T iger hi-lineTHE

1015 Division St. Cedar Falls, Iowa 50613

Volume 50 Issue 14

Jan. 19, 2010

New course integrates multiple disciplinesSara Gabriele

Staff Writer

Senior Blake Cervetti is one of the students in Into to Engineering, a new CFHS course offering set to expand next year.

Intro to Engineering, a new addition to course options last year, is the first in a series of engineering courses that will be offered at Cedar Falls High School. In just its first year, the popular course has over 50 students enrolled in three different sections.

“What the course is doing is taking concepts being taught in current math, science and industrial technology cur-riculum and blending them together — and what you’re seeing is the practical ap-plication side,” said Dirk Homewood, one of the Intro to Engineering teachers (the other is Linda Sneed). “You’re seeing why you’re learning the quadratic formula, what it actually translates into.”

The course covers the de-sign process, advanced model-ing skills, reverse engineering and inventing. Students draw and model designs that repli-cate machines such as trains on computer software. They also take apart technology, and as a final project, they create their own inventions or innovations.

“It’s definitely not like your traditional class,” senior Brian Harris said. “It’s very hands on. There’s no big text books, and you’re not sitting around just taking notes.”

Instead, the course uses a technology program called In-ventor that allows students to model, create and manipulate 3D objects.

“It’s pretty powerful soft-ware. You can not only draw stuff, you can make animations of parts coming together and coming apart, change the tex-tures, etc. It’s very versatile,” Harris said.

Because much of what is done in class requires use of the software, there is little

homework;however, that is not to say

the course isn’t challenging.“It challenges [students] in

a different way,” Homewood said. “It trains your mind to think differently and see things in a new per-spective — to think in a way you’ve never thought before.”

The curriculum is provided by the Project Lead the Way foundation, a group that promotes engineering educa-tion by offering curriculum for a four-year high school engineering program.

“It’s only an introductory course, but, still, it addresses a ton. You learn so much about what engineering is actually about, and it’s a lot different than what I thought,” senior

Blake Cervetti said. Students can also use their

coursework to open doors to potential universities or em-ployers because they assemble

their projects into E-portfolios highlighting their new abilities.

Homewood said he expects at least four sections of Intro to Engineering for next year, and Principals of Engineering, the second course in PLTW’s four-part strand, will be offered as well. The other two courses in the strand, Digital Electron-ics and Civil Engineering and

Architecture, will be added in the next few years.

All are dual credit courses; students can earn college credit that transfers to any of the

three major state universities by passing an end of year test. Only a prerequisite of algebra I is required for Intro to Engineer-ing, so students one year up in math will have

the opportunity to take all the courses by the time they graduate.

“ISU engineering school (for example) is a very com-petitive program. They really try to weed out so they have the best of the best. Our hope with this program is that we will be able to give our students a leg up, “ Homewood said.

“You learn so much about what engineering is actually about, and it’s a lot different

than what I thought.”—Blake Cervetti

Intro to Engineering student

Sara Gabriele Photo

News Briefs

Semester Test Details Tomorrow, periods 1, 2, 6 and 7 will have semester finals. From 11-12:10, juniors and seniors may leave on release. On Thursday, periods 3, 4 and 5 hold finals and again juniors and seniors may use release from 11-12:10. Dismissal will be at 1:35 following the period 5 final. All students must be out of the halls during testing periods as well as over the lunch time. SASH students will not be allowed to check out to other locations on either test day.

Detention Time All juniors and seniors wanting release must have all fees paid and detention time served to maintain release priveleges. Stu-dents may check with the attendance office about detention minutes, and teachers will be informing them of any outstanding fines. New release stickers for IDs can be retrieved in the associate principal’s or attendance office.

Yearbook OrdersThe 2009-2010 year-

book price is now $45 and can be ordered with a check made payable to Cedar Falls High School. Payments can be delivered to the switchboard or to Mr. Winkel in room 208.

