By A. Hemnani

Every athlete dreams of the glory of victory, many are willing to go the extra mile and will train and do anything in their power to achieve their goal. But at what cost?

Now a days with sports technology, scientists have been developing new ways to enhance performance in sports. These substances promise to push the boundaries of human performance, but at what cost? From problems in health to changed legacies, the cost of victory can be higher than any athlete would think. Would they still gain the glory they have always dreamt about like this? Or would they feel as if they just cheated their dream?

Although the short term benefits such as, increased muscle mass, improved recovery, fat loss, and boosted endurance may seem worth it at the time.  Have the athletes really stopped to think about the side effects this may bring in the future? In the US alone 80% of athletes that take steroids regularly, have suffered with health issues later in their career. Such as, Biochemical problems in the liver, Kidney failure and hormonal imbalance.

Unfortunately, health issues aren’t the only dilemma athletes have faced along their career using steroids. In many competitions such as the Olympics, the use of steroids have been strictly banned due to unfair advantage by enhancing performance beyond natural limits. The use of steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs cheats the principles of fair play and equal competition. Using steroids in the Olympics can lead to severe consequences. Athletes caught doping, face disqualification, stripped medals, and bans competing. Apart from the immediate consequences, their reputation often suffers damage, and they may loose sponsorships and financial support, leading to a potential end of their sports career.

Ben Johnson was a Jamaican-born Canadian sprinter, and gained the title as the fastest man ever! During 1987 and 1988, he became famous by setting world records in the 100 meters and 60 meters indoor races. He won gold medals at the 1987 World Championships and the 1988 Summer Olympics, where he ran the 100-meter dash in an unbelievable 9.79 seconds—breaking the world record. His career was full of amazing accomplishments and unforgettable moments. However just three days later, Johnson's urine sample tested positive for stanozolol, an anabolic steroid. The International Olympic Committee stripped him of his gold medal, erased his record, and disqualified him from the Games. Ben remains a significant figure in sports history, symbolizing the dangers of chasing glory at any cost.
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Athletes often face a difficult choice between the glory of victory and fair competition. Steroids may offer short-term gains, but they bring long-term costs, damaged health and broken dreams. Victory isn't just about crossing the finish line - it's about achieving your dreams with perseverance.

By V. Messana 

When talking about sports, there are always unpopular opinions. These are the takes that divide group chats, flood comment sections, and spark heated arguments among fans. But what does the St Paul’s community think? We went around the school to gather some of the most controversial and unpopular opinions.  Here’s what we found:

Khamzat Chimaev would win from Alex Pereira (UFC).
 
The sport you need less skill to be able to play is basketball. (Basketball)
 
McGregor wasn’t worth all the hype. (UFC) 
 
The governing bodies use sports events to distract the working class from social inequalities. 
 
E-sports should be in the Olympics.
 
Kylian Mbappé is overrated. (Soccer)
 
Serena Williams’ is overrated due to a weak era in women’s tennis. (Tennis)
 
The car matters more than the driver. (F1)
 
Russell Westbrook is one of the most overrated MVPs ever. (Basketball)

Neymar wasted his prime. (Soccer)
 
Dancing is not a sport. 
 
Max Verstappen is this generation's Ayrton Senna. (F1)
 
So, do you agree with these opinions? Let us know on The Lion’s Instagram page!

By R. Renzo

​Recently, our team has interviewed the most triumphant team at this year's interclasse: Form 5 Tudor! Their team was a delight to talk to, showing their true lighthearted and playful spirit which led them to victory, with frequent jokes and laughter.
 
Their wins were not as easy as they made it seem, mentioning that their victory was like being "at the top of the mountain", overwhelmed with the amount of attention and media they were attracting. Antenor, the team's self-proclaimed captain, highlighted the pre-game preparations as the most important: "As Abraham Lincoln once said, if I have to cut a piece of tree in five hours, I'll spend the first two hours sharpening the axe".
 
One of the players most commented on as the "star" by his teammates was Shor. Even the good luck rituals for Form 5 Tudor included shouting his name! Shor was also named as the team's mascot, carrying a well-rounded portfolio of "good looks, moves and fame". Shor was described to bring light and joy to their team, being by far the biggest motivator for their victory.
 
The most memorable match for them was the match against Form 5 Stuart, their proclaimed rivals. Although it ended with triumph, this game was where one of their key players, Leo, broke his knee. Nonetheless, this was the team's favorite match overall.
 
The discussion for the MVP was heated, bringing to light the various candidates: Shor (again), Theo, Mizne and Bruno. Antenor named Theo as the MVP, highlighting his adaptability in not only playing as goalkeeper, but also scoring many goals during the tournament. The team was very thankful for Bruno, their coach, and claimed that "nothing is more valuable than strategy", naming him the most vital part of their success. And Bruno nominated Mizne as the MVP, bringing "energy and technique" to their games. 
 
This team is a tough one to go against, and their confidence is overflowing. They only wished to give a piece of advice to their future opponents: " Don't play against us". 
 

