changing the game of football

If you’ve watch ESPN recently, you’ve probably heard about the helmet-to-helmet hits and the consequences. Several players in the NFL were charged with fines up to $75,000 for helmet-to-helmet hits against their opponents. Most of these hits required medical attention and resulted in concussions, causing the NFL to consider some serious consequences to prevent future injuries.
Cleveland’s Josh Cribbs and Mohamed Massaquoi both suffered concussions from Pittsburgh’s James Harrison. No flags were thrown. Philadelphia’s DeSean Jackson suffered a concussion from Atlanta’s Danta Robinson. No flag was thrown. Baltimore’s Todd Heap suffered a concussion from New England’s Brandon Meriweather. No flag was thrown. The NFL has taken the initiative to prevent these helmet-to-helmet hits, by threatening suspensions and fines to players who cause these helmet-to-helmet hits. Ray Anderson, NFL executive VP of football operations, said “We can’t and won’t tolerate what we saw Sunday. We’ve got to get the message to players that these devastating hits and head shots will be met with a very necessary higher standard of accountability.” (ESPN)
Brandon Meriweather, a New England Patriot, said that the helmet-to-helmet hit on Todd Heap was unintentional and told reporters that the punishments won’t influence his playing. He said “I won’t change my game, period. I’m sorry it happened. Heap is actually a real good friend of mine. I talked to him yesterday and let him know it wasn’t intentional and he told me he understood.” (ESPN) Meriweather said he ran that play a thousand times at practice, but wasn’t trying for head-to-head contact. He went on to say that these hits can be avoidable but aren’t preventable. Meriweather wasn’t the only player to disapprove of the punishments for the helmet-to-helmet hits.
Josh Cribbs, a Cleveland Brown, returned to practice on Friday, after suffering a concussion from James Harrison. When he talked to Harrison, he said “Let refs ref. Let the NFL administration, let everyone do their jobs. I you get fined, just try to tailor yourself, but play the game. Don’t try to change who you are.” (ESPN) Cribbs has recovered from the concussion and believes that he’s prepared for the upcoming game against the New Orleans Saints.
These helmet-to-helmet hits have caused devastation throughout the league, but why are these hits become more and more common? A suggestion to this question are the formations that the offense and defense play. There aren’t many experts that aren’t able to distinguish and don’t understand zone or man defense. This causes them to run man routes into a zone defense.
Another reason why these helmet-to-helmet hits have captured the attention of people, is because the ability to watch replays and slow-motion has made these hits more dramatic. When a defensive player is trained to hit, they are taught to drive their helmet into a players chest and drive up towards their helmet. The helmets of the two players are bound to hit, but the league has brought the attention to these his and overreacting to these hits. Jessica Edwards, a Mayo High School student, said that “hitting is a part of the game” and believes players shouldn’t be suspended or fined for these hits. This is a good point and several ESPN analysts and former players view this rule in a similar way.
The league has overreacted to these recent helmet-to-helmet hits. These types of hits aren’t new, they’ve happened since the beginning of football. Though more players have had concussions, hitting is a fundamental of football and most players don’t want the rule in effect. Posted by Jake Babcock at 12:46 PM

Harry Potter and the Death Hallow - Part 1

Another incredible instalment of the famous Harry Potter series. Unlike the other movies, this movie will be available in 3D and IMAX which creates he feeling of actually being inside the movie. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is a two part movie which is to be released 2010/2011. Production of such a big movie may take a long time, but will make a great ending in the Harry Potter trilogy.

The production of this movie is in two separate parts. Because of the original idea to split the Goblet of Fire, which debuted in 2005. Rowling declined because of how long production would take to create two parts. Splitting the book into two separate movies “allows for an extra hour and a half to celebrate what this franchise has been and do justice to all the words and ideas in the amazing story,” according to Warner Bros. executive Alan F. Horn. An extra part of the movie also calls for lengthy filming. In a recent interview with Senior Cadence Sawyer, when asked “What are your thoughts about the movie having two parts?” She said, “I think its stupid. The gap between the time the two movies are released is long and it might be hard to follow what happened from the last one. I think Warner Bros. just wants to make money.”

Pre-production began on January 26, 2009, while filming began on February 19, 2009. Filming of the movie was at Leavesden Studios, where the previous six movies were filmed. Filming was shot with many hand held cameras because Director David Yates said, “I want to shake things up every time I go into this world. I like experimenting as we go along.” Even though the shooting schedule was set at 250 days, the filming took 478 days to complete. The movie in its entirety was filmed over a one and a half year period throughout the United Kingdom and finished on June 12, 2010. Harry, Ron, and Hermione all openly wept on the last day, which ended their ten years of work on the films. However, during filming things can go wrong. Very wrong.

In the filming of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Harry’s stunt double in the movie was David Holmes. David's spine was damaged when a controlled explosion went wrong and hurled him to the ground during a flying scene for the movie. The stunt the young actor was performing was called the “jerk back” stunt; the most dangerous stunt in the business. A friend states, “It’s a dangerous stunt and David knew that. Most stuntmen get double their daily pay to carry it out. The stunt went terribly wrong and David was thrown so far that he missed all of the safety mats. He hit the ground very hard.” Doctors have now told him he will remain confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life.

All of this for the first part of the last instalment of Harry Potter. The development and filming of the movie takes many many days and puts actors in harms way sometimes. All for one movie. Though ten years of filming the David knew it was a dangerous stunt. But his dedication for the release of the movie led him in doing so. This movie took forever to release and some actors literally broke bones for the release. I hope you all will see it, the anticipation for the release is building.

