Month: March 2010

Another National Champion at Penn Manor

It was just another race for this Penn Manor junior, Ryan Connelly, going into nationals.

Connelly won the AMA Winter Flat Track Nationals, held Feb. 27 to March 3.

Flat track racing is done on motorcycles with challenging curves and at speeds up to 100 mph.

Being just one class away from the pros, Connelly knew the victory would only bring him closer.

“Its hard work and determination,”  Connelly said of his achievement.  His goal is to race in the pro class by the summer of 2010.

Although winning the championship was great, it was a long, surgery-filled journey to make it there.

Penn Manor junior Ryan Connelly is a flat-track national champion.

In the spring of 2007, Connelly was in a multiple motorcycle crash which put him in the hospital for months. He had to have total intestinal reconstruction and was told he would never race again.

But only six months after his surgery, Connelly was back on the track, only to be let down once more.

He suffered a shoulder injury in a similar wreck, which put him out of racing for the next few months.

Making his return in the fall of 2010, Connelly had only two months to train for the national championship.

When the weekend of the race came, Connelly and his parents drove to Florida in an RV where he stores his 3 bikes.

Ryan Connelly number 57 racing at nationals

“You have to have an open mind, expect nothing,” said Connelly about how he felt going into the race.

He raced in the 451cc open class, riding his 2007 KX 450F. It was in this class that he won the national championship.

While at the event, he also entered in some of the other classes including the 251-500cc DTX and the 450cc mod. In those events he raced his 2009 KX 450F.

After all the injuries and surgery he had to go through, Connelly said he was only able to overcome the setbacks because of  the help of his family and sponsors including Spa and Pool Place in Willow Street, Lancaster Harley Davidson and Don’s Kawasaki.

“I couldn’t do it without them,” he insisted.  “They got me where I am today.”

By Paul Slaugh

State Champion Hopeful Gives a Valiant Effort

The five-foot-six, 125-pound, lean, mean wrestling machine of Penn Manor represented us well.

With a 36 and 6 win-loss record in the regular season, Bobby Rehm made it all the way to the state championship wrestling tournament, in the 125-pound weight class.

At states, once you lose your first match you go into a consolation match, which was the case for Rehm, losing both matches in the final seconds.

“My teammates made of fun of me,” said Rehm after returning from states, “but seriously, they supported me all the way.”

Bobby Rehm taking down his oppenent. Photo courtesy of Pennlive.com

Rehm grew up in a wrestling environment, his father wrestled in high school and his parents support him all the way.

“I let my nerves get to me,”  said Rehm, explaining his losses in the early rounds.

He also described his first time at states and how awe-inspiring the tournament was.

There is definitely something positive that comes out of this experience, Rehm said.

He is only a junior, so next year he may be miles ahead of the state champion hopefuls who have never been to states.

Bobby looks forward to competing next year for the state championship, and wants to continue his wrestling career after high school, wrestling for a college.

Luckily for Rehm, he works out in the off season so he won’t have to cut too much weight for next year.

By Zane Sensenig

Unfamiliar Faces Square Off in NIT

Memphis, Connecticut, and defending national champions North Carolina headline the National Invitational Tournament. North Carolina and Connecticut both went to the final four last year with the Tarheels winning it all.

Mississippi State, with a 23-11 record,  had the biggest snub, by not making the NCAA tournament. The Bulldogs had a chance at an automatic bid but Demarcus Cousins sent the game into overtime and after that, it was all Wildcats that took an emotional 75-74 win. The Bulldogs will face Jackson state in their opening game.

Mississippi State easliy beats Jackson State in its opening round game of the NIT. Jarvis Varnado scored 20 points and grabbed 11 boards to lead the Bulldogs to an easy win. They will face  North Carolina on Saturday.

UCONN looked like a strong contender  in February but heads into the NIT taking on Northeastern. They head into the NIT with four consecutive loses, along with a four seed.

UCONN will head into the second round of the NIT after coming back to beat Northeastern. They were led by guard Jerome Dyson, who scored 18 points. He scored UCONNs 11 of its last 13 points, to erase a six-point deficit.    

Memphis, with a three seed, is scheduled to play St. Johns in their opening round game.

Virginia Tech and Illinois head into the NIT, their names were not called on Sunday. They are number one seeds along with Arizona State and Mississippi State.

