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arrl0r Vol. VIII Issue 3 Niskayuna High School Schenectady, New York 12309 October 9, 1981

Crossroads '82 editors chosen

Photo by Philip Stout

Crossroads '82 editors Lisa McGary will be an editor for the yearbook with Eunice Werner.

Club News Outing Club enjoys mountain hiking

By Michael Robert The NHS Outing Club took its first

outing of the year on Sunday, September 27 .

Members of the club, accompanied by Mrs. Virginia Adler and Mr. Tom Flood, spent the day hiking up Noonmark Mountain. The trail offered views of the fall foliage on the Adirondack mountainsides, as well as exercise to prepare hikers for an overnight hike sometime in the future.

The club's president this year is Charlie Young, with Secretary Trine Giaever, and Advisors Mrs. Virginia Adler and Mrs. Maria Beurmann.

AFS elects new club officers

By Adriane Brown Simon Lin was elected president of

AFS at the club's first meeting of the year, on September 15.

Also elected were Carol Oliver, vice president; Karin Pangburn, treasurer; and Trina Parker, secretary. AFS

By Michael Robert The NHS yearbook has chosen its

editors for Crossroads '82 . After three years of experience,

seniors Eunice Werner and Lisa McGarry have been appointed edi­tors-in-chief.

Dave Ritterband and John Roncevich will be teaming up on the sports section of the yearbook, while Karen Betts and Carol Oliver produce the faculty sections and activities respectively. Laurel Gridley wi ll serve as sen ior section ed itor.

The yearbook staff, as usual, will be advised by Mr. Richard Holt and Mr. Lawrence Cottrell.

Accord i ng to Cottrell, the ed i tors will be putting together an exciting yearbook this year, however, the theme is a secret.

"Crossroads '82 ", says Cottrell, "will go on sale some time before Thanksgiving and will cost somewhere around $14.00, although a definite price has not yet been set. The staff hopes to sell 1 000 copies.

stands for the American Field Service. Students who join AFS have a chance to travel and to meet people from around the world.

Latin Club plans '81- '82 activities

By Sandy Preisman Latin Club, under the supervision

of Mrs. Mary Jane Wilson, held its first meeting on September 23. The newly elected officers for the 1981-82 school year include Tony Szema and Kathy Szema, consules; Larry Doring, praetor; Gail Weiss, quaestor; Kathy and Tony Szema, Student Union Re~resentatives, and Sandy Preisman, scnba.

Members discussed arrangements for a November trip to Boston to visit Quincy Market, the Boston Museum and the Freedom Trail. Other activitie~ planned for this year are an inter­national night, a Saturnalia party, a weekly book and button sale, and a spring trip to New York City.

Students interested injoining in the festivities are invited to the next meeting, on October 7. Latin Club meets on the first and third Wednesdays of each month. Dues are $2.00 for the year.

Photo by Philip Stout

Eunice Werner, also selected as editor, has worked on the yearbook with Lisa McGary for three years.

Drama Club picks cast of first play

By Maureen Roncevich The NHS Drama Club chose 19

stu.dents to perform in the fall pro­duction of Look Homeward, Angel which will show Novomber 19-21.

Mrs. Joyce, director of the show, stressed that there are seven students appearing in the play that have never taken part in a Drama Club Production before. "And two of them are fresh­men," she added. "It has been rumored that the Drama Club casts the same people for every show and that newcomers don't have a chance. The cast in this production proves this is not true," Joyce said.

The cast of Look Homeward, Angel includes Ward Dales, Emily Matthews, Aimee Perlee, Adrian Mannella, Randall B. Mix, Deb Vitello, Jeff Pearlberg, Andy Shelton, Jen Schrader, Marianne Wait, Fran Leo, Mark Dembo, Leslie Rhubin, Chris Ciancetta, Andy Liss, Todd Ramseyen, Matt Teichner, Carol Oliver, and Dana Venneman. Robert Berke and Melissa McKinnon are the prompters/understudies for the show.

2 Warrior

October 9, 1981 Niskayuna High School

A lesson on listening The Student Union meeting of

September 23 taught a valuable lesson to the student leaders who attended. The message of the lesson was the importance of communication in our lives, es­pecially in government.