An Unfortunate Event at Such an Unlucky time

A year go, the swine flu pandemic went through the United states in October causing many people to become sick and even causing multiple deaths. Today as Americans and many others in the Western world are recommended to get a flu shot and many other vaccinations, it’s apparent that the health concern is a top priority for many people. In Haiti, however, the money and necessities that are needed to produce and give these resources to the poorest people in the Western hemisphere is very difficult to attain. One such problem that has occurred because of citizens not being able to be vaccinated is a fairly large cholera outbreak that has happened throughout the small nation.
The people of Haiti have been going through a lot of misery from the past earthquake that killed about 230,000 throughout the populous country. Since the quake, which was about half a year ago up to date, the country is slowly begin to transform again into its normal self but it will take a while since the Cholera outbreak has been the toughest issue up to date. The outbreak wasn’t expected at all in the country and the biggest issue is to keep it out of Port of Prince, the nation’s capital so that it doesn’t reach the entire population. “It’s devastating to see this type of event to happen to such a poor and undeveloped country presently and I hope they can rebuild with extra support from other nations of the world,” Sr. Nick Ouellette said. He also commented on the fact that hopefully they will recover over time from this outgoing cholera outbreak that has affected already many people.
The biggest thing today that could possibly help the people of Haiti would be the use of antibiotics for all the affected people. The modern development of medicine today has really helped people across the globe and these people of Haiti probably need it the most right now. Sr. Farzan Fatemi said, “Providing families and kids with enough medicine and antibiotics in Haiti would greatly reduce the chance of people catching the disease.” He also commented that, “If I could do one thing for Haiti right now to help the country with its present situation, I would probably send as much medicine as I could with my own money and hopefully I could actually go to the country and build houses and shelter for those who really need it the most.” Medicine would definitely be one of the important aspects to helping out people in Haiti presently and by providing this, the country could recover faster and slowly start to rebuild itself as a more successful and independent nation.
Even though medical centers have scrambled to get vaccinations to people, there are many people that have been helped out especially in the capital of Port of Prince. As the country slowly starts to rebuild itself from this along with the past earthquake, it will help other countries realize what they can do in this crisis and hopefully Haiti will be able to be more prepared and help its people in this difficult time.

Recovery

Golden Recovery

Marshall Bruce Mathers III better known by Eminem is an inspirational rapper to many people and a person who isn’t afraid to live and to talk about his life. He has had numerous of songs that heavily focus on his life and his daughters, but Recovery his latest album, really speaks out to people about life.

Jose Serrato, a Senior at Mayo High School is a big fan of Eminem and says that Recovery has to be his favorite album from all the others Eminem has had in the past. He would definitely buy the album and his favorite songs from the album are Not afraid, No love and Love the way you lie. His least favorite song is Won’t back down ft. Pink. “The songs talk about pain and life” states Serrato. When asked about the song Not afraid he said that “Some people have gone through a stage that they feel alone and lost hope. But life goes on and you can’t be afraid of life and you must get up and continue.” Two other things he believes is that Eminem made these songs for a reason. He made them so he can talk to people about life and to inspire some of us to do better, and finally he believes that Eminem has had a tough life and that the title says it all. He is recovering from the bruises and cuts life has given him.

Jose Quiñones, an 8^th grader from Willow Creek and also my cousin, is a hardcore fan of Eminem. He has almost every album up to date and has similar views of Recovery as Jose Serrato. He would also buy the album and his favorite songs are: Spacebound, No love and Going through changes. His least favorite song is So bad. His opinion on this album is that, “It really speaks to me and a lot of songs relate to me”. One song in particular that really relates to him is No love because of many reasons. The main reason is because when he was younger he had bullies that bullied him a lot during his time at elementary school and when they tried to apologize to him it was too late just like the meaning of the song. Eminem won’t forgive the people that have hurt him during his life while he was feeling down. Quiñones’ final thoughts on the album are that “Eminem really inspired me to do better at life and as a human being. And I feel sorry for Eminem for his tough life he has gone through and that some of his songs are really self explanatory on what has happened to him in the past.”

Both Joses, well 3 including myself really, love Eminem’s songs and like that he is an artist who talks about life in his songs and not about other stuff like sex, drugs, fame and money like other rappers do. Marshall Bruce Mathers really deserves the rating 4.5/5 on his album Recovery.


image from rockthebureau.com

18-Year-Olds Feel the Emancipation

Adulthood bears its own exclusive opportunities. With a turning of age, 18-year-olds enter a world much different than the one they had grown up in. They had once been dependent on an adult, perhaps a parent, for their needs. They needed parental or guardian permission for school field trips, to excuse an absence at school, or for a registration of any sort. They couldn’t be out past curfew, nor smoke a cigarette, but now, after 6,570 days of hand-held guidance, teens are granted a new freedom: the freedom of choice and independence. What they choose to do with their new freedom is utterly up to them, whether it is sensible or not, and much to the dismay of the adults who advised them for so many years. So now, what will it be? Maybe these young adults would like property to themselves, or a new tattoo to show some personality and taste; the choices are endless now that they are legally deemed an adult.

Though, what privileges do you receive as an adult? Well, you may enlist in the military, or you may choose to invest in the stock market. Added to that list includes getting tattoos, piercings, the right to vote, the ability to rent an apartment or own property, a driver’s license with no restrictions, the authority to sign legal contracts, the ability to serve jury duty, to sue or be sued, to marry without any consent, to open a bank account, or to smoke. This year’s senior class at Mayo High School is beginning the transition into adulthood, and a few seniors have already been granted their freedom as an adult. They write themselves a pass when they are late for school, they sign their own permission slips, in fact, they don’t even have to attend school at all! So, with their new power, a couple members of Mayo’s senior class were asked, “What are your plans for your new adulthood?” Nicole Knutson, who turns 18 on November 8th, had a slow response. “Well, I will go to college, and find a job, and then get married…” she began, “but maybe I will buy a pack of cigarettes, just for the heck of it!” Although not planning to become a smoker, Knutson figured she would use her rights as an adult however she could. Der-Ning Huang, also a senior this year at Mayo High School, will celebrate his birthday on March 2nd, and he had a different response to the question. “I’m going to buy some lottery tickets!” he stated quite surely. “I’ll also buy some victory cigars and celebrate at a casino,” he said, but later commented that the cigar will be for celebrating only, because he knows that he won’t enjoy smoking it.

