Daily 49er, September 6, 2018

LONG BEACH STATE | VOL. LXX, ISSUE 2 | SEPTEMBER 6, 2018

D 49

er

HOOP happy

Week of Welcome draws thousands.

Page 8

2 NEWS

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2018 | DAILY49ER.COM | D49ERNEWS@GMAIL.COM

INSIDE

Daily 49er

THE

NINER Beloved music professor dies at 60 page 3

Business Office Phone (562) 985-8001

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CSULB Esports Association levels up page 7

Gary Metzker

Design Advisor

Barbara Kingsley-Wilson

Content Advisor

Decorated UNLV graduate hired as women’s golf assistant coach

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48

Editorial Office Phone (562) 985-8000 Fax (562) 985-7994

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HOURS

Arts & Life Editor

in Long Beach

Faith Petrie

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Photo courtesy of The Long Beach Post

Multimedia Managing Editor Alexandra Apatiga multimediamanagerd49er@gmail.com

General Assignment Editor Design Editor Photo Editor

W

Buskerfest is an all ages, free annual music festival taking place from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m.

Saturday in the East Village Arts District at 1st and Linden Avenues.

Ryan Guitare Lizbeth Galeno

Video Editor

Adam Pacheco Emma DiMaggio

News Assistant

Suzane Jlelati

Assistant Design Editor

Mia Bradford

Assistant Arts and Life Editor

Cristal Gomez

Assistant Sports Editor

Alex Manfredi

Assistant Photo Editor

Jorge Villa

Social Media Assistant

Jhaicelle Laron

Social Media Assistant

Jassareth Alanis-Ponce

Multimedia Assistant

The Long Beach Comic Con is an annual celebration of artists, pop culture, comic books and writers. The event will take place from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5p.m. Sunday. Tickets may be purchased at the door.

Claudia Mehranbod

Social Media Editor Assistant News Editor

hether you’re into cosplaying your favorite Marvel character or you’re a fan of minimalist street music, Long Beach has something for you this weekend.

Grant Hermanns

Paula Kiley

Editorials: All opinions expressed in the columns, letters and cartoons in this issue are those of the writers or artists. The opinions of the Daily 49er are expressed only in unsigned editorials and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the journalism department or the views of all staff members.

All such editorials are written by the editorial board of the Daily 49er.

BOBBY YAGAKE | Daily 49er

Letters Policy: All letters and email must bear the phone number of the writer and must be no more than 300 words. The Daily 49er reserves the right to edit letters for publication in regard to space.

NEWS 3

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RYAN GUITARE | Daily 49er

A memorial for Bremer has been placed in front of the Bob Cole Conservatory of Music sign near Atherton Street.

OBITUARY

Beloved music professor dies at 60

Carolyn Bremer was dealing with a rare autoimmune disease for two years before her death.

By Hannah Getahun Contributing Writer

C

COURTESY OF CSULB LEADERSHIP FELLOWS

Carolyn Bremer worked at Long Beach State for 17 years and has around 100 compositions to her name.

arolyn R. Bremer, associate director of the Bob Cole Conservatory of Music, accomplished composer and beloved faculty member died unexpectedly on Sunday.

She was 60.

A memorial service celebrating her life will be held on Friday Sept. 21 at 10 a.m. in the Carpenter Performing Arts Center.

“Her death was very sudden, and it leaves a huge hole in our hearts and in the Conservatory, as well as the campus as a whole,” said Lianne Bremer, Carolyn’s sister. “There were so many things she was looking forward to this year, not the least of which was teaching her favorite class, Instinct and Intellect.”

According to Lianne, Carolyn had been dealing with a rare autoimmune disease since December 2016.

“She was dealing with an unusual skin disease and a rare blood condition that lead to the development of blood clots, and ultimately to her passing,” according to a statement on the Conservatory’s website.

Carolyn began her career at Long Beach State in August 2001 as a lecturer and eventually worked her way up to associate director of the Conservatory. In her 17 years of working at the university, she has served as an inspiration to many students.