Early in the week of September 20, homerooms received a memo concerning club representation and Student Union approval of club fund raisers. The memo used overly strong language that irri­tated some student leaders. These leaders were blinded by anger, and failed to see the reasoning behind the memo.

As it turns out, approval of club fund raisers merely means that the Student Union is trying to coordin­ate these projects so as to eliminate conflicts, thus insuring optimum results for all parties involved. This procedure has been practiced by

the administration for years. It is only recently that the Student Union has been charged with this responsibility.

A second lesson in communi­cation was learned by listening to the noise at the meeting. It seems that these meetings have become a social event, with people constantly chatting while business is being conducted. Student Union is not a social event. It is a student governing body, and in order for it to accomplish anything, this socializing must cease. Listening is as much a part of communication as speaking.

Therefore, we urge student leaders to choose their words carefully. Also, we suggest that members of the Student Union listen carefully. Nothing can be accomplished if nothing is being heard.

Enjoy but don't abuse As some students and faculty

might notice, there is no stage crew this year at Niskayuna High School. This "club", which had done such things as help with setting up for musical, and dra­matical performances, abused their priviledges and therefore was eliminated.

Many faculty members com­plained about their behavior, and it came to the point where they were "out of control", as quoted by Mr. Taormina. When asked if there was any chance of possibly starting the Letter to the Editor

club this year, his reply was "No, not this year. For a long time they were nothing but a headache."

Clubs are for the benefit of the students . It is a shame that this priviledge was abused and it shows that the administration will not always let misbehavior go on without taking action. We en­courage all members of the student body to take part in clubs at Niskayuna High School and enjoy themselves, but not to abuse their good time. .

Sports, politics don't mix Dear Editor, defeating the Colonials 41-0. The

On the evening of Tuesday, Sep- crowd, numbering around 2,000, had tember 22, deep in the heart of Bleeker in attendance many local rugby clubs, Stadium in Albany , New York, many notably the team from Siena College. Americans had their first taste of truly These players came to see flawless fantastic precision rugby. rugby in action, and vainly cheer for

Amid the chants from the demon- the home team . Politics simply did not strators outside, the Springboks took enter onto the field unless the over-the field. From that point on the whelming victory of the Springboks demonstrators were drowned out by has some deep political connotation the whole-hearted cheering of the the cheering spectators missed. iocals for the foreign team. The What could the South African ~;pringboks, who have been accused of victory represent? Does the victory I epresenting racicism, and mass ex- prove the South Africans are right in r;loitation, did not let their guilty their policies toward blacks? Is win-c'.Jnscious' prevent them from solidly continued on page 3

Editorial Letter to the Editor

Student voices pledge opinion Dear Editor,

This year the announcement for the pledge of alleg iance is said everyday. Most students and faculty members comply and salute and recite the pledge. This is fine, but what about those people who do not want to?

The School Law book, A Handbook for School Board Members, in Chapter eight, item 72, states that a student may "not always" be forced to give the pledge of allegiance and salute the flag in the public classroom. This item cites the U.S . Supreme Court in the West Virginia v. Barnette Case (1942) which ruled that under certain cir­cumstances (such as religious con­victions) enforcement of such saluting and pledge of allegiance would be a violation of the Federal Constitution. This handbook also states that "a student cannot be required to stand while the Pledge is being given by other students" citing the recent court decisions in the Goetz v. Ansell case and the Lipp v. Morris case. So accordingly, at NHS no student should have to show "rei igious convictions" that would prevent him from saying the Pledge. Since September 24, 1954 the Pledge has read "one Nation, under God". This addition of the words " under God" doesn't take into

continued on page 3

Warrior Niskayuna High School

1626 Balltown Road Schenectady, New York 12309

Signed letters to the editors and articles are welcomed from all and may be left at the Warrior Office in room F-202. All articles must be typewritten and double spaced. We reserve the right to edit all copy and letters for length and grammar, but we will not alter ideas. The Warrior staff meets every Wednesday after school. All interested writers and artists are urged to attend.

