page 5

&blue goldVolume 87, Issue 3

&gbFriday, December 18, 2009

Teens need helpto break addictions

1200 Broad Ave., Findlay, Ohio, 45840

Swimmers get ready for first invitationals

page 6

After moving down the street earlier this fall, student smokers are migrating back to the corner of Broad and Swing Avenues.

After increased patrols by administrators and a new line-of-sight policy, students left Smokers’ Corner but they are now returning.

The cold weather could be one possible reason for the increase at the corner, as students only began coming back as winter came and the temperatures dropped.

“I do not know if the weather is having anything to do with it,” Assistant Principal Nate Sorg said. “Maybe the students just don’t want to walk as far down the street when it is so cold outside, so they stay closer to the school, on the corner.”

Fewer patrolsHowever, Sorg thinks there may be a more

likely reason for the return. He said administrators may have believed

the problem was solved, so they stopped patrolling as much, just like how sometimes drivers speed when they haven’t seen a police car in a certain spot for a while because they get more comfortable.

“With anything you kind of get comfortable,” he said. “We were going over there daily but maybe we need to go back now.

“I believe we got a bit relaxed, thinking our efforts were successful but maybe we need to concentrate on there more. It is something we need to continue to be aware of.”

Principal Victoria Swartz also agrees there is a problem.

“I have noticed that the number of

students at Smoker’s Corner has increased and that we have not done enough to police that area as an administration,” Swartz said. “I do know that the assistant principals have a plan to increase their presence there to help deter students from standing on or near the corner.

“I would be interested in seeing how the students feel about smoking on the corner. It might make for an interesting survey.”

Still successfulDespite the recent increase, the new policy

has been successful.“In some cases, students were smoking

and when they’ve come back to school, we have searched them,” Sorg said. “If they were uncooperative with us at all or had anything with them we may have disciplined them by closing their lunch or even giving them an in school suspension.”

Even though it seems there are more people on the corner, they may not actually all be students.

“It is not just more students over there,” Sorg said. “It may be past graduates, older boyfriends or girlfriends, older friends, we’ve even seen parents over there.

“It may be more people, but it may not be more students.”

Smokers agreeNo matter who is on the corner, students

smoking there agree with Sorg that the decrease in administrator patrols and discipline led them back.

“They don’t get us in trouble any more, (the) cops maybe, but the principals don’t,” senior Josh St. Louis said. “The whole thing is really stupid.

“It’s not fair, people are going to smoke regardless so they should just let us smoke here (on the corner).”

Students come back to Smokers’ Corner

n By Emily Rivest

Tryouts for the musical Kiss Me, Kate will be Jan. 11-13 after school in the auditorium.

For anyone who missed yesterday’s meeting after school, informational packets can be picked up from co-producers Andy Cantrell, Craig VanRenterghem or producer Debbie Benson.

The directing cast picked the show for many reasons.

“We wanted a show that would have several great leads, both for guys and girls,” co-director Andy Cantrell said. “We were looking for a show with big production numbers, strong characters and would feature the chorus that was not only vocally demanding but a tough acting show.”

In the musical an acting troupe puts on Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew and their lives have many similarities to the show.

Cantrell thinks students will still enjoy the musical, even though it is an older show, first performed in 1948.

“It’s a fun fast-paced show,” he said. “It really explores the dynamic between men and women and that’s fun stuff.”

This fun aspect will make the show different from last year’s Les Misérables.

“It’s a comedy with some really good music,” VanRenterghem said. “It will stand out a lot from last year’s musical because Les Mis was definitely not a comedy.”

Even with the jokes, this will be a difficult show for the cast.

“It’s a very vocally demanding show,” VanRenterghem said. “It s a different style of music. It’s a lot of jazzy music which some kids are not used to singing.”

Kiss Me, Kate will be March 19-21 in the Central Middle School auditorium.

Kiss Me, Kate auditions scheduled for Jan. 11-13 n By Emily Rivest

decade

10news stories

of the

Top

1 2

3

45

67

89

10 2009President Barack Obama first African American president.

2007Shooting at Virginia Tech becomes deadliest in nation’s history.

2003U.S. invades Iraq, removing Saddam Hussein from power and executes him.

2009Politicians work towards health care reform.

2001Sept. 11 attacks kill 2,976

2005Hurricane Katrina kills over 1,800.

2009Global economy collapses.

2009A transgendered man gives birth to two children.

2003Bird flu, swine flu, Mad Cow Disease and SARS infect the world.

in a random poll of 100 students

THEY’RE BACKphoto by Katie Trinko

A senior girl smokes a cigarette on the corner of Swing and Broad avenues. Earlier in the year, a new line-of-sight policy drove students away from Smokers’ Corner but decreased patrols by the administration and security are bringing them back.

Senior Stephen Krueger has been waiting for this ever since he was a freshman.

Every four years the band furthers their musical experience by taking a trip and this year they will be participating in activities in Orlando, Fla. from Dec. 26- Jan. 2.

“It’s the one thing I’ve been waiting for the whole time I’ve been in band,” Krueger said. “The anticipation has definitely been building and has reached it’s highest point now that it’s so close.

“It (the trip) is the icing on the cake for us seniors.”One opportunity they will have is performing in three parades,

Macy’s Holiday Parade at Universal Studios, Disney World’s SpectroMagic Parade and the Orlando Citrus Parade, which will be broadcast on WTVG channel 13 at 10 a.m. Jan.1.

“Getting to march in a parade that will be on television is really exciting because our parents back home will be able to watch it,” Krueger said. “It’s a cool way to show our Trojan pride.”

In order to prepare for marching in the parades, band members have been practicing on their own as well as during class.

“We rehearse all together during ninth period, but the students understand the importance of individual practice outside of official rehearsal,” director of bands Tim Mattis said. “Every single person’s contributions are important.”

The parades are not the only reason for the Florida trip. The band will also attend a Magic Music Days Performing Arts Workshop, Disney’s You’re Instrumental.

With this program they will get to work with Disney technical producers to rehearse and record background music from a segment of a Disney movie, then watch it played back with their sound recording.

“It’s a neat preview for what it’s like to be a professional musician,” Mattis said. “For many of our students who are considering careers in music, it gives them a glance into a real world experience.”

However, the trip will not be all hard work, they will visit EPCOT Center and Animal Kingdom at Disney World, among other attractions on their trip.

“We’re going to visit a lot of places that I otherwise never would have gotten the chance to go to,” sophomore Shelby Fletcher said. “Another thing that’s really great about the trip is that I get to experience everything with all my band friends.”

Marching band prepares for upcoming Orlando trip n By Leah Cramer

BANDphoto by Katie Trinko

Senior Eric Smith plays his mellophone during one of the marching band’s halftime shows. The band heads to Orlando, Fla. Dec. 26 to play in three parades, including the Orlando Citrus Parade, which will be broadcast on WTVG channel 13 at 10 a.m. Jan. 1.