“Although she was a fantastic professor, Dr. Bremer was beloved by students who never even had her as a teacher because she knew their names, she knew what kind of music they played, sang or wrote, and she genuinely cared about their success as future performers, educators and people,” said Jonathan Talberg, director of choral, vocal and opera studies.

She received her Ph.D in composition and her Master of Arts in Composition and Musicology at University of California, Santa Barbara. As a composer, she

was most known for her composition “Early Light,” which has been performed by the Houston Symphony, the California Philharmonic and “The President’s Own” Marine Band. She has around 100 original compositions in her name. As a musician, she was known for playing the double bass.

“I would urge people to visit, meet and listen to what [Carolyn] was doing,” said Luke Armstrong, an alumnus of the Conservatory. “I really hope they took me up on that suggestion and shared in the experience she brought to our world.”

Her dedication to the school helped her receive the honor of Most Valuable professor in spring 2011.

Lianne stated that Carolyn’s most important work was assisting students in reaching their potential to the fullest, regardless of what that meant for each person.

“To the students, faculty and staff at Bob Cole and CSULB as a whole, know that you are a huge part of our family,” Lianne said. “Carolyn loved each of you more than you know.”

4 NEWS

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RESTORATION

‘Sun Forces’ to shine again The Getty Conservation Institute is leading an effort to restore the 22by-21 foot mural.

By Emma DiMaggio

Assistant News Editor ekdimaggio

For the past 50 years, students have passed underneath the sharp, contrasting black and yellow lines of a mural that will finally receive a touch-up next year thanks to a grant from the Long Beach Navy Memorial Heritage Association.

“Sun Forces” by Rita Letendre, the 22-by-21-foot landmark mural between Liberal Arts 5 and Faculty Office 3, is getting a restorative makeover summer 2019.

Paint samples of the mural were taken on Aug. 13, and are currently under analysis by the Getty Conservation Institute.

Once this is completed, phase two, the physical treatment, will commence in the summer of 2019.

The University Art Museum is responsible for the UAM Conservation Initiative under which “Sun Forces” is being restored.

The mural is the eighth artwork on campus to be restored under this initiative, according to UAM Public Affairs and Communications Specialist, Amanda Fruta.

The restoration is a collaborative effort between the Getty Conservation Institute and Rosa Lowinger & Associates, a bicoastal conservation firm based in Miami and Los Angeles, who was contracted to undertake the restoration of the mural.

“In general, [conservation is about] educating people about what these pieces are and their relevance,” said Christina Varvi, senior conservator at Rosa Lowinger & Associates. “Not just in their community, but in the greater art world.”

The mural is a remnant of the first ever International Sculp-

ture Symposium in the United States, which took place on the Long Beach State campus in 1965. “[It was] a great meeting of the minds,” said Maria Coltharp, registrar and curator of the permanent collection at LBSU. “Artists from all over the world came here to create artwork and to share this campus.

A lot of the big artworks you see around campus are from that 1965 symposium.”

A campus-wide survey was conducted by Rosa Lowinger & Associates in the fall of 2011, for the purpose of providing condition assessments of each of the artworks on campus, Varvi said.

With this information, the campus was able to prioritize which grants to pursue based on conservation need. While examining the piece, Varvi found that the entire mural was covered in a clear protective coating, similar to a varnish.

“We have to determine whether or not that has to come off,” Varvi said. “We don’t want to inadvertently remove the actual paint underneath it.”

Restoration of the mural will not involve a full repainting of the work. In order to maintain Letendre’s original markings, such as brush strokes and subtle differences in color, the Getty Conservation Institute took samples of each color on the mural to determine the paint’s coatings, binding materials and pigments. “[Removing the coating] would be pretty time consuming, because you’re talking about using solvents and chemicals and liquids, things that are a little harder to control,” Varvi

said. “[We] have to be really vigilant and know what [we] have before starting, so [we] can pick the right materials.”

