You’re born naked and everything else is drag

Posted on April 24, 2012 by comm5775

By FRANCES MOODY

Drag queens are fabulous, but what makes them fabulous? Is it the sequined clothes, the big hair or the bright makeup? Maybe it’s the person behind the layers of foundation and eye shadow, the man behind the woman.

Püre at Club Sound on Friday night lights up with a main and weekly attraction, the drag queen show. Local celebrities, like the one and only Nova Starr, lip sync to pop music and spout choreographed dance moves.

Coming from the “House of Starr,” Nova pushed her way through the ranks of “salty gossip” (otherwise, known as the gay Salt Lake City gossip) and accomplished Salt Lake stardom. Adorned in bright makeup, a curly blond wig, and tight fitting clothes designed to hug the curves on Nova’s voluptuous figure, Nova adores busting out on stage with performances full of surprises However, her quest to change the minds of Salt Lake City citizens and to make an art form out of dressing in drag proved a tedious and frustrating task.

Nova moved to Salt Lake to chase the dream of becoming a costume designer at the Utah Opera Company. Perfecting her skills in costume design, Nova carried her talent her drag persona. A personality filled with expensive styling practices.

Now without the money to make costumes, style hair and live the performer lifestyle, Nova has decided to follow her dreams on tour. A path that was introduced after Nova was named in two books: 100 of the Most Influential Gay Entertainers and the Official Drag Handbook.

However, not wanting to disappoint her fans, Nova does her best to perform in Salt Lake City once a month. “Honey! As a drag performer, you spend hundreds of dollars on clothes and style. Yet, at Püre, I would only get paid $50 a night to perform once a week. That just doesn’t cut it.” Nova said.

Despite such societal stipulations, Nova, with her drag presence, created a niche for yearning drag queens, a niche that offered self-expression and a place to call home.

Like Nova, many other aspiring drag queens have experienced turmoil within the Salt Lake community whether it is the Salt Lake community in nightlife, gay-life or churchlife.

This home, this “House of Starr,” gave community fame to on-the-spur performers, like Paris Starr. It also inspired art admirers, like Vienna Starr.  Vienna Starr, real name, Justin Carter, is known in the real world simply as Justy. He is on hiatus from drag queen life. He gave several reasons.

Stomping into his friend’s bungalow in Salt Lake City’s Sugar House neighborhood, Justy walked through the living room and straight into the kitchen. Pulling out a bottle of Danish vodka, he was ready to pour out his heart and the alcohol.

Like many others who perform in drag, Justy was attracted to the idea of acting as someone else. “It was very easy as to introduce myself as Vienna, get to know these people and then, hang out with them as a boy later… To do drag made social life a lot easier,” said Justy, after sipping from his signature drink, “a touch of class,” a concoction made from vodka, orange juice and tonic water.

It is easy to imagine Vienna’s popularity at Püre. Standing at six feet and dressed top to bottom in stylish couture clothes, Vienna pulled in attention from all corners of the club. Living drag made Justy’s life better in many ways, he said. Coming from Utah County, a predominantly LDS and politically conservative area, Justy hid himself and his homosexuality from the world.

Not coming “out of the closet” until he was 19, Justy thrust himself into the gay world and a new mode of self-expression. This representation of self and sexuality was delayed. Especially, when glancing upon Justy’s peers.

Now 22-years-old, Justy feels that he lived and still is living through, what he calls high school the sequel. To him, high school the sequel arouses gays to experience common adolescent issues. Experiences that his school friends thrust through in their teenage years. For instance, Justy, for the first time, went on his first “real” date, faced peer pressure involving drugs and made attempts to rebel against his family and the LDS lifestyle. Justy’s acceptance of his homosexuality, prompted him to jump over life’s hurdles at an older age and for him to find a place of acceptance.

This form of discovery can be seen in many young gay adults in Salt Lake City. Hoping to belong to a place where they are fully accepted, several of them have found solace at Püre. To some, Püre is a place to call home. It was and sometimes still is the House of Starr.

The documentary, Paris is Burning, produced more than 20 years ago, displayed the meaning of a “House” and it’s importance to the gay world. Nova made the point to prove the film’s presence. “A house is a group of gay people that comes together as a family… in Utah’s community, many people need a house or a family,” she said.

People like Justy found a new home. They also found a place to showcase their spectacular talents. Nova and others from the Starr family agree that drag is much more than dressing as a woman. It’s about expressing yourself as a person capable of achieving a dreamlike existence. “To be honest, drag is an extension on what I do best,” Nova said.

Though he found a family and attention, Justy experienced negativity in the world of “dragdom.” Skipping experiences as the “true” Justy when in his former years, Justy lived his newfound personality in younger and exuberant ways. These young ways presented many problems for him in the drag culture, problems existing in almost every high school setting.

Like Nova, Justy experienced a lack of appreciation both in and out of the drag queen circle. Justy lived in just one of the many subcultures within the gay community. Such subcultures hold places in a caste system structure. “It’s just like the movie ‘Mean Girls,’ girls, but it’s mean boys,” Justy said.

Speaking in young adult terms, drag queens are the most unpopular group within the gay circles. “Drag queens are at the bottom of the food chain, being at the bottom of the chain means you can’t get dates,” Justy said while browsing through the messages stored in his phone’s inbox.

Perhaps, people classify drag queens as social scum because they play the role of an alter ego. To a lot of the gay population, drag queens are characters that hide behind a mask, or in drag queen terms, layers of makeup. in spite of the existent profiling, Nova argues that dressing drag is an expansion of John Carter, her given name.

To Nova, most everyone adopts a role to play, whether it is on or off stage. “Drag Queens say, you’re born naked and everything else is drag. For instance, every gay man dresses drag, whether it’s a gym bunny with his shirt off or a twink wearing tight jeans (both are groups found in the gay community),” Nova said. Nova attempts to advertise her definition of drag, hoping that all people will find a connection to her personal lifestyle.

