Neil Armstrong was born in Wapakoneta, Ohio, on August 5th, 1930. After he served in the Korean War, and finishing college, he joined an organization that would soon become known as NASA in 1962. He was the command pilot for his first mission, Gemini VIII, in 1966. He was also the first spacecraft commander for Apollo 11, the first lunar mission, and the first man to walk on the moon.

By: Vivian Chan 8th Grader

      Armstrong developed a fascination with flight, starting from an early age. When Neil turned sixteen, he earned his student pilot’s license. In 1947, Armstrong began to study aeronautical engineering at Purdue University on a U.S. Navy scholarship. Unfortunately, he was interrupted in 1949, when he was called to serve in the Korean War as a U.S. Navy pilot. Armstrong flew 78 combat missions during this war, and left his services in 1952 to return to college. A couple years later, Armstrong joined the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), which later became National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

   In Armstrong’s personal life, he married Janet Shearon in 1956. The couple soon added to their family, and their son Eric arrived in 1957, followed by their daughter, Karen, in 1959. Sadly, Karen died of complications with an inoperable brain tumor in January 1962. The following year, they welcomed their third son, Mark.

       During that same year, Armstrong joined the astronaut program, and moved his family to Houston, Texas. There, he served as a command pilot for his mission, Gemini VIII. His fellow astronaut, David Scott, and he were launched into earth’s orbit on March 16, 1966. During the mission, however, they experienced from problems and had to cut their mission short. They landed in the Pacific Ocean eleven hours after their mission started, and were later rescued by the U.S.S. Mason.

     Armstrong came upon an even bigger challenge in 1969. With Michael Collens and Edwin E. “Buzz” Aldrin, he was part of NASA’s first attempted to land on the moon. Armstrong piloted the Lunar Module to the moon’s surface on July 20, 1969, with Buzz Aldrin aboard. When they finally arrived on the moon’s delicate surface, they spent about two and a half hours collecting samples and conducted experiments. They also took pictures, including their footprints.

   After returning on July 24, 1969, the Apollo 11 craft came down from the West of Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean. Armstrong received numerous awards for his courage efforts, including the Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Space Medal of Honor. One of Armstrong’s most famous quotes were “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” 

    Men’s basketball in the Olympic Games is an entertaining sport for many viewers in the world. The Olympic Games receives three to four billion viewers every four years, and that puts a tremendous pressure on U.S.A’s Men’s basketball team. The team includes Carmelo Anthony, Kobe Bryant, Tyson Chandler, Anthony Davis, Kevin Durant, James Harden, Andre Iguodala, LeBron James, Kevin Love, Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook, and Deron Williams, each from different teams.

          NBA stands for National Basketball Associations. The league was founded on June 6, 1946 in New York City. The National Basketball Association was founded by owners of major ice hockey arenas. The first international league was known as “BAA.” But, it failed because it was no different than other clubs or leagues.  After, in 1979, ABA encouraged to create a 3-pointer shooting area. This was an advantage, because if one shoot from the 3-pointer line, and make the basket in, the team earns three points instead of a single point. 

     In my opinion, I think that Team USA was a very strong team that practiced daily and worked hard for that game. Each player was important, and had an important role in the game. They all had positive attitudes towards the games, and sacrificed a tremendous amount of time for practicing with the team. “LeBron James Has shown an incredible amount of growth as a person, as a player, and as a leader,” says Jerry Colangelo (managing director of USA basketball.” “And it’s all because of what has transpired in his life.”

          NBA stands for National Basketball Associations. The league was founded on June 6, 1946 in New York City. The National Basketball Association was founded by owners of major ice hockey arenas. The first international league was known as “BAA.” But, it failed because it was no different than other clubs or leagues.  After, in 1979, ABA encouraged to create a 3-pointer shooting area. This was an advantage, because if one shoot from the 3-pointer line, and make the basket in, the team earns three points instead of a single point. 

     In my opinion, I think that Team USA was a very strong team that practiced daily and worked hard for that game. Each player was important, and had an important role in the game. They all had positive attitudes towards the games, and sacrificed a tremendous amount of time for practicing with the team. “LeBron James Has shown an incredible amount of growth as a person, as a player, and as a leader,” says Jerry Colangelo (managing director of USA basketball.” “And it’s all because of what has transpired in his life.”

