TigrHiLi e Oct. 8, 2008 Volume 49 Issue 5 1015 Division St. Cedar Falls, Iowa 50613

Linden TerpstraStaff Writer

Out of 10 total in Iowa, two CFHS seniors have received top honors from the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE). The NCTE, estab-lished in 1957, recognizes outstanding student writings from juniors in the US, Canada, and other countries abroad.

After nearly a year-long process, seniors Michelle Redinbaugh and Mi-chael Miller were the two CFHS win-ners.

The honorees receive an award based on several factors.

Arlene FreudenbergNews Editor

Though the annual homecoming ritual of vandalism and pranks known as Hell Week started off quietly, all that changed on Friday morning.

Ten minutes before school started, a student dressed in black and wearing a black mask used a fire extinguisher in English hallway. After filling the air and spraying students with the extin-guisher, the student eluded several at-tempts at capture and ran out the door to the north parking lot. He was later caught and suspended from school.

“We had four really good days, but we had one really bad stain on Friday. Unfortunately, that sticks out because it disrupts school and it just keeps re-minding students that they think they have to do something negative in order to have a complete homecoming week, and that’s not true,” school counselor Ryan Flaherty said.

No one was seriously injured by the stunt.

“I had a number of students in here that I saw with exposure contact to the fire extinguisher contents. After reviewing the MSDS sheets on that material there are no particular first aid precautions that are necessary for skin or eye contact. We just simply had the students wash their face and eyes off and were returned to class. We did

have two students who complained about some breathing difficul-ties related to the exposure. Both of them had a history of asthma. Both were seen and evaluated in my office and returned to class,” school nurse Sue Gettman said.

The incident kept students from the first half of their first periods and led to extensive clean up.

“We had to clean out all the smoke detectors in the hallways. We had to scrub the floors. We had to wipe down the walls and clean up all the chemicals from the smoke detector off the floor, so it made for a lot of extra work. Luckily we had a lot of extra staff here because it’s homecoming,” custodian Mark Wray said.

Other smaller incidents also oc-curred during the week. On Tuesday before fourth period, a water balloon fight broke out in the math hallway,

and another water balloon attack oc-curred during marching band practice fourth period on Friday. Students also dropped piles of glitter around the building and were allegedly planning a mass silly string display during Friday afternoon’s pep rally. The rally was canceled due rumors of other pranks.

“We had all of our administration pretty involved in student issues that day, and we were not able to complete those in time for the assembl. With

such a big event, I didn’t feel comfortable having it without us being there,” Principal Dr. Rich Powers said.

As students buzzed about the pranks, the administration debated consequences.

“Events like this put homecoming in jeopardy in the future, very signifi-cantly. In part it’s too bad, but in another part I guess if that’s the only lesson that gets learned I guess it’s just a hard lesson to learn,” Flaherty said.

Powers also com-mented on the possible consequences of Hell Week pranks.

“If we can’t make it safe, we don’t have any

business having it. Our main objective for our school is not homecoming; that’s part of student life. We want to have it and promote it just like we would with prom or any school dance. But if at some point it becomes a risk or financial burden, we have to look at other opportunities,” Powers said.

Although this year’s pranks sparked some conflict, most of the faculty seemed pleased with the relatively mild homecoming week.

“I guess in comparison to some other years, up until (Friday) it’s been a relatively quiet week, but obvi-ously a situation like this is certainly not planned on, and there needs to be consequences. It’s affecting a lot of people’s time and energy and impact-ing the students’ educational day,” Gettman said.

Flaherty also mentioned the im-provement from past years, but reiter-ated that the pranks that occurred were disappointing.

“I was pretty pleased with how things were going. That we were try-ing to stay focused on school spon-sored events (and) the positive aspects of homecoming. I’m always disap-pointed when pranks have to happen. When we have to try to miss school or deface school property for it to be a complete homecoming. It’s been better than in years past, but it’s still very disappointing when these things hap-pen,” Flaherty said.

Although pranks did occur this year, there is hope that future home-coming weeks will continue to improve.

“I think we’re making progress on things being a little calmer for the school. I think we need to get to a point where there are no major disrup-tions, or we need to look at a different way to celebrate our fall,” Powers said.

“There are several competitions where they submitted several writ-

ings, along with an impromptu piece,” NCTE English teacher Michelle Rathe

Michael Miller Michelle Redinbaugh

NCTE writing award honorees

Relatively minor Hell Week ends in major prank

Two seniors among 10 Iowans to win top writing awardsaid.

Their junior year, the English teach-ers read over student’s pieces without names. They then decide on their three favorite essays to move on to the na-tional level.

“Once at the national level, the amount of students chosen is accord-ing to the state size, and 10 are picked from the state of Iowa,” Rathe said. “The students are picked based on the structure of their writing and their cre-ativity.”

