December 2002 - Malcolm Shabazz City High School, Madison WI

FeatureThe Lance — December 20, 2002 5Ideas to relievehoilday boredomby Jocelyn MichaelisIt’s finally here; the long awaited WinterBreak! Two complete weeks away fromschool totally committed to laying back andhaving fun. After the shock and amazementof being out of school for so long is out ofthe system, a ‘blockage’ in the brain may beinverted, because the switch to the cerebellumhad been turned off which in turn createsa problem when trying to think of fun,safe activities to do in the fourteen days off.If the snow continues to fall and stay put,sledding, snowboarding or simply makingsnow angels allows for a good time. If stayingwarm is key to you, renting holidaymovies, building a fire and making hotchocolate can bring tons of fun, especiallyAnother huge part of the holidays is food,eating or just baking. Clearing off thekitchen table and creating an original masterpiecewith a simple sugar cookie cut outwill automatically bring the family closerwith laughter. Also, getting out of the housewith family or friends can guarantee aunique fun time with loved ones. Whether itbe visiting Olin Park to see the lights or takinga trip to a cabin woods, fulfilling everysecond of the two weeks to the fullest iswhat’s important.Here are some vacation plans from someof your fellow students:Travis Knight (12) - “Sledding, skiing,and Pond Hockey League (PHL), but only ifI get the size 15 brown brother skates.”Mindy Vinje (11) - “I’ll probably justplay soccer. Oh, and me and Adam Mazzaraare going on a hot date.”Adam Mazzara (11) - “Going on a datewith…!”Catherine Russo (staff) - “Hanging outwith Jocelyn.”Amanda Dubiel (12) - “Sleeping, shoppingand visiting my lovely family.”Sherina Tucker (10) - “Going toChicago to party, spend time with my familyand catching up on some Z’s.”Scott Slotten (9) - “I’m going to theAlamo Bowl to see the Badgers play football.”Beth Steuer (10) - “I’m going toArizona.”Nicki Dalebroux (12) - “No comment!”Josh Showers (9) - “Sledding, that’s it,sledding.”Meghan Daly (12) - “Making a snowmanwith my seven.”Emilie Taalbi (11) - “Sleeping.”Olivia Buss (10) - “Going to Florida.”Chris Cox (12) - “Work.”Erica Minor (9) - “Sleeping and eating.”Kevin Johnson (11) - “I’m going toMinnesota for our hockey tournament.”Reggie Pearnell (10) - “I’m going toArkansas, my home town, and gonna havesome good ol’ southern meal and I’m gonnaget me some good ol’ Jackson Cookies,they’re my favorite. I can get you some ifyou want. I’m also gonna hang out with mycousins.”Tara Barisa (9) - “Sleeping in.”Tom Mohr (Staff) - “I’ll probably be atLHS loading the kiln.”Otis Harris (10) - “ I’m going to sit back,relax and enjoy the fun.”Alyssa Waldron (9) - “I don’t know,probably nothing. I know that Jocelyn willhang out with me though!”Krystal Kimmerly (11) - “Sleeping in andkickin’ it.”Tis the season of givingby Lindsey HinkelIt’s the holiday season,and it’s time to give as wellas receive. Around LHS,students are involved inmany different charities.The National Honor Society(NHS) and Key Club bothcontribute to many charities.Sharon Olson, advisor ofNHS, said that they areinvolved with many charitiesthroughout the year, butaround the holiday seasonthey are mainly involvedwith the giving tree, theHoliday Fantasy in Lights atOlin Park and as volunteerbell ringers for the SalvationArmy at East Towne Mall.Anyone can volunteer to bea bell ringer, regardless ofwhether they are in NHS.Sign up is in Olson’s room.Key Club is alsoinvolved with many organizations,such as the SpecialOlympics, March of Dimes,Bowl for Kid’s Sake and therecent food drive at LHS,which ended Tuesday, Dec.9.There are many chancesto volunteer at LHS, but ifnone fit your schedule orthere’s nothing you’re interestedin, you can find a charityat www.volunteermatch.com.Matt Pennings (12) ponders upon his plans for winter vacation while resting insidehis new favorite toy.