may 2012
features
the stentorian | ncssm
pi
h
5^
The Avengers
deserves hype
By: Marcy Pedzwater
Marvel’s latest superhero
movie, The Avengers, has
been surrounded by hype
and anticipation. The movie
brings together an all-star
cast of superheroes including
Iron Man, the Hulk, Captain
America, and Thor.
It is always promising to
see a movie theater crowded
for a Saturday matinee showing,
two weeks after the movie has
been released. The crowded
movie theater was my first sign
that the movie would live up to
my sky high expectations.
The plotline was
captivating. The film did a
great job of creating a complex
story with twists and turns
that, for the most part, were
fairly unpredictable. The action
scenes were well-executed, but
there was also a perfect blend of
dialogue and humor to balance
the action out.
Unlike most action movies,
there was actually a storyline
behind the action, which was
refreshing.
The movie was also funny
NCSSM student fences
internationally
By: Mia Madduri
in a way that never seemed
forced or unnatural. There were
scraps of humor throughout the
entire movie that gave it comic
relief when action scenes might
have started to drag otherwise.
However, the movie also had
sad and serious moments that
added another dimension to
the film.
My only disappointment
was the movie’s unbelievable
moments. It seemed as
though in parts of the movie,
the screenwriters simply
gave up. Instead of offering
complex explanations for the
occurrence of something, they
provided weak, hard to believe
explanations.
Even though this movie
is clearly not supposed to be
realistic, there is a line between
science-fiction and anything
goes that the writers crossed
several times.
The acting in the movie,
however, made up for any plot
holes. Robert Downing Junior,
who played Iron Man, once
again portrayed the arrogant
yet lovable Stark Enterprises
Tycoon flawlessly.
The chemistry
between the cast members
was perfect; the antagonist
relationship between Iron
Man and Captain America
] was riveting, giving both of
' the characters added depth.
Of course, it is
impossible to write about
the film without mentioning
Samuel L. Jackson, who
did a fantastic job of
playing Nick Fury.
Overall, the movie
deserved all of the hype
surrounding it. It was
enjoyable to watch and it
raised the bar for superhero
movies to come.
4.5 out of 5 stars
NCSSM Junior Joey Lew
not only balances her academics
and social life this school year,
but also attends Mid-South
Fencer’s Club where she has
been fencing since she was
eight.
Lew started fencing when
she was eight after watching her
brother’s friend. Even though
her coach only taught nine years
old and older, he still allowed
her to train and since then she
has been passionate about her
sport.
Not only has Lew won
regional and local events
she has also been competing
nationally. In the beginning
of this year, in first trimester,
she has traveled to London
and Hungary to compete in
international competitions for
the first time.
While she was in Hungary,
she was dealing with pneumonia
and a 101.5 fever. Despite
feeling unwell, she still got
second place, a silver medal
and a trophy.
“I rarely compete in
a competitive vein locally.
My mindset and focus is on
improving and learning,” Lew
says.
She fences in Cadet
competitions, which are
tournaments for 16 years and
younger. Every year she also
participates in NAC, the North
American Cup, and summer
national competitions.
In the beginning of the year
she had many tournaments, but
the off-season for fencing is
about three months.
“In the beginning season,
I had tournaments every
weekend, but now I haven’t had
one for a period of two months,”
Lew says.
There are 3 types of
fencing - Foil, Epee, and Sabre.
They are just different styles of
fencing and each has a different
set of rules.
In Foil, there are certain
areas you can hit on the body
that will allow you to score a
point. In Epee, a hit anywhere
on the body gains you a point.
In Sabre, you can score
with the edge of the blade
whereas in the other types you
score a point my using the point.
Each style has a different type
of weapon.
“Sabre fits my personality
type. It’s aggressive and you
have to think fast and move
quickly. It’s closest thing to
dueling that still exists. It’s
more confrontational than the
other two styles of fencing,”
Lew says.
Stereotypical fencing is
depicted as wild sword fighting
in movies when in reality it is a
civilized sport that has rules so
participants don’t get hurt. Just
like any other sport, however,
injuries do happen.
“I had tendonitis in
5 places; my elbows, left
hamstring, and both knees.
A girl broke my finger at a
national competition. I’ve had
pulled muscles, and I tore my
right hip flexor. Because of that
injury, I was off fencing for
about three months,” Lew says.
However, despite these
injuries. Lew has found that this
is a great stress reliever and that
when she isn’t exercising she
feels jittery and unfocused.
Before attending NCSSM,
Lew trained at Mid-South
Fencer’s Academy for 3 hours
a day, six days a week. With
the rigor of academics, she now
trains 10-15 hours a week.
“I wish it were more than
that, but it has allowed my body
to heal. I had a lot of injuries
last year because I overworked
myself I learned organization
and time management. Fencing
took up a lot of time last year
also,” Lew says.
Next year. Lew plans on
starting a fencing club. She
has taught younger groups of
children and adults over the
summer and during the year.
She has also gotten the
Mid-South Fencer’s Club to
agree to provide equipment for
her club. The only problem is
finding a sponsor.
“I would be fhistrated not
to get it off the ground because
I couldn’t find a sponsor,” Lew
says.
Courtesy of Joey Lew