Like a Dog Walking on Its Hind Legs…

Written by DA Staff on 26 April 2010

by Katrina A.

As Gale Jesi would say, “teachers are people too—and that as quick as you can say ‘pencils down’ teachers go home and transform their identity to that of partner, parent, writer, artist, musician, or athlete . . .”.  Whether it involves charity, UHS student interactions, or personal enjoyment, teachers anywhere from the south campus to the Upper campus stay active whether they’re on the beach, in the water, on the court, or even on the ice. While athletics play a big part in UHS tradition, they play an external part in teachers’ lives as well.

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A confident man once said, “sharks are like earthquakes—you can’t spend your life worrying about them!” This confident man is English teacher Scott Laughlin, who spends his leisure time surfing the southern California coasts. When not surfing, Scott spends his Thursday nights shooting hoops at the JCC, but he still prefers the waves to the court. “As I get older, the toll that the game [of basketball] takes on my body has become pretty intense. That’s why surfing, which is extreme but very easy on the body (paddling is low impact) is a better long-term option.” Sorry to say Scott, but one thing sharks have that earthquakes do not is teeth, so I will be staying off the board for now.

Even when not teaching UHS students in school, teachers Sarah Pelmas and Minh Nguyen work with UHS students outside of school. Since high school and college, Sarah Pelmas has been a competing rower and is currently on a competitive team of 40 women that she has rowed with for the last 15 years. Recently, Sarah was able to row with one UHS student. “I’ve competed all over the country and even got to race recently with Colin McGaw as the coxen (the one who steers the boat, manages the race plan and cheers the rowers on)!” says Sarah. With a brutal workout, Sarah and her team train 4 days a week year round starting at 5:30 am.

Minh Nguyen, mathematics extraordinaire, once was a semi-pro tennis player. Bringing his talent to UHS, he has helped coach two boys’ tennis season and one girls’ tennis season alongside current tennis coach John Yandell. Other than tennis, Minh also plays soccer and badminton. Other tennis players on staff include foreign languages teacher Ana Gonzalez, who also plays and has played many other sports including softball, skiing, biking, and backpacking.  Are you surprised at the diversity in athletics among the faculty and staff yet?

Some students may not recognize the name Holly Johnson, esteemed triathlon runner and Director of Alumni Relations at school, but since 2005, Holly has been running triathlons and half-marathons.  She currently trains with a team called East Bay Tri, which runs to raise money for the Leukemia and Society.  She says about her upcoming triathlon, “Right now I’m training for the Wildflower Triathlon on May 2. It is a 1500 meter (about one mile) swim in Lake San Antonio (near King City), a 24-mile bike ride and a 10K run.”  Holly is training for something that many of us cannot accomplish. One other hidden and avid runner in the school, is our very own librarian Rachel Sher.  Holly and Rachel are training at a sport that not many of us have the will power to face.

Film teacher and expert Danny Plotnick may not seem intimidating, but little does the UHS community know that he plays on an intermediate level hockey team called the Red Barons. The ages on the team range from 15 to 50, but mainly contains men in their thirties. “I hadn’t played on a team since my high school years.  I was kind of intimidated going into my first game, but I’m holding my own and started scoring a lot as the season went on,” Danny says and then joked, “I averaged a point a game in my first season, which, if I played in the NHL would mean I’d be a millionaire.”  Danny has a lot of courage to face angry hockey players on a regular basis, and seems very committed to his sport, just like the other teacher’s at this school.  So, now do you think teachers have lives outside of school?

Tags: personal life, Sports, teachers
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