Complete List of High School Sports How to Pick

Complete List of High School Sports How to Pick SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Interested in playing a high school sport? You should be! High school sports are a great way to make friends, get involved in your school, and stay active. What sports are offered? I’ll give you the full list of high school sports available in the US, and I’ll explainwhy you should join a team and how to figure out whichsport is right for you. The Complete List of High School Sports Offered in the US These are the sports that fall under the jurisdiction of a State Athletic Association. Each state has itsown Athletic Association that runs the sports leagues and championships for the below sports. NOTE: Not all of these sports are offered in all states.For example, Skiing Snowboarding isn’t offered in Florida. Less obviously, bowling isn’t offered in California and several other states. Additionally, even if asport isoffered in your state, it may not be offered at your school.There might not have been enough interest or funding to create a team.If you hope to play a sport that’s offered in your state, but not at your school, consider starting a team. I’ll discuss this optionmore in-depth below. There may be other sports offered at your high school that are played at a â€Å"club† level (they don’t have a state championship).To find out which sports are offered at your specific high school, check out yourschool's website or email a school administrator or athletic director. Unless otherwise noted, sportshave both boys' and girls' teams or a co-ed team: Badminton Baseball (Boys) Basketball Bowling Cheerleading / Competitive Spirit Squads Cross Country Dance Team Field Hockey Flag Football (Girls) Football (Boys) Golf Gymnastics Hockey Indoor Track Field Lacrosse Skiing Snowboarding Soccer Softball (Girls) Slow Pitch Softball (Girls) Surf Swimming Diving Tennis Track Field Volleyball Water Polo Weightlifting Wrestling When Is Each Sport Played? The season (fall, winter, spring) for each sport varies by state.There are a few sports that are consistent in season from state to state - football, for example, is always played in fall. To check when each sport is played in your state, do a Google Search for your state’s high school athletic association.Simply search â€Å"[State Name] High School Sports† or â€Å"[State Name] High School Athletic Association.†That will bring you to the athletic association website for your state.There should be a tab on the website for sports.Under that tab, you should see a list of all sports and their season. Below isa screenshot fromthe Florida High School Athletic Association website: How to Choose Which Sport(s) to Join There are many ways to choose which team (or teams) to join at your school.First, you should take into consideration the season when each sport is played.Follow the steps above to find out when each sport is played in your state.Most schools don't allow you to play two sports that are in the same season (or that overlap seasons as fall and winter sports sometimes do).Talk to your high school athletic director if you’re interested in playing two sports that are in the same season or may overlap. Next, you should take into consideration which sports you’ve played before and how much you enjoyed them.Did you play a sport inmiddle school or recreationally that you enjoyed?Is that sport offered at your high school?If it is, consider joining that team!You already enjoyed playing it, so you should continue. If the sport isnot currently offered by your school but is offered by your state athletic association, consider starting a school team.Again, follow the steps outlined above to see if the sport is offered by your school athletic association. If you'd rather not start a team, you also might be allowed to join that team at another high school. For example, if you wanted to be on the bowling team, and it wasn't offered at your high school but was at a high school a couple of miles away, you'd likely be allowed to try out for that team. Talk to your athletic director to see if this is an option. If it's not, you should see if there is a localcommunity sports team for that sport. If there is, consider joining that team! If the sport you love isn't offered by your state athletic association (such as Ultimate Frisbee), consider starting a club to play it with friends after school. You won’t have a state championship, but you’ll still have the opportunity to play the sport.As a bonus, starting your own club willalso be a great leadership experience to include on your resume. Before picking a sports team to join,consider how well your experience in a sport matches up with how competitive it is at your school.Have you played the sport before? For how long? How good is that team at your high school? Did they go to the state championship? For example, at my high school, when I attended, our football and lacrosse teams were terrible. They essentially lost almost every game.However, our men’s