Explore ATX

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expl or e at x

fr om the editor s

Hello Wonderful Readers, We created this magazine as a guide and look into the beautiful city of Austin. Going into this magazine, you will find topics about Austin ranging from wildlife to food, and from sports to city events. We had an amazing experience writing for you, and we hope that as you read through these pages, you become an Austinite, even if you do not live here.

Enjoy!

Thank you, Malcolm Obianwu, Mirna Taha, Nathaniel Dearing, Anna Williams, Aidan Flores

About us! |4

My name is Nathaniel Dearing and I am a freshman at LASA High School. In my spare time, I enjoy being around my backyard chickens and neighbors? dogs, as well as programming on my laptop and gaming with friends.

Often times, I visit Austin Public Library for books and events.

My name is Malcolm Obianwu and I am a Freshman at LASA high school. I spend most of my time fishing and being outside. I also love to watch and play sports. I have played soccer all of my life and I'm currently on the LASA soccer team.

Hello!!! My name is Mirna Taha and I am a freshman at LASA! I love cooking, baking, reading, traveling and watching Netflix! I am not really a sports person, but if you challenged me to a game of basketball or soccer, its on!!

Hi guys, my name is Aidan Flores. I am on the LASA Tennis team, and I like skateboarding. My section of the magazine was on food, and I chose this because food is a big part of Austonian culture.

Also, I am a big fan of Torchys!

My name is Anna Williams and I am a freshman at LASA. I have lived in Austin all my life, and wouldn't want to live anywhere else. I row at the Texas Rowing Center and love to go to different festivals and events.

I play the violin, and I love to travel and try new things.

About us! |5

Tabl e of Contents

10 r o w, r o w, r o w!

8

t he u l t im a t e g u id e t o r o w in g

By Mirna Taha

By Mirna Taha

20

4 m u s t v is it l o cal r es t a u r a n t s in a u s t in

By Aidan Flores

14

a u s t in w il d l if e s u r v iv a l g u id e

By Nathaniel Dearing

16 h a n d - in - h o o f

By Nathaniel Dearing

Contents| 6

22 f o r t he l o ve o f t aco s

t h e c it y s k y l in e

26

By Anna Williams

By Aidan Flores

28

acl and t he g r o wt h o f a u s t in

34

By Anna Williiams

u .t f o o t ba l l 2 0 2 0 st y l e

By Malcolm Obianwu

32

a u s t in f .c s t a d iu m h is t o r y t im el in e

By Malcolm Obianwu

Contents| 7

The Ul timate Guide to ROW ING B y M irnaT aha

Six steps to become a successful rower

1.

c h o o s e o u t o f pa s s io n Choose to row because you want to, and not because you have to.

The first step in becoming a successful rower is to love the sport.

2.

JOIN A NOVICE TEAM OR THE REC CREW AT YOUR LOCAL ROWING CENTER

3.

LEARN THE POSITIONS ON THE ERG (ROWING MACHINE) When rowing, there are two main positions: The finish and the catch. The finish is when your legs are straight and you are leaning back. The catch is when your legs are bent and you are leaning forward. It is also important to learn how to move between both of these positions using proper technique.

Rowing | 8

Join a team at your local rowing center. They will teach you how to row even when you have no idea what to do. The recreational team is usually the best place to start.

c o u r t es y o f : mu s c l es a n d f it n es s l u x u r y l if es t y l e n o r c a l c r ew

4.

Other sources: Anna WIlliams Falesha Thrash

pr a c t ic e SLOWLY IN A SINGLE (bo a t f o r o n e per s o n o n l y) Starting in a single is the best way to go. This way you are in out on your own and you are able to find a rhythm and get the hang of things without needing to focus on other people.

5.

START PRACTICING ON LARGER BOATS AND FOCUS ON TECHNIQUE Practicing in team boats is the next step in becoming a successful rower. There are many different types of team boats. There are doubles, pairs, quads, fours and eights. Information about everything you need to know could be found online, and when you join a rowing club, they will teach you!

6.

pr a c t ic e m a k es per f ec t

Continue rowing to perfect it. All the successful rowers were in your place at some point. They stayed persistent throughout their years, and learned from their mistakes. Rowing isn't something you learn in a day. You have to take your time. Just enjoy it!

Rowing | 9

Row , Row , Row !

B y: M irnaT aha

Alook into the Texas Rowing Center.