Deadline for orders is Friday, April 30. After that date, the publisher will use the totals to print the book, so no further orders will be accepted. The books will be distributed at school registration in August.

Contact the Tiger Hi-LineThe Tiger Hi-Line is a weekly publication of the journalism classes

of Cedar Falls High School, 1015 Division St., Cedar Falls, Iowa 50613. Our website is www.hiline.co.nr. The Hi-Line is distributed to CFHS students on Tuesdays to read in their DEAR (Drop Everything and Read) classes.

Columns and letters do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Hi-Line or Cedar Falls Schools. The Hi-Line editorial staff view is presented weekly in the editorial labeled as Our View.

Reader opinions on any topic are welcome and should be sent to the Tiger Hi-Line staff or delivered to room 208. All letters must be signed. Letters must be submitted by 3 p.m. on Thursday for publica-tion the following Tuesday. Letters may not exceed 300 words and may be edited to meet space limitations. Include address and phone number for verification.

Editorial StaffEditors-in-Chief: Maggie Devine and Vincent Stigliani

News Editors: Vincent Stigliani and Ben SadkowskiOpinion Editor: Monica Clark

Sports Editor: Ben OlsonFeature Editor: Aubrey Caruso

On-Line Editors: Vincent Stigliani and Maggie DevineEntertainment Editor: Maggie Devine

Senior Writer: Alex EntzPhoto Editor: Ben Sadkowski

THE

tiger hi-lineopinion2Jan. 19, 2009

our view

As high school students, we have become the masters of dealing with stress. Although some of us are better than others, we can juggle dozens of activi-ties throughout the day and still manage to hold it all together … most of the time.

During the first semester, for many students the light at the end of the tunnel is the holiday break. This long time off is the hallowed ground for many; the time where we can rest and relax and catch up on some much needed sleep. The last thing we want to think about is homework, or projects, or the “f” word: finals.

For the most part, Iowa public schools schedule our finals for after the long break, this year after 16 days off. This sounds like the perfect time to forget everything we have learned over the semester. In theory, we should not be forgetting what we have been taught, but it’s still hard to get back and imme-diately start the heavy load again.

Wouldn’t it be so much simpler if we had finals before break? Then we could start off fresh in the new year. But for now, we will be cramming it in over the next few days, trying not to lose it com-pletely.

Many of us will be pulling some all-nighters, chugging caffeinated beverages and walking in a co-matose state. This is normal behavior for us students right before finals, but wouldn’t we all benefit if this wrapped up before break?

Every six seconds, a child dies from hunger.

The issue of world hunger is a growing problem, but there is some-thing every CFHS student and teacher can do about it. In fact, just about anyone with access to a computer can help fight hunger while also educating themselves. What is this amazing phe-nomena?

Enter the website freerice.com. A non-profit website run by the United Nations World Food Pro-gram, FreeRice has two goals: to help end world hunger by providing rice to the hungry, and to provide everyone with free educa-tion. It was founded in Oc-tober 2007 by John Breen. He later donated the site to the UN Food Program last March.

FreeRice's homepage is basically a multiple-choice vocabulary question. For ev-ery correct answer, FreeRice donates 10 grains of rice to the hungry. The rice is paid for by sponsors, which are shown on a banner at the bottom of the computer screen. The money gener-ated by the banners is used to buy the rice.

Ten grains of rice may not sound like a lot, but it really adds up. In only five minutes of playing, you could donate 200 grains

of rice. And if that doesn't seem like much, con-sider this: it takes about 400 grams of rice to feed one person for a day, and there are about 48 grains of rice in a gram. That comes out to 19,200 grains of rice. That means that it would take about an hour and a half for one person to feed someone else for the day.

Spending your free time doing vocabulary questions? That might not be every-one's idea of fun. But no worries. FreeRice also of-fers questions in chemistry,

math (including pre-alge-bra), languages (including Spanish, French, Italian and German), art and geography, as well as questions with varying levels of difficulty.

