May 13, 2016 hi line

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Friday, May 13, 2016

Senior looks back on four years of running track/pages 14-15 Follow us on Twitter at tigerhiline, Facebook at TigerHilineOnline and on our website at www.hiline.cfschools.org

Volume 56 Edition 27

Ensembles take top honors at large group contest Cedar Falls High School was filled with the beautiful sound of music on Saturday, May 7, as it hosted the large group contest for choirs and bands of all sizes. The orchestras performed the same day, but their performances were hosted at Holmes Junior High School.

The CFHS ensembles included mixed choir, men’s choir, women’s choir, concert choir, string orchestra, full orchestra, symphonic band and wind symphony. All groups except for mixed choir got a division one rating, with mixed getting a division two, which are the two highest rankings possible.

Not only is the contest a way for judges to further critique portions of the pieces, it’s a way for members to track

Blood Work

Senior Jason Rathjen was one of the many students who contributed to the blood drive at the high school on Wednesday, May 4. “It’s a really unique experience to know you could be helping multiple lives in one sitting,” he said.

their own progress and evaluate things to work on individually.

Senior Grace Van Patten has been heavily involved with music her entire high school career, and this was her and other seniors’ last contest.

“With a multitude of division one ratings across all three ensembles I’m in, I am proud to be a student in the high school’s music department.”

Van Patten is a member of all three music branches. “My favorite song to perform was ‘Blogodop’ with concert choir, a song in Haitian Creole that makes the choir freely move as a whole and is overall a fun song due to it being diverse stylistically and drastic dynamically.”

By Graphic Artist Sierra

Ashley Brimacomb Photo

STEEN

Meet the candidates for 2016-2017 student offices For President

Junior Julie Jorgensen •Student Senate •Junior Leadership •Orchestra •Dancer at National Dance Academy •Nazareth Church member

If elected as your student body president, I promise to work hard each day to make Cedar Falls High School the best it can be. I will work closely among my fellow students and do everything I can to make everyone feel welcome and valued each day. I am open to new thoughts and ideas to help better the school and create a cohesive environment. I am very committed to CFHS and am passionate about creating a positive atmosphere for others. Vote Julie Jorgensen for President!

Junior Aurion Redding •Cheerleading •Student Senate •Junior Leadership •MVP •Spanish Club •Marching Band •Concert Band •Sunday School and Church Youth Groups •Volunteer with CFPD •Work at Popcorn Heaven and Clarion Hotel

Hello, my name is Aurion Redding and I will be running for president for the 2016-2017 school year. I think people should vote for me because I want to see a change in our school. I really would like to focus on getting other students involved, not just the same select few that already do everything, but all students and especially our incoming sophomores. I also think people should vote for me because I care about everyone and I want everyone to be heard.

Thank you for your time, and Vote Redding for Pres.

For Vice President

For Secretary

For Treasurer

Junior Justin Grey

Junior Jenna Clark

Junior Katie Rygh

•Teen Trust Board Member •Private Pilot •Piano Player •Band •Running

I am running for Vice President in order improve Student Senate. I want to focus on strengthening the activities that Student Senate runs, such as bringing in more junior members along with incoming sophomores, increasing advertising and turn out to the Tiger Trot, meeting a bigger goal for the food drive, expanding turnout and activities at dance marathon and incorporating all leadership groups for bake sales and the Do Better Be Better Run in the Spring. I encourage more current sophomores to lead in Student Senate next year, and I appreciate your vote for me as Student Senate Vice President!

•Student Senate •MVP •Junior Leadership •Iowa Girls State •Band •Model UN •Play •Tennis

I believe that I should be voted student body secretary because I am passionate about this school and about student government. I am not afraid to share my opinions and am willing and able to talk to anyone, which, in addition to my involvement in a wide variety of activities, makes me uniquely qualified for this position. I want to give back to this school because it has given so much to me, and being elected secretary will give me the opportunity to accomplish that. I hope that you vote for me, and I think we can do great things next year.

•Cross Country •Track •Concert Choir •Junior Leadership •Student Senate

As of right now, I am the only person running for treasurer, but I would still love the support. I currently am very involved in Student Senate, as well as many other activities.

I love seeing CFHS improve as a whole student body, and I would love to help be a key piece of moving us forward into next school year!

By Editor-in-Chief Zuhayr

ALAM

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NEWS Smith recovering after surgery, ready for June 11 golf outing

Jamie Smith’s first stroke happened Oct. 25, 2013, and at the time, she and her family were living through a nightmare. She was a teacher, a wife and mother of three.

Another baby was on the way.

And at just 32 years old, she began a long and hard fought journey with a cavernous malfation (clusters of abnormal, tiny blood vessels and larger, stretched-out, thin-walled blood vessels) in her brain stem.

She’s told her story through a blog, put on events to raise awareness and money for those who are in need and most importantly, she’s made a positive and everlasting impact on the community around her with her wisdom, strength and the “Do Better. Be Better.” project. After going through the unimaginable, Smith came out on top of a stroke, and stronger than ever. Stronger than any doctor predicted.

Then it happened again.

Feb. 15, 2016, began with an early morning workout at Next Level Fitness before rushing her kids to school, a Monday morning meeting and teaching the two periods of her classes. Then, when she got a call from her oldest daughter’s elementary that she was feeling sick, Smith herself started to notice a headache.

“If I am being completely honest with myself, I knew at this point that this headache was different,” Smith wrote in her blog.

She returned to her home with a sick daughter and decided to rest for the afternoon.

Every day for the last 22 months, Smith had one question go through her head the second she woke up each morning. “Is today the day I am going to have a stroke again?”

After getting a good night’s sleep, Smith woke up at 5:15 a.m. the next morning and immediately noticed that her lips were tingling, and the headache had yet to leave.

The day had come.

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Friday, May 13, 2016

Despite that this day was the day her stroke was going to return, she wanted to keep going. It was her daughter Linden’s fourth birthday, and she knew she had time.

Smith went to work in pain, returned home and napped for four hours. Something she “never” does.

She had already clued her husband, Patrick, in on how she was feeling, and they both knew what was coming. In hopes to give Linden a special birthday, she waited until the girls were in bed and things were settled.

After Linden’s birthday festivities concluded, the pain quickly grew unbearable, and they decided it was time. After going through hell and back over the next couple of days with hospital trips, phone calls and fear, all they could do was wait until medical attention was needed.

Eventually, things began to settle down, but Smith was left with a crucial and life changing decision. She had to decide whether or not to have brainstem surgery.

With so much at risk like her family, friends and amazing life, deciding to have the surgery or not was a defining moment in her journey.

“I truly felt that I would have the best chance to do that with the surgery rather than suffering from multiple strokes,” Smith said. “So, even though the surgery was very risky and scary, I decided to do it.”

With the surgery set for March 4, Smith and her army dove right in.

Prayer after prayer, post after post, and consistent good thoughts as the day crept near and before they knew it, Smith and her husband were on their way down to Arizona to micro surgically to remove her CM by Robert Spetzler, MD. After the decision was made, it still shocked the couple every time it was said aloud, but it was happening and happening right away.

After about a 10.5-hour wait, Smith was out of the operating room

and moved to the intensive care unit.

From there, it’s been an uphill recovery.

“I woke up,” Smith said. “I didn’t have the massive headache everyone guaranteed me that I would have. I could move and feel every body part, and I could see. I saw two of everything, but I could see. Other than the most stiff neck imaginable and an intense amount of nausea, I was me.”

She was told she could return home from the hospital in Arizona anywhere between two weeks and two months. She was checked out of the hospital in 11 days.

Fellow teacher Megan Youngkent has witnessed her impact first hand as one of Smith’s best friends.

“Only Jamie,” Youngkent said once, then again for emphasis. “Only Jamie could take a situation as negative as this and completely spin it into such a giving, positive situation. I have seen human kindness at its very best. People that you wouldn’t think would want to help, were helping and helping in big ways.

“It restored my faith in the human spirit. It reminded me that people are inherently good. People want to be helpful. Jamie is taking that to another level.”

After her first stroke, Smith came out on top while at the same time inspiring hundreds of people, but this time, the way she’s grown and changed has caused her to do so even more.

“Jamie has always been a very determined and independent person,” said Patrick, Smith’s husband.

“When she starts something, she is bound and determined to finish it. It is one of her strongest qualities. Her mentality over the past 2.5 years has helped to carry us all. Very rarely has she had down moments, but when she does, she accepts them, learns from the moment and moves forward.”

Leah Forsblom Photo

At the Do Better. Be Better. 5k race last October, PE teacher Jamie Smith anticipated happy days ahead, and she is recovering well after her recent surgery.

Every day, Smith plans to never stop fighting, to never stop growing into a more humble and encouraging person. Her situation improves every day, and she plans on returning to work next year. “I would have never expected to be feeling this well physically eight weeks post surgery, so that has really boosted my mental and emotional well-being,” Smith said. “I feel like I am experiencing a miracle to be honest.”

There will also be a fun-filled Do Better. Be Better. Golf Outing on June 11 at the Fox Ridge Golf Course where all the proceeds will go to local families in need. The

Scouts collaborate on Rice Krispie creations In order to earn their Sharing and Caring Patch, fourth grade Cub Scouts from Hansen Elementary decided they wanted to help with young people with disabilities, so the Scouts helped out with Tammy Frahm in her students’ integrated art class.

The students were allowed to create whatever they wanted out of Rice Krispie treats. They could sculpt with the Rice Krispies or use the Rice Krispie treats as a canvas as they used frosting to paint a picture on the treats.

One student, Jacob Brustkern and two Scouts took his Rice Krispie treats and turned them into a Rice Krispie taco.

“The scouts wanted to take a picture and pretend to eat their tacos, and Brustkern didn’t quite understand, so the scouts demonstrated and helped Jacob ou. It was a really fun moment to see the scouts helping out my students,” Frahm said.