— photo by Ben HansonHottest toys for 2002by Bob Burright andDom GiannattasioToys are what every child wants for the holidays, but getting the wrong toys can lead toboredom and neglected toys. Here is a list of toys that have been on top of childrens’ liststhis year.Topping off the list of hot toys this year are Bobble Head toys. You can find them atalmost every store and they come in many different characters. Everyone needs a BobbleHead!The next toy everyone is craving this year is Beyblades, the latest craze from Japan.Beyblades are sold as “Battling Tops.” The new tops are shiny, plastic discs able to spin athigh speeds. These tops don’t come cheap though, they can be from $13 to $40.One of the top-rated toys is the Playabout Farm by Little Tikes (9 to 24 months) Theseven-piece playset with bright shapes, spinning windmill and other items encourages handeyeco-ordination.The computer game “Discovery Airport” by Fisher Price teaches kids about numbers andcounting with games by building an airplane and learning about weather.Crayola struck gold with several of its toys for ages three and up. First the washablemarkers, then crayon twistables and window writers which dress up windows, mirrors, cellophaneand wrapping paper. The crayon can be removed with water or cleaner.Catch a Bubble by Spinmaster Toys produces bubbles that harden so they don’t popwhen touched so kids can play with them.For those starting school, Smart Mouth by Binary Arts is considered a great family wordbuildinggame.For older kids, the 682 piece Harry Potter Hogwarts Castle by Lego got a specialChildren’s Choice Award. The report says “children enjoyed using their imagination to retellthe Harry Potter story or to make up new castle adventures.” Of course anything HarryPotter is hot on the market right now.Handmade Cards by Klutz Inc. scores very high, the kit comes complete with paper,reusable templates and other tools.New toys to die forSeniors Megan Rogers and Bridget Fargen present a check to Salvation Army representativeMajor Paul Moore.— photo by Gwen Rajskiby Dom GiannattasioSnoopy & FriendsSno-cone Machine.Hazard: The packagingfor this toy warns children asyoung as four years oldabout a “functional sharpedge” on the ice shaver. Theshaver is similar to graterscommonly used in kitchens,with unnecessarily sharpedges. So, not only do youget a sno-cone, you also geta trip to the emergency roomand a couple stitches.Hot Wheels SlingShotz Blaster.Hazard: This HotWheels toy is sold with a“pump action loader,” “catapultlaunch zone,” and two“interceptor missiles.” Thepackage exhorts children to“launch ‘em up. Try to shoot‘em down!” This toy has ahigh hazard for eye injury.The box warns “Do not aimtowards people or animals”and “Do not put launcherclose to your face whenlaunching planes or missiles.”Of course if it’saround October, your childrenwill most likely be apirate for Halloween frommisusing this toy.Fisher-PriceCreative CoasterHazard: This toy is marketedfor children as youngas one year old and containsthree slender, rigid plasticdowels approximately sixinches long and one halfinch in diameter. The dowelscould be mouthed andocclude a child’s airway.Children have been knownto choke on toys with longslender handles lodged intheir throats. If you plan onbuying this toy you shouldthink about learning theHeimlich maneuver.Bob The Builder –Counting HammerHazard: Bob TheBuilder, a popular children’scharacter, encourages twoyear-oldsto grasp a weighted“counting hammer”, and“hit a surface with the hammer”.The manufacturer,recognizing that its toy ismade of “hard plastic”,unrealistically cautions parents“to supervise your childwhen playing” In a child’sworld of unending creativity,this toy creates theunnecessary risk of severeimpact injury and lots ofbroken things around thehouse.Brio’s CuriousGeorgeHazard: George is soldwith a small, soft “mobilephone” attached by a cord toa removable backpack, aswell as two small gloves anda bright red button. Despitethe choking hazards by thesesmall parts, the toy is soldwithout any warnings orcautions. If you insist onbuying the toy for yourchild, make sure to let themknow that eating monkeysisn’t healthy.

