Tag Archive | "8/22/2011"

Screen Shot 2011-08-22 at 11.12.35 PM

Tags: ,

Jaguars Name New Coach for Golf Program

Posted on 23 August 2011 by David Lee

Seven weeks after lifting the national championship trophy for the second consecutive year and saying goodbye to their esteemed head coach, Augusta State University named Kevin McPherson the fifth head coach in the program’s history.

McPherson, the women’s golf coach at Augusta State for three years, will replace Josh Gregory, who led the Jaguars to two national championships in his nine-year tenure. McPherson was officially announced as coach at a press conference Wednesday, July 27, at the J. Fleming Norvell Golf House.

“We went through an extensive national search, and time and time again, Kevin proved that he is the person for the job,” athletics director Clint Bryant said. “We told him, ‘We don’t need you to be the next Josh Gregory, we need you to be the next Kevin McPherson.’”

Aside from two postseason appearances with the women’s team in his three years, McPherson has experience with the men’s team, coaching them in a tournament in 2010 and traveling with the team as an assistant coach for the second championship in 2011.

“This is certainly a special day for me,” McPherson said. “I’ve been a part of this program, not just the women’s team, and I’ve seen these guys grow over the last few years. I’m very thankful for this opportunity. This is something I’ve been dreaming of, to have the opportunity to do.”

Under McPherson, the Lady Jaguars had five Top 5 finishes in 2011 and 15 total, including two victories. His teams set school records for the lowest team round and lowest 36-hole team total.

“He’s proven himself over the last three years with his leadership of the women’s team, and that was foremost in our minds,” Bryant said. “Kevin has done an outstanding job with the women’s program.”

Prior to joining Augusta State, McPherson spent two years at the University of Central Florida as the assistant men’s and women’s coach. The men had postseason appearances in both years he was there, while the women had a regional bid in one year.

“It’s an honor to me to be here and I’m extremely humbled for this opportunity,” McPherson said. “I’m extremely confident that you guys made the right choice in having me as the men’s head golf coach here at Augusta State.”

Comments (0)

Screen Shot 2011-08-22 at 11.08.06 PM

Tags: ,

The Repeat is Complete: Jaguars Take Back-to-Back Titles

Posted on 23 August 2011 by David Lee

The underdog had its day – again.

The Augusta State University men’s golf team swept through match play and into history with its second consecutive NCAA National Championship on June 5.

With the win, the Jaguars became just the second men’s golf program to win consecutive national championships in the last 26 years. The 1984-1985 Houston Cougars were the last team to hoist the trophy in back-to-back seasons.

“I don’t care if you’re Oklahoma State or the best school in the country with nothing but Top 10 players, to win two in a row is very unlikely,” Patrick Reed said. “To do that is a miracle. It couldn’t happen to a greater group of guys. We’re all pretty close, and to do something like that, it’s amazing, a lot of fun.”

Augusta State rallied behind a 3-0 match play record by Reed, including an 8 and 7 victory over U.S. Amateur champion Peter Uihlein in the semifinals win over Oklahoma State. Reed also defeated Georgia’s No. 1 player Harris English in the finals to clinch the winning point, as well as earned a share of medalist honors in the NCAA Southeast- Florida Regional by firing a 10-under 206 in three rounds.

“He showed why he’s one of the best match play players in the world at the amateur level,” former head coach Josh Gregory said. “When he won regionals and came close to winning individual stroke play, and then the way he played in those three matches, he was playing the best golf of probably any amateur in the world at that time.”

Behind Reed’s 3-0 record and Mitch Krywulycz’s 2-1 record, as well as two clutch wins by Carter Newman, Augusta State defeated No. 2 seed Georgia Tech, No. 3 seed Oklahoma State and No. 5 seed Georgia in a span of three days for the national title.

The Jaguars started slow in the first round of stroke play in the national tournament at Karstens Creek Golf Club in Stillwater, Okla. They ended the first round in ninth place at 6-over par. Reed paced the Jaguars with a 69, and Krywulycz added a 71. After a second straight 6-over par in the second round moved them to seventh place, the Jaguars survived tough conditions in the final round to post a 12-over-par score, which kept them in seventh place and clinched a spot in the match play portion of the tournament. The Jaguars defeated Georgia Tech, 3-2, in the quarterfinals of match play, which is the same score as the previous year when the two teams met. Reed, Newman and Krywulycz won their matches. Newman won the final two holes of his match to win 2-up, while Krywulycz went 1-up on 17 and matched birdies with his opponent on 18 to clinch the victory.

Augusta State battled the No. 1 team in the nation on its home course in the semifinals. Oklahoma State drew an estimated 5,000 orange-clad fans during its match with Augusta State, and the atmosphere was intense after the Jaguars knocked off the Cowboys in the finals last year and the Cowboys came back with a win over the Jaguars on their home course in Augusta, Ga., earlier in the year.

