Every sport has a secret language. Most crowds get lost within lingo but now students will have a better understanding of what is going on during games. Here is the break down:

Football
Most students attend games but do not really know what happens down on the field. This is why learning the lingo of Carlsbad football will help students cheer appropriately at games.

The objective of the sport is to earn a touchdown worth six points. A safety, when the ball carrier is tackled within his own end zone, equals the defensive team two points. To score a touchdown, the offensive line must create plays. The game is broken down into four quarters. Time-outs last 60 seconds long maximum. Each team only gets six time-outs per game.

The defensive line does the exact opposite of the offensive, they block (stop) the opposing team from getting a touchdown. Other than touchdown, many lingo words are used.  When the ball carrier drops the ball on the field it is called a fumble. The first team to recover this ball gains possession. An interception is when a forward pass is caught by defender resulting to a turnover. When a defensive player rushes through the offensive line to “sack” the quarterback (QB) it is called a blitz. A dead ball is declared by the referee to end each down where the ball can no longer be in play. A down is where the offensive sequence starts at the line of scrimmage after a dead ball. A snap starts the ball in play, performed by the center, Sam Gardner.

Men’s Water Polo
Carlsbad High breeds water polo players straight from the ocean. Our team has defended its CIF championship title for seven years and plans on keeping it that way. These mermen literately  live in the water. The team can be spotted with matching mohawks during CIF, which has become a tradition.

The game has many rules and regulations. In a nutshell, here are some of the basic lingo to know: six players are in the water plus a goalie. The most important player is the two meters. This position is played in front of the opposites goal. The two meter runs the offense.

Most lingo is self explanatory. When the ball goes under the water during the game it is called ball under. A “double fool” occurs when players on both teams commit a rule violation at the same instant. More complicated lingo such as “playing the man” is an illegal move when a player attempts to get the ball by holding, sinking or pulling back their opponent. “Pumping” is when the shooter fakes a shot at goal. When a ball is passed without touching the water it is called a “dry pass.”

Men’s/Woman’s Cross Country
Since the addition of Coach Culley, the cross country program, also nicknamed XC, has sky rocketed.

The most common XC lingo: close the gap, which means if another group of people in the distance are far in front of you, you must leave your group to catch up with them. Also, drafting means allowing the person in front of you to take the wind. This strategy makes your race easier. Another common phrase is cool down which translates to going on an additional run after a work out to loosen up the muscles you have just worked out. This run often is fifteen to twenty minutes.

Woman’s Volleyball
Positivity is key to keeping your head in the game. Volleyball relies on direction from the setter and the middle. The setter calls hitting plays by name, number or nickname. The Lancers have three common hitting calls. “Hut” is a set to the outside player lower than a four. “Four” is a set to the four meter line. “One” is a set to the one meter line. The middle is in charge of calling blocking plays such as purple (nicknamed purps) which is a warning block if one-on-one with opposite. Shag is also an important phrase used to gather all the balls around the gym almost like “clean up”. The referees call all other rules. Such as tips, which is when the ball hits the net or a girl touches the ball with her fingers before it goes out. The call “in” means the ball landed inside the lines. The call “out” means the ball landed outside the line. All three of these lingo words have corresponding hand motions.

Hopefully, now you won’t be lost in translation at the next game you attend.