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(10/18/16 2:58am)
By Michael Battista
Staff Writer
From the gentle sounds of an acoustic guitar to the synthesized beats of a DJ, students had the chance to perform their own style of music during CUB Alt’s Student Band Night on Friday, Oct. 14, in the Decker Social Space. The featured acts were Diner Food, Flattop Phil and two freshmen who simply referred to themselves as “Danny and Jack.”
After some lighthearted banter during rehearsal, freshmen Jack Sofka and Danny Beer, an English major and computer science major, respectively, took to the stage. The duo played a set composed entirely of music by Radiohead, the band they bonded over during their first few weeks at the College.
Beer said they both came up with the selection, including songs like “Lucky,” Karma Police” and “No Surprises” at the last minute.
“Neither of us really knew how to play the songs, in general. We just both love Radiohead,” Beer said. “So we just sat down and we were like, ‘All right, what songs can go where and which do we wanna do?’”
Beer and Sofka said they enjoyed their time onstage, and the crowd, filled with friends and other students, seemed to have just as much fun.
Next was Diner Food, a four-man band comprising drummer Patrick Keller, a junior international studies major, and his friends from outside of the College. The group’s style was heavier than the previous duo, with Diner Food more into the grunge and punk genres. The band’s set included early 2000s alternative, such as “First Date” by Blink-182 and Bowling for Soup’s “1985,” as well as original singles, like “Flirt.”
Keller said the group of three years is just about having fun and not being too serious. He likened it to a bunch of friends hanging out at a diner until closing.
“I just have a lot of fun playing with my friends,” Keller said. “No matter what the situation is, or even if one of us happens to mess up a time or two, everybody just has fun either way.”
The final act of the night was DJ Flattop Phil, a change of pace for Student Band Night. According to Max Falvey, CUB Alt co-chair and a sophomore communication studies major, he wanted to try something new.
“I just wanted to switch it up a little,” Falvey said. “A student soloist night is just acoustic performances, whereas a band night, you can have a couple people doing acoustic stuff, a full band or a DJ… I just think it was a better setting.”
When Philip Antwi-Buosiako, a junior interactive multimedia major, took the stage as Flattop Phil, Decker Social Space was suddenly a club, complete with multicolored spotlights and hard-hitting beats. Besides playing popular remixes of known works, Flattop Phil also played some original work, including a single he has recently been working on called “Countin Up.”
“Generally, I know TCNJ audiences because I’ve been going here,” Flattop Phil said. “But in an event like this where I’m the center of it and directing the show, I just play what I feel and rock with it. I try to (have fun during performances).”
Falvey was happy with the night’s acts and hopes more students will approach him for future events. CUB Alt’s next event will take place on Friday, Oct. 28, for another night of free music with headliner Alex G in the Decker Social Space.
(10/06/16 2:55am)
By Michael Battista
Staff Writer
It was a bad week to wear scarlet, as both Rutgers University-Camden and Rutgers University-Newark fell to the women’s soccer team.
The Lions won on Wednesday, Sept 28, 5-0, at home and Saturday, Oct. 1, 3-0, on the road, respectively, in New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) games.
The women won seven consecutive games and haven't let up a goal in six straight games. The Lions are nursing an undefeated NJAC record of 4-0-0 this season.
Both games became physical battles, as the Lions and both Rutgers campuses racked up multiple fouls throughout the week. Camden earned 12 during its game.
Freshman midfielder Despina Lianidis said the Lions are prepared for anything opponents throw at them.
“We can play either physical or technical, and we decided to play both, half and half, so we could compete with any team that decides to be physical and not as technical as us,” Lianidis said.
The Lions offense continues to be the star this season. While the defense held strong, senior goalkeeper Jessica Weeder only had to handle one shot on goal through both games — the offense kept control for the majority of the game. The team had a total of 54 total shots against both the Scarlet Raptors and Scarlet Raiders.
During Wednesday’s match against the Scarlet Raptors, the Lions took a quick lead in the seventh minute, when junior midfielder Elizabeth Thoreson scored her third goal of the season. Senior forward Christine Levering’s cross into the box was fumbled by the Scarlet Raptors goalie, which allowed Thoreson to capitalize.
Chaos in the Scarlet Raptors box would help the Lions later on, as freshman midfielder Joriam Riveria rebounded off a blocked shot from Thoreson to sink it. Coach Joe Russo said these hectic moments really benefited the team.
“I thought we did that in pretty good stretches where we had a good method to the madness out there,” Russo said.
While the offense dominated, the physical game also took its toll. Levering needed to leave the field when blood started pouring from her face and onto her jersey.
Sophomore midfielder Arielle Curtis also had the crowd worried. When freshman midfielder Alexa Beatty crossed a ball in front of the net, Curtis jumped and headed it in for a goal. She injured her leg on the way down and needed to leave the game. At this time, there is no update on her condition, but she did not play against Newark.
Coach Joe Russo said no matter how physical a game gets, he doesn’t let it affect him or his team.
“To be honest, we don’t even talk about it,” Russo said. “We just try to play quickly and play the way we wanna play... We’re really not concerned with the physicality of the whole thing.”
The game finished off after Lianidis knocked two past the goalkeeper in the second half. She was able to break past the defense and the goalie for an open net goal. A few minutes later, she was able to capitalize on another goalie fumble when she rebounded in a blocked shot.
Lianidis said her work during the entire game helped her score for the team.
“I know for me, personally, I had to keep working and I know (for) the rest of the team our energy was high the whole game,” Lianidis said.
On a cold Saturday night in Newark, the Lions struck early again in the game. Junior midfielder Jessica Goldman stepped up and knocked in a penalty kick in the 18th minute for her fourth goal this season.
Three of those goals have come from penalty kicks, and Goldman says one of her tricks for consistent success is to never make eye contact with the keeper.
“Whenever I get a penalty shot, I make sure to just stay calm and keep focus,” Goldman said. “I never look at the keeper because I don't want her positioning to affect where I place the ball. I just take a deep breath and remind myself that it's a simple pass into the goal.”
The College has been the first to score in every game it’s played this season. However, the Lions continued another trend where after scoring early on, long periods of time would pass where they couldn’t finish offensive attempts, leaving the Lions with a dangerously close lead.
Goldman says it’s all about understanding the other team, and that takes time to do.
“I think it's really great that we're scoring goals early on,” Goldman said. “It's important to make a mark on the game right away and not come out slow… As far as not finding the net for long periods of time, I think that it just takes time to get settled into a game. Sometimes, it takes a while to figure out a team and find a game plan.”
However, the defense efforts and constant offensive attack by the team kept the Raiders from making any moves, leaving them without a single shot all game.
Goldman, Levering, Thoreson and Rivera all led the team with three shots each, seven of them being on goal.
While Goldman was the only one of the four to make a goal during a game, Thoreson was able to cross a pass to senior midfielder Lauren Malajian who chipped it past the goalkeeper in the 54th minute for her first goal of the session.
The final goal came from junior forward Hannah Richman, who blasted a long goal from 35 yards out into the back of the net, giving the Lions a 3-0 lead and her fourth goal of the season.
The Newark trip is only the first stop on a four-game stretch that sees the Lions on the road. Their next game will be against non-conference team Gettysburg College on Wednesday, Oct. 5, in Gettysburg, Pa.
(09/29/16 6:11pm)
By Michael Battista
Staff Writer
Baseball, and sports in general, has all kinds of players.
Some are the stoic leading types who are the first on the field and the last to leave.
Others are the egotistical kind — those who know they are great and flaunt it — whether it be for a higher contract or from some insulting comment.
Then, there are the happy ones. The ones who have a smile on their face, love playing their game and are happy to just be there.
Miami Marlins pitcher José Fernández was that type of person, and the world lost a light when he passed away on Sunday, Sept. 25. He was only 24 years old when he was killed in a boating accident off the coast of Miami.
The baseball world has already taken notice. The Marlins cancelled their game on Sunday against the Atlanta Braves and paid tribute by leaving flowers, a hat and a painting of his jersey number, 16, on the pitching mound.
Fernández, a Cuban immigrant who just became an American citizen last year, was a perfect fit for the Miami area. He attempted defection three times before finally making to the U.S. in 2011. He even dove into the freezing waters of the Atlantic Ocean to save his mother when she fell overboard during their journey. His heritage, story, personality and talent made him a fan favorite in Miami, where a huge population of Cubans reside, and that makes his loss so much harder to bear for fans.
Through all the messages of condolences and goodbyes from fans and players alike, many are remembering Fernández’s good heart and amazing play on the field.
ESPN’s Buster Olney remembered in a post that earlier this year, MLB held a game in Fort Bragg, N.C., the first game ever played on an active military base. While there, Fernández was asked by a fan to sign a flag, an 82nd Airborne Division flag. Instead of signing it himself, he took it around the dugout and had it signed by every member of the team.
