Feb. 24, 2023 Collegian

“Podcast Games”; Braedon Martin creates a

portsBlue Dragon basketball team driven by freshmen

‘I decided to hang up my high tops and focus on my backup dream of becoming an astronaut’

By Mason Poepperling Staff Writer

The Hutchinson Community College Dillon Lecture Series has a long and proud history of speakers since it first started in 1982. For the first speaker of 2023, Hutchinson was graced with the presence of Ginger Kerrick, who worked with NASA in numerous leadership positions between 1991 and 2021, including flight operations assistant director for the International Space Station (ISS), flight integration division chief and deputy director of the exploration integration and science directorate. Her career has included many NASA firsts, including the first female Hispanic flight director in 2005 and the first non-astronaut Capsule Communicator.

Kerrick’s road to NASA was a long and arduous journey. For starters, she almost ended up going down a completely different road. Her first dream was to become a professional bas-

ketball player. She was given both a Basketball and an Astronomy book at 5-years old, which is when she decided being an astronaut would be her back up plan.

“I always loved to play ball. My dad bought me a basketball when I was 5,” Kerrick said. “I wanted to go play in a league but there was no league for little girls basketball, so we went to the YMCA. There was a little boys league so my dad talked my way onto the team. They always did everything to get me into that.

“In seventh grade I finally made it on the girls basketball team and that was great. I played all through high school, and when I graduated I was female athlete of the year for the city of El Paso. I had a lot of athletic and academic scholarships to choose from but I chose to stay at home for a couple years to be close to my mom. I tried out for the University of Texas El Paso team and made it as a walk on and had

an academic scholarship there. I went through all preseason training, I was ready, and then two days before our first game, I went in for a layup and this girl undercuts me and I tumble and I try to get up and I can’t. I looked at my leg and my kneecap was on the side. The trainer came to me and passed out, so I took my kneecap and moved it back and I passed out. After my leg was fixed, I decided to hang up my high tops and focus on my backup dream of becoming an astronaut.”

With her athletic career tragically cut short, Kerrick’s dream of becoming an astronaut became her main focus. But even with a new life goal in view, the road to that goal would be far less than smooth.

“It was like this,” Kerrick said, making a rollercoaster-esque movement with her left arm. “There was this book I read called ‘Astronomy and Astronauts’ that I read when I was 5 and I told my mom I wanted to work at

NASA one day. Going through school, I had all kinds of different struggles. When I got to college, I learned that it’s easier to get into NASA if you get involved in a co-op program. Unfortunately, I was 19 and it was my first semester away from home. I was not as focused as I should have been. I spent way too much time in the rec center and not in class.

“I had a 2.7 after my first semester at Texas Tech. I called NASA and asked if there was any chance that they would accept someone with a 2.7. Once they stopped laughing at me, they said ‘don’t call back until you have at least a 3.2’. So I stayed in school. I wasn’t allowed to co-op, but after my senior year I had a 3.2 so I was able to get into NASA on a summer internship. The internship allowed me to get a foot in the door and day one I asked my boss ‘is there any way to convert this into a co-

See Kerrick, Page 5

Hutchinson community Rallies for Rusty Hilst

By Carly Thompson Staff Writer

Rusty Hilst is a well-known radio broadcaster and match teacher in the Hutchinson area who has been diagnosed with ALS, a nervous system disease that weakens the muscles.

Hilst also had an impressive golfing career and was the Tournament Administrator for the Kansas Golf Association. He was inducted into the Kansas Golf Hall of Fame in 2002.

Hilst was also a golf coach at Hutchinson High School for 31 years, where he also taught calculus, trigonometry and college algebra. He became the Math Department Chairman in 1978.

His broadcasting career began at KWHK Radio in 1969, and he moved to KWBW in 1980, where he announced the games for Hutchinson High School, Hutchinson Community College, and the NJCAA Tournament.

Hilst received the Hod Humiston Award from the Kansas Association of Broadcasters in 2005. He was also inducted into the Hutchinson Community College Quarterback Club Hall of Fame in 2014.

Rusty’s friends and family have started a GoFundMe titled “Rally for Rusty Hilst vs. ALS” where you can donate to his medical expenses. There is also a Face-

book page called “Rally for Rusty Hilst” where they post updates on Rusty’s ALS journey and stories of his life.

Here is a sample of what Hilst’s co-workers and friends have to say about him, his impact on their lives and the community.

“His willingness to share his stories with me continues to motivate me.

Rusty is a hall of famer in multiple areas of his life. Broadcasting, Blue Dragon Athletics, and Golf. His impact in all of those areas and specifically in Hutchinson and the state

of Kansas is felt by many.” - Josh Gooch, Hutchinson Community College Athletic Director.

“Rusty has been synonymous with Salthawk and Blue Dragon athletics for decades and has had such a positive impact on generations. And I’d give anything to have about 10% of Rusty’s golfing ability.” - Denny Stoecklein, HutchCC Director Of Marketing And Public Relations. He has two sons whose high school careers were covered by Hilst.

See Hilst, Page 5

Ginger Kerrick speaks during the first Dillon Lecture Series of 2023 on Tuesday at the Sports Arena. Kerrick was the first Latina to work as a flight director for NASA in 2005.

