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Tiger HI-LINE Footloose dances toward debut Find some highlights of the upcoming musical on Pages 4 & 5
Friday, March 6, 2015
“Let’s go back to this scene and work through our dancing. It looked pretty sloppy this time,” the director shouted while all of the cast members rehearsed late on a school night. Even though they all groaned in agony since they’ve worked through this number countless times, all of their hard work will be worth it when the drama department presents this year’s musical, “Footloose.” The story focuses on Ren McCormack (senior Brian Keiser), an inner city boy who moved all the way from Chicago into a small, unknown town called Bomont. Ren finds it incredibly difficult to fit in with his new surroundings, especially when he figures that the town’s minister, Reverend Shaw Moore (senior Nathan Hall), has made dancing illegal in Bomont, but with the help from his new cowboy friend, Willard Hewitt (senior John Nicol), Ren rebels against the authority figures in his life by trying to throw a dance. Meanwhile, Ren grows close with Moore’s rebellious daughter, Ariel Moore (sophomore Brooke Prohaska), who has a strained relationship with her father, and it isn’t long before a romance dances out to be dealt with in tiny Bomont.
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Volume 55 Edition 19
The musical is co-directed by English teachers Michelle Rathe and Joe Frenna, who both began running rehearsals as early as last November. At first, rehearsals started out simple with the actors only learning the choreography and how to sing. Later on, the rehearsals became more and more complicated when the actors went on stage and put all of the pieces together. Tech especially needed more depth since they had to know when to put in light, sound and set pieces. “Directing a musical is really different [from directing a normal play] because you have to wear so many different hats as a director,” Rathe said. “It’s not just the acting; it’s the acting, the singing, the dancing and the orchestration.” Despite all of the hard work, what makes it all worth it for Rathe is the chance to see the actors evolve. “I personally love watching the kids grow from being afraid to sing and dance to all of sudden seeing them own that moment that they’ve never really experienced before.” Sophomore Brooke Prohaska plays as the female lead and described what her character is like. “Ariel Moore is a spunky, rebellious teenager who wants nothing
more than to leave the small town of Bomont,” Prohaska said. “She’s great at making her dad angry and makes it pretty clear that she really likes guys ... a lot.” What Prohaska said she enjoys the most about playing her character is that it gives her an opportunity to show a different side of her that people would normally not see. “It’s really fun to just let go,” Prohaska said. “Also, I get to yell a lot, which is great.” Rathe encourages students and faculty to come see the musical because she thinks that they will all love it. “People are going to recognize the music. There’s a lot of dancing, and there’s a lot of funny little moments with the characters,” Rathe said, “but I think there’s a lot of believable understanding on how people feel when they don’t fit in or when they’re not accepted.” Prohaska also urged others to see the musical as well. “It’s chock-full of singing, dancing, cowboy boots and talented people. We have all put so much work into this and can’t wait for you to see what we’ve put together,” Prohaska said. Performance dates are Friday, March 6, and Saturday, By Staff Writer Sarah
STORTZ
At top, senior Jon Nicol and junior Sydney Coloff shine in the opening number, and, at left, sophomore Brooke Prohaska holds out for a hero in one of the many memorable dance numbers from Footloose.
