Monthly Archives: April 2004

By Joey Kaufmann
Staff Writer ’06

The age-old debate of whether cheerleading is a sport was solved for me on January 10th. The answer involved basket-tosses and toe-touches right in front of me when I attended the Walton Invitational cheerleading competition. On that fateful day, I saw more than just curly hair and ear-to-ear smiles.

Walton High School’s gymnasium was packed with people. My poor view did not prevent me from being impressed by wonderful performances though. Twenty girls, only feet from each other, did triple back handsprings capped off with back flips. However, it was not until Lassiter performed that I saw a true spectacle.

I had already applauded ten schools when I heard Lassiter was to perform next. The squad’s reputation preceded them. I had never witnessed a performance by Lassiter’s squad before this day, but I anticipated good things.

The girls made no mistakes, at least to my untrained eye, and made the other schools look second rate. The poise they showed was beyond description. They left the mat foreseeing a first place trophy. I heard a girl from South Cobb High School returning to her seat next to me, mouthing to her friends, “Wow. That was awesome. Like, that was so good.”
The judging dragged on for much too long, and I sat uncomfortably waiting for the results. For entertainment during this long period of time, Danielle Douthit and Jaclyn Ouyang led a “jump-off,” with Danielle making the finals. A controversial tie was reached between Danielle and a somewhat less-deserving girl. Controversial, however, is the last word I would use to describe what I encountered next.

The 4AAAA schools were announced and there were only three 5AAAAA schools left to go. As soon as the second place team was announced, the rising tension culminated. When everyone realized that LHS would at least place in the top ranks, since the second place team was not Lassiter, the whispers and elbow nudging were enough for anyone to surmise who had taken the competition.

