The Student Newspaper of United High School
Volume 62, Issue 1, September/October 2015
Gnimocemoh game ends in tie
By Daeva Simmons
Every year United continues a wacky tradition during the month of October. The junior
and senior girls compete in a flag football game, and while the girls play football, the boys cheer.
We call this gnimocemoh; it’s homecoming spelled backwards.
As part of gnimocemoh, a court of boys also competes for the title of king. This year’s
king was Brent Mack, and other members of the court included Caleb Bracken, Noah Bracken,
Thomas Bracken, Matthew Dill, Kolt Jarvis, Joshua Roof, Braden Tomalson, and Noah Walls.
When it comes to the game, there is always a battle which is led by the skilled coaching
of our volunteer teachers. This year’s junior coaches were Mr. Craig Bytner, Mr. Matthew Grata,
and Mr. Paul Hemming. The coaches for the seniors were Mr. Nathan Bevard, Mr. David
Conrad, and Mr. Chris Wagner.
The juniors had 30 girls playing, and the seniors had 26. Kylee Surike was the senior
quarterback, and Morgan Mack was the quarterback for the juniors.
“Our defense is fierce, our d-backs and safeties play with the
likes of Ike Taylor and Odell Beckham,” boasted Grata about the
juniors in the week before the game.
“We have absolutely no weak points. Our strengths are in
determination and athletic ability. Go seniors!” stated Conrad just
days before the game.
But the competition doesn’t just take place on the football
field. During the week leading up to the game, the juniors and
Seniors fight to try and score
seniors have sign wars. They make posters with clever sayings about a touchdown in the
who will win the game and hang them around the school - all in the
gnimocemoh game.
spirit of friendly competition.
When the friendly competition took to the field on October 8,
however, it ended with no definitive winner. For the first time in many years, there was a 0-0
tie. Both teams had incredibly strong defenses that allowed for no movement up the field for
either side.
Referee and teacher Mr. Robert Penrose noted that, despite the tie, "This has been one of
the best girls’ games I have seen at United."
Logan Marino, a senior player, stated “Gnimocemoh was a battle between two stone
walls, both senior and junior sides held their own the entire game.” And so the tradition
continued.
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United goes crazy with spirit
By Daeva Simmons
Every year at United there is a tradition that takes place during the week before
homecoming. This tradition is called “Spirit Week.” The homecoming court princesses and the
gnimocemoh princes are the captains, and each team is made up of a boy and a girl from grades
seven through twelve. During this week, these teams dress up and compete to see who has the
best costumes and looks the craziest according to that day’s theme.
This year’s themes were “Pajama Day,” “Disney Day,” “This Day in History,” and
“Extreme Blue and White Day.” Along with dressing for the theme, each team had its members
act out a skit which was judged by a group
of teachers. The winning team for each day
scored points, and the team with the most
points at the end of the week won the spirit
award.
Everyone was excited about this
wacky week. “Spirit week was great, as
always,” exclaimed Skylar Umholtz, a
senior member of one of the spirit teams.
This year’s team leaders were
Britton Bracken and Caleb Bracken,
Sydney Butler and Noah Bracken’s spirit team
Sydney Butler and Noah Bracken, Laken
performs a skit during the “This Day in History”
Draksler and Thomas Bracken, Haley
competition during spirit week.
Gajewski and Matthew Dill, Rebekah
Hamilton and Kolt Jarvis, Karen Mack and
Brent Mack, Bria Persaud and Joshua Roof, Shyloh Walls and Braden Tomalson, and Grace
Weaver and Noah Walls.
Spirit week is not just for team members, however. Everyone in the school (including
teachers) was encouraged to dress up. Students were encouraged to follow the themes, wear
their craziest clothes, and get into the spirit of homecoming; instead of wearing typical clothing,
students wore footy pajamas and Mickey Mouse ears, and even painted their bodies blue and
white.
“For ‘Pajama Day’ my team did Christmas morning. For ‘Disney Day’ we did tacky
tourists, and for ‘This Day in History’ we did the day John Deere was invented,” said Butler.
At the end of the week, Weaver and Wall’s team came in first. With their lip sync of Love
is an Open Door, and their skits “Pajama Day in the Classroom,” Pirates of the Caribbean, and
“White Cane Safety Day,” the team swept the points and won. When asked about their victory,
Weaver exclaimed, “We were obviously prepared and ready to win, especially at the pep rally.
Our team did a great job, and they deserved it.”
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Jump, shout, yell!
By Chezli Colson
The 2015 United cheering squad has 27 members on the team this year; 26 are girls, and
one is a boy. The team has been cheering for the football team on Friday nights, but they have
also been practicing hard for their upcoming competition season.
United’s first competitive event was the Heritage Conference competition on October
24. Last year the team took second place at this competition but hoped to bring home first place
this year, which hadn’t happened since 2001. The team had been practicing
hard three days during the week and even on the weekends, and all of this
practicing paid off when they brought home the first place trophy.
Because the team has many girls who have never cheered before, a lot
of time is spent working to teach them the skills they need to know to be
successful. As a second year member of the team, however, senior Braden
Tomalson, knew exactly what he needed to do to help his team win this year.
According to Tomalson, “It feels awesome!” to be United’s first male
cheerleader. “I encourage anyone to cheer.” Tomalson added that he,”decided
to cheer after watching the youtube series Cheerleaders. Also, my friends
Braden
persuaded me.” Tomalson first started by attending tumbling classes at
Tomalson and
Sharon's School of Dance, and it turned out that he was good at it. He then
Shyloh Walls
decided to try out for cheerleading where he continues to improve his tumbling performed a
and stunting skills every day. “My favorite thing about cheering is definitely
coed stunt
the stunting and tumbling. I also love meeting the girls from different schools,” while Regan
stated Tomalson. Tomalson hopes to continue his cheerleading career at
Tomalson
Slippery Rock University next year.
looked on.
In addition to cheering, Tomalson is also the captain of the varsity
soccer team, and he runs track in the spring. He stated, however, that cheering
is definitely his favorite sport out of the three. “I have all positive thoughts for my team this
year. We are stronger than ever and plan on winning Heritage and making our way to states in
Hershey again!” Tomalson stated.
As one of his fellow cheerleaders stated, “We love having him on the team. He’s
probably the most encouraging member we have.”