Swim team dyes hair before WPIAL tournament

Sean Miehl, Staff Writer

February 19, 2014

Walking around the hallways of BPHS this week, one would see an amalgam of mysterious hairdos. The hairstyles belong to those on the swim team, who are about to compete in the WPIAL and State Championship tournaments.

The boys team goes extreme during the week before the big tournament. All of the guys team that makes the cut for WPIALs dye their hair. Then, a few days before the tournament, they cut their hair in a crazy way. They call this “crazy cuts.” Before the tournament, they shave it all off.

Senior and swimmer Mitch Stahara said, “It is a lot of fun. All of the hair is going to be shaved off anyways, why not have some fun with it?”

The purpose of shaving is so that the swimmers can pull a faster time. They can also avoid having to wear a swim cap if they shave their heads.

The tradition has continued for quite some time.

As for the origin of the tradition, Stahara said, “I actually do not know exactly when the tradition started. My guess would be sometime in the string of championships during the ’80s and ’90s. The guys on the team do not really question the tradition, we just follow it.”

Senior Kelly Kramer said, “I think it is just a way for them to have some fun before the stress of WPIALs and States. It’s also a good way to bring the team together before the tournaments.”

For a swimmer to qualify for the WPIAL tournament, they have to swim under a certain time. If they swim under that time, they automatically qualify. From the WPIAL tournament, the top 3 times qualify for the State Championship tournament.

From the guys swim team, 8 swimmers qualified for the WPIAL tournament. The swimmers that qualified are Mitch Stahara, Michael Brinker, Sean Doyle, Matt Spagnol, Vincent Tavoletti, Keith Powell, Nick Friday, and Steve Sell.

From the girls swim team, 12 swimmers qualified for the WPIAL tournament. The swimmers that qualified are Kelly Kramer, Meghan Douds, Allie Brinkhoff, Brenna Doyle, Jess Hirsh, Ashley Arzillo, Mallory Wright, Maria Vaghetti, Becca Yonek, Emily Russel, Cassie Shelpman, and Jen Kramer.

Also, 3 divers qualifed for the WPIAL tournament. The divers that qualified are Maria Capozzi, Ashley Wentz, and Brianna Litwin.

The WPIAL Swimming Championship will be held at the University of Pittsburgh Trees Pool on Thursday, Feb. 27 and Friday, Feb. 28.

Good luck at WPIALs and States!

About the Contributor

Sean Miehl, Staff Writer

Walking through the halls of Bethel Park High School, one will catch a glimpse of an energetic guy shaking the hands of all his peers. Sean Miehl's charismatic enigma is prevalent at the high school. Sean joined Hawk Eye and the journalism class to sharpen his writing skills, hoping that it'll give him an edge in college. Sean's main aspiration is to major in journalism at a four year college. "I joined Hawk Eye to improve my writing skills and to also gain some experience in the writing field," Sean said. "I'm thinking about going into journalism later on in life." Post high school Sean is looking into majoring in journalism or political science preferably at Ohio University. Sean is a diverse character. He admires music and going to concerts as well as playing inline hockey for Bethel Park. Miehl said, "I enjoy music and going to concerts. Music is apart of my life." In addition, Sean loves longboarding after school. A longboard is a skateboard of bigger size that allows the rider to make sharper turns and easier cuts. Sean said, "Aside from working at Ace Hardware and playing inline hockey for Bethel Park, I enjoy riding my longboard around Bethel Park." Sean's goals for Hawk Eye this year go above and beyond. His vision is to upload articles and videos quicker and on a larger scale. Sean said, "I want to see a successful, fresh, constant stream of articles. Also, more features that blend well with the student body. I want to make Hawk Eye apart of every student's experience here at Bethel Park High School." Expanding Hawk Eye means a lot to Sean. This past year, Hawk Eye, as a publication, won "silver" from the Pennsylvania School Press Association, a scholastic press association that represents PA. "I want to see Hawk Eye win gold next year. It's all about improvement," Miehl said. Sean's unique character will add a special flare to Hawk Eye. Sean said, "I think my enthusiasm will bring something special to the table." Sean's energetic character will add freshness to Hawk Eye. With Sean aboard, Hawk Eye can fully spearhead any task or obstacle in its path. Written by: Adam Larson, Editor-in-Chief