The
TIGERcub
volume101 issue2 october27, 2010
ALSO INSIDE TANNER JONES SHOWS OFF HIS BOOT P.14
STUDENT MANAGERS PROVE CRUCIAL
MOST EMBARASSING SONG ON YOUR IPOD: HHS STUDENTS SHARE THEIR MUSIC P.6 NO MORE HAND WRITTEN ESSAYS FOR STATE WRITING P.13
716 W 16th Street (402) 462-5080 or (402) 463-1665 for Tanning
Doctor J.D.
HAILEY HEMMENWAYstory JORDAN BANKgraphic
Jared Denton gets PhD
Twelve years of school after high school. That’s what it took for science teacher Jared Denton to get where he is today. The thought of still taking classes years after high school is frightening to most. However, to Denton, it was just another challenge. “I always knew that I would get my doctoral degree,” Denton said. “It was just a matter of time.” Since graduating high school, Denton hadn’t taken a break from classes until recently after completing his studies at Liberty University at Virginia. He began his undergraduate studies at Pittsburgh St. University in Kansas where he majored in biology. After that, he got his masters in administration, and moved to Nebraska to get his specialists at UNL. Beginning a couple years ago, Denton began taking classes online at Liberty University and in the summer of 2009, he went to Virginia to take classes at the actual campus. After all of this hard work, Denton received his doctoral degree on August 27th, 2010. To those who know Denton, his perseverance is no surprise. It is not unusual to spot him running in town during the day. Denton uses the Home of Privilege Plus Savings 7th & Burlington 463-3574 Open Daily 6 a.m. to Midnight
Fresh Meats
Farm Fresh Produce
Smokehouse
Accept Visa, Mastercard & Discover
Scratch Bakery
10tc
Delicatessen
Money Orders
Postal Service
“Hastings Only Full Service Supermarket”
mindset he has while running to push himself in other aspects of his life. “[Getting an education] is sort of like running a 100 mile run,” Denton said. “I know I’m going to get there, I don’t know how yet but it’ll happen, there’s no doubt.” But besides using his own desires to motivate himself, Denton’s family had a large part in his success. His father and sister both have doctoral degrees themselves. “It was sort of a family thing,” Denton said. “I started out doing it to make my father happy, to make him proud. But it ended up being something I loved.” With his new degree, Denton has many options for the future. He’s being sure to take them all into consideration. Some of the things that he is interested in include doing something in administration or doing research in educational things such as, learning styles, or teaching techniques. But he plans to continue taking classes. “In my opinion, good educators are ones who constantly want to learn,” Denton said. “I’m thinking about doing some post-doctoral work in counseling.”
Life is a labyrinth for the Mays’ DAKOTA SOUCIEstory and graphic TORI HALLORANphoto
Everyone sees their teachers in school, and when the day ends most students go about their daily lives without even thinking that teachers have their own outside of school. So what do teachers do outside of the school setting? The Mays family is probably one of the busiest families at HHS. English teacher Greg Mays and Social Studies teacher Ann Mays are the parents of four. One thing that makes a big impact on their lives is overcoming the daily obstacle of driving from their house that is about 10 minutes outside of Hastings. This means that if they forget something, they can’t just go home to get it. They say they don’t spend much time at home, so they end up eating out a lot since they are usually away from home for most of the day. “It is a rare day when the calendar is blank,” Greg says. His wife Ann agrees. “We have learned to live out of our car and at school.” Greg explained how the family was going to try to do an activity with their church, but because of their schedule being so busy they were unable to participate in it.
“Wednesday is the only blank day,” Greg chuckled. The Mays family is busiest during the school week. Ann says when Greg is busy after school she pretty much drives their four kids around to the different activities they are involved in. Otherwise, it is a team effort to get their kids to practice and other activities after school is over. “One or more of the kids has practice or something after school and I usually end up being a chauffeur until about seven,” Ann said. “We choose to do things together, instead of splitting up,” added Greg. When asked if they have much family time Ann quotes the popular TV show Seinfeld and says “There’s no such thing as fun for the family”. She then explained how she and Mr. Mays try to focus on one special thing for one child at a time. “Everything only gets halfway done and I usually don’t make deadlines. I always keep in mind that my children come first. What doesn’t get done doesn’t get done and I’m O.K. with that,” Ann said. For other family activities the Mays’ do things like have campfires at their house or go to the zoo once a year. So when that last bell of the day rings, besides just going home and grading papers everyday, the Mays’ have a whirlwind schedule that brings craziness to lives. But when the day is finally over, they are still one big happy family.
