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(11/19/13 6:12pm)
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The College was graced by recognizable celebrities last week, as performing duo The Lampshades, featuring Kate Flannery (best known as Meredith from “The Office”) and Scot Robinson (the waiter from ‘Anchorman’), performed on Thursday, Nov. 14.
The show, which was free to students and SAF funded, consisted of not only the lounge-show-style performance by the headliners, but also an introductory show by the College’s own Mixed Signals.
In a sharp change of pace from a typical show, the Lampshades’ performance revolved around musical comedy. In a satirical knockoff of the kind of lousy show you might see on a cruise ship, their performance was complete with audience interactions and some improvised bits, too.
“We started doing this act years ago in Chicago and took a break for a while when we lived in separate cities. But we’ve been performing every week for five years,” Flannery said. “We’ve really developed the show.”
“We had been fans of old, obscure music, and we realized that each of us had individually wanted to do something like a lounge act, so that’s really how the show started,” Robinson said.
Musical numbers for the show often merged two songs together, with each performer taking on a different number while making some attempt at dancing along with the music.
“I was tone deaf while she was formally trained in musical theater. So they’d be doing a song and I’d hear a completely different song,” Robinson said about the origins of their musical style.
“We’re not big on harmony that’s why we ended up doing a lot of mash-ups — two songs played at the same time — because the weakness of the harmony becomes the strength of doing two songs at once,” Flannery said.
In between the musical numbers, Flannery and Robinson took on the roles of two characters you might see in a low-budget lounge act that has long since outlived fame and fortune.
Flannery portrayed a character overeager to not only remind the audience that the two were “Not a couple!” while propositioning the young men in the audience, while Robinson acted as a drunkard — complete with running offstage at one point to refill his glass — just looking for a ride home after the show.
Most members of the audience got involved with the show, either clapping along with the beat of well-known songs or laughing at the antics of the characters on stage.
For the hopeful future comedians in the audience, the show was simply a good time.
“We kind of went into this knowing it would be a musical comedy show, which is much different from what we do,” sophomore English and education double major Steven Munoz said. “So we were just sort of watching to enjoy it. It wasn’t so much a learning experience as it was something we could enjoy. Every time we see someone else perform it’s just exciting.”
After the performance was over, Flannery and Robinson stuck around, snapping pictures and joking around with students who stayed to greet them.
(11/19/13 5:47pm)
Just as integral to collegiate life are the things done with spare time — specifically, the organizations to join as a student. But the impact these organizations have on involvement and personal development are at bay.
“As a general theory, what we know is that students who are involved on campus tend to have better grades,” said manager of the Brower Student Center Seth Zolin. “The connection to the College is better, they feel more included, and as a member of the community they want to perform better. Because they have demands on their time, involved students are forced to structure their schedules.”
Last semester, Zolin conducted a survey of the campus to find out just how involved students are at the College. According to the 651 responses, 89.77 percent of students are involved in at least one on-campus organization, with the average involved student taking part in approximately two organizations.
“I feel like being involved helps a lot, because it makes me organize my schedule and time manage better,” said Samantha Swartz, a senior interactive multimedia major, Ambassador and member of the Trentones. “Although sometimes it can be stressful. I’d say that about 30 percent of the time it’s crunch time, when it feels like I need to stop doing so many things.”
Alexander Astin’s Developmental Theory for Higher Education, published in July 1984 the definitive study in the field of student involvement, theorizes that the greater the student’s involvement in college, the greater the student’s personal development will be. The study also suggests that learning will increase with more involvement. For students at the College, Astin’s theories hold to a degree.
“It’s basically a part-time job,” said Garrett Verdone, a junior marketing major with leadership positions in the Mixed Signals and All College Theatre, as well as an active member of TCNJ Musical Theater and the Theaters Honors society Alpha Psi Omega. “Sometimes, like when we’re putting on a play, it turns into a full-time job ... On the semesters when I’m less involved, I probably do a half grade better in all my classes. But for me it’s worth it.”
Perhaps the biggest role student involvement plays is in social life.
“I think being involved helps your social life a lot. You get to be friends with the people involved,” said Samantha Pena, a senior English major involved in the English Honors Society Sigma Tau Delta and previously an editor for HerCampus. Students admitted that they would have gotten involved sooner than they originally did because of the positive impact that involvement has made on their college careers.
“Ultimately, academics are important, but they don’t make you a complete individual,” Zolin said. “It’s your involvement with a student organization that provides a sense of satisfaction and fulfillment.”
(11/19/13 6:00am)
The men’s basketball season begins this week, and head coach Kelly Williams is pumped up and ready to see his squad in action.
“I think we’re well-prepared for this upcoming season,” Williams said. “I have to give the players so much credit.They made an unbelievable commitment in the offseason to get better — to play with each other in different leagues.”
The chemistry developed in the offseason can only help the Lions heading into the season.
“I’m very excited about that,” Williams said. “I think that’s why we’re all so prepared, as well as we have so many guys returning from last year, so the future looks bright.”
The Lions have eight players returning from last year’s team, and they and their coaches have been busy preparing for what will, by no means, be an easy season of NJAC play.
“It’s never easy,” Williams said. “We obviously have a very challenging conference. I think it’s one of the most challenging and most competitive conferences in the country, so to play 18 out of your 25 games in that conference is not easy.”
The nonconference games are just as competitive, too.
“(We play) teams that have had NCAA bids the previous year, so we have a very challenging schedule, but I think this is a year where our guys are mentally and physically prepared for it,” Williams said.
Physical and mental preparation will be key to the College’s success this season, when the team plans to use its big roster to its advantage.
“We’ll probably have a game roster of about 15-16, so we hope to play an up-tempo style. We like to score off of our secondary break and in transition,” Williams said. “The games are going to be called so much tighter, a lot of teams will end up in foul trouble, so at some point throughout the season it will become a game of attrition.”
As a way of preparing for the quick play in a rough game, as well as to continue building the chemistry so crucial to a team, Williams had his group do something a little unusual in its last practice before the season. The team ran a drill in which it took charge from one another in a large circle, which ended with every player laughing and grinning as he did prat-falls after teammates’ half-hearted pushes.
“I’ve always loved John Thompson and Mike Krzyzewski, their demeanors and their approaches to coaching — I think stern but fair — able to communicate and relate, and attention to detail,” Williams said when asked about his coaching influences.
The grins might be gone by the time the games begin, but what will remain is the sense that these players really do like being a part of this team.