tennis team went to the state championship.If I was picking a team to join and I’d never played any of the sports before, I’d probably try out for football or lacrosse and NOT tennis, since I’d have a better shot atmaking the football or lacrosse teams.If I had playedtennis competitively throughout middle school, I’d still tryout for the tennis team. It’s good to be aware of how competitive each team is in advance of trying out. To help figure outhow competitive each team is, you should also try to figure out how many people get picked to be on each teamand how many players are returning from the previous season.For example, football teams typically have around 40 players. Tennis teams at high schools typically have five singles players and two doubles teams (often composed of four of the five singles players).Football is probably a less competitive team to join (even a good football team) than a tennis team since there are 40 spots versus five. However, if you're only going to try out for one specific position on the football team (such as quarterback), it may be MORE competitive than tennis since there is only one starting spot for quarterback versus five starting spots for tennis players. If all five tennis players are returning from the previous season, I’d be hesitant to try out because I likely wouldn’t make the team unless I were good enough to beat one or more of the current players. While all of the above should be taken into consideration when picking a sports team, don’t let any of the above stop you.If you’ve always been dying to play on a tennis team but have never played before, still try out! You never know, you might make it! If you're interested in a sport that's very competitive at your school, check to see if you can try out for a JV team (or some schools even have freshman teams in addition to JV andvarsity). You can start there and work your way up to varsity. 4 Great Reasons to Join a Sports Team Sports teams are a great extracurricular activity.I have some of my best high school memories from playing on the tennis team at my high school. Reason 1: It’s a great way to make friends (or make more friends).Sports team often bring together a lot of different people (who may not have been friends otherwise). Joining a sports team willprovide you with a new group of friends, who you might not have met otherwise. Reason 2: It can be a great opportunity for leadership (which colleges love to see on your resume).Sports teams often elect a team captain, which gives that personthe opportunity to be a leader.Typically, team captains don’t have a lot of responsibility; usually, it’s more of an honorary title. If anything, team captains are responsible for boosting team morale. However, becoming team captain will still help boost your college applications becauseit shows schoolsthat you’re well-liked and could potentially be a leader at their school. Reason 3: It helps you stay active and relieve stress.High school is stressful, and playing sports helps relieve stress. Staying active through sportscan make you feel happier and have major health benefits. Reason 4: Depending on how good you are and what your goals are, participating in a sportcan help you get into college.If you rise to become a top player of thesport in your state, you might be recruited to play thatsport incollege, and you might also be offered a scholarship.NOTE: this is rare. This isn't the norm. Don’t count on being recruited to college for your sport.If you’re seriously interested in college athletic recruiting, learn about the process in our other guide. WhatBenefits Should You Not Expect to Get From Joining a Sport? While joining a team has many benefits (as you can see above), you shouldn’t join a team if you’re hoping it’ll be the extracurricular activity that gets you into college.Unless you’re in thetop 1% of players in your sport, it’s unlikely you’ll be recruited to play it for college. Also, admissions officers are not particularly impressed by your participation on a team.My friend, who is a former admissions officer, said it is one of the most common topics for personal statements.Admissions officers hate to read these personal statements because they’ve heard every high school sports story.They’ve read about you and your team overcoming some obstacle and winning. They’ve read about crushing defeats.In your personal statements, admissions officers want to see who you are and what makes you unique. Playing a sport will not make you unique since many students play sports. Don’t play a sport so that you seem â€Å"well-rounded† on your college application.Top schools no longer want well-rounded students.Top schools want students who are an expert in something.If you’re the number 1 ranked tennis player in your state, you’ll be impressive because you’re an expert in tennis.However, if you’re the 150th ranked tennis player in your state, the college likely won’t care.It’d be better for you not to play a sport and to be a state champion mathlete or a state science fair winner or