The article published in the September 30 issue of The Tiger Cub included information that was not correct due to false information received when covering the story. The staff of The Tiger Cub would like to report corrections via information received by Sgt. Brian Peterson of the United States Marine Corps. Those facts are listed below: 1. Marine Corps recruit training is three months long, not one. 2. The Marine Corps does not allow high school students to complete recruit training between junior and senior years. 3. When referring to Air Force personnel, they are called airman, Navy - sailors, Army - soldiers and Marine Corps - Marines. 4. Our recruit training is at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, California, not Camp Pendleton (though a portion of it is, but the majority is San Diego). 5. We don’t run one-mile runs, we do at least three miles every time we run in recruit training. 6. There is no individual training in recruit training. We are a TEAM in the Marine Corps and nothing is individual in any way. 7. No matter what military occupational specialty (MOS) anyone picks, he/she will not do his or her job in recruit training. Nothing like that happens in recruit training. 8. Once you graduate recruit training (not boot camp) you don’t have to go again. 9. There is no such thing as Marine Corps officer training in Alaska. There is only officer training in Quantico, Virginia. We don’t even have training, in the initial stages of becoming a Marine, in Alaska. 10. No one, and I mean absolutely no one, does any kind of sky diving in recruit training, rather, if selected, every U.S. military service member goes to jump school in Fort Benning, Georgia. It’s a joint-service school.
The Tiger Cub staff regrets the errors.
11tc
Convocation--you know the drill. The entire student body funnels into the auditorium for a couple of periods to hear a speaker’s message usually related to avoiding drugs and alcohol or making well-informed decisions. Things may change when it comes to future speakers, however. In September, the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) Nebraska sent out a letter to Nebraska public schools warning them about speakers who promote their religion. Those named include Husker football assistant coach Ron Brown, and Keith Becker (of the Todd Becker foundation). The ACLU argues that hosting such speakers in public schools and paying them through public tax dollars violates the First Amendment. According an interview with the Lincoln Journal Star, Ron Brown was not deterred by the letter. “It’s an intimidation issue, and I am not intimidated. So when I walk into public schools, I will share what I believe to be the truth,” Brown said. Of the two speakers named in the ACLU’s letter, Keith Becker is the only one who has spoken at Hastings High. Becker’s message centers on the story of his younger brother Todd, who died in an alcohol-related crash at 18 years old. Todd was a student at Kearney High School. When Keith spoke five years ago at Hastings High, his presentation was said to have crossed a line.
“Mr. Becker went too far, and his personal religious beliefs came out in a very judgmental manner. He had a pseudo-altar call at the end. This is not the place for that,” Principal Jay Opperman said. Since this incident, Opperman made some changes. “I am very tentative anytime I’m approached by a potential convocation speaker,” he said, “I’m picky.” Opperman said there are specific aspects he is cautious about. “There are two things I worry about: the legal aspect (like religion), or speakers with a recovery message, that students may misinterpret their message,” Opperman said. Hastings High’s most recent speaker was illusionist Brock Gill. He performed and briefly spoke about working hard to achieve your dreams. Gill was in town for the second-annual Freedom Experience youth event at Adams Central. “This fall, I was assured the company and the speaker respected our boundaries,” Opperman said. While public schools have legal obligations when it comes to the issue of religion, students are free to practice their religion. This year, a group of students meets weekly to pray for the school and nation.
“Clear your desk and take out a pencil.” This command, which students have heard many times, tends to mean one thing: it is time to take a test. With technology advancing at such a rapid pace, it is not shocking that school has changed as well. Nowadays, it is the norm for students to take scantron tests. Scantron tests are completely multiple choice, and the answer sheets are checked electronically. Recently, the state of Nebraska has decided to change another test. Starting this year, 11th graders will complete their state writing essays electronically. “After ten years, the test needed to be updated,” State Writing Coordinator Dr. Edward Foy said. They will write both their rough drafts and final We asked students what they wish they knew their freshman year, a choice that they made that they regret or something they’re proud of, and one of their most embarrassing moments. Here are their responses:
drafts on the computers. However, sophomores will continue to write their essays on paper. English teachers do not agree this is the best method. “It would be great if sophomores could have the opportunity to practice the state writing in the same way they will be required to complete it as juniors,” English teacher Carla Hedstrom said. Other changes include how things will be judged and the amount of time given. Although not final, the grading rubic will be set up as followed: content/ideas - 35%, word choice/voice/tone - 20%, organization - 25%, and sentence fluency/conventions - 20%. This differs from previous years, where each of these had equal value. Students are usually given two 45 minute periods to write their essays; it is now recommended by the
“My most embarrassing moment would have to be when i dropped all my papers and books in the middle of the hall and had to pick them up while everyone just stepped on them and my hands. Ouch!”
