The Survey: Fall 2022

Publishing Wildcat News since 1922.

Summer Adams I am taking Journalism I. I moved to

subject is English.

Warwick in fifth grade and I am currently a sophomore at Warwick Valley High School. I decided to take journalism to improve my writing. I play volleyball, I like to ski, and my favorite subjects are ELA and history.

Madison DeSantis I am a sophomore. I enjoy making jewelry and reading books when I'm not at school or working at Pennings Farm. I joined journalism to to improve my writing, gain confidence, and increase my creativity.

Brenna Belasco I’m a sophomore.

I was born in Summit, New Jersey, and I moved here when I was two. I enjoy reading and writing, and I’ve been dancing for 12 years. I’m excited for Journalism 1 this year because I’m looking forward to working on the magazine.

Charlie Figueroa I'm a senior taking this class for a

second year. I love to write and my goal is to inform the student body about society.

Chase Fogg I am a senior and I’ll be 18 soon. This is

my first time doing journalism, and I hope to finish the school year with an A. I have an older sister, Alex, who is 21 and attends University of Binghamton. I play baseball and football. I am currently looking to play college baseball and major in sports management or business and marketing. I enjoy working out and hanging out with friends and family. I’m also an asthetic bodybuilder that can throw around 225 on the bench and 405 on deadlift like butter.

Alexa Borner I am a senior in jounalism II this year.

Outside of school, I enjoy cheerleading. I also enjoy hanging out with my friends and family, and I love to spend time with my dogs as well. I'm excited to be an editor in journalism this year.

Julia Cimino I have two older sisters, an older brother

and a younger sister. I've been a varsity cheerleader since eigth grade. I love to go out to dinner especially if its Thai food. I love the ocean and try to spend as much of my time there. I babysit and I'll be working with the five and under kids at Mt.Peter again for my second year. I enjoy it so much.

Harrison Coard I am a senior. I like to play soccer and

My hobbies are playing soccer and playing video games. My favorite subject is math. My favorite food is fried chicken, and I have a really bad candy addiction.

recommended to me due to my interest in comic creation; I hope in the future I'll have the opportunity to make a school comic with interesting topics that spark discussion within the school.

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Julianna Graff I am a sophomore. This is my first year

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working and high achieving student. I play soccer and basketball mainly in my free time but also go to the gym. I am very athletic and competitive. I like writing but also debating with others. I am excited for a great year.

dancing, and reading. I have two dogs and one cat.

Their names are Roxie, Reign, and Mimi. My favorite

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Kyle Gluckstein You can call me Gluck.

Harrison Gratzel I am in tenth grade. I am a hard

Kailee Curtis I am a senior. I enjoy singing, drawing,

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in journalism and I am very excited to participate in this class. Some of my hobbies include dancing (I have been dancing for 11 years) and watching baseball. Lets go Yankees! (Sorry, Mrs.Taylor.)

Jaralynn Cruz I am currently a junior. Journalism was

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Keiran Gilson I am a senior and I play soccer.

Sasha Crespo I am 15 years old and I am a sophomore.

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Casey Fox I'm a sophomore this year in Warwick.

football.

Nate Constable I like football and basketball.

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Journalism II this year.

Jacob Gibel I'm a senior. I'm in Journalism III. I play

of seven to sixteen. I enjoy writing and reading, and I have always enjoyed English class which has helped me develop an interest in journallism.

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Robbie Fosh I'm a senior from the swamp. I am taking

free time I listen to and play music with my band.

I also work at Dunkin' in Warwick which is where I always am.

Eva Colon I am a junior. I played softball from the ages

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Will Gassaway I am a senior in Journalism 1. In my

video games with my friends. I am taking journalism for a second year because I love to write articles.

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Alex Greco I am a senior. I am taking Journalism II this year to bring news to Warwick Valley students. I enjoy being athletic and repping out 225.

in journalism and I'm taking this class because I love writing and I'm a very social person. I love sharing my ideas and talking to people.

Alek Grzegorzewski I am a senior. In my free time I

Lucia Meehan I am a sophomore. I have enjoyed

writing since a very young age, which is why I am pursuing journalism this year. I am very excited to take my creativity in a different direction. Outside of school I enjoy playing tennis and dancing.

like hanging out with friends. This will be my third year taking journalism with Mrs. Taylor.

Kaley Haskew I'm a senior and I am taking Journalism II. I enjoy hanging out with my friends, playing tennis, and skiing. I'm also really excited to be taking journalism again this year.

Shane Micallef I am taking Journalism I as a senior.

I love to play basketball in my free time. I am on Warwick's varsity basketball team and play AAU for the OC Kings. I enjoy hanging out with friends, family, and my dog, Benny.

Molly Hewitt I am a junior. I enjoy reading, traveling,

and hanging out with my friends. This is my second year in journalism and I am very excited to see what it has to offer.

Jackson Mitchell I am a senior. I am enrolled in

Journalism II this year. I enjoy playing baseball, working out, and hanging out with friends.

Ramon Irizarry I am a senior. I play varsity soccer.

Lena Jodry I’m a junior. This is my second year taking

Jenna Mosier I am a senior in my third year of

Journalism and I really enjoy this class. In my free time, I do theatre in and out of school, along with being in a band. I can’t wait for you all to read this year's editions of The Survey.

journalism, and I am the Editor-in-Chief. In my free time I like to play volleyball, sing, and dance. I love journalism because I love to write creatively, and I enjoy creating magazine pages!

Kaitlyn Kahrmann I'm a sophomore. I was born and

Harrison Neil I am a senior in Journalism I. I play

raised in Rockland NY, but I moved to Warwick in 2017.

I enjoy writing (I'm currently writing a book), skeet shooting, running, and reading.

varsity basketball for Warwick and AAU basketball for the OC Kings. I enjoy watching sports and playing video games. My passion is becoming a journalist.

Dallas Kaminski I’m a sophmore, and I play basketball

Madison Pacelli This is my first year in journalism.

I am part of the kitchen staff at Camp Warwick and I also work at Apple Dave's Orchard. I am a varsity cheerleader for the school. Overall I love to write and learn new things. My favorite things to do, outside of school, are hanging with friends and playing with my dog.

and baseball.

Ciara Kelly I am fifteen years old and a sophomore.

I enjoy reading and writing, and I am on the swim team. I joined journalism because writing is something I really like to do and I think writing articles about things I find interesting will be fun.

Kaitlyn Peconie I am a senior. This is my second year in

Journalism, as I have a passion for crafting articles and analyzing the media. In the future I plan on pursuing a career in journalism and writing pieces on the entertainment industry or the latest trends. Outside of school, my extracurriculars involve competitive dance, voice lessons, and music. I am excited to improve my writing skills and see what this year brings.

Alexa Keys With our first fully normal school year happening, I am excited about all the clubs and sports I get to rejoin such as XC, track , MUN, and journalism!

It will be an interesting and fun year to report on.

Ellie Ladouceur I’m a senior in J2. I love to write and

I'd like to major in journalism in college. Outside of class, I like to snowboard, play softball, and surf.

Ariana Perez I'm a 16 year-old sophomore who is new

to Warwick Valley High School, as well as to Warwick itself. It's my first year in journalism, and I'm very excited to participate and be able to share my ideas through something I love: writing.

Maryjane Lancer I'm a sophomore in Journalism 1. I like to hang out with friends and listen to music.

Kaya Lehrer I am a junior this year. This is my first year

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Sierra A. Roberts I am a senior at WVHS. I am a triplet

school, and I know how to snowboard and surf. My favorite drink is an iced latte, and my favorite color is pink. Some of my favorite things to do are go to the beach, watch sunsets, hang out with friends, and listen to music.

Declan Tobin I am in Journalism I this year and I am a senior.

I am very excited to take this class. Outside of school I play sports such as rugby and track. I also enjoy hanging out with friends.

and the baby of the family. I love reading, cooking, drinking, and making tea. My goal is to read 30 books throughout the school year.

Fia Santagato I love reading and writing. Writing,

especially, is a way that I like to express myself. I’m also an only child, but I do have two dogs Their names are Stella and Nikkyo. My favorite color is green, and my favorite season is fall. I really enjoy the colder weather and, of course, Halloween.

Riley Tully I’m a senior, and this is my third year in journalism.

I like to spend time with my friends and family, and I cheer. I joined journalism because this class gives me the opportunity to have a voice in a judgment free zone.

Ally Turner I’m a senior. I really enjoyed journalism last year, so I am excited to be in J2 this year. I live with my mom, dad, older sister, cat, and dog. In my free time, I enjoy hanging out with my friends, and I am also on the varsity cheer team.

Jasmin Vail I am a junior and I am 16. I work at IHOP in Newburgh, currently, and I am in the process of attempting to join the CTEC mechanics program.

Dominic Vega I am 14 years old and I am a sophomore. I have a dog, and my birthday is October third. I play soccer and video games. My favorite subjects are PE and science.

Jaden Velez I play basketball and football for Warwick Valley High School. I also play basketball outside of school for New York Lightning.

Zachary Santiago I am a senior. I like to sleep, play video games, and watch movies.

Brent Secord I am a senior. I am taking Journalism II

this year, and I hope to bring accurate and effective news to the school. I enjoy playing lacrosse, going to the gym, and spending time with friends in my free time.

