Script Draft: ASU rowing

ASU has many sports on campus, ranging from club sports to NCAA teams. You have your basic football, baseball, soccer and swim programs all with a competitive and club teams. There are also the abstract sports like water polo, rugby, volleyball and of course rowing. Out of all the club sports on campus there is constantly a fight for which team will be supported by the school so that they can become an NCAA sports team and compete in the PAC10 and PAC12 competitions. The one team that does deserve the support of ASU and the athletic board is the ASU crew team which is currently a club team at Arizona State University.

I spoke to one of the varsity girls on the ASU women's crew team and this is what she had to say about the matter, "Well ASU is one of the largest schools in the country, another thing that we have on our advantage is that we have water on campus, Tempe Town Lake is right down the street. The lake is a full two thousand meter course so its not a small body of water you have plenty of space. It is one of the original Olympic sports and its becoming increasing competitive on the west coast, its very popular on the east coast and now more and more people are getting involved here on the west coast so its a very important sport to keep going. The medals that we will win will completely out weigh the equipment costs that we have to put forward for our equipment."

If rowing is so popular and such a rising sport, why won't the school support the team.  Many say its because the school refuses to pay for the expensive equipment and constant out of state traveling costs. If Arizona State University were to fund the rowing program the speed at which the crew team would progress could make it one of the top competitors on the west cost.

One of the biggest set backs that the ASU crew team faces that would be fixed if it became an NCAA team would be the freshmen. Many of the members become apart of the team with no knowledge or experience with the sport. This creates a difficult task for the coaches and athletes when they have to constantly teach and re-teach how to row at the beginning of each season. If ASU did decide to to support the crew team the re-teaching of novices would no longer be a big one-man job.  Since athletes would have multiple coaches and also new rowers that were recruited and have experience.  Athletes from all over the country and even the world would have reasons to come to Arizona State and partake in the school if there was a crew team supported by the school. If this were to happen ASU would quickly become one of the top competitors of the west coast and even the nation for college crew. If ASU did decide to fund the crew team many positive things would happen. Since ASU could have such a competitive team, There would surely be many medals and trophies throughout the course of one season.

ASU has many talented rowers on the team some with experience and some with none. One with experience is a freshmen that came straight out of high school and decided to row, he shares a little bit about his experience rowing. "I've been to South West Junior Regionals, I've been to Junior Championships, I've been rowing for four years. There is two types of rowing, there's sculling and then there is sweep. Sweep is with one oar and you're usually on either side with port and starboard. And then sculling you have two on both sides and the boats only go up to four unlike sweep which go up to eight, plus a coxswain, so technically nine.

The fact that ASU athletic boar refuses to support the team makes it difficult for the team to represent Arizona State University. With its coaches and athletes practicing with old and broken down equipment, the team is seeing an undying need for financial funding. The boats, launches, and ergometers are old, heavy, and completely out of date with the average level crew teams in college. Even though the equipment is heavy and broken the team still manages to push through the seasons year by year and complete each race. The fact that the ASU athletic board refuses to support the team makes it difficult to represent ASU at even the home races that take place on Tempe Town Lake twice each year.

A freshmen at ASU explains the difference between the two races that Tempe puts on during the year. "Hot head is a race like during Fall Season thats five thousand meters all the way around the lake. And uh, Desert Sprints is 1500 meters during Spring Season. Some out of state teams come to that, not a lot though, if you guys supported the team more people would come."

Many say its because the school refuses to pay for the expensive equipment and constant traveling for out of state races. But with the amount of money that Arizona State puts forward towards sports like water polo, swim and dive, and of course the football team with their private jet, some suspect that this is just a lame lie. If you were to see the amount of money invested in some of the other athletic programs at ASU you would see that there is money to be shared between not just one, but multiple teams. With this money, Arizona State University could take the club sports and turn them into something that the west coast has never seen before.

ASU Reacts: Jepp, Who Defied the Stars

The audio piece that I evaluated last week was on a book called Jepp, Who Defied The Stars. Written by Katherine Marsh, it’s a tale about a dwarf named Jepp who is offered a job working in a Palace as a court dwarf. Unknowing to Jepp, a court dwarf is more of a comedic act and one who provides entertainment. Jepp, embarrassed and upset, sets out to find a better life for himself and tries figure out the true meaning of what it would be like to be something more. From this book one can easily learn how to find motivation to better their lives even if it’s out of their comfort zone.

