Roller derby on the rise in NH

Transcription

thepioneer
Volume 2 Issue 4
Inside this issue:
One year of Obama
Ryan Mitchell takes a
look back at the first year
of President Obama and
the changes he has made
so far.
See page 6
All the falling icons
Joe Walsh weighs in
on the fall from grace of
many celebrities this past
year.
See page 3
Seniors salute
A look at the seniors
from the Class of 2010
that hope to attend military
academies next year.
See page 4
Wrestling phenom
Mark Natale talks to
Dane Mason, a senior
who also
makes up
the entire
Trinity
wrestling
team.
See page 4
We’re gaga for Gaga
Emma Pratte shares her
opinions America’s obsession with Lady Gaga, the
star everyone’s talking
about.
See Page 2
Our favorite things
Mark is obsessed with
Ke$ha, Joe loves the cold
weather, and Tiffany and
Sarah love their fuzzy
socks. Check out the top
five favorite things of each
of our staff members.
See page 12
SPORTS
Holy hockey!
Mark Natale reports on
the outstanding season so
far for Trinity’s hockey
team.
See page 7
Corrections:
Due to a reporter’s error,
Westley LeClerc was left
out of a story about senior
basketball players in the
previous issue.
THS at a glance...
2/1-5 - Catholic Schools
Week
2/6 - Dramapalooza
2/12 - Campus Ministry
Baby Shower
2/15 -Presidents Day assembly
2/19 - 1 p.m. dismissal
2/20-28 - February vacation, no classes
The newspaper of Trinity High School
Jake Hamel: Known to most as
the kid most everyone knows
By Joe Walsh
Pioneer Staff
Every school has football jocks, nerds, preps, et
cetera. Standard cliques and
stereotypes are to be expected
anywhere, and Trinity is no
exception. So what do we
have that no other school
in the world could possibly
have? We have Jake Hamel,
the sophomore who’s making
a name for himself (intentionally or not) as the kid whose
name everybody knows.
“Describe me as misty
eyed. Jake Hamel – sophomore
with misty eyes,” he says, only
half-jokingly. He’s the kind of
kid who can’t go three sentences without cracking a joke, and
he’ll basically keep laughing
until you’re laughing too.
An outsider would say that
Jake has been at Trinity for
a few years now. He knows
everyone and can’t walk
down the hallway without
saying “hey” to a good 10 or
15 people. The truth, however, is that Jake is relatively
... / Pioneer Staff
Jake Hamel (far right) is seen here with sophomore Hunter
Viscarello (far left) and junior Nate Provencher (center) at the
decorating for this year’s homecoming rally.
new here, having transferred
from Central at the start of the
school year.
“I definitely thought it
was going to be smaller and
more strict than Central,” said
Hamel. “I mean I really didn’t
know very many people, so
it would be different. I knew
Hunter [Viscarello] before,
and only a few others.”
“I met Jake in 7th grade
at the New England Tournament for St. Joe’s basketball,”
said Viscarello, a sophomore.
“He’s been one of my best
friends ever since.”
See HAMEL, Page 5
January 2010
Protecting life,
one marching
step at a time
By Alexa Serrecchia &
Mark Natale
Pioneer Staff
Among a reported 300,000
pro-life supporters, 80 Trinity High School students and
chaperones attended the annual
March for Life in Washington,
D.C., on Jan. 22.
With a completely new
itinerary that included a trip
to New York City and a Mass
for the Diocese of Manchester, instead of the traditional
Youth Rally in D.C., Campus
Minister Joe Malinowski had
spent weeks prior to the march
preparing for the event.
“Every year we try to make
the trip better, and we have to
learn from our experiences and
find how to make the most of
it for every student every time
we go,” said Malinowski.
The students left Trinity
around 11 p.m. Thursday night
and arrived at St. Joseph’s
Church on Capitol Hill around
8 a.m. Friday morning. The
See MARCH, Page 5
Roller derby on the rise in NH
By Sarah Ruggiero
Pioneer Staff
ners’ (“nugget”) pratice
who is 12 years old, making the sport open to really
A mob of women in neon
anyone with an interest.
green and purple helmets fly
Roller derby reached
around a flat, oval track in a
a new audience with the
secluded warehouse on East
movie Whip It, directed
Industrial Park Drive in Manby Drew Barrymore and
chester. Mattresses have been
starring Ellen Page. Most
wrapped around the building’s
of the ManchVegas Roller
support beams to cushion the
Girls have seen it, and
impact of any charging skatmany had attended the
ers.
sneak preview in Boston,
As the girls speed around
where they even had a
the loop, they practice blockchance to meet Drew Baring and checking each other,
rymore.
which usually sends at least
The game is played
one person to the ground.
with five players from each
These are roller derby girls,
team on the track. This
members of one of the fastconsists of three blockers,
est-growing alternative sports
one pivot blocker, and one
out there. But be warned: this
jammer for each team.
game is not for the meek.
The pivots stand behind
Roller derby burst onto
the starting line with the six
Sarah Ruggiero / Pioneer Staff
the scene back in the 1930s
blockers directly in back
The ManchVegas Roller Girls practice several times a week in a wareand is currently becoming
of them. The two jammers
more popular than ever before. house in Manchester.
stay behind, 33 feet away
Raving Loonachicks), and a travel team
Victoria Gailinas, aka Wicked
from the starting line. The
Evil Step Mom, had been in the business made up of various skaters from the two
pivots and blockers take off with the first
Manchester home teams. The Stark Rav- whistle and the jammers begin skating
of selling skating equipment when she
ing Loonachicks and Pandora’s Pinups
started to see leagues pop up in 2000.
after the second whistle, signifying that
practice together two nights a week- four the jam has begun.
In 2007, she decided to start a league in
New Hampshire, claiming her position as or five nights during warmer weather.
The objective of the game is for the
Skaters must achieve a certain level
the CEO of the ManchVegas Roller Girls
jammer to win points by passing the opof skating ability in order to play for
League.
posing players. The jammers must get in
This league is made up of five teams: the travel team, but there are no actual
front of the blockers, lap the pack, and
tryouts for people interested in getting
a men’s team (ManchVegas Men in
then pass blockers again to gain points.
involved with the ManchVegas teams.
Black), a women’s team based in the
The pivot blocker may also become the
While most of the ManchVegas girls who point-winner if the jammer “passes the
Monadnock region (Monadnock Mad
play competitively are in their twenties
Knockers), two Manchester women’s
or older, there was one girl at the beginteams (Pandora’s Pinups and Stark
See ROLLER GIRLS, Page 5
Page 2
The Pioneer
Opinion/Editorial
January 2010
Emma Pratte
“Bad Romance” video. I
could watch that video over
and over again. It’s bizarre,
slightly frightening and
completely fantastic. Everything about her is artistic. The video captures the
high fashion manifestation
of crazy imagination.Those
shoes and that make-up, and
those outfits!
Who of us normal people
would want to – or have
the gall or ability to – pull
off those outfits? Not many.
That’s why Lady Gaga is so
fantastic. She is awesome at
a level that is unachievable
for all the little people.
People make the argument
that Lady Gaga is big right
now and in five years she
will fade into oblivion, only
to be remembered as a onehit wonder. To those people,
I say: A. I disagree and B.
Who cares? Even if my kids
don’t know who Lady Gaga
is, that does not make her
any less awesome today.
Everything about her is
appealing to our generation.
Her music is completely irresistible. Why fight it?
We are truly sorry Who doesn’t love Lady Gaga?
for our mistakes
Last year, we were given
our wrongs. More importhe opportunity to start our
tantly, we use this editorial to
own printed paper at Trinity.
apologize.
We, as the writers of this paWe let the students of our
per, have worked
school down, we
Editorial
to build it into an
watched as they
organization that
read our paper
can be looked at
in disappointwith respect. We report the
ment, and we can’t really say
news of our school, give our
anything except that we are
take on current issues, and
deeply sorry. This was a colprovide an outlet for numerous lective mistake made by the
topics affecting us as a student entire staff, not the fault of
body.
one individual.
We enjoy writing the paper.
We apologize to the school
Not to say that it isn’t work,
as a whole, for letting you
it just happens to be work we
down with the paper that
enjoy doing. The stress is high represents you. We apologize
sometimes, and the expectato the people immediately
tions are higher. Regardless,
affected. We understand our
we’ve come to enjoy doing our mistakes, and we can do nothbest work for the paper.
ing but move forward.
Yet it is also important to
understand the scrutiny with
Signed,
which we read the paper we
put out. When mistakes get
Joe Walsh
through our editing process,
Alexa Serrecchia
we can only sit and watch as
Co-Editors-in-Chief
four hundred of our peers notice them along with us, when
it’s too late to do anything.
Mari-Briege Dunn
It’s comparable to a football
News Editor
player watching a tape of
himself missing the gamewinning catch over and over,
Ryan Mitchell
400 times.
Mark Natale
So, it is with humility that
Sports Editors
we acknowledge our failure to
catch multiple mistakes in the
last issue of The Pioneer, mis- Emma Pratte
takes that should never have
Sarah Ruggiero
made it to press. Mistakes that A&E Editors
are an embarrassment, to say
the least. You’ll notice one
correction printed on the front Tiffany Keenan
page, an attempt at righting
Staff Writer
The Pioneer
Co-Editors-in-Chief
Joe Walsh
Alexa Serrecchia
News Editor
Mari-Briege Dunn
Sports Editors
Ryan Mitchell
Mark Natale
A&E Editors
Emma Pratte
Sarah Ruggiero
Staff Writer
Tiffany Keenan
Advisory
Mrs. Terri Greene Henning, adviser
Mr. Denis Mailloux, principal
Mr. Steven Gadecki, assistant principal
Mr. Patrick Smith, dean of students
[email protected]
Rah-rah-ah-ah-ah!
Roma-Roma-ma-ah! Ga-gaooh-la-la! Who among us
doesn’t know this? And who
could ever get that song, or
any Lady Gaga song for that
matter, out his/her head?
There is no human being
who can resist it. Her music
is upbeat and unavoidably
catchy.
After a couple of months
of attempted dislike for
Lady Gaga, I caved. I have
since come to the realization
that Lady Gaga is awesome,
period.
Miss Gaga was one of
the most talked about artists of 2009, and rightfully
so. We just can’t seem to get
enough. She is like no one
else in the music industry.
That’s why I like her – she’s
different. She does what she
wants and does not care what
other people think. Good for
her!
Her appeal does not singularly lie in the outfits and
crazy videos. After listening to the three albums she
released in 2009, I came to
realize that she can actually
Opinion
sing! I was shocked. I figured
there was nothing behind
the leotards and glitter. She
can play the piano and sing,
like a real musician. Realizing this made me feel better
about listening to and enjoying her music.
Her videos are very
strange – I’ll give the Gagahaters that one – but that
makes them awesome. They
are something new, something that makes you stop on
VH1 when you’re flicking
through the channels. They
are glamorous, colorful and,
my favorite aspect, they
tell a story beyond what the
song can. The “Paparazzi”
video is crazy and amazing and outdone only by the
A generation without a resolution
Originally, this was going
to be about how our generation is one that has never
really gotten into the spirit
of New Year’s resolutions at
all. Yet as I started writing,
I realized something: I think
that’s kind of a good thing.
