Souris River Tragedy

by: Justin Blue
read by: Michael Fettes

Comedy night in Vangstad

 By: Justin Blue
Wednesday night at 7:30 The community of Valley City and the VCSU students were given the opportunity to enjoy a fun night of exciting comedy acts.  This was all possible because of the VCSU theatre club.  The event took place in the Vangstad auditorium at the VCSU campus.  Soothing music surrounded the audience as they waited for the acts to start.  The best part of the event was the miniscule prices of the tickets.  It was very affordable at only four dollars for students and 8 dollars for everyone else. 

Will Spotted Bear and Adam Quisnell got the ball rolling.  Quisnell is a great young comedian with a promising career ahead of him.  The biggest part of the show was a comedian who has already made a name for himself appearing on Comedy central and the late show with Craig Ferguson.  This comedian is Bengt Washburn who is originally from Utah, and traveled to VCSU all the way from Germany to treat Valley City with his gift of giving laughter.

Spotted Bear and Quisnell were great and kept the audience entertained the entire time, but Washburn stole the show with his Mormon and marriage jokes.  All in all it was a great night of fun and laughter.  The VCSU theatre did a great job setting this all up and providing excitement for everyone who attended.

Beatlemania in Lisbon

Feature Television
By Steven Petherbridge
Read by Courtney Hinkel

Beatlemania in Lisbon

Feature Radio

By Steven Petherbridge
Read by Courtney Hinkel

Black Ops Good or Bad

Read By Stephani Steffen

By Dustin Krueger

New Horizons at the Learning Center: Television

By Kayley Erlandson

Read by: Liana Hansen

Millage Wears Different Masks before Family Business Decision

We all wear masks. Different masks are put on for different occasions and for different reasons. Masks hide a part of who we truly are and portray a reserved self image. Some can be physically seen and others exist in hiding. However, in Lacey Millage’s case, her masks represent her life before coming back to her roots. Millage, native of Valley City, ND is back from her experimentation in other walks of life than the restaurant business. She wasn’t always aspiring to take over the 35 year old Roby’s diner, but recently hopes to own the family business some day.

Her journey began once she ventured to Rapid City, SD to earn her business degree and a degree in Veterinary work. She worked nearly forty hours a week to earn money for college and has always been a hard worker. Waitressing at her mother’s business in town, managing a gas station, working at numerous department stores and owning her own cleaning business are some of the many different masks she has worn.

When asked why she came back, Millage said, “I came back to help mom with the family business. Vet work is what I really wanted to do, but knew I’d be back.” She currently works at the Valley City Vet Clinic every Tuesday and every other Saturday while helping with the diner.

Roby’s is a fine eating establishment with one of the more unique menus in town. It has a wide range of foods from Mexican, seafood, Italian and American to simple appetizers and a salad bar. When asked what food Millage preferred, she answered number 32. She then went on to explain that it was a hot beef sandwich with mashed potatoes and gravy. Zachary Danger Lee, senior at Valley City State University said, “I enjoy going to Roby’s because it is like having a home cooked meal while I’m away at college.”  Many students from the Valley City campus have commented on how Roby’s is one of Valley City’s top places to eat because of its variety and service.

Millage and company will be happy to know that the restaurant is well respected and the community really enjoys its aroma. Speaking with Millage in person about the future ownership really showed her passion for the business. She explained that she remembered coming into Roby’s as a toddler, working there from ages 15-18 and it always being a part of her life. Millage has been back for two years now and is crossing her fingers to become the new owner when her mom retires.

Although Millage experimented with many different jobs, the family business called her back to Valley City. It is nice to see that she can live both dreams as she works at the Vet Clinic and helps mom with the business. It was a unique experience sitting and chatting with her about the history of Roby’s and her involvement. If Millage gets the chance to take over, she will be a perfect fit for Roby’s and the community. Best of luck to you Lacey!!!

Roby's Diner pictured above with permission from Lacey Millage.