Though some choices may not be the most responsible, there is a reason why these abilities are made available only to adults. The decisions made as an adult are hoped to be made sensibley are responsibely. So for a new turning of age, upcoming 18-year-olds will be expected to be mature citizens, who use their common sense to make the right decision, but this doesn’t stop some teens from setting their dreams for adulthood.

Photo credit to fanpop.com

Turkey Day

Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on the fourth Thursday in the month of November. Thanksgiving is a time for Americans to give thanks and celebrate for the things and people that they have in their live and it’s also a time to be with your family and friends and eat delicious food.
The history of Thanksgiving all started when a group of 100 pilgrims traveled to the United States on the Mayflower from England and set foot at Plymouth Rock, Massachusetts on December 11th 1620. The first year for the pilgrims was a brutal one; they barely survived because of the cold conditions and devastating crop season. In autumn of 1621, their crop was the best they had ever seen and the colonists had a lot to be grateful for. As a way of celebration they had a three day feast with the 91 Indians who helped them survive the cold long winter. At that time there were no potatoes, livestock, pumpkin pie etc. which are foods that are well known to eat during Thanksgiving. The colonists had fish, lobster, dried fruit, berries and anything else that had been harvested that year. At that point Thanksgiving really was about being thankful for surviving through the first year and to celebrate the good harvest. The date of Thanksgiving was known to have been set as the fourth Thursday in November, but many Americans opposed this holiday and in much later years in 1863, when Abraham Lincoln became president he asked all Americans to set aside the fourth Thursday in the month of November to give thanks for everything that they had in their lives and that’s when Thanksgiving was set as an official holiday. There are many traditions that come with the Thanksgiving holiday, included having family over, eating a lot of food including, turkey, ham, potatoes, veggies, and the famous pumpkin pie. “My family from out of town usually comes to my house during Thanksgiving and they all bring a ton of food like turkey, ham, mash potatoes, veggies and my favorite pumpkin pie.” Says Mayo high school senior Nick Carter was asked about his Thanksgiving traditions. The same traditional response was also giving by Mayo high school Junior Mercedes Erpelding, “Thanksgiving is my second favorite holiday right after Christmas, it also gives me a good reason to eat all the food I want! It’s also a great chance for family and friends to come together and be thankful for what they have.”
Thanksgiving is a great holiday because it helps remind people what and who they are thankful for. It’s also great time for family and friends to come together. I believe that everyone should be reminded of everything they have in their lives and be thankful for them and Thanksgiving is a great way to do so.

That's What You Call Scary?!

It’s the sequel to the first movie Paranormal Activity, that was demanded everywhere. The first movie ended up being a little disappointing and so did the second. All the scary scenes were at the end, and not to mention, there weren’t many at all. The basic plot in the second movie is; some family apparently related to Katie (Katie Featherston, first starred in Paranormal Activity) moves into a house then all this paranormal activity starts to happen. At first, the family thinks someone broke in so Katie’s brother in law, Dan (Brian Boland), gets a surveillance system. Ali (Molly Ephraim) starts to hear noises from Hunter’s (William Juan Prieto and, Jackson Xenia Prieto) room and begins to believe it may be a ghost, but Dan tells her he doesn’t believe in that stuff. Things get worse and Kristi starts to experience paranormal activity but Dan still does not believe it. More and more paranormal activity follows and this time the “demon” is literally dragging and/or picking up the family members. Most of the really intense activity happens in the latter half of the movie, so all the “plugging my ears” and “covering my eyes” was wasted on a good hour or so where viewers thought something was going to happen.

When asked about the movie Zakaria Ahmed, a senior at Mayo High School, said “I thought it was funny because the whole attempt to try and scare people was not good.” When Ahmed was questioned whether he would tell others to watch Paranormal Activity 2 he replied, “Yes, so they could get a good laugh out of it.”

Michelle Limas, a sophomore at Mayo High School, was also questioned and said, “It wasn’t good but it wasn’t bad, it was in the middle,” And when Limas was questioned whether she would tell others to watch Paranormal Activity 2 she replied,

“Yes, so people get the feel of the paranormal.”
There are many different opinions floating around, but the truth is this movie is not worth the money to be spent on it. If viewers really want to see it, they should just save their money and wait to rent it at redbox for a dollar, than going to see it in theatres for eight bucks. I mean, let’s give the director and writer a little credit, the movie was a little intense but it wasn’t that scary. If only there were more intense scenes with the unknown force pulling Kristi and more paranormal activity happening to the family (maybe Ali) so there could be more scary scenes. The movie is also predictable, that is the main reason why this movie is not scary. If the viewer knows what’s going to happen next, it’s not going to be as terrifying as if they didn’t know. So overall this movie deserved the credits it got, which was 6.4 out of 10.

Thanksgiving Traditions

It is a time of year when families come to town, food smells up the house, and relaxation for everyone in the family. A time of year that gives people vacation from school and work, and more time for everyone to bond with loved ones and enjoy in the festivities. Thanksgiving is celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November and is a day to spend with family and people who mean the most.

Most people typically on Thanksgiving Day will stay home, eat turkey, and have a bunch of family come over, but people also do many different events during this time of year, visiting family or go on vacation. Minnesota weather is cold and people just want to get away and go down south to warmer climates. A lot kids visit relatives during this time and have family gatherings with family members they maybe don’t see all year round.

Thanksgiving is not all the same foods either. Turkey is probably the most common thing eaten during the this time, as said by Daisy Coria (see interview) but some families go out to eat somewhere special where they go every year on Thanksgiving or change up the menu on what they eat, like Dayana Loera eats a traditional Mexican dish. People tend to have their own traditions on what they eat, as Loera said she eats something that is more of a culture aspect of tradition. People tend to call this time of year the day where they are allowed to overeat. It’s not a time to count calories and be on a diet, but to enjoy what everyone has and splurge on what’s around.