They had to write their award win-ning responses in timed sessions. “When I was coming up with the idea,

it was very stressful, but I really liked the topic,” Miller said about his im-promptu piece. The essay had to be about negative ads in politics, and his was titled ‘Schmuck on the Campaign Trail.’

Redinbaugh took a different ap-proach on her essay. “I gave sugges-tions about how to improve ads without calling people all the time during the summer,” she said.

Redinbaugh has done a lot to achieve her writing skills. “I am happy that I received it because I have worked really hard these past few years,” she said.

Katie Dexter Cartoon

Forcing administration, staff to reflect on homecoming’s future,

Nws2 Tig rHiLi e

Sept. 10, 2008

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2 Opi ioN

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. Each edition is published on Wenesdays during the school year in The Insider and Waterloo/Cedar Falls Courier, 501 Commercial St., Waterloo, Iowa 50701.

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 publication the following Wednesday. 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: Honor Heindl, Kellie Petersen and Ellen Wrede

Business Managers: Jill Dally and Alex EntzNews Editors: Arlene Freudenberg and Sara Strever

Opinion Editors: Ben Buysse, Maggie Devine and Vinnie StiglianiSports Editors: Nick Penticoff and Paul Strike

Feature Editor: Honor HeindlOn-Line Editors: Torie Jochims and Ellen Wrede

Entertainment Editors: Maggie Devine and Torie JochimsPhoto Editor: Honor Heindl

Cartoonist: Katie DexterSenior Writers: Jackie Jordan and Tasha Woods

o vu eirOct. 8, 2008

Students get out of controlat end of homecoming week

w Are the Times a’ Changin’?

Vinnie Stigliani&

Alex Entz

Vinnie StiglianiOpinion Editor

Ever since the campaign trail start-ed, and especially so as of recently, it has been crucial that both Barack Obama and John McCain distance themselves from the horrendous presi-dency of George Bush. Americans are frustrated with the mismanaged wars in both Iraq and Afghanistan, 47 mil-lion uninsured, decreased respect from the rest of the world and now one of the biggest financial crises ever seen. Voters want to know which candidate truly will bring the promised change.

Let’s first take a look at the facts: McCain voted with George Bush 95 percent of the time in 2007, stocked the vice-presidential pick’s campaign staff with at least half a dozen ex-Bush cabinet members, spent 26 years in the Washington establishment under a primarily Republican controlled Congress and under Republican presidents. This is the resume of John McCain, but these figures don’t fit the mantra of change that he and the GOP

have been singing.On the other side we have Obama:

born of mixed race to a single mother, grew up in Indonesia and Hawaii, and voted in line with Bush merely 40 percent of the time in during his sec-ond term in the United States Senate. These facts should be telling of who the true client of change is, but let’s take a look at some key issues.

McCain has perhaps been the staunchest supporter in the Senate of war in Iraq. Obama, even when it was a very unpopular move, chose to speak out against what he felt was an unjust war, calling for more attention on Af-ghanistan and the hunt for Bin Laden.

I once admired McCain for his position on the Bush tax cuts. In a 2004 interview with Tim Russert, Mc-Cain said, “I voted against the tax cuts because of the disproportional amount that went to the wealthiest Americans. I would clearly support not extending those tax cuts in order to help address the deficit.” But in 2006, the maverick wasn’t so quick to rock the GOP boat, and he supported an extension on

these cuts and now supports making them permanent. Obama originally opposed these cuts for the wealthy and still does. So who is really going to offer change?

When asked which Supreme Court justices they would not have nomi-nated, Obama chose Clarence Thomas and Antonin Scalia, while McCain responded by saying, “With all due respect, Justice Ginsburg, Justice Breyer, Justice Souter and Justice Ste-phens. And by the way, Justices Alito and Roberts are two of my most recent favorites, by the way. They really are. They are very fine. And I’m proud of President Bush for nominating them.”

In other words, McCain would not have nominated even one liberal or moderate judge on the court. This doesn’t sound like the bipartisan rep-resentation and change that McCain is promising.

Obama truly will offer this much needed change he has promised throughout his campaign. As for Mc-Cain, looking at his record I am not convinced.

McCain offers more of same

Obama to bring wrong type of changeAlex Entz

Business Manager

Barack Obama promises you change. Wherever he gets up to speak, whether it be on a stage or on your TV screen, he promises to bring change if elected.

Change from what? Obama has already been involved in three scandals (re: Jeremiah Wright, Tony Rezko and Wil-liam Ayers), but he’s been in office for only two years. Two years! John McCain? He’s had a clean record since the early 1980s, when he assumed office.

Clear away the typical politi-cian’s promises and look at substance. What has Obama offered up to “change” all of America’s problems?

Obama ridiculed McCain when McCain wanted to focus on the biggest economic crisis since 1929, and yet Obama has offered no precise plan to solve the problem. And McCain? He has put forth a comprehensive plan for the economic

problem, including a detailed govern-ment organization to oversee Wall Street, and, like the surge, he support-ed the bailout from the beginning.

