2-3-2015

Vol. 105 Issue 105

@thepittnews Crystal Andrezejewski whips up a fresh batch of treats at Peace, Love and Little Donuts on Meyran Avenue.

LE HO

Tuesday, February 3, 2015 FEATURE

Music a critical aspect of athletes’ gameday routines

IN O NE

Colin van ‘t Veld | Staff Photographer

Teacher of the year Sean McComb’s difficult childhood drove him to make his students believe in their own success.

The Council of Chief State School Officers, a national nonprofit organization of public education officials, named McComb National Teacher of the Year for 2014. Mc-

onto the mat, dive into the pool or hop onto the beam A redshirt junior, Bonaccorsi listens to The crowd in the Fitzgerald Field House was Jay-Z, Meek Mill, 50 Cent and the like bedynamic and lively the entire wrestling meet fore competing. Putting his headphones on – fans feeding off of athletes, athletes feeding drowns out the volume of boisterous fans, off of fans. While a deafening roar encouraged which surges in the preceding match’s highone wrestler, anpressure moments, other, Nick Bowhen he’s clearing PLAY naccorsi, waited his head before his his turn behind Created by: Pitt Athletics own. the bench.

“I just like the The audible beat, mainly,” he ARTIST TRACK buzz of a full said. “I’m not even crowd and a listening to the Jay-Z tight match un- 99 Problems words, just listenfolding before ing to the beat, Disco Fries him could dis- The Light because it gets me tract him from fired up.”

Kid Ink his own crucial Money and the Science defends performance at Power Panthers’ sentithe end of the ments, as a 2012 Lil Wayne lineup – but, as 6 Foot 7 Foot study by the Asian usual, BonacJournal of Sports Meek Mill corsi has a pair Levels Medicine found of headphones listening to music Joe Hertler & to drown out What It Feels Like To while warming up The Rainbow the excess Drown for an activity sigSeekers sounds and stay nificantly increases focused. the athlete’s power Bonaccorsi is just one of many Pitt ath- output. Music is especially beneficial for acletes that turn to music as a pre- or mid-com- tivities making use of lower limb muscles, petition ritual. For many Pitt athletes, music according to the study. is a vital aspect of athletic performance, as well as a therapeutic tool before they walk Playlist 9

Jessica Boddy For The Pitt News

Teacher of the Year speaks at Pitt Elizabeth Lepro and Dale Shoemaker The Pitt News Staff

Pittnews.com

Comb, who graduated from Pitt’s School of Education in 2005 with a master’s degree in education, returned to his alma mater to talk about inspiring hope and self-determination in students to students Monday at the University Club.

McComb’s Baltimore school district nominated him for the honor. CCSSO has awarded the National Teacher of the Year

Teacher

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TEACHER award since 1952 and chose McComb, in part, because of his implementation of Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) at Patapsco High School & Center for the Arts. Winners of the Teacher of the Year award take a year off of teaching to travel the country to advocate for their profession. Their home state and district fund their salary and benefits while they travel.

McComb returned to speak at Pitt because he is “indebted” to his alma mater.

McComb teaches English classes at Patapsco High in Baltimore County Public Schools, alongside AVID classes, a program he initiated at the school with his wife, Sarah, who also teaches at Patapsco. AVID targets students in the academic middle, who are not at an academic disadvantage, but who need an extra boost. The program helps them prepare for college and originated in California 30 years ago. “[AVID] targets students who have college dreams. It helps students understand the college process and prepares students

February 3, 2015 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com for college admission,” McComb said.

The students who participate in AVID are usually from disadvantaged backgrounds or are first generation college students, McComb said. The AVID program challenges students to do the work that will make them successful by focusing on holistic academics, such as connecting literature to presentday social issues. The program is 40 percent academic skill building, 40 percent tutoring and 20 percent motivational college readiness, which includes going on field trips and meeting with advisers.

According to a Dec. 2014 study by AVID, 87 percent of 2010 and 2011 high school graduates in the program completed their freshman and sophomore years of college, exceeding the national average of 77 percent.

McComb is thankful that he had teachers who pushed him to think critically, he said, and wants to do the same for his students.

“Once I was here and really came to excel, I thought, ‘I really want to give this gift back to students,’” McComb said.

