02.27.2024

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Today’s Forecast

64º | Sunny | 5% chance of precipitation | Sunrise 6:41 a.m. | Sunset 5:59 p.m.

👟 Downrocking from the great 408

Meet the San Jose breaker vying for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris

A woman in a blue sweater and white pants performs a stretching maneuver low to the ground.

Breaking may be new to the Olympics, but the activity traces its roots back to the early 1970s. | Photo by SJtoday staff

The 2024 Olympic Games in Paris could be getting a little of that 408 flavor. Breaking, or breakdancing as it’s more commonly known, will finally be making its debut at the games this summer — and San Josean Vicki Chang is vying for Team USA’s newly formed breaking team.

Let’s meet the local breaker + learn what it takes to make it to the Olympics.

Breaking onto the scene

The Leland High School alum began her breaking career at UC Berkeley, where she studied ecology and restoration sociology. In 2021, she began breaking full time. Since then, she’s been on the national stage multiple times, taking the top spot at the Undisputed Masters tournament in Los Angeles in 2022.

SJtoday_LaVix_VickiChang_Olympics_In Motion — The San Jose native has consistently ranked highly at national breaking competitions.
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Photo courtesy @la_vix

“One of the reasons it’s taken such a long time is because there’s a tension between whether Breaking is an art or a sport” Chang said. “It is a dance, so the artistry is subjective. But, it’s also very athletic.”

Blowup the (international) spot

“We have to win regional and national qualifiers to make it on Team USA. At the same time, we need to do international qualifiers to get international points. So we have to both be on Team USA and also rank high enough in the international qualifiers to make it to the Olympics.”

Team USA will only consist of two men and two women on the international stage, so for Vicki — who goes by the handle “La Vix” in competition — that means a lot of strenuous training sessions.

“My training consists of working out four days a week, like weightlifting, and also practicing five days a week. Recovery is really important, because I’m older, and takes up a lot more time.”

We’ll update you on Vicki’s progress and cheer on the San Jose native in the coming events.

How breaking became an Olympic sport

Events

Tuesday, Feb. 27

Pokémon Trivia Night | Tuesday, Feb. 27 | 7:30-9 p.m. | Britannia Arms Almaden, 5027 Almaden Expy., San Jose | $8-$24 | Dress up as your favorite ‘mon or trainer and compete to be the very best like no one ever was.

Wednesday, Feb. 28

Loving | Wednesday, Feb. 28 | 7 p.m. | The Ritz, 400 S. First St., San Jose | Free | Catch the alt-indie band, along with special guest Fog Lake.

Thursday, Feb. 29

Jerry Springer: The Opera | Thursday, Feb. 29, Friday, March 1 | 7:30 p.m. | 3 Below Theaters and Lounge, 288 S. Second St., San Jose | $25-$65 | Based on the host’s lurid television talk show that ran for 28 seasons, this production combines the highest form of art and the lowest form of pop culture.
San Jose Sharks vs. Anaheim Ducks | Thursday, Feb. 29 | 7:30 p.m. | SAP Center, 525 W. Santa Clara St., San Jose | $18-$437 | Join Team Teal for a celebration of Black History with an all-arena player poster giveaway.
Nimesh Patel | Thursday, Feb. 29, Friday, March 1 | Times vary | San Jose Improv, 62 S. Second St., San Jose | $30-$90 | You may know this SNL writer + comedian from his appearances on “The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon” and “Late Night with Seth Meyers.”
Candlelight: A Tribute to Coldplay | Thursday, Feb. 29 | 9 p.m. | Hammer Theatre Center, 101 Paseo de San Antonio, San Jose | $51-$60 | This biutyful experience may not fix you, but you will be humming along to your favorite tunes in your head.

Events calendar here

Click here to have your event featured.

News Notes

Transit

The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority is developing a Business Resource Program. This could dole out $3 million per year to assist small businesses affected by major construction projects, like the upcoming BART stations. The VTA board will approve the program on March 7, which will take effect in June. (Silicon Valley Business Journal)

San Josean

Yara Estrada-Lowe, a San Jose born-and-raised filmmaker, made her directorial debut with “Demise,” a story of a landscaper who leads two different lives. The movie was released today on Amazon, Apple TV, and Vudu. (CBS News)

Sports

Vamos San Jose... This Saturday, March 2, the Earthquakes will kick off their “This is 50" anniversary season with a match against LA Galaxy. The home opener will be at 7:30 p.m. and all fans will receive a commemorative retro Quakes flag. Tickets are still available.

Ranked

San Jose clinched the No. 4 spot in a ranking of the 25 best places to live in the US for quality of life. The US News & World Report study gave praise to SJ’s proximity to natural%20spaces + tech hubs, as well as the 300 sunny days a year we average. (KRON 4)

Biz

According to the new Silicon Valley Index 2024, hiring has slowed, but median household income has risen. From June 2022 to June 2023, Silicon Valley added 2,700 jobs — a stark contrast to the 88,000 jobs added in the previous year period. (The Mercury News)

Arts

San Jose-based artist Tomas “Wisper” Talamantes is currently working on “Paint the Town: a Mural in Action” at New Museum Los Gatos. Commissioned by Local Color, the artwork honors the Ohlone tribe that inhabited what is now Los Gatos. His next live painting session will be this Sunday, March 3. (The Mercury News)

Regional

Following this year’s SF Chinese New Year Parade and Oakland’s FanFest, BART saw a post-pandemic record. Last Saturday’s ridership numbers hit 123,636 trips, breaking the previous record of 116,000 in October 2023.

Finance

Consolidate debt to lower your payments. Pay off credit cards, medical debt, and more. Calculate monthly payments.*

Read

Love to read in bed? Us, too. Some helpful tools we love: a rechargeable book light to clip on books or a remote control page turner for Kindle readers.*

Trivia

Piece together our clues for this trailblazer

Guess the San Josean

Can you guess the mystery local? | Graphic by SJtoday staff

We’re back with another mystery person for our trivia series, “Guess the San Josean,” where we give you 3-4 hints about influential leaders, business owners, artists, and other local movers and shakers in our community.

As a reminder, we’d like to note that the term “San Josean” doesn’t just apply to people born and raised here. Any individual who has made an impact in our beloved city or has contributed to the diverse, amazing spectacle that is the great 408, we consider them a San Josean.

Are you ready? Get set, guess.

Clues:

This San Josean ran for a major public office, and when elected, she was the first woman to hold the position.
Through her leadership, San Jose would become known in the 70s and 80s as the “feminist capital of the world.”
She focused on growth in San Jose’s downtown core, running on the slogan, “Make San José better before we make it bigger.”

You think you’ve got it? Make your guess down below.

Guess the local

The Buy

The Buy 2.27.24 (Affiliate + Six & Main)

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The Wrap

Today’s edition by:
Alyson

From the editor

March is fast approaching this week, and I can’t say I’m ready for it. However, I am looking forward to traveling to Washington, D.C. at the end of the month since I’ve never been. Let me know if you have any must-see, must-eat recommendations for me.

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