The Reveille 2-11-21

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T hu r s d ay, Fe b r u a r y 11, 2 021

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LSU men’s golf is set to begin its spring season on Friday. After the depature of Philip Barbaree, the team will begin the new campaign with a new leader, Garrett Barber.

Read on

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COURTESY OF LSU ATHLETICS

NEWS

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An LSU screen arts assignment, “Mary Queen of Vietnam,” was featured on PBS Feb. 9.

ENTERTAINMENT

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“Everyone needs that go-to romantic comedy, and ‘Love, Rosie’ might be your new favorite.”

SPORTS

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The Tigers clash with the Gators as the two SEC gymnastics powerhouses battle for the nation’s top ranking.

OPINION

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“Other clubs may teach you how to tango or play chess, but none of those will help students feel culturally understood.”

L SU Re ve i l le.co m @l s u r e ve i l le

page 2 COURTESY OF LSU ATHLETICS

B-16 Hodges Hall Louisiana State University Baton Rouge, La. 70803

BEGINNING OF BARBER How Garrett Barber became the face of LSU golf

BY JOE KEHRLI @joekehrli9 Now that Philip Barbaree has left Baton Rouge and turned pro on the PGA Tour, LSU’s men’s golf squad is left with a leadership hole. The roster has many young faces and untapped potential, but who stands out to replace Barbaree?

Garrett Barber.

Barber, native of Stuart, Florida, is the man for the job. He has produced several low scores for the Tigers in his three years in Baton Rouge. He capped off his fall season with two top-20 finishes and one top-10. He is a silent leader on the course. He is not loud and showy, but collected and cool.

He envisions walking up to the first tee wearing purple and gold, Metallica Sandman blaring and spectators there watching as the team tries to recreate its championship run in 2015. The squad begins the spring portion of its schedule on Friday in Gainesville, Florida.

Barbaree, only a year older than Barber, was at LSU for the duration of Barber’s collegiate experience. During these three years they have spent together, their relationship has strengthened.

At one point in the interview Barber said, “Everyone on the team is my brother.” “[Barbaree] had been there the whole time I have been here,” Barber said. “He was always someone to look up to. Obviously a great player, and a good person to go to. He was always there for the team.”

Filling Barbaree’s vacancy with Barber is an easy switch phonetically, and Barber added that it does not seem too big of a task.

“Trey [Winstead] and I have to pick up slack; Phillip was a leader,” Barber said. “[Replacing Barbaree is] not too much of a burden; we need to do what

we do every day and show the team they have someone in their corner.”

Barber recalls how he came to truly love the game through learning from one of the best instructors the industry has to offer, Martin Hall out of Florida.

Hall also has a relationship with Coach Winstead.

“Being with [Hall] since I was six, before he was on the Golf Channel, was awesome,” Barber said. “Hall is a great influence; he is someone to always look up to.”

Prior to learning how to adjust his ball fight and pick-up speed with steel sticks, he first learned

cus Winstead has instilled in the golf program since he started in 2005. This concept has revolutionized the sport of golf; recently, tour player Bryson Dechambeau has tacked on 40 plus lbs. during the pandemic to gain a competitive edge. This originally started with Tiger Woods, who was one of the earlier players to experiment with lifting weights.

Winstead hopes his players are mentally and physically better than the rest off the field.

“We still have the early morning workouts, but working out with different strength coaches has really helped me.”

[Golf] has taught me many life lessons, especially how to handle the ups and downs.

GARRETT BARBER

LSU junior golfer

how to swing with plastic clubs and balls. This is not unique for the game of golf; LSU women’s golfer, Ingrid Lindblad, learned from hitting thousands of tennis balls. For Barber, he started at a young age with his father.

“I started playing when I was little, probably five or six, just banging around balls,” Barber said. “I haven’t really stopped since, haven’t really wanted to stop. I have enjoyed the competition, enjoyed always trying to get better. I just love it, I’m not really sure how to say it.”

On the slim chance that Barber is not sharpening his golf skills during the pandemic, he has found connection with the team through playing video games like Call of Duty, where they can interact while social distancing over microphones.

In addition to Call of Duty, Barber finds that he spends a lot of time in the gym - a major fo-

Now in his junior year, Barber has transformed into proper fitting of a professional golfer. He aspires to continue playing golf after college.

A large portion of his success with Winstead comes from lowering his stroke average. Barber finished his freshman season with a 73.42 stroke average, finished his sophomore season with a 71.43 stroke average and concluded the fall portion of his junior season with a 71.19 stroke average. That’s a difference of 2.23 strokes per round.

This is massive. It is the difference between first and second place. It is equivalent to a pointguard drilling 2.23 more points per game.

“Get a little better every day,” Barber said. “It is a good day as long as you’re getting better you’re probably not getting any worse.”

Winstead, over the course

of the past 15 seasons, has lowered the team’s scoring average by more than 10 strokes. In his inaugural 2005 season, the Tigers averaged 295.6 strokes per round. Now, that average is closer to 285.

Many nationally-acclaimed golf publications, like Golf Digest, have also recognized Winstead’s instructional prowess as one of the nation’s top golf teachers. He has appeared on Golf Channel, most recently as a featured guest on “School of Golf” with Martin Hall, who still works with Barber when needed.

Barber receives exceptional coaching advice from Winstead and Hall, but that advice is also supplemented at home in Florida.

Barber exhibits the same laidback vibes you would expect from a wave rider, and that translates well on the course. Growing up in Florida, Barber and his twin sister, Claire, were both athletes at their high school. Claire ran track and field, and Garrett played golf. Now, his sister attends school in Colorado and is a ski patrol.

“Family is really important to me,” Barber said. “We all are pretty close. They have supported me through everything.

I wouldn’t be where I am now without them. No idea where I’d be without them.”

Golf and skiing are quite the opposite at first glance, but step back and invert the colors on a ski slope to green and white for the course, and it is not that different. Both sports demand immense amounts of physical ability, that is a given. However, the parallel strikes that both are individual sports, the most important muscle is between the ears.

“Golf is a cool sport,” Barber said. “I get to play with different people from all over. It is a good environment for competition and sportsmanship. It has taught me many life lessons, especially how to handle the ups and downs.”