Tech will face off against Quinnipiac.  The Hokies had a better ACC record than Wake Forest who made the Tournament.

Arizona State will face off against Jacksonville in the first round of the NIT. The Sun Devils finished second in the Pac 10 conference.

The Sun Devils’ postseason dream comes to an end on a 24-foot jump shot.  Devils’ senior guard, Derek Glasser, missed his second of two free throws with 8.6 ticks left, giving them a 66 -64 point lead which they thought was the end. But the Dolphins’ junior guard, Ben Smith, pushed the ball down the floor and hit a game ending three to give Jacksonville ther first postseason win.

The Tarheels were seeded fourth and went against number-five seed William and Mary. The game was close but,, at the end, it was North Carolina celebrating on their home floor because of a 72 – 80 victory.

Illinois the last number-one seed will face Stony Brook tomorrow.  

By Sam Valentin

Prom-Seniors Try to Keep Costs Down

A 15-year-old girl steps into a high school hallway on the first day of her freshman year. As she walks to her very first class, she imagines all of the things that will take place while she’s here, both good and bad. Her first real relationship, football games,  late night cramming for finals, and of course, prom.

For many teenage girls, prom is one of the most important events in their high school career.  It’s an event that they can look back at and smile about, hopefully.

In order for prom to be the magical night that everyone hopes for, many things have to fall into place. First and foremost, you need a dress.

And that’s going to cost you.

Fifteen girls say they have set limits for the most they are willing to spend. Their limits ranged from $150-$600.

Senior Dessie Jackson says, “Its not that I don’t have a limit, but prom only happens once. I’m not sure [what my limit is], it would depend on how much I love the dress.”

Although there are varying opinions on what is an acceptable amount to spend on a dress, there seems to be an overall desire to find the perfect one.

And you can’t have the perfect dress with a not-so-perfect pair of shoes and old tarnished jewelry.

Depending on where you shop and the style of shoe you’re interested in, you could be paying anywhere from $15-120, and possibly even more than that number.

On top of this, you have to include the amount you may be spending on a matching necklace, earrings and any other jewels you will need to finish off your look.

Some girls, such as Kayla Kauffman, say they will try to wear some jewelry they already own. “If I have something to match my dress I’ll wear it, if not I’m buying something new.”

Kristina Mast says she too can cross something off her list of expenses since she already has a pair of shoes she is planning to wear.

Of course all of this means nothing if you aren’t going to prom, and you can’t go to prom if you don’t have a ticket.

In previous years, tickets have cost around $30, with an extra $15 tacked on if you are bringing someone who is not a senior here at Penn Manor. Add this all together, and you could be looking at an awfully large price tag.

On the plus side, the senior class this year has raised somewhere between $1,700-$1,800, according to class advisor and English teacher, Lisa May.

As a member of the senior class officers, Jackson says “We’re in a comfortable place as far as paying for prom goes. Freshman year we set a goal of how much [money] we wanted to raise and we’ve exceeded that.”

May also said that although an exact amount for ticket price has not been set yet, the senior class can expect to spend $25 ticket with a $5 additional charge of the regular ticket price for any students who aren’t a part of the graduating class.

The class is planning on keeping the costs as low as possible, and since the class has raised a large sum of money,  this should be a fairly simple task.

By Stephanie Carroll

Brains On and Off the Court

College basketball players may be forced into facing their toughest enemy of all this March: college.

U.S. Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan is proposing that teams have to face the facts, and their textbooks.

Duncan believes that if college basketball teams can’t carry out a graduation rate above 40 percent for their team members, then teams should not be eligible to participate in the March Madness tournament.

“That’s a low bar,” Duncan recently told USAToday. “If you can’t graduate two out of five of your student athletes, how serious are you about the academic part of your mission?”

If this rule came into play, 12 of the teams in this year’s tournament would not be able to play, resulting in far less talent being able to compete.

These teams include the number-one seeded powerhouse Kentucky Wildcats and two other highly ranked participants, Baylor and Maryland.

Maryland, which is a number four seed this year, has the lowest graduation rate: only 8 percent.

Eliminating these teams from competition could devastate the overall skill and talent that enters the tournament every year.

This gets you thinking; what if brackets were based on best in the class, not the actually court?

