Issue 6 Fall 2018

THE

RAMPAGE

The Student-Run Newspaper of Fresno City College

FALL 2018 | ISSUE 6 | NOV. 7, 2018

Hands That Hit, Feet That Fly

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NEWS

SPORTS Dynasty of FCC Men’s and Women’s Soccer

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Black Awareness and Inclusivity on the FCC Campus

Entertainment

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@FCCRAMPAGE The rampage online

Bohemian Rhapsody Bites the Dust

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2 NEWS 11.7.18

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THE RAMPAGE

The student-run newspaper of Fresno City College

STAFF Editor-in-Chief Tommy Tribble

News Editor

Paulina Rodriguez Ruiz

Art Director Ramuel Reyes

Sports Editor Anthony De Leon

Entertainment Editor Anjanae Freitas

Multimedia Editor Larry Valenzuela

Reporters Ben Hensley Ben Rodriguez Blake Evans Bryan Beltran Christian Hurtado Conner Stevens Eric Benjamin Ham Gage Carmichael Joanna Murrieta Joseph Deal Karl Cooke Kellie Clark Kendall Woods Mara Thornton Margarita Albarran Peter Lopez Sara Humphrey Sarah Chavez Stephanie Ocampo Tamika Rey Toni Woodruff

Business Manager

Photo Courtesy of Clare Frederick

Rampage Staff Take Home JACC Awards Peter Lopez| Reporter plopez@therampageonline.com

Fresno City College Rampage students took home several awards at the Journalism Association of Community Colleges Conference for outstanding journalism held at San Joaquin Delta College on Saturday, Nov. 3.

“I didn’t expect myself to win, I’m always doubting myself until the last minute,” multimedia editor Larry Valenzuela said as he reflected on the moment he won his first award during the event. He took home a total of three that night.

JACC granted awards to the following FCC students:

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Anthony De Leon, honorable mention (copy editing) Ben Hensley, 2nd place (news writing) Larry Valenzuela, 2nd, 3rd place (feature photo, photo award) Paulina Rodriguez Ruiz, Loren Daniels, honorable mention (Feature Story) Ram Reyes, 4th place, two honorable mentions (inside page layout, photo awards, design awards) Rampage Staff, 2nd place, (editorial) Rampage Staff, General excellence Rampage Staff, Online general excellence Tommi Tribble, 3rd place, (copy editing)

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Letters to the Editor editorial@therampageonline.com Corrections media@therampageonline.com

Any correction needed for an article should be brought to the attention of the staff of The Rampage. The Rampage is committed to accuracy and should be made aware of any mistake in an article that appears in this paper.

Views expressed in the opinion pages are those of the individual writer and not of the newspaper.

While not all participants won awards, one in particular brought home a priceless perspective gained from attending JACC. “The opening keynote speaker Joaquin Alvarado gave a speech on the importance of being a journalist,” said Rampage entertainment editor Anjanae Freitas . “I spent most of the day soaking in the fact that I was lucky enough to attend an event which allowed me to listen to lectures, compete in on the spot competitions, and mostly importantly make connections and contacts with other journalists.”

Those new to The Rampage learned of the event during class early this week and have shown interest in JACC. “I think it’s

We are looking for: Reporters Photographers Videographers Cartoonists Illustrators Graphic Designers Be a part of Fresno City College’s student-run newspaper and get hands on experience in the journalism field. No experience? We train!

The Rampage is produced by students of the Journalism 11 A, B, C, D class.

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a good thing overall, it gives students insight on how to become a better journalist,” said Rampage reporter Karl Cooke.

The annual event, which is a non-profit organization established in 1955, allows college students to network with peers from across California.

“It was actually really exciting to meet other editors, so many of them were in much more dire situations than I am,” says Tommi Tribble, editor-in-chief at The Rampage.

JACC also offered workshop activities to students, allowing them to view editor roundtables, attend briefings on social media success and offered sports writing tips to those interested.

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Pan AfriKan Student Union leads a march through Fresno City College campus and through the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) College Fairon on Monday, Nov. 5, 2018. Photo/Larry Valenzuela

Black Awareness and Inclusivity on the FCC Campus Tamika Rey| Reporter trey@therampageonline.com

There was a triad of events on the FCC campus meant to raise awareness and promote inclusivity for the black community as well as other communities on Monday, Nov. 5.

These three events included the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) College Fair hosted by the SYMBAA and Idile programs in partnership with the FCC Transfer Center; the Bringin’ Black Back Again event presented by the Pan AfriKan Student Union (PASU); and the Black Minds Matter Session 5: Ascription of Intelligence

by J. Luke Wood.

Second Annual Bringing Back Black Again Rally

“When black lives are under attack, we stand up, fight back,” chanted the PASU students as they marched throughout the FCC campus.

Alexandria Benn, this year’s PASU President said the obvious lack of unity on campus, and the hesitation for students to communicate, especially black students, led them to organize the rally.

