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(09/23/04 4:00am)
Working Title Films must have some sort of template they follow when making movies. The British-toned romantic comedy maker that brought us "Bridget Jones's Diary," "Four Weddings and a Funeral" and "Notting Hill" just released its newest clone, "Wimbledon," and it's safe to say it's not a far stretch from the three previous films. \nThe same American-girl-meets-charming-British-boy scenario that's played out in Working Titles' other films (OK, so Renee Zellweger isn't American in "Bridget Jones," but she is in real life), is copied again in "Wimbledon." Just throw in some crisp whites, tennis balls and appearances by John McEnroe and Chris Evert, and you have yourself a new movie!\nThis new movie centers around Peter Colt, a once top-tier, but now near has-been in the world of professional tennis, who lucks out by scoring a wild card spot to play in the prestigious Wimbledon tournament. As luck (and Working Title Films) would have it, Peter mistakenly meets American tennis player Lizzie Bradbury, a fiery star slated to win Wimbledon. \nIn between Lizzie and Peter's climb through the Wimbledon tournament, Lizzie shows that American girls really are sluts when she invites Peter to shag before matches, a superstition she has to get her to play better. Being the loser in tennis and in love that Peter is, he happily agrees. Who wouldn't want to sleep with the star player?\nIn true romantic-comedy fashion, their love grows from sleeping together to something more (because that happens so much in real life!), and soon the two are wondering how to balance Lizzie's overbearing daddy, the media (those jerks) and the love of the game to make their love work. \nAnd just like a Working Title film, they've thrown in a cooky British sidekick (think Spike in "Notting Hill"), a few strolls through beautiful London and that moment when the guy says just the right thing just when the girl is about to give up on him. Watch any of the four and you'll see it. Promise. \nIt's not a sports movie, not even a little bit. Sure, the camera angles are top-notch and there are some wonderful scenes of play, but let's face it, ladies, there's no convincing your boyfriend he'll get something out of this movie. There were eight men at the showing I went to (all with a girl), and I'm sure they weren't the ones that chose to see this. \nBut don't think this cookie-cutter isn't worth a visit to the nearest theater, especially for tennis fans and females. Or is that only for tennis fans and females? Yes, only. \nSo, view at your own risk, but there might just be déja vu involved.
(09/23/04 2:30am)
Working Title Films must have some sort of template they follow when making movies. The British-toned romantic comedy maker that brought us "Bridget Jones's Diary," "Four Weddings and a Funeral" and "Notting Hill" just released its newest clone, "Wimbledon," and it's safe to say it's not a far stretch from the three previous films. \nThe same American-girl-meets-charming-British-boy scenario that's played out in Working Titles' other films (OK, so Renee Zellweger isn't American in "Bridget Jones," but she is in real life), is copied again in "Wimbledon." Just throw in some crisp whites, tennis balls and appearances by John McEnroe and Chris Evert, and you have yourself a new movie!\nThis new movie centers around Peter Colt, a once top-tier, but now near has-been in the world of professional tennis, who lucks out by scoring a wild card spot to play in the prestigious Wimbledon tournament. As luck (and Working Title Films) would have it, Peter mistakenly meets American tennis player Lizzie Bradbury, a fiery star slated to win Wimbledon. \nIn between Lizzie and Peter's climb through the Wimbledon tournament, Lizzie shows that American girls really are sluts when she invites Peter to shag before matches, a superstition she has to get her to play better. Being the loser in tennis and in love that Peter is, he happily agrees. Who wouldn't want to sleep with the star player?\nIn true romantic-comedy fashion, their love grows from sleeping together to something more (because that happens so much in real life!), and soon the two are wondering how to balance Lizzie's overbearing daddy, the media (those jerks) and the love of the game to make their love work. \nAnd just like a Working Title film, they've thrown in a cooky British sidekick (think Spike in "Notting Hill"), a few strolls through beautiful London and that moment when the guy says just the right thing just when the girl is about to give up on him. Watch any of the four and you'll see it. Promise. \nIt's not a sports movie, not even a little bit. Sure, the camera angles are top-notch and there are some wonderful scenes of play, but let's face it, ladies, there's no convincing your boyfriend he'll get something out of this movie. There were eight men at the showing I went to (all with a girl), and I'm sure they weren't the ones that chose to see this. \nBut don't think this cookie-cutter isn't worth a visit to the nearest theater, especially for tennis fans and females. Or is that only for tennis fans and females? Yes, only. \nSo, view at your own risk, but there might just be déja vu involved.
(05/20/04 1:52am)
It's not Little 500, and it's definitely not a ride in the park. This weekend eight IU students will travel to the 2004 TREK Bikes Collegiate Road National Championships in Madison, Wis., for three days of intense racing. The riders will compete in three different competitions -- the Criterium, Road Race and Team Time Trial. \n"They are some hard races," 2004 Little 500 champion rider senior Chris Vargo said. "The best colleges around are going to be there, but we're looking to do really well in the Team Time Trials, the top 10 or top five (in the races). With both men and women we should do pretty well overall."\nVargo will be joined by seven other members of the IU Cycling team; professional riders sophomore Rahsaan Bahati and senior Mike Kehrberg and sophomore Steven Ballinger, who competed in the Little 500 with Team Major Taylor. \nThe women's side of the team is made up of two Teter women's riders, senior Bri Kovac and sophomore Jessica Lindemann. The Teter women's team placed second in the 2004 Little 500. Kappa Alpha Theta rider senior Nicole Vincent and Jenn Wangerin, the 2002 ITT winner, will round out the team. \nRacing begins Friday with the TIAA-Cref Downtown Criterium. The mostly flat circuit meanders through downtown Madison between the university campus and Madison's cultural and political center according to usacycling.org. The race has changed from previous years and will allow all male collegiate riders to race whether they are qualified competitors or not. The road race Saturday is a 15-mile loop that winds through the hilly Wisconsin back roads just 20 minutes west of Madison. And the final event Sunday will consist of the team time trial, which is flat and fast 32 km course. \nThe courses are fierce, but so is the competition, Vincent said. Though IU is regarded highly in collegiate cycling, professional college-age riders will also be competition.\n"This is going to be my first year," Vincent said. "It'll probably be some of the most competition we'll face all summer. Colleges that have professional riders will be there; that makes competition a lot tougher."\nWhile Vargo and Vincent said the national races are nothing like Little 500, the team still brings an impressive collegiate résumé to the competition. Vargo won the overall 2004 Little 500 series, the race and placed first in the Individual Time Trials. Kovac and Vincent also finished an impressive year. Both won the overall Little 500 series and finished second in the 2004 race. Kovac finished first in the ITTs with Lindemann in second. Kovac also turned out an impressive finish in Miss-N-Out, edging Vincent out of first by milliseconds. Vincent finished 12th in the ITTs and third in Team Pursuit and the final race. \nThough the team competes against each other as Little 500 riders, Vargo said ultimately they are all friends on the track.\n"We race together and have fun," Vargo said. "This is a whole different thing."\n-- Contact staff writer Katie Schoenbaechler at kmschoen@indiana.edu.
