Pop Quiz! Catherine Wayne- Mount Tabor High School

I love it when a plan comes together.  My idea for the Pop Quiz! segment was to find the best and the brightest students that our area high schools had to offer, and give them a chance to represent their schools and themselves in an online forum. So far, I've yet to be disappointed.

This week's participant comes to us from Mount Tabor High School, at the recommendation of Principal Ed Weiss himself.  She is the President of the student body which, as I found out, entails so many duties that I included a link to the full description.

Frankly, she humbles me a bit.  As a matter of fact, everyone I've interviewed to date has humbled (shamed?) me.  When I was in high school, my responsibility list was as follows:

1. Go to school.
2. Work at the car wash across from school.
3. The end.

Anyway, before I get too wistful about my own shortcomings, I'm happy to introduce you to Miss Catherine Wayne.  Cat?

Cat rolls the Quad at Wake Forest

1)     Identify yourself! Name, school, age and class please!

Catherine Allie Wayne, Mount Tabor Spartan, 17, Senior.

2)     What is your claim to fame? What do you do? (Sports, clubs, class offices, etc.)

I am Mount Tabor’s Student Council President and I am in several clubs in addition to student council. The thought of me playing a sport is pretty funny, but I did try out for women’s lacrosse freshman year for what it’s worth.

3)     So I Googled your name and it took me to the Student Council section of the Tabor website (http://www.wsfcs.k12.nc.us/Page/6308).  The description of the President’s position seems like a lot of work.  What does it take to execute your job as President as well as do your homework?

Wednesdays mean Student Council. Each Wednesday, except for one a month, I have either an Upper House, Lower House, or Officer meeting. While I have a ton of work to do in this role, the student council sponsor Mr. Allen Smith makes it so fun and so easy to handle. I am lucky to have the world’s coolest and most hilarious officers working with me so we always mess around while getting our work done.  I have really hunkered down with some seriously hard classes this year. The good news is I have a free period where I can tackle as much homework as I can so I can have more of my afternoons free. My best friend Will and I do homework together every night so this makes sitting for hours on end working so much better.

4)     What makes Mount Tabor special to you?  Why does it stand out?

What makes Tabor special to me? I could do some serious word count damage on this question. When I walked into Mount Tabor freshman year, I knew that I was home. There is something about the old hallways and the people at Tabor that make it so welcoming and comfortable. As the years have gone on, I have had the pleasure of working with some of the most active administrators and devoted teachers. Tabor stands out from all other high schools because of our roots in tradition. From our amazing drumline to our annual homecoming dodge ball tournament, there are so many things that make Mount Tabor unique.

5)     One Direction or Justin Bieber?  Go.

I’m not going to say that I don’t have Justin Bieber’s CD in my car at this very second. I’m also not going to say that I know all the words to all of the songs on it. That’s pretty much all I don’t have to say about that.

6)     Give me three reasons why a Spartan is better than a Demon.

1) Our student section is easily eight-hundred times better and more spirited than that of Reynolds. They have the same three cheers while we have a beautiful variety in our artillery of spirit.

2) Our mascot is a Spartan who is ready to go into battle at any second for Sparta’s honor while Reynolds’ mascot is Lucifer himself.

3) I’m not sure about the exact numbers on this one, but I think the last time Reynolds beat us in football was at least 5000 years ago. Our football team reigns superior to theirs.

 Disclaimer: That was all in jest, Reynolds is a great school and they have a lot going for them.

7)     I covered the East Forsyth game at Mount Tabor a few weeks ago.  Like a lot of other schools playing the Eagles this year, the score wasn’t in your favor but the student section was WAY crazy.  My blog was hours old at that time and I was just live-tweeting the game.  Give me the rundown on Tabor City.

Eleven things everyone needs to know about Tabor City:

1. There is no feeling like the anticipation of the third quarter festivities at our football games, home or away.

2. To be in the student section, one MUST be dressed up and cheering (even the freshmen).

3. If we are losing, a halftime monologue will be delivered to the entire student section by one senior (a favorite is the halftime speech from the movie MIRACLE).

4. When third quarter rolls around and the drum line walks up the track, the crowd goes WILD.

5. During the drumline piece "H2O" everyone is singing and dancing while throwing water from water bottles everywhere, I always leave soaked.

6. DON’T THROW THE BOTTLES AFTER H20

7. We keep things "Dash Appropriate" (If you wouldn't yell it at one of our beloved Advanced Single A Winston-Salem Dash games, we don't yell it at our games).

8. Never sit down unless it's halftime or you WILL get yelled at.

9. Always let the seniors have the front row; the grades are organized in descending order the further up in the stands you go.