 The question that I wanted answered was if anyone would ever be able to actually do this, if there was a person with enough ambition to go out and start over completely.  I asked three different people, all in completely different age groups.

The first was Andy, a four year old child whom I babysit, his response was, “If I was a dwarf and being made fun of I-I’d go out a get all my buddies together so we could take back the castle and be dwarf kings! That would be my new life, of course I need mommy to cook my king sandwiches.”

The second was my sister Hannah, a 25 year old grad student from UofA, her response was, “sh*t yes I would start over. The first thing I would do is finish college in four years instead of seven and get the hell out of this country, far far away from you.”

I was touched by the loving words my sister gave me, but had to move on to my third interview with my father. Having just turned 66 in October and still working as a lawyer, my dad had one thing to say when I asked if he would go out and start a new life: “You know what, I wouldn’t.”

General Analysis of: A Tale of Fate: From Astrology to Astronomy

For this blog, I decided to go with the NPR article about, “A Tale Of Fate: From Astrology To Astronomy” from the website All Things Considered. This piece of audio was more of an interview with the author of the novel, so the format and script (so to speak) was easy to follow. The author, Katherine Marsh’s, was talking about her new novel, Jepp Who Defied the Stars which is considered to be a great piece of writing by many of her peers.  In the interview she answers questions like, what inspired her and if there was any hidden meaning behind the general story.  The page that hosts the audio also has a picture of what the book looks like, and comments that critiques have made and even subscribers to the website have made. I feel like this piece of audio that I picked will be more of what I will do in my project three. I am not entirely sure if this is the proper direction to be heading in, but that’s all part of the process I suppose.

I became worried about this project while listening to the audio from All Things Considered because it made me think about what perspective or argument I should be taking. When I think of audio, I think interview or short review of an event.  A typical one minute recap on the car radio that you hear in between songs, is what always comes to mind. So I’m worried about two things. One is if I can make it long enough and if I will have the proper set up. Since I was gone during class on Monday while you, Professor L., were describing the new project, I feel like I have put myself behind the group. I know that this project will be unlike the first project or second project. Since the first project was really only an essay, and the second was a map with attached shorter essays, I’m not sure how I should go about doing this since I have never had any experience with recording or editing sound. My original plan, much like the interview from All Things Considered, was to do an interview of the ASU Men’s crew team to get perspective on what it’s to take part in a sport that is not supported by the school. During the interview I would try to get their opinions on why they think they aren’t being funded and if they would even be capable of becoming a D1 sports team. I am unsure and a little worried about what my stance should be while doing this project, but that’s probably my fault since I didn’t show up to class.

Research Sources: Stray Cats

For project two, I decided to follow and evaluate the stray cat population on the Arizona State University campus.  The cats on campus caught my eye the first day of school and caused the curiosity of why so many were just left without a home. They congregate outside of dorms and under the trees, or even in the trees.  It should be more concerning to people about the wellbeing of the animals and if they are living a decent life as a stray on campus.  I plan on finding the main places that the cats tend to be and evaluate the type of life that these cats are living. I will attempt to figure out what they eat, how often, if any of them actually have a home, and maybe even try to figure out why they stay on campus after being left behind.

                The first source I will use for this project is the book Cats by Dean Morris that is 272 pages long. This book establishes an introduction to wild and domestic cats, their common behavior patterns, and even individual traits of specific cats. This book helps people understand the basic fundamentals of cats and why they act a certain way. This book will allow me to compare and contrast the differences between domestic and wild cats. I can use this source while trying to understand the basic behaviors of cats and it will help me explain the topic easily. I will mainly use this book for its information on behavior patterns since it is the biggest section in the book.

                The second source I will be using for the project is an article called The social behavior of cats. I. Competitive and aggressive behavior in an experimental runaway situation, by C. N. Winslow that is 19 pages. This articles goes in depth about how cats can become competitive and aggressive when they are left to fend for themselves or in a runaway situation.  It observes a cats aggressiveness towards other felines and other animals such as dogs, birds, and even humans. This article will become handy when I try to explain how leaving a cat or approaching a stray cat is dangerous for both the animal and yourself. Having animals on campus that could potentially attack you is never a good thing, and should be addressed.

                 The last source I will be using for this project is another book called Animal Behavior, by Reena Mathur and it has 287 pages. This book goes over all of the biological, genetic, and chemical processes that happen to animals when they were once domestic but turn into a strays and abandoned animals. It also explains the “pact” attitudes of animals and why the congregate when owners are no longer in the picture.  I will be able to use this book when I look at the habits and patterns of large groups of cats. It will also help me understand why they do certain things in groups or how they have developed certain personalities or attitudes in situations.

