athletic directing, and finding his place in different schools, Gallup feels he has found where he will end his career—here at Avila. “I am perfectly happy at Avila. One day, I will retire, when I am no longer productive. When that day comes, I’ll be on a golf course with a cold beverage in my hand and spending time with my grandkids. I look forward to that. Until then, I will continue to make a positive contribution,” said Gallup.

One thing that Gallup admires about Avila is that things are always improving. From the different sports, the academics, and Avila alone, Gallup is excited about the growth right in front of him. With last year having three teams competing in post-conference tournaments and even a team winning the national championship, Gallup knows that the university athletics is constantly, and rapidly, improving. He also believes that being an athletic director here at Avila has helped him grow. “We are always improving. I believe that you can always get better, as long as you are enjoying yourself,” Gallup said. He agrees that Avila athletics has made both a tremendous impact on him and the university. “Athletics is the window into a university. It teaches you life lessons to be competitive and part of a team,” said Gallup. “I love all of the student athletes—they keep me young,” said Gallup. “I love the staff and we all have each other’s backs. We are like a team, just like the rest of the athletics. Avila is truly a family. When one athlete wins, we all win. When one loses, we all lose—together.”

Gallup speaking at the 2013 football banquet

Gallup presenting senior cheerleaders Paige Snyder, Bre Evans, and Megan Linder

 their national championship trophy

Off-Season Workouts

by Sky Roberts
March 20, 2013

Not all athletes have a structured off season work out, especially during summer break. To keep your body conditioned as an athlete, or to gain muscle to keep your body healthy, here are some staple exercises to be performed in the Avila gym. All of these exercises should be performed with a spotter. While doing these exercises, you should be pushing yourself to increase your strength, though always make sure to do it safely!

Squats: While doing this exercise, it is important to keep your feet shoulder width apart. Place the barbell evenly on your shoulders and make sure you are stable. To perform the squat, bend your knees until your hamstrings are parallel to the ground. It is also very important to keep your back straight to prevent from injury. Use the down-3-up-1 rule while doing the squat, which means to make the down movement last 3 seconds, and the up to only last 1 second. This will give you the maximum effort in a squat. Begin with a warm up set, using light weights and getting your body warmed up for the exercise. Do three sets of 10 with your heaviest weight. End the exercise with a muscle endurance set—during these, you will drop your weight to half of what you used in your heavy weight sets and do 20 reps.

Deadlifts: While doing deadlifts, your feet should also be shoulder width apart. The bar will be placed on the ground right in front of you. While gripping the bar, use an over-under grip. This means one palm will face you while the other faces the opposite direction. It is also very important to keep your back straight in this exercise. Once your set position is stable, keeping your back straight, you extend your legs to the top. At the top of the deadlift, you completely straighten your back. While bringing the bar back down to the floor, make sure it is a slow and controlled movement. Begin with a warm up set, using light weights and getting your body warmed up for the exercise. Do three sets of 10 with your heaviest weight. End the exercise with a muscle endurance set—during these, you will drop your weight to half of what you used in your heavy weight sets and do 20 reps.

Barbell Bench Press: Hold the bar with your hands a little more than shoulder width apart—you want your forearms to be perpendicular to the ground. Extend your arms to press the barbell to the top, then slowly bring the bar about an inch above your chest until your humorous is parallel to the ground. Make sure the bar is coming down right under your chest for the best results. Begin with a warm up set, using light weights and getting your body warmed up for the exercise. Do three sets of 10 with your heaviest weight. End the exercise with a muscle endurance set—during these, you will drop your weight to half of what you used in your heavy weight sets and do 20 reps.

Bent Over Rows: With your feet shoulder width apart, grab the barbell and bend over to at least a 45 degree angle. Keeping your back straight, pull the bar back to your waist, making sure the bar is basically grazing up your quadriceps. Control the bar back to the beginning position to do the exercise. Begin with a warm up set, using light weights and getting your body warmed up for the exercise. Do three sets of 10 with your heaviest weight. End the exercise with a muscle endurance set—during these, you will drop your weight to half of what you used in your heavy weight sets and do 20 reps.

