Take that jersey off.

   Do you really think wearing a Michael Jordon jersey will give you his unerring shooting ability? Do you really think donning that Jerry Rice jersey will give you his incredible catching ability?  Do you really think sporting that  Justin Verlander jersey will automatically make you the most valuable player?

 Who are you fooling?

  Is something so wrong with you that you must hide behind the uniform of a famous athlete? Most of the men these jerseys represent are not true role models.

   Michael Vick was in the top ten of all  jerseys sales this year. Seriously? Do you really want to make any connection between yourself and a convicted animal abuser? This man was responsible for raising many fighting dogs, he financed the entire situation and personally killed many of these dogs    by torture and shooting.

   Lebron James also rose to number one in jersey sales over the last year, a man who was widely criticized for his actions. He leftClevelandin disgrace after accepting a contract with the Miami Heat. This man single-handedly destroyed the fandom ofCleveland, yet he is still the most exalted player in the NBA.

   Another man often in the jersey-buying spotlight was Ben Roethlisberger. Yes, I’m referring to the quarterback of the Pittsburgh Steelers who allegedly molested several women over his career. He was at one point very high in jersey sales of men AND women.

  Although he has dropped in overall jersey sales, the amount made for himself and the NFL is astonishing.

    Wearing the jersey of one of these men means that you are representing them. You are making a connection between the two of you. That bond is not something that can be shaken off whilst still wearing that jersey. You represent these men who are known for their low morals.

 And for that, you look stupid.

  “After the first set of shirts were sold [by a group of Peter’s close friends], I thought that making a second edition of the shirts would be a great idea.  Not only would it raise awareness for #teamPAC, but I used [the shirts] as a way to promote school spirit,” says Senior Student Leadership Treasurer Max Elder.

 According to Elder, the idea for #teamPAC shirts originated last year, following the passing of then, Junior Peter Catcho.  Sold for five dollars, the cost of the shirts was covered, and also allowed for free admission and popcorn to selected “white out” basketball games.  All additional funds were donated to the American Heart Association in Peter’s memory.

 The original shirts, which were black with blue lettering, were coined with the phrase “Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid, do not be discouraged.”

  Before selling the second edition of #teamPAC shirts, Elder made a few changes.

  “This year, I bought 100 shirts, keeping the general design, and message,” explains Elder.  “The main thing that I changed was the color; I made white shirts to promote a ‘white-out section’ atAndoverbasketball games, and maybe other sporting events in the future.  I selected eight games [4 mens’, and 4 women’s] to promote as ‘#teamPAC white-out games.’”

  After attending the first white-out game against Redford Union, Eddie Catcho, Peter’s father, shares, “I am always touched by anything that is done in Peter’s memory.  [Seeing people wearing the #teamPAC shirts] shows me that my son is not forgotten.”

    Six #teamPAC white-out games remain on the Baron’s basketball regular season schedule, and Elder believes that the success with the shirts will continue. 

  “I am glad that so many people showed their support by wearing the shirts.  I believe that it will be easy to sell the final 25 shirts and continue to ‘white-out’ the stands.”

  Senior Sammy Nathan, who was one of the minds behind the initial #teamPAC shirts agrees with Elder. “I have seen lot of people wearing the shirts, and it makes me proud to know that what we started is taking off to even higher heights.  I think that it was a really good idea for Max to create another shirt so that we can continue to remember Peter.”

  Eddie concludes, “I cannot sum it up in one word.  It made me feel very sad, happy, and blessed to know that Peter is still remembered.  If Peter saw so many of his friends [in the #teamPAC shirts], he would show that signature smile, and to those who knew Peter, that would say it all.”

  I agree with American Sportswriter Haywood Hale Broun who said, “Sports do not build character, they reveal it.”  By playing sports I have realized that I am able to achieve goals that seemed impossible beforehand.

 I think every teenager should go through what being part of a team entails because of the lessons they learn.  Therefore, sports should be mandatory for high school students to participate in.  Back in the late 1970’s when my dad went toDetroitCountryDayHigh School, it required its students to participate in ten seasons of athletics over their high school career.

 Despite common belief, he said that during the semesters that these students played sports, grades and attendance at school were drastically better than during semesters in which students were not playing sports. 

 For me, I am much more focused on school during the baseball season because I know the specific time that I have to get my work done.  

 In the three years I have played football under Coach DeWald, he has always preached to the football team that accountability and commitment are more important than anything.  I’ve learned that being accountable is an important aspect of life that some people don’t grasp while in high school.

 Being on a team has been the best place for me to learn how to overcome my difficulties.  The struggles I’ve faced while playing sports have given me the knowledge and tenacity to obtain success in all parts of my life.  This does not only apply to the athletic world, but also in everyday life. LegendaryCollegeFootball Coach Lou Holtz once said, “I’ve never known anybody to achieve anything without overcoming adversity.”   From my four seasons of playing football forAndover, my life has changed considerably. 

 Being a part of that team was something special.  Through all the hard times and struggles, no one put their head down; everyone kept working and that is what made us better.  There is nothing that will bring a group of people together more than common suffering.

 Through my team’s common suffering, I now have friends that I will have bonds with for the rest of my life.  Due to the things I have learned, and the relationships I have gained, I have nothing else to do but thank the sports I play for molding me into who I am today.

  “Anything in the pike position is a lot harder for me to do because it has to do with flexibility,” shares three-year Varsity Diving member Junior Ivan Spizizen.  “I definitely have to stretch a lot more and it’s just harder for me to actually get there.”

  According to Family Practitioner Steve Shepherd, Ivan’s condition, which he was born with, means he has a hunchback, an excess curve of the upper back.

  After qualifying for counties and regionals, Ivan is working towards states in March.

  “My end goal is to make the final cut at states,” says Ivan.  “I plan on achieving this by working extra hard and fixing all the little things in my dives.”

  “He’s got a good shot [at making final cuts],” tells Senior Teammate and Swimming and Diving Team Captain Joe Abrash.  “As long as he works on his better dives and gets his form down.  I’d say he’s pretty close.”

  In Abrash’s eyes, Ivan’s kyphosis is nothing like he has ever seen before.

  “It’s really obvious that he has this condition and it’s impressive that he overcomes it and dives at such a high caliber,” tells Abrash.  “He can’t tuck as easily as other divers and his back and core are weaker, making it more difficult for him to do more complicated tricks, but he has really good form so it doesn’t really matter.  I’m sure it’s a significant challenge to overcome and I’m proud of him that he’s been able to do it.”

  “[Ivan diving with kyphosis] is pretty interesting,” says Senior Teammate Winston Urwiller. “But he just accepts it, gets up there, and does what he can.  He doesn’t complain about it.”

  Head Diving Coach Piper Garwood feels that Ivan is challenged by kyphosis, but he overcomes it very well.

  “It gives me a much better sense of confidence knowing that my coach thinks this,” shares Ivan.  “Even though I have this condition, I can still do things and [my kyphosis] doesn’t restrict me as much as I thought it would.”

  Even with athletics, Ivan continues to experience the effects of kyphosis.

  “[My] hamstrings are much tighter so I’m less flexible and also my lower back is really weak so I’m more susceptible to injury,” explains Ivan.  “I have a lot of back pain and it’s linked to drowsiness so I tend to sleep more than most kids.”

  Even though Ivan feels he is less flexible than the average diver, he does not feel that he is at a disadvantage.

  “I used to think that I’m at a disadvantage, but as I dove more, I realized that everyone has something that they need to overcome,” shares Ivan.  “Whether it’s their back being different or their flexibility or how confident they are, there [are] a lot of different things I’ve noticed about people.”

   According to Ivan, the kyphosis became more noticeable as he was growing.

   “Over the time from when I was eleven to fourteen, it got significantly worse,” says Ivan.  “I was angry because you can’t fix it but I was a little happy because the doctors think I have the kind of kyphosis that gets worse during the teenage years so I knew it wouldn’t worsen after growth, but it took awhile to get used to and I was self-conscious about it.  I still wonder what people think and their initial reactions when I go up to them and my back is curved.”

   “I knew there was something wrong for years, and then his growth spurt kicked in the curvature a little more,” shares Debbie Spizizen, Ivan’s mother.  “He’s had [this condition] his whole life. We were upset that it’s a lifelong thing that can’t be changed but as long as he takes care of himself and stays healthy and fit he shouldn’t have any pain which is what we’re more worried about.  Athletics strengthens his back and is the best thing he could do.”

  Urwiller concludes, “I just think it’s nice to have someone like Ivan around who is really good and has been around diving for a long time and is a good leader.   He’s our best diver and the team counts on him to finish high despite his [kyphosis].”

  This has happened far too many times.  Through the course of my high school career I have spent as much time injured on the bench as I have playing on the field.

   Shira’s unconditional support for the Andover athletic programs has always been clear to me; she is always getting the best equipment, medical supplies, and programs to help us train, increase strength, and help recover if we are injured.

    She is always attending seminars  to learn about new skills, and to keep up to date with the top aspects in the field.  She always does everything she can to get us out on the field as fast as possible.

  Throughout the season, Shira would attend games she did not have to be present at, purely to show her support for the program.

   I have been through multiple knee operations and following each one of them, Shira worked with me to properly gain my strength back.  Each day I worked with Shira, I would gain confidence getting closer to getting back on the soccer field.  She has given me hours of her time to help me become a better athlete and I feel blessed to have a trainer that truly cares about her athletes. 

