Tag Archives: SJP2014

Press box staff sets positive tone for sports reporters

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The Jets enter MetLife Stadium for their preseason opener against the Colts on Aug. 7.

The Jets enter MetLife Stadium for their preseason opener against the Colts on Aug. 7.

By Asia Matthews and Diego Pineda
Queens, N.Y. & Raleigh, N.C.

During the Jets-Colts preseason game on Aug. 8, all one could hear in the press box was the sound of reporters frantically tapping the keys of their laptops. A few fiddled with their recorders or grabbed a bite to eat between plays. It seemed as though everyone was working in complete isolation. But for the staff of the stadium working the press box, it was an entirely different ball game.

A press box is expected to be filled with reserved and elite reporters who strictly maintain professionalism with the stadium staff. But the stadium workers had a different take on what working in the press box is actually like, claiming that working there feels like interacting with family members. Continue reading →

Opinion: Kiss Cam outdated, heterosexist

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The Jets played at the MetLife Stadium for their preseason opener against the Colts on Aug. 7.

The Jets played at the MetLife Stadium for their preseason opener against the Colts on Aug. 7.

By Ashley Nava
El Paso, T.X. 

You’re sitting in the stands at a major sporting event, hot dog in one hand, drink in the other. Suddenly, you look up at the jumbotron and see your projected face framed with a heart, and the words underneath read, “Kiss Cam.” Thousands of people anxiously wait for you to kiss the person sitting beside you. The only problem is, they’re your sibling.

This hypothetical situation is the reality that many have faced and will continue to face in the coming years. The assumption that any female and male sitting together are in a relationship, or at the very least are inclined to participate in this mockery of love, is ridiculous. Let’s not forget the awkward instances when they’re just friends. Continue reading →

Colts fall to Jets in preseason opener at MetLife Stadium

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The Indianapolis Colts warm up on Thursday before their preseason opener against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium.

The Indianapolis Colts warm up on Thursday before their preseason opener against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium.

By Najay Greenidge
Philadelphia, Penn.

By the kickoff of the Jets’ first preseason game on Thursday against the Indianapolis Colts, it was no secret that the starting quarterback job was Geno Smith’s to lose. But it was second-string quarterback Michael Vick who ended up stealing the show.

In his only series with the first-string Jets’ offense, Vick led the team on an 80-yard drive downfield, culminating with a touchdown by running back Chris Johnson. The Jets ultimately won 13-10 on the strength of a late fourth quarter field goal by backup kicker Andrew Furney.

For months, there was the looming question of whether coach Rex Ryan would tap Smith or Vick to pilot the Jets, who ended the 2013 season with a respectable 8-8 record. Some argued that after Smith’s uneven performance last year, the team would benefit from the 34-year-old Vick’s veteran touch. Continue reading →

Jets soar over Colts, 13-10

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The Jets enter MetLife Stadium for their preseason opener against the Colts on Aug. 7.

The Jets enter MetLife Stadium for their preseason opener against the Colts on Aug. 7.

By Hasani Valdez
Chicago, Ill.

The New York Jets kicked off their 2014 preseason with a 13-10 victory over the Indianapolis Colts, featuring a touchdown by running back Chris Johnson and a game-winning field goal by Andrew Furney.

The game started out with high optimism for the Colts. Last year quarterback Andrew Luck led the Colts to an 11-5 record before falling to the New England Patriots in the AFC divisional playoffs. Given the Jets’ record of 8-8 last year, the Colts were expected to dispatch with them swiftly. Continue reading →

Henderson hopes to lead Tigers to victory after disappointing season

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Mitch Henderson ’98, who won three Ivy League championships as a player at Princeton, is looking to capture his first Ivy crown as coach.

Mitch Henderson ’98, who won three Ivy League championships as a
player at Princeton, is looking to capture his first Ivy crown as coach.

By Johnny Flores, Jr.
Coachella, Calif.

After finishing 21-9 overall and 8-6 in the Ivy League, Princeton University head basketball coach Mitch Henderson hopes to make his fourth season a winning one.

“The less you’re focused on the littlest of things the better off you are,” he said.

Henderson, clad in basketball shorts and a Princeton University polo shirt, said he’s enjoying his time away from basketball this summer. “August is a pretty good time for us,” he said. “We’re off the road which means we’re not recruiting.” In the off-season, Henderson spends time in the office as well as time with his wife and two children.