Rowers & Kayakers taking rented equipment such as sculls, kayaks and paddle boards onto Lady Bird Lake. Most people go to the Texas Rowing Center to rent equipment for rowing and other water related sports. Photo courtesy of the Texas Rowing Center.

Rowing Center | 10

ady r

A

s you walk along the Texas

Rowing Center ?s dock, you stop to take a moment. It?s gone from a little shack to a size bigger than one can imagine. With the water reflecting the sun?s golden light, the Texas Rowing Center looks like a heaven for athletes.

This is where their journey starts, and this is where their love for rowing ignites.

The Texas Rowing Center (TRC) is a home for more than 800 adult and junior rowing members. It is a rowing and paddling center, and offers many rentals, programs, and events. It is located along Lady Bird Lake in Austin, Texas. When it was founded in 1987 by Anne Marie, its dock was very small. Since then, much has been done to improve, expand and renovate the place.

The Texas Rowing Center, like most businesses, was shut down during the coronavirus.

TRC is a city concession, meaning it operates under a contract with the city of Austin. So when the city made the decision to shut everything down, TRC had to close, among other park amenities. Due to this, TRC was closed for a long period of time, and it happened to be when there would be the greatest number of customers.

after Labor Day September 2020, allowed two, four, six and eight people in boats. Being one of their top priorities, the Texas Rowing Center made sure everything was sanitized and safe for their athletes. ?We spray down the equipment after it gets used with a disinfectant,? Knifton said, ?so we are promoting exercise and recreation that is safe during these times.?

Many would think that there were less people returning because of the pandemic, but because people were bored in their homes, TRC got a flood of customers.

Since rowing and other water-related sports are outdoors, people knew it was safer than indoor sports and activities.

"t h e r o w in g c en t er is a u n iq u e pl a c e" -Matt Knifton

How did it become this big?

When the current owner, Matt Knifton, bought the rowing center back in 2002, it was still very small compared to its size now. He invested so much to expand the dock, and has completed many projects to give members a better and more memorable experience. ?We've gone from a very small operation to a very large one. In fact, we've just finished a million dollar floating boathouse project.? Knifton said.

?This year has been weird,?

Knifton said, ?all of April, all of July and half of August we were closed because of COVID spikes, so we've had 10 weeks of our peak season cut out.?

When the center started reopening, the first stage was allowing athletes to go out on their own in single boats. The second stage, which happened

?Being outdoors is one of the safest places to be with the coronavirus, so we've been busy when we were open,? Knifton said, ?and since everything we do is outdoors, and people don?t have that many options to choose from, we've been busier than we were last year.?

Rower in The Texas Rowing Center rowing in Lady Bird Lake. Photo courtesy of The Texas Rowing Center

What happened during COVID-19?

Rowing Center | 11

Th e Ju n ior s pr ogr am : The start: Falesha Thrash is the juniors program director and the head coach. She started the juniors program in 2003, one year after Knifton bought the rowing center. In the beginning, there were not many youth rowers, but as TRC expanded, and as youth rowing became more popular, the junior program's numbers started rising. ?There wasn?t a lot of junior activity as far as our region and state goes,? Thrash said, ?so it was just a really good time to pick up and become a part of the growing trend of youth rowing in the United States.?

What is the juniors program?

The juniors program is for kids and teens ages 11-18. It consists of 5 squads, and 3 main teams which are the recreational, novice and varsity tier. The recreational program is where rowers often begin, as no experience or past knowledge is required. It?s a great place to start when they are trying to merge with a new sport. Their basic skills are developed in that program, and from there, the athletes can choose if they would like to move to novice, which is more competitive, but still for beginners. After being in the novice tier for at least a year, they will be eligible to enter varsity.

Rowing Center |12

A team of rowers in an octuple scull.

Octuple sculls require eight rowers and a coxswain. Photo courtesy of The Texas Rowing Center.

?For our juniors program, we have five teams,? Thrash said. ?Within the program, there's about 160 athletes in total.?

Athletes usually start in their freshman year of high sch ool, and stay until their senior year.

stick with it for a long time.

We've had kids on the team for seven years.?

"t h e t ex a s r o w in g c en t er is o pen a n d in v it in g t o a n y bo d y a n d ev er y bo d y " -Falesha Thrash

A brief overview of a history of awards and championships:

Rowing is a really good opportunity for rowers to get access to college scholarships, so athletes tend to ?I would say find interest in the average this sport. athlete Although the spends about juniors are three or four members of years on the team,? Thrash said, TRC?s program, there's a junior ?but some start very young and national team that rowers can

Kids learning how to paddle board at the Texas Rowing Center. There is a juniors program there to teach children how to row and paddle board.

