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True North
Letter From The Editor
~tllJ~
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The staff of True North considers it a blessing and slight burden to carry on the legacy of this magazine. For 12 years, True North has showcased the distinctiveness of Anchorage, and the university that is its quiet economic and cultural force. This year is no exception. True North 2006 revels in some of the essential reasons to love where we live. We will introduce you to some local cowpokes and let you in on what comes after competing in the Olympics. We're pretty sure we know exactly how you should spend your tax refund and we suggest how to get around, "get down," and enjoy the summer sun. We have an insider's view of plastic surgery in the Last Frontier. And, just like any other college class, there's a test at the end, but the only study guide you'll need is a pair of bunny boots and a roll of duct tape. It was my pleasure this year to work with such an exceptional staff. As individuals, we are privileged to do something we love and (eventually) make a living from it. Each writer, photographer and designer for TN has drawn from a source of creativity and managed to stay confident and positive despite obstacles. We hope that what you discover this year is not only enjoyable, but also encourages you to go out and unearth your own reasons to love this place. -
Forrest Schroeder-Einwiller, editor in chief True North Vol. 12
A production of the UAA Department of Journalism and Public CommunicatlOns
Assistant Professor Paola Banchero, True North adviser
907-786-4194
truenorthmag net/ truenorth(iI,uaa.alaska.edu
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True North
Table
ents
Love This Place
Community
49th state of mind
Inside Juneau
Keep the spirit alive
Working for the powerful
Page 37
Page 10-11
Are you a true Alaskan? Find out if you are a true blue
Alaskan
Page 30
Plastic Alaska Not just in Beverly Hills
anymore
Page 12-14
Get Out Tax refund spending
On the right track
10 ways to blow it
AnchorRIDES rolls
Page 3
Page 15
Midnight sun madness Let the sun shine
Men without shame
Page 4-5
Bob and Mark rock the airwaves
Bartending bloopers
Page 16-18
Surreal memories
Page 6-7
Determined Local music promoter
Heather Prunty
Page 8-9
Lifestyles
Musical discrimination UAA restricts musical genres to thwart risky behavior
Page 20-21
Sports/ Outdoors
Enhanced entertaining
Scaling new heights
Invite your friends over
Rachel Steer contemplates life
Page 22
Page 26-27
Tired of takeout
Sibling rarity
Food is no longer your foe
Alaska cowpokes kick it
Page 24-25
Page 28-29
True North
Get Out
The peak of the summer solstice usu ally occurs on June 21 in the northern hemisphere and on Dec. 21 in the southern hemisphere. Because the earth rotates at a tilt, the northern and southern hemispheres have a solstice completely opposite of one another. Summer in Alaska is defined by the activi ties that go along with the solstice. All across the state there are parties, music festivals, barbecues and baseball games to not only enjoy the warm nights, but also to celebrate the arrival of summer. Here is a list of all the happenings this year:
Fairbanks: Catch a late-night game with the world's most northern baseball club, the Fairbanks Goldpanners, in the 10 1st annual Midnight Sun Baseball Classic. What began as a bet between two bars over a century ago has turned into one of baseball's most distinctive events. June 21 Growden Memo rial Park. Girdwood: Get in touch with nature at the 31st annual Girdwood Forest Fair. Music, entertainment, food and crafts adorn this gathering for three solid days of family fun. Bring friends, admission is free. July 7,8,9 www.girdwoodforestfair.com . Anchorage: Watch more than 3,500 world-class runners zigzag through Anchor age's expansive trail system in the Mayor's Marathon and Half-marathon. Better yet, lace up some shoes and jog through one of the most scenic courses in the U.S. There are races for every skill level. June 17 www.mayorsmarathon.com. Valdez: With some of the nation's top play wrights in attendance, the Last Frontier Theater Conference is an actor's gathering extraordinaire. Hosted at Prince William Sound Community Col lege, there are classes and discussion during the day, and performances at night. June 17-24 www. pwscc.edu. Seward: Hike up Mount Marathon and back as fast as you can. That's the goal for runners in the grueling Fourth of July Mount Marathon race. Complete with aggressive terrain and near-vertical rock faces, only the strong can survive this chal lenge. July 4, 2006 www.sewardak.org.
Juneau: Watch the lumberjack contests and the mining games at the Gold Rush Days Festival held at Diamond Park. This annual gathering cel ebrates Juneau's mineral-rich history. June 24-25 www.juneaugoldrush.com.
Some light facts The sun measures about 865,000 miles in diameter, about 109 times larger than the earth. The earth receives only about two billionths of the sun's total energy output, yet that tiny fraction is enough to sustain life. The sun is about 5 billion years old, and should continue burning for another 5 billion years.
s
True North
Bar Tales
Irish Gut Bomb "It was probably around 8 o'clock on a Friday night, so it wasn't like everyone was drunk yet. People were still pre-partying. So a group of four comes in, three guys and one girl and they order a round. The group had probably been in here for 45 minutes to an hour or so and they had been drink足 ing heavily. So anyway, they order another round of Irish Car Bombs and everybody chugs. As they are all chugging their drinks, I notice that one of the guys takes half of his and pukes it back up into his cup, but he tries to be sly about it, you know, and not let anyone see what had just happened. Then before anyone realizes, his buddy next to him starts
saying, 'What the hell, man. You didn't drink your shot!' So the buddy, without letting his ill partner respond, grabs the cup and downs it for him! By now everyone at the table knew that the guy threw up in the cup and they had just watched their friend drink puke. It was like the most disgusting thing I have ever seen, and I thought I was gonna vomit! But at the same time it was hilarious 'cause who drinks their friend's puke?" - Kelly at Rumrunners Old Towne Bar 330 ESt.
Compiled by Ryan Verney, Nickie Cruthirds and Jordan Huss
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Anchorage's bars are known for often disgustingthings. We asked
Trashed "In this bar, when I came here, it was perfectly acceptable to drink while you were working. You didn't have time to stop and drink a mixed drink so you learn to drink shots. I worked with a wait足 ress who would say 'Patty, let's share a little shot of schnapps,' and I'd say, 'One shot Barbara, just one.' Twenty shots later and I am bombed! It's Friday night and there are cops everywhere because one of the bloodiest fights that ever oc足 curred in this bar had just taken place and on top of that, my husband is here. I have no idea what started the fight because Barbara and I are drunk and the manager is telling my husband, 'Get her outta here!' Well, at the end of the bar there were
6
two trash cans: one was full, one was empty. I had a glass of peppermint schnapps in one hand, my purse in the other and I was going to back up to the full trash can and lean onto it and sit down. OH NO! I backed up to the empty one instead and sat down, falling into the can! The bar went totally silent and all you could hear was me screaming, 'Somebody get me outta this goddamn trash can!' It took me about five years to live that one down." - Patty Irving at the Gaslight Lounge 721 W. Fourth Ave.