Along with helping out, the Scouts were able to learn about the many different disabilities that some of the students had as the Cub Scouts could only see the physical disabilities and not necessarily the mental disabilities that some of Frahm’s students have. She taught Scouts that you can’t always see the disabilities some people have.

“I thought it was a good learning

experience because it introduced the young kids to meet our kids. The Scouts were very energetic, and my students loved that,” Frahm said.

Frahn was grateful not only for the social interactions with the kids that her students got to have, but also the learning experience it gave to the young Cub Scouts as well.

By Staff Writer Tyler

CAMPBELL

Senior Jacob Brustkern and two Cub Scouts pose for a picture with their finished taco Rice Krispie treats.

Submitted Photo

deadline to register for the four-person best shot tournament is June 3.

The outing is another sign of the endless support the Smiths have received over the last few years, which they consider one of the biggest reasons for a successful recovery.

“Your kindness, generosity and prayers kept me focused on everything positive and beautiful in my life when I needed it the most,” Smith wrote in a message of gratitude. “It all helped me enter that operating room at peace. It all gave me the strength I needed to recover.”

By Staff Writer Allie

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“Obama put this country in the toilet. Hillary would flush it. “

GOP should support Trump On Tuesday, May 3, Ted Cruz announced that he was suspending his campaign for president, and the next day, Ohio governor John Kasich announced that he was also suspending his campaign, leaving Donald Trump the sole Republican candidate. This development is going to be very interesting in if all of the different factions of the Republican party unite behind Trump.

After a hard night in Indiana, Cruz, my personal favorite candidate, suspended his campaign.

Cruz to me was the only proven conservative on the stage, so now that the nominee is presumably Donald Trump, it is time to decide what to do in November.

Most Cruz supporters were on the #NeverTrump train, but now that it is a Trump-Clinton election, I think most will end up supporting Trump as the idea of a Clinton presidency is a lot more scary than a White House occupied by Trump. Of course, some of the Cruz supporters will stay home in November just because of their involvement in the #NeverTrump trend, but, overall, most of the #CruzCrew will plug their noses and vote Trump in November.

Kasich supporters are going to be similar to the Cruz supporters. Kasich was the only public establishment candidate left in the race since Rubio dropped out.

I say public because I still believe Trump is the establishment, just in hiding, but Kasich was clearly the establishment’s puppet for the few weeks he spent alone with Cruz and Trump. Kasich’s RINO (Repub-

lican In Name Only) backers will vote Trump in November. If you compare some of Trump’s statements from six months ago compared to those of the past week, he has significantly decreased his so called “radical” ideas and is shifting more to moderate establishment ideas, which is what most of the Kasich-Rubio supporters look highly upon.

Last week Trump already shifted his position on minimum wage in an interview with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer saying, “I’m actually looking at that because I am very different from most Republicans.”

So Trump is now trying to attract the more moderate Republican voters out there, which is a great way for Kasich-Rubio supporters to jump on.

Most Republican voters will unite behind Trump mainly because of how bad another Clinton presidency would be for the United States, but will the Republican party? House Speaker Paul Ryan expressed to CNN’s Jake Tapper that he has not decided whether he will support Trump or not. “I’m just not ready to do that at this point. I’m not there right now.”

Republican leaders need to accept the fact that Trump is going to be the nominee. I don’t like him either, but anyone is better than Clinton. Even George and Jeb Bush have come out against Trump.

Jeb said in a Facebook post: “He has not displayed a respect for the Constitution, and he is not a consistent conservative. These are all reasons why I cannot support his candidacy.”

As I’ve stated before, Trump is a RINO, but anyone is better than Bernie or Hillary.

In my view, the Republican establishment is playing an act.

Trump has been and always will be the establishment. He has the mainstream media on his side, and the prominent establishment politicians like former House Speaker John Boehner to support his campaign.

Cruz was the only actual antiestablishment candidate running, but now that he is gone, we have to settle for the establishment candidate. I am sick and tired of the establishment giving us moderate candidates too, but when it comes to a woman who has lied over American heroes’ dead bodies, and who also essentially let everyone in the world who knows how to hack an email see classified material, I’ll swallow my pride.

Overall, Republicans do need to plug their noses and come together to defeat Clinton in November. In 2012, three million Republicans stayed home, Obama won that election and we’ve suffered the consequences of poor foreign policy, or lack thereof, and poor economic growth, as our GDP (Gross Domestic Product) only grew 0.25 percent in the first quarter of this year, the slowest growth in two years.

Republicans who stay home, elect Democrats. Obama put this country in the toilet. Hillary would flush it.

Balancing school and work is harder than it seems when workdays become an everyday thing.

I work part time, which means I’m supposed to work around four hours only three times a week.

Yet, I work almost every night after school, and it becomes tiring.

After waking up at 6 a.m. and trudging through an eight-hour school day, I have little energy to make it through work. Working at the Western Home, I run back and forth between the kitchen and dining room, serving residents their food before clearing tables and setting back up.

By the time I get home, I eat dinner and shower. The moment my head hits the pillow, I’m asleep.

Don’t get me wrong, I love what I do. Interacting with the residents can be the highlight of my day, but it interferes a lot with school. It’s kind of a mind over matter aspect, but when exhaustion

hits, all you can do is fall into sleep.

I like my job, don’t get me wrong, but I also like staying caught up in school. I’m not blaming the issues I have in school on my job, but it would be easier to keep a 4.0 GPA without a job. I work every weekend, and while trying to keep a social life, school kind of gets away from me.

What we do now affects our futures, so the question is do I keep my grades high for college or keep working my butt off and save up money for when I’m on my own next year? Being a teenager is hard, to say the least, so how important is a job compared to school or vice versa?

Personally, I think a job is more important than school. School only goes so far, while the jobs we start off with can build up resumes for future employers. I make money and save portions of it for my future, and it also builds character.

On a daily basis, I am interacting with different types of people and learning how to handle stressful situations while keeping my sanity. I’ve learned patience from dealing with residents with memory loss, and I’ve been so compassionate with residents who are sick or dying.

Creating bonds with older people as opposed to other teenagers make us wiser. Hearing their stories and life stories adds a sense of joy to me, and I learn life lessons that school would have never taught me. They teach from their mistakes and lives, and there’s something more satisfying from that than sitting at home flipping through a textbook.

I would highly recommend working in a nursing home, but with whatever job you’re doing now, learn something from it deeper than school.

By Staff Writer Lexi

By Staff Writer Brennan

KOHLS

Part time jobs better than lessons learned in class

SHEELEY

OPINION

3

Our View Stay on top of stress as semester comes to close

Every year, there’s an uncharacteristically positive atmosphere that the month of May never fails to deliver.

It’s the midst of spring, the temperatures are soaring back up, the unfamiliar sun bores down on us once again and the sprouts begin blooming, In addition to the vibrant nature, May also marks the time where we anticipate the school year coming to an end. This obviously may seem incredibly exciting for many of us, but it shown to be stressful just as nerve-wracking.

There’s very little time to raise our grades back up, and deadlines are pressing against us. As every day passes, it only seems to become more improbable to get everything done.

While dealing with this, it starts to bring out the ugliest sides of our minds.

We stay up an entire night to anxiously complete a project due the next day. It’s too difficult to get out of bed in the morning and deal with everything. The voices in our heads never stop telling us how much of a failure we are for not getting this done.

All of this stress is unbearable to cope with, and it makes us feel incredibly alone with no sense of hope.

It only makes it all the more appropriate that May is officially known as Mental Health Awareness Month.

Over the past couple of years, the stigma for mental has made incredible progress. Whitehouse.gov reports that nearly 15 million more Americans have gained Medicaid coverage since October 2013, which significantly helped improve access to mental health care. More than $100 million has funded the Affordable Care Act, and community health centers have expanded behavioral health services to nearly 900,000 people nationwide over the past two years. However, there are still many others who aren’t getting the treatment they need, who feel unseen and don’t know what to do.

We see you right now, and we’re incredibly proud of how hard you are fighting.

The school year ending is never easy for anyone, especially if you already have to deal with a mental illness every single other month.

Always remember that your well-being comes first. Whether it’s staying at home for a day or asking to extend the due date, do whatever you can that’ll make this process easier for you. Don’t ever be afraid to seek out help if you’re dealing with something too challenging.

It’s all overwhelming now, but before you know it, everything will pass, and you can start seeing all of the beautiful aspects that this time of spring can offer.

No matter what happens in the end, what you’ve managed to overcome is worth more than any mark you’ll receive.

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 third 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.

Entertainment Editor: Tana Gam-Ad Editor-in-Chief/Features Editor: Sommer Danielsen News Editor: Sarah Stortz Editor-in-Chief/Online Editor: Zuhayr Alam Opinion Editor: Olivia Martin Sports Editor: Jason Rathjen Graphic Artist: Sierra Steen Staff Writers: Billie Ann Albert, Daphne Becker, Jamie Blair, Ben Boezinger, Tyler Campbell, Miranda Cole, Ashton Cross, Alyssa Dekutoski, Haley Erickson, Noah Forker, Camryn Grubic, Aaron Heimbuck, Noah Hermansen, Cody Hood, Nathan Hoy, Jacob Jensen, Kierston Johnson, Brennan Kohls, Mercede Kraabel, Sam Magee, Olivia Martin, Nolan Nickerson, Madeline Nicol, Kaylee Olson, Hannah Sanderman, Lane Schwickerath, Sydney See, Lexi Sheeley, Allie Taiber, Tehya Tournier, Isaac Turner-Hall, Cala Villavicencio, Drew Walker

4 Atari remains pose environmental issues The

ENTERTAINMENT

With the recent concern for environmental health, humans have been trying to recycle more and more.

One of the things that needs to be recycled is plastic, a material that can take between 450-1,000 years to degrade naturally.

On Sept. 26, 1983, the event known as the Atari Video Game Burial took place. This event is typically regarded as an urban legend to most who doubted the volume of items truly buried.

