While Cynthia's Talent is IMPRESSIVE, and I am proud for her, I lament that so many Italian American Youth, and Young Adults, both the achievers, and those who need support, are NOT accorded appropriate attention by the I-A Community.

If the Adults of the Italian American Community do not show an interest in our Youth, why should our Youth take an interest in our Community/Culture? 

Where does that lead us?? A continuing disintegrating community, while other Ethnicities become stronger with their cohesiveness.

For those Major Italian American organizations that claim to be Leaders of the Italian American Community, it's time for them to throw out the OLD "play book", and start reevaluating their Agendas and Priorities!!!

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The Los Angeles Times All-Star Girls' Volleyball Team

BARBOZA DISPLAYS RARE AIR

Long Beach Wilson sophomore is already one of nation's best 
and doesn't show a hint of anxiety in handling the attention.

Los Angeles Times
By Mike Bresnahan
Staff Writer
December 20 2002

It was a brief moment during an otherwise ordinary day at practice, a split second that Coach Susan Pescar will remember for a long, long time.

Cynthia Barboza was in the middle of a hitting drill -- doing nothing more than what her coach had told her, really -- when she went up and pounded a volleyball straight down on the other side of the net.

Forget the 10-foot line. This one would have gone down inside the 10-inch line, if such a thing existed.

It was a big swing for a sophomore. Her coach was stunned.

"I had this flash of watching her in the Olympics [in 2008] and seeing her do that," said Pescar, the coach at Long Beach Wilson High. "She was so far over the net."

Barboza's reaction? She walked to the end of the players' line, as if it had been a typical swing on a typical day.

"Uh, nice hit," one of her teammates said. Practice continued.

It was that type of season for the sometimes shy 6-foot outside hitter, who has been selected The Times' girls' volleyball player of the year.

Barboza's statistics and the Bruins' accomplishments spoke volumes.

She averaged 6.1 kills and 1.2 blocks per game, and Wilson advanced to its first state Division I championship match.

Along the way, Barboza never seemed fazed by anyone or anything.

Her reputation always preceded her on the road, where hostile fans jeered when she made a mistake and booed when she drilled a kill.

She ignored it all. And Wilson (36-4) almost always won.

"She's had a lot thrown in her lap, but she'd done a good job of not letting it get to her," Pescar said. "She's got extreme talent and has had to deal with a lot of things because of it."

Barboza's talents are already known across the U.S. She was selected the top sophomore in the nation by Student Sports magazine and is a member of the U.S. junior national team.

Last August, Barboza helped lead the U.S. youth national team to a gold medal at the NORCECA youth girls' volleyball championship with a sweep of the Dominican Republic. Barboza was the youngest player on the team.

Mountain View St. Francis, ranked No. 1 in the nation by Student Sports, swept Wilson in the state championship, 16-14, 15-9, 15-13, but Barboza held her own with 15 kills.

She had 26 kills and seven blocks in a five-game victory over Los Alamitos in the semifinals of the Southern Regional in the state playoffs.

That victory helped to alleviate the pain of a somewhat surprising loss to the Griffins in the Southern Section Division I-AA championship, perhaps the only thing that didn't go as planned for Wilson and Barboza this season.

"We didn't want to end our season with two losses to the same team," Barboza said. "We were pretty excited when we heard we were going to have a rematch."

Barboza will be back next season, and the season after that. High school teams will have to get used to her. Then the college world might have to adjust.

"Unless she gets hurt or something unforeseeable happens, she could be the next Logan Tom, taking volleyball to the next level in this country," Pescar said, referring to the Stanford senior who starred for the U.S. Olympic team two years ago before her sophomore season in college.

"The old saying, 'You ain't seen nothing yet' is probably true." 
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Barboza Displays Rare Air 
http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-hsbarboza20dec20,0,1389983.story?coll
=la%2Dheadlines%2Dsport