McComb’s positivity and his message about the importance of teaching is why the

School of Education invited him to speak at Pitt, according to Director of Constituent Relations for the School of Education Michael Hass.

Alan Lesgold, dean of the School of Education, said he had wanted to invite McComb back to Pitt since he was nominated for Teacher of the Year last year.

“We knew Sean was in the running, so we kept an eye on him,” Lesgold said. “People need to hear the lesson of hope he brings.

It’s a lot of work to be a teacher and people need positive examples.”

Justin O’Connor, a student in the School of Education and a student teacher at the Pittsburgh Creative and Performing Arts School, agreed.

“You always have bad days. You can feel incompetent. It’s really rewarding to hear someone 10 years in facing the same things,” O’Connor said after the talk.

The gap in readiness for college is generally in reading and writing skills. That gives the focus in the skill-building. McComb said his AVID classes include some SAT prep and practice writing college essays.

“The cool part for me is that I loop with students in that program for four years.

From the time they step foot in the door of high school to the time they walk across that stage, we have that relationship,” McComb said in an interview.

McComb told his own story of growing up with an alcoholic mother, who passed away at the end of his senior year of high school. He said in his talk that his family lived off food stamps, and he often worried about losing his home.

“I thought to myself at 16 sitting up in bed one night, ‘My family will never feel this stress,” McComb said.

McComb then spoke about two teachers who helped him, particularly his 11th grade Advanced Placement English teacher.

After 10th grade, McComb said, his high school recommended he move down to a lower level English class. He appealed this decision, though, and spoke with the AP teacher about taking the class despite the recommendations. The teacher agreed, based on McComb’s situation.

“He said, ‘I will help you, but I won’t lower my expectations for you,’” McComb said.

Read the rest online at Pittnews.com.

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EDITORIAL

OPINIONS

Lobbyists perpetuate skepticism of scientific findings In lieu of more than 102 cases of the measles sprouting in the U.S. last month, CDC director Tom Friedan said the best way to prevent spread of new cases was vaccination. However, a small but growing number of parents aren’t getting their children vaccinated. Are these parents paranoid of vaccines?

The fear of a link between autism and vaccinations spurred by scientist Andrew Wakefield’s now-retracted study has been completely discredited. But public opinion still suggests we’re uneasy about vaccines.

A recent article in the Washington Post suggests there is a schism between the scientific community and the general public that clouds the perception of real facts from falsehoods.

Two opposing parties, scientists and lobbyists, offer different opinions to the public, mainly through the Internet. Lobbyists have biased agendas, seeking to twist data or outright lie in their party’s favor, while researchers are more concerned with objective proofs.

Scientists’ hard data should prevail over the lobbyists, but the disparity between empirical data and subjective fodder puts compromises scientists’ credibility on a global stage. Moreover, while technological advances have accelerated scientific research, the number of American Association for the Advancement of Science members who feel that “today is a good time for science” has fallen from 76 percent in 2009 to 52 percent in 2015.

A January report by AAAS and Pew Research Center explains the scientists’ disgruntlement. Following our vaccination example, there’s an 18 percent gap in opinion — 86 percent of AAAS scientists favor vaccination, as compared to just 68 percent of the general public.

We need to combat the gap in communication and understanding between scientists and citizens. The positive externalities enjoyed through scientific advances — like new medicines, surgical techniques and patents — may not persist if scientists feel, unsure

the public will listen to their findings.

Vaccinations are not the only topic the public and scientists disagree on, though.

Eighty-eight percent of AAAS scientists felt it was OK to consume genetically modified foods, while only 37 percent of U.S. adults felt it was safe.

Disparity in sentiment is largely because of lobbying groups’ activities, fueled by antivaccine campaigners, creationists and climate-change denouncers, alike. These groups have biased personal agendas not necessarily aligned with public health.

For example, corporate opponents of GMO labeling, like Coca-Cola, spent $27 million in the first six months of lobbying. If the government required companies to label all GMO foods, the public would think there was something wrong with nearly all food on the market, and economic demand would tailor to organics, leading to a rise in revenue for organic firms. For that reason, organic produce companies are some of the main

lobbyists and proponents for GMO labeling.

