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Football

2023 NFL Draft reaction

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By: Toby Martin-Kohls

The NFL draft concluded last weekend in Kansas City, with 259 players selected over 7 rounds (compensatory picks are included in this number). Here is a sum-up of the quarterback storyline at this year’s NFL Draft.

Quarterback Drama

As the QB is the most crucial position in football, eyes are usually on the top signal callers when the draft comes around. This year there was no shortage of first-round talent, as 4 QBs were projected to go in the first round by almost every draft analyst.

It was a way stronger QB class than last year when Pittsburgh’s Kenny Pickett was the only first-round QB selection going to the Pittsburgh Steelers at pick 20. After that, the next QB wasn’t taken until Desmond Ridder in the 3rd round at pick 74 to the Atlanta Falcons.

This year, there was an early run on QB talent, as there were 3 selected in the first four picks. Bryce Young, who won the Heisman Trophy for best college QB in 2021, was selected first to the Carolina Panthers. He was widely expected to be the first pick in the draft, along with fellow QB C.J. Stroud. Young is a natural passer with an instinctive feel for throw location and play extension. He has the high-end intangibles and talent required to become an impact starter in the NFL. The one knock on Young is his size and durability, as he is vastly undersized standing at 5’10” and 204lbs.

The second QB taken was C.J. Stroud out of Ohio State with pick 2 to the Houston Texans. He was also considered to be a possible choice for the number 1 selection. As a redshirt freshman at Ohio State, Stroud was a Freshman All-American and First Team All-Big 10. He followed that up with his redshirt sophomore season getting named Second Team All-American, Big 10 Offensive Player of the Year, and First Team All-Big 10. Stroud is considered an outstanding rhythm passer with great touch, pacing, and ball speed control to carve up a defense. His weaknesses are his need to develop his athleticism and escapability to the modern NFL.

The third QB taken was Anthony Richardson out of Florida with pick 4 to the Indianapolis Colts. Richardson is considered to have the highest ceiling of anybody in the draft, with his freakish, one-of-a-kind, athletic ability. He displayed this superhuman athleticism at the NFL Combine, running the 40-yard dash in a time of 4.43sec, which was the 4th fastest by a QB at the Combine since 2000. But his size really made this unprecedented, as he stands at a towering 6’4” and 244lbs. He set a new QB Combine record with a 40.5in vertical jump and another QB record in the broad jump, jumping 10’9”.

Unlike the other two QBs picked before him, Richardson had an up-and-down college career, starting only a total of 13 games over two years. He was essentially a one-year starter at Florida, and his 53.8% completion percentage is awfully low for someone picked so high. That being said, the quality of his pass catchers did him no favors. He is also a year younger than Young and Stroud.

Overall, Richardson’s volatile accuracy and decision-making cloud his evaluation, but he is a freakshow talent with special size, speed, and arm strength, and he put enough promising plays on film to be optimistic about his potential ceiling. He fits an RPO or NFL vertical-passing offense that will also utilize his athleticism, but he needs on-field reps and a patient coaching staff willing to weather the early storm. The Colts are running a massive gamble, and we’ll see if it pays off.

The last QB thought to be selected in the first round was Will Levis out of Kentucky. Levis was thought to be one of the most prototypical NFL QBs in the draft, with good size and exceptional arm talent. He struggled with turnovers during his college career and needs to work on his read efficiency and ball placement to succeed at the next level. He has an NFL starter’s skill set with his impressive physical tools (size, arm, athleticism) and exceptional competitive toughness.

This is where the surprise of the first round was. Levis was projected by very nearly all draft experts to go in the first round. A solid amount even had him going top 10. In fact, Levis was the oddsmakers’ favorite to go No. 2 overall in the days leading up to the draft. This obviously did not end up being the case as he slid down all the way to the second round and was picked at pick 33 by the Tennessee Titans. ESPN had given him just a 0.1% chance to still be available at pick 23 of the first round. It will be interesting to see how he can develop behind starter Ryan Tannehill and fight for the backup job with 2022 third-round pick Malik Willis.

Personally, I think the best part of the draft is looking back at the selections in 3-4 years and seeing the inevitable busts and hits of the draft. Especially with this QB class, this year should be no different in the excitement level when looking back at these picks in the future.

