The
Tiger HI-LINE
Friday, Dec. 5, 2014
Volume 55 Edition 10
Holiday Happenings
New Classics? Check out these candidates for updating holiday tunes/pages 3 Follow us on Twitter at tigerhiline, Facebook at TigerHilineOnline and on our website at www.hiline.cfschools.org
Black Friday Blitz
Shopper recounts Mall of America marathon
-Sale for Sundblads
The Bake Sale today in the Tiger Den is a fund raiser for twoyear-old Elliot Sundblad and his fight against cancer.
-Holiday Concert Schedule Band Concert on Monday, Dec. 8 at 7:30 p.m. in the gym. Orchestra Concert on Thursday, Dec. 11 at 7:30 p.m. in Claire Stanard Auditorium Choir Concert on Monday, Dec. 15 at 7:30 p.m. in Claire Stanard Auditorium All tickets are $5 for adults and $4 for students. Activity passes will be accepted.
-Elliot Bracelet Blue, Green and White -$5
See the Principals Office for more information.
-Yearbook
Before Holiday Break -$45 After Holiday Break -$50 See yearbook adviser Brian Winkel for more information.
I sat anxiously all throughout Thanksgiving dinner as the clock seemed to be ticking in slow motion. My mind was going insane as I had to get out of the four-legged monster that had me glued to the floor. But there was nothing I could do. We are all at my aunt’s house, only 25 minutes away from our hotel, which is connected to the Mall of America. Of course, the rest of my family is trying to do the exact opposite of making time go fast. It’s like they enjoy seeing me squirm. I feel like a child again as my mom says to me,“If you ask when we are leaving one more time, there will be consequences.” I can tell she is getting annoyed by my constant questioning of when we are leaving, but the only thing on my mind is Black Friday. I start to get anxious as time starts to run out. Most stores opened at 6. It’s now 7:14, and we haven’t left. Forever 21, Victoria’s Secret, Journeys, Pacsun: they have now been open for a whole hour, and I’m worried the other shoppers, who have doubled as clothesstarved animals rummaging through
shirts and shoes careless of what stands in their way, will already acquire anything that would catch my eye. We finally leave around 7:30. I tell my parents to drive as fast as they can so that we can get to the mall by 8. Nike opens at 8. We arrive at our hotel at exactly 7:50. My brother and I instantly get out of the car and rush into the hotel so that we can get to the mall. We race to Nike on the West side of MOA, and we arrive around 8:10. But we’re good, we get there just in time. The music is booming throughout Nike as we shopped. Directly after Nike I go into Victoria’s Secret. The store is insane, flooding with people everywhere. I’m intimidated as I walk past the four security guards to enter the store overflowing with energetic teenage girls determined to get what they came for. I make it out with new leggings and a sweatshirt, but I know I better hurry, as I have many more stores that I need to hit before everything gets picked over. I feel bad as my brother does not
Dream Team
BLITZ continues on page 3
Baseball players’ shared journey with sport will extend after high school to Iowa Central Nearly 10 years ago, Mark Boss stared at a list of names he barely recognized that he and his younger son, Kyler, had collected. After coaching the Cedar Valley Hurricanes to win the Iowa Baseball League (IBL), Boss wasn’t ready to hang up his coaching jersey just yet, even after his eldest son, Sean, played his final game before moving on to high school. With Kyler heading into third grade, the youngest age division in the IBL, Boss decided to create a second version of the Cedar Valley Hurricanes. He stared at his sheet, dialed numbers and talked to parents about becoming Hurricane baseball players. As his eyes bounced back and forth between the digits he dialed on his phone and the corresponding names and numbers on his sheet, two names stood out. Whether anybody knew it then or not, it was a phone call that would change the lives of Brady Corson and Trey Bronner forever. It was the start of their baseball careers. “I don’t know where I would be
right now if my dad hadn’t talked to Mark Boss about being on the Hurricanes,” said Corson, who is now a senior pitcher. ”I don’t know what team I would have been on or if I would even be playing baseball.” Their first Hurricane practice came in the gym of Nazareth Lutheran Church during the winter. Boss had no idea what kind of talent he had to work with, so he took each kid individually to see if they had any potential on the mound as a pitcher. “I lined Brady up, and I immediately turned to his dad and said, ‘Darren, he’s a pitcher,’” Boss said. Bronner’s talent was apparent as well, even if it was at a young age. On the sides of the original Hurricanes’ hats read an individual player’s nickname that each had earned. Bronner was one of the first on the team to receive one as his green hat read “Gamer” in yellow letters because he was always thinking about sports. “He was just the kid you would imagine having a Sports IllustratDREAM TEAM continues on page 4
