Greyhound basketball girls triumph in their 2011-2012 season

Written by: Jessica Allen '13

      The Eaton Rapids High School Varsity Girls Basketball team has been doing extremely well this season. Their record is 15-3 so far this season, and they are hungry for many more. They are a very young team with only three seniors and one junior, with the rest of the team consisting of sophomores.

      Under Coach Willis Whitmyer, the girls have won one a league championship, three district championships, and have gone as far as the regional finals. The leading scorer on the team is Allie Dittmer, who happens to also be the team’s leading rebounder. She is also the second leading scorer in the league, only behind one other girl from Waverly.

      The girls only losses have been to teams ranked in the Class A division. They are second in their league, and continue to grow as a team. Whitmyer does not believe having a young team is a disadvantage in any way. Even though the team is young, it doesn’t stop the girls from scaring the other schools and coming out with wins.

      Coach Whitmyer believes the key to the girls’ success this year has been, "reducing the amount of turnovers from last year, staying healthy, and the amount of commitment out of the girls, especially in the off-season."

      He believes that the team, "works well together most games, and they definitely work better together than the girls did last year. We still have a long way to go, but they all work toward our common goal, and that is to win."

      Whitmyer remembers one moment in Williamston as the funniest so far this season. "We were in the middle of a game in the huddle, and Allie Dittmer wasn’t paying attention, so I asked her to repeat back what I just said. She tried to ad-lib and was way off, so I just replied with a bunch of jibberish which made everyone laugh.’"

      The coach loves that his team is so unselfish and that their best player is one of the humblest in the area. He’s glad that everyone cares about winning and getting better as a team, rather than individual glory.

He is definitely sad to lose his seniors, as he says, "It’s like losing a daughter." He is very hopeful that at least two of his current seniors will be playing college ball and that many more in the years to come will too.

      Coach Whitmyer greatly believes in the quote by Henry Ward Beecher that you have to, "Hold yourself responsible for a higher standard than anybody else expects of you. Never excuse yourself."

Good luck to our girls in the rest of their season and go cheer them on at the next basketball game!

Superbowl XLVI commercials proves to be less than adequate

Written by: Jacqueline Mills '12

      The first television commercial was broadcasted in 1941. Ever since then they have been around for years. Some are funny, some are sad, and others are just simply boring. Of course commercial producers want to promote their product so they pick a show or channel that would have an abundance of viewers. There is not a better place to go for a lot of viewers than the Super Bowl.

      In 2011, the Super Bowl was the most watched program to ever be shown on television. In 2011 alone, 111 million people sat down on Super Bowl Sunday to watch the Packers and the Steelers fight for the title of Super Bowl Champion 2011. 111 million viewers blew away the 106.5 viewers that had watched the Super Bowl in 2010.

      The commercials were ready to be aired on February 4, 2012. They went on all night long. Some would blow people’s mind and others would walk away for a bathroom break or to get some food.

There were four commercials that stood out over all the others. They were the Chrysler Clint Eastwood Commercial, both of the Doritos commercials, and the LMFAO M&M’s commercial.

      The Clint Eastwood commercial was very serious. It pulled in everyone’s attention really quickly. Chrysler knew what they wanted to show in the commercial and they got it. The commercial was a big hit and a lot of people really like it.

      One of the Doritos commercials had a baby that was flung at a little boy and the baby stole the Doritos. It was very humors and made multiple people laugh. The other Doritos commercial had a dog and a lost cat. The dog kept giving his owner Doritos so he would say he didn’t see anything involving the cat. It was a big hit.

      The last commercial was the M&M’s commercial. They had an M&M dance to LMFAO’s song "I’m sexy and I know it". It was a really funny commercial and numerous people really enjoyed it.

Overall the commercials of Super Bowl XLVI were pretty good. The company’s worked really hard on producing the commercials and it really shows.