“We want to rediscover who we are, where we came from and where we’re going. So Bringin’ Black Back Again is (centralized) here. So what we’ll be having today is open mic; I’m doing my poetry. We’ll be having

singing and dancing of all types and we’ll be having a lot of people from different backgrounds. And we’ll have a march around campus.”

“Meeting times are every Thursday at 3:30 to 4:30. You don’t have to be black to really just want to look into different cultures and see what we’re about. The only thing that break down barriers is to take that leap of faith,” said Benn.

The Third Annual HBCU College Fair

“HBCUs have a rich tradition going back over 100 years. Many of these campuses are small schools that provide a tight-knit community with a lot of support,” said David Shoemaker, Transfer Center Counselor and Coordinator.

There were 21 HBCUs in attendance ranging from private and public universities.

According to Rodney Murphy, counselor and instructor for the SYMBAA and Idile programs, the community college district formed an agreement with the HBCUs which guarantees admission for students.

Admission is guaranteed for students with a minimum of 2.5 GPA and 30 transferable units.

“All the schools coming participate in the California Transfer Guarantee,” Shoemaker said.

Murphy says the HBCUs wanted to increase participation and diversify student enrollment. “Their main focus is to rid the stigma or

misconception that HBCUs are just for black students only,” said Murphy.

The caravan had its first stop here in 2016 and according to Shoemaker, other community colleges and local high schools are invited to send students to attend.

“Many industries come to HBCUs to recruit their students and there is over-representation of HBCU graduates in the workplace-they are very successful,” said Shoemaker.

The Umoja Community, a statewide organization, which is the umbrella that SYMBAA and Idile are under has been instrumental in their partnership with the HBCU Caravan Stops. The caravan stops happen in the Spring and Fall Semesters.

It is important for interested students to note that the application for HBCUs is one single application.

The HBCU application is also a separate application than the Cal Apply application.

The HBCUs application deadlines vary but are usually in March or April for general admissions, but to be considered for scholarships, you have to apply by Dec. 1st.

Black Minds Matter: Ascription of Intelligence FCC had the pleasure to host a replay of the original Black Minds Matter broadcast created by J.Luke Wood, Ph. D, this fall, geared mostly at FCC staff.

According to Murphy Wood

dedicated the last 15 years to extensive research and work into guiding graduation rates and academic performance and figure out why low graduation rates exist.

The Black Minds Matter is a sister cause to Black Lives Matter, and its purpose is to help instructors understand and build a sensitivity to the struggles young black men face in education.

“I think their goal is to raise national consciousness about issues faced by young black men. And different strategies and solutions to address these issues,” said Murphy.

The main theme was to help instructors and institution officials understand how to be sensitive to these issues by understanding their biased, subtle snubs that may be perceived as demeaning, insulting or degrading which may even occur unconsciously when dealing with young black men.

Many young black men are fearful to even engage in school discussions or instruction sessions because of fear of being perceived as “dumb, ignorant or stupid,” Wood said.

The main supplemental practices for instructors to adopt to encourage an atmosphere of free learning is to focus on “student success, effective and engaging practices, and relational issues such as trust, respect and authentic care,” Wood said.

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Highlighting the People of our Community

SPOTLIGHT SERIES

Diana Baldrica and the Magic of Photography Karl Cooke | Reporter kcooke@therampageonline.com

Diana Baldrica looks over a student’s work and gives him advice to make his photo better in the Photo Lab at Fresno City College on Tues. Nov. 6, 2018. Photo/Karl Cooke

Walk past the student bookstore to the Applied Technology Division. Room T-401 is where you’ll find photography teacher Diana Baldrica, who has been teaching at Fresno City College since 2010. She’s not only a teacher at FCC, but comes with hands-on experience as she worked as a photographer for the Fresno Bee for 24 years.

Photography wasn’t always a dream career of hers, nor was it a thought in her mind until she witnessed the magic of frozen images from her older brother’s photography while they both attended Fresno State.

“He would use photography to document the sights and the stuff they were doing,” Baldrica said. “When I saw the magic of how it happened, I was taken by that and I said to myself, ‘I want to do that.’”

During this time, Baldrica was majoring in art and wanting to use her creativity through painting and drawing. After taking one photo class at Fresno State, she was hooked and found a new love called photography.

Photos aren’t just a piece of paper with images on it and Mrs. Baldrica explained why photography is an art.

“It’s magic. It stops time in its tracks.”

After graduating from Fresno State with her degree, she would take her

talents and passion of photography in 1985 to the Fresno Bee where she became a photojournalist. She enjoyed being a photojournalist and was excited to be able to tell people the news while also doing the thing she loves most.

“You get to be like a fly on the wall,” Baldrica said. “You’re privileged to be able to observe, record, and be true to the nature of what’s happening.”

She also explains how being a journalist can show the true side of people. “When you do that, it opens up your point of view. It opens you up so much because you realize we’re all the same,” Baldrica said. “We all experience tragedy and happiness and they exhibit those emotions in ways we can all relate to.”

Baldrica left the Bee in 2009 and in 2010, would become a teacher at FCC with experience and knowledge to pass on to students. She hopes to teach many things with a message behind it.