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ABOUT THE REVEILLE The Reveille is written, edited and produced solely by students of Louisiana State University. The Reveille is an independent entity of the Office of Student Media within the Manship School of Mass Communication.

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NEWS FILM FEATURE

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LSU screen arts film debuts on PBS, displays VietnameseAmerican festival

Resolutions, freshmen legislator initiatives

BY CAROLINE SAVOIE @carolinesavo

COURTESY OF GLEN PITRE

‘Mary Queen of Vietnam’ focused on the Vietnamese-American culture in New Orleans and was featured on PBS on Feb. 9.

BY ANNE MARIE WHERRITT @amwherritt What began as a screen arts class assignment to film a Vietnamese-American festival in New Orleans evolved into a new documentary that premiered on PBS Tuesday.

The film, “Mary Queen of Vietnam,” was produced through the LSU screen arts theater program.

According to a press release, the hour-long documentary offers a look at the community surrounding Mary Queen of Vietnam Catholic Church in New Orleans as the community prepares for its annual Tet Festival.

For a class project in 2018, student Phil Trinh created a two-

minute film project focused on Vietnamese-American culture.

Professor of Film Producing and Cinematography Glen Pitre saw Trinh’s work and said he knew the project needed to be something more.

“I knew this project was meant to be something bigger,” Pitre said.

LSU alumnus Bao Ngo directed the film. According to the press release, Ngo is a member of the community featured in the film and brought unparalleled access, perspective and cultural sensitivity to the project.

“The film would have been completely different without Bao,” Pitre said. “It was authentic because it was from an insider’s

view, and that was a key element to this film.”

The filming began with a group of students enrolled in a class built around making this film in particular. The students had two to three weeks notice to prepare to film in New Orleans.

“I got to see these somewhat shy students come out of their shell,” Pitre said. “They were up close and personal with the members of the festival and they wanted to get the shots.”

When COVID-19 hit Louisiana in March, there was a pause in their production and uncertainty on when they would be able to return to in-person production.

see FILM, page 4

AWARDS

Mass communication students recognized in nationwide podcast competition

BY AMBER BUETTNER @Amber_Buettner Mass communication senior Nick Ashton and graduate student Murry Goldberg were two of six students recognized by the Journalism History Podcast Competition. Ashton received first place, and Goldberg received honorable mention in the nationwide podcast competition.

The competition, held by the Journalism History Podcast, was intended to emphasize the importance of media history and broaden the podcast’s reach to students. The Journalism History Podcast started in 2018 and features different parts of media history by interviewing professionals in the field.

Both Ashton and Goldberg

created their podcast episodes for their final project in Mass Communication Professor Will Mari’s American media history class. Mari decided to enter his students into the competition when he saw the effort they put in to talk to people beyond LSU’s campus.

“It’s a really well-produced interviews with experts, and so the great thing about both Nick and Murry’s projects is they went ahead and talked to people who are definitely in the field,” Mari said. “In Nick’s case a drumming magazine and a drumming shop, in Murry’s case a lot of retired sportscasters.”

Ashton’s podcast is about the history and future of drum publications. While this was a project for class, he said he was still able

to talk about something he has a passion for.

“The drum publication world was something I was really inspired by when I was up-andcoming. I loved getting inspiration from the catalogs and seeing all the cool equipment,” Ashton said. “So, I was like, ‘let’s find out the history, let’s talk to people in the business and see what they say.’”

Ashton is a member of the LSU Drumline and has his own YouTube channel where he shows people how to restore drums.

Through the podcast, he was able to reach people in a different format.

“I really loved taking time to talk to people in my profession and I think every time you do you learn something really unique,”

Ashton said. “I loved getting the chance to sit down and talk to these people and make it into a format that’s not just entertaining for us, but for everybody.”

Goldberg is a native of Tennessee and grew up listening to the popular sports talk radio shows in Memphis. In his podcast, he encompassed Memphis sports talk radio and spoke with several professionals from the field.

“I really wanted to highlight a past, present and future of Memphis sports talk radio,” Goldberg said. “I got to speak with four really amazing guys who are sports talk radio hosts, got some information about their experiences coming up through the ranks, how they got their jobs in radio

see PODCAST, page 4

LSU Student Government continues to roll out legislation this week with fresh initiative ideas from Freshman Leadership Council (FLC) and two Senate resolutions headed to administration.

SG Senate passed two resolutions at its Feb. 3 meeting that will reach administration this week.

Senators unanimously passed a resolution directed at LSU Faculty, asking them to give students a “leisure day” on Feb. 15, the day before the University has off for Mardi Gras. The legislation asks that faculty refrain from counting attendance, assigning graded work or holding class that day.

Senators debated a resolution to urge University administration to request that Rouses Markets address the community with a “commitment to democracy, diversity, inclusivity and promotion of truth.” This legislation was introduced in response to a former owner of the grocery store attending “Stop the Steal” protests at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.

Senator Daniela Sestich challenged the legislation and requested that the resolution be broadened to require all LSU partnerships to submit this kind of statement if their ethics are raised into question by the community. Authors of the legislation amended it to reflect Sestich’s suggestions, and she was brought on as an author.

The resolution passed after two hours of debate on the Senate floor.

FLC will present its ideas for initiatives Feb. 11 during a public SG meeting. Administration will be in attendance to hear the legislators’ proposals. The initiative that receives the most votes in its favor will receive $3,000 to fund the project.

The executive branch’s Department of Safety is hosting a Valentine’s Day Table Sit in Free Speech Alley Friday to engage in conversations about consent. Students will be able to discuss what consent means and how important it is in practice. The event, “Coffee, Candy and Consent,” will be set up in FSA from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Feb. 12.

Thursday, February 11, 2021

page 4 PODCAST, from page 3

“I hope myself and this film will be an inspiration to the next generation of immigrants.”

[and] covered the history of the major players in the city.”

Goldberg highlighted the lack of racial diversity in Memphis sports radio in his podcast. He spoke with Devin Walker, who at age 26 was the first AfricanAmerican to be hired at 92.9 FM, a Memphis ESPN sports station.

BAO NGO

LSU alumnus & “Mary Queen of Vietnam” director

“I think a really important part — and it happened toward the middle-late end of the podcast — I talk about racial diversity and lack thereof within sports radio and sports entertainment sphere in Memphis,” Goldberg said.

