Take That

JAGUARS 2010 How to Get in Shape for the Upcoming Sports Season

Take That TEXAS PRIDE Coach Glen McNiel: The Man Behind the Mustache

TAKE THAT

12

Table of Contents 2

The Perfect Meal 11

Staff Page 3

Texas Pride 12-13

NBA’s Top Players; The Rebound 14

Top Teams of the Decade 4

Top Fantasy Picks; Who Made the Dumbest Decisions.. 15

Lets Get Physical 5-7

How to Throw a Football 8

They took the Physical out of Physical Education16-17

The Man Behind the Mustashe 18-19

Steroid Testing 9-10

Table of Contents

TAKE THAT

Creative Geniuses FEATURES

OPIONIONS

REVIEW

COMMENTARY

Annalee A.

Connor P.

Brooks B.

Soccer Swimming

Track Football

Football Basketball

Annalee A. is actively involved in swimming and soccer. She is on the LBJ swimming and diving team, the JV girls soccer team and the limelights soccer team. When she isn’t running around outside she is usually listening to Super Mash Bros and dancing like a freak (often accompanied by Connor though he adamantly denies it in public). As you might notice throughout the magazine she has some serious spelling issues but doesn’t let that hold her back. She can throw a football a whopping five yards and can kick a soccer ball fifty. She thinks that being cute is for wussies.

Connor P. is a center and linebacker for the LBJ football team, painfully hoping to join the varsity team next season. He does not dance like a freak. He does

Brooks B. is a basketball player and enjoys cute things. He is obviously a lot more cute than Connor. When he isn’t playing basketball, he is getting free food from Church’s Chicken. He is a destructive, mean, cute, pyromaniac. He is Justin Bieber and knows it, but he is very offended by it. He loves taking pictures of his cute self, kind of like a seventh grade girl. Being the only stylish member of the group, he often gives fashion advice to Anna and Connor, which makes him even cuter. He enjoys the little things in life, like cute ducks, cute badgers and cute squirrels. Brooks is a very cute guy.

not dance. Connor always has to fix all of Anna’s spelling mistakes. He often collects smarties from Brooks as a snack tax that he later eats in Ms. Richey’s class.

Of course, he never eats by the computers. He is a terrible, artist; couldn’t draw a stick figure to save his life. He is also, saddeningly, less cute than Brooks. He struggles through life with that knowledge, fighting to stay kind of cute.

TAKE THAT

3

Top Pro Teams of the Decade

1. New Eng- 2. San Anto- 3.

4. Indianapo- 5. New York

The New England Patriots dropped off nearing the end of the decade, but has not fallen so far to lose this number one position. The Patriots played in the Super Bowl in nearly half of the years of this decade, winning three of the four that their team played in, defeating the mighty St. Louis Rams, the Philadelphia Eagles, and the Carolina Panthers.

The only Super Bowl loss this team had since the beginning of this millenium was against the New York Giants, where David Tyree pulled off the best catch in his lifetime to pull out a miracle win.

But above all, the Patriots’ three rings puts their team at the top of this list.

The NFL’s Indianapolis Colts, with Peyton Manning at the helm as quarterback, had the most wins of any team in football this decade.

The Colts won one Super Bowl against the Chicago Bears in 2006, and played in the Super Bowl again in 2010 against the New Orleans Saints. The Colts have been in the playoffs all but one year this entire decade, winning their division is 6 of those years.

Indianapolis has developed many Hall-of-Fame caliber players this decade, including QB Peyton Manning. Manning is debatably the best quarterback of all time, winning 4 MVPs this decade. There is no way to not put this team on the top five of the decade list.

land Patriots:

nio Spurs:

The San Antonio Spurs are an aging team that dominated this decade in the NBA. The difference between this team and lesser teams is consistency. The Spurs have kept all of their top pieces throughout the years; Manu Ginobli, Tony Parker, and Tim Duncan have all stayed with the Spurs, building team chemistry and perfecting their system with a superior head coach in Greg Popovich. San Antonio won a title 3 times this decade; every single time that they went to the NBA finals. The Spurs won 6 division titles this decade, and visited the playoffs every single year.

This team is definitely a great one.

