05 FEATURES
April 20, 2015
FEATURES 2015 Relays Edition
CAMPUS ORGANIZATIONS
Royal flush: progressive, under-the-radar organization, Poker Club, is worth betting on Ethan Fickau Staff Writer ethan.fickau@drake.edu
Among the more than 160 clubs and organizations at Drake University, there are many that go unnoticed and are relatively unknown to students. One of these clubs is the Drake Poker Club. The club meets once a week with about 25 members that regularly attend. Except for a $5 participation charge each semester, it does not cost players anything to play. While the club primarily meets to play cards, most members also come to socialize with friends and to relax after a long day of classes. First-year student Sarah Mondello said her friend is one of the reasons she joined the club in the first place. “I was recruited by one of my friends, and initially I had no interest,” Mondello said. “I wasn’t any good and I didn’t care for it, but when my friend started to teach me, I realized that it was kind of cool. So I kept going and after a couple weeks, I realized that I really liked it and all the people that I met. I’ve made a lot of friends there through poker club.” At any random meeting, one will observe multiple games going on at once with each player casually chatting with a neighbor as bets are made and cards are shown. Some club members bring food to munch on during the game while a couple just come to watch their friends play. The club is open to any and all students who
want to join, regardless if they are expert players or complete novices. Junior Brien Behling is another club member and he said the fact that everyone is welcome to participate is what makes the club so attractive to the student body. “I’d say it’s a great opportunity for anyone, players with experience or someone who wants to learn, because it provides a fun, risk-free environment to learn in,” Behling said. “You can have fun and learn without worrying you’ll lose money.” First year student Connor McCarthy said what he loves as a member is that people rarely get competitive at the meetings since there are so many new players. “Joining Poker Club is an excellent way to learn more about the game while having a good time,” McCarthy said. “You can take the game as seriously as you want, and other club members are more than willing to help you learn how to play. At the beginning of the year, I joined knowing nothing about poker. Now, I am second place in the club rankings.” McCarthy said that, simply put, the Drake Poker Club is a great group of people that enjoys playing a game that they love. “Poker Club has something for everyone. For some, it is how they relieve the stress of the week,” McCarthy said. “For others, it is a place to hang out with their friends while playing a fun game for a few hours.” The Drake Poker Club is not the only under-the-radar club at Drake. There are many more and a complete list of every club officially recognized by Drake University can be found at http://www.drake.edu/life/ clubsorganizations/.
POKER CLUB brings around 25 students together once a week to enjoy the strategic game. Student skills vary from beginners to experienced with all learning more about the game in a safe, comfortable environment. Poker Club meets every Thursday at 8 p.m. PHOTO BY JOEL VENZKE | PHOTO EDITOR
STUDENT INVOLVEMENT
Relays provides opportunities for students to expand their skills and experiences Molly Adamson Staff Writer molly.adamson@drake.edu From high school students to Olympic athletes, the Drake Relays brings in many people to the Des Moines area. But for those who may not be able to come out and see the event Drake University has its own TV broadcasting network that brings Relays to people. Drake Broadcasting System (DBS) provides another outlet for people to watch. It broadcasts live on the big screen in the field house and online. DBS provides a whole new level to Relays DBS President Amanda Horvath said. “It gives students access to a front row seat to the Relays (behind a camera).” “It also gives anyone who is interested
the experience of a lifetime. We are able to give students experience in live reporting, producing, directing and camera operating,” Horvath said. “People use this experience to apply for jobs and it’s a fun memory.” Horvath remembers why she got involved with DBS. “I got involved because I have wanted to work in the broadcast news industry since I was 10-years-old, and I wanted to do anything and everything to get more experience in the field. Plus having a radio show is one of the most fun things I’ve done at Drake,” Horvath said. Jeorgie Smith, a broadcast news and politics double major, is the chief editor for the broadcast. She could also remember how she got involved with the program. “I got involved kind of by accident,” Smith said. One of my friends was a
part of DBS and so I emailed last year’s president asking how to get involved and then some how ended up on the executive board,” Smith said Smith also has fond memories from her time with DBS thus far. “I think my favorite memory is just spending time with everyone involved,” Smith said. “We tend to get crazier the more time we spend together so we ride chairs down the slope of the basement, run around campus with a Phantom of the Opera costume and do just about anything that pops in to our head,” Smith said. DBS begins the process of preparing for the Relays early. Reporters and commentators are hired in November and December, and then promotional videos get made to spread the word about the broadcast. Mariah Lewis, the executive producer
for the telecast, voiced her concerns about making sure the broadcast goes smoothly. “I’m worried that I will lose my mind,” Lewis said. She then went on to explain the challenge DBS will face when broadcasting the Relays. “Live TV in and of itself is always a nightmare,” Lewis said. “When you’re doing live TV you have no control over what happens. Inevitably, something is going to go wrong. My biggest concern is making sure whatever goes wrong is fixable. I guess I’m worried about the big stuff, like getting on the air, making sure things play and making sure we don’t sound dumb. I focus on the little things because little things add up to big things.” DBS try something new this year, by bringing the Relays to the campus radio station.
Not only will the two mediums share content, but also some of the content will be played solely on the radio. Lewis, as the program director for Drake’s radio station, came up with this idea. Football games and basketball games get covered on the radio frequently, but this is the first time any track event will be broadcasted. Where the entire DBS crew knows, they will face challenges during the broadcast, there is also plenty to benefit from Lewis said. “You haven’t lived until you’ve been in a control room of a live broadcast,” Lewis said. “There’s nothing in the world that can compare to this. It’s not comparable to anything, except maybe trying to survive a tornado. It’s definitely a challenge, but it’s all very rewarding.”
JAMES MAERTENS broadcasts the many track and field during the Relays last year. Broadcasting students are given a variety of opportunities to grow their broadcasting, news direction and production skills. PHOTO COURTESY OF DRAKE BROADCASTING SYSTEM
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