(04/29/04 9:53pm)
Sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll. \nIt sounds easy enough -- grab some equipment and a few friends and you have yourself a band. Before you know it you'll have girls lined up outside your room and money and drugs at your finger tips. Not so fast. \nWhile throwing together a band seems easier than throwing together a term paper, it's not all hot girls and headlining at the Bluebird. \nMaking a band takes time, money, work and lots of patience. Look at P. Diddy; it's not even easy for a multi-millionaire to make a band. Diddy's MTV show "Making the band" is in its third season and Diddy still hasn't made those kids famous.\nAlthough it's not easy, the bands that have stuck it out say it's all worth it in the end. And just like everything else, you can't get something from nothing.\nTake it from those who know. Louisville-based drummer Rick Graves has been in the music business on and off for 37 years and he's still going. The band Graves has been with for the last four years, the Vinyl Kings, hasn't sold millions of records or traveled a 30-city tour, but they've been a success in their own right. The band has achieved a loyal fan base and a good amount of fame in the Louisville area. \nFor Graves, the Beatles first U.S. appearance on "The Ed Sullivan Show" in 1964 was the moment he knew he wanted to make music part of his life. He was 10 years old. \nAfter this, Graves jumped headfirst into music, with the help of his family and the guidance of the Beatles. \n"The first step to emulating the Beatles was to buy a guitar or drums; learning to play was secondary to owning a guitar," he says. "Hell, most of us didn't realize that it took hard work and practice to learn to play these instruments. Fortunately for me, my grandfather was a musician ... a piano player, so I had already had an interest in music that he instilled. The Beatles just heightened my desire to learn to play. I think that most people get involved in music because they want to be like their music idols."\nThe first point of order in getting a musical career off the ground is finding something to play -- think super-cool drum set or a rockin' guitar -- but also think cheap. Graves suggests buying used before blowing your life savings on a guitar that's going to sit in the corner of your room for years if it doesn't work out. He suggests checking out eBay and local classifieds to find a cheap starter instrument. Once you've mastered your $50 guitar you can move on to the big guns; Fender and BC Rich in the guitar department. DW drums are Graves' first pick for drums, but also recommends Slingerland, Rogers and Ludwig. \nAfter you have your talent on the way to super stardom, the next step to creating the next Rolling Stones is to find others with your same musical goals. Unless a solo career sounds appealing, finding a few people to plug away with is the only way to get anywhere.\nFor the local band Bloodstream Days, finding the lead singer was the hardest part. Since October of 2002 the band had been building up its following in hopes of leaving Bloomington for bigger and better things. But before they could set out, the guys in the band, who also live together and are best friends, had to find a lead singer. \n"You will always run into problems as soon as the band starts," bass guitarist Jarrett Burton says. "Probably the biggest obstacle we faced was in finding a singer. We canvassed the town with flyers, looking for someone who was able to sing, as well as move with us to wherever the hell we were going to move. Eventually I was shoved into the spotlight, and in retrospect it was for the best. Adding a new member to a band is always a hard thing to do, especially if the current members already have a good relationship."\nFor Graves, finding people who had the same interests and goals was the biggest factor when he was looking to form a band. Graves has played in bands with his best friend for years and added different musicans to the mix throughout the years. His biggest piece of advice is to drop any ego before getting started. He says while talent is important, the main ingredient for a band's longevity is the chemistry between band mates. \n"Some of the most talented musicians that I have played with were shitheads. I would rather play in a band with moderately talented musicians who were respectable and considerate of their band mates than very talented assholes ... any day," Graves says. \nOnce the equipment has been bought and the line-up is set, it's time to practice, practice, practice. Whether it means hanging out in someone's apartment and strumming away or getting some local bar or club to let you play, the main thing to remember is practice makes perfect. \nFinding a place to practice or landing the first gig can be harder than all the stuff leading up to this point. Where's a good place to jam away and not bother anyone? Where's a place dumb enough to let a start-up band wail? \nOvernight Haven had this very problem. Living in the dorms and small apartments in Bloomington, the all-student band was forced to play everywhere from Read Center's music practice rooms to the basement of their apartment buildings. \n"Lugging amps down and back the halls ... that was like my workout for the evening," lead singer and bass guitarist senior Ben Leang says. "We were fortunate enough that the places I lived the following years had enough space to practice and leave (the equipment) sitting there, and that I had some really, really cool roommates who were willing to put up with the noise -- I mean, beautiful art."\nWhile the music and the money can be motives behind making a great band, Leang says the band experience is more than that. Meeting new people and giving an audience something to rock out to is more rewarding than any amount of fame or money. \nBurton agrees, advising any new band to remain humble and patient. \n"If it's your first show, don't maintain the illusion that you're the next Led Zeppelin, and that your show will be sold out. It's not going to happen," he says. "We've been together for over a year, and we're still happy if 10 people make it out to our show. Plug away, tighten up your songs and word will eventually get out."\nBut in the end, whether the band takes off on the Billboard charts or finds a following in a big city, Graves has the perfect advice -- have fun, live the stereotypes and enjoy it. \n"The best thing about being in a band is the women and sex! At one time, many years ago, that was definitely an appeal. I have only been hit on about five times in the last five years and two of those times were men, damnit," Graves jokes. "Sex, drugs and rock n' roll ... it is a bit of a myth, but baby, it was a reality when I was in my 20s. It's a thrill still to play for a crowd that is into the music, dancing and having a good time"
(04/29/04 5:59am)
Out of more than 130 Little 500 riders, sophomore Hans Arnesen is one of the best, according to professional cyclist Jonathan Vaughters. \nAfter serving as Grand Marshal at the 54th Little 500 Sunday, Vaughters, a former top-ranked U.S. cyclist and six-time Tour de France participant, chose Alpha Tau Omega rider Arnesen as the first recipient of the Little 500 "Most Valuable Rider" award. \n"It is quite an honor," Arnesen said of winning the award. "To be put up and looked upon with all the other riders and to know I won the award over all those good riders is pretty honorable."\nAccording to Vaughters, the award recipient was the most outstanding rider of the day. Without a large knowledge of the individual background of the competitors, Vaughters based his decision on which rider rose to the occasion on race day. \nArnesen was definitely one of those riders. He put in a sprint at the end of the race for Alpha Tau Omega and finished the race in second place. \nBut the award carries much more prestige than just MVR status -- Arnesen was also offered the opportunity to join Vaughters and his TIAA-CREF Under-23 team to race and begin building a professional cycling career.\nTeam TIAA-CREF trains and sponsors young riders in hopes of making cycling a full time career. The decision to choose Arnesen wasn't easy for Vaughters. Throughout the day, he said, numerous riders caught his eye with talent and large effort.\n"It wasn't easy, I can tell you that," Vaughters said. "There were so many guys at various times that could have won. (Sophomore) Steven Ballinger of Major Taylor -- I was very fond of him. (Senior) Craig Luekens -- he was a big favorite of mine. He kept bringing his team back each time."\nBut the 2003 Rookie of the Year was the one that made the final impression on Vaughters. The decision came down to the fact that Arnesen spent a considerable amount of time in the race. Vaughters said he saw Arnesen on the track more than any of his teammates and was the driving force for keeping the team on top. \n"He was the one that lead the sprint from a long way off," Vaughters said. "He was the strongest individual in the race."\nFor Arnesen's teammates, the award wasn't a surprise. Senior Tom Meersman has been riding with Arnesen for two years and described him as a natural talent. Meersman said other riders were also happy to see Arnesen win the MVR award because of his talent and potential. \n"I think (Arnesen winning) deals with how the race came down to the last lap," he said. "I guess Jonathan saw something in him that meant something. It all goes back to his talent."\nArnesen said he's not sure of the exact specifics of the award or when he will begin training, but believes he will join the team this fall in Tucson, Ariz. \n"I'm definitely not going to pass on the opportunity to train with the Jonathan Vaughters team," Arnesen said. \n-- Contact managing editor Katie Schoenbaechler at kmschoen@indiana.edu.