Shopping is another big popular event seen during this time of year. With Christmas coming a lot of people, after Thanksgiving, gather up for shopping Black Friday which is the day after Thanksgiving, in which many stores offer good offers in town and usually people wake up early morning rushing to get the best deals. They have a coffee in their hands and shopping carts filled with the latest toys and items. Best Buy is one of the most popular places to shop during Black Friday, with tons of electronics on sale at low prices people are sometimes tenting outside of best buy at night to get their electronics. A lot of Christmas shopping and holiday shopping is taken place during this time, for restaurants and stores it’s the most important day of the year for businesses.

Thanksgiving is a great time of year, with more holidays arriving after it; it’s a turning point of the year. People cooking and shopping is something very popular around this time. Everyone has their own way of celebrating, by bringing in their own culture and vibe into their celebrations and making them unique. Businesses, households, and towns all pitch in to make this time of year easy and exciting. The key idea to Thanksgiving traditions and ways of celebrating is to always have people to celebrate with and having the time to relax and enjoy this once in year time.
image from google

Jackass 3D

The third Jackass movie brings back the Jackasses we’ve come to know and love. This time there’s more stunts to make the audience laugh and gag. The stunts are amplified by the extended use of slow-motion cameras and for the first time in Jackass history, shot in 3D.

The movie starts as the previous two films did. It has a quick introduction shot mostly in slow-motion and had a montage of the crew being hit by random items. The introduction wasn’t anything too special but it was a good attention getter. From that point on it was nothing but the wacky shenanigans the Jackass crew is known for. The one stunt that was closest to making me gag (which I rarely do in movies) was the sweat suit cocktail. The stunt consisted of a person running on a treadmill whilst wearing a closed suit. The sweat from the person would funnel into a cup. Then they had to drink the sweat out of the cup. This part almost made me gag but luckily it moved on and I didn’t have to have the taste and smell (imaginary of course) of the sweat. Perhaps the most disturbing stunt was the Poo Cocktail Supreme. I don’t want to go into too much detail, but it goes somewhat accordingly to what the stunt name suggests. I should also mention that those who have weak stomachs may want to divert their eyes for part of this stunt.

In terms of physical stunts, The High Five was probably the best. It consisted of a giant hand held back, then suddenly let go. The hand would then swing around the corner and slam whoever would be standing there to the ground. It was also set around the dining area, so most of the people hit had their hands full with a tray of food. They would get slammed so hard that they would almost instantly be pounded into the ground.

Jackass 3D received average to above-average ratings from critics for its mischievous pranks and outrageous stunts. Meta-critic rounded up reviews and gave the movie 56 out of 100. Fans, on the other hand, gave the film 7.4 out of 10. Some say that Jackass 3D was the best out of the three and others say it was the worst. Ryan Inwards, a senior at Mayo High school, stated, “I thought it was surprisingly enjoyable even though I am usually skeptical of immature humor.” Regardless, it still lived up to the Jackass name.

I would definitely recommend Jackass 3D, but only to those who are old enough or mature enough to make it through. I can speak for us all when I say that little kids shouldn’t be watching movies of people (sometimes nude) doing stupid, dangerous things. The increase of nudity is another reason why you shouldn’t bring your kids to it. That said, this movie was super hilarious and worth watching. I would say it is also worth watching at least once.


http://www.metacritic.com/movie/jackass-3-d
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_OMHy_G6FX48/TI9zY13s0iI/AAAAAAAAEoM/f1gvIL3pjPE/s512/Jackass-3D-1.jpg

State Tennis Tournament

After school last Monday, October 25th, 2010, the Mayo girl’s tennis team all boarded a bus headed to the Twin Cities for the Minnesota State Girls Tennis Tournament. Amazingly this is the 14th consecutive year that the team has been able to compete in the state meet. During an interview with senior captain Jessie Edwards she said, “Coming into the State tournament this year we had very high expectations and realized that we will have to bring our A game if we want to achieve all our goals.”

The Spartans first team match was against Brainerd. Brainerd was an easy opponent for the Spartans, hence the 7-0 victory. The team enjoyed their modest win and prepared for a tough match the following day against Mounds View High School in the semi finals. Mayo had played the Mounds View Mustangs earlier in the season and had played great, but unfortunately the Mustang’s strong individual players clenched the victory for them, so the Spartans lost 3-4. When the Spartans walked on the court for the semi final match they were immediately welcomed by over 50 howling Mayo High school students who all took a fan bus up so that they could support their girl’s tennis team in their aspirations for a state championship title. The cheering Spartan fans quieted down as the head coach from each team announced the line for the day. The line ups hinted that the Spartans had the advantage in all the doubles matches while the Mustangs had the upper hand in the singles matches. As the line ups had predicted, the Spartans won all three doubles matches while the Mustangs won all four singles matches, thus ending with a Mustangs victory. Sadly the Spartans goal of being the Minnesota Girls State Tennis Champions was crushed.

Some of the Spartans were feeling disappointed, but they had a chance to redeem themselves in the third place match against Minnetonka. The third place match went well as Mayo beat Minnetonka 5-2, winning third place in the Minnesota State Girls Tennis Tournament. According the senior captain Hannah Stroebel, “Minnetonka’s doubles were surprisingly better than Mounds View’s double[s] so we only won two of the three matches[.] [B]ut we won all but one of the singles matches so we are very happy. I really enjoyed my senior year season as a whole and am happy about how it ended.”

Some of the Spartans also competed in the doubles tournament. One of the doubles teams from Mayo, Jessie Edwards and Kylie Boyer, took third place in the tournament. Jessie Edwards talked about the doubles tournament. “My partner and I played very well during this tournament and most importantly had a lot of fun while doing it. We had some very close matches and in the quarterfinals match we played 3 sets that took about one hour each. For our third place game we played the other doubles team from Mayo. This made it tough to play them but we overcame that and won the match.”

The Spartans didn’t come out of the state tournament as champions as they had hoped, but they won third place in the tournament which is something to be very, very proud of.

