May 3, 2019 Hi-Line

The

Tiger HI-LINE Friday, May 3, 2019

RACE AROUND THE BLUE OVAL Men and women’s track head to Drake Relays/page 8 Follow us on Twitter at tigerhiline, Facebook at TigerHilineOnline and on our website at www.hiline.cfschools.org

Volume 58 Edition 24

High school blood drive scheduled for Friday, May 10 The blood drive on Friday, May 10 is an opportunity to give back to the community.

It also benefits students for future potential blood donations.

School counselor and coordinator for the blood drive Erin Gardner said, “If [students] have an opportunity to give here at the high school, they are more than likely to continue to give through their adulthood.”

The process of donating is actually pretty simple, Gardner said, “The whole

process should take 10 to 15 minutes at the most.”

If students sign up for the blood drive, they will receive a pass to go and get their blood drawn. They will then sign a form and get their background information done. Then they will have their temperature taken and have their finger pricked to make sure their iron is not low. Once the student is ready, they are taken back to get their blood drawn.

After their blood is drawn, there will be a snack table

available to help anyone who is feeling dizzy or woozy get nutrients back into their systems. Once they are feeling ready, they will be sent back to class.

There are many ways to help at the blood drive other than just donating blood.

One way to help is by working at the registration table. This would entail handing forms out and checking people in.

Another job that is needed is walking people around after their blood is drawn as

it is common for some people to feel dizzy after. “The nurses call the volunteers over, and they can help them walk people over to the snack table,” Gardner said.

The final way to help out is by working at the snack table. Those working at the snack table will have to keep an eye on the donators to make sure they are not having a reaction to the donation.

A reaction can include paleness, sweating, nausea and, in some cases, vomit-

ing.

To avoid potential reactions, Gardner said, “It is very important to have a great breakfast that morning. Be very hydrated, so drink lots of water.”

Those who wish to donate blood can sign up on Schoology. To volunteer during a free period or a study hall, contact Mrs. Gardner to see what is available.

By Staff Writer Clare

WILLIAMS

Robotics team heads to Worlds

Out of the 68 teams in their division, the 525 Swartdogs ranked 3rd at the robotics worlds competition at Cobo Center in Detroit Michigan until they were eliminated in the division quarterfinals.

After qualifying in two ways by winning the Northern Lights Regional in Duluth, Minn., and winning the regional Chairman’s award at the Iowa Regional in Cedar Falls, the Swartdogs had to compete in the qualification matches and then quarter, semi, and finals of their division. After a team wins the finals of their division, they then move on to Einstein. This part of the competition starts with a round robin where the winners of the six divisions play against each other in a total of 15 round robin matches. The two alliances or divisions that have won the most matches in the round robin then move on to the Einstein finals match in Ford Field, and the winner of that is the winner of the championships. “I really thought I was going to be way more nervous than I was. Of course, I still had nerves, but after I realized that we had already made it so far and we had already been so successful, my nerves went away,” freshman robotics teammate Claire Shaw said.

“We all wanted to do as best as we could, but the Worlds Championship is for the teams to celebrate their already awarded victory that got them there and have fun. Being a freshman and getting that far was amazing in its own, I didn’t care if we were ranked third or ranked 60th, I just wanted to have fun, and that’s exactly what I did.”

According to Kenton Swartley, coach of team 525, the loss had a

Submitted photo

The 525 Swartdogs recieved third place at the robotics world competition. The team also recieved the highly ranked Chairmans award that got them to Worlds. lot to do with some bad luck. During the first playoff match a Hatch Panel, that is used to score points, was dropped and then rolled in front of another scoring point causing their alliance to miss out on three other scoring opportunities.

“I’m proud of all the hard work that team members contributed to our team efforts. We have a great group to work with. As we

talked at our meeting last night, one highlight of the team’s efforts was repairing a mechanical breakdown in a limited amount of time.

In a Friday morning match, a pulley broke near the end of the match.

While we still won the match, we knew there were repairs to make.