Real Madrid C.F.:

Real Madrid has been one of the best teams of the decade in club soccer. With two of the best individual soccer players in the world in Christiano Ronaldo and Kaka, what’s not to like about this team? Voted as the most successful club of the 20th century

by FIFA, this team carried their success on up through the present day. This team, competing in a tough league with F.C. Barcelona, have prospered in this competitive time.

This team is well balanced to keep up with all kinds of teams around Europe. This year, excitingly, Real Madrid defeated Bayern Munchen squad to win the European championship.

lis Colts:

Yankees:

In baseball, the New York Yankees have always been the most dominant team. This is the team that everybody loves to hate.

With 2 World Series championships this decade, along with two more visits to the Series and being the favorite to win it all again, the Yankees are the best in Major League Baseball this decade, easy. The Yankees, competing with other top teams in the AL in their division, can still beat their rivals, the Red Sox, more often than not. The Yankees are playing their first year in their new stadium this season, and are proving that they deserve it by playing very well so far.

By: Annalee A. Photos By: Annalee A.

LET’S GET PHYSICAL

Star quarterback Aiden Kahn, a freshman that attends the Liberal Arts and Science Academy, stands holding a football in front of his face. Aiden is the man in waiting to start for the varsity team, behind a previous starter and senior next year John Kavanaugh.

Sweat pours off of their foreheads. They rip their helmets off and grab the orange and green Gatorade bottles. Spraying down their necks with icy water several players try to make conversation, but for the most part the boys just stand there panting.

I

t’s the first day of summer training for the LBJ Jaguars football team and it seems like no one is ready.

The boys are all trying to get back in shape for the upcoming football season and their coaches are already working them like they are. Offensive Coordinator Coach Glen McNiel says that players should be working out at least two weeks previous to tryouts but

that’s where most people get stuck. When getting in shape there are a lot of things you need to consider starting with what you should eat.

“Cereals are real good, bananas are good, too. And no soda water! Soda is the number one cause of cramps,” says Coach McNiel, the LBJ Offensive Coordinator for almost 25 years.

To get in shape you have to eat healthy.

That doesn’t mean starve your self till you pass out.

Your body needs food to run and jump. By starving yourself you’re only going to hurt yourself. Getting in shape is all about balance.

As Sebastian, a freshman on the team, says, “Eating too much unhealthy stuff kinda diminishes your workout. Say you workout really hard then go lay down and eat a Big Mac. You’re just putting all that fat right back and maybe even adding more.”

Just remember moderation and TAKE THAT

5

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3 Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure one is an example of a regular bench press with 45 pound weights on each side and a 45 pound bar.

Figure two is how your arms and knees should be in a hamstring bridge.

Figure three is how far your body should be off the ground in the bridge. Lift till the bottom of your sholders leave the ground.

Figure four is how to start a pull up.

Figure five is how far down you should go on a push up. Lower yourself until your shest touches the ground.

Figure six is how far up you should go on a pull up.

Figure seven is how to start a push up.

Figure eight is a regular weight rack.

Figure 8

nutrition. As LASA freshmen learn in biology, carbohydrates are good for keeping you awake and ready to go and sugars give you a quick rush but you have to be ready for the crash after. And remember to drink lots and lots of water. Sports drinks are okay and better than soda, but nothing is as good as just plain water. So yeah, eat that Big Mac. Then, don’t have another for a couple of months and skip dessert after dinner. Before you eat, think about what you’re putting into your body. Once you’re eating right you don’t have to worry about controlling your weight, just putting on the muscle.

“At home I do a lot of pull-ups. At school I bench. Pullups are hard so I do them in short bursts of 10 or 11 through out the day,” say Connor Prater-Burgess as he flexes his 12½ -inch biceps.

The key to getting arms like Connor is variation. To work your biceps, the muscle on the top of your upper arms, you need to do bicep curls. Though usually done with weights, bicep curls are any exercise that involves curling the arm towards you while pulling against some form of resistant. This means that while your sitting in math you can do some reps with your math textbook by simply lifting it up towards you. Do push-ups whenever you can. They’re quick, effective and need no equipment except a floor. They develop your triceps, chest and upper back while building endurance when you push yourself. If you start doing push-ups and bicep curls several times a day about a month before tryouts your arms, shoulders and pectorals will be fit and ready for football season, so you can own that 50 yard pass.

