Coached by Kathy Lhotak and Ashley Hartke, the girls travel to Parkside Bowling alley each day to practice, where they share the alley with Waubonsie, East Aurora, Oswego and Oswego East.

    The girls who wear polos have established a name for themselves. Last year, they placed third in Conference, behind only to Waubonsie and Lake Park. Returning to Varsity this year are Seniors Kelsey Hammersmark and Elise Lauber, along with Juniors Kasti Kieszkowski and Tara Stasiewicz.

“These are the four girls that I’m hoping will be able to stay where they’re at, pick up the pace, and be leaders again this year.” Lhotak also hopes to look to Kelly Goldstein and Dani Cirritano to make key contributions to the team.

   Though two of the returners may be out for the first couple of games, the team hopes to come out strong this year. “Usually we’re right in the middle. Everybody has their good weeks and everybody has their bad weeks,” said Lhotak. Because Waubonsie graduated multiple seniors and lost some players due to the Metea split, Neuqua’s girls hope to come out on top this year.

   Hammersmark has been on the Varsity bowling team since her freshman year and held the highest average last year among Neuqua’s bowlers.

About her experiences on the team, Hammersmark said, “It’s basically a sport that people wanna have fun…Varsity takes it seriously but a lot of the girls on JV are just starting to learn how to bowl and they progress as the year goes on.” Lhotak expanded on this idea, “Bowling is such a different sport altogether… I want people to understand that yes, it’s competitive, yes we care about how we do, but it’s not like the pressure of if we win or lose, it’s going to be all over. It’s not.”

  Lhotak has been Neuqua’s bowling coach for nine years and has bowled since she was ten years old. She has participated in state tournaments for fifteen years and has traveled to the national tournament for ten years. As a student, she went to Waubonsie Valley High School and was a part of their intramural bowling program. Now, along with Neuqua’s team, she coaches Intramurals that combine Neuqua, Waubonsie, and possibly this year Metea students as well.

Kelly Klus, Intrigue Editor

The Illinois High School Association, or IHSA, currently has 30 sanctioned sports in the state of Illinois, with Neuqua carrying 28 of those sports. By being sanctioned, the sports are fully supported by the school, with the school paying for most of the costs.

“Interscholastic sports are sports that compete against different high schools that are under the jurisdiction of the high school,” said Athletic Director, Barb Barrows. “Our interscholastic programs have been approved from our board to run these programs.”

Club sports differ slightly from school sanctioned sports. For a club sport, teams are often forced to pay for registration, which result in large fees. These fees pay for field space, transportation, referees, equipment, and coaching salaries.

“Club sports are all outside, paid for outside by parents and the families,” Barrows said. “They were given extended permission to use the name because they are Neuqua students.”

In order to be sanctioned, a sport must be approved by the Illinois High School State Association, or the IHSA.

“The sanctioning part of it comes from the Illinois High School State Association based on feeling there is enough support,” Barrows said. “As in enough schools that participate that justifies a state tournament.”

However, just because a sport is sanctioned by the IHSA does not necessarily mean Neuqua will pick it up as an interscholastic sport.

“In your budget you have to consider uniforms, transportation, cost of officials, cost of entry fees,” Barrows said. “There’s a lot that goes into having a program.”

If students do not want to compete for a sanctioned or club sport, they have the chance to sign up for intramurals. Intramurals are open to everyone and are entirely elective.

“Intramurals are activities offered to students that are non-interscholastic, meaning they only compete within their own high school,” Barrows said. “It’s students against students.”

Even though students do not compete with other schools, it gives them a chance to be competitive at a different level of play.

“It gives kids an opportunity that may not have made interscholastic programs, that they can still be very involved in a sport they like,” Barrows said. “We want to keep as many kids active as we can.”

Elizabeth Maluta, Sports Editor

With numerous Individual Champion titles at meets and the acknowledgement as well as respect from his coaches and teammates, Beattie is, quite frankly, a beast.

Surprisingly, Beattie did not begin his athletic career directly as a runner. He actually started out playing soccer in middle school. “I joined the school soccer team, but I didn’t get any play time…I wasn’t one of those significant-impact guys,” said Beattie. He found his calling in seventh grade when his PE teacher noticed his knack for running. “He made us run [the mile] three more times and my times kept going down.”

It wasn’t until he moved to Naperville that he discovered cross country. But because cross country and soccer season overlapped, Beattie had a choice to make: stick with what he had done or try something he had never heard of. “I chose cross country and if I didn’t like it, I would just do soccer and then track in the spring, but I did pretty well in cross country too, so I’ve been running since then.”

Now instead of being stuck on the bench, Beattie is out representing his team with every stride he takes. A Varsity runner since his sophomore year, there is nothing but praise for this athlete. With first place finishes at the Hornet-Red Devil Invite, the Peoria Woodruff Invitational, the Upstate 8 Conference, and regionals, then second place at sectionals, a fourth place at state, and placing eighth recently at NXN Midwest, one would probably expect a kid with a big head about his ego. The only thing big about Beattie’s head is the afro on it. “He is very talented…and deserves recognition for his efforts. However, he will be the first to tell you that he would rather see our team be recognized for excellence than him,” said head coach Paul Vandersteen.

