2009-10 Issue 3

Spark HEAR YONI WOLF

2009 COLLEGE BOWL GUIDE

Lakota East High School Newsstand $3 December 18, 2009

THE SCIENCE OF

SLEEP WILCO: CELEBRATING OUR VETERANS

PLAYING AROUND: A HISTORY OF TOYS

2 | Spark | December 18, 2009

CONTENTS news

This Issue: The Sleep Issue

10

WINTER PLAY Months of practice pay off as East Drama Club presents Schoolhouse Rock.

12

LIBRARY OPENS After a year and a half of construction, the new Library at Centre Point Drive opened.

feature

38

17 SLEEPING 101

Dan Garrett examines the consequences of lack of sleep for students’ bodies and grades.

sports

Mackenzie White, Ariadne Souroutzidis and Rashma Faroqui explore the causes, symptoms and treatment of insomnia.

Sally Ryan investigates high school start times and their effects on the biological sleep patterns of teens.

25 SIESTA FIESTA

VETERANS In honor of Veterans’ Day, Spark begins a series on local veterans. connected to Lakota.

YONI WOLF Why? frontman speaks about Cincinnati, his future tour and his bloody carpet.

19 SLEEPLESS IN CINCINNATI

24 LATE TO BED, LATE TO RISE

15

entertainment

Katie Sczur and Tyler Kieslich report on the differences between the sleeping habits of other countries and those of the United States.

26 MIDNIGHT SNACKING

Sarah Zins analyzes the repercussions for the body of consuming various amounts of different foods before going to sleep.

50

BAILIIE RESIGNS After 17 years coaching Lakota football, Greg Bailie resigns.

55

BOWL GUIDE Spark examines 17 college football bowls and predicts their outcomes.

3 | Spark | December 18, 2009

opinion | letters

Forum Dear Spark, Immigration has been a fact of life for this nation since its beginning. We first had Europeans coming over to bask in the New World and to try and make their riches. As Americans, our forefathers first welcomed all the new peoples as a way to expand our nation’s borders and a way to increase our nation’s wealth.

After awhile, our cities began to grow and the slums became overpopulated. This is when the true racism and anti-immigration really took hold in the country. There would be signs in cities that read: “Help Wanted, Irish Need Not Apply.” This was a typical way to beat down the immigrants and hope that they would simply go away. Looking forward in time to the present day, we now complain about a new type of immigrant, but the big difference is that they do not have papers.

The immigrants of old went through the trouble of gaining citizenship, while the new immigrants simply walk across the border.

After the pain we put legal immigrants through, the trouble we wish to inflict on the illegal immigrants should come as no surprise. The Republicans basically tell us to put guards on the border and to shoot on sight while the Democrats tell us to build a simple fence that barely protects the border. At least that’s what they told us years ago; this issue has mostly fallen back behind the smokescreen of Washington.

Although these immigrants may be illegal, I believe that Americans might be able to take a lesson from these hard-working people. These people come over here to work for nothing while we complain about our salaries. They somehow take nothing and turn it into a new life, while at the same time, they send enough back home to keep their families going as well. The lesson from these people is to not worry so much about the size of our paychecks; there will be enough if we slow down and live within our means.

These immigrants are still illegal, but they are here for work, not life, and it is probably in the best interest of the nation to have them at the

should be very proud. I’m happy to see that the Spark remains as the bastion of intelligensia at East.

—Anthony Glickhouse, Renaissance Investment Management Dear Spark, Congratulations on being named 2009 NSPA Newsmagazine and Newspaper Special Edition best of show winner!

The Spark was a superb publication back when I attended Lakota West in the early 20002, and I am thrilled to see it has maintained a high level of excellence!

Again, congratulations on your honor. Best of luck to Spark staff for a great school year.

—Megan McNames, Assistant Director, Journalism Workshops, Department of Journalism, Ball State University

very least receive green cards and visas. This way they are legal and not an object to be slandered; they are doing what they need to do to help their families and they are doing it the right way.

—Matt Winfough, East senior Dear Spark I saw the latest issue of the Spark and I was completely blown away. My boss, Sudhir Warrier, has a daughter who writes for you guys and he showed me a copy this morning. The people at my work could not believe this was a student newspaper. However, I proudly said this was simply par for the course for Spark.

I am amazed at the consistency and quality that the Spark staff puts out year after year. I would put you guys toe-to-toe against not only with any other student newspaper (high school or college), but also with any mainstream paper/ magazine out there as well (i.e. Time, Business Week, etc) because the writing and design are absolutely just as good as those publications.

I’m not blowing smoke here, the Spark staffers

Got Something To Say? The Spark, which provides an open forum for students, faculty, subscribers and community members, encourages letters to the editor. Letters can be sent to the publication at the address below or dropped off in the journalism classroom (room 118). Letters must be signed, and the staff reserves the right to edit letters for length, grammar, invasion of privacy, obscenity or potential libel. The Opinion Editors will contact letter writers for confirmation.

Spark c/o Lakota East High School 6840 Lakota Lane Room 118 attn: Opinion Editor Liberty Township, OH 45044 Phone: (513) 759-8615 ext 15118 Fax: (513) 759-8633 Email: lehs.spark.opinion@gmail.com

Spark Notes This May 2007 issue of Spark continued the tradition of senior profiles, in which the paper explores the unique lives of eight East seniors.

The news section focused on security in the United States following the Virginia Tech massacre of April 2007. A special report concerning the massacre reported on security

4 | Spark | December 18, 2009

measures at local colleges such as Miami University and the University of Cincinnati.

The sports section focused on the differences in athletic culture between the high school and college levels. In the opinion section, Kauser Siddiqui commented on the lingering prejudice against Muslims in the United States.

Spark Kevin Li, Dana Sand Editor-in-Chief Sally Ryan Business Manager Radhika Madhavan Design Manager Caroline Tompkins Photo Manager Tyler Castner, Anna Hartman Managing Editor Amanda Kaine Copy Director Katrina Echternacht Layout Director Lauren Ellis, Dan Garrett, Victoria Liang Entertainment Editor Alyssa Davis, Kim Shearer Feature Editor Meredith Bleuer, Liv Devitt Lifestyle Editor Jill Bange, Ariadne Souroutzidis, Kavya Sreevalsan News Editor Ryan Fay, Lisa Liu, Nitya Sreevalsan Opinion Editor Justine Chu, Mason Hood, Lucy Stephenson Package Editor Sarah Fanning, Faiz Siddiqui, Sarah Wilkinson Sports Editor Brian Baltis, Logan Schneider, Heidi Yang, Sarah Zins Art Section Editor Eric Muenchen, Dan Turner Photo Section Editor Sarah Craig Business Associate Allison Korson, Mackenzie White Public Relations Director Anjana Jagpal Public Relations Associate Erika Andler Subscriptions Coordinator Brittany Bennett Survey Coordinator Eric Bloomberg Webmaster Dean Hume Advisor Spark is a publication that is produced at Lakota East High School. The magazine is completely studentgenerated through the efforts of the Journalism I, Journalism II and Journalism III-Honors classes. The publication material may not always reflect the views of the Lakota Local School District. Content is controlled and edited by the staff editors. The staff will publish only legally protected speech adhering to the legal definitions of libel, obscenity and the invasions of privacy.

The publication is produced every five weeks.

Production costs are covered through advertising sales, subscription sales and fundraisers. Advertising information can be obtained by writing to the business manager at the address below or at sparkbusiness@gmail.com.

The purpose of Spark is to inform the students, faculty, subscribers and community members of news, information and issues that may influence or affect them.

Spark accepts news releases, guest columns and sports information releases.

Spark is a member of the National Scholastic Press Association, the Ohio Scholastic Media Association, the Northeastern Ohio Scholastic Press Association, the Journalism Education Association, Quill and Scroll and the Columbia Scholastic Press Association.

Spark c/o Lakota East High School 6840 Lakota Lane Liberty Township, OH 45044 Phone: (513) 759-8615 ext 15118 Fax: (513) 759-8633 Email: lehs.spark@gmail.com

From The Editor In seventh grade, my obsession with koalas began.

I was assigned a seven-page report on a randomly selected animal as my first big science project, forcing me to learn anything and everything there was to know about the Australian native. As my research began, I came across many interesting facts about the koala, not to mention several adorable pictures, immediately making it my new favorite animal.

One: They aren’t really bears, though often referred to as “koala bears.” They are classified as marsupials and are the only extant species left of the family Phascolarctidae.

Two: They are one of the only animals able to digest eucalyptus leaves because the linings of their stomachs and livers are able to break down the usually toxic phenolic and terpene compounds that would kill other species.

Three: Their leading causes of death—and the reasons they are on the threatened species list, according to the U.S. government—are habitat loss, being hit by cars and being bitten by dogs because canine teeth can puncture their abdomens very easily.

Four (and the most incredible of all): Koalas sleep between 18 and 22 hours every day.

After coming across fact four, I researched why they spent so much of their day just sitting in a tree. What I discovered was that koalas aren’t just lazy.

They have a reason for “wasting away” the large majority of their day–and it’s a good one. This amount of sleep is necessary for koalas to recuperate from their energy-depleting digestive process, and without a minimum of 18 hours of sleep each day, they would become too exhausted to function properly.

Just like koalas, every animal has a certain amount of sleep needed to function not only at its best, but to function at all. In humans, infants come in at 16 hours, with adults at eight hours and the elderly at five and a half. Teenagers rank near adults, with a recommended 8.5 to 9.25 hours each night.

As a teenager’s time is used up by school, work, sports, extracurriculars and homework, the effects of sleep deprivation worsen. Each hour taken away adds to the negative effects on one’s mind and body, which can include inability to focus, handle stress, maintain a healthy immune system and remember what is learned in school.

This year, the effects of not getting enough sleep have become profoundly apparent to me, as I have become increasingly sleep-deprived with each passing day. I often find myself feeling sick and being too tired to study, or to remember the subjects that I do find the time to study for—and I’m not alone.

According to a March 2009 survey by the National Sleep Foundation, over the last decade, the number of Americans sleeping less than six hours a night continues to increase. This study agreed with a 2008 American Psychological Association survey, which reported that 52 percent of 7,000 respondents were losing sleep at night from stress. Stress and lack of sleep go together to form a detrimental cycle that an increasing number of Americans is witnessing firsthand.

While I am currently lucky to get between three and five hours of sleep on the average school night, I can only dream of getting the daily 18 to 22 hours that a koala gets. But everyone can learn a lesson from the koala—despite the desire to do everything in a short, 24-hour time span, it is vital to add getting the required amount of sleep each night to everyone’s to-do list.

“I can only dream of getting the daily 18 to 22 hours that a koala gets.”

5 | Spark | December 18, 2009

news | world map

NEWSWIRE

Washington , D.C.

London

[Dec. 1] President Barack Obama spoke to the West Point Cadets addressing the war in Afghanistan. He stated that he will be sending an additional 30,000 troops into the war. Plans have been made to withdraw combat troops by the end of the summer of 2010, and all troops should be pulled out by the end of 2011.

[Dec. 1] Britain’s High Court decided that suspected terrorists cannot be held in jail without the option of bail on the basis of secret evidence. The accused will be released without paying bail because the lawyers of the suspects have not been told why they are being held.

Copenhagen, Denmark

[Dec. 2] The United Nations has planned a global warming summit in Copenhagen to discuss how global warming is affecting developing countries. Also, they will be discussing the efforts necessary to help these countries deal with the issues created by climate change, such as flooding. Over 100 leaders intend to meet and learn about the plan to provide at least $10 billion for support a year.

Manila, Philippines

[Dec. 1] Andal Ampatuan Jr. was charged with the biggest political massacre ever in the Philippines. Over 57 people were killed after Ampatuan, and approximately 100 gunmen stopped the cars of a political caravan and opened fire. infographic abby buns

Pretoria, South Africa [Dec. 1] President Jacob Zuma declared a war against AIDS by allowing medical practitioners to use drugs to subdue spread of the disease. The prior administration did not approve of the use of drugs and instead encouraged use of garlic treatments, which proved to be not beneficial.

However, Zuma believes it is now time to fight the disease. South Africa has more HIV positive people than any other country. information – www.msnbc.com

234205094539284723984703 923904878975912385712390 857129038572395781395875 239841653395872384589234 589469045548946551231567 489874461354897685452135 498798745645213165489798 6 | Spark | December 18, 2009 746543215456878474158524

FACE VALUE

81

percent of East students who would be interested in earning credit through internships

325 ►

number of East students who think naps at work or school would increase their productivity

Taylor Holds Budget Presentation story anna hartman

►

83

Lakota superintendent Mike Taylor held a faculty meeting in the East auditorium on Dec. 7, during which he relayed information on the district’s budget. Taylor has been speaking to faculty at all 22 of Lakota’s schools.

“We’ve been going around to talk about budgets,” said Executive Director of Lakota School and Community Relations Laura Kursman.

To Taylor, the budget situation is the “biggest challenge this district has been faced with” throughout his service in Lakota.

If the current economy were not improved at the conclusion of the 2010-11 school year, the district would be confronted with a $9 million deficit.

“School districts try to end up with a positive cash balance that would help to maintain a school district for 30 to 60 days,” said Taylor. “Our financial forecast is showing us is that in 2010-11, we will be in the red.”

As a result of flat funding, 1,500 Lakota students are not supported by the district’s budget this school year. The district began the school year with $450,000 fewer dollars than in previous years—a one percent decrease.

“We had 1,500 students in our system who no state dollars came in to support, but we still have to educate those students,” said Taylor. “That puts a tremendous amount of stress on our budget.”

Unless economic situations improve, the 2010-11 school year will be confronted with a budget reduction of $890,000.

According to Taylor, Gov. Ted Strickland’s Education Plan causes additional reason for economic alert.

“There are a number of mandates that are in [Strickland’s Education Plan] that we’re watching very closely because we’re unclear where the funding will come from or if it is coming from the state,” said Taylor.

Strickland’s implementation of full-day kindergarten, which must be put into place by 2011, is one such reason for economic uncertainty; however, Taylor sees the benefits of the plan.

“On the education side of the house, it’s probably a good idea,” said Taylor, “but on the financial side, it’s probably going to break our backs.”

Because the district has housed kindergartners for only half days since the start of the district, a new elementary school would need to be built—resulting in costs of $17 million for building fees and $2.2 million annually for teachers’ salaries.

The issue to approve education funding from casinos, which would provide schools with $800 million, will not be on a ballot until November 2010.

East English teacher Becky Mueller has confidence in Lakota’s management, despite mandates and lack of state funding.

“I think Lakota has the teachers’ and students’ best interests in mind,” said Mueller. “I see a lot of the problems coming from the state and we’re being forced to deal with them.”

As a result of necessary cuts to its $168 million annual budget, Lakota administration managed to reduce the operating budget by around $4 million.

Along with decreasing spending, Taylor believes the district must also increase revenue through passing a levy. The last levy was passed in 2005.

However, Taylor fears that the financial constraints of community members may impact the passing of a budget.

“The good news is that people do support Lakota,” said Taylor. “We’re also hearing that because of personal [economical] situations, [the community] doesn’t know if they can support a levy.” n

percent of East students who have a family member that has been in the military at some time

percent of East students who own their own Snuggie

POINT BLANK

“There are not a lot of people in the club right now, but you don’t need to be in Green Club to recycle. Everyone should just do their share to keep the school clean.”

—East senior Jenna Everson on Green Club’s new recycling program (page 8)

“She makes me work really hard and when I was little, she wouldn’t let me quit, which I am so grateful for now.”

—East sophomore Erin McNally on her experiences with her piano teacher (page 13)

“When you get to a certain point your body just passes out. It gets pretty scary when you don’t know what can happen.”

—East junior Leah Hunter on her experience with insomnia (page 19)

“I’m a player. That’s my role. The coaching situation will sort itself out. I’ll play for whoever is coaching, and I’ll play for the players around me.”

—East junior John Brady on the search for a new football coach (page 48)

“It’s hard to understand why viewers love reality TV so much, but they do.

Most fans, including myself, will admit these shows to be rash, pointless and even moronic in some cases.”

—East junior Lucy Stephenson on reality television shows (page 72)

►

40

number of East students who have been home schooled

7 | Spark | December 18, 2009

news | around the school

Around the

School

AP Biology students (left to right) Jessica Backstrom, Abbey Jones and Meghan Jones dress as amino acids during a protein synthesis lab on Nov. 13. Students recieved extra credit for dressing as an amino acid for the whole school day. photo kavya sreevalsan

1

East junior Akash Umakantha and sophomore Dwight Hu practice chess after school in Mr. Orlando’s room. Umakantha was named athlete of the week for chess. photo sierra whitlock

2

Wenyan Li, a nine-year principal of Yujiatou Elementary School in China, visits East on Wednesday, Nov. 18 to see an American school system. During seventh period, she visited several classes, including Honors Anatomy, AP German and Chemistry. photo dan turner

3 5

East senior Alysha Scott listens to the Lakota Education Association building representative at East, John Severns.

Severns attended Teachers’ Academy class on Wednesday, Nov. 18 and spoke about his service as a Teachers’ Union representative. photo dan turner

4

Kristian Johnson sells airbrushed t-shirts during lunch for the Multicultural Club.

The t-shirts are airbrushed with the design that each individual student wants and the proceeds will go to Multicultural Club to use the money for charity. photo sierra whitlock

6

National Honor Society (NHS) raised $517 in a month-long fundraiser for The Hunger Project. Students in each fifth period competed to win a pizza party by donating money. Mrs. Florence’s AP Economics class won the contest. photo kim shearer (Left to right) East sophomore Cynthia Ballou and East juniors Sammie Kuhlman and Claire Meyer show support for victims and survivors of pancreatic cancer on Nov. 20 by wearing purple. Pancreatic cancer is the fourth highest cause of cancer deaths, yet receives only two percent of the National Cancer Institute’s $4.9 billion. photo jennifer shafer East’s English as a Second Language (ESL) class celebrated Thanksgiving Nov. 23. The celebration took place all of fifth period in room 200, where the students ate traditional Thanksgiving foods, including turkey, mashed potatoes, dinner rolls and pies. photo eric muenchen

8 | Spark | December 18, 2009

7 8

news | recycling

East Goes Green story sandhya warrier | infographic emily merrick | photo abby hurley

The newly formed Green Club at East recently started a recycling program, so now plastics can be recycled along with paper.

T

he East Green Club was launched as an official club during the 2009-10 school year. East seniors Tori Fryman and Jenna Everson discussed the development of the group at the United Way Uprising leadership seminar last year in an effort to make East a more ecofriendly environment.

“At the seminar last year, I was really inspired to start a recycling program at school,” said Fryman, club president. “So I teamed up with Mrs. Testerman and a few other students at East to start the Green Club.”

Club advisor Caroline Testerman believes the club has been effective.

“With only three of 505 surveyed months under our East students have belts, we’ve done a lot and have a lot of good recycled cans in ideas,” said Testerman. the new bins.

At club meetings, new project ideas are discussed and then further organized. The club’s most active project is school-wide recycling, which started on Nov. 30. Those who are willing to recycle their water bottles and cans during lunch receive a raffle ticket. At the end of each day, a few students’ tickets are drawn and the winners receive prizes, including a free meal at Noodles & Company.

Along with recycling, the Green Club participates in other environmentally beneficial activities, such as school beautification projects.

5%

During the month of October, students collected glasses and sunglasses for the OneSight Foundation, which is a Luxottica Group Foundation. The organization sends new or gently used pairs of glasses to individuals in third world countries.

According to Fryman, the club collected over 100 pairs of glasses, with some students trick-or-treating for glasses on Halloween.

“It’s nice to see that teens want to make the effort these days,” said Testerman.

“When I was in high school, ‘being green’ wasn’t important.”

Because the club’s membership currently consists of only a few students, the members are hoping for more people to join the club during the course of the year. Students are welcome to join at any point in the year.

“There are not a lot of people in the club right now, but you don’t need to be in Green Club to recycle,” said Everson, the club’s vice president. “Everyone should just do their Green recycling bins are scattered around the East cafeteria, share to keep the school clean.” along with posters reminding students to recycle their plastics.

Recently, Green Club members designed “Our shirts are only one solid color and contain t-shirts. The shirts were ordered from writing on both sides, so they were $12.75 each.”

Successful Products, a company that produces From recycling cans during lunch to organic clothing. collecting glasses for those in need, the Consequently, the prices for the shirts are Green Club strives to make East a more affected by the increased costs of organic environmentally aware school. materials, as well as the amount of colors and “Our goal is to make Lakota East a greener writing on the shirt. place,” said Fryman. “We want kids to think it “Because the shirts are organically made, just makes sense to care about the planet.” n they are a bit more expensive,” said Testerman.

From the Recycling Bin...

Plastics are taken to a recycling center and made into bales. Before manufacturing, they are crushed, washed, dried and then melted.

Paper is taken to the paper mill, where water is added to the paper. Then, it is scanned, cleaned and de-inked until it is ready to be made into a new product.

The recycled materials, in many new forms, are then transported to stores across the world for customers to purchase and start the process all over.

n Next Issue: feature will take an in-depth look at the green movement.

9 | Spark | December 18, 2009

news news | winter | winter playplay

Schoolhouse Rock: Cast

Dina Kylie Mullenix

Tom ton Jake Huddils

Dina, the mature side personality, is thoughtfof Tom’s grounded. She perfo ul and solo, “Interjections,” rms her at the end of the show.

GeorgeTaylor Kyle

m is the schoolhouse, To As a new teacher atfirst day of teaching his young nervous about his the play, the main characters class. Throughout es of Tom’s personality and portray different sid ing is easy and fun. show him that learn

e

H control. ng and in at teaching ri a c is e Georg ssures Tom th citing. often rea ildren will be ex Magic young chsings “Three is a Bill.”

George and “I’m Just a Number”

DIREC OR David TP ott

er

As student dire his vision for ctor, David relays members of ththe play to the other also runs ever e student team. He of the cast an y rehearsal and keeps all d crew on task .

10 | Spark | December 18, 2009

Dori Rachel Ki ng

Silly and playfu of Tom’s pers l, Dori is the goofy side several Schoolh onality. She perfor ms Noun is a Persouse Rock favorites, “A Preamble” an on, Place or Thing,” “The d “Elbow Roo m.”

CTOR VOCAL DIRE r e b e R h Zac

l director is to Zach’s role as voca the choir. Like teach each song to some creative the director, he hasng, he created a freedom; in one so six-part harmony.

Joe Brandon Combs

Laid-back and casual, literally the “Joe Cool”Joe is personality. His solo is of Tom’s classic “Conjunction the Junction.”

SHULIE Ellison Ainsley of Tom’s

d side genuine, kin s Shulie is the Her child-like sweetnesen she h y. w it al le n b ra perso ” en more ado makes her ev npack your Adjectives “U sings both lanet Janet.” and “Interp

STAGE MANAGER Kasey Dillin gham

The student stage ma responsible for makinnager is g sure all of the props and set pieces right place. Kasey kee are in the running smoothly andps set changes safely.

news | winter play

Auditions A Cappella As East’s Drama Club kicks off winter play auditions, the student director team works to make Schoolhouse Rock captivating for its young audience. story jill bange | photos ariadne souroutzidis

PRODUCING A PLAY series Spark goes behind the scenes of East’s Drama Club to discover how a play translates from script to stage.

On Nov. 18 and 19, over 60 students auditioned for East Drama Club’s winter musical, Schoolhouse Rock.

Eager students ranging from freshmen to seniors lined the halls outside the choir room, fine-tuning their audition performances, which ranged anywhere from the Schoolhouse Rock song “Unpack your Adjectives” to monologues from The Princess Diaries.

Many of these actors have been involved in Children’s Performing Arts of Lakota or other theater groups for several years with aspirations of directing and acting down the road, and hope to translate their experiences to the school’s winter play.

East freshman Makenzie Walters auditioned because she enjoys pretending to be a character.

“I love using my imagination,” said the four-year actress. “It is easier than being myself.”

East sophomore Erin Grasty spent her audition preparation time dancing through East’s halls while repeatedly reciting her monologue. Her enthusiasm for theater is apparent, although she admits it will be a challenge to schedule other activities around practice.

“Theater owns my soul,” said Grasty. “But it’s okay, because it is so much fun.”

This performance is unique from a typical East play not only because it targets a younger audience, but also because the musical is directed entirely by students.

According to Drama Club advisor Kristen Statt, last year’s winter musical, Really Rosie, helped give younger thespians a chance at a leading role while attracting an audience beyond the high school campus. She hopes this musical can accomplish the same goals under student leadership.

“I choose student directors based on who I know can get the job done and who really wants to go into this field,” said Statt. “It helps that we selected the junior version of the play, because the simpler music is easier for students to teach, and it is only about 80 minutes, which is perfect for the young audience.”

The audience last year consisted of primarily Lakota elementary school students who took a field trip to East during the day to see the show. In addition, over 250 Girl Scouts attended the Sunday showing of the musical and a theater workshop following the performance where they could earn a badge. Schoolhouse Rock’s audience will have a similar composition during the performances on January 29 at 7:00 pm, Jan. 30 at 2:00 pm and 7:00 pm, and Jan. 31 at 2:00 pm.

East junior Amy Botos believes that although Schoolhouse Rock is student directed, the quality of the play will not be compromised.

“Mrs. Statt makes good choices in who runs the show,” said Botos, the set designer. “Yes, it is a children’s musical so the story itself will be unique, but the process wouldn’t be any different directed by David Potter than by Mrs. Statt.”

Potter, a three year East theater member, feels that his first time directing a student performance may present some challenges.

“It’s more difficult for me as a student to get kids to take what I say seriously,” said Potter. “But I know I can run a smooth rehearsal.”

Although School House Rock auditions are a wrap, the production process is just getting started. With “the big picture” in mind, Potter, Botos and the other student directors are ready for action. n

11 | Spark | December 18, 2009

news | library

Turning Over a New Page story rashma faroqui | photos dan turner

After a year and a half of constuction the new West Chester Library opened for the public to browse the new facility.

T

School.

“This one has more room and The new West Chester library is three times as large as the old one.

I think it’s a lot convenience is the method of check out. more organized than the last one,” said John Residents may now check out books on their Marshall, a student from St. Michael Elementary own by scanning their library card on their way School. out.

The childrens’ book section, which includes “[This system is similar to what] you see in a room for story time, is five times larger than it Kroger and some of the self-checkout stores,” was before. said Mayhugh. “You don’t have to stand in line “In the old library, we had to do story waiting for a librarian to check out your books times in the community meeting room,” said for you; you can just go up to one of the empty check out stations, check them out on your own and it’ll save you time.”

Despite the increase in the library’s size, the new staff has 20 fewer people after layoffs due to budget cuts.

“We’re actually doing more with less staff, but once the economy gets better we’ll see what we can do here,” said Mayhugh.

Mayhugh. “In this new building, [the kids] The new library has not yet purchased any don’t have to worry about conflicting with adult new books. It contains all of the 180,000 books, programming.”

DVDs and CDs from the old library.

Teens also have a section in the new building “Now we’ll just continue to build the including listening stations, tables and quiet areas.

“It’s just a place for [teens] without grownups collection up over the years.” said Mayhugh.

“I think it’s beautiful. It’s spacious and warm hanging out and getting in your way,” said and inviting and brightly lit and I think it’s just Mayhugh. great” said Rebecca Page, a children’s librarian.

Along with more space, another new Many community members are turning out to The library currently has over 180,000 books and is still aquiring more. see the new library.

“The views are just spectacular. You’ve got a very inviting space that will bring people back.

There’s going to be opportunities here that we’ve not even thought about yet,” said Bean. ”I see it being used heavily by the community for meetings and that’s great to have some place [for the community]; we could easily have arbitration here for labor groups.”

State Librarian Jo Budler said the new library is one of her favorites in the state and sees it as a place for “life-long learning.”

West Chester Trustee Lee Wong agreed.

According to Wong, the new, bigger library presents learning opportunities for all ages.

“This library is like a civic center for our community, where people can come to learn and educate themselves,” said Wong. “We don’t get a chance to build a big library all the time, only once in a great while. I don’t think I will see another one being built in my lifetime.” n

he new West Chester Library at Centre Point Drive opened up to a cheery crowd on Nov. 15. Locals browsed the new library and were able to check out books the following day. “[The library] is three times larger than our old library,” said Library Branch Manager Steve Mayhugh.

The new library contains 250 parking spaces, a large community meeting room that seats 180 people, small conference rooms, a 14 person board room, quiet study areas, a café and 48 computers available to the public. The old library on Cox road had about 100 parking spaces, one small community room and only ten computers.

“We recognized the need for a new library in the late 1990’s,” said Doug Bean [Library Director.] Construction began in June 2008 due to lack of funding.

Writing the building programs for the new library took a year and a half and then another year and a half was spent on construction.

The library board paid for and supplied the library with furnishings, shelving and computers while the township paid for the construction.

The library overall cost $11 million.

Construction included the $750,000 bridge connecting the library to Lakota West High

12 | Spark | December 18, 2009

“ ” A year and a half was spent on construction.

In the Right Key

feature | dart

Determination and hard work have fostered Erin McNally’s love for music. story nitya sreevalsan | photos caroline tompkins

E

rin McNally loves Christmas. She can be heard singing throughout According to Erin’s dad, Matt, Furnier is “one of Erin’s few close friends the halls of her house–though she admits that she does not have the who she never shuts up to.” Having been friends with Erin since Sept. 5 of best voice–and she even has a calendar starting in January counting their second grade year – they even celebrate the day every year – Furnier down to the next Christmas. As her boyfriend, East sophomore Jeremy loves spending time with her best friend.

Bright, says, “[Her love of Christmas] shows dedication in what she enjoys.”

“Whenever I am down I know I can just look to her for a good laugh, Erin’s prolific piano playing clearly shows this dedication. After she and when we are just hanging out I am always sure to have a good time with begged for piano lessons in second grade, Erin’s parents finally gave in. plenty of laughter,” says Furnier.

“She was the one that asked to start playing piano when she was in second In the eight years of their friendship, with an Oreo obsession and grade and she kept after us and after us,” says Erin’s mom, Michele. “And you constant togetherness, the two have made some great memories. One such wonder, ‘Maybe it’s just a phase,’ but she persisted.” good time was while baking brownies.

After acquiring an old player piano from family friends, the next step was “Let’s just say Erin is not much of a chef. So I put her in charge of finding a piano teacher. preheating the oven; I thought it was a pretty simple task. Well she failed and “I’ve had the same piano teacher for eight years–Patricia Wood–and she’s put the temperature at 250 degrees, so we had soupy brownies,” says Furnier. amazing,” says Erin. “She makes me work really hard and when I was little, “The sad part was these were brownies from a box. After baking them for she wouldn’t let me quit, which I am so grateful for now.” longer, they actually tasted really good–just very mushy.”