An interview with Júlio Lanzelotti reveals a rich story that goes beyond his role as the beloved volleyball coach at St. Paul’s School. Since joining the community in 2019, Júlio has trained volleyball teams from Form 1 and 2 up to Varsity level, leading several of them to victories. His dedication to the sport has not only brought remarkable achievements but has also started to inspire a culture of resilience and discipline among his players.

Júlio’s journey in sports began in 1994, in his first year of college, when he started as an intern at Sport Club Banespa. Over the next decade, he coached both the male and female teams, with the Banespa men's team being one of the top-ranked in Brazil at the time. His career later led him to work in various schools and clubs, where he cultivated his coaching skills. An exciting turning point came when an old friend from his time at Banespa, working in sports statistics or a "scout",invited him to join her. This gradually led Júlio to an incredible offer: to join the Brazilian Beach Volleyball team as a scout at the Olympics.

The year 2008 was a very special year in Júlio's career. During the Beach Volleyball World Tour and the Olympics, he traveled far and wide, finding himself in a "new country nearly every week". Sports provided him with the chance to explore parts of the world not present in a normal travel itinerary, with "Russia and Serbia" being the most notable. That year, the Brazilian team earned both bronze and silver medals in women’s and men’s events, both remarkable results.

Bringing his abundance of experience to St. Paul’s, Júlio emphasizes the importance of "being fully present in every training session". This mindset applies not only to his students but also to himself—he is sure to commit himself to giving his best effort, no matter the "size of the team or how many are present during the training sessions". Júlio highlights that the Olympic teams were built on the "dedication of the trainers and committee present". Reflecting on his own career, he shares a core lesson: it is also crucial to have faith in yourself and in your dreams, no matter how ridiculous or far away. He describes that at the start of any career, you have dreams that you deem impossible. However, there must be belief in these dreams, and above all you must try your best even if it is not the best. He says that "being able to go home for the day and that you did your best without any feeling of insufficiency is the most important".

Júlio also instills in his players the essential values required for success in volleyball: "discipline, mutual respect, and teamwork". Volleyball, in comparison to many sports, demands an enhancedcollaboration; it is fundamentally a game of actions that are dependent on one another. Every play requires players to rely on one another—each move, from receiving to setting to attacking, depends on a teammate’s support. "Selfishness has no place in this sport", he explains, and respect for all your teammates is something necessary while on the court.

Under Júlio’s guidance, the St. Paul’s volleyball teams have prospered. Last year the JV teams took first place at the Rancho tournament, while the girl's Varsity team achieved a second-place finish overall. However, a sad news came during the interview: the Rancho tournament has been suspended for St. Paul’s. This is a "loss deeply felt by the school community". For many, joining the team was partly motivated by the dream of competing in this beloved event. However, Júlio hopes that the new tournament, one that involves traveling to Argentina, "will slowly replace Rancho" in the heart of St. Paul's pupils. He hopes that not only the female Varsity teams will be able to go, but also the males, suffering from a lack of players at the moment. ​

In all, Júlio's story is a testament to the power of commitment, teamwork, and unwavering belief in oneself. His influence at St. Paul’s stems from years of experience, and a beautiful career story that should be heard by all.

By E. Rizkallah

Amanda Nunes was born in Brazil in 1988. Nunes faced a lot of challenges when she was young, and she grew up in a quite tough environment due to her being from a very poor family. Nunes managed to find herself through training combat sports, which she started at only 5 years old. She started by training Karate, Jiu-Jitsu and then judo. This gave her a really strong base for her career in the mixed martial arts business.

Nunes started fighting in small events, she made her professional debut in an event called Prime MMA Championship 2. She quickly gained a lot of popularity due to her exciting and aggressive style. When she finally joined the UFC which now-a-days is the biggest MMA company in the world. She managed to win a lot of important fights against well known opponents like Ronda Rousey, Cris Cyborg, and Holly Holm. This helped her to quickly make a name for herself and make people notice her talents and her potential.

Nunes then continued her journey and broke multiple records in the UFC with her most important one being the first woman to ever hold two championships belts at 2 different weight classes at the same time. This had been done by male fighters before like Connor Mcgregor but never by a female fighter. With this achievement, Nunes continued to defend her title and now-a-days is considered one of the best fighters of MMA of all time. This shows that even in a mostly male dominated sport, it is possible to obtain such incredible achievements like Nunes did. 

With all of her success, Nunes managed to inspire thousands of woman in sports. Due to her being considered one of the best fighters ever in a male dominated sport, she showed that with determination, hard work and effort, any obstacle is possible to overcome.

By A. Hemnani

When you think of volleyball, one country comes to mind,Brazil. Whether it's the power of their serves, the intensity of their plays, or their passion for the game! They are a team that’s won Olympic gold, played amazingly at the World Championships, and has the kind of games and intensitty that gets fans on their feet cheering every time. So, how did Brazil become one of the most successful volleyball teams in history, and what makes them so unbeatable?