6 The Lance — December 20, 2002 FeatureAll I want for Christmas is...by Karen Legler andMatt PenningsInstead of making LHSstudents go through thatawkward and uncomfortablemoment of sitting on the lapof the mall’s Santa Clause,“The Lance” sent Karen andMatt to find out what studentsand staff wanted fromthe jolly old St. Nick.“Derek Hanson to have agirlfriend.” Tom Mohr, staff“Lori Bills and a pair ofcleats.” Ben Schleitwiler(12)“Ben and a pair ofcleats.” Lori Bills (12)“Lil’ Bow Wow.”Kendra Sheard (10)“Aaliyah to come back tolife.” Jasmine Davis (11)“A car.” ShelbyChanning (10)“A car that works good.”Jody Bonjean (12)“I still want a hot nursein a wheelchair.” IsraelIbarra (12)“I want a puppy.”Brittany Kelley (11)“Anything but coal.”Brian Roeker (12)“A wolf puppy.” MelissaLynch (11)“Five goals and a girl.”Michael Dunse (10)“I want my dark lord andfather Satan to return… or acar.” Davey Clerkin (11)“All your base, arebelong to us.” Ian Hiebing(12)“Some love from mydove.” Andy Schultz (11)“The new Austin Powersmovie.” Alex Gawenda (10)“Lara Jones.” TonyKicmol (12)“A new filter for mycar.” Emily Liefke (11)“Chip’N’Dale dancers.”Sabrina Holvenstot (12)“A box of Crunchberriescereal.” Brady Nichols(staff)“A left ear!” MarkFarmer (9)“Rap CDs.” Pat McCord(10)“World peace, solveworld hunger and a pony.”Adam Dettwiler (12)“Chicken nuggets andHalle Berry.” Sam Cornale(10)“A cat namedJumpinailfree.” Antone X.Hood (11)“Money!” Ricky Coleman(12)“Starwars ‘BountyHunter’ video game,” AlexMarconnet (9)“ A CD player.” TiffanieSchneider (11)“A car and JoshHartnett.” Kellie Hahn (12)“CDs!” Laura Yang (9)“Jimmy West with somelip gloss on.” KellyHornbeck (12)“A six-pack stomach”Jimmy West (12)“A radio in my car.”Marisa Jahn (11)“A six pack and a poundfrom Taco John’s.” JesseParisi (11)“A drum set.” VictorRattanavong (12)“My little Joshee-poo.”Amanda Smith (9)“For Pedro’s hickies togo away.” Katie Potter (12)Santa wantsYOU on his lapby Sarah ShaferSanta Claus has so many privileges. One of them includespeople on his lap. We asked 25 La Follette students, “If youwere Santa, who would you want to sit on your lap?”“Raya Wocelka and Rhiannon Misurelli,” John Bailey(12)“Kelly Hornbeck and Marcus Buss,” Raya Wocelka (11)“Slim Shady,” Olivia Buss (10)“Shemar Moore,” Meghan Daly (12)“Soup and a Show Pony,” Megan Kuntz (11)“Kathryn Langum,” MacKenzie Navarro (12)“MacKenzie Navarro,” Kathryn Langum (12)“Marcus McMillian,” Kasey Baily (10)“Tom Delonge,” Jessica Beck (10)“Justin Dietzman,” Emily Nickerson (11)“Casey and Kevin,” Lewton Peterson (11)“Cole Foster,” Sara Rosas (12)“Vin Diesel,” Amanda Munson (10)“Avril Lavigne,” Brock Heckendorn (9)“Ja Rule and T-mo,” Paolina Farino (10)“David from Menards,” Amanda Elmore (12)“Eminem,” Sara Kladehall (10)“Play-Dope,” Emily Tailby (11)“My boyfriend,” Molly Battist (9)“Forest Schaefer,” Krystal Kimmberly (11)“Raya Wocelka and Kelly Hornbeck,” Jessie Parisi (11)“Paul Patten!,” Sarah Steffes (10)“Farino and Sharfer,” Marcus McMillian (10)“Halle Berry,” Byron Bishop ll (9)“Bow Wow,” Kendra Sheard (10)Trigon RoadCustom Web Design &Development608-213-7577“Lance” staffers Karen and Matt tell Santa what they want from him.“For Katie to shut upabout my hickies.” PedroSalazar (12)“Something good.”Meghan Tibbetts (9)“I want to be DerekHanson’s girlfriend.” JuliaHunt (12)“Karen Legler.” WendyGordon (11)“Grand Theft Auto –Vice City.” Jeremy Drefall(9)“Ricky to stop singingstupid songs.” TylerFemrite (10)“A teddy bear.” JordanJenich (9)“New shoes.” AbbyLavin (12)“Money!” HeatherShinstine (9)“Mercedes-Benz.”Gavin Briscoe (10)“A barrel of root beer.”Christa Sannes (12)219 Cottage Grove Rd.222-8011525 S. Midvale Blvd.238-9166Buck’s PizzaOne Free 12” or 14” Two Topping Pizzawith the purchase of a second 12” or 14” two topping pizzaof equal or lesser value at regular price. (Value up to $11.25)Additional toppings are extra. Only one voucher valid per person per day. Not valid withany other discounts, specials or offers. Pick-up only Offer expires December 1, 2002.