Western Courier| August 23rd, 2019

Opinions: Cheerleading tryouts is worth a shot.

Sports: Football names captains for upcoming season.

WesternCourier.com

Friday, August 23, 2019 - Vol. 120 Issue 3

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Hammond honors Macomb resident with awareness gathering

By Devon Greene editor-in-chief

DEVON GREENE/ EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Troy Shirrell stands with Norine Hammond, Mike Inman and members of the police force.

DEVON GREENE/ EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Troy Shirrell with his personal copy of Bill 2386.

State Representative Norine Hammond held a meeting at Chandler Park yesterday to present a copy of a new law to the Macomb resident who inspired House Bill 2386.

The National Safety Council reports that cell phone use while driving leads to 1.6 million crashes each year. Along with those accidents, around 390,000 injuries occur from those incidents. Illinois is not immune from those accidents and Troy Shirrell serves as a testament of the consequences of distracted driving.

Shirrell, a Macomb native, was involved in a traffic accident last fall while riding his Harley Davidson motorcycle.

While driving on East Jackson Street, Shirrell was struck by a vehicle that was attempting to turn left from the center lane.

Witnesses at the scene said that they saw the driver using their phone at the time of the accident. Shirrell was ejected from his motorcycle where he landed on the ground, breaking multiple bones and mangling his leg.

“I was pretty beat up,” Shirrell said. “I broke my femur, all of my ribs and my leg was pretty mangled.”

Luckily for Shirrell, Macomb Police Officer Troy Shoudel was on the scene quickly.

Shoudel was the first responder to the incident and worked quickly to help Shirrell any way he could. Shoudel saw that Shirrell was bleeding out and quickly grabbed Shirrell’s belt and used it as a tourniquet to stop the blood flow from Shirrell’s left leg. Shirrell was then escorted to the hospital

where they were unable to save the lower left half of his leg.

Following the accident, Shirrell spent almost 10 months in a wheelchair and had to completely learn how to walk again. He says that he is still getting used to having his prosthetic and is more aware of the actions that many people don’t think about. Shirrell also said that he has been back on a motorcycle since the accident but is extremely cautious when driving around town.

At the gathering in Chandler Park, Hammond thanked Shoudel for his heroic actions on that fateful day.

“I’m going to start with Troy (Shoudel) because he’s the reason that Troy Shirrell is with us today and to you I want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart and everyone here appreciates the actions you took on that horrible day,” Hammond said.

Following her thanks to officer Shoudel, Hammond spoke to Shirrell and showed her gratitude for his attitude and actions following the accident.

“Troy, to you, you have been an incredible inspiration through all of this and it didn’t have to be that way,” Hammond said. “I watched every Facebook post you had and thought to myself, ‘this gentleman is incredible.’ Your family has been there by your side to support you even throughout the crazy things you do. Troy, because of you, I am hopeful that the streets of Illinois are going to be safer and I’m just sorry that this is what it took for this to happen.”

Distracted Driving page 2

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NEWS

Distracted Driving

from front page

Although Hammond sees this bill as a step in the right direction, she is not done working to insure the safety of Illinois motorists.

“I will say it’s a good starting point, particularly coming from $75 and a slap on the wrist,” Hammond said.

“We talked about a $250 or $500 fine and I didn’t feel like it went far enough. I thought it needed to be a significant amount of money to deter people.”

Shoudel still says that he sees people on their phones constantly and simply does not have the time to stop everybody he sees, but he expressed that he is willing to do whatever it takes to keep the roads safe.

“If it makes sure that this family still has this many people standing here and not one less, then I’m happy to be the bad guy writing that ticket,” Shoudel said.

One solution that Hammond mentioned as a way to combat distracted driving is the introduction of Bluetooth devices. She said that even though many cars aren’t Bluetooth equipped, they are relatively inexpensive and safe to use. She also suggests pulling over instead of trying to answer texts while driving, which she admits adds time to her trips when driving. Hammond has continued to pursue legislation to keep motorists safe and is optimistic in the future.

“I’m just hopeful that if we save one life or one limb, I think it’ll be worth it,” Hammond said.

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Balloon Rally returns to Macomb next month

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By Marc Ramirez

news editor There are many unique things that the city of Macomb has to offer that people sometimes overlook.

A very popular and uncommon event that has been a tradition since 1987 is the Macomb Balloon Rally.

This year's event will be hosted on Sept. 6-7 on Vince Grady Field located across from North Quad. Festivities will begin on that Friday where the Western Illinois University Jazz Studio Orchestra will perform from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. While the orchestra is still performing, there will be a balloon flight where the balloons will depart from Vince Grady.

Saturday, Sept. 7 the hot air balloons will fly back to

Western around 6:45 a.m. to prepare and get ready for the rally festivities which will kick off with the balloon flight at 6 p.m. Live music will be provided by “Jera and the Absoluts” starting at 6 p.m. and concluding at 9 p.m.

A fun, family-friendly event that attracts the Macomb community is the Balloon Glow. A Balloon Glow is where balloon operators will light up the sky by pulling on their burners; however, the balloons never come off the ground.

The 2018 Balloon Rally was cancelled the morning of the event via the Macomb Balloon Rally Facebook page due to heavy rains in the Macomb area as the inclimate weather had lasted a

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couple of days.

“Because of pilots’ future rally commitments elsewhere, the Macomb event will not be rescheduled this year,” the Macomb Balloon Rally Facebook page read.

This year it can be assumed that all fans of the event are hoping for clear skies and good weather to enjoy the well-attended Macomb festivity. Pilots are scheduled to drive in from all across the Midwest region to participate in several competitive events and participate in this year ’s balloon-glow. People who are interested in getting involved in the event have the opportunity to join the ground crew.

“The ground crew is essential and our pilots can’t fly without a good crew,”

the Macomb Balloon Rally Facebook page read. “Join the fun by sending a message to us with your contact info.”

At the last rally, Western’s Cheerleading team had the chance to help set up and take down Peg Leg Pete, the feature balloon of the event.

“Helping set up the balloon was such a fun, new experience,” Allison Young said.

“Not only is it cool to see this huge balloon unravel in front of your eyes, but you also get to have a little fun floating off the ground when things are all set up.”

The weekend's events are free to the public and parking can be found in Q-Lot across from Vince Grady Field. Food vendors and entertainment will be on site. For more information, visit facebook.

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By Jelen Evans courier staff

Last Tuesday at 7 p.m.

Western Illinois University hosted a trivia night partnered with the Thinkfast company. Students were able to go to the University Union’s grand ballroom to participate in the activity.

When coming in to attend the event, students were told the rules before checking in to be able to participate in the event. Among hundreds of students, all who attended were put at tables of eight people. Of the eight people at each table, each candidate was split into two teams of four. There were two remote controls that were being used as tools to answer the trivia questions as well for the two head captains.

In the beginning, the rules were explained and the game began. In between parts of the competition, there were two talent and two acting contests, where if chosen, students were able to showcase their talents in front of a huge audience if they had never done so before.

During the first round of the competition, the crowd instantly got into competition mode. The teams were working together, putting their minds together to get their scores up. After the first five questions, the top 10 teams popped up on the screens.

From there, the competitive side of all the teams began to increase rapidly. The inten-

Friday, August 23, 2019

sity of the energy in the room was off the charts! This was all leading down to the first talent competition, which was dancing. After the second round of questions displayed, four volunteers were able to showcase their awesome dance moves to some song choices played by the DJ to win a prize from the prize table.

Leading to the third round of questions in the competition, the game started to become more intense than before! Teams were starting to push harder to get in the top 10. After this round, came the first acting competition.

Two volunteers were able to showcase their acting skills to compete for a prize off of the prize table as well.

Once again, the competition is heating up as the teams go head to head in the last two rounds. After each round there was the final talent competition which was singing and the final acting competition. Once the contest was over for the audience, each person who won the dance, singing and both acting competitions all competed against each other in the bonus round of the Thinkfast game.

All four winners had the chance to answer five questions within four seconds.