Before our generation, New
Year’s resolutions were just
something you talked about
because, well, it was just
what you did. Now, apparently, we have better things
to talk about.
Take a good hard look
at New Year’s resolutions.
What have they become? In
all honesty, they are nothing more than a big excuse.
For most of America, it’s an
excuse to loosen our belts
for a few more days. “Yes, I
have been eating for weeks
on end. No, that’s not a salad.
Yes, I am going to super
Joe Walsh
Opinion
size that. Don’t look at me
like that, losing weight is
my New Year’s resolution.
It starts January 2, because
New Year’s Day doesn’t
count.”
Not that the intentions
aren’t good, it’s just that the
follow through is so terrible
that it’s a disgrace to the
holiday. New Year’s is the
only holiday of the year that
marks a real change in something. You don’t actually feel
a day older on your birthday
– that happens gradually.
And you don’t actually plant
a tree on Arbor Day, because
that’d be weird. On New
Year’s, you get an actual new
year.
Most people start off
really well. They’re nice to
the people they vowed to be
nice to, or they eat the right
things, or they do all their
work on time. By Martin Luther King Jr. Day, however,
the vows are broken, and the
real year begins.
Our generation is one
that doesn’t need resolutions because we realize how
pointless they are. Maybe we
don’t care enough, or maybe
we’ve all reached a point in
our lives where we’re happy
enough to say that nothing
needs to change. No regrets,
that’s the way to be.
Pride
Spirit
Tradition
The Pioneer
Opinions expressed in signed and unsigned letters to the editor, opinion pieces,
and columns are not necessarily those of The Pioneer, its staff, or Trinity High
School. If you do not see your side of the argument, we invite you to submit a
letter to the editor via e-mail to [email protected]
January 2010
The Pioneer
Page 3
Opinion/Editorial
Time for the media 2009: The year the icons fell
to leave Tiger alone
The news
day of school to
Mark Natale
seemed assee that the main
Opinion
tounding to
topic of discuseveryone—Tiger
sion isn’t the NFL
Woods, the best
Playoffs or the
player in golf
BCS Championhistory, crashed
ship, but whether
his car in his own
or not Tiger’s
neighborhood?
affairs should matBecause his wife
ter when looking
was chasing the
at him as a golf
car with a golf
player.
club? Tabloids
Really? We’re
shouted the news of a cheatgoing to look at the greatest
ing Tiger, giving him a new
golf player in history and doubt
nickname (“Cheetah”) and
whether or not he was really
slandering his marriage while
that good because he had afshouting for a public apology to fairs? There are people wonderthe world.
ing whether or not his titles are
Sports talk shows and
legitimate now because of what
television programs across the
has come up lately. I really
globe discussed the importance don’t care whether or not Tiger
of Tiger’s life decisions and
cheated or not; he’s still- hands
made a big
down- the
deal over
There are some things best golfer
a domestic
that I have
that I just don’t need to ever seen
dispute.
There wasn’t
hear about, and Tiger play.For
a place you
could turn
Woods’ alleged affairs years, Tiger
without
has been the
are one of them.
seeing a
icon of the
picture of
perfect man:
Tiger or one of his “mistresses” beautiful wife, beautiful home,
plastered on the cover of some
beautiful kids, and a career that
magazine or the television
he excels in. His face has bescreen.
come the iconic figure in cleanMy opinion? I don’t care.
cut commercials, the ideal man
I don’t care that Tiger Woods
living the American dream.
wasn’t faithful to his wife,
Now, sponsors are starting to
wasn’t the devoted husband
retract their contracts with Tiger
and perfect father figure that
and take away the committhe world made him out to be.
ments that they had previously
I don’t mind that Tiger made
made, simply because these
mistakes along the road. It
reports have come out.
doesn’t matter to me what Tiger
At some point, a line needs
does and doesn’t do with his
to be drawn in a celebrity’s
life. It’s not my business, and it life—there are some things that
shouldn’t be such a big deal to
I just don’t need to hear about,
everyone else either.
and Tiger Woods’ alleged afGranted, I don’t condone
fairs are one of them.
what he did by any stretch of
Now, golf has indefinitely
the imagination, but I’m sick
lost its greatest attraction to
of turning on the radio in the
“family issues.” The president
morning on the way to school
of the PGA doesn’t think it
and hearing about another one
will affect the game of golf or
of Tiger’s affairs. I’m tired of
the PGA’s following. Will it? I
turning on ESPN after a long
guess we’ll wait and see.
The year 2009 officially
started as a calendar year
at 12:00 a.m., Jan. 1, 2009.
The year in politics is said
to have begun on Jan. 20,
2009, with the swearing in
of Barack Obama as the 44th
President of the United States
and first black President.
Yet it wasn’t all confetti
and parties last year. 2009
saw countless media
figures fall like flies at
a bug zapper.
It all began with
Michael Phelps. On
Jan. 31, a photo of
Phelps smoking marijuana surfaced, and
many of the advertisers, who had rushed
to sign huge contracts
with him after his
Olympic victories, dropped
him. America’s superhero had
slipped off his pedestal and
fallen into a frat party.
Then, in February, it was
announced that Alex Rodriguez had failed a test for
performance enhancing drugs
(which apparently didn’t help
him during the ALCS). Poor
A-Rod, how could anyone top
that? We’ll be talking about it
for years, won’t we?
Nope. We’ll probably be
talking about Vince Shlomi.
Sound familiar? Probably
not. You’ll know him as the
ShamWow! guy. He was
arrested in late February for
a charge of felony battery
against a prostitute he allegedly had hired. Thanks,
Vince, you’ve ruined both
the ShamWow! and the Slap
Chop with your disgusting
actions. How dare you?
Then there’s Mark San-
Joe Walsh
Opinion
ever, happened as America
rested after a successful
Thanksgiving. Tiger Woods
crashed his car near his home,
just outside of Orlando, Fla.
The story was told that his
wife heroically smashed in
his windows with a golf club
in order to save her struggling
husband, leaving him in the
street to call for help. That
makes sense, right? I
mean, obviously after
hitting a tree, he can’t
open any of the doors,
right? Makes sense to
me.
Then reports started
to surface that Tiger
was a “cheetah.” First
one mistress, then two,
then suddenly we’re in
the double digits. As in
the case of Michael Phelps,
endorsements began to disappear, and the story engulfed
the media’s attention.
Hip-hop also saw the
fall of a few icons last year.
Kanye West caused outrage
when he jumped onto the
stage on national television and interrupted Taylor
Swift’s acceptance speech,
exclaiming that Beyonce
was the real winner. Then
you have Chris Brown, who
allegedly abused his then
girlfriend Rihanna earlier last
year.
2009 was a year of disappointment as far as icons are
concerned. Celebrities whom
kids look up to and politicians America trust have let
us down in ways we could
have never seen coming. But,
2009 also saw the rise of
Lady Gaga, so we still have
someone to look up to, right?
Celebrities whom kids
look up to and politicians
America trust have let us
down in ways we could
have never seen coming.
ford, the prominent Republican governor from South
Carolina who “disappeared
for a trip to the Appalachian
Mountains” and turned up in
Argentina with his mistress.
His wife wasn’t surprised,
she had already taken the kids
and moved out. She filed for
divorce in December.
Skip ahead a few months
to another politician down.
The world watched, over and
over again, as Republican
Rep. Joe Wilson from South
Carolina (apparently a breeding ground for bad behavior)
yelled out “You lie!” during
a speech being made by President Obama. Shame, shame,
Joe. Things like that might
cause the House of Representatives to band together
and demand an apology. Oh
wait, they did that, didn’t
they? Way to inspire political
change!
The story of the year, how-
Page 4 The Pioneer
News
January 2010
Pioneer wrestler positive about upcoming season
By Mark Natale
Pioneer Staff
“Come on, Dane! Half!
Half! Get out! Let’s go! Escape!”
It’s not often that one hears
Trinity fans shouting in support of an intra-city rival Manchester Central team, and it is
just as rare to hear Central fans
shouting for a Trinity team.
Yet, in the Concord High
School gymnasium, shouts
ring out from Central’s coaches, wrestlers, and fans, all in
support of 152-pound Dane
Mason of Trinity, standing in
the middle of a wrestling mat,
squared off in an exhibition
match against a kid at least
two weight classes above him.
Mason’s relationship
with the cross-town rival is
a unique one: because he is
the only wrestler at Trinity,
Mason practices with
coach],” said Mason.
Central’s team.
Coming from a
“I’m not too expeprep school where
rienced in the Cenmany wrestlers were
tral- Trinity rivalry,
on athletic scholarbut I guess it’s kind
ships, Mason says
of awesome because
the wrestling in New
I have the support
Hampshire is much
of their parents and
more consistent and
stuff,” said Mason.
is pleased with the
Mason is a senior
consistent skill level
Mark Natale / Pioneer Staff
transfer from Hyde
that he has faced this
Dane Mason, right, goes head-to-head with MerriPrep in Connecticut.
year.
mack wrestler. Mason won his match.
Mason started wresMason, who is 8-3
tling as a freshman
unique schedule, following
so far this year, having
and has loved it ever since.
Central to its meets. While
lost the exhibition match in
At Hyde Prep, Mason
Mason is coached by CenConcord and two matches in
chose to wrestle and play soc- tral’s advisers, he gives credit a tournament earlier this year,
cer and lacrosse. At Trinity,
to his father for spending the
has made a good transition
Mason joined the cross-coun- time and effort to allow him
into the NHIAA this year.
try team, plans on playing
to wrestle this year.
Mason lost in the preliminary
lacrosse in the spring, and pe“He’s definitely helped me rounds and the final round to
titioned the NHIAA to wrestle a lot. He’s been very supthe wrestler who eventually
for Trinity this winter.
portive of this whole thing,
won the meet. While not the
With his father as his listed and he’s had to take classes
undefeated season he set out
coach, Mason wrestles on a
to even be registered [as a
to have, he is still in top con-
tention for a good finish in the
state by the end of the season.
While Mason loves his
sport, he dislikes the division
of classes by weight.
“You have to watch what
you eat, and you go to practice
and you [have to focus] on
losing weight at that practice.
In past years, I was a lot more
strict about my eating. It gets
really unhealthy,” said Mason.
“I get right out of school,
and we practice from three
until seven. It gets rid of a
lot of my free time,” said
Mason.
Mason looks to dominate
the rest of the season, pushing
himself up to a strong run in
the end of the season. With
the New England tournament still in his sights, Mason
needs to keep winning to keep
his dreams of placing top-six
in the tournament alive.
Senior boys look at military options after graduation
By Alexa Serrecchia
Pioneer Staff
For the past few years,
there have been at least a
couple of Trinity students who
have graduated and gone on
to attend a military or service
academy. This year is no different.
“I almost feel like I have
to, like I owe something.
Living in this country and everything, I feel like I have to
give back, and that’s the only
way I know how,” said David
Labbe, senior.
Labbe has been accepted
to Norwich University, a
school in Northfield, Vt.,
where he would be a part of
the Marines ROTC program.
Senior CJ Clark is currently looking at the United
States Military Academy at
West Point, his top choice, the
United States Naval Academy
in Annapolis, Md., and Norwich University.
“I have always wanted to
be in the military, and West
Point is such a prestigious
school that I could get both an
excellent education and follow through with my dream to
be in the military,” he said.