a debate champion.These all prove expertise in a field.To read more about this expert philosophy, read our guide on how to get into Harvard and the Ivy League. If you're not that interested in playing a sport, don't do it! Playing a sport takes a lot of time. If you don't enjoy the sport, it's a huge time-suck from which you aren't getting many benefits.Consider spending your time doing anotheramazing extracurricular activitysuch as one of the activities mentioned below. What’s Next? If you’re interested in playing a sport, you should learn about what makes an amazing extracurricular activity for you college applications. Also, you should learn about how many extracurricular activities you need for college. Interested in learning about other great extracurricular opportunities? Learn more about job shadowing, community service, and volunteer abroad programs. Want to improve your SAT score by 240 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Corporate Development During the Industrial Revolu Essays

Corporate Development During the Industrial Revolu Essays Corporate Development During the Industrial Revolution The Standard Oil Company founded by John D. Rockefeller and the U.S. Steel Company founded by Andrew Carnegie. The Standard Oil Company and U.S. Steel Company were made successful in different ways due to the actions of their different owners. The companies differed in their labor relations, market control, and structural organization. In the steel industry, Carnegie developed a system known as vertical integration. This means that he cut out the middle man. Carnegie bought his own iron and coal mines because using independent companies cost too much and were inefficient. By doing this he was able to undersell his competetors because they had to pay the competitors they went through to get the raw materials. Unlike Andrew Carnegie, John D. Rockefeller integrated his oil business from top to bottom, his distinctive innovation in movement of American industry was horizontal. This meant he followed one product through all its stages. For example, rockrfeller controlled the oil when it was drilled, through the refining stage, and he maintained control over the refining process turning it into gasoline. Although these two powerful men used two different methods of management their businesses were still very successful (Conlin, 425-426). Tycoons like Andrew Carnegie, "the steel king," and John D. Rockefeller, "the oil baron," exercised their genius in devising ways to circument competition. Although, Carnegie inclined to be tough-fisted in business, he was not a monopolist and disliked monopolistic trusts. John D. Rockefeller came to dominate the oil industry. With one upward stride after another he organized the Standard Oil Company, which was the nucleus of the great trust that was formed. Rockefeller showed little mercy. He believed primitive savagery prevailed in the jungle world of business, where only the fittest survived. He persued the policy of "ruin or rule." Rockefeller's oil monopoly did turn out a superior product at a relatively cheap price. Rockefeller belived in ruthless business, Carnegie didn't, yet they both had the most successful companies in their industries. (The American Pageant, pages 515-518) Rockefeller treated his customers in the same manner that Andrew Carnegie treated his workers: cruel and harsh. The Standard Oil Company desperately wanted every possible company to buy their products. Standard Oil used ruthless tactics when Rockefeller threatenedto start his own chain of grocery stores and put local merchants out of business if they did not buy oil from Standard Oil Company. Carnegie dealt with his workers with the same cold lack of diplomacy and consideration. Carnegie would encourage an unfriendly competition between two of his workers and he goaded them into outdoing one another. Some of his employees found working under Carnegie unbearable. These rivalries became so important to the employees that somedidn't talk to each other for years (McCloskkey, page 145). Although both Carnegie and Rockefeller created extermely successsful companies, they both used unscrupulous methods in some aspect of their corporation building to get to the top. The success of the Standard Oil Company and U.S. Steel company was credited to the fact that their owners ran them with great authority. In this very competetive time period, many new businesses were being formed and it took talented businessmen to get ahead and keep the companies running and make the fortunes that were made during this period. Terra Harnish Heather Rodgers Carly Wolfensberger BIBLIOGRAPHY Conlin, Joseph R. History of the U.S.: Our Land, Our Time. pp. 425-426. 1985. Bailey, Thomas A. and David M. Kennedy: The American Pageant. pp. 515-518. 1987. Latham, Earl: John D. Rockefeller; Robber Baron Or Industrial Statesman? (Problems in American Civilization Series). pg. 39. 1949. McCloskey, Robert Green: American Conservatism In The Age Of Enterprise 1865-1910. pg. 145. 1951.

