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A Day at the Boston Marathon
April 25th, 2012By: Kyle Auger & Ethan Walshe
Sports Editor & Managing Editor
This past Monday, April 16, the first marathon of the summer season took place in our own Boston Massachusetts. Over 27000 runners participated in the 114th Boston Marathon, and among them was a group of approximately 40 competitors from the Greater Lowell Road Runners. The organization offered us an opportunity to join them as they made every step during the day from gathering in the morning to the pre-race gathering to the race itself, the finish line and the post-race reactions as we chronicled the days events. This is A Day at the Marathon.
The GLRR preparing for their big day
The day began bright and early at 6:30 a.m. as the members of the Greater Lowell Road Runners and their volunteers gathered in the parking lot of Crawley Stadium in Lowell. As the more than fifty people began to come together many were in their racing gear: running shorts, shoes and their GLRR t-shirts or tank tops, fully prepared for the day ahead of them, which was set to be one of the hottest marathons in recent history, with temperatures reaching 90 degrees. The heat was to be a real concern this year.
“This is going to be a repeat of 2004, which was a really hot race. It almost killed me to be honest. I was… bad off for about two or three days,” said Westford Academy parent Scott Graham, who had run a previous 25 Boston Marathons.
The group chatted calmly amongst themselves. If any were nervous or frightened about running the 26.2 miles that were just a few hours away from them, it was not apparent to the casual observer.
Within a few minutes as all parties were accounted for, the group shuffled onto a chartered bus with the destination or Hopkinton High School where many other buses shuttling running clubs were parked, less than a mile from the official starting line. After a commemorative group photo, the marathoners were free to get into the “zone” and get into the mental position that they needed to to be able to complete the task that lay but two hours ahead of them.
“I’m excited, I wish we could start now instead of two hours from now. It’s a great event. It’s the premier marathon event,” said Andre Chandonnet, who was preparing to run his seventeenth consecutive Boston Marathon.
The heat was set to affect many runners. Before the race even began , 4000 competitors deferred, instead choosing to run the marathon next year. Runners needed to alter their game plans in order to do well this year.
“I’m feeling good, [I’m] concerned about the heat, but you just have to readjust your goals. [I wanted to] go sub-three, but now I’m probably looking at under 3:15,” said Westford Academy graduate James Sullivan.
At 9:00 a.m. the runners with mobility impairments such as artificial limbs began their marathon, so as to give them a head start. The enormous crowd of people surrounding the starting line roared and cheered as these first marathoners set their day into motion. Soon after, the handcycle participants began their marathon at 9:17. The next wave of competitors was the push rim handcyclers five minutes following and the elite women at 9:32.
A sea of runners battling the heat
During the interims between waves of racers, various announcers came onto a large stage overlooking the starting line, joined by former marathon winners and women who participated in the first women’s Boston Marathon 40 years ago in 1972. Local news stations were abuzz as well, capturing every moment of runners and crowd alike.
At 10 a.m. sharp, the elite men and the first wave of the Boston Marathon began. This was the first wave to contain runners from the Greater Lowell Road Runners, who could be spotted sporting their green and yellow running jerseys. The last few waves left by 10:40 and all 27000 runners had begun their trek that would take them to the footsteps of the Boston Public Library 26.2 miles away.
This was when the behind the scenes work began. The remaining volunteers for the Greater Lowell Road Runners boarded their bus once again to travel to the Park Plaza hotel, where two rooms had been reserved to accommodate the runners after the race. Two masseuses and plenty of food and drinks were shuffled into the room and set up for when the runners would return between three and four hours later.
A few of the men and women who volunteered were former marathoners who did not compete in this year’s event. One gentleman remarked that he hadn’t run a full marathon in the past ten years, but was anxious to do so again.
The very first competitors to finish did so at about noon, with women’s victor Sharon Cherop posting a time of 2:31:50. None of the Great Lowell Road Runners posted times of below three hours, but many runners began to cross the finish line shortly after 1 p.m., with times around the three and one-half hour mark.
As hundreds upon hundreds of runners poured across the finish line, looking exhausted and extraordinarily hot, they also sported a face displaying a sense of profound accomplishment. The members of the GLRR slowly made their way a to the Park Plaza a few blocks away where a good shower, food, and relaxation awaited them.
