– By Carlie Dice –

The 2012-2013 football practice has just begun. They guys are busy getting ready and in shape for the upcoming season. Suspense is building as everyone awaits the start of the new season, and also nerves are building as everyone fears how the boys will react to losing their beloved Coach D. Coach Adam Daniel was a huge piece to the puzzle of success in the football program as well as a huge asset to the business and marketing programs here at NHS. Jessica Ross, a student at NHS said, “Coach D had a huge impact on Newport football team, he took the team places that they hadn’t been in years. He will be greatly missed.”

The players are working hard trying to achieve the northeast A league championship. Though the boys are unsure of how they will feel towards a new coach, they are very enthusiastic for the upcoming season. Zack C, a student as NHS said, “Football for hope is movement that uses the power of the game for positive social change. So I’m hoping we are ready to come play physical and be the Northeast A champs!”

In their last season with Coach D by their sides, the football team achieved greater goals than they have in many years. The football program has come very far through hard work and self discipline. The band of brothers that play under the Friday night lights should be very proud of themselves. The entire community is very anxious to see how team leadership will hold them together and push their limits to places they have never seen before.

The new coach has yet to be announced but the boys have been promised nothing less than something better. Mr. Matson, the very proud principal at NHS, has promised the football team that he would find them a coach that would do nothing less than lead them to achieve their dreams. Nate W, a student at NHS said “How to hit like a man, determination and motivation.” Someday our football team will proudly hold a trophy high in the air and be able to say that they achieved their goal.

Football, basketball, baseball, soccer, and tennis. These activities have different names for a reason; they have different roles and different purposes for the game. Although they all do have something in common: they are sports. What defines a sport though? Athletic ability, competition, even a chance to show off skills are all reasons people play. This brings people to the question, “Is cheerleading a sport?”

Three out of four of the people at NHS  believe it is. In fact, our very own librarian, Mrs.Noble says, “Cheerleading is challenging in many ways and more students should be open to the idea of doing it to get the experience of what cheerleaders do.” Coltin Worley, one male cheerleader at NHS says, “Many people don’t think that cheerleading is a sport because all they see is us standing there yelling random cheers, but what they’re missing is the real work behind the scenes. Like the 200 cheers you have to memorize,the dances we learn in three days, and the workouts the boys do to be able to lift. We constantly learn new cheers and claps, practicing on switching from offense to defense cheers.” This sport is combined with confidence, beauty, flexibility, and mentality. These are key aspects that get cheerleaders through every game.

While fans are sitting in the stands enjoying their snacks or refreshments and getting comfortable, the cheerleaders are standing the entire time performing and looking their best through both the boys and girls varsity games. With hardly any time during halftime to eat or sit down, the cheerleaders quickly practice stunts/cheers for the next time out.

On the other hand, Gage Anderson says, “Cheerleading is allowing a group of people to cheer on an actual sport and there is no competition, so therefore, it’s not a sport.” And when Rene Peters was asked why she thinks cheerleading isn’t a sport, she replied with, “When you think about it, cheerleaders just stand on the sidelines and don’t really compete in anything so there is no game going on.”

Asking ten boys their opinion, four of them stated that cheerleading isn’t a sport, while six said that  it is indeed a sport. Nine out of ten girls say cheer falls under the sports category whereas one girl, Tasha Rohrer, replied with a, “Heck no,” as she doesn’t believe that cheerleading is a sport.

So, the question remains in the air. Is or isn’t cheerleading a sport? Combined with physical activity, mental competition, and a number of skills that are used at every game, should cheerleading get the privilege of being called a sport?

Newport High school is home to the Lady Grizzlies who currently hold a 19-2 record overall and a league record of 7-1, by far the best soccer team around in many people’s eyes. With the Grizzlies making an appearance at state last year, they are fighting their way back to state one game at a time to become state champs.

With the majority of the soccer team returning this year, all of the key players are back and focused on the goal that they all share: winning state. With 9 seniors leading their team, the Grizzlies are back in full force to play their last game in Seattle for the state championships. Last year, there was only one senior lost, and with this year’s group of freshmen the team has compensated for the lost senior. With a total of 5 freshmen, the soccer team is larger than last year, helping the girls to work harder and fight for the starting spots.

With the season starting, our Lady Grizzlies are pushed at every practice to their full potential. But they understand that they have only one shot to make it to state. If they mess around at practice and aren’t being in good shape, the Lady Grizzlies will get killed at games. Taylor Lewis said, “We have been working our hearts out and staying focused this year with the same goal in mind, and that’s being in Seattle playing for the championships.”

