Long Beach City College men’s water polo team hosted an alumni game where former players and the current team went head to head in a friendly yet competitive matchup on Saturday.
Former and current players alike are always eager to come out and play when hearing about it every year.
“Oh it’s a fun time every year, so every time I have the chance to go back, I’m coming,” said Timothy Aahkus, a 2015 LBCC graduate and former utility player.
The coaching staff played a prominent role in the impact on alumni choosing to come and play in the annual alumni game.
“Coach Chris (Oedeing) and Coach Djoko (Radunovic), they’ve built a good community and environment with the organization, and not a lot of places have that, it makes you want to come back,” said Mackenzie Aahkus
The current team had the opportunity to go against their coach Bradley Admason, who was a former LBCC player through the years of 2010 and 2011.
LBCC Freshmen Colley Ochoa makes a pass in the game. Long Beach City College current team won against the alumni final score 18-16 on Saturday at the LAC campus pool. (Brianna Apodaca)
“Yeah, I think they did really well, this is my first time playing in the water with them all season, and you know they love playing against their coach,” said Adamson.
Many friends and families came out to support both teams and food and beverages were also being provided.
Both teams kept the competitive nature up as the game went into overtime, extending into the sixth period of the game.
But finally, it came to an end with the current LBCC team winning, with the score of 18-16.
Now the team will focus on what is coming up soon, which is their Conference Championships.
“I’m looking forward to just a strong finish, we are entering into our conference championships next week that we’re hosting here. We have tough games ahead but we are still looking to finish strong,” said Coach Adamson.
The Vikings will face off against San Diego Mesa for SoCal Regionals on Nov. 9.
Attacker Katie Juarez racked up 12 goals in LBCC women’s water polo 23-1 win against El Camino 23-1.
With this victory, LBCC advanced to the South Coast Conference (SCC) championship game.
From the start, LBCC came out the gates strong, with attacker Olivia Slavens scoring the team’s first goal within the first 12 seconds of the game.
LBCC continued their onslaught, as Slavens, Juarez, and center Emily Moldendyk scored a combined eight goals at the end of the first quarter.
As the second quarter came around, it was all gas and no brakes for LBCC as Juarez scored fiive out of their next six goals, helping them finish the half with a 16-1 lead.
“Every game we play we like to bring a lot of energy, and today we were able to do that,” said Juarez.
Head coach Chris Oeding gives a talk to the players during a timeout taken. The Vikings would take down El Camino 23-1 on Nov. 3 and ended up winning the SCC Championships during the weekend. (Ian Salazar)
As the second half kicked off, LBCC kept their foot on the gas pedal as they continued to pick apart El Camino.
LBCC continued to swim past ECC and score, and their defense was even better as they didn’t allow El Camino to score a single point in the second half.
The game ended with a 23-1 blowout victory for LBCC as they made a huge statement heading into their championship game.
Even though this game was completely one-sided, LBCC showed tremendous sportsmanship, and according to LBCC utility player Kaylee Vanasopha, their head coach Chris Oeding plays a key role in teaching that to his team.
“We definitely like to be in a good state of mind (during the game.) Chris (Odeing) makes us play hard, it’s not always about winning, but he teaches us to be humble,” Vanasopha said.
LBCC won the SCC championship game 19-3 against Mt. SAC on Nov. 4, securing first place in the conference.
A Long Beach City College student’s dream of making it into the big leagues starts as he becomes the newest addition of the esports program’s coaching staff for the Fall 2023 season.
“Coaching an esports team has been my dream job, and in order to improve and build my skills, I need to coach more,” said Giangulano.
The program gained a massive revamping during the offseason as Elijah “Carbon” Giangualano became the new coach for the Valorant team and has major esports experience within his portfolio.
Giangualano has major esports experience within his portfolio and has always had a competitive drive even before transitioning into esports, especially from his dad who is also the esports program director.
Being an LBCC student himself, he makes sure that he keeps a priority on his studies, despite the amount of time he dedicates to the esports program.
