The Growl - Nov. 2012

GROWL The Growl

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THE

A Student Publication of Holy Trinity Episcopal Academy

November 2012

Homecoming

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Simple Truths

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GROWL Volume 10

Issue 2

Holy Trinity Episcopal Academy 5625 Holy Trinity Drive Melbourne, FL 32940 (321) 723-8323 news@htes.org Ally Neutze Editor-in-Chief Megan McCreery Feature Editor

The Growl

By Patrick Black

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Don’t wear a red shirt to Target unless you want to be asked questions by customers every five minutes.

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Contrary to popular belief, just because you whisper it doesn’t mean no one can hear you.

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Everyone has walked into a room and forgotten why they were there.

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Unfortunately, it is impossible to remove glitter off of you completely.

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Let’s be honest, in the school bathroom no one ever uses the air dryer.

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The book is always going to be better than the movie (only to people who actually read.)

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The SAT has two hours worth of instructions on how to take a three hour test.

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Florida has only two seasons: hot and hotter.

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Yes presidential candidates, we know you are running for president. We do not need 10,000 TV ads telling us so.

Patrick Black Opinion Editor Bobby Forman Web Editor Catie Sergis Sports Editor Staff Reporters Andrea Bomalaski Suzannah Boyle Paige Golson Alyssa Nelson Jenny Ryan Sam Woods Adviser Jim Hale Headmaster Catherine A. Ford Printing Indian River Press Cover Photo Homecoming queem candidates: Megan McCreery, Brianna Wahy, Idanis Perez, McKenzie Altman, Savannah Hicks, and Karina Mann. Mr. Tiger candidates: Sean Carrol, Joe Torkelson, Casey Nierenberg, James Befanis, Dolan Bortner, and Cole Oliver.

The Growl is published monthly during the school year by students of Holy Trinity Episcopal Academy. The publication is a public forum, with its student editorial board making all decisions concerning its contents.

Unsigned editorials express the view of the majority of the editorial board.

Letters to the editor are welcomed and will be published as space allows.

Letters must be signed and will be verified.

The paper reserves the right to edit letters for grammar and clarity, and all letters are subject to laws governing obscenity, libel, privacy and disruption of the school process, as are all contents of the paper.

Op i n i o n s i n l e t t e r s ar e not necessarily those of the staff, nor should any opinion expressed in a public forum be construed as the opinion or policy of the administration, unless so attributed.

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Yelling at the TV because your team is doing poorly doesn’t do anything.

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When you “like” your own status, it is like laughing at your own joke.

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You need to get to the lunch line in less than five seconds if you want to eat lunch before the lunch period ends.

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They never give “nap time” to the people who need it.

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You can never find what you are looking for when you are actually looking for it.

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A majority of students do not park very well.

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Honestly, our definition of “research” is looking it up on Wikipedia.

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Nothing good ever happens when teenagers start a conversation with, “Hey, let’s try this.”

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There’s nothing exciting to do in Brevard County.

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The most worthless piece of advice is being told that your seat cushion can be used as a flotation device.

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It is actually pretty complicated to come up with 20 simple truths.

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Eligible for the Election

By Megan McCreery Growing up in your parents’ home for nearly the first two decades of your life, it is easy to become distant from the political world because you aren’t making any political decisions. However, this school year, 32 members of the senior class will be eligible to vote in the election between President Barrack Obama (D) and Governor Mitt Romney (R).

These students are faced with the challenge of who they will vote for.

It is easy to simply go along with the views their parents may have instilled in them over the years; however, many students find that they’ve formed their own opinions. With the deadline quickly approaching, a decision must be made as to whether they will vote, and more importantly, for whom they will vote.

Election day, November 6th, is right around the corner.

“I’ll definitely vote this year. My parents have not, in any way or form influenced my political views because politics aren’t discussed in my house,” said senior Allen Britten.

Students are able to begin registering to vote when they turn 16, and many HT students took advantage of registering at a young age.