Clark believes that a
school like West Point would
push him to work to his full
potential and have a lot of
structure in his life.
“My real motivation is
when I look ahead into the
future and see what I could
be doing after I graduate and
finally be living my dream of
being in the military, more
specifically, the Special
Forces,” he said.
Brendan Newcott, senior,
has applied to the United
States Naval Academy, for
which he received congressional nominations from both
Congressman Paul Hodes and
Senator Jeanne Shaheen.
He also applied for Naval
ROTC Scholarships to Purdue
University, EmbryMarine Academy,
Riddle Aeronautiand West Point.
cal University,
“I’ve known for
Westminster Cola long time that I’ve
lege, Arizona State
wanted to serve,
University, and
that’s all I’ve ever
Auburn University.
considered doing,”
Newcott has not
said Sauvan.
decided whether a
His number one
civilian school or
choice is the Naval
the Naval Academy
Academy, as he
Alexa Serrecchia / Pioneer Staff hopes to become a
is his top choice. At
the Naval Academy, Seniors, from left to right,Clark, Labbe, Newcott, SauNavy SEAL.
a midshipmen’s life van and Nalette.
Sauvan is a
said Nalette.
is controlled for
member of the
Nalette is considering
all four years, whereas with
United States Naval Sea Camarine engineering or transROTC at a civilian school,
det Corps, a program for stuportation logistics.
a midshipmen lives like any
dents age 11-18 to learn about
“It is not a traditional col- military customs, traditions,
other college student except
lege experience. You go for
they have a few extra classes
courtesies, history, ranks, etc.
an entire year out to sea and
on leadership and naval hisThe group drills every Thurstravel to about 30 different
tory, physical training, and
day night, and does physical
countries,” he said.
must wear uniforms one day
training and learns Color
With a good education and Guard and Rifle Drill, which
a week.
a good opportunity for baseUpon retirement from
Trinity saw at the Veterans
ball ahead of him, Nalette,
the service, Newcott hopes
Day Assembly.
who is the catcher for the
to become a commercial
“You get out of it what
Pioneers, will be attending the you put into it. It’s a great
pilot to continue his passion
Merchant Marine Academy in program with a ton of refor flying. He is currently a
the fall.
student pilot with 35 hours of
sources that can really help
Senior Nick Sauvan has
flight time. He has passed the
people like me who plan to
written exam, and once he has applied to the United States
serve in the U.S. Military,”
Naval Academy, the Merchant said Sauvan.
five more hours of flight time
and takes his practical exam,
Newcott can receive his private pilot’s license.
Senior Nick Nalette was
inspired by his grandfather,
who served in the Navy in
Guantanamo Bay during the
Korean War.
“I’ve always liked the
military aspect or serving in
some way,” said Nalette.
There are a couple reasons
for his choice of the Merchant
Marine Academy besides his
grandfather’s encouragement.
“It’s a good opportunity
to play baseball because there
are three graduating seniors on
the team. Also, you can choose
between active military duty
or working in the maritime industry, so you don’t have to go
active, which I’m not going to.
You are also still a part of the
Naval reserves for six years,”
If he is accepted to and
able to attend the Naval
Academy, Sauvan would go
in as an officer in a leadership position, something he
takes very seriously. After
four years of college, he
would be required to serve a
minimum of five years of active duty. After the five years
are up, he would be able to
go on to another career, but
Sauvan has other plans of
becoming a Naval Special
Warfare Operator.
“As of now, I plan on
making a career out of it (the
Navy SEALs),” he said.
Sauvan would like to major in English, a rare major for
any service academy.
“At any academy, engineering is typical,” he said.
Attending the Naval Academy would bring him a step
closer to his hope of becoming a SEAL.
“If you really believe in
something, and you have a
goal, you should do absolutely everything you can to
be the best at that one thing,”
said Sauvan.
January 2010
The Pioneer
From Page One
Page 5
Roller Girls
Continued from page 1
Trinity marchers gather for a picture in St.
Joseph’s on Capitol Hill in Washington,
D.C.
March
students, along with other pilgrims
from the Diocese of Manchester, attended this Mass for Life, which was
celebrated by Bishop John McCormack.
“It’s thrilling that there are young
people who want to come down here to
witness life and the value of life. And it
just gives me hope about what Trinity
is all about, what these young people
are all about, and what our future’s all
about,” said McCormack.
Around 400 people from the Diocese of Manchester attended the Mass,
including former Trinity Campus Minister, Andrew Nelson.
“Trinity only started going to the
March for Life six years ago, so it’s
wonderful to see that that tradition
continues and that Trinity students are
continuing to stand for the dignity of
human life,” said Nelson.
Following a few hours of exploring
D.C., the students waited for two hours
for the March for Life to begin. Many
thought that the experience was well
worth the wait.
“We got to speak for what we
believe in. That was probably the most
rewarding part,” said sophomore Rachel McBride.
After the march, students were allowed to once again explore D.C. and
met at Union Station around 7 p.m. to
board the buses and head out of the
Capitol.
The girls stayed at Elizabeth Seton
High School in Bladensburg, Md., for
the night, while the boys were brought
to Dematha Catholic High School in
Hyattsville, Md.
The 6 a.m. bus departure brought
the group to New York City for a latemorning arrival and an opportunity
to explore the city before Mass at St.
Patrick’s Cathedral, which was celebrated by a priest from St. Patrick’s.
Following the noon Mass, the
students were once again allowed to
explore the city.
“My favorite part was definitely going to the top of the Empire State Building,” said junior Shannon Moloney.
After departing from New York
around 4:30 Saturday afternoon, the
buses pulled into the Trinity parking lot
around 11 p.m. that night to wrap up the
trip and send the tired students home.
“Not a lot of people got sleep on
the bus, and we were tired during the
March,” said junior Lauren Husson.
Overall, though, the group seemed
to enjoy the March for Life and the trip
as a whole.
“[The memory] that really stood
out was the March itself, walking with
thousands of people for such a great
cause,” said junior Greg Denis. “I was
adopted as a child, and I was lucky
enough to be alive and not another
statistic on some chart—[that’s] my
reason for going down.”
star,” or hands her star-bedecked
helmet cover to the jammer while on
the track.
A match is made up of two 30minute periods. Jams may last up
to two minutes each, but there is
no limit to the amount of jams in a
period. The jammer can skate around
the track and collect as many points
as the two-minute period allows.
To bring individuality and attitude to the game, flashy team outfits
are designed, and each skater makes
her own nickname, usually a split between girlie, tough, and witty. On the
Manchester teams, the names range
from Mack Truck Mel to Hester
Payne to Seriously Slam’n.
Sure, the names and the neon
spandex are all fun, but derby is a lot
of hard, bruise and injury-eliciting
work. One of the first first lessons to
be learned is how to fall the correct
way, and during most of the drills in
a standard, two-hour practice, skaters
will inevitably be tripping, crashing,
and sliding across the cement floors.
There’s also a good possibility that
someone’s going to get the wind
knocked out of her. As with any other
contact sport, these players get their
money’s worth out of their equipment.
“These are the Cadillac of kneepads,” said Karen Forest, otherwise
known as TazSlamian Devil. Forest
had played for the DC Rollergirls
among other leagues before moving to
New Hampshire. She loves competing
in bouts but also enjoys the showmanship aspect of the game. Oh, and she’s
a huge fan of her skates.
“They are my babies, and I love
them,” said Forest. (Derby is played
on quad skates, not inline skates).
Gailinas said that the spirit of
derby is present in the movie Whip
It, but the cattiness and drama in the
film is totally absent in their league.
Sarah Ruggiero / Pioneer Staff
The ManchVegas Roller Girls skate around the track and run drills at their practicespace on East Industrial Park Drive in Manchester.
And the others can agree: while practices often push them to their physical limits, the environment is very
supportive, friendly, and humorous.
“I fix their boo-boos,” said Gailinas, affectionately.
Like many others, Brittany Romeo didn’t know how to skate until
she joined this past October. She says
she fits the derby personality well because she is too aggressive for most
other sports.
“[Derby]’s a twisted sorority
where you get to hit your sisters and
party with them afterwards,” said
Romeo.
While many skaters get riled up
during a bout, Katrina Swirko, also
known as Chick Anery (a play on the
word chicanery, which means cunning), finds competitions to be calming, after the initial pre-match jitters.
“To me, it’s like a feeling of
Zen,” said Swirko, who is known to
be a speed demon.
Swirko joined on a whim after
Gailinas handed her a flyer outside
of Newbury Comics. She is living
with a rare form of blood cancer
called Paroxysmal Nocturnal Hemoglobinuria, or PNH, and playing
roller derby has helped to make her
stronger and healthier. There is a
foundation set up in her honor called
Chick Anery’s Fight Club, which
hosts youth outreach programs and
raises money and awareness for this
disease.
Swirko is dedicated to the game,
and she is an emblem of the roller
derby girls’ strength and resilience.
“Derby’s gonna save the world,”
she said with trademark derby girl
confidence
If you would like to contact the
league or find more information
about roller derby, visit www.manchvegasrollergirls.com.
HAMEL
And basketball has been huge
for Jake, having played through
middle school and during his time
at Central and now here at Trinity.
“It was weird playing against him
last year when we played Central
in the JV game. Kid made it rain,”
said Viscarello. “I’m happy he goes
to Trinity [now], good to have him
on our team.”
But Hamel takes his passion for
sports beyond practices. In his free
time, he teaches mentally handicapped kids how to play softball with
a Special Olympics group.
He does other things, too. “I have
a dog named Marshmallow, and I
want to train her so that she’s befitting of the name Chico,” said Hamel.
Joe Walsh / Pioneer Staff
He’s also a self-proclaimed Wii exJake
Hamel
is
seen
here
with
senior
Tori
Smarse.
Smarse,
who
has
only known Hamel
pert. “Put that in, make sure you say
for a few months, says that she first viewed him as “arrogant” but changed her mind
expert. I’m totally an expert.”
after getting to know him.
“You know, Jake,” said senior
Tori Smarse during our interview, “I
here, and we met for the first time
great, kindhearted kid.”
really thought you were kind of stuck around homecoming. He’s one of my
“Come on, Jake,” I say. “Go deep.
up and conceited before I met you,
closest friends now, and he can always What kinds of things…make you
but then once I had actually talked to make me laugh. I love him to death!
cry?”
you, I realized that I was completely
I’m so glad he came to Trinity.”
He thinks for a second, then anwrong. I’m so sorry.” He laughs it
But that’s the consensus among
swers: “Dolphins, dolphins definitely
off. “Tori, I’m hurt, how could you?
the people who know him. “The truth make me cry. Oh and when [Gerard
It’s ok, though, I forgive you.”
is that I think Jake has been a great
Butler] says ‘P.S., I love you’ in the
Later, Tori said of Hamel: “Jake’s
addition to not only the basketball
movie P.S. I Love You.” He laughs
one of the greatest guys I know. I
team but to Trinity in general,” said
at himself, “I’m such a baby for that
didn’t know him until he transferred
senior Callan Danielson. “He’s a
stuff, dude.”
Page 6
The Pioneer
News
January 2010
Obama in the White House: A year in review
By Ryan Mitchell
Pioneer Staff
2009 was a busy year on
Capitol Hill, especially for
our 44th President, the first
black President of our nation,
Barack Hussein Obama.