“I regret not playing football, because it’s fun and I could have been good if I would have tried.”
NeSA (Nebraska Standards and Assess-
ments) to give one 90 minute period instead.
According to English teacher Dave Witt this “goes against the basic principals of writing,” because it does not give students enough time to reflect on what they have written. Whether or not Hastings High will do this is not yet determined, due to the fact that it is not a required change. “I think students are going to be very tired by the end of the time period and they won’t be able to finish it as well as they could have,” Witt said. Hastings High does have some time to adjust to these changes. State writing will take place between January 31 and February 18. Technology is constantly changing; whether for better or worse, teachers and students will just have to wait and see.
“I am glad that I got involved in numerous activities, because not only did I feel more involved, I got the chance to meet tons of interesting people.”
Matt Geiger Junior
Shaunice Lyle Senior Dakota Peterson Junior 1400 West 18th Hastings, Ne. 68901
402-462-BOWL (2695)
Hastings Finest Pizza Place
Dine-In Carry Out Delivery Drive-Thru On Sale Ice Cream Bring in this ad and ask for the week-
PARTY WITH US- Bowling, Go-Karts, Mini Golf, Batting Cages, and Game Room, we do it all! NOW FEATURING: Glow Bowling Fri. & Sat. Nights
www.pastimelanes.com Butch Hogan Manager
Expanded ly special, FREE garlic bread or pop Delivery: with purchase of a large pizza. Idlewilde Southern Hills Westbrook 463-1626 2604 West 2nd St.
Papa Ray’s Pizza
New Hours Sun. - Thurs.: 11am-10pm Fri. & Sat.: 11am-11pm
See us at our new location and check out our new dining room.
JORDAN ALLEN photo
A clear October afternoon, temperature mid-seventies, and one of the best football kickers Hastings Senior High School has seen in many years. It was another formidable foe to be facing this month, senior kicker Tanner Jones. He has been kicking field goals for years and I was coming out to take him on with no prerequisites. The goal was to beat him at three of the things at which he excels. We jumped right into the competitions with little to no teaching from Tanner. The first kicking competition was kick-offs. The competition was over before I knew it, my kick-off skills were a little less than mediocre and as for Tanner’s...well if you have been to any of the Tiger football games this year you have seen almost any kickoff be a touchback...so it was not much of a competition at all. The second of the three competitions Tanner and I were set to go head-to-head in was punting. This I have had some prior experience in, playing playground football back in middle school, which I was hoping would make this competition a little closer. We went to the west end zone of the practice field and we were going to kick and see who would be able to kick the ball further through the air. I let Tanner do the honors and begin the punting portion of our game. He took his two steps and kicked the ball a mere 55 yards. Now it was my turn I stepped up and tried to do exactly what I had just seen Tanner do hoping that perhaps I would hit the ball with a little more force and in a little better spot allowing it to travel farther. No such luck. My kick traveled close to 35 yards, and that is pretty much how the rest of the punting portion went for both Tanner and me. His punts sailed through the air spiraling down after traveling 50 or more yards, while mine wobbled end-over-end landing anywhere from the 20-yard line to almost the 40. I had one last chance to show up Tanner and get another tally in the win column. It was going to be quite a task. Tanner had saved the hardest and what he does best for last. Field Goals. Tanner is well known for being able to kick a field goal from ridiculous lengths. He has made a field goal, off the ground during practice from 60 yards away! I on the other hand was not sure if I would be able to get the ball to go high enough to go through the uprights. This time I went first so that we would not have to keep moving the ball holder back and forth. I started out with a thirty yard field goal know that if I could not make that the competition would not even be a competition but an embarrassment. Somehow I was able to make the 30-yard field goal even when I almost tripped on my approach. Now I was feeling pretty good about myself so Tanner set me up for a 35 yarder. Lets just say the end result on this was short. Now it was Tanner’s turn. He started from the fifty making it through the uprights with ease. He then took on a fifty-five yarder with the same calm demeanor, and in the same fashion the ball flew right through the uprights. For his last attempt we set him back at a sixty-yard field goal. He did everything the same but the end result was a couple yards short, but none short of wiping the floor with me. In this months competition I had been beaten all three times and come up with no wins leaving my record at a miserable 1-4. At least there is next month where hopefully I can pick up a win when I take to the hardwood when I go up against one of Hastings High’s elite volleyball players.