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The Dirtier, the Better "It was a Wednesday afternoon, just after our busy lunch rush. The bar was completely empty and I was cleaning up when a well-dressed man walked in. In my four years working there, I had never seen him before. He sat at my bar and or足 dered a Budweiser and some salmon spread. A while after I had delivered his food, I noticed he had not eaten any of it. 'Weird,' I thought. Well, after sitting there for a good 25 minutes without touch足 ing his food or saying anything, he finally asks me a question. He says, 'If I paid you $20, could I have your socks?' 'You wanna pay me money for my dirty socks?' I replied loudly. He kind of looked around to see if anyone had heard, but there was no one else around. 'Yeah, 111 give you $20 for them,' he said quietly. 'OK ... sure' I said, and proceeded to take off my shoes to give him my socks. Before I could get them off, he stops me and says, 'Oh, um, could you wear them a little longer and I'll come back for them when you get off work?' Now I'm thinking, this guy is weird ... weird ... weird. But I still say, 'OK.' He
pays his bill, still without ever touching his food -not even wanting a to-go box- then leaves. As six o'clock nears, that's when I get off, I start getting nervous about him coming back. Well, he never shows up! So I leave, and just as I was walking out to my car, he approaches me. He had a brand new pair of socks in his hand for me to change into. We walked right into the entryway of a nearby restau足 rant; they had a chair for waiting customers. As I sat down and took my shoes off, he stared at my feet like a lion watching its prey. It was disgusting! So I give him my socks, put on the new ones and he hands me the $20. He then says, 'Thanks, you think we can do this, like, once or twice a week?' I told him, 'Sorry, this was a one time thing for me,' and that was it. I have never seen him again, and I don't ever want to think about what he did to, or with, my dirty socks." - Audrey Alfaro, F Street Station 325 F St.
I
'r raucous moments. Moments when patrons - and sometimes those who tend bar - do and say some odd and lew bartenders at local watering holes to tell us about amomenUheywon't soon forget. We doubtyou will either.
Hotel Hit Man "I was working at Cusack's (in the old Northern Lights Hotel) and that's where the Aces hockey players were living at the time. After work one night we all went upstairs to one of the rooms where there was an after-work party with some of the Aces. There was a Russian hockey player and he called my friend a cyka (pronounced soo-ka), which is either 'whore' or 'bitch' in Russian. So I slapped him! Then he told me that he had friends in the KGB and that he was going to call them. Five min足 utes later somebody shows up and pounds on the door really loud - scaring the shit out of me - so
I jumped behind the curtains and hid! I was like, 'Oh my God, he's having me shot!' It turned out to be some hockey groupie girl and she was actually kicking the door. Of course nothing ever happened, but I always wondered if he really had connections like that." - Peggy Boudreaux now at Blues Central 825 W. Northern Lights Blvd.
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True North
Hip Hop Promoter
When Heather Prunty came to Girdwood in the summer of 2000, she had no intention of staying, let alone starting one of the most successful promotion companies in Alaska. She had just left Chicago to visit friends in Denali and didn't plan to stay past the summer. But when she found herself driving into Gird wood on a pristine summer day, with paragliders lightly floating in the clear blue sky, she fell in love. Prunty decided to move to Girdwood permanently. However, she quickly discovered a problem with her seemingly-perfect town: There were no hip-hop shows. "I would go to Anchorage every night, even if to just find a DJ that was spinning hip-hop," Prunty recalls. About five months later, the soon-to-be promoter decided to do something about Girdwood's situation. She began making
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phone calls to West Coast agents, record label representatives, and hip-hop artists to see who was willing to brave a trip to Alaska. Synapse Promotions had begun. Prunty started small, using venues like the Sitzmark Bar & Grill to bring up lesser-known artists for the first year. Girdwood residents were indifferent at best, and most showed an unenthu siastic response toward the MCs and DJs snooping in their town. Still determined to bring qual ity music to Alaska, Prunty set her sights higher, and her venues elsewhere. In 2001 she sealed her first big contract with rap group Latyrx (made up of Lyrics Born and Lateef the Chief) and chose Hilltop as the venue. The show was not a success. "I didn't know the market at all, I just brought them up," Prunty says. "Maybe 10 people knew who Latyrx was, and they were
my friends." Prunty continued to struggle with shows back in Girdwood as well. The bands were scarce and the musical diversity was practi cally non existent. Girdwood had officially been pigeon-holed as a bluegrass/jam-band town. There were obstacles to over come, but Synapse would eventu ally break through the barriers of the quiet town. With a better sense of marketing, Prunty con tinued to plan shows in Gird wood. In 2002 she brought up DJ Greyboy of the Greyboy Allstars, and finally got the response she was looking for; people loved it. Several successful shows fol lowed, and music enthusiasts from other cities started tak ing note of the name Synapse. Not only were Prunty's turnouts getting better, she had received assurance they would stay that way by using Girdwood as her
True North
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shows in Girdwood and Fair banks, Prunty says shell be tack ling venues like the Egan Center and the Sullivan Arena for her more popular acts. Synapse has already dealt with recent offers from names as big as Atmosphere and The Beastie Boys. Six years ago you couldn't find quality hip-hop to save your life in Alaska. From a musical per spective, our state was a cul tural wasteland. But if Heather Prunty's love for Alaska stays as strong as her love for music, our state is guaranteed a very vital future in the underground music scene. Top: Pigeon John at the Sitzmark; bottom: Crown City Rockers at Rumrunners
headquarters. "Girdwood was the great fil tration process," says Prunty. "People aren't going to weather the roads in the dead of winter and drive all the way to Girdwood unless they really want to see an act." Synapse continued to bring up big names over the next three years including the likes of Busdriver, Pep Love, Blackalicious, and Grayskul. Prunty had become dedicated as ever in keeping underground hip-hop alive in Alaska. She recalled the Living Legends show that she hosted, despite getting food poisoning the night before. With an IV still in her arm, she picked up the group from the air port, took them to the venue, and stayed for their entire show. "I lost five pounds overnight," Prunty recalls. With her reputation growing, Prunty was recently hired as the entertainment director of Rumrunners. Prunty says working for the downtown Anchorage bar has given her a lot more opportunity, including the freedom of con
tracting shows up to four months in advance. "Before I would just set up shows on the fly," Prunty says. "I would book a show three to four weeks out and just somehow make it happen." Not only is she now planning further in advance, she aspires to bring more than just hip-hop to Alaska. Prunty says she'd like to make offers to a wide range of bands, genres ranging from punk to indie rock. Prunty will continue Syn apse while still securing shows for Rumrun ners. As long as Synapse isn't directly competing with Rumrunners for a show, shell be able to operate both simultaneously. Along with doing Synapse
HEATHER'S TOP 5
HIP-HOP
ARTISTS/GROUPS
1. Haiku D'etat (Aceyalone,
Mikah 9, Abstract Rude)
2. LiVing Legends (The Grouch,
Luckyiam, Sunspot Jonz)
3. Aesop Rock 4. Sage Francis S. Black Star (Mos Def, Talib
Kweli)
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When I arrived in Juneau to participate in the Alaska Universi ties Legislative Intern ship program, I had to adjust quickly. Instead of finishing my last col lege semester at UM, I would receive credits by working for a state legislator, participating .......',.',". lhe second session 24th Legisla ead of reading ctions of lature ing to
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of an urban jungle and a coastal fishing vil lage. I like to watch the state employees walk to work in their busi ness clothes; their wool overcoats and suits are usually accessorized with X-TraTuf rubber boots. You can tell who's come from Anchorage, Seattle, or beyond to testify before the Leg islature: they're identi fied by soaked-through wingtips and high heels. Tiers of stairs con nect the various levels and plateaus of town. Because the staircases W1:en serve as streets, y of them have ea. I liv,e at the top
prefer to call them the Vomit Stairs, because the steps rise from the front door of the local soup kitchen, The Glory
128 steps.