The two teams showed how close they are by fighting back and forth during the match. In the clinching match, Newman made a 30-foot par putt on 17 to remain tied, and he birdied the first extra hole to clinch the win. He joined Reed, who beat Uihlein 8 and 7, and Norlander, who beat Kevin Tway 3 and 1, to record the three Jaguar wins.

The win over Oklahoma State gave the team, as well as the national golf audience, a sense of validation after many called last year’s victory over the Cowboys a fluke.

“We were looking at some of the golf magazines prior to the championship and nobody expected us to win, and nobody expected anybody to beat Oklahoma State on their home course,” Newman said. “We wanted to be that team and say we could beat those guys on their home course. They came to Forest Hills earlier in the year and beat us on our home course; we wanted to do the same to them. It was pretty sweet.”

Augusta State used the momentum from the Oklahoma State victory to roll past Georgia in the finals, 3-2. Reed, Newman and Krywulcyz won their matches, and none trailed at any point. Reed went 2-up on 13 and clinched the championship on 17.

The 2010 championship team hoisted the trophy in a shocking way, coming out of nowhere as the small college in the city where the Masters Tournament is held. The 2011 champions hoisted the trophy, validating the previous title.

“The best part was that everyone was leaving, either graduating or turning professional,” Reed said. “To be able to end our college careers that way, it’s kind of hard to talk about. It was such a perfect ending for us. To win another one, back-to-back, it was not only for us, but for also the school and Augusta.”

For Gregory, it meant two national titles as head coach, joining only two other active coaches with that number under his belt. For the program, it meant 12 national championship appearances in 19 years, which only 12 teams have more of in that span. For the school, it meant two national titles in consecutive years in Division I men’s golf, which only one other school can claim in the last 26 years.

For everyone, it meant perhaps one of the best college golf teams in the history of the sport.

“One of the reporters for Golfweek said this team will go down as one of the greatest teams of all time in college golf,” Gregory said “That’s hard for me to imagine, and I didn’t really think of it that way. But if you look at it and what we did, to win back-to-back national championships and do it in the manner they did, and to beat the quality of teams they did, it’d be hard to argue with the statement that they wouldn’t be one of the greatest golf teams of all time. It’s an honor to have coached them.”

Comments (0)

Tags: ,

Gregory Leaves Big Shoes to Fill, Powerhouse to Lead

Posted on 23 August 2011 by David Lee

As the Jaguars golf team rode off into the sunset with two NCAA National Championships in consecutive years, the coach that built the team responsible for those two trophies did, as well.

Josh Gregory was named the head coach of Southern Methodist University in Dallas on June 12, just seven days after the Jaguars claimed their second straight national title in Stillwater, Okla.

Gregory returns to his alma mater, where he was a fouryear letterman and three-time NCAA Championship participant for the Mustangs. He was the co-captain of the golf team during his senior year in 1997.

“I knew it would take a very special place for me to ever leave Augusta, and SMU provided me with that,” Gregory said. “It’s a chance to coach at my alma mater, and it doesn’t get much better than that.”

Gregory left his mark on the Augusta State University golf program. He coached 11 All-Americans, 10 NCAA All-Independent picks, six Palmer Cup selections, two Walker Cup selections and one Ryder Cup member. Over his nine-year tenure with the Jaguars, he produced 18 tournament titles, eight NCAA Regionals appearances, five NCAA Championship appearances and two NCAA Championship titles.

Gregory’s teams set numerous school records. He matched the highest national ranking in school history at No. 2, set the school record for lowest team stroke average twice, coached the Jaguars to their first regionals title, and set th e school record for most tournament wins under one coach.

Gregory won back-to-back GCAA Coach-of-the-Year awards in 2010 and 2011. He is one of only three active coaches in the country to have two national titles.

Gregory’s greatest stretch came during those two years when he won consecutive national championships. He built the team from the ground up, adding one piece at a time and culminating into a college golf powerhouse by the time the group left school.

“What’s so special about that group is that they truly care about college golf as much as I do as a coach, and that doesn’t happen very often,” Gregory said. “These kids love college golf as much as I do as a coach, they hated to lose, they were very competitive and loved the role of underdog, and they just wanted to beat somebody. I will never forget what they’ve given me as a coach, and I only hope I gave them half as much in return.”

Gregory said the decision to return to his alma mater at Southern Methodist came during the spring while Augusta State was in the midst of its second run at a title. It is an opportunity many coaches jump at when given the chance, and Gregory is no exception. But while Gregory is no longer the man behind the program, he is leaving a lasting impression on it, and current and former players.

“Not only is he a great coach, he’s a great person,” Patrick Reed said. “He continues to talk to all of us. He was the first guy to text me when I wa s at my first FedEx event, my first pro tournament . He’s a guy that, it doesn’t matter if you’re a player coming in, currently there or already gone, he’s still in contact, he’s still a class guy.”

