Sports Update

westsidestory sportsupdate CREATED BY THE INTRODUCTION TO NEWSPAPER CLASSES IOWA CITY WEST HIGH SCHOOL

2901 MELROSE AVE.

IOWA CITY, IA 52246

BASKETBALL WRESTLING

WSSPAPER.COM

VOLUME 3 ISSUE 2

DECEMBER 19, 2012

SWIMMING BOWLING

ICE SKATING GYMNASTICS TRACK SPORTS FEATURES

LIKE

BROTHERS

BY KATIE PEPLOW AND KIANA WILSON katiepeplow14@gmail.com kiana.wilson9@gmail.com

Together in camps, leagues and now playing together on a varsity team. West basketball players Wyatt Lohaus ’14 and Jeremy Morgan ’13 have known each other since they were born because of their parents’ friendship. Both boys have been on the varsity team since they were freshmen.

After an undefeated season last year, the boys hope to become back-to-back state champions.

“I think we’re good enough to win state,” said Lohaus. The team only lost two seniors, only one of which started, and have gained a consistent group of underclassmen to the varsity roster.

However, what the boys are most excited for this season is their opportunity to play with their teammates and in front of the home crowd again.

P l a y i n g s i n c e Preschool

AGE 5: Both boys started basketball camps

Jeremy and Wyatt at Jeremy’s fifth birthday party

1st GRADE: Jeremy started PHOTO BY//KATIE PEPLOW

TIMELINE PHOTO USED WITH PERMISSION FROM JEREMY MORGAN

playing in North Dodge League

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J E R E M Y

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Top right: Jeremy Morgan ‘13 charges down the court Bottom right: Jeremy Morgan ‘13 takes a breather while a teammate shoots a free throw

PHOTOS

BY//KIAN

Watching from the crowd, it may seem as though the boys have everything under control, but they believe they have to improve their performance in practice.

“If we have a good practice it can carry into the game,” Morgan said. Lohaus agrees and more people out there,” Morgan said. believes the team needs to be more coachable.

This season won’t mark the end of these “We need to have a better attitude toward boys’ experiences playing basketball tocoaches,” Morgan said. “[We can be more gether.

Lohaus has verbally committed to coachable] if we don’t make excuses when play at the University of Northern Iowa, they tell us we did something wrong.” and Morgan has signed a letter of intent to “It’s fun because [Jeremy and Wyatt] are do the same. natural leaders.” said teammate Drew “We’ve known each other for a long time Haas ‘13 when asked what it is like playso it’s cool to keep playing together,” Moring with the pair. “Even though Wyatt gan said. “I don’t think much will be difis younger than most of us, he is one of ferent, just the pace [of the game] will be the calmest, most mature basketball faster. ” players I know.”

If the boys team can fix their issues in In addition to improving practice practice by talking more and working tohabits, Lohaus and Morgan want gether better as a team, it seems as though the student section turnout to be they have the perfect formula for a repeat better. undefeated state championship season.

“It was pretty good for the first game, but we’re trying to get

W Y A T T PHOTO BY//ANNA MONDONARO

PHOTO BY//KIANA WILSON

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Top left: Wyatt Lohaus ‘14 performs a layup vs.

Dubuque Central Top right: Wyatt Lohaus ’14 looks to see if a teammate’s shot has made it into the basket

2nd GRADE: Wyatt also joined the North Dodge League

8th GRADE:

Wyatt joined the AAU league

5th GRADE: Jeremy joined the AAU league (Amateur Athletic Union)

9th GRADE:

2011-2012 SEASON: The Trojans went undefeated and won the state championship

Both boys landed spots on the Varsity team

Journey to the Top

W

hen senior power forward Myzeah Batie-Gaddy ‘13 first started playing basketball, he quickly found out it was the sport for him. It wasn’t like he wasn’t open minded. There was one long summer of soccer and also some football for a while, but they just weren’t for him.

Batie-Gaddy is not the type of person to brag or outdo someone. Just ask his mom.

By Jazmyne Truesdale 4

Batie-Gaddy ‘13 going up for a basket

“He knows his role on the team and does what he has to do.” Marlissa Batie said.

There has been nothing stopping Batie-Gaddy from achieving his goals. Like the majority of freshman, Batie-Gaddy played on the freshman team. During sophomore year, he practiced varsity but never got the chance to play. It wasn’t until junior year that BatieGaddy was in the lime-light. Since freshman year Batie-Gaddy had worked on dunking.

During junior year at a home game versus Waterloo East was the first time he had actually dunked with a crowd.

Steve Bergman, his coach for about three years, has noticed a lot of improvement in Batie-Gaddy. “He is a really good screener and improving on defense,” Bergman said.

It’s always a good feeling knowing there are people on the team who are always giving 100% on the court. Batie-Gaddy’s career

Batie-Gaddy ‘13 going up for a basket Far Left Photo by//Abbie Skemp Upper Left-Photo by// Frank Weirich Top Right-Photo by// Abbie Skemp Far Left photo Batie-Gaddy going up for a lay up.

in basketball is undetermined but all there is to worry about right now is in fate’s hands.

Myzeah reflects on the fact that with out the graduated seniors Richard Bryant and Jake Gylten the team doesn’t seem as close. “I think the team needs to come together more like last year.” Batie-Gaddy said.

When asked what he is looking forward to Batie-Gaddy said “hopefully another state title.” It’s a big goal but with Batie-Gaddy’s effort and encouragement, it’s very possible.

5

Meet the team Wyatt Lohaus ’14

Position: Point Guard

Shooting Percentage: 50 % Favorite Team Moment: Winning state last year

Jeremy Morgan ‘13

Position: Shooting Guard Shooting Percentage: 43% Favorite Team Moment: Water fight on the bus ride home from Ames

Cutler Simpson ‘13

Position: Forward

GREAT EXPECTATIONS Men of troy shoot for another state

title

By: Anna Mondanaro Five... Four... Three... Two...

As the clock ticks down to the last second of the Iowa City West High Boys Basketball season opener against Davenport Assumption, not a peep is made in the gym.

The score is 53-53, and as Austin Swank ’13 puts up a beautiful 3-point shot, time stops for a second. But after the shot goes in, the buzzer goes off, and the crowd goes wild, the Men of Troy are once again just high school boys, some with big dreams to play in college, some just playing for the love of the game. “After I made the shot, I didn’t even know what to do. I was just so happy that it went in and I didn’t let my team down,”

Swank said.

This isn’t the Men of Troy’s first rodeo when it comes to winning big games. They went 22-0 last year, winning the in the state final against topranked Ankeny. A state championship, a perfect season, and some very expectant fans.

These boys face high expectations for their season this year. With only one senior starter graduating after the 2012 season, quick and composed forward Jake Gylten, the Trojans’ rankings are not only first in the state, but twenty first in the country.

Long time Trojans coach Steve Bergman said, “I have coached a team in a similar situation. It was 1999. The year before we had won state starting two sophomores and two seniors. The team was ranked #1 all season but were upset in the state final.”

ions

Bergman, like others, has high confidence in the team.

“We are working hard on correcting our mistakes and working on weaknesses both individually and team-wise.

We are putting the team’s good ahead of the individual good. I guess you could say that’s our motto,” Bergman said.

As for filling Jake Gylten’s ’12 position, it is not an easy task. “Several players are helping fill the void left by Jake’s graduation. Myzeah BatieGaddy ’13 is playing more of a perimeter roll and Jason Stewart ’13 and David Dileo ’15 are also filling his role.”

The Men of Troy are 6-0 at the beginning of their season, with wins against Assumption, Davenport Central,Cedar Rapids Washinton, Ames, Cedar Falls, and Xavier.

Shooting Percentage: Undefined Favorite Team Moment: Playing tournaments with the team.

Austin Swank ‘13

Position: Shooting Guard Shooting Percentage: 45% Favorite Team Moment: Winning shot against Assumption

Photos by: Anna Mondanaro

Dallas Majors Basketball Player

BY AARON CARTER

aaroncarter51298@gmail.com

Photo by Aaron Carter

BY THE NUMBERS: DALLAS MAJORS

• Started playing at 5 years old (2002) • Most points scored in one game: 26 points • Most assists in one game: 6 assists • Most rebounds in one game: 15 rebounds • Favorite thing to do besides basketball: Video games/ hang out with friends • Favorite video game: NBA 2K13 • Different teams Dallas has played for: Pump N Run, Trojans (Club West), West High • Freshman Team • Gym occurances per week: 3-5 (not including practice)

D

allas is a champion on and off the court. Whether is comes sport at least twice, and have been on down to ballin’ up his friends on his such runs as four conference titles in a favorite video game, or on the court row from 1997-2000. And with a playwhere his talents really shine. er as skilled as Majors it is more easy “It is easy to be good, but it takes to refer to him when the game comes work to become great,” Dallas Majors down to the last shot, and your team is ’16 said. Basketball star forward is an behind him and has full confidence in advanced player for his him when he takes the age. Many people think last shot.

“That uncanny so as well, Majors is a The whole team is on respected athlete by his quickness and board. They know who teammates, coaches, leader is. speed that hardly their and opponents. That “Vocally and by is when you know you anybody our age example, Dallas has are great. always lead us through “That uncanny quick- has is what he rough times and good ness and speed that possesses. The times, and that will hardly anybody our age never change,” said Nate sense of where has is what he posBarnes ’16, teammate of he and his teamsesses. The sense of Majors. where he is and where They know his capamates are is like his teammates are is bilities. no other.” like no other,” said “How some nights former teammate Luke he can just take over a -Luke Barta’16 Barta ’16. game and drop 30 on The West High Gold you,” said David Pedteam is 4-0 so far this erson ’16, teammate of Majors, “yea season, beating CR Prairie, Jefferson, I would definitley say it’s helpful [his Linn Mar, and City High to account scoring], and it makes us trust him for the four victories. Majors has even more as teammates.” averaged 15 points a game so far this They know his work ethic. season, which makes him the leading “He is always the 1st person done scorer for his team. when we do sprints in practice, there is “Scoring isn’t my first priority, winno rest for Dallas, it’s always give it all ning is,” Majors said. “I’m not going to or nothing, and it’s always all,” said Bo lie though, scoring is fun.” So it seems Nock ’16, teammate of Majors.

Majors is having much fun in his first They follow his lead, and that is what year as a Trojan. leads them to victory.

“Everybody likes winning,” said “When Dallas put up the winning Austin Moore-Praska ’16 a, teammate shot I knew it was in,” said Chase Blatz of Majors. “But it is another thing to go ’16, teammate of Majors, “I didn’t even out every night and know you’re going have to look at it to know it was in.” to win and see some pretty awesome Their leader is Dallas Majors. plays as well.”

The school is very gifted, they have won the MVC Conference in every

Dreaming Big

BY Micah Otterbein

Picture by//Micah Otterbein

E

very kid has a dream about something they would like to do when they get older. When Ally Disterhoft ‘13 began to play basketball in the fourth grade for an AAU team, she began to dream big. Earlier this fall Disterhoft took a step toward fulfilling her dream when she signed a letter of intent to play college basketball for the University of Iowa Hawkeyes and their coach, Lisa Bluder. Disterhoft loved basketball ever since she started to play.

“Well, I've just found that basketball is my passion; it is something that I've just loved ever since the day I picked up a ball. I’ve been around it all my life,” said Disterhoft. Her whole family has a love for watching and playing basketball and her mom played college basketball at Drake.

Lisa Bluder, heach coach of the Iowa Hawkeyes women’s basketball team, said Disterhoft was an unusual story when it came to recruiting a high school athlete. “[Disterhoft] was a part of our (promotional) poster nine years ago,” said Bluder. “We had this idea about a poster about Dreaming Big: Big Ten, Big-time basketball, and I wanted to have this little girl looking out over Carver (Hawkeye Arena) thinking about how great it would be to be an Iowa basketball player.

So we were looking for a girl who was athletic and was little and we said, ‘Hey, Ally's the right age! Let's use Ally.’ So Ally was in our poster at that time. And now, ironically, she will be in our poster for the next four years.”

Bluder knew Disterhoft since she was a little

Picture by//Micah Otterbein girl because her mom had played college basketball at Drake University with Jan Jensen and Jenni Fitzgerald, Bluder’s two assistant coaches at Iowa. Disterhoft was also a regular participant in Bluder’s summer basketball camps. Bluder began actively recruiting Disterhoft when she was in the ninth grade. Recruiting athletes when they are in the ninth grade is now a common practice, something that is quite different than when Coach Bluder began coaching at St. Ambrose University 28 years ago.