I've had more than my surroundings to adjust to. I came to this expe rience fresh from five years of waitressing. My work skills primar "My critical ily consisted of moving reading and fast, multi-tasking, and writing skills
keeping my opinion to are invaluable, myself. The quick reflexes and unlike my and ability to juggle has served me well, but my previous jobs,
time spent in college my opinion is
classrooms has turned out to be worthwhile as respected."
well. My critical reading and writing skills are Hole, and its patrons are invaluable, and unlike fond of puking on the my pr~Vious jobs, my landings. The monikor is tQpmion is expected. alsohandY,sincevmn The interns a.t:e treat ~~D,ecker iting is what I feel like ed just like regular staff, doing after I cliinb all iihQUgh I at a fraction of the cost.
ibilities are tid legisla , but I also ful fill. e requirements by nading texts, writing papers, and attending rnship seminars. My academic papers must mdude interviews with various legislators, so I have met with some of the most powerful and accomplished people in the state. Most new aides would not have that opportunity. Legislative interns are involved in all aspects of legislative work. Some research and write new bills, then shepherd them through a maze of committee hearings. Some interns, like my self, have found the bulk of their work in the com mittees their legislator sits on. My boss, Repre sentative Mary Kapsner of Bethel, sits on the Transportation, Re sources, and Fisheries Committees. I read and analyze bills that will appear in those commit tees, provide a synopsis, pros and cons, and im portant questions for my ~8S) and take notes on tl;le proceedings of the committee. I also share ,8J:ht1~,ltrative duties ce mate and ·tuents. ose
work skills, and the hectic, hilarious, often riotous life experience I am receiving. The capitol building is old and distinguished, yet packed with vibrant energy. Last week, student representatives from the University of Alaska system inundat ed the offices to lobby
"It's true: I have never felt so utterly occupied and excited." for maximum funding. Simultaneously, most of the state school districts flew in delegations to deliver their education priorities. The floors were thronged with en thusiastic college stu dents dragging flotillas of balloons and anxious bands of schoolteach ers more comfortable teaching algebra than petitioning for budget crumbs. Add that to the everyday cast of lobby ists, state employees, and citizens-with-a-mis sion that roam the halls, and you have the equiv alent of a crowd scene from a 1950s musical. I sometime expect to see food vendors, clowns walking on stilts, and buskers in the stairwell. Amid all this chaos, transactions are . What appear ac
taffis
actually a deliberately executed information exchange. It is not inac curate to say that half the deals in this town are made in the bars. To that end, the Tri angle Bar is dominated so totally by legislators and staff that many refer to it as their real office. The frantic social agenda is reminiscent of dorm life. Most people here for the session are displaced, and expected to conduct business at a breakneck pace, in an atmosphere filled with intrigue and subterfuge. Even legislators are liv ing in seedy efficiencies, waiting for the weekends to go home to their fami lies. Meanwhile, staff members are having the time of their lives. The other day, I was speaking on the phone with a friend whom I hadn't spoken with since I'd left. She had lots of things to tell me about: a new boy friend, a trip to Mexico, and the thesis she was writing. But somehow, I couldn't stop myself from rambling on and on about oil taxes, gas pipelines, and budget minu tiae, knowing full well that she could care less.
Instead of being ex asperated, she laugged and told me that she'd never heard me sound so engaged. It's true: I have never felt so utterly occupied and excited. The legislative intern ship program has been one of the most inten sive, eye-opening expe riences I've ever had. Before this, I planned on a career in journalism that might utilize my interest in politics. Now I'm beginning to con sider a career in politics, assisted by my journal ism training. For more informa tion about the Alaska University Legislative Internship program, please visit http://www. uas. alaska. edu / intern program.
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True North
Cosmetic Surgery
Plastic Alaska With the popularity of makeover shows, cosmetic surgery and other procedures no longer have a stigma, even in Alaska Story by Tiffany Fannin and photo by Sarah Quimby
o
rive through any town in Alaska and you're bound to see a few bumper stickers that read Alaska Girls Kick Ass. This statement seems to sum up the rough-around-the-edges women that populate the nation's biggest state. And the women are proud of their reputation, too. Even U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski said the phrase when she was up by 8,000 votes in the 2004 Senate race against former Gov. Tony Knowles. Alaska women are not all women's rights activists, or over achievers who set out to win the Iditarod, although some have. They have some of the insecuri ties that women do elsewhere. They want to feel accepted; they are affected the same way by the gorgeous, paper-thin models in a Victoria's Secret catalog. Damn that Tyra Banks. Many women in Alaska feel the pressures of being a certain shape, having a certain hairstyle and looking a certain way, just like women allover the world. But the difference between Alaska women and women in the Lower 48 is that while many women in Alaska care about their looks, they are usually down-to earth enough to admit when their appearances have had a little help. Take, for example, Charlotte Webb, who is a 63-year-old grandmother. Webb had four
1%
children with her husband. After 25 years of marriage, she had to battle through a messy divorce. After the divorce, Webb de cided she wanted to feel better about herself. She decided to have a few cosmetic
UAA student Erin Nesheim looks intently at her reflection. Many women, some as young as 14, have done the same and considered cosmetic surgery.
"Go for anything you can afford. Life is short. This is the only body we're given, so fix it up." -Charlotte Webb,
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surgeries done, and her ex-hus band agreed to pay half. In May of 2004, she called Dr. Michael Manuel's office to sched ule a consultation. She had her first surgery, a modified face-lift,
in November 2004. She also had an upper-eyelid lift, which give the eyes a more rested look. In January of 2005, she finished up with a breast lift and a tummy tuck. Webb is open about the work that she has had done and en courages the rest of us to "go for it. Go for anything you can af ford. Life is short. This is the only body we're given, so fix it up," she says. Webb says the total for all of the procedures was right around $20,000. Getting a lot of work done over a short period of time
True North
Community
can be more cost effective. She says that Manuel marked 10 per cent off of each procedure after the first one. Charlotte says that she was back to work three weeks after the procedures. Fortunately for her, Webb hasn't had any com plications and is happy with her results. "Dr. Manuel didn't want any thing radical. I still look like me, nothing drastic," she says. "I feel better about myself, a lot better." Webb says that the divorce gave her motivation to get all of the procedures done, but that
"I couldn't wear
cute shirts because
it's gross! So now 1
can, it's life chang
ing."