Athlete of the Month: Leighann Thilo

Written by: Elizabeth Prieskorn '14

       If you play a sport, think of how many years you’ve played that sport. How about thirteen? Leighann Thilo has been playing basketball since she was just a little kindergartener. She started playing as soon as she could dribble and fell in love with the game immediately. Her parents have always been there supporting her, sacrificing their time every summer for basketball.

       Mr. Whitmyer and former Greyhound basketball player Danielle Large have had the most influence on Leighann’s basketball career throughout her life. Danielle Large played here and was the reason Leighann decided to become a point guard.

       Her freshmen year of high school Leighann started out playing JV basketball. Through hard work and dedication by the end of the year she was pulled up to Varsity to play in Districts. All of the girls Leighann’s played basketball with during her time here at Eaton Rapids High School and all of the teams have had something in common. They were all a family. Even as people came and went, the team would always grow as a family as the season went on.

      Leighann’s favorite year was when she was a sophomore. She played with Dani Crandall and the two became very close during the season. The team Leighann had her sophomore year was the closest team she’s had throughout high school. Unfortunately she missed her entire junior season with a knee injury. Still, nothing will top high school basketball for Leighann. She’s made numerous memories and friends during every season.

      Missing out on last season was hard for Leighann. Watching everyone being able to play when she couldn’t was hard to overcome. She tried to be a part of the team as much as she could. Always cheering from the bench and giving her teammates tips when they were needed. "Last year was rough. We struggled with ball pressure," says Kathryn Mills ’14 about losing Leighann last season. As well as this year is going, if the girls keep improving and working hard Leighann expects them to go on and win Districts.

      "Leighann is a great basketball player. She can handle the ball well and works fine under pressure. I wouldn’t trade her for anyone, even when she’s grumpy. I see her playing at a D2 college in the future," comments Mr. Whitmyer on Leighann. Mr. Whitmyer has known Leighann for most of her life and has influenced her greatly. He’s been a great coach and has always pushed her to do her best. "Mr. Whitmyer is a tough coach. He will always work you hard and never let up. He knows the game and I’m glad he’s been my coach throughout high school," says Leighann about Whitmyer.

      Leighann’s role model is Kristen Hayne. She played at Mason high school and then went on to play at MSU. In the future Leighann hopes to play college basketball. She wants to stay in Michigan and play at a D2 college. Leighann will be a definite loss when she leaves us. Kathryn Mills ‘14 says, "We are all going to have to grow as players to replace her."

Laverty decides to play softball at Hope College

Written by: Kasidy Coats '12 

    

      How many high school athletes can say they are going to become a college athlete? Kate Laverty can. On January 25, 2012, Kate Laverty committed to Hope College’s softball team. Kate could not be more thrilled about her commitment. "I’m not nervous. I’m excited more than anything and look forward to playing at Hope," says Kate.

      Kate will be a four year varsity softball player this year here at Eaton Rapids. Kate is a three time League and District champion. She has received many honors throughout her years. Kate has received All-League, All-District and All-Region for three straight years. As a junior she received All-State Honorable Mention.

      Kate has dedicated her time and herself to softball ever since she was old enough to play. For four years Kate played travel softball for the Adrian Lookouts. Last year herself, along with Kelsey Spencer and Erin Binkowski played on Hangtuf. This year she will be playing for Ann Arbor Gold.

      Whether it’s a personal pitching lesson or personalized workout with a trainer, Kate has always worked to better herself as a player and as an overall athlete. Kate will do what ever she can to help out her team. "Kate is very dedicated to our team," says Coach Warriner. "She is a hard worker and a great role model for other players."

      Kate plans on finishing off her senior year strong. "I hope we’ll be League and District champions, just like the past years," says Kate. "We have the ability to win Regionals and take ourselves to States. I would like to see our team get there this season." Coach Warriner also has high expectations for Kate’s upcoming season with the team. "We all look forward to an outstanding season from Kate," says Warriner. "She will contribute a lot towards a great softball season for our softball team in 2012."