To Justy and Nova, many Utahns hold no respect for what drag queens do.  Nova wants people to know that dressing drag has been around for centuries and has surfaced in several cultures around the world. When talking about drag, Nova always mentions its history.

The word “drag” was used during the Elizabethan period to describe acclaimed actors who performed the roles of women in plays. “It makes you think about the bedroom scene in Romeo and Juliet a little bit differently,” Nova quipped.

Dressing drag is still a shock to much of the world. By choosing the drag queen lifestyle, Nova and Justy lived with many forms of discrimination. With Nova on tour and selling jewelry that has received attention from famous drag queen reality TV star RuPaul and Justy pursuing other areas of interest, one question remains: What will happen to the drag queen culture in Salt Lake City?

Said Nova: “Drag in Utah will evolve, though it may take longer to catch up with more liberal areas.”

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Blakely Bowers

Posted on April 24, 2012 by comm5775

MY STORIES:

  • MY  BLOG:

Through the course of this semester I have gained a deeper appreciation for news reporting and writing. I am realizing that all the aspects I have been taught during my schooling here at the University of Utah come together to create the perfect storm. I wasn’t so sure as to why I was learning certain styles or techniques until now. Ahha! It all just clicked! I have gained a stronger sense of confidence regarding my ability to write. At the same time, I continue to be challenged and humbled as I read and learn from the professionals in the field.

Reflecting upon the topics we wrote on this semester, they were all new to me. This sparked new interest and knowledge in the fact that I can write about topics even if I haven’t covered them before. It has been extremely beneficial for me to have to write about something I originally knew nothing about. I learned how to research without becoming biased to one side or another, and to take the research and turn it into an avenue for questions and further learning. We were lucky to hear from Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill. We also heard from Salt Lake City Police Chief Chris Burbank. I had no previous knowledge regarding these two individuals or what exactly their jobs entailed. I was able to listen to them and be inspired to write.

It is fascinating what progress can be made while being stretched in new directions. Journalism is far from a “comfortable” career. With new topics, fast paces, and technological advancements the journalism career is not one to stand still in. I have learned and relearned the inevitable, that what you put into your work is what you get out of it. The success is absolutely affected by the amount of work put in. I am excited and anxious to continue writing and see where it takes me.

ABOUT ME:

My name is Blakely Bowers. I am 24 years old. I am majoring in journalism at the University of Utah. I was born and raised in Salt Lake City, Utah. I have been married for about three years. We have lived in Washington D.C.,and spent the last year in New York City, where I have been interning for an entertainment company while simultaneously on a self-guided “foodie’s tour of the city.” I enjoy putting the many thoughts racing through my brain into writing. Journalism is my creative outlet. I hope to influence those who read my stories. Whether it simply be the awareness of the topics, or the writing itself, I hope others can take something away from my stories.

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Addicted to cellular connection

Posted on April 24, 2012 by comm5775

Addicted to cellular connection

Story and photos by BLAKELY BOWERS

Cell phones have become the norm for people across the world. A 2011 study by the Pew Research Center in 2011, determined 83 percent of American adults own some version of a cell phone, and 94 percent of young adults ages 18 to 29 own cell phones. The numbers have been steadily increasing for the past decade. Pew Research

Cell phones have an enormous impact on all aspects of daily life. Some are good and some are bad. But constant use of cell phones seems to beg the question: Are we addicted to these handy little devices?

Cell phone owners are becoming younger and younger. Middle school and even elementary school students now carry cell phones. “ Everyone at my school has a cell phone. Duh. Most of us have had them for a few years now,” said Anne Earl, a seventh grader at Evergreen Junior High in Salt Lake County. When asked what she most uses the phone for, she replied, “Well usually just texting my friends and taking pictures, but my mom calls me and I call her to check in and stuff.”

At such a young age these children have access to practically anything, right at their fingertips. They can surf the Web on mobile devices, take photos and send text messages to their friends. A Utah company, Net Nanny, provides a customizable content filter that can be easily installed on a mobile device. Net Nanny

Parents, who frequently fret about the power their kids have with cell phones, can select what can and cannot be accessed from the specific mobile device. Access to specific photos, sites, or just plain old Web surfing during school hours, can be blocked from children.

Teachers now have rules regarding cell phones use during class time, but how easy is it to enforce them? “ I can tell when students are using their phones because they are obviously looking down at their crotch. These phones are preventing them from learning and really paying attention in class. How do you talk to someone who’s writing a message at the same time? You don’t,” said Linda Clapir, a resource teacher at Salt Lake County’s Skyline High School.

Cell phones affect the way we learn and the way we live. The ability to communicate with those far or near within a matter of seconds is convenient. We have the ability to share videos, pictures and text messages, all while sitting in a meeting or even inside a quiet library. The timeliness is convenient for business people.

Cell phones have played major roles in crisis or emergency situations.  When stranded on a road with car trouble, a cell phone is more than helpful. In some cases, experts have said it is even a deterrent to would-be attackers if a woman just pretends to be on her phone.

But is it possible the phones offer too much of a good thing?

Seniors have some differing opinions on this topic.

“There are times when cell phones are OK, and then there are times when they aren’t.  These young people need to learn respect for one another. It’s ruining our society when we don’t have to communicate face to face. We shut each other out and become clueless to existing humans,” said Mary Milliner, 80, of Salt Lake City.

“I have a new smart phone and I am learning how to use it,” said Mary’s husband, Shirm Milliner, 79. “I am enjoying learning something new and having to get involved in this new day and age. I do not use this phone when I should be interacting with other people.”

Shirm is learning how to e-mail and read numerous different news sites from his Android phone. This keeps him in touch with the up and coming, which he views as important to keep his brain functioning in the aging process.