-Darolyn Wyeth, 17 she probably would have done it anyways, eventually, even if she had stayed married. "It seems addictive, I never thought it was true, but I think I'm done, but there is a tempta tion there for more," Webb says. Cosmetic surgical procedures aren't just for grandmothers or divorced women. Teens are get ting in on the action, too. Darolyn Wyeth is a bubbly and energetic 17-year-old. She laughs often and talks fast. This petite girl with dark bouncing hair and big brown eyes has a plethora of friends and "five best friends." But she felt ham pered by her size - specifically, the size of her breasts. By the time Darolyn finished her sopho more year of high school she had one size double-D breast and one size E breast. "I always had dents in my shoulders from wearing big bras
all the time," she says. Last summer, Darolyn went into surgery for a breast re duction performed by Dr. Sara Troxel. She now has average size breasts ranging from a large B to a small C cup. Darolyn says the surgery has drastically changed her life. She plays a lot more sports now that she couldn't play before. Al though, Darolyn admits, the big gest advantage is in fashion. "A lot of girls my age wear cute little tops. I couldn't wear cute shirts because it's gross! So now I can, it's life changing," she ex claims. There are many surgical pro cedures available to women and men in Alaska. Most of them are day surgeries usually last ing around four hours. These procedures include face-lifts, breast augmentation, liposuction, tummy tucks and ear pinnings. While the resources for these procedures are here in Anchor age, (both Manuel and Troxel are board certified plastic surgeons) timeliness is not. Both doctors are booked many months in ad vance. Plastic surgery is becoming a popular trend, thanks in part to reality TV shows like "The Swan" and "Extreme Make-Over." It seems to have brought a new open attitude that is replacing the old stigma that used to ac company plastic surgery, espe cially in Alaska. While plastic surgery is becom ing more common in the Anchor age area, cost is still a deterring factor. Most health care plans do not cover cosmetic surgeries. As with any surgical procedures there are risks, and occasionally complications. Insurance compa nies may refuse to cover medical costs for complications related to
cosmetic surgery. Determined individuals still find ways to afford the proce dures. Some refinance their homes, others throw it on a credit card, some dig into their 401 (k), and others save up. Troxel's office tends to beat around the bush when giving price quotes and estimates with out a consultation, whereas Man uel's office will give a breakdown of hospital costs, anesthesia and post-care costs over the phone, if requested, before scheduling the consul tation. There are less invasive per manent and semi-permanent cosmetic procedures available in Alaska that do not involve sur gery. Botox injections are avail able at a few Anchorage derma tologists' offices. In a typical Botox procedure, 10 to 18 shots are injected into the face. The chemicals in the in jections cause the skin cells to be temporarily paralyzed, decreas ing the appearance of wrinkles. Results from Botox can last up to six months: however, for deep wrinkles, it may wear off sooner. A procedure covering the area around the eyes and forehead can cost anywhere from $350 to $500 depending on where you go. Another less invasive way people are improving their looks is by brightening their smile with professional teeth whitening. In a two-hour procedure teeth can get up to 14 shades lighter with the use of an ultraviolet light. In the Lower 48 this has become so popular that there are booths set up in malls just for this purpose. A handful of Anchorage dentists, including Dr. Douglas Ness, per form the bright smiles procedure. This procedure has proven to be pretty popular among Anchor age residents. On average Ness'
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True North
Chin up or out practice performs between 200 to 300 ultraviolet light procedures each year. Other ways that people can alter their smile to improve their appearance is by getting chips filled, replacing silver crowns and fillings with white ones, getting porcelain veneer overlays, and straightening their teeth. Cosmetic dentistry patients don't have to go under the knife, and the recovery is a lot less severe, but patients can still
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quickly rack up a bill with cos metic dentistry. And once again, insurance companies usually decline to pay the bill. Somehow people still manage to afford what they want. "We offer several different op tions for patients on approved credit. We work with local loan com panies and larger ones. But most people plunk it on to their mileage plan cards," says Mary Marshall, office manager at Aes thetic Dentistry.
More surgeries and cosmetic procedures are becoming avail able, and Alaska is keeping up. Alaska women don't feel ashamed or try to hide their cosmetic help. When they get some work done, most of them are happy to tell ev eryone about it, because they are upfront and real. Alaska women don't pretend to be something they're not. They don't have to, they already know that they kick ass.
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Community
By Juanita A. Morales
SoundS freeing, but for me, a road trip - just around Anchor age - requires more than just acting on a whim. When I came to Alaska, I learned the true meaning of beauty and independence. I have seen more beauty here than anywhere else. And nothing can compare to the independence that Alaska has brought me. I've long struggled with transporta tion - just getting from Point A to Point B. Somehow I managed to get most places I needed to go on time. I used to get frustrated by this, but I learned to be grate ful for what I have. What I have in Anchorage is AnchorRIDES. AnchorRIDES is operated by a private, nonprofit company called Paratransit Ser
vices, based in Bremerton, Wash. Rhonda Moore, operations manager for AnchorRIDES, has been involved with transporta tion in Anchorage for almost 28 years. "The necessity is growing, peo ple are using the transportation for more things than for medical appointments and work," Moore says. Compared to the other transportation systems I've dealt with, I feel blessed in Anchor age. AnchorRIDES, in conjunc tion with other funding sources, provides transportation to people with disabilities. This service can be used for any trip purpose, in cluding shopping, social visits, school and volunteer work. An chorRIDES has 43 buses that it uses to get people around town. "We actually had in one day, 800 rides," Moore says. AnchorRIDES' philosophy is to provide safe and efficient trans portation, Moore says. The cost for each ride is $3 to $4.50. Students with disabilities attending the University of Alaska Anchorage may use a valid Wolf card identification to ride for free. The Seawolf shuttle gets stu dents - including those with dis abilities - around the UAA cam pus. Shane Licht is a UAA business student who uses a wheelchair. "I don't want to sit at home, do nothing and be bored. I need something to do, so I don't want to just sit back and collect money from the state," Licht says. "I want to work and feel that actually I de serve the money that I am mak ing. Coming to school gives me something to do and will help me to be able to work."
As a person with physical dis abilities, Licht encounters obsta cles such as getting around town and being able to write on his own. "I have a lot to give. I am smart. I mean, in my disability 1 don't have my hands, but I have my brain," he explains. I believe that if I go into business I can make deci sions that can help and benefit a company. I could help everybody if you have smart people making the right decisions." Licht, who grew up in Alaska, knows it can be a pain to get around if you don't have your own vehicle. And even if you do, there are times it's tough to get a parking space or get onto the side walk. Sometimes, though, moving forward has nothing to do with transportation at all: "I just try to keep a good attitUde," Licht says "that helps keep me going." AnchorRIDES is a great deal. I love the other places I've lived - from my native country Panama to Hawaii - but when I'm not in Alaska, I find myself missing the blue sky and the mountains that remind me that God made mag nificent sights. When I am here, I feel that I am home. I always get caught gaz ing at the trees, birds, the water and all the nature that surrounds me. In my moments of reflection, and in my search for happiness, I can feel that getting a fide to see my city is having independence. Whatever I've had before cannot compare with the experiences that Alaska has brought into my life. I had never realized that Alaska would become part of who I am. With the long days upon us, I'm ready to hit the road.
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without shame," says a radio spot on 106.5 KWHL at 7 in the morning as Anchorage tries to pull itself out of bed. The city shares its morning cof fee with Bob and Mark, the masterminds be hind the often rude and crude Bob and Mark Morning Show, but to see them on the streets with their families, you'd never suspect these two middle-aged guys are capable of such antics. The guys behind the humor on the Bob and Mark Morning Show on When you first KWHL-FM 106.5 are family men addressing issues important to Alaskans. listen to their show, you are bombarded by boorish humor that Story and photos by Lindsey Miller is designed to shock you, but if you can sit through five minutes without turning the dial in the room breaks out you might actually learn and how they affect the in laughter before they families and citizens of something. Bob and replay the conversation Alaska. Mark frequently talk on the air. Inside a small south about important issues, This isn't an un Anchorage radio station a lot of them pertain usual call for them. The Bob and Mark listen to ing to Alaska, such as program is controver a call they received the the proposed natural other day from a mother sial to some listeners, gas pipeline, a proposed but that's what makes whose son listens to sales tax and the Arctic it engaging. Combin their show. The mother National Wildlife Refuge. ing parodies, everyday is concerned about how Another big seller for they conduct themselves news, a natural sense their show is the fre of humor, and everyday on the show and how quent guest spots of conversation makes the it's affecting her son's local political figures. show distinct. attitude and behavior. Sarah Palin, Eric Croft, These two didn't just They go on to explain to Mark Begich, the late miraculously run into her that it's her respon Jay Hammond and each other one day and sibility, not theirs, to Wally Hickel have all decide to become one of teach her son the differ been guests on their the most popular radio ence between reality and morning show. Bob and duos in Anchorage his make believe. The mom Mark aren't looking for tory. says a few words about material for their next Bob and Mark have how they should think political joke when they been together for 10 about their actions book notable Alaska years now. Both of them before telling them both people. They genuinely have qualities that make to go to hell. Everyone care about the issues the show work and
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Community
reach their ideal audience: males between 20 and 50, according to their 22-year-old male producer known to the public as "Alice". Bob is an average guy. If a lis tener ran into him outside of his job, they probably wouldn't rec ognize him and never guess that he is one of the minds behind the shock entertainment. Bob, who grew up in Yakima, Wash., moved to Alaska in 1991 for some DJ work and has never left since. His first radio job in Alaska was with Scott Dooley do ing the Dooley and Dog Show for Power 102. He says family ranks "number one, number two and number three" in his life. He's a family man with a wife and two sons, ages 4 and 10. Mark "Hit Man" Colavecchio says becoming Bob's on-air part ner was "an accident," and he never thought it would turn into what it is today. Mark owned the New Yorker Deli in the downtown bus transit center and listened to the show as background noise until one day he decided to call in. "I would call up and be a wiseass," says Mark. "You know joke around with Bob on the phone." Those phone calls landed Mark the job of reading the daily news on the morning show. "I didn't have any intention of doing it," he says. "But I did and when I went in I said I'm not going to read the news the way news people read the news, 'cause that's boring." Outside of the show Mark is a father of three and a husband who proudly says, "My family ... that's the most important thing to me." If you listen to their show on a regular day you will find a pat tern: Bob and Mark have people constantly calling in just to talk.
