“Eyes On The Skies”

“More Than An Athlete” is a new weekly column we are bringing to you. We will focus on local athletes in their off-the-field pursuits. I was always obsessed with sports growing up, it consumed everything around me. My alarm clock was when ESPN’s Sportscenter came on at 5:00am. Even though Sports consumed my life whether it was watching or playing, there was so much more to sports figures than what they did on the field/court. I spent the majority of my free time in highschool volunteering throughout the community. I helped my church feed the homeless, give out gifts to the unfortunate around christmas time, ministering in junior high youth groups, and leading christian club at my high school. As an athlete, no one ever asked me about what I participated in off the field, but rather I was Identified by my athletic achievements. In this weekly column we will highlight a local kid who is More Than An Athlete.

This week is San Jacinto Valley Academy’s own Orlando Acevedo. Orlando is an outstanding student posting a 4.0 Gpa. He plays on the varsity baseball team at his school as an outfielder and is working on getting his private flying license. Orlando loves Mathematics which coincidentally is a major subject in his future career in aviation. Orlando is a Sophomore but already has his sights set for the skies. He has been flying for three years now and is nearly ready to get his solo flying license at the age of 16. At his current rate, he will have his private license at the age of 17. His dream is to become a pilot for one of the major airliners and he hopes to be ready to do this by the age of 25 which is considered young for the industry.

Between keeping his grades high, baseball, flying, Orlando is a very busy student. He enjoys his time off by occasionally playing video games, but he doesn’t get to play as much as he would like. He also volunteers with the Hemet High Key Club feeding the homeless once a month.

Orlando studies aviation at San Jacinto Valley Academy. He is also a key member of the Aviation Club there and enjoys spending as much time in the flight simulator as allowed. Aviation isn’t just a hobby to Orlando, but rather a passion. He is off to a great start, attempting to turn his passion into a career. With a scholar like him, Sky’s the limit.

The Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle will be keeping their eyes peeled on the skies in order to see where he goes!

Do you know a local Athlete in the valley who is More Than An Athlete? Email me at Kheadlee@HSJChronicle.com and tell me about them.

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(Show Up and Support

School has started all around the valley, and soon it will be Fall. That means it’s time for High School sports. I know everybody is excited for football, but a few other sports are going on during Fall your child might be interested in participating in, or maybe you are an alumnus of one of the schools and want to show up to show your support. Boys and Girls cross country is starting up, so if your kid loves to run this is the perfect spot for them. They can get their running in and be a part of their high school team. If they participate in track during spring, this is a great sport to sign up in order to stay in shape. 

Next is Girls Golf; this is a great chance to earn a varsity patch and convince grandpa to spend a little bit more time with you on the weekends. Who knows he may take you out for a 5:00 Teatime and tell you all about his war stories while you kick his butt at golf. 

Girls Tennis is also available during Fall sports, make sure to check out the opportunity to compete on the tennis team. Girls Volleyball is one of the bigger sports during Fall and it’s competitive in this valley many of the schools offer Freshman, JV, and Varsity levels for Volleyball so this is a good chance to try something out to see if you like it or not.

Finally Boys and Girls Water Polo. Watching water polo, it is hard to get an understanding of what exactly is going on, but if you have ever played it, you would know it’s one of the most violent and roughest high school sports there is. The pool is definitely not a “Safe Space,” and you are liable to get wet if you are spectating too close to the pool. 

Show up any of the games at the local high schools this season to support their sports and school. These programs rely on spectators in order to continue. So if you could show up to a volleyball game or two this year please do. If you have kids or grandkids who play football, Volleyball, or one of the sports listed, but they aren’t in high school, this is an excellent chance for them to see what high school sports is like and root on the school that they will be attending in the coming years. Schedules are available online at Maxpreps.com, Just type in the school you are looking for and select the sport. For more information on how you can help the schools in the local area email me at VCsportsKyle@gmail.com.

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Shout out to the 15 girl roster, who played a spectacular tournament even though they were down a player. Players on the Girls Softball team include Avilika Arana, Lucero Barreras, Priscilla Bidriezca, Felicity Bonilla, Kyeyera Cameron, Crystal Devore, Annalise Domenigoni, Jianna Esparaza, Reyna Garcia, Vanessa Garcia, Keilani Macintosh, Ellianna Pasley, Lillian Phelps, Rhiannon Rodriguez, and Miriam Manzo. The coaching staff of this team did an amazing job getting the girls ready to play, a special thanks go out to them from Valley-Wide, Tera Felipe, Rueben Felipe, Keith Brastisax, and Vanessa Felipe.

The 14U Baseball All-Star team got in on the action taking first place in the Southeast Region District Championship, showing all of the spectators that baseball in the San Jacinto Valley is the real deal and when they see our teams showing up to the games they should be scared of us. The boys’ roster included 13 players, Ritchie Flores, Steven Felipe, Ethan Medina, A.J. Ledesma, Gino Guiliano, Isaac Estanislao, Jose Gonzalez, Soowut Rodrigues, Dylan LaChappa, Donnelly Felix, Armando Avena, Fernando Ortiz, and Christian Tinoco. Valley-Wide would like to recognize the hard-working coaching staff of the boys’ baseball team and thank them for all the time and dedication they put into it. Steve Felipe, Randy Medina, Sarah Ledesma, and Nicolas Ledesma.

Both teams proved last weekend that with hard work and determination you can fight through adversity to become a champion, the players on both All-Star teams get to look at those trophies and remember the great times they had during the season, the sweat of the long hard practices, sore shoulders, tired feet, grueling summer heat, and how it all paid off!

Valley-Wide has proven over the years that it’s the number one place to get your kids involved in recreational sports in our local valley, they have a great program backed by many amazing parent volunteers. Valley-Wide does a great job weeding out the bad apples and encouraging the coaches that are there for the kids to come back. Many coaches teach the value of sportsmanship and love to train kids to become champions in everything they put their hands to.

Congratulations All-Stars! Keep up the momentum and bring home another trophy! The Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle salutes you.

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