“Recruiting is starting earlier now too so you're starting to recruit kids when they're in ninth grade instead of recruiting them when they are 11th or 12th graders,” said Coach Bluder. “By the time they are juniors they are old. Usually its ninth and 10th grade that we identify a kid.

That is not to say that if we are not recruiting a kid in ninth and 10th grade that we’re never going to recruit them. Because some kids, especially taller women, are later bloomers and they get their coordination later, so those

Bluder:

By the Numbers:

Total Career Coaching Wins: Big Ten Coach of the Year: 3

594

Total Seasons with a Winning Record at Iowa: 11 Academic All-Big Ten Honorees:

56

Disterhoft:

seasons

Percentage of student athletes to complete degrees: 100%

Career Points: 1146

Scoring Average: 23.5

Field Goal Percentage: 63%

3-point Field Goal Percentage: 53% Varsity basketball starter: 4

years

Picture by//Micah Otterbein

Picture by//Micah Otterbein kids may not develop until their junior year.”

Receiving an offer of a scholarship to a Division I college program can be an exciting event for a high school athlete. Disterhoft enjoyed the recruiting process a lot because it gave her the opportunity to see a lot of colleges and meet a lot of interesting people. But she said she knew Iowa was the right place for her.

“I got to go to some really cool places...it was just really fun to get to travel around and meet new people,” said Disterhoft. “Iowa offered me

a scholarship a couple of days after we won the state championship; I think then I kind of knew that I for sure wanted to go there because when Lisa offered me, I really didn't have any words; my breath was taken away; I didn't know what to say.”

Disterhoft is excited about the challenges of playing at the college level. “[It’s] all going to be so interesting and so new; and it will be, I think, a fresh start,” said Disterhoft. “I've obviously got to work hard to prove myself to get some playing time. I'm

excited about getting to know a new team and meet some new girls and the coaches.”

Bluder also looks forward to having Disterhoft play for her, and she has hopes for Disterhoft and all her other players beyond the basketball court.

“First and foremost I want my players[...] to leave here with [a] degree that is meaningful so that they can be productive the rest of their lives. I want them to leave here thinking that they have grown as women, too, not just basketball players[...]. So I'm hoping that they learn life lessons[...]. You learn so many things on the basketball court: you learn things like time management, how to work as a team, how to set goals, how to win gracefully, how to lose with honor. You learn how to carry yourself with integrity and know that people are watching you and the example that you set all the time.”

Disterhoft is the only returning senior starter so the team will depend on her example and leadership. Disterhoft has plans for herself and her team before she heads to the University of Iowa next year. Even though their team is young, Disterhoft believes they can get back to the state tournament.

“I think the ultimate goal for us this year is to get back to state, that's been my goal ever since the end of last season,” said Disterhoft.

“State is just such a fun experience that you want to get back once you've already tasted it.

And just to improve-I think we have just a really young team; we have a lot of potential and as long as we are getting better every day and every practice, that's really all you can ask for.”

A passion for Hoops

An athlete profile on Andrea Morgan ‘16, who started basketball at a young age and still continues to play with passion.

Her hands positioned perfect, tightly gripping onto the basketball. As soon as she lets go, the ball will fly and the winner of the game will be revealed.

Freshman, Andrea Morgan’s father encouraged her to start basketball at a young age.

She was only seven years old when she shot her first basket.

She continued playing throughout the years and currently she plays power forward on the Junior varsity basketball team at West. With her coach being Barb Lynn.

“My favorite part about playing basketball is the competition, being with friends, and playing the sport that I love,” said Morgan.

During the season she practices every day for at least two hours and during off season she practices twice a week.

Morgan is also on AAU, (Amateur Athletic Union) Iowa Barnstormers during the off season. Morgan says the hardest thing about basketball is the time commitment. Basketball isn’t the only thing on Morgan’s schedule, she also plays softball and volleyball. But just like everyone else she has to go through obstacles.

After hyper-extending her left knee last year, and going through four to five months of physical therapy, Morgan

“Her willingness to work with her teammates and encourage them, makes Andrea a good athlete,” She can also play inside and outside which is a tremendous strength,” said Lynn.

According to the coach the season is going great so far.

“There are a number of different individuals that WEST VS. CITY GAME: Andrea, numcontribute on a ber 43 blocks the play during a game different night.

There is always a teammate for still struggles with pain. support. Every individual has their own “It hurts after continuous time, l strengths,” said Lynn. games, but I try to push through it,” said In the future, Morgan plans on continuMorgan. Sometimes her knee will be sore at ing basketball throughout high school and practice, but when it comes to games, Morshe says she’ll see whatever doors open for gan puts her game face on. college.

With her teammates on the court, and the “I am going to go with the flow, and who bench Morgan hears each and every one knows, I might just get a scholarship,” said of their voices encouraging her to push Morgan. through the pain and win one for the team.

Morgan will continue playing basketball Although her teammates are a great supthroughout this season. She earned 16 port, she supports them just as well. points in her highest scoring game.

“She is a hard worker, and she always gives “Basketball is such a fun sport, and I love 100 percent. I always hear her voice on the sharing that with my teammates. I feel so bench cheering me on and encouraging me blessed that I can play such an amazing even when my nerves get to me,” said her sport,” said Morgan. teammate Payton Pottratz ‘16.

Morgan’s pain doesn’t stop her from work// by Consuelo Mendoza ing hard and contributing to the team. photos used with permission from Andrea

About Andrea

1. Her favorite color is blue 2. Andrea is # 43 on the JV basketball team.

3. Her favorite professional athletes are Nnemkadi Ogwumike and Chiney Ogwumike. They are two sisters who were on the Stanford women’s basketball team last season. They are her favorite because she says they inspire her and it’s cool how they have that sister bond.

4. Her favorite sports to watch are basketball and football.

5. Her nickname is Mo. 6. funniest basketball moment: when she was in second grade, on the recteam and at a game she shot from the three point line and she made it in!

Life of an Athlete By: Sidney Petitgout

Jessie’s Picks: Fave food: Pasta Fave song: Hall of Fame Hobbies: Hanging with friends and family Fave color: Green and Blue

Softball

ll Volleyba

It’s no secret battling three sports and academics can be a challenge, but Jessie Harder ‘16 manages to do it all with ease. There's definitely no off season with Harder; softball in the summer, volleyball in the fall and basketball through the winter and spring. “I like having a busy schedule, it keeps me motivated to do my best.” Harder says.

Volleyball is up next in Harder’s never ending seasons.

Softball is a tough sport to get the hang of, but Harder seems to catch onto things pretty easily. This is Harder’s favorite sport, mostly because she has been doing it the longest and has the most fun while doing it.

“I really enjoy playing softball with all my friends on the field” Harder said.

Harder played for the West Trojans on the varsity softball team last year and is planning on trying out again in the spring.

“Nothing can stop Jessie once she steps on the playing field and picks up her bat.” a teammate of Harder said.

“I love the adrenaline rush I get while playing, it excites me and gives me a push of energy to keep me motivated while I’m on the court” she said.

Harder recently ended her volleyball season last September, and doesn't know whether she’ll end up doing it her sophomore year.

“She inspires me, and her other teammates” a teammate of Harder said.

It’s no secret how hard Harder works, and it definitely pays off in the end.

“Practice makes perfect, in the sports And finally basketball. Words cannot describe the love Harder has for basketball. “When I have a ball in my hands or someone passes it to me, I feel like I own the court, and I am unstoppable.”

Harder said.

l l a b t e k s Ba She now plays for Iowa City West. Harder especially loves this sport, because she gets to spend time with her friends and her basketball family. “They're always there for me and always will be,” Harder says.

With great victory comes some consequences. Harder has suffered many injuries in the past year, but continues to shine in all sports. She had a concussion, sprained ankle and black eye in basketball, sprained ankle in volleyball, and she has even lost some calcium in her bones from softball. luckily she has overcome her injuries which made her the star athlete she is today.

“She’s unstoppable when shes in game mode.” Molly a friend of Harder said about her gameplay.

Harder will continue with her busy schedule and will advance in enjoying all three of her favorite things to do.

“I love it, and don’t plan on stopping anytime soon.” Harder says.

As the West High boys swim team starts a brand-new season, both old-timers and new faces will join together to try and make it their best one yet. Now splash into the information of the rookie stars and accomplished veterans of the Trojan swim team.

By CeeCee Sheng ’16 and Sharon Xiang ’16

Aidan Keen ’16 Years swimming: 3 Swim Club: IFLY [Iowa Flyers] Awards: “I’ve won too many, so I haven’t counted.”

Idols: Ryan Lochte and Michael Phelps Inspiration: “My brother.”

Pre-race traditions/routines: “I eat Subway, and right before the race, I shake out my arms and legs and I clap my biceps to get in the zone.”

Lucky Charms: Spirit suit and dome cap Competitions he participates in: State, Sectionals, Junior Nationals, and school meets Differences between high school team and club: “High school team is about the whole team, but with IFLY, I swim for myself.”

How the veterans accepted him: “They were very accepting and welcoming. They were really excited for Mark [McGlaughlin] and I.” Most Embarrassing Moment: “I was swimming the 500, and I stopped swimming 50 meters before. I had taken off all of my stuff, before realizing that I had 50 more to go. So I jumped back into the pool and swam with wet goggles and got second.”

Nathan Druivenga ’13 Years swimming: 6 Awards: “I got first in the 50 free and 100 free.”

Competitions he participates in: High school meets Benefits of school team: “In practice, we get to compete against our teammates.”

Inspiration: “My coach and teammates.”

Pre-race traditions/routines: “Eating meals together. I don’t have any pre-race routines.”

Lucky Charms: “They’re magically delicious.”

What he thinks of the rookies: “I think it’s cool people who are on club are deciding to be part of West’s swim team, because they already have some experience with swimming.”

On seniority and age: “I think it matters a little, because the freshmen usually have to do all of the work, such as putting in the lane lines.”

Most Embarrassing Moment: “I’ve never had any.”

Rookies

vs.

veterans

Mark McGlaughlin ’16 Years swimming: 4 1/2 Swim Club: IFLY [Iowa Flyers] Awards: “I’ve won too many to actually count.”

Idols: “Ryan Lochte. Not Michael Phelps, he sucks and is mean.”

Competitions he participates in: Junior Nationals, Sectionals, and State Inspiration: “I don’t have inspiration.

Oh! Dory in Finding Nemo. The song she sings...what’s that song?

Oh! ‘Just Keep Swimming.’”

Pre-race traditions/routines: “I loosen up and I make sure my stuff is dry. I do not like swimming with wet stuff at all.”

Lucky Charms: Dome cap Differences between high school team and club: “It’s more teamoriented, and I get to be with Will Scott [’16].”

How the veterans accepted him: “Pretty well.”

Most Embarrassing Moment: “I don’t think I have ever had any. I’m too awesome.”

Carson Miller ’14 Years swimming: 8 Swim Club: IFLY [Iowa Flyers] Awards: “I got high point two years straight [award given to the swimmer scoring the most points in a given age group at a swim meet] and my team at All-State got second.”

Idols: Michael Phelps Inspiration: “I just really like swimming... it’s a good way to stay in shape and I’ve swam since I was 8 years old.”

Pre-race traditions/routines: “I listen to music, and the team cheers at the end and the beginning of the meet.”

Lucky Charms: “I wear the same cap.”

Competitions he participates in: Minnesota Grand Prix, Sectionals, and State Differences between high school team and club: “It’s a lot more about the team.”

Thoughts on the rookies: “They’re awesome, and I’m cool with them outside of school.”

On seniority and age: “We have mutual respect for each other.”

Most Embarrassing Moment: “I was at the Grand Prix for the first year, and I put my suit on wrong. So when I started swimming, it was down [...] six inches, and I had to swim like that.”

“

It’s like anything: what you put into it is what you get out. You’re racing the clock, and you have to be a self-motivated individual. [...] It hurts. You guys follow a black line at the bottom of a cold pool and when you get to the wall, you flip on your head and follow that black line back, and you do that for you know, 3 [or] 4 miles a day. Coaches can yell and scream, but the reality is, you have to push yourself. [...] It’s a tough sport.” -head coach Robert Miecnikowski

Meet the swimmers:

What are you looking forward to most this season?