To quote Obama: “I will cut taxes-cut taxes for 95 percent of all working

families.” And then this, from the same acceptance speech: “I’ll invest 150 billion dol-

lars over the next decade in renewable sources of energy.” And then this: “If you have health care, my

plan will lower your premi-ums. If you don’t, you’ll be able to get the same kind of coverage that members of Congress give themselves.”

That doesn’t sound like the good kind of change. That sounds like socialized

health care and higher taxes. So how will John McCain

bring change? There’s a reason that McCain has been termed a

“maverick” in Washington. As a mid-line conservative, he will be able to work with a Democratic Congress. He has never been afraid to fight his own

party on things that he does not agree with, and indeed it’s true: McCain was so moderate that John Kerry asked him to be his vice president in 2004.

A moderate official in the White House, instead of Obama, who was rated as the most liberal senator in Congress in 2007. McCain has gained a reputation as a man who fights pork barrel spending, which is quite a change from this year, when shameless congressmen even added pork-barrel projects to the economic bailout bill. McCain, the maverick who has head-lined numerous bills, will work with both parties to try to keep the Ameri-can people in the forefront while he is president.

Barack Obama? He has never au-thored a major bill. He has never had to deal with anything but his cushy Senatorial job … where he failed to vote anything but present on 143 bills. Sounds like a typical Washington bureaucrat to me, not like change.

One last Obama quote: “So it’s not surprising then that they get bitter; they cling to guns or religion.” That’s not change. That’s just ignorance.

On Friday, Oct. 3, homecoming week took an unfortunate turn — it seemed that all of the pranks had been saved up for that one day. Pranks included fire alarms, smoke bombs, glitter-throwing, water balloon-chucking … and kicking down a sophomore and spraying him in the face with a fire extinguisher.

The first pranks of that list seem relatively harmless, but the final is anything but. Chemicals such as carbon dioxide and mono ammonium phosphate are found in common fire extinguishers and spraying them in someone’s face is highly dangerous.

Before Friday, the few pranks of homecoming week didn’t hurt anyone. There was no vandalism like last year and no suspen-sions or arrests.

On Friday, several suspensions were placed upon students involved in pranks, and one student was arrested.

We believe that Friday went terribly awry. Homecoming week should be kept safe and fun. In the past, events such as powder puff football have been non-school sponsored and have resulted in harass-ment. This year, Student Forum sponsored power puff and used flags instead of tackles. There was no harassment, only competitiveness.

If that can change, why not pranks? Why can’t we, as CFHS students, have enough respect for our school and peers that we don’t do any harm to them? Homecoming week can be a lot of fun without destruction.

2008 was an improvement in terms of havoc wreaked, but we can do better.

“Homecoming week should be kept safe and fun.”

3Oct. 8, 2008

Today, all of us who drive are looking for relief from the gas price burden. Here in the United States, the average September price was just under $3.82 per gallon. Many automobile manufacturers now recognize this severe money and environmen-tal issue and are coming out with new models that attempt to ease this burden.

Some new models of MPG-sav-ing automobiles are the ’09 Toyota Prius, which gets 48 city and 45 hwy MPGs, with a price tag rang-ing from $22,000-24,270. Another popular sedan is the upcoming ’09

Honda Civic Hybrid, with 40 city and 45 hwy miles per gallon, and a price starting at $23,550.

On the truck/SUV side, the 2008 Lexus RX Hybrid gets 27 city and 24 hwy miles to the gal-lon, with a cost of $42,080. An-other, the ’08 Ford Escape Hybrid, averages 29 city

and 27 hwy MPGs, with a tag at $26,640.

Also, Honda released the FCX Clarity vehicle in the summer of 2008. This groundbreaking car runs on compressed hydrogen gas. With a leasing of $600 per month, this car was limited edition and

only available to southern Califor-nians.

These newer vehicles are all good options for the current oil crisis, but they all fall short in one area: price.

This isn’t the first time our country has experienced a rise in fuel prices. Back in the mid-’70s, oil skyrocketed and out automak-ers met the needs then with small, fuel-efficient cars such as the ’81 Dodge Omni, which averaged 30 city and 50 highway miles to the gallon. The ’81 Honda Civic got 32 city and 40 highway MPGs. Also, the ’81 Volkswagen Rabbit averaged 40 city and 54 highway miles per gallon.

One reason these cars were so successful is because they cost 25 percent less than regular sedans.

My question is why should things be different this time

around? All of the fuel-efficient cars now cost the same or even more than regular models, and some are only limited edition models.

Car companies address the higher costs of MPG-saving cars with the fact that additional safety measures make the cars weigh more, which then raises the price. You would think, though, with 25 plus years of technological advances in power improvements that things would be the other way around.