2
The
OPINION Our View
Big sales trumping family, tradition on Thanksgiving
Many CFHS students over the thanksgiving break spent their time stuck working long hours. With Thanksgiving and Black Friday rolling around, stores were busy, lines were out the door and hours went later. Instead of being at home spending time with family or friends, more students dedicated their time to countless hours of working. Senior Drew Marchesani was one in particular who worked the holiday hours at HyVee. He said, “The store was crazy. There was a non-stop rush of people in the store at all times. The amount of turkeys that went through the pay station lines were Today, Black incredible.” And as the Thanksgiv- Friday is now ing meal was just cleared an even Blacker off the tables, many students waited behind cash Thursday, which registers for shoppers to keeps workers turn out in waves. The environment of people run- and shoppers ning up and down each away from home aisle, Christmas music blaring over the intercom and away from on the day of Thanksgiv- their families. ing and workers running around with their hands full seemed sadly ambivalent to any recognition of thankfulness. A day of peaceful reflection with family has almost completely flipped into one of the craziest shopping days of the year. Another senior working during the holidays at HyVee was Anne Hetherton. “It was rough having to work over the holiday when spending time with family is more important.” Today, Black Friday is now an even Blacker Thursday, which keeps workers and shoppers away from home and away from their families. Thanksgiving is meant to spend time with families, not waiting countless hours in line for a store to open.
Contact Us
The Tiger Hi-Line is a weekly publication of the journalism classes at Cedar Falls High School, 1015 Division Street, Cedar Falls, Iowa 50613. Our website is www.hiline.cfschools.org. The Hi-Line is distributed to CFHS students on Fridays to read during their fifth period classes. Columns and letters do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Hi-Line staff or Cedar Falls Schools. The Hi-Line editorial is presented weekly in the editorial labeled Our View, and it is the view of the majority of the editors listed below. Reader opinions on any topic are welcome and should be sent to The Tiger Hi-Line staff or delivered to room 208. All letters must be signed. Letters must be submitted by 3 p.m. on Monday for publication in the following Friday edition. Letters may not exceed 300 words and may be edited to meet space limitations. Writers should include their contact information for verification. Editor-in-Chief: Austin Anderson Online Editor: Zuhayr Alam Copy Editor: Annebeth Ahrenholz Lead Opinion Writer: Kaleb Bengston Staff Writers: Kaela Avila, Dino Odobasic, Skylar Starbeck and Sarah Stortz
Tiger
HI-LINE
Friday, Dec. 5, 2014
If differing stories of Ferguson have a lesson, it’s body cameras for all U.S. officers on duty The jury in Ferguson, Mo., this week ruled in favor of Darren Wilson, the police officer who shot and killed Michael Brown. The killing of Brown brought back the attention of America’s history of strong policing against minorities. The decision means that Wilson will not face state charges for the killing of Brown, which happened Aug. 9, almost four months ago. This decision set off a flare of anger and other emotions in Ferguson, setting people into a riot, burning and raiding buildings and fighting police. At least two and a half dozen buildings were set aflame. Downtown police shot tear gas into the crowd to contain the crowds, eliciting even more anger. National Guard troops fanned across the city as the attorney general announced the decision. People started filling the streets, and shortly after midnight police reported hearing automatic gunfire. The protests aren’t restricted to Ferguson. Protesters gathered at Washington, D.C., and other cities across the nation and caused havoc. Obama made a statement after the decision and urged peace, but also that police use restraint. The Governor of Missouri had a different plan. “If people are using violence or threatening property, resources will be used.” The rioting and protesting isn’t unnecessary. There have been many, many uses of lethal