WARRIOR EDITORIAL BOARD 1981-82 Editor-in-Chief - Christine White Associate Editors - Leslie Meiselman

Ken Budka News Editors - Michael Robert

Maureen Roncevich Feature Editor - Anne Feeser Assistant Feature Editors - Tim Sieber

Adam Gordon Sports Editor - Laura Smith Assistant Sports Editor - Laurie Orlando Business Manager - Rich Turner Assitant Business Manager - Michael Lefkowitz Correspondence & Distribution Editor -

Nina Brand Photo Editor - Scott Dales Advisors - Mary A. Jewett, LeRoy D. Jewett

News Niskayuna High School Warrior

October 9, 1981 3 Aid application requires timing

By Maureen Roncevich Most college bound seniors and

their parents are aware of rising college costs, but many are unaware of the financial aid that is available to help them meet their educational goal.

Joe Paul Case, director of program administration for the College Schol­arship Serivce (CSS) encourages stu­dents to apply for financial aid . " But you have to prove you need assis­tance," he said, "and to get it you have to apply in the right way at the right time."

For the best opportunity of receiv­ing aid possible, interested students_ should follow this calendar:

October: Pick up a free copy of

"Meeting College Costs" from your high school counselor. This booklet outlines the financial aid process, funds available from various sources, and eligibility for those funds. Contact colleges early for any special financial aid " application instructions-­deadlines, forms, etc.--especially if you plan to take advantage of the early decision program.

November: Pick up 1982-83 Finan­cial Aid Form (FAF) from your counselor. Most colleges and other aid sponsors use it to help them determine how much financial aid you need.

January: As soon after January 1 as possible, send your completed FAF

form to CSS. You can use the same form to apply for the federal Pell Grant program, plus other aid , but you must wait to file your form until after January 1, 1981, so that the financial information for the full 1981 calendar year is available.

Spring: About four weeks ·after you send in the completed form, the CSS will send you an FAF Acknowledge­ment to notify you that you FAF has been processed and sent to the colleges and scholarship agencies you specified . Later, you will hear about financial aid eligibility from the federal student aid programs, colleges , state agencies, and private sources.

National Merit commends students By Maureen Roncevich

Niskayuna High School won recog­nition with eight designated National Merit Scholarship Program semi-fi­nalists and 39 students receiving Letters of Commendation resulting from their scores on the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test.

I n New York State, there were a total of 6387 Semi-finalists and Com­mended students, while in California, the most populous state, there were a total of 4683. Eight merit semi- finalists and 39 letters of commendation place 42 students from NHS's Class of 1982 in the top 5% of the 1.2 million who

Pledge opinion continued from page 2 consideration atheists, agnostics , and members of religions that bel ieve in deities other than God. I think it is time that we re-examine these two added words.

But perhaps more important is the question of the value in a compulsory pledge of allegiance. When you are forced to pledge allegiance, the act loses its value. During the McCarthy era people were forced to sign loyalty oaths which stated that they owed their loyalty to the U .S. Some people refused to sign because it was com­pu Isory. These people for the most part were not subversives ; instead, they were objecting to the fact that it was compulsory .

I hope that the students, and faculty and administration members consider these points and examine why they are saying the pledge and what it means to them.

Sincerely, Leslie Meiselman

took the PSA T in October 1980. The eight merit semi-finalists from

NHS include Cynthia Curtis, Holly Knudsen, Emily Matthews, Lisa McGarry, Sarah Means, Jeffrey Pearlberg, William VanAvery and Gail Weiss . The 39 commended students are: Scott Allen, Akbar Anwari, Joseph Bell, Patricia Claeys, Austin Clarke, Debra De Marco, Mark Dembo, Paul Fishman, Jocelyn Go, Adam Gordon, Anson Grover, John Hartwig, Samuel Hazelton, Matthew Hines, William Hirshorn, Todd Krein, Michael Kunkel, Michael Kefkowitz, Denis McElligott, Thaddeus

Sports and politics continued from page 2

ning a rugby game a message from God indicating his support of the apartheid government? Is playing rugby with South Africans the same as agreeing w ith them? Maybe the people who wanted to watch rugby , watched. The people who wanted to demonstrate, demonstrated. We all had a grand time, didn ' t change anything, and kept our placards , or game programs, to show our grand­children. How can we think that actions in Albany will change realities in Capetown or Johannasburg? Do we have the right to change or criticize? Are Americans so obviously correc t that we can shove our ethics down other nations' throa.ts? Did anyone count the number of black players on our rugby team?

