Alex Chmielewski
This past Thursday, suspended defensive tackle of the Dallas Cowboys, David Irving, announced that he is quitting the NFL. Irving, 25, made the announcement as he filmed himself in a video on Instagram Live, less than a week after the league suspended him indefinitely for violating its substance-abuse policy for the third time. This brings up the controversial topic of marijuana use in pro sports.
Irving went on to talk about how he believes that weed could be beneficial to some players health if used properly. “If I’m gonna be addicted to something, I’d rather be addicted to marijuana, which is medical — it’s a medicine; I do not consider it a drug,”Irving said.
Another point that he brought up is the use of weed in other sports. “How many NBA players you see getting in trouble about this? How many coaches you see getting in trouble about this? How many baseball players? How many UFC players getting in trouble?” Irving said.
Marijuana testing is different in all sports, and so are the penalties that are handed out if a player gets caught. The NFL is the most strict of all professional American sports leagues when it comes to handing out punishments.
Many other professional athletes, as well as Irving, see weed as a type of medicine. Former NFL running back Ricky Williams used it as a pain reliever and mood stabilizer. Former NBA player Chauncey Billups also thought about it that same way. “I honestly played with players — I’m not going to name names; of course I’m not — I wanted them to smoke. They played better like that. Big-time anxiety, a lot of things can be affected — [marijuana] brought ’em down a bit. It helped them focus in a little bit on the game plan,” Billups said.
With laws changing, and more research being done, it could be time for professional sports leagues to look at and reevaluate their stance on the use of medical and recreational marijuana in sports.
Band Concert
Shea Sullivan
While winter sports have ended, and spring sports have started, the band has been practicing and showing off their music to the community, all year round.
On Wednesday March 6, the various high school bands held their spring “Pre-contest concert” in the high school auditorium.
With an important contest for the band coming up, this concert was used as an important step to see how ready they are and what they need to improve on.
“This concert is different because this is our contest prep concert, which basically means this concert is like a trial run for our contest since the stakes are much lower. We will see how we perform under more pressure than a normal rehearsal,” senior Band President Julia Moxley said.
Starting off the night was the Freshman band, directed by Greg Newman. The Freshman band played “Bombasto” by John Edmondson, “Harbor Park Holiday” by James L. Hosay and “Declaration Overture” by Claude T. Smith for their final piece.
Following the Freshman band was the Maroon Symphonic band directed by Sandra Sandman. This band performed “Peace Jubilee March” by Karl L. King and James Swearingen, “Quintescent Journey” by Lisa Galvin and “Impact” by Randall D. Standridge.
Next, was the Gold Symphonic band directed by Tom Lewis. The Gold Band chose selections “A Hero’s Journey” by Mark Lortz, “From Gold” by Samuel Hazo and finally “Chorale Variants” by Todd Stalter.
Last but not least was the Wind Ensemble band, once again led by director Greg Newman. Wind Ensemble played “Black Granite” by James L. Hosay, “Variations of a Korean Folk Song” by John Barnes Chance and lastly “Shine” by Julie Giroux.
A big subject of the night was music education, and the aspect of life students learn from it. The Instrumental musical department stressed the importance of music education teaching emotional awareness, reflective learning, decision-making and grit. Also discussed, was how music promotes a fluency in knowledge and can improve a student’s language and mathematical ability.
Aside from the life lessons band may teach students, band also has the powerful ability to pull the community together.
“The community should come to the band concerts because we put a lot of effort practicing to make it the best it can be. The band concerts bring the community together because we play so many different songs that are appealing to all age groups,” freshman Connor Powers said.
Regardless of how the performance for the band went, or how the upcoming contests go, the band is always sure to reflect on their work and look at what they can better for the future. Having a positive attitude and a desire to learn is a strength for the band, and something they value that allows them to be a great representation of the high school.
“The band can improve on articulation and other small markings like crescendo and decrescendo that help the music’s style to really show. The overall performance has been really well this year, and I can tell that everyone is putting in so much effort for the upcoming contest,” junior Alexis Gray said.
Unlike sports and other clubs in the school, band members see each other everyday throughout the school and even more at events like football games, concerts, contest and more. This helps develop band into a very tight knit group which can definitely make what they do more enjoyable, and create a more supportive environment.
“Band is the biggest of any organizations, which may seem intimidating, but it really means that no one is alone. Everyone can find a friend in band, and everyone is there to support each other. Music helps people form lasting relationships,” Moxley said.
As the year begins to wind down, every group in the school including the band will be looking back on their efforts and progress through the year. The band will continue to work hard for their upcoming contests on March 15 at Firestone high school, and the all school musical in late April.
Twisted Meltz food review
By Amanda Ostrowski, Shea Sullivan, and H. Suzie Lee
Amber Patterson- Lacrosse
Maria Leonino
Senior lacrosse player, Amber Patterson is furthering her athletic and academic career at the University of Findlay in the fall of 2019. She is beginning her fourth and final season of high school lacrosse and is excited to move onto the college level.
Patterson’s journey with lacrosse began in sixth grade when she joined a team. She did not know much about the sport and decided to try it out and ended up loving the game. She plays defense for the high school varsity team.
Over the years, Patterson has improved and learned many different skills. Each year she has become stronger and more accelerated.
“I’m still obviously improving but the biggest change is how aggressive I was and the amount of fouls I got. I rarely get any anymore because I learned how to play the ball properly,” Patterson said.
The University of Findlay is nearly three hours away from Stow, and Patterson has been set on her decision to attend Findlay for a while.
Patterson’s motivation is her love for lacrosse and the joy she feels playing with her best friends. Having a sport that has both friends and something she loves makes lacrosse that much better for Patterson.
“I did a camp at Findlay my sophomore year and I loved the school. They also have my major which is Animal Science/Pre-Vet and that major is not very common,” Patterson said.
The process Patterson went to in order to receive an offer from Findlay was attending many camps, clinics and tournaments where recruiters and coaches have watched her. The coaches then decided they wanted Patterson to play for their university.
In order to prepare for her final lacrosse season, Patterson has been conditioning and lifting during the off-season to strengthen herself.
In addition to training for her upcoming season, Patterson also will be training over the summer at Findlay with her college team. Practicing everyday and following the guidelines and workouts Findlay chooses for Patterson will determine how she prepares.
One difficult aspect Patterson will need to adjust to is the difference between the high school and college level. Practicing for longer periods of time and more commitments are some aspects to the changes.
“I think the biggest challenge will be the pressure in college. It is a lot bigger than just a high school sport so that is what I’m mainly nervous for,” Patterson said.
Patterson will be graduating and heading to Findlay in a few short months, and she is ecstatic to see what the future holds.
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