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LQMS Sports Journalism Interview with Rene Rodriguez 

Penelope Gomez - “How is the Clippers better than the Lakers?”

Rene Rodruigez - “The Clippers are better than the Lakers, not necessarily, I wanna say, just like basketball wise but just what they do for their community, the city, they help out a lot with the kids, they do a lot of giveaway, we do a lot of interactions, uh, we have a mascot, so the lakers don’t have a mascot, we have a mascot,  he interacts with the kids and it’s, it’s  a really community based you know. I feel like the Lakers is a great organization too, it’s just Hollywood superstars, LA Clippers is just more, I wanna say, for the community. 

Penelope Gomez - “What is your good luck charm?”

Rene Rodruiguez- “For-for me? Or for the Clippers?”

Penelope Gomez - “For the Clippers.”

Rene - “For the Clippers, their good luck charm… I wanna say the new arena we got now. We got a new arena so they’re out of, uh, “Crypto”, now they got a new arena called “Intuit Dome”, so I feel like that’s gonna be our good luck charm this year.”

Penelope Gomez - “Um, what is your mental mindset watching the players get ready for the game?”

Rene - “My mindset is just making sure I do my job. I see they’re getting ready to do their job, I gotta get ready to do my job. Uh, It’s a professional league, it’s the biggest league in the world when it comes to basketball, so I gotta make sure if they’re focused, I gotta be focused to make sure that my job gets done.”

Penelope Gomez - “Which player practices the most?”

Rene - “I think they all practice the most. They all practice; In order to get to that level, you gotta practice everyday, uh, just like how you guys are here now after school practicing like this, that's how they had to do, from middle school, highschool, college, so, every single person on the team has to practice and they have to like work on their craft all the time so, it’s probably, I wanna say, they all practice the most.”

Penelope Gomez - “What do you think is the best college to go for basketball?”

Rene - “ The best college to go for basketball? Man, like, if you wanna stay close to home, like, here in California, I would say maybe UCLA.” 

Sophia Keto - “ So when you say the LA Clippers are really involved with their community, what do you mean by that?”

Rene - “ So they give away tons of backpacks, t-shirts, to different schools there in the Los Angeles community, theyve donated lots of courts. I know they have this program called uh, “Clipper Juniors” or “Junior Clippers”, and they, it’s like a free program that you can go and little kids play in (??) and then we have, in our new arena, we have two new courts in the aren, that, they use now for the junior clippers so, they have the kids play on the basketball court, uh, that is NBA sized so they get that experience, and then Chuck goes to a lot of schools so he’ll go to a school, maybe we’ll try to get him to come out here, he goes to schools, they do activities, they do giveaways, and I think for us is, you know sometimes at half time, we let leagues play on our court. So like during, like during halftime we’ll get-they’ll get like the community leagues, and they’ll let them play on our court, and they give them that experience, the whole (shockclock?) so, we do a lot of stuff for the community and our main focus is always like the fans and the people of Los Angeles and of course we have our stars that come to the game, but like we always try to make sure that the community gets the good stuff first.”

Sophia Keto - “ And regarding to your new court or to your new arena, how do the players feel about that? 

Rene - “ I think the players love the new arena. Everything, at least from my point of view, we have uh, uh, like a personal chef there, so like when the staff gets hungry, you can go in there and they make you something fresh, um, we have our own locker room, like our own staff now, we have our own locker room, we have our own area, where before when we were at Crypto we  shared, so we were sharing the building with the Lakers, sharing the building with the Kings, but now in our own arena, we have our own staff, we have our own, uh, arena department, uh, operations that, you know if we need a door opened, we can call the (openet??), we need this, or we need something to eat, chef will make it so it’s like those cool things like that, uh, especially for the Clipper players they have their own designated parking there. So before they would park in a like really cramped area at Crypto and now they have their own designated parking where they’re not mixed with other people, so I'm sure that’s one of their favorite things that they like.

Alexandrea Soto - “What is something you work on the most while (practicing with the team?)?

Renee - Something we work on the most is Communication. Being able to communicate with each other, because that’s one of the key things for us is if I need something done from somebody, I gotta let them know, I gotta be able to communicate with them, we have to work as a team, we can’t be like “Oh I don’t wanna do this” or “Why do you have to do this and I have to do that”, everything just has to be smooth so having a good relationship with the, with our department and with our team, and making sure we are able to communicate, and have the confidence to say “Hey can you help me do this” and not-not being scared or timid. 