This makes FreeRice a great study tool while helping a good cause at the same time. Instead of spend-ing endless hours playing Xbox or Facebooking, why not play an educational game that helps fight world hunger? FreeRice is the ul-timate way to spend another boring winter day inside: it could help prepare you for the ACTs and upcom-ing tests while saving lives. Anyone can play, it's easy and fun, and it supports a great cause.

And just think. If every CFHS student (about 1000) spent the 20-minute DEAR time playing (or studying, depending on how you look at it) on freerice.com for one school week, we could donate 4 million grains of rice, enough to feed 200 people. Now that's some food for thought. Literally.

Ellen GustavsonStaff Writer

Photo from mindanao.com

Four hundred grams of rice is enough to feed one person for one day and only takes 1.5 hours to achieve at freerice.com.

Non-profit online site helps feed the hungryStudents better off taking

finals before holiday break

THE

tiger hi-line opinion3Jan. 19, 2009

Alex EntzSenior Writer

Iowa Governor Chet Cul-ver stepped to the podium last Tuesday facing a strug-gling state in desperate need of encouraging words.

The facts had flown around for the past weeks, and despite the vigor with which Culver defended his record and positions, they remained true. Iowa is on the precipice of the worst bud-getary disaster of all time: revenues have nose-dived, leaving the state with up to a full billion dollars short of making ends meet for the coming fiscal year.

Though I am a senior leaving for college next year, the fact that Cedar Falls schools will face anywhere from a $500,000 to a $1.5

million shortfall for the 2011 school year worries me greatly.

What worries me even more? The utter lack of ac-countability and fresh ideas at the state level.

Culver, in a thinly veiled move to up his chances at re-election (current polls are showing both major Repub-lican candidates with leads) has pledged to up education spending, despite the huge gap between revenues and state expenditures.

Though a two percent raise and a restoration of the funds cut last year would be desirous to the Cedar Falls school officials, who then would face the smaller $500,000 end of the budget shortfall? It lacks feasibility.

Neither side has swal-lowed the major pill that

needs to come across the table — taxes. Culver has done a good job thus far with cutting extraneous projects in the budget (a 10 percent across the board cut for the 2010 budget showed Cul-ver’s backbone — which he had hidden since his election in 2006), but it is simply not enough. One of the two par-ties needs to stand up to the budget crisis and announce that something must be done. Government, though bloated and filled with “vital” programs encouraging a repeated process of poverty and state dependence, simply lacks much more to cut without hitting the major artery — the schools, which account for well over half of the state’s budget. And, as much as the conserva-tive within me burns to say

it, taxes must be raised to keep the state in the black. Republicans refuse to bring it up because doing so could compromise their chances at taking back state government in November. Democrats refuse to say it because, like Culver, they lack the backbone.

So what will become of the schools and the budget problems Iowa faces? With an increase in taxes likely out of the question and the release of monetary reserves to cover funding shortfalls in local schools seemingly cer-tain, the picture becomes a bit more muddied. The mud-died condition of the state’s budget (which has not yet been released) only increases in light of the fact that Cul-ver has pledged to continue some of his programs despite

the fiscal woes of the state. In the end, the legislature

will work its way through a shortened session, and I hope an ingenious idea will come through to boost revenue or cut unnecessary spend-ing. It seems that the perfect encapsulation of the idea that “less is more” regarding government has finally ap-peared in Iowa, yet the state seems incapable of taking the harsh measures necessary to keep Iowa from becoming a California.

Nonetheless, Cedar Val-ley schools have the strong leadership, financial reserves and contingency plans to continue operating at full strength even in times where the amount that the school needs and the amount that the school receives may not exactly sync up.