With about 90 minutes until our next match, students worked hard to disassemble the robot to get

the broken pulley out and replace it with a new one. Unfortunately, we did not have a spare, so I had to visit other teams to ask for a spare pulley. The students were able to get the repair done just in time to compete again, although they didn’t have time to fully reassemble the robot, so they drove it in the next match with one wheel missing. They were still able to per-

form well and our alliance won the next match also.” Swartley said.

Despite the bad luck the celebratory attitude carried on even when the 525 Swartdogs were eliminated. “When we were eliminated, I was, of course, sad that we didn’t make it farther, but I was so proud of how well we had done that the feeling went away very quickly. What was really great was that our team wasn’t gloomy when it happened. There was momentary sadness, but even though we didn’t go as far as we had hoped, we were still able to sit and cheer for those who did,” Shaw said. “My favorite part was seeing and cheering on our alliance captains from Duluth, team 2052, who won their division and made in the Einstein round robin and from the Iowa regional, team 930, who won their division and made it all the way to the Einstein finals in Ford Field.” Following the competition that brought the season to a close, Shaw said that the team would most likely not spend a lot of time working on the robot but they will be participating in an off season event and will be using the robot for outreach events now that the seniors are getting closer to graduating. “[An] obstacle [we will be facing] is that there are seniors, like every year, who are graduating and had served important roles on the team and now are working to, I guess, ‘pass the torch’ down to the new and younger students, like me, to fill their shoes as they leave,” Shaw said.

By Staff Writer Taylor

HUNT

2

The

Tiger

NEWS

Friday May 3, 2019

Join the

Club

Cf student groups hosts social event On Monday, April 29, the culture diversity club held its first multi-culture food fair. Students had the opportunity to try foods from India, Chile, Romania, Pakistan, Bosnia and more for free at the Tigers Den. The group also meets regularly on Wednesday first shift of power hour. Top left teacher SeĂąora Llrena and senior Catalin Vilae serve food at the food fair.

Brian Winkel photos

HI-LINE

The

Tiger

HI-LINE

Friday May 3, 2019

Making a

Difference Environmental Awareness Team cleans up

Environmental Awareness Team member’s Rachel Dailey and Catalin Vilae survey the new recycling bins at the high school for data for the University of Northern Iowa and replace filled bins with new bags.

NEWS

3

4

The

Tiger

FEATURE

HI-LINE

Friday, May 3, 2019

Hypnotist returns to after prom for ninth show In 2010, hypnotist Dr. Al Snyder first visited Cedar Falls High School for the annual post-prom celebration, and he has been back every year since then. This year, Snyder will be continuing the tradition of his hypnotism act at the 2019 post prom at Orchard Hill Church in Cedar Falls.

“There is nothing magical about hypnosis or paranormal. I don’t have any special skills. Hypnosis is nearly identical to sleepwalking. Your eyes are open and you hear and see everything, but you are in your dream state that is different from what everyone else sees in their conscious state,” Snyder said.

Over the 30 years that Snyder has mastered hypnotism, he has hypnotized about 30,000 people in the 1,500 performances he has completed.

“My background originally was studying psychology and education. I went along to become a veterinarian, and that is where I learned a lot of the neuroscience featured in hypnotism during that time. I didn’t fully start to study hypnotism until I spent some years traveling with another hypnotist to learn from him to learn the entertainment side. “ Snyder recognizes the various types of hypnotism, all attainable by anyone, even used by Snyder in his life.

“Students can be sitting in class and have in-class hypnosis where you are in a state where you don’t realize what you are doing until you are out of it. There is also highway hypnosis where you can be driving for 10 minutes and not realize where you are,” Snyder said. “Intentional hypnosis is also a thing that I do for my-

Sabine Martin photo

Hypnotist Al Snyder speaks to hypnotized senior Joey Dunning at the 2018 post prom celebration at Orchard Hill Church. self to help sleep. I can be sleeping on a plane before the door gets closed on a flight,” he said.

When Snyder hypnotizes people, there are often factors that can make someone fall into the state or prevent them from hypnosis.

“Every single night there will be people who don’t get hypnotized, but it doesn’t mean that they can’t be. They may break their concentration. They may be analyzing the process or concentrating on something in their subconscious,” he said. “It is like trying to go sleep but you can’t because you are focusing on something else. Hypnosis is the same way. You have to let it go and stop think-

ing about everything to get into it. Some people get interrupted and some people try to analyze and some people try too hard.”

