The Tom Tom | January 2017

ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE | MASSAGE THERAPY

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8 JAN. 2017

PERSPECTIVES

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CONTENTS

VOL. 55 NO. 4

BEYOND THE FIELD

4 | EDITOR’S NOTE

23 | THE MOM BEHIND THE SCENES

12 | SEQUOIT TO SEQUOIT

24 | THE ALUMNA THAT ALWAYS GIVES IT 100 PERCENT

14 | TOM TOM TRIES 30 | WHAT IT FEELS LIKE TO GRADUATE EARLY OFF THE FIELD

25 | THE SOPHOMORE THE SPOTLIGHT MISSED 26 | THE SOPHOMORE THAT CONTINUES MOVING FORWARD

5 | DRESSING FOR THE GAME

27 | ONTO THE BIG LEAGUES

6 | MOTIVATIONAL MOVIES TO MAKE WINTER AMUSING

FEATURES

7 | IT’S ALL IN THE GAME ON THE FIELD 11 | SPORTS BRIEFS 13 | HOW TO FIGHT THE HIBERNATION 16 | TOP 5 WAYS TO CUT WEIGHT APPROPRIATELY

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8 | TO GO TOO FAR 17 | GRIN AND BEAR IT 19 | GOOD THINGS COME TO THOSE WHO WAIT 21 | GO THROUGH THE MOTIONS Throughout this magazine you will see a purple Tom Tom icon (see left).

That means readers are able to scan the page with Aurasma, an app downloadable from any app store.

Readers will then be engaged in a virtual reality experience like never before.

ON THE COVER When it comes to originality, cheerleading takes the cake.

From unique cheers to intense tumbling sequences and stunts, the cheer team nevers stops being original. Even when they’re down, they “get back up on the horse” and fly again.

For that reason, the entire team is featured on one of five collectable covers. Scan any cover to hear senior Alexa Castino’s journey as this month’s One|Sequoit.

{Perspectives the TOM TOM staff

2016-2017 executive team

KRISTINA M. ESDALE Editor-in-Chief PATRICK R. JOHNSON, MJE Adviser PAIGE HOPE Managing Editor REBEKAH L. CARTLIDGE Digital Director JACK A. CONNELLY Digital Director JILLIAN M. EVERETT Print Director JASON R. WOOD Print Director Editorial Board DEPARTMENT EDITORS Rachel Beckman Grace Bouker Branden Gallimore Booker Grass Benjamin Gutke John Howe Lauryn Hugener Gabrielle Kalisz Alexander Ruano Abigail Russell Kaylee Schreiner Logan Weber SOCIAL MEDIA DIRECTORS Haley Edwards Dylan Hebior Megan Helgesen Marc Huston SENIOR EDITORS Christina Michaels Natasha Reid

staff journalists Jayme Bailey William Becker Lauren Bluthardt Peter Boeh Nico Chiappetta Jared DeBoer Emma DeJong Taylor Feltner Chloe Grass Griffin Hackeloer Emily Hanes Symone Henderson Brenna Higgins Emily Holmes Jacob Johnson Michael Kawell Jessica Lamberty Chloe Moritz Nicole Peterson John Petty Alexandra Rapp Ashley Reiser Steffanie Richardson Matthew Rowe Allison Smith Ashley Stephens

Annie Wagner Kyle Whitley Monica Wilhelm Diana Anghel Caden Davis Dan Filippone Camille Flackus Emily Higgins Mikayla Holway Robbie Hulting Alex Johnson McKenna Kalisz Alex Knight Madisen Krapf Emily Lara Jessica Nettgen Valerie Rasmussen Aliya Rhodes Karley Rogalski Riley Rush Eleni Sakas Matthew Soberano Kevin Tamayo Emily Torres Skyler Wackenhuth

mission statement The Tom Tom seeks to not only be the premier source of student news, sports and lifestyles at Antioch Community High School, but it also aspires to do so with integrity, respect, responsibility and pride. The Tom Tom believes wholeheartedly in giving voices to the voiceless through unique engaging methods of storytelling, while engaging with the Antioch community to see diverse and challenging perspectives. In doing so, we choose to tell some of the more challenging or untold stories even when they can be controversial in order to make our community stronger, more caring, and more tolerant. This program envisions a holistic experience of quality journalism through print publications and digital content, as well as promotes student spirit and school culture through innovative and inspiring public relations and advertising campaigns.

We are the Tom Tom. We are originals. It would be an awfully big adventure if you choose to come along with us and work as one community, One Sequoit.

EDITOR’S NOTE

GETTING BACK UP ON THE HORSE

Failure is one of our greatest fears, but it’s in falling down where we learn the greatest life lessons and gain the best advice.

KRISTINA ESDALE // Editor-in-Chief

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ometimes, life happens. We’ve all hit that bump in the road, or that obstacle that seems impossible to get over. The world seems to stop spinning and we think that there’s no possible way our lives could get any worse. But somewhere in the mess of it all is the strength to get back up on the horse: shoulders back, chin high, swallowing that lump in your throat and taking another step forward. After every rough patch is a lesson learned.

Time and time again, the law and ethics that our staff abides by has been challenged. From controversial features to fluffy lifestyles pieces, we write from one end of the spectrum to the other. But one significant factor stays the same: the ability to tell the truth and only the truth.

In this day and age, we find the whole concept of journalism going through a “rough patch.” Readers believe anything that they see online and popular news companies are hardeningthe name that people have made for the reputation of journalism throughout the ages. That fact is not necessarily fact, but instead is an alternate fact or fake reality. We are staring down a massive change. So, the Tom Tom staff has decided to take a stand against the criticism and prove why journalism matters. More importantly, why each and every Sequoit matters.

Our decision to rebrand the One|Sequoit project came from wanting to shed light on those in our community who strive for change and take the steps in making it happen.

Senior Alexa Castino is our first ever One|Sequoit to be featured in the wake of our rebranded project, as she is an exemplary model of a student who tries her hardest to make a difference inside and outside of school. To listen to Alexa’s story, be download the Aurasma app and scan any of our covers. The ultimate goal of the new One|Sequoit project is to challenge our school and community to do better and be better every single day. We want to inspire other Sequoits to be great and to be their own person. To be an original.

Some days, we as a staff feel knocked off of our horse.

Whether it’s people complaining about our coverage or not believing that we’re good enough, people can always find a way to make us think that we aren’t living up to the expectations that were set for us to meet. We’re choosing to answer the challenge with our new mission statement; we stand by what we say and what we write, no matter if it might anger some people. Our goal isn’t to make everyone happy; our goal is to educate the community and give voices to the voiceless. In that respect, we’ve decided to get

4 Tom Tom January 2017

PHOTO // HALEY EDWARDS

back up on our horse.

In our “G” magazine, the featured stories represent the struggle of getting back up on the horse in our fellow Sequoits’ daily lives. Similar to past magazines, each feature is a cliche that starts with the letter “G.” Staff member Ashley Stephens writes about the hardships of coming back after being suspended from a sport, as well as having limited practice time in “Going Through The Motions.” Aside from the struggles that are quite visible each and every day, staff member William Becker tells the story of hazing in “To Go Too Far.” In “Good Things Come to Those Who Wait,” staff member Nicolas Chiapetta tells the story of athletes who find winter to be the longest season, while staff member John Petty writes about the JV athletes who believe they are destined for greatness on Varsity in “Grin and Bear It.” Digital directors Rebekah Cartlidge and Jack Connelly, news editor Gabrielle Kalisz, lifestyles editor Gracie Bouker and staff member Kyle Whitely gave it the good ‘ol Tom Tom Try at JV cheerleading this month. This magazine is filled with stories about motivating movies to athletes who don’t seem to get enough credit, and that’s just a glimpse look at this action-packed winter sports magazine.

Thank you for taking the time to read our magazine.

We hope you enjoy reading, as well as finding the motivation to get back up on your horse and spread awareness throughout our community to make a positive impact on those around you. TT

KRISTINA M. ESDALE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

DRESSING FOR THE GAME IT’S MADE TO BE FORGOTTEN Now that 2016 has finally come to an end, it is time for a new and healthier beginning. People from all over America look forward to creating a New Year’s resolution by setting a year-long goal to better themselves in some way.

A number of those people who create a resolution often end up losing focus on their goal at some point and decide to leave it for next year. Yet, there are still people who are able to keep up with what they planned for themselves and ring in the new year on a successful and positive note. Whether it is studying more effectively, eating more fruits and vegetables or getting more sleep, keeping focus on how to achieve that goal is the key to success.

Dressing as a team helps to win as a team. The winter athletes find opportunities to dress for success.

LOGAN WEBER // Department Editor

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he best teams are the teams that are the most prepared and organized. Part of this organization is showing unity and pride by wearing the same outfit as fellow teammates on the day of a game. The Varsity boys basketball team always demonstrates this sort of style on their game days. Junior Nick Galante described the average game day for the basketball team.

“On game days the whole basketball team usually wears our team jackets,” Galante said. “Other times we wear dress shirts and ties depending on who we are playing that day or if it is a conference game or not.”

Dressing the same plays a key role in the mindset of the basketball team before a game. It helps to get the team mentally ready to play their best.

“It is important that we all dress the same on game days because it builds a sense of unity and cooperation among the team,” Galante said. “I think it really strengthens our team chemistry and prepares us for the game later in the day.”

This type of bond and chemistry is not just for the basketball team, but also for those who cheer on the team from the sidelines. The Varsity cheerleaders also dress the same before games, and this is very influential to the girls’ performance as well. Junior Miranda Karellas, a Varsity cheerleader, described her attire before a game.