Cell phones have a huge impact on our safety on the roads.  “Distracted driving due to cell phone use is much more prevalent than anyone realizes,” said Cottonwood Heights Police Sgt. Scott Peck. Peck has been a police officer for more than 30 years, and has witnessed the transition from simply driving– to driving while distracted by cell phone use.

“The biggest mistake people make is believing they can text and drive at the same time. It is the worst form of distracted driving because you are not even looking up. Your head is literally down, leaving no view. I could give 20 to 25 tickets per day just for distracted driving” Peck said.

Peck reserves his major criticism for mothers who talk, text and drive. “Moms have a million things going on in their head, while trying to keep track of kids, schedules, etc., feeling like they need to talk and get things done at that exact moment, even if they are driving.”

Utah laws regarding phone use while driving are fairly vague and pale in comparison to some other states. Utah drivers have it easy compared to California, for instance. Talking or texting while driving can result in a $299 ticket. Hands-free devices are permitted.

So, are we addicted?

The way we socialize has changed immensely since the boom in cell phones.  We no longer have to communicate face to face. Regardless, research shows that 13 percent of cell phone owners pretended to be using their phone in order to avoid interacting with the people around them. Pew Research

This impacts the way we learn to communicate with others, giving an easy way out of uncomfortable or challenging social situations.

Text messaging and picture taking are the top ways Americans use their cell phones. More than 73 percent of owners use their phones these ways, which helps to account for the rise in text messaging taking over actual conversation. Some people feel this type of electronic talk is more efficient. Some people feel we are simply growing more anti-social. So, are we addicted?

Multimedia Presentation

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Spotlight on Jeremy Lin exposes Linsane Asian stereotypes

Posted on April 24, 2012 by comm5775

New York City was experiencing unseasonably warm weather in February, but it was even hotter inside Madison Square Garden. The New York Knicks were scorching, and it had nothing to do with climate change.

There was a new phenomenon about to go global: Linsanity.

Jeremy Lin, the undrafted Harvard graduate, helped propel the Knicks to a seven-game win streak, which included a 99-88 win over the Utah Jazz where Lin had 28 points and 8 assists.

It is the feel-good sports story of the year – a story with ups and downs, highs and lows, even laughter. But as with any fairytale, there is an ugly side to the saga.

Lin is only the fourth Asian-American to ever play in the NBA and much focus has been on his Taiwanese ancestry.

As Lin’s profile rose in the media, something unexpected also crept into the spotlight – America’s casual use of racist jokes involving Asian stereotypes.

During a game broadcasted on the Madison Square Garden Network, a camera zoomed in on an audience member holding up a homemade sign that had Lin’s face and an open fortune cookie with the words, “The Knicks Good Fortune.”

On the night Lin scored a career high 38 points against the Los Angeles Lakers, FoxSports.com writer, Jason Whitlock, tweeted, “Some lucky lady in NYC is gonna feel a couple inches of pain tonight.”

Whitlock later issued an apology. Fox Sports did not reprimand him.

Tricia Sugiyama, Asian-American Program Coordinator at the Center for Ethnic Student Affairs at the University of Utah, said she is not surprised by how fans and sports pundits have perpetuated negative Asian stereotypes for laughs.

“I think it’s part of the whole ‘model minority’ stereotype,” Sugiyama said. “People openly mock Asians because they’re seen as less vocal. They won’t fight back.”

A “Saturday Night Live” skit, which aired on Feb. 20, perfectly illustrates general American attitudes toward using certain racial stereotypes publicly, Sugiyama said.

In the short clip, three sportscasters are sitting around dishing out racially tinged puns as they discuss Lin. But when a fourth commentator makes similar remarks directed towards an African-American player, the others scold him for his comments.

The issue Lin’s race and how the media treats it came to a head when ESPN published the headline “Chink in the Armor” for a story that questioned Lin’s abilities after the Knicks lost a game, breaking their win streak.

The story headline was published on ESPN’s mobile site and was pulled about a half-hour later.

Generally speaking, the phrase “chink in the armor” has no racial implications. But many found it to be in poor taste when used in reference to the on-court performance of an Asian-American athlete. ESPN ultimately fired Anthony Federico, the copy editor who posted the headline.

“I think the phrase was probably used inadvertently,” said Michelle Crowson, a graduate student and instructor of Asian-American Studies at the U. “But to say it was just a mere mistake is a bit too optimistic.”

While she is not a sports fan in general, the story of Lin has captivated Crowson like so many others. For her, it is not about Lin’s underdog story. She’s more interested in how Lin’s story is exposing and dispelling Asian stereotypes in the mainstream media.

“Following it all as it unfolds in the media has been so fascinating for me,” Crowson said.

There is a distinct difference in how the mainstream media portrays Asian stereotype depending on gender, she said.

“Asian females are seen as submissive,” Crowson said. “Other times they use their sexuality to their advantage – the dragon lady.

“Asian guys are generally shown as nerds. They’re not good at sports,” Crowson said. “They’re also shown as being asexual. They’re rarely the romantic lead.”

Lin has broken some of these Asian male stereotypes by simply having made it to the NBA.

“In our society, athletes are seen as the physical ideal. They have a certain romantic or sexual aura to them,” Crowson said. “He’s become sort of a sex symbol. I don’t think Asian American men have had a role model like that. Lin’s impact on the mainstream is incredibly powerful.”

For Derek Leo, a freshman at the U and a student of Crowson’s, Lin is someone who young Asian-Americans like himself can look up to.

“He’s like the ideal. He’s smart and athletic,” Leo said. “Not only can he play ball but he graduated from Harvard, too.”

Leo is a second-generation Chinese-American. Both of his parents immigrated to the United States from Hong Kong.

His family settled in Tooele, a town of 30,000 in Utah’s west desert, where they have owned and operated a restaurant for the past 40 years.

