Pick a Side: Team Loyalty Still Matters

“Of course I’m going to route for Oregon in the Rose Bowl. They're an Oregon team and I got to represent,” says Don Paterson, as he sips from his Oregon State beer mug.

Really?

What has our green loving, Prius driving, love everyone culture done to our 21st Century sports fan in the Northwest?

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m all for saving for the environment, and believe me, my daily commute would warrant a Prius in the driveway, but what has happened to this 115 year rivalry that would allow one fan base to so nonchalantly route for their bitter rival.

Sports rivals have been imbedded into our modern society since there was a second team- no matter the sport. They shape our boundaries and give the average Joe a since of passion that is unmatched by anything else.  

Take Harvey Updyke Jr. for example, he is an Alabama fan (and ex-police officer) indicted for poisoning Auburn’s famous oak trees on Toomer’s Corner after Auburn won the National Championship in 2011. The Auburn-Alabama rivalry dates back to 1893 and their fans don’t seem to fall under this notion that they have to “represent” anything unless it involves their team winning and the other losing.

This is an extreme case. After all how many people name their children Bear and Crimson Tide like Updyke has (although "Time for dinner Beaver" does have an interesting ring to it), but it’s not out of the ordinary for fans to hate their rival and go to extremes to do so.

The Red Sox-Yankees, Lakers-Celtics, Michigan-Ohio State, North Carolina-Duke are just a few examples of downright hate full rivalries that sports fans live for. These fan bases don’t believe in “representing,” they believe in total humiliation and destruction of the other team.

The fan bases included in these rivalries have no fence to sit on and if they see someone on it, more than likely they will be shoved off.

These are obvious generalizations and some will disagree. However, for every one that doesn’t, there are five Updyke’s waiting around the corner.

These games are what the sports fans live for no matter what their team’s record or roster looks like these games make or break a team’s season.

Since 2000, OSU or UO have come into their Civil War battle with a chance to go to the Rose Bowl or BCS bowl five times. Take out 2009, which was the first “Battle of the Roses,” which the winner went no matter what, the other team has had nothing to lose other than ruin their opponents season. Two of the five the team with nothing to lose, won the game.

So where does this “represent” mentality come from?

Are we not allowed to hate our rival? Do we feel like it’s us against them, stuck up here in the lonely Northwest?

These are valid questions, but none help me understand how you can have two universities so close in proximity and long outstanding rivalry can have any love for each other.

There has been some Updyke moments in the rivalry, take the 1910 riots that suspended the series for a year, then moving it to a neutral site in Albany of all places in 1912. Or the Duck fan that lights the t-shirt on fire in the middle of the field that read, “I hate those Ducks” after the 2010 game.

To those that don’t understand, please don’t try. You will never get it or if you do, you will think we are all crazy, but for those that do pick your side and stay there.

At a glance:
Top 20 American Sports Rivalries according to bleacherreport.com
20 Giants vs Dodgers
19 Bruins vs Canadians
18 Colts vs Patiriots
17 Oregon State vs Oregon
16 Texas vs Oklahoma
15 Bulls vs Pistons
14 Cubs vs Cardinals
13 Florida vs Georgia
12 Alabama vs Auburn
11 Lafayette vs Lehigh
10 USC vs Notre Dame
9 Syracuse vs Georgetown
8 Notre Dame vs Michigan
7 Army vs Navy
6 Cowboys vs Redskins
5 Harvard vs Yale
4 Michigan vs Ohio State
3 Celtics vs Lakers
2 Yankees vs Red Sox
1 North Carolina vs Duke

Heidi Halemeier's Balancing Act

The Linn-Benton women’s basketball team has had an up and down season to say the least, injuries and lack of consistency have been plagued the team all year.

Halemeier lines up her shot. Photo by Marcea Palmer

One solid and consistent player however, has been sophomore Heidi Halemeier. Halemeier has been the rock in the middle for the team averaging 10.1 rebounds a game, which is good for fourth in the entire NWAACC conference.

Her story doesn’t just involve pulling down rebounds and taking on the biggest player her team faces each game though.