“It’s hard to describe all that he’s done for us over the last four years,” Carter Newman said. “Just constant communication. He really does care for us and wants us to succeed, and not for his good or the school’s good, but for our good. To see him leave is sad, but he did a great job.”

Augusta State is banking on the program not missing a beat despite Gregory’s departure. The Jaguars handed the reigns to Kevin McPherson, the women’s coach for the last three years, on July 25. McPherson led the Lady Jaguars to 15 Top 5 finishes over that stretch, including two wins. He also assisted the men’s team during its second national championship run.

While McPherson is knowledgeable of the program and will slide into the role with no hesitation, he will have large shoes to fill.

“I’m proud to say we left it a better place, and we left it for Kevin to keep doing his thing,” Gregory said. “That program will not fall off. They’ll be just fine.”

Comments (0)

Screen Shot 2011-08-22 at 11.04.52 PM

Tags: ,

Hometown Golfer Grew With Jaguar Program

Posted on 23 August 2011 by John-Michael Garner

Before he could help lead his hometown school to college golf’s mountaintop, Carter Newman had to first pay his dues.

Newman, an Evans, Ga., native, said that he started playing golf at the age of 3 and began entering in junior golf events when he was 13. Although he displayed a talent for the sport, Newman was not highly regarded by college recruiters.

Newman said that he chose to attend Augusta State University, where his father Dean played golf from 1978-1980, over schools such as Georgia Southern, Mercer and USC-Aiken because of the rapport that he felt with then-head coach Josh Gregory.

“I always liked Josh and felt comfortable with him,” Newman said. “He had a good track record as a coach and a recruiter. I knew Augusta State would be a place where I could get better as a player.”

After redshirting as a freshman in 2006-2007, Newman and the Jaguars spent the next couple of seasons simply fighting for respect.

“My first few years here, we were a long way from even being able to think about anything like a national championship,” Newman said.

However, Newman’s game steadily improved, and the fortunes of the Augusta State program improved along with it. In 2010, the Jaguars advanced to the 30-team stroke play portion of the NCAA Championships. Although Newman struggled in the first two rounds – “I was terrible those two days,” he admits – he bounced back with a 73 in the final round to help the Jaguars sneak into the eight-team match play field.

During the three days of match play, Newman recorded a 2-1 record to help Augusta State win its first national championship in school history. Gregory said that Newman finally realized how good he could be during the Jaguars’ sprint to the title.

“That week gave him the belief that he could be a great player,” Gregory said. “It gave him a quiet confidence.”

Newman would need every bit of that confidence one year later, when he faced two of the most crucial putts in the history of Augusta State golf.

In a match against Oklahoma State’s Sean Einhaus in the 2011 national semifinals on the Cowboys’ home course, Newman – knowing that his match would decide which team advanced to the final round – buried a 20-foot par putt on the 17th hole to remain all-square, and then calmly drained a kneeknocking, 5-foot birdie attempt on 18 to force a playoff.

“(The putt on 18) is the one I’m most proud of,” Newman said. “To know that I could come through for my teammates under that kind of pressure meant a lot.”

Newman ultimately defeated Einhaus in extra holes, sending the Jaguars to the championship match against instate rival Georgia. Newman again provided a pivotal point for Augusta State, defeating Georgia’s T.J. Mitchell to help the Jaguars defend their title.

For his career, Newman finished with a 5-1 record in match play during the NCAA Championships, helping his oft-overlooked school slay some of college golf’s biggest dragons.

Although Newman – who graduated from Augusta State this spring with a degree in sociology – will no longer be teeing it up for the Jaguars, he is continuing his golf career on the professional level, something he said that he did not always plan to do.

“There was a time when I wasn’t even thinking about playing professional golf,” he said. “I just figured I would hang it up when my time at Augusta State was done. But Josh would tell me, ‘You’re getting better and better every year, and those are the types of guys who can go far in this game.’”

Newman is currently playing on the eGolf Tour, where he is adjusting to the upsand-downs that come with playing professionally. After missing the cut in his first two events this summer, Newman registered a fifth place finish at The Southern Open, taking home a paycheck of more than $7,000.

While Newman said that playing on the PGA Tour one day would be a dream come true, his ascension from being an unheralded junior golfer to a key member of a collegiate golf dynasty has taught him to take things one step at a time.

“My plan is just to continue playing the game as long as it’s fun, because if it’s not fun, then what’s the point?” he said. “I’m still having as much fun with it as I always have.”

Comments (1)

Tags: ,

Memorial Quilt Honors Georgia’s Fallen

Posted on 23 August 2011 by Rebe Legoullon

When students walked past the automatic doors leading into the Reese Library this summer they came across a patriotic display on the right; a complex arrangement of American flags known as the Memorial Quilt.

The idea for a quilt, a tribute specific to Georgia soldiers that have lost their lives from 2001 to the present, was thought up by Yadira Payne, the Government Information Librarian for the Reese Library.