  Throughout my four years atAndover, I have got to know Shira very well and she has been there for me beyond what is required for her job.  My junior year in my first game back, I was sent to the emergency room.   

  The following day (Sunday), Shira offered to meet up at a restaurant to help me diagnose the situation, as I could not get an opinion that day.  I have received helped from her as early as seven a.m, and as late as eleven p.m.

   I am now planning on playing college soccer this fall after a very successful year, both as a team, and individually.  The biggest success was being able to stay healthy for all post-season games as we made it to the State Semi-Finals for the first time in school history. 

  I owe much of my success to Shira because I would not be the same player today without the assistance that she has given me.

 “It doesn’t feel like it is real right now,” says Senior Allison Brooks, who, for the last six years, has competed in the Junior Olympics for rhythmic gymnastics. “When the moment I can’t compete comes, I’ll probably cry. I’m losing a part of myself.”

 As 17th best rhythmic gymnast in the country, Brooks is preparing for her last year at the Junior Olympics this May.

“My ultimate goal [for the upcoming Junior Olympics] is to make top 12 in the country,” shares Brooks, who practices six days a week, for three to four hours each day. “I plan on doing that by working my butt off and not getting distracted by things outside of practice. I’m already at the highest competing level, so I want to focus on doing my personal best.”

  In order to prepare, Brooks spent four days of winter break at a rhythmic gymnastics training center inHouston,Texas.

  “We practiced eight hours a day, everyday,” reflects Brooks. “I literally was sweating all day long, but in the end I was proud of the work I did. Sometimes I do get really sick of it and wish I could be normal for a second, but I would never quit. [When I end my career], it is going to be so weird. I know it is time to move on, but I want to set the bar higher for myself.”

  In addition to preparing for the Junior Olympics, Brooks competed with her team against girls from all around the country inCalifornia,Chicago,Colorado,Florida,Maryland, andTexas.

   “This past summer, I made it to Nationals which qualified me to compete and train with the top 20 girls,” shares Brooks. “I was so happy that I started to cry on stage. To me, when I do well, it’s the best feeling in the world.”

  “I am extremely proud of Allison,” says Aimee Gupta, Brooks’ coach of ten years. “It feels good knowing that when your gymnast accomplishes her dream, I’m accomplishing mine as well.”

“My mom pretends that she doesn’t like that I’m so committed to gymnastics because of school,” reveals Brooks. “She still pushes me to do well. I will even get in trouble with my parents if I’m not doing my best in gymnastics.”

  “I encourage her more to do her homework than to go to gymnastics,” explains Roxanne Brooks, Allison’s mother. “Ever since Allison discovered her love for rhythmic gymnastics, she has stuck with it on her own, and I support her financially.”

“I am satisfied with how much I have improved over the years,” concludes Allison. “There is no way to describe accomplishing something as big as this.”

  However, once the film starts, I find it hard to believe that I was even considering how much noise I was going to be making because there is, or at least what my imagination has amplified to be, a dull roar coming from the seats around me: Parents whispering to each other every time the film makes a point that is relevant to their children in some fashion. The documentary throws out a few ideas about no homework holidays or weekends and there are a few ‘I totally agree’s or ‘That’s a really interesting idea’s.’

  Now I’ve completely zoned out. All that’s on my mind is the fact that the parents only want to know how to reduce the stress levels of their children, how to protect them from the fate of some of the kids shown in the film: a dropout, a child struggling with using medication to stay up later, a girl, to whom the film is dedicated, that commited suicide following a failed math class.

  I appreciate the parents’ concern, but I don’t want to be protected from my anxiety. All I want is to know that it was worth it in the end, that I will eventually get where I want to go.

  Then it hit me, at 8:00 at night, sitting in a row of auditorium chairs alone. How can students such as myself be working so hard, dealing with anxiety and trying to maintain a social life solely so we can succeed, and still fall short academically? I wanted to know more.

  As soon as the film ended, I left, went home, locked myself in my room and watched two hours worth of interviews with Vicky Abeles, the producer of Race to Nowhere.  She said one thing that stood out from anything I had seen projected on a screen just a few hours before: “The educators [in academically successful nations] are looking at what we used to do [in America] because they see those high tests scores and those very narrow way of training young people [aren’t] leading to the talents that they need.”

  This caught my attention. No matter what I do, apparently, no matter what system I’m in,  I will apparently not be what the world needs me to be. I won’t be good enough.

   It is like I’m running on a treadmill. Year after year, month after month, day after day, minute after minute, mile after mile: all I do is run but somehow I manage to go nowhere.

  That being said, if watching the movie and listening to all the parents whispering taught me one thing, all I need is to be running a race that actually means something. I can deal with running uphill, short sprints, marathons. What I can’t deal with is running a race with no apparent finish line. I can’t be running a race to nowhere.

