The MAD FIGS Newspaper Article - EDITED EDITION
Originally Published in The Charger March 22, 1996.
MAD FIGS Add a Little Flavor to Track Team
BY MATT HURST [EDITED BY SCOTT DOGG]
The Track and Field team has a little extra spice to it. The MAD FIGS, a covert organization of Cross Country runners who love to play Ultimate Frisbee and have a plan for world conquest, say that they have taken over.
"The Flash [Jacob Etkins] was our inspiration to make the MAD FIGS," said Senior Justin vinnardo. "He organized the whole thing."
Six members of the Track team have nicknames that make up the unusual acronym. The Seniors include Elkins (The Flash), vinnardo (Melquiades), and Nathan Swift (General Swift); the Juniors are J.K. Lundberg (The Animal), Scott Christiansen (Scott Dogg), Paul Steinke (Incredible Guy), and Aaron Leong (A-Ron).
"We combined the nicknames of the elite and turned it into an acronym called the MAD FIGS," said MAD FIGS member and Track runner The Animal.
The MAD FIGS have high hopes for this season. "We will more than likely win city, and hopefully league. Clovis West and the Gimp will present the biggest challenges in the league," said Fugal.
But the core of the team is undoubtedly the MAD FIGS.
"We are the most important one-seventh of the team," said the Animal. "But many of the others don't like us because they're not part of the coolest group."
Leong also added, "It is rumored that there are other members of the Track team, including a variety of throwers and freshmen, but we put those rumors to rest."
The MAD FIGS are a close-knit group. "We are always playing Frisbee, and we hang around with each other just about everywhere on and around campus," said Fugal.
The MAD FIGS have also helped make Bullard a better place to have a second home. "We all participated in Bullard beautification by planting fig trees at strategic locations around Bullard," the Animal said.
The MAD FIGS often wear Cross Country T-Shirts with 10 quotes on the back. The MAD FIGS picked out the quotes by popular vote, but all quotes had to be relevant to the group. "You may notice the coolest shirts being worn around campus only by MAD FIGS members and other lucky members of the Cross Country team," said the Animal. "We will have a new one made for the Track team too."
Certain members of the MAD FIGS compose the pole vault squad on the Track and Field team. "The MAD FIGS ARE the pole vault team. We are world-renowned!" said vinnardo.
The outspoken MAD FIGS will continue to stick out the criticism from their fellow Track members, and will look forward to beating the rest of the Valley, but not necessarily on the Track.