BVSW - The Standard - Volume 9 - Issue 5

shuffle play students discuss the best albums of 2018 pages 12-13

THE STANDARD blue valley southwest | volume 9 | issue 5

2 | contents / the standard / jan. 2019

contents feature 5|Q&A 15 | Conspiracy theories: Real or wack?

21 | Shuffle play

sports 12 | Sunflower showdown 23 | Women in weights

opinion 7 | Sleepless in Southwest 9 | Thank you, next

news 19 | Gamers, rise up

15

on the cover

Students listen to the top albums of 2018, including Astroworld and Scorpion.

volume 9 / issue 5 www.bvswnews.com

photo illustration by jonah mccormick

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online exclusive

4 | editor’s note / the standard / jan. 2019

editor’s note

G

oing through the motions. It’s something we as people can’t help but experience from time to time. Life gets a little boring and we fall into autopilot, repeating our everyday routines. It’s almost as if time goes intentionally slower during these last months of the semester, reminding us to take a step back and reflect on things that we found enjoyable and some of the memories we’ve come to accumulate throughout high school.

That’s what I’ve felt like recently. Setting my accelerator on cruise and coasting to the end of the year. Why not, right? I have a good group of friends, my classes are easy enough and all I have to do is show up. If I’m going to be honest though, I’m going to miss this place. And while waking up at the crack of dawn every day was lackluster to say the least, I made some great memories and the newspaper provided an outlet for me to be able to encapsulate those memories to share with everyone.

In this issue, we explore some of the great things that happened in 2018, and some things to help verse and prepare us for 2019 and years ahead. We look back on some of the music that helped us get through that early first hour in the morning, some conspiracies to jot our minds and keep us fresh.

And while this is my last cycle on staff, I know the legacy that I’ve helped create these past three years will live on for future generations of “newsies” to come. After all, Jonah’s Journal has a pretty good ring to it.

the standard editor-in-chief emma olinger online editor lauren urschel design editor jonah mccormick copy editor elianna oliver social media editor sadie putnam staff writers jessica bell jenna hope luke hottovy karley kent peyton moore isabelle muir isha patel ashlyn wakefield staff designers isaiah tarwater liam olinger adviser rachel chushuk

| graphic design editor

The Southwest Standard is published seven times a year for students, faculty and surrounding community of Blue Valley Southwest. It is an open forum for student expression. Therefore, the opinions expressed within this paper do not necessarily reflect the views of the administration of Blue Valley Unified School District #229.

Letters to the editor and reader responses are encouraged for publication. The Southwest Standard reserves the right to edit all submissions for both language and content and encourages letters to be no more than 350 words. All letters must be signed and names will be published.

The Standard 17600 Quivira Road Overland Park, KS 66221 Website: bvswnews.com Email: bvswnews@gmail.com

QA &

feature / the standard / jan. 2019 | 5

WITH SENIOR RILEY BLEE

Q: What is your diagnosis?

A: I am affected waist down. My disability makes my legs tighter so it's hard for me to walk.

Q: When were you diagnosed?

A: I was diagnosed with transverse myelitis when I was 2 from the flu shot.

Q: Why do you use a segway?

A: I ride the Segway so that I don't have to walk and to prevent me from falling.

Q: What got you into basketball?

A: I started wheelchair basketball last year because one of my good friends from my school in Minnesota told me I should try it because he loved playing the sport. I was pretty hesitant to play because I thought the kids wouldn't be athletic. I was wrong! The kids and adults that I play with are just as athletic as a normal person. Most of them got injured later on in life because of a stupid accident. A few of them that I play with actually played D1 football and then got injured.

photo by madeline reeves

Q: How do you stay in shape for basketball?

A: The way I stay in shape is every other day and I push 10 miles on the track at Blue Valley Hilltop, then lift some weights. At the end, I shoot baskets for an hour. The days that I'm not doing this I am practicing with the team. I Q: What are your plans for the future?

A: I am first going to play college also am gluten-free, dairy-free, sugar-free. basketball at the University of Missouri | ashlynwakefield next year. Then I plan on trying out for team USA.

