#cullenhamilton

#cullenhamilton

 The hash tag “Cullen Hamilton” (#cullenhamilton and #wevegotcullen) trended on twitter this past weekend as friends and acquaintances thanked and  congratulated Cullen for setting the record of 1,846 points in his Potomac basketball career as well as setting the MAC record for the most points scored overall.  The previous Potomac record was 1,834 points and Cullen has already beaten that record by 12 point this season! Cullen’s hard work and dedication has paid off – his current high school basketball season has been his best ever. Cullen is a team-player and does whatever it takes to win the game, “even if that means score 50 points,” said teammate Davon Hill.

Cullen began taking basketball very seriously in fifth grade at the innocent age of 11. He played for the Maryland Madness team until he was 13, then the DC Assault, and lastly Maryland’s Finest. Once Cullen graduates from Potomac in June he will carry on his basketball career to the College of Holy Cross in Massachusetts.

Cullen’s humble personality is something that catches a lot of people off guard. Not once have I heard Cullen bragging or talking about how good he is. “He isn’t that guy,” said Coach Franklin. One might expect Cullen to have a huge ego but that’s not who he is. The great thing about Potomac’s varsity boys basketball team this year is that “they truly understand what the game is all about. Team first. Playing together and playing for each other.” There is an unspoken mutual understanding on the team that they are all in it together. The uncommon characteristic of the team not having any selfish players is one of the team’s greatest aspects. Coach Franklin definitely has a lot to do with the level of care that the players have for each other because he has such a big heart, and genuinely cares if the players are having fun.

A significant reason why the team is doing well is because of the coaching staff.  Head coach, Levi Franklin is viewed as not only a coach to the players on the team, but a friend.  Cullen stated that Coach Franklin “does it because he cares,” and is very appreciate of that. Coach Franklin began his coaching career right after his senior year of college in 1990. His first coaching job was at the Kettering Boys and Girls Club in PG County. He coached football to the 65lb weight class and began to find his passion for helping others learn and progress as student athletes. Later on that year, Franklin was offered his first high school coaching job as an assistant coach at Oxon Hill High School in PG County. By 1992 Franklin became the head coach of the varsity basketball team at Oxon Hill. Nine years later, in 2001, Franklin moved on to Paul VI and worked as head coach of the boy’s varsity football and basketball teams for six consecutive years. After years and years of hard work as a coach at Paul VI high school, Franklin moved to Pittsburgh to coach basketball at the Robert Morris University, a D1 sports college. Although Franklin learned a lot coaching athletes at a D1 level, moving back to PG County is what he felt was best for his family and kids. So, two years later, Franklin was back home and quickly became the head coach of the boys’ varsity basketball team at Potomac.  As Cullen’s coach, Franklin is very proud of Cullen’s achievements and had very nice things to say about him. Franklin has also had the opportunity to be Cullen’s teacher during his sophomore year.  When asked about Cullen as a student and player, Franklin stated, “Cullen is a model student athlete. He does his work in school the same. He is coachable. If he doesn’t understand a concept in the classroom or if he misses a shot on the court, he gets mad; but he has controlled anger where he becomes determined to make himself better and get it right the next time.”

This Friday the boys’ varsity basketball team will take on the Flint Hill Huskies: Potomac’s biggest rival. Coach Franklin explained that the players on both teams truly love the game and like each other so there will not be any fighting or aggressive behavior between players during this game… “maybe between fans, but not my players,” said Franklin. Both Flint Hill and Potomac’s teams have a significant number of talented players. The game is going to be neck and neck and very emotional for everyone. Potomac’s student section will be dressed in red white and blue and ready to cheer patriotically, led by student sports enthusiast Jamie Lovegrove, as usual.  Hopefully Potomac will win, but who knows?

Never Lose Hope

The Potomac Panthers took on Episcopal last Wednesday in the Chester Gym.  The first quarter started off with Potomac gaining possession and then Episcopal stealing the ball.  This type of flip-flop playing lasted for the entire quarter. When the buzzer went off and the quarter ended, Potomac was losing 9-19.

 The start of the second quarter was a bit of a struggle or the Panthers. Cullen Hamilton fouled Episcopal’s point guard (11), resulting in two free shots for Episcopal.  After making only the second shot of the two opportunities he was given, Cullen quickly got his head back in the game and helped Potomac return back to offense. Now with a score of 9-20, shooting guard (24) on Episcopal unexpectedly swooshed a three-pointer. Following the three-point shot, Cullen fouled Episcopal’s point guard (11) resulting in his second personal foul of the game.  