(04/29/04 4:00am)
Sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll. \nIt sounds easy enough -- grab some equipment and a few friends and you have yourself a band. Before you know it you'll have girls lined up outside your room and money and drugs at your finger tips. Not so fast. \nWhile throwing together a band seems easier than throwing together a term paper, it's not all hot girls and headlining at the Bluebird. \nMaking a band takes time, money, work and lots of patience. Look at P. Diddy; it's not even easy for a multi-millionaire to make a band. Diddy's MTV show "Making the band" is in its third season and Diddy still hasn't made those kids famous.\nAlthough it's not easy, the bands that have stuck it out say it's all worth it in the end. And just like everything else, you can't get something from nothing.\nTake it from those who know. Louisville-based drummer Rick Graves has been in the music business on and off for 37 years and he's still going. The band Graves has been with for the last four years, the Vinyl Kings, hasn't sold millions of records or traveled a 30-city tour, but they've been a success in their own right. The band has achieved a loyal fan base and a good amount of fame in the Louisville area. \nFor Graves, the Beatles first U.S. appearance on "The Ed Sullivan Show" in 1964 was the moment he knew he wanted to make music part of his life. He was 10 years old. \nAfter this, Graves jumped headfirst into music, with the help of his family and the guidance of the Beatles. \n"The first step to emulating the Beatles was to buy a guitar or drums; learning to play was secondary to owning a guitar," he says. "Hell, most of us didn't realize that it took hard work and practice to learn to play these instruments. Fortunately for me, my grandfather was a musician ... a piano player, so I had already had an interest in music that he instilled. The Beatles just heightened my desire to learn to play. I think that most people get involved in music because they want to be like their music idols."\nThe first point of order in getting a musical career off the ground is finding something to play -- think super-cool drum set or a rockin' guitar -- but also think cheap. Graves suggests buying used before blowing your life savings on a guitar that's going to sit in the corner of your room for years if it doesn't work out. He suggests checking out eBay and local classifieds to find a cheap starter instrument. Once you've mastered your $50 guitar you can move on to the big guns; Fender and BC Rich in the guitar department. DW drums are Graves' first pick for drums, but also recommends Slingerland, Rogers and Ludwig. \nAfter you have your talent on the way to super stardom, the next step to creating the next Rolling Stones is to find others with your same musical goals. Unless a solo career sounds appealing, finding a few people to plug away with is the only way to get anywhere.\nFor the local band Bloodstream Days, finding the lead singer was the hardest part. Since October of 2002 the band had been building up its following in hopes of leaving Bloomington for bigger and better things. But before they could set out, the guys in the band, who also live together and are best friends, had to find a lead singer. \n"You will always run into problems as soon as the band starts," bass guitarist Jarrett Burton says. "Probably the biggest obstacle we faced was in finding a singer. We canvassed the town with flyers, looking for someone who was able to sing, as well as move with us to wherever the hell we were going to move. Eventually I was shoved into the spotlight, and in retrospect it was for the best. Adding a new member to a band is always a hard thing to do, especially if the current members already have a good relationship."\nFor Graves, finding people who had the same interests and goals was the biggest factor when he was looking to form a band. Graves has played in bands with his best friend for years and added different musicans to the mix throughout the years. His biggest piece of advice is to drop any ego before getting started. He says while talent is important, the main ingredient for a band's longevity is the chemistry between band mates. \n"Some of the most talented musicians that I have played with were shitheads. I would rather play in a band with moderately talented musicians who were respectable and considerate of their band mates than very talented assholes ... any day," Graves says. \nOnce the equipment has been bought and the line-up is set, it's time to practice, practice, practice. Whether it means hanging out in someone's apartment and strumming away or getting some local bar or club to let you play, the main thing to remember is practice makes perfect. \nFinding a place to practice or landing the first gig can be harder than all the stuff leading up to this point. Where's a good place to jam away and not bother anyone? Where's a place dumb enough to let a start-up band wail? \nOvernight Haven had this very problem. Living in the dorms and small apartments in Bloomington, the all-student band was forced to play everywhere from Read Center's music practice rooms to the basement of their apartment buildings. \n"Lugging amps down and back the halls ... that was like my workout for the evening," lead singer and bass guitarist senior Ben Leang says. "We were fortunate enough that the places I lived the following years had enough space to practice and leave (the equipment) sitting there, and that I had some really, really cool roommates who were willing to put up with the noise -- I mean, beautiful art."\nWhile the music and the money can be motives behind making a great band, Leang says the band experience is more than that. Meeting new people and giving an audience something to rock out to is more rewarding than any amount of fame or money. \nBurton agrees, advising any new band to remain humble and patient. \n"If it's your first show, don't maintain the illusion that you're the next Led Zeppelin, and that your show will be sold out. It's not going to happen," he says. "We've been together for over a year, and we're still happy if 10 people make it out to our show. Plug away, tighten up your songs and word will eventually get out."\nBut in the end, whether the band takes off on the Billboard charts or finds a following in a big city, Graves has the perfect advice -- have fun, live the stereotypes and enjoy it. \n"The best thing about being in a band is the women and sex! At one time, many years ago, that was definitely an appeal. I have only been hit on about five times in the last five years and two of those times were men, damnit," Graves jokes. "Sex, drugs and rock n' roll ... it is a bit of a myth, but baby, it was a reality when I was in my 20s. It's a thrill still to play for a crowd that is into the music, dancing and having a good time"
(04/26/04 8:38pm)
Complete Men's Results
For a storybook ending it sure had a lot of bumps along the way.
