WJ Alum Pg. 2

Pop Culture Best & Worst Pg. 12

Pop Culture’s Best & Worst Pg. 12Missteps of Modern Technology Pg. 7

Visit the Pitch online at www.wjpitch.com Volume 54 I Issue 4 6400 Rock Spring Drive, Bethesda, Md. 20814

2010<<<

PitchThe December 22 2009 WJPitch.comWalter JohnsonHigh School

Graphic by Parker Smith and Liz Wasden

A DecADe in Review

Dummies and Disas ters of the Decade

Pg. 10

All photos courtesy of FEMA, Newscom.com, and flickr

8Decade by the Numbers

[news] December 22, 20092Volume 54 | Issue 3 6400 Rock Spring Drive, Bethesda, Md. 20814

The Pitch

By Jennifer Spencer

Photo courtesy of Luukas Illves

Interesting Alums: Luukas Ilves

At the Be-jing Olympics

in August 2008, Michael Phelps

broke Mark Spitz’s record of seven gold

medals won in a single Olympic

Games.

Phelps won his eighth medal in the

men’s 4 x 100 meter medley relay, break-

ing the record had stood since 1972.

Fact from en.wikipedia.org

The top grossing film of the decade was . . .

which raked in $158.4 million opening weekend and

$533.3 million in total at the box office.

(The Dark Night

Fact courtesy of www.hollywoodreporter.com

Fact courtesy of en.wikipedia.org

As of November 2008, Obama’s approval ratings were recorded to be

70%

27%

[[ Whereas Bush’s were recorded to be

Fact courtesy of www.gallup.com

Graphics and Compila-

tion by Liz Wasden

Fact courtesy of www.nhl.com

Throughout his career, Alex Ovechkin, left wing for the

Washington Capitals, has scored a total of

240 goals.

Not many people know where Estonia is, or even that ‘05 graduate Luukas Ilves’ father, Toomas Hendrik Ilves, is the pres-ident of this small country in Northern Europe. Ilves has his own story to share from walking the halls as a WJ student to graduating from Stanford to holding a special position in the Estonian army. “Mostly, my daily life is like every sol-dier’s,” said Ilves. “My field is anti-aircraft missiles, so we spend a lot of time in the forest practicing choosing positions and then quickly packing up our gear before quickly moving to the next position.” Because his father is the president of the country, he has to be careful of his actions. As in the U.S., tabloids are prominent in Estonia and would be fast to write a story if he made any unintel-ligent choices. “People pay more attention to me, and I certainly couldn’t misbehave the way I did in college without it getting into the tabloids,” said Ilves. As a WJ student, Ilves was very involved in the school. As an anchor on the morn-ing announcements, devoted student who took a rigorous course load and cap-tain of the speech and debate team, Ilves kept himself very busy in high school. “I don’t regret my unabashed bookish-ness one bit,” he said. “WJ was fantastic intellectual preparation.”

Very studious in high school, he got into Stanford University. He felt that Stanford was a good fit for him overall. “Stanford is like a big palm-tree covered playground for nerds,” said Ilves. “Though serious, the place is much less outwardly competitive than East Coast schools.” At Stanford, Ilves majored in Interna-tional Relations. He continued to stay ac-tive in extracurricular activities. “I did student politics, editing publica-tions, living in co-ops and the Stanford marching band, which doesn’t actually march,” said Ilves. Estonia has a compulsory year ser-vice for men, so Ilves knew that this was something he would do after graduating from Stanford. While he feels urban life in Estonia is similar to that in the U.S. there are still many differences. “People are much more in touch with nature,” said Ilves. “Everyone has a place in the countryside and spends weekends gathering berries and mushrooms, hiking, fixing up their farmhouse.” While Ilves has pursued a different path than most WJ graduates, he feels that his experiences have helped him. “What has been useful is the general ability to think, analyze and do new things that both class work and extracurricular activities at WJ and Stanford gave me,” said Ilves.

Ilves, a WJ and Stanford alum, training with the Estonian Army.

[news]December 22, 2009 3Volume 54 | Issue 3 6400 Rock Spring Drive, Bethesda, Md. 20814

The PitchHoliday Cheer Runs Through WJ

the shoe drive coordinator. Although the shoe drive is a way for cross-country run-ners to get rid of unwanted shoes, the Shoe4Africa cam-paign claims that a pair of shoes can mean so much more. The unique message of the organization is that a pair of shoes can change the lives of Africans by giving them the gift of running. “Send a pair of running shoes you know that has at least another 100 miles of running still left in their life so they can be properly used for the health and fitness programs we promote,” states the charity’s Web site. Although Shoe4Africa promotes the spirit of competi-tion, these shoes are not exclusively given to future stars. “One of our first sponsored ladies was a 50-year-old farmer in Iten; she was about 200 pounds and could never become an elite runner, but she wanted to change her life,” says the Web site. WJ has been collecting shoes as part of this month of holi-day drives, and has set out boxes and campaigned in class-rooms in order to achieve their goal of 150 pairs of shoes.

WJ has always had a competitive spirit. Charity drives are no exception. Seniors Sheng Fan, Michael Pitsenberg-er, Ishan Dey, Robin Mowatt and Mar-tin Dally are leading the charge against hunger, organizing a canned food drive aimed at donating thousands of pounds of canned food to Manna Food Center, a local food bank with the mission of stav-ing off hunger in Montgomery County. As always, WJ has set the bar high, with the goal of collecting 3000 pounds of food, to match Manna’s top contribu-tion in 2008. To do so, these five seniors are com-mitted to putting the canned food drive on the map, in contrast to last year, when the drive was relatively unknown among the student body. “Honestly, I didn’t even know we had [a canned food drive] last year,” said Fan. The group is dedicated to collecting cans whenever possible, and has put a variety of contests and motivations into place. These include competitions between in-dividuals at home basketball games for a WJ t-shirt, a competition between fifth period classes for a pizza party and a competition to see which grade can build the tallest canned-food pyramid. But WJ’s charity efforts don’t stop there, as another group of seniors is working to collect athletic shoes for a charity called Shoe4Africa. “I heard about the charity from my boss at the local running store I work at and I thought about the amount of used shoes that I have and it just went from there,” said senior Sean O’Leary, who has been

66% of goal

By Parker Smith

66% of goalApproximately 100 pairs of shoes have been collected*

Manna Food Center and Shoe4Africa Benefit from Student Philanthropy

Photos by Celia Karp

Approximately 2000 pounds have been collected*

*as of Dec. 18

[news] December 22, 20094 The Pitch

Through the Last 10 Years

The Pitch staff flipped through the yearbooks from the past 10 years to find the most memorable events of the 2000s decade at WJ.

The Wildcat embraces the Mighty Moo after it is decided that the Wild-

cat would become the school’s official mascot. Later, the pair would be

reunited, as Mighty Moo would return to WJ followed by a banana and

Greenman.

2000

Students dance on the Homecoming Float.

2008

2008

Garran is taped to the wall during the

Stuck for a Buck fundraiser to raise money

for Pennies for Patients.In honor of Tilden seventh grader Luke Carter-Schelp, who died in a car accident, WJ held a fundraiser in partnership with Community Cupcakes.