10. Corbin “ATM” Martin (44) is probably the most fun player to cheer for. You may even hear an “ATM” chant at the game.

11. Friday night football holds a very special place in the senior’s hearts and I know it will be one of the things we will all miss about Mount Tabor High School.

8)     I’m guessing as Student Council President you have some idea of your future.  What are your plans after high school? (College, professional ambition, etc.)

I want to attend Wake Forest University and double major in Political Science and Economics. Whenever I tell people this they say, “Wow, that’s pretty specific”. It really is, but at the same time I have known that I want to be a business lawyer for some time now. I can’t wait to get into college so I can start to specialize in these areas and get into the nitty gritty of my majors.

9)     When you leave Mount Tabor next year, what will you look back on as the defining moment in your high school career, or has that happened yet?

I think my defining moment at Mount Tabor High School was giving my first speech in front of hundreds of people. I had the honor of speaking at Senior Awards Day last year as the newly elected president. Freshman year I had to recite a monologue in front of my World History class and I was a nervous wreck. I don’t know why I was, I was speaking in front of just twenty people but nonetheless I was shaking, stuttering, and beet red. I honestly don’t know where I found my confidence to speak in front of people, but getting offstage at Awards Day with the entire senior class and their families cheering for me is a feeling I will never forget.

10)  Last question.  You get to have dinner with three leaders (politicians, coaches, preachers, etc.). Who are they and what are you going to talk about?

If I could have dinner with any three people I would choose President Jackson, Henry Clay, and John C. Calhoun. I would love to sit back and watch them argue about States’ Rights, the Fiscal Policy, as well as the “Corrupt Bargain”. I have always been interested in the Jacksonian Era and I would love to sit down with these three men and hear them debate. 

Want to try the Pop Quiz? Know someone who should?  Keep checking this blog, Twitter or the Facebook page to find out where I'll be next.

49-6

I'm not going to hype the East Forsyth football team.  Nope.  If you came here hoping for a glowing game report recapping their 49-6 decimation of R.J. Reynolds tonight, you are going to be disappointed.  I'm not going to hype them.

Let someone else do it.

Lets' face it:  someone will.  LOTS of folks already are.  Have I seen a better team this year?  No.  Oh, heck no.  If I must, let me give you a quick game breakdown:

1. The highly regarded East rushing attack began their first offensive series with a halfback pass that went for a touchdown.
2. Shortly thereafter, highly mobile quarterback Garrison Duncan dropped back and threw another bomb for a touchdown.
3. The Eagles had 180 passing yards at half.
4. They scored five more touchdowns.
5. Total yards- a lot
6. Margin of victory- a lot
7. Defensive presence- oh, my

There you go.  Happy?

I stopped tracking plays after touchdown number four.  I became far more interested in the crazy student section and began to wonder just what kind of guys are on this East Forsyth team. I was fortunate enough to chat with Garrison Duncan after the game.  He helped enlighten me on some of the things that make these Eagles fly.  Here's some of what he had to say:

• On his reaction when the coaches put the halfback pass in the game plan:  "I liked it.  The receivers were excited, I was excited...we had a good week of practice coming in."
• On the closeness of the team:   "We just have a bunch of seniors.  All the seniors are friends and close friends...I see these guys every day of the week.  I've seen some of these guys 21, 28 days straight. "
• On confidence gained from winning big without the dominant running attack: "I liked it.  I didn't have to run that much, the running backs certainly didn't have to run that much.  Some of the receivers figured out some of the stuff they didn't know they could do."
• On the vocal student section: "They ARE our 12th man...I know multiple games they had rosters for the other teams, calling people by name.  They're really prepared this year."

Overall, a great night for football at Deaton-Thompson.  I really, really wanted to get some interaction with the Reynolds Rowdies, but the first play of the game pretty much jacked those plans up.  Also, I would be remiss if I didn't mention how much Coach Mike Muse is helping me, whether it's getting me more Twitter followers or printing me stat trackers.  Much like his students and athletes, I get better each time I interact with him.  I'm very grateful.

Have a great weekend, everyone!
John

Superfans!

I wrote a little about them a couple of weeks ago, when I was at Mount Tabor, but tonight they put on a show.  I'm not talking about Lavaughnte' Smith and Garrison Duncan (although they didn't do to shabby), I'm talking about the East Forsyth student section.  THIS is what I'm talking about.  They make the place FEEL like football. 

And they were the visitors tonight.  Yikes.

Meet my new friends:

Pop Quiz! Bailey Tyner- R.J. Reynolds High School

When I started this blog, I honestly never expected the kind of reception this blog has received so far.  I'm grateful to the administrators, students and student-athletes who are making this endeavor a lot of fun.  One such source of help is Reynolds AD Brad Fisher, who responded to my Twitter solicitation for Pop Quiz contestants in short order.  He assured me he would get a football player to participate (which, quite frankly, is cool because they've got bigger things to do this week). 

Imagine my surprise when my inbox received an email from one Bailey Tyner, the starting quarterback for the Demons.  He was ready and willing to do the Pop Quiz, and did a great job.  See for yourself:

1)     Identify yourself! Name, school, age and class please!

My name is Bailey Tyner, I go to Reynolds High School and I'm in the class of 2014.

2)     What is your claim to fame? What do you do? (Sports, clubs, class offices, etc.) 

I play football and baseball at Reynolds. I'm the varsity quarterback for the Demons and I'm also in Key Club, FCA and Spanish club.

3)     I grew up with a poster of Terry Bradshaw on my wall.  What quarterbacks/athletes are on your wall?  Why?

I always looked up to Nomar Garciaparra, who played for my favorite baseball team, the Red Sox. For football, Drew Brees is who I've looked up to since I was a kid. I looked up to him because he's not the biggest quarterback, but he's a winner, he's a great overall quarterback, he's a great leader and is a role model in his community. I also really like Cam Newton, he has all the confidence in the world and that's important for a quarterback.

4)     So, I watched some of your highlight videos.  How long have you been playing quarterback?  When did you know that the QB position was what you wanted to play?

I've been playing quarterback since Pop Warner for the South Fork Panthers. Going into my first season of football, I actually started out at Wide Receiver for the first game. After that first game the coach switched me to Quarterback, and since that day I knew that this was the position I wanted to play.

5)     One Direction or Justin Bieber?  Seriously.  Just between us. Nobody will know.

      Justin Bieber, definitely.   Not a big fan but I'd pick him over One Direction every time.

Ed. Note:  Big-time answer for Mr. Quarterback here…I expected “neither” for an answer.  Bonus points.

6)     Your high school is a registered historical landmark.  Apart from that, what makes Reynolds High School a special place?

The students, staff, clubs, athletic programs and the community are just a few of the things that make this school so special. There isn't a school in Forsyth County that is like Reynolds. The mixture of great academics, great art program, athletics and the diversity of the school are special. I'm very glad I go to this school and I'm proud to be a Demon.

7)     There’s a rumor of a “Gold-Out” at the stadium Friday night.  How much energy do the players get from the Reynolds Rowdies?

It definitely helps up get pumped up, we have a good group of Rowdies every year and this year isn't any different.

8)     What are your plans after high school? (College, professional ambition, etc.)

I want to play college football somewhere, so that's my main goal. If for some reason that doesn't work out, I still will go to college, and I want to major in Sports Management or Sports Medicine. Everybody wants to play professional sports, but I'd also want to be an athletic trainer, or work in the business side of sports or maybe even coach. My Dad's a graphic designer and I've got some interest in that, too.          

                                     

9)     If you couldn’t be a football player, what sport or activity would you choose?

      Probably just stick to baseball, which I've been playing since I was 4. I used to play the drums so I might pick that up again.

10) I’ll be there Friday against East.  Tell me what I shouldn’t miss about the experience.  What would you tell a first-time visitor to a Reynolds game to look for?

      Good thing you're going to be at this game because it's going to be an exciting one. Big games at DTS are always can't miss games. You're not going to want to miss a thing on Friday. The game time environment makes you want to go out on the field and strap up. You get into the game and it's just a great place to be on a Friday night. I'd tell a first-time visitor to look for our band which is good, our crazy rowdies who keep everybody pumped up,  two classy programs out on the field, great sportsmanship, great talent on both teams, an awesome game environment, amazing fans and to expect a great football game.

I tell you what, I'm starting to love this gig.  I'm so frustrated with hearing about the "sad state of our young people".  Each of our Pop Quiz contestants have multiple activities and aren't identified by one specific thing.  I'm looking forward to meeting more of the Triad's finest!

Want to take the Pop Quiz? Know someone who should?  Stay tuned to the blog to find out where we'll be next!

New Poll!

On Friday night I predicted on Twitter that West would return a punt back for a TD before the night was through.  I was right, and promptly anointed myself as "Footballdamus".  On the left side of the homepage is our first poll.  Click on what you think is the most appropriate answer!

Battle of the Undefeateds!

I'm happy to announce that the Finally Friday!  Army (me) will be at Deaton-Thompson stadium on Friday for the game between East Forsyth and R.J. Reynolds.  Both teams are undefeated and coming off of blowout wins last Friday.  I'll have more of a game preview up later and, more importantly, the call for Pop Quiz participants!

I'm looking forward to a great night of football, and I hope to get there early and meet the boosters from both schools!