Dumbbell Shoulder Press: Keeping your forearms perpendicular to the ground, sit with your back straight on a bench and press the dumbbells over your head. It is important to make sure you are pressing the weight over your head—not behind or in front of it. Press the weight up and then control it back down, keeping your humorous parallel to the ground. Begin with a warm up set, using light weights and getting your body warmed up for the exercise. Do three sets of 10 with your heaviest weight. End the exercise with a muscle endurance set—during these, you will drop your weight to half of what you used in your heavy weight sets and do 20 reps.

Weighted Abs: Connect a rope to a pulley and add the desired weight. Separate the rope at the sides of your head. Squat down, seated on your heels, and bring your forehead in between your legs. At the bottom of the crunch, squeeze your abs for about two seconds until you can feel a burn. Keeping your back straight, return to the beginning position and complete the exercise. Begin with a warm up set, using light weights and getting your body warmed up for the exercise. Do three sets of 20 with your heaviest weight.

An Athlete's Work Is Never Done

by Sky Roberts

March 20, 2013

With summer approaching, most college students will be enjoying their time off of school with vacations and relaxation. Student athletes will be spending their time preparing for the next season. At Avila University, 85% of the student body is comprised of student athletes. There are six men’s teams, including basketball, baseball, cross country, football, golf, and soccer. There are eight women’s teams including basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, volleyball, cheerleading, and dancing. Each team has a way of keeping conditioned during the off-season. Gabby Sysavath, cheerleader at Avila University, tells about her off-season workouts to prepare for nationals season. “We have scheduled open gyms for recruits and keeping up our skills, though most of us will go into the gym and either lift or do some tumbling and stunting on our own time. All you can do is continue to practice your skills and gain more by the time nationals come around,” said Sysavath. “During the off-season, the basketball team works out together with weights and agility work” said Justin Reed, basketball player at Avila University. “During the softball off-season, we work out in the afternoon and have morning conditioning,” told Courtney Morgan, softball player at Avila University. “Our season gets intense during the fall semester, with three practices a week until December comes around. Then, during winter break, we have practices every day—sometimes two-a-days—to prepare for nationals in January,” said Sysavath. “Aside from our team workouts, Coach P stresses that we get into the gym to shoot and work on our ball handling--he tells us to work on our weaknesses. We also have a lot of open gyms with former players to stay in shape and keep up our cardio,” said Reed.

The Avila University coaches put a lot of preparation into creating off-season work outs to make the most progress out of their athletes. Coach Marc Benavidez tells about football’s off season workouts. Right now is an extremely busy time for the football players with recruits and preparing for their first game on “We run three times a week and lift on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. We have certain workouts to prepare each player for their positions. Our mission is to increase our athlete’s muscle balance to keep them healthy in all aspects of their bodies,” said Benavidez. On Tuesdays and Thursday’s, the football team does their cardio conditioning. On Tuesday’s they focus on speed and agility while on Thursday’s they focus on conditioning and distance running. “To keep their competitive nature, we’ll set up scrimmages and competitions through our conditioning,” said Benavidez. April 2^nd begins spring football where the training becomes more strenuous to prepare for the upcoming season.

Softball also has a strategic off-season to keep their bodies conditioned. “During their pre-season, the softball players will work with a personal trainer and condition with cardio and weight training,” said Coach Rob Wade, the softball coach. For the basketball players, conditioning their bodies is a year round requirement. There is both a strict pre-season and post-season for the athletes. “Pre-season we will work with a lot of running. Post-season begins about two weeks after the regular season where the players will focus on building muscle. They will also continue to work out individually,” said Coach Rodney Perry, the men’s basketball coach. Women’s basketball will also work with cardio during their pre-season to prepare for the endurance needed in basketball games. Their post-season also includes weight training while their muscles have time to repair.

