Category: Sports & Leisure

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Local Business Sports & Leisure

Perce’s Kenpo Karate: What it Takes to be a Business Owner

To be an 8th-degree black belt in Kenpo Karate is one of the highest belts one can receive in martial arts. Paul Perce, owner and founder of Perce’s Kenpo Karate, holds one of the highest black belts in all of Ventura County, along with running a successful Karate studio for over 28 years in Fillmore California.

Today we dive into the story of a successful business owner in Ventura County and what they did to get where they are today. Paul Perce grew up in El Rio, Oxnard, where many know that the area has gang-affiliated groups residing there. The parents of Paul Perce didn’t want him and his brother to be involved with gangs, so his parents signed the brothers up for martial arts to keep them occupied throughout the day. Paul continued his love for martial arts for over 26 years training in a variety of arts kenpo, kali, and jiujitsu.

In 1996 Perce’s Kenpo Karate was opened in Fillmore California at the age of 26. He gained management skills by helping to instruct the Flores Brothers’ karate studio in Oxnard. That karate studio was also where he trained for many years. Paul learned the experience he needed and thus took the leap of faith opening his very own Kenpo karate studio. When interviewing Paul, he explained, “When teaching students, it’s very important to pay attention to every detail. That is the key to success.” The key to being successful in running a smooth business is to never overlook the small details, especially when training people of all ages. Perce’s Kenpo Karate has established a long-lasting foundation for Fillmore’s small community. Even though Fillmore is a small town, students of Paul even those based in Los Angeles County travel to Perce’s Kenpo to learn from him. Perce’s studio has created a strong relationship with his students and created an impact on the communities of Fillmore and Ventura. Paul’s plan for his business is to stay established in Fillmore but expand to different schools all around Ventura County teaching after-school self-defense classes.

Overall Paul has established a successful business through his eye for detail, organization, experience, and love for what he does. Establishing a business you don’t have passion for is not going to work if you do not love what you do. For Paul, his passion and love for karate will continue helping him build a proud long-lasting business in Fillmore, California teaching people of all ages the art of Kenpo Karate.

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Sports & Leisure

VC Women’s basketball Regular season finale

On Friday February 23rd, The VC Pirates faced Hancock Bulldogs in a fight to stay in the playoff running. That was Sophomore night honoring Tiernan Phillips , Alexis Howery , and Dani Henley . In a pre-game interview with VC Sophomore Alexis Howery about how she feels coming into this match up she expressed, “the last time we played them -Hancock- we had the best energy.” The Pirates had faith that they would be able to bring it home to make it in the playoffs.

VC had a steady start into the game, they had played the Bulldogs prior and came out victorious, 67-44. The first quarter ended with the Pirates trailing by 3 points. The second quarter was a back and forth match between teams both wanting the win, ending with a tie 22-22 going into the half. The game was close in score but VC couldn’t hold out and fell short to Hancock with a 42-56 final game score. VC sophomore Tiernan Phillips was lead scorer in the game with 12pts.

The VC Pirates are headed to Moorpark College on Saturday night, March 9, 2024 to take on the Raiders at 7pm in hopes of keeping their season alive. Click here for schedule and ticket information. See you there!

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Culture & Student Life Sports & Leisure

VC Women’s Basketball Will Grind Stronger and Smarter

Ventura College Women’s Basketball team’s loss Friday night to Allan Hancock was a devastating, but spectacular battle of their regular season finale. The outcome of this game (final score 56-42) won’t overshadow their present and future accomplishments; as they gain experience in sailing turbulent waters together as a team. Tiernan Phillips jetted 12 points, Sam McKenzie 7, Elena Ferrara 4, Alexis Howery 7, Alexa Coubal 7. 

The Pirates are coached by Ventura College’s best women’s basketball head coach: Ned Mircetic. As an inductee of the Ventura County Sports Hall of Fame, he is very humble and happy to share his chests full of priceless treasures: invaluable wisdom that has helped past and present players achieve their best in all aspects of their lives. In addition to his way of life philosophy of “basic fundamentals through team play to play hard,” he mentioned his focus is for his players to grind at life, and be at their best as they develop into adulthood. His passion to aid in their intellectual development individually and as a team has encouraged his current players to want to be better. According to Leslie Salazar, he expects them to show up early, be the smartest one, and work hard. Additionally, Alexa Coubal also praised his intelligence and ability to be a great teacher, something many coaches lack. 