Photo courtesy of the Texas Rowing Center.

qualify for. If they do become a part of the team, they can race in the world championships by representing the United States.

This has been an achievement for many juniors at TRC. ?We've had athletes make the junior national team and race and even win medals, which is pretty exciting,? Thrash said. ?They race all over the world, like in Lithuania, Romania, and just about everywhere since the world championships rotate every year.?

What does recruiting look like?

Normally, they would go to school campuses and events to recruit students, but this didn't happen. Since 2020 was different, recruiting was different, too! It was students informing other students about TRC that helped keep the program afloat. Since TRC offers a PE credit for AISD and surrounding school districts, students were happy to get outside, especially since they were not in a traditional classroom setting. ?In a traditional sense, we're not exactly recruiting. It's more of a word of mouth,? Thrash said, ?and the numbers for our program have not suffered from that, which we're really happy and excited for.?

What if the kid doesn?t know what to do?

The Texas Rowing Center has specialized coaches that teach less experienced athletes. They coach them using strategies

Rower from the Texas Rowing Center rows in lady bird lake, and views the Austin city skyline. Anyone can walk in and rent at TRC. Photo courtesy of The Texas Rowing Center.

that don?t rush them, and help them learn step by step. They take the time to help them truly find passion in what they are learning. This has been proven to be one of the major steps in helping an athlete unlock their potential in this sport. ?A lot of our philosophies with

"t h e r o w in g c en t er w il l c o n t in u e t o g r o w" -Falesha Thrash athletes who are starting out is to just get them in a space where they're enjoying the sport,? Thrash said, ?and then we can go from there in terms of fine tuning their technique.?

A challenge they face: With Knifton owning one of the best rowing centers in the country, there comes a challenge. How much does it truly take to manage a center that allows anyone to rent equipment? Over 100,000 people come to TRC to rent equipment throughout the whole year, so impatience can arise as lines get longer and longer at the dock. However, as the Texas Rowing Center became more crowded, their lines got shorter and shorter.

Why? Because he always has a team that's up for this task. ?We typically have over 100,000 people a year that come to the rowing center to row, canoe and kayak,? Knifton said. ?My job is to make sure it runs smoothly, and our biggest challenge is to spread people out when there are a lot of people there, but we've gotten good at it.?

Rowing Center | 13

Austin W il dl ife Sur vival Guide

Your introduction to Wildlife in Austin!

B y N athaniel Dearing

Tips and Protocol

This describes the handling and transportation process, which should be accompanied by calls asking for help from a rehabilitator to step you through, and preceded by an understanding of your area?s handling of wildlife as well as proper identification with technicians to determine if it really needs help (n o call is u n appr eciat ed, t h ey k n ow you w er e t r yin g t o h elp!).

The tips below are for the transportation and rescue process.

-

Never use bare hands!

-

Wear the right gloves! Thick leather gloves should be worn in many cases to protect from bites/pecks. You may also use a thick towel, but try to have everything you can to preserve your health.

-

Wearing goggles and possibly even neck protection is ideal for dealing with birds.

-

Deer (even babies/fawns) and other hoofed mammals have razor-sharp hooves, can kick hard, and slice through clothing.

-

Try to handle the animal as little/efficiently as possible.

-

If they can fit, try to put them into a box with a secure lid, or a crate that encloses an insecurity.

-

Try to use cages that aren?t plastic or metal to prevent escape and possible injuries.

-

Cages with top rather than frontal openings may make for better handling and prevent escape.

-

Cages should be of proper size (not always bigger!). Fawns may sustain broken limbs if transported in too large a container.

-

Cages should be easy to clean and able to be kept warm.

Wildlife| 14

End

At en ha

Co

At th tree wild may corn

Extinct in the Wild

Texas Red Wolf

American Plains Bison

These animals are only found on reservations, not in the wild.

Endangered/Threatened Wildlife At the middle of the tree, endangered/threatened species have lower populations.

Texas Blind Salamander

Tooth Cave Pseudoscropion

Common Wildlife At the lowest part of the tree are the common wildlife in Austin that you may see around every corner at different times.