Milo Judah Shaw-Smith Gendelman I come from a long line

of Shaw-Smiths and another long line of Gendelmans. Only two other Shaw-Smith Gendelmans exist. I am the only person to exist with my first name. I have more syllables in my name than original amendments in the Constitution.

Ava Sheils I am a junior. I'm in Journalism II and I love it. I'm on the Warwick varsity cheer team and my favorite season is summer.

Nick Sirico I am a junior. I play football, lacrosse, and basketball. I have a younger sister named Katelyn, and I have two dogs named Oakley and Blitzen. I'm taking journalism because I enjoy writing about topics going on in the modern world.

Ashley Smykowski I'm a senior, and I'm taking journalism because I enjoy writing.

Mason Vitiello I am a senior. I enjoy writing about history,

music, psychology, technology and the arts. In my free time, I enjoy playing guitar and bass with friends and reading as much as I can.

Latrell Willis I am a junior and this is my second year in journalism. I like to be with my friends and play sports. I have been playing basketball since I was five, and I have been playing football since I was ten.

Sienna Thurber I’m a junior. I play varsity soccer for the

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Zofia Santagato, Staff Writer It’s fall. You're craving something sweet but small. So you decide you’re craving a donut. You end up stumbling past a small shop while in the town of Warwick. You open the door to Dream Donuts, and you’re greeted with a sweet scent. What was once a dry cleaners is now a new and improved donut shop! When Kyle Cosmillo received approval to change and utilize this space, he decided it would be a perfect go-to coffee, candy, and donut shop. Right when you walk in you can see the donuts being made, and at the counter you’ll see there's many flavors to choose from.

As you wait for your food, you get even more excited to try all these unique flavors.

The longer you wait, the more your excitement builds. After you pick up your donuts there are even seats inside so you can sit. If you’re ever in town nearby you can bring your friends along to join you. It's perfect to relax and enjoy a small snack during the fall while enjoying the little view of the park. Not only are there donuts to choose from, but you can also grab cookies, ice cream, or candy along with your sweet treat. The staff is very kind and greets you as you walk in. Finally you take a bite and it’s delicious. The flavors are very different yet familiar, some of them are even our favorite sugary snacks.

If you really want a perfect taste for fall, the apple cider donuts are a good choice. Dream donuts definitely taste like a dream!

It’s Fall!

Kaley Haskew, Staff Editor Fall is here! Time for pumpkin spice everything, apple crisp desserts, hay rides, pumpkin and apple picking, and everything in between that makes people excited for this time of year. Everyone loves a good basic fall outing. I interviewed various students from Warwick and here are a few activities they said they enjoy doing in the fall. Some watch holiday movies with their family and friends: “I wear holiday themed clothes, start watching holiday themed movies, and start decorating my house for the holidays (putting up colorful lights outside, putting decorative pillows/ blankets, etc) as soon as [fall arrives],” said Faith Kelley. Another fun pastime would be making homemade treats. Danielle Zimmerman said, “My family and I make homemade Rice Krispie Treats every fall.” Something more on the lines of traveling could be vacationing to a warm place when it gets cold, and celebrating the fall holidays somewhere new. Physical activities could include hiking, biking through town before temperatures drop, or picking up a new sport. “I take a hike every week to see how much the leaves are changing,” said Gabby Spergel. Six Flags also holds Fright Fest, which is a Halloween event that features haunted attractions, themed areas called “Scare Zones,” and live entertainment. For rainy days in the fall where we have to stay inside, some fun recreations could be painting the changing leaves and building a pillow fort. Some more interesting fall activities include watching or going to football games, buying maple syrup from your local grocery store. You could also make pancakes and have a fall-themed party where everyone brings different fall-themed snacks. Here’s to having fun this fall and trying new things!

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Julia Cimino, Page Editor

Our New Associate Principals, Mr

Written by Ally Turn Edited by Alexa Born This past year, WVCSD has hired a variety of new staff, from new teachers to administrators. I had the opportunity to sit down and get to know the two new assistant principals here at the high school. I learned a lot about Mr.Fiorentino and Mrs.Hill-Lewis, and I am excited to share their responses to my questions.

Tell me about your life outside of school.

Mr. Fiorentino: I have a four year old, six year old, [and an] eight year old. We do Spartan Races together as a family. We just did one this past weekend at Mountain Creek. I enjoy spending a lot of time with my kids, and their hobbies like karate, piano, and gymnastics, have become my hobbies. I also love teaching them to read and write.

Mrs. Hill-Lewis: I live with my husband. We are both very active; we enjoy doing Spartan Races together, and I also like to go to the gym. Additionally, I take piano lessons and I’m part of a women’s choir. I have four dogs (a yorkie, German shepherd, pitbull, husky), named Dexter, Nala, Duke, and Maya.

What is your first priority when it comes to the school?

Mr. Fiorentino: Safety, learning, and fun. You can’t do the other two without the first one. Safety is more than just feeling safe. It’s social, emotional, and physical, and when people feel safest, they are able to be the best version of themselves.

Mrs. Hill-Lewis: I want to learn more about the culture of the school. I’ve been trying to immerse myself and form as many relationships with the students as possible. It’s important to try and form relationships outside the discipline part of my job.

How do you best get to know your students?

Mr. Fiorentino: Talking to them. Unit lunch is such a great opportunity to get to talk to the students. I move around the whole building during lunch to get to know the students and to make sure everything is safe. If you see me at lunch, please talk to me! It’s such a great opportunity to try and get to know everyone.

Mrs. Hill-Lewis: Seeing students outside of their core classes. I have tried to make an effort to attend sporting events and see students when they are “in their element” and talk to them then.

Any advice for the current high school students?

Mr. Fiorentino: Be present in the moment with a positive lense and enjoy where you are right now.

Don’t lose the excitement of the moment, and to the best of your ability, try to put a positive perspective on it.

Mrs. Hill Lewis: Take advantage of everything Warwick has to offer. There are so many topics that these courses cover. Get a feel for what you want to do after high school.

What is your favorite part of Warwick so far?

Mr. Fiorentino: Everyone has been so welcoming, and the school and community are in such unity.

Mrs. Hill-Lewis: It’s so cool how so many members of the staff actually went here for high school and to see their various connections to Warwick.

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Mr. Fiorentino and Mrs. Hill-Lewis

y Turner, Staff Editor xa Borner, Staff Editor What has been the most exciting part of your new role at Warwick?

Mr. Fiorentino: Two things: firstly, it is so amazing what opportunities the students have to choose from and to see what this building has to offer, especially compared to what I was offered when I was in high school. Also, homecoming was so awesome, especially on the day of, when the school and the community all worked together. It was such a nice day...with many of the Warwick businesses contributing as well.

Mrs. Hill-Lewis: Definitely learning the culture of the school and the district. I’m from Chester, so I had such a small class in high school. It is so great to see how willing everyone is to participate in school events. I love how proud everyone is to be here and how willing they are to contribute to the greater good.

What have been some of the smoothest parts of your transition, and have you faced any challenges?

Mr. Fiorentino: The smoothest part has probably been working with the administration team. Mrs. Fusco and Mr.Arvanites have been very welcoming. When we came in the summer, they were the first people we met. They were great and so welcoming and helpful. I have not faced many difficulties, but getting used to the schedule and routine has probably been the biggest challenge.

Mrs. Hill-Lewis: So much support from all of the teachers has made my transition so smooth. All of the teachers have been so welcoming and open to helping me, as well as the students. Finding my way around the building has probably been the biggest challenge.

Mr. Fiorentino and Mrs. Hill-Lewis are so personable and friendly. It was such a pleasure to sit down with them both, and I’m so glad they received such a warm welcome into Warwick. As we continue to embrace them into our community, take a few minutes to meet them if you haven’t already!

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Shining a Light on New Teachers:

Miss Balliraj

Written by Riley Tully, Managing Editor Edited by Harrison Coard

We all know and love the teachers here at Warwick, especially the veteran teachers, but what about the new additions to our staff? We have had a handful of new hires, one specifically being Miss Balliraj. This is her first year here at Warwick and she is a Living Environment teacher.

I had the pleasure of being able to sit down with Miss Baliraj and get to know more about her.

Q: How many years of teaching experience do you have?

A: Miss Balliraj has two years of teaching experience. Previously, she taught for the Monticello Central School District teaching Living Environment as well as a Principles of Health Science class, which covers the healthcare system and includes basic foundational skills.

Q: What drew you to Warwick?

A: Miss Balliraj stated, “I think what’s really nice about Warwick is that it is so community focused.”

She also said how Warwick is such a cozy town and everyone is so familiar with each other; taking part in events and volunteering is a big thing here in Warwick. All these components were really appealing to her.

Q: Describe some positive moments you have had here.

A: Miss Balliraj said seeing the pep rally was really noteworthy. She talked about how growing up, school spirit wasn’t that significant for her when she was in high school. Conversely, she mentioned kids working on the floats for the parade and said, “Warwick’s spirit week isn't just one day or one period, it's a whole week."

Q: How do you go about connecting with students?

A: Miss Balliraj stated, “I think the big thing is getting to know the student as an individual.” She understands that biology might not be everyone’s favorite subject, but she believes that it has something for everyone. She also tries to find things that relate to her students, and she always greets her students and asks them what they did over the weekend.

Q: What do you do outside of school? Hobbies, activities?