The shooting guard (11) only made one of the two foul shots, leaving the score at 9-21.  John Backus, Potomac’s tallest post, unexpected scored the next basket, followed quickly by freshman Jalen’s shot with only 5 minutes left in the quarter.  Episcopal’s frustrated players realized that Potomac was making a rally and fouled #10, resulting in 2 made foul shots.  The ref then made an unfair call against Potomac, and Episcopal #11 was given the opportunity to take two more foul shots. After both foul shots were made, Potomac’s Coach Franklin called a 30 second timeout with only 4 minutes and 15 seconds left on the clock. 

After the timeout, Coach Franklin made the decision to put in Senior #11 Matt Carney.  Episcopal #20 caught Potomac off guard and quickly scored immediately after the game clock continued.  Now with the score 15-28, Potomac’s #10 supposedly fouled (bad call from the ref!) and Episcopal was given the ball back. Clearly with some favoritism, the refs called a foul on Potomac #34 and, luckily, Episcopal #20 missed both of his free shots.  Coach Franklin defended his team against the unfair refs, leading to a turnover reversal and Potomac control of the ball. Episcopal players, frustrated by the refs’ change in bias, continued the fouling spree with a blatant personal foul on Potomac’s star player, Cullen Hamilton.  With the pressure mounting, Cullen was able to block out the cheering fans and focus merely on making both of his shots. Following his foul shots, Cullen stole the ball from Episcopal and made a 3 pointer in the last 30 seconds of the quarter. The crowd went wild as sophomore Chris Martin made the last shot of the quarter, leaving the score at 24-30. 

Potomac started off the thirst quarter strong by scoring four points in the first minute. Post player John Backus took it upon himself to get the Panthers back in the game by consistently rebounding and getting the ball to point guard Devin Hill.  By getting the ball to Devin, Backus was subconsciously setting the team up to be able to run successful plays.  Unfortunately, Episcopal’s large defensive player tripped Cullen and somehow created a turnover for Episcopal.  As karma bit Episcopal in the bum, Potomac #10 had the opportunity to revive Potomac’s game with a foul shot and a quick lay-up. Tied at 31-31, Potomac’s luck changed when John Backus lost his head and was taken out of the game after his fourth personal foul.

Episcopal’s large post player showed off his skills with a dunk, which really fueled the Potomac players to fight back.  After the dunk, Episcopal’s point guard faked a pass and swooshed a 3 pointer.  With one minute left in the third quarter, Potomac’s point guard Devin Hill made a swift fast break and lay-up to bring the score to 33-39.  With only 2 seconds left in the third quarter, Potomac’s #10 was given the opportunity to take one foul shot, which he made to finish the quarter with a score of 34-39. 

The score of the fourth quarter proved how evenly matched the two teams were despite the Florida trip let down of 7 back-to-back loses for the Panthers. There was never a dull moment, with the score constantly rising.  Whenever Episcopal scored, Potomac’s players answered with a basket of their own.  Sadly, Potomac was always slightly behind but just a few points.  Devin Hill even scored with 2 seconds left in the game, finalizing a score of 55-60. Although the outcome of the game was a loss for the Panthers, in many ways, it was truly a win.  We rose to the occasion of playing a better-ranked team, we opened the eyes of future opponents who may have underestimated us before, and we succeeded playing well as a team despite the loss of crucial player Davon Hill.

Are male professional athletes overpaid?

Are male professional athletes overpaid?

By Katie Dewberry

Do you schedule your Sunday around a women’s soccer game? No, you schedule it around the Cowboys vs. Redskins game. Let’s be honest. Sports media has recently become so male-dominated that the audience for woman sports has continuously shrinking. According to feminist sociologist Michael Messner at USC, “women’s professional teams have nearly evaporated and a deepening silence has enveloped women’s professional soccer, basketball, golf, field hockey, and softball.” Unfortunately this is a problem that will probably never change

Professional athletes are like performers and entertainers.  People love to watch them play their sport so much that they pay to do so. Unfortunately, not enough people are watching women’s sports and the industries’ status is lowering. “Is there little coverage of women’s professional sports because they’re unpopular or are they unpopular because there is little coverage?” asked an anonymous poster on the MPR News website. This question has two equal sides, however; I am going to have to go with the first one: there is little coverage of women’s professional sports because they’re unpopular.