If you have ever been to a woman’s basketball game or practice for that matter here on campus you probably have noticed a not so shy and very cute little boy romping around cheering on the Lady Roadrunners. His name is Carter and besides being the biggest cheerleader the team has, he also has one of the hardest working moms on campus in Halemeier.

Halemeier was a star athlete at Santiam High School, where she won state titles and received over 50 scholarship offers to play basketball and continue her career. Her life however, changed in a different direction when she realized she was pregnant with her soon to be son.

After taking a year off and reflecting Halemeier was determined to get back to school and back on the court. She reached out and was able to land a scholarship here at LB and has not looked back since.

“Bringing her in was a huge recruit for LB, she’s one of our best players,” head coach Teresa Guerra said of her star recruit.

Heidi looks for an open teamate.
Photo by Marcea Palmer

Being the only true post player the team has put a lot of pressure on Halemeier’s shoulders, especially with some unfortunate injuries to her teammates, but dealing with adversity and pressure seems to come easy to Halemeier.

“She has a lot of pressure on her, but she steps up to the challenge. Her work ethic is amazing, balancing school, the team, and her son. You can see in her eyes how happy he makes her though,” said Alicia Love, friend and teammate of Halemeier.

Stepping up to a challenge doesn’t seem to slow Halemeier down, if anything it seems to motivate her as a student athlete.

“Having a child was an eye opening experience for me, I matured and realized the importance of life while understanding every day is going to be a challenge,” Halemeier said.

When she’s not trying to balance her homework, or practice, her son, or work at Allann Bros. most likely you will see Halemeier on the couch watching "Cake Boss" or in the kitchen making something she just saw on "Cake Boss."

“I am a cook fanatic!” she said

Her dream is to someday open a coffee/desert shop where she can show off all her baking inspirations. Her son’s birthday is weeks away and she already has the Ninja Turtle themed desert planned out.

Halemeier is an inspiration to a lot of students with children, who sometimes find the balancing act a struggle to deal with. Her positive attitude both on and off the court are remarkable and have helped the team stay positive.

“She faces more adversity being a mom and an athlete, but she is doing a great job and has a great outlook on life that is great to have in our program,” Coach Guerra said.

At a glance:
Grew up in Mill City Ore
Graduatued from Santiam High School
Has signed a Letter of intent to Oregon Institute of Technology to continue playing basketball
Major-Adult and family studies

Neeson Shines in "The Grey"

Liam Neeson is back in “The Grey,” and this time leading a group of down-and-out oil workers through the depths of hell, as they try and survive a plane crash in the middle of Alaska.

Neeson is in the midst of a three-year run of lead roles, portraying him as a bad ass, take-no-prisoner character that would make Chuck Norris weep. Most will remember his role in “Taken,” a film that no doubt ruined most teenage girls' chances of ever going to Europe alone.

“The Grey” was directed by Joe Carnahan, who first teamed up with Neeson when he directed “The A-Team,” where Neeson played “Hannibal.”

In the film Neeson plays a professional hunter paid by the oil companies to shoot off the computer-enhanced wolves that make the “Twilight” wolves look like cartoon character from "Adult Swim." Neeson is sent out with a team on a small plane, which is no match for the Alaskan weather and crashes in the middle of nowhere.

The grungy survivors are left for dead, except for having Neeson to lead in a jouney for survival. The weather and wolves provide all the suspense you need, as the men are ultimately pitted into an all-out predator vs. man adventure.

“I was scared and on the edge of my seat the whole time, hoping they would make it out alive. I don’t want to see another wolf again,” said audience member Kandis Snyder after seeing “The Grey.”

The film is intense, even with the simple plot that we’ve all seen before. Neeson’s character gives the film an emotional and tough guy appeal.

Rotten Tomatoes, a popular film review website said this about the film: “The Grey' is an exciting tale of survival, populated with fleshed-out characters and a surprising philosophical agenda.”

As with any film that portrays dead animal carcasses and man vs. beast battles, this one also comes with a bit of controversy. On Jan. 19, The Province featured an article about the movie buying four wolf carcasses from a local trapper, two for props and two for the cast to eat. It didn’t take long for groups such as PETA and WildEarth Guardians to start drives to boycott the film.