As of October 4, 29 students were sitting on the sidelines watching their teammates take the field/court/course, as they were considered “ineligible” to represent Hastings High School in any athletic activity. These 29 students are suspended from sports because of the new academic probation policy that was implemented at the beginning of the 2010-11. An academic probation policy has never been issued as a school wide policy in Hastings High history, marking this as the first official year of its implement. This was the idea of Athletic Director Gregg Holliday, after listening to Nebraska Cornhusker Football coach Bo Pelini speak at a convention, scolding all schools without this type of policy. Pelini’s reasoning is based on preparing these athletes for the future, not just the next game. This really drove the point home for Holliday, who then came up with the new policy for student athletes at HHS. “At the start of each new semester, there is a three week grace period, just to get things going, after that point, if a student is failing one class he or she will be put on two weeks probation. This means he is still eligible to play, but if after the two weeks are up the student is still failing in that class he will be put on the ineligible list for one week,” Holliday said. “But if a student is failing two classes after the three week grace period the suspension starts immediately.” Though this plan may seem quite harsh, exceptions are being made for many students who only have a few grades in up to this point. This is where Principal Jay Opperman finds problems with the policy. His concerns are, being solid as a staff on promptness of grading and updating assignments, the consistency of intervening in cases like the exception above, and viable ways for students to get out of bad situations that concern the probation consistently. “We don’t want to catch students in a trap that was caused by us procedurally,” Opperman said. Opperman is currently working on renovations to this policy, and is working with the staff about their raised concerns. He feels students should be given a timely manner to work. This being said he also had much to say about responsibility of students. “We want to make sure that all students are being held accountable for their academics in some way, even though student athletes have more on the line, we need to be consistent on how we intervene and help,” Opperman said. This policy is still in its starting stages, but as of now, there are still those 29 students watching their teammates from the sidelines because of this new policy.
Many people watch sporting events and think that it runs fairly smooth. Well what they don’t know is the behind the scenes look of it all. The people partly responsible for making it run so smoothly are the student managers. These young adults are under appreciated and not recognized for their hard work and dedication to the team they help. There are three managers this fall season, two for football and one for volleyball. The two managers for football are Junior Zach Henderson and Sophomore Jared Uher. Junior Kelli Poplau is the volleyball team’s manager this year. This will be Henderson’s second year as a manager. What he does on a daily basis for practice is taking the practice gear, (footballs, practice jerseys, ect.) out to the practice field. During the games he tapes the game for the coaches to use later. “I became a manager because I wanted to be a part of and help the football team,” Henderson said. Uher is in his first year of managing for the team. He became a manager because the manager last year, Derrick Brown, needed a replacement since his graduation and also the movie The Waterboy. “For practices I fill-up the Waterboy, (which is the water source for the team), and film for the coaches,” Uher said. “For the games I fill the water coolers and water bottles, and I take the water bottles out to the team during time outs and at the end of quarters.” He feels that he has helped the team by being there when he is needed. Uher will also be managing for the boys basketball team. From a coaches point-of-view, student managers are a huge help. Having managers helps the coaching staff spend more time with the players instead of doing what the managers do. “Having student managers is very important because they take care of the little things like filming for practices or games, taking care of the water or running errands during practice,” Head Football Coach Rick Ripperger said. “ We (the coaching staff) feel the managers being on the team gives them a sence of belonging, a social clique and they are accepted as a part of the team.” Whether it be filming or taking care of water, without student managers sports teams wouldn’t would not function very smoothly. Hopefully now, they will get the recognition they deserve.