This was the kind of person he was, but that’s only one part of him.
On the mound, Fernández had a promising future in MLB. After becoming an All-Star in his rookie year, he also won the 2013 NL Rookie of the Year voting, beating out the standout Dodgers star Yasiel Puig. His 2.19 ERA through 28 starts was impressive for the 21-year-old, and although he started less often during the next two years, the talent still showed.
His 2016 record was his best year yet. He won 16 games, the most in his four year career, and made it to his second All-Star Team.
José D. Fernández was not a Hall of Famer and he wasn’t a leader in Miami Marlins history. But the fact is he wasn’t done with his career. He could have done so much more good, been so much better and maybe even gone on to greater heights than he’d ever imagined.
Fernández may not have finished his story, but he lived his dream of becoming a Major League Baseball player.
(09/29/16 4:26pm)
By Michael Battista
Staff Writer
The Lions continued their undefeated season last week by scoring 15 unanswered goals in three combined games. The three clean sheets came against Fairleigh Dickinson University-Florham, 3-0, on Wednesday, Sept. 21, then New Jersey City University (NJCU), 9-0, on Friday, Sept. 23, and Widener University, 3-0, on Sunday, Sept. 25.
The College went into its game against NJCU Gothic Knights with the news that the NCAA Coaches’ Poll ranked the team 19th in the nation in Division III. However, senior midfielder Marissa Scognamiglio does not think the high ranking will get to players’ heads.
“I think that we try not to look at the rankings too seriously,” Scognamiglio said. “Only because we don’t want it to dictate how we play… we try to brush it under the rug.”
However, she did say that later on in the season, teams will start to care more about the national rankings since they determine who has home field advantage during the NCAA tournament.
The team’s week of games started at the College against FDU-Florham, where the Lions were able to get off to a quick start. Just over two minutes into the game, senior forward Christine Levering was able to blast in a goal off a cross from junior midfielder Jessica Goldman. Only six minutes later, Levering was able to sneak another ball past the Devils goalkeeper to put the team up, 2-0.
The Lions outshot the Devils 14 to 1 in each half of the game, but the score remained the same after 45 minutes. The College had no issue getting in place for shots, but wasn’t able to finish on some inviting chances. Levering thinks the team could have done more, but gave the Devils credit for adapting as the game progressed.
“I think we needed to stay more composed in the box throughout the game, but I also think they started sitting back and reading how we were playing,” Levering said. “They did better throughout the rest of the game.”
The Devils defense picked up after those two goals and managed to stop attacks early from the Lions.
The second half looked as if it would end the same way as the first, with multiple shots that ultimately failed to be converted, until junior midfielder Kayla Bertolino capitalized on a loose ball in front of the net in the 76th minute and scored.
After the win, Levering looked toward the team’s next game against NJCU with a similar game plan.
“Come out strong again,” Levering said. “Get quick goals and shut the team down in the beginning. Then I think we’ll be good to go.”
The Lions came into Jersey City, N.J., with a 1-0 record in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) on Friday, and hoped to improve their record.
Following Levering’s advice, the Lions attacked early and often against NJCU. After a foul in the Gothic Knights box in the 10th minute, Goldman converted a penalty kick to put the team up, 1-0.
The College didn’t look back after that. Both Levering and freshman midfielder Despina Lianidis scored twice during the match, and the latter clinched her first career collegiate goals.
Freshmen midfielders Joriam Rivera, Haley Bodden and Alexa Beatty also all scored against NJCU, and Rivera scored her first goal as a Lion.
While the offense kept the ball in the Gothic Knights end, the Lions defense held their opponents to only two shots.
The team traveled back to the College for its final game of the week’s long stretch against the Widener University Pride on Sunday.
While they outshot their opponent just as they did in their previous games, the Lions were not as dominant on possession early in the matchup, and the Pride had chances to push into the team’s end. However, they were unable to convert any of these into shots.
The Pride defense was in great form. The team kept the Lions offense off balance throughout most of the first half and took the ball out of their own zone.
The Lions pushed past this challenging defense in the 19th minute, when Scognamiglio was able to knock a shot past the Pride to put her team up, 1-0.
The rest of the half saw the Pride and Lions battle across the field, yet neither were able to make a dent. Scognamiglio said playing with such a small lead wasn’t easy.
“The one goal lead is probably one of the most dangerous leads to have in soccer, especially going into halftime,” Scognamiglio said. “In the last 25 minutes of the first half, we couldn’t find the back of the net and we had a lot of opportunities.”
Coach Joe Russo must have given a motivational halftime speech because his team came out swinging. Sixteen seconds in, junior midfielder Elizabeth Thoreson scored her third goal of the season unassisted. She caught the Pride off guard.
The scoring didn’t stop there. The Pride committed a foul inside their own box in the 47th minute, which gave Goldman a chance to extend the lead with a penalty kick.
She slammed the ball off her cleats and into the net, and boosted her team to a 3-0 lead that remained for rest of the game.
The Lions now look toward their next game, an NJAC matchup against Rutgers-Camden at home on Wednesday, Sept. 28. It is part one of a Rutgers double-header, as the team travels to Newark, N.J., to face Rutgers-Newark on Saturday, Oct. 1.
Scognamiglio said she and the team are ready for the challenges.
“We treat them like any other conference game,” Scognamiglio said. “It doesn’t really matter who we play in the NJAC — we come out the same way. What’s important is getting three points and a shutout… Going into those games, (we need to) focus on our strengths, which is possession and making sure we play our game with high intensity.”
(09/28/16 8:25pm)
By Michael Battista
Staff Writer
While turning into the College’s main entrance on Pennington Road, some have noticed a new fountain structure in one of the retention ponds on the left side of the gate. It turns out this structure isn’t a fountain at all, but an aerator used to help circulate water.
The aerator, which was constructed as a condition for Campus Town, was made in order to ensure proper storm runoff, according to Head Media Relations Officer Tom Beaver.
“PRC group, the developer of Campus Town, paid for the retention pond,” Beaver said. “It was a requirement for Phase I to ensure the adequate management of stormwater runoff, and was expanded slightly when Phase II was constructed to accommodate the additional development.”
Beaver also said that while the pond has a practical function, it serves multiple purposes.
“The fountain within the retention pond is both ornamental and functional, intended to agitate the water to improve water quality and prevent organic matter from settling at the surface of the pond,” Beaver said.
A retention pond is used to retain water at all times, so the one located on campus helps capture the runoff water from rainstorms. The purpose of the aerator is to help keep algae or other matter from sustaining life on the water.
However, Beaver said this should not cause alarm among students who may worry about the water quality around the College.
“Aerators are commonplace in retention ponds, and the decision to include one, in this case, was not brought about by existing water quality concerns, but rather to limit the likelihood of such problems emerging down the road,” Beaver said.
Beaver also went on to say that aerator is one of many efforts The College is making to ‘go green.’ Implementations such as the new electric vehicle charging stations in the parking deck in Lot 7 and more are all part of a plan started by College President R. Barbara Gutenstein.
“All of this comes on the heels of President Gitenstein's signing of the Presidents' Climate Committee, a compact of college presidents from across the country that are taking steps to reduce the carbon footprint on their respective campuses,” Beaver said.
While this new addition has multiple purposes, the College has two more large water sources on campus — Lake Sylva and Lake Ceva. With the two lakes in mind, Beaver said that any additional aerators would not come from the College, nor would it come from Campus Town.
“Currently, there are no plans to install aerators in any of the other lakes on campus,” Beaver said. “Any decision to add additional units would come upon request from the state Department of Environmental Protection or the Delaware and Raritan Canal Commission, both of which hold conservation easements on our lakes.”
(09/19/16 8:47pm)
By Michael Battista
Staff Writer
The women’s soccer team returned to the College for their first home games of the year last week. They were able to dominate both in and out of the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) and came out on top against Ursinus College, 3-1, on Wednesday, Sept. 14, and William Patterson University, 7-0, on Saturday, Sept. 17.
Junior midfielder Elizabeth Thoreson said she loves playing at home.
“It’s good to be back, I miss it.” Thoreson said. “We had a full year to be back here, and now that I’m a junior, I have two more chances left. So it’s good to start out first home game with a win.”
During the first half of the game, the Lions weren't playing as dominantly as in previous games.
The team’s playing seemed off, despite clinching an early lead thanks to senior midfielder Marissa Scagnamiglio’s goal from off an impressive cross through traffic from senior forward Christine Levering.
Through the heavy rain, the Lions missed many opportunities to expand their lead during the first 45 minutes, and the steady Bears defense allowed them to counter attack and tie the game up at 1 in the 43rd minute.