We must unearth faulty websites and be wary of lobbyists who use false data on the Internet to confuse the public. The Cornell Alliance for Science aims to bridge this gap, particularly in terms of GMO crops. If more coalitions, such as the CAS, help to debunk “bad science” early on, we will see more of a consensus between scientists and the average citizen.

Before making a decision whether or not to get a measles vaccine, consider your sources. Non-profit organizations, universities and reputable news sources are a great place to start. Be wary of biased sites with subjective agendas, looking to turn a profit.

Objective data and scientists are your friends. With the expanse of knowledge online, it is important to know how to sift through the junk to find the valuables. Consider the implications of the Inter-“net.”

Shouldn’t we be connecting valid ideas rather than distancing them?

COLUMN

Shallow support: Anti-discriminatory backing only runs so deep Adrianne Glenn Columnist

In light of a press conference last Tuesday, the tug of war between the conservative Mormon church and marginalized groups — namely the LGBTQ community — has seemingly ceased, except for one glaring exception.

The Mormon church recently announced support for expanding Salt Lake City’s fouryear-old non-discrimination laws for all of Utah’s LGBTQ residents. However, this support is contingent on the laws also protecting the church from religious discrimination, an additive they’d like to see in the statute. The Salt Lake City legislature approved the laws in 2009 as part of the Utah Labor Code to prohibit discharging individuals within the city because of sexual preferences.

Elder Dallin Oaks, a member of the church’s Quorum of the Twelve Apostles,

said the Church views its support of anti-discriminatory laws as a check against religious freedom. Oaks’ agenda, then, is to balance the weight of anti-discriminatory rights and religious freedom rights, not merely highlight the former. So, this isn’t really progress, given that the easiest way to overlook discriminating against LGBTQ groups is to provide religious reasons for doing so, especially when it comes to employment or housing. So, in this instance, instead of refusing to hire a person because they are LGBTQ, Mormon employers just have to say that they cannot hire him or her because their religion prohibits them from doing so.

This legislative additive would allow the Church to retain its view on LGBT groups while using pseudo-support to gain popular opinion. This is not the first time the Church did this, either. Incidents involving the Boy Scouts and California’s Proposition 8 shows

their resistance to change.

Essentially, these “non-discrimination” laws have the exact opposite effect. In typical discourse, non-discrimination laws applied to the LGBTQ community mean that employers cannot fire or refuse service to people because of their gender or sexuality alone. This new spin allows the church to do just that. The church has “supported” the law in efforts to look more tolerant and liberal. The church doesn’t really want to change policy, though.

In the press conference, Oaks described discrimination faced by religious groups and compared it to the hardship individuals face on the premise of gender.

“When religious people are publicly intimidated, retaliated against, forced from employment or made to suffer personal loss ... our democracy is the loser,” Oaks said.

He continued to expand this idea to LGBTQ discrimination, but never with the same ardor

used to discuss religious freedom. It is hard to know the extent of discrimination the church could potentially allow, though, because the standards are so far-reaching.

On NPR’s “All Things Considered,” Oaks spoke about what these laws will mean. When he was asked if doctors who perform artificial inseminations will be able to refuse service to LGBTQ patients based on their religion, Oaks avoided the topic, claiming that he was unable to “predict what position [the church] would take in legislation.”

Oaks said “one of today’s great ironies is that some people who have fought so hard for LGBTQ rights now try to deny the rights of others to disagree with their public policy proposals.” This statement shows a lack of real sentiment for LGBTQ rights when the religious emphasis is so selfishly brazen.

Glenn

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February 3, 2015 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com FROM PAGE 4

GLENN The Mormon church, like most churches, has a complicated relationship with LGBTQ issues. On one hand, it tries to keep a civil face toward LGBTQ people to avoid an a label like discriminatory through actions such as the endorsement of the Boy Scouts’ decision to allow gay scouts in May 2013.