Richard Turner

Murawski, Amy Novak, Bruce Onsager, Li nda Ozarow, David Posner, John Reilly, Leslie Rhubin, Richard Rigley, John Roncevich, Fannie Schapiro, Thomas Schmidt, Bruce Tiemann, Marc Tommasi, Daniel Vinick, Christine White , Kimberly White, Beth Wilkinson, George Williams , and Susan Zemgulis .

Photo by Nina Branc Sandy Salorio was recently

elected treasurer for the class of '83. The finalists were Kathy Dolan, Karen Erikson, Sue Walden, and Salorio who won on September 24.

4 Warrior

October 9, 1981 Niskayuna High School News

Student Union goals explained By Mark Dembo

Recently, many questions about the purpose, goals, and powers of the Student Union have been raised. All of these topics are . discussed in the constitution of the Student Union that was approved by 85% of the Student Body in June, 1980. Since ·that time, however, many people have forgotten or have never seen the constitution. I would like to take this opportunity to review what is in the constitution and how it applies to you.

The General purpose and powers of the Student Union are outlines in Article II of the constitution. That article reads as follows:

Section 1 The General Purpose of this organization shall be:

1. to provide a means of express­.ing student views to the faculty administration, and community at large .

2. to address all issues and grievances brought to it

3. to provide a means through which stl/dents may participate in making decisions that affect them in school

4. to provide a means through which students can generate and direct activity them deem necessary and desirable to the.ir well be.ing

5. to provide a means through which students can learn how to create, develop, organize, and direct their affairs in a democratic com­munity

Section 2 The Student Union shall have the ' powers to:

1. regulate the matters which are necessary to maintain itself internally

2. establish by-laws carrying out th'e purposes set forth in this consti­tution and the powers assigne.d to it

3. establish guidelines for and grant charters to all student organ-

izations in Niskayuna High School 4. undertake fund raising activ­

ities deemed necessary to carry out its powers and regulate the expenditure of any funds assigned to it

5. establish the time and place of its meetings

6. regulate the conduct of its members while they are carrying out their functions as members of the Student Union

7. have in general the power to carry out the purposes listed in Section 1 of Article II but not enumerated in Section 2 of Article II except that it shall not make any rules which are in conflict with the written agreement by the Board of Education and the Teachers Associat ion, or in conflict with the wr itten pol icies adopted by the Niskayuna Board of Education

8. to present student views to the faculty, administration , or public at large even if these views conflict with those expressed in the written agree­ment between the Board of Education and the Teachers Association or with those expressed by the Niskayuna Board of Education ' .

Basically, as outlined in Section 1 of Article II the Student Union's purpose is to act as , forum of student opinion and to take action on those opinions. Any top iC of interest to students can be brought up at a meeting and whatever action is deemed necessary to that topic - forming a committee, offering assistance, speaking to the adminis­tration, etc. - will be taken. Almost every accomplishment of the Student Union can be attributed to someone bringing up a topic at a meeting; the projects the Student Union undertakes are not thought up by just the officers , This is the way the Student Union is supposed to and does operate.

fi., In,.,,,.d! CB we need citizen's RADIO band radio monitors

SCHENECTADY COUNTY ALERT : Radio Emergency Team : P.O. Box 3730 Schenectady, N.Y~ 12303 . : .................................................................••....•....•••

Although Section 2 of Article II may sound like the Student Union is power hungry, it really isn't. Being that the Student Union is for students and run by students it can only have as much power as students want to give it. The powers of the Student Union can be interpreted in many different ways due to Clause 7 of Section 2 of Article II. This clause could be referred to as the "elastic cl·ause." Quite Simply the Student Union can only have as much or as little power as its members want to give it.

Exactly what is meant by the term "power"? In the eyes of the Student Union , power refers to the degree of assistance the Union can provide to cl ubs, classes, administrat ion, and ind iv id ual students. I n other words the Student Un ion Can provide assistance to clubs by helping or organize activities, promoting the cl ubs with Student Union representation, and making the clubs' views known to the rest of the Studen t Body. The Student Union can act as a bargaining tool with the administration to gain rights and freedoms for students. The Student Union can act on students ' views. The Student Urian that could not perform these functions would be powerless and u nsuccessfu I.