While the first year of his
service as our president has
ended, even a quick look back
shows just how unsurprisingly
interesting 2009 has been
for Obama, who has already
spent months of his presidency, defending and revising his actions on America’s
biggest domestic issues, the
healthcare crisis and the struggling economy. Change and
the country’s reception of it
have already begun to define
Obama’s presidency at a lightning-speed rate.
One of the biggest moments of our president’s first
year in office came among
much confusion and dispute.
On Oct. 9th, Obama won the
Nobel Peace prize for his
work as an international diplomat and for his vision of a
world without nuclear weapons. Headline news was again
made when, on Dec. 24th, the
senate passed a health care
bill that will cost our country
$900 billion over 10 years,
while providing coverage for
the estimated 18,000 people
a year who die without health
care. The new bill is expected
to lower health care costs
and improve the quality and
coverage of the service.
On Feb. 17, Obama
signed into law a $787 billion
economic stimulus bill that
has been credited for recent
economic expansion, and has
with hope marked the end of
what seemed to be a neverending downward spiral in the
economy. That being said, unemployment rates still climb,
remaining higher than they
have been in almost 30 years.
In 2009, Obama has also
changed the face of our nation
at war. He declared to a group
of Marines upon their deployment to Afghanistan, “Let me
say this as plainly as I can: By
Aug. 31, 2010, our combat
mission in Iraq will end.” He
has said that he will employ
more troops in Afghanistan,
in a country that lacked the
“strategic attention, direction and resources it urgently
requires” from the previous
administration in order to
stabilize rising tensions and
a deteriorating situation in
Afghanistan.
On Dec. 15, Obama ordered
that the Guantanamo Bay
detention camp be closed, after
several prisoners complained
of being tortured, sexually
assaulted, and forced into religious conversion, among other
injustices. Several photos and
videos have also been released
of prisoners being mistreated
by members of the US forces
at Guantanamo Bay and many
activists have complained
about prisoners unlawfully being placed in the facilities, sure
signs that the criminals that
had been placed in the facilities were not being given the
rights that accused and convicted criminals are ensured or
even the basic rights deserved
by any human being.
Obama has received a lot
of praise for reinventing US
foreign policy, establishing
a new era of relationships
with countries such as Russia, Egypt, Israel and other
members of the European
and Middle Eastern worlds.
He called the violence committed against civilians in
Iran who protested their 2009
presidential election “outrageous,” saying, “we see it,
and we condemn it.” With
help of other members of his
administration, he has also
spoken with Israel about
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non-violent solutions to their
raging tensions with Iran
and Pakistan and has been
publically well-received in
the Arab community. Also,
Obama has notably taken a
mile of steps forward in US
work within the UN, taking a
completely different approach
than the Bush administration
by resuming funding for the
flawed UN Human Rights
Council, and talking to many
of its members. Obama also
became the first president to
ever preside over a UN Security Council meeting.
Obama has also released
a chokehold on funding for
embryonic-stem cell research,
saying that embryonic stem
cell research is a beneficial
scientific procedure that is
also morally sound when
practiced fairly.
Obama, who promised
a change to clean and renewable energy sources in
America has taken some
action against environmental
destruction in our country.
Obama imposed new regulations that will limit the emission of green house gases
and will help to inhibit the
global warming crisis. Many
still complain that while the
Obama administration has had
to overcome such an arduous
process in order to pass the
health care reform act, the administration has not been able
to focus enough time on environmental progression and
have somewhat abandoned
their pursuit of environmental
betterment for the time being.
In 2009, whether you support it or not, change has been
made and will continue to be
made by the current administration. It seems certain that
change will continue to be the
theme of this administration.
This world is experiencing an
international recession and
other global crises that have
haunted us for years including environmental abuse, the
abandonment of human rights,
poverty, and violent disputes.
In other words, it is a world
that needs change. The only
questions then left to be asked
are, what change should be
made, and is the change we
are making a step in the right
direction? Yes, we know that
progression is something that
is needed in every corner of
our world, and it seems to
many that in 2009, change
and progression were carried
on the back of an administration striving to move forward
in the world.
January 2010
The Pioneer
Sports
NE teams struggle as injuries plague seasons
By Mark Natale
Pioneer Staff
As the NBA and the NHL
near their respective all-star
breaks and the NFL nears the
end of the season, some local
professional sports teams are
just beginning their seasons.
The New England Patriots (10-6), after suffering an
embarrassing wildcard playoff
loss to the Baltimore Ravens
(9-7), 33-14, have concluded
their season and will watch the
rest of the playoffs from their
couches. Missing Wes Welker
who suffered a partially-torn
MCL in Week 17, the Patriots
were unable to put together a
decent finish to their dismal
season.
The Ravens eventually lost
to the Indianapolis Colts (14-2)
as Rex Ryan and the Jets (9-7)
defeated Ladanian Tomlinson
and the San Diego Chargers
(13-3) in the next round of
the AFC playoffs. Plagued by
dropped passes throughout the
season and their recent loss,
the Patriots will need to make
some major changes in the
offseason.
Labeled all year as a mediocre team, the Patriots will need
to get youth on the team with
a productive draft this year,
ensuring safety on the defense
as many on the team reach
retiring age.
The Boston Bruins are currently fourth in the Northeast
Division of the Atlantic Conference in the NHL, 13 points
behind the division leader,
Buffalo. 2-7-1 in their last ten,
the Bruins have struggled to
keep momentum after winning
big games, often falling to
their next opponents.
Injuries have marred the
Bruins all year. As the Bruins
look down the stretch for the
month of January, many key
players will be missing from
the lineup. Patrice Bergeron
has been out since early
January with an injured thumb,
Mark Stuart has been missing with a bruised sternum,
Andrew Ference has a groin
injury that will keep him out
of the Bruins lineup until late
February, and Marc Savard
will be out with a leg injury
until at least early February.
Atlantic Division leaders in
the Eastern Conference of the
NBA, the Boston Celtics have
also been struggling as of late.
Dropping five of their last ten,
the Celtics have struggle to put
together the dominating offensive performances that highlighted the beginning of their
season. The third-best team in
the NBA, the Celtics still have
plenty of breathing room for
the playoffs, seven and a half
games above Toronto.
Rajon Rondo will need
to continue to lead the NBA
with steals (averages 2.52
per game) and the team will
need to start rebounding better
(averages 2nd fewest rebounds
per game in the NBA) to keep
opponents from running up the
score early in the games.
The Manchester Monarchs continue to dominate
play in the Eastern Conference
and have retained their Atlantic Division league throughout
the year. Six points ahead
of second-place Lowell, the
Monarchs are 5-3-2 in their
last ten.
Listed as one of the top
goalies in the AHL, Jonathan Bernier will need
to keep up his dominating
performances (.941 save
percentage with four shutouts) to help the Monarchs
push towards the playoffs.
With an early 1-1 record,
the Manchester Millrats sit
in the middle of the Premier
Basketball League standings
with an entire season ahead
of them.
The Red Sox have
stayed busy over the offseason, making several big
trades over the winter, as
they gear up for the beginning of Spring Training
next month. Signing free
agents John Lackey, Mike
Cameron, and Marco
Scutaro in December, the
Sox looked to shore up a
few holes in its line-up after
losing Jason Bay to the
New York Mets.
January brought about
the addition of free agent
Adrian Beltre to the team,
in addition to 3B Bill Hall
from the Seattle Mariners in
exchange for Casey Kotchman.
The Sox now plan on
putting Cameron in center
field and placing young star
Jacoby Ellsbury in left.
FBS season ends with thrilling bowl finales
By Mark Natale
Pioneer Staff
The college bowl season
opened with a double-overtime
thriller in the New Mexico
Bowl (Wyoming 35, Fresno
St. 28).
Rutgers topped the University of Central Florida, 45-24,
Middle Tennessee beat out
Southern Miss, 42-32, and
BYU defeated Oregon State,
44-20 in the first week of play.
Utah beat Cal, 37-27, and
Nevada fell to Southern Methodist University, 45-10, just
before Ohio dropped a thriller
to Marshall, 21-17.
In the Meineke Car Care
Bowl, Pitt topped UNC 19-17.
Pitt lost to Cincinnati just three
weeks prior, costing them a
spot for a guaranteed BCS
Bowl bid.
USC topped Boston College in the Emerald Bowl,
24-13, and Clemson beat
Kentucky, 21-13 the next day.
The Georgia Bulldogs defeated
the Aggies of Texas A&M, just
before UCLA topped Temple,
30-21.
Wisconsin upset Miami in
Florida, 20-14, and Idaho beat
Bowling Green, 43-42, with
four seconds on the clock.
Nebraska shut out Arizona,
33-0, as Air Force dominated
Houston, 47-20. Oklahoma
edged out Stanford, 31-27,
while Navy pounded Missouri,
35-13. Iowa State squeaked
past Minnesota, 14-13, while
Virginia Tech destroyed Tennessee, 37-14.
Auburn barely edged
Northwestern, 38-35 in OT,
and Penn State narrowly
beat out LSU 19-17. Bobby
Bowden ended his career leading Florida State over West
Virginia, 33-21.
In the Rose Bowl Game,
Ohio State dominated the Oregon Ducks, 26-17, followed
by an Allstate Sugar Bowl
blow-out from Florida State
over Cincinnati, 51-24,
Urban Meyer’s last game as
the Gators’ head coach.
South Florida socked
Southern Illinois, 27-3, and
UConn conquered South
Carolina, 20-7. Ole Miss
won 21-7 over Oklahoma
State and Arkansas edged
East Carolina, 20-17 in OT.
Boise State bested TCU,
17-10, in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl and Iowa ousted
Georgia Tech, 24-14, in the
FedEx Orange Bowl.
Central Michigan managed to triumph over Troy,
44-41 in double overtime,
to set up the BCS National
Championship game, where
Alabama attacked Texas’
crippled offense, taking our
Colt McCoy and setting
up Heisman winner Mark
Ingram to defeat the Longhorns, 37-21.
Page 7
Boys’ hockey dominates
By Mark Natale
Pioneer Staff
The Monarchs gather around their bench in their game against
Hartford on Dec. 18. The Monarchs lost 4-2.
With dominating wins
against Nashua South, 5-1,
Nashua North, 6-1, and
Bishop Brady, 4-1, the Trinity
hockey team looks to extend
its recent winning streak into
a tough stretch in the season.
With a young team this
year, Trinity had an up-anddown beginning to the season,
dropping a couple games
that might hurt the team in
the long run against Bishop
Brady and Berlin. However,
the team has put up some
dominating performances
against teams below .500.
Led by senior captains
Andy Hall, Wade Pepin, and
Josh Polombo, the Pioneers
will need to keep up the winning numbers to do well in
the rest of the season.
“Our team is young, but
we make up for it with good
chemistry and hard work at
practice,” said Pepin.
Following their Salem
Blue Devil Classic win over
Salem, 4-2 (the first time Salem has lost the tournament in
four years), the Pioneers continued playing solid hockey
against Memorial with a 2-1
overtime victory, and against
Bishop Brady, with a 4-1 road
win to avenge their previous
loss to the Giants.
“I think the guys responded. They were a little embarrassed getting beat that bad
(5-2) at home, and they came
up here and did a great job
tonight,” said Trinity coach
Mike Connell.
