Champaign Central High School

Congress tells us cheerleading is not a

sport.

Time for the Golden Globes!

What in the world is a ‘Tinker Tailor Soldier

Spy’?

In This Issue:

Issue 6Welcome-Back Issue Volume 87 January 20, 2012

After a dramatic internet-blackout to protest the SOPA and PIPA bills, Congress has withdrawn its support and is now trying to rewrite it.

They are not quite finished, but the message is received:

“Don’t mess with our internet.”

Left:Wikipedia blacks out its English-language page for a day in protest.

Right: An online petition against SOPA and PIPA reaches over three million.

SPORTS 2

Central wrestling starts off strongAlex GoodladPage Editor

While it may be a new year, it is by no means a new season of high school winter sports. Champaign Maroon athletes are hard at work, going into the next phase of their season as it gets closer to the state series. One of these winter sports is wrestling—a program that has had traditional success in Central. Both last year’s and this year’s seasons, however, are what is considered a rebounding year. Despite more underclassmen in the varsity roster than last year, Central has gone 16-5 in its dual meets so far this season as opposed to 14-7 last year. Wrestling is often considered one of the hardest sports because if the practices alone are not demanding physically and mentally, the essential energy from meals that other athletes take for granted are only there in rations for wrestlers. While no one wants to diet themselves in such a way, it is a necessary evil for wrestlers to lose weight since wrestling is divided into weight classes in order to avoid heavyweight dominance. Fortunately, there are much healthier ways to lose the same amount of weight than simply not eating or drinking. Examples of this include balancing the change in diet to some point in time before the regular season so the cut in weight is not so sudden. Others include simply physical activities like running that bring about sweating and are effective in cutting weight while bringing about fitness as well. After the desired weight is reached, it is about maintaining that change

rather than actually changing it. A non-wrestler will never truly understand the sport nor hard work needed to achieve its objective unless its rules are understood. Here is a rundown of the rules as some wrestlers and Central wrestling coach Daniel Warner and explained them:-A match between two wrestlers is divided into three two-minute rounds.-There are various ways (such as a take-down) for a wrestler to score points, which indicate a wrestler’s control of the ring. -There are three starting positions in wrestling that can begin a given round: “top”, when one wrestler starts on top of another; “bottom”, when one wrestler starts underneath the other; and “neutral”, when both wrestlers are standing.-The first round always begins in neutral, the second round position is chosen by the wrestler that wins a coin toss, and the final round position is chosen by the wrestler that lost the coin toss. Keep in mind that there are wrestlers who are better in certain positions (bottom included!).-There are five ways for a wrestler to individually win a match: score more points than the other wrestler in three rounds, get ahead by a 15 point discrepancy at any point of the match, “pin” the opponent (where the opponent has both shoulders touching the ground), win by default in the case of the opponent getting disqualified for certain illicit actions, or be the first to score in a sudden-death round (which starts in neutral position) in the case of a tie when all three rounds are over.-As for team scoring, there

are fourteen different weight classes. Three points are scored as team points for every victory that belongs to that team. The team with more points wins. In case of a tie, the number of pins that a team makes is what determines victory. In order to prepare for grand scheme of the season, Central wrestlers condition at the beginning by doing general exercises such as sprints as well as cut their weight. Afterwards, they practice their technique through various drills that go over a specific move. When about to face a specific team, the practice emphasis sometimes shifts to the strengths and weaknesses of that specific team, the moves the opponent specializes in, and how to counter it. It is important

to realize that wrestling is about more than just brute strength and also about strategy and tactics. Finally, as true with most sports, there is a “taper period” where workouts become lighter in preparation for the State series. In the case of wrestlers, they taper simply by reducing the amount of time they practice. All in all, wrestling is an interesting sport that touches on all the aspects of athletics from physical strength to mental discipline,to technique, and strategy. While Central wrestlers acknowledge that it may not be as fun to watch as a sport like basketball where the rules are easier to follow as a spectator, they still deserve appreciation for the hard work they are doing as they prepare for state.

