Pinning to the Top
On Feb. 21 and 22, five of the James Buchanan wrestlers went on to compete in Districts at Susquenita High School. These wrestlers included Shaun Reed (12), Hunter Smith (11), Logan Miller (11), Nathan Brake (9), and Hayden Shirk (9).
Then, on Feb. 28th and 29th, Hayden Shirk participated in the second round of Districts. Shirk previously won his two matches the weekend before, leading him to Regionals.
Sending five boys to compete in this tournament and then a freshman making it to the second round was a huge improvement upon last year.
“We’re used to having three or four boys on the team, and this year we were able to put 12 on the mat,” said Coach Derek Straley.
Shirk and the other wrestlers have been in the mat room every day after school, practicing and watching their weight as that is a key factor in their performance. Even after all the winter sports were over, the boys continued to work every day.
Reed, Smith, Miller, and Brake all were defeated in the first rounds in their weight class. However, Shirk went 4-2 and is continuing onto Regionals. A big accomplishment for him over the weekend, was beating a senior he lost to two weeks ago at sectionals.
“The main thing is getting out on bottom and taking and finishing the shots as well,” said Shirk.
He worked on techniques and improving his tactics for Regionals. Even though the other four boys did not progress past the first round of Districts, all of them continued to go to practice to keep working and prepare for next season.
Shirk lost both matches during Regionals. This ended his wrestling for the season, but it was a successful season.
“Districts and Regionals went well but next year I hope to go farther in the rounds,” said Shirk.
All boys and coaches will be working to put all the wrestlers in Districts. With having much more District-qualifiers this year, they’re aiming for some boys to also make it to states.
Teachers Take on Bucket Lists
Do you have a list of all the things you want to do in your life before a certain time? Bucket Lists are activities or goals you want to achieve before the end of a certain time. Many high school students make a bucket list with an abundance of activities.
Someone who might have an opinion or advice on a bucket list could be teachers since they have had more experiences than the students. Some teachers create or still have bucket lists of their own.
“I think it gives the students a goal, something to reach for. Maybe they will look to put themselves to get there one day and become goal-oriented,” said Mrs. Megan Swailes (Faculty).
With bucket lists, students can think of many things and goals they want to achieve in the future. Bucket lists can be something students look forward to doing and completing.
“It can be beneficial if they put time and effort into it,” said Mr. Robert Harvey (Faculty).
Putting time and effort into a bucket list can teach you to do the same with other things. It is a way for students to learn how to strive and accomplish tasks.
“It gives everyone a motive and something to look forward to doing while making goals,” said Caleb Wise (10)
Bucket lists affect students giving them a passion for things. It gives them hope and accomplishments if you complete what you’re striving to do.
Students are surrounded by teachers and faculty every day, so students should turn to the faculty for advice. Whether it be skydiving or spending a night in a hotel facing the Eiffel Tower, your teachers know what’s important and attainable for you. Don’t be afraid to ask someone on how to achieve the best version of your own bucket list, so that you can live your life to the fullest.
Santa Tell Me, Are You Really There?
Preparing for an eventful holiday, Cameron Fleming (10), Hailey Embree (10), and Jordan Small (10) admire Mrs. Stum’s (Faculty) decorated door.
As children, we all got excited for the time of the year when Santa Claus came to town. We wrote letters telling him what presents we wanted and we set out homemade cookies along with fresh milk to energize him for his long journey ahead. On Christmas morning, we ran to the tree to see what toys awaited us and dreaded getting any clothes or shoes. Now, as we mature into teenagers, we see the old Santa Claus story to be childish, silly, and we find ourselves wanting the things we used to hate receiving as kids.
The community at James Buchanan has been seeing changes in their attitudes during the holiday season. Growing up and becoming an individual has made them alter what gifts they would like to receive on Christmas morning.
“Childhood [gifts] were more like games, toys,” said Rylynn Welsh (9). “Now it’s just more like clothing.”
Waking up on Christmas morning at a younger age was one of the most exciting parts of the holidays for some students. Adrenaline and excitement flowed through them as they raced to their parents’ bedroom to tell them that Santa had come last night.
“When I was a kid, I was always up at 5:30 in the morning and wanting to open presents right away,” said Welsh.
While we reminisce in the good times we witnessed when we were little, we may notice Christmas becoming a less wholesome time. This may be due to us being more invested in ourselves and paying less attention to those around us.
“It’s [Christmas] not like, ‘Oh my gosh, Santa came last night,’” said Hunter Smith (10). “It’s more like, ‘I got presents and these are for me.’”
As teenagers undergo transitions into adulthood, it may seem like old morals established as children have diminished. But other students at James Buchanan feel that the values they hold during Christmas have not changed at all throughout their life.
“It’s not all about presents, it’s about being with your family,” said Smith, “so I don’t really find it [Christmas] more or less exciting than before.”
Although the holiday season may be slightly different from previous years, we can still enable it to be a special time to come together with your family and exchange gifts out of gratitude. We can still remember the good times from past Christmases and help us to have better Christmases in the near future.
“Waking up and seeing all the cookies eaten and a half-drank glass of milk,” said Smith referring to his childhood during Christmas.
As a school community, we may notice things in our lives changing slightly as the years go by, especially during this time of year. Students think that we are able to use these changes to our advantage and make every Christmas as cheerful as we can.
The World of Wrestling
Find out how James Buchanan wrestling team did the 2017-18 season and what the future holds for them.
The official proclaims Logan Miller (9) winner of the match.
The wrestling season is coming to a close as the James Buchanan Varsity Wrestling team enters their championship season.
This season started out strong with eleven wrestlers; for nine of them, it was their first year on the Varsity Wrestling team. Many new faces brought a lot of hope to the wrestlers, and they wanted to win matches for the team. Although they didn’t have a winning season, the boys were closer as a team than last season.
“I feel like this team, this year, was a lot stronger and a lot more bonded than years in the past,” said Jaelin Carmak (12), the only senior and team captain. “Just as a team, in general, we bonded real well and I feel like that’s a bigger win than actually winning a dual meet.”
Even though they weren’t able to win any meets, there were a lot of individual wins for some of the wrestlers, which helped boost morale and spirit.
James Buchanan’s wrestling team is very young with only one senior leaving this year; many of the wrestlers will be coming back next year to continue where they left off. Carmak’s teammate, Hunter Smith (9), plans to return for the next season.
“We need more experience. We need more talent and wrestlers, have more people out there and join the team,” said Smith.
Smith believes these are the ingredients they will need for next season, especially with how young the team is. There were six freshmen wrestlers this year, making up over half of the team.
For what the team lacks in their numbers, they make up for in their dedication and focus.
“When you go out there on the mat, you wouldn’t think six minutes of wrestling is real hard, but you’re using every muscle out there,” Carmak said. “You use muscles you wouldn’t even think you would.”
To be able to wrestle even just six minutes on the mat requires hours of training at practices. The wrestler’s condition by running two miles every practice, then they do drills to better their coordination and flexibility. They also learn different moves, so they are able to pin the competition and live wrestling and doing their own moves.
Though the practices are tough and tiring the wrestlers love their sport. Carmak and Smith both agreed that the best part of the season were the bus rides to and from the matches. There, the boys would talk and relax. It bonded them closer as a team making them feel much like a family.
The Wrestling team has been through a long and grueling season, but they are all looking forward to competing in Sectionals, February 17, at Susquenita High School. From there if wrestlers place in the top three they move onto Districts.