“Marisa Jahn.” BreahMinor (10)“My two front teeth!”Josh Showers (9)“A new cell phone with acool cover.” AshleyVesperman (12)“A car.” HoustonFerguson (10)“Nathan to go back outwith Breah.” Jared Picker(12)“ A million dollars and— photo by Ben Hansonan Escalade.” Ashley Rolfe(11)“My own phone.” AlyssaWaldron (9)“Some books and MattPennings.” Hannah Daniels(10)“A longer Christmas!”Chelsea Stover (9)“To be with myboyfriend.” Emily Scanlon(10)Think you’re smart? Test your holiday IQby Adrienne Buenzli1. What is Ramadan?a. Jewish Christmasb. Grandma’s memory lossc. Muslim holiday2. How many days of winterare there?a. 125b. 63c. 753. How many days isHanukkah?a. 10b. 8c. 54. What is a Buche de Noel?a. a Christmas carolb. a cake rollc. a French Christmas tree5. In the song “The 12 Days ofChristmas” what was the fifthgift?a. five golden ringsb. two silver bellsc. three French hens6. What is the average speedof a snowflake?a. 2 mphb. 1/2 mphc. 1 mph7. What color is Rudolph’snose?a. redb. goldc. white8. How long is Christmasvacation?a. Dec. 23 - Jan. 7b. Dec. 23 -Jan. 5c. Dec. 23 - Jan. 99. What movie is the song“White Christmas” from?a. Holiday Innb. Miracle on 34th Streetc. Bells of St. Mary’s10. What is another name forSanta Claus?a. Chris Kringleb. Saint Nicholasc. all of the aboveAnswers:1. Muslim holiday2. 633. 84. cake roll5. five golden rings6. 1/2 mph7. red8. Dec. 23 -Jan. 59. Holiday Inn10. all of the above

FeatureNew Zealand…Destination forLa Follette studentby Harrison BuchholzPicture this, it is the end of the first semester your junioryear, you get good grades, have a lot of friends, and overalllove your day-to-day life. It is at that moment it hits you, thatsmall commitment that will forever change your life.January holds some great changes for a few LHS students.Dana Johnson, a junior this year, is one such studentfortunate enough to be involved with the American FieldService (AFS). For the second semester of this year to theend of first semester next year, Dana will be staying in NewZealand with her host family, Allan and Margaret Wilkins.After talking with Dana for a while, “The Lance” had hershed some light on fears and things she has done to preparefor her long trip. “I’ve looked up a lot about the town and mynew school,” says Dana “and some stuff about New Zealandin general.”When asked if she had any fears about traveling to anothercountry, she explained, “They speak English, but it’sweird English. I’m a little scared it’ll be too weird for me tounderstand, but other than that I think I’ll be okay.” Thoughgiving up that familiarity she grew up with, Dana will keepin touch with family and friends through e-mail and possiblya phone call every once and a while.After conducting a little research an AFS, we found outits very interesting history. 85 years ago, shortly after WorldWar One started, a group of 15 Americans, living in Paris atthe time, volunteered to drive ambulances for the AmericanHospital there. The group then formed a name, AmericanField Services, whose mission was to transport woundedFrench soldiers from the front lines to mobile medical units.By the end of the war, their number had grown to 2,500volunteer ambulance drivers. They did not bear arms. Theirmission was compassion, not war.World War Two brought AFS back in strong numbers allover the whole world, including Europe, Syria, NorthAfrica, India and Burma. After the war, members of AFSstayed with the service, in order to speed up the