“I was one of like three Asians in my graduating class.” Leo said. “It’s not very diverse out there. But it’s not really something I’ve thought about until recently.”

Leo considers himself an athletic person. He does not recall having any Asian-American athletes to look up to as role models when he was growing up.

He was familiar with Michael Chang, the former Chinese-American tennis player who holds the record for being the youngest to win the French Open. Chang was 17 when he beat Stefan Edberg in the final match at Roland-Garros in 1989.

And Leo knows about Michelle Kwan, a Chinese-American figure skater who has won two Olympic medals and she’s a five-time figure skating world champion.

But Leo doesn’t care for tennis or figure skating. While he recognizes that these Asian-American athletes have accomplished great feats in their respective sports, Leo is an NBA fan.

Even though he roots for the Boston Celtics, he still has vested interest in Lin’s success, which he believes will be short-lived.

“Honestly, I think Linsanity will die down and he’ll wash up,” Leo said. “I mean it already kind of has.”

On March 31, it was announced that Lin would undergo knee surgery, which would sideline him for the rest of the season.

“When I read that news, I was so bummed out that my shoulders just dropped,” Leo said.

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Jason Nowa

Posted on April 24, 2012 by comm5775

Utes Baseball Overmatched Midway Through Season
Story and Photos by Jason Nowa

The inaugural year in the Pacific-12 Conference (Voices of Utah) for the University of Utah athletics has been one of transition and struggle.

When the university switched athletic leagues last year, the big story was all about difficulty– how challenging the change would be, and how tough it would be for the Utes to switch to new surroundings, higher pressures and a notch up in the quality of competition.

Critics and fans alike suggested the sport to take the biggest hit would be baseball. The baseball program was thrown into one of the best conferences in the country.

Warm climate states, including California and Arizona, have six Pac-12 member teams, and that warm weather certainly helps, giving teams a chance to play year-round.

The Baseball America preseason Top 25 rankings had five Pac-12 teams ranked to being the year. All five of those preseason ranked teams are currently still ranked in the Top 25 midway through the season.

One new addition from the Pac-12 to those rankings is the University of Oregon, currently ranked at 22 in the nation.

The others are University of Arizona at number four, UCLA number five, Stanford number six, Oregon State number 20, and Arizona State number 24.

A historic win for the Utes came when they swept a doubleheader on March 16 against USC for its first Pac-12 victories.

Their worst loss of the season so far came on March 30 at home against UCLA 16-0. The Utes have had two separate six-game losing streaks through the season and have won more than one game only once.

“This first half of our season hasn’t gone as we wanted, but we can only move forward and plan for the next game. The past is the past,” junior catcher Parker Morin said.

The team had only one home game through the first 22 games to start the season. They went 1-8 through their last home stand.

The team heads back on the road playing at California-Berkley before returning to Salt Lake City for a quick home stand starting on April 24.

The Utes are currently the only Pac-12 team with an overall losing record halfway through the season.

Pitching has been a problem this year. The team has only two starting pitchers who have thrown over 17 innings. Juniors Joe Pond and Brock Duke are the most consistent starters.

Pond is 2-5 in eight starts with an ERA of 5.62 in 40 innings. Duke is 2-1 in six starts while posting a 3.35 era in 40.1 innings. Duke has 25 strikeouts to 14 walks while Pond leads the team with 32 strikeouts and has 20 walks.

The team’s most reliable relief pitcher has been Mitch Watrous, who has pitched 24 innings posting a 2.25 ERA, lowest on the team with the most appearances.

Closer Tyler Wagner has been very shaky through the first half of the year. He has pitched 20 innings with a 4.87 ERA. Wagner on April 3 gave up five earned runs in the 9th inning of a devastating 9-6 loss to rival BYU.

“Our team needs better quality starts from myself along with our other pitchers so that our offense doesn’t have such big deficits to try and overcome,” said Junior starting pitcher Joe Pond.

The most valuable player through the first half of the season has been catcher Morin. Morin leads the team with a .347 batting average, 41 hits, and 22 RBIs. Morin as a catcher also has the duty of controlling the pitchers and knowing their strengths.

Short stop James Brooks, who is a returning starting senior from Melbourne, Australia, has been equally as consistent as Morin to help lead the offense. Brooks is batting .301 with six home runs and 18 RBIs in 37 hits. These two have held the team afloat offensively.

The two biggest disappointments offensively have been sophomore third baseman Trey Nielsen, and senior outfielder Shaun Cooper. Nielsen dominated Mountain West Conference pitching last year as he was honored as a Louisville Freshman All-American. Nielsen was one of the big threats in the lineup as he had nine home runs with 41 RBIs on the year. Nielsen’s production has tailed off considerably this year with a .233 batting average, no home runs, and only eight RBIs through 30 games that he has started.

When asked how the transition has been for the team to the Pac-12 conference Nielsen said, “It’s been a struggle. We are facing multiple future major league players on each team now as opposed to maybe one or none from any team we faced in the Mountain West last year. This Pac-12 league is the best in America.”

Cooper was picked as a preseason Louisville All-American slugger after the fabulous season he had last year with a .332 batting average, eight home runs, 43 RBIs in 67 hits. This year Cooper is only batting .205 with four home runs and 15 RBIs in 24 hits.

All the lost production from a potent offense a year ago could stem from the loss of two-time All-American first baseman C.J. Cron (Voices of Utah) to the major leagues. Cron became Utah’s first-ever, first-round draftee when he was selected 17th overall in the 2011 MLB Draft by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Opposing pitchers feared Cron, and often walked him.

The Utes finished in second place in the Mountain West conference last year with an overall record of 28-19.

The competition from switching leagues is a dramatic increase but it makes a team much different after losing two players to the major leagues in the same year.

Pitcher Rick Anton also was drafted a year ago. Anton was selected in the eighth round of the 2011 MLB Draft by the Los Angeles Dodgers.