Even though Giangualano’s main pastime was soccer, he made esports his main priority as he joined the Fortnite team in high school, and then transitioned to Valorant as he went on to college.
Valorant is a first person shooter game in which players choose certain characters and work together to try and defuse or destroy a bomb site, or eliminate the other team.
With Giangualano as the team’s new coach, the team is sure to be in good hands.
Giangualano is an alumnus of St. John Bosco High School, which made it an easy transition into college being that a majority of his players and other staff members graduated from there as well.
Giangualano stands next to two computers showing his favorite characters Viper and KAY/O. Giangualano coached the LBCC Valorant team’s match at St. John Bosco High School in Bellflower on Oct. 26. (Ian Salazar)
This year’s LBCC Valorant team consists of players who have already formed a relationship with Giangualano, some of whom were around him even before his coaching gig during his time as a player.
These relationships have helped Giangualano gain the trust of his team, especially with the kind of esports background and experience he has.
“I’d rather coach the LBCC team more than anyone else, because I’ve grown and worked with these guys for a very long time, and want to keep working with them,” said Giangualano.
Kasen Chea, a player on the team, has known Giangualano for a long time, both as a teammate and now as a coach. They competed together on the St. John Bosco esports team.
“It was hard.” said Chea when asked about the transition of Giangualano from his teammate to now a coach. “Time didn’t make it easier, but it took two years, where I was pretty comfortable and adjusting to him.”
The Valorant competitive scene as a whole is currently going through a process of new map additions, new composition changes with what agents to play, and new ways to play around the game compared to previous seasons.
Teammate Sean Torres, known as S3AN, mentions how Giangualano is very precise and critical with his strategies.
Giangualano has put in the hours making sure that all of his starters, substitutes or managers stay on task with their practices and be on time for match days.
Valorant is loaded with strategies, compositions, pre-game planning, and a lot more in-depth analysis.
During a replay review for their matches, Giangualano looks at any mistakes that occurred during a match while curating new strategies. Giangualano coached LBCC Valorant team’s match at St. John Bosco High School in Bellflower on Oct. 4. (Ian Salazar)
Giangualano makes it a priority for his team to pour out a lot of effort during scrimmages and replay reviews to catch every small detail that can make a huge difference when it comes to matches.
Giangualano’s favorite map in the game right now is Ascent, a wide map with many angles to watch, a very open middle, and two sites that are hard to defend at different angles.
“The unique compositions and flexibility are my favorite part about the game,” said Giangualano when asked what his favorite part about Valorant is.
“I’m excited because my team is very willing to play off-meta agents and characters that aren’t part of the big four guys to play.”
With the team having a good amount of experience in the competitive field, Giangualano wants to make sure that his players are game-ready, and also build a portfolio that can potentially see these players land spots on the professional level in the future.
With the season approaching fast, Giangualano stated that since his transition from a player to a coach there is a massive hole to fill team chemistry wise.
“Four of the five main players have been playing together for the entire year, two or three of those guys have been playing years before that because I coached them then,” Giangualano said.
Giangualano is very hopeful with his team this season and is ready to make a run with a stacked roster, his great knowledge of the game, and the building chemistry of the roster.
Coach Elijah “Carbon” Giangualano and the Valorant esports team are ready to make a statement this season as they play every Monday throughout the semester.
LBCC struggled badly on both sides of the ball as they suffered a 70-14 blowout loss against Mt. SAC, which worsens matters for LBCC’s chances of qualifying for a bowl game.
Mt. SAC started the game explosively scoring in only four plays on the first drive of the game.
That drive was capped off with a 26-yard touchdown pass from Mt. SAC quarterback Alex Flores to wide receiver Dedrek Taylor-Akins.
The duo connected once again for a 40-yard touchdown as the second quarter got off and running.
As for LBCC, quarterback Will Madonna’s struggles from the last game continued to this one, as he completed only four of his 13 pass attempts before being benched near the end of the first quarter in favor of freshman quarterback Jett Peddy.
“He (Madonna) was struggling and we decided we had to give Jett Peddy an opportunity,” said LBCC head coach Brett Peabody on benching Madonna for Peddy.