When asked in a survey how they get in shape a reader responded, “By running during the off season,” just incase you weren’t already aware.

Running is the number one way to get ready for almost any sport.

Not only does it help build endurance but also prepares your body for a good workout. You should run before and after you pump iron. When you run you should pump your arms to keep your momentum. If your arms are moving forward then so should your legs.

Also, just by moving them you are actually building muscle. Of course your legs are getting toned but they are also building coordination and getting warmed up to be build muscle. When you show up to tryouts you should be ready to run at least five 100s (500 yards in total) and be on your feet for an entire two hour practice.

“If they’re not in very good shape at all, they usually do not make the team. Especially if they’re trying

out,” says Coach McNiel. If you want to be on a team, you have to run.

And running works more than you might realize. Your abdominal muscles (abs, core, stomach) are getting quite the workout from running. By keeping your balance your stomach is getting warm and ready to be toned.

As Sebastian points out, “Abs are the most used muscle when working out. Every movement you do somehow involves your stomach. It’s hard not to work your abs.”

To get a washboard stomach you don’t have to do 100 sit-ups every morning, just incorporate them into your exercises. Do about 20 crunches (lay on the ground, place your hands by your side then lift your shoulders off the ground, hold for 5 seconds then slowly lie back down) before you work out to warm your stomach up.

Then as you lift weights or do lunges, twist your body to really work your side abs. As you run, flex your stomach for 10 seconds then release the pressure. Never let your stomach have a moment of peace. Always find some way to be working your core and you should have a 6 pack in no time. Your abs are easy to work. It’s your legs that need attention when you are building muscle and they need to be as strong as you can get them.

“It’s really important to strengthen legs outside of class because it takes strength to dance but when you’re in class you need to focus on your technique and position.

You need a strong base to excel,” says Willa Brown, and though she isn’t going out for football, she has knowledge of working out after dancing for seven years.

Your legs support the rest of your body, so keeping them conditioned is a must for making the team. The first thing you should work on is basic strength. Do lunges and squats to keep your quadriceps (the top of your thigh) toned and bridges to keep your hamstrings (the back of your thigh) strong. Bridges are done by laying your back on the floor while your knees are bent and your feet are flat on the floor, then slowly lift your lower back and butt of the floor and hold for 10-20 seconds depending on the strength of your legs. To work your calves, bounce on your toes for 2 minutes then rest for one, repeating about 4 times.

Now that you’re armed with these tips you have no reason not to get off your bum and go get in shape. If you really want to kill out there try to start these workouts about a month before tryouts and push your body and your muscles but don’t hurt your self. Be sure to learn your limits and up your reps only when your body is ready.

Then when you’re out there at Jaguar tryouts, you can be the best on the field. s

“if they’re not in very good shape at all they usually don’t make the team. especially if they’re trying out.”

TAKE THAT

7

THROW A FOOTBALL How to throw a football like a PRO!

Touchdowns

are all about the passes made before them. Before running out on the field read this over and your sure to nail that spiral throw. Listen to future LBJ starting quarterback, Aiden Kahn, and you’ll be scoring those tounchdowns in no time!

Aiden Kahn is preparing to throw a football. His left fingers are placed in between the laces.

AS he pulls his hand back he takes a step.

He uses his other hand for balance.

Preparing to throw the football he moves his arm fowards. He can throw 55 yards accurately.

1 The first step

When you put your fingers in the laces use your pinky ring and middle finger. Leave your pointer finger around the nose of the football and hold it tight.

HELPFUL TIP: If your hand is too small to grip a football use your other hand to support it while you hold it around the laces or find a smaller football.

2 Next, set your

The football should be an inch away from the top of your shoulder and next to your ear. Twist your body to get force but don’t move your feet, keep them still.

HELPFUL TIP: If the football keeps falling out of your hand use the other hand to support it, like when you grip it. Try not to rest the football against your body.

3 The last step is

When your throwing the football make sure that your arm follows through the throw. You should stop swinging your arm when it is about to hit your body.

HELPFUL TIP: To put a perfect spiral on your throw you need two things. First be sure to release at the right spot.