“Just being out in the first half, there was no fire,” Thoreson said. “And when you don’t have a fire, there’s nothing that’s gonna happen. So, we came together (during the half)… pulled ourselves together, came back out and said, ‘We have to fight for the game.’”
If the team wanted fire, they got it, as they pushed even harder against Ursinus. In total, the Lions outshot the Bears 33 — with 18 on goal — to 3, with 1 on goal. A majority of those shots came out in the second half.
Levering was able to sink a shot from 30 yards out early in the 50th minute to put the Lions up, 2-1. The Bears goalie nearly made an impressive save, but the ball bounced off her fingertips into the net behind her.
The Lions continued to attack by employing more passing play to try to get behind the Bears and get more shots against their goalie.
“We now play 4-5-2. The purpose of that is that there are triangles all over the field,” Thoreson said. “And we play short ball… the formation is meant to pass around other teams.”
While pass play is important to the team, Thoreson was able to take matters into her own hands late in the game. Dribbling into the box unassisted and blasting a shot off her cleats in the 79th minute, she put the team up 3-1. The score stayed the same and the Lions came away as the winners.
After that, the team began to focus on its first NJAC game of the season against William Paterson. Last season, when the two teams last met, neither was able to score. This, among other late season ties and loses, lost them home field in the NJAC playoffs and the top spot in the conference late in the season.
Head coach Joe Russo said this wasn’t about bitter feelings lingering over last year, but that his team has just been trying to get better.
“It’s not a revenge game or anything like that,” Russo said. “(The team) has been working extremely hard to get better. We’ve made improvements and strides since Wednesday into today and hopefully we can keep moving. The game was similar last year, but we just didn’t finish… and tonight we finished.”
The women’s improvements were put on full display, as they outshot the Pioneers 27, with 17 on goal, to 1 shot on goal, which came early in the second half.
The Lions defense kept the Pioneers out of their zone for most of the game, with the team’s offense putting pressure on William Paterson the entire day.
“I thought it was a total team effort for 90 minutes, whereas the other night I thought we only played 45 minutes,” Russo said. “So I thought it was a collective effort on both ends of it.”
After nine shots by the team, Thoreson was able to break past the defense and beat the Pioneer goalkeeper with a high shot to net a goal and put the team up, 1-0, in the 31st minute.
From there, the team didn’t look back, as junior forward Hannah Richman scored two goals during the game (36th and 74th minutes) and junior defenseman Abigail Emmert scored off a penalty kick in the 65th minute.
Three freshmen also made an impact — midfielders Alexa Pestritto (40th minute), Haley Bodden (69th minute) and Alexa Beatty all scored their first goals as Lions.
Pestritto, who scored off her own corner kick, said she wasn’t really expecting it.
“I was really surprised at first,” Pestritto said. “I don’t score that much, so when I did I was extremely excited. I got really amped up.”
The Lions also had a chance to give freshman goalkeeper Nicole DiPasquale her first taste of college play. She subbed in for senior goalkeeper Jessica Weeder late in the game. Weeder said DiPasquale is someone to look out for.
“Nicole… is very athletic and she picks up on new techniques (and) incorporates constructive criticism very quickly,” Weeder said. “Both traits that I think will help her bring her game to the next level.”
With the 7-0 win over William Paterson behind them, the Lions prepare to take on Fairleigh Dickinson University-Florham (FDU) on Wednesday, Sept. 21, at home. Coach Russo said the team is going to use every day to prepare for that.
“Our motto is ‘We just try to get better everyday,’” Russo said. “We’re going to try to continue to improve. There’s a ton of things we’re going to work on. It’s so early in the year, that we’re just preparing to play FDU-Florham and see if we can get another good result.”
(09/15/16 3:10am)
By Michael Battista
Staff Writer
While the sun set behind Loser Hall on Sunday, Sept. 11, the twilight sky shone red, white and blue as people made their way to the College’s 9/11 candlelight vigil.
The Loser Hall patio became a place of remembrance, as hundreds of students came to pay their respects to those who lost their lives 15 years ago in New York City, Washington, D.C. and Shanksville, Penn. It was only one of many similar ceremonies taking place across the country on Sunday.
College President R. Barbara Gitenstein opened the ceremony by reminding those in attendance not only of the loss of life that day, but of the subsequent losses of both members of the military and civilians in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as those killed in attacks since 9/11 — such as the shooting in San Bernardino, Calif., last year and the recent terrorist attacks in Paris, France.
“We must learn to live together, to learn from one another, to listen to one another,” Gitenstein said.
The vigil also included words from alumnus Lou Giaccardo (’89), who escaped from his office on the 87th floor of the World Trade Center’s South Tower in New York on Sept. 11, 2001.
Giaccardo told his account of the day, from his escape, keeping himself and others calm during his descent from the South Tower and his motivation to get home to see his son’s second birthday with his own eyes.
He continued to talk about the new One World Trade Center, also known as Freedom Tower, which stands in Lower Manhattan next to the 9/11 Memorial.
“May we never forget 9/11, but in terms of rebuilding we have truly moved on,” Giaccardo said during his speech. “We no longer refer to the site as Ground Zero. The new World Trade Center was built with love and passion… Because of this dedication at this site, where there was once hate, there is now love. Where there was once destruction, there is now construction, and where there was once evil, there is now hope.”
Giaccardo, who was a founder of Phi Kappa Tau fraternity at the College, said it was his first time giving a talk to his alma mater. His brotherhood came in force, with over a hundred Phi Kappa Tau active members attending the event
“It was a very moving and emotional experience,” Giaccardo said. “Seeing friends that I graduated with… made it more special. And my fraternity brothers were here, so it was a great honor to be here today.”
The vigil also included the lighting of candles held by nearly everyone in attendance and a few moments of silent remembrance.
Both Gitenstein and Giaccardo were pleased to see many students come out for the event, even after 15 years had passed.
“It’s very special,” Giaccardo said. “I was glad to see that many people out here today to remember it… and my message, I hope… the younger generation carries it along.”
Ryan Armstrong, a junior marketing major and member of Phi Kappa Tau, believes Giaccardo’s message came out well.
“I believe, based on Joe’s story, (the message is) to just go out of your way to help people when you can,” Armstrong said. “Because you (have to) do anything you can to counteract any bad in the world.”
As the ceremony came to a close, Vice President of Student Affairs Amy Hecht introduced a video about the children who were born on 9/11. For many of the students at the vigil, they were young on the day of the attacks. Although these children were only starting their lives, they have grown up and made a promise to do good and help others.
As everyone left, the student’s candles extinguished and while they held their small American flags, Gitenstein shared what she thought the ceremony means to this campus.
“We have to counteract hate,” Gitenstein said. “That was a day of hate and it has been counteracted with hope, love, caring and listening.”
(09/14/16 11:59pm)
By Michael Battista
Staff Writer
Two years of training. Two years of pushed back debuts. Two years of injuries and rumors of poor sparing practices. All led up to “Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) 203” on Saturday, Sept. 10, for Phil “CM Punk” Brooks.
The result? He lasted two minutes, before a rear naked choke made Punk tap out after being dominated in the first round by Mickey Gall.
The idea that Punk showed a lot of heart is circulating on social media, by fans of the former World Wrestling Entertainment star, Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fans and athletes around the world. Punk took that long walk to the ring in Cleveland as “Cult of Personality” by Living Colour played. Many fighters tried to take that walk, but only he was able to get it.
It doesn’t excuse the fact Punk was dominated right as the bell rung. Gall took him down immediately, and from there, Punk valiantly tried to defend himself in the corner of the Octagon. I remember turning to my friend after a minute and yelling about Punk’s face turning blue and his head being constantly hit in the back. Gall has the training, holds belts in Jiu-jitsu and has already claimed two first-round UFC wins. Punk came into the sport two years ago with no training at all at 35 years old.
It took Punk tapping his own hand against the ground for the fight to end in 2:14. After the defeat, Gall came out and supported Punk. Since Gall’s MMA announcement, he has been criticized for taking too long to train and being too hyped up.
“I see a lot of hate for this guy online… I think we all hate too much,” Gall said in an interview after the match. “Fuck the hate. We all need to love each other.”
When it came time for Punk to comment, he stayed humble and reserved. Since he entered the sport, Punk avoided boasting like his old wrestling persona was so used to doing. He knows he’s only getting started. He can’t talk the talk until he walks the walk.
“In life, you go big or you go home,” Punk said. “I just like to take challenges. This was a hell of a mountain to try and climb, and I didn’t get to the summit today, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to give up.”
After thanking the fans for the support and talking about his wife at home, Punk left on a motivational message.
