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W W W.O U DA I LY.C O M

2 013 PA C E M A K E R F I N A L I S T

W E D N E S D A Y , M A R C H 1 2 , 2 0 14

DISAPPEARANCE IN THE SKIES

Hope dwindles after four days

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“Obviously, investigators are combing every detail: crew members, their history, the environment, the weather, passenger manifests — it’s a very methodical and thorough process,” Carson MIKE BRESTOVANSKY Campus Reporter said. “The first priority is finding the @BrestovanskyM plane’s black box (the onboard flight In the sea between Malaysia and Vietnam, the search recorder that stores all data about the After four days with no news, people are preparing for the continues for a passenger airliner that disappeared with 239 flight), as that will help tremendously.” worst. If something disappears from radar for that long, While authorities recrew and passengers aboard. ported that two passen- there’s not a good chance that we can find it again intact.” Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 departed from gers boarded the plane the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur en route KEN CARSON, DIRECTOR OF OU’S DEPARTMENT OF AVIATION using stolen passports, to Beijing on Saturday. Less than an hour after there is still not enough its departure, air traffic controllers lost contragedy like this happens,” Carson said. “But I want to reevidence to determine tact with the airplane, and it has not been seen whether the disappearance was the result of a affirm that aviation is still a very safe field. Because of how since, the Associated Press reported. mechanical failure or what Carson referred to methodical the procedures are, we can minimize the risk of “After four days with no news, people are prethese sorts of events and, hopefully, prevent them from hapas “human misbehavior.” paring for the worst,” said Ken Carson, Director However, authorities reported Monday that pening again.” of OU’s Department of Aviation. “If something military radar data indicates the plane was disappears from radar for that long, there’s not KEN CARSON OU AVIATION DIRECTOR hundreds of miles off course and flying in the a good chance that we can find it again intact.” opposite direction of its flight plan. The reason The cause of the disappearance remains unMike Brestovansky, mcbrestov@gmail.com clear, as no wreckage has been discovered and no radio con- for this is still unknown, the AP reported. “We in aviation are always sorry when an accident or tact has been established, the AP reported.

OU aviation expert comments on the Malaysian flight vanishing

PEP BAND

GAME CHANGER Sooner Showmen bring music and charisma to pump up fans and players at OU basketball games MICHELLE JOHNSTON • CAMPUS REPORTER

third-year member of the men and women’s Sooner Showmen band, academic affairs junior Perry Amalathithada said playing in a pep band, energizing the team and audience during games and playing his saxophone are a combination he can’t see himself giving up. When Amalathithada came to OU, he knew he wanted to keep playing his saxophone but wasn’t quite sure where he would play. He also loved watching basketball and cheering for the teams. He put all these interests together when he joined the Sooner Showmen. “I wanted to continue playing my horn, but I didn’t necessarily want to play in a concert band kind of setting,” Amalathithada said. The job of the Sooner Showmen band is to play music during basketball games t o k e e p t h e c ro w d a n d participants engaged, GO AND DO Amalathithada said. Men’s The band primarily plays basketball a combination of funk, jazz, game pop and soul during the games, according to the When: 6 p.m. Friday Sooner Showmen website. Last season, the women’s Where: Lloyd Noble basketball team competed Center in the NCAA Tournament, and the band traveled to Columbus, Ohio, to compete in the first and second rounds. In the second round, OU’s women’s team beat UCLA to advance to the Sweet 16, Amalathithada said. The team came over, destroyed the barrier and celebrated with the band. “ I s p e c i f i c a l l y re m e m b e r ( s o p h o m o re g u a rd ) Nicole Kornet shaking the barrier until it collapsed,” Amalathithada said. After the team won and the excitement died down, the band played the chant and celebrated a bit more, Amalathithada said. When he was flying back to Norman after the tournament, Amalathithada said he realized celebrating with the band was a moment he would never forget. When they’re not playing at tournaments, the band plays at the home basketball games. The band members don’t know exactly what they’ll be playing until a few hours before the games starts, Amalathithada said. The band members arrive at Lloyd Noble Center, enter through the south tunnel and head to their locker room to grab water, tune their instruments, arrange music or get a briefing from their director, Amalathithada said. Amalathithada’s energy is contagious during games, said Brian Wolfe, assistant director of Athletic Bands. “I think he brings a lot to the saxophone section. For example, his in-game commentary is second to none and pretty hilarious when he’s really excited about a bad call.” JACKIE EBY/THE DAILY

Academic affairs junior Perry Amalathithada attends a men’s basketball game in late January with the Sooner Showmen. Amalathithada has played with the Sooner Showmen for three years as a saxophonist.

WEATHER Sunny with gusty winds. High 57F. Winds NNW at 20 to 30 mph.

INDEX

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Michelle Johnston, michelle.johnston-1@ou.edu