A possible outcome of this would be BYU, Duke, Marquette, Notre Dame, Villanova and Wake Forest becoming perennial teams (even though they generally are) in the tournament. All of their graduation rates are at 90% or above.

Another surprising statistic is that these graduation rates do not even include players that leave early for the NBA draft, or players that transfer in and out of the programs.

Although this rule may seem  a little far-fetched, Arne Duncan still believes it would be the more collegiate thing to do.

By Simon Zimmerman

Pepsi Cancels Carbonation In Classes

Pepsi’s packing up its books and dropping out of high school.

PepsiCo Inc. announced on Tuesday, March 16 that they planned to remove sweetened, high-calorie drinks including soda from high schools in more than 200 countries by 2012, this includes Penn Manor.

Answering to cries from critics and food activists, Pepsi is one of the few companies to change their product distribution in an effort to fight childhood obesity. Pepsi plans to replace the soda with water, fruit juice and diet drinks.

Penn Manor family and consumer science teacher Laura Weaner believes it’s a good idea, but doesn’t know if it will solve the problem.

“I think students will find other sources of sugar. They’re not just going to stop,” said Weaner.

PepsiCo plans to remove soda and other high calorie drinks from high schools. Photo by Lindsey Ostrum

But not all of the teachers are looking forward to it.

“I’m torn because I’m a soda drinker myself,” said teacher Holly Astheimer.

According to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, one in three school-age children are overweight or obese.

But will Pepsi removing soda help bring down this statistic?

“[Students] are gonna buy whatever is  there,” said sophomore Courtney Jacobs.

“If soda’s not there, they’re gonna get iced tea or juice,” added junior Jill Wiley.

Both girls agree that Pepsi’s decision is a good idea.

While Pepsi’s soda may not be available in Penn Manor and other schools, competitor company Coca-Cola Co. has no plans to do the same.

“We believe school authorities should have the right to choose what is best for their schools,” says Coke spokeswoman Crystal Warwell Walker to USA Today.

The news didn’t come as a shock or upset to many people.

“I could care less. I’m not sad,” said Jacobs.

This topic has been a debate for years now.  First lady Michelle Obama will hold an annual conference with the largest food companies urging them to “entirely rethink” products they market to kids according to USA Today.

From Pepsi vs. Coke to can vs. bottle, the new soda debate is whether it’s in or out of high schools.

By Mike Nitroy and Lindsey Ostrum

Can “Yous” Please Talk Right?

“That ain’t right.”

Seriously?

What “ain’t” right is your grammar.

Being in school every day, I hear hundreds of voices. Voices that are yelling and voices that are whispering. I hear the voices of students, teachers, janitors and anyone else who happens to be in the halls of Penn Manor. Everyday I am amazed by the amount of improper speech that flows from every sort of person’s mouth.

I don’t understand how after spending at least nine years in school, no one seems to understand there isn’t an “s” on the end of “you” or that things went “well,” not “good.”

Sarah Schaeffer has bad feelings about bad grammar.

When I hear things like: “Can I go to the bathroom?”

I’d like to reply, “I certainly hope you can.”

It’s exactly like nails on a chalkboard for me.

Each time I hear that our school has “less computers” than is desirable, I desire to stamp the word “fewer” on their forehead. It’s as if no one has ever heard of the word.

Everywhere I turn, phrases like “alls you got to do” and “I should of” get under my skin and on my last nerve. I would be willing to do just about anything to rid the school (and the world) of these horrendous sentences.

Maybe I’m hyper-aware of these mistakes because I was raised with bad grammar as the “Eighth Deadly Sin” and “grey” was spelled with an “e,” never an “a.”

Regardless, poor grammar just “ain’t gonna” cut it with me.

By Sarah Schaeffer

Found Guilty Of Senioritis

My head is on the desk, and my eyes are on the clock.

“Hello Penn Manor, here are today’s afternoon announcements.”

Hallelujah.

“Dessie, I need your permission slip, still.”

Five minutes till the bell.

“Narrative essay due tomorrow.”

I wonder when bathing suits go on sale…

“Why were you late this morning??”

Four minutes until the bell.

“Where is your excuse at?”

Three minutes till the bell.

“Shhhhhhh, students, pay attention!”

Two minutes.

“Don’t forget to do your homework!”

Freedom.