Next flick your wrist as you release the ball.

in throwing a football well is picking it up. Place your fingers in the front, white laces and grip it firmly enough that you can hold it with one hand.

body up for the throw.

With your dominate foot take a step back. The step should be about a foot big. Then pull the football up to your ear.

actually throwing the football. Bring the football across your body and release when your hand is about to start falling down while taking a step foward.

By: Connor Prater-Burgess

Photos By: Connor Prater-Burgess

A

n athlete walks into an office, coach awaiting, and watching. He lowers his pants and the coach watches him urinate in compliance with a steroid test, even though this particular athlete is the weakest on their entire team. The test searches for less than half of all banned steroids, and shockingly, the results come back negative. No matter, the University Interscholastic League (UIL) is willing to spend 3 million dollars every single year to do this to 25,000 students in the state of Texas. That’s about $120 to test one person. In the first full year, 4 steroid users overall out of the 25,000 planned to be tested have been apprehended with the drugs in their system, according to the UIL. This is not a very effective system.

This testing style has to change.

All of that money is going to waste at the moment. I think that testing should not be random, and that those that are stronger and have college scholarship offers in sports should be tested more often than those without these qualities, since those student-athletes logically have a higher probability of taking steroids.

The UIL says that random testing scares high schoolers away from taking steroids in the first place. However, only thirty percent of schools have players tested, according to a UIL report, and doing the math, that means that only one percent of the athletes at those schools are tested for steroids. On top of that, there are over 100 substances banned by the UIL governing body, but just 10 are searched for in the analysis of the athlete in question, the non-profit Taylor Hooton Foundation, which fights steroid use, states. These steroids can be taken by injection or by pill, it just depends on the steroid. If so few students are subjugated to steroid tests, and so few steroids are looked for, I do not believe that anyone would be scared of being caught with illegal steroids in their system because of the minimal statewide effectiveness of the test.

Of all of the possible users, there are about 1,000,000 football players alone at the high school level in the state

Steroid Testing

This anonymous athlete is just as likely as any powerlifter to be tested for steroids. That is not a logical rule.

Testing for steroids in high school is ridiculous

TAKE THAT

9

“Over 100 substances are banned by the UIL governing body, but only 10 are searched for in the analysis of the athlete in question.” of Texas, versus the only 25,000 random student athletes that have been submitted to testing for illegal substances. The UIL rule on testing is to test randomly on any athlete within the school; a girl’s volleyball player is just as likely to be tested as a power lifter or football player. Any athlete caught with steroids will be given a chance to clear themselves for medical reasons, and then will be suspended from all UIL sports for one year.

The second time an athlete is caught with steroids, he will be kicked out of UIL sports forever. The UIL will not base the testing on which athletes perform the best or which are the strongest in their sport either, or those who could be receiving college scholarships for their

The weight room on the LBJ high school campus. This is the leg press machine in particular.

athletic prowess. The Taylor Hooton Foundation have attempted to discover whether or not high school athletes are sophisticated enough to mask steroid uses from the testing, and so we can assume that some athletes at this level are probably able to hide their use of these enhancers.

I believe that the rules on how the choices on who is tested for steroids should be changed. I think that the people who are tested could be decided more logically than randomly so as to catch more users of steroids. The tests could be conducted possibly even on the suggestion of coaches. And the fact that only 10 of the 100-something steroids that could be used are tested for is just too little of a number. So, we need to have at least a random set of ten 10 steroids which are tested for each time, while any of the banned substances could be part of the ten. Even though this won’t catch everyone, it could help scare away people from taking steroids in the first place, just like the UIL wants. s

THE PERFECT MEAL

PIZZA POPCORN BACON SODA Is there anything better It’s light, buttery, salty Also known as the best With all this than warm, gooey, delicious hot cheesy pizza to eat during a football game? I think not. And the fact that during big sporting events like the Super bowl or the Final Four most pizza places have special deals makes it even more delicious.

With thousands of different toppings pizza is the perfect sporting event food weather your watching alone or with a group of friends. It keeps everyone happy.

and easy to make. You can either buy microwavable popcorn or if you’re feeling extravagant purchase some kernels. Either way you have the perfect snack to sit around eating while watching the Oakland Raiders get killed by the Indianapolis Colts.

