ROYAL HIGH PLAYER BALANCES FULL LOAD ON, OFF THE COURT.Byline: Dave Desmond Daily News Staff Writer The Royal High School girls' basketball roster includes an accomplished pianist, an A+ student, an elite-level soccer player, an AIDS volunteer and a tennis star. Their name is Sarah Parola. ``I've always been very ambitious and self-driven,'' said Sarah, explaining the motivation that drives her to juggle an exhausting workload of homework, sports and teen-age life. Sarah - a senior who has applied to eight top-notch colleges and plans to study biomedicine biomedicine /bio·med·i·cine/ (bi?o-med´i-sin) clinical medicine based on the principles of the natural sciences (biology, biochemistry, etc.).biomed´ical bi·o·med·i·cine n. 1. or genetic engineering - has never earned anything but A's in school. Ever. ``My pursuit of perfection might come from my family,'' said Sarah, 17. ``Almost everybody in my family has been successful at one point in their lives.'' But her mother believes it's simply Sarah's character that has allowed her to accomplish so much. ``For a long time, we tried to have a second child and were unable,'' said Phyllis Parola, a registered nurse who works alongside her husband, Dr. Kenneth Parola, in his medical practice. ``My mom told me the reason was that we were already blessed with one very special child. We do feel blessed.'' Surpassing others' expectations has become routine to Sarah. She is a standout athlete in basketball, soccer and tennis. She also stocks shelves each weekend at a North Hollywood food bank for AIDS Project Los Angeles AIDS Project Los Angeles (APLA) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of people affected by HIV disease, reducing the incidence of HIV infection, and advocating for fair and effective HIV-related public policy. . And she juggles a classload that includes four honors classes and helps care for her family's five dogs. ``Not only is she doing so many things, but so many things so well,'' said Keith Barker Keith Barker (born October 21, 1986 in Accrington, England) is a professional football striker, who plays for St Patrick's Athletic. Barker joined the Irish side in July 2007 after being released by Blackburn Rovers. Keith was born in Accrington to Caribbean parents. , the Royal instructor who teaches Sarah honors physics and calculus calculus, branch of mathematics that studies continuously changing quantities. The calculus is characterized by the use of infinite processes, involving passage to a limit—the notion of tending toward, or approaching, an ultimate value. . ``She is the definition of a student-athlete.'' And in many instances, the student and the athlete overlap. Prior to a basketball game Tuesday at Channel Islands, Sarah's teammates sat and watched as Royal's junior varsity team For the American rock band, see . In sports, usually at the high school and college levels, members of a team who are not the main players in a competition (such as a football or basketball game) are called junior varsity players. played in the evening's preliminary game. As the junior varsity teams walked to the locker room for halftime, all of Sarah's teammates took the court to shoot baskets and limber up. Except Sarah. She remained in the bleachers In The Bleachers is a podcast and website that focuses on Division I-A college football. It is recorded and aired weekly during college football season and features college football experts from the Big Ten, Big East, SEC, ACC, Pac 10, and Big 12 conferences. , glued to a textbook. ``Sports have never been a point of emphasis,'' said Sarah, who last fall teamed with tennis partner Gina Decho to set school doubles records for overall and league winning percentage. ``I'm involved with them simply because I love to play. Sure, they're a major part of my life. But I know I'm going to be continuing in an academic field.'' Sarah also played on an elite soccer team that advanced to the State Cup final, and played the sport in the Olympic Development Program. In addition, she has competed on Royal's junior varsity junior varsity n. Abbr. JV A high-school or college team that competes in interschool sports on the level below varsity. Noun 1. track and field team and may resume the sport this spring. ``I don't understand how she does it,'' teammate Amber Shores said. ``It's pretty amazing a·maze v. a·mazed, a·maz·ing, a·maz·es v.tr. 1. To affect with great wonder; astonish. See Synonyms at surprise. 2. Obsolete To bewilder; perplex. v.intr. to me.'' Coach Mike Kohl said he realized he was dealing with an extraordinary student when he took over the girls' basketball program at Royal three years ago. But the fact was driven home last summer in San Diego San Diego (săn dēā`gō), city (1990 pop. 1,110,549), seat of San Diego co., S Calif., on San Diego Bay; inc. 1850. San Diego includes the unincorporated communities of La Jolla and Spring Valley. Coronado is across the bay. , where the Highlanders were participating in a team camp. Kohl and several players' parents were sitting in the hotel lounge when Sarah walked through the lobby. ``We asked her to play the piano for us,'' Kohl said. ``She ended up entertaining the whole place.'' In fact, Sarah had played the piano much of her life, winning several competitions and scholarships to respected academies, until she injured in·jure tr.v. in·jured, in·jur·ing, in·jures 1. To cause physical harm to; hurt. 2. To cause damage to; impair. 3. her fingers in a much-publicized automobile accident Ask a Lawyer Question Country: United States of America State: Utah Say you're at a red light in a left hand turning lane and the light turns green so you let up slightly on the break antedating moving forward and the vehicle involving her basketball team. As each day passes, it seems Kohl finds another reason to view his guard as truly unique. He recalled asking Sarah to name her favorite subject. ``Sarah said, `Calculus, because it's my easiest class,' '' Kohl said. Sarah, who earned a 4.57 grade-point average last quarter and has a 4.13 average for her high school career, has an easy solution for completing her assignments. ``I work it out,'' she said with a chuckle chuck·le intr.v. chuck·led, chuck·ling, chuck·les 1. To laugh quietly or to oneself. 2. To cluck or chuck, as a hen. n. A quiet laugh of mild amusement or satisfaction. . ``I do my calculus homework in class.'' When considering Sarah's accomplishments and self-motivation, others may be green with envy. Lately, Sarah has just been plain green. Last week, she and her teammates dyed their hair green - the school's primary color primary color n. A color belonging to any of three groups each of which is regarded as generating all colors, with the groups being: a. Additive, physiological, or light primaries red, green, and blue. - to show spirit. ``They say it's supposed to stay in your hair for three to six weeks,'' Sarah said of the dye. ``It's really bright green.'' Perhaps - but no brighter than her future. TEAM PLAYER An all-league shooting guard The Shooting guard (SG), also known as the two or off guard,[1] is one of five traditional positions on a basketball team. Players of the position are often shorter, leaner, and quicker than forwards. last season as a junior, Sarah Parola has played a pivotal role in the Royal High School Highlanders' recent rise to basketball prominence. She is averaging 10 points, 4.2 steals and 3.9 assists to help pace Royal to an 11-6 record, including a 6-2 start in the area's most competitive league. ``This season has been very exciting,'' the three-year basketball starter said. ``No one expected us to do so well.'' CAPTION(S): Photo, Box Photo: (Ran in Simi and Conejo) Sarah Parola excels at three sports and in the classroom at Royal High. Joe Binoya/Special to the Daily News Box: (Ran in Simi only) TEAM PLAYER (see text) |
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