December 2012

By Georgie Bright Kunkel

You know what I mean. Even before Thanksgiving the atmosphere is permeated with holiday music. I say holiday rather than Christmas because there are other celebrations during the dark season of the year. Can’t you just visualize the early humans being frightened when the sun sank earlier each day scaring them into believing that the world would eventually go completely dark forever? No wonder that some innovative person discovered how to create fire, the one way to brighten up the darkness. Early humans had no way of knowing that generations later there would be lighted homes and streets, television and I-phones. Many cultures have mounted protection against the dark with Hanukkah’s festival of lights, Roman Saturnalia festivals followed by the Chinese New Year in January. Even the Druids in Britain decorated oak trees with apples and candles to encourage the sun to return.

By Kyra-lin Hom

This week I'm going to explicitly go against the wishes of a friend and infect the Northwest with a bit of Los Angeles slang. It all started when I first heard the term “jelly” used as an abbreviation for “jealous.” I personally thought – and still think – that it can be adorable. Little did I know that jelly comes tied to another infamous slang term. My LA friend was very quick to sort me out. She in fact swore to invent instant teleportation just so she could instantly reprimand me if this term ever left my mouth. Curious yet? Careful now, this is a doozy. The term is “yolo.”

Sounds harmless, right? Actually it probably sounds like nonsense to you. It did to me too. So what's the big deal? Yolo stands for the phrase “you only live once.” According to urban dictionary, it equates the moron's version of “carpe diem.” Yolo has become the new excuse for stupid behavior, especially in teens, and is usually followed a few hours or so later by the word “oops.” (Oddly enough, oops is also in the urban dictionary.)

Friday, Dec. 14
Gymnastics
West Seattle-Chief Sealth
West Seattle and Chief Sealth both faced off in a Metro League meet along with Ingraham this past Friday.
West Seattle's Wildcats led the way with 142.8 points as Ingraham scored 137.4 and Chief Sealth scored 107.6.
Della Norton of West Seattle took second in the individual all-around competition with 30.5 points ahead of the 29.3 total of teammate Katie Fleming.
Norton won the bars competition with 7.0 points and won the floor exercise with an 8.3. She was also third in the vault (7.9) and beam (7.3).
Fleming scored a second place finish in the vault with an 8.3 and was also second in the beam with a 7.6.
Gabby Tapuru of West Seattle captured third in the floor exercise with a 7.7 score.

Girls basketball
Cleveland 55, Chief Sealth 14
The Seahawks were clobbered by Cleveland on Friday, Dec. 14.
Kennedy 57, Evergreen 34
The Lancers rode over the Wolverines in Friday action.
Mt. Rainier Luth. 61, Shorewood Chr. 39

A Gift Wrapping Fundraiser with Furry Faces and Animal Aid & Rescue Foundations
At two locations:
Beer Junction
4511 California Ave. S.W.
Dec. 20, 6-9 p.m. and Dec. 23, 1-6 p.m.
Beveridge Place Pub
6434 California Ave. S.W.
Dec. 24, 2-7 p.m.
furryfaces@hotmail.com and info@myaarf.org

The Junction Hometown Holiday Events;
Free Gift Wrap Station
Windermere Realty
4526 California Ave. S.W.
Saturday, Dec. 22, 11:30-3:30 p.m. Let us wrap your Junction gifts. The West Seattle High School Music Program parents will staff our gift wrap station while students perform in The Junction. Please bring Junction retailer receipt. Free wrap and ribbon, no boxes provided.
Information at www.wsjunction.org

4th Annual Sing-Along for West Seattle & White Center Food Banks
Alaska Junction
Corner of S.W. Alaska St. & California Ave. S.W.

Seamount League
Winter sports schedules
Tuesday, Dec. 18
Gymnastics: Renton, Hazen at Kennedy; Evergreen, Tyee at Lindbergh, 7 p.m.
Thursday, Dec. 20
Boys swimming: Renton, Tyee and Highline at Evergreen, 3 p.m.
Wrestling: Hazen at Kennedy; Renton at Highline; Foster at Lindbergh, 7 p.m.
Thursday, Jan. 3
Boys swimming: Kennedy, Highline and Tyee at Evergreen, 3 p.m.
Saturday, Jan. 5
Wrestling: Foster at Cascade Christian Invitational, 10 a.m.
Tuesday, Jan. 8
Gymnastics: Kennedy, Lindbergh at Highline; Renton, Hazen at Evergreen, 7 p.m.
Thursday, Jan. 10
Boys swimming: Highline, Tyee and Evergreen at Hazen; Lindbergh at Kennedy, 3 p.m.
Wrestling; Kennedy at Foster; Evergreen, Tyee at Hazen, 7 p.m.
Friday, Jan. 11
Wrestling: Lynnwood at Highline, 7 p.m.
Tuesday, Jan. 15
Wrestling: Foster, Tyee at Evergreen; Renton at Kennedy; Highline at Lindbergh, 7 p.m.
Gymnastics: Highline, Evergreen at Hazen; Kennedy, Lindbergh at Tyee, 7 p.m.
Thursday, Jan. 17
Boys swimming: Kennedy at Hazen, 3 p.m.
Wrestling: Kennedy at Highline; Evergreen, Tyee at Renton; Hazen at Foster, 7 p.m.
Tuesday, Jan. 22

In a game it never led, Seattle Christian dropped a 48-27 Class 1A Nisqually League girls basketball decision to visiting Eatonville on Tuesday, Dec. 4, in the first half of a girls-boys doubleheader.

SCS turned the ball over 29 times against the Eatonville turnover total of 15 as the decisive factor. The Warriors held a slight edge in shooting percentage from the filed (33.3 versus 32.2), but the Cruisers fired 59 shots while the Warriors only ignited 33 as a direct result of turnovers.

"We're still working on it," declared Warrior head coach Dave Jansen. "We were glad to hang with them as long as we could. Eatonville is a good team and the girls had the chance to see where we need to get. They played hard and stayed together."

Early action became very competitive after SCS trailed 6-0 midway through the first quarter. A 48-second sequence featuring Aly Kaler quickly brought the Warriors within 8-7. Kaler began with a long 3-pointer and then stole the ball en route to a 3/4 of the court drive and lay up.

Following a Cruiser basket, Kaler came up strong on a put back basket.