By Emily Hamilton
Guest Writer ’06

Consider the consequences of reading this article. It’s pretty safe. This is just a little something to make you think. And so the story begins. Friday, December, 26 my boyfriend, Dan, arrives from Wisconsin to visit for a few days. That night, my family and relatives go on an outing to Stone Mountain. On Saturday, we go ice skating at Centennial Olympic Park with friends, family, and relatives. We go to church with my family on Sunday morning then go out to lunch. Late afternoon: the plan begins to unfold. I start packing and prepare to leave. Sunday night at 1 AM I move my bags down to my boyfriend’s room on the basement level. Dan, my brother, and I are watching a movie on T.V. I say I’m really tired and pretend to go upstairs but instead go downstairs. Dan stays up a little longer so that everything seems normal. At 2 o’clock he tells my brother to tell my dad (when he wakes up) that we both went to bed because we were tired. We don’t go to bed right away though. I fall asleep around 3. He stays awake so someone is always watching the time. When I wake up at 5, he goes to sleep for about an hour. At 6 we get all our stuff together and leave the house at 6:30. We walk a few hundred feet to my neighbor’s yard (they happened to be on vacation.) We put our luggage behind a big green power box and sit down to wait. It’s now 7 o’clock and the ride we were expecting at 6:30 still hasn’t come. Coming to the conclusion that there would be no ride we called for a taxi at 7. The taxi service calls back at 7:30 to say they can’t find the address where we are. I explain it as well as I can and at 8, the taxi finally appears and we drive away to the Greyhound Bus Station in Marietta. We arrive at 8:30 and luckily the 8:25 bus to Milwaukee was late. At 8:45 we board the bus and leave Marietta. Late afternoon, we arrive in Nashville where we make our first transfer. We also telephone my Dan’s mom. She keeps asking where we are, but we refuse to tell her. We only tell her where we will transfer next and what time that will be. Finally at 12:00 AM we arrive in Chicago where his parents are waiting to pick us up. We decided we were too tired to transfer and then go to Milwaukee so we asked them to pick us up in Chicago. At 2 o’clock we arrive at Dan’s house. We all eat a little bit of food and go to sleep around 3. It’s Tuesday afternoon and Dan comes in and wakes me up around 2:30. We just wander around the house all day in our pajamas. After we eat lunch with his family we both shower and get dressed. Around 5 or 6 his niece and sister-in-law come over for dinner. We listen to David Bowie in the living room and sing along for fun. Then, we watch “Finding Nemo” after dinner with his niece and she and I create a zoo of stuffed animals on the couch. At 9 they leave and a little later Dan, his parents, and Iwatch “Bruce Almighty.” Then, we all go to bed. I wake up at 9 the next morning and dye my hair while Dan is still sleeping. He comes downstairs at 9:30 while I’m eating breakfast. We shower and then we both go upstairs to get something. The doorbell rings and when we come downstairs my parents are standing right in front of us. I refuse to go home and Dan and I are both crying and I threaten suicide if I have to leave him and go home. To which he says he will join me if I do that. My parents end up giving me three choices: go home QUIETLY on the plane, have the police take me to a juvenile detention center, or sign myself into a psychiatric hospital (in Wisconsin it’s voluntary). I pick the last choice because I don’t want to go home or see the police. Dan and his family come for support, but he ends up talking to an admittance person too. On Wednesday, December, 31 I sign myself into the hospital for severe depression, cutting, suicidal threats and attempts, and running away. I ask to say “goodbye” to Dan but he’s still talking as I’m going down to the unit. I see him through the window of the room he’s in as I walk down the hall. His parents are talking and he’s lying on the couch crying and all I want to do is tell him how much I love him. He gets admitted on the same day but somewhere else. He leaves on Saturday, January, 3 and starts school on Monday like he’s supposed to while I’m still stuck in the hospital. His parents come to a family session with me and my parents on Monday morning. They say a few things, I don’t remember what, and my dad reads off the rules when I go home that all 4 of them have decided on. One of them is no communication between me and my boyfriend or our families until he and I are both “doing better.” But who determines that. His parents tell me they love me and walk out of the room and away…maybe forever. The hardest part is knowing that, from the hospital, he’s only 8 miles away from me in the direction that my window faces, but I can’t reach him. During my remaining days at the hospital, I spend a lot of time looking at the snow. Luckily enough, because I was from Georgia and didn’t see lots of snow, the staff let me go out on the fenced in adolescent patio to play in it. I threw it up in the air, made a snow angel, and a pathetic snowman. But I had a great time. On Sunday, January 11 I exit through the front doors to freedom. My parents and I go back to the hotel so I can shave and pluck my eyebrows (definitely a must). At 11:30 AM, we get all of our luggage and by 12:45 we are in downtown Milwaukee. We stop at the art museum and drive around looking at the old houses and the magnificent lake view parks. At 2:30 we’re at the airport returning the rental car, checking our baggage, and going through security. We watch the Packers game for a while and at 4:45 we board the airplane (this is my very first flight.) I watch the lights of all the cities below me and listen to David Bowie and Eve 6. We land in Atlanta at 7:30 and start home around 9 o’clock. I did nothing all day today. I begin the outpatient program tomorrow morning. After I’m finished with that, I will return to school, attend family therapy, visit with my regular therapist, and continue taking my anti-depressants. I don’t know when I can talk to Dan again. I never got to tell him I love him or say “goodbye.” I miss him so much and I miss all my friends at school. I have no way to talk to them because my dad got rid of the internet for awhile and I now get no privacy on the phone. If you hated this article all the better, I just hope you learned to seriously look at the consequences that come along with choices that you make. Dan and I had so much going for us. We ran away to be together, but now the tables are turned and we’re farther apart than we’ve ever been. I only hope I can talk to him on the phone by Valentine’s Day. Remember this, before you make a decision about something consider the consequences and ask yourself if it’s worth it to risk so much. Everyone makes mistakes. No one can see into the future and then make all the right decisions. You just have to learn from the mistakes you make because if you don’t you’ll repeatedly make the same ones over and over again. When life gives you lemons, make lemonade or in other words make the best of any situation and you’re more likely to come out of it with your life intact.