“Being on the team last year was awesome; we were so good with C.J. and Rick. And they made everyone else better on the team. It’s tough without them. We’ve had to find new leaders to look to and find that one guy to rally around,” said shortstop Brooks.

The Ute baseball (Voices of Utah) team is currently sitting in 10th place out of 11 participating schools, with only University of Colorado not having a baseball team.

Overall the Utes are 10-25, while 4-8 in conference play as of April 10. They are 1-9 at home, 7-13 on the road, and 2-3 at neural field sites. There are 21 games left in the season to try and improve their record.

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McAllister: A greatful University of Utah graduate and supreme gymnast

Posted on April 24, 2012 by comm5775

By LEWIS WALKER

At age five, fearless in the places where most people outside of gymnastics would crumble like a game of Jenga gone wrong, stood Stephanie McAllister. Today with a full-ride gymnastics scholarship to the University of Utah, she is competing against some of the greatest gymnasts in the nation outside of the Olympics.

When McAllister was younger, she was involved in soccer, cheer, dance, pewee baseball, and figure skating, but gymnastics wasn’t always a sure route for her. “Once I got into gymnastics I was good at it but I wasn’t sure if that’s what I wanted to do,” McAllister said.

As McAllister got older her coaches reassured her that she had talent, but going further in her sport it would require her commitment to hard work and attention to certain skills. With the passion and desire to be great, and only at the age of five most would be impressed by the goals she had set for herself. “Stephanie was always the child that wanted to try new things, or planned do things,” said Jenny McAllister, Stephanie’s mother. “As I got into gym I had goals of working my way up through the levels as fast as I could,” McAllister said.

In gymnastics, the levels range from one to 10, but once you get to level 10 most of the competitors are home-schooled and their lives are basically living at the gym, but you would think a teenager would love to be out playing with their friends, this isn’t the case if these athletes choose this route. Now at the age 21, McAllister, the Indiana native has found a comfort in Utah where she has spent the last four years of her life.

Knowing she wanted to go to college, McAllister worked her way up through the levels quickly, limiting herself to level 10, being the highest before becoming elite and being eligible to compete for the Olympics. Like Nastia Liukin, McAllister did not want to become a professional and miss out on the opportunity to become a part of an institution where she would make great friends and form relationships with people she would always remember. “ I always take pictures and my friends make fun of me because every opportunity I have I get my camera out,” McAllister said.

“I didn’t want to exceed level 10 because I didn’t want to give up my life like some other girls,” McAllister said. “Most girls give up the most important times of their lives just to end up in the same place as I am today.” She added that most coaches like the gymnast coming out of level 10 because they are not as burnt out as others and they didn’t give up everything just to train. Only six people get chosen to compete in the U.S. Olympics, so is it really worth giving up and missing out on things in your teenage years just to end up in the same predicament as the rest of your competition?

Today Stephanie McAllister has perfected a gymnastics move on the uneven bars, which is her biggest strength named after herself, “the McAllister.” She performs the move by doing a reverse gripped hand-stand on the high bar into a front spin and back to a hand-stand flipping her grip and down into a hanging position. “To be able to have a move named after you, you need to perform it at a national meet with it never being done before,” she said.

“ I am exceptionally proud of my daughter and where she is in life right now, enjoying every moment, and must I add– a soon to be college graduate,” said Jenny McAllister.

Many people have looked up to McAllister over her years spent at the University, one being freshman Kailah Delaney. “Stephanie has taught me a lot about being a college athlete and juggling my studies,” Delaney said. Many times student-athletes think sports are the reasons they ended up where they are but that isn’t the foundation of what your future is made of. “ It is good to  have someone to look up to when your young because not everyone knows the right things to do, but she has helped me a lot,” Delaney said.

Over the past four years the University of Utah is proud to have gained such a talented, caring person to help their team make its 37th consecutive National Championship appearance possible, she will be missed when the Red Rocks take the Huntsman Arena next year.

Photo credits: Left to right- By:Lewis Walker, By:Lewis Walker,By:Taner Pasamehmetoglu (The Daily Utah Chronicle)

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The racial frisk: profiling a concern in Utah

Posted on April 24, 2012 by comm5775

By KATIE HARRINGTON

Asher Koles has a thin black mustache, a dark-olive complexion, and a slim build. He often drives his old Subaru Outback across long, open roads to go fishing and camping. His adventures take him to quiet and beautiful lands.

But sometimes, Koles’ adventures on the road are interrupted by the flashing lights and sirens of police cars.

Koles, a 24-year-old Salt Lake City native, said he is one of many people who are profiled by law enforcement for no reason other than the way they look. His most recent experience occurred last summer when he was driving back to Salt Lake City from a two-month trip in the Pacific Northwest.

“Cars were speeding all around me. But I was the one who got pulled over,” Koles said. “The cop walked up, stuck his head in, and started sniffing around. I said, ‘Do you smell something?’ And he wouldn’t leave me alone until I let him search my car,” Koles said.

But the officer found nothing.

“That experience pretty much sealed the deal for my eternal distrust of police officers,” Koles said. “He pulled me over for a bogus reason because my car looked dirty, I looked dirty, and I was an easy target.”

Magaly McMannis, a legal immigrant from Mexico, said she has been profiled countless times as well. A police officer once issued her a traffic ticket that indicated she was of Indian descent, McMannis said.

“I am not Indian,” Mcmannis said. “And even if I was, I don’t know why that is relevant.”

Amid immigration debates and post-9/11 distrust, racial and ethnic profiling of motorists has become a growing concern in the United States.

The American Civil Liberties Union, or ACLU, has dedicated an entire sector of programming to combat issues associated with racial and ethnic profiling, a practice that disproportionally targets people for investigation and enforcement based solely on skin color or ethnic background.

“[There are] clear and significant racial disparities in the way in which motorists are treated once they have been stopped by law enforcement”, said a national report released by the ACLU in 2007.

