Starting Off Strong: Cross Country

With a legendary female runner in College and a new coach in place, the New Oxford Cross Country team began preparation for another winning season on August 17, 2009.

Colby Frantz, a former wrestling coach who recently moved from Delaware, has been given the head coaching job for the Cross Country team. Although he has never coached Cross Country before, Frantz has experience as a runner.

When asked about the challenge of transitioning from coaching the sport of wrestling to Cross Country, Frantz says that “the transition was and is a tough one. For one, in wrestling you are coaching boys, mostly, and they react differently to a certain type of motivation; that is, yelling. But in Cross Country, you are coaching boys and girls and yelling won't work the same, as a matter of fact it may work the opposite. However, coaching is coaching and there are many things that apply the same in both sports, such as pushing athletes to achieve things that they didn't believe they could achieve. The same amount of coaching preparation goes into both sports.”

Pushing his athletes to their highest possible achievements is just what he plans to do, hoping to set them on the track to improving their times. His plan for summer training was to “get the hard part out of the way” so that the rest of the season can be maintaining speed.

Frantz says that his goals for the season are “to build at first, increasing the speed and distance, and then maintain with speed and rest for the duration of the competition season.”

Although the legendary Jordan Jenkins is gone, Frantz still thinks highly of his team. When asked for his opinion, he says, “I think my new team is awesome! They are the best group of individuals with whom I have worked. And that is saying a lot because I have worked with many groups and teams in my life. These athletes and young adults are maturing everyday and they are working very hard. They have a goal and dream to improve at what they do. Their strength lies in their ability to work as a team and be there for each other. Their weakness lies in the lack of belief in themselves sometimes. The personalities run the spectrum and I enjoy talking to each one of them for different reasons.”

When speaking to his runners, Frantz tells them that it isn’t where they place that matters, it’s how hard they try. He also tells them that he believes in every single runner, and that he never thought the runners couldn’t be good. He wants them all to have the “hearts of champions”.


As meets are underway for the school season, the Cross Country team is still working to improve times. Through two meets, runners did not do as well as was expected of them individually or as well as Coach Frantz hoped they would do. Frantz says that the runners are too hard on themselves. “The last two meets were tough ones but there were a lot of positives that came out of those meets. Almost all runners had their personal best at the first race, and many improved at the second race as well. I think the most important thing is to let them know that they all did their best and that we will get back to work with new goals to meet.”

That is exactly what the team plans to do. With two meets behind them, the runners set goals to look to improve their times, since every competitive runner knows – every second counts.

Allison Mack

Im Bored With the Internet

I thought this was perfect to post on a blog!-Kari Herren

The Music Video's for the Music Poll

In case you didn't know some of those songs, here are the music videos for them.....

New Music Poll

Here's a music poll to see what kind of students like what....


http://www.misterpoll.com/polls/451984

Dear Tipsy Cups,

I don’t believe you ruined you chance. If he understands that it was an accident, it shouldn’t be a problem. Just give it a day and call him up. Try to put the evening it happened into the conversation. Just see what he says. 

Good luck,
Mary Smith

_____________________________________________________________________________

Dear Mary Smith,
I saw this really cute guy, my friend, at a restaurant the other day. We ate together and talked, and had a good time. But when we got up to leave, I hit my soda with my arm, and it spilled all over his shirt and pants. We were both thoroughly embarrassed and left quickly after that. I even thought that he might ask me out! Did I ruin my chance?
Yours Truly,
Tipsy Cups

What do you think on the ecosystem?

http://www.misterpoll.com/polls/451818

What's up After School?

How are youth leaders striving to create a positive, drug-free community here in Adams County? Hi, my name is Hannah and I am one of the youth leaders striving to make a difference.
This summer I was one of a group of 24 8th, 9th and 10th grade youths from the 6 school districts of Adams County who traveled to Fort Indiantown Gap for a 5-day leadership camp. The camp was provided by Collaborating for Youth in partnership with the Pennsylvania National Guard Counterdrug Program. The purpose of the camp was to learn how to find or improve the leader in ourselves so that we could work toward improving the environment for youths in our area. We led various activities that included GPS geo-caching, an obstacle course, a leadership reaction course, and group brainstorming on ways to better our community. The activities gave us a chance to practice leadership traits such as initiative, tact, unselfishness, endurance, bearing and enthusiasm. Leadership Camp also gave us a chance to build a network of youth leaders from all over the county, to work together on creating a better community.
One opportunity at Leadership Camp was getting to meet the White House “Drug Czar,” Mr. Gil Kerlikowske, and discuss drug issues facing teens so that he could report back to President Obama. Our group voiced ideas such as making people more aware of the issues through media messages, getting celebrities to join the fight for drug-free communities, and encouraging youths to take a stand for the cause.
This camp was a great experience and showed that you have to work at leadership; it is just not handed to you. Our roles as youth leaders are very important. If we want our future country to be humane, resourceful and to do great things to create the desired global peace, then we need to take the step towards it today. At this camp, I felt that the training that was provided empowered me to go back home and do something.
Many other youths are involved in Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, 4-H, United Way, FFA, and the NAACP, and they are doing their part towards initiating positive and involved communities’ nation wide and in Adams County. Others, who are involved at the county level with Collaborating for Youth, meet up with liaisons of different organizations that try and help improve the community. They have also participated at Carroll Valley’s National Night Out, and are working on a networking website for the youth leaders to discuss and support each other’s ideas. As members of the CFY Youth Coalition we are able to work nationally and regionally with other anti-drug coalitions. With the help of these programs and organizations in the community, kids are starting to help make a difference.
Youth leaders have already taken at least one small step to reach their goals to improve their community. Now, it’s your turn to help us! Call 338-0300 ext. 26 today for more information.