“I think our team is going to do really well at state. I just want to see how it all ends up.”

How is swimming different from other sports?

Carson Miller ‘14 swims the100 yard

breaststroke, 200

yard individual med ley and relays

How is swimming different from other sports?

“[Swimming is] really grueling,[...] you can’t take a day off as easily as you can with other sports.”

“[Swimming is more mental.”

How does the team get along together?

“It’s a big team [but Matt Anderson ‘15 the team gets along swims the breaststroke well].”

What are your goals for the season?

“I’m hoping we can get on the podium as a team at state [...]I hope we can win a relay or two.

How is the sea son going so far?

Boys swimming:

High Expectations

As the West High boys swim team dives into their season, the team agrees they have much to look forward to.

After Aidan Keen ‘16 broke the 26 year-old 200 yard freestyle in the first dual meet against Cedar Falls on Nov. 27th, and broke that record again along with the 500 yard freestyle against Iowa City High on Nov. 29th, there is much to be anticipated of the freshman class. “[The team is looking] very good,” said head coach Robert Miecnikowski. “We’ve got good leadership at the top, numbers are the highest they’ve ever been [...] and then we’ve got some really good young guys that came in and started on the season this year.”

Along with Keen, Mark McGlaughlin ‘16 and Pleasant Valley transfer Matt Anderson ‘15 will add to the accomplished varsity squad.

“It’s a good team for sure this year. We’ve got a top group of guys, Aidan and Mark,” said teammate Carson Miller ‘14.

Micenikowski agrees, “We actually have some outstanding sprinters in Mark and Aidan too, but

By Meredith Cullen

they can do anything,” he said.

The Trojans have already defeated their Conference rival, Cedar Falls, cross-town rival Iowa City High, and Cedar Rapids schools Kennedy and Linn-Mar in dual meets.

“I think we’ll finish out the season with as few losses as possible,” said Miecnikowski with a laugh, “Maybe one loss. I’d be happy,” he said, noting the team will be swimming against state-defending champions Muscatine and Dubuque Senior, another top-ranked team in the state during their dual meet season. “To beat them, it’s going to have to be in our depth,” Miecnikowski said at the beginning of the season.

Unfortunately, the Trojans lost to Dubuque Senior Dec. 8th at an invitational meet.

But that one loss hasn’t hindered the boys’ high hopes for the state swim meet.

“I think for the state championship we’re going to look at the 200 [yard] medley [relay and] 400 [yard] free[style relay] [...] what we’re looking at there is trying to make All-American,” Miecnikowski said. To

“[The season is] pretty good so far.

The team as a whole is a little bit out of shape, but it should get better as we go Zach Hingtgen ‘14 along.” swims mid-distance Carson Miller ‘14 swims the freestyle freestyle during practice on Nov. 28th

qualify for All-American, the relay’s time must be in the top 100 fastest times of the nation.

Zach Hingtgen ‘14 is also looking forward to the team’s relays at state. “I’m hoping we can get on the podium as a team at state. I’m hoping we can win a relay or two,” Hingtgen said.

Even though the boys swim season runs through Thanksgiving and winter breaks the team continues their vigorous training schedule and has high hopes for state.

“We took Thanksgiving off, and that’s it. Over Christmas [Break] we’re looking at three hours a day, every day [...] with the exception of Christmas Eve [and] Christmas Day. The guys are serious and really want to improve.

They’re team leaders and they’ll do that,” Miecnikowski said. “[Swimming is] really grueling [...] you can’t take a day off as easily as you can with other sports,” said Miller. This self-dedicating and mentally tough sport is shown in the team’s work ethic.

The swimmers say taking a break from swimming is hard because staying in shape is really important. Right now, Hingtgen says that has been hard on the team. “The team as a whole is a little bit out of shape, but it should get better as we go along,” he said.

The team and fans have much to look forward to this season. As Miller said, “I think our team is going to do really well at state. I just want to see how it all ends up.”

Back

For

The

Title

BY KRISTEN LINEBACK WSS intern Mickey Pelfrey isn’t someone you want to mess with in the hallway. Undefeated in the 195 weight class, Pelfrey has high expectations coming into his senior season. Last year Pelfrey’s chances for a state title were shattered when he injured his elbow practicing with a teammate shortly before the big meet. However, Pelfrey’s injury has lit a determination in him; one that will not be quenched until his arm is yanked in the air as he is announced state champion.

Q

When did you start wrestling?

Mickey Pelfrey: When I was in kindergarten. I know my older

brother started wrestling at the same time, so it was probably my dad’s idea. I had success pretty quickly, I really liked it. I still like it.

Q

What’s your favorite part about wrestling?

A Winning. Also, bonding with the team.

Q

Last year you injured yourself in practice right before the big state meet. What were your emotions like around then?

A As you can imagine I was bummed out a little bit. I think I was more upset that I couldn’t wrestle. I was sad before I went to state, and then at state I was just mad at everything.

Q

What helped you to recover from the injury?

A I got back for a couple meets by May, which was relly helpful. I have a lot of great coaches, family, and friends behind me. I had to do some physical therapy and weights with my arm. Once I hit a stump with a sledge hammer for rehab for my elbow, which made the stump disappear, but it felt better.

Q

How have your injuries affected you as you’re back in action?

It A was scary to get back to wrestling, I was like, ‘what if I hurt myself again?’ I mean, every wrestler gets hurt, it’s a fact of life.

Q

Do you have any goals you have set for yourself this season?

I’m A going to win a state championship this year. It’s going to happen.

Right now I’m 11-0. There are some guys that are tough, but none that should be able to beat me.

Mickey’s Injuries

Concussions

Hyper-Extended Elbow

Separated Shoulder

Dislocated Elbow Torn Meniscus Torn MCL

Eric Vidhamali:

Bowler extraordinaire What makes this West High athlete good- and how he’s getting better.

Cool. Calm. Composed. As Eric Vidhamali ‘15 steps up to bowl, there is no visible emotion, and little facial expression. He picks up his ball, lines up his feet, and takes a deep breath. With a few short steps, he reaches the lane, and throws the ball. With a quick snap of his wrist, he adds spin that curves the ball all the way into the “pocket,” the space between the first and second pins.

With a thunderous roar, all the pins fall. Another strike.

Just as composed, he walks back to sit down. Still no emotion, save for a hardly perceptible smile playing at his lips.

Unlike many hifalutin athletes these days, Vidhamali lets his actions do the talking. Starting as a freshman on the varsity roster and often bowling cleanup on the baker games, which is a sort of “team bowling” where five people cooperatively bowl one entire game, he constantly feels the pressure.

“I like it,” Vidhamali said. “I get to compete with bowlers that challenge me.” Seeing him throw strike after strike after strike with incredible precision and consistency, one wonders how he does it. “When I go up [to bowl], I already know what to do. And I just do it. I don’t really think at all,” he said.

For Vidhamali, bowling runs in the family, “My dad [started me off bowling]. The whole family, basically.”

He started at an early age, “Probably as a toddler, bowling granny style,” (Between the legs) Vidhamali said. His game has progressed far from that point. With a high score of 284 under his belt, he constantly looks for ways to improve.

“Recently he developed a new technique; he brings his backswing higher in the air, gets a better rev rate on his ball, which causes more pin action,” fellow varsity member Joe Eckrich ‘13 said.

In addition to personal improvement, Vidmhali is also a hard worker. coach Kevin Roth said, “Practice. His dad bowls, his whole family bowls. He’s got a good network.”

Vidhamali’s talents help not only himself, but the team as a whole. “He’s here at every practice, he’s here at every meet. He’s a very hard worker and open to help” It’s clear to all that Eric’s work ethic produces bowling talent to spare.

Eric’s bowling bag contains: • Bowling balls • Rosin bags • Baby powder • Shoes

PLIÉS AND

PIROUTTES

WITH A STRONG PASSION FOR DANCE, HELENA MAGALHAES HAS COMMITTED A LARGE PART OF HER LIFE TO TAKING CLASSES AT KATE CAROL & COMPANY DANCE

BY ALORA KRAUS

S

he puts on the same worn, pink shoes and it’s like slipping into her real skin.

Music, enveloping her mind and body, sways her back and forth—Helena Magalhaes ’14 moves with the melody, free to let go and finally express herself. She’s a dancer.

Since the age of four, Magalhaes has been attending dance classes at Kate Carol & Company Dance, near the Sycamore Mall in Iowa City. Now 16, dance has become an integral part of her life and something she associates herself with first as an individual.

She said, “It’s just the one thing that I’ve continuously done for my whole life, so I can’t really imagine not doing it.”

Classes are three days a week and every other Sunday for about two hours each. However, a little variation in the agenda each night keeps it interesting.

“On Monday nights I help out with younger kids for assisting, on Tuesday I have ballet and contemporary, Thursdays are pointe, ballet, jazz and tap, and then Sundays are company,”

ABOVE: Magalhaes dances at one of her classes on a Tuesday night at Kate Carol & Company Dance in Iowa City.

ON POINTE Magalhaes said.

Magalhaes is part of a select group of students who participate in company, which focuses more on recital dances. Her company group was recently renamed “Inspiration” and consists of mostly girls her age.

It may seem like a lot of work to balance dance and the rest of life, but for Magalhaes it’s no problem.

When she gets home from school, she usually spends the few hours she has before dance relaxing. At almost ten p.m., she arrives home from class and begins her homework. However, the stress of getting home late, physically worn out, with homework still waiting to be finished does not burden her. “[Homework] is a different kind of work as compared to dance. Dance is more physical, and then I can get home and just relax and mentally work out my homework … it’s not too exhausting.”

Although Magalhaes has truly dedicated herself to the art and works hard to grow as a dancer, she said that she can’t do it without the support of her family. They were, and always have been, there to take her to dance classes across town, drive her to recitals and dress rehearsals in another city, applaud her performances, and write the checks for training and costumes.

“It just really means a lot to me, especially because they weren’t only just paying for the classes, but they actually cared about me getting better and that I enjoyed it.”

Magalhaes isn’t sure yet if she will continue dance in college, but the

OTHER STUDENTS AT KATE CAROL & COMPANY DANCE TELL WHAT THEY LOVE ABOUT DANCE “My favorite part about dance is that it can make your entire day so much better. You walk into the studio and you have all your friends there and all you have to focus on is just dancing and moving to the music and there’s really no problems from all the stress of your day once you walk in.”

-Amanda Coglan 20 years old 17 years of dance

“It’s fun and it’s just enjoyable, for me at least. It’s exercise except it’s not the same thing over and over again--you get to have variation a lot and that keeps it interesting I guess.”

-Grace Howland

16 years old

11 years of dance “I like dance because there’s always something to work on that you could be better at.”

-Lexie Finer

17 years old

13 years of dance

near future holds exciting opportunities. Before graduating, she’ll be doing a senior solo. All senior students in company are given the opportunity to perform one while the younger dancers wait for the day when it’s finally their turn, Magalhaes included. It’s a chance for her to show what she loved most about dance and how much she has grown as a dancer. A final hurrah.

By Julia Shriver

A WINTER RUNNING LAND

How runners train during the winter season

Learn some tips on how to continue training throughout the year

T

he inevitable winter season has arrived, soon to bring with it the slippery snow, slick ice, frigid temperatures, and the long slough of days dominated by darkness.

It is the time of year when many pack on the pounds, refusing to venture outside in fear of the tenacity of winter. There are, however, those who are not only willing to go outdoors during the winter, but enjoy the adventure. They are a class of dedicated, passionate athletes who are always training, agreeable weather or not. Runners work with the winter weather, seizing it as an opportunity to mix up training and prepare themselves for any running conditions that might come their way.

As fierce as winter weather can be, going running throughout the winter months gives runners a boost in training and overall fitness for later in the year, explains Jennifer Van Allen, special projects editor and coach of Runner’s World magazine.

“Taking a year-round approach to your training will help you be more consistent with your routine...and in general more consistency will help you stay injury free. It will help you maintain a solid foundation of fitness for the entire year,” Van Allen said.

Runners at West High are quite aware of the importance of continuing training through winter. The girls and boys track teams are both currently undergoing winter conditioning before the start of the track season. Pombie Silverman ‘13, a member of the girls track team, is familiar with the challenges of winter running, but she usually does not mind the cold. Snow, however, is a different story.