Fox Squirrel Raccoon

Armadillo

Mexican Free-tailed Bat

Wildlife| 15

Ha n d -in -Ho o f B y: N athaniel Dearing

Alook into wildlife in Austin

A Texas Horned Lizard is seen in its natural habitat. Photo provided by Amanda Hargrave.

Wildlife| 16

W

hile hiking in the woods,

you find a baby deer standing still, all alone. You push your way through the brush silently, feeling a primal urge to feed and protect it. However, the cold grip of uncertainty makes you call a wildlife rehabilitation line for fear of acting wrongly.

They step you through the process of analyzing the baby deer, stating that the deer is merely absent from the mother for a short time, which is a normal occurrence. Relieved, you leave it where it is, turning around and continuing trudging up the trail.

Austin, Texas encompasses a large variety of wildlife within a very modern, bustling metropolis. As an essential part of our city, we maintain our wildlife, yet many make misguided actions or fail to act due to lack of wildlife education. Additionally, people may have preconceived notions about wildlife that blind them from simple solutions and keep them from moving forward

AWR (Austin Wildlife Rescue) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the rescue and rehabilitation of wildlife. Art provided by Austin Wildlife Rescue.

Hayley Hudnall is seen holding an animal in its rehabilitation process.

Image provided by Hayley Hudnall.

entirely on the path of wildlife preservation.

At Austin Wildlife Rescue, a nonprofit organization, Executive Director Hayley Hudnall and her co-workers and employees rehabilitate animals daily, dedicated to preserving wildlife in Austin.

She believes that the one thing everyone in Austin should do to help is learn to coexist with wildlife, embracing their presence in your yard if you can. ?There's a whole lot of misconceptions about wildlife,?

Hudnall said, ?And I think a big part of our job is to teach people about wildlife, how we can coexist with them? we're not trapping them, we're not kicking them out of our house, we're not shooting them, just misunderstanding them.?

Through education, workers can inform and spark feelings concerning wildlife. They may often engage in conversation with people at rehabilitation

drop-offs, educating them on such matters, and providing guidance for future involvement. Classes may be held on occasion, for both kids and adults, allowing people to warm up to wildlife, recognizing their importance and the good they do. Additionally, these classes align with core TEKS requirements (Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills). ?We spend a lot of time with people when they drop off animals, educating them, telling them maybe this time you just need to come in and wait around a bit,? Hudnall said. ?We'll send animals back with people, too, and see if we can reunite them. Then we do classes, both in schools and for adults, about wildlife, the benefits of wildlife and the good that they do.?

Volunteer work entails time and dedication, yet the experience of taking care of animals is well worth it. With more hands on the job, more

Wildlife| 17

animals can be saved and the organization can be more efficient.

often presents at WRISE (Women in Renewable Industries and Sustainable Energy) on the effects of ?So, we do a lot of cleaning energy sources and energy here, that's a part of any animal efficiency regarding wildlife. job. If you want to volunteer with Hargrave also strongly us first, come in and do a supports public education on cleaning shift to get an idea of wildlife, even to the point of what we do. Then you get signed required school coursework, up for a training shift for three to integrated or preferably as its four hours in different areas. own class. She encourages After that, we have people come critical thinking and further in, and we train them as they go. exploration (individually) into They'll learn to feed possums and wildlife rather than listening to squirrels, clean our outdoor those on television or other cages, clean crates and care to medium. She also claims that care for all the animals,? Hudnall small-scale energy said. ?Getting to see these conservation is another crucial animals up close, care for them, topic to be aware of in today?s see them heal, grow, get better society. and back into the wild again---volunteers keep coming back.?

The logo of WRISE (Women in In addition to volunteers, Austin Wildlife Rehabilitation would benefit immensely from monetary support from the city, as they are a non-profit organization that undergo the selfless yet costly process of rehabilitation.

Renewable Industries and Sustainable Energy), an organization where Amanda Hargrave often presents. Art provided by WRISE.

?Something around required coursework that would involve an understanding of the environment would be ideal because I think if you took that one required, one-semester course on the environment that would help them to understand why certain regulations exist, why companies may want to go in a certain direction, and why we In a different field with similar should support renewable goals, ecologist Amanda Hargrave energy, maybe over oil and ?We're a nonprofit that gets no city funding. They bring us almost 10% of the animals that we take in each year, which we greatly appreciate, but we're not in their budget,? Hudnall said. ?So we've been working really hard the last few years to try to get in their budget, and I think the most help they could give us is usually monetary.?