Maybe we should relax our safety standards. Back in the mid ’70s through ’80s, cars didn’t have full-surrounding airbags, yet people weren’t afraid to drive, and the deaths due to accident weren’t extremely higher than they are now.

Also, hybrid technology is

sometimes brought up as a reason for a high price, but again, with all of our tremendous advances in technology and our government’s cry for no more dependency on foreign oil, you would think it would be a higher priority to have affordable prices on those types of vehicles.

Finally, SUVs are very profit-able for car companies because of their large size, even if they are hybrids. Some of these automakers may have a profit addiction that prevents the price from coming down.

Either way, what people need during our current fuel and eco-nomic hardships is a car with great efficiency, yet a small price tag, and that is available to everyone.

So, why should better gas mile-age result only in a more expensive vehicle?

Every day I go down to the art room for class. I have been taking art for all three years I’ve been attending Cedar Falls High School.

Most kids who take art classes would be referred to by my grandmother as “basket making kids.” Those are the kids who take art because they think it’s an easy A or a study hall or a free-for-all.

To quote the musical Sunday In The Park With George, “Art isn’t easy.”

And it’s not. Thought and effort has to be put into any fine art. By the fine arts, I mean music, drama and visual arts.

I am not a “basket making kid.”

I’ve gotten good grades in art, but I don’t focus on art to the point that I exclude the possibility of exploring other academ-ic skills.

Yes, Cedar Falls High School was recently identified as a School In Need of As-

sistance. But how do we solve this problem?

Well, taking away or restricting access to the fine arts is not the way to go. In art class, thinking is required along with effort. Believe me, artistic effort is an adventure in problem solving. If something

doesn’t work out the way you wanted to and you can’t get rid of it, you have to find a way to make it work.

Musical skills also bring deep rewards. Studies have shown that kids who do music tend to be bet-ter at math and world languages. In music, one has to do adding with the beats of a measure of music. There’s also subtraction involved when a director says, “Let’s take it from x measures from y.” Well, they don’t say it that way, but you get my point.

As for world languages, several music markings are in Italian. Some come from German. By becoming familiar with terms like allegro (fast) and fortissimo (really loud), one is exploring Spanish.

The fine arts also teach time management. Perfection comes with practice and lots of it. Joe

and Suzie Everyman/Everywoman have to find a way to manage their time to take care of all of this, and while they might be tired in the morning, this is a reality for most students.

In addition, those who do music have to be able to work together. Regardless of if it’s in orchestra, band or choir, music students have to make music as a group.

Cedar Falls High School has an exceptional music program. Our marching band, concert band, wind symphony, string orchestra, sym-phonic orchestra and concert choir have been getting Division I rat-ings at contests for years. We have really great performing groups. In addition we had a performing group in Musical Theater go to All-State last year.

Having school theater does more than enrich the lives of

children. Theater teaches teenagers teamwork, in addition to encourag-ing that reading comprehension. Usually, it helps if you understand the play that you’re in. Doing shows like Arsenic and Old Lace (which is the upcoming CFHS production) gives students the op-portunity to appreciate the classics.

Plus, rehearsals keep kids off of the streets and reeking havoc. Increasing the funding for theater programs could also give students a greater chance for building big-ger sets or doing more plays or newer musicals.

Investing in fine arts is a great idea. The fine arts teach children skills that are essential in the world beyond music or drawing or the-ater. Emphasizing the arts brings big returns not only for Cedar Falls High School but also for America’s future.

Monica ReidaStaff Writer

Ben OlsonStaff Writer

Students stand to benefit from art programs

Affordable, efficient cars could provide answers to America’s high gas prices

Even after CFHS’s addition to ‘Watch List,’

Compact Cure

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Tig rHiLi eTig rHiLi eF at rE4 5Fat rEOct. 8, 2008Oct. 8, 2008

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[Show Stoppin’]

[Gettin’ Down & Dirty]

[Backstreet’s Back Alright]

[Homecoming Feast]

[Spiderwomen to the Rescue]

[Extreme Hall Makeovers]

[A Night to Remember]

[Raise Your Voice]

[Keeping the Tradition Alive]

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Digging into the scrumptious lunch provided by the First Christian Church on Friday, Sam

Meyers (’09) enjoys a picnic outdoors.

Ready to take on any villain,

sophomores Lisa Boelman, Ellie

Chestnut and Ra-chel Patterson are quite the dynamic

trio.

Playing under the lights, seniors Jillian Zaputil and Casi Youngblood re-strategize during the

annual Powder Puff game.

Stunning the crowd with her melodic voice, Susie Hauser (’09) performs as a winner of

the Senior Leadership-sponsored No-Talent Talent Competition.

Overwhelming the audience with smiles and laughter, seniors Joe Fagersten, Nick

DiMarco, Jordan Sullivan and juniors Ben Fagerston and Michael Rosenberg, otherwise known as the Sidestreet Guys, danced and lip-synced their hearts out to

the classic tune “I Want it That Way.”