While the season doesn’t officially start until November, Henderson is already spending time thinking about the future and setting goals for the upcoming season. “The goal is, we have to be playing together. In sports, life and anything else it’s ‘How do you get people to not think about themselves?’” Continue reading →

For Colts, key to winning season is a little Luck

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Luck during warm-ups for the Colts preseason game against the Jets.

Luck during warm-ups for the Colts preseason game against the Jets.

By Nelly Mendoza
Houston, T.X.

The final moments were the most exciting in the Colts-Jets preseason game on Thursday at MetLife Stadium, as the Colts tried to take the lead in the last quarter. The weather was warm and the sun had set in the sky. Anxious fans cheered their favorite players and booed each time the football slipped out of their hands.

The Colts, Andrew Luck’s team, lost. But even after the loss, Luck still has a lot to look forward to this season.

He is only 24, but the sports world is already expecting him to prove why he was chosen to replace Peyton Manning, the 38 year-old-quarterback that took the Colts to victory in Super Bowl XLI. He has an important weight on his back — Manning played with the Colts for 14 seasons. Continue reading →

A summer course in adulthood

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By Nathan Phan

Illustration by Nathan Phan

By Saintra Thai
San Bernardino, Calif.

With a knapsack on my back, an over-sized suitcase by my side and a plane ticket in my hand, I was ready to go on an epic adventure.

I was at the time a sophomore in high school, and at the encouragement of my brother, I had decided to apply to Harvard University’s Secondary Summer School Program. A few weeks later, I found myself jumping up and dancing out of my seat when I got the acceptance email. I was convinced that it was pure luck that I had been offered a spot in the summer program. But while I thought my dreams had come true, my journey was just beginning. Continue reading →

Finding courage in my mother’s strength

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By Marily Lopez
Los Angeles, Calif.

I woke to the sound of my father’s voice on the phone, whispering, “Marily, take care of your sisters while I’m gone. I love you.” As an eight-year-old in Sleeping Beauty pajamas, I was confused. I fell back asleep thinking I was going to wake up to just another morning of my mom and dad sharing a kiss and laughing about my little sister’s ridiculous bedhead. I thought the next day we would all be eating dinner and giggling about how my mom dropped her dinner plate all over her shirt and our dog licked food off her.

Instead, I woke up, and I saw my sister’s bloodshot eyes. She had cried herself to sleep. Confused, I went into the kitchen, embraced my mom and felt her cold tears on my small shoulders. Suddenly, I realized that this change was permanent. From here on out, it would only be my mom, my two sisters and me. Continue reading →

Dreams inspired by my sister’s struggles

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By Eliana Lanfranco
Brooklyn, N.Y.

Every night, I sit down with my nine-year-old sister at the dining table and help her with her school work. I give her all of my attention and patience, and I make sure that she does her best on all of her assignments. Because she has trouble focusing, I must stay with her from start to finish, which means that I must put my own school work aside. As a result, I usually finish all of my assignments well past midnight.

It isn’t just that I have to help my sister with her homework. I also have to help her deal with the symptoms of her hyperthyroidism, which she was diagnosed with two years ago. This condition makes the thyroid glands produce an excess of thyroxine, causing my sister to have an accelerated metabolism, hot flashes and difficulty sleeping. Often, I must stay awake with her for hours until she falls asleep.

This responsibility falls to me because my mother works until late at night and does not speak English. When I was younger, I resented my mom for leaving this to me: None of my friends had to be like a substitute mother for their siblings, and I envied their freedom and careless manner. But as I grew older, I started to feel ashamed of those feelings. I realized that my mother was working all day so she could pay the bills and everyday expenses. Continue reading →

Leaving the nest and finding myself

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By Angela Kim
Valencia, Calif. 

Growing up, I was encouraged by my parents to “leave the nest” and experience as much as I could, but I was always overwhelmed by how big the world was. I was overwhelmed by the entirety of people, places and experiences the world had to offer, but also nervous about being away from home. So when I was accepted into the Princeton University Summer Journalism Program this spring, I felt ambivalent.

I left Los Angeles with unease, but once I met other students from the program boarding my plane, my apprehension gradually disappeared. I was now shaking with anticipation: I wondered what kind of people I would meet and what the East Coast would be like. Continue reading →