Her hard work has paid off. As a sophomore, she is in the second-highest Events like these serve to strengthen the bond between the two. Last jazz band, 8 o’clock Jazz, participates in year, Erin decided to join the Lakota East a small extracurricular East jazz group, “My favorite thing about band is Colorguard–a part of the East Marching Eastside Jazz Combo II, and has played in at Thunderhawks–because Furnier was going least one piano performance every year since everyone coming together to to join. This year, after seeing how much fun second grade. Erin plays in the annual Ohio produce something amazing.” marching band could be, Erin played alto Music Education Association (OMEA) saxophone in the Marching Thunderhawk Festival and OMEA’s Solo and Ensemble contest. At both band, an instrument that she also plays in East Symphonic the Festival and Solo and Ensemble, a judge listens to a Band, the second highest concert band at East. piece Erin has been working on and then rates her based “My favorite thing about band is everyone coming on note accuracy and musical interpretation, using a scale together to produce something amazing,” says Erin. “In from one to five, in which a one is superior. For the past sixth grade it was just a bunch of notes, but now it’s so eight years in the Festival and for the past year in Solo and much better.”

Ensemble, Erin has received a one rating – but do not However, a fully loaded schedule combined with her expect her to boast. She does not have time. various musical interests takes its toll on Erin’s stress level.

Erin also takes part in the National Piano Guild, where On a scale of one to ten, she rates her own stress at about she must memorize seven to ten pieces of music and then a seven. plays them in front of a judge. This requires long hours. “[I’m] drowning,” says Erin. “It’s tough.”

Each week, Erin has a 30-minute classical piano lesson, a Luckily, Erin has piano as an outlet for her stress.

30-minute jazz piano lesson and then an hour-long music “She emotes a lot on the a piano–angry, happy, sad or theory lesson. On top of this, she practices about 30 nervous,” says Michele. “Generally [when she is stressed], minutes every day. Currently she is working on Fantasy in she’ll need to go play the piano a little bit to calm her[self] D minor by Mozart, which she says is “kind of long, but I down.” really like it.” Plus, she is also working on pieces by Chopin For this reason, Michele wants Erin to keep music in and Bach. her life, but for now, Erin is not sure what she wants to do “I don’t understand how she memorizes that music,” when she is older. says Erin’s best friend, East sophomore Caitlin Furnier. “It “Well I love little kids, so maybe [I would like to do] seems so hard.” something along those lines,” says Erin, who babysits three to four days a week. “I’d still love to keep music in my life Each issue the Spark staff picks a though.” random East student and covers a Erin has been playing the piano Erin has a couple more years to decide, but whatever since she was in second grade. unique aspect of his or her life. she chooses, her music will always be with her. n

13 | Spark | December 18, 2009

Come in from the cold and grab a hot coffee or a cookie!

Try one of our teas today!

We have a fun, inviting environment to hang out with friends after school.

Conveniently located right

by Bruno’s Pizza

6752 Cin-Day Road Suite 101 Liberty Township, Ohio 45044

Come check out our new location... just across from Lakota East High School!

Teaching safe driving since 1986!

Tom’s teaches new drivers about the roads from safety, legal and situational perspectives.

Call and sign up for classes today!

TOM’S

SUPERIOR DRIVING SCHOOL

7390 Liberty One Drive www.tomsdrivingschool.net

513-779-1040 14 | Spark | December 18, 2009

feature | community feature

The War Album story reb vachon | photos caroline tompkins

I

“

“

n the dining room of his Norwood home, Gerald A. McGraw sits down in a rustic wooden chair.

He takes a sip of water and opens an aged Japanese photo album, letting stories pour from the pages.

Among dated letters and old military pamphlets, its faded black and white photos tell the story of Corporal Gerald McGraw.

“I served in the Korean War, but [the war] actually ended when I was in Seattle, Washington ready to fly over [to Korea],” McGraw says.

McGraw was drafted into the Army on Feb. 10, 1953 and began his basic training at Camp Rucker in Alabama. McGraw was assigned a company and boarded a train bound for Seattle. He jumped on a plane that made three stops: one to refuel in Alaska, one at Shemya air force base and one to Japan, from which he took a boat ride to Korea.

The sturdy pages of the album contain rows of aged photographs, the hash white landscapes in the pictures standing out against the black pages.

McGraw smiles as he recognizes his old friends, some of whom were killed in Korea. He points to a picture of four young men playing a game.

“We liked to play around a lot,” he laughs, recalling memories shared with his Army comrades.

He flips the page and points to another picture of a man standing alone on a barren hill.

“It was so cold over there. They didn’t have any trees or bushes to keep the warm air down,” he says. “We even had to wear these special rubber boots called Mickey Mouse boots to keep our feet

If I wasn’t [patriotic] I would have gone AWOL...If I wasn’t patriotic I would have went to Canada and not went at all.

US

A

Each issue, feature is running a story covering the life of one member of each of the five branches of the military.

McGraw flipping through his photo album of memories from his time in the Army.

from freezing.”

McGraw flips through a few more pages and once again points to a picture - this one with a young man posing in front of a shelf of books.

“I worked in a library for four years during high school, so after the 45th division [went] back to New York I was assigned to the headquarters company and they sent me to school in Soul, Korea to learn how to run and build a library,” says McGraw.

McGraw started his library out of the Army’s Education Center in Yong Dong Poe, Korea. His job there included giving Graduation Equivalent Degrees to those in the army who did not have the chance to get their high school degree before serving.

“I’m proud of teaching a lot of Koreans how to read and write,” he says. “They’ve come a long way.”

When McGraw thinks back to what Korea is like now he is glad the country took the path it did.

“It was good that we were there or the whole country would have been communist,” says McGraw.

To McGraw, stopping the communists was worth the horrible personal experience.

“If we wouldn’t have stopped them they would have killed millions more. There would have been more homeless kids and widows,” says McGraw. “They just killed everybody.”

McGraw piles up his papers and mementos, and takes a sip of his water as his wife enters the room. Spotting his open photo album, his wife Betty McGraw starts to flip through its pages.

“He’s saved everything, his uniform, his pictures and letters. We still have [them],”says Betty.

According to Betty, even though he underwent a negative experience with the war, he still keeps a positive attitude.

“He is a very kind man - a nice person. When he was over there I’d guess he was the same,” she says. “Everybody likes Gerry.”

Even his niece Kathy Sczczur noticed his positive attitude.

“I think he’s a positive guy,” she says. “He would always be laughing and showing off his antics.”

Described as patriotic by his wife, McGraw says that his patriotic attitude helped him serve in the war.

“If I wasn’t [patriotic] I would have gone AWOL (absent without official leave),” says McGraw.

“If I was patriotic I would have went to Canada and not [have gone to Korea] at all.” n

15 | Spark | December 18, 2009

sleep

Package Contents 17 Sleeping 101

24 Late to Bed, Late to Rise

18 Bedtime Blues

25 Siesta Fiesta

19 Sleepless in Cincinnati

26 Midnight Snacking

22 REM Sleep

27 Sleep Studies

16 | Spark | December 18, 2009

anabolic state photos caroline tompkins

Sleeping 101 Today’s Class: U.S. History 101 Today’s Curriculum: U.S. involvement in World War II Class begins with a lesson by the teacher covering a basic overview of what happened during WWII. Starting with the Dec. 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, the teacher presents a state-of-the-art multimedia presentation to make the lesson interesting and fun. But suddenly, all of the soldiers are home from the war and the 1946 baby boom is underway. The observer of this phenomenon is sure to be left thinking: What happened to the rest of the war?

Scenarios of students dozing off in class such as these are not uncommon with modern high school students. Sleep deprivation has become a major issue for many adolescents around the country, as shown by various studies by the National Sleep Foundation (NSF).

According to a survey of 505 students, an astounding 93 percent of East students do not get the 8.5 to 9.25 hours of sleep every night recommended for teenagers by the NSF; 41 percent of the students surveyed reported to often fall asleep during class. But sleeping through major portions of history is only one problem caused by a lack of necessary sleep; other consequences arise both psychologically and physically that can be staggeringly detrimental to learning and living on a day to day basis.

It is considered common knowledge that sleep is necessary. A healthy baby is one who sleeps, even William Shakespeare referred to sleep as “nature’s sweet nurse.” But in order to understand the consequences of not enough sleep, one must first realize what sleep does to the body. Sleep is a state of temporarily suspended physical and conscious mental activity during which much of the body restores itself as the brain recharges; everything does not just stop. Doctors and other medical professionals are still researching the effects of sleep to discover the brain’s activity during sleep.

“As a psychology teacher for over 20 years, I spent a lot of time on the importance of sleep, especially for teens,” says Kent Woodrow, a professor at Xavier and the area director for the People to People program with which he spends lots of time working with teens. “Since one third of your life is dedicated to sleep, I felt it was critical to examine its importance.”

Woodrow would like to see students with a more consistent sleeping pattern as opposed to the sporadic sleep that many students get.

“Try to sleep about the same amount each night—not three hours one night and 11 hours the next night,” says Woodrow. “Disruptive sleep patterns also make the student more susceptible to mood swings and illness.”

The main consequences of sleep deprivation include, but are not limited to, decreased body temperature, irritability, dizziness, nausea, memory lapses, increased blood pressure, headaches, slowed word recall, hallucinations, aching muscles and heightened symptoms of ADHD. Dr. Martin B. Scharf directs the Tri-State Sleep Disorder Center and has

{

been researching and working with sleep for 43 years. Helping people sleep has become his major passion in life, as he has spread his message about getting good sleep to millions of people with appearances on “Oprah” and “Good Morning, America.”

“Sleep affects everything,” says Scharf. “It’s going to affect the way you look, your diet, athletic performance, everything.

“A good night’s sleep is more than just how long you sleep,” Scharf says.

“Sleeping involves going through [REM and non-REM] cycles over and over.”

The lack of sleep ones gets is not the only factor in sleep deprivation.

The body can suffer from any number of disorders that make sleep less

According to a survey of 505 East students, 93 percent do not get the recommended 8.5 to 9.25 hours of sleep each night. effective, making their consequences on par with those of sleep deprivation.

According to Scharf, if a person is not getting enough sleep, they are cheating themselves out of much of their functioning capabilities during the day. Especially in teens, a major side effect of a lack of proper sleep is a decreased level of Human Growth Hormone (HGH), which is released from the pituitary gland; it promotes bone growth and healing from rigors of the day.

“80 percent of Growth Hormone comes out during sleep,” says Scharf.

When one is deprived of sleep, one loses HGH, which maintains bone and muscle mass. This can especially affect teen athletes and make them more prone to injury. Also, because the adolescent years are when much of human vertical growth takes place, sleep deprivation can cause stunted growth through a lack of HGH secretion.

Memory consolidation that takes place during sleep is also lost as sleep is lost. Without memory consolidation, students have a great potential to entirely forget things they learn in school, which can seriously hinder scholastic performance.

“Both [REM and non-REM] stages of sleep are important to different kinds of memory,” says Scharf.

Different kinds of memory are necessary to promote real learning. This is why cramming for a big test or an exam is not as effective as learning the material from day to day. Crammed material is not as readily consolidated into real knowledge, especially when it comes hand-in-hand with late nights and little sleep.

But memory consolidation is not the only component missing when sleep is lost. The temporal lobe of the brain, which is involved with verbal learning capabilities, does not work when one does not sleep. A study by the University of California shows how much a lack of sleep can slow the

17 | Spark | December 18, 2009

sleep function of the temporal lobe and can impede learning.

The slowing in cognition can slow all physical performance. When driving, “performance under sleep deprivation can be worse than alcohol” and can cause more danger on the roads according to Scharf.

“It puts us and other people at risk,” says Scharf A major issue that especially affects drivers or other machine operators is the danger of microsleeps. Microsleeps are short periods of sleep that often come unexpectedly to a sleep-deprived person.

Shawn Bailey, the director of the University of Cincinnati Sleep Center, has been working in sleep research for some time and has witnessed firsthand many of the dangerous side effects of sleep deprivation in his studies.

“A lot of times, [sleep deprived people] will have periods where they are sleepy or microsleep, where they actually fall asleep for just a short period of time,” says Bailey.

If a person microsleeps while they are driving, this can be very dangerous for other people on the road. This posed an odd dilemma for the trucking industry, because many truck drivers drive as far as they can in one day, despite the physical ramifications. Laws have been put in place to give truckers a required amount of time they must be off the road each day to sleep. Pilots also must be given enough time in between flights to sleep sufficiently. Sleep deprivation can affect teen drivers in the same way, which is why Ohio lawmakers established hours from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. when young drivers are not allowed on the roads.

Not getting enough rest can lead to even more long-term consequences, such as weight gain and its side effects. Hormones called leptin and ghrelin, which essentially control hunger levels and tell a person when he or she needs to eat, can play a huge roll in gaining or losing weight.

“Leptin and Ghrelin are controlled and stabilized during sleep,” says Scharf. Without sleep, these hormones become unbalanced, and “it makes you more hungry and takes more to make you feel full. This affects hypertension, diabetes and obesity.”

If a person’s internal monitor for hunger is off, it makes it very hard to know when to eat in order to maintain a healthy weight.

Obesity can make it harder to get to sleep during the night because with more fatty tissue around the neck, breathing during the night becomes more of a challenge. When breathing at night during sleep becomes more challenging for any reason, a person can develop a disorder called “sleep apnea,” which is when there is a 10 second gap between breaths that affects blood-oxygen levels. The less sleep one gets, the more likely weight gain is, and more weight gain can cause more sleep apnea; this leads to a vicious cycle.

The immune system does not stay at its peak through sleep deprivation, either. The most important part of a person’s defense against disease is his or her skin, according to Scharf. Skin needs time during sleep to rejuvenate and heal from minor tears throughout the day. When time for sleep is taken away, the first line of defense for the immune system is coming down. There fore, the body becomes more susceptible to disease.

Sleep even affects a person’s pain threshold, or the point at which an

STAGE 1: 4-5% During this initial stage of sleep, one goes through light sleep.

Characteristics of this stage include slowed muscle activity and occasional muscle twitching.

18 | Spark | December 18, 2009

individual experiences pain. Without a proper amount of rest, it takes less aggravation to incite pain, which is a major issue for anyone experiencing chronic pain. Pain makes sleeping more challenging, and with a lowered pain threshold pain hurts more. This is another cycle that it is hard to escape.

Psychologically, sleep affects a person’s frustration threshold in a similar way. When a person is tired or sleep-deprived, they may be referred to as “cranky” or “irritable,” which can both hold true. It takes less aggravation for a sleep deprived person to be upset.

“Over time, [sleep deprivation] can cause very serious depression,” says Scharf. “[Such irritability] starts to affect relationships.”

Avoiding all of the negative consequences of sleep deprivation is easy: get enough sleep and lead a healthy lifestyle to have refreshing, complete sleep.

“It’s as simple as a good night’s sleep,” says Scharf. But “a good night’s sleep” seems to be a hard thing to come by for many East students, with so many things to distract from getting to bed. - Dan Garrett

Bedtime Blues “It doesn’t matter if I go to sleep or not; I will still be able to function.”

East junior Cody Dunn says this to herself before she goes to bed as part of a nightly ritual. Without these routines, countless hours are wasted each night in the pursuit of sleep.

“There are times when I lay in bed for hours tossing and turning, thinking about what I still have to do and trying to plan the next day so I can get things done efficiently,” says Cody.

The stress from worrying about her lack of rest only leads to less sleep.

For Cody, the problem is not staying asleep, but falling asleep. Each night Cody battles with her body’s desire to sleep and her mind’s insistence on alertness.

This battle affects every area of her life. Her overly active mind has infringed on necessary rest time. Though the root of her problem lies in the inability to fall asleep, staying awake during the day presents a problem.

“During the day I am exhausted and fighting to stay awake in school and outside of school doing whatever I have planned,” says Cody. “I seem to be most awake when I lie down and try to relax enough to fall asleep.”

Though Cody consistently stays up late each night, it is not because of apathy. She plans for the recommended amount of sleep each night–eight hours, but she ends up with around half of that time per night.

“I often have so many things I am trying to juggle all at once that getting everything done in time to get enough sleep for the next day is nearly impossible,” says Cody.

Cody not only takes care of her little brother, juggles all of her homework and attends church, but she is also a member of the Family Community and Career Leaders of America (FCCLA), drama club and prom committee. The dedicated musician is also involved in the school plays and musicals.

“With everything going on at once, I end up stressed out and worrying about getting everything done,” says Cody.

According to East Guidance Counselor Helene Kriner, students struggle to finish their work because there is not enough time in the day.

“Something has to give and sometimes it is your mental health, because you are not getting any free time,” says Kriner.

Kriner says that everyone needs a time to whatever he or she wishes.

This free time could be reading a book or even doing nothing.

Lisa Dunn, Cody’s mom, says that during the week Cody spends all her time working on homework and school activities, then fills her weekend with enjoyable activities.

“When Friday or Saturday rolls around and there are activities or fun time to do , then one might stay up too late and this makes [someone] even more tired—especially when [one] can’t sleep in the next morning,” says Lisa, who says that with the weekends filled up as well as the week nights, getting homework done only causes more worry and less sleep.

Cody, however, has filled her life with different clubs, activities and classes.

She avoids procrastination by staying ahead on her work, though she admits to occasionally putting off a big paper or getting more rest in the case of extreme fatigue. Her days are full without adding on the stress of unfinished homework.

Cody now avoids naps during the day because of the effects on her sleeping later at night. Though she struggles with staying awake during the day, at night the stress of the day and what is coming leads to an unhealthy lack of much needed sleep.

In addition to Cody’s extreme fatigue, her lack of sleep also causes lack of attention and irritability.

“I get upset and angry more easily, and staying away from people prevents me from taking things out on them,” says Cody, who does not want to be anti-social.

Without a conscious and concentrated effort to keep her life in order, Cody says her relationships and grades would be at risk.

“I think that Cody has a personality that causes her to push herself,” says Lisa who believes that Cody’s sleep problem worsened after her school work became more demanding. “She needs to make the best grade and when her hard work doesn’t always pay off, this is another stress. I believe this hurts her sleep time as well.”

Teachers and counselors have repeatedly brought up Cody’s stress as a matter of concern.

Kriner says that though she cannot speak for all parents, she would step in if children are looking “tired and lethargic.”

According to Kriner, if a student stays up late occasionally to finish a

{

paper, it is not a problem, but consistent late nights call for concern and action.

Cody has found herself in an endless cycle of lethargy and stress. The more she worries, the less she sleeps, and the less she sleeps, the more she worries.

Though her parents are concerned about her lack of sleep, Cody says they gave up on making her go to bed a long time ago.

Lisa says that though most students have some sort of sleep problem, Cody’s is worse because it causes health problems.

“I think that if someone believes that they have a sleep problem, then they will,” says Lisa.

Neither routes nor sleep aids, such as Melatonin, work. Sleep journals, quick naps and worrying about the amount of sleep she is getting only cause more problems. Melatonin gives her headaches, and sleep journals increase the worry and stress.

“I just like to change things up at night, and going to bed at exactly the same time is almost impossible when you’re involved in so many things and have a lot of homework,” says Cody.

All she has to do is relax, forget the stress of the day and her essential rest comes. - Alyssa Davis

“Something has to give and sometimes it is your mental health, because you are not getting any free time.”

Sleepless in Cincinnati After a long shift at Sonic, driving home from work was the last thing her body could handle. She settled in behind the wheel convincing herself she could make it home. Driving down Cincinnati-Dayton Road, her eyes began slipping shut and she was fighting to remain conscious. For one moment, her eyelids lifted, revealing her car beginning to veer off the road.

“When you get to a certain point, your body just passes out,” says East junior Leah Hunter. “It gets pretty scary when you don’t know what can happen.”

Hunter suffers from chronic insomnia, a disorder that has plagued her for two years, affecting her ability to function during the day. Her insomnia also impairs her motor coordination, including her driving ability.

According to Scharf, driving with an inadequate amount of sleep “can

STAGE 2: 45-55% The second stage of sleep is characterized by a slowed breathing pattern and heart rate plus a slight decrease in body temperature.

sleep affect physical actions as much as alcohol.” The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration registered 100,000 police-reported crashes are the direct result of driver fatigue each year.

Insomnia cannot be defined through a person’s daily amount of sleep.

According to medical treatment and research center Mayo Clinic, a person with insomnia usually wakes up feeling unrefreshed, which takes a toll on his or her ability to function during the day. Insomnia can sap not only energy level and liveliness, but also health, work and school performance and the quality of life.

Not all negative effects from insomnia are as life-threatening as car crashes.

Medical reference EMedicine Health states that people with insomnia suffer from difficulty with focus and concentration as well as memory, making it much harder for a person to work or learn adequately. Hunter has struggled to pay attention in class and says she has to fight to stay awake.

“When you get really tired, everything is like a daze,” says Hunter.

“Nothing is real.”

At one point, Hunter was unable to sleep for three straight days and was forced to miss school. She was exhausted and on the verge of becoming sick due to her lack of sleep.

“I have only gone to the doctor once [for insomnia],” says Hunter. “But

Insomnia hinders a person’s height but causes weight gain. People who fail to sleep properly over-stimulate their ghrelin production, which increases the desire for food. Simultaneously, lack of sleep reduces the production of leptin, which is the body’s appetite suppressant. Essentially, if a person is sleep-deprived, the body is confused and the person tends to eat more food than needed.

Insomnia also causes the mind to be confused. Lack of sleep causes a person to lose patience and energy during the day because his or her mind is not able to regenerate at night.

According to psychiatrist Dr. Leah S. Casuto, insomnia leaves her patients more irritable and impairs their social interaction skills.

“Mood and sleep are really connected,” says Casuto. “[Insomnia] diminishes the level of enjoyment.”

East junior Ravneet Kaur, who suffers from insomnia like one third of the American population, has seen this effect directly.

“I realized I had a problem the first semester of sophomore year because my grades started to fall and I was just always really irritable,” explains Kaur.

“If I said anything, it would be mean and picky, and I just didn’t like myself at that point.”

Hunter says her ssocial life was affected by insomnia, but in a different way. On nights she cannot sleep she calls her friends incessantly to entertain herself. Conversely, the day following a late night is anything but entertaining.

“I don’t get irritable,” says Hunter. “I’ll just want to lie around and not do anything.”

Hunter’s “laziness” is due to her lack of sleep, and she wishes her problem would go away, “so [her] life would be easier.”

After Kaur was diagnosed, she took medication to help her get the sleep she needed to be able to concentrate in school. At first, she began using low doses of the over-the-counter sleep medication Benedryl. However, the medicine soon had little effect on her body and she was prescribed a strong drug, Nortiptyline.

“I went up to 20 to 30 mg every night and it didn’t even help,” says Kaur.

“Now I’m on Amitriptyline, which is okay. It keeps me asleep during the night, but I still have difficulty falling asleep.”

Kaur’s trials of several medications are not unusual for people who suffer from insomnia. Insomnia often festers for years in high school and college students who go to bed late and get up early, depriving themselves of the vital hours of sleep they need. On average, teenagers need eight to 10 hours of sleep, according to Shawn Bailey, center manager for the University of Cincinnati’s Sleep Center.

“You could probably count on one hand the number of teenagers who get that amount of sleep,” says Bailey. “Just like positive conditioning where

“I went to a specialist, Dr. Cary Fobbins, [who] prescribed yoga and things like that.

But, really, who has time for yoga?”

I go to the doctor all the time because I get sick because my immune system is so low [from not sleeping].”

Hunter had her insomnia directly treated one time. She went to MD Family Practice Physician Dr. Lena Bhargava who identified her problem and prescribed sleep medication. However, Hunter has had to revisit Bhargava consistently for the illnesses insomnia has caused her.

During sleep, a person’s body produces the proper amount of white blood cells to defend itself against diseases. Without these, the body is prone to sickness.

“The immune system is compromised by [lack of] sleep,” says Scharf.

“Young people are most susceptible to the ravage of disease, such as H1N1 [because they get the least amount of sleep].”

A person’s height is also compromised by reduced sleep because the amount of HGH released is reduced, and therefore stunts growth. “[A person] is cutting the chance to be all that [he or she] can be, from a size standpoint,” says Scharf.

STAGE 3: 4-6% The third stage of sleep is the beginning of deep sleep. The brain begins to emit low delta waves in this stage.

20 | Spark | December 18, 2009

{

Are you an insomniac?

One out of 15 people suffer from insomnia. If you check more than one symptom, you may be an insomniac.

You have trouble falling asleep; you lie awake for an hour or more.

You wake up and have trouble falling back asleep.

You wake up too early in the morning.

You feel tired and unrefreshed when you wake up.

You feel tired, sleepy and grouchy throughout the day.

You have issues with memory and balance.

You have trouble concentrating during the day. information www.webmd.com

asleep, the brain functions at one to seven cycles per second. According to Bozorgzadeh, a prescription can range from $10 to $15, or as much as $40 to $45 for a month’s supply.

The medicine can help people achieve REM sleep, which is when they can dream and recharge their brain. People who sleep in the first stages of sleep, n1 or n2 sleep, wake up but do not feel refreshed even if they slept for eight hours.

“When you dream, there are actual parts of the brain that shut down.

That’s the only part of the day that that part of the brain shuts down,” says Bailey. “In a sense it is recharging the brain. It gives it a chance to slow down and regenerate.”

However, there is a risk of becoming addicted to the sleeping pills if a patient has been on them for a sustained period of time.

“Most people who have chronic insomnia are not going to be able to correct that on their own. So for them to be able to get good sleep, they are going to have to maintain using that medication for a long period of time,”

STAGE 4: 12-15% This is a stage of very deep sleep. It includes rhythmic breathing and limited muscle activity, and delta waves continue.

infographic logan schneider

you can train your body to do something good, negative conditioning, trains your body to do something bad, which is poor sleep habits.”

Poor sleep habits often become insomnia because the body has been trained to keep to a certain schedule and will try to continue to maintain that schedule.

“If you are used to staying up until one o’clock in high school and then you get a job where you have to get up at seven, you have to be in bed by nine to get up in time,” explains Bailey. “But if you are used to being in bed by one, you lay there for four hours because you have told your body you want to go to bed at one.”

There are three types of insomnia: onset, interruption and early morning awakening. Onset occurs whenone has difficulty falling asleep, while interruption is when they cannot stay asleep all night. Early morning awakening occurs when people wake up when they are not ready, but cannot fall back asleep.

Treatments for insomnia vary from person to person because sometimes anxiety and stress are common causes for sleepless nights.

“The number one thing doctors tell me is ‘stop thinking,’ I’ll honestly tell them that I [just lay there and my mind is completely blank], but they don’t believe me,” says Kaur. “I went to a specialist, Dr. Cary Fobbins, [who] prescribed yoga and things like that. But, really, who has time for yoga?”

Behavioral techniques are also used to help insomniacs sleep well. Good sleeping habits, such as practicing sleep hygiene before going to sleep and getting up at the same time everyday, are essential to getting a night of quality sleep.

Some things that help people sleep include taking a hot shower, lowering the room’s temperature, not getting on the computer before going to bed and not eating spicy food or consuming caffeine before bed, which can both stay in a person’s system for three to six hours after consumption.

Once all other options have been exhausted, a doctor usually prescribes sleeping medication.

“Sleeping pills can have a lingering effect until the next day as far as drowsiness,” says Maryam Bozorgzadeh, the Chief Pharmacist at Drug Mart in Mason, OH. “Usually, you have to have at least eight hours of uninterrupted sleep. That’s usually not possible so people will still be drowsy the next day.”

Doctors are cautious in prescribing sleeping pills to patients because functioning while the medication is still in one’s system can be dangerous.

Sleeping pills sometimes cause car accidents when drivers fall asleep behind the wheel.

“One thing we screen patients for if they are going to take medication is if they can dedicate being in bed a full eight to nine hours, so that the medication wears off. Not everyone can do that, and that influences what type of medication you try,” explains Bailey.

Common medications prescribed are Ambein, Lunesta, Xanax and Chronopin. Although each medication targets different parts of the brain they all work to slow down the brain’s cycles. When the brain is awake, the brain functions at 12 to 60 cycles per second, but when a person is

REM

Sleep

sleep sleep

rapid.eye.movement infographic tyler castner, radhika madhavan

The fifth stage of sleep is known as Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep. It is characterized by shallow, rapid and irregular breathing, temporary limb paralysis, erratic eye movement, an increase in heart rate and a rise in blood pressure.

This is the deepest form of sleep, called the anabolic state, and nearly 25 percent of each sleep cycle is spent in REM sleep, which is when dreaming occurs. When people awaken from this state, they typically recall bizarre or illogical figments of their imagination—dreams. Some scientists believe that dreaming is a result of the cerebral cortex—the portion of the brain where sensory input is interpreted—attempting to create a “story” using the random impulses it receives from the pons, which functions in arousal,

assisting in controlling autonomic functions and relaying sensory information between the cerebrum, the larger anterior portion of the brain, and the cerebellum, the smaller posterior portion during sleep.

When REM sleep is prematurely interrupted, the next sleep cycle will not follow the normal progression from light sleep to REM sleep, but instead will pass over the first four stages and slip directly into REM sleep. This irregular sleep cycle will continue until the REM “deficit” is repaid.

During the full nine-hours of sleep recommended for teenagers, one may go through up to five sleep cycles, with each REM period progressively lengthening while the deep sleep period shortens.

Healing Sleep

While in a catabolic state —during consciousness— neurons transmit signals, which essentially control everything the body does.

This extensive use, which occurs every day, damages the cells and makes them vulnerable and fatigued.

22 | Spark | December 18, 2009

During sleep, while in an anabolic state, neurons damaged during the catabolic state are repaired and prepared for use during the next catabolic cycle. Other cells in the body are repaired during deep sleep as well.

At the end of a complete sleep cycle, neurons are totally healed, and they are ready for the daily strain of intellectual thought during the upcoming catabolic state. Other cells in the body are also healed and prepared for use.

Circadian Cycles Circadian rhythm, also 24 known as the “body clock,� is what regulates mental and physical changes during 18 the day. Because Normal 24-Hour it can be reset by Circadian Cycle light, it generally follows the 2412 hour solar cycle.

If the solar cycle did not regulate circadian rhythm, the body would 20 5 follow an innate 25-hour sleep cycle. This can Natural 25-Hour cause problems Circadian Cycle such as chronic 15 10 jet lag and periodic insomnia.

25

6

Thalamus

Pons

REM signals originate in the pons. They travel up the brain stem to the thalamus and from there are sent to regions of the cerebral cortex, where learning, thinking and organizing information occurs.

information http://www.ninds.nih.gov

From the pons, REM signals also travel down the spinal cord to stop limb movement, causing temporary paralysis. When the signals from the pons are obstructed going down the spinal cord, a dangerous phenomenon called REM Sleep Behavior Disorder occurs, which causes dreams to be acted out.

23 | Spark | December 18, 2009

sleep says Bailey. “It’s not like being addicted to cocaine and heroin. Most of the medication available now doesn’t have that kind of addictive quality to it.”

Correcting insomnia becoming independent of medication is harder to do the longer the problem persists.

“The earlier the problem is addressed, the easier it is to come off the medication for it,” says Bailey. “Someone who is 40 years old and has been an insomniac for 20 years will have a hard time changing their habits.”