Surprising Tiger fans at the Homecoming

game on Friday, drum major Mark Lu-

kasiewicz (’09) turns to face the crowd half-way through

the marching band’s performance of Jesus Christ Superstar with

a mad solo on the sax.

Homecoming King & Queen Darion How-ard & Honor Heindl smile for the cameras at

coronation.

Decorating the halls, Kaitlyn Gillett (’11) helps out her

peers by taping streamers all around the ceiling.

Not letting the two point loss get her down, Brianne Hutchins (’09) tackles Eleanor Poe & Amanda Hosper into the mud-splattered foot-

ball field.

KaylaAlfrey (’09)

models her stylin’

toga

Brian Harris (’09) gets creative with Superhero Day, inventing an idol decked

out in everything Amish.

[Battle of the Grades]Getting aggressive, Katie Dexter (’10) musters up

the strength to take Jillian Zaputil (’09) down dur-

ing Powder Puff.

Honor Heindl Photo

All photos taken by Kris-ten Aldrich, Chris Pierce,

Darby Sheehan and Honor Heindl[ [

Tig rHiLi e6 Ent r inmnTOct. 8, 2008

N eW saR eel se

Music:•LotusHammerstrike•Kenny ChesneyLucky Old Sun•KeanePerfect Symmetry•Queen+Paul RodgersThe Cosmos Rocks•Kaiser ChiefsOff With Their Heads

Movies:•Body of Lies•City of Embers•The Express•Quarantine

DevineAesthetics

with host Maggie Devine On this vodcast, viewers can look forward to the latest in makeup tips without break-

ing their bank accounts.

Oct. 1/Episode Three In this episode we’ll take a look

at lip gloss and ideas for showing your Tiger spirit during Home-

coming and at any event.

aP cod stF ea ut re

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.cedar-falls.k12.ia.us/buildings/cfhs/journalism/index.html) 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.

Gage WenteStaff Writer

Though gas prices have come down in the last few weeks, prices are still over $3 a gallon, and some students have used the inflated fuel costs as an excuse to enjoy another Cedar Val-ley resource: an extensive bike trail system.

“I’m a huge fan of riding my bike,” junior Emily Highnam said. “Riding your bike is a great way to get around, and you can have fun and stay fit at the same time. It’s a great way to catch up with friends, too.”

Highnam rides her bike to school daily when the weather is nice, enjoy-ing the morning world.

“Gas is expensive, and I’m broke most of the time, so riding my bike is a great way to save money,” Highnam said.

Highnam and other Cedar Falls bikers aren’t alone in their use of bik-

ing to travel cheap. In places where oil prices are through the roof, a lot of people choose biking as an alternative to fuel-guzzling vehicles. The United States is a little behind on this trend, but it’s definitely starting to catch on as high gas prices wear on the popu-lace.

While biking is allowed on most streets around town, many people choose to bike the trails instead.

The bike paths in our community allow anyone to ride nonstop under major roads and through underpasses. They often run alongside beautiful landscapes as well, going through for-ested areas and often running beside creeks. Most of the paths are paved and smooth, as well as wide enough to accommodate passing bikers and pedestrians.

“I ride pretty much everywhere, so the bike trails are a really nice way to get around. We’re lucky to have such

a great trail system in Cedar Falls.” Highnam said.

With more than 1, 350 miles of trails and paths, Iowa ranks 21st in the nation for its friendliness to bikers.

The trails allow for easygoing casual use as well as fast-paced exercise biking. Many bikers use the trails to exercise, lose weight and get fit. Twenty minutes of biking can burn 100 calories, according to the cycle10 website. Not only that, but you can get places faster while not exhausting as much energy.

With RAGBRAI and a variety of other biking events and clubs, Iowa is a great place to be a biker.

If you like to bike there are a number of different activities that you can get involved in, such as BikeIowa, Cedar Valley Cyclists, the Hawkeye Bicycle Association, and more. To find more information about biking clubs in Iowa, go to www.bikeiowa.com.

No HandlebarsStudents take advantage of bike trails

Nick and Norah’s brings quirky spark to teen movies

Charmingly, Michael Cera and Kat Dennings take the screen as romantic leads in the playfully witty, sometimes lackluster comedy Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist. Cera plays the bassist and only straight member of an indie rock band, Nick, while Dennings plays the daughter of a music industry mo-gul and a cynical music lover, Norah.

The film takes place all over New York’s indie music scene as a chance encounter between Nick and Norah turns into a wild all-night journey to find a legendary band’s secret show.

The search for Where’s Fluffy’s secret show pulls Nick and Norah together, pushes them apart, and pulls them back together again in a night full of run-down cars and a makeshift search party for Norah’s ever drunk friend, Caroline (Ari Graynor).