Goldberg and Ashton’s podcasts will be aired on the Journalism History Podcast during the week of March 22.

COURTESY OF GLEN PITRE

An LSU screen arts film, ‘Mary Queen of Vietnam,’ was featured on PBS Feb. 9.

FILM, from page 3 “COVID-19 gave us a deadline for this film in a sense,” Pitre said. “The festival cannot take place this year, so we saw the film as an opportunity to give people a virtual experience.”

The film highlights what it means to be a Vietnamese-American and brings attention to what it means to be a member of this community in the 21st century.

“It is more than just us; there is a constant struggle and pressure within our group of Vietnamese people,” Ngo said. “I hope myself and this film will be an inspiration to the next generation of immigrants.”

The film is set in New Orleans

and captures clips from the Vietnamese New Year’s Festival. The students captured the essence of performers in the festival while also interviewing them.

“This film will be a good reminder to everyone celebrating the new year this year,” Ngo said.

“It reminds people where we are now, but one day things will resume as normal again.”

The term “americanized” is used throughout the film. Ngo said this theme shows the “constant struggle” of what to choose and what to give up from your culture while living in America.

“It is figuring out what language to speak, what holidays to celebrate, what to serve for a celebratory meal,” Pitre said.

“But it is also all tied up in aspirations and how you want to be noticed.”

In the film, the younger generation discusses the difficulties of coming to a country and learning a new language, while trying to fit in at the same time.

Ngo said the question of how to mix two cultures together while not losing sight of either one is a struggle featured in the film.

“Unfortunately, there are so many negative headlines about people coming into this country,” Pitre said. “I have learned what it means to come into a country knowing nothing, but they add to the definition of what is to be American.”

What Will You

BECOME?

COURTESY OF MURRY GOLDBERG

Mass communication graduate student Murry Goldberg received honorable mention in the nationwide Journalism History Podcast Competition.

COURTESY OF NICK ASHTON

Mass communication senior Nick Ashton received first place in the 2021 Journalism History Podcast Competition.

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ENTERTAINMENT

REV R ANKS

MOVIE

13 GOING ON 30 Gary Winick

If ever there was a fun, feel-good movie about the ups and downs of life, love and growing up, it’s “13 Going on 30.” Jennifer Garner plays Jenna; at her 13th birthday party she wishes she was, “30, flirty and thriving.” Jenna gets her wish. She’s immediately transported in time to 30 years old, where she has everything she ever wanted — or everything she thought she ever wanted.

Ava Borskey @iamavab MOVIE

GHOST Jerry Zucker

At its time, “Ghost” set the standard for the remainder of all 1990s romantic dramas.

This film may not apply to everyone’s idea of true and tragic romance, but in my opinion, it is one of the most heart-wrenching and passionate displays of love, even after death.

Emma Jackimowicz @emmajackimowicz

MOVIE

THE HALF OF IT Netflix

Who knew a love parallelogram wouldn’t be so bad? In a sea of mediocre teen rom-coms, “The Half of It” is quaint, refreshing and different. The movie reached its potential, but boredom sadly crawled in between its more polarizing scenes. The movie is different because there isn’t a formulaic approach to the love story, and everyone at the end learns or gets something. It’s a sensible romance movie that is great to watch around Valentine’s Day. Ariel Baise @arielbiancaa MOVIE

CINEMA PARADISO Giuseppe Tornatore

Valentine’s Day is not just about couples who are in love. It can also be about appreciating your friends and family. It’s a great movie that is a testament to someone’s love for film. It is inspiring and a reminder of why I am a big movie fan. Movies are for entertainment, but they are also a way of life. An expression of love comes in different forms, and “Cinema Paradiso” expresses that. We can show love for our friends and family who helped shape who we are as people.

Bitney Young @byoun99 Read the full reviews online at lsunow.com/entertainment

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‘Love, Rosie’ is my go-to romantic Galentine’s Day comedy

BY OLIVIA DEFFES @liv_deffes Friends to lovers. It’s the classic story of a lot of romantic comedies because it works. A pair of friends who secretly love each other is sure to tug on your heartstrings and have you on the edge of your seat, just waiting for them to finally admit their feelings. If you like this type of rom-com then I suggest throwing it back to 2014 and indulging in the movie “Love, Rosie.”

Lily Collins “Rosie,” and Sam Claflin, “Alex,” star in the film as two best friends. They’ve been close ever since they were little, but as they grow older, their feelings for each other become more apparent. With neither one of them ready to admit how they feel, both Rosie and Alex decide to take different dates to their school’s dance. This makes both of them clearly upset, but again, they never tell each other how they’re really feeling.

On the night of the dance, Rosie finds herself in an awkward situation with her date Greg (Christian Cooke). Rosie and Greg leave the dance and go to their hotel room where things get bad really fast. One condom mishap later, Rosie finds herself

in the ER where she calls on Alex for help.

A few weeks later Rosie realizes that the mishap on the night of the dance may be a little more of a problem than she anticipated. She goes to a shady drug store where she purchases a pregnancy test and confirms her suspicions. Now Rosie has to figure out what to do about being pregnant and decide if she wants to look into adoption.

Ultimately, Rosie creates a bond with her unborn daughter Katie and decides she wants to keep her, but she quickly finds out being a mother is a lot of work. Alex is supportive of Rosie, but Greg is not very involved. With college coming up, Rosie has to abandon her plans of going to America for school while Alex decides to travel to there for college.

While Alex is at school, Rosie picks up odd jobs to support herself and Katie. Greg decides to come back into their lives, and everything seems like it’s going well until Rosie finds out about Greg’s infidelity. While moving Greg’s stuff out of their home, Rosie discovers a locked drawer that Greg kept that is full of letters addressed to Rosie from Alex. The letters explain

Alex’s feelings and show how he starts to give up hope as she doesn’t respond.

While Rosie is trying to make sense of her life without Greg and make sense of the feelings Alex has, Alex is getting into relationships that end in heartbreak.

Throughout the whole movie, it feels like Rosie and Alex will never find each other again, but just like all cheesy rom-coms, it works out in the end. Rosie finally makes her dream of owning a hotel a reality and of course, Alex shows up to rent a room on opening day.