Musicians leave next week

Dec. 27Hollywood Studios

Dec. 28Attend Magic Music Days Performing Arts Workshop

Dec. 29Universal StudiosMarch in “Macy’s Holiday Parade”

Dec. 30March in “Orlando Citrus Parade” televised on WTVG channel 13 at 10 a.m. Jan. 1

Dec. 31Magic Kingdom and watch fireworksMarch in “Spec-troMagic Parade”

Jan. 1Spend day at Cocoa Beach

Jan. 2Animal Kingdom

inknowthe

Want to know what the band will be doing in Orlando? Here’s their schedule.

page 3

Administrators plan more patrols of area

Five seniors tell their fascinating stories

2009Michael Jackson dies.

Senior travels to New Zealand for international unicycling events

page 8

Staff policy

Blue & Gold is a monthly student

publication for the stu-dents of Findlay High

School. Blue & Gold is a public forum which is

funded by advertising.

Letters to the editor

As an open forum for students, letters to the

editor are welcomed by the staff, but we request that they be 300 words

or less due to lack of space. All letters must

be signed. Blue & Gold staff reserves the right to edit letters without changing the meaning. Letters may be dropped

off in room 286.

Staff editorials

All editorials without a byline reflect at least

two/thirds opinion of the Blue & Gold staff

but are not necessarily the opinion of the

administration.

Contact us

Blue & Gold 1200 Broad Avenue Findlay, OH 45840

(419) 427-5474

About us

Blue & Gold is a member of the

Columbia Scholastic Press Association, the

National Scholastic Press Association,

Quill & Scroll and the Ohio Scholastic Media

Association.

The staff

John SisserEditor in chief

Kim MaplesFeature editor

Emily RivestNews editor

Lexi PerraultSports editor

Katie TrinkoTaylor McGonnellCo-photo editors

Sam MalloyAdvertising editor

Hannah GrayKatie Logsdon

Brady MillerMorgan Grilliot

Abby KehresKieley Ray

Photographers

Maggie MalaneyLeah Cramer

Michaela MarincicReporters

Emily LentzAutumn Simmermeyer

Artists

Jim McGonnellAdviser

“If it were drug testing on everyone then it would be fair, but if it was just on athletes it

wouldn’t be. Athletes aren’t the only students in the school doing drugs."

junior Layne Martin

Should athletes have to undergo random drug testing?“They shouldn’t have to because it is really expensive and costs a lot for just one test.”

junior Tres Waldman

“Yes, because why should we give kids the opportunity to play if they

are going to abuse the rules.”

“No, because drug testing is too expensive and the district needs money

for other things.”

Three easy tips to help you stick to your New Year’s resolutionLike millions of others,

I see ringing in the new year as a clean slate to set ambitious goals.

That is why it comes as no surprise that I will be making a New Year’s resolution this January.

Unfortunately, when it comes to resolutions, most seem to lack the will power or determination to follow through with

their year’s goal. According to CNN, about 100 million

Americans will make a New Year’s resolution. Among the most common are the typical los-ing weight, eating healthier, quitting smoking and saving money.

While all of those goals are just fine and dandy, roughly 80 percent will fail at complet-ing their resolutions.

But maybe not all hope is lost. Here are a few tips I’ve come across to help me stick to my New Year’s resolution.

Be specific. Though all resolutions are made with good intentions, you may find it difficult to follow through if you do not set a definitive goal.

Let’s be honest, who wouldn’t want to get in better shape, or eat a little healthier? But a monthly trip to the gym isn’t exactly exercising more, and ordering that burger on a whole-grain bun doesn’t constitute “healthy eating.”

Plan on making a clear resolution where you can measure your progress everyday. Instead of saying you will eat better, try to have three servings of vegetables each day. Rather than making a resolution to get in shape, try to exercise three times a week.

Be realistic. Too many times, people make impossible resolutions that set themselves up for failure.

If you don’t need to lose weight, don’t make that your resolution, and trying to abol-

By implementing random drug testing for athletes, dis-trict administrators will be taking a major step in showing they care about students’ well being.

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, around 50 percent of all high school seniors have used drugs at least once.

These statistics suggest it is extremely likely some stu-dents at the high school are also abusing illegal substances and subject to the harmful effects of drugs and alcohol.

Yet, under current high school rules, no student in-volved in extra-curricular activities is allowed to use alco-hol or any illegal drug at any point throughout the year.

An easy way to further enforce this policy would be to implement random drug testing in school activities.

Testing all students in extra-curricular programs may not be a realistic option right away, but implementing it for athletes could be a good start.

That being said, the purpose of drug testing should not be to “catch” and punish teens, but to help them.

Principal Victoria Swartz makes a valid point in saying the testing should focus on helping troubled teens get into therapy rather than legal trouble.

However, such a beneficial program comes at a price. For example, Sports Safe Testing Service, a company out of Powell, Ohio, charges around $27 per test.

There is no doubt this is a costly program, but letting student athletes slip into drug abuse and possibly addic-tion seems a heftier price to pay.

Though there are financial issues, the Department of Education offers federal grants to help fund drug testing programs across the country.

There is no simple solution to the problem of student drug abuse, but implementing random drug testing will benefit high school athletes by finding and helping them before it is too late.

opinionFriday, December 18, 2009

“PDA (public display of affection) is gross and students need to go into the privacy of their own home. It’s just disgusting to watch in general.”

junior Amber Samimi

2 second time limit on hugs at a Mesa, Ariz. high school as part of the district’s policy on PDApage2 op

?what’sthe

problem

ish all junk food at once is probably not very realistic. Aim high, but just don’t go overboard.

Develop a schedule. According to a study by Franklin Covey consulting firm, 40 percent of people who break resolutions say they are too busy to follow through.

Before making your resolution, create a plan of how you will achieve your goal. Make sure you understand just how much time you will need to devote. This will lessen your chances of breaking your resolution due to other commitments.

Keep these tips in mind, and maybe we all stand a chance at sticking to our resolutions through the year (or at least we can make it through January).

junior Jordan Casati

n By John Sisser

to theletters

editor

VIEWOUR

VIEWYOUR

Dear editor, I play golf for Findlay High School. It is my

passion and my first love in life. Much of my desire to succeed in golf I owe

to Tiger Woods. He is without question the most recognized athlete of my generation. He has achieved this level of recognition through his grueling practice on the golf course and in the gym.

His miraculous skills are testament to his work ethic, imagination and refusal to lose. This mindset inspires me to work hard and achieve my golf goals.

The recent allegations against him are disappointing to say the least. However, we are all human and make mistakes. I hope and be-lieve that he will own up to his behavior. This,

in time, can only make him a stronger father, husband and golfer.