For anyone uninformed, there was a company called Atari, Inc., that completely dominated the video gaming industry. A game was released on the Atari 2600 called E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. This game was extremely negatively received, being one of the biggest commercial video game failures. In 1982, the expected growth was only 15 percent instead of 50 percent, and the following year there was a massive drop in income,

which lead their parent company Warner Communications to sell them off, thus ending the video game titan.

In 1983, Atari, Inc., went to a landfill in New Mexico with several dump trucks, sending unsold copies of games, most notably E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, and unsold Atari consoles down into a massive hole where they were buried.

In 2014, this burial was uncovered in a documentary called Atari: Game Over, finding over one thousand games, most being brought to a museum for curation, or to an auction to help support the museum in question.

The true problem behind this whole burial is the fact that consoles

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Friday, May 13, 2016

aren’t made out of eco-friendly material. Consoles are mostly made of plastic that can take hundreds of years to biodegrade. This means that all of that plastic that the Atari 2600 consoles are made of, along with the video game cartridges, were just sitting underground.

All of this plastic under the ground was not decomposing quickly, and it was creating a problem for the environment. They may have taken about 1,300 units from the burial, but there were an estimated 70,000 units thrown into the landfill.

That’s still a staggering amount of about 68,700 left in that landfill. Plastic also has a very nasty chemical in it

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called phthalate.

Phthalate is a chemical used in plastic to make it stronger. As a result, though, some of these plastics have rather adverse effects on a person. Some effects can be breast cancer and endocrine disruption, which can mess up production of certain hormones and create issues with development in children.

The Atari Video Game Burial is in the past, and at the point that it’s at, there’s no going back. Not all of the games can be dug up, and that’s a shame, but for now it’s better to just look at the mistake made to know not to do it next time. All of that plastic inside of the electronics will sit there and slowly degrade for hundreds of years, with the chemicals also slowly seeping into the ground and infecting the soil.

By Staff Writer Cody

HOOD

Captain America continues string of Marvel successes

Cast of characters populates intriguing high school manga

Starting off phase three of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) was Captain America Civil War, the 13th Marvel movie. It debuted last weekend and made a huge splash at the box office as it had the fifth highest opening weekend in movie history.

Along with being successful at the box office it also gained a 90 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

So what made the movie such a hit at the box office? First off, the movie is based on the popular comic book of the same name. Even though they have the same name, the plots were somewhat different. Second, the movie knew how to be funny at times and serious at other times.

The third best thing about this movie was the diversity of characters in the movie.

With the Avengers splitting into two teams, you need to have characters to cheer for on both sides. The two teams were Team Captain America, which consisted of Captain America, Winter Soldier, Falcon, Hawkeye, Scarlet Witch and Ant-Man; as well as Team Iron Man, which consisted of Iron Man, Black Widow, War Machine, Vision and newcomers Black Panther and Spider-Man. Avengers weren’t the only ones who chose sides between Iron Man and Captain America; some fans couldn’t choose which side they wanted, but some definitely liked one side

The anime of Azumanga_Daioh she provides constant support for follows five high school students Chiyo and provides a good rival for and two teachers as they live their Yukari. daily lives in a special way. There’s Overall, the show is quite Chiyo Mihama, who is actually a straight-forward, with so many chargrade school girl, but she’s a child acters, you really have to pay attenprodigy, so she was moved up to tion to get everything down. The high school level. best thing about the show in my There’s Ayumu "Osaka" Kasuga, opinion is the theme song, which who is a transfer student, and in a lasts for a whole minute and a half, way a comic relief character because and it’s pretty good. she doesn’t know a lot about local The manga of Azumanga_Daioh customs, so as she’s trying to get is simply a four-panel manga telling used to them, she creates short stories, and there some funny moments. are a lot of these for this Then there’s Tomo manga — so many that it Takino, who despite being would be hard to review quite a slacker is very comthem all. petitive, always wanting I think they could’ve to be the best but doing produced a full manga little to help herself be the from this show, but as I best. Also there’s Koyomi understand, the manga "Yomi" Mizuhara, who is came first, so they did well a grade school friend of Manga Master Noah to take these four panels FORKER and turn them into 26 Tomo and the voice of reason, saving the gang from dumb episodes, each lasting about 24 mindecisions most the time. utes. The art style fits the tone of the Third to last there’s Sakaki, who manga very well, and I like it a lot. is a shy, soft-spoken girl, who is seen As these two differ in style, listas a mysterious and cool kind of girl ing the differences would be difamong her friends. Second to last is ficult. This is because in four panel Yukari Tanizaki, who is the teacher mangas, they only have four chances of the class. She is seen as another to tell a story, sometimes, but not comic relief, as in the episode focus- always, connecting to the next one, ing on her where she produced only while in the anime, they have 24 funny moments, constantly spying minutes to do whatever they want on her students and trying to outdo and then can easily connect it to the her high school rival. She wants to next episode. Because of this, the be the best and most respected anime is much easier to understand, teacher. so that will be my pick for this week.

Finally there is Minamo "Nyamo" However, don’t let this stop you from Kurosawa, who is the gym teacher reading the manga. It is quite good. and the students’ favorite teacher.

over the other.

“I’m team Captain America because in the movie Iron Man is driven by guilt to give in and let the government take responsibility and control. Captain America knew that they couldn’t just be used as tools for a government who might use them for their own agendas,” junior Matt Timmer said.

The two newcomers of the movie, Black Panther and Spider-Man, were great additions because Spider-Man has been a comic book favorite for such a long time. Black Panther is a not as well known superhero, but he has a movie that is set to appear in 2018, so this was a great introduction of the character.

The final great thing about the movie is that it left you unsure of how the Avengers can work together again after fighting each other. This leaves many fans to question what direction the MCU is going.

The only sure thing is that Captain America Civil War has started phase three of the MCU and set up movies such as Doctor Strange; Guardians of the Galaxy vol.2; a new Spider-Man reboot; Thor Ragnarok; Black Panther; Avengers Infinity War Parts 1 and 2; Ant-Man and the Wasp; and Captain Marvel, all of which will come to theaters in the next few years.

By Staff Writer Tyler

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Friday, May 13, 2016

SPRING Horoscopes!

Taurus (April 20 - May 20)

The Earth is in orbit as you are in orbit around your many tasks. You are determined to work hard and expect to get results. There may be others around you who do not share the same attitudes, but do not let them disturb your inner peace. If you stay secure in yourself, you will be rewarded.

Gemini (May 21 - June 20) Mercury is aligned with the moon, so you are feeling balanced.

Life has been stressful lately, but you are finally winding down and feeling more at peace. You are turning an important corner in your path. You are thirsty for knowledge and new experiences. Let yourself go, and life will run its course.

Cancer (June 21 - July 22) Summer solstice is approaching on June 20. This brings good luck to all Cancers.

You will get through your semester with flying colors. Good luck will bring steadiness to all of your relationships. You will feel bouts of nostalgia for the past, but do not let that stop you from thinking about the future.

Sunshine is what you are craving, and you will get your dose of it soon, so be patient.

Leo (July 23 - August 22)

The Sun is in the Taurus constellation, so you are feeling loyal. You will stay devoted to all of your relationships, even if those closest to you are moving away from you. Maintaining your relationships is incredibly important to you. But, don’t be surprised if you make new friends as well. Your radiant energy and charisma will draw others to you without a doubt.

Virgo (Aug. 23 - Sept. 22)

Mercury is in the Aries constellation, and this causes you to feel a little off-kilter. Don’t let your unbalanced aura get you down.

Being positive will be very beneficial for you. Hone in on your creative strengths and watch yourself flourish.

Libra (Sept. 23 - Oct. 22)

Venus is between Aries and Pisces.

You are itching for change, and it will come soon enough.

In the meantime, do not dwell on things that are not going your way. Focus on being present and everything will fall into place.

Your end-goal will be positive, and you will be content in no time.

End school year with positive prospects in these predictions

Scorpio (Oct. 23 - Nov. 21)

Aquarius (Jan. 20 - Feb.18)

Sagittarius (Nov. 22 - Dec. 21)

Pisces (Feb.19 - March 20)

Pluto is in the realm of Aquarius, and you feel anxious. But, don’t let your feelings of anxiety get in your way. There is light at the end of the tunnel, and if you persevere, you will arrive with grace.

Be attentive to detail but also don’t be afraid to let loose too. Rely on your friends to aide you.

Jupiter is in Virgo’s constellation, and you feel slightly relaxed.

Let now be a time of relaxation before you amp up your energy again and go full speed ahead. Your optimism will lead you to marvelous places. Be open and curious, always spreading your infectious optimism and positivity wherever you go. Keep your friends close and make your mark on the world.

Capricorn (Dec. 22 - Jan. 19) Saturn is in Capricorn’s realm; you are in your element. Keep on keeping on and be proud of your achievements, no matter the size. Make sure to communicate your feelings with those around you. Most importantly, give yourself a break once and awhile and have fun.

Uranus is in the Taurus constellation, and so you are restless. Take feelings of restlessness and turn them into creativity. Let your unique and original streak take hold in you. Use your humanitarian skills to help others and bring light to others around you. Rejoice in positive friendships and stay away from negative ones.

Neptune is close to entering the Pisces constellation. You are not far from feeling at ease, but for now, you have mixed emotions. Do not let worldly pressures take hold of you. Some aspects of your life are demanding, but remember to be patient and persistent.

Rely on friends and family to bring you back to reality.

Aries (March 21 - April 19)

Mars is in the Scorpius constellation, which means you are at a level of higher energy. You might be starting to get excited about the impending end of the school year, with summer just around the corner. Though there are upcoming challenges in your path, like final exams, you will find a way to overcome them. You are excited to have more independence and to let your adventurous spirit out.

By Opinion Editor Olivia

MARTIN

Tearaway Unfolded creates cute art adventures for all age groups Te a raway Unfolded is a perfect game for those who love small and cute challenges.