“I know most memorials are usually overall for Vietnam vets,” she said. “I wanted it to be for soldiers we are losing now and specific to Georgia.”

If visitors took the time to count, they would find that there are 190 flags, meticulously pinned together for the display, giving the students of Augusta State University a visual reminder of just how many soldiers Georgia has lost since the war started in 2001.

But how did the idea for the Memorial Quilt come to fruition?

“I wanted to originally have the flags out in the grass to signify each person and then I was trying to think of a way to bring all of those flags inside and just came up with the quilt,” Payne said. “We said, well, let’s pin all the flags together so that they’re still individual flags so they still represent each individual soldier but we’re pinning them together because they all lost their lives for the same thing; our American way of life.”

By we, Payne referred to Tristan Nall, the administrative special projects assistant, and the one who helped her bring the entire project together.

“Yadira had this idea to do something for Memorial Day with all the soldiers that had died from Georgia,” he said. “So we got the number of flags and eventually came up with the idea for that quilt.”

But coming up with the quilt was only half of the battle. Putting it all together took some creativity, which is where Nall came in.

“She came up with the concept for the quilt, and then I designed the poster in the center of the quilt,” Nall said. I went out to our cemetery and took photographs out there of the cemetery and then photo-shopped it together, and I physically pinned the quilt. The pinning itself took about two hours, and the poster took three or four, so I think the whole thing took about seven or eight hours.”

Nall devoted a lot of time and effort, but seeing the finished product and reminding those who stop by to view the display of the sacrifices soldiers have made for the United States, made it time well-spent.

It may come as a surprise to those who frequent the library, but this is only the second year that there has been a Memorial Day display.

The first display Payne created last year, the Soldier’s Table for One, represented the empty space at dinner tables of families across the country who were missing their soldiers. Many students enjoyed interacting with the display and dropping small symbols of each branch of the military into the lone cup on the table, representing their own loved ones who were overseas.

While no definite ideas for the next display have been thought up as of yet, Payne plans to continue the Memorial Day tradition in the coming years.

The commemoration to Georgia’s fallen soldiers display stayed up until the end of July in order to cover Memorial Day, Flag Day, and Independence Day.

Comments (0)

Screen Shot 2011-08-22 at 10.58.22 PM

Tags: ,

The Walking Man: How a Schizophrenic Stabilizes Himself in Society

Posted on 23 August 2011 by JoBen Rivera-Thompson

Michael Harris woke this morning restless. He moved his aching legs down the arm of a cigarette-stained couch and stood up. His first step was cautious, avoiding the agitation of the blisters on his feet. He made his way to the pale blue hamper and pulled out a striped pink and neonturquoise shirt and the tattered jeans that have made him familiar, even though his appearance never signified much. He did not dress himself for work but to walk.

Absent-mindedly, he wandered about the living room organizing the untidiness by plugging in the broken cassette player and placing trash in boxes pushed flush with the crown molding as a sort of basic decoration for the empty, white walls.

He adjusted the thermometer a few times, just as his sister ordered, in fear of another $350 power bill, and on the wall adjacent to the thermometer, in between the door, he read the reminder to take his medication.

With the routine completed he sat down to adjust the orthopedic shoes that hid the sores and corns of so many impressions made by his splayfooted gait.

This pause stopped Harris for the last time until he returned to his house in the evening.

Harris, 36, has been living and walking on his own for most of the last four years in an effort to be the responsible and independent man he knows exists.

For a while Harris was unsure of who he was, the reason: schizophrenia.

Four years ago, Harris was diagnosed with what he called a bi-polar type of denial. In other words, when his personalities change it is usually triggered by strong feelings of abandonment and loneliness.

These thoughts, he said, come from his mind set that when no one is around him, no one cares about him and if no one cares for him, he cannot care for himself.

Harris has these thoughts when he is inside; by walking he avoids them.

“Walking is a way to be near people,” Harris said.

“When it rains or something keeps me inside, I think too much and get skeptical.”

Harris has been walking nearly every day for the last four years. He has found that the best places to walk to be near people are shopping centers. His favorite is the tuckedaway, some-call-it-dying North Augusta Plaza.

This beaten stretch of asphalt and marred by several unrented outparcels is home to the CSRA’s only Big K KMart, a Publix that stays full, and the loyal retirees who shop at Hamrick’s.

The walks usually start near the entrance to Publix where on occasion he will help employees gather stray shopping carts. From Publix he paces himself. His walk is more of a crooked sway than a straightforward step that gives him the appearance of being a vagabond regardless of his intentions.

Harris passes storefronts of Japanese and Chinese restaurants, a salon, a tax office, an appliance and furniture rental center, a video game store, a vitamin and supplement store and Payless.

He will go in the stores occasionally, browsing for a dollar video game, or if he is burnt out he will stay awhile in the air conditioning; never really intent on making a purchase, he said he wants to know who is in the store rather than what.