“I prefer to run without snow. It’s good for an easy run, but it can get in the way of footing,” Silverman said.

Snow often presents a major challenge for maintaining traction as well as pace, particularly when the temperature is right at freezing point. With the right adjustments, however, even the slickest snow can be manageable. Van Allen recommends to “take small steps and run by effort - how hard you feel you’re working - not by pace.” If this alteration of stride length is still not enough, special ice cleats can be worn on the bottom of a pair of running shoes to gain extra traction.

In addition to snow, winter also involves much colder temperatures. The best way to combat the cold is to simply wear adequate clothing. A runner must be equipped with a comfortable assemble of lightweight layers, being careful not to overdress since body temperature will rise with strenuous effort. More importantly, keeping the extremities warm with a hat and gloves is a must, since these areas will become cold the fastest. It is also important to stay dry, as getting wet can lead to hypothermia.

“Wear thin layers of technical apparel that wick the sweat away from your skin, and protect you from the wind. Apparel can be pricey but it’s well worth the investment,” Van Allen said.

Runners may have different ideas of what is comfortable at a given temperature, but it is crucial that they manage to stay warm. But just how cold is too cold? There is no magic number.

Issac Jensen ‘13, a member of the boys track team, admits that he once went running when the temperature was -23º!

“I just wore a bunch of layers-- it’s not too bad as long as you dress right,” Jensen said. He finds that running in the winter is quite tolerable with adequately warm clothing, though he admits that “everyone has their threshold.” The best way to determine whether a temperature is safe is to consider the wind chill, because wind makes a major impact on how cold a given temperature feels.

“If temperature is zero and wind is blowing at 15 mph, wind chill is minus 19- and...you can develop frostbite on exposed skin in 30 minutes or less,” Van Allen said.

Winter training can be tough at times, but it can also be fun. Sometimes the girls track team tries something new and goes on what they call “adventure runs.”

“We go to a random place...play hide and seek, once we hijacked a golf cart,” Silverman said.

As for the boys track team, Jensen said that they once “ran over to someone’s house and went sledding” after a snowstorm, and they also like to have snowball fights.

Winter running can be a challenge with its sudden snow showers and freezing temperatures, but with the right winter gear, a willing attitude, and a little fun, it can nonetheless be enjoyable. As Silverman said, “you need to be able to run to do track.”

Getting into Gear 5 running must-haves for the winter season

1

COMPRESSION TIGHTS

A necessity for the outdoor runner, these breathable, lightweight tights come in a variety of styles and colors. Many of them also feature reflectors, which is useful for the runner who cannot manage to get out the door during the few hours of sunlight that winter offers.

2

HEAD LAMPS

They are less commonly used than reflectors, but they are still a valuable safety tool for early morning or late afternoon runs where there is a lot of traffic. Think of it as a bike light worn on the head instead of a bike.

3

TOUCHSCREEN COMPATIBLE GLOVES

No need to awkwardly fumble with gloves before skipping to the next track or pausing a workout on your iPod-- these gloves have sensors on the fingertips that allow you to use the touch screen with ease while keeping your fingers warm.

4 5

COMPRESSION SHIRTS

In a variety of bright, visible colors, these lightweight shirts keep you warm but sweat free by whicking away sweat while sealing body heat in.

COLD WEATHER BEANIES

These stylish hats keep your head warm and comfortable. Available in a large variety of colors, styles, and materials, there is a beanie suitable for every sort of runner.

Pictured left: Pombie Silverman ‘13 shows off her winter running gear

by Akash Borde

Y

ou probably see them after school every day right outside the gym. A group of strangely dressed runners, usually stretching, socializing or both. It’s usually the same group every day, right? Welcome to offseason conditioning.

A dedicated group of distance runners run daily after school as part of winter conditioning for track and field in the spring. Coming from cross country as well as track and field, boys ranging from first-time freshmen to grizzled varsity letter-winning seniors, there are always at least a couple guys that meet after school every day right outside the gymnasium to train for distances anywhere from 800 meters to 5000 meters.

Why would anyone voluntarily go and run three to seven miles daily in Iowa’s unpredictable weather?

One of the main reasons the boys do it is because they want to see results in their respective events.

Isaac Jensen ‘13, who finished a school-best fifth place out of 116 runners at the 2012 cross country state meet, knows what it takes to achieve his goals. He credits summer and winter conditioning as well as the importance of not being idle in the offseason.

“If you don’t do anything for three

whole months while the competition is getting better, you can’t expect to do your best [during a race],” Isaac said. Isaac is the fastest athlete to run 5000 meters in West High history, and perhaps not coincidentally, one of the most consistent runners to come to offseason conditioning.

In addition to getting more miles under their feet, runners also come to practice in the summer and winter just to have a good time with their friends.

“The best thing about the offseason is just running for the fun of it with guys who love to be out there. It is just really relaxed and [there isn’t] much pressure,” said Josh Jensen ’15.

As opposed to the racing season, where practices are mandatory and structured around meets, offseason training is pretty relaxed.

Often times, in place of standard long runs and track workouts, a week often consists of other types of exercise. Most Fridays, the boys do their workouts in the form of impromptu games like football or capture the flag. This way, they can get some running and sprinting done and also have some fun.

A typical week during the winter or summer usually consists of a couple “staple” runs of 30 to 40 minutes at a relatively easy pace.

In between these days are

workouts, which range from hill sprints; track interval workouts; fartlek runs, which consist of alternating periods of slow and fast running; and tempo runs 30-40 minutes at a hard pace. The workout days are separated by the easy runs, but during the offseason, there are fewer workouts and more easy days.

Winter and summer training are similar yet different. Whereas they both involve similar types of running and workouts, the conditions couldn’t be less alike. Summer is significantly warmer, so runners don’t need to wear as much. More kids often come out during the summer just because they don’t have other activites going on. Finally, summer practice is a great opportunity for boys to meet up with their friends they wouldn’t usually see.

Winter, on the other hand, requires runners to wear several layers to keep warm. In addition, the athletes have to balance their training with schoolwork and extracurriculars. But the guys say it’s worth it.

“If there weren’t other [guys] to run with, then I wouldn’t feel the urge to better myself. My running friends have really pushed me and [I have] fun running with them,” said Abdalla Ali ‘15.

photos by//Akash Borde

the few * the proud * the a

TRACKtive

Isaac Jensen ‘13 and Bailey Wetherell ‘13 finish a demanding interval workout at the track

THE AVERAGE RUNNER’S MONTHLY MILEAGE compiled by//Akash Borde

200 (miles)

160

120

Abdalla Ali ‘15 races down the homestretch

Jan

r pr ay ne uly ug ept ct ov ec b a e A A D N O J M F M Ju S

TOP

Diving TO the

Y

Jacintha Thomas: Diving to the Top of West High History

BY LYDIA HINMAN

lydiahinman29@gmail.com

ou hear that splash? Well, that’s Jacintha Thomas ‘15 breaking another West High diving record. Or maybe it was her winning both MVC Conference and Regionals Championships. Or maybe placing fourth at state. Whatever that splash was, Thomas is quickly diving to the top of West High history, if not already there.

Thomas started diving after giving up gymnastics. “I had a friend who I did gymnastics with who dove in high school, and she really enjoyed it, and she told me that she had a lot of fun.” Thomas said on her decision to start diving.

“I enjoyed going off the diving boards during the summer or

when we had free time after junior high practices,” Thomas said.

“Once I stopped gymnastics I thought that I may as well try it and see if I liked it.”

Not only did Thomas end up liking the sport, she ended up being one of the best in the state. As just a sophomore, Thomas broke the old school record of 251, and set a new one at 291.8.

“After diving, I was kind of expecting it,” said Jacintha of her record breaking performance against Muscatine. “I was actually getting ready to swim when they announced it, and I really didn’t know what to think. I was really happy that my hard work has paid off and I was able to break a long lasting record from the 80s.”

Along with breaking thirty year old record, Thomas has also placed first for diving at both regionals and MVC. “It felt so good winning regionals and MVC because a lot of the

girls I competed against had beaten me the previous year, so it felt good to come back and show them how hard I worked to get there,” Thomas said.

Thomas also placed fourth at state. “At State it felt good getting 17 places higher then last year,” Thomas said.

But with success comes great expectations.

“Last year I would get nervous, but I knew nobody had expectations for me.

This year I wasn’t nervous because I was a billion times more confident in myself and my dives, and I trusted my abilities, but with confidence came higher expectations from coaches,” Thomas said.

“Coaches expected me to do well, and so when I would mess up, I would feel like I let them down,” said Thomas. “I learned to deal with my nerves by just becoming more confident and just going out and having fun and trying not to let the little things get to me.”

Thomas said that her previous experience in gymnastics has helped her become a successful diver. “Doing gymnastics, I think it helped me because I had the flipping and twisting down and I had the form and positions. I think it also helped me with the mental aspects of the meets where you need to focus

Left: Jacintha Thomas ‘13 poses during a West High Swim meet Above: The West High Swimming and Dive Team prepare to leave for the state meet in Marshalltown All photos used with permission by Jacintha Thomas

the extra hours from practices I missed and trying new things.”

Though not an individual sport, Thomas said she really likes the teammate aspect of the sport.

“Teammates are good to lighten the mood and make sure you have a good time and have a good on you and laugh when one thing at a you’re frustime,” Thomas trated or angry,” said. said Thomas of “I also give a her teammates. lot of the cred“They are alit to my club ways there for coach who you and you will helped me imalways let yourmensely with self down before my confidence your teammates. and trust, he Along with her always told diving teamme how much mates, Thomas ability he saw in me and he never gave also has her swimming teammates to lean up on me,” Thomas said. “But once I got on, as Thomas also is a member of the that confidence it was just putting in all swim team.

“I learned to deal

{

with my nerves by just becoming more confident and just going out and having fun and trying not to let the little things get to me”

Place Jacintha got at

291.8

17

state, places better than last year

Jacintha’s record breaking score

40.8 points better than the previous record of 251

4

1

“I chose to do swimming because diving isn’t the sport if you want to stay in shape, so I swim because it is a lot easier on my body than running is,” said Thomas. “Plus there are a lot of people on the swim team who like to have fun.”

Even though Thomas is a talented swimmer, diving is her primary sport and also the one with her most accomplishments.

“I think my greatest accomplishment is probably building up my confidence level and trusting myself because it not only helped me learn my dives and help my competition, I think it (my confidence level) shows in every aspect of my life and in everything I do,” Thomas said.

As for the future? “I don’t really have any goals for the future I’m just going to see where the sport takes me,” Thomas said.

Chances are diving will take her far.

By t

Place Jacintha recieved at

MVC and Regional

Championships and all Duel Meets

he

Num ber s

Living the Dream: A Gymnast Story By:By Megan Stewart Megan Stewart

Rachel David

david

Injuries galore, blisters, dangerous stunts, 20-30 hours a week. Some might say all this isn’t worth it, but according to gymnast Rachel David ’16, all the work she has already put in will lead up to everything she has dreamed of.

“Of course it’s hard work, but it will all pay off,” David said.

Starting gymnastics at only 18 months old, David has been doing what she loves ever since. With too much energy, David’s parents started her in gymnastics at the Iowa Gymnest, most commonly know as IGN. David has stayed with this gym from the beginning.

She was offered a spot on the competing level when she was in third grade. In this level of gymnastics, there are seven different levels, starting at level four. David is currently on level nine. She would have been on ten but due to past ankle injuries she got held back.

In the world of gymnastics, everybody aims to be perfect, which happens to be a 10.0.

David has come close with a 9.625 on bars in level 8. There are four different main events in gymnastics; floor, beam, bars, and vault. David’s personal favorite is the beam and excels at it.

Teammates aren’t usually used to help a win, but oftentimes they turn out to be close friends. Jori Robertson ’14, who goes to West Branch, is a really close teammate of David. Robertson and David have known each other now for over six years, and first met from sharing the same love of the sport. Robertson also goes to IGN with David.

“I find Rachel and I closer than any of my other friends at my school,” Robertson said. David has many strengths as a gymnast, starting with power. Many teammates and coaches, including Robertson and coach/owner Paige Roth think that David has a very good mind set.

Roth has been coaching at IGN for 22 years and has been at David’s side ever since she started. Recently Roth has taken over as owner of the gym. Roth started coaching as a sophomore in high school due to injuries. She helped coach with her mom, since she also coached.