Developed by the same makers as Little Big Planet, Tearaway is perfect for all ages and players with a ps4.

Tearaway is about a messenger on a mission to deliver a message to the player (you). During the game, the messenger and narrators talk to you and interact with you, breaking the fourth wall.

At the beginning of the game, you have the choice to play as the female character, Atoi, or the male, Iota, as you travel through the world made out of colors constructed from paper to bring the message to your own world.

While traveling, you have to fight an enemy. These creatures are called Scraps, and they try to remove the color

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from the world and destroy the story.

I highly recommend this game to anyone who loves a little bit of a challenge and loves a good story. Along with the Little Big Planet games, Tearaway provides a very cute and entertaining story. The creative story involving you creates a connection that will keep you glued for hours. I also firmly believe that anyone who appreciates video games as its own form of art should get this game. The detail used in the gameplay and it’s execution is absolutely incredible.

Tearaway Unfolded uses the DualShock 4’s (the remote control) touchpad, light bar and motion sensor to establish a connection from your world to the game's world. You can draw, cause wind to blow and even move the world you play in by touching and moving your controller. It's amazing technology for an awesome game.

Overall, Tearaway Unfolded is a cute game that any age would love to play.

By Staff Writer Sydney

SEE

Harry Potter, Percy Jackson fans may find magical match in Carry On I n Carry On, written by Rainbow Rowell, Simon Snow is a magician. Not only is he a magician, but he’s the most powerful magician who ever lived, but because of that, he can’t even do the one thing he’s ever really wanted to do: it’s his last year at Watford School of Magicks, and he just wants to relax.

No one will let him, though, because there is a monster who looks exactly like him called the Humdrum who is set on destroying the whole world of magicians. On top of that, his evil roommate Baz never showed up at school, and Simon can’t even enjoy the peace because he’s wor-

ried that Baz is planning something.

Aside from all that, his girlfriend broke up with him, his best friend is acting weird and his mentor is trying to send him away to keep him from the Humdrum. When you’re the most powerful magician, you never get to relax.

Rainbow Rowell writes her books so well that the plot and the characters just make you want to read and read until the end and forget about all the other things that you need to do. That’s what happened when I read this book. I wanted to forget that I had things to do and just read it until I finished the book.

I really do like Carry On with all the magic and monsters and battles.

I would say that if you like to read books like J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series or Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson books, then you’ll love Carry On.

By Staff Writer Mercede

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Friday, May 13, 2016

10 Days of Meditation Experiment brings insights into relaxation techniques

I wouldn’t consider myself an extremely stressed out person. I really make an effort to try to keep myself calm and worry free, but when I do get overwhelmed, instead of trying to work things out, I automatically want to do nothing.

For example, when I have have a very busy week with lots of homework, papers and exams, instead of utilizing my time to the best of my ability, I shut down and find myself not doing any of it.

This has had negative effects on my grades, job and relationships with people.

My challenge to myself has been for the next 10 days to meditate usDay 1:

Doing this for the first time today felt very weird.

Don’t get me wrong. I feel good now, but listening to a recording of a guy telling me how to breathe isn’t something I would say I am used to.

I do feel significantly calmer than before I meditated, and currently something is happening that would totally send me into stress overdrive, but I feel very relaxed about the whole thing.

I don’t even care about something that just a few hours ago would totally make me want to rip my hair out and set fire to the nearest object.

I find that to be a pretty amazing feat. I feel really ready to conquer the day and get some things done.

Day 2:

Today was one of my more busy days. Not only did I have my college philosophy class (that I only found out was cancelled after I had driven all the way to Waterloo to get there), but I also had to work after school till 10 p.m. Yesterday I planned on waking up 15 minutes early this morning so I could start my day with a little meditation.

Well, once I woke up and realized I had slept through my alarm and now was going to rush to make it to school in the first place, I realized that wasn’t going to happen.

So without any other options, I decided I would meditate during my break at work.

But there were just a few obstacles that I hadn’t put into consideration.

First is that the break room was full of people, and at one point in time, I am supposed to make embarrassingly loud breathing noises. I decided to warn them that if they hear me panting like a dog, everything is alright.

Second, considering I had not eaten anything since lunch, once my break came around at 8 p.m., I would be incredibly hangry (hungry and angry) — not a great mixture when you’re working guest services and have to withhold a cheery attitude with everyone. I grabbed something to eat while on my break and tried to slyly eat my BBQ Pop-

ing the app HeadSpace for 10 minutes a day.

Meditation claims to reduce stress, loneliness and depression while improving your self esteem, self acceptance and mood. It helps memory, focus and creative thinking, and it can give you more energy and lower your heart rate.

In my opinion, those are big claims, so I want to test them and see.

My goal is to feel more relaxed and ready to face challenges every day, but with school, work and trying to maintain relationships with people, I am worried I will not prioritize doing this every day.

chips without disturbing my meditation.

The third challenge was that I was going to be walking into a huge mess when I came to work today.

I mean I was STRESSED. I already said when I have a lot of work to do at once, I malfunction and don’t want to do any of it, and this definitely came into full effect, not something that you want to happen when you are at work and have work you have to do.

I was worried that with all the thoughts running through my head, I wouldn’t be able to meditate and get everything out of it.

Lucky, halfway through the exercise, the man on the recording said that the point of the exercise is not to get rid of thoughts but to let them come to you and find peace with them. This came as a relief to me.

I don’t know if it was the food in my system or the meditation, but I did feel more energized as I went back to guest service.

I hope tomorrow I can find a better time to meditate.

Day 3:

Woah. I mean, woah.

Today was great.

Just like yesterday, I had a pretty busy day today.

Except, unlike yesterday, I knew I didn’t have philosophy. My plan for today was to do as much homework during my release as I could and then meditate after my 20-minute, after-school nap.

(I’m not a toddler, I swear).

I sat cross legged on my bed with my cat in my lap and started my 10 minutes of meditation.

Something that they talked a little bit about on the recording today was about letting emotions and thoughts pass as they come. We spend so much time chasing good thoughts and emotions and trying to stop the bad ones that we never can truly be happy.

What they suggest is to watch them pass like passing cars. If you try to stop the cars or chase after them, you will just end up more anxious than before, whereas just letting them pass you will feel better.

It is unnatural to never feel pain or worry, so trying to stop them altogether isn’t something tangible that

My challenge to myself has been for the next 10 days is too meditate using the app HeadSpace for 10 minutes a day.

you can just go after.

Today left me feeling better than both days combined. I think it felt less strange to me, and I was in an environment that I was really comfortable, and so that helped. I wasn’t worried about people judging my loud breathing. Plus, I got cuddles from my cat, so that is always great.

I work tonight as well. When I went in today, I felt a nice calm feeling about it. I wasn’t anxious; I wasn’t worried about the workload. I just was ready to come in and get my work done.

I can definitely see how doing this in the morning would be really beneficial. Sadly, I am not somebody who would wake up in the morning to do this. Maybe in my last seven days, I will try it?

Probably not.

I actually feel a lot of excitement to meditate tomorrow. The way it makes me feel during and after is so worth the 10 minutes unplugged a day.

Day 4:

I planned today to be a stress free day where I could get work done without any distractions, and for the most part, that happened, but then a friend from work asked me if I could take her shift for her so she could finish a project that was due tonight.

As much as I really wanted to say no, I have been in that same exact position before, and I know how much it means to a person, so I said sure.

Again, today I meditated after my after-school nap on my bed.

I felt extremely relaxed, and it definitely made the rest of my day, AKA going to work, seem less dreadful.

I can’t say that it was necessarily better than yesterday, but it wasn’t worse either, just the same.

I can definitely see how doing this when you are in a stressful situation would make you feel just a little bit better, but I don’t really think that it’s that necessary when you aren’t.

Today is Thursday. I want to see how it is to meditate on days when I am not really that busy.

Day 5:

I FORGOT! I had every intention of doing it, but after school I had my hair appointment (in the process of seeing if blondes really do have more fun), and then I had to take my sister to get a spray tan, and then my mom wanted something from Hobby Lobby, and then we got Chinese food, and can you tell I like to make ex-

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Day 6:

I almost forgot, but I didn’t.

Technically it should count as Day 7 because I did it at 12:34 a.m. Sunday morning, but I am just going to say it counts for Saturday.

Today was my sister’s ninth grade formal, so I wasn’t really allowed to have any of my own free time.

If any of you have a 15-year-old sister, a car and any type of skill with a makeup brush, you know exactly what I mean.

I went from taking her to get her hair done, to Walgreens for something to even out the spray tan on her legs, to doing her makeup, to going to work.

Luckily, I like this stuff. The almost $300 and almost eight hours of manpower doing prom makeup should represent that I kinda enjoy the whole makeup thing.

I came home at 10 and spent the night looking at the pictures of my sister with her cute little date and her cute little friends with their cute little outfits on.

I may be biased, but she was the cutest one there.

Sorry.

And then before I knew it, I was in my bed about to go to sleep.

Take a second to imagine me all snuggled up in my bed all happy, but then my eyes shoot open when I remember I didn’t meditate. “Not today buddy. I am not forgetting today.”

I really wish I could say this was the best sleep I ever got, but I was so tired that I was just trying to keep my body upright.

At least I can say I did it.

Day 7:

So it turns out for me it is actually much harder to meditate on the weekends. Like much harder.

I only worked eight to noon today. I thought I would have plenty of time to meditate, hence why I held off doing it all night.

Though I did watch an excellent movie called Save the Last Dance, which I highly recommend to anyone who liked Dirty Dancing and the Step Up movies.

To me, it has more of a Dirty Dancing vibe, and I definitely now have a slight (or not so slight) crush on 2001 Sean Patrick Thomas. It’s chill, though.

In between doing my homework, buying Tyler the Creator concert tickets and really investing myself in Netflix, I thought that meditating before bed would be a good way to calm me down and help me fall asleep.

Well, I wasn’t wrong.

I fell asleep while meditating. At least you know I was really relaxed.