The Student Union does not want to gain power over the clubs and organ­izations in the school. The Student Union wants to gain power for the clubs and individuals in the school. The constitution of the Student Union can be viewed in much the same way as the constitution of the United States; it unites many separate and diverse bodies while still allowing those bodies to remain independent. This is the way the Student Union was meant to operate - please let the Student Union help you. Note: Copies cif the Student Union Constitution are available on request from any of the officers.

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Feature Niskayuna High School

Teachers nix study notes By Anne Feeser

How many times have you read the Monarch or Cliff notes for an English book because the book looked boring, or because you had too much home­,work that night? Many English teach­ers are finding this to be a big problem and fee l their student will suffer in the end.

In recent years, there has been a growing concern about the number of kids who are using Monarch notes in place of reading the book, and some English teachers have been discussing various means for alleviating the problem.

Dr. Nedra Stimpfle-Jones, who teaches American Literature and 9A English , com mented on the problem . " We're d iscourag ing kids from using M onarch and Cli f f notes in place of readi ng the assigned book. Any writ-ing that includes a direct analysis of the novel (wh ich is usually thoroughly covered in these study guides) is going to be done in class, and any out of class

·writing will be creat ive and won't ,include anything that is extensively covered by Monarch type notes."

"I use M onarchs because the books we read are usually boring," com­mented one senior. "They're espec­ially good for getting the plot of the novel, and they help you to have a better understanding of the book's meaning. Monarch and Cliff notes aren't too good on detail, but the amount of time they save you is well worth the price of the notes. I certainly understand why teachers are upset about the abuse of Monarchs", con­tinued this senior, "but it won't stop me from using them!"

Most of the students at Niskayuna agreed that these so-called study

guides help them to better compre­hend the hidden meanings of the novel that most teachers are looking for. The Monarch notes can then become a sort of crutch for a student because he depends on the notes to explain meanings and plots, and the student begins to lose confidence in his own ability to discover the finer points of the book. "I have not used them yet this year", admits one junior, "but last year they helped me to understand the auttJor's meaning." .

Students who have a lot of home­work sometimes see Cliff notes as a lifesaver. One sophomore agreed, ''' it's so much easier to read a summary of four chapters than to read 30 or 40 pages a night. They are also good re,ference guides for the papers we end up writing on each book, and it doesn ' t really bother me that I ' m not reading the books because I get the basic idea of the novel from the Monarchs. ' ,

Not too many freshmen have used any of these gu ides for their reading 'yet. "The books that we read in middle school were basically for enjoyment, and we didn't study plot or meaning too much."

Satire teacher Mrs. Marilyn Joyce finds Monarch and Cliff notes to be ineffective for her course. "A lot of the satire in the novels we read isn't even discussed by the Monarchs, and when it is, it's I,Jsuaily too sketchy and inaccurate to be helpful,"replied Mrs. Joyce.

The Monarch and Cliff notes are meant to be used as study guides for novels and not as replacements for actually reading the book.

Warrior

October 9, 1981 5

Photo by Scott Dales

Babbling Barbara . '

Dad's clunker chokes, spits, and fizzles By Barbara Benenson

Have you ever sat in Dad's '51 Ford waiting for the light to change? There you are, sitting in Dad's old clunker (it's so old , it could practically be your father) and along comes the only other car on the road - a black Jaguar XJS with a sunroof. It breaks to a smooth stop, without even a noise. Then, there's you. Your car has a muffler that is heard all the way over in the next district. People come out of their

houses to see if a bomb is going off every time you drive by. Your sunroof is the hole in the top of the car, where even the rust gave up in disgust. As you nonchalantly bow your head - so that it's under the steering wheel - and take out your sunglasses, the light changes . Disengaging yourself from the steering wheel isn't easy, but you accomplish the .task. Meanwhile, the Jaguar is already down the block. After some silent meditation, you pray

that nothing has fallen off the car (like the tires, the engine, or worse the radio!) . Off you go really building up speed .. .. 5, 10, 12, 14 miles per hour. Turbo power is not taken for granted in your car! At last that much looked-for­ward to destination comes into view. ,A.fter getting out of the car (if you classify it as that) you kiss the ground and thank God that you're stHl alive. So ends another day of religious driving.