Photos by Logan Cole and Ashley Brimacomb
Two All State singers travel to Carnegie Hall About two weeks after the 2013 AllState concert, juniors Mitch Dekutoski and Julianna Norby received letters from the Honors Performance Series at Carnegie Hall inviting them to audition for their program “It looked like a rare opportunity for me, so I decided to audition. I sent in a recording of a solo I sang for solo contest that year and waited six months before I found out I got selected for it,” Dekutoski said. This audition was no small deal; only a select number make it as finalists. “The 500 finalists flew in from all around the country and the world to New York City, which is where we would perform in Carnegie Hall,” Dekutoski said. He was amazed the moment he stepped inside Carnegie Hall. “When we first walked into the auditorium, I was blown away. The architecture was so beautiful, every little detail you could see from the floor. We then got sound
checked, and I was so happy to be up on the stage for the first time. But that was nothing in comparison to when we actually got to perform. When I heard the first note of the night, I was astounded. The acoustics were so perfect. I could hear every individual voice. I sang my heart out that day, and it felt so good. When we finished, the standing ovation lasted forever. Then we heard the band and the orchestra, and their performances were perfect. I heard nothing wrong the rest of the concert, and the acoustics only made it better. And, of course, they got a lasting standing ovation, as well. It was definitely the best concert I’ve ever been a part of.” Norby agreed that Carnegie Hall was amazing. “It was great. The architecture was gorgeous, and it was huge. We sounded really well when we sang together because of the resonance in the hall. Also, Carnegie Hall is two blocks from Central Park. After the performance, we got a huge yacht and got to sight see
and stuff. Rehearsals were really long, but it was definitely worth it.” Dekutoski spent a majority of his time there rehearing. But in his downtime, he had time to do some sightseeing too. “We got to see a Broadway show. I saw Phantom of the Opera. We went to the top of the Rockefeller Center, and after the concert, we celebrated on a yacht that toured New York Harbor, so we got to see the Statue of Liberty and the Brooklyn Bridge.” Dekutoski and Norby performed six pieces in Carnegie Hall: “The Creation” by Willy Richter, “Still wie die Nacht (Calm as the Night)” by Karl Bohm, “Anthem for Spring” from Cavalleria Rusticana, “You are the Music” by Dan Forrest, “Shenandoah/He’s Gone Away” by Mark Hayes and “This Little Light of Mine” also by Mark Hayes. Dekutoski said the experience was packed with pleasurable surprises. “I didn’t know about the yacht until they
sent out the itinerary with all the music and other information, but when I heard about it, I was so pumped. So after the concert, we got to see our parents and go out to dinner and get out of our concert attire,so after that, we boarded some buses that took us to a pier, and we got boarded on the yacht. There was a dance floor, four different decks, food and drinks, blaring music and it wasn’t too cold to go outside for a while. It was so cool.” All around, Dekutoski was blown away at this amazing opportunity he was able to do, and he is eager to see what the future holds. “This is definitely an experience I’ll never forget. The people I met, the director I got to perform under, singing in one of the world’s biggest stages — it was all so amazing, and I learned so much from it, for both my voice and my being. I definitely know I am auditioning again next year.” By Staff Writer Annebeth
AHRENHOLZ
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Contest invites taking ‘Healthie’ shot at $50 The members of the Cedar Falls Partners for Safe and Drug Free Schools Committee are kicking off their “It’s All About That Choice” social media campaign. The group of about 30 counselors, teachers, administrators and community members meets to address issues such as bullying, alcohol and drug use in Cedar Falls Schools. Senior Danielle Templeton, senior Rebecca Lyman and sophomore Madison Schulte act as student representatives for the committee. Their most recent issue focuses on youth alcohol consumption. The latest Iowa Youth Survey reports that Cedar Falls High School is 6 percentage points higher than similarlysized districts when it comes to youth alcohol use, based on answers to questions such as “How old were you (if ever) when you first drank (more than a few sips) of alcohol (beer, wine, or liquor)?” and “During the last 30 days, on how many days did you have five or more drinks of alcohol (glasses, bottles or cans of beer, glasses of wine, liquor, mixed drinks) in a row, that is within a couple of hours?” One example of a key survey result is that 71.6 percent of juniors said it is easy or very easy to obtain alcoholic beverages (beer, wine or liquor). Templeton said, “We have noticed [these] statistics, and [they’re] something that concerns us, of course, as a problem here at CF.” After these concerning statisitcs came in, the committee received a grant from the state as a part of safe school promotion in order to address such an increase in alcohol and substance abuse. In response, they’ve kick started their social media campaign, “It’s All About That Choice.” “We decided to use a social media campaign [because it allows us to] talk to students on their level, through [something that] interests them. If we talk to students on a level they can’t relate to or in a way that doesn’t interest them, we’ll get nothing accomplished,” Templeton said. The campaigned includes both a “Healthie” photo submission contest and a poster creation contest that jointly encourage Cedar Falls students grades six through 12 to make positive, healthy choices. Templeton is especially passionate about the angle of this campaign because it focuses on those positive alternative choices instead of the negative ones. “A lot of times drug and alcohol prevention is focused on don’t do this, this is not a good idea or this is a bad choice. [This campaign] is really to promote what some of our students are already doing that’s positive and to say congratulations to students that are already making good choices rather than hitting them with the negative side of prevention.” By Staff Writer Mikaela
MALLIN
Friday, March 6, 2015
Submitted Photo
Senior Rebecca Lyman takes the first #CFHealthie with the Senior Leadership group.