So yeah. I am not doing that again. Been there done that, learning from my mistakes and it’s going to be time to move on.

What I have learned this weekend is when I don’t have work to make me manage my time, well, I don’t manage my time.

A great thing to know considering I don’t work until Friday this week.

Somehow I bet I will still turn in one assignment late this week because of it. Super cool.

Day 8:

Monday.

I could say I am not a fan, but considering this is my second to last Monday of high school. I’m not too mad, but it did hit me that this week and next week might be the busiest weeks in my high school history — not a great time to lose all motivation to do things that are super important.

I still haven’t made any picture boards for my grad party (btw Mr. Longnecker, if you are reading this, I still need to give you my grad invite), really worked on any homework or projects and, if you haven’t fully grasped the level of my lack of motivation, today is Monday, and I’m writing this on Wednesday.

Despite the fact that I wanted to do this to improve my motivation and try to get work done, I don’t believe that this is a one-stop shop. You just sit down

Headspace is a free app available on iTunes and GooglePlay. and breathe with your eyes closed and expect to get things done. You actually need the motivation to do it — something I hardcore lack.

Today I sat on my bed from probably four to eight not doing one dang thing (sorry teachers who gave me assignments) and stalked Twitter like a crazed animal.

It wasn’t cute and definitely not my shining moment.

What was I doing before four? Trying to save a nest of baby birds.

My dad’s a firefighter, so he is very into fire safety, even if that means the loss of innocent lives. A bird laid a nest on our front porch, and that is a fire hazard, so he said the nest had to go.

In that nest were about six or seven baby birds.

They looked like they had just hatched in the past couple days and were so ugly that they were cute. They were crying for their momma and had their mouths open for food and water.

I am not lying when I say that I was at one point lying on the ground, digging for worms to feed them while yelling at my dad and trying my best not to cry.

I know what you’re thinking. I’m full of grace and composure.

I calmed down, looked up how to save them and wished for the best.

If you are wondering how they are doing, I really don’t know what to tell you. The recommendations I found said to put the nest in another tree and hope for the best. I don’t think they are doing so hot.

Anyway, after that stresser, I really didn’t want to do much of anything, even meditate. It was maybe another two hours before I did.

When I did meditate, I was so distracted that I was unable to really do anything, but at least I tried. With so many things fluttering around in my mind, it was hard to focus and listen to the directions that the voice on the recording told me too. I basically just thought on my bed with my eyes closed and continued to lurk Twitter after I was finished.

I did get a little work done tonight, though, kinda.

Day 9:

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I already knew we weren’t taking a test and that today was just another discussion, but I at least thought it was going to take the whole time.

I was wrong.

Other than that, today was pretty basic for me.

After school, I came home, didn’t really do much, but I did meditate right after school like I did at the beginning of the challenge.

Today, the app talked a little bit about imagining a blue sky. That would be when you are carefree and happy.

There is always a blue sky. Even when dark and stormy clouds appear, the blue sky remains over it.

I liked this because it’s a reminder that even when life kinds sucks, there is always still something to be happy about.

Speaking for myself, being so close to graduation feels like there is still a dark cloud overhead, but with the blue sky coming somewhere in the distance.

Not saying that my high school experience was completely horrid, but I am anxious to start a new experience somewhere else.

Knowing that there is still a “blue sky” makes me want to enjoy the time I have left here in Cedar Falls and the high school.

Day 10:

For my last day, it was pretty basic. But let me tell you, it went by fast.

I definitely think that I have gotten more comfortably than at the beginning. Back then, I felt weird about doing it in my living room, but now I don’t care as much if my little sister walks in and decides she wants to use my blow drier right in the middle of me meditating.

I don’t really think that I will continue doing this every day because I don’t really have a super-stressed lifestyle. I think doing it would probably not benefit me as much as it should.

As for my goals that I made? I do think that meditating made me feel more relaxed, and after I did meditate, I got more work done.

My biggest problem was actually sitting down and doing it, which is funny because I predicted that in the very beginning. As for the health benefits, I don’t really know. I think you would have to be doing it more long term for them to have any real effect on your health.

These past 10 days have taught me a lot about myself. Cliche I know.

One, time management is not my strong suit. I think I spent more effort trying to get out of homework than I did on actual homework.

Two, finding a place where I can be comfortable is really key. When I tried to do it on my break at work, I was uneasy with the thought that people would judge me for breathing too loud or take pictures or something.

Three, I have a hard time following through. I started out this challenge strong, and I really did find myself enjoying meditation, but despite that, toward the end, it became more of an obligation and made me desire to do it less. I would recommend not challenging yourself to meditate. Do it because you like it, and it is good for you.

Four, find ways to relate the lessons the app teaches you into your everyday life. That makes it easier when you are actually sitting down and meditating to get the full experience.

We spend so much time chasing good thoughts and emotions and trying to stop the bad ones that we never can truly be happy.

I started this challenge off strong. These past few days I have lacked, and I definitely am aware of that.

I work better when my life is structured, and I have things to do in a certain amount of time. When I have a lot of freetime, I really don’t know what to do with myself.

Today was my college final. Well, kind of. It started at 10 and was supposed to go to noon. When 10:30 came around, my professor dismissed us.

By Staff Writer Daphne

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The Illest Villains

Unmasking the past offers slick album for hip-hop fans “Couldn’t find a pen, had to think of a new trick/ This one he wrote in cold blood with a toothpick” rattles the raspy metal-faced villain narrating the story of the most infamous duo in hip-hop history. On Madvillainy, the masked emcee MF DOOM and prolific producer Madlib joined forces to create nothing less than the crown jewel of underground hip-hop.

At the coinciding heights of their respective careers, the Madvillain collaboration became one of the most highly anticipated releases of 2004. The musical antiheroes released their comic book weapon of hip-hop destruction, and 12 years later, this cult classic remains essential to the genre. So what makes Madvillainy so notorious?

The album consists of 22 tracks, laced with a myriad of skits and interludes. Yet, each song manages to exist as both fully-fledged and distinct, animated

by the precise touch of Madlib’s production. Each vignette possesses a unique personality, amalgamating into an oxymoron of a record that is incredibly diverse yet so thematically cohesive.

When it comes to theme, the quirky comic book persona of Madvillainy is entertaining beyond parallel. Madlib weaves together a series of unpredictable, innovative beats as he utilizes an eclectic array of samples, implementing obscure noises, vocals and music primarily from 1940s mystery and crime movies, as well as 1960s low-budget horror flicks.

These intriguingly obtuse instrumentals would be to no avail, however, if it weren’t for the infamous emcee behind the metal mask pictured on the cover — the mysterious mastermind, MF DOOM. Inhabiting the core of this album, undoubtedly, are the cryptic rhymes and distinctive delivery of DOOM. With a per-

sona inspired by the Marvel Comics supervillain Doctor Doom, the metal-faced evildoer spews a gravelly rapid-fire of rhymes to permeate Madlib’s unconventional beats. An inspection of his lyrical content and rhyme construction reveals DOOM’s unrivaled talent as one of the most prolific and equally enigmatic wordsmiths that hip-hop has ever seen.

With a persona inspired by the Marvel Comics supervillain Doctor Doom, the metal-faced evildoer spews a gravelly rapid-fire of rhymes to permeate Madlib’s unconventional beats.

DOOM cyphers lyrics in a gruff, monotonous flow that is simultaneously nonchalant yet sharp as he embodies hip-hop’s greatest cartoon scoundrel. “The rest is empty with no brain but the clever nerd / The best emcee with no chain ya ever heard” he raps on the track “Figaro” — one of the best demonstrations of his delivery capabilities.

If anything, Madvillainy is the ultimate “grower.”

For hip-hop fans across the spectrum, this album may at first feel quite odd — perhaps too clumsy, unconventional and lacking in the characteristically assertive hip-hop dynamic. It may simply not be for you. However, like first riding a bicycle, there comes a particular moment when it simply clicks on an inexplicable level.

The abstract beats and slackened lyrical bars may slide alongside one another in just the right way, sounding exactly as was the intent of the two most dastardly villains who ever crossed the pages of our action-packed hip-hop storyline.

By Staff Writer Ben

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Graduation Season

Open house celebrations for seniors begin as school comes to a close

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Senior Sara Ashar has prepared for the season by organizing a spreadsheet, including all of the students’ open house dates and times, and sharing it with her peers.

“I like being organized and I remember the previous classes saying how a spreadsheet helped them with going to and figuring out grad parties, so I thought I’d do the same for my class. It’s pretty handy as you can see who’s party to go to, what time they’re at and how long you can stay before hopping to the next party,” Ashar said.

Sara Ashar

Sierra Fredrickson

Junior Sierra Fredrickson is one of many whose calendar is filled to maximum capacity for the next few weekends. “I hope to go to as many parties as I can. Sometimes it’s hard because multiple parties share the same time frame,” Fredrickson said.

Even in the midst of the chaotic schedule, Fredrickson is excited to take it all on with her friends. “I’m really excited to see all the graduating seniors and to get some closure and see them off,” Fredrickson said. “It’s crazy to think that next year that will be us [juniors], so I love hearing about their experiences during senior year, and the advice they have to offer.”

Matt Bauman

Senior Annebeth Ahrenholz hosted her party early this year, being one of the first of the season. “I decided to have my graduation party early because I wanted to have it over with before graduation and so I would be able to go to other peoples’ graduation parties,” Ahrenholz said.

Ahrenholz also found that planning and setting up for a party was a big undertaking, “Preparing for it was a lot of work, but it was also fun going through all my old pictures. My mom helped so much. I couldn’t have done it without her,” Ahrenholz said.

Annebeth Ahrenholz

Senior Matt Bauman decided to host his open house earlier in the season so he was free to attend all the graduation parties later in the season. “The best part of hosting a grad party is seeing everybody and interacting with family and friends,” Bauman said.