By Darah Protas
Staff Writer ’06

When Britney Spears posed on the cover of Rolling Stone in 1999 in a push-up bra, boyshort underwear, and a sweater while holding a telephone and a Teletubby, many onlookers were shocked and even outraged that a teenager would pose so provocatively on a mainstream magazine cover. Four years later, Britney shed her top for the October 2003 Rolling Stone. Not so surprisingly, this seemed to result in nothing more than a few raised eyebrows and ecstatic teenage boys. In 2000, Britney’s red vinyl bodysuit in her Oops…I Did It again video received a lot of media attention for being so tight, yet when Christina Aguliera’s Dirrty video premiered only three years later, it did not receive half the controversy it called for. Even a spokesperson from Christina’s camp admitted that the video didn’t live up to the shock factor they hoped it would in order to kick off her new CD.

The only logical answer to these dulled reactions is that people have simply become jaded by sexual content. As Americans continue to adapt in favor of sexual tolerance, advertisers, recording artists, and movie and television producers search for the right way to shock audiences into attention with ostentatious words and images. They often push the limit right up against the illegal line.

Not only have adults and teens become more sexually tolerant, but children have as well; clothing has become very symbolic of this increase in modern acceptance of previously shock-worthy behavior. In the mid- to late 90s, the girls’ section of a department store circled around the style of overalls, matching shorts and tee shirt outfits, and Keds. If you walk into a department store now, the girls’ section features miniature versions of teenage clothing including miniskirts, tight jeans, halter tops, thigh-high boots, and tight, low cut tops. This is not such a big surprise, considering many belly-baring celebrities, such as Jennifer Lopez, have their own children’s fashion lines.

An outbreak in the popularity of tanning beds and belly piercings calls for the design of skimpier clothing so people can show off their tans and tummies (or perhaps it was the design of skimpy clothing that led to the sudden need to tan and have a decorated navel?) Either way, risqué celebrity style has rubbed off onto nearly everybody; teenagers have predictably been affected in their quest for hipness, adults attempt to look young and equally stylish, and even young children are jumping on the bandwagon in hopes of looking older and more fashionable.

It would be easy to blame celebrities, the media, or the internet for this flagrant promotion of sex. After all, celebrities do set the trends and sing songs worthy of the film industry’s NC-17 ratings. The media promotes these celebrities, and the internet has allowed for the universal exposure of anything and everything sexual—for free. Even when seeking online research for a paper, you’re likely to fall victim to racy popup ads of girls in string bikinis advertising home spy cams. In truth, this phenomenon is the result of several contributors, including of you reading this article, who, in one way or another, have become more sexually tolerant since the early 1990’s.

It’s hard to believe that fifty years ago television would not broadcast Elvis below the waist because he shook his hips. Now, with celebrities shaking anything and everything in our faces, we can only sit back and wait to see what will shock us.

Contributed By Coach Cagle

It’s no secret that the gender roles have undergone countless changes since the good old days. Whereas women were once expected to fulfill household duties, monotonous as they were, modern men are often the ones to stay home to care for children, clean,and cook. Perhaps the astronomical increase in divorce rates since the 50’s can be attributed to the evolution of marriage roles and household expectations. The following excerpt from the May 1955 issue of Housekeeping Monthly illustrates some of the outdated expectations of women in the home.