Right now, the media must give him the privacy he needs to mend this ordeal with his family, friends and fans.

We have not seen the last of Tiger’s bril-liance. This was a huge double bogey in his life, but there are many more birdies in store for Tiger’s legacy

junior Lauren Mains

Golfer will make comeback

Displays of affection go too farDear editor,

Do you think the Public Display of Af-fection at our high school is just straight up disgusting? Well I do! Why is it that couples cannot go 40 minutes without each other? It is

Program must focus on helping athletes

junior Levi Bruce “The school

should do drug testing to keep drugs out of the building.”

freshman Carlie Bodart

ridiculous! You do not need to be making out every moment you are together.

If you do this because you want everyone to know you are together, you can save your-self the effort because I guarantee word will get out that you are dating.

Secondly, who wants to see this? The answer is no one. You are just clogging up the hallways anyway, so maybe you should just give it a rest and save students the feeling of nausea. Sure, hugs are fine, but anything past that is a bit risky.

So in the future, it would be very nice of you to take into consideration the people around you. For their sake, it would be nice to not want to throw up every time they walk down the hall.

junior Rosalee Wohl

Landfills are harmful to societyDear editor,

A problem that has come to my attention is the growing number of landfills. What started as a good idea to just bury all of our trash in the ground to let it decompose is now a full-blown calamity!

With so many landfills, the surrounding countryside has started to smell bad. The main problem that has to be addressed is that we live in a throw-away society where people don’t think twice before tossing something in the trash.

We need to have everything recyclable and have nothing disposable. This would obliterate the need to have landfills and would create a better world to live in.

junior Derek Blubaugh

District should invest in random drug testing

“They probably should have to, not because it’s a problem but all of the athletes signed a contract saying they wouldn’t do drugs.”

seniorPaige Madden

eentertainment

tFriday, December 18, 2009

“Tiger Woods was the most fascinating person this year because he was an under-the-radar celebrity until the car crash brought the skeletons out of his closet.”

junior Sam Misamore

14 or more women claimed to have had an affair with golfer Tiger Woods page3

fascinatingfive

seniors

to check out

Invictus slow, but inspiring

Title: InvictusStarring: Morgan Freeman (The Dark

Knight) and Matt Damon (The Bourne trilogy)Plot: South African president Nelson

Mandela (Freeman) asks head captain of the rugby team (Damon) to win the 1995 Rug-by World Cup and bring the country, separated by the apartheid together.

Why see it: Invictus, gives an inspiring view on how a sports team brings a nation together. Though it’s slow in parts and lacks suspense, direc-tor Clint Eastwood does a great job capturing the leadership Mandela pos-sessed as president. Viewers may want to brush-up on the rugby rules though, to get the full effect.

Grade: A- Freeman

5

HitsMissesand

Check it out

Could have been better

What a waste of timeTitle: The Gloomers Holiday ExtravaganzaHow was it: An animated take on A Christmas Carol, this long video is boring and lame. Skip it.

Title: 12 Days of Christmas (Indian style)How was it: It’s kind of long and sort of derogatory, but this song has its moments. Try to check it out.

Title: Guerrilla Handbell Strikeforce How was it: It wasn’t neces-sarily funny, but this short video takes the typical job of the Salvation Army bell ringer one step further.

n By Maggie Malaney

Holiday Classics Marathon: Catch nonstop Christmas

favorites on ABC Fam-ily on Christmas Eve starting at 7 a.m. and running until 10 p.m.

Avatar movie:The director of Titanic returns with this highly

anticipated sci-fi film in theaters

tonight, Dec. 18.

Guitar Hero Van Halen: Want

to rock out with your favorite 1980s

band? Pick up Guitar Hero: Van

Halen Dec. 22.

A Christmas Story Marathon: Watch

24 hours of your favorite holiday

movie on TBS. The tradition starts Dec.

24 at 8 p.m.

Sherlock Holmes movie: Check out

this remake of a detective classic starring Robert

Downy Jr. on Christmas Day.

Christmas Cheers relaxing, perfect for holiday seasonn By John Sisser

Title: Christmas CheersArtist: Straight No ChaserLast release: Holiday SpiritsWhy buy it: Like most a

capella groups, Straight No Chaser offers perfect harmonies to catchy tunes. This band goes further by adding their own, comedic, renditions of Christmas classics.

The absence of instruments doesn’t make this album boring, but is relaxing. Though some of the tunes blend together after awhile, Straight No Chaser is good at including a variety of Christmas songs to keep things exciting and fresh.

Download this: Christmas Can-CanGrade: A

There are over 140 million videos estimat-ed to be on YouTube.

Lucky for you, we’ve sorted through some to find which videos are worth a watch and which ones fail miserably. Read on:

10TOP

a decade in review

• Apple releases iPod

• Facebook connects people across globe

• YouTube creates instant celebrities

• Harry Potter movies entertain millions

• The Dark Knight earns over $1 billion worldwide

• Rockband, Guitar Hero make gaming debut

• American Idol airs eight seasons

• Pixar movies fascinate kids and adults alike

• Survivor revolutionizes reality television

• Apple manufactures the iPhone for AT&T

Cole Lautermilch is currently ranked first in the senior class.

He is also the president of National Honor Society.

And the secretary of the St. Michael’s Youth Board.

And an Eagle Scout. Get the picture?Simply put, Lautermilch does it all. Whether it’s planning a Junior Statesmen

of America event or heading to Quiz Bowl practice, Lautermilch is busy to say the least.

Somewhere between balancing school-work, 10 extra-curricular and community ac-tivities and applying to colleges like Harvard and Yale, Lautermilch finds time to sleep.

It may not be Lautermilch’s involvement in these clubs but the leadership positions he holds that make him fascinating.

The senior is president, co-chair or secre-tary in many of the organizations he’s in.

However, when he isn’t racing to the next meeting or up late doing homework, Lauter-milch enjoys playing guitar.

“Music has always been something I enjoyed,” he said. “I always listened to a lot of music. I’ve played guitar for a couple years and recently I started playing bass. I took les-

sons for awhile but then I stopped and just played on my own.”

While he does have free time to relax, taking on so much can be stressful. But Lautermilch thinks what he gains is worth the effort.

“I enjoy all of it,” he said. “I wouldn’t do all these things if I didn’t. Sometimes it’s tough to balance, but that’s just a trade-off.”

Lautermilch more than typical high school overachiever

Senior to pursue cooking passion in collegeMelissa Eier is not your everyday high

school band geek.Eier has another, more unique

passion: cooking.“I was inspired by my dad,”

she said. “Growing up, he al-ways cooked and I tried to help, so I always had a passion for it.

“I cook for everyone; fam-

ily, friends, the swim team.”For Eier, cooking relieves the stresses of

her busy life. “It provides a release for me,” she said.

“When I cook, I don’t have any stresses. I’m always in a good mood when I cook.”

While most seniors apply to state col-leges and universities, Eier plans to follow her passion.

“I really want to go to culinary school,” Eier said. “I’ve applied to the Culinary Institute of America in New York City. If I get accepted I would go into their Baking and Pastry Arts program.

“In 10 years, I see myself probably in a big city with lots of restaurants, or ‘job op-portunities’. Ultimately I would like to own my own bakery.”

Michael Alexander

Michael Alexander was seven-years-old when he started wrestling.

He may not have known then he would ultimately be one of the best high school wrestlers in Ohio.

This year, Alexander is on target to pos-sibly break every wrestling record at the high school and win a state championship.

“When I was younger I did wrestling in the winter and then I did baseball, soccer

and even some basketball,” he said. “As I’ve gotten older, wrestling has sort of grown to where I wrestle all year now.

“My dad wrestled through high school and college and I started in a youth program. I would watch my brother wrestling with all of the older kids and then I would wrestle with them.”

Alexander was raised in a wrestling-oriented family. Along with his father’s high

school and college wrestling career, Alexan-der’s brother, Matt, won the state champion-ship in 2008.

While the senior is an exceptional wres-tler, he also has a passion for his schoolwork and plans to major in chemical engineering in college.

As a member of the wrestling team, the football team, National Honor Society and other clubs, finding a balance between ath-

letics, academics and extra-curriculars can be difficult, but this senior finds a system that works for him.

“I’m big on time management,” he said. “I want to be able to do every-thing, that’s what drives me. I’m kind of a perfectionist with school-work, and I always want to succeed in athletics. I just work hard at it, there is no magic trick.”

Time management skills help Alexander balance athletics, academics

Carrie Lammers

When most people think of cheerleaders, they think of the preppy and popular girls.

But Carrie Lammers hates stereotypes.Lammers, a self-described “video geek”

and a varsity cheerleading captain, is the producer for the high school’s video year-book, The Vid and broadcast, 2aToday.

“I love video so much,” she said. “I like starting a story, having no idea how it will

turn out and then seeing a finished product. I really love being able to inform and enter-tain people at the same time.”

While most stories require planning and editing, some are more important to Lam-mers than others.

“A huge story for me was my story on Smokers’ Corner,” she said, “because with that story I felt like more than a high school

journalist. That story wasn’t like covering the captain of the soccer team, it felt like a real broadcast segment.”

Video courses have paid off for Lammers. The senior, along with the 2aToday staff, has racked up several national awards, including a Pacemaker award in November.

For college, Lammers plans to attend either the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music

or the University of Toledo to further her film education and ultimately pursue a career in video productions.

“I would love to have an occupa-tion fully committed to video,” Lam-mers said. “I don’t know if I’ll go the Hollywood route or go into broadcasting. Either way, I’ll be doing something I love.”

2aToday/The Vid producer racks up national awards for broadcasting

Five upperclassmen stand out in the crowdIt’s hard to determine what exactly it is about someone that makes them “fascinating”. It could be someone’s fame and money. Or maybe it’s their talents. Or for some, it’s just strange things that have happened to them.

n By John Sisser

“”

It provides a release for

me. When I cook I don’thave any stresses. I’m alwaysin a good mood when I cook.

senior Melissa Eier

Whether it’s working with the Army Corps of Engineers to solve the city’s flood-ing problem or debating hot topics at a Junior Statesmen of America meeting, Luke Opperman is surrounded by government

and politics.“I really just like the nuts and bolts

of government and all the processes within it,” he said. “I want to bring stability because there’s a huge gap

between the parties. That would definitely be one of my bigger goals.

“There is so much partisanship in gov-ernment. They should be united under one country instead of under one party.”

Over the summer, Opperman partici-pated in an internship in Washington, D.C. at Georgetown University.

While in the capital, he stayed on cam-pus and met with various representatives,

including Ohio congressman Jim Jordan.But the train doesn’t stop there. Opper-

man plans to pursue a career in government with a run for mayor in the next 10 years.

“I want to go to the University of Findlay and major in political science or liberal arts,” he said. “Then, I’m looking at law school or graduate school or jumping right into local government. I want to get to the national level eventually.”

Opperman aspires for role in national government “”

There is so muchpartisanship

in government. They shouldbe united under one countryinstead of under one party.

senior Luke Opperman

Each year, talk show host Barbara Walters compiles a list of 10 fascinating people to interview. Though we may not have some of the big names that cracked Walters’ list, here are five fascinating seniors that made ours.

Cole Lautermilch

Melissa Eier

Luke Opperman

nnewsfeaturef

Friday, December 18, 2009

“Coats for Christmas was an eye-opening experience because it made me realize how silly and picky I am when I shop. They were just happy to have a new coat.”

junior Eliza Bauler

1,000 extra coats from Coats for Christmas will be donated to the Cherry Street Mission in Toledopage4

Not for Sale club members will host a benefit concert January 8 at 7 p.m. at New Life Assembly of God to raise funds for organizations such as Gracehaven and Second Chance, which increase awareness of human trafficking and help those involved in it.

“It is not just in Cambodia, Thailand and Europe, but it is in America,” President Hannah Gray said. “If you read the Toledo Blade, there have been articles about girls being sold by their parents to do sexual acts, and that is a form of modern-day slavery.”

Students will perform songs and poems.“The theme is freedom,” Vice President

Tee Redd said. “All of the performances will be about freedom and changing the world.”

Tickets for the concert can be purchased for $2 in the SAC office, at Coffee Amici, from any Not for Sale member or at the door for $4.

Student Council donated $1,200 to Clothe-A-Child, which bought winter clothing for six Findlay City Schools students in tight financial situations.

Overall, Clothe-A-Child provided 89 primary and elementary school students with $200 each this holiday season. Each child spent their money at Kohl’s with the assistance of one Student Council member and one adult volunteer.

Student Council member Kristin Schmidt contributed further by giving each student a bag with items such as personal hygiene products, a free kid’s meal from Applebee’s, a coupon for a free Frosty from Wendy’s, granola bars and chocolates.

“I left knowing that I had just made his (her student shopper’s) night better,” Schmidt said. “The stress of putting together the goodie bags was worth it.”

Benefit concert raises fundsn By Michaela Marincic

Student Council helps kidsn By Michaela Marincic

Paper, 2aToday go onlinen By Emily Rivest

KEEPITBRIEF

Blue & Gold and 2aToday’s new website www.blueandgoldtoday.org is up and running and will provide students with a source of updated school and sports news.

The site features polls, updated sports scores, blogs and multimedia, such as video segments, slide shows and photo galleries, which offer pictures for sale.

“Students will be able to give their input on everything,” editor in chief John Sisser said. “We have comments for all stories and videos, blogs and just a bunch of different ways for people to voice their opinions.”

The site will supplement stories already covered by the paper and video yearbook.

“We are trying to produce similar stories to what goes in the paper or in The Vid (video yearbook) for the website,” producer Carrie Lammers said. “We’re also doing fun ‘how-to’ videos to show seasonal activities students can do and we’re going to have teases for stories in The Vid.”

The staff welcomes feedback on the site.“The site has a box where you can send

in ideas for things for us to cover in both the paper and/or the website so that will give us new topics to look at,” Sisser said.

Stop by room 286 and talk to teacher Jim McGonnell if you want to help.

Senior Courtney Lowrey

Through the Honors Career Mentorship Program, students can learn if they have what it takes to succeed in a possible career field.

Eligible juniors and seniors who go through an application process can spend 18 hours over two months with a professional in their field of interest.

“It helps students by giving them a ‘real-world’ experience in the career they think they want to pursue,” Judy Withrow, Coordinator of Gifted Services, said. “The mentorship is successful if a student discovers that it is the field of their ‘dreams’ but also if they discover it is not a career they would be happy in for their working years.”

The program also helps students begin networking and learning about the less obvious aspects of the career.

“Students find out about the best colleges for their career,” Withrow said, “begin to network with people in the field, work with many people who share their expertise in their specific job as part of a team, learn the expectations of that particular profession, etc.”

Junior Maddy Herron is finishing her mentorship with environmental lawyer Ginny King from Marathon. Herron’s session, which ends Jan. 12, is the first of three.

“It has exposed me to the field,” Herron said. “I’ve got more in depth experience and understanding of what the job would require. I’m not saying this is definitely what I’m going to do, but it is a possibility now.”

Not all students discover they want to pursue their field of interest, however, the mentorship can still be a positive experience. For example, last year, senior Krystan Krucki discovered that teaching wasn’t for her.

“I realized I didn’t like children very much and I didn’t want to give that amount of time to grading papers,” she said. “It was definitely a good experience though.

“If I hadn’t done it, I would have gone to school to become a teacher and would have discovered I hated it after I got a job. Now I know it’s not for me.”

Students find career help with programn By Emily Rivest

SEASON OF GIVINGCharity gives coats to less fortunate

GIVING

Juniors Jerry Kindig and Michael Popovec help a little boy find a new coat at the 21st annual Coats For Christmas event at Glenwood Middle School. Coats For Christmas distributes donated coats to those in need without financial requirements. Launched in 1987 by Paul Kramer, owner of City Laundry and Dry Cleaning, the project is now supported by Hancock Leadership Alumni Association and Emerging Community Leaders Investing in Philanthropic Service (ECLIPSe). This year they collected 3,500 coats and distributed 2,300 of them.

photo by Katie Trinko

Two Blue & Gold staff members won superior awards in the National Write-off Contest from the Journalism Education Association (JEA) last month.

Editor in chief John Sisser and feature editor Kim Maples ranked superior in the newswriting and newspaper layout categories, respectively. The two were honored at the JEA/National Scholastic Press Association Fall National High School Journalism Convention in Washington, D.C.

“I went to a competition last spring and didn’t get anything; so to get a superior at the largest convention ever is really a confidence boost for me,” Maples said. “I’m really glad to know out of a room full of other (student) journalists, I was one of the two best in the country at newspaper design.”

Four other staff members also won national awards. Photographer Katie Logsdon received an excellent for her entry in

the sports photography category, while honorable mentions went to co-photo editor Katie Trinko for photo portfolio and sports editor Lexi Perrault in sports writing.

“They (the awards) are a good gauge that we are doing the right things and our program continues to be competitive with the best journalism programs in the country,” adviser Jim McGonnell said.

Blue & Gold also took 10th place in the 9-12 page Best of Show newspaper category.

2aToday staff members won their second Pacemaker, the top award in scholastic broadcasting, from the National Scholastic Press Association (NSPA) and the Newspaper Association of America Foundation at the Journalism Education Association/NSPA Fall National High School Journalism Convention in Washington, D.C.

Producer Carrie Lammers was surprised when their show won.

“It was a one-of-a-kind experience,” Lammers said. “Normally, you get that nervous feeling before an awards ceremony, but I didn’t get that this time. I really didn’t expect it. It was amazing and beyond words.”

Assistant producer Jimmy Eckhardt is working towards future competitions.

“We’re going to use this award to push us to keep working hard and make segments that our viewers, as well as judges, will like,” Eckhardt said. “I plan on staying more focused, contributing more, working harder, getting better stories and more information on the stories to benefit the viewers.”

Broadcast wins awardn By Maggie Malaney

n By Maggie Malaney

Blue & Gold staffers place nationally

HONORProducer Carrie Lammers is awarded a national Pacemaker. 2aToday won the highest award in scholsatic journalism.

photo courtesy of Carrie Lammers

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Teenagers find alcohol addiction hard to break

n By Kim Maples

5,000people under 21 die each year due to alcohol-related causes

4times more likely to develop dependence on alcohol if you be-gin drnking before 15

16.6percent of adoles-cents who received help for drinking problems sought it themselves

1.5 million adolescents were dependent on or abused alcohol in the past year

numbersby th

e New Year’s Eve usually means exces-sive drinking for senior Ted (name changed to protect identity).

Even though he is trying to cut back on alcohol, this New Year’s Eve will most likely break his resolve.

“I know a couple buddies already are going to drink,” he said. “I won’t do well because it’s New Year’s and my senior year. I’ll probably end up drinking anyway.”

His long-time habit is hard to kick. When he was only 14 years old, Ted began to drink while at a party.

“I saw some of my older friends drinking and I thought, ‘Oh that’s cool. They’re doing it, so it must be fun,’” he said. “I don’t feel like I was pressured. I just did it (drank) because it was kind of something I wanted to do.”

Now, Ted drinks with his friends, a couple of whom are old enough to buy alcohol legally.

“It’s fun and something to do,” he said. “Whenever I drink, I have a lot of fun because I’m more wild and crazy.”

Feeling the pressureTed’s reasons for drinking are common ac-

cording to Monica Clark, a Drug and Alcohol Counselor at the Family Resource Center.

“Friends are a large influence,” she said. “It’s something fun to do and makes them feel grown up. A lot of times they grow up in a home where they learn problem drinking, or excessive drinking, is acceptable.

“It doesn’t mean that they (family mem-ber) are an alcoholic, but their behavior causes problems, like if they couldn’t pay the bills.”

Even the “crazy” feeling Ted enjoys is due to physical effects of alcohol on the brain.