“A lot of times drug and alcohol prevention is focused on don’t do this, this is not a good idea or this is a bad choice. [This campaign] is really to promote what some of our students are already doing that’s positive ...”
—Senior Danielle Templeton Safe and Drug Free Schools committee member
Poster Contest:
Create a poster promoting the “It’s All About That Choice” campaign using graphic images, written words, poetry, etc. It can be hand-made using crayons, cut paper, felt tip pens, markers, pencils and pens, or it can be digitally made using computer software. The poster must be created on a sheet of white 8.5 by 11 inch paper, and it cannot contain any trademarked characters from television shows or comics. Submit the poster, complete with your name, school and grade level, to your school office by April 3. The winning poster will be awarded a $50 gift card, featured on the media site and displayed in all Cedar Falls School District buildings.
“Healthie” Photo Submission:
Who needs selfies? Take a “healthie” instead! Submit a photo of you and your friends doing something fun and healthy, like dancing, playing sports, playing board games or baking snacks to cfhealthie@gmail.com by April 3. Please include the photo, as well as a caption containing the names of all individuals photographed, an explanation of the activity and at least one phone number. The best submissions will be featured on the online media campaign.
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NEWS
Friday, March 6, 2015
MECHA MASTERY
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Leaving nothing to chance in their quest for rocketry perfection, adviser Zeb Nicholson, senior Tyler Sorenson, junior Jason Rathjen and Ryan Ritter traveled to the University of Iowa to test the contest worthiness of a potential contender.
Emily Barth Photo
Team 525 recently returned from the Duluth Northern Lights Regional as a member of the winning alliance. The team’s new robot stacks totes and picks up “trash” (pictured at a home exhibition at left). The CFHS FTC team (pictured at top) recently won a design award and faces a state contest this weekend.
Two robotics teams power up Rocket club puts recent creation for engineering showdowns to the test in U of I wind tunnel The CFHS rocket club journeyed to the University of Iowa Hydraulics Wind Tunnel in Iowa City on Sunday, March 1,to put its rocket to the test. Club adviser and engineering teacher Zeb Nicholson took three other students out to the wind tunnel with a custom made stand that they had built by themselves, to find out the coefficient of drag for their rocket. “Our team used the wind tunnel to run some preliminary tests on our rocket,” Nicholson said. The rocket they built was made entirely on computer software and then translated physically into the construction. “Some parts were even designed and printed using the high school’s 3D printer,” he said. Basically, what their plan was for the rocket was to set up the rocket in the wind tunnel so that the front of the rocket was facing toward the 60 mph wind, and then a sensor on the back of the rocket would tell them how much force was being applied to the rocket by the wind. Now that they have collected all the data from the wind tunnel test, they can use that information by putting it into the simulation software that will tell them just how high the rocket will travel. “We used the force to find the coefficient of drag,” Nicholson said. Junior student Jason Rathjen was one of the three students that went with Nicholson to the wind tunnel. “It was a really cool experience. We got a tour of the whole hydraulics lab at the U of I. We went down there to determine the coefficient of drag for our rocket and came away with some really good num-
bers,” Rathjen said. Nicholson echoed Rathjen’s sentiments and added another reason why it was worth the trip for the students. “This was an amazing experience and every student who went took away many exciting memories,” Nicholson said. For the rocket team members, the goal was not to use the wind tunnel to see how high they can get their rocket to fly. Instead, they are aiming to get their rocket to reach as close as they can to 800 feet because they will be entering a contest that requires each rocket entered to attempt to safely fly a raw egg to 800 feet exactly — no higher and no lower — without breaking or cracking the egg. If the egg is cracked or broken, the team is disqualified. The flight to 800 feet should be around 46-48 seconds. With every second out of this two second window, entrants will receive four points, and for every foot they are off from 800 feet, they will receive one point. The team that receives the fewest points wins the contest. “I think we have a really good shot at getting the fewest amount of points and winning this competition,” Nicholson said. When they had made all their adjustments to the rocket, they went to the soccer fields behind the UNI Dome to test out the rocket with the team. “The rocket reached about 1,000 feet, so we will be adding some more weight on it to reduce that height,” Nicholson said. By Staff Writer Dino
ODOBASIC