A: Miss Balliraj describes herself as a hobbyist. She is an avid runner who is involved in a running group that gets beginner runners into the feel of running. She also takes joy in watching cartoons and reading.

Although it may be difficult being the new person around here, Miss Balliraj is adjusting well to the change. We wish her the best!

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John Garcia Interview Written by Latrell Willis Edited by Nate Constable

Warwick football began even before the 1900’s with the first games recorded from over 125 years ago. Records include Warwick’s rivalry with Goshen, the second longest rivalry in the state of New York after Rome Free Academy and Utica Proctor High School. Along with many other football traditions, we’ve kept track of our players, which includes a good amount of alumni. One is John Garcia who played as a quarterback for the Wildcats in the early 2010s. He went on to play quarterback for the Hartwick Hawks. Then he returned back to Warwick and is now a teacher, head JV football coach, and a varsity quarterback coach/assistant offensive coordinator.

Q: What attracted you to football?

A: My friend played when I was little. I also played soccer one year and I was terrible! My father coached football at the time with my best friend’s dad so I just started playing.

Q: When was the first moment or sign that you could play college football?

A: Seven on seven hosted here when I was a junior. We made the playoffs, then we beat Newburgh and Kingston in the playoffs. In the chip, we beat Wallkill and won it on a walk-off touchdown.

Q: What was college football life like?

A: [It was] different wherever you went, and the recruiting process was weird because I was late on everyone’s radar. I started getting recognition after I broke the passing record senior year. When All State teams came out I was second team All State and that’s when my recruiting process started. I also had a unique experience because I played with my little brother and best friend in college.

Q: What do you think is your biggest football accomplishment or moment?

A: Playing with my brother in college. He had a game when I was a senior, and it was his first game as a sophomore. We played West Conn and they were so worried about the senior receiver from [the previous] year they left him in one on one coverage and he had 12 catches for 245 yards and two touchdowns. I threw for 433 yards and five touchdowns. It was cool to have my own success but to have it with my brother as well on that level was a cool moment. Also after my college senior year I had an All Star game and a scout offered me to go play in the European football league. I declined because I wanted to keep my head and knee straight while I still could.

Q: Why did you start coaching?

A: All I ever really knew was school and sports anyway, and that’s kind of why I became a teacher. Coaching keeps me involved as much as possible without actually playing.

Q: What time period of football do you miss the most?

A: Senior year of high school. There was nothing like it; my dad was coaching and my cousin was on the modified team, so when I looked up on Friday nights there were thousands of people at the games, but you know all of them. Everything just felt close and like family, but in college you look up in the stands and there are thousands, but you don’t really know them. Also, you just met the coaches and most the times teams aren’t playing for each other like how they do in high school.

John Garcia is a pivotal part of the Warwick family and has always given back to the community. He is now seen as a role model to students and athletes in Warwick. John Garcia very inspirational.

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Questioning Cosmo Kailee Curtis, Staff Writer Brent Secord, Staff Editor

As a current cosmetology student, I know the program has affected my life in many ways. I wanted to get some insight on how other people in the program see it, so I interviewed the amazing teacher who runs the program, Ms. Bettello, along with another lovely student, Katelynn Josd.

Why did you choose cosmetology as a career?

Bettello: There are a lot of reasons I chose cosmetology as a career. I always had an obsession with doing everyone’s hair in my family. I cut my mom’s hair when I was younger. I guess I had a natural drive to it; I can’t give you an exact reason. But I’m glad I did it.

in other classes.

What inspired you to start teaching cosmetology?

Bettello: I used to have a hair salon and I had some employees who had just gotten out of hair school and they would ask me questions all the time. I genuinely got a kick and a sort of thrill out of watching them build their skill. So I said, “I’m actually pretty good at teaching,” so it led to me going back to school and getting my degree in education.

Why did you choose the cosmetology program?

Josd: I was interested in hair because I’m really close with my hair stylist, and she kind of got me interested [by suggesting I work in the salon].

If you had not pursued a career in cosmetology, what career would you have now?

Bettello: I would probably be in biology because that was my first major. I would maybe be a biology teacher or working in a lab.

How has your experience as a cosmetology student been?

Josd: It’s been really good. I’ve made a lot of great friends here. I found out things that I’m good at and what I’m not good at. I’m probably not good at nails, but I really like the program.

How has the whole experience of teaching cosmetology affected you as a person?

Bettello: I’m definitely a lifelong learner. I’m staying in school and continuing with my master’s degree.

I am now privy to a whole new understanding of how the education system works. You know it’s a life journey; you meet new people, [and] you have new experiences.

Has being in the cosmetology program changed your outlook on your career, and if so, why?

Josd: I realized I might want to have a career in cosmetology in college. I don’t know about owning my own salon but I want to work at a salon.

If you are pursuing a license in cosmetology, what major are you planning on pursuing in college?

Josd: I’m planning on majoring in either communications or digital marketing in college because I’m not sure if I’m going to have cosmetology as a career yet.

How have you noticed cosmetology affecting your students and their lives?

Bettello: I feel like cosmetology is a great skill that a lot of students can use at any point of their lives, whether they go on to college or not. It’s a social environment here. I noticed the students are very social and they interact with each other more so than

After talking to these two lovely women, it is apparent that the cosmetology program has a massive positive impact not only on the school, but its members as well.

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Written by Jenna Mosier

Edited by Ally Turner

Photos from the 2022 Mock Crash at WVHS, taken by Jason Upchurch

SADD Club, have you heard of it? SADD stands for Students Against Destructive Decisions. With about 70 members, SADD Club has become a significant part of the WVHS, and many people have heard about all that they do. I thought that I would take the opportunity to interview the vice president of SADD, Olivia Silva, to inform all of you about this very influential club!

Olivia is a senior this year, and she has been a member of SADD since her freshman year. In addition, she has been vice president of SADD since her junior year. Olivia explained that the club’s main objective is to “spread awareness of substance abuse and drunk driving.” Furthermore, members participate in many annual activities to advocate for their cause, such as participating in the WVHS club fair, organizing the Trunk or Treat event, learning about the Contract for Life, conducting a mock crash, Red Ribbon Week, and many other activities to spread awareness.

I asked Olivia for specific details on the Contract for Life, the mock crash, and Red Ribbon week. SADD’s Contract for Life is a document that they hand out and “after signing the contract, if you are at a party, your guardian will come to pick you up, with no questions asked.” This is a way for the SADD Club to encourage students to stay safe from the consequences of drunk driving. Additionally, the mock crash is a demonstration that SADD Club puts on for the entire WVHS student body. According to Olivia, it is a [staged] accident with “a real-life situation.” Students and first responders participate to explicitly show what happens during and after a drunk driving accident. All of the members of the

SADD Club work together to plan, create, and perform this event, and it is usually executed with major success.

Lastly, Red Ribbon week is a very influential weeklong event in the last week of October. Olivia describes Red Ribbon Week as “a week where kids dress up, like a spirit week almost.” She says, “It is a way to get the message out there about [substance abuse].” She also adds that “on one of the days, we wear red to promote protection for kids against all harmful substances.” SADD even works with the Warwick Coalition Organization and the Warwick Valley Middle School’s SADD Club to spread as much awareness as possible. Olivia hopes that this year the club gets the chance to “plan a successful Red Ribbon Week” and “help inform unaware kids so that they understand harmful substances.”

SADD Club has many creative ideas to spread awareness about the consequences of substance abuse.

Now that you know what SADD is and what they do, I hope that you will encourage those around you to support or join the WVHS SADD Club!

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The New York State regents exam is a statewide, standardized test in core high school subjects and students must pass in order to earn a Regents Diploma. But do these exams actually matter?

In recent years some colleges have not even glanced at students' Regents scores during admissions.

Colleges mainly focus on a student's SAT/ACT score, so the big question is, why does New York still hold Regents exams? The general answer is for students to earn a Regents Diploma and the opportunity to receive an Advanced Regents Diploma. For some colleges these different diplomas can better your chances of being accepted. Not to mention, all high school students living in New York are required to take and pass these exams to graduate.

The New York Board of Education looks at students' exam scores to supervise all educational activities around the state. Within the last two or so years there have been fewer rules towards the students for these exams. The classes of 2020 and 2021 were exempt from the exams due to COVID-19, and many people believe the exams will come to an end soon due to that. I walked around the school asking students if they felt that the Regents exams benefited them or if they truly knew the reason they are required to take them and every single one of them said no. Hallie Hansen said, “I sit through a three hour test just to get a grade while my friends from New Jersey and Connecticut [or those in any other independent schools in New York] don’t have to take them.” Regents week is by far the hardest and most stressful week for a student. Many students stay up late studying, but it ultimately only hurts them. Studying this way seriously affects the brain and makes you unable to focus; therefore, cramming affects retention.

The overall opinion on the Regents is that they are unnecessary and only cause stress. They do not benefit students in any way, and they are only specific to New York and California. They are used to examine the education status of New York students and nothing else. In the end, the Regents exams are only hurting this generation of students.

Staff writer : Maddie Pacelli Editor : Ellie Ladouceur

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Written by Molly Hewitt, Staff Writer Edited by Ava Sheils, Staff Editor Francis Keneally is a Junior at Warwick Valley High School. He has been playing lacrosse since he was in first grade. His other interests include working out, swimming, and going out with friends.