Photo by Josie Schrag/Collegian

Patrolling TikTok makes you wish for a Y2K winter

Let’s be honest. All things considered? Social media is pretty bad for you. There are real, tangible effects we’ve seen studied from numerous scientific points. And yet, we still consume.

Of course, that’s the individual’s choice. At the end of the day, if you’re a grown adult, do whatever you want, use social media or don’t, it’s up to you.

However, there is one group where that choice is wholly unnecessary. Children. There is no room on social media for anyone under the age of 15. Any access to platforms like Twitter (a toxic waste of data that none of us can ever really escape) or TikTok (at best, a poorly-moderated platform for 5% funny content, 25% political rhetoric, 70% softcore or borderline porn.) is catastrophically harmful for young minds.

Even with proper education about online safety, children and teenagers’ brains aren’t fully developed. They will make mistakes. And those mistakes should be offline, because if they are online they can prove to me vastly worse for them.

An offline mistake is typically getting a little hurt, or getting grounded. An online mistake could lead young children into any number of terrible places. A harsh drop into neo-fascism before they’re old enough to comprehend what they’re being told, or any number of encounters with pedophiles, or just happening to see graphic footage out of a warzone, or a mental health victim taking their own life.

Any number of things can just happen on the internet, and without any real and effective way of keeping that away from children, the best move is to keep them away.

-For the Collegian Editorial board

Aesthetically unpleasing

If you hop on TikTok, it won’t take long before you’re 10 videos deep into “cottage-core,” or reading a comprehensive guide to dark academia.

The obsession with aesthetics infiltrates every aspect of social media nowadays, giving the term an almost entirely new modern meaning — I don’t think that Plato and Aristotle ever thought that their philosophy on beauty would one day be applied to a teenager deciding if they are more “fairy-core” or “goblin-core.”

While on the surface, aesthetics seem like a fun way to analyze your interests, the

current obsession runs into deeply problematic territory. These aesthetics are almost always based on Eurocentric beauty standards, reinforce classism, and contribute to the sexualization and infantilization of women. On an even greater scale, however, the entire concept of curated identities itself is flawed. These aesthetic trends teach people to view themselves as a product, as aesthetics are rooted in how you appear to other people. On TikTok, you’ll find entire videos based on what clothes to buy, movies to watch, and playlists to listen to (com-

plete with Amazon and Spotify links), in order to fit certain aesthetics. The important piece is not how you view yourself, but rather how others perceive you; you become a commodity rather than a human being. Furthermore, creating curated identities that tell you exactly what to wear, watch, and listen to completely eradicates the uniqueness of humans. Paradoxically, a trend that intended to aid in self-expression has all but abolished it. I’ve seen hundreds of videos where people struggle with the internal conflict of wanting to be a hippie and wear flowing skirts,

but also be “cottage-core” and make their own jams, but also be a part of dark academia and read books on history and philosophy.

The secret? You can be all of these. Having certain interests do not limit you from exploring other interests that may or may not fall outside of a box fabricated by social media. The true beauty of humans is that we are diverse, unique creatures continuously shaped by everything around us. It does an immense disservice to try to limit this vastness of identity by placing it in a curated box. It’s far past time to stop viewing real people with pasts, dreams,

and desires as concepts.

Ainsley Trunkhill is a Hutchinson freshman studying education. She is

‘Wheel of Time’; more like waste of time

It’s always nerve-wracking when a beloved book series is being put on screen. You never know how the story and characters are going to be adapted. I suffered through “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” and I never bothered watching “Eragon.”

I know how poorly adaptations can go.

I’ve also heard how well they can go.

Though I never watched it, I heard about “Game of Thrones” and how accurate it was. I watched “Good Omens” and loved every second of it. I was so excited when I heard that “Wheel of Time” was coming to Amazon. Spoilers for the books and show ahead.

The basic plot is three boys, Mat, Perrin, and Rand leave their village after strange happenings and are accompanied by Moiraine, Lan, and Thom, who acts as their guides and protectors. Egwane and Nynaeve, women from the same village join them. They are separated, and journey to reunite. When they do, they quickly travel to the “Eye of the World,” fearing it might be in danger.

I’ll admit, I was apprehensive when I heard it would be live action because while the books took over two decades to write, the story happens in less than

10 years.

I became even more apprehensive when I heard the show would focus on Moiraine, who is a side character, instead of the main cast. The reason I became so invested in the books was because of the plot and the journey the characters went through and how they interacted with each other. The books were never about one character. Further, Moiraine wasn’t who the story was about; she was there to guide the main cast until they could manage themselves. She was important in the first three books, and then she faded into the background. The changes the show made to the storyline to add interest to her story negate everything after book one.

Moiraine’s story wasn’t the only one

changed. One of the other characters, Loial, is killed at the end of the show. In the books, he starts as a supporting character, offering knowledge and guidance, but eventually becomes a valued friend of the main cast. At one point, his knowledge turns the tide of a battle, saving one of the protagonists and his home village. In the show, he helps the main cast navigate to their next location and is promptly killed in the battle that takes place there.