(11/12/13 8:00pm)
The College was clicking on both sides of the ball this past week as the football team took down the William Paterson Pioneers 27-3 in an away game victory that marked the end of a two-game slide.
The Lions (5-4) sprung back from their past games, when they produced less-than-fruitful offensive outings, by earning four touchdowns in a blowout.
The College controlled the game right from the start, scoring after recovering a fumble within the first five minutes of play on a 5-yard touchdown pass from sophomore quarterback Sam Paladino to sophomore tight end Andrew Lachawiec, in what would turn out to be the only points the team would need to come away with the win.
After the quick start, all the team really needed to do was run down the clock, which they did in a stunning display of ball control. All told, the Lions held onto the football for 42 minutes and 43 seconds, running 78 total offensive plays — 62 of which were running plays, leading to 193 yards gained on the ground.
“This past weekend’s game at WPU was exciting for our offense,” said senior wide receiver Fred Sprengel, who had two catches for 12 yards in the game. “We were able to do what we wanted. We controlled the clock and the entire game as a whole. Overall, we played good team football.”
The College did all of its scoring from the air and balanced the passing as well as possible, with one touchdown throw coming in each period.
After Lachawiec’s initial touchdown in the first period, which also served as the first TD reception of his college career, the tight end doubled his all-time total with another scoring catch made with 6:56 remaining in the second quarter on a 13-yard throw by freshman quarterback Craig Cicardo.
The nonstop attack continued in the second half, with touchdown passes going to sophomore running back Victor Scalici and sophomore wide receiver Conor Mulholland from Paladino in the third and Cicardo in the fourth, respectively.
The two quarterbacks played just about as equally as they could have, each throwing for 49 yards and two scores. The balance on offense continued on the receiving end, with 10 completions being split between eight Lions. Leading the rushing attack were Scalici with 96 yards and sophomore running back Brad Young with 86.
Of course, football is a two-way sport, and in the win the defense was no less impressive than their offensive counterparts, giving up just 151 total yards, with a mere 13 yards surrendered on the ground, and forcing two fumbles, both of which were recovered by the Lions.
The lone points scored by William Paterson came early on a 24-yard field goal in the first quarter. After that, the Lions defense held tight, and the Pioneers only made it into the red zone once more in the game.
“The game this past weekend was a great win for our team,” said senior linebacker Sean Clark, who had three tackles in the game. “Our main focus is to finish the year strong. I believe one of the main reasons we played so well as a team is the fact that while in the game, we were having fun! We made plays and took care of business, but you could sense every player was into the game, even the players on the sideline.”
Keeping with the game’s theme of even distribution, 14 players on the defense were credited with tackles, with senior linebacker Nick Bricker leading the charge with six. The defense also managed five total sacks, as senior defensive lineman Patrick Kimball contributed two while junior defensive lineman Jeff Adubato, senior defensive end Justin Bruso and junior linebacker Ryan Lowe each chipped in one.
The Lions look to finish the regular season strong this Friday, Nov. 8 as they face off against the first place team in the NJAC, Rowan University, in Glassboro at 7 p.m. The team is looking forward to the game.
“This week is obviously a very important game. Focus and execution will get us a win on Friday night,” Clark said.
For some Lions, this game means a little more than usual.
“This is a game we look forward to every year,” Sprengel said. “It is always a physical matchup. I personally look forward to the game because Rowan is what could be my final Football game and it is against Rowan (which is where my uncles) played college ball … A victory against Rowan would give me bragging rights at the Thanksgiving table this year.”
Football bragging rights at the Thanksgiving table—now there’s something worth playing for.
(11/12/13 6:00am)
We’ve barely gotten two weeks into the NBA season, and already it’s looking like a sure thing to turn into a truly goofy year.
I mean, just look at the current standings. If the playoffs started today, the Philadelphia 76ers, who were supposed to be the team leading the charge in the Riggin’ for Wiggins race to mediocrity, would be the second seed in the Eastern Conference, above the Heat. In fact, only three teams in the East are above .500 right now, with preseason favorites Chicago, Brooklyn and New York not even making the playoff cut.
Sure, things are going to turn around — the first few weeks of a season are hardly indicative of how the year will play out. But when the clearly rebuilding Celtics are taking down Miami on a miracle game winner by Jeff Green and the Charlotte Bobcats are one of the best five teams in the Eastern Conference, the first two weeks of the season deserve a mention.
The NBA is in full-on bizarro mode, and it’s definitely worth watching.
Let’s take a look at what we’ve gotten from the league so far: Possibly the most exciting game of the season so far was between the Sixers and the Cavs, a double OT thriller in which Evan Turner was a major factor. If someone had told me three weeks ago that I’d be writing that sentence, I’d probably think they’d been hit in the head recently and called a doctor.
Of course, even the things we expect from this season seem pretty wacky to the long-time NBA fan. Two of the most impressive teams of the season, at least according to predictions, are the Clippers and the Warriors, perhaps best known as the teams other sports fans use as examples of hopeless franchises. They’ve already played each other once, and it was definitely the best-played game of basketball I’ve seen in this young season so far.
And then we have the Morris twins. In case you don’t remember them, because you would have had almost no reason to do so before this year, Markieff and Marcus were drafted 13th and 14th in 2011, which led to more jokes than might have been appropriate about whether the teams drafting were completely sure that they’d drafted the right twin. Now, barely two years later, the twins are sitting pretty as capable members of a Phoenix Suns rotation that has the desert team that was supposed to be terrible at 5-2 and third place in the West.
But wait, there’s more! Right now, the team leading the league in rebounding is the Orlando Magic, led by a man named Nikola Vucevic, also known as one of the “nothing” pieces the Magic got back for Dwight Howard in that mega-trade that really didn’t work out very well for anyone except Orlando.
Pretty much the only thing happening this season that people expected to happen is the continuing rise of the Indiana Pacers, who have the league’s best defense and are currently undefeated. In this season of crazy happenings and unpredictable outcomes, they’ve been the closest thing to stable, although Roy Hibbert is making greater and greater strides toward become the wackiest post-game interview.
Considering Metta World Peace is still in the league, saying that the wackiest post-game interview in the league might be on the most stable team should really show you that you don’t want to miss a beat this season. Anything, and I mean anything, can happen in the NBA on any given night, and I can’t wait to see it.