Alexandrea Soto - “How does it feel to work with the Clippers?”

Rene - It’s honestly a dream to work in the NBA. Uh I grew up wanting to play basketball my whole life so being able to have the opportunity to be part of the experience when fans come and, being able to, not contribute by shooting, but contribute in other ways, uh, to the game so it’s really cool to be able to watch the games, I get to be on the court, I get to do some stuff that not everybody in their life gets to do stuff like this, it’s a blessing and it’s a dream honestly.

Emma Gonzales - “When did you start working with the LA Clippers?”

Rene - “ I started working with the LA Clippers in, 2002, about two years ago, two years ago, so I’m on my third year now and I’m on my third season.

Emma Gonzales - “What made you want to work with the LA Clippers?”

Rene - “ So what made me want to work with them is my passion for sports, and I want to work in sports so I didn’t know who I was gonna work with or who I was gonna work for but I just knew that I wanted to work in sports so, I put that first and, um, after finishing school, I started applying to different jobs, and the Clippers gave me the opportunity, and It’s really been a blessing since then. 

Emma Gonzales - “If you were a player, what position would you want to play and why?”

Rene - “ If I was a player I would like to play, I wanna say pointguard cause I like to be able to, uh, be able to control and be able to help other people score, also score myself but set people up so, that’s what a pointguard does, you now he-he assists his teammates and makes them all better. 

Emma Gonzales - “Why do you think communication is the most important aspect of basketball?”

Rene - “Because, everybody has to be on the same page. So like on the basketball court, they need to communicate to know what plays coming up, um what plays they’re going up against, and, for us off the basketball court, we have to communicate to make sure everything gets executed correctly you know, if-if I don’t know what my job is, and, you don’t know what your job is, then we’re not gonna, we’re not gona execute it correctly. In thi league, you gotta make sure you do everythin correctly.

Anevay Lopez - “ How has Leo Santa Cruz benifited your career?”

Rene - “ That’s a great question, uh, I wanna say I wouldn’t be woring for the clippers, or any other team if I hadnt worked for Leo Santa Cruz. He gave me an opportunity at 18 years old, that was my first sports job, and, from him, from there I worked my way up. Um, my first job with Leo Santa Cruz was actually a water boy, so I was like giving him water, and then from there I started doing his Instagram, and then from his Instagram I started doing his sponsorships, and from his sponsorships I started doing everything else. So, like, he gave me the opportunity and, without that I wouldn’t have no experience and no opportunities so that’s one of the biggest blessings of my life and I always tell him when I see him like “thank you” cause him giving me a chance, it allowed me to open up doors for otherthing and hopefully in the future, I can open up doors for you guys aswell. 

Anevay Lopez - “ Who are your rolemodels or were your rolemodels like as going out through this career?”

Rene - “ So, I’ve had a couple role models. Leo is one of them. He’s a five time world champion in four different weight divisions, which only, uh, five Mexican boxers have ever accomplished in the history of boxing so, his work ethic, the way he treats other people, you know, the way he uh, puts everybody first instead of himself like, an example, one time he invited me over to his son’s birthday, and when I, when I got there, he served me, like he got a plate of food and he served me and, that right there shows a lot of character, like him being the world champion, him being the boss, and his still being humble enough to say “hey here’s this plate of food” that just encourages us to be the same way, you know like when just because you work witht the Clippers doesn’t make you better than anybody else, or just because you experience this specific thing doesn't make you better than anybody else, we’re all the same and everybody needs to get treated with respect and that’s one of the biggest things Iv’e learned with Leo and a couple other inspirations have been, uh, one of my, one of my college professors, he really uh, he really led me to working in sports specifically. Because you can say “I wanna work in sports” but, what do you wanna do? There’s tons of things to do, uh, there’s communications, there's, I.T, there’s marketing, there’s tons of departments so I had my professor really narrow down what I wanted to do in sports and he kinda gave me that confidence and he told me about this specific website where people post jobs, well not people, but teams and through that website I got hired. So he’s been a good mentor for me and right now I’m going back to school to get my masters and he’s been somebody that has inspired me and still helps me out till this day so. “

Anevay Lopez - “ What do you think is like the most important quality in a player?”

