![Setter Emma Lee (9) sets the ball to the middle during the match against Pinewood on Sept. 12. “[I’m looking forward to] getting more skilled, learning more about my position and also becoming better friends with all of my teammates, Emma said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/DSC_4917-2-1200x795.jpg)
![“[Building nerf blasters] became this outlet of creativity for me that hasnt been matched by anything else. The process [of] making a build complete to your desire is such a painstakingly difficult process, but Ive had to learn from [the skills needed from] soldering to proper painting. Theres so many different options for everything, if you think about it, it exists. The best part is [that] if it doesnt exist, you can build it yourself, Ishaan Parate said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/DSC_8149-900x604.jpg)
![“Animation just clicked in a way. I had been interested in art, but that felt different. [Animation] felt like it had something behind it, whereas previous things felt surface level. I wasnt making that crazy of things, but just the process of doing it was much more enjoyable, Carter Chadwick (22) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Screen-Shot-2022-08-16-at-9.44.08-AM-900x598.png)
![“When I came into high school, I was ready to be a follower. But DECA was a game changer for me. It helped me overcome my fear of public speaking, and its played such a major role in who Ive become today. To be able to successfully lead a chapter of 150 students, an officer team and be one of the upperclassmen I once really admired is something Im [really] proud of,” Anvitha Tummala (21) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Screen-Shot-2021-07-25-at-9.50.05-AM-900x594.png)
![“[Volleyball has] taught me how to fall correctly, and another thing it taught is that you don’t have to be the best at something to be good at it. If you just hit the ball in a smart way, then it still scores points and you’re good at it. You could be a background player and still make a much bigger impact on the team than you would think,” Anya Gert (’20) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/AnnaGert_JinTuan_HoHPhotoEdited-600x900.jpeg)
![“Im not nearly there yet, but [my confidence has] definitely been getting better since I was pretty shy and timid coming into Harker my freshman year. I know that theres a lot of people that are really confident in what they do, and I really admire them. Everyones so driven and that has really pushed me to kind of try to find my own place in high school and be more confident,” Alyssa Huang (’20) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/AlyssaHuang_EmilyChen_HoHPhoto-900x749.jpeg)
![“My slogan is ‘slow feet, don’t eat, and I’m hungry.’ You need to run fast to get where you are–you arent going to get those championships if you arent fast,” Angel Cervantes (12) said. “I want to do well in school on my tests and in track and win championships for my team. I live by that, [and] I can do that anywhere: in the classroom or on the field.”](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/DSC5146-900x601.jpg)
![“I think getting up in the morning and having a sense of purpose [is exciting]. I think without a certain amount of drive, life is kind of obsolete and mundane, and I think having that every single day is what makes each day unique and kind of makes life exciting,” Neymika Jain (12) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Screen-Shot-2017-06-03-at-4.54.16-PM.png)
49ers fall, Warriors win
Fans enjoy the 49ers first preseason game held at Levi’s Stadium on Aug. 7. The San Francisco 49ers moved to Levi’s Stadium after playing at Candlestick Park in San Francisco for the last 55 years.
The San Francisco 49ers ended its season with an 8-8 record. Average, according to the numbers. Significantly below average, according to the team’s fans, and me.
With the new opening of Levi’s stadium and a clean slate for the team to start over after losing to the Seahawks in the semifinal game of the previous season, the Bay Area expected a strong comeback. My family, along with hundreds of other families, got 49ers season tickets this year for the inaugural season at the new stadium, excited and ready to cheer on our team.
Instead, we got exactly the opposite. We fumble the ball at the one yard line against the St. Louis Rams; we lose to the Oakland Raiders, a team with one of the lowest records in the league; we throw interceptions letting our quarterback Colin Kaepernick get sacked six times in our last chance to make the playoffs against the rival Seahawks. What is the point of building a brand new stadium if the team can’t produce results?
On top of that, because we ended up with only a 50% winning percentage, 49ers owner Jed York and general manager Trent Baalke decide to fire head coach Jim Harbaugh days after our last game. Was it even really Harbaugh’s fault for the games we lost? It is said that he was fired because of his personal issues with York and Baalke. Is this a valid reason to get rid of our coach, who led us to the playoffs, NFC championship and Super Bowl three times in his three years with this team?
I was extremely disappointed at the way the 49ers played this season, but then I realized that a good team consists of cooperative and hard working teammates and staff. At the beginning of the season, I was confident that the 49ers were a good team. But as the season progressed, players became entangled in their personal issues; linebacker Aldon Smith missed the first half of the season because of his police arrests and defensive end Ray McDonald was suspended from games and eventually cut from the team due to his domestic violence issues. I told myself to stop being mad because how could I expect the team to do well if the individual people couldn’t take care of themselves?
This 2014 season showed me what a team should be, and the Golden State Warriors have become the epitome of a successful team in my eyes. They restored hope in the Bay Area, with solid performances from the whole roster and the best record in the entire NBA league.
The Warriors have climbed their way up in rankings over the past few years as they were rebuilding the team and molding with new additions, such as Stephen Curry in 2009 and Klay Thompson in 2011. Both Curry and Thompson have turned into record-setting shooters and carried this team to its position now.
All but one player on the team’s roster have over 40% field goal rates and six players have each scored more than 200 points so far this season, showing how much each player contributes to the team’s 28 wins out of 33 games total. The Warriors are calmly carrying themselves one game at a time, and they have broken their franchise record for the most number of consecutive wins. I am proud to be from the area whose team is ranked the highest of the 30 teams in the league.
So, as I stop grieving over the 49ers’ past season, I am shifting my dedication and energy towards the Warriors and admiring its team effort on the court, hoping that the 49ers will be able to come together like a unified team next season. For now, I’m giving football a break, because I know that the Bay Area’s team will recuperate and bounce back in the fall.
Trisha Dwivedi (12) is the Managing Editor of Harker Aquila. She was a reporter her freshman year, Business Manager of the Winged Post her sophomore year...