Evaluation of Looper

That most recent movie that I was fortunate of watching was Looper. I saw it yesterday afternoon with my parents at Scottsdale Fashion Square in a rather small theater, which surprised me since this movie just came out.  But instead of telling you an evaluation of the movie, I was hoping I could evaluate a situation that happened before the movie.

My parents and I were sitting in the last few rows on the theater, munching on popcorn and sipping our enjoyable beverages. The previews started to play and in walks this boy –or young adult (it was dimly lit) with a back pack. He stands to the side of the theater as if he is looking for someone but fails to see anyone he recognizes. It was as if he was evaluating us, the audience. Trying to see us in the dark, which person it was best to sit by, who is more likely to judge him less. He stands there and waits till the preview is over then loudly exclaims, “Man, do I miss Tom Hanks!” Then he picks a seat in the front few rows, drops down his back pack, and walks out. He was an odd person, but nothing rang any bells so I simply carried on watching the previews. But then my dad leaned over to me and said, “If he doesn’t come back in five minutes, we’re leaving.”  Why would we leave? We paid good money for this movie. I’ve wanted to see this movie for a long time, I’m not leaving. He seemed like the type of person to be obnoxious and talkative during a movie as well, shouldn’t my dad be happy that this man has left? But then it hit me, why my dad was so concerned, this stranger had left his bag. My dad, being an older gentlemen (65), had put this together before it even began to register with me.  A stranger who arrived alone with a “look at me” attitude, and a very attentive behavior had just left his bag in a room full of people and left. Now I was concerned. With the recent shootings from this summer, the attacks on populated places, this was no different. Could this man – would this man be someone to kill a crowd full of people? Obviously my dad was not the only one to evaluate the current circumstance because a younger man who was with his children, went over to where the bag was laying, picked it up, and started to carry it out of the theater. I was in shock. This is what the world has come to, where even I was judging a man just because he put down his bag, even though he could be completely innocent.   Because of actions from several other people, I could not trust this stranger simply because he carried a bag. This is the way several other people felt in the theater as well because as soon as the bag had left the theater and the man returned, people clapped.   They applauded this young man for the heroic deed of carrying out the suspicious bag. I was happy the bag was removed too, but also a little sad. I felt bad for jumping to conclusions, uncomfortable about how paranoid I became, disappointed in the world because we no longer trust each other, but I was damn happy that the back pack was away from me.

We no longer trust anything that is not “normal.” I bring a back pack every day to school but when I leave to go to the bathroom in the middle of class, I don’t find my bag outside in the hallway upon returning. But a man brings a back pack to a theater and he’s demonized.  I guess it is better to be safe than sorry, paranoid than relaxed, alive than dead. I just find it a little depressing that because of people that abused the trust of their fellow humans in the past, we can no longer trust anyone. 

After leaving the theater I saw the strange man outside the mall. He looked like a street kid. Dirty, greasy, had a couple layers of clothes on even though it was still 100 degrees outside, and he clung to his back pack like it was his life raft. He had probably saved up to see this movie and instead of being able to enjoy it, he was asked to leave because of his back pack. 

But if you still want the evaluation of Looper, I’d give it two stars. There was way too much gore, Joseph Levett looked really weird, the kid in the movie gave me night mares and I don’t like the idea that China is going to take over the world. This movie was a look on what the future might look like in 30 years, I personally hope that this movie stays fictional.

Reflection of Project One

For the first part of this three stage project, I had different feelings towards the whole thing. Although I did finish my project and think I did a darn good job writing it, it seemed like a few other people struggled. Now, I know you asked for my opinions about the first project but I'd like to tell about some frustrations I over heard from students during class time.

A few people were a bit bored with the whole idea. I personally loved it because I was so enthusiastic about my topic, but others seemed to not really care about their locations. Many picked the Rec Center, Memorial Union, or Palm Walk. Not that there is anything wrong with these places, it just seemed that people picked them because it was easy and general. Finding a location that I was so passionate about helped me write the paper and have a positive attitude about the whole project. Maybe next year narrow down the scope of options to buildings or locations that students only feel strongly about. This might help them become a little more excited and motivated about the project.