(11/06/13 9:45pm)
We all know the words to “Take Me Out to the Ballgame,” and we are all familiar with hearing the song in stadiums or on TV. But just how many of us know that “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” was a song inspired in part by Trixie Friganza, a public supporter of the women’s suffrage movement and mistress of songwriter Jack Norworth? Probably not many, since usually only the chorus is played, omitting the stanzas in which the singer talks about what she wants to do on a date.
This look into a classic baseball tune was just one of many interesting facts about the history of baseball presented to students by Brad “Brooklyn” Shaw on Tuesday, Oct. 22 at the College, an event sponsored by the History Honors Society, Phi Alpha Theta. Shaw spoke to interested students about baseball history while decked out in a traditional baseball uniform.
“Baseball is a constant,” Shaw said. “There is no game that you can actually go back into and compare players from one era to another, quite like you can in baseball.”
It was also the first big sport, Shaw said, and it helped take the public’s mind off the worries of its day.
“People going through anything bad could just use baseball as an outlet, during World War I (or) World War II,” Shaw said.
“Anytime anything bad was happening, you could turn to baseball and just get away from it all.”
Shaw, along with being a baseball history buff, also takes part in something quite special: Vintage Baseball, where players from over 100 teams participate in actual games and tournaments of baseball as it was once played in the late days of the 19th century, complete with historical accuracies such as playing without wearing gloves. It was a pastime that Shaw stumbled into almost by accident.
“I was reading a magazine, and I see this guy with a uniform just like mine, and it was just an epiphany,” Shaw said. “The next year I started my own team … At first I didn’t have all that many players, I just basically pulled from my friends and coworkers, but now after a few years I’ve got 20 players … It took a while, but now we’ve got more than enough to play.”
Shaw mainly discussed the history of early baseball, but he still had to answer one question that drew upon his vast knowledge of baseball history.
“The greatest player of all time was probably Babe Ruth,” Shaw said. “He was just so far ahead of everybody else in his time. He was hitting 50 home runs while everyone else was hitting 10 or 15. There’s just no one else who was so far ahead of his peers.”
Shaw brought with him the tools of a baseball game: a traditional bat and ball, which looked very similar to the ones we know and play with today. Baseball is, after all, a constant.
(11/06/13 9:12pm)
Seeing Disney characters speak in strange cockney accents as they pretend to be other characters isn’t the type of treat you’d expect to receive around Halloween. But it was nevertheless one that the audience at the Mixed Signals’ Halloween Show was given on Sunday, Nov. 3.
Putting on their usual improvisational style of comedic performance, the Signals delighted their viewers by incorporating many of the best parts about Halloween into the show (goofy costumes and candy) while doing a good job of sticking to what they do best — being funny.
The night included a costume contest for audience members. Characters such as Slenderman and Buddy the Elf, who appropriately asked everyone’s favorite color, were the biggest hits, along with the usual skits performed exclusively by members of the troupe.
Some of these skits were not in the Signals’ usual repertoire, though.
“‘Ding-and-Sing’ (one of the games played) is a skit which has been considered very difficult in the past,” said senior history and secondary education double major Jonathan Dowler. “Not only do you have to sing, but you have to sing with a partner, and it’s hard to get on the same page without having some basic ideas down. It’s a difficult game, but we’ve been pushing ourselves to try more difficult and new games.”
The singing bits, which could have been considered more of a trick than a treat to the musically-inclined members of the audience, served their purpose: They made the people watching laugh.
The new games and added styles served a purpose for the Signals as well, as they continue to always seek ways of improving their shows.
“Every year in the beginning, we try to go back to the basics and really (create) more characters, which I think really came out in the show,” junior women’s and gender studies major Morgan Teller said.
The characters included a pair of strange-speaking Lego builders, many of the aforementioned British with cockney accents and even Satan and his assistant made an appearance as they judged the sins of the nose-picker.
All of this, believe it or not, was fairly standard for one of these shows. And while it may not make any sense out of context, to the people who are performing, all that matters is getting the audience to do one thing: Laugh.
(10/15/13 5:00am)
I’ve noticed recently that professional sports teams have been playing a lot of games overseas. This has actually been happening for a while, but it’s been big news lately. There have even been talks about having pro teams in our leagues stationed in other countries, and I don’t really understand why this is happening.
See, there’s this little word in the title of the two biggest leagues sending games, and potentially teams, overseas: the NBA and the NFL. That word is “national.”
Forgive me if I’m wrong, but doesn’t “national” mean “Of one nation”? And isn’t that nation the United States?
So how exactly would having, for example, an NBA team in China work with the whole “National Basketball Association” title?
OK, so I know that we have teams in some of these leagues — the NHL in particular — that play in Canada. But since those teams are mostly there for our own enjoyment — they tend to be terrible — and Canada is on the same continent as we are, with a massive amount of sports fans and very few pro leagues of their own, I tend not to worry about that much.
Having an NFL team in London, though? Do you really want NFL plays called in a strange accent with players constantly being referred to as “chaps”?
Actually, that might be entertaining. I can definitely picture Clay Matthews or J.J. Watt trying to tackle an entire broadcaster’s booth because they overheard someone calling them a word that means something very different across the pond than it does here. (For example, a term for cats means two radically different things in the U.S. and Britain.)
Entertaining commentary and angry football players aside, do we really want to put an NFL team on a continent that still believes soccer — a game played using primarily the players’ feet — should be called football rather than the game we call football, which is played with a ball mostly is in players’ hands?
Seriously, I think that would be ridiculous.
I have somewhat different problems with playing individual games overseas, though.
I get that leagues can make a lot of money by expanding to a global market. What confuses me is how they weigh the liability of sending entire franchises across oceans (not the safest or easiest of travels), along with the whole “if a player was injured in an overseas game, how much would he sue us for?” part of the equation, and still manage to come up with a “send them everywhere” strategy.
Especially since teams, and sometimes leagues, complain so much about players competing overseas for things like the Olympics — which are meant to show the world what our teams can do — expand the market globally and the oft-forgotten representation of our country in front of the entire world. Seriously, where is Mark Cuban on this issue? We need his Maverick-ness to play a part here!
I guess my question is this: Why are we sending teams in our leagues to play for fans in other countries? I mean, it’s not like we send our soldiers to fight in … Wait, that’s right, we do that a lot.
Maybe we should just change all our league names to “global.”
(10/08/13 4:59pm)
For fans of seat-of-the-pants comedy (also known as improv) here at the College, this past weekend was a good one.