“I hope to express to students not to be afraid to try things and fail because you learn the most sometimes from your failure,” Baldrica said. “The only bad thing about failure is if you don’t learn from it.”

Mrs. Baldrica is currently teaching Photo 6 which teaches how to manually use digital cameras and Drone 267 which teaches how to capture video and photos from the air.

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Former ASG President Case File Offers Conflicting Stories Larry Valenzuela | Multimedia Editor lvalenzuela@therampageonline.com

New details have emerged regarding the arrest of former ASG President Christopher Washington which offer contradicting details on what happened the night of his alleged sexual encounter with two women, one of them underage.

In an arrest report from the Fresno City College Campus Police Department, Washington and the two women, a 17-yearold an 18-year-old, were making a loud disturbance in a hallway of the Math Science building.

Rachel Tamayo, a faculty member, told the three to leave the area because they were disturbing classes.

Moments later Tamayo was informed by a few of her students that the three people were engaging in sexual activities in the women’s restroom on the west side of the Math Science building.

The witnesses called officers, who later entered the restroom and discovered three people in the far stall. Officers saw the feet of the three people shuffling around and demanded they open the door. In the report, officers said Washington was reluctant to open the stall but eventually complied.

The officers entered the bathroom and discovered that

the three had been drinking.

The 18-year-old was seated on the toilet with her pants and underwear down and was not responsive to the officers’ verbal commands. The officers called emergency medical services for the 18-year-old fearing that she may be suffering from alcohol poisoning.

Officers began searching Washington’s person and found a mostly empty bottle of Bacardi in his backpack.

One witness told officers she walked into the restroom and heard moaning. She peered into the stall and saw a man (Washington). She told officers she was able to get three short videos of the incident.

According to the report, the video allegedly documents the 17-year-old performing oral copulation on the 18-yearold, while Washington can be seen with his pants down masturbating while touching the 18-year-old near her groin area.

Washington was brought to the police department for questioning. Washington made several apparently false statements. He claimed he purchased the alcohol across town, in a liquor store near Fresno State. He also claimed that the 18-year-old was already drunk when he arrived on campus, and that he was merely

taking care of her.

Officers found out that this was not true, as Washington was seen in surveillance footage buying alcohol from a liquor store on Blackstone and McKinley using the 17-year-old’s money.

Washington also denied that any sexual encounter took place.

Officers asked Washington if video evidence of a sexual encounter existed. Washington repeatedly stated that there was no video.

Washington was expressly forbidden from setting foot on campus following the incident.

He was arrested the next day when he returned to campus anyway.

An attorney of the 17-yearold, Michael McKneely, said his client did not know Washington until she met him that day. She told her attorney Washington introduced himself as “the person in charge here” and was trying to impress his client.

Washington and the client exchanged numbers and he kept texting her, Washington then invited her to drink with him.

The 17-year-old and Washington began drinking two 4 Lokos that were purchased with her money.

The two then met up with the 18-year-old who was already intoxicated and drank some more with her. McKneely client said

that Washington kept talking about having a three-way with the two women.

McKneely said that Washington attempted to kiss his client and the 18-year-old.

McKeenly said that both women felt uncomfortable. The two women then attempted to get away from Washington by hiding in the women’s restroom in the Math Science Building and hiding in a stall. The 17-yearold said Washington followed the two into the bathroom and climbed under the stall to get to them.

McKneely said that his client does not have any memory of what happened in the stall after this.

But in the police report the 17-year-old stated that her and the 18-year-old became intimate in the stall.

McKneely said that the video taken by witnesses were really misinterpreted by police. The 18-year-old was taken to the hospital but the 17-year-old was taken into custody and questioned about what had happened.

McKneely said that after a few days on Monday Oct. 22 officers arrested the 17-year-old and was taken to juvenile hall. He said that they were treating the case as a sexual assault and going off the police report from the college

police, the District Attorney was charging his client with oral copulation with a person who couldn’t consent because of intoxication.

McKneely said that her client was being taken advantage of the his client and that his client was victim not a suspect. His client was told due to the investigation that she will not be able to return to school.

The 18-year-old said in a statement to police she made while in the hospital that she had no memory of what had happened in the bathroom stall.

She later said that she would not of consented to something sexual if she was not under the influence of alcohol and would be supporting prosecution.

“Washington was making suggestive comments with the 18-year-old and was sending unasked for pictures of his genitalia to her. I believe that all bets are off because my client is unable to consent because she’s a juvenile Washington took advantage of her in this situation” “This is not a situation that either of the two women would of been in willingly if not for the alcohol that Washington had provided him.”

Local Veterans presenting reward to Mary Alfieris’s family Photo/Kellie Clark

FCC Honors Veterans Kellie Clark | Reporter kclark@therampageonline.com

There are times to honor those we’ve lost, but on Nov. 2 it was time to honor those who are still with us.

Veteran families gathered to hear the National Anthem and recognize service at the Veteran’s Ceremony in front of the Peace Memorial.