While it may seem like a cheesy friends-to-lovers romantic comedy, “Love, Rosie” is one of my all-time favorite movies.

I love the casting choices, and the story really keeps you on the edge of your seat. After you’ve seen it once, you’ll want to see it again because it’s ust such a feel-good movie with a happy ending. Also, Sam Claflin stars in it so that alone should convince you to give it a watch. I think this movie is perfect for Galentine’s Day. I assure you all your gal pals will be pleased with this movie choice. Everyone needs that go-to romantic comedy, and “Love, Rosie” might be your new favorite.

Thursday, February 11, 2021

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Thursday, February 11, 2021

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Va lentin e’s Sw eethearts Best of The Rev eille’s Va lentin e’s Day contest su bmissions

Brandon and I met last year at a crawfish boil and hit it off immediately. We met through mutual friends at the event and before we knew it, we were some of the last people there because we had been lost in conversation for so long. Soon after this, we met up in New Orleans at Mardi Gras and then started going on dates. Things were going really well until the pandemic began, and I was forced to move back home to Arkansas. I was worried we would call it quits, but he insisted we keep it up despite the distance. We had many video chats, Netflix parties and snail mail packages to get us through more than three months of being long distance. Fast forward to almost one year later — we are still together and going strong!

What makes my wife so special... She is a kind, loving, caring and compassionate person. She thinks of others before herself. She and I love to joke around NA share special moments. I am so glad that she is my wife of 31 years and I have known her for 34 years. We were married on Super Bowl Sunday, Jan. 28, 1990. We were married in a church, and not the football field! We had 250 people in attendance at our wedding!

Happy Valentine’s Day!!!

Robert & Pam Bounds

Isa be lle Morgan & Collin Harris

Brandon Williams & Miller Dickerson

Leslie and I met in college and started planning our wedding as soon as it became legal. She’s my best friend and shows me so much love even when I keep stealing her makeup and shoes. Now we have been together for seven years and very happily married for three!

Les lie & Am y Cerniglia

We met in high school band class as freshmen, but we got closer when we had geometry class together later on. I made fun of him and told him he looked like Jimmy Jr. from "Bob’s Burgers" for YEARS. Not sure how he still managed to develop a crush on me, but I’m not complaining. We’ve been together for three years now, and I love every second of it! He’s my rock. He is so passionate about medicine and education, and I’m proud of him every day for the dedication and work he puts toward his future. Everything he does has a purpose, either to become a better person, partner, healthcare worker or student. He’s taught me so much about what it means to be a good student and how to be the best person I can be. I’m so grateful that he looks out for me! I love him to bits and pieces and wouldn’t trade him for the world.

Sandeep Kumar Rath & Shristi Vats

We met in a concert by Sitar Metal in Fantom Gills Bar and Restaurant 11 and a half years back. The thing is, I undergo frequent mood swings, yet he respects me. The thing I love in this relationship is before I never got the vibe he's mine...but with him things are different.

We use each other things by right, though we aren’t married yet.

We stand for each other, supporting and pushing forward.

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THE Daily Commuter Puzzle ACROSS 1 Wood cutters 5 __ off; disregard 10 Asterisk 14 Repeated sound 15 Razz 16 Enormous 17 Greek letters 18 Called to mind 20 Cobb’s namesakes 21 Cry of distress 22 Comes to shore 23 Squeeze 25 That lady 26 Bodies of water 28 Sight, taste, etc.

31 Garden soil enhancers 32 Dinner course 34 “Just kidding!”

36 TV series for Mark Harmon 37 Spaghetti sauce ingredient 38 Carve in metal 39 Family member 40 Easy to carry 41 Warm jacket 42 Consents 44 Least common 45 Pitcher handle 46 Upscale hotel amenity 47 Flower stalks 50 Golfer Mickelson 51 Chewable antacid tablet 54 Office seeker 57 Reason to call 911 58 Up in __; irate 59 Kitchen strainer 60 Chicken pieces 61 Pitch 62 __ together; combined 63 Bewildered DOWN 1 Calendar pg.

2 Like overworked muscles 3 Speaking softly 4 Scouring pad brand 5 Blood pressure raiser

by Jacqueline E. Mathews

Created by Jacqueline E. Mathews

6 Foot parts 7 Skateboarder’s incline 8 Take advantage of 9 Ruby or sapphire 10 Large scissors 11 Rotate 12 Getting on in years 13 Skelton & Buttons 19 Recipe verb 21 Egg producers 24 NFL team 25 Restore to health 26 Possesses 27 Ski lodge beverage 28 Narrow cut 29 Sincere appeals 30 Foot warmers 32 Hangs limply 33 Hardwood tree 35 TV’s “__ ’70s Show” 37 Coffin platform 38 Be a breadwinner 40 Minimum 41 Singer Simon 43 Neglectful

2/11/21

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44 __ cats & dogs; poured 46 Barber’s offering 47 Brief argument 48 Spanish bull 49 American __; MA’s state trees 50 “The __ Piper of Hamelin”

2/11/21

52 Egg on 53 Small plateau 55 “There __ tavern in the town…”

56 “El __”; Charlton Heston film 57 Home of the Orange Bowl: abbr.

SPORTS

page 9 OPINION

BATTLE OF THE BEASTS

Column: Brees’in back and forth MICHAEL SANCHEZ

@Mikesanchez525

The Gators sit comfortably at No. 1 in vault and beam while LSU ranks No. 5 in both rotations respectively. Besides one, all of Florida’s gymnasts average above a 9.85 in vault while only Tigers Sami Durante and Bryant can match those scores.

Despite being No. 5, the Tigers have enough potential to win the beam victory, especially if anchor Reagan Campbell can dish out another score within the 9.95 range.

On bars, LSU only trails behind Florida by a single ranking.

On Feb. 6, the New Orleans Saints restructured Drew Brees’ contract, freeing up $24 million of cap space for the Saints.

The obvious reason for this restructure is to give the organization some breathing room financially, while also paying the savior of New Orleans for all his time dedicated to the team and city as he goes into retirement.

The beautiful thing about sports is that nothing is guaranteed, and every news report can be misconstrued. So let’s talk hypothetically. Let’s say that the Saints revamped Brees’ contract to open up the market for the organization to make one last run at glory.

