Contemporary olympic sports

In recent years, the Summer Olympics has expanded its catalog of sports. The introduction of new sports adds variety to the Games, making each year all the more enticing to watch.

Kai Strzelecki, Cass Love, Lana Weber, and Gabrielle Gonzales • August 27, 2024

The boys varsity basketball team huddles around Coach Olive. The team participated in the Section 7 tournament in Phoenix, Ariz. over the summer. Photo courtesy of Zain Mehio

Contemporary Olympic Sports

3x3 Basketball

The fast paced street-style game of 3x3 basketball has been shaking up the scene at the 2024 Paris Summer Olympic Games, capturing the attention of both fans and athletes. Around the world, 3x3 basketball has brought a fresh and dynamic energy to the Games, differentiating itself from the traditional basketball game. Jake Gilliam, an English 9 teacher and boys assistant varsity basketball coach believes that,

“Playing 3x3 is something we actually like doing with our guys to kind of just let them know how to play. It shows 3x3 is a little more of a park pickup, less serious version of the game, and some of the fundamentals is spacing and movement because both are really on display during the game.”

3x3 basketball was recently introduced to the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. The game consists of three people per team on a half-sized basketball court. To win, a team must have the most points at the end of the regulation or score 21 points which ends the game. Not only is there only 15 minutes on the clock, but 3x3 does not stop throughout the 15 minutes of gameplay. 3x3 basketball becomes a fast-paced, high-scoring game that leaves viewers on the edge of their seats. Varsity basketball point guard, Cody Shen (12) reflects that,

“3x3 is a lot more focused on endurance and energy rather than strategy, like 5x5 is. Since 3x3 doesn’t stop for anything, players have to be able to play non-stop and have great endurance in order to keep up with their peers,” Shen said.

The future of 3x3 basketball in the Olympics looks promising. Its previous success in Tokyo has paved the way for its continued presence in future Games, with many predicting that the sport will only grow in popularity.

The inclusion of 3x3 basketball has opened doors for athletes interested in a variation of traditional basketball and has given these athletes a spotlight through the Olympics. 3x3 basketball becomes even more interesting as there are no current WNBA and NBA players playing 3x3 professionally. Although traditional professional basketball players are allowed to play 3x3, there are many eligibility rules. Each country’s roster must have two players ranked Top Ten in the country and two in the Top Fifty. Additionally, FIBA, the International Basketball Federation, requires that players must play consistently and in the FIBA 3x3 World Tour or the FIBA 3x3 Women’s Series as well as any challenger events. These rules cause problems for NBA or WNBA players that want to try out because not only is there not enough interest, but players do not have enough time to play both sports.

At this year's Olympics, Germany’s women's 3x3 team won gold, while Spain placed second with the U.S. third. For the men's side, the Netherlands won first place, France took second and Lithuania came in third.

Although 3x3 basketball is not as popular as traditional basketball, the Olympic stage has provided a platform for 3x3 basketball to reach new heights. The sports exposure on such a global scale has inspired a new generation of players and fans, ensuring that 3x3 basketball will remain a vibrant part of the Olympic program for years to come. Savi Ayala (11) a point guard on the JV girls basketball team at the school has grown up playing 3x3 at the park with her friends and family.

“Playing 3x3 basketball has really changed my life. The fast pace forces me to think quickly and make decisions on the spot, which has helped me in other areas, too. It’s made me more agile and stronger, and I love how intense and exciting the game is,” Ayala said.

3x3 basketball’s inclusion in the Olympic Games reflects the sport’s journey from local street play to the global stage. 3x3 basketball’s fast-paced and thrilling nature is unique to the game originating as a sport played for fun, while adding a fresh and different sport to the Olympic lineup. As 3x3 basketball continues to grow, the sport will leave a lasting impact on the Olympic Games and the world of sports.

by Kai Stzelecki

Badminton

Badminton is about more than just the game. For Annie and Kerry Xu, who played women’s doubles for the USA Olympic Badminton team this year, the sport is a passion, according to an interview with NBC News.

Ricky Xu (12), who has been playing for over four years and is currently on the varsity badminton team, understands this feeling. As a senior, Xu doesn’t know where he’ll end up and if he’ll keep playing; what it comes down to is his excitement for the sport.

“[Whether or not I keep playing] really depends on if my passion is still here in the future. I’ve made some … good memories with badminton on the team, and it’s something I would pursue if nothing major happens,” Ricky said.

The Xu sisters have been playing since they were eight years old. Recently, they took a leave of absence from their jobs to pursue their dream of qualifying for the Olympics.