* Have dinner ready. Plan ahead, even the night before, to have a delicious meal ready, on time for his return. This is a way of letting him know that you have been thinking about him are concerned about his needs. Most men are hungry when they come home and the prospect of a good meal (especially his favorite dish) is part of the warm welcome needed.
* Prepare yourself. Take 15 minutes to rest so you’ll be refreshed when he arrives. Touch up your make-up, put a ribbon in your hair and be fresh looking. He has just been with a lot of work-weary people.
* Clear away the clutter. Make one last trip through the main part of the house just before your husband arrives. Gather up schoolbooks, toys, paper etc and then run a dust cloth over the tables.
* Over the cooler months of the year you should prepare and light a fire for him to unwind by. Your husband will feel he has reached a haven of rest and order, and it will give you a lift too. After all, catering for his comfort will provide you with immense personal satisfaction.
* Prepare the children. Take a few minutes to wash the children’s hands and faces (if they are small), comb their hair and, if necessary change their clothes. They are little treasures and he would like to see them playing the part. Minimize all noise. At the time of his arrival, eliminate all noise of the washer, dryer, or vacuum. Try to encourage the children to be quiet.
* Listen to him. You may have a dozen important things to tell him, but the moment of his arrival is not the time. Let him talk first- remember, his topics of conversation are more important than yours.
* Make the evening his. Never complain if he comes home late or goes out to dinner, or other places of entertainment without you. Instead, try to understand his world of strain and pressure and his very real need to be at home and relax.
* Your goal: try to make sure your home is a place of peace, order, and tranquility where your husband can renew himself in body and spirit.
* Don’t complain if he’s late home for dinner or even if he stays out all night. Count this as minor compared to what he might have gone through that day.
* Make him comfortable. Have him lean back in a comfortable chair or have him lie down in the bedroom. Have a cool or warm drink ready for him.
* Arrange his pillow and offer to take off his shoes. Speak in a low, soothing and pleasant voice.
* Don’t ask him questions about his actions or question his judgment or integrity. Remember, he is the master of the house and as such will always exercise his will with fairness or truthfulness. You have no right to question him.
* A good wife always knows her place.

By Kevin Timms
Editorials Editor ’04

A-Rod joins the Yankees – Why?!?! The “if you can’t beat ‘em, buy ‘em” method reaches a new height, but is this fair? Many teams couldn’t acquire A-Rod due to his ridiculously large contract, but the Yankees only end up paying him roughly $16 million a season. Hmmm…something is wrong here. How come the Texas Rangers continue to pay a lot of A-Rod’s contract when the Yankees could afford the pay the whole thing? New York definitely bullied the Rangers into basically handing them A-Rod for nothing (I know they got Alfonso “Swing and Miss” Soriano in return, but the Yankees aren’t paying him to play for the Rangers.) So, what is the reason? Maybe Yankees owner George Steinbrenner offered the Rangers’ owner a chance to touch the upcoming Yankees’ World Series trophy. Or maybe the Rangers’ owner received Yankees season tickets, a brand new Bentley, and some of Mrs. Steinbrenner’s homemade cookies. Whatever the case, A-Rod’s trade is reason enough for a salary cap to be implemented into the baseball structure, and for a team other than the Yankees to win the World Series…Go Braves!

Clarett wins lawsuit against NFL – Hypothetically speaking, you’re a 20 year-old running back who has been suspended for legal troubles a year after you helped the Ohio State Buckeyes win a National Championship. Do you: a) accept your suspension and await for reinstatement b) transfer to another school and live up to your freshman year hype or c) think that you’re the best thing since the Pet Rock and cry to the NFL that they’re discriminating by having an age restriction on their possible NFL draftees? If you chose C, you’re Maurice Clarett. So, now that he has won the lawsuit and caused the NFL to lose its age restrictions, my seven year-old neighbor is eligible for upcoming 2004 NFL draft. That’s right…he’s 4’7 and 90 lbs. and has excellent work ethic—all the stats needed for a future NFL superstar. This lawsuit might eventually cause high schoolers to skip college and go straight to the NFL, much like LeBron James and Kevin Garnett in the NBA. I can’t wait to see these high-schoolers on the other end of a Ray Lewis tackle! Breaking news: Kevin X has just sued the NBA for not drafting him because he can’t shoot, pass, play defense, or jump higher than one inch. It’s discrimination!

14 year old girls playing on the PGA tour – Basically, equality in sports is reaching scary new levels. I don’t have a problem with girls playing in the men’s golf tournament, but please make the equality universal—which means I should get an extra two minutes (males have two minutes less than females) in BPE to complete the six lap test. And then…shouldn’t I be able to try out for Girls’ JV soccer and eventually develop my career in the WNBA?

The Atlanta Hawks giving away players – Here’s an idea: let’s trade two of our best players for a troubled starter whose contract expires at the end of the year. Then, let’s trade that player for 3 no-name players and mediocre draft pick. Then let’s trade another good player for two players that aren’t good enough to make any teams and then in turn release one of them. Hint: That’s not how you win games and instill confidence in your fans. Not even Spiderman can save the Hawks from embarrassment.