Unfortunately I discovered that it is not about gender when it comes to professional sports, it’s business and money. Currently there are too many greedy business partners that won’t give the women’s sports industry time to grow and want their money growth now and not in ten years.  If the sports world was more patient, over time women’s sports would be capable of gaining a larger audience and the industry would expand significantly. It is sad to see women that are working so hard not feel appreciated, but that is just how it is. Accusations towards women have been made such as “female athletes are slower, weaker, by and large less skilled, and therefore less interesting and exciting to watch,” and “given the option to watch the best or second best, people will watch the best regardless of the sport… I’m not saying men are better per se. Women are as good or better at many things, but sports is not one of them,” stated a commenter on the MPR website.

Not only are women’s sports less popular, female atheletes are also making significantly less money than male athletes. Arguably the biggest concern in sports right now however, is on the salaries of male professional athletes. My interest was sparked while listening to a radio discuss the highest paid celebrity couples.  I was surprised when I found out that Tom Brady and his supermodel wife were coming in as #1 this year.  With a combined annual salary of $76 million, apparently Brady’s supermodel wife is on the way to becoming the world’s first billionaire supermodel. In my opinion, they are definitely overpaid. As a person who doesn’t swear by Sunday football games, I was very surprised that a star football quarterback is making $31 million a year. The highest paid female professional athlete, Maria Sharapova, has been in this position for the past seven years and at the peak of her career is making $21 million a year. The female tennis stars dominate as the highest-paid professional athletes by securing seven out of the top ten spots. In total, the ten highest paid female athletes made $113 million this past year, where the top ten men combined to $449 million. This huge salary difference is not subject to change anytime soon because America has become accustomed to supporting men’s sports more than women’s. This issue has been drawn to my attention because more and more professional athletes that are men are being put in the spotlight and social media has been solely portraying their achievements.  Eventually, women are going to need to be recognized or who knows what will happen to women’s sports.

Appreciating Captain’s

Appreciating Captain’s

By Katie Dewberry

Now that the fall sports season has ended, athletes are beginning to reminisce on the season that is now over and thank the senior captains and players that will not be returning to the team next fall. In order to become a captain of a sports team, you not only have to be a dedicated and hardworking member of the team, but team members have to elect you to the position. The responsibilities that come along with being a team captain are often overlooked; however, I believe that captains should receive more recognition from the entire Potomac community rather than just appreciation from their teammates.

Because the varsity football team is the team that generally receives the most recognition in all high schools, the Potomac football team has received an unbelievable amount of appreciation now that the season is over. Most of the applause for the team is being shown on social media networks like Twitter and facebook. After the state championship loss this weekend, tweets and facebook statuses about the team were blowing up everyone’s news feeds. Jamie Lovegrove said great things about the team such as, “thank you boys for everything,” and “once a panther, always a panther.” After a really emotional loss, according to Matt Carney, “this one is gonna hurt for a lil while.” The team and the coaches both truly appreciated the fans that came out to support all season. Coach Rendell Williams stated, “thanks to the entire student body for your support,” which I know meant a lot to the hundreds of people that gave up hours of their time to support the players and especially the senior players and captains. Appreciative underclassman on the team Kevin Havernman wrote on the facebook, “Thank you seniors. It’s been a hell of a ride. It was your passion, determination, and perseverance that allowed us to go so far. Shouldn’t look behind us. “no regrets”.” That is kind of “thank you,” that goes a long way and other team’s will hopefully follow the football teams brotherhood (or sisterhood) aspect once the season is over.

The memorable captains are the team members that pull the team together as a unit like Andres Rodlauer did on the boys varsity soccer team. When the team was down by a few goals in the fourth quarter, he never yelled or blamed anyone. Andres encouraged his teammates and reminded them of their capability of winning. As an incredible captain, Andres would automatically boost the confidence of the rest of team and it would make all the difference. Junior captain Max Ausbrook also played a role in the teams success this fall. His “passionate belief in team spirit,” as well as his determination to never give up, was exposed mostly towards the end of the season when Max began to realize that next year, the seniors will be gone, and he will ultimately be responsible for helping his teammates fill the shoes of the lost players.

A difficult part of being a captain is behaving “professionally and responsibly despite personal feelings of frustration and anger” during a game. Caroline Meisel, junior captain of the varsity tennis team did exactly that. Caroline was able to enthusiastically raise the teams moral through inspiration and motivation. Her passion for the sport is shown without words. As one of the few players on the team that competes in the USTA league (outside of school), she has the slight advantage of having more match experience which is one of the reasons why she is such a good captain. Caroline’s teammates love her and her impressive leadership skills were evident throughout the entire season despite being injured for most of the season.