For the Xu sisters, though, badminton is about more than just the game. “Our next [goal] might be to try to promote the sport and grow the sport in the U.S. because it’s not that well known right now,” Annie said.

This is seen even at the high school badminton level, such as when the school struggled to hire coaches for the spring season last school year, resulting in the team starting practices behind schedule, according to Ricky.

“You know how we almost couldn’t find coaches? It’s because [badminton is] so small [in the U.S.] We shouldn’t have a problem [finding coaches],” Ricky said.

Kristina Wang (12), who plays for the varsity badminton team, agreed.

“Badminton is really popular in China and [other] Asian countries. I feel like it definitely deserves more recognition outside of where it’s popular [in order] to have more choices in terms of school sports for students because common sports like football or soccer might not be for everyone,” Wang said.

To represent their country, seven badminton players from the U.S. traveled to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games to compete. Although the U.S. did not medal in badminton this year, for Guangying Zhang, head coach of the varsity badminton team, the sport is about more than just the game.

There are four different kinds of badminton matches: men’s singles, women’s singles, mixed doubles, and men’s and women’s doubles. For each match, there is the potential to play three sets of 21 points. China has been dominant in badminton for many years, along with Indonesia and Korea, as seen by these countries’ medal counts in the sport.

In a women’s singles semifinal match between China and Spain, Zhang was impressed by the sportsmanship between the athletes, especially after the Spanish player, Carolina Marin, injured herself and could not finish out the match.

“The Chinese player was lucky to get into [the final round] because I don’t think she could’ve won [against Marin]. The Chinese player lost in the final to [Korea] ... [and] during the medal ceremony, the Chinese player brought a pin to show respect to … Marin,” Zhang said. “That’s the spirit of the Olympics, the players respect each other [and] care about each other … I respect that Chinese player for doing such a gesture.”

Reportedly, the pin, depicting the Spanish flag, brought a smile to Marin’s face during the ceremony.

But there were plenty of successes for the sport of badminton as a whole during the Games.

In men’s singles, Viktor Axelsen of Denmark defended his Olympic gold medal against Thailand. Kunlavut Vitidsarn of Thailand won the silver medal, winning Thailand its fourth medal ever and its first in badminton.

Watching professionals such as these was “a motivation factor for self-improvement,” according to Wang. For high school players, seeing badminton on a world stage is important for furthering the sport, regardless of the end result of the match.

“Seeing these top Olympic athletes compete, especially since badminton isn’t that recognized in the U.S., really gives a new perspective. Seeing them perform and seeing how athletic [they are] ... me realize there’s a big gap between the top performers … and the normal players,” Ethan Jin (12), who plays badminton for the varsity team, said.

Jason Xu (12), who has played badminton for over four years and is part of the varsity badminton team, agreed.

“When I watch these matches, since they’re at an international level you can’t [be] at the same level as them, so what you can do is try to mimic or learn from them. That’s the best way to improve [at] badminton.”

As a coach, Zhang believes that having less experienced badminton players, such as those who play on high school teams, watch the sport at a high level is essential.

“It’s to encourage those kids, like high school kids or earlier … you can learn from [the professionals],” Zhang said.

A consequence of the sport being relatively unknown in the U.S. is seen by a gap in skill level between the U.S. and other countries during competition. This year, though, Zhang saw improvement and a closing of what used to be a seemingly insurmountable gap. The game of badminton is not just about winning. It is about “the progress that [the players] made,” which he saw in particular with the U.S.’ mixed doubles pair, according to Zhang.

This progress was encouraging to Jin, as well.

“I think it was fun to see the top players dominate but it was also nice seeing some players that I hadn’t really heard of from the U.S., especially in one of the mixed doubles games,” Jin said. “It was a U.S. pair against a Chinese pair and they actually did pretty decent against China, who have been traditionally dominant. It was nice to see the U.S. pair put up a fight. It was really cool to see that [the U.S.] can field some decent players.”

For Kaden Ly (12), who plays for the badminton team, the Olympics is important because it “increases interest in [badminton]” and “shows off the sport at a high level.”

Looking into the future, badminton has the potential to gain more traction in the U.S. through global events like the Olympic Games, according to Jin.

“The Olympics is the highest level of competition and it’s such a big international event, so I think it helps shed light on a lot of these lesser-known sports like badminton. People can actually realize that athletes from their country are participating and get more domestic involvement hopefully,” Jin said.

by Cass Love

Surfing

Since its debut in the 2021 Olympic Games at Tokyo, the sport of surfing has caused quite a splash. This year, athletes from all over the world came to compete in surfing, from South Africa to Brazil, Australia to Japan. Kauli Vaast from French Polynesia took the gold for the mens, and Caroline Marks from the U.S. clinched the gold for the women, the second straight Olympic gold medal for the U.S. women’s team. This year, the competition took place in Tahiti, 10,000 miles away from the rest of the Games in Paris.