WJ shows pride at a football game dur-

ing the years prior to the three-year los-

ing streak.

Seniors share a celebratory chest bump dressed in their graduation gowns.

Students stand with Principal Christopher Garran donning

hard hats during the beginning of school construction.

2001

2005

Students show their spirit dur-ing Homecoming Week.

2002

Two senior girls stand wearing their senior

T-shirts, which read, “It feels good on top.”

Senior Rafi Moersen pumps up

the crowd at a pep rally.

2002

2005

2004One of the homecoming prince

and princess pairs stand togeth-

er after being crowned.

Students decorate their respective hallways by class during Homecoming Week.

Two girls dress wildly to show their school spirit during a spirit week.

Corrections BoxIn the Dec. 4 issue, Sara Kwon’s name was misspelled in a sports article about swimming.

2008

20072000

All photos gathered from past WJ yearbooks and compiled by Jenny Deutsch

By Jenny Deutsch and Ava Bleiberg

[editorial]December 22, 2009 5The Pitch

Staff The Pitch is published nine times a year by the students of Walter Johnson High School, 6400 Rock Spring Drive, Bethesda, Md. 20814. Advertising and subscription rates are available by calling 301-803-7302. Editorial opinions represent those of The Pitch staff and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the staff, faculty, or student body. We welcome letters, articles, photographs, and artwork to be submitted to room 211 or e-mailed to thepitch@walterjohnson.com. The Pitch is an award-winning paper that works towards providing the student body with ac-curate as well as credible information.

Editors-in-ChiefColin Buley Luke WilsonAbby Singley*

News EditorAva BleibergKu Jung*Assistant News EditorLiz Wasden

Editorial EditorAlexandra SanfuentesIan Green*Assistant Editorial Editor Devon Murtha

Sports Editor Mateo WilliamsonHannah Flesch*Jeremy Smith*Assistant Sports EditorsKathleen Seale Zach Gordon

Feature EditorCamilla YanushevskyKatie Levingston*Assistant Feature EditorAllison Gordon

Arts & Entertainment EditorsSasha TyckoSophie MeadeRylee Genner*

Copy EditorsAbby SingleyDevon Murtha

Layout EditorParker Smith

Columbia Scholastic Press Association Gold Medalist 2009

National Scholastic Press Association Pacemaker Award 2008

American Scholastic Press Association First Place Special Merit 2008-2009

Artist/CartoonistsKrithi RamaswamyWill McGowanSamara Fantie

Online Staff WritersRyan Lynch Miklos Szebeni Daniel Fanaroff

Photo EditorCelia KarpKathleen Seale*

PhotographersKevin Nuñez Alex CurtisCami KeyaniKathleen SealeAndrea LinderJulia Haymore

* Online Staff

Advertising ManagerHannah Flesch

Online ReporterPeter Langer

Business ManagerFlor Martinez

PR ManagerAlex Spinard

Print Staff Writers Jennifer Spencer Flor MartinezJenny Deutsch Cami Keyani Abby Singley Alex Spinard

AdvisorHilary Gates

When you think about this past decade, what comes to mind?

By Abby Singley

“The popularity of Man-Uggs.”- Sophomore Alex Andes-Gascon

“Change.”- Junior Jasmine Adams

Lost in a Sea of Decades

F o r w e e k l y U p A t B a t p o l l s , v i s i t WJPitch.com

“I remember I was in school when 9/11 happened and ev-erything just froze and it was very scary.”- Freshman Irene Castrillo (Right)

“Retro-dressing.” - Junior Donitto Smith

“The economic depression, George Bush and the history in the making from Barack Obama.”- Freshman Ted Borenstein

“Having the first black presi-dent.”- Sophomore Sarah Bernstein

“The change in musical trends.”- Sophomore Kwesi Lee

Photos by Celia Karp and Cami Keyani Hippies. Ravers. Greasers. Disco danc-ers. Rock n’ Rollers. Yuppies. All stereo-types of different decades. Yet what are we? Who are we? What are the 2000s? Twenty years from now, what will our kids think when they hear “The 2000s?” We have “80s Day” and “Disco Day” for spirit week, so will there ever be some-thing special about us? One of the first things that comes to mind when I think of the past decade is technology. Sure, technology is only go-ing to get more and more advanced in the years to come, but we’re definitely responsible for some major technologi-cal developments. Remember back in the late 90s and early to mid-2000s when we all had screen names and were addicted to Instant Messaging? I even remember my friend showing me a site that allowed me to download special colors of fonts to make my IMs look as cool as could be. How ridiculous is that? I think our gen-eration can definitely claim the whole IMing era, and the transition to iChat and video messaging instead of regular IM-ing. Facebook, Facebook, Facebook. The in-vention of Facebook is like the invention of the wheel for our generation. Remem-ber the good old days when our Facebook status said “is?” While we high schoolers may not be huge on Twitter yet, it has made its mark in this decade, so social networking has certainly been a signifi-cant part of the 2000s, and who knows how it will change and advance? Technology has even influenced our

decade’s music. T-Pain, Kanye West, Lil’ Wayne, Miley Cyrus and many more art-ists are all guilty of relying on machines to “sing.” There was the notorious SNL incident when Kayne’s autotune didn’t work, and he was forced to sing with-out the help of a machine. So rather than our generation being remembered for artists who can actually sing, we’ll be remembered for Miley Cyrus’ “Party in the USA.” Think about the decades that were known for real legends, like The Beatles, U2 and Bruce Springsteen. In-stead, we will be remembered for Soulja Boy Tell ‘Em. Let’s all hang our heads in shame. Although a lot of our fashion has been “stolen” from past decades, we have a few things that are ours and only ours. Thanks to this decade’s fashion design-ers, girls now wear low-rise jeans, and thanks to various celebrities, guys now wear, thigh-waisted jeans? What a trend to be remembered for. Ever wonder what people are going to think about Uggs in 20 years? I must admit, I own six pairs of various Ugg boots and slippers, but the idea that we pay $160 for boots that aren’t even that attractive or water-proof is a bit ridiculous. All in all, it’s been an interesting de-cade. We’ve paved the path for high levels of communication, yet we’ve put a new spin on the “plumber’s crack” and made it acceptable for celebrities to have little talent. But hey, it’s our decade, so why not stand by what we did and be proud? There’s no going back, so pat yourself on the back and here’s for the 2000s.