Their audience is important to them and they say that's what makes them appealing. "You never know what you're going to find, you know," Bob says. "Some of the people that you would consider unimportant have the most interesting stories. To us everybody's important. Everybody's got a story to tell. We just like them to tell it on our show." Regular curiosity motivates Bob and Mark. They want to understand the issues that affect them, which is usually the stuff
"To us everybody's important. Everybody has a story to tell. We just like to tell it on our show." that other people want to know and understand, too. "People are busy, they don't have time to think about an is sue, and talk about it with other people," Mark says. "We try to get you for that 15 minutes that you commute from the Valley or whatever." Their natural connection and sick sense of hu mor get Bob and Mark morning show ratings, but in the past it's also gotten them more time • on the air. In 1999 Bob and Mark locked themselves in the studio to try and force the studio managers to give them an
extra hour of airtime. They had full control of the station until about five at night when they successfully got the extra time they wanted. The event drew a crowd of about 300 and even had Boomer, the Alaska Aces mascot, helping direct traffic. Bob and Mark get people in terested, not only from the en tertainment aspect of their show, but also with issues and people that are important to Alaska and the nation. Although they involve themselves in political hot topic conversations, they don't claim to try and influence the voters. Their topic choices and guests happen because they are natural ly attracted to things that affect our individual, family, neighbor hood and children's lives. "We just throw out information and conversation and entertain ment how we see it, but voters from 18-24 are those kids that are all vocal, they love to talk a good game, they like to get out there and protest this and rage against that, except they don't vote," says Mark. Getting people to vote is hard, and getting young people to vote is even harder. In the 2004 presidential election, only 34,836
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Bob and Mark Show Alaska voters between the ages of 18-24 cast their ballot. That's less than 42 percent of registered Alaska voters in that age group. During the months preceding the presidential election, youth were bombarded with campaigns and slogans encouraging them to get out and vote. Pop star P. Diddy's campaign "Vote or Die" was on every celebrity's T-shirt the closer it got to Election Day. Campaigns like these had good intentions but when the numbers came through, it was evident that they didn't have the effect they had hoped. In Alaska, Mark thinks that all those youth driven campaigns are garbage. "You're either gonna vote or you're not," he says. Voting is important to Bob and Mark. They even have a link to register to vote on their Web site (\\TWW.BobandMark. com). "If you're 18 and you're old enough to vote, you better be," says Bob. He says you need to vote whether or not you agree with an issue. Bob and Mark's goal of the show isn't primarily to inform voters, but politics is also used as entertainment for the
show. "As the Bush Turns" is a former soap parody of President Bush that poked fun at the presi dent and the issues he was facing at the time. "Politics is great for entertain ment," Mark says. "Because
"Because politicians are public figures, they're open to ridicule and satire and what have you. That's the na ture of the beast." politicians are public figures, they're open to ridicule and sat ire and what have you. That's the nature of the beast." There is both positive and negative feedback from the po litical figures that have been on the Bob and Mark Show. Gov. Frank Murkowski appeared, but Mark says, he left quickly after the questions he was asked made him nervous. Sarah Palin, former mayor of Wasilla, has been on the show several times as a caller and a studio guest. "[I've] loved being on the show," Palin says. "They're
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hilarious, of course, and gra cious to me. I debated another candidate on the show and their questions were bizarre, uncon ventional, and the challenge was what I liked. They know their politics too!" Palin also admits to listening when her opponents are on to get some insight on them. She agrees that by having political figures on the show Bob and Mark makes politics more appealing to young people. "They're very politically astute and do well interacting with poli ticians," she says. "They do well having them on the show and it may be the only educational fo rum that some listeners are privy to, so the show really provides a valuable service to the commu nity! They love Alaska and Alas kans, obviously, and this shines through their interactions with guests. And they're hilarious." Palin who is a candidate for governor of Alaska this year said she would be the first person to sign up if Bob and Mark ever initiate a public debate. In fact, they are planning a debate with all the gubernatorial candidates. Everyone is invited, even Frank Murkowski if he decides to run again. Bob hopes it will be "more fun, more entertaining and a little bit more loose." He also hopes that this debate reaches out to the young people of Alaska as well as other voters in the state. Bob and Mark celebrated their 10 years of being together on air last November, a testament that their program actually reaches out to the public. Whether they are spending the day talking to gubernatorial candidates or just chatting with listeners about the outrageous price for an XBox 360, people are sure to tune in to be entertained, informed or both.
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It's an often-voiced complaint that if you live in Alaska, you can expect the following: Shopping and dining chains aren't coming (despite the rumors), plane tickets anywhere else are expensive, and we don't get any good bands. While this may be the majority belief, students in volved in bringing bands and performers to campus are trying to change your view, despite the chal lenges. For the last few years, Concert Board, KRUA and UAA Student Activities have been scoring big ger names and drawing in larger crowds. Even for KRUA, which has a small budget to work with, station staff members have been able to get un derground names that people know or in the case of the Fat Tour, they helped fulfill a tour goal of playing in all 50 states. It's this idea of bringing big ger, better bands to the UAA music scene that has
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UAA students and fans cram together for the Fat Tour
started to gain the attention of the UA administra tion. "Well, it was pretty rocking," said journalism student Andrew Schmitt. "...The only thing I didn't enjoy was how high the riser was and how I kept bashing my shins up against it, but that's pretty much my fault." All three of these bands have a harder rock sound than many of the other groups that have appeared at the University of Alaska Anchorage and was a turning point for all future performances on-cam pus. "The Fat Tour was loud and different from any thing that had been here before," says J.R. Zufelt, KRUA station manager at the time of the Fat Tour. "It was sweaty with a lot of bodies and to some may have felt out of control. We had things under con trol, but to some staff it didn't seem that way." The university's risk management office say$ there is a "perceived risk" when it comes to pe~ mances of any kind and this risk increases: 4~ ing on the style or type of event. "UA requires that all external ent:i1;ie$ ity insurance when using UA faciliti tor of support services Trig Tri~ of low-impact activities, we may' insurance requirements." Those waivers are often app • ings and other mellow perfor a weekly lunch-time ~ aiver-worthy ~ th~ hows are lOw. or
Lifestyle
could be deemed a main stage e the university proof of insur足 e it through the UA risk manage-
"We had a meeting with risk management and UPD in order to discuss the on-campus events and insurance," says Concert Board coordinator Zac Clark. "Our goal was to find ways that would allow departments to lower the risk of their events and not have to pay for extra insurance. For example, the Raining Jane show was a sit-down event be足 cause that will lower the risk of people dancing and moving around, and possibly having an accident." Other student-related activities are also hindered by this policy. The annual Campus Kickoff faced hurdles last fall. The event has included rides such as a mechanical salmon (think mechanical bull, except a fish). But this year the contractor couldn't provide insurance, so organizers had to nix the salmon. The future of events on campus is uncer足 tain, but KRUA and other departments that spon足 sor similar programs are determined to continue bringing high-quality acts to campus. Zufelt pointed out that when KRUA sponsors a show, the station doesn't make any profit, and often ends up losing money in the end. "It's not about the money," he said. "It's about the students and bringing them what they want."
