Photo by the latimes.com By Carson Mike
Staff Writer LeBron James signs a lifetime deal with Nike for one billion dollars. Nike goes on to say they are trying to have James become the face of the company due to the success between them. With James being one of the most successful athletes of all time, it was not shocking that Nike wanted to sign him to a lifetime deal. This may of been due to Kevin Durant almost leaving to Under Armor and Steph Curry leaving also; this might of been a wake up call to secure James' spot in the company. Nike has had James as a sponsored athlete since he came from high school, coming out with 13 signature shoes for his 13 years in the league. Nike says the James is one of the most sold shoes models in history. James is very happy with his with Nike as he goes on to say. "It's been an unbelievable time for myself and my family, and I'm just grateful that Nike and [Nike founder] Phil Knight and everyone over there just believed in a skinny, 18-year-old kid from Akron, Ohio, and I'm happy to be a part of such a great company." Nike founder Phil Knight himself is very happy with signing the lifetime deal as he goes on to say. "We have already built a strong LeBron business over the past 12 years, and we see the potential for this to continue to grow throughout his playing career and beyond." While many assume Nike and Jordan has been signed to a lifetime deal due to it being the most popular brand at Nike, this is the very first lifetime deal. This makes James the first athlete to ever sign a lifetime deal with a company. Nike also says James is one of the main keys to the company as Phil Knight says. "We can confirm that we have agreed to a lifetime relationship with LeBron that provides significant value to our business, brand and shareholders." As James and Nike grow, it is safe to say James has became the face of the company and will have a great relationship with Nike for years to come. Image by the associated press By Madeline Lorber
Staff Writer The Villanova Wildcats, a men’s college basketball team, has claimed victory over the North Carolina Tar Heels in the 2016 NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship. The Villanova Wildcats have made the Final Four as a college basketball team, and are motivated by hard work. "After what we just did, I think it's pretty obvious that this is a great team," Villanova guard Josh Hart said. The Wildcats are coached by Jay Wright, an extremely strict coach who believes hard work is the key to success. The winning shot was made by Kris Jenkins, a Villanova basketball player. Jenkins experienced much criticism for being too large to play basketball. Jenkins proved many wrong, claiming victory for his team. "They changed my life," Jenkins said Monday. "I owe them everything." On the other hand, the North Carolina Tar Heels have won five NCAA men’s basketball championships over the years, and are coached by Roy Williams. Williams believes in hard work, and feels that character is the most valuable trait in a person. He wants his players to win on and off of the court, and be successful in life. Williams has a softer demeanor than Jay Wright. "We've got 4.7 seconds to play defense," Paige said he told his teammates during an ensuing timeout. "Just 4.7 more seconds and we'll go to overtime, and this game will be ours." After a pep talk, Villanova was ready to go out on the court, and win the basketball championship. The Villanova Wildcats are an incredibly good team, and deserved their win. Cheers erupted from the stands after Jenkins’ winning shot, which was made just as time ran out. This was the first time there has been a buzzer beating shot to win an NCAA men’s national title since 1983. Cries could be heard from the North Carolina locker rooms, as it became apparent that Jenkins’ shot would give Villanova the win. Many students enjoy watching college basketball, and rooting for their favorite team. Even if their choice team does not manage a win, team spirit will never disappear. image by neidermanfamilyfarm.com By Caleb Green
Staff Writer Paintball is a fast paced sport with a competitive and friendly aspect where players get to shoot paint at their friends. Paintball was created in the mid 60s by Charles Nelson of the Nelson Paint Company.The company came up with the rules and standards for the game. Paintball is a relatively young game. The first game was held 30 years ago in 1981. Paintball is a fast-paced all around fun sport as well as a good opportunity to get outside and get some exercise. It is also fun to bring friends out and have a good time running around playing and making memories. The things players need to play Paintball are a mask because safety is the first concern. You also need a paintball gun, gas tank, hopper and any other accessories players may want, like a jersey, pants, or even knee pads.these are all useful for different things. The gas tank powers the gun and makes it fire the hopper holds the paintballs and feeds them into the gun. The gun is what launches the Paintball forward and the mask protects the eyes and the face from injury because if users get hit with a paintball going that fast it could be blinding. Paintball is a fun sport for all people as long as players are ok with a little of pain for a whole day of fun. Players can build relationships and get a lot of good exercise. Always remember: safety is the most important. Image by foxsports.com By Xander Houck