6 Warrior

October 9, 1981 Niskayuna High School Sports

Hajjar, Reilly pace X-C By Tim Sieber

After being ranked 12th in the state in pre-season ratings, this year's boys' cross country team is off to a 2-1 start under the coaching of Sandy Shoor .

The team's first meet was the 7th Annual Gloversville Invitational. This was held on September 19. In this meet both the varsity and junior varsity took first place in their divis­ions.

In the JV race Rick Rigley took the first place with a time of 14:42 over the 2.65 mile course. Mark Harrison placed third only 17 seconds behind Rigley. Todd Stewart placed fourth with a 15:01 .

In the varsity race, Pete Hajjar placed eighth with a time of 13:33. Running close behind him were Bill McRoberts and Jim Juracka. The entire varsity team finished in an

Gymnasts win opening meet

By Gary Christman The Niskayuna Boys' Varsity Gym­

nastics season is once again underway with an impressive 89.9-66.8 victory over Oneonta. Led by senior captain Tom Cannizzo, Niskayuna out scored Oneonta in all events but the Pummel Horse in which Paul Brownstein finished second.

Top finishers in other events were John Placek and Tony Dellapenta placing first and second on the Hori­zontal Bar. Tom Cannizzo and Mike Cann izzo captured first and second place on the Long Horse Vault. Also Tony Dellapenta and John Placek gained first and second positions on the Parallel Bars. John Placek and Joe Bell scored highest on the still rings.

The meet was the first of the year for Niskayuna. Aided by Coach Frank Cannizzo, the Warriors are optimistic about their future meets.

Gymnasts Schedule Sept. 25 Oct. 9 Oct. 17 Oct. 23

Oct. 24 Oct. 30 Nov. 4 Nov. 21 Dec. 4-5

Oneonta Home Shaker Away Shaker Away Mt. V. Away Invt. AA Lakeland Away Oneonta Away Shaker Home Sec. II Home Intersec. at L.I.

7 p.m. 7 p.m. 11 a.m. 6:30 p.m.

1 p.m. 7p.m . 7 p.m. 1 p.m.

excellent 1 :03 spread. The team 's second meet was

against Scotia-Glenville and Burnt Hills at Scotia. Burnt Hills forfeited due to illness. Due to the small field of runners junior varsity and varsity ran together over the 2.97 miles. With 21 people running, Nisky put runners in the top seven places. The final score was Niskayuna 15, Scotia-Glenville 50. An easy victory for Niskayuna.

Then it was on to Tawasentha Park for the Guilderland Invitational. Some people call the toughest course in the area, possibly on the East coast.

In the JV race John Reilly placed first with a time of 13:23.7. He was followed by two members of the Queensbury team . Queensbury seems to be the team 's toughest competitor. Reilly was followed by Rick Rigley, in 5th . Mark Harrison was in 12th, Ed VanValkenburgh in 14th, Brenden Ryan in 16th, Todd Stewart in 20th and Paul Zimmerman in 31st. The JV team

finished second behind Queensbury . Niskayuna's top finisher in the

varsity race was Bill McRoberts . He had a time of 12:36.8, 0:34.8 seconds off the course record of 12:02.0 set in 1977 by Mike Moffett of Niskayuna. McRoberts placed fifth in the field of 109 runners. Following closely behind McRoberts were Jim Juracka in 8th, Pete Hajjar in 21 st, Scott Mastro in 23rd, Rick Reed in 32nd, Matt Reilly in 38th, and Kevin Mahoney in 52nd. The varsity team, like the JV, finished second behind Queensbury .

Since Niskayuna does not have a complete Freshmen team, the Fresh­men are running individually. At Tawasentha , Mike MacChesney placed 3rd after completing the 1.5 mile course in 8:29.9.

Says Coach Shoor, "We don't have any exceptional talent, but we have close talent. We run together. That's our goal. Together."

Nisky defeats Bethlehem Central 5-4

Tennis undefeated By Laurie Orlando

Niskayuna Girls' Varsity Tennis team beat Guilderland 8-1 for their first victory of the season .