Bauman enjoyed hosting his party, where all of his fears were put to rest. “I was a tad worried we were going to run out of chicken strips; gladly we didn’t, but 900 chicken strips were consumed,” Bauman said.

To fellow seniors, Matt has a word of advice, “Have fun, smile a lot and get ready for some awkward hugs.

Do your best to decide to hug or handshake each guest that arrives.

It’s an art form,” Bauman said.

Senior Kaylene Konigsmark is looking forward to hosting her graduation party within the next couple weeks. “I’m excited to see all my friends and family members I haven’t seen in a while,” Konigsmark said.

As the season begins, Konigsmark already has a favorite part of each graduation party. “I like looking at other people’s pictures and seeing what they set out for their awards and achievements.

Lots of times it brings back fun memories,” Konigsmark said.

Kaylene Konigsmark

By Editor in Chief Sommer

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Finishing Freshman Year

Ninth graders spill fears, impressions and excitement about the fall

Olivia Heinen, Peet Jr. High

Claire Sanderman, Holmes Jr. High

Aimee Robisky, Holmes Jr. High

Anna Shull, Peet Jr. High

Rachel Dailey, Holmes Jr. High

As this school year draws to a close and the class of 2016 leaves for bigger and better things, it is time to think about the incoming class of 2019.

Freshmen from both Holmes and Peet ending their junior high careers are getting ready to transition into life as high schoolers.

Here are the impression of five girls from both Holmes and Peet on what they think of the high school and what they are looking forward to about coming to the high school.

What are your impressions of the high school?

Olivia Heinen, Peet: The high school seems really cool, and I’m very excited about all the opportunities.

Claire Sanderman, Holmes: The high school is a little intimidating to me because of how big it is and all the people there, but it is also exciting to be entering a new environment.

Aimee Robisky, Homes: My impression of the high school is it gives us more freedom but homework-wise it gets harder.

Anna Shull, Peet: My earlier impressions were that it was really big, and I would get lost and confused, but from track and tours, I know my way around more. It’s also very hot in there.

Rachel Dailey, Holmes: My impression of the high school is that there is a lot more to do and many activities are available to the students.

What about high school students?

Olivia: I know a lot of the high school students, so they don’t seem scary.

Claire: Being in high school cross country and track, I’ve gotten to know a lot of high schoolers, and they really made me feel welcome to the team as an underclassman, so I know they will do the same at the high school.

Aimee: My sister says that there are many students at the high school that it’s like seeing a new face every day, and I’m excited about that.

Anna: I’m excited to be mixed with the Holmes kids.

Rachel: The students themselves seem very laid back and open with each other.

What are you most excited about in high school?

Olivia: I’m most excited to get involved in more things and be able to do more things that I want. I’m very excited about Power Hour.

Claire: I’m really excited to meet new people from Peet and be around the Peet friends I already know. I’m also excited to have more freedom than we do in junior high. Oh, and definitely being able to get food in the Tiger Den is pretty exciting.

Aimee: I’m most excited about making new friends and having more class options as well as having more freedom.

Anna: Having more freedom. In junior high there’s teachers everywhere, and they have very strict rules about everything.

Rachel: I’m most excited to be able to join more activities that I wouldn’t have gotten the chance to do in junior high. Also, I’m looking forward to meeting new people and forming new friendships.

What are some of your fears about the high school?

Olivia: I’m kind of scared about not getting to class on time and not knowing where to go.

Claire: I’m mostly nervous about finding my way around the high school and being around so many more people. That is also the same thing I said as a sixth grader entering junior high, so I know everything will work out.

Aimee: My biggest fear in high school is losing some of my friends because I’ve made many great friends this year, and it’s scary to think that because of our different interests, we will be taking different classes and will start to grow apart.

Anna: Honors English. I’ve heard it’s super hard, and even though I’m good at English, I’m afraid I’ll fail.

Rachel: One thing I am worried about is not having enough time to complete assignments while still being able to hang out with friends or be involved in other things.

By Staff Writer Hannah

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Hour of Power

Lunches Hashbrown Casserole makes easy meal in under 60 minutes

Hashbrown Casserole

Lane Schwickerath Photos

Cook time: 40 minutes Feeds: 4 people

Step 1

Step 3

Step 2

Step 4

Needs: 1 large pan 1lb of ground beef 1 cup of chopped onions 1 can of cream of onion soup 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce 1 tablespoon of ketchup ground pepper 3 cups of hashbrowns Cook: Preheat the oven to 425.

Brown ground beef with the chopped onions in the pan.

Once meat is brown, add the soup, Worcestershire sauce and ketchup.

Spread mixture evenly and add the hashbrowns on top.

Add pepper on top to help brown the hashbrowns.

Bake for 25-30 minutes.

Let cool for a few minutes.

By Staff Writer Lane Enjoy hot with your SCHWICKERATH favorite sides.

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Hearst Center 1 Showstoppers

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The Developing Expressions student art show at the Hearst Center is open until May 22. Pictured in order of the numbers are the works of senior Meredith Brich , sophomore Eboni Bolden, junior Emily Harter, junior Maia Walter, senior Annie Bigler and junior Elizabeth Relph.

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Breaking the Spell I was walking down Sheffield Avenue while I was almost jogging to try and catch up to the first pitch, and the lure of the stadium hit me. It was like a sweet mythical siren song. The sounds of the mad speakers drifted through the streets and almost picked me up by my ears. The chatter from the full stadium laughed its way miles into the city.

I mean think about this: it was a Friday afternoon game, and the stadium was full. An extremely slim amount of seats were empty, and for most of them, the owners were in the bathroom or walking around the friendly confines.

The most amazing thing about all this was the atmosphere that the stadium and team had birthed.

No doubt this is the best Cubs team since 1907. Anthony Rizzo is the new era Babe Ruth, and Kris Bryant is the third base version of Honus Wagner. Jake Arrieta is the Cy Young of the youthful era.

The atmosphere is driven all throughout the stadium by way of their jerseys and shirts, and most highlights from previous games in the season included one of those three. The Cubs are embracing their stars and team personality, and in some ways I think it frees the team and city from historical

Friday, May 13, 2016

SPORTS

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Could the Cubs be on the brink as one of the best teams ever?

Ben Boezinger Photo

This may be the year that a championship flag flies over Chicago’s north side ballpark. constructions. Like the whole persona is “I know we haven’t won in forever, but who cares. This is a game.”

I feel like the ivy in the outfield represents the team’s overall progression. There is a little green, mostly scattered amongst the corners, but as the season progresses,

the greener the ivy gets. Then, when the Cubs win the final game of the season, the ivy will reach a dark green, a memento of success that hasn’t been seen in the north side in a while.

And the organization can live in peace the way the Red Sox did after their curse was broken.

Throughout the game I was at, the fans were constantly into it. Every out, the fans around the stadium would cheer, and if something bad happened, the jeers would stream down like a waterfall of hate. I’ve never seen so much passion for this team and sport.

I remember specifically Dex-

wing player who has great ability to play to the rim, and he can shoot from behind the arc as well. He played for Mega Leks, a European team out of Serbia, and this role helped him develop as scorer because he had a lot of freedom with the ball to develop his dribbling and passing abilities. At 6’7”, he’s great on defense, has a high motor and is extremely competitive, and if he can work on all of his flaws, then maybe he will be able to play at the level of his idol, Paul George.

Luwawu is expected to go in the mid-first round.

from 3 and is a great presence on the boards. Even though he has impressive height and a large skill set, he has only been playing basketball since he was 14 years old, so he still has to develop as a player, and with his small body, he will have to gain considerable strength as a player overall no matter where he plays, but he is a high risk high/reward-type prospect; if he can find his role, he could turn into an NBA superstar.

with an agent and plans to enter the draft. He could be an instant contributor and someday could be one of the best bigs in the Association.

ter Fowler made a great play in the outfield robbing Espinosa of at least a double. Crashing into the brown leaves of the brick wall, there was an immediate roar of the fans across the stadium. Running back to the dugout with the applause for the great play he made was more than the military officer got when he was honored during the fourth inning stretch.

You could interpret this many ways, like disrespect, or maybe because I’m comparing two unlike things, but I choose to think that it’s the passion that the city and fans have for one of the best teams in baseball history. Rizzo hit a controversial home run that just barely was fair, but as soon as the ball dropped on the right side of the field, the whole side of the stadium went crazy, and like a beacon, the rest of the place went crazy too.

I think all the hype that’s surrounding this team is real, and the skill that this team possesses is enough to warrant every praise.

Chicago is the hype, man, and the Cubs are the hype. In 2016, we could see two of the best ever sports teams ever in the Warriors and the Cubs.

By Staff Writer Ben

BOEZINGER

Six dark horses show big potential as NBA draft picks 1. Dragan Bender, Israel

Dragan Bender from the Maccabi Tel Aviv European basketball club is a rising star with unimpressive stats but a major upside: he is 7’1” and has tremendous offensive abilities. He can take the ball up the court and also shoot from the three point line with some consistency.

Because of his offensive upside and impressive height, he has drawn comparisons to current Knicks rookie star Kristaps Porzingis. He has problems playing in the post at times because he has a frail body at only 206 pounds, so if he would like to be a force in the paint in the NBA, he will have to gain considerable weight. Despite his small body, he has good solid post moves to evade larger defenders, and he is a solid presence on the board. At 7’1”, he is also a solid post presence on defense where he enjoys blocking shots in the paint. He is expected to be a top five pick in this year’s draft.

2. Timothe Luwawu, France

Timothe Luwawu is a French

3. Thon Maker, Australia

Thon Maker has been in the national spotlight since his sophomore year of high school, and he is about to be the first player to make the jump from high school to the NBA, although his situation was unique and the one-and-done rule is still active, he graduated from high school in 2015 and attended the Athlete Institute in Ontario, Canada. He is 7’1” with tremendous offensive ability. He can handle the ball well, shoot

4. Diamond Stone, Maryland

Diamond Stone from Maryland is one of the many star freshmen prospects in this draft.