 Open Road ( the film’s production company) responded by placing a fact sheet about the gray wolf on the film’s official website. Carnahan has responded by downplaying the significance of the violent wolves portrayed in the film, instead highlighting the significance of man’s interior struggle for survival.

Amazingly, the film took just 40 days to film and is based on the short story “Ghost  Walker” by Ian Mackenzie Jeffers.

The film is worth the watch, especially on the big screen on a dark wintery night. There are plenty of twists and even a little religious controversy throughout the film. Each character brings a special piece to the film that brings the audience into the film on a personal level.

As far as an R rated film goes, “The Grey” lives up to the rating. There’s plenty of gore and language to earn its rate.

With the Oscars around the corner, there will be plenty of buzz on other films, but this one is worth getting out seeing while it’s still on the big screen.

At a glance:
Rated-R
Runtime-1hr. 57 min.
Drama, Action & Adventure
Directed and Written by Joe Carnahan
Starring-Liam Neeson
Open Road Films
Opened number one for the weekend at an estimated $20 million.

Roadrunners Say Goodbye to Blake Paltz

Student killed in head-on collision.

For the many who knew Blake Paltz, their hearts are filled with memories of a kind, open-hearted young man who was full of life and inspiration.

LBCC student and soccer player Blake Paltz. Photo by Art Motta

His friends and family had an emotional start to the New Year as Paltz was involved in a head-on traffic collision just south of Junction City on Monday, Jan. 2. 

Paltz was alone in his SUV when it collided with 56-year-old Danielle Ball's Honda Accord. Ball was also traveling alone and was pronounced dead at the scene. Paltz would later be pronounced dead while recieving treatment in the hospital according to a report in the Eugene Register Guard.

Blake graduated from Junction City High School in 2010 and had been a student of Linn Benton for the past two years. He alos played for the men’s soccer team this season, helping them to their best record in school history.

After his death his parents received a knock on the door from a stranger who told them a story that no one had heard before.

A few months back Paltz was driving along a quiet highway when he spotted a stranger on top of a bridge looking suspicious. Paltz stopped to see what the man was up to.

The man was getting ready to take his life by jumping of the bridge. Using his own charm and aspiration for life, Paltz was able to talk the man out of committing suicide. This man felt his story needed to be told and reached out to Paltz parents after his death.

This story was told again at Paltz’s memorial service by the pastor to his friends and family. To which had not heard this story before. As some might gloat and tell of their accomplishment, Paltz kept his noble feat to his self.

Rocco Lizzi graduated with Paltz from high school and has spent countless moments with the person he called a “brother” to him.

“He could never let us be angry with each other, he would always find a way to make up. We were complete opposites, but complemented each other perfectly” Lizzi said.

Paltz loved soccer. He was the starting left back for the LB team this season.

“He was the court jester, always making everyone laugh with his great sense of humor. His teammates loved him and he loved them back,” LB coach Art Mota said.

Paltz was always full of energy and life, always trying to make an influence in people’s life. He would always make sure to say hi to everyone as they arrived to practice and try to spread his good vibes into the team chemistry.

Max Sampson had this to say about his former teammate: “Blake had a powerful personality, he was always a loyal friend. I would never be surprised by what Blake would do because he was very spontaneous and energetic. It is very hard to accept that I won’t get to kick the ball around with him anymore.”

Paltz had a level of commitment and love for life that was unlike anything most people ever get a chance to embrace. His sense of humor was enlightening, even if the joke was on him.

He even scored a goal this year from his defensive back position against Mt. Angel, which if you know soccer, is an amazing and rare feat.

His life will not be forgotten. His teammates are planning on retiring his jersey (definitely not his practice one since he never wore a shirt at practice regardless of the weather) and possibly name their indoor team in memory of their lost friend.

At a glance:

To help Blakes family with funeral expenses and medical costs please go to any US Bank and donate to the Blake Paltz Memorial Fund. You can also follow a Facebook page dedicated in Blake's honor as well as keep up on upcoming fundraisers. 