Central student Nate Volk celebrates his win on January 11, 2012.

photo by the News Gazette

A sport is defined as “an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others.” On July 21, 2010, a lawsuit was filed to decide whether or not college competitive cheerleading was a sport for the purposes of Title IX. This lawsuit decided that at this time college competitive cheerleading is not a sport. The judge said a current lack of program development and organization was to blame; although in the future, it may become a sport under Title IX. However, in Illinois, high school competitive cheerleading is still an IHSA sport. For competitive high school cheerleading, a team will compete in of one of four divisions: small varsity, medium varsity, large varsity, or coed varsity. They will perform 2-3 minute long routine made up of different components (all are worth ten points):

Voice/projectionMotion/Dance

JumpsPartner stunts

Pyramid/ Basket TossFormations/Transitions

SynchronizationsDegree of Difficulty

Overall Effectiveness There are many different tumbling skills that can be seen at cheerleading competitions. However, some of the most common are punch fronts, back tucks, back handsprings, cartwheels, roundoffs, roundoff backhandsprings, layouts, front and standing fulls, and ariels. Stunting involves bases and a backspot lifting a flyer into the air. There are two main types of stunts partner stunting (only one person is

holding the flyer in the air, typically done by coed teams and group stunting (two bases and a back spot hold the flyer in the air). From those two types of stunt groups, there are numerous stunts that can be performed. Basic ones for group stunting are a half (the

bases hold the flyer at chest level), an extension (the bases hold the flyer above their heads with fully extended arms), and a liberty (the bases hold the flyer above their heads with fully extended arms, but this time the flyer is on one leg with her other leg lifted). Basic stunts for partner stunting are hands (the base is holding the flyer in both hands

Is competitive cheerleading a sport? Sarah BullockPage Editor

SPORTS 3

at chest level), and a cupie (the base is holding both of the flyers feet in the air extended above their head on one hand). The majority partner stunts are done with coed bases and flyers. A cheerleading pyramid is when multiple stunt groups come together to form one connected

stunt. IHSA rules stated that these pyramids cannot have more than one level of stunting. Along with pyramids are a stunt called basket tosses. A basket toss is the stunt in which a flyer is thrown in to the air and out of the base’s hands. During a basket toss a flyer will pull some sort of a skill. Throughout the competitions season, Central’s

competitive cheerleading team typically competes in roughly four to five competitions, the usual ones being Lake Zurich, The Illini Challenge, Big Twelve, Sectionals, and hopefully State. Unfortunately, the girls were not able to attend Lake Zurich this year. However, they did compete in The Illini Challenge this past Sunday. Central’s Competitive cheerleading team put on a great show; they placed second in their division with a total score of 73 points. During their routine, many of their stunts hit, including the whole team pyramid. One member of the cheerleading team team, Junior Catie Grey stated, “for having less time to practice our routine than anyone else we competed against, we did our best.” Central’s cheer team started preparing for completion season in early December, whereas most teams start to learn their routines as early as August or September. The Big Twelve competition is the cheerleading competition for the conference. and is usually held at Central because it is one of the only few high schools in the conference with two gymnasiums for a warm up and performance room. Big Twelve will be hosted at Champaign Central High School in Combes Gym on January 21. Big Twelve starts at eight a.m. The cost of admission is three dollars for students and four dollars for adults. Cheerleading is often thought of as nothing more than a group of cheerleaders cheering on a basketball or football team, however, it is much more than that when competitive cheerleading is taken into consideration, it is arguably a very difficult sport and Central’s team is no exception.

Pictures from the Illini Challenge on sunday:Top right- Part of the pyramid stunt.

Top left- Partner stunts, chairs (in the backround)Bottom right- Sophomore, Abby Slade finnishing her tumbling pass

with a layoutBottom middle- Freshmen Jennifer Galbreath pulls a heal strech.