You may be asking yourself: “What else could the Saints possibly need to be any better?”

Let’s answer that. The Saints have not had a reliable No. 2 wide receiver in years. Emmanuel Sanders did his job this season when called upon, but was never an X-factor at any given point.

Chris Godwin, Kenny Golloday and Juju Smith-Schuster are

see GYMNASTICS, page 10

see BREES, page 10

LSU gymnastics prepares to take on No. 1 Florida this Friday ABBY KIBLER / The Reveille

LSU gymnastics sophomore all-around Kiya Johnson performs her beam routine Jan. 8, during No. 3 LSU gymnastics’ 196.550-196.350 win against No. 15 Arkansas in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center on N Stadium Drive in Baton Rouge, La.

BY MORGAN ROGERS @morgan_rogers Over the past decade, the tight competition between LSU and Florida gymnastics has made the teams a fan favorite to watch in the SEC competition. As both teams currently sit at No. 1 and No. 2 in the nation, fans will get the opportunity to watch one of the most intense rivalries of the season unfold in Baton Rouge.

“It’s probably one of the biggest meets of the year, but I don’t think we’re thinking about it as that,” Haleigh Bry-

ant said. “We’re just going to go in the PMAC and do our normal gymnastics. What we do in the gym every day and what we’ve shown is enough, and we’re really excited to compete against Florida this Friday.”

A victory over the No. 1 seed in the nation could prove LSU has exactly what it takes to not only sweep the SEC Title, but capture the NCAA Championship. Defeating top-ranked Florida won’t be easy by any means, as the Gators proved in the last meet against Missouri with the top score of 197.85 in the nation and a record-setting 197.50 sea-

son opener.

“Regardless of who we share the floor with, we’re competing against every team in the country.” said Head Coach Jay Clark.

These two respected SEC programs will enter the meet undefeated, but only one will hold that record after the conclusion of the meet. A loss for either team could drop its conference record below Alabama gymnastics. Florida’s defeat would also mark LSU’s first win against the Gators at the PMAC in four years.

LSU has a lot of gaps to fill in its competition against Florida.

BASEBALL

Locked and loaded: How LSU will manage a loaded outfield

BY TAYLOR LYONS @taylorjlyons The strength of this season’s LSU baseball squad, or as Head Coach Paul Mainieri describes it, “the one area of our team I virtually have no concerns about,” can be seen tracking down fly balls and making highlight reel worthy grabs almost daily in the outfield of Alex Box Stadium.

Mainieri’s outfield is as deep and as talented as he’s ever had in his 39 years of coaching. The group has everything from speedsters to converted infielders.

“We are so deep in the outfield,” Mainieri said. “We have guys on our roster that were not recruited as outfielders. Gavin Dugas was an infielder. Cade Beloso was a first baseman. Drew Bianco was an infielder, and all of those guys have been moved to the outfield. Now we have extraordinary depth out there.”

Starting in center field, Mainieri says junior Gio DiGiacomo “is going to be an everyday guy” at the position, while freshman Dylan Crews should be a “mainstay” in right field.

“Gio brings a unique skill set to our team,” Maineri said. “He may be the fastest guy in the league.

He can really cover ground. He’s improved his reads, his confidence, his hands, his angles on the ball. He makes highlight reel catches virtually everyday in practice. As far as range and catching the ball, he’s very similar to some of the great ones we’ve had here.”

While DiGiacomo essentially has the center field position locked up, it’s his consistency — or lack thereof — at the plate that overshadows his defensive prowess. Finding consistency with his swing in order to get his elite speed on the basepaths will be key for the junior.

“He’s capable of hitting well.

He’s done it many times,” Mainieri said. “He’s just been inconsistent in making contact and doesn’t take full advantage of that speed by putting the ball on the ground.”

Maineri brought up Andrew Stevenson, an LSU outfielder from 2013 to 2015, when projecting what sort of improvements DiGiacomo could make in what will be his second full season. As a freshman, Stevenson batted just .193, struck out twice as much as he walked and had just one extra base hit in 119 at bats. He followed it up with a breakout sophomore season, his average jumping to .335 to go along with 12 extra base hits while walking more and striking out less than the year before.

Thirty-seven games into his sophomore season, DiGiacomo was experiencing a similar jump in production, seeing a significant rise in average, on base and slugging percentage.

“I feel more ready than I’ve

ever felt,” DiGiacomo said when asked how he’ll try to keep his strong 2020 season going this year.

To DiGiacomo’s left, Maineri says Crews is already an everyday level talent.

“He’s one of those guys that you have to put him in the lineup everyday and let him go,” he said.

With center and right field being manned by DiGiacomo and Crews respectively, that leaves just one spot to be decided.

“That leaves us left field, and we still have seven other guys,” Mainieri said.

Beloso, one of those former infielders Mainieri mentioned, is turning his focus to being a fulltime outfielder due to the emergence of freshmen Tre’ Morgan as the everyday first baseman. The junior has slimmed down, losing 24 pounds since the 2020 season ended, and said he believes his weight loss will help his athleti-

ABBY KIBLER / The Reveille

LSU baseball junior outfielder Giovanni DiGiacomo (7) gets ready to retrieve the ball. cism that is required from an outfielder.

“It wasn’t too bad of a transition,” Beloso told reporters earlier this month. “I’m just working hard every single day and doing what

see BASEBALL, page 10

page 10 GYMNASTICS, from page 9 With senior Durante’s consistent performance on bars and hopefully strong executions from Alyona Shchennikova and Olivia Dunne, the team could also steal the win on this rotation.

The Tigers, posting the No. 1 ranking on floor this season, could still risk losing the floor exercise if they cannot manage a 49.3 or higher. Leaders such as Kiya Johnson, along with Bryant and senior Sarah Edwards, have proven they are fully confident to contend with the Gators’ top competitors on floor this season.

All-around freshman Bryant will have her hands full against Florida powerhouses Trinity Thomas and Megan Skaggs. The junior and senior both have averages well above 9.85 in every rotation so far this year.

Additionally, Thomas was named 2020 SEC Gymnast of the Year and 2019 Freshman of the Year. Bryant remains calm in the face of the challenge though and is ready to prove that she has a lot more to give LSU this season.

