6 | T he State N e ws | m o nday, june 1 6, 2 01 4 | statenews.com
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F e s t i va l
Reelin’ in the aquatic fun Photos By Danyelle morrow/ the state news
From left, Okemos residents Joe Kordenbrock, 14, talks with Peter Brantley, 16, during the fishing contest of the Grand American Fish Rodeo Saturday at Adado Riverfront Park in Lansing. The contest featured four categories including biggest fish, total number of fish, total weight and most number of species caught.
By Casey Holland THE STATE NEWS nn
Inaugural Grand American Fish Rodeo educates spectators on aquatic health, misconceptions
mkransz@statenews.com THE STATE NEWS nn
new festival in Lansing showcased urba n r ivers aren’t home to three-eyed fish and unsolved homicides, as some visitors jokingly suggested, but valuable places of nearby recreation. Promoted as “a celebration
A
O’Connor sets MSU steeplechase history cholland@statenews.com
Lansing resident Al Diaz holds a fish caught during the fishing contest of the Grand American Fish Rodeo Saturday at Adado Riverfront Park in Lansing.
By Michael Kransz
Tr ack & Fie ld
of Michigan waterways and a chance to be a little weird,” the inaugural Grand American Fish Rodeo drew people riverside to Lansing’s Adado Riverfront Park for fishing competitions, live music, local food, writing contests, beer drinking, fashion displays and aquatic education. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist Gib King, who organized the fishing competition for the event, said although the cleanliness of
Michigan’s urban rivers has improved, the public’s perception of them has stagnated for the most part, with most still regarding them as “old wastedumping grounds” and steering clear of interacting with them. A festival such as the Fish Rodeo — one that welcomes people to recreate on, interact with and learn more about urban rivers — serves to reestablish that these bodies of water can be enjoyed and appreciated, King said. “Events like this are trying to prove that you can kayak out here, you can canoe out here, you can swim out here — I saw a guy swimming the other day — there’s great fishing (out here),” he said. “Some of our best little gems are hidden right here in our cities. We have waters to recreate on, we have green spaces to go bird watching in, we have mush-
room hunting right in these urban areas.” When fisheries and wildlife junior Mike Guthard first arrived at MSU he said he briefly held a misconception the Red Cedar River is “that gross body of water that everybody pollutes in.” Guthard said the notion about the Red Cedar River as polluted is nothing more than a stigma left by heavy pollution to urban rivers in the mid-20th century, which was majorly combated and counteracted after the passing of the Clean Water Act in 1972. Instead, the reality is the urban river flowing through campus is a treasure, he said. “I love it,” he said. “It’s beautiful. You just look from any of the bridges. It’s a little piece of paradise right in the middle of campus.” Michigan Institute for Contemporary Art Administrative
Manager Katrina Daniels said part of the reason the institute organized the Fish Rodeo was to offer people a change of perspective in how they view their city and the river that runs through it. “Lansing looks absolutely beautiful on the water, so we wanted to get everybody on the water and let everybody see the architecture, see the river and celebrate that,” Daniels said.
More online … To watch anglers and their catches, including 16-year-old Okemos resident Josh Hossink’s 17.2-pound common carp, , visit statenews.com/ multimedia.
Redsh i r t ju n ior L ea h O’Connor made history on Friday with her record win at the 2014 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championship at Hay ward Field in Oregon. O’Connor set a school record time of 9:36.43 in the 3000 meter steeplechase race, making her the first MSU steeplechase champion ever. “I was just extremely humbled and grateful,” she said. “I wanted to share this with everyone — my parents, my coach, everyone.” Her first race occurred on Wednesday for the preliminary round, where the 24 best athletes in the steeplechase event competed against each other. The top five athletes in each heat, along with the top two other highest times, moved on to the final round on Friday, where O’Connor earned her win. She said she took the lead ea rly i n t he f i na l race and, as the final laps approached, she utilized her speed and time to get over the hurdles and cross the finish line at the head of the pack. O’Connor has been a participant in steeplechase races since her freshman year. She typically runs 60 to 65 miles a week. In the 2013 NCA A Outdoor Track and Field Championship, O’Connor won a fifth place title. She said her goal when she left this same meet last year was to come back and win it all. “It ’s an unexplainable feeling,” she said. “ You spend so long looking at the top athletes of the nation, thinking it’s unattainable. ... I was so focused during the race, it takes awhile to soak it all in.”
Basketball
MSU adds Forbes to 2014-15 incoming class By Omari Sankofa II osankofa@statenews.com THE STATE NEWS n n
Only days af ter landing West Virginia transfer Eron Harris, MSU basketball head coach Tom Izzo has added yet another piece to a rapidly-growing 2014-15 basketball class. MSU confirmed Friday afternoon Cleveland State transfer Bryn Forbes has signed with
MSU. “We are excited to add Bryn Forbes, a homegrown product, to our roster,” head coach Tom Izzo said in a statement. “He was extremely well coached by former Spartan Carlton Valentine at Lansing Sexton, and brings with him the championship attitude that he developed there as he teamed with Denzel Valentine to win backto-back state championships.” A 6-foot-3, 175-pound Lan-
sing native, Forbes could potentially qualif y for the 2014-15 season if he were to apply for a hardship waiver. The Cleveland Plain Dealer previously reported Forbes’ sister has medical issues, and Forbes also has a young son in Lansing. Forbes is a former teammate of sophomore guard Denzel Valentine at Sexton, where they won state titles in 2011 and 2012.
The Horizon League Newcomer of the Year in 2013, Forbes averaged 12.7 points per game and hit at a .389 clip from deep during his freshman season, and upped those numbers to 15.6 points on .424 shooting from beyond the arc during his sophomore year. “Br yn enjoyed two great seasons at Cleveland State, but he’s decided to come back closer to home,” Izzo continued in the statement. “He brings the ability to shoot the basketball and you can never have enough shooters on your team. Look at some of his best performances, and you can see that they’ve come against top-notch competition, such
Check out our new arrivals for
as scoring 22 points against Kentucky.” Forbes joins Harris, Sunrise Christian Academy in Bel Aire, Kansas recruits forward Marvin Clark and guard Lourawls “Tum Tum” Nairn, along with Columbus, Ohio native Javon Bess in the 2014-15 class. With five incoming players, the MSU basketball program will hope to weather the loss of sophomore guard Gary Harris and senior forward Adreian Payne, who are both currently slated as first round picks in the 2014 NBA Draft by ESPN draft analyst Chad Ford. The Spartans also lost redshirt junior guard Russell Byrd to transfer in May.
New faces for upcoming basketball season Bryn Forbes Transfer, Cleveland State Eron Harris Transfer, West Virginia Lourawls Nairn Incoming freshman Marvin Clark Incoming freshman Javon Bess Incoming freshman
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