Culver, legislators lack backbone for fixing state budget shortfalls

Haitian earthquake demands quick assistance

Vincent StiglianiEditor-in-Chief

A week ago today, a major earthquake struck in the southern region of Haiti, one of the most impover-ished and unstable countries in the world. The full scope of the devas-tation is still somewhat un-clear, but it can be said with certainty that the country will need large-scale assis-tance in the wake of this 7.0 magnitude quake.

To put this disaster in

perspective, the country isn’t even a fifth the size of Iowa yet its popula-tion is three times greater. Its GDP per capita is the lowest in the Western world and 203 out of 229 at $1,300 per year. These facts, coupled with the coun-try’s unstable

government and infrastruc-ture, have exponentially worsened what would be a crippling blow to even the most stable of nations.

Haiti most certainly will need assistance from the

outside world and even the smallest gestures could add up to meaningful action. Perhaps the most helpful and realistic way of assist-ing the millions of people in need is monetary donations, and there are multiple ways to go about this.

Donation methods seem to be evolving alongside today’s ever-changing technology. Now, donations can be made by anyone with cell-phone access. Users first text a message to a designated number. The system will then reply with a confirmation message and forward your donation to your carrier. Your carrier distributes the money to the charity and adds it to your bill at the end of the month.

All numbers and charities can be found online, but I will list a few options. Text “Yele” to 501501 and you will contribute $5 to the Yéle Foundation, a lead-ing organization in Haiti’s rebuilding. Text “Haiti” to 20222 if you would like to assist The Clinton Founda-tion—Bill Clinton is Special Envoy to Haiti. Texting “Haiti” to 85944 will donate $5 to the Rescue Union Mission and MedCorp international, and to 25383 to help the Internal Rescue Committee. The same mes-sage to 90999 will give $10 to the Red Cross. Already by last Thursday, less than two days into the initia-tive, over $5 million had been donated through texts.

These are just a few of the many options for helping out the millions of people impacted by this natural disaster, and many more foundations and specific causes may be found online.

I advise you to be aware, however, what you are donating to because there have been multiple cases of people using this tragedy as a money-making scheme, creating fake websites and bogus foundations. The FBI urges potential donors to ap-ply a “critical eye” of dona-tion requests and steer clear of unknown foundations or middle men. Despite this, as long you don't venture too far off the beaten path, your much-needed donations should be secure.

Megan LaneStaff Writer

Rescue is possible. For millions of teenag-ers around world battling abuse, self-harm and inner demons, this has become a message of hope. To Write Love On Her Arms, a nonprofit movement created over two and half years ago, has reached out to millions who suffer from depression or abuse and has given them the security to know that they are not alone.

"We say it matters, their story and yours, and we join you to remember. Please know that you are not alone," founder Jamie Tworkowski said on his website blog.

And it was as simple as that when Tworkowski started the movement. Tworkowski worked at a board shop in Cocoa Beach, Fla., and one day he got a call that would change his life. A friend of his was in need of help with a drug-addicted teenager named Renee Yohe. He joined his buddy out of sheer compassion and a whim in a effort to help another. Renee was a 19 year-old girl who for years struggled with drug and alcohol abuse along with self-harm. After Tworkowski met Yohe, he posted a story on his Myspace page about how Yohe struggled with self-infliction, the way she

THEtiger hi-linefeature4

jan. 19, 2009

carved harmful things into her forearms with a blade. He wanted to change that. He wanted "to write love on her arms."

Tworkowski meant what he had said, and for a week he did that with Yohe.

"Take a broken girl, treat her like a famous princess. Give her the best seats in the house. Buy her coffee and cigarettes for the coming down, books and bathroom things for the days ahead. Tell her something true when all she's known are lies. Tell her God loves her. Tell her about forgiveness, the possibility of freedom, tell her she was made to dance in white dresses. All these things are true," Tworkowski said in his blog on Myspace.

And so for Tworkows-ki, the movement had begun.

