DAILY 49ER California State University, Long Beach
Vol. LIX, Issue 827 DIVERSIONS
www.daily49er.com
Pre-gaming, not just for parties Students of the women’s softball team, K-Beach Radio and CSULB Forensics offer an inside look to their pre-performance rituals. By Brooke Becher Diversions Editor
The scrum of athletes sways shoulder-to-shoulder with arms interlocked. The black and yellow ring counters the softball-clad ringmaster’s calls with a roar, amplifying the raucous game of call-and-response to its climax. Before every game, the Long Beach State softball team rallies together for a traditional, pre-performance ritual, passed on from last year’s lineup. “I don’t know how or why it started,” sophomore infielder Lauren Lombardi said, explaining that sophomore catcher Monique Dyer now leads the routines. “But I’m really glad we keep doing it because it gets our energy up.” Pre-performance rituals have become popular areas of study in athletics due to legends like baseball Hall of Famer Wade Boggs. In the book “Believing in Magic: The Psychology of Superstition,” psychologist Stuart Vyse notes that Boggs developed a five-hour routine before his games. This involved eating chicken, running wind sprints in the outfield at 7:17 p.m. during warm-ups and drawing the Hebrew sign for “Chai,” meaning “life,” in the dirt with his bat before stepping up to the plate. Many of baseball’s subculture superstitions—the lucky socks, sleeping with the bat, the game-day boxers—are indirect coping mechanisms that provide comfort in the guise of useful magic tricks. Rituals like these expand beyond athletic endeavors, and span across many performance-based platforms for CSULB students. Junior Jennifer Serda, a horn performance major at CSULB, channels an indirect stimulant by reading amusing Cracked.com articles and listening to comedy acts before she heads to the stage. “Some stress is inherit and natural—it’s going to happen,” Serda said. “But I’ve found that a lot of extra stress comes from being unprepared.” After 30 to 60 minutes of warm ups and additional time to setting up, Serda takes about 10 to 15 minutes to loosen up with laughter. “It’s not superstitious, it’s just
See RITUALS, page 6
News 2
Thursday, March 5, 2015
From
school to C.E.O.
Students learn from professional women how to make the transition from academia to careers.
Graduation rates at CSULB, by gender
Illustration by Emilio Aldea | Daily 49er
By Luis Salazar Contributing Writer
Over 140 young women sat among tables voicing questions, their pens racing as they took notes on the personal experience of half a dozen panelists. The Women and Careers Conference on campus on Wednesday aimed to teach female students how to take their first steps and transition into the work force. The panel included six professional women, three of whom were graduates of California State University, Long Beach. “You can now be feminine and successful,” said Gallup senior consultant Lucy Guillen, a CSULB graduate and the keynote speaker of the conference. “Don’t try to be someone else … showing yourself comes out on paper and person.”
CSULB undergraduate programs are made up of about 57 percent women and about 43 percent men as of fall 2013, according to the CSULB website. The graduation and employment rates of women have continued to increase. Nearly 60 percent of women in the U.S. are in the work force, compared to 38 percent in 1962, according to the U.S. Department of Labor Reports. Since 1962, women’s completion of four or more years of college had risen about 7 percent by 2012. “I find it encouraging that colleges like CSULB make it a priority to offer events like the Women’s Career Conference,” junior creative literature major Jillian Bergamo said.
Michael A res | Daily 49er
Gallup senior consultant and keynote speaker of the Women in Careers Conference Lucy Guillen speaks to the women about her experiences in the work field on Wednesday at the University Student Union Ballroom.
See CAREERS, page 3
Softball
Gators too much to handle The 49ers lose to the Gators 10-1. By Josh Barajas Contributing Writer
Defending national champion Florida lived up to its reputation in a 10-1 rout of the Long Beach State softball team Wednesday at the 49er Softball Complex. The Gators (22-0) took advantage of eight walks, five hit batsmen and three errors by the 49ers (10-11). The multitude of physical and mental mistakes doomed the 49ers’ chances against the No. 1 team in the country. Head coach Kim Sowder said she was not happy at all with how her team played.
Opinions 4
“We kind of didn’t give ourselves a chance,” Sowder said. “Any time you have eight walks and five hits by a pitch, you’re not going to give your team an opportunity to compete in the game.” Sophomore right-hander Christina Clermont’s lack of command early on put the 49ers in a hole they could not climb out of. Florida put up three runs before the LBSU had a chance to bat. The 49ers responded by putting up a run in the bottom half that energized the team. Senior infielder Shayna Kimbrough hit a leadoff triple and freshman infielder LT Torres brought her in with an RBI single for The Beach’s only run of the game. Clermont’ struggles continued in the second inning. She was pulled in
See GATORS, page 8
Josh Barajas | Daily 49er
Florida pitcher Aleshia Ocasio prepares to deliver a pitch against Long Beach State during the bottom of the sixth inning at the 49er Softball Complex on Wednesday. Ocasio pitched six innings and allowed only one run to LBSU.
Diversions 6
Sports 8