“When Rachel sets her mind to something, it can always be accomplished,” Roth said. “Rachel has grown so much as a person, she has turned into a wonderful leader with her younger teammates.” Roth said With the determined look in her eye, David knows where she wants to go in life with gymnastics and has faith in herself. She would like to do gymnastics at UCLA college in California.

“Why does everyone think that I want to go to the Olympics? It’s just a stereotype,” David said. Rachel gets asked this question all the time and its just what people think when gymnastics is involved.

Gymnastics has taken priority in David’s life, with the exception of homework.

She does not have time to do any other sports. If David was not doing gymnastics, she said she would probably do softball or basketball. However doing 21 hours a week during the school year and 30 hours in the summer has it’s pros and cons.

“You get to be very athletic, and learn very good time management.” David said. She deals with time management almost everyday, trying to fit in gymnastics and school work into the same night. The bad thing about having such a busy schedule is not having that much friend time. David has her bad and good days with gymnastics, but every athlete does.

“My favorite thing about gymnastics is learning how to overcome fears, learning new skills, and meeting so many new people.”

Rachel doing a leap at a competition . Photo used with permissison by Rachel David

How To:Step 2: KipGiant onStep 3:Bars (swing up and Swing all the way around the

Step !: Swing Back and forth on the bar to gain speed.

around the bar into a handstand

Step 4: End in another handstand

bar (360 degrees) in a full handstand)

Step 5: Repeat steps for another round

Dancing on Ice

By Rebecca Wen

Before the sun rises, Hannah Merrill ’14 is on ice, stretching, stroking, and jumping. As if walking on water, she glides, muscles ready but relaxed, and launches into a double axel. This is her passion.

Merrill’s commitment to figure skating started a just a few years after learning how to walk.

“I started figure skating when I was around four years old because I lived in Connecticut where there were lots of frozen ponds,” said Merrill.

Thus began her skating career. It wasn’t long after when Merrill decided to commit to her passion.

“I would watch all of the competitive skaters doing all of their jumps and spins and decided that I wanted to become like them,” said Merrill.

Early on, she competed in the Novice level of USFSA (United States Figure Skating Association) and attended competitions around the US, winning countless prizes.

“Hannah is really dedicated to skating. She sacrifices so much of her time and you can tell that she really enjoys it,” said close friend Kate Miller ‘14.

Merrill loves figure skating because of its unique characteristics as a sport.

“Figure skating is in some ways different from other sports but it is also very similar. It is a very technical sport and requires a lot of physical strength and stamina, but it also focuses a lot on grace and flexibility,” said Merrill.

When she’s not on the ice, she’s thinking about the ice, and this love for skating plus copious amounts of motivation keeps her climbing.

“Just stroking around the rink is such a great feeling that I miss skating even when I take a couple of days off,” said Merrill.

Merrill companions in the Eastern Iowa Figure Skating Club inspire her in “a friendly but competitive way.”

“I remember all of the good memories that I have had with skating and all of the work that I have put into it and that helps me keep going, ” said Merrill.

In addition to polishing her own skating skills, Merrill coaches Learn to Skate, a beginners skating program at the Coral Ridge Mall. She admits that her schedule is extremely demanding but makes room for other interests. Merrill is part of the West Side Story staff, spends time reading leisurely and also runs but confesses, “ I’m not very good.”

Looking towards the future, Merrill hopes to continue skating and perhaps coach.

“I think it would also be fun to do some show skating after I am done with my competitive career, just to travel and have the experience,” said Merrill.

From left to right: After a holiday performance, in suit, traveling, with friends, practicing moves, in mid air, with the newspaper staff, headshot.

Photos used with permission from Hannah Merrill.

O

Hours on the Ice

n the ice, the girl flies: with twirls and jumps, she glides her way across, leaving a trail of turned up snow. While Terra Hill ’16 dips and twists, her parents look on from the edge of the rink, smiling.

“I have always loved to watch Terra skate because she does something that a lot of other skaters don’t do,” said her father, Dan Hill. “While she is skating she has a huge smile on her face and you can really see that she loves it.”

By Megan Kann

While she is skating she has a huge smile on her face and you can really see that she loves it. ~Dan Hill, Terra’s dad Hill started skating at the age of seven and has never stopped. Like in any other sport, her weekends are filled with practices and competitions. Hill became interested in skating after her friend suggested she attend a skating class with her.

She enjoyed it so much that, although her friend quit, Hill continued to skate.

“I didn’t want to at first, but after a few lessons it grew on me,” Hill said.

Balancing school work and ice skating doesn’t leave much time for relaxation but she is still committed. Hill has not always been so dedicated. When she was younger she didn’t want to skate.

“I would tell [my younger self]

to shut up, to stop complaining, and to keep going to lessons.

Because there are really fun times coming,” Hill said.

But now she has two practices a week, and usually gets first or second place in competitions.

Hill is involved with so many things, but she always finds time for ice skating. She is deeply involved with both jazz band and concert band, and, like any student, she has homework.

At her first competition, Terra was full of eight-year-old nerves.

“I remember walking through the doors and meeting a cloud of hairspray […] The girls’ dressing room smelled like makeup and static guard.”

Before her first competition and every one after that she feels her nerves suddenly turn her skin from hot to cold. But when she steps on the ices the fear leaves and her smile appears. To Hill skating is as natural as walk, she is as steady on the ice as she is on solid ground. “(After finishing) you feel very accomplished, but you still feel nervous [...] it is all the adrenaline [...] even though you are really tired, you are very excited.”

Different styles

Compulsories: The skaters have a list of jumps that they have to do in front of the judge without any music Freestyle: The skaters have a list of jumps that they do to music, (like what you see in the Olympics) Artistic: This style is like acting to music on ice, they can use props to act out the character

[Photos with permission from Dan Hill]

1.

Emmie Skopec ’15 sports neon yellow Nike long distance spikes (the very same style the Olympians wore in the 2012 Olympics).

Skopec recieved them as a gift from her father after the state cross country meet.

2.

1.

PHOTO BY//JAYCIE WEATHERS

Ashley Knudson ’13 picked her yellow and pink Nike spikes because they worked well for events and they weren’t City High red. She likes to go to Running Wild and select the perfect shoes with the help of the running experts there.

3.

Chandler Hames ’14 trains with her bright pink Asics in preparation for the girls track season.

“I really like them because usually Asics look like grandma shoes because they have so much cushion on the bottom, but with these, the pink makes up for their grandma-like style.”

4.

2.

PHOTO BY//JAYCIE WEATHERS

Kiana Wilson ’15 wears her favorite pink and blue Nike training shoes for preseason running.

“I love my shoes, they’re so bright and colorful. They make me happy if I’m having a bad day.” They also provide the type of cushion she needs to prevent injuries, which is especially important for training.

Sprinting in Style Get to know now how the Girls Track Team’s shoes and what suits their style - and events - best

W

hether it is training or track season, runners are always running.

And a lot of running means a lot of shoes for training and com-

petition.

“I usually run around three or four miles every other day or at least three times a week.”

Chandler Hames ’14 said. Running as much as Hames does brings injuries. An important factor in avoiding injuries is selecting the right shoe for the right event. Sprinter Kiana Wilson ’15 chooses shoes with lots of cushion to avoid another knee injury.

Style is another important factor in the back of the mind of many girls on the track team. Emmie Skopec ’15 loves her neon spikes because they stand out at the starting line of her long distance races.

“The past two years people have had the same spikes as me. It makes me really annoyed because [last year] I was like ‘yeah, nobody’s going to have these. We ordered them special!’ and at the starting line of the first meet, everyone else [had the same shoes],” Skopec said.

Ashley Knudson ’13 has a different philosophy when picking out shoes.

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“I look for shoes that aren’t red and that are right for my events.” Knudson said. Knudson finds the perfect shoes for her events (400s and 800s) at the store Running Wild.

Hames came across her off season shoes almost on accident. When she ordered them online, she thought she was getting an all black pair, but she has grown to love them. “[When] they came, they were all hot pink.

I thought they were pretty cool and they were my favorite type of shoe so I kept them.” Hames said.

Skopec got her favorite spikes as a gift from her dad after the state cross country meet. Disappointed with her race, she went to her room and found a shoebox with a note on her bed.

“During the Olympics, my dad and I thought those shoes were really cool and I was so surprised when my dad got the same type they had for me.” Skopec said.

As for the best shoes for training, Hames always looks for good support.

“I’ve found that shoes with good support for your foot is extremely important when you’re running regularly. If you don’t, it’s really easy to get shin splints, and those are horrible. So I’d say they help with training for races and preventing injury.”

BY JAYCIE WEATHERS

weathers.jaycie@gmail.com

on the spot

PHOTO BY//JAYCIE WEATHERS

3.

PHOTO BY//JAYCIE WEATHERS

4.

What is your favorite brand of shoes?

Ashley Knudson ’13

“For my everyday running shoes, it’d probably be Brooks, but not for spikes.”

Emmie Skopec ’15 “Actually, it’s not Nike, it’s Saucony. I really like the way that they fit me and the styles [and] colors in general.”

Chandler Hames ’14 “I have a certain type of Asics that have tons of cushion so I just keep getting them!”

COMPIED BY//JAYCIE WEATHERS

Athletes aro Adrienne Jensen, ‘13 Location: California, Las Vegas,

New York (just to name a few) Sport: Tennis “Since I was just a little girl I have traveled all over the United States for national tournaments.I love many things about what tennis has brought into my life, but my favorite thing is the time it has allowed for me to be with my mom. My mom travels everywhere with me and makes everything so much more fun. It’s so fun seeing different parts of the country, meeting different people, and experiencing something different than Iowa.”

Katie Milani, ‘12 Location: New York City Sport: Dance

Tereysa Lehnertz ‘13 Location: Jamaica Sport: Swimming

“I auditioned for the Alvin Ailey program [last] March and was selected to be a part of their professional program and was placed in the highest level for ballet and pointe. I was one of 12 chosen to be in a piece choreographed by a well known choreographer and then was chosen by the choreographer to be a soloist in his piece.”

photo used with permission from Katie Milani

photo used with permission from Tereysa Lehnertz

photo used with permission from Adrienne Jensen

“I swam at the Puerto Rican state meet and qualified for the national swim meet. You had to get first or second place in an event and I got second in two of my events. My relays were on the podium and I made it back to finals. There’s a completely different culture [in Jamaica]. It was my first time traveling without my parents and it was an all around amazing experience.”

und the world Daniel Gardarsson, ‘13 Location: Iceland Sport: Track and field

By Julia Truszkowski

“I got to race for my home country and win gold in the 3,000m race in front of my whole family. The race was the junior nationals in Iceland and I was the youngest in my age group. I still compete every summer at nationals in Iceland now, but it’s not at the junior level anymore, so the races are for adults which makes it much harder. I still ended up with a bronze medal in the 1500m.”

juliatruszkowski@gmail.com

Lugging their suitcases through airport security, these travelers have soccer balls, running shoes, and goggles stashed alongside their usual travelling gear. Aboard their planes, they venture across 50 states, the Atlantic Ocean, and the Gulf of Mexico to do what they love.

Katie Milani ‘12 spends her summer in the City That Never Sleeps dancing ballet and pointe at the prestigious Alvin Ailey program.

Tereysa Lehnertz ‘13 stands on the podium sporting a medal at the championship swim meet in Jamaica.

Daniel Gardarsson ‘13 competes for his home country Iceland in the annual track and field championship, winning first place and the pride of all his relatives.

These athletes have trained for years to leave the farmland and cornfields of Iowa behind and travel across the globe to show the world that hard work really does pay off.

Anna Hausler, ‘13 Location: Italy Sport: Soccer

photo used with permission from Anna Hausler

photo used with permission from Daniel Gardarsson

“When we were staying in Gubbio, Italy we found guys our age playing in the Plaza Square and our team decided to play them. The whole town of Gubbio heard about us Americans playing them, came out to watch, and lined the square cheering us on. [We became great friends with] the guys we played but we could only communicate with motions and pictures because of the language barrier.”

Conflict of Interest

By Grace Young, WSS Intern

32 states currently play high school soccer in the fall, including Illinois, Minnesota, and several other states in the region. Iowa, on the other hand, hosts soccer season in the spring, creating a conflict for many athletes who must choose between soccer or track, another spring season sport. Coaches and players at West High have worked together throughout the years to maintain top-ranked sports teams filled with athletes doing what they love.