ZI
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Entertaining
EEnhanced enter'~1~I!rng
ntertaining is a great way for anyone to spend time with Ioved ones, express thanks, or celebrate a special occasion. During recent conversations with twenty-somethings I found many of them were starting to entertain family and friends in . th elr homes. Most remarked get togethers usually happened at a particular person's apartment where the kitchen is the size of the bathroom and the dining room consisted of miscellaneous chairs and a table found at a ga rage sale. Although space and the caliber of furniture is not some thing that may impress guests, evenings together with loved ones is worth entertaining. Wendy Farrell, an18-year-old college freshman, recently found her love of cooking after taking a culinary class in high school. The idea of entertaining her fam ily and friends is something she looks forward to when she finds her first apartment. "You get enjoyment out of seeing people enjoy what you made and it's fun to get together with friends," Wendy said. Entertaining as a young adult consists of creativity and plan ning. Many of us do not have a lot of money, space, or time to plan extravagant dinner parties like our older counterparts, but putting together a fun dinner party is still possible. As a young host you may en counter problems. Here are some helpful tips to make your party a success. Cooking is not my forte You do not have to be Wolfgang Puck to have a dinner party. There are many ways to cook
without cooking. For example, a taco night only requires chop ping and browning ground beef. You can prep the meals but your guests get to have fun putting their plates together they way they want them. Limited funds If you are one of the many poor college students or recent graduates with entry-level posi tions, entertaining is still possible Make the space on a budget. Set the budget de pending on the amount of guests you want to entertain. Whether the budget is $20 or $50, there are still options. If the budget is not reasonable to have a party you could always co-host with a friend or family member. Also, if a guest asks if they can bring anything, try to come up with something that is not financially imposing, but will be needed such as beverages or dessert. Limited Space "I wish I had a bigger kitchen," groans Callie Gates, a junior at Alaska Pacific University. Ask those who enjoy entertaining and cooking, and they'll agree that the smaller the kitchen is the harder it is to work in. One way to alleviate the stress of such a small space is by prepping your dinner party early. The more you can make and clean up before your guests arrive, the better you will feel.
where you entertain special.
Setting the mood Entertaining is not just about the food. "I hate it when I go to some one's house for a dinner party and we sit in front of the t.V. I could do that at home," Callie Gates said. A good way to set the mood is with music instead of the televi sion for background noise. Decorating the table with flow ers, candles or a disposable table cloth is a nice way to spruce up the old garage sale look it usually has. Make the space you enter tain special for the occasion. If it is a birthday blow up balloons. Always remember that enter taining should be more fun than work, so make sure you plan ahead so you can enjoy the party a long with your guests. Follow these tips to help ease the first time jitters and make your eve ning a success. Good luck!
LEAVE YOUR MARK AT UAA Permanently display your name on campus and create a lasting legacy for your children, your grandchildren, your community.
Foucault Pendulum For $ I00 your name, or another name of your choice, will be permanently linked to one of the pendulum's 360 degrees.
Tradition Walk Commemorate a special date, your graduation information, or remember a loved one with the purchase of a UAA granite brick. Starting at $100. For more infol'mation, call the Alumni Relations Office at 907·786· 1942 or visit our website at: www.uaa.alaska.edu/alumni
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In The Kitchen
By Jordan Buss
and
BreAnn Miller
What does a col lege student have to do to get a decent dinner? The answer lies right in the kitchen. Not the kitchen of a restaurant or the univer sity cafete ria, but your kitchen. Knowing how to cook is a liberat ing ability. Not only can you curb your addic tion to drive throughs, but you can A sub sandwich doesn't look as good once you can cook. save money and control the nu tritional content of your meals efits. Eating home-cooked food is as well. With cooking skills, the healthier, cheaper and, of course, days of eating food from vend tastier. ing machines, campus eateries, Setting up a kitchen: and fast-food joints are over. The Outfitting an entire kitchen best part of learning to cook is might sound expensive, but if that you get to decide what's for you use your thrift skills, you can dinner, and you can eat it in your have well-equipped kitchen for a pajamas if you want to. sensible price. Check out garage While intimidating at first, the sales and second-hand stores art of preparing food is actually for bargains on everything from easy, inexpensive and a lot of spatulas to toaster ovens. Ask fun. Learning to cook is one of your parents and other relatives the most important accomplish for hand-me-downs, or check out ments that you can achieve. Once box stores for cheap utensil pack you take control over what you ages. eat, you'll reap a lifetime of ben
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Lifestyle
Learning to cook: College is all about learning, so why not teach yourself ===r-_rr~----=:;;~'I:fr----=::;;;;;;;;;;;;:;;;: to cook? It's a skill that you will use three times a day for the rest of your life, and it can also help you im press people. Try that with algebra! There are plenty of community classes and demon strations available to the public at any given time. Classes like knife handling and sushi making are just a few of the more popular ones. Look in the local paper or Chef Felix Zollinger, executive chef at the Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge, demon strates how to prepare ahi tuna during a free cooking class provided by Spenard online for classes and schedules. Builders Supply. Cooking classes - from making basic sauces to baking elabo The television is a great outlet for rate desserts are offered around town throughout the year. cooking shows, and the library should have a huge selection of cookbooks and back issues of the peanut butter jar. Sharing a cooking magazines. Like anything day-to-day items needed for the kitchen. There are also discount kitchen with other people does else, the more you cook the better have its perks. It can be cost ef warehouses that sell items in you will be at it. Don't be afraid bulk, which is helpful if you are fective to share common items to try new recipes or cooking buying goods for the whole house such as sugar or flour, and they techniques. to use. Ethnic and specialty food might also have appliances that stores are a great place to find you otherwise would have had to Kitchen Safety: worldly ingredients that a regular buy. It also helps if your room Cooking is a relatively safe store doesn't carry. If it's the right mate can cook, too. That way you activity, as long as you follow season, farmers markets offer the can share the cooking duties and the basic rules of the kitchen. freshest produce and meats avail take turns doing the dishes. Safe practices like turning pot able, at very reasonable prices. handles away from you and hold Cooking is a skill that takes ing knives properly can keep you Sharing the kitchen: minutes to learn, but years to from injuring yourself or othThis is a matter that can make master. But with steady practice ers. If you have a small kitchen, or break a household. People and a pinch of creativity, you can it's especially important to keep have their own definition of clean, make house-warming meals that things neat and organized to everyone will enjoy. Like any suc and everybody has quirks that avoid any incidents. Keep food simply annoy the hell out of other cessful recipe, the most impor refrigerated and don't use ingre people. Getting all the issues out tant ingredients are the friends dients with passed expiration on the table at the beginning of and family that you can share it dates. As the old saying goes, the semester can save a lot of ir with, because the best way to eat "when in doubt, throw it out." ritation and animosity. The toast better is to eat together! crumbs in the butter may not Shopping for food: bother you, but your roommates Supermarkets are a great place might not like that too much. to find produce, meat and other The same goes for jelly bits in
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~------------------• By Rachel Steer
I
Sea In
always wanted to be a beauty queen. Mostly I wanted to wear a tiara and r thought that entering a pageant was the only way to get one. A big reason why I never did it was my talents weren't exactly valued on the beauty circuit. I don't think the judges would be impressed by my blindfolded rifle assembly trick, my shaky singing voice, my lack of rhythm, and my violin playing. The thing has been sitting under the bed since eighth grade. At age 28, r am too old to be doing the pageant thing. Now that my biathlon career is over, and I don't have an Olympic medal or a tiara, I'm looking for other ways to bring purpose to my life. Biathlon (cross-country skiing and shooting) has been my life since I was 14. I have been to two Olym pics and six World Championships. Sport has been good to me, but it is time to stop. r knew I was going to retire two years ago, but it took until this spring to accept that fact. Finishing a sports career without Olympic medals or World Championship trophies is kind of like losing your virginity. It is not important to anyone except you. Few people will remember whether I was 10th or 50th, except me. When your self-validation is directly related to performance, a season of bad results can be difficult to accept. After two years of steady improvement and small successes, last winter was incredibly hard. One poor result after another left me feeling like I had no worth. I spent a lot of time wondering: What did I do wrong? What can I do to fix it? Now I am leaving a world where I feel I have failed and I am entering an other that is scary and new. This is not exactly how I envisioned making the transition. When I tell athletes, coaches and friends that I am retiring at the end of the season the first response r hear is, "Oh, is it time to have babies?" It is hard for me to explain that women have other uses in life besides being beauty queens, athletes and moms. Especially when I cannot tell them what I am going to do. It has been hard to face the end of my biathlon career. It's been my life (style) for half my years on Earth. It was glamorous and tiring, frustrating and