6 | ads

photo of the week Follow us on Twitter and Snapchat @bvswnews to see the new photo each week Photo by avery kotel

Photo by leah goldstein

Photo by jordan henington

Photo by abigail defoor

Photo by sally rose

opinion / the standard / jan. 2019 | 7

SLEEPLESS IN SOUTHWEST students discuss the rising issue of sleep deprivation in teenagers

ore than 87 percent of high school students in the United States get less than the recommended eight to 10 hours of sleep, according to the Stanford Medicine News Center. This statistic is probably not shocking to most, as it’s common to hear and witness the utter exhaustion among high school students in the middle of what seems to be a never-ending semester. Many teenagers face the conflict of whether to compromise sleep for schoolwork, extracurriculars or social events, and a majority seem to choose the latter activities over a good night’s sleep. This is true of freshman Emma Hildebrand, who said that while she would like to get eight hours of sleep, she usually gets “three to four on a good night.”

“I would say it’s really not [a priority] just because with school, I feel like that’s more important than me getting enough sleep, so I get my homework done instead of sleeping,” Hildebrand said.

Hildebrand is part of a large trend of losing sleep, which is growing into what the American Academy of Pediatrics called a “public health epidemic” in a 2014 report. Freshman Ali Fabrizius also gets less sleep than what’s necessary, as she said she gets around six to seven hours each night, and can see the issue among her friends.

“I would say probably half of my friends get enough sleep,” Fabrizius said. “They’re up with me talking with me a lot of times, or they fall asleep while on Facetime, but I would say half get a lot of sleep.”

It’s not only students who are recognizing the sleep deprivation in high school students, but teachers as well. Science teacher Lynn Martens said she’s very aware that many of her students don’t get the recommended amount of sleep, and her fellow staff members know it as well.

“We all — that I know of, all the ones I’ve ever conversed with —agree that our teenagers are sleep deprived,” Martens said. “It’s common knowledge. We know it’s a problem. We know that unfortunately a lot of the problem is outside of the classroom. So, as teachers we can provide them with the information, we can encourage them to get

M

a good night’s sleep, but just the same, their parents are just as frustrated, too.”

While it’s clear there is a growing trend with sleep deprivation among high school students, there are the questions of why this trend is problematic, why it is increasing and how it can be remedied. As to the question of what the issue is in losing sleep, the effects of sleep deprivation are both minor and major. The Stanford Medicine New Center cites several daily struggles that result from too little sleep, including bad concentration, worsened memory and mood swings. Fabrizius said when she hasn’t gotten enough sleep, she’s unable to focus and easily frustrated, while Hildebrand said her main issue is being “irritable.” Martens said nervousness and anxiety are main effects of a lack of sleep.

“I would say agitation, edgy, lack of coordination, lack of focus, having inability to focus [are effects of sleep deprivation] — sometimes, just disorientation,” Martens said.

Along with the numerous effects of sleep deprivation that are easy to see in day-to-day life, there are other harmful longterm impacts of sleep deprivation, like being put at a greater risk for mental illness and suicide. According to Stanford University, a survey showed that the average South Korean teen sleeps only 4.9 hours a night, and their country’s suicide rate is one of the highest. Because sleep deprivation makes mood swings more intense, increases fatigue each day and has a tendency to become a never ending cycle, it makes sense that it would lead to depression or anxiety. When one is continually losing sleep — worrying over school and studying nonstop — anxiety is likely to be augmented.

In addition, the exhaustion can create a lack of motivation and a more negative attitude. One’s body can physically feel as if it’s weighing one down, while the brain is filled with a fog. As

8| for the causes of sleep deprivation, it’s evident that academic rigor plays a leading role in the problem. The pressure to do well in school, and to sacrifice everything — even one’s health and wellbeing — is all-consuming in some students’ cases. Martens said students who are losing sleep are overextended and struggle to manage their time properly.

“It’s that they’re trying to be everything, do everything all at once,” Martens said. “Sometimes in the normal waking hours, what they are doing is not as efficient as what they could be doing, how they could be overlapping some things so they can set aside good quality sleep time.”

Yet while school is a dominant factor in students losing sleep, there is more to it than that. Teenagers have been in school for centuries and haven’t faced the issue of sleep so intensely as what is being seen now. There is a very important enemy to sleep in our modern world that cannot be overlooked: cell phones. Fabrizius said she loses sleep because she is “always on [her] phone or watching YouTube.”

“A huge variable that we talk about in our Anatomy and Physiology: now in today’s world, in your generation, is that cell phone right beside the bed,” Martens said. “It’s not that teenagers are [a] culprit to it, it’s our whole society, we’re just as bad. It’s the dinging and everything through the night and stuff like that. We don’t hit the sleep spindles, the depth of the sleep waves in our brain that we’re supposed to. You sleep and it’s almost like, not to the full depth, which is why we wake up and don’t feel recharged.”

