Lucas de Lima - Reporter
I am a first year writer and reporter for the Redwood Gigantea. I mostly cover post-games and perspectives of students on sports and athletic life. I have learned that being a successful journalist consists of knowing and understanding the schedule of all the sports in the school, and having the connections to cover them thoroughly. The aspect of covering a full review of the game so even people that did not attend can know what happened, is important about my work. I am proud of giving detailed coverage of as many sports as I can for the Gigantea and Redwood.
Semester 1 Stories
Varsity Boys Water Polo cruise to 16-3 preseason win over Liberty
This story is a post-game covering the Varsity boys water polo win over Liberty on August 23, 2022. There is a short description of the game, and interviews of the starting goalie Magnus Burgess '24 and winger David Ross '25. This story highlights my great analyzing skills and my accuracy of reporting, because I attended the game and kept stats and score on paper.
This story matters because it informs all water polo fans on how the team was looking before the official start of the season. It impacts the players, especially the players that I interviewed. It helps our reader community by giving more outlook and spotlight on the exciting water polo community.
More Than Just a Game: Fantasy Football and Its Connection to Students
This story was released on the day the NFL season began, and covered the excitement of fantasy football for the upcoming season. I interviewed three students for this article, Thomas Plummer '25, Mia Trevino '25, and Jason MacDonald '26. They talked about their experiences playing fantasy football, and what players they were going to draft. It also explained what fantasy football is, for the beginners and first-time discoverers. This story indicates my journalistic strength of knowledge on the topic at hand. I play fantasy football, so I knew how to explain it to a beginner and I could also give my own personal insight.
This story matters because it showcases a very interesting part of the sports world that maybe not everyone knows about. It informs readers about what fantasy football is, and if they find it appealing they could try it for themselves. This impacts the fantasy football community because they could gain more players and followers off of the exposure from this story.
Stuck on the Sidelines: Our Injured Football Players
This article is about 3 football players that were injured for the majority or the entirety of the season. I interviewed 2 Junior Varsity players, Noah Arellano '25, and Xavier Jamie '25. I also interviewed a Varsity player, Nathaniel Kinser '24. The questions revolve around what their injury was, how they got injured, and how long they would be out for. This shows my journalistic strength of covering hidden stories. These players all make impacts to the teams, yet they aren't covered much if at all, because they are just on the sidelines and away from the field.
This article matters because it informs the community on who is injured on the football team and how/why they are injured. The article also gives a necessary spotlight to the players that are injured and help them to get noticed off the field. It makes them feel seen and appreciated for their efforts and impact on the football team.
Cross Country Keeps on Running to the Hills
This story covers the cross-country team at the halfway mark of their season. There are three interviews, one with boys Varsity member Thomas Rasner '25, boys Junior Varsity member Dillon Brown '25, and girls Varsity member Hailey Rasmussen '23. They talked about their pre-race rituals, their bonds with their teammates, and their goals for the rest of the season. This story showcases my ability to combine diverse perspectives into one story. All three players I interviewed were a part of different levels of the cross-country program, with all of them being on the team for their first year.
This story matters because it covers an unappreciated part of Redwood athletics. Our cross-country teams have very successful programs, yet they aren't covered as much as football or basketball. The story also matters because it allowed new members of the cross-country team to voice their new experiences, and that may inspire more people to become interested in joining the team.
Cowhide: The One and Only
This article is a deep dive into the rich history of the Cowhide game, and the physical Cowhide too. I summarized the origins of the rivalry, and how the first two decades of games played out. I explained the lore behind the current physical Cowhide, and the mysterious second Cowhide in history during the 2000s. This article highlights my accurate coverage on a popular topic. I used a book by the former Gigantea advisor, John D. Fischer, for my main credible source for the article. The book covers the first 50 years of the Cowhide game, complete with lineups and accurate game descriptions from a trustworthy source.
This article matters because of how much the Cowhide means to the people involved. This story covers how it became so important, it reveals the origin of the game that we cherish so much today. The article informs the community on how the game evolved over the years, and what makes it so special to watch. It also informs the community of the great athletes that have played in the Cowhide since its inception.
Wrestling Scrimmage kicks off the 2022-2023 Season
This story is a post-game on the first boys Wrestling scrimmage that occurred on November 9, 2022. It includes three interviews two with Varsity members and one with a Junior Varsity member. The varsity members are Aj Camarillo '24 and Alec Harrold '24. The Junior Varsity member was Maxwell Nelson '25. They explained their performances at the scrimmage and their goals for the season. This story indicates my journalistic strength of describing the context of stories. I described how many weight classes wrestling has, and when their next match would be.