Rene - “ In a player, I think being coachable, being coachable because everybody is good, right? And if they’re in the NBA, they’re good so they can shoot better than the average person but, how are they gonna take adversity, how are they gonna be coachable, uh, are they ginna be able to listen to somebody else, right, cause you can think you know it all, but even at that level you don’t know it all. You have to be willing to learn, be willing to be coachable, and be willing to uh, put the work in. “

Anevay Lopez - “ Are there any rituals that your team does before a game?” 

Rene - “So, before, we had a, in the old arena, they, they did this specific thing where a certain player would run to the corner, scream, and get people pumped up. This year in the new arena I'm not sure what’s gonna happen, we have our first game on Monday, so, next time I come back I’ll let you know how everything goes. “

Elle Majors - “How are the players outside of the courts? 

Rene - “The outside of the courts, the players, very calm, professional, you know? This is a basketball game, but at the end of the day, it’s there job too, so they’re very professional, very, every time you see them, they’re very well put, well dressed, they’re there to handle business you know?”

Elle Majors - “And how do players psych themselves up, like mentally before a game?”

Rene - “So for sure there’s a lot of people that have routines and do like before a game so somebody like James Harden, he’s gonna get there three hours early before the game, and be shooting, so he’s like one of the first people out there shooting, and they shoot the same thing, like they have the same routine every single time. They shoot from a certain spot every time, so they, I think the routine and maybe some music is where they get some, where they get stuff going.”

Elle Majors - “Yeah, and what type of music do you guys listen to?”

Rene - “Oh for sure we listen to a lot of hip-hop. “

Elle Majors - “Yeah, and how do you guys work on, or how do you guys welcome new players?”

Rene - “So we have a team that is dedicated to the opposing, the away team, so pretty much, whatever they need from us, they’ll take care of like as soon as they get off the bus they take all their equipment and we store it in their locker room, we have a personal chef that’s  right there to, that will make them whatever they need, their protein, their nutrition, and the new arena now too, they’re gonna have their own area, they’re gonna have their own place, like I said, with the crypto, everybody was sharing so the hockey team, the NBA team was all sharing so now in our new arena, it’s just strictly for our basketball team so I’m sure the opposing team is gonna get taken care of very nicely. “

Stori Hoffman - “How does, how is this chemistry in your team right now?”

Rene - “So, you know we, we just lost a big player right now, we lost Paul George, so there’s gonna be a new, a new vibe there, but I feel like you know they’re professionals, it’s pretty much the same team and with the leadership of (inaudible) and James Harden I feel like they’re going to be able to go right back to how they were. “

Stori Hoffman - “And how do you keep that connection going on your team throughout the year?

Rene - “ I think for them it’s gonna be important to you know hang out after the game, we have some team bonding times and really become a close team, you know? When they’re on the road, we go out together, you know go out to dinner together, and really do things together instead of everybody just doing there own. I think if they do things together you’ll get a lot of time and experience.”

Angelie Go - “ What were your biggest challenges or obstacles you had to overcome by representing the LA Clippers?”
 

Rene - 

The biggest challenge, I wanna say is being able to perform every game, you know like we don’t really have too much room for mistakes, so every game is important, every game that we play is the superbowl to us, and because if I make a mistake, then it’s gonna be seen in front of thousands of people in the arena, and millions of people at home so we really have to be structured and organized, and you can’t take, there’s no such thing as an easy game. Sometimes, our workers will get a new worker and they’ll be like Oh today’s an easy game, and I said like there’s no such thing as an easy game and like every game you have to be prepared, for everything to go wrong and have an answer for everything if something goes wrong. So every game has to be stressful, it’s a good stress, it’s a good thing, but you have to hold that, you can’t just be, like they days are all chilling and we’re having fun, like this is work this is professional so like you have to execute every game.

Angelie Go - “Yes, and what are you most proud of for your career?”

Rene - “I wanna say I’m most proud of is being able to do this here, and being able to talk to you guys, and being able to inspire you guys, and in the future maybe open up some doors for you guys, and really give back in that sense, I know when I was going to school I didn’t know too much about working in sports, I didn’t know where to go or who to see you really, I’m one of the ones in my family, like when somebody says they wanna start working in sports, they don’t, like what are you gonna do, how are you going to do it, so just being able to be that door for other people and I’ve gotten like three people jobs, like from my former school, so I just try to help them as much as I can and if you guys in the future, whatever I can do, I’ll try to work with your teacher and see what we can do.”

