Sports Spotlight: Lettuce Club

Valencia is well known for its incredible sports programs, but for years, it has lacked a key sport to complete its portfolio. This past year, student dreams came true when the school finally established a 

Lettuce Club. Club sports (and sandwiches) are popular in SCV, especially those that involve lettuce, but availability in public schools is a key stepping stone to keeping sports accessible for the youth. 

Lettuce eating is a great way to instill a healthy, competitive spirit in students, who compete to be the Head of Lettuce. It involves students attempting to eat a standard head of lettuce faster than their peers. This sport originated in a collegiate setting, with several universities laying claim to its founding. Nonetheless, it has grown to be a significant and influential extracurricular in the lives of students.

This year, the team held a pre-season scrimmage, which established a preliminary frontrunner for Head of Lettuce. The scrimmage practiced with quarter heads of lettuce, which many students struggled to complete. The current record for the Quarter Competition is held by senior Sean Freeman, who managed to finish his wedge in exactly 2 minutes. The runner-up and current heir of the club is junior Farris Gabr, who finished just a few seconds later. 

In the event that the team cannot find a new Head of Lettuce for the upcoming season, Gabr will be responsible for maintaining this time-honored tradition, since Freeman will be graduating this spring. Freeman reflects fondly on his time as Head of Lettuce: “Lettuce club is a great opportunity to practice competitive eating, enjoy lettuce, and meet fellow lettuce enthusiasts. Being the head of lettuce is a very rewarding position, since it shows how seriously you take lettuce.”

This sports team was founded by Jaden Nakamura as a way to encourage wellness on campus. “So many students have lost their sense of whimsy and are no longer active in the school community,” Nakamura explained, “Lettuce club is a way for them to take themselves less seriously, stay healthy, and appreciate the rich culture behind the leafy vegetable we all know and love.”

Lettuce Club has an upcoming competition this May. Students who are interested in trying out for the team should contact @vhs.lettuceclub on Instagram or email one of the members to receive updates. Flyers will go up closer to the time of the event for official sign-ups and information will be posted on their website.