Cheer for Privileges
by Kerry Fogarty
      Students at Ireton enjoy several privileges according to the certain sports and clubs they participate in, as well as the grade they are a part of. For example, senior privileges include off-campus hours, use of the resource room for lunch, and a talk study hall instead of a quiet study. Underclassmen are required to wear burgundy sweaters and vests while upperclassmen wear blue, which for almost all students is the preferred color. With regards to clubs, members of the Model United Nations Club are allowed to wear their business clothes when a conference is being held that day.
      Until recently, one of the most prized privileges was wearing some sort of jersey on days the sports teams had a game. For many years, athletes could wear their respective jerseys or polo shirts to show support for their team. This privilege also allowed those athletes to be recognized by classmates and faculty alike for their hard work. However, last year this right was stripped from the school’s athletes. Instead, the athlete had the option to buy a black polo shirt with the BI logo on it. Some students followed these new rules, while others chose not to buy the shirt.
      Until this year, these new regulations applied to all sports, regardless or popularity or season. Mr. Bill Simmons, the Dean of Students at Bishop Ireton, explains this change in policy is due to a variety of reasons, but the most important is one of uniformity. Not all sports teams have appropriate sports uniforms to be worn to school. Consequently, Mr. Simmons says, the athletes were wearing any type of shirt or sweatshirt affiliated with their team. The problem is, not everyone has the same gear.
      But now the rules seemed to have been bent. The Bishop Ireton cheerleaders are allowed to wear their uniforms to school when there is a football game scheduled. Why the special treatment? Junior Cami Ferreira, a member of the varsity cheerleading team, explains that all sports have privileges, but cheerleading (yes, a sport) is somewhat forgotten.  The parents of the cheerleaders, as well as the cheerleaders themselves, felt gypped because the field could never be reserved for cheerleading and when it was, sometimes they were asked to practice somewhere else. Consequently, when the parents, cheerleaders, and coaches asked for more privileges, namely more use of Fannon Field, they were denied. The other privilege asked was to allow the cheerleaders to wear their uniforms to school on days they were performing. This was granted.
But is this really fair to the other athletic teams at Bishop Ireton? Junior Valerie Roth, a member of both the crew team and field hockey team, feels “all sports teams should be allowed to wear their jerseys to school if the cheerleaders can. Everyone should be treated the same way, regardless of what sport.” The football players now wear their winter uniform when a football game is scheduled for that day. Should the cheerleadres be required to dress in their winter uniforms too?
      What is the big deal about wearing jerseys during the day? It seems like an ideal privilege to support and encourage all BI sports teams. Mr. Simmons finds cheerleaders to be an exception because their uniform can be worn walking down the street, whereas some other sports uniforms cannot. Ms. Elizabeth Wilcox, an English teacher as well as assistant coach for cheerleading, said, via email, that she thinks “a lot of people mistakenly believe that cheerleader uniforms are in some way inappropriate or provocative, but that's not the point of them - the point is to raise school spirit for the games."
Maybe one day this will change, but the best thing to do for now is to support all sports teams, no matter what they wear to school.

Athetes Of the Issue

Never Giving Up: Mary Kate Neatrour
by Arden Ramos
      Since joining Ireton’s cross country team as a junior, Senior Captain Mary Kate Neatrour is a prime example of how hard work pays off. When asked about how she achieved her status as captain of the team, she said it was the heart she put into it and her determination. She also loves to support her teammates and will do anything to be there for them. They made her want to be on cross country and made this season amazing. She has been working hard and has improved greatly since she joined. “Since my first race last year, I’ve dropped eight minutes off my time!” she says. She also works hard, if not harder, off the course. In the classroom, she is an awesome student who does her best everyday.     
      What she would like to accomplish for her last year here at Bishop Ireton? She replied, “I just want to make the best out of my last year of high school and with my friends. Come graduation day, I want to look back and say I was truly myself and did the best I could do in the classroom and on the field. Cross country started my senior year out on an awesome note – from the beach trip to the last meet I had a blast – and I want to keep that momentum going!”  What do some of her other cross country teammates say about her? Sophomore Dan Palmer said, “She’s a really good leader. She brought a lot of inspiration to the team.” Juniors Natalie Stier and Ali Fracasso had this to say about Mary Kate, “We love Mary Kate so much! She was always there for us at every meet and she’s always cheering us on from the sidelines. We will miss her so much next year.”
      She also plays varsity lacrosse as the team’s goalie, which she is looking forward to in the spring. “I want this coming season to be an awesome one- I can’t wait to get back in goal and have already started training! I want us to beat W.T. Woodson over spring break, and then win the WCAC championships!” she exclaimed.
      When Mary Kate was asked if she had any advice for anyone doing a sport or having difficulties with schoolwork she replied, “I think that the most important thing I’ve learned in high school is that worrying never gets you anywhere. NEVER give up, even when things seem impossible, and put your whole heart into everything you do, no matter what it is.”  No one else could say it any better than that.

The Weapon: Justin Joseph
by Brian Kapur
      In football there is a rich history of great backs wearing the number twenty-one jersey, and Ireton is no exception as running back Justin Joseph has carried the legacy. Two of the NFL’s premier backs, LaDanian Tomlinson and Tiki Barber wear it, and at Ireton the tradition started last season when Justin’s brother and Ireton Alumni, Jorell Joseph, wore it. Justin used to wear the number twenty jersey in honor of his idol, Barry Sanders, but switched jerseys to start the season. “We got new jerseys none of which were number 20, so I figured I would keep it [21] in the family. I idolized, Barry Sanders which is why I used to wear that number 20 jersey. Sanders was a quick guy that would rather run around people then run through them, I like to think that I run like him,” he commented. Justin had several great runs this past season, but his signature run has to be his second of the three touchdowns he scored against Riverdale Baptist during the homecoming game. He ran a counter to the right side, but it was very congested and so he cutback and completely reversed field while dodging two would-be tacklers. He made it to the outside and dove into the endzone at the pylon. It a run would have even made the legendary Barry Sanders smile.
      Justin put together a stellar season as he posted four rushing touchdowns. He averaged about 4.3 yards a touch and always seemed to make a big play on special teams with a long kickoff or punt return. His teammates love him and respect what he brings to the table. Fellow senior, Wideout Marc Nicholls share these words about Justin, “He is a very flamboyant teammate. He’s a real fun guy to be around constantly doing funny things in practice and raising the overall team moral. We admire the way he runs with the ball cause his running style is really different and theirs nobody other team that we’ve faced that is as good or unique running the ball, we’re glad he’s on our side.”
      Ireton Head Coach Peter Rokis was thrilled with Justin’s play this season. “He became a complete back this season, he used to just bounce it to the outside and go for the home run every time. This season he working on hitting it inside then bouncing it or cutting back and it made him even more effective. He was a great leader all season and we really couldn’t ask for more.” Justin made that subtle change in his play, much like Tiki Barber did when his coach altered running style. Like Tiki, Justin excelled with the new technique. “I realized how much more effective it is when you don’t try to hit a big one every time. If I am patient now it will open up later. Patience is a big thing because you have to let your blocks set up then hit the hole.” Justin commented.
      Football teaches many life lessons and Justin learned his fair share. In the NFL the underdog and undersized players are always rooted for when they come through. Justin was no exception. The prototypical running back is supposed to be about six feet tall 215 pounds. Justin was always considered undersized, but it never mattered. His play proved that it size really did not matter. Talent and technique are what count, size is a perk. “When I walk out on the field and see someone who looks bigger or stronger then me, I don’t to worry about that. I know that I’m better then them it [size] doesn’t really matter.      As the old saying goes, it’s not the size of the dog in the fight it’s the size of the fight in the dog.” Justin always had plenty of fight and talent; his 5’7’’, 175 pound frame did not hinder him as he always made a big play, because he was simply “The Weapon”.