Bottom left- Abby Slade hits her scorpion strech. Photo credit: Liz Brunson

Golden Globes honor film and televisionFEATURES 4

Every year in January, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) co-produces the Golden Globe Awards to be aired on television. The Golden Globes are meant to recognize excellence in film and television, both domestic and foreign. The HFPA was founded in 1940, seeking to provide distractions to the people suffering the hardships of WWII. People were hungry for films that offered “escape, inspiration, and entertainment” according to the HFPA. Originally, the organization consisted of a handful of humble LA-based journalists whose goal was to bridge international societies with Hollywood. Just 72 years later, the HFPA represents 55 countries and hosts the third most watched award show on television behind the Oscars and the Grammys. The revenue received from the annual ceremony has also helped this non-profit organization in donating over twelve million dollars in the past seventeen years to entertainment charities, as well as funding scholarships for future film and television professionals. Today, the Golden Globes are aired live on NBC and take place at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles. Usually, the Globes have a different host each year, but English actor and comedian Ricky Gervais has hosted since 2010. The most recent Golden Globes aired on January 15th with 25 categories of nominations: fourteen for film and eleven for television. Of all the categories, Best Animated Feature Film was only recently

added in 2006 and the movie Cars was the first to have the honor of winning that award. Leading this year’s Globe nominations was The Artist with six. The Artist is a black and white silent film from the French director Michel Hazanavicius. One of the six nominations for the movie was in the major category of Best Comedy or Musical. 50/50, Bridesmaids, Midnight in Paris, and My Week with Marilyn were also nominated for the same award. Following closely behind with five nominations each were The Descendants, a movie about a middle-aged Hawaiian man who runs a trust responsible for millions of dollars worth of untouched real estate and his crumbling family, and The Help, a story about African American maids in the 1960s and the white women they work for. Both The Descendants and The Help were nominated for Best Drama along with War Horse, The Ideas of March, and Hugo. Some movies that were expected to be nominated were left out completely; for instance, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, a post-9/11 drama, was emotional but many thought it deserved a nomination at the least. Tinker, Tailor Soldier, Spy also failed to get any nominations while Clint Eastwood’s J. Edgar only received one for Leonardo DiCaprio in the category of Best Actor. An award not included in the 25 film and television categories is the Cecil B. DeMille Award. When the HFPA wanted to establish a prestigious and honorary award for “outstanding contributions to the world of entertainment,” they hoped it be named after a respected showman. Cecil B.

DeMille was the first man to win in 1952 and it has since bore his name. The winner of the award is chosen by the HFPA board of directors and this year it went to 74-year-old Morgan Freeman for his incredible lifetime work in film and television. “If you do what you love, you’ll never have to work a day in your life,” Freeman stated in his acceptance speech. A previous winner and the presenter of the Cecil B. DeMille award, Sidney Poitier, stated, “In my humble opinion, sir, you are indeed a prince in the profession you have chosen. We thank you, Mr. Freeman, for raising the level of excellence yet another notch.” January 15th was a star-studded day for honoring movies, television series, and all of the hardworking people that put life into a script. The Artist left with three awards for Best Motion Picture (Comedy or Musical), Best Original Score, and Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture (Comedy or Musical) for Jean Dujardin. Only one award short of The Artist, The Descendants took home two awards for Best Motion Picture (Drama) and for George Clooney in the category of Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture (Drama). Sony Picture’s A Separation, from the country of Iran, won the award for Best Foreign Language Film and Madonna’s song, “Masterpiece,” won Best Original Song for the movie W.E. Even though only a handful were nominated and only a select few won, it is important to remember that each movie, television series, and actor deserves respect for the hard work and dedication put in to create such moving entertainment.

Cecil B. DeMille AwardMorgan Freeman Best Motion Picture-DramaThe Descendants Best Performance by an Actor/Actress-DramaGeorge Clooney-The DescendantsMeryl Streep-Iron LadyBest Motion Picture-Comedy or MusicalThe ArtistBest Performance by an Actor/Actress-Comedy or MusicalJean Dujardin-The ArtistMichelle Williams-My Week with MarilynBest Animated Feature FlmThe Adventures of TintinBest Foreign Language FilmA Separation-IranBest Performance by an Actor/Actress in a Supporting RoleChristopher Plummer-BeginnersOctavia Spencer-The HelpBest DirectorMartin Scorsese-HugoBest ScreenplayWoody Allen-Midnight In ParisBest Original ScoreLudovic Bource-The ArtistBest Original SongMasterpiece-W.E.Best Television Series-DramaHomelandBest Performance by an Actor/Actress in a Television Series-DramaKelsey Grammar-BossClaire Danes-HomelandBest Television Series-Comedy or MusicalModern FamilyBest Performance by an Actor/Actress in a Television Series-Comedy or MusicalMatt LeBlanc-EpisodesLaura Dern-EnlightenedBest Mini Series or Motion Picture made for TelevisionDowntown Abbey (Masterpiece)Best Performance by an Actor/Actress in a Mini Series or Motion Picture Made for TelevisionIdris Elba-LutherKate Winslet-Mildred PierceBest Performance by an Actor/Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series or Mini SeriesPeter Dinklage-Game of ThronesJessica Lange -American Horror Story

h t t p : / / g o l d e n g l o b e s . o r ghttp://thewashingtonpost.com

Shivani JainPage Editor

Art Theater provides unique film and history

Champaign-Urbana is a unique community, boasting both an impressive collection of artists and exhibits as well as preserved historical architecture. The Art Theatre, located in downtown Champaign, combines both of these ideas and remains a defining feature of the city. Showing mainly independent, foreign, and artistic movies, the Art is the only single screen movie theatre in town. The Art may be the only place to see lesser-known film, but it is also a historical landmark in Champaign. The original theatre was completed almost one hundred years ago; in 1913, the Art became the sixth theatre in Champaign, and had an audience capacity of over 600. Renovations and repairs to the theatre have altered the seating, decreasing the capacity to 250. In its first years of operation, the Art showed some of the country’s most popular silent films, and housed ballet and opera performances on its stage. However, as film technology became more advanced, silent films were replaced by movies with a soundtrack, and films could be projected onto larger screens. This led to an expansion of both the screen and the projector room, which rendered the stage too small for use. The Art continued to show critically acclaimed and groundbreaking movies, and remained a steady competitor amongst the cinemas and theaters in town. Unfortunately, that success would not last forever, as the Art saw a steady decline in

ticket sales during the 60s. Every history, however grand, will have its share of darker moments and stories of struggle. From 1960 until 1971, the Art was losing customers to other theaters, who preferred larger screens for viewing their movies. Desperate to keep the theatre running, Louis Sher, the owner at the time, decided to cease showing artistic movies in favor of pornographic films. For almost two decades, the Art was the only pornographic theater in Champaign. However, this business venture did not last, and Sher eventually closed the Art. Fortunately for local movie-goers, there was redemption in store for the Art as soon the historic site returned to its former mission. Afer a year without service, it was reopened by John Manley in 1987. After years of showing less-than-desirable material, the Art returned to showing artistic films, as well as archived classics and independent documentaries. It has continued showing these genres ever since. The Art has changed owners multiple times since its switch from pornographic cinema, and they all share a passion for films. Formerly know as The Boardman’s Art Theater, in 2009 the theater changed hands again, and is now under new management. Current owner Sanford Hess shares the same love of movies as the previous owners, and is working hard to bring in more business to the Art. One of his administrative decisions was to create a variety of options for the concessions stand. Viewers can now buy tradition theater

snacks, such as popcorn, as well as a host of local pastries, coffee, hot chocolate, and (for more mature viewers) an assortment of alcoholic beverages. The theater has also started selling tickets for late-night showings, which are much cheaper than the regular price. Hess hopes that these changes will bring in casual movie-goers in addition to the film lovers that already attend. One plan of action to attract a more casual audience was the showing of more modern films, as well as artistic movies, and showing them on 35mm film. The Art Theater has been a part of the Champaign-Urbana local art scene for almost a century, and remains

one of the most recognizable features of the dowtown area. The Art’s history, as well as its unique purpose, is a treasured facet of local culture, and its value should not be underestimated. Many residents would be devastated should the Art close again, but the Art is still a local business, and requires the support of the community in order to continue providing a different genre of movies. Although larger theaters can provide modern movies on bigger screens, the Art offers an alternative, and the local community would be very different without its presence. For those looking for a different kind of movie, or a local cultural highlight, the Art is the answer.

Joey ButtlarPage Editor

Now Playing at The Art: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy To the modern movie-goer, a typical “spy-thriller” will possess any combination of snappy dialogue, car chases, gun fights, disfigured and eccentric villains, and an endless assortment of high-tech and absurd gadgets. Thomas Alfredson’s Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy goes the opposite direction, focusing instead on a more realistic view of government espionage (represented in the film by an organization nicknamed “The Circus”) during the Cold War. Alfredson delivers a dialogue and suspense driven tale of George Smiley (Gary Oldman) as he works to uncover a mole within the agency that just forced him into semi-retirement. The plot is engaging, and the dialogue is thoughtful and delivered with superb yet controlled acting. While other spy films focus on death-defying stunts

or large explosions, Tinker Tailor spends as much time focusing on details such as lighting, facial expressions and even signs in the background. Everyone who sees this movie more than once will catch a glimpse of something that they did not notice at first. Unfortunately, because there are so many subtle clues and hints at larger themes within the movie, viewers may become lost if they do not pay attention to all the character developement or miss a key line. Those who enjoy suspenseful mysteries and some of the best cinematography of the year, however, should not be skeptical of the non-linear and in-depth plot. Regardless, this is a movie for a unique audience. Ticket prices and show times can be found at www.thecuart.com. Don’t miss it!

ENTERTAINMENT 5

The posters are everywhere, the announcements have been made: Central’s administration is having a costume party for students with perfect attendance. They are hoping to give students a positive incentive to come to school, in addition to the more negative consequences for failure to go to class. Assistant Principal Yalanda Graham says that, right now, Central has a 92% arrendance rate. This means that, for the most part, students actually go to school. The administration’s goal is to raise overall attendance to 94%. To get an 100% attendance rate, one must not have any (excused or unexcused) absences or tardies, save for field trips or testing. 92%-99% kids only have excused absences, because of illness, deaths in the family, etc. Right now, maybe 50 of the 1300 students have “gold status,” meaning they have perfect attendance and can get into the “costume ball” free, which is a regularly requested (and reguarly denied) theme for the more mainstream dances such as homecoming. Why is this dance the exception? Graham explains that in this dance, everyone will be there by invitation only, while with a “random

masquerade,” she admits, “you don’t know who’s coming.” In this case, there is a list of invited students, but IDs and invitations are still necessary for those perfect-attendance students. “We’ll know who’s coming and who’s not coming.” However, Graham says that silver-status students (those with a 94% attendance rate or higher) can get into the

costume ball; but for them, it is two dollars to get in. As with any school dance, even if invitation-only, there are rules. The dress code is the same as for any other dance. Graham says that there will also be prizes, the largest of which, she hopes, will be a flat-screen TV.

What: Costume partyWhere: Combes Gym

When: April 20th, 2012Hosted by: Central’s

administration

FEATURES 6

First annual Costume Party announcedCentral’s least anonymous students don masks

Central students will find these posters all over the school

photo taken by Sarah Bullock

Maddy GunnEditor-in-Chief

The GOP drama c o n t i n u e s Kirby JayesPage Editor Repeat after me: there is no God but Reagan, and Mitt Romney is his prophet. Got it? Yeah, me neither. But no matter! Welcome to the new and improved GOP. Which, whether certain undersigned editorial writers like it or not, seems to be sticking around until at least next November. Although the actual primaries are just beginning, the drama and uncertainty seems nearly spent, at least until the actual election, when presumable nominee Mitt Romney will square off against President Obama. “ P r e s u m a b l e nominee” is fitting, as Romney is quickly becoming the candidate of “eh, I guess he’s okay,” a sentiment signed, dated, and rising in triplicate from the ranks of the GOP faithful, as Romney ascends higher and higher up the ladder of presidential nomination-itude. He leaves behind him the battered and broken corpses of infidelity, un-intelligence, ideology, and insanity, in the forms of his one time rivals Herman Cain, the Ricks, Ron Paul and Newt Gingrich—in that order, defeated by the apparently lethal combination of oily smile and perfect hair. With early primary victories going to Romney and the failure of the GOP to procure an alternative candidate deemed suitable for more than a few weeks at a time, it appears the race may be near finished before it has properly begun. This early conclusion is due in no small part to