Travel/Food

Chocoflan

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By: Jessica Garcia Saligan

This pastry called chocoflan is a traditional Mexican pastry that has a rich taste. Chocoflan is a two layer cake: chocolate cake on the bottom and flan (the custard on the top layer) that has caramel sauce all over it.

Ingredients

Cake

  • Any type of Chocolate cake
  • Cooking spray
  • Carmel sauce

Flan

  • Sweetened Condensed Milk
  • Evaporated Milk
  • Softened Cream Cheese
  • 1 Large Egg
  • Vanilla Extract

First, you’re going to want to preheat the oven to 350 for it to heat up when it’s time to put the chocoflan in.

Then in a spray a 12-cup fluted tube cake pan with cooking spray.

You’re going to want to spread an even layer of any kind of Carmel sauce.

In a large bowl you are going to be mixing the cake batter. It could either be homemade chocolate cake or out of a box cake; either one works.

Once you’re done, you’re going to pour the chocolate batter into the pan carefully.

In a blender, you’re going to place all the ingredients to make the flan part of the cake.

Blend on a high speed for 20 seconds or until the mixture becomes smooth.

Very carefully pour the flan mixture into the cake batter, both batters are going to mix but they will separate while baking forming a two layer cake.

Place a sheet of foil and spray cooking spray on it, then place it on the bottom of a large roasting pan.

Place the cake pan in the large roasting pan; add 1 inch of hot water to the roasting pan.

Bake for 1 hour 20 minutes. Once the timer goes off, to make sure your cake and flan mixture is baked completely, get a tooth pick and stick in the middle. If it comes out clean it means it’s ready but if you notice some batter on the stick leave it in for a few more minutes until the toothpick comes out clean.

Remove the cake pan from the water and set it on a cooling rack; remove the foil.

Let it cool to room temperature for 1 hour then refrigerate uncovered for 2 hours.

Once it’s done cooling, run a metal spatula around the outer and inside of the pan to loosen the cake.

Place a plate on the bottom of the pan, turning it over and slowly removing the pan.

Remove the extra Carmel, that was left on the, pan onto the cake.

All done. Enjoy!

Track & Field

Track events

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By: Ellie Moore

While deciding the hardest track event is opinion based, many people believe the 400m is the hardest event, but each event requires a unique set of skills and presents its own set of challenges.

One event that is often considered to be the hardest track event is the 400m hurdles. This event combines the speed and endurance of a 400m race with the technical skills required to clear ten hurdles. It requires a lot of coordination, balance, and timing to maintain a consistent pace while jumping over the hurdles without losing speed or rhythm.

Another hard event is the 800m dash, which needs a balance of speed and endurance. It is considered middle-distance, and athletes must maintain a fast pace while conserving enough energy to finish strong. The 800m race is a tactical race, because athletes have to carefully plan their strategy to conserve energy for the final stretch while still staying in the lead.

The 1600m dash is another super hard event that requires both speed and endurance. It is considered a long-distance race, but it’s not long enough to just pace the entire thing. Athletes must maintain a fast pace while conserving enough energy to finish strong and avoid being outpaced by competitors in the final stretch.

Finally, the 100m dash is considered by many to be the most challenging event because of the extreme explosiveness and power required to cover the distance in mere seconds. Athletes need to have a perfect start from the blocks and continue to have good form throughout the race.

Every track event has many challenges, but the 400m hurdles, 800m dash, 1600m dash, and 100m dash are often considered to be the hardest track events.

Science/Nature

Artemis 2 space exploration

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By: Mushtaq Yonis

A new mission to the moon is coming up next year, the Artmetis 2 exploration. This exciting journey is going to happen in the Orion MPCV spaceship.

This mission will include a lunar flyby, which is when a spaceship orbits the moon without landing. The first flyby was the Soviet Union’s in 1959.

The Artemis 2 will have 4 crew members whose names are Jeremy Hansen, Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch. Reid Wiseman as the commander, Victor Glover as the pilot, and Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen as the mission specialists.

If you don’t know, there are 3 Artemis missions:

  • Artemis 1 – was an uncrewed test of the Orion spaceship on November of 2022
  • Artemis 2 – crewed flight that will take place in November of 2024
  • Artemis 3 – crewed flight that will land on the moon and will take place no earlier than 2025

The Artemis missions are a series of lunar exploration missions that have been designed to send humans farther into space than they have ever been before.