“Our game day attire is our black flyaway uniform with our white game day bow, black crew socks to match the black uniform and our cheer shoes,” Karellas said.

Many people are not on the sports teams at Antioch Community High School, and they all have different viewpoints on how the teams look on game days.

“I think when people look at us on game days, they think, or at least I hope they think, we look professional and put

PHOTO // JR JOHNSON Varsity basketball player Reece Eldridge and the Sequoits took on crosstown rival Lakes Community High School in what would be a nailbiter. The Sequoits lost to Lakes, but will face them again on February 7. Traditionally, the boys basketball team wears their team jackets or dresses in shirt and tie for home or conference games. Other sports also wear dress clothes or their uniforms on game days to show unity and promote attendance at games.

together as a team,” Karellas said. “We try our best to put a good performance out there for the crowd, as well as cheer on the basketball team as best as possible.”

Dressing as a team is a vital piece to the success of winning games. It helps the players or members of the team feel more unified as a team and build team chemistry. The teams are all trying their best to please the students and fans of the school, and it all starts with what they wear when they walk in the doors. TT

In case you missed it, there is more to Symone Henderson’s story about keeping up with a New Year’s resolution. Scan the Aurasma code to read the rest of the story.

The “G” Issue

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Off the fiField FASHIONABLY FRIGID When the temperature starts to dwindle and the snow begins to fall, winter sports enthusiastics head for the slopes.

First, they must ensure that they have the proper clothing and sportswear for their intended activity. Whether it is downhill skiing, snowboarding, backcountry skiing, snowshoeing or cross country skiing, style trumps comfort and warmth for many winter sports participants.

The top ten snowboarding brands in this day and age rank— No. 1: Burton, No. 2: Ride, No. 3: Forum, No. 4: Lib Tech, No. 5: Salomon, No. 6: K2, No. 7: Rome, No. 8: DC, No. 9: Never Summer and No. 10: Gnu, according to snowboarding enthusiasts on TheTopTens.com.

All top brands are different in ranking depending on each winter sport product.

Many of the top brands provide comfort, style and warmth for winter aficionados.

In case you missed it, there is more to Ashley Reiser’s story about cold weather clothes and activities.

Scan the Aurasma code to read the rest of the story.

MOTIVATIONAL MOVIES TO MAKE WINTER AMUSING Trying to have fun during winter can be difficult when suffering from the winter blues, but a good sports movie can solve that problem.

JARED DEBOER // Tom Tom Staff

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epression can take control of an individual without permission or consent. According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, around 350 million people suffer from depression, a feeling of severe despair and dejection. The winter blues is an acute form of depression where the symptoms of depression only appear in the winter months. There are many ways that an individual who is feeling down can be cured of the winter blues, such as watching a fantastic and inspiring movie. Sports movies are fun to watch and have an uplifting theme, which can boost both mood and energy.

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THE “ROCKY” MOVIE SERIES

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“COACH CARTER”

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Considered one of the most powerful movie series from the 1980s, these five movies are known for being both motivational and inspiring because of their ability to depict Rocky grinding through his struggles and never giving up on his goals. One who experiences the winter blues could watch just one or two of these movies and soon after be running miles out in the freezing cold, just like Rocky does to train for his fights.

Based on a true story, the movie “Coach Carter” has highs and lows that are relatable, exciting and compelling. The film displays the hiring of an ex-athlete and sporting goods store owner to coach a dysfunctional basketball team. The team is struggling because of their poor ability to follow rules, their bad attitudes and even worse grades. To change that, Coach Carter instills a strict regime that is recorded by a written contract signed by each player. The team’s initial resistance to the new rules subsides as they learn Carter is a fierce competitor and compassionate coach. The movie teaches that lives can be changed through self-discipline, hard work and the building of character.

“REMEMBER THE TITANS”

This movie has a inspiring plotline that involves an interracial football team overcoming the challenges of segregation and racism back in 1971. This film does not require a specific love for the game of football, but a love for family. “Remember the Titans” displays both sides of racial tension and brings them together with a strong but subtle force. Based on real events that happened during those times, a

PHOTOS // JARED DEBOER

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high school football team has to work to help an entire town overcome the frustrations and anger of a divided town. The student athletes work to create the perfect season, which helps relieve the tension among members in their hometown. This historical film has scenes with the ability to make the viewer laugh, cry or jump with joy. The mixture creates a movie that will make any individual feel great about life and give them the drive to win.

“THE BLIND SIDE”

The movie “The Blind Side” is based on a true story; it is a great movie to watch when feeling down or sluggish during the winter months because it will help show that there is always a reason to be thankful. The film helps spread gratefulness through a charming story that includes serious moments while still containing scenes that beg for laughter. “‘The Blind Side’ made me feel very lucky to be in the position I am in; it also made me feel grateful for everything I have,” junior Derek Olson said. “It motivated me to do more with what I am given.” TT

IT’S ALL IN THE GAME

TOP 5 ESPORT PRIZES 1. Dota 2 Prize pool: $20,770,640.00 The International 2016 “Dota 2” tournament sets the record for highest paying Electronic Sports tournament.

Wings Gaming took home the prize in August 2016.

2. League of Legends - Prize pool: $5,070,000.00 SK Telecom T1 won the “League of Legends” World Championship, tallying their third championship and second straight title.

Could this mark a dynasty in the world of LoL?

PHOTO // ASSOCIATED PRESS SUBSCRIPTION Quarterback Deshaun Watson, who led Clemson to victory in the Orange Bowl, playing a video game as Whitney Similien of the Boys and Girls Club looked on during a bowl-related outing on Tuesday in Hollywood, Fla. (Caption // Associated Press)

Sports go beyond the field, the court or the diamond. In this case, online video games are making a push to the top.

BENJAMIN GUTKE // Department Editor

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lectronic sports, better known as eSports, are cementing themselves in the lives of gamers of all ages across the world. Addicting may be an understatement when taking into consideration how many hours a student will spend playing online video games, especially in comparison to the hours spent on schoolwork. In extreme cases, students may turn their video game hobby into a career. One example of this is Antioch Community High School alumnus Sam Jackson who is currently a professional League of Legends player.

There is a wide variety of eSport video games, such as “Dota 2,” “Counter Strike: Global Offense,” “Heroes of the Storm” and “Overwatch.” Although these games attract many gamers, the most popular game by far is “Call of Duty.”

“Call of Duty” draws a large crowd from all ages between their “Black Ops” and “Modern Warfare” games.

Senior Marc Gillespie is an active member in the “Call of Duty” community, but is also a two sport Varsity athlete in football and track and field.

“I typically play ‘Call of Duty’ for a couple hours at night, a few times a week,” Gillespie said. “I’m an athlete and enjoy

playing sports, but in ‘Call of Duty’ there is teamwork, precision and mental acuity as well as hand-eye coordination that goes into being a good player.”

The intense strategy of competitive “Call of Duty” is what attracts many intelligent players, along with large amounts of prize money awarded at the biggest tournaments.

“Games like search and destroy and capture the flag depend on teamwork in order to win,” Gillespie said. “Strategies and tactics such as trading kills and setting up plays and attack methods are just some of the strategies. On top of that, assigning different positions to players are also incorporated into the teamwork and strategies.”

Vocabulary such as teamwork and positions start to draw their own comparisons to sports such as basketball and soccer, but those are not the only similarities; some “Call of Duty” players can create a more than comfortable living through this complex video game. The top earning “Call of Duty” player, Jordan Kaplan who goes by the screen name “JKap,” has made close to $450,000 by 2016 at just the age of 22.

The excitement surrounding “Call of Duty” is usually coming from OpTic Gaming, arguably the most popular gaming team in the world. Having a large presence on YouTube allows their fans a live look at the team’s practicing and matches, headlined by their anchor, Seth Abner, or more commonly known by his screen name, “Scumpii.”

Currently, the OpTic Gaming team is located out of Schaumburg, Illinois, and has their own nickname for their fan base: the Green Wall.

“Green Wall for life,” Gillespie said. “Scumpii is a God amongst men; his YouTube videos are second to none.” TT

3. Halo 5: Guardians - Prize pool: $2,500,000.00 The “Halo” World Championships that took place in March of 2016 gave Counter Logic Gaming the first place prize.

4. Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 - Prize pool: $2,000,000.00 Team EnVyUs beat Splyce in the championship match, riding the hot play of the highest earning player in the world, JKap in the “Call of Duty” XP Championship.

5. CounterStrike: Global Offensive - Prize pool: $1,500,000.00 The World Electronic Sports 2016 (CS:GO) tournament was won

by Team EnVyUs who outlasted Team Kinguin in the championship match.

The “G” Issue

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G gofar to

too

WILLIAM BECKER // Tom Tom Staff

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PHOTOS // WILLIAM BECKER

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thought my son would be safe at school,” the mother of a Maine West High School hazing victim said in an interview with The Huffington Post.

“You think when you drop off your son, it’s a safe place to be. But I feel like the coaches should have kept him safe on the soccer field, and they didn’t do that.”

The hazing of this student started in September 2012. At practice, the coach of the soccer team sent his team on a run around the school. During the run, members of the freshman soccer team were jumped by the Varsity players and pushed into the grass.

One boy had his shorts pulled down. He was pushed to the ground and was then beaten with a stick. The second boy had his shorts torn off, he was held down, beaten and had his genitals touched inappropriately.

The boys did not report the incident at the time of the attack. Later, the coach found out, but did not report the incident, even though he is obligated to under state law. The boys later spoke about the incident that November, and an investigation ensued.

Authorities charged six of the students to juvenile court with misdemeanor assault.