Informed consent. The possible dangers of too much information Research Paper

Informed consent. The possible dangers of too much information conveyed - Research Paper Example rug. Moreover, there is an issue with how much comprehension a participant may have of the risks that are dictated in the informed consent protocol. Not surprisingly, the forms must be readable in order for a patient to truly have considered himself â€Å"informed,† and the most important part of readability is to put the risks into layman’s terms. Studies have suggested that esoteric forms which are more difficult to read than complicated texts results in considerably less informed consent than forms which are not so. Therefore, it is important to pay attention to the level of language used in the consent forms and keep the audience in mind. If the person drafting these forms keeps in mind this golden rule, then other studies suggest that informed consent is extremely effective. The possible dangers of too much information conveyed Loftus & Fries (2008) theorize that informed consent may do more harm than good, at least when the risks that are presented to the patient consist of all potential risks that might occur, no matter how remote. They argue that the patient might imagine that he or she is experiencing the symptom because of the power of the mind, in that the mind can play tricks on people, and, if the patient knows that a certain risk is possible, then the patient may conjure this risk even though it is only remotely possible that the patient is actually experiencing the symptom. As proof of this, they point to the power of the placebo (Loftus & Fries, 2008, p. 217). To them, a patient is better off just knowing the general level of risk, ie, the symptoms that are likely to occur, and only provide patients the remote risks if the patient specifically asks for it. Therefore, the informed consent carries risks itself, and they â€Å"only ask that those whose task it is to formulate informed consent rituals pay some attention to the harm that may be caused by the ritual itself† (Loftus & Fries, 2008, p. 217). Loftus & Fries then cited a study that they performed that was unpublished. It involved patients at the Stanford University Medical School who were diagnosed with scleroderma and were treated with a drug cocktail consisting of propranolol and alpha-methyldopa. The patients were informed about the side effects of the drug cocktail, which included dizziness, headaches, upset stomach and tearfulness. Some patients received a standard informed consent form and some received a standard informed consent form plus a special message which explained the placebo effect, in that the patients who received the special message were informed of the phenomenon of experiencing symptoms simply because the symptoms were mentioned. Loftus & Fries found that all patients experienced â€Å"side effects,† even if the patient was given a placebo. They also found that those patients who received the special message experienced fewer side effects than those who did not (Loftus & Fries, 2008, p. 218). Therefore, their point ab out a patient knowing â€Å"too much† was validated. While Loftus & Fries concentrated on the placebo effect as a drawback for informed consent, at least informed consent that lists every possible side-effect, no matter how remote, Audrey et al. (2008) concentrated on the effect informed consent had on patients who want to undergo palliative chemotherapy. The issue that Audrey et al. focuses upon is

Service Management 1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Service Management 1 - Essay Example Due to the holistic nature of a project brief, following the brief assures the client of the project meeting his vision. Additionally, as the brief deals with the process as well as the product, adherence by all participants during the construction process prevents deviation of the project in terms of either methodology or specification. Adherence to brief also allows benchmarking for the project, and sets higher standards for all contractors involved. Prestige: The prestige and pride associated with a project has to inculcated by the project management team to motivate all actors to perform at their optimum during the process. A high level of personal pride translates to a better site, with a multi-disciplinary non-adversarial approach to problem solving and work completion. Such an atmosphere reflects positively on the project, and assures the client throughout the project of the competence and motivation of the team on site. Profitability: The objective of profitability of the project is a cornerstone of a successful project, and the client's needs can be met only if at every stage of the project, every possible method to value-engineer the project is used to cut costs and increase profitably for the client. Constant monitoring of these methods and their quantifiable results should be presented to the clients, so as to assure him of the teams' endeavor towards meeting project goals and deliverables. Expectations: At the onset, every client has certain expectation from the project in terms of process and product. These expectations should be crystallized by the project management team during the design and planning stages so as to meet actual possible execution targets. The contractors and consultants should also be made aware of what the client expects from them so that they can streamline project procedures and operations to meet the client's expectations. Quality: The first step towards assurance of quality is an objective assessment of the competence of the contractor and the CDM coordinator. All stakeholders in the project need to decide the specifications of all deliverables in the project and make sure that standards are met. When the client is confident of the quality of his team's work, he is able to perform his duties better and contractors have relatively lower number of problems with payments and external interference during work. Time: All projects are economically and functionally viable only if

