Fort Worth Weekly Classifieds // May 29 - June 4, 2024

BUCK U

Major: Undeclared

TCU sports are enjoying a slew of national successes this season, but Fort Worth U’s athletics at large are facing a major problem.

BY BUCK D. ELLIOTT

You might not follow non-revenue sports the way diehard Frog fanatics do, but TCU men’s tennis made recent history by besting second-seed and conference champion Texas to earn the program’s first outdoor national championship. Coach and Frog letterman David Roditi has built a tennis juggernaut downhill from the Greek Village, but the timing of this particular accomplishment is surprising even accounting for the program’s prominence. Roditi’s racket Frogs have reached the NCAA semifinals only twice before this year during his 14-year tenure, and it seemed a hump his crew just wasn’t capable of ascending even with overpowering squads and top rankings. There have been other successes. The men’s team has won the indoor tennis national championship twice in the last three years and were one match away from a three-peat but stumbled 3-4 to top-ranked Ohio State in the championship match back in February.

The disappointment of the penultimate indoor team led to an outdoor season that was

tranquilizing domination. It is rare that the Frogs drop a dual match in the spring to anyone who isn’t Texas or Baylor (typically Top 10 caliber programs, though the Bears have dropped off in the last few years). TCU started their season with a bang by beating Texas and made their run typical of a Top 5 program, but errant back-to-back March losses to Texas (05) and Oklahoma (3-4) left the overachieving squad with zero hardware to finish a season where their personal standards were so high, two losses felt like the squad could be cooked. The championship bridesmaids also suffered in the conference tournament, meeting Texas again in the championship match and limping away with nothing after another zero in the match-points column. Since the COVIDcancellation year, men’s tennis has won two regular-season conference championships, two national indoor championships, and one Big 12 tournament championship over the course of four seasons, but this year: zilch.

In retrospect, the near misses only fueled the fire of this plucky lineup as they burned up frustration through their first four NCAA-tournament opponents by preventing any points, even against fifthseed Kentucky. The historically dangerous semifinal match was a relief with a side of redemption against the Buckeyes, who were top-seeded but managed only two points thanks to a tie-break win at third-line

doubles and a victory at fourth-line singles. Waiting on the fourth-seed Frogs were their familiar foes, the Longhorns, who had blanked the Frogs in their last two meetings. TCU started quickly by winning two doubles matches to notch the doubles point before teeth-grinding singles play. The match was unnervingly close, both the Frogs and Horns each managing a singles point in straight sets, while all the other singles duels split sets and required a deciding third frame. In the end, fifth-line singles was the lone contest, and the hero of the day was sophomore Sebastian Gorzny (ironically an Austinite), who hastily jumped to a third-set lead and finished his opponent 6-3 to deliver this squad’s first — and most prized — hardware of the season.

On the heels of this first outdoor title for TCU tennis, you might be asking, “So, what’s the problem?” Timely enough, I’m clickety clacking this recap just hours after TCU men’s baseball was left out of their tournament entirely and, what seems like eons ago in the fall, TCU football failed to reach the six-win mark required for an invitation to even the Taco Bell IBS Bowl. The issue is that Frog athletics are currently majoring in the minors. It’s swell to house two national championship squads (men’s tennis and women’s rifle), but the recognition that boosters, planners, and alumni seek is not

coming from fantastic success in those arenas — most would rather watch above-average success in the revenue-producing sports. I texted a co-worker and former undergrad dormmate minutes after the Frogs clinched their tennis natty, and he responded, “Good to know. Do we brag about that?” This year’s downturn in what had been TCU’s most successful big-ticket teams isn’t necessarily a permanent affliction — football did play for a national championship just last season — but is worrisome as the conference itself will downgrade with the departure of Oklahoma and Texas, squads that are irreplaceable from a national-recognition perspective.

Luckily for Athletic Director Jeremiah Donati, Jamie Dixon’s basketballers are consistently dancing, though advancement after tournament selection has proved difficult. The most dominant TCU programs right now along with men’s tennis and women’s rifle are women’s soccer, equestrian, and beach volleyball. Winning at the D-1 level is profoundly challenging in any sport, and the aforementioned programs should be given their due and treated with requisite admiration and respect. But if TCU’s stock is going to eclipse the unrealistic expectations following the Gary Patterson ascension of a private middle-tier university, the athletics department needs to declare a major and start shooting for the dean’s list. l

Sebastian Gorzny celebrates with his teammates after clinching TCU tennis’ first outdoor national championship, against Texas.

Courtesy TCU Athletics Department

SCREEN

Chromeward Bound

Anya Taylor-Joy learns to drive angry in the prequel of the year.

BY KRISTIAN LIN

I never saw much point in prequels, even though there’s theoretically no reason they can’t work. True, we know that their endpoint has to join up with the beginning of a previous story that we’re familiar with. A prequel can still deepen characters and (especially in the case of fantasy stories) fill in vivid details of the world where the story takes place. They can be valuable. It’s just that so many of them aren’t. I look over the list of movie prequels and see one underwhelming disappointment after another. Why would this be the case? Do filmmakers just give up knowing that they can’t chart out an unexpected direction?