On July 8th, 2012, Arcadia’s BU-14 Soccer National Team won 5th place in the American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO) National Games held in Knoxville, Tennessee. This team from AYSO Region 2 was led by Coaches Ken Joe and Cung Nguyen with two assistant coaches Mike Joe and Daniel Joe. 

The team (Captains: Zach Nickles and I) consisted of 14 talented and passionate,14-year-old boys who were selected to represent AYSO Region 2. AYSO is the largest single-entity youth soccer association in the U.S. with more than 650,000 registered players. Region 2 is made up of multiple cities, including Arcadia, Monrovia, Sierra Madre, Duarte, Bradbury and East Pasadena. The team was selected to compete against the other teams from all around the nation. The AYSO National Games is the largest annual soccer tournament in the US with total 3,300 players and 220 teams. 

Like the Olympics, the Opening Ceremony of the National Game was an interesting kick-off event in a large stadium where each team walked through the entrance and circled around the entire field while the whole crowd cheered as an announcer introduced each team. Teams came from all over the country from states ranging from Michigan to Hawaii. Following the introduction, AYSO brought some dog trainers to invite two lucky teams to play against some specially trained dogs in a short penalty shootout style game. We also watched some Indian dancers perform their traditional dances which were entertaining. The Opening Ceremony created a relaxing atmosphere for people to know each other before the intensive competition.

Sooner than I imagined, we were on the field the next day at our first game against the team from Bakersfield, California. As soon as the team hit the field, we knew we were in for a fight. In the end, we ended up tieing Bakersfield 1-1. I think that for most of our players, this was a wake-up call telling us how intensive and physical games would be. We would have to fight for every single inch of the field. The ball would constantly change sides and it wasn’t uncommon to meet it with your head or chest. After that match, many players complained about how drenched in sweat we were because a typical summer day in Knoxville has temperature of 90 oF and humidity of 90%. The parents also felt like they had just taken a swim while watching us, until we kindly reminded them that we were the ones actually playing the game.

Vick Liu kicks defends against Bakersfield team


Starting from the 2nd game, every game was a success. Almost all of the games ended in wins and our team’s spirit was running high. Scores included: 6-0 against Lockport, Illinois; 7-1 against Tucson, Arizona; 5-2 against Knoxville, Tennessee; 6-2 against East China, MI. The only team we lost to was Woodland Hills, CA. Games were intense and I remember one game in particular. It was our game against Tucson, Arizona. We got up fairly early (6AM Eastern time) and met at the field groggily. The field was completely wet and many players got their socks muddy. Most players were still half asleep. We started off the game with a shaky start and the team struggled to work together. Bad passes, lack of teamwork, and slow communication let the opposing team quickly launch a goal into the net. It was a total slap in the face for us. At our quarter break, we received a fair amount of scolding and rearranged ourselves mentally. As a result of hard working and better strategy, we ended up scoring 7 goals against the other team and destroying their hopes of winning.

When the games ended each day, we all went out to eat together and it was just one big feast. All the boys would sit separate from the adults and just mess around while enjoying the food. Free time outside of meals and soccer games were spent chilling out in each other’s rooms and just relaxing as much as we could. One teammate even brought a GameCube and it wouldn’t be surprising to see his room full of players joyfully gaming away. Apart from that, we would also hang out in the hallways, munching on whatever we could find, and doing what all boys our age do. Our hotel was full of other soccer teams so we quickly became good friends with some of the U-16 and U-19 girls if you know what I mean.

The Arcadia’s BU-14 Team in all aspects did great at the Games. In the end, we took the 5th place in the tournament. During my time at the National Games, I have learned more than just soccer. Teamwork, sportsmanship, and communication skills were all improved. Great trust was built among the teammates. Relationships between the boys and parents were enhanced. I have learned that it’s good to broaden one’s horizon by meeting and becoming friends with people from other cities and states. Overall, this is a lifetime experience that I will cherish down the road.