“I know there’s a lot of doubters, but listen, life’s about falling down and getting up,” Punk said. “So, if there’s any kid out there that’s told by a parent, or a coach, or a teacher, or somebody they look up to, someone that’s suppose to push them and believe in them, and they’re told ‘no,’ don’t listen to them. Believe in yourself. Sometimes, the outcome isn’t what you desire it to be. But the true failure in life is not trying at all.”
Punk may have lost, but he still left the arena with a chorus of cheers around him.
(09/14/16 11:40pm)
By Michael Battista
Staff Writer
Any sport can have an incredible finish, whether it be that walk off home run in baseball, that hail mary touchdown in football or that buzzer beater shot in basketball to seal the win. But for every one of those, there is a team that comes up on the short end, just as the Lions did when they tied Johns Hopkins, 2-2, on Saturday, Sept. 10.
Junior defender Abigail Emmert said the team needed to be able to adapt if they wanted to play well against Johns Hopkins, who went 14-5-1 last season.
“I think the biggest challenge we will face… is implementing strategies and plays that we have been working on in practice, as well as adapting to (Johns Hopkins’s) formation,” Emmert said. “Our entire team, from starters to subs, knows what we need to accomplish today and what it will take to do so. We can't let small errors get get in the way of what we need to accomplish.”
Two minutes into the contest, the Lions seemed not only to adapt to the Blue Jays, but found an opening when Emmert headed in a goal off a corner from junior midfielder Jessica Goldman, putting the team up, 1-0.
Emmert credits the powerful playing by her teammates for the goal.
“I think our team just came out with an intensity that helped us set the pace and when we got the corner, we knew exactly what to do,” Emmert said. “Because we came out so strong and intense, we were able to make that first goal happen.”
After that, Johns Hopkins began a series of counter attacks with multiple attempts against senior goalkeeper Jessica Weeder. As with the Lions goal, a corner kick in the 15th minute set up a header goal for the Blue Jays, which tied the game 1-1.
Both teams matched one another during the first half, with both the Lions and Blue Jays taking five shots each. The Lions were overzealous at times, as they went offsides four times in the first 45 minutes — and eight times in the entire game, compared to Johns Hopkins’s one.
The first half came to a close with both teams still locked up, but during the second half the Lions came out just as strong as they did during the first.
Since they outshot the Blue Jays 5-0 during the first 15 minutes, the Lions were able to nail in a goal off the cleats of senior forward Christine Levering at 55:54, off an assist from junior midfielder Elizabeth Thoreson, putting the Lions up, 2-1.
The team continued to dominate until a lightning strike delayed the game for an hour and a half.
The long break between play gave the Blue Jays time to regroup. After play resumed, they took the helm as the dominant force.
Johns Hopkins outshot the College 4-1 after the break, and one of those slipped by Weeder with four seconds left in regulation to tie the game up at 2-2.
Neither team could come out on top in overtime, with the Lions unable to take a single shot during either extra period, leaving both at a draw.
With its record at 1-0-1, the College will now prepare for Wednesday, Sept. 14, when the team takes on Ursinus College at home for the first time this season.
Emmert says the team is ready for any challenge the season throws at them.
“We have a fairly young team,” Emmert said. “It important for our team to remember that every game is going to be different and every team plays differently, so what we did in one game won't necessarily work in the next.”
(09/05/16 9:44pm)
By Michael Battista
Staff Writer
After a tough loss to end its season last year, the College’s women’s soccer team started strong in its first game. The team fought for a 3-0 win against Virginia Wesleyan College on Friday, Sept. 2, in Norfolk, Va.
Both the Lions and Marlins came out kicking early on with the home team getting the first shot against the College only three minutes into the game, going wide of the net. The Lions were able to counter back, taking their own wide shot and setting a back-and-forth tempo for the early game.
Junior midfielder Jessica Goldman said she and the rest of the team knew what they were getting into.
“We came into today knowing that Virginia Wesleyan was going to come out hard,” Goldman said. “We’ve beat them the last two years, and this was the first time playing them on their home field, so it was definitely different. They were very physical, which we had to get used to in the beginning of the game. Once we all settled down and started playing our game, our confidence just grew.”
The Lions took three shots on goal in a 13-minute span, while they held Virginia to none. The Marlins couldn’t muster a single shot on goal during the first half.
Goldman was able to sink one of those shots into the net off an assist from senior forward Christina Levering in the 21st minute to put the Lions on the board, 1-0.
“I knew that a goal was coming. We were in their half for the majority of the first half,” Goldman said. “And once we got the first goal, the team really just came together and made sure we were only increasing the lead from there.”
Two minutes later, Goldman’s prediction came true, as Levering sank her own goal off an assist from junior defenseman Abigail Emmert, putting the team up, 2-0.
The two teams were silent for the rest of the half, with the College outshooting Virginia, 3-1. The Marlins first shot on goal came in the first five minutes of the second half, which was saved by senior goalkeeper Jessica Weeder.
The Lions were able to get one more on the board, as freshman defender Jen McGrogan scored her first career goal in her collegiate debut off a corner kick from Goldman.
“The feeling I got scoring that goal was probably the best feeling ever,” McGrogan said. “I got a rush throughout my body — words could not describe how ecstatic I was. Then being able to celebrate with my teammates in the moments after — especially Jessi for her outstanding corner kick — made me overjoyed. Having my teammates around me equally as happy just made the moment unforgettable.”
Goldman, who got an assist on McGrogan’s goal, said McGrogan’s play during the game was great.
“Jen played really well the entire game,” Goldman said. “She was extremely solid in the back and helped us get a shutout, which is always a main goal of ours. We got a corner in the second half, and Jen got in the box and took her chance. It was a great goal, and it was especially important because it was the third goal, and 2-0 is the most dangerous lead in soccer.”
As one of many new faces, McGrogan has impressed veterans on the team. McGrogan joined freshmen midfielders Haley Bodden and Alexa Beatty as they took shots during the match and kept pressure on the Marlins.
Goldman is impressed with the talent of the new group.
“This year’s freshman class is one of the most talented I think we’ve had in awhile,” Goldman said. “There are so many good girls, it’s honestly so hard to single out people. They are a bunch of hard workers who are already so devoted to the team. Their passion really shows.”
The Lions win on Friday was their only one this weekend, as the following day’s game against Christopher Newport University was cancelled due to weather caused by Tropical Storm Hermine. The team looks forward to its next matchup against Johns Hopkins University on Saturday, Sept. 10.
(08/30/16 9:37pm)
Michael Battista
Staff Writer
As students return for the Fall 2016 semester, the women’s soccer team has already been hard at work at the College preparing for its upcoming season.
The team has endured months of offseason training and two exhibition games against New York University and Swarthmore College. Now, the 2016 season is ready to kick off under coach Joe Russo.
After an impressive 11-0-3 start to the 2015 season, the Lions slipped up, falling in two of their last three games and losing the top spot in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) to Rowan University. In the playoffs, Rowan got the better of the women, beating them 2-1 in overtime. The Lions were also eliminated in the NCAA Tournament’s second round by Williams College.
Now, the team is ready to rebound for 2016, and senior defenseman Brianna Petro sees the team changing its ways.
“If we continue to do what we’ve always done, we are going to get what we’ve always got,” Petro said. “This year is about change, starting with the way practice is conducted, players on the team, formation, team chemistry and mindset.”
Petro said the team has been emphasizing chemistry both on and off the field. Last season, the team chemistry worked well throughout most of the regular season. The Lions defense only allowed seven goals during the regular season, with the first coming after seven straight clean sheets. Senior goalkeeper Jessica Weeder, who earned All-NJAC Second Team Honors, dominated the season and earned 12 shutouts and 31 total saves.
The offense also synced, scoring 49 goals all season, including one 12-0 routing of Penn State Harrisburg on Wednesday, Sept. 16, at home. Junior midfielder Elizabeth Thoreson led the team with 11 goals and eight assists last season, and she will be looking to dominate once again this year.
The Lions are also welcoming a new freshman class, and Petro sees them as one of the key pieces of the new team.
“The freshman class has provided depth to the team, which is exciting,” Petro said.
In total, the team has 15 freshmen joining the squad, including seven new midfielders, such as Haley Bodden and Despina Liandis.
Weeder will also have the chance to train new faces as the team welcomes two new freshman goalkeepers, Sam Carney and Nicole Dispasquale, to the team. Petro believes that as a senior, she has a responsibility to help lead these younger players and set an important example for them to follow.
“As a senior captain on the women’s soccer team, the example I set on and off the field for the younger players is extremely crucial,” Petro said. “Being a role model vocally and leading by example is a characteristic I will abide by throughout the duration on the season.”
The Lions play their first game on Friday, Sept. 2, against Virginia Wesleyan College Marlins in Norfolk, Va. The Marlins will pose a challenge for the newly adapted Lions. Chemistry will be key. Last season, they only lost two games at home and won seven.