Wildlife| 18

gas,? Hargrave said. ?Say, an educational basis that prepares people to understand the environmental conditions and issues that we're facing.?

Still, understanding the ramifications of even vastly preferred energy sources and plans is imperative to preserving wildlife, as urban actions are bound to conflict with wildlife in one way or another. Everything should be taken into careful consideration to prevent damages in various ecosystems, true to the work of an ecologist. ?I would say, on the counter side of renewables, one would be, ?Oh, these turbines are killing all these birds and bats, they're a terrible thing.?There's the people that make that argument, and then there's people on the other side that think renewables don't have any impacts, and you can?t go wrong with them ? when in reality, with the decommission blade, they're not recyclable materials,? Hargrave said. ?So you still are sending stuff to the landfill. It's not 100% renewable in the right direction. I would say there's kind of misconceptions on it around different views. The reality is, it's somewhere in the middle.?

Hargrave does not believe that wildlife should completely impede urban developments, but rather induce countermeasures for pre-construction. Such measures (Best Management Practices) would significantly reduce the damage to an ecosystem. It

to wildlife ? like silt fencing to prevent erosion and sedimentation of dirt into waterways.?

Amanda Hargrave is seen working in the fields as an ecologist. Photo provided by Amanda Hargrave.

largely depends on the adaptation of species to an urban lifestyle, so ecologists and other professionals will need to make detailed observations to ensure the safety of the surrounding ecosystem. ?I would say that we have species that have adapted to an urban lifestyle ? for instance, the peregrine falcon is an excellent example of a bird that was suffering from habitat destruction and ended up finding a new niche in an urban setting. As far as other species that aren't already adapted to an urban lifestyle, it would kind of depend on the species, because not all wildlife you would want in an urban setting,? Hargrave said. ?So doing biological evaluations on any sort of development, you?ll then want to put in these things called Best Management Practices, and they?re basically measures that they incorporate into a project to reduce impacts

Benevolent and just these fields may be, there is a divide between rehabilitators and ecologists that possesses no clear, absolute answer. Invasive species vary in their harm to an ecosystem, yet many argue over the need to eliminate the particularly harmful ones.

Uprooting an invasive plant can be done silently, yet the

to contact the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department to determine the potential damages and have a professional deal with the situation accordingly. ?Feral hogs are a good example,?Hargrave said. ?If it?s somebody like me, an ecologist, or somebody that's in wildlife management, they'll say ?kill as many as you can, they?re terrible for the environment, they're affecting other species in a negative way.?So for you killing those hogs, you're helping all of these other species that are native thrive,? Hargrave said. ?But then you have people that have a different view, who have a more humanistic point of view of wildlife, where they believe that every single life, whether they're hurting other species or not, shouldn?t be killed.?

"g et t in g t o s ee t h es e a n ima l s u p c l o s e, c a r e f o r t h em, s ee t h em h ea l , g r o w , g et bet t er a n d ba c k in t o t h e w il d a g a in - - - v o l u n t eer s k eep c o min g ba c k .?

- h a y l ey h u d n a l l hunting of invasive animals, despite their immense damage to a native ecosystem, will prompt much dissent from certain humanistic groups.

Rehabilitators accept wildlife and care for them, focused on individual preservation without drastic human intervention in ecosystems. The complexity of animal encounters increases with this choice set in front of you, so when dealing with invasive species you may want

In Austin, you have the chance to enjoy many different features of a unique metropolis, so find time to enjoy and appreciate one of its defining ones, wildlife.

Learning to coexist and take care of the beginning rescue steps can not only save the selfless rehabilitation workers from a heavier burden, it can even save priceless animal lives. There is no shame in inaction with good intent, or even acting with good intent, so with a deeper understanding may we finally act when necessary, when there is a life at stake.

Wildlife| 19

4 "Must Visit" Local Restaur ants in Austin B y A idanFlores

The best places for you to go on your day or night on the town!

Hopdoddy Burger Bar is a local burger and m ilkshake joint wit h 10 locat ions in over four st at es! They like t o keep it local wit h local brews and ingredient s t o m ake t he qualit y food t hey are known for. Hopdoddy 's nam es is a com binat ion of "Hop" and "Doddy", which are beef affiliat ed, t o show t hat t hey only serve t heir best . These burgers will m ake you want t o st ay in Aust in forever.