Ava Garcia - “ What are some of the responsibilities of our job?”

Renee - “ So some of the responsibilities of my job is working, onr of the cool ones is working with the mascot, and making sure he has all the tools that he needs to go out there and get the fans engaged so, we have a t-shirt cannon that we do, we have a big t-shirt cannon that he goes around and shoots, um, we have props that we have to do, like it’s uh, during each time out we have a contest, so my job is to pick the person, like your teacher was saying, the half court shot. I’ll pick somebody that has to hit the 50,000 dollar half court shot. So I walk around and I talk to people and I ask them like, hey, if theyre insterested and stuff like that, so, that’s just some of the things, but, for example, if there’s a 7:30 game, 7:30 P.M., I have to be there by 11 A.M., and I’m there till 11 P.M. I’m there all day. 

Ava Garcia - “ If you were able to play for another basketball team, besides the Clippers, who would it be?”

Rene - “ I’m a Lakers fan, so, If I could play for the Lakers, you know, it would be different. 

Ava Garcia - “ Who are the Clipper’s biggest competitors and what are some challenges the Clippers have gone through?”

Renee- “ The biggest competitors, I wanna say the Warriors, the Lakers, the Pheonic Suns now, um, and the challenges that they face is just injuries, not being healthy. So if you’re not healthy, you can’t do much so, you know, that’s been the biggest things in the last few years and the playoffs are just not helping, it’s unfortunate so, it’s their biggest challenge. So if they stay healthy, they have a good chance. 

?? - “ What motivated you to this point?” 

Renee - “ I thnk my passion for sports. I’ve been playing sports since I was like six years old, so, that’s my passion so if I came to a point where I wasn’t playing anymore, I still wanted to work around it, be involved with sports so, I do my biggest passion, and also my family, you know, my support system, my team.

?? - “What skills have you developed while working with the L.A. Clippers?”

Renee- “So I wanna say, um, being able to communicate very well, being confident, there was at one pointin time, I was just like you guys, kinda nervous, kinda, a little scared, so being with the Clippers kinda gave me the confidence and being able to communicate with others and being able to use your voice you know and not just be soft or soft spoken.”

?? - “ How did it feel working with the L.A Clippers?”

Renee - “It feels amazing. It feels like a dream come true, so, it’s a blessing. 

Aubrey Thomas - “ What was the hardest game play?”

Renee - “ I wanna say, it’s always hard when you play the Lakers, because their Laker fans are so loud and they’re always there so, especially when we share the same arena as them, Laker games are always the hardest. “

Aubrey Thomas - “ Did you ?make any friend working at the la clippers??”

Renee - “ So I made a lot of friends, actually, some of my closest friends right now, um, came from the L.A. Clippers, working together, because we, we have to be so close, we have to be, like we have to look at each other and have to know what he’s needing so we have to really be on the same page so my best friends are definitely working for the clippers. 

Aubrey Thomas - “ What was your most famous gameplay?”

Renee - “ I think my personal most famous gameplay was against the Lakers, again, I came out on T.V. next to Lebron so my phone, as soon as it happened my phone was just going crazy, all my family were calling me so, that was my most famous gameplay. 

Aubrey Thomas - “WHat was the most embarrassing thing you've ever done?”

Renee - “ One time, somebody forgot to change an airtank on the , on a cannon, and when the mascot went out there, he shot the cannon and the t-shirt didn’t come out. So, and that’s our job, that’s our responsibility, so we’re right there like embarrassed.

Article written by: Sophia Keto & Elle Majors

Anthony Martinez :Q: What is your biggest accomplishment in your boxing career?

Adelaida ruiz :A: The biggest so far would be the WBC world championship title that I won just recently in september.

Anthony Martinez :Q: What are some goals that you have for your boxing career?

Adelaida ruiz :A: My goals are to become a unified world champion in different divisions, not only add 115 pounds but I'll add 118, 122 , and 126.

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Amanda :Q:  Was Boxing your original plan, if not what did you want to do?