However, its stance on marriage equality seems unchanging. During California’s 2008 Proposition 8 debate that determined whether or not marriage equality would be secured in

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ACROSS 1 Command from a bailiff 5 Circle calculation 9 They smell 14 Like Mini Coopers 15 Pond croaker 16 Swine squeals 17 Gave the onceover 18 Particularly welcome casino visitor 20 Alpine song 22 Ear-splitting 23 Court case that generates a media frenzy, say 30 Handsome god 32 Get really angry 33 Granada gold 34 Irritate 37 “CSI” facilities 38 Tee sizes, for short 39 “Nice job!” ... and, in another sense, a hint about the first words of 18-, 23-, 52- and 60Across 42 Geese formation 43 Leafy veggie baked for chips 45 Bitten by bees 46 Angled pipe fitting 47 Handsome god 50 __ Raiders: consumer advocates 52 Abe Lincoln nickname 55 Principal role 56 Diet food phrase 60 Irritate to the breaking point 66 Shredded 67 Construction beam fastener 68 Former South Korean leader Syngman __ 69 Golf club used for chipping 70 Blissful settings 71 Jedi guru 72 Small change DOWN 1 Do as directed 2 Toy with a spool 3 Deleted, with “out”

California, the Mormon church took a definite stance against marriage equality. It backed a referendum for Prop 8 that was eventually shot down in court in 2010. Its backing represented a clear stance on the issue.

During Prop 8, gay marriage was the church’s primary focus. The Church made up almost 90 percent of door-to-door petitioners in favor of Prop 8 and half of the campaign’s funds came from the Mormon church.

There is also a dark history of reparative therapy in the Mormon church. It still views homosexuality as a curable condition, even while accepting that LGBTQ sexual orientations are not by simple choice.

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non-discrimination laws under an LGBTQ pretense because they think it will have a better chance of passing, seeming less selfish.

The Mormon church may realize cultural acceptance of homosexuality is consistently increasing and that adaptation is becoming a requirement for all modern religious.

Whatever the reasoning, though, it is important not to divvy out progress where it is undue. Celebrating acceptance when it is just oppression disguised as acceptance only further perpetuates oppression.

Adrianne Glenn primarily writes about social and cultural issues for The Pitt News.

Write to Adrianne at adg79@pitt.edu.

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2/17/15

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49 Blueprint detail, for short 51 Sexy 53 Cable Guy of comedy 54 The Gem State

Various church leaders make it clear that this support of non-discrimination does not change their stances on homosexuality. For example, Sister Neill Marriott, originally from Louisiana, claimed that these unions are eternally contrary to God and that “his commandment and doctrine comes from sacred scripture and we are not at liberty to change it.”

Given the ongoing tension between LGBTQ people and the church, non-discrimination against LGBTQ people doesn’t seem to be their first priority, gaining a right to discriminate on religious grounds is the real focus. It is possible they have to cloak their support of religious

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February 3, 2015 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com

ARTS and ENTERTAINMENT MUSIC

Sleater-Kinney makes triumphant return on ʻNo Cities to Loveʼ Stephanie Roman Staff Writer

against consumerism, Puritan work ethic and the devil. Utilizing some moody guitar and heavy tom-drums, it’ll pound its way right into your brain.

“Fangless” continues the slowed-down, mechanical craft with a subdued hint of dance pep, a definite ode to some of Sleater-

It’s not the riot grrrl that’ll make you denounce religion, government and sexism, but Sleater-Kinney’s return to music after a 10-year hiatus carries the same wit, emotion and alternative guitar tuning that made it hugely influential in the ’90s.

Sleater-Kinney formed in Olympia, Wash., in the midst of the feminist punk rock riot grrrl movement.

Progressive and leftleaning, the movement generally promoted equality, but had its share of anti-authoritarianism. By the start of the 21st century, riot grrrl started crawling and dying out, becoming less pertinent in the music and art scenes, but SleaterKinney remained in action until 2005.

After its exhausting run of touring and recording, the band needed a break to raise kids, work on side projects and film Photo via the band’s Facebook page one of the decade’s most successful sketch comedy shows (Carrie Brownstein’s “Portlandia”). Although Sleat- Kinney’s earlier work and co-frontwoman er-Kinney’s rise to power looked trailblazing Corin Tucker’s elaborately ranged and imat the time, its hiatus left a massive void in peccable vocals. Tucker doesn’t scream and female-centric rock. Now the band is back thrash, but she instead delivers a matured to remind everyone about the awesomeness and important lecture about the danger of of girl-powered rock music with its eighth worshipping an idol. Similarly, “Surface studio album, No Cities to Love.