The crew will fly the Orion, which is an exploratory vehicle designed for longer flights beyond the moon. It will fly 8889 km beyond the moon and then return to Earth. The mission will take a minimum of 10 days.

This mission will be the first time with astronauts who are women and POC. For a reminder the crew will not be landing on the moon but instead will be doing a flyby.

NASA will also collect information about the moon’s environment and potential challenges astronauts might encounter. This will be used for NASA’s goals in establishing a permanent human presence on the moon.

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Basketball

Biography of Steph Curry

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By: Nagad Omar

4x NBA champion, Wardell Stephen Curry plays for the Golden State Warriors. But let’s look at before Curry became the man he is today.

Curry was born on March 14th, 1998 to parents Dell Curry and Sonya Curry in Akron, Ohio. Curry has 2 siblings, Seth Curry who currently plays for the Brooklyn Nets and his sister Sydel Curry who used to play volleyball for Elon Phoenix.

Curry played basketball in High School at Charlotte Christian, in North Carolina. Curry was then recruited by coach Bob Mckillop to play at Davidson college where he attended from 2006-2009, where he averaged 21.5 PPG, 4.6 rebounds per game and 2.8 assists in his very first season.

Curry also led tiny Davidson college to the 2008 NCAA tournament where they played util the Elite 8.

In 2009 Curry was the 6th pick in the NBA draft; drafted by the Golden State Warriors. Curry made an almost immediate impact on the Warriors. He was named the team’s starting point guard and averaged 17.5 PPG in his first season.

Curry made the most threes in the league in the 2012-2013 season when he made 272 threes, and 261 in the 2013-2014 season where he also got his first All Star selection.

He was named MVP for the next 2 years and beat the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2014-2015 season to give the Warriors their first title in 40 years. The Warriors then won the championship in the 2016-2017 season and won in the 2018-2019 season where he also played into his First-Team All NBA honors.

After breaking his hand in the 2019-2020 season the Warriors bounced back the following year to have a winning season.

The Warriors then won their most recent championship last season where they beat the Boston Celtics in a six game series.

Now, Curry is widely known as the best three pointer shooter in the history of the NBA and has set numerous records including shooting the most threes in NBA history at 7,929.

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Music/Concerts

Who I think gave the best Coachella performances

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By: Mya Olson – Williams

Many are aware that 2 weekends ago was the first weekend of the popular music festival in California, Coachella. There are two weekends of this three day festival. The headliners are Bad Bunny, BlackPink, and Frank Ocean. Smaller artists that are also performing are Kali Uchis, Labrinth, TV Girl, and so many more.

Labrinth

Labrinth’s music is usually recognized from the show Euphoria. In his weekend one performance, he brought out the special guest, Billie Eilish to perform their newest collaboration.

On weekend two, he sang another two singles with special guest, Zendaya. During Labrinth’s shows, the crowds were loud and interactive. His stage setups were cool and unique. He sounded great live, overall giving an amazing performance.

Calvin Harris

Calvin Harris is popular for collaborating with other artists like Rihanna, Ellie Goulding, and Dua Lipa. During his shows, he played lots of well known songs, had cool stage lighting, and a massive crowd with high energy. On weekend two, Calvin sang with Ellie Goulding. At one point, he made a tribute to the rapper Takeoff, who died in late 2022.

boygenius

boygenius is a smaller band, featuring Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus, and Julien Baker. They recently released an album called ‘the record’. They sounded great together live, and you can tell everyone loved their music. boygenius had a really cool stage set up as well.

Overall, there were multiple amazing shows and performances this year, and these were my personal favorites. Coachella 2023 seemed like a great time, and I hope next year is the same.

Travel/Food

Best places to eat in St. Paul

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By: Lauren Kottke & Ella Sutherland

St. Paul has some great restaurants and places to eat. Here are some of our favorites!

One of our favorite places is The Nook. The Nook is a family owned business located on Hamline Ave. We love this place because it has great food, atmosphere and fun activities. The burger is great, and we would definitely recommend getting it from here. They are best known for their Juicy Lucy Burger.

It’s also a great place to bring your kids and family. Downstairs they have a bowling alley connected to another part of the restaurant. You can go bowling for a very cheap price and then grab some great food all right there.

Another great thing about this place is the wall they have downstairs in the bowling alley. The Nook is known for their great burgers, but also their money wall. In the bowling alley restaurant, they have the walls and ceilings filled with $1 bills decorated. You can decorate a $1 bill and then put it anywhere on the wall!