      "Kate’s speed will really help Hope’s team, she fits their style of play very well," says Coach Warriner. "Her versatility will allow her coaches to utilize her in many different ways." Kate is a coachable player and will easily contribute a lot to Hope’s team, as well as our own Eaton Rapids team this year.

Athlete of the Month: Jaedin Sklapsky

Written by: Elizabeth Prieskorn '14

           

           How many freshmen wrestlers have a record of 26-1? One: Jaedin Sklapsky. Jaedin Sklapsky is a 15 year old freshman on the varsity wrestling team. He’s been wrestling since he was five. For ten years straight wrestling has been Jaedin’s number one sport, although he also plays football. Throughout Jaedin’s wrestling career he’s had four coaches; Mr. Warriner, Troy Nault, Dave Milheim, and Bill Dorner. The one coach that has stuck with him has been Troy Nault.

Troy Nault has coached Jaedin for seven years and is part of the reason why Jaedin is as successful as he is now. “Troy has been the most fun coach I’ve had. He’s been with me the longest and he’s just fun to be around,” says Jaedin. Another factor to Jaedin’s success is his family. His parents have always supported him in anything he does and his brothers, being wrestlers themselves, always set high expectations for him. Jaedin looks up to them and sees them as his role models. They inspire him to do more. He hopes that soon he’ll be better than both of them.

The two main differences between middle school wrestling and high school wrestling are coaching, and talent. “The talent and competition is at a lot level in high school. The coaches work you harder and push you to be your best”, says Jaedin. Jaedin’s transition into high school was fairly easy. Balancing school and sports is no obstacle for him. He works diligently in class to get his work done. Like many of us, Jaedin enjoys high school more than middle school. Jaedin says, “Yeah high school is way more fun than middle school, even though the classes are stricter.” During his free time Jaedin likes to do the same things as many high school boys do. Eat, sleep, and hangout with friends.

Jaedin has many goals for his wresting career. The goals that he has set for himself for this year are to beast the Most Wins record. The goals that Jaedin has for his full high school wrestling career are to win leagues all four years, break all of the wrestling records, and to win states his junior and senior year. After high school Jaedin would like to attend a Division-one college and wrestle. After college Jaedin would like to become a wrestling coach at a high school.

Jaedin’s favorite wrestler is Anthony Robles. He’s a graduate from Arizona State University and is one of the most accomplished wrestlers in Arizona State history. His interests are in Michigan State University, Iowa University, and Penn State University. They all have extremely good programs and Jaedin plans to work hard during high school to reach his goals. Jaedin’s greatest accomplishment in wrestling was when he was in seventh grade. Jaedin went down to Orem, Utah and won his weight class at Nationals. Jaedin is very excited for the rest of his high school wrestling career and beyond. In his future he hopes to reach all of his goals.

30% of athletes overcome debilitating condition to compete

Written by: Carly Darrow '12

                The statistics aren’t good; as an extensive amount of people are affected by asthma, make that 18.7 million people. It also accounts for an ample amount of hospitalizations for kids and kills nearly 5,000 people every year.

You would think a condition that includes the symptoms of chest pains, shortness of breath, fatigue, wheezing, difficulty breathing, and breathlessness wouldn’t exactly coincide with sports. In actuality, many athletes deal with this disease on a day to day basis. Medically known as “exercise-induced asthma”, it occurs when people typically breathe through their mouths, inhaling colder and drier air. The muscle bands around the airways contract due to the changes in temperature and humidity.

Although asthma restricts those who suffer from it, it does not mean that people or athletes should stop physical activity. In fact, physical activity when done right with medications and inhalers can help those with exercise induced asthma. The fitter someone is, the less air they need for a physical task, because your cardio respiratory system grows more efficient resulting in less strain on your bronchial tubes.

Precautions while exercising are always necessary. Inhalers should only be used before exercise but always on hand while exercising. Not only are attacks random and potentially deadly, but nothing can really be done to help someone with an asthma attack other than an inhaler or medical personnel.