“The inhibitions aren’t there. Anything goes,” Clark said. “When you’re under 18, the part of the brain that controls decision-making isn’t developed, so we see less responsible behavior and poor choices.

“That ultimately leads to negative conse-quences like promiscuity, deciding to drive and using drugs.”

Though Ted said he’s never done anything like this, he’s witnessed the effects of alcohol

on others.“They sometimes hook up with a person

of the opposite gender and they do something they both regret,” he said.

Far-reaching diseaseWith 75 percent of high school students

having at least one drink in their life, according to the 2007 Youth Risk Behavior survey, there are a lot of poor choices being made every day by teen alcohol drinkers.

“Alcoholism is a disease, like cancer,” Clark said. “The longer it goes untreated, the worse it gets. The earlier a person abuses alcohol, their risk for developing alcoholism skyrockets.

“It affects every domain of the person’s life: grades, relationships, self-esteem and more.”

Catch it earlyThe best way to prevent future alcohol

abuse is if it is caught early and disciplined.“If the consequences aren’t severe enough,

they (teens) don’t feel they’re doing something wrong,” Clark said. “If the parent is not willing to discipline their child, they can expect to see more of that same type of behavior, and it will only escalate.”

This may be true for Ted, who says his par-ents caught him drinking when he was 16, but never punished him.

“They were pretty cool with it,” he said. “It was surprising to me, because I thought they would be mad.

“If they had punished me, it definitely would have made me stop.”

Quit itInstead, Ted continued to drink, though

he doesn’t believe he is addicted. Recently, he decided to cut his consumption to “every weekend or so” because of the physical toll.

“It’s not as easy as I thought it was going to be, but I’m still working on it,” he said. “Every time I’ve gotten drunk, I haven’t felt very good, and it made me not want to drink.”

According to Clark, Ted has already reached the first step of recovery: admitting there is a problem.

“Seek out help or reveal it to someone you trust, like a friend, parent, doctor or coach,” Clark said. “You need to get in touch with a professional in order to get the help you need.

“Alcohol is a drug, and drug addiction is not something that goes away on its own.”

40 percent of people who began drinking at 13 or younger became alcohol dependent later in life pagef

featuret

Friday, December 18, 2009

5“Kids drink on New Year’s because Findlay doesn’t have anything for teens to do. I know people that drink on New Year’s because it’s just another excuse to have fun and get drunk.”

junior Kyle Hamilton

Professional help available to quit

12,517Ohio adolescents admitted to sub-stance abuse treatment reported alcohol use

source: 2003-2006 National Survey on Drug Use and Health

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t“My favorite app is Tap Tap Revenge. It has all the new hit music and it’s just like Guitar Hero on your iPod.”

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100,000 or more apps are available in Apple’s iTunes store for the iPod touch and iPhonepage6

Friday, December 18, 2009

From the school gymnasium to the in-ternational stage, senior Mark Janowiecki takes his unicycling to the ultimate level.

For the first time, Janowiecki will compete in the International Unicycling Competition and Convention (UNICON) in Wellington, New Zealand, where he looks forward to seeing a broader range of unicycling styles.

“If you go to the U.S. competition, you only see U.S. riders,” the unicyclist said, “but if you go to the international com-petition, you get to see other countries. Different countries have slightly different styles, like Japan does a lot of spinning and pirouettes.”

Janoweicki will compete in freestyle and standard skill, two styles his local

club focuses on. Freestyle focuses more on entertainment than standard skills, in which competitors are scored on skill and mastery, according to Janoweicki.

His Beatles-inspired freestyle routine is set to a mix of Paul McCartney songs, complete with costuming fashioned after the iconic ‘60s rock band.

“There are a lot of tricks (in his free-style),” Janowiecki said. “There are wheel walks where you push the wheel with your foot; you can do it with one foot, backwards or standing up on the frame.”

For standard skill he will have to do 18 tricks in three minutes while keeping his arms parallel to the floor without quiver-ing the entire time.

“It (unicycling) is a challenge,” Janow-iecki’s mother, Barb Janowiecki said. “We

Senior takes unicycling show on international road to New Zealandn By Michaela Marincic

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senior Mark Janowiecki

see it not as a clown thing, but more like a sport that takes hard work and practice.”

For Mark Janowiecki, practice means four to five hours of training every day during Christmas break in preparation for the competition.

However, he hopes to not get caught up in the competitiveness of the event, but take time to relax and enjoy the trip.

“Competing won’t be the main focus; if I do badly it will not be a pointless trip,” the senior said. “It is still going to be a great experience and a fun time.”

On his itinerary are a ferry trip to New Zealand’s southern island, sight-seeing in Wellington, white-water rafting through a cave and a New Year’s celebration, all in the time span of Dec. 28 through Jan. 7.

He also hopes to watch other unicy-

cling events at UNICON, especially the trial races.

“I want to see the trials because at the world meet a few summers ago, a guy did a back flip on a uni-cycle for the first time,” Mark Janowiecki said. “(During a trial) he jumped on a stack of palates, jumped off, did a back flip, landed on his unicycle and rode away.”

Mark Janowiecki will have many op-portunities both to compete with other skilled unicyclists and get a taste of a different culture.

“I’m excited for him; he can handle it (UNICON),” his sister Emily Janowiecki said. “This is a great opportunity to expe-rience new places and go to new levels of unicycling. He’s going to have a blast.”

ONE-MAN SHOW Senior Mark Janowiecki performs his unicycling act at the Homecoming pep rally. Over Christmas break, the senior will compete in an International unicycling competition in New Zealand. photos by Katie Trinko and Taylor McGonnell

“Athletes on drugs or alcohol are bad influences because when you’re on a team you don’t only represent yourself, but also your team.”

senior Molly Parsons

76 percent said they support random drug testing of athletes in a survey of 100 students.page

ssports

pFriday, December 18, 2009

7

Wrestlers will face 38 teams at Medinan By Michaela Marincic

Random testingcould eliminate substance abusen By Lexi Perrault

implemented drug testing at their high school for three years with Sports Safe Drug Testing, but ended the program due to funding issues.

“We tested 20-25 students once a week all school year,” Smelzer said. “During that time we had maybe 25 total positive tests. A positive test was not publicized, but I notified the coach and the student had to sit out 20 percent of their season.”

Swim team captain Anna Miller believes random testing of athletes would be a positive thing at the high school.

“I do support it because people look up to athletes,” Anna Miller said. “Abusing drugs does not show very good morals and that is not the kind of impression that should be given to the younger athletes in our school.”

Other students oppose drug testing, such as soccer player Chaze Copeland.

“Personally I don’t support it,” Copeland said. “In all honesty, if we randomly tested

Findlay’s athletes, our athletics would probably be destroyed because so many of our athletes have done illegal substances and it would keep a lot of kids from playing.”

