VOLUME 109 ISSUE 10
ONLINE EXCLUSIVES AT PCCCOURIER.COM
April 3, 2014
COURIER
The independent student voice
°'PCCs^?rrden* PASADENA CITY COLLEGE
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Throwers are going
to great lengths
Philip McCormick
Managing Editor
The track and field team is
having one of the better seasons
of any PCC sports team this
semester, but lately it’s been the
athletes who throw barbaric ob¬
jects through the air for distance
who are turning heads.
“This team definitely has
the potential to go to the state
championships and place well,”
throwing coach Caleb Wood
said. “What they have done the
past few weeks is impressive.”
The throwing team placed in
five events last week at the 71st
annual Pasadena Games, getting
two first places, two seconds
and a third. A big part of that
success has come from being a
tight-knit group.
“It really helps when you ‘
know your team has your back,”
said Nathan Wolitarsky, who
specializes in the shot put. ‘With
the way this team is, we have a
really great chance of making it
to the championships and plac¬
ing well in the events there.”
The throwing team is com¬
posed of Wolitarsky, Yvette
Bastidas and Bianca Addison.
Bastidas and Addison specialize
in the Discus throw; however,
Bastidas has shown to be versa¬
tile in the shot put and javelin.
Bastidas has placed five times
in the past two track and field
THROWERS page 11 ►
Rocio Vera/Courier
Coach Caleb Wood, right, with the discus, shot put and javelin
team of Yvette Bastidas, Bianca Addison, and Nathan Woli¬
tarsky at Robinson Stadium on Tuesday.
Chick-fil-A in hands of City Council
Philip McCormick
Managing Editor
Pasadena City Councilman
Terry Tornek will again ask the
city council to reconsider the
zoning board’s approval of a
Chick-fil-A restaurant across the
street from PCC.
The council will review the
company’s permit request again
during a public meeting sched¬
uled for April 7 after the Board
of Zoning approved the request
on March 19.
“I have asked the City Council
to call up Chick-Fil-A because I
am concerned about the expan¬
sion of a non-conforming use
(drive-through),” Tornek said in
an email.
The restaurant plans were
originally approved by the
city last December. However,
Tornek appealed the approval
and students and the adminis¬
tration vehemendy opposed the
restaurant’s proposal because of
its history of supporting anti-gay
groups.
Senior Vice President Rob¬
ert Miller said at the March 19
public hearing that he, President
Mark Rocha and other adminis¬
tration members had a respon¬
sibility of working within the
scope of the college community,
which includes many LGBT
students.
Tornek said that there was a
need for further discussion on
the significance of expanding
the drive through. Student
CHICK-FIL-A page 2 ^
Lancers mourn
death of former
basketball player
Daron Grandberry
Sports Editor
After a tough two-year battle
with Stage 2 Hodgkin’s Lym¬
phoma, former Lancer women’s
basketball point guard Angeline
Jefferson died Sunday. She was
only 21 years old.
A member of the 2012-13
women’s basketball team, Jeffer¬
son touched many lives both on
and off the basketball court and
was an inspiration to everyone
she came in contact with.
“A.J. was that spirit that held
out team together both emo¬
tionally and spiritually,” former
women’s basketball player Shay
Jackson said. ’’She definitely
made me see something differ¬
ent. For her to be so young and
to see what she went through
really showed me a lot. She was
definitely a fighter.”
A sophomore reserve guard
for die Lancers two seasons ago,
Jefferson joined the Lancers
only a few months after her
cancer went into remission. In
21 games, Jefferson averaged 2.6
points and 1.4 assists, but her
leadership was immeasurable,
according to head coach Joe
Peron.
“Her wisdom that she
expressed and shared with the
team last year as a player, and
this year as a part of our staff
was unmatched,” Peron said.
“She was good for our program.
I’m glad she came here to play
for us after leaving Cal State
LA.”
A native of Sylmar, CA,
Jefferson played prep basketball
at Blair and Maranatha High
School before earning a schol¬
arship to play basketball at Cal
State LA. Before being diag¬
nosed with cancer in March of
2012, Jefferson finished her first
season with the Golden Eagles,
where she appeared in 25 games
and started the last six games of
the season.
“I remember watching her in
high school,” Peron said. “A.J.
Photo courtesy of Winnifred
Jefferson
was an exciting point guard
that made things happen on
the basketball court. When I
had a chance to coach her I was
thrilled because of the excite¬
ment she brought to the game.
She was a great passer and she
never took a play off. She was
a hustler on the court and so
special off the court.”
Majoring in Child and Family
Studies, Jefferson was on target
to graduate from PCC later this
year.
“AJ was a hard worker,”
assistant coach La’Nette Dillard
said. “She was outgoing and very
optimistic on life. She was just
a fun person to be around. She
was definitely the heart of this
program and she will be greatly
missed.”
Despite her batde with cancer,
the point guard, whom Peron
called “electrifying,” was a leader
and inspiration to everyone she
came in contact with.
“AJ was fun and a joy to be
around.” Jackson said. “She had
a great spirit and even bigger
heart. She accomplished a lot
of things that none of us could
have in the short time she was
here. She was overall a good
person and her spirit was very
motivating. She was the mother
of our team.”
A PayPal account has been
setup for contributions at Ange-
UneJeffersonFund@gmail.com
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