Varvi described the evaluation process as “paint archeology.” Much like a “detective job,” Varvi and the UAM team must research the history of the mural to ascertain whether there have been undocumented restorations on the mural.

“They have documentation of some student riots a couple decades ago, in which paint bombs were thrown at the mural,” Varvi said. “Rita herself came back and did touch-ups.”

Undocumented maintenance poses a challenge for restoration efforts, but the Getty Conservation Institute’s specimen analysis will help ease the strain.

“They’re doing the scientific analysis, because they have all that instrumentation in-house,” Varvi said. “They’ll run a battery of tests on them.”

It will be a few more months until Varvi receives the scientific reports from the Getty Institute, which will inform them on how to go about the final restoration.

Restorations that have been completed under the UAM Conservation Effort include Robert Murray’s “Duet (Homage to David Smith),” JJ Beljon’s “Homage to Simon Rodia,” and Robert Irwin’s “Window Wall,” among others.

“These pieces are shared history,” Coltharp said. “It’s amazing that this history played out here on our campus, that mid-century artists traveled here from all over the world and created these wonderful sculptures for us.”

RYAN GUITARE | Daily 49er

Rita Letendre’s mural, “Sun Forces,” will be conserved in the summer of 2019.

SCHEDULE

Students can now only add and drop classes via registering on myCSULB.

By Mark Lindahl

Contributing Writer

Add (or drop) it like it’s hot Starting this semester, Long Beach State is implementing a new policy in which late registration is now purely online, as opposed to previous semesters where any student sitting in on a class had the possibility of receiving an add code at the professor’s discretion.

Students must now log into their myCSULB account and add the class if it is open. If a space is listed as available and two students attempt to enroll, the professor will not have a say in which person gets the seat. Whoever finishes the enrollment process online first will get a spot in the class.

NEWS 5

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LIBRARY

Air conditioning leak results in library basement closure

By Hannah Getahun Contributing Writer

GRANT HERMANNS | Daily 49er

The library’s lower level will be temporarily closed to most students.

Students trying to catch a study break in the University Library’s lower level will be greeted by locked double doors with a sign taped to them stating that the entire floor except for the Disabled Students Study Room is closed.

Those who don’t have access to room 13

on the lower level, the Disabled Students Study Room, will have to wait until the carpet is completely redone in approximately two weeks.

According to Mark Zakhour, director of design and construction services, a water leak forced the library to replace the already

aging carpets, resulting in a temporary closure.

The leak occurred on March 21 after Facilities Management finished working in the library’s mechanical room to improve the campus chillers.

“Apparently, one of the fittings was defec-

tive from the manufacturer,” Zakhour explained. “Three days after we installed it, the fitting failed.”

Zakhour estimated that there was 1 ½-2 inches of water in the basement after the pipes leaked.

The 3D printers in the Gerald M. Kline Innovation Space, which are above the ground, are safe.

However, the sheet linoleum of the Innovation Space was damaged, as well as a significant portion of the carpeting and the lower walls. “[The basement] is my go-to spot because it’s a little less crowded than the other floors,” said Sharlene Huynh, a graduate creative writing student who was disappointed by the closure.

A sign notifying students of the closure has been placed near the staircase, on the first floor.

The library will return the basement to its former state, but Dean of Library Services Roman Kochan plans to update its look.

“That’s been on my wish list ever since we opened the fifth floor, which is one of the most popular floors in the building,” he said.

Kochan said that the library plans to begin working on basement upgrades after the floor is reopened to all students.

“My hope is to turn that floor into something... [with] more modern furniture with electrical outlets at every station,” Kochan said.

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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2018

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*To participate in our upcoming Best of Long Beach Issue, please fill out this form and return to LA4-201 or vote online. Voting ends Sept. 18.

ARTS & LIFE 7

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GAMING

CSULB Esports Association levels up

CSULB Esports Association recruiting for gamers at Smorgasport Friday, Aug. 24. The Team hopes to improve in this year’s season.