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T RACOC C E R KS ! ! ! !

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veryday following the final bell, the halls of West High echo with the sounds of colorful new running shoes squeaking across the linoleum as red-faced girls prepare themselves for yet another successful Women of Troy season. Well, seasons.

Both the girls track and soccer teams already began work in preparation for the spring weather, muddy grass, and the coveted crisp, cool air perfect for running that accompany the official start of their respective seasons. Right now, it would be possible to attend both conditioning workouts, with track Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays and soccer the days in between. However, when the snow melts in the spring, many athletes will be faced with a difficult decision: which sport will they choose?

Ashley Knudson ’14 faced that very decision entering her freshman year at West. She was involved in soccer young and had played for a local club team for quite a few seasons leading up to high school. Similar to many of her peers, Knudson took the “get involved!” speech that every teacher, parent or high school senior gives, and signed up for track at Northwest Junior High. By the time Knudson reached ninth grade, a high school soccer career was up in the air.

“I did winter conditioning in track [freshman] year and I hadn’t decided at that point. The team was encouraging me to do track though,” said Knudson. The encouragement worked, and Knudson has been a contributing member of the track team ever since.

“I miss playing soccer, but I really enjoyed the track team and...[the] opportunities and success I’ve been able to have there,” said Knudson.

Success does not seem to be a lacking element in any sport at West High and the soccer and track teams are certainly no exception. Despite both losing players to their respective teams, neither team has shown any signs of loss because of it.

“There are some really fast athletes on the soccer team who would have been great to have on the track team but people always step up,” said Knudson.

And step up they have. In the past 12 years, the Women of Troy runners have hoisted the championship trophy above their heads six times, the most of any team for any sport in the state.

Dave Rosenthal, head coach of the

Head coach Dave Rosenthal instructs girls during preseason soccer training. {Photo by Grace Young}

girls soccer team, has brought home his fair share of hardware over the years as well, with four championship match appearances since 2000. While all coaches want athletes to join, as a high school coach, Rosenthal doesn’t see himself in the position to recruit players.

“As a high school coach...you don’t recruit players,” said Rosenthal. “I want players that want to play soccer, that want to be there.”

While the effects of one girl’s decision may not impact the entire team, they still feel the pressure from coaches and parents to choose one sport over the other.

“For the most part, the soccer coaches don’t seem to mind as much as the track coaches who do put on some pressure, but my parents [put on pressure] for sure,” said Tia Saunders ’16, an incoming freshman facing the dilemma.

Ultimately, it boils down to the athlete’s

decision and what they really want to do.

No coach would prefer a stellar athlete who doesn’t love the sport over one who is passionate and fully committed.

Girls track coach Mike Parker is a prime example of dedication and commitment.

“I have a deep rooted passion and belief that West High girls track & field is the greatest sport on earth. You have the thrill of amazing team success as well as the opportunity to find individual success as well. You have the opportunity to do so many different events from high jump to hurdles to relays and so on that each meet is always something new,” said Parker.

With a new crop of athletes coming in each year, many will have decisions to face. Whether it be cross country or volleyball, wrestling or basketball, the conflicts appear to be here to stay, just like the Trojans.

Chase’s Top 5 Favorite Skaters 1) Shane O’Neil 2) Sean Malto 3) Chaz Ortiz 4) Cory Kennedy 5) Guy Mariano

Favorite Tricks

1) Kickflip 2) Crooked Grind 3) Nose Grind 4) Tre Flip 5) Hardflip

Favorite Films

1) Pretty Sweet 2) Stay Gold 3) Hallelujah 4) Fully Flared 5) Locally Grown

Above: Chase Duerlinger does a Nose Grind at the Iowa City Skatepark.

Photo by Eli Shepherd.

Through The

FOLIAGE a Written by Nick Deerberg

Chase Duerlinger “[Skateboarding] is about doing what I like to do best ”

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our typical athlete goes to pracing has evolved more and more. tice three or four times a week for “Everyone on Foliage is pretty chill. Evan hour a day. On the weekends, they eryone motivates each other,” said Jacquan compete against other teams for a trophy.

Rouson ‘16. Jacquan met Chase downtown Chase Duerlinger ‘16 prefers a less orgawhile skateboarding with some friends, nized sport, that gives him the freedom to and ever since that session, they have been do what he pleases. He is a skateboarder. shredding together as often as possible.

Chase started skateboarding five years Being on Foliage isn’t the only thing ago, near the end of fourth grade. His that has contributed to Duerlinger’s sucbrother had started skating a few years cess in skateboarding. Just a weekly visit to before, and an inspired Chase decided the skatepark can help a lot. to pick up a board and try it. Ever since “Once you go to the skatepark, everythen, he has been skateboarding non stop, one there is your friend,” said Duerlinger.

Photograph By Nick Deerberg constantly working to perfect his tricks Other local skateboarders, including and style.

Davon Bell ‘15, would agree. At the Iowa City skatepark, This constant practice paid off when Duerlinger met Eli Chase and other skaters practice their tricks in a safe and Shepherd, a City High junior. Shepherd and Duerlinger legal environment, perfecting them before taking them to the started skating together, and eventually, Shepherd invited streets to film them.

Chase to join his skateboard team, Foliage Skateboards. FoliSo what does the future hold for Chase? age is a group of friends in high schools around the Iowa City “I really hope that I can get sponsored or go pro, because it’s area who all skateboard together, go on trips, and live for the been my dream since I started,” said Duerlinger. Duerlinger thrill of skating. hopes to achieve these goals with constant practice and hard “He asked me to join, and we just started making videos,” work. This hard work will be shown off in a sponsor me tape, said Duerlinger. These videos started out small, with three which is a video of a person’s best skateboarding sent into a minute clips on YouTube, but eventually turned into full thirty professional company in the hopes of getting noticed. minute films showing all the best skateboarding the group Even if the title “professional skateboarder” is never placed had filmed in the past year or two. Foliage has made two full on Chase’s head, he says he would be happy just skateboardlength skateboard films: “Choice” and their most recent, “Loing. cally Grown”. Since Duerlinger joined Foliage, his skateboard“[Skateboarding] is about doing what I like to do best.”

[PHOTO BY VALERIE HSIEH]

Dancing Queen

by Valerie Hsieh [PHOTO BY AKAR JANI] ABOVE AND RIGHT: ANOUSHKA DIVEKAR

[PHOTOS BY VALERIE HSIEH] ABOVE: ANOUSHKA DIVEKAR, SIMRAN SARIN, ABHINAYA MURUGANANDHAM, KHUSHI KAPOOR

As the chanting Indian music grows louder, the bare feet stomping the ground become more insistent.

Abruptly, Anoushka Divekar ’16 halts and lowers her arms with a look of confusion on her face, then grins sheepishly at the teacher.

“I think I missed a move.”

The other three girls in the room laugh, as the teacher cuts off the song to demonstrate the routine once more, before the music starts up again.

The atmosphere is fairly informal – lessons are held in the basement of the teacher’s, Smitha Khullar, house – but the one and a half hour lesson is intense, and by the end, all the girls are sweating profusely. “­­I’ve pulled hamstrings. We get bruises all the time […] but it’s so much fun,” Divekar said.

At the age of six, and living in Canada at the time, Divekar was put into Bharatanatyam (a style of Indian dancing) classes by her mother, who Divekar says told her, “You do it for two years, and if you don’t like it, you quit.” So, after completing the mandated two years, Divekar quit.

However, after moving to Iowa, Divekar was motivated to dance once more, after seeing her younger sister take classes.

“I already knew a lot of it, so [as I was taking classes], I was like ... I already know all of this. So I started [dancing again], and it turns out that I like it now,” said Divekar.

Since then, Divekar has performed in numerous venues throughout her six year dancing career, including countless performances of Snow White (“I’m always the evil queen”) and an English-Indian fusion dance drama called In the Temple (“I get to wear Indian clothes that I wouldn’t normally wear to school”).

In the dancing classroom, Divekar has earned respect from her classmates as well.

“She’s a try-hard,” said Simran Sarin, an eighth grader at Northwest Junior High, and a fellow dancer. Although Sarin claims that Divekar tries too hard in dance, she does admit that Divekar is really good at dancing.

Khullar, Divekar’s Bharatanatyam teacher for the past four and a half years, agrees. “[Anoushka] understands, very instinctively, […] as to what I mean to teach her. […] I think she’s improved a great deal,” said Khullar. “She understands the art much better now […] and we are becoming more and more equal as she is learning more and more of the art.”

When asked why she continues to dance, Divekar replied, “I like to dance. And why would I stop?”

Why do you like dancing?

“Because it’s [a] really fun cultural experience.”

Simran Sarin

(8th grader at Northwest Junior High)

“It’s [...] a fun way to be active.”

Anoushka Divekar ‘16

“I think it’s very spiritual [...] For me, it is a form of prayer [and] it’s a form of meditation.”

Smitha Khullar (Indian

dance teacher)

“I like dancing because it’s fun and I get to see my friends.”

Shreya Khullar

(3rd grader at Borlaug Elementary)

THROW BACK

BY MADIE MILLER /// MADIEMLLR@GMAIL.COM

Jon Bach

Kathy NeilBresnahan Davis

Bach played baseball during his high school career. In addition, he joined the basketball team for his senior year.

Bach and his brother held the title for highest scoring brothers for seven player basketball, at Center Point High School.

“My brother probably accounted for about 95% of those points,” he said, “but I don’t normally tell people that!”

His biggest piece of advice for student athletes would be, “to not be afraid to play multiple sports.”

He believes that not specializing in one sport is beneficial.

Before rubber-synthetic track surfaces were invented, Bresnahan qualified for state track all four years of her high school career by running in painted grass fields. In addition to her success, she managed to shatter a 15 foot chalkboard after hurling a shot put straight in the center. Bresnahan also participated in volleyball and basketball, when the sports were first offered at her school during her junior year. Among these sports, she also snatched the title of Barrel Racing State Champ on her horse “Jack’s Bar”.

“The horses always had unique names,” she said, “you also got saddles and bridles when you won!”

Math

PE, Coach American Studies

Neil Davis

American Studies Davis was an All-Conference full back in highschool. In addition, he ran the hurdles and competed in the long jump for track. Davis was a 2-time district champion in the high hurdles. He had two undefeated seasons for the high hurdles.

Dedication to athletics was a big part of Davis’ life, however he does have one regret.

“It’s important to be a wellrounded indivisual by being involved in school activities in addition to athletics,” he said, “I wasn’t and I regret that.”

Teachers blast to the past as they share stories from their high school athletic experiences

RECORD BREAKER Foundations of Science teacher,

Kerri Barnhouse English

Barnhouse was playing second base in a softball game when the ball was thrown from the outfield. Just as the runner and the ball were approaching, she could feel a sneeze coming on. As the ball came close she nodded her head and sneezed. The ball went straight over her head and the runner scored.

“I was totally humiliated. I’m very competitive,” she said, “it made me mad that she got the run!”

According to Barnhouse the worst part of the experience was that the outfielders couldn’t tell what happened. The distance to the dugout made it hard for her coaches to see what happened too. After she explained her seasonal allergies they weren’t as frustrated.

She played on the Varsity teams for volleyball, basketball, track and softball.

Maureen Head set the following records during her high school carreer in basketball and volleyball at West, and they are still standing today!

Most kills in a season

509

Most blocks in a season

179

Most blocks in a career

575 Most points scored in a single game

39

Most points scored in a season

510

Most rebounds in a single game

20

Most rebounds in a season

267

Blast From the Past Teachers in their high school sports Ben Gast-Business Shishonee Hughes-Science

Andrea Harmes-Science

Jeff Finn-English

Michelle Larsen-Math

Nate Frese-English Sara Whittaker-English

Steve Bergman-P.E.

Q: Why did you like being in sports?

A: BEN GAST: “Being a competitive person, sports allowed me to compete and strive to obtain goals. I also enjoyed the hard work, dedication, and effort that was put into each sport I participated in. Last but not least is the camaraderie – the people you compete with become friends for life.”

Q: What was your favorite part about being in sports?

A: ANDREA HARMES: “My favorite part about playing sports was the socialization aspect! I’m not super competitive and didn’t start or play a whole lot, but I sure had fun.”

Q:What was your favorite part of being in sports?

NATE FRESE: “I most enjoyed our fan support. Having my peers come out to basketball or soccer games to cheer for me (and my hair) made me feel good- that what I was doing was worth it.”