“Oh man, sh*t went down this decade.”- Sophomore Marvin Zhang (Left)

“It’s so weird to think that there wasn’t anything like YouTube or the iPod touch.”- Sophomore Mary Kate Macedonia

“It’s gone by so quickly. I feel so old.”- Junior Tingrui Zhao

[editorial] December 22, 20096 The Pitch

Luke’s Life!By Luke Wilson

Pitch Opinion: Marketing Changes Meaning of Holidays

Drawn and Arranged by Will McGowan

Graphic by Krithi Ramaswamy

By Alexandra Sanfuentes

Never Get a Second Chance for a First Impression

How would you react if I came up to you, picked my nose, reached for your hand and gave you a dead fish of a hand-shake? Or if the first time you saw me I had ratted and knotted dirty hair and I was wearing a sweatshirt that had a pasta sauce stain on it from last night’s dinner on the front of it? Not a pretty first im-pression. Recently in the news was the story of the now famous White House Gate-crashers, who were able to get by the president’s security by posing as guests to Obama’s state dinner. According to dailymail.com, the couple had “certainly dressed the part.” Judging from this situation, people base a lot of their opinion of you on the way you present yourself. To be honest, no matter how saintly you might think you are, most people tend to instantly, for lack of a better phrase, “judge a book by its cover” when they first meet some-one new. An automatic reaction to a messy, sloppy or lackluster self-presenta-tion would be that of dislike or disgust, a response that is typically unwelcome for most people. Unfortunately, these imme-diate and lofty opinions we create of peo-ple by just looking at them are common, especially in high school. What we get are a lot of stereotypes and predisposed ideas of what we think people are like based on the way they look, and we don’t wait to find out how awesome their personality

is first. In order to make a good impression on someone, what you need is to alter this false image people have of

who they think you are and make them think otherwise the first time they meet you. Play the first impressions to your own benefit. Make your first encounter count so that you can avoid giving anyone a reason to think anything awful about you. This way there’s no reason for them to doubt you or your abilities. This doesn’t mean go out there strapped into a preppy suit jacket just to “dress to impress.” If anything, that might send the wrong idea. All you have to do is make sure that the person you’re pre-senting to the masses is not sniffing up snot and picking wedgies in pub-lic. Makes you cringe, doesn’t it? What should matter is the way you feel about your-self on the inside, but what if the way you present yourself starts to

affect your rela-tions with other people? It could potentially dam-age your abil-ity to get into college or get a

job and it would hinder your quest

to do something more with your life. As seniors finish up the last of their college inter-views, keep in mind that you want to make a good, long-lasting impression.

Make yourself memo-rable. Don’t give these quick-to-judge, arbitrary-opinion-forming people anything on which to base

assumptions.

Dressing the Part Just Isn’t Enough

In its beginnings, Christmas was a pi-ous way for royal families to exchange gifts with other families and feast as their peasants froze to death outside their pal-aces. Now, it’s a way for Americans to spend quality time with their families while corporations milk them for money like the worthless cows they are. Nothing is worse about Christmas, however, than the abysmal music asso-ciated with it. “Let it Snow,” “Deck the Halls” and “Jingle Bells” as well as their terrible co-opted rock versions are just a few. This terrifying music can be heard ev-erywhere: on the radio, in commercials and in shopping centers.

Even Thanksgiving pastimes couldn’t be enjoyed without watching ?uestlove from the Roots lay down the beat for Jimmy Fallon’s audio terrorism in his in-explicably Christmas-themed float at the Macy’s Day Parade. These songs are overplayed to an ex-treme. Their welcome quickly wears out on the listener, especially since their playtime begins a nearly a month early. Even popular radio stations like 99.5 get in on the action, throwing a few Christmas carols into the track list and generously playing Adam Sandler’s “Cha-nukah Song” (which, no, is not a Christ-mas carol, but is no less sappy and an-noying). Despite being a generation that doesn’t

mind hearing “Best I Ever Had” and “Pa-parazzi” 25 times a day, there is a princi-ple difference between carols and main-stream music: carols are lamer than Santa in a micro chimney. There are legitimate reasons for the proliferation of this music, however. The economy is tough, and people’s hearts need to be softened before they will open their wallets. Maybe overplaying Christmas carols is a necessary evil to keep the buying spirit of Christmas alive as well as the spirit of compassion and kindness. They are still evil, one way or another. They pollute the airwaves and cheapen the otherwise rich spirit of Christmas.

It is that time of year again. When par-ents encourage their children to sit in the laps of strange, bearded fat men and whisper wishes into their ears. Christmas is upon us. If someone told me they saw a walking, talking friendly snowman named Frosty at any other point in the year, I would conclude they are on crack, but come the holidays, this is a fanciful tale to be shared with all. I happen to have a Christmas fairytale of my own that ultimately ended in my conversion from Christianity. In my freshman year, I made the annual trip to my Aunt Hazel’s house on Christ-mas Eve. This trip featured me, Hazel and her husband, Uncle Abe, sitting around a rectangular oak table, eating and gos-siping about the family until Abe would drink just a little too much and needed to be tucked in for a good night’s sleep. Freshman year, however, was different. Upon my arrival, they greeted me at the door, with a baby in Hazel’s arms. To be honest, there is nothing that creeps me out more than the sight of two parents with a baby. I just can’t help but think about how the baby came to be (Abe’s beer belly, crooked teeth and never-trimmed fingernails coupled with Aunt Hazel’s oversized thighs, under-sized nose and bizarrely male sideburns could not have been pretty). Needless to say, the baby was hideous. “Luke!” exclaimed Hazel. “Welcome. Say hello to the newest member of our family, Caleb.” “You guys made that?!?” I asked, my face distorted by the sight of the wretch-ed thing. “Well, yes,” replied Hazel with a laugh. “Come into the dining room.” I wasn’t even hungry after all of the re-pugnant images that had just run through my mind, but I managed to finish a slice of corn bread, after which I cleared my plate and headed into the kitchen. It was at this time I decided that some holiday eggnog was in order. Hazel has this way of making home-made eggnog that is rich and smooth, and easy going down, so I decided to help myself to a cup. I opened the refrigerator and grabbed the first bottle that I came across, popped off the cap and poured myself a glass before heading back into the dining room. “Wow, Aunt Hazel, this eggnog is some of the best you have ever made,” I re-marked after taking a few sips. “I didn’t make any eggnog this year, Luke…” said Hazel, suddenly blushing. “Where did you get that from?” “From the bottle in the fridge,” I an-swered. “Where it always is…right?” “Usually that is right, but maybe you should just not drink too much more of that,” said Hazel. “Why not?” I asked with a chuckle. “This tastes like perfectly fine eggnog to me.” With that I took another swig and heard a yell from the kitchen. “Hazel, where did all the breast milk go for Caleb?” asked Abe. “It was all right here in the glass bottle and now it’s gone.” I spit out all of the breast milk and stormed out. How could I enjoy Christ-mas day after that? It was impossible. Thanks to Aunt Hazel’s breast milk, I am Jewish and I have not had a drop of egg-nog since.

Dare-y

[editorial]December 22, 2009 7The PitchDrawn and Arranged by Samara FantieTHE TRUTH

Curveball By Colin Buley

By Devon Murtha

Malicious Missteps of Modern Technology On the internet, you’re whoever you want to be. A world-wide-web celebrity, singing your acoustic version of a Justin Bieber song for all of YouTube to hearm, and comment on. Or a farmer, planting and harvesting your virtual crops so that your Facebook friends can bear witness to your agricultural finesse. But there’s one thing that modern advances in technol-ogy won’t let you be: a liar. You don’t have a girlfriend, you say? Can’t hide that; your relationship status says it all. You couldn’t make it last weekend because you were sick/grandma died/mom’s birthday? That’s not what Twitter says. Or that album you were tagged in. There’s no skirting the truth anymore; websites like Twitter and Facebook are designed for over-sharing. Every de-tail about your life and whereabouts is available for anyone interested enough to look. Your private life is now public property. Celebrities should know these hard facts of technology-aided life better than anyone. When they want something to

stay private, they should keep it off cell phone records, and especially off the web. But somehow, they cannot seem to get it right. Michael Phelps, had he the good sense to, could have taken his pot-smok-ing activities to a more secluded room. Or at least behind a large, potted plant. Instead, he now has to deal with incrimi-nating photos plastered all over the web forever, for the viewing of enraged moms everywhere, and sponsors who dropped him like a hot potato. And poor Tiger Woods; there’s no escaping the wrath of Swedish women when technology is

involved. Marriage is fleeting, but cell phone records are forever. If there’s anything we’ve learned from these celebrities and the tabloid scandals that are eternally associated with their names, it’s that privacy has been com-promised for the emergence of social technology. Information communicated via technology is never a secret. It lives on for colleges and future employers to see and judge. It lives on in your cell phone records and in texts you don’t want to be subpoenaed at your trial. It follows you forever.