The Swartdogs continued their long spell of success at regional competitions last weekend. The robotics team traveled to Duluth on Thursday, Feb. 26, to compete with 60 other teams and came home on Sunday after being on the winning alliance and earning the Imagery Award, which is given for having a prominent appearance. Each year, FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) creates a new game, and thousands of robotics teams create a robot to play the game. In the past, games have pitted Frisbee-throwing robots against each other, basketball-playing robots against each other and soccerplaying robots against each other. This year, the game is called “Recycle Rush.” It is a recycling-themed game played by two alliances of three robots each. Teams score points by stacking totes on scoring platforms and capping those totes with recycling bins. Robots then try to put pool noodles, representing litter, inside of the recycling bins. The Swartdogs, or Team 525, made two robots this year in order for one robot to be used to practice with and make modifications, and one robot to be used in competitions. They are named Odis and Schumacher, respectively. Junior Sam Ponnada explained the names. “Our robot names this year revolve around an elevator idea,” Ponnada said. “We thought it would be cool to name the robots after local elevator companies, and, in fact, Schumacher is a mere 20 miles from our build site.” Up next for the Swartdogs is a re-
gional competition in Minneapolis, similar to the one in Duluth. It will be held in early April. A few weeks after that, team 525 will be travelling down to St. Louis to compete in the world championship. The Swartdogs qualified for the world championship by winning the Duluth Regional. Ponnada said the team will be practicing more before the two competitions. “We will be using our time now to prepare for both events by practicing and making any spare parts we may need in the future.” Physics teacher Kenton Swartley looks forward to the world championship. “Our goal is to have a good competition and that we are functioning to the best of our ability,” Swartley said. “We want to make it to the playoffs and to be seeded high enough to be in alliances.” Cedar Falls High School has another robotics team as well. FTC, or FIRST Tech Challenge, has a longer preparation time for competitions, and smaller teams. After winning a design award in their previous competition in February, the team of six looks forward to its next competition, which is this weekend. Science teacher Meghan Reynolds is a mentor on the team. “I’m excited to see how the team does and also what competition will look like,” Reynolds said. “This is my first championship, so I’m not sure what to expect. The team definitely built a good robot, and it’ll be a great experience no matter what.” By Online Editor Zuhayr
ALAM
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CAPTURED
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Friday, March 6, 2015
Singing their hearts out, senior Brian Keiser and sophomore Brooke Prohaska play the lead roles of Ren McCormack and Ariel Moore in the Spring Musical.
At left, sophomore Kailey Stiers, junior Gabriella Holtzman and junior Sam Hanson play their parts convincingly in the Burger Blast Scene. At top senior Ben Dagit jumps for joy at the Bar-B-Que Dance Hall.
EVERYBO At far left, sophomore Mackenzie Nichols and senior Jamie Bobst act in their one scene asides from their tech duties. At left, sophomore Kailey Stiers and senior John Nicol play mother and son, Mama and Willard Hewitt.
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Friday, March 6, 2015
CAPTURED
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Above, junior Jared Smith, sophomore Maia Lindaman, senior Kelly Olsen and senior Daniel McVicker bust a move during “Let’s Hear it for the Boy.” Below, sophomore Brooke Prohaska belts “Holding out for a Hero,” and senior Brian Keiser proves that he cannot stand still.
ODY CUT
FOOTLOOSE
Photos by Logan Cole and Ashley Brimacomb
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Friday, March 6, 2015
Our View
Net Neutrality victory preserves equally open Internet for all
Feb. 26 was a day that may have preserved the day to day lives of every American, and the topic at hand is something that many people are not aware of: net neutrality. As things are now, everything on the Internet is treated equally. A movie that is being streamed through Netflix or Amazon Prime must reach the user at the same time as a movie being streamed Net neutrality represents the through a less will of the people, and the fact k n o w n that it was upheld reveals that source. The same the people have a large role goes for to play in how the government news that c o m e s works. f r o m CNN or news that comes from the BBC. Information essentially comes to a user’s computer in three steps. The first step is information leaving the source, such as a movie leaving Netflix. The next step is the information being delivered to you through Internet service providers such as Comcast and Time Warner Cable. The third step is a user viewing the information, which is what happens when a user starts to watch a movie on Netflix. Because of this system, a start-up website can compete with a bigger one. It is what allowed Facebook to surpass Myspace and Google to surpass AOL. Net neutrality has to do with the second step. If net neutrality laws are changed, companies such as Netflix could pay Internet service providers more money than another company so that Netflix’s data would reach the user quicker than other companies. Because of this, rates for most things on the Internet would go up, and service providers could charge more money for differing speeds of connectivity. Not surprisingly, most Internet service providers like Verizon, Comcast and Time Warner Cable are for net neutrality reform, mostly because the profits would be massive. But companies such as Google, Netflix, Twitter, Apple and Reddit among many others are openly against any changes, and have signed a letter to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The FCC voted on Feb. 26 to preserve net neutrality and the future of the Internet. Companies such as Comcast and Verizon have billions of dollars at their disposal, yet they could not pass legislation which would benefit them. Net neutrality represents the will of the people, and the fact that it was upheld reveals that the people have a large role to play in how the government works.