It’s easy to make in large quantities and if your counting calories it can be healthy if you leave off the butter. Popcorn, in all its butteryness, is surely a crowd pleaser.

thing in the world, bacon is a delicious and not so nutritious treat that goes great with lying on the couch with a bunch of friends while watching the ball game. If you don’t feel like eating straight amazing, bacon also goes really well on pizza or wrapped around appetizers. It’s a creative treat that will make your mouth, along with all your sports loving guests, mouths water. Who can ask for more?

awesome food you are going to need something to wash it down. Not that water isn’t good, but as long as you’re snacking I recommend opening up an ice-cold soda (or if you prefer something a little stronger...). There are a ton of choices so it’s sure to please everyone.

It can be expensive if your throwing a big party so make sure to search local grocery stores for discounts. Go drink up and go on a sugar high!

TAKE THAT

11

By: Brooks B. Photos By: Brooks B.

Texas Pride

I

“

wanted to go to a school that was normally in a position to win every year”, said Ty Allert, Captain of the 1983 University of Texas football team, and former linebacker from 1982-1985. Many athletes come to the University of Texas every year to win a sports National Championship. Texas is one of the most widely recognized schools throughout the country, in academics and sports.

When people think about college powerhouses, they think about UCLA, Notre Dame, Alabama, and LSU. But Texas is one of the most consistent colleges in the history. Texas will be remembered as the greatest college for swimming, and consistent in basketball, baseball, and football.

Texas had the game locked up in the 1983 National Championship. They would have had another championship win in Texas history. Texas is one of the greatest sports team in history, but they always have a mishap towards the end of the season. Last year, the Texas volleyball team went to the National Championship, facing the undefeated Penn State Nittany Lions. Texas won the first two matches and Penn State came back to win three straight.

“My sophomore year we went undefeated through the regular season but lost the Cotton bowl 10-9 to Georgia on a dropped punt. I will never forget seeing that ball hit the ground and them falling on it on our three yard line. If that never happened, we would have won that game, we would have won the national championship”, said Ty Allert.

Texas is not only a great school for sports, but also a excellent school for academics. Students come to Texas to learn, get future good jobs, and play

sports. You have to be in the top 8% of your class to go to Texas. Most come to Texas because they has consecutive seasons that either win the Big-12 championship, go to a bowl game or even win the National Championship.

Ty Allert, former linebacker from 1982-1985 says “I wanted to go to a school that was normally in a position to win every year I also wanted somewhere that was close enough for my parents to be able to come to my games. At that time David McWilliams was the defensive coordinator and linebacker coach. I really had a good relationship with him and knew I would enjoy playing for him.”

The coaches at Texas are the reason that Texas wins all of these National Championship and Big 12 championships. Rick Barnes makes the Texas basketball team work very hard and Mack Brown does the exact same. Texas has always had very great coaches and continues to win championships today.

“I liked coach Akers, though. He really worked more with the offense. He was always fair, and you could count on him to do what he said. I had a

“I wanted to go to a school that was normally in a position to win every year.”

-Ty Allert very close relationship with Coach McWilliams, our defensive coordinator who later went on to be the head coach at Texas for a while”, says Ty Allert.

“Oh, you know, well, it’s a good thing. Coach Barnes is a good coach. He knows a lot about the game and out of every coach it is just a great experience working with him. He knows everything”, says basketball freshman phenomenon J’Covan Brown.

Texas fans are very respectful. Nearly 100,000 fans come to football’s Darell K. Royal Memorial Stadium to watch

the great Texas Longhorns. Although, there are this many fans at the stadium, they do not put any pressure on the players or make any of the players nervous, according to J’Covan Brown, who plays at the Frank Erwin Center.

“It’s really not pressure, its just fun to see all of those people. Its fun to see them watching us and everything”, says J’Covan Brown.

In summary, these players, along with many other student-athletes, come to the University of Texas to have fun and to get a shot at the National Championship, no matter what sport they play. Texas is a great school not only for sports, but for academics, as well. Texas is in position to win a National Championship for some sport almost every year.s

TAKE THAT

13

NBA’s Top Players

Kevin Durant is the most explosive player in the league. He became the youngest player to ever win the scoring title, with an outstanding 30.1 PPG. He singlehandedly took the Oklahoma City Thunder to the playoffs. Durant can knock down the shot when he needs to, and make the play at the defensive end.