The 2004 men's Little 500 was the year of the Cutter, and it ended that way, with the team's seventh win -- but it wasn't easy for anyone involved.
More than seven teams traded leading positions throughout the race, but as lap 199 set in, sprinting to the finish was the only option left. The last two teams standing, Alpha Tau Omega and the Cutters, took the track's fourth turn almost side by side. As both teams crossed the finish line, ATO fans began to celebrate -- but moments too soon.
(04/26/04 5:49am)
History has a funny way of repeating itself. \nIn 1984, the first Cutters team qualified in 10th place and finished first. \nIn 2004, the 20th Cutters team qualified in 10th place and finished first. \nThis year's Little 500 season began as the Cutters' year even before the riders stepped out onto the track. The most famous Little 500 team embarked on two milestones this year -- the movie "Breaking Away," which inspired the team, was released 25 years ago, and in reality, the team was formed and won its first race 20 years ago. \nAdd to the list its seventh win this year and a celebration with the original Cutters team.\n"It's huge," senior Cutters rider Chris Vargo said. "Winning would be huge anyways, but winning with the alumni here is awesome. We all look up to them, so it's awesome."\nThis year was special for the team, and it only seemed to build as the race approached. \nThrough the series events, the Cutters began to emerge as the team to beat. Vargo won Individual Time Trials and the rest of the team placed in the top 15. Miss-N-Out was also dominated by Vargo, who made it to the finals, while three other teammates advanced to the semi-final heats. Team Pursuit was the Cutters' final test, which the team aced, beating Phi Gamma Delta in the final heat. With first-place wins in two of the four series events and a great performance on the rest, the team won the overall series title, which placed it high on competitors' radar screens. \nIt didn't seem to matter how marked the team was, its performance through the season proved the Cutters riders worthy to yet again claim the Little 500 trophy as their own. \nAnd with many important people watching. \nWith 2004 being such a milestone year for the Cutters family, the four original Cutters riders -- Randy Strong, Adam Beck, Adam Giles and Scott Senese -- were trackside to take in all the action. \nThe former Little 500 riders made a lap around the track before the race and took it all in as the current team celebrated the win.\n"When we started this team, our intension wasn't to create a team that would be here for 20 years, let alone win seven races," Giles said. "It's really cool that people have stayed involved with the program."\nGiles said the best part of coming back is to come back to the program and see the team as it was years ago -- the team still rides aggressively and is continuing the tradition it started two decades ago. \nThough the win was celebrated by the alumni and hundreds of fans decked out in white "Cutters" T-shirts, the win is all because of the 2004 team, which, through it all, stayed strong and raced hard.\n"You wouldn't even be able to believe how much pressure was on these kids," Cutters coach Jim Kirkham said. "The pressure was so heavy, so for them to continue to ride hard, it means a lot. The 20th anniversary, incredible win; we have all of our alumni here, but it's for the riders now. It's not for the past, it's not for the alumni -- they just make for great headlines."\n-- Contact staff writer Katie Schoenbaechler at kmschoen@indiana.edu.
(04/25/04 11:53pm)
In 1984, the first Cutters team qualified in tenth place and finished first. In 2004, the twentieth Cutters team qualified in tenth place and finished first. \nHistory has a funny way of repeating itself. \nThe 2004 men's Little 500 had all the makings of a good movie -- suspense, excitement, drama and a happy ending when it was all over. \nFor the Cutters the win Saturday was a storybook ending, complete with a suspenseful and dramatic pause. But for Alpha Tau Omega, the end of the race wasn't as happy as they had hoped.\nThe race's leading team changed more times than the weather on Saturday, leaving the final laps a sprint to the finish. After taking the second turn on the final lap, Team Major Taylor, Briscoe, Acacia, the Cutters, ATO and Phi Gamma Delta battled for the lead, but a crash between the teams left only \nCutters and ATO the chance to sprint around the remaining two turns and battle for a finish. \nAfter turn four, both teams were along side of each other, with ATO crossing the finish line first. After reveiwing the finish tape, officals declared Cutters the winner after ATO impeded their finish after drifting around the turn. \nAfter the race, Cutters teammates said the finish was theirs and couldn't have been happier about the outcome.\nSee Monday's Indiana Daily Student for complete Little 500 coverage.
(04/23/04 6:10am)
It's been a long ride for Little 500 teams, and it's almost over. In less than 48 hours, the 2004 race will be finished and a new champion will be crowned, but not without a little stress and a lot of hard work. \nLast year's race was dominated by the traditional teams and riders who had logged four years on a bike. But since then, things have changed. While many of the same teams are dominating the track, others have emerged as top competitors. \nLast year's winner, Gafombi (the team's remaining rider, senior Jason Fowler, now rides for Cutters), and the 2002 winner, The Corleones, have both graduated, leaving the pack wide open for other teams to take the track. \nAnd they have.\nSigma Nu hasn't finished the race in the top 20 in the last few years, but 2004 marks its change. The team brought in a new coach this year and has stepped up its training, which paid off during qualifications. The team finished second, only two-tenths of a second behind last year's second place finisher and this year's pole winner, Team Major Taylor. But the team still has things to prove. \n"We obviously want to win," sophomore Eric Graebe said. "If you aren't out there to win, I don't know why you are out there. We are trying to turn our program around, so it means a lot to do well and prove ourselves to let people know we are here and we will be here for years to come."\nFor years, the one team that comes to many people's minds when speaking about Little 500 is the Cutters. Thanks to the 1979 movie "Breaking Away," Cutters and riding have gone hand-in-hand for years. This year, with the 25th anniversary of the movie, the pressure to do well has mounted for the team. \nSenior Cutters rider Chris Vargo said the attention the team has been getting and the significance behind the anniversary definitely makes the race more exciting. Cutters team alumni will be coming in for the race, and hometown fans around the country will be coming to Bloomington to celebrate with the team. \nBut the movie's anniversary isn't the only source of pressure for the team. After winning Team Pursuit and the overall spring series events, the team will receive the white jersey on race day. Despite its 10th-place starting position, Vargo said the team is confident it will place well in the end.\n"We've had confidence all along, so white jersey or not, we would be confident," Vargo said. "We are the marked team. People are going to be watching out for us and watching what we do."\nOther teams to watch on race day are the top five teams, which have all performed well during the spring series events. Team Major Taylor, which qualified in first place, is always a top contender, finishing the race in second last year and ninth in 2002. Next to Major Taylor in the first row of teams is Sigma Nu and ACR Cycling, which finished in the top five in Team Pursuit and had two of its four riders enter the semifinals in Miss-N-Out.\nOther top contenders are teams with a heavy racing tradition, including Alpha Tau Omega, which qualified fourth, sixth-place qualifier Phi Gamma Delta and Acacia, which is in ninth.\nDespite the final outcome of the race, senior ACR Cycling rider Eric Derheimer said the final days leading up to the race is a time to take everything in, have some quality time with the team and let the race come to them.\n"There is a lot of pressure to do well," Derheimer said. "You put so much time and effort into training, and it all comes down to one day. You just have to try to take your mind off that. Once it comes down to the race, it all changes." \n-- Contact staff writer Katie Schoenbaechler at kmschoen@indiana.edu.