The Pioneers took a hard
loss to the Giants early in the
season and came out firing as
Pepin scored a goal at 5:46
into the first period, rocking
the momentum in Trinity’s
favor. After goaltender Cory
Kolden (30 saves) allowed
a goal in the middle of the
first period, Pepin continued
his hot streak in the second
half with a goal at :39, putting the Pioneers on top for
good. Following goals from
sophomores Tyler Theodoulou (8:48 in second) and
Joe Libby (12:46 into third),
Trinity skated off the ice with
a solid win.
The Pioneers dominated a
long stretch of tough games
over rivals Bishop Guertin,
Exeter, and Concord. The
team will face intra-city rival
Central on Jan. 29.
“Last year, we got a start
similar to this year’s, but
when we hit our stretch of
playing top teams, we got
below .500. This year, we
can compete with all these
teams, and this stretch will be
able to tell us what kind of a
team we are,” said senior Jim
O’Connor.
The Pioneers have been
plagued by penalty minutes
this year, and staying out of
the penalty box will be key
for Trinity in this next stretch.
With a focus on speed this
year that the team has lacked
in prior years, Trinity has
been able to continue to pressure the puck in the offensive
zone, allowing themselves
more opportunities to shoot
the puck into the back of
the net. Eliminating mental
mistakes on the ice, especially
during power plays and penalty kills, will help the team
continue to do well throughout the season.
With the additions of
Libby, a transfer from Central,
and freshman Chris Moquin
to the team, Trinity’s young
talent has definitely started to
prove itself to the rest of the
state. A consistent starter and
the MVP of the recent Salem
Classic, Libby has taken control of the puck in the offensive goals, dishing off assists
and putting the puck in the net
himself.
“I think now we’re playing
more as a team with these last
few wins,” said Libby.
Trinity’s goaltending has
also been consistent throughout. With strong performances
juniors Kolden, Dylan Kalil,
and Ryan Perry (a Pinkerton
Academy transfer) throughout
the season, the Pioneers look
to have much more depth than
they have had in previous
years.
With the goal remaining
the same as it’s always been—
make the playoffs—the Pioneers will need to capitalize
on opportunities this month
as they head toward the home
stretch of the season.
“The rest of the season
will be great and successful,
as long as we play the hockey
we know how to play,” said
Hall.
Corey Kolden covers up the puck in Trinity’s game against Memorial
on Jan. 2. Trinity won the game 2-1 in overtime.
Page 8
The Pioneer
Sports
Boys’ athlete of
the month
Polombo
In the month of January,
senior Josh Polombo has led
the boys’ Pioneer hockey
squad (7-2-1) through a successful stretch of games to
begin the regular season.
Polombo and his teammates also had a chance to
celebrate after winning the
Salem Blue Devil Classic by
defeating Salem 4-2.
Polombo leads the team
in goals with 8 on the season, scoring in every one of
the team’s games.
On the ice, Polombo,
a center, is not only a
dominant finisher but also
a captain. Polombo’s teammates would tell you that
he is a great player, and his
hard work and patience on
the ice are an example set for
everybody around him.
“[Josh] is a hard worker,
and he has natural skill that
no coach can ever teach,”
said junior center David Gagnon, who relieves Polombo
on the ice.
Polombo looks forward to
leading his team to a championship-caliber season and
to having more games like
his hat trick effort against
Concord on the 9th, a game
the Pioneers won 7-2.
“[Josh] is, the team pickme-up. If were not playing
well, then he gets us up and
going,” said junior goalie
Cory Kolden.
Girls’ athlete of
the month
For the month of January,
Jasmine Theroux has been
chosen as the girls’ athlete of
the month.
Theroux, a junior guard
for the girls’ team, has led
them to a, (4-4), start by
averaging 15 points a game
with 8 rebounds and 3 assists.
Theroux’s skill, accompanied by her ability to make
sound decisions on the court,
has helped her lead her team
through tough games, like
their recent 51-47 win over
previously undefeated Londonderry in which she scored
22 points.
Theroux also plays well
with the girls around her.
“She’s an all-around good
player,” said fellow junior
guard Emilee Marro. “I think
[we] have a connection on
the floor. We’ve been playing
together since 2nd grade, we
know where [we] are at all
times,” said Marro.
Whether Theroux is the
high scorer for the team, she’s
Theroux
always making good decisions on the court, hardly ever
throwing the ball away or
dribbling into pressure for no
reason. Her ability to make
good decisions and her dominance and hustle on both ends
of the court is what makes her
the girls’ athlete of the month
for the month of January.
Pioneer girls look ahead after
tough stretch to begin season
By Ryan Mitchell
Pioneer Staff
Five games into the 2009
season, the Trinity girls’
basketball squad has already
played three of its toughest
games.
The Pioneers opened up
the season by dominating
Concord in their first regular season game 51-23. The
following game, the Pioneers
prepared to square off with
heavyweight Pinkerton (71), led by sharpshooter A.J.
Guidi, the Pioneers ultimately dropped the decision,
losing 51-34 when Pinkerton
proved to be a little bit too
much for the young Pioneer
team to handle.
In week 2, the Pioneers
faced off against another
good team, cross-town rival
Memorial (4-4), again falling
short 40-37, in a game that
went down to the wire and
was finally decided in the
final moments of play.
After the loss to Memorial, the team went into week
3 facing Winnacunnet, a
team that has national-level
buzz and 11 of the 12 players who dominated the floor
during last year’s championship season. The Warriors
dominated the game and
came out on top 62-27 over
the Pioneers. Winnacunnet
seniors Tiffany Ruffin and
Lindsey Mahoney (12 and
14 points) led the offensive
onslaught that came just a
week after the Warriors won
the FSA Holiday Basketball
tournament in Orlando, Fla.
“Playing teams (like
Winnacunnet) has been hard,
and we’ve already played
some of the best teams in the
league early in the season,
so we’re really just looking
to go up from here,” said
junior forward Paige Heslin. “We’ve already upset
a couple good teams, too,”
said, Heslin.
The Pioneers big upset
win came on Jan. 8 against
Londonderry. The Pioneers
won 51-47, dealing the
Lancers their first loss of the
season behind a 22-point
performance from junior
Jasmine Theroux. Theroux
has proved to be a leader on
the floor for the Pioneers,
leading the team in points
this season.
With the toughest part
of their schedule out of the
way, the young Pioneers
look to improve on their
record and turn wins that
would be upsets into big
victories. Looking forward
to the playoffs, it’s hard to
imagine that without any
seniors, the Pioneers could
go far against teams like the
stacked Winnacunnet and
Pinkerton. But come playoff
time, it seems that surprises
always happen.
The Pioneers will have
to rely on big performances
from players like Theroux,
junior Emilee Marro, and
sophomore Lia Nawn when
they take on undefeated
Central, led by senior guard
Christiana Bakolas.
“We rebounded after
a very bad Winnacunnet loss with a very good
Londonderry win, so at this
point in the season, we’re
actually a little nit ahead of
where I thought we’d be,”
said Trinity coach Pat Smith.
January 2010
Boys basketball
starts successfully
By Ryan Mitchell
Pioneer Staff
Trinity boys’ basketball
has already begun to take
shape as a new team, starting
the season with a 5-1 record
in the regular season and a
decent showing in the Queen
City Basketball Invitational
Tournament (QCBIT).
In their season opener, the
boys faced city rival Memorial, in what proved to be a
showdown between two of
the best teams in Class L.
Trinity handed Manchester
Memorial its only loss of the
season so far, behind junior
David Madol (26 points),
senior Gordon Duffley and
Junior Zach Stevens (both 11
points), defeating former Pioneer Cormac Fitzpatrick (16
points) and the Crusaders.
Trinity’s next game came
in a Christmas tournament
OT thriller, when Zach
Stevens hit a game-winning three-point shot to bury
archrival Manchester Central
64-61 in the first round of the
tournament. Stevens’ heroics came after a good showing by the underdog Central
team, led by junior John
Wickey who did everything
possible to shut down David
Madol, who has proved to be
a monster anywhere on the
court throughout the season.
“Both David and Wickey
have gotten a lot better of the
past couple years, and it was
fun to watch them duke it
out,” said Gordon Duffley. “It
was a great battle, but I think
David got the better of him,
we did win,” he said. Duffley,
who transferred from Central
to attend Trinity for his senior
year, has impressed a lot of
people with his tenacity on
both end of the court.
In the semi-final round of
the tournament, Trinity was
defeated by Memorial 69-57,
when a few questionable
calls by the officiating staff
put the game out of reach for
the Pioneers. The Pioneers
eventually dropped the consolation match to Merrimack
52-45, without starting point
guard Phil Hayden, a senior,
and mostly without Madol,
Sophomore Silvere Aluko
played well coming out of
his normal off-the-bench
role, scoring 10 points with 8
rebounds and 8 blocks.
On Jan. 5 the Pioneers
entered back into the regular
season, still without Hayden
being fully active, by defeating Winnacunnet 60-57. The
Pioneers won after Hayden
came off the bench at the
end of the fourth quarter to
send the game into overtime,
where he dominated, scoring
six points to lead the Pioneers
to victory. Madol and Stevens
also delivered, scoring 15 and
12 points respectively, closing another close game with
a victory against yet another
strong team.
Later on in week two, the
boys hosted Londonderry in
front of the usual crowd at
McHugh Gym, dealing the
Lancers a 42-36 defeat, their
first loss of the season. David
Madol led the team with 17
points in what proved to be
a defensive battle where the
Pioneers struggled to hit field
goals in the second half of
the game. The Pioneers were
up by 13 at halftime before
having to rely on defensive
performances like that of
Aluko (five blocks and six
rebounds) in order to hold off
the Lancers.
In week three, after the
Pioneers (as expected) dominated the Goffstown Grizzlies (2-4), 48-20, the Pioneers dropped a decision to
cross-town rivals Manchester
West, 51-43.
West, led by Richard
Valentin (22 points), was
unstoppable in avenging last
season’s playoff loss.
The Blue Knights led
the entire game, with the
Pioneers not even scoring
until 5 minutes into play. The
Pioneers were never able to
shut down West and make a
comeback.
So far, the Pioneers have
already fared well against
some more than formidable
opponents and have shown
their depth on both sides of
the court, even while playing without Hayden, who
has proved to be a key player
on the squad because of
his excellent ball-handling
and decision-making skills.
David Madol has proved how
versatile he really is, hitting
three-pointers and taking
the ball up the court as well
as any point guard, while
remaining dominant below
the boards. Strong play by
sophomores Hunter Viscarello (guard), Silvere Aluko
(center), Jake Hamel (guard),
and Dylan Lafond (guard)
has helped the team play well
even through injuries to key
players.
Ultimately, the Pioneers
have proven that they have
enough weapons to do
exactly what they have to do
in order to win, and are just
beginning to come together
as a team in a league that is
literally half full of championship contenders. The game
to watch in February would
be the team’s matchup with
Bishop Guertin (6-0) on the
12th in Nashua, where the
Pioneers hope to repeat their
success that they’ve had
against their rivals in past
seasons.
January 2010
Trinity fans need to
step up their game
There was
ity sports that
Mark Natale
a point in time
night?
