Falcon FlyerTHE

Volume XIII, Issue IV 21401 SE Falcon Way Kent, WA December 18, 2009

Happy Holidays!

2 ContentsThe Falcon Flyer

Co Editors-in-ChiefCynthiann Heckelsmiller

Christine RushtonOp-ed Editor Alyssa RyanA&E Editor Mike LydonSports Editor Holly PirretStudent Life Editor Yasmin AbubakarBusiness Manager Kayla MaletichWebmaster Spencer TransierCopy Editors Brendan Cescon Daniel TadeoPhotographers

Megan RogersMelissa Pitchford

Michaela MandalaStaff Reporters

Brian BenshoofKeith Bolender

Kelsey BoltonSarah Cubine

Matthew DavisMichala Dymond-Shaw

Kierra ElfalanCraig Heffner

Jerel HendersonMcKenna Herron

Jason HirscheyErin Hunt

Jacob LangholzNicole LuceAmy Reiter

Ryan SnyderKiley ThroopSteven Weier

Kentlake High SchoolPhone:253) 373-4900 Fax: (253) 373-4908Principal: Diana PrattAdviser: Susan BestTheFalconFlyer.com

The Flacon Flyer is an open forum, produced by students in the

journalism class at Kentlake High School. Its mission is to provide a thought-proviking, informative

and high-quality publication for the Kentlake community, adhering to

strong journalistic principles. Editorials which appear in the Flyer represent the opinion of the named author or authors, or if no author

is credited, the opinions of the Editorial Board.

The staff welcomes signed letters to the editor. The Falcon Flyer

reserves the right to edit letters, al-though every attempt will be made

to preserve original content. Letters should be sent to thefalconflyer@gmail.com. Follow us on Twitter

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Meet the Press

News Briefs:Amanda Knox Former UW student Amanda Knox was sentenced in Italy to 25 years in prison for murder-ing her roomate, Meredith Kercher.

Boeing 787 Dreamliner After two years of delay, the Boeing 787 took flight on Tuesday at Paine Field in Everett. This is the start of a year of tests to get the plane flight approved.

Afghan war plan President Barack Obama announced on Dec. 1 that he will send 30,000 more troops into Afghanistan, hopefully to pull out 18 months later in 2011.

Retractions:In the November Issue, Abigail Johnston did not say, “I think its right, but also wrong- if you are gay, keep it in your house,” regarding the R71 articles.

News Pg. 3 “High prize

for husband of Kentlake assis-

tant teacher”

A&E Pg. 9 “How ‘bout a game of Wackbat”

Op-Ed Pg. 5 “Afghan War

pointless, drawn out”

Student Life Pg. 15

“The history of The Sa-

die Hawkins Dance”

Features Pg. 10 “Pam

Cressey”

Sports Pg. 18 “Girl’s basket-

ball contin-ues winning

streak”

Look for the snowmen hidden through-out the paper! Happy Holidays!

High prize for husband of Kentlake assistant teacher3News

The Falcon Flyer

The Future is Now, a Kent School District student-produced television series, will air on the Puget Sound Access channel Tuesdays at 6:30 p.m. from Oct. 27 to Feb. 9. The student written and directed documentary series will broadcast the importance of technology in both the classroom and business world. The first episode exemplifies how technology is used throughout various businesses in the community. “Our show doesn’t just happen in school; it hap-pens at the 5th Av-enue Theatre, the po-lice department, the ShoWare Center, the library, and the medi-cal center. … In terms of the students, they are not just learning the technical aspects of the skills, they are learning about leader-ship skills, planning, organization, and management as well,” said STEP Program Manager Jeff Thungc. STEP is a leadership program that is used to promote technology within the district. Along with the shows informative broadcast, a Tech Expo is set to showcase 21st century students, jobs, and

classrooms Jan. 27, at the ShoWare center. Students and teachers are encouraged to display the important role of technology in their school and community. Senior Jon Goodgion said, “It’s the student’s way of showcasing what they have been doing their entire ed-ucational career and how they’ve been going through this entire process of learning these technical aspects … and just finally getting the chance to actually show that out to the community.” The television series’ and exhibition’s goal is to dis-play to the community how technology enhances stu-dent learning in the 21st century. “There’s a lot of equipment here, software programs, and techniques that I wouldn’t have gotten the oppor-

tunity to use anywhere else,” said Ken-tridge junior Cameron Halverson. The Kent School District hopes to ex-pand the knowledge each student has gained through these different learning experiences. Kentwood senior Jessica Nawar said, “It’s been a great opportunity to learn more about technology.” Technological advances have been im-plemented throughout the district since the pass of the tech levy in 2006. How-

ever, this levy is due to expire in 2010, meaning that a replacement must be approved by voters in February in order to move forward. Programs such as The One-to-One initiative help by providing every student, in grades seven and eight, with a laptop for both school and home use.

Thungc said, “To really compete in the global econ-omy, you have to be able to access technology anytime, anywhere, and that’s what One-to-One is. You don’t just learn from seven to three anymore. In order to compete, you’ve got to be learning all the time, every-where, and that’s what the One-to-One is for.”

Accomplishments run high for the husband of Kent-lake assistant teacher, Joyce Bashford. On Nov. 6, Bashford’s husband, David Bashford, and his 11 member laser development team, Team Laser Motive, were awarded the Power Beaming Challenge $900,000 prize. The feat took place at NASA’s Dryden Flight Research Center in California. Bashford has been working with the team for two and a half years.

“We designed and developed a laser system to trans-fer power wirelessly to a vehicle, which was the dem-onstrator for the power transfer,” said Bashford. The laser system powered a vehicle (or climber), giving it the energy to climb a kilometer-long cable suspended by a helicopter. The system represents difficult concepts to under-stand. J Bashford said, “I couldn’t understand the con-cept until I watched it.” Laser Motive created a laser system that fires in-frared light ten times more powerful that the sun. This intense light is then received by the climber, which has extremely efficient solar panels. Once the light hits the

panels, it is converted back in to elec-tricity so that it can be used to ascend the cable. Roughly a kilowatt of energy is transferred. To put this into per-spective, Bashford explained that one kilowatt is about enough en-ergy to charge all of the Falcons’ cell phones. The climber’s design and produc-tion was headed by Bashford. “I don’t have a college degree. All of my engineering training has been through on the job training, hobbies, and outside pursuits over the last 34 years,” he said. His interests in science and en-gineering started during childhood; “NASA and space exploration” have always interested him. This project continues in May, when the team can qualify for another $1.1 million if they are able to increase the speed of the climber from 3.98 me-

ters per second to five meters per second. This equates to an increase of about nine mph to eleven mph. When asked about the importance of the system, Bashford said, “If you go from one part of the moon to another, the copper [for the cable] is so heavy to fly to the moon that it is cheaper if you’re going a long dis-tance to take the transmitter and a receiver and power a laser with sunlight.” The technology can also be used to send power to moon rovers when they are in craters that do not re-ceive light. In order to explore the moon’s surface, these applications are vital. The accomplishments of Bashford and his team did not come without a price. He said, “I did not realize, getting into it, how much effort that it was going to take.” His wife said that the hardest part was “Not see-ing him—it seemed like days sometimes.” Bashford agreed, admitting that he was away from home more than he would have liked.

Steven Weier

Staff reporter

David Bashford holding Team Laser Motive’s check at the NASA facility.

Photo by Team Laser Motive

Otis, the climber that Team Laser Motive created.

Photo by Team Laser Motive

Kiley throop

Staff reporter

District videos to promote technology coming to local broadcasts

“ [...] they are learning about leadership skills, planning, organization,

and management as well.”

-Jeff Thungc

A display of techonolgy use in school vocational classes.

Photo by Kent School District

During the holiday season the Maple Valley Fire Department extends their duties to more than just emergencies, bringing a bit of hope to those in need. Every Friday and Saturday night until December 19, the firemen, with the help of the Tahoma cheerleaders and local girl scouts, drive decorated fire engines around specified neighborhoods to collect donations for the Maple Valley Food Bank. Current coordinator, Lieutenant John Madden, a resident fireman in Maple Val-ley, said the collection event has been occurring “for many years,” with the excep-tion of last year. To make up for it this year, they added an extra week and a second truck. Madden said their goal is “to do three consecutive weeks,” making it “the biggest year so far.” With regards to the donation goal, Madden said it is “as much as we can.” The firemen and cheerleaders meet at 5:45 pm at the Maple Valley fire station. From there, they send out the two trucks with some of the cheerleaders aboard. The fire truck is decorated in white holiday lights powered by the on-truck gen-erators usually used for medical equipment. Also, as the truck moves it plays festive songs, such as “Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer”, over the loudspeaker. One truck is also supplied with a Santa Clause actor and the other with “Sparky the fire dog”, who walk with the collectors, providing some entertainment for the young residents around the neighborhoods. They also have “chaser cars” that follow each truck. The cars collect the donations because they “can’t put food on [the] fire engines” due to safety regulations. As the trucks arrive, most often younger children, come out to offer food or monetary do-

nations. Madden said that if they have extra time they go to nearby neighborhoods to gather more donations. The Tahoma cheerleaders are key volunteers for the collection process. Maddie Warren, a cheerleader, said that it is a part of the required events that the cheer team helps with. Their parents are also devoted to the process, volunteering to drive the chaser cars and help their daughters load the food. Local girl scouts lend their assistance in the form of advertising. Before the trucks even arrive, Madden said that “[they] sing and knock on doors.” Their caroling pre-pares the residents so that they can efficiently pass their donations to the holiday engine crew. Madden also said some neighborhoods have gatherings where people can drop their donations for the engine to pick up.