Currently, less than 10 percent of teenagers in the United States are taking medication for insomnia. This is partly because many students do not realize that they have a problem, and the other part is because many teenagers cannot dedicate eight hours in bed for medication to wear off.

“I don’t want to be [on the medication] for the rest of my life. If I have to, I will stay on it but I really don’t want to,” says Kaur. “My mom is really worried about me getting addicted to these drugs, but after starting the medication, I could talk to people and I was able to just be mellow, to just be me.”

Most individuals who are living with insomnia are responsible for their condition. Stress is one of the leading reasons people experience transient or short-term insomnia. Mayo Clinic states that other factors include bad sleeping conditions, medical or surgical illnesses, withdrawal from drugs or alcohol, and environmental changes. Statistics from EMedicine Health show that transient or short term insomnia affects 30 to 50 percent of the general population at one time, whereas 10 percent is affected by chronic insomnia.

Most of the time, chronic insomnia is caused by another, underlying issue, such as anxiety, schizophrenia, mania or depression.

Bhargava, attributed Hunter’s insomnia to stress, but Hunter disagrees.

Late to Bed, Late to Rise Beep. Beep. Beep. 4:15 a.m. and East senior Kerrianne Morrison is out of bed. Breakfast comes first–coffee and a bite to eat. She hops into her clothes and heads out to swim practice by 4:45. By 5:15, Morrison is in the icy water and ready to swim. She is out of the water and into the locker room around 6:30. Then Morrison must hurry off to school for the day.

Every Tuesday and Thursday before school, Morrison, along with 35 other East swimmers, takes a dip in the Lakota YMCA pool, meaning she must wake up before 5 a.m.

In order for the swimmers to receive their recommended 9.25 hours of sleep, they need to get to bed by at least 7:45 p.m. However, Morrison says she “usually [goes] to bed 10 p.m. or 11 p.m.”

Morrison is not alone. According to the National Sleep Foundation, only 15 percent of teens reported sleeping 8.5 hours on school nights.

“I would rather be doing something other than sleeping,” says Morrison.

“I have so much going on that, to me, it’s more important to get it done before sleep.”

While teens are jumping from school to extracurricular activities to sports to home, Dr. Martin B. Scharf, director of the Tristate Sleep Disorder Center, feels that students should not sacrifice their sleep. However, Scharf also understands that getting the recommended amount of sleep is not always realistic.

“Nobody’s going to bed at 8. p.m. It’s just not going to happen,” Scharf says. “The reality is we start school too early for kids to function properly.”

This issue arose when Representative Zoe Lofgren (DCA) introduced the ZZZ’s to A’s Act in 1999, which encourage schools to not start until after 8:30 a.m. According to the National Sleep Foundation, students that attend schools with later start times do not go to sleep any later than students with earlier start times.

Morrison, who has swim practice Saturday mornings, can attest to this on the weekends.

“I usually go to bed at the same time [as I do during the week], but I can get up at six instead of five,” says Morrison. “I know during OGT week, I’ll pretty much go to bed at the same time, so I will automatically get another hour [of sleep].”

One reason teens do not get the recommended amount of sleep is that their biological sleep patterns are set to go to sleep and wake up later than adults.

Scharf demonstrates how teens’ normal sleeping patterns are natural by saying that “on the weekends, [teens] go to bed late and wake up late and [they] feel good.”

The Center for Applied Research and Educational Improvement (CAREI) at the University of Minnesota conducted a study evaluating the impact of changing school start times. The study found that students had improved performance, increased continuous enrollment, received less tardies and made fewer trips to the school nurse.

Hingham High School in Hingham, Massachusetts pushed their school start time back in 2003 in order to better accommodate teens’ sleep patterns.

They found that students had increased performance on the MCAS, Massachusetts’ graduation test, and on AP exams. Hingham was also recently given a National Blue Ribbon, an award given to academically superior schools or ones that demonstrate dramatic gains in student achievement to high levels.

While later school start times appear to be beneficial, there are still flaws with the plan.

One major issue is sports. Many sports have practices after school and students often will not get home until five or later.

Morrison does not get home from after-school swim practice until six, at which point she must eat dinner and begin her homework by seven in order

“Someone who is 40 years old and has been an insomniac for 20 years will have a hard time changing their habits.”

“I have a normal amount of stress,” says Hunter.

Scharf says that this stress could be due to Hunter’s hormonal changes.

“In women, estrogen levels drop during the time of month of their period, so sleep is poorer,” says Scharf.

Scharf says that this stress could be due to Hunter’s hormonal changes.

Studies from the Tri-State Sleep Disorders Clinic and Mayo Clinic show that more women suffer from insomnia than men due to their monthly hormonal changes that make it more difficult to sleep. Women, however, are not the only people who deal with chemical imbalances. Those who suffer problems such as depression and anxiety, regardless of gender, also deal with chemical imbalances in the brain that can lead to insomnia.

Casuto’s patients typically identify insomnia as secondary to the problem they have, a side effect of some other ailment from which their body suffers.

She attempts to fix the underlying psychological problem in hopes of resolving the insomnia. In most cases, Casuto finds this to be successful except in cases of depression, when medication is prescribed.

“A lot of anti-depressants have side effects of insomnia, so it’s not really fair that way,” says Casuto. “Very few [anti-depressants] help you sleep and treat insomnia.”

Depression is not the sole cause of insomnia. In fact, insomnia is a very versatile disorder that changes from person to person. Almost everyone in the world will suffer from temporary insomnia at one point or another in his or her lifetime.

There is no set cure for this disease; it can be very easy or very difficult to fix, depending on how the person has acquired the problem. Typically, insomniacs mix medical and non-medical treatments to ease the disorder and eventually fix it. Even with a wide array of treatments, insomnia is a disorder that cannot be put to rest, - Mackenzie White, Ariadne Souroutzidis, Rashma Faroqui

24 | Spark | December 18, 2009

{

to have it completed by 10:30 or 11.

School Board Member Joan Powell understands that starting the high school day at 7:15 a.m. is early. However, she says that with some younger students not starting until 9:20 a.m., there must be a compromise.

“The challenge is balancing economics with everything we have to do,” says Powell. “School start time is “for the most part, driven by transportation.”

The cost of busing greatly impacts the flexibility of changing the starting time for high schools, junior highs and elementary schools.

Powell explains that this is due to the three-tier transportation system.Busing first starts with high school, then junior high, then elementary.

“If we eliminate transportation, we could start at whatever time we wanted,” says Powell.

On the other hand, Powell says that “people with after school activities say [school end time would be] too late.”

81 percent of 505 East students surveyed said they participate in at least one extracurricular activity during the week, and 56 percent said that social life, homework, work, clubs and sports all interfere with their sleep time.

Though Morrison has a busy schedule, she says she “rarely goes to bed after midnight” and instead will get up earlier to complete her any unfinished school work.

While getting the right amount of sleep may not be the first thing on students’ minds, Scharf says “from a general standpoint of health, it’s a nobrainer.” - Sally Ryan

Afternoon siestas have had a long tradition in Asian countries like China and Taiwan. These periods of rest have come to be integrated into the daily school routine.

Sichen Zhang, a New York University graduate student who completed most of his schooling in China, believes that his school’s designated nap times did wonders for his academic achievement.

“Usually, it lasted about two hours. It went from 11:30 in the morning until we went back to school at two in the afternoon. We went home and

{

“School is too early for the biological clocks of teenagers. They are like owls, but have to wake up early.” took a nap, or did whatever we wanted to,” says Zhang.

Countries in the Eastern hemisphere typically institute these kinds of school-wide rest periods. Nancy Hsu, a junior at Sycamore High School, found that her experience with a daily nap time during school while living in Taiwan was beneficial to her education.

“When it gets to junior high, there is a lot more homework. Naps really help us get a little bit of the rest in,” says Hsu. Zhang, who was educated in China for nearly 20 years., agrees.

“In junior and senior high school, we had a lot of homework and a lot of projects. So you can hardly focus if you don’t take a nap,” says Zhang.

In a survey of 505 East students, 42 percent said that they do not nap at all, while 64 percent said that they thought afternoon naps at work or school would increase productivity.

However, both Zhang and Hsu acknowledge that not all of the students would necessarily utilize these periods provided by the school.

“It’s very individual. Everyone has different patterns,” says Zhang. “Half of the people [in China] took naps and the other half didn’t.”

Hsu agrees that not everyone will take advantage of the nap time in the way that teachers would encourage.

“Some people want to do homework and stuff, but teachers prefer us to nap,” says the 17-year-old. “They usually don’t encourage us to do stuff

Siesta Fiesta A student hovers over a desk blanketed with books, candy wrappers and empty energy drink cans. With eyes that seem to weigh a ton and a brain on the verge of academic overload, the high school student has lost faith in the ability to stay awake in the midst of looming lectures.

Of the 505 East students surveyed, 41 percent have accidentally fallen asleep during class. While schools across the globe set aside time for naps during the school day, American students are having trouble retaining focus and finding sufficient time to rest without the school approved chance to doze.

Sleeping Pills

Teenagers and adults commonly use sleeping pills to fall asleep. Some of the more common pills used are shown below. pill

Active ingredient

price

Melatonin

Nature’s Bounty

no K471

Melatonin

$30/month

Temazepam

Restoril

Benzodiazepine

$15/month

Diazepam

Valium

yes

Benzodiazepine

$15/month

Zolipidem

Ambien

AMB 10

GABA receptor

$50/month

Eszopiclone

Lunesta

S193

GABA receptor

$50/month

RESTORIL 30 mg

common brand name

FOR SLEEP

yes 10

V

AL M IU

information maryam bozorgzadeh

infographic katrina echternacht

Generic name

sleep infographic lisa cai

2

Other than slowing the body down, eating a large meal forces it to work harder, conflicting with the body’s desire to rest. The circulatory system moves more blood to the digestive tract.

1

Napping or laying down after eating does not benefit the body. The digestive tracts is set up to work best when a person stands. Lying down results in gravity pulling the “wrong way” against the direction in which food is digested.

Sitting and resting, however, are fine.

3

The stomach secretes more gastric acid, and the pancreas and smooth muscles around the stomach become more active after a large meal.

Snacking before Sleeping information george mateljan

during the nap time.”

Scharf believes that allotting time for napping would be a significant change within the education system.

“School is too early for the biological clocks of teenagers. They are like owls, but have to wake up early,” says Scharf. “The issue of sleep deprivation is all around us, but school naps would be a major social change in comparison to Greece and Spain and their siestas. You can’t force this on anyone.”

Scharf also stresses the vital importance of the “right kind of sleep.” “[In terms of the sleep cycles of students], whatever goes up must come down. It’s a matter of how well you want to take care of yourself,” says Scharf. “Some people take better care of their car than themselves.”

As an alternative to school-implemented napping, Scharf suggests a daily 15-to-20 minute power nap for refreshing purposes, which would avoid difficulty falling asleep later in the day.

Scharf emphasizes the ramifications of sleep deprivation on exams, especially with the absence of school-required naps in American schools.

26 | Spark | December 18, 2009

“You’re preparing for an exam, and you don’t sleep. What’s up with that?

We all tend to pull [all]-nighters, but there’s a potential to hurt performance and cognitive functions,” says Scharf.

However, according to 505 East students surveyed, 80 percent admitted to pulling an all-nighter.

“Simply put,” says Scharf, “you cannot be all that you can be if you are sleep-deprived.” - Katie Sczcur, Tyler Kieslich

Midnight Snacking The sun sets and a dusky haze of gray and pink hues shade the suburbs of West Chester, OH. Suddenly, eyes begin to droop and mouths open to yawn.

Stimulated by darkness, the pineal gland in the brain releases melatonin, a hormone which helps control sleep and wake cycles, and it surges through the blood stream. However, the beneficial effects of melatonin can be stunted by a seemingly innocent trigger: food. Food nourishes the human body, yet the positive persona of food greatly disguises the way food can be misused.

As the old saying goes, “You are what you eat.” This same mentality in “What you eat is how you sleep” holds true. Sleep is a mind-body experience.

“Our nutritional status and the food we eat always influence our sleep.

While we can’t afford to overlook the psychological aspects, we also need to pay attention to the way we eat,” says George Mateljan, author of The World’s Healthiest Foods: Essential Guide for the Healthiest Way of Eating.

Foods that are high in hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils contain high levels of trans fat which interfere with the metabolic processes.

A person who consumes large quantities of these foods that cause artery clogging and weight gain does not have good sleep hygiene–the rituals a person does prior to going to bed–which results in poor quality of sleep.

On the other hand, eating a healthy balance of all the food groups results in a high quality of sleep.

According to Natalie Stephens of Mid Ohio Nutrition, “Consuming a variety of foods at dinner time that are high in starches, like a burrito, promotes a good night’s sleep.”

Stephens says that foods high in starch, like beans and cheese, are recommended as snacks before bedtime because they have a stronger calming effect on the human body than the traditional recommendation of warm milk. Eating the correct foods before bed is key to a good night’s sleep.

“Research shows that the timing and size of our evening meal is closely related to the timing and size of our other meals throughout the day. When we have a cup of coffee in the car on the way to work, grab a sandwich for lunch or take care of all the household chores before getting around to dinner, we are setting ourselves up for a bad night’s sleep,” says Mateljan.

“Planning ahead on when and what to eat will set the body up for a quality night of sleep, as well as avoiding high protein meals which are high in acids that cause an upset stomach.”

Replacing these anti-sleep foods with whole grain type carbohydrates that have substances but not many calories will fill a hungry soul up in time to get a good night’s rest.

“Avoiding highly refined foods that break down quickly and raise blood sugar levels, which make it hard to relax, will allow sleep to come more easily,” advises Tracy Anderson, owner of Lifetime Fitness and Nutrition located in West Chester.

Anderson also tells his clients not to go to bed hungry. Contrary to the myth of not eating past a certain time–a trend supported by celebrities–going to bed unsatisfied will cause a night of negative sleep. Stephens recommends her clients eat a small meal of cheese and crackers around 30 minutes before sleeping, because that snack offers a neutralizing effect on the contents of the stomach, and therefore slows digestion.

“A large meal does the opposite of slowing our body down. It asks our circulatory system to move more blood to our digestive tract. It asks our stomach to secrete more gastric acid. It asks our pancreas to become more active and produce digestive enzymes. It asks the smooth muscles around our intestines to become active,” says Mateljan. “In short, when it comes to our physiology, a large meal does anything but relax us.”

The most common stimulant in meals is caffeine. Consuming caffeine four hours prior to bed will reverse the natural side effects of starches. The

caffeine will cause brain waves to move at a fast pace, not allowing the body to calm down and rest.

Stephens also recommends avoiding consuming alcohol within four hours of sleeping. Stephens says that although alcohol might have a calming effect, during sleep alchohol causes a night of restlessness and not reaching the third stage of sleep. Another stimulate is nicotine. Regardless of whether or not a person is addicted, smoking a cigarette in the late evening will result in sleeplessness.

Eating the correct foods and leading a healthy lifestyle sets the foundation for good sleep. The human body is anatomically structured to self-fix and will do so as long as its owner takes care of it properly. -Sarah Zins

Sleep Studies The rooms look like typical hotel rooms. Each one is furnished sparsely with a bed, a nightstand and a chair. However, sleeping in these rooms for one night could change a person’s life. Every day the Monroe Sleep Management Institute diagnoses sleep disorders, seeing 50 to 75 new patients each week, according to Director of Operations Joe Zompero.

“Most patients aren’t aware of the problems they have until they get tested and go over the results,” says Trisha Bogges, a technical assistant at the Sleep Management Institute. “Your body doesn’t know anything else but to just get up and go with the flow. But when you know what a good night’s sleep is, you don’t like to go without it.”

To diagnose the problems wires–called leads–are attached to various parts of the body. Some are attached to the head to measure brain waves while others are attached to the arms and legs to detect restless leg syndrome.

Sleeping patients are observed from computer and television monitors.

“What I look for depends on what patients tell me,” explains Virgil

Wooten, a staff physician at the Sleep Institute. “We have people coming in complaining about being too sleepy, about not being able to get to sleep or about doing unusual things in their sleep.”

From this study two common issues are diagnosed: sleep apnea and narcolepsy. Sleep apnea is when extra tissue in the neck obstructs breathing during sleep. To help with this, patients are hooked up to a Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) machine, which blows air at a prescribed pressure to keep the constricted airways from collapsing.

“Usually the [patients] are not aware of being awake at night,” says Wooten. Sleep apnea disrupts a person’s sleep because he or she stops breathing for up to 10 seconds, which signals the brain to wake up. However, a person must be awake for 30 to 90 seconds to remember waking, so most patients have no recollection of being awake.

Narcolepsy, another common sleeping disorder, can cause frequent daytime sleepiness which sometimes evolves into attacks of sleep. “[Narcolepsy] is a very bad thing to have because the person has difficulty staying awake in school, on a job or [when socializing],” says Wooten. “The person just sleeps life away.”

Treatments vary depending on the sleeping disorder. CPAP machines are the most common treatment for sleep apnea. Some patients need medication, while those with insomnia usually benefit from behavioral techniques.

“Your brain likes a schedule, and if you don’t keep to that schedule, it can be very hard to get to sleep,” says Wooten. Even one night can upset a person’s sleep patterns. Getting good sleep is vital to a person’s health because it can affect one’s blood sugar, blood pressure, heart rate, immune system and ability to process food.

“Lack of sleep means people can’t concentrate as well, can’t learn as well, can’t remember as well,” explains Wooten. “[Sleep] is like a chain: you can pull it, but it’s very hard to push it back.” –Ariadne Souroutzidis

Diagnosing the Disorder Restless Leg Syndrome The irresistible urge to move your legs. Kicking or twitching leg movements during sleep, and sometimes while awake, may be warning signs.

Sleepwalking Performing normally conscious activities while asleep with little or no memory of the incident. May last as little as a 30 seconds or as long as 30 minutes.

Nocturia A frequent need to get up and go to the bathroom to urinate at night.

Bruxism The grinding of the teeth and/or clenching of the jaw.

Bruxism during sleep causes many health issues, from loosened teeth to hearing loss, and can even occur during short naps.

Sleep Apnea One or more pauses in breathing or shallow breaths while one sleeps. Breathing pauses can last from a few seconds to minutes.

Rapid Eye Movement Disorder Acting out violent or dramatic dreams while in REM sleep that can be violent in nature and, in some cases, can result in injury to either the person or others around.

Insomnia Chronic difficulty in falling asleep and/or maintaining sleep when no other cause is found for these symptoms.

infographic heidi yang information webmd.com

27 | Spark | December 18, 2009

lifestyle | interesting vegetables

pimp your peas Eat this southern vegetable before noon on New Year’s Day to gain good luck for the upcoming year.

story l meredith bleuer photos l caroline tompkins

B

Hoppin’ John Salad

Bon Appétit | January 2007

¼ cup apple cider vinegar ¼ cup mild-flavored (light) molasses ¼ cup olive oil ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper 1 (1 pound) bag frozen black-eyed peas 1 ½ cups ½ inch cubes peeled yam 2 cups 1/2 inch cubes andouille sausage 1 ½ cups fozen sliced okra, thawed, patted dry 1 cup chopped red onion

Whisk first four ingredients in small bowl to blend and create dressing; season with salt and pepper.

Cook black-eyed peas and yam in a pot of boiling water until tender, about 8 minutes. Drain and cool. Place in a large bowl. Cook sausage in a pan until golden. Add sausage, okra and onion to large bowl with peas and yams.

Add enough dressing to coat and toss.

lack suzies. Southern peas. Cow peas. The nicknames are endless, but the name that is most familiar is blackeyed peas. With the deceiving title of a pea, black-eyed peas are cream colored beans with a distinct black circular “eye” on the side where the legume was once attached to a pod.

According to The Garden-Fresh Vegetable Cookbook written by Andrea Chesman, these beans originally came to America through the African slave trade. They are now most popular in the southern part of America.

Due to the numerous benefits provided, beans are an important staple in any diet.

Jane A. Boback, registered and licensed dietitian from the Nutrition Council of greater Cincinnati, says the calorie count of black-eyed peas “depends on whether the peas are immature or mature. The immature cooked beans are 160 calories per cup boiled. The mature beans are 200 calories per cup boiled.”

Low amounts of fat and high quality of protein in the bean allow this to be an ideal replacement for meats because it curbs hunger. One cup of boiled black-eyed peas will provide 26 percent of the daily value of vitamin A, promoting healthy eyes, skin and the immune system and 52 percent of the daily value of folate.

“Benefits include heart health and [they are] good for women of child bearing years to help prevention of neural tube birth defects,” Boback says.

The soluble fiber found in the bean binds with serum cholesterol and helps to lower both total cholesterol and the bad low-density lipoproteins (LDL) cholesterol.

These nutrients are present whether the beans are found fresh, frozen or dried. If preparing from fresh beans, The Bean Bible written by Aliza Green recommends breaking back the tips of the pods, then pulling down to remove strings. The exposed beans are able to be removed and stored in the refrigerator up to four days. They can then be simmered in water for about 30 minutes.

Green continues to explain that frozen peas can be cooked the same as fresh. However, dried peas need to be soaked overnight before being rinsed and then cooked.

No matter what form of black-eyed peas one purchases, this pea can be found in Creole cooking and in Indian curries. The recipe “Hoppin’ John” is a traditional recipe for New Year’s Day. It is said that black-eyed peas will bring good luck for the coming year when eaten before noon on New Year’s Day. “Some argue the tradition dates as far back as ancient Egypt, but southerners have taken it as their own in part because the food is such a staple there,” says Christopher Phillips, Department of History professor at the University of Cincinnati and co-editor of Ohio Valley History.

Although the origin of the name “Hoppin’ John” is disputed, The American Heritage Cookbook says that the name comes from an old custom where children had to hop once around the table before the dish was served.

Even if one must hop, this New Year’s Day do not forget to eat a serving of “Hoppin’ John” for good luck for the year. n

29 | Spark | December 18, 2009

lifestyle | the snuggie sensation

let the snug be with you peace, love and snuggies This sleeved blanket started off selling via an infomercial and is now a pop culture phenomenon complete with kid and dog versions.

snugalution Snuggie infomercial premieres.

Snuggie branches out to the internet.

Snuggies arrive in stores.

4 million Snuggies sold.

The Snugglette is released.

The Dog Snuggie is released.

15 million Snuggies sold.

30 | Spark | December 18, 2009

story liv devitt photos caroline tompkins

i

t is 6:55 on a frigid Tuesday morning when East senior Erin Bush makes a dash from her house to her black Jeep. She hops into the freezing car and immediately turns the key in the ignition. While the weather outside is frightful and Bush’s Jeep is all but delightful, she has one saving grace: her Snuggie.

“I wear my Snuggie everyday when I drive to school,” she says.

Bush received her royal blue Snuggie as a birthday present from her friend because Bush wanted a “practical gift.”

“It’s probably one of the best birthday presents I have gotten,” says Bush. “My Snuggie keeps me warm in the morning because it’s always so cold when I get in my car.”

The Snuggie, produced by The Allstar Marketing Group, is the wearable blanket with over-sized sleeves that allow the wearer to move his or her hands freely.

This sleeved blanket hit the online market in October 2008. As of December 2009, over 15 million Snuggies have been sold.

Consumers can buy the Snuggie at stores such as Target, Wal-Mart, Kroger and Walgreens. Retail price ranges from $12.99 to $23.99, depending on the color or print. GetSnuggie.com, the original website, sells the Snuggie as a two for one deal priced at $19.95 and includes two free book lights with the purchase.

“We were hoping it would be a success, but we did not anticipate it to be the pop-culture phenomenon it has become today,” says Jessy Ginan, Assistant Marketing Producer at Allstar Marketing.

Two months prior to the online sales of Snuggies, an infomercial advertising the multiple uses for a Snuggie aired. The infomercial features members of a family performing everyday tasks, from reading a book to holding a dog and surfing the internet, while wearing their sleeved blankets.

“The infomercial is so funny,” says Bush. “I think people who saw it may have ordered Snuggies just because the infomercial is ridiculous. Who would really wear a Snuggie to a football game? An entire bleacher full of

people? I doubt it.”

Since the infomercial aired in August 2008, there have been over 300 parody videos posted on the internet. The parody titled “The WTF Blanket” has been viewed over 8,119,647 times.

“We are aware of the parody videos,” says Ginnan.

“But whenever someone is talking about your brand, whether it’s good or bad, at least they’re talking about it. These spoofs are harmless and fun, and if we can’t laugh with consumers, then we aren’t understanding our market.”

Allstar Marketing understands its market and consumer needs. The high number of Snuggies sold within one year has proven that.

“Originally we targeted an older generation (over 45) because they were the ones most affected by rising heating bills,” says Ginnan. “When the younger generation started to take interest we were surprised but very excited. We then made the Snugglette – the Snuggie for kids.”

The Snuglette is a smaller version of the Snuggie, with smaller arms and a shorter length.

In addition to adding the Snugglette, Allstar Marketing also added a dog Snuggie and multiple prints and colors of Snuggies to the product line.

“Our job is to keep the brand fresh and exciting for consumers,” says Ginnan. “We listened to consumers and did a lot of research to come up with the new patterns and colors [that are now] on the market.”

Originally, the Snuggie came in three colors: royal blue, sage green and burgundy. The new colors include zebra print, cheetah print, light blue and pink. Some stores sell Snuggies with various college colors and logos as well.

In addition to the multiple varieties of Snuggies, there are multiple ways in which to wear a Snuggie.

“I am sure everyone is aware of [the multiple ways to wear a Snuggie] after seeing the Snuggie infomercial,” laughs Anthony Crosby, creator of the website www.snuggie.me which is dedicated to providing information on the Snuggie. “There are many ways to use a Snuggie. You can operate the TV remote, have tea, read a book, work on your laptop, attend sporting events and many other outdoor activities all while wearing a Snuggie.”

East senior Andrew Shepherd takes advantage of the various ways to wear a Snuggie.

“I wear my Snuggie when I go ice skating, when I go sledding on my

toboggan and when I’m just sitting in my house studying,” he says. “I decided I wanted a Snuggie after seeing the commercial and seeing how many ways I could use it.”

While the Snuggie serves many purposes, Shepherd believes there could be a few improvements.

“The Snuggie would be so much better if it had pockets, a hood and a belt,” says Shepherd.

Bush also sees a few ways to improve the wearable blanket.

“If I wear my Snuggie when I walk around my house, which I do, I sometimes trip,” says Bush. “I think that is dangerous, and there should be different lengths available.”

East senior Page Mayberry thinks the faults of the Snuggie outweigh the positives.

“I like blankets,” says Mayberry. “The armholes in the Snuggie are so big that the cold air can rush in.”

Emily Baumgardner, East senior, was not a fan of the Snuggie until she was given one by her grandma.

“I had a hatred for the ugly bag-like blankets,” says Baumgardner.

“Then my grandma ordered one for me for Christmas. I figured I would give the Snuggie a try. After two days of wearing my zebra Snuggie, I was in love! I can not go a day without my Snuggie.”

The Snuggies have made different impressions on various people, but that is not stopping consumers from making the Snuggie one of the topselling TV products, according to Allstar Marketing.

Ginan summed up the Snuggie with one word: “FUNctional.”

“I know it’s kind of cheesy, but it’s true,” laughs Ginnan. “The Snuggie is a fun product, and it’s functional as well. So we like to say we put the fun in functional.”

While the Snuggie idea has been around for years, the main objective was to take the idea and market it as an affordable, comfortable product that all could use and enjoy.

Bush shows that Allstar Marketing achieved its goal, at least with one customer.

“The Snuggie is life changing,” laughs Bush. “Actually, it’s not life changing, but it keeps me warm, and I plan on adding a zebra printed Snuggie to my wardrobe very soon!” n

15% of 505 East students own a Snuggie

snug life: testimonials via www.infomercial-hell.com/blog “I bought 77 of those awesome Snuggies for all my children at my daycare. Every Thursday, we have a Snuggie Circle where all the kids take turns telling how the Snuggie has impacted their lives and made them a better person.”

“Spill anything on the floor and your Snuggie becomes an instant Sham Wow!” “Snuggie you done scorched the Earf!”

“I love the part of the commercial where they’re all crowded around the bonfire...they might as well all hold hands and chant.”

“They look so cozy, yet so elegant! They will make Festivus gifts for my family.”

“I freeze in the winter, especially at work. Last year I had to bring in a blanket to keep myself warm (this being over a sweatshirt or jacket). It was difficult to work and keep warm because I would begin to type and the blanket would fall off my shoulders. With the Snuggie this does not happen and it covers my entire body.”

31 | Spark | December 18, 2009

lifestyle | toy wonderland

TOYLANDS PAST

1960

START

The Etch A Sketch was invented late in the 1950s.

1961

infographic meredith bleuer, sarah zins

Barbie’s Ken doll is Barbie’s fictional boyfriend, who she met on the set of a TV commercial.

Venture through the past as Spark recounts the most popular Christmas toys from the last 50 years and the way in which today’s culture has been affected by toys past.

1962

“Yo-yo” The earliest means “comeYo-yo dates come” in the back to 500 BC native Filipino in Greece language of Tagalog.

1963 The Easy Bake Oven first resembled the conventional oven.

1964 The skateboard

1965 The bouncy ball is usually made of synthetic rubber.

1966 The Tiny Tears doll is known for its ability to shed tears.

1979

1

The e 978 a Batt rliest lest ar Gala c parap tica h includ ernalia ed a t v serie a line o s, origin f books, al nov els, comic video books and game s.

1967

The earliest Legoland Space kits are part of the golden age for Legos.

1977

The G.I. Joe Nurse was the first female G.I. Joe action figure.

Slime is composed of guam guar.

1980

1981

Star Wars toys began with Droids, Ewoks and Power of the Force.

1976

s y Day Happ t e play s

Donkey Kong is the game that puts Nintendo on the map.

1975

cks Pet ro al re d e replac . pets

Before Hot Wheels, Matchbox cars were popular.

3-D Chess

32 | Spark | December 18, 2009

rings Mood body to d respon re. tu ra e p tem

1973

1968

1970

The Rubik’s Cube was originally named “Magic Cube.”

1974

The Spirograph

1969

1982

1971

1972

3-D Checkers is known as “English Draughts” in the United Kingdom.

Hacky Sack bags have Chinese origins.

Dungeons and Dragons cards

1996

1995

Nintendo N-64 sells 350,000 units in two days in the U.S.

Teletu b were cre bies ated as an outreac h fo educatio r effective n.

19

Beanie98 Babies included Sq ueaker the Pig with the original nine.

1999 Pokemon means “pocket monster.”

2000 Scooters are used by both adults and kids.

1

Po 99 act we 4 ma ion fig r Ra rke ur ng es t. hit ers the

on stati Play within two t u sold o king about a days m lion. il m $45

1997

2002

The Gameboy Advance has sold over 81.49 million units.

2001 The Playstation 2, Gamcube and Xbox

Pu kid rdue 1 s fro le Un 9 fro m arn m ivers 93 m St o ity an a re fo y o r T ab un the re ou d th r s k t sp at ou th ac rce an e .