Staff Writer Damian Lillard, an NBA all-star for the Portland Trail Blazers, set a career high with 51 points against the Golden State Warriors. But before Damian Lillard would be known as one of the highest point scorers in the NBA and would be the 6th overall pick of the 2012 NBA Draft by the Portland Trail Blazers, he was named 2013 NBA Rookie of the Year. Lillard came from humble beginnings and was the star player at his high school, the Oakland Wildcats in Oakland, California. “I Just want to keep working hard, stay humble, and keep trying to win games,” explained Lillard. Lillard worked very hard to get where he is now and inspires young basketball players at camps, He tells them; “If what you did yesterday still looks big, then you haven’t done much today, Whenever I’m on the court, I feel like I’m making a statement and a case that I belong” Lillard was able to accomplish the achievement of being the sixth player in Blazers history to top the 50-point mark, joining Geoff Petrie, Clyde Drexler, Damon Stoudamire, Brandon Roy, and Andre Miller. Overall, the NBA all-star Damian Lillard has been very successful on and off the court. He has been sponsored by Adidas, has released his own shoes, and has been getting very popular lately, as proven by the game against the Golden State Warriors. Image by losc.org By Hope Dewitt
Staff Writer After an amazing win, the LOSC Elite soccer team is heading off to State Cup. But it didn’t come easy. The U14 girls have been working for months to achieve their one goal; to become state champions. The team has had a great spring season so far, but with the start of April springing upon us, so are the beginning State Cup games. “Elite had a great season. We are officially on the road to State Cup,” said Sydney Okoneski. Rising up from a 6-0 win at a local game in Tigard, the team is gaining momentum to make a stamp at their first State Cup tournament as a team. With Megan McCormack scoring three goals within the first 15 minutes along with another goal by Ashley Robinson, the team was starting of with a great start. After the half, Abbi Fedrizzi scored in the first 10 minutes after an assist by Okoneski, and Hope DeWitt scored with around 5 minutes to play. “We have been playing very well as a team and our last game before State Cup proved that we have improved all together as teammates and individuals. I’m so proud of Elite,” said McCormack. Coach, Nick Schwartz, assisted by Erwin Rosa, are hoping these next few games will take us in the right direction for the end of our season of playing together as a team. “The last game of the season was amazing. We played like a team who seemed as if we knew each other for years,” said Fedrizzi . With help from our community, we are aspiring to lead the Lake Oswego Soccer Club to another state championship with Elite. Image by oregonlive.com By Orion Crofut
Staff Writer AAU sports have really blown up in the past five years. For Payton Pritchard and his AAU basketball team, FAST, scouts for colleges were looking at the athletic young man at as young as the age of twelve. Many young adults with great athletic potential do not get recruited to d1 or d2 colleges due to lack of exposure. Exposure and who you know almost fully determine on where you play as an athlete nowadays. For Pritchard, getting offers were easy as pie. Along with his crazy quickness and insane shooting percentage, his father, Terry, had all the right connections. “Pritchard is tough, competitive lead guard that is more athletic and stronger than he appears. He finishes well on the break for his size with either hand and does a great job attacking through contact where he draws fouls. Pritchard is a knock down shooter off the catch or dribble,” says the analysts at Espn.com. With offers from over 15 schools, Pritchard managed to narrow down his options down to just two schools, Oregon and Oklahoma. In late August 2014 Pritchard made a verbal commitment to the University of Oklahoma Sooners, but things got a little shaky. Following the 2014-2015 season, Pritchard decided otherwise. “The 6-foot point guard from West Linn, Ore. was a one-time Oklahoma commit, but opened things back up this summer. 247Sports.com and DuckTerritory.com have confirmed with 2016 four-star point guard Payton Pritchard that he has indeed committed to the Oregon Ducks.” (247Sports.com and DuckTerritory.com). What Pritchard did was very unexpected, given that the Oklahoma Sooners were on track to be a Final Four team, but Pritchard chose to take the home route and commit to Oregon. The Ducks are a growing program with many new players from all across the nation. Pritchard's potential as a point guard fit the Ducks basketball team perfectly. Image courtesy of twitter.com By Molly O'Leary
Staff Writer This Saturday, the Lakeridge Cheer Teams had their last competition at Tualatin High School before state, the biggest competition of the year. Spectators love watching the team perform because they always smile and make viewers so proud to be a Pacer. First up the Lakeridge youth team. They are so cute and very talented. Though they might be small, they are very mighty. The performers are all on time and sharp with their motions. The team all knows what they are supposed to do. Team members don't look at one another and they have really pretty, sharp, and clean stunts that never fail. Then comes the cheer part of the routine. The team is loud and even though they might run out of breath they always keep a smile on their faces. After the youth performance, it's time for the junior team to steal the floor. Once again don't be fooled by their kindness because when they step on the floor it's all business. The team is sharp and hit those motions on the right counts. They smile and yell at the top of their lungs. The team hits their stunts at the right counts and never drop them. They are in their right formations and know what they are supposed to do. The squad improves every week and this week was their best performance yet. The coach was overheard saying, “ you guys did great and I couldn't be more proud of you guys.” Image by sportingnews.com By Carson Mike