According to the National Sleep Foundation, the blue light emitted from your phone “delays the release of sleep-inducing melatonin, increases alertness, and resets the body’s internal clock (or circadian rhythm) to a later schedule.” According to Stanford University, the biological clock in every human helps to regulate sleep and also affects each of your organs, as the brain signals to the rest of the body whether it’s day or night based on environmental cues — like light.

“I understand in today’s world that’s hard, but that’s what keeps us awake — laying there — is our melatonin can’t regulate, because we’ve just been looking at a screen so our brain thinks it’s noon, and then all of the sudden you’re laying there and going, ‘Yeah, but I can’t even drift off to sleep,’” Martens said. “Melatonin is also a natural remedy and just an over-the-counter. The other thing is keeping the cell phone out of the bedroom, even if they just put it in the bathroom to charge overnight, at least it’s away.”

Yet while teenagers’ circadian clocks are being altered to go to sleep later by technology and school, there is also a natural shift in bedtime that has nothing to do with a teen’s environment.

According to a study done at Brown University said “teens experience a so-called sleep-phase delay. Their circadian rhythm — their internal biological clock — shifts to a later time, making it more difficult for them to fall asleep before 11 p.m.” Therefore, it’s completely natural and healthy for high school aged students to not be tired until later in the evening. The question that remains is, how can the education system work with teens’ biological clocks and not against it?

The Minneapolis Public School District officially changed their start time from 7:20 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. in the late 1990s, and the results are quite clear. According to Stanford Medicine News Center, students “reported feeling less depressed and less sleepy during the day and more empowered to succeed,” while there was higher attendance and an average of an added hour of sleep for each student each evening. Studies like this reveal promising incentive for schools to start later, which may be the most important step in improving sleep deprivation among high school students.

At the end of the day, schools should be molding the education system to cater not to students, but to young adults who are human beings. While it’s important to push high school students to reach their fullest potential, the ultimate goal should be the growth and wellbeing of the student as a whole — not just in academics, but in life. One step that would help high schools reach this goal is to delay start times by just a few hours. Until that goal is reached, Fabrizius said there are things she does to help her sleep better.

“I would say don’t be on your phone at [night], or put your phone aside, or put it downstairs or any type of technology that could keep you up longer, or read a book [before] bed,” Fabrizius said. “A lot of times that will help me fall asleep faster.”

In addition to putting your phone aside, the National Sleep Foundation said better sleep can be achieved by maintaining a sleep schedule, creating a pre-bed ritual, avoiding naps, and exercising. Another important factor is the atmosphere of where one sleeps: it should be cool, dark and completely silent. Martens also said there are new products that may be able to increase sleep.

“This sounds weird, but they’re doing some research right now, and they’re starting to get some interesting results on those weighted blankets. They’re starting to see some really interesting stuff with people getting better sleep with that. If people have Seasonal Affective Disorder, having one of the full-spectrum lights that you buy really, really helps. Turning that on in the morning for a set amount of time — about 20 to 30 minutes — helps to set your melatonin so that you are tired by 10 o’clock at night.”

| laurenurschel

opinion / the standard / jan. 2019 | 9

T hank you,

next.

students should not make relationships a priority

10 |

I

n my family, meeting your soulmate in high school it is important for students to maintain their independence. is an unspoken normality. My parents, grandparents, “Kids tend to sacrifice a lot of individuality and a lot aunts/uncles, siblings; literally everyone found their of opportunity because they don’t know better and high significant other in high school. Then there’s me. I’m a senior school relationships, even the best ones, tend to at times be and nowhere close to being in a relationship. I wish I could overbearing,” Shaw said. “[There are] heightened expectations say it doesn’t bother me, but ninth wheeling at every family for both parties involved and there’s a pressure to sacrifice event is just a little degrading. However, my family is not things for the other person, even if the other person isn’t truly considered average. According to communicating that. I feel like high school the Huffington Post, only two percent of kids often feel that pressure because they new marriages are between high school “I feel like high school think that a good partner makes sacrifices, sweethearts. So basically, I just happened kids often feel that and a good partner makes their significant to be surrounded by all of them. pressure because they other a priority and all this and so they Looking back on my time in high sacrifice opportunities to be independent, school, I always expected to find someone. think that a good partner individual and have really unique life Entering my last semester, I’ve realized makes sacrifices, and experiences.” it was all a waste of time. I’m not saying a good partner makes Much like Shaw, junior Dom DeCicco all high school relationships are useless said he understands the value relationships and unnecessary, just that relationships their significant other can have, but thinks that having too many should not be an all-consuming priority. a priority and all this can impede on self reflection.