(04/22/04 6:02am)
Little 500 Grand Marshal Jonathan Vaughters will have more responsibilities than riding in the pace car and talking to fans Saturday. \nVaughters, a former top-ranked U.S. cyclist and six-time Tour de France participant, will be choosing one outstanding men's Little 500 rider to receive the inaugural "Most Valuable Rider" award. But the award carries much more prestige than just MVR status -- it will give the recipient a one-year opportunity to join Vaughters and his TIAA-CREF Under-23 team to race and begin building a professional cycling career.\n"I have a team of what I consider the top young talent of the United States who want to become professional cyclists," Vaughters said. "I want to give (the MVR winner) an invitation to be part of that and potentially join our team in the future. This will really be a chance to give them some advice and the beginnings of a platform in cycling."\nVaughters began his professional career in 1994, and just four years later he represented the United States as a member of the U.S. Postal Service team with cycling legend Lance Armstrong. After Vaughters retired from cycling, he saw the need for financial and developmental support for young riders between the ages of 16 through 22. He then formed Team TIAA-CREF, which trains and sponsors young riders in hopes of making cycling a full time career. The program's goal is "to give future champions the skills to develop and continue their cycling careers and bring help to those who support them in their journey."\nTo find the Little 500 rider who will join his team, Vaughters said he will look for the most outstanding rider of the day -- the one who will put in a stellar performance in order to get his team to win the race. Without a large background knowledge of the riders, Vaughters will not base the award on what riders have accomplished in the past, but who will rise to the occasion race day. \n"I'm going to watch the race and use my years of experience in cycling to determine the largest contributor. I'm looking for the anchor of the team, the guy that's in there for more laps, who is the trunk of the tree for the team. I'll basically judge how much time they stay out front and how they break away from the field," Vaughters said.\nBut Vaughters visit isn't only exciting to Team TIAA-CREF hopefuls. IU Student Foundation Little 500 Coordinator Rob Rhamy said having Vaughters at the race is meaningful to not only cycling enthusiasts, but to the tradition of Little 500. \n"He is one of the premier American cyclists that just retired. He contacted me early in the year and was just really excited about our event. He just wanted to become a part of that. It's always a big deal for us to get high-profile athletes from the cycling world or any other, so that, I think when you get guys from the cycling world here .. .it just lends credibility to our event," Rhamy said. \nBut the overall excitement and challenge lies with the riders themselves. Little 500 preparation can be stressful enough without the added pressure of having to deliver a near-perfect performance. Though the chance to take their careers to the next level is within reaching distance, senior Cutters rider Jason Fowler said most riders' goal is the race -- first and foremost. Fowler said the chance to race professionally is only in the back of riders' minds.\n"The award does give added pressure, but I'm more focused on the race," Fowler said. "Most people are going to want to do good in the race, but this is a huge opportunity. It's very special and very rare."\n-- Contact staff writer Katie Schoenbaechler at kmschoen@indiana.edu.
(04/15/04 5:04pm)
For weeks, months and in some cases, years, Little 500 riders have been working as one to form the perfect team. They train together, ride together and some even live together. \nAs the teams take the track next weekend, the unity and strength they've been building will be tested, but before the race, there is one final test of rider ability: Team Pursuit. \nThe final of the Little 500 spring series events -- Team Pursuit -- will begin tonight at Bill Armstrong Stadium. The event is the most team-oriented of the series events, and tests pack riding and a team's overall ability. \nThe event begins with two teams on opposite sides of the infield, which then run to their bikes lying on the track. The teams ride against each other as a pack for 15 laps for men and 12 for women. The two teams with the fastest times from the preliminary heats will then advance to the final race which determines the winner.\n"This is the best indicator of a team's depth and ability to work together," said Rob Rhamy, IU Student Foundation Director of Little 500. "There is a lot more strategy involved."\nRhamy said the teams that traditionally do well in the event are teams with depth; meaning four riders that can pack ride together for 12 to 15 laps. To be successful, teams must ride for the set amount of laps together without dropping any riders. \n"Teams don't want to have to wait for other teammates so the teams that are only two deep are going to have problems. Look for Cutters to do well -- they have a deep team, (Alpha Tau Omega), has a balanced team. On the women's side, there's Kappa (Kappa Gamma), (Kappa Alpha) Theta and Teter," Rhamy said.\nDespite the strong mens' teams, the event may look different from last year. The first and second place teams from last year's event -- Gafombi and the Corleones respectively -- have since graduated. With this void, other successful teams from last year will have a chance to claim the top spot, including Alpha Tau Omega, which took third, Phi Delta Theta which finished fourth and Acacia rounded out the top five. \nThe women's event is expected to be more of the same from 2003, with teams such as Kappa Kappa Gamma, Kappa Alpha Theta, Teter and Athena placing high. Kappa finished first last year, after Team Athena failed to finish. Theta finished third and Teter, fourth. \nKappa rider, sophomore Jessica Sapp, is looking forward to her first attempt at Team Pursuit. Sapp, who competed in Individual Time Trials and Miss-N-Out last year, said despite her team's philosophy of not placing too much emphasis on series events, the event can still show talent of individual riders. \n"I learned what I know from the other girls on my team," Sapp said. "They don't place much emphasis on series events. They are for fun. (The team) taught me to think about them as practice and to not put too much emphasis on them."\nWhile the event is a team test, it is also hailed as a rider favorite. The fast pace and strategy that goes into the event challenges riders, but also gives them the chance to work as a team -- which no other series event allows.\n"Team Pursuit can show how teams work well together and it's the best indicator of how strong and deep a team is," senior Tom Meersman of Alpha Tau Omega said. "It's the best out of the series events, but it's hard as hell."\n-- Contact staff writer Katie Schoenbaechler at kmschoen@indiana.edu.