26
n
Rachel Steer, the best female
produced, contemplates her ft
rewarding. Most of all, it was predictable. But there was a point about three years ago when I realized I was wasting my time being a mediocre athlete. My results were good, but not the best. I questioned whether I was contributing to society or just selfishly indulging in a hobby. What weighs on me the most is the realization that I equate my self-worth with my body image and ath letic performance. It makes me angry that after a life in sport, I have not allowed myself to accept my body as a tool, something that has helped me get where r am. My insecurities are more than skin-deep. I feel
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iathlete the United States has ever LIre after retiring
that the time I spent refining my biathlon skills was wasted and that I am now entering "the real world" late and unprepared. After all, snipers are not in high demand anymore and Olympians are a dime a dozen in Alaska. I am stepping into a world where how fast I ski doesn't matter. When 1 share my insecurities with non-athletes, they scoff. Athletes are supposed to have high self esteems. But there is a paradox in sport that is unavoidable. A friend and former athlete once told me that to excel at sport, you have to put everything into it. But if the results don't meet the standard you have set, then it can be difficult to accept. There is little to fall back on.
I~~-I_-
Will I always be this hard on myself? Will I allow myself to succeed ... and fail? Will I ever be as pas sionate about something as I am about biathlon? Despite all these negative thoughts, I have a deep ly rooted sense of optimism. It is exciting to think of the possibilities, and of the chance I have to build a life that is not centered on sport. A friend sent me an e-mail that helped me get through an especially hard day. He encouraged me to be positive about my experiences and to look toward the future. He assured me that my concerns will seem trivial someday. To him, building strong relationships and giving to others is what motivates him to get up each day. This advice may seem obvi ous, but it gave me inspiration to move on with my life. After the Salt Lake Olympics I went through a period of POD (post-Olympic depression). It is not unusual to experience a letdown after years of train ing and two weeks of exciting competition, fanfare and VIP treatment. I anticipated the same thing after Turin. Surprisingly, I did not fall into a chasm of de spair. Instead, I left Italy excited about the future. If you were to ask me today what I want to "be" or "do" now that I am retired, my answer would be vague. I want to finish my undergraduate degree at UAA, marry the man I've been engaged to for two years, and find a place to live in Alaska. After that, I feel like I have a lot of options and I am in no hurry to become a 9-5er, tied to a desk. I will finally get to experience all four seasons in one place. A place I call home. I will be able to give back to a community that has helped me so much. Yes, I will miss the daily challenges and satisfaction that come with testing my physical limits. Instead, I look forward to challenging my mind. I look forward to living a less predictable life, and for finding a new purpose to direct my energy. Most of all, 1 look for ward to being surrounded by people who love me for who I am, not how I perform. Maybe then I will be able to see how fortunate I am. After all, I will only realize my new purpose in life when I allow myself to accept where I am and what I have done. But just in case, I might go out and buy myself that tiara.
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Alaska Rodeo
Sibling rarity
A brother and sister reflect on the Alaska rodeo lifestyle
By Tiffany Fannin
The rodeo is one of the tough est sports to break into-assum ing it doesn't break you first. Rodeo payouts and tours don't bring the multi-million dollar contracts that Kobe Bryant and Tom Brady get. These Stetson sporting athletes must pay their own way into a rodeo, and then they don't see any money unless they win. According to the Pro Rodeo Cowboy Association, 24 million tickets are sold at more than 600 sanctioned events per year. The word "rodeo" usually goes hand-in-hand with Chey
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enne, Wyoming. Most people think of cowpoke states like Colo rado, Texas, Wyoming and Oka lahoma, not Alaska. But despite the many disadvantages that Alaska brings, The Last Frontier still has its own cowboy commu nity. Callie Willis, 22, and her broth er Garrett, 24, have made names for themselves in the world of Alaska rodeos. In 2000 they both won the title of All-Around Cow boy and Cowgirl for the state, after they both competed in mul tiple events. Both Callie and Garrett have
oeen arouna tne roaeo a.l1 tnelr lives. "My dad owns the western wear shop in Wasilla and he got me started in it," Callie says. Callie started riding horses when she was 2 and competed in the "kid rodeos." Garrett was a part of the Little Wranglers Rodeo Association in Alaska when he was 4 years old as well. Since those days, the Willis' have competed each summer at the different rodeo events across the state, in Soldotna and Nini lchik, and in Alaska's largest rodeo at the State Fair in Palmer.
True North
Outdoors/Sports Callie's events include barrel racing, breakaway roping, team roping and ribbon roping. Bar rel racing and breakaway roping are women-only events, but team roping and ribbon roping are fair game for guys and gals. "There aren't a lot of girl ropers up here who do team roping," Callie says. "I've had to compete against adult men since I was twelve." As with any sport, the rodeo takes practice and dedication, and Alaska brings its own unique set of challenges. Aspiring rodeo stars struggle more here because of the short season and great ex penses involved with training. "We only have a few months to do this stuff. People in the states do it year round every single day," Garrett says. The short summer season makes it difficult to train a horse. So many rodeo athletes here buy horses that have already been trained in the Lower 48. Callie's horses have been trained in Arizona. This practice is pricy though, costing on average more than $1,500. Because of this, many rodeo participants can only afford one horse to work with at a time. For Callie this is the hardest part about the rodeo lifestyle. "I get really attached to my horses and comfortable with them," she says. "It's hard. I had one horse that I retired but then got to bring back when the new horse got a shoulder injury. I used him for two more years and then we had to put him down. But he was 28." The horses aren't the only ones who get injured in these events. Garrett, who competes in team roping, ribbon roping, calf roping and double mugging, broke his collarbone when one of the hors es fell over the top on him. He
Callie Willis and partner Randy Grant rope a cattle together for the team was out roping event at the Palmer Rodeo held each summer at Four Corners Bar. for two months of one sea son be cause of it. But he managed to still win some events shortly after his bone had healed. After all of the expenses of buying a horse, training a horse and Wasilla is already a crowd favorite feeding a horse, rodeo partici in Alaska. pants still have to pay entry fees "Sometimes I like to keep my into each event at each rodeo. rodeo clothes on and go into the Fees in Alaska range from $25 crowd and then I hear people say $65 an event and the prices are 'Oh there she is,'" Callie says. even higher at the national level. "It's pretty fun." Callie currently works three jobs and in the summer she gives rid ing lessons to children when she isn't competing. Garrett is a State Trooper stationed out in rural Alaska. He Each summer Four Corners tries to schedule his leave time Bar in Palmer hosts a series of around the rodeo season so that events called Beauty and the he can still participate. Beast. It is a competition for He says that the best thing barrel racing and bull riding about doing the rodeos up here is events. being with his family. The Alaska State Fair hosts "We all used to go out and do the state's largest rodeo event it. It was like a family vacation each August. ($65 entry fee per every weekend," he says. event) $20 tickets. Despite Alaska's shortcomings, Soldotna and Ninilchik have Callie is still keeping the rodeo a series of four to five rodeos dream alive. She would like to each summer. Soldotna's ro make the rodeo lifestyle a more deos are less competitive and full-time gig. more family oriented. ($25 "I'd like to move out of Alaska entry fee per event) and compete somewhere else For more information and where you can do this stuff all descriptions on rodeo events year long," she says. visit www.rodeo.about.com The tall, willowy cowgirl from
Rope yourself up some fun
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Are you a true Alaskan?