I don’t think George Miller’s Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is as good as his insane 2015 masterwork Mad Max: Fury Road, but it does provide some of the same things while making a compelling case for its leading lady.

The story begins with 12-year-old Furiosa (Alyla Browne) venturing too far out of the Green Place and being abducted by bikers who take her to their leader

Dementus (Chris Hemsworth). He eventually trades her to Immortan Joe (Lachy Hulme, assuming the role from the late Hugh Keays-Byrne) as part of a deal to take over the gasoline depot. Not one to take this lying down, Furiosa fakes her disappearance, cuts off her hair, and disguises herself as a mute boy in Joe’s employ. Years later, grownup Furiosa (Anya Taylor-Joy) saves Joe’s war rig and driver (Tom Burke) from an ambush by bandits, and the driver is grateful enough not to reveal her gender and to teach her how to do his job in the distinctly possible event of his death.

What made Fury Road so effective was the contrast between its wild originality and its brutally simple story. Furiosa tones down the originality in favor of a more complicated story, and neither works as well. None of the visuals here are as awe-inspiring as the giant sandstorm in Fury Road, nor is anything as

dementedly inspired as the Doof Warrior and his traveling bandstand.

We’re treated to the rarity of Hemsworth playing a villain and using his own Australian accent. He makes an interesting heavy, a guy who executes Furiosa’s mother (Charlee Fraser) in front of her but gives the girl a teddy bear to hold while it happens. He’s also funny — when Furiosa starts shooting his henchmen, he describes her as “someone excessively resentful.”

Most interesting of all is when she finally corners him, and instead of trying to beg or bluster his way out of it, he does something more interesting: He taunts her, saying that nothing she does to him will make up for what he’s done to her, something he knows from personal experience. Of course, he’s right.

The action sequences remind us of the kinetic muscle that Miller has brought

to the series, especially in the rig ambush and Furiosa’s stand with the driver against Dementus at the bullet factory. If Taylor-Joy doesn’t quite bring the same toughness that Charlize Theron did to the role, that only makes sense because Furiosa is younger and not as battle-hardened as she’ll become, and Taylor-Joy’s intense stare is recognizable even when protective gear is covering the rest of her face. (Between her, Theron, and Browne, who starred in this past April’s horror film Sting, there’s a great deal of integrity going on with this character. You feel like this is the same person at different ages.) Maybe the best part of Furiosa is

If Anya Taylor-Joy doesn’t quite bring the same toughness that Charlize Theron did to the role, that only makes sense because Furiosa is younger and not as battle-hardened as she’ll become.

Photo by Jasin Boland

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga Starring Anya Taylor-Joy and Chris Hemsworth. Directed by George Miller. Written by George Miller and Nick Lathouris. Rated R.

Have a Little Faith in Junior’s Summer Camps

BY ELAINE WILDER

Along with the arts, food, horses, STEM stuff, and — woo! — rock ’n’ rolllll in our Summertime story about kids’ camps, there are quite a few faith-based options, too.

While not necessarily religious in day-to-day practice, TCU (2800 S University Dr, Fort Worth, 817-257-7000) does have “Christian” in the name, so we can talk about some of their summer kids’ camps here. The Music/ Leadership Experience & Color Guard Band Camp for high school students is Sun-Thu, Jun 9-Jun 13. The cost is $375 for those not staying overnight or $650 with meals and lodging included. At the Middle School Music Experience, kids entering sixth-eighth grade with at least one year of instrumental training in a scholastic setting can attend this two-day camp for $200 ThuFri, Jun 13-14. For more, visit TCU.edu and search “summer camps.”

Many (actual) faith-based groups are getting in on the summertime kids’-camp fun. One

is Camp Shalom. Run by the Lil Goldman Early Learning Center at the Jewish Education Agency (4050 S Hulen St, Fort Worth, 817-737-9898), the weekly sessions are Jun 3-Aug 2 for ages 3 to kindergarten, each with a different theme. The second week of June is all about Community Helpers and includes a close-up look at squad cars and fire trucks when the Fort Worth police and fire departments pay a visit. During the last week of July, the Fort Worth Nature Center will bring ambassador animals from its Radical Reptiles program to Texas Wildlife Week. For more, visit LilGoldmanSchool. org/Camp-Shalom.

Aaron Family Jewish Community Center (7900 Northaven Rd, Dallas, 214-239-7130)

also offers a variety of camp options via JDallasCamps.org, including Camp Simcha for ages 2-4 and Camp Chai for kids entering K-sixth, plus camps for older kids, including gymnastics, tennis, theater production, and travel. Weekly camp rates start at $699 and go up from there. Plus, we are now in Aaron Family’s “late-registration” period, which costs more. It’s worth looking into for 2025, if not now.

If you’re comfortable letting Jesus take the wheel, then Vacation Bible School (VBS) is a great way to test-drive a church. The curriculum is typically preset, as most churches use standard themed packages purchased online or at the local Christian bookstore. (Think: Party City but for religious stuff.)

Popular themes I’ve seen in the last few years include In the Wild, Monumental, Treasured, and Roar (all nature); Boomerang Express (nature but Australian); and Stellar and To Mars and Beyond (outer space). Even the Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth — which is composed of 92 parishes in 28 counties here in North Texas — has a VBS directory at FWDIOC.org/vacation-bible-school.

Also, it’s worth noting that the teachings at VBS tend to be pretty easy-breezy and nonintrusive, highlighting the basic tenets of Christianity, like God’s love, “do unto others,” and the like. The kids don’t handle snakes until the last day. (Kidding.)

For example, Grace Covenant Church (3402 W I-20, Arlington, GraceCovenantChurch.org) is going with a VBS theme of Scuba: Diving into Friendship with God 9am-noon Mon-Fri, Jun 10-14. Admission is free, but you’ll need to pre-register your kids online. Like most VBS programs, this one is aimed at youngsters 3-and-a-half years old and up until they enter sixth grade in the 2024-25 school year. If this one is full, simply google “vacation Bible school near me,” and you’ll find plenty of other choices.

The VBS theme for Grace Lutheran Church (210 W Park Row Dr, Arlington 817-274-1626) is Outback Rock (nature but Australian) as part of a two-day weekend 6:15pm-8:30pm Fri, Jul 12, and 9am-1pm Sat, Jul 13. This free event is open to firstsixth graders and will feature games, inflatables, music, and snacks. Register at Grace. LC/Events-Activities.

continued on page 23

TCU has many kids’ camps this summer, including band camps for middle and high school students.

Admissions

Big Ticket

Do you remember the nondenominational church that used to meet at the Ridglea Theater on Sundays? Many a Music Awards ceremony day, we found ourselves hanging out in the parking lot, waiting for our turn to load in. Well, that would have been Paradox Church. They now have a space of their own at 900 W Belknap St, Fort Worth (TheParadoxChurch.com) and for a kids’ camp this summer are bringing Central Texas to you.

Many church youth groups go to Pine Cove for overnight summer camps, but the company also brings programs directly to church campuses. That’s what Paradox is doing Mon-Fri, Jul 1-5, for its upcoming Camp in the City/Pine Cove City for first-sixth graders. The cost is $359 per camper. For more, visit PineCove.com/city/ paradox-church/.

And you gotta believe the Methodists have a method to their madness. (Sorry.) Like most churches under the United Methodist Church umbrella, they tend to put a plan in place and stick with it. Although local congregations can pick their own themes, the children’s ministry at First United Methodist Church of Hurst (521 W Pipeline Rd, Hurst, 817-282-7384) created a VBS curriculum called Imagining God’s World with a hot-air balloon motif, and all the congregations in the Center, North, and

Northwest Texas conferences have been invited to use it this summer as part of a … pilot … program. In a move that helps working adults trying to get the kids back and forth, the First UMC event is 6pm-8pm Mon-Thu, June 3-6, and begins with a “snack supper” at 5:30pm. There is no cost to attend. Register at FUMCHurst.org/VBS.

And if Buddhism, meditation, and yoga are more your family’s speed and you’re still with me, you might be interested to know that we have a Sri Lankan Theravada Buddhist temple right here in Tarrant County that hosts family-friendly classes and events. The Texas Buddhist Meditation Center at the DFW Buddhist Vihara (11209 Brownfield Dr, Fort Worth, 682-316-3001) welcomes children accompanied by their parents at Dhamma School 10am-1pm Sundays for the younger generation to learn to be compassionate, cultivate good values, practice meditation techniques, and spread loving kindness. For event updates, follow them at Facebook.com/DFWBuddhist.

For more upcoming events like the ones above, besides making Google your friend, you can also check for Faith-Based Happenings in our Bulletin Board in Classifieds starting with the Wed, May 29, issue. As for sports camps, I’ll, uh, tackle those in a few weeks.

continued from page 15

Pine Cove City at Paradox Church looks way more fun than the church camps I went to as a kid. No fair!

Grace Lutheran Church is going with the scuba theme for Vacation Bible School this year.

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Hurst United Methodist Church created a VBS curriculum being used at other UMC campuses around Texas.

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WE HAVE A LOT GOING ON:

Summertime Edition is Now Online!

Dads & Grads Section is 6/5/24. Pride Month Edition is 6/12/24. Fourth of July Section is 6/26/24. Send your ideas, event links, and specials to Marketing@FWWeekly.com today! What’s going on in your world?

June 16 --September 15

Willem and Jan Dermoyen, after Bernard van Orley, The Invasion of the French Camp and the Flight of the Women and Civilians (detail), c. 1528–31, wool, silk, gold, and silver thread. Museo e Real Bosco di Capodimonte, Naples

The exhibition is organized by the Museo e Real Bosco di Capodimonte and Kimbell Art Museum.