By Liz Wasden

Sledding, Snow Angels: Oh, the Memories

I’m going to throw a real curveball at you guys this month and talk about some-thing kind of serious (with funny added in), but that I feel is important. I’ve been screwing around way too much. Things in life haven’t been going the way that I want them to, and instead of fixing them, I’ve just been ignoring the problems and letting them build up. Sure, it’s been an eventful year for me. I’ve come within a few inches and a few seconds of dying a couple of times. School and college work have been gnaw-ing at the back of my brain for what feels like an eternity. But none of these are ac-ceptable excuses. This column will run in The Pitch’s Dec. 22 issue, but right now, as I’m writing this, I am buzzing on caf-feine in my living room at three in the morning on a school night. Not a good habit, obviously, but I’m going to fix it and everything else starting now. A little early for New Year’s, but hey, Mother Na-ture and time can suck it. Procrastination is my worst enemy. I’ll start there- my first resolution is to stop procrastinating like I have on every school assignment given to me over the past sev-en years. I know a lot of people are like me in this regard, maybe you can relate as well. Procrastination solves nothing. Procrastination is the devil. Think of it this way: procrastinating on schoolwork causes bad grades. Bad grades cause an-gry parents. Angry parents cause upset Colin. Upset Colin causes risky behav-ior. Risky behavior causes car accidents. You see? Procrastination cost me my car, my baby. Don’t let it happen to you. It’s not as epic, but here’s resolution number two. To Mr. Bos: I’m really sorry for walking in 30 seconds to five minutes late everyday; I’m really going to try and be on time to first period from now on. Same goes to whoever my first period teacher is next semester. I seem to have forgotten who you will be at the moment but I’m quite sure that I won‘t be liking your class more than sleep. However, even if I have to sacrifice my comfort and remove some things from my morn-ing ritual, like brushing my teeth (sorry ladies), putting on clothes (I made it up to you), or doing my cute booty dance, I will do what I have to in order to be on time. Resolution number three: Stop losing friends/make back old friends. There are a lot of kids in this school that I used to be pretty chill with. Now, I pass them in the hallways and we ignore each other. Peo-ple change, I get it. But like, why do we have to be mean to each other? To some of you: stop being judgmental pricks. You know who else was a judgmental prick? Hitler. Do you want to be like Hitler? To others of you: why did we stop talking? Say something to me next time you see me, I’ll try to do the same. Resolution number four: With my newfound skills, meaning, when I’m not buckling down for a couple hours to fin-ish everything I need to, have as much fun as possible. Because it’s senior year (at least for me), and if you don’t have as much fun as possible, it is safe to say that the terrorists will have won. Well, hot damn…I feel a lot better than I’ve felt in a long time. And if you’ve read this far, thank you. Next issue, I promise, a humorous/lol-filled column will be back. I just needed to get this off my chest. Happy Holidays.

New Year’s Resolutions

to snow, though the motives for doing so were very different then. The appeal of sledding and snow angels on a day off is replaced by a desire to avoid taking your psych test the next day. One of the classic methods of evoking snow was wearing pajamas inside-out and backwards, which sounded fun in theory, but only seemed to yield rain and an un-comfortable night’s sleep. I vaguely remember something a friend once told me about a caterpillar that can predict the severity of the upcoming win-ter. Naturally, I Googled this caterpillar, and I wasn’t surprised to find that there is an old wives tail that claims that if the brown stripe down the middle of a black caterpillar is thin, it will be a lengthy, se-vere winter, and if it’s thick, it will be a mild, short winter. Below that, to my dis-appointment, it said that the size of this stripe is really determined by the climate the caterpillar lives in. Another piece of winter spirit lost to science. As the years go by I have tried to keep the holiday spirit alive, not only for my-self, but for my eight-year-old sister, whom I’m afraid is not getting the same experiences out of the season that I did

Since the paper is doing a decade re-view, I thought I’d go back ten years, too. Winter as a six-year-old, I have to say, was very different from winter as a 16-year-old. While the magic and wonder of the sea-son has all but disappeared, I still remem-ber the many methods of trying to get it

when I was her age. Attempting to show her “Frosty the Snowman” didn’t go so well, as neither of my brothers wanted to listen to Frosty sing, and fast forward-ing through the movie, we realized he sang through about 90 percent of it. My brother cheered at the end when Frosty melted, but inside him I could still see the shadow of the little boy who had once said he hoped he would grow up into a reindeer so he could help pull San-ta’s sleigh. Concerned about being too high over the world, my brother wrote a letter to Santa asking him if maybe he could pull the sleigh on the ground. Last week I bought my first ice scrap-er for my car, reminding me of the days when my siblings and I fought over who would get to scrape the ice off the wind-shield, and icy dew on the grass was the highlight of our days. This year, in between changing the radio from the Christmas music as fast as you can and telling your little siblings that Santa doesn’t exist so that they’ll leave you alone, I encourage you to rem-inisce on the past 10 years, and remem-ber what the first snowfall of the season was like for you as a preschooler.

Graphic by Krithi Ramaswamy

Photo courtesy of The Last CookieJudging from the size of the stripe on this caterpillar, it’s going to be a mild winter.

[feature] December 22, 20098 The Pitch

How will our decade at WJ be remembered?

Although they didn’t wear festive costumes in the 1960s, WJ’s Madrigals performed for the school in the auditorium.

WJ’s male swim team of 1985 is dressed for success before a meet.

The 1976 “It’s Academic” team poses for a snapshot.

WJ students put on a variety show in the 60s

In the 70s, WJ even had a boys gymnastics team.

WJ has always been a school full of laughing, living and learning. The exterior of WJ in the 60s. Before Georgetown Square was built, the school was surrounded by farms.

Students in the 50s

Students of the 70s

50s

60s

80s

[feature]December 22, 2009 9The Pitch

How will our decade at WJ be remembered?

Photos taken from past yearbooks

Just like seniors do today, seniors of the 90s paint their names on the shed.

The school’s male cheerleaders perform in 1985.

WJ students put on a variety show in the 60s

WJ cheerleaders pose for a picture.

Typical WJ girls hanging out in the 90s.

Having fun in the 80s.

The exterior of WJ in the 60s. Before Georgetown Square was built, the school was surrounded by farms.