Alaskans are a unique breed. We understand terms like the Lower 48 and studded tires. We unofficially recognize the mosquito as the state bird and we dress in layers. Just living here and being accustomed to the culture doesn't make you a true Alaskan. Take our quiz to find out how Alaskan you really are. 1: You scrape off your wind足
shield with:
a - a credit card
b - an ice scraper
c - Let the defroster do it
2: Carhartts are best for: a - looking dead sexy
b - working on your car
c - protecting your body from
cold weather and chainsaws
b - OK if you're into that kind of thing c - a good way to take advantage of silly tourists (we sell them our animal poop) 4: As an Alaskan driver you: a - ditch dive b - follow the tire track paths that other drivers have made in the snow c - drive within the yellow lines 5: The grossest place you've ever had to relieve yourself: a - a toilet with a dirty seat b - an outhouse c - a honey bucket
6: When you run out of room in the freezer you: a - throw something out b - eat or drink something to 3: You think moose nugget ac足 make room cessories are: c - use your porch a - absolutely adorable
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7: What is your idea of an Alaska getaway? a - A suicide run to Kenai to dip net in July b - A relaxing stay up at Chena Hot Springs c - A stay at the Alyeska Prince Hotel 8: When is the last time you shaved and how much body hair do you normally sport? a - earlier today, there's not much b - last week, I've got a little fuzz c - sometime in the last year, I like to keep warm at night Answer Key: 1: (a-2 b-l c-O), 2: (a足
o b-l c-2), 3: (a-O b-l c-2), 4: (a-2 b-l c-O), 5: (a-O b-l c-2), 6: (a-O b-l c-2), 7: (a-O b-l c-2), 8: (a-2 b-l c-O) 0-6 Permanent Fund Dividend Re足 cipient 7-10 Fancy Pants 10-13 Alaskan Adventurer 14-16 Grizzly Adams
True North
I
Love This Place
The 49th state of mind
By Jordan Huss
As Alaska becomes more populated, it risks losing the principles that governed our land. It's up to us to keep that spirit alive There is no way to define a true Alaskan, nor is there a for mula to make one. We are all dif ferent people from different cul tures, each with a different story to tell. Some were born here, some migrated. Some dreamed of the wild, and some were wild with dreams. No matter the reason of ar rival, we all reside in Alaska for the same reason. We have the Alaska spirit The spirit of Alaska is infec tious. It is the common theme of Alaskans everywhere and it originates from the sense of sharing in the challenge of build ing something new. Alaska is the land of pioneers. They were people who saw the land not as rugged rock, but as nuggets of gold. They dared to push the boundaries, and with cooperation and togetherness, forged a state of mind unlike any other. Initially a way of survival, the Alaska mind-set became a way of life. Rarely spoken of but always understood, the simple fact of inhabiting the same unforgiving land meant something signifi cant. It meant carrying the help less out when they were stuck, or offering the hungry a seat at your
Photo courtesy of the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner
Alaskans and their supporters rejoice after Senate passage of the Alaska statehood bi]] on June 30, 1958. These men had the Alaska spirit - defined by compassion, warmth and community building - and we can't let it fade.
table. It meant giving the coat off your back so another wouldn't freeze. It meant going 1,049 miles out of your way to treat the sickly. Helping others meant just as much as helping yourself. The compassion and warmth of the Alaska way can melt its way into the coldest of souls, turning curmudgeons into community builders, and skeptics into believ ers. Those philosophical roots planted by our forefathers have grown into trees that wrap their limbs around every person who steps foot onto the black soil. Sadly, those trees are being cut down. As Alaska takes on the fast-paced, developing attitude of Outside, the morals and values of the true Alaskan are losing their importance. No longer is the way
of life governed by the benevo lent principles that once shaped Alaska's welcoming attitude. One by one, people are turn ing away from the principles that governed our land. The reasons behind this are many, but the excuses are few. To keep the Alaska spirit alive, we must grasp again the ideas and the traditions that gave our state its history and implement them into our modern lives. We must reflect on the character of the pioneers who made this place what it is today. Those coura geous individuals who took the first steps and made the trail for everyone to follow. They created the Alaska spirit. It's up to true Alaskans to keep it alive.
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Thank You The staff at Tme North would like to thank the people) businesses and in足 stitutions without whose generosity this year)s magazine would not have been possible, Some have supported the True North for years) and we cadt thank you enough,
Eve Bagwell red bradley Glen Coulson Jeremy Fortner Leonid Grinberg Audrey Jo Malone Fred Pearce Lee Post Kevin Powell Jeri Rubin Toby Schwoerer
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UAA College of Health Eric Teela and Social Welfare Roger Wakelam UAA Department Alaska Railroad of Journalism Camai and Public Conoco Phillips Communications Denali Alaskan Federal Pen Air Credit Union Sugar Shack Espresso Hasco Inc. Wells Fargo The Northern Ught Erin Nesheim UAA Advancement Sean Cahoon UAA Alumni
School of Social Work Bachelor of Social Work Minor, Social Welfare Studies Master of Social Work Minor, Gerontology Graduate certification in Clinical Social Work Graduate certification in Social Work Management School of Nursing Certificate, Practical Nursing Associate of Applied Science, Nursing Associate of Applied Science, Nursing (Licensed Practical Nurse Option) Bachelor of Science, Nursing Science RN Bachelor of Science, Nursing Science (AAS RN option) Master of Science, Nursing Science Certificate in Family Nurse Practitioner Certificate in Psychiatric and Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Justice Center Bachelor of Arts, Justice Certificate, Paralegal Studies Alaska Justice Statistical Analysis Center Crime Mapping Center Human Services Associate of Applied Science, Human Services Bachelor of Human Services Minor, Addiction Studies Certificate, Conflict Resolution Center for Human Development CHD partners with Prince William Sound Community College (PWSCC) to offer a distance delivered certificate and AAS degree in disability services. Interdisciplinary internships and assistantships are available for students. CHD also offers a variety of training opportunities for community members. Department of Health Sciences Bachelor of Science, Health Science (Physician Assistant) Master of Public Health, Public Health Practice Institute of Circumpolar Health Studies
Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies