2
November
Inside
The Bear Facts
The Bear Facts
.
School News
.
3
November
Upperclassmen Face-off at Powderpuff By Kate Janson ‘20
“Powder Puff,” a popular American tradition in high schools and colleges all over the country, is anticipated every year at Ursuline. Jesuit football players coach girls how to become experts at the sport in five short practices. This annual game evokes a very comp etitive spirit and rivalry between the junior and senior classes and is not taken lightly. As a junior, this was my first year to partake in this tradition, after watching it for the past two years. So, in case you haven’t heard about the intensity and all of the practice and effort that goes into this one game, read on. In preparation for the Jesuit homecoming football game, the junior and senior girls sign up to play an intense game of flag football the morning of November 2nd. A team of around 40 girls is chosen from the sign up, and practices begin a few short days later. I did not have time to mentally prepare for this. I underestimated the intensity of this tradition at Ursuline and how seriously we must take it. Soon enough, I learned how much of an honor it was to be randomly chosen. Most girls at Ursuline want nothing more than to represent their class and show off their athletic
“only 1 in 3 of people suffering from anxiety seek and receive help...”
abilities on the football field in front of all of Ursuline and Jesuit. Sunday, October 30th, the preparation began. Our coaches had 5 short weeks to turn girls into football players. Practices would run from 2-4 every Sunday on the Ursuline soccer field in the dead heat of the day. I play soccer, so I’m used to being outside on the field but usually for only one and a half hours. This seemed a little excessive. With the sun beating down on us, we were directed to catch footballs, sprint, and run plays. We were divided into two groups for offense and defense based on what sport you play, your athletic ability, or your preference. Then, we scrimmaged. For an hour straight. We memorized plays, pulled flags, and sweat, a lot. Practice number one was finally over. Don’t get me wrong, it was so fun. But I would be lying if I told you I wasn’t sore the next morning. For the
next four weeks we would sweat blood and tears to prepare to leave it all on the Jesuit football field on November 3rd. I am used to playing soccer close to every day of the week, but these practices are no where close to easy. Playing football, even flag football, requires a lot of cutting and quick movements. On November 2nd, the practices ceased, and our work will be put to the test. We will prove just how much football we can learn in five short weeks. The juniors and the seniors had an early morning and rushed onto the Jesuit football field, music blaring, before nine in the morning. Warm-ups started and then the seniors kicked off. There was a lot of back and forth until the seniors scored a touchdown in the first quarter, and their second quickly followed along with someone completely ripping my shirt. We were down 13-0 with 40 seconds left on the clock. It was fourth down and the junior QB, Megan Whampner, threw to Brynson Gill for the juniors’ first and only touchdown of the game. With less than 20 seconds left, I kicked a field goal and we scrammed to attempt to score again. But the senior defense held up, and the game ended with the score 13-7. With only five days of practice, both the juniors and the seniors pulled off a football miracle. The seniors kept up the tradition of beating the juniors. But, the juniors are readt and waiting in anticipation to demolish next year’s junior class in powderpuff.
Nurse Murray’s Tips By Brooke Norman ‘20
During the hectic and lazier cold months, countless germs are being transmitted from person to person, with the amount of people containing a sickness just multiplies each day. You may think you are never going to fall ill in these cold months, yet you should be thinking more about how you can stay heathier to decrease your chances of catching something anytime soon. Nurse Murray, the nurse at Ursuline, gave some tips on how to maintain health and the basics of staying away from hidden illnesses. She said, “The two most important things in addition to eating and sleeping well,” Nurse Murray said, “are to wash your hands constantly and to get a flu shot as soon as possible,” she also said to eat well in nutrients and to attempt to receive an abundance of rest. Seasonal illness spikes due to our immune system’s vulnerability during the colder months. Trying to maintain and build up your immune system is definitely easier than it seems and significantly less time consuming than caring for your sickness, and with time and care, you may just dodge every illness that comes to school this year. Make sure to keep your hands away from your face! Bacteria easily enters your body to multiply the amount of virus cells and for you to end up feeling drowsy and nauseous. A study on Today. com states that people who touch their eyes and nose are 41 percent more likely to catch a sickness and taking vitamin supplements builds up your immune system to fight the viruses from coming to you. When washing your hands, don’t be in a hurry! Wash every single corner, making sure to deep-clean both the back and front of your hands thoroughly. Also, apply hand sanitizer when you can, to kill most germs. Although drinking a nice, hot coffee from Starbucks may sound more appetizing, sometimes the better choice is to stay hydrated and drink water, continuously. The hydrating water flushes all the toxins from your system, and if you feel cold, or the cold water doesn’t suit your taste buds, set some water to a boil on the stove and sprinkle a hint of lemon to add extra flavor! If you do get sick, stay home and rest. Drink plenty of fluids, take steamy showers or baths, use a humidifier, take elderberry extract cough drops and sleep as much as possible. It is better to stay home and miss school rather than stay in school and gradually become worse or even affect fellow classmates.