On To Nationals Page 5
Blue Dragon volleyball upsets Seward County to qualify for NJCAA Tournament next week in Sports Arena. The student voice of Hutchinson Community College
November 10, 2017
www.Collegianweb.com
Vol. 59 Issue 9
Olympian, Shawn Johnson, visits Hutch By Brenna Eller Opinion Page Editor
From Scooby-Doo shorts and baggy t-shirts to a US leotard, Shawn Johnson East overcame her shyness and bullies at the age of 12 when she was handpicked to go to a 2004 international gymnastics event in Belgium. In 2008, at 16-years old she made her way to the Beijing Olympics. She was an Olympic gold medalist, “Dancing With the Stars” winner, and is now a YouTube sensation. On Tuesday, Johnson was the speaker at the Dillon Lecture Series located in the Hutchinson Sports Arena. Johnson has had several accomplishments in her life, the most well-known accomplishment being the 2008 summer Olympics in Beijing. She won the silver in the all-around competition and earned a gold
Merissa Anderson/Editor Shawn Johnson speaks to her audience of over 2,000 people from around the Hutchinson area. The event was held on Tuesday in the Sports Arena where she spoke about her achievements and experience in the Olympic Games.
medal for the balance beam. Growing up, Johnson had a fairly normal childhood. She is from Des Moines, Iowa and like many kids, she just wanted to fit in. At the beginning of her speech, Johnson gave examples of bullies and challenges she faced growing up, including – girls not wanting her to join the “cool” group, wearing her favorite Scooby-Doo shorts and T-shirt, and having the first name “Shawn”. Before her lecture, Johnson was asked about speaking in the Midwest rather than in a big city/ state. She said, “I feel so much more relaxed and at home here, I love to speak in the Midwest.” Another question asked was, “What advice would you like to leave high school and college students today?” She said, “This society makes it hard to
Merissa Anderson/Editor Shawn Johnson takes a photo with Lynette Hilty and many other fans after her speech . Several nearby school districts also attended the lecture.
have a passion in something without people assuming you will stick with that your whole life.” She also explained how one might love to play the violin, but that doesn’t mean they have to become a musician. She was also asked about President Trump, since she was on “Celebrity Apprentice”, her response was, “Aside from the politics, the man and family I met were very nice.” In her speech, Johnson told about her experience at Beijing when she was representing the United States as the captain of her team for the first time as a 16-year old. She was signed by eight different companies for endorsements. She felt like everyone was expecting her to bring home gold medals. She ended up getting second in the AllAround and first 1st place in beam. Nastia Liukin, who was also representing the US, and close friend of Shawn’s beat her in the All-Around. “My heart absolutely shattered,” Johnson said. She devoted her entire life to this moment and she didn’t get her gold medal. She got silver, and when approached by reporters, she assumed they would give congratulations, but instead was asked, “How does it feel to lose?” See Johnson, Page 5
Student aids in campus rescues By Amanda Carney Online Editor
As a society, we often rely on the kindness of people’s hearts to make it through our day-to-day routines. Whether this is letting someone merge in front of you in 5 o’clock traffic, giving Liby someone a smile to brighten their day, or even just giving someone the Heimlich maneuver. This is exactly what Hutchinson Community College Fire Science student, Colten Liby did. Not only did Liby save
someone from choking by giving them the Heimlich maneuver, he also helped someone who was hit by car on Plum Street. One-night, Liby was headed to the gym, when he saw a girl in the fetal position next to car with the door open. He was quick to park his car and go over and help. Liby immediately called 911, and told the girl not to move. Liby then waited for emergency teams to respond. “I was afraid to move the girl in case of any internal injuries. I told her stay where she was and wait,” Liby said. On another occasion, Liby was eating dinner at the HutchCC dining hall when Liby’s friend started
hitting him and pointed to his neck. Liby realized that his friend was choking on a piece of food. He was the quick one to respond once again. Liby jumped behind his friend and started doing the Heimlich, saving his friend’s life. “I’m here to become a firefighter, I feel called to help and you just gotta be able to get the job done as fast as you can,” Liby said. “If you don’t react quickly, you lose valuable time.” Liby is a sophomore at HutchCC and from Abilene. He is in the fire science program, and he has known how to do CPR since his freshman year in high school, but has never had to use CPR before.
Liby learned the Heimlich maneuver from boy scouts. Liby has also spent summers as a lifeguard in the past. These events definitely seem out of the norm for an everyday college student, but Liby doesn’t feel the need to draw any attention to these events. “These events could happen to anyone at any time,” he said. “But, I know that these events are definitely not ordinary.” Right: Colten Liby takes a photo with an Abilene Fire Truck during his time as an explorer with the department. This semester he has found himself in several emergency situations including a girl hit by a car and a choking friend.
Courtesy Photo/Facebook
CAMPUS BEAT
Upcoming events
When is an appropriate time to begin listening to Christmas music?
Nov. 11 — Football game at Dodge City, 1:00 p.m.- 4:00 p.m. Nov. 16 —NJCAA Division I Volleyball Championship at Hutchinson Sports Arena, all day; volleyball vs. Iowa Western, 11 a.m. Nov. 17 — Jazz Lab Band and Sonance: The Falling Leaves, B.J Warner Recital Hall, 7:30 p.m.8:30 p.m.
“Around Thanksgiving becuase then you’re gathering around food listening to Christmas music and it’s all good”
“December 1, because November is too early to listen to Christmas music.”
“I think it’s appropriate to listen to Chritsmas music as soon as Thanksgiving starts.”
“November 1 is when it is acceptable, because Halloween is over.”
“ You can’t listen to it until after Thanksgiving, simply put.”
— RaVaughn Turner, New Orleans
— Savannah Littlepage, Halstead
— Gabriel Purdy, Seattle
— Jazmyn Burks, Wichita
— Walker Strange, Inman