“Here’s a life lesson…don’t run marathons! It’s stupid. That was the most painful thing I’ve ever done,” exclaimed David Katz, another Westford parent.
The club’s coordinator Gerrard Ottoviano had just completed his thirtieth consecutive Boston marathon. Unfortunately, he commented that the marathon he had just completed was his longest time to date.
The beaming GLRR finishers
The runners mingled and talked about the feat they had just completed for a number of hours in and around the two hotel rooms at the Park Plaza before it was time to reload the bus and go back to Cawley Stadium.
After over twelve hours, 26.2 miles, and copious amounts of Gatorade, the runners returned to where the day had began: the parking lot of Cawley Stadium where their own cars waited for them so they could finally return home after a long day of work.
Sullivan Vaults Track into Success
April 9th, 2012By: Kyle Auger
Sports Editor
The track team requires great personal commitment and is one of the most successful teams at WA, however they are often under-appreciated for their triumphs.
This successful team is made up of talented individuals. One of the most notable athletes is senior Brendan Sullivan, who has been tearing through both WA school records and Massachusetts state records alike. Sullivan’s main event is the pole vault, where he has been breaking the most records, however the senior also is talented in multiple hurdle events.
“I’ll fill in any events Coach needs help with. Except distance. I hate distance running,” said Sullivan.
Despite Sullivan’s many accolades, he still has miles to go to catch his father, an extremely talented track specimen during his hay day.
Sullivan hurdling with gusto.
“My dad used to coach track at the Airforce Academy and was an alternate for the 1984 Olympic decathlon team so I guess I just kind of wanted to try out what my dad did,” said Sullivan.
Along with being one of the most talented members of the squad, Sullivan is one of the captains as well.
“I just try helping the kids who actually want to get better. Especially at pole vault, we are all helping each other out working on form and proper technique,” said Sullivan.
As captain, he is extremely optimistic facing this year’s season and has been watching younger athletes, especially athletes who participate in pole vault. With Sullivan leaving after this season there is sure to be a void of sorts, but Sullivan thinks the underclassmen beneath him will work together to fill his absence.
“Dillon McGee is looking very good at pole vault. He got a new p.r. [personal record] yesterday [Wednesday] at 10 feet which was great because he almost made it to the class meet and he’s only a sophomore. Tristan Lee is also good; he’s only a freshman and already placing in multiple events,” said Sullivan.
With their talented leader, the track team is sure to impress and looks like they have a bright future to take the torch and lead the team to success.
March Madness Picks
March 16th, 2012By: Kyle Auger
Sports Editor
It is finally here, the grueling three week tournament famously known as “March Madness” is here and the rush for people to fill out their brackets is raging, but before you fill out your brackets, take a gander here.
The tournament begins on Thursday and the first round is two days of wall to wall games and the group of 68 teams quickly gets erased to 32, and on these days upsets are common and there are several teams I feel are primed to upset their first round opponents.
The first team I believe in is the Xavier Musketeers, the 10 seed that will defeat the 7 seed Notre Dame Fighting Iris., Xavier has shown an ability to beat good teams and also has shown endurance. In a 12 day span, the Musketeers defeated Georgia, Vanderbilt, Purdue, and Cincinnati. However, after that streak the team took part in an ugly brawl against Cincinnati and the team went a measly 13-12 so it will be interesting to see if they can right the ship.
Another upset that I feel is very probable is the 10 seed Purdue of 7 seed St. Mary’s. Purdue is filled with experienced players and are primed to take this first round matchup. Senior Robbie Hummel is the experienced leader of the Boilermakers and averages 16 points and 7 rebounds a game. Purdue’s chances in this game rely greatly on his performance and also the performance of fellow senior Lewis Jackson. Their opponent is the 7 seed coming out of the West Coast Conference, the Gaels of St. Mary’s, led by junior guard Matthew Dellavedova, who averages 15.6 points a game and is a deadly threat from the outside. Like fellow teams from non-power conferences, the Gaels lack a true power at center which may be exploited by the Boilermakers.