But, on a different note, there were certain things that I liked and disliked about the project. I disliked the realization that I didn't know how to work Microsoft Word on my new HP computer and that I had to ask my mom for help. Working with my mother can turn into a bad situation very quickly.  And as a student that was not taught how to use MLA heading or how to put the page number on at the top, I had a decent sized mental break down. Besides those few, but very stressful, personal problems that I had with the project I really enjoyed writing about my place. The analysis part wasn't that difficult once I understood what you were looking for and I'm sure there is something wrong with the my writing so I have no comment on that part.

ISTB4 is a building that I loved the very instant I walked in. Being able to write about it and even have the excuse to explore a little deeper in to the building was a lot of fun. I told my Geology professor about the paper and she actually took me to the "restricted" section of the building when no one was looking. Although some of you may not care, I got to hold very valuable rocks and it was awesome. My professor also told me about some of the research that was currently taking place in the building and how ASU is a large part of the sending Curiosity to Mars.

All in all, the good out ways the bad for this project. I had a mental break down (or two) but that was a result of my technology handicap not the project itself. I had an abundance of fun playing with so many things in the ISTB4 building and being obnoxious with stupid questions.

Analyzing a Place Worksheet

Project #1 Worksheet                                                          

Your Place: _____________________________________ISTB4_______________________

What are the intended functions of the place?                      

The intended functions for this building is research. Not any type of research, it’s not a library, but scientific research. It has laboratories and lecture halls for larger group. It also includes computers, study rooms, and enough equipment to conduct large procedures.

What overt messages does the place send (i.e., openly communicated through signs)?

This building sends out the message that science and exploring is fun. With the amount of artifacts, tools, diagrams, pictures, 3D exhibits and touchable objects in the building it gets your mind going. You get motivated just being in there. This building wants to show you that science is fun and that every day ordinary people push further and further into the unknown.

What covert messages does the place send (i.e., hidden messages)?

I don’t believe there are any hidden messages that lay in secret somewhere. This building has one purpose and that is to educate. There is no dirty motive lodged behind any of the words or photos stationed on these walls.

Have previous users left traces behind in the place?

Since this building is new, there are no traces of classes or students before us. No one has written there name and the name of their significant other on the walls or under a desk. Stains from spilt coffee or sticky black spots from gum don’t litter the floor. We are the first ones here.  We are the people that get to leave traces behind.

Has the place been re-appropriated (i.e., beyond its original functions)?

This place has not been re-appropriated. Like I said, this building is the newest building on campus, the purpose of it being built is still the purpose of it today. Maybe one day it’ll hold an important meeting for scientist or house a “one-and-only” artifact, but until then, it’s still innocent and unchanged.

What social or cultural customs did you observe (i.e., rules governing appropriate behavior)?

People treat this building like a library in some respects. It’s so clean and so new that you feel awkward if you happen to make too much noise. The only signs there say you can’t eat in the laboratories or in the lecture hall, but I haven’t seen anyone eat anywhere inside the building. And once I did eat inside the building and was glared at. Eating in the halls or the benches outside the rooms is allowed, but oddly still frowned upon because no one wants to see this place get dirty.

Who has access to the place?  Are there insiders and outsiders?

The beauty of this place is that everyone is welcome. Students, teachers, parents, homeless people (as long as they don’t leave a mess), fieldtrips full of little kids, and even random civilians that are just interested in what could be inside. Everyone is welcome.

Who owns the place?

The scientific community owns this place! But in reality, ASU does. Its run by a man named Rick who is in charge of the Astronomy classes (and more things that I don’t know of). But the people that truly own this place are the people that are willing to accept and use it for its entire purpose.

What is the place’s value (i.e., monetary or otherwise)?

This place’s value is knowledge. For me at least it is. To others, they might see million dollar meteors or a billion dollar dinosaur skull, but for me, its knowledge. And knowledge is a lot more than a billion dollars…kind of.

Are there official representations of the place (i.e., online, in promotional materials)?  Do they accurately capture the place as you experienced it?

There are articles written about this building because it’s the newest addition to the ASU campus, but no one will ever be able to properly describe what this building is truly like. You have to see it for yourself.

Is the place in transition, a changing place?

No, this building is completely finished and I hope it stays like that.

What conflicts or tensions are there in the place?

As of right now, there aren’t really any problems running around in this building. I sensed a little tension from the manager of this place before the grand opening but that was because he was under stress from the lack of time he had to prepare everything. Right now, no one really knows what is in this building or the equipment this building has. It’s quiet and kind of a sanctuary for the earth and space students at ASU. There aren’t any business majors or engineers commenting about how their science is better. It’s just us, it’s peaceful.

What is the place’s history?  Do you see evidence of the past there in the present?