Although Clark is unsure how much of an impact that allaround Johnson could have on Friday night, he is certain that a risk of injury during the regular season is not worth it.

“To put that risk on the table right now….for what? A dualmeet? I’m not going to do that.

Thursday, February 11, 2021 We want to win but we also believe in the other kids we have.”

Clark said.

The Gators’ steady score of 197.25 and higher will prove to be a problem for LSU, who has barely managed to keep afloat a 197 in the last two meets against Arkansas and Georgia. The last time the two teams battled, LSU lost in Gainesville, Florida, despite having some of its best scores of the season.

The last time the Tigers earned a 3-0 record was in 2018 when they went on to win the SEC Championship and compete in the NCAA Super Six. If the Tigers can defeat the Gators on Friday, this will be their first win against Florida since the regular season in 2018.

“After the first meet, we have felt different,” Durante said.

“The freshmen class really came in and did their job. We’ve gotten so much closer this year even though it’s been harder.

There’s something special about this year.”

Guidelines in the PMAC will allow up to 25% capacity while requiring attendants to wear face masks and socially distance. Fans at home can tune into SECNetwork to watch what could possibly be the highestscoring meet of the 2021 season.

The Tigers will clash with the Gators at 6:15 p.m on Friday night in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.

BREES, from page 9 just a few big names that are all up for grabs in free agency.

Now the next question is even with the cap space New Orleans has, are any of these players attainable?

Saints General Manager Mickey Loomis has made some remarkable signings in the past, despite New Orleans’ cap space limits. With a few work arounds, and some Is dotted and Xs crossed, who knows what the 2021-2022 season has in store for this electric Saints squad?

Despite the far out assumptions that were just thrown out, unfortunately Brees will most likely retire within the coming weeks. Keep in mind that he is also a human being and could

BASEBALL, from page 9 the coaches want me to do. It’s different from first base, it’s a little slower paced out there.”

Other options include juniors Bianco and Dugas and sophomores Mitchell Sanford and Maurice Hampton.

“He may be our best base runner on the team,” Maineri said of Bianco. “You put him in the outfield, and he looks like a natural out there. He gives us some options in terms of a guy coming in late in the game maybe as a pinch runner or a defensive replacement

COURTESY OF DUTCH BILL

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees (9) passes in the first half of an NFL football game against the Houston Texans in New Orleans, Monday, Sept. 9, 2019. wake up any day with a “let’s run it back” mentality.

Brees has shown in the past that he is willing to take a pay cut for the sake of the team.

This could possibly be his last gift to the city of New Orleans, saving the organization financially, and going out on top in 2022.

if I had to pinch hit somebody.”

Finding niche roles, like a pinch runner, late game defensive replacement or even designated hitter, might be the only way some of the outfielders lower on the totem pole find time on the field among such a loaded group at the position.

“We have a lot of options, and it’s going to be a challenge for me as the manager of the team to manage that aspect of it,” Mainieri said. “You have to be decisive in what you think your best combination is.”

Another challenge Maineri will

be presented with is keeping every player, especially the younger ones, feeling like they are involved in the team, even if they go a stretch of games without seeing the field.

“You have to keep them all involved,” he said. “You want to keep them sharp and want to keep them from feeling discouraged, especially the young players. You want them to feel like they’re a part of the team and have a future in the program.

“It’s going to be a challenge, no question about it. But it’s a good problem to have.”

OPINION

page 11

Louisiana moving in right direction with vaccine distribution BETTER CALL SAL SAL BEEBY @salbeeby Louisiana has vaccinated more residents than have tested positive for COVID-19 during the entire pandemic, Gov. John Bel Edwards announced at a press conference Tuesday.

The real number of cases in the state is potentially much higher, however, because not everyone who contracts COVID-19 gets tested or shows symptoms. Still, the fact that Louisiana has vaccinated such a large number – more than 438,000 residents – is hopeful.

Another good statistic: Louisiana has administered more than 95% of the first vaccine doses that it has received, data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows. This statistic puts Louisiana behind only 13 other states in the proportion of delivered first vac-

cines, a positive sign for residents.

In Baton Rouge, Our Lady of the Lake Medical Center is moving its main campus vaccination site to the Pennington Biomedical Research Center on Perkins Road.

This community vaccination site expects to give 1,500 doses per week, assuming a stable supply at current levels. As supply increases, the site hopes to be able to give as many as 7,000 vaccinations per week.

These are positive numbers, but it’s not all good news.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, President Biden’s chief medical adviser, estimates that 70-90% of the population will need to be vaccinated to achieve herd immunity. As of Feb. 9, 9.4% of Louisiana residents have received one dose and only 3.9% have received two doses.

Louisiana also doesn’t have accurate race data on its vaccine recipients due to flaws in data collection, according to a report from The Advocate. This is important

because COVID-19 has disproportionately impacted minority communities, and accurate data on race would allow the state to provide more equitable access to vaccines.

On Tuesday, Edwards expanded vaccine eligibility to include people ages 65 and up, as well as some first responders and election workers ahead of the special primary elections on March 20.

I and many other college students won’t be eligible to get vaccinated for a while. But the sooner that the people most affected by the coronavirus – seniors, folks with preexisting medical conditions, frontline workers – receive the help they need, the sooner we can get back to in-person classes, concerts, Mardi Gras, bars, indoor dining and Saturday nights in Tiger Stadium at full capacity.

The picture of COVID-19 in this state and around the country remains very serious. Louisiana has lost 9,212 people to COVID-19 as of Feb. 10, each one an immeasur-

Modern promotion of uncritical self-l EVAN ON EARTH EVAN LEONHARD @evan_leonhard We live in a culture with a desperate focus on personal validation and constant affirmation.

In a world of political turmoil, a raging global pandemic and the stifling, pervasive presence of internet culture, perhaps this reflex is warranted.

That said, the ways our culture tends to pursue this affirmation is often strange and even actively harmful.

Much of our discourse about self-love is especially problematic.

Over the past few years, I have started to notice the rise of a very specific pseudo-philosophy of self-love permeating the media we consume on a daily basis, often presented in terms of “you’re great just the way you are” and “never change, no matter what people tell you.”

I think it is questionable whether this contemporary ethos of personal satisfaction is a healthy or even ethical approach to self-love.