The first book of a 14-book series, not including the prequel, is bound to be full of foreshadowing. The reveal of the character known as “the Dragon” is masterfully done. There are small bits of information, revealed in dreams and experiences the character and reader don’t fully understand that point to who the Dragon will be. These pieces of information become obvious when the book is reread. The show, however, doesn’t achieve this. Across the episodes, it’s foreshadowed that Mat will be the Dragon, calling out his odd behavior and connecting it to use of “the Power,” the “Wheel of Time’s” magic system. In the last few episodes, Mat stays behind, splitting from the group. When the identity of the Dragon is revealed, it’s Rand,

and this reveal feels sudden.

I can manage changes to characters and plot, even though they are what made me fall in love with “Wheel of Time” in the first place. However, changes to the world are endlessly frustrating, especially when there is a companion book full of information and when all fifteen books have an index. In the show, the characters travel to Shayol Ghul, the prison of the devil, something that, in the book, would only happen when the final battle was fought. This prophesied battle is mentioned often in the books. The place they should have been traveling to, the Eye of the World, is where Rand is revealed to be the Dragon and where important artifacts are discovered.

I love these books, as do many, some who have been reading them since 1990, when the first book came out.

After hearing about successful adaptations, I know many had high expectations for “Wheel of Time,” hoping it would remain true to the story they love. And it didn’t. It disappointed time and time again.

Non-discrimination statement

Hutchinson Community College does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, religion, age, military status, sexual orientation, or any other protected category under federal, state, or local law, or by college policy. For inquiries regarding the non-discrimination policies contact: Christopher Lau, Coordinator of Equity & Compliance 1300 N. Plum Hutchinson, KS 67501 (620) 665-3500 equity@hutchcc.edu (www.hutchcc.edu/equity)

Cartoon by Briana Payne/Collegian

Lynn Spahr is a Hutchinson freshman in general studies.

Video games to play when your brain is on Airplane Mode

A certain segment of gaming culture has recently been through a resurgence, that being the Simulator genre, a category of games including such riveting experiences as “PowerWash Simulator”, or “Lawn Mower Simulator”, or “Train Simulator.”

All things that, as we all know, every person has such an immense desire to experience. Who wouldn’t want to experience the sheer joy of spraying high pressure streams of water at different dirty surfaces, or tending to a train system, where you have to actively stop and allow passengers to board, and are penalized for breaking the schedule, or the act of riding atop a lawn mower, watching tiny pathetic blades of grass scream in sheer terror as you bear down upon them, an apocalyptic force of nature sent by whatever god their tiny plant brains can comprehend to punish them for sins they will never understand?

I got a bit carried away in that last part, but my point still stands. None of these are incredibly exciting experiences right? However, they have all been massively popular recently. Especially “PowerWash Simulator”, which sold nearly 3 million copies in just 2 months. You may ask yourself. “Why are these games so hugely successful?” Allow me to theorize.

Everyone needs relaxation. It’s an important part of bodily maintenance, and people find that relaxation in different ways. Some take a nap, some

read a book, some go watch a movie or TV show, some go running. And reader, some people pretend they’re power washing a dirt bike. It’s simple, once you think about the purpose of gaming as a whole. A medium that I believe is an artform, but also a tool to shut your brain off and do something mindless for an hour or two after a stressful day. And believe me: it works.

Try something for me, go to your browser and search “PowerWash Simulator” on YouTube. Watch any video that comes up (with your sound muted. YouTube is a horrid platform). Feel your muscles relax as you watch that hose absolutely delete dirt and grime. That is the appeal of simulators.

Another name for these games, which I think goes beyond “Simulator”, is a term I coined. “Podcast Games”. Games that you can turn on for a few hours and just lose yourself in. This includes simulators like the ones I have mentioned before, but they also include a few other more varied entries. MMORPGs (Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games) fill the category nicely. I can turn on Final Fantasy 14, pick up a bunch of quests, and just lose myself in the monotony of gathering Berries, killing beasts, and walking through a deadly forest to go talk to Guard Commander Barney or whatever.

This is where the “Podcast” part comes in. I never sit in silence when enjoying a “podcast game” (Otherwise, they’d be ‘Bored silence games’). I often have some kind of podcast playing in the background. I can focus on them while my hands can do thing. It’s perfect symbiosis. I feel accomplishment as my level in Wild Boar Hunting increases, while being stimulated by an interesting discussion about Rail disasters, or caving accidents, or the latest video games news.

Another Podcast Game I purchased

recently is called “Hardspace: Shipbreaker”, A game about a group of menial workers who take apart and sort spaceship parts. along with the ability to turn off my brain and just cut a spaceship to bits and mindlessly sort things, “Hardspace Shipbreaker” also includes a fascinating story about the formation of a union in a society where Earth is owned by a megacorporation, who forces its laborers into debt just for having a job, who created cloning just so that they could replace dead workers. It’s an fantastic experience that I recommend for my fellow “podcast gamers” out there.

I can recommend games all day, but the real interesting stuff is the podcasts. There is a variety of podcasts out there it can be a bit daunting to choose, so here are my recommendations, games they work well with.