After creating T-shirts with the TWLOHA design on them and wearing them, an old friend of Tworkowski, Jon Fore-men, formerly known as the frontman for the band Switchfoot, asked if he could possibly get one. Tworkowski agreed and the rest became history. Foremen mentioned his shirt on stage that night at a concert, and by the time Tworkowski had checked his Myspace the next day he had hundreds of hits and messages asking to order a shirt.

"In the days that fol-lowed, we learned quickly that the story we were telling represented people everywhere. We began to hear from people in need of help, and others asking what they could do to help their friends. We heard from people who had lost loved ones to suicide. Many said that these were questions they had never asked and parts of their story that they had never shared. Others were honest in a different way, confess-ing these were issues they knew little or nothing about. It seemed we had stumbled upon a bigger story, and a conversation that needed to be had," Tworkowski said.

"I didn't mean to start a charity or a movement, but all of us can relate to pain. On a very simple level we are saying, 'This is part of being human,'" Tworkowski told Rolling Stone magazine.

TWLOHA so far this year has raked in $2.9 million from sales. The money from the shirts is being used to pay for not only Renee's treatments but for others also in hope of reaching out to the thousands who suffer from depression, abuse, self-injury and suicidal urges.

"I'm the top of a T-shirt brand that hopes to be a lot more. I don't have a problem with money, but that's why we exist. We exist to move people. How

do you create hope? How you encourage an honest conversation? If you move someone, they'll come back," Tworkowski said.

TWLOHA has moved many, and he said it could move Cedar Falls High School.

He said students who battle with the same depression, self-infliction, addictions and abuse every day go unknown every-where. Some will see this and some will not, but that's not what matters. What matters is how we help those who are willing to ask for it.

"We all wake to the hu-man condition. We wake

to mystery and beauty but also to tragedy and loss. Millions of people live with problems of pain. Millions of homes are filled with questions – moments and seasons and cycles that come as thieves and aim to stay. We know that pain is very real. It is our privilege to suggest that hope is real, and that help is real," Tworkowski said on his blog.

"I think he gives young folks support and hope when they are not feeling very hopeful. It is a very positive concept, and he needs to get more folks on board that can help him spread his message.

To Write Love on Her Arms:

The vision of TWLOHA is hope, and hope is real.

National non-profit movement gains large following in supporting teen girls facing abuse, depression

It seems a little too simple to be so successful! I really like the concept but was wary of the help he was giving. The folks in his house have ‘basic counseling skills.’ This makes me nervous. This is a pretty serious topic and helpers need to be fully trained in how to help. I think he needs to spread his message to counselors and people who can help," CFHS guidance counselor Susan Langan said.

It's important to know that this movement, cre-ated only two and half

SupportStudent Press

The list of businesses and individuals included here are backers of the real world educational opportunities made possible by all the publication and broadcasting programs at Cedar Falls High School. Check out their links at our website: http://www.hiline.co.nr

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years ago has battled many critics that have said, "Tworkowski's rise has roiled certain old school shrinks, who bristle at his sudden success and lack of experience. Sweet little Jamie is in way over his head," a government expert complains. There are those experts though who believe that what Tworkowski is attempting is wonderful.

"I've worked in suicide prevention for 25 years," said Madelyn Gould, a professor of clinical epidemiology at Columbia

University. "And the stuff Jamie is doing, it's like this whole underground conversation that tradi-tional experts don't know is happening. It's just wonderful."

And because of this encouragement, hope is still alive to help spread the message that suicidal urges, addictions, abuse and depression are treat-able. That in the darkest mist, there can be hope.

"Over the last two and a half years, we’ve responded to 80,000 mes-sages from people in 40

THEtiger hi-line feature 5

jan. 19, 2009

different countries. We’ve had the opportunity to bring this conversation and a message of hope and help to concerts, universi-ties, festivals and churches. We’ve learned that these are not American issues, not white issues or 'emo' issues. These are issues of humanity, problems of pain that affect millions of people around the world," Tworkowski said in his vision statement.

Recent statistics have reported that two out of three people will never seek help. In America, it's

estimated that 19 million people live with depres-sion, and suicide is the the third leading cause of death among 18 to 24 years old.

"The good news is that depression is very treatable, that a very real hope exists in the face of these issues. We’ve met people who are getting the help they need, sitting across from a counselor for the first time, stepping into treatment or reaching out to a suicide hotline in a desperate moment," Tworkowski said.

Photos by Kaylee MicuYoung girls around the country are joining together in a movement to fight against depression, abuse and suicidal urges.

Review Maniawith host

Mike TargoffThis is the final review after

three years of broadcasting for Mike. He closes with the latest

in hip hop.

Jan. 8/Episode 8The first semester comes to a close with a recap of three of the latest CDs: Young Money We Are Young Money, 50 Cent

Before I Self Destruct and Timbaland’s Shock Value 2.

This week’s feature podcast as well as eight others that are updated every other week can be found on The Tiger Hi-Line

Online (http://www.hiline.co.nr) by following the podcast

links. Internet Explorer does not work for viewing this site. Use Safari, Firefox or Opera for best results. The website

is also linked off the high school’s website.

THE

tiger hi-lineentertainment6Jan. 19, 2009

New Releases

Feature Podcast

Music:

Movies:

-Charlotte Gainsbourg

IRM

-Cold War Kids

Behave Yourself (EP)

-Eels

End Times

-Missy Elliot

Block Party

-RJD2

The Colossus

-Spoon

Transference

-Extraordinary

Measures

-Legion

-Tooth Fairy

Ever wanted to check out a show but never actually knew where to go?

One of the most popular places is proba-bly The Reverb, recently merged with Spicoli's in Waterloo. This music venue and eatery is a popular choice among tour-ing bands. The Reverb is located at 3555 University Ave. in Waterloo. Head out there to get your face rocked off.

Next up is the 1108 house, located at 1108 Main Street. This venue is a classic place for house shows and is very popular among lesser-known local bands and out-of-town bands.

My personal favorite venue to see shows is at the Amvets Post 19, 32 Lafayette St. in Waterloo. The pits are brutal, the bands are brutal and the people are brutal. Everything

at the Amvets Post 19 is sim-ply brutal.

Another place to see some shows today is The Hub.

Yes, it's a bar located down-town, but they allow minors to see shows. Not many huge name bands come and play there, but that doesn't mean they don't host good shows. I've only been to about two shows, but

they weren't bad shows by any means.

Wanna see an acoustic show? Look no further than local coffee house Cup Of Joe. They host Open Mic Nights where touring groups will come. I don't exactly know if there is a loudness limit, but these shows are never that intense, and usually feature acoustic instruments accompa-nied with a set of bongos. Cup Of Joe is located downtown,

on the corner of 1st St. and Main St.

I have to mention the next venue, but they aren't having shows. This place is legendary among local venues, but the owners didn't like the tenants having shows and destroy-ing the place, so they evicted them. The Phoenix Music Venue and Arcade located downtown hosted some of the most memorable local bands ever, such as Safie and Win The Fight. They also hosted some super good out-of-state bands like Fire When Ready. I've gone to at least 10 shows at The Phoenix, and I abso-lutely loved every single one of them. Admission was only $5 usually, unless they had a lot of bands booked to play or a really big name was coming through. Then it would bounce up to around $7, but that's still not a bad price.

Now that I've mentioned some of the more popular places to see shows, I'll give you ratings from 1 to 10, 1 be-ing the worst and 10 obviously being the best. The Reverb is

a 6 in my opinion, ever since it moved it hasn't been as fun to go and see shows. The 1108 House is a big fat 10. There isn't a better place to see shows. The Amvets 19 is an 11; I know it only goes to 10, but that's just how good this place is. The Phoenix would be a 100, but seeing as there aren't any shows any more, it doesn't actually get a rating. The Hub slightly makes it to the 8 range. It's a nice place to go see some unknown bands and stretch your musical interests. Cup of Joe is a 7 due to the fact that sometimes Open Mic Night doesn't always happen, but when it does, it's brilliant.

Fees are usually around the same price, but they may vary. Usually from $5-$10. Maybe more for bigger or up and coming bands.

There's a lot of things to do at shows. There's people to meet, and heck, maybe you'll end up in a band.

The local scene needs as much support as possible, so go out, have fun and help give the scene its backbone.

Donald HalbmaierStaff Writer

A growing trend in today’s generation is taking a break from schooling after graduat-ing high school. Two students from Cedar Falls High School are doing just that.

Senior Andy Weld and ju-nior Jarek Bakken are planning on putting a break on their educational careers after high school to pursue their other passion: music.

Sky Like Fire (SLF) is a worship-based alternative band stationed here in Cedar Falls. Formed by the band’s three core members — Weld, drums; Bakken, guitar; and Michael Rogers, vocals and guitar — SLF has been playing around town leading their church in worship weekly.

The now quartet after their adding of bassist Ethridge Netz, SLF just finished record-ing its first EP on Saturday at Orchard Hill church.

“We recorded from 10-12 hours on Saturday with Justin Bartlett to get our six-song EP finished. It is mainly original

music,” Weld said.Having a member in band

with prior recording is a plus for SLF. Weld has his instru-mental band named Rovan in which he has recorded with lo-cal producer Christian Brown.

“We’ve used influences and parts from Rovan in our origi-nal material,” Weld said.

Admiration for the band has spread rapidly throughout the community.

“Support has been great! Our families have always sup-ported our music and the long hours we put into not only leading worship two or three times every week at Orchard Hill Church but our original music too. Tim Walsten has been a mentor to us through our younger years and now and is always right beside us giving us feedback and advice

and keeping us in line. The church has been very grateful to us as well, letting us use their many resources,” Bakken said.

With Netz and Rogers already out of high school and Weld graduating this year, it has made Bakken make the decision to graduate early next year. Bakken made attempts to graduate at the end of his junior year, but to no success.

“I’ve talked to my counsel-or about it, and to graduate as a junior not only do you need all of your credits but you have to go before the school board and present all the reasons why you should be graduating, but it was too much work,” Bak-ken said.

SLF all intend on moving out of state later next year to see where the band takes them.

Dustin PeverillStaff Writer

Cedar Valley offers variety of music venues

SLF pursuing music after high school

THE

tiger hi-line SPORTS 7Jan. 19, 2010

Men’s Swimming Away 1/19 vs. IC High, 6 p.m.Away 1/23 @ MVC Super Meet @ CR Kennedy, 12:30 p.m.WrestlingAway 1/21 vs. Hempstead, 6:15 p.m.Away 1/23 @ Urbandale Invite, 10 a.m.BowlingAway 1/22 vs. CR Prairie, 3:45 p.m.Women’s BasketballAway 1/19 vs. Chas. City, 6:15 p.m.Home 1/22 vs. IC High, 6 p.m.Men’s BasketballAway 1/22 vs. IC High, 6 p.m.

1. What are the team’s strengths this season?We really have good guards that can shoot the ball well for us.2. Who are the toughest teams so far?Cedar Rapids Jefferson, Cedar Rapids Kennedy and Linn-Mar.3. What have you done to prepare and be successful?I did lifting in the fall and the XL Sports Acceleration program.4. What are your goals for the team this year?We want to make it to state and want to go undefeated from here on out.