2004

1

Barne 992 y brought dolls this dino saur off the s cre the hand en and into so everywh f children ere.

The Nin t DS is endo conside red the “thir dp with Ga illar” along me Gamebo cube and y Advan ce.

1991

The Super Nintendo with Super Mario World premieres.

The Wowee Roboraptor has an artificial intelligence personality.

1990

1983 Roller blades use the original roller skate design with wheels in a line rather than in a square.

2006

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

now of ne s o ular t Te ked a t pop es. ran mos iTun the ps on ap

The Nintendo Wii is influenced by the Nintendo DS design.

9 is 98 ris

1

2007

88

19

r ste ed u e b Th ost e pair ow r l Gh rs we shmal r a a c aM with . n ma

1984 Care Bears were originally created by the American Greetings Company.

1987

1985

The earliest Nintendo introduces Robotic Operating Buddy and Super Mario Brothers.

2005

6

198

was game s d id K ’ x ame rst Ale he The fi video g ntil Sonic t u a t g o Se asc 91. in 19 cial m unoffi og came eh Hedg

The earliest My Little Pony became popular throughout the 80s.

Games can be downloaded directly to the Nintendo DSi.

8 200ive! tells

oL ngs, Elm sings so d , n jokes games a s y . la s p storie tells

2009

33 | Spark | December 18, 2009

lifestyle | toy obsessions

TOYING AROUND

photo used with permission of Best Buy

Christmas is approaching and thousands of people flock to the stores, all with common items to purchase in mind. story allison korson

A

34 | Spark | December 18, 2009

photo used with permission of Zhu Zhu Pet

s the holiday season comes around, every year people of all ages go Like Zhu Zhu Pets, the Wii game system continues to be popular crazy over the new trendy product or toy, which usually sells out at most despite being released two years ago in Nov. 2007. stores. The popular toys this year consist of Zhu Zhu Pets, Wiis and the “The Nintendo Wii is the strongest of the three {gaming systems}: accessories for both.

Wii, Xbox and Play Station. It’s been one of the hot items. We’re definitely For many children ages five and up, Zhu Zhu Pets are the must-have moving them,” says Shawn Jones*, product processing supervisor at the toy for the holidays. This battery-operated hamster squeaks, plays in tubes, Bridgewater Falls Best Buy. darts around and responds to its environment. Stores like Target and Meijer Companies like Nintendo are aware that Best Buy usually sells out cannot keep these interactive animals on the shelves. of electronics quickly, and they anticipate Best Buy’s request for more “It’s basically like a hamster, but you don’t have to feed it or clean up products, so they ship more to them in the first place. after it,” says Sue Smith*, the toy team leader at the Voice of America “We get so many [game systems] in; we get more than the average Target. store. The average store gets about 10 per shipping and we get about 30 of After the successful trial launch in Phoenix, Az, these toys were all three systems,” says Jones. “We get that shipping twice a week.” released in stores across the country in Oct. 2009. After the word spread Although Wiis are still on holiday lists, they are not selling out as and commercials aired on TV, kids started going crazy for them, causing quickly at Meijer, Target, and especially Best Buy. dedicated parents to search for hours or spend extra bucks to buy the toy.

“Last year the Wiis were new and it was hard to get them in. This year, “A shipping usually consists of six hamsters. We open the doors at 8 because they are a little more accessible, they are still moving well, but not a.m. and the Zhu Zhu Pets are gone by 8:15 a.m.,” says Smith. like last year,” says Jones. “Last year they were the gotta-have product, but Some people now the accessories are the “Because last year they were the gotta-have product, gotta-have products.” anticipated the popularity of the but now the accessories are the gotta-have products.” Band Hero and DJ Hero, Zhu Zhu Pets and which came out this year, are bought them when they first came out in October. among the hot games this season for Wii. “My son saw the commercial and wanted one, so when I saw it at According to Jones, on Black Friday DJ Hero sold out in about an hour Walmart I just bought two,” says East parent Jonie Merrick. She bought two and Band Hero was not too far behind.

Zhu Zhu Pets and some accessories, saving one hamster and one accessory “It’s music and everybody loves music; it’s something the whole family for Christmas. can sit around and do together. It’s not a violent game; it’s a fun-spirited, Although Zhu Zhu Pets are very popular with some kids, not everyone music-loving game,” says Jones. sees the appeal of them.

One of the reasons Wiis are so popular is their appeal to a wide range of “He {Merrick’s son} played with it for about a half an hour and got ages. bored. Since he was uninterested, I sold [the unopened pet and accessory] “It’s family oriented, unlike Xbox where it’s adult oriented. They’ve on Craig’s List,” says Merrick. got [games] where you can play with a four-year old, [games] you can At stores, Zhu Zhu Pets are selling for $7.99, but online the toys are play with your older kids or one with your spouse,” says Jones. “The way going for anywhere between $60 and $90, according to Smith. Due to the it’s developed [is based on] the concept of family, to bring that family high demand and the low supply of these toys, parents are paying high togetherness.” n amounts to obtain them. “[The prices] are crazy. so I waited until I saw someone’s blog on Craig’s * name changed List who really wanted one but didn’t want to pay the money,” says Merrick.

“She waited in line for four hours and didn’t even get one. so I called her and told her I had one. She was so excited. I sold the unopened Zhu Zhu pet and the ball for $20, which is less than I paid for them but I didn’t want to rip anyone off.”

According to Smith, the hype is due more to the demand than to the quality of the toy.

“We can’t keep enough on the shelves. Anything that you can’t keep on the shelves is thought to be popular, so everybody wants it,” says Smith. “If I had 25 of them sitting on the shelf, they’d all still be there. But because we only get a couple in at a time, the shelf is empty. We get calls all the time with parents asking for it.”

entertainment | playlist

Spark Playlist: Liv Devitt Every issue, a member of the Spark staff is chosen to create a playlist that showcases a selection of the music that he or she has been enjoying as of late.

“Meet Me Halfway” Black Eyed Peas Fergie’s vocal performance in “Meet Me Halfway” outshines any of her previous songs.

The combination of her voice and Will.I.Am’s strength during the beginning of the song come together in a fun way that is catchy.

“Slow Motion” Third Eye Blind “Slow Motion” is a personal song about lead singer Stephen Jenkins’ youthood. He pours his heart into the lyrics and the result is an amazing ballad about memorable events in his young adult life.

“Send Me On My Way” Rusted Root This song is probably best known from movies Ice Age and Matilda. It uses a combination of uplifting singing and exceptional instrumental breaks to make it a favorite for anyone who likes fresh, energizing music.

“Read My Mind” The Killers “Read My Mind” was already a spectacular song prior to the remix by the Pet Shop Boys. Now the song is great for an audience that wants to dance to an amazing beat while maintaining the power behind the lyrics.

“Gasoline” Airborne Toxic Event Mikel Jolett is more than the singer/guitarist for Airborne Toxic Event; he is also an aspiring novelist. Various scenes from Jolett’s novel are turned into lyrics, making their songs more powerful than most other alternative bands.

“We Could Make Love” Jason Derulo With a very upbeat tune and Derulo’s melodic voice, “We Could Make Love” makes the listener want to get up and dance.

“Bruised ” Jack’s Mannequin With a great combination of piano, guitar and beautiful singing, particularly in the chorus, “Bruised” exactly conveys the feelings after a break up or fight in a relationship “Seventy Times Seven” Brand New This song is a response from Brand New’s front man Jesse Lacey to Taking Back Sunday’s former guitarist John Nolan. Lacey found out his girlfriend cheated with Nolan so he expressed his angry feelings in an intense song.

“Everybody Learns from Disaster” Dashboard Confessional This song showcases Chris Caraba’s vocal talent and contains meaningful, catchy lyrics typical of Dashboard Confessional. This song is about exploring the world with friends while learning from the mistakes made as a young adult.

“Sleepyhead” Passion Pit What started out as an attempt to write a girlfriend a few anniversary songs turned into a record deal for Passion Pit. With a very unique sound, “Sleepyhead” will become an immediate favorite despite confusing lyrics.

“The Day that Saved Us” Automatic Love Letter With Juliet Simms’ powerful voice and Joe Nelson’s guitar skills, Automatic Love Letter impresses all audiences. “The Day That Saved Us” compares to Paramore’s “Misery Business” with strong vocals and intense guitar riffs.

“Scar Tissue” Vitamin String Quartet Vitamin String Quartet’s version of the Red Hot Chili Peppers hit “Scar Tissue” proves some covers can be as good as the original. The song portrays the same depressing overtones as the original but presents it in a folksy manner.

“All The Above” Maino Although the lyrics are somewhat cheesy and cliché, Maino still manages to create a song that motivates listeners.

35 | Spark | December 18, 2009

entertainment | reviews

The Music Alter the Ending

by Dashboard Confessional Universal Music Group

I Dreamed a Dream

by Susan Boyle Sony Music Entertainment

Battle Studies

by John Mayer Sony

Hello Hurricane

by Switchfoot Atlantic

She Wolf

by Shakira Epic

Save Me, San Francisco

by Train Sony

alter the ending – dashboard confessional Chris Carrabba established himself as an emo demigod with his early Dashboard Confessional releases, which were filled with quaint little acoustic ballads about Carrabba’s tortured soul and his problems with girls. Alter the Ending marks Carrabba’s foray down another path- one that rejects the band’s acoustic teeny pop past and embraces a full-fledged, mature pop-rock sound.

Alter the Ending is Dashboard Confessional in rock band mode, in which the songs are charmingly over-produced, the choruses are huge and a hook is found around each and every corner. Melodic guitar lines are intertwined throughout, buried beneath vocal harmonies and other layers of instrumentation.

These are brilliantly crafted songs, from the quiet to loud dynamics

hello hurricane – switchfoot

Any Switchfoot fan will dig eagerly into Hello Hurricane with high expectations, but they may be rather disappointed.

All the songs are decent, but it’s different than expected. The sound of “Needle and Haystack Life” is reminiscent of Angels and Airwaves, especially in the instrumentals, and “Enough To Let Me Go” sounds like Sea Wolf, which are both very different from Switchfoot’s trademark sound.

Jon Foreman’s voice isn’t as gorgeous as usual, and it is not as powerful in lower octaves, sounding gravelly and gross. His high notes sound like they hurt, especially in “Red Eyes.” The lack of strong vocals previously found on such Switchfoot classics detracts from the efficacy of this album.

The chorus of “Your Love Is A Song” is a standout. It’s great to sing along to and is a beautifully understated love song, but the vocals

36 | Spark | December 18, 2009

of “Get Me Right” to the foot-tapping chorus of “The Motions.”

Carrabba has become a master of the art of subtlety, retaining pop hooks without smacking the listener in the face with them. He throws in lyrics that are sure to be perfect fodder for Facebook status updates; in the album’s title track Carrabba insists, “Take it as a sign/ We can still belong, still belong/ Even when the worst is yet to come.”

In a stroke of genius, Carrabba decided to close the album with “Hell on the Throat,” an earnest and reflective acoustic track. This seems somehow fitting, as Alter the Ending has all but destroyed the previous trademark acoustic sound. “Hell on the Throat” is the brightest lyrical gem in an album that is full of them. Alter the Ending is Dashboard’s most cohesive and mature album to date, and may very well go down as their best.

– Tyler Kieslich «««««

in the rest of the song sound strange and a little strained.

The melody of the album’s title track is also nice, but again, the song feels a little off. On several of the songs, including on “Always,” the guitars twang in a way that just doesn’t feel like Switchfoot.

The pulse in the songs on this album is rather unexpected—kind of a mid-tempo. Most of the songs sound bland and middle-of-theroad. Usually, a band has some faster songs, some mid-tempo songs and some slower ballads. This gives an album variety. But on Hello Hurricane, there’s an unfit sense of déjà vu.

This CD would be a lot better if the listener did not know it was

by Switchfoot. Switchfoot may be branching out and trying something new, but it does not appear that the band has grown. Of course, it’s hard for them to top what they’re already done. Hello Hurricane has some catchy songs, but those tunes are not enough to carry this entire effort. Hello Hurricane is alright—but not great.

– Amanda Kaine «««««

battle studies – john mayer

If Battle Studies had been recorded by someone half as prolific and seasoned as John Mayer, it would be regarded as a solid effort, but it seems as though Mayer has spent too much time occupying the tabloids and thinking of creative Tweets to make his latest release live up to the standards his previous albums.

Battle Studies is a return to his pop roots, and the result is smooth and tasteful—too tasteful. Tracks sound like typical cookie-cutter pop songs, lacking originality and refusing to take even the smallest risks. This is most evident in his cover of Robert Johnson’s “Crossroads,” which is a vocally emotionless disaster. “Half My Heart,” which claims to feature Taylor Swift, appears to be a plubicity stunt to draw in more female pop fans,

she wolf – shakira

Four years after the release of her album Oral Fixation Vol. 2, Shakira continues to maintain her pop vibes in her latest album, She Wolf. This time, however, she adds a techno twist to her music while using eclectic sounds, including tambourines, clarinets and oriental instruments. She Wolf clearly shows Shakira’s transformation as a pop artist.

Each track has some sort of ethnic sound. The title track “She Wolf,” releases an electronic and techno beat that will reverberate in listeners’ minds long after hearing it. On the track “Spy,” Shakira collaborates with Wyclef Jean, who was also featured in her former number one hit “Hips Don’t Lie.” “Men In This Town” and “Gypsy” add a softer touch to the album with slower tempos and delicate chords, resulting in a pleasant balance with the other very

i dreamed a dream – susan boyle As the homely 48-year-old woman took the stage, the judges and the audience of Britain’s Got Talent didn’t expect much from the cheeky Scot. But that all changed when Susan Boyle began to sing. Her shockingly good rendition of “I Dreamed a Dream” from the play Les Misérables turned her into an overnight celebrity whose voice moved people to tears. She didn’t win the show, but her debut album, I Dreamed a Dream, rocketed to the top of the charts. However, her Cinderella story is more powerful than her voice.

I Dreamed a Dream is a collection of new arrangements of classic songs. There is a tie for the best track of the album between the album’s first single, “Wild Horses,” Boyle’s slower, passionate take on a Rolling Stones song, and “I Dreamed a Dream,” in which Boyle’s

save me, san francisco – train

Train rolls back to their hometown roots in their fifth album Save Me, San Francisco. After over three years since their previous album For Me, It’s You was released, Train returns to the high standard they set with their popular 2001 album Drops of Jupiter.

Train was originally formed in San Francisco, so the lyrics provide an intentional direct link to the band’s background as a group and as individuals. Their blues-rock sound is similar to that of previous albums, but seems to have a new, modern twist that makes it more appealing to today’s radio listeners.

Tracks like their first single “Hey, Soul Sister” are upbeat and fun, while “This Ain’t Goodbye” is a more heartfelt, love song. “If It’s Love” combines the two styles into an upbeat love song that isn’t too

but Swift is relegated to backup vocals for almost the entire track.

Considering that Mayer once contemplated, “Belief is a beautiful armor, but makes for the heaviest sword./ Like punching underwater, you can never hit who you’re trying for” in the lyrical gem “Belief,” his first single “Who Says” is melodically and lyrically shallow. “Who says I can’t get stoned/ Plan a trip to Japan alone/ Doesn’t matter if I even go” meanders above simple, repetitive guitar chords. He then goes on to compare love to a battlefield in others tracks, which is at the very best, a trite attempt at a profoundness.

Still, radio stations and Billboard-followers alike will devour Battle Studies for Mayer’s sultry voice and broad appeal. But serious listeners will hope that Mayer will take more artistic risks in the next battle.

– Victoria Liang «««««

upbeat tracks.

Although the Grammy award winner has gainedpopularity in the United States, she makes sure that her Colombian roots are known, singing the tracks “Did It Again,” “She Wolf ” and “Why Wait” in Spanish. Shakira proves she can be a U.S. pop sensation while maintaining her heritage, which can be difficult in the music industry.

Although the tracks may sound upbeat and diverse, their content is weak. Shakira’s lyrics are bland, having no meaning besides that “there’s a she wolf in the closet” and that someone should “let it out so it can breathe.”

Despite the lack of thought that was put into the album’s lyrics, She Wolf is still a winner for those who enjoy dancing to vivacious pop music with a twist of techno and an exotic feel.

– Christina Wilkerson «««««

girlish voice is infused with emotion, possibly recalling the moment she ascended to fame. However, the passion ends there. The 10 other songs on the album, including standards such as “Amazing Grace” and “Silent Night,” lack the power and drive to reanimate the old classics. The worst is her depressing and slow version of the Monkees’ “Daydream Believer”. Her thin, serious voice sucks out all the whimsicalness from the innately lighthearted tune She may be no Andrea Bocelli, but Susan Boyle can sing – when given the right song. Right now, she is new and above average, with a lovable underdog story that is undoubtedly the primary reason for her fame. However Boyle’s tale can only bring her so far. “I Dreamed a Dream” shows potential, but she’ll need to learn to adapt to each song to truly become the music legend she deserves to be.

–Nitya Sreevalsan «««««

serious but still gets a message across. “Words” strays away from the other romantic titles, providing an uplifting and inspirational song that contrasts with the other songs on the album nicely.

One song that is completely different from the rest is “Breakfast in Bed.” The tune is somewhat catchy but the mellow mood and the lyrics of the song, such as “How I need you / dress you up and feed you,” gives the song an uncomfortable feel and creates a strange mix with the other songs on that album Train’s new album is phenomenal for the most part, but it does hit a bump along the way with “Breakfast in Bed.” Fans will nevertheless be glad Train is back, and Train will gain new fans from the younger generation with their more modern songs. Save Me, San Francisco is definitely worth a purchase.

– Christian Roehm «««««

37 | Spark | December 18, 2009

entertainment | transcript interview

YONI WOLF

interview and photos caroline tompkins

The front man of Why? sits down with Spark to talk about the writing process, his future plans, and the bloody carpet that brought him home.

38 | Spark | December 18, 2009

Y

oni Wolf is the founding member of the hip hop and indie rock group Why?. Wolf is originally from Pleasant Ridge, a suburb of Cincinnati, where he attended Walnut Hills High School and the University of Cincinnati. He later moved to California, primarily to pursue his music career. While in California, Wolf produced several albums under the name Why?. In 2005, Why? became a full band and released Elephant Eyelash. The album deviated drastically from Why?’s previous releases because, rather than being a solo effort, it enlisted the help of Yoni’s brother, Josiah Wolf, Matt Meldon and Doug McDiarmid. From the beginning, Why? has been a part of the label Anticon, which is collectively owned by seven artists and one manager. The label describes itself as a community ‘dedicated to scrounging up quiet ideas and tiny epiphanies wherever they might be found.’ The label’s artists are unified by their hip hop, indie rock and electronica influences. Why?’s latest record, Eskimo Snow, was released in September of this year but was recorded at the same time as their previous record Alopecia, which was released in March 2008.

Wolf recently moved back to Cincinnati from Oakland, California to tour internationally with Why?.

Why are you back in Cincinnati now?

Yeah, I just felt like it was time to leave Oakland. I had been there nine years or so and it just felt like I had to start a new chapter. We had finished up the fourth Why? record and I figured, well, we were going to go on tour for awhile, so I thought, ‘What better to do than go live with my parents?’ [laughs] and that way I wasn’t going to be spending unnecessary rent. Last time I had sub-letters and I came home and there was blood all over my carpet and I was just like, ‘What the hell was going on here while I was gone?’ so I’m just not interested in doing that anymore.

What are your plans? Are you going to stay in Cincinnati?

I don’t know. Maybe I could start some kind of compound in one of these plots and really change the face of Mason, OH. [laughs] Originally, you were writing everything and when Elephant Eyelash released, it was more of a band effort. Can you explain the writing process now? How it is different with more members?

Yeah, well every album kind of comes about in a different way. As of late, the writing process has mostly been demos from songs, and then we get together and rehearse, and then we go and record it. Elephant Eyelash was a lot different. Everything was pieced together throughout time on computers and A-tracks for a couple of years of just doing that with no real structure. I don’t know what the next thing will be like.

Do you like having the other members or do you like having control of everything?

Well, for writing, I am most comfortable writing alone. I think it is hard to write with other people because it is such a tender part of the process.

It is such a precarious part of the process that is easily tipped into either not working at all or turning into something that it shouldn’t be. So, for writing, I think I prefer to work alone for the most part. Although, we have definitely had some collaborative songs that, I think, have really worked out. But for the recording process, I like to work with other people and other musicians for playing everything.

Let’s talk about Anticon. Is that why you moved out to California?

And how did Anticon eventually become your label?

Well, Anticon has been our label since the beginning, really, because that was kind of the option we had. I mean, not to say it was a bad option, but I was friends with all the Anticon people. It was like a collective of artists that started their own label, for all intensive purposes.

You seem to have a strenuous tour schedule. Do you like writing or performing better?

Well, I like both. They are very different. They are totally different pursuits.

In a way, they are mutually exclusive. They don’t really go together. It’s weird because the part of me that writes and the part of me that performs

are really just two different sides of me. I mean, both are part of me, though, and I enjoy them for their differences. I like them both.

Do you have songs you play most or songs most requested?

Yeah, we do. My least favorite request is this old song called “Darla” that we did back in 2002. Every once in a while there is an audience that likes to shout that out. It’s just one of those songs that is really cheesy and I don’t really want to ever play again.

Do you find that your favorite songs to play are usually your newest songs?

I like all of the songs that we play. We basically play songs off of the last two records, Eskimo Snow and Alopecia, and then about half of the songs off of the record before that, Elephant Eyelash. I like playing all of those ones. Anytime we don’t like playing a song, we usually phase it out.

Because Why? does not fit into one genre, what do you tell people when they ask what kind of band you are in? What genre do you consider yourself ?

Well, it depends on who it is. Like, if it is some person on an airplane that would never know anything anywhere near what we do, I’ll say, ‘artsy music.’ Sometimes I’ll say, ‘It’s some kind of rock and roll [laughs].’ You know, it just depends on who it is, I guess.

Your lyrics can be so abstract that they can mean something different to every listener. Do you mean to leave a lot of interpretations to your music or does it just happen that way?

I don’t really mean to be abstract or anything like that. I don’t really think that my lyrics are abstract, really. They are not always easy to understand because they don’t always have a linear meaning, but I try to make sure that the images are clear as to what you should see or think about while you are listening. I mean, everyone has their own things that come to mind. I try to be somewhat clear. Everyone has their own life experiences and is going to interpret the images and things in their own way, which is to be expected and that is good.

Alopecia and Eskimo Snow are sister albums, but there is definitely a completely different feel for each album. Why were they released separately and a year apart?

Yeah, we kind of realized that they were two separate things happening half way through the recording process. We could see that there were two different kinds of sounds going on here and at that point, it was either break them up into two different albums or try to have some weird way to integrate the two. So we decided that we would do what seems most appropriate and set them apart, so that is what we did. Yeah, we were going to release them at the same time, but then we realized that Eskimo Snow wasn’t done, so we would put one out and then the other. I feel like I don’t like when people [release two at one time] anyway; it seems like too much information at once. It seems like you should give people enough to chew on and then give them more, you know?

What were your influences at the time?

I get influenced by a whole lot of stuff: music and other stuff that might seep into my writing or whatever. I feel like when I listen to Eskimo Snow, on certain songs I was trying to be like Johnny Cash or bark up that alley somehow or like Leonard Cohen in that camp. For Alopecia, I hear a lot of MF DOOM and Jay-Z and even Spoon for some of the production. I’m not a big Spoon fan, but I think their stuff sounds really good. In a way, it is like a guilty pleasure. I mean, it is good music, but I don’t feel like it really touches my heart; it sounds really good.

So what is Why? working on now?

Well, I have this envelope of all of these scraps of papers with things written on them, and I’m trying to work on piecing that together. So, that is where I am at right now. Right now we’re also still touring a lot for Eskimo Snow. We’re going to Australia and New Zealand for two weeks and then Europe after that. n

39 | Spark | December 18, 2009

entertainment |reviews

The Motio Based on the novel “Push” by Sapphire, Precious is a heart wrenching tale about the life of a teenage girl in Harlem. It opens up the audience’s eyes to the harsh realities that the inner-city New Yorkers must endure on a daily basis.

The movie begins with a view into the grisly reality that is Claireece Precious Jones’ life. She is an illiterate, obese, pregnant for the second time teenager who daydreams about being a glamorous model as an escape from her difficult life. One of the opening scenes is of her mother throwing a frying pan at her head because she thinks that Precious is giving her lip when in reality she is not. Precious is knocked unconscious and is rudely woken up by water thrown on her face. Her life is nothing but a dead end, until she enlists herself in the alternative school “Each One Teach One.” There, she not only improves her reading level by four grades, but also meets Ms. Blue Rain, who is the first person to reach out to Precious. The school becomes her second

home and her classmates become her family.

Comedian Mo’Nique gives an Oscar-deserving performance as she tackles the complex role of Precious’s mother, convincingly portraying the low-life scum that succumbs to physical assault as a means of releasing her anguish on innocent victims. In her movie debut, Gabourey Sidibe does a fantastic job of portraying Precious as a realistic character. The images are so powerful that they linger viewers’ heads and leave them speechless. And though the ending is uplifting and spirited, it is no fairytale happily-ever-after.

Precious Precious is the ideal movie for viewers who want to open their eyes and put their own struggles into rated –R perspective. Like the movie eloquently declares, “Life is length – 110 min hard. Life is short. Life is painful. Life is rich. Life is....

IMDb ratings – 7.5 Precious.”

Rottentomatoes rating – 91% – Kavya Sreevalsan Spark rating – «««««

Breaking box office records with a total earning of $140.7 million on opening weekend, The Twilight Saga: New Moon did not disappoint. For Twilight lovers, New Moon lived up to the surrounding hype by following the book surprisingly well.

Whether viewers are on team Jacob or Team Edward, the movie will still impress.

The movie begins with vampire Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) leaving his love Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) so that he can no longer harm her, sending Bella into a deep depression. After Bella started dating Edward, she alienated herself from her former friends, and once Edward leaves, she does not try to return to that group. Instead, Bella turns to reckless behavior after discovering that they lead to visions of Edward. She also becomes closer to friend Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner) to distract her from the pain of Edward leaving.

For many audience members, the draw to New Moon

was actor Taylor Lautner. Female viewers are not let down by his performance—or his abs. The same, however, could not be said of Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart. Their acting ability was second rate to that of the supporting roles.

The pair lacked on-screen chemistry and Stewart’s acting was unconvincing. But New Moon made up for Pattinson and Stewart’s acting with its solid plot and ability to reach the audience’s emotions. It also followed the book’s plot more closely and featured more special effects than Twilight.

However if a viewer had never seen Twilight or read the series, New Moon may be rather confusing.

New Moon New Moon was a great movie, but only for a target audience. If someone has never seen Twilight, read rated – PG-13 the books or is not at all interested in a sappy teenage length – 130 min love story, this is not the movie for them. But for the IMDb ratings – 4.6 Twilight series fanatic, this movie is perfect.

Rottentomatoes rating – 29% – Emily Lunsford Spark rating – «««««

40 | Spark | December 18, 2009

n Pictures Charles Dickens’ 1843 novella A Christmas Carol has been adapted to film, opera and now to a 3-D animated Disney film by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Robert Zemeckis. Disney has done an exceptional job keeping the film true to Dicken’s novella, while breathing new life into it with the Disney touch. But it is legitimately frighting at times and is not necessarily for a young audience.

Ebenezer Scrooge (voiced by Jim Carrey) begins the Christmas season with his usual miserable attitude. Scrooge is cold to everyone, especially the impoverished. He spends his time barking at his faithful clerk and his A Christmas cheery nephew as they try to brighten his spirit. On Carol Christmas Eve, Scrooge is visited by three ghosts who rated – PG use scare tactics to teach him that his wealth does not length – 96 min qualify him to judge the poor. In the end, Scrooge is IMDb ratings – 7.2 Rottentomatoes rating – 81% ready to spread Christmas cheer.

The 3-D film was produced through the process Spark rating – «««««

of performance capture, a technique Zemeckis also used in his films The Polar Express and Beowulf. The film was released in Disney Digital 3-D and IMAX 3-D. Although the 3-D effects were stunning, it seemed unnecessary for this story.

A Christmas Carol is Disney’s third retelling of the novella in 26 years, having released Mickey’s Christmas Carol in 1983 and later The Muppet Christmas Carol in 1992. The film also marks Jim Carrey’s first role in a Disney film, in which his voice is used for Scrooge and all three ghosts.

Carrey may seem like a dangerous choice because of his niche in comedy, but he demonstrates his voice flexibility by convincingly portraying four serious characters.

This version of A Christmas Carol combines the sophistication of actual Dicken’s quotes with the Disney animation to make a movie suitable for all audiences. This remake is anything but “bah humbug” – Sarah Craig

Going to see a ninja movie, viewers would hunger for thrilling fight scenes and bloody battles. These appetites were sated by director James McTeigue’s Thanksgiving release Ninja Assassin.

Raizo, played by Korean pop star Rain, is a young ninja betrayed by the secret clan of assassins he was once a part of. His ninja skills were taught to him at the clan’s orphanage, where he was raised to be a killer. This makes him equal to the dozens of ninjas hunting him, heightening the suspense. The fighting involved many knives, an aspect one would expect to see after McTeigue’s Ninja Assassin previous film, V is for Vendetta.

The movie itself was full of blood and death, but rated – R the almost nonstop action was difficult to follow. The length – 99 min special effects created very realistic slaughters, which IMDb ratings – 6.9 Rottentomatoes rating – 30% will not settle well with weak stomachs. The character development also carried some flaws, leaving the Spark rating –«««««

audience questioning whether the police were out to help or hurt Raizo. However, Raizo does an admirable job at fighting constantly and reserving words for when necessary.

He gives off a powerful vibe with his silence, adding to his ninja appeal.

The action engulfed the plot to the point where it seemed as if the movie was made just to show ninjas fighting each other, but Raizo’s flashbacks on his past at the orphanage and quest for revenge aided in plot development.

There is hardly a ten minute interval between each fight scene, which made it very difficult to follow the story. The ending is undefined and almost a letdown after the intensity of the rest of the movie. The audience’s interest is lost after the action ends. Ninja Assassin is worth the money for viewers seeking a thriller that bursts with action but skimps on plot.

– Lauren Barker

41 | Spark | December 18, 2009

entertainment | reviews

blue chip gourmet

coffee beans & brew

roots coffee and 42 | Spark | December 18, 2009 bagels

winter coffee buzz

Coffee and tea are necessary to warm up the winter season. Spark traveled to local coffee shops to compare drinks and scope out the best spots.

Each Spark representative sampled a similar drink at every coffeehouse in order to keep consistency. This is only a small sample of what each place offers.

story lauren ellis, dan garrett, victoria liang | photos lauren ellis and caroline tompkins Lauren- Blue Chip Gourmet welcomes its patrons with bright blue walls and an open space. While more clean-cut than other coffee shops, Blue Chip offers a children’s play area, a business-like environment and pleasant service.

Unfortunately, Blue Chip’s 16 ounce $1.65 bold brew, a European blend, does not meet their gourmet quality, but their sugar cookies and brownies compensate for the generic taste of their coffee. They even offer gelato, a healthier alternative to ice cream.

Victoria- Service was friendly but I had to remind the barista about my order after 10 minutes, and finally got my order five minutes later. They tried to make up for it by giving me the large size, but it didn’t make me feel any better because the strong nutmeg flavor overpowered any trace of pumpkin and left a bitter aftertaste. For the amount of time I had to wait and the $3.65 I paid, I really expected better.

What you’re paying for isn’t quality—it’s the “cool” atmosphere.

Dan- The interior of Blue Chip is a nice and simple in design. There are lots of tasty-looking pictures of food around the walls and a small play area for children. There are a variety of pastries displayed in a case that could certainly peak one’s appetite. Their menu also includes gourmet sandwiches. The environment is conducive to having an intimate conversation with a friend over a warm drink in the dining room. The $1.55 small tea offered at Blue Chip was Tazo brand tea, the same as at Starbucks.

Lauren- The homey, family friendly interior met with the smile of the barista at Coffee Beans & Brew off of Yankee road provides a great meeting place, comfortable environment and cheerful customer service. Coffee Beans is the ideal coffee shop to curl up with a book and a cup of java. For only one dollar, one can purchase a 12 ounce cup of their bold and rich Buckeye Brew, which easily matches the $1.85 Starbucks brew of the day, fulfilling their slogan “star quality, less bucks.” Coffee Beans also owns a second store in Monroe on Main Street with a drive through for on-the-go convenience.

Victoria- The decor of Coffee Beans & Brew was plain but there were cute gift mugs for sale and displays of various coffee beans. The coolest thing was that by the couches, there were old Lakota East yearbooks and issues of the Spark.

There was also a large TV so patrons can stay entertained while enjoying their coffee. Service was quick and the latte was perfect—smooth, creamy, lightly sweetened, and the delicate almond flavor lingered pleasantly in my mouth.

As a bonus, Lakota East and Monroe students and teachers receive a 10 percent discount when they show their school ID.

Dan- A spacious room with a large couch area, a flat screen television and lots of extra space making Coffee Beans & Brew the perfect place to sit down and relax while warming up with a cup of one’s favorite coffee shop beverage.

There is room to spread out with a dining room that is the antithesis to cluttered. The cups have a heat-resistant coating that was very nice and certainly aesthetically pleasing. Coffee Beans & Brew is the picture of the modern coffee shop.

As far as tea goes, they offered several choices of tea bags to drop in a glass of hot water for a generic cup of tea.

Lauren- Twenty minutes from Lakota East, Roots is the perfect coffee shop and proves to be well worth the drive. The rich, earthy flavor of their dark-blend black coffee warms the heart while the thoughtfully designed coffeehouse is a cozy, enlightening place to spend the day.

Displaying fourth grade artwork on double-glass doors, Roots is rooted in the community.

Victoria- The most exceptional thing about Roots is its atmosphere. Historical Downtown Lebanon looks like it could have come straight from a picture book and has an old-fashioned charm that few places in Ohio have held. Roots fits perfectly into this setting, with its antique piano, funky art and velvet couches. Their gingerbread latte didn’t hurt either.

Dan- Drinking tea at Roots feels like sharing a cup of tea at my grandmother’s house. The tea at Roots came in a variety of tea bags to produce a common cup of tea. The multiple rooms of the building make it seem as if each is apart of a house. One has a piano and another has large comfy chairs. The antique feel of the shop is wonderful, although slightly out of date.

43 | Spark | December 18, 2009

sports l inside east sports

East Hockey Returns Strong After advancing to the state semi-finals last season, the East hockey team lost seven seniors, but looks to continue its success story brandon kors photo weston neal infographic logan schneider

A

Senior Ryan Matthews, who leads the league in goals, takes a shot in a 4-1 victory over Walnut Hills

s the bright lights illuminate the cold ice rink at Northlands Ice Arena and the Zamboni starts up again for the beginning of high school hockey season, the Lakota East club hockey team faces a tough challenge as it prepares for the upcoming year.

The challenge is trying to improve on last year’s undefeated season.

So far, the Thunderhawks are on pace to repeat last year’s successas with a record of 9-0-2 in conference play. The Thunderhawks have two non conference losses to Sycamore and Columbus PRPC that the team hopes will lead to improvement.

“There are several things that they learned from playing teams that were better than us at the time, and if we put those pieces together about what we learned to get us playing against better teams and learn how we can actually play with them, then hopefully if we get to face them again it can be an opportunity to come out ahead,” said head coach Gordon Scheitlin.

Currently, the Thunderhawks are in second place in the Cincinnati Amateur Hockey Association behind conference rival Lakota West despite losing key leadership from departed seniors Aiden Javed, Josh Horn and head captain Alan Price.

“About a third of the team is new, and

while we have quite a bit of individual talent, learning to work with your teammates and with your linemates is always critical when you get up against some of the really good competition I expect we will be facing,” Scheitlin said.

This year, the Thunderhawks are led by Scott Carney, Mickey Luft, goaltender Kelly Metz and third-year varsity captain Ryan Matthews.

Team chemistry is another factor that has helped the Thunderhawk players this season.

“We all get along outside of playing so we have good chemistry,” said center Mickey Luft.

This chemistry allows Coach Scheitlin to set up a game plan with which the team can achieve to its fullest potential.

“We are going to basically set up a framework in which we play the game and then allow for a lot of creativity inside that framework. said Scheitlin. “If we can get the team to understand the system and every player [to] basically understand their role and everyone else’s role, then within that framework you have individual and team creativity that you can really let shine.”

Coach Scheitlin values team chemistry in the locker room.

“When we play as a team, we can really outscore opponents and that’s the difference between us and a lot of teams. If we live up to our full potential, we can really put the puck in

the net,” said defenseman Ryan Matthews, who is currently leading the team with nineteen goals and seventeen assists on the season. His biggest game was against Elder when he scored six goals.

As the season progresses, the one component that will need to follow the Thunderhawks all year long is their teamwork.

“We can’t get selfish, we have to be goal oriented and keep focused,” said center Mickey Luft. Luft who has seventeen goals and sixteen assists so far this season.

Kelly Metz, who has totaled two hundred and fifty minutes in the net this year with an overall save percentage of 93.1 percent over eight games, also believes that teamwork will be a key for the Thunderhawks.

“We still have an individual team and some of the guys take things into their own hands,” said Metz.

Even with the loss of key seniors, Scheitlin still believes that the Thunderhawks can improve from last year.

“We can actually do better this year.” Scheitlin said. “[If] we pick up a little bit of what caused us to lose the championship at the end of the year [and] we avoid doing that this year, I believe we can have another undefeated season and I think we can and should win the end of season championship.” n

X

X

Each team has 5 players and 1 goalie on the ice

X O X O

X

Goal line

If the puck crosses the blue line before the attacking players, off sides is called

O

A face off is held at center ice after every goal and period

O X O

Each dot around the rink marks a face off spot

Goal crease

Bring the knee of your non-kicking leg to your chest

Center line

If the puck is shot from the center line and crosses the goal crease untouched, icing is called

Blue line

Ice Hockey Basics

O

Attack/defensive zone

Neutral zone

sports | faces

Brooke Atstalis - Dance Team

Faces on the Field

E

ast junior Ryan Miller is returning to the East wrestling team after finishing as sectional champion last season. He hopes to use his off season training to propel the team to a winning season.

“I hope to score a lot of team points to help us win dual meets. I want go far in the [state] tournament,” Miller said.

Second-year Varsity Coach James Lehman has high expectations for Miller this season, including winning the state tournament.

“I expect Ryan to become a state champion. I believe he is capable of achieving that. The biggest question will be if he believes he can accomplish that. I believe Ryan will be up at state this year making a strong run,” Lehman said.

Lehman is very impressed with the work Miller has done to prepare for this season and is confident it will help him this year.

“Ryan puts a great deal of time into this sport year round,” Lehman said.

Miller has been a member of the Ohio Cadet and Junior National Freestyle Teams for three consecutive years.

“His experiences at the national level will definitely prepare him for the competition he will face this year,” Lehman said.

Lehman also values Miller’s leadership.

“Ryan brings leadership and a love for the sport. Ryan works very hard and is committed to being a successful wrestler,” Lehman said “I believe his commitment to the sport has and will have a tremendous impact on our other wrestlers.”

Senior Matt Helmer has noticed Miller’s hard work and its impact on the program.

“Ryan sets an example for the younger kids in the program and pushes all the guys to work harder,” Helmer said.

Miller is ready to take responsibility and meet the challenges of this season. “[I like] the fact that you’re alone on the mat and it’s just you. You have no one else to blame.

It’s all up to you,” Miller said.

— Jordan Drake

photo devin casey

photo claire feyche

photo alex monson

Ryan Miller - Wrestling

J

East athletes stand out on varsity squads

unior Brooke Atsalis has been a member of the East Dance team since the team’s inception two years ago.

Atsalis has been dancing for 13 years and dancing has become a large part of her life.

“Dance team is a lot of fun. We mainly focus on doing hip-hop,” said Atsalis.

The dance team practices once a week for two hours at Star Performance Center (SPC).

“At practice, we usually split off into groups and make up parts to the dance,” said Atsalis.

At SPC Atsalis practices three times per week for three hours each. Around competition time she is at the studio for twice as long.

For Brooke dance team makes a nice change from her intensive Star Performance practices.

“Practice is a nice break from my Star practices. I have a lot of friends on the team so it is more laid back and fun,” says Atsalis.

Atsalis’ extensive experience with dancing impacts the team greatly.

“Brooke is definitely a leader on the team whenever I ask her to help me out, I can always count on her to get thing done,” said first year co-coach Jill Baechle.

The other dancers recognize Atsalis’ helpful attitude.

“She always maintains a positive attitude at dance; she is friends with everyone,” said first year East dancer Kelsey Chapin.

The dance team will be performing at five home basketball games this season, as well as performing at the pep rally.

“I really like performing at the games,” said Atsalis. “At school, most people don’t realize that I am a dancer; it is fun to show people what I love to do.”

As opposed to last year when the team competed in two competitions, the team will not be competing this year.

“We decided not to compete this year because a lot of the dancers are involved in many other activities and do not have the time commitment,” said Baechle.

— Anjana Jagpal

46 | Spark | December 18, 2009 TICKER: GIRLS’ BASKETBALL -- 3rd in GMC 3-1

n

n

Sarah Kemper - Girls’ Bowling

W

ith the ball engraved with her name, senior Sarah Kemper, who bowls an average score of 160 and is ranked 15th in the Greater Miami Conference (GMC), is entering her fourth season of bowling for East.

However, Kemper began bowling long before high school.

“I’ve been bowling since sixth grade,” Kemper said.

Kemper was first recruited to bowl by senior teammate Kristin Hutton, who has competed alongside Kemper while placing competitive edges behind her.

“We’ve been bowling together since we were ten,” Hutton said. “She is a good bowler.”

Women’s Varsity Coach JB Hutton has coached at East for three years and has watched Kemper’s bowling performance improve.

“She is one of our top bowlers,” coach Hutton said.

Kemper maintained the 14th highest average in the GMC. Last season, Kemper’s average helped lead East to a 9-4 season and a fifth-place finish in the GMC. This season, Kemper wants to improve her average.

In her sophomore year, she finished 17th in the GMC with a 153.8 average, toppling the second highest number of pins in the conference with 5,999 total. According to Kemper she will need to remain focused throughout games and stay calm after bad bowls to improve.

Kemper’s efforts have assisted the women’s bowling team in beating West for two straight years. In last year’s 2086-1830 win against the cross-town rival, Kemper bowled a team-high 190, which earned her the Lakota East’s Athlete of the Week Award.

However, Kemper says that her individual standing is not her main focus. In addition to beating West, Kemper hopes to improve her average and to repeat an accomplishment that the team made last year.

“I believe that [our team] has potentional to go to districts again,” Kemper said.

— Devin Casey

ACADEMIC QUIZ TEAM -- 1st in GMC 2-0

n

CHESS- 2nd in GMC6-2

HAWKS’ ALUMNI story anjana jagpal Daniel Lyons, previously a Varsity Boys’ Basketball player at East, is currently a freshman on the Men’s Basketball Team at Division II U. of Northwestern Ohio (UNOH), in Lima, Ohio.

As a senior, Lyons was one of the leading scorers for the Daniel Lyons Thunder-hawks, where he averaged 8.7 points per game in the GMC. At UNOH, in a recent game against Rhodes States, Lyons scored nine points.

“If the game is a blow, I will get ample time, but if the game is close, I am lucky to get two minutes, compared to high school where I played 30 minutes or more,” said Lyons, who finds himself improving.

“At UNOH, I am playing and practicing against older, more experienced men everyday and getting better,” said Lyons, who is finding the adjustment to college basketball to be a relatively easy adjustment. n

A look into the lives of East athletes

Thunderhawks Tip-off story kaity conner | photo eric muenchen After defeating the Africentric Nubians 71 to 26 on Dec. 4, East’s Men’s Varsity Basketball team heads toward the bulk of the 2009-2010 season with heads held high.

“We have more talent than we did last year because our underclassmen gained more experience playing varsity,” said junior guard Jalen Goodwin. “We need to be more consistent and cohesive as a team.

We have the right ingredients for a good season. The challenge will be, ‘Can we execute our game plan?’”

East Athletic Director Richard Bryant believes that the team will put in the effort it takes to make these “ingredients” come together.

“I have full confidence in our young men[...] and the entire coaching staff to work very hard to succeed on the court,” he said.

Though the school year had not yet begun, the Hawks put in time and sweat to ready themselves for the upcoming season.

“During the summer, we worked out almost every morning lifting weights, conditioning and working on fundamentals,” said Goodwin.

“During the fall, we lifted and scrimmaged after school. Coach Vickers and Coach Adkins started a D-I Dreams program where players came [in] at 5:45 a.m. for an hourlong skills development workout.”

Cameron Lee drives to the basket in the 71-26 win over Africentric.

Bryant “expects that we will see tremendous effort throughout the season.”

To encourage the team to reach their potential, new leaders will have to step up to fill the large shoes left by last year’s seniors.

“The five seniors from last year were great leaders,” said Goodwin.

“They were very unselfish, were our biggest cheerleaders and helped to lead the team in the right direction.

We are missing that this year. Coach Vickers has challenged me and the others to help lead our team.”

This will be an especially difficult charge as the only senior who comes

into this season with previous varsity experience is Trae Broadnax.

“Broadnax is our only senior who played varsity last year. He was our leading scorer and rebounder,” Goodwin said. “We are looking for him to be our vocal leader. Cameron Lee, R.J. Leppert and [I] will rely on our varsity experience from last season to take on leadership roles.”

Rob Harpring, the sole freshman on the varsity roster, has noticed these players’ efforts to lead the team.

Harpring is determined to use this season to “improve in all areas of the game” and “show everyone that [he] can play at this level.”

“There is a lot of pressure put on me being a freshman, but if I want to play where I am at right now, I have to face it,” he said. “I hope that when [my teammates] put the ball in my hands, they trust me to do the right thing, whether it is to find the open man or to score.”

Looking towards the end of the season and beyond, Goodwin anticipates good returns on the team’s work.

“This year’s team has the ability to win the [Greater Miami Conference] and make a huge run in the state tournament,” said Goodwin. “We want to build upon the momentum we created with last year’s team.” n

HAWK CULTURE

INSIDE THE NEST

infographic alex monson

Jalen Goodwin VARSITY BOYS’ B-BALL

Casey Thompson VARSITY SWIMMING

Aleth Pashi VARSITY GIRLS’ B-BALL

Neema Mohammadi VARSITY WRESTLING

Marylee Fondren VARSITY CHEERLEADING

Favorite music artist?

ALICIA KEYS

JAY SEAN

LIL’ WAYNE

ANBERLIN

SECOND HAND SERENADE

Bengals or Steelers?

EAGLES

BENGALS

BENGALS

BENGALS

NEITHER

Favorite subject?

ALGEBRA

HISTORY

ENGLISH

ART

SPANISH

Captain Crunch or Reese’s Puffs?

REESE’S PUFFS

REESE’S PUFFS

CAPT. CRUNCH

CAPT. CRUNCH

CAPT. CRUNCH

Twilight is...

FOR GIRLS

STUPID

LAME

LAME

FANTASTIC

n

BOYS BASKETBALL- RJ Leppert: 1st in GMC assists

n

The BengalsSteelers rivalry began in 1970 when the teams were moved into the AFC Central.

The rivalry intensified in the 2005 wild card game when Steeler Kimo von Oelhoffen injured Bengal’s quaterback Carson Palmer in the Bengals 37-17 loss.

Palmer, who played for USC, said “I hate the Steelers more than I hate UCLA.” n

| December 18, 2009 GIRLS’ BOWLING - Kristin Hutton:47 6th| Spark in GMC

8

sports | eight things

THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT DIVING OFF THE BLOCK

story abbey cramer east swimmer (as told to garrett namian) photo eric muenchen

Picture the Race

“I [do] mental swimming. That’s where you picture what the race is going to be like and how you want it to go.”

Avoid DQ’s

“Don’t move or else you will get DQ’d [disqualified]. As soon as the buzzer sounds, you explode off the block..”

Have One Foot Forward...

“I have one foot forward and one foot back, [with] toes curled over on the front foot.”

And Your Head Down

“You want to lean over the block [and] keep your head down. On start, you want to have your chin to your chest.”

Strike a Balance

“[Go] about three to four feet. If you go too deep, then you have to take a longer streamline which gives your opponents an advantage. If you go too shallow, your opponents’ streamlines will surpass yours.”

Use Every Muscle

“When you’re in your start position and when the buzzer sounds, you use every muscle in your body to push out as far as you can.”

Angle It Just Right

“[Hit the water at] like 35 degrees. You don’t want to be too steep.”

Streamline

“[Streamline is] the position you have your arms in when you hit the water and when you push off the wall.

You squeeze your head with your shoulders and put one hand over the other.”

48 | Spark | December 18, 2009

sports I opinions

IN THE STANDS

After the resignation of head football coach Greg Bailie, the Thunderhawks looks to hire a new coach In the modern age of high school sports when athletes (and parents) see athletics more as an express ticket than a charcter builder, glitzy and cosmopolitan now describe coaches not magazines. Nowadays, high school coaches have blogs and radio talk shows. So, as the East administration considers its six final applicants for the vacant East football coaching job, it should remember the strengths of old school Greg Bailie – fundamentals and character. The committee is looking at six candidates all with at least ten years as a varsity head coach, a college coach or a varsity coordinator. That sounds similar to the resume Bailie (who had been a college assistant and a high school head coach with success at multiple schools) possessed when he was hired at Lakota High.

Looking for a proven winner, who had experience, and who valued the kids over the long term, principal Criag Ullery picked Bailie. Plus well-traveled coach was a class act – witness how he handled his 2004 team that finished 9-1 and flew under the radar until the team lost its last game by three points in overtime to the Mason Comets. Despite not making the playoffs Bailie still won the GMC Coach of the Year award.

At East, student athletes have had the privilege of playing for

“Bailie was not afraid to call out some of his best players.”

sports opinion shawn baxter Bailie, who fought to restore the traditions of the sport, while preserving the student athlete. Since 1997, on game days, a cluster of players walk down Main Street adorned in dress clothes. Then Bailie casually walks out of his office with a coffee mug in hand and observes as his athletes go to classes. As they approach Bailie he starts a conversation with talented recruits and perennial bench warmers. But, if the players failed to fulfill their obligations in the classroom Bailie was not afraid to call out some of his best players. Before the game, the gridiron warriors assembled in the locker room where Bailie delivered his speech before they go under the lights in the Hawks’ Nest. Although Bailie compiled an overall record of 155-128 over 27 seasons, many critics have focused on his conservative play calling and 14-26 mark. Yet East went 29-11 from 2002-2006 using that formula.. The selection committee, by choosing a proven coach, whether it is from within (Buckenmyer) or the outside, should take into consideration Bailie’s qualities. In Aaron Fitstephen’s first year as head coach at Fairfield, the Indians finished with a 6-4 record compared to the schools atrocious record of 2-27 from 2006-2008. The administration should use Fairfield as a model for its improvement.

First-year East Athletic Director Richard Bryant will be faced with a tough decision. In his search for a new coach for the program, Bryant will have to consider a variety of factors, which have been discussed at focus groups with the team, parents and coaches. For East to have a successful program it will need a coach who has proven success, is a good promoter and can connect with his team. Last year fans flocked to the five home games contributing $67,514 in gate revenue, which shows the level of support for the program. The question remains which candidate Bryant will hire, as all appear to have the desired qualities. But the winner will need to adapt to the new world coaches must navigate today n contact shawn at shawnb2@fuse.net

IN THE STADIUM

Cincinnati football fans can learn a lesson from Cleveland Browns fans in staying at your team’s side There he was, covered head to toe in his blue and white pinstripe uniform sitting on the curb in front of what is perhaps the most historic location in all of sports, Wrigley Field. The cold November rain did not bother him. Not to mention the fact that the stadium would not even open that day-baseball season was two months expired. He was just lingering around the stadium as if it was mid-July on gameday. Still, the citizens of the Windy Citizen would never question his support of a non-playoff team two months after its season. For them, baseball season had never ended. To a non-Cubs fan, it might be hard to understand why anybody would support a team that has not won a World Series in 101 seasons, amounting to the longest championship drought in all of professional sports.

To the citizens of Chicago’s north side, it is hard to understand why anybody would not.

The relationship between the Chicago Cubs and their fans is like the relationship between a father and his struggling tee-ball player. No matter how bad his son is, the father will continue to support him. Citizens of Wrigleyville are inclined to support their Cubs like their fathers did and like their fathers’ fathers did. Like a

“For once, Bengals fans can learn something football related from the citizens of Cleveland.”

sports opinion faiz siddiqui

father will never lose faith in his son, Cubs fans will never lose faith in the boys in blue.

Fanhood in southwest Ohio is a completely different story. When Cincinnati’s teams do not perform, there is a sure, measurable drop in their support. During the Bengals’ record setting season in 2002, the one in which they attained a franchise-worst 2-14 record, the team’s fans were few and far between. By 2005 when the Bengals were winning again, streets were filled with proud fans displaying their Chad Johnson and T.J. Houshmandzadeh jerseys. But by the 2008 season, when the Bengals’ went 4-11-1, those fans were long forgotten. The 2009 season, in which the Bengals are sitting at 8-3, is a stark contrast from 2008.

One might suggest that this trend is typical with any team. Tell that to a Cleveland Browns fan. Since their re-induction to the league in 1999, the Browns have been the perpetual losers of the NFL. They are haunted by a 36-33 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first round of the 2002 Playoffs, and by a 10-6 record that did not qualify them for the playoffs in 2007, their most successful seasons since the expansion. Still, fans stay glued to the TV every time the Browns play, even if they have to suffer through a nailbiting 37-38 loss to the 2-9 Detroit Lions. For once, Bengals fans can learn something football related from the citizens of Cleveland.

The thrill of sports lies in its unpredictability. There is no fun in knowing that your team is going to win due to the fact you only throw your support behind winning teams. The fun of sports is throwing support behind a team and sticking it, so that a fan can take pride in every one of the team’s wins, and take personally every one of its losses. This is what separates the fans from Cleveland and Chicago from the fans of Cincinnati. Cincinnati’s fans will not be taken seriously unless they learn the lesson that a father will tell his struggling tee-ball player. “You win some, you lose some.” n contact faiz at fsiddiqui2011@gmail.com

49 | Spark | December 18, 2009

sports l the legacy

The Legacy Ends After 17 years as a head coach in the Lakota district, coach Greg Bailie resigns from his position. story tyler castner | photos sarah wilkinson

J

ust months following the retirement of long-time East Athletic Director Jim Rouff, another era in East athletics has come to a close. Following his thirteenth season at East, Greg Bailie announced on Nov. 17 that he would be resigning his position as head football coach and offensive coordinator for Thunderhawk football.

With his resignation as head coach, Bailie leaves behind a legacy of success. He has had a tenured career, with 27 years as a head coach for six different Ohio schools. Bailie began coaching in the Lakota district as head coach at the old Lakota High School. Prior to joining the Lakota staff in 1992, Bailie’s resume boasted head coaching duties at four other high schools across the country, including Symmes Valley, Danville, Fredericktown and Toledo C.C. During his time at these schools, Bailie amassed a win-loss record of 63 wins and 48 losses, over a .600 winning percentage.

10 years into his career as a head coach, Bailie began coaching the Thunderbirds of old Lakota, leading them to winning records in each of the four years he was at the helm, including a 10-2 campaign in 1995, where Bailie won his first playoff game at Lakota. That same year, Bailie garnered his first of two Greater Miami Conference (GMC) Co-Coach of the Year (COTY) honors. Also in 1995, Bailie was honored as the Ohio Division I Co-Coach of the Year.

“What was interesting about the ’95 team is that after every game, they would go to a senior’s house and watch the scoreboard shows. They really were a tight-knit group,” Bailie says. “It was a talented team. If you look at the games,

“

as an overall record of 63 wins and 67 losses.

Upon entering his final season, Bailie had an .500 winning percentage while at East at 60-60.

“Everything has to end sometime,” Bailie says. “It was a good time to step back and look at things and see where I want to go.”

Even with an undefeated freshman team and undefeated junior high programs coming through the pipes, Bailie still felt that now was the right time to take a break from coaching.

“In high school football, you can’t wait for recruiting classes or redshirt freshmen,” Bailie says. “It was time to step back and reevaluate where we were going.”

Prior to his resignation, Bailie held his annual end-of-the-year interviews with players from this year’s team. Aware of his looming decision to resign, there were specific players Bailie wanted to talk to before Nov. 17.

“They were positive. They seemed upbeat about next year, and we addressed some concerns,” Bailie says. “One player I interviewed talked about unity and morale, but a lot of that comes with winning.”

Throughout his reign as head coach, Bailie gave many assistants the opportunity to coach at the varsity level. One such coach was friend and Defensive Coordinator Ed Brady, who finds the resignation somewhat difficult.

“It’s always tough seeing your friend go,” Brady says. “I’m glad I got the opportunity to coach with him. He’s got a lot of knowledge.

He gave me an opportunity to coach and I’m grateful.”

Not only did Bailie help Brady start his coaching career, but Brady also believes that Bailie did much more for the kids who lined up under the Friday night lights.

I’m a player. That’s my role. The coaching situation will sort itself out. I’ll play for whoever is coaching and I will play for the guys around me.

Coach Bailie’s Career timeline jeff cargill

they could easily have gone three and seven. One of those guys is now playing in the NFL with the Saints. We had another guy walk on to Ohio State.”

The second GMC COTY award came in 2004, when Bailie lead the Hawks to an East record—nine wins and one loss—on the way to their first ever share of the GMC title with the soon-to-be state champions, the Colerain Cardinals. Bailie shared the 2004 COTY honors with Colerain coach Kerry Combs. In a press release following the COTY award, Bailie spoke of what the honor represented to him.

“Coach of the Year awards truly speak of the efforts, dedication and commitment of our entire coaching staff and team members,” Bailie stated.

“We are proud of everyone’s accomplishments and hard work this past season.”

Through his time as Thunderbirds head coach, Bailie won 29 games and lost 13 for a near .700 winning percentage. Following the Lakota schism of 1997, Bailie chose to become the head coach at East, while Larry Cox became the head coach at Lakota West.

“It was so long ago [that the reason I chose

“

Bailie Resigns as Head Coach

Before coming to Lakota, Coach Bailie had an overall record of 63-48.

East] is difficult to remember,” Bailie says. “A lot of [my decision] had to deal with the coaches that were coming. There was also something about teaching positions and who’s in line for seniority. Either [of the schools] would have been fine; they both had an even draw on kids who would be attending. It was not as big a deal as people were making it.”

Bailie spent the next 13 years coaching the Thunderhawk football program, leading them to one share of a GMC Championship, as well

At Lakota High School, Bailie won the 1995 GMC coach of the year as well as the Division I Co-Coach of the year.

During his four seasons coaching at the old Lakota High School, coach Bailie had a record of 29-13.

“He got kids ready for life,” Brady says. “It wasn’t always about football all the time. In this day and age, kids need a guy like Greg Bailie.

There is not enough discipline nowadays. He was a very disciplined kind of guy in everything he did.”

According to Brady, no one player was given special privilege under Bailie’s regime.

“He treated everybody fairly,” Brady says.

“He joked around with most everybody. If someone came in with an earring, no matter who they were, they were getting it taken away.”

While Brady believes everyone was treated fairly, he will not deny that inevitably some players will not get the attention they want week to week.

“He had to get the offense ready for the next week; that’s just the nature of sports,” Brady says. “He was a varsity coach and some of the [junior varsity players] may not have gotten as much hands-on treatment.”

Bailie has touched hundreds of lives as head football coach, arguably one of the most peopleoriented jobs in high school sports. He will not be coaching the Thunderhawks next season,

but Bailie will remain an educator and assistant athletic director, according to East Athletic Director Richard Bryant.

“He is a great man and a good coach,” Bryant says regarding Bailie’s resignation. “[Bailie’s] position as head coach is considered a supplemental contract, which are done on a one-year basis and must be renewed each year.

I had planned on renewing his contract [as head coach] if he had not resigned.”

While the loss of a head coach is never a positive thing, some players are looking forward to a fresh start with a new head coach. One such player is junior right tackle Scott Duncan.

“Bailie was a good man who did a lot of good things for Lakota and student athletes,” Duncan says. “But I believe it is time for a change. It is time East gets back to being feared, not looked at as a cupcake opponent.”

However, junior defensive back/wide receiver Stephen Sensel is unsure of how he feels regarding Bailie’s resignation is.

“I have mixed feelings,” Sensel says. “It was a rough season, but it’s never good losing a head coach. But I do want a fresh start to try to get back to winning games. There was no doubt I would be playing next season. I’ve been playing since second grade. Regardless of the head coach or the record, I’ll be playing.”

Although Sensel is confident he will be on the field next year, junior running back/kick returner JD Whetsel is not so sure.

“Right now I’m on the fence,” Whetsel says.

“I was planning on not playing and focusing more on baseball, but now I’m on the fence.”

Senior defensive lineman Brogan Murphy believes that a change is in order for Hawk football. “[Bailie’s] time is over, and it’s time for a new head coach,” Murphy says. “It will be good for the team to get a fresh start with a new coach.”

Although he will not be playing next season, Murphy hopes to see an increase in team camaraderie.

“There was definitely not enough team bonding,” Murphy says. “At times it seemed like Bailie didn’t talk to us as a team but would individually pick us out.”

Other than remaining at East as an educator and assistant athletic director, Bailie is not sure what else is coming in the future.

“I don’t feel worn out or tired or exhausted or all those things the other guys say,” Bailie says. “Whenever you look at these decisions these guys make on TV, a lot of time and a lot of effort goes into that decision.”