The golf team’s off-season workouts consist of conditioning and weight training. They will also practice their swing and accuracy during their free time. In the off season for volleyball players, the athletes will attend open gyms and also practice individually. Some will join summer leagues to keep up their skills. The athletes will also weight train and condition to keep up the endurance needed for a volleyball game. Baseball requires a year long season to keep their bodies conditioned. The athletes will participate in both summer and fall ball to prepare for the season in spring. Each athlete has a different exercise depending on what their position is in the team. They practice together and individually. Cross country also works out year round, going on long distance runs to keep up their endurance for meets.

Being a student athlete is a full-time commitment. After a strenuous season, every Avila athlete is back in the gym working on what needs to be done for next season. “If you don’t practice in the off-season, you’ll find yourself back to square one by the time it matters. Keeping up your skills is super important, and that takes effort year-round,” said Sysavath. Even without scheduled workouts, there are several ways to keep up endurance and strength with Avila’s gym—including the track, basketball court, and machines made for a student athlete’s success.

Avila basketball player Louis Lou performing curls in the Avila
weight room. Photo by Sky Roberts

Avila cross country runner working out arms by doing curls in the
Avila weight room. Photo by Sky Roberts

Former Avila basketball player Austin Stockard keeping up
his strength in the Avila weight room. Photo by Sky Roberts

Avila Glitter Girls: Nationals 2013

by Sky Roberts
February 11, 2013

Along with the Avila Cheerleaders, the Avila University Dance Team had also qualified for the College Dance Nationals at the beginning of the season. On Thursday, January 17^th, the dance team made their way to Orlando, Florida to check into the Disney Resort. The College Dance Nationals were held at the ESPN Wide World of Sports; the Josten’s Arena specifically for the dancers. “I felt really good when we got down to Florida. I wasn’t as nervous as I normally am, which surprised the girls,” said Cindy Freeman, head coach of the Avila Dance Team. Upon arrival, the dancers parted to their rooms to get settled. “Thursday night we just kind of hung out, got used to everything and unpacked. We practiced that night and went to the venue to get on the warm up floor and run over some things,” said Brianna Gilmour, junior at Avila University. Thursday night was mostly for relaxing and getting ready for what was to come on Saturday—the competition.  “We spent Thursday just trying to relax and get a feel of the arena and our surroundings,” said Kori Weatherspoon, sophomore at Avila University. Friday was a day to forget about the nerves and have a good time. The Dance Team went to the Disney parks that day for some quality team bonding. After a full day at the parks, there was an annual Team Builder that the coaches surprised the girls with every year. The dancers knew they needed to get to bed early; they would be waking up at six in the morning to get ready for the competition. “Friday night is usually a restless night—I run the routine in my head a million times and it gives me butterflies,” said Weatherspoon. “I got up on Saturday and I was very excited—very calm,” said Freeman, confident in her dancers and their performances that day. When the dancers arrived to the arena, the first thing was to go behind stage and warm up. “It’s always nerve-racking to see all of the teams that are going before you, especially if they’re good. Sometimes it also boosts your confidence,” said Weatherspoon. After a great semi-final performance, the numbers were in and the Avila Dancers had made it to finals. “I wasn’t going to let the girls know how they finished, but because of where they were Mandy (the assistant coach) and I decided they needed to know. I told them they were in third and that got them really fired up,” said Freeman. Freeman took the team to an open spot in the venue—this is where they had a hardcore two hour practice. Because of their placement, the team and the coaches had more confidence and drive to make this routine perfect. “I felt really good going into the finals for hip-hop. Knowing our place really got me excited to get on the stage and give it my all,” said Weatherspoon. The dancers, for the last performance of finals, went on the stage around nine-thirty and finished the hip-hop division in third place. Though, the competition was not over for the Avila Dance Team. After a long day, the girls made it back to their rooms and instantly hit the beds. Saturday was successful and they were more than prepared to take on Sunday. They had Jazz finals early in the morning. “When we woke up on Sunday, we were confident about the jazz finals. We knew this was the last routine we had to do, so we were ready to give it our all,” said Gilmour. “I had a good feeling going into the Jazz finals. The girls had the confidence that they needed from placing so well in hip-hop,” said Freeman. The dancers were ready to go; knowing they only had this last dance to leave on the stage. The Avila Dance Team finished fifth in Jazz finals, ultimately placing top five in both of their routines. “I’m so proud of the girls, they all worked so hard. It was an awesome year,” said Gilmour. “It was just an amazing trip and I am super proud of them. I can’t wait to see what we bring next year,” said Freeman. With no seniors on the dance team this year, the team will spend this next year becoming even more prepared to take the floor at nationals. Freeman is excited to see this year’s junior take their true leadership spots as seniors because she knows that they will do a great job forming the next year’s team. With a third and a fifth place title, the Avila Dance Team is ready to bring on next season.