Envy” lets the guitars take over and jam a The album dives right in with an indus- bit, sporting fluctuating riffs and a kicky trial and experimental piece called “Price chorus.

Tag” — and it’s definitely not the pop song The titular “No Cities to Love” actually

by Jessie J. It’s a diluted, antagonistic spiel strips everything down, removes the white

noise and presents a pretty straightforward rock song. Its continually evolving chorus, “It’s not the cities/ It’s the weather we love/ It’s not the weather/ It’s the nothing we love/ It’s the people we love,” will hook you with its recurrence.

“No Anthems” controls its assault

break for 10 years.

The 10-song album tops at 32 minutes, averaging three-and-a-half minutes per song in standard old-school punk style, so it’s a brief time commitment and the perfect mix of ass kicking and determination to accompany workouts or street brawls.

The tracks don’t let up for a second — they’re super tight and excellently produced by No Cities to Love John Goodmanson. It is very much an older, wisGrade: er Sleater-Kinney skilled with instruments, keys and sounds to make for a cohesive and cleareyed approach.

The album begins closing out with its most melodious tune, the penultimate “Hey Darling.” Perfectly tuned with equal amounts of rock, lyricism and Blondie-sensibility to encourage sing-alongs, it makes you smile before the stormy, melancholy closer, “Fade.”

“Fade” finishes with a small dose of autotuned vocals, echoing cries and sentimental wah-wah mixed with earned overprocess. It has a strangling feeling, as if it were going to drown its listeners and through a deadpan, minimalist and ambi- suffocate them in the message. “Oh what a ent verse that trickles and whispers, but price that we paid/ My dearest nightmare/ the song revisits Sleater-Kinney’s past in My conscience/ The end,” Tucker croons its aggression-fueled bridge, “Seduction/ mournfully, reminiscing on the band’s traPure function/ It’s how I learned to speak,” jectory. and chorus: “I’m not the anthem/ I once was The last track aptly summarizes the an anthem/ They sang a song of me.” The plight of post-riot grrrl bands, signaling their overflow of rapacious emotion makes this descent and decline, but Sleater-Kinney’s one innately memorable — plus its swing return is utterly inflexible, highly conscious and scintillation in tone, tempo and volume and constrained — exactly the sort of thing speak musically for a band that’s been on we didn’t know we needed.

Sleater-Kinney

A

February 3, 2015 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com CINEMA

7 TNS

‘Project Almanac’ an earnest, if illogical, found-footage entry Ian Flanagan Staff Writer It may not contribute anything groundbreaking to either the time travel genre or the now-fading, found-footage canon, but “Project Almanac” is nonetheless a diverting, breathless sci-fi yarn — provided that you don’t think too hard.

The heavily flawed film remains endearing mainly because it is so eager to please. “Almanac” charges forward at a breakneck pace, reveling in its own lucid, frenetic energy, but the film would be far more respectable if its story held up to the slightest bit of scrutiny.

We mustn’t get too worked up about the coherence of time-travel movies. It should be easy to forgive certain things, such as how a group of high school students are able to construct a portable time travelling device. The teenage collective, led by brainiac David (Jonny Weston), succeed — after a great deal of trial and error — once they discover instructions and equipment for the machine left by David’s late father.

It’s not really the assembly that’s hard-

est to swallow, but the choices our suppos- the obligatory romantic interest Jessie edly whip-smart protagonists make once (Sofia Black-D’Elia). They all make a pact to they venture into the past. Getting rich fast never jump through time alone, but when with knowledge of the future and living it David misses his shot with Jessie during up at Lollapalooza are easy decisions to the debauchery of the music festival, he accept by impulsive youth, but going to goes back solo to get another chance. He their school to get better grades? What if one of their Directed by: Dean Israelite peers were Starring: Jonny Weston, Sofia to notice two versions of Black-D’Elia, Sam Lerner any of the five Grade: of them walking through the hallways?

Coming into contact with your past self could rip a hole in the uni- is pleased to return to a present where the verse, yet it’s the first thing these geniuses two of them are happily entangled, but he do with their newfound power. finds that an unbelievable chain reaction The group includes David’s sister (Vir- created new tragedies in the process. ginia Gardner) — who is mostly off-screen The drama of the final act involves filming home video footage of the events of David repeatedly returning to the past to the movie — his two buddies Quinn (Sam solve a problem he created by returning Lerner) and Adam (Allen Evangelista) and to the past earlier, but it takes a while for

“Project Almanac”

C+

him to realize the irony of his situation.