Opinion
when basketball
I can’t say
teams used to
that they’re
fear coming to
at the hockey
the McHugh
games. Every
Gymnasium at
Friday night
Trinity because
home game this
of the close
year, I’ve seen
quarters and
a big portion of
screaming fans
the hockey team
almost right
in the stands
on top of the
supporting their
players.
classmates. Why isn’t the faThis year, just one year re- vor ever returned to them?
moved from a championship
Every game at St. Anselm’s
season, the stands at the boys’ college features an echoing
basketball games seem almost Sullivan Arena with parents
empty in the student section.
far out-numbering student
There’s almost too much
fans. I think last year’s faithful
bleacher space available.
seniors have been outnumberWhat happened? What’s
ing the current students lately
the difference? Are students
in the stands. It really speaks
not coming because we lost
for something when the opposstars like Jordan Laguerre and
ing teams’ parents are cheering
Cormac Fitzpatrick to other
louder than your team, at your
schools? Is it the absence of
own arena.
power members such as Dylan
And don’t even get me
Clark, Zach Ibanez or Richard started on the number of fans
Madol?
at the other sports’ meets.
This year’s team hasn’t
Has anyone actually been
gotten the credit that it deto a gymnastics, wrestling,
serves. Listed as a mediocre
or swim meet? What about
team at best in the preseason,
indoor track?
the Pioneers have come out
At this point in the season,
with an impressive 5-1 run
it’s time for Trinity fans to step
so far. So why aren’t people
up their game, so to speak,
coming to the games?
and start cheering for their
To be honest, standing next school at their games. I’m
to the student section at the
sick of hearing just the front
West game on Jan. 15 was a bit row of the bleachers shouting
of an embarrassment for me.
and cheering for their beloved
Why weren’t people cheering? Pioneers—I want to hear the
I understand, we were down
people in the back shouting
quick, but there weren’t any
too! It’s time for us all to pick
shouts coming from our stands up our teams and help support
when we would score. West’s
them this season.
student section got the best
It’s time for the home of
of us this year—their chants
the Pioneers to once again
of “We can’t hear you!” were
become the dreaded destinaexactly what I was thinking.
tion in the state—the gym
We’ve got plenty of star
that nobody wants to play at
power—Madol, Stevens,
because they know it will be
Hayden, Duffley and Aluko
too loud and the fans will be
have all impressed those
screaming at them the entire
throughout the state so far this time. It’s time to start showing
year. Are people at other Trinour pride again! Go Pioneers!
The Pioneer
Sports
Page 9
Trinity Winter Sports Schedules
Girls’ Basketball
Away
Home
Trinity
Concord
Pinkerton
Trinity
Trinity
Memorial
Winnacunnett Trinity
Trinity
Londonderry
Goffstown
Trinity
Trinity
West
Exeter
Trinity
Trinity
Timberlane
Central
Trinity
Trinity
Nashua North
Dover
Trinity
Trinity
Spaulding
Bishop Guertin Trinity
Trinity
Merrimack
Alvirne
Trinity
Trinity
Keene
Nashua South Trinity
Date
12/18
1/5
1/8
1/12
1/15
1/22
1/26
1/29
2/2
2/5
2/9
2/12
2/16
2/19
2/23
2/26
3/2
3/5
Boys’ Basketball
Away
Home Memorial Trinity
Trinity
Winnacunnett
Londonderry Trinity
Trinity
Goffstown
Trinity
West Trinity
Exeter
Timberlane Trinity
Central
Trinity
Nashua North Trinity
Trinity
Dover
Spaulding
Trinity
Trinity
Bishop Guertin
Merrimack Trinity
Trinity Alvirne
Keene
Trinity
Nashua South
Trinity
Trinity
Pinkerton
Concord
Trinity
Score
55-62
57-53
36-42
48-20
41-53
66-56
-------------------------
Date
12/11
12/15
12/18
1/5
1/8
1/12
1/15
1/22
1/26
1/29
2/2
2/5
2/9
2/12
2/16
2/19
2/23
2/26
Date
12/14
12/17
12/19
12/21
1/4
1/6
1/7
1/9
1/11
1/16
1/23
1/25
1/28
1/30
2/1
2/4
2/6
2/8
Freshman Basketball
Away
Home
Time
Nashua South
Trinity
4:30 pm
Trinity
Nashua North 4:00 pm
Memorial
Trinity
10:00 am
Trinity
West
4:00 pm
Central
Trinity
4:30 pm
Trinity
B. Guertin
4:00 pm
Goffstown
Trinity
4:30 pm
Trinity
Keene
10:00 am
Trinity
Alvirne
4:00 pm
Trinity
Nashua South 10:00 am
Nashua North
Trinity
10:00 am
Trinity
Memorial
3:30 pm
West
Trinity
4:30 pm
Trinity
Central
10:00 am
Trinity
Goffstown
5:00 pm
Keene
Trinity
4:30 pm
Bishop Guertin
Trinity
10:00 am
Trinity
Alvirne
4:00 pm
Date
12/14
12/16
12/19
12/22
1/2
1/6
1/9
1/13
1/16
1/24
1/30
2/4
2/6
2/10
2/17
2/20
2/23
2/27
Hockey
Away
Home
Score
Nashua South
Trinity
1-5
Berlin
Trinity
4-2
Trinity
Nashua North
6-1
Bishop Brady
Trinity
5-2
Memorial
Trinity
1-2
Trinity
Bishop Brady
4-1
Concord Trinity
2-7
Trinity
Bishop Guertin
1-1
Trinity
Exeter
2-1
Nashua South Trinity
2-6
Trinity
Central
--Salem
Trinity
--Trinity
Londonderry
--Hanover
Trinity
--St. Thomas Trinity
--Trinity
Pinkerton
--Londonderry
Trinity
--Trinity
Memorial
---
Date
12/26
1/2
1/10
1/24
1/31
2/7
3/5
Indoor Track
Location
Dartmouth University
University of New Hampshire
Dartmouth University
Reggie Lewis Center, Boston
Date
1/8
1/22
1/25
1/27
2/4
2/8
2/20
Gymnastics
Location
Salem High School
Salem High School
Pinkerton Academy
Londonderry High School
Londonderry High School
Pinkerton Academy
Salem High School
Time
7:00 pm
7:00 pm
7:00 pm
7:00 pm
7:00 pm
7:00 pm
9:00 am
Date
12/18
12/29
1/8
Swim Team
Location
Southern NH University
Time
6:00 pm
6:00 pm
7:00 pm
1/29
2/12
2/13
2/14
2/27 Southern NH University
7:00 pm
5:30 pm
8:20 am
12:00 pm
TBA
Date
1/6
1/8
1/20
Ski Team
Location
Pat’s Peak
Pat’s Peak
Pat’s Peak
Time
3:45 pm
4:00 pm
4:00 pm
Date
1/21
1/28
2/3
TBA
Location
Pat’s Peak
Gunstock
Pat’s Peak
Championship
Time
12:00 pm
5:00 pm
4:00 pm
4:30 pm
12:00 pm
3:30 pm
TBA
Score
51-23
51-34
37-40
62-27
51-47
41-45
48-10
49-40
---------------------
Time
4:00 pm
2:00 pm
4:00 pm
TBA
Trinity Winter Sports Standings
Boys’ Basketball
School
W
L
T
Points Rating
B. Guertin
6
0
0
6.00 1.000
Merrimack
6
0
0
6.00 1.000
West
5
1
0
5.00 .8333
Trinity
5
1
0
5.00 .8333
Winnacunnet 5
1
0
5.00 .8333
Alvirne
4
2
0
4.00 .6667
Dover
4
2
0
4.00 .6667
Memorial
4
2
0
4.00 .6667
Pinkerton
4
2
0
4.00 .6667
Londonderry 3
3
0
3.00 .5000
Nashua N.
3
3
0
3.00 .5000
Goffstown
2
4
0
2.00 .3333
Nashua S.
2
4
0
2.00 .3333
Keene
1
4
0
1.00 .2000
Spaulding
1
4
0
1.00 .2000
Exeter
1
5
0
1.00 .1667
Salem
1
5
0
1.00 .1667
Timberlane
1
5
0
1.00 .1667
Central
0
4
0
0.00 .0000
Concord
0
6
0
0.00 .0000
School
Berlin
B. Guertin
Trinity
Central
Hanover
Pinkerton
Concord
Junior David Madol dunks in the boys’ basketball game against
Timberlane on Jan. 26. The Pioneers won, 80-52.
W
5
5
6
4
5
5
4
Hockey
L
T
0
2
1
1
2
1
2
0
3
0
3
0
3
1
Points
6.00
5.50
6.50
4.00
5.00
5.00
4.50
Rating
.8571
.7857
.7222
.6667
.6250
.6250
.5625
Come support the Trinity
hockey team as it takes on
Salem on Feb. 4 in the
Sullivan Arena at
St. Anselm’s College!
Girls’ Basketball
School
W
L
T
Points Rating
Central
8
0
0
8.00
1.000
Winnacunnet
8
0
0
8.00
1.000
Pinkerton
7
1
0
7.00
.8570
Bishop Guertin 6
2
0
6.00
.7500
Londonderry
6
2
0
6.00
.7500
Keene
5
3
0
5.00
.6250
Nashua North 4
3
0
4.00
.6250
Dover
4
4
0
4.00
.5000
Exeter
4
4
0
4.00
.5000
Memorial
4
4
0
3.00
.5000
Timberlane
4
4
0
3.00
.5000
Trinity
4
4
0
3.00
.5000
Alvirne
3
5
0
3.00
.3750
Goffstown
3
5
0
3.00
.3750
Salem
2
5
0
2.00
.3750
Merrimack
2
6
0
2.00
.2500
Spaulding
2
6
0
2.00
.2500
Concord
1
7
0
1.00
.1250
Nashua South 0
7
0
0.00
.1250
West
0
8
0
0.00
.0000
School
Bishop Brady
St. Thomas
Exeter
Nashua North
Salem
Londonderry
Memorial
Nashua South
W
3
3
3
2
1
1
1
0
L
3
3
4
4
4
5
5
6
T
1
1
0
1
2
0
0
0
Points
3.50
3.50
3.00
2.50
2.00
1.00
1.00
0.00
Rating
.5000
.5000
.4286
.3571
.2857
.1667
.1667
.0000
Staff Note: schedules
and standings are
current as of Jan. 25.
Trinity’s results and
standings are in bold.
Page 10
The Pioneer
Arts & Entertainment
January 2010
James Cameron’s ‘Avatar’ is a blockbuster and a masterpiece
By Mark Natale
Pioneer Staff
After taking a hiatus from
directing to make sure that his
next film could live up to the
expectations that his last film,
Titanic, created, James Cameron came back to the box
office with a record-smashing
hit, Avatar, a heart-pulling
story that grossed $1 billion
worldwide within the first
month.
I’ll be the first to admit:
I’m not a fan of 3D movies.
While many like the view
of a hundred poison-tipped
spears coming straight at
their faces, I don’t like the
uncomfortable glasses and
mediocre graphics that come
along with the film.
However, Avatar is a
totally different story. With
CGI (computer-generated
images) that blow away all
previous movies, the graphics
in this movie are absolutely
fantastic.
With a storyline that
seemed to imitate the plight
of the Native Americans on
the Trail of Tears in American
history, Avatar seemed a little
unoriginal.
