The Oswegonian

OPINION

Oswego State student’s guide to fanhood Maximilian E. Principe Contributing Writer opinion@oswegonian.com The fans in the Seattle Seahawks’ stadium have been labeled the “12th man” because of their decibel level and apparent ability to scream loud enough to change the outcome of a game. Hockey fans, in Oswego especially, are the loudest, raunchiest, rowdiest, most passionate fans on the planet (except maybe Brazilian soccer-those guys killed a ref for a bad call and I’m not kidding).

As such passionate and powerful fans, it is our job to acclimate the newest of our Oswego brethren into the crowd, and that is exactly what I’m here for.

Let’s begin with the pregame. You’re gonna get out of the shower blasting “Eye of the Tiger,” while slipping your Oswego hoodie/ jersey over your head. Putting on a little face paint never hurt either, and by a little, I mean I want you to give “Braveheart” a run for his money.

Next, gather a group of friends, the more the merrier, and by merrier I mean a louder and more opposing force. If you are of legal drinking age, a few shots never hurt anyone before a game. So after you have killed the bottle of Jack, or a few Capri Suns for you freshmen, it’s time to head to the arena. Just make sure you have a designated driver. I’m all for fun, but not at the cost of breaking the law.

So you’re at the game and you can just taste it in the air. The hum of the compressors, the cool breeze from the refs as they take their warm-up lap, and the warm smell of soft pretzels with cheese-but I digress. Once you are in your seat, you must immediately stand up. Sitting is for the weak and we’re not about that here. You’ll hear the announcer roar,

“Welcome to the ice your Oswego State Lakers,” and at this point it is up to you to break the sound barrier.

We are fans; it is our primary job to support our team, to let them know that we are there for them and we want a win as much as they do.

After both teams take their warm-up laps, we must then pay respects to our neighbors to the north and the source of many of our studentathletes through the singing of the Canadian national anthem. I don’t care if you’re not Canadian. You shut up and sit there respectfully.

After “Oh Canada” ends, we go into my second favorite part of the game: the unison singing of “The Star Spangled Banner.” I swear to god if I see you in the stands and your hand isn’t over your heart belting this tune out, I will cast you away myself. I’m sorry I got a little carried away there, the song just really jazzes me up, you know?

Remember how I said our primary objective as fans was to support our team? Well, our second objective is to harass the other team until they are so demoralized about themselves that they question their own pathetic existence.

The fun part is that here at Oswego State, we have a few of our own special chants to help with that. Let’s start with when the other team takes a penalty, which is bound to happen because let’s face it—we’re just quicker and stronger and the only way our opposition remotely thinks they can win is by being poor sports.

When a penalty is assessed and the other player is skating to the box, the crowd must begin a unison scream as a precursor to what we are about to say. Once Johnny Highstick over there is comfortably in his cell, we then, in unison of course, belt out “See ya, sit down [expletive]!”

This is to emasculate him because he is an unsportsman-like duster who still needs his dad to tie his skates.

After the verbal assault, we are right back to cheering our Lakers on for the power play. All the while, we are ready to get the house rocking when we put the biscuit in the basket (we score a goal).

When that puck does cross the goal line, it is then on to one of my favorite chants. Well, two actually. First, we all let the opposing goalie know that our opponents just got scored on due to his incompetence. As a crowd, we do this by simply chanting, “It’s all your fault, it’s all your fault.” This simple message can really get into the weak-minded goalie’s head and keep him off his game, not that he was ever really on it. In your game guide that you will receive upon entering the front door, you will find the names and numbers of all the players.

You must figure out which goalie is starting that night and memorize his name, both first and last. The right side of the student section will primarily be yelling his first name while the left half will primarily be yelling his last.

Got that? Right first, left last. When the puck goes in after we let him know that it’s all his fault, the crowd then chants the goalie’s first name three times followed by “you suck” and then again his last name three times followed by “you suck.”