Barry Bonds in general – After hearing that Barry Bonds severed ties with the Major League Player’s Association, I felt no sympathy for what Bonds had called his negative image portrayed by the media. By severing ties, he basically forces companies to negotiate personally with Bonds over any product they produce. Now, I agree with individual commercials, but when Bonds forces videogame makers to negotiate with him to place him into baseball games, he crosses the line. It should be a privilege to star in the latest Playstation 2 baseball hit. I guess he needs more money because his trainer has been discovered dealing with steroids. How much does the destruction of evidence cost? (On a side note, I have copyrighted my full name, so if any teacher/school uses it on a website or roster then they will need to personally negotiate with me.)

Players without talent that trash talk – The first player that comes to mind is the former (thank God!) Atlanta Falcons cornerback/liability Ray Buchanan, whose only reason for not giving up a big play is that a wide receiver lost concentration (probably laughing at Buchanan’s lack of talent) and dropped the ball. Plus, Buchanan’s only way of stopping a wide receiver from humiliating him in front of fans is to use the unique pass interference method. I know the first amendment guarantees free speech, but the framers really meant that freedom of speech and trash talking is only reserved to those possessing an ounce of credibility.

By Joey Kaufmann
Staff Writer ’06

Paradox – Rock/Metal

Members: Sam Ortiz – lead vocals – keeps it original because he listens to just about everything
Bryan Strickland – guitar – his major metal influence gives the band a harder sound
John Godfree – bass – contributes a funk sound with the bass
Kerry Reece – drums – his percussion gives the band some major jazz influence
Biography: Sam’s chiropractor for rehabilitating his football injury was Kerry’s mom. Sam and Bryan had been looking for a bassist and a drummer, and when Sam mentioned it in passing, Mrs. Reece mentioned that her son and his best friend were looking for a singer and a guitarist. The rest is Paradox history.
Influences: Korn, Metallica, Park, Blindside
Listening to: Senses Fail, A Perfect Circle, Lamb of God
Releases: “Lost Memories are Better Forgotten” to be released sometime in the future
Upcoming shows: March 20th @ The Masquerade (Battle of the Bands)

Liaison – Emo/Screamo

Members: Josh Miller – vocals – will be releasing his first solo CD shortly. Ryan Stockmal – guitar, Matt Larson – bass, Ryan Cain – guitar, Alex McWalters – drums – A.K.A Chico Martinez
Biography: When Week Proposal broke up, a boy got together with Ryan Cain. Ryan brought his bass player, Nick, and started a new band with Ryan Stockmal. After their first CD release “The Lawry Six Inch,” Nick quit for “domestic reasons” and was replaced by Matt Larson. They have been rocking out really hard ever since. www.liaisonrock.com
Influences: Week Proposal, Death Cab for Cutie, The Locust, Josh’s lame metal bands.
Listening to: Clay Aiken, “Toxic,” Ludacris, The Beatles
Releases: 3-song demo on sale for $3. “The Radio Effect” to be released soon.
Upcoming shows: March 20th @ The Masquerade (Battle of the Bands)

Plano – Acoustic/Emo

Members: Mike Jansen – vocals, guitar, drum machines – former singer of Far From Fairfield.
Billy Justineou – guitar, piano, backup vocals – plays drums for Lassiter’s Drumline and a jazz band
Jessie Giles – backup vocals
Biography: Mike Jansen wrote some songs and asked Billy if he was interested in playing also. The songs now are fuller and more instrumentally complete. Jessie doesn’t play with Plano live but graces the band inside the studio with some great background sound. www.livejournal.com/users/planorock and www.purevolume.com/plano.
Influences: Death Cab for Cutie, Ben Folds, Straylight Run, The Get Up Kids
Listening to: I Married My High School Sweetheart
Releases: free two-song demo, LP due out in April
Upcoming shows: March 23rd @ Swayze’s with The Lyndsay Diaries