Over the years, Snyder has refined his act to make the most memorable moments.

“Sometimes I will let people think that they are looking at a certain channel watching a fake TV. I turn on the music to the movie ‘Jaws,’ and I hover a Nemo fish next to them. Their eyes think that here is a huge shark, so they get frightened and jump up into their chair,” Snyder said.

Snyder also has different acts that he switches up during his performances, one featuring a hypnotized student

Student’s love of baking stems from family lessons Addison Anderson started baking with her grandma at a young age. Anderson’s grandma evoked her love for baking, especially cakes. It also inspired the young baker to get involved in school with family and consumer science classes.

1. Why did you take foods class?

“I do a lot of baking with my grandma, so it kind of started there, and from that I went to foods classes at the junior high. I liked them there, so I decided to carry on from there.”

2. Do you prefer baking or cooking?

“I’d say I do more baking.”

3. When you bake with your grandma, is it old or new recipes?

“We do some family recipes, but we also like to find new recipes that would be a challenge for us to do.”

4. What is your favorite food to create?

“I thought about it, but I think my interest more in biology kind of. I’d rather be a doctor.”

“It’s a very laid back class. It’s fun to get to know the people in your class because you get to work with them all and come up with new ideas with each of them.”

5. What’s the biggest cake you have made?

9. Do you think FCS has improved your culinary skills?

“A little less than a foot tall.”

“Yeah, definitely. We do cooking too, which is not my strong suit. I’ve learned new ways that I can make recipes.”

“A lot of it just comes to me when I start doing it. A lot of it is I just look at the cake and decide how I want to do it.”

7. Do you want to pursue culinary as a career?

By Co-Editor-In-Chief Sabine

MARTIN

Artist of

The Week

8. What has been your favorite thing about FCS?

“We like to do cakes because there are so many cakes that you can experiment with and change to make your own.”

6. What is your inspiration?

turned into a superstar singer.

“Sometimes I will make a singer during the show. Afterwards they will sign autographs, and their spouse will come up to them and ask, but the singer will ask them how to spell their name. It just shows how real it is,” he said.

“If I am at a camp or a conference, I will leave the suggestion that the next day that the singer will perform it that day. That music pops on the day after, and they don’t have time to stop and think about it. They react and race for the stage to perform. Then, we stop the music and the person is on the middle of the stage and doesn’t know how they got there,” Snyder said.

Snyder not only gets joy from his experiences as a hypnotist, but also by getting people out of their comfort zones and while giving people the chance to appreciate sides of themselves that they don’t know.

“It is the realization that someone can reach another potential that they thought they couldn’t tap into. They could be in the worst mood before they get hypnotized, but I can show you something that is hilarious,” Snyder said. “So much of what we think is reality is only what we chose for a reality in that moment.

It could be someone that would never ever sing in front of a group or speak in front of a group, but I can give them a microphone, and they act like someone who does that on a regular basis,” Snyder said.

10. When do you bake?

“A lot of times, it’s on the weekends when I have free time.”

By Co-Editor-In-Chief Sophia

SCHILLINGER

ADDISON ANDERSON Baker

5 ‘Endgame’perfectly concludes Avengers saga The

Tiger

HI-LINE

In a massive three hour culmination to 22 films released over the course of 11 years, “Avengers: Endgame” has rightfully shattered box office records and become the largest opening weekend of all time.

The magic with “Endgame” lies in its massive devotion to its fans. Some of the most dedicated have spent days camped outside of movie theaters and months waiting for tickets to go on sale. For them, “Endgame” is a merger of all of their favorite movies, a one of a kind experience that allows for characters from different movies to crossover and come together in a fight against the ultimate evil.

Most Marvel movies tend to follow the same formula: The hero feels like an outcast, faces a challenge, it seems like they won’t win and then they eventually do. They follow this for a good reason; it always works and seems to keep audience members on the edges of their seats.