Students of the 90s

Students of the 60s

90s

70s

[feature] December 22, 200910 The Pitch

The Untold Stories Of Our DecadeBy Allison Gordon and Camilla Yanushevsky

Cartoons by Will McGowan

2008GPS Your WomanBrazilian designer Lucia Lorio invented a

gadget that all men should be lured into buying: a $1000 bra-and-panty set with a tiny GPS system nested in

the fabric. Now a man can track down exactly where his woman

is and with whom.

2007Man Marries Dog

A 33-year-old man in India married a dog in a Hindu

temple. The dog was

dressed in a traditional orange

sari and a flower bun. The man hoped this

marriage would break a curse

that he believed was started after he stoned two dogs to death.

2006Finger Arrives At Door

After a divorce, a Viennese man chose to finally “break free” by cutting off his ring finger, with the wedding

band still attached, and mailing it to his ex-wife. The Viennese man was charged with

harassment and assault.

2005Creepy Spiders

A German woman, in an attempt to kill the spiders in her garage, ended up burning her house

down. The police of the western town of Zuelpich reported that when the can of hairspray was unable to finish the spiders off, the 34-year-

old woman took out her burner. Her home is now uninhabitable to humans.

Shooting In The Name Of Love2003

A 27-year-old man in Rome persuaded his friend to shoot him in the groin because he thought this would make his ex-girlfriend feel sorry for him. When the man was questioned by

the police, he first said that the wounds occurred during a hunting incident but later admitted to being shot in the groin. The man’s ex-girlfriend later made it clear that she wanted nothing to do with him

ever again.

2000Sober Man Sees BigfootJames Hughes, of Wisconsin, claims to have seen Bigfoot. Hughes said the thing he saw was about eight feet tall, carrying a goat and covered in hair with a face that looked like an ape. Hughes reported this to the Sheriff’s Department, making sure to tell people that he “does not drink or do dope,” however, no evidence was ever found of Bigfoot.

2001Making Productive MilkHow do you get your cow to produce more milk? At Leicester University, researchers discovered that playing songs such as Simon and Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water” and other1950s hits relieves tension in cows, thus making them produce more milk.

2002Zoo Sharks Gives Virgin Birth

A female shark gave zookeepers a big surprise when she

gave birth to two babies. This was

unexpected because this shark had been kept in a tank with

only female sharks and had not even been near a male

shark in six years.

A man in Columbia left his house after a fight with his wife and after about a week, his wife started receiving ransom letters asking for over $1000 for the return of her husband. After police investigated the kidnapping, they found that the man had not been kidnapped and had been writing the ransom letters himself to see if his wife still cared for him enough to pay the ransom.

2004Man Fakes Own Kidnapping to Test Love

Two British women are attempting to break a world record in rowing across the Atlantic. They are hoping to row 3,000 miles from Gomera, an island in Spain to Antigua, in the Caribbean in 70 days, to beat the previous 75-day record for a two-woman team. How are they doing it? Naked. The two women decided to strip down completely in order to reduce friction.

2009Rowing Naked

18ObamamaniaObama has inspired a following, bordering on an obsession, that no president before has been able to create. His youthful energy and campaign for change re-energized America, and with that smile, it’s no wonder his face is plastered on everything from tee-shirts to mugs.

‘00s[arts&entertainment]December 22, 2009 11The Pitch

A Decade in Pop Culture

2

The Internet1DVDs

This decade exploded in a frenzy of on-line mania, as the internet revolutionized the way we interact and essentially run our lives. From blogs to social networking to online shopping, the world is much more connected than it has ever been before.

We would have never guessed when the ‘90s ended that within only a few years the es-sential VCR would be considered old school by way of the DVD. Just like the CD’s re-placement of the tape, we no longer have patience for fast forward and rewind. Thank heavens for scene selection!

11‘80s NostalgiaThis decade, stores like American Apparel and Urban Outfitters caught major eight-ies fever and then vomited track suits, neon spandex and shoulder pads all over the fash-ion scene. That, coupled with the popular-ity of synthpop, brought everybody back to their favorite decade.

12Apple ProductsAs if the invention and domination of the first iPod was not enough, Apple has never seemed to stop pumping out new products that have all managed to become essential to our lives. The iPhone put more functions into a 1/2 inch width than anyone thought possible and the iPod has practically become synonymous with music.

4Pokémon

5Harry PotterDungeons and Dragons nerds everywhere rejoiced when J.K. Rowling’s “Harry Potter” came out- magic was cool again. The entire nation was struck with the desire to dress like wizards outside movie theaters every-where, and every child’s twelfth birthday was ruined when their Hogwarts acceptance letter didn’t arrive.

6Music DownloadsThe advent of online services like Napster and LimeWire in the early 2000s transformed the way we enjoyed our music. This decade marked the death of the album, as emphasis was placed on singles rather than entire al-bums. Online downloading rocked the re-cord industry as we stopped paying for our music, opting for the illegal but free option.

13TextingGone are the days of telephone conversations or even meeting for a chat in person. In our busy lives, it is simply much easier to con-vey our feelings with the punching of a few keys, and like online interactions, texting has changed the nature of socializing forever.

14Low-Rise JeansIn the ‘80s, jeans were high-waisted with large pockets that always made your butt look bigger. When we were hit by the ‘90s, jean waistbands lowered and we became obsessed with pay-ing for pants that were professionally ripped, bleached and bejeweled. What we have come to love by 2009, however, are our hip-huggers, tastefully slung just at the hip, bearing the oc-casional midriff or colorful thong.

15Indie to MainstreamOriginating in the ‘80s, the term “indie” cat-egorized music that was independently pro-duced, and eventually it came to describe a common sound that these artists shared. By the mid 2000s, however, the term came to be a contradiction of itself, as popular main-stream artists strived to create an “indie” sound.

7PixarAlthough Disney’s Pixar released the piv-otal Toy Story in the mid-’90s, this distinct animation style did not become essential to animated films until we were graced with such masterpieces as Finding Nemo, The In-credibles and UP. Pixar can be considered a revolution in animation, widening the mass appeal of children’s films.

8FacebookThe impact of Facebook and social network-ing on our teen lives is more obvious than almost any other change. Facebook goes be-yond the categorized icon of the internet. It is a lifestyle, forever changing the way we interact with one another.

9Thin ObsessionA slender, fit female frame was always de-sired and perpetuated in the 20th century with the influence of the fashion and en-tertainment industry. But rarely before this decade did this desire become an obsession in daily life. For most teens today, “normal” means fat and “skinny” means perfect.

16Going GreenAlthough many activists and government corporations have been active in the envi-ronmental movement throughout the 20th century, never before has being “green” been so trendy and mass marketed. You better not let anyone in 2009 see you throw that paper in the trash!

17Reality TVReality TV’s mass appeal to almost all televi-sion viewers of the decade has been marked by a combination of “real” and surreal prem-ises. Shows like American Idol and Survivor re-quire talented and skillful participants while shows like The Hills and Flavor of Love have proven that even seemingly unintelligent bimbos can be stars.

Encompassing most of our child, pre-teen and teen stages, the 2000’s is the first decade we can call our own. It’s easy for us to look back on past decades and define their styles and cultures with a few iconic trends, as future generations will certainly do for us. We can’t predict what culture icons will stand out

most to future generations, but we picked a handful of what meant the most to us...