It is also worth mentioning the pirates exquisitely demonstrated their philosophy “We Play Hard” both individually and collectively as a team. Before the game began, the pirates displayed an unifying force when they honored our flag during the national anthem. It was followed by the women’s basketball team honoring their 3 sophomores: Dani Henley, Alexis Howery, Tiernan Phillps, in a touching ceremony in which they received flowers, and in turn they took them to their families, who were in attendance and ready to cheer them on. 

Of course, defeating Allan Hancock would have meant everything to the Pirates, but let’s not forget they had a great season winning 9 out of 12 games. Friday’s defeat does not diminish their chance to be victorious (once again), since there’s another opportunity for our women’s team extend their playoff run this Saturday night against Moorpark College. Be certain coach Ned expects the Ventura College Women’s Basketball team to show up on Saturday, live life, and play with a high degree of intelligence.

VC Women’s Basketball Team Schedule & Tickets

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Culture & Student Life Sports & Leisure

VC Social at the Ventura College Women’s Basketball Game

I was able to go behind the scenes and interview some of the women that played in the basketball game last Friday February 23rd, 2024 at Ventura College. There are two in particular that stood out to me and would like to share their stories. I was able to speak with them pregame and I even managed to attend one of their team practice sessions where I got to do the interviews. I hope you enjoy their story as they are some very nice and friendly people that have also had their struggle to be where they are today.

This is Alexis Howery. She has been playing basketball her entire life. Since childhood, she would go to Ventura College with a friend of hers and play basketball together practicing their shots. Today both her and her friend, Tiernan Philips, are on the women’s basketball team at Ventura College. Alexis is a sophomore, and a shooting guard for the Ventura College basketball team. This year they got many new members in their team, and they seem to all get along well and have grown a pretty close friendship with one another. 

Alexis is part of the first generation in her family to go to college and it seems to be a big driving factor for her to do good in school. She has four siblings, three brothers and one sister. Alexis didn’t want to be part of the basketball team at first. She wanted to join gymnastics or do another sport, but basketball ran in her family so she kind of fell into it. She still enjoys playing basketball and takes it very seriously. 

This is Daphné LeBrun, she is a point guard at Ventura College. During one of her more recent games she was injured and will need surgery. She was in the middle of a game when she miss-stepped and ended up tearing her ACL. Due to the severity of her injury, not only will she need surgery, but she also won’t be able to play for the rest of the season. Despite her situation she remains cheerful and keeps cheering for her teammates at the games. She also said, “it’s harder to see them at practice because I want to join them and participate when they are in a game it’s easier for me because I can just cheer for them”. 

Daphné originally came to America from France and was planning on staying here for another four years. She wanted to do all of her school in the United States but since she was injured, she will be returning to France next year to recover. One of her main concerns besides the surgery itself is her not being able to play basketball the way she used to. She will most likely stay in France for the rest of her schooling and potentially play basketball over there when she recovers. 

This Wednesday February 28th, 2024 they will have their last playoffs game at (time of the game) you are all more than welcome to come and show your support at the game click below for more details!!!

https://www.vcweplayhard.com/sports/wbkb/2023-24/schedule

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Arts & Entertainment Sports & Leisure

New Podcast: VC Social Talks Three Seasons of Ted Lasso on Apple TV+

Ted Lasso season 3 has come and gone. Since this was one of our favorite shows at VC Social, Torrey Rodriguez and Ximena Alvear join Nick Norris to discuss the series, ranging from favorite moments to how the show has influenced their actual lives.

Follow Ximena on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/heyyximena/

Follow Torrey on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/torreyleigh3/

Connect with Nick on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickjnorris/

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Arts & Entertainment Local Business Social Media Sports & Leisure

If You Surf You Should Check Out False Front Media

Social media is a growing multi-use tool for everyone. Surfers and skaters have been able to capitalize on social media as a way to grow their audience and earn money by promoting brands. It can be tough, for local surfers especially, to get good quality clips showcasing their skills. This is where False Front Media can help. False Front Media records clips of surfers, skaters, and more on a high quality camera and creates video edits for their social media feeds.

Here’s a YouTube video that takes a behind the scenes dive into False Front Media.:

Filmed and edited By Schuyler Arevalo

False Front Media was created by Noah Gilbert, an Oxnard local. Him and his team help create and promote high quality videos on social media, they primarily operate on Instagram and YouTube. My experiences working with False Front Media have been positive. The process no matter the project has always been quick, enjoyable, and productive. Noah Gilbert has great ideas for video creation, once his vision is set and the video starts coming together I’m always able to appreciate the art of putting clips together to make a video a little bit more.