(04/06/04 6:12am)
A local physical therapy office in Bloomington is performing procedures with some unexplainable results. It's not voodoo, and it's not magic -- it's just somewhat of a mystery.\nBack in the mid 1980s, Karlene Huntley, director of clinical services at Orthopedic and Sports Physical Therapy Center, stumbled upon an unconventional and strange-sounding way to release soft tissue pressure in patients who have restrictive motion in injured body parts. \n"An accident of effort, I guess you would call it," Huntley said.\nHuntley was working with a patient who had suffered an accident that left his hand burnt and his fingers so twisted they could not bend into a fist. Huntley said she knew it would be painful to forcibly bend the patient's fingers, so in an effort to reduce pain, Huntley began to massage the ligaments around the injury. Throughout the process, an audible popping sound was heard. Huntley attributed the popping noise to her own fingers making a circular motion similar to the letter "C". After a few rounds of the "snap" technique, as it is called in the office, the patient began to see faster healing results.\nWith positive results from the new technique, Huntley began to look more into the combination of the audible snapping sound and the quick healing results that came from the massage technique. Though Huntley and colleagues still cannot specifically pinpoint the cause of the snapping sound, she can say the technique releases superficial scar tissue from surgery or injury sites and subcutaneous tissues, including the fascia, muscle, ligament, tendon, peripheral nerve and blood vessels. \n"What you look for is you try to find an area ... that feels restrictive," said Clinical Director Amy Van Sach. "Once you find that spot that feels restricted, you try to get your fingers perpendicular to the restriction and then use your fingers to put a little tension on the restriction to pull it. When that pull happens and you release the restriction, there usually is an audible sound, and that sound is a snap -- hence the nickname. The patient should feel better movement and less pain."\nVan Sach said the worst side effect from the procedure is slight bruising, which is rare. \nThe technique is typically used when traditional forms of treatment have not proven successful in taking care of the problem. \nThe success of the treatment soon grew after Huntley's initial discovery, and she decided to apply for a service mark for the technique. \n"I had to write a paper on why it was therapeutic," Huntley said. "(The service mark) is sort of to make it yours, something you have developed. You can market it as yours. Eight or nine people have now learned it from me."\nWord continues to spread about the technique. After numerous different treatment, many patients have come from far and wide to receive the advanced treatment. Van Sach said the technique is not widely successful with other professionals because it is difficult to learn the exact way to perform it. Since the treatment given by Huntley and others at the Orthopedic and Sports Physical Therapy Center is so exclusive, patients have come from as far as London to receive the magical healing. But for IU students and athletes, the treatment is in their own backyard. \nSenior Diane Soares, who has suffered from scoliosis for years, said she experiences back pain and sometimes fatigue from the curvature in her spine. Soares, who had not been to another doctor to be treated, said the pain from the scoliosis has begun to diminish because of the snapping technique provided by Van Sach and Huntley.\n"I have no pain anymore," Soares said. "It's wonderful."\n-- Contact staff writer Katie Schoenbaechler at kmschoen@indiana.edu.
(04/05/04 5:27am)
The best of the best showed up again Saturday at Bill Armstrong Stadium.\nLiterally.\nThe leaders of the pack continued to show their prowess at the third of four Little 500 Spring Series events Saturday at Bill Armstrong Stadium. \nMiss-N-Out, the bike equivalent of musical chairs, featured close, pack riding and crowned senior Teter rider Bri Kovac and junior Team Major Taylor rider Simeon Commissiong the winners of the day-long event. The men's and women's winners, both who have already been successful in the previous series events, led their respective heats through four rounds of competition.\n"I think I am more excited about how the rest of the team did than what I did," Kovac said. "The event is really a chance to show how deep your team is and (the whole team) can do well, which is the most exciting part."\nMiss-N-Out is divided into four rounds, with about seven riders in the first round heat. Riders take four trips around the track, eliminating a rider at each lap. The final lap of the heat determines the three riders who will advance to the next round. \nThe second round is made up of six riders from different heats with the same format as the first round, but only two advance. The third round features eight riders per heat, with the final six riders of the round advancing to the finals. \nThe final round races the best six riders from the previous three rounds and eliminates three riders. The final three riders then take a prep lap and race one lap to determine the first, second and third place finishers.\nThe final round of the women's competition matched Kovac, Delta Zeta senior rider Renee Luzadder, Teter senior rider Mia Dragan, senior Corey Bitzer from Alpha Gamma Delta, Kappa Alpha Theta junior Nicole Vincent and sophomore Jessica Sapp from Kappa Kappa Gamma. \nKovac added the first place finish to her Individual Time Trials record-breaking finish. Second place was awarded to Vincent, and Sapp finished third.\nOn the men's side, the final eight consisted of senior Cutters rider Chris Vargo, Commissiong, Alpha Tau Omega riders sophomore Hans Arnesan and senior Tom Meersman, junior Chas Pall of Phi Kappa Psi and senior Craig Luekens from Dodds House. Commissiong claimed first place, Lukens second and Meersman third place. \nArnesan said the event is good preparation for Little 500. He competed in the finals of the men's competition but was eliminated in the first lap of the final. Even though the series events have no significant baring on the final race, the event is the closest riders will get to individual pack riding before the race.\n"You get a chance to see how other people will ride -- when they are going to sprint and how they are going to sprint," Arnesan said. "The is event is the most fun, definitely a good take on race day."\nBut this year's event did have one significant difference from the actual race: teammates racing against each other. Arnesan and teammate Meersman raced against each other in the finals. Other teams, such as Team Major Taylor, Cutters, Kappa Kappa Gamma and Kappa Alpha Theta, also had riders competing against each other in semifinal rounds.\nCommissiong said it can be hard for riders on the same team to compete and support their teammates at the same time. \n"Steven (Ballinger) was in the same heat as i was, so it was hard for us," Commissiong said. "We tried to make sure both of us got in, but it is so hard for two guys from the same team to get in when there were so many other riders in the same heat. \n-- Contact staff writer Katie Schoenbaechler at kmschoen@indiana.edu.