The team looks for new members for the upcoming season.

JORGE VILLA | Daily 49er

By Cristal Gomez

Assistant Arts and Life Editor gomezcristal98

The sounds of keyboards tapping and mouses clicking fill the room as each team begins their game plan. Constantly fighting other players to save their spot in the finalist round.

Competitive gaming, also known as esports, brings people from all over the world together on one common ground: being considered the best of the best.

The California State University Long Beach Esports Association was created in 2013 and has been playing competitively in games such as “Vainglory,” “Overwatch” and “Rocket League.” The group is already preparing for the upcoming season by looking for new members to improve the association’s skills.

Neil Medina, a fourth-year computer engineering major, is one of the team managers and support players for the Overwatch Team. Medina has been playing at Long Beach State for three years. He wanted to join the CSULB Esports Association because of experience watching a “Counter-Strike” competition with his uncle when he was 12.

“The team was put together in the span of one year,” Medina said. “We went from being random strangers that never met, to a team that’s fully capable of making it to the top of the collegiate scene.”

Last year, one of the associations “Overwatch” teams won first place at both the Winter GameFest at UC San Diego and SIEGE otherwise known as Student Inter-

active Entertainment Gaming Expo) at California State Fullerton.

In order to recruit more members, the club’s president, fourth-year computer science major Anthony Pham, has been part of the association for four years now, beginning as a League of Legends player and now president.

“I always wanted to be part of esports and I wanted to see how well I could match up against other high-level players from various colleges,” said three-year member Pham.

Last year, the club’s “Vainglory” team won the National Championship at the Collegiate Starleague (CSL), bringing more positive attention to the team.

“It propelled our popularity within athletics allowing others to see us as an actual sport by the way we train,” Pham said.

For Pham, the win gave the team a con-

fidence boost and showed others that the team can work as one to accomplish anything.

Shannon Le, the captain of the “Vainglory” team is currently looking for recruits for her section. Two of the players are graduating this year and the group is in need of new players to begin practicing for next year’s season. This year, CSL expanded the teams from being 3v3 to 5v5, so there won’t be a season this year as the team looks for new recruits, as the team looks for new recruits, but practices will continue.

“For now my team is keeping up their practice, we want to get at least three more members,” Le said. “I need a full new roaster. If anyone wants to learn how to play ‘Vainglory,’ I can help them learn how to play.”

This year, the CSULB Esports Association hopes to hold another charity stream similar

to one they hosted last year. In the previous 12-hour charity stream, the members played “Dungeons and Dragons,” “A Way Out” and “Overcooked” on Twitch, a live streaming video platform. They raised $205 for Anxiety Gaming, a non-profit organization dedicated to raising mental health awareness in the gaming community.

“We are currently still discussing which charity to focus on this semester, but there will be a stream during the fall and spring semesters,” said Andrew Rudin, the club’s team coordinator.

Although the Collegiate Starleague has yet to release a full schedule of dates for their team scrimmages, Rudin continues to coordinate times for the remaining practices leading up to the beginning of the season.

The team aims to use LBSU’s two-day Week of Welcome event to recruit more players. They will be tabling at the event from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

According to Pham, the team members typically practice from home so every player can feel comfortable, but the club meets 7:15 p.m. to 9:45 p.m. every Wednesday in Hall of Science 102. The first general meeting will be from 7:15 p.m. to 9:45 p.m next Wednesday, Sept 12.

For more information regarding CSULB Esports Association visit http://www.csulbesports.org/ or visit their table during Week of Welcome on Wednesday and Thursday.

8 ARTS & LIFE

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ACTIVITIES

Finding your center with Beach Balance Jump into the semester with healthy habits like meditation and nutrition counseling.

By Cristal Gomez

Assistant Arts and Life Editor gomezcristal98

JORGE VILLA | Daily 49er

Kendall Washington, sophomore, psychology, poses in a Hospitality Management Association Instagram frame for Week of Welcome in the Central Quad on Wednesday.