4 NewsThe Falcon Flyer

Thousands of athletes flocked to Seattle streets Thanksgiv-ing Weekend, all with the goal of success on their mind. The traditional Seattle Marathon held true this year for runners and walkers. Among the 1430 men participating in the full marathon were Kevin Shaw and Ryan Bolonesi, Kentlake Alumni. Both trained for the marathon together. “I was asked by my roommate if I wanted to do it, and I thought it was a pretty good goal to get in shape, and a pretty good accomplishment to try to do,” said Shaw. According to Shaw, participating in the marathon was a substantial commitment. “The biggest challenges I faced, see-ing that I’m not a runner, was getting myself into running shape,” said Shaw. He also mentioned the time consuming task of completing the training, which is usually an 18 week process. Shaw said that the Seattle Marathon appeals to a certain type of people. “It attracts people that are into fitness, or […] goal setters; people who are willing to face a challenge in a fit-ness way,” Shaw said. Despite the extreme physical challenges he and his running mates faced, Shaw still claims that it was a good marathon. “It was nerve racking, but I would say it was a fun experi-ence. There was a lot going on; a lot to take in, and the overall experience was fun and thrilling.” The Marathon events include a running and a walking full marathon, with a total distance of 26.1 miles, and a running and walking half marathon, with a total distance of 13.1 miles. Other events, though less prominent, were the kid’s mara-thon, which was also 26.1 miles, and the 5K. While the Seattle Marathon is a family friendly event with no monetary prizes offered, winners are still declared. The overall full marathon male champion was Charlie Sunder-lage, a citizen of Bellingham. He completed the course in two hours, 32 minutes, and 27 seconds. The female champion was Lauren Breihof, who finished in two hours, 58 minutes, and 59 seconds. She was also from Bellingham.

Michala DyMonD-Shaw

Staff RepoRteR

Miles of Seattle tradition

chRiStine RuShton

co eDitoR-in-chief

The Large Hadron Collider is up and running again after being shutdown in 2008 due to me-chanical errors. Successful particle beams fired in late November, the first tests in over a year of delay. Shortly thereafter, the collider beat the world record for highest-energy particle accelera-tor, firing protons at 1.18 trillion electron volts, which beat the previous .98 by a long shot. The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is the world’s largest particle accelerator, located 570 feet un-derground with a circumference of 17 miles. Microscopic particles are accelerated through the lengthy tunnels of the machine at around 11,000 circulations per second before colliding and breaking apart. At a cost of approxi-mately $10 billion, the monumental creation serves many purpos-es, but is predicted to confirm or negate current theories about the universe. Scientists are particularly interested in the Higgs boson, more commonly known as “The God Particle.” This tiny fragment of matter is believed to be what gives particles their mass. Other possible findings would include the Graviton (a theoreti-cal particle that causes gravity) and potentially several extra dimensions previously unknown to man. The LHC attracted the mass media’s atten-tion because of the machine’s potential ability to create microscopic black holes, which many say could grow exponentially to destroy the planet.

However, this has been widely dismissed by physicists as absurd and impossible. “We went to great pains to thoroughly inves-tigate possible risk in even some very outlandish proposals for black hole behavior,” said Steven Giddings, physicist from the University of Cali-fornia-Santa Barbara. “[We] found we could safely rule it out. The basic reason is simple: Nature has been performing this type of experi-ment for billions of years, not only on our planet and sun, but also on much denser objects, like neutron stars and white dwarfs. Their enormous age reassures us that physics doesn’t exhibit the bizarre behavior that LHC opponents have sug-gested.” Physicists are hoping to continue experiments without any further delays. The most notable

was the massive power failure from a shorted circuit, which was caused by a pigeon drop-ping a baguette onto an outdoor electrical instal-lation. Although quite embarrassing,

CERN (European Organization for Nuclear Re-search) scientists treated the situation with ease, describing the bread as “naked and unfilled.” Scientists at CERN are extremely hopeful for the LHC physics program, though equally cau-tious. “It’s a great achievement to have come this far in so short a time, but we need to keep a sense of perspective - there’s still much to do before we can start the LHC physics program,” said Rolf Heuer, director-general of CERN. “[The LHC] can open windows into new physics and that could happen a ready next year. It depends on how kind nature is to us.”

BRenDan ceScon copy eDitoR

Particle accelerator moves forward

“Other possible findings would include the Graviton ... and potentially several extra

dimensions previously un-known to man.”

Photo by Christine Rushton

The Holiday Engine as it travels through neighborhoods to collect generous donations.

Holiday engine sparks generosity in local neighborhoods

5Op-EdThe Falcon Flyer

The Afghan war has dragged on for eight long years without any visible results. Al-Qaeda has taken some hits but seems to be thriving, and now the “defeated”

Taliban is returning to the region in force because of the fragile and corrupted government. With the price both in currency and lives rising higher and our lack of allied support, the question, “is this a war worth fight-ing anymore?” begs to be asked.

On September 21, 2009, the top U.S. and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization commander in

Afghanistan Stan-ley McChrystal, pleaded for addi-tional troops or he blatantly warned, according to the Washington Post, that the eight year long conflict “will likely result in fail-ure.” McChrys-tal got his wish as President Barack Obama recently announced an ad-ditional surge of 30 thousand troops to join the current 68 thousand military personnel stationed in Afghanistan. This will hopefully pro-vide the same suc-cesses of the 2007 Iraq War troop surge.

However, how are we going to pay for this? The addi-tional 30 thousand

Disrespectful students besmirch adminstration opinions

troops will cost an estimated 35 billion dollars, it is estimated that it costs one million dollars per solider in Afghanistan each year. Don’t be surprised if you see some increased taxes in the near future.

On December 1st Obama gave a long winded speech on his Afghanistan strategy. One point that I would like to bring to attention is the plan for starting troop withdrawal in 18 months. Unfortunately it takes a substantial amount of time, around six months, just to get all of the troops over to Afghanistan. Will the new troops even be present long enough to make any difference? Not to mention that even if the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan, scheduled to begin in July 2011, starts on time, it will “probably” take two or three years, said Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates. That’s a long time and even more importantly a lot of money.

Obama also asked our NATO allies to commit be-tween 5,000 and 10,000 additional troops. Is that it? Let’s look at the facts, there are currently around 100,000 foreign troops stationed in Afghanistan be-tween 42 different countries. 68 thousand of that number is American troops and now add 30 thousand more and you get 98 thousand. Between the 41 other countries combined there is only 32 thousand military personnel. I am not insulting the brave service and sacrifices of the troops of other countries, but really? Why does the U.S. seem to be the only country fully committed to this NATO effort? Obama should have at least asked for our NATO allies to commit the same amount of troops that our ONE country is sending into harms way.

I am simply disgusted with our lack of allied sup-port and the fact that Obama, even when facing one of the greatest financial disasters in the history of our country is continuing to guzzle dollars into a war that is going nowhere.

A few weeks ago a friend and I were lingering af-ter the second lunch bell. Mrs. Pratt came over and asked what we were doing. I told her I was waiting to interview a student. She nodded and looked to the re-maining student for an answer. He said, “I don’t have a fourth period.” Pratt explained that students without fourth periods should not be socializing in the lunch room. The student rudely interrupted her saying he took online classes and had every right to be where he was. Pratt told him to calm down and was again inter-rupted by his excuses. The student argued that it was pointless to walk home for a half hour and come back for a class. Pratt finally told him to meet her in her of-fice. He said there was no way he would go to her of-fice, and then proceeded to storm off.

Shock is an acceptable response to something like this; however I did expect this outcome. Why should we respect our administration? “It should be a non-is-sue,” said senior Jayson Baughn, “You should respect the administration not only because you should re-spect others but because they are in an authoritative position.” When students blindly enter the real world and attempt to acquire a decent position in society, they will realize that this idea is pure common sense. Your boss has every right to instruct you on the base of, ‘I told you so.’ Students need to understand this

concept and abide by it. Nothing can be accomplished without respect. Se-

nior Jener Dasilva said, “If you want them [administra-tors] to work with you [students] you need to respect authorities. If you do that they’ll be more than willing to help you out.” There are more than a handful of stu-dents who have not discovered this concept. If a person expects any of their aspirations to be obtained, sacri-fices are neces-sary. “You have to give respect to get it,” said Dasilva.

When people work with each other, much more can be at-tained. This common theory was established in kin-dergarten, so it is a mystery to me how so many teen-agers can consign this fact to oblivion. “Students need to respect their administrators more and in return the administration will listen to us and what we want to accomplish,” said Dasilva. Vice Principal Genae Lan-dis used the example of trash in the lunch rooms. Landis said, “Do students understand that it is not the custodians’ job to pick up their mess? If they would do simple things like this we would give back some of their privileges.” It is common courtesy to pick up after oneself, so why is it such a mission to carry a milk car-ton three feet? The administrators are not bad people

for banning lunch on the stairs if the result is food all over the floor; there is no need to provide unapprecia-tive kids with a suitable meal.

Few students have decided to embrace this idea. Yeah, we have a decent number of seemly human be-ings at our school, but that doesn’t make up for the multitude of exceptions. Junior Alexander Hilsen said, “They have to treat us all the same because they

have to assume we’re doing everything wrong. I mean, we’re only as good as the worst. We really are good kids, but because of other’s actions we have to abide by these unfair rules.” The bulk of the student body feels as though the administration bases their poli-cies off of old traditions and a couple stupid kids. But what do you expect?