Here is a link to their Instagram page to see some of their work: https://www.instagram.com/falsefrontmedia/

Here is a link to their Youtube page to see some of their work: https://www.youtube.com/@falsefrontmedia

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Sports & Leisure

Katey Mulville: Standout Announces Transfer

Katey Mulville #10 is a standout indoor and beach volleyball here at Ventura College. Just recently she announced she would be continuing her beach volleyball journey at a D1 school, CSU Bakersfield. The 6’0 kill generator provides a strong block in beach volleyball and can move great on defense. Being a student athlete about to transfer to a Division 1 school means that you have a pretty busy schedule, but Katey was still able to find time to answer some questions I had for her.

Question 1: “What was the biggest factor when you chose to commit to CSU Bakersfield?”

Answer 1: “The biggest factor for me was getting the chance to actually go and visit the girls and the campus. Going on the visit gave me a true perspective of how their program is ran, getting to watch them conduct a practice. I got to experience the leadership and sisterhood that the program has. I also got to experience the campus life while walking around and felt super welcomed by every person or faculty that I got to meet. 

Question 2: About 6 years ago when you started playing in high school did you think you’d commit to a D1 school?

Answer 2: I would have NEVER thought I’d commit to playing at a D1 school. I started playing volleyball for fun and then it completely sprouted into a love or passion. Also starting in high school is actually quite a late start for most people that go anywhere after high school. I’m extremely lucky to have been apart of some great programs from high school, to one club team, and an awesome junior college crew. High school Katey would be so proud. 

Question 3: What do you think the biggest adjustment will be playing at CSU Bakersfield?

Answer 3: The biggest adjustment for playing at CSUB would definitely be the level of playing and time commitment. Since it’s a D1 school the level of play is obviously higher so that will be a daily challenge to continue to expand as a player to reach higher levels. And time commitment is similar to my junior college schedule except for the D1 has strength training as a priority even during season so that will be an adjustment for time management on a day to day and physical challenge.

As Katey prepares to take a huge step in her playing career it’s evident that all of the hard work she has consistently put in over the years is paying off.

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Sports & Leisure

UEFA Champions League Results

In case you missed the UEFA Champions League here are some quick results.

Snapper Jack's Taco Shack – VC Social

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Sports & Leisure

UEFA Champions League

The UEFA Champions League is an annual Futbol (Soccer) competition that is played in the beautiful continent of Europe. The importance and the quality of competition played in the Champions League is of the highest class. 32 teams are drawn into eight groups with the best two teams of each group going on into the round of 16. The winners from the round of 16 will go on to the quarter finals then the semifinals and finally the final game.

The Champions League started in 1955 and since has become the biggest and most viewed yearly sporting event in the world. When compared the 2021 Super Bowl had a viewership of 110 million worldwide while the 2021 UEFA Champions League had 700 million views.

Bayern Munich (Germany), Real Madrid (Spain), Liverpool (England), Millian (Italy), and Barcelona (Spain) are amongst the most successful teams in Champions League history. Since 1955-56, there have been 28 cities across 17 different European countries which have hosted a Champions League final. Portugal’s/ Manchester United’s Cristiano Ronaldo has the record on most goals scored in the Champions League with 140 while Argentina’s/Paris Saint Germain’s Lionel Messi has 125 goals putting him in 2nd place. These two mega stars are the only players who have reached more than 100 goals in the UEFA Champions League.

The Champions League is something I really recommend watching. There are very little things people all over the world enjoy but this is one of them. Here is a list of all the winners. It will help you catch up on the history.