The almost-over Run

Two years ago, in 2007, at Gettysburg high-school, the sun was shining, and it was hotter than ninety degrees. As runners crossed the finish line of their three miles, they would collapse of heat exhaustion and dehydration into a waiting volunteer’s arms.
One year ago, in 2008, at Gettysburg invitational, thousands of runners raced to the finish in the pouring rain to start the massive invitational. Runners slipped and slid their way through the race, up and down hills.
This year, in 2009, it was a perfect day to run, warm, but not hot. But Gettysburg high school was completely barren of runners and their loyal fans. Thousands of Cross Country runners from all over were disappointed to find out that the invitational was cancelled due to the lack of funding, and increasing number of participants.
As more teams show up from all over, Gettysburg can barely fund the T-shirts and concession stand for the race. Gettysburg plans to pick up the invitational next year, minimizing the number of teams, and lowering their funds for the next race.
Although Gettysburg was cancelled, that did not stop some teams from competing in season opener races. A few teams traveled out of state, to compete in New York and New Jersey, while other teams stayed close, competing in road races such as Littlestown’s 5K run.

Allison Mack

Mister Poll: What kind of stories do you read?

Mister Poll: What kind of stories do you read?

Shared via AddThis

Dear Mary Smith,
I met this French exchange student yesterday. He tried to speak to me in French because I said Bonjour, but the problem is that I don’t know any French. I turned bright red and ran away. I think he knows a little English, but not enough to carry on a conversation.
Signed,
Clueless of French

__________________________________________________________________
Reply:

Dear Clueless of French,

I understand your “fear” in the situation. Since he is an exchange student he should understand some English. Try to tell him you don’t know French and ask for a study session so you could learn. It would be a great way to hit it off.

Hope everything works out,
Mary smith

Dear Readers,


I am Mary Smith, this is the advice column of our blog. If you wish to ask me a question, just comment this blog post. You can send in anything your little heart desires to offthehookfishy@gmail.com. I will give you my advice on that subject a.s.a.p. I hope to be of assistance. Enjoy!

Sincerely,
Mary Smith

The Boy Who Heard Too Much

By: Kelly McMaster



Lights flash and police sirens sound. You wake up to a loud banging on your door. You open it up and there are three officers knock you to the ground. Someone has called the police saying using your voice saying that you have a daughter and her father, and if you don’t have your demands, you will kill them and yourself.

That person would be John Deffano. He is, a 14 year old blind boy who has had so much hate for the world that he takes his vengeance on other people calling the police on them.

John has an incredible gift. All you have to do is have him listen to your voice one time, and he can imitate it right away without a problem. John gets on free phone chat lines and he’s known by ‘Lil Hacker’. He’s part of a gang called the ‘phreaks’. And they prank call the police posing as those they are trying to get back at.

In the gang “Phreaks”, which was over the phone completely, John would get on an free phone chat line and force people to have phone sex with him. If they refused, he would call the police to their house. This is called “Swatting”. When FBI agent Kevin Kolbye was asked on his views he had this to say, “Prank calling in my day was ordering a pizza to a neighbor’s house. Nowadays, it’s this.”

Book Feature of The Month
by: Kari Herren


Book title: Creepshow


Author: Stephen King



Description: Creepshow is a comic book consisting of 5 stories. There is something alive after 134 years in The Crate from an Arctic expedition. It happens to be a monster that it's just like a cartoon. Well it's widely known that "Tasmanian devil's" can not take a joke, especially when they were captured and locked away since June 19, 1834. Will Mike Latimer and Charlie Gereson find out the hard way why this monstrosity only appears in their comic book?

[On the right is the theatrical poster. It was produced int o a movie in November 12, 1982.]