More Pictures on WSSpaper.com

By Brooke Lofgren & Abby Burgess

Q: What was your favorite part of being in sports?

A: JEFF FINN: “The camaraderie. I started playing basketball with those guys in first grade. By my senior year in high school I had spent twelve years of recesses, pickup games after school, AAU tournaments on weekends, summer camps and tournaments with these guys- we were like brothers. That was my favorite part. Winning was good too.”

Q: What was your favorite part of being on a team?

A:SARA WHITTAKER: “My favorite parts of being on the tennis team were my teammates and all of the inside jokes and goofiness that arise from being together everyday.”

Q: Why did you like being apart of a team?

A: SHISHONEE HUGHES: “Loved the thrill of competition, but even better was baing apart of a team working together to acheive of goals. No matter what sport I played my team became my second family.”

Q: What was your favorite part of being in sports?

A: MICHELLE LARSEN: “Wow! Did I really cheer for basketball in a longsleeved wool sweater and wool skirt? Yup! And I loved it! Fun memories: I loved our school colors (maroon and gold); we did pom routines in addition to cheering (too small to have separate squads); I was once at the top of a pyramid!”

Q:What did you like about being in sports?

A:STEVE BERGMAN: “I liked playing football and particularly basketball because I love competition and playing with friends you grew up with. I also had a great High school basketball coach who inspired me to get into coaching basketball and taught me a lot about how to coach.”

d e k

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BY ANTHONY PIZZIMENTI WSS Intern

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elling, talking, debating, writing, disagreeing. Officials from both the NHL and Player’s Union continue to discuss as mediators attempt to make right of the situation. Neither side budges; both are locked in their own arguments, desperately trying to force the other side to surrender.

The last time this happened was 2005. NHL owners lock out the players, there are Collective Bargaining Agreement meetings, and nothing is solved for a year. Great. Now there’s no hockey for all the players, coaches, sportswriters, and (especially) fans.

Just before the 2004-2005 season began, Gary Bettman, the commissioner of the National Hockey League, made a proposal for the new Collective

ART BY//JAEHO LEE

Bargaining Agreement, or CBA. The NHL Players Association rejected the proposal because of a salary cap issue, and got 10 months of debating in return. Finally, in July of 2005, the lockout ended, and the NHL was back in action. Sadly, they made a mistake; the new CBA would only last until, well, now.

Since its start on Sept. 15 at 11:59 p.m., the 2012-13 NHL lockout has been a disaster. Over the 3 months the lockout has been in effect, 526 games, more than a third of the season, have been cancelled. The NHL is losing anywhere from $18 to $20 million a day. The players are losing $10 million. Businesses that rely on fans, such as local bars, have lost millions as well.

Fans associated with NHL.com have really expressed negative feelings toward the lockout. Most just complain about the lockout leaving them without something to do on a Tuesday night, but one fan wrote a letter to a Yahoo.com blog, Puck Daddy explaining the true intentions behind the lockout. It goes into detail about the reactions of Gary Bettman, the player’s Union, and the irrational and emotional reactions of the players to the CBA arguments. The woman who wrote it, Pamela Corcoran, credits the lockout to the “emotional, irrational, and just plain stupid,” reaction from Bettman. After a counteroffer to the league offer, Bettman got mad and broke off the league talks.

“

We may never see the league the way it used to be.”

-Coach Ben Rusnak

At this point, the lockout has turned more into a joke than something for fans to be mad at. There are tons of comedy bits about losing games, winning teams ‘losing’ the entire season, and the fact that a lot of the season has been cancelled.Most aren’t surprised at the fact that the outdoor Winter Classic between the Detroit Red Wings and the Toronto Maple Leafs has been cancelled as well as the All Star game. All the cancellation of games is affecting the morale of hockey players everywhere, including ones in high school hockey.

With the new Midwest High School Hockey season beginning in October, West players on the Cedar Rapids Roughriders are getting off to a rough start. With new coaching staff and many high-level seniors graduating, a period of adjustment and change is going on. The NHL being locked out isn’t helping, as many teams like Cedar Rapids rely on the NHL for strategy and gameplay analysis. Also, many players feel that they have a lot more time on their hands because of the lockout.

“I definitely spend more time practicing [hockey],” said Alex Nelson ‘15, a

Varsity player for Cedar Rapids. “I don’t watch as much TV anymore, and I get bored a lot,” he says. As watching less TV is usually a good thing, there can be problems with having no hockey to watch. “There seems to be some frustration in some of my teammates because they cannot watch their favorite players and teams play.” For players, a team is what they watch and follow constantly. Lots of players have reported that their teams have started calling players back to the US and Canada because of the imminent return of the NHL. Most think the lockout is going to end soon, but Nelson has another solution: “They [the NHL] should let us play for them until they fix the problem; that way, everyone’s happy.”

for the lockout to end if “NHL players get paid more.”

Other players have the same viewpoint. “I can’t watch hockey as much; I have been watching other shows and playing video games,” said Joseph Brophy ‘16, defenseman on the Cedar Rapids Varsity team. As with Nelson, lack of NHL play doesn’t help the onice situation. “We can’t watch to get ideas of what we’re supposed to do on the ice,” he said. “Other than that, it really hasn’t affected our game.” According to Brophy, however, one way

All thoughts accounted for, the lockout will have a lasting effect on the league. Last time, it took years for the league to rebuild itself. This time, we can only hope it will be different. Hope that the NHL can end this thing and bring the players and coaches and all-around fun back. For all of us, the NHL lockout will change the face of the game, for better or for worse.

Ben Rusnak, head coach of the Cedar Rapids High School Roughrider hockey team, has a different opinion. “I am very upset with the lockout. Both sides know how long it took the league to work itself back up the last time.” After the 2004-2005 lockout, fan bases and game attendance records declined sharply. “I am afraid now it may never be able to restore itself to its past prestige.” As the NHL does not have much national TV exposure, it may take awhile to recover and take back its usual time slots. “I am also very afraid that we may never see the league the way it use to be and even worse, maybe not at all again.”

Quidditch

, the sport played on flying broomsticks in the highly-acclaimed Harry Potter series, is being adopted by schools internationally, and West High is no exception.

Quidditch Terminology:

Golden Snitch-

Small, golden, walnut-sized ball with wings that is - The member of the team - Flying ball of worth 150 points; the catching of the whose objective is to capture the whose objective is to knock p snitch generally wins the game. snitch. off their bro

Seeker

Bludger

Quidditch Season

By Kelsey Keranen kelseyjanekeranen@gmail.com

S

omething you may not expect to see as you stroll through the park on a brisk Sunday afternoon is a plethora of high school students running through the grass with brooms tucked snugly between their legs, tossing a volleyball back and forth, and screaming things like “THROW ME THE QUAFFLE!” or “Was that the snitch ?”

Quidditch, a game invented by author J.K. Rowling in the popular Harry Potter series, is no longer only a fictional sport. Every year since the creation of the International Quidditch Association in 2005, there has been a Quidditch World Cup, this year’s being held on April 13-14 in Kissimee, Florida. In addition to having a world cup, joining the association comes with a hefty 172-paged rule book . The United States is ahead of the game in terms of quidditch teams, having 829 of them (Canada coming in second with 61), many of which can be found at well-known colleges such as Harvard University, New York University, and, locally, the University of Iowa.

True to its name, however, the International Quidditch Association is not only restricted to the United States. Teams are also found in Canada , China, and much of Europe, as well as smaller nations such as Equatorial Guinea, Albania, and Croatia. West High, of course, is no exception to this international sensation.

The West High quidditch club, formed in mid-

.

death players ooms.

Beater - A player who uses a bat

similar to one used in Cricket to knock bludgers away from teammates and toward the opposition.

September of 2011, met on Thursdays at school in room 109 and Sundays at Willow Creek park to play quidditch and fangirl without judgement.

“For as long as I can remember I have been the world’s biggest Harry Potter nerd. With all of it finally coming to a close I was starting to go into a Potter depression,” began Sophie McClatchey ‘14, captain of the West High quidditch team. “Then my sister joined the University of Iowa Quidditch team and I saw the light at the end of the tunnel [...] My best way to keep Potter in my life was to try in any way to live it out myself. So I got my fellow nerd friends together and voila! West High Quidditch Club was born .”

Common favorite aspects of Quidditch club, according to its members, are opportunities to make new friends among a wide variety of teammates, being weird together, and inadvertently obtaining a fair amount of exercise.

“I like spending time with my friends playing a crazy game from our favorite book. We get strange looks when we play at the park, but it’s super fun!”

Said Quidditch Club member Katie Mons ‘14.

Although the Quidditch club has ended for this year, a new season will begin with the club fair in 2013 , with high hopes of new membership and a new, exciting season.

toss it through one of three high-mounted goal hoops. Beaters are posted around the arena to knock bludgers, enchanted orbs meant to maim the players, toward other team members, while the keeper guards the goal hoops and the seeker hunts for the golden snitch, a ball worth 150 points.

Naturally, in the muggle (a term in the Harry Potter books for non-magic folk) world, flying broomsticks are hard to come by. Quidditch has been adapted, however,to meet non-magical needs; the players and objectives are still the same, but with some revisions. A quaffle is generally a volleyball or a soccer ball, while the snitch is a fast runner who needs to be tagged by the seekers. Hula hoops are commonly seen being used as goal posts, while beaters use baseball bats to hit “bludgers” (nerf footballs, t-balls, etc.) at opposing teammates.

Those hit by a bludger are made to sit out for an allotted period of time, do strange exercises, or anything else the team decides as a penalty. West High, being no school of witchcraft and wizardry, plays the game thusly, and is well-aware of the fact that they might look a little crazy doing this in public.

“Even though we probably look quite QUIDDITCH IN THE MUGGLE WORLD foolish running around with a broom between our legs getting pretty into it all, In the books, the fictional game of quidditch we are able to laugh at and entertain ouris played with seven players; three chasers, two selves at the same time.” said McClatchey . beaters, one seeker, and one keeper. The players ascend into the air on flying broomsticks, and the purpose of the game is for the chasers to toss a ball called a quaffle amongst themselves and

Keeper - The player who guards the goal hoops.

- The ball in QuidChaser - A player who Quaffle ditch which is used to score

passes around the Quaffle in attempt to get it through one of goals the three goalposts.

1970 Girls Swimming

“Swimming on a high school swim team is like being given a family. ... Having such an amazing opportunity is essentially the reason I swim for West High because the bonds you make with your teammates are priceless.” Eveline Dowling ’15

History 1969-West High School Opened Cheerleading

Of

The

"It is important we [women] have an equal opportunity and chance." [to play sports] Kristen Turnquist ’13

Tennis

By:Lauren Knudson leknudson18@gmail.com HISTORY OF WOMEN’S SPORTS IN THE OLYMPICS 1900- TENNIS, GOLF 1912- SWIMMING 1928- GYMNASTICS, TRACK AND FIELD 1964- VOLLEYBALL 1976-BASKETBALL 1984- MARATHON 1996- SOCCER, SOFTBALL According to Northnet.org

Softball

1973

Girls Track and Field "I guess there is more hype about the guys teams but there’s also a lot of support for the girl’s as well."”

Molly Leville ’13

1972

Volleyball

“I hope that they[women of troy] just continue to be successful and fun and I hope that more people continue to go out for them.” Laynie Whitehead ’15

Girls Golf

Throughout the years, West High School’s Women of Troy athletic teams have become a huge part of many girls lives. But getting there was not easy.

West opened in 1969 with only co-ed volleyball, cheerleading, and girls tennis for women to choose from in regard to sports. Women at West have been working to get different sports teams and the recognition they deserve for four decades now, slowly getting to where they are today. "[Sports] are really big [in my life]. That's what I spend all of my free time doing," said Laynie Whitehead ’15.

It gives them the opportunity to learn about working with a team along with the chance to meet new people and have once-in-a-lifetime experiences at state tournaments. Without sports, many girls would fight to get teams started.

“I would pour out my heart to them [school administrators] and tell them how much it means to me and others in the school,” said Lauren Ries ’16

about what she would do without softball or volleyball.

The Women of Troy are not done yet, though.

Some girls hope that Women of Troy will get more attention in the future.

“I hope that [in the future] they get just as much attention and focus as male sports do” said Mallory Gillispie ‘14 “I think it is getting better as time has gone on, but I hope someday we can all every sport everything be equal with each other us all support each sport."