Petro believes that after everything she’s mentioned, the team has all the pieces to succeed this year.
“With these changes, I know we are going to achieve great things this season,” Petro said.
(07/06/16 6:37pm)
By Michael Battista
Staff Writer
“Well this is not a boat accident. It wasn’t any propeller. It wasn’t any coral reef. And it wasn’t Jack the Ripper. It was a shark.”
Everyone has that one movie that sticks with them throughout their life — that one they quote constantly, know the most minute trivia about and watch whenever the opportunity presents itself.
For me, that movie is the 1975 summer classic “Jaws.”
During this past Fourth of July weekend, Clairidge Cinema, an older movie theater in Montclair, N.J., had two showings of the film, just in time for the 100-year anniversary of the shark attacks in nearby Matawan, N.J., that inspired the movie. Watching it on the big screen was a completely new experience, despite already having seen “Jaws” countless times.
Clairidge Cinema opened in 1922 and has been renovated since then, but the theater has not lost its classic aesthetic. It isn’t a large AMC or IMAX theater, but a more intimate setting with no trailers beforehand. The only thing that opened the movie was the old Universal Studios logo and the opening credits accompanied by John Williams’s famous score.
For those who might be unfamiliar with the film, “Jaws” centers on a fictional New England town called Amity Island. After a young woman is killed during a midnight swim, the town’s police chief, Martin Brody — played by the late New Jersey-born Roy Scheider — tries to convince local officials to close the beaches following what he believes to have been a shark attack. With the town relying on the July Fourth tourists coming in to give local businesses massive profits, the residents and officials stand firm as more people are attacked.
What may seem like a B-list monster movie today, “Jaws” continues to stand out for its subtlety and ambiance. The movie’s shark — whose appearance would not hold up to today’s special effects standards — cannot even be seen clearly for over half of the film. Instead, director Steven Spielberg opted to use underwater point of view shots of the shark or ominous music when the creature was present. No matter where one is seated in the theater, the music sounds great when coming from every direction. At times, it felt like I was back in 1975 seeing this for the first time, jumping as the shark sneaks up on an unsuspecting victim.
In one scene, two fishermen try to catch the shark — with hopes of claiming a $3,000 bounty — using a roast and tying it up along a pier. Suddenly, the chain begins to pull out to sea and the dock gives way, dragging one of the fisherman with it.
He begins to swim back to shore, but then the impossible happens.
The dock, which had been pulled out to sea, turns around suddenly as the music picks up and his friend frantically yells for him to keep swimming. All the while, the viewer doesn’t see any part of the shark — only a dock slowly catching up to the swimmer as the music intensifies.
Scenes such as this one were amplified by the movie theater’s assets — the surround sound, large screen, he cushioned seats that recline back and the theater itself all gave the movie a new feeling even after all this time.
Another noteworthy scene is the U.S.S. Indianapolis story told by Quint, a grizzled shark hunter played by the late Robert Shaw. He perfectly delivers the tale of 1,100 sailors being thrown into the Pacific Ocean after the ship’s side was struck by two torpedoes from a Japanese submarine — a classic cinematic scene aided by the haunting sounds of the ocean and the soundtrack.
Quint explains in haunting detail that the surviving members of the crew were subsequently attacked by sharks as they waited for rescue.
“You know the thing about a shark, he's got… lifeless eyes, black eyes, like a doll's eye,” Quint says to his shipmates. “When he comes at ya, doesn't seem to be livin'. Until he bites ya and those black eyes roll over white. And then, ah, then you hear that terrible high pitch screamin', the ocean turns red and ‘spite of all the poundin' and the hollerin' they all come in and rip you to pieces.”
“Jaws” still holds up to this day. Clairidge Cinema’s charm and the screening’s proximity to the anniversary of the real-life shark attacks, which also occurred in early July, when thousands of people descend on New Jersey’s shores, made it even better.
Overall, it was one of the coolest cinematic experiences I’ve had the pleasure of experiencing and I would suggest trying to see classics like this on the big screen whenever possible.
For those who intend to visit the beach this summer should watch “Jaws” before heading down. Remember, “You’re gonna need a bigger boat.”
(05/04/16 11:25pm)
By Michael Battista
Sports Editor
Another school year is coming to a close, and what a year it was for sports across the board.
In an almost-cruel twist of fate, the year is ending how it started: focusing on how big Patriots quarterback (QB) Tom Brady’s balls are. Coming into the year, the question was whether the four-game suspension will hold, and once again, one judge’s recent ruling has thrown that question out.
However, the 2015-16 school year in sports has been full of little guys, fighting to prove they belong.
The final four teams in the 2015 World Series were all — to be blunt — former losers. A few years ago, the Toronto Blue Jays would never have been looked at as a playoff team, back when the American League East was respectable and the Chicago Cubs were on the verge of breaking a curse that is more than 100 years old.
But the last two — the New York Mets and the Kansas City Royals — battled to bring home a trophy that neither of their teams have held since the mid-1980s. While Mets pitcher Matt Harvey sunk to unimaginable lows after his Game 5 collapse, Royals catcher Salvador Pérez and his team helped bring a city to its feet.
Then there’s my favorite story of the year — that of NHL enforcer and All-Star Most Valuable Player (MVP), John Scott. The man who started out as a joke vote for Pacific Division captain in the 61st NHL All-Star Game quickly became a fan favorite. His upbeat personality — even when shady dealings landed him in the American Hockey League — made him the underdog that hockey fans wanted to support. With only five goals to his NHL career, Scott went out and scored twice for his team en route to winning the newly-created All-Star tournament and being named MVP. Now that should make his four kids proud.
Something else that has been going on this year is the surgence of women in sports, and good ones, at that.
The continued success of mixed martial artist Ronda Rousey and her eventual defeat at the hands of Holly Holm was constantly in the public eye. Rousey brought prominence to a sport that was both niche and heavily dominated by men — and the best part is she isn’t even done yet.
The United States Women’s National Soccer Team fought to show they were the best in the world during the 2015 Women’s World Cup, prior to the school year. Now, they are fighting to prove they deserve just as much as the men’s teams do. No matter what side you’re on in the debate, it’s admirable to see women like Hope Solo, Carli Lloyd and Alex Morgan all fight to be paid as much as their less-successful male counterparts, which will be interesting to watch as time goes on.
The Golden State Warriors weren’t fighting to prove they belonged in the NBA — any fan could tell you that. They fought for their chance to go down in history as one of the most dominant squads of all time.
Coming off their 2015 NBA Championship, the Warriors started the 2016 season strong with 24 straight wins. As the season progressed, more and more people began to realize they could beat the 1995-96 record held by the Chicago Bulls, considered one of the best teams in the game’s history. The Warriors, lead by Steph Curry, not only set a new record at 73-9, but Curry is well on his way to becoming an NBA MVP after a season filled with 400 plus 3-pointers and regular baskets each. He’s proven Lebron James isn’t the only great export to come from Akron, Ohio.
Finally, what might be one of the biggest upsets this century is taking place across the pond in the Barclays Premier League. Leicester City F.C. started the season this year coming off an 11-8-19 record, four places above being relegated to the lower Football League Championship, and had a 5,000-1 longshot to win the league this year. Fast forward a few months and now they stand at he mounain top as league champions for the first time in the club’s 132-year history. Headed by players like striker Jamie Vardy, who leads the team with 22 goals, and midfielder Riyad Mahrez, second with 18, the team has defied all expectations, making it to the UEFA Champions League, also for the first time in team history, and is now crowned the best team in England.
It’s been incredible not only to watch, but to cover in The Signal, as well. The NHL and NBA Playoffs will continue, as will MLB’s regular season and the NFL Draft, but it’s important to look back on the amazing things that have happened in the last few months to make sports fans appreciate what they saw.
In the words of the late, legendary New York Yankees catcher Lawrence Peter “Yogi” Berra, “You can observe a lot by just watching.”
(05/03/16 8:25pm)
By Michael Battista
Sports Editor
I reviewed “Gears of War: Ultimate Edition” for the Xbox One a few months ago and praised its ability to recapture and reinvigorate the game series on the next-generation console. Now, the game developer called The Coalition is set to add another game to the series, “Gears of War 4,” to be released for Xbox One on Tuesday, October 11, pending any delays. The Coalition also recently gave the public a chance to play some of the game’s multiplayer features.
Starting on Monday, April 18, for those who played “Ultimate Edition” — Monday, April 25, for the general public — the “Gears of War 4” multiplayer beta allowed players to take part in three game types, while putting the game’s servers and matchmaking abilities to the test. This lasted until Monday, May 1, when the beta ended and all of the stats set during the two week span were reset in anticipation for the game’s October launch.
