Fall sports have kicked off to a great start, and our school’s spirit is running as high as ever. Our sports teams’ recent successes are reason enough to take a closer look at what could quite possibly be the greatest year Ames High has ever seen. To be honest, I had always thought cheering wasn’t a legitimate sport, but after experiencing the thrills of our football victories, it’s safe to say that cheering has become something more. One senior embodies this transformation perfectly. “The outcome of the game is solely determined on how loud I cheer,” senior Justin Tylka said . Now at school, Tylka can look like a lovable ball of love, but when his feathers are ruffled, things turn nasty. Fast. With him leading both the charge and the cheer, I can safely make the assumption that this year Ames High will witness a glorious, undefeated football season. Keep it up, Tylka! Speaking of balls of love with a fierce passion for victory, Mr. Mooney’s main job, as most who have taken APUSH know, is acting as the stalwart defender of these hallowed halls. However, he also coaches the boys’ cross country team. The varsity team did a pretty stellar job by beating half the other teams at their first meet in early September, and the team probably hopes to do even better. I’m not exactly sure, though. I’m a sportsman, not Wikipedia. Anyway, it should be known I’m in love with Mooney (he’s like pretty much my soulmate), but there’s something keeping us apart. It’s tearing my heart out, and Mooney wants me to choose, but I can’t. The decision is too complicated. The contender for my heart is Cookie Baking Club. It can get pretty steamy in there. Just mentioning cookies makes my heart flutter. If I could could somehow make Mooney cosponsor the club with Mrs. Van Waardhuizen, I could die knowing my life reached the highest point of its happiness. That’s enough heavy talk, but if making cookies really sounds fun, you should consider going. They meet Mondays. Now, cookies don’t necessarily have to be your passion, but to be a member you have to have a positive attitude and the willingness to have a good time. It’s the only reason I have a v-neck. I think we could all learn something from the wise words of its sage, junior Carlo Kind: “Don’t worry guys!!!” Another fiery rivalry brewing in these lightning-tempered halls is between two ultimate teams: this year’s Parallel and The Revolution. Parallel is the little brothers of a nationally ranked team and is known for its never-give-up, diehard attitude. The Revolution merely consists of the leftovers after Jack Sanders, captain of Parallel and a through and through champion, decided to make his team even better by splitting it. The Revolution has been training hard, but Parallel doesn’t think they have a chance. “I will show you a wall you will never overcome through effort alone!” junior Brian Whitley, one of the top players on Parallel, said to a member of the Revolution. The friction can literally and figuratively be cut with a knife. With all the potential for greatness at our school, I can’t help but be excited and anxious about what’s to come. Things are really heating up in so many parts of this school. Sports are a big part of the our lives, and maybe this year, we just might prove to the whole world that the Little Cyclones have grown up!