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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