As the questions were being asked, the competitive energy increased. All coming down to the last question, contestant number two gained the most points and became the new Thinkfast champion.

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OPINIONS

Friday, August 23, 2019

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“N-E-C-K-S! Let’s go necks!”

If you’ve ever been to a sporting event where there are cheerleaders, this may be a cheer you’ve heard before. You may be wondering why in the world I would be incorporating cheers into my article, but the answer is simple; Cheerleading tryouts are in less than a week!

There are so many good things that come with being a Western cheerleader and I’m here to tell you why you should

join tryouts.

First things first, cheerleading is one of the best ways to make new friends. I remember as a freshman I was so worried about finding people I would mesh with at Western. It was something that I was so nervous about, as most freshmen are as well, but when I came for open gym practices I realized how many amazing people I was going to encounter. When I made the team, I was ecstatic,

and I felt a little bit better about having some people I knew and could count on.

The other thing about cheer that I really appreciate is that you have responsibilities outside of just practice and games.

We have study hours, workout hours and community service hours as well. It sounds like a lot, but it isn’t too much to handle. In the past, our goal was to have 15 hours of community service hours per semester, and if you think about it, that’s only about an hour every week of the semester. Plus, the activities that are considered to be community service are so much fun and it flies by.

In my opinion, the best part about being a cheerleader is the

opportunities that come with it. In my previous two years of cheerleading at WIU, I have gotten to travel to ISU, UNI, South Dakota and Utah. Each year, there are different travel opportunities and it has been so amazing to experience that.

It also means getting to meet so many other athletes along the way. I am familiar with so many people from several different sports just from being at games and supporting them. It makes walking across campus so much fun because everywhere you go, there are athletes and faces that you know.

So, after reading this article, I am sure that you are ready to hear the details of the tryouts!

This coming Monday, Aug.

26 at 6 p.m., tryouts will begin in Brophy Hall. We will be learning cheers, the fight song, stunting, tumbling and more!

Monday is the day that we will be learning all of the material needed to tryout, but we will also have Tuesday to practice, and that will make Wednesday the day of actual tryouts. There are a few items that you will need to bring with you such as a current transcript or letter of acceptance to WIU, insurance card, proof of a physical and the $25 tryout fee. If you have any interest in joining the team, I hope to see you there!

Cheerleading at Western has changed my life and I hope that it can do the same for others as well!

mental health issue going on, your dog, cat, bunny, whatever it may be, still provides you with emotional support and comfort. Having a pet during college, in my opinion, is vital.

In my experience of having my ESA on campus with me, I found that it really helped me push myself to do the things that I really did not want to do. Having depression often puts me in my bed, unwilling

to do just about anything.

Having said that, my cat was literally a lifesaver when I lived in the dorms, and continues to be even off campus.

Having another being that relies on me to live really puts things into perspective.

When I am feeling down and unable to do the things I need to do, I remember that unless I want my beloved cat to pass away or get sick, etc., I need to be responsible and take care of her. This is why she is so important, and why I think having a pet with you during college is crucial.

When finals come around, it is good to have a "built-in" stress reliever in your home.

Even if you just have to pick the animal up and cuddle with it for a few minutes, it can really help. Having pets can be a big responsibility, but it can benefit you in ways you would never expect.

Everyday life is also stressful, especially in college.

There is constant stress about homework, quizzes and tests. I think it is always good to have an animal you can come home to and just spend some time with to relieve the everyday stresses in your life. If you do not feel comfortable owning a pet, maybe volunteer at the animal shelter so you can interact with the homeless ani-

mals. Another option would be to make a friend who has an animal, especially if you do not feel that you are responsible enough for one of your own.

Overall, having a pet in college is necessary in my eyes.

They really help you cope with college and every emotion that it can bring to the table. Having a cute animal that you get to come home to every day can really help you in the four years you are here at school. The stress that college brings is often too much, and we all need an escape from that sometimes. Please think about adopting an animal from your local shelter!

Do you need an emotional support animal?

Typically, when college students hear the words "emotional support animal," they think of that person they know that is way too attached to their pet. You would assume people throw around that title just so they can have their beloved pets with them at school. What they may not realize is that even without the title on them, that is what pets do for all of us. Even if you do not have some sort of

OPINIONS 5

Friday, August 23, 2019

@WesternCourier

Vine should make a comeback On January 17, 2017 at 10:01 p.m., tragedy struck; the Vine app was shut down.

The app was founded by Dom Hofmann, Rus Yusupov and Colin Kroll and was later purchased by Twitter for $30 million. The app was officially launched on January 24, 2013. It started out as an application solely for iOS devices, but the release of an Android version was circulating by June 2, 2013.

On April 9, 2013, the Vine application became the most downloaded free app on the iOS App Store. In just a span of two months, it had become the most popular and vastly utilized videosharing application in the online marketplace. The concept of the app is for users to be able to post six second videos of themselves or their surroundings. Since the shutdown on the app in

2017, Vine has still managed to stay trending throughout social media. Classic vines such as “My name is Jeff” and “Hi welcome to Chili's” continue to infect our generation with laughter. While Twitter has gained more attention by shutting down Vine, it has also created a major upset within the Vine community. As great as Twitter is, many still argue that the shutdown of the video app has created a void in their life that Twitter simply cannot fill. A specific group of people within the Vine community that were also impacted by this are the Viners (people who

became famous for posting their vines). There is a simple solution for this problem: bring back Vine. Vine should be resurrected because it makes people laugh.

According to the MayoClinic website, laughter is a huge stress reliever. Laughing stimulates your organs by increasing your intake of oxygen-rich air which has a positive effect on your heart, lungs and muscles. Laughing is good for your health, and therefore so is Vine because the two go hand in hand. Vine, the app that has sparked joy and laughter in the hearts of many, should be brought back to society.

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The vine logo is very well known among social media users

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The editorial views of the Western Courier shall be confined to this editorial and are to be separate from news coverage otherwise noted. The editorial presented is based on the ideas and views of the WC editorial board.Columns are the opinions of the columnists alone and should not be construed as the opinions and beliefs of the WC staff as a whole.

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Letters should not be more than 350 words in length. The author’s name and phone number must be included for verification purposes. Failure to include such information will lead to the letter being discarded. The WC staff will edit letters in cases of timeliness, obscenity length and grammer, and we do not guarantee publication of all letters.

2019 Fall Semester Editorial Board

Edge Editor - Marc Ramirez Editor-in-Chief - Devon Greene Opinions Editor - Allison Young

6

Friday, August 23, 2019

SPORTS

WesternCourier.com

Women's soccer extremely confident after back-to-back shutout wins

By Bradley Piros sports editor

MACOMB, Ill. – The Western Illinois women’s soccer team kick off their regular season at home this afternoon against the Missouri State University Bears. The team is off to a strong start after winning their first two exhibition matches against Southeastern Community College (5-0) and Quincy University (2-0).

In their first match up with SCC, the five goals were scored by five different Leathernecks. Sophomore Amy Andrews kicked things off in the 11-minute mark and no more than 10 minutes later, senior defender Madison Bulin doubled the lead. They weren’t done

GOLEATHERNECKS.COM

Lauryn Peters looks to take a shot on net.

there, though. Sophomore Cassidy Grunewald made it 3-0 and juniors Lauryn Peters and Jenna Lundgren tacked on two more to seal the deal.

Eric Johnson, director of soccer, was extremely pleased with his side’s ability to find the back of the net and get their first win.

“I thought the rhythm of play was good in terms of our passing sequences. I thought our running off the ball was pretty good," Johnson said in a post-game interview with Athletic Communications.

“No matter what, you have to find a way to put the ball in the net, and we found a way to do that late in the game.”

In their second and final exhibition game, Western was able to pick up yet anoth-

JOSH PURNELL / PHOTO STAFF

Natalie Nagle looks to make a pass to a teammate.

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er shutout. Junior captain Natalie Nagle kicked things off not even 10 minutes into the game when she broke the deadlock. Sophomore Zoe Clarke scored the second goal from a perfectly placed long ball into the box from freshman Lynette Hawkins.

Senior goalkeeper Ines Palmiero Herrera only had to make two key saves in the first half while Western’s solid backline only allowed one shot in the final 45.

Johnson was once again proud of his squad.

“Good effort from the entire squad. Two games in three days is difficult, and I thought we handled it pretty well,” Johnson said. “We created some quality chances, so that is encouraging.

BRANDON RINGO / PHOTO STAFF

Zoe Clarke runs back into the play.

Our backline was very good on the day and deserved the shutout.”

It’s without a doubt that after back-to-back shutouts, the team is heading into opening day with high hopes and tons of confidence.

MSU, on the other hand, kicked off their exhibition games with a 3-0 loss to Southeast Missouri State.

They were able to bounce back when they won twice on a Sunday double-header. They beat Emporia State University 4-1 and Drury University 3-0, so the Bears are coming into this game with some momentum as well.

Last season, the Leathernecks opened up their season on the road against

GOLEATHERNECKS.COM

Madison Bulin brings the ball down with her chest.

WC

the Bears and fell 1-0. The last time the two squared off before that was back on Sept. 20, 2015 when Western fell on the road yet again, this time 2-0.

This time around, Western gets to play host. Last season’s affair was fairly even and back and fourth. MSU outshot Western 9-4, 4-3 shots on goal. Western did outshoot the Bears in the second half 4-3 but couldn’t overcome the first-half goal.

It’s looking like it could be a promising year for the team.

We just have to hope they can continue their winning ways into the regular season.

The game against the Bears will be held at John Mackenzie Alumni Field at 5 p.m.

BRANDON RINGO / PHOTO STAFF

Jenna Lundgren shoves off a defender to keep the ball.

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For Rent

For Rent

For Rent

Spacious 2-5 bedroom homes for rent. 10 month lease available. Great locations, close to bus stops, plenty off street parking, all new windows, AC, energy efficient furnace, hardwood and ceramic tile floors, free washer/dryer. Well maintained (24 hrs.) by local landlord.

Call 309-255-1233.

LARGE STUDENT RENTALS 5 and 6 Bedroom Homes are still available!! Ask for our $1000.00 Discount program! Firsrt come first serve for the last large homes that are open for the fall.

Available now: Close to campus, clean studio apartments, excellent condition, reasonable rent, and partly furnished.

Ceiling fans and a/c. Professionally maintained. No pets.

Semester leases offered. Call 309 837 4369 and leave your phone number if not there. Email: MandKhousing@gmail.com

Houses for Rent 2016/2017: A&D Real Estate has several 3, 4 and 5 bedroom houses for rent, all with at least 2 bathrooms, recently rennovated and located close to campus. Call for a tour or visit our website at www.wiucollegerentals.com. Local landlord with a focus on clean and updated housing with personal service for your college housing needs. 309-313-1122.

FALL INTO SAVINGS with Charleston Boulevard Apartments! Now offering SPECIAL RATES through Dec. 2017! Call for specific details 309-833-4545!.

NICE, CLEAN, WELL MAINTAINED 1 TO 6 BEDROOM HOUSES FOR 2016-2017 Our houses have hard wood floors, ceramic tile, central air, washer and dryer and are close to campus with plenty of parking. We offer a ten month lease so you don’t pay for the months you aren’t here. Please call 309-255-1959 for a showing.

Now showing for 2017 & 2018 year 2, 3, and 5 bedrooms homes all close to campus. Call 309-331-4565.

Westen Investments has only two 4-Bedroom brich houses available. Call our office at 309-833-5995 to schedule a showing! We will show to 2-3 person groups as well!

STC Investments now leasing for the 18/19 school year. We have 1-6 bedroom apartments/houses ready for you to call home! Check out our selection at www.stcinvestments.com.

You can also find us on Facebook to see daily posts!

NICE, CLEAN, WELL MAINTAINED 1 TO 6 BEDROOM HOUSES FOR 2017-2018 Our houses have wood floors, ceramic tile, W/D, central air, and are close to campus with plentry of parking. We offer low rent and a 10 month lease to save you money! Call 309-255-1959 for a showing.

Small 1BR apt near campus and downtown. All utilities included. (Electric, Water, DISH, Garbage) $500/month, $300 deposit. Available immediately. Also have 2BR, you pay electric. $600/month, $350 deposit available September 1st. Please contact 309-255-4367 for a showing.

Timbercrest Apartments 1587 Riverview Drive Now showing 1 & 2 Bedroom Units. Very clean, close to WIU campus with bus stop in front of building. Washer/dryer available in most units, all other appliances included, FREE INTERNET, ceiling fans in every room, pet friendly. All units have off street parking and private decks overlooking campus. Both 10- and 12-month leases are available. Openings for Summer 2017 and school year 2017/2018. Deposit required. Phone (309)833-3192 and leave message.

Westen Investments has just one 3-Bedroom ALL UTILITIES INCLUDED (Water, Sewer, Trash, Gas, Electric, and Internet) Apartment left! That’s right you just pay for rent, and the rest of it is on us! Call our office at 309-833-5995 to check it out.

The nicer apartments are going fast, excellent service- 24 hour emergency maintenance. Reasonable prices. Studio, 1-3 bedrooms, locations on/off campus available ‘18-’19 school year. Check us out at rentcollegepads.com. If interested, please call F & H Rentals 309/837-1705.

ALL APARTMENTS - ALL INCLUSIVE Get control of your budget. Know exactly what you are spending each month. Each apartment includes free a/c, free heat, free electricity, free water, free cable tv, free hi speed internet, and free off street parking. Laundry on site.

No noise policy. Bus stop across the street. Close to campus. Well maintained. Studios are $460/mo, One bedrooms are $620/mo. Call Doug at 309-255-8179 for an appointment.

For Rent: Little Swan Lake, 30 min from campus. 2br, 2bth, heated double car garage with work area. $600 per mo.

(309) 335-2206 after 6:00 pm, may leave message anytime.

Spacious 3 Bedroom Upper in Duplex close to campus and Jackson St. All utilities furnished and appliances Includes cable and internet 18/19 school year $375.00 per Br Ph 309 255 8086 Please leave message Still have some nice large locations available at reasonable prices. Excellent service- 24 hour emergency maintenance. 1-8 bedrooms, locations on/off campus available ‘18-’19 school year. Pets at some locations. Check us out at rentcollegepads.com. If interested, please call F & H Rentals 309/837-1705.

Sports 7

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Friday, August 23, 2019

Championship windows open and close all the time in the National Football league.

Every year, new teams get ready to contend for the Lombardi trophy. With the new season on the horizon, one team with a chance to capture their Super Bowl dreams are the Chicago Bears, and the time to win is now.

The Bears had a magical season last year. They went 12-4 under first-year head coach Matt Nagy. They boasted one of the best defenses in the entire NFL. On the offensive side of the ball, former second overall pick, Mitchell Trubisky, took a big step forward by having a 95.4 quarterback rating. For a franchise that has not won a Super Bowl since 1985, their time to win is imminent.

paid these days. The NFL salary cap is set just over $196 million. The three players that eat up the most cap space for Chicago are Mack, Robinson and Kyle Fuller, all of whom are locked up for at least three more seasons.

While most of the Bears' core pieces are locked up for at least two more seasons, there are a couple of big players for this franchise that could be heading elsewhere due to the salary cap. Players like Danny Trevethan and Leonard Floyd will be up for big deals after the upcoming season. While these two may be critical to winning a Super Bowl, the Bears may have to prioritize locking up other players more necessary to the franchise.

Trubisky, Jackson and Cohen are all eligible to start negotiating contract extensions after next season. All three players went to the Pro Bowl last season and will be expecting some lucrative deals. If the Bears hope to

Super Bowl or Bust for the Bears The Bears have an impressive group of players to build sustained success around.

Players like Khalil Mack, Eddie Jackson, Tarik Cohen, Allen Robinson, Akiem Hicks and many more talented pieces are scattered around both sides of the ball. However, the clock is already ticking for these players to win a championship together.

In the near future, General Manager Ryan Pace is going to have some tough decisions to make in regards to roster construction due to the salary cap.

Right now, the Bears have capitalized on surrounding their young QB with talented players, without having to pay Trubisky the absurd amount of money that franchise quarterbacks are being

CHICAGOTRIBUNE.COM

Kyle Fuller dazes into the crowd at Soldier Field.

retain all three, not only will they have to let Trevethan and Floyd walk, they may also need to cut Kyle Long due to all the money he is making on his deal. While Long is a veteran leader in the locker room and loved by fans, his contract is one worth watching. He is set to make just under $10 million for the 2020-2021 season. That is a lot of money for a player who is over the age of 30 and has dealt with injury problems throughout his whole career.

The salary cap leaves a big burden on contending teams and makes sustained success a hard thing to achieve.

However, it has been done before; just look over to the New England Patriots. While the hype for the Bears being Super Bowl contenders is real, I do not think people realize how big of a season they have ahead of them.

Many Bears fans believe that they are in a position to win multiple Super Bowls.

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Mitch Trubisky celebrating after a touch down.

This is far from true, due to the fact they are going to lose key components of their team with the years to come because of the salary cap rule. However, the time to win is now because all of the pieces are in place. You don’t have to worry about dishing out all the money in the bank just yet. While many people are saying, “Oh, the Bears have the chance to be a dynasty,” let’s pump the breaks on that talk right now because that all leans on GM Pace’s decision-making on where he wants to spend his money.

The Bears have one of the most complete rosters in the NFL, and their one weak link is the kicking position.

It is Super Bowl or bust this season for the Chicago Bears because who knows if they will have as talented of a roster down the line.

Get me to Sept. 5, and let’s get ready to do the Super Bowl Shuffle in February.

Bear Down!

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Eddie Jackson runs down field after an interception.

XFL announces 8 teams for 2020 After nearly two decades, the XFL is returning to the field this February. Owned

by Vince McMahon, the XFL hasn’t played a game since 2001, their only season to date.

The XFL started out as a money grab. People wanted more football once the NFL’s season had finished. What was then the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) saw that want and realized what they could make off of it. In order to make that happen, however, they needed help and decided to team up with NBC both as a cosponsor and to broadcast their games.

This football league was going to be different, though.

Keeping in line with the WWF’s style of rough-housing, the league was promoted as being rougher with less rules. The XFL also used

some of the WWF’s personalities to help on-air commentaries. They tried everything they could to promote the league. It worked for the first week. Everyone in America was curious to see how this new league would play out.

Eventually, they were disappointed. The ratings for the XFL quickly dropped due to all of the distractions and gimmicks. It wasn’t long after the championship that the league decided to shut down operations. This was mainly due to NBC backing out of the league both on and off the air.

It was also due to poorer play than fans were used to seeing when watching the NFL and college football.

However, McMahon, the man who dreamt up the XFL back in 2001, announced back in January of 2018 that the XFL would be returning. It

would follow the same schedule as the original XFL, with play starting right after the NFL’s season concluded.

On Wednesday, the league announced the eight team names that will field the league. The names are pretty electric: Dallas Renegades, Houston Roughnecks, Los Angeles Wildcats, New York Guardians, St. Louis BattleHawks, Seattle Dragons, Tampa Bay Vipers and the Washington Defenders. My favorite part about these teams is that the league really tried to mix up where the teams are located, and not just put teams in all the major cities across the country. There are some major cities on the list, but that’s to be expected. They also included some mid-major cities as well that could use another fan base both economically and socially, like St. Louis.

It does look like McMahon is taking the XFL more seriously this time around. When the XFL first came around, it was rushed and put together with silly gimmicks and

charades in place to try and keep fans interested. This time, McMahon announced the revival of the league a couple years before relaunch.

With that much time in between the announcement and relaunch, I hope that he really tried to delve into what he can do to make the league a success this time around and not another colossal failure like back in 2001.

One thing that the XFL will have going for it is its place in popular culture. Ever since the 30 for 30: This Was the XFL, people have been referencing it a lot more. It comes up often in sports podcasts, particularly Pardon My Take, for comedic effect. I think that while the revival attempt may ultimately fail, this new XFL will be a lot more successful than it was in 2001 due to the popular culture.

I’m interested to see how the XFL goes. The idea of another football league excites the football fan in me, but look at what happened with the AAF. The league didn’t even finish one whole season and

the first attempt of the XFL barley made it through one season itself. Now, that might have also been due to the fast schedule that league executives decided to run on, but while fans want more football, there’s never going to be another NFL and I think that is how it should be marketed.

The return of the XFL should be advertised not as another professional football league that would be able to compete against the NFL, but as a mediocre league that players could go to get better and make the jump after a couple seasons. I think that it could potentially even turn into a sort of “minor league” system for the NFL. While this isn’t what McMahon and the XFL would like to do, this would be a smart thing for the NFL to jump on and try and make happen. It would help teams develop talent and let that talent play, instead of just sitting on a bench for a couple seasons before they are either ready or a job has opened up for them.

Five players selected as captains to lead Leathernecks' football team to victory

By Michael Harms courier staff

Every great group has a great captain. The new colonies had George Washington, the civil rights movement had Martin Luther King Jr. and now the Western Illinois University football team has their leaders. Five captains, three offensive and two defensive, have been named for the upcoming season.

The most obvious choice for one of the captain positions is Connor Sampson, the junior quarterback. The man starting under center is going to lead the offense, so he might as well have that prestigious C on his uniform to help lead the entire team off the field, too. This will be his first year at the helm and all eyes will be on Sampson to lead this team to victory.

Next up will be the workhorse back for the Leathernecks, Clint Ratkovich. A junior running back for the Leathernecks is looking to be a dual threat in the backfield and as a receiver. He is returning to the captain list after his previous year and looking to improve from his 616 receiving yard season.

The final offensive captain is Jared Drake. The senior running back is in his second

season with the Leathernecks after transferring from Ohio State. He appeared in 10 games and recorded six receptions with 20 yards. He is the most surprising man to be on this list, but his knowledge on and off the field will ultimately benefit the team.

These three offensive weapons will be the first three out of the gate, the ones to lead the charge against the enemy.

The entire team will look to these chosen few in times of trouble and in times of need.

They have a heavy load upon them but are capable of rising to the occasion.

Only two captains were named on the defense. First is senior defensive back Eric Carrera. He appeared in all 11 games last year and recorded a season high in interceptions with three and tackles with 66. He will be the leader in the secondary, making sure everyone matches up correctly and there are no blown assignments.

Defensive schemes are not always easy to comprehend.

However, Carrera has been in this defensive system for a number of years and has the experience and knowledge to overcome almost any challenge. In fact, he shares the most experience of all captains with his partner Tom Rehfeld, the final

named captain.

Rehfeld is a senior linebacker he has recorded 12 tackles. The defense was the highlight of last year for the Leathernecks behind some star-studded talent. Rehfeld will be held accountable to see that the defense does not miss a beat and drop in production. This will be his fifth year in Macomb and final one on the gridiron. He will look to leave his mark on the history books and bring his best.

Head Coach Jared Elliot is in charge of making these decisions and is super excited for this season. “It is an honor within our program to be voted a captain. Our team takes a lot of pride in how we do things here: the Leatherneck way. All of these guys embrace our culture and have earned the respect from their teammates as leaders. They have all held themselves to a very high standard and naturally make those around them better.

They love their teammates and demonstrate the great quality of selflessness,� Elliot told GoLeathernecks.com.

With these men at the helm of the Purple and Gold, they are poised for success this year that starts Aug. 29 against University of North Alabama.

BECCA LANGYS / PHOTO EDITOR

Connor Sampson makes a throw during practice.

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Clint Ratkovich runs with the ball during practice.

BECCA LANGYS / PHOTO EDITOR

Eric Carrera lines up for kickoff.

BECCA LANGYS / PHOTO EDITOR

Tom Rehfeld runs downfield to cover a kick.

BECCA LANGYS / PHOTO EDITOR

Jared Drake blocks a UNI player at Hanson Field.