Staff Writer With the exciting ending to the NFL season two different styles of Qbs are ready to clash in the best game of them all. The Super Bowl. As the carolina panthers and Denver Broncos get ready to face off two Qbs are the main highlight of this game. Going into the playoffs The Panthers QB Cam Newton definitely takes the advantage as he threw for 35 Touchdowns and only 10 interceptions and has a new style of play at the Qb position that works well with the Panthers organization. Even Peyton manning the Denver Broncos Qb be is giving him credit. “There is no doubt in my mind he will be MVP”.( ESPN) But on the other side is a Qb that has been suffering all year having one of his worst performances in his NFL career . This man's name is peyton manning. He threw only 9 touchdowns and 17 ints and was even benched for the remainder of the season after throwing 4 interceptions in one game. But it's not all bad for the 39 year old Qb after his team gets a first round bye despite his performance but was able to finally bring himself together and started against the Steelers and helped get the win with an amazing performance moving on to the conference championship where he once again posted unbelievable numbers helping them complete their journey to the super bowl. On the Carolina Panthers side Newton has been rolling through the playoffs beating any team in their way! In the Divisional playoff game against the seattle seahawks they were able to get out to a 31 point lead. Though Russell Wilson almost hosted a comeback the Carolina defense was too much with a final score of 24-31 Panthers. But that was not the case a the Panthers blew out the Arizona cardinals beating them 49-15. Though these may be two completely different Qbs, they both have one goal in mind: to win the Super Bowl. Image by youthvoices.net By Taylor Godfrey
Staff Writer A nationwide campaign to pay women’s soccer teams fairly quickly gained FIFA and the rest of the world's attention. “This is what we call a breakout campaign,” said Shaunna Thomas. Roughly 60,000 people signed the campaign in the first 24 hours -- more than twice the signatures a typical Ultraviolet campaign receives on its first day. The Campaign is all about the fight for equal rights amongst men and womens USA soccer teams. The U.S. women's soccer team not only won the World Cup it also broke TV records. The tournament's final match was the most-watched soccer game ever, including men's games, on a single U.S. television network. More Americans watched the Women's World Cup final than the most recent NBA or Stanley Cup finals. Yet the pay for women's teams is significantly less than the pay for men's teams. FIFA paid the winning women's team a $2 million prize, which is four times less than the $8 million it pays men's teams that lose in the first round. The total payout for the Women's world champs this year is $15 million, while FIFA awarded a total of $576 million to men's teams in the World Cup last year. FIFA did not respond to the campaign right away, but after thoughtful thinking the federation states "The comparison between the prize money of the men's World Cup in Brazil to the women's World Cup in Canada, that's not even a question I will answer because it is nonsense," Valcke said at a news conference. "We played 30th (men's) World Cup in 2014 and we are playing the seventh women's World Cup, so things can grow step-by-step. We are still another 23 World Cups before potentially women should receive the same amount as men." The campaign also argues that FIFA’s logic in incorrect because the US Women's team started many year after the Men’s team, so women can never really be expected to be paid equal to men. Image by rugbyworldcup.com By Isabella Engles
Staff Writer The lights blind the players as they run out on to the field. The crowd goes wild. It may feel like it took millions of years to take be prepared for this moment, mentally and physically; This is the rugby world cup. The cold English air whispers on the field. It's time to see who is the best. It's America vs Samoa. The Samoans are known as a very large tackle team but America has hidden skill. The game started and USA was charging at full speed. Chris bauman on team USA scores the first try. “This Samoa vs USA is very exciting to watch! So much attacking play. It's refreshing!" states Sandisile Gcezengana.The game was action packed and had fans hanging on to the edge of their seats. Ofisa Treviranus defends then gets a turnover and scores a try on SAM. There is now a tie, and who could win? Maggie Alphonsi states, “Good 1st half. USA looking threatening. Just need to retain possession.” Things were looking good for team USA during the first half but then they started plummeting. Right after half time America began to fall back and eventually lost 25-16. America and Samoa played a strong full-packed game. Sadly the World Cup winner can only be one team, and Samoa defeated USA, 25 tries to 16 tries. |
LJHSLakeridge Junior High School is an award- winning academic institution located in Lake Oswego, Oregon. Archives
October 2018
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