In the second round I think upsets will not be as plentiful but most notably, I believe that without Fab Melo, the Syracuse Orange has become an average team and they will lose in the second round. With Melo in the lineup the Orange was 125th in the nation in rebounding and Melo was their number one rebounder. Without him I think their probable opponent Kansas State will get second, third and fourth chance opportunities on offense and will knock of the 2 seed.
Based on my projections, the Sweet Sixteen would be: Kentucky, Witchita State, Baylor, Duke, Michigan State, Louisville, Marquette, Missouri, Kansas State, Vanderbilt, Florida State, Ohio State, North Carolina, Michigan, Georgetown, and Kansas.
This is were I took my biggest risk in taking the 4 seed Louisville over the 1 seed Michigan State. Louisville guard Peyton Siva who averaged double-digits in the regular season and is a good distributor. Louisville is also 11-8 against teams in the tournament and coach Rick Pitino has been in the tournament with multiple teams and is one of the best coaches in the league.
Following the Elite 8 I think the Final Four will be Kentucky, Missouri, Ohio State, and Kansas.
Davis slamming home the
The first matchup is that between Kentucky and Missouri. Kentucky has the best player in the nation in Anthony Davis who has been the best all-around player averaging 15 points and shooting upwards of 50%. Although his offensive game has progressed, his defensive skills have been what got him to his lead in the player of the year standings. Davis has averaged 4.6 blocks a game and makes teams adjust their offensive game plans to avoid him in the paint. Despite his power, Missouri may be the team that has the right style to defeat the Wildcats. Missouri can use their extraordinary guard play and attack the outside of the Kentucky defense.
The other final four matchup would be Ohio State and Kansas. The Buckeyes of Ohio State has a similar style to Kentucky and has a powerful big man for themselves, Jared Sullinger. Sullinger has averaged 17 points with 10 rebounds and is flanked by a group of talented shooters like Aaron Kraft and William Buford who combined averages 22 points and 35% from 3, the performance of the Buckeyes relies greatly on those two and their shooting. Their opponent, the Kansas Jayhawks are a more complete team led by their star, junior Thomas Robinson and the supporting cast of Tyshawn Tyler, Jeff Withy and Elijah Johnson. The talent possessed by Kansas is too much for Ohio State in my mind, and I think they will advance to face Kentucky.
After the dust settles and 66 teams are left disappointed, only two will stand, Kentucky and Kansas and I think Kentucky will overpower Kansas. Kentucky’s talent is on a whole other level and I think the key matchup will be between Sullinger and Davis. Davis is better defensively and has the ability to step back and hit a deep jump shot, because of this, I think Kentucky will be the victor in a dominant 72-62 win.
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Erin Auger flips WA records
March 8th, 2012By: Kyle Auger
Sports Editor
Auger ending her routine with a pose
She swirls, hops, and then jogs into an impressive double handspring and then closing with a standing frontward tuck and sticking a perfect landing. The flash in maroon then trots into the corner of the mat and throws up her hands in triumph.
The Westford Academy record books have been changing at an unprecedented pace, and some can be attributed to the talented gymnast Erin Auger, who has been a lead scorer of the gymnastics team.
“I have been doing gymnastics since I was one, I really enjoy it as a way to express myself,” said Auger.
Auger has been a standout since she was very young and has progressed to becoming one of the most valuable players on the squad. She has been leading them to a great record including a 5th place finish at the North Division Sectionals.
Auger has been such a standout in fact that she has broken 4 school records, including the vault, beam, and the all-around twice.
She is truly a jack of all trades performing in multiple events for the team but she said she said that she prefers the floor routine.
Auger has scored a 9.00 on the bar, received a 9.10 on her favorite event, the floor routine, and achieved a 9.10 on the vault.
“Last year I broke the all-around, then this year I broke my own record,” said Auger.
She is truly in her own league in the all-around and she is a future prospect for colleges.
“I want to do it in college, but I want to go to UNH and that’s Division 1 so it might be tough,”said Auger.
Even if she does not end up Division 1 she will still be remembered as a great Ghost athlete and has more years of record-breaking to come.