Logic Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Logic - Assignment Example from The Pew Charitable Trusts and the John Templeton Foundation as part of the Pew-Templeton Global Religious Futures Project, which aims to increase peoples knowledge of religion around the world. The text given above is one of the important findings of the survey. The source of the historical data is World Religion Database. There is a scientific validity to the survey as it involved interviews with more than 25000 people belonging to 19 countries, in more than 60 languages and it reflects the people’s beliefs, attitude towards other faiths, concerns and tries to assess the social and political order. A thorough analysis with reference to religion has been made with reference to the present state of the social order. However, the analysis is lagging behind with regard to the important aspect as to how it could be useful in repairing of the social order. The analysis of traditional religious practices provides strong clues to the reasons for the present status of the social structure. Also, motives or reasons for religious extremism with reference to the region are not touched upon. â€Å"In The Wealth of Nations, Smith (1965, pp. 740- 766) argued that self-interest motivates clergy just as it does secular producers;† (Iannaccone, L.R. and Berman, E). The report states unemployment, crime and corruption as bigger problems than religious conflict, though in some countries religious conflicts are the major problem. However, the people connected to activities of religious extremism and suicide-bombers were mostly unemployed youths from poor background according to the newspaper stories. The report has not however underlined the relationship, if any, that exists between religious extremism and unemployment or poverty. Working out a common minimum rules for the society comprising of various ethnic groups, communities and religion is the precursor to reforms. Once this is achieved, the religion could be effectively sidelined to the personal domains of the

Change Insight Analysis Paper Essay Example for Free

Change Insight Analysis Paper Essay Managing change is an ideal process in organizational management and greatly helps in realization of organizational goals and objectives. In business, change insight management is analyzed by different theoretical models that are essential in business process. As a result, this paper analyzes the three basic change models theories. These are discussed as follows: The Kotter’s 8-Step Change Model, The Marvin Weisbord’s Six Model and the Linda Ackerman Anderson’s 9 Phase. The three theoretical models on change management discuss the various strategies of managing and coping with organizational change. In particular, the strengths and weakness of each model are analyzed. Further the application of each theoretical model on change management in an organizational setting is discussed. Kotters 8-Step Change Model See more: analytical writing In business change is the only constant. John Kotter, a change expert and a professor of Harvard business school and a renowned leadership and management guru. In his book, leading change, Kotter discussed the 8-Step Model to change management as follows: The first step is creation of urgency. In order for change to happen, the whole organization must be in dire need of the organizational change. Thus, the leadership and management must develop the need for change among the members of the team. In administering change in an organization, the management is expected to identify the potential threats to develop scenarios that indicate the possible projections on what can happen in future. The other step in management of change involves the formation of a powerful coalition. This is attained by convincing people that change is necessary and important. This must take strong leadership efforts and activities to implement. To achieve this, the leadership and management team must ask for emotional commitment, work with the team building in change coalition as well as evaluating the team for weak areas to enhance a good mix for of different people from different departments. The third step in the Kotter’s Model of change management involves creation of vision for change. At this point, the leadership management must determine the values that are essential for change, create a short summary and have a strategy that is applicable in attainment of the expected changes. Communication for buy in is the next  step in achieving organizational change, others step include and not limited to the following: Empowering action, creation of short term wins, do not