Tigersin Action

Athleteof

the Week

Caleb KoniecznyMen’s Basketball

Sophomore

Alex EntzSenior Writer

The innocence of a na-tion faded into oblivion with Mark McGwire — perhaps one of the most famous and well-liked ballplayers to ever don the uniform of the ancient St. Louis Cardinals — finally admitting that he did, in fact, use steroids and performance enhancing drugs for the majority of his career, including his ma-jestic 1998 season. In that season, McGwire smashed Roger Maris’ record of 61 home runs by bombing 70 of his own. Whether he took steroids for “health purposes” or not, one thing is clear: McGwire cheated, and in an effort to preserve and protect the fabled his-tory of America’s pastime, every mention of him must be erased from the record books. No Cooperstown, no 500 home runs, no magical summer of ‘98, no asterisks. Just complete obliteration. If McGwire wants in the Hall of Fame, he had better buy a ticket.

McGwire’s admission, while long overdue (perhaps his testimony before Con-gress in 2005 would have been a better time), was a necessary prerogative for baseball to continue on its path to healing from the em-barrassing steroid era that gave the game a permanent black eye. McGwire, the poster boy for the Steroid Era with his massive biceps and tape-measure home runs, needed to come clean for baseball to move on. This sad day had loomed as an inevitability over base-ball for years, and now that it has come, the baseball

world is left reeling. Context is appropriate

to truly appreciate what McGwire did for the game; in 1998, just a few years after the disastrous and ill-conceived strike of 1994, he and Sammy Sosa teamed up to take the nation on a wild ride in pursuit of the heralded home run record, then held by Maris. The nation was brought to life by the incredible journey the two took that summer, and for years afterwards it was remembered as if tinted with a rosy complexion; in a decade of prosperity, two lovable heroes took all Americans on chase for the most famous record in all of sports, and in the process they taught the oblivious United States a few things about perseverance, hope and determination. That the facade had to come down eventually, a disappointing travesty in itself, necessi-tates the outing of the major frauds so that baseball can retain its purity. I used to own a McGwire shirt back in the day, complete with his year-by-year home run totals on the back. Back

then I looked up to him as a god, much like young boys revered Maris back in his day. He was America, the essence of a country that only a hard working, all-American man playing a man’s game in the heart of the country could evoke.

Unfortunately, the time for blissful innocence has passed. Truly, those years when McGwire ripped home runs into the depths of major league stadiums were shining moments, but mo-ments that nonetheless must fall away from the collec-tive baseball consciousness.

Now that he has con-fessed, a simple option opens up for Bud Selig to finally close the door on the Steroid Era: eliminate his records and bar him for life much like Pete Rose (who legitimately holds base-ball’s all-time hits record, by the way). And not just McGwire: the other major records from both Sosa and Barry Bonds must be erased, as well. Any six year old could accurately tell that all three of these men took steroids and other perfor-mance enhancing drugs.

McGwire’s admission of guilt, coupled with Sosa’s positive test for steroids and the ongoing federal probe into Bonds’ steroid activity (which to anyone who has ever followed baseball, seems obvious) give Selig more than enough room to implement a no-asterisked names policy for anyone even suspected of steroid use. The rules of baseball state that the commissioner can take a course of action which he deems to be in the best interest of the sport; this has taken hold before when commissioners have banned players and the like. Selig must step up to the plate and become a true commissioner: surely, he knew exactly how the play-ers suddenly bulked up, and his sin of silence for that time should be looked at later. For now, Selig needs to earn his stripes.

Ban Bonds, Sosa and McGwire from the Hall of Fame. Strip them of their records. And, in the process, let baseball live again.

And, oh, one last thing. Long live the summer of ‘61.

SportsOpinion

McGwire needs to buy own ticket into Hall of Fame after scandal

Taylor Bern Graphic

THE

tiger hi-lineJan. 19, 2010

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1. Senior Amelia McMurrin, 2. juniors Korryna Salmon and Sarah Neill, 3. freshman Alex Dana, 4. senior Kassy Salmon, and other dance team members led a group of younger danc-ing kids during the dance clinic on Saturday, Jan. 9 at the high school. 5. Junior Alexa Deines works with students coloring dur-ing a break in the clinic.

Chelsea Larsen, Taylor Davies and Leah Miller photos

Time to Dance!