Right from the start, Nick and No-rah respectively captivate audiences in a whirlwind of witty cynicisms and off-the-beaten-path music. Nick, still pining over diva ex-girlfriend Tris (Alexis Dziena), makes numerous mixes that Tris tosses aside, and Norah

picks up. Once the pair meets, and runs off in

search of the show, the witty remarks continue to fly with the likes of Nick’s comment, “You don’t have to yell. It’s not a train station. We’re in a tiny car.”

The two are abrasive at first, and charmingly so, but more than that, watching their relationship blossom and develop is a wild ride on its own.

Even punky hipsters have to stop and smell the roses now and then, cast one another a furtive, romantic glance, and laugh at a stupid joke (or dance move. Ever heard of the blow-dryer?) in the name of love, and Nick and Norah do a hilariously endearing job of realizing this concept throughout the movie.

Despite the rom-com plot and fun characters, the movie sometimes uses its soundtrack as a crutch instead of a substantial script. Adorable as it may have been the first four times, Norah’s greeting of “Hey” every time she sees Nick (and given that the entire film took place over the course of a single night, most of which the pair were together the number of times they ran into one another were practically countless) became unbearable after the

fifth one-syllable pleasantry. And yet, it musn’t be overlooked

that this teen-book-sensation-turned-movie is, as its title plainly illustrates, centered on music.

So, while the script could use a little more “umph” from time to time, it must be given its props for keeping its audience in mind at all times, and not straying from the musical connec-tion Nick and Norah have.

Cera and Dennings should also be given their own credit for creating such loveable, original characters.

While Cera virtually reprised his role from Juno with a bit more of a tortured twist, the basics were still the same, and for now, that works for him wonderfully.

Dennings creates a fun, edgy girl looking for love and completely relat-able, as she’s not the popular one and also not the reject-turned-glamorous. Dennings brings three dimensions to a character that could easily have been flat as three-day old soda.

Though Dennings and Cera do a fantastic job performing the leads, Nick’s best friends and band mates as well as Norah’s best friend Caro-line bring a majority of the laughs

throughout the film, from promises to keep Caroline safe and subsequently slamming her into the van’s door to Caroline’s proclamation of finding Jesus and shortly after, an altar boy without pants, of whom she inquires “Altar boy, why aren’t you wearing any pants?” It’s easy to see why the sub-characters in all their colorful personalities kept the audience laugh-ing – Nick’s best buds, all gay, are fantastically original and Graynor’s Caroline pushes limits in a funny, yet sometimes disgusting way.

As the film comes to a close and a final clue is given, Nick and Norah have discovered that what’s past is past, and living for the moment and the promise of the future is the only way to go. Brought together by break up cds and quirky chemistry, Nick and Norah are a match made in indie music heaven, despite the occasional try-to-hard moment.

If you’re looking for a light-heart-ed, romantically endearing comedy to share the evening with someone spe-cial, or a musical adventure to share with a group of pals, Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist is just the film to sati-ate and even pleasantly surprise you.

Torie JochimsEntertainment Editor

Bike trails like this one near the Paw Park are found throughout Cedar Falls and the area.

Maggie Devine photo

Tig rHiLi e 7Sp rtsAthlete

of

the Week

Brianne HutchinsVolleyball

SeniorBrianne is the senior leader for the Tiger squad this year. She will need to spark the team in order to make another appearance at the state tournament, where the Lady Tigers have placed runner-up two years in a row. 1.) What goals do you have for the remainder of the season?To win some games and make it to State.2.) What motivates you to play volleyball?Music and cheering before games with the team.3.) What types of things do you do to get pumped up before a game?Cheer random things really loud and listen to music really loud.4.) What do you like most about volleyball?My teammates. Were all so close and have so much fun together and make fun of each other and play catch phrases. I also just love the sport.5.) Do you have anyone you look up to to play volleyball? Nina Savage! She’s FIERCE ... enough said.

Oct 8, 2008

Tigersin

ActionMen’s Cross CountryWon Metro MeetNext up: MVC Supermeet 10/9(Dubuque Senior @ 3:30 p.m.)Women’s Cross CountryWon Metro MeetNext up: MVC Supermeet 10/9(Dubuque Senior @ 3:30 p.m.)Football (5-1)Beat Waterloo West 14-0Next up: Linn Mar 10/10 (UNI-Dome @ 7:45 p.m.)Men’s GolfPlaced 2nd at MVC QuadWomen’s SwimmingPlaced 2nd at Marcussen InviteNext up: Iowa City High 10/14(Holmes JH Pool @ 6 p.m.)VolleyballPlaced 2nd in the consolation bracket at the Urbandale InviteNext up: Dubuque Hempstead 10/7(CFHS @ 5:30 p.m.)