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 Staff Writers: Sommer Danielsen, Agatha Fenech, Taylor Hylton, Ben Louviere, Mikaela Mallin, Malcolm Musoni, Dino Odobasic, Josie Speltz, Skylar Starbeck and Sarah Stortz
Logan Cole Photo
Senior Agatha Fenech has thoroughly enjoyed stepping onto the stage with drama students like seniors Kelly Olsen (left) and Brian Keiser (right).
New cast member discovers inspiration beyond ‘status quo’ among talented crew My bright-eyed fourth grade self sat in my cousin’s bedroom, watching the student body of East High bounce throughout the lunch room while belting “Stick to the Status Quo.” “Wow,” I thought, “High school is going to be so cool!” I proceeded to watch High School Musical 2 and 3 as they came out and listen to the High School Musical soundtracks, memorizing all the words to “Breaking Free” and “Fabulous.” I loved the spontaneous musical numbers, as well as the “staged” ones. They were cheesy and cute, and I loved how high school and high school theater seemed almost magical. This past fall, now a high school senior, I decided to audition for the spring musical, Footloose. Aside from Cabaret (Peet’s variety show) in junior high, I had not really done anything acting or theater-related since watching High School Musical all those years ago. It had always lingered in the back of my mind, but other activities took center stage (metaphorically), and my seriously horrible singing voice caused me to avoid any musical ventures. However, after watching the fall play and hearing the great stories of people “finding a new family” through theater, I
figured why not? The worst that could happen was that I would not make it. Now, I can honestly say that deciding to audition and do the musical was one of the best decisions I have made yet. Not only have I had to face my fear of public singing, or at least I will have to this weekend, I have met some truly fantastic people. As much as I love doing cheesy dance moves in a hideous prom dress, getting to know people I had never met and strengthening my existing friendships is what has made the musical such a rewarding experience. I was a little bit scared going into the drama department as a senior, never having done theater before. My fears were ill-placed. I encountered an extraordinarily welcoming and hard working family of students, equipped with more snacks than I ever could have imagined. In addition to introducing me to these wonderful people, my musical experience has been personally gratifying. At late-night Monday rehearsal, we were cleaning up after dinner. My fellow Cowgirl Catherine and I started singing “Stick to the Status Quo,” and just like we were in High School Musical. Many more people joined in, dancing and singing
around the cafeteria. I do not really know how to describe it because it was so casual yet so special. Thanks to an actual high school musical, my High School Musical dream came true. Following the impromptu song and dance, we walked back up to continue working scenes, and I remembered the first time I had ever watched High School Musical. I remembered putting “spontaneous musical number” on my mental high school bucket list. More importantly, I remembered how much I wanted my high school experience to be like that. Not merely the singing and dancing, but the family unity and community. Being in the musical has shown me that we really are all in this together. Finally, the shameless plug. I could tell you to come to the musical because of all the hard work we have put in and how much you will enjoy it; both these things are true. However, while working on the musical these past three months and getting to know some extremely talented people, I have seen how unbelievably amazing the entire cast is. The whole student body and community deserves to see how amazing and talented they are as well. By Staff Writer Agatha
FENECH
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OPINION
Fifty Shades of Friday, March 6, 2015
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Black&Blue
For me, it’s Fifty Shades of Nauseating. Sitting here, writing this, I know the book may be Fifty Shades of Grey, but I’m 50 shades of red. Intimate partner violence affects 30 percent of women and 10 percent of men in the world. Nearly half of all men and women in the United States have dealt with psychological violence by a partner. Simply put, Fifty Shades of Grey is highly abusive. According to experts, abuse in relationships includes the following: Hitting: “‘Please don’t hit me...please don’t.’ And he hits me again and again. From somewhere deep inside, I want to beg him to stop. But I don’t. I don’t want to give him the satisfaction.” Threats to harm or intimidation: After a threatening message from Christian, Anastasia begs him to not be mad at her and admits, “You scare me.” Isolation: Christian limits her contact with friend and family. Dubious consent: Christian drags her to his place, going as far as to undressing her while she sleeps off the inebriation despite not being in a relationship. Christian also admits to purposely trying to get her drunk. Humiliation: Anastasia has the ‘‘uncanny feeling [Christian] is laughing at [her].” Controlled behavior or looks: Christian monitors what she eats. Stalking: Christian decides to just pop in at Anastasia’s work (173 miles away from their first/previous encounter). He tracks her phone to the bar she is at, ‘‘Is it legal? Stalker.’’ Later in the book she tries to leave town to detach herself from the situation. After getting (ridiculously) mad at her, he bumps her seat up to first class, and the seat next to her unoccupied. She calls him, saying that his ‘‘stalking knows no bounds.” Disempowerment: Anastasia admits to feeling “demeaned, debased and abused.” Fifty Shades has successfully checked every box. Congrats, writer E.L. James. A big problem is that most people do not seem to realize that Fifty Shades of Grey constitutes an abusive relationship. One such person is the author James, who said, “Nothing freaks me out more than people who say this is about domestic abuse,” James said. “Bringing up my book in this context trivializes the issues, doing women who actually go through it a huge disservice.” Cedar Falls junior Meredith Brich disagrees. Brich said that Fifty Shades is absolutely, without a doubt, abuse. “There are plenty of instances where Ana expresses that she is unsure about the situation, and Grey pushes her to go through with something that she is not comfortable with,” Brich said. “He tells her not to ‘overthink it.’” Another big problem is that Fifty Shades encourages rape culture. Anastasia often said no, but Grey does not heed her. The question is: where does this end? “The question should not be, ‘Is 50 Shades abusive,’ because there is no doubt that it is. The question should be: Why would anyone in their right mind defend a text that excuses and romanticizes such vile acts?” Brich asked. Perhaps knowing what abuse is and defining it can be helpful in diagnosing it. A great way is to go onto the National Domestic Violence Hotline’s website and take a look at their webpage, “Abuse Defined.” In the end, the book might as well be named “Blurred Lines” for all it is worth.
By Staff Writer Taylor
HYLTON
Josie Spletz and Taylor Hylton Photo Illustration
8 Student Section Sendup SPORTS
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Friday, March 6, 2015
Athlete
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Fans drop ‘anthem’ in awe of state-bound women’s team A group of Tiger student section members lit up social media earlier this week when juniors Jacob Leisinger, Trevor Benson, Noah Hermansen and Denison Harrington dropped a rap song in honor of the CFHS women’s basketball team qualifying for State. Inspired by the class of 2013 seniors who created a song when their men’s team attended State, this newly formed rap collective released the track titled “CF Anthem Part 2: Girls Basketball Edition.” The girls fought valiantly on Wednesday at Wells Fargo in Des Moines, hanging with No. 2-ranked Waukee the entire game. Although the rap was not enough to propel the team toward the win, it was certainly a factor in the hype of the student section at the Well. Initially dropped on Sunday night from Leisinger’s Twitter account, @jleisinger35, the song immediately blew up and continued to gain hype as it was then tweeted by the Tiger student section Twitter account, @ TIGERNATION12. According to starting shooting guard senior Jamie Becker, head coach Gregg Groen was told by the Waukee head coach that his team had been playing the anthem in their gym all week because they genuinely liked the song. “We literally heard them singing it when we were both by the locker rooms warming up,” Becker said. The track opens with Leis-
Submitted Photo Top row: Josh Post, Jacob Leisinger and Noah Hermansen Bottom: Denison Harrington and Trevor Benson
inger, otherwise known as J Leis, spitting bar after bar of clever lyrics with an obvious understanding of lyrical construction and flow. With his recognizable voice and swagger, Leisinger incorporates the names of the girls on the team and head coach Groen in his rhymes. Quickly going viral throughout the community, Leisinger’s mother and teacher in the Waterloo school district, Molly Leisinger, has even been reported to have been referred to as “M Leis” by her coworkers. “I just loved spending time thinking about it and trying to put something good out there for the high school to listen to. I appreciated what the girls did,
and it’s a great time to go to State, so we just wanted to make it a little more special for them,” Leisinger said. Following up Leisinger’s hot verse with some rhymes of his own is Benson, otherwise known as TRBulence. Keeping the energy going over the beat used from 2006 single “It’s Goin’ Down” by Yung Joc, Benson promotes the student section and includes a shoutout to athletic director Gary Koenen. “The shoutouts were fun. [It was difficult] to think of lines that were creative and went along with the theme of the women’s basketball team for that long of a time,” Benson said, commenting