Heavy Rivalry on the Field

Vikings quarterback Brett Favre returned to Lambeau field in Green Bay, Wisconsin on Monday, October 25, 2010. As he walked onto the turf, a roar of “BOO” from the crowd encompassed him. This was no surprise to anyone because of last season’s repeat. This bitter rivalry has gone on for centuries and continues, especially because the Vikings acquired their old quarterback. Surprisingly, with the Vikings current poor record, this game turned out to be a “nail-biter.”

First quarter started out with a bang. Packers were able to score early in the first quarter leading 7-0. The Vikings were able to make a comeback with only one-minute left in the first-quarter. Percy Harvin was given the ball by Favre and was able to find a slight break in the Packers defense to slip through. The end of the first quarter ended 7-7. Second-quarter started just as the first one did. Packers QB Aaron Rodgers threw a dart straight to tight-end Andrew Quarless, Packers now lead 14-7. Sadly, Vikings coach Brad Childress was unable to notice the Packers tight-end not maintaining possession of the ball as he fell onto the field and did not challenge the touchdown. Again Percy Harvin attempted another touchdown. This time Harvin dived into the end-zone unable to stay in boundaries. Packers coach Mike McCarthy was quick to challenge this touchdown; refs soon called the touchdown no good. Vikings obtained the ball again after a short turn-over. Favre was able to find a straight opening to tight-end Visanthe Shiancoe in the end-zone. McCarthy was quick again to challenge this touchdown. Refs called the touchdown no good because the ball hit the ground.

Favre’s poor decision making plagued him once again this game. Within the first five minutes of third-quarter he threw an interception to Packers linebacker A.J. Hawk. Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers was quick to complete this turn over with a touchdown pass to Packers wide receiver Greg Jennings. With the Vikings possession of the ball returned it was only a matter of time before another interception pass was thrown. Sadly this occurrence happened a little faster than expected. On the second down Favre tried a fake but accidentally threw the ball to Packers linebacker Desmond Bishop. In return Bishop scored a 32-yard touchdown, Packers lead 17-28. With only four minutes left in the third-quarter, Vikings knew they had to do something soon so they decided to try out new wide receiver Randy Moss. This was an excellent idea that ended with a touchdown, the score then changed to 28-24. Fourth-quarter was the most exciting one of the game. The key word to this quarter was “effort.” Each team tried their hardest to score, but neither team was successful. One touchdown during the last quarter was controversial though. With only seconds left in the game, the Vikings decided to thrown the ball all the way into the end-zone to wide receiver Percy Harvin. This touchdown was called back by refs because Harvin caught the ball with one foot in and one foot out of the end-zone, thus causing the final score of the game to be 28-24.

The Vikings current season has been known to be sad and disappointing. This game has displayed that the Vikings have started to come around and work together. Although the outcome wasn’t on the Vikings side, it’s evident that they are coming back and are fighting every chance they get. This individual game turned out to not to only be Favre’s fault, but also the rest of the team’s fault. When asked about the game, Rochester fan Kristy McGee said “It was Favre’s fault partly, but the Vikings need a better offensive line so that all of the pressure isn’t always on him.” Another Rochester fan Kelly McGee went on to say “with different calls by Vikings coach Brad Childress, the end results would have been different.” Not only is it Childress’ fault, McGee continued to say “on paper we have the better team, but we don’t show it.” Hopefully the Vikings turn themselves around and start winning again. Vikings fans can only hope for another chance for a spot at the Super Bowl XLV.

Image: purplejesus.wordpress.com

Brett Favre is known to some people as the most accomplished quarterback in the NFL. to others he has become a disappointment and embarrassment. He has become an impressive quarterback throughout the years, but has had a rough end to a great career.

In 1992, The Atlanta
Falcons drafted Brett Favre as a second round draft pick, and 33rd overall pick. The beginning of his career in the NFL wasn’t impressive. He attempted four passes, two were incomplete and two were intercepted. Though he didn’t impress the Atlanta Falcons, Favre was gaining the interests of several teams. Green Bay Packers manager, Ron Wolf, thought he had potential and decided to trade for Favre.

In 1992, the Green Bay Packers traded a first round draft pick for Brett Favre. He impressed spectators and helped the Packers achieve their second best record in history. Favre played his first game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and his first pass was deflected and caught by himself. The following game, starting quarterback Don Majkowski injured a ligament in his ankle, and Favre entered the game. He fumbled four times and left the team and crowed unsatisfied, but came back to win the game with a touchdown throw. Throughout the season, he developed from a back-up quarterback into a NFL Pro Bowl competitor in about three months. He was the youngest quarterback to play in the AFC-NFC Pro Bowl at 23 years. He continued an impressive career and won MVP three consecutive times from 1995-1997. He led the Packers to eleven playoff appearances, seven division titles, four NFC championships, and a victory over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XXXI. Favre continued to impress spectators and began breaking several NFL records. In 2007, Brett favre considered retirement and couldn’t make a decision. The Packers couldn't wait for a decision and decided to move on.

The Green Bay Packers traded Brett Favre to the New York Jets
for a conditional draft pick. This trade was unexpected and people
became anxious as to how Favre could play with the Jets. He wasn’t
impressive and their season resulted in a 9-7 record. Again, Favre
considered retirement and decided it was the right option. He decided
that he needed to play for another team and came back to the NFL. He
showed interests in playing for his old rival, the Minnesota Vikings.

In 2008, Brett Favre signed with the Minnesota Vikings. This decision surprised both Packers fans and Vikings fans. Brandon McGee, a Mayo student and Vikings fan, said that he was “exited to have the opportunity for the Vikings to win the Super Bowl” with the addition of Favre. The season went great and Favre led the team to the NFC Championship against the New Orleans Saints. The Vikings were ahead to the end when Favre threw an interception, destroying their chances at the Super Bowl. After the championship game, Favre again debated the option of retirement. He didn’t retire. This 2010 season, has disappointed Vikings fans with a 1-3 record. Brandon McGee also commented saying Favre “is said to be the greatest quarterback, but younger quarterbacks are showing more potential.”