Photo by Universal Dance Association

Photos by Karen Gilmour

Let's Turn the Blue Mats Purple

by Sky Roberts

February 11, 2013

On Thursday, January 17, 2013, the Avila Cheerleading squad nervously made their way to the Disney All-Star Resort in Orlando, Florida for the College Cheerleading Nationals. Avila Cheerleading had qualified for nationals earlier in the year and it was finally time to compete. The National competition was held at the ESPN Wide World of Sports. Settling into the rooms was only the beginning of the trip, as the team had to meet for their scheduled practice at the HP Arena. “It always makes you nervous seeing the other teams warm up, especially the ones you’re competing against,” said Gabby Sysavath, sophomore at Avila University. This was her second time competing at the College Cheerleading Nationals. Sysavath explained what the scheduled practice would look like. “You only have twenty minutes for this warm up; the next time you do the routine, it will be the real thing.” The Avila Cheerleaders warmed up, getting all of their anxious nerves out, becoming more confident of the competition. After warm-ups had gone well, the Avila Cheerleaders left to their hotel rooms, anxiously awaiting Saturday morning. “We could hardly have a good time the next day—we were all ready to compete and the nerves began to really get to us with the anticipation,” said Megan Linder, senior at Avila University. The Avila cheerleaders agreed that the longer the wait for the competition, the worse the feeling had gotten. After a long Friday of short practices and activities to fill their day, the cheerleaders knew that the time was actually here—they competed the next day. The head coach Melissa Shipman called for a team meeting in her hotel room with the team and the rest of the coaches. “No one could really speak. There was nothing to say besides the same things we had been saying. It was time to put these dreams into action and the time was coming on us quickly,” said junior Aimee Adams. There were tears, nerves, and determination—all shared within each other; all ready to take the floor.

Six in the morning arrived in no time as the Avila cheerleaders became competition ready. “The warm up didn’t exactly go as planned, but it isn’t supposed to,” said Linder. The cheerleaders were surrounded by their biggest competitions—this set some of the athletes into a more than nervous state. Even so, there was no time to feel anything as the cheerleaders were approaching their competition time faster than they were ready for. “The competition never actually hit me until we were behind the castle about to walk onto the mat for our first routine,” told Sysavath. After a solid routine, the girls stepped off of the mat feeling confident. Only a few teams after, Avila had also watched their biggest competition hit a perfect routine. The confidence was still there, but now there was a threat.

The feeling had only gotten worse as the semi-finals score sheets had been received. In good news, the Avila cheerleaders had made it to finals along with five other talented teams. Though they were in third place and had a lot of comments of things that needed to be worked on. “This stressed a lot of the girls out. We knew our competition was ahead of us and that we only had a couple of hours to make these changes,” said Sysavath. Coach Shipman called for another practice on a field outside of the HP Arena. Some girls discouraged, other’s nerves taking them over, the practice brought even more stress onto the team. “Something needed to be done. We had to add in a skill that would show the judges who really should be in first place,” said Evans. After a tough decision between the coaches, the cheerleaders would be adding in a harder stunt that they had struggled with in the past. There was nothing to lose; it was time to leave it on the mat—all or nothing.