For you Powerwashers or lawn mowers, I recommend “Well, there’s your problem!” A podcast about engineering disasters. Featuring three incredibly intelligent and educated hosts, “WTYP” provides a fantastic learning experience to enjoy while you slaughter billions of grass blades, or blast about trillions of dirt particles. For Train/Boat/truck simulator fans, there’s the brilliant subgenre of podcasts known as the Dungeons and Dragons podcast. Part of the vehicle experience is the long trips where you are doing nothing, so what better to entertain yourself with than a bunch of nerds (Don’t worry, they’re nerdier than you.)coming together to tell a story. If you want some interesting recommendations, there’s Just Roll With It, a group of 4 friends pretending to be pirates. Alternatively, if pirates isn’t your thing, try out Dungeons and Daddies (I promise it’s not weird.)

DnDaddies tells an introspective story about 4 fathers transported into the

world of Dungeons and Dragons where they must find their sons, and learn how to be better fathers and better people along the way.

And lastly, for my fellow shipbreakers/menial labor simulators, the best way to get into the game the world is a nice talk show. My personal favorite is “My Brother, My Brother, and Me”, hosted by the podcasting superstars Justin, Griffin, and Travis McElroy. The brothers take the time to listen to questions submitted by fans or found online and definitely give good advice and not just comedy. Alternatively, the Cox ‘n Crendor podcast is a long run podcast hosted by two friends who discuss what’s going on in their life, then the last half is dedicated to being a poorly hosted morning show, where they describe the weather for any random location they feel like, make up some traffic reports, do a surprisingly in depth sports analysis segment, and end with the “Big News Story of the Day”, typically some stupid thing that’s happening somewhere in the world (usually Florida) that is easy to make funny.

As I sat at my computer, preparing this article and listened to my podcast collection, I realized something. You can’t explain the popularity of simulator games. Why would people want to come home after a long day of school or work to pretend to do more work? . At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter. What’s really important is that people have fun with how they spend their free time. Be it playing the latest “Run around a shoot bad guys” release, suffering through the most absurdly difficult grind of a game, or committing grass genocide.

Braedon Martin is a Hutchinson sophomore studying journalism. He is the Collegian’s Opinion Page Editor and Managing Editor for Design.

‘Seven Samurai’: judge not by length, but by strength

If there’s one thing worse than a bad movie, it’s a long bad movie.

Even if the movie is just mediocre, a run time of two and a half hours or more can turn a meh film into a cruel form of torture. Because of this, it can be quite difficult to make a good long movie, and this tends to scare people away from watching such films.

But when a long movie is good, it usually ends up being one of the greatest movies of all time, and one of these great movies is Akira Kurosawa’s “Seven Samurai”.

“Seven Samurai” is a 1954 Japanese film about a small poor village of farmers that is raided year after year by bandits. So the village elder tells some of the men to go hire samurai in order to protect the village. However, when they get to the city and try to hire some, they are met with rejection and slander as no samurai wants to fight for lowly farmers and be paid only in rice.

Eventually though they find a noble old samurai named Shimada, who skillfully resolved a hostage situation. The farmers manage to convince the old samurai, as well as his young disciple, Okamoto, to help them. So the old samurai tries to help them find seven samurai in total, but only manages to find four others. There’s the always positive Katayama, the samurai who’s better at cutting wood than men Hayashida, an old friend of Shimada’s named Shichiroji, and the calm, cool, and deadly Kyuzo.

With little time to waste, the six of them decide they’ll have to do, however, on their way back, they notice they’re being followed by a mysterious and crazy man who claims to be a samurai, and tried to convince

them of this earlier by showing them a family tree scroll he had stolen, and telling them he is Kikuchiyo (who according to the scroll is only 13-years old) but they end up letting him join.

When they reach the village they find the farmers are all terrified of the samurai. It takes some of Kikuchiyo’s antics, but they manage to finally meet the rest of the farmers and begin making plans for defense as well as training the farmers. There is quite a bit of drama between the samurai and the farmers, but when the bandits begin their assault it all kicks off and leads to an intense battle between the bandits and the samurai and their farmer army.

“Seven Samurai” has a run time of a whopping 207 minutes, three hours and forty-five minutes! So the pacing is key, and this film is paced almost perfectly, and not a single scene feels wasted or unneeded.

The film can be split into three sections, three acts if you will.

The first is the farmers searching for the samurai, the second is the samurai preparing the village for war, and the third is the battle itself. Not one part feels larger than the other, they’re all perfectly balanced. I can not think of a more beautifully paced film than this, and it’s all the more impressive that such a long film accomplishes this.

While most of the action is saved for the final act, the first two are still very entertaining.

Just like any other great film, the characters are the backbone of the film. Each of the samurai are distinct and memorable, though the standouts are Shimada, Okamoto, Kyuzo, and of course Kikuchiyo.

Now since there are so many farmers, only a few get much development. There’s Manzo, who doesn’t want his daughter ending up with a samurai, the cowardly and sad Yohei, and then Rikichi whose wife was taken by the bandits in the last raid. Each of these characters, along with the old man, get their own little subplots that tie in perfectly with the rest of the

film.

Even though only a few of the farmers play an important role, the farmers as a whole can almost be seen as one big character, desperate, depressed, and scared, but with the help of the samurai are brought up and prepared for war.