the amount of coverage afforded by the media to the Republican candidates prior to the actual beginning of primary season. The work of the network campaign wizards, coinciding with the designs of the GOP’s own strategic masterminds, has been so thorough, not to mention devastating to the candidates in question, that it calls to mind a couple of frat brothers pregaming a party so hard that catastrophically early blackout is inevitable, leading to that sinking morning feeling of struggling out of the depths of sleep’s oblivion and rolling over—Jesus!—we made WHO our presidential candidate last night? This electoral despair is only compounded by staggering to a mirror and realizing that somebody—maybe a Democrat house, or that sneaky-looking Ron Paul guy—has updated your visage with a little phallic graffiti while you were absent, and then opening the door right into your own shotgun wedding, which will last—oh, I don’t know— the next four years or so. Levity aside, perhaps Americans of all political affiliations should be thankful for Mitt Romney--without him Republicans would have no candidate of even remotely

plausible electability and in a Romney free world Democrats would have to contend with the concept of President Newt Gingrich. Indeed, the Million-

Dollar Mitt Man seems to have risen—perhaps cackling softly—into a perfect storm of political desperation, national instability and private insecurity, pillowed on clouds of solid PR. This new American political landscape is a brave new world where a Mormon millionaire who approved state-run healthcare and once supported the pro-choice and pro-gay agendas can garner the support of the conservative right over just about anyone. Perhaps the last true contest of this race will be the primary election in South Carolina, set to take place this Saturday, January 21st. If Romney can hold on to his current poll lead and leave South Carolina with an assurance of his power in

all areas of the GOP base by way of a victory in this deeply conservative state, he will be increasingly impossible to stop. However, the race is not

yet over, as Newt Gingrich is once again rising in the polls as the last serious not-Romney candidate left standing after Rick Santorum’s brief flare into relevancy; positions which both will surely soon vacate. While Romney is in no way an ideal candidate to energize Republican voters against the massive Obama PR machine, he is also the least capable of arousing abject hatred in the supporters of his opponents. When the hammer comes down, Romney’s greatest attribute is that while he may not necessarily be someone for the independent voters and disillusioned democrats the GOP hopes to lure away from the Obama campaign to vote for, he isn’t someone for them to vote against, either.

EDITORIAL 7

A political cartoon depicts public skepticism in Romney’s run for the presidency. Printed from the Chattanoga Times Free Press

Chronicle Staff

Maddy Gunn Editor-in-Chief

Alex Goodlad Page Editor

Kirby Jayes Page Editor

Shivani Jain Page Editor

Joey Buttlar Page Editor

Sarah Bullock Page Editor

The ChronicleChampaign Central

610 W. University Ave.Champaign, IL 61820

(217) 351-3911

The Chronicle is a student run newspaper produced for Champaign Central High School. Its primary goal is to inform the student body with important news occuring within Unit 4. Many members of the staff take part in the Quill and Scroll in order to further their journalistic abilities. If you would like to pick up issues, they are distributed once a month in front of Decker Theater.

If you are interested in being a guest writer for the Chronicle, please come talk to Ms. Wilson in room 109.

EDITORIAL 8

Congratulations to all of the students at Central High School who made

IMEA All-State!

JazzKristen Cambell...................................................Trumpet

Tom Roadcap..........................................................Drums

Jun Yoo.............................................................Trombone

Nick Wurl.................................................Bass Trombone

Trevor Bush..............................................................Piano

OrchestraEdmond Kim.....................................................Trombone

Emma C-Z............................................................Clarinet

Annie McDonald...........................................French Horn

BandCaleb Plattner

Jenny Anderson

ChoirAdrian Rochelle

Sophie Magro

Lindsay Thomas

Future Music TeachersChristian Wilkey