The administration can’t let these cheeky adolescents get away with inappropriate behavior. Vice Principal Cindi Perez said, “If students see other students not following the rules, they need to step up and tell them that what they’re doing is wrong.” So you think these policies are the fault of that immature kid in fourth period? Then let him in on a little secret: his juvenile behavior isn’t going to get him anywhere. These op-portunities you want? The ones you feel you deserve? Well, those privileges are in your hands. If kids would portray the acceptable standards administrators are looking for, school might turn into an environment worth going to.

cRaig hefneR

Staff RepoRteR

Mckenna heRRon

Staff RepoRteR

Afghan War pointless, drawn out

“If kids would portray the acceptable standards

administrators are looking for, school might turn into an environment worth going to.”

Editorial cartoon by Mike Lydon

6 Op-EdThe Falcon Flyer

Marijuana is illegal, but that does not stop many from growing, selling,

and smoking it. People will consume marijuana whether it is legal or not. It is

the individual’s choice to do what they will, so why not let them have option when it comes

to marijuana? If someone wants to smoke mari-juana then he or she should be able to do so.Many people do not want marijuana to be legalized

based on the belief that it is a gateway drug. They conclude that marijuana leads to the use of “hardcore” drugs such as

heroin, LSD, or cocaine. This is a myth. This belief is a scare tactic that connects common and uncommon drugs. Most

marijuana users do not go on to use other drugs. If the 18th amendment has revealed any-

thing, it is that something illegal holds more ap-peal than something that is legal. The amend-

ment enacted prohibition, making alcohol consumption a n d distribution illegal. Ironically, however, it caused a significant increase in alcohol consumption after it was ratified. There was also a sky rocketing amount of profit being made by criminals who exploited the increased demand for alcohol. After 14 years, the 21st amendment was enacted which repealed the 18th, resulted in a large drop in alcohol

consumption. The appeal to drink was gone since there is not a risk in partaking in some-thing legal.

Overall, marijuana is a less dangerous drug than alcohol. It is an intriguing concept that an illegal substance is less harmful than a legal substance. The consumption of alcohol has more severe consequences then consumption of marijuana. A study was conducted that showed mari- juana has lower dependence, withdrawal, tolerance, reinforcement, and intoxication levels than alcohol. Both substances were rated on a scale of one to ten. Marijuana has a dependence, with-drawal, and tolerance equal to one where as alcohol has a dependence of three, withdrawal of six, and tolerance of four. To smoke marijuana for a long period of time is less harmful then drinking alcohol for a long period of time. There are hundreds of deaths caused by an alcohol overdose, but there has

not been a death caused by a marijuana overdose. Alcohol is far more toxic then marijuana. Even if the government legalizes marijuana, marijuana users will still be held accountable to be

sober when driving and working. Marijuana would be legal by the government’s standards, but that does not mean marijuana users would have free reign to consume marijuana whenever they feel the need. In order to work for a company an individual is required to not be under the influence of any drug. Incompetence in the work place would not change if marijuana

is legalized. An employer has the right to deny or fire someone that is under the influence of marijuana. Work standards will not change.

There is a fairly large profit that is being made by drug dealers when it comes to selling mari-juana. Instead of that money going towards one person that money could go towards fixing the

education system or help heal the economy. By legalizing marijuana the government would be able to have a standard cost. This will help reduce the drug dealer population and the amount of mari-

juana users. To legalize marijuana use in this economy would be a smart idea. All statistics in this article taken from saferchoice.org

Myth: Marijuana is highly addictive.

Fact: According to the United States De-partment of Health and Human Services, cited on drugpol-icy.org, Marijua-na does not cause physical dependence.

Myth: Mari-juana is more damaging to the lungs than tobacco.

Fact: According to the Center on Addiction and Sub-stance Abuse cited on drugpolicy.org, smoking of marijuana poses minimal danger to the lungs.

Legalizingmarijuana: to do?

Kelsey Bolton

staff RepoRteR

Marijuana not as risky as previously believed

weed, pot, reefer, mary jane, fire, chronic, herb, green, perp, haze

7Op-ed The Falcon Flyer

Imagine a world filled with bright colors, green and purple polka dotted elephants, and deli-cious brownies. Here everyone runs around being happily high all day long. That is what the world will be like if marijuana is legalized.

Marijuana is a common name for a drug made from the plant Cannabis sativa. The main ingre-dient is THC which is a mind altering drug; but over 400 other chemicals can be found in the plant. The strength of today’s marijuana is nearly ten times greater then the marijuana used in the 1970’s. The more potent marijuana increases physical and mental effects of health problems for the users.

A constant user can have issues with learning and memorization skills. Distorted per-ception, trouble with thinking, and increase in heart rate are only a few short term effects that come from using pot. Legalizing this drug would only cause more problems. Sure the economy could make money off of it, but really? Are we willing to risk the health of our future?

Long term effects can alter the smoker’s perception at an extensive rate. Their heart rate in-creases to where the risk for heart problems is doubled. People who smoke marijuana often develop some breathing problems such as coughing or wheezing. It is not known whether or not marijuana affects the immune system, but studies have shown that it impairs the T-cells in the lungs.

Legalizing marijuana would only cause more mayhem. More people would be running around high due to the easy access. Children would be educated at younger ages about the use of drugs. It may relieve stress and make the user feel unusually happy and hungry for a short period of time, but it is certainly not without its effects.

Many have commented on how legalizing marijuana would boost our economy rather then tearing it down. All they really care about is making money, they don’t bother to look ahead and see how much damage could be done. Sure it might help make more jobs and the government could gather money from it. We would be showing America and the younger generations that there’s nothing to hide from this, that marijuana can be considered good. Think ahead twenty years from now when you are a mother of father. Do you think it would be safe for your child to be learning about this drug as early as elementary and let alone taught that no harm comes from it? It would basically be flashing off to them all the benefits, and not showing the effects that are to be experienced later. We would be advertising the drug.

Marijuana can also be considered a gateway drug. The long term exposure to cannabinoids, the active ingredient in marijuana, can make a person more vulnerable to the abuse or addiction of other drugs. People may argue that this is used as a scare tactic, but in truth, it is more likely for a person to continue on using more harmful drugs.

Legalizing this drug would result in chaos for the American future. We would soon find more run-ning around high and children at a younger age learning that it is something good. When in fact it is a topic that we need to stay away from because all people care about is the money aspect and aren’t willing to look into it in full detail.

or not to do?amy ReiteR

staff RepoRteR

Chaos will ensue if Marijuana is legalized

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, marijuana intoxication can cause distorted perceptions, impaired coordination, difficulty in thinking and problem solving, and problems with learning and memory. As a result, someone who smokes marijuana every day may be functioning at a reduced intellectual level all of the time.

Also according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, marijuana increases heart rate by 20–100 percent shortly after smoking; this effect can last up to 3 hours. In one study, it was estimated that marijuana users have a 4.8-fold increase in the risk of heart attack in the first hour after smoking the drug.

Phot

o by

smh.

com

8 Op-EdThe Falcon Flyer

Many things in history live on in infamy, ranging from Henry VIII to September 11th, 2001. Unfortunately, another thing must be added to the in-famy list: Spencer and Heidi Pratt’s new novel, How to be Famous.

We all know Spencer and Heidi Pratt, also referred to as “Speidi”. American audiences have been subjugated to the couples’ stupidity on the popu-lar reality series The Hills since the summer of 2006, when the pair began their relationship. Since then, the couple appears to be a catalyst of endless dra-

Slavery is not some kind of monster that has been wiped out of existence; it is still alive and feasting upon the basic rights of millions of people, now deemed “Human trafficking.” The United Nations defines human trafficking as, “The recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation.” (unescap.org)

Simply put, people’s human rights are violated through forced work. To abolish this, society must see human trafficking for what it is—the merciless profiteering of women and children. Each and every student is a valid part of society and there are things they can do to fight this injustice.

There are two main catego-ries of modern-day slavery: sex trafficking and forced labor. In both sectors, children are often victims. In brothels, the highest demand is for teenage girls (At the End of Slavery).

Local former employee of the International Justice Mis-sion (IJM), Isaac Conver, re-cently returned from India af-ter a year of helping prosecute human traffickers. “Forcing young girls into brothels to serve customers is a cruel, but very lucrative, business,” said Conver. “Brothel owners know they can buy girls for a few hundred dollars, rent them out to ten or more customers per night for a year or two, and then dispose of the girls like trash.”

Although sex trade is a considerable part of human trafficking, manual labor is the majority of modern slavery. Children and adults alike are required to work for up to 16 hours a day without days off. They make bricks, cigarettes, matches, and clothing, work in mines, and do other such labor. When they do not meet their quo-tas, they are abusively punished (At the End of Slavery).

Many people believe that human trafficking only happens in third world coun-tries, but the reality is that industrialized countries are not immune to this atrocity. The Polaris Project reports, “An estimated 200,000 American children are at high

risk for trafficking into the sex industry each year.” Modern-day slavery is hap-pening in the United States, Russia, the UK, Spain, and other European countries in addition to nations such as Peru, India, China, and Uganda. Human trafficking occurs in the large cities of almost every country. Even local cities such as Auburn and Federal Way have reported cases.

Instead of contributing to the problem, the US needs to work on remedying it. American companies, including Disney, GAP, Nestlé, Nike, and Wal-Mart, all have been reported to use slave labor in the production of their merchandise (ihscsl-news.org). When the populace demands fair labor, the country’s companies will make it a priority that their products are produced in accordance with international law, and reform will sweep the slave labor industry.