He is 6’11” and is 255 pounds, so he has a sturdy build to hold up against stronger centers, but for his size, he is very agile and can guard bigger forwards.

When in shape, he is a good rim runner and is agile and athletic, causing him to be a good shot blocking presence. He does have a lot of raw talent, and NBA scouts would like for him to go back for another year of college to develop his skills more; however, he has signed

5. Tyler Ulis, Kentucky

Tyler Ulis is probably the best underdog in this draft class as his ultimate downfall is his size. At only 5’8” and 150 pounds, he is one of if not the smallest player in this draft, but don’t let his size fool you. He was a finalist for the Wooden award this year, where he averaged 17.3 points per game and was the leader of the Kentucky Wildcats this past season, and he was a part of the Kentucky team that started the season 38-0 two years ago and has a great ability to scamper past defenders and make quick passes and tough shots, and he also has a great pull up shot, and if a team is willling to take a chance on his small size, it might draft one of the best leaders of this draft.

6. Kris Dunn, Providence

With names like Buddy Hield, Ben Simmons and Brandon Ingram being said all year, players like Kris Dunn have flown under the radar to the media but not to NBA scout and experts across the nation.

He may be one of the most complete point guards in the draft. At 6’4” and 205 pounds, he has elite physical size to be a top NBA guard, and his athleticism and strength have made him an even more valuable prospect as he has the ability to guard 1’s, 2’s and even 3’s sometimes. He is also athletic enough to be a lockdown defender and has great ball anticipation when it comes to blocking and stealing balls. He also shows flashes of being a great passer, and with his height, he can throw right over the defense, but if Dunn can put all of these tools together, he may one day be a top notch guard in the NBA, and someday he could be a Russell Westbrooktype of dynamic game changing player.

By Staff Writer Isaac

TURNER-HALL

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The End of a Chapter Senior looks back on four years of running track

Andy Bernard from The Office once said, “I wish there was a way to know you’re in the good old days before you’ve left them.”

“I think track and field is exactly how I know,” senior Ben Louviere said.

The past four years have been a roller coaster and quite the ride for Louviere as he has finally approached his last couple days as a high school student. For this senior, track and field has played a part in his life that he could have ever seen coming.

“I’m not exactly sure how I got into track and field,” Louviere said as he sat on a piano bench, thinking back to six years ago when track and field was offered for the first time in seventh grade. “Track was more of a social thing than a competitive thing just because everyone did it, and it was super fun.”

Running around and goofing around was essentially the name of the game in junior high track. When Louviere moved up to the high school, the whole game changed. He quickly learned that it was a lot different — he learned what track and field truly was.

Growing up, Louviere played basketball, football, baseball, wrestling and every other sport that involved practicing, winning, losing, growing as a team and having loads of fun; however, track and field was something much more unique and new.

“Track is such a team thing but at the same time such a personalized, individual experience where every single day it’s you against yourself, doing everything you can do to get better and improve yourself as an athlete,” Louviere said. “It’s such a cool feeling to practice every day with that in mind because the only goal is to get faster. That’s the bottom line. You don’t work on post moves or running routes. The only goal is to drop times by working hard every day.”

Another big thing the experienced senior emphasized is how it took four years to really understand and realize what it means to treat himself right when it comes to workouts, nutrition and lifestyle in general. “Knowing what I do now, I wish it would’ve been

“It hit me so much that [coach Dirk Homewood], without me even realizing it, had taken my former self and who I was and crafted me into the exact role model that my former self would have needed.”

—Ben Louviere track team captain something I learned a long time ago, and it’s definitely a big part of my story,” Louviere said. “If I had to give advice to young track athletes, or really just to anyone in general, it’s to really understand that being successful is not just showing up and practicing for the couple hours that you’re supposed to, or doing the minimum requirements. It’s really about dedicating your lifestyle to achieving something greater. It’s a lot more than showing up and being successful for a little period of time. It’s what you do when you’re not at practice or when your coach isn’t watching.”

This past year, Louviere really took this to heart and learned what it meant to dedicate himself to something he believes in with all of his strength. Up until this year, for the most part, Louviere would just show up and manage to be naturally sufficient. He wasn’t breaking any records but was getting by and having fun, not really understanding what it meant to sincerely give it his all.

“Starting over the summer and into fall with offseason workouts, I figured something out personally,” Louviere said. “During lifts and workouts, I started to become a

leader and was given the responsibility of leading younger people.

It brought to me a whole new perspective on what it meant to just do the workouts versus fulfilling the workouts, because it’s not just doing the reps and heading home — it’s doing the reps and recovering right, eating the right foods, getting enough sleep, being socially responsible, and that’s a huge thing for me.”

Things began to change for Louviere when he first started track as coach Dirk Homewood began to chip away and instill some of the wisest, characterbuilding virtues in him without the freshman even knowing what was happening.

“To me as a student athlete, Homewood has continually advocated for living both a healthy and productive life, treating my body well, being socially responsible and maintaining a focused attitude. These are things he has taught me that I now enjoy adhering to.”

Once the senior started to do things that are required to be successful in track, it began to shape his life as a whole, and many other aspects in his life improved drastically. “I found that I was happier and more confident in my own head space. I was looking at everything through a brighter lens,” Louviere said. “Every day is now so different because I’ve stepped on the track and been happy to work out. That’s honestly such a blessing because I’ve been able to shape my life to allow myself to feel that way, and a big part of that has been not just Homewood alone but the entire coaching staff, and, seriously, the biggest part is the guys we have on the team. Just everyone has brought that incredible energy, and it’s that energy that gets everyone so inspired to keep working.”

Off the track recently, Louviere has had an overwhelming number of people enter his life and support him in his efforts to pursue what he loves. These relationships have had exponential positive outward effects.

One of the biggest effects by far, though, is Homewood.

Regarding his head coach, Louviere said, “Homewood is the man.”

If one were to ask any athlete on the team, that would probably be the first thing that comes to mind. Homewood is the man. The former professional track star and highly decorated athlete has been

Eileen Crotty Photo

Senior Ben Louviere clears one of the final hurdles of the 110m high hurdle race. the head coach of the men’s track and field team for four years now. Just like the seniors, he is finishing his fourth year with the same group of people, which makes the experience just a bit more special and bitter sweet. To say that he is a highly respected coach and man would barely even begin to scratch the surface of who he is in the eyes of his athletes.

“To have that caliber of a coach here at Cedar Falls High School really just leaves me in awe. Just because he’s so young yet just comes off as so wise. I guess, really, he just knows how to dig at that part of you that sometimes you don’t even know is there.

He finds this flame in you, wherever it is in any athlete or person, and he knows exactly how in each individual case to just fuel that person — not just to become a better athlete but to become your best self,” Louviere said as he took a deep breath and laughed for a moment. “It’s convenient because as a track athlete, that’s what helps.”

There was a moment in

the year when Louviere was called upon to set an example for younger athletes who were walking on a path that the senior once had been down, in previous chapters of his life. Homewood knew that Louviere had been there, so he called upon Louviere to be a role model for the younger athletes.

“It hit me so much that he, without me even realizing it, had taken my former self and who I was and crafted me into the exact role model that my former self would have needed. The end goal is that he crafts you into your own role model,” Louviere said.

The senior then went on to use the example of “If you bring a man fish, he’ll eat for a day, but teach a man to fish, he’ll eat for a lifetime.” To Louviere, Homewood truly does that.

Not only has Homewood been a defining role in Louviere’s four years at Cedar Falls High School, but so have all

END OF CHAPTER continued on page 15

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SPORTS

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Baseball leading off with young team As the baseball team unrolls the tarp covering the mound at Robinson Dresser for the first time this season, the team members are eager to start preparing for the 2016 campaign. After last season’s dismantling loss courtesy of Cedar Rapids Kennedy in the substate finals, the team is ready to have a fresh start.

Junior Ethan Hayes is a returning starter in the outfield for the Tigers and has a positive outlook on the season. “I think we can win some games. We have a solid top

END OF CHAPTER

three starters and some solid hitters as well. Most guys can run a little, so we can take extra bases.

I think we should be pretty solid,” Hayes said.

Head coach Nick Klein echoed Hayes’ remarks. “This team’s strength is that the core group of guys were important parts of our successful season last season and made it to the substate final, so they know what it takes to win and they have that expectation,” Klein said.

A team would not be a team

without leaders, and Hayes is up to the challenge. “I plan to use my experience from last year to help lead a pretty inexperienced team,” Hayes said. “We only have three seniors, so I think having a few juniors willing to lead will help. We had good leadership last year from the seniors, so we have big shoes to fill, but I’m confident we can do that.”

While it is too early in the season to see who are going to be the true leaders of the team, Klein said he knows that this team can

do what needs to be done. “Vocally, we don’t really have anyone that is a loud leader. I think that collectively, our returning group is setting a good tone, and they lead by example and the way they handle their business on the field,” Klein said.

Camaraderie is another important aspect of a great team, and junior Connor Schultz is making sure that is part of this year’s team. “I’m looking forward to spending time with my teammates and working hard with them to get better as a

ter hurdle race even though it sucks. I’ll miss running under the lights and running across the field screaming at the 4x4 relay at the end of every meet. I’ll miss watching my friends that I’ve worked out with forever. I’ll miss watching them cross the finish line first and break school records.”

Louviere then stopped and laughed for a good while

before saying, “More than anything, I’ll miss Homewood’s famous morning jams in the weightroom, especially ‘Where the Hood at’ by DMX and ‘Let the Bodies Hit the Floor.’”

The senior may never run on the blue oval at Drake again, sprint up the 300 meter hill called Lookout or wake up and spot teammates on a

team,” Schultz said.

This year’s team will especially need to have good chemistry with only three seniors returning to the team. The Tigers are returning starters such as Hayes, Schultz, Lang, junior pitcher Austin Marchesani and also seniors Dakota Schiefelbein and Steven Skidmore.