let up and make the change stick. The Applicability of the Kotter’s 8-Step Change Model The Kotter’s change model is applied in all top-down change processes. For instance, for the projects that have been identified and decided, at the top level of the organizational management. Indeed, the United States Army used the model to prepare their soldiers at the war. The Strengths of the Kotter’s 8-Step Change Model This theoretical model on change management is characterized by the following strengths: First, it is easy to understand, it can well fit into the culture of classical hierarchies, it is well successful when all the steps are applied and exercised. Further, the model focuses on the employee buy in as it focuses on success. The Weaknesses of the Kotter’s 8-Step Change Model To start with, the model is too linear to an extent of leading to wrong assumptions. Second, it is difficult to change the directions of the model when action has already started. Third, the model can result to frustration among the employees when the initial stages of grief and the needs of individuals are not taken care of. The Marvin Weisbord’s Six-Box Model The six-box model of managing organizational change is a leadership and management framework that was developed by an American business analyst Marvin Weisbord with the main aim of assessing the organizational functioning. Its key generic framework in management of organizational change is intended for use and application in a variety of different organization. The Model has its key basis on the assumptions and techniques of the field organizational change and development. The Six-box Model constitute of the following boxes: Purpose that includes a clear definition of the business that an organizations in, structure that explains on the dimension of dividing work among employees, relationships that encompass the techniques of managing all the possible changes in relationships, rewards that constitutes of the definition on incentives and what needs to be done,  leaderships that involves selection of change managers who will help in keeping the five boxes in balance as well as the he lpful mechanisms that are applicable in coordination of the technologies that are necessary in management and leadership. The Application of Marvin Weisbord’s Six-Box Model This model is applicable in organizations where there is a need to look or consider the organizational structures and designs in a specified way. Indeed, the model is applicable in areas of change management that needs planning, rewards, incentives, and the role of support functions that include international organizations, partnerships and standards of remunerations. In addition, the model is particularly useful at times when consultation have little time that is desirable for diagnosis or when a relatively less complicated organizational map is required for quick service. The Strengths of the Marvin Weisbord’s Six-Box Model The first strength of the model is attributed to the fact that the model is the most suitable in helping the change leadership development manager to effectively visualize the organization as a whole system without using key and strange change terminologies. The other strength that is associated with the model is in its easy application. Indeed, the model is easily understandable and can be well applied by any change manager who can actively engage in change development. The Weaknesses of the Marvin Weisbord’s Six-Box Model The Marvin Weisbord’s Six-Box model has the following weaknesses. First, the model is only applicable in organizations that are constituted by the six boxes. This mean that organizations that are not characterized by the above discussed components can not effective apply the model in management of change leadership. Moreover, the model is weak because it cannot be conveniently applied to manage organizational change in organizations with complex organizational structures. Linda Ackerman Anderson and Dean Anderson 9 Phase Model on Change Leadership Roadmap Methodology This is a model of managing organizational change that is mainly rooted in the change in leadership road map. The theoretical model is sidelined in the designation  and the implementation of the major organizational transformations. The main question analyzed by the model is on the availability of a roadmap that is needed by an organization in realizing change. The first phase of the model is preparation to lead the change. Here, the organizational leadership selects the leaders that are needed to change the organization in order to attain the organizational success. This is the most important phase because it addresses the key process of the decision making in the efforts of change administration. The main purpose of this phase is to prepare the leaders to lead the change in accomplishment of six main activities. The two basic activities out of the six main activities are outlined as follows: Staffing and starting up the change efforts with the use of change expertise in leadership, determination of the case for change and the exact scope of the change and the expected outcomes. The other phases of this model include creation of commitment, organizational vision and capability, assessment of situation in determination of design requirements, plan and design the implementation of the change activities, implement