With all that being said, I must reiterate that not only are we hockey fans, but we represent the proud educational establishment of Oswego State. This means that we are to behave as ladies and gentlemen with the courtesy and chivalry of a knight of the round table. We are to make our school proud with respectful school spirit loud enough to wake Sheldon himself. So remember, as Coach Ed Gosek says in all those commercials, “Be kind, be courteous, be respectful,” or something like that. Now go, my hockey fans, both new and old, and I shall see you in the stands.

Humans vs. Zombies encapsulates fun spirit of college Shinnell Burroughs Staff Writer opinion@oswegonian.com You wouldn’t think that there would be a bunch of students sporting headbands and NERF guns to play tag when you’re starting college. However, some Oswego State students, along with a few other schools, enjoy playing Humans vs. Zombies. In this game, the “humans” have blue headbands and use NERF guns and socks to defend themselves against the “zombies,” who wear red headbands.

Of course, they have to make an agreement with University Police to refrain from playing in the parking lots, roads, dining halls, academic halls and residence halls. This doesn’t stop the players from enjoying their game and taking each other out on the way to class. As for the people not playing, that is another story.

You can see that some people get a little annoyed when they have to dodge bullets meant for the zombies or have someone run past them almost knocking them over because they are trying to get away from a zombie.

Sure they could be a little more out of the way when it comes to their game, but then where’s the fun in that?

I think it’s great that there’s game where students can unwind, let go, and get away from their academic life, even if just for a second. Even I enjoyed the relief of shooting someone with a NERF bullet in my freshman and sophomore years. There is something about being able to embrace your childhood once a year with other people who enjoy a good game of tag like yourself.

There’s always some talk about this game being too childish for college students to take part in and it being a waste of time. It’s not. I think it’s better that they get to let all of their tomfoolery out in this game. It’s also good that the game is held after midterms and before fi-

nals so it’s a nice stress reliever for the students that just want to get school off of their minds.

Even better, it’s for a great cause called Child’s Play. What better way to support children getting the chance to truly enjoy their childhood than reliving yours and donating to them? Sure, you could just hand over the money, but at least now you can do that and enjoy the rest of your week with other funloving people.

We must be doing something right if there are other colleges out there playing. This is an ongoing thing with people around the world. There is nothing wrong with having a little fun. If you want to play tag with random strangers, then go ahead. If taking advantage of the chance to have a NERF gun and fire it on campus at people is something you want to do, then by all means, proceed. And if people give you a weird look as you run past to catch that human, don’t even worry about it. There is nothing wrong with being a little childish once in a while.

Road to 2014 Final Four is filled with possible storylines rison brothers Andrew (5) and Aaron (9).

These freshmen are expected to set the college basketball world on fire. I am excited already by the footage I have seen of Parker from preseason scrimmages and Wiggins has me ready for the Blue Devils, Jayhawks showdown Tuesday night. If anyone has not seen the show Wiggins put on in the McDonald’s High School AllAmerican Slam Dunk Contest go watch it as soon as possible.

Andrew Pugliese The Kentucky class is head coach John Asst. Sports Editor Calipari’s masterpiece of a career filled apugliese@oswegonian.com with impressive freshmen classes. From Marcus Camby, way back at UMass-AmSeven months ago, to the day, was the herst, to Derrick Rose, to John Wall, this last time college basketball fans got their man has sought out and corralled some of fill of the sport they love. It was the Na- the top talents across the country. But, this tional Championship game and the Lou- class includes the top recruit at four posiisville Cardinals, the tournament’s No. 7 tions on the court and Young is the No. 3 overall seed, played a strong second half small forward behind Wiggins and Parker. to hold off the Michigan Wolverines. Now, The talk around this team is of a perit is time to start the road to the 2014 Final fect season and its head coach is not shyFour in Dallas. ing away from the possibility. And why This year, NCAA basketball welcomes should he? Calipari’s 2012 Wildcats, led one of its most highly-touted freshman by Anthony Davis, went 38-2 a few years classes in some time. Among the names ago with a talented team, and this one has are Kansas’s Andrew Wiggins and Joel the potential to be even better.