Franklin Barbecue is a well known barbecue rest aurant t hat has been rat ed by t he New York t im es as a t wo out of four st ars. Lines st art as early as seven or eight in t he m orning alm ost four hours before t hey open. On average t here is a wait of t wo hours once t he line st art s form ing. All t hat for som e m eat . They serve food unt il t hey run out of m eat .

Food | 20

Ho p d o d d y

Fr a n k lin B ar b ecu e

Uchi is a Japanese sushi rest aurant founded in Aust in in 2003. They m ake qualit y fancy food wit hout requiring t he fancy environm ent . Where what ever you feel com fort able wit hin reason, and you won't feel out of place.

Where else but Aust in? It is unofficially rat ed as one of t he best if not t he best rest aurant s in Aust in.

Fonda San Miguel is a fam ous Aust in favorit e. It is a great Tex -Mex rest aurant wit h good qualit y Mexican food and som e of t heir own Mexican food wit h an Aust in t wist . Not only is t heir food really good, t hey also have an am azing environm ent wit h m any Mexican m urals and t radit ional Mexican t hem ed furnit ure and det ails.

Uc h i

Fo n d a Sa n M ig u el

Food | 21

For the Love of Tacos B y A idanFlores

The story of how a local restaurant grew into so much more.

Torchys new restaurant that opened during the pandemic in Louisiana. Photo courtesy of The Advocate

Torchy's| 22

T

acos are a big part of Austin?s culture, from traditional Mexican tacos to modern street tacos, but one restaurant in particular is being praised for their amazing food. Torchy's Tacos started in a food truck with one determined chef, and now it is in over five states. But it wasn?t always this way. Once upon a time, Torchys Tacos was only a dream for founding chef Mike Rypka. With dedication and good

?It was pretty emotional for me,?

Rypka said, ?I was excited, and I was kind of humbled.? morals, Rypka is living proof that dreams are what you make of them, you can?t just give up.

Rypka founded his culinary journey when he was only 16 years old. He was a fry chef at Popeyes Chicken. He had a childish motivation, to save up money for skateboarding materials. Later in high school, he worked at a country club, and he realized that he could make a real career out of cooking. While at the country club, he worked with a professional chef who would take young Rypka under his wing. After that, Rypka decided to go to culinary school because he wanted to become a chef.

Later, after working food jobs at different establishments.

He wanted to start his own brick and mortar restaurant.

The only problem was, he didn?t have the money, and the bank wouldn?t give him a loan. He didn?t know what to do.

However, one of his friends had an old barbecue trailer, and he offered to sell it to Rypka. So, Rypka maxed out his credit cards, he took a mortgage out on his house and he opened the first Torchys Tacos food truck in August of 2006. ?It was pretty emotional for me,? Rypka said, ?I was excited, and I was kind of humbled.?

At first, Torchys Tacos didn?t take off. Food trucks were not really a thing back then, and nobody thought it was really wise to go take tacos from a man selling them in a truck. On top of that, Rypka?s tacos were the craziest tacos ever. He wanted to be different, so he used fresh ingredients to make authentic, original and quality street tacos. ?And when I started, food trucks weren't really a cool thing back then,? Rypka said, ?So a lot of people were kind of nervous to go eat at a food truck. And so I have to really work hard at getting customers to come try the food.

To spread his business, he rode around in his Red Vespa giving away tacos until people started to go to his

truck. After he started to gain popularity, he wrote his mission statement. He wanted to sum up his tacos in a way the people could relate to, and what better way to do that, then to get it from the people Several times when people went to eat at Torchys, they would say, ?Damn these tacos are good!? So, Mike took that, and he made his mantra, ?Damn Good.? ?This is what our mission statement is today,? Rypka said, ?But it was really all about serving damn good tacos, which I kind of got from my customers.?

Finally, Rypka got enough money for his own restaurant.

This may sound like the end of an era. The end to the fight for the Torchys restaurant.

Well, the customers weren?t having it. Rypka?s business grew to over 75 locations, and in over five states!

Mike Rypka the founder of Torchys.

Photo by QSR Magazine.

Torchy's| 23

The original Torchys Tacos food truck. Photo by Torchys Tacos.

?It was pretty emotional for me,? Rypka said,?I was excited,and I was kind of humbled. I was nervous because it was a lot more expensive than just running the food trailer.?