Na than Immel
TIGERcub EDITORIAL It would be easy to say that at the first football game, all of the upperclassmen were surprised by the number of students in the student section. School spirit has been down in the previous years and the Tiger Cub staff along with teams and coaches are glad to see all of the support coming from the students this year. It is great at games for the players to turn around and see the student section packed to the top of the bleachers. It isn’t merely our presence that helps the Tiger athletes, but our encouragement in cheers. The best example of this was the Adams Central football game. It was rare that there was a quiet moment in our student section. Throughout the entire game, whether we were up or down, we stayed loud and proud like good students do. Even head football coach Rick Ripperger said at a pep rally that he could hear the cheers coming from our part of the bleachers. Every sporting event should have this kind of support and we believe that the current student body can be the group that can accomplish that. One thing that could improve the student sections is something that doesn’t need much work: the battle cry. Freshmen, this is where you need to step up your game. In case it hasn’t been explained to you, the battle cry for you is “V.I.C.T.O.R.Y, that’s our freshman battle cry!” The battle cry is generally done at the end of the first quarter, and the seniors try to warn you. It is also necessary to give a shout out to the 15 or so fans who stuck around until the end of the game on Homecoming night continuing cheers and making the tunnel to the locker room. Overall, Tiger Pride is the strongest it has been in a long time and needs to continue on its current path.
n tli
lage lve a K
Ad a
ke F
Ca i
Jo eP
tt ke ric
n ye He
Happy, sad, depressed, and surprised. Those are some of the feelings the audience will feel while watching the Theatre Department’s fall production of “Almost, Maine”, a romantic comedy by John Carianie. Drama teacher Katie Schultz says she chose Almost, Maine because she fell in love with it the first time she saw it. “My college did the play and my friends told me I should do it so I went to see it at ll my school and fell in love with it,” Schultz said. Hu ke i The play is based in a small town called Almost in the state of Maine during winter. M The show has a small cast because the entire production is a series of short love stories. Marie Louise Keen, one of many seniors working on the production, says acting is more than just reading lines from a script. “Even though they’re only words on a page we are able to bring multiple dimensions to these characters,” Keen said. Throughout the show the audience will see the different stages of love come to life such as the first time meeting and seeing each other, first time couples say “I love you”, and the first break up. During the first break up scene the audience will feel the awkwardness a couple would have in a real situation. “The scene is very awkward and you can feel it in the audience,” Schultz said. The show consists of eight actors and six crewmembers, one of whom is a freshman. Joe Prickett is the only freshman in the entire production, including the crew. “Its a little bit weird being the only freshman, it’s a new adventure and kind of a little intimidating,” Prickett said. en The show will open Friday, November 5 at 7:30 p.m. and will also be showing at 7:30 Ke e i r on Saturday, November 6. The play will have its last performance Sunday afternoon a at 2:30. M
f ref
m
n da
Jo r
h
St
Be
t
Lu
g nin an
en A ll
B
O W
L
I
N
School League begins on October 25, 2010 at 6:30 PM. Cost: $6 per week per bowler. League runs until April 4, 2011. Disco Bowling on Friday and Saturday Nights Pastime Lanes 1400 West 18th Hastings, NE 68901 402-462-BOWL
G
TORI HALLORAN & SHANE SAMUELSONphotos and graphic
Most Embarrassing Music
u
DJ Maar Circle, Circle, Tanner Peshek Lady Gaga Dot, Dot
Mr. Opperman Mr. Mays High School Mmm Bop Musical
Douglas Keldon Phillips Kristen Hargis Mrs.Britney Officer Eigenberg Rugrats Selena Gomez Spears Neo Pets theme song
the
TIGERcub
tt
uu
u
06tc
‘Human Centipede’
KYLE BROSNIHANstory
“That was the most disgusting thing I have seen in my life,” junior Kelli Poplau said right after seeing the recently released film The Human Centipede. What is The Human Centipede one may ask. It is a film about two ditsy girls who get lost in a Germany and kidnapped by an evil doctor. The doctor locks them up in his basement with a Japanese man who is also being held prisoner. Here is where it gets gross. The doctor reveals his maniacal plan. He is going to turn the three prisoners into a bizarre human Siamese chain that is connected via the gastric system. “Whoever came up with The Human Centipede is a sick, sick person,” Poplau said. The person responsible for this diabolical science experiment is a man named Tom Six. He wrote and directed the film and only had the human centipede idea to fill the whole plot. Most of the movie is filler. There is very little dialogue and when there is dialogue it is horrible. The acting is ludicrous. I felt sorry for the actors throughout the entire movie. There were plenty of pointless scenes that did not add to anything, and by the end the film it was a little dull. But through-out all this dullness is enough gross out action to keep the viewer entertained. The worst scene in the movie may be the chase scene. A chase scene with the human centipede making a run for it. This film is for anyone who enjoys being grossed out. It is not for anyone who enjoys a well-made movie with good acting and writing. Also if you watch it, take a barf bag with you.