In order to do away with child trafficking, protection codes must be enforced. A law that would help in the fight against trafficking is currently in congress. The Child Protection Compact Act (CPCA) is aimed at creating partnerships with other countries in order to establish programs that would deter slavery. Victim-friendly

courts, anti-trafficking police train-ing, and data collection systems are a few of the initiatives that the CPCA would promote (findlaw.com). The documentary, At the End of Slavery, tells, “All you need to do is establish a credible deterrent and the people who were once slave masters decide they need to get out of that business.” Saving slaves and then prosecuting their masters is the “credible deter-rent” that needs to be created.

The cruelty of forced labor and child prostitution is a worldwide plague. This epidemic costs millions of people their freedom, happiness, and lives. And for what? So we can save a few cents on our clothing?

Nothing could possibly be worth the desecration. Help combat human trafficking by e-mailing King County Congressman Dave

Reichert. You may not be a voter, but you are still a citizen of King County, so your opinion matters. To do this, go to http://reichert.house.gov/Contact/. You can also help by volunteering your time or donating money to organizations such as Polaris Project, UNICEF, Not for Sale, and childtrafficking.org. Go to slaverymap.org to view reported instances of human trafficking in your area, and all over the world. Even simply telling a parent or friend about the issue can help to raise awareness. We are a generation that is only a few years from the voting age. Know about the issue now, so that you can make a difference when laws like the CPCA are on the ballot.

Erin Hunt

Staff rEportEr

Speidi annoys with asanine new book

Human trafficking requires awareness to be stopped

ma. For reasons ranging from the messy end of the friend-ship between Lauren Conrad and H. Pratt, to the accusations of S. Pratt accusing Conrad of creating a sex tape, Speidi has managed to become a common tabloid fixture. Is being a tab-loid fixture the equivalent of fa-mous? Apparently so, because Speidi think they are not only famous, but that they also know how to make you famous.

Amazon provides a descrip-tion of the novel; summariz-ing the book, “With Heidi and Spencer as your personal coaches, you, too, can trans-form yourself into a red-car-pet-ready superstar!” Luckily, if this is not enough to humor you, it is followed by customer

reviews, one of which reads, “Finally, something worse than cancer” another, “anyone who purchases this should be liter-ally beaten”.

Many believe the only rea-son to purchase this novel is in order to mock it mercilessly and draw a mustache on the blown up faces of Speidi on the book cover. However, you must remember that Spencer already has an unattractive mustache, so a devil tail may be necessary on him.

Let me give you a little ad-vice; if you want to be famous, write a book on how to be fa-mous and then release a scan-dalous tape of a well known friend. That generally seems to do the trick!

StEvEn WEiEr

Staff rEportEr

Photo courtesy of polarisproject.org

Photo by of zimbio.com

9Arts&EntertainmentThe Falcon Flyer

The best kind of humor is that which does not flaunt itself obnoxiously- the subtle kind that refrains from laughing at its own jokes. This is Wes Anderson’s signature style, a delicately understated hilarity that can be appreciated for its dryness and power. Fantastic Mr. Fox does just that. It provides a perfect combination of wit, awkwardness, and nonsensical behavior that leave one quoting favorite scenes leaving the theater. Based on Roald Dahl’s book of the same name, the film details a war between animals and farmers. Mr. Fox (voiced by George Clooney) is a critter who gets off by stealing chickens from the local barns with his wife Felicity (voiced by Meryl Streep). When things get more and more dangerous, Mr. Fox promises his wife he will give up the raid trade and get a proper job. Years later, he starts craving the high of stolen turkeys, chickens, and alcoholic cider. And so it begins. He soon sets up a series of elaborate heists that soon gain the attention of Boggis, Bunce, and Bean, a blood-thirsty threesome of farmers intent on destroying Mr. Fox and his family.

Back and forth the animals and farmers take turns outsmarting each other, and stealing each other’s food in quite an amusing manner. Primarily a stop-motion film, the animation technique used by Anderson was done well. It is obvious that the makers paid focused intently on textures and other details, adding an acute sense of realism to the film. I could almost feel the animal fur, smell the chicken, and touch the tree bark throughout the entire movie. Even more entertaining than the creatures, though, were the h u m a n s . Characters were so odd

How ‘bout a game of Whackbat?BrEndan CESCon

Copy Editor

looking that just one glimpse of them incited laughter. And the film was in no short supply of close-ups, either. Nearly every scene had some character’s solitary face plastered on the screen, every minute detail visible and observable, causing us to chuckle pleasurably. The personification of animals is not a new idea, nor is a war between animals and farmers. But the originality lies within the matured retelling of the story, portraying it more as a heist than playful thievery. With the voice of George Clooney, the movie occasionally reminded me of the Ocean’s franchise, but with more laughs and less Brad Pitt. Because of this new creative interpretation, the film had an aura like no other, one that only Wes Anderson could provide with his red and yellow color schemes, typical dysfunctional families, and occasional existential dialogue. No one could have done it better. Animated features like Fantastic Mr. Fox are rare. Few children’s books can be adapted with such artful vigor. Whether or not children would enjoy it is

uncertain; most jokes would soar over their heads, like replacing every potential swear word with the word “cuss,” the significance of the stereotypical teenager, and

the multiple uses of fox tails. Few movies are able to convince me that beagles love blueberries, or that badgers are great with explosives, but this one has. And that is pretty fantastic.Photo by imdb.com

Sometimes history is not as much fun as it should be. Pirate Radio is a hilarious British comedy about offshore radio stations that blasted rock ‘n’ roll music to a young UK audience in the 1960’s. This movie would much rather show us a good time than to stick to the facts. Writer-director Richard Curtis has created a party, not a movie, and the guests are great company and the host has an amazing taste in music. Just so you Yanks have some background: The mid-‘60s were a golden age of music coming out of Britain, and BBC Radio would not play any of it. If you wanted to hear the Beatles, Rolling Stones, the Who, or any of the music pouring over from America, you would have to tune in to one of the illegal stations. Pirate stations like Radio Caroline and Wonderful Radio London were listened to by millions, even as government officials plotted to put the pirates out of business. Pirate Radio-edited down from a longer British cut called “The Boat That Rocked” and re-titled to attract the millions of US Johnny Depp fans- takes all of this into consideration and turns it into a wonderful fictional story with high spirits and a nose for a tall tale. Carl (Tom Sturridge) is teenager expelled from school and sent by his mother to live family friend Quentin (Bill Nighy) aboard the ship Radio Rock. Quentin oversees the crew of the bad-boy DJs: tubby satyr Dave (Nick Frost), Simon (Chris O’Dowd), Thick Kevin (Tom Brooke), hippy-dippy DJ Bob (Ralph Brown), sexy Midnight Mark (Tom Wisdom), and the king of the waves is The Count (Philip Seymour Hoffman). Pirate Radio has an overwhelming affection for rock’s lasting truths,

and what it lacks in fidelity it makes up for with its soundtrack of resonant classics (many of them were released after 1966 and are therefore impossible for the deejays to spinning, but nobody should be complaining about it). The treatment of women in Pirate Radio is pre-feminist, with “visiting day” on the boat an excuse to shag a groupie or two and for Carl to lose his virginity, which is by far one of the funniest scenes in the movie. A few of the ladies keep up Talulah Riley as a schoolgirl named Marianne (cue Leonard Cohen’s “So Long Marianne”) and Emma Thompson as Carl’s mom- but Radio Rock is a boy’s club happily dedicated to

the founding principles of sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll. The heroes need a stick in the mud to rebel against, so it gives us Kenneth Branagh enjoyably hamming it up as a fussy government minister hell-bent on shutting the pirates down. He even has his own personal yes man (Jack Davenport) to whom Curtis has given a funny name and not much to do. The looseness permeates the whole movie, which rambles into a fourth act, then a fifth, until the characters are clearly having more fun than we are. Pirate Radio turns into another British

ensemble comedy about colorful eccentrics, but you do not seem to mind with Hoffman and Nighy aboard. The real story of British pirate radio goes over the side. (Someone should really make a movie about that.) This movie loses focus of its own storyline but it has enough antics and is entertaining enough to be worth the trip to the theatre to see it. “People will always have dreams, and they will always put those dreams into song,” and then someone will make a movie about it.

/5

They rocked the boat, and tipped it overKEitH BolEndEr

Staff rEportEr

“Pirate Radio has an over-whelming affection for rock’s

lasting truths, and what it lacks in fidelity it makes up for with its soundtrack of resonant classics.”

What life (and the holidays)

is aboutHow does cancer change you, I mean me?

Well, first you cry and wonder what this diagnosis will really bring your way. Then you get millions of phone calls and emails and flowers and gifts and visitors...just unbelievable, huge, amounts of genuine love. That is life changing! It’s as if God gives you this secret look at your life and you get to finally see how many other people’s lives you have been a part of or just brushed up against somehow. I never knew the true extent of what my life really meant to a lot of other people...it’s very hum-bling and kind of overwhelming. I have a new reason to keep on living...to keep making these connections until I take my last breath...this is what life is really about...loving and being loved! My family and all of the many people who have made me aware of the value in their lives have also been my big push to get well, no matter how hard it gets. Their prayers all through the surgery, the chemo, and the daily struggle to just keep going forward are my strength. I do rely on my unswerving sense of hu-mor...you have to laugh when certain things happen to your body due to chemo that make you wonder why the Dr.’s don’t just back over you with their car in the parking garage. That might work too! It just gives me really good stand up material! Of course, I use this material when at Seattle Cancer Care Alliance getting blood drawn, talking to other patients, my doctors, my

nurses, the radiologists, and anybody else who looks like they might need to lighten their mood. There are a lot of people who I have found can smile if someone just helps them with a joke or a weird face...my talent! Even the staff who work every day with cancer patients need a laugh to release the seriousness of the mood. I guess the only surprise has been the realization of what people really think about me...I am just shocked at how much love and support I have, it’s sooooo very cool. I do grieve a lot over not being able to be teach-ing at KL and seeing my students and being a part of this first semester. I am sad when I think of the past and wish it all to go back to what it was...but I have to focus on healing and moving forward now. I will be half way through my chemo at the end of 2009!!! What a party I will have in April when it is really done...hopefully done I should say, because the reality of this disease is like a huge “Whack-a-Mole” game...you have to keep whacking the cancer if it shows up again...and again. I pray that that is not my fate, but, I also know with the help of all of the people who love me and my faith in God...the mole will die and never pop back up. Well, enough of this...Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all of you great Falcons...I miss you ALL...Stay Strong...Live Strong!!!!