The film is sloppy about explaining how each new negative change is manifested, but the implied sentiment about karma and the inevitable balance of the universe is appreciated. Point being, no one can have it all.

The cast of unknowns is fun to watch, and the script’s tendency for humor keeps things relaxed just when the characters’ illogical actions are most obvious. But for every neat trick the film pulls, it turns around and breaks its own rules. The science-fiction is almost digestible before the convoluted incoherence of its latter half.

“Project Almanac” is more concerned with cheap thrills than making sense, and it also gives little reason for utilizing the well-worn found-footage gimmick, unlike its recent sharp use in Josh Trank’s “Chronicle.” It makes basic mistakes within this format, too — we can hear characters from across a crowd, and the camera has infinite battery life — and tries to cover its tracks by moving the story along faster than it hopes the audience can think.

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February 3, 2015 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com

MEN’S BASKETBALL

SPORTS

Artisʼ 32 points propels Pitt past pesky Bryant Mark Powell Staff Writer Behind 32 points from forward Jamel Artis, Pitt held on against underdog Bryant to pick up a 72-67 win.

The game was a sly trap for the Panthers, a non-conference matchup smacked in between their win against top-10 Notre Dame this past weekend and their upcoming game versus ACC rival Syracuse on Saturday.

“Defensively the scheme I put in early was not the right scheme,” Pitt head coach Jamie Dixon said. “I wish we played better, but we played well down the stretch... [Bryant] is dangerous.”

A loss would have been an unthinkable blemish on Pitt’s tournament resumé, and it didn’t come easy, as Bryant surprisingly tested Pitt all the way to the final buzzer.

“Today, our defense wasn’t that great, but we still came out with a win,” Artis said.

The Bulldogs came into the game 10-10 on the year, but have been playing much better in the conference season with a 7-3 record in the NEC. Bryant’s game plan was clear from the early going, passing the ball around the perimeter and finding open shooters through excellent floor spacing. The strategy worked early, as they made four out of their first five from beyond the arc and took an eight-point lead with just under 10 minutes remaining in the first half. Guard Dyami Starks led the Bulldogs early, scoring 11 of their first 23 points, including two 3-pointers.

The hot shooting cooled down as Pitt took off with a 9-0 run fueled by two steals and breakaway dunks by senior guard Cam Wright.

Bryant’s offense crashed, and the Panthers controlled the glass for the majority of the half, which contributed heavily to their limited halftime deficit despite the Bulldogs’ 51 percent shooting.

The Bulldogs responded to Pitt’s run

with a 14-4 run of their own to put themselves up a point to end the half. Bryant players entered the locker room shouting “ACC who?” and the Panthers were in for an unexpected fight in the second half.

“We had some defensive mistakes with the switches,” sophomore guard Josh Newkirk said. “We just made our runs, too.”

Artis led all Pitt scorers in the half with 10 and continued his recent hot shooting, making more than 60 percent of his shots over the last five games.

Bryant began the second half on a 5-0 run to push the lead to six, eliciting moans and groans from the sparse Petersen Events Center crowd. Pitt responded with four straight buckets from Artis to tie the game in an eventful few opening minutes.

In all, Artis scored six out Pitt’s first seven baskets of the second half while attacking the Bulldogs’ zone defense, including two straight threes to give them an eight-point lead with 12 minutes remaining in the game. “[Artis] is great at attacking the zone,” Newkirk said. “He attacks the open spots and gaps in the zone, and we did a great job finding him in there.”

The Panthers’ power forward could turn into the go-to player the team has been lacking this season.

“I guess with 32 that’s a pretty good sign,” Dixon said. “We’re looking for him ... That mid-range release is a rare skill.”

The two teams continued to answer each other with back and forth runs, with neither able to grab a considerable edge on the scoreboard until late in the contest.

Redshirt sophomore guard Chris Jones gave Pitt a one-point lead with a minute remaining after corralling a bad pass to make an open jump shot from the wing.