Well, if by past you mean previous classes that have graduated. There is none. But, if you mean history, there is plenty. The first astronaut is standing tall on the third level. A dinosaur skull from billions of years ago is stationed by the door. Aztec pots and valuable stones lace the walls on the inside and outside. There is plenty of history here, just not ASU’s history.

How does this place differentiate itself from other places?  What other places is it similar to, but how is it different from those places?

I know I’m being redundant when I say that this place is new, buts its new. There is no other place like this on campus or anywhere that I am aware of in Arizona. Its unique.

What questions do you have about your place?

What can I achieve here?

What can I learn here?

Key Features / Profiles (taken from the Norton Field Guide (Goggin and Bullock) Chapter 16, pages 165-166)

An interesting subject.  What is unusual about your place?  Alternatively, is there something ordinary about it that you can show in an intriguing way?

Everything is unusual about this place. It has an exact replica of the rover Curiosity stationed in the front of the building. There’s a huge globe that you can touch and have different planets pop up for you to admire. The only ordinary thing about this place are the windows, there’s nothing special about the windows. They’re big, clear and open.

Any necessary background.  What background information will you need to include about the place in order to situate readers?

Everything, this place has a lot going on. I’ll have to name and describe almost everything here in order to give readers a minimum understanding of this building.

An interesting angle.  Rather than trying to tell readers everything about the place, what angle(s) might you use?

I’m using two angles. One angle is from what a teacher might see upon entering the building. The other is what a student might see when entering this building. I think this will appeal to many people and help them understand the building’s exterior and interior.

A firsthand account.  Did you interact with people in the place or participate in some way?  What experiences did you have there that you can write about using “I”?  (Yes, first person point of view is encouraged, especially for this paper.)

I go to classes here so there are many stories and happy encounters that I can tell while in this building. My geology teacher, Julia Johnson is my favorite teacher. She’s like a Doctor Suess character, bubbly, rhymes, and always has a large smile on her face. I’ve met friends in this building and get along with everyone, even the people I don’t know are more willing to talk to me than the ones at MU where cliques and outsiders are abundant.

Engaging details.  What specific information must you include in your description of the place?  What potential does your place have for the use of sensory images, figurative language, dialogue, anecdotes, and showing rather than telling?  What do you want the dominant impression to be?

The dominant impression I want to have is that this building is here for students and teachers alike to advance in their education and research. Everything here is worth noting or describing. So, a more suitable question is what can’t I include from this building in order to make this project a little less descriptive?

Generating Ideas and Text (taken from the Norton Field Guide (Goggin and Bullock) Chapter 16, pages 168-169)

Explore what you already know about your subject.  Why do you find this place interesting?  What did you already know about it?

I find this place interesting because the things in it interest me. It’s a science building, I like science. It has cool things in it, I like cool things that have to do with science. I belong here. I want to be here. This is where I want to learn about the things that are taught here. I know this building is amazing in every single way. I know it houses the largest meteorite collection in the US. I know it has created a underwater scenario of a remote-controlled submarine. I know it can sit up to 370 students in its lecture hall. I know it can show the time and location of any satellite or rover in the universe that we, or any other country, has sent out. I know a lot about this building because this building isn’t afraid to show what it knows.

If you’re planning to interview someone, prepare questions.  What would you like to ask someone in the place in order to better understand it?

What do you do here?

Do you enjoy your job?

How often are you caught daydreaming here?

Are you interested in the jobs of others in this building?

If you could be a part of any other job/internship going on in this building currently, what would it be?

Do additional research.  Does your place have an online component?  How else might you gather additional research?

This place has articles written about it, but that’s more for advertisement. I’m not sure how I would gather additional research on this building.

Analyze your findings.  What patterns, images, or recurring ideas or phrases did you use to describe your place?  What contrasts or discrepancies do you see?

I use the words: new, unique, amazing, perfect, dinosaur, rover, satellite, 3D, and laboratories a lot in describing this building. I see nothing wrong with this.

Come up with an angle.  What is most memorable about your subject?  What most interests you?  What will interest your audience?

I think this building can appeal to everyone person in some way. Maybe when you were younger you had a thing for dinosaurs or space. Maybe your dad or mom was some famous mineralogist, or your aunt believed that the Aztecs were taken into space by aliens. This whole entire building would interest any audience. They just need to know what part of earth and space that they’re interested in. The part that most memorable to me would be the replica of Curiosity. There’s something about that rover that gets me thinking.