EVENT

Clubs are creating all the buzz Students enjoyed food trucks, handouts and galore of extracurricular activities.

A

By Faith Petrie

Arts and Life Editor petriefaith

A small crowd gathered around the three-man fraternity stroll as they danced to the beat of an unidentifiable rap song blaring from a lone Beats Pill.

Some students’ eyebrows quirked with interest while others tried to dodge the quickly forming dance circle and with that, Week of Welcome was in full swing.

Clubs and organizations of all types gathered on the Central Quad Wednesday, attempting to coerce students to learn about what they had to offer.

Dejah Rodriguez, Cal State Rollers club organizer stood firmly in a pair of multicolored roller skates while chatting with interested students.

“What we do is provide an inclusive space for anybody who wants to learn to roller skate or loves to roller skate,” Rodriguez said. “Whether you are a beginner wanting to learn to roller skate or you know how to roller skate, this club is for you.”

A common theme throughout Week of Welcome was the sense of comradery students found in whatever club they chose to engage with.

First time Week of Welcome attendee Pamela Nguyen, a fourth year mechanical engineering major said the event was welcoming for all students because the clubs seem to “want [students] to be a part of their club.”

Outdoor Adventure Club secretary and fourth year student Michelle Truong said she met some of her closest friends through the club.

“They’re going to be my life-long friends now because we’ve bonded over so many trips that we’ve done,” Truong said.

Fourth year aerospace major Matthew Dinh said that his only advice for freshmen interested in joining any clubs on campus is to just get out there.

“You don’t want to go to your fourth year and be regretful of things that you didn’t do,” Dinh said.

The second and last day for students to attend the fall 2018 Week of Welcome is 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Thursday.

In comparison to summer break, a new school year can bring forth a lot of stress.

Whether it’s a heavy class load or adding extra hours at work, finding a release from physical and mental stress can be difficult.

To help ease the tension, Associated Students Inc. will host various accessible events throughout the fall semester to promote healthy habits and make the transition of a new school year a little bit easier.

Each semester, ASI releases a calendar of events that students can attend for free under the Beach Balance Program which became available to LBSU students in 2010, along with the opening of the Student Recreation and Wellness Center.

ASI Outdoor Adventure and Wellness Coordinator Christopher Huebner, has worked at the SRWC for four years and said the Beach Balance program is meant to give students an outlet to “enhance the quality of life through mental, physical and spiritual well-being.”

These programs range from mental and physical health and education, including Meditation Mondays, Spa Water Tuesdays, Well Rested Wednesdays, Chair Massage Thursdays and more.

Sophomore and computer science major Itzel Lara has attended Well Rested Wednesdays in the past and said she thought it was a great place to escape for a short amount of time.

“It’s pretty fun, I loved just swinging on the hammocks and being able to relax under the shade especially when it’s hot,” Lara said. “It is a good place to take a quick nap and forget everything you have to do.”

ASI offers other events available for students including Food for Thought, Project Chill and Nutrition Counseling and Beach Balance Bingo.

A new event was added this semester called Plant a Plant, that allows students to plant herbs or spices that can be used in their cooking.

Food for Thought offers students working out in the SRWC free bananas, apples and Kind Bars on Sept. 26, Oct. 17 and Nov. 14. Project Chill happens every second Monday of every month, students are allowed to borrow an ASI-issued hammock near the University Student Union to relax under the shade of trees with an ice cream in hand, this event. Nutrition Counseling is a part of the LBSU Dietetic program which is included with student memberships at SWRC. “We look at the needs of our LBSU community and brainstorm ways that we can provide holistic resources and programs that help them establish a balanced lifestyle and enhance [student’s] quality of life,” Huebner said.

All events hosted by SRWC are free for students with a valid student ID, and a full list of programs can be found on the SRWC website.