post-warhealing process. They worked desperately to change theworld’s focus from hostility to one of peace and understandingİn 1947, AFS branched into the foreign exchange program,bringing students to America. Some of these countriesincluded “enemies” like Germany and Japan, which waslooked down upon at the time.Today, more than 290,000 students partake in the program,both leaving and coming to America from other countries,while over 100,000 families worldwide welcome themwith open arms. Funny to think a dream of peace has growninto something so much more.Information gathered from the ASF Website,http://www.afs.org/Laura Johnson (11) performing her Forensics piece.— photo by Gwen RajskiPreparations for anew musical beginby Ash SiewertFor those of you whodon’t already know, thespring musical this year is“Hello Dolly.” It’s about awoman who fixes anythingand everything in other people’slives, only she herselfneeds fixing.The cast itself has 40-60people, and there are tenmain characters. There are afew differences between themovie musical and the playmusical. As Pam Schroeder,choir teacher, puts it, “Theplay’s more fun.” There wasalso an extra song added forBarbara Streisand (Dolly) inthe movie.The plan for the set thisyear is that it will be largerthan previous sets havebeen. Ideas for the designright now are going well,and those in charge all agreethat this will be a great musicalproduction. The crewwill begin constructing theset right after break, and atthe same time the cast willbegin rehearsing. They havea week less time to rehearsethis year than they have hadin previous years, since theperformance dates are Feb.28, Mar. 1, 6, 7 & 8.For those of you whoaren’t so keen on the actualsinging, dancing and acting,here’s a bit of advice fromDana Johnson (11):“If you don’t want to beout in front, be on crew andannoy the Tylers!”There are many otherways to help out as well.Aside from being a majorpart of the cast or on stagecrew, students can be in pitorchestra, or even just in thechoir. Everyone when askedagrees that it’s a lot of fun,no matter what way you’rehelping out.The pit orchestra spendsa lot of time practicing outsideof rehearsals, since initiallythey only meet once ortwice a week. As the showgets closer they begin topractice more often, andabout a week or so beforethe show goes on, they’repracticing just about everydayȮne thing to look forwardto is the cast/crewparty. Alex Leary (10) states,“Theater people know howto party.” An anonymousother adds, “We are a cult.”“It’s really fun, and youbecome a family. You meetnew people and it’s a neatway to express yourself.” -Donnie Bradley (10)So there you have it. Ifyou’d like to help out,you’ve got your pick ofopportunities. As RuthMason puts it, “It’s just agreat feeling; when the showgoes on; it’s a great feelingto know that you were thereand you were a part of it.”Above: This year’s Snowball Princess Katie Cox (12) and Prince Andrew Blair (10, from Monona Grove) pause fora picture. Below: These LHS students had a little too much fun with the refreshment cups at the Snowball Ball.— photos by Kyle SchenckThe Lance — December 20, 2002 7Acting, talking andradio broadcastingby Gwen Rajski“Here at La Follette, wehave the talent and we willbe great!” said Lisa Johnson,one of the coaches for thisyear’s Forensics team.So just what isForensics? No, it is not thescience. It is actually a formof competitive speaking,where a person either choosesa piece of written work(like poetry or story telling)and practices it ahead oftime or a person receives atopic at the meet, researchesand writes a speech all in ahalf hour.Earlier this school yearduring the kick off meeting,many students respondedand attended.Even though the teamwill be made up of quite