LeBron “King” James has become one of the best defenders in the league.

With his famous chasedown block, also known as the CD, he can block any player from behind. When he is on his game, nobody can stop him. James can not only score the ball, but can dish dimes as LeBron finished the season with 8.6 APG.

Find out who is leading around the NBA

Kobe Bryant can do whatever his team needs him to do. Kobe played most of the regular season with a finger injury, and still managed to hit 5 game winners, including a near half-court fadeaway over Dwayne Wade at the buzzer. Kobe, being one of the all-time greatest players in the history, gets paid over $23 million.

Dwyane Wade has only been in the league for 6 years but is one of the most exciting players to watch. With the clock winding down and when the team needs a shot, there is no doubt that the ball should be in Wade’s hands.

Standing at only 6-4, Wade still has the power to finish at the rim over some of the tallest players.

Dirk Nowitzki is a 7-foot forward, which gives him an avantage when he is shooting his famous turnaround jumper.

Dirk can not only drive the ball to the basket, but he can skate to the perimeter and knock down a clutch shot. With the addition of Caron Butler from the Wizards, Dirk doesn’t have to put up 25 points a game.

The Rebound The Players

Winner of the Winner of the 2011 Final 2011 NBA Four...

Finals...

MVP of upcoming season...

Best Player out of the NBA draft...

Best NBA coach...

Connor PraterBurgess

Syracuse

Thunder

LeBron James

Evan Turner

Greg Popovich

Sebastian Canizares

Duke

Bulls

Kevin Durant

John Wall

Scott Brooks

Jacob Cantu

Purdue

Magic

Steve Nash

John Wall

Phil Jackson

Matias Kalaswad

Butler

Lakers

Kobe Bryant

Damion James

Mike Brown

Top Fantasy Football Picks WHO MADE THE DUMBEST DECISIONS IN SPORTS?

We give you the top choice at each position in order to dominate your league next year.

A look at the stupidest decisions of the past year.

though, because his team was losing by three points at the game’s end anyways!

In the Harvard-Yale football game, one of the greatest sports rivalries, Yale coach Tom Williams went for a first by faking a punt... on fourth and 22 with 2 minutes left in the game and the lead. Harvard stopped the fake, drove down the field and scored to win.

Coach K (above) had Brian Zoubek shoot a free throw in the college basketball championship game with 3 seconds left and a two point lead and purposefully missed. Duke could have guaranteed that they couldn’t lose in regular time with a made free throw, and Butler almost made the desparation three for the win.

Steve Nash (above) drove down the court with few seconds left, putting his team on his back.

Nash dribbled inside the three point line and took a two-point jumper with a man in his face, and missed the buzzer beater as the bell rang. It didn’t matter,

Bill Belichick (above), when leading Indy by 6 against the Colts, the Patriots attempted a fouth down play, and failed, giving Peyton Manning a chance to win the game. He drove down, scoring on a 1 yard touchdown pass to Reggie Wayne with 30 seconds left for the win.

Coach Les Miles (above) of LSU has a reputation as a gambler on the football field. In a game against the University of Mississippi this past year, LSU was trailing by 2 with less than a minute to go. The Tigers had a timeout to spare, but debated 17 whole seconds before using it. Then LSU attempted

to spike the ball with one second left, in the football game, taking too long and being upset by Ole Miss.

Chris Johnson diving forward.He has risen to become the NFL’s top running back.

The top QB going into next year is Drew Brees (below). The Super Bowl champion threw for over 300 yards in 7 regular season games, one of those going over 400. Brees is a solid pick for next year.

Chris Johnson is one of the most dominant players, and definitely the best RB in the NFL. He got over 2,500 total yards last year running and receiving. His offensive line are returning to all clear big holes for him every game, and VY is coming back to draw away tacklers, so Chris is a great pick.

Dallas Clark emerged last season at TE after the Colts cut Marvin Harrison, going over 1,000 yards for the first time in his career, and scoring double digit TD’s for the second time. Peyton Manning’s pass-oriented offense will make sure Clark keeps on getting his catches, and you your points if you select him.