In “Endgame,” however, Marvel strays from this and ultimately benefits in the end. In this movie, the focus lies in the deep stories within characters that fans have gotten to know and love over the past 11 years.

Well-loved characters like Iron Man, Captain America and even newcomers like Captain Mar-

Friday, May 3, 2019

ENTERTAINMENT

Submitted Photo

New Marvel movie “Endgame” concludes the series of 22 movies with a three-hour long finale. vel all hold an important place within the Marvel Universe. In “Endgame,” writers abandon expectations and predictions and dive into a story that gives the audience exactly what they do and don’t want: a perfect ending to each character. The story somehow manages to give each individual a character arc without taking away from the overall goal: getting back “the vanished.”

Over the course of three hours, the Russo Brothers take the audience on an

emotional and mental journey that challenges the expectations of the audience while going where no Marvel movie has ever gone before. In this complete state of independence, the story stands on its own as the best superhero movie of all time.

It’s the impeccable sequel to “Avengers: Infinity War” and gives the public all the answers that they never knew they needed. At the end of “Infinity War,” ultimate bad-guy Thanos snaps his fingers,

But You is fine You is still here You is going to make it.”

Devoid of almost all pictures and/or illustrations, the collection of poems is rather blank when it comes to the decoration of the pages, buy this is not such a bad thing when it comes to this poem book.

The author seems to have intentionally placed each poem in a neat format without the use of illustrations because she doesn’t want to distract the reader from the power in the words, and maybe that is best when readers in need

of comfort or an encouraging phrase would be looking through it. Sometimes, it seems, that fewer distractions would be best for those in a hurry, looking for some words to aid in the healing of their heart.

With 256 pages of poems both long and short alike, “Pillow Thoughts” is sure to be there in the reader’s darkest days, giving light and hope to those in need and those who love to read.

and with the power of all six infinity stones, wipes out half of the population. He seemingly turns beloved characters like Spiderman, Blank Panther, Starlord and many more to dust.

Ending with such a cliffhanger was a genius idea on behalf of the writers because they gave themselves a guarantee that audiences will have to come back wanting more. It’s impossible to deny the fact that we are all at the mercy of xMarvel writers, hang-

ing on to each individual breadcrumb they toss us.

With such intricate storylines woven across galaxies and time, “Avengers: Endgame” completes the impossible by delivering a story with suspense, humor and enough heartbreak to bring audiences to tears.

It’s a movie that will be remembered for decades to come; a perfect ending to the group of heroes we’ve come to know as the Avengers.

By Staff Writer Erin

McRAE

Poem collection offers light during dark days “Pillow Thoughts” is a collection of poetry written by author Courtney Peppernell, published back in 2016.

Pages and pages of poems are separated into 10 different sections, each holding powerful words of raw emotion for any occasion for anyone who might need it. Passages for those in love to those that are sad, from those who need encouragement to those who need a reason to stay, this collection has all one could ever need right at their fingertips.

“I hate to spoil the ending

By Online Editor Skylar

PROMER

Skylar Promer Photo

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The

Tiger

HI-LINE Our View Veg Fest inspires activism for sake After biggest measles outbreak in decades, Citizens need to take of benefiting health, planet, animals OPINION

vaccinations seriously

In 1954 when the polio vaccine came out, students lined up outside of schools to receive the vaccine. Parents were so happy that their kids would be saved from the devastating polio disease.

Fast forward to 2019. Anti-vaxers are protesting against immunizations, inaccurately saying vaccines have led to various side effects like autism.

Anti-vaxers are avoiding the major health benefits of vaccinations and posing a threat to the society considering the hundreds of measles outbreaks already this year.

The CDC offers multiple health reasons on the necessity to vaccinate oneself, including it can prevent long term illness, reduce the chance of spreading diseases and can protect health when traveling.

Not receiving vaccines can leave one vulnerable to diseases that hospitalize one for life. These diseases include influenza, pneumococcal disease, human papillomavirus and hepatitis A and B, according to the CDC. Anti-vaxers don’t only pose a health risk to themselves by not getting vaccinated, but to all those who cannot get vaccinated for reasons such as age and mental and physical health. Because of this, vaccinations are not only a health matter, but an ethical matter. By not vaccinating oneself or one’s children, one poses a threat to others around while also sacrificing one’s personal health.