He walked into GNC for a short moment. He opened the door, took a step through then jumped back an inch; startled from the obnoxiously loud doorbell. The eyes of the only other customer made their way to Harris with a stare of confusion. Harris noticed her and he gave her a smile and a chuckle then told her that doorbells like that make him jumpy. She smiled back and Harris contently walked right back out of the door.

Harris was bothered that the doorbell startled him.

“I wasn’t being as nice as I could have been back there,” Harris said. “I guess all people make mistakes.””I am so hard on myself because I know that a more respectful person is inside me.”

Harris does not work. In many ways, walking is his 9 to 5. His personal task has become learning about the people who shop and their willingness to be courteous and greet one another and how he can do the same.

Through his several walks over a given day , Harris wants for himself, and all people, to be concerned about others. He feels that this shopping area is his responsibility for making sure that people are friendly.

Friendliness is not always the response Harris receives. Many people without noticing he is mentally handicapped side step him for a beggar or worse, knows he is handicapped, and take 0 of him.

An incident at Publix involving Harris occurred several months ago. According to reports, from both North Augusta Public safety and employees who witnessed it, Harris was coerced into buying alcohol for some teenagers. Harris at the time did not realize that these teenagers were taking advantage of him but rather they were just trying to be friendly to him. Charges against Harris were eventually dropped.

Angela West, store manager for Famous Hair, remembered what happened to Harris that day and how easy it can be for him to be taken advantage of.

“I was not sure what happened at first, then I found ou t and heard charges were dropped,” West said. “He is a sweet man, and he never does any harm I wish that people would realize this.”

When Harris passes by her store she calls him “Sugar.”

West does her best to look out for Harris. So much so that on occasion she will go and sit on the bench outside the store with the hope that Harris will sit down and chat with her, but he smiles, waves and keeps on walking for himself.

“I’m not sure why he walks,” West said. “I just try to make sure that I greet him and make sure he is OK when I can.”

Not everyone in the strip mall knows that Harris is schizophrenic. Those that don’t, wonder why he hangs around and does not work. Those that do, wonder why he is always walking.

Harris walks to stabilize himself and his thoughts.

Harris is fully aware – in the fullest sense possible – that being mentally disabled usually requires assistance from other people around you to function, to think and to support you. For this reason, he pressures himself to become more and more independent so that he can recognize his behavior on his own and deal with it.

Karen Johnson, program director for the Hartzog Mental Health Center in North Augusta, SC., in which Harris goes for help, said that walking or something social is a natural remedy encouraged by many of the programs at the center because it can get the patient thinking about something around them rather than their condition.

“Every patient is different, but we encourage anything that helps the consumer to get better,” Johnson said. “[As a mental health patient] you are always working toward something else.”

The something else is independence.

The Hartzog Center is a branch of the Aiken-Barnwell Mental Health Center in Aiken, SC., which sees previously diagnosed patients with severe or persistent mental illnesses.

The state of South Carolina has more than 100,000 registered mental health patients.

Covering a catchment area of North Augusta, Belvedere, Jackson and Beech Island, SC., the center alone sees anywhere from 1,000 to 2,000 patients each year.

Programs and prescriptions encouraged and diagnosed are all based on severity of illness for each individual patient. Although the Hartzog Center and Johnson consider wellness, stability and independence differently for each patient, they still try to generalize it in a way that gives the public an understanding of their goals.

“(Success is) for every patient not being in and out of the hospital and being a contributing member of society,” Johnsonsaid. “For me, in my 25 years of working at the center I cannot remember any patient being sent to a hospital on an emergency based need.”

One of the ways the center has proved beneficial in getting patients on their feet in society is their housing program.

Angela Quinn, until her recent hire as mental health professional for the Hartzog Center, served as the housing coordinator for the main office in Aiken.

Quinn is responsible for much of the success the two centers have seen in helping mental health patients become more stable, having built the program from the ground up.

As a liaison for the Mental Health of America affiliate in Columbia, SC., Quinn was able to make the housing deals necessary to get people placed.

“We did not want to set them up to fail,” Quinn said. “We would provide staff assistance if need be, it was almost like the worse off you were the better housing you would have.”

Charts and records Quinn kept showed that basing the housing program’s success solely on whether or not someone got placed is difficult. Several factors including, family involvement or if the patients just never found a place, hindered Quinn from pinpointing the exact reason for unhoused patients.

Although Harris would be qualified to be put in housing by the Hartzog Center, his family made a decision with him to live somewhere separate of the housing offered.

Harris’ sister, Sharon Hunter, did not respond to requests for an interview.

“She does a lot with her job, but she helps me when she can,” Harris said.

One of the several ways she has helped was making Harris aware of the benefits he could receive through social security.

Harris is a recipient of government disability funding. This funding is one of the factors to how he can manage on his own.

Lynn Dominguez, a technical expert for the Augusta, Ga., branch of the Social Security Administration said that the application process itself is the first step in managing on your own.