Xero – Metal/Rock

Members: Danny Helms – lead vocals, Ryan Yunker – guitar / vocals, David Ljung – guitar, Ben Hopper – bass / vocals
Biography: In January 2002, Ryan, Josh, Ben, and David came together to form a much-needed band. They had all been looking for people to play with them and finally united to create Xero. When invited to play at the Masquerade this January, Xero invited Danny Helms to sing for them and the band has now made a name for themselves on the local metal scene. www.hometown.aol.com/guitars14
Influences: Nirvana, Taproot, Deftones, Korn
Listening to: Linkin Park, anything techno, 311, Incubus
Releases: 6-song instrumental demo
Another with vocals out soon
Upcoming shows: March 20th @ The Masquerade (Battle of the Bands)

By Jillian Farr ’06 and Matt Speer ’05
Staff Writers

On the night of March 11, 2004, the first annual Mr. Trojan contest was underway. No one knew what the night would entail, but everyone was excited to see how it would turn out.
The night started off with an unusual introduction of contestants. Each contestant got to choose an outfit that captured their personality. Some of the more interesting outfits included freshman James McConnell’s “country club member” outfit, complete with a blue sweater on his shoulders and tennis racket to carry; junior Eric Duncan’s “class nerd” style consisted of plaid shorts, suspenders, and taped up glasses; finally, Chris Newberry’s choice of clothing was perhaps the most interesting of the night; he sported a tight velvet dress that left little to the imagination.

As part of the application, the contestants were each asked some questions that were announced the night of the contest. If you could trade places with any woman in the world, who would it be and why? What would you do if you were Mr. Trojan? And what was the worst movie you have ever seen? The audience laughed at almost every answer. Freshman Reed Halterman said he didn’t like the movie “A Walk to Remember” because Mandy Moore died at the end of it. Sophomore Brad Evans said he would most like to change places with Ashley Olsen so that he could get closer to Mary-Kate.

Eric Duncan woos the girls with his amazing ribbon dancing.

While on stage, the contestants were each asked a random question and had to answer it in 30 seconds. When asked what he would do if he only had a week to live, junior Stephen Shaw said that he would take his family to Florida and go to Disney World. This drew a long, “Awwwww!” from the audience. Justin Williams, a junior, pleased the crowd with his rendition of his favorite television theme song, Batman.

After all of the contestants had dazzled the crowd, senior Jackie Holmes entertained the crowd with a song while the scores were tallied. The contestants were brought back onstage for the announcement of the top 10 semi-finalists. As a few of the guys linked arms and crossed their fingers, emcees Holly Hansen and Jeremy Muxworthy announced the lucky ten: freshman James McConnell; juniors Eric Duncan and Justin Williams; and seniors Jeremy Ciak, Mark Kasilus, Adam Tart, Chris Newberry, Nathan Pyle, Nate Watkins, and Robert Shostak.

The semi-finalists were rushed backstage to prepare for the talent competition, which turned out to be the most hilarious part of the night. James McConnell wowed the crowd with his amazing musical abilities. He played “Mary Had a Little Lamb” on three glasses filled with water. Eric Duncan stole the show with his ribbon dancing to OutKast’s “Hey Ya.” Jeremy Ciak impressed the audience with his hula-hooping skills, and Adam Tart performed a “slight of foot” card trick. Chris Newberry grossed out half of the audience and impressed the other half when he stuck a balloon up his nose and pulled it out through his mouth. He called his trick “mental floss.”

After the talent portion concluded, the audience was granted a short intermission to buy concessions. A portion of the proceeds was to be donated to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, the real reason that this entertaining night occurred. With the audience rejuvenated and the remaining contestants anxious backstage, it was time to announce the final five guys who would be competing for the coveted title of “Mr. Trojan.” The tension and emotions ran high onstage as the guys were announced. They were freshman James McConnell, junior Eric Duncan, and seniors Jeremy Ciak, Mark Kasilus, and Adam Tart.