OPINIONS 9

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TRANSPORTATION

Campus Shuttle: Hero or Menace?

The shuttles could be your knight in shining armor, or your worst enemy.

GRANT HERMANNS | Daily 49er

With a large number of students on campus but not enough shuttles, it’s a very problematic system for campus.

By Grant Hermanns

General Assignment Editor grantheftautho

Y

ou look at the clock on the wall, notice class is almost over and decide to check where the next shuttle is to get a ride to your car.

The Long Beach State app shows that the nearest shuttle is only seven percent full and that it’ll be pulling up to the nearest stop right as you get out of class. You breathe a sigh of relief knowing you won’t have to make the half-mile walk to get to your car.

But as the shuttle pulls up, the driver opens the doors to tell everyone it’s full and you’ll have to wait for the next one, sinking your hopes of riding the air-conditioned shuttle to your air-conditioned car.

The LBSU campus shuttle program is a great resource for students to get around the large campus quickly, but given

there are over 30,000 students enrolled, there are also quite a few flaws in the system.

The service also offers multiple routes to give riders a chance to go almost anywhere on campus. There are currently five routes the shuttle travels on: West Loop, East Loop, Beachside, Los Coyote for dorm residents and the All Campus Tripper.

Seeing as how LBSU is a 322-acre campus, the route options for riders is highly appreciated and extremely helpful, but with multiple routes also comes the biggest problem: the sheer volume of student riders.

LBSU is a large campus and though many are happy to walk, ride their bikes or skateboard around campus, there is a large group of students who prefer to use the shuttle system. This proves to be problematic for certain heavy-populated routes such as the West Loop.

The spring semester did see a few days where an extra shuttle was added in hopes of alleviating the stress of the drivers and riders, but with only two vehicles driving along any given route a day, there was simply no way a student was guaran-

teed to catch a ride each time. For those who sat anxiously at a stop in hopes of getting to class on time instead of running across campus, it proved frustrating time and time again.

In addition to the insufficient number of shuttles, there is also the issue of misinformation on the LBSU app regarding how full a shuttle is at any given time. Granted, it can be hard to accurately count how many riders are on your vehicle, but when the app tells students it’s less than half full and they find out there’s no room to even stand, that’s a sign that changes need to be made.

Whether this comes in the form of drivers actually counting every time riders leave/enter or a swipe system on the shuttles to help the app automatically keep track of riders at one time, the full percentage function certainly needs some fine tuning in order to offer better help to faculty and students.

The shuttle system is neither really a hero nor a menace, but moreso an anti-hero. As unlikable and problematic as it can be at times for riders, it has a lot of positive qualities you can’t help but love and appreciate for being there.

10 SPORTS

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PROFILE

Long Beach State welcomes new assistant coach Mackenzie Raim to the women’s golf team.

RYAN GUITARE | Daily 49er

Long Beach makes it Raim Decorated UNLV graduate hired as women’s golf assistant coach.

By Robert Hollar

Contributing Writer

Inside the Walter Pyramid, LBSU’s new women’s golf assistant coach, McKenzie Raim, speaks with poise about her first coaching gig. Surfaces holding books and stacks of paper line the walls, but the layout is purposeful and uncluttered. Raim grew up two hours east of Long Beach in sunny Palm Desert, and though her office isn’t cold, she wears a thick black Nike vest.

“The hotter the better,” Raim says.

Raim attended UNLV, partly because of her preference for playing in the heat. She had an accomplished playing career there, including a second place finish at the 2018 Mountain West Conference championship and multiple individual wins. Like a true coach, however, she stresses that the 13 team wins she was a part of are much more important to her than the individual accomplishments.

In hiring Raim, Long Beach head coach Joey Cerulle cited her experience at UNLV as part of her qualifications for the job at LBSU. “McKenzie, at UNLV, was led and mentored under a coach that had similar philosophies [to ours], so it makes sense for her to come and learn in a program that was in the same genre,” Cerulle said. “She’s an excellent fit.”