The Mixed Signals, the improv group here on campus, both put on a show and bolstered their numbers, adding three new members to the group after a long and grueling audition process.
“It was a difficult pool to choose from. We had a lot of talented people come out,” Mixed Signals President Jonathan Dowler said. “Everyone who tried out was very entertaining, and we picked three people who we think are going to best exemplify what we’re looking for in new members.”
Three new members emerged from the pack of talented potentials, all of whom had to perform multiple improvised games in front of the troupe with varying partners and groups. Ultimately, they narrowed it down to freshmen interactive multimedia major Beau Aranosian, freshman physics and secondary education double major Maxwell Calsetta and sophomore computer science and interactive multimedia double major Matthew Steuerer.
“I think this is the one kind of audition process where you can actually make friends,” Aranosian said prior to the troupe’s decision to adding him as a member. “You aren’t just trying to make yourself look good, but you’re trying to make everyone else look good ... that’s what improv is.”
For Steuerer, getting in was some time in the making.
“I’ve always gone to see the shows and tried out last year. I didn’t get in, so I’m coming out for a second try,” Steuerer said.
With the new members decided, the Signals still had to put on a show Sunday night, which the group collectively called “our craziest show ever.”
Performing games such as “Pull a Line,” “Oscar-winning Moment” and “No Minor Characters,” the Mixed Signals entertained the crowd with antics that were indeed a bit more chaotic than their usual fare. One especially memorable scene in “No Minor Characters” involved several members birthing fully-grown other members of the group, which made more sense in context — but not all that much more.
Thankfully, when the crazy parts happened, the troupe knew what to do.
“When we’re doing a scene (like that), it’s all on the spot,” sophomore history and secondary education double major Rachel Friedman said. “But we all have a lot of ideas, and we want our ideas to line up. So, a lot of times, we’ll just whisper to each other what we’re going to do … It’s nice to kind of know what the other people are going to do.”
“It’s amazing how many times we’ll go to each other to say what we’re thinking of doing. Then we’ll all be on the same page, and that’s kind of encouraging,” Friedman added.
Perhaps senior computer science major Lindsey Nice summed up the overall feel of the night’s event when she called out the troupe’s president after the show.
“Dowler loves to twerk,” she said affectionately.
After a full weekend of made-up jokes and quick thinking, who can really blame him?
(09/17/13 5:00am)
Two pretty remarkable things happened in the world of sports over the past week. Perhaps the most remarkable part about each of the two was how little they had to do with actual sports.
The first, which happened Sunday night, involved the fans of the Seattle Seahawks breaking the world record for loudest stadium noise ever, which is just obscure enough of a record to be easily believed. Fans at CenturyLink Field actually broke the record twice, eventually reaching a decibel level of 136.6, which is certainly loud.
The second, which has been largely happening all summer, was the way the Boston Red Sox and their fans decided to honor Mariano Rivera, the New York Yankees’ all-time great closer, who is retiring at the end of this season. Rivera was presented by the Red Sox organization with a treasure trove of gifts, and the stadium gave him a long ovation set to his theme song, “Enter Sandman,” a tune long-feared by many fans of the Yankees’ opposition.
Why are these things so remarkable?
Because they show just how much sports can mean to the people who love them.
For the Seahawks fans, setting that record was about much more than just proving to the world that Seattle is a loud place. They wanted to prove to everyone, themselves included, that they are among the greatest and most loyal of fanbases, and that they deserve to be recognized. Don’t forget, this is the same group of fans who recently lost their NBA team without good reason, and are currently being used by the league as leverage against any teams not doing very well. Seattle fans wanted more than a goofy world record—they wanted to earn a little respect.
As for the actions of the Red Sox, their treatment of Rivera was all about showing respect. Remember, the Red Sox and Yankees have one of the most heated and storied rivalries in all of sports, and the last thing any true-blue Sox fan will ever be expected to do is pay homage to a Yankee great. But the fans felt that Rivera transcended the rivalry, and I’ve yet to encounter a single Red Sox fan who thought Rivera deserved anything less.
I guess the point is that sometimes the actions of sports fans go beyond the outcomes on the field. Sometimes, being a fan is about something bigger than the team.
(08/28/13 4:44pm)
Have you ever wondered what former Olympic athletes do after they’ve competed in the Games? Do they get jobs in other professions, keep on training indefinitely or just stop doing anything, caught up in the glory of what they’d accomplished?
Well, at least in the case of the College’s new assistant coach for both the cross country and track and field programs, the answer is teaching the next generation of athletes how to succeed.
Marina Muncan has joined the Lions’ coaching staff after competing in the London Olympics just over a year ago.
“(The Olympics) were a great experience,” Muncan said. “I had a goal to make the Olympics in 2008, but missed it by two-hundredths of a second, so I had to still train for another four years, but it was like a great dream, the Olympics are just a destination. Walking into the stadium was a little bit of an overwhelming experience, but really exciting.”
Muncan ran as a part of the Serbian team, racing in the Women’s 1,500-meter, where she recorded a better time in the qualifying round than the eventual gold medal winner of the event.
So how does a Serbian Olympic athlete end up coaching in Ewing, N.J.?
“When I was in high school I knew I wanted to come to America to study,” Muncan said. “In Serbia, it’s hard to both be an athlete and go to university. I had an opportunity to go to Villanova, but I had to take a year off after high school to learn English.”
Muncan was a standout at Villanova, where she graduated in 2006 as a four-time Big East champion and a seven-time All-American. Staying stateside post college was a professional decision.
“After I graduated, I had an opportunity to run for New Balance, and I ran professionally for them until 2012,” Muncan said.
Muncan comes to the College after coaching for the last year at Richard Stockton College.
“TCNJ has a great tradition, and I really respect that,” Muncan said. “I just want to build on to the already established team.”
“We want to make it to nationals and be competitive,” Muncan said when asked about her goals for the team now that she’s arrived.
Adding a former Olympian to the staff will surely do more good than anything else toward accomplishing that goal, but it raised a question — did anyone on the team challenge the new coach to a race, to see how their stuff measured up against someone who’s raced the world’s best?
“Not yet,” Muncan said, laughing. “But I only met the team a few days ago.”
For now, Muncan simply said, “The team is excited to be here, and I think we’re gonna have a great year.”
The Lions begin their season this Saturday, Aug. 31, when they host the Blue/Gold classic at Rosedale Park in Hopewell, N.J.