As the main character,
Jake Sully (Sam Worthing-
ton), a former Marine with
a leg injury, is flown out to
a new world, Pandora, he
is informed that he will be
controlling an avatar body
that was made from the DNA
of his brother and one of the
indigenous species on Pandora in order to communicate
with the natives, the Na’vi.
Sully is also told that he will
be keeping an inside eye on
the life of the natives for the
military commander, Col.
Miles Quaritch.
After losing his partners
in the jungle of Pandora, he
is rescued by Neytiri (Zoe
Saldana), a member of the
Omiticaya tribe of the Na’vi,
and brought back to the Home
Tree, where all other members
of the Omiticaya live. After
deciding that Sully will be
taught the ways of the tribe,
Neytiri spends the next three
months showing him the way
of the Omiticaya.
As Sully becomes a man in
the eyes of the Omiticaya, he
soon learns that he is falling
in love with Neytiri and faces
an ethical dilemma in having
to choose between the human
race and the Na’vi.
Avatar finds the perfect
balance between the fantasy, action, and love story
genres that stud the film with
problems, hopes, fears, and
dreams.
With dream-like characters
and a fantasy storyline, Avatar
leaves plenty of space for
the fiction junkies who love
a good space epic, while still
appealing to those addicted
to military action movies
with several fast-paced fight
scenes.
A legend already in
the history of filmmaking,
Cameron has lived up to his
reputation as a storied director and writer—fans can’t
wait to see what he dreams
up next.
Sherlock Holmes’s modern makeover appeals to many audiences
By Emma Pratte
Pioneer Staff
After seeing promos for
Guy Richie’s Sherlock Holmes for what feels like forever,
we can all finally go see it.
Richie’s adaptation is
like nothing we’ve seen of
Sherlock Holmes. Played by
Robert Downey Jr., Holmes is
a disheveled slob who doesn’t
wear a trench coat or use a
magnifying glass. Instead, he
jumps out windows and posions Watson’s dog.
For die-hard Holmes fans,
his modern make-over may
be disappointing, but for the
rest of us, Sherlock Holmes is
quality.
Robert Downey Jr. shows
off his comedic skills as an
eccentric Mr. Holmes, while
Jude Law sports a mustache
as Holmes’s right hand man,
Mr. Watson. Together, they
comprise quite the duo.
Rachel McAdams’s performance is something we’ve
never seen from her before.
She plays Irene Adler, the one
criminal mind that can outsmart Sherlock Holmes. For
him, she is in every sense of
the term, the one that got away.
Adler’s femme fatale brings an
intriguing aspect to the story,
adding a little bit of romance
for the ladies in the audience.
The film follows a completely unpredictable plot.
With each new advancement,
the story takes an unexpected
turn. You really won’t know
what is coming next.
It all begins when Lord
Blackwood, a man hanged for
the murders of young women,
comes back from the dead
to resume his killing spree,
terrorizing all of London. And
who is on the case but Sherlock Holmes?
What is great about this
movie is that it brings you
behind the brilliant mind and
shows you what Holmes is
thinking. We don’t learn just
what he knows, we learn how
he figured it out.
There is really not much
to complain about with this
movie. It is two hours of your
life that will not be wasted.
Other than the fact that
Sherlock Holmes is not very
faithful to the books, it is
great. The sets were excellent,
the music was fantastic and
the cast was perfect.
Richie ends the story with
a cliffhanger and a couple of
unanswered questions, setting
himself up perfectly for a
sequel.
Sherlock Holmes may have
been one of the best films of
2009. With something for
everyone, this movie is worth
the nine dollars.
The Dogg-father’s latest album flops
By Ryan Mitchell
Pioneer Staff
What is there to say about
Snoopy D-O-Double G? He’s
a veteran of the rap scene,
if there is one, producing
albums at a stunning rate, and
churning out hits like “Nuthin But a G Thang,” “Drop It
Like It’s Hot,” and “Murder
Was the Case.”
Snoop Dogg has made a
career as a gangster-turnedrapper, spitting intensely
vulgar lyrics (I listened to the
edited version of his latest
release), while using his own
unique, intensely sharp flow.
Yes, I’m a Snoop fan, but
not to too much of an extent.
He has incredible skills with
the microphone, but most of
his best work is done when
he’s freestyling or rapping
over Dr. Dre tracks such
as “Imagine” off his album
Tha Blue Carpet Treatment
and “Still Dre” off Dr. Dre’s
album 2001.
Most of Snoop’s albums,
as a whole, don’t really impress me, and I can’t say that
Malice N Wonderland was an
exception; in fact, I can’t really think of too many songs
that I liked all that much by
themselves.
One track that stood out
was “Gangsta Luv,” the
first single, in which Snoop
Dogg raps about women (as
always) with The-Dream, a
young, notable R&B singer,
who sings the chorus. Another that I liked was the outro
(titled “Outro”), where Snoop
Dogg respectfully raps about
his love for his wife Shanae
with lyrics that could even hit
the soft spot of some of the
toughest gangstas.
Another strong track was
“Pimpin’ Ain’t EZ” featuring R. Kelly, and might I add
that pimpin’ just ain’t “EZ,”
Snoop, it’s quite immoral
and nothing to teach the kids
about (it’s also illegal when
taken in a literal sense).
With that being said,
there was also one track that
stunned me because of how
terrible it was, and that was
“Pronto,” featuring who else
but the least talented goof to
walk the planet: Soulja Boy
Tell ‘Em. Not hatin’ Soulja,
I’m just saying. Not only
does Soulja Boy rap on the
weak beats, he sings! His
voice is so saturated in a vast
electronic sea of Auto-Tune
that not only does he still
sounds terrible, he probably
sounds worse than he normally would.
Case in point, don’t buy
Malice N Wonderland. It’s
not worth your money or
time, and it just saddens me
to see Snoop D-O-Double G
wasting some of the incredible rapping skills he’s been
giving.
With this album, Snoop
continues on his steady decline into the world of terrible
music.
It’s sad to see such talent
go to waste. Malice N Wonderland certainly ain’t a “G
Thang.” Sorry, Snoop.
Burger Wow!, which replaced McDonald’s in the Mall of New
Hampshire, is a pleasant surprise.
Almost wowed at Burger Wow!
By Ryan Mitchell
Pioneer Staff
McDonald’s, the world’s
largest food chain, was
recently replaced in the
Mall of New Hampshire by
a place called Burger Wow!
instead.
From afar, I was confused
by Burger Wow! because
it sounds like it was pulled
straight out of a movie.
When I asked for onion
ring sauce, like the kind you
can enjoy at Burger King,
the less-than-enthusiastic,
teenage girl working the
register said “Honey, do we
look like Burger King?”
The pictures advertising
the food look less appetizing than the actual food.
Weird. The food in the
picture looked like a frozen
sandwich that had come
assembled in a plastic bag
and was then melting under
a high radiation heat lamp.
But when you got it, it just
looked like fast food. A nice
surprise!
Since I was at Burger
Wow!, I thought that I
should probably order the
sandwich that is responsible
for the restaurant’s namesake: the hamburger. I chose
the Big Wow Burger. It just
so happened to be the biggest burger on their enormous menu that includes
“the giant taco,” a fish
sandwich, breakfast (before
noon), chicken sandwiches,
a garden salad, chicken
dumplings, and, among
other things, chicken strips.
When I got my burger, I
realized that Burger Wow’s
burger was just normal. It
was like any other fast food
burger, if not better.
The french fries were
quite excellent as well.
Although Burger Wow!’s
prices are not bad, there is
no value/dollar menu, so
for a dollar-menunaire like
myself, which was a little
upsetting.
I thought that maybe, just
maybe, this place was good.
I realized that not only will I
probably eat at Burger Wow!
again, I would recommend it
to others but only if Burger
King or McDonald’s is not
an immediate option.
Trust me, Burger Wow!
will exceed your expectations. It’s really not that bad.
January 2010
The Pioneer
Arts & Entertainment
Page 11
‘Jersey Shore’ brings
new meaning to trash
By Ryan Mitchell
Pioneer Staff
There’s trash and then
there’s trash. And then there’s
MTV’s Jersey Shore.
There are guys tanning,
girls crying, lots of bars, lots
of annoying accents, and a
man who calls himself “The
Situation,” his abs “The
Situation,” and his ongoing struggles with girls “The
Situation.” No, they’re not
vicious, awful human beings.
Underneath it all, they’re
mostly well-intentioned,
nice people, just with really
messed up values.
First of all, let’s get down
to business, or shall we say,
“The Situation.” Mike Sorrentino AKA “The Situation”
likes the spotlight just as hot
as the lights on his tanning
bed, and actually, through
all of the incredible drama,
usually maintains his presence
within it. Whether he’s hitting
on women who clearly don’t
want to see him ever again
on the crime scene of a recent
domestic assault, or getting stood up by a Brazilian
woman he met on the shore,
“The Situation” always has
control of the situation. Or so
he thinks.
The other men on the
show include Pauly D, a DJ
and super-Guido resident of
the shore house, who usually assists The Situation in
his adventures in romance.
He does his hair twice a day
and even has a tanning booth
in his house. Pauly D brags
on the show’s first trailer, “It
takes me 25 minutes to do my
hair.” Time well spent? Not
quite. Then there’s Vinny, possibly the best fist-pumper of
the bunch. For the most part,
Vinny fits the stereotype of the
show but usually plays a lesser
role in most of the drama.
After Vinny is probably my
favorite cast member, Ronnie.
Ronnie, who falls in love with
the shore house’s Sammi,
is certainly not intelligent
but is actually a nice guy.
Ronnie’s lack of intelligence
makes him appear to be lost
at times, but what he lacks
in intelligence, he certainly
tries to compensate for in
size. Ronnie’s not just big,
he’s huge, and he’s more than
likely juicing up more than
an amateur bodybuilder in a
fitness club restroom. Nonetheless, Ronnie is a good guy
who actually cares about other
people.
And what would the house
be without Snookie, Sammi
Sweetheart, J-WOWW, and
the now-departed Angelina?
Snookie, the unfortunate
victim of a terrible domestic
assault incident at a bar, actually comes out of “the situation” with newfound sympathy from the rest of the house,
despite her earlier attitude.
Snookie, who stands at 4’9,
is looking for a man to settle
down with. I wish her much
luck with that one.
Finally, Ronnie’s woman,
Sammi Sweetheart, completes
the cast of Jersey Shore.
Sammi admits that she has
loved dating all of her life, but
this summer, “she just wants
to be single.” That lasted
long. Only a few episodes in,
Sammi is already dating Ronnie and is glowing more than
a bottle of tanning of oil, possibly because she’s covered
in one.
Sure, the cast members
of MTV’s Jersey Shore are
leading shallow, shallow lives
and are part of a TV show that
has been rightfully dubbed
by many critics “the trashiest
show to ever be on television,” (sorry to Flavor Flav:
you and the girls were a close
second!) but at least they’re
enjoying themselves, right?
No, absolutely not! They get
in bar fights in almost every
episode and are reminded how
incredibly shallow and rude
they are every time a member
of the opposite sex shuts them
down. Their behavior isn’t
really helping to promote their
dreams of being successful
people in the business world.
Of course, MTV execs
know they’ve cast the most
ridiculous people they could
find, and that’s the point. They
want you to be disgusted.
