OXNARD : Team Raising Funds to Compete in Japan

Channel Islands High School’s short-flag team hopes its picture will be worth $9,000.

In addition to the usual carwashes, bake sales and other fund-raisers, team members at the Oxnard school are sending local businesses a picture of themselves along with a request for donations. They hope to raise enough money to fund a trip to Japan so they can take part in the international short-flag competition in August.

Short flags are small, hand-held flags bearing the school’s colors, which are twirled, tossed and passed like batons.

“It’s a lot of money but all of us are really determined to go and it seems that we’re going to be able to do it this year,” said team Captain Joy Ingersoll.

Last month, the school won its 11th annual national competition. But the team has traveled to Japan only once before, in 1987, when it won the international award.

“Three years ago it cost each girl only about $300 each to go,” said Co-Captain Eliza Sajor. “As a prize, the sponsors of the contest paid for three girls and then all of them split the difference.”

Team member Barbara Crisostomo recalled when her older sister Melinda, a member of the 1987 team, called home from Japan with the news of the international victory. “It was so exciting when they won. We even have pictures of my mom talking to her on the phone. It really inspired me to work and do it some day too.”

The girls described their routines as lively, graceful and difficult to execute. “We have a very unique style,” Ingersoll said. “But the other teams eventually catch on to it so we have to keep changing it.”

“A lot of times the other teams take our stuff,” added Cyndi Hidalgo, another member. “But they don’t execute it the way we can.”

The girls recalled their national competition and agreed that many of the other teams knew of them and their impressive record.

“They were all nice to us and stuff, but you know . . . I mean, they all want it just as bad as we do,” said team member Nancy Fredrick.

“Everyone on all the teams is nice and friendly before the competition. But once you get out on that floor things change,” she said. “You become enemies, rivals.”

The team already practices for 45 minutes before school and two to three hours after school every weekday, Ingersoll said. But if it goes to Japan, “We’ll probably practice more than six hours a day during the summer,” she said.