“It was not a good movie, but the story was unique.”
Senior Jonas Goeser “It was horribly acted, horrible story, and it was DISGUSTING!”
Senior Cami Karnes “I felt like puking.”
Senior Chris Ganshert “It was disgustingly putrid and the acting was a joke.”
Senior Kenzie Gragg
10 out of 14 staff members don’t want this article in here
Round of applause JORDAN BANKstory
When it comes to deciding what movie to rent, it also involves where to rent the movie. With Movie Gallery recently going out of business, the only movie store left is Applause Video Store. But there are other options in town other than a video store. like Redbox movie rentals. According to Wisegeek.com the Redbox machines have over 500 movie titles to choose from. A customer chooses the movie of his or her choice and then uses a credit card to pay for it. The charge is more for each day it is not returned. “I go to Redbox just because it’s cheaper.” Sophmore Johnsin Bui said. Another option is to get Netflix at home and order the movies off of the internet. Wisegeek.com says Netflix allows the customer to order movies at home and you are able return them at any time. And with Netflix the viewer will be able to watch complimentary movies for free with a certain plan. “I would choose Netflix because it’s cheap and I don’t have to get up,” sophmore Erik Espinoza said. Since these two companies are very successful, how does this affect Applause Video ? Gary Truitt, has owned Applause since 1989. “We are aware of how successful the other companies are. They have always been
tough competition. So we make changes to match up with competition,” Truitt said. However those changes won’t include another store. “We are not looking to make another video store. We have considered it from time to time but our location is very good and is not an issue,” Truitt said. Since Applause is an independent movie store it has an upper hand in certain areas. “Being an independent store, we have more flexibility,” he said. An example is how Applause gets movies on the date it is released. “The vending machines and mail subscriptions sometimes have delays while we have our products on the absolute date,” he said. “We have a good customer base, our location is a strong point, more of a movie selection and good customer service.” English teacher Carla Hedstrom does go to Redbox, “I would only go to Applause for a foreign movie,” she said. Even though the some may choose Redbox or Netflix over Applause, Truitt said, “We have always been strong for years and we will continue to stay strong. We have very loyal customers that always come in.” Applause may be the only video store in town but knowing Applause has been doing well since 1987, Truitt is looking to continue a successful business.
07tc
�
Claire Phillips
Caring. Enthusiastic. Dedicated. That’s how one would describe long time cross country coach Steve James. James has been the head cross country coach for 31 years. “I am very blessed to be the cross country coach, There is not one day that I would change,” James said. Coaching had never been on James’s agenda. He didn’t even know the basics of being a coach but the summer of ‘78 would be his most memorable. After finishing a marathon in San Francisco, California, James received a phone call from Hastings High that he would never forget. “I got a call from the principal at the time, asking me if I would be interested in becoming an assistant coach for the boys distance track team. I was reluctant at first but
at the last minute agreed to become the assistant coach and not knowingly I started a career that changed my life forever,” he said. A few years later the spot for head coach of the cross country team opened up and James took it. Years went by and although the times and athletes were changing James remained the same. “Looking back there is not one moment that I would make different. Every year brings new hope,” James said In addition to new hope, this year has brought in more athletes than the cross country team has seen in James’s 31 years. “Having a bigger team has made us all more competitive,” senior and four year cross country
runner, Kayla Schultz said. Along with the bigger team came some of the strongest runners Hastings High has seen in a number of years. “It’s a huge accomplishment and having Coach James as a coach has helped a lot because he gives me a lot of advice,” freshman Marika Van Brocklin said. There are a lot of things one has to know be a good coach. “The key to being a successful coach is finding out what each athlete needs and knowing how to respond to it,” James said. James is very proud to be the cross country coach and is loving every minute of it.