By Max HerreStaff Writer

Homecoming was a red-letter day for the Cedar Falls Tigers and their fans as the Tiger team handed co-coaches Pat Mitchell and Brad Rem-mert their 12th win over the Waterloo West Wahawks in as many years. The Tigers triumphed over Waterloo West with a 14-0 score on Friday, Oct. 3, giving Pat Mitchell the 289th victory of his 42-year career.

It wasn’t a walk in the park, however. The Wahawk rushing was surprising, and they connected with a good passing game and got into Tiger territory three times in the first half.

It didn’t take the Tigers long to react to the unexpected.

Mitchell credited the Tiger’s ability to react to the unexpected. “This team is really good at reacting to sudden change and surprises,” Mitchell said.

With 2:23 to go in the 1st quar-ter, quarterback Kyle Bernard ran 82-yards for the first touchdown. With key blocking from Austin Long, Bernard posted the 8th longest run in CFHS history (the longest run on record is 95 yards).

During the 3rd quarter both teams failed to score. Cedar Falls threw a couple of incomplete passes, and the quarter ended with the Wahawks in control of the ball.

With 10:39 to go in the 4th quar-ter, the Tigers stopped the Wahawk offense when Sean Boss intercepted a pass. The second touchdown of the game, also by Bernard, came at the end of the quarter with just 54 seconds to go. Bernard made the safety touch-down from the 9-yard line. Gienau kicked the extra point, and the stands erupted with a flurry of white towels and screams of victory as the fans showed their appreciation of the team.

Mitchell also expressed his appre-ciation of everyone who contributed to the Homecoming success — players, student body and all the fans.

“It was a team thing,” Mitchell said of the victory.

The Wahawks gained a bare 31 yards in the last two quarters against the Tiger defense. Cedar Falls out-rushed (37-21 to 36-89) and out-passed the Wahawks (117-88) and also made more first downs (18-12).

Mitchell noted four factors that changed the game for the Tigers: The defense adjusted well to the Wahawks’ spread offense, the field goal block by senior Wes Boyer, the new running

threats on offense and the fans.“All of the captains did a super

job,” he said. “One of the great thrills in coaching high school football is to be in the Dome and feel and sense the emotion, energy and noise of the Tiger Fans. It is unlike any other stadium in Iowa. It makes the hair on the back of your neck tingle. It is big time special. Our fans are the best in Iowa high schools anywhere. When they start

Tigers triumph at HomecomingBernard scores Tigers’ only touchdowns in hard fought shutout of Waterloo West

the chant “CF Tigers” or “This is our house,” it is AWESOME with capital letters.

Regarding his 289th win, Mitchell said, “Honestly I do not think beyond the first play of the next game. I have been blessed to be around many spe-cial players, coaches, fans and every play and every day is really enjoyable. I do not think in terms of numbers ... only the moment.”

Chris Pierce Photos

Top: Senior defensive end Riley Morris (70) pile-drives a West Wahawk ball carrier into the UNI Dome’s artificial turf. Morris and the Tiger defense shut out the high-flying Wahawk offense, proving to be the key for the Tigers’ win.

Right: Senior quarterback Kyle Bernard (16) scampers from the on-coming West defenders on the way to his second running touchdown of the game. He scored the only two touchdowns for the Tigers in the game.

Tig rHiLi e8 Sp rts Oct. 8, 2008

Sarah ByerlyStaff Writer

The women’s cross-country team took first place in their metro meet on Thursday, Oct. 2. The other three teams competed against were Waterloo West placing 2nd, N.U. placing 3rd and Waterloo Columbus taking 4th.

“In the varsity race senior Page Hersom and sophomore Cara Strike have been trading off as our number one run-ner all season. Paige finished 3rd overall in the race,” Coach Don Williams said. “Cara Strike ran the race but had been sick all week so wasn’t at her personal best.”

The varsity team won Metro this year with an average time spread of 42 sec-onds. The junior varsity team also earned the right to brag by taking the first five spots in their race, earning them a perfect score of 15 points.

Ben OlsonStaff Writer

The women’s swimming and diving team fought hard all the way through the Marcussen Invite this past Satur-day, but came up short of the victory.

With 11 teams packed into Holmes pool, the competition was stiff. Other teams invited were Dubuque Senior, Hempstead and Wahlert; Cedar Rapids Washington, Kennedy and Jefferson; Decorah, Charles City, Lewis Central from Council Bluffs, and Waukesha-South from Wisconsin.

Even before the swimmers dove in for their races, though, the CF divers were busy scoring their own points.

Senior Bethany Olson had a virtu-

ally perfect morning, breaking the 13-year old pool record with a high 482.25 points.

As the swimming went on during the afternoon, the stands were full, and college coaches from UNI were in attendance, adding to the excitement. More pool records were set, but not necessarily in Cedar Falls’ favor this time: Waukesha broke records in the 100 fly and the 400-free relay. Overall, the Wisconsin team ended up being the biggest threat all day.