Some inaccurately argue the exact opposite and say vaccines can cause one to get the disease that vaccines are preventing, but the National Foundation of Infectious Diseases says that some vaccines contain “weakened” or “killed” viruses that aren’t able to give someone the disease.

The recent hundreds of measles infections also shows our society that vaccine-preventable diseases have not gone away. This means that now is an important time, more than ever with the highest population in history, to vaccinate oneself and all children to protect the health of the world’s 7.5 billion people.

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.

Editors-in-Chief: Sabine Martin, Sophia Schillinger Opinion Editor: Saba Aydiner Online Editor: Skylar Promer Staff: Grace Boezinger, Jackson Gutknecht, Taylor Hunt, Kendall Maslak, Jamie McDowell, Erin McRae, Sierra Miller, Grace Waseskuk, Alex Williams, Clare Williams Hi-Line Online Editor-in-Chief: Jackson Kliewer Staff: Paul Adom-Boateng, Colby Coonradt, Jack Jorgensen, Daniel Mitchell, Catalin Vilae

Friday, May 3, 2019

Lately, veganism has been a trend on the rise, and, to be fair, after all the crappy trends this generation has faced, it is one to be proud of.

As a vegan myself, I witnessed these changes first hand within my time of being a vegan. Although I complained about the lack of vegan activity within Iowa in general, getting a chance to attend the Vegan Festival in Des Moines over the weekend was a life changer regarding my thoughts on the vegan community and activism in Iowa.

Living in the heart of agriculture, my knowledge about the plant-based community here so far consisted of a couple people I knew … and Icon Donuts. I was following a couple Iowa-based activists in Iowa and the Farm Sanctuary; however, I still wasn't satisfied with the efforts. Frankly, I wasn't expecting much from

the vegan festival either. Once we arrived to the spot, I was very surprised by what I saw. People had already formed a long line at the door hours before the festival was supposed to start. After quickly getting in line ourselves, the conversations I had with other fellow vegans made me feel like I belonged in a community with people I shared the same values with for the first time.

With the doors opening however, it was a whole other “Hallelujah” for me. For the first time since I’ve gone vegan, I was able to go to any vendor in the festival and eat whatever I wanted without having to worry about if there were any animals harmed in the making.

And it was some damn good food—especially the nachos.

After filling our stomachs to the very top, making amazing friends and listened to brilliant speakers

who made me feel like yelling “preach” to every word that came out of their mouths—I was happier than ever. Besides my overflowing happiness, I also carried a sense of guilt for all the times I complained about how there wasn’t much done to save the environment.

These people had spent day and night doing their best; I was the one not contributing. I didn’t need anyone to officialize my vegannes, I was the community. As a result, I paid a visit to the Des Moines Animal Save desk to discuss how I can play my part within this community and jotted down every word that came out of her mouth.

From now on, I will try my best to be an active voice of the community for the animals and the environment, alongside helping out my parents with the cooking with all the new vegan cooking tricks I learned.

By Staff Writer Saba

AYDINER

Peet should recognize teachers birthdays too Every day at the end of the daily announcements the school announce the students birthdays, but never in the years at Peet Junior High have they announced teachers and staff members’ birthdays.

English teacher Nathaniel Norby said, “I would guess that it’s because a lot of teachers value their privacy, and while it sounds like it would be nice, but when you have 200 people come up and say happy birthday and ask how old you are, it can be exhausting,” Norby said.

But why couldn’t we just let some sensitive teachers opt out?

“Once in a while we will get a student who says they don't want their birthday announced,

but it's very rare,” Principal Bill Boevers said. He has brought up good points on how they would respect staff members privacy if they wish their birthday to not be announced. “Imagine you hear your teacher's birthday on the announcements, you would most likely say happy birthday to them, and it could brighten their day,” Boevers said.

In many ways with this would benefit the students and staff of the school because it could create bonds between students and staff by opening up conversation.

If the bonds that are built between staff and students are stronger, it makes a better environment for students to learn and grow mentally and in character.