This is all pretty serious stuff, but one thing the director, Akira Kurosawa, is a master at is injecting small amounts of humor that don’t detract from the rest of the film.

All too often these days, movies will have crappy jokes that are usually unfunny, childish, and take away from the seriousness of the film.

But “Seven Samurai” does it perfectly. Kikuchiyo is the film’s comic relief. Sometimes he’s making the joke, other times he’s the butt end of the joke, it makes him a fun character to watch and it helps that his acting (along with the acting of all the other characters) is fantastic, but he’s got a tragic backstory that helps to add more to his character so

he’s not just the funny guy.

So, the well written, well acted characters, along with the interesting and engaging story, help to keep the film enjoyable before much action, aside from a few quick action scenes, happens.

When the action does start, it doesn’t let up. The battles feel very real, watching the bandits ride in on horses and seeing the samurai put an actual plan into place is awesome. When people fall to the ground, they don’t epicly get up and counter, they scramble for their lives through the mud before a band of farmers prod them to death with spears.

The final battle is long and grueling, but very exciting. The fights (and pretty much the entire film) are shot beautifully, and the engaging characters help to make the viewer care about each moment.

The whole film comes together with the characters, the story, the action, the cinematography, the music, it all comes together to create one of the greatest films of all time.

If you’ve got more than three hours to kill, preferably on a nice rainy day, definitely check out “Seven Samurai”. I give this film 10 samurai butts out of 10.

Columnist

Connor Keating

Connor Keating is a Halstead sophomore in general studies.

Columnist

Braedon Martin

Homecoming court gets voted out

By Lizzie Kipp Online Editor

Homecoming is a century-old tradition honored by thousands of schools across the country. Some students anticipate it, as it is a great way for them to show school spirit, while others avoid it at all costs. Those who do attend, though, look forward to the excitement of the football or basketball game and -especially - the crowning of the homecoming king and queen.

However, the Hutchinson Community College Campus Activities Board has recently decided to get rid of the homecoming court altogether, meaning no more royalty among the Blue Dragons.

“There’s a lot of time and resources put into the homecoming court process, and very few students are participating in it,” said Dana Hinshaw, Director of Student Activities at HutchCC. “Ten years ago, we would have 300-400 students voting. More recently, about 120 students will vote.”

While that still might seem like a solid amount of votes, many of those voters are either friends of the homecoming candidates, or the candidates themselves. What this means is, the general student body does not participate in the vote. Many don’t even attend the homecoming festivities, and those who do are mainly there as part of sports teams.

“The Campus Activities Board is tasked with providing student activities and events within a budget,” Hinshaw said. “We determined the time and money are better spent on activities students want to participate in, such as renting out The Alley or Skateland for a college night or giveaways at assemblies.”

The board’s decision seems to make sense when one thinks about the money side of things, and one could even argue that homecoming is an event that fits better in a high school than a college.

But what about HutchCC students and their college experience?

Rubi Rodriguez, a Hutchinson freshman, was disappointed with the decision to ditch homecoming court.

“I was a homecoming candidate in high school and I really enjoyed it, especially the parade,” Rodriguez said. “I am sad for the future candidates at HCC, because I’m sure that’s

an experience they would like to have as well.”

Even with the absence of the homecoming court, HutchCC will still have two homecomings each year - one in the fall

and the Spring Fling in April.

“I would still attend a homecoming in the future,” Rodriguez said. “I think it’s a fun activity the college has to offer.”

There are currently no plans to bring back homecoming court, but Hinshaw said the idea will certainly be considered by the board if brought up by the student body.

Quarterback Club celebrates 2023 Hall of Fame inductions

Photos courtesy HutchCC Sports Information

Collegian file photo

Former Hutchinson Community College students Cole Hiatt and Montana Thompson stand on the field during halftime to be announced as the HutchCC 2017 fall homecoming king and queen.

Teresa Wade was the first two-time Jayhawk West volleyball player of the year in team history.

Skylar Arneson, a Nickerson native, was a national champion thrower for the Blue Dragon track and field team.

Jessica Glenn, a speedy outfielder and talented hitter, is the first softball player to land in the QB Club Hall of Fame.

The 1994 men’s basketball won the second of three NJCAA national champion-ships in team history

Spreading out the work with online and summer classes

By Victoria Lweis Staff Writer

College students know the mid-semester struggle where class loads get heavier, stress goes up, those 8 a.m. classes seem to start earlier, and care factor about attendance is at an alltime low.

What are the options for students who want to alleviate this stress?

Online and summer classes offered at Hutchinson Community College may be one answer, as they can help lighten the workload during semester or even just give students less classes to attend in person.

Online classes took the world by storm in recent years since the Covid-19 pandemic, but now that students have the choice to attend in-person classes, the question is are online classes worth the hype?

Danny Saili, from Long Beach, California, is taking ‘Death and Dying’ online this semester at HutchCC and said he enjoys the freedom and independence he gets with the class.

“I think it’s less of a workload, so to me it’s easier and there’s less teacher supervision which I like,” Saili said.