Feature Radio Brian Chepuli

Feature Television Brian Chepulis

Enthusiasm for Sports is Not Always the Case

Written by Derek Davis

                You see it all around the country.  Fans jumping from their couches with their friends shouting praise because their team just hit a home run, a football player from the opposite side fumbled, or just because some team player knocked a player from the other team down on the ground.  On the mind of those who are not as thrilled about the game is why their family members and their friends get all psyched up for a game and end up giving them headaches from all the screaming.

Hess is not just a football enthusiast, but also a
Green Bay Packers Enthusiast!

                “I like seeing the big plays, especially when the Packers are making them.  The enthusiasm never dies,” says Kyle Hess, a Valley City State University junior, as he wears his Packers sweatshirt and his cheese head, which the Packer fans are known for wearing as they cheer for their team, no matter if it is a live game they are watching or a game on their fancy televisions.  He commented more regarding enthusiasm for the game as he states that “even if I don’t shout out loud, I’m still making comments to myself throughout the whole game even if nothing big is happening.”

                To gain more understanding in regards to this enthusiasm for all sports, especially when it comes to football fanatics, an academic understanding of what is going on psychologically and sociologically must be taken into account.  Jill Devries, one of the instructors at VCSU that instructs students in Health, Physical Education, and Recreation, discusses these aspects when it comes to fanatics.  In an email interview, she says that “people are emotional about the sports in which they have a vested interest or connection.  This connection can come from either attending a university, from friend and/or family, or even wanting to be part of a crowd.”

                Both Hess and Devries understand and accept that not all people are emotionally involved in sports.  Hess states some people “just don’t care as much as others do.”  Devries stated that “it depends on the personality of the person.”  People that do not have that enthusiastic zeal about sports as Hess had said earlier simply say they just don’t care.  Devries agrees with them.  She says that “some people are just more innately expressive than others.”  She also said later on in the email interview that sports enthusiasts like being a part of the entertainment of sports.  There are also those people that tend to act somewhat inappropriately during sports, just to draw attention.

                While these sports tend to drive people into leaping out of their couches at remarkable speed during a great win, it is interesting to note that not all sports enthusiasts act this way.  There are also those people who just sit there watching sports simply to watch them.  Team support is big, which was rather evident as Hess concluded the interview by expressing his support for his team:  “No matter if the Packers win or lose, there is always next week for them to win!”

Performance Review: VCSU Student Recital

On Monday, November 15, 2010 the Valley City State University Music Department put on a general student recital. The recital took place in Froemke Auditorium at 7:30 p.m. which was a cold winter evening. The Auditorium was unfortunately very empty with small groups of people scattered throughout the audience. With twelve scheduled performers one of which dropped out last minute the recital was a decent length of time. The auditorium’s lights were off except for the ones focused on the stage giving the feeling that that’s where everyone’s attention is to be. Although this particular night seemed a bit off for the performers whether they weren’t ready to perform or they were sick and had a hard time reaching some of their high notes.

 It wasn’t hard to see that some were more nervous than others. One of the performers looked like they were either about to fall over because they grabbed the piano and lent against it. Although, it could also have been to show emotion, for in this instance it was hard to tell. Most of the singing performers stood in one spot looking stiff as if they couldn’t move. One performer Cassandra Klos, a Soprano, stayed in the same spot but moved from side to side and moved her hands in order to show the emotion that was needed. Unfortunately, one thing I didn’t like was that there were only two or three songs in English. I like to be able to understand what I’m listening to.

The music helps get the meaning across but understanding the words would be helpful. Along with the singers there were three just instrumental songs. Sarah Rhyan played a beautiful song on the piano, giving me the inspiration to pick up the piano again. While Alison Jenson played the vibraphone, percussion instrument expertly, with four sticks instead of two like normal.

I found the recital very relaxing after the long day. Although the small audience was a letdown the overall performance was very good. It was easy to see that the performers put a lot of work and practice into their songs. I would recommend anyone going to the recitals because it is a relaxing thing to do when there is a lot going on.