Another great place we recommend is French Meadow. French Meadow is another amazing restaurant close by, it’s located on Grand Ave. We have been there many times and we have always had a good experience. They have great food and service. Our favorites are the soups, salads and fries. They also have a very good chicken wrap during lunch.

If you go there, you must check out the deserts! They have different types of brownies, pastries and cakes. Our go-to is the caramel brownie. Although this place is very different from The Nook, it is still a great place to visit!

The family restaurant DeGidio’s has been around since 1933. They are known for their amazing Italian food, but they also do have some great American food, like burgers. Our favorites are the Chicken Parmesan and the Lasagna. They also are known for their bread that they give out. It’s fluffy bread with seasoned butter. Definitely one of our favorites!

Every experience we have had there, has been a great one. Another thing that makes this place so special is the service. Anytime we have been there it has been busy, but never a long wait. The workers make sure you don’t wait too long for a table. And they always make sure you have a good time!

Sakana is one of our favorite places to go out to eat. It has such a wide range of sushi. There are so many different kinds of sushi you can get, whether that be having raw fish, cooked fish, or no fish. The atmosphere is great with trendy music playing as well as excellent service. The prices are very reasonable and affordable.

You may also sit at the bar where they have TVs and they serve drinks. There is also a place where you can sit and watch the chef make the sushi right in front of you. They have great appetizers as well as great soups. This place is overall just great!

The last restaurant we recommend is Punch Pizza. This restaurant has a few locations that are scattered around Minnesota, but there is one located right on Grand Ave. They have so many different kinds of authentic Neapolitan pizza that are cooked with a 900 degree wood-burning oven.

The restaurant itself has such a lively atmosphere and it is always overflowing with customers. They have amazing side salads as well, that are quite filling. This is a great place to go with friends and family!

These are just a few of the places that Saint Paul has to offer, and our favorites!

Science/Nature

Jupiter: A world more than its size

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By: Trump Vang

Looking at the night sky many objects shine brightly. The moon is easily the brightest out of these objects, followed by Venus and then Jupiter. Despite it being much farther away than most other visible objects, Jupiter still shines brightly due to its size.

Jupiter is known as a gas giant. This term refers to worlds that are mainly composed of gasses and other substances. These types of planets won’t have a solid surface, rather showing a mix of clouds and atmospheric storms.

A day on the planet lasts around 9 hours, being the fastest out of any object in our solar system. Although its year is much longer at a whopping 12 Earth years. In relation to Earth’s calendar system, it’s like having roughly 10,450 days within a year.

It stands as the biggest, largest and most massive planet within our solar system. In past times, humans named the planets after certain aspects they held; Jupiter was named after the king of the Roman gods due to its enormous size. Although, the planet has much more to show than just its mass.

Its appearance shows a multitude of colors in band-like layers created from its clouds. Although its most distinct aspect is a storm known as the ‘Big Red Spot’ on its ‘surface’. Unlike storms on Earth, the ‘Big Red Spot’ is more permanent, having lasted over 300 years. Its furousity doesn’t stop there, as its size is also unmatched, being nearly three times as big as the Earth in its entirety.

The planet also contains a strange relationship with the Earth. Earth has always been under attack by asteroids, or large space rocks. Often an asteroid may pass close to Earth, but as of this moment, it has been a long time since we’ve had a collision with them. One of the main reasons for this is Jupiter’s influence on them.

Without the planet, the existence of life could have never had a chance through the abundant asteroid collisions. So how does Jupiter affect the paths of these asteroids? Due to its large size, Jupiter is able to disrupt the orbits of asteroids, sending them out into far space, far away from the reaches of Earth. Through this, our planet was given the time to grow and produce life, bringing us to where we are today.

Jupiter is an interesting world with many quirks and aspects, from its storms to its presence and influence on other celestial objects. Taking a look at the massive planet, it stands as not only the giant in our solar system, but a world full of colors and gasses orbiting through space.

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Music/Concerts

The career of SZA so far

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By: Isabelle Baidoo

SZA, Solána Imani Rowe, is by far one of the most influential music artists of this generation. Not only has she topped the charts countless times, but she has been nominated for a Grammy 15 times.