Head Varsity coach Michael Divincenzo and head freshman coach Emilio Rodriguez were both fired because of the incident.

Three more students came forward later, saying they were also hazed at the school.

The five athletes together sued the school for

$200,000 each. The one million dollars was paid by the school in November 2016, bringing closure to the lawsuit.

This is one example of hazing at the high school level. Contrary to popular belief, hazing is not just secluded to college. According to psychologist Susan Lipkins, Ph.D., the severity of hazing has been on the rise in recent years. It was reported in the study that 47 percent of students going into college have already experienced hazing at the high school level, and 1.5 million students are hazed each year. Since 2011, 43 cases of hazing have involved students being sodomized.

She believes this rise of extreme sexual hazing is tied to students attempting to one-up each other from hazing they personally experienced. She also found that 40 percent of athletes reported the coach knowing about the hazing incident, and less than 1 in 20 hazing cases are not reported.

Not all hazing cases are as extreme as Maine West High School, especially when it comes to the hazing that has happened in the past.

Antioch’s physical education and driver’s education teacher Christopher Bailey is also the head track and cross country coach.

When he was in high school, there was a hazing ritual that occurred. Every year, the Varsity athletes would take the freshmen and throw them into a pond by the school.

Along with Bailey, psychology teacher Anton Borchert was a former athlete and coach.

He also experienced hazing or “initiation” as a student and a coach in multiple sports including football, hockey and baseball.

In football, newest members of the Varsity team would have to cut their hair at the beginning of the season. In hockey, the old Varsity players would make food concoctions and the newest members of the team would be forced to eat them and not throw up for a minute. And in baseball, the newest members would carry around all the equipment all season long.

Borchert explained that hazing is an example of a term called “justification of effort.”

“It’s a way in the sports world to neutralize any of those individuals that thought they could come into an already existing team and be the focal point,” Borchert said. “They are breaking the person’s individual spirit to make them understand that if you go through the steps that we ask you to be a part of this group, we always have your back and we will always support you.”

Along with the justification of effort, Borchert also explained that many of the rash decisions that are made with hazing can be explained by the underdeveloped frontal lobe of teenagers and young adults, which is responsible for decision making.

“As you get older we can foresee how our

“

I thought my son would be safe at school. You think when you drop off your son it’s a safe place to be.

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1. To act in a way that is worse than is expected.

The “G” Issue

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Off the fiField

current actions will impact us down the road,” Borchert said. “Young people, in general, lack the ability to foresee how their actions will affect them later.”

This could explain why some hazing cases tend to cross the line. One case of this hits closer to Antioch than Main West: Lake Zurich High School.

About a week before the Lake Zurich football team’s first and only playoff game of the year against Fenwick High School, the athletes were caught in a hazing incident that was described as “inappropriate” and “egregious.” The hazing happened in the locker room after a team meal, two days before the game. Punishments were handed out, and head coach David Proffitt and assistant coach Chad Beaver were put on paid administrative leave. In turn, they were not allowed to participate in the upcoming playoff game. Along with the coaches, the players involved had to go through anti-hazing education, which consisted of completing an online hazing prevention course, ten hours of community service, prepar-

10 Tom Tom January 2017

ing a presentation for middle school students on bullying and hazing in sports and attending a workshop on positive decision-making and hazing prevention.

The Daily Herald released an article about this situation which prompted a police investigation. After a month with not many participants willing to talk to the police, the case was dropped. Police said that they did not hear any evidence of participants being forced to perform in the hazing, and no bodily harm had been done.

Borchert and Bailey have never allowed hazing to occur during their time coaching. If they did come across it happening, both believe that there is a proper way to dealing with hazing situations, which are different from the way the coaches at Maine West and Lake Zurich handled theirs.

Borchert said the consequence he would hand out to the players would depend on how severe the hazing was.

If the hazing was extremely inappropriate, the player would be kicked out of the program. He also explained that

FAST FACTS 47 percent of high school students going into college have already experienced hazing of some kind.

Since 2011, 43 hazing cases have involved sodomization of students.

1.5 million students get hazed a year.

40 percent of athletes reported the coach knowing about the hazing incident.

Lipkin’s report found that 1 in 20 hazing cases are not reported.

SOURCE // SUSAN LIPKINS, PH.D.

getting the parents involved in the situation is the first move he would make.

The best way to prevent hazing from occurring, in Bailey’s mind, is communication.

“Making sure the kids understand what being part of the program means,” Bailey said. “Having some pride in their school and knowing what they do and say reflects not only on them but me as the coach, the program and the school.”

He also explained that laying down the rules upfront with players and the consequences that they would get if hazing occurs is one of the best ways to prevent hazing from happening.

There are psychological answers behind why hazing goes hand in hand with sports, as Borchert said. Students need to be actively smart about the decisions they make on and off the the field.

“There’s a line that you don’t cross,” Borchert said. “You just don’t do certain things.” TT

WRESTLING

IN SEASON

The Sequoit wrestling team continues to hit the mat hard in hopes of a successful seasoning ending state championship. The team lead

by George Bessette and Patrick Schoenfelder continues to be successful. Freshmen Luke Menzies, Alex Barbarise and Elijah Reyes holding their places on the varsity team, while also dropping in to help the freshman team ending in a first place team duo finish. TT

BY GABRIELLE KALISZ

DANCE

The ACHS dance team began their competition season in November with the intent to go to state, specifically the second day of the competition. Beginning the season with middle-range placings in the fall, the team pushed themselves to gain better ground in the competitions after winter break. With placings in the top three, the team improved their scores and maintained the energy as conference and sectionals approached. Sadly, they missed the mark placing ninth out of sixteen teams at the sectional competition last Saturday. Although they missed their spot, they are proud of their year of competition and look forward to the future of Sequoit dance. TT

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PHOTO // SYMONE HENDERSON

heer jumped right into success on Jan. 22 with first place finishes for Varsity and JV at the Stagg invitational. The Varsity cheer team has had continued success during their season with consistent top five finishes, including a second place finish in the NLCC competition.

The cheerleaders hope to continue this success at sectionals tomorrow at Belvidere High School when they compete to advance to the state competition. TT

BY GABRIELLE KALISZ

BY GABRIELLE KALISZ

BOWLING

The girl’s bowling team had a rough start to the season, but slowly picked up speed leading to a well deserved rival win against Lakes. With ten new teammates unsure of what to expect, the team became stronger not only in their bonds, but also in their overall skills throughout the season. On their way to conference, the girl’s hope for a fierce season ending. TT

BY LAUREN BLUTHARDT AND JAYME BAILEY

PHOTO // JR JOHNSON

GIRLS BASKETBALL

The girl’s came out of the gates firing on all cylinders this season, starting at 20-3 behind big performances from Ashley Reiser, Amy Reiser and Erika Gallimore. The girls have enjoyed victories against conference rivals such as Lakes and Grant and they look to continue their success into the IHSA state tournament. TT

BY KYLE WHITELY

PHOTO // JR JOHNSON

BOYS BASKETBALL

The boys had a slow start to the season, starting with a 2-3 record through their first five games. Injuries have plagued the team this year as juniors John Petty, Brandon Gallimore and Peter Boeh have all been sidelined. The boys look to recreate their heroics from last season’s regional winning when the IHSA state tournament starts in late February. TT

BY KYLE WHITELY

The “G” Issue

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On the fiField Perspective

SEQUOIT TO SEQUOIT:

GAME TIME OR TRAINING TIME

Using the winter sport season to stay in shape and keep that competive edge will only benefit one’s athletic career.

MICHAEL KAWELL // Tom Tom Staff

Not participating in winter sports is a choice. For this Sequoit, his choice is to focus on his training and his core sport.

ALEXANDER RUANO // Department Editor

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inter sucks, especially in Illiinter is a wonderland full of nois, so why not find someThe winter intensely competitive sports. thing to keep you busy during season is With a few different adrenlong and those cold and bitter months of the year? aline-rushing opportunities, athletes our Sequoits For example, compete on a winter sport strive for their winter seasons. I, on the choose to use team such as basketball, wrestling, cheer it in different other hand, take a different stance. or dance, all of which have multiple ways.

As a Varsity soccer player, my high levels that you can join. For some, just school season starts in the fall and ends being a part of a team is the best thing before winter is in reach. However, while about sports, so just because you haven’t my friends and teammates lace up their played that sport in a while, or maybe hightops or strap on their head gear, I am never at all, don’t let that stop you from content with a break from the constant competition as I prep during getting involved. Don’t knock something until you try it because who my offseason.

Don’t get me wrong, I love a good match up. I am natuknows, you may discover a new passion. rally competitive and I do partake in playing indoor soccer and kick All athletes love to compete and that is the main reason for us jointhe ball around every chance I get. But, I choose not to participate in ing sports, so even if one doesn’t play a winter sport, maybe that basketball or wrestling in the winter season. should change just so you can keep that competitive edge all year In my opinion, being suffocated in a gym in not my ideal playing long. Another pro of the winter sport season is it allows you to stay location. Basketball is a great sport that I support very much and in shape and remain active in those cold months where going out love to watch and play, but I would much rather spend my time outfor a jog doesn’t sound too appealing or running on the treadmill is side with fresh air and playing on the pavement. While basketball is already old. very enjoyable to me, I decide to focus my time on offseason lifting I enjoy the winter sport season because it’s one of the few times and training. of the year where there are minimal outside distractions that come For me, wrestling is a unique sport that requires much strength with the other seasons, like nice weather and a break from school. and dedication. However, when I tried it my freshman year, I decided Being social, staying fit and keeping your competitive edge if you’re the sport did not bring me much excitement. I understand that fela multiple sport athlete are positive reasons to join a winter sport low student athletes who look forward to their winter season may if you’re not already in one. So look into sports that you may want have different beliefs. Although I would rather use my time training to join next winter and get ready to represent the cardinal and gray. TT and playing on indoor teams, wrestling is a great way to stay physically fit during the offseason. Instead of wrestling to stay fit, I stay active by training several times a week and playing in tournament games. Pick-up games with friends are also another great way I stay competitive and fit for the winter.