Of course, this recognition immediately connects him to 2007 graduate Chris Derrick and Beattie coolly states that he is no Chris Derrick. “Chris was the perfect example of putting in the work to get results…he just set the standard for the dedication to the sport that is probably not going to be matched for a really long time at Neuqua. He set the gold standard for athletes.” Beattie does not currently know where running will take him in the future, but it is definitely evident that his name will be associated with running for many more years to come.

Hong-Ah Do, Front Page and NeuquaMedia Editor

For starters, both the Gold Rush and the Blue Crew plan on heading out to more away games. According to Kevin Hodgeman, a member of the new Blue Crew, their goal for this season is to, “go to every game, home and away, and as much fun as last year.” Each and every game is important, and having dedicated fans cheering them on will hopefully contribute to a few more points and a greater victory.

Theme nights are also coming back. The fun, exciting elements created by last year’s Blue Crew, such as fiesta night, sweater night, Christmas night, and superhero night will be returning to center stage. This allows for more participation from people other than seniors, and adds more spark to the game.

The Gold Rush and the Blue Crew are also planning on buying a mannequin, to stand alongside Willy the Wildcat. This mannequin costs about $300 and both groups are hoping to have donations contributed by students.

Both cheering sections are trying to inspire more creativity and bring more fans to the game. Greater attendance also gives the team a bit more excitement; a well attended game shows that a school believes in its team and senses a victory. So be on the lookout at the courts for the new themes and events planned by the Gold Rush and Blue Crew.

Michelle Schubert, Staff Writer

Last year, three members of the Neuqua student body formed the school’s make-shift Boys Gymnastics team. Although they were not technically considered a team, Jack Boyle, Timmy Kosanda, and Jake Hartman competed in sectionals under a club coach. “At sectionals we added up our scores just do see how we would do as a team,” Jack Boyle said, “and we would have won sectionals with three kids.” In addition to this calculated success, the three actually all qualified for, and placed in, state.

This year, the army of three has lost a bit of momentum due to last year’s club coach withdrawing from high school coaching. Nonetheless, hope for Neuqua Boys Gymnastics is far from running low. In addition to the current talent that the three gymnasts have showcased, there is great talent rising from middle schools every year. In essence, the Boys Gymanstics team is highly likely to add to Neuqua’s impressive athletic reputation, that is if they get the chance to officially become a team.

“It is in the athletic director’s hands to make a decision,” Boyle said. “The team could be state champions!”

Allie Hermann, Staff Writer

They defeated both St. Patrick and Mt. Carmel high school to secure their title and is the only team in Bears Flag Football History to win three championships.

On November 7, the team will be honored with their trophy during half-time of the Bears game.

Go Wildcats!

Hong-Ah Do, NeuquaMedia and Front Page Editor

Exhibit A: Chicago Cubs estranged outfielder, Milton Bradley. Bradley was signed this offseason in hopes of adding a strong left-handed bat to the heavily right-handed lineup. Jim Hendry hoped that he would be the answer to their prayers, but instead, Bradley often left Hendry praying for a miracle.

Instead of the 22 home runs, 77 runs batted in, and a .321 batting average he had in 126 games in 2008 for the Texas Rangers, Bradley had 12 home runs, 40 runs batted in, and a .257 batting average in 124 games this year for the Chicago Cubs. Yet this year, Bradley also had trouble getting on base, driving in runs, and remembering how many outs were left in the inning.

So looking at Bradley’s numbers from last year, there was no reason that Hendry should not have wanted him. However, he clearly overlooked the fact that Bradley has been on five different teams in the past four seasons and that he has struggled with the pressure that big cities bring to athletes. Another negative is that Bradley has played more than 100 games only four times since his debut in 2000.

Bradley often complained about the fans booing him and never established a good relationship with the media. He did not even last the whole season this year, being suspended for the seventh time in his ten year career, for the final two weeks of the season. The breaking point was when Bradley made comments criticizing Chicago, saying it was a negative place to play, being the main reason why the Cubs have not won in over 100 years.

What makes this interesting is that multiple players, such as Carlos Zambrano, Derrek Lee, and Aramis Ramirez, have been playing for the Cubs for multiple years and have said nothing about Chicago being a negative place to play. In fact, in response to Bradley’s comments, most current Cubs have said they have some spent some of the best years of their career in Chicago.

So perhaps the problem here is that Bradley is just blaming all his own offensive problems on the fans. For the money that Bradley is being paid, $30 million over three years, he should be focusing more on being nicer to the fans and the media, as well as producing on the field. If Bradley was an offensive threat on the field, his off field problems would most likely not affect the way he is viewed.

Professional athletes get paid to play a game, so they are expected to be good at that game. If they do not play up to their worth, then they should not be complaining about how the fans treat them. Especially here in the Chicago area, if an athlete shows up and performs every day, the fans rarely complain. So Bradley and other inconsiderate athletes should take the hint: keep your mouth shut and let your skills do the talking.