Brett Favre has an interesting background and shows the accomplishments of a great quarterback, who has been in several Pro Bowls, won the Super Bowl, and breaking a variety of NFL records. These are some impressive statistics, though some believe he has lost his potential.

Chile Mine Rescue

On August 5th, 2010 the San Jose mine in Chile collapsed trapping 33 Chilean miners inside. The Chilean miners were trapped 700 meters underground in the mine for 69 days and lived under a shelter underground until they were rescued. The men had food and other supplies delivered to them through small and narrow holes drilled down to them. Rescuers started their mission to rescue the miners on Monday October 11th 2010.
The engineers organized a plan to drill a shaft in the ground for the miners to be hoisted out to safety. Before the drilling could take place the engineers had to determine whether or not the miners could be hoisted up through the exploded rock or if they would need steel piping for the shaft. Once the drilling had begun, the works had to lower a camera in the shaft after the drill was removed to allow the experts to evaluate the state of the rock walls and see what would be the best solution for the rescue. This rescue effort is believed to be the deepest ever and the survivors have been underground longer than anyone who has made it out alive. It's also one of the most advanced of its kind, and it could help other countries and states increase their standards of mines in the future.
When October 11th 2010, rolled around, the plan finally took place, and it was a success. The 33 men that were buried alive were finally brought back to their loved ones and out of the mine. “I feel that this is a very serious and scary issue for both the miners and the families involved and I’m very happy that the plan was a success, even though I feel that they should have planned this out sooner and done more to get the miners out of the mine sooner” said student Mercedes Erpelding when asked about the current issue. It’s a big difference for people who work in mines back in the 1960s it was very likely for miners to have causalities and it was known of, they would usually send money to the widows but now its very unusual because of all the mine safety that has been advanced over the years. Hopefully nothing like this happens again and the mine safety will increase to protect miners from dangers like this.

Cross Country Controversy

Century campus was abuzz with parents cheering loudly. A football game? A Soccer game? No- it was the Century Cross Country Invite or previously known as the All-City. The Century Invite consisted of boys and girls teams from JM, Century, Mayo, and Schaffer Academy all were competing for the prestigious honor of being the best team in the city.

There was a twist this year, as Lourdes was not allowed to participate. According to the article published by the Post Bulletin, Pressbox View: No Lourdes, no Langlie Scholarship, they were banned from the event due to the unfair recruitment of a hockey player by Lourdes. It has been heard that this particular student was going to attend Century at some point and play hockey for them. Many people are upset that Century punished the sport of cross country for a hockey related incident. Senior from Mayo Billy Schimmel said in an interview “This was a hockey incident so why should we, the cross country athletes, be punished for this? It just isn’t right.”

If kicking Lourdes out of the meet isn’t bad enough, Century changed the title of the meet from the Kevin Langlie All-City to the Century Invite. Now this might not seem that bad but the change in the name upset many of the John Marshall students and parents. In the past, the All-City race has been a memorial race that honored the death of Kevin Langlie. Kevin was a top cross country runner for JM whose life was blooming during his High School years. He was loving and enjoying life to its fullest. Kevin was rock climbing with friends six years ago when he decided to take a picture of his friends climbing a rock face. It is not known for sure but the best guess is that Kevin lost his footing and tripped over a cliff to his death. His family created a scholarship fund in his name that while the meet was named the Kevin Langlie All-City, they would give two senior runners that participated in the race each a $500 scholarship. These scholarships would come from the t-shirt sales at the meet. Some fans feel that Century does not care to honor Kevin since they kicked Lourdes out and renamed the race; therefore the race is not about remembering Kevin anymore. Senior Billy Schimmel also said in an interview “Because it wasn’t called the All-City meet, they didn’t give Kevin the remembrance he deserves.”

However, a race did occur. The boy’s race had 110 athletes run in the boy’s race and junior Riley Macon finished in first place in a time of 16:48. He was followed closely junior by Steven Schimmel. Due to Mayo Varsity team’s overall speed, they clinched their third start victory at this race and made themselves the undisputed #1 cross country team in Rochester. The girls did not come in first, but rather second after putting up an incredible fight from start to finish. Mayo girls placed 2nd overall, just losing to Century. Nonetheless the Mayo girl’s put up a valiant fight with junior Frances Payne placing 2nd running 4K in a time of 15:43 and senior Andrea Louwagie placing 5th with a time of 16:09. Amidst all the drama, the event was a disappointment as it did not honor Kevin Langlie. There is always hope for next year that Century will decide to put their personal feeling aside and realize how important the All-City race is to so many people.

Written by Vince

Halloween!

Trick or treat! Its that time again, in a few days its Halloween! Bring out your candy bags and masks and get ready to go out and trick-or-treat! What makes an amazing Halloween is having good experiences while trick-or-treating. Some people don’t have such a great time .

I recently interviewed a good friend of mine, Cody Fields resident of Rochester, about Halloween experiences. I asked, “Do you have any Halloween story's?” Fields replied, “Yeah, I was trick-or-treating in Okoboji, Iowa and I was running down a street from my brother and I tripped and chipped my tooth on a curb.” I guess candy isn’t the only thing bad for your teeth during Halloween.

Trick or treating also has many traditions. Carving pumpkins, trick-or-treating, dressing up, passing out candy, decorating. Setup events like pumpkin patches, haunted houses, and haunted caves. There are family traditions as well. I asked Fields if he had any Halloween traditions and he states, “I always eat a large dinner with my parents and watch some T.V., I usually don’t go trick-or-treating.” Trick-or-treating should not have an “age requirement.”Halloween is about having fun.

Dressing up this year adds to the fun and feel of Halloween. Pick out a favorite costume this year and maybe you’ll get more candy.

Mayo Passion

Mayo Passion

Not all teachers are dull and boring as we think they are. They have their likes and dislikes just likes us, and this makes us human. In the case of Mayo staff, Mr. Carter and Mrs. Anderson are two staff members that have interesting activities they do on their free time and after school that make them good at what they do and teach us here at Mayo High School.