Raim decided to pursue golf as a career after her junior year in high school. Her five individual wins, one in each of the tournaments her team played in that year, factored into that realization.

“I had a pretty stellar year which made me realize I can take my game to the next level,”

McKenzie Raim watches her drive as a senior for UNLV. Raim said.

In a society that often criticizes female athletes for acknowledging their own success, Raim’s matter-of-fact recognition of her talent is both notable and refreshing.

She recognizes not only her own contributions to her career path, but others’ as well.

She mentions her coach at Palm Desert high school during her junior year, Jack Stewart, specifically.

“I owe [Stewart] all the credit in the world in high school. He pushed me every single day; we never settled,” Raim said. “I was lucky enough to play on a high school team that was pretty much like a college team, all the five girls I played with went on to play college golf.”

From Stewart’s perspective, Raim did not

LBSU Athletics

drastically improve her game during her junior year, she just started seeing the results of the work ethic and talent she had always had.

“Right from the beginning she was one of my better players,” Stewart said.

Stewart specifically mentioned her driving strength, and how desert courses, which don’t have much rough or trees, favored that skill by giving her “the freedom to hit it long.”

An Academic All-American at UNLV, Raim has an incredible work ethic and said she never had to consciously struggle with balancing work and school.

“They were always pretty much equal,” she said.

Raim and her focus, required both in golf

and academics, certainly bear responsibility for her work ethic, but that characteristic may be supplemented by the fact that she was an only child. She said that a previous report from the Las Vegas Review Journal claiming she stopped playing team sports as a kid “because nobody tried as hard as she did,” was a misinterpretation.

She believes 7 and 8-year-old athletes are just trying to have fun, rightly so, although her situation was a bit different.

She used “we” instead of “I” in her explanation, providing insight into a form of internal dialogue common among highly focused and successful individuals.

“I’m an only child so the spotlight’s always been on me. It’s always been about how can we excel, how can we do this [or that], how can I make my parents proud,” Raim said.

“That’s where I think being an only child and playing golf go together, because everything falls on your shoulders.”

Raim also hinted at the role of her parents in her work ethic and success, and credited them with being her biggest support system.

“They sacrificed a lot, my dad took off every weekend to take me to [high school] tournaments and . . . came out to almost every tournament in college to watch me play,” Raim said.

Raim’s confidence in herself combined with her focus on the success and contributions of others bodes well for the future of LBSU golf.

She says the team has a laid-back personality, in a positive way, that prevents them from placing blame on others.

The women’s golf team will play its first tournament of the season September 17-19 at Ptarmigan country club in Fort Collins CO.

SPORTS 11

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COLUMN

WATER POLO

McKienzie-Fuerbringer needs to prove herself

By Samantha Diaz Managing Editor samanthadiaz98

W

BOBBY YAGAKE | Daily 49er

Long Beach State junior attacker Austin Stewart attempts a goal against Pacific last season.

No. 6 Long Beach regroups with young talent The 49ers open their season with a 3-1 record at the Triton Invitational.

By Rebecca Radtke Contributing Writer

After missing out on an NCAA tournament run last season, the Long Beach State men’s water polo team dives into the 2018 season with a talented freshman class and experienced returners looking to win the Golden Coast Conference title.

No. 6 Long Beach (3-1) kicked off its season in the Triton Invitational Sept. 1 and Sept. 2 at UC San Diego.

The team has participated in the tournament every year for the past five years, and went 3-1 this time around.

The 49ers beat Cal Baptist 16-9 and Chapman University 11-8 Saturday and continued to play strong on the second day of the tournament, where they narrowly beat UC Irvine 9-8, but fell short to UC Santa Barbara 11-10.

In the GCC preseason poll, the team was predicted to finish second in the conference this year after going 3-2 in conference play the last two seasons.

