Ball is life

Scouted for soccer, Idalis Gonzalez, 12, on Feb.4 officially signs with the University of Louisiana at Monroe. “I’m ready to just go off on my own without having to depend on my parents or sister,” Gonzalez said.

Irania Quintero, Staff Writer
March 10, 2015

As the 2014-2015 school year continues, Downey High School’s athletes have been receiving news about their official signing and commitment to four-year universities for the sports they play. Colleges all across the country expressed their interests and an athlete’s official signing proved their mutual interest.

Seniors who are undecided still express their gratitude for opportunities they are receiving. Senior Jeraun Richards has a couple of basketball offers to choose from such as Hawaii Pacific University and Chico State University. Although he is not sure of where he wants to accept a full ride scholarship offer from, he sees a bright future for himself.

“I’ve been working at this [point guard] my whole life,” Richards said. “I’ll be receiving a free education and continuing my hard work as a ball player.”

Committing to a university has been a dream come true for other commits. Cuban born and raised senior, Randy Labaut, was filled with joy when he realized that his efforts were paying off after he signed a contract with the Division 1 school, The University of Arizona, for baseball. As a Hispanic born athlete, Labaut has felt the need to work harder to prove his skills are noteworthy.

“Since I was in Cuba, I have always wanted to show how determined I am,” Labaut said. “My dreams are coming true. I’m receiving my full ride.”

The signing fever has affected the girls soccer team as well. Back-to-back CIF champions know their talent and aspirations are being rewarded as two of their own have already committed to different schools for soccer. Senior Idalis Gonzalez is excited to begin a new chapter in her life as a college athlete.

Gonzalez has signed to the University of Louisiana at Monroe. Although the school is across the country, Gonzalez is not letting distance get in the way of her dreams and has officially signed. National Signing Day allowed her to see the diversity of athletes being signed along side her.

“The coach and the team from ULM made me feel welcomed and supported,” Gonzalez said. “I was extra excited when I came across the many girls who I will be playing with next year.”

Not only are all these recruits excited for their futures, they are also excited about keeping a part of themselves [the sport] and taking it to a new level. Athletic director, Mark Rand, gave notice that the final count of all recruits will be known in early May. Official school recognition and signing of these athletes will take place in the Downey High School theatre on May 28.

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About the Contributors

Irania Quintero, Staff Writer

As a first year staff writer, senior Irania Quintero joined The Downey Legend in search of new experiences and opportunities. “I joined Newspaper because it gives me a chance to explore and build upon my passion for writing,” Quintero said. “It is indeed a new environment for me but a challenge worth taking on.” She has a passion for writing and hopes that with being a part of the staff she’ll expand her knowledge on different writing styles, improve her own writing, and get a feel for what she plans to do in the future. “Great writing to me is writing that makes the reader feel like he or she is a part of the experience or event described,” Quintero stated. “My ultimate goal is to deliver the same feeling to readers as many writers have done for me.” As a writer for The Downey Legend, Quintero will be in charge of pitching new story ideas and meeting deadlines. The job of a writer may get stressful and tedious at times but with Quintero’s passion for writing and undeniable reliability, she’ll take this job on without the slightest of difficulty.

Aside from being a writer for The Downey Legend, Quintero enjoys writing poetry, reading books by Nicholas Sparks, watching the Angels during their baseball season, and cooking and/or baking in her spare time. She also says that her favorite music varies from John Legend, Kanye West, The XX, to different alternative bands. Quintero also shared that she’s great with puns and that she has a positive vibe about herself at all times. “There’s almost always a smile on my face no matter what my mood is,” Quintero said. After high school she plans to attend a four-year-university, her top choice being San Francisco State University, and eventually become a journalist. Quintero has the right mind set and motivation to help her accomplish her dreams and succeed in her near future as well as in her current position on The Downey Legend.

Areli Dominguez, Co-Photo Editor

As her final year begins at Downey High School, Areli Dominguez, 17, joins Newspaper as a new-coming photographer. Her interest for photography started last year in Photojournalism and Yearbook and she has loved it ever since. “I like that you can show your own point of view,” Dominguez said. She learned a lot within Yearbook, but she knows that Newspaper will be different and new and hopefully a challenge. She knows that at times it may be difficult, but she is hard working and motivated. Her main goals for this year are to keep on task and be proud of her own work.

She moved to Downey in the fourth grade and has been here ever since. Dominguez likes to draw, sing and do photography. She has two dogs named Casper and Oreo, who she loves to play with and be around. She hopes to attend Long Beach Community College in the next fall semester, but is unsure of what she wants to major in. In 5 years from now she has high hopes of to start a new job, and have the same friends from high school and other aspects of her life. When it comes to her friends or family she has a very caring heart. “I am a trustworthy, whether it is big or small, I for sure won’t tell anybody,” Dominguez stated. In her spare time, she likes to listen to bachata and eat sour patches, which is her favorite candy. She does not play sports now but when she was younger she played volleyball and swim. Her role models are her parents because they struggled to makes things work. She hopes to achieve greatness this upcoming year.