It all began when the Brazilian volleyball team was officially created in 1960, although they were already playing in regional areas. Their first major apperance was in the South American Championship, and that is when they made a name for themselves and became an international volleyball team! From that point onwords, the team became stronger, and in no time they ranked as the top volleyball team in the world and ended up with many Olympic gold medals, World Championship titles.

However it wasn’t always like this for the Brazilian volleyball team, they faced variouse difficulties including, Cultural chalenges and gender bias, changes in teams (players transitioning), competitions in international legues and Financial Support and Sponsorship. And these are just a few of the encounters they faced along the way. 

This is a perfect example of how each and everyone of the players such as, Gabi Guimarães, Tandara Caixeta, Bruna Honório, Amanda Francisco, and Rosamaria Montibeller. Faced challenges, overcame them and perseveared throught any obstacles they faced. And this is why we should all aspire to be or look up to these players as role modles to us all.

By V. Messana

By T. Fakhoury 

When kids have dreams, and they grow up to follow their dreams, these dreams may be to be a firefighter, a astronaut a pilot, or even to fight taekwondo, but some kids follow their parents dream of what they should become, they should become doctors, lawyers, engineers… Shi Ming is the Name of a Girl that was born in Heilongjiang, Province of China, as a young girl, all she wanted was to practice Taekwondo, play and enjoy her early life sine she was only 13 years old. However, her parents and Grandparents strictly made her focus more in school so that she one day could become a Docter just like her Grandfather. Years of school, hard studying and practicing martial arts later, Shi finally Graduated High School and went to study in the University of Tianjin in 2015, and got her Communication Engineering degree, over that time span, she always continued to practice martial arts and even transition to MMA, slowly she also began to compete in some small tournaments in China, and in the following years the progressively got better and she competed in many fights, all of this without her parents knowing about her fighting and her dream of being a fighter.
 
Shi Ming didn’t want to let her parents down, so she still pursued her career while fighting competitively, she decided to apply to the university of Purdue. Luckily for her, in 2020 she also got invited to the UFC, and became a fighter in the League, but due to Covid, fights where postponed and so on Shi Ming received her PhD. in 2022, her career was starting to grow even more, she finally became a specialized doctor, making her parents proud of her, while still keeping her dreams of fighting professionally alive. She continued to fight in the UFC and through 2022-2024, she was a Post-Doctoral Scholar at the Department of ECE of The Ohio State University, becoming specialized in acupuncture, she then returned to her home and is now a full time doctor in a hospital in Yunnan Province, but she still fights for the UFC and all of this without her parents knowing about it.
 
Her story shows how women in the past where always told to become a doctor or a nurse, never told to follow their dreams, but she decided to follow and create a new opportunity not just for her but to the following years of Women in sports.
 

By T. Fakhoury

Charles Oliveira, a Brazilian Boy born in 1989 who grew up in the district of Vincente De Carvalho in a a poor Christian family amidst the chaos and dangers of the favelas. Just like any other boy he had the dream to become a football player, sadly this dream was interrupted young as at the age of 7, Charles was fighting for his own life as he was diagnosed with rheumatic fever and heart murmur, a disease that affected his heart valves and sadly this disease would stop him from practicing any sports, Charles was close to once even becoming Paraplegic as his parents didn’t have the money to pay for medical treatment.

Years passed, and the small Charles who already was 12 was healthy, he decided to begin practicing Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, although his parents had a low income, the Jiu-Jitsu Instructor “Roger Coelho” Offered Charles free lessons, Roger was sadly shot in between gunfights of the police and Gang members.
 
Charles continued practicing Jiu-Jitsu the following years and won his first important title in 2003 in the white belt category, then in 2008 Charles started his MMA Career, and on the first round, Charles defeated Jackson ( his opponent) by Submission ( taping out of the fight, when a opponent has a undefeatable move locked on you), and Charles went on to win this tournament and winning the finals.
 
After this tournament, Charles continued to fight in many tournaments and mostly winning them, having an almost perfect career number, this called the attention of the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Club) The biggest fighting club/ league in the world where many other famous Brazilians held records like Anderson Silva… And in 2010, he officially joined the UFC and became a partner of the league
 
Charles went on to start his career in the UFC, as a skinny underrated fighter, who could easily beat an opponent in the ground by Submission, many years later in 2017, Charles was regarded as a ferocious ground attacker, with many wins under his name was now the strongest fighter in the Lightweight Bout after Khabib Nurmagdomev Retired, and on the 15 of March 2021 Charles fought against Michael Chandler and after a thought fight Charles found a clean strike, bounced on Michael and Knocked him out, This gave Charles his first UFC Lightweight Champion Belt.
 
Charles in now known as “ O Iluminado” after this amazing life story, Charles is still competing in the UFC, a still very strong opponent and feared by many, But as I wrote this I believe that this represents the essence of Brazil, a Poor person, born in an dangerous place, managed to follow his dreams and become a worldwide known fighter.

By A. Hemnani