He recently committed to Yale university with his main focus in lacrosse, and I had the opportunity to ask him a few questions about it.

Q: What was your first thought when you received the news from Yale that they wanted you to attend their university?

A: My first thought was that I was very excited. I had never seen the school before so I wanted to visit and make sure it was right for me before I made any decision.

Q: What other schools were you also interested in that you were considering and that may have been interested in you?

A: By the time I committed I had only visited Princeton, Rutgers, and Yale, but I had visits set up for Brown and Fairfield as well so those schools all shared interest in me.

Q: Was it a hard decision to commit or did you know you wanted to, and what was the hardest part of the process?

A: It was a hard decision because I liked all the schools I saw. The school I wanted to go to the most [gave me an offer only] after I committed to Yale which was annoying, but I realized that Yale actually wanted me rather than the other school.

Q: What were your biggest challenges in the recruiting process?

A: I would say trying to get back to everyone about seeing the school and keeping every opportunity open even if I really had no interest in the school.

Q: Who helped motivate you the most, and is there anyone you think you couldn’t have achieved this without?

A: Not to be corny but I probably was my own motivation because this has always been a goal of mine, but I definitely could not have achieved this without my parents taking time out of their days to take me to all these events and visits.

Q: What are you looking forward to most about attending one of the best universities in the nation?

A: Just having the ability to say that I received an Ivy League education because it will help with a lot of job opportunities.

Q: Have you thought about what you might want to study? If so, what?

A: Since Yale is a liberal arts school they do not have a specific business major, but I would like to do something business related like economics or finance.

Q: How does it feel to be a junior and already have your next five years planned out for you? Is it overwhelming? Is it exciting?

A: I would say it’s more exciting and relieving than overwhelming because I know what to expect and I don’t have to worry about college applications my senior year and other stuff of that nature.

The college admission process is something that many juniors and seniors have to spend a lot of time and energy on. Francis is lucky enough to have streamlined that process. On behalf of many students, teachers, and parents at Warwick, we are all proud of Francis’s achievement and dedication, not only to his lacrosse commitment, but his academic performance as well.

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Written by Madison DeSantis This past year, It Ends with Us, by Colleen Hoover, gained popularity five years after its release. In 2021, Tik Tok users who used #BookTok, a hashtag that connects users who enjoy reading, played a large role in finding audiences. A post on the book from celebrity Kylie Jenner also increased its readership. I read Colleen Hoover’s It Ends with Us a year ago, and I gave it three stars. Recently I've revisited it and lowered my review to two stars, so here's why.

Colleen Hoover's book is tagged as Contemporary Fiction Romance. The book's description talks about Lily, a girl who moves to Boston and meets a man with great qualities. She then questions her relationship with him and has thoughts of her first love. This isn't a love story, however; this is a story about a woman overcoming an abusive relationship. It's inconsiderate and negligent of Colleen Hoover to advertise and think of her book as a love story: “…there are issues some people do not want to read about. But as a writer, there are many things I don’t want revealed in the blurbs of my books.” Marketing your book as romance misinforms your readers, and diminishes the story of a woman standing up against an abusive relationship. A good writer does not need to rely on the romance tag to have their book's plot twist impactful. I don't think romance should have had a part in this story at all.

In the book, Lily's first true love, Atlas, notices signs of abuse when seeing Lily. He saves Lily from her relationship with Ryle. This takes away from the personal story Colleen Hoover attempted to turn into a memoir. Lily's need to be saved by 14

another man is harmful. Women who are in domestic relationships don't always get the choice to leave because a better bachelor is out there. The book marketed as a romantic love triangle makes it seem as if Lily is picking between Atlas and Ryle instead of her escaping a horrible situation.

By the end of the book, Ryle apologists still exist, and people still have their love for him despite his harmful behavior. Hoover allows Ryle to have custody of his and Lily's child, and he receives no punishment for the harm he caused to our main character. Having Ryle receive a slap on the wrist for his behavior is unacceptable; no justice is being served to our abused character. There should always be punishment for abuse, and it shouldn't be tolerated or taught to be tolerated.

Despite the negatives, I praise It Ends with Us for how it made more people think about her quote from the book: “People spend so much time wondering why the women don’t leave.

Where are all the people who wonder why the men are even abusive? Isn’t that where the only blame should be placed?” You are placed in Lily’s shoes and even though there are so many signs suggesting she should leave, people want to forgive Ryle. The nice things a person does can only distract from the harm they are causing you. Still, I appreciated the last page in the book that features Domestic Abuse hotlines. Women, men, and people who are getting abused might make that call just because they flipped the page in the book.

Overall, I think if Colleen Hoover revisited the draft for this book it could’ve been written better. I think she should have focused more

Edited by Kaitlyn Peconie on the story of realizing your spouse is an abusive person and taking the steps to leave instead of trying to turn it into a love story with a childhood love interest. Still, I would recommend this book because of all the praise it receives,

with its 4.38-star rating, but I would analyze and annotate what you're reading. It's okay to disagree with a book while still retaining what you learn from it. Therefore, that is why I gave It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover two stars.

Edited by Kaitlyn Peconie

Written by Maryjane Lancer The book, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid, transports you into 60’s Hollywood and its lies. It is a story of a young actress’s career in the movie industry. Evelyn is a bold and gritty girl coming from a bad situation to make a name for herself in the business.

This book goes through her personal relationships as well as her career filled with scandals and tribulations. All of her failed relationships were thought to be because of her messy life, but when her biggest secret comes out, everything is clear to the public that she isn't what she seems.

Taylor Jenkins Reid brings you into Evelyn's world, what she goes through in her career, and how she overcame her struggles. Evelyn starts off as someone make questionable decisions in order to do what it takes to succeed. As the story progresses, Evelyn realizes that doing what is right for her is better then what's right for her career.

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It could have made more sense to have it just focus the story on her fame instead of having some chapters talking about her retirement that didn’t add any depth to the story. Along with this, it didn’t make sense to include the narrator’s personal information.

However, the characters' actions and personalities make this book exciting and easy to read. The interview type formatting style is well written and a riveting, interesting story which portrays the career of a young woman in the entertainment industry with precision. The author's word choices and the atmosphere the author creates make every chapter feel like a real life moment. It also captivates the reader, and leaves them inspired from Evelyn's story.

This is one of Taylor Jenkins Reid’s best books in my opinion. I would recommend this book for someone who enjoys reading historical fiction that has a modern twist.

WRITTEN BY MILO SHAW-SMITH GENDELMAN, STAFF WRITER EDITED BY LENA JODRY, MANAGING EDITOR For three generations DOC FRY at the Warwick Valley Community Center has been a welcoming space for local bands to play their music, no matter the genre or style. Originally, the Community Center was one of Warwick’s first high schools. It was repurposed in 1977 as the Warwick Valley Community Center, and by the mid 1990’s local bands were using it to put on punk shows. Again, in 2016, a group of young adults revived the concerts under the name “DOC FRY:SESSIONS.” These newly revived concerts lasted for two years, slowly building up to the Battle Candle Festival in 2018.

Unfortunately, COVID-19 shut down the new music scene in Warwick. All music at DOC FRY stopped, and slowly the original creators of the shows moved on from Warwick. However, in August of 2022, a new group of teens, unhappy with the lack of things to do in a small New York town, decided to try and revive the dormant music scene in Warwick. The first new DOC FRY show was held on August 18th, 2022. It brought out three local bands, Balloon Animals, Overheard, and Subway Tuna, each of which drew a surprisingly large crowd to the community center.

The next DOC FRY show is on November 18th at 11 Hamilton Ave, and it has a $5 entry to help pay the bands, but I think is totally worth it to see some really talented people perform in person. Also, each show has a featured artist and handmade screen printed shirts, bags, and posters for sale. Each band has a lot of energy and the venue is really interesting. I talked to Julie Woods, one of the featured artists from the first concert, and one of the lead creative heads on the DOC FRY team. “It’s just great seeing a place for kids to go in Warwick,” she says.

“Being someone who grew up in Warwick myself, I never thought there were enough places for kids to go to have a good time, especially during COVID.” Julie and the others have worked excessively hard with representatives from the Community Center to make the shows safe and welcoming to all teens in the community. “It’s really important to the whole team that we can put on a show that everyone can appreciate, no matter their background or preferences in music.”

The DOC FRY team is also planning to expand into local film shows, starting by hosting a home-made film contest in February which is completely open for high schoolers to enter! All films must be submitted before February first. From the time I spent with the DOC FRY team I learned several things, but the most important takeaway I received was how hard teens will work to get their community into shape and back up to standard, especially when it comes to music.

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Around an hour outside New York City is Warwick, New York, which is where the Warwick Center for the Performing Arts (WCPA) is located. WCPA has dance, acting, and vocal lessons for people of all ages, and is also the home to two resident companies, the Warwick Dance Collective and the Warwick Broadway Collective, under the artistic direction of Melissa Padham-Maass. Aside from those features, WCPA has many professional instructors who have made careers for themselves in the performing arts. One of these individuals is Jessica McRoberts, who previously worked on many Broadway shows and national tours. McRoberts teaches a variety of classes at WCPA, along with being the director for the company’s past two musical theater performances, Matilda Jr. and High School Musical Jr. Now McRoberts is tackling a new feat as the director of WCPA’s production of the musical written by Jonathan Larson, Tick Tick Boom.