With the presenting of the colors, the ceremony opened up with the Pledge of Allegiance before quickly switching over to the National Anthem sung by Faten Myazne Kassabian, then a prayer was opened up to thank and bless those who are still serving.

Alicia Wilson, the FCC band director, guided the band

into a well prepared piece while recognizing those in the crowd who have served.

Then Dr. Paul Parnell, Chancellor of the State Center Community College District, who was the keynote speaker gave a speech about the veterans and the loss of Mary Alfieris.

Mrs. Alfieris’s family was asked to be a part of a standing recognition in which letters about their deceased family member was read to them. Mrs. Alfieris passed away Easter Sunday, April 1 this year. The Alfieris family received an award on their mother’s behalf.

“We’re greatly honored to be here,” Steven Alfieris, the son of

Mary, said, “and see the first class commemoration of my mom’s commitment to Fresno City College, and what she meant to so many who work here and go to school here.”

After the memory of Mrs. Alfieris, veteran families were asked to the front where they received recognition through pendants. This was followed by the FCC City Singers with “America the Beautiful.”

The American Legion 509 Guard then started a rifle salute to those who have fallen, which concluded the ceremony.

As Robert Pinentel says, “Our veterans need to know they are appreciated.”

6 ENTERTAINMENT

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Bohemian Rhapsody Bites the Dust Christian Hurtado| Reporter Churtadotherampageonline.com

“Bohemian Rhapsody” opened up strong at the box office, but delivered a film that will be forgotten as soon as the next big film arrives.

The film attempts to tell the story of Queen, from the groups first forming, until the final performance of Freddie Mercury. Although it illuminates the viewers with some backstory about Freddie Mercury--it only touches the surface of the genius, the voice that many regard to be one of the greatest in rock n roll history.

Watching a biopic film about Queen, one would expect the grand catalog of Queen’s music in the film, but the film fails at a musical score. It seems as if the movie about Queen was written for an audience who had never heard of them.

Perhaps the weakest element to the film was its writing. The film doesn’t have a proper speed or clarity in what it wants to be. The title “Bohemian Rhapsody” implies that the film could focus on the six-minute track that many regard as their greatest hit, but instead spends a short time explaining the origins of the title song-possibly to earn the right to use as title.

One thing that comes to mind when one thinks of Mercury, is his sexuality.

The film seems to tiptoe around Mercury’s sexuality by portraying him to be in the closet. The 1980s was a hard time for the gay community, especially for gay men due to the AIDS epidemic.

It was a dark time that resulted in thousands dying--especially gay men. It was also a time clouded with taboo. Could this be the reason why the filmmakers decided to keep Mercury’s sexuality underwraps? Fear of upsetting someone, or opening up an old wound? Whatever the case might have been: the film avoided the truth.

The performance by Rami Malek was possibly the only thing that was worth watching. Malek transformed himself into Mercury. The rest of the actors hardly existed. They seemed all but extras, with no substance or backstory.

It should be noted that the making of the “Bohemian Rhapsody” was not without conflict, which may have contributed to its quality. The film’s director, Bryan Singer was fired before completion of the film. This was due to “complications” between the director and the cast and crew. Possibly as a result the film lacked originality and direction.

If the studios only purpose was to make money, and illuminate to the world that this band once existed called Queen, who had this lead singer that had a great voice and died of aids-well mission accomplished. The film has already nearly tripled its budget.

DIVISION OF FINE, PERFORMING AND COMMUNICATION ARTS THEATRE AND DANCE DEPARTMENT PRESENTS

City Dance FALL CONCERT 2018 Artistic Director: Jimmy Hao

By KRISTOFFER DIAZ

Directed by CHARLES ERVEN

From the writer of the Netflix series, GLOW comes a satirical smack down of professional wrestling… and so much more!

NOVEMBER 8, 9, 10 • 7:30pm 9, 10 • 2:00pm STUDIO 105 THEATRE Tickets: $14 General, $12 Students/Staff/Seniors, $8 Group • Theatre Box Office: (559) 442-8221 • www.fresnocitycollege.edu/boxofficetickets

November 9, 10 at 7:30 pm 11 at 2:00 pm State Center Community College District

11.7.18 ENTERTAINMENT 7

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Chad Deity Power-Bombs FCC Performing Arts Theatre Peter Lopez | Reporter Plopez@therampageonline.com

“The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity” by Kristoffer Diaz, now showing at the Fresno City College Performing Arts Theatre until Nov. 10, happens to be an absolute masterpiece.

This exciting tale, directed

by Charles Erven, will have audience members laughing, cheering and praying for 30 year old Macedonio Guerra, brilliantly played by actor Eric Galvan.

Guerra, who grows up in the Bronx and makes it as a professional wrestler, realizes that his glass is half-full as he takes on the role of “jobber,” one who loses on purpose to more popular opponents.

“The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity” has an excellent story and fully engages with the audience by encouraging viewers to be involved at all times, as if you are watching a live professional wrestling event.