You can see Erin in her floor routine here.
http://westford.patch.com/articles/westford-academy-girls-gymnastics-finishes-season-strong#video-4981610
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Enjoy your “fakation”
February 22nd, 2012By Kyle Auger
Sports Editor
The dreaded days have finally arrived, the two days of February break endearingly named “fakation”, but if approached with foresight it could be viewed as a positive.
This whole problem began the week of Halloween, when a storm left Westford without power for 4 days, thus not having school. With winter fast approaching the school committee and Superintendent Everett (Bill) Olsen had to make a decision on how to ensure that we would not be attending school in late June. With that fear in mind, the group decided that all students would go to school the Tuesday and Wednesday of both February and April vacations based on the aasumption that we would have four more snow days, however we have not had one since.
Even though the school days have angered students, it is important for people to remember they were not planned to ruin vacations because they said to not go if you had a trip planned. Because of the absentees, the actual workload of these two days has been extremely limited, including many students reporting that they watched movies and did worksheets or just had free blocks. So the whole issue for students really whittles down to one essential question for students: Would you rather have four days of light schoolwork, or school days in June?
Another huge point for people to remember is attendance, with 567 students out Tuesday and 750 students out Wednesday, it shows that these days are not interfering with planned vacations. The only negative that is true for students is lack of sleep, because vacation is meant for rest and relaxation, but that is basically the only downfall. After waking up, students just have to sit and watch movies or complete light work.
With the combination of attendance and lack of work , it means means that even if you are gone on vacation, your work load when you return is like that of those who attended, minimal.
So if people got over their petty whining, they would realize that although these days are tough, it is for the good because of the early release, and because the people that do attend have to do much less work than a normal day. People will agree with this opinion in June when we are released on the early date of June 13th.
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Dark Knight Rises to the top
February 2nd, 2012By: Kyle Auger
Sports Editor
Director Christopher Nolan is finishing the wildly popular Batman trilogy with the star-studded The Dark Knight Rises.
For dedicated fans, the new movie includes some new favorite characters from the comic series including Catwoman (Anne Hathaway) and Bane (Tom Hardy). The excitement for the film has been building extremly quickly, already midnight showing has been sold out nearly 8 months in advance.
The first two movies in the series were instant classics with Christain Bale still starring as the Dark Knight after playing the role beautifully in the first films. The real tragedy of the series is the loss of Heath Ledger. Ledger played an amazingly complex character in the Joker, and director Christopher Nolan said he would never cast another actor to play his role after Ledger’s amazing performance.
Despite the loss of a true star, the movie is still looking better than the rest and the anticipation is overbearing.
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WA Cautious of Inappropriate Social Media
January 9th, 2012By: Kyle Auger
Sports Editor
Tempers are flaring and the essential question has been raised: Does the school have the right to read, and prosecute students for things they post in social media?
Apparently, students do not think they have that right.
“I don’t think the school should go to look for things on student’s social media, but I think if a case of bullying is reported to administration then they should investigate. But barring that I don’t think they should look just because they can.” said sophomore Ethan Walshe, a Twitter user.
This issue was brought to the student’s attention when various students were given detention for things posted on Twitter by their deans, 
and students in general were angered with the school’s invasion on their “privacy”, and ironically these conversations were held on social media sites.
However, because of a new Massachusetts state law, if any material on social media is considered possibly harmful to any student, the school has the right to punish the poster as they feel necessary.
“I have spoken to students on various occasions about Twitter…its about if they are staying appropriate on Facebook or Twitter.” said assistant principal Adam Golberg.
Although the law allows the school to do so, the school is not trying to infringe on student’s privacy and rights of speech.
“It’s not a question of fair, its a question that sometimes something is brought to my attention, then I speak to that person an address it appropriately.” said Golberg.
The main problem when rumors like this spark, lately has been misinformation. As one person hears about something happening, they tell another and as the story spreads, so does the margin between the truth and what people hear.
Although there isn’t much to much administration could do to solve this problem, it seems better to have students educated on what students are getting in trouble for on what platforms and what students can do to report bullying, and how to not bully. In this situation, the best solution is to get students educated when it comes to the interactions between their social media and the administration.