Student Truman Posey agreed with this idea. “They deserve it just as much if not more than us students. I feel like it would give incentive for students to talk with them.”

Having a teachers birthdays announced could help create a sort of bond with students, create a positive relationship and possibly see a better class life.

“Student and teacher relationships can create good environments in the classroom and encourage students to work harder in that class,” Posey said. “I think it would bring a more positive atmosphere and create a more open and friendly atmosphere.”

By Staff Writer Jamie

McDOWELL

What is your perfect spring day?

“My perfect “The perfect “My perfect spring day would inspring day for me spring day would be kind of warm but not volve going golfing would be actually no or swimming.” snow, nice weather swelteringly hot.” and all the nice flow— Lexie Godfrey ers. Also a little rain — Katelyn Turner here and there.”

By Staff Writer Kendall

MASLAK

— Daimon Juarez

“My perfect spring day would be any day I can go walk my dog or go to the dog park..”

— Andrea Fratrik

The

Tiger

HI-LINE

Friday, May 3, 2019

OPINION

7

New wave of infection kills AT RISK amphibians around world

If I had to select one thing and say, “This is what will irreparably damage biodiversity.

This is it,” I wouldn’t choose skin fungus, but that’s exactly what’s killing hundreds of amphibian species. Chytridiomycosis is an infection that has spread to amphibians all over the world, leading to what has been dubbed the “amphibian apocalypse.

Chytrid is a type of fungus of which there are nearly 1,000 different species. The specific type of chytrid currently ravaging amphibians is called Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), and it was discovered in 1999. It translates, literally, to “frog chytrid,” and it can spread quickly and reach every single one of the 6,000-ish species of amphibians on the planet.

Infection by Bd occurs in the skin cells, specifically those

containing keratin, and causes the skin to thicken. This is especially deadly for amphibians because many species use their skin to drink water and absorb nutrients. Some species are lungless and use their skin to breathe.

Even the few amphibian species that are resistant to the infection can still carry it to other amphibian species. Bd can spread via direct contact, or on cages and boots of researchers and explorers, or when amphibians are bought and sold as pets.

So far, over 500 species have been affected, more than 90 of which are already extinct as a result. Forty percent of the affected species continue to decline.

By Staff Writer Sierra

MILLER

A fungus called Chytridiomycosis is spreading to amphibians around the world, and it is leading to a massive dieoff that so far seems to have no end in sight.

Brian Winkel Photos

8

The

SPORTS

The Blue Oval The 110th annual Drake relays were held April 24-27.

The women’s team finished 5th in overall points while the men’s team finished 9th.

For many athletes, it was an opportunity of a lifetime to run at one of the biggest track events in the United States.

“Running at the blue oval is an opportunity I'm proud to say I've gotten to experience because not only is it challenging just to qualify, but not a lot of people get the chance to run on this track. It's especially rewarding just to know that you're among the best of the best and get that chance to compete for a title,” junior Mackenzie Michael said.

Michael not only qualified for the 800 final, but took home first place in the event.

“Getting first in the 800 was like a dream come true.

I had always wanted that white flag and it took a lot of hard work to have the success I've had. I was also very proud of myself to know that I was the best in the state at that event. It gave me a lot of confidence in my training, coaches and ability.”

Women’s coach Chris Wood focused on staying focused and being prepared in every way, so the big stage wouldn’t be as overwhelming.

“We had a good mix of rookies and veterans for the Relays, so I would say we had a great time, but we're focused when we needed to be. We have emphasized race preparation at every meet, the importance of proper warm up, cool down, mental preparation, nutrition, etc. so being on a bigger stage wasn't any different,” Wood said.

The weather was favorable on Friday, but took a turn for the worse on Saturday. Runners Lindsey Sires and Kyle Trunnell both had to fight the elements before their races.

“On Saturday at the end of the meet, the weather was so bad that we had to move into the Knapp Center across the street to warm up because the the field events got moved indoors where we all were warming up. It was very crowded and was

Tiger

Friday, May 3, 2019

Men’s, women’s teams compete at Drake Relays

Submitted Photo

Junior Mackenzie Michael places first at Drake Relays in the 800 meter run on Friday, April 26. This is Michael’s second championship win for the open 800. difficult to warm up without running into people. The weather definitely caused us some problems on Saturday,” Sires said.