Peddy and the LBCC offense couldn’t muster much as Mt. SAC’s defense was stifling throughout the majority of the game.
Mt. SAC’s dominant defense was a huge part of their second quarter success after the Flores and Taylor-Akins touchdown.
Mt. SAC linebacker Katin Surprenant recovered LBCC running back Konyae Hunter’s fumble which led to Alex Flores connecting with wide receiver Ryan Boultwood for a 26-yard touchdown on the very next play.
Peddy’s woes continued the next drive as he gave up a 52-yard pick-six to Mt. SAC defensive back Branyden Hapner.
Peddy answered back after the interception as he drove his team down the field to have running back Konyae Hunter punch in a two-yard touchdown.
LBCC was able to score one more touchdown with less than two minutes to go in the first half as Peddy led his team down the field and topped it off with a 4-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Remil Brown as the clock expired.
Unfortunately for LBCC, that would be their last points chalked up on the scoreboard as Mt. SAC dominated the rest of the game.
Mt. SAC tallied three more touchdowns in the third quarter and another two in the fourth before ultimately ending LBCC’s nightmare of a game.
In Peddy’s first near-full game, he completed 15 of 41 passes for 171 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions.
Although this wasn’t his ideal performance, Peddy was excited that he got his shot on the field.
“I just wanted to take this opportunity and do my thing. I have not been playing too much, but I’ve been backing up a great Will Madonna this whole season, but the opportunity came and I tried to do my best. The results didn’t come out the way I wanted, but I’m gonna take this game and move forward for next year for sure,” Peddy said after the game.
With this loss, LBCC needs to win their next game to have any chance at qualifying for a bowl game.
After the game, Brett Peabody described the quarterback situation as well as his team’s game plan for next week as they have their “backs against the wall”.
“We’re gonna play both of them, we’ll see how it goes out in practice. Whichever one plays better will get the start. We just have to get back to playing fundamental, consistent football. You can’t have the number of turnovers that we had and you can’t give up big plays and blow coverages,” Peabody stated.
LBCC’s bowl game hopes come down to their final game of the year as they play on the road against Citrus College on Saturday, Nov. 11.
LBCC faculty and students are still dealing with the fallout of the T building fire, which was caused by a torch used for adhering roofing material that fell into a wall according to school administrators, one month after the T building fire on Oct. 11.
While the official investigation report has yet to be released, director of business support services Bob Rapoza shared that after the torch fell into the wall, the torch was likely caught in some electrical wires, advancing the flames.
Professors with offices in the T building no longer have access to their offices to work and conduct office hours and have been offered the option to take up an office in the M building, or work in the Online Learning and Education Technology department meeting rooms in the LAC library.
According to Rapoza, the school brought in a fire damage restoration company to clean the rooms affected by the fire, and ensure that the air quality is safe enough for classes to resume.
The first step in the process has been completed, but the air quality in those rooms has yet to return to pre-fire levels.
Onlookers watch as firefighters put out what was at first believed to be a small electrical fire at LBCC’s LAC campus. Later, administrators confirmed the fire started due to a torch used for adhering roofing material that fell into a wall. The fire occurred on Oct. 11. in the afternoon at the T Building. (Izzy Juarez)
After the fire, Rapoza explained that LBCC requested all workers on the crew be replaced, and had a safety officer and overseer added to the crew to ensure workers are complying with safety standards and taking extra precautions to make sure an accident like the one that caused the fire happens again.
“It was an accident that happened when doing roof work, it could have happened with anyone,” Rapoza said.
Since the fire, Rapoza said the company working on roofing has gone above and beyond in implementing safety measures.
Alongside the new safety officer, the crew has safety meetings prior to every shift to make sure the crew is aware of any potential hazards to avoid while working.
“We asked (the construction company) to institute protocol that went above and beyond standard safety guidelines,” said Rapoza.
LBCC administration has also been in regular communication with professors affected by the fire.