(04/02/04 6:22am)
The Little 500 women's field is getting more competitive with each spring series event. Alpha Gamma Delta set the standard at qualifications as the first to break a track record this year. But Kappa Kappa Gamma soon followed -- beating the newly-set record. With a record-breaking precedent set for the 2004 series events, Individual Time Trials didn't disappoint.\nOne of the most talked about heats Wednesday night was heat 50, which included top riders junior Kappa Alpha Theta rider Nicole Vincent, junior Kappa Kappa Gamma rider Meredith Horner, senior Alpha Gamma Delta rider Corey Bitzer and senior Teter rider Bri Kovac. \nDespite the rain and cold weather at Bill Armstrong Stadium, Kovac, who placed fourth in 2003, recorded a new track record with a time of 2:35.31. Kovac's teammate, senior Jessica Lindemann, finished second with a time of 2:38.20.\n"I was just really excited and surprised with how the conditions were," Kovac said. "(Breaking the record) was our goal ahead of time, but I didn't think it would happen. It was really exciting when it finally did."\nBitzer, who finished first last year with a time of 2:44.56, improved upon her 2003 time and finished this year at 2:41.77 and in fourth place. Third place went to Kappa Kappa Gamma rider and sophomore Jessica Sapp with a time of 2:38.54.\nBefore the event, Bitzer was confident her training during the past year had put her in place to record a second win. She said the disappointing fourth-place finish will only motivate her to train harder. \n"Confidence-wise, it will only push me the rest of the season," Bitzer said. "There is tough competition out there, and (Alpha Gamma Delta riders) know we have to work harder. Anything can happen in the race, and we are ready for it. We just have to work together."\nThe men's field was also full of competitive heats, which gave some riders the extra push to compete well. For senior Cutters rider Chris Vargo, the high competition and talent level of his heat, especially last year's winner junior Phi Gamma Delta rider Matt Davis, factored into his 2:21.49 winning ride. Vargo said he and Davis have a friendly competition, which made for a good heat. Davis finished second with a time of 2:21.73. Senior Dodds House rider Craig Luekens finished third at 2:22.82, fourth place went to sophomore Alpha Tau Omega rider Hans Arnessen with a time of 2:23.73 and Acacia rider and senior Brady Gibney rounded out the top five with a time of 2:23.86.\nEven though Vargo's win has no real bearing on the race, he said it will motivate the team to do better the rest of the season. \n"Ultimately we want to win the race," he said. "We have always been motivated to win the race, but we are a lot more motivated now. This showed we are a strong team, but it's anyone's race in the end."\n-- Contact staff writer Katie Schoenbaechler at kmschoen@indiana.edu.
(04/01/04 6:02am)
Even rain can't stop Little 500. No matter how much.\nIndividual Time Trials, the second of the Spring Cycling Series Events, began Wednesday with a beautiful sunset and semi-chilly weather but soon became a wet mess when rain and small hail pounded Bill Armstrong Stadium. Without the threat of lightning or thunder, the event went on as planned but not without a soggy track, freezing riders and lots and lots of rain.\nFinal results were not available at press time. For complete results, see Friday's Indiana Daily Student.\nThe time trials are the only Little 500 series event separating riders from their teams to test individual rider strengths. The event consists of 72 heats of four riders, who begin four-lap sprints at a corner of the track. Each rider starts from a dead stop and races against the clock. \nThe poor weather conditions could be a motivator or a disaster, depending on their outlook, said Rob Rhamy, IU Student Foundation assistant director and Little 500 coordinator.\n"The weather plays a factor both ways," Rhamy said. "Some people really cherish good conditions, and there are others that see this as a competitive advantage. They can come out and still compete and still ride their best regardless of the conditions. It just shows they are mentally stronger, and that's something else they can add in to their race day plans."\nRiders who competed before 7 p.m. had the advantage of sunny weather and a good amount of spectators, but once the rain began, the track became wet, and only the die-hard fans braved the weather. Rhamy said the weather would have an affect on the track, which would slow some of the faster riders. \n"The rain can slow the track down if it's too wet, so I think you may see the times later in the night being a little slower," he said. "I think as long as the riders keep some perspective on what conditions they went in with they can still see where they stack up against the competition."\nBut even a wet track and rainy weather couldn't slow Teter rider and senior Bri Kovac. Kovac, who placed fourth in the 2003 ITTs with a time of 2:47.54, took the track in one of the most competitive women's heats, including junior Kappa Alpha Theta rider Nicole Vincent, junior Kappa Kappa Gamma rider Meredith Horner and senior Alpha Gamma Delta rider Corey Bitzer. Kovac focused on the big picture when asked about her ITT performance.\n"It's always fun to do well, but it's four laps and one person, and the race is four people and 100 laps," she said.\nFor senior Cutters rider Jason Fowler the weather wasn't as much of a factor on the track as off. He said the rain began during his warm-up, which slowed the events and caused him to have to take shelter until his heat was called to the track. Fowler said the event is ultimatly for fun, so final times do not weigh heavely on the final race.\n"It's fun to see where you're at, and everyone has high goals and high hopes for it, but if you don't make them it's not the end of the world," Fowler said. "This just helps. Miss-N-Out, Team Pursuit, they all kind of build up, and the race is the big finale."\nHorner agreed even though ITTs are an exciting event, it is not a complete guide to which team will end up on top at the end.\n"As you can see, weather conditions, everything, there are so many different factors," Horner said. "If someone's sick, they might just not be having a good day, but a lot of (the events are) for fun, and I think that it can be a good indicator of good riders, but some days good riders have bad days"\n--Contact staff writer Katie Schoenbaechler at kmschoen@indiana.edu.