While I am by no means

looking to rag on well-intentioned attempts at mental health or imply that we should simply fold to the demands of others, I am concerned that there is a blind, superficial optimism at play here which might be doing more bad than good.

However, before we attempt to break down problems with contemporary notions of selflove, I think it is important to think about what it truly means to love something in the first place. After all, I think this entire issue has emerged from a much larger cultural misunderstanding about the word “love.”

Around this time last year, in honor of Valentine’s Day, I wrote an article that made the case for reclaiming a long-lost way of thinking about love.

In it, I argued mainstream notions of interpersonal love had devolved into overly-sentimental romanticism, defined by its unhealthy emphasis on emotion.

As an alternative, I offered a description of love put forward by one of the most profound thinkers in human history, 13th-century philosopher Thomas Aquinas.

Aquinas’ version of love is

able loss. Americans have spent a year battling a pandemic, and the resulting economic collapse which has taken a toll on our mental health.

May these vaccine develop-

Bailey Chauvin Lara Nicholson Katherine Manuel Nick Frewin Grace Pulliam

Editor in Chief Managing Editor News Editor Deputy News Editor Opinion Editor

Sal Beeby is a 21-year-old political science junior from Oakland, CA.

CARTOON BY BRANDON SHEPHERD

ve may do more harm than good

not some elusive emotional force that grabs ahold of its subject to induce vague, inexplicable bliss, as many see it today.

Rather, according to Aquinas, to love is to simply “will the good of the other.” It is to actively choose what is best for someone, regardless of if it is comfortable or easy.

While emotion is certainly important, it cannot be love’s defining characteristic. Feelings come and go by the minute. If love is to be properly described as sustaining and unconditional, it must be grounded in the choices we make and hopes we have for one another.

That said, it is critical to note this does mean that we often give love to others by doing nice things for them. However, “willing the good of the other” also means upsetting, disappointing and even enraging those same individuals when it’s what’s best for them.

For instance, if someone is suffering from a harmful addiction, genuinely willing their betterment might easily become an extremely unpleasant experience for both parties. Love, as I feel many of us already realize implicitly, is not always cheerful bliss.

While all this talk of abstract philosophy may appear to complicate the dilemma at first, Aquinas’ assertion is, on the contrary, exceptionally rational and realistic.

I suppose a comparable concept might be the commonly made distinction between being nice and being kind.

Niceness is a superficial formality; a helpful but hollow tool for managing social interactions. The goal of niceness is to avoid conflict and maintain some sort of emotional stasis.

Kindness, on the other hand, seems much more akin to authentic love, allowing ample space for depth, complexity and nuance. To be kind to someone is to genuinely work for their betterment.

Moreover, as I am sure we all know, doing so is often painful and laborious. This could not be further from so-called “niceness,” which is easy and effortlessly gratifying.

With all of this in mind, we see that in order to truly love ourselves, contemporary notions of passive “self-love” are not much help.

When we flip “willing the good of the other” around and

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ments provide some hope while reminding us that there is still more hill to climb.

The Reveille (USPS 145-800) is written, edited and produced solely by students of Louisiana State University. The Reveille is an independent entity of the Office of Student Media within the Manship School of Mass Communication. Signed opinions are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of the editor, The Reveille or the university. Letters submitted for publication should be sent via e-mail to opinion@lsureveille.com or delivered to B-39 Hodges Hall. They must be 400 words or less. Letters must provide a contact phone number for verification purposes, which will not be printed. The Reveille reserves the right to edit letters and guest columns for space consideration while preserving the original intent. The Reveille also reserves the right to reject any letter without notification of the author. Writers must include their full names and phone numbers. The Reveille’s editor in chief, hired every semester by the LSU Student Media Board, has final authority on all editorial decisions.

will the good of ourselves instead, a much healthier approach to self-love becomes evident.

We come to see self-love not as a complacent satisfaction with the status quo, but as a productive, critical assessment of one’s current situation: a willingness to change when it is best to do so. Obviously it is vital that you recognize and come to terms with your flaws, but it makes zero sense to think of them as qualities you love about yourself.

Again, this is a commonsense stance I think many of us already realize intuitively.

As we painstakingly stumble through these intense, troubling times, I concede that placing special emphasis on self-love is critical right now.

However, we need to be sure that we are genuinely being kind to ourselves and truly willing our own good. Simply being nice to ourselves, getting caught up in the pitfalls of contemporary ideas about self-love can only lead to more emotional distress.

Evan Leonhard is a 20-year-old English and philosophy sophomore from New Orleans.

Quote of the Week “If I had a flower for every time I thought of you...I could walk through my garden forever.”

Alfred Tennyson poet 1809-1892

Thursday, February 11, 2021

page 12

Superhero movies, artful cinema and my undying love for ‘Sky High’ DOM’S UNCANNY DISCOURSE DOMENIC PURDY @tigerdom16 In a 2019 interview with Empire Magazine, famed “Wolf of Wall Street” and “Goodfellas” director Martin Scorsese said that the superhero genre “...isn’t the cinema of human beings trying to convey emotional, psychological experiences to another human being.”

Clearly, he hasn’t seen Disney’s 2005 masterpiece “Sky High.”

This movie is something that I think about at least once a week — and that is not remotely hyperbole.

When it came to Disney+ last year, I was as excited for this childhood favorite as I was for each new episode of “The Mandalorian.”

Created before most mainstream audiences met the Guardians of the Galaxy and the Avengers, “Sky High” successfully satirizes the burgeoning renaissance of superhero movies years ahead of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s status as a cultural touchstone.

At the same time, it satisfies the most human story of all: the coming-of-age narrative. It defies ol’ Marty, and it does this all within the framework of a superhero metaphor.

At the infancy of the superhero movie’s renaissance in 2000, Bryan Singer’s leather clad X-Men asked: “What would you prefer? Yellow spandex?”

“Sky High” answered with a resounding “hell yes.”

There’s just a sincere earnestness to it. It genuinely loves being a superhero movie drenched in the four-color excellence of silver age comic books. It’s aware of how absurd it is, and it relishes in it.

It’s not trying to be grounded and gritty like “X-Men” or “Blade.” It’s not afraid of where it comes from,

spandex and all.