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Staff Picks: What We’re Listening to #3
December 9th, 2011By: Kyle Auger
Sports Editor
Music is one of my main passions, and I am constantly on the search for new, better stuff. I have a pretty diverse taste, from Notorious B.I.G. to Rage Against the Machine, I like a little of everything. But currently, I am on a hip-hop or light rap kick, and the last two months have been filled with album releases, some that lived up to the hype and some that people still do not even know about.
The Game's Hit
1) The Game’s The R.E.D. Album
After a long break following huge success, the Game hits the scene hard, with an album that seemed almost angry and personal. The CD features actual recordings of him and his wife before the birth of their daughter, Cali. The Game also attracted many stars of the business including Lil’ Wayne, Tyler, the Creator, Rick Ross, Dr. Dre, and Drake.
Go Listen To: “Martians vs. Goblins”, “Good Girls Go Bad”
Mac's Jam
2) Mac Miller’s Blue Slide Park
The young up and comer Malcolm McCormick, as known as Mac Miller released his first full CD and it was quite impressive. Venturing from his soft beats and slow songs, Mac creates song with more professional choruses, noticeably higher sound quality, and more party-like beats.
Go Listen To: “Loitering”, “Party on Fifth Ave.”
3) J Cole’s Cole World – The Sideline Story
The young Jamaican , J Cole has been a YouTube and mixtape celebrity who has created his first full studio CD and it seems to be an instant classic. The songs are long, triumphant, and are filled with all different types of beats. From techno to jazz, Cole’s voice sounds like he could handle any genre that was thrown at him. The best part of the album is obviously Cole’s flow, which makes every song great.
Go Listen To: “Mr. Nice Watch”, “Rise and Shine”
Jay Z and Kanye West's Conterversial Album
4) Jay Z and Kanye West’s Watch The Throne
The duo that every one has been looking for has finally hit the scene with their controversial and unique album. The hype was unbearable, but the album received extremely mixed reviews due to the strange beats and amount of singing, but
personally I thought it was great just based solely on the quality of the raps.
Go Listen To: “Primetime” (Album Only), “That’s My B*tch”
Bad Meets Evil's Unknown Classic
5) Bad Meets Evil’s Hell: The Sequel
Despite repetitive subject matter, the album was a great one, with the combination of Eminem and Royce da 5’9’ creating songs with interesting beats and even more intriguing choruses, with one even featuring comedian Mike Epps. Another album that flew under the radar, due to its’ lack of hype however it came through strong. The best part was the beats and the cleverness of the lines.
Go Listen To: “A Kiss”, “I’m On Everything”
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What Grinds Our Gears: Facebook Antics
December 5th, 2011By: Kyle Auger
Sports Editor
How many times do you log onto Facebook and your news feed is bombarded with obscure song lyrics, the annoying “truth is” and the dreadful “like my status” posts that compare you to a variety of things you don’t care about? Too many times is the answer, it’s ridiculous.
I am not trying to be insensitive, and I know everyone has personal problems, but does posting Taylor Swift lyrics to 500 people make the issue any better? It just confuses people and honestly, do you think your random friend from Algebra class is really going to care about your relationship issues, probably not.
To make my point further, think of this, would you stand in the auditorium in front of the school and announce, “Sunny days would not be special without the rain,” once again, that’s a resounding no.
So if you would not share your poetry to your “friends” in real life, why do it in public, where nobody really knows what your talking about, and do not know whether to console you or if you are just sharing your favorite tune.
Almost showing up in the same numbers, is the “like my status” strings that are just a waste of time and space. If you want to tell your cousin that his personality matches a Volkswagen beetle, do you also need to tell 500 of your closest friends? These mass posts would almost be bearable if someone did one weekly or once a day, but no, there needs to be one every hour and the ensuing responses that completely clutter the news feed.
Another useful analogy is walking up to one of your acquaintances and said, “Man, you are a real cumquat!” Again these polls make no sense and have no purpose.
Last, and possibly worst, is the “truth is” where people just lie to 50 others and take up an hour of their life. When you need to make up a “true” comment about your old summer camp counselor, and end up saying something like “truth is you’re a neat dude” is another instance where everyone knows your lying and again does not need to know your opinion.
These posts have grown quite old and are honestly, the worst part of Facebook. I am just offering using Facebook for its’ intended use, talking to friends, not publicly lying, or comparing others to automobiles.