                Despite this many athletes, famous Olympians even, have not let asthma keep them from competing. NBA basketball player Dennis Rodman, Olympic figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi, NFL Pro Bowl running back Emmitt Smith, and Olympic medalist swimmer Amy VanDyken, are all examples of athletes who don’t let asthma run their lives.

“Having a full on asthma attack is something that you can never imagine without having experienced one,” states senior athlete Anna Archey. “It is like drowning with air all around you that you just can’t breathe in. When I was first diagnosed with asthma in middle school, I didn’t work hard enough to control it and that showed in my athletic performance up until last year.”

                Many people are still undiagnosed of asthma; and most athletes will not even display signs of asthma or symptoms. Athletes can help counteract the effects of asthma by working with medical personnel, taking an inhaler 15-30 minutes before sports, and making sure to do a warm up and cool down with stretching before and after working out.

                “It’s wonderful when my asthma isn’t acting up and I can perform to my full potential,” says Archey. “It takes a lot of medications, exercises, shots, and doctor’s appointments to make it there. When I do jump my furthest and run my fastest, it just makes the moment that much better knowing what I overcame to make it there.”

The hard nosed truth with Garrett Dubya

Written by: Garrett Johnson '12

        On December 8^th 2011 James Harrison of the Pittsburgh Steelers laid a controversial helmet to helmet hit on quarterback Colt McCoy of the Cleveland Browns. The National Football League suspended Harrison from the Steelers game against the San Francisco 49ers.

        Harrison was not fined for the hit, but was docked one game check, which amounts to roughly $73,500.

        This is not Harrison’s first tangle up with fines and penalties due too flagrant head to head collisions. But honestly what is the game that we have all grown up watching and loving coming to? It’s the hits that people like James Harrison have on opposing players that fill the stands; the same hits that are shown over and over again on shows like NFL’s top 20 players to highlight the talents of previous great NFL players.

        Sure I will agree concussions are a major issue involving the sport, but then again doesn’t everyone know the risks when they step onto the grid iron?

        These are men ranging from the ages of twenty to almost forty years old. Can they not comprehend the dangers of the game of Football? I’m not going to knock the league but honestly let men be men.

        “Football is a sport of collision, emotion, and ferocity.” - Kanon McVicker. Not a game to limit the brutality of one player to another. In my opinion James Harrison was in the right and always has been. Let men be men and let the men try to prove dominance on the grid iron without a bunch of spectators crying about the dangers of the game.

         If you don’t like what you’re seeing… don’t watch, because when you cringe I smile.

NBA work stoppage ends

Written by: Travis Spitzley '13

        After 149 days the NBA lockout has finally ended. The owners and the players agreed to terms on a new deal, and the first games of the season will be played on Christmas day, which is historically one of the most competitive days of play during the regular season.

        The normal 83 game schedule will be shortened to only 66 games this year, the first coming on Christmas. Players will only miss about two pay checks, and shouldn’t suffer much financially. Getting back on the court is what most players have been looking forward to during the lockout. Some players have played overseas, while others like LeBron James and Kevin Durant have played a number of street league games in their hometowns and across the country.

       Many players signed overseas to play during the lockout, and most of them should have no problem getting back to their NBA teams and out of their contracts with non-NBA teams. However, some players that signed contracts with Chinese teams will have a little more trouble, but should be able to get back to training camp on-time.

       The NBA is hoping that they haven’t lost fan support after a successful last season. TV ratings from last season were some of the highest the league has ever seen. Part of this is due to the large number of superstars in the NBA right now, ranging from Kobe Bryant to LeBron James, both of whom were vocal about getting a deal done during the lockout.

        The Christmas day schedule includes some of the best teams across the country going head-to-head from coast to coast. The marquee matchup would have to be the NBA Finals rematch from a year ago, as the Miami Heat try to beat the defending champions of last year, the Dallas Mavericks. Another game with big names is the Chicago Bulls against the Los Angeles Lakers. Two of the top MVP candidates from last year, Kobe Bryant and Derrick Rose - the winner of the award - will face off in L.A. The Boston Celtics look for another good start to the season as the face the emerging New York Knicks. The Oklahoma City Thunder play the Orlando Magic, a game that will feature last years scoring champ and defensive player of the year in Kevin Durant and Dwight Howard respectively. The last matchup is the Los Angeles Clippers against the Golden State Warriors, in a game of in-state rivals.