This movie has all the comic book tropes undiluted by black leather get-ups or under-saturated colors. It’s got the teenage hero protagonist with burgeoning powers, the superhero school with a legacy, the bombastic costumes and the villain who also happens to be the hero’s love interest.

It’s aware of how ridiculous it all is. That’s what makes it so incredible.

And that’s just how the movie feels. We haven’t even gone into the talent director Mike Mitchell brought together with the cast.

Mitchell doesn’t shy away from some established filmmaking techniques. Each time I watch this masterpiece I notice another use of the iconic Dutch angle. Seriously: most of the shots are from this weird diagonal angle. He’s using the tools of a director to create capital “A” art.

Besides his involvement in such dubious masterpieces as “Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo” and “Alvin & the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked,” Mitchell — with the help of Disney — clearly has an eye for talent.

What other movie can boast a cast with Lynda Carter, Kurt Russell, Bruce Campbell, Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Patrick Warburton? Certainly, nothing Scorsese has ever directed.

When your movie ranks among Russell’s best performances alongside “The Thing,” “Escape From New York,” “Big Trouble in Little China” and “Tango & Cash,” you know you’ve done something special. Russell as an over-the-top facsimile of Superman is something we didn’t know we needed, but the world of filmmaking is a better place for it.

And how could we forget Campbell’s Coach Boomer and his iconic short shorts and catchphrase “SIDE...KICK!”?

That’s just the talent in front of the camera. Michael Giacchi-

no composed this movie and would go on to score multiple “Mission Impossible” and “Jurassic Park” films, along with a notinsignificant amount of Disney’s own Marvel and Pixar movies.

To put it in perspective, this was the first person Disney chose besides John Williams to score a Star Wars movie.

Speaking of music, let’s talk about this soundtrack. “Guardians of the Galaxy” may have revived the jukebox soundtrack for superhero movies, but “Sky High” did it first. This amazing soundtrack has ‘80s hits from The Smiths, Modern English and Tears for Fears (or at least covers by contemporary artists).

This soundtrack is so iconic.

For my entire childhood, I thought these versions of “Everybody Wants to Rule the World,” “I Melt With You” and “Save It for Later” were the real thing. Some of my favorite songs came from “Sky High,” and trust me, the comedy in that isn’t lost on me. Not bad for a teen superhero movie that most kids just knew from Disney Channel marathons.

I don’t know about everyone else, but “Sky High” is something I will always cherish. I have an almost primal interest in this film.

It’s so purely itself and unafraid of its roots, which is something most modern superhero movies are just now getting around to.

Before the near perfect tonal adaptations of “Thor: Ragnarök” and “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2,” there was “Sky High.” Before the mainstream success of “My Hero Academia” and its similar premise of a school for superheroes, there was “Sky High.”

All roads lead back to “Sky High.”

Maybe there’s a timeline out there where Disney kept making Sky High movies and TV shows like the proposed “Save U” about a superhero college, but alas, here

COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA

we are, with only the 2005 original to savor.

Sure, superhero movies may not be as complex as “Taxi Driver” or as dramatically rich as “The Godfather,” but that doesn’t mean they aren’t valid and worthy of praise. “Sky High” is one of the movies that genuinely makes me feel good, so if that’s not ‘cinema,’ Scorsese, what is?

At the end of the day, “Sky High” just hits the right chords with me. Maybe it’s because I was so attached to it as a kid, my love for earnest comic book stories or

a combination of the two; to me, “Sky High” is the epitome of what a comfort movie should be, while being a little ahead of its time as well.

Everyone has a “Sky High,” a movie that’s always going to have a special place in their heart. It’s important we never let anyone delegitimize what we love, whether it’s our peers or “Shark Tale” star Martin Scorsese.

Domenic Purdy is a 19-yearold journalism sophomore from Prairieville.

Cultural clubs are the most important student organizations on campus GOING SOUTH TAMIA SOUTHALL @tamiabrem_ In a time filled with racial division and tension, it is good to remind ourselves of the different cultural backgrounds we encounter every day.

Cultural clubs are the most important organizations at the University, as they allow students to embrace and explore their racial and ethnic differences.

There are several cultural clubs on campus, such as the Native American Student Organization, the Black Student Union, the West Indian Student Association and Hispanic Student Cultural Society — and that’s barely scratching the surface. We have clubs for almost every ethnic background to reflect the growing diversity of our

student body.

All campus organizations are important, but cultural recognition is a vital component of our University. Other clubs may teach you how to tango or play chess, but none of those will help students feel culturally understood. It is so important for young people to understand themselves in order to navigate through life with more success.

Cultural clubs offer safe spaces for minority students at predominantly white colleges. They help students find their unique identities, especially in predominantly white institutions, or PWIs, like our own.

Students can surround themselves with others who look like they do. They’re able to talk about shared cultural struggles with people who fully understand.

I enjoyed attending these events myself before the pandemic hit. I was able to enjoy and celebrate my

own culture one day and then learn about another culture the next day.

I wanted to be more connected with my culture after witnessing the countless incidents of police brutality in recent years.

Cultural clubs help everyone on campus by providing information and resources for diversity which aren’t available in the classroom.

They make sure the University hears the concerns of the community. In addition, they help promote other campus events related to social justice, like the Black Lives Matter march that took place last semester. These groups are often the ones fighting on the front lines for social change both inside and outside our own campus community.

I hope to interact more with my own club in the future. I’ve attended events in the past but never committed to membership.I’ve been inspired by watching people

in my age group fight on the front lines for change. They weren’t just fighting for other Black people; they were protesting all forms of discrimination for everyone, and they were willing to risk their lives in a pandemic to do so.

Cultural groups on campus help our community celebrate diversity, especially since so many minorities weren’t allowed to attend the University until fairly recently. We have to start supporting these clubs and getting involved because they embody the cultural roots of our student body.

Members of cultural clubs persistently influence social change through their contact with University officials, proving that they are essential for every college campus, not just our own.

Tamia Southall is a 20-year-old mass communication junior from New Orleans.

JALEN HINTON / The Reveille

Business management sophomore Domonique Davis, founder of the Black Student-Athlete Association, answers interview questions on Monday, Oct. 5, 2020 at the Ion apartments on West Chime Street.