(03/31/04 5:36am)
Beginning today, Little 500 riders will be one step closer to the big day. \nThe second installment of the Little 500 Cycling Series -- Individual Time Trials -- will take place at 4 p.m. today at Bill Armstrong Stadium. \nThe event is the only Little 500 series event that separates riders from their teams to test individual strengths. ITTs consist of 72 heats of four riders, who begin four-lap sprints at a corner of the track. Each rider starts from a stationary position and races against the clock. The top three riders from both the men's and women's brackets are awarded a plaque and points that determine the Cycling Series Champion after the four series events are completed.\nFor many riders, the event is regarded as more than a series event -- it is an individual measure of how far they have come in a year. Last year's women's ITT winner, senior Alpha Gamma Delta rider Corey Bitzer, said she is confident her training and preparation in the past year will help her beat her time of 2:44.56 from 2003. \n"The three (riders) I'm going against this year are my top competitors," Bitzer said. "I'm a real competitive person, and my main goal is going to be to beat everyone and beat my own time from last year."\nBitzer will race in heat 50 against Teter rider and senior Bri Kovac, Kappa Alpha Theta rider and junior Nicole Vincent and Kappa Kappa Gamma rider and junior Meredith Horner. On the men's side, heat 31 will feature veteran riders including Dodds House rider and senior Craig Luekens, Team Major Taylor rider and junior Simeon Commissiong, senior David Jordan from ACR Cycling and senior Charlie Crouse from Phi Gamma Delta. \nSenior Ryan Brown from Acacia agrees with Bitzer's ideas of personal progress. Brown said the event can be a personal test but the outcome doesn't effect rider's thoughts of their final test on race day.\n"Personally, ITTs are just a personal test each year," Brown said. "For Little 500, it's just another event. It doesn't play a whole lot into the grand scheme of things. It's good as a competitive nature and to build up for the Little 500, but overall, it's for fun and to get personal marks."\nThe event can also give riders a chance to see which riders and, in turn, which teams, are strong. Senior Sincere Cycling rider Ryan McCall, who placed 12th in 2003 as a rider for Pi Kappa Phi, said ITTs can be a measure of how the race will shape up in the end.\n"The teams that have won in the past have had guys in the top 25 or 30 spots," McCall said. "For me, it's a chance to see who the strong riders are and a way of getting a hardcore list of who's good."\nBut for other riders, the event is just another series event that adds to the fun and excitement associated with Little 500. Junior Phi Gamma Delta rider and Riders' Council Member Matt Davis said the event is a stepping stone to the bigger picture. Davis, who placed second in 2003's ITTs, said a good or bad performance will not effect the race.\n"It helps out to build confidence, but it's still for fun," Davis said. "ITTs doesn't reflect how the race will end up overall. It's just nice to go out and compete but still focus on what's at hand."\n-- Contact staff writer Katie Schoenbaechler at kmschoen@indiana.edu.
(03/29/04 5:54am)
It's amazing the difference two-tenths of a second can make. For Team Major Taylor and Sigma Nu, the small fraction of seconds was the factor in determining which team would be awarded the coveted pole position for the 2004 Men's Little 500. \nLuckily for Team Major Taylor, the two minor fractions worked to its advantage. The team was the second team of 35 to attempt to qualify Saturday at Bill Armstrong Stadium and successfully took first place. Not another team came within a second of their 2:23.3 qualifying time until Sigma Nu took the track. \nAs Sigma Nu rider junior Ryan Taylor began the final lap at 1:47:8, it looked as if the team might take the top spot from Team Major Taylor. Taylor crossed the finish line at 2:23 according to the the stadium clock, which gave the two teams and spectators a few minutes to wonder if Sigma Nu had in fact knocked Major Taylor from the top. As the IU Student Foundation posted the final results, it was clear Major Taylor would hold on to its top spot for the rest of the afternoon.\nBut for Sigma Nu, second place feels just as good as first, if not better.\n"We were expecting to do well," said junior Eric Graebe. "But second is just as well. There is not as much pressure to deal with in second, so we were just as excited."\nFor Team Major Taylor, the first place finish has been in the making since its Little 500 debut two years ago. After qualifying second and finishing the race in the same position in 2003, the team finally snagged the coveted pole position on its first attempt. \nAfter racing with a three-man team last year, Major Taylor has added another rider to its roster, and members said they feel good about being in the high-pressure first place position. Junior Steven Ballinger said the biggest part of the team's success came from exchanges.\n"It's the biggest part and hardest part, plain and simple," Ballinger said. "We have the leg strength and the endurance, so the key thing was exchanges, and we practiced it day in and day out."\nQualifications did bring the traditional teams to the top of the pack -- Phi Gamma Delta, who finished ninth in 2003, will round out the first row in sixth place at 2:25.3. Other successful teams from years past include last year's third place finisher, Acacia, placing ninth in 2:26.4, and ACR Cycling, finishing in 2:24, which secured the team the third place position. Local favorite, the Cutters, recorded a time of 2:27, which puts them into tenth place, and Dodds House placed twelfth with a time of 2:28.5. \nDespite the traditional teams, this year's race will have some surprises added to the mix. One "out of the blue" finish was dorm team Briscoe, which qualified and finished 16th in 2003 but shot up to a fifth place qualifying ride Saturday. The most shocking team to take the track was IU Soccer, made up of four players from the 2003 National Championship team. Before Christmas, the four had never been on a bike but were no doubt in great shape. Sophomore Jordan Chirico said the team was nervous coming into quals and had two goals: to qualify and not to crash. The team did in fact qualify, finishing 27th with a time of 2:36.1. Chirico said the team's main goal is to have a good time.\n"We don't have any expectations about finishing or anything," Chirico said. "We just want to be a part of Little 500."\n-- Contact staff writer Katie Schoenbaechler at kmschoen@indiana.edu.
(03/25/04 5:00am)
For women in the 1950's getting married, setting up house and popping out a few kids looked like the only option after college. Forget graduate school or a career; it wasn't in the cards. Despite poor editing and even worse storytelling, "Mona Lisa Smile" does provide a quick lesson in art history and a look at women's roles in the '50s. \nMeet Katherine Watson (Julia Roberts), a "progressive" art history professor straight off the train from California determined to encourage the close-minded students at Wellesley College to aspire to be more than the mold of a housewife. Think "Dead Poet's Society" but with women and nobody dies at the end, most just get married (which in many cases is a lot like death). \nThe movie drags at times and several of the scenes seem to be put in randomly. After watching it twice it still appears that key scenes are missing, which caused much confusion on who hates whom at what time, as well as extremely flat characters.\nThe "special" features (if you can call them that) present the actresses talking art, women's rights and other topics, which the stars of films such as "Bring It On" and "10 Things I Hate About You" have no business discussing. \nOverall this is like most Julia Roberts movies; it's tolerable if you have a uterus.
(03/24/04 9:25pm)
For women in the 1950's getting married, setting up house and popping out a few kids looked like the only option after college. Forget graduate school or a career; it wasn't in the cards. Despite poor editing and even worse storytelling, "Mona Lisa Smile" does provide a quick lesson in art history and a look at women's roles in the '50s. \nMeet Katherine Watson (Julia Roberts), a "progressive" art history professor straight off the train from California determined to encourage the close-minded students at Wellesley College to aspire to be more than the mold of a housewife. Think "Dead Poet's Society" but with women and nobody dies at the end, most just get married (which in many cases is a lot like death). \nThe movie drags at times and several of the scenes seem to be put in randomly. After watching it twice it still appears that key scenes are missing, which caused much confusion on who hates whom at what time, as well as extremely flat characters.\nThe "special" features (if you can call them that) present the actresses talking art, women's rights and other topics, which the stars of films such as "Bring It On" and "10 Things I Hate About You" have no business discussing. \nOverall this is like most Julia Roberts movies; it's tolerable if you have a uterus.