They want the state of New
Jersey and various ItalianAmerican agencies to be
outraged.
MTV’s Jersey Shore will
show you every thing that’s
wrong with a good-sized portion of the people in the state
of New Jersey, and it will do
it in the most bronzed, juiced
way possible. Fist pumping
like champs…all summer
long.
The newest and most frustrating video game of the Tony Hawk franchise is available for PlayStation
3, Xbox 360, and Wii.
Hands-on ‘Tony Hawk: RIDE’
has more follies than ollies
By Ryan Mitchell
Pioneer Staff
In a world where handson gaming has been pushed
to the forefront by the Nintendo Wii, and EA’s Skate
has come out on top over
Tony Hawk for a few years
now, the executives at Activision had to make a change.
Their solution: Tony Hawk:
RIDE.
Tony Hawk: RIDE is
nothing like the other
installments of the classic Tony Hawk franchise
– a franchise that I see as
a timeless classic among
the ranks of games such as
Mario Kart, Super Mario
Bros., Donkey Kong, and
most recently the Call of
Duty series.
Tony Hawk: RIDE
features not a hand-held
controller, but as is becoming popular, a controller
that you actually get off the
coach to use. Go figure, it’s
shaped like a skateboard,
and it kind of works like a
skateboard. It’s basically
just a skate board without
wheels that you’re supposed
to move around with your
feet in order to control the
game.
What instantly frustrated
me about RIDE was the beginner level. Basically, your
skater is steered for you and
there is nothing you could really do but move the board to
pull off different flip tricks or
wait to get to a ramp to pull
off real ones.
If you think it sounds
lame, it is. Seeing as I did
not buy the game (I was just
testing it out), this made me
frustrated because I wasn’t
going to work my way up to
the expert level by playing
for four hours in the middle
of Best Buy.
From what I hear from
those who have bought RIDE
is that the ascent from beginner to intermediate to expert
is a steep one. As in, you
actually start playing and not
just letting the game play for
you.
Every different level takes
minutes to load, and you
have to wait through advertisements and tips every time
you want to do any sort of
game-playing.
The levels and graphics are also nothing special
– they’re almost comparable
to EA’s Skate, but they still
do seem to fall short, even in
that category. Oh yeah, and
it costs $120. Overpriced? I
think so.
Overall, for a huge Tony
Hawk fan, RIDE is just another disappointment and another step in the deep descent
of the Tony Hawk series.
It seems that even when
Activision tried to tweak the
series to cater to a new generation of gaming, they still
came up short. Tony Hawk:
RIDE is available for Wii,
PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360,
but I wouldn’t buy it for any
of these consoles.
It seems that the old days
of Tony Hawk on Nintendo
and PlayStation are now
over. The glory days are long
behind us, and, sadly, I can’t
expect that Tony Hawk will
ever be the same again.
Vampire Weekend’s second disc
mixes world beats and preppiness
By Sarah Ruggiero
Pioneer Staff
While America continues
to obsess over the Cullens
and hordes of other fictional
blood-suckers, there remains
one type of “vampire” that
actually deserves the hype,
and that is the indie-rock
band Vampire Weekend.
Clad in their polo shirts
and Tommy Hilfiger cashmere cardigans, the quartet
splay their collegiate-level
wit over the 10 songs on
their follow-up CD, Contra.
If you were to listen to
this disc without any knowledge or previous exposure
to the band, you might think
that you were listening to
island music. The reality
is that the boys of Vampire
Weekend formed their band
in New York while attend-
ing Columbia University. If
it means anything, the band
was given the title of “Whitest Band” by the author of
the book Stuff White People
Like.
Contra puts forth material that is a little less expected and more unique. The
frantic, rapid-fire breakdown
in “Cousins” and the world
beats set Vampire Weekend
apart from their lazier indie
counterparts. The marimba
and other African and South
American percussion on
“Horchata” are inspiration
enough to swipe on some
war-paint and partake in a
tribal dance (if you’re into
that kind of thing).
Frontman Ezra Koenig’s
voice is wispy and is hardly
ever exerted past a shout.
The chorus of “White Sky”
is an infectious, glorified fal-
setto yelp, but it works. The
lyrics are pretty and manage
to retain much of their mystery, making them occasionally unrelatable but nonetheless intriguing. However,
like most rock albums, some
of the songs’ inspiration can
be traced back to a girl– in
this case, it would have to be
a girl equally as preppy as
Koenig, possibly the girl on
the album cover.
The songs straddle all
types of genres, from newwave to alternative rock to
world beat to electronic.
There’s also some ska in
there, and a little bit of classical. Anything else?
The band throws all of
these vibes together without
sounding scattered. When
meshed together, the eclectic
genres create a cohesive and
limitless album.
Page 12
The Pioneer
The Back Page
January 2010
Savory slices from southern New Hampshire
The best places to get pizza in the Manchester area
Luisa’s Pizza
Luisa’s is located on 671 Hooksett Rd. in Manchester and on 19 S. River Rd. in Bedford. My favorite thing at Luisa’s is
their pizza, specifically, their supreme pizza. Luisa’s supreme pizza is loaded with green peppers, onions, mushrooms, sausage, ham, pepperoni, hamburger, and fresh tomatoes. The combination is delicious.
What I think makes Luisa’s pizza so special is the sauce. The sauce really stands out when you eat their pizza; it’s rich and
a little bit spicy. It brings out the flavor of the rest of the pizza, such as the thick, soft crust and the deep sheet of cheese that
covers the pizza. I like Luisa’s because the taste their pizza has is unlike most places around here, and both locations are very
comfortable places to eat in. Luisa’s is my first choice for a good pizza, and I would recommend that anybody should try it.
But, keep in mind that the pizza does have somewhat of a unique taste when compared to a lot of pizzas in the area.
Ryan Mitchell
Pizza Market
My top choice for a hot, delicious pizza is Pizza Market at 670 Mast Rd. in Goffstown. They have quality pizza slices
that fill you up after one or two pieces. I ordered a small cheese pizza for $7.85. It was big enough for two. Their cheese
pizza has an original taste to it that is yummy and mouth watering. The thick crust is my favorite part of the slice and is
very filling. With the convenience of free delivery, I have no complaints for any of Pizza Market’s food, especially their
pizza. I could eat it every day. Call (603) 623-0899 to place your order. Come hungry, you won’t be disappointed.
Tiffany Keenan
Awesome Pizza
The owners of Awesome Pizza on Lake Avenue in Manchester (next to the Verizon Wireless Arena) must have felt pretty
confident when they named their restaurant. Walking into a pizza place with such a boastful name, I became fraught with skepticism. As I scanned through their menu, though, I was impressed with the many types of specialty pizzas they offered.
My half-plain, half-tomato-and-olive pizza came with plenty of gooey cheese but was lacking in sauce. I assumed the olives
would be black, but instead, they were the sickish Greek olives, and I ended up picking most of them off my slice. I am not a huge
fan of crust in general, but the pizza had just the right amount (very little) and was crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. Not
very awesome, but perhaps if they renamed the restaurant Slightly Above Average Pizza, their food would meet my expectations.
Sarah Ruggiero
Pizza Mia
Although I had heard great things about Pizza Mia on Route 101 in Bedford, I was skeptical to order. I didn’t believe it could
top Pizza Bella, another pizza place in Bedford that I love, but I was pleasantly surprised when I opened the box and took my
first bite. I ordered half cheese, half pepperoni, and thought they made a mistake when I saw the pizza. I didn’t see any pepperoni, but I came to find that it was hiding under just the right amount of cheese, cooked to perfection. The crust has just enough
crisp for me and although it's a pricey $16.75 for a large pizza delivered with multiple toppings, I will be sure to order it again.
Mari-Briege Dunn
Little Caesars
There aren’t many pizza places in town that can boast a hot pizza ready for you as soon as you walk in the door, but Little
Caesars pizza offers you just that. Able to select either cheese or pepperoni “Hot N’ Ready” pizzas, a customer can stop
inside and get a delicious pizza for just over $5. Made with a tangy sauce spread evenly over the pizza, the pizza at Little
Caesars is layered with just enough cheese (not too much to be soupy on top, but not too little either). Thinly-sliced pepperoni is spread evenly over the pizza, averaging about 5-6 slices per slice of pizza. The pepperoni, which has a little kick to it,
is the perfect complement to the tangy sauce. A crust bottomed with a fine layer of corn meal adds a fantastic crunch to every
bite, accented by a light and airy edge to the pie, finishing off a fantastic slice of pizza. For the best deal for your meal, head
to Little Caesars on Second St. in Manchester, where they’ve always got a pie ready for you.
Mark Natale
Alley Cat Pizzeria
Alley Cat Pizzeria, located at 486 Chestnut St. in Manchester, was voted the best pizza in Manchester by the HippoPress
for the past six years… and with good reason. My parents and I ordered an XXL 20” cheese pizza for a cheap $10.99! The
pizza was steaming and fresh out of the oven when we got it, and I had never seen a bigger pizza before. The flavors of the
cheese and the seasoning, combined with the perfect amount of oils on the pizza, made for a tasty dining experience. The crust
at the end of the pizza was a fairly good size, and it was a nice treat at the end of eating a slice of pizza the size of my head. The
crust was nice and soft and not at all crunchy. If pizza is not your favorite, Alley Cat also serves calzones, salads, subs, and buffalo tenders. Their hours are Sun.–Thurs. 11 a.m.–10 p.m., and Fri.–Sat. 11 a.m.–11 p.m. Call 669-4533 to place your order for
dine in, take out, or delivery.
Alexa Serrecchia
This Month’s Staff Picks
Read below to find out what your Pioneer staffers are obssesed with and can’t get enough of.
Alexa loves oatmeal, her Celtics hat, hoop
earrings, anything Lucky Brand, and Snuggies.
Mark loves Trinity hockey games, getting
accepted to Ithaca College, the play In Memoriam, Kesha, and Iron Chef America.
Mari-Briege loves DJ Earworm, Utah, skiing, glittens, and Ray Ban Wayfarers.
Joe loves Rolling Stone, Nikon D5000, Saratoga Springs water, the cold, and The Great
Gatsby.
Tiffany loves big college sweatshirts, fuzzy
socks, the movie Dear John, Pizza Market
cheese pizza, and “Seashell” eyeshadow
from Maybelline New York.
Emma loves medicated chapstick, www.
stumbleupon.com, spearmint flavored
Trident White gum, the MacBook Pro, and
Harper’s Bazaar magazine.
Ryan loves the group Bright Eyes, not having
to take two-hour exams anymore, running,
water, and the hip-hop duo Atmosphere.
Sarah loves leftover Christmas candy, fuzzy
socks, the movie Religulous, Saturday Night
Live: The Best of Will Ferrell DVD’s, and
Granny Smith apples.
The Pioneer’s Recipe Corner
This month’s recipe:
Emma’s Hot Chocolate
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons sugar
2 to 3 teaspoons cocoa
Dash of salt
1 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions:
1. Mix sugar, cocoa, and salt in a large mug.
2. Heat milk in the microwave at HIGH (100%) for
1-1/2 minutes or until hot.
3. Gradually add hot milk to cocoa mixture in mug,
stirring until well blended. Stir in vanilla.
Makes 1 serving.

Roller derby on the rise in NH

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