It is important to understand that every athlete is different and unique in their own way. That’s what makes us athletes so great. We choose what sports to partake in to fit our own personal preference.

As high schoolers, we have the opportunity to try new things and open our minds to a world of different experiences. Being part of a sports team is an amazing experience to meet new people and create strong lifelong bonds. I choose to take a different path that is still followed by many other students. Hard work during the offseason shows later when it matters most. TT In case you missed it, both of these athletes have plenty to say about the winter season, being a one or multi-sport athlete and finding the best way to train no matter how many sports one plays. Scan here to hear both boys talk about it.

PHOTO // MICHAEL KAWELL

12 Tom Tom January 2017

HOW TO FIGHT THE HIBERNATION The best way to get a summer body in the dead of winter.

JOHN HOWE // Public Relations Director ILLUSTRATIONS // JESSICA LAMBERTY

S

Lunge: Stand straight up, take a large step until back leg is fully extended.

Once in this position, push down on the front leg and push up. Repeat multiple times.

Plank: Get into fully extended push-up position and hold for a set time amount.

ay goodbye to using the weather as an excuse to get exercise. Working out in the dead of winter can be just as easy and fun as in the heat of the summer. Whether it is to train for an upcoming season or just to feel good, working out can bring some light to cold, gloomy days.

Senior Landon Keefover utilizes the school weight deck in the winter when he is unable to train outside for the upcoming track season.

“When I go up there I do heavy lifts such as bench [presses] and squats to stay fit for track,” Keefover said. “For at home, I do push ups, air squats and crunches.”

Keefover does this when he is unable to go to the gym but still wants to complete a full workout.

Senior Carlie Gaylord also works out in the winter in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Gaylord has been going to CrossFit for the past year and a half.

“I also do a lot of abs every night [along with CrossFit], those are really good to do,” Gaylord said. “Anything you can do at home is good; you can even Pinterest it.”

Physical education teacher Jordan Eder encourages students to utilize the school resources to work out over the winter, whether that is to stay in shape or to train for an upcoming season. Eder also explained that it is important to continuously work out through all seasons to not allow the body to reset and essentially start over the next time someone goes to workout.

Working out in the winter is simple; all one needs is enough room to fully extend the body. Once in the routine of working out, exercise can add a little sunshine to the darkness of the cold winter. TT

Push-ups: Lay flat on stomach with hands shoulder-width apart, palms on the ground. Push up with only your chest and back down. Repeat multiple times.

Burpee: Start standing straight. Reach down and put hands to the floor. While reaching down, kick out legs until in plank position. Proceed to do a push-up and jump back up to standing position.

Repeat multiple times.

Walk-outs: Legs straight and reach down with hands. Once hands hit the floor, walk out with arms into plank position.

Once in plank position, walk back up, keeping arms still and moving only the legs. Repeat multiple times.

Sit-ups: Lay on back with knees bent and feet on the floor. Proceed to lift only the top half of the body, curling up to the bent knees and back down until shoulders hit the floor. Repeat multiple times.

The “G” Issue

13

On the fiField

TomTomTries:

JV CHEER

See what happens when five Tom Tommers leave the newsroom and take to the mats.

PHOTOS // JASON WOOD & JOHN HOWE JACK CONNELLY // Digital Director

I

t seems that anyone with cheerleading experience will tell you that it is incredibly difficult, while most others find them hard to believe. After two hours of trying cheer, I can assure you that the cheerleaders know what they are talking about.

Cheer is difficult. Like, really difficult.

It took me all of five seconds in the auxiliary gym for me to realize that I’m not cut out for cheer, and for one reason: flexibility. My definition of touching my toes was bracing for the pain and bouncing to grab my toes; theirs was placing their hands flat on the floor. My pride was only further injured once they began warming up for tumbling.

I’m no expert, but tumbling appears to be a series of flips and jumps and other things designed to make people say “wow.” The extent of my tumbling experience (if it can be called that) came in the form of briefly attempting a handstand before falling onto my face.

After the ladies taught me that I was incompetent in the basics of their sport, they tried to teach me choreography.

My dancing skills have never been good, but this showed me a whole new world: constant reminders to “keep it tight” (code for tensing every muscle in your body) and to

14 Tom Tom January 2017

WANT TO WATCH? The team spent two hours at cheer practice this month. If you would like to see how well they did, or at least watch them try their best, head over to sequoitmedia.com, click on this story and watch the video by senior digital director Rebekah Cartlidge.

Don’t want to go through all of that clicking? Scan the Aurasma code below to go right there.

“hit” everything (code for being in time with the cheer we were screaming). I never got close to understanding a basic routine that was a handful of seconds long, and they perform for minutes on end. The dedication and skill it takes to learn and perfect cheer routines is beyond both my comprehension and my patience, and we put that to the test in the final minutes of our time there. We did a small sample of a routine, and, while I was entirely lost, I was amazed at being immersed in the organized chaos that makes watching a cheer team compete so mesmerizing. The combination of flying, flipping, dancing and yelling make the sport awesome to watch, and I was beyond surprised by how much it takes to be a cheerleader.

REBEKAH CARTLIDGE // Digital Director

When I found out that I would be going to cheerleading practice I automatically got excited, but after giving it some more thought about what actually happens at a typical cheerleading practice, the nerves kicked in. I’ve been an athlete my entire life; I catch onto most sports quickly, but cheerleading was a different story.

The team was already stretching as I walked into the gym; leave it to me to be late to my first cheerleading practice. I got in line and quickly realized they were doing similar stretches to what I do during soccer and field hockey.

I thought to myself maybe this won’t be too bad and that I might actually be decent. I was so wrong; during the circle stretches I couldn’t even touch my toes, and then they went into the splits, and the remaining shred of confidence I had left was gone.

quickly turned into fear. Against my better judgement, I took a deep breath and heeded the words of coach Wieda: “squeeze the muscles and hope.” After feeling like I was going to die and almost falling on my butt, we got it down. It felt easier each time we tried, until they told us to do an extension. I have never felt my muscles in my body tense up that much. They slowly raised me above their heads and it ended successfully, but not without shrieks and a lot of fear.

Cheer was just another reminder that I am not coordinated at all. I can try and try all I want, but in the end I wasn’t made out to be a cheerleader.

GRACE BOUKER // Department Editor

Next, we had to learn the actual cheer, and we were very limited on time. I had to learn a dance and vocals to go with them in about an hour. Once again, I thought maybe there was a small chance I would be good at this.

During marching band I could play my instrument and find multiple spots on the field with no problem. Learning drill in marching band is nothing like learning a cheer routine, and I have never been so confused in my entire life. Everything was so fast. I would get lost about two beats in and never be able to catch up, so I just ended up standing behind a stunt group so no one would see me.

Cheerleading was physically and mentally challenging. Going from being a goalie in field hockey to a base in a stunt group was a big and difficult change. I have a new respect for cheerleaders and all the work they put into every little move that they do.

GABRIELLE KALISZ // Department Editor

From the time I could walk, I was uncoordinated. I tried to shove this blatantly obvious piece of information

out of my head for as long as I could; I played basketball, softball and danced.

Each and every time I tried a new sport, I came to the same conclusion: I am uncoordinated. Cheer was no exception.

“I don’t belong here,” popped into my head. “Gabi what are you doing?

You can barely walk in a staight line.

Oh my, how did she move her body like that? Help me.”

I want to clarify that when I say cheer, it means both words and movements; this may not sound hard, but learn from my mistakes and just accept that it is. Every time I thought I had the moves down, I was reminded to be louder in my cheering; that’s when any hope of having the moves down went out the window. After about 20 minutes and some false confidence that I could maybe actually do it, we went “competition pace.” I am convinced that “competition pace” is a synonym for “way too fast.”

“Gabi you’re going to be the flyer.”

I nodded my head while shaking it while everyone else wasn’t looking. I trust Gracie and Bekah, but the idea of not being firmly planted on the ground

There’s always been the debate regarding whether or not cheerleading is a sport, and I’ve always shied away from the topic because I never really knew anything about it. Boy, was I about to find out.

As a soccer player, I didn’t really know what to expect from a cheerleading practice. We started with a dynamic warm up, which went well, and then proceeded to stretch. I have always known that I’m less than flexible, but this was a whole new level! The cheerleaders had their palms touching the ground, while I couldn’t even touch my toes. After that, we did tumbling, which wasn’t so bad because I was able to do a cartwheel and handstand without breaking something. But then, it got really hard.

We proceeded to learn a routine. This was probably the most challenging part, which was ironic because, before practice, I thought that this would for sure be the easiest part. Turns out, memorizing motions and words to a cheer and performing them in perfect time is extremely frustrating. Plus, we were supposed to be loud, and “speaking from the diaphragm” isn’t my strong suit. It was really, really hard, and memorizing new dances and cheers in short periods of time is something I definitely have more respect for now.

Something I certainly wasn’t expecting was stunting.