Michael Brown is the only other person in the world that knows exactly what happened, and he’s dead, so the only first hand account they have is the cop’s word. force against minorities in just the last year, and even more staggering is the amount of police brutality. Just last week, there was Akai Gurley, an unarmed African-American man who was accidently shot during a house raid. Or Eric Garner, a young man who was strangled to death by a police officer. Minorities make up about 30 percent of the American population, although they make up 60 percent of those imprisoned. Incarceration rates have also grown 700 percent since 1970. The incarceration rates are disproportionately higher for minorities than for white people. One in 15 black males will be incarcerated in their lifetimes, 1 in 36 hispanics will be incarcerated and only 1 in 106 white males will be jailed. Why is that? Some say racial profiling. The people in Ferguson are not blameless, though. They were rioting, which is not a right, whereas protesting is. The solution to this issue, though,
is for the police to wear cameras. Michael Brown is the only other person in the world that knows exactly what happened, and he’s dead, so the only first hand account they have is the cop’s word. If he were wearing a camera, there would be undisputable evidence and there would be no argument as to who was guilty. In February 2012, the city of Rialto had 70 police officers take part in a controlled study in which they were required to wear a tiny camera that filmed their interactions with the public. The results were incredible: In the first year of the cameras’ introduction, complaints against Rialto police officers fell by 88 percent, while use of force by officers fell by almost 60 percent. The cameras cost as little as a tenth the price of a standard-issue firearm. “When you put a camera on a police officer, they tend to behave a little better, follow the rules a little better,” Rialto police Chief William A. Farrar told the New York Times. “And if a citizen knows the officer is wearing a camera, chances are the citizen will behave a little better.” Because of Michael Brown’s death, the public is urging a bill, the Mike Brown Law, which requires police to wear body cameras. The petition has 154,747 signatures, and it only needs to be signed by 100,000 people. By Lead Opinion Writer Kaleb
BENGSTON
Posting calories will help Americans slim down The federal government has officially announced a long list of rules stating that restaurant chains, vending machines, movie theaters and other locations must post calorie counts for the food that they are selling. Most of the reason behind this is that more than one-third of American adults and 17 percent of children are obese and are doing nothing about it. Calorie counts next to the food that fast food restaurants sell would benefit many people that are oblivious to just how unhealthy some food is. Many people nowadays get food, and the only thing they know about it is that it tastes good and that it is not good for you. But what they do not understand is just how bad some of the foods they’re consuming
are. Most American people will walk into a restaurant or fast food chain and order foods that look appealing to them from the menu. They’ll take a look at the menu and choose the food that they want, and just not even think about how healthy it is. Some people will even tell themselves that what they’re ordering is unhealthy but, “It can’t be that unhealthy?!” they say. That is where the American people are wrong. Some of the meals you can order from menus are in the 1,000 calories mark. For men the suggested daily calorie intake is around 2,500 and around 1,800 calories for women. This is per day. Some Americans eat that amount of calories in less than two meals.
Most of them will say, “One bad meal wont hurt,” but what they don’t understand is that, that one bad meal still got you to eat the food. Most people will most likely keep saying that and continue to eat more and more high in calorie foods after that and continue to just keep telling themselves that, that one bad meal wont hurt. Now that the federal government is making a new rule that requires a calorie count on the menu people will take a look at just how unhealthy some of the food is and maybe a lot of people will change their minds and order something healthier, or better yet get people to stop eating out as often as some Americans are. By Staff Writer Dino
ODOBASIC
The
Tiger
HI-LINE
Friday, Dec. 5, 2014
Do It Yourself Gifts
As the winter holidays soon draw near in this month of December, the time for gift giving comes closer also. Whether wanting to save some cash or wanting to get in the spirit of the holidays, these little DIY gift ideas bundles are great for anyone from anyone. Plus, the gifts can be easily bought at local dollar stores or Walmart and Target.