“My parents taught me that it was important to vote, so I registered when I turned 18. Democracy is a privilege, so the fact that our government allows us to be involved is a wonderful thing. I believe

all Americans should honor and respect this right and vote in the election,” said senior Maddy Kissell.

HT students believe that their parents can have a variety of influences on their political views and opinions.

“I don’t really think my parents have influenced my political views, but their jobs kind of have. My mom is a dentist, and my dad is a doctor,” said senior Idanis Perez.

Reid Stockett offers another perspective.

“My dad has really tried to influence my political views; he likes watching FOX News and wants me to do the same. I don’t really listen to what he has to say because I believe it is important to form and construct your own opinions about the election and the candidates,” he said. “I think students at HT follow along too closely with what their parents’ views are instead of forming their own, which is definitely a downfall.”

The views held by a variety of students have helped them draw their own conclusions as to the real importance of this election.

“This election is going to have a big impact on our generation, and I want to make sure that the choice I make, regarding the election, is a good one,” said senior Ryan McKeone.

Some believe that simply looking at the facts can help you form a clear opinion.

“It’s simple. I care about the social issues that will affect me in the coming years. That’s why I feel it is very important to vote; this election will have an effect on us too,” said senior Neil Van Allen.

Many students feel that others at HT are falsely informed, or biasedly educated on politics.

It is important for new voters to veer away from biased news, and to research and inform themselves about the issues. The popular belief is that students are unable to form opinions on their own, and the clear-cut advice is simple: educate yourself, and stop simply regurgitating what your parents feed to your brain about President Obama or Gov. Mitt Romney.

“I personally think students take their parents’ political views because that is what they share with them. But, when students become high schoolers, they see the other side and can determine if they would rather be a part of the other side or continue on with their parents’ views,” said senior Lauren Ferrara. “I also believe you can educate yourself by watching reliable news and reading the paper. When you are involved it helps, but if you don’t become involved, you don’t know what is politically going on and tend to just repeat what is said by others,” she said.

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Hyped up

By Ally Neutze With the first quarter closed and the second quarter well on its way, students’ workloads are beginning to pick up. Many have practice in the morning, then classes for seven hours, practice again after school, homework, after school jobs, and a lot of other extracurricular activities.

Because Holy Trinity is so small, our students take on many roles, which leaves them fatigued and exhausted. Some are dragging themselves out of bed in the morning and can’t seem to muster the energy to study for that test or attend a practice. So instead of pushing through, or getting to bed earlier, many are turning to an alternative form of stamina -- energy drinks.

However, surrounding these drinks is much controversy.

Last week the U.S. Food and Drug Administration began investigating reports of five deaths that are possibly linked with the consumption of Monster energy drinks, the most recent being a 14-year old from Maryland who died last December.

“Controversy stems from no regulations by the FDA on any energy drinks. The FDA does regulate the amount of caffeine in sodas, bottled coffee, sports drinks, and others, but not in so-called energy drinks,” said HT school nurse Mrs. Liana Foster.

“So the amounts of caffeine and additives (amino acids such as taurine or guarana), vary in each energy drink and can be two to three times over the recommended amounts.

There is no regulation on adding amino acids/additives, so very little info is known about the overall health effects.”

Energy drinks as we know them were originally developed overseas in Europe and Asia nearly 20 years ago. It was not until 1997 that drinks such as Red Bull, which is the highest-selling energy drink, were introduced to the United States, where they became a wildly popular craze.

Energy drinks were first marketed for athletes promising an energy high that would last through workouts and games all while providing a medley of vitamins, specifically variations of Vitamin B. Soon thereafter, the public caught on and a trend was set.

Now energy drinks have expanded from being sold in select states in select stores to nearly every store in America. Walk in any gas station and go to the drink section.