Hip-HopAt the eve of the decade, Eminem’s The Mar-shall Mathers LP sold over 10 million copies in the United States alone, making it the fast-est selling album of all time. At its peak, hip-hop was able to find its way into mainstream music and influence both pop culture and the music industry. Sucessful artists (mainstream and underground) this decade included Kanye West, Jay-Z, The Roots, Nas, OutKast, Juras-sic 5, Lil’ Wayne and Mos Def.

10

3Popular SlangWe LOL’d. We Fail’d. We EPIC Fail’d. From phrases like that’s hot to fo’ shizzle, this decade taught us that it’s not wrong to be stoked, that wearing bling makes you hel-la cool, and that dawg really is man’s best friend.

00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09

Ash Ketchum, a young, fiery boy from Pallet Town once made the decision to devote his life to a cause: to become the greatest Poke-mon trainer in the world. Available through television, books, comics, videogames and of course, trading cards, Pokémon took hold of kids everywhere in the early part of the decade and is still going strong today. Gotta catch em’ all, gotta catch em’ all!

Photo courtesy of benstein Photo courtesy of illustir Photo courtesy of findingnemo.com Photo courtesy of albany_timPRNewsFoto

By Sophie Meade and Sasha Tycko (With contributions from Colin Buley, Mateo Williamson, Devon Murtha and Alexandra Sanfuentes)

BestNo Country for Old Men

The Departed

There Will Be Blood

Eternal Sunshine of the

Spotless Mind

Finding Nemo

[arts&entertainment] December 22, 200912 The Pitch

From the movies that blew our minds to the songs we’re still trying to get out of our heads, these are the 2000s...

TV ShowsBest24

Mad Men

Lost

The Office

30 Rock

Actresses Kate WinsletMeryl StreepPenelope CruzNicole KidmanAngelina Jolie

12

543

&12

543

SinglesBest99 Problems -Jay-Z

Where is the Love?

-Black Eyed Peas

Crazy -Gnarls Barkley

Yeah! -Usher

Paper Planes -M.I.A.

&12

543

Fashion Fads

&BestSkinny Jeans

Belting

Flats

LiveStrong Bracelets

Graphic Tees

12

543

Reality TVBestAmerican Idol

Survivor

America’s Next

Top Model

The Real World

Laguna Beach

&12

54

3

&Movies

WorstThe Wicker Man

Balls of Fury

Catwoman

Epic Movie

Transformers: Revenge of

the Fallen

12

5

43

12

543

Janet Jackson’s Wardrobe MalfunctionBritney Spears’s MeltdownLindsay Lohan in RehabMadonna and A-RodBrad, Jennifer, Angelina

Celeb Scandals1

2

543

Michael JacksonHeath LedgerAnna Nicole SmithSteve IrwinBernie Mac

Shocking Deaths12

543

Lazy SundayShoesRickRoll’DChocolate RainPotter Puppet Pals

Viral Videos12

543

ActorsBrad PittJohnny DeppDenzel WashingtonGeorge ClooneyChristian Bale

12

543

WorstPhotograph -Nickleback

Thong Song -Sisqo

Girlfriend -Avril Lavigne

You’re Beautiful -James

Blunt

Switch -Will Smith

Celebrity TrendsForeign Baby AdoptionsRehabKabbalahSmall DogsNude Pictures

The Secret Life of the

American Teenager

Kyle XY

Cavemen

Brothers

Mind of Mencia

1

2

543

Worst12

5

43

12

543

WorstCrocs

Ugg Boots

Trucker Hats

Baggy Jeans

Stunna Shades

12

543

The Best Worst of the Decade&

Musical ArtistsBestJay-Z

Radiohead

Eminem

Beyonce

Green Day

WorstSoulja Boy Tell ‘Em

Fall Out Boy

Ashlee Simpson

Nick Lachey

All Time Low

&12

543

12

543

PRNewsFoto/PEOPLE Magazine PRNewsFoto/BET Networks PRNewsFoto/Segway Inc. PRNewsFoto/D’Orazio & Associates for Bochic Photo courtesy of UggBoy..WHO? PRNewsFoto/Kohl’s Department Stores, John Shearer

WorstFlavor of Love

I Love New York

The Real Housewives

Rock of Love

The Surreal Life

12

543

Catherine Madden Martin DallyA t h l e t e s o f t h e M o n t h

[sports]December 22, 2009 13Volume 54 | Issue 3 6400 Rock Spring Drive, Bethesda, Md. 20814

The Pitch

Senior guard Catherine Madden knew what the Wildcats needed most was change: change in attitude, confidence and hope after a winless season last year. She set out to create this change, and is making this a season to remember for her teammates. One of three seniors on the team, she is one of the only players to have experi-ence playing on the varsity level for four years. “This year I am one of the three [cap-tains] to get everyone pumped and ex-cited to play,” said Madden. “To be recog-nized as a leader from my teammates and coaches means so much to me.” Sidelined with a broken collar bone last year, Madden found it difficult to lead the team off the bench last season. Coming into this season she was excited to help turn the team, 4-1, around. “Last year it was hard to pick people up when they were down, because I was not going through what they were on the court,” said Madden. “Compared to last year, being a captain means so much more.” Another change this year is in the coaching staff. Madden feels this was a smooth transition, and finds new coach Tori Moten to be inspirational. “Our new coach has instilled so many life values in us right at the beginning,” said Madden. “She brought all 24 of us, junior varsity and varsity, together into one team, a family.” Moten says that Madden’s relentless drive and tenacity on the court are what

help her steer the team. Her aspiration to help the team prove themselves this sea-son has enhanced her own game. “The team named her one of our cap-tains based on her experience and outgo-ing personality,” said Moten. “She truly wants to her team to win and she contin-ues to become a better point guard each practice.” On and off the court, Madden has be-come inspirational for her teammates, and it has paid off. Already having won more games than all of last year, the team is showing great promise early in the sea-son. In the meantime, Madden continues to help the team strive to play at the high-est level possible.

By Jennifer Spencer By Mateo Williamson On Dec. 9, the first MCPS Indoor Track Develepemtal Meet, senior sprinter Martin Dally dominated the 500m dash, clocking a school record 1:06.3, two seconds faster than his next competitor. In his third year on track, Dally has stepped up as the leader of the sprint team, both during meets and during practices. “[Dally] makes sure we all take warm-ups very seriously,” said junior sprinter Cole Ahnell. “He makes sure we stay focused so we improve as a team.” This year, Dally will compete in the 400m, 500m, 800m, 4x400m and 4x800m, making his performances crucial to the team’s success. His un-matched work ethic, running mechan-ics and leadership make him the most matured all-around athlete on the team. “He leads by example,” said coach Tom Rogers. “He knows what he needs to do [in practice] to be the best athlete he can be.” Dally has chosen this year to focus soley on running, competing in cross country during the fall, instead of play-ing for the WJ soccer team, a team which he started on for three years. “Cross country training over the sum-mer and fall in the fall helped me build endurance and stamina,” said Dally. Rogers believes Dally’s commitment to improving on both his stamina and stength have set him up to be a top state competitor in his events, not only for the winter track season, but for the up-

coming spring outdoor track season as well. “He is now in the best shape of his life and is already running times we have never seen at Walter Johnson,” said Rog-ers. “We’re looking for him to have some very big races for us.” Dally attributes most of his sucess to his coaches, Rogers and Tom Martin. “Without their coaching and motiva-tion, I wouldn’t even be close to where I am now,” said Dally. “Their knowledge of the sport in unlike anyone I know.”