Adelaida Ruiz :A: boxing was one of my plans when i was growing up, but i also wanted to become and i will become a juvenile probation officer, that's one of my dreams as well that'll be my second goal to accomplish besides boxing.

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Giovanni Martinez :Q:  If some things go wrong what motivates you to keep going?

Adelaida Ruiz :A: What motivates me to keep going is my family, my children, and most definitely my teen that believes sometimes more in me than I could believe in myself, so that really motivates me to keep going.

Giovanni Martinez :Q: If you were to teach boxing for young people, what advice would you give to them?

Adelaida :A: I actually coach for kids at the moment. So my advice I would give the kids is, for school first, boxing is second and never give up on what you want to do.

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Kylie Mitchell :Q: What is one thing that motivates you to do this career?

Adelaida ruiz:Q: I honestly grew up in the environment and my brothers started boxing first. My sister started boxing secondly and then I just followed because we were super close. When she joined I joined , once I got in the rink I fell in love with the sport.

Kylie Mitchell :Q: What was it like when you first joined boxing?

Adelaida Ruiz :A: Honestly I can't really remember how it was i know it was hard and a pretty tough sport because,i was just a kid and its alot of responsibility for us as children to manage what we eat because we have to give our weight when we fight so i just remember it was a lot of responsibility at 12 years old.

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Maryah Aguilar :Q: What made you start this career?

Adelaida Ruiz :A: What made me start this career was my sister. She started boxing and I was super close to her so I just followed her to the gym andi started from there.

Maryah Aguilar :Q: Did anyone help you get to your goal?

Adelaida Ruiz :A: Yes, I wanna say my entire team but mostly my father, my father is my coach as well so he's never stopped believing in me and because he believed in me i just continued because he believes in me and i just continue going, and he has help me out through everything.

Maryah Aguilar :Q: What feelings did you feel when you first entered the rink?

Adelaida Ruiz: A: Feelings? I just wanted to beat up somebody, I didn't think of anything else, I just thought of beating up all of the other kids in the rink.

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Eduardo Flores :Q: What did you feel after your first match?

Adelaida Ruiz: A: I would say as a amature, well I was 12 years old. I did lose my first amature fight. I felt really sad. I cried tons but it motivated me to keep going and wanting me to do more because of that challenge that i had.

Eduardo Flores :Q: how do you feel about your place in your career?

Adelaida Ruiz :A: I'm happy, but not fulfilled so I want more. I'm really happy and I'm very grateful for where I'm at.

Eduardo Flores :Q: What do you think will fulfill your placement in boxing?

Adelaida Ruiz :A: More titles under my name but not only being called the WBC,but the WBA, WBO,IBS.

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Imelda Olivas :Q: how did you get the nickname la cobra?

Adelaida Ruiz :A: My nickname was given to me by my first coach at 12 years old, he said i was pretty fast and dangerous and he said if i were to get through with one of my punches it would be over.

Imelda Olvias :Q: What age did you start boxing? 

Adelaida Ruiz :A: I started boxing at 12 years old

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Delilah Angel :Q: what's your opinion on your job?

Adelaida Ruiz :A: I think boxing is a great sport and great career not only because you could be a boxer but you could be a manager, as a coach, or a promoter so there's many ways to go in boxing.

Delilah Angel :Q: Who really inspired you to start this career?

Adelaida Ruiz :A: my dad, my dad always wanted to be a boxer but he wasn't able to by his mom and he always dreamed for one of his kids to become a professional boxer and become a world champion but none of my brothers did so he inspired me to give him the dream that he wanted.

Article written by, Kylie Mitchell

Thomas Jefferson Middle School

Interview with Carlos Munoz

Juan: I represent Sports Live Magazine middle school edition and I have a couple of questions for you, may I begin? 

Carlos Munoz: Thank you, of course, Nice to meet you 

Juan: How do you deal with the mental and physical strain of being a surfer?

Carlos Munoz: Oh yes it's very demanding because as the competitor you are wanting to win no matter how, sometimes you know we deal with like okay were happy, but in the competition world you want to be the best and sometimes when you want to be the best and you have many sacrifices or many things that get left behind for what you really want in the mind i believe that my belief in god is what help-ed me get through those times in my life because a competitor you want to be the best and you have many people that are very determined you know you lose more than you win, you know when you have god on your side no matter if you win or lose you will always have a purpose in your life i think that's how i managed my mental most of the time because god has many things you know i have my arms im complete so i try to appreciate the little things sometimes we take for granted and sometimes we dont appreciate because you want somethig so much that dosent happen i fell like your souls always going thorubgh as a competitor so if you have that mindset as a compiditor you lose you also win you know so i think thats i keept my mental state in the compitiion.