Paltz death was the fifth over this year’s New Yeas weekend on Oregon roads compared to just one last year and zero the year before according to Oregon Department of Transportation and Oregon State Police. Paltz was alone in his SUV at the time of the accident.

 

Counseling Center eyes new focus

Amongst cut backs and increased enrollment the center aims to reach new goals and more students.

Ultimately, a community college is designed to enhance and better a community through education and career training.  The LB counseling center is out to make this college a better atmosphere to do just that. Although cuts are being felt in the center the “retuned and re-focused” Counseling Center believes that by advancing relationships with students across campus we will be adding more value than what were are losing to budget cuts.

Mark Weiss is finishing up his 22^nd year as a counselor here at LB and has been the front man in the “re-creation” of the counseling office. He believes we need we need to be “pro-active in campus community building. “ 

Weiss stated that “the sooner a student knows someone cares about them and that someone is here to help them the better odds that student is going to stay and stay longer.”

Research as in fact pointed out that students that have positive relationships with faculty and staff, tend to be more successful in class, stay in school longer and in the end graduate.

Like any college many of LB students are faced with difficult decisions and challenges that can affect their academic success. For many reasons students feel they have no one to reach out to.  Weiss feels “we need to be making sure all students have someone to turn to.”

Bruce Clemetsen our Vice President of student services has been working hand in hand with Weiss to reach these new goals. He believes this new focus will help students get the whole experience of college and increase our graduation numbers.

One of Clemetsen’s goals is to focus in on the undecided students that can benefit the most from counseling.

“By designing our facilities to help these students get through the undecided process and help them create a path for themselves will keep these students motivated, ease their financial aid stress, and decrease our drop- out rate here”  Clemetsen added.

Currently LB has more clubs on campus than they have ever had and Weiss also hopes this can be a way for students to get to involved and bring students together.  This ties into one of the Counseling Center’s goals by working directly with these clubs and Student Life the center can reach student’s that they normally would not have a chance to reach.

“Clubs and Student Life are a way to find students and staff with the positive energy needed to bring students together” Weiss says.

For instance, Weiss noted a group at OSU that is focused on happiness and solutions rather than problems.

Neil Simms a student at LB for the past year is up for the change and believes in the idea of community building here on campus. “It’s a wonderful idea, we all need to come together and help each other to better our abilities as students and citizens of the community.”

Community Colleges directly affect our economic development, jobs, and average income rates in our community. There is a significant economic value in by having more students receive degrees and certificates from LB.

Weiss says “time is now to answer call of the community and we are going to be a better resource to our community and our students.”

At a Glance:

OSU has already made some significant changes to their Counseling department and Weiss plans on meeting with their director June 1st to collaborate on ideas on how to better our campus.

Dael Dixon earns admiration in wrapping up career at LBCC

After 27 years of counseling and being a part of the LB community Dixon will retire as of June 30^th of this year. Her retirement came earlier than expected for her as the budget cuts swept through campus, a co-worker was faced with being laid off and a future left in doubt.

Dixon being Dixon showed the compassion that she has for her co-workers and life in general. She voluntarily offered to retire early to save her co-worker’s job.Students walk into the counseling center for many different reasons here at LB. For the last 20 years here at the Albany Campus Dael Dixon’s office has opened the door for students to come in and enter her office of Zen. The inspirational posters and Zen garden on the desk gives the students a feeling of her “compassion” for them.

Mark Weiss has worked side by side with Dixon for the last 22 years. “She is the personification of all they tried to teach us in graduate school.”

Dixon is a world traveler with a true understanding of her counseling profession. Her sign in her office gives you a since of her prided philosophy, “let all that you do be done in love.”

Unlike Weiss who has worked for a long time with Dixon, Whitney Barstad started working in the counseling center just six months ago.

 “She was the first person to make me feel like I was at home.” “Her caring persona really shows in her work.”

Q&A

What made you want to become a counselor?

-At 19 I was working in Washington D.C. during the Vietnam War, I knew something was missing in my life. I wanted to do something more meaning full for people. I went to apply for a position in a rehabilitation center, the man interviewing me advised me to finish school and pursue my goals.