Photo by Alex Curtis

Photo by Kevin Nu ñez

Madden is one of three seniors, stepping up as the team leader at the point guard position.

Dally will be running more events this year than he did last, including the 500 meter dash.

[sports] December 22, 200914Volume 54 | Issue 3 6400 Rock Spring Drive, Bethesda, Md. 20814

The Pitch

This decade has seen some of the greatest sports moments in history, including some of the most controversial. Sports Editors Mateo Williamson, Zach Gordon, Kathleen Seale and Colin Buley pick and discuss the most controversial sports moments this past decade.

2009 Tiger Woods admits to infidelity and takes a hiatus from the PGA.

MW: I guess you don’t need steroids to cheat in sports.ZG: So does that mean Elin Woods is available now?KS: I guess it’s a good thing that Nike didn’t drop him. I heard they are changing their slogan to ‘Just Do Me.’CB: Tiger has really improved his game. He’s gotten a lot better at getting his balls near the hole.

2008 Michael Phelps seen in a picture handling a water pipe.

MW: I heard he was going to be on the cover of the “Weedies” box.ZG: Although Guitar Hero dropped him as a sponsor, I hear he might get offered a contract by “Donkey Bong.”KS: When he was ripping up the pool in Beijing, the Chinese called him “Ching-Chong-Bong.”CB: I heard “Smoke on the Water” by Deep Purple was his warm-up song in the Olympics. Coincidence? I think not.

2005 Congressional hearings held for the use of performance-en-hancing drugs in Major League Baseball.

MW: The MLB is making it hard on athletes to perform. Get it? Like, Performance enhancing? ZG: Now there’s a different meaning when players get called up to “The Bigs.” KS: Wait, is that the same thing as steroids? Because I feel like steroids are really serious in baseball…CB: Steroids led to an increase in home runs. Home runs make baseball more exciting. Therefore, steroids made baseball more exciting.

Round Table: A Decade Under ReviewBy the Sports Editors 2004

National Hockey League locks out the season.

MW: Really? You guys put hockey on this list?! You got to be kidding me…ZG: I heard it was because of a lack of diversity. Donald Brashear represent!KS:Wait…they got locked out of what?CB: Canada’s national suicide rate went up five percent that year. It’s true, look it up.*

2003 NBA superstar Kobe Bryant charged with sexual assault of a 19-year-old hotel employee.

MW: Unlike Kobe, I will not touch this subject.ZG: Who goes for a hotel employee? Honestly? You’re a big-shot NBA star and you go for a hotel employee?KS: That’s why I didn’t see him that night!CB: From the hardwood to the hard wood, Kobe has always been a controversial scorer.

*It’s not true, don’t look it up.

Spiro’s Barber & Hairstyling10530 Connecticut AvenueKensington, Maryland 20895Tel: 301-933-3370Hours of Operation:Monday-Friday: 9AM-7PMSaturday: 8AM-6PMSunday: 9AM-3PME-mail: Spiros1969@aol.com

S l i d e rThe Sports Fan’s Ultimate Guide to CollegesBy Mateo Williamson

[sports]December 22, 2009 15Volume 54 | Issue 3 6400 Rock Spring Drive, Bethesda, Md. 20814

The Pitch

The Grid

What WJ win-ter sports captains think about...The Holidays

Pop Culture

The Team

Themselves

Person to kiss under

the mistletoe

New Year’s Resolution

What’s on your wish

list

Celebrity you most relate to

Tiger Woods

should...

I think Lady Gaga is...

BestImaginary

Couple

Weirdest pre-game

ritualThe team won’t stop

talking about...

Best PickupLine

Song play-ing on your

iPod

Guilty pleasure

Kevin Spak, Swimming

Kat Gratton, Basketball

Alec Stirling, Basketball

Jenna Willett,Indoor Track

Nick Taylor,Wrestling

Shhh. . . it’s a secret,

but I will say her name is comprised mostly of letters

Get in shape

A pony

Beyoncé

Watch out for those sneaky fire hydrants

Scary beyond all

reason

Freshmen Chris Root

& Chrissy CernochI’ve seen

Fletcher Tollefson transform into The Hulk right before races

How good looking we are

How you doin’?

“Waterfalls”by TLC

Singing “Water-falls” by TLC in

the shower

Any guy from “VampireDiaries”

Stop making everyone so jealous all the time

A leopard-print

Snuggie

BritneySpears

Have stayed with his

model wife

Awesome! Except

really weird...

Freshmen Leemor Banai

& Maddie ChiliClaire Cohen has to shake

everyone’s hand before we go to

warm-ups

“So You Think You Can Dance”

If you were a booger, I’d pick

you first.

“Who Said”by HannahMontana

Chocolate chip cookies

Alec Stirling

Be even more awesome

A sweat-shirt or an

Xbox

House

STFU and play golf

Hot in that weird way that she’s

crazy but talented and hot

Sophomore Will Greenan & Senior Pat-rick Teixeira

When we would warm-up to “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go” by Wham

How your SGA President Tristan

Plunkett quit. Yes, he quit.

“Dead Wrong” by The Notori-

ous B.I.G.

Are you from Tennessee? ‘Cause

you’re the only ten I see

Taylor Swift

Not Nick Taylor

Win some games

New snowboard

boots

Biggie Smalls(aka The No-

torious B.I.G.)

Just keep winning

Some trash

Junior Michael New

& Sophomore Harrison Gibert

Drinking “steroid water”

Who’s going to take Muyiwa

Awodiya home after practice

“The Choice is Yours” byBlack Sheep

Can I have yo numba?

Candy corn

TaylorLautner

Set a world record for the 4x8urrito race

Skinny jeans to wear with

sneakers

Fergie

Learn how todrive a car asfar as he can

drive a golf ball

Mr. Martin

Juniors Robert Brown

&Nicky Fowler

Teamchants

How LukeWilson ran a

64 second 400

“Bring it All Back” byS-Club 7

If I were a Schwanncell, I’d squeezearound your axon

and give you a fastaction potential

Looking at other people’s running logs

The college application process is a try-ing and tedious process for all university-bound seniors. We write pointless essays and fill out page after page of meaning-less personal information (why do they need to know my horoscope sign?). Not to mention all the weekends spent trying to sit down and complete an entire appli-cation with a parent nagging in each ear. But all of these inconveniences pale in comparison to the plight of the college-bound sports fan. Not only do we have to try and decide what it is we want to do with the rest of our lives (Beer-ology), but we also have to make a decision based on the success of the athletic programs. But do not fear, my fellow sports fans. I’ve compiled a brief college guide that weighs the pros and cons of different uni-versities around the country for the aver-age sports fan.

1)University of NebraskaPros: Excellent Division I Football Program rich with history and tradition.Cons: You are living in Nebraska.