Booing the villain, hilariously played by Antonio Olivera, and cheering-on the ever-sopopular Chad Deity himself is a welcoming feature that does nothing but fully immerse the audience into the reality of professional wrestling.

Although the play did not receive a standing ovation, it absolutely deserved one.

It successfully explores themes like racism, multiculturalism and political incorrectness. In doing so, the play leaves the viewer with the belief that personas are not who they appear to be in real life.

It also sheds light on how, consciously or unconsciously, bigoted professional wrestling can be.

For instance, Macedonio’s indian teammate, Vigneshwar “VP” Paduar, is portrayed as a terrorist because the play’s Vince McMahon-type business executive believes that sort of persona will sell perfectly to the audience. He even provides VP with a special move called the “Camel Kick.”

Throughout the show, actors delivered lines on a superb level of professionalism and the painful roars from receiving powerful blows in the ring will definitely make you say “ouch.”

“The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity” is a play that everyone should watch. It’s even a play for those who might not be interested in the sport of wrestling.

You can watch the remaining performances on Nov. 8, 9 and 10 at 7:30 p.m., or the afternoon shows at 2:00 p.m. on Nov. 9 and 10.

Chad Deity comes out to the stage in the play “The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity” shown at the Fresno City College theater on Thursday, Nov. 1, 2018. Photo/Larry Valenzuela

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California results from 2018 Midterm

Anjanae Freitas| A & E Editor afreitas@therampageonline.com

Voters have chosen 53 representatives in the California senate, 39 from the democratic party and 14 from the republican party. The California governor selected is Democrat Gavin Newsom with a 56.4% lead over Republican John Cox 43.6%. The New York Times is projecting that the house results will be 226 seats for Democrat’s and 209 seats for Republicans.

Senate Dianne Feinstein (Democrat) 53.8% 1,908,245 Votes Kevin De Leon (Democrat) 46.2% 1,641,819 Governor Gavin Newsom (Democrat) 56.4% 2,290,258 Votes John Cox (Republican) 43.6% 1,772,217

Secretary of State Alex Padilla (Democract) 59.1% 2,432,527 votes Mark P. Meuser (Republican) 40.9% 1,686,595 votes Treasuer Fiona Ma (Democract) 58.9% 2,467,460 votes Greg Conion (Republican) 41.1% 1,721,426 votes

Attorney General Xavier Becerra(Democract) 58.2% 2,454,001 votes Steven C Bailey (Republican) 41.8% 1,763,256

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OPINION 9

How To Be Less Willful and More Willing Anjanae Freitas| A & E Editor afreitas@therampageonline.com

“‘Willing?’ Now tell me. Why did you choose that word?” my therapist asked, eyes on my bracelet. I tell her about a day she wrote that exact word on her white board and how deeply it resonated with me. She smiles and comments on how far I have come with being mindful. I deflect and sit uncomfortably in my own thoughts.

Willful is a state of mind in which you are unreasonable and stubborn within the process of self-acceptance and self-love.

Willing is the opposite, the acceptance that allows us to not see things black or white. To be comfortable within the grey, and to let the pain take us where we need to be lead.

I can tell you from experience that being your own biggest critic will lead you to a life of pain and misery. Being willful and not ready to trust the process has single handedly stunted my growth for most of my life.

The next time you are avoiding that one emotion you are building up, my advice is to let your emotions in and out with no judgment. I know you’re thinking that sounds ridiculous, but

hear me out.

I believe if you can identify the emotions, you are able to understand how to treat them effectively. If you are feeling angry, try to pinpoint what it is that is making you angry rather than just lashing out on everyone around you. If you are feeling down, identify the emotion such as grief or sadness that needs to be recognized.

When I started to identify my emotions and think of them not as negative nor positive. I simply started to

stop judging the emotions with no reaction or instant need to answer the questions.

When I force myself to understand every single detail of a problem, I become willful until I have answers. This only creates anxiety and pressure on myself to fix a problem until I can move on from it. However, maybe it isn’t about moving on. I mean

do we really ever recover from traumatic experiences or being hurt? Who knows.

What I do know is that when you allow the judgment of what could have, should have, or would have, you obsess over the past making yourself willful of the present.

No matter how much the idea of being willing is uncomfortable

and makes me want to run, I remind myself that my worst days in my recovery are immeasurably better than my best days in a relapse.

It may not change or fix the willfulness you are feeling, but a late start to changing your ways of thinking is better than never starting at all.

Friends Trump Hate Sarah Chavez| Reporter schavez@therampageonline.com

There are a few simple known rules to follow when having friends: don’t date each other’s exes, don’t borrow money and don’t talk about politics.

As an opinionated person who stresses an open mind, I try to surround myself with a very diverse group of friends with a variety of political views and backgrounds.

We often have long conversations trying to share our different viewpoints to get an idea where each of us stand on the political spectrum. We often agree with each other, but it is impossible to have the same views on everything.

When it comes to political topics such as opinions on the Trump

Administration, deportation and gun control we have varying opinions.