The cross-country team went above and beyond the norm and gave all of the seniors on the team personally engraved bracelets. I believe that this appreciation for the captains should be the standard for all other teams. It can sometimes be easy to let captains hard work go unnoticed but despite whether you are being personally affected by a captains leadership, I think a special “thank you” from the team at the end of the season should be the norm.

Lauren Wackerle is another example of a good team leader. As a field hockey captain, the younger teammates look up to Lauren as an athlete who gives her all, no matter the circumstances. Laurens general presence can sometimes be enough to boost the egos of her teammates: which is often not the case for most captains. For field hockey’s senior appreciation day, the younger teammates made posters with quotes such as “thank you,” and “we couldn’t of done it without you.” I think that the juniors, sophomores and freshman are always excited for senior day because it is something for them to look forward to for them when they are seniors. It is nice to feel remembered and valued as a team member who put forth all of themselves to the team and they know that if they make senior day special for the current seniors, one day when they are seniors, they will get the chance to feel special for a day too.

“We wanted it more”

“We wanted it more”

By Katie Dewberry

The Potomac School’s Varsity football team won the MAC championship on Saturday afternoon against rivals Flint Hill because the young players as well as the defensive players played to their full potential.

Sophomore Kevin Haverman (18) shocked everyone with his QB skills during the game. Starting QB Russell Schmidt (91) was injured during the Panthers last win of 14-6 against Bishop Ireton High School on October 29th. In the game this past Saturday against the Flint Hill Huskies, the Panthers once again pulled through with an outstanding win due to the players willingness to work as a unit. The motto “there is no ‘I’ in team,” describes the teams win quite accurately. The 19-14 win would most likely not have been possible without sophomore Haverman’s (18) focus and concentration during the game despite Flint Hill’s not-so-first-class cheering. Since the Huskies were under the impression that the ywould be plauing against our first string QB Russell Schmidt (91), Haverman’s under the radar work this season was to our advantage during this game. The Huskies were not prepared for Haverman’s 17-yard run during the first half, nor his long passes to star basketball player Cullen Hamilton (1).

More players that have been flying under the radar during the season that have lately stepped up as more than stereotypically inexperienced underclassman players. This includes Andrew Lent (2), Jalen Broome (6), Ben Rietano (22), Chris Martin (27), and Forrest Crane (36). With so many outstanding sophomores on the team, the Panthers are already looking ahead to a great season next year.

When brainstorming what their legacy would be for their senior year on junior retreat, the seniors decided that they wanted to set the example for the juniors, sophomores, and freshman, that everyone can be friends. Everyone can work together to make the year enjoyable. From holding the door open for someone,to helping someone pick up the scattered batteries after dropping their calculator, to asking someone if they are Ok when they trip down the stairs instead of laughing, the seniors wanted to make the 2011-2012 school year all about unity. Seniors should not be intimidating! Everyone should feel comfortable walking on the carpet in the crossroads! Normally you would think that girls would be the ones to socially get the upper school to function as a unit but surprisingly the boys have also gone out of their way to do the same. On the football team, the senior boys, Cullen Hamilton (1), Davon Hill (3), Kevin Green (5), Devin Hill (8), Jacob Lichtenabum (9), Ryan Eckert (10), Matt Carney (11), Tommy Duffy (42), Cameron Kahl (73), Russell Schmidt (91), and class president Brandon Arvanaghi (7), have gone above and beyond the expected to make there teammates feel like brothers. The idea of a team acting like a family seems cliché but the teams motto, “next man up,” shows the trust the senior boys have for the younger team members.

Professional athlete Michael Jordan once said, “talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships.” This quote sums up why the panthers were able to come back and win the game against Flint Hill. In the second half, there was a time when the Huskies were up 14-13. Given that both teams have an equal amount of talent on their team, the only way the Panthers were able to come back was because of teamwork. Senior offensive lineman, Willie Crittenberger (55), summed the game up as, “a tale of two halves.” The first half was a struggle until the Panthers scored a touch down right before half time, leaving a 7-14 score. Cameron Kahl (73), a key defensive player, also felt strongly about the Panthers’ playing to their full potential in the second half. “We wanted it more,” Cameron explained. The Huskies’ egos took a hold of them in the second half, and the fans seemed to want the win more than the players did themselves. I believe that the unsportsmanlike demeanor of the Huskies, went straight to the players’ heads and caused them to forget how to play football in the second half. The Panthers, on the other hand, kept things First Class and pumped each other up throughout the game.

XC: The Race of Death

XC: The Race of Death

By Katie Dewberry

The Potomac School’s cross-country team ran in hypothermic weather this past Saturday. The hail and freezing rain did not stop the runners from doing an excellent job in their ISL’s and MAC’s on an agricultural farm park in Potomac, Maryland. On Saturday morning they woke up at 7 A.M. to begin piling on layer after layer to prepare for the meet. Can you imagine having to run a 5K race while it’s hailing? Some kids chose to keep warm by wearing clothing that hats, gloves, and masks to stay warm. Senior Michael Ninnassi wore a ski mask during his race and senior Linneen Warren wore three layers of pants and water resistant gloves while running in order to keep their body temperatures up. The temperature reached a low of 25 degrees and felt more like 15 degrees.

The boys Varsity runners ran very well considering the harsh weather circumstances. Junior runner Cope Whitney finished the race in second place with a time of 18:20 (18 minutes and 20 seconds). Just behind Cope, Jack Kaplan and Adam Moses finished with times 19:04 and 19:05. Nick Kensinger finished right after them in 11TH place with a time of 19:15. Tyler Smallwood ran a great race by finishing behind Nick. Normally the team’s 6th runner, Tyler ran as the 5th runner this weekend because of injured teammate, Hunter Johnston, who sat out for this race.

The girls Varsity runners also pulled through very nicely considering the weather. Caroline Spartin completed the race in 23:48 and Tory Yeonas finished about a minute after her in 24:55. Only in her second year running, Gingy Dixon has made vast improvements. She finished the race with a time of 26:10, coming in fourth place for the girls’ team. Gingy started running on the cross-country team during her junior year and is most famous for her quote, “I hate exercise.” However, this years running season has changed her mindset completely. She has gradually learned how to motivate herself to keep up with the star runners on the team. Tory Yeonas, for example, one of the two captains of the girls team, has kept the team spirit up throughout the season with the help of her fellow captain, Lauren Thronson. This motivation is infectious and has made for an extremely positive girls varsity team. Other varsity runners, like Charlotte Ferenbach and Devon Winsor, ran great times this past Saturday, proof of their hard work this season. The two juniors finished within twenty seconds of each other, demonstrating that teamwork truly pays off.

Another example of hard work comes in the form of Cope Whitney. A junior who at the beginning of the season was not at the running level of the star runners on the boys varsity team, captains Jack Kaplan and Nick Kensinger. Cope however, overcame all odds and worked his way into second place at the MAC championship race. This demonstration of motivation and dedication shows that one can achieve their goals through utmost persistence. He is an example for the entire cross-country team that beating your times and becoming a better runner is completely possible. Adam Moses, a sophomore, also overcame obstacles this season, as he ran his way into being All Conference at the MAC Championships by placing 10th. At the beginning of the season, he as well was not at the level of Jack and Nick, both of whom had trained long and hard over the summer. By the end of the season, on the other hand, he demonstrated his will power and mental fortitude by placing alongside Jack and Nick.

This race was monumental for the Junior Varsity teams as well. The girls J.V. team placed 5th out of 12, a great finish collectively. Captain Lauren Thronson ran a fantastic race, as she had the 6th fastest time out of both J.V. and Varsity girls combined. Her commitment to cross-country for the past four years was displayed throughout this tough race, and she made sure to leave nothing behind when she completed her last ISL Championship race. Freshman Grace Cherouny actually got her PR, a ‘personal record,’ with a time of 28:32 at the race Saturday; unbelievable considering the hellish conditions thrust upon the runners. The boys J.V. team finished 4th, and had improvements collectively in their times.

All in all, both MAC and ISL Championship races were definite successes. Collectively and individually, our peers placed high in the running results. They made huge strides – literally and figuratively – to beat their competitors and their own times. It was a great end to the season, and a symbolic finish for the seniors, as they left nothing on the course in the hardest race of their running careers.

“Yeeaaaaahhhh Blue!”

“Yeeaaaaahhhh Blue!”

By Katie Dewberry

The Potomac School Panthers dominated their homecoming football game this past Saturday. With a final score of 56-7, the Sidwell Friends Quakers practically left the field in tears.

The first half of the game, the panthers played remarkably. At half time the score was 56-0 due to the teams excellent first string players. During the first quarter, seniors Davon Hill and Russell Schmidt played as if they were invincible. Finally playing confidently after his concussion, Schmidt scored the first touchdown with a 14 yard run. Being the homecoming football game, almost the entire high schools student body attended the game, and they all went ecstatic after this touchdown. Tempted to storm the field, senior Jamie Lovegrove made sure to yell loud enough for Schmidt to hear him and acknowledge his cheering. Lovegrove has filled the shoes of the previous Potomac athlete enthusiast, Drew Morrison, quite nicely. From coordinating cheers that include clapping, stomping, and screaming “yeaaaaaah blue,” it was evident that this football game was the most exciting one of the season for him so far. Jamie has been the director of cheering for the football games all season, and definitely deserves more credit for us effort.

After Russell’s amazing touchdown, Davon Hill stepped up to the plate and scored two times in a row! First, he scored from five yards from the inzone and then scored from four yards from the inzone. The panthers were going wild at this point! Jamie Lovegrove almost looked possessed as he riled up the crowd after these three touchdowns. Now with a score of 21-0, the panthers were set on a win. For their homecoming game, this game really could not of been going better for then. Davon Hill’s twin, Devin, then intercepted a pass from Sidwell’s senior quarterback Jackson Mills and ran for a 34 yard touchdown. The Hill twins were full of adrenaline and not ready to stop giving this game all of their effort. Next, sophomore Jalen Bloome intercepted the ball. Once again, the crowd was going wild in excitement of another potential touchdown. Whether it was nerve-racking for the Quakers to be playing against an opponent with such a loud cheering section, or maybe they were just having a bad game, the continuous fumbles and incomplete passes were quite embarrassing for the team in general. With this domination, and three quarters left, the Panthers were clearly enjoying this football game.

So far the Panthers have scored on every possession. Not only was this intimidating but the score mentally threw the Quakers out of the game even after the first quarter. Now in the second quarter, quarterback Russell Schmidt scored two more times. Running the ball seemed to be working best since the Quakers had a pretty slow defense, to say the least. The Quakers best lineman was freshman Isaiah Davis. As a starting freshman on the varsity football team, his ego was rather large and for some reason he was still confident that his team would come back. He tried with all of his might to pick a fight with any Panther that would take him on after any play, however; the Panthers are “first class” athletes and do not tolerate unnecessary violence. So, they carried on and ignored the arrogant freshman who thought he was super cool.

The only touchdown that the Quakers were able to pull through was from junior quarterback Chase Plebani to sophomore wide-reciever Diamente Holloway. This young man was not very polite but I will give him some credit since he was the only Quaker that could actually receive passes. His touchdown was actually a pretty amazing and unexpected 31 yard pass right through our defense. Embarrassing? Not really. We had to let them have one touchdown right? Unlike Holloway, the rest of the team seemed to have butterfingers and let the ball just slip right through their fingers. At the moment, the team has an unfortunately un-athletic senior class, which might be contributing to their teams lack of skill. The only other reason I could come up with as to why we were crushing them so badly is either that the Panthers are absolutely phenomenal, or the coaches were just not letting the team play how they wanted to play. It becomes troublesome when coaches are screaming at their players to run plays that they were not completely sure how to run. The Quakers honestly looked confused for the majority of the opportunities they had to dominate when on offense. In the end, Panther underclassmen, Kevin Haverman and Andrew Lent both scored touchdowns. This game was a great opportunity for the first string players to let the second string players gain experience on the field for their upcoming years once the seniors graduate this spring. This weekend, the Panthers will be taking on the Randolph Macon football team in Front Royal, Virginia and hopefully the Quakers will be practicing in order to avoid games as embarrassing as last weekends, but who knows?

Bring it On: Soccer, Football, Girls & Boys

Bring it On: Soccer, Football, Girls & Boys

By Katie Dewberry

The Potomac School’s boys varsity soccer team is continuing with a trend of winning two games in a row, loosing one, winning two, and then loosing one again. It might just be coincidence, but after today’s harsh loss against St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes (0-3), the team has continued its trend of winning two games in a row and then loosing one again. This year, the team has been doing outstandingly well considering the loss of some “key seniors” from last season (Geoff Danilak). The team has been working surprisingly well together for their admirable record of 8-4-1. Senior captain and mid-fielder Geoff Danilak has been leading the team with what he believes is a good “soccer IQ.” Danilak jokingly explained, “maybe its hours of FIFA, or it comes naturally… but these kids [the team] know how to play.”

The panthers have happily taken advantage of playing on their home field two times in a row this week. On Tuesday, false predictions spread throughout the school claiming that the boys would be crushed by the Georgetown Prep team. However, the team played with the mind-set of winning and our defense played tough in order for our offensive players to score more goals then the defense would allow the opponent to score. Finishing the game off with a score of 2-1, the panthers are succeeding in their conference and also opening eyes of future opponents. What was believed to be out of reach this season might actually be attainable for the boys this year: the state title. Currently the team is a contender for the MAC championship and are optimistic that they will make it to states this year. The senior boys have been exceptionally good leaders this fall when it comes to sports.

Still hyped from last weekends win against St. James, the senior boys on the varsity football team have been attempting to teach the senior girls how to play football, well, for Friday’s powder puff game against the junior girls. Even though the seniors are expecting to win on Friday, the juniors are definitely putting forth all of their effort to not let the seniors off easy. The senior quarterbacks, Erin Cummings, and myself Katie Dewberry, have been practicing passing consistent tight spirals all week. At first, the wrist-flick that imparts the spin on the ball can be difficult to learn, but this skill seems to come naturally to us girls. Along with other starters, Casey Mann, Lauren Wackerle and Maggie Duff, all of the senior girls have really been getting into the spirit of the game. This one powder puff game every year passes down the tradition to the rising senior girls to get involved with school spirit and find ways to excite the under classman about upcoming sporting events. This weekend, the powder puff game is the one game you should not miss. Although there is no tackling allowed, past upperclassman have been injured due to extreme effort and desire to win.

The senior boys are planning on following the senior girls with a win on Saturday afternoon against Sidwell Friends. Both teams have a current record of 3-2 and not only want to win but need the win for their record. Whichever team looses will continue with a record of 3-3 which ultimately makes the following game even more tough. The pressure that comes along with being tied in the middle of the season is quite the burden. Potomac is anticipating a win but we will definitely need the help of a giant crowd cheering to get the panthers motivated. This game is the homecoming game, so there really is no excuse for students not to show up and support our school spirit! The six senior captains this year have also had a large impact on spirit for the team. Ryan Eckert, Davon Hill, Devin Hill, Cameron Kahl, Russell Schmidt and Cullen Hamilton have all gone out of their way to get students to come to their games. From asking freshman girls to wear their jersey’s to asking girls to homecoming to get them to wear their jersey’s, these boys have really gone the extra mile this season. When you give people more than what you expect to get in return, the outcomes are only positive. The senior boys this fall have been nothing but optimistic and caring for our community, but who knows if they will be able to keep this up for the rest of the year? Hopefully the junior boys will follow the footsteps of these noble gentlemen and step up to the plate next year to carry on the tradition of maintaining an “inclusive community distinguished by a spirit of support and challenge.”

Football & Pink Sparkles

Football & Pink Sparkles

By Katie Dewberry

Phenomenal.

In attempt to fill the shoes of last year’s state championship runner-ups, this year’s Potomac School varsity football team is going hard. Last weekend’s game against St. James set the expectation for the panthers to succeed for the rest of the season with a current record of 2-2. Although still recovering from a major concussion, senior quarterback Russell Schmidt (91) led the team to an outstanding victory of 50-0. Schmidt’s unconditional love for the sport was revealed in his dedication as he played through an injury.

The Potomac School in McLean, VA has an outstanding reputation for its prestigious academics and competitive athletic program. The students thrive on intellectual discovery and personal growth inside the classroom but really get to shine on the athletic fields and courts. To the Potomac School students, winning is not everything.

Although there is no prize for coming in second, the panther’s motto of keeping things “first class,” helps them to make it through tough losses. It is still possible for a team to play well and loose, so I rest my case when I claim that winning is not what sports are all about. You are probably asking yourself, “well then why do we keep score?” In the long-term aspect, developing as a well-rounded athlete is much more important than the scoreboard; however, motivation is the answer. As humans, by nature we are programmed to do things for a purpose, and expect a result in return. Many athletes have come to the misconception that winning is the result they must achieve; however, playing to the best of ones ability is really all we are physically capable of doing. Winning is just the added plus. The fear of losing has often held many athletes back. So parents, when your child returns home from a game or sporting event; think wisely before you speak. Are you asking the right questions? Did “how much fun did you have?” come to mind as your first thing to ask? What about, “how did you play?” Contrary to the normal, “Did you win?” Nobody wants to see their child’s face after an agonizing loss, but the parent who is always there waiting with a smile after an exhilarating win or a sad loss, will make a parent of a happier athlete.

So I did my research. Almost 80% of ESPN’s viewers are men. As I started to read more into the topic, I began doubting that only 20% of women watch televised sports regularly. This preposterous fact drove me to website after website in search for more information on this tiny fraction of the female community who love sports as much as I do. It turns out that ESPN has actually expanded in the past year and shifted all of there female viewers over to their newest website for women, ESPNW. Coincidentally, the columnists were all on the front page of the website and I began exploring as if the website was my oyster. Columnist Sarah Spain explained that ESPNW gives “a chance for ladies like me to be one of many women in the room, all of whom want to talk sports and real life.” She explains in great detail how amazing it is for there to finally be a place where women can go and not be looked down upon as the “tiny voices” in the room – yet “we’re one of the many voices, all of whom get it, and want to fix it.”

“It seems like this is the broadcasting equivalent of making something pink and putting sparkles on it,” stated the Clubs fan blogger Julie DiCaro in response to the launch of ESPNW. In some aspects she may be correct, but overall I believe this is the next best step that women are making to progress as opinionated sports fans. ESPNW still covers the NFL and NBA; however the opinions after the games are merely coming from women’s perspective’s only. And it’s about time.

Driving Dirty

Tryna’ Catch Me Driving Dirty

By Katie Dewberry

Every morning, Northern Virginians face some of the worst traffic in the country. A ride that would normally take ten minutes almost always turns into an hour. I forgot how enjoyable driving to school in the morning was until the first day back this fall. And by enjoyable, I am being sarcastic because everything was agitating. As you all probably know, merging onto the toll road is always a difficult task. Although I do not consider myself a new driver, I am only a beginner compared to the experienced adults who commute long distances to work every morning.

My first task of actually making progress through traffic is merging over to the HOV lane on the toll road. This is one of the many reasons why I tolerate having a nine-year old sister in the car with me in the morning. I get to use her as the second body in my car so I can move at an amazing speed of 10mph and be considered one of the few vehicles with a high occupancy. Does it make you angry when people cut you off? I know all about it. Nobody ever wants to let you over and in the rare occasion they do, it’s likely that they were texting and not paying attention enough to scoot forward in traffic, or they were temporarily blinded by the sunrise that seems to always miss the visor no matter the time of day. I am not quite sure if people never let me over because they are jealous that I am making my way over to the HOV lane, or if they truly think that not letting one car over is going to make them on-time to work. On a side note, I have a bad habit of always yelling at other cars while I’m driving and when merging I find that it is almost a necessity. “Let me over, meany,” I mumbled with a more forceful word than “meany” as cars crawled by me. I’m sorry but we all don’t pay taxes for these roads just so YOU can drive on them. I pay (or at least I will when I am old enough) to be driving on these roads too! After a irritating 45 seconds of neck cramping from turning my head all the way around to see if cars were coming, an elderly woman finally let me over. Unlike the majority of drivers, senior citizens actually seem to understand the concept of “sharing is caring.” Not only is merging difficult, but almost all of the roads in Northern Virginia are under construction and full of potholes due to the soon-to-be metro.

Construction began in 2009 and is not likely to be completed until late 2013. This $6.8 billion project has consequently left the metropolitan area in chaos due to the immense amount of cars heading the same direction at the same time, everyday. Did you know that in January 2012 it will cost you approximately 16 cents per mile to drive on the toll road? Absurd! If you do the math – it’s basically costing us “premium” gas users over five dollars a gallon to get anywhere efficiently. And the toll road is not even efficient these days! I am convinced that the likelihood of getting a flat tire in Northern Virginia doubles everyday. This is not like a small town in North Carolina where everybody knows the one pothole on the highway. It is truly a matter of bad luck if you are driving in a lane and do not see a newly founded pothole until about 0.1 seconds before you drive over it and think to yourself, “crap… my mom is going to kill me if I get a flat tire.” Sadly I will admit that the first instinct of most teenage drivers once they pop a tire or what we like to call “lovetap” our friends cars in the parking lot is, “how long am I going to be able to hide this before my parents notice?” Luckily, I did not get a flat and so far I have never (knock on wood), but it happens to the best of us so I’m sure I will get to encounter this lovely experience shortly. Apparently it involves using something called a “jack,” and “tire iron?” New drivers often find themselves google-ing on their smart phone’s what these mysterious tools are and how to use them. We might even find ourselves looking up, “where to find a spare tire in your car,” because honestly, who knows?