Boy's Lax Team

The Eastview Boy’s Lacrosse team is working hard to make another successful season. There are many things that the team has been doing to prepare for the upcoming season in the spring. The whole Eastview team is very excited for the start of the season and are taking it very serious. The Eastview Boy’s Lacrosse team also is competing in the lacrosse winter league at the Rosemount Dome. Eastview has two teams that are participating in the league and they are both playing well. Due to the lack of gym time and field time in Dome, some of their practices and games have been late at night. Last Saturday the 27th of February one of the lacrosse teams had a game at 11:30 p.m. When the final whistle blew the score was 10-2 Eastview and it was already almost 1:00 a.m. When I interviewed senior lacrosse Captain Alex Weckerly, I asked what are practices be like before the season. His response was “A lot of fundamentals. We will be working hard to get our stick skills good before we start putting in our more complex plays”. The team also does a lot of drills that are game like situations so when the season starts they will be prepared. I also got a chance to sit down and interview senior lacrosse attackman Luke Wagner.With the loss of some talent from last years senior class, what does this years team need to do in order to make another State Tournament appearance? Luke's response was "Well I feel we have family chemistry with this years seniors so I expect us to be just as good as last year". I also asked Luke What are you most excited for this year? "I'm most excited to just play lax and bond with the team. I'm also excited to make it to State again this year"! I asked Luke what is all the hype about "FLOW". Wagner says "Flow is really a way of life and if your going to play lacrosse flow is a must. Not only having great long hair but having flow to your game were you have style and no one can stop you". And since this is just a big part of the boys lacrosse team it is also apart of there motto this year. The motto with be " ONE FLOW". The Varsity team has made an appearance to state every year since it has become a varsity sport. In 2007 the team placed 4th in state. In 2008 the team placed 3rd in state. Last year the team placed 2nd in state and lost a hard fought game to the Minnetonka, State Champions. All along the way there has been one special fan cheering them on. His name is Jordan Johnson a senior at Eastview. I tossed out a few questions at him about the upcoming season. As a returning super fan, what are you planning on doing this off season to get more fans for this dynasty lacrosse program? "I plan on promoting the game as well as the players of the Eastview Lacrosse team to people, motivating them to come to games". I also asked the great super fan What do you expect out of this upcoming season? Jordan responded with "I expect the players to play hard and return to State, but this time with a different outcome". This year the team will need a lot of focus and determination in order for the team to make another outstanding run in the state tournament. The team has a tremendous amount of team chemistry in the senior class because a lot of the athletes have been playing together since early youth ages. The senior class also has a great amount of playing experience at the varsity level. There are a few seniors that have been on the team since their freshman year and a couple that have actually started the sophomore year. Talking to many of the guys on the team they all are very excited and have one goal, and that goal is to win a state championship. I recommend you all keep a close eye on the boy's lacrosse team!

Interviews

*Interview from Lacrosse Captain Alex Weckerly*

What kind of things are you doing to prepare for the season?

~building up the team chemistry by getting all of the laxers together. We also have two winter league lacrosse teams that play at the Rosemount Dome.

What will practices be like before the season?

~A lot of fundamentals. We will be working hard to get our stick skills good before we start putting in our more complex plays.

How is the coaching staff?

~Great. They all have played the game and understand how to coach a team to make a great team. They are really good at making players play up to their full potential.

I hear there is a new coach coming to the team this year?

~Yes Coach Achenbach. He currently plays for the Minnesota Swarm lacrosse team and is going to be our offensive coordinator. He is planning on putting in a lot of new plays to help the team win state.

How is the outlook of the season?

~Very good. We have a lot of team chemistry and a lot of us seniors have been playing together for a long time. There is also a lot of experience in the senior class.


Luke Wagner:

With the loss of some talent from last years senior class, what does this years team need to do in order to make another State Tournament appearance?
Well i feel we have family chemistry with this years seniors so I expect us to be just as good as last year.




What are you doing in the off-season to get ready for the season?
I work out with the team, I'm planning on doing a winter league, and captains practice.




What are you most excited for this year?
I'm excited to just play lax and bond with the team. I'm also excited to make it to State again this year!


Jordan Johnson:

As a returning superfan, what are you planning on doing this off season to get more fans for this dynasty lacrosse program?
I plan on promoting the game as well as the players of the Eastview Lacrosse team to people, motivating them to come to games.




What do you expect out of this upcoming season?
I expect the players to play hard and return to State, but this time with a different outcome.




What are you most excited for this year?
I'm excited for the overall environment and intensity that fills Lightning Stadium.

Topic And Angle

My topic will be on: Boy's Lacrosse Team.

My Angle will be: Perparing for the season.

Writing A News Story

~Writing a News Story~

1. What can I write about? What is news?

On the surface, defining news is a simple task. News is an account of what is happening around us. It may involve current events, new initiatives or ongoing projects or issues. But a newspaper does not only print news of the day. It also prints background analysis, opinions, and human interest stories.

Choosing what's news can be harder.

The reporter chooses stories from the flood of information and events happening in the world and in their community. Stories are normally selected because of their importance, emotion, impact, timeliness and interest. Note: all these factors do NOT have to coincide in each and every story!

2. Identify what kind of a story it is

-Hard news (+/- 600 words): This is how journalists refer to news of the day. It is a chronicle of current events/incidents and is the most common news style on the front page of your typical newspaper.

It starts with a summary lead. What happened? Where? When? To/by whom? Why? (The journalist's 5 W's). It must be kept brief and simple, because the purpose of the rest of the story will be to elaborate on this lead.

Keep the writing clean and uncluttered. Most important, give the readers the information they need. If the federal government announced a new major youth initiative yesterday, that's today's hard news.

-Soft news (+/-600 words): This is a term for all the news that isn't time-sensitive. Soft news includes profiles of people, programs or organizations. As we discussed earlier, the "lead" is more literary. Most of YPP's news content is soft news. Human interest stories.

-Feature (+/-1500 words): A news feature takes one step back from the headlines. It explores an issue. News features are less time-sensitive than hard news but no less newsworthy. They can be an effective way to write about complex issues too large for the terse style of a hard news item. Street kids are a perfect example. The stories of their individual lives are full of complexities which can be reflected in a longer piece.

Features are journalism's shopping center. They're full of interesting people, ideas, color, lights, action and energy. Storytelling at its height! A good feature is about the people in your community and their struggles, victories and defeats. A feature takes a certain angle (i.e. Black youth returning to church) and explores it by interviewing the people involved and drawing conclusions from that information. The writer takes an important issue of the day and explains it to the reader through comments from people involved in the story.

Hint: Remember to "balance" your story. Present the opinions of people on both sides of an issue and let the readers make their own decision on who to believe. No personal opinions are allowed. The quotes from the people you interview make up the story. You are the narrator.

Editorial: The editorial expresses an opinion. The editorial page of the newspaper lets the writer comment on issues in the news. All editorials are personal but the topics must still be relevant to the reader.

Young People's Press publishes two types of editorials:

3. Structure for your article

The structure of a news story (hard & soft news & features) is simple: a lead and the body.

-The lead-
One of the most important elements of news writing is the opening paragraph or two of the story. Journalists refer to this as the "lead," and its function is to summarize the story and/or to draw the reader in (depending on whether it is a "hard" or "soft" news story - See below for the difference between these two genres of news stories).

In a hard news story, the lead should be a full summary of what is to follow. It should incorporate as many of the 5 "W's" of journalism (who, what, where, when and why) as possible. (e.g. "Homeless youth marched down Yonge St. in downtown Toronto Wednesday afternoon demanding the municipal government provide emergency shelter during the winter months." - Can you identify the 5 W's in this lead?)

In a soft news story, the lead should present the subject of the story by allusion. This type of opening is somewhat literary. Like a novelist, the role of the writer is to grab the attention of the reader. (e.g. "Until four years ago, Jason W. slept in alleyways...") Once the reader is drawn in, the 5 "W's" should be incorporated into the body of the story, but not necessarily at the very top.

-The body-
The body of the story involves combining the opinions of the people you interview, some factual data, and a narrative which helps the story flow. A word of caution, however. In this style of writing, you are not allowed to "editorialize" (state your own opinion) in any way.

Remember: Hard news story cannot add own caption.

The role of a reporter is to find out what people are thinking of an issue and to report the opinions of different stakeholders of an issue. These comments make up the bulk of the story. The narrative helps to weave the comments into a coherent whole. Hint: Stick to one particular theme throughout the story. You can put in different details but they all have to relate to the original idea of the piece. (e.g. If your story is about black youth and their relationship with the police you DO NOT want to go into details about the life of any one particular youth).