The report found that blacks and Latinos are three times more likely to be searched by a police officer once they are pulled over. Blacks are twice as likely to be arrested and four times as likely to be threatened by, or to be victims of the use of force by a police officer.

“While the Department of Justice says that the higher rate of searches of blacks and Hispanics is not necessarily the result of racial bias, it begs a critical question: why are blacks and Hispanics subject to searches disproportionately?” said Dennis Parker, the director for ACLU’s national Racial Justice Project. “It’s a question that needs to be answered.”

In the last seven years, the federal government has transferred substantial responsibility for the enforcement of civil immigration laws to the state and local level, according to a national ACLU report in 2009.

Perhaps the most infamous among recent state laws to address immigration is the 287 (g) program, which allows designated officers in various state and local agencies to perform immigration law enforcement functions that would have otherwise been performed by federal government officials.

The 2009 ACLU report said that the program has been criticized for allowing and encouraging the illegal racial and ethnic profiling and harassment of both immigrants and U.S. citizens.

But Salt Lake City Police Chief Chris Burbank said he will not tolerate racial and ethnic profiling in his police department.

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 22.5 percent of the population in Salt Lake City was documented as Latino and that number was nearly 31 percent in the school system, Burbank said.

“To alienate one-third of the population in Salt Lake City is ridiculous,” Burbank said. “We need the interaction and involvement of everybody.”

Burbank said he is setting the tone for his team of officers so that this problem does not take hold in his department.

“I am a very effective arm of oppression,” Burbank said. “Profiling is wrong. It is my responsibility to not allow this to happen.”

But McMannis said she has simply learned to accept the way she is perceived by certain people in the community.

“People do look at me and it does feel weird,” McMannis said. “But I have learned to not care because it is what it is, I am who I am. My dream as a girl was to live the United States, and my dream came true. That’s what is important.”

Filed under: Hispanics & Latinos(as), Immigrants & Refugees, Law and Justice, Politics | Tagged: , , , | Leave a comment »

The Last Look

Posted on April 24, 2012 by comm5775

Never Stop Crossing Rubicons

By Julianna Clay

Some bands come up with a name by random selection, devise it through drunken epiphany, or select it based on the way the names sounds. Not The Last Look. Their name was inspired by a turning point in world history when Caeser and his men crossed the Rubicon River. Before the crossing, Caeser told his men, “Take one last look at home because after this it will never be the same,” which is how three of the members of The Last Lok felt when they left behind their older project for a new venture. Lead singer Godbout further explains, “The idea of being willing to take a risk that might change the world and the dramatic image of taking the last look at the world as you know it resonated with me and has since become a theme for my life, not just our music. So to me we had no choice but to name the band The Last Look.”

The pop-rock band got their start like many other bands two years ago when Paulie Godbout (guitar and vocals), Dago Marino (bass), and Josh Tomlin (drums) played in a band called Secret Sobriety. All of them decided after a number of years together that they wanted to go in a different musical direction and start something more creative and new. The band went through another guitarist (William T.) before they decided that that vision should include more piano and synth elements. Their friend Hayden Henderson filled in on keys before they finally settled on keyboardist Allison Martin in 2011. Marino said of Martin, “Allison has been a great addition to the band and really adds so much of her artistic presence to the music and visual aspects of The Last Look.”

Although Martin and Tomlin are the only ones with formal training (Martin started learning classical piano at age four, and Tomlin had guitar lessons), every member of The Last Look has been playing in bands for at least ten years. Ironically enough Godbout and Marino were in their first band together. Godbout remembers that they both showed up with the intention of playing bass. In the end they flipped a coin and that’s how he ended up playing guitar, “Then a few years went by and after we fired our singer I filled in until we found a replacement; we’re still looking for that replacement, ha!”

Instead of defining the band as a particular genre, Martin, Tomlin, and Marino describe the band’s sound simply as ‘good rock ‘n roll’. It’s Godabout who delves into the nitty gritty of their sound, describing it as something inspirational, electro, and Dub-Gaze-Core. “If The Replacements met U2 at a bar, wrote a bunch of ideas on a cocktail napkin, then borrowed Pearl Jam’s gear to try out what they’ve come up with, you’d have The Last Look,” he further elaborates.

As far as influences go for the project, all three band members mentioned—in no particular order—Ryan Adams, Michael Jackson, DGeneration, Pearl Jam, and The Replacements. Godabout claims that what sets them apart from their influences is that every member equally makes his or her own artistic contribution to the music. Godabout writes the lyrics, Marino keeps the rhythm going, Martin adds keys and estrogen, and Tomlin helps maintain a precise beat they can all play to. However, what Marino claims really makes the band unique is, “We really do strive to approach matters with a deal of depth. Whether a love song, a narrative about some aspect of life, or an anthem of emotion, we try to attack the subjects sonically and lyrically with something more than surface explanation or examination.”

The Last Look’s new EP, Sehnsucht, is all about life’s diverse depths and emotions. It was recorded in Rigby Road Studios with Joel Pack, who was able to capture and conceptualize all of the band’s crazy and beautiful ideas and concoct them into a finished, cohesive product.

Pack explains what he thinks of the album and the band, “I know the word ‘epic’ gets thrown around a lot, but after listening to their songs over and over again, it’s obvious that they write their songs to sound big, and, well…epic! If you’re into bands like U2 or Angels and Airwaves, I think you’d like them. They can get kind of Police-y too.”

“Breath” and “Pops” are two outstanding songs on the EP. Godabout describes “Breathe” as a sexy and cacophonous song made up of random noises like running power tools, crushing cans, and lighting matches and “ Pops” as a passionate song about breaking stereotypes and molds. Godabout reveals about “Pops”, “I wanted the song to feel like I busted into a church and screamed at the congregation and God and told them exactly how I felt. Joel helped us create an intro that sets that tone for the entire song which is a tribute to my dad who never stops crossing Rubicons.”