“The weather usually doesn't affect the schedule for the meet, but it definitely affects the performance of the runners. This year we had some really crazy wind going along with some rain and 50 degree temperatures, so the running conditions were not ideal for anyone trying to get warm and perform well,” Trunnell said.

Coach Wood was proud that his runners said he was able to stay focused in the questionable weather and get their bodies where they needed to be before their races.

“Anytime you have to do anything outside when it's 40 degree wind chills with rain, it isn't going to be enjoyable. We persevered. We got creative with our warm ups, modifying them slightly and finding space around Drake to get them in. The most important thing was making sure we were properly warmed up to go out and compete. The girls took it serious and were dialed in before every race. I am sure they were sick and tired of us telling them to make sure they were sweating before going outside, but

they were ready to go. Our performances showed that throughout careful preparation and warm up on their part, the weather didn't play a significant factor in how they competed,” The athletes had varied approaches to preparing for the big meet, but all had one similar goal: to stay focused.

Michael, a long distance runner, had to endure tough practice leading up to the meet to stay focused and ready.

“Leading up to Drake we trained even harder. Instead of backing off and letting our bodies rest, we had our toughest week of training ever the week before Drake. This allowed us to strengthen our bodies, even though they were very tired.

It also helped challenge me mentally as well because it forced me to push through the pain and mental doubts even though my body was exhausted,” Michael said.

Sires, a sprinter, focused more on getting her body relaxed and getting mentally prepared for the meet.

“We had a couple hard workouts a week, but once Drake got closer we started doing yoga, working on handoffs and visualizing our races. It really helped to get locked in and focused on the race,” Sires said.

Sires finished fourth in the 4x400 finals alongside Maddy Lenaerts, Sydney Stokes and Auriona Kimbrough.

The athletes walked away from the meet with stronger mental toughness than before and with a chance to get even better after seeing some of the top runners in the country.

“My favorite part of the Drake Relays is watching the high end collegiate and high school runners, along with the Olympic and professional runners. There's something special about watching these people do some crazy things on the track. It really gives me motivation to push myself harder to get to where they are at,” Trunnell said.

“I think 9th is pretty good for us overall. I personally didn't know that there was team scoring at Drake, but it definitely shows that we have a really good core group of athletes on our relays.”

Coach Wood said the competition mentally prepared his team for when the state meet comes.

“Drake gives us the opportunity to focus on the mental side of our ability to compete. How do you get prepared to race some of the best in the state? What nerves or anxiety do you have? What pressure do you feel? Take it all in, the sights, the sounds, the distractions, all of it. That way, when we return in 2 weeks for the state meet, we are prepared mentally and physically to compete for a podium finish,” Wood said.

Michael said she will never forget her Drake Relays and is grateful for the opportunity that the relays gave her.

“My favorite part of Drake this year was winning the flag. To me it's not just a flag. It symbolizes all of the adversity and challenges I've been faced with and had overcome to have the success I do today. Not many people in the world have a white flag, and it's just a very unique and special award to be won.”

By Staff Writer Jackson

GEUTKNECHT

HI-LINE Athlete of the

Week

AURIONA KIMBROUGH Women’s Track

How long have you been running track? “I started my freshman year, so four years.”

What is your favorite race to run?

“I would say the 400 is my favorite. It is more of a sprint, but you have to strategize, and it is a challenge as well.”

What has been your biggest accomplishment from this season so far?

“I would have to say placing second in our sprint medley at Drake.”

What are your personal goals? “I really want to defend my state title in high jump, and I want to go first and second place with Mackenzie in the open 400 race.”

Have you faced any struggles in track? “Luckily I have not.”

What is your favorite track memory? “My favorite memory would have to be winning the distance medley with my teammates Morgan, Leah and Mackenzie.

Do you plan on running after high school? “I love high school sports and the atmosphere of it, but I am excited for a new challenge.

I am going to be a Multi at UNI.”