As a reporter, you are the eyes and ears for the readers. You should try to provide some visual details to bring the story to life (this is difficult if you have conducted only phone interviews, which is why face-to-face is best). You should also try to get a feel for the story. Having a feel means getting some understanding of the emotional background of the piece and the people involved in it. Try to get a sense of the characters involved and why they feel the way they do.

Okay, got it? Let's look at two examples as a way of summarizing the essentials:

Youth are banding together to start an organization. You want to show why are they doing that and the changes are they trying to make in the world. You want to say who they are and the strategies they are using.

An artist is having her first show. Why? What is it that she believes about her art? Is her artistic process rational or from the soul? What does the work look like?

4. Further tips for news writing

-Finding story ideas-

Keep your eyes and ears open; listen to what your friends are talking about.


Read everything you can get your hands on; get story ideas from other newspapers and magazines.


Think of a youth angle to a current news story.


Research a subject that interests you ask yourself what you would like to know more about.


Talk to people in a specific field to find out what is important to them.

-Newsgathering -

Begin collecting articles on your subject.


Talk to friends and associates about the subject.


Contact any agencies or associations with interest or professional knowledge in the area.


Create a list of people you want to interview; cover both sides of the story by interviewing people on both sides of the issue.


Collect government statistics and reports on the subject get old press releases or reports to use as background.

-Interviewing do's and dont's-

Be polite.


Explain the ground rules of the interview to people unfamiliar with how the media works - this means that you tell them the information they give you can and will be published. If they do not want any part of what they say published, they need to tell you it is "off the record."


Tape the interview (so if anyone comes back at you, you have the proof of what was said).


Build a relationship with the person being interviewed.


Start with easy questions; end with difficult questions.


Read the body language of the person you're interviewing and if they get defensive, back away from the question you are asking and return later.


Don't attack the source.


Keep control of the interview; don't let the subject ramble or stray from the subject.


On the other hand, don't let your "opinion" of what the story should be colour the interview. Always remember that the person you are talking with knows more about the subject than you do.

-Organizing the information-

Gather your notes, interviews and research into a file.


Review your notes.


Look for a common theme.


Search your notes for good quotes or interesting facts.


Develop a focus.


Write the focus of the article down in two or three sentences.

-Writing and editing-

Remember you are the narrator, the story teller.


Don't be afraid to rewrite.


Be as clear and concise in the writing as possible.


Avoid run-on sentences.


Be direct.


Tell a good story.


Tell the reader what you think they want to know.


Always ask yourself what the story is about.


Read the story out loud; listen carefully.

-Starting A Story-

1.Find a topic (Ex. Boys lacrosse, dance).

2.Find an angle.

3.Collect information.

4.Gather interviews.

5.Write the story.

6.Edit.

FlowBucket

CRITIQUE 4 OTHER STUDENTS VIDEOS

1.Mikayla Pullin
2.It was a good picture with different fonts and what not. It was good!
3.She did good with the music and transitions.
4.It was a good video with a good song
5.30

1.Jake Mehring
2.At the end was his slogan with a cool check mark.
3.Had good pictures and titles on them with different baking sutff
4.Was creative and cool effects
5.29. was 30 in premier pro

1.Angela Johnson
2.Very creative was put in 3/4 of the video with cool text and effects.
3.Had good pictures and titles. Also great transtions and effects. plus good music.
4.Creative video and good song
5.29. was 30 in premier pro

1.Will Biernat
2.Cool video and titles all in it so you were into the video to see whats next. Slogan was at the end of the video. Bold and strong title of it.
3.Had good pictures and title. Also a good song in it with creative effects.
4.Creative video and good song
5.29. was 30 in premier pro

Tiger Woods

~Fan~ As a fan of tiger i thought his apology was kind and meaningful. He really explained everything very well and the real side of the story. Tiger really told the truth and is going in the right direction. He will be heading to rehab again and working on his personal life and getting that on a good road then he will worry about golf.

~Reporter~ If i was a reporter i would said that it was a good speech that was meaningful and heart felt from tiger. He stated the truth and proved the media wrong with the truth of the whole story. He explained it very well of what happened and what is going to happen. I would be upset if i was reporter that he is staying away from the media and golfing becuase he is always a big story. Also it was very respectful to not rush his mom, wife, and childern with a bunch of question.