On Bryant’s next possession, Jones came up big again, reading a bad pass and coming up with a steal.

Wright then hit a jump shot with 15 seconds left, putting the Panthers up three.

JAMEL ARTIS SCORED A CAREER-HIGH 32 MONDAY EVENING ALYSON DERRICK |

POINTS

STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Electing to play straight-up defense rather than foul, Pitt allowed Starks to put up a three from straight away which clanked off the rim, sealing the Panthers’ 15th win of the season.

Artis’ 32 points set a new career high, and was the sophomore’s fourth 20-pointplus game in the last five contests. Point

guard James Robinson pitched in with nine assists, while big man Michael Young notched a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds.

The Panthers will look to extend their winning streak at home against Syracuse on Saturday. Tip-off at the Petersen Events Center is scheduled for noon.

February 3, 2015 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com

PITT IN THE SUPER BOWL In the last 20 years, 9 different Pitt players have won 10 total Super Bowl rings. Here are all the world champion alum.

Year

Player

Position

Team

2015

Darrelle Revis

CB

Patriots

2012

Henry Hynoski

FB

Giants

2010

Darrell Dinkins

TE

Saints

2005

Hank Poteat

CB

Patriots

2003

Jeff Christy

C

Buccaneers

2001

Billy Davis

WR

Ravens

2001

Tom Siragusa

DT

Ravens

1996

Billy Davis

WR

Cowboys

1995

Rickey Jaskon

DE

Niners

1995

Adam Walker

RB

Niners

TOP LEFT, DARRELLE REVIS. TOP RIGHT, HENRY HYNOSKI. BOTTOM, BILLY DAVIS. | TNS

FROM PAGE 1

PLAYLIST

9 Physical preparation is one key to high performance, but mental focus, Bonaccorsi said, is equally critical, especially because he usually competes

at the end of the meet.

“Sometimes, you’re sitting on that bench, and you start to feel nervous. When you’re nervous, you start to feel tired. So you need something,” he said.

Avoiding that blend of anxiety and exhaustion can be essential during a wrestling meet. Mikey Racciato, a sophomore member of the 7-4 Pitt wrestling team, says certain genres of music — take, country — don’t subdue that sensation as well.

“You don’t want to be listening to country music before you go out and do something physical. I think that’s for most sports,” Racciato said. “I’ve been listening to rap, even before [high school] football games and stuff, basically my whole life, so I just carried it over to college.”

Rap or hip-hop music delivers a cadence that also amps up the energy of swimmer Kourosh Ahani before suiting up for a meet.

“I listen to hip-hop, like Drake or Lil Wayne, before a meet to pump myself up because the beat is pretty good, and it gets my adrenaline going,” he said.

Beyond the physical benefits, the athletes also look to music as a way to shape their mental state before a contest.

“I like music that gets me mad,” Ahani said. “I want to be mad before a race. A competitor is not my friend.”

Music also acts as an escape before competition, allowing isolation and time to get in the zone.

“Before races, I don’t like talking to people. I put my earphones on half an hour before a race,” said Cam Dixon, a senior on the swim and dive team, who relies on EDM artists, such as The Disco Fries, before a meet.

Like song choice, the volume of Dixon’s music matters.

“I can’t listen to it quiet. It needs to be blasting in my headphones,” she said.

Although EDM, rap and hip-hop are logical choices with their fast-paced beat and powerful sound, some athletes choose a different approach to get their minds in the right place. For gymnast Maebelle Pacheco, the optimal pre-stunt mood is zen.

“I listen to calming music, not the hyped-up kind,” Pacheco, a junior, said. “I like relaxing music because I’m always so tense and stressed out. I need it to calm me down – like a getaway thing.”

Another junior competing for Pitt gymnastics, Lisa Soto, said peaceful sounds help — but only for certain events.

“For beam, I choose more calming music because it’s more of an event that you have to be concentrated on. The beam is only four inches wide and it takes a lot of focus. But for something like floor, you want something really energetic,” she said.

Pacheco lists Joe Hertler & The Rainbow Seekers as her favorite tranquil artist for their upbeat, melodic sound, whereas Soto says rapper Kid Ink is always a go-to for her.

“Music is some source of energy,” Soto said. “My energy is more hyped up.”