Tick Tick Boom is centered around the life of Jonathan Larson, the creator of the smash broadway hit Rent.

It is an autobiographical musical about his worries that he made the wrong career decision, while also discussing his love life and his friendships. WCPA’s production stars all equity actors, including Jennifer DiNoia and Harris M. Turner, and features Paul Peglar as Jon. This production is the first equity* production produced by WCPA, and along with the actual equity show, there is a pre-show that features local students and other professional actors.

One of the actors in the pre-show is Warwick Valley High School sophomore Conner Price, who is also a member of the Warwick Broadway Collective at WCPA. Here’s what Conner had to say about his experience in the pre-show for Tick Tick Boom: “My experience with Tick Tick Boom has been nothing but positive. Our director Jessica McRoberts and the rest of the staff at WCPA have helped me to discover my love for performing.” Many students have had a positive experience and gotten to feel what it is like to be in a professional theater atmosphere.

Another member of the pre-show is Patrick McRoberts, Jessica McRoberts’s husband, who had a successful career in professional theater. Here’s what Patrick had to say: “It’s very exciting; it’s a lot of hard work, but it’s very exciting.” Later, when Patrick was asked about his favorite song to perform in the pre-show, he said, “I think ‘Seasons of Love’ is my favorite song in the pre-show just because I think it encapsulates really what Jonathan Larson is all about and what he is and really how he lived his life. I think it’s perfect that we’re opening with that, and everyone sounds great on it.”

Tick Tick Boom ran for five performances at the Sugarloaf Performing Arts Center from October 14th-16th.

Everyone involved in this production was so grateful for all the amazing opportunities this show provided them with. If you missed Tick Tick Boom, don’t worry, because WCPA has many upcoming productions, including The Nutcracker, Curtains The Musical, and more! For more information, visit their website warwickperformingarts. com! *An equity production is a production that is done with the Actor’s Equity Association, which is the labor union for professional actors and only includes actors in the union.

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Live Theatre vs. Film Written by Kaitkyn Peconie Edited by Molly Hewitt (Carson). Alex Brightman, who plays Beetlejuice, is the perfect example of how an actor can connect with the audience every show. In an interview with Broadway Direct, he commented, “With the Marquis, it’s a raked audience*, so I get much more play with who’s there and how many people I can make eyes with. As a comedian, I think that a raked audience is better for comedy. It sort of flies out perfectly” (Brightman). His comedic timing, delivering of lines and references really brings the audience together to have a laugh.

Some people may prefer the much easier access to television and film compared to live theater. However, people also often prefer theater to television because acting on screen is not an immediate performance for an audience. Movies are filmed in locations around the world or in the studio. Oftentimes there are live audiences watching a sitcom being filmed, but the process is consistent. When you are filming in front of the camera, the actor has the opportunity to do multiple takes especially if they mess up. In addition, since the camera is focused on actors, they won’t have to exaggerate their performances as much as they would if they were onstage. Finally, regarding movies and television, filmmakers can create the unimaginable using computer technology such as CGI (computer generated imagery).

While some people prefer living in the two dimensional televised-movie world, live theater allows audiences to be a part of the story and watch it unfold right in front of their eyes. There is always a musical to go see, whether it is on tour or right in the heart of New York. I know I will be back in the theater district soon, and I hope you will join me!

Have you ever considered the benefits of live theater compared to cinema? While you may consider theater and film in the same category, they have their differences. Both are meant to entertain and draw in audiences, but how is theater more effective in connecting with the audience? Experiencing a Broadway show or musical can completely change your perspective on what live theater has to offer.

Going to a theater, such as Richard Rodgers or August Wilson, is magical in itself. Immediately the energy in the room sets the scene for what’s about to come. One of the benefits of live theater is that the viewers are now a part of this “new world” brought by the actors performing on stage. Having this immediate presence provides more personal connections and reactions because you are in the same room only several feet away. With the advantage of having different audiences each night, each performance is unique. Actors go into each performance knowing that anything could happen including mishaps, which is something that people often love about live theater. One of the most important factor of theater, however, is storytelling, as it brings everyone in the theater together. Actors have the ability to interact with the audience, and include them in these storylines.

Just applauding, laughing, or even crying is considered active participation; it creates memories not only for the audience themselves but for the cast members as well.

Most known for her work on Broadway, actress Kerry Butler has had roles on camera as well. In an interview with Pop Culturalist she mentions, “... you have to be so much smaller on camera and be so much more concerned about what your face is doing.

I’m so animated in real life that I almost feel phony when I’m on camera because I have to pull my own personality down” (Butler). Theater actors have to express themselves more dramatically than they would in front of a camera. Facial expressions, and emotions on stage are exaggerated in order to present how their character is feeling for an entire theater.

At the beginning of September, I purchased tickets to see Beetlejuice the Musical, based on the iconic film by Tim Burton. Growing up attending Broadway musicals frequently, I thought I had known what to expect. When the show started, Lydia Deetz, played by Elizabeth Teeter, entered the stage and immediately gave me chills. I had never felt a connection so strong before while watching a live performance.

According to an article by the New York Times, “Her take on the depressed teen is wonderfully emotive, expressing every little thing the character is going through to the people in the very back of the theater”

*Raked Audience: when the seats inside of the theater are on an upwards slope away from the stage, allowing the audience towards the back to have a better view

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Photo via The Guardian

Written by Ariana Perez, Staff Writer Edited by Riley Tully, Managing Editor Time has shown us how technology has overtaken much of our culture, and this includes the film industry. It’s not uncommon anymore to see breathtaking scenarios that couldn’t have been done if it wasn’t for the help of CGI. CGI (computer generated imagery), or VFX (visual effects) helps bring to life otherwise impossible scenarios.In the world of VFX, one of the most familiar names that comes to mind is Marvel Studios, also known as the MCU. They have been one of the main sources of entertainment over the last two decades when it comes to superhero action movies, and they have reached iconic level status with their connecting universe of stories and charismatic characters. However, it is fair to say that with time, their untouchable reputation has taken a deep dive the last couple of years with the oversaturation of mediocre projects and serious allegations against the studio.

How did the studio go from a respected entertrainment company to a brand that makes people roll their eyes at the mention of a new project of theirs?

Quantity over quality is a motto that clearly portrays the studio’s development through the last couple of years, and the way they’ve been putting out movies and shows at an incredibly constant rate.

This could be good news for fans of the MCU, but sadly the audience reactions to the last projects of Phase Four have been nothing less than disappointing. Their fall from grace began after the end of Phase Three of the Universe, which was finalized with the release of Avengers: Endgame, the second most grossing film of all time in theater release.

There have been some moderate successes when it comes to reviews. Spiderman: No Way Home or Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings have succeeded with their exciting premises, complex storylines, and actually good villains. To further illustrate, even though Spiderman: No Way Home is a nostalgia explosion to the viewer's face, it greatly supports itself with the powerful character development Peter Parker goes through. Not only that, but the amazing cast that was brought back to return as timeless villains was implemented impeccably, like Williem Dafoe as Green Goblin, or Alfred Molina as Dr. Otto Octavious. Not to mention there were amazing fighting sequences that helped the audience feel the tension and excitement to another degree. Needless to say, the public’s reaction to this epic reunion was complete joy.

However, the rest of the studio’s output, consisting of movies and the release of original shows on the Disney+ platform, has been average at best, and painful at worst. The presence of messy script writing, boring villains with no real intent or good motivations, and convoluted morals have been great deflectors to the studio’s successes. For instance, the well awaited Black Widow, which got its release long after what it deserved, was a victim to a one-note villain that had

an unrealistic “anti-women” plan. It could have been a great idea, but it ended falling under a poorly developed feminist anthem. Sadly, it was also criticized for its faulty visual effects during action scenes that added to the decline of CGI visuals present in Marvel’s projects, along with serious unethical work regulations against them. Furthermore, computer generated images, or CGI, is an element that the MCU heavily relies on to transmit their ridiculous and fun ideas to the public. In fact, Daniel Chin talked about the impact of this in the studio’s products in “Marvel has a VFX Problem”: “Out of more than 2,700 shots in Infinity War, only 80 didn’t feature any visual effects, according to VFX company Industrial Light and Magic (ILM). That means less than 3 percent of the 2.5-hour movie was created without the aid of visual effects” (The Ringer). This element has never been a huge problem, but recently it has proven to be a big distracting issue for viewers. This has received great amounts of criticism not only by the audiences, but by their own directors and actors.

After the recent release of Thor: Love and Thunder, director Taika Waititi and actress Tessa Thompson pointed out the unrealistic visuals in their own movie. They mentioned how Korg, a character created completely by a computer, wasn’t looking very real in one particular shot. What was thought to be a comedic moment later turned out to be a huge mistake that brought to light how the quality of effects had really deteriorated, from amature green-screen explosion in the climax of Black Widow mentioned prior, to the main character in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law looking like a Sims model.

This has led to fans looking for answers as to why the decline even happened when technological advancements just push forward, not backward. This brought to light some comments made in the popular social media platform, Reddit. Ex-employee testimonies spoke against Marvel as an employer. More specifically, Dhruv Govil, who worked in the making of Guardians of the Galaxy when Marvel hired his VFX company to animate the movie. This ended in hours of unfairly paid work and stress as the ex-employee stated in the post: “Working on Marvel shows is what pushed me to leave the VFX industry. They’re a horrible client, and I’ve seen way too many colleagues break down after being overworked while Marvel tightens the purse strings” (The Ringer). The post was followed by hundreds of other ex-employees complaining about the lack of balanced pay and the amount of pressure put on the artists in order to meet strict deadlines. Deadlines that became shorter as the studio wanted to produce more and more content.