Unfortunately, there were issues when finding a multiplayer game throughout the two week span. Whether it had been due to the game only being a beta or an unreliable internet connection, I was not able to find a game, had to deal with lag — or slowed down matches — and was even kicked out from games multiple times. Hopefully, if this was a beta issue, it will be fixed by the time the game comes out.
Nonetheless, the game looked great. Although it is several months from the release date, it clearly showed that the graphics and technology will be using the Xbox One to its full potential. The best example of this was in rainy Harbor — one of the three maps available in the beta. Some of the rain droplets moved in the wind and the entire map shined with the coating of rain, however, the characters’ appearances were unaffected by the weather.
The “Ultimate Edition” had a bleak color palette, with a few brighter colors thrown in to show off the new graphics, which matched the tone of the original game. “Gears 4” introduced more dynamic settings in its environments that allowed for new colors to emerge. These ranged from the dark and stormy Harbor to the bright and sunny Dam map, which takes place on a mountainside. Dam has bright equipment and other set pieces that allowed it to standout.
Regarding the gameplay, the beta felt somewhat similar to the “Ultimate Edition,” but brought some of the feeling from the third series installment. Unlike previous games, the characters were more nimble, so movement around each map was smoother and more natural. Matches felt more fast-paced, with some matches lasting under 10 minutes. The camera was also farther back from the character than it was in the “Ultimate Edition,” allowing for an open view of the surrounding area. This made the biggest difference since the maps included several points to observe large amounts of land, so spotting an enemy and observing others’ movements played a larger role than in previous games.
All the standard weapons returned to the game with one new piece making its debut — the Dropshot. An interesting weapon, the Dropshot launches an explosive into the air and, while the player holds the right trigger, the explosive moves forward until the player releases the trigger to slam the weapon into the ground and explode. However, the Dropshot may need balancing before the full game is released because the blast radius was too large. There were deaths that came seemingly out of nowhere with no nearby explosion.
The modes available included the standard Team Deathmatch, as well as a Co-op Team Deathmatch, where players can take on a team entirely composed of high difficulty artificially intelligent players and a new game mode called Dodgeball.
Dodgeball is an extension of Team Deathmatch, and each team starts with five players. Once someone is killed, it is up to their teammates to kill someone on the other team to bring them back into the game. A round can only be won when all players on the opposing team are dead and the ultimate winners have to win the best of five rounds.
Overall, the “Gears of War 4” beta showed merely one-half of the upcoming game and not even all of the multiplayer gameplay, but was enough to gain a solid idea of the game. The multiplayer looks to be shaping up quite nicely with enough new advancements to keep players interested, while staying true to the series’ traditions. Although I am more excited for the story of the upcoming game, I was entertained for hours while playing the beta.
(04/05/16 5:37pm)
By Michael Battista
Sports Editor
Wrestlemania 32, World Wrestling Entertainment’s (WWE) biggest event of the year, not only blew away the fans, but also the seating record in the event’s 31-year history, with an announced attendance of 101,763 people.
But while I could talk about the amazing card, matches like Charlotte / Becky Lynch / Sasha Banks for the newly-created WWE Women’s Championship — which is replacing the WWE Divas Title — and Shane McMahon vs The Undertaker in Hell in a Cell, I won’t.
Instead, I want to focus on the match that kicked off this year’s event — The WWE Intercontinental (IC) Title ladder match.
This match broke me. My friends and I watched it together via Skype, but I was behind, due to our beautiful college’s internet. A message broke the silence.
“Oh my God! That finish!”
Twenty seconds later, screams and shouts of “Oh, my God” echoed from my open window, as I collapsed to my knees in shock and joy.
Seven men had entered the ring to compete in this match.
There was Kevin Owens, the defending IC champion and fan-favorite heel, or bad guy, whose sarcastic tongue could only be matched by his in-ring talent. Then there was Sami Zayn, the extremely talented and well-liked young man from WWE’s developmental program NXT. He had been described as “the heart and soul of NXT” by many in the company and looked to start a feud with Owens.
The others included The Miz, the former WWE Champion whose ability to piss people off is almost unfathomable, Dolph Ziggler, another fan favorite whose former World Title win left fans craving more as time wore on, Sin Cara, whose high flying skills and current tag team with United States Champion Kalisto have brought him back to relevance with fans, and Stardust, the strange character billed from the 5th Dimension whose polka dotted Wrestlemania attire paid tribute to his late father, wrestling great Dusty Rhodes.
And then there was Zack Ryder, the “broski” from Long Island, N.Y.
Ryder, who hadn’t won any title in WWE since 2011, seemed almost as though he didn’t belong in the match. His charismatic attitude and genuine determination to achieve success in the company has always garnered him support, especially after his self-produced internet show “Z! True Long Island Story” took off in 2011 and showed how charming a character he could be.
But as he stepped into the ring, Ryder almost seemed out of place. His sudden placement in the match screamed replacement to me, especially after Neville, the high flying “man that gravity forgot,” injured himself a few weeks back in a match against Chris Jericho. Even still, part of me wished to see him win.
Just over 11 minutes into the match, the entire ring and surrounding area was covered in the bodies of beaten competitors and broken ladders. The Miz had found himself atop the ladder in the middle of the ring, sitting and gloating as he reached for the title.
A single hand emerged from behind him, shoving him off into the ring below.
Ryder quickly climbed the ladder and snagged the belt from its swimming perch to the shock, amazement and joy of the crowd.
His theme music played and Ryder held the white belt high in accomplishment. He was quickly joined in the ring by his father, who had always been by his son’s side during his wrestling career, as the two embraced in a hug.
Ryder, who didn’t seem like he belonged at the match’s start, left AT&T Stadium as champion.
I think he said it best in a post-match interview.
“I just wanted to hear my (theme) music play at Wrestlemania,” Ryder said. “But I won the ladder match, I became the Intercontinental Champion, my dad came in (the ring), it was sick... This is everything I worked for. My whole life has lead up to this moment. If I retired today, I’d be a happy man for the rest of my life. I did it, I lived my dream. Woo woo woo, you know it.”
(04/05/16 4:57pm)
By Michael Battista Sports Editor
Following any sporting event, coaches usually gather their players around and give them a talk. They discuss how to improve, what they did well and what to tweak for the next event around the corner. However, while every varsity sport at the College has a head coach, track and field lack coaches that specialize in certain events.
Track and field, as the name implies, is more than just running. There are a number of events that athletes can train for and participate in, all of which take time and dedication to master. The throwers at the College have faced some difficulties during the current season, though, as they lack a coach that specializes in the throwing events.
“We’ve been without a coach since (the end of last season), which is frustrating because each of us puts in time and effort into getting better,” sophomore thrower Daniel Nason said. “But the potential is capped when there isn’t a coach to instruct us and make improvements that make us better.”
Throwing events are contested in both the indoor and outdoor seasons of track and field. During the winter months, athletes participate in the shot put and weight throw events — events that have implements that will not travel as far, and thus, can be performed indoors. During the outdoor season, the weight throw is left out of the lineup and athletes can participate in the shot put, as well as the discus, hammer and javelin throws. Throwers are awarded points by comparing how far their implement was thrown compared to the other event participants.
In any part of track and field, whether it be the throwing group or any of the four other events athletes train for at the College, having someone with expertise is always a benefit, according to junior throwing captain Billy Castore.
“When you make a mistake, there’s four other people trying to tell you what to do and we all think we’re right,” Castore said. “But if someone was a coach… he would kind of be the authoritative person to tell you, ‘This is what you need to do, this is what you’re doing wrong.’”
The technique-heavy aspect of throwing, according to Nason, is one of the key reasons why having a throwing coach would be highly beneficial.
“The throwing events rely heavily on technique, so having someone who knows what to look for can really help us not only throw farther, but also give us a better chance at placing and helping the team,” Nason said. “A coach does more than just know the technique, however. A coach also inspires his or her athletes to do their best and makes the athletes excited to come out and compete every day, whether in practice or at the meets.”
The College’s head track and field coach, Justin Lindsey, echoed that sentiment.
“Well, ideally the challenge is working on the technical aspects, and that’s definitely the biggest challenge,” Lindsey said. “That’s the reason we’re looking to get a new coach in... and we’ve discussed that with the group every other week. The biggest challenge is not having someone there to correct the technical mishaps.”
And not having the finances as a team with as many specialized events such as track and field has can add to that challenge.
“Where we are as a program financially, it makes it challenging,” Lindsey said. “This is not just our program. There’s a lot of programs around, even in Division I, that struggle with getting all the events covered with a quality event coach given the finances and resources at their disposal.”
Even when the group is able to practice, Castore said the different events that are a part of throwing also pose an issue.