“It’s the opening weekend, so everybody is pretty excited to get going,” head coach Gavin Arroyo said. “We

Water polo home schedule

have a long off-season, but we get to train as a club over the summer and it’s almost like we’ve been waiting seven months to unveil ourselves.”

The team is predominately freshman and experienced seniors, which gives the team a unique makeup.

During the opening weeks of the season, the team will look to blend new

We are kind of top heavy and bottom heavy with strong seniors and strong freshman, so we are looking for our seniors to help us with that experience in terms of composure.”

“

Gavin Arroyo and old talent into a cohesive unit.

“We have a lot of new guys and new faces we are trying to integrate in a short time period, so that considering, we are trying to see where we are at

SEPT 21 (FRI) 6 P.M.

OCT 5 (FRI) 7 P.M.

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UCLA

PEPPERDINE

and get our feet wet if you will,” Arroyo said.

Freshman Theodoros Pateros and freshman center Garrett Zaan competed in the 2018 FINA World Youth Water Polo Championships in Szombathely, Hungary.

“We have a lot of seniors, so we have a lot of experience,” Arroyo said.

“We are kind of top heavy and bottom heavy with strong seniors and strong freshman, so we are looking for our seniors to help us with that experience in terms of composure.”

The team has seasoned athletes such as junior attacker Austin Stewart who had 52 goals, 12 assists and 64 points in the 2017 season, junior attacker Nemanja Bakic who had 40 goals, 6 assists and 46 points last season and sophomore goalie Marwan Darwish who appeared in his first season with 39 saves that led to a 3-1 overall record.

“Normally you have first game jitters, but hopefully with a large group of seniors those jitters are only a couple minutes,” Arroyo said about the team’s opening tournament.

Long Beach heads out to Redlands, Calif. Saturday to participate in the Inland Empire Classic.

OCT 20 (SAT) 1 P.M.

NOV 7 (WED) 7 P.M.

NOV 9 (FRI) 7 P.M.

USC

LOYOLA MARYMOUNT

UC IRVINE

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hen women’s volleyball head coach and legend Brian Gimmillaro announced his retirement two seasons ago, many wondered what was next for the program.

Cue Joy McKienzie-Fuerbringer, a protégé of Gimmillaro’s, an experienced assistant coach and Athletic Director Andy Fee’s second hire.

After years of groundbreaking performances under Gimmillaro, both Fee and McKienzie-Fuerbringer had rising expectations.

However, the laws of sports are similar to the laws of gravity, and what goes up must come down. The first season under McKienzie-Fuerbringer was a disappointment, filled with frustrating losing streaks and an injury-plagued team.

She may have gotten a pass for last year since she was coaching a group she hadn’t recruited herself, but with seven new players this season, including a promising senior transfer, it is the time for McKienzie-Fuerbringer to prove herself.

Even in winning games such as the five-set match against Texas Tech, the players display moments of cohesive play that are often followed by amateur mistakes that end up costing them unnecessary extra sets.

No one is expecting McKienzie-Fuerbringer to bring the team back to the NCAA championship this season, but being competitive in the Big West would be good enough. In order to do that, some major changes need to take place quickly.

The main adjustment has to be with the lineup. Long Beach has seven outside hitters on its roster, yet junior libero Hailey Harward has been playing the outside hitter position this season.

Harward led the team in digs last season at the libero position at 3.65 per set and was named to the All-Big West First Team. With such a strong defensive skill set, there’s no reason for Harward to be one of seven outside hitters.

McKienzie-Fuerbringer might be trying to break in the freshman outside hitters first, but the young players can learn to handle high pressure situations from senior outside hitter Megan Kruidhof, just as freshman libero Carly Hill can learn from Harward’s experience. They’re certainly not gaining any in-game help from the ever so stoic coaching technique of McKienzie-Fuerbringer. She doesn’t coach like her reputation is on the line, and the apathetic, Phil Jackson-esque look only works if the team is winning.

The losses might sting a little less for fans if McKienzie-Fuerbringer looked more upset than them.

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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2018

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