on the formidable track length of 3 minutes and 45 seconds. Coming in for a third verse is Hermansen, otherwise known as Jiggy Sheets, incorporating a series of food-analogies and interesting tempo shifts. “It was very fun. It was just with my boys — my goons,” Hermansen said. Wrapping up the track with confidence is Harrington, otherwise known as Baby D, otherwise known as the man with the 11:30 curfew. With a steady flow, Harrington offers tons of support for Tiger Nation. “I wasn’t really originally supposed to be in there, but I came in straight off the streets with my bars, you know? I just wrote a few down and used the ones that I liked. For me it wasn’t really that hard, and I’m not throwin’ anyone under the bus because we need to be professional, but I’m just saying that some struggled more than I did,” Harrington said. The track concludes with a series of shoutouts, including one to the group’s studio manager and producer, sophomore Josh Post. The rap collective assembled in Post’s bedroom where the track was recorded and produced. “It was great because they had a lot of energy, and we could really build some chemistry in the studio and get it done. It was just about having fun and making a good track,” Post said. By Staff Writer Ben
LOUVIERE
Track teams face early tests at Waverly The women’s and men’s track teams got the chance to get out on the track and show what they have been working for on Tuesday, March 3 at an indoor meet at Wartburg College in Waverly. It was not a scored meet, but some athletes got the opportunity to compete in different events for the first time of the season. Athletes brought back a wide range of estimations about how they are stacking up in early in the season. Some athletes felt good about the way they competed, but others didn’t do as well as they would have liked. The men’s JV 4x4 team came in with a 4th place varsity finish. Runners included juniors Zach Sweet and Andrew Hager, and sophomores Luke Loecher
Submitted Photo
At the first track contest of the season in Waverly on Tuesday, March 3, both the women and men’s teams scrimmaged early season options for their lineups. and Nathan Hoy. “My team and I didn’t believe we could do as well as we did because we were facing state champion teams, but we ended up placing 4th, which is better than what we thought. We were all happy with our times,” Sweet said. Hager was also excited by the results. “Our relay prayed
as a team before our race, and that’s what helped us the most. We just gave it up to Him and let his power work through us. A couple of us set personal records as far as our splits go, so that’s really encouraging to see all the hard work from the off season pay off. We are all really excited for the rest of the sea-
son now,” Hager said. The women were also happy with how they competed. Junior Monica Wessels ran in the 3000 and 1500. “I was happy with how my races went. The times could have been better. I think we all have room for improvement, but it’s only the second week of track, so that is pretty expected.” Women’s head coach Kara Hulse also picked up some good observations from the results and is excited to see how the rest of the season plays out. “The first meet always comes with nerves and good surprises. The key about indoor season is getting on the track and competing, as this helps strengthens our outdoor season.” By Copy Editor Annebeth
AHRENHOLZ
Andrew Hager Track
Junior Andew Hager helped the CFHS track season get off and running with an impressive 53 second 400 at the first indoor meet at Wartburg. He is widely known for his strong work ethic and religious faith. He will be competing in 400’s and the 4x400 this season.
How would you describe your work ethic? Colossians 3:23 says work at everything you do as if you’re working for the Lord and not for man, so I just try to follow that with any training I do. Why do you work so hard? I work so hard because I’ve got a lot of pride in our team, and I want to do well for our team. I just want to use the ability that God’s given me for his glory. What are you hoping to accomplish this season? Our team’s goal is always to win conference and finish in the top three at State, so anyway I can contribute to that is what I want. Do you consider yourself a leader? Yes, I mean just doing the workouts to their full potential and not cutting corners and just being an example of going through the workouts with the right intensity and just going through them with the right attitude is how I set an example for the younger kids.
Tigers in
Action
Women’s Track March 9 @ UNI 3p.m. Men’s Track March 10 @ UNI 3 p.m. Women’s Soccer April 6 Jamboree TBA Men’s Soccer April 2 Jamboree TBA Women’s Golf April 6 Waverly Women’s Tennis April 4 Home Men’s Tennis April 4 @ Wahawk Invite