The Warriors then went on to defeat Shaker 8-1 , Scotia 6-3, Shenen­dehowa 8-1, Colonie 7-2 and Bethle­hem Central 5-4. In past years Niskayuna has played Shenendehowa, and only within the last two years have the Warriors defeated them. Shenen­dehowa 's girls' tennis team has always been tough competition for the girls of Nisky. This year they were expected to be equally as tough , but the varsity girls defeated Shenendehowa 8-1. Coach Mandry says this shows the strength of this year 's varsity team and he is very pleased with their success so far.

There is an interesting statistic revealed by this varsity girls' . team. Over the first six matches the Niska­yuna team has won 42 individual matches and lost only 10. This shows the outstanding individual effort by each and every member of the varsity team .

. I n one of the most recent matches, Niskayuna defeated Bethlehem Cen­tral 5-4. The past two years BC has been Suburban Council champions , beating Niskayuna in the finals each time. This is a year of revenge for the Warriors and what sweet revenge they received in this match as they defeated Bethlehem Central. That win places Niskayuna in first place in the Subur­ban Council with a perfect record of 6-0.

Sports Niskayuna High School Warrior

October 9, 1981 7

Hank sports man

By Laura Smith His shirt's name tag says 'Hank'

and to just about everyone, he is just Hank. Most people, though, don't know what he's done during his life.

Hank Caputo is not only a Niska­yuna custodian, but also the general manager of the semi-pro baseball team, State Color , and the president of the Board of Directors wiih the Schenectady Baseball Club.

While working with the Schenec­tady Baseball Club , Caputo has also worked as a professional scout for the Cincinnati Reds, Chicago White Sox, Montreal Expos , and the Toronto Blue Jays.

In February , catcher Mark Wilgocki and outfielder Mark Galuski will be reporting to the Blue Jays for training camp, while pitcher Glenn K inns will be reporting to the Expos . Mike Saccocio, a center fielder , will probab­ly be a draft choice in early spring . Niskayuna graduate and shortstop Paul Bellair and Niskayuna senior and catcher Craig Parsons , who belong to the club , are of interest to the Montreal Expos team. All six of these players worked with the Schenectady Baseball Club last year.

Baseball is not his only love though. Hank Caputo also played and refereed profeSSional hockey in the I nterna­tional League and the United States Hockey Leagues . He belonged to the New York Rangers and played for Worcester , Mass. , in the Eastern leagues for about 12 years. He did not only ref professional games, but during the 1960 Olympics, Caputo reffed games between the United States and the Soviets , the Czechs and the East Germans . To Caputo, refereeing Olympic hockey games was "No different from the pros." He quickly added, " You just have to do more skating. "

Hank Caputo took his job at Niskayuna because he wanted "A job where you don't have to travel. After so many years on the road, I wanted to stay home and watch my kids grow up."

Hank Caputo Photo by Scott Dales

JV Football evens record By Dan Cafarelli

After a disappOinting loss to Shen­endehowa, the JV football team boun­ced back with a very impressive 35-14 trouncing of the Colonie Red Raiders.

I n the game against the Plainsmen, the offense was held to only points on a touch down by Dan Gioia and a two point conversion . The tone of the game was set on the very first play of the game. The Warriors fumbled, and a defensive lineman from Shenende­howa picked up the loose ball and rambled into the end zone. After this, the defense played exceptionally well.

Dan Gioia, who sat on the bench in

the first half, ignited the Warriors in the second half with two runs for touch downs. Also, Paul Siauter had an impressive day having 113 yards on 18 carries. The play of the game was in the fourth quarter when Tim 'The Killer Tomato' McAlonen blocked a punt and Jeff Thomas recovered on the 20 yard line to set up a TO by Paul Siauter.

If the offense can continue to put points on the board and the defense can continue to keep toes out of the end zone, the Nisky Warriors have a shot at the Suburban title.

8 Warrior

October 9, 1981 Niskayuna High School Sports

Co-ed golf team stands 3-2 By Melissa MacKinnon

Golf is a co-ed sport not often heard about, but it has been around since sports first began at Niskayuna.

The golf team is a young team led by coaches Paul Bachorz and Tom Howley and consists of 11 members. Varsity players are the top 6 low scorers and anyone beating a varsity player twice in a row is moved into that position . As of this writing, the varsity players are John Gripshover, Joe Ward, Pete Lambeth, Brian Moffett,

x-c COpS 2nd in invitational

By Melissa MacKinnon The girls' cross country team under

new coach Mr. Bourdeau has started off on the good note. I t recently particip(ited in its first invitational meet of the season at Gloversville and placed second only to Columbia out of 27 teams.

