PARADE HONORS TEAM, HEROES.Byline: Rachel Uranga Staff Writer It was welcome home for service men and women returning from the war in Iraq as they rode in the Ventura County Fair Parade on Saturday, but it was goodbye for the members of Moorpark High School's Academic Decathlon decathlon (dĭkăth`lŏn), in modern Olympic games, a contest for men held over two days and composed of 10 track-and-field events. team. It was the Moorpark team's goodbye after a whirlwind whirlwind, revolving mass of air resulting from local atmospheric instability, such as that caused by intense heating of the ground by the sun on a hot summer day. of activity and attention, including winning the national Academic Decathlon championship and meeting President George W. Bush. Most of the Moorpark team, which swept the national competition this year and hosted the parade, will be going away to college next year. And Larry Jones Larry Jones is also the real name of Atlanta Braves player Chipper Jones. Walter "Larry" Jones (born September 22, 1942 in Columbus, Ohio) is a retired American basketball player. He played professionally in the NBA and ABA, from 1964 to 1974. , who has coached the Moorpark students for 12 years, said this was his last team. ``It's one of the last times the team will be together,'' said team captain and the coach's youngest son, Nathaniel Jones For the judge who sits on the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, see . Nathaniel Jones died in December 2003 after assaulting Cincinnati police and resisting their attempts to arrest him outside a White Castle hamburger shop in Cincinnati, Ohio. . ``It's kind of sentimental. All this is coming to an end. It's been an exciting ride,'' said Jones, who will be going on to Stanford University Stanford University, at Stanford, Calif.; coeducational; chartered 1885, opened 1891 as Leland Stanford Junior Univ. (still the legal name). The original campus was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted. David Starr Jordan was its first president. to major in economics. He, the rest of the nine-member team and coach Jones sat along stacks of hay in a flatbed truck A flatbed truck is a type of truck which can be either articulated or rigid. It has an entirely flat, level body with absolutely no sides or roof. This allows for quick and easy loading of goods, and consequently they are used to transport heavy loads that are not delicate or , waving to crowds that lined Ventura's downtown business district. Some gestured with a thumbs up and one man even yelled out ``brain power.'' Max Geiger, a 17-year-old junior and one of two members who did not graduate, said he was surprised by the crowd's reaction to the team. ``People were proud of us,'' said Geiger. ``There is no reason to be sad about the change though. There's no point in getting overly sentimental, but there's no point disregarding it either.'' There were several government leaders and a total of 103 entries in this year's parade. Several observers walked to the parade from their Ventura homes, including Dottie Edwards, who was joined by Kim Frazier and her dog ``Boots.'' ``I like the old cars the horses,'' said Edwards, who has come every year since 1964. Angel Valenzuela, a 23-year-old Seabee, third-class construction mechanic who arrived from Iraq in May, drove a camouflage Humvee with three naval reservists. A few flags waved, and one woman dressed her poodle poodle, popular breed of dog probably originating in Germany but generally associated with France, where it has been raised for centuries. There are three varieties, differing in size only. in an American flag patterned top hat and T-shirt. Valenzuela said the small gestures - the cheers and waves - warmed her as she recalled the battalion she left behind in Iraq. ``It makes you feel good. ... it was all worth it, '' she said. Rachel Uranga, (805) 583-7602 rachel.uranga(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1) Members of the Moorpark Academic Decathlon team ride as grand marshals Grand Marshal is a ceremonial, military, or political office of very high rank. The term has its origins with the word "Marshal" with the first usage of the term "Grand Marshal" as a ceremonial title for certain religious orders. of the Ventura County Fair Parade, along Main Street in Ventura on Saturday morning. (2) A rider pedals his penny-farthing bicycle Saturday as part of the Ventura County Fair Parade on Ventura's Main Street. Matthew Simmons/Special to the Daily News |
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