He does offer some advice to prospective online students after failing his last online class, Introduction to Baseball after falling behind on

Sports

• Continued from Page 6

Four other HutchCC sophomores walked away with top-10 finishes including Caleb Manning placing fifth in the long jump and third in the triple jump, Sharim Hamilton placed fourth in the 800, Donovan Bryant placed fifth in the high jump and Christopher Brown placed sixth in shot put. The 4X800 meter relay team consisting of Christian Darrah, Douwe Benstink, Tokiwa Armstrong and Evan Avitia also brought home a fifth-place finish.

Women’s Basketball - Saturday posed a historic win over Northwest Tech, earning the Blue Dragons a firstweek bye for the upcoming Region 6 Tournament and the 250 Jayhawk Conference regular-season victory under head coach John Ontjes.

Freshman forward Monae Duffy walked away making history of her own, becoming the second Blue Dragon in 49 years to have a 20-point 20-rebound game, making this her eighth double-double of the season. Duffy scored 25 points, a career-high that contributed to the 73-63 victory.

The only other Blue Dragon to reach double-digits was sophomore guard Mya Williams who brought in 18 points.

The first quarter of the game started in favor of the Blue Dragons but ended with a 13-all tie. Hutchinson was quick to take the lead in the second quarter and maintained that for the remainder of the gameplay.

Hutchinson shot 41.1 percent for the game and outrebounded Northwest Tech 46-35. The Blue

Hilst

• Continued from Page 1

“Rusty was my teaching mentor, my golf mentor, and my friend for 30-plus years. It was truly amazing to be able to watch a teacher always get the best out of his students. My biggest honor was to give the introduction for Rusty into the Kansas Golf Hall of Fame.” - Charles Pierce, Science Department Chairperson and Boys and Girls Golf Coach at Hutchinson High School.

“Rusty is a pro and master of his craft in all he does. It is a sincere honor calling Rusty a friend and fellow educator.” - Phil Anderson, Assistant Women’s Basketball Coach at Hutchinson Community College and former Hutchinson High boys basketball coach.

classwork.

“It was really easy to fall behind because it was only a three-week class, so I’d say just make sure you stay on schedule or you could fail,” Saili said.

Another option available for students is to take a class or two in the summer semester. One student who took Public Speaking during the summer of 2022 was freshman Journey Armstead, a freshman from Tulsa, Oklahoma. She initially enrolled in the class because she wanted a smaller number of students to present in front of.

Armstead’s experience in her summer class was positive, as she found that the class “was way easier to focus in, and not only that you can get them out of the way before school starts.”

In her eyes, summer classes are well worth it and she would recommend them to prospective students.

“It also helps with your GPA in case you are failing [the] first semester,” Armstead said.

Enrollment has opened for the fall semester, and students can still enroll for the summer at HutchCC. Students wishing to enroll or enroll can sign up for classes online or make an appointment with their academic advisor.

Dragons advanced to 21-7 overall and 15-7 in the Jayhawk Conference.

They will take on Seward County on Wednesday at The Green House in Liberal.

Men’s basketball - Saturday’s win over Northwest Tech was the secondbiggest victory of the season beating the Mavericks 115-74.

Six Blue Dragons came up with double figures. Freshman Kieran Carr had a career-high 24 points, 11 of which contributed to the first-half eruption.

Aaron Franklin finished with 15 points and a career-high of seven assists. Dre Weathers and Aaron Potter had 13 points each, Antonio Green had 12 points and Ra’Sean Frederick had 10 points with a careerhigh of six assists.

For the first time since 2017 the Blue Dragons shot a 60 percent game at 64.5 percent. They also tied for the second-most assists in one game with a season-high of 33 assists and outrebounded the Mavericks 36-29.

Hutchinson advanced to 17-11 overall and 11-11 in the Jayhawk Conference.

Softball - The Blue Dragons advance to 8-3 overall following a doubleheader sweep over North Central Texas on Saturday.

Sophomore Ella Dougherty and freshman Olivia Sandoval each brought in three runs to contribute to a 12-6 victory in game one.

The Blue Dragons came in hot for game two with five runs in the first inning and four points in the second inning to create a 9-2 lead. Alexis Maston sacrificed a fly ball to score Sandoval in the third quarter for the tenth run of the game, closing out with a 10-2 victory.

“He truly is an amazing man. Rusty’s impact over the years in education, broadcasting, and coaching has been pivotal in many kids’ lives. He’s been a constant in this community on so many levels and has made a ripple effect that will last for generations.”Bryan Miller, Boys Basketball Coach at Hutchinson High School.

“He is one of those rare gentlemen who makes a wonderful first impression, and then the better you get to know him, the more you like and respect him. Whenever Rusty talks, on the radio or across from you at the dinner table, it’s worth listening.” - Dan Naccarato, Business Management/Entrepreneurship

Professor

at Hutchinson Community College. Naccarato also calls Hutch High and HutchCC sports on KWBW radio.

Kerrick

• Continued from Page 1

is there any way to convert this into a co-op?’ and he said ‘no’. I decided I’d ask my boss if he would let me work at two other departments at NASA so I could get some exposure. I would do my job here and I would spend extra hours working on projects. I told my boss ‘at the end of the summer, I’m going to have three letters of recommendation from three different people, and you’re going to come with me to the coop office and you’re going to demand that I be converted’ and he said OK. So we did that and I went to the co-op office and I was able to get converted. I didn’t know I could do that, I was just trying anything.”