“Admin has been trying to accommodate those displaced by the fire, right now I’m working in the OLET offices, and do my office hours via Zoom,” said psychology professor, Edward Chen.
Chen was in his office when the fire started. When he first heard the fire alarm, he thought it was another alarm malfunction, as has been known to happen with the T building fire system from time to time.
When Chen opened the door of his office, however, he was greeted with the smell of smoke permeating the hallways of the faculty offices. He was evacuated soon after.
According to email correspondence between administration and faculty in the week after the fire, it will be about a month before faculty can return to their offices and for classes to return to their original rooms, but there is no hard date set.
A second year Black student with autism, Chase Binford expressed at a disabilities panel he felt lesser than his neurotypical classmates in highschool. Binford felt alienated from being judged by his own race for “acting of another race.”
“In high school, I compared myself a lot to other people,” said Binford. “I felt like everyone was so much smarter than me and had it all figured out. I used to get judged a lot and misunderstood. Even people who were the same race as me would think I was too different or acting of another race.”
Binford and three other students shared their personal experiences of overcoming bullying, mental health struggles, and stereotypes based on their disabilities such as autism, ADHD, and deafness at a panel held at LAC.
“Strengths in Differences”, a panel hosted in the M Building on Tuesday, gave students with disabilities the opportunity to share their experiences and describe their educational journeys.
The panelists included Francheska Guryeva and Sarah Pineda, soon-to-be graduates who are deaf; Chase Binford, a second year student who has autism; and Samuel Borrowdale, a second year student who has autism and ADHD.
Each student detailed their respective challenges navigating their early academic careers.
“I wasn’t diagnosed until my freshman year of high school, and I was bullied throughout middle school,” said Borrowdale. “When I got to college, I finally found the support system I needed.”
Gureyeva attended a regular high school instead of a deaf or hard of hearing school to accommodate her.
“The first thing I remember growing up as a kid was that many people didn’t know if I was really deaf or just hard of hearing, so growing up in a hearing school for me was incredibly difficult,” said Guryeva, speaking through an interpreter.
Pineda expressed that she was bullied even though she attended a deaf school.
“Growing up, I was at a deaf residential school where all the students were deaf and I still got bullied,” said Pineda through an interpreter.
An insightful topic of conversation during the panel was the intersectionality of having a disability and personal identity, including gender and race.
Left to right: Samuel Borrowdale, Chase Binford and Sarah Pinedas prepare what they are going to say prior to the start of the “Strengths In Differences” panel. Pinedas communicates through LBCC interpreter Stephanie Bonales. The panel took place in the M Building at LAC on Oct. 24. (Ryenne Jolliff)
“I identify as a woman,” Guryeva explained. “I think many people tend to look down on people who identify with multiple identities, but I understand that I can. We are the right people to be identifying who we are with disabilities.”
Borrowdale, an Asian man, encountered being stereotyped as a child.
“Kids started noticing all the red marks on my tests and they would wonder ‘Hey, why do you have so much red on your test? Shouldn’t you be better than that?’” Borrowdale said. “And that was my first time interacting with those Asian stereotypes. And as I got older and matured, I realized that not all Asians have to be that. Everyone can be who they want to be.”
Pineda said: “I am proud of not only me, but all of us up here. We all have different personalities and different things that we have to go through, but that struggle to get to the next level is all why we’re here. We’re all human and that’s the one thing we have in common.”
While all of the students agreed that LBCC is accommodating toward students with disabilities, the school could make improvements to be more accessible.
“Having more interpreters and having them available, definitely more of that,” said Pineda. “Even just emergency alarms with lights. There’s a lot of sounding alarms that I can’t hear. There’s not a lot of information being broadcasted throughout the school. We definitely need to be more innovative in that.”
In addition to asking for greater availability for interpreters and widely accessible information across campus, Pineda also expressed a desire for LBCC to hire deaf instructors. “It would be great if we had deaf instructors (for subjects other than ASL). Hearing people can learn from deaf instructors, but I would have direct communication and I really feel that would help me be successful, and help the college be successful.”