There will be at least five different brands be it Monster, Rockstar, or Red Bull and multiple variations of each brand (low carb, sugar free, etc). To top it off, walk to the counter of the gas station and there will be little bottles of Five Hour Energy waiting to be picked up.

“Controversy stems from no regulations by the FDA on any energy drinks.”

-- Mrs. Liana Foster The easy accessibility to these products has no doubt been one of the keys to their success. Any teenager can walk into a store and buy one not having a clue what taurine, guarana, or riboflavin are, let alone the effects they produce.

“The side effects include increased blood pressure, heart rate (which make you feel more energetic), anxiety and insomnia. With increased and extended usage, the effects can become more detrimental: decay of tooth enamel, cardiovascular issues (arrhythmias/ heart attacks), increased risk of diabetes, kidney and liver damage,” said Mrs. Foster.

“I haven’t seen anyone pass out from the energy drink, but I have had numerous students with high heart rates and shaking from increased caffeine levels.”

Senior Alyssa Chapman feels strongly about the drinks.

“I hate them. I’ve seen some of the effects on the dancers that use them,” said Chapman of her teammates at her studio.

Sophomore Vanessa Pannicia also believes the drinks are bad for athletes.

“I don’t think kids in athletics realize that

energy drinks can cause side effects to their activity. Caffeine really affects the kidneys,” said Pannicia.

Despite having twice the amount of caffeine, many students feel more comfortable drinking coffee.

“I love coffee, I think it’s totally different than energy drinks,” said Chapman.

Senior Chris Suchoski shares the same opinion.

“Coffee is different. It’s natural and it’s not loaded with sugar and chemicals like energy drinks are,” he said.

Thus, caffeine is not the component of energy drinks that seems to bother most students. Instead, it is the amount of sugar they contain. One 16-ounce original Rockstar contains 62 grams of sugar. To put this in perspective, a regular 16-ounce Coke has 54 grams of sugar. Nonetheless, the amount of sugar in the Rockstar is double that of a Snicker’s candy bar and nearly triple that of Reece’s Peanut Butter Cups.

“Energy drinks have so much sugar and the concentrated amount of sugar is not nutritionally good for your body. I think all together they’re horrible and you should be able to get energy from other resources,” said Chapman.

Suchoski agrees with Chapman’s statement.

“I feel like they’re unhealthy because they’re essentially just sugar. I think the energy that you feel is basically a sugar high and that you’re so jittery and shaky after drinking one that it’s just pointless,” said Suchoski.

However, sophomore Chass Charroux feels differently.

“I love energy drinks,” said Charroux.

“The fact that they are bad for me doesn’t really faze me because I’m a kid and I would rather enjoy it now than when sugary things like energy drinks will affect me a whole lot more when I’m older,” he said.

Charroux originally began using energy drinks to help him get up in the morning.

“I used to drink them because they woke me up. Usually sometimes if I was just really sleepy in the morning and I felt like I was

The Growl

going to fall asleep in class I’d drink one,” he said.

But as time went on, Charroux began to see a change.

“They used to actually give me a lot of energy. But after a while they stopped really giving me that much energy,” he said.

However, many have speculated that this so called energy is not really given by the energy drink itself. Instead, it is possible that the energy is caused by what is known as the placebo effect or the placebo response.

“The placebo effect is when a substance, simply by the expectations alone, affect our behavior or well-being. An example is when a patient is administered a sugar pill in lieu of the real medication and the results are the same,” said AP Psychology teacher Mrs. Judy Baxter. “Energy drinks don’t

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really help with anything, but if you strongly believe in your mind that something you are doing will improve your results, it really can help your results. This is the placebo effect at its best but it may not work the same each time, depending on your mood and level of expectations.”

“Because kids think they are getting energy from the energy drinks, they will.

It’s all mental,” said Chapman.

Suchoski echoes Chapman’s beliefs.

“Basically, I feel like it’s a hype. Kids drink them just to be cool or whatever when really they’re probably killing their hearts and giving themselves diabetes,” he said.