List of Winners

SeasonWinnersRunners-upScore
2020-21ChelseaManchester City1–0
2019-20Bayern MunichParis Saint-Germain1-0
2018-19LiverpoolTottenham Hotspur2-0
2017-18Real MadridLiverpool3-1
2016-17Real MadridJuventus4-1
2015-16Real MadridAtlético Madrid1-1 (5–3)
2014-15BarcelonaJuventus3-1
2013-14Real MadridAtlético Madrid4-1
2012-13Bayern MunichBorussia Dortmund2-1
2011-12ChelseaBayern Munich1-1 (4–3)
2010-11BarcelonaManchester United3-1
2009-10InternazionaleBayern Munich2-0
2008-09BarcelonaManchester United2-0
2007-08Manchester UnitedChelsea1-1 (6–5)
2006-07MilanLiverpool2-1
2005-06BarcelonaArsenal2-1
2004-05LiverpoolMilan3-3
2003-04PortoMonaco3-0
2002-03MilanJuventus0-0
2001-02Real MadridBayer Leverkusen2-1
2000-01Bayern MunichValencia1-1
1999-2000Real MadridValencia3-0
1998-99Manchester UnitedBayern Munich2-1
1997-98Real MadridJuventus1-0
1996-97Borussia DortmundJuventus3-1
1995-96JuventusAjax1-1
1994-95AjaxMilan1-0
1993-94MilanBarcelona4-0
1992-93MarseilleMilan1-0
1991-92BarcelonaSampdoria1-0
1990-91Red Star BelgradeMarseille0-0*
1989-90MilanBenfica1-0
1988-89MilanSteaua Bucureşti4-0
1987-88PSVBenfica0-0
1986-87PortoBayern Munich2-1
1985-86Steaua BucureştiBarcelona0-0
1984-85JuventusLiverpool1-0
1983-84LiverpoolRoma1-1
1982-83HamburgJuventus1-0
1981-82Aston VillaBayern Munich1-0
1980-81LiverpoolReal Madrid1-0
1979-80Nottingham ForestHamburg1-0
1978-79Nottingham ForestMalmö FF1-0
1977-78LiverpoolClub Brugge1-0
1976-77LiverpoolBorussia Mönchengladbach3-1
1975-76Bayern MunichSaint-Etienne1-0
1974-75Bayern MunichLeeds United2-0
1973-74Bayern MunichAtlético Madrid1-1
1973-74 ReplayBayern MunichAtlético Madrid4-0
1972-73AjaxJuventus1-0
1971-72AjaxInternazionale2-0
1970-71AjaxPanathinaikos2-0
1969-70FeyenoordCeltic2-
1968-69MilanAjax4-1
1967-68Manchester UnitedBenfica4-1
1966-67CelticInternazionale2-1
1965-66Real MadridPartizan2-1
1964-65InternazionaleBenfica1-0
1963-64InternazionaleReal Madrid3-1
1962-63MilanBenfica2-1
1961-62BenficaReal Madrid5-3
1960-61BenficaBarcelona3-2
1959-60Real MadridEintracht Frankfurt7-3
1958-59Real MadridStade de Reims2-0
1957-58Real MadridMilan3-2
1956-57Real MadridFiorentina2-0
1955-56Real MadridStade de Reims4-3
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Sports & Leisure

Meet The Pirate: Alberto Arroyo (aka Tito) #30

Saturday, the VC football team clinched the 2021 Northern Conference Title, defeating a past rival, Canyons. A key player in the success of our Pirates this year is Kicker/Punter, Alberto Arroyo. 

A Carpinteria High School alum, Tito wasn’t raised playing football, but rather soccer.  (It’s not uncommon for the Kicker/Punter to be a soccer player.) Originally, Arroyo had no interest in football, but before his sophomore year of high school, he was recruited by some friends who recognized his talent. He decided to play for fun! He played 4 years of soccer and 3 years of football with the Carpinteria High School Warriors. 

When asked about adjusting his kicking technique as he switched from soccer to football, Tito explained, “The technique is way different, especially with the follow through. It took time for me to get used to it.” Arroyo attended training camps where he was able to work on his technique and strength as a kicker. His lifelong soccer training served as a great foundation for his kicking career. 

In his senior year, Tito had friends already attending Ventura College who recruited him to continue his football journey and play for VC Pirates. In 2019, Tito joined Ventura College Football as a kicker. He played a lot during his first season and the Pirates went 8-3 that year. 

In 2020 when the pandemic hit, Tito and his teammates were able to continue practicing despite not having a real season. They trained together and united as a team. The players grew closer to their coaches and respected each other on a whole new level. Arroyo mentioned in 2019 when he first started all the players didn’t play as a team as much as they all did for themselves. During Covid, they began to take their coaches advice more seriously and created a bond amongst the whole team and coaching staff. 

With the lifting of the restrictions from the pandemic, the Pirates football team emerged united as a powerhouse team not to be reckoned with. After an undefeated season so far, last Saturday the Pirates defeated Canyons, a rival team who had beat them in 2019. Ventura College and Canyons were the top two teams in Southern California. Tito attributes that game as his favorite because so much was riding on it. It made their victory that much sweeter. Tito’s punts and field goals were essential to the success of the team.

Aside from football, Arroyo has already completed his AA in Communications at Ventura College. He hopes to continue his football career and transfer to Fresno State in the spring. 

Tito will be playing on Saturday, November 13 at home against East Los Angeles. If they, the Pirates would clinch the top seed in the Southern California Football Association’s Final Four, securing home field advantage throughout the state playoffs. Kickoff at the Sportsplex is scheduled for 6:00 pm as VC Athletics celebrates Veteran Student Night and Military Appreciation Night.