At this point, Kerrick had already shown more than enough resilience and determination to make her way into NASA. Even with this determination, however, she would soon learn that it would take even more to make it where she wanted to be.

“When I became a co-op, NASA was supposed to give me a permanent job when I graduated,” Kerrick said. “Two months before graduation I got a letter that said ‘we regret to inform you that the president has declared a hiring freeze on all civil servants, so we won’t be able to offer you a job when you graduate’. I got the letter in October, I graduated in December, and the hiring freeze carried on in the spring.”

The hiring freeze would turn out to be

a blessing in disguise, as Kerrick used the extra time she had to make sure that, by the time the freeze was over, the people at NASA would remember who she was in a positive way. Her solution for this ended up helping her in the best way possible.

“I started calling them every Friday at 1 (p.m.),” Kerrick said. “I wanted them to remember my name. I called every Friday and said ‘Hello, this is Ginger Kerrick from Texas Tech University calling to enquire about the status of the hiring freeze,’ and they would say ‘ah yes, Ginger. The way it works is the president will release the hiring freeze and we’ll be notified and then we will call you so you don’t need to call’. I would reply OK. I did that all of January and February. Right around March I started sensing a little hostility so I thought ‘let me change my approach and let me tell some more jokes,’ because I wanted them to remember my name but in a good way. Finally, in April I called and they had me on speaker phone and I could hear people giggling in the background. After I gave my little spiel they said ‘we’ve been waiting for you to call. This morning we were given permission to hire 12 of the 60 graduating co-ops and you were one of the 12. So I was able to get in.”

Ginger Kerrick’s story is one of sheer tenacity and resilience. Even when every obstacle was stacked against her in ways that would make anyone else give up, she found a way to overcome them and then some.

Freshmen push men’s basketball forward

By Sam Ojeda Sports Editor

Young players have been the story for Hutchinson Community College men’s basketball team.

The 17-11 Blue Dragons have leaned heavily on the production of freshman talent to help them find success this season. There are only two players on the roster that are sophomores - guards Jayden Garrison and Trey McClure. Eight of the nine main rotation players are freshmen, and arguably the team’s star, Aaron Franklin, is a redshirt freshman.

Frequent starter and freshman guard Kernan Bundy said he understands the challenges of being a freshman in college sports. Being out there on the court inexperienced has its benefits and its comparable drawbacks.

“When we are out there on the court, we are full of energy,” Bundy said. “We are young and full of that energy so we show up motivated everyday.”

Being a young player is not all fun and games. Experience plays in college sports, even at community colleges.

“We do not have much experience,” Bundy said. “Without experience, we lack an edge that the rest of the teams we play have.”

This lack of experience has affected games for them. Many games have been decided by a single play or a clutch free throw. The lack of experience has put them behind the proverbial eight ball and ending with a loss.

A game against Pratt in January went into overtime because HutchCC could not make

last-minute free throws and that led to a loss.

Leadership is what can right the ship for a team lacking maturity. Freshman do not often step up but with this team, it is necessary, “All of us had to step up and take ownership for ourselves,” Bundy said. “We had to take accountability. It helped us all grow in maturity as players on, and off the court.”

Being a freshman in college sports is nerve racking and that adjustment takes

time. Bundy, who is from Overland Park, has learned how to control his emotions well.

“My built up emotion and nerves is all about how excited I am to play basketball,” Bundy said. “One way I use to cool my emotions is to remind myself of all the hard work I put in. I worked to belong on the court as much as anyone else.”

Nerves are hard to simmer down but Bundy has advised his teammates to remember why they play and who they do it for.

Athlete of the week (Feb 13-19 )

Monae

Duffy

Women’s basketball

The Week: Duffy domianted last week as she put up a 25 points and 20 rebounds agaisnt Northwest Techincal College on Saturday. That performance as well as her 19 point and 14 rebound performance ealrier in the week earned her conference player of the week.

Duffy

This Season: Duffy has been a consistent star this season. She is averaging 13.1 PPG and 8.6 RPG. The Louisiana freshman looks to help her team spring into the postseason with confidence.

Blue Dragon sports roundup: Baseball battles during weekend Texas trip

By Laci Sutton Staff Writer

The Hutchinson Community College baseball team took a one-run loss on Sunday at McLennan College in Texas.

Hutchinson started with a 2-0 lead but McLennan was quick to respond with five unanswered runs in the fourth and fifth innings to steal the lead bringing the score to 6-3.

The Blue Dragons responded with two runs in the top of the sixth, but it just wasn’t enough. Hutchinson outhit McLennan 9-5 but stranded eight base runners costing them a 6-5 loss.

The Blue Dragons hosted Tabor College on Tuesday, in a doubleheader at Hobart-Detter Field, earning two run-rule victories over the Bluejays.

Adam Mustow hit his first Blue Dragon home run in game one resulting in a five inning 12-1 win.

Bradford hit a single, double and a home run in game two leading the Blue Dragons to a 10-0 victory.