I ended up basing with Bekah while Jack and Kyle spotted Gabi, who was flying. I’m not a very balanced person, so holding someone above my head not only required strength and help from my friends, but it required a lot of concentration. Not to mention, I was sore for the next four days! I don’t use my arms in soccer for anything other than throw-ins, and squatting to hold girls up made my legs sore too, which shouldn’t have surprised me, but it did. I had to use a whole new set of muscles and it was taxing, but getting Gabi and the other girls up in the air without dropping them (except for once) was gratifying.

All in all, it is safe to say that cheerleading is definitely a sport, and a challenging one at that. TT The “G” Issue

15

On the fiField

TOP FIVE WAYS TO CUT WEIGHT APPROPRIATELY

Oftentimes the winter comes with weight gain, which leads to many pushing for weight maintenance or loss. Here are easy steps to be safe and successful with weight management.

BRANDEN GALLIMORE // Department Editor ILLUSTRATIONS // JESSICA LAMBERTY

E

very year, thousands of wrestlers have to cut weight in order to make their weight classes. From eating minimal calories to not eating anything for days, wrestlers will do anything to drop weight. But the things these athletes do in order to cut weight may not be good for their bodies.

Wrestlers tend to be an extreme case. Winter weight gain and loss is not limited to just this sport’s hectic schedule and lifestyle. With the cold bearing down and many cooped up inside, any person can and will try to lose weight. With losing weight, there is a right way and a wrong way. In order to properly cut weight, there are five useful steps that anyone can use.

1. EXERCISE The main key to losing weight is exercise. Exercise is a way to keep the body healthy and get it in shape.

Exercise can help improve a person’s mood, energy and can help decrease stress. Exercise also has many health benefits: prevention and treatment of diabetes, strokes and heart disease.

“Exercising is the main way that us wrestlers cut weight,” sophomore Michael Volkmar said. “It’s the best method.”

5. SLEEP WELL Not getting a good night of sleep over time could lead to weight gain and it is one of the largest reasons for weight gain. Getting a good night’s rest is more important than it seems. TT

4. AVOID SUGARY DRINKS Drinks such as energy drinks and fruit juice are high in sugar, which is the main source for gaining weight. Avoiding these drinks with high levels of added sugar will help someone lose weight.

“I usually drink a lot of water and eat small snacks throughout the day,” Volkmar said. “This helps to speed up my metabolism.”

2. EAT A HIGH-PROTEIN BREAKFAST

16 Tom Tom January 2017

Doing this is a healthy way to start off a day. Eating a high-protein breakfast can reduce cravings throughout the day, which will lower a person’s caloric intake. When someone says that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, they really mean it.

3. EAT FOOD SLOWLY

People that eat their food slowly tend to not eat as much, leading to a lower caloric intake. When eating food slower, the body has more time to process it, making it feel full earlier. This is the reason why fast eaters gain more weight.

grin it

and bear

1. Smile and continue on with what you are doing. 2. Accept the circumstances as they are.

I

JOHN PETTY // Tom Tom Staff

n the world of sports, present-day athletes will always be compared to those they are playing with and against and at the same time compared to their predecessors. In high school, this is especially evident because not all athletes end up making Varsity.

Although Varsity teams are traditionally for just juniors and seniors, there are often exceptions which involve underclassmen participating at a higher skill level.

Yet, making Varsity is not easy for anyone, and many athletes who are close in skill level may not get the opportunity after all. Many people who end up on JV may feel that they deserve to have a Varsity position.

This separation of levels is important for the growth of a school-wide program, but oftentimes causes conflict among many athletes who may feel differently about where they are put within the system. At the front of all debates are usually the athletes who are on the cusp of performing at the Varsity level, but are either “too young” or do not have the experience in the eyes of the coaches to get the job done. The JV level is used to create chemistry between players that will be the next Varsity performers in the future.

This level is utilized mainly for the sophomore class, yet sometimes freshmen are mixed in to fill voids, as some

sophomores play on Varsity. Around the high school community, Varsity sporting events are typically the most attended through the student body due to ideal game times and selective rivals. This atmosphere is created through a number of factors that include the athletes themselves, other students and even parents. Playing for many fans in the stands is known to be one of the most exciting things in sports. The crowds at Varsity games may differ from JV games, which represents one of their many differences.

Sophomore Cole Niemi experienced this difference firsthand as he played football this past fall on the JV team, but made Varsity appearances later in the season.

“I feel that JV is just like any other level, but there are a lot less people,” Niemi said. “The good thing is that it is fun to play your sport, but you usually do not have a big crowd.”

The larger attendance at high-level sporting events may be due to the popularity of the athletes and not necessarily their skill level. For example, it is likely that some of the most well-known kids in the school play sports at a high level as well. As a result, other athletes who are not on Varsity may strive to play with a more popular group. Apart from the pressure put on by peers, parents may also drive this idea of superiority into their young athletes. This desire to be a part of the Varsity experience may translate directly to being part of the in crowd and is another reason why many feel they are deserving of a Varsity role.

“Popularity is a big part because everyone wants to be the one to make a big play on Friday night,” Niemi said.

“Playing in front of bigger crowds is amazing; there is really no way to describe it.”

The “G” Issue

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On the fiField

PHOTO // JOHN PETTY

Age is also a main factor in drawing the line between ability and opportunity. Being a younger athlete has a number of disadvantages, but also advantages for the future.

Showcasing talent at a young age allows coaches of higher levels to realize that an athlete may have what it takes to succeed by the time they are on Varsity. In addition, being able to prove talent and work ethic makes it possible to be fast tracked to the next level.

However, many freshmen and sophomores are overlooked initially due to their age.

Sophomore Chase Becker is part of the JV wrestling team but sometimes wrestles in Varsity events. He is eager as a younger athlete to prove his talents to his coaches.

“Being the younger player, coaches haven’t really seen you play so it gives you a lot of opportunity to show them what you have to offer to help the team,” Becker said.

On the other hand, even though being young gives athletes an opportunity to show their potential, age is often associated with inexperience. It is easy for observers to as-

sume that a sophomore may not have the talent of an upperclassman simply because the two are not typically compared to each other. Still, if given the opportunity, a mix of ages can work well, but sometimes it results in hostility between teammates and even parents. But despite the issues, age is not a correlation with ability and should not be treated as so.

Despite the controversy, there is a significant difference between the JV and Varsity level in any sport. Varsity games are known to be more fast-paced and a showcase of skill. Essentially, the coaches will determine who plays on which level, and according to Becker, they are usually correct in their decisions.

“I don’t really think I deserve to be on Varsity because the coaches know what they are doing, and if they thought I was suited to be on the team I would be,” Becker said.

The level on which Becker competes has moved up and down by event and he knows the ins and outs of different skill levels.

“

Popularit y is a big part because ever yone wants to be the one to make a big play on Friday night .

“

18 Tom Tom January 2017

Despite the fact that several athletes are willing to complain about their placement in a program, Becker has his own opinions. He believes that getting time on Varsity is a big jump from the freshman or JV levels no matter the claims of some of his peers.

“I think the main issue with athletes saying they deserve to be on Varsity team rather than JV is that it’s way harder and some don’t understand that,” Becker said. “It takes a lot of mental and physical toughness to be a top competitor at the Varsity level.”

This realization of position is not easy for any athlete, yet it turns out that the decisions made by coaches are indeed final and are made in order to achieve future goals. Many kids will feel they are stuck on a team due mostly to the pressures around them. Appreciation and work ethic will always be beneficial no matter the talent level.

“Getting an opportunity to be a Varsity athlete as a sophomore means the world to me knowing that all that time spent practicing my sport is being paid off by being a part of such a great team, let alone a Varsity team,” Becker said. “I’m very grateful.”

Although it may feel disappointing to several athletes, not being part of Varsity is not the end of the world even if it may seem like it. There will always be a struggle for athletes who feel they deserve to be on Varsity but do not get the chance. In the end, it is important to always stay optimistic and sometimes the best thing to do is just grin and bear it. TT

good wait things come to those who

1. Good things happen to people who are patient.

NICOLAS CHIAPPETTA // Tom Tom Staff

A

PHOTOS // NICOLAS CHIAPPETTA

s the winter sports season is well on its way, many student-athletes have changed their schedules and adjusted their clocks to fit their sports needs. Since the winter sports season runs about four months long, it makes it the longest athletic season of the school year.

With basketball, wrestling, bowling, hockey, cheer and dance being spread out over two semesters and winter break, athletes can find a lot of benefits and disadvantages. One disadvantage that many athletes believe makes the winter season such a hard season to play in is the length.

“I have a love-hate relationship with the winter season,” senior Brandon Etayem said. “The beginning is nice at first, but as the season goes on and on, it really starts to drag.”

Etayem is a wrestler for the school’s Varsity wrestling team. He wrestled all four years at the school and has loved every year of it. To him, the wrestling season starts off great because they go on a simple routine of just practicing and competing, and then repeating this process every week. As

the season goes on, Etayem feels that this repetition starts to become obnoxious and annoying because they are doing the same thing every day, and the athletes begin to grow sick of it.

“School is already a long day, and adding another three hours of practice is stressful because you have to go home, finish your homework and then fit in enough time to sleep to feel well-rested the next morning,” Etayem said.

Having an already stressful day at school, piling on practice and homework afterwards can sometimes be a lot for an athlete to handle. They also lose a lot of their social time and might not be able to see friends or fit in relationships because they have to focus on their schoolwork and keep up their grades.

“One thing I actually do really like about the long season is that we get a lot more time to practice our moves and skills for regionals and state,” Etayem said.