Dominguez said that after the initial application process comes across their office for anyone seeking federal or state help with medical disabilities it is then considered by Disability Determination Services for financial support.

“If we think you might be eligible for a program (based on disability) we have what is called Supplemental Security Income,” Dominguez said.

The SSI programs of each state weigh the medical diagnoses of patients, against work and financial history, and appropriate certain funds and health care, like Medicaid, for them to be able to live on their own.

For patients with similar conditions to Harris, there really is no nationally determined average of financial support.

“It depends on if you work or not and usually people with schizophrenia have a very spotty work history, so they are probably looking at SSI and if that is the case the most they pay is $674,” Dominguez said.

According to Dominguez, accepting disability is always left up to the individual petitioning for it, unless they are incoherent to do so.

The basic goal for SSA is getting the people what they rightly deserve. And in the case of disabled people SSA pays them as much as possible in order to stabilize and equip them financially to live independently.

“Even if you have someone on disability,” Dominguez said, “there are programs and we have incentives for them to try and go back to work so they can become independent end even come off of social security one day.”

Harris said he is grateful for the services, programs and help that he has received from people but still values independence.

“I want to be a man on my own, and have the feeling of making money,” Harris said. “But I do like the help.”

Harris loves the food of China Restaurant in the plaza. When he gets a chance, he will order takeout; combination No. 30; white rice and sesame chicken, an eggroll and, of course, the fortune cookie.

Harris eats on his own mostly because he is used to it.

The entrée usually remains in the bag, but Harris cannot resist nibbling on the eggroll and cracking open the fortune cookie. A trail of cabbage, crust and crumbs direct the course of Harris back to his apartment.

Harris secured the “Thank You” bag securely around his wrist and pulled out the fortune. Today it is relevant, but not surprising to Harris.

With a slow, stuttered, and unintentionally raspy voice Harris began to read the fortune just before swallowing.

Never underestimate the power of the human touch.

“Man, ain’t that the truth,” he said.

Walking and living independently have taught Harris to think less about how no one is around him and concentrate more on those that have helped him.

“I learned that the birds really do tweet tweet, man,” Harris said. “I learned that the sounds of the locusts living in the suburbs reminds someone how they grew up in life. And I’ll remember it even if I’m alone in life.”

Comments (2)

Tags: ,

Jazz Concert Series Wraps Up

Posted on 23 August 2011 by Sarah Wong

Families, friends and musicians come together to display their love for jazz.

Fans from both sides of the Savannah River came to experience the 2011 Candlelight Jazz Concert series on Sunday evenings this summer.

Nearing the new river stage at 8th Street on the Riverwalk, the aroma of cologne and perfume, to alcohol and foods, permeated the summer air as the hunt began for the best seating. People of all ages came together to picnic and mingle to the sound of jazz underneath a clear May sky.

Ambient lighting of the new river stage created the perfect mood and setting for a variety of talent to come alive. The sounds of a steady drumbeat accompanied by the smooth strums of the guitar attracted every nearby ear and eye.

The evening’s entertainment featured Three Sides of Jazz, who delivered an electrifying lead performance for the jazz students of Augusta State University, who were to follow, showcasing skill and hard work. Three Sides of Jazz is comprised of Richard Hawkins on the drums, Josh Marks playing the guitar and George Sykes on the upright bass.

Hawkin’s the band’s drummer and speaker for the evening introduced each student and song. The piece entitled “Blue Gardenia” received much applause, accented with soft drumming and a mellow strummed repetition. As the tempo increased, so did the toe taps and finger snaps.

Student performances highlighted the evening with new and fresh developing talent. Among them was Graham Gordon on the guitar, Andrew Fowler and Trent Bateman on the drums, Joel Cruz and Gabriel Pique on the saxophone.

After student drummer Trent Bateman’s performance, his parents shared their thoughts on his success.

“I enjoy watching him have fun,” his father, Bateman said. “He’s been playing the drums since he was 6 years old.”

Upright double-bassist, Sykes, commented on how the audience has changed over the course of time that Three Sides of Jazz has played on the Rverwalk.

“Not one thing has changed, actually,” Sykes said. “They’re always a good crowd.”

Having performed no less than 25 times in the concert series, Sykes said he enjoyed the crowd and their same devotion to jazz music that Three Sides of Jazz loves and lives for.

“This is a very good venue,” Sykes commented. “You can consider me somewhat of a jazz veteran.”

The melodic artistry overcame any daunting humidity, and the featured entertainment was well praised for providing the soothing escape.

Marks on the acoustic guitar, rather than a more common electric, enthralled fans with the tonality of every smooth riff he delivered.

“I love it…the response from the audience alone is always a pleasure,” Marks said.

Each artist performed just over the Georgia-side of the Savannah River, battling a mixture of the reflective waters, scattered lightning bugs and, of course mosquitoes.

Children present displayed a more relaxed behavior, even though the event was primarily for adults. The occasional photograph was allowed from eager and supportive fans.

