Bowling team strikes for fun

“I’m basically the bowling chauffeur,” social studies teacher Rodney Johnson said. Although Johnson drives the team to Forest Hill Lanes every Wednesday, he admits he doesn’t have a passion for bowling.

“[Sophomore] Patrick Luft is a bowler, and last year, we got some information about this high school bowling league, so he wanted to know if it was possible for JC to do it. The athletic department said we could, as long as there was a faculty member running it. I don’t coach a winter sport, so I decided to be their supervision,” Johnson said.

The eight sophomore and junior players are split into two teams. One of the teams is composed of only boys while the other is co-ed. The all-boys team consists of juniors Jake Rosaschi, Luke Rinehart, Jake Kahoe, and sophomore Patrick Luft, while the co-ed team includes junior Lien Baranoski and sophomores Nick Miller, Sydney Branch, and Alexandra Miller.

“I’ve always enjoyed bowling. I used to go every Friday night with my friends,” Baranoski said.  “My favorite part of the bowling team is just hanging out with my team mates, having fun, despite our lack of skill, and eating pizza.”

Since this team is just starting out, neither Johnson nor the team is worried about their record. Because they began recently, they aren’t keeping track of their losses and wins anyway. “They love it, they are just happy bowling. They didn’t do well last week, but they weren’t that upset about it because it’s just a fun activity for them. It’s one of the few JC activities you can do just for the fun of it,” Johnson said.

Lauren Fabiszak is an A&E Editor for The Patriot and jcpatriot.com.

Cheer team prepares for championship

It’s time to cheer for the cheerleadering team. Cheerleaders placed second out of six teams at their first competition at CCBC in Dundulk. They also placed first out of five teams during their second competition at North County High School.

“This is my first year, so I don’t really have anything to compare it to, but I think we are [doing] really well,” junior and varsity cheerleader Taylor Fitzgerald said.

Their last competition for the year is the Christmas Classic Championship from Dec. 12-14 in Ocean City.

“Our goal is to win. If we don’t, we [hope to] place second or third. We are one of the best teams out there this year,” Fitzgerald said.

This year the cheerleaders are not planning on having a winter team.

“I think our team is doing very well. We are extremely supportive of each other. Our team is different because we put each other lives’ in our hands which requires a lot of trust. I am confident in my team, and we will perform to the highest capability,” varsity cheerleader captain and senior Alena Stoots said.

According to cheerleading coach Kari Patchack, “With all the hard work we’ve been doing, I believe we have the potential to bring home a first place trophy.”

Rachel Amrhein is a Multimedia Editor for The Patriot and jcpatriot.com.