In place of energy drinks, Suchoski has found other alternatives that do not harm his body.

“What I take is basically an energy

multivitamin before I work out that turns me into the machine that is Chris Suchoski,” he said. “It’s called AMP Endurance Vitapak Pro. It’s a vitamin that has a lot of natural extracts and whatnot that just gets you pumped before you lift.”

There are many substitutes for energy drinks on the market today, such as the multivitamin that Suchoski uses. These protein powders and vitamins are becoming increasingly popular as more people realize the harmful effects that energy drinks can produce on the human body.

Junior Megan Moisand has her Rockstar energy drink in hand while studying. Many students are using these drinks in order to deal with their hectic schedules.

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Football seniors to be honored at homecoming game

Final FridayNight

By Sam Woods The lights will turn on, and the Tigers will take the field for the last game of this season next Friday.This will be the last time that the seniors will take the field this season, and it will be Mrs. Ford’s last game as headmaster.

Coach Mark Ainsley said that some of the key players in the homecoming game will be, senior linesman Ryan Collins, senior linebacker Nick Hamer, senior full back and linebacker Michael Boyle, freshman tailback and tight end Josh Hardin, senior wide receiver Marques Burgman, and juinor back and tight end Michael Leary.

“I think that it will be a tough game, but we can definitely win,” -- Coach Mark Ainsley

Holy Trinity’s homecoming opponent, Jupiter Christian, has qualified for the playoffs seven times in the last eight years.

“I think that it will be a tough game, but we can definitely win,” said Coach Ainsley.

The homecoming game is also senior night for football players and cheerleaders, who will be recognized before the game.

The homecoming court will also be paraded around the football field at halftime and the queen will be crowned by last year’s homecoming queen, Nikki Kilborne, who is returning for the ceremony and game.

This is the time of the year when the seniors can reflect on the football season.

“My favorite game was the Warner Christian game. They have a reputation as a tough team. It was the most difficult game of the season,” said Collins.

Hamer had a different memorable moment this season “The game in Saint John was crazy, it was a four hour ride and then the game was delayed two and a half hours. When we finally got to play, the field was covered with mud and we still won,” said Hamer.

The 2012 Brevard CountyAll-Star Team for football was recently announced and the Tigers were well represented. Nick Hamer was named as a member of the first team offense and Ryan Collins was named to the first team defense. Collins was also named the Brevard County 3A Player of the Year.

Tiger Head Coach Mark Ainsley was named Coach of the Year.

Dylon Collins was named as a member of the offensive line, second team. Tigers receiving honorable mention included Garrett Heinlen, Michael Boyle, Michael Leary, Jr., and Anthony Cally.

Brandon Collins was named to the Brevard County All-Academic first team.

The HT football team gets ready for another intense game. This years homecoming game will also be senior night for the football players and cheerleaders.

Celebrity Day: Meredith Haley as Reba McEntire

Animal Day: Matthew Ryan as a Penguin

Homecom Holy Trinity vs.

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Spirit Week Activities: Monday: Powder Puff Volleyball Tuesday: Homecoming Court/Mr.Tiger performances Wednesday: BBQ Lunch Thursday: Powder Puff Football Friday: Pep Rally Twin Day: Ravenel and Remy Rudd

Time Travel Day: Gabby Dixon

ming Game Jupiter Chrisitian

Spirit Day: Josh Moisand

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Bird turns passion for sports into rewarding career

By Catie Sergis When talking about homecoming week, many students mention the football game, spirit week, homecoming court, and Mr. Tiger. However, many forget what the word homecoming really means. The homecoming game is a time for Holy Trinity alumni to return to campus, as well as a time for us to remember them.

Stephanie Bird graduated from HT in 2008. From there, she attended Stetson University and graduated in December of 2011, with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a minor in Spanish and statistics.

“I loved Stetson. The class sizes were small and allowed for you to ask questions and interact with the professors,” said Bird.