“The official reason that the Olympic Host City of Paris chose Tahiti as the location for Olympic Surfing is that July is off-season for France and their best surfing destinations, such as Hossegor, would not have quality waves deserving of Olympic competition,” Chris Heffner, Director of Athlete Relations for the World Surf League, the governing body of professional surfing and qualifying body for the Olympics, said.

Even though Olympic surfers make riding the giant waves look simple, it takes a lifetime of training to perform at their level. Athletes need to surf every day from an incredibly early age, show immense dedication through surfing during a myriad of conditions and dedicate hours stretching in the gym, as well as doing upper and lower body exercises daily.

Once they arrived in Tahiti for the Olympics, athletes only had two hours to train and prepare for any conditions they may face while in the ocean, making the competition highly unpredictable.

Still, athletes managed to put on impressive performances that drew crowds in, the beaches filled with spectators from all over the world.

“I thought it was incredible … I think it brought surfing to a whole new level,” Austin Wade, surf P.E. teacher, AP World History Teacher and Socio-Political History of Rock N’ Roll teacher said.

Surf P.E. student Ollie Chontos (10) agrees

“Tahiti was a great spot to see them compete and I loved watching some of the barrels,” Chontos said.

The competition is man-on-man and set up like a traditional tournament bracket, similar to tennis or other individual sports. The final scoring for these incredible performances is based on the sum of the athletes' top two waves, scored from one to ten by an international panel of five judges.

Surfing isn't just meaningful to Olympic athletes; it resonates with students at the school.

“I love the culture of when you are surfing. You have your friends cheer you on. It makes me feel enriched after being out there in the water,” Surf P.E student Mackenaa Morales (10) said.

Surfing in the Olympics exposed the sport to younger and older generations of viewers alike. This awareness creates recognition for the professional athletes competing. It makes the Olympics an accomplishable goal for young surfers around the world. It also encourages bigger and diverse brands to involve themselves in the culture of the sport.

Surfing will no doubt be an event to look forward to in the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. The surfing location for the 2028 Games has not yet been released.

“There have been a couple of options that have been floating around and rumored, including Lower Trestles and Huntington Beach. If you make me pick right now where I think it will be, I would say Huntington Beach,” Heffner said.

Whether competing on waves thousands of miles away, or feeling the spray of the local ocean on their faces, athletes are ready to surf their hearts out in the 2028 Olympics, armed with hope and fueled with dreams of gold dangling around their necks.

by Lana Weber

Skating

Making its debut at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, skateboarding took the global stage once again at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. From July 27 to August 7, 88 of the world’s best skaters represented their countries in Paris. The USA team, 6 of the 12 competitors are San Diego locals, ranked third on the medal table.

“It’s really cool for the sport and skating is such a unique sport in that, even when it gets these huge moments of exposure, it’s still an underground sport,” Austin Wade, social science teacher, surf PE coach, head surf team coach and former skater, said.

This is a great moment for skateboarding and for our community, Given the sport’s strong roots in San Diego.

“I’ve been skating a lot, and it was cool to see my sport and hobby featured worldwide,” Max Sipes (12) said.

Modern skateboarding developed in the 1940s and ’50s as Southern Californians searched for other activities when the waves were poor. The creation of polyurethane wheels in the 1970s introduced a new surge of popularity and San Diegans enjoyed skating in places like the Escondido Reservoir and La Costa housing tract until Carlsbad Skatepark opened in 1976, the first official skatepark in California, one of two in the entire world, according to the National Museum of American History. Popularity again grew with the Del Mar Ranch Skate Park which opened in 1980. Professional skateboarder and TPHS grad Tony Hawk (‘86) began his career at these two parks.

The addition of skating as an Olympic sport legitimizes what is a lifestyle for many, especially for those in Southern California. Many, like Jacob Cava (12), were introduced to skateboarding during quarantine in 2020.

“Skating is really freeing; you really only have to focus on not falling on your face. It keeps you present,” Cava said.

Olympic skating mirrors other events that athletes compete in, like the X Games. The 22 skaters in park events had three 45-second runs in the preliminary round, and three 45-second runs if they advanced to the final. Skaters were judged by the height, speed and variety of tricks and their ability to utilize the entire course. In the street competition, the 22 skaters had two preliminary 45-second runs, and two additional in the final, to perform five tricks judged on difficulty, execution, and variety. Both competitions were determined by a panel of five judges. Park skating takes place in a bowl-like arena with ramps, banks and varying transitions at different heights. Street skating incorporates various obstacles found in a “street,” such as rails, stairs, benches and curbs.