Photo by Jim Jimenez

The Avila cheerleaders walked onto the mat with the most confidence they’ve had yet. Ready to hit a perfect routine and take the number one spot, they set their positions and anxiously awaited the beginning of the music. “I thought we had hit a perfect routine, even the stunt we had thrown in last minute. I was so excited until I saw one of the girls crying,” said Sysavath. During one of the pyramid sequences, there was a fall—a fall that could have cost their routine completely. The girls instantly thought it was over. “To make it even worse, our competition hit their routine perfectly. None of us thought there was any chance. We were all defeated,” Sysavath said. Coach Shipman called for one last meeting. The cheerleaders met in the same spot they practiced in—full of tears and expressions of disappointment. “Coach tried everything to make us feel better but nothing could really fix it. This was our year,” said Sysavath. The cheerleaders parted ways until the awards ceremony. They met on the mat for the last time. “I didn’t even want to be there. We worked so hard all year, I didn’t want it to go to waste,” said Adams. The awards for Avila’s division—Open All Girl—were being announced. Fifth place, Riverside Community College; fourth place, Misercordia. “It already felt good to know that we were at least top three, that’s better than we have ever done as cheerleaders,” said Adams. Third place, The College of New Jersey. “I was so proud of us for getting second, all of our hard work had paid off.” Second place, Nassau Community College.

The Avila cheerleaders were in shock. Some were already crying; they knew they had done it. “I didn’t even hear the announcer call our name for first place. I was already screaming,” said Linder. The Avila cheerleaders had done it—turned the blue mats purple.

Photos by Jim Jimenez

Mental Health vs Gun Possession

by Sky Roberts

January 21, 2013

The collision of stances between whether or not gun control should be enforced by the government leaves America in a black and white battle. Since the several shootings within the past decade—Virginia Tech, Sandy Hook, along with several others—citizens of the nation turn the blame towards guns, rather than the people who handle them. A possible solution by the government is to put more emphasis on background checks for those who purchase guns. The National Rifle Association is rather supportive of this solution. The association president David Keene also mentions that we need to think about not what to do about guns, but what to do to make our schools safer. President Obama takes another outlook on what the problem could be between all of these shootings. During a research at the White House, there was no connection found between these acts of violence and real-life violence, though there is an idea that the violence seen on media and video games could contribute to gun violence. First person shooter games are very similar to the acts that these gunmen have played out.

Officer comforting a student affected by the shooting at Virginia Tech.
Photo by Richmond Times-Dispatch

Newton, Connecticut family members at the memorial of their children.
Photo by Craig Ruttle

I believe that these shootings have a link to the gun user’s mental health. Ryan Lanza, the shooter of Sandy Hook Elementary, had a history of a mental illness. I believe that those who want to carry guns for things like hunting or their own safety, those consumers should have that right. The government should take more of an awareness towards mental health.

It'll Get Worse Before It Gets Better

By Sky Roberts

 

As a first year on the nationals mat, my teammates had warned me about the pain, fights, and frustration we would go through before we would feel accomplished and ready to head to Orlando, Florida for nationals. Though our team, the most talent Avila has ever had, was experiencing a more enthusiastic three weeks of nationals practice. Every girl was on cloud nine, until one practice where everything fell apart. Nothing was hitting, no one was excited, the team we had the last three weeks had disappeared. Disappointment on our coach’s faces told us that we needed to get it together. One of my strongest, admirable teammates walked off of the mat and broke down. This is when I knew what my teammates had been talking about. At the same time, the most inspiring moment of my life had been coming together. The team circled around one another as most heads bowed and others had blank stares. I had never seen my team so defeated. My quiet teammate beside me, lacing her fingers in between mine, spoke through choked words and tears. She told us that we were better than this, and that we weren’t just a team, we are a family. She said she had never wanted anything as badly as to win this national championship not just for herself, but for every girl competing with her. As she continued, I examined the tears falling down every single teammates face. Her voice rose as she continued, telling us that we needed to do it for each other, for the seniors, for the girl right next to you on the mat; no matter who it was. To see some of the strongest girls I know break into tears let me know that we were a team, and we were going to finish this struggle together. When my teammate finished speaking, my hand nearly losing feeling from her grip, all everyone could do was nod. Our coach called for us to run the routine again—it was the best routine we had ever done. This is when I knew that this was a team—and not only a team—a team that loved one another more than they loved themselves. This is when I knew that the national championship title would be ours.