| Tings I be likin' 'bout da New Year |
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Tings I be likin' 'bout da New Year
Ryan Price
Editorials Editor
Ahhh! 1997. A new year with fresh hopes. A chance for people to start anew and alive with their dreams for the future re-energized. Well, that may be overstating the point a bit.
Anyway, to ring in the New Year and our first issue of The Appalachian, I have taken the liberty of comprising a list of a few of the things that I am thankful for and look forward to enjoying in 1997:
And last but certainly not least,
Alas, there is always a downside to the up, so here are a few matters that I am not thankful for and/or wish would just go away:
and last and certainly the most annoying, the one concept which I really wish would go away,
Overall, 1996 was a great year and I have no genuine complaints. I certainly hope 1997 will be as fun and prosperous.
Perhaps the one thing that we can appreciate the most as students here at Appalachian is that we go to the most beautiful school in the greatest setting on the east coast.
That is truly something to be thankful for. Welcome back and Happy Belated New Year!
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Wrasslin' no laughing matter
John Starling
Features Editor
We all have a few skeletons in our closet. IŐm sure that more than half of our student population was into the schlock rock of the eighties. Maybe a few of you guys had Ken dolls just so you could fit in with those hot nursery school ladies.
These are past sins that folks are willing to share and even laugh at. But there seems to be a mad stigma attached to a pastime that many in our country enjoy: professional wrestling.
Yes, it may be the cheesiest, fakest thing on television since Milli VanilliŐs performance at the Grammies a few years back. Some of us just like it for the sheer pleasure we draw from testosterone (among other hormones in some cases) ravaged men ŇpoundingÓ each other to a bloody (capsule) pulp.
ItŐs time to break the silence. I canŐt hide my affection for this display of bad acting and moderate feats of physical prowess. ItŐs just plain fun to watch.
There is one substantial reason behind every wrestling fanŐs affinity for the sport. ItŐs a soap opera blatantly targeted at males. ThereŐs none of that lovey-dovey stuff that makes us feel awkward, but plenty of that wham-bang excitement that gets our juices going. Think of it as a fleshy monster truck rally.
Wrestling is a no-brainer. How much effort does it really take to follow this stuff? Somehow, though, itŐs very enthralling.
ItŐs really a peculiar escapist fantasy, in many ways. Instead of taking out violent frustrations on other people, we (the wrestling fans) opt instead to watch overgrown beasts pretend to hurt each other. ItŐs pretty cathartic in my opinion.
If thereŐs one thing about the whole wrestling phenomenon that frustrates me, itŐs the lack of respect that it gets in the athletic community.
Professional wrestling is treated like cheerleading. ItŐs extremely difficult and choreographed. These guys have to maintain their bodies and concentration in order to pull off the work involved with their performances.
Still thereŐs some boneheads in the jock community that refuse to accept it as a viable, even complicated sport, much akin to the lack of respect that cheerleaders tend to get for their skills.
I think itŐs a bit ironic that some morons can get paid millions for practicing a couple of times a week, playing once a week and be called the epitome of athleticism, while pro wrestlers tour the country non-stop, practicing their craft daily, often performing on a nightly basis and are still the butt of jokes at the hands of so-called sports critics.
ThereŐs still many purists out there who refuse to accept it because it bears little to no resemblance to the classic Greco-Roman style of wrestling. ThatŐs like saying that rock and rollŐs not a viable medium because itŐs not intricate on the level of classical music.
We all take into account the fact that rock is intricate in its own right and that many classical musicians canŐt pull it off. I like to think the same about pro wrestling. ItŐs a totally different discipline that many mat wrestlers would have a hard time with.
I am proud to say that I am a pro wrestling fan and have been so for as long as I can remember. Some of the earliest memories I have are of running around my room dressed up (as close as I could get) like my favorite wrestler of the moment.
I got to go see a wrestling event as my ninth birthday present. ItŐs even more exciting live than it is on TV. ThatŐs one of the most treasured memories I have as a child and, again, it involved wrestling.
I used to rush home from elementary school to my grandparents house in order to catch the afternoon wrestling shows on cable, in the days when everybody, including myself, didnŐt have it.
I remember the day that Magnum T.A. had his career-ending car accident. I remember the day that Andre the Giant died.
I also remember the first time I saw the original Four Horsemen and, in the years to come, the various incarnations they went through.
I remember the first time Sting wrestled Ric Flair for the World Title at the first Clash of the Champions.
I also remember the day that Hulk Hogan turned bad (again). Then the N.W.O. Then Roddy Piper returned to challenge Hogan and beat him. This helped me maintain some sort of relationship with my father when the distance of college became a barrier to me.
Pro wrestling isnŐt a pathetic pastime that only captures the attention of societyŐs dregs. People of all walks of life get into it. Now that itŐs enjoying a revival of sorts, maybe it can get some bit of the recognition it deserves.
DonŐt be ashamed if you love it. YouŐre not alone.
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On-campus students cheated by Housing...
On-campus students came back to ASU with an unpleasant surprise waiting for them. The new cable system set-up replaced CNN and VH-1 with ESPN2 and other channels. When questioned about this, the Housing Department responded saying if students were interested in either channel, they needed to notify their respective RSA representative and if there was enough interest they could add the channels (without dropping the current ones) if necessary. We suggest you go to head of housing himself. Don't you want all the channels you pay for?
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Put the spring back in Spring Break
During the holidays you probably got to thinking about our next big break from school- Spring Break to be exact. You may have even discussed possible plans with friends from other colleges only to find that Appalachian has one of the earliest Spring Breaks around!
Here at The Appalachian, we appreciate a vacation just as much as the next student. We relish time off from the daily grind. What we don't get is why every year the Calendar Committee decides to schedule Spring Break so early in the semester. This year the break is March 1-9 and chances are that the ground will still be covered with snow and that the beaches will be too cold to enjoy.
What's the point in even calling the break "Spring Break" if it occurs way before spring technically begins? There's nothing springĐlike about spending the break at the beach wearing a turtleneck and pants. And, it's certainly not fun to have our breaks never coincide with those at other area colleges and universities.
It would be much appreciated if the Committee would consider such things when they set up the class schedule for next year. Though many of us will have long graduated to the realĐlife world of no vacations, we'd appreciate it.
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