Field Participates in No Shave

Hunting Ethics & Poaching

By Audrey Fergel

Poached bag of birds. Photo by Audrey Fergel

Finals Week

Nude Models Showing Up at Valley City State University

Written by Derek Davis

            No drawing class is complete unless there is a nude model sitting in front of the class.  For the Spring 2011 school semester, the Art Department is bringing Drawing III to art students so that they have the challenge of drawing the human form.  Ever since the early parts of art history, the human form has been shown in many cultures and in many places.  People are exposed to the human form when they walk into museums of art as well as other historic places.

Having this experience is drawing some controversy between some students and the art instructors, however.  There are students who do not wish to draw the human form because of their morals and religious reasons.  The instructors feel otherwise, stating that if students do not draw the human form, they will not be successful as artists in their careers.

Auguste Renoir's Young Girl Bathing (1892)

Valley City State University junior Jake Leno is one of the art students who feel their values and religious beliefs are being treated unfairly.  With a look of worry and concern regarding his future as an art student, Jake started to talk about faith being the single most important thing in his life.  Sitting down in his chair in his room, he said, “It’s my belief that a man should not be looking at women in that way.  My faith takes precedence over my schooling which makes it hard for me to take the class.” 

Leno’s faith and passion for his faith drives him to be uncertain about his future, but the art instructors at VCSU feel that much more is at stake for those students who feel the same way as he does.  With the human form being a challenging thing to tackle in any form of art, the art instructors feel that by not having this experience will damage a student’s success in art.  Linda Whitney, one of the art instructors at VCSU is passionate about students learning this particular form.  In a face-to-face interview as she prepared to make one of her own creations, she states that “the hardest thing to draw is something we know.  If the students don’t learn how to draw the human form, they are doomed not to be successful.”  She also mentions that the students will not always be drawing the models while the models are in the nude.  “Sometimes they will be wearing bathing suits, sometimes clothed.  But if you look at art history, it is based on the nude form.”

In any career, there are crucial things for people to learn to do.  It seems that in the art world, these things may be things that are going to be a challenge for them to do for any reason, whether it be a question of morals, a question of religion, or it may be something else that drives the art professional to not do.  As Spring 2011 approaches in January, students will be exposed to this particular form of art.  The question of whether the students will follow through with the course or drop it before it is too late cannot be answered at that moment.  But one thing is for certain:  There will be nude models sitting in front of them as they draw the human form.

By Brian Chepulis

                According to a 2009 study done by Wilder Research, on any given night, approximately 760 people are homeless in the Fargo-Moorhead area and almost half are “long term homeless.” “Going Home” a 10 year plan to end homelessness in the Fargo-Moorhead area says this, “Homelessness is not just a social service issue – it is a community issue with serious individual and community costs.” No one understands these costs more than Moorhead resident, Sydney Cote.

                Sydney Cote is currently enrolled in the Social Work program at Minnesota State University Moorhead. Cote currently volunteers at the Dorothy Day Food Pantry in Moorhead and works at Red River Human Services Foundation. Dorothy Day Food Pantry is an organization that distributes free food to poor and homeless families in the community. DDFP is also associated with Dorothy Day House of Hospitality Inc., a shelter for the homeless.

                “Girl Scouts has been a huge inspiration for me, it was what opened my eyes to see how one person can make such a difference.”

                Cote has always enjoyed helping people and once she found out about the growing homelessness rates in the F-M area she was inspired to a life of helping people begin their journey toward self reliance. After graduation she wishes to be involved in helping the homeless and in the future aspires to open a homeless shelter in a community that needs it.

                Cote was born in Bottineau, ND to Jeff and Patty Cote. At the age of four her family made the move to Devils Lake. After high school she earned her associates degree from Lake Region State College in Devils Lake. She is now attending MSUM working towards a degree in social work.

Blackest of the Black Tour

By Audrey Fergel

                The music pounded loudly over the speakers with heavy metal music amping up the crowd in anticipation for the concert to begin.  The lights were dim and surprisingly not many people were there.  The Danzig concert held in Fargo, ND, at the Venue in the Hub opened with four speed metal bands.  There was an open floor for those wanting to do some head banging and partake in the mosh pit.  The seating was up a long flight of stairs in a semi-circle overlooking the open floor and stage.  Only those over twenty-one were allowed in the balcony area since there were several bars in that area. 

                The first band Withered appeared to be a band starting out.  Their music was garage band quality and there was no set design at all.  They only played for about a half of an hour.  After a quick set change, Toxic Holocaust took the stage.  Their musical sound was overall pretty good, very much like early Megadeth.   Marduk came on next with purple, green, and orange lights flashing and face-paint.  They seemed to really get the crowd going with special sound effects prior to each song, in a Marilyn Manson/Rob Zombie fashion.  The crowd started to get larger as people started arriving for the main show.   The fourth and final band before Danzig (the main attraction), Possessed took stage and put on a great show.  The back drop of a pentagram on fire was emphasized by smoke and purple lights flashing.  The musical sound was great provoking a mosh pit to start on the floor and it seemed that anyone with long hair was flinging it around.  The lead singer was a great front man, seemingly undeterred by being confined to a wheelchair.

                After Possessed had finished their set, the stage became extremely busy and everything was cleared to make room for Danzig’s set-up.  First, came out the two Devil skull sculptures with the drum set on a raised stage in the middle.  Purple lights were placed to highlight the sculptures with a red flashing light to make them look as though they were changing shape.  Multiple colored lights flashed as the road crew tested and finished the set-up.  They finished up and the crowd waited in anticipation for Danzig to take the stage.  All evening the Venue slowly filled and the balcony area had become packed and the open floor area was full as well.  Then the wait began.  The set-up took about a half an hour and everyone expected that the band would come out shortly after.  Twenty more minutes passed and a chant began to encourage the band to come out.  Fifteen more minutes passed and the whole crowds’ tension could be felt, since most of us listened to the rare interview done on 98.7 with Glenn Danzig and knew that Danzig had cancelled last minute in Minneapolis the night before.  Another quieter chant started on the floor, but no one in the balcony area joined in this time.  The crowd seemed tense and many seemed about ready to leave after waiting for almost an hour.  Then finally Danzig appeared and everyone went crazy.  The lights flashed and smoke rose on the stage.  Danzig started with songs off their latest album “Dethred Sabouth”.  They went on to play for over an hour and a half and ended by singing one of their most popular songs, “Mother.”  That seemed to wrap up the show, but after some more chanting the crowd managed to call Danzig back out for two more songs (Dirty Black Summer, and Twist of Cain).

Picture off Glenn Danzig's public website.

               All in all, the concert was a great show.  Each band increasingly became better from the sound to the setting.  It seemed that the intention was to build up to the big finish.  However, this music is not for everyone.  It is very hard metal music and anyone that is not open to experiencing different kinds of music would definitely not want to attend this show.  But if you enjoy many different genres of music it is a good listen.

8th Grade Girls Basketball in Valley City

By: Jacob Miedema

     December 2^nd was a great night for the Valley City Hi-liners girls Basketball. They played the Kindred Vikings, from Kindred North Dakota.  Both teams put in great effort at this ball game.  The final score for the evening was Hi-liners 32 and Vikings 21.  There was a decent turn out for this game.  Both Basketball coaches seemed that they did a good job of coaching the girls.  The Valley City coach seemed maybe a little uptight and expected that Valley City should win.  The Kindred coach was more laid back and instructed the girls how to play the game better, but seemed that he wanted the girls to win but wanted them to enjoy basketball.  For this age group coaches should be more encouraging and not make the team feel that they need to be really competitive and I felt the Viking coach did that.  Again the High-liners had a good evening of basketball.