Even though the season can get lengthy because of the winter months, the amount of practice athletes get with a long season is very beneficial to the them. Neither fall nor spring sport seasons have as much time as the winter season to practice their players’ and team’s skills. With this extra time that other sports teams do not have the luxury of having, winter athletes have more chances to achieve a lot of success in their competitions.

Another athlete who competes during the winter sport season is senior Varsity dancer Morgan Balleza. Dance and The “G” Issue

19

On the fiField cheer are the only two sports that span mul- tions and to work hard and prepare for state.

The offseason gives athletes a lot more tiple seasons: fall and winter.

Unfortunately, the girls fell short at sectionals time than an athlete in a sport during the “I love when the winter season starts be- and were unable to qualify for state, but they winter season for them to reach their own cause I start to get on a regular schedule,” were still able to use the long season to their goals for their body and their school work.

Balleza said. advantage.

Since the athletes have more time, they work Balleza loves being on a schedule because As well as playing in a sport and competing and focus on their grades, which is a huge it keeps her on track and keeps her focused during the winter, the winter season also af- benefit for them. throughout the week. When the winter sea- fects athletes who have the winter as an off“I also have a lot of time to hang with my son starts, she notices the team’s work ethic season. Some athletes want to work out and friends and family,” Catalan said. “Playing on strengthen from the fall to winter season. condition during their offseason to prepare a sport is a huge commitment, so I value the “I like that the team becomes a lot more for upcoming sports in the spring or fall. free time I have in the off-season.” serious in the winter,” Balleza said.

“I want to increase Since lifting after school does “The fall season is more about havmy size and strength to not take as much time as practice ing fun, but during the winter seabe better than I was last does for a sport, offseason athletes son competitions begin and everyyear,” junior Julius Catacan be with their friends and famone is really striving to be the best lan said. ily more often, which is something they can be.”

Catalan is a lineman that many student-athletes tend to Since the fall season is much for the Varsity football value when they have practice. shorter than the winter season, team. With a lot of extra Many athletes have different the team does not need to prepare time in the offseason, goals for the winter. From going to MORGAN BRANDON for competitions, but rather for he wants to increase state and winning it all to setting BALLEZA // ETAYEM // football games; however, as soon his strength and muscle and reaching personal goals for SENIOR SENIOR as winter season starts, it becomes to become bigger and themselves, they all want to accom“lockdown mode” for the girls. stronger to help implish something big. With the long They have to stay focused both mentally and prove the team for the upcoming season. He season, they have a lot of time to practice and physically for the competitions in order to is also considering participating in track and develop their skills that the fall and spring do achieve their many goals of the season. Their field and throwing shot put and discus. not have. While the winter season is longer most important goal this season was to make “The long time off gives me a lot of time to than the others and can put a lot stress on it to Illinois High School Association State Fi- reach my personal goals and achievements in one’s schoolwork and social life, all the hard nals. Since the winter season is longer, they and out of the weight room that I set forth for work and effort is worth the chilly season in had more time to practice for their competi- myself,” Catalan said. the end. TT

ILLUSTRATION // JILLIAN EVERETT

20

Tom Tom January 2017

go motions through the

1. Not being enthusiastic about doing something.

B

ASHLEY STEPHENS // Tom Tom Staff

eing an athlete takes a lot of hard work, responsibility and dedication to the team and academics. Some athletes are dedicated to the game, while other athletes are not as dedicated, but make decisions that will impact the team inside and outside of the sport.

Iron athletes dedicate their time to sports all year. Getting the title of an iron athlete takes a lot of hard work and time to accomplish. Many athletes do three sports in one year, but cannot keep up with it every year.

The commitment of sports comes with many challenges; athletes have to balance their education and social life. Getting home late from games and practices leaves them with less time to focus on school work, which also means getting less sleep. Some athletes have one main sport that they focus on, and they play other sports for fun or to stay in shape. Eventually, for some athletes, the title of becoming an “iron athlete” is just something they feel like they have to do to feel accomplished. Going through the motions to become an iron athlete is not something easy. Athletes have to be 100 percent committed the whole school year, which may be difficult to manage all the time.

“I started off enjoying the sports I play, but as the years went on, it became more of something I had to do to feel accomplished,” senior Rebecca Cleven said. “I feel proud of myself for being an iron athlete because it is hard to have time for both school and sports, but I managed to do it.”

Similar to the iron athlete, some athletes participate in two or three sports because of suspension. These athletes play in order to get rid of their suspension that resulted from past events. Some athletes who receive suspension make the choice to play another sport in a different season instead of sitting out of their main sport. In most cases, these athletes do not care as much about the sport that they are participating in to get rid of their suspension, so they can play the sport they love. Most athletes go through the motions because they have to in order to play what they want; some athletes find their way around the suspension and sometimes these athletes even end up enjoying the sport. Even with playing another sport to not miss their favorite sport, they must be careful because another suspension leads to missing many more games or even getting kicked off the team. Athletes who receive drug or alcohol suspensions not only affect themselves and their reputation as an athlete, but their team as well. It can change the outlook that the team has on them. Coaches and teammates may not see the athlete as being as dedicated and committed to the team as others.

“It is unfair to the athletes who play fall sports because The “G” Issue

21

On the fiField they cannot choose a different sport to work off their suspension, while others can play a sport that they do not care about,” a senior at Antioch Community High School who wishes REBECCA CLEVEN // to remain anonymous SENIOR said. “Playing a different sport to get out of Cleven is an examsuspension was a fun ple of an iron athlete. Throughout experience, but it was her time at ACHS, hard to adjust to the she played a sport new sport.” every season.

Many athletes have Cleven chose not to play the same a busy schedule as a sport each year, student and an athlete. essentially coming Junior and senior Varto terms with her sity-level athletes have going through the the opportunity during motions in order to be named an their season to be exironwoman at the empt from their physiend of the year cal education class. This honors assembly is an opportunity for in May. the athlete to get their homework done in a study hall. This helps many athletes stay on top of their grades and help them with their time management.

Instead of getting exempt, some athletes choose to become a physical education leader. This is also an opportunity for the athlete to partake in a gym class, but still be a leader for all the students in the class. It makes things easier for athletes to be able to have a variety of choices of what they want for PE. Although, there are some athletes that are not serious about a sport and only play to get exempt because they do not like physical education class.

“I think being exempt from gym gave me a lot of time to focus on cross country and gave me more energy for practice,” senior Hailey Hall said. “I got so much done in study hall, it made life so much easier.”

There are some athletes who do not take sports as seriously as other athletes. Some participate just for fun, while some practice all year round and plan on playing in college. The athletes that do not take it very seriously are there to make friends or to be part of a winning team. Playing a sport where winning does not always matter is nice because there is not as much pressure on the athlete. For some sports, seniors have the choice to get pulled up to Varsity where they

PHOTO // JR JOHNSON For a number of athletes, much like the girls on the Varsity basketball team, part of “going through the motions” is making the connections with teammates to improve their chemistry on the court.

will not get much playing time or to stay on JV where they will play every game. If they do not want to get better, then they will not challenge themselves.

Sports also give people many friendships and show people what it is really like to be a part of a team. Some athletes do not mind not getting playing time and just being on the team satisfies them enough. Sports give the perfect opportunity to meet new people and make friendships that will last a lifetime.

Opposite from the athletes who play for fun, some are very serious about their sport.

Most athletes work hard to get their spot on the team, but other athletes who are already starters sometimes take advantage of their spot on the team. When it comes to practicing and becoming better, starters can get lazy knowing they are already going to play. Slacking during practice is not fair to teammates and will not allow the athlete to get better or help the team get better for games.

Many people go by the phrase “you practice how you play,” which is always important to remember. When the rest of the team is working hard to better themselves or try to get a spot as a starter, sometimes the start-

“

Sometimes a big school with many athletes with the same talent can give them the kick in the butt that they need.

“

22 Tom Tom January 2017

er is not putting in as much effort. Everyone who has played a team sport knows a person who has not tried as hard during practice, but still starts. The rest of the team may not like it and question why the starters still get to start. Confident starters go through the motions because they know they already have a spot.

“At a small school, kids get their spots, and they know that there’s not many people with the same amount of talent behind them so they get complacent sometimes and they won’t work as hard knowing that no one is behind them to take their spot,” soccer coach and physical education teacher Marni Polakow said. “Sometimes a big school with many athletes with the same talent can give them the kick in the butt that they HAILEY HALL // SENIOR need.”

Sports are a big Hall transferred part of high school for to ACHS this year many student athletes. from Grayslake North High They can help prepare them for their future School. One of the motions she went by teaching them com- through this school mitment, dedication, year involved her responsibility and how physical education waivers while she to be a part of a team. participated in No matter what kind of cross country in athlete they are, high the fall and track school sports and a and field this coming spring season. team will give athletes PE waivers only lifelong memories and apply during an TT lessons learned. athlete’s season.

THE STAR SWIMMER

PHOTO // SYMONE HENDERSON Graci Leineberg and the rest of the cheerleading squad looked to take the first NLCC cheer title this year; however, they fell just short to coed Grant Community High School. Staci Leineberg will be in the bleachers cheering on the girls tomorrow, Saturday, January 28 at Belvidere High School for the cheer sectional. State will be in Bloomington-Normal February 3 and 4.