Houstons’s star is the top WR to select next year. Andre Johnson is one of the best in the NFL, with no supporting cast to steal catches from him. Matt Schaub can throw the ball accurately to guarantee touchdowns for the best WR to pick.

Sebastian Janikowski just became the highest-paid kicker, and with good reason.

The Raiders are so bad offensively that the K comes onto the field every drive. He can score points on field goals to make up for the extra points that he’ll never get.

Last year, the Minnesota Viking defense ripped up everyone, with 48 sacks and 23 forced turnovers One drawback is that their defensive tackle, Pat Williams(above), could be suspended.

But his appeal against that suspension seems to be working.

TAKE THAT

15

They Took the

physical Out of Physical Education By: Annalee A. Photos By: Annalee A.

FIRST THE STUDENTS DRESS OUT IN THE LOCKER ROOMS then head over to the gym. The next hour the class works on different skills and sports. Sometimes they focus on physical strength, other times concentrating on communicating with teammates and occasionally simply focusing on skills like hand-eye coordination. On the other hand, when the students walk through the door of their media technology class they throw their backpacks on the table and plop down in front of the computer. The teacher lectures or simply talks to the students about 30 minutes throughout the class, then the students go to work on their projects that are mainly computer based.

About once a week the students might go out into the hall and film then return to the classroom, edit and view the footage they just shot for the remainder of the class. Which one sounds like a P.E class to you?

One out of three kids in America today are obese according to Kidshealth, website focused on the health of children in America, and the government continues to think of new ways for schools to cut down these numbers. School districts around the country have limited the amount of sugar kids can eat in school. New district rules have outlawed sweets from being sold at school and banned teachers from providing kids with treats at classroom parties. In addition to vetoing sugary goods they have raised the nutritional value of cafete-

Kids playing soccer during an average P.E class. This is a scrimage.

ria food. They are adding salads and fruit cups to the menu while cutting down on the amount of pizza and grease kids can buy. Though these are all good ideas to cut down the obesity rate, some kids are still getting little to no exercise at school. Throughout Austin Independent School District (AISD) elementary schools rotate between art, music and physical education (P.E) throughout the week to conserve class time. This means that elementary kids are only getting a work out once or twice a week. Also because parents want kids to be in class longer recesses are getting shorter so more of the day can be spent learning. Not only are recesses shorter but also kids aren’t encouraged to run around and play

Kids working on their computer projects. This is an average class.

An average playscape. No kids are playing on it.

“One out of three kids in America today are obese” of the class requires the students to be active. Most sports teams’ practices are before or after school for at least and hour and can be as long as two hours which can add up to 10 hours a week plus games A student sits at his com- and weekend practices. Kids work really hard in puter. He is working on sports and P.E classes while Media Tech classes ask his class project. almost nothing physically of the students.

Many students and teachers will argue that having Media Tech as a P.E credit is good for students because as much, as teachers and parents deem it unsafe. Scott it is a more interesting class and kids don’t have to fill Elliot discusses this issue in an article for the Dayton another elective with P.E. Almost all school sports occur Daily stating that parents are too worried about their before or after school so students don’t have to fill one children running around and scraping their knees to of their electives and they have four years of high school let them play at school. The AISD requires students to take different classes. No class should be so important below sixth grade have 135 minutes a week of vigorthat kids compromise their health and sometimes jeoparous activity. That is less than half an hour a day and dize the rest of their lives to take the class. though as I said before, it is not always vigorous activFinally, P.E is not just about being in shape and physically ity, recess is accepted. Sitting in a sand box for half an active.