Students should be focusing on pursuing and so they sacrifice “I definitely think you should not their passions, doing what makes them constantly be in a relationship because to be you need to have time to reflect on happy, exploring options for the future, opportunities and if a relationship falls into place, great. independent, individual yourself,” DeCicco said.

Worrying about their love life, or lack and have really unique Although the likelihood of high thereof, just causes students to miss out school relationships lasting is slim, I’ve life experiences.” on the world around them. seen them survive and thrive after high Senior Grace Kim said she has been |stormshaw school. Senior Nolan Taggart and junior in relationships before, but not very Annaliese Goldwasser have been serious ones. Kim said that high school together for over a year. Both Taggart and relationships can be beneficial in regards to better self- Goldwasser said that having someone who helps them grow understanding. and learn is helpful.

“I think you learn to grow a lot, for yourself, and you “If you have a relationship with somebody that has been learn a lot of things about yourself that you couldn’t learn built over that much time then I think that’s something really without a relationship,” Kim said. special,” Goldwasser said.

Being in a relationship can help people learn who they are, Taggart said he and Goldwasser, over the past year, have but it is important to keep in mind what is being sacrificed to maintained a strong, trusting relationship, where they are please a significant other. English teacher Storm Shaw said best friends and can have fun together while staying true to that although dating in high school can be a really good thing, their independence.

opinion / the standard / jan. 2019 | 11

“She’s my best friend, so anytime I need help with anything, I just ask her,” Taggart said. “I always offer to help her with anything, so it’s really fun.”

Despite how it may seem, Shaw said in order to find a healthy relationship, one must focus on themselves first.

“If you maintain your independence and cultivate who you are as a person, it’s actually going to make you a better partner,” Shaw said.

Unfortunately, high school relationships can reach a roadblock as college nears — some couples who choose to follow each other could split up. Others attempt to manage a long distance relationship, which could cause them to miss out on exciting, new college experiences. This may not apply to Taggart and Goldwasser, since they both said they planned on attending Kansas State University before their relationship began, but it is still a dilemma many high school couples encounter. The choice for each couple is different, but nonetheless should not be made a priority over one’s future hopes and dreams or the development of each individual.

It is difficult to maintain a relationship in college because

of how people change and what they learn about themselves.

Kim said it varies from relationship to relationship, but each individual must be conscious about how they’re changing. “[Following someone to college] is controversial, it just depends on what kind of relationship it is,” Kim said. “It’s hard because in college you learn more things about yourself. So you have to become a different person. You change a lot.”

While relationships can help people learn more about themselves and how they interact with other people, individuals need to be cautious about what they’re giving up to uphold a relationship. Personal happiness should be the most important thing in a student’s life.

“I think people in high school should be in relationships that make them happy,” Kim said. “But I don’t think that they should let it get too serious to where they have to depend on that person because in high school, you still need to be independent.” | sadieputnam design by liam olinger

Only 14% of couples meet at school (high school or college)

High school sweethearts have the highest divorce rate information from www.campusexplorer.com

KU

KSU

16-3 15-4

KU

KSU

as of Jan. 25

2018-19 Records

CHECK THE STATS

3-9 5-7

VS

The first matchup was baseball, Not football or basketball, what the two colleges are commonly known for.

KSU won the last showdown during the 2018 football season.

The basketball teams will match up on Feb. 5.

| jonahmccormick

info according to wibw.com

This year will be the 117th matchup in Kansas History. The first match was in 1898.

The name “Sunflower Showdown” is derived from Kansas being named The Sunflower State.

INTERESTING INFO

“ I do plan on going to KU, however I think that it’s simply a better school and that’s why I root for them, not for the rivalry.”

— senior Jack Lapke

“I like K-State more than KU just because I like the atmosphere of the campus and I don’t feel like KU is very inviting.”

— senior Betsy Burress

“My dad went to KU so that’s why I support it over K-State.”

— junior Jasarra Gantt

“My husband and I fight about it. My husband is a KU fan and I’m not ...We have respect for one another though, it’s a friendly rivalry.”

— physical education teacher Staci Lowe

FAN OPINIONS

State rivals. Winner takes all.

Showdown

Sunflower

sports / the standard / jan. 2019 | 13

14 | ads / the standard / jan. 2019

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BVSW NEEDS JOURNALISTS Introductory course: 21st Century Journalism

Publication Staffs: Newspaper & Yearbook Enroll now and watch for an announcement in April for application availability.