Elizabeth Maluta, Sports Editor

Ultimate Frisbee is not just taking Neuqua by storm, but also college campuses with the formation of their very own leagues. Neuqua’s team also participates in tournaments and leagues. They placed second in a tournament in late May last year. This sport is also becoming increasing popular due to the modest requirements for the game. There is no padding required, helmets, special discs, or a specific playing ground. All that is required is a disc, a wide field, and the best sportsmanship an athlete can manage to have.

Where other sports rely heavily on the referees managing the gameplay for outside calls and an overall fairness between teams, Ultimate does not and this is ultimately, no pun intended, what makes the sport so popular. “Since this sport has no refs, it relies completely on sportsmanship for the game to run properly,” said Rehmann. If a discrepancy occurs between players while on the field, the players will stop to talk it over and ask other players around them on their input in order to meet a fair conclusion. This aspect of the game is one of the most important when it comes to the game flowing smoothly and it is also what makes the game much more enjoyable. Ultimate challenges all of the players on the teams to display their best sportsmanship and spirit for their own team without resorting to being rude or offensive towards the opposing team in the heat of the game. It is this spirit, or “Spirit of the Game” as it is affectionately referred to, that unites and brings the team closer together.

This sport is also not limited to just one gender or separated into different gender teams. Although the attendance in girls versus that of the attendance in guys on the team is not as much, girls enjoy the game just with as much excitement and intensity and they can play just as well as the guys do. “I’ve been playing for two years now,” said Senior Emily Kaindl, “I started playing pick-up games at Knoch Knolls last fall and have gotten more involved with every opportunity.”

Ultimate Frisbee is not a sport reserved simply for just star athletes. With pick-up games frequently held by students from various schools held frequently at places such as Knoch Knolls, it is quickly becoming a favorite sport and pastime of many people. No one is turned away from a game and everyone is welcomed no matter the experience level or what school they come from. With more and more people catching on to this recent craze, Ultimate Frisbee is soon to become a long-lasting activity at Neuqua for many years to come.

By Hong-Ah Do, staff writer

Opportunity Through Baseball raises funds through their annual OTB Banquet for inner city kids from the east side of Aurora and the Aurora Neighborhood Baseball League. Last year, Neuqua students even were able to enjoy a performance by country singer Taylor Swift through a fundraiser OTB organized. This year marked their twelfth year being a part of this effort. “The organization provides positive alternatives to gangs, drugs, and violence. The funds we raise funds that league 100%,” adds head baseball coach Robin Renner. The whole team is involved in this act of kindness. These funds also go towards a camp where fifty kids from the league are brought to Neuqua Valley for a week long baseball camp. The NVHS players coach the 9-12 year olds and their parents help prepare lunch each day of camp. As a final celebration for the kids and the success of the camp, everyone takes a trip to the Cub game at Wrigley field. But this generosity does not end there. The team also donates to Dave Dravecky’s Outreach of Hope, the Aurora Neighborhood Kids Club, and provides pregame meals for the varsity football team at East Aurora High School. “Last year, we were able to provide two $1,500 scholarships to one male and one female East Aurora student,” said Renner.

These acts of giving back to the community what Neuqua knows so well is one of many things that makes a student proud to be a Wildcat and proud of what their school is doing everyday. It is safe to assume that this organization will continue to be a home run in the Neuqua community.

By Hong-Ah Do, staff writer

Pink Out Night is part of the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association’s national fight for breast cancer week and the involvement includes coaches from high school, college, and even the professional ranks. Neuqua’s head girl’s basketball coach, Mike Williams, is an avid participant of the WBCA as well. “I am an active member of the WBCA and we decided that breast cancer has touched many people and we wanted to do our part to help,” said Williams on helping the cause. “It’s a really cool, different thing since we’re playing for a cause and the benefits are going to help people,” said JV basketball player Jordan Hughes.

Breast cancer does not just affect one race, age group, or even gender, in fact, it affects many women around the world regardless of either aspect and can also affect men. Although breast cancer is predominant with older women, cases where a seventeen year-old girl discovers she has breast cancer is not unlikely. In 2007, an estimated 178,480 new cases of invasive breast cancer were diagnosed among women and 2,030 cases were diagnosed among men. Breast cancer is associated and more frequently seen among women, but men can be diagnosed with it as well. The rates and occurrences of breast cancer trends in America have steadily decreased presently, but they are expected to slowly begin the climb into higher percentages due to the lifestyles many Americans choose to lead.

Pink Out Night will be pre-selling, selling during school cafeteria hours, and at the door on game night Pink Out t-shirts for ten dollars each. Students are encouraged to purchase a shirt and wear it at the game to “pink out” Neuqua’s cheering section and to help the girl’s basketball team fight for the cause. A portion of the proceeds will also go to benefit the Kay Yow WBCA Cancer Fund. Former standout and current Purdue University women’s basketball standout Lindsay Wisdom-Hylton and her coach will be at the game to receive the check for the money raised from this event of which will be used for research.

So come on out to cheer on the lady Wildcats to a victory not just in the game, but in the fight for a commendable cause. This night will prove to be memorable for not only the athletes, but for all who attend the game.

By Hong-Ah Do, staff writer