I’m so sorry, but this student has been found guilty of senioritis.

Don’t get me wrong, I actually enjoy going to school but I couldn’t be more excited to move on.

I mean it’s kinda difficult to focus on the next quiz coming up when I’ve already paid my college down payment, booked a dorm room and found my roommate.

And now that all the icebergs have melted throughout Lancaster, the weather has finally become comfortable even enjoyable.

Hello summer.  Hello College.

I apologize, but can you really blame me?

When asking teachers what senioritis entails, there is always one single response- laziness.

column
Dessie Jackson contributes her column to Whisper Down the Web.

I couldn’t agree more.

I have become a lazy lump.

All I can think about is putting on that navy gown, and throwing my cap high into the air. I’m humming Pomp and Circumstance for Pete’s sake.

Who could ignore the class picnic, going to Dorney Park and prom– seriously? Would homework really be on my mind?

“Sorry, I forgot my homework.”

Well, actually, I forgot my bookbag. I never even took it out of my car.

I know, I know, you can’t give up, you can’t flunk out, you can’t totally tune your teachers out and you still could get a rejection letter, even if accepted to your choice university.

So maybe the word “lazy” hasn’t hit me yet.

I mean, I am writing this article.

Maybe I’m being a tad dramatic.

But then again, June hasn’t rolled around yet.

By Dessie Jackson

PM Nation “Tourny Time, Baby”

This is our second edition of PM Nation this week due to this special time for all sports fans. As Dick Vitale would say, “It’s March Madness, Baby!” This edition will include our own bracket predictions and explanations about some of our surprising picks.

Cody Straub’s Bracket

Taylor Groff’s Bracket

TG: I think my most surprising pick of the tournament would definitely have to be New Mexico St. over Michigan St. I have not been impressed with any game they have played this season. I expected a lot more out of the veteran players for Michigan St.

CS: The upset I picked that everyone is surprised at is Louisville over Duke. Yes Duke is playing really well, but every year they find a way to lose early in the tournament. I think Louisville will surprise some teams and make a deep run. Stay tuned to the tournament games to see which one of us made the best predictions.

NCAA Dreams Fulfilled for Many, Not for all

The West Coast Conference champions, Saint Marys after beating highly favored Gonzaga.With the NCAA tournament in near sight for some, teams still have some time to get their tickets to the big dance where every team wants to be, but some teams have already punched their tickets to go dancing.

In one of the biggest upsets this year, Saint Mary’s Gaels went to the big dance as an automatic bid. The Gaels upset 14th ranked Gonzaga in the West Coast tournament.

But don’t worry, the Zags will still make the tournament as an at-large team.

The 12th-ranked Butler Bulldogs will get an automatic bid into the NCAA tournament instead of an at-large bid they would have gotten if they would have lost.

Wofford Terriers also clinched an automatic bid by beating Appalachian state and winning the Southern Conference. It’s the first tournament appearance in their history, this includes Nit and NCAA.

Siena rallied to come back and win an overtime thriller against Fairfield to win the MAAC title.

Old Dominion reserves their spot in the big dance again by beating William and Mary in the CAA final.

Robert Morris wins a back and forth game against Quinnipiac 50- 52 to win the Northeast conference tournament and to go to the NCAA tournament.

Montana heads to NCAA tournament after beating Weber State in the in Big Sky tournament final on the back of Senior guard Anthony Johnson’s 42-point night which is a record in the Big Sky tournament.

Winthrop beats Coastal Carolina in the championship game of the Big South and apparently they want Kansas. Winthrop fans were were chanting this as time wound down.

East Tennessee State wins its second straight trip to the Tourney by topping Mercer in the final of the Atlantic Sun conference.

Cornell wins the Ivy league with an easy win over Brown.

With a second-half surge, Northern Iowa beats Wichita State in the Missouri Valley Conference to send them to the tournament.

In the Ohio Vally conference, Murray State wins against Morehead State to give them their 3oth win of the season and, more importantly, an automatic bid to the big dance.

Oakland prepares for the dance after beating IUPUI in the Summit Conference championship. Their coach says they are prepared to mess up some brackets come tourny time.

North Texas’s little guy, Josh White, stepped up and hit the game winner to seal their fate to go to the NCAA tournament by beating Troy by three in the Sun Belt conference.

By Sam Valentin