As league comes to an end, the soccer girls sit on top of there league with their record of 7-1. Savanna Lyndel said “I believe we all know what is up for grabs, our practices will be harder, but I trust my teammates will be ready for the next level”. As a spectator in the stands, you can  tell right off the bat that every single one of the Lady Grizzlies has been coached outstandingly and that they are going to give everything they have for the two halves of soccer they will play at each game. The Lady Grizzlies cannot afford to play like an average team because, if they played like a average team, they would not be at the top of their league.

This season, Newport came in with high hope and even higher goals. The goal was to be the NEA league champions. They were unable to achieve that goal, even with the starting the season at 4-0, winning the first league game against the reigning NEA champions, the Colville Indians. All of Newport’s hopes were high at that point. Newport was the only league team to defeat Colville. Then the Grizzlies went into Riverside territory to face the Rams. This was a very winnable game for Newport and they let that go to their heads. Newport put up 28 unanswered points in the first half. Then The Grizzlies had 1 touchdown in the second half and Riverside scored 36 unanswered points against Newport. So the overconfidence led to the 33 to 40 loss, which destroyed Newport’s confidence going into the biggest game of the season against the 5-0 Freeman Scotties. There is not much to be said about this game other than the fact that Freeman came to play and Newport simply did not. All coaches agreed that “In the past, two losses we have not had the senior leadership we have had in previous wins!”

Then, Newport went to a non-league game against the worthy foe of Lake City. The Grizzlies were unable to play their starting team because they had a game on the Friday after. So Newport played their 2nd string guys and won 36 to 20. This win gave Newport a 5-2 and prepared them for the last league game of the season. Coach D said, “To keep winning, we have to find our passion, and get back our preseason pump!” Newport’s starting quarterback Travis Martin said, “We need to keep working hard in practice so that the games are easy.” The last league game vs. Lakeside was very nerve-wracking in the first half, ending with the team down by ten, but then, Newport came back to win by 20 points. The final score was 52 to 32.

The final regular season game is at Springdale. They are a 2B school, which is one size smaller than Newport, but every time the Grizzlies have played Springdale, they always come to play. This will be a great game to prove the Newport Grizzlies are better then a 4th seed team, The Grizzlies will prove They should be number one!

The soccer team was a little less than successful but everyone on the team enjoyed it through out the season. Our record was not very good, but our team stayed together for the most part. We started with roughly 22 players, by the end we had 12. I quit two weeks before the end because I was just not having fun with it, soccer is not my sport. But I knew that the rest of the kids that stayed through the whole season had a bond. Most of them had been playing together since elementary school.  They have a deep passion for soccer, and the reason they stay together is for their shared enjoyment of the game and each other. For the most part our games were the same. We started out the first half great, the team played off mistakes and scored well. When we lost we lost big, when we won, we won bigger. Or at least it seemed like it. The last half of our games we lost because we had zero substitutes for our starters.

Our plus sides were our forwards and our goalie. We had an all league forward and our goalie was phenomenal. When we were scored on it was rarely his fault. The odd thing about soccer is, a person would think that when your scored on it’s the goalie’s fault, but it rarely is. Our forward was super fast and scored on fast break plays down the field. Compared to last year we were much better off.

“Last years seniors were good but this years seniors made us more complete as a team”. –Tayler Gardener. This was a result of playing together for a long time. The seniors last year had been relatively new to the group of kids. This years bond showed to be significantly stronger because we played much better than last year.

Grizzly Power! You may have heard this cheer being chanted at one of our games by our Newport cheerleading team. They perform cheer at every varsity game during all four quarters. They are there to support and pump up our team and school spirit. Cheerleading is one of the sports that is not recognized as much as they should. If you veer go to the games do you ever pay attention to the way they perform? They all have the same steps. Everything is sharp and everyone has a smile on their face. They are the team that makes the crowd go wild.

Cheerleading is more than just looks and glamour. You have to have endurance dedication and strength to be a cheerleader. Many people believe that cheerleading is not a sport because they wear skirts and make their hair look pretty but its a lot of time and effort .Also, It’s a lot of hard work and determination. Contrary to belief not just anyone can become a cheerleader. Breeanna Witter a cheerleader at Newport High School said, “You need to be strong, emotionally and physically. You need to be sharp focused and happy. These are key elements that you need to become a cheerleader.

There are dangerous aspects in every sport you participate in every sport you participate in. Cheerleading has its dangerous parts but the best way to prevent any of these injuries is to practice. Always have a mat when doing stunts. The most common cheer injury is sprains or pulled muscles. Other injuries consist of broken bones, cuts, bruises and concussions. Cheerleading leads all other female sports in catastrophic injuries for high school and college women.

Cheerleading is a positive part of sports it allows teams to be pumped up during a game because the cheerleaders pump up the crowd. They always have smiles and are loud for other people to hear. A lot of girls join cheer for different reasons but at the end of the day you are there to support your school and team. Breeanna Witter said, “I wanted to do cheer because it’s my passion and it’s something I can work harder at everyday. It’s more than a team it’s a family”.

The main things that cheerleading consist of are tumbling, dance jumps cheers and stunting Usually they have routines during half time that range from 50 sec to 1 min. Tori Bridges Newport High School Cheerleader said “Big part about being in cheer is to have the ability to catch onto dances quickly and be sharp.

Cheerleading takes strength endurance and dedication. Having a cheerleading team for Newport High School has been beneficial to our team and school spirit. They know how to make the crowd pumped up. Without these dedicated cheerleaders Newport’s basketball teams would not have the support they deserve. These cheerleaders have amazing talent at Newport High School. Without them the crowd would not be as loud and enthusiastic at the games.

Israel Nickerson lives in Newport Washington, she’s on the Newport 1A cross-country team and has made it to state once again! Enthusiastic determination and speed brought her to the state meet in Pasco Washington. With 147 people competing in this race her placement was 31^st. Israel’s that kind of person who can run like the wind. She has the build of a runner and the heart. Israel has participated in cross-country for 3 years, starting her sophomore year. Throughout her senior year her times were decreasing enormously with her beginning time for a 3.1-mile course was 24:51 and her personal best ending the season at 20:18.  Her state time at the meet in Pasco was 21:02.

The one memory she said she would always remember at the state meet was, eggnog and chocolate chip cookies the night before the race, and when coach Mr. Fredrick went to kick the pinecone out of the outrageously busy highway.

The state cross-country meet in Pasco was an amazing race to watch,  but the best thing throughout the whole time there was the night before the race.  Asking coach to go to the store to buy delicious eggnog and raw cookie dough to experiment in the microwave. “It didn’t work out to well, almost burnt down the Super 8” Israel Nickerson said.  After the experiment Israel and Sarah discovered about cookies, they went out to dinner at Red Robin with coach Mr. Fredrick.  While walking along to the restaurant and kicking a pinecone around it lands in the highway.  Of course Mr. Fredrick wants to play along so goes out to the street of rambunctious cars moving around to kick the pinecone.  “ Just for a pinecone! He’s crazy” Israel Nickerson says.

Israel was happy with the way she placed and her time at the state meet.  She said her junior year she ran the course in 22:12 and took 62^nd place. With this year she cut her placing in half and time improving, by more than a minute! “ I didn’t know that I would be that into running, until I actually started pushing myself and decreasing my times.”

Israel Nickerson was happy to make it to state her senior year on November 6, 2010.  With thousands of people coming to watch she was determined to finish the race with accomplishing and achieving all of her goals.  Israel is a positive runner who is always determined to beat anyone who is front of her.  She was happy at the meet to place 31^st out of 147 runners.  It was amazing to watch a teammate run from the beginning of the year to the time at the state meet. After the race she looked like she could run another 4 miles! Leaving the Pasco meet with good times and amazing memories, Israel Nickerson, said “I will always remember every memory that went on from the moment we got there to the moment we left. It will be a great place to come back and visit, to remember all the memories at state.”

Teams come and go but the Newport girl’s soccer team has been together since 2000. Brittany Chambers, Kenny Krogh, Taylor Lewis, Savana Lindell, Rachel Longley, Lacey Malsbury, Madeline Merrill, Amanda Roberts, Tasha Rohrer, Adrienne Seger, and Madilyn Young. These girls have what most teams strive to achieve.

Tasha Rohrer, one of the teammates, chose soccer because it’s fun, teaches you good skills, and is a great way to hang out with some excellent kids. Tasha joined the team when someone simply brought it up in conversation. She was hooked. Besides the approximate seven mile run per game, Tasha looks at the bright side, staying in shape and having no food restrictions.

Savana Lindell,  loves the team. She enjoys soccer because it’s a less challenging sport and that it keeps her in shape. Savana looks up to the coach, with his good skills, teaching, and awesome motivation. Despite losing, Savana loves everything about socer.

Taylor Lewis is not only a player, she’s also the coach’s daughter. Taylor, a multi-talented gal, selected soccer over the many other sports she enjoys. Taylor loves the exercise soccer offers her. Taylor loves this team because she feels there is no judgment, so she can really open up with these girls.

“Expect to win,”  is this team’s motto. Newport’s girls soccer team will be going to regionals very soon. They are a family, and have been together for eight years, same coach and everything. Mr. Lewis and his team are invincible.

Newport football has been known for hard work but not coming out with a win at the end of the week. Some critics have made it seem like there is no light at the end of the tunnel, but coach Daniel, a University High school graduate, has come to shed a new light. When asked why he came to Newport he stated, “It is a great opportunity to come to a small town and make a big difference. I want to be here to change the culture of our football team, to change the fact that students think they will fail in football, and make them expect to win!”

He wanted to become his own boss and wanted it to be a challenge as well. Coach D wishes to make these changes by using a lot of enthusiasm, and getting to know each kid as an individual. “This will make our students better men.” He is college football star from the University of Idaho, who has been assistant coaching at Mead for 13 years. He claims to be an outdoor boy all his life so he prefers the small town of Newport, so this was the place for him.

To help him make these changes he expects his players to have heart, energy, and most of all high expectations of both themselves and the team as a whole.

Coach D is here to make a change that Newport has been in need of for a very long time. He brings his heart and passion, enthusiasm and energy, and his pride and glory to the football field every single practice and game, all to make this hopeful football program as successful as possible. Newport is lucky and in dire need of a great coach like Daniel. He says this place feels like home for him. This is important because any great coach, no matter how good, will coach badly if he has no ambition to make the team and community better.  Having the feeling of being at home is one of the most persuasive elements about a place. When he feels at home he coaches his best, this is what we want! So as a community we should help coach Daniel help our football team become the state contenders they can and will become.

Why is it that most cross-country runners complain about their injuries occurring from the waist down?  Researchers found that according to the study of cross-country injuries, about one in every three female cross-country runners have suffered an injury such as tendonitis of the knees, shin splints, ankle sprains and stress fractures of the leg.  These are the most common injuries.  This fall our cross-country team seems to have more injuries than last year.  After talking to a couple of people on the team about their injuries, they seemed to complain particularly about injuries from the waist down, because that’s where most of the injuries occurred. People tend to think that cross-country is not that hard, but it has been proven that cross-country has a 17.3% for girl’s injuries, while football injuries a total of 12.7%.    The lowest percentage for all sports is golf, which is at a 0.8%.

“It’s amazing when you first start to run and you are immediately sore, because it’s new muscles you’re working on your body.”  Then after a month you start to notice all these weird injuries going wrong with your body and you have no idea what caused them,” Israel Nickerson, senior, said.

To some people cross-country just seems like going out and running.  But when you are actually in the sport you realize how much strength and endurance it takes to run and put up with these injuries.  A website on cross-country injuries says, “it’s a proven fact that in practices your injures are more likely to happen than when competing in a meet.”  When you’re first starting to run the first few weeks your muscles are sore, then when heading about a month into the season you notice all these injuries like shin splints, ankle problems, aches in your arms, legs, etc.

“When running on an injury, ibuprofen starts to look like your best friend. Ice never really worked for me anyway.”  Morgan LaVille, junior, said.

During the cross-country season, going out each day and running to a new place would probably cause your injuries.  Some days the coach has you do a hill workout and you work different muscles for just that day.  Everyone’s body reacts differently to each run, like when running on gravel, pavement, or grass.  Some people believe running just long distance each day will help your injuries more than sprinting, but both could easily cause one slight injury that could be with you for the rest of your life.  That is why it is a proven fact now, that by taking the day of the race off you will prevent yourself from having injuries.

The cross-country team every year will always find something different that harms their body when they run.  It is interesting when you start running how sore you are and then it eventually turns into injuries.  Different types of things work for other people like ice, ibuprofen, or finding a different way and place to run because of the ground surface.  In the case of cross-country it differs person to person for injuries and their solutions.  But all around if you’re dedicated to the sport you learn to deal with your injures.  Cross-country is a sport of perseverance and strength: physical, mental, and emotional.  With everyone’s positive attitude about the weekly millage, competitive training, motivation, body weight, and history of previous injuries, coming out each day and doing what you love is all that matters. Not caring if you are injured or not.