“With throwing, you basically have to be watched a lot because that’s how you get fixed,” Castore said. “With running, the coach is watching you run the track because they’re timing you, and with throwing events, someone needs to be looking at you full time. It was kind of hard, even when coach Anthony (San Fillippo) was here, because javelin is all the way across the field, discus is over here, shot (put) is over there. So you would need three coaches at once to fulfill his role.”
While the lack of an event coach has hampered the group, the Lions continue to improve in the throwing department.
The group had a disappointing start to the 2015-16 season, as they faced tough opponents like Princeton and Monmouth universities.
At the Metro Holiday Season Opener on Saturday, Dec. 5, the group’s first meet without an event coach, both the men and women struggled. Sophomore Joseph Ratner placed 16th out of 37 in the men’s shot put and was the highest-placed member of the men’s group.
The women didn’t fare much better, as sophomore Megan Nugent placed 31st out of 37 in the women’s shot put. Nugent and senior Allison Ruszczyk placed 20th and 22nd, respectively, out of 25.
Since then, the group has improved in every subsequent meet, finishing higher each time. Nason feels the continued improvement since then is a testament to the team’s ability.
“I think a lot of it can be attributed to the character of the throwers and their ability to continue to work hard in spite of not having an (event) coach to guide us,” Nason said. “The fact that we are still improving shows that we are putting the work in to get better outside of just the sport. The strength and conditioning coach, Addison Savela, designed a program specifically for our event group that helped us, as well, getting in better condition for the season.”
Nason thinks that while the team can still improve this season, they are also looking forward to the outdoor track and field season once this current one is over.
“Hopefully we can continue this success into the upcoming outdoor season by continuing to work hard and improve each day so we can help the team bring home a conference title at the end of the season,” he said.
However, Nason believes that in spite of not having an event coach, the group hasn’t made one of its own players an impromptu coach. The men’s team is composed of three sophomores and one junior, Castore, while the women’s side has two freshmen, one sophomore and a senior, Ruszczyk.
“I don’t really think any one person could be attributed with the title ‘coach,’” Nason said. “So far, we’ve just tried to use our collective knowledge of each event to help improve each other’s technique. By this point, everyone has had at least some experience in each event, so we know what to look for and try to correct it by watching and recording throws in practice to work out the kinks. That being said, the upperclassmen have stepped up in the leadership role. Both Billy and Allison try to help us in our events and motivate and encourage us to work hard to improve.”
Nugent also praised the upperclassmen of the group.
“I mean, Billy’s captain and Allison is a senior, so I feel they’ve been helpful and coaches almost,” Nugent said.
As the outdoor track and field season continues up until late May, the event group may be getting a coach soon. The Sports Information Desk has posted, as of Wednesday, March 2, information on the NCAA website trying to hire a new throwing event coach.
“(The) desired candidate will design and implement a full training program for the throwers, recruit competitive athletes for the program and fulfill other duties as assigned by the head coach,” the announcement said.
(03/22/16 8:33pm)
By Michael Battista
Sports Editor
Sometimes, it’s the simplest ideas that are the most entertaining.
“Rocket League,” the PlayStation 4- and PC-exclusive game since the summer of 2015, was released for Xbox One on Wednesday, Feb. 17. It has already become one of my top games of the year.
The entertaining game drops you into an arena with two teams where you take control of RC cars and play soccer.
The genius of “Rocket League” is its simple-to-play form. The right trigger accelerates, the left trigger breaks, the control stick steers the car, holding the “B” button uses up the limited yet easily-refillable boost and the “A” button lets the car jump into the air. You control the car and drive it into a ball in an attempt to get it into the opposing team’s net within the time limit.
These basic controls are one of the reasons why “Rocket League” is so fun. It’s simple enough for someone who has never played to jump right in because of its easy-to-grasp concept. If you invest time into the game, however, you will learn more advanced plays and techniques just from practicing.
There is no story to the game, although some people have tried to put together bits and pieces about its world and setting. The only game modes are season play, exhibition games and online play.
Season play puts the player on a team of three, with two artificially-intelligent (AI) players. You pick your team’s logo, name and even what type of car your teammates operate. From there, you can choose the number of games and then play against other AI-based teams whose difficulty is also controlled, all in an effort to make it to the playoffs and win the season trophy. It’s kind of pointless, but is definitely great practice on the lower difficulties. If you want a real test, trying to make it to the playoffs against an All-Star level AI is a seriously fun challenge.
Exhibition is just what it sounds like, with the player going against AI in a match type that they control. The number of AI, their difficulty, the stadium and other factors can be edited. It makes for a great way to practice against tougher opponents.
The main meat of the game is the online play. While AI can be challenging, nothing compares to playing against other human beings. Once again, you can search for games ranging from one-on-one to four-on-four, with one mode changing the game up entirely by replacing the ball with a hockey puck and the grass with ice.
The games can range from quick blow-outs to stressful overtime showdowns, just like in real soccer. Each game is a different experience — you can have a team that just connects with one another, whether it be with friends or strangers, or you can be in a zero-chemistry situation where you all just ram your car into the ball hoping it goes into the goal.
However, with any game that has a thriving online community, server issues can be an annoyance. During the first few weeks, the game’s servers were unreliable, taking minutes to connect to games, with some never actually connecting. Other times, the games would be stopped mid-match due to players being kicked out. As time has gone on, these issues have died down, but it’s worth mentioning that online play isn’t always perfect.
In my time playing, no matter what game mode I was in, the frame rate never dipped below 60 frames per second — and if it did, it was hardly noticeable. The matches run smoothly, so long as everyone’s connection is fine, which means the match’s momentum never slows.
Regardless of the final score, you earn experience at the end of every game, no matter the mode or type, and you unlock new car modifications. These modifications range from different paint types, hats and flags to decorate your car with to new car bodies entirely. While the type of car you use doesn’t matter (no one body is better than another), the sheer amount of customization allows players to truly stand out.
This is a game that will suck you in for countless hours. It’s fun, easy and has the potential of becoming a competitor in the eSports scene. With a recent Microsoft announcement that cross video game platform play would be coming soon, PS4 vs. Xbox One “Rocket League” is the perfect first test.
(03/22/16 8:12pm)
By Michael Battista
Sports Editor
When I was informed of the switch to PhiloTV online cable from the traditional coaxial cord in the wall version we had at the College, I was pretty excited. We were promised HBO and high-definition channels. We even get all the major sports networks, like National Hockey League (NHL) and National Football League (NFL) networks.
I was sold... until I decided that I wanted to watch the New York Rangers play against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday, Feb. 29. I got my account set up for the first time and was ready to watch the game.
There was one issue: PhiloTV doesn’t carry the MSG Network — which owns the rights to broadcast most of the Rangers’s regular season games — or any versions of it on its channel lineup.
That wouldn’t be an issue, though, since PhiloTV includes the NHL Network, which covers most of the NHL teams and periodically covers Rangers games. The problem, though, is that PhiloTV doesn’t have complete coverage of local teams because, in this area, the games get blacked out due to contracts that teams like the Rangers have with television networks like MSG to cover the games.
The NHL regular season ends in early April and the playoffs will be covered on the NBC networks along with NHL Network, I assume. However, the fact that I can’t watch my local team is ridiculous. The Rangers are battling to keep their top three spot in the Metropolitan Division, and in order to experience the games live, I am forced to stream games illegally or listen to the radio.
I’m a simple person, TCNJ. I’m a simple person with a simple need to watch guys skate around on a sheet of ice and hit a small black puck into a net while mercilessly beating the crap out of one another. Why couldn’t you find a provider that could let me watch my team do that?
Then I started to realize that the College is also missing coverage of a lot of New York and Philadelphia sport teams because of PhiloTV.
The absence of the MSG Network means no regular season games for teams such as the New York Knicks, New Jersey Devils or New York Islanders.
If I were an Islanders fan, I would want to see my team battle for a higher seed in the division. If I were a Devils fan, while they may not be in the playoff race, if I had missed Martin Brodeur’s retirement ceremony, I would be beyond pissed off.
Are you are a baseball fan? That’s too bad, because students at the College no longer receive the Yankees Entertainment and Sports (YES) Network with the new PhiloTV services, which means no New York Yankees regular season games. To top it off, this also means no more New York Nets basketball games — but is that really a loss considering how awful the Nets are this year? New York Mets fans are also unable to receive the SportsNet New York (SNY) channel, which means that they can’t “get your New York sports here!”
Philly sports fans get the shaft, too, since we lack Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia, which covers Philadelphia teams such as the Phillies, Flyers and 76ers.
I understand that Comcast isn’t the best provider of cable, and I bet this PhiloTV deal was great in terms of the College coming out with something more for its students, but the fact is that local professional sports is a major part of life for many of the College’s students.