Embiid, Duke’s Jabari Parker and KenNow, turning to one of the few that tucky’s five members of the 2013 recruit- stayed. Oklahoma State head coach Travis ing class top 10: Julius Randle (3), Dakari Ford has to be ecstatic to see Marcus Smart Johnson (7), James Young (8) and the Har- back on his roster this season. The standout guard was a potential top 5 pick in the NBA Draft this past spring, but he decided to return for his sophomore season after the Cowboys fell in the second round of the NCAA tournament to University of Oregon. Smart’s return is huge for the Stillwater squad as it returns the rest of its key players. The Cowboys are primed and ready for a deep run this March.

Star players, like Smart and the skilled freshmen joining the college ranks this season, are ripe for blossoming offensive numbers with the change to the game’s Photo provided by Flickr hand-checking rule. The rule calls on ofLouisville looks to repeat after a championship season. ficials to be stricter about how defenders

Photo provided by Flickr

Andrew Wiggins hopes to take Kansas all the way. use their hands and arms on defense. It refers to keeping an arm or forearm on one’s opponent, putting both hands on another player, constant jabbing at the player one is guarding and the use of an arm bar to impede progress of a dribbler. The rule will take some time to acclimate into the game, but it looks to be just the change needed to up scoring in the game after a season with the lowest points-per-game average in almost two decades. Look for more players averaging 20 points a game this year.

Even with these changes, parity will be one aspect of the game that does not change. Although Kentucky looks to have a leg up on the competition any of the top 12 in the preseason rankings could make a run to Dallas.

Louisville, Michigan and Syracuse are all back in the top 10 after their runs to the Final Four this past spring. They all return crucial pieces from last year ’s squads.

Also, no one can ever sleep on teams coached by the most storied men in the game, Mike Krzyzewski and Tom Izzo.

Both coaches have talented freshmen to compliment strong returning squads, as both are March Madness staples.

The ball goes up tonight and it will be a fun one. Let’s sit back, relax and enjoy the journey to March.

THE OSWEGONIAN FRIDAY, Nov. 8, 2013

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Nowhere to hide Photographers push celebrities to their limits Issack Cintron Staff Writer opinion@oswegonian.com It’s no secret that Kanye West has a tendency to be very full of himself at times, to a point where his ego can grab headlines.

Since the middle of 2012, the rap superstar and his highly-publicized fiancé, Kim Kardashian, have captured the media’s attention with rumors of the two being romantically involved, expecting a child, and more recently getting married.

West reportedly proposed to Kardashian on Oct. 22, and the proposal had been uploaded to YouTube, sparking West’s outrage and prompting him to sue YouTube co-founder, Chad Hurley. This incident once again brings up the criticism of paparazzi and its intrusion on celebrities and their lives.

Paparazzi may be the most criticized branch of media. This stems from organizations such as TMZ, E! News and People Magazine, to name a few. These photographers and writers are known for getting up close and personal with target celebrities, while trying to capture an image or story on said celeb that could possibly bring his or her personal lives into question, whether good or bad.

Even the most mundane of activities that celebrities partake in are held in high regard.

Mila Kunis gets photographed buying groceries, Denzel Washington walking with his family in the park, even Adam Levine driving in a car. These innocent, mundane acts are held in high demand by paparazzi sources which brings up the common perception that once you’re famous, you have no private life.

Why does that have to be? Just because Jennifer Lawrence won an Oscar, she is no longer entitled to go be an average human being? Or that Bruno Mars no longer has a private life simply because he has a No. 1 single? Who made these rules up? Was there a law passed that we don’t know about, stating that celebrities do not have private lives because they are famous? Could it be that Hollywood is simply a perverse land built on greed, broken dreams and controversy?

Who knows?

Normally, West isn’t the most favored person when it comes to his image, based on

his egotistical ways. Love him or hate him, though, he is a human being and deserves to be treated as such. And it doesn’t just stop at Kanye—it’s beyond that. Almost half a decade ago, we witnessed the meltdown of Britney Spears as it was publicized for millions to make a laughingstock out of the famed pop star. Earlier this year, the birth of the royal baby was a bigger focus topic than the issues within our government that was on the verge of a shutdown.