Last fall, the men’s cross country team won its 19th consecutive NJAC title and sent several athletes to nationals, while the women’s team came in second at regionals.
(04/30/13 4:45pm)
What do you get when you give a group of creative and talented actors the chance to perform essentially anything they want with no real limits?
That was the question answered by All College Theatre and Alpha Psi Omega’s Monologue and Scene Competition (referred to as “MoCo” by the competitors) this past Sunday, April 28.
In the event, several students performed whatever their hearts desired — be it serious and heartfelt readings or the raving lunacies of sorority girls gone wrong (yes, the letter you are thinking about).
“MoCo is a great way for students who haven’t had the time to do real acting during the year, they can come in and just do something quick,” graduate student John Eldis said. Eldis placed second in the event for his self-written piece, “Regret.” That was certainly the case for the event’s overall winner.
“This year I hadn’t really performed in anything,” junior civil engineering major Hayley Meibach said. Meibrach won for her reading of always_through’s “Symmetry.”
“This was a chance for me to relax and do something creative and have fun. I’m really happy that we have something like this, where we can just come in for one day and do something,” she said.
While both Eldis and Meibach were recognized for their serious and emotional portrayals, respectively, the comedic element of performance wasn’t left empty-handed in the judging.
“The piece really spoke to me, I just really loved the voice it was in,” senior English and secondary education double major Brittany Rivera said. Rivera placed third for her reading of a monologue from Wade Bradford’s “Curse of the Pharoah’s Kiss.”
For the competitors, the event was a change from their usual performances.
“I’ve done comedic stuff in the past, but this was something really meaningful and poignant to me,” Eldis said. He also performed the reading of the sorority girl’s letter in the competition. “I don’t always get to show the more serious side of my acting, so that was a nice change.”
“In musical theater it’s usually just punchline, punchline, punchline leading up to a song,” Rivera said. “I really just wanted to be myself and express myself through words as opposed to music.”
Aside from the planned activities, the event showed how quickly and cleverly students at the College can perform their crafts. During the judges’ long deliberations before declaring the winners, audience members were entertained by an impromptu performance by the College’s improvisation comedy troupe, The Mixed Signals, along with several short displays of scenes from the theater group’s performances from earlier in the year, all of which were unplanned.
The event, organizers were quick to say, was not limited to those involved in the theater already.
“We want people to be recognized for their appreciation and even unknown talent for theater,” president of Alpha Psi Omega and junior biology major Matt Luppino said. “We want to do things on maybe a smaller level for people who can’t commit to a whole play.”
Students who want to show off their creative stuff may turn out to be glad they did.
“It would be fun to get more people involved, people who aren’t even associated with ACT,” Eldis agreed. “I’m sure there are people out there who would enjoy doing this.”
(04/30/13 4:00pm)
People will do some amazing things in order to do what they love. This is especially true in the sports world, as most athletes need to maintain a high level of commitment and put in some long hours in order to stay competitive. Sitting perhaps at the top of this pyramid of sports dedication is a competition rarely discussed between Olympic Games: rowing.
The College’s club crew team can count themselves among those who are truly dedicated to their craft. The team meets early each morning (not typical college early either, but four in the morning early) for practice, which is quite the start to the day.
“We always get to see the sunrise over the boathouse,” said senior Emily Petra, the club’s president. “It’s very motivational.”
The dedication doesn’t stop with the pre-sunrise practices, either. Since the team is a club sport, the members do their parts to keep the group going financially (the club does receive funding from the Student Finance Board and club sports).
“We fundraise more than you can ever imagine,” said senior Amy Bachman, the club’s treasurer. “(All said), crew has been a large component of my college career.”
“It really helped me with time management,” Petras said. “When you have less free time you need to learn to do your work on time, especially since you have to get up early.”
Their hard work has been paying off recently. The club competed in the Knecht Cup on the weekend of April 13th, a larger regatta (the term for rowing races), featuring teams from Bryn Mawr, Rutgers and Washington College.
“Over the years we’ve gotten much stronger,” Petras said. “We used to race at smaller regattas, but now we compete in larger regattas because we can be competitive in them.”
Competitive indeed. The women’s varsity four team, which includes Petras, Bachman, Brianne Verhoog, junior Emily Davis and coxswain sophomore Jillian Moran, won the grand final of the regatta’s Women’s Varsity Four-Division III races. The club’s Novice Women’s eight also took home gold.
“We’re really excited about our win, there’s nothing like it,” Bachman said. “It’s exciting to see all that time and effort pay off.”
The gold rewarded the team for all its hard work, including early mornings.
“After all that fundraising and getting up early, (winning) was worth it,” Petras said.
The club next plans to compete at the Dad Vail Regatta on the famous Boathouse Row on Friday, May 10 and Saturday, May 11.
They also hope to recruit some new members, encouraging all interested students, whether they have rowing experience or not, to join in on a sport guaranteed to whip your body into shape.
“It’s a lot of work,” Bachman said, “But everyone on the team is in really good shape, rowing is a full-body workout.”
But perhaps the most intriguing part about joining a crew team isn’t the personal gain, but the true team spirit the sport requires.
“You can’t go in crew for you, which is what I like about it,” Bachman said. “It’s a really intense sport, but you’re doing it for the people in your boat, it isn’t just about you.”
Any interested students should contact tcnjcrew@gmail.com to learn more.
(04/23/13 4:20pm)
Have you ever wondered what would happen if a mathematics genius, an artistic visionary, an aspiring inventor and an old man who constantly had to pee met in a bar one night?
No, that isn’t the start of a joke. It was the question that All College Theatre answered this past week in their five performances of Steve Martin’s “Picasso at the Lapin Agile.”
The play focuses on an imagined meeting between Albert Einstein and Pablo Picasso (along with several other, less famous characters) at a bar near the dawn of the 20th century, before the two had become as internationally known as they would someday be.
“I was concerned when I first got the role because I thought it would be really difficult, and it wasn’t easy, but I was happy with what I was able to do with it,” said sophomore psychology major Garrett Verdone, who portrayed Einstein.
Much of the action in the play was based around the seemingly crazed theoretical thinking of Einstein and the womanizing antics of freshman political science major Sam Waxembaum’s Picasso — which led, of course, to some on-stage interaction between the performers.
“When you’re in theater ... Eventually in your theater career, you’re going to have to do an on-stage kiss or something,” said freshman history and secondary education double major Rachel Friedman, who portrayed Suzanne, The Countess and a female admirer (three separate roles). “It’s just part of the job, you don’t even question it. It’s just something we do.”