The addition of skateboarding as an Olympic sport created great exposure.

“At the Olympics, everyone views sports they don’t necessarily know about, and it’s the same for skating. More people get to see it,” Cava said.

Given the creative and non-traditional aspects of skateboarding in comparison to other, more organized sports, some skaters disagree with its status as an Olympic sport. Some believe competitions and scores, especially the Olympic level, takes away from the art form skateboarding is. Others believe the addition of skateboarding is a step in the right direction, exposing more people and putting it on the same level as other sports.

“There’s always going to be challenges because there are so many different ideas of what skating can be. At the end of the day, it will be what you make out of it: ignore scores and see how you want it, and for the great actions of the competitors,” Wade said.

Wade expressed that many sports in the Olympics are “not accessible” to every-day people, but skateboarding can be enjoyed by almost anyone.

Although skateboarding has reached new heights at the Paris Games, it is still the same sport that so many love, allowing people to have fun and step outside their comfort zone.

by Gabrielle Gonzales

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About the Contributors

Kai Strzelecki, Writer

Kai Strzelecki joins the Falconer this year, bringing fresh enthusiasm and a keen eye for detail. Excited to dive into the world of journalism, Strzelecki hopes to uncover compelling stories and contribute to the publication’s impactful content. Beyond the newsroom, he appreciates spending quality time with family and friends and enjoys volunteering within his community as a way to give back. Strzelecki’s passion for service and attention to the fine details in everyday moments keeps him appreciative and mindful, enriching his ability to craft stories with empathy and authenticity. Strzelecki is thrilled by the opportunity to meet new people through Falconer interviews and his classes. Strzelecki anticipates a year of both educational and personal growth, along with a lot of fun.

Cass Love, Writer

As she enters her third year on the Falconer, Cass Love seeks to find balance. In the newsroom, she will strive to create stories that accurately represent unique, niche parts of Torrey Pines High School. Seeing TPHS through the lens of a journalist has been a gift to her these past few years—getting to ask questions, learn new things and meet new people. Love looks forward to rounding out that journey in her final year at TPHS. She’s also excited to see the Falconer staff get to know each other better and can’t wait to see what great stories and media they’ll create together. If she’s not doing something Falconer-related in room 311, you might find her where she works, at a tutoring center where she gets to work with kids, playing badminton, or with her cat. In fact, as she’s writing this, there is very likely a black cat named Sasha snoozing on her bed.

Lana Weber, Writer

As she enters her second year of high school, Lana Weber aims to be a dedicated member of the Falconer and make her first year on the school newspaper one to remember. She looks forward to meeting new students from all over the world, forming new friendships and creating stories she is proud of sharing. Weber looks forward to working on a team of talented writers, collaborating with her peers and getting to know every friendly face on the team. In her free time, Weber enjoys reading fantasy books filled with whimsical worlds by the fire and spending time with her close-knit family, whether it’s cuddling up on the cozy living room couch to watch a movie or playing heated board games like Bananagrams. When not at home, Weber can often be found at the barn, laughing with her teammates while atop her horse. Weber also loves cuddling with her dog, Ziggy, and her cat, Bowie at night. She strives to be a veterinarian one day, and hopes to spend her days surrounded by furry friends. She has always loved animals and hopes that she can make a positive impact on their lives, ensuring their futures are full of health, happiness and love. Although she can seem reserved to some, Weber loves to have fun with her friends, both inside and outside school. As she embarks on her journey on the Falconer, Weber is beyond excited to see what the future will bring and what lies just beyond the horizon.

Gabrielle Gonzales, Opinion Editor

Jumping into the 2024-2025 school year, Gabrielle Gonzales is excited to enjoy her senior year of high school and her second year as part of the Falconer staff. Gonzales’ interest in journalism and love for opinion writing flourished in middle school, where she was opinion editor for her school’s newspaper, The Python. She is excited to work as Opinion Editor this year and hear the voices of the Falconer staff. Gonzales loves to learn about the world around her through journalism by connecting with others and sharing stories. Outside the newsroom, you can find Gonzales at the skatepark, the beach, her favorite vintage store, reading a history book or listening to music. One of her greatest passions, which began at seven years old, is skateboarding; you can spot her instructing at the Ecke YMCA Skate Park, preparing for a competition, or skating around San Diego with her friends. As Gonzales tackles her final year of high school, she focuses on her courses, her friendships, skating and ultimately growing as a person. As her high school years come to an end, Gonzales makes the most of her time and dedicates herself to the amazing Falconer.