FEATURES
3
Check out these new candidates for musical holiday classics Christmas is quickly approaching soon, which means that it’s time for everybody to bring out their favorite Christmas tunes to listen to for the rest of the month. Though before considering playing “Sleigh Ride” and “Jingle Bells” for the 15th time today, you should highly consider that there are many modern Christmas songs coming that might one day be regarded as Holiday classics. Listening to these songs can help give your Christmas a little more edge, not to mention there are several modern artists and bands covering old, beloved songs that arguably hold up well enough to the original. Story and Graphic by Sarah Stortz
Gift for Craft Lovers: Whether a friend enjoys doodling around on random notes or creates complete pieces of art, this gift bundle is great for artists of all kinds. The bundle also can be adjusted to different types of crafts, such as replacing markers with paints and paper with canvas.
Gift for Sleeping Beauties: It’s hibernation season, so staying indoors cuddling in bed isn’t such a bad idea. This gift is great for the people who like sleeping out the long winter days in the comfort of their own beds. Include a blanket, pillow and an optional stuffed animal.
Gifts for Sweet Tooths: Halloween may have ended, but the time for candies and sweets is still in the air. A good gift for any person who has a sweet tooth, this bundle is filled with sugar of all types. Any loved candy can be included in the gift.
Gifts for Cold Haters: Not everyone enjoys the freezing winds of the winter season, some revile the falling temps more than others. This bundle is best for those who love staying warm while outside in the frozen winds. Include a winter set of gloves, a scarf and a hat.
“Boots” - The Killers “His Favorite Christmas Story” - Capital Lights “Wonderful Christmastime” - The Shins “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” Marina & The Diamonds “Last Christmas” - The xx “Christmas Lights” - Coldplay “White Christmas” - Panic! at the Disco “Love Is Christmas” - Sara Bareilles “Just Like Christmas” - Low “Got Something For You” - Best Coast & Wavves “Shake Up Christmas” - Train “Cold December Night” - Michael Buble
Story and Pictures by Kaela Avila
BLITZ, continued from page 1 leave my side the whole night; he said I shouldn’t be walking around the mall alone. After 45 minutes of standing faithfully by my side, my brother, Sam, sighs and sits down by an outlet in the dead middle of Forever 21. I go to him for advice on which jewlery I should buy, and he willingly offers his suggestion. As we are waiting in the 30-minutelong line to check out of the store, I see it. This beautiful, gold, shiny, gorgeous necklace. What is even more amazing about this necklace, it is $7. I instantly race over to grab it off the rack, forcing Sam to hold my spot in line. I make it back just in time as I am up to pay. Ironically, my brand new, deal-breaking, shiny gold necklace, broke the next day. At this point in the night, we have been shopping for a solid three hours, and are starting to get extremely hungry. Actu-
ally, starting would be an understatement. Sam has been starving the whole time we have been here, but I just have to tell him that at this moment, food is the least of my worries. Reluctantly, I go with him to the food court. My other brother, Adam, meets us there, and I try to make things go as quickly as possible. This is the point in the night that changes my feelings towards it all. As I am going up to swipe my debit card at Panda Express, instead of it going through and me getting the sesame chicken that I ordered, I end up receiving the news that no shopper ever wants to hear. “Your card has been declined,” the lady at the cashier says to me. I am in shock, Adam is laughing and the cashier gives me an apologetic smile. I realize I have used up all of my money, and all I have left is the cash I have with me. I
get a quick lecture from my brother about how stupid I am, but honestly, this doesn’t change my feelings towards anything, and I know that I am going to continue shopping the same way I was before. I hurry them along, trying to get to the next store as quickly as possible. After Forever 21, we continue throughout the mall to many more stores. My brother continues to stay by my side, growing more and more tired with every new store, but never actually admitting it. We push on to more stores, and at one point I receive a text from my brother saying, “I am sleeping in the corner. Come wake me up when you are ready to leave” By this time I know that I should probably think about heading back. I end my shopping of the night at American Eagle, spending a whole hour debating which color flannel I liked better and which socks were the fuzziest. Sam said blue, but I ended up with red.