The play’s story also included input from freshman international business major Adam New’s old-man Gaston and a few appearances by junior computer science major Graham Mazie’s Schmendiman, an aspiring and wacky inventor whose only lasting contribution (based on the play) was the use of the word “Cheese” when taking pictures. Of course, the play’s storyline wasn’t the most important part to the people acting it out.
“I think if there’s one thing we all feel, it’s that theater is something that’s really integral in all of our lives,” Waxembaum said. “It doesn’t matter who you are or where you come from, there’s always something here that you can find a passion for.”
The show’s seniors agreed, despite their trepidations at leaving the College behind.
“I couldn’t ask to be in a better show for my final performance here,” said senior history and secondary education double major Casie Fitzgerald, who portrayed Picasso’s art dealer Sagot. “I think it was an awesome culmination of my years at TCNJ. I’m excited to graduate, but it’s hard leaving behind something that’s been a part of my life for so long.”
“We do this more than our schoolwork,” said senior communication studies major Brad Heisler, who appeared as a mysterious visitor from the future with a country boy accent, slick hair and hip movements which could make anyone swoon. “I’m glad this is my last show, but at the same time I don’t want to leave.”
Love of their fellow theater members was clear when talking to the performers for any amount of time, as they were quick to mention how impossible the show would have been without everyone working behind the scenes.
“The theatre organizations here are incredible,” Waxenbaum said. “You are just surrounded by a group of talented people who are entirely dedicated to their craft, and treat you like you’re their own flesh and blood. It’s like finding your own adopted family on campus.”
Rounding out the family members onstage were sophomore music and education double major Shannon McGovern as Germaine and alum Sam Paternostro as Freddy.
(04/23/13 4:00pm)
What does it take to be a hero? Some might say that it is the words and deeds that inspire the masses. Others claim a hero is one who never gives up, no matter the odds.
Whatever the definition of a hero, Eric LeGrand, former Rutgers football player, is certain to meet it. Ever since LeGrand fractured two vertebrae in his neck during a game in 2010, he’s been two things: a quadriplegic defying doctors’ expectations and an inspiration to anyone who hears his story.
Added to that ever-growing list are the students of Fisher Middle School in Ewing, and several students of the College who, as a result of their student teaching at Fisher, were lucky enough to be in the audience as LeGrand spoke there this past Friday.
“I’m here to show people that miracles do happen,” LeGrand said.
LeGrand’s motto in life is “Believe,” which also serves as his primary message to those who hear him speak. He taught students the value of self-belief and belief that there is a plan in life for everyone.
“I always wanted to be in the NFL, ever since I was five years old. And then all of a sudden I’m lying there on the ground paralyzed,” LeGrand said. “I thought that my dream of football was going to be my road, but it wasn’t. I’m here to inspire people out there in the world, and help them get through their situations. Everyone has struggles, everyone faces adversity, and that’s what I’m here to show you — no matter what the situation is, you can handle it.”
LeGrand has been living by his words, travelling the country to give inspirational talks like the one he gave at Fisher Middle School.
“I’ve been all over talking to people, but being able to be here, right in Jersey, it’s been great,” LeGrand said.
Speaking at a relatively small middle school in Ewing is a change from LeGrand’s typical venue. Since his injury, LeGrand has been featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated, the focus of an Outside the Lines documentary (well worth the 20 minutes it takes to watch), and was presented with the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance at the ESPYs. LeGrand is proud of his ESPY.
“I keep my ESPY right under my TV stand,” he said. “We’re moving into our new house soon, and I’m going to make a man cave, but I’m gonna keep it in my room. That’s my ESPY, it doesn’t get any better than that!”
However, the decision to speak at the school was one that came easily to LeGrand.
“Children are our future,” LeGrand said. “If I can inspire them with the few words I can say, hopefully that will go a long way. I hope that the kids bring home that they can truly do anything that they set their minds to, no matter what the situation.”
The students seemed touched by LeGrand’s message and his presence, which was kept secret from the student body up until the moment he actually appeared onstage.
“When he came out, I thought I was gonna cry,” said eighth grader Caroline Unger. “We saw the video, (a showing of LeGrand’s OTL piece), and we thought that was all we were gonna do.”
“He taught us to keep pushing on even when it seems like everything can’t get better,” eighth grader Vincent Hall said.
The students agreed that this was easily the best assembly they’d ever been to. And they weren’t the only ones.
“The students showed it all,” said Eric Thomas, the event’s organizer. “They were crying, and not from sadness, but from inspiration and hope.”
The inspiration and hope goes both ways.
“It’s all you guys that inspire me,” LeGrand said. “I look on my Facebook and my Twitter and see other people saying that I’m inspiring them to do this or do that, and that keeps me going, it makes me feel like I have a purpose in this world, how can I let them down (by giving up)?”
LeGrand certainly has no plans to give up. He’s decided to do something much different — believe in himself, defy the odds, and walk again.
That’s when he’ll really start his work.
“When I do walk again,” LeGrand said, “I plan on going all around the world, sharing (to everyone) my story and my miracle.”
(04/16/13 6:32pm)
There’s a relatively new saying that goes something like this: Any comedy show beginning with two grown men flinging monkey poop in order to fit in is a show worth watching.
Okay, so that saying probably won’t catch on. But it did ring true this past Saturday, April 13, when the College’s improvisational comedy troupe, The Mixed Signals, performed in the first ever Mixed Mixed Signals show.
That isn’t a typo. The show’s premise was simple — each member of the troupe came dressed as a different member, crossing the barriers of gender and fashion sense with equal parts disdain and comedic fortitude.
“I was the prettiest girl at the prom,” said junior computer science major Graham Mazie, who really looked more like sophomore music and secondary education double major Shannon McGovern than he did his usual self.
The idea for this theme was one that the group had tossed around for a while before finally implementing.
“Last year, we played a game like party quirks where everyone was a different Mixed Signal,” said sophomore psychology major Garrett Verdone, dressed as Mazie. “So that’s where the idea kind of started.”
“We’ve been joking about it for a long time, and then a couple weeks ago we were like, we should really do that,” said junior computer science major Lindsey Nice, who could have easily been confused with sophomore women’s and gender studies major Morgan Teller.
Despite the shuffled looks of the players, the show was very similar to the usual performances the improv group puts on, as the troupe took part in games including film and theater styles, objective and family slide show, and, in a true display of improvisational skill, two more games than were originally planned.
“We were halfway through our set and we hadn’t even gone an hour yet, so we needed to add more games in the middle,” said senior biology major Dan Loverro (wearing an outfit reminiscent of junior nursing major Nina Shulgach).
Loverro, who serves as the Mixed Signals’ president, was giving one of his final performances with the group, and his last in their usual performance location, the Library Auditorium
“It feels weird, but it kind of doesn’t feel weird because it’s just like another show,” Loverro said. “It hasn’t really sunk in yet, I guess.”
Members of the troupe were happy with how the show turned out.
“We brought back a lot of jokes throughout the show, and the audience seemed to be on the same page as us,” Shulgach (performing as Nice) said. “I was really happy about that.”
Also encouraging to the performers was the bonds that have formed between them.
“I think the best thing about playing individual games is that you know everyone else in the troupe is going to support you, even if you aren’t quite there,” McGovern said, proudly sporting the look of junior history and secondary education double major Jonathan Dowler. “I think that makes it a lot less scary.”
“Everyone is so in tune with one another that we almost always see where the plan that we have is going,” Teller said, looking like freshman history and secondary education double major Rachel Friedman.
The audience certainly loved where that plan went.
(04/16/13 4:00pm)
Nothin’ But Net
Sometimes when historic things happen in sports, everyone notices. Whether it’s a perfect game in baseball, the Helmet Catch in the Super Bowl or the time Blake Griffin destroyed Timofey Mozgov with the dunk heard round the world.
Other times, historic events in sports are seen, talked about and just about obsessed over, without anyone realizing just how huge they might be.
I’m talking, of course, about Kobe Bryant’s ruptured Achilles.
By now, everyone is aware of what happened. Bryant was worn down playing way too many minutes (since the Lakers needed their inhuman superstar to play with everyone else on the roster banged up, and since they hired the worst coach possible for their roster who decided “Hey, Kobe can do it, right? I’ll play him all the time, what’s the worst that could happen?”), and ruptured his Achilles in a “freak” accident.
(Was that too long a tangent in the middle of that sentence? Oh well, it’s my thing.)
Here’s what no one seems to be talking about, but I will: I think that was the biggest single injury in the history of sports.
You know an explanation is coming.
See, by pretty much any calculation, Kobe’s one of the top 10 NBA players all time. Some even have him in the top five, and I’ve heard as high as number two.
Also, by pretty much any means of evaluation, Kobe is a top 10 player right now. This may seem impossible, given his advanced age, but Kobe can still ball with the best of them, despite running on what surely must be mostly bitterness at this point.
So we have a top 10 player, both all time and right now, gearing up for a potential playoff run (the Lakers were looking to be a somehow very dangerous eight seed), and he goes down with a potentially career-ending injury.
Go ahead, tell me a bigger injury that’s ever happened. And if you bring up Tom Brady, I will laugh you into next week.
I’m not saying that Kobe’s injury will completely change the course of this season or NBA history. The Lakers definitely were not the title favorites they seemed to be heading into the season, but still. Would you really want your favorite team going against angry Playoff Mode Mamba with Dwight Howard at his back?
In terms of fantasy, this injury might not mean much. Sure, Kobe is probably the first top five to ten pick to go down this year, but with only three games remaining that isn’t such a big deal.
But give it time. A decade from now, we’ll probably all be talking about Kobe’s injury as a defining moment in basketball history.
And when we are, I just wanted to make sure that you saw it as history in the making.
I May Be Wrong, But...
Here are the moves I would make in Fantasy Basketball this week:
Add: By the time this comes out, there will be one or two games left for each and every team. The playoff seedings might be decided already, as could lottery positions. I would say to add anyone starting who usually wouldn’t, especially if they are looking for a better contract next season.
Drop: Pretty much anyone who won’t be playing. Pay close attention to who will be resting on the final night of the season, because chances are that everyone might. Drop those players who won’t play, especially injured ones (Kobe Bryant, likely Dwyane Wade), and bring from the depths of your bench those that will see the court.
Look Out For: The NBA Playoffs. They start on Saturday, with one game for each playoff matchup being played at some point this weekend. Even though some series won’t be all that interesting (I’ll be semi-previewing them here next week), there are sure to be at least some fireworks. The playoffs always deliver.
Be Cautious Of: Being in the lead. Some fantasy leagues may be lopsided (as this one certainly seems to be), but other leagues can easily turn on the final day. My personal league is currently separated by a mere four points at the top, and any lead under 300 or so could swing. Don’t make any bets, I guess would be my point here.
(04/16/13 4:00pm)
One of sports’ oldest adages is a little misunderstood and goes like this: Winning is everything.
So as long as a team is winning, no one really cares about how they’re doing it. So as long as a player wins, nothing that player does can be all that bad. After all, bad people can’t possibly be winners, right?
Wrong.
We’ve seen this time and time again. Winners in sporting competitions are far from the heroes we make them out to be, and sadly are rarely worthy of the celebrations we throw in their honor.
And they aren’t deserving of all the attention we give them, either.
Take, for example, the coverage of the Masters this past weekend. Did anyone else notice just how much of the talk was about Tiger Woods? You remember Tiger, he’s the guy who spit on the “gentleman’s game” part of golf for almost his entire career while winning the award for “most times cheated with a porn star.” You may also recall that he never really apologized for all of this, and recently released a commercial essentially mocking everyone who loves him again, by boldly stating that “Winning takes care of everything.”
The sad part? He’s basically right.
And it’s our fault, we sports fans, for allowing this to all happen. We’re the ones who still buy jerseys bearing the names of sexual offenders, spousal abusers and animal killers. We’re the ones who serenade these villains with MVP chants and raucous applause over their most minor of accomplishments. We’re the ones who idolize cheaters and criminals, because they do the one thing that matters most. They win.
It’s enough to make you sick if you really think about it.
After all, these faux-heroes are the ones that kids look up to and aspire to be. Any child watching the roars of the crowd as Tiger sinks a birdie will aim to become him, faults and all. They will think that it really doesn’t matter what you do in life, that so long as you win nothing else matters at all.
But there is something we can do about it, fellow sports enthusiasts. We can stop cheering, stop celebrating when these lousy people win despite their evildoings. We can stop showering them with attention when they don’t really deserve it. And maybe, just maybe, if enough people follow suit, these athletes will realize they can’t get away with anything just because they win.
You know what I hope for? I hope to someday be watching a sporting event with my kid, and for one of these scoundrels of sport to win. I want there to be silence at his victory, and I want my kid to ask me why. I want to give the explanation that has become the new saying in sports:
Winning isn’t everything.
(04/02/13 4:00pm)
Nothin’ But Net
In case no one has heard yet, there has been some discussion this past week based around fouls in the NBA. Now, I don’t want to name any names, but I’m going to anyway because otherwise this would be a very boring column.
Here’s the deal: in last week’s Heat/Bulls game, LeBron James took issue with some of the harder fouls the Bulls committed in their attempts to stop him. As the Bulls won the game, ending the Heat’s streak, this made a significant amount of noise around the league.
For some reason, Danny Ainge (Celtics’ GM and one-time player) decided to weigh in, and basically called James a wimp.
Taj Gibson, one of the players LeBron was complaining about, also made some remarks, basically just calling the plays good, hard basketball fouls.
Then Pat Riley did some Pat Riley things, and cursed out Ainge in an official statement. This is why Pat Riley is amazing.
As you can see, there are many sides to take here — LeBron’s, Ainge’s, Gibson’s and Riley’s. I’m going to do something unusual, and agree with all of them, while also disagreeing with all of them.
Regular readers are probably not surprised.
Anyway, starting with LeBron’s point, of COURSE he has a right to be upset. Other players can’t stop him through normal means, so they often bend the rules and do more than they should. He has every right to be upset and voice his frustrations. On the other hand, star players used to get battered far worse all the time (the Bad Boy Pistons of the 1980s are chuckling right now), and complaining about calls when your team just lost is akin to being a poor sport.
As to Ainge’s point, I just made it — players these days are too coddled. The stars in particular seem to think that if anyone so much as looks at them funny it should be a foul, which isn’t good basketball. On the flip side, Ainge shouldn’t be talking about players on other teams at all, especially when they aren’t talking about his team. Plus, the last thing the Celtics want is to play against a pissed off LeBron James, which Ainge basically just ensured will happen.
Gibson, who has been largely ignored in all this, also makes a good point, in that players have to do their best to stop James, the frieght train coming straight at them. Plus, tough fouls are a part of the game, and it isn’t right for star players to complain about them so much. However, Gibson was wrong in making those fouls, as the league clarified by upgrading one of his plays to a flagrant.
Riley … was completely correct. He should have blasted Ainge, and should definitely stand by his players. Pat Riley can do no wrong, and I’m definitely not saying that because I’m afraid he’d read this and destroy me if I said otherwise.
The moral of all this? Shut up and play basketball, isn’t that what you’re paid for?
I May Be Wrong, But...
Here are the moves I would make in Fantasy Basketball this week:
Add: Reggie Evans. He has become more than the defensive presence and master of the flop/dirty foul he once was. Now he’s a defensive presence, master of the flop/dirty foul, AND a masterful rebounder capable of monstrous games of 20+ boards, which he had two of this past week.
Drop: Metta World Peace is out for the season with an injury, so you might want to start there. You might also want to consider dropping or trading Kevin Garnett, since he’s injured and the Celtics definitely want to rest him for the playoffs. Since they’ve all but clinched a spot, he may not see much more action this season.
Look Out For: I’m confused, I thought Kyrie Irving was going to be out for the season. Now he’s back and playing just as well as ever. What are the Cavs doing, not tanking right now and risking their best player? I’m confused, I thought NBA lottery teams knew that they should give up and stop trying this time of year.
Be Cautious Of: Did anyone catch that the Heat rested LeBron and Wade against the Spurs, just like the Spurs rested their best guys against the Heat earlier this year? These two teams still haven’t really played against each other, which means if they meet in the Finals, I’m expecting Pop and Spoelstra to send in teams of squirrels to do battle.
(03/26/13 4:20pm)
By Mike Herold
Staff Writer
What activity on campus involves painted rocks up for auction, walruses complaining about their changed habitats and students hiding in bushes being randomly tazed?
If you guessed a class, then you may need to rethink the classes you’re taking.
But if you guessed the Rather Outrageous Comedy Kickout (or ROCK, hence the painted rocks for sale), hosted on Saturday, March 23 by the Mixed Signals and sponsored by All College Theatre, then you’d be right on the money! (And were probably there, those are some really specific examples.)
The event is a showcase of improvisational comedy troupes from colleges around the area. Aside from the Mixed Signals (and some alumni of the troupe who performed both alone and with the Signals), Awkward Improv from Rowan and A4Effort from Rutgers gave performances, all of which left the audience in fits of laughter.
“I think overall was one of the best shows I’ve been involved with,” said senior biology major Dan Loverro, who, along with sophomore women’s and gender studies major Morgan Teller, was one of the night’s coordinators. “It was months in the planning, and it worked out great."
Those months of planning also involved acquiring professional talent to headline the night’s events.
Don Fanelli, Brandon Gardner and John Frusciante of the Upright Citizens Brigade Touring Company closed the show, performing long-form improv based off interviews with the audience (especially one student who asked on-stage to remain anonymous) which included the aforementioned student tazering.
The audience, who had the benefit of full context, couldn’t help but laugh at that. Fanelli summed up the reaction best, very simply: “Improv is fun.”
Fun improv comedy may be, but for those students actively involved in the art, the night was about more than a few laughs.
“Seeing the other troupes perform is so helpful, there’s so much you can learn from your peers who are in a totally different bubble from you, and a different style,” said freshman history and secondary education double major Rachel Friedman.
“It was great watching the show as a person in improv because you can just see all the different techniques people use,” said junior computer science major Graham Mazie.
“It was awesome seeing other troupes,” said freshman English and secondary education double major Steve Munoz. “When I got here I came to all the Mixed Signal shows, and there was this sense of wonder not knowing the people all that well, and now seeing other troupes perform and how they work has been a really interesting experience, because now I know more about how improv works.”
“Each troupe had a different style of improv, which was really interesting to see all different sides,” said junior computer science major Lindsey Nice. “That’s what ROCK’s all about, showing off all kinds of improv.”
The night certainly did just that, and an alum of the group was able to put the lessons of improv into a more overarching context.
“You can’t prepare for everything,” said John Eldis, class of 2012, “so improv can help you prepare for situations that you might not expect, things that might otherwise be overwhelming.”
After a show like that, students are certainly prepared for more laughter to come.