[music playing]
CARL AZUZ: What is the easternmost island
in the Caribbean Sea?
The answer to that trivia question
is the site of our first report today.
I'm Carl Azuz.
Welcome to the show.
The island we're talking about is Barbados.
Until Tuesday, its government was
a parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy.
And that monarch was Britain's Queen Elizabeth II.
But no more.
In removing Britain's queen as its head of state,
Barbados has officially become a republic.
The queen's role there was mostly a symbolic one.
Barbados got its independence from Britain in 1966.
And the island's governing power lies with its prime minister,
Mia Motley.
It's replaced the Queen's ceremonial role
with that of a new president named Barbara Mason.
But Barbados' prime minister will still have
most of the governing power.
This Caribbean island was uninhabited
before Britain established a settlement there in 1627.
Historians say British sugar plantations worked
by African slaves became a source of private wealth
for Britain.
Slavery was abolished in Barbados in 1834.
And in more recent decades, after it achieved independence
from Britain, tourism and manufacturing
became more economically important to Barbados
than sugar production.
As the island prepared to become a republic,
Barbados' leaders said the time had come for it to fully leave
its colonial past behind by removing
the queen's symbolic status.
But Barbadian critics say the public should have had more
of a voice in the process, possibly through a vote,
instead of having it handled completely
by the Barbadian government.
For its part, the British monarchy
had said the decision was up to Barbados
and that the issue had been discussed for a while.
It was a friendly parting.
Prince Charles, heir to the British throne,
traveled to Barbados to attend the transition.
10 second trivia, the malleus, the pinna, and the stapes
are all parts of what, foot, orchestra, ship, or ear?
If you're a mammal, and you are, you have all
of these as part of your ear.
But in their 12 and 0 season that brought them
to a championship game, the football team
at the California School for the Deaf Riverside
didn't need the use of their ears.
The entire team is deaf, their coach is deaf.
But they've been able to use that to call plays
without huddling and purportedly read other team's
body language better.
Nick Watt covered their championship.
NICK WATT: The Cubs in their school 68 year
history have never ever not even once
made it to a championship game.
And here they are.
Their opponents, Faith Baptist, have
won this southern California championship about
a dozen times in their history.
They're good.
Damn good.
Tickets for this blockbuster game sold out in 45 minutes.
They had to move it to a nearby high school, bigger bleachers
to seat the growing fan base.
Many of them are standing alum.
JUSTINE GUADARRAMA: But today is the biggest
crowd I've ever seen.
It is just, because you have not only people that come
to this school, but have other deaf people that
come from different schools, or because whenever
there's a deaf event, people just want to be there.
NICK WATT: Now we caught up with the Cubs
for the midweek team talk.
- Great job.
[inaudible]
NICK WATT: And practice.
The voice you'll hear is a sign language interpreter.
- So we're making history here.
And if we do lose, I'm still incredibly proud of this team.
If we win the championship game, that would
just be that much more awesome.
NICK WATT: Here is the already awesome back story.
The CSDR Cubs in the past lost a lot.
- The team stunk, quite honestly.
CSDR were often viewed as kind of the laughing stock.
We're always going to have these lousy seasons.
But that has not been the case this season.
NICK WATT: First game, a 68 to zip victory.
Yeah, that's a six.
This is not a well-funded fancy pants program.
Why are you guys doing so well?
What's the secret?
- We've practiced strong, we've worked together,
we've got this sense of brotherhood amongst us.
We're a family.
NICK WATT: Next up, a drubbing then a shellacking.
Their season so far, 12 and 0.
You're not just a good deaf football team.
You're a good football team.
- Exactly right.
Exactly right.
We've played against other good teams, let me say,
but we just keep beating them.
NICK WATT: Back at the championship game
second quarter, the Cubs are down 28-0.
Oh boy.
- Typically for our games, we are winning by a pretty 20,
30 point margin by halftime.
And this is definitely a very different vibe.
NICK WATT: And then hook and ladder
play sparks a startling rally.
Suddenly, it's 28 to 22.
The crowd's going nuts.
But how do the players feed off that?
With their eyes.
- During your breaks, during halftime, you look around,
they're cheering, their hands are waving in the air.
You see their energy.
And that feels so good.
NICK WATT: The Cubs average winning margin
this season, nearly 50 points.
Have you yourself scored any touchdowns this year?
- More than 15.
I lost count.
NICK WATT: Nice.
These kids were already confident.
They didn't need this historic run to prove
their worth in the world.
But some opponents underestimated them.
Badly.
- I think they do dismiss us oftentimes.
They think we're a deaf school, no big deal.
Then I think it's a lesson learned for them
that deaf people out there and other programs
can do better than they are doing.
NICK WATT: Back to that championship game.
Halftime, Valencia touchdown King is iced.
He's out.
Kadim Adams is limping.
He's the coach's son by the way.
And his brother, starting quarterback Trevon,
takes a hit.
His night is over.
The limping Kadim has to take his spot.
Now to most of us, a football game sounds like this.
For these kids, we'll turn off the sound.
That could be a disadvantage.
They make it an advantage.
- During the game, we're able to throw out plays exact, plays.
Hearing teams don't understand what our plays are, what's
being shared on the field.
- Tree, that's part of their play is tree.
Watch the ball.
- This is our first language.
It's our native language.
We're using our native language on the field.
And visual acuity is more alert than your hearing opponents
typically.
And so we use that as an advantage.
Yeah.
NICK WATT: To go from laughing stock
to media darlings moving merch.
- Now we've got TV producers, movie
producers reaching out to us.
It's just it's endless.
Yeah, it definitely feels like we've reached celebrity status.
JUSTINE GUADARRAMA: I don't think the media
and everything is getting to their head.
They're just focused on the game.
NICK WATT: But with two key Cubs stars sidelined,
those burly Faith Baptist boys proved just too much.
A second half blowout.
Cubs distraught.
They weren't in this for a heartwarming
story about deaf kids against the odds.
They were in this to win.
KAVEH ANGOORANI: And I'm very proud.
They defeated us, yes.
But they've taught us a lesson.
That means that the expectation is
going to be higher next year.
NICK WATT: And get this, there were only two seniors
on this Cubs team.
Next year, maybe.
Just maybe.
[music playing]
CARL AZUZ: This dude named Michael Pick said
he had a choice, practice and get better
at shooting with a regular Nerf gun,
or build a bigger Nerf gun.
He did the second thing.
Designed on a computer, built using plywood and 3D printed
parts, it's 12 and 1/2 feet long and weighs
more than 200 pounds.
It's powered by electronics and a paintball air tank.
Unlike regular Nerf guns, it is not a toy.
But it can wreak havoc on water balloons.
You can't buy it either because Nerf would Nerfer sell it.
They probably wouldn't have the Nerf to build it.
And it would make your mom really Nerfous.
Is it Nerfarious?
Only if its holder gets Nerfurious.
So you don't want to get on his Nerfs,
if you know what I'm saying.
Most of these toys are Nerfer ending.
So we'll keep an eye out for what
people build on their own Nerf.
I'm Carl Azuz, Bexley High School gets today's shoutout.
It's great to have you watching from Bexley, Ohio.
We hope you and everyone else returns again tomorrow.