Hutchinson is now ranked

Baseball

6-3 overall and will travel to Midwest City, Okla. for a three-game series at Rose State this weekend.

Women’s Indoor Track

- The Blue Dragons finished sixth at the Region 6 championship meet on Sunday at the Plaster Center in Pittsburg.

Leading the Blue Dragons, freshman Gracie Lambert earned the team 15 points with a second-place finish in the 800 meters, fifth place in the 600, and running as the anchor leg for the fifth-place 4X400 relay team alongside Kaylee James, Ellie Van Zelfden and Keneah Romney.

Not far behind Lambert was freshman Serenity Larson with 14 points, placing third in the 3,000 and running a PR of 10:49.6.

Other top-10 finishers include freshman Taylor Hoskinson placing fourth in the 1,000 meters, Van Zelfden placing eighth in the 800 meters, James placing seventh in the 600-meter hurdles and Van Zelfden, Sydney Graver, Lauren Aden and Daisy Orozco

All dates are doubleheaders unless noted

Feb. 11, Southeast Nebraska, W 8-5, W 10-7

Feb. 13, at SOUTHEAST NEBRASKA, W 8-4, L 4-5

Feb. 17, at Temple, Texas (one game), L 2-7

Feb. 18, at Hill, Texas (one game), W 8-1

Feb. 19, at McLennan, Texas (one game), L 5-6

Feb. 21, TABOR JV, W 12-1, W 10-0

Feb. 24, at Rose State, Okla. (one game), 3 p.m.

Feb. 25, at Rose State, Okla, 1 p.m.

Feb. 28, at Northern Oklahoma-Enid (one game), 2 p.m.

March 2, COFFEYVILLE, 1 p.m.

March 4 at Coffeyville, 1 p.m.

March 9, DODGE CITY, 1 p.m.

March 11, at Dodge City, 1 p.m.

March 16, at Pratt, 1 p.m.

March 18, PRATT, 1 p.m.

March 23, SEWARD COUNTY, 1 p.m.

March 25, at Seward County, 1 p.m.

March 30, at Butler, 1 p.m.

April 1, BUTLER, 1 P.M.

April 6, CLOUD COUNTY, 1 p.m.

April 8, at Cloud County, 1 p.m.

April 11, at Northern Oklahoma-Tonkawa (one game), 2 p.m.

April 13, COWLEY, 1 p.m.

April 15, at Cowley, 1 p.m.

April 17, STERLING JV (one game), 4 p.m.

April 20, at Garden City, 1 p.m.

April 22, GARDEN CITY, 1 p.m.

April 24, at Sterling JV (one game), 2 p.m.

April 27, BARTON, 1 p.m.

April 29, at Barton, 1 p.m.

May 4, at Colby, 1 p.m.

placing third.

The Blue Dragons will take eight qualified athletes to the NJCAA Indoor National Championships at Washburn University in Topeka on March 4-5.

May 6, COLBY, 1 p.m. Basketball, men’s

Nov. 1, FORT SCOTT, W 124-101

Nov. 4, TRITON, W 113-105

Nov, 5, NEO, W 117-107

Nov. 9, LABETTE, W 139-84

Nov. 11, vs. Victoria at Great Bend W 12195

Nov. 12, vs. Wilbur Wright, at Great Bend, 11289

Nov. 16, INDEPENDENCE, W 99-94

Nov 19, at Cloud County, L 90-75

Nov. 22, at Pratt, W 120-118

Nov. 26, BARTON, L 101-75

Nov. 30, at Cowley, L 111-95

Dec. 3, at Butler, L 68-63

Dec. 7, COFFEYVILLE, L 104-100

Dec. 10, at Dodge City, W 113-112 Dec. 12, COLBY, W 96-81

Jan. 4, at Northwest Kansas Tech, W 90-87

Jan. 7, SEWARD COUNTY, W 86-75

Jan. 14, at Garden City, L 117-97

Jan. 18, at Independence, W

Men’s Indoor Track - The Blue Dragons scored 63 team points, earning a seventh-place finish in the 2023 Region 6 Indoor Championships at the Plaster Center.

Sophomore Alexander Holt

Feb. 22, at Seward County, W 76-71

March 1, GARDEN CITY, 5:30 p.m. Basketball, women’s

Nov. 1, BETHANY JV, W 88-44

Nov. 4, MINERAL AREA, W 84-48

Nov. 5, NEO, W 84-61

Nov. 9, WASHBURN JV, W 90-51

Nov. 11, Labette at Great Bend, W 74-63

Nov. 12, vs, Redlands at Great Bend, W 64-58

Nov. 16, INDEPENDENCE, W 61-53

Nov 19, at Cloud County,

led the team with a career-best performance in the high jump, clearing 6 feet, 6 1/4, coming out as runner-up and earning a national qualification.

Photo by Sabrina Anzo/Collegian

Freshman guard Kernan Bundy drives into the paint in a game against Cloud County CC. Bundy, who is from Overland Park, has started a majority of games this season.

Photo by Josie Schrag/Collegian Blake Bradford throws the ball back to the infield during a Blue Dragon baseball game earlier this season at Hobart-Detter Field.