This story matters because it covers the boys wrestling program as they are just barely starting the season. It gives a good perspective as to how the players are feeling early on in the season, and we can use this story as a benchmark for future wrestling coverage down the road later in the season. It also impacts the wrestling newcomer that I interviewed, Nelson, because it gives him an incentive to stay in the wrestling program for years to come.
FIFA World Cup: The Pinnacle of Soccer
This article is half a deep dive into the history of the World Cup, and half an interview with two sophomore soccer fans. I interviewed Daniel Goswick '25, who is a member of the Junior Varsity (JV) soccer team, and Cristian Carlos, who is a member of the JV basketball team. The story goes over their thoughts on their favorite national team's performance in the World Cup. What is also covered is how the World Cup functions, and some brief facts about it. This article indicates my journalistic strength of prior knowledge on the topic, because for some of the facts I included I did not need to research them online, I just knew them from my head prior to writing the article.
This article matters because it informs the public about one of the greatest and most popular sporting events of all time. New fans can leave reading the article with a new fact or new information they may have never known before. It helps our readers to understand more about the background behind the tournament and what makes it so special. If they know this information, they can appreciate the value of the World Cup more.
The Great Debate: Ronaldo Versus Messi
This story is an overview of the sports debate between the two global soccer superstars Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. There are three interviews, one with Varsity soccer player Andres Gutierrez '24, and two with Jeremiah Escobar '25 and Surman Singh '23. I asked them questions like, why are you a fan of Ronaldo and Messi? Plus, if you were Ronaldo where would you choose to play to finish your career? This story reveals my journalistic strength of getting different perspectives out of interviews. I got perspectives from both Ronaldo and Messi fans, creating a diverse story for the readers.
This story matters because it goes over the extremely popular debate of Messi versus Ronaldo, from a Rangers perspective. It informs readers from around the world how students in California view the worldwide debate. This story impacts soccer fans that want to know how Messi and Ronaldo are revered throughout Redwood. This story helps our reader community by allowing them to read the opinions of students that are not discussed frequently inside of school life.
Perfect: The Dark Side of the Moon Review
This feature story is a detailed review on the 1973 rock album called The Dark Side of the Moon. Created by Pink Floyd, the album is heralded as one of the greatest of all time, with each track being its own musical experience. The journalistic strengths that are on display in this piece are my detailed and lengthy descriptions of songs, and my ability to write an emotional piece in a feature writing style. It does this through asking the reader questions, and going beyond the surface level of information and finding the hidden meaning.
The feature story matters because it notifies a new generation to an older album that was very popular in its time. It impacts everyone that has not heard it yet, because it would be their first time getting exposed to the musical contents of the album. The feature also helps out our reader community because it includes a much needed vintage album review in contrast to all of the modern album reviews that are on the Redwood Gigantea.
Varsity Baseball Complete Undefeated League Campaign With Emotional Senior Night Victory
This post-game sports story covers the final league game that the boys Varsity baseball team played this year. It details the score, the teams, the winning pitcher, and the location. We interviewed three senior baseball players; one in person and two through Instagram messages and Snapchat messages. We asked them questions about their senior night experience and their past and future. This story shows my journalistic strength of writing more emotional pieces. The topic of a senior night is very emotional to the players and the community itself, so I added some quotes to reflect that.
This story matters because it showcases a specific and important game of the boys varsity baseball season. It informs readers of objective and subjective information, like the result of the game and the feelings the players had themselves. It helps the reader community because it highlights an important rivalry match up between two classic Visalia high schools. It impacts the seniors because it is an account of their only senior night, one that they will have memories with forever. This account is from another perspective of the game, one from an author and interviewer, and not from a player.
Reflection
Where have I been?
Before I attended my first journalism class, I thought it would be more hands-on, and less digital work. I also thought we would write stories on Google Docs, or on paper, instead of writing on WordPress. I overestimated the amount of newspapers that we would release as well. I also thought that the teacher/advisor was going to be the editor-in-chief, and have to be required to read all the stories before they are released.
Where am I now?
Due to me taking journalism, I can interview students with effective questions to get effective answers. I can also describe the context of a situation to help another person learn more. I am also able to know the sports schedule and calendar, so I know when games are being played. I can talk to teachers with respect when entering their classrooms unannounced, to protect the legacy of the Gigantea.
Where am I going?
My goals for next semester are to branch out of the sports section, and to write stories faster. My goal for my section is I want the sports section to cover all possible sports as accurately as possible. If we are accurate, our stories will be respected more, and we will be able to grow our audience. If I write my stories faster, I will also be able to grow my own audience by being able to release more stories for more exposure.