-Pam Cressey

“I have a new reason to keep on living...to keep

making these connections until I take my

last breath...this is what life is really about...

loving and being loved!”

improvement from its predecessor. Stewart’s performance was a step up from the last movie. Every time she stepped on screen with Taylor Lautner, the werewolf heartthrob Jacob Black, her character came to life. Stewart and Lautner have an onscreen chemistry that is quite believable. Overall, Lautner was the best. He took on his character role like that of a real actor and portrayed

his character to the best of his ability. As expected Pattinson was the worst actor of the bunch. He appeared to be more in sync with his character, but his “acting” was the same, still as bland and boring as always, not to mention his horrid paleness and ridiculously red lips. Most likely Pattinson was wearing lipstick throughout the movie. For overly obsessed insane Twilight Saga fans this movie satisfies every dream and whim that can ever occur, but for those that have a far better taste in movies will only find disappointment. New Moon is a movie that has been made specifically for Twihards, the name for extreme Twilight fans, and does not deliver an enjoyable time to anyone else. Sure there are some scenes where the movie walks the line between dull and fascinating, but those moments are very few. The most captivating scene is the encounter with the Volturi when

Edward is thrown to the ground, not to mention Dakota Fanning in her role as the angelic vampire child Jane who has the ability to inflict physical pain upon her victims. Fanning has never looked creeper. However, in that scene a few questions were raised. Why does Edward’s face crack like he is made of plaster? No where in the books did that ever arise which leads to the conclusion that he really is fake. This movie reeks of death, literally. If you are not a preppy little 14 year old girl then this movie is not for you.

/5

The Female Perspective

12 Arts&EntertainmentThe Falcon Flyer

“I know what you are.” “Say it. Out loud.” “Vampire.” Everyone has seen this classic scene from the Twilight movie. The Twilight Saga is a ridiculously popular series of books written by Stephenie Meyer that are currently being turned into movies. Those that have read the books have much higher expectations that those that had no clue that Twilight even existed before the movies started being produced. Meyer is a terrible author; I understand that the novels have a devoted following, but there are honestly some things in that do not make sense. The best example is the fact that the vampires in Meyer’s series sparkle. Yes ladies and gentlemen, vampires sparkle. Apparently these creatures are too unique to burst into flames when in sunlight, so instead Meyer has made it so that they aquire an illuminating shimmer. Why do these vampires sparkle? Most likely she came to the conclusion that girls like things that are shiny and made of diamonds. Therefore Edward and every other vampire in the Twilight world glitters like a million diamonds. Whether that was her intention or not is not important. The Twilight Saga: New Moon, which just arrived in theaters has many fans excited and desperately hoping it will be better than Twilight. The film opened with a full moon on screen before slipping slowly into a new moon. Oh the irony. Some may be wondering what is New Moon about. New Moon is about a teenage girl, Bella Swan, who is in love with a vampire, Edward Cullen. The vampire breaks the teenage girl’s heart by leaving and telling her he does not want her anymore. This sends the obnoxious whiny brat into a downward spiral. All Bella can think about is her beloved vampire and how she can not live without him. Love is just so cruel,

is it not? But wait, there is more. Bella becomes an adrenaline junkie and gets this genius idea to fix a pair of broken motorcycles with her best friend Jacob Black who is a werewolf. Bella and Jacob get into a fight which ends with her figuring out he is a werewolf. Oh it gets even better. Bella goes cliff diving for fun which results in vampire boy’s sister Alice coming to see

if Bella is okay. Confused yet? Alice has these crazy vampire abilities where she can see what a person is planning to do. Edward thinks Bella’s dead so he goes to Italy to see the Volturi. The Volturi are like vampire royalty and Edward wants them to kill him. So Bella has to go to Italy with Alice to save Edward, but before she leaves her werewolf buddy begs her not to go. By the way he is kind of in love with her. Talk about a crazy love triangle. In order for New Moon to have been better there were three key things that needed to be different from Twilight. One: replace director Catherine Hardwicke, two: recast, and three: get a new screenplay writer, since Melissa

Rosenburg has proven to be a dud. Well only one of those things was done. Hardwicke was fired, or as Summit Entertainment would put it in much kinder words, let go. Director Chris Weitz was the replacement for Hardwicke and is well known for directing The Golden Compass. His credentials as a director beat Hardwicke’s who had none. Why no one thought of recasting for

New Moon and scraping Rosenburg is a mystery. It was very obvious in Twilight that actors Robert Pattinson, who plays the blood sucking Edward Cullen, and Kristen Stewart, who plays the whiny teenage girl Bella Swan, have no acting talent. Not only does the duo lack acting skill, they also have no chemistry, which is essential between their characters. To top it off, the script was a disaster for Twilight, so why use Rosenburg’s non-existing skill for New Moon? Well it was probably better then having the author of the series, Stephanie Meyer, write the script. With everything that was dreadful in Twilight, there comes redemption with New Moon. The acting was an

New Moon stalks The film is reviewed from the vantage

Kelsey Bolton

staff RepoRteR

Bella Swan and Jacob Black share an intimate moment in The Twilight Saga: New Moon.

13Arts&EntertainmentThe Falcon Flyer

Last year’s movie phenomenon, Twilight, produced a variety of reactions. Audiences, or in all seriousness, those of the female gender, were mesmerized with the “acting abilities demonstrated,” and intriguing concept of vampire relationships. After countless tear-jerking debates, broken hearts, and infamous rick rolls (for those scouring YouTube for the trailer, I know you did), the much anticipated sequel of the year is finally here. However, does the next installment eclipse the fabled movie that started it all? Will it live up to all they hype? No. In fact, it was more of the same. New Moon predominately tracks the life of the relatively insane bloodsucker-lover Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart), and her devastating mental breakdown following the break-up with her beloved vampire boyfriend, Edward Cullen (Robert Pattison), who, to the horror of many, only makes a few appearances. Just when critics thought women around the world would riot in protest, the “vampire-hottie” was replaced with another mythical beast. Enter Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner), the “werewolf-hunk.” Fantastic. I can still hear the screams of those teenage girls at the bottom of the theater as Jacob took off his t-shirt; it was awkward. For those unfamiliar with Meyer’s fantasy, the second story creates a three-way love triangle between our voluptuous main-characters Bella, Edward, and Jacob. Subsequent to Edward’s dramatic departure, Bella turns to her good friend Jacob (that kind Indian kid) to relieve her pain. Realizing that endangering herself produces hallucinations of Edward, Bella turns into an adrenaline junkie. What kind of message is this film trying to relay? From the perspective of someone who has not

watched the first movie, or does not have the ability to recall most, if not all of Meyer’s first two books, you are in deep shit. There really are only three significant points you should get off of the movie: Jacob is a werewolf, a twist so familiar and u n s u r p r i s i n g that it really should be c o m m o n knowledge; the Volturi are royalty vampires, stay away from all of them; and any wolf spotted is not Jacob Black, so do not make any advances toward one…ever. The movie was definitely disappointing, mainly because it had so much potential. One would think that after a change in director, response from fans around the world, and a book for a guideline, the producers would easily make a sequel worth the eight dollars spent. It felt like it was just riding on the vampire craze and the viewers’ obsession with the overly-attractive cast. Acting was similar to

The Male PersPecTIveDaniel taDeo

Copy eDitoR

the reality-show Laguna Beach; bad and hysterical. Edward and Bella spoke dreadfully nonchalantly towards one another. I know vampires are cold-hearted, but c’mon, they are supposed to be in love. It was like watching two Derek Zoolanders pulling off his signature poses; “Blue Steel” on Edward, and “Magnum” on Bella. The only real actor who lived up to their role was Lautner, playing his werewolf somewhat convincingly. Although, did anyone else think it was weird that he was the only “dog” with an eight-pack? The whole Twilight saga (the movies, not books) is disgracefully overrated, and do not deserve the gross over-hyping that they have recieved. Compared to the first movie, which was pretty confusing, “New Moon” is just a tiny bit more superior, but far from where they should be. Unfortunately for all “Twilighters” out there, the movie was one small step for man, and one giant leap backwards for Twilight fans.

/5

All photos by twilightfansite.net

Bella’s vampire love, Edward Cullen.

teens far & wideof both a male and a female audience

14 Arts&EntertainmentThe Falcon Flyer

Long have there been plumbers, braving the dangers of every day sewage and pipes with their snakes, plungers, and pipes. Yet, only since 1983 have there been some so daring as to delve into the depths of the pipes, collecting coins and stars, jumping on toadstools and turtles, and fighting evil turtle-dragons that breathe fire. Today, these brave heroes are known as the Super Mario Bros. The Super Mario Bros. franchise has been one of Nintendo’s biggest successes, appearing in over 200 games to date. Most all of the Mario games involve Mario, the overall-clad plumber with a red embroidered “M” on his red cap, and his adventures to rescue Princess Peach. Though some may believe this game and its storyline have become cliché, 20 years of success have proven those skeptics wrong time and time again. Amongst the gamer community, though, the name Mario resounds in the heart and toys with the mind. The seemingly impossible puzzles and levels haunt many through sleepless nights and red-eyed days. Replay-ability of the games lies in the challenge of a

friend, or so one might seem. Yet, the one complaint of all of the Mario games have been that there has been no game to combine the side-scrolling levels with a multi-player option, eradicating the need to “take turns” and opening the field for support when struggling with the impossible level or mini-boss. Because not much has changed from many of the others before it, the addition of the optional four simultaneous players during the normal game play is the saving grace of the new game. One can play as Mario, mandatory in single player, Luigi, and one of two Toads as you jump, fly, float, and run across the screen, trying to keep your character alive. As this is the newest in the long series of games, also coming out on the newest, motion sensitive technology, it would be expected that the game would incorporate this technology, as well as have quite a few new ideas. Sadly, those expecting this will be regretfully disappointed. The extent of the adapted motion detector is twisting the controller to operate

a special panel that is rarely encountered. All other controls and game elements are relatively

typical, and frankly, disappointing. The inclusion of a few new items and

features keep this game above water, as it retains its cult value, along with its successful history. There are just enough new power-ups and enemies to keep the game fresh, frustrating, and

fulfilling, which is the foundation of the gaming experience.

However, what prevents the game from attaining the masterful legacy of its successors is an utter lack of innovative features or

intriging gameplay, both of which were very plentiful in previous installments. I must,

however, commend Nintendo for keeping the overall formula of the original Super Mario Bros. entertaining almost twenty-

five years after that game was released. Just because this game isn’t the all-time classic that it could have been doesn’t mean that it should be overlooked.

/5

Not much left for a plumber to doJacob LanghoLz

Staff RepoRteR

Photo by nintendo.com

Thomas Jefferson once said “I have seen enough of one war never to wish to see another.” Evidently the developers at Infinity Ward did not share our third president’s same opinion on this matter. The critically acclaimed release of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 has struck a high note for the video game community this year. Similarly, there has been lots of speculation surrounding the new game, as well as colossal expectations for it to be better than its hugely successful predecessor. Thankfully, the aptly nick-named CodMod 2 surpasses these expectations and delivers in spades. The easiest way to summarize the new game is to simply imagine the first Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, but on performance enhancing video game stimulants. Nearly all the likable features from the first Modern Warfare are not only present in the newest installment, but they are tweaked and upgraded to give the player a truly impressive experience. Firstly, the single player campaign mode can only be described as epic. You will get to play a slew of characters in different branches of the military. The stunning locales around the world really help to immerse the player into the story. Likewise, there are scenes in which jaws will most certainly

drop and players will have trouble closing their gaping mouths. One of these moments may be when you are climbing a frozen peak in Afghanistan while friendly fighter jets blaze by not but 100 feet overhead. However, the only complaints I have about the campaign is that it is too short and the story is almost too far-fetched to completely

grasp. Nit-picking aside, the campaign is still delightfully enjoyable. Furthermore, Infinity Ward has decided to add to its arsenal by adding spec ops missions to CodMod 2. These missions are somewhat derived from the campaign, but they actually stand alone

from the main story. The objectives in these shorter tasks are usually inventive and fun. For instance, you may have to run on foot into a hornet’s nest of enemy soldiers while your partner shoots your foes with a minigun from a nearby airborne helicopter. Did I mention that all of the spec ops missions can be done solo or with a friend cooperatively?

This may force some players to stop mindlessly playing the campaign or multiplayer modes for awhile and invite a friend over to join the fight. Let’s face it, multiplayer has always been the staple of the Call of Duty franchise, and it is definitely the largest

Modern Warfare 2 makes war funJeReL hendeRSon

Staff RepoRteR

aspect of CodMod 2. The gameplay is almost completely the same as the first go-round, but there have been a few additional game modes added. However, fan favorites like search and destroy, headquarters, and team death match still exist for any soldier brave enough to join the fight. Also, the weapon selection is truly astonishing, and there are

multiple unlockable attachments available for each firearm. The maps are intricate and balanced and require extensive scouting. All I can say is get ready to be spending many hours in front of the television. Call of Duty has followed a simple checklist to help stake their claim as one of the premier franchises in video games. The recipe which calls for spectacular graphics, dynamic sound, and superb gameplay has not done them wrong. Infinity Ward delivers gameplay for all occasions; if you are playing alone, with a friend, or even online. Each game mode seems to be more entertaining than the last, with multiplayer being the crown-jewel of it all. If you are thinking about purchasing this game, (and you should be) be prepared for the crippling

addiction that will soon follow. As for me, I have to get back to a team death match game I was playing earlier.

/5

Gameplay in the online multiplayer mode. The weapon pictured contains the heartbeat sensor attachment.

Photo by callofduty.com

15StudentLifeThe Falcon Flyer

Sadie Hawkins Day is a fictional holiday in Al Capp’s comic strip, Li’l Abner. The first mention of the day was in the November 15, 1937 edition of the comic. Sa-die Hawkins’ father, Hekzebiah Hawkins, was upset that she had not married. He called all of the bachelors of Dogpatch, Kentucky to gather. Speaking with author-ity, he instructed the men to run. After a short while, Sadie ran after the men; the man she caught was ordered to lifelong matrimony. Upon catching her man, the other women of Dogpatch thought it should be an annual holiday. Since that time, November 15 has been declared Sadie Hawkins Day in Dogpatch, Kentucky. The impact of the comic has inspired a dance named, The Sadie Hawkins Dance. Starting with only one report of the dance in 1938, the popularity has increased every year since. A mere two years after the comic debut, 200 reports of the dance were documented by Life magazine. Along with other cultural impacts by Al Capp, Sadie Hawkins has become permanently implanted into American culture.

History of Sadie Hawkins Dance In honor of the first Sadie Hawkins Day, the dance is a girl-ask-guy event. How-ever, unlike the first holiday there is no actual footrace, couples do not have to marry, and it does not always take place on November 15. Over time, the dance has been given nicknames such as: Girl Break, T.W.I.R.P. (The Women Is Responsible to Pay), Coming Home (a play on Homecoming), Barn Dance, Morp (Prom spelled backwards), and Tolo. The word “Tolo” is derived from the Chinookan language and means “to earn / to win” as in how the woman earns the man from the chase. The Sadie Hawkins Dance will be held on January 23, 2010 and the theme is Glow Out, Blow Out. It is a glow stick dance, and all students are encouraged to wear glow sticks. From past experiences, some find the Sadies dance to be an awkward and boring excuse for a dance. “I can dance with people in weird outfits any day I want, but I can’t get all dolled up for any old occasion, I think there should be a winter ball,” said sophomore Taylor Bouffard. Others believe the dance is interesting and can lead to some productive social engagements. “It’s kind of fun because there’s a lot of good dancers that go and show off their talent,” said sophomore Bria Royal.

Original cartoon by Al Capp, November 15, 1937

JaSon hiRSchey

Staff RepoRteR

As 2009 comes to a close, the time comes to look back on what this year has brought. From laughter to tears, friendship to heartbreak, another year of memo-ries has gone by that tend to be dwelled upon for far too long. 2010 is quickly approaching and it is time to be looking ahead and preparing for what is to come. New Year’s is often thought of as a new be-ginning, a chance to start over and put one’s life back on track. Most accomplish this by making New Year’s resolutions- making a list of things that are hoped to be accomplished in the on-coming year. “They give me a chance to start out fresh. This year, I want to save money for a car,” said senior Jordan Jacobsen. But the question is do New Year’s resolutions actually push one enough to improve their lives? “I think they help make goals and achievements,” said sophomore Cheryl Petersen. Or are these resolutions just another chance to disappoint one’s self and procrasti-nate on something you should get done? One student said “New Year’s resolutions are broken promises.” Everyone wants something to strive for, something to look forward to each morn-ing when they get up and feel proud of when they accomplish. But of course there are always those resolutions, the kind that don’t improve anything and are nearly

Resolutions: worth the trouble or waste of time?impossible to reach. For example, making a resolution to become an instant mil-lionaire is not a resolution that is plausible. Resolutions can be fun like sophomore Emilee Foster’s. “I want to drink a 12 pack of coke in under one hour,” said Foster. This resolution probably won’t make a huge impact in Foster’s life but it is a fun thing to try. Or resolutions can be seri-

ous like freshman Elizabeth Eden’s. “I want to make a new friend,” said Eden. This is a more productive resolution that could potentially improve a life. No matter how happy one may seem, everyone has that one thing in life that they wish could be improved. Everyone has a dream or goal that is hoped to be accomplished. And that is the point of New Year’s, putting the past in the past and looking ahead to the future. New Year’s Resolutions are a way of preparing to accomplish everything that need be accom-plished in order to improve life to the max. It may even push to try something new. “I want to learn a new talent

or something like the guitar,” said Petersen. The key to making a good resolution is consider-ing the limitations. Do not choose something like “lose 20 pounds in a week” instead go for some-thing better and less stressful like “get into better shape”. Never make unrealistic resolutions, choose something that can span over a period of time so it’s not given up on after a week.

Megan RogeRS

Staff RepoRteR

“They give me a chance to start out fresh.

This year, I want to save money for a car,”

-senior Jordan Jacobsen.

16 StudentLifeThe Falcon Flyer

Anybody familiar with Cedar Heights teacher Sylvia O’Brien knows that it is Hippomas time. Decorating the hippo stick with hippo orna-ments and caroling the Hippomas song might seem silly to some people, but this honored tra-dition is a fond memory for many students. “We had a crazy song,” said senior Shae Martinson, who still remembers the fun. Even for the peo-ple whose schedules did not include this unique teacher, many have still heard about the holiday from their friends. O’Brien has been sharing the joy of Hippo-mas since before she began working at Cedar Heights. “Hippomas started at Northwood about ten years ago, and has spread across the district,” said O’Brien. Ever since then it has grown, each year adding new traditions and memories. Unfortunately, Hippomas 2008 was interrupted by snow days, and the festivities had to be rescheduled for St. Hippo-tines Day. The most recent full-fledged Hippomas was in 2007, when some current sophomores had O’Brien. Sophomore Ades-sa Ulm remembers, “We would all get together, play games, and sing Hippomas songs,” said Ulm, who was also a finalist in the Hungry Hungry Hippos tournament. “Hippomas made my day,” said freshman Logan Hedding. Every day, the silli-ness of hippo games and songs

was used to balance out the serious subject mat-ter that was taught. As O’Brien describes it, the meaning of Hippo-mas is “to search for the meaning.” Sophomore Bianca Zlavog found one of the meanings, which was “the joy of spreading hippo happiness.” One of the best parts of the holiday is the creativity and innocence that it involves. Everything about the season is reminiscent of those days when grades were given for cutting out snow flakes and making ginger bread houses. The celebration may not be a part of the aver-age ancient world history class, but it definitely brings the class together in a way that no text-

book could.

Happy Happy HippomasSteven Weier

Staff reporter

Slyvia O’Brian and her students surrounded by Hippomas paraphernalia

When the word Hollywood comes to mind most think of the glitz, the glamour, and the fame. Hollywood Club makes one think of acting and seems like it would be similar to the Drama Club. However, that is not what Hollywood Club is about. It is actually a video club that should not be confused with the video production class. The video production class put together last year’s video announcements that everyone enjoyed so much. However, many that are apart of the class are in the club. The club is an opportunity for students that have an interest in film to pro-duce videos for Friday Films. The open membership policy allows students who are not in the video production class to participate in the club. Anyone is welcome to attend the meetings which are every Thursday at 2:20 pm in room 1700. The club has no requirements just an interest in film. A typical meeting has a few different things on the agenda. The members gather around and discuss ideas as well as working with films that are being produced in video production. They also work with finalizing work for the show on Fridays. The meetings do not have a time limit. When business is done for the day is when it ends. The idea of Hollywood Club and its name originated from Jon Goodgion. According to Jane Walburn, Hollywood Club was Goodgion’s “brain child.” The club’s goal is to go from a daily to weekly platform and have Flacon Friday Films. Although it may not be what the name of the club makes it appear as, it is an inter-esting club that is very involved and offers great opportunities for hands on experience.

Not everyone knows what a double axel or a triple Salchow is, but one person who does know is sophomore Rebecca Simon, a passionate fig-ure skater. Simon has been figure skating since she was about eight years old. Simon was always in-terested in figure skating thanks in part to her mother. “I loved watching skating on TV…that was one of the things I did with my mom. We al-ways watched the winter Olympics,” said Simon. It was not till she attended a friend’s birthday party that she truly fell in love with the sport. Like any other sport figure skating has its ups and downs. “[The] hardest part is learning new jumps because they just take a long time and it gets really frustrating and you don’t get it for a couple months and then you just get tired of it and then you have to keep going and going and it’s a lot of perseverance,” said Simon. The upside is the sense of accomplishment that fig-ure skating brings. “The most rewarding part is when you’re at a competition and you have skated a clean program and you feel really really

Simon dances on the iceYaSmin m. abubakar

StudentLife editor

Roll out the red carpetHollywood has arrivedNew club forms to nurture creativity and provide entertainment for students

Kelsey Boltonstaff RepoRteR

Photo by Steven Weier

Photo by Megan Rogers

Rebecca Simon strikes a pose

great and it doesn’t matter what place you get be-cause you skated perfect,” said Simon. Figure skating takes countless hours of dedi-cation. “I try and [practice] about three times a week for about two to three hours each time,” said Simon. Recently Simon has not been able to practice as regularly as would be desirable, but she knows what it is like to spend hours at the rink. “I’ve gone in the summer anywhere from five days a week eight hours a day to one day a week one hour a day,” said Simon. For Simon, all those hours of hard work paid off. “I compete all the time [and] it’s a lot of fun…my greatest achievement was [that] I won regionals. It was a couple years ago though, but that was really cool,” said Simon. There may be times when the going gets tough but Simon has a solid group of people to keep her from feeling down. “I have a lot of friends there and that re-ally helps boost everything up so there’s really nothing that’s disappointing because I’m always hanging out with friends,” said Simon Although Simon loves to skate, this is not something that she is looking to do profession-ally though she does hope to continue skating for a long time. “It’s just a hobby for me…my ulti-mate goal would be to stick with it and improve,” said Simon.

In its second year as a club, what used to be Christians In Action, (CIA) is now called Falcons of Faith. Senior Justin Blair, club president, had the idea of a name change, but they chose as a group to make CIA into Fal-cons of Faith. The leaders and members wanted the club to become more of an outreach to other religions. Right now, everyone attending is Christian, but they would like to see more people with different faiths join. “Anyone who has faith is welcome. We would love to have lots of different faiths,” said club adviser Rhonda Gleason. Falcons of Faith is not a religion based club; they are not trying to force doctrine onto the members. They want people to come and feel comfortable in their faith and to get their questions an-

swered. “We want to allow God to use us to change Kentlake and bring change to the school and make it so that it’s com-fortable for … anybody who really has faith,” said Blair. Community service is a way for the Falcons of Faith to be an outreach to the people. They are planning a coat drive soon and possibly do some spring proj-ects. “[Community service is] good for advertisement […] and [lending] a hand in the community,” said Blair. Every Monday after school, Falcons of Faith meet in Gleason’s room 1523. They talk about issues occurring in each others’ lives and explain how God is helping or can help them. Also, there are accountability partners, who are people who talk in depth about issues in their lives and about their faiths. It is not all serious though, they “do devotionals, plan community service [and play] fun mixer games,” said Gleason.

17StudentLife The Falcon Flyer

ship,” said Im. However, Oliphant was pleased with the end result. “I performed well and enjoyed participat-ing,” said Oliphant, “there was a bigger turnout and the level of skill has steadily increased.” Oli-phant has been playing chess since second grade, having originally been taught by his dad. “I like playing chess. For me, it’s just a social event. Many of my friends are a part of the team,” said Oliphant. The team has been to state for four consecutive years, and they have taken second for the past

three and are hoping to do better at the next competition. “This year we hope to take first and get a tro-phy. The top twelve teams at state get a trophy and we’d like one of those, but it’s going to take a lot,” said Oliphant. The team has a solid backbone of varsity players including Oliph-ant, Morse, Im, senior Jan Tabac-zynski, senior Sharjeel Mehran,

and senior Kevin Christensen. “A number of the players will be graduating this year, so I don’t know what to expect for next year,” said Oliph-ant. Even with the coming loss of five strong se-niors, the chess club hopes to achieve the same success for the next few years to come.

Oliphant clinches first place in chess tournament

Since 2003, Kentlake has held a highly com-petitive chess tournament. To students’ and staff’s surprise, the most recent resulted in the largest turn out in the event’s history. At the end of November members of the chess club and their peers gathered together in the commons for the tournament. The normal com-petitors include most of the team and a few extra people from the school. “It’s just for people who want to play. If you get serious there are tourna-ments during basketball season. This one is probably the biggest turnout of the year,” said Ginger Milam, adviser. Senior Brian Oliphant, presi-dent of the chess club, took first place in the tournament, followed by senior David Morse and junior Austin Im. “Even though the turnout was big, next year I hope to see an even better when so I can smash on more people,” said Im. Unfortu-nately, Im was not thrilled about his placement this match. “I was unhappy with my result be-cause I destroyed Brian before the champion-

“I performed well and

enjoyed participating”

- Brian Oliphant

mckenna Herron

Staff reporter

Photo by Megan Rogers

Brian Oliphant ponders his next move.

Some students may have seen him around. In fact, he is rather a hard man to miss. Towering above the crowd, yell-ing boisterously to his friends all while stroking his “mantastic” beard, senior Warren Powell is certainly unique. Born in a small house out in distant Kirkland, Washington then moving to Tennes-see, Powell enjoys reminiscing back to his childhood memories of the extreme heat, such as one sweltering 84 degree Halloween evening, and dropping his younger brother on his head. As terrible as dropping someone on their head is, the older Powell has suf-fered a multitude of worst injuries. When questioned about it, he told his harrow-ing story, “When I was six I stacked up all the cushions and pillows on the couch, after about ten minutes of watch-ing TV the cushions fell, launching me into the TV breaking my nose and about 90% of the cartilage. I then had to get emergency surgery,” said Powell. In another incident, which Powell considered more embarrassing than painful he slipped in a puddle of orange juice in the Commons, and sliced open his pinkie finger. When not getting injured, Powell enjoys being on the swim team, playing video games, messing around on the in-ternet, playing Ultimate Frisbee, and he has an extreme passion for comic books.

Powell’s favorite superhero is Batman. Why? “Because he is the goddamn Bat-man.” Enough said. Warren also loves watching movies, his favorite is Forrest Gump (which also causes him to cry like a baby every time). “It’s probably my sense of humor that makes me who I am, I think without my sense of humor I wouldn’t have as many friends or people wouldn’t like me as much,” said Powell. An example of this is the that fact that his hero and inspira-tion in life is, “Aquaman, because I have respect for someone who can swim ten miles in three seconds,” said Powell. Powell plans on attending Green River next year to receive his associate’s de-gree and then transfer to Washington State University.

craig Hefner

Staff reporter

CIA now Falcons of Faith

nicoLe LuceStaff reporter

Some members clockwise from bottom, Alex Wagner, Shea Bolster, Billy Denney, Justin Blair, Sean McDermott and Trent Chandler.

Photo by Nicole Luce

Photo by Craig Hefner

Who is Warren Powell?

SportsThe Falcon Flyer

With less than one minute left on the clock, a pass from senior captain Dakotah Sisco and a shot from se-nior Katie Bubsey sent the Lady Falcons into the first of two overtimes against TJ on Dec. 10. During the first three quarters of the game TJ held onto a narrow lead and hope was diminishing quickly for the Falcons as the clock ticked down. “All the shots we hit [in the fourth quarter] were really key.” said Sis-co. But Bubsey’s miracle shot brought fans to their feet and drove the team to hit another two to tie up the end of the fourth quarter. “Oh my gosh, I could not have done that without Dakota’s [perfect] pass.” said Bub-sey, beaming. The girls pulled off the game though, cinching it with under two seconds left, thanks to ju-nior Erin Hunt sinking seven of her eight free throws. Closing the second overtime with a score of 60-56 brought home a satisfying victory for the team. Coach Scott Simmons said, “TJ has gotten the best of us the last five games, they knocked us out of the playoffs last year, so it’s kind of been our own demon we had to vanquish.” Still pumped from the TJ win, the girls took down Tahoma on Dec. 15, with a score of 61-49. Senior Mor-ganne Comstock brought in the most points, stretching the lead six points by the buzzer. “It was a very hard game for all of us,” said Comstock. Despite the injury of freshman Donniesha Webber in the fourth quarter, Simmons remains optimistic. “I would love to look up on Friday and see we’re 7-0… each game has been a tough battle,” said Simmons. With a 6-0 record so far and a comeback victory against TJ, this season for the Lady Falcon’s varsity basketball team is one for the books.

Photo by Lori Hunt

Brian Benshoofstaff reporter

The Lady Falcons prepare for the tipoff during their game against Auburn on Dec. 12.

Girls’ basketball continues winning streak

Did you know...?1) The team loves to dance to “When I Grow Up” by the Pussycat Dolls and “TiK ToK” by Ke$ha in the

locker room before games.2) They went to a reindeer farm for team bonding.

3) They bake sugar cookies, give each other Secret Santa gifts, have team dinners, and play Rock Band together.

4) Each player gets stat stickers for free throws, rebounds, steals, charges, and team pride. Then the stickers are displayed on posters in Simmons’ room.

5) Morganne Comstock is going to Eastern University and Riley Butler is going to Seattle Pacific University to play basketball next year.

Armed with a new coach and mindset, boys swim begins their season with high hopes – and the talented swimmers to back them up. Already 3-0, many anticipate a successful season and a possible state run. Following the first meet on Dec. 3, junior captain David Dougherty said, “[Our meet went] really good – we killed Kentwood 107-75. We had a lot of great swims…” Senior captain Tyler Royal said, “Everyone stepped up, swam fast, and we took it from KW.” This notable beginning to the season was attributed to talented swim-mers and a new coach, Diana Ekstrom. Dougherty said, “[Ekstrom] is a really good coach. She is stricter than other coaches, but its good because she is holding us to higher expectations.” Royal agrees, he said “[she is] easy to work with and really knows what she’s doing.” Ekstrom clearly brings a positive mindset to the swim team. She said her main expectation is “to see improvement.” In order to achieve improvement, Ekstrom

has made some changes in practice. She said, “I think I bring a little different work-out sets – we use all four strokes instead of free style all the time.” With the help of their new coach and workouts, the boys have brought home their first trophy from the Holiday Relays meet Dec. 11. Ekstrom said, “It was the first trophy we got – but we’ll get some more.” Ekstrom is not the only part of the team with high goals to reach. Dougherty said, “We’re hoping to win all of our meets. We are also hoping to send all three of our relay teams and a good chunk of the guys to state.” Another goal on the team’s list–beating Kentridge, the boys’ biggest competition. Senior captain Kelly Melton said, “We have a better chance of beating them this year than other years.” Dougherty lays out the plan for annihilating KR, he said, “Kentridge has a lot of depth – so we might try to get a lot of endurance. In our first meet, people were tired, especially because so many people are doing multiple events.” However, hopes are high based on the Holiday Relays meet, where the team placed fourth, beating Kentridge. Royal said, “It feels good to dismount KR from always winning. There is a new swim team in town, Kentlake!”

erin huntstaff reporter

Swim team surges ahead of competition

18

19January Varsity

Sports5th- Boys’ Bball, KL/Federal way@home (7:30)

Girls’ Bball, KL/Federal Way@Away, (7:30)Swim and Dive, KL/KR@Home, (3:30)

6th- Gymnastics, KL/Tahoma/Todd Beamer@Away (7:00)

7th- Wrestling, KL/Auburn@Away (7:30)Swim and Dive, KL/Auburn@away (3:30)

8th- Boys’ Bball, KL/KW@Away (7:30)Girls’ Bball, KL/KW@Home (7:30)

9th- Wrestling, Snohomish Invite@snohomish (9:00am)

12th- Boys’ Bball, KL/Auburn Riverside@Home (7:30)

Girls’ Bball, KL/Auburn Riverside@away (7:30)

13th- Gymnastics, kl/KW/Decatur@away (7:00)Wrestling, KL/Tahoma@Home (7:30)

14th- Boys’ Bball, KL/KR@Away (7:30)Girls’ Bball, KL/KR@Home (7:30)

19th- Boys’ Bball, KL/TJ@Home (7:30)Girls’ Bball KL/TJ@Away (7:30)

Swim and Dive, KL/Tahoma@Home (3:30)

20th- Gymnastics, Kl/Federal way/TJ@Away (7:00)

21st- Wrestling, KL/KW@Home (7:30)Swim and Dive, KL/TJ@Away (3:30)

22nd- Boys’ Bball, KL/AuBurn@Away (7:30)Girls’ bball, KL/Auburn@Home (7:30)

23rd- Wrestling, South Kitsap Invite@South Kitsap(9:00am)

26th- Boys’ Bball, Kl/Tahoma@Home (7:30)Girls’ Bball, KL/Tahoma@Away (7:30)

27th- Gynastics, All City meet@KM (7:00)

29th- Boys’ Bball, KL/KM@Showare (5:00)Girls’ Bball, KL/KM@Showare (3:30)

Swim and Dive, Non-Quals@Tahoma (11:45am)

30th- Boys’ Bball, KL/Federal Way@Away (7:30)Girls’ Bball, KL/Federal Way@Home (7:30)

Swim and Dive, KL/Curtis@Away (3:30)

It is the event that every athlete strives for, an occasion so spectacular, it only occurs every four years. For all those in fierce competition, it is an experience that will last a lifetime. This time, the Winter Olympics are closer than they have ever been; British Columbia’s Vancouver hosts the games in 2010. From across our great nation, the elite join as a team to represent the United States in an in-ternational contest that sets superpowers, communists, and developing world coun-tries against each other. Over the decades there have been a number of athletes who originate from the Evergreen State, and this time around it is no different. Perhaps the biggest su-perstar from Washington’s roster is Seattle native Apolo Anton Ohno. Competing in the 2002 and 2006 Winter Games and earning five medals, he is definitely no stranger to big moments. Over the years, Team USA has dominated in speed skating, Ohno’s sport of choice. There are others joining Ohno in represent-ing our state. In fact, he may even have some stiff competition. Federal Way’s very own; J.R. Celski has also made the speed skating team. During the Olympic trials, which were held in September,

Celski defeated Ohno twice. However, tragedy struck when his blade cut through his left quad-riceps during the 500-meter race. Luckily, he scored enough points before the accident to make the team. He will be competing in the 1000-me-ter, 1500-meter, and possibly reclaim his spot on the three-way relay. However, speed-skaters are not the only products we can offer the globe. Alpine skier Scott Macart-ney from Kirkland, and 2009 National Champion skier Torin Koos from Leavenworth both com-peted in the 2002 and 2006 games, two veterans

that are definitely Olympic hopefuls. Bremerton’s Bree Schaaf is the 2009 National Champion in bobsledding and is also on the team. The final all-star is Cle Elum skier Patrick “The Rocket” Deneen. In 2008, Deneen earned the title of “Freestyle Rookie of the Year,” but he

has come a long way since that point. With a gold medal as proof, Deneen basks in the glory as 2009 FIS Freestyle World Champion. Although this may have not mentioned all of our local heroes who have a chance at competing, it incorporates a heroic message to everyone who dreams of achieving their goals. Many of these athletes were once, and some still are, young in-spirers, possibly old neighbors. Celski has the right attitude. “Everyone has dreams and goals. It’s what keeps us alive.”

Daniel taDeoCopy eDitor

“Everyone has dreams and goals. It’s

what keeps us alive.”

-J.R. Celski

Washington’s Olympic hopefuls

SportsThe Falcon Flyer

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