afew new faces, state qualifiersfrom past years will bereturning. Renee Dodge (11)(‘01 silver medal and ‘02Critics Choice Gold medal),Kristin Kurth (12) andChelsey Olsen (12) (‘01Critics Choice Gold Medal),Hillary Reichardt (11) andStephanie Bandl (11) (‘01Critics Choice Gold medal),Harrison Buchholtz (11),Reed Flietner (11) (‘02Bronze Medal), RochelleRay, Laura Johnson (‘02Critics Choice Gold medal),Jeff Solberg (10) (‘02 Silvermedal), and Gwen Rajski(‘00 Silver Medal, ‘01Bronze Medal, and ‘02Silver Medal).This year’s competitionsare all over both theMadison and Milwaukeeareas, along with attendingthe Winter Wake-UpForensics Invite, to defendtheir First Place Small TeamAward.“Forensics is a lot of fun,you meet new people, andyou get donuts on the busride at 6:30 am!” said ReneeDodge (11) when askedabout Forensics, “I knowthat we will be awesome,and I hope we earn lots oftrophies, have lots of peoplethat go to state and ofcourse… BEAT MEMORI-AL in the Big EightConference,” she added.“Speaking in public is alife skill, and Forensics is afun and great way to learnit,.” Lisa Johnson said whenasked what Forensics was toher.Girls Scouts are morethan just the cookiesby Gwen Rajski793,538. That’s howmany boxes of cookies weresold last year in the Madisonarea alone, while in thenation the numbers go in tothe millions, 217,563,732 tobe exact.Cookies, the word mostcommonly associatedwith… Girl Scouts. In factwhen 50 La Follette studentswere asked, “What’s the firstword you think of when youhear ’Girl Scouts’?” Fortyfiveout of those 50 studentssaid cookies while the otherfive students said campingand uniforms.But what else do GirlScouts do? Sure up untilsixth grade there isn’t muchto do besides earn patchesand go camping but as a GirlScout grows older newopportunities arise.Sure, older high schoolGirl Scouts go to summercamp too, but the experienceis much different. Camperslearn how to meet new peopleand over come fears.And counselors meet andwork with people from differentcountries and kidswith different problems.Along with meeting andlearning about new peoplethey learn quite a bit aboutthemselves. They learn thatbreaks are made for taking,that they mold a child’s lifeevery time they speak, andmost of all they learn how tocure homesickness. But inthe end, they look back atthe summer, laugh at all ofthe problems and miss all ofthe fun times they experienced.What some don’t knowis that community service isalso an important part ofscouting. At the senior level(ninth through twelfthgrade), the Gold Awardinvolves at least 50 hours ofcommunity service that doesnot include girl scouts.Along with service projects,seniors can apply for“Black Hawk Abroad” a tripsponsored every four yearsto Europe by the local GirlScout council.It takes eight girls andtwo adults to Europe to tourGreat Britain and France, fortwo weeks.“It was a chance to builda group and experienceworlds other then the USA.It was also cool for mebecause it gave me all sortsof new opportunities and Ilearned that Girl Scouts isbig in other countries otherthen the USA” statedBarbara Heindl, a junior atWest High school, a girlscout, participant of “BlackHawk Abroad”, and a girlscout camp counselor.Other trips that seniorscan apply for are calledWider Opportunities. Eachtrip focuses on a specificinterest, from aviation toscuba diving.“The application processis similar to applying to college.You have to writeessays, get references, andgo through an interview, andin the end if you are accepted,the experience you getwill never leave you,” statedRachel Epp a senior atMiddleton High School, agirl scout, a WiderOpportunities participantand a girl scout counselor.Have an opinionabout somethingyou’ve seen in“The Lance”?Write a letter tothe editor!