For stories, live updates, photo galleries and more: Twitter: @bvswnews Snapchat: @bvswnews Online: bvswnews.com

feature / the standard / jan. 2019 | 15

Conspiracy Theories Real or wack

16 |

Aliens among us?

Students discuss their beliefs with a look into the unknown

E

xtraterrestrial life forms, the focus of the majority of scifi movies and an idea dreamed up in many different ways, has become a controversial topic. The world of cinema has hyped up aliens to be anything from towering green creatures to human-like beings inhabiting a Utopian society.

In a continuously growing universe, research is limited to areas we can safely reach. As of now, scientists have found little to no evidence of other life forms. According to space. com the Mars rover Curiosity discovered “a variety of organic molecules, the carbon-based building blocks of life as we know it.” However, this discovery does not guarantee actual life forms, but introduces the possibility. Senior Drew Thomas said he is inclined to believe in the promise of life beyond Earth.

“Considering the expansion rate of the universe, there would be a very low chance that we are the only thing living that is able to have the increased mindset that we have,” Thomas said.

Similar to Thomas, junior Sam Butler said he believes in the existence of aliens but doesn’t think we’d be likely to see them on Earth.

“I don’t know why they would want to come here of all places,” Butler said. “If they’re capable of traveling intergalactically into another planet, why would they come to some backwater planet in the Milky Way galaxy?”

Aside from the possibility of their existence, people argue that aliens were responsible for the creation of unique Earth structures such as the pyramids. However, this ambiguous accusation isn’t as easily accepted. Butler said he finds this conspiracy theory to be a little too out-there.

“I don’t think we should jump to the conclusion that it was aliens,” Butler said. “It was entirely possible for the Egyptians to have built the pyramids, it was just a feat of architecture at the time and it [would have taken] a lot of time and resources to construct it — but that doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s beyond the realm of possibility.”

On the opposite side of the spectrum, Thomas said rapid discoveries contribute to his belief that another life form could be in existence and helping Earth.

“You have stuff like the pyramids, those are obviously a little bit suspicious,” Thomas said. “We have a lot of different things that seem like people just make jumps in discoveries that were very quick that seemed as if we were left a note or given help from another extraterrestrial life.”

Aliens and extraterrestrial life is a topic whose existence will likely be up in the air for many of years to come. There are people in both parties — people who indulge in their existence and people who deny it all together.

| eliannaoliver

| 17

JFK O

n November 22, 1963, at 12:30 p.m, president John F. Kennedy was assassinated. It is widely believed that the president was shot and killed by former U.S. marine Lee Harvey Oswald however there is a portion of the population who believe the president’s assassination was the work of a greater power.

Many Americans believe that Oswald did not act alone or was not the shooter at all.

Senior Drew Thomas said he holds a strong interest in the assassination and its alternate possibilities of Kennedy’s death.

“There’s some evidence that would suggest that at the very least Oswald didn’t act alone,” Thomas said. “It couldn’t have been him because he’s not physically capable of doing that. The bolt couldn’t have been pulled back fast enough to fire in the span of time that it took for JFK be killed.”

Many conspiracy theorists believe Oswald was greatly influenced by a higher power.

These powerful organizations range from the reasonable, such as the CIA, to the outlandish theories based in masonic groups like the infamous Illuminati. Thomas said he believes there were other groups involved in the killing.

“Either the CIA shot at JFK from the grassy knoll, hired Lee Harvey Oswald to kill the president or with a lesser known theory, his head just did that,” Thomas said. “I don’t think that he could have worked alone in any sense.

There were some influences that helped him.

I believe that he was influenced and paid by other people in order to carry this out.”

Some Americans believe in theories that are deemed reasonable such as an inclusion of the CIA, the mafia, or competing political organizations. However, a few believe in more outlandish theories, such as an explosion of the head. Thomas said he enjoys supporting these types of theories in a more joking manor.

“I tend to believe that his head just did that,

because as you can see, when he shot from the back of the head, instead of going forward, like the momentum of it carried his head shot straight backwards,” Thomas said. “This type of thing could only be caused by an internal explosive, likely planted in JFK’s head by the CIA.”

| isaiahtarwater

Moon landing T

hroughout history, the space beyond the Earth we live in has carried many questions alongside it.

Whether people’s questioning regards extraterrestrial creatures, UFOs or anything else in between, what goes on outside of the Earth’s surface is a topic no one can be for sure about.

One exploration in particular that specifically causes an almost instantaneous uproar is NASA’s launch of Apollo 11 winning the Moon aspect.