What is your favorite part about your job here as a counselor at LB?

-Working one on one with the students and finding the best of them. Also, helping people realize what their gifts are. My heart is moved by every person that comes in with their unique issues. I love being there for people. Too many people are not doing what they were born to do and I just want to help them.

Do you have a certain philosophy behind what you do?

-Let all that you do be done in love (as noted on the sign in her office). Let each unique soul into your life and support them in whatever they need.

What are your plans after retirement?

-Just be, do some meditating in pretty settings like in Encinitas, do some swimming and kayaking. Travel to Guatemala next February and Arizona from there to spend time with family. After takings some time off, I would like to volunteer somewhere, maybe for Habitat for Humanity.

What will you miss most about your time here at LB?

-My co-workers, they are like family to me. I felt blessed working with the different health programs here on campus there dedication was moving. I will also miss all the young people here and their stimulating challenges that I was able to help them with.

At A Glance:

Earned her BS in Public Administration and Rehabilitation Counseling from the University of Arizona in 1972. Earned Master's in Counseling from University of Oregon in 1982.

Started at Benton Center part time in 1984 after interning there at U of O. Moved to full time at Albany Campus in 1991 where she has worked ever since.

Dixon is an avid traveller and has been to Poland (where her mother is from), Greece, Egypt, Hungry, Check Republic, and most of the European Nations.

Born in New York she moved to Arizona when she was 11 and settled in Oregon after college.

To schedule an appointment with Dixon go to the Career Services and Counseling Center in Takena Hall to do so.

PCDC Parents Voice One Last Hope

Students with children in the Periwinkle Child Development Center attended The Board of Education meeting April 20 with a hope of making one last plea to save the center.

PCDC is a program that benefits not just parents at LB, but also allows students in the educational programs here to complete there practicum under trained profesionals. However, by the end of the meeting it was apparent to the parents that showed up to the Calapooia Center on the Albany Campus they were speaking in vain.

Unfortunately, this is the last term that the PCDC will be in operation, after over 20 years of service to our students and community. In the fall, Head Start is set to take over the child care area, though the contract has not yet been signed.

There is a group of students that are not willing to let this go lightly. 

Melissa Hite, Caila Williams, and Melissa Bledsoe have made repeated attempts to save the PCDC. They have presented alternative plans and possible funding options to LBCC administration. These three parents have been able to pursue their college career and dreams as a result of the resources PCDC provides.

They have been working around the colck with ideas on how to save the center and showed up Wednesday to pitch one last-ditch effort to the board.

Williams is a third year student here at LB and is now dual-enrolled and has two daughters in the program at PCDC. She spoke first and posed some interesting questions to the board. She raised the point that other community colleges (Lane and Chemeketa) have faced similar fates to their child care centers but ended up saving them through student fees. “If students would help support our cause can we save at least one room in the center?” Williams asked.

Hite spoke next, she said LBCC “need to allow the students to make a choice”. She asked “why the center was not a part of the general fund that all students pay into.”

 Head Start (the proposed replacement program for PCDC) still has not signed a contract with LBCC. With fall term right around corner her fears are that they will not be ready in time.

Bledsoe was last to speak on behalf of the center and was hoping to leave a lasting impression with some photos of the children that are being affected as a result of the center closing. She passed out photos, which were displayed on poster board, to the Board to look at while she made her speech. Fewer than half the Board members looked at the photos.

Bledsoe asked the Board directly “is there a deadline?” The board was silent. and she carried on with the same thought in mind that the previous two speakers, wondering what if.

The citizen comments part of the agenda ended with no comments from the Board on any of these students emotional attempts to save their center.

The meeting continued, but during the board comments' section Hal Brayton (Board Member) reminded the students that “in tough times tough decisions have to be made.”

LB is in the midst of many cuts and sacrifices are being made campus wide. Many of them may or may not have affected you. For many student/parents of the PCDC, these cuts are not just hurting their options to stay in school they are in fact “devastating” says Williams.

At a glance;
Online Poll: Go to the Commuter website and take a vote on the issue.