Not even the Southern heat or the potential for a summer storm kept the crowd from drawing closer to the stage as the night progressed. Concluding the much-applauded performances, patrons were warmly welcomed to meet and greet the plethora of talented musicians.

A variety of sponsors such as News Channel 12, Garden City Jazz and 96.3 Kiss FM radio, were responsible for the support and delivery of the live musical entertainment delivered Sunday’s this summer. The Candlelight Jazz Concert Series will have its final performance Aug. 28, 2011.

Comments (0)

Screen Shot 2011-08-22 at 10.53.35 PM

Tags: ,

Zumba, Zumba: More Fun, Less Workout

Posted on 23 August 2011 by Madia Orlanda

People in search of physical fitness this summer did not have to go through the similar mundane spinning class, or 6 am. yoga. Instead, they got to experience Zumba.

Zumba is a workout structured more like dance than a strict regime of physical exercise. Even its name sounds more like something fun than the term workout would suggest.

The program is a Latin-inspired dancefitness program created by Beto Perez.

According to Lynn Oliver, a Zumba instructor at the Marshal Family Y, the creation of Zumba did not exactly happen on purpose.

Perez was once an aerobics instructor in the mid 1990s who simply forgot his usual tunes for his aerobics class. He had no choice but to think on his feet and improvised by using one of his own personal mix tapes.

Perez had no idea that his salsa and meringue music that he grew up with would become the seed to the creation of Zumba. In addition, he spiced up the class that day with the combination of the new music and aerobics, which is when the Zumba Fitness Party began.

The party has officially been around since 2001 with people of all ages, sizes and fitness levels invited. The Zumba fitness craze has become one of the most popular dance-fitness programs that helps people drop calories without even feeling the work out. There are more than 110,000 Zumba class locations across more than 125 countries. Locally, the class is offered at Gold’s Gym, the Family Y and The Omni.

Oliver’s story of becoming a Zumbacrazie kind of just happened. She has been an instructor for three years. Her inspiration to dance started at a young age, but when she was introduced to Zumba just once, Lynn said she became hooked.

“I’ve always loved to dance,” Lynn said. “It is a great way to exercise without feeling like your exercising.”

Oliver had two very genuine Zumba instructors that inspired her to become certified. However, becoming Zumba certified didn’t look like it was in the cards for Oliver, until she received what she referred to as a blessing.

Oliver volunteered to help out in leading a Zumba class back in 2009. At the time, there was also a drawing going on to become certified for free. Oliver’s name was drawn as the lucky winner, and for her, that moment has gone down in history for her as one of her most prized moments during her Zumba career so far.

Oliver went on to discuss how much she has enjoyed being a Zumba instructor and can’t wait to learn more when she goes to the party’s 10th Anniversary fitness celebration in Orlando, Fla., this year.

“Don’t be intimidated by what you see in a Zumba class,” Oliver said, “because everyone hears the beat to the music differently. It is just a great way to exercise and have fun, and I believe that is the philosophy that Beto Perez wants us to pass on.”

She said there is no strain or stress in a Zumba class, just the energy and fun by moving the body to the beat of the music.

Aubrey Baker, a student at Augusta Technical College in radiology, attends Zumba classes regularly at both of the local Family Y locations.

“After a Zumba class, I’ll be sweaty and not even feel like I just worked out,” Baker said. “It feels like I just went to a dance club for an hour.”

Zumba is not limited to the gym. “Zumba on the Wii is just as much fun if you’re not in the mood to leave the house,” Baker added.

Zumba is not just provided in a class at the gym, there are DVDs and games for the Wii, XBOX and Ps3. There are now six different types of Zumba classes: Zumba in the circuit, Zumba Gold, Aqua Zumba, Zumba Toning, Zumbatomic.

Comments (1)

Screen Shot 2011-08-22 at 10.50.59 PM

Tags: ,

Living History Offers Colonial Dance

Posted on 23 August 2011 by Ali Fry

The violinist soloed as children and adults in costume practiced dances from the 18th century on Saturday, May 28.

The Living History Park in North Augusta, S.C., was founded 20 years ago by its current president, Lynn Thompson.

According to their website, many events are held at the park during the year including a Spirits of Hallowed Eve event during October and a Christmas for the Birds event in December. On the last Saturday of every month, Perry Hill, the backwoods cabin, is filled with activities from the colonial times.

On the last Saturday in May, along with the day’s usual events, a colonial dance was held in the barn from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. Thompson said the park plans on hosting the colonial dance every two to three months. They hope to eventually host a Governor’s Ball.

Dana Cheny, the Living History Park’s dance master, is at all the colonial dances. He teaches the moves of the different dances to all the attendees.

“I line them all up to run through the dance and explain to them what the different rules are,” Cheny said. “I try to tell them that every dance is different but all the moves are the same. Once they’ve got the moves down, they’ve got any dance that I call. They just have to remember what each move is.”

Cheny said the dance cannot be learned by simply writing down the moves and memorizing them.

“One of the ladies today was trying to write it down in her book,” Cheny said. “I said, ‘I don’t want you to remember what’s in your book. I want you to remember what I’m telling you.’”

Amy Lober, visiting from Columbia, S.C., brought her children to the Living History Park to learn more about 18th century history. They explored Perry Hill, attended the colonial dance, and also plan on attending Colonial Times: A Day to Remember.

“We like history,” Lober said. “We’ve been to the Battle of Aiken which is a Civil War re-enactment. But we’ve also been to a few reenactments in Camden that are of the Revolutionary War. It’s a more interesting time period for us. We’ve studied it a lot.”

According to Cheny and Lober, the colonial dance is beneficial to those who attend.

“It’s a way to get people together that don’t know each other, which is the same thing that would’ve happened back then,” Cheny said. “Dance was just like it is today. You go out on a Friday night to go dancing to meet people. It would’ve been the same thing in colonial times.”

Lober sees the event as a chance for her children to learn.

“We home school, so it’s a great opportunity to make history real for our kids,” Lober said.

The Living History Park in North Augusta is managed by the Old Towne Preservation Association. The Living History Park operates on mostly volunteers only. The park currently has 35 to 40 regular volunteers, 20 of which attended the colonial dance.

“The park was founded by volunteers and they are what still keeps it going today,” Thompson said. “We are a non-profit organization so the park is maintained through donations and grants that we receive.”

Along with the usual volunteers, the park receives some help from Ft. Gordon.

“The park and events would not be what they are today without the support of all the volunteers,” Thompson said. “Each year we have U.S. Navy Chiefs that volunteer to help clean, clear and build whatever is needed.”

The public can also become members of the park by donating a certain amount of money yearly. For different costs, a member could have the status of anything from an apprentice to a governorship. Every year, the park hosts a Christmas dinner for its members, who also receive newsletters from the park.

The colonial dance is one of several events the Living History Park hosts in order to broaden the historical knowledge of its visitors, tourists and history buffs. All age groups are welcome, from toddlers to seniors, and according to Thompson, any of these people can learn the dances of the 18th century.

“All you really need to know is your right hand from your left,” Thompson said.

Comments (0)

Tags: ,

Film Series Meets Student Demands

Posted on 23 August 2011 by Staff

In today’s on demand world, entertainment has taken a back seat to impatience as people flip through movies like the pages of a book. As the Monday Night Film Series returns this fall, students can take a more active approach to entertainment.

For nearly 30 years, Augusta State University has been opening its doors to students and the community alike, regaling them with a selection of the newest foreign and independent films. The films are all shown free of charge in University Hall Room 170.

The most intense dramas, funniest comedies and most eye-opening documentaries are carefully chosen to be shown. The audience, a cluster of interested students and film buffs, sit in silence soaking in every second of the art it is presented.

The series was overhauled nine years ago by Stevan R. Clements, a retired professor of communications, who stressed broadening the horizons of students and the community.

“I wanted to create a link between the university, film, and the community,” Clements said. “Secondly, I wanted to expose students to the types of films they haven’t seen. To me this was a way to bring the community in and provide a new type of theater experience.”

Clements said he felt particularly strong about maintaining this series in Augusta where these films wouldn’t have been shown otherwise and the university acts as a cultural hub.

“That’s the draw, that we show films you can’t see in the multiplex,” said Gaye Williams Ortiz, lecturer of communications.

Several years ago Ortiz took the reins from Clements, bringing her take on the theater experience to the series.

“When you see a film in a bigger space, rather than just your home, it creates a certain kind of atmosphere,” said Ortiz on her theater backgorund. “I think the camaraderie and rapport that’s built up in an audience is the biggest benefit of going to the cinema.”

It is this passion for film and the theater experience that drives Ortiz in her selection of films, as it was with her predecessors according to Matthew Buzzell, adjunct professor of communications.

“I grew up here in Augusta and when I was a teenager, in the ‘80s, if you wanted to see a movie you had to go to the theater or wait for it to come on television,” said Buzzell. “The university would play films that would have never made it to Augusta and growing up having access to that window of foreign film was an amazing experience for me and, dare I say, changed my life in some way.”

The series is heavy with acclaim. Actors and directors spanning the cultural array, with all new ways of looking at the world at large, bring their vision to the screen and draw people from miles around to come and take part in the experience.

The general consensus regarding this series, from small groups that gather after shows is that the series is one of the highlights of the semester.

“I am constantly blown away with the films in this series,” said Stephen Hall, a sophomore political science major. “They just keep getting better.”

Despite beaming reviews of the films shown in the series, student attendance has been relatively flat.

“When I go to the series now, I see a lot of the same faces every week,” said Buzzell. “The people that know, they know the secret, they know the value; they know it’s a great gift.”

Comments (0)

Subscribe