Sehnsucht is available for free download at bandcamp and their first EP is available at any Graywhale location near you. Both EPs can be also be purchased at every show, as well as some additional acoustic tracks, available for an appealing trade. Godbout declares, “Josh and I have tons of acoustic tracks that we’d be willing to give you if you bought us a few beers.”

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Of three movies, one moves a guy to tears

Posted on April 24, 2012 by comm5775

by: Zachary Arthur

As summer approaches blockbuster movies are hitting the big screen. Over the past month many filmgoers have seen the highest grossing movies of the year—not to mention one of the most famous disaster movies of all time return to the big screen.

“21 Jump Street”, “The Hunger Games”, and “Titanic (in 3D)” are three movies that either opened in the number one spot this year or opened in the number one spot in their original release date.

“21 Jump Street” started the movie extravaganza. Although the movie was clearly pegged as a comedy, there was still anticipation for everything else it might offer and any surprises it had in store.

Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum play bad police officers who are sent back to high school as undercover students because of their immaturity. A new drug is making the rounds at school. The cops are assigned to stop the drug from spreading out the school walls, and to find out who is making and distributing it.

Above and beyond everything else this movie is a comedy. The goal of the film was to make whoever was watching it laugh however I was surprised to find that there was a wide range of action and a small love story that developed on screen.

One particular scene that had the entire theater laughing had the gym teacher confronting Hill and Tatum in the school hall. The gym teacher asks for their hall passes but does not know that Hill and Tatum had just been forced to do a new drug to prove they were legit students.

The key to this movie’s success lies in the acting. Hill was cast as the slightly overweight nerd and Tatum was cast as the athletic and attractive jock. While the movie plays certain angles to mix their roles up, the true comedy of the movie is a result of what actors played what parts.

Kyle Copier, a freshman at the University of Utah, attended the movie. “Every time Jonah Hill is in a movie I can bank on it being funny,” he said. “This movie did not disappoint and although it was not the funniest movie I have ever seen him do, it had other aspects to it that brought the movie to the same level.”

Although “21 Jump Street” was probably the best comedy of the year so far, “The Hunger Games” had to be the most anticipated film of 2012.

Among popular adaptations of young adult novels to film, such as the “Harry Potter” and “Twilight” series, “The Hunger Games” is the newest in the genre and targeted mainly to females, ages 13 to 18. Still, the film has found a way to make a place in the adult market.

In the first three weeks of its run, the movie has made $302 million worldwide and has maintained its top box office ranking the entire time.

The movie has newcomer Jennifer Lawrence take over the lead role of Katniss Everdeen, a poor girl struggling to take care of her mother and younger sister. Lawrence is the highlight of an already bright film.

“The Hunger Games” world takes place in the near future as the country has been divided into 12 districts.

Once a year the country hosts “The Hunger Games,” a competition where a boy and a girl from each district are chosen to compete in a competition in a simulated world with only one way to get out: Fight to the death.

The last person standing gets out and the rewards are plentiful. Apart from Lawrence’s performance as Everdeen, the movie benefits from its unique pacing.

A film with a violent and action-packed theme, “The Hunger Games” waits until about half way to even start the competition. This may sound like a poor plan, but it is perfectly executed.

Heather Reynolds, a junior at Westminster College, thoroughly enjoyed the film.

“If anybody has read the book then they know the movie is a must-see. They nailed most of what the book said, and although they left a few details out, the whole story was still told very well,” Reynolds said.

This was a strong surprise in the box office and one that leaves people wondering about future adaptations.

The most recent release of the three movies is “Titanic (in 3D).” It is a big screen rerelease of the highly touted 1997 movie “Titanic.”

The movie won 11 academy awards and until “Avatar’s” release in 2010, was the highest-grossing movie of all time. The special effects were well beyond the movies years and many were anticipating the chance to see the movie again at the movie theater.

If you hesitant at seeing the film again, or shudder at the length of this movie (195 minutes) then please stop now. If you need a good meal or a nice walk around the park to clear your ones head then please take the necessary steps towards doing that.

This is the same classic that people fell in love with in 1997. Jordana Kahn, a freshman at the University of Utah said, “The movie packs every possible emotion into one package and leaves you wanting to cry and never let go of your loved one at the end of the movie.”

The ship was called by many at the time as “The unsinkable ship” and its design showed why. The boat was large and as luxurious as anybody could imagine.

The one big fault of the ship was that there were only enough life rafts for about half of the ship. The ship ended up hitting an iceberg two days into its voyage and sinking.

The end result was that 2,223 passengers were on the ship and 1,517 died.

Directed by James Cameron, the movie goes builds toward the tragic end for the ship while weaving a love story throughout. Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet star as the two people on the ship who always find a way towards each other.

DiCaprio plays -Jack Dawson-, a poor American that won his way onto the ship in a game of poker. Winslet plays -Rose DeWitt Bukater-, an English woman unhappily engaged to a wealthy man.

The two could not be more opposite in appearance and demeanor, but the most important aspect to this movie’s success is how DiCaprio and Winslet connect on the screen.

The on-screen chemistry is unmatched and the reason people do not get bored or annoyed with the movie’s extreme length.

As a critic, I have a unique power to potentially influence people’s opinion on seeing a movie. And if anybody questions my validity on these reviews let me leave you with this:

While watching “Titanic (In 3D)” I got a little emotional during one scene. One tear fell from my eye. And since this movie is so great. I’m not ashamed at all.

Filed under: Media, Student-Journalists | Tagged: , , , | Leave a comment »

Getting Dirty: Why children need to be outdoors

Posted on April 24, 2012 by comm5775

Story and photos by KATIE HARRINGTON

A semi-weathered copy of Thoreau’s “Walden” is perched on the top shelf of an IKEA bookcase in Nick Harrison’s bedroom, next to a collection of guidebooks, a stack of old climbing magazines and a French pocketknife — the handle made from the trunk of a cork tree. Harrison’s name is engraved on the blade.