Juan: Do you have any hobbies outside of surfing?

Carlos Munoz: Yes I do I love eating, I cook I also used to love playing baseball I was a catcher because I always played all the games you know so it doesn't get boring and stuff like that but besides that I like to go the gym and surfing your fighting a lot of things other people the big waves the trash and so you know I try and go to the gym to keep healthy I also love rain and studying the bible (thank you) no man thank you, your awesome man.  

Henry: Hello my name is Henry Perez Barraza I come from Indio Middle School I have a couple of questions for you, may I begin?

Carlos Munoz: Of course, you can ask away Henry. 

Henry: Have you ever felt intimidated by the size of the wave?

Carlos Munoz: Oh yes many many times you know the time I went to Hawi time I got into a competition the waves were so big I didn't even look at the waves I went back in my room and put on my headphones Oh no man I don't want to drown and somehow I did the best hit of my life and I believe that when you have that much fear and you face it amazing things happen, fear is like something that doesn't let you hit your full potential so you know I have felt fear many times not only waves you know animals to I see sharks I see rocks you know it makes you think I don't want to die

Henry: oh

Carlos Munoz: So I think fear is a part of you that if you manage it you will have amazing results from the little things to the big things.

Carlos Munoz: Alright thank you for your amazing questions, Henry.

Nathan: Hello my name is Nathan and I am here to represent Sports Live Magazine middle school edition, i have a couple of questions for you can I begin?

Carlos Munoz: Yes please

Nathan: What was the biggest wave you’ve ever encountered while surfing? 

Carlos Munoz: The biggest wave I have encountered while surfing was about 30 feet. I was extremely scared while riding this wave Due to its intense size. It was like a movie to surf this thing, of course after this I felt incredibly proud of myself and pleased that I managed to ride this wave so well. 

Nathan: Have you ever encountered any sharks while out on the ocean surfing?

Carlos Munoz: Interesting question, well yes, while I was in Florida there were two massive sharks right next to me. The sharks were flowing in the ocean, the sharks completely ignored me which surprised me. 

Nathan: Thank you for answering my questions 

Issack: Hello my name is Issack, I'm here to represent sports live magazine Middle School Edition. I have a couple of questions for you. Can I begin?

Carlos Munoz: Yes of course you may begin asking your questions.

Issack: Did you ever fear the ocean as a kid?

Carlos Munoz: Well it might surprise you to know but, when I was a kid I did fear the ocean. When I was little, maybe nine years of age. I never liked the ocean. One day my mom brought me to the ocean. The waves were little but I got through it because my mom held my hand and the other side was my brother and he told me “You don't have to be scared of the ocean “ I feel like this was a key moment in my life that got me over the fear of the ocean. 

Issack: Thank you for answering my questions 

Carlos Munoz: No thank you.

Francisco: Hello my name is Francisco and, I am here to represent Sports Live Magazine middle school edition can I begin?

Carlos Munoz: Yes please 

Francisco: How do you separate your work life and your personal life?

Carlos Munoz: My personal life and my work life, interesting question.  Sometimes when I go traveling, you know because I am surfing I have to leave my family behind. When I eventually have to get on a plane so I can go compete I have to leave my family behind. I like to be extremely transparent about this because I feel that if I'm connected to my family I'm connected to myself. I believe that when you're very honest and very transparent all the time you don't need to separate the two.

Francisco: Thank you

Carlos Munoz: Thank you so much for your questions.

Mathew: Hello my name is Mathew and I am from Indio Middle School I represent Sports Live magazine. I have a question for you. May I begin?

Carlos Munoz: Yes please Mathew, ask away.

Mathew: What are the deepest waters you have surfed in?

Carlos Munoz: Well the deepest water I have ever surfed was at Sunset Beach in Hawaii, I was extremely far far far away from the beach. When you're out there that far from shore you don't just need to worry about the size of the waves but you also need to worry about how deep the water is.I believe that Hawaii is the deepest palace I have ever surfed at. 