As far as what he will do without football,

Bailie seems confident that there will not be a lull.

When one resigns from a position he has held for 17 years, there are bound to be regrets.

Bailie is not so sure he has any.

“I always liked to do this differently or do that differently, but as for any regrets? Zero,” Bailie says. “I’ve always said that if you tell Lakota kids to get in a three-point stance, they do. I’ve had the pleasure of working with a lot of great coaches. If I had to choose a regret, I would have liked to get more shots at the playoffs. We had playoff shots that didn’t get through.”

The last opportunity East had to make the playoffs was in 2004, when the team was undefeated at 9-0, heading into a final game with Mason for the right to go to the playoffs.

East lost that game on field goals in overtime and missed out on the playoffs despite winning a share of the GMC title.

“In that game, one of our most dependable backs ever, Paul Bowen, fumbled,” Bailie says.

“We had some very good players and it was a very good game. That night we got beat. You always got games where your kids don’t put out, but Mason was not one of those games. If I thought about it, there are maybe two where that occurred. I’ve always thought we played the best possible.”

Although he is no longer the head coach, Bailie has always seen the way Lakota fills vacant, upper echelon positions as a positive for the district.

“One thing I’ve always been happy about in Lakota is that when Linda Brown left as athletic director, they hired Jim Rouff,” Bailie says.

“When he retired, they hired Rich Bryant. The people in Lakota are among the best you can find.”

At 57, Bailie still runs four to six miles at three every morning. Needless to say, Bailie believes he is perfectly capable of anything.

“I don’t think I’m too old,” Bailie says. “I’ve always said ‘I hate yardwork and golf makes me mad.’ I doubt if I can figure bridge out. If you throw the cards across the table, I’m pretty sure you’d get kicked out.”

As he prepares for working full-time as an educator and administrator without football, Bailie acknowledges a feat not commonly seen in high school coaches.

“If you study the game, study coaching, I can think of schools that in the last 10 years have had four different head coaches,” Bailie says.

“I’ve been privileged to be here.”

No matter what the future holds for this coach, Brady believes that his friend will

Coaching for East, Bailie was named the 2004 GMC Co-Coach of the Year

From 1997-2009, Coach Bailie had a record of 63-67 coaching for Lakota East.

sports l the legacy continue coaching.

“I know he’ll coach somewhere,” Brady says “He’s too valuable not to coach somewhere.”

Bailie has been a head coach for 27 years and with a career win-loss record of 155-128, it is hard to argue with Brady’s assessment.

Search for a New Coach

G

reg Bailie’s resignation as head coach has forced the East athletic department to begin the search for a new leader of the Thunderhawk football program.

Beginning after Bailie’s resignation on Nov. 17, East Athletic Director Richard Bryant has been accepting applications, both formally and informally, to fill Bailie’s position. Applications, which consisted of letters of interest or cover letters, a resume and a list of references, were accepted until midnight on Dec. 4. Interest was received from as far away as Capistrano, CA, nearly 2216 miles from Liberty Township, and as close to home as East’s district rival, Lakota West, just five miles away from East.

“We’re looking for an experienced coach with proven success,” Bryant says. “This is a highprofile position and we’ve received resumes and letters of interest from all across the country.”

According to Bryant, the extensive application process will last over a month.

“We hope to have a new head football coach by early to mid-January,” Bryant says.

For two weeks prior to the application deadline, Bryant conducted three focus groups, each consisting of either parents, coaches or seniors from this year’s team. From these focus groups, Bryant was able to ascertain what the community is looking for in a head coach.

“I’ve met with three groups who have a vested interest in the new coach and, surprisingly, what they are looking for is almost identical,” Bryant says. “These are attributes we want to see in the new head coach. These aren’t necessarily what weren’t there, because many of them were.”

The focus groups held no discussion of Bailie or the past season, according to Bryant.

However, last season is still weighing heavily on the mind of some of the staff.

“I’m not ready to comment [on the new head coach] just yet,” says Bailie’s personal friend and defensive coordinator Ed Brady. “I’m still trying to get over this past season.”

Not only is the athletic department looking for someone with proven success, but there are many other aspects to be taken into consideration, such as “an alignment of the program from grades 7-12,” meaning the same system or scheme will be run at all levels.

“We’re looking for someone with a strong commitment to not only the students but also the program, school and community,” Bryant says. “We want someone who is a motivator, passionate, a strong communicator, goal-

oriented and has experience and past success with a strength and conditioning program.”

Bryant stresses the players being on the same page in all aspects of the football program from the junior high level up to the varsity team.

“I’m very interested in making sure the junior schools are aligned with what we’re doing at the high school,” Bryant says. “You need to have everybody on the same page.”

Although the focus groups yielded similar results, Bryant has his own personal view of what a head coach should be.

“In my mind, I need someone who’s going to promote East football at all levels, from within East, the GMC, Cincinnati and Ohio.” Bryant says.

Whoever takes up the mantle as head coach next season, Bryant feels secure that the program will be successful.

“I have no doubt that the new coach, whoever it might be, will take steps in a positive direction,” Bryant says. “With the student athletes we have in the building, I see no reason why we cannot have a successful football program.”

Players, such as junior right tackle Scott Duncan, also have specific aspects they are looking for in a head coach.

“Youth and charisma are the biggest things for me, someone with new ideas,” Duncan says.

“I want someone who’s energetic, who will yell at a referee for his players. Someone I can be

infographic tyler castner

Lakota East Head Football Coach applicant Pool

applicant’s Name Steve Bartlett Mark Blaesser David Brausch Michael Buckenmeyer Keith Castner Jackie Cooper Daniel Dennis Doug Frye Gregory Gibson Carlton Gray Kent Grider Greg Hacker Rick Haynes Chris Hodnett Randy Hubbard Rusty Hubbard Melvin Jenkins Paul Jenne Calvin Johnson Christopher Majors Kent McCullough Michael Schatzer Nick Schmidt David Sedmak Ryan Slabaugh Kenneth Stamm Roy Thobe Jeff Wadl Guy Westmoreland Victor Whiting Barry Wulf

52 | Spark | December 18, 2009

Current/Former Position Head Coach Head Coach Head Coach Offensive Coordinator Asst. Coach/RB/Spec. Coordinator Asst. Head Coach Asst. Coach Former Head Coach Head Coach Defensive Coordinator Former Head Coach Asst. Coach Asst. Coach/Offensive Line Asst. Coach Co-Defensive Coordinator Co-Defensive Coordinator Defensive Coordinator Head Coach Asst. Coach Co-Offensive Coordinator/WR Coach Asst. Coach Head Coach Offensive Cooridinator Former Head Coach Asst. Coach Offensive Coordinator Head Coach Asst. Head Coach/Offensive Line Asst. Coach/Wide Receivers Head Coach Head Coach

Current/Former School Carroll HS Gull Lake HS (Kalamazoo, MI) Clermont Northeastern HS Kings HS St. Xavier HS John Ebret HS (Marrero, LA) Norwood HS St. Mary’s Memorial HS San Juan Hills HS (Capistrano, CA) Lakota West HS Franklin City HS (Brookville, IN) Bowling Green HS (Anderson, SC) Thomas Moore College Averett University Lockland HS Lockland HS Bloomingdale HS (Valrico, FL) Western Hills HS Winton Woods HS Moeller HS Rogers HS (Bentonville, AR) South Stanly HS (Norwood, NC) McNicholas HS Mason HS Stuebenville HS Purcell Marian HS Fairborn HS Lakota West HS Lakota West HS Northwest HS (Massillon, OH) Wilmington College

additional information provided by richard bryant

Inside the mind of a Head Coach

infograpic logan schneider

personable with.”

Junior running back and kick returner JD Whetsel agrees with this sentiment.

“I’m looking for some change of pace, some excitement, maybe open up the playbook a little bit,” Whetsel says. “I want some excitement during pregame, getting the mood more psyched.

The new coach should have confidence in us.”

Junior defensive back and wide receiver Stephen Sensel believes the new coach should be more involved. “[The new coach] should bond more with the players,” Sensel says. “The head coach needs to be more in touch with his players to know what plays to call.”

John Brady, Ed Brady’s son, played middle linebacker for the Thunderhawks this past season. John is not deterred by the change.

“I’m a player. That’s my role. The coaching situation will sort itself out,” John says. “I’ll play for whoever is coaching, and I will play for the guys around me.

After the deadline for application had passed and focus groups had concluded, Bryant and East Principal Dr. Keith Kline were set to review the applicants. Bryant organized the applicants based on a format consisting of the applicant’s name, position on staff the previous season and the school for which they coached. The first round of interviews took place Dec. 9-10. Final interviews took place Dec. 17. According to Bryant, deliberation over the final decision will occur over the holiday break with a new head coach for the Thunderhawks being in place by mid-January.

The current coaching staff is not guaranteed to have a position in the upcoming fall. Staffing decisions will be at the discretion of the new head coach, Bryant says. As a “professional courtesy, the new head coach will always take a look at the former staff.”

x

Teaching

x

Practice During the week there are

x x

Game day

No time off, works a full 6 period schedule.

3-4 hour practices that include watching film and lifting weights.

Busy from 2:24-10:30 pm.

x

Transportation

x

Staff management

x

The coach is in charge of transportation for all away games.

Oversees eight varsity and junior varsity assistants, three freshmen, and eight junior high coaches.

Budget management

The coach has a $13,500 budget.

Funding all other school sports

All money that is earned at the gates goes into a fund that is separated between all other sports at Lakota East. These make up a significant portion of the total.

“We have some very strong assistant coaches,” Bryant says. “They not only work in the building, but they also coach. They would be very good candidates to be on staff next year.”

Bailie agrees.

“They’re very loyal, dedicated guys,” Bailie says. “Whoever [is chosen as head coach] has some ideas, their own philosophy, people he’s worked with in the past. They have plans they’ve worked very hard on.”

Bryant’s decision for the new head coaching position will come from a very diverse applicant pool. By the Dec. 4 deadline, Bryant received 31 applications from eight states. The applicant list also included three candidates who have coached at Thomas Moore College, Averett University and Wilmington College. 24 applicants came from in-state, three of them from Lakota West, and two brothers, Co-Defensive Coordinators Randy and Rusty Hubbard, came from Lockland High School. Eight of the applicant’s schools went to the state playoffs.

A list of six final candidates has some familiar names.

Among the list of candidates is East Honors Algebra II teacher Michael Buckenmeyer, who was the Offensive Coordinator for the Knights of Kings High School, a state playoff team. As the only member of East personnel to apply, Buckenmeyer declined to comment on his prospects in the search for the new East coach.

Also on the list is Rick Haynes, father of East junior Katy Haynes, who spent the last season as an Assistant Coach and offensive line coach for Thomas Moore College. Haynes also declined comment.

The remaining candidates are Carlton Gray of Lakota West, Roy Thobe of Fairborn, Victor Whiting of Northwest High School in Massilon, OH and Barry Wulf of Wilmington College.

Even though the district has announced that

it will not hire any new teachers, Bryant does not see Buckenmeyer and Gray as having an advantage.

“The six people on that list have an equal opportunity,” Bryant says. “I need to make sure that I get the best available coach for our kids that will work into the entire Lakota system.

Is [teaching within the district] ideal? Yes. Is it mandatory? Absolutely not.”

According to Bailie, the list is a good crop of candidates.

“Every one of the candidates, I’ve seen them at clinics, practices,” Bailie says. “They’re at the forefront of things. These are guys I’ve known for a long time. They’re dedicated coaches.”

No coach from the 2009 staff applied to replace Bailie as the head coach for East football.

Bailie believes that his time has passed, but will not withhold advice if it is asked of him.

“Whoever it is, he’s got his own thoughts and philosophies. I’ll give advice if asked,” Bailie says. “We’ve got good classes coming. Our seniors are better than people think. They’re very bright and very committed. There is a core to being successful.”

Bailie knows from experience what it can be like when a former head coach is overbearing following the hiring of an heir.

“When I first started coaching, I was a new guy,” Bailie says. “It seemed like the old guy never went away. If you go, you go. To try to run [the new coach] down and give them my two cents worth is arrogant. If I’m asked, I’ll answer.

Otherwise I won’t butt in.”

However, Bailie does have one piece of wisdom he wishes to impart.

“It’s not a five-day-a-week job. It’s a 365-day job,” Bailie says. “If [head coaches] were paid in hours or minutes, we’d all be driving big cars.

Nothing against them, but there are some guys who just don’t want to do it.” n

53 | Spark | December 18, 2009

Buy your subscription today!

ONLY $15!

Younglife will start back up with

All-City Club

at The Underground on January 25

Stop by room 118 for more information

Are you interested in advertising with Spark?

Take this opportunity to reach over 2,000 high school students and 1,000 subscribers Contact us at sparkbusiness@gmail.com or (513) 759-8615 ext. 15118

Spark

Get

your deposit in now and

receive

$50

off!

SUMMER CAMP

SHARPTOP June 26-July 4

Spark

ANNUAL COLLEGE BOWL GUIDE Will Tebow cry SWEET tears in the SUGAR BOWL?

December 18, 2009

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

THE TIDE & TEXAS Will McCoy’s fourth-year gamble pay off?

SEEING RED:

Oregon & Ohio State duel in the colosseum OHIO STATE: looks to redeem it’s

POWER HOUSE REPUTATION 55 | Spark | December 18, 2009 OSU’s Terrelle Pryor.

All photos used with written permission from University of Texas and University of Alabama

3

1

6

2

4

5

8

7

1. Rolando Mclain, LB 2. Colt McCoy, QB 3. Mark Ingram, RB 4. Mark Ingram, RB 5. Colt McCoy, QB 6. Sergio Kindle, DE 7. Chykie Brown, CB 8. Tariq Allen, LB; Chykie Brown, CB; Trevor Walker, QB

Tide to Roll Through Texas T

hough the Texas Longhorns had a less than stellar showing against Nebraska in the Big 12 title game, they have landed themselves in the BCS National Championship game, which will be played on Jan. 7 at 5 p.m. The Alabama Crimson Tide will meet the Longhorns in Pasadena, California to fight for their first national championship since 1992.

Both teams have Heisman hopefuls—quarterback Colt McCoy of the Longhorns and Heisman Trophy-nominated running back Mark Ingram of the Crimson Tide. Both teams finished their seasons undefeated. Both teams gave their fans cause for doubt—for Texas, its one-point victory over Nebraska; for Alabama, its last-minute drive against Auburn. But in the end, both teams have prevailed to win their respective conference titles and earn a place in the biggest game of the season.

In the 2009 season, the Alabama offense was ranked 40th in the NCAA. Junior quarterback Greg McElroy passed for an average of 188.5 yards per game with 60.8 percent accuracy, earning a quarterback rating of 138.7.

The team as a whole earned an average of 197.9 yards passing per game and rushed for an additional 215.8 yards per game, 1,429 of which were contributed by Ingram. The Crimson Tide earned a total of 2,573 yards passing and 2,806 yards rushing in regular season play.

Ranked 11th in the NCAA, the Longhorns’ offense passed for a total of 3,636 yards and rushed for an additional 1,985 yards. The team averaged 279.9 yards passing and 152.7 yards rushing per game. McCoy passed for an average of 270.2 yards per game, completing 70.5 percent of his passes.

He rushed for 348 yards this season, as opposed to McElroy’s 100 yards, and earned a quarterback rating of 152.9. Although he faltered near the end of the Longhorns’ battle against Nebraska, McCoy comes out on top when compared to McElroy.

Defensive back Javier Arenas leds the Alabama special teams as return specialist, along with punter P.J. Fitzgerald, snapper Brian Selman and place kicker Leigh Tiffin, who has contributed 125 points this season.

The Texas special teams is led by wide receiver D.J. Monroe, the only player in Longhorn history to return two kickoffs for touchdowns in a career, and wide receiver Jordan Shipley, the only player in Texas history to score touchdowns by reception, kickoff and punt return in the same season.

56 | Spark | December 18, 2009

The strength of both the Alabama and Texas programs comes from their defense, ranked third and fifth respectively.

Throughout the season, Alabama kept its opponents to an average of 11 points per game. The Alabama defense shut down the top-ranked offense in the nation, ending Florida’s hopes of back-to-back national championships. Linebacker Rolando McClain led the linebacker corps with 96 total tackles this season.

Led by fifth-year linebacker Roddrick Muckelroy, the Longhorns’ defense limited its opponents to an average of 15.2 points per game. With 959 total tackles, season highlights include Texas’ 10 point defeat of crossstate rivals, Texas A&M. After his first two years at Alabama, coach Nick Saban sustained a record of 110-50-1 as an NCAA head coach. Taking the Crimson Tide from a seven win team in 2007 to undefeated in both 2008 and 2009, Saban produced the largest win increase between seasons in the program’s history.

Saban was named Coach of the Year for the 2008 season.

With the best winning percentage in Longhorns history, coach Mack Brown has a record of 115-26 after 12 consecutive seasons in Austin.

Brown is the recipeint of the 2008 Bobby Dodd National Coach of the Year award and the 2005 Paul W. “Bear” Bryant National Coach of the Year award and has led two separate programs to a Top Five finish.

Neither team is unfamiliar with bowl games—both Texas and Alabama have more bowl game appearances than any other schools, 106 appearances combined (including 2009).

With 49 bowl games under their belt, the Longhorns have a 25-21-2 record in bowl games. Texas has won each of its last five bowl appearances, including victories over Michigan (2004) and USC (2005) in the Rose Bowl, Iowa (2006) in the Alamo Bowl, Arizona State (2007) in the Holiday Bowl, and Ohio State (2008) in the Fiesta Bowl.

The Crimson Tide has a record of 31-22-3, and has appeared in 57 bowl games—more than any other team. Three of its 22 losses were sustained in the last five years. Alabama was defeated by Minnesota in the 2004 Music City Bowl, Oklahoma State in the 2006 Independence Bowl, and Utah in the 2008Sugar Bowl. These losses were seperated by a 13-10 win over Texas Tech in the 2005 Cotton Bowl and a 30-24 victory over Colorado in the 2007 Independence Bowl.

Terrence Cody, DL

BAMA

Although the UC Bearcats rallied from 21 points behind to win the Big East title and the Texas Christian University (TCU) Horned Frogs, the only team ranked in the top six in both total defense and total offense, finished their seasons undefeated, neither team expected to play in the BCS National Championship game. But TCU and UC fans felt a glimmer of hope as they watched Texas’ offense struggle through the Big 12 championship game. While Nebraska had control for most of the game, a malicious kickoff after a Nebraska score gave the Longhorns a short field to deal with. On the next play, a horse collar tackle by Nebraska gave Texas 15 more yards, putting the team in field goal position. Texas’ place kicker Hunter Lawrence nailed a 46-yard field goal, leading his team to a national championship berth.

Texas pulled ahead in the Harris and coaches polls to score the second place position in the final BCS standings. Before even thinking about beating Alabama, the Texas Longhorns will have to prove to America that they belong in the national title game. A one point victory due to a lastminute field goal is not a performance one would expect in a national title contender’s final game. Texas will need to put on quite a show to affirm that it is worthy of being the second ranked team in all of college football.

Writer’s Prediction: While McCoy should outpower Alabama’s McElroy, Ingram will give the Texas defense a run for its money.

Each team has key offensive playmakers, but also a rock-solid defense. The end result of this match-up will be dependent on each of these highly ranked defenses’ ability to hold the other off. While Texas possesses the superior offense, as the only team to shut down Tim Tebow and the Florida Gators, Alabama’s defense will reign supreme over the Longhorns. As the old adage says, “Offense wins games, but defense wins championships.” Score: 31-14 n -Kaity Conner

vs.

TEX

Passing

ü ü

Led by quarterback Colt McCoy, the Longhorns pass for an average of 279.9 yards per game, 3,636 total yards this season. McCoy led the team to victory on a last minute field-goal drive in its game against Nebraska.

Rushing

The Crimson Tide offense rushes for an average of 215.8 yards per game, most of which were contributed by running back Mark Ingram who netted 1,542 yards total. Backup Trent Richardson was reliable in the red-zone with six touchdowns.

Defense

The Alabama defense defeated the number one offense in the nation, Florida to secure the SEC conference title. With an average point allowance of only 15.2, Alabama’s defense will limit the Texas offense’s mobility.

Special Teams

ü

ü

Under the leadership of Jordan Shipley and D.J. Monroe, the Texas special teams prove to be a threat.

There is no doubt that place-kicker Hunter Lawrence can make kick in the clutch as he proved during Texas’ game against Nebraska. His 88 percent accuracy scored 126 points for Texas this season.

ü

Overall

The Crimson Tide defense will prove stronger than Heisman contender Colt McCoy and the Longhorn offense. With a first-rate rushing game and a respectable pass offense, Alabama should be the clear winner.

57 | Spark | December 18, 2009

sports l bowl guide

Rose Bowl

Oregon Ducks photo used with written permission from oregon media services/eric evans

photo used with written permission from Zach Tuggle Lantern Photographer

Ohio State Buckeyes

Jan. 1 on ABC at 5 p.m.

DeVier Posey, WR

T

he Big 10 champion Ohio State University Buckeyes and the Pac 10 champion Oregon University Ducks will meet for the first time since 1987 in the 96th edition of the Rose Bowl.

This will be Ohio State and Oregon’s 8th meeting all-time.

Ohio State leads the series 7-0.

However, this will be the first time the teams have met when both have been ranked in the top 10.

The seven-ranked Ducks will enter the Rose Bowl with resounding momentum coming off of a last-second victory against instate rival Oregon State in the ‘Civil War.’ Oregon overcame a ninepoint third-quarter deficit to beat Oregon State 37-33. This victory earned the team an automatic ticket to the Rose Bowl.

The eighth-ranked Buckeyes clinched the Big-10 title and a Rose Bowl birth after their season-ending victory over rival Michigan. The Buckeyes will enter the Rose Bowl on a five game winning streak, with three of them over Big 10 schools.

The Ducks rebounded quickly from a rocky start against Boise State under first-year head coach Chip Kelly. After the Ducks’ 8-19 loss, senior running back LeGarrette Blount punched a Boise State player, making the highlight reel for weeks to come. He was suspended until the last game of the season, leaving room for freshman redshirt running back LaMichael James to step in. James has since become a key component to Oregon’s explosive offense. In the game against Oregon State, James rushed for 166 yards and

58 | Spark | December 18, 2009

Ohio State looks to redeem itself after three straight bowl game losses. three touchdowns, moving him into second place on Oregon’s single season rushing list. Blount also contributed to the win against Oregon State and could be a big factor in the Rose Bowl.

The Buckeyes have faltered twice this year under eighth-year coach Jim Tressel, in losses against USC and Purdue. They have been inconsistent all year with a near loss to Navy in the season opener. It took an overtime effort for the Buckeyes to defeat Big10 powerhouse Iowa in a 24-27 win. Ohio State demonstrated its explosive run game, with 255 yards on the day. Brandon Saine led the running efforts with 103 yards, and Boom Herron followed close behind with 97.

OSU

The teams are close to evenly matched on the ground. Ohio State’s run defense is ranked sixth, while Oregon’s run game ranks sixth. The Buckeyes have also run the ball well this season, averaging only 199 yards per game, while Oregon’s run defense has allowed 329 yards per game.

In the end, the quarterbacks could be the deciding factor in who comes out triumphant. Oregon’s quarterback Jeremiah Masoli is a Junior College transfer who has stepped up and been consistent throughout the season. He has amassed a quarterback rating of 138 with five interceptions. OSU quarterback Terrelle Pryor, who was heavily recruited by Oregon, has been inconsistent, with a

vs Passing

OU

Oregon’s consistent pass offense will dominate Ohio State’s secondary throughout the game.

Pryor will play safe in the passing game.

ü ü ü ü

LaMichael James, RB

Rushing With a combination of Boom Herron and Terelle Pryor, Ohio State will control the rushing game throughout.

Defense

Oregon will not be able to contain Ohio State’s constant rushing attack. Tired defensive lineman will allow for big runs.

Special Teams

Ohio State’s field goal kicking is usually on target. Combined with significant return yards on the season, OSU had the upper hand.

Overall

Ohio State will be victorious due to Oregon’s lack of defensive agility. When combined with its defense OSU is the clear winner.

ü

quarterback rating of 128 and 10 interceptions on the season.

Ohio State will enter the game with hopes of breaking the curse that has been upon the Big 10 for the past five years. The Big 10 has not won a BCS bowl game since 2003, and Ohio State’s bowl appearances since the turn of the century have been failed efforts.

The Buckeyes have not won a bowl since 2005 in the Fiesta Bowl in 2005. A year later, they were humiliated in a 41-14 loss in the National Championship against Florida. The Rose Bowl is a chance for the Buckeyes to prove that they and the Big 10 have what it takes to win under the pressure of a national stage.

Writers Prediction: Although Ohio State has not had bowl success in recent years, they could have their chance against Oregon.

Look for Pryor to step up in a big way. OSU’s recent bowl losses will serve as motivation to turn their luck around. Ohio State’s superior defense should contain Oregon’s offense to have a low-scoring game, and Oregon’s defense will not be able to control Ohio State’s high-powered running game.

Although Oregon is coming into the game with strong momentum, Ohio State will come out on top because of a combination of offensive production and defensive containment. Oregon’s inability to handle the run leaves OSU on top, 23-13.

- Sarah Fanning

Allstate Sugar Bowl

Cincinnati Bearcats photo used with written permission from mctcampus.com

photo used with written permission from florida university

Florida Gators

Jan. 1 on FOX at 8:30 p.m.

Tim Tebow, QB

W

ho would have guessed way back in September, as Cincinnati (UC) prepared to kick off against Rutgers, that UC would end up in the Sugar Bowl against what is historically one of the nation’s greatest powerhouse teams, the Florida Gators.

The nation watched in disbelief as the unranked team rolled through the Big East and slowly crawled up the rankings. Outscoring their opponents by an average of 19 points per game, Brian Kelly and his team proved themselves as one of the top teams in the nation.

With a passing offense like that of Cincinnati, it is tough not to see why the team is in the position it is.

UC has racked up a total of 5,571 total offensive yards compared to their opponents’ 4,203. Between the precision of senior quarterback Tony Pike, along with the wildcat running of redshirt sophomore Zach Collaros, Cincinnati’s offense has not had any trouble getting points on the board.

At the same time, it’s no secret that UC has yet to face a defense with the speed and overall ability of the Florida defense. If UC’s offensive line breaks down and allows Pike to be put under constant pressure like in the recent game against Pittsburgh, the Bearcats’ dynamic offense will become ineffective.

These clash of Florida and UC is also sure to bring out one of the biggest individual match-ups of the season: Cincy WR Mardy Gilyard vs. Florida corner Joe Haden.

Whoever comes out on top is sure

UC to take on Florida in one of the most anticipated games of the college football season.

Mardy Gilyard, WR

to make a huge impact in the game and possibly change the outcome.

But the match-up to look for will be the starting quarterbacks, Cincinnati’s Pike and Florida’s Tim Tebow. Both players have come up in the Heisman talk at one point throughout the season and when they play well, the rest of the team quickly follows.

Looking at the statistics, both players are fairly similar on paper.

Tebow has a completion percentage of 65.2 with a total of 2,413 yards and 18 touchdowns. Pike, who missed three of the games due to an injury during the season, has a completion percentage of 62.8 with a total of 2,350 yards and 26 touchdowns.

Both players have played in BCS

bowl games prior to this season, and it will be interesting to see who will step up in his final game as a collegiate athlete and try to end his career with a win.

But other than the individual match-ups throughout the game, another important factor is whether Florida will be able to regroup from the recent stumble against Alabama. As Florida’s first loss in the past 22 games, even head coach Urban Meyer has commented that his Florida team will have to forget about the loss and begin to focus on playing Cincinnati.

The SEC Championship game will be something the Florida players will want to forget. Florida’s two running backs Jeffery Demps and Chris Rainey were held to only

UF

UC

vs.

Passing

Although both Tebow and Pike have similar numbers, Pike and Gilyard will connect to rack up huge yards in UC’s passing offense.

ü ü

Rushing

Alabama managed to shut down UF’s Demps and Rainey, but UC’s defense isn’t to the same caliber as Alabama and won’t do the same.

Defense

The UC defense has consistantly been the weak point for the UC team. Tim Tebow will look to overpower and dominate throughout the game.

Special Teams

Mardy Gilyard has 15 kick returns for a total of 105 yards. Between his speed and the blocking in front of him, Florida will need to be careful.

ü

ü

Overall

UC has some dangerous threats, but Florida’s all around talent and effort will expose the UC football team and eventually wear them down.

ü

88 yards throughout the entire game.

If the Bearcats defense is able to successfully shut down the running game as Alabama did, the Florida fans will surely have to watch in horror as their Gators lose two games in a row.

Fortunately for those supporting the Gators, Cincinnati’s defense has not been the strong point of the team throughout the year.

Giving up an average of 141 rushing yards per game (118th in the nation) and an average of 209.2 passing yards per game (135th in the nation), viewers saw firsthand in the Big East championship that the only reason UC is undefeated is the consistently high scoring offense.

Writer’s Prediction: Despite being undefeated and higherranked than any other team in the university’s history, Cincinnati all-around isn’t good enough to stay with the powerhouse of Florida.

The senior leadership on this Gators team will ensure that it recovers from the Alabama loss. Expect a high-scoring game, as Cincinnati’s offense will score quickly. But as the patient Gators rack up the time of possession, the UC defense will begin to fatigue and let down. Against an opponent like Florida, Cincinnati’s offense will not be able to bail out its defense. The saying goes that on any given day, any team can win. If they played each other 10 times, UC might win once; but Florida wins 45-35.

- Matt Fleming

59 | Spark | December 18, 2009

sports l bowl guide

Fed-Ex Orange Bowl

Iowa Hawkeyes photo used with permission from iowa sports information

photo used with written permission from www.ramblinwreck.com

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

Jan. 5 on FOX at 8 p.m.

Derrick Morgan, DE

W

hen the at-large bid was made for the FedEx Orange Bowl, after its committee’s automatic bid of Georgia Tech (GT), it pitted the ninth-ranked Yellow Jackets against the 10th-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes in the 75th rendition of the postseason game. When Georgia Tech’s 11th-ranked offense goes up against Iowa’s 10th-ranked defense, expect a nail-biting affair.

GT’s offense features junior quarterback Josh Nesbitt, who compiled a total of 28 touchdowns (17 rushing) while only allowing four interceptions through the 2009 season. To add to the success of its rushing game, the team split carries between two first-rate running backs. Junior Jonathon Dwyer’s 1,236 yards contributed 12 rushing touchdowns to the team’s 46. The rest of the help at RB came from junior Anthony Allen, whose 9.8 yard-per-rush average added five rushing touchdowns to the total. However, with only nine touchdowns through the air, the team’s ability to move quickly down field is questionable. The Yellow Jackets’ opportunity to move the chains may be crippled by a weak passing offense, which only amassed 129.4 yards per game, less than half of the team’s total YPG. Impairing GT’s inefficient passing offense even more will be U of I’s top-10 defense which only gave up 287 yards and just under 16 points per game. Iowa’s defense impressed its critics by not allowing a single touchdown to Iowa State and holding Minnesota’s offense to no points. Nesbitt, who is used to

60 | Spark | December 18, 2009

Georgia Tech to escape with close victory in battle of strong offense vs. strong defense. playing offensive-minded Atlantic Coast Conference opponents, will not be used to the elusiveness of Iowa’s secondary, leaving him susceptible to early interceptions.