THE MOM BEHIND THE SCENES

ANNIE WAGNER // Tom Tom Staff

and working hard at a sport they love,” S. Leineberg said. lot of work goes into playing G. Leineberg has been cheering a sport, and not just from the since she was four years old. She was athlete. Parents play a major involved with the Timberwolves, Virole in the lives of most athletes. Typ- kings, Twisters and the Varsity cheer ically, their duties as a parent-athlete team at Antioch Community High include paying for the team their child School. is on, fundraising, driving their child “I always looked up to my other to and from the events and being their teammates, famous all-star athletes number one fan. One mom that knows and my sister,” G. Leineberg said. “I what it takes to be a parent of an ath- had never cheered with Andi before lete, or more specifically a ACHS cheer, but makcheer mom, is Staci Leineing Varsity and getting berg, mother of alumna to cheer with my sister Varsity cheerleader Andi freshman year was suLeineberg and sophomore per fun. It was easier to Varsity cheerleader Graci be myself and get used Leineberg. to the swing of things “I have been a cheer having my sister with mom for 14 years, since me.”

Andi was in kindergarten,” S. Leineberg was just S. Leineberg said. as excited about the sisThroughout those PHOTO // ters cheering together. years, she has loved every GRACI LEINEBERG “I loved last year; it second of watching her was the only year I had daughters cheer at the both girls on the same team,” S. LeineVarsity football and basketball games berg said. “The memories from last and performing at competitions. year are priceless.”

“I love watching my girls having fun From preparing game day dinners

A

to hosting hair parties, making crafts and trying to fundraise money for things like new uniforms, cheerleading can become rather expensive and time consuming.

“Being a cheer mom means spending a lot of money, but it’s worth every penny,” S. Leineberg said. “I think the most important part about being a high school cheer mom is just being there for my kids, watching them cheer at as many games and competitions that I can. High school years go by fast. I really don’t want to miss a single chance to see my daughters perform.”

Even though high school cheerleading is now a thing of the past for A. Leineberg, she has moved on to be a cheerleader at Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa.

“I am so happy Andi is cheering in college, it’s always been her dream,” S. Leineberg said. “Andi loves football, and cheering at the games makes her really happy.”

S. Leineberg has put in countless hours of being a cheer mom, and she will continue to be one for many years to come. TT

For any athlete, the end goal is to make it to the Illinois High School Association State Meet. For junior Aubrey Lonergan, that goal was met this school year when she qualified to swim at state, which was held November 18 and 19, 2016.

This goal was not met without years of hard work and dedication.

Lonergan started swimming when she was seven years old, during the summer after first grade. She was not involved in many extracurricular activities and her parents encouraged her to get involved.

“I wasn’t really involved in anything,” Lonergan said. “My mom was a swimmer, so she kind of introduced me to it.”

Since she began swimming, Lonergan swam with three teams aside from the team at Antioch.

In case you missed it, there is more to Emily Holmes’s story on junior Aubrey Lonergan’s journey toward swimming greatness. Scan the Aurasma code to read the rest of the story.

The “G” Issue

23

Beyond the fiField

THE ALUMNA THAT ALWAYS GIVES IT 100 PERCENT KAYLEE SCHREINER // Department Editor

PHOTOS // CARLY MCCAMERON

S

equoit alumna Carly McCameron traded in cardinal and gray for navy blue and gold as she continues her basketball career at Augustana College. McCameron graduated from Antioch Community High School in 2015 after four years of playing Sequoit basketball. She then committed to Augustana College, where she competes in their NCAA Division III basketball program.

While playing basketball at ACHS, McCameron was a leader for the team.

She played with intensity and focus, while at the same time never losing her goofy personality.

Her ability to have fun while staying focused at the same time made it easy for them to follow her lead and enjoy the game of basketball. “[McCameron] leads by her actions and her passion for the sport that she loves,” Sequoit alumna Shannon Zogran said. “She was always the person that brought people up and kept the team moving forward in games.”

Off the court, McCameron liked to stay involved in the school and community. Whether it be attending church, youth group or basketball, McCameron never failed to do her best in any activity she pursued.

“She was the type of person that you would want your own daughter to grow up to be,” girls Varsity basketball coach Jamie D’Andrea said. “Whatever she asked of her teammates, they knew she was also doing, so they followed her lead very willingly.”

Encouraged by her parents, McCameron tried as many activities as possible to see what she liked. During the winter of sixth grade is when McCameron decided to join the basket-

Sequoit alumna Carly McCameron plays defense in a college basketball game against UW-Whitewater. “I love playing at Augustana,” McCameron said. “We have fun while working hard on and off the court.”

ball team and ultimately stick with it.

McCameron knew she wanted to play college basketball after her sophomore year of high school. She began to focus on improving her confidence and skill by playing travel basketball, which only motivated her to become a better player.

“When I played basketball my sophomore year, my motives changed,” McCameron said. “I started playing travel basketball year-round and my love for [basketball] grew. Since then, I have been determined to be the best player I can be.”

McCameron used her drive and focus to advance her basketball career at Augustana, where she quickly learned that college basketball is much faster paced than high school.

College basketball requires a lot of practice, time and dedication in order to compete for a spot on the court.

“Almost every player on a college basketball team was one of the best players on their high school team, so the competition is fierce,” McCameron said.

Now in her sophomore year of college and ninth year of basketball, McCameron continues her passion for the game and her teammates by having fun and working hard on and off the court.

“I just feel so lucky to have ended up being a part of the Augustana basketball family and be able to continue my basketball career,” McCameron said.

McCameron explains how lucky she feels to have been able to continue to play the sport she loves and to constantly be surrounded by her amazing teammates and coaches.

“Every time I get to put on my uniform and step out onto the court I thank God for the opportunity to represent him, my family, Augustana and Antioch,” McCameron said. TT

“

I just feel so lucky to have ended up being a part of the Augustana basketball family.

“

24 Tom Tom January 2017

FRESHMAN TO SENIOR YEAR

Carly McCameron played Sequoit basketball from her freshman year all the way through her senior year. Scan the Aurasma code below to see photos from her years as a Sequoit basketball player.

THE FRESHMAN IN THE FAST LANE

PHOTO // JR JOHNSON Sophomore Austin Andrews dribbles down the court looking for an oppurtunity to score against the Mundelein Mustangs at home. The Sequoits pulled away with a victory in this tough game against the Mustangs. “I appreciate being able to play at this level,” Andrews said.

THE SOPHOMORE THE SPOTLIGHT MISSED

PETER BOEH // Tom Tom Staff

S

ophomore basketball is getting Sequoits ready for the Varsity team. All of those players are hoping to make it onto Varsity and there is one kid on the team making a big difference. Starting at shooting guard is No. 21, sophomore Austin Andrews. Andrews is a key player for the sophomore boys basketball team. He made the freshman team last year and started in the same position. He has been playing basketball since he was in fifth grade.

Before high school, he was a member of the Antioch Jr. Sequoits.

Andrews is a scrappy player on the basketball court and that is what coaches really like. The scrappy player is the not the kid who scores the most, but instead is the kid that is diving for every ball on the floor or going out of bounds. It also means that he hustles after everything and that is what helps him start on the team. He does not just do these things in the game, he also does them in practice, which is rare.

“I think just hustling and working your butt off on both ends of the court brings something that we need every night,” coach Arnold Glapajone said. “Even if he doesn’t hit his shots or doesn’t run the plays right sometimes, we’ll forgive that more because he hustles more than all the other players by playing hard defense and going for rebounds.”

Another trait that Andrews has is that he is a playmaker and can shoot the three ball when he wants. He is always

moving on offense, always making cuts to the basketball, and then drifting back out for a possible three pointer. Andrews is always keeping the offense going by acting like the point guard.

“Austin does a lot for our team,” sophomore Robert Christiansen said. “He usually doesn’t play the point guard, but he contributes in a lot of ways like a point guard would.”

The sophomore boys basketball team has played well together, starting off the season 9-4. The team is looking forward to the rest of the season.

The team works well together and has good chemistry, which makes them successful. The team has great chemistry because of how long they have been playing together.

“What makes you successful in basketball is playing well with your team and always going hard,” Andrews said.

He also plays baseball; on the field, he is a pitcher and can also play middle infielder. He has also been playing baseball for most of his life. Last year, he made the sophomore team as a freshman. He started at shortstop and was the lead off batter. He will be trying out for the baseball team again this season and looks to continue his success in the spring.

Andrews is one of the hardest working athlete in both of his sports. In practice, he is always trying to push himself and his teammates harder. Andrews has a great work ethic in and out of the classroom, which in the long run has helped him a lot. Andrews does not stand out to most people, but he is a great player to watch; he is not just another player on JV. TT

“

... he hustles more than all the other players by playing hard defense and getting rebounds.

For freshman Lynn Michalec, bowling is more than just a game to go play with your friends on the weekends.

To her it is a sport that has stolen her heart and become a way of life. Michalec is on the Varsity bowling team as a freshman. She has been bowling throughout her whole life but started playing competitively ten years ago.

“I’ve been in multiple leagues for the past ten years and I’ve also participated in travel bowling,” Michalec said.

Michalec has three main strategies that have helped her qualify for state on more than one occasion.

Her strategies are consistency, control, and hand positioning with the ball.

In case you missed it, there is more to Taylor Feltner’s story on freshman Lynn Michalec’s time on the bowling team Scan the Aurasma code to read the rest of the story.

The “G” Issue

25

“

Beyond the fiField

THE DANCER WITH DETERMINATION At three years old, junior and JV dancer Briana Pinto began her dancing career in children’s tap and ballet that her mom put her in.

At first, it was just a thing to keep a young child active, but 13 years later it has become a sport Pinto wants to stay with as long as she can.

For Pinto dancing is more than just a hobby—it is an escape from her worries. When her life starts to get stressful, she can turn to dancing to help her.

“It’s something I can do when I’m stressed,” Pinto said. “It allows me to take my mind off things and not worry about it.”