Time and the competition in the entertainment industry has led to the demise of Marvel, and even if it's early to say that this studio has lost most of its hype, it is a fact that their popularity has declined.

Marvel had an important impact on me as a person, and I will always love the superhero movies I grew up with, but it's true that lately, I

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Interview: Coach Sirico on the Importance of the Spirit Trophy Written by:Brenna Belasco Edited by: Latrell Willlis As we all know, the Spirit Trophy is a very large, very important piece of our school’s history.

It’s been talked about for decades, and just last year in The Survey’s 100th Anniversary edition, we mentioned this artifact in the article “Memories of Wildcat Football.” As a sophomore, I’ve already heard my fair share of stories about the famed award, and I wanted to know why it was so important. Why should this trophy be an integral part of my high school memory? So, I went to the one and only Coach Sirico to ask him a few simple questions, and I have recorded his answers below.

For a little context, what exactly is the Spirit Trophy?

The Spirit Trophy is a trophy that is in our display case that the Warwick and Goshen football teams play for in the annual Spirit Trophy rivalry game. It dates back to 1896. It is from the first game played between the two schools and it is displayed in the Hall of Champions.

Why Goshen? Why did you choose them to compete against?

That’s because Warwick and Goshen were the first schools to play a high school football game. So they decided that, since we were the first ones and similar in size, that we should play an annual game, and that we should play for something really special. The Spirit Trophy then became bragging rights between the two school football teams.

Why is it so important to you?

It’s so important to our community because it’s the second longest running football rivalry in the state of New York. (The first being Utica Proctor and Rome Free Academy.) Throughout the state, people report about the outcome of that game because of the tradition. It is also important to me because I’m a Warwick guy and I want to keep that Spirit Trophy in Warwick.

Why do you think everyone should know about it?

Well, we go to Warwick High School, and we always want to have great school spirit and support for our schools. That’s why I think it has become very significant for our school, because the community knows how important it is. Generations have played in that football game year after year, so there’s a real connection to it. I like to say that all our teams are connected by playing Goshen, every team, from 1896-2022. It’s historical, and it’s the oldest artifact our school has.

In addition to giving me some useful information, the coach also told me the overall record of Warwick vs Goshen wins. That record would be Warwick 57 wins, Goshen 50. There were 4 ties, and out of the 20 most recent games, we’ve won 16 of them. Coach Sirico’s answers helped me better understand the importance of the Spirit Trophy, which was something I had yet to fully grasp.

Background photo taken by Jason Upchurch, WVCSD Communications Specialist

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Written by Alexa Borner Edited by Sienna Thurber Multiple cheer teams from all over the country travel to Varsity cheer camps run by the Universal Cheerleaders Association (UCA) and the National Cheerleaders Association (NCA). You learn the fundamentals of cheerleading, from new dances to new stunts.

While there, you can showcase your skills, and athletes and teams can earn multiple awards including All American Nominee/Team, Top Gun Award, Pin It Forward Award, and many others. There are also a variety of trips you can experience through Varsity, such as participating in parades in places such as London, Walt Disney World, Hawaii, Philadelphia, and many more.

This year, Warwick’s cheerleading team traveled to Lake Bryn Mawr camp for four days from August 22nd to August 25th. On arrival day, you set up your bunks, unpack your things, and decorate your cabin with posters and streamers indicating what school is staying at each cabin. Particularly this year with such a large team of 47 girls (70 including JV), we stayed in one of the bigger cabins, and it was a great bonding experience. Our bunk included a hallway with four separate bunk rooms and bathrooms, which is really big compared to some of the other cabins. My freshman year we had a cabin with two separate rooms connected with only one bathroom, which you could imagine was a tight squeeze.

After all the teams arrive, “meeting the staff ” begins. The staff shows you multiple demos of skills they like to showcase as well as skills you can learn during your time at camp. Teams go through many basic classes such as jump class, and learning the All American Cheer and Jam Routine Dance. The Jam Routine Dance is used in the routine you create with your buddy. Buddies are selected and given to each team to work with throughout camp. Every team makes up a jam routine which uses the same music but switches up what skills and parts of the dance you’ll use with the help of your buddy. Not to mention, there are speciality classes to take at your choice as well, such as learning the advanced dance, pom dance, or free stunting. Throughout your stay, you can be nominated to try out for the All American Team for your

leadership skills, and any of the other skills you’ve perfected during your time at camp. Whoever is nominated then has the opportunity to try out and showcase the cheer you’re taught, a sequence of jumps, and your tumbling skills. You can also present your skills to be rewarded with Top Gun. You showcase your best skills in front of the whole camp, and the staff gives you a score which either qualifies you or not for the finalist round. This is an amazing experience and a great achievement.

Being on a team with 47 other girls you may wonder, how is everyone so close? Let me tell you, cheer camp does the trick. First off, staying in a cabin and living with your team for four days definitely makes you closer. In addition, the staff does multiple team bonding activities throughout your days at camp, but one that stands out the most is the “Shower of Praise.” Your team lines up, and it may sound cheesy, but everyone hugs each other as you walk down the line. As you hug each person, you say something positive or inspiring about them. It is a very emotional experience, even though it may not sound like it. What’s especially bittersweet is that the seniors will be graduating, so it’s a nice tribute to them. Along with that, our team does our own team bonding. Everyone is randomly given a piece of paper split up by seniors and underclassmen and we have to find our opposite. For example, a senior could have “sun” written on her paper and an underclassman could have “moon” written on hers. You and your buddy write letters to one another to read to each other on the last night of camp. Last, on Senior Night you write a second letter to one another and underclassmen buddies make posters for their senior buddies. Upperclassmen keep their buddies “under their wing” for the season so the younger girls have someone to come to if they need anything. Cheer camp is a great learning experience for all teams.

Being a part of this team for the past six years has offered me many experiences. I can strongly say that cheer camp is a very valuable memory from over the years that I will cherish for the rest of my life.

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Written by Will Gassaway Edited by Jackson Mitchell Aaron Judge has always been a player known for hitting home runs. Standing at 6’7”, 282 pounds, many assumed he would be clumsy and lack athleticism. However, in his rookie year he hit 52 home runs, beating the previous record of 47 set

by Mark McGwire in 1987. Before the 2022 season he declined his offer of seven years for $230 million because he believed that he deserved more.

He bet on himself to show the world that he is one of the best players in the world.

To start the season he only hit six homers in the moth of April. But after that, he just kept on hitting. At the All Star break he was at 33 home runs and was projected to hit around 63 leading many to believe that he had a chance at breaking a 61 year old record set by Roger Maris in 1961. After the break, he somehow hit even better. However, he hasn’t just been hitting home runs. Judge has been hitting for average and is now close to being the leader in all three stats in the Triple Crown watch (average, homers, and RBIs).

On September 20th, in the 9th inning in a 8-4 game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Judge hit his 60th homer making the score 8-5. The crowd erupted as Judge had just tied Babe Ruth’s record of 60 home runs. However, Judge seemed to be worried much more about winning the game than attributes. The Pirates pitcher, Will Crowe, walked the next 3 batters bringing Giancarlo Stanton to the plate. Stanton hit a walk off grand slam and the stadium erupted once again. Judge could finally smile after winning the game.

After hitting his 60th home run Judge was only one away from tying Maris’ record of 61. However, pitchers did not want to give up the 61st home run ball. They kept throwing balls and walking him. For the next seven days every pitcher

Picture Credits Top to Bottom: biography.com marca.com npr.com wbur.org newyorkpost.com

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worked around Judge, refusing to throw him strikes. On September 28th this changed when Aaron Judge hit his 61st against the Toronto Blue Jays with a two-run home run. Even the fans in Toronto knew they were witnessing history and gave him a standing ovation. The home run broke a 3-3 tie and when interviewed after the game Judge stated, “I was trying to go up there and start a rally and get something going.” He didn’t care about hitting the home run, he just wanted to win the game. He ended September with 61 home runs and only had six games left to hit one more home run to break Maris’ record.

On Tuesday, October 4th, 2022 the Yankees had a double header against the Texas Rangers. These were two out of the last three games of the season and people were starting to wonder if he was going to hit the 61st. In the first game he went 1-5 with a single. With only two games left, Judge hit the ball deep into left field breaking the AL single season home run record with his 62nd homer. Fans across the nation reacted by congratulating him on his record breaking season. Every single Yankee went to home plate to hug and congratulate him. Now he needed to focus on the triple crown. After the game in his press conference he said, “It’s a big relief. I think that everyone can sit back down in their seats and watch the ballgame, you know?” When asked about the home run, Judge was just so relieved that he didn’t have the whole country watching every move he made anymore. He ended his historic season first in home runs with 62, first in RBIs with 131, and unfortunately second in batting average with .311 only 0.05 behind Twins slugger, Luis Arraez. Now, Judge and the Yankees focus on winning the World Series.

Chase Fogg, Staff Writer Alex Greco, Staff Editor In the MLB’s 146 years, we have seen many dominant players over the years. In 1927, Babe Ruth hit 60 homeruns in a single season.