Rowe was born on November 8, 1989. She was raised in Maplewood, New Jersey by Abdul Mubarak-Rowe and Audrey Rowe. Her father was an executive producer for CNN, and her mother was an executive at AT&T.

Rowe created the stage name, SZA, from the Supreme Alphabet. The Supreme Alphabet is a system of interpreting text and finding deeper meaning. The S in SZA stands for savior or sovereignty. The Z stands for Zig-Zag, which means Knowledge, Wisdom, and Understanding. Since it’s the last letter of the alphabet it represents the final step of consciousness. Then lastly, the A stands for Allah. She also stated that she took influence from RZA from the Wu-Tang Clan.

Her musical career started in the early 2010s. She had released two pieces before signing with Top Dawg Entertainment. After being signed with her record label she released ‘Z’. This would be her third EP and first retail release.

Rowe has 7 Top 10 Hits on the Billboard Charts and has had 39 songs in the top 100. The highest song on the list being “Kiss Me More”, which remained on the charts for 43 weeks; its peak position being 3rd place.

She has won countless awards, but the most recent dating back to 2019 are:

  • The NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Duo or Group (“All The Stars”)
  • The BET Her Award (“Good Days”)
  • The Billboard Music Award for Top Viral Song (“Kiss Me More”)
  • and lastly The iHeartRadio Music Award for R&B Song of the Year (“I Hate U”).

On June 9, 2017, SZA released ‘CTRL’, her debut studio album. This album has fourteen tracks, all co-written by SZA herself. She collaborated with many other artists for this album including Travis Scott, Kendrick Lamar, James Fauntleroy, and Isaiah Rashad.

‘CTRL’ pays homage to the fear of losing control. In the intro of “Supermodel”, she states “That is my greatest fear. That if, if I lost control. Or did not have control, things would just, you know? I would be, fatal”. ‘CTRL’ is made to be a relatable commentary on how life is for a “20 something” year old. Facing issues with love, body image, confidence, and of course, control.

Rowe is commonly known for her advice and inspiring quotes. 

Such as, “I love empowering women. I think it’s crazy: if you ever try to belittle women, you’re playing yourself – I ride with whoever rides with me.” -SZA

Or, “Don’t get discouraged with your skin when it doesn’t do what you want it to do…Give it some time. That’s the only way to get to know yourself.” -SZA

SZA has helped so many people realize that their dreams of succeeding in the music industry are possible, and with hard work and determination you can achieve whatever you put your mind to.

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Getting To Know/History

The secret behind “Where’s Waldo’s” success

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By: Caden Kipfmueller

“Where’s Waldo?”

This question has plagued many of mankind’s greatest scientific and philosophical minds for generations.

“Where’s Waldo?” is the name of a series of timeless children’s puzzle books created by Londoner Martin Handford in the late 1980s. Originally called “Where’s Wally?”, Handford’s books were a global success, finding their way to libraries, schools, and homes around the world. Where’s Waldo was known for its intricate drawings, charm, and, of course, Waldo’s signature red and white striped outfit and glasses.

Waldo is set apart from his puzzle book competitors because of author Martin Handford’s unique, extensively detailed illustrations. He takes up to 8 weeks to finish each drawing, and he describes them as “full of both activity and entertainment.” Handford also fills his pictures with visual puns and other Easter eggs. Each drawing feels alive and rich with life, which makes it all the more exciting to search through exhaustively. Even if you can’t find Waldo, you’re bound to find plenty of secrets that will keep you occupied.

The reason why “Where’s Waldo?” was so successful around the globe was the series’ accessibility. While it was translated into 26 different languages, reading wasn’t necessary to understand that the point of “Where’s Waldo?” was to find Waldo. Martin Handford made that abundantly clear with his illustrations, as he believed that Waldo should be shared with all.

The final reason behind Waldo’s success lies in the elusive, bespectacled man for which the series is named. Waldo’s character design is so unique that he is instantly recognizable. Even his silhouette can be pointed out by the casual viewer, and he is drawn to be friendly and non-confrontational. Waldo’s character design undoubtedly contributes to the success of the series, as it is easily marketable. In addition to the standard line of books, two TV shows have been made about him (one in 1991 and one in 2019), as well as a video game for the NES (Nintendo Entertainment System).

Where’s Waldo remains an incredibly successful franchise to this day, finding popularity even in the modern age. The question still remains, however:

“Where’s Waldo?”