There continues to be an outrageous amount of contradiction and questioning concerning whether Apollo 11 truthfully marks the first spacecraft to reach the Moon. Many people have critiqued the video released by NASA down to each second, attempting to debunk and locate flaws within the moon landing. With the entirety of the situation receiving

tons of publicity and attention, it is now recognized as an extremely popular conspiracy theory.

Senior Drew Thomas said he joins the hype, and agrees that the moon landing was very simple to fake.

“If you watch the videos, the flag shouldn’t be shaking, and the footprints were just wrong based off of shoes that the astronauts had. It’s very clear that the moon landing was obviously stage.”

Thomas said.

Thomas said he is inclined to believe that the United States faked the moon landing to get some type of recognition or credit in the space race.

“Of course, I believe that we had gone [to the moon] after, but I believe in order to get there first, we faked it,” Thomas said. “I also think it’s very interesting that we lost every other thing in the space race,

except for the first man on the moon.”

Although evidence suggests the moon landing is false, along with successfully shying the audience away from believing in the moon landing, people can never be 100 percent positive as to what occurred on July 20, 1969.

| peytonmoore

18 |

Are conspiracy theories fact or fiction? student body opinion

73% of students believe that the CIA was involved in the assassination of John F. Kennedy.

67% of students believe that the U.S. government hides the existence or evidence of aliens.

53% of students believe that there are otherworldy beings among us every day.

These beings could be anything including aliens, Big Foot or lizard people.

news / the standard / jan. 2019 | 19

GAM ERS RISE UP

eSports club brings a community of gamer students together to play video games

W

hat comes to mind when someone says “athlete”? Perhaps a soccer player, a track runner or a dancer. But what if someone were to associate the word “athlete” with the word “gamer”? eSports does just that. eSports, or electronic sports, is a competitive sport in which people compete in video games. There are professional level teams, organized teams and high school leagues. After about two years of contemplating starting a league, senior Blake Agre said he suggested an eSports club as a joke. However, he said his friends took the idea very seriously.

“I knew that there were high school leagues out there, and I was thinking about bringing it up my sophomore year,” Agre said. “I kind of pitched the idea to [senior] Grant [Discher] and [senior] Christian [Edwards] and we got things rolling.”

Initially, Discher said the three were more interested in the club being exclusive to players interested in CSGO (Counter-Strike: Global Offensive), a popular first-person shooter video game. However, Edwards said they came up with a better idea in order to connect all sorts of students across the school.

“We have to make a club if we want to participate in the eSports league … so we decided to help others participate in the league too,” Edwards said.

Agre, Discher and Edwards decided to consult another friend of theirs who also played video games.

Senior Haley Specht said she liked the idea of an eSports club.

“We were sort of inspired by some of the other

clubs within the school district,” Specht said. “You have a bunch of introverts that don’t really talk to other people, so video games is the way to connect people.”

When thinking of who would be the best sponsor for such a club, Discher said teacher Neal Doolin stuck out to them the most because he used to compete in eSports tournaments.

Edwards said the rest agreed, and were excited to kick start their club. “[Doolin has] always been really into games,” Edwards said. “He always talked about it. He actually plays a lot of the same games we do. So we went to him, and he said that he’d actually been waiting for years for someone to start it. Apparently, they tried the very first year of Southwest opening to make a club and it didn’t work out and kind of fell through. So he has been waiting ever since. When we finally came to him, he was pretty happy about it.”

Discher said the word “gamer” has been loosely tossed around to describe anyone who likes video games. However, Specht said gamers can come from any sort of console, or video game device, including a cell phone.

“There are different types of gamers,” Specht said.

“There’s console players, there’s PC gamers, there’s phone players now — they’re starting to release a bunch of games on phones. It honestly just depends on how you identify yourself through being a gamer, rather than how being a gamer defines you.”

Despite many labels being attached to the title of

20 | “gamer,” Agre said there is only one rule that gamers need to follow in order to rightfully claim the title.

“I feel like the only thing you really need to do to be a gamer is have a console that you play on, and you just sit down and you play a video game,” Agre said.

For others, the eSports club isn’t just about the video games themselves, but rather the relationships and bonds created amongst fellow gamers in the school.

“I’m really invested in this club because it is something that I wish we had here a very long time ago,” Discher said. “In general, it can be hard for people that are considered ‘gamers’ to make friends. And freshman year can be even more difficult to make friends. For me, at least, I just wish that I had this club so I could have made friends easier.”