HOLIDAY ADS

HOLIDAY ADS

HOLIDAY ADS

HOLIDAY ADS

12 The Lance — December 20, 2002 Feature— Inside the Lines —by Andy ThorlandMLBThe biggest news so farthis off-season has been thePhiladelphia Phillies signingof free agent first basemenJim Thome and the NewYork Mets signing of twotimeCy Young award winnerTom Glavine.The Phillies, however,were not done, signing thirdbasemen David Bell to afour year deal worth around$28 million and are nowreportedly trying to workout a deal with the ArizonaDiamondbacks that wouldsend Travis Lee and MarlonAnderson to the D-Backs for2001 World Series MVPCurt Schilling.The Montreal Expos willbe playing 22 home gamesin Puerto Rico next seasonas part of an agreement withthe league to test out a futurehome for the team.The Expos are also tryingto trade all of their bestplayers in order to cut salary.Players like VladimirGuerrero and Bartolo Colonare now for sale, and what’sto say the Expos leagueworst attendance won’timprove this season?Now is there anywherewe can ship the Brewers?NFLAs the NFL seasonwinds down to a close it’ssafe to say this has been oneof the wildest seasons inquite sometime.After winning fivestraight to dig themselvesout the black hole at the endour universe, the St. LouisRams have gone back in thetank, and have officiallybeen eliminated from thisyear’s playoffs. Will the realKurt Warner please standup?Give Jon Gruden theleague’s best defense overthe summer and look whathappens. Tampa Bay hasbecome the hardest place forany opposing team to win,just ask the Falcons andPackers. Both teams havedropped huge games therethe last few weeks and couldfind themselves in troublecome playoff time.In the AFC, every teambut Houston, Jacksonvilleand those lifeless CincinnatiBengals still have a shot atmaking the playoffs. TheSuper Bowl Champions, theNew England Patriots haveretaken the East, while outWest the Oakland Raiderscontinue to dominate. On aside-note for the Raiders,Rich Gannon now holds theNFL record for most 300yard passing games in a singleseason with 10. KansasCity running back PriestHolmes is two touchdownsaway from the NFL recordin a season held by St. Louisrunning back MarshallFaulk.NHLWho says you need highpricedtalent to be the bestADteam in the NHL? Over thesummer the Boston Bruinssaid good-bye to 40 goalscorer Bill Guerin, all-stardefenseman Kyle McLarenand goalie Byron Dafoe, andnow the Bruins hold theleague’s best record.Mario Lemieux continuesto dominate and hasbecome the first NHL playerto rack up 50 points this season;however, Lemieux willnow be with out fellow setupman Dick Tarnstrom whowill be out until mid Januarywith a broken foot.New York Rangerssuperstar Pavel Bure willnow miss the rest of the seasonwith a Torn ACL in hisknee, and Flyers star JohnLeClair will be out 8-12weeks with a separatedshoulder.Lancer SportsLa Follette Basketball isunder way, but unfortunatelyfor the defending StateChamps the season openedwith a loss at MilwaukeeKing, the only team to beatthe Lancers last season.Girl’s basketball is alsounder way, and opened theseason with a victory inJanesville against Craig.Lancer Hockey took theice in Sun Prairie to open theseason with a 5-1 victory,although La Follette hasdropped it’s last two gamesagainst Memorial and West.Boys swimming startedoff the season with a loss,but finished third out of 12teams on December 7th inthe Nicolet Invite.Gymnastics and LHSwrestling have only recentlybegun; more on them nextmonth.Cheerleaderstake firstby Nick ReynoldsLast weekend, a LaFollette team of cheerleaderscompeted in the annualRaider Classic cheerleadingand dance competitions inWisconsin Rapids. Of thefive schools participating,the La Follette girls tookfirst place for the secondyear in a row.Freshman ErinWorkman said, “It wasexciting and nervous, especiallywhen awards timefinally came around.”La Follette is now eligibleto attend the nationalcompetitions in March of2003. They will also becompeting in the regionalcompetitions this January.Girls from all of LaFollette’s cheerleadingsquads tried out on Sept. 25to be in the group and representLHS at the competition.Anyone