Note: All posts from the preceding article are real posts.
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Doodle Blog: Great White Grizzly Bear
December 5th, 2011
My First Work
Here at the Ghostwriter, we asked ourselves the puzzling question, “What do we doodle?” So we created the page known as the Doodle Blog and is a place where you can suggest animals to combine, send in your own drawings, or just enjoy our work. With the creation of this page comes it’s first entry, the combination of a Great White Shark and a Grizzly Bear, also known as The Great White Grizzly Bear!
A Christmas Classic Comes to WA
November 23rd, 2011By: Kyle Auger
Sports Editor
This Christmas season the theater department is creating their portrayal of the classic story with the same title: A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.
This play stays true to the famous tale, with characters that everyone has become familiar with, and is a production the company is excited to make. An interesting note about the production is Assistant Director Colleen Szykpo’s debut with WATA in something other than her usual role as a dancer.
“I’ve been a dancer in the musicals my past two years at Westford Academy, so it’s really a different perspective to see the behind-the-scenes job of production…and it’s a whole new level of work,” said Szykpo.
Despite the assistant director’s new role, a lot of the stars are familiar faces.
The Logo for the Production
“Will Clark is Scrooge, the main star, and Chris Kandra is Bob Crachit.” said Szypko. Ryan Cole, Brandon Jurewicz, and both Nick and Sam Nuddler play important roles.
The play is directed by Dennis Canty and the transition from book to stage was headed by Romulus Linney.
This play is a special one, with the theater arts staff creating new seating arrangements, and a before-Christmas event that will be a great time for families and especially children.
“There’s going to be a special performance on the 22nd, where little kids can come into the stage in their pajamas, bring snacks and watch a night show.” said Szykpo.
The perfomance will be showing during the full week of December 19th at the Academy, and will be night shows. With this play being the only one geared towards children, it will be interesting to see if the attendance and the play’s quality will match the anticipation that it has created for itself.
The staff at Westford Academy Theater Arts have huge shoes to fill so to speak, having to create their version of the story everyone remembers reading and hearing through their childhood, but nevertheless the performance is sure to be great and will be one that would is certainly a must-see.
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Patriots Set To Clash With Kansas City on Monday Night
November 18th, 2011By: Kyle Auger
Sports Editor
This Monday, the New England Patriots are set to clash with the Kansas City Chiefs in a must win for Kansas City.
This game seems to be getting easier and easier for the Pats, with the Chiefs announcing that their young quarterback, Matt Cassel, will be out with a hand injury that will require surgery. This marks the second catastrophic injury for the Chiefs on the year, along with star running back Jamaal Charles’ season ending left ACL tear, leaving the offense without their two biggest weapons. Second year quarterback Tyler Palko is expected to take the helm.
Despite Charles’ injury, backup Jackie Battle has been a rare positive, leading the Chiefs to the 10th ranked run offense in the league, which could provide problems for the Patriots.
Andre Carter Recording 1 of New England's 5 Sacks
Surprisingly, the run defense has been stingy, much unlike the pass defense.
This match-up is more interesting than it leads on, with the Patriots and Chiefs having many similarities, and the Chiefs hiring many former Patriots coaches. Head coach Todd Haley, general manager Scott Pioli, defensive coordinator Romeo Cornell, and offensive coordinator Bill Muir all have worked with Patriots head coach Bill Belichick. These connections mean the game could turn into a chess match of sorts, with both coaches facing each other with caution, wary of each knowing their plans.
Although coaching will be a highlight, the game itself seems easy, with the Patriots filled with confidence after their impressive victory against the New York Jets. This match up is again favorable for the Patriots due to Palko, who is not the most accurate passer, so he should not be able to exploit New England’s 32nd ranked past defense,
This week will be a test in focus, because the Patriots do not want to be caught looking ahead for their big match-up against the Philadelphia Eagles. That can be a way stronger teams lose to weaker ones.
Another test will be if the pass rush will be sustained, after their hodgepodge group of veterans sacked Mark Sanchez of the Jets 5 times, which is a rare occurrence and it will interesting to see if they can get to Palko.
This week’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs will be a test for the recovering Patriots, and a game they should win against the battered Kansas City squad.
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