Just Keep Swimming
By: Maire Moriarty, A&E Editor

Trivia: What sports team here at the high school combines strength, stamina, and speed with aquatics?
Answer: The Swim Team
      Despite its size and the demands of the sport, our very own team doesn't get as much attention as its fellow winter sports.
      The swim team is a 26 member team with 10 boys and 16 girls. While the boys and girls make two separately competing teams, they are informally considered as one group. They practice and compete at the same times in the same pool.
      With a season of about four months, members are bound to get to know each other. Indeed, by the end of the two-hour practices every day after school, and meets that drag long through the evening, the team becomes a close-knit family of sorts.
      This year there was not so much of a focus on winning but training and preparation for years to come.  The majority of the team is made of ninth and tenth graders, most of whom have been able to improve significantly over the season's course. With practice, these younger members show potential for a great team next year.
      Many swim-teamers are not exclusively swimmers. "Our swimmers are very involved at RHS," says Mr. Heebner, swim team coach. "I want our kids to be successful both in the pool and in the classroom," he adds, although so much involvement can cause a straining spread of members and practice time.
       While this year may not have been one for the record books, the girls ending with 4-10 record and the boys 2-12 record, there were still many notable occurrences.
         Kimberly Goodhart was able to break the entry time for the 500 free required to participate in districts despite her painful affliction of tendonitis.   
        Gene Barreau broke the team's diving record with a score of 272 points. And in a close meet against Wyomissing that came finally down to the girl's 400 free relay, the four girls were able to pull out for the win with the  season's best time.
       Heebner adds, "I am really proud of some of our new swimmers. They have come a long way. Swimming is an extremely hard part, as evidenced by the few people who can handle it. For our new people to practice every day really gives me hope for the future of RHS swimming."

Boys Basketball
By: Virginia Lopez and Stephanie Jolivert, Staff Writers

       Wilson overcomes an eight-point deficit in the final 70 seconds to beat Chambersburg. Reading High also loses to Penn Manor as the season ends. In the first game at Garden Spot, Wilson staged eight down in 70 seconds to stun Chambersburg 52-50. Reading High couldn't contain Penn Manor's Brandon Widener and Jordan Gibbs in a 57-55 defeat. The end seemed inevitable for Wilson after Chambersburg took the lead with 48-40, but the Wilson Bulldogs managed to turn the tables. Ryan Ebner scored six out of the 10 points in the final 52 seconds. Eventually they took the lead.
        Reading High took took its last lead at 47-46 on a baseline drive by Nelson Diaz with 5:21 left. Things were going well for the Red Knights early in the opener, when sophomore Jermaine Jackson had nine points in a run-and-gun first quarter that ended with reading up 21-16. From there though, the sixth seeded comets (18-8) we able to dictate the pace, the 6-7 Gibbs (16points,five rebounds) was able to get Jackson in foul trouble, and the Red Knights couldn't stop the second-half penetration of Wildener as he  continually drove the baseline for easy buckets. Richard Reyes who's the Reading High's couch said "I know that this is unacceptable for a lot of our fans." He told the young guys that through all of the disarray and chaos, he was proud of how far they got themselves.           

March Madness
By: Robert Kresge, Staff Writer

       It's that time of the year again, March Madness, one of the most exciting months in NCAA basketball.  It is the time of the year where college basketball players are going through a roller coaster ride of emotions.
     It's not the fact that they might have games coming, it's the fact that they might not have games coming.  See, what happens is the NCAA committee sits down and looks over all the teams.  First they look at their record, and that's the problem.  There are over 300 teams in the NCAA, though only 64 teams are allowed through to March Madness.  That's how much your record can mean. 
        If you have a tied record with another team, they then look at the strength of the schedules; if the team played higher ranked teams with the top 50, or if they lost to teams they shouldn't have help decide which team goes on.  Teams that won their conference are guaranteed in, such as Duke, Villanova, Memphis, and Connecticut.  They are seeded 1.  Teams can be seeded 1-16 in 4 different groups (Atlanta, Oakland, Washington D.C. and Minneapolis).
     After the first round, there are only 32 teams remaining.  It then goes to the sweet 16, down to the elite 8 and last to the final 4.  The Championship game everyone waits for, where the greatness rises, will then be held on March 12th in Indianapolis in the RCA Dome.  Now, of course, everyone expects one of the number 1 seeded teams to win it, but do not sleep on any team in March Madness.  If they know who would win it, why would they play the game.  Numbers are just numbers!