A look inside:

Vol. 5 Issue 3Drumbeat

Copley High School

Friday, February 25, 2011

New this year at Copley High School is a band of students brought together by making the right choices. The main goal of Copley’s Pride Tribe, organized by assistant principal Mr. Gurski, is to increase the feeling of student involvement by recognizing students’ character, citizenship, and pride.

“Many students have shared with me that they feel that the ‘middle of the road’ student is left out. My hope behind this program is to recognize the students who may not be ‘Stu-dent of the Month’ or ‘Student Athlete of the Month,’” Gurski noted.

Throughout the course of the second semester, each CHS staff member is able to nomi-nate a student of his or her choice for the Pride Tribe. Students are nominated weekly; however, they must show evidence of the character trait of the month. While January’s trait

was courage, teachers are asked to recommend students who exemplify tolerance in February. The upcoming months focus on the following: diligence, self-respect, and integrity.

Marketing and Personal Finance teacher Mrs. Dann nominated junior Alexander Gar-rett for his display of tolerance and integrity.

“He has went out of his way to be an enthusiastic friend to a student that is often picked on by others,” Dann explained. “He demonstrates the courage to step up and be kind rather than do nothing.”

Along with Dann, math teacher Mrs. Crocker explained why she nominated sopho-more Amy Smith to be a part of the ever-growing Pride Tribe.

“Amy is a wonderful student who’s not afraid to volunteer, to help her peers, and to make mistakes. She is an exemplary student for courage, respect, and self-discipline,” Crock-er explained.

Research has shown that promoting the amount of student involvement and feelings of belongingness can lead to an increase in student achievement. Gurski feels that “this program could be an avenue to help build positive student/teacher relationships.”

He also noted, “Oftentimes, these students slip through the cracks and do not get the recognition that they deserve.”

Mr. Abraham, Physical Education teacher, felt junior Jamie Conrad fit the definition of tolerance: the capacity to endure pain and hardship. Conrad endures a number of physical conditions that require her to be in a wheelchair; however, Abraham admires her positive outlook.

“Jamie is always smiling and does not complain when she has to be moved or reposi-tioned,” he explained. “She is an inspiration.”

Likewise, Spanish teacher Mrs. Broda nominated senior Cory Hessedence because she was impressed with his overall demeanor in her AP class.

“Although Cory may not have the highest grade in the class, I have never heard him complain or become mouthy. I think it takes courage to reach what he has instead of taking the easy way to a high GPA,” Broda said.

These students, among others whose pictures can be viewed in the commons, are show-ing that character does, indeed, count. At CHS, the small things do not go unnoticed.

New Pride Tribe sends message: Character countsBy Amanda Wanner

A recent change in a literary classic has attempted to dispel the controversy surrounding its use of dialect; however, it’s creating a debate in itself.

Mark Twain’s famous novel The Ad-ventures of Huckleberry Finn is set in the fictional town of St. Petersburg, Missouri, sometime between 1835 and 1845. As one of the first American novels to be written with local color regionalism, it details the excursions of two young boys, Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer, while depicting the true language and vernacular of the time period. Accordingly, the novel utilizes sev-eral racial slurs and thus has provoked dis-dain from many who have read it. Although Twain included these derogations in order to satirize the ignorance of those who spoke them, their mere presence raises concern.

This controversy has inherently kept The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn out of classrooms for decades, despite the fact that it has been granted with high literary merit. In response to this issue, Alan Gribben—professor of English at Auburn University—has created a combined edition of Huckleberry Finn and its predecessor, Tom Sawyer, in which the offensive language will be omit-ted.

In place of the “n-word,” which appears 219 times in Huckleberry Finn, Gribben will insert the word “slave.” Also, the new version will change the term “Injun Joe” to “Indian Joe” and the epithet “half-breed” to “half-blood.” With these changes, Gribben hopes that readers can see past the dialect of the novel and unobtrusively appreciate the rest of it.

Understandably, the responses to these alterations are vast and range across the spectrum from affirmative to nega-tive. Mrs. Davis, English teacher at CHS, believes that ed-iting Huckleberry Finn isn’t completely necessary and that students can act maturely toward the novel if it is taught in the correct way.

Mrs. Casida, librarian and technology assistant at CHS, also disagrees with the changes but admits that they might be helpful to students who read the novel at a young age.

Senior Mahogany Coleman has been taught several pas-sages of the novel, as well as other novels that include the

“n-word,” and in each instance, the word was pronounced in class. Even though she feels that Twain’s use of dialect is justified, she felt “overwhelming sadness and helplessness” in response to her ex-perience with the word.

“It’s almost as if you know nothing you do or say will be heard because they can’t comprehend it and will construe whatever I say into something they can comprehend,” Coleman explained.

As for the new edition’s response to racism, Davis believes that “it is side-stepping an issue that we wish we could ignore, and that we want to ignore, but that we cannot afford to ignore in a soci-ety that is so mixed and diverse as ours.” She also notes that Twain included ra-cial epithets in his novel “to show that the people who were using them were backward, uneducated people” in order to express his opposition to both racism and slavery.

Casida predicts that, despite the usefulness of the censored novel, “most English teachers will probably want to

look at the authentic text and have students read that text in order to experience it and have meaningful classroom discus-sions.”

Regardless of how students and teachers across America will react to the edited version of Huckleberry Finn, it will soon be at the disposal of those who wish to read the novel without the influence of its racial colloquialisms. Whether the absence of those derogations downplays the experience of studying the novel, however, is another question entirely.

#!$@leberry Finn edit raises eyebrowsBy Abigail Grable

Locals help furry friends in needPage 3

Senior Mahogany Coleman skims Mark Twain’s classic. A recent edition, which removes racial epithets, has sparked differing opinions among school systems.Photo by Alaina Bartel

Winter sports face offPage 6

CHS faculty members began nominating students for CHS’s Pride Tribe at the beginning of January. The above students have been recognized for their outstanding character traits.Photo by Iman AbdoulKarim

Walking into school bright and early every morning, the first thing you see (aside from the dark circles under everyone’s eyes) are the hundreds of cups of coffee to which students cling for dear life. With the reinforcement of the “bottled water only” rule, it’s surprising just how many students are still showing up to school with travel mugs in hand.

Being an avid fan of the stuff myself and an occasional insomniac, I was a little upset when I heard this rule; but I guess it’s only a reinforcement of what’s already in the handbook, so it’s really not a personal attack on the growing coffee trend.

Fortunately, coffee is still allowed before school hours, or else the administration would likely have an uprising of temperamental, sleep-deprived teenagers to deal with as evidenced by the demand for the froufrou milkshake versions of coffee now being sold in the cafeteria. Personally, I feel there is a difference between these and a good ol’ cup of coffee, but surprisingly enough, there is more caffeine in one of those frappe-however-the-heck-you-say-its than in a Monster energy drink.

Caffeine is considered a drug because it stimulates the central nervous system and can be produced both naturally and artificially. Since caffeine causes a surge of energy throughout the body, it can be harmful to the heart in large doses. Specialty energy drinks, which require consumers to be 18 years of age to purchase, now contain up to 500 milligrams of caffeine per serving. The average dose in a cup of coffee is between 115 and 160 milligrams.

Coffee is also known to extract the calcium out of bones which can cause bone density problems and stunt growth. No wonder I am still five foot three. Obviously the physical toll the stuff takes on your body hasn’t scared too many people off, including myself, since the average coffee drinker spends $164.71 on coffee products per year.

So with all of the health risks and out-of-pocket costs, why do teenagers suck caffeine down like it’s air? The school bell rings at 7:25 in the morning, we go home after school to procrastinate, and

stay up all hours of the night doing homework. Since this cycle repeats itself five days a week for nine months of the year, the question should really be: Why the heck don’t we drink coffee? Furthermore, most of the coffee shops around here now advertise to younger people, and Starbucks’ most recent frappuccino campaign consisted of all teenage and young adult actors.

I have been drinking coffee since I was nine years old; however, unlike most young coffee drinkers, I started with the real stuff and not some sugar-loaded beverage. With drinks like frappuccinos and lattes, companies like Starbucks are making it the next big thing to pay five dollars for a 12-ounce cup of foam and water, and teenagers have proven that we will shell out our minimum wage paychecks or allowances to get our hands on it and gulp it down before the first bell rings.

Although the attack on coffee in the mornings is nothing personal, it’s depressing for students to watch the teachers drink it after the bell rings. It must look pathetic seeing a few hundred students drooling over the teachers’ travel mugs - especially Mr. Gurski’s, considering it is the size of a polar pop.

Racism is quite obviously a touchy subject, and it should be. In no way, shape, or form should any kind of racial dis-crimination be taken lightly or condoned. Racism is a poor at-tempt at claiming a person’s or a group’s superiority over an-other person or group, since it has no logical or objective basis whatsoever. However, as illogi-cal and unnecessarily cruel rac-ism is, it still exists.

On paper, America has taken gigantic strides toward eliminating racial prejudices: the Civil Rights movement, the ratification of the 13th and 15th Constitutional Amend-ments, etc. And recently, de-rogatory words have been censored from Mark Twain’s legendary novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. But is the removal of racial epithets from a literary classic really going to change the ways in which those words are used today? As Americans, that is the question we need to ask ourselves.

The irony of the situation is too over-whelming to be overlooked. While the in-tentions of editing Huckleberry Finn are undoubtedly good, the very act itself casts a negative light on the maturity and judgment of society. Do some people really believe that a printed racial slur would have a greater impact on the masses than its use in music and in colloquial speech? On a daily basis,

teens and even many adults listen to music that is filled with derogatory and racially-demeaning language. People even use such language to communicate—either between members of the same race or in degradation to someone of a different race. People who utilize such racial slurs and test the limits of tolerable speech most likely didn’t adopt this habit while reading Mark Twain.

All in all, animosity between different racial groups is still prevalent, if not more pressing than ever. Stereotypes and bloom-

ing generalities are, unfortunately, everyday issues. Despite all that our country has at-tempted to do to achieve equality for all, superior attitudes and prejudices continue to wreak havoc. Dispelling racism would re-quire a momentous, collaborative, coopera-tive effort among all ethnic groups—and it’s up to our generation to catalyze this move-ment by adopting tolerance into our every-day lives. Eliminating a word from a book simply isn’t going to do the trick.

Copley High School Drumbeat

OpinionFebruary 25, 2011 2

To run, or not to run: that is the questionBy Adam Brown

Copley High School Drumbeat3807 Ridgewood Rd.Copley, Ohio 44321

Phone: 330.664.4999 x527068Fax: 330.664.4951

sarah.petry@copley-fairlawn.org

EditorsEditor-in-Chief: Abigail Grable

News Editor: Adam BrownFeature Editor: Amanda Wanner

Entertainment Editor: Paula RamseySports Editor: Kelly Fields

Layout Editor: Iman AbdoulKarimPhotography Editor: Alaina Bartel

Staff WritersJen Smaltz

Emma Webb

AdviserSarah Petry

DrumbeatCopley High School

Note: The Drumbeat, Copley High School’s student newspaper, is a limited public fo-rum. Any opinions expressed are those of the author or speaker, and not necessarily those of this newspaper, its staff, Copley High School, or the administration.

........It’s our turn now........Will rewriting the past influence the present?

Coffee, coffee, everywhere, but not a drop to drinkBy Jen Smaltz

S h e ’ s probably one of the most p o l a r i z i n g people in the country. Some people think she should run for president,

while others puke at the thought. Her ability to “see Russia from her house” drives peo-ple away from her, but her down-to-earth demeanor draws a significant amount of support for a presidential bid. Sarah Palin: Should she run for president?

Shockingly, my answer is no; I don’t want Sarah Palin to run for office. I love her to death, but she should campaign for oth-ers, not herself. That seems to be a general consensus among other Republicans as well because her party only ranked her as the fifth most favorable candidate for the 2012 elec-tion.

Her controversial statements push away too many independents and moderate re-publicans, and that won’t win an election. The republicans need someone that has more universal draw in combination with steadfast beliefs.

What Palin can do is campaign, cam-paign, campaign. She can draw crowds and create vast party support for a candidate be-cause of her political superstar status, and she should stick to just that. If she helps pull strings, she can do wonders, as was seen with South Carolina’s current governor, Nikki Haley. Haley was insignificant in the election until Palin, undoubtedly using her hunting skills, caught Haley’s political scent and endorsed her; bada-bing, Haley is now governor.

Palin’s ability to draw vast media atten-tion is what makes her an effective cam-paigner because even if she makes a statement that is controversial, she will take the heat for her comments and the candidate will remain unscathed, which is quite the deal.

Media control, or some may argue lack-of-control, is Sarah Palin’s figurative super-power, and she can utilize it to greatly assist in the campaign of nearly any candidate in the 2012 election.

Junior Mackenzie Wallace enjoys her regular morning cup of joe.Photo by Alaina Bartel

Editorial cartoon drawn by senior Megan Zimmer

When Andrea Giorgio, a 2009 Copley graduate, be-gan volunteering at the Humane Society of Greater Ak-ron (HSGA), she did not fully realize the impact that the volunteers and animals would have on her life. Now over two years later, Giorgio works as a full-time animal techni-cian and adoption counselor at HSGA to help fight animal abuse.

“I have always loved animals and despised animal cru-elty, so I decided to do something about it. I devote a lot of time and energy into what I do,” Giorgio said. “Yes, this field is emotionally and mentally draining, but I love it. It’s my passion.”

Giorgio has rescued and fostered several animals, in-cluding her Chihuahua mix that was set on fire and severely burned. She also adopted a cat with chronic respiratory issues as a result of a severe hoarder.

There are many benefits to rescuing an animal, accord-ing to Giorgio

“To know a life is saved is naturally a reward, but in most cases the relationship formed is a bond that will last many years. Rescue animals have a story to tell and by adopt-ing from a shelter, you are giving them a second chance at a life they would’ve never had,” she noted.

Today, there are several sources available to those who wish to adopt a pet in need. Locally, Akron offers many reli-able shops and sites that match animals with responsible and

loving owners. Along with the Humane Society of Greater Akron, www.pawsandprayers.org is a website on which shelters can easily post their animals, making it easier for families to select an animal that is right for them. Paws and Prayers has a mission to rescue, rehabilitate and re-home un-wanted dogs and cats and many shelters rely on the website to find their animals a secure home.

One of a Kind Pet Rescue, located on West Market Street in Akron, is another shelter that deals with animal rescue. Mrs. Lopez, science teacher at Copley High School, has adopted several animals. She recently acquired a kitten from One of a Kind Pets.

“When we went to the shelter, there was no contest. You could say that she basically picked us. The moment Isa-bella came home with us, we knew that she was at the right place because she adapted to our family so quickly. It was as if we had had her for years,” she said.

Lopez did note that to adopt her kitten, she had to fill out an application because the shelter does not allow just anyone to adopt.

“I had to provide references, and a background check was required. The process is more than just going and pick-ing out an animal. The main focus is about what’s best for the animal,” she said.

At One of a Kind Pet Rescue, each rescued animal is micro-chipped with a 10-digit code inserted between its shoulder blades so that it can be easily scanned. This allows the animal to be identified and located, if necessary, after adoption.

These shops are committed to saving animals whose lives are in immediate danger of euthanasia. Some of the rescues include animals picked up by local safety officials, as

well as the pets of the recent-ly deceased. Last year alone, One of a Kind Pets found homes for 1,054 animals.

If wondering how to be-come a part of the solution, there are several ways, includ-ing donations of blankets, food, toys, or money. Vol-unteers are always welcome, or for the ultimate commit-ment, both Giorgio and Lo-pez encourage adoption.

Never in a million years did he imagine that he would sit behind a desk or talk to high school students for a living. In fact, when he graduated from high school, he never dreamed or desired to do anything associated with the place in which he just spent the past four years.

However, “Everything happens for a reason” is the quote he lives by, and an example of this quote is the fact that, de-spite his earlier beliefs, he is working at Copley High School today.

While in high school he played basketball, worked, and “enjoyed” the overall experience. When he graduated from Cleveland Heights High School, he wanted to do something productive with his life, so he enlisted in the army. During his nine years in the service, he traveled to various countries including Afghanistan, South Korea, Iraq, Kuwait, Germany, and others. When he walked away from the army right before beginning his career at Copley, he felt the most important thing he took away from the experience is knowing the value of loyalty and respect, and how far it can get you in life. He believes “without respect for others and for oneself, one will never be able to achieve success.”

One of the most influential people in his life is his high school Ohio Work Education teacher, Mr. Riley.

“He was a very down-to-earth and honest person who would do anything to help a student,” he said.

His experience with his mentor is something which he feels has contributed to his success as a staff member. His mentor also introduced him to his first mentee while in high school, who was only in elementary school at the time. To this very day, even while overseas, they have maintained a strong relationship. He is the only one in his high school’s history to keep in touch with his mentee in his adult life.

During his spare time when the weather is nice, he likes to have daddy-daughter days with his three girls or ride his motorcycle, a Suzuki JSXR 1000. During cold days like these, you can catch him inside playing Call of Duty. This staff member is a thrill seeker who enjoys taking on roller coasters, his favorite being either the Dragster or Millennium Force.

When he first started here, something he wanted to do more than anything was build relationships with the students. He thinks his role as an authority figure at times does alter stu-dents’ perceptions of him, but he feels the negative opinions about him come from the students who don’t know him.

“I’m not here to only discipline kids; I really want to help people, and it’s in my heart. That’s what I think made me be a good solider,” he said.

He knows that high school is the same for almost every generation and that it will continue to be the same for the next; therefore, he tries to use his own experiences to relate to students and understand their situations.

So if you really know this staff member, then who is he?

Copley High School Drumbeat

FeatureFebruary 25, 2011 3

Copley’s own “If You Really Knew Me”CHS staff edition

By Iman AbdoulKarim

Furry friends find love and refuge in local shelters

By Amanda Wanner

Answer on page 7

Cats at One of a Kind Pet Rescue enjoy their time in the various cat rooms filled with beams and toys.

Photo by Amanda Wanner

This pup at One of a Kind Pet Rescue is one of many seeking a new home.

Photo by Amanda Wanner

Humane Society of Greater Akron employee An-drea Giorgio poses with her rescued Chihuahua mix.Photo courtesy of Andrea Giorgio

Copley High School Drumbeat

FeatureFebruary 25, 2011 4

Swoosh! The wind whips his hair back as he speeds down the hill going 30 miles per hour. He is so close to the bottom that he can see the finish line in front of him. He pedals fast-er, heart beating out of his chest, legs moving rhythmically. He sees the crowd and the yellow tape. He rushes through the finish line as the crowd cheers. He pushes on his brakes. He made it.

Freshman Weston Flickinger participates in a sport un-like those in which most high school students compete. For the past three years he has been racing, not on a track, but on his bicycle, and he has been making quite the name for himself.

Flickinger has been the state champion five times in the past two years in three different types of road cycling. When he decided to try an older age division, he received first place in the State Championship and first in Ohio Junior Cycling, a division consisting of cyclists 18 years of age and younger. He is also 13th in the nation in his age group, but he hopes to change that to first with his new team “Turner/Prochain.” Overall he has won or placed in over 20 races in many dif-ferent categories. He competes mostly in Ohio, but with his new team he will be traveling the country and hopes to make it to the World Championships within the next three years.

In cycling there are categories numbered one through five, one being the hardest. This year, Flickinger is competing in the third category: amateur pro. During nationals he races in the 15-16 age group, in which participants must belong to category three.

The awards and titles only come after much preparation and hours of vigorous training. During the summer he trains nine to fifteen hours a week on his bike and five hours during the week in the winter, which includes four hours of off-bike

training. To get into the proper mind set before a race, he loves to listen to music, and he makes himself as comfortable as possible with his surroundings.

“The hardest thing is the mental strength to be able to tell yourself to dig deep and push through the pain. It’s what separates the men from the boys in cycling or in any sport as a matter of fact,” Flickinger says.

“Hard work, determination, and mental strength” are what keep him motivated to continue cycling; however his true inspiration comes from his father, who has supported him throughout his life.

“I race primarily for myself and future but also for him. Without him I would not be where I am today,” he explains.

Flickinger believes the feeling of winning a race is like no other he has ever felt before. He loves winning and get-

ting his name spread throughout the cycling world, and that same feeling is what keeps him going when it’s 20 degrees outside.

His favorite cyclist is not someone who has won any big races or titles, but someone who is a true survivor. His name is Dominic Calvarese; he was diagnosed with cancer a couple of years ago and made it through chemotherapy. Calvarese is one of Flickinger’s best friends and one of his competitors.

“He’s a great guy and has an even better personality. Af-ter I met him and became friends with Dom, he inspired me so much and still does,” Flickinger says.

Weston Flickinger is sure to be a name we will all remember at Copley High School; with his determina-tion and persistence, he is on the fast track to becom-ing one the nation’s best cyclists in his age division.

Copley is home to top-notch cyclist

(Top left) Flickinger leads the pack during a cycling competition in Munroe Falls, Ohio (Top right) While racing in West Lake, Ohio, Flickinger paces himself to reach the finish. (Bottom left) During a national track cycling competition in Pennsylvania, Flickinger pedals downhill with no competition in sight. Photos courtesy of Weston Flickinger

Go Copley Seniors!

-The Fields Family

Copley High School Drumbeat

FeatureFebruary 25, 2011 5

Fashion goes against the grain

Some say it’s a sight for the sore eyes, yet others love new and unconventional ways of dressing. Regardless, fashion in the 21st century is changing in a way where it is be-coming less taboo for a female to experiment with menswear and vice-versa.

Feminine girls are now comfortable enough to dress in combat boots and wear blazers that have shoulder pads. Boys on the other hand, are now sporting guyliner (a male version of eyeliner), tight clothes, and new flamboyant hairstyles.

Junior Josh Lowther is not easily missed; however, his once eccentric clothing choices are now becoming more of the norm.

“I’m almost always wearing some sort of studded bracelet and skinny jeans; I only own one pair of non-skinnys, which I wear to work. I’m not too into wearing makeup anymore though,” he explained.

Lowther always tries to add a unique touch to any outfit.

“My biggest pet peeves are logos,” he said. “Yeah, I wear namebrand clothes, but even when I do, my outfit is never complete unless I add a little something to it. I always end up bleaching and cutting up my clothes.

It gives them personality, I guess.”Girls are growing comfortable with

clothing of the opposite gender, as well. Ju-nior Hannah Rice doesn’t find it necessary to dress with the crowd.

“I have four pairs of combat boots. I even have a pair that’s metallic pink,” she admitted.

A number of students see androgynous clothing as a distraction. Sophomore Terrio-na Morgan acknowledges that her originality causes people to take a second glance from time to time.

“I do get weird looks sometimes. I wear a lot of blazers and I don’t think people are used to that,” she said. “Just because I don’t follow the crowd doesn’t mean that I dress strange; I’m just not that into Hollister or Abercrombie & Fitch.”

Where do these androgynous shoppers find their deals? All three of them admitted to shopping at thrift stores and anywhere that sells vintage clothing.

For those interested in joining these trendsetters, they suggested borrowing rela-tives’ clothing and shopping at places such as Urban Outfitters or American Apparel.

Junior Josh Lowther doesn’t mind blurring the traditional rules of style.Photo by Alaina Bartel

By Amanda Wanner

Hiccups: contractions of the diaphragm that repeat several times per minute.

Chronic hiccups: hic-cups that last for an extend-ed period of time.

How about an extend-ed period of five years?

Copley sophomore Paitan Twigg has suffered

from her chronic hiccups for approximate-ly five years now, and junior Sara Kleines has battled her hiccups for 11 months and counting.

Some causes of hiccups are said to be nervous system disorders, prolonged laugh-ter, eating too fast, consuming carbonated beverages, or as a side effect of medicine. Although in Twigg’s case, the doctors found “no odd cause other than the reasons hiccups happen.”

Hiccups usually resolve themselves, but on the occasions when they don’t, home remedies come in handy.

“When my hiccups first started,” Twigg explained, “the home remedy of eating a spoonful of peanut butter worked every single time! Not anymore though, it doesn’t help one bit.”

Kleines agrees that home remedies don’t seem to help.

“Once when I was babysitting, the little girl I was watching got really annoyed with my hiccups and made me try everything,” she remembered. “She made me hold my breath and drink water upside down, but nothing helped.”

Kleines also said she’s “seen every scary movies out there” and nothing scares away her hiccups.

In chronic hiccup cases, doctors can prescribe medicine to lower the frequency of hiccups.

“They gave me medicine to help them not come so often, but the downfall of that is that the medicine used makes you exhausted, and it’s hard to keep up with the meds for that reason,” Twigg said. “They tell you to take them daily, and I used to take them in the morning which caused me to fall asleep during classes, so I stopped taking them.”

Twigg has the hiccups anywhere from every five minutes to every half hour.

“I get lucky some days,” she laughed. With Kleines, it depends on how heav-

ily she eats.“If I eat more, I hiccup more,” she ex-

plained.Twigg finds her hiccups to be “extremely

annoying.”“Sometimes [it gets] to the point where

I will stop what I’m doing and just go lay down until they start to go away. A lot of the time they actually hurt my chest from get-ting them so frequently.”

While Kleines has finally gotten used to her hiccups, she found them to be irritating during the first few weeks.

“Not to mention, when I meet new people they notice my hiccups right away,” she said.

American Charles Osborne had hiccups for 58 years. Osborne was entered into the Guinness Book of World Records as the man with “The Longest Attack of Hiccups.”

So the next time you get a case of the hiccups, don’t complain about them. In-stead, think of the Copley students who give a whole new meaning to the phrase, “just a little hiccup.”

HICCUPS

Math teacher Mr. Allen tries scaring the hiccups out of junior Sara Kleines who has had them for almost a year.Photo by Alaina Bartel

By Emma Webb

Sophomore Paitan Twigg tries to relieve her hiccups by eating peanut butter.Photo courtesy of Paitan Twigg

Copley High School Drumbeat

SportsFebruary 25, 2011 6

Looking around our school’s halls, it’s rare to see someone wearing brown and orange, navy and red, or wine and gold. Many students’ apparel supporting Cleve-land sports has been buried, or in some cases burned, along with the memories.

It’s very hard to find a student that is a true Cleveland fan at Copley High School because sticking with a city that has not had a championship since 1964 is not an easy thing to do; however, junior Andrew Schin-dewolf remains a loyal Cleveland fan.

“I’ve been surrounded by Cleveland fans all of my life, and I can’t help but to root for them,” Schindewolf said.

Die-hard Cleveland fan, Bradley Smith, the culinary teacher at CHS, finds it sad that there are very few young Cleveland fans, but part of him understands.

“My loyalty is true to Cleveland, but I can see why this generation has missed out. They never experienced the good memories like their parents,” Smith explained.

Thinking about Cleveland sports his-tory, a few memories come to mind: The Drive, The Fumble, The Shot, The Move, and most recently The Decision.

“I was completely mortified when LeB-ron left, and like many other Cleveland fans, I was in denial,” Schindewolf stated.

James’ farewell shattered the hopes of millions. He was more than just a basketball player and for the seven short years he was here, he gave Cleveland a reason to believe.

Though many Cleveland fans believe LeBron’s departure was the worst heartbreak of Cleveland sports, Smith disagrees.

“Brian Sipe’s interception in the 1980 AFC divisional playoff game was my first

and worst memory as a Cleveland fan,” he stated. “They had already won the game, and they only needed to kick a field goal, but they decided to throw, and boom, it was done.”

Smith has been a Cleveland fan all his life, and he knows heartbreak more than most.

“Cleveland teams are the only teams that can snatch defeat from the jaws of victory,” he explained.

Some fans simply believe that Cleveland is cursed.

“Sometimes I do ask: Is Cleveland cursed?” Smith won-dered. “At times I just think God hates Cleveland because Cleveland will be right at the pinnacle of suc-

cess and something always happens.” Since the Cleveland Browns recently

ended their third losing season in a row, the Cleveland Cavaliers have broken the record for the longest losing streak in NBA history, and the Cleveland Indians continue to trade away CY Young winners, why would anyone stay true to these teams?

“I couldn’t imagine cheering for any oth-er teams. It’s tradition, and it’s what I know how to do, and it wouldn’t be right cheering for other teams. This is what makes fans true: sticking with teams whether they’re good or bad,” Schindewolf said.

“You follow your home team. Cleveland has a great legacy with a rich history and one day it’s going to come back,” Smith stated

Equally unfortunate is that many forget the good memories because the bad over-shadow them. Schindewolf ’s best memory is bittersweet because although at one point it was great, looking back only brings pain.

“When LeBron hit that game winning shot against the Orlando Magic was the best memory. I was on the edge of my seat when he made the shot, and I went nuts,” Schin-dewolf said.

As for Smith, all of his great memories are “anytime the Browns beat the Steelers.”

Despite Cleveland having a tough year, Smith and Schindewolf, and other dedicated fans, stay true to their city’s teams, and they hope that at some point their dedication will reward them.

Smith has no doubt his dedication will pay off stating, “One day Cleveland will have good teams again. It’ll be the best day ever.”

Wrestling: a sport in which losing isn’t always a bad thing

Junior Blake ArnoldPhoto courtesy of Blake Arnold

Junior Andrew Schindewolf bravely wears a Browns jersey. The team had its third con-secutive losing season this year.Photo by Alaina Bartel

Junior Nico MoricPhoto courtesy of Nico Moric

Junior Nico Moric started snowboard-ing six years ago. What attracts him to snow-boarding is the fact that “it’s a sport that doesn’t rely on a team or rules.”

“It can be something to get away from everything going on in life. And it’s fun!” Moric said.

“I saw snowboarding in fifth grade and it really interested me,” he explained, “so I tried it once and I have been in love with the sport since.”

Junior Reid TorrensPhoto courtesy of Reid Torrens

E TREME WINTER SPORTS

Day 1 (Sunday)9:45 – woke up10:15 – ate ½ slice of dry wheat toast with a glass of ice water3:30 – had one chocolate peanut butter protein bar with a bottle of water6:30 – ate four rice cakes and drank one bottle of water8:30 – attempted to listen to music in order to keep my mind off food and drank one bottle of water9:30 – took hot bath with head above water in order to sweat off extra calories11:00 – laid in bed for a few hours with a cup of tea; thoughts completely distracted by food

Day 27:30 – woke up after a rough night of sleep7:55 – ate ½ slice of wheat toast and drank one glass of water11:30 – had a pb&j sandwich for lunch, along with an orange and a bottle of water5:15 – ate one tuna sandwich on wheat bread with a Slim Fast and bottle of water8:30 – worked out, completing 45 minutes of cardio and 30 minutes of abs. Only took two water breaks and dressed warm to cause more sweating10:30 – took a 20 minute hot bath, keeping only my head above water11:30 – drank two glasses of ice water

Day 3 (snow day)9:45 – woke up 10:00 – ate ½ slice of dry wheat toast and drank 1 glass of water1:00 – ate one chocolate chip chewy granola bar and drank one bottle of water3:30 – took a two-hour nap to get my mind off hunger6:30 – drank one can of Slim Fast 8:00 – worked out, completing one hour of cardio and 30 minutes of weight lifting9:45 – ate one chocolate chip chewy granola bar and drank one bottle of water10:15 – took a 20 minute hot bath, keeping only my head above water11:00 – drank two glasses of ice water and a cup of hot tea before bed

Day 4 (snow day)10:15 – woke up10:45 - ate ½ slice of dry wheat toast and drank one glass of water2:30 – drank one can of Slim Fast4:00 – took a two-hour nap6:00 – ate a small grilled chicken breast with roasted veggies7:30 – worked out, completing 45

minutes of cardio and 30 minutes of abs. Only took two water breaks and dressed warm to cause more sweating

10:00 – took a 20 minute hot bath, keeping only my head above water10:45 – chugged three bottles of water before falling asleep

The Copley wrestling team finished its regular season with a final record of 12-5. The wrestlers can attest that preparing for a match is no easy task, but what others may not realize is the amount of work put into this sport outside of the gym, especially when it is time to “cut weight.” When a wrestler cuts weight, they go on a strict diet for a few days while still conditioning before a match. In order to get even the slightest idea of what a wrestler goes through during season, I decided to “cut weight” just like a wrestler. Luckily, senior Jon Garrison, one of the “healthiest” wrestlers, according to Coach Dies, coached me along the way.

After my final weigh-in, I ended up losing a total of six pounds in only four days; however, you can bet that I definitely gained it all back by celebrating with a large Chipotle burrito and some Olive Garden!

Junior Blake Arnold began skiing 12 years ago.

“I chose skiing when I was younger be-cause that’s what my dad taught me,” he ex-plained. “But now I ski because I am trying to keep some diversity between my friends because they all snowboard.”

Arnold enjoys skiing because of the op-portunities the sport offers.

“There is always room to improve and there are always new things to learn,” Arnold said.

By Kelly Fields

Junior Kelsey Thelen skied for one year, but now she sticks to snowboarding.

“One of the main reasons why I love snowboarding is because it is so diverse. What I love most about snowboarding is when it is just you and the hill, shredding the snow, and there are no other worries other than getting down the hill.”

Thelen switched to snowboarding in eighth grade, making this her fourth year.

Practically born skiing, junior Reid Tor-rens began the sport at two years old.

“I enjoy the free feeling brought by ski-ing and the feeling of being sucked down a hill with only your acquired skills to control you,” Torrens said.

Torrens would not say he chooses one over the other.

“I have tried to snowboard and enjoyed it, but skiing is my thing,” he explained.

Junior Kelsey Thelen Photo courtesy of Kelsey Thelen

The life of a Cleveland fanBy Kelly Fields

Copley High School Drumbeat

EntertainmentFebruary 25, 2011 7

7. Kourtney and Kim Take New York: Ev-eryone’s favorite celebrity sisters are back and ready to party in the Big Apple. While preparing to open a third location of their clothing store, “Dash,” the girls will face the drama of the city that never sleeps.

2. Pretty Little Liars: “DON’T GET TOO COMFORTABLE. IT’S NOT OVER UN-TIL I SAY IT IS. - A.” What’s going to hap-pen to the four girls of Rosewood, PA when their best friend is murdered, and they’re be-ing stalked by her assumed killer? You’ll have to tune in to ABC Family on Mondays at 8:00 p.m.to find out.

Top 10 T.V. shows

4. Glee: Attention Gleeks: The moment you’ve been waiting for is finally here! Fox’s hit show Glee is making it’s trium-phant return with more drama, romance, and, of course, a whole set of catchy new tunes. Wel-come back to McKinley High!

10. True Blood: It’s Twilight with a twist. When telepathic waitress Sookie Stackhouse meets vam-pire Bill Compton, it turns into a mysterious love story like no other. Tune in to HBO to find out more.

5. Skins: Based off of the popular British show of the same name, Skins has been caus-ing major controversy among parents due to its mature subject matter. What do you think? Watch it on MTV on Mondays at 10:00 p.m.

8. Parenthood: It’s the most outrageous fam-ily reunion ever! Parent-hood follows the lives of Zeek and Camille Braver-man and their large fam-ily of kids and grandkids. (For more family fun, check out #3!)

6. American Idol: Back with yet another change in the judging panel, Fox’s American Idol is back with its 10th season of cra-ziness. From the talent, to the possibility of finding this year’s William Hung, the final result will leave you wondering if another season is in the future.

3. Modern Family: Take a family that has a little bit of everything, throw in some humor, and what’s the result? One insanely full house!

9. Vampire Diaries: Yet another series based on the famous Twilight saga, Vampire Diaries follows the story of two vampire broth-ers who fall in love with the same girl. Be sure to check out the second season on the CW.

Friendship, secrets, and a killer: oh my! All of this and so much more fill the pages of the eight-part book series Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard, as well as the episodes of the new television series on ABC family of the same name. From a mysterious murder and a threatening “A,” to revealing secrets and questioned friendships, these chilling tales of terror leave both readers and viewers wanting more.

The story starts in a small, wealthy com-munity in Pennsylvania. Shaken by the mur-der of Allison, a local teenager, this once qui-et town becomes the center of a nationally known murder case. Its four main suspects? Allison’s best friends. In a terrified state of their own, Aria, Emily, Spencer, and Hanna are receiving anonymous messages from “A,” who threatens to reveal their most scandal-ous of secrets and confirms that there is a killer among them.

When I purchased the first book, I was

a bit skeptical about it; how good could it REALLY be? However, when I started read-ing it, I found myself unable to stop, reading page after page until I finished only a few hours later. The next day, I rushed back to Barnes and Noble to buy the second install-ment of the series, Flawless. After about two weeks, I had finished all eight of the spine-chilling novels.

When the show premiered, I was highly impressed with the accuracy of the events and characters. However, as common with film and television adaptations of books, small details in characters and plots have been changed, and some events occur in a differ-ent order than those in the books. Reading the books first may be beneficial to anyone who prefers the full-fledged details of charac-ters and events, and I definitely recommend it, but the television series does a decent job with describing these things as well. Which-ever you chose, one thing is certain: you won’t believe what happens next.

Truth: These liars are sure to satisfy

Little Fockers brings double trouble

Answer to Copley’s “If You Really Knew Me” (page 3):

Mr. GrantCHS Security Guard

If you’ve already met the Byrnes and the Fockers, then it’s time to welcome the next generation of dysfunctional family members. Little Fockers, which hit theaters on Decem-ber 26, introduces the third installment of Greg Fockers’ struggle to secure a place in his father-in-law’s “circle of trust.” Now, with the addition of rambunctious twins, Greg must prove that he is capable of supporting his family and of becoming “the Godfocker.”

Just as Greg prepares to assume this role, however, complications arise that jeopardize his chances of winning over the patriarchal Jack Byrnes. When Greg takes a side job with a pharmaceutical company, Jack becomes suspicious that Greg is being unfaithful with his overly-friendly colleague. To make mat-ters worse, Pam’s ex-lover creeps back into the picture and attempts to become overly involved in the twins’ lives. When everyone seems to be conspiring against Greg, will he crack under the stress of running a family, or will he establish himself as the true man of the house?

I definitely recommend this movie to fans of Meet the Parents and Meet the Fock-ers. The same humor that characterized the first two volumes of the trilogy is ever-pres-ent in the third, but with a new, refreshing spin. Old characters retain their quirks, and new ones bring even more personality to the table. However, I would advise younger chil-dren against seeing Little Fockers because of a scene involving a male-enhancement drug called “Sustengo.” And if you’re the kind of person who becomes frustrated when a char-acter can’t seem to catch a break, this movie might be a bit agitating. I personally felt my patience dwindling as the plot thickened because every possible bad thing that could happen to Greg ends up happening. All in all, though, the resolution of the movie left me satisfied and longing for even more Fo-cker humor.

Even though sequels and “threequels” are notoriously disappointing in compari-son to original movies, Little Fockers is still a decently funny flick and definitely worth a DVD rental.

1.Jersey Shore: It’s T-shirt time! Back for its third season, the na-tion’s most popular guidos and guidettes are once again shocking and enter-taining viewers with their crazy partying.

This is one trainwreck that you definitely don’t want to miss!

By Abigail Grable

By Paula Ramsey

By Paula Ramsey

Copley High School Drumbeat

EntertainmentFebruary 25, 2011 8