I snag a few more good deals, and then, six hours from when I started, I decide to call it a night. I have learned a few things from this crazy experience. One being never try to go Black Friday shopping alone. You always need a partner, for a couple reasons. One reason, to hold your spot in line, and two so that you don’t impulsively buy something. Some might also say I learned to always know how much money is in my spending account, but that didn’t change my shopping experience at all. We end up calling it a night and walking through the long hallway past Caribou Coffee back into the Radisson Blu Hotel where we are staying and go to sleep. Just to wake up the next day and do it all over again. By Copy Editor Annebeth
AHRENHOLZ
4
The
SPORTS
Tiger
HI-LINE
Friday, Dec. 5, 2014
Wrestlers host Keith Young The wrestling season got underway last month, and the Tigers are looking to improve on a decent season last year. Last year, the Tigers came up a little shy and were not able to send as many as they would have liked to the state competition, but they were still able to send Dan Kelly, who was a junior. At State, Kelly finished third in his weight class. This year, he is ranked first in the state. Senior Clay Pilcher said he thinks last season was good but could have been better. “We had a pretty good start last year, but at the end of the season we lost a couple of meets we knew we could have won,” Pilcher said. “We performed well at Districts, though.” This year, the Tigers want to send more kids to State and
possibly even bring home some hardware. Junior Jacob Watters is ranked eighth for his weight. He wants to win State and help the team as much as he can. “I’m gonna do that by trying to manage my weight, working out and eating right,” Watters said. “I will train as hard as I can.” Pilcher wants to qualify for State. “Getting to State would be huge,” Pilcher said. “I will work out both in and out of practice, eat the right food and stay healthy.” The team has been working hard to prepare. “We’ve been performing really good in practice. We’ve been working hard but can’t lose our focus,” Watters said. “We’re looking tough and want to surprise some people.”
Head Coach Wil Keaton thinks that the Tigers can surprise teams this season. “We have a lot of potential gto surprise some people this season,” Keaton said. “It depends on a lot of factors, including staying healthy.” Keaton also says that training is key to success this season. “We want to focus our energy on getting better and better each day by training hard and training right,” Keaton said. “We have to do things right in the classroom and be good citizens.” The Tigers’ first meet was yesterday, Thursday Dec. 4. Due to the time of deadline, the results could not be recorded for the paper. The meet was at Cedar Rapids Jefferson, with Jefferson, Wahlert and Cedar Falls competing. The Tigers host one of the
biggest meets in the state two days after their last meet. The Keith Young Invite is on Saturday, Dec. 6. It has 16 teams including Bettendorf, Charles City, Cedar Rapids Jefferson, Cedar Rapids Kennedy, DenverTripoli, Gilbertville-Don Bosco, Iowa City High, Mason City, North Scott, Pleasant Valley, Waterloo Columbus, Waterloo West, Waverly-Shell Rock, West Des Moines Dowling and West Des Moines Valley. The meet starts at 10:30. Pilcher is excited for the future. “I’m looking forward to helping the incoming freshmen, and I’m excited about getting into my favorite sport for my senior year,” Pilcher said. “I really love wrestling for this team.” By Online Editor Zuhayr
Trey Bronner
Brady Corson
ALAM
DREAM TEAM, continued from page 1 trated hanging out of his back pocket with his teethy grin, ready to play baseball,” Boss said. Boss knew winning wasn’t going to come easy with a team of third graders mostly new to baseball as they went 5-23 in the inaugural season. “That first season I knew it wasn’t going to be about winning. It was going to about learning to play the game,” he said. For Bronner and Corson, learning to play the game is exactly what they did. Despite going to different elementary and junior high schools, the duo has played on 10 different teams across three different sports, basketball, football and their favorite, baseball. One of the teams was a travel team made up of players from Cedar Falls, Waverly, Charles City and elsewhere called the Cedar Valley Panthers. The Panthers played in eight different tournaments over the spring and summer, and that allowed them to accumulate points that eventually qualified them for Nationals in St. Louis. In one of the tournaments leading up to Nationals, the Panthers lost the first game before going on to win six straight to win the whole thing. “I saw right there what I wanted to do. I made the goal at a young age that I wanted to get