Anna Miller agrees with Copeland about the amount of positive tests.

“I don’t think there will be a lot of positive tests during certain seasons if you test those athletes because they’re smart enough not to do it during their season,” she said. “If we tested athletes who are not in season, we would have many positive tests.”

Wrestling coach Ben Kirian also supports random drug testing of athletes but thinks there are underlying reasons why we have not implemented it.

“I completely support drug testing of athletes because it would allow you to know for sure if a kid is using and to not have to trust their word,” Kirian said. “The issue is much bigger than everyone wants to believe and this

photo by Katie Logsdon

Junior Teresa Selhorst practices her beam routine in prepara-tion for the upcoming season. The gymnastics team will have its first meet on Dec. 19.

may be one reason that we don’t test kids. “We do not want proof of a problem and I

am not talking about school administration, I am talking about parents.”

Even if some parents disagree, Lori Niswander, mother of freshman Austin Niswander, supports drug testing.

“I would question why a parent would not want their child to be tested,” Niswander said. “Why wouldn’t you want to help your child?

“All schools should test athletes regardless of cost because it would force athletes to make a choice of playing or doing illegal substances.”

Board of Education member Jeff Shrader hopes to fix the problem of drug use.

“The board would be in favor of finding a solution,” Shrader said. “But personally I would support drug testing in all extracurricular activities because all students in those activities should adhere to the pledge they signed.”

Drug policy for sports, clubs

• The possession or use of drugs, tobacco,drug paraphernalia and alcohol is prohibited.

• First offense: Participant is denied participation for one calendar year from date of infraction.

• Denial of participation may be reduced to 50 percent of scheduled games upon meeting these requirements:

• The participant must complete a drug education program.

•The participant must serve 20 hours of community service.

• Second offense: Participant is denied participation for one calendar year from the date of infraction and must complete the above requirements.

• Third offense: Participant is denied participation in all extracurricular activities.

For more info, see page 37 in the student handbook .

in a seriesFirst

Small gymnastics team struggles with injuries

n By Michaela Marincic

For the first time, the varsity wrestling team will compete in the Medina Invitational, Dec. 28 and 29.

At Medina the wrestlers will face some of their highest-caliber opponents of the season.

“This year’s tournament will have 39 teams, of which many are the top Ohio wrestling schools,” coach Ben Kirian said. “The level of competition will be very high, and for the majority of our wrestlers, the best that they have seen all year.”

The team will have the experience of the Trojan Duals and Bowling Green Duals going into Medina, as well as the Ironman Tournament for seniors Michael Alexander and Max Gladstone.

“It will be pretty tough going from our tournament to Ironman to the BG (Bowling Green) duals then to Medina,” Alexander said, “but at the same time we get a lot of good competition in…We’ll have a lot of experience going in, so we’ll be ready.”

However, because of the tough competition at the Medina Invitational, Kirian plans to take only his experienced wrestlers.

“It would be self-defeating,” Kirian said. “If they go in and lose two matches, they’re done for the whole weekend.

“Or I could hold out and wrestle them in another tournament later to get them in more matches.”

But according to Gladstone, Medina should be easy compared to the Walsh Ironman tournament.

Only Ohio wrestlers compete at Medina tournament; wrestlers nationwide competed in the Ironman.

At Ironman, Alexander finished second in his weight class, while Gladstone defaulted to sixth place due to an injured back.

“I feel like I let my coach and parents down,” Gladstone said. “I didn’t show my best to the world, and it’s my senior year, so I don’t get to redeem myself.”

When a captain prepares for a big game, they hope their teammates are as mentally prepared as they are, but with a high percentage of teen substance abuse, this may be too much to hope for.

In 2008, 65.5 percent of high school seniors drank alcohol and 32.4 percent admitted using marijuana, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics.

With these statistics, a captain should be worried about his teammates, but a possible solution could be weekly random drug testing.

“I support drug testing because when I am out on the field I want a player beside me that is mentally and physically ready to play, not one taken over by drugs,” football captain Austin Miller said.

Principal Victoria Swartz is also in favor of random drug testing but doesn’t want a student to suffer legal consequences if they test positive.

“I do support random drug testing of athletes if it is not used to hold students accountable for legal consequences but to help students,” Swartz said. “They should be disciplined at school but there would also have to be a therapy the child could go through to minimize punishment.”

Chris Franz of Sports Safe Drug Testing believes testing is important in athletics.

“We corporate over 100 schools in Ohio and we make sure kids know that what they are doing is illegal and harmful,” Franz said. “Every kid doesn’t use drugs or alcohol, but we give them a reason to say no and make the right decision.”

Sports Safe Drug Testing charges $27 per test. It tests for marijuana, prescription drugs, like valium, cocaine and alcohol.

Van Wert’s athletic director Kent Smelzer

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Three things currently hinder the varsity gymnastics team: one knee, one ankle and one foot injury.

While coach Joe Dunn expects the injuries to heal by January, the gymnasts already lost hours of practice while recovering.

“I could have learned more new skills, but I’ve only been back in the gym for a few weeks,” injured gymnast Alexis Moloney said. “I haven’t had as much time to build up endurance and strength to perform the skills, which could affect my scores at the first competitions.”

The injured gymnasts have not been practicing their full routines to avoid further damage, but they still hope to have them ready for the district competition.

“Our major goal is to get to state this year,” sophomore Jillian Bendt said. “Last year we were third at districts, and the top two go to state. We were close, and that motivates us more so that state is really our main goal and focus.”

Bendt is the only gymnast who qualified for state last season, but she hopes to return with her all of her teammates.

But with only five girls on the team, they will have a disadvantage at every invitational. Each gymnast takes on more responsibility since only the top four scores count.

“The girls have to learn how to work under pressure,” Dunn said. “It is now more important to make sure each girl hits her routine every time, that she doesn’t fall, stays clean and sticks her landings.

“We have to make the routines as perfect as possible.” The gymnasts attempt to pick up extra points by increasing the

difficulty of their routines with skills such as new bar dismounts and types of vaulting.

“Our best event is probably floor because it has our most difficult skills,” Bendt said. “We’re trying more to get difficult skills in the routines because you get bonus points for them.”

sportsVolume 87, Issue 3

&gb Luke Kraus, 2009 graduate, is one of eight Trojan basketball players who made 1st Team All-Ohio.

During this decade, the boys and girls swim teams set nine school records.

?Did you know...? ?

Friday, December 18, 2009

Girls will rely on guards against Perrysburg Boys basketball hopes for win over Little Giantsn By Lexi Perrault

n By Lexi Perrault

n By Leah Cramer

Findlay gymnastics went undefeated in the Northwest District from 1996-2005.

Hoping Christmas comes a little early, this year the girls basketball team believes a wide range of scoring will stop Perrysburg, who has given them trouble the past two seasons.