The Tigers weren’t intimidated, though. The girls won the first event, the 200-medley relay, in a time of 1:53. Next up in the 200 free, junior Bailey Pons took a victory with a time of 1:54.02, less than a second off the

pool record.“I was very happy with my perfor-

mance. It was my fastest time yet this season,” Pons said.

Just a week ago, Pons claimed a record in the same event at the Iowa City Invite.

In the 200 IM, two freshmen led the way for Cedar Falls, with Kelsey Abbas and Montana Clasby placing 3rd and 4th respectively.

“Our freshman really stepped up at this meet, and we needed that,” head coach Richard Marcussen said.

In the 50 free, freshman Katie Mason was 8th, and senior captain Jill Girard was 9th. Next up in the 100 fly, showing strong for the Tigers was senior Erica Scullin, placing 4th, and junior Ashlee Graham, placing 7th.

Rounding things out, senior Jessa Kukral came in 6th in the 100 free with a time of :58.48.

Later, Pons was back in action again in her signature event, the 500 free. She led the entire way of the 20-lap race, and finished with a time of 5:06.4, currently the fastest time in the state.

“It was a really good swim for me. I just need to work on my turns and

stroke length,” Pons said.Also strong in the 500 free was

freshman Megan Grey.“She is another freshman who is

doing good. She dropped 13 seconds today,” Marcussen said.

In the 200-freestyle relay, the Tigers were cost the meet when the B relay was disqualified due to a false start.

“The relay DQ really hurt us. We could have held Waukesha off after that. We’re just gonna move on now,” Marcussen said.

After the disappointment, CF’s A-squad went on to place second in the relay with a time of 1:41.27, a fast time for mid-season.

After swimming the relay a minute beforehand, Abbas jumped back in for the 100 back, where she won in a time of :59.59. She is currently ranked number two in the state power rank-ings for that event.

Quite possibly the Tigers’ stron-gest event, the 100 breastroke didn’t disappoint. Scullin, Clasby and senior Sarah Hedeen all battled in the race as they do in every other meet. In the end, Hedeen was 2nd, Clasby 4th and Scullin 6th.

The meet came down to the final event, the 400-freestyle relay. As men-tioned, Waukasha won with a record, but they were closely followed by Cedar Falls, with a time of 3:49.51.

When team scores were finally posted, Waukasha claimed the victory with 500.5 points. CF followed in 2nd with 475 points.

The Tigers are now closing out the middle of their season, and with State rapidly approaching on Nov. 7, the girls feel they are headed in the right direction.

“I definitely think we are going the right way. We work really hard,” Pons said.

“Even though we are working hard, we still keep dropping time, which is a good sign. We’re kicking butt and taking names,” Girard said.

Going down the road, fine-tuning is going to be important as well.

“We really need to work on our technique, mechanics, finishes and re-lay exchanges. Right now it’s a mental game. Sometimes you think so much that you end up losing, so we’re work-ing on that,” Marcussen said.

The swimmers are at home Oct. 14 with Iowa City High at 6 p.m.

“Alana Alberts and Carrie Traetow took 1st and 2nd resectively and were no more than one second apart the entire race. Their finish times placed them fifth and sixth on the team rooster. Han-nah Easton, Hannah Savage and Cassie Crotty finished out our top five scorers and all ran extremely competitive races,” Williams said.

Every team member helped in the win and many showed personal improvement.

“Two athletes who deserve recognition for outstanding personal improvement are freshman Hannah Riebkes and Abbie McFadden,” Williams said.

He said many freshman and sopho-mores have shown endurance this season, which will prove as an advantage for next year.

“As you can tell, we are a young team. Three out of our top 13 runners are juniors and seniors. Some of the athletes that are stepping up showing leadership are Cara Strike, Melissa Eliason and Arlene Freudenburg,” Williams said.

Williams added that it takes a lot of time and dedication to be a part of the cross-country team and these young women are showing that they have what it takes.

“Overall I am very pleased with what this years team has been able to ac-complish. We are not the strongest team we have been in recent years, but these young runners are giving 100 percent effort and showing a lot of improvement, and are a fun team to coach,” Williams said.

“The Sun Always Shines Down Under”

Student Intro Special 20 points for $20

(Student ID Required)

Expires 12/01/08. Tax included, not valid with any other offer. Limit one per person.

6322 University Ave, Cedar Falls 268- 2031 and 275 E. San Marnan Dr., Waterloo 232-4554

Marcussen title eludes women after costly DQ

Women’s Tiger XC captures another Metro Meet victory

Leading the way for the lady Tiger cross coun-try team is senior Paige Hersom. She placed 3rd overall at the Metro Meet, and the Tigers won with 30 points. Waterloo West came in second with 45. Next came N.U. High with 70 points and Waterloo Co-lumbus with 87 points.

Kristen Aldrich Photo

“Overall I am very pleased with what this years team has

been able to accomplish.”—Don Williams

Women’s Cross Country coach