The team 's members include Col­leen Mason, Paula MacDonald, Sue Seftel, Dianne Bechta, Christine White, Jennifer Liu, Laura Brust, Debbie Berard, MarisaCaliado, Karen Fritz, Trina Parker, Amy McGarry, Nancy Williamson, Devon McRoberts, Camilla Salen, Patty Chang, Kim White, Trine Giaever, Megumi Shish­ikura, Karen Kirshner, Heidi Whitt­redge, and presently injured Sue Hart.

Coach Bourdeau said, "The team will be a lot better at the end of the season because I will be getting them ready for the bigger events."

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Robbie Coan and John Gatzemeyer. JV players include Tom Constantine, Mark Lewis, Tom Marble, Sean Bailey and Jay Doyle.

Top seeded junior John Gripshover feels, "It is a strong ; young team and with only one of the top five players being a senior, the upcoming years should be even better. "

Their record as of September 24 stands 3-2. Losses were to Guilder­land, the strongest team in the Council, and Shaker, the defending

AI's Sportlight

champion, by one stroke. Varsity Coach Bachorz said, "The

team is doing very well and should finish very near the top. Some indivi­duals should qualify to make the sectional team." He added, "They are a nice group of people with a good attitude and willing to work."

The team has grown and recently moved their home base from the Mohawk Club to Northway Heights.

Running backs rated By Alan Adelson

There are many great running backs in the NFL, but there are also many backs that do not get enough publicity. With the year just begun, a number of sensational players. are making their presence known.

The man that must take the cake in the NFC is one of footballs best , "T.D." Tony Dorsett. From the University of Pittsburgh, where he has set all kinds of records, including being the first player in the NCAA to have three 1500 yard plus seasons. He could very well be on his way to leading the Dallas Cowboys to another Super Bowl Championship. So far this year, Dorsett has compiled over 400 yards with an incredible 7.8 yards per gain.

In the American Conference, Chuck Muncie of the Chargers, now limiting his fumbles , is on his way to the best year he' s ever had . Already, Muncie has rushed for 290 yards, 5.2 per gain, scoring a league leading five touch downs. From the University of California, he' s improved his running game along with the ideal passing attack of San Diego and should lead the Chargers to the AFC Playoffs.

Another fine back in the game today is Wilbert Montgomery of the Philadelphia Eagles. For the first three games, he has rushed for 346 yards in 61 attempts to mount a 5.7 yards per gain average. Leading the Detroit Lions' backfield is the outstanding Billy Sims. Sims to his credit has 405 yards and five TD 's in 4 games. One who is off to a slower start than usual is the great one, Walter "Sweetness" Payton. He should get on target later

on in the season ; he only has 242 gained yards in his first couple of games . A new addition , and a good one to add to the New Orleans Saints is rookie George Rogers . The former Heisman Trophy Winner has rushed for 298 yards with a 4.8 average per gain.

Switching over to the American Conference, the Houston Oilers have one of the game's best in Earl Cambell. Cambell , who is one of the hardest to tackle, is on his way to anoth€r 100 yard season . He has 252 yards, which is second in the confer­ence. One other back in the AFC who is off to a slow start, is Joe Cribbs of the Buffalo Bills. Coming off a superb season, Cribbs is sure to improve and lead the Bills to a fine season.

Those are the well-known players who receive all the attention , but there are also other fine players that are unrecognized. Among those is the Atlanta Falcons backfield which is comprised of Williams Andrews and Lynn Cain. The blocking back of the Eagles, Perry Harrington, is certainly one of the backs who does not get enough credit. Another duet is the one found in the Baltimore backfield. This one consists of the McM i II ian-Dickey combination ; ranked 3rd and 4th in the AFC. Here is a few of the others to watch ; They are, Rickey Patton of the 4gers , Jerry Eckwood of the Bucan­eers, Kenny King of the Raiders , Ted Brown of the Vikings, Wendell Tyler of the Rams, Ron Springs of the Cowboys and Mosi Tatupu of the New England Patriots.