Mrs. Anderson is a great person in school and outside of school. I had her for my sophomore health class 2 years ago and I strongly think she is a great teacher and human being. She loves to help kids in school and one of the reasons she might be so successful with her job here at Mayo is because of what she does outside of school in her free time. For example, she likes to take care of herself doing simple things outdoors like gardening, and being around water and sunshine. Mrs. Anderson is into sports, she likes to play golf on the weekends also go biking. She is also into football, and is a Vikings fan. The game between Jets vs. Vikings was a game she thought was “disconnected” as Brett Favre kept on messing up during his passes. She’s a family person, Mrs. Anderson often calls her kids to check up on how and what they are doing. On Wednesday nights she likes to go out on a date night with her husband to a restaurant of their choice. I think she is successful in her job because of her style of living, maybe this is why kids come to her for help in school.

Current Human Geography and US History teacher, Mr. Carter is a cool guy and a great teacher (I should know this because I had him last year). What makes him really cool is that he has an interesting choice of activities in which he does in his spare time. When he gets home all he thinks about is to relax from a somewhat busy day at school. He has kids, and he likes to spend time with them, like playing legos with them. Speaking of legos; when he has the opportunity he likes plays Lego Star Wars a game for his Xbox360. Some stuff he likes to do is take out the dog for walks, cook and watch any kind of movie that isn’t a chick flick alone or with his wife. Mr. Carter and Mrs. Carter will go out somewhere and visit places on the weekends so most likely he will be busy during the weekend. One cool fact about him is that he likes to play, watch and coach soccer. He supports Manchester United F.C. just like me.

These are some stuff mayo staff Mr. Carter and Mrs. Anderson do on their spare time, after school and on weekends. They seem like they are boring but really their outside activities is what makes them human and successful with their jobs at school. In my opinion they are two of the best mayo staff and teachers I have had during my time at mayo.

State tennis #14

For a fourteenth straight time, the Mayo high school girl’s tennis team is headed to state this year! It may be seen as something that continues to happen every year, but there’s always something exciting to watch before they make it to state. The section final between Mayo and cross city rival Century is something a tennis parent and especially fan don’t want to miss! As quoted by senior captain Hannah Stroebel, “This is one of the most exciting times of the year and just trying to play with such anxiety and chaos is quite the challenge!” We also have a good chance of winning a state championship so I hope we can come out on top in the end and win it all!

So this year, the girls faced another good century team which had two of its singles players ranked in the top ten of the state. This had already set Mayo with a major challenge, because it would mean having to face a possible 0-2 start to the match. The main strategy for century would be that they would only have to win two doubles matches so that they could seal the win. By the time the match had begun, the Mayo girls were already quite stressed out with tough singles matches so they really had to step things up in there doubles. The girls were in for a small hint of surprise as the results would completely change and the tennis match would soon be going in Mayos favor. At first it never looked like the Mayo girls would pull anything off but then a small incident came out of nowhere. Were the Century girls going to win?

As the match began, though, there was a slight turning point for the mayo girl’s team. One of the number three doubles players for century ran into the net, twisting her ankle and therefore forfeiting the match at number three doubles, played by Stroebel and her partner Christina Hagen. This narrowed the margin to 1-2. As the Mayo girls realized that three doubles had been strengthened so that century would have a better chance of winning, winning was completely out of the question now for century. From that point on, mayo completely dominated the second part of the match winning all five of the matches with a 5-2 victory in the end. “It’s a great feeling having the opportunity to go back to state with a great team that I’ve been playing with for a while. I really do get to know these teammates of mine and there will to strive and get better at the sport”, senior captain Jessie Edwards mentioned after winning her one doubles match with her partner Delaney Edwards. This year the girls won a hard fought section 1AA final and everyone wishes them the best as the fight continues through state tennis which will be held at the Baseline Tennis Center at the University of Minnesota.

500th Career Touchdown Pass! and still a loss

A 40 minute weather delay to a football game usually doesn’t say good things, good things for the Minnesota Vikings anyway. On October 11, 2010, the Minnesota Vikings squared off against the New York Jets. While this seems like it would have been an easy win for the Vikings with the gain of wide receiver Randy Moss, the Vikings don’t seem like they have it together this year. Although the Vikings did start out bad, they had a comeback during the end of the 3rd quarter with a pass to Randy Moss ….followed by a pass to the opposing team. This isn’t how the entire game went though.
The first quarter of the game started out with the Vikings showing a little bit of humor. Minnesota thought it would be humorous to pass the ball to the Vikings quarterback Brett Favre, giving us a penalty flag at the beginning of the game. The game started off slowly with only a 3-point field goal for the Jets in the first quarter, Jets leading 3-0. The second quarter heated up a little more with 3 more 3-point field goals for the Jets, leading the Jets 12-0. The Vikings finally started to make a comeback during the 3rd quarter with a touchdown pass by Brett Favre to our new starting wide receiver Randy Moss. This catch made it Favre’s 500th career touchdown pass.
This hype was soon followed by another field goal by the Jets, now Jets lead 15-7. It all came down to the 4th quarter. Wide receiver Percy Harvin caught an incredible pass, only inches away from the goal line shifting the score to 15-13. Excitement consumed Minnesota and caused them to make a quick faulty decision. Instead of kicking a 1-point field goal, they decided to try for a two-point conversion. This decision was followed by an interception by Favre that resulted in a touchdown for the Jets, shifting the score again 22-13. Favre holding his arm in pain toward the last three minutes of the game caused even more tension for the Vikings. However Favre didn’t let us down, and completed a major pass to wide receiver Percy Harvin, bringing the score to 22-20. With less than two minutes left in the game, the Jets made some lacking plays causing a quick turnover. This tension increased significantly when the chance for the Vikings to make a comeback and win the game came into sight. It all came down to whether or not Favre was ready to win the game. Weak decision making came up once again for Favre unsurprisingly when he decided to throw the ball before he was sacked. This decision caused a Jets teammate to easily catch the ball and return it, only running a few yards into the end zone, thus causing the final score of the game to be 29-20.
Making it to the semi-finals in the 2009 NFC Championship should have Minnesota thirsty for the Super Bowl XLV title, but with their sad record of 1-3, it shows that the Vikings need to get things together fast. It’s hard to understand why we lose so often when we have one of the greatest quarterbacks in football history (Brett Favre) and a star running back (Adrian Peterson). This poor season has reminded Vikings fans of the previous seasons before we had Favre. The Vikings have never been the best team, but we were able to see a glimpse of hope with the gain of our new quarterback last season and this season. When asked about the Vikings current season, Senior at Mayo High School, Jake Babcock was quick to express his feelings with only two words, “we suck.” As if it wasn’t for the great number of loses already, our “great quarterback” is showing little hope for a Vikings super bowl. “This individual game wasn’t only Brett Favre’s fault, but he was a major contributor,” Babcock continued.” We can only hope that this season will turn around and we can make it to where we were last year once again.

