Justin Ireland TVL championships interview

Norton Boys and Girls track team win TVL title

The Norton boys and girls track teams were successful this past Wednesday, May 20, 2015, as both teams won the Tri-Valley League championship at Westwood High School. The boys went to Westwood on a mission, and executed this mission as they needed to. The lady Lancers were on the same mission, knowing this was going to be a tough but performed at their top level and pulled off a victory. Due to recent rule changes, the overall TVL league champion is decided by the championship meet. This is the first time either team won the TVL Championship meet. Many athletes had successful performances in these wins.

The boys team had many standout performances in many key events. The zealous Kent Taylor carefully went through league standings finding the best line up for the meet. The boys also showed their great depth in many events such as the sprints. Mike Tierney started the boys off with a great win in the 400 meter hurdles with a time of 56.92, posting the 4th best time in the state this year. Joey Annand followed this up with a time of 4:41.01 in the mile, good enough for 4th. The boys 4X100m team of Camden Cleathero, Jeffery Beaucage, Adam Winiarz and Abu Ceesay were able to secure 2nd with a time of 44.39 coming back from a bad handoff. Chris Wrenn was able to place 2nd in the 800m with a time of 2:04.81. After these events the lancers were trailing, but they then showed their true depth. In the 200m The Lancers sprinters showed their strength with Abu Ceesay placing 1st in 22.89, Justin Ireland with 2nd and Adam Winiarz with 4th, scoring 22 points in a single event. The hurdle boys then performed a similar feat with Camden Cleathero placing 1st in 15.76, Cam Stalters placing 2nd and Alex Carigan placing 6th. Mike Tierney came back in the 400m for the win in 51.67. Joey Annand also came back, but in the two mile with a 3rd in 10:28.84 making him seem indefatigable. Abu Cessay and Justin Ireland then came back in the 100m placing first and second with Abu edging Justin out for first by .004 with a time of 11.38. The 4X400 boys team was able to close out the day with a win in 3:36.68.

The Lancer boys also found success off the track in the field also. In the High Jump, Camden Cleathero and Mike Tierney went in ranked 2nd and 3rd, and placed 1st and T-2nd with Camden winning with a leap of 6ft. In the long jump, Ireland was able to secure first with a final jump of 20’ 4.5”.  The boys Javelin squad was able to secure 1st, 2nd and 5th with Cam Stalters winning with a throw of 153’ 8”. Elliot Ariola placed second and Alex Buchan was able to place 5th. The Norton boys won with a team score of 163, effacing their closest opponent, Hopkinton (75), by 88 points.

“I felt really good going into this meet.” said Justin Ireland

The Lady Lancers showed their dominance as well on the track. Kassidy Cambell was able to secure the girls their first victory on the track with a win in the 400 meter hurdles in a time of 67.14. Katie Bradley came in third in the mile with a time of 5:33.32. The girls 4X100 relay team was able to place third with a time of 53.94. In the 200 meter dash, Brooke-lynn 

Williams placed first with a time of 26.18, with teammate Bella Beradi placing third. In the 100 meter hurdles Kassidy came back to place first with a time of 16.20, while Kayla Sicard was able to secure 6th. Bella Beradi was able to come back in the 400 meter to place third with a time of 62.02. Katie Bradley came back in the 2 mile to place sixth with a time of 12:20.96. Brooke-Lynn came back in the 100m to win with a time of 12.44. The Lady Lancers ended the day on the track with their 4X400 meter relay team placing fifth in 4:26.27.

The Lady Lancers continued their success in the field also. Danielle Wilson was apart of a 5-way tie for third in the high jump with a leap of 4’ 8”. The girls took 3rd, 4th and 5th in the long jump with Amy Pereira placing 3rd with a jump of 16’ 7.5”, Bella taking 4th and Kassidy taking 5th. Brooke-Lynn took third in the triple jump with a jump of 33’ 10”. Amy Pereira took third in the shot put with a toss of 31’ 9.75”. Ashley Pelletier took home the win in the Javelin with a throw of 109’ 1”. The Lady Lancers finished as a team tied for first, sharing the TVL title with Hopkinton with a score of 104.6, outdistancing 3rd place Holliston by 24.6 points. Knowing the 4X400 was the event to decide the meet, it only exacerbated the steaks. It almost felt as tense as game 7 in a series, but in one event.

“Everyone came here and did what they needed to do” said Coach Kent Taylor.

The Norton boys and girls track teams were lauded showing their strength and depth winning both titles. The Norton boys executed their plan perfectly and every body showed and did their job. The boys were heavily favored and proved to everyone why they were. They girls knew they had a heavy task facing the Hopkinson girls who have won this title 15 years in a row. The girls struggled in some events, but together as a team came together and were able to tie Hopkinson for a share of the TVL title. Both teams will have their eyes on the Div. 4 state title on May 31st. 

BP#9 Deflategate

Deflategate is the new big scandal of the NFL today. After the New England Patriots massive 45-7 win over the Indianapolis Colts, reports began to surface the Patriots may have used under-inflated footballs. The use of use of under-inflated footballs gives a couple competitive advantages. One advantage is it is easier for the QB to grip and also RB’s to hold. Reports say that 11 of the Patriots 12 footballs were under the minimum 12.5 PSI. Reports have come out linking Tom Brady to locker room attendants John Jastremski and Jim McNally on game day of the AFC championship game. Although reports state Tom Brady knew, they also state Bill Belicheck and Bob Kraft did not know. These reports state after half time all balls were checked and were put back to league regulations, when the Patriots scored most of their points.

While the Ted Wells report was there in length, it lacks in substance. The Ted Wells report lacks any substantial evidence and was based more on assumptions. The 243 page report lacked any substantial evidence that would hold up in an actual court of law. The circumstantial evidence says Tom Brady “is more likely than not” guilty. Even if Brady is guilty, the Tom Wells report does not have enough solid evidence to prove it. I personally believe he is not guilty, with the Wells report cementing my opinion. The NFL will also back the Wells report as they paid millions of dollars for it, and will not refute it.

Both Tom Brady and the Patriots have punishments. The Patriots were fined $1,000,000 and lost 2 draft picks and Tom Brady was suspended for four games. I believe the Patriots fine is even more ludicrous than Tom Brady’s punishment. I believe this because in the Wells report, it says Bob Kraft and Bill Belicheck had no knowledge of this happening. This ruling goes against the Wells report because it is punishing people that it reported not guilty. Tom Brady’s punishment is also too much as Ray Rice was only suspended for two games originally, making the ruling for deflating footballs more severe than domestic violence. I believe neither of these punishments are fair or fitting of the accused crime.

The Ted Wells report offers very little substantial evidence making it tough to give a proper punishment. The $1,000,000 fine and four game suspension is too much. The first change I would make is to take the fine away from the patriots. The report states it does not have evidence to link the team to this incident, so the team should not be fined. Also, Tom Brady should not be suspended. Without substantial evidence a suspension is illogical and wrong. I would instead fine Tom Brady instead of the team an amount from $80,000-$150,000. The Deflategate incident was mismanaged as a whole. The Wells report was biased as Tom Wells is known to work for the NFL on multiple occasions giving the NFL favorable verdicts. If I was in charge, I would have handled this very differently.

BP#8 The Short Game

The general argument made by author Josh Greenbaum in his work, the Short game, is that 7 yr old kids from around the world are fighting for the top spot as world champion, and are already under this tremendous pressure. He shows these young athletes practice and compete at a higher level than some high school athletes will ever compete at. In this documentary, Greenbaum suggests that some of these young golfers are not ready for the pressure of playing golf at such a high level yet, and that some of their parents are pushing them too far at too young an age. In conclusion, Greenbaum’s belief is that these young golfers are very talented and have a vastly different childhood than most kids their age.

In my view, Greenbaum is right because I have seen this first hand being a four year tournament golfer myself, and these parents to push these kids too far, and put too much pressure on these kids. More specifically, I believe that some kids are not only living a different childhood, but are pushed to the point they hate a sport they once loved. For example, Amari could not handle the pressure on the course and had multiple meltdowns. Although Greenbaum might object that these kids are not ready to compete at this level, I maintain that they should not be competing at this level of competition at such a young age. Therefore, I conclude that this is a very informative documentary that many people can learn from, and shows many people what goes on not only before and after each round, but off the course with these young athletes.

Josh Greenbaum's sports documentary, The Short Game, he shows the pressure put on ever younger tournament golfers and how this has affected their childhoods greatly. The narrator first introduces eight of the junior golfers competing in the U.S. Kids world golf championships. He then shows them competing in the three round tournament going through their struggles and successes. His purpose is to show some of the best junior golfers all over the world and show how tournament golf at such a young age can effect the childhood on these kids. His audience is parents and children and fans of golf.

Rhetorical Precis

In Trevor Martin's sports documentary "Schooled- The price of College Sports(2013)”, he exposes Colleges and universities exploitation of college athletes that negatively benefits them. The author first introduces the problem with college athletics and how college athletes are not compensated; they then continue to offer solutions to the problem by suggesting compensation for the athletes. His purpose is to speak out against the NCAA for taking advantage of these student athletes making millions off of them without them making a single cent and trying to get fair compensation for these athletes. He seems to have sports fans and student athletes in mind because the documentary has college athletics in mind. I agree with the documentary in the fact that it is wrong and unjust for the colleges and NCAA to be making millions off of these athletes without them getting a single cent. Although I still believe college athletics should be kept amateur, I believe after athletes graduate from college, they should be offered compensation, leaving them the choice to remain an amateur or not. Although these athletes are getting amazing educations for free, they should still be compensated. 

Wilfork remaining a Patriot?

     The general argument made by author Mark Farinella in his work Wilfork:No Patriots place for him is that the Patriots will let the Nose tackle. He writes that Wilfork may be leaving the Pats​​when he says, "Patriots nose tackle Vince Wilfork is likely to become a free agent in he days to come". In  this passage, Farinella suggests that this may have been Vince's last season wearing a Patriots uniform. In conclusion, Farinella’s belief is although today's free agent market in the NFL is very unpredictable, Vince will likely not return as a Patriot.

     In my view, Farinella is right because rarely when a team does not pick up a players option do they aquifer him in free agency. More specifically, I believe that ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​there is a chance Vince Wilfork my retire. For example, ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​many Nose Tackles in the league last half as long as Vince has due to the nature of the position. Although Farinella might object that Vince may retire. I maintain that Vince may retire this offseason. I conclude that Vince gave the Patriots many great years and although his future is uncertain, he still has had a major impact on the game​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​.

Munger with incredible success at Redneck games!

Johnny Munger of Norton left the 2015 Redneck Games as the most decorated athlete. He placed in all eleven events placing first in six of them. Some of his top events were the Toilet seat throw, Hubcap hurling and Wet T-Shirt contest.

Johnny Munger went into the Redneck games as the underdog never expected to take home any of the coveted crushed beer can trophies. But as soon Munger saw the coveted trophies, he knew he had to leave with at least one if not more. Munger was off to a slow start in the pig trotter bob where he only got three in the time limit. However he excelled in the next event taking home the trophy, Seed Spitting.

“I knew this would be one of my strong events with my baseball background, I only played baseball for the seeds anyway” said Munger. In the toilet seat throw he blew his competition away from the start showing his excellent toilet seat horseshoeing skills. He then proceeded to win the Mud Pit Belly Flop, Wet T-shirt contest and Dumpster diving. He also placed second respectively in the Big-Hair contest and Armpit Serenade. 

Mungers true moment of glory came in the Hubcap Hurling. “I could not disappoint Larz” said Munger who took quite a different approach than other competitors. Where most competitors took a conventional approach to the throw, Munger used what he learn from his coach Tenglin and approached the competition throwing the Hubcap as a Discus beating his closest throw by 50 feet with a monstrous throw of 165’!

“I am very proud of my performance and hope to repeat next year” said Munger.

Hoop dreams

     Hoop dreams still matters today. As college sports are growing and recruiting practices are questioned everyday, the importance of this documentary has only become more important. Today we hear stories of kids getting recruited as young as 10 or 12, which is way too young. Hoop Dreams is an excellent documentary which followed Author Agee and William Gates through their journey to hopefully gain a scholarship and move onto the NBA. Through their high school careers though, basketball becomes more of a job for them. It becomes a challenge to continue to play the sport they grew to love. William even said when he went to Marquette, that it wouldn't bother him if he stopped playing basketball forever right there and then. 

     This documentary showed us the great pressure these young athletes compete under today. Kids play with the pressure knowing college scouts could be watching them. After the documentary, both athletes went on to college careers, but neither made it to the NBA. William Gates played three seasons at Marquette, with 29 starts. He trained with Michael Jordan and was offered to try out for the Washington Wizards, but injured his foot and never did. Authur Agee transferred from Mineral Area College on scholarship to Arkansas University. He never moved on to the NBA although going D1. He later on launched a Hoop Dreams clothing line and his role models foundation teaching young kids to look to their parent    

Sports in todays culture

In todays culture the impact sports has is tremendous. Sports have broken many barriers and has let many athletes improve society not only for themselves but for the many. Sports have had many political connections. Sports have shaped our culture, pitting own state against another. Sporting events have become major news stories. Sports have broken many barriers from race to even communism. We close entire cities for sporting events (Boston Marathon) and even sports parades. We don't even start school until after labor day because of the golf tournament in town. Sports run our culture in many aspects. Sports will always have a major influence on our culture.

Where in the past sports helped us attack issues such as racism and  communism, today sports help us take on new issues. These issues include gay rights. As major athletes come out as gay, it gives other the confidence to also come out and feel more comfortable. another issue that sports have dealt with is domestic abuse. Recently the NFL joined the Nomore campaign that has featured many popular athletes and big figures associated with the NFL to speak out against domestic abuse. These are only two of the more recent issues that sports have dealt with in a positive way. Although the NFL has help the fight against domestic abuse, some of its players have been the center of these scandals. Sports also sometimes cause kids to idolize the wrong figures. But I believe the many positives outweigh the few negatives.

Sports have also had a major impact on my life. I am proud to call myself an athlete. Sports have helped me express myself and challenge myself. Sports have helped me create many friendships that will last my entire life. Sports have also influence many of the things I do everyday, from what I wear to what music I listen to. Sports have given me many opportunities that I will forever be grateful for. Sports have taught many lessons, one of the most important lessons being how to comeback. How to comeback from defeat, from injury, and succeed. Sports are something Iwill always be grateful for, for the rest of my life.

Pats with the W

The New England Patriots will be Super Bowl XLIX champions this Sunday. This is the first time in super bowl history that the Line is set even. There are a couple key matchup. One being Kam Chancellor and Rob Gronkowski. They are calling this a key matchup. The associated press is calling this matchup that will be the focus point of the Super Bowl. This article calls this an equal matchup, but I think otherwise. I believe though, Gronk will win this matchup, by his sheer size and strength, the only worry of mine is to get him the ball.

 Another factor is deflatgate. Some people are worried that the current "deflatgate" allegations may distract the patriots going into the game. But this will only fuel the Patriots. In the past when this team has faced allegations such as this, it has only fueled them to prove everyone wrong. This Patriots team not only has strength through the few, but has great depth that will help them secure the Super Bowl win. 

A Dunn Deal for Friars analysis

The general argument made by author Peter Gobis in his work, A Dunn deal for Friars, is that Sophomore Kris Dunn is setting records and taking his team to new levels, becoming one of the best college basketball players in the country. He writes, “Dunn ranks No. 1 nationally and in the Big East”. In this passage, Gobis, is suggesting that Dunn is not only going up national rankings himself, but is also bringing his team with him. In conclusion, Gobis’s belief is that Kris Dunn’s amazing success in his redshirt freshman year is amazing especially considering what he has gone through.

In my view, Gobis is right because although he is a sophomore, this is his redshirt freshman year and he has already set many records. More specifically, I believe that this all the more impressive considering this is first year since he had double shoulder surgery. For example, “The Sophomore guard from New London, Con., became the first Friar ever to post double digits in three columns in Big East hoop history”. Although Gobis might object that the Friars play in a weaker league, I maintain that Kris Dunn’s accomplishments are still amazing in his redshirt freshman year. Therefore, I conclude that Kris Dunn may be one of the best athletes the Friars men’s basketball program may ever see.

What is a Sport?

A sport is a competition where to be the best, you have to train hard. Sports challenge the athlete every time they take the field, court, course, track, etc. A sport is a competition that can you not only face yourself, but you face an opponent. A sport is a challenge that an athlete faces everytime he/she takes the field.