The College’s radio station, 91.3 FM WTSR, broadcasts Trenton Thunder baseball games, the Double- A team — an affiliate minor league team of the New York Yankees. So, the College is OK with broadcasting those games themselves, but puts in a cable system that blocks legal access to watching the major league team?
The only major sport not affected by this is the NFL, America’s most popular and lucrative sport, since basic cable channels such as NBC, CBS and FOX are all available — along with the NFL Network.
I’m happy the playoffs are starting soon in the NHL, since at least then I can watch the Rangers battle it out there — if they make it. However, I really wish the College could have made a deal with a television provider that didn’t screw so many people out of their favorite pastime.
Whether it is baseball, hockey, basketball or even Major League Soccer — which gets partially eliminated due the lack of Fox Sports 1 — people love these games for a plethora of reasons. A father taking his son to a ball game could start a lifelong love that he wants to keep going. Two brothers shooting baskets outside with aspirations of playing in the National Basketball Association won’t get to watch their favorite team play from a TV at the College. Imagine a father and his daughter taking shots on a frozen pond, fostering a dream to play for her country in the Olympics, only to have her attend a college where she can’t watch NHL games on TV.
We all have our own reasons to watch local sports, but with PhiloTV, we don’t have a way. I ask the College to please fix PhiloTV either by working with them to add more local sports channels or giving students the option to add the channels themselves via a new service or by some other means.
(03/01/16 9:51pm)
By Michael Battista
Sports Editor
The topic of polices’ use of force is one that has sparked intense debates around the country in recent months. At the College, students had a chance to discuss the issue in an open forum on Wednesday, Feb. 24, in the Education Building.
Acting Mercer County Prosecutor and former College adjunct professor Angelo J. Onofri led the presentation and discussion. The hour-long event covered police cases in which deadly force was used, as well as the process by which they are investigated.
“It’s been in the headlines nationally for quite some time now and I would say it’s a big social issue,” senior criminology major Andrew Tesori said. “And obviously social issues are big on college campuses.”
Onofri believes that the recent national events are not the only reason police force is gathering more attention.
“I think there (are) other factors,” he said. “I do think that some of the more recent cases that were captured on video started saying to people, ‘Hey, were the police lying to us to begin with?’ But I also think that a lot of it has to do with increased technology.
“Also, you have a lot of the television programs that are using these cutting edge technologies,” he added. “And because of that, I think that people are demanding more from police officers and they’re holding them to a higher expectation than I would say happened a few years ago.”
Over the past few years, the news has been dominated by stories of police shootings and have been met with occasionally violent backlash from outraged citizens. Onofri explained that New Jersey has been working on this issue for some time.
“New Jersey has been on the forefront of this issue,” he said. Onofri added that the State Legislature has passed two directives in the past 11 years that expand how police shootings are investigated.
The process, as explained by Onofri in his presentation, was drafted and developed in collaboration with multiple law enforcement agencies and community leaders, including the New Jersey State Police and the NAACP. The process follows principles such as having comprehensive, rigorous, impartial investigations and having mandatory reviews of all actual and potential conflicts of interest, according to Onofri’s presentation.
Depending on who is involved with the shooting, the cases are reviewed under one of two designators. Officer-Involved Shooting (OIS) handles any use of force by a municipal police office while Shooting Response Team (SRT) deals with any incidents concerning a county level or state level officer.
Onofri stressed the fact that with these systems in place, each case is now reviewed independently — away from the police department where the officer is from — in order to prevent any kind of conflict of interest.
The future of police investigations was also discussed in regard to the prospect and implication of body cameras for officers, in order to garner more information about incidents that take place.
Freshman criminology major Sophia Grigolo thinks advancements like these should be talked about far more often.
“I didn’t know that a lot of departments in the county are (going to) get body-worn cameras,” she said. “I think that’s something that should be public knowledge because of all the issues recently.”
Onofri said that while police continue to make progressive changes, getting back the support of the public is another task completely.
“Statewide, you are seeing (distrust) with juries,” Onofri said. “Years ago, the best case you could have was one with a police officer. Officer credibility is being tested. The judges (have) to make sure that there are no biases for or against the officer.”
Some factors that seem to attribute to this are the recent issues dealing with the police violence and what Onofri calls the “CSI effect.” This is a public effect in which television shows, such as “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” or “NCIS,” exaggerate the portrayal of forensic science, leading to a public that wants scientific evidence in cases, including fingerprints, DNA and surveillance footage.
Grigolo, who comes from a family of police officers, thinks that she would side with the police if the case is in their favor.
“I think a lot of it is case by case, but I do tend to lean toward the cop’s side of things,” she said. “But that’s not to say that if they’re in the wrong I still think that they’re right... I definitely understand their side because a lot of times, the public doesn’t understand the heat of the moment and the issues that cops face is protecting their own lives and protecting civilians around them. I think I have somewhat an understanding of that.”
(02/16/16 9:04pm)
By Michael Battista
Sports Editor
Children sometimes view athletes as super heros. The colorful uniforms, amazing feats and personalities of these performers make us truly believe that they are unstoppable.
We often forget that they are human, that they are just as frail as we are and that their bodies are machines that can only take so much punishment.
On Monday, Feb. 8, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) superstar Daniel Bryan (whose real name is Bryan Danielson) announced his retirement from wrestling due to ongoing medical issues caused from traumatic brain injuries, including multiple concussions.
As I watched “Monday Night Raw,” WWE’s weekly live show, complete with multiple clips of Bryan’s career culminating with a retirement speech at the show’s end, I found myself tearing up.
“I’ve been wrestling since I was 18 years old,” Bryan said during his speech, in his home state of Washington, on Monday’s episode of “Raw.” “And within the first five months of my wrestling career, I’ve already had three concussions. And for years after that, I would get a concussion here and there, or here or there. And then it gets to the point when you’ve been wrestling for 16 years that it adds up to a lot of concussions. And it gets to a point where they tell you that you can’t wrestle anymore… I wanted to come back and wrestle. Because... I have loved this in a way that I have never loved anything else.
“But a week and a half ago,” he continued. “I took a test that said that maybe my brain isn’t as OK as I thought it was. And I have a family to think about and my wife and I want to start having kids soon.”
In an ESPN interview, Bryan said he has had 10 documented concussions during his career and has been suffering from post-concussion seizures.
When wrestling is glamorized on TV, people forget just how frail the human body is.
I stopped watching wrestling in the early 2000s, only to get back into it just in time for Wrestlemania XXVIII in early 2012. With no previous knowledge of storylines or most of the current roster of superstars, I watched the event. I saw a young man, who was the World Heavyweight Champion, lose his belt in only 18 seconds after a kiss from his girlfriend left him open for a kick in the head and a pin.
That was my introduction to Daniel Bryan.
As a heel (a bad guy, in wrestling terms), I knew I was supposed to boo him. However, Bryan was different. While the crowd knew he was a bad guy, most of the audience members didn’t boo. They chanted “Yes.” After he won his Heavyweight Title in late 2011, Bryan was heard screaming the word over and over.
The fans caught on and chanted along, and so did I.
As he became more of a heel after his loss at Wrestlemania, and much to his character’s anger, the “Yes” chants grew louder and louder.
For four years, the chants did not stop. No matter if he was the bad guy, yelling as his fiance left him at the altar, being paired with a demon in anger management and becoming a successful tag team or an underdog, Bryan kept fighting against an authority who didn’t think he fit the mold as a top superstar.
While wrestling’s outcomes are predetermined, the moves done by the athletes in the ring are just as spectacular and dangerous as in other sports. Bryan excelled at these moves, with diving headbutts off the top rope and running out of the ring to throw the ropes onto “unsuspecting” opponents all being tools at his disposal.
He seemed like a superhero who could do anything and beat anyone.
But on a Monday, in front of a home state crowd, he was none of those things. He was mortal. He was Bryan Danielson.
During his speech, Bryan emphasized that wrestling didn’t owe him anything. He had traveled the world, met his wife Brie Bella (her real name is Brianna Monique Danielson) who is also a wrestler on the WWE roster, was able to retire in front of his hometown crowd and, in a special moment, shared one of the last memories of his late father.
“A little over two years ago, in this very arena, you guys hijacked Raw,” Bryan explained. “They... were combining the WWE Championship with the World Heavyweight Championship, and they had all the former champions out here, and this was going to be the most important match in WWE history, and you guys just wouldn’t stop chanting ‘Daniel Bryan...’ My dad got to see that. His son getting that kind of reaction from all of you people, and that was the last time my dad ever got to see me wrestle, and you guys made it special, for him and for me, and for my entire family.”
While our heroes may be mortal, their words and actions are not always as such. They transcend generations, unite people under a cause and make us feel happy. Whether they are good, bad or weird, the memories of laughter, triumph and sadness will stay with us forever.
Because that’s what heroes do.