Image by: hot-topics.blogreaction.com

Rochester Sees a Change in Color

In these first few weeks transitioning into October, many Rochester residents have taken notice to a colorful change in scenery. On Wednesday, September 22nd, 2010, autumn officially began. With a chilly start, autumn welcomed us with beautiful sights just outside our doors. Clusters of multicolored trees and piles of crunchy leaves are now calling to Rochester's free-spirited habitants this season.

Peering out windows and doing double-takes in the car, Rochester citizens are coming out to set their eyes on the wonders of nature. As most people know, when autumn arrives, it brings an abundance of color in the trees as well as large amounts of colorful leaves on the ground. As summer reaches an end, we witness a shortage in sunlight. According to Answers.com, with this new lack of sunshine, the chlorophyll responsible for the green pigment in leaves is suddenly reduced. The normal green leaves that we see will turn into various shades of red, yellow, orange, or brown, depending on the type of tree and the pigments that it contains. So now with a new span of colors alongside of the streets, many autumn enthusiasts are celebrating the arrival of their favorite season. Autumn is the preferred season for many, according to an online survey site, Quibblo.com, who provides statistics on America's favorite seasons. The results of their "Favorite Season" survey conclude that 33% of the majority votes that autumn is indeed their favorite season, followed closely by summer, then winter, and finally spring. For Evan Borkenhagen, a senior at Mayo High School this year, the autumn season is a time for change. "For most, [autumn] is a season of things going grey and dying, but for me it's like a rebirth for friends and opportunities," stated Borkenhagen. Like most kids, Evan occasionally finds himself lying with
heaps of leaves on a nice day, as seen here on the right. For frolickers or people like Evan Borkenhagen who enjoy a good time outdoors, taking a walk down a local nature trail or tumbling into mountains of leaves can prove to be a great time. The outdoorsy type may also find autumn to be a perfect time to take photos. Whether a photographer or not, everyone in the community may enjoy snapping pictures of the beautiful scenery. Seen here on the left is a photo taken near the Mayowood Mansion in south-west Rochester, where color provides the perfect touch for photography.

This won't last for long though, as many Rochester residents may have noticed, this season is going as quickly as it came. As we approach winter, we'll see less sunlight, and the leaves will soon die and fall from the trees. Don't let this sadden you though, because autumn will be back again next year. Until then, embrace this season, and thoroughly enjoy the colorful scenery and the joy that autumn brings to Rochester, Minnesota.

Not so WILD ?

In the Xcel Energy Center, an attendance of eighteen thousand Minnesota Wild fans fills the arena making it another home game sellout. The Minnesota Wild ended the 09-10 season poorly. They were twenty-two out of thirty in the league conference and second to last in their Northwest division. Now, coming back for the 10-11 season, fans are wondering what to expect for the Minnesota Wild hockey team. The old, but still new head coach, Todd Richards had big shoes to fill when he replaced Jacques Lamaire in 2009. Richards’ rookie year didn’t go very well in the first half, but once the Wild players got used to his new system they played better in the second half of the season, and that gave the fans hope for a better season this year. Also, The Minnesota Wild got a new general manager Chuck Fletcher. After some changes and losses in the past year, not only did the Wilds trade Owen Nolan, Shane Hnidy, John Scott, and Derek Boogaard, but also signed John Cullen (Tampa Bay Lightning), Eric Nystrom (Calgary Flames), and Matt Cullen (Ottawa Senators). Chuck Fletcher likes the new group of guys and is hoping that the team makes it to the playoffs this year.

Some fans agree that the Wild will make a comeback. Josh Sikkema, a senior at Mayo High School, says “I expect them to make a strong comeback; I mean they made a lot of changes last season but I believe they will come back strong.”

Maybe fans like Sikkema are correct, and the Wild will make it back strong. On the night of Thursday, October 14^th, 2010, the Wild beat the Edmonton Oilers 4-2 on their home opener winning the first game of the season. The Wild are now 9-0-1 for their home openers. Matt Cullen, who is just joining the team this season, was all round the net Thursday night. Cullen ended the game with 1 goal and 1 assist, making him a good add.

Or maybe the fans are incorrect. On the night of Saturday, October 16^th, 2010, the Wild fell short 3-2 against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Although the Wilds did not win the game, Matt Cullen had another good night. Cullen ended Saturday’s game with 2 assists, and was also the second star of the night.

Even though the wins aren’t racking in, it is still pretty early in the season. The Wild have many games to play and time to improve. Continuing to adjust to the changes they’ve been facing, it may take a couple more seasons before we see the Stanley Cup in Minnesota. Minnesota fans are loyal and hopeful, but they’ll just have to wait and see how the Wild play this season. Whether good or bad, the true Minnesota Wild fans will be there cheering them on and selling out every home game.

sources:

LeBrun, By Pierre. "ESPN.com's 2010-11 NHL Preview: Minnesota Wild - ESPN." ESPN: The Worldwide Leader In Sports. 4 Oct. 2010. Web. 14 Oct. 2010. .

credits for photo:
http://wild.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=534481