Gureya said: “There’s different reasons why our accommodations need accommodating. Whether it be the tutoring centers or life skills. It’s our own beautiful journey.”
Ultimately, the students want to convey a message of belonging and inclusivity on campus.
“We can’t just sit by and do nothing,” Guryeva said. “We have to be active. There’s so many things out there in the real world that we don’t grow up with, things that we may be blind to, but we need to start opening our eyes to see what real life’s about. Disabilities won’t stop us.”
In a team effort sweep over Los Angeles Harbor College, LBCC’s women’s volleyball held its annual sophomore night celebration before the game on Friday.
The Vikings honored sophomores Pearlnaiah Tuliau, Brandi Ramirez, Arianna Ortiz, and Mikayla Curry with fellow teammates, coaches and their families as well.
“(My teammates have) affected me in the best way possible because this team has taught me to have fun and not be so serious, but also know that they are right by your side no matter what we are going through,” said Pearlnaiah Tuliau.
For the sophomores, the team has been a cherishing experience. It isn’t just games and practices for the team, but also fun memories and good laughs. This year’s squad has become closer and has a special connection.
“Being on this team feels more than just a team, it’s more like a family, I feel like I can confide in them about anything and that they always have my back,” said Mikayla Curry.
Freshman, Ryannah Gagau goes for the ball during the game against LAHC on Oct. 28. The game ended in a three-set victory for the Vikings. (Lolita Mojica)
The camaraderie within the team goes beyond the pool and practice sessions.
“Most of the memories that I will cherish from practice are when we have our laughing moments, witnessing how we get along so well, and also the night when we went to Universal and seeing everybody have a great time,” said Tuliau.
”I think I will always cherish it when the aquatics teams let us use their pool and coach surprises us by jumping in the pool after practice, which was really fun and another reason why the team got closer too,” said Curry.
These shared experiences not only bring the team together but also make their journey in the pool even more enjoyable and memorable.
From Left: Brandi Ramirez, Mikayla Curry, Carmelina Infante, Ryannah Gagau celebrate their win against LAHC on Oct. 28. The game ended in a three-set victory for the Vikings. (Lolita Mojica)
After recognizing the sophomores, the Vikings played very well against LA Harbor sweeping the Seahawks in three sets.
With just a few games left in conference, the Vikings will be facing Regionals soon throughout the month of November.
“I hope we still continue building a sisterhood outside of volleyball and make it to states before the season ends,” said Taliau.
The team will be going head to head at an away game against East Los Angeles on Nov. 8 and a follow up away game with Rio Hondo College on Nov. 10.
Dance students get to show culture through dance in their pieces in the upcoming dance ensemble show by having costumes and drums specially made in Africa at LBCC on Friday and Saturday.
Long Beach City College President Dr. Mike Munoz has been very supportive of the dance program and funded the dance faculty to travel to Africa this past summer to shop for fabric for costumes and get big drums to use on stage during the show for one of their African pieces.
“The point of that trip and the purpose of us even bringing those things back is authenticity,” full time dance faculty member Martha Pamintuan said.
LBCC dancers strike their end pose for Dominique Moore’s Dance Piece at rehearsal on Oct. 30. The dance ensemble has two upcoming shows on Nov. 3 at 7 p.m. and Nov. 4 at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. (Brianna Apodaca)
Dance is not just singular to one group of people or style.
The incorporation of more cultural pieces is very important considering how diverse Long Beach City College’s population is and allowing students to really express themselves and be comfortable doing so.
Students are also able to show their artistic creativity through choreographing pieces with other dancers in the dance department.
Student choreographer Alex Eto Van Duyne’s piece is a modern dance style and it’s about obsession and delusion. The notion is trying to distinguish what is reality and what is in their heads.
Eto Van Duyne is also on the poster for the dance ensemble concert.
“It was a surprise to me and I was really excited about it because how they edited me to have this really dynamic looking background all the artistry was really cool to see,” Eto Van Duynes said about being on the cover for the dance poster.