to the next level,” said Bronner, who is now a senior infielder. Even though they qualified for Nationals, they weren’t sure they were going to play, but at State that year they didn’t play well and didn’t want to end on that note. They raised money by doing a car wash and working concession stands. Before beating the No. 8 team in the nation and the top team in Indiana en route to a fourth place finish in the entire nation, the Panthers got to go on the field of Busch Stadium, home of the St. Louis Cardinals, and view the dugouts before catching a game. On their first year of freshman baseball, both Bronner and Corson were the only two freshmen moved up to play on the sophomore team. They were two of the three juniors who started varsity last season, and they have played together on at least one team every year since third grade. That streak was likely going to be broken when college rolled around. Corson made the first move by committing to Iowa Central in Fort Dodge. “I had heard great things about the coach, Rick Peterson,” Corson said. “He reminded me of [current high school coach Jack] Sole with his mentality to win.” The worry of the best friends separating lasted for about a week before Bronner also com-
Despite going to different elementary and junior high schools, the duo has played on 10 different teams across three different sports, basketball, football and their favorite, baseball. mitted to Iowa Central. “The coach told me it’s baseball 24/7 there, and I love that,” he said. Bronner visited other colleges for baseball and was considering attending the University of Iowa if he ended up not playing, but in the end, he just loved the game too much to be without it. “Baseball is a game of failure. You can fail seven times out of 10 and still succeed,” he said. “It’s the mental part of the game that makes you a better person. If you fail seven times, you are going to get down on yourself, but that’s what will make you a
great player.” Now, instead of staring at unfamiliar names and numbers on a piece of paper, Boss stares on to the varsity baseball field and sees the names and numbers on the backs of the jerseys of his former players. “It’s one of the most rewarding feelings to look on the field and see Hurricanes out there playing,” Boss said with a catch of emotion in his voice that could be heard even through a phone call. By Editor-in-Chief Austin
ANDERSON
Athlete of the
Week
Addison Long Basketball
Senior Addison Long hadn’t seen the court in a live basketball game in nine months after tearing her ACL last January. Now a large amount of responsibility falls on the shoulders of the point guard to not only return to the player she as a year ago, but to lead the Tigers to a winning season under former assistant Greg Groen in his first year as head coach. What was it like to get back out there? I was really exciting. It’s great being back with my teammates and everything, getting to play with them. How hard was it to sit and watch last season? It was hard, but I learned a lot from it. It was difficult not being able to contribute to the team with my athletic ability, but I learned more about the mental part and encouragement. I think it made me a lot better of a player mentally. What is it like taking the court with the teammates you’ve grown up your whole life playing with? It’s really great. It’s much more different from the other years because our chemistry is a lot better, and we have a lot of great leaders that are seniors. There’s more intensity and more encouragement. We’ve just had a really great time just being on the floor with each other.
Tigers in
Action
Men’s Basketball
Next up: Waterloo East Dec. 12 @ Home at 6 p.m.
Women’s Basketball
Next up: Vs C.R. Prairie Dec. 5 @ Home at 6 p.m.
Wrestling
Next up: Keith Young Invite Dec. 6 @ Home at 10 a.m.
Men’s Swimming
Next up: Ames Invite Dec. 6 @ Ames at 11 a.m.
Bowling
Next up: Vs Iowa City High Dec. 12 @ Iowa City at 3:15