Now it was time to get ready for the “Worst Case Scenario” portion of the competition. Each guy was escorted out by the lovely Elan members. They were then paired with a Thespian member to act out their worst case scenario. Jeremy Ciak made the crowd roar with laughter as he acted out being stuck in an elevator with the most annoying person on the planet, played by Robyn Almeida. Jeremy calmed down Robyn in the elevator when he revealed that he was Superman. He tore off his dress shirt and underneath was a Superman T-shirt.

Eric Duncan drew lots of laughter when he had to try to explain to his mom, played by Suzanne Delaney, that he had wrecked her mid-life crisis red Viper. He said that he had to swerve to miss a giant beaver in the middle of the road and that he would need a little bit of wax to cover up the “scratches.” Mark Kasilus had to bring his girlfriend, played by Brooke Yates, home to her parents’ two hours after curfew. Mark was quick with excuses such as having to fly to India to stop world hunger and resolve world peace. By this time, the audience had tears streaming down their faces from laughing so hard.

As the night was coming to an end, it was time to announce the class hotties: for the freshman, James McConnell and Reed Halterman; for the sophomores, Brooks Louder; for the juniors, Justin Williams and Stephen Shaw; and for the seniors, Robert Shostak, Chris Newberry, and Adam Tart. The class hotties received a mini top hat (because they had class) and a medal (because they were all winners). The next award was for Mr. Nice Guy, which was voted on by the contestants themselves. This award went to sophomore Brooks Louder. He was awarded a medal, a gift certificate to a candy store “because he is so sweet,” and a fireman’s hat “because who’s nicer than a fireman!”

Then came the moment we’d all been waiting for, and the winner of the 2004 Mr. Trojan contest was…drumroll please…Eric Duncan! Eric fell to his knees in joy, screaming in jubilation. He ran across the stage and even did a belly dive for the audience. Eric was awarded a medal, a gift certificate, and of course, a king’s crown because he was king of the night!. The first annual Mr. Trojan turned out to be a huge success. Congratulations to all of the winners, and especially to Eric Duncan, Lassiter’s first ever Mr. Trojan!

By Becca McGovern
Layout Adviser ’04

Go ahead and order the state champion rings now because this year Lassiter’s Varsity Lacrosse team is unstoppable. Thus far undefeated and ranked number one in Georgia, Lassiter has an excellent shot at playing in the state finals and claiming the title of 2004 state champions. If you were a lacrosse fan last year you might be wondering how the team went from losing twice to last year’s state champs Westminster, to running the clock on them this season with a score of 15-5. Last year the Lacrosse team was good but this year they are taking no prisoners, so when asked about the difference from last season’s performance to this year’s defenseman Mike Collins and attackman Logan Erickson accredited the teams winning season to “a lot of summer camps, the coaching this year, but mainly because the team is so close and most of the guys have been playing together for at least three years.” Founder and booster club president Terry Mayne also attributed this season’s success to “the guys putting the team first rather than their individual goals” and concluded that, “by doing this they win more because it’s a lot harder to beat a team than a group of individuals.” Throughout this season the lacrosse team has demonstrated a strong team effort. They were able to keep the momentum going despite three injuries to attackmen Michael Mayne, Logan Erickson, and Jordan Rutte, along with another incident regarding the loss of team members. Nonetheless they upheld their winning streak and in the midst managed to beat former Tennesse champions McCallie; however, the game was close with a final score of 6-3. Along with the incredible team effort this season many team members also attribute the season’s success to the coaching. New head coach this year Rick Beaulieu and assistant coaches Keith Gravit and Gene Ferraro have kept what Mike Collins called “a tough but fair” environment. Aside from Collins, Goalie Alex Crawford also mentioned the coaches being strict but fun and praises coach Beaulieu saying, “he is awesome because he is easy to relate to and can act like a big kid sometimes.” However excited the Lacrosse program may be about the playoffs beginning and the season coming to an end, unlike last year, at the end of this year the team will be losing many of its senior players. This year’s seniors include defensemen Greg Lentz, Mike Collins, Josh Satterthwait; Mid-fielders Kyle Dickherber, Neil DiVito, Mark Vogelgesang, JD Douthit, and Scott McGuire; Attackmen Logan Erickson, Michael Mayne; and Goalie Erick Hansen.