Many also have high hopes for the future of girls sports at West.

“I think the Women of Troy sports teams will continue to grow in a positive way. West High is known for having sports teams that perform at a high level.” said Madyson Boardman ’13 “The student athletes of West are very driven and I think that mentality will hold up over the years.”

1974 Girls Basketball

1985

““I wouldn’t have met half the people I have, and I wouldn’t have experienced all the great things like winning state basketball.” [without the opportunity to play]Grace Tafolla ’15

Women

Girls Soccer

“[sports] give girls something to do it keeps them healthy and keeps a lot of girls out of trouble.”Jayne Heinrich ’13

Of

Dates according to first appearance in the West High Epic

Troy

2002 Dance Team

1980 Girls Cross Country “Everyone in my family runs and then I run; and [running is] pretty much year around training too, so I’m serioulsy committed to it.” Amelia Skopec ’15

Photos by: Lauren Knudson

2003 Bowling “"Bowling for west high and on the USBC league means the world to me. I would give anything and everything up just to bowl.” Katelyn Kelly ’14

l AM ADAM BOLDT AND MY GAME lS PONG

.

Specs:

Double Fish “X4006”

.

PICKING THE PERFECT PADDLE. HOW-TO-KNOW WHICH Paddle IS FOR YOU. Though they all may look the same, every paddle is uniquely catered to spin, control, and speed. Knowing which paddle is for you will give you the edge you need to stomp the opponent.

FUN FACTS YOU DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT PING PONG: 1)Professional players often smash the ball at speeds exceeding 100 miles per hour.

2)At professional tournaments, one can get kicked out just for wearing the color orange.

.

.

Joola “Champ” Specs: Speed: 75 Control: 88 Spin: 80 Rubber: 2mm Reviews:

.

Reviews:

Speed: 90 Control: 80 Spin: 85 Rubber: 2.5mm

3)Ping Pong was banned in the Soviet Union from 1927-1950, because it was believed to harm the eyes.

“I love this racquet because it lets me get a lot of spin, and still has decent control.” - Gil Phelps ‘13

.

4) In 2000 the International Table Tennis Federation brought a new rule into place changing the ball size to make it 14% slower.

.

“I usually just use whatever paddle is around Graham’s house, but I especially like the weight on this one.” - Daniel Gardarsson ‘14

5) During the 1936 World Championships in Prague, there was a point that lasted over an hour with more than 12,000 shots. The referee was replaced due to a neck injury.

.

.

.

By: Kevin Chin & Graham Bly

Butterfly “Arbalest”: Specs:

Reviews:

Speed: 75 Control: 100 Spin: 50 Rubber: 1.5mm

“I like the control I have with it, and it’s really lightweight.” Connor Henry ‘15

.

.

The Dance of Hope Hope Anderson ballet or tap

Used with permission of Hope Anderson

dances, but it’s not

By Alena Mueller

From Head

to

Toe

Thinking “Scottish”, may make you think “kilts!”, but there’s a lot more to an outfit than that. Traditional Scottish dancing attire is the same for both men and women, just adjusted slightly for the different genders. For competitions, dancers must wear: • Balmoral (male)

Hat, kind of like a beret, with a pom-pom on top

• Jacket or Waistcoat

Velvet, usually black with buttons down the front. A waistcoat would be a sleeveless version of the jacket

• Blouse (female) or Shirt (male)

White, with puffed out sleeves and lace on the front for women

• Kilt

Plaid, representing any family, and knee length

• Socks

Knee length, white or the same plaid as the kilt

• Shoes

Black, a little like ballet shoes with long laces

dances that were performed by warriors in the Scottish highlands in prehistoric times. These dances require stamina and arm and leg strength. Anderson said, “I’ve heard people compare Irish dancing to tap dancing. Scottish dancing can be compared to ballet in the same way.”

Practices, Competitions and Performances

Hope Anderson ’16 got interested in Scottish dancing through a friend, a girl scout troop, and her mother. Her friend was attracted to Irish dance in elementary school, and their girl scout troop had tried to arrange for a group lesson. There weren’t any places to learn Irish dance though, so they settled for Scottish instead. When she was 13, her mom declared she needed a sport. “I just love the culture and history,” Anderson said. And that was how she chose Scottish dance.

What It Is

Scottish Dance, officially known as highland dancing, is a set of traditional

Anderson with a bagpiper, another dancer, and her teacher.

Anderson takes lessons at her instructor’s house. She practices over an hour a week. She starts by warming up and stretching out, just like in many sports.

Then the music goes on. She is currently learning new steps to a version of the sword dance- a dance over a sword and its sheath crossed to form an ‘X’- called the broad sword. Most dances Anderson learns are solo dances, but this one is a duet.

Scottish dancers compete in three levels- beginner, novice, and premier. At each level, the judging get more difficult, but the same types of dances are performed. There are four of them- a national dance, the highland fling, a sword dance, and the Seann Triubhas.

At a performance a lot of the same dances can be seen, but in a more casual setting. A bagpiper is hired, and “in general it consists of a ton of crazy costume changes,” said Anderson.

Anderson also participates in band, choir, and fencing club.

C

9 Sports Fan Deaths

1)

1955

Le Mans Auto Racing Disaster

2)

1964

Lima, Peru Soccer Riot

3)

2001

Ghana Soccer Stampede

4)

2002

Death of a Hockey Fan

5)

2004

Death of Red Sox Fan Celebrating Pennant

6)

2008

Escalator Death of Mets Fan at Shea Stadium

7)

2009

Beating Death of Philadelphia Phillies Fan

8)

2009

Deaths of Cycling Fans at Tour de France

9)

2011

Death of Soccer Fan Who “Headed” Trash

OMPETITION friendly or deadly?

by

Kaden

Smidt

Wining. To some of the most diehard sports fanatics and athletes, it seems like the most important thing in the world- and if someone were to watch enough sports programs, they would begin to believe it themselves.

To most, competition is fun. It makes the mind focus, the adrenaline flow, and creates a strong relationship between two people.

But what happens when that relationship becomes

dangerous- fatal even?

It seems a bit extreme but competition can inspire the worst in people. It can make a man truly believe he hates another person, and wish upon them the worst of experiences Xavier May (’12), a football player at West High school, says that winning makes him feel like he’s “accomplished something greater” than himself.

When asked how he describes winning he said, “Winning a game is a success you can feel – [your] team gathers around you, the crowd screams your name, and in that moment you feel like the king of the world.”

West High School and

City High have been longtime rivals. “They’re the main team to beat,” said May. Does the “team to beat” mindset make students from either school predisposed to dislike each other?

“A little bit,” said May, “[My friends and I] sometimes use them as the butt of our jokes and refer to them negatively, but it’s all in good fun.”

All over the world, fights have broken out and deaths have even occurred because of people’s devotion to the support of their team. According to Xavier, fierce competition doesn’t always occur while wearing pads on a football field.

This is how he describes being in the ‘competitive zone’- “The adrenaline starts flowing, your muscles start burning, and you just want to tear down anything that gets in your way.” he said. “You start to really want someone to try and stop you, just so you can run them over.”

Can this attitude extend off the sports field?

“Definitely.” said May When asked why he thinks this happens, May replied, “People

don’t like being wrong. If someone has a view different from their own, they immediately make up their mind that they don’t like that person” he said. “They start trying to change that person’s mind, and eventually it turns physical.”

Competition can be the greatest recreational thrill ever experienced, but it can turn ugly just as fast. “Fun is fun,” said May as a final thought, “But know where to draw the line.”

America’s First African American...

FIRST

BLACK

First AfricanAmerican female federal agency head Mary McLeod Bethune

Athletes

By Lucy Blair

1938

When his career of football started in 6th grade he was on his first team, but he really started playing football just passing the ball with his younger brother in the backyard.

His coach was James Hillyer.

Roosevelt Mcklinney, who grew from the south was one of the nation’s first black college football player for the University of New Mexico, in 1962.

“James Hillyer was the man who truly inspired me to move on to college ball

and to work for what I love when needed,” he said.

That’s what he believes Hillyer help made him him be accepted by his peers, and having been able to work with them was an unexpected honor.

Mckinnley’s most distinctive memory was when the team was losing, the terrible feeling in his gut was sickening, he had to play. After begging his coach to go out there, after a few moments of pleading the coach finally grudgingly agreed to let him play. He sauntered onto

the fieled, and grasped the ball, and ‘ran like crazy!’ and scored the touchdown,they still lost, 19-20. The pride he had for himself and the team was still indescribable and he couldn’t stop playing.

Mcklinney, had a good experience with the New Mexico Football team but others weren’t as lucky, such as Jim Robinson.

Robinson was a young, black basketball player for his

First African American to win an Academy Award Hattie McDaniel (Best Supporting Actress, Gone with the Wind

1940

high school in the early sixties, he remembers having an all African American team and playing all white high schoolers in the opposing team and having to make it absolutely

positive that you had won the game, “You were essentially playing 3 teams, the actual team, the crowd, and referees.” Rob-

First African American to win Nobel Peace Prize : Ralph Bunche

1950

First AfricanAmerican woman elected to the U.S state senate: Cora Brown

1952

inson said. “The referees would take any chance to make sure you didn’t win, you couldn’t make a fault or they would give the ball to the other team, the crowd would scream against you, and the other white team would play roughly and unfairly which is disregarded by the ref ’s.”

Robinsons father was also an athlete but he was still

First African-American First elected coach in the AfricanNational American govBasketball ernor: DougAssociation las Wilder Bill Russell (Boston Celtics) (Democrat; Virginia

1966

1990

segregated so he wasn’t able to play white teams and longed to prove that he was just as good as them.

Jim Robinson and Roosevelt Mcklinney although had very different experiences with their beloved sport, they did have a urge to do better and inspirations to do what others wouldn’t have been able to. They had what was needed to be great.

West High School Sports Traditions

By Apoorva Raikwar

rmiss Photo used with pe

ell ion from Alex Jew

Photo used with permission from Olaf Sunleaf

Boys Swimming

“...How [the bleaching hair tradition] started, I’m not quite sure-it’s been around for as long as I can remember! I believe it has something to do with swimmers’ hair being bleached from the chlorine during practice.”

Bro Squad

-Alex Jewell ‘13

am Traditionsions. Many Bizzarre Pro Te dit e in having special tra

n’t uniqu West High Sports are n unique rituals. ms partake in their ow rts professional spo tea

k topi onto the Ice Rin k to 1952 when two bac es 1. Detroit Fans Toss Oc dat ion dit tra key s hoc

Thi , threw e and Jerry Cusimano Detroit brothers, Pet ice. The Red the o ont t rke ma ir an octopus from the Stanley’s s to drink from Lord Wings needed eight win ea am bec it so s arm had eight cup and the octopus y. tor symbol for vic

Before almost every game and half time, we circle around one person and do the bro chant-usually I’m in the center...

Also for the second half of the game, the defense uses a tactic called ‘Crouching-Tiger-Hidden-Bro’. This is where the defense lays on the ground and pounces up and attacks as soon as the opponents come to attack. And after the game, we always go to Hu-Hot. -Olaf Sunleaf ‘14

Volleyball

2. The Gatorade Bath

d in the mida tradition that starte The Gatorade bath is ularity in pop and e fam ned gai 80s by NFL players. It times that 17 sed dou s Parcells wa 1986 after Coach Bill .

Super Bowl win year, including after a

3. The Haka

me “Before every single ga e we would have a danc a nj party and play the Ku ing game... We started do use [these traditions] beca up, but they would pump us rstithen we became supe em th tious and had to do before every game.”

people al dance of the Maori The Haka is a tradition land Rugby Zea w Ne the as ll we of New Zealand as was first The All Blacks’ Haka team-the All Blacks. tradition s thi and tch ma ore a performed in 1884 bef every match. The ore bef n the ce sin has continued vements us and savage body mo dance involves vigoro us facial cio fero and ng nti along with war-like cha expressions.

eau Leap

Lamb mas n the day after Christ This tradition was bor ggie Re a of off red sco Butler in 1933 when LeRoy into ped lea ely lsiv ry and impu White fumble recove famous the n, the ce Sin n. the crowd in celebratio rished tradition. leap has become a che

4. Green Bay Packers-

w.flickr.com Logo Photos from ww

eld ‘14

-Hannah Fairfi

Photo from www.flick r.c

om