![With the energy and effort the Bolts were bringing to the game, the Phoenix had to step up and match them to make it through their first game of the season. Many of the girls on the team, including freshman Nazly Rostom, have been playing soccer since their childhood and have grown a love for the sport as a result. “It was fun to see how we actually played in a [real] game,” Rostom said. “Even though the outcome was not what we were hoping for, I’m still happy we got to play together.”](https://theblazerrhs.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/DSC_0154-1200x800.jpg)
![Held up by a group of cheerleaders, flyer sophomore Leyu Yonas poses as part of a stunt, also supported by flyer junior Shayne Mitchell behind her. (Left) Prior to the pink out football game on Oct. 13, the athletes practiced in the aux gym from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. (Right) On Oct. 19, the cheerleaders competed in their District Championships at Woodgrove High School. “We definitely put all our effort on the mat [at Districts], and it showed,” Mitchell said. Left: Photo by Nadia Shirr. Right: Photo by Steve Prakope via Victor O’Neill Studios.](https://theblazerrhs.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/feature-image-1200x823.png)
![Sophomore Xavier Smith (6), the Phoenix quarterback, runs the ball as his teammates help hold up the defense. “My [offensive] line collapses, so I just [have to run], and its a good way to get first downs because [Tuscarora’s] defense was really good,” Smith said.](https://theblazerrhs.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/IMG_5383-1200x897.jpg)
![As the referee throws the ball up for the tip-off, freshman Simone Diby leaps towards the ball to get it in Phoenix possession. Diby is a new member of the Phoenix girls basketball team, and despite it being a change, she finds it enjoyable. “It’s definitely a different experience if you’ve never played on a team, [but] I think it’s still fun.”](https://theblazerrhs.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/DSC_0057-1200x662.jpg)
Taylor Swift Fans Aren’t “All Too Well” After “Red” Album Release
Taylor Swift’s release of “Red (Taylor’s Version)” breaks records, leaving fans unable to shake it off.
Taylor Swift rerecords and re-releases her 2012 album “Red,” adding to her long list of accomplishments during the COVID-19 pandemic, including winning a grammy, releasing five albums, and making a documentary. Swift set her sights on rerecording her first five albums after the ownership and rights of her first six albums were sold to Scooter Braun, head of Ithaca Holdings, for $300 million in 2019 without her knowledge. “Artists deserve to own their own work, I feel very passionately about that,” Swift said in an interview with CBS Sunday Morning.
February 5, 2022
Once again, Taylor Swift has regained her vocal throne. On Nov. 12, 11- time Grammy winner Taylor Swift re-released her album “Red.” The album featured many of the original “Red” songs which gained popularity such as “22,” “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” “All Too Well,” and “I Knew You Were Trouble.”
Along with these hit originals, Swift added 16 never-before-heard songs in collaboration with artists such as Ed Sheeran, Phoebe Bridgers, Gary Lightbody, and Chris Stapleton. These songs were originally written in 2012 by Swift, but were kept off the original version of the album in hopes of being able to add them to the next album. However, the leftover songs soon became forgotten as each new album didn’t seem to connect with the theme of the previous one. She reintroduced the forgotten songs in “Red (Taylor’s Version)” after seeing an opportunity to let them finally be heard.
Swift announced the re-release of “Red (Taylor’s Version)” in June. Additionally, in Aug., she posted a mini trailer hinting at the new tracklist of her album. The trailer featured a vault with scrambled words flying out of it, meant for her fans to unscramble. She has been known for leaving clues and easter eggs such as this one since her first album.
The “Red” album explored many different genres of music, making it one of the best albums of 2021. The music genres in the album ranged between pop, country, folk, and dubstep. When she wrote the songs for the original album, Swift was 22 years old and hadn’t found which genre she liked best, resulting in her experimental album. The album hit Top 50 on Spotify within 24 hours, breaking the previous record, also held by Swift for “Folklore,” which received over 90 million streams.
In 2012, when Swift released the original “Red” album, she had mentioned that the song “All Too Well” was her personal favorite, and was very glad when it lined up with the overall fan favorite because it enabled her to explore releasing the raw version of the song before it got cut down to a normal length.
“I showed up for rehearsals and I was really upset and sad, so I started playing guitar, the band joined in, and I started ad-libbing what I was going through,” Swift said in an interview with Jimmy Fallon. “The song kept building in intensity, and went on for about ten to 15 minutes, and that was the original version of ‘All Too Well.’” She went on to say that this was the song she was most excited for fans to hear because it was the original lyrics.
However, Swift and her fans weren’t the only ones excited for the album to come out. Both the Empire State building and Starbucks were thrilled for the approaching release. On Nov. 12, the day it came out, the Empire State building lit up red in celebration, and Starbucks made Swift’s order, “Tay’s Latte” available to buy for any and all customers who wished to try it. In addition, they played songs by Swift throughout the day.
Fans are debating whether Swift will release a “1989 (Taylor’s Version)” or “Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)” next. The excitement never dulls in the Swiftie fandom, as until the next official announcement from Swift herself, fans will go back to micro-analyzing her new content searching for hints at the future.