Edwards said adding the eSports club is an important step toward acceptance of gamers as athletes.

“I think that realistically, [gaming] can be a hobby, but a lot of sports can be a hobby,” Edwards said. “With a lot of sports, people are very open about them. They’re open about them, talking about who’s your favorite team player. With video games, and especially since eSports is such a huge industry now, I feel like you shouldn’t have to hide it. You shouldn’t have to feel like you can’t talk about it. You know, [in] my friend group, we don’t talk about sports, we talk about eSports all the time. So I feel like if you’re worried about ‘the stigma,’ competitive video games are so huge right now, it shouldn’t be an issue.”

Specht said eSports is very accepting to female gamers, or “gamer girls.” She also said she has sat in a corner and hid her voice during a video game

so she would not be noticed and called out for being a girl.

“I’m just sort of used to it at this point, but I know for other females who are maybe a little [hesitant] going into it, I’d say try it and do it anyways,” Specht said. “You don’t really have anything to lose.”

Specht said gender does not matter when it comes to eSports. All sorts of gamers participate in the phenomenon, she said. However, she said most people in the club have one thing in common.

“It’s a bunch of introverts — we don’t usually go out and socialize with each other and it’s hard to find friends that you can depend on and stuff like that when all you do is play video games,” Specht said. “That was sort of our inspiration for it, trying to connect people and get people to meet each other through similar games that they play.”

Meeting new people through the club is the main goal. However, Agre said gaming can bring great accomplishments.

“I feel like people should join because, if they’re into gaming, and they really enjoy playing competitively, it’s just an avenue to meet more people, and ultimately, maybe even get a college scholarship if the game is big enough,” Agre said.

At the end of the day, the eSports club offers many great options for gamers of all shapes and sizes, Specht said. She said she encourages anyone interested in gaming to give it a try, despite the connotation gaming might have.

“You meet so many people and there’s nothing like sitting there and fangirling over something with your friends,” Specht said. “People do it with celebrities, why can’t we do it with video games?” | emmaolinger | jessicabell

feature / the standard / jan. 2019 | 21

SWEETENER Sweetener is Ariana Grande’s third leader on the Billboard 200 Sweetener’s songs collected 126.7 million on-demand audio streams in its debut week — the largest streaming week for a pop album by a woman

shuffle play students disc uss the top a lbums

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| jennahope | izzymuir

of 2018

22 | feature / the standard / jan. 2019

SCORPION Tallied 435 million U.S. streams from June 29 through July 1 First album to hit one billion streams globally across all streaming platforms in a single week Generated 745.9 million on-demand audio streams in the U.S. largest overall week of 2018 for any album

Post Malone’s second album, Beerbongs & Bentleys, made a smashing debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart Beerbongs & Bentleys was led by the hit singles “Rockstar,” featuring 21 Savage, which spent eight weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart With 461,393 total album equivalent units sold and a streaming count of 431,345,865.

BEERBONGS & BENTLEYS ASTROWORLD

Each song has a unique aesthetic and ambiance that highlights Travis Scott’s strength.

Astroworld is the third studio album by American rapper Travis Scott. It was released on August 3, 2018.

Each song on the album is like a different attraction while managing to fit the overall theme of Scott’s hyperactive mind.

sports / the standard / jan. 2019 | 23

Women in Weights female students share what it is like to participate in a stereotypically male activity

here is often a stereotype that comes to mind when the sport of weightlifting is mentioned. As time has passed, society began associating big muscles, toned bodies and weightlifting with the male gender. However, as time has passed more and more women are showing interest in the activity, and trying to spread the message that women are capable of the same things. Freshman Hannah Glynn has been involved in CrossFit since the beginning of 2018, when she quit soccer after 10 years of playing due to multiple concussion injuries.

“CrossFit is a mix of aerobic capacity of gymnastics, and lifting,” Glynn said. “A typical day would be a dynamic skill warm up that may include handstand walks or handstand push-ups or pull-ups, and then strength work can be Olympic

T

lifts, Powerlifting or just squats — pretty much every single lift you can think of. The workout will be a mix of all of those combined.”

Glynn said she attends one hour classes about six days a week to train. She said she enjoys lifting because it gives her something to do each day along with living a healthy, fit lifestyle. “[Lifting] can bring so many people together,” Glynn said.

“At my gym there are people as young as me to people in their 80s. The community there is really encouraging and you don’t have to do what everyone else is doing, you just scale it to however you need to. You make it as hard as you want it to be.”