the required organizational change, celebrate and integrate the new state on change management as well as learning and course correcting the change. The Application of Ackerman Anderson 9 Phase Model This model is applicable in offering the specialized change leadership development as well as transformational leadership in organizations that are consulting on change. Indeed, the founders of the model are the owners of Being First, Inc., a company that has adopted the model to guide and advice Fortune 1000 companies, non-profit organizations, government agencies, and international change consultancies that are in need of assistance in change leadership management and transformational leadership. The Strengths of the Ackerman Anderson 9 Phase Model There are several strengths that are associated with the Ackerman Anderson 9 phase model. First, the model is useful in attaining favorable tangible results that a firm is after in administration of change. This is achieved faster will little or no costs in the business or people. In addition, the model helps in building an organization change skills and capabilities. This greatly helps to consistently realize the maximum benefits realized from a  successful change. Moreover, the model is helpful in transforming the organizational culture and the people in an organization. This is essential in attainment of the desired organizational change. Furthermore, the model is evidenced by its strengths in the development of the mangers and leaders to become competent in transforming the organization to realize the needed organizational change. Most important, the model is applied in the development of internal consultants to become an expert change consultants’. Notably, the Ackerman Anderson 9 phase model of change management in ensuring all the possible change strategy development and process planning. This is because change strategy development and the process of planning are essential for complex change transformation. The Weaknesses of Ackerman Anderson 9 Phase Model Irrespective of the numerous strengths of the model, its key weaknesses cannot be underestimated. These are described as follows: First, skipping a phase in the change leadership roadmap or a key decision leads to numerous impacts that can dismantle all the established changes. Moreover, failure to customize the change process can result to discouragement on the identity of the customers in respect to the best change practices. Conclusion Change insight analysis is essential in managing organizational change. This is because of the available theoretical models that play an essential role in leadership and transformational development. The essential three models include and not limited to the following: Ackerman Anderson 9 phase model, Marvin Weisbord’s Six-Box model and the Kotter’s 8 Step Change model. All the three models are applicable in different ways and each consists of its strengths and weaknesses.

Into the Lions Mouth :: China Chinese Culture Papers

Into the Lion's Mouth It is the last Saturday in September and the Brown University lion dance team is about to perform. Eleven students sit on the floor of Leung Gallery. The nine team members walk to the front of the room, seven Chinese, two Caucasian. Each wears a shirt bearing a black and white lion design on the front and the words "Brown Lion Dance" emblazed across the back. The boys who will make up the two lions - Grant, John, Chris and Michael - wear bright yellow pants with orange and gold tassels encircling each leg, meant to mimic fur. The instrumentalists, Cisco and Larissa, wear black pants and black shoes, and Peter Quon, the teaser, sports a navy blue silk ensemble reminiscent of a rich man's pajamas. He dons a mask made of brightly lacquered peach paper mache, with pink dots for cheeks, ruby red lips and thick, black eyebrows. He will signal the lions into place for each stunt. The four boys disappear underneath the heads and tails. The team's captain Brian Fong welcomes the freshmen, but keeps his remarks brief. He can't convey this magic - this magic that keeps him and his team here, week after week, year after year - with words. Brian and the team members move into place. Cisco raises his drumsticks and brings them down hard on the drums. The cymbals crash. The performance begins. Historians trace Chinese lion dancing back to a band of roving Persians who traveled to China via the Silk Road during the T'ang Dynasty (618- 906 A.D.). They performed their Nevruz ("New Day") festival for the emperor who, like his people, had never seen a lion before. The Persians' dance pleased the emperor so much that he ordered the lion to be incorporated into the most important of Chinese festivals, the Harvest Moon and New Year's celebrations. The Chinese, however love to tell another story of how this art form came to be: the Legend of the Nien. In ancient times, a creature called the Nien roamed throughout China, devouring man and beast. News of these atrocities reached a remote mountain village and prompted its inhabitants to seek protection from the mighty lion. When the Nien finally stormed into the village, the lion intercepted him and the two beasts fought a terrible battle. The lion emerged victorious and the wounded Nien slunk away into the shadows of the forest, vowing to return in exactly one year to exact vengeance.