LBCC dancer Tailer Vance dances in a cultrual piece that’s going to be featured at the dance ensemble. The dance ensemble has two upcoming shows on Nov. 3 at 7 p.m. and Nov. 4 at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. (Brianna Apodaca)
Throughout the show pieces from all styles like salsa, jazz, hip hop, and more will be shown with two guest choreographers from Contemporary West Dance Theater and a faculty member from UCI.
The culture pieces and the student choreographed pieces will be shown at both showings.
Opening night is Friday at 7 p.m. and there is also an afternoon show on Saturday at 1 p.m and 7 p.m.
Students and faculty came together as a community to learn more about the resources the school has to offer for taking care of their mental health at the Liberal Arts Campus.
The purpose for the Wellness Fest was to not only help students find helpful resources for mental health but to also meet their community on campus.
“Wellness fest is for the students to come out and see all the community partners that have partnered up with the college and learn about the resources that are available to them,” said Joseph Blanco from healthy Vikings staff.
The Wellness Fest had workshops, free samples, games, yoga, a DJ and more.
There were many booths surrounding the LAC Quad A area that were related to physical health, future academic career, women surviving domestic violence and to well being.
It was a place for students to simply be aware and knowledgeable about important things that can benefit them in the long run.
One of the booths that grasped a lot of attention was called the “YWCA”, an organization to help women who have been through domestic violence or sexual assault.
“We advocate for women who are victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. We offer court accompaniment, case management, therapy, and all of our services are free for the victims,” said the YWCA representative Jasmine Coleman.
The purpose of this organization is to also give women the safe space to have a voice and to encourage them to speak up when they need the help.
Same reason for this Wellness Fest is to help students become more open and comfortable in speaking up in any case they need help mentally and emotionally.
“One big topic of discussion that you guys will be hearing more about is mental health and making sure we de-stigmatize mental health, especially coming out of COVID,” says Blanco.
More events like the Wellness Fest will be coming throughout the year. It’ll be shown in students’ viking portal under “Viking Engagement.”
Known for their elaborate decorations and coordinated costumes, LBCC’s Information Technology Services Department exemplifies what it means to get into the Halloween spirit.
Throughout the years, the team has chosen themes like “Beetlejuice”, “The Addams Family”, and Frankenstein’s laboratory. This year’s theme is an ode to 80’s cartoon characters.
Transforming their office to look like an 80’s kid’s bedroom, the team lined the walls with “Star Wars” and “Care Bears” posters, decorated the tables with vintage toys and games, and set up a television to play 80’s cartoons.
“We wanted to bring things that you would find in a typical 80’s kid’s bedroom,” ITS Manager Sundee Dominguez said, explaining that almost all of the props were brought in by the staff.
Dominguez explained that the ITS departments’ inspiration for the theme stems from current popularity in 1980’s culture, brought on by the hit show “Stranger Things”.
“We didn’t want to stick to just “Stranger Things”. We wanted to encompass all of the 80’s”, Dominguez elaborated. “We (the ITS department) thought ‘Let’s bust out some real 80’s stuff’”.
A great amount of planning goes into choosing the department’s theme and bringing their idea to life.
“We actually think of things several months in advance,” Dominguez said. “We make a spreadsheet and people’s names get added to see who’s going to bring props and who’s going to decorate.”
As the team decorated their office, members reminisced about the toys they used to have when they were growing up in the 80’s. This nostalgic feeling ties into the members’ love of Halloween.
“I don’t know what it is, I don’t know if it’s from childhood, but it brings up core memories and positive feelings” Online Learning Program Manager Laura Rantala said.
80’s Cartoons and retro books are seen in the IT Department. The IT Department decorated their office for Halloween with an 80’s theme. (photo taken by Marty Triplett)
The department’s passion for the holiday is evident as they describe what inspires them to go all out year after year.
“It’s all about the environment. It’s fun to see all the spooky decorations and see everybody nerd out” LTE Support Specialist Michael Compian said.
“We all just love Halloween and our mutual love for the holiday combines into one big force”, Dominguez said.
The ITS Department continues to show off their love of Halloween and have no plans of stopping anytime soon.
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