“In addition, the campus was beautiful and I felt at home there. I could not have picked a better college; it was the perfect fit for me.”

Alumni Profile Bird also had a passion for sports both at Holy Trinity and Stetson. She was a member of HT’s varsity cross country and track team.

“Running for Stetson was laid back in comparison to HT. In a way this was nice because it allowed me to run for fun, and focus more on classes. Cross country in college brought me lifelong friendships, and all around a fun college experience,” Bird said.

The summer before she graduated from Stetson, Stephanie interned at USA Triathlon in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Bird was offered a job at USAT as their acquisition and retention coordinator.

“I work to gain and keep members for our organization through marketing,” Bird said.

Bird has lots of goals for the future.

“In the future, I hope to either work for the United States Olympic Committee in Colorado, or Ironman in Florida. In a way, it depends on whether I want to stay in Colorado, or move back to Florida. I am not sure, but will figure it out as life unfolds,” Bird said.

Stephanie Bird Class of ‘08

With her many experiences in school and the work field, Bird also has some advice for upperclassmen.

“The best piece of advice I could give is to get an internship. Pick a summer during college and apply anywhere that you would want to intern, including out of state. Getting

out of your comfort zone and going to places you have never been before will help you grow and experience life to the fullest,” she said Bird’s story is a true testament to the Holy Trinity slogan: Start Here, Go Anywhere.

The Growl

Kickin’ off the season

By Andrea Bomalaski

Last year, the Holy Trinity girls varsity soccer team reached a level of success that hadn’t been seen in several years. This year the girls are hoping to make it even farther.

“I have high hopes for the team,” said junior Meg Rydson, who is a captain of the varsity girls soccer team this year.

“The varsity team is looking very strong and we are looking forward to the preseason tournament, and the season itself,” she said.

The team’s preparation for the season varies from player to player.

“Morgan Walker, Meg and I did training with Dean every Monday before the season.” said sophomore Summer Rydson. “I play club soccer, and I practice three times a week. I have tournaments and games every weekend, so I’m playing a lot,” she said.

Dean Flexton has been the varsity head coach for four years now and has been a contributing factor to the girls climbing success.

“I’m looking forward to this season. I want to make it as far as possible into the state tournament,” said Coach Flexton.

Last year, the team went all the way to regional semifinals, only to lose to MCC in overtime with a score of 1-0.

A lot of the girls won’t ever forget their success from last year.

“I’ve been playing on the HT soccer team for six years, and I’ve never seen the team make it that far,” said senior Tori Glaubitz.

Glaubitz has been a captain of the varsity team for three years now, and she also has set high goals for this upcoming season.

“I’m hoping we make it farther than regionals this year,” said Glaubitz.

Jessie Lynch, also a senior, has similar goals.

“I just want to make it farther than we did last year,” said Lynch.

All the girls are very excited for the season.

The girls varsity soccer team is puting lots of effort into this season. The Tigers are hoping to reach a new level of success this year.

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Flavors of Fall

By Suzannah Boyle

Pumpkins, cinnamon, and changing leaves are all things that remind us of fall. Although Florida doesn’t really have much of a change in weather in the fall, many students still find ways to get into the fall festivities. For example, sophomore Gabriella Guyton enjoys getting pumpkin spice lattes from Starbuck’s in the fall. It is a popular choice among Holy Trinity students.

Pumpkin spice lattes aren’t the only food items students can look forward to this fall.

Starbuck’s also offers pumpkin scones, pumpkin bread, pumpkin cream cheese muffins, and a salted caramel mocha coffee during the fall.

Freshman Kathy Jara tried a pumpkin scone for the first time this fall.

“It was a lot better than I expected, the

icing was the best part,” said Jara.

Another thing that students can do to embrace the fall season is decorate their homes with pumpkins, or get candles that have fall scents. Sophomore Katie Merlin carved a pumpkin with the words “Live, Laugh, Love” on the front.