In case you missed it, there is more to Abigail Russell’s story on junior Briana Pinto’s experiences as a dancer. Scan the Aurasma code to read the rest of the story.

THE SOPHOMORE THAT CONTINUES MOVING FOWARD STEFFANIE RICHARDSON // Tom Tom Staff

S

ophomore Starlin Bognar has always been involved in sports and her most recent favorite sport is winter guard. Winter guard is a sport that not many people know about; it is a team combined of students from both Antioch Community High School and Lakes Community High School that compete at various competitions. Bognar has been on winter guard for two years and is always practicing so that she can be the best that she can be at the sport that she loves. Bognar has worked incredibly hard to be the athlete that she is now.

“I first heard about winter guard in band class because they were having tryouts,” Bognar said. “We watched a video of the Lakes winter guard, and I thought it was really cool so I decided to join.”

During tryouts everyone is taught the same little piece of the routine. After everyone has learned the routine, they get into groups and practice and then compete for the limited number of spots on the team. Bognar was a very quick learner and was lucky enough to make it onto the team.

Winter guard practices twice a week on Wednesdays and Thursdays at Lakes. Most practices consist of learning more of the routine or working on and perfecting the parts of the routine they have already learned.

“I was able to learn really fast because I was involved in cheerleading my freshman year, and that really helped me out,” Bognar said.

Bognar has many friends on and off her winter guard team that support her with everything that she does, whether if it is during practices or at her competitions. One of her best friends, sophomore Anna Baker, has always been supportive of Bognar because of her determination in everything she does.

“Starlin has a determined mindset,” Baker said. “She doesn’t give up when things get difficult and she tries her best and works hard.”

Although it is only Bognar’s second year

“

Starlin has a determined mindset ... She tries her best and works hard.

“

26 Tom Tom January 2017

PHOTO // STARLIN BOGNAR Bognar believes winter guard competitions can be very intense because she only has a certain amount of time to perform her routine and everything has to be perfect. Bognar’s experience being a cheerleader in high school helps with her timing and performance during winter guard competitions. She sees many parallels between the two sports.

on the winter guard team, an audience member would not be able to notice. When watching Bognar “do her thing” in winter guard, many people are surprised with the type of talent that she has. Bognar has grown tremendously because of winter guard; ever since she tried out she has always wanted to learn more. Winter guard is what keeps her going.

With Bognar being on winter guard, she has learned many things about the sport and about the real world.

When being in a sport you learn a lot and your perspective on life can change.

Bognar gets prepared for winter guard by being a part of color guard in the marching band. With being in color guard during the fall, she can better herself because she is still practicing for what she will be doing in winter guard. TT

ONTO THE BIG LEAGUES Coleman completes the recruitment process by committing to play D1 soccer at Notre Dame.

MONICA WILHELM // Tom Tom Staff

M

any athletes who aspire to take their sport to the collegiate level must undergo the process of recruitment. Getting recruited to play sports in college can be a very stressful journey for both athletes and their families. The recruitment process can start as early as seventh grade and end as late as the summer immediately before college begins. The important thing is to be prepared before entering high school. There is an abundance of rules, strategies and tips that play a part in understanding the recruitment game.

For junior Patrick Coleman, this process meant time and patience, and his patience paid off in the long run.

Coleman’s No. 1 choice, the University of Notre Dame, is among the top 15 division one men’s soccer colleges.

On December 18, 2016, Coleman committed his next four post-high school years to the University of Notre Dame. In the fall of 2018, Coleman will become a part of the Fighting Irish on the men’s soccer team as he pursues his dream at the next level.

“I feel very relieved,” Coleman said. ”The process was long and stressful, and after committing I don’t have to worry about all of that anymore.”

The recruitment process puts athletes on an adventure that will entail many ups and downs, but ultimately help write the next chapter of their lives.

According to Coleman, he loved the coaches, the team and the whole environment of the University of Notre Dame.

The start of Coleman’s visit was exploring the campus, which in his mind was nothing short of beautiful. Following the tour, Coleman got to know his coaches better over lunch, listened to the student-athlete expectations with an academic advisor, scoped out the fields and locker room and ended with meeting some of his future teammates.

“After my visit, Notre Dame was definitely at the top of my list,” Coleman said.

While having the relief of the recruitment process being over, there are still very high demands that athletes must meet going into their freshman year of college. College coaches expect their athletes to not only be committed verbally, but to themselves and the improvements necessary for success at the next level.

“College soccer is very physical, and I know I need to prepare for that by getting stronger,” Coleman said.

THE PROCESS IN BRIEF

PATRICK COLEMAN // JUNIOR

Getting organized is one of the first goals to set when preparing for recruitment. It is very crucial to stay on top of the different information that you send and receive. Whether it is the use of spreadsheets, calendars, planners or even different charts, an athlete must keep track of academic and athletic information, targeting list of schools, when and what you have dis-

PHOTO // PATRICK COLEMAN Junior Patrick Coleman is experienced when it comes to the recruitment process. For him, getting on campus was the best part of the journey. “The visits were always very fun, interesting and informative,” Coleman said. “However, whether is was money, a spot or disinterest, the door closing on a school was never a good feeling.”

FAST FACTS THE PERCENTAGE OF MALE SOCCER PLAYERS THAT WILL PLAY IN COLLEGE, THE MAJOR LEAGUES AND PROFESSIONAL FROM HIGH SCHOOL INFOGRAPHIC // MONICA WILHELM

5.6 1.6 .07 5.6 PERCENT High school seniors that play soccer in college

1.6 PERCENT College seniors that get drafted to play major league soccer .07 PERCENT High school seniors that play professionally out of high school

cussed with coaches, progress checks, emails and school/ camp information. Part of getting recruited is knowing and understanding your process.

According to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), there are rules regarding every aspect of the recruiting process that must be followed each year of the process by the athlete and the collegiate level coaches. As a freshman and sophomore, college coaches may send athletic or sports camp brochures, NCAA educational information and questionnaires. A college coach can also accept phone calls, but cannot return a message or call an athlete back.

These rules apply until September 1 of an athlete’s junior year. Junior year, college coaches are only permitted to call an athlete off campus after July 1. Coaches are also permitted one phone call a week while an athlete is able to call as often as he or she pleases. Senior year, the laws of the NCAA become more lenient as an athlete becomes closer to approaching commitment. After the first day of senior year, an athlete can make up to a maximum of five official visits with the schools of his or her choosing. These can be expense-paid visits as long as the athlete is not on campus for more than 48 hours. At this point, coaches may now contact the recruits along with discussing further recruitment plans such as scholarships.

The last step of the recruitment process for an athlete is the most exciting: commitment day. A verbal commitment is a verbal agreement for an athlete to play their sport at a college. Following this agreement, a National Letter of Intent is signed, ending the process completely. This letter is an agreement that a college-bound student-athlete signs, agreeing to attend and play for a college for one academic year. This is known as an official commit and the best day of an athlete’s life. TT The “G” Issue

27

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WHAT IT FEELS LIKE TO

GRADUATE EARLY

BY MARA SOLANO AS TOLD TO MARC HUSTON

As a freshman I never thought that my high school years would go by so quickly. I was so excited to meet new friends and take advantage of everything that high school has to offer. On orientation day I remember meeting a lot of new people. I enjoyed going to school during my first year because there were a great deal of things to look forward to like football games, pep rallies, homecoming week and the homecoming dance. My freshman year was a blast; I could not have asked for anything more.

Sophomore year felt as if I was a freshman again. I still had the same excitement for pep rallies and football games, while having my group of close friends to hang out with all the time. My classes continuously got more and more difficult as time went on by. Other than that, I really do not have anything bad to say about sophomore year.

Junior year, on the other hand, was a different story. I began to become bored with the whole high school thing by this time. It was the end of the summer and my friends and I were all dreading school. We were so over having to come to school every day; everything was the same every day. It just got

30 Tom Tom January 2017

boring. Not to mention, I had to take the ACT that year. Junior year really forced me to start thinking about graduating early because high school was getting so old.

The summer going into senior year was amazing. It also made me think, do I really want to leave my friends a semester early? I decided a few weeks before the end of summer that I did want to graduate early. My parents thought it was a great idea and supported me the whole way through. The first semester of senior year dragged on. I became more and more ready to get out. I did not want to go to homecoming or anything like that because it felt as if it was the same all four years. There are so many perks to leaving a semester early. I had the ability to get a head start on my education, while I also had the ability to work more hours. I think it also can give me a great view of what college life is like, so when the fall semester comes I know what to do and what not to do. It also can give me the opportunity to focus on myself and my future.

I cannot wait to walk the stage at graduation and be with my friends one last time in our high school careers.

My plan for the future is to begin working full time, while also being a part-time stu-

dent at College of Lake County. I am going to to be taking two classes at CLC in Grayslake and one online class. I decided that I want to get my general education courses out of the way at CLC before transferring to a four year university. I think graduating early will really benefit me in the long run. Also, I do not have to worry about a lot of debt since my gen eds won’t be at a four year school.

It has been a few days out of high school now and it feels sort of weird. I think the strangest part is that my friends still have to wake up super early in the morning to go to school, while I can sleep in until work.

It is important to me to still have time to spend with my friends. I start school in a few weeks and I believe I am ready to begin my journey into the real world. My life abruptly changed from being a senior in high school to a freshman in college. I think it will take some getting used to, at least for the first few weeks. College classes are going to be a lot more difficult than high school classes. I get to see my friends on the weekends so I will always have that to look forward to. High school was an eventful time to say the least, I am thankful for the experiences I was given and also all the friends I was able to make. TT

PHOTO // MARC HUSTON

The “I” Issue

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