Thirty four years later, Roger Maris broke Ruth’s all-time homerun record hitting 61. Then, for years no one has broken the record. Currently, Aaron Judge had been on an insane hitting spree and made history almost every night, first tying the homerun record and ultimately breaking it for the Yankees and the American League with 62.

Though there is controversy over whether or not National Leaguer Barry Bonds is the true record holder with 73, his reputation suffered a hit due to his steroid use. As a result, many see Judge as the homerun leader. No matter who you think is the true record holder, why has it taken so long for anyone to break a 61 years-long record?

According to senior Shane Micallef, one reason could be because “the game has evolved; pitching…is faster and is much better than it was back when Ruth and Maris played.” Pitchers have not only perfected their techniques, but can throw with much more strength and velocity. This is due to the fact that players now train year round, they are physically bigger and stronger, and they spend much more time taking care of their bodies through clean diets, warmups, recovery periods, and working with trainers, among other things.

Last, though there is no official pitch limit, teams do monitor pitch counts. Keeping starters to the

100-115 pitch limit and relief pitchers to a 15-30 pitch limit helps prevent overuse injuries so team members can continue throwing fastballs, curveballs, changeups, cutter, slider, knuckle, etc.

Not only that, but baseballs have changed from being smaller, lighter in weight, and softer, to becoming bigger, heavier, and harder. Adding to that, pitchers during Ruth’s era were typically standing at around 5 feet 9 inches while today, pitchers consistently stand around 6 feet 2 inches.

This helps current pitchers because with height comes more weight to put behind the pitch. “Mass is gas,” says senior and Warwick baseball team pitcher Jackson Mitchell. As a result, hitting has been at an all-time low in the past two seasons.

Finally, in the early years of baseball the total number of games changed from 90 ball games to 162 MLB games in a seven month span. Senior Nick Butchko said, “Players back then would have definitely hit more than 61 homeruns. The game wasn’t the way it’s played now. Back then the game was slower and they would’ve had more records if they played a 162 season like they play now.”

Fans are surprised that it’s taken 61 years for someone to break the Yankees AL record, but the fact that we have witnessed history in the making is truly amazing! Aaron Judge is one of a kind player and has already left a major impact in the MLB. I can’t wait to see what Judge does in this month’s playoffs and in the future seasons to come.

Photo of Roger Maris; Encyclopedia Britannica

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Photo of Aaron Judge; ESPN

The Race t

The upcoming 2022-23 NBA season is approaching and it’s looking like it’s going to be a good one. A bunch of players are back from injury, young players are ready to blossom into stars, and the superstars are looking to assert their dominance. For the first time in a while, the league is exciting and not as predictable as it has been in the past. We are taking the challenge to predict what players and teams will take home the hardware at the end of the season.

28 a game. The Celtics will be a top team in the league again so being the best player on a great team will help his MVP resume even more.

Defensive Player of the Year: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Marcus Smart, Jrue Holiday The Defensive Player of the Year race for this upcoming season features some familiar faces. Our pick is Giannis Antetokounmpo. Giannis has won multiple DPOYs in the past and is consistently one of the best defenders year in and year out. He has great size coupled with freakish athleticism and defensive IQ making him a force on the defensive end. He can guard any position and usually is at the top of the league in blocks per game. Marcus Smart is the reigning Defensive Player of the Year and is coming off an impressive finals run. He is one of the toughest players in the league and backs down from no one. He is 6’3 but will guard 1 through 5 and has led the league in steals in his career. He takes hustle to a whole other level and is someone NBA players hate to play against. Jrue Holiday is one of the more underrated defenders in the league by NBA awards voters and media. He is similar to Smart in that he is a small guard who takes on the challenge of guarding bigger guys. He is one of the smartest defenders and has mastered the art of the pickpocket. His defense on Chris Paul/Devin Booker was a huge part of the Buck's 2021 finals victory.

Most Valuable Player: Luka Doncic, Joel Embiid, Jayson Tatum/Anthony Davis This year's Most Valuable Player race is fairly wide open. Our favorite right now is Luka Doncic. The young superstar is getting better and better every year and has been putting up record-breaking performances since his rookie year. He carried the Dallas Mavericks to the Western Conference Finals last year and with the addition of Christian Wood, the Mavs should be a top team in the west. With his ability to put up a 30-point triple-double on any given night and his team being at the top of the conference, it will be hard not to see him as a top MVP candidate. Next is Joel Embiid. He has come in second in MVP voting 3 different times and has gotten better each season. If he can stay healthy, he is virtually unstoppable and considered by some as the best center the league has seen in a while. His runningmate James Harden has become more of a pass-first point guard, so his scoring numbers should be as high as ever and Philadelphia should be a contender in the East, so we believe he has a legit shot at getting his first MVP award. We believe Anthony Davis will win the MVP award. Now, most people say a player with LeBron James on their team will not receive MVP recognition, but LeBron is getting older and older as the years go on. Additionally, the plan for the Lakers going forward is to give the keys of the offense to Anthony Davis. This means that LeBron will be playing a more reserved role in the offense, more of a point guard role. LeBron is already one of the best passers ever and has already shown that when he and AD are on the court together, healthy, they are dominant. So, if LeBron is in a more reserved role, Anthony Davis will get more touches, boosting his overall numbers. If that happens, then the Lakers will also definitely be contenders. Conversely, Jayson Tatum is a more realistic candidate to win this award. He is coming off of a historical finals run with the Celtics and has improved his scoring numbers every season of his young career. He is a rising superstar in this league, after being 1st team All-NBA last season.

If we’re being honest, he is probably the closest thing we’ve ever seen to Kobe Bryant. He’s one of the best pure scorers in the league and should average around

Rookie of the Year: Paolo Banchero, Jaden Ivey, Keegan Murray There are many exciting players with very high ceilings in this year's rookie class. Our favorite to win the Rookie of the Year is, without a doubt, Paolo Banchero out of Duke University. The 6-10 250 lb Orlando Magic forward, who went number 1 overall in the draft, is a generational athlete with a tight handle, smooth jump shot, and a high basketball IQ. He dominated March Madness last year, leading Duke to the final four and he is going into a great situation in Orlando where he will play a huge role in the team’s success. Next is Jaden Ivey from Purdue University. Probably one of the most exciting players from this year’s draft, he is a good-sized point guard with crazy athleticism and guard skills. He has drawn comparisons to Ja Morant and Derrick Rose and he is also heading into a good situation in Detroit with a very young team. Keegan Murray from Iowa started drawing attention at the Los Vegas Summer League. The 6-8 forward for the Sacramento Kings, put on a show shooting at a great clip from 3-point range, scoring inside, and playing stellar defense. He won the MVP award in the summer league and looked very league-ready. The Kings will lean on him heavily during

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everyone wrong. The Nets have a huge question mark next to them for this upcoming season. When they put together two of the best players in the league in Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, everyone expected big things from them. They have gone through injuries, upsetting playoff performances, and team chemistry issues, but they are geared up and expect to make a run this year with their two superstars. The Cavs, Heat, and Bulls all have a decent chance as well.

The Best of the Best At the end of each NBA season, league officials and respected members of the media vote on the All-NBA teams which represent the best players in the league at each position. We took a shot at predicting how these teams will look by the time June comes around.

All-NBA 1st team: Harrison- Stephen Curry, Luka Doncic, Jayson Tatum, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokic Nate- Luka Doncic, Ja Morant, Jayson Tatum, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Anthony Davis

Western Conference Finals Contenders: Warriors, Clippers, Grizzlies, Mavs The Western Conference is fairly wide open this upcoming season. We like the Golden State Warriors coming out of the West. They are coming off of a dominant championship run and have arguably the best player and definitely the best shooter in the world.

They will have Klay Thompson healthy from the start of the season and Jordan Poole, Andrew Wiggins, and Draymond Green are all important championship pieces. They have been dominant for the past 10 years and we think that will continue. Another strong contender in the West is the Clippers. The Clippers on paper are without a doubt the most well-rounded team in the West. They’ll be going into the season with a healthy Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, something we haven’t seen much since they joined forces. They also have a bunch of great two-way players, like John Wall, who could end up being a huge underrated signing, Norman Powell, Reggie Jackson, and Luke Kennard. The Grizzlies are one of the hungriest and scariest teams in the league. Their young core of Ja Morant, Desmond Bane, and Jaren Jackson Jr. are ready to leave a mark across the association and are determined to start seeing some success in the playoffs.

They were the number 1 seed last season but took an early exit in the second round to the eventual champs in the Warriors. They look to have another dominant regular season and with Ja Morant becoming more and more of a superstar, they could be a real threat to win it all. The Mavericks are an interesting squad coming off of a Western Conference Championship appearance against the Warriors last season. They have, without a doubt, the best young superstar in the league in Luka Doncic, and rely on him very heavily.

On paper, their team is nothing special whatsoever and they have mostly solid role players. They did just add Christian Wood this offseason which should help contribute some scoring, but this is Luka’s team. I see the Mavs going just as far as Luka can take them.

Other dark horse teams are the Nuggets, Pelicans, and Timberwolves.