Obviously Rypka was doing something right. People started lining up around the block for his tacos, and his restaurant gained a reputation for one of the biggest names in the Southern food industry.

Surely all this success surely would go to one's head, right?

One of Rypka?s personal friends, neighbors and customers James William who is a consultant for IBM, the tech company, said, ?My favorite thing about Mike Rypka ? he is one of the most humble, nicest guys you'll ever meet. And all of the success that he's had has

Torchy's| 24

actually made him even more humble.?

Due to Rypka?s attitude, and of course Torchy's, many celebrities have visited the restaurant. Some have been Lizzo, Tony Hawk and even former President Barack Obama. According to KXAN, President Obama stopped by

Torchy's for lunch in 2016. He stopped to exchange pleasantries with customers, and then he ordered tacos.

"When Obama came, that was a big deal,? Rypka said, ?I mean, to have our president come to our restaurant was pretty huge.

It just was so exciting. It felt cool

to have those kinds of people want to come try your food. And even though they're celebrities, they're all pretty normal folks.?

Torchy's is known for its great work environment. In the beginning, finding people was easy because Rypka was able to interview and hire people he trusted. But when his business grew, how did he know if he was hiring the right person?

you hire somebody, they're the kind of person you want to drive to El Paso and back with.??

Torchy's uses fresh ingredients to make their tacos.

This is why their tacos are so spectacular. Not only do their tacos taste good, they look good. Torchy's is known for their weird and exotic looking tacos. They are so different, in fact, that customers are taken aback by the creativity.

?But it was important to really ?I didn't know you could do find people that had a good all of those things with a taco? attitude, they were willing to I just had the traditional taco work, Rypka said, ?You know, they with brown beef,? Williams weren't, they weren't afraid to said? And then you get back and all of a sudden, you get all like, you know, take of these flavors and different ingredients on a taco I'd never out the Torchys Tacos on South Congress. Photo by Torchys . trash and seen or had that before.? clean this and play mad or chop onions or, you know, get on the grill if they needed to.

The other thing, and we still kind of say today, is ?Hey, make sure when

The Torchys Tacos mascot, "Baby Devil". Image by Chisholm Creek.

After all the trials and tribulations, there is a constant factor to all this success. Rypka?s story is truly inspirational, and it shows that hard work pays off.

When you find your calling or passion, you have to follow it because it could change your life. To this day, Rypka continues to be the same kind, caring and humble person. On top of all that, he has given countless people jobs and opportunities.

Just like the opportunities given to him by the chef at the country club all those years ago.

One of Torchys' menus.

Image by Mia Bain

Torchy's| 25

The City Sk yl ine B y: A nnaWilliams

Austin's most iconic buildings

Th e Fr ost Ban k Tow er The Frost building definitely stands out, especially for those that have lived in Austin longer. It's the 5th tallest building and could be called the most unique. The Frost building was built in the early 2000s. It is very easy to point out with is;s distinctive glass shard seeming design. It can also be recognized by the Frost logo embedded in it on all 4 sides.

Skyline| 26

The Austin skyline is an always changing representation of what Austin is like as a city. It represents how developed Austin is becoming. It also shows how many more people are living here..

On e Con gr ess Plaza The One Congress Plaza is a much older building (relatively), opened in 1987. It has an intricate stair stepping shape and a beautiful bronze glow in the sun . It was developed by Vantage Bros and has 30 floors. The height if the One Congress Plaza is 417 feet at the very top of the stair steps. It is the 17th tallest building in Austin.

Au st in Capit ol The Austin Capitol doesn't have a huge impact on the appearance of the Austin skyline, but it is still one of the most historical buildings. Built in April, 1888 it covers over 51 acres on Congress Ave. The Austin capitol building is actually taller than the national capitol building, by 15 feet. It is also one of the largest capitol buildings in the United States.

Th e In depen den t The Independent, sometimes referred to as the jenga building is one of the new additions to the downtown skyline. It is the tallest building in the city and takes first place for the tallest residential building in North America west of the Mississippi.

The construction started in 2016. Now, October 2020, it is still undergoing construction. However it is open to the public for citizens to find their dream home.

Th e Au st on ian The Austonian is one of Austin's most Iconic downtown buildings. At 56 floors high and 683 feet high it is the second tallest building in Austin. It's a residential skyscraper that has a home at 200 congress ave. The Austonian construction started on August 31, 2007.

It is the second tallest all residential building in North America west of the Mississippