This year was the beginning of many successful years to come and Coach Ravenscraft, the girl’s head coach, was very pleased with the outcome of everyone’s performance. When Coach R. was asked about freshman sensation Jessica Brown and her performance at the region meet on April 23, 2010 where she ran her fastest time of 12:27 in 3200-meter run, and qualified for the state meet, he quoted “It was the best that I’ve felt as a coach in a long time, the experience to Albany, GA (where the state meet was held) was absolutely gratifying.” She holds the school record for the 3200 meter run and for being the first female to compete at the state meet.

        Henry Stevens-Carty has had an amazing senior year. He has many victories in the 800 and 1600 meter run.  His personal record for the 1600-meter run is 4:21.72 and his personal record for the 800-meter run is 1:52.44 making him the current sixth fastest 800-meter runner in the United States. Henry’s many performances have earned him a full scholarship to Samford University to run track and cross country at the college level.  

            Scott Lewis has Allatoona’s record for the longest throw in the shot put and discus. His farthest throw for shot is 49 feet and 11.25 inches, and farthest throw for discus is 137 feet and 0.25 inches, which were both made at the region meet. Scott went to compete at the state meet in both events, placing eighth in the shot put. He had a remarkable season this year, and has set high goals for his senior year.

            Corbin Williams has made himself known throughout the school and county that he is a competitive runner in all long distance events.  He ran a 10 minute and 15.32 second 3200- meter, placing second at the region meet. Then Corbin advanced to the state meet by placing eighth place with a time of 10 minutes and 16.87 second in the 3200-meter event. His performance during Track will benefit him during Cross Country season in the fall.

               These four athletes are only a few in Allatoona’s population, but they have surely shown their physical abilities that make them stand out in the crowd. Jessica, Scott, and Corbin have the potential to led Allatoona into a state victory before they graduate, and Henry Steven-Carty has proven that the Buccaneers can run just as fast as they can sail.

          Entering the year, the Saints were twenty to one to win Super Bowl XLIV, making them extremely valuable to those bettors that wagered on the team in preseason. Although the Saints’ offense has carried them through the season, the Colts’ defense matches up to them well with their speedy defensive backs. This game will be interesting to watch because it is a good match.

          The game will be held in Miami, Florida in the Dolphins’ stadium. The Super Bowl has been held in Miami ten times; the reason for so many Super Bowls in one area is the fact that in late January or early February the temperature in most other parts of the country is below freezing. Even if the game was played in a dome, all of the fans driving would be unsafe on icy roads. Dolphin stadium is an outdoor unexposed stadium which does not reflect sound like in a dome which is preferred by some owners and players.

          Super Bowl XLIV is sure to be another awesome and exciting game and everyone should take time to watch the most enjoyed sports event of the year.

            Students at Olathe High school in Kansas never expected that the prank they planned to pull on their high school girls’ basketball team coach, Joel Branstrom, would end up coming back on them. During the half time of one of the season’s games, the students planned to have Branstrom attempt to make a shot at half court while blindfolded. If he made it, he would win tickets to the Final Four. The young coach, who had played as a walk-on for the University of Kansas in 1997, was willing to give it a try.  His team had been the No. 1 ranking team going into the NCCA tournament, but lost one game short of the Final Four. Perhaps this would be his opportunity to finally go. The real prank was that the crowd was instructed to cheer wildly after he shot, leading him to believe that he had actually made it—a shot like that is virtually impossible. 

            But their clever trick back fired when Branstrom beat incredible odds and made the shot.  The crowd, genuinely amazed, roared with excitement as the students who had set up the prank came rushing out onto the court. Unfortunately, there happened to be no Final Four tickets. Branstrom was informed that the whole thing had been a joke, and the only thing that the guilty students could give him was a gift card to a Mexican restaurant. 

            Branstrom took it in stride and admitted that he thought something had been up and suspected that the crowd would have cheered no matter what, his biggest fear being that he would be smacked in the face with a pie. It took until a little while afterwards to finally accept that he had, indeed, made the shot.

            As news of the story became world wide, some generous fans offered to donate tickets to the Final Four, so perhaps the young coach will get his reward after all.

To some this may seem like a shocking situation, but for Allatoona’s sports medicine teacher Coach Armbruster, this was not only one of her graduate experiences but is also a part of her daily routine. Certified for five years, Coach Armbruster more commonly known as Coach A, teaches Sports Medicine I and Sports Medicine II in high school. Daily she teaches her classes how to care for different athletic injuries and she discusses the occupations that can result from a dedication in the sports medicine field.

Students can continue studying in college and become orthopedic surgeons, physical therapists, and even masseuses.  To start, Coach A recommends students apply to a four year college that has an accredited program.  At the college level the undergrads will rotate sports each semester. Coach Armbruster stated, “They learn about different injuries each semester because each sport is different.  In Gymnastics you’ll see more knee and back injuries while in baseball you will see more shoulder injuries.” This will allow a familiarity with all athletic injuries so no athletic trainer will be unprepared and will be able to help.

At Allatoona, Coach A has had the chance to set precedents for our athletic training program.  She hopes to motivate her students to not only participate as student trainers at games but to pursue athletic training as a college major and profession. Coach A stresses two important things to her students: confidentiality and respect.  When telling stories about former athletes Coach Armbruster always uses the up most discretion and never uses names out of respect for the players.  The second piece of advice addresses the sometimes tough obstacles females face in the field. “At times it can be difficult for a female and get respect”, she cautioned. However Coach A had nothing but praise for the reverence throughout the community’s athletic program. She also praised the Allatoona athletic administration and has never experienced any issues with fellow coaches. The next time you’re at a game for any sport, check out the athletic trainer and their students.  They are doing more than just sporting the polo, khakis, and fanny pack.

          The World Cup is one of the best examples of unity that the planet sees. Every four years all of the countries in the world come together to play what some call the best game ever invented: soccer. While this tournament may not seem like a big deal in the United States in other parts of the world you either qualify or literally die trying. The competition and seriousness that is invested into this tournament cannot be seen in any other sport competition watched throughout the globe.

          This year the Men’s World Cup will begin in June and is being held in South Africa. While playing in the tournament is an honor, hosting the tournament is an even bigger deal. During this economic downfall South Africa is most definitely in store for an economic boost. Due to hosting the tournament South Africa has just completed the Durban Stadium and it is ready for some playing time. The stadium, also known as the Mores Mabhida Stadium, includes a cable car. This means that visitors can rise to a viewing platform which allows you to view the ocean, city and field all at once. The South African government is also trying to improve their infrastructure in preparation for tens of thousands soccer fanatics that will soon flock to South Africa in upcoming June. 

          The competition in South Africa could be one of the best yet. Players such as Fernando Torres, David Beckham and Freddie Adu are sure to be promising. The World Cup brings tears of joy or sadness to many kids, women and even grown men all over the world. Be sure to tune in this summer and see which team brings home the golden trophy. This historic tournament will surely not be a disappointment.

              After months and months of training and tournaments, Team USA was formed. Team USA consists of the best athletes in the nation, if not the world. Throughout history, this team has earned 216 medals, 78 of which are gold medals. The 2006 Olympic Games brought the United States a total of 25 medals and one of Team USA’s most successful season. This year, Team USA has nearly 250 contenders who hope to bring home even more.

            The United States has talent stretched across the board from skeleton to short track. Viewers know to watch athletes such as Shaun White, Sasha Cohen, and Bode Miller; however, there are many athletes that have improved since the previous Winter Olympics. Keep your eye on these athletes: Apolo Ohno is the leading short track skater. Ohno is a five-time Olympic medalist with two gold medals, two silver medals, and a bronze medal. Evan Lysacek reigns as the world championship in figure skating. He has also earned two United States championships. Jenny Potter maintains her fair share of medals and has hopes of earning more in the 2010 Olympics for hockey. Potter led the team in scoring at the Torino Olympics. These are just some of the many athletes hoping to bring Team USA to a victory. For a full list of schedules and bio’s of athletes, log onto www.nbcolympics.com.

          The girls were tired after their long weekend at State. They left for Columbus Friday morning to compete later that day to move on to the Saturday Competition. The girls had an amazing season with many wins as Grand Champs and are now ranked 6th in State. Allatoona has definitely made their impression on the competitive cheerleading world and have proven they are a team that should not be messed with. Congratulation girls on your incredible win!