Walnut Hills High School
Volume CVIII, Issue 4
November 7, 2013
“We are more than just a team:” Lady Eagles make history Sarah Wagner, ‘14 “In the past four years I’ve played [varsity soccer at Walnut], this is the best season we’ve ever had -- and honestly the most fun,” says SENIOR Alexis Kiehl, one of four co-captains of Walnut’s women’s varsity soccer team. Kiehl’s statement rings true seeing that the team has made history here at Walnut Hills for being the first boys’ or girls’ soccer team to ever win the district title. Head coach Bob Muro states that “I’ve tried to research back [to] when I first started coaching at Walnut, which was back in ‘79 and I was coaching the boys’ program, but I wasn’t able to find any concrete data as to how far in the tournament [the boys’ ‘79 varsity team] reached.” He continues, saying,“I’m not sure, but I think it’s the farthest that any team has advanced in the state tournament at Walnut, and that [accomplishment] was a great attribute to the team.” He describes the win as “a tremendous team effort” and believes “the girls handled it really well and they deserved it.” SENIOR, defender, midfielder and co-captain Gabbie Brokamp explains how the team has been increasing in quality over the past four years: “We knew that we were building something good, but this is when it finally happened.” She says that winning the district final “was just a rush of emotion… because it’s never happened before.” “I felt really proud,” says SENIOR, defender, midfielder and co-captain Morgan Shafer. “We knew we had the talent to make it far but we always felt like something was going to stop us. The fact that we actually made it
RACHEL KNOBLOCH/REMEMBRANCER
The junior players of the women’s varsity soccer team perform a dance for the SENIORS, a tradition that is upheld each year at SENIOR night. The Lady Eagles are the first Walnut soccer team to win a district title. as far as we thought we were going us going strong throughout the winning the district finals against to felt amazing.” season itself.” Fairfield,” says Muro. “Even Defender Jasmine Nichols, ‘15 Kiehl adds, “we had our ups though it was a loss to St. Ursula says the teammates’ feelings as and downs, but overall I think we in the regional semifinals, the fact history-makers was “indescribable had more positive outcomes than that we got that far is a great credit because you feel like you can make we ever have.” to the girls. It’s always hard to lose it, but then Although the girls suffered four a game the way we did… but I there’s always injuries and even inflicted some on thought the girls battled [as they] this little piece their opponents, the teammates took them into overtime. Losof doubt in the consider one of their greatest high- ing two starting defenders in the back of your lights this season to be their game beginning of the game really didn’t mind… you’re against Loveland. “It was help matters as far as being able to always unsure, really challenging to stay focused pull out the win.” but then when in that game,” says Grondin. “I He continued by saying “we you make it, think it was really good that we had a great group of girls to you’re like, ‘I kept the intensity up the whole coach, especially in regards to did this.’ It’s time, and it was ultimately a really their enthusiasm, their work ethic, such a great important win for us.” their focus, and their discipline achievement for all of us to be a Even so, Brokamp describes in respect to the sport itself was part of.” the Loveland game as “probably awesome. I’m hoping the younger Goalkeeper Olivia Grondin, the longest game of [her] life.” players have learned from it and ‘15 recalls how in their first The co-captain says another great will carry on.” practice, Muro said this was the moment for the team was their Assistant Coach Ashley Welker year they were going to go really first scrimmage game against St. mentioned how “we’re losing nine far and that they could make it Ursula Academy -- the same team SENIORS [next year] so, essento state. “Honestly, I didn’t really the Lady Eagles lost to by a single tially, that’s half of our team.” She believe him at first because he was point in overtime at their final says,“I think the good thing is that saying a lot of big things-- it was a game this season. “That [scrim[the younger players] got to play real surprise to see it all happen.” mage] was our first game where we with some of these girls [who] are “Our season was fantastic,” really came off the play,” Brokamp going to go on to play at a really stated Muro. “It was a great season says. “We tore it up down there.” high level, so they’ve gotten a lot considering we fought a lot of “The biggest highlight [of of experience and…[the underinjuries… but the resilience of the the season] would probably be classmen] just need to continue to girls kept us winning and kept
“We knew
that we were building something good, but this is when it finally happened.
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train in the off-season, strive to be better players and kind of model the SENIORS [who] are leaving.” With the loss of “nine tremendous SENIORS,” Muro says, “I think for next year it’s going to be a challenge to score goals, [at least] as many as we did this year, because you can’t replace a quality player such as Alexis Kiehl.” However, he also says that “defensively, we are going to be strong. We have a great returning defense and goalkeeper, and hopefully a second goalkeeper that is going to add a lot to our depth for next year.” After a collaboration, the girls agreed that for next year the team should improve their first touch -- the touch that sets up the next shot, dribble or pass -- as well as strength, endurance and communication. Grondin says, “it’s [been] the most rewarding season, not just because of the success we’ve had, but because of the bond we’ve formed… just getting to practice and playing with everyone everyday was good enough, and then getting to win alongside that was just almost like a bonus.” Both Muro and Welker agree that the intense bonding of the girls provided a great impact on how the team played this season. Welker describes the team as being “like a big family” as “they do so much outside of practices… like they all dressed up for a football game and they go and do all this bonding.” She continues, saying that,“after teaching all day and working with kids all day, [practices] can be something that you dread, but I look forward to being around them; they’re just a fun group of people.” “The closer a team is, usually, the better they play,” says Kiehl. She tells how the girls tweaked the English translation of the motto for Football Club Barcelona into their own: “We are more than just a team.”
Hookah... Is it safe? Satia Hardy, ‘14 Smoking hookah is “different, bohemian and makes [teenagers] feel like adults; [it is] an underthe-radar form of rebellion,” says Walnut Hills nurse Meg Dietz. As hookah bars and cafes are becoming more popular across the nation, they are beginning to pop up more frequently in Cincinnati. However, Dietz and many others who work in medicine understand the effects that hookah can have on one's physical health. In fact, a single hookah session will expose a person to more nicotine and smoke than a single cigarette session. According to Lowell Dale, M.D. of the Mayo Foundation of Education and Research, the
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increased amount of nicotine and smoke can ruin one's health. On the other hand, some teenagers -- and even some medical workers -- do not understand the impact hookah can have on one's body. "I don't think it's harmful unless you do it a lot, as long as you don't live in [a hookah bar],” says an anonymous student. Many hookah users believe the myths promoted by hookah companies that make hookah seem like it is relatively safe to use. The website for the University of Maryland’s University Health Center explains through its hookah brochure, “Hookah Myths and Truths,” the myths that hookah bars typically advertise.
One myth is that hookah is not addictive. This is false. In fact, the University Health Center of the University of Maryland's website states that hookah contains the same amount of nicotine as regular tobacco. Another myth is about filtration. Hookah is filtered in water, so some believe that all of the potentially harmful ingredients are filtered out, therefore making it a safe alternative to cigarettes. However, hookah pipes filter out only about five percent of the nicotine. The rest is inhaled and may cause lung cancer, low birth weights in babies and respiratory diseases -- the same effects received from smoking cigarettes. Continued on page five
Hannah Shaw, Editor-in-Chief
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