Vikings Fight for a Win against Beavers

By, Emma Nelson

                Thursday night at the W.E. Osmon Field House in Valley City, the Valley City State University Vikings women’s basketball hosted Minot State University Beavers. The Vikings had to really fight for their 72-69 win over the Beavers.

Vikings take a time-out during the first half

                The Vikings led off to a slow start in the first half working out some cob webs as it was the first game of the Dakota Athletic Conference (DAC). From first glance, it would appear Minot was dominating the game under the basket, having four girls with a height of six foot or more verses the Vikings with no player above 5’10”. At one point in the half, Vikings were down 15 with a score of 12-27, but shots from Jacklyn Mitchell, Mandy Johnson, Amanda Brown, and Kristin Bearstail were able to tighten that gap to just 4 at half time with a score of 30-34.

                Vikings started the second half strong with Mitchell sinking a three pointer to start it off. The Vikings tied up the score at 41 with 15 minutes 53 seconds left in the game, but the Beavers were able to stay just one step ahead of them until Mandi Bindas made the go ahead basket. This gave the Vikings that extra oomph to finish strong having only 3 minutes left in the game. Johnson extended the lead with 22 seconds left to seal the win at 72-69.

Vikings #42, Mandi Bindas sinks a free throw

                “It was a great game!” says Valley City State University student Margaret Wilson after the game. Amanda Brown, Senior guard for the Vikings was not only one of the top scorers for the Vikings against Minot, but also hit the 1,000 point mark in her career. “That is something to be very proud of and it was fun to be there watching during such a good game,” says Wilson.



Vikings look for an open player



                The crowd was restless with excitement in their seats through the teeth grinding minutes of the game. Most of them were students and faculty of VCSU, but there were many alumni and friends of Viking Basketball as well. Chad Slyter, instructor at VCSU commented about the game via email, “It was a great home opening win for VCSU, especially to come from behind the way they did.  To be down 15 in the first half and come back to pull out a win in the conference opener definitely should be a confidence booster for the team.”

                The Vikings improve to 5-4 with 1-0 DAC record and host Dickinson State University tomorrow, Friday, December 03, 2010 at the W.E. Osmon Field House at 5:30 PM.

Photos taken by Emma Nelson

Devils Lake grapplers can’t overcome six open weights

By Brian Chepulis

Devils Lake, ND – Wrestling fans of all ages converged upon the Devils Lake Sports Center Friday night to cheer on the Firebird wrestling program. Valley City capitalized on Devils Lake forfeits and rolled to a 60-12 win.

This was the Hi-Liners first dual win of the young season after falling to Grand Forks Central 40-28 last week. The young Firebirds are still winless after dropping their season opener last week to a talented Fargo South team.

Chris Sommer was the only Firebird wrestler to leave the Sports Center victorious. Sommer started the match with a flurry of points in the first period against Brady Beckman. Eighteen seconds into the second period Sommer picked up 6 team points with a pin.

The dual started at 145 pounds with Devils Lake’s Tommy Good going up against Valley City’s Stephen Radermacher. This match set the tone for Valley City’s win with Good getting pinned with only 5 seconds left in the first period.

Devils Lake wrestlers cheering on a teammate

The night got worse for the Firebirds: giving up 24 points to the Hi-liners because they couldn’t field wrestlers for the weights 152-189. Sommer then picked up his lone win for the Firebirds. At heavyweight, Jacob Lagasse of Devils Lake lost in 31 seconds to a very good Alex Andel. Andel holds the top spot at 285 in the North Dakota Class “A” Coach’s Poll.

 There was a double forfeit at 103, which would end up being the last team points Devils Lake would pick up.

Firebird Jacob Clouse was rolling to a win when an unexpected series of events unfolded. Clouse was up 9-1 on Jackson Lemnus when Lemnus was able to get a reversal and caught Clouse on his back. Thirty seconds later Lemnus was in the middle of the mat with his hand raised high.

Austin Schall of Devils Lake also lost a close match to Zach Doty. Schall was up 1-0 in the second period but was taken down and pinned with only 4 seconds left in the period. Valley City picked up the pin in the last match of the night giving the Hi-liners a 60-12 win.

Devils Lake is young and doesn’t have the numbers of other schools, but some of the younger wrestlers showed some promise. Devils Lake will have some individual success towards the end of the season as these young guys gain valuable experience.

Feature Radio: New Horizons at the Learning Center

By Kayley Erlandson

Students Unhappy About Construction

  

Construction at Valley City State is putting a damper at the beginning of the semester for returning and incoming students this fall. “Getting to classes on time and maneuvering around campus is not an easy task”, said Travis Bomber, Junior at VCSU. This scenario creates a whole mess of issues for the students and campus  which may in turn affect the overall college experience. 

Bomber commented, “The construction has been quite hectic, first it takes away from parking which crowds the streets then it also makes people have to drive around it wasting more gas than necessary.”  

Students on campus were beginning to wonder why the project wasn’t started earlier this summer. Many students said they had been here the entire summer and it didn’t seem like much construction was happening. This is odd as one would think the renovations of the streets would want to be completed when hardly anyone is on campus. Ryan Mehus, golfer and senior at VCSU said, “When you do it during the school year, not only does it interfere with all of the students and teachers trying to navigate around campus, but you’re also running into winter and with snow coming who knows if they will even get it finished in time.”

Numerous students are complaining about the situation day in and day out, constantly wondering when construction will get done and whether or not the outside conditions will allow them to finish. If the weather doesn’t cooperate, the project could be stopped and resumed in the spring which wouldn’t sit well with students. Those trying to get to class and work are crossing their fingers that the weather will work with them and not against. 

Not only is the construction posing driving problems, but it’s affecting the lives of those who live on campus. Bomber commented, “I've heard the residents of Mccoy complain about the noise waking them up in the morning which causes them to be tired throughout the day.” Students may not only be affected physically, but mentally as well. This could pose problems in the classroom and create a lack of focus for the students. Teachers may not be getting the best attention from those this fall as a shortage of sleep can wear down one’s body. 

As the semester winds down, it seems like the construction will be put on hold, for the most part. While the snow is hitting the ground, construction crews are finishing up the projects and reopening streets. The construction was a temporary problem at Valley City State this fall, but students cannot wait for the project to disappear as a whole. However, construction will continue to be a part of the lives in Valley City as the town is still recovering from the 2009 flood. The large machinery took a toll on the streets, but the trade off of saving the town was much more important. Students for the time being will continue bearing with construction crews, but look forward to a normal campus again.

Coping With Homesickness

By , Emma Nelson

How do college students deal with being away from home? Also known as homesickness, I would assume every student gets it when they move away to college. Whether it is a distance from home of one hour or half-way across the United States, they all seem to have a similar way of coping.

 Katie McBride, four hours from home, and Caitlynn May, 14 hours from home both agree doing “anything to keep me busy helps keep my mind off it” helps. They are both athletes whom agree too, that being part of a team gives you friends and people to hang out with. “It is an automatic family away from home that you can always count on to be there for you,” expresses May.



Students at a homecoming football game
(Photo by Emma Nelson)



Campuses have a variety of activities to help students cope with homesickness. They allow them to get out and about, meet new friends and have a great time. Such activities may include dances, performances, comedians, sporting events, and many different clubs and organizations are available as well. Those may include athletics, campus activities board, student senate, Fish and Wildlife Club, etc. Jenna Vrchota, a student at Valley City State University explained that she likes to be involved and being part of different activities not only helps with being away from home, but also feels that doing so, “I can make an impact here”.

Package from home
(image from Google Images)

Many students receive packages that bring home to them. The packages may include things as simple as a baggie of mom or grandma’s cookies. Many of the students get packages of unopened mail, random goodies, socks (only mom would know what socks you like), food, and whatever you may have forgotten to pack.

Students also use the technology of Facebook to keep in touch with friends and family they left behind. The pictures and commenting, chatting and messaging allow them to feel like they are only on a short vacation, being able to keep each other updated on life.

 Audrey Fergel, four hours from home is a nontraditional student whom is not an athlete and deals somewhat the same way. She explains “I call home a lot, and just try to stay busy”. Fergel said she is going to do her best to get into different clubs and try new things to help her stay busy. “I have to force myself to do new and different things”.

When another student, Katie Arnold, attending Bemidji State University which is only one and a half hours from home, was asked how she copes with home sickness, she said “just fine, actually, I haven’t gotten it yet.” Then, out of extreme curiosity, the next question was, “why not?” She responded, “Dunno, I guess I just like it here”. In a follow-up email chat, Arnold still hasn’t been homesick. She says “I did swing dancing and just have a lot of friends. Every once in a while I’ll go home if I want or need to.”

So, everyone does not get homesick, but those that do, cope with it in similar ways, trying to stay busy, hanging out with friends, and getting involved.

Christmas Carols Are In The Air

By Dustin Krueger

                The walk over to Foss Hall was a rough one the wind was whipping and snow was blowing on November 19, 2010. But it was only three houses away. I entered the building and went and found my seat in the middle of the audience.  At the beginning the audience was starting to fill up around 20 people showed up to the show. Everyone was handed a program to fallow along with the concert and read the English language version on the German songs. The stage was decorated by lights around the hand rail and along the front of the stage. On the stage were a black piano and a Christmas tree decorated with lights and other ointments.  The audience was separated throughout the seats and very interactive with people. The light are usually dimmed down, but left on for the audience to read their programs they were given.  The soprano singer was Leesa Levy assisted by Jaime Nammingo on the piano. Leesa is the Director of Choral Activities at VCSU where she is also Assistant Professor or Voice for the Department of Music. The two dressed up nice for the event. They were matching Leesa was wearing a blue top and Jaime wearing bluish green top, both dressed up nice for the event.  The music was phenomenal sounded great with those to singing and playing great. Half way through there was a short break after looking around everyone was talking about the music and how nice it was. I did see one person sleeping so maybe she was enjoying the music so much that it put her to sleep. After the show Leesa and Jaime came out for one more round of applause and it was over.  There are still many events that people can go to and enjoy from the music department and people coming to the event.  These concerts are usually students going to school in valley for a music degree and are great to listen to and see what the school can produce.

High School vs. College Athletics

There is a very significant difference between high school and college athletics.  Athletics at the college level are much more demanding, both mentally and physically.  The seasons can be very long and strenuous.  The coaches are generally much tougher on their players then they are in high school.  These are some of the reasons many players love it and hate it so much.  They want to step up to that next level and become a better athlete than they were in high school.   Many athletes make the transition without any hitches, while others are not so fortunate and crumble under the pressure.   Collin McIntee is a former high school hockey player making his transition into college hockey.  “It’s not easy” Says McIntee when asked about how he was doing with making the transition into college athletics.  “I’m not used to playing all year round, I’m only used to the 3-4 month seasons, so it should be interesting to see if I can last.”   College athletics are obviously performed at a much higher pace than high school.  “Every guy on a college team is one of the best players from a high school team, this makes the competition for a spot in the lineup very tough” says McIntee.   The coaches in college are tougher on players for a reason.  They want you to excel and play well, but if you don’t you are sure to be riding the pine for a while.  This makes the players want to perform week in and week out so they can keep their spot in the lineup.  This is a very powerful motivational tool. 

                There are many obstacles to overcome for athletes who want to compete at the college level.  Ranging from injuries, angry coaches, mental toughness, and much more.   These obstacles are what makes everyone appreciate college athletes and the hard work they put in to play the sports that they love.  They are also what keep 98% of high school athletes from every being a college athlete.