EL SEGUNDO HERALD March 18, 2021 Page 3
Baseball and Softball Preview
By Gregg McMullin
The 2020 high school baseball season
was washed out because of the pandemic.
The Eagles featured a team with just three
senior starters but were on pace to win 20
games. Last season is in the rearview mirror
and head coach Billy Traber, starting his fifth
season at the helm, says this year’s team
was eager to get out on the field and play.
“They couldn’t have handled the adversity
any better than with the class and the work
ethic they’ve shown.”
With the high school baseball field under
repair and not safe or ready to practice or play
on, the team works out at Stevenson Field.
“They could care less where they practice
or play. They were chomping at the bit to
get on the field,” Traber said. Now with the
season on the brink of starting, you can feel
the energy as the players prepare for what
could be a full schedule.
The Eagles return nine players from last
season, including seven starters. Julian Rodriquez
is one of those rare four-year varsity
players who has limitless upside. He could
be one of the top catchers in the South Bay
and, with his power, could hit third or fourth
in the lineup. Brendan McAndrews is a threeyear
starter and has shown that he could be
mentioned in the same breath with other
former Eagle greats at shortstops such as
Tom Soto (1974), Wil Parsons (1986), Mark
Lewis (1990) and Kobe Estrada (2006). Rafael
Smith is a speedy outfielder who started
last season and was hitting over .400 before
the cancellation of the rest of the schedule.
Junior second baseman Evan Smith led the
team in hitting and proved he is a perfect
fit at second base. Lloyd Sapanza will be
counted on to play first base and should
see time in the outfield. Kenny Chung and
Cooper Stolnack look to see time at third
base. Jake Stolnack and Brian Pham return
as part of a deep pitching staff.
First-year players will be multi-talented
Christian Kramer, who can play the outfield
and back up Rodriquez behind the plate. Eddie
Grant is a hard-throwing pitcher who can
play the infield and outfield. Jack Stoker can
Brendan McAndrews anchors the infield for the Eagles.
play anywhere in the infield, Owen Kirsten
will add depth to the pitching staff and Trevor
Steele, who will play in the outfield with his
speed and a strong arm. Sophomore utility
player Brady Engelhardt looks to make the
team stronger as another infield/outfielder
and pitcher.
The pitching staff is deep with plenty
of experience. Kenny Chung, Brian Pham,
See Sports, page 8
Julian Rodriquez is one of the Pioneer League’s best catchers and looks to have a breakout season hitting.
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Britt Deanda Brings
Kundalini Yoga to El Segundo
By Kiersten Vannest
A few years ago, Britt Deanda quit her
corporate job. She moved to El Segundo
for its slower and quieter atmosphere by the
beach with her husband to raise her children.
And it was here that she founded Elevate the
Globe, where she now teaches South Bay
residents and clients from all over the world
how to “raise your vibration, find your bliss,
and stay energized all day.”
Born in San Diego, Britt moved to Temecula
while she was still in school. When
she was twelve, she met Tara Schulenberg
in a ballet class. Little did they know, over
a decade later, they would found a wellness
business together.
After splitting up for college, Britt moved
back to LA. Her stress began to build as she
navigated climbing the corporate ladder in
ad sales, dealing with a breakup, and helping
her mother through a diagnosis of lung
cancer, news she learned just two weeks
after getting married. With the pressure
mounting, unhealthy habits forming, and
not feeling fulfilled in her day-to-day job,
Britt decided to take a yoga class in West
Hollywood. What she thought would be a
regular yoga exercise class turned out to be
Kundalini yoga.
Kundalini yoga was the first yoga practice
ever created. Kundalini in Sanskrit means
“coiled snake.” It follows that a person has
energy coiled up at the base of their spine,
and through yoga and meditation, one can
begin to uncoil this energy and connect with
the inner self. In its early days, around five
thousand years ago, Kundalini yoga was
reserved for royalty. The knowledge was
passed only from teacher to student, who
then became the teacher. To practice was
a privilege.
“It is the yoga of awareness,” explains
Deanda, “and it has different components
to it.” These components, she describes,
are: mantra, the science of sound and sound
current, meditation, the practice of being
still externally and internally, and kriya,
which is a set of movements. Unlike yoga,
like a vinyasa, which is what one typically
pictures with constant slow movement, this
yoga focuses on holding postures or repetitive
movements for long periods of time. A
posture might be held anywhere from three
minutes to eleven minutes or more.
Because it was so specialized, Kundalini
practice was not brought to western society
until the late 70s, when brought to the U.S.
by a yoga master. Through this class, Deanda
had a peaceful, healing experience. It was a
break from everything going on in her life
and set her on a path that would define the
next chapter of her life.
In 2015, after leaving her corporate job,
Britt’s mother passed away from her cancer.
Three months later, she found out she was
pregnant, moved to El Segundo, and adopted a
plant-based, vegan kc diet. With all the chaos
of grief, pregnancy, and moving, Kundalini
Yoga remained a constant.
After reconnecting with her friend Tara
from high school and gaining a certification
to teach Kundalini yoga, they used
their practice to help them find fulfillment
and ditch unhealthy habits, addictions, and
coping mechanisms. Britt and Tara founded
their spiritual lifestyle brand with the hope
of bringing Kundalini yoga to the masses
and helping others find the clarity and peace
that they found.
See Britt Deanda, page 8
Deanda practices a Kundalini meditation.