This returning experience will be a good mix with the younger, more inexperienced teammates.

By Sports Editor Jason

RATHJEN

continued from page 14

of his teammates who were just that — teammates. Now, however, they are some of the closest family Louviere said he will ever have.

Thinking back to his freshman year, Louviere can recall the super cool, talented and hardworking senior athletes that took the now-senior class under their wings. To have watched his teammates as freshmen grow into the same guys they used to look up to has been something beyond special.

“It’s weird, though,” he said. “It always seemed like we could always goof around, like things didn’t matter that much. I was worried that becoming seniors we would have to focus down, but it’s almost had the opposite effect. The more we’ve gotten older, worked out together and been a team together, it’s only gotten more fun and exciting. I also think that because we’re able to have so much fun together in that way, it’s so critical for the success of the team.”

That, however, has always been a known fact about the men’s track and field team.

They have always been one team — one that has had a lot of fun together and has always been ridiculously close knit. The love and energy on the team is hard to describe and is most certainly the underlying foundation for the team.

“All the guys are so awesome, and I’m so thankful to be a part of that team that younger guys look up to, especially my brother,” Louviere said with a slight smirk.

To add on to the people who have impacted this senior’s life, one of the biggest would have to be the volunteer coach Nikki Pauli,

who stepped in this year to help out the hurdlers simply because she loves the sport and the people. “She really has helped me translate what it means to be successful on and off the track with my lifestyle as a whole, and the ability she has to manage one million things at once is the

“All the guys are so awesome, and I’m so thankful to be a part of that team that younger guys look up to, especially my brother.”

—Ben Louviere track team captain

most impressive thing in the universe,” Louviere said. The volunteer coach has found time to make it to practically every practice and meet with all four of her young kids by her side.

Looking back through the years, it’s easy to see that the sport of track has impacted Louviere in a life-changing way that is quite hard to put into words. The memories will be ones that will stick for a lifetime, and the relationships that have grown are nothing short of beautiful.

“I’m gonna miss the throwing team,” Louviere said as he laughed a little. “I’ll miss my legs feeling like Jell-O on the last 100 meters of a 400 me-

Eileen Crotty Photo front squat while listening to the same songs over and over again, but the impact that these things have had on him will forever clearly define him.

A beautiful chapter is quickly coming to an end. However, this chapter will most definitely end with an ellipsis. It will never really come to a close.

By Staff Writer Nathan

HOY

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SPORTS

Four seniors prepare for final postseason push in women’s tennis The women’s tennis team has found success over their past five contests, walking away with three victories against Cedar Rapids Kennedy, Dubuque Senior and an 11-0 sweep of Marshalltown.

Senior Becky Hughes led the Tigers through all five contests, posting a 5-0 singles match record along with a perfect doubles record with fellow senior Madison McCann, who along with Hughes has been leading the Tigers to recent success.

The Tigers came out of a tough 3-6 loss on Friday, May 6 at Dubuque Wahlert, but team notched two hard fought singles wins from Hughes, winning 11-9, and Mary Anton, 10-8, and a dominant doubles win from the team’s

top two players, Hughes and McCann winning 10-2. The success the Tigers have come by is at the perfect time as the team looks to qualify for State. The first round of team regionals is this Saturday, May 14, and if the Tigers advance, then the second and third rounds would be next Saturday, May 21. Individual qualifying is next Thursday, May 19. This marks the last chance for seniors McCann, Hughes, Rachel Paup, and Anton to get to the state tournament.

The last regular season matchup at Iowa City West was rescheduled past the Tiger Hiline deadline, and due to this, results from the match were unavailable.

By Staff Writer Nolan

NICKERSON

Week

Hannah Bermel Women’s Golf

Vanessa Kime Photo

Senior Madison McCann and the team notched wins in a home stand against Dubuque Senior at home on May 4.

Men’s tennis charges into postseason is the guys on the team. Varsity is made up of mainly seniors, so we’ve all been playing together for four years now,” Flanscha said.

The boys have had many good wins this season and plan to have a good run at State this year.

“We have our eyes on a district championship right now — trying to defeat Ames, Waterloo West, Cedar Rapids Jefferson, Mason City and Marshalltown in our district is priority number one. Beyond that we will take it one meet at a time. We should play either No. 2-ranked Pleasant Valley or No.3-ranked Cedar Rapids Washington in the first round of sub state,” Suiter said. “Individually, Vineel Mallavarapu is a favorite to go to State out of our district, and I think that Joe Schneider has a chance in singles, as well as Michael Flanscha and Mitch Dekutoski in doubles if we play well.”

The players believe they have what it takes to make it to State as well. “I think that we have a good shot at making State. We started out a little rough, but I think we are playing the best tennis we have played all year. We will need to beat the teams in our district and may have to play a tough meet against a higher ranked team, but I feel that we have the potential to make it to State,” Mallavarapu said.

The boys are looking good for singles and doubles. “We are looking good at qualifying for singles, and we have a good chance at doubles as well, if everything falls into place at Districts,” Flanscha said.

Athlete of the

Editor’s Note: District play was after the Hi-Line deadline on Thursday The men’s tennis team is finishing up the season as districts and state approach. The team has been working diligently to try to accomplish its goals.

“We’ve been practicing everyday as a team, even moving practice inside to the Black Hawk Tennis Club when it rains so we’re always on the top of our game. We take advantage of every opportunity to improve individually and as a team,” senior Michael Flanscha said.

Practicing every day has paid off in some aspects as they have been winning more as the season rolled on. “We have worked extensively this year on getting to the net in doubles, and it has definitely paid off in wins. We are quite happy with where we are at this point in the season and are excited to begin district play on Thursday,” head coach Brian Suiter said.

As the postseason begins, the players have found their zones. “Being on the court is like being put into a completely different place. You isolate yourself from the crowd, the elements, and any other distractions. It’s just you and your opponent,” senior Mitch Dekutoski said. When on the court before a match, being warmed up and ready is very important.

“Usually I really try to stay loose and just really get a good warm up in,” senior Vineel Mallavarapu said. “I try to stay focused, but at the same time I try to really relax and focus on my game and not really think about anything else. Getting warmed up properly is important because I want to start the match playing well.”

“What makes tennis so fun

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Dekutoski is confident in the team’s abilities as well. “Vineel is a definite shoe-in for singles champion at Districts, and our number one doubles team, which includes myself and Michael Flanscha, has been training very hard to do well at Districts, and I see us making it to individual State along with Vineel. but that is not to count out or other teams like Joey Schneider, who will be playing singles, and our number two doubles team, Sam Zhang and Ryan Hilby. They also have the capacity to go to individual State as well,” Dekutoski said.

The team has many strengths this year consisting with many seniors. “What makes tennis so fun is the guys on the team. Varsity is made up of mainly seniors, so we’ve all been playing together for four years now,” Flanscha said.

Playing for many years together, the guys have improved on doubles matches. “We have been much stronger in doubles this year — a point of traditional weakness for us. In fact, our number three doubles team, Sam Zhang and Ryan Hilby, have clinched two meets for us right at the end this year.

We have also swept a couple of teams in doubles this year, which is a good step forward for us,” Suiter said.

Dekutoski also noted how the doubles matches have been going well. “Our teams strengths are definitely doubles play. There have been several meets where we’ve either won a close meet by winning one or two of our doubles matches, or secured a meet win by sweeping doubles,” Dekutoski said.

This men’s tennis team also emphasizes supporting each other to keep energized and on edge. “One of our strengths as a team is our morale. We’re always cheering each other on during matches and helping keep the energy up during meets,” Flanscha said.

Like all teams, the team can always improve in some areas.

“We need to continually work on winning the tough, close points, but as the competitive season has progressed, we have become better at winning those as well,” Suiter said.

“Our biggest weakness this season has been sickness, with 4/6 of our lineup missing at least one meet because of illness,” Dekutoski said. Sickness could be behind the losses Cedar Falls has faced this season, but the team should all be healthy by State time. The team is looking strong this year and may potentially face tough match-ups following Districts.

“So far in our District, the best teams that are there are probably Waterloo West, who we beat 5-4 during the regular season, and Ames, who we lost to at the beginning of the season. However, I think that we are playing very well right now, and we have a good chance to beat both those teams and win our District. After Districts, we may potentially play either Cedar Rapids Washington or Pleasant Valley, who are both really tough teams, but I feel that we can beat them if everyone plays their best,” Mallavarapu said.

By Sports Editor Noah

HERMANSEN

Junior Hannah Bermel has been leading the Tiger women’s golf team to another successful season. The team recently won the Valley Divisional meet in Dubuque this past Monday. Bermel shoots the low round on the team with an 80-stroke, 18-hole average and said that she hopes she can help the team get back to the state tournament.

What is the most exciting thing about golfing?

The most exciting part about golf this season is the fact that everyone has improved so much that it’s hard to tell whose scores are going to count.

What has been different about this season than last?

The thing that has been different since last season is how consistent the whole team is. We can always count on having four great scores.

Who has stepped up to lead the team this season and how?

It is hard to just choose one person who has stepped up this season.

The whole team has had chances to lead and have really done well with it.

Has the team accomplished all of its goals for this season?

We have accomplished most of our goals for the season and plan to accomplish more in the few meets we have left.

Tigers in

Action

Men’s Track Thursday May 19 2016 State Meet (Away) @ Drake Stadium TBA Women’s Track Thursday May 19 2016 State Meet (Away) @ Drake Stadium TBA Men’s Tennis Saturday, May 14 Districts (Away) TBA Women’s Tennis Saturday, May 14 Regionals (Away) TBA Men’s Soccer Friday, May 13 vs. CR Prairie (Away) @ 7 p.m.

Women’s Soccer Friday, May 13 vs. CR Prairie (Home) @ 6:45 p.m.

Women’s Golf Friday, May 13 Fort Dodge Invitational (Away) @ 10 a.m.

Trapshooting Monday, May 16 Cedar Falls Gun Club (Home)