2) Penn State UniversityPros: Happy Valley is every sports fan’s ideal haven.Cons: The mascot is an effiminate, scarf-wearing Lion. Meeeeeow!

3) Stanford UniversityPros: The university’s superior athletic programs are rivaled only by its academ-ics.Cons: Pshh, good luck getting in . . .

4)Ohio State UniversityPros: One of the best overall athletic de-partments in the country; large campus.Cons: Unless you plan on majoring in agricultural science, I suggest you stay as far away as possible.

5)United States Naval AcademyPros: Army versus Navy is one of the greatest rivalries in sports/I’m on a boat!Cons: NAVY (Never Again Volunteer Yourself).

6)University of TexasPros: The Hook-em horns are notorious around the country.Cons: Cowboy boots are very popular in Texas. WARNING: Don’t squat with your spurs on.

7)University of MarylandPros: Maryland fans are some of the most rowdy, annoying and most passionate fans in college sports.Cons: Fans good. Teams bad.

8)University of North CarolinaPros: You can watch all of the scholar-ship athletes dunk on the walk-ons dur-ing basketball tryouts.Cons: You are the walk-on.

9)Duke UniversityPros: You get a top quality education. Coach K and Cameron Indoor Stadium are both of legendary status.Cons: Look at the Cameron Crazies and try not to puke. And stay away from the lacrosse team.

10)Kent State UniversityPros: Their men’s and women’s basket-ball teams are the best in the MAC.Cons: Kent read? Kent write? Kent State!

By Zach Gordon

In light of the holidays, The Pitch sports editors decided to get in the spirit and shy away from traditional articles. We were curious to see what members of each winter sport team had to say about a wide array of topics. We chose to ask the athletes who are supposed to

“represent” their teams best: the senior captains. Now, sit back, treat yourself to a hot cup of cocoa and enjoy!

Photo by Kevin NuñezPhoto by Cami KeyaniPhoto by Celia Karp Photo by Celia Karp Photo by Kevin Nuñez

For all the latest WJ Sports News go to WJPITCH.com

Check out The Pitch Online at WJPitch.com16 December 22, 2009

SportSW i l d c a t

It takes devoted players to come to sports practice every day, work their butts off and then have to decide whether or not they should sit on the left or right side of the bench. Although every team is equipped with talented players from WJ, there are still student athletes who put in the work but do not get much playing time. In the fall sports season, the girls var-sity soccer season started shaky, but as communication improved, they finished 8-1-6. Junior varsity soccer midfielder Laura Kennedy has played soccer for the past three years. After an injury in the spring, she came into the fall season worried but with a positive attitude. Instead of getting plenty of playing time, she spent most of the season on the bench supporting the team. “[I was] extremely discontent [with sit-ting on the bench],” said Kennedy. “Main-ly over the last season, I was frustrated with the way I was playing and I knew I had a lot to offer the team that I just wasn’t able to exhibit. I knew I could do better, and it was frustrating to not al-ways be given the chance.” Head coach Liz Friedman tried to keep all the lines of communication open to the players on the team, even if they weren’t starting. “If someone was not getting a lot of

playing time, before they would come up to me, I would tell them what they need to work on, what we need out of them in order to receive more,” said Friedman. It was not just Kennedy who had to work on her weaknesses in order to get more playing time, but also teammate junior defender Alicia Dodrill. “[In order to get more playing time, I need to] show that I do have the skills to play as much as anyone else,” said Do-drill. Dodrill and Kennedy’s plan for next season is to work on their weaknesses in hopes of receiving more playing time. As for varsity boys soccer, junior de-fenders Jonathan Fix and Jack Crenca were in the same boat. Fix real-ized that once other players re-covered from injuries, they would re-turn to their positions and his playing time would decrease. “You can’t really expect things to stay the way they are,” said Fix. “You have to go day-by-day, and work on improving yourself.” Even though his playing time averaged at around 10 minutes a game, Crenca’s goal was to support his team and im-prove his skills for next year. “[It was hard to not give my full effort], but you have to look past that and look to the next year and just keep helping with the team,” he said. With the winter sports season un-derway, many teams are still solidifying their rosters. This gives the non-starters an opportunity to prove to their coaches that they are capable of receiving the

right amount of playing time. For returning varsity basketball and sophomore forward Claire Cohen, she feels that it’s about the team in general and what they do together as a whole to win. “I have a lot of things to work on and until I can master them, I deserve to be in the position that I am in,” said Cohen. Junior center Aidan Gleason also feels that the harder she works on her weak-nesses the more she will play. “I’m slow and I go running three to four times a week outside of practice,” said Gleason. “Hopefully, it gets my speed under control and I’ll play more.” New coach Tori Moten feels that the girls always play as a team and that failure

and success come as a group. “I think every-one has accepted the fact that your time will come when your time will come,” said Moten. “If you put in the time to get better at practice

and do all the things you have to, then your opportunity to play more will ar-rive.” Along with varsity girls basketball, the varsity boys basketball team has started to rebuild their team after losing nine se-niors to graduation. Senior guard Muyiwa Awodiya came to WJ new this year and even though he isn’t getting the playing time he would like, he still supports the team. “He contributes a good work ethic, positive atmosphere and he really likes to see the team do well,” said coach Bill Morris. “He’s happy to be here, he’s hap-py to be at WJ and he’s happy to be on the team.”

By Kathleen Seale

Redefining the Position of “Benchwarmer”

InSIdeSports

pg. 13

pg. 14

pg. 15

Athletes

Round Table: A Decade in Sports

The Grid

WJ Winter Sports Captainsfeaturing:

of theMonth

Senior co-captain and forward Alec Stirling has been on the varsity basketball team for the past two years. As a junior, Stirling sat on the bench waiting for his chance to arrive. “I still kept the possibility of starting in my mind,” said Stirling. “If anyone went down, I knew that I would have to step in, so I just had to be ready for that.” Now, Stirling rarely sits on the bench and plays at least three out of the four quarters of the game. “He is the ultimate team player,” said Morris. “He has no regard for his body. He does what it takes to try and win games.

He’s a great kid and he’s really stepped up from last year. Last year, he hardly played at all and this year he’s playing a lot.” Stirling is the perfect example of what it is like for a player to come from sit-ting on the bench to becoming a co-cap-tain and starter. Players’ hard work at practice and attitude about the game can catch coaches’ attention and if the play-ers continue to work hard, their time may come.

“ You can’t really expect things to stay the way

they are. You have to go day-by-day, and work on

improving yourself.”

“If you put in the time to get better at practice and do all the things you have to, then

your opportunity to play more will arrive. ”

Photo Illustration by Celia Karp

Did You Know?There are success stories of for-mer back-ups littered through-out professional sports. And perhaps there is no place with a greater abundance of them than in the NFL, specifically the New England Patriots.

Patriots QBs:Tom Brady- Was picked in the next-to-last round of the 2000 NFL Draft A year later, made first NFL start after sitting on the bench for a season Has since led the Patriots to three Super Bowl wins and has been invited to five Pro Bowls

Matt Cassel- Was picked in the last round of the 2005 NFL Draft Made first NFL start after sit-ting on bench for three sea-sons First NFL quarterback in his-tory to start a game at quar-ter back after never starting at quarterback in college

Graphic by Colin Buley