Mathew: Thank you so much, Mr.Carlos

Mr Larry: Okay, we only have time for one more.

Jair Torres: Hello I am their teacher. I am from the same middle school as them, I have a couple more questions for you if you don’t mind.

Carlos Munoz: Yeah I don't mind.

Jair Torres: First thing is, when I was researching you for the interview I saw that you were born in Nicaragua but you're representing Costa Rica. Was that decision of choosing which nation to represent difficult for you or was that pretty easy? 

Carlos Munoz: It was pretty easy but first I think I have to explain to you a little bit before you understand. When I was growing up as a little kid my mom and my dad were very young. So you know when people are young they tend to argue a lot. So when I was about two months old my mom came to Costa Rica to work and to live with my father. I was raised here in Costa Rica but everyone treated me like I was from Nicaragua. It was almost like they were being a little racist towards me, so I had to grow up with that feeling on top of me. When I was seven years old, my dad had taken us to Nicaragua for two years. When I was in Nicaragua the people there treated me the same way the people of Costa Rica did. They treated me like I was an outsider and treated me poorly and they were being racist too. So for me, both sides were racist towards me, and this made me feel really bad when I was a little kid. But the way I managed to be better than those people was by just being kind to others and myself. So the decision to represent Costa Rica or Nicaragua was based on how the people treated me. So you know how the people of Costa Rica treat you very well and kind, so I decided to represent the people who have that type of kindness. So I don't like to say much about black white this or the other one but I'm very happy to represent Costa Rica. Not only because they respect everybody but they also love nature and want to take care of nature. So for me, it was a very easy choice to represent Costa Rica because they have given me a lot of good things in life.

Jair Torres: I completely understand why you decided to represent Costa Rica, from what I understand they treat you more like a family than Nicaragua, your homeland.

Carlos Munoz: Exactly most people who come to Costa Rica fall in love with the people due to their immense kindness.

Jair Torres: When I was researching you I was looking at your record for the Olympics and I saw that you have been competing since I believe 2011 right?

Carlos Munoz: Yes.

Jair Torres: I wanted to ask you the years shown to me where your best performances were in 2017 and 2018 but, I wanted to ask you what year you personally think you did the best. 

Carlos Munoz: My best year for me was 2021 because in 2020 when covid hit the world. I started that year with an injury on my right foot. That year started very negatively for me. There were 6 events in Australia and I started the sixth. I ended up losing those six events and when they canceled everything the next year I didn't have any points. I was worried about how I would enter the qualifiers. I saw that the people who competed in 2020 would have those points transferred to 2021 and I had 0 points. I didn’t have the possibility to get into the events, they ended up giving me a special device because I was injured and I ended up qualifying even though there were so many people who had hundreds of more points than I did. The biggest thing I ever qualified for was the world tour. You know I tried to be on the world tour for maybe 12 years. I tried many different ways, I tried training, not training many things and that year was special because I tried to do it with God. That's why I feel like that was my best year because it felt like I had God on my side.

Jair Torres: I also wanted to mention because since we're here in California did you pay a visit to the Hillary Clinton storms?

Carlos Munoz: No I didn't, I have never been to that area.

Jair Torres: alright perfect i'll give it back to him.

Carlos Munoz: Thank you very much!

Mr.Larry: Carlos thank you very much for doing this today I hope to see you again soon

Carlos Munoz: No thank you for giving me this opportunity to talk to you guys. This is amazing. So thank you guys very much.

Writer: Juan Valdez

Teachers: Mr.Larry, Jair Torres, Maeli Garcia, 

questioners: Henry, Nathan, Issack, Francisco, Mathew, Juan

Students: Javier DeJesus Alva, Leonidas Aragón, Lillian Aragon, Sebastian Barraza, Kitzia CastroMarti, Nathan Chaidez, Juan Chavez Ayala, Francisco Esquivel, Brandon Geiser, Isaac Gonzalez Diaz,Rafael Lerma Jr, Andrew Lopez, Alex Martinez, Tiffany Martinez Garuno, Katelyn Morin, Rodolfo Murillo, Matthew Parra, Henry Perez Barra, Aubree Pina, Christian Ramirez, Yaretzi Rodriguez, Diego Ruiz, David Saldana, Jacob Sandoval1, Julian Trevino, Jeremiah Valdez