All-NBA Defensive 1st team: Harrison- Marcus Smart, Jrue Holiday, Jonathan Isaac, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Rudy Gobert Nate- Marcus Smart, Jrue Holiday, Scottie Barnes, Anthony Davis, Joel Embiid All-NBA Rookie 1st team: Harrison- Jaden Ivey, Bennedict Mathurin, Paolo Banchero, Jabari Smith Jr., Keegan Murray Nate- Jaden Ivey, Bennedict Mathurin, Paolo Banchero, Jabari Smith Jr., Keegan Murray The Last Teams Standing Eastern Conference Finals Contenders: Celtics, Bucks, 76ers, Nets The Eastern Conference this year is more competitive than ever. There are most likely 4 realistic title contenders from the East and we’re expecting a tight playoff race.

Our pick to win the NBA finals is the Boston Celtics. The Celtics started last season off slow with the addition of their new head coach, Ime Udoka, but quickly turned it around due to the star power of duo Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown and the DPOY, Marcus Smart. They finished the season as the second seed in the East. They overcame the Nets, Bucks, and Heat en route to the finals against the Warriors. This season they will be without Ime Udoka, who is facing a full-season suspension for violating team policy, but still are the team to beat. Next is the Milwaukee Bucks. They finished third last season and lost in the second round in 7 games to the Celtics.

Their 2nd option, Khris Middleton, will be back from his knee injury and when you have the best player in the league with Giannis Antetokounmpo, you’re always in the running for a title. The 76ers are hungry for a title run. If they can stay healthy, the duo of Joel Embiid and James Harden along with Tyrese Maxey becoming a star in the league, the 76ers will be a tough team to beat. Their coach Doc Rivers does have a track record of falling apart in the playoffs, but he will look to prove

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Written by Harrison Neil and Nate Constable Edited by Robbie Foschini

Written by Robbie Foschini and Keiran Gilson Edited by Jacob Gibel October is approaching fast, which means so are the MLB playoffs. The Yankees, Guardians, Astros, Cardinals, Dodgers and Braves have all clinched their respective divisions. The Blue Jays, Rays, Mariners, Mets, Phillies and Padres have clinched Wild Card spots.

These 12 teams have been very successful this season but the successful season will end for 11 of these 12 teams by the beginning of November. The only question is, who will be the last team standing?

To start, in our opinion the Blue Jays, Rays, Mariners, Guardians, Cardinals and Mets do not have a legitimate shot at winning the World Series. The Blue Jays and Mariners will face each other in the first round of the American League(AL) playoffs with the Rays and Guardians being the other round one matchup in the AL. Over in the National League(NL) the Cardinals and Phillies will face off and so will the Mets and Padres. We think that the Phillies will put down the Cards as well as the Padres to the Mets. The winner of the Jays/Mariners series will face the Astros and in our opinion lose and lose easily. The Yankees will take on the winner of the Rays/Guardians and will win a hard-fought series against Cleveland if they face them and will handle Tampa Bay if they face-off.

Simply put the Yankees and Astros are just on another tier compared to the other AL teams. Over in the NL, it's the Cards and Mets who don’t have a legitimate shot at winning it all. While both teams have star power, it won't be enough to contend with the rest of the NL including the defending champs, the Atlanta Braves. While the Cardsand Mets have a very talented roster, it just won’t be enough to overtake the Phillies, Padres, Braves or Dodgers and win the pennant.

The race for the AL pennant is interesting as it really will be between the Yankees and Astros and nobody else. Over the last half-decade, the Astros have been the top dog in the AL and are showing they’re still the team to beat this year posting a 106-56 record, which was the best in the AL by seven games and the second-best in all of baseball. Their team is led by Cy Young contender, Justin Verlander and slugger Yordan Alvarez. Even with all of that on their side, the Yankees have a great chance of winning the AL pennant and moving on to the World Series. A big reason for this is because of Aaron Judge, the likely recipient of the AL MVP. Judge had one of the greatest seasons in MLB history by setting the AL record for home runs with 62 (MLB leading), 131 RBI (T1 in MLB) and being top 5 in batting average while playing elite defense in the outfield. In addition to Judge the Yankees who had the second-best record in the AL have former MVP Giancarlo Stanton along with a stacked lineup and pitching staff, which will be

the reason they win the AL Pennant and move on to the World Series.

The race for the NL pennant consists of the Dodgers who have the best record in baseball, the defending champion Atlanta Braves, the high powered Padres offense and the underdog but extremely talented Phillies. But only one of them can win it and that team will be the Dodgers. Although all four of these teams are great, the Dodgers are simply better in most facets of the game. They have the better pitching rotation, and bullpen, except for their closer and they have a better offense.

There’s a reason they won 111 games. Granted the Braves have a better coaching staff and the Padres have a top tier in MLB, and the Phillies having a top five player in the game in Bryce Harper. These teams are just flat out talented so the Dodgers won't have it easy. The Padres will give them a hard time in the NLDS, and the Phillies will cause trouble for them in the NLCS, but when it's all said and done the Dodgers will be NL champions once again.

The World Series starts on Friday, October 28th and the teams fighting for the Championship will be the Yankees and the Dodgers. New York vs LA. East Coast vs West Coast. The Yankees chase for their 28th championship and the Dodgers go for ring number eight. The two biggest markets facing off against each other. Aaron Judge vs Freddie Freeman.

Cole vs Kershaw. Urias vs Nestor. Each team has a star-studded roster. But only one of them can win it all. Who will it be? The answer to that question is the New York Yankees. The series will likely go to seven games and game seven will end with a dogpile of Yankees celebrating their 28th title, led by Aaron Judge. *These predictions were made by Robbie Foschini and Keiran Gilson before the start of the MLB PLayoffs and may not be accurate to the actual results. As of today (10/25) these are the results of the series that have been completed. In the NL Wildcard, the Mets lost to the Padres and the Cardinals lost to the Phillies. The NLDS matchups were Phillies vs Braves and Padres vs Dodgers. In the NLDS, the Braves have lost to the Phillies and the Dodgers have lost to the Padres. The NLCS matchup is the Phillies vs Padres. In the AL Wildcard, the Rays lost to the Guardians and the Blue Jays lost to the Mariners.

The ALDS matchups are Guardians vs Yankees and Mariners vs Astros. In the NLDS, the Mariners lost to the Astros and the Guardians lost to the Yankees. The ALCS matchup is the Astros vs the Yankees.

In the NLCS, the Padres lost to the Phillies. In the ALCS, the Yankees lost to the Astros. The World Series matchup is the Astros vs Phillies.

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The War Oceans Away and its Impact on Athletes Written by Lucia Meehan, Staff Writer Edited by Kaley Haskew

Sports surround most of our daily lives, whether we notice it or not. We use sports to de-stress at the end of a long work day, whether we are playing a game or just viewing one. We go to sporting events for entertainment and to be social. While some people depend on sports to stay healthy and in shape, other people’s paychecks depend on sports. It also is evident that sports are directly affected by our national and international politics, such as a real-time war, oceans away in the country of Ukraine.

Imagine you are a CEO of a sports company, and you have to be able to support your Ukrainian and Russian players and you cannot pick one side. You are not supposed to act based on current politics and must support your players and where they come from. This creates unwanted tensions even in the locker rooms, not just what you see publicly. However, some sports associations have been very forthright with their actions.

In February, FIFA and UEFA suspended Russian teams, clubs, and representatives from participating. Wimbledon, a tennis tournament, took similar actions, as well as the International Volleyball association. IPC president Andrew Parsons stated in an article, “To Para athletes from the impacted countries, we are very sorry that you are affected by the decisions took last week in breaching the Olympic truce. You are victims of your government’s actions. (“Russian, Belarusian athletes Banned from Winter Paralympics”).

Russia’s peculiar entanglement with sports has been going on for a while now, even before the invasion occurred. They take athletics very seriously, and have shown that they will take serious actions to win. Russia has been found doping athletes in their Olympic games; however, the first major scandal was evident in the 2022 Olympic games when a 15 yearold figure skater tested positive for using a banned heart-medication.

Undoubtedly, Russia takes much pride in their sports and views it as patriotism, and therefore, if you leave their athletics or publicly express your disagreement with the policies or actions of the government, such as the invasion of Ukraine, you are considered a traitor and unloyal. This can be extremely devastating to someone who has spent his or her entire past dedicated to supporting what they thought their country represented.

Furthermore, imagine you are an athlete, devoted to your sport and have worked your entire life to get to where you are today. Suddenly you are told you can’t play, not even because of something you did wrong, but because of your country which you are supposed to represent. Your entire life’s work has been sent down the drain. World-renowned ballet dancer, Olga Smirnova, has left the famous Bolshoi Theater in Russia, her home, to join the Dutch National Ballet in Amsterdam. She was the first dancer to leave her home-country in light of the war. In an interview on Euronews.culture, she stated, “I never thought that I would be ashamed of Russia,” and she continues about how the line has now been drawn and it pains her to know that while she has the privilege to dance, others are dying, or have been left without a roof over their head, or simply have had to flee their homes for refuge.

While there can be many points of view for this war, I can conclude that war can have a detrimental effect on sports and people’s daily lives, whether within the warring country or outside. We realize that we take our leisurely life and activities for granted when we see these ordinary people, some who have had to give up their life aspirations, to fight for freedom in their own country, in a war they didn’t ask for.

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Olga Smirnova Maturmalaiabai, creativecommons.org

Bolshoi Theater Theefer, creativecommons.org