A large, unfinished painting of southern Utah’s Castleton Tower is nestled into the corner of the room, near a box of paintbrushes and a piece of notebook paper with the title “2012 TO DO LIST” written across the top:

Keep a clear mind. Visit a different continent. Finish Castleton painting. Push my physical limits. Change someone’s life for the better.

Harrison, a 20-year-old student and a “liftie” at Alta Ski Area, grew up with the Wasatch Mountains in his backyard, inspired by their mystifying allure.

“I am drawn to the outdoors,” Harrison said. “These mountains are my constant source of motivation. I draw them. I climb them. But I didn’t fully appreciate what they had to offer until I got older. Survival, self-reliance, serenity: these are all things you can only truly learn by getting outside.”

But kids today don’t seem to see the outdoors the same way Harrison does.

Crowson (left) and Harrison pack their car for a climbing trip in April.

According to a national survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation, kids ages eight to 18 spend an average of 7.3 hours engaging in entertainment media in a typical day. This amounts to more than 53 hours per week.

Be Out There — a National Wildlife Federation campaign that hopes to reconnect children to the natural world — notes that a study in 2005 revealed that children are spending half as much time outdoors than they did 20 years ago.

Neil Crowson — Harrison’s roommate and adventurer counterpart — grew up down the street from Harrison, spending his childhood skiing in the Wasatch Mountains and rock climbing with his father.

“It’s really important for a kid to go out and get himself in the dirt, jump off rocks and cut his knees up, and get on the mountain at a young age,” Crowson said. “If kids do that, then they come to develop ambitions and learn to respect the mountains.”

Both Harrison and Crowson say they have — in one way or another — been defined by their outdoor surroundings, that growing up with the mountains as their playground has given them a sense of place and purpose in a seemingly uncertain world.

The walls of their living room are covered from ceiling to floor with personal photographs that share a common theme: being outside.

The gear room in the basement of their bungalow-style house is crammed with racks of ropes, climbing gear, bikes, skis, backpacks, tents and camp stoves—and a looming odor that can only be created from years of adventuring outdoors.

“I can’t ever see myself leaving the Wasatch completely,” Crowson said. “The people that founded these canyons, both in skiing and in climbing, have also founded tons of areas around the west coast. But you always see them coming back to Salt Lake and that’s because we hold the mountains with such high regard. They define us.”

But that defining power of the mountains — of the outdoors in general — is becoming increasingly sparse among today’s youth, as an increasingly technology-fueled lifestyle drives kids indoors — and keeps them there.

“It’s hard to learn a key set of morals as a kid when the world is changing so rapidly and technology is always advancing,” Crowson said. “It’s always hard to know how to become a man. But the beautiful thing about the outdoors is that it’s a constant. It’s timeless. So the same set of values that existed 100 years ago still exists today.”

Outdoor Nation — a community-based program created by young people, for young people — was founded in 2010 to address the growing disconnect between today’s youth and the outdoors.

“America is in a current state of crisis where its youth are choosing technology over nature, Xboxes (check the proper spelling on X box) over healthy lifestyles,” Outdoor Nation said on its website. “Green spaces in urban areas are either unsafe or non-existent. Families, schools, and media have failed to engage and excite youth about the benefits of the outdoors.”

Judy Brady, a licensed clinical social worker in Salt Lake City, said being outdoors is especially important for a child’s development because it fosters self-esteem.

“One of the ways in which we gain self-esteem is through task mastery,” Brady said. “When a child is outside, he or she gains personal self worth by problem solving, by completing new and challenging tasks.”

A series of studies published in a 2009 edition of Journal of Environmental Psychology found that being outside in nature makes people feel more alive.

“In vital states people demonstrate better coping and report greater health and wellness,” the study reported. “Being outdoors has been proposed to be good for health and well-being because when outdoors, people tend to both interact more with others and get more exercise.”

The sunlight also triggers serotonin and dopamine production, neurotransmitters that help maintain positive feelings in the brain, Brady said. Cases of seasonal depression are seen more often in the winter months because there is less sunlight and people spend less time outdoors.

“When we are surrounded by all man-made objects and man-made ideas — products of our own society — we become dysfunctional,” Crowson said. “We forget how to respond. We are alienated from each other because we are constantly around each other. When you are in the outdoors and there’s nothing but organic sounds, it gives you a chance to really bond with other humans.”

Allison Librett — a lawyer and fitness instructor in Salt Lake City — said that exposing her children to the outdoors at a young age has helped them establish and maintain relationships.

Librett has a nine-year-old and an 11-year-old, both of whom spend their summers at outdoor camps with children of diverse abilities and backgrounds.

“Fresh air, exercise, mental stimulation — these are all such important things for child’s development,” Librett said. “My kids have had the opportunity growing up to interact with the world around them, to know what their imprint is and that they have a purpose.”

Librett said that when her children spend long periods indoors — especially when they are on the computer or playing video games — she notices that they are much more anxious, emotional and frustrated.

Those emotions disappear when her children are engaged in outdoor activities.

Harrison said he hopes that today’s youth will realize what adventuring outdoors has to offer.

“Kids should be excited to get out, to be outside, to breathe fresh air, to see a full moon and a bunch of stars, and hear the coyotes,” Harrison said. “That’s the sickest thing to me: just hearing and seeing and feeling the world as it is. ”

And if Harrison’s convictions about the benefits of nature aren’t heartfelt and persuasive enough, then perhaps a passage marked in his copy of “Walden” is:

“I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.”

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Filed under: Environment, Mental Health, Science & Technology, Sports & Recreation | Tagged: , , , | Leave a comment »

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