Even so, GT may run all over Iowa.

The Hawkeyes placed sixth in the Big 10 in rush defense, and against a team that busted more than 40 touchdown runs, that will not cut it.

The game will get ugly when Iowa’s offense comes onto the field.

Junior quarterback Ricky Stanzi will man the Hawkeye offense which he led to 15 passing touchdowns.

Still, his frequent passing resulted in almost the same amount of interceptions, fourteen, not to mention the fact that he will be play for the first time in three games after sustaining a sprained ankle in

GT ü

ü

the Northwestern game. A lack of consistent passing production will limit Iowa’s offensive mobility. In spite of a mediocre passing offense, Iowa’s rushing offense performed just as poorly. The team placed 103rd nationally in rushing average.

Still, a defense that allowed Florida State (6-6) 44 points will not do much to hold the Hawkeyes off.

With GT having allowed more than 350 yards per game, it is hard to believe that U of I’s offense will be completely ineffective, especially if it can play to the level that it did in its 18 point trouncing of Indiana.

With a 31-10 win over South Carolina in last year’s Outback Bowl, it seems as if Iowa will run away with this year’s Orange Bowl.

But last year’s performance did not

vs.

Passing

IOWA

Even though both sides are unproductive in the passing game, Georgia tech has the upper hand with a lower Touchdown to Interception ratio.

Rushing

Georgia Tech’s high yardage per game and frequent scoring in terms of rushing will trump Iowa’s defense.

Defense

Iowa is the clear better choice in terms of defense. It allows less yards per game and is GT’s polar opposite in points allowed.

ü ü

Marvin McNutt, WR

Special Teams

With place kicking averages just above 70 percent, neither team can rely heavily on field goal kicking. GT averages more return yards.

Overall

Georgia Tech’s offense is simply too much for Iowa’s defense to handle. Better passing and rushing by GT will lead to an offensive victory.

ü

include a freshman running back on the Hawkeyes’ side like this year’s will. The Hawkeyes lost Big Ten MVP Shonn Green, who scored three touchdowns in last year’s bowl, to the NFL draft. Without a star running back and with an only minimally productive quarterback it is hard to see how Iowa will score.

While Iowa was able to handle its last postseason opponent in blowout fashion, Georgia Tech was on the other side of things. The Yellow Jackets were hammered in a 38-3 debacle, but GT faced Louisiana State, a reputable opponent with an offense that stayed atop the SEC last year. This year, the team will play against a low-ranked offense on a lowercaliber team. Also, the team has allowed much of its offense to mature, with a junior quarterback and two junior running backs. Even so, defense will still be an issue for GT as it was in the team’s last bowl game.

Writer’s Prediction: Even though Iowa’s offense has been unproductive throughout the year, it has been a trend for Georgia Tech to allow points early. Don’t be surprised if the trend continues. That being said, the Yellow Jackets will run all over Iowa throughout the game. Still, against such a weak defense, Iowa will find ways to score too. The offense will come to the rescue for the inept GT defense. In a gut-wrenching finish, GT’s ability to score at its own leisure will put its team on top by a score of 24-21.

- Faiz Siddiqui

Tostitos Fiesta Bowl

Boise State Broncos photo used with written permission from boise state university

photo used with written permission from texas christian university

Texas Christian Horned Frogs

Jan. 4 on FOX at 8 p.m.

Brandon Cook, WR

O

n Jan. 7 in Glendale, Arizona history will be made when, for the first time ever, two undefeated teams will play in a BCS bowl that is not the national championship game.

The No. 3 Texas Christian University (TCU) Horned Frogs and the No. 6 Boise State Broncos will meet in the 39th Fiesta Bowl.

Mountain West champion TCU (12-0) earned an automatic bid to become a BCS buster for the first time in school history.

Western Athletic Conference (WAC) champ Boise State (13-0) became the first team from a nonautomatic qualifying conference to receive an at-large bid.

The Horned Frogs and Broncos played in the Poinsettia Bowl last season. TCU won 17-16 to hand Boise State its only loss of the season.

With the way both of these teams attack offensively, this will be one for the record books. Boise State has the nation’s highestscoring attack, averaging 44.1 points per game, while TCU ranks fourth at 40.7 points per game.

The undefeated Horned Frogs will settle for a trip to the desert for their BCS debut. TCU opened the regular season with a 30-14 victory at Virginia, and two weeks later the Frogs went to Death Valley and beat Clemson 14-10. Later, the Frogs added resounding victories against Brigham Young (38-7) and Utah (55-28).

With three running backs averaging at least 50 yards per game each, TCU chews up 265.5 rushing yards, ranking them fifth nationally.

TCU’s defense will be able to hold off the Broncos’ top rated QB and his offense.

Jeron Johnson, S

Junior quarterback Andy Dalton ranks fourth nationally in passing efficiency, with 22 touchdowns and only five interceptions in 279 pass attempts. The Horned Frogs offense averages 40.67 points per game and 469.08 yards per game.

TCU is the only team in the country that ranks in the top six in both total defense and total offense.

The Horned Frogs have the best defense in the country, in terms of yardage and points allowed.

They are led by defensive end Jerry Hughes and linebacker Daryl Washington. The defense allows just 23.25 yards per game and is especially tough against the pass.

A key player to watch will be wide receiver Antoine Hicks. He completed his first career 100-

yard receiving game against the University of New Mexico (UNM), along with two more touchdowns in the game. On just 28 touches this season, the sophomore scored 10 touchdowns (six receiving, four rushing). Three of his touchdown receptions this season have gone for 62 or more yards.

Senior All-American defensive end Hughes finished the regular season with 11.5 sacks. He has 28.5 for his TCU career. Washington and fellow linebacker Tank Carder each had double-digit tackle games against UNM; the pair combined for 180 tackles in the season.

The Broncos’ strength of schedule was ranked 94th out of 120th by the NCAA. Boise State kicked off the season with a

TCU

BSU

vs Passing

Moore threw 38 touchdowns, with only three interceptions. While Dalton had 22 touchdowns and only five interceptions.

ü ü ü ü

Rushing Bronco RB Martin averages 6.1 yards per carry but TCU’s offense contains three RBs averaging at least 50 yards per game.

Defense

TCU allows less yards per game and is especially tough against the pass. BSU DE Winterswyk has 8.5 sacks and 16.5 tackles for loss.

Special Teams

Bronco’s place kicker Kyle Brotzman has a 73.9 completion rating but is slightly edged out by TCU place kicker Ross Evans (82.4%).

Overall

Even thought Kellen Moore has proven to be one of the top passers his offsense will be unable to prevail against TCU’s strong defense.

ü

resounding 19-8 victory over 16thranked Oregon, the eventual Pac-10 champion.

Sophomore quarterback Kellen Moore, the nation’s toprated passer, leads the Broncos, completing 64.9 percent of his passes for 3,053 yards and 38 touchdowns, along with throwing three interceptions in 362 pass attempts. Another key member of the dominant Bronco offense is running back Doug Martin. His powerful running translates into his average of 6.1 yards per carry.

The Broncos have shown a weakness against power-run teams dating to last year’s Poinsettia Bowl loss to TCU. The Broncos have great speed and a terrific defensive line, led by defensive end Ryan Winterswyk and defensive tackle Billy Winn. The Broncos are ranked second in defensive turnover margin.

Writer’s Prediction: This might be a controversial matchup, with the two non-Automatic Qualification teams pitted against each other instead of against BCS conference teams they would prefer to prove themselves against, since they faced each other last year. The big match-up here is TCU’s dominant defense versus Boise State’s Offense—No. 1 in the Mountain West in scoring.

Overall, this game will be filled with intense emotion, but in the end, the Horned Frogs defense will wither away at the Broncos’ offensive line. TCU will prevail 35-28.

- Sarah Wilkinson

61 | Spark | December 18, 2009

sports l bowl guide

Capitol One Bowl

Louisiana State Tigers

Jan. 1 on ABC at 1 p.m.

Evan Royster, TB

T

his year’s 64th rendition of the Capital One Bowl, in Orlando, Florida, matches the 10-2 Penn State Nittany Lions against the 9-3 Louisiana State (LSU) Tigers.

Penn State is coming off a twogame winning streak with a 42-14 win at Michigan State and a 31-20 win against Indiana. LSU is coming off a thrilling 33-30 win in overtime against Arkansas.

Penn State is led by senior quarterback Daryll Clark, junior running back Evan Royster and sophomore wide receiver Derek Moye. This year, Clark has thrown for 2,787 yards and 23 touchdowns, Royster has rushed for 1,104 yards and six touchdowns, while Moye amassed 732 yards, receiving with five touchdowns.

As a team, Penn State is outscoring opponents by 214 points and is averaging 29.7 points per game. Along with this, Penn State boasts a strong defense anchored by senior linebacker Josh Hull, who has totaled 110 tackles through twelve games.

As a unit, Penn State’s defense is ranked eight in the NCAA, allowing an average of 11.8 points per game and is ranked 19th in the NCAA, giving up an average of 93.9 rushing yards per game. Penn State finished second in the Big Ten conference behind OSU, with key losses to Iowa and the Buckeyes.

Meanwhile, LSU is looking to avenge its 2005 Capital One Bowl game 30-25 loss to Iowa. LSU is led by sophomore quarterback Jordan Jefferson, senior running

62 | Spark | December 18, 2009

The Big 10-SEC match-up is sure to be a thriller, but Penn State looks to take home win

Bradon LaFell, WR

back Charles Scott and senior wide receiver Brandon LaFell.

Jefferson has thrown for 1,964 yards and 16 touchdowns this season, while Scott has rushed for 542 yards this year with four touchdowns. LaFell has 52 receptions and 10 touchdowns with 705 total yards this season.

The Tigers are ranked as the 120th best offense in the country, scoring an average of 25.5 points per game and ranked 194th in total yards per game with an average of 309.7. LSU’s defense is ranked 12th in the nation and gives up an average of 16 points per game. The Tigers finished in second place in the SEC West standings behind national-title-bound Alabama.

LSU’s three losses on the year came against SEC title game contenders Florida, Alabama and Ole Miss. With a showdown of two teams that have shown dynamic players and plays, both Penn State and LSU still have areas to work on in order to soak up all of the Florida Sun. Penn State, ranked 64th in passing yards per game, will have to improve its pass yards at both ends of the ball to get the dynamic powers of Clark more involved than last year when he led Penn State to the Rose Bowl.

The Lions also need to improve on their pass defense, ranked 62nd with an average of 183.02 yards per game.

PSU

LSU

ü ü ü

vs.

Passing

Daryll Clark has the ability to use sophomore wide receiver Derek Moye to his advantage and he will with Clark’s impressive statistics.

Rushing

Evan Royster has rushed for 1,104 yards with six touchdowns and will test LSU’’s twelfth ranked defense.

Defense

Penn State’s defense is ranked number eight in the NCAA and will be too much to handle for sophomore quarterback Jordan Jefferson.

Special Teams

Trindon Holliday is a dangerous kick returner that can be problem for Penn State, Holliday averages 17.7 yards per return.

ü

Overall

Penn State has the ability to create more big plays at the right time on the field then LSU, with Daryll Clark and an eighth ranked defense.

ü

LSU will have to find a way to get talented senior running back Scott and up-and-coming quarterback Jefferson to score on Penn State’s fourth-ranked defense.

LSU will also have to step up its defense that allows 134.2 rushing yards per game and 192.4 passing yards per game in order to stop running back Royster and wide receiver Moye.

LSU is an inexperienced team that is trying to rebuild following their national championship win in 2008 when the team defeated Ohio State, 38-24.

Writer’s Prediction: Penn State has a more experienced team and it shows through the outstanding leadership of senior Clark and a fourthranked defense in the NCAA. If Penn State can still produce its dominant defense that it has shown all year against LSU, then it can use this weapon to make young quarterback Jefferson uncomfortable. Then Clark and the offense can pick LSU’s defense apart with Clark’s arm and his available weapons, including running back Royster, who has proven he can run at a high level in big games. Penn State has the edge in this game because of its experience and more dynamic players. The Nittany Lions will give the Bayou Bengals trouble on the defensive and offensive side of the ball. Penn State walks away victorious with comfortable 3517 win.

- Brandon Kors

photo used with written permission from louisiana state university

photo used with written permission from Mark Selders/Penn State Athletic Communications

Penn State Nittany Lions

AT&T Cotton Bowl

Ole Miss Rebels photo used with written permission from university of mississippi

photo used with written permission from oklahoma state university

Oklahoma State Cowboys

Jan. 2 on FOX at 2 p.m.

Daytawion Lowe, S

O

n Jan. 2, a hard-fought Cotton Bowl rematch will take place. In 2004, the Oklahoma State (OSU) Cowboys lost to the Rebels of University of Mississippi, more commonly known as Ole Miss, led by Eli Manning, 31-28. This year, the 9-3 Cowboys are seeking revenge upon the 8-4 Rebels in the AT&T Cotton Bowl.

19th-ranked OSU is second in the Big 12 southern division with a conference record of 6-2.

Head coach Mike Grundy has led the Cowboys to success, earning them a Top 10 spot in 2008 for the first time in 20 years. Though his overall record as head coach is 27-23, Grundy has helped OSU continually improve its record over the past five seasons.

Leading the Cowboys’ offense is quarterback Zac Robinson, who has a 135.4 quarterback rating and has 15 touchdowns this season.

He has a completion rating of 61.9 percent, and has thrown eight interceptions. However, Robinson has dealt with a shoulder injury all season. Running back Keith Toston leads the team in touchdowns and yards with a total of 11 touchdowns and 1,177 yards. Wide receiver Hubert Anyiam has an average of 12.2 yards per reception and has 499 total yards. The team had a measly 109 yards in the game against the Oklahoma Sooners, losing 27-0. But the Cowboys had an early victory over Georgia, who was ranked 13th at the time.

Collectively, the Oklahoma State offense has been up and down but mostly positive.

OSU’s defense is equally

Evenly matched Oregon State and Ole Miss will battle it out to a close final. promising. It is led by linebacker Patrick Lavine, who acquired five interceptions this season. The defense ranks sixth in the nation in rushing yards allowed, with an average 87.7 yards per game. It also only allows an average of 21.6 points to be scored. The Cowboys will go into the Cotton Bowl with a 12-7 post-season record.

The Mississippi Rebels’ head coach Houston Nutt has lead the team to a 4-4 record in the SEC this season, but has a record of 17-8 overall since becoming head coach in 2008. The team began the season ranked fourth, but quickly dropped after losing to South Carolina in the SEC opener.

Rebels quarterback Jevan Snead has made 20 touchdowns

OSU ü ü

on the season and has thrown 17 interceptions. His passing completion rate is only 54.3 percent, and his QB rating is a low 127.1. Leading RB Dexter McCluster has had a better performance, scoring six touchdowns and has run for 985 yards. WR Shay Hodge has the highest number of touchdowns scored on the team with a total of eight, and has completed 63 receptions for a total of 1,023 yards. The offense has a record of 405.6 yards per game, and 30.2 points per game on average.

Defensively, Ole Miss has done very well. The Rebels are ranked 17th in points allowed per game (18.6) and 16th in overall passing yards allowed (179 yards).

vs Passing

MISS

Ole Miss quarterback Jevan Snead has thrown 17 interceptions this season and is apt to make mistakes.

Rushing

Cowboys RB Keith Toston has more touchdowns and more yards this season than the Rebels’Dexter McCluster

Defense

The Ole Miss defense is ranked 17th in the nation, only allowing and average 18.6 points scored per game, above Oklahoma State.

ü ü

Dexter McCluster, RB

Special Teams

Oklahoma State has a field goal completion rating of 83.3 percent, while Ole Miss has a 72.2 percent completion rating.

Overall

OSU has a stronger offense less likely to make crucial mistakes, and a defense that can stop Mississippi’s running game.

ü

Defensive end Emmanuel Stephens leads the team in sacks with 5.5 and cornerback Cassius Vaughn has two interceptions this season.

Mississippi has an overall bowl record of 20-12, and has a Cotton Bowl record of 3-1.

Ole Miss and Oklahoma State are very similar offensively. Both teams score an average of 30.2 points per game, and Oklahoma State only leads Ole Miss in rushing yards by 9.6 yards per game. However, Rebels’ QB Snead seems much more likely to make mistakes, considering he has thrown 17 interceptions this season alone, compared to Robinson’s eight.

Oklahoma’s special teams fall behind Mississippi’s, with a field goal completion rating of 72.2 percent compared to the Rebel’s 83.3 percent.

Both defenses lack in some areas while excelling in others.

OSU allows 242.1 passing yards per game, while Ole Miss only allows 179 yards. On the other hand, Oklahoma State only allows 87.7 rushing yards per game, while the Rebels allow 140.3 yards.

Writers Prediction: The 2010 Cotton Bowl is a mustsee game. Ole Miss and OSU are evenly matched, and it will be well fought. The Cowboys are seeking revenge upon Ole Miss for the 2004 Cotton Bowl, and they will get it. With an offense that is unlikely to make mistakes and a defense that can stop the Rebel’s rushing game, Oklahoma State will defeat the Ole Miss in a close win of 24-21.

-Lucy Stephenson

63 | Spark | December 18, 2009

sports l bowl guide

Pacific Life Holiday Bowl

Arizona Wildcats photo used with written permission from arizona athletics

photo used with written permission from the university of nebraska

Nebraska Cornhuskers

Dec. 30 on ESPN at 8 p.m.

Wildcats offense to claim big win against a very defensiveminded Nebraska team.

Ndamukong Suh, DT

L

ike a flashback to 1998, the #22 Arizona Wildcats (8-4) are set to take on the #20 Nebraska Cornhuskers (9-4) in the 32nd annual Pacific Life Holiday Bowl. The 1998 Holiday Bowl featured these same two teams, with Arizona coming out on top, 23-20.

Against national championship participant Texas, Nebraska showed its lack of composure, as penalties from a kick out-ofbounds and a horse-collar tackle lead to Texas’s eventual victory.

This disappointment will negatively affect the Cornhuskers, shaking their confidence beyond repair.

Arizona’s bowl confidence, on the other hand, was acquired last year in its 31-21 win against Boise State in the Las Vegas Bowl. The Wildcats are also fresh off a late season win, further boosting their confidence.

Arizona’s offense also looks to continue their winning streak set by its predecessor. With quarterback Nick Foles passing for 2,420 yards and 19 touchdowns airing it out to nine-touchdownreception wide receiver Juron Criner, the sophomore pair is out to devastate the Cornhuskers’ defense.

Additionally, Foles’ 66.0 completion percentage appears to suggest an imminent Arizona aerial assault success.

Furthermore, in his last game Foles was able to pass for 239 yards and two touchdowns while running for an additional one.

Remarkably, he achieved these stats while enduring a hand injury against the then #18 ranked University of Southern California, making

64 | Spark | December 18, 2009

Luke Adams, R.JNick Foles QBLB

Arizona’s passing game lethal.

With time to heal, only better aerial results can ensue.

In contrast, Nebraska’s junior quarterback Zac Lee has only thrown for 1,970 yards even with one more game than Foles, and has only scored 13 touchdowns, compared to his 10 interceptions.

The Wildcats average 236.8 passing yards per game compared to the Cornhuskers’ 175.9 yards. If Nebraska is to have any shot airing it out against Arizona’s respectable pass defense, Lee will have to step up and lead his team to a victory.

On the ground, the Cornhuskers rely largely on junior Roy Helu to drive the ball between the hashes.

On the other hand, the Wildcats depend on the power of the

dynamic duo of sophomore Keola Antolin and junior Nic Gringsby, who together have rushed for 1,127 yards and nine touchdowns– approximately the same amount as Helu’s 1,139 yards and 10 rushing touchdowns.

The main difference between these two teams’ rushing attacks, however, is their yards per carry.

The Wildcats are much more efficient with the ball. Gringsby averages 7.5 yards every touch, compared to only 5.2 yards for Helu. Even the Wildcats’ Antolin averages more yards per rush than Helu, with 5.5 yards per carry.

Despite this, the rushing ability of these two teams only has a total rushing difference of approximately 27 yards per game.

NEB

ARIZ

vs.

Passing

Quarterback Nick Foles 2,420 pass yards are far superior to Nebraska’s 1,970 pass yards. Foles should be able to handle Nebraska’s defense.

ü ü

ü

Rushing

The Wildcats’ duo at running back produced the same amount of yardage and scoring that Nebraska’s Helu did alone.

Defense

A stronger all around defense than Arizona’s.

Allowed 285 yards-per-game as compared to Arizona’s 315.

Special Teams

ü

Overall

ü

Has a more consistent place kicking game. The advantage in return yards goes to the Wildcats as does the special teams category.

The Cornhuskers will not be able to move the ball through the air as well as Arizona. The offense translates into a W for the Wildcats.

Generally, the defenses of the Big 12 are better than the defenses of the PAC-10. Thus a defense ranked towards the top of the PAC-10 would be ranked in the middle of the Big 12 defenses.

There is no exclusion in the case of the Wildcats and Cornhuskers, as they both have similar defensive strengths, with the Cornhuskers taking the slight lead.

Nebraska’s defense allows an average of 284.5 yards per game compared to the slightly higher 315.8 yards per game allowed by Arizona’s defense. The Cornhuskers’ defense also has seven more interceptions than the Wildcats’ defense, leading Nebraska to more possession of the ball.

Also to Nebraska’s benefit is its bowl experience, as the team actually has a winning bowl record in post-season bowl games. Arizona has only been in 14 bowls and has a record of 6-7-1, compared to Nebraska’s 55 bowls and 23-22 winning record. Experience can only take a team so far, however; other factors influence the bowl success of a team more.

Writer’s Prediction: Nebraska’s defense, though slightly better than Arizona’s, does not have the capability to keep the Wildcats from unleashing their aerial attack with support from the ground.

Arizona will be able to fairly and comfortably hold the Cornhuskers from scoring over 30 points, as the Wildcats crush Nebraska’s Holiday Bowl aspirations 34-24.

- Mason Hood

Konica Minolta Gator Bowl

Florida State Seminoles photo used with written permission from larry novel

photo used with written permission from west virginia university

West Virginia Mountaineers

Jan1. on CBS at 1 p.m..

Noel Devine, DT

T

he 64th annual Konica Minolta Gator Bowl hosts the West Virginia Mountaineers of the Big East Conference against the Florida State University (FSU) Seminoles of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).

The showdown in Jacksonville will be the third time the teams have met, with Florida State prevailing in the two previous match ups.

The Seminoles, 6-6 overall, 4-4 in ACC play, will be forced to rely on their experienced offensive players in order to be victorious in Jacksonville. Rookie quarterback E.J. Manuel will be making his first bowl appearance due to starting quarterback Christian Ponder’s injury. In FSU’s game against Clemson, Ponder suffered a separated right shoulder. Under center, the Seminoles are led by Manuel who passed for 616 yards and two touchdowns. In the Seminoles’ backfield sophomore running back Jermaine Thomas accumulated 711 rushing yards and seven touchdowns.

The Mountaineers (9-3 and a 5-2 conference record) are led by quarterback Jarrett Brown and junior running back Noel Devine.

Brown has passed for 2,129 yards during the regular season for 11 touchdowns. Devine has rushed for 1,297 yards to become the second-ranked rusher in the Big East, and compiled 12 touchdowns.

The 2010 Konica Minolta Gator Bowl will be Seminoles coach Bobby Bowden’s 28th consecutive bowl appearance, which began with the December 1982 Gator Bowl match-up with West Virginia.

Mountaineers’ defense to feast on Bowden and his undeserving Florida State offense.

80-year-old Bowden announced that he will be retiring after Florida State’s bowl game. Bowden has been with the Seminoles for 30 years and, prior to coaching at FSU, coached at West Virginia for six years.

The West Virginia Mountaineers will be making their 8th consecutive bowl appearance and third under Bill Stewart, who was named head coach in January 2008 after leading West Virginia to a 42-28 victory over Oklahoma in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl.

Florida State’s defense has had trouble stopping the run this season, which is good news for Devine. West Virginia’s strong, talented offensive line will help the team be victorious. Devine’s

WVU ü ü

ability to instill fear in defenders in high school has carried over to the collegiate level. His ability to change direction and improvise when a play is collapsing around him is one of the main reasons he is such a threat. West Virginia currently has one of the strongest offenses in the Big East. Even with the loss of wide receiver Jock Sanders, who was convicted of driving under the influence and suspended from play indefinitely, the offense will create a dynamic duo between Brown and Devine.

With Brown’s passing yards, ranked 66th, and Devine’s rushing yards, ranked 19th, the Mountaineers’ offense will be difficult to stop.

With FSU’s redshirt freshman E.J. Manuel, the team will have

vs Passing

FSU

FSU is ranked 17th with passing leaders while WVU 85th. FSU won’t have their key quarterback causing WVU to out-pass FSU.

Rushing

Devine is one of the top rushers in the Big East.

He will outrun and outplay FSU.

Defense

Both teams defense is not the strongest aspect to the team. FSU’s Jamie Robinson is one of the top safety’s he will be a great help to FSU.

ü ü

Justin Bright, S

Special Teams

West Virginia gets the edge with their strong kicker Tyler Bitancurt who scored a 43 yard touch down against Pittsburgh.

Overall

WVU has a strong offense that is a result of their 9-3 record. With the help of Devine and Brown their offense will be unstoppable.

ü

to rely on running back Jermaine Thomas and 83rd-ranked wide receiver Bert Reed. Reed averages 12.2 yards per reception and has 710 total receiving yards. There has been a lot of controversy with FSU going to the Gator Bowl. The ACC rules state that if they do not choose the team with the best record, then they must choose a team within one win of that team.

Under normal circumstances, with a 6-6 record, FSU would have likely fallen to a lower bowl, but the prospect of keeping Bowden for his final game against his former school was too much for the Gator Bowl to ignore.

Writer’s Prediction: With FSU’s mediocre record of 6-6, the Seminoles should not be in the Gator Bowl. However, because it is Bowden’s last year as the Seminoles’ head coach, the Gator Bowl Association decided to invite FSU. Overall, Florida State has a weak offense, with its rookie quarterback and inexperienced running back. FSU’s pathetic offense will make it very hard for them to score against West Virginia’s experienced defense.

West Virginia’s duo with Jarrett Brown’s strong arm and agility and running back Noel Devine’s capability of turning plays into touchdowns will lead the Mountaineers.

West Virginia defense is ranked 62nd nationally, giving it a glimpse of hope. Sorry Coach Bowden, West Virginia will overpower FSU 35-13.

-Anjana Jagpal

65 | Spark | December 18, 2009

sports l bowl guide

Brut Sun Bowl

Oklahoma Sooners photo used with written permission from oklahoma university

photo used with written permission from stanford university

Stanford Cardinal

Dec. 31 on CBS at 2 p.m.

Toby Gerhart, RB

T

oby Gerhart will direct the flow of this year’s Sun Bowl.

The workhorse Stanford running back and Heisman candidate has bruised his way to 144.7 yards per game this season and 26 touchdowns. His unique physical style of running makes opposing coaches cringe and makes defenses plan their whole game around him Who can stop Toby Gerhart?

Head coach Bob Stoops and the Sooners are going to try.

This could be one of the most exciting non-BCS bowls this year.

The #21 Stanford Cardinal (84) meets up with the Oklahoma Sooners (7-5) on New Year’s Eve at 11 a.m. in the Sun Bowl.

Oklahoma finished tied for third in the Big 12 Conference South Division after defeating intrastate rival Oklahoma State, 27-0, in the annual Bedlam Game. This is Oklahoma’s third appearance in the Sun Bowl, after winning in 1981 and 1993. Bob Stoops will enter this bowl game finishing his 11th season as head coach at Oklahoma.

Stoops became the first coach in Big 12 history to capture three straight conference titles after last year becoming the first to win two in a row.

Oklahoma came into the season with high expectations after playing in the national championship game last year. After losing star tight end Jermaine Gresham and returning Heisman trophy winner quarterback Sam Bradford, the Sooners were forced to start freshman Landry Jones, who has thrown 23 touchdowns but also 13 interceptions. Although originally

66 | Spark | December 18, 2009

Gerhart and the Cardinals look to dominate Lewis and the Sooners’ tough defense. red-shirted, Jones has attempted 398 passes this year and completed 231, with an average of seven yards per attempt.

The Sooners rushing game is solid as running backs Chris Brown and DeMarco Murray split time and have rushed for 14 touchdowns total. Brown has rushed for a total of 703 yards while Murray is close behind with 678 yards. Another weapon Oklahoma has is their leading receiver Ryan Broyles, who has a total of 12 touchdowns this year, receiving 76 passes for 964 yards.

Oklahoma’s defense is all around strong. Lead by linebacker Travis Lewis who has a total of 100 tackles this year with 55 solo, followed by defensive back Quinton Carter

with 80 total tackles and 46 solo.

Linebackers Keenan Clayton and Ryan Reynolds are also key assets to the defense; Clayton has 68 tackles and Reynolds, 67.

This will be Stanford’s third appearance in El Paso, after winning in 1977 and 1996. Stanford finished tied for second in the Pac-10 Conference and is the only school to beat league champion Oregon.

The Cardinal trampled the USC Trojans this year in a huge game, ending in 55-21. They also beat rival team Notre Dame in a grueling 45-38 victory. Stanford’s coach Jim Harbaugh has turned the program around and is entering this Sun bowl ending his third season as head coach.

Heisman Trophy candidate

STAN

OU

ü ü

vs Passing

Landry Jones will be out-performed and outthrown by the Senior Tavita Pritchard, and possibly starting quarterback Andrew Luck.

Rushing

Heisman Trophy candidate won’t be stopped, and will run up the score. The Sooners running back will not make a dent in his progress

Defense

ü ü

The Sooner defense is solid, and if they utilize all players, it will be the only chance they have at winning.

Special Teams

Chris Owusu has three punt returns this year, and the receivers for the Sooners have three combined.

Overall

The Sooners will be unable to compete against the Cardinal team, and Stanford will bring in the new year with a victory.

ü

Gerald McCoy, OL

Toby Gerhart, who leads the nation in total rushing yards with 1,736 yards and leads scoring with 26 rushing touchdowns, will have to guide the Stanford offense due to starting quarterback Andrew Luck’s recent surgery. Luck will not be ruled out for the game, but will not start because of his injury. Senior Tavita Pritchard will be the starting quarterback for the Cardinal.

Pritchard has started 19 games for Stanford and will be looking for his leading wide receiver, junior Ryan Whalen, who has compiled 861 receiving yards and an average of 71 yards per game.