Coach K becomes all-time wins leader

Written by: Travis Spitzley '13

This year college football had a new Coach take over the top spot as all-time wins leader, and now, so has college basketball.  On November 15, Coach Mike Krzyzewski beat Michigan State to win his 903^rd game, moving him past his former Coach and mentor, Bob Knight.  Coach K is in his 37^th year as a head Coach, winning 830 games at Duke, and another 73 with Army. 

Coached by Bob Knight, Mike Krzyzewski was a point guard at Army, but was always meant to be a Coach.  He’s always had a great knowledge of the game and once he got his chance at Coaching he took complete advantage of it.  Now, after winning game number 903, he passed his mentor and former Coach.  Coach Knight was announcing the game and mentioned that he wouldn’t be more honored to be replaced by anyone else as the winningest Coach in NCAA men’s basketball.  After the game the two met by the scorer’s table and shared a few words and a hug.  Both men display an obvious respect for each other as Coaches, as well as people.

As head Coach of Duke he has won four national titles and has gone to eleven final fours.  He has 79 tournament victories, which is also a record, and was elected to the Hall of Fame after the 2001 season.  One of his other impressive accomplishments was as Coach of the 2008 Olympic team, where he led them to a gold medal.  He was an assistant Coach on the 1992 “dream team” which also won a gold medal.  With all of his accomplishments, Coach K’s greatest feat may have come after passing his former Coach and friend Bob Knight for the most career wins.

ER wrestling: A tradition of excellence

Written by: Kanon McVicker '12

            For many years, Eaton Rapids has been well known for a skilled wrestling program. In November 2011, the wrestling team began practice in preparation for another fantastic season, coming off of a district title last year.

            Key returners this year expect to be significantly improved. In an interview, Jacob Stewart claims, “I believe my skills and work ethic have improved in the past year. My varsity experience helped me to find the things I needed to work on in the off-season, and I have become a lot better.” There are few seniors on the team. However, what they lack in numbers they make up for in skill. Jacob Epling is projected to have another successful season as a Greyhound wrestler.

            Needless to say, Mr. Warriner and his wrestling team hope to reclaim the district title, as well as the regional title. He says that in order to do this, the team will need to “work hard, be tenacious, and believe in themselves.” This wrestling season is expected to be an exciting one, so come out and support the Hounds!

Boys basketball is ready for a successful season

Written by: Jacob VanVliet '13

December has finally come around the corner and now it is time for the Eaton Rapids varsity basketball team to undergo a long and wintery season. The boys have been working hard all year long for this time. The team participated in the summer ball league and the fall ball league hosted at Lansing Eastern field house and Aim High. They played many tough teams throughout the two seasons, along with practice through June, and workouts during the fall.

With all they have done in preparation for the 2011-12 season, expectations are high.  Second year head Coach Luke Brown said, “I expect the boys to win and compete at a high level in every game we play.” Goals that the team and Coach Brown have are high but attainable for this year’s season. “Compete in the league and make a good run in districts” says Jacob Masteller about his goals for the year. Another senior Craig Wells simply says “prove all the haters wrong.” As we all know it is easier said than done, but Coach Brown says he feels good about this year’s team and that they surprisingly may be better than last years team when they had senior point guard Travis Wells, leading all there games in points and many other stats as well.

Returning varsity forward and junior Ta’Ron Gentry says, “A goal that I want our team to accomplish this season is to make a name for our program by winning at all cost.”  The 2011-12 season will have a lot in store for them, and they are striving to accomplish goals and get better every day. Come out and support you’re Guys Varsity basketball team this season. Winter fest is January 2^nd versus our rivals the Charlotte Orioles.