It teaches skills that involve diet, caring for your hour doesn’t really seem too vigorous to me. body and proper stretching. A lot of kids would be comIn high school, kids must have 30 minutes a day of acpletely unaware of these skills without P.E. Also P.E teachtivity for one and a half years, but hardly any kids take es social skills like cooperation and teamwork, which are P.E. anymore. Most kids play sports for the school or necessary for getting a job and just having relationships get waivers for other sports they play which is great, and friends. You can’t learn these types of skills sitting but still there are kids who find loopholes in the sysat a computer and working by yourself on a project. Yes, tem. Media Tech is one of those loopholes. Most of Media Tech does have group projects but unlike P.E the the class is computer work or listening to the teacher main focus of the class isn’t to build relational and social and when the kids finally get their hands on the equipskills. P.E is more important than most people think. ment they have tripods and stands to help them hold AISD needs to reevaluate its decision to allow Media Tech it up. P.E may not be the key to keeping generations as a P.E credit. It isn’t physically demanding enough, to come healthy but sticking kids behind computers doesn’t fill the required amount of physical activity hours for an hour and a half a day certainly isn’t the answer. a week and doesn’t teach the same skills that students Media Tech is seven and a half hours a week and about need to learn in high school. The health of America de30 minutes of that is vigorous physical activity if they pends on what habits kids are taught in school and right shot film that week, which is two hours less than what now no habits are being taught to our children at all. s is required. P.E is three and a half hours long and most

TAKE THAT

17

By: Connor P.

Photo By: Connor P.

The Man Behind the Mustache LBJ Alumni, Magnet Teacher and Football Coach

C

oach Glen McNiel sits in his classroom, watching students play dominoes after the LASA Field Day ends. Finally, he stands up to go get two pizza bozes.

Luckily, he remembers his manners and asks his class an important question. Do they want a box, too?

Glen McNiel is an accomplished high school coach. He has worked at his alumnus, LBJ, as a coach for decades.

He has climbed up to the position offensive coordinator for the football team. He has advanced many athletes to playing at the collegiate level over the years.

“Well, I try to improve every year, but I’ve been a pretty good offensive line coach for a long time,” he says.

He has been coaching for so long that even all of his regular students call him “Coach”.

Coach was an engineering major that changed to math after struggling through

classes such as Engineering Physics 2. He decided that his favorite subject was not engineering; it was sports.

His college advisers told him to finish his math degree so that he “wouldn’t have to be a slave to coaching.” He could teach math only when he didn’t feel like coaching.

“To me, math and sports were always very simple. So, even though I’m getting paid and I’m at work, it’s not very hard for me.” Coach says.

But combined, the two are difficult to juggle. He has grading, practice, teaching, game film study, and offseason training. He doesn’t just coach the football team. He also is the girl’s soccer coach, along with the shot put and discus coach for track field.

He has games or competitions of some sorts most nights, and, during football’s offseason, one of his two off periods from teaching goes towards working with the football team and teaching offense.

-However, he says, “That’s how you survive, man.”

He says that dealing with his players is much more difficult to survive. Coach has had at least one offensive lineman make the all-district football team voted on every year he has been coaching, but he says that dealing with the linemen as individuals requires a much different approach. He is a very caring man towards his players, treating them like they are all his very own.

“I’m practically his adopted son,” says Shalom Lee, a lineman that plays for Coach.

Coach cares about how his athletes perform in the classroom, as well, always making sure that all of his players’ homework is done, and he punishes those who don’t meet this expectation. Much of his philosophy revolves around physical work as punishment.

“A football player who won’t do his homework for his math class I can punish them, with pushups on the field or something” he says.

His actual son is no different

Coach’s offensive line gets down against McCallum.LBJ lost 31-14.

than anybody else. Coach makes his son, David, always work as hard as he can at practice. David, a.k.a Little McNiel, with his shocking red hair, height, and strength, is easy to spot in a crowd, as well as on the football field. His dad always spots him when he’s loafing at practice, so he has to be an even harder worker than anyone else.

“I always have to be serious instead of joking around at practice. He always cusses me out when I miss my blocks.”

David recalls from the past two years of play at LBJ. Coach’s wife, who knows about this, is very angry whenever this happens.

Coach McNiel has been great, is great, and will be great for years to come, probably coaching in the same position at LBJ for many of those years.

“I haven’t gone to look for a head coaching job in 10 years. I tried to be the head coach here about twelve years ago, and I didn’t get it,” he says.

When you apply to become a head coach and fail to get the job, you have to leave the school so that you do not undermine the new head coach. So, after failing to get the head coaching job here, he had to leave LBJ and head to another school.

Coach spent a year apiece at Connally and Lanier before returning to the place he attended high school; he is coaching our LBJ Jags yet again. s

TAKE THAT

19

TAKE THAT

Volume 1

Issue 1

Ezine

spring

semester

2010