  Mike McCabe of the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office declared that, “his case is still under investigation,” and notes the department is “waiting to hear the final word from the medical examiner before the investigation concludes.” The medical examiner is expected to release the results of the blood test approximately six weeks to six months after the crash.

  According to the same Oakland Press article, Lovett was not wearing a seat belt and was ejected from the vehicle upon impact. 

   The other passengers, including his twelve-year-old sister, were hospitalized with crash related injuries.

   The cause of the accident was determined one month later. The driver was going 35 miles per hour over the posted speed limit of 45 MPH, according to the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office.

  Online memorial websites have been created to express condolences for the Lovett family.

  On December 17, 2011, 2006 Alumni and Assistant Varsity Boys Soccer Coach Pranav Lohitsa jumped off his apartment inBangalore,India, ending his life and battle with what Reddy refers to as a ‘disease of the mind.’

  “He was very dedicated toAndover, even after he graduated,” shares Varsity Boys Soccer Captain Jonah Yousif. “Not everyone does that. He was selfless.”

  Although aBangalorepaper reported the cause of 23-year-old Lohitsa’s death to be a nine-year struggle with depression, family and friends of the deceased tell a different story.

  “The part of the article that talks about depression made me really disappointed, because Pranav was not depressed,” says Reddy. “He had only happy things to look forward to, everything was going so well. It was the disease that made him [end his life], not depression.”

  Psychology Teacher Vivian Johnston, who taught many members of the Lohitsa family, received the first word of Lohitsa’s death via email sent to the administration, and then turned to the article published inIndiafor more answers, according to Johnson.

  “After I heard the news, I found the article published on Pranav, and I read that he was depressed for nine years prior to his death,” saysJohnston. “When a student then told me the article was incorrect on many counts, I couldn’t believe it. I felt sad and angry that so many people like myself had read the article and believed it.”

  According to Soccer Coach Jeffery Parkinson, Pranav, who was residing inIndiawith his mother Aruna Lohista prior to his death, was an asset to theAndovercommunity.

 “He was a giving person in all areas,” Parkinson says. “When he played soccer atAndover, everyone looked up to him. Then, he came back after graduation to help more. He gave so much of himself; he was so open to sharing who he was with people, [and] that is what I am going to miss most.”

  Yousif elaborates, “Pranav was there for everyone. He didn’t have to be there [helping the soccer team], but he wanted to be there for us. I think he knew we could do something special; he really wanted to help us go to the playoffs, and he did.”

  According to Reddy, an important lesson can be learned from the life of his friend.

  “The most important thing that can be learned from Pranav’s life is that you need to appreciate life and what you have, because it can be taken away from you,” he says. “Pranav had everything, his potential was limitless, and it was just taken away from him. Take advantage of what you have and do not take anything for granted.”

  “[The Andover Bands and Orchestras] are going to spend two nights inLondonbefore we take a bus up throughEnglandintoEdinburgh,Scotland. We will spend four nights inEdinburgh, where we’ll play two concerts and perform on Easter Sunday inPrincess Streetgardens,” says Band Director Robert Ambrose.

  At a price of only $2,300, down $900 from the original price because of the generosity of AIMS, the students believe this is a once in a lifetime opportunity.

  “It’s not every year that you get to go toEurope, especially with your peers and your friends. You get to experience a completely different culture. This is the last trip that the Andover Band [and Orchestra] is going to take, so it’s really special,” says First Chair Clarinet Eliot VanValkenburg.

  With the combination of the high schools in 2013, this will be last ever Andover Band and Orchestra trip. Leaving April 2, about 80 students will be performing on the other side of the world in the Edinburgh Festival as part of one of the Youth Music of the World Organization’s events.

  “The first couple of days we’ll be inLondonmostly sight seeing. Then we’ll take a bus up throughYorkand stop inYork. It has got a really interesting old town and a really huge, beautiful cathedral, which we’ll do a tour of,” explains Orchestra Director David Reed. “Then we’ll get back on the bus and go toEdinburgh. We’ll see a lot of sights in and around the city. It really has two cities in one:  The old town and the new town. It has a beautiful castle at the top of the old town. And at the bottom at what’s called the Royal Mile, is a palace called Holyrood, which is the Queen’s summer home.”   

  According to Reed, the Andover Bands and Orchestras go on a trip every two years. In 2010 they played in the Carnegie Hall, and in 2000 and 2008 went toLondon.

   “I still get letters from former students who say it was the highlight of high school,” says Reed. “I wouldn’t do this if I didn’t think the students got a lot out of it, and kept them motivated and [that it] gave them something to work for.”

  Ambrose, who has taken part in these trips for 16 years concludes, “I’m most excited for the kids. I’ve been there before, and it’s a wonderful place.Scotlandis great. But for the kids who have never been there before, I’m excited for them to have that experience.”