wanting to getin the group had to gothrough three separate audtions.In groups they performedvarious dances andstunts, and individually performedjumps and cheersfor poms coach LindsayAnderson. All 23 girls whotried out make the squad.by Ben HansonWinter sports are in fullswing, which means hockey,girls and boys basketball,wrestling, gymnastics, boysswimming and continuingsports pom pons and cheerleading.This month’s pickswere hard to choose, butthey are both tri-sport seniorsMike Foley and AmberHaack.Mike Foley participatesin baseball, hockey, andfootball. He has playedbaseball since he was a littleboy, and also played withKennedy Little League inmiddle school. Foley hasbeen on the LHS varsitybaseball team the last twoyears and was named All-City Honorable mention.Foley is also a hockeyplayer. Foley also beganplaying hockey as a kid. Hehas been on the Varsity teamthe last three years for hockey.This season, Foley isstarting forward and also aco-captain. Foley alsoreceived the scholar athleteaward for hockey.Foley’s third sport isfootball. He played for theEast Side Sharks team whenhe was younger, and is nowon the LHS varsity squad.Foley was Second Team AllConference this year alongwith co-captain.Not only is Foley a goodathlete on the fields and inthe rink, he is an outstandingstudent.Foley maintains a 3.95cumulative GPA. He hasparticipated in StudentSenate the last few yearsKyle Schenk (10) checks the clock after a hard race atthe boys’ swim meet against Middleton last Friday.— photo by Tessa TreudenRules of wrestlingby Tessa TreudenHave you ever thoughtabout all the rules made forsports? Well, “The Lance”staff did some investigatingon the sport of wrestling andfound out a few interestingfacts.All rules are explained atthe team pre-season meetingand athletes are expected tofollow that from that day on.Although, the athletes arerequired to sign off on anyof them except the athleticcode.Some of the interestingrules concern appearance.These rules are written forserious reasons but somemake you think. For example,athletes according toWisconsin InterscholasticAthletic AssociationMike Foleyalong with volunteering tocoach sports at the YMCA.Foley is also a member ofNational Honor Society(NHS). Foley does not knowwhere he is going to collegebut has applied at many.Amber Haack(WIAA), must have theirhair shorter than the bottomof the ears and you’re notallowed to have any on yourshirt collar. Also corn rollsaren’t allowed. Fingernailsmust be short and groomed,and athletes aren’t allowedto compete with contagiousskin conditions.There are also teamrules. Such as, no unnaturalhair colors and no unexcusedabsences from practiceor school.A final set of rules pertainsto match days. Theserules include dress code,meeting times, etc. Theserules are meant to build teamunity and team sacrifice,said head wrestling coachGary Skiles. So far wehaven’t had any major rulesbroken, Skiles concluded.Athletes of the MonthThe next Athlete of theMonth is senior AmberHaack. She is also a tri-sportathlete participating in basketball,golf and softball.Haack has played basketballsince she was in thirdgrade, then developing intoa LHS varsity basketballplayer. Haack says, “Wehave a solid team this seasonwith a lot of potential.”Haack is also a memberof the golf team. She wasSecond Team All City thisseason along with ScholarAthlete. Haack was also Co-Captain of the Varsity teamthis year.Haack also participatesin softball. She says thatsoftball is her favorite sport.She has been playing it sinceseventh grade. In her sophomoreyear, she wasHonorable Mention, and lastseason, she made SecondTeam All Conference forpitching.Haack is also good academically.She is in NHSand was a member ofStudent Council. She maintainsa 3.7 GPA. Haackwould like to pursue playingsoftball in college but is notsure yet. She knows that shewould like to go to Eau-Claire though.Imagine being a tri-sportathlete. Between school,homework, practice andfriends, playing one sport ishard enough. Participatingin all three season at LHSmakes things a lot harder,and these two athletes haveshown they have what ittakes.