Why are events like this taking precedent over more important matters? Why is Hollywood treated as just as important as Washington D.C.? In a 2011 interview and the midst of his “decline,” Charlie Sheen was quoted as saying “By the way, two wars are in an endless state of sorrow.

Egypt about burned to the ground, and all you people care about is my [explicit]… Pathetic. Shame, shame, shame.” Sheen has a valid point. Somewhere down the line, the lives that these celebrities live have been highlighted and made more important than issues that occur around the world.

However, it’s not only the paparazzi and Hollywood that is to blame for why these celebrity topics are bigger than they should be. We the people take just as much of the blame for focusing on these events that are irrelevant. At the end of the day, we need to realize that Kanye proposing to Kim does not affect what happens to us. In short, the paparazzi need to calm down and let these celebrities live their lives in peace.

As for us, we all need to recognize what is important in life and put an emphasis on that as opposed to celebrity news.

Devon Nitz | The Oswegonian

Cold weather coming soon Kimberlyn Bailey Staff Writer opinion@oswegonian.com If you’re new to Oswego, you’ve probably heard a few well-intended warnings about the coming winter. Now that it’s beginning, you may worry that it will actually live up to all the hype. I’ve now survived 20 of them, and I’ve learned a few things along the way.

First, the obvious stuff. Dress warm. I don’t mean NYC-warm. I mean marshmallow man warm. The next time your parents visit, show them this article before you go shopping, and return with winter gear.

Don’t forget serious gloves, a hat, wool socks, and boots that handle icy snow, and jackets that are a size too big for all the layers you’ll be wearing. At Oswego State, winter is a time when function trumps fashion. There are only a few days when you will need all this to move between campus buildings. The main reason to invest in proper winter gear is to be able to comfortably spend long stretches of time outside.

You see, your instinct will be to shut yourself into your warm room/apartment.

It’s quite natural, but also a recipe for going stir-crazy. You can’t stop being active just because it’s winter. If you haven’t been using the gym on campus, winter is the time to start. You may also want to explore the many nearby opportunities for cross-country skiing. Even trudging through the snow and shoveling your driveway can be fun and therapeutic, but only if you’re wearing gear in which you’re cozy.

If you commute to campus, you should know that Oswego State often refuses to announce class cancellations until the very last minute, at which point you may be stuck in traffic and buried in snow. If you

Devon Nitz | The Oswegonian

have far to drive, there might be a day or two when the trip just isn’t worth it.

You’ll get used to seeing cars that are unable to make it up an icy hill, or stuck pathetically in various roadside ditches.

Avoiding their fate requires using good judgment and getting snow tires.

If you live in an apartment where you don’t control the heat, get an electric blanket and a hot water bottle. If you want to rent a place in the future, look for an apartment with heat and hot water included in the monthly rent. There are few things more luxurious during an Oswego winter than a thermostat and shower temperatures that are adjustable at no additional cost to you.

It’s not as difficult as you think to get ready for the lake-effect snow and wind. It can even be fun. With a thick layer of fresh snow, Oswego transforms from drab to magical. But the real dark side of the lake effect is the darkness it brings. For the next four months, most of our days will be spent under a menacing layer of thick clouds. That, together with the early sunsets and a preference for staying indoors, is a perfect recipe for Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). You might not notice it sapping your energy and enthusiasm, but over months, the effects can add up.

If you suspect that the winter darkness is getting to you, The Mayo Clinic reports that 50-80 percent of SAD symptom sufferers claim to fully recover after exposing themselves to light from a full spectrum bulb like a light box, with open eyes for 30 minutes each day. Regular exercise and activity will also help a lot with symptoms. Don’t succumb to the temptation to hibernate and hide out.

Over time, that will break your spirit and destroy your productivity. Keep doing stuff with friends, stay active, and find something fun to do with all the snow that will soon blanket Oswego.

The most miserably cold winter in my memory wasn’t the one that hit the lowest temperatures, or even the one that had the most snow. It was the one for which I didn’t heed my own advice.

If you follow these tips, winter won’t be so bad.