The loss of Luck could make things easier for Oklahoma’s defense, which only gives up 89 rushing yards per game and 14 points per game on average. Stanford’s defense gives up 26 points per game and may have problems slowing the Sooners. The Sooners defense is lead by defensive end Thomas Keiser, with nine sacks for the year and 42 tackles, and helped by Delano Howell who has 76 tackles this year.

The two teams will face each other for the first time in 25 years, with Oklahoma holding the lead in the all-time series 3-1.

This year, the Cardinal offense is particularly strong, and the solid Sooner defense will contest to defend them.

Writer’s Prediction- It should be a close game coming down to the 4th quarter. Landry Jones will throw a key interception and Gerhart will run people over on his way into the end-zone as Stanford wins 31-27.

- Sarah Craig

Chik-fil-A Bowl

Tennesse Volunteers

Dec. 31 on ESPN at 7:30 p.m.

Ryan Williams, TB

T

he 42nd annual Chickfil-A bowl will feature the eleventh-ranked Virginia Tech Hokies and the unranked Tennessee Volunteers.

The two schools have met a total of seven times with the Volunteers leading the series 5-2, but the two teams have not met since 1994 when Tennessee won.

The Chick-fil-A bowl has been the highest attended non-BCS bowl game in the last decade and promises to bring an exciting match-up this year.

It will be broadcasted on ESPN at 7:30 p.m. on December 31.

Virginia Tech will be returning to Atlanta for the third time this season, looking for its first win after facing Alabama and Georgia Tech.

The Virginia Tech Hokies, led by head coach Frank Beamer, finished the regular season 9-3. They have had impressive conference wins over Nebraska (1615) and University of Miami (31-7).

First year head coach Lane Kiffin led the Tennessee Volunteers to a 7-5 record (4-4 in South Eastern Conference) with an impressive win over Georgia and the overtime victory over the Kentucky Wildcats. He has turned the program around from its 5-7 finish last year.

Hokies junior quarterback Tyrod Taylor has 2,102 passing yards on the season. He has amassed 13 passing touchdowns and four rushing touchdowns in the 12 regular season games.

His success is complimented by a very balanced offense. Taylor has received 327 snaps of which he

The Hokies’ evenly spread attack to capture victory over lucky-to-be-here Tennessee

Jonathon Crompton, QB

has thrown 226. However, he has also completed 101 rushing plays.

Redshirt freshman running back Ryan Williams has 268 carries this season. Williams has collected 19 rushing touchdowns on the season and averages 128.2 yards per game.

The Hokies’ offense will face a solid Volunteer defense that is ranked eighth in the nation in pass efficiency. The Volunteer defense has allowed only 99.98 passing yards per game. This can be mainly attributed to Volunteer defensive end Chris Walker, defensive tackle Wes Brown and defensive back Eric Berry, who each have obtained two interceptions on the season.

Virginia Tech will enter the game coming off of four straight victories. They ended the season

with a resounding 42-13 defeat of in-state rival Virginia. This series of wins will help to propel the Hokies to an explosive start in the Chick-fil-A bowl.

The Volunteers are coming off two conference wins over Vanderbilt and Kentucky, although it took a 30-24 overtime effort for Tennessee to overcome unranked Kentucky. This should help to drive the Volunteers with momentum into the Chick-fil-A bowl.

Jonathan Crompton averages 213.8 yards per game and is second in the SEC with 26 touchdowns this season. He will look to outperform the Hokies defense which has held opponents to an average of 15.75 points per game this season.

To try to balance the offensive

VT

TEN

vs Passing

While Taylor has a higher rating, Crompton has 26 touchdowns this year and will be effective in the red zone.

ü ü ü ü

ü

Rushing

Ryan Williams, with his 1,538 yards and 19 touchdowns this season, will post big numbers this game.

Defense

Grimm and Rivers will combine for numerous tackles but the highly-ranked pass defense of Tennessee will prove troublesome.

Special Teams

Dyrell Roberts will set up the Hokies in good field position and possibly get a quick score for Virginia Tech.

Overall

This will be an exciting game to watch with the win going to Virginia Tech because of its balanced offense and pressure on Crompton.

ü

attack, Crompton will hand off to senior running back Montario Hardesty who rushed for 1,306 yards and 12 touchdowns this year.

Hardesty will need to avoid Cody Grimm and Barquell Rivers, the leading tacklers for Virginia Tech, with 99 and 94 tackles, respectively.

Defensive back Denis Rogan, who has 46 yards in punt returns this season, will attempt to set up the Volunteers in good field position throughout the game.

However, wide receiver Dyrell Roberts, who averaged 34.5 yards per kickoff return, will look to create a short field for the Hokies.

This will take a lot of pressure off Taylor and the Hokie offense, which will be able to relax with better field position.

Writer’s Prediction: The Volunteers’ defense will attempt to shut down Taylor but won’t be able to stop his run game or Williams’.

Thus the Hokies will stick to their balanced offense to make the Volunteer defense less of a factor in the game.

Because of this, Tennessee will be too far spread to handle the Hokies’ evenly spread attack.

However, Virginia Tech will have to rely on its defensive line to get early pressure on Crompton and not allow him to create his usual aerial assault.

If they can do this, the Hokies will get their first win in Atlanta this season and capture the Chick-fil-A bowl win over 3424. Virginia Tech will have a very happy New Year’s.

- Jordan Drake

67 | Spark | December 18, 2009

photo used with written permission from elizabeth olivier uts[prts.com

photo used with written permission from virginia tech

Virginia Tech Hokies

sports l bowl guide

Las Vegas Bowl F

or the fifth consecutive year, the 15th-ranked Brigham Young University (BYU) Cougars will be competing in the MAACO Las Vegas Bowl, an event the team has already won twice in its history.

The Cougars have been pitted against the 16th-seeded Oregon State Beavers (OSU), a strong team from the Pacific-10 conference. The game, which is to be played at Sam Boyd Stadium in Whitney, Nevada on Dec. 22, hosts the highest seeds that the bowl has seen in its 18-year history.

Cougar coach Bronco Mendenhall knows enough to respect his new opponent. Mendenhall started as a strong safety for two years at OSU before he became defensive line coach at BYU. After being denied a Rose Bowl berth for the second consecutive year by archrival Oregon, it is easy to see that the Beavers will come out swinging.

The focus of this match-up is clearly on the staples of the two offenses: BYU quarterback Max Hall and OSU quarterback Sean Canfeild.

Hall has the third-best passing rating in college football and is a finalist for the Manning Award, an Brandon Cook, WR accolade created to recognize premier quarterbacks in the NCAA. He threw for 3,368 total yards and 30 touchdowns during the regular season.

The Cougars will look to extend their success through the air.

Oregon State’s offense has a pass-oriented mindset as well. Canfield is only slightly less impressive than his counterpart, throwing for 3,103 yards and 21 touchdowns with the 15th-best passing rating in the NCAA.

Independence Bowl O

nce frontrunners in their respective conferences, the Georgia Bulldogs and Texas A&M Aggies have toppled from the ranks of perennial national championship contenders. The Aggies endured another mediocre season, with a 6-6 record, whereas the Bulldogs were only one win better at 7-5. Both of these teams will be attempting to finish off their seasons with a victory in the Advocare V100 Independence Bowl.

Despite gaping holes to fill on offense and losing its two most prominent offensive standouts to the first round of the NFL draft, Georgia started this season with high expectations. Last season’s SEC’s reigning Freshman of the Year receiver A.J. Green returned to the Bulldogs. However, after a hot start, injuries plagued him for the remainder of the season, causing him to watch some of the Bulldogs’ most vital games from the sidelines.

Despite Green’s absence, the Bulldogs managed to pull off a major upset of then ninth-ranked instate rival Georgia Tech. Freshman running back Washaun Ealey and senior quarterback Joe Cox anchor the Bulldogs’ offense, which will run all over A.J. Green, WR the Aggies, ranked 107th in total defense.

While the defense has been a problem this season for Texas A&M, the offense has proved that it has the potential to make big plays. The Aggies returned most of their starters on offense, including dual-threat quarterback Jerrod Johnson, who set a school record with 21 touchdown passes in his sophomore campaign last year. Johnson shattered his own school record this season with 28 passing touchdowns,

68 | Spark | December 18, 2009

Dec. 22 on ESPN at 8 p.m.

bowl drew souders Canfield will most likely complete a majority of his passes to James Rodgers. The two connected 87 times for 1,004 yards in the 2009 season.

Both of these offenses will have little or no problem imposing their will on the opponent. The Cougars and Beavers are ranked 65th and 87th in pass defense, respectively.

Rush attacks for both of the competing teams are solid, but they will not have a large impact on the game. The two teams, both ranked in the top 25 for rush defense, will look to shut the run game down quickly in order to focus on the bigger threat of the two star quarterbacks. However, OSU running back Jacquizz Rodgers should not be taken lightly.

The 5’ 7’’ sophomore rushed for 1,377 yards and 20 touchdowns for the Beavers.

In what is sure to be a high scoring game, BYU has a small advantage defensively. Allowing 21.8 fewer average total yards than their opponent, the Cougars will attempt to use this advantage to sway the course of the game in their favor.

BYU kicker Mitch Payne made a spotty nine out of 13 field goals, which may lead some to question his ability to perform.

Writer’s Prediction: Both teams will score at will at the beginning of the game, but a turnover or defensive stop will turn the tide in favor of BYU. Hall will overwhelm the Beaver defense, and will not fold under pressure. The high-powered OSU offense will keep it close, though, resulting in a 34-31 victory for the Cougars. n Dec. 28 on ESPN2 at 5 p.m.

bowl kyle morrison and added eight more on the ground while cutting back on his mistakes.

He threw only six interceptions this year, compared to the 10 from his sophomore season. The Aggies boast a very balanced offensive attack, featuring the two-headed monster of Christine Michael and Cyrus Gray, both of whom had over 700 yards on the ground this season.

Both teams suffered blowouts at the hands of their rivals this season.

For the Aggies, the worst losses came against Kansas State, Oklahoma and the team’s hated rival, the Arkansas Razorbacks. In these losses, the Aggies were outscored by a staggering total of 131 points.

The Bulldogs were victimized by their rival, the Tennessee Volunteers, 45-19, and were also blown out by Florida 41-17. After a disappointing season, the Bulldogs fired three of their assistant coaches, including defensive coordinator Willie Martinez.

They declined to return for the bowl.

Writer’s Prediction: The Bulldogs will win in a blowout, with their defense harassing Jerrod Johnson all day long, exhibiting the trademark SEC speed on defense that has bewildered quarterbacks from the other conferences for years. Expect the Georgia offense to have a big game, exploiting the atrocious Aggie defense for big plays, whether through the air or on the ground. The Bulldogs will dominate on both sides of the ball, putting up a lot of points while completely shutting down the inconsistent Aggie offense. The Bulldogs will dominate 38-13 over the Aggies. n

bowls devin casey Jan. 2 on ESPN at 2 p.m.

Dec. 26 on ESPN at 8:30 p.m.

Emerald Bowl

PapaJohns.com

itting the Pacific-10 (PAC-10) against the Atlantic Coastal Conference (ACC)—University of Southern California (USC) versus Boston College—the eighth Emerald bowl is sure to be entertaining.

2009 has been a year of many firsts for the Trojans of USC. This late December bowl game will be the first time since 2004 that USC does not play in the Rose Bowl. This year is also the Trojans’ first time finishing out of the top 25 in the regular season since 2001, which is also the last time USC’s record was worse than 8-4.

While Pete Carroll’s Trojans are closing out a season to forget, the 8-4 Boston College Eagles are entering their eleventh straight bowl game. The Eagles’ running back Montel Harris has the second-most rushings yards in the ACC with 1,355 yards. Harris was given the ball 41 times in his eleventh 100-yard ground game of the season against Maryland.

Despite their differences in continuity, both teams have lost crucial match-ups in order to get where they are now. The Trojans and freshman quarterback Matt Barkley lost to their conference rival Oregon and the ensuing game to Stanford. This was Carroll’s first November loss since he has coached at USC. Although Barkley used his feet for 66 yards and a touchdown, the Trojans fell in their last game of the season to Arizona. This shunned the Trojans’ last shot at the Holiday Bowl with a 5-4 conference record.

Boston College was also defeated in notable games this year. Conference losses to Clemson, Virginia Tech and North Carolina pushed the Eagles out of contention for the ACC title.

Writer’s Prediction: Boston College has had recent success in bowl match-ups but both teams have lost essential conference games. The deciding factor will be the location, San Francisco—practically a home game for USC. The Eagles will falter to the deafening crowd and perennial Trojan powerhouse, 24-6. n

ot off of season-ending wins, the South Carolina Gamecocks and the Connecticut Huskies will face off in the fourth Papajohns.com Bowl.

Neither team has played in this bowl before, and South Carolina is the first team out of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) to play in this bowl.

South Carolina finished off its regular season with a win over its Palmetto State rival Clemson under the leadership of coach Steve Spurrier. Although the Gamecocks started out 5-1, including conference wins against Mississippi and Kentucky, Spurrier’s men finished the season 2-4 losing to conference foes Alabama, Florida, Arkansas and Tennessee.

This was not the first time the Gamecocks started strong and faltered late in the season. Last year, South Carolina started 7-3 only to finish with three straight losses, including an Outback Bowl loss to Iowa. However, morale may be high for this SEC East team as Spurrier committed to a contract extension following this season.

Connecticut, on the other hand, won its last three games including conference bouts against Syracuse and a last-second victory over South Florida. Despite their regular season wins, the Huskies have only been to three bowls because they entered Division I in 2004; South Carolina has more experience with 14 bowl appearances but a 4-10 post-season record.

Last year, when the Huskies had the same record of 7-5 and 3-4 in the Big East conference, they won the International Bowl over Buffalo 38-20.

This year, Connecticut totaled 2,708 yards through the air, but these yards have been split by sophomore Cody Endres and junior Zach Frazer. Most likely, Frazer will start against the Gamecocks.

Writer’s Prediction: Both teams headed in different directions at the regular season. However, something that the Gamecocks fall short on is the motivation to win. With Jasper Howard’s sticker still on their helmets and the 23rd highest-scoring offense in Division-I, the Huskies pull one out 31-21. n

P

H

Jan. 1 on ESPN at 11 a.m.

Dec. 31 on NFL at 5:30 p.m.

Insight Bowl

Outback Bowl

he Golden Gophers of Minnesota and Cyclones of Iowa State are not newcomers to the Insight Bowl, which will host its 21st rendition in December.

Minnesota has more recent experience in this bowl, but fell to the Big-12 last year and had an overtime loss to Texas Tech in 2006. Since 2000, the Gophers have been to a post-season game eight times; however, their last three appearances have been losses.

Iowa State and Minnesota are using different strategies on the ground.

Minnesota is using underclassmen in their rushing attack, with freshman Kevin Whaley and sophomore Duane Bennett both averaging four yards per carry. This season, the Cyclones have given the ball to junior Alexander Robinson 210 times, earning 1,058 yards with his legs.

The last time the Cyclones went to the Insight Bowl was in 2000, winning 37-29 over Pittsburgh, but Iowa State has only won one bowl game since.

The Cyclones and the Golden Gophers are very evenly matched. Both teams have coaches with less than two years at their respective schools.

First-year coach Paul Rhoads took over the 2-10 Cyclones in 2008, and Tim Brewster turned around 1-11 Minnesota in 2007. Each team finished 6-6 and 3-5 in their respective conferences and averaged 21 points per game while allowing 23 points per game. Iowa State had two players named to the firstteam all-Big 12.

In addition, Minnesota has failed to win any of its trophy games this year against Wisconsin, Iowa, Michigan and Penn State. Iowa lost its prize rivalries against Iowa and Missouri as well.

Writer’s Prediction: Minnesota and Iowa State are similar. However, Iowa State’s ability to win more big games will prove pertinent as it was 1-2 against the Associated Press while Minnesota lost its four. The Cyclones win this close match to finish a reversal under Paul Rhoads, 24-21. n

his year’s Outback Bowl marks the first time that the Auburn Tigers will meet the Northwestern Wildcats in college football history.

The 8-4 Wildcats will attempt their first bowl win since the 1948 Rose Bowl. This season, Northwestern upset the fourth-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes.

The Wildcats’ victory knocked the Hawkeyes out of contention for the National Championship and Rose Bowl. The Wildcats went on to win three straight conference games, including a 33-31 win over Wisconsin to earn them a spot in this Outback Bowl.

Since 2002, the Auburn Tigers have had a 5-1 bowl record with their only loss coming from Wisconsin. Auburn’s latest regular season loss came from a last-minute Alabama touchdown by Greg McElroy. Although this game looked promising for the Tigers, they still fell to four other conference opponents including Arkansas 44-23.

The Tigers and the Wildcats feature different strengths when on the field.

Northwestern has an offense this season with four running backs rushing for over 200 yards and a combined 16 touchdowns. Auburn is at its best on the opposite side of the ball. Defensive end Antonio Coleman almost entered the draft last year, but stuck around to rack-up a Southeastern Conference (SEC) leading 9 sacks and 15.5 tackles for loss despite an injured wrist.

Leading the Tigers with 94 tackles, Josh Bynes may have to do twice the work with teammate Eltoro Freeman still being bothered by an ankle injury.

Writer’s Prediction: Northwestern’s Mike Kafka is second in the Big-Ten in passing yards and will pose a threat to the Tiger secondary.

However, Auburn’s defense stopped top-ranked Alabama’s running back Mark Ingram for just 30 yards and the offense scored the second most points the Crimson Tide have given up all season. The Tigers will be too much defensively for the Wildcats predictable offense.

Auburn is sure to put up points on a team allowing over 23 points per game. The Tigers win it 30-24. n

T

T

69 | Spark | December 18, 2009

opinion | cartoon

editorial art brian baltis

70 | Spark | December 18, 2009

East Speaks Out “As long as they do my yardwork for cheap, I don’t care.”

Kyle Souders, sophomore

“If they’re illegal, I think they should be deported.”

Allie Dunham, sophomore

What should the government do with illegal immigrants?

“If they don’t have children here, they should leave.”

Sarah Kemper, senior

“I feel like we should make them leave our country.”

David Stewart, junior

LUCYSTEPHENSON the reality of reality television

After a second cycle of flipping through channels, I finally only shows in this category, which includes: the “Rock of Love” stop at E! to see Kim Kardashian—only famous because of a series, “A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila,” “The Bachelor,” “The leaked sex tape—falling over drunk at some night club on her Bachelorette,” “More to Love” and “Megan Wants a Millionaire.” show “Keeping Up the with the Kardashians.” Like I was in a The list goes on…and on. trance, I put the remote down and kept watching. As the show It’s hard to understand why viewers love reality TV so went on, I saw Kim struggle to get into her sister’s car and much, but they do. Most fans, including myself, will admit these eventually throw up in her bathroom. shows to be rash, pointless and, in some cases, even moronic.

Wow, that is stupid.

Nevertheless, we continue to watch humans brawl, emotionally But as I laughed at the train wreck happening on the TV break down and humiliate themselves because we enjoy it. It is in screen, I asked myself, “Wait, why am I watching this again?” our genes. It is human nature to love this sort of drama.

The ultimate and honest answer: I just like it. I, like much Think back to the Middle Ages. Various torture methods of the world, get hooked on reality shows. I mean, 3.2 million were used on criminals, even for crimes as simple as lying. From people, including myself, tuned in to watch the Kardashian slowly pulling a victim’s arms from the sockets to gradually wedding on Nov. 8. That is more than the populations of being impaled by spikes, people would think of the worst and Delaware, Montana and Wyoming combined. We crave to see most awful methods of torture. Though less intense, people people mess up and embarrass themselves in the public eye.

“It’s hard to understand why viewers love reality TV so much, Take MTV’s “The Real World.”

In any given episode, viewers can be but they do...we continue to watch humans brawl, emotionally guaranteed to witness some sort of raging cat-fight, a drunken mess and a break down and humiliate themselves because we enjoy it.” new house controversy to talk about in first period the next morning. It is chaos and behavior that still love to see human torture. “Fear Factor” forced contestants most would call mindless, but the 23 seasons of the series and to perform tortuous challenges to win a million dollars. On the the six million viewers who tuned in to catch “The Real World: show, contestants had to complete a variety of tasks, from sitting Key West” premiere clearly demonstrate that people cannot get in a tank full of crawling spiders to drinking crushed maggots. enough of the drama.

Though most viewers were grossed out a lot of the time, the Then, there are the romance reality shows. Men and women show lasted six whole seasons. fighting for the love of a person they do not even know. From No matter how trashy, laughable or awful the series is, viewers “Daisy of Love,” which pulled in 1.9 million viewers in its series will always come back week after week to catch their favorite premiere to “Real Chance of Love,” whose original season ended shows. People love watching other people go into all-out fights with an astounding 4.2 million viewers, contestants profess their and do the craziest things. Just like our grandparents, parents and love for the stranger and go into all-out battles, drunken and even thousand-year-old ancestors, we love to see the ridiculous, sober, with other contestants to win their prize. These are not the rash and shocking acts of our fellow human beings.  contact

Lucy at llstephenson12@yahoo.com

71 | Spark | December 18, 2009

opinion | commentary

HEAD T They come here for sanctuary, shelter, prosperity and freedom. We deny them of it.

Contrary to popular belief, illegal immigrants do not come to America to steal American jobs, commit crimes or overcrowd the country’s cities. They come to find support for their families and obtain the freedoms that they deserve, but are denied to them in their own countries. But for countless Latin American families, “Sí se puede (yes we can)” has turned into no se puede.

The Declaration of Independence dictates that “All men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights. That among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.”

If the founding fathers did not want to include citizens of other countries, they would not have done so, but as it was written, the constitution says that all men have a right to liberties it presents, not just American citizens. For those who are crossing the American border illegally, the right to life has barely been sustained. These peoples’ governments have done little to secure their rights. They are escaping oppression and dangerous anarchic rule.

They come to America on the pursuit of happiness, but for some, the pursuit cannot wait.

The American solution: A wall. A physical barrier. One of the most advanced military powers in the world cannot prevent third world people from crossing its borders, so they contain them with a wall—a barbaric solution to a problem that would barely exist if the immigration system were reformed. If there is to be a wall dividing the United States from Mexico, there should also be one dividing it from Canada. Not to mention a wall dividing the United States from Europe, Asia, Africa and even Antarctica, because roughly 40 percent of America’s illegal immigrants are students and workers from all around the world who have overstayed their visas.

While legal immigration should be the ultimate solution, it is too lengthy of a process for those willing break federal law and cross the border. If illegal immigration is to stop, there is reform to be done concerning the process of legal immigration because, as it is, it is unappealing to the 12 million people who are in the United States illegally.

Still, if an immediate crackdown on illegal immigration occurred, it would have devastating effects on the already tanking U.S. economy. A crackdown on illegal immigration in 2004 under the Bush administration caused a shortage of lettuce-crop harvesters leading to a one-billion dollar loss for the lettuce industry in the western United States.

The ramifications of immediate action against illegal immigrants would include higher prices for consumers due to the fact that illegal workers typically have lower wages than native workers and companies would have to compensate for increased payroll.

In spite of an ailing job market, some jobs may not be filled at all. Guest worker programs allow for immigrants to work American jobs on temporary visas. Some of the low-skill labor that the programs offer to immigrants is unappealing even to povertystricken American citizens. The problem is that there is a gap between the labor that immigrants perform and native-born people perform because Americans have been focused on education and college degrees in which workplace jobs can be acquired, while some immigrants have been focused on labor for their entire lives.

America should welcome its immigrant workers by introducing less demanding policies on immigration, thereby reducing its illegal practice. Illegal immigrants only seek the opportunity that U.S. citizens are granted. When such opportunity is not presented to them, they return to their lands in the fashion that roughly one million of them did during the recession that blanketed the United States in 2008. Even though illegal immigrants break the law when they cross the American border, they are sacrificing all that they have in order to provide for their families, to perform hard work and to prosper in their own way.

All of these are values that align directly with the American work ethic.

America should condemn the practice of illegal immigration but pass legislation which provides for those who are willing to break the country’s immigration laws, in turn reducing the scale of illegal immigration. Then and only then, will America live up to the standards it sets for its own people. n

immig

faiz siddiqui

“They come to America on the pursuit of happiness, but for some, the pursuit cannot wait.”

fsiddiqui2011@gmail.com 72 | Spark | December 18, 2009

O

HEAD I was driving down Cincinnati-Dayton Road while sipping a vanilla cappuccino. As I stopped at a red light, I saw a bumper sticker that made me chuckle. It read, “Welcome to America! We speak English.”

No doubt, some might find that bumper sticker offensive to immigrants—legal and illegal. Its message, however, cannot be overlooked in today’s society.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, almost 50 million people primarily spoke a language other than English in 2004. Furthermore, half of these people said that they speak English less than “very well.” This lack of English comprehension hinders communication.

As an employee of a fast food restaurant, I see this lack of understanding firsthand.

When I was taking out the garbage, I was scolded from a fellow employee in Spanish.

After several minutes of an attempted conversation, I was eventually forced to simply nod my head and go back to work. If we would have been able to communicate clearly and efficiently, I would have understood the mistake I was making and have been able to change.

While those who do not speak English obstruct communication between people, the immigrants who choose to enter the country illegally do much more to impair the lives of legal Americans.

One of the most common arguments used for letting illegal aliens reside in the U.S. is that they take jobs that no other American would want. But the current U.S. unemployment rate of 10.2 percent is the highest it has been since 1982, and is still rising. Many of these hard-working Americans would welcome any job they could obtain, as the current job market is deplorable.

With America’s high unemployment rate, the fact remains that we do not have the space.

The Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) estimates that if immigration rates continue at their current rate, the U.S. population in the year 2060 will be roughly 468 million—a rate of growth America cannot sustain.

With, according to the CIS, approximately 1 million immigrants admitted to the U.S. legally each year, America is already allowing more than enough people into America. To allow others to do so illegally, as it just encourages more prospective residents to bypass the proper channels. Legal immigrants pay taxes, benefitting America by funding more government programs.

If proposed health care legislation is passed into law, non-taxpaying illegal immigrants will be given the same coverage as legal American citizens, according to the CIS. Proposed bill HR 3962 allows illegal immigrants to easily become enrolled in Medicaid. In short, the proposed bills will force law-abiding taxpayers to pay for non-taxpayers’ health coverage.

To reduce the approximately 12 million illegal aliens who have managed to sneak past America’s security, stronger fences should be built and overall border control needs to be tightened along the American-Mexican border—60 percent of East students agree. A fence on the Canadian border, however, would control less than 500,000 illegal immigrants compared to approximately 9.4 million if a fence was built across the American-Mexican border.

While Thomas Jefferson said in the Declaration of Independence that “all men are created equal,” he also believed in punishment for wrong-doings. The proper punishment for coming into the country illegally must be deportation. A path to citizenship only encourages more prospective illegal immigrants to find a way to sneak into the country.

According to the CIS, 65 percent of Mexicans believe that a path to legal status for current illegal immigrants would encourage more illegal immigration to the United States.

America is a country of immigrants. The “great melting pot” is typically used to describe the diversity this country displays in every aspect of its prosperity. The original diversity from the immigrants who came here so many years ago is largely responsible for what makes America great. But these immigrants took the legal road even when tough conditions existed in their mother countries. The potato famine of Ireland and Nazi oppression of Jews in Germany lead to immigration to the land of life, liberty and happiness—yet these people had to learn the language and were forced to come here legally in order to survive. Today’s immigrants should be held to these same standards. n

ration

mason hood

“The proper punishment for coming into the country illegally must be deportation.”

masonhood@roadrunner.com 73 | Spark | December 18, 2009

opinion | finishing touch

KEVINLI nothing better

“My sister showed me this site. I think you should read it.”

Marissa had left the comment on my Facebook wall, and the bold title of the website jumped out at me. “The Caffeine Nap.” First of all, I love how her first thought after reading an article about caffeine and napping was me. Second, I’ve been an avid fan of the caffeine nap for ages. Basically, I chug an energy drink and immediately fall asleep. Fifteen minutes later, my phone alarm goes off and I wake up refreshed and ready to go.

It’s the perfect combination of science and absurdity.

In my life, I never have a moment to take a break. This year, it’s particularly hard, because I decided to take six weighted classes. Of course, the schedule isn’t good enough unless I have the extracurricular activities to back it up. Collectively, it makes me a very sleep-deprived teen—I’m lucky to get three hours of sleep a night, and all-nighters happen at least twice a week.

I’ve read the articles about the dangers of sleep deprivation. After reading how a lack of sleep greatly jeopardizes the brain’s ability to convert short-term memory to long-term, I was fairly certain that I’d fail my AP tests last May. Of course, it’s more or less my own fault.

I take on more than I can handle, and it pushes me ever closer to insanity. My sleep deprivation, however, has taught me quite a few things about sleep. My advice to the rest of the world: take a nap.

Naps, and not just caffeine naps, are my best friends. The truth of the matter is that nothing’s better. A short 20-minute power nap midway through the day reduces stress, increases productivity, improves memory, boosts creativity and reduces the number of students who clock out after lunch.

Trust me about that last one. After a certain amount of sleep deprivation, I find that it’s pointless to fight the urge to sleep in class.

I understand that I shouldn’t, and I’ve been told that it’s rude, but I’ve probably slept at least once in every class that I’ve had in the past three years. Therefore, I’d like to take this opportunity to apologize to past teachers for falling asleep in class and present teachers for everything that’s yet to come.

There are two teachers, however, who deserve individual apologies.

The first is Mr. Kreider, and the second is Mr. Orlando. The one thing they have in common—I had their classes sixth period. For the past two years, sixth period has been my favorite part of the day: nap time.

In America, however, there’s a social stigma against napping. Even as the nation becomes more and more sleep-deprived, we continue to disapprove of the one thing that solves our problems.

Even when I got enough sleep, however, I still enjoyed my nap.

After eating lunch, my eyes always began to droop, and instead of fighting the urge to sleep, I embraced it. Although I missed sixth period every day, I always woke up refreshed for seventh period and my extracurricular activities.

This summer, I spent a month and a half in China. There, it’s custom to nap every day after lunch, as is the custom of the afternoon siesta in Europe. Maybe the rest of the world is onto something. A survey of 505 East students found that 64 percent think an afternoon nap would increase productivity, and the science backs it up.

I understand that school needs to end early enough for students to participate in extracurricular activities, but one extra 20-minute period after fifth would only do wonders. n

74 | Spark | December 18, 2009

FORMERLY IMAGE SUN All East Students: Mention this Spark ad and receive

One (new Free Session customers only) special for all LEHS students

Free Tanning Friday

Dec. 18 any time, any bed

Mention LEHS and receive: 20% off any tanning package Tanning Packages: 100 minutes $29.00 200 minutes $51.00 300 minutes $67.00 1 month $51.00

Hot new bulbs in all beds!

Be sure to ask about ouR UV-free spray tanning!

Conveniently located next to Coffee Beans & Brew and Greek Isles

Become a fan!

7035 Yankee Road Liberty Township, OH 45044 (513) 779-4TAN

826 75 | Spark | December 18, 2009

76 | Spark | December 18, 2009