Personally, I am not a fan of Trump, deportation or guns at all, but that is not the case with all of my friends, and I believe that there is an extent to which friends can disagree with each other when it comes to certain political topics.

It seems almost childish to think that you can be friends with anyone. Today people shame you when you say that you would end a friendship over political disagreements, but in today’s society it’s important to stress how someone’s views can affect your relationships.

The experiences a person goes through and the people that they surround themselves with mold them, which in turn reflects their views on certain topics, it all goes hand in hand.

As a Mexican-American, it troubles me when people I know or associate with Trump’s views.

I understand that they support him because “he is good for the economy,” yet that does not seem like a good enough reason to back him when he has so many outrageous views and actions.

There is only so much that you can disagree with especially when it affects the livelihood a human race.

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Trail Blazing Into a ‘Man’s Sport’ Ben Hensley| Reporter bhensley@therampageonline.com

The Fresno City College wrestling team has 42 wrestler on their 2018 roster. 41 of the team members go to the same showers after their matches.

And then there’s Alyssa Babylon.

Babylon, a Fresno native, is the only female wrestler on FCC’s wrestling team. In a sport dominated by males, Babylon is already making waves in the wrestling community in her first year on the team.

She made history on Sept.

26 when Babylon became the first female wrestler at FCC to win a match, defeating Maria Medina in the third round by pin. In a match that saw several big momentum swings, the two grappled and dodged before Babylon emerged victorious with just under one minute left in the third round.

Encouraged by her father, Babylon began contact sports as a boxer at the tender age of 4.

She continued to branch out in her athletic career by starting wrestling in the fourth grade. “I told my parents that I wanted to do wrestling, and they got me into it,” Babylon said. “My dad is the one who got me into boxing.”

She took a hiatus from the wrestling mat throughout high school, but picked it up once again when she arrived at FCC. Four years away from any sport could have an impact on an athlete’s performance -- not the

case with Babylon.

“She picked it up quickly,” wrestling coach Paul Keysaw said. “I think that’s a testament to her, and her personality, and wherewithal, and her desire to do what she’s doing.”

Keysaw said he is amazed by how quickly she caught up, even after being away from the wrestling world for four years.

The historic win broke a barrier many didn’t know existed – including Babylon herself.

“When I wrestled, I didn’t know it was a big deal until after when everyone congratulated me,” Babylon said of her victory.

“Knowing that I made history for the school felt good. I was very proud of myself.”

“Well, welcome to the club.

She’s a Ram. We would expect nothing less of her,” Keysaw said of Babylon’s victory. “Alyssa showed her skill level, and man it was an exciting match.”

Babylon said it was a good thing she didn’t know. Knowing would have put more pressure on her to do well. “I found out a few days later. They put a post on the FCC wrestling page on Instagram, and I didn’t see it until a few days later.”

The win, however, brought something to light – the future of women’s wrestling at FCC. Because she is a female competitor in a male dominated sport, Babylon cannot wrestle at every event. Although she practices with the guys, and is “one of the family” as coach

Keysaw said, the rules limit her to competing with only women.

However, this roadblock may not be the case for much longer.

Babylon said the college is likely provide opportunities for more women to wrestle. “They’re looking to have a separate women’s team,” she said.

“We’re really hoping in a couple of years that we actually have a women’s wrestling team here at Fresno City College,” Keysaw added. “We’re trying to get at least four or five schools in the north, and four or five in the south to start a women’s wrestling program in the next couple of years.”

As for now, Babylon will continue to help FCC’s wrestling team rise to the top of the state ranks in search of yet another state title. Still ranked first overall, the Rams and Babylon continue to prepare for the rest of the season, continuing with their next dual in San Mateo this Saturday.

With all of the success so far, Babylon, who picked up two victories this past weekend against Cuesta College looks to continue to help pave the groundwork for future female wrestlers at FCC. “She’s really laying down the roadwork and the foundation of what’s to come,” Keysaw said.

“Really showing a lot of the girls in the area that there’s a lot of opportunities for women, especially in wrestling.”

Photo Courtesy of Fresno City College

Fresno City College Wrestling Looks to Impress in Bill Musick Memorial Meet Karl Cooke | Reporter kcooke@therampageonline.com

Angel Mariscal looks to keep his position over his opponent from Cerritos College before winning in points at the Bill Musick Memorial at the Fresno City College Gymnasium on Saturday Nov. 3, 2018. Photo/Karl Cooke

Fresno City College wrestling looked to defend their home turf at the Bill Musick Meet on Sat. Oct. 3. FCC took some wins in a few weight classes, but couldn’t complete the sweep of all finals matches they had lined up to win.

Though not a complete sweep, the Rams finished the day with a total of 12 top four finishes, including wins coming from Isaiah Perez (133), Ruben Garcia (157), and Augie Garcia (165).

The match of the day came in the 133-pound weight class as sophomore Isaiah Perez faced Chance Rich of California State University, Bakersfield.

The two wrestlers would go back and forth as no one was able to gain the advantage at the beginning of the match, but Perez was able to get the 11-9 win in

double overtime to secure his first place finish on the day.

FCC would have two wrestlers in the 157-pound weight class finals as Ruben Garcia and Conrad Lopez would go head to head. Lopez would end up leaving the match due to an injury, giving the win and first place finish to Garcia.

The 285-pound weight class final match could be summarized in one word, defense. FCC’s redshirt sophomore Angel Mariscal and Randy Gonzalez of Cerritos would both struggle to get a takedown, as Gonzalez would come out on top with the 3-1 victory.

Though he didn’t win his weight class, Ram’s redshirt sophomore Abner Romero (175) would finish his day with a dominating 20-3 win over Jordan Denny of Sacramento City College.

After placing 3rd in his weight division, Romero talked about not settling and working to get himself better. “I’m just going to go back into the room tomorrow.

There’s no days off,” Romero said.

“We’ll get back on weights and work on the things that I did wrong this weekend. You can always take something out of everything.”

Romero also explained the goals he sets for himself that benefits him and his team. “Just be a better person everyday,” Romero said. “Everyday above ground is a great day so I’m trying to make my teammates better by pushing them and myself. It’s a team game at the end of the day.”

FCC will look to finish strong toward the end of the season when they go head to head against Bakersfield College-Otero JC on Thurs. Nov. 15.

11.7.18

therampageonline.com

SPORTS 11

Hands That Hit, Feet That Fly Anthony Deleon | Sports Editor adeleon@therampageonline.com

Being a two sport athlete is not an easy battle. Being a female in a male dominated sport is an even bigger battle. And fighting for your mental health may be the biggest battle of all.

Jorgina Lazcano combats this battle every single day. The Fresno City College sophomore has spent all of 2018 preparing to join the United States Boxing Association, starting a fight career in 2019 while also taking part in her first season on the FCC cross country team.

Born and raised in Fresno

Jorgina Lazcano, a two sport athlete training with a fighter’s mentality. Photo/Larry Valenzuela

Lazcano’s journey as an athlete is a battle, an effort to combat her personal demons. Finding a sanctuary through training, boxing and cross country have helped her

along the road to recovery.

“As I grew up I was overweight and as I got into high school and college I developed an eating disorder,” explained Lazcano.

Through the help and guidance of her mother and father, who were athletes themselves, the battle to overcome her eating disorder led Lazcano down the path of fitness.

“To combat my eating disorder, my mom and dad wanted to get me into fitness in order to correct my eating disorder,” said Lazcano.

“In order to get in control of my disorder my mom took me to a gym she went to.”

Lazcano’s first experience was being ushered into a fitness gym by her mother. Lazcano was at first reluctant in figuring out if getting involved with a combat sport is something she wanted to entrench herself in.

“I tried it out for the day, they told me to stay for the whole week and once I finished the week I was like ok I don’t want to do this,” said Lazcano. “I felt boxing is a guy’s sports, it is not for girls, but my mom encouraged me to sign up for a month.”

For the next five months Lazcano trained at Bullpen Boxing Club on a month to month basis not knowing “Within me I did not know why I kept going back,” said Lazcano.

“But I kept going back and after five months of going that is when I finally figured I started to like this and started getting better.”

Boxing has a certain stigma. It’s thought of as a man’s sport. With that stigma comes certain realities that Lazcano’s must overcome, even within her training.

“There are limited opponents because there are not a lot of girls

who decide that their first choice is, ‘hey let’s go get hit in the face’,” explained Lazcano. “The ratio from guys to girls is very unbalanced, it is challenging.”

The fact that there are so many men in boxing is not lost on Lazcano, but she’s up for the challenge. She’s ready to compete and train with anyone who will make her a stronger competitor.

Even if that means she has to compete with the men.

“The unbalanced ratio is good in a way because it helps build toughness in you because you are around so many guys, so you are like I want to roll with these guys, I got to stick with these guys,” Lazcano said.

Lazcano feels the pressure of having to compete, but also wants the respect of her male counterparts.

“Ultimately I got to show them I am just as tough and that I deserve to be here, I deserve their respect,” stated Lazcano. “I spar with the guys, which is at first really scary, but over time you learn from each other and they help develop you as a boxer.”

Fitness and the team dynamic is what ultimately led Lazcano to her second athletic career. This semester is her first season of cross country under the tutelage head coach Gary Bluth.

“I was first taking a weight training class with coach Bluth,” said Lazcano. “So when I joined cross country he started getting me ready for competition with cross country training to get ready for something I jumped into.”

Lazcano has now nearly double the workload of her training regimens as she was once training four to five days,

two hours a day focusing on boxing and she has now added nearly two more hours of cross country and weight training twice a week.

The added training has become a bonus for her. She feels that both sports intertwine with one another, that they’ve helped boost her skills in the ring.

“What has really helped me stay in shape is the running here and the running there has tied in together and the cardio is what kept me ready for both,” said Lazcano.

The work that Lazcano has put in has begun to show. Over the weekend she finished 41st in the 2018 NorCal Cross Country Regional Championships women’s 3.1 mile run with the time 23:22.4 minutes.

Lazcano looks to expand her knowledge in the field she has become entranced by over the past few years. A former liberal arts student, Lazcano has become a kinesiology major.

“I went to Fresno State for liberal studies, but I came back and realized that fitness and kinesiology is what drives,” said Lazcano.

Lazcano is back on track to return to Fresno State in the fall of 2019.

In her life Lazcano has fought through an eating disorder, held her own as a woman in a male dominated sport and all with the added pressure of being a two sport athlete.

“I am trying not to let go of my passion and I am also trying to work with something I picked up recently,” said Lazcano. “Mental toughness is a barrier you have to break through, it is easy to come up with a thousand excuses, but having that mental toughness has helped me get through both sports.”

Photo Courtesy of Marcial Marmolejo, Cali Fights Magazine

12 SPORTS 11.7.18

DYNASTY

therampageonline.com

Two Champions, One Tradition

Deqwan Sykes battle for the ball against a player at Taft College at Fresno City College Soccer Field on Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2018. Photo/Conner Stevens

Men’s Soccer Takes Conference for Third Straight Year Conner Stevens | Reporter

FCC Continues Dominance With CVC Three-Peat Karl Cooke| Reporter

cstevens@therampageonline.com

The Fresno City College men’s soccer team finished their game against Taft College at home on Tuesday Nov. 6 in a 0-0 tie to secure their third conference championship in as many years.

In a fast paced game that was full of defensive highlights from both sides, neither team was successful in breaking the stalemate at the end of 90 minutes.

A physical Taft College showed why they led the state in goals against (9) as FCC struggled to get any opportunities on offense in either half.

The Rams were kept on their heels for a majority of the game as Taft’s quick and relentless attacks kept coming one after another and were unable to be countered by FCC’s offense.

The Cougies kept high pressure on the Rams’ defense but were not able to convert with Rams’ freshman goalkeeper, Guillermo Gama, making five saves on the day to record his third shutout of the season.

It seemed that the Rams might have been able to make an offensive push in the closing minutes as sophomore Deqwan Sykes split two defenders to get a cross in the box, but it wasn’t

Madison Fisher chases down the ball against a player at Taft College at Fresno City College Soccer Field on Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2018 Photo/Larry Valenzuela

kcooke@therampageonline.com

meant to be as it was followed by a shot that was launched over crossbar.

“We had the mindset of coming out of the game with a decision,” said Coach Eric Solberg. “Meaning we wanted to make sure that we didn’t have a ball go into the back of our net.”

The Rams were able to stick to Solberg’s gameplan and secure the conference title with one game left in the regular season.

“I still don’t believe we have seen our best game yet” Solberg said when asked about playoffs in the upcoming weeks. “We had three starters that did not play today due to injury so being able to tie against a good team like Taft was a positive.”

Coming into the matchup with Taft, the official CCCAA website had FCC ranked third in the state, trailing No. 2 Taft at 15-2-1 and No. 1 Cerritos with a record of 14-1-2.

FCC now looks to gain any last minute momentum they can as they have one last home game against College of the Sequoias on Friday Nov. 9

In a match that involved some tough physical play and tensions running high, the Fresno City College women’s soccer team defeated Taft College to improve their record to 16-2-3 overall, 10-1 in the conference, and were crowned Central Valley Conference champions for a third consecutive year on Tues. Nov. 6, 2018.

Coming in the matchup FCC entered the week ranked No.4 in the latest CCCSIA women’s soccer poll. After previously losing to the Rams of FCC 2-0, the Cougies, 11-7-2, looked to make a statement and redeem themselves from their previous matchup, but they came up short again losing by a score of 3-0.

The match started with both teams matching each other’s aggression.

Both teams played tremendous defense and wouldn’t give the other side an inch of room to make a play.

Not only were both teams playing aggressive but some pushing and shoving added to the mood of the game leaning toward a match that might end up being a little chippy.

The first half would end with a score of 0-0 and neither team having an overall advantage outside of FCC having more control of the ball over Taft.

The second half started the same with no team giving the other an advantage and more physicality playing a factor in the game. The

momentum changed when Taft fouled sophomore forward Raina Wristen and gave her the chance to give the Rams the lead. Wristen took advantage and scored on the penalty kick to give FCC the lead 1-0 over the Cougies.

After the goal, FCC slowly took the momentum away from Taft and would score two more times before the final whistle and become Central Valley Champions once again.

Raina Wristen would lead the team with two goals with sophomore forward Taylor Alkire giving the Rams another goal.

Coach Oliver Germond was happy to see his team not only win another conference title but also not let the game get to them emotionally and starting ay strong. “We create that environment at practice,” Germond said. “We train under that environment almost every day at practice and that’s what makes me proud of our program is that every day is so competitive in training and the girls are used to it.”

Even with a title in hand, the Rams have one more match and Coach Germond looks to make sure his team stays competitive and finish the season strong and come out with one more win to end the regular season. FCC will finish their regular season against West Hills Lemoore on Fri. Nov. 9.