“I decorate my house with pumpkins around Halloween and my mom gets cinnamon candles to go with the fall mood,” said sophomore Sara Ashley.

Senior Emily Jameson buys cinnamon candles from Yankee Candle and says they really remind her of the fall.

In pursuit of a true fall season, many of Holy Trinity’s students have been up north to see the leaves change. Seventh grader Lauren Perry visited Gatlinburg, Tennessee during the fall and thought it was beautiful.

Merlin also visited Tennessee and saw the leaves change. “It’s a lot prettier and the leaves changing really make it feel like it’s actually fall,” said Merlin.

Jameson visited The University of Kentucky when the leaves were changing in the fall.

“It was so pretty up there and it really made the college more appealing to me,” said Jameson.

Florida’s lack of a true fall season does not seem to be slowing down the Holy Trinity population from fully enjoying it.

Freshman Kathy Jara, left, enojys a pumpkin spice frappachino, while her sister, sophomore Joanna Jara, enjoys a salted caramel mocha iced coffee from Starbuck’s.

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Homecoming Word Search

By Alyssa Nelson

The answers to the questions below can be found in the wordsearch to the right. Good luck.

Questions What is the name of Holy Trinity’s student newspaper?

Who is the editor-in-chief of our student newspaper?

Who is the varsity volleyball team’s libero?

Channel _____-_____ News Which class has the most students in it?

Who won the 2012 Holy Trinity spelling bee?

Who was the 2012 valedictorian?

What is our schools mascot?

What two 2012 graduates now play football for F.I.T.?

Name the class of 2010 graduate whose nickname was “Sunny-D”.

Who was the 2011 Homecoming Queen?

Name the class of 2011’s Mr. Tiger.

Who sang Rolling in the Deep by Adele for the Mr. Tiger show?

Who is the current student government president?

Who was the growl editor in 20102011?

Homecoming Trivia: Holy Trinity’s first homecoming queen, Tiffany McKenzie, was crowned in 2000.

Brian Alpizar was the first Mr. Tiger. He was crowned in 2005.

The first homecoming game was played at the University of Missouri in 1911.

The coach invited alumni to return for the game. The idea caught on, and now homecoming is a tradition at almost every high school and college across the United States.

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DIY T-Shirts

By Paige Golson n

Every year another homecoming ecoming comes and goes. From the crowning of the court to the screaming fans, the homecoming football game is one of the most exciting events at Holy Trinity.

But with all this excitement there is always one problem students face: What to do to show their Tiger spirit?

Many students paint themselves or make ribbons for their hair. Another way to show school spirit is to make a t-shirt. Here are some ideas on how to show your Tiger pride.

What you will need:  Blue, white, or gold t-shirt  Puffy paint (blue, gold, black, orange, white, etc)  Stencils (optional) Option one: Front 1. Print out picture of a tiger (head or full body) 2. Cut out the stripess 3. Tape the tiger down own in the center of the shirt

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Take the black paint and fill fill iin the stripes, wait to dry before removing Take off tiger Use orange or white paint to fill in the rest of the tiger

Option two: Front 1. Use a stencil or draw free hand a saying (i.e. Tiger on the prowl) 2. Do bubble letters for writing 3. Color in the letters, or do tiger stripes Option one: Back 1. Use a stencil st to write the players players’ names 2. Use any an color to write the numbe numbers 3. Use different d sizes and ways to write the numbers 4. If you y did any bubble lett letters color in, or put a de design in it

Option two: Back 1. Stencil or free hand it, write one football players number in the center of the shirt 2. Use bubble letters 3. Use any color 4. Color it in or make a design Option three: Back 1. Use multiple tiger paw stencils 2. Tape down each stencil to make it look like a Tiger walked on your back 3. Outline the paw in black or gold paint 4. Remove once dried 5. Paint or design the inside of the paw orange or blue Whatever way you decide to design your shirt, have fun with it and make it your own.