In addition, Glynn said she was one of the athletes who decided to take CrossFit to the competition level.

“I personally compete a lot,” Glynn said. “Over the summer, I did a few local competitions, I did one at my gym, I went to Minnesota, but there are competitions all around the country.”

Glynn said there is a difference between the local and higher-level competitions. Local competitions are competed in teams, which are separated into RX, skilled and intermediate divisions. Glynn said higher level competitions are based off the athlete’s age.

“Depending on the competition, usually the local ones last a day, the higher level competitions can last a weekend and the main goal of competitive CrossFit is to get to the CrossFit Games and that is five days,” Glynn said.

Glynn said she competes in the 14-16 age division in which her favorite event is the Hero Rod Mur. This event consists of a one mile run, 100 pull-ups, 200 push-ups, 300 air-squats and then another one mile run. Knowing the social stereotypes of lifting, Glynn said she uses CrossFit as a way of empowering herself and others.

“I want to make myself the best I can be and to know that other girls want the same thing — they want to get stronger, they want to build muscle and they lift — that’s good to know,” Glynn said. “I know other people that have the same goals as that just play a regular sport and [don’t] lift anything. I’ve been told ‘You’re a girl, you shouldn’t have muscles. You’re a girl you shouldn’t be able to lift that much’ but I just want to break that stereotype because yes, I’m a girl. Yes, I can lift.

Guys aren’t the only one that can, girls can too.”

Junior Audrey Rips-Goodwin has been involved in Olympic weight lifting for four and a half years until recently when she took a break due to knee injuries.

24 |

“Olympic weight lifting is what you see in the weekends and are divided into age and weight Olympics,” Rips-Goodwin said. “There’s two lifts, sessions, with each session lasting for two hours. Ripssnatch and clean and jerk and we do other lifts — Goodwin said larger national competitions consist of compound lifts like squats, dead-lifts and pull ups multiple sessions in which everyone receives three in training, and then there’s power-lifting which is attempts to demonstrate their clean and jerk and the squat bench and dead-lift. And then I am doing body snatch, and medals are given for each lift. building, but that type of lifting is the whole type of On a non-competitive level, sophomore Jalyn body, and that is more about the body and looking Dunlap began lifting weights just about a year ago more physique.” after her dad got her interested in becoming fit at She said she trained at the gym KC weightlifting home. with a coach until she became a satellite athlete and “I just did weights to get stronger because I [play] worked with a coach from Florida training at local basketball [and run] track and if I didn’t do it in school gym: Adamant and CrossFit. then I would be doing it out of school,” Dunlap said.

“I used to lift five times a week for two-three hours a Dunlap said she chooses to work out four times a day then I hurt my knee came back week for about a semester, and more from that. Then, when I switched during the summer — doing workouts “I want to make myself the coaches they had me training less that consists mainly of curls, bench best I can be and to know to build a stronger base because I that other girls want the same lift, squats and dead-lifts. She said over-trained for a long time and she likes doing workouts that focus thing — they want to get now I’m lifting four times a week on her strengthening her legs and stronger, they want to build for a few hours,” Rips-Goodwin arms because those are the muscles muscle and they lift.” said. “[Weight lifting is] unique she uses the most. Dunlap said she because [it is] not in high school. |freshmanhannahglynn chose to weight lift not for the fear of But the sport is definitely growing the muscles she would gain, but for and now there’s lots of girls and the improvement of her own athletic women in the sport, and maybe more younger girls performance. She said she thinks girls feel they than younger boys, but before, it didn’t used to be shouldn’t be weightlifting because they are afraid of that way. I guess it’s different because you can use it the physical effects it will have on their bodies. But to supplement other sports — doing snatch and clean she said there are still possibilities of weightlifting makes you really extremely explosive in other sports and having a toned body at the same time. but is also a sport itself.”

“Weights are very empowering to women,” RipsSimilar to Glynn, Rips-Goodwin said she also Goodwin said. “I think girls are like ‘oh I am not competes at the competition level. going to lift. I don’t want to get bulky, or look like “There’s local competitions and for national a guy’ and I think that’s completely stupid because meets you hit a qualifying total and you qualify,” [this is] your health and you’re not going to look Rips-Goodwin said. “Then there’s international bulky or look [masculine] unless you choose to do so competitions, which are like the best people in the ... and some of the best women I know, I met through country go to those. I’ve been to Reno, Philly, Austin, lifting.”

Texas, Des Moines, Michigan, Minnesota, Orlando, |ishapatel Nebraska.”

She said the competitions take place on the