They lost to the Yellow Jackets the last two years they met them in tournaments, but are optimistic about the upcoming game.

“We’ve got to play really good defense and not live in the past,” junior Megan Lammers said. “We have to remember that it’s a new season now.

“This time when we play them it doesn’t have to be like the last two times.”

The team has confidence that their strengths will help them break a two game skid

after starting this season undefeated.“We have a lot of three-point shooters and

guards, so we have good perimeter game,” senior Paige Kutschbach said. “I’m really con-fident in the team.

“If we keep our heads in the game, we will do really good.”

Leading the charge against Perrysburg are top scorers junior Holly Barton (14.6 points per game) and senior Ashley Miller (12.2 points per game).

“The sum of all our players equals a bal-anced scoring offense,” coach Connie Lyon said. “Multiple girls have the capability of scoring; we simply need to be patient and look for good shots.”

Walking onto a court where the fans will be loud and obnoxious can be intimidating, but the boys’ basketball team is prepared and looking to win.

They face Fremont on the road tonight and senior Clay Paul hopes the Little Giant’s home court advantage will not affect his game.

“Their court is really hard to play at,” Paul said. “Their fans can literally stand on the sideline and harass you and it is always packed so the atmosphere is unreal.”

Coach Jim Rucki expects the game to be difficult, but hopes their preparation will contribute to a fourth consecutive Greater Buckeye Conference (GBC) championship.

Brock AmmonsNumber: 35Height: 6’6’’Grade: 11Position: Forward

Clay PaulNumber: 3Height: 5’11’’Grade: 12Position: Shooting guard

Justin RichterNumber: 24Height: 6’1’’Grade: 12Position: Forward

Grant BirchmeierNumber: 4Height: 5’9’’Grade: 11Position: Point guardC.J. Gettys

Number: 41Height: 6’10’’Grade: 10Position: Center

Ashley MillerNumber: 14 Height: 5’7”Grade: 12Position: Shooting guard

Shannon MillsNumber: 22Height: 5’9”Grade: 12Position: Center

Holly BartonNumber: 23Height: 5’8”Grade: 11Position: Forward

Danielle SallisburyNumber: 33Height: 5’7”Grade: 11Position: Shooting guard

Megan LammersNumber: 34Height: 5’4”Grade: 11Position: Point guard

“Even with a league loss to Marion (last weekend), we still have a chance to win the title,” Rucki said. “Last year we won the league with two losses, so it could happen. Hopefully our confidence in each other is growing.”

Sophomore C.J. Gettys agrees that the team needs to work on confidence in each other.

“Our biggest challenge is our team chemistry,” Gettys said. “We are still getting used to playing with each other and hopefully with more game experience it will get better.”

Chemistry isn’t the only improvement to be made, according to Paul.

“We need to take advantage of each possession we get,” Paul said. “We need to work on not turning over the ball.”

Hockey seeks revenge on Olentangy

madness

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10sports stories

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2009Usain Bolt setsnew 100-meter world record.

2007Michael Vick gets 23 months in prison for dog fighting.

2008New York Giants beat undefeated New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII.

2008Brett Favre retires, then becomes a New York Jet, then a Minnesota Viking.

2008Michael Phelps wins eight gold medals atBeijing Olympics, the most by any one person.

2007Ohio State loses football and basketball titles to Florida in the same year.

2007Barry Bonds on steroids beats Hank Aaron’s home run record.

2004Ben Roethlisberger wins two Super Bowls with Pittsburgh Steelers.

2003Lebron James is drafted by Cleveland Cavaliers at age 18.

2001Woods is first golfer to hold all four professional majors at the same time.

After a pre-season loss to Olentangy, the hockey team is looking for revenge at the Trojan Invitational on Dec. 26-28 at the Cube.

The team will be facing off against Olengtangy, Maumee and Anthony Wayne.

“Olentangy beat us, 4-1, in a scrimmage earlier this year and we’re excited to get another chance to beat them in front of our fans,” freshman Patrick Hall said.

Coach Dan St. Jean isn’t worried about what happened at the pre-season scrimmage.

“We’ll be aggressive and hopefully beat every team in every aspect of the game,” St. Jean said. “We have kids with good hockey sense and speed.”

Two things are important in determining the team’s outcome.

“Our work ethic and discipline are our strengths,” St. Jean said. “We need to give 120 percent every game we play.”

A few key players Hall expects to be at their best each game are brothers, junior Layne and freshman Andy Martin.

“They’re very exciting to watch, and create a lot of good plays on the ice,” Hall said. “They have the same mindset on the ice and they’re always looking for good passes from one another.”

Though the team does have some standouts, sophomore Mark Roepke thinks the best way to win is with a strong team effort.

“A win will give us confidence going into league play and we will need that when we face our rival, Bowling Green,” Roepke said.

Coach: Connie LyonYears coaching: 7Overall record: 99-45GBC titles: 3Quote: “Our goal is to get better each day and to raise our own level of competitiveness,” Lyon said.

Coach: Jim RuckiYears coaching: 11Overall record: 1249-706League titles: 24Quote: “We are inexperi-enced, so there’s a lot of room for improvement and growth and we’ll see that by the end of the year,” Rucki said.

in a random survey of 100 students

photo by Katie Logsdon

Junior Jack Roberson carries the puck out of the defensive zone during a home game last weekend. The Trojans brought thir record to 4-4-1 at Parma Invitational.

Swimmers prepare for first invitationalsn By Maggie Malaney

4-4-1overall record

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3-2overall record

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Experienced wrestlers to compete at Medina

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After three dual meets, both swim teams are preparing for their first invitationals of the season.

Swimmers will compete separately tomorrow because only those who qualified will attend Viking Invitational at Cleveland State University Natatorium.

Senior Jonathan Shaffer is looking forward to his first Viking Invite. “We don’t normally compete against teams in the Northeast district,

so swimming against them prepares us for state when we’ll see these swimmers again,” Shaffer said.

Coach Jeff Wobser hopes this meet will prepare his swimmers for state.

“Our goal is to get all of our swims in (the) finals,” Wobser said. “That will take some outstanding performances, as the best swimmers in the state will be at this meet.”

Also on Dec. 19, the rest of the team will attend the Knight Invitational at the University of Toledo.

“Knight gives our newer swimmers a chance to get a taste of what the atmosphere will be like at GBC’s (Greater Buckeye Conference) and junior varsity championships,” assistant coach Tim Lauth said.

Having swimmers perform well at both invitationals will help them reach their season goals.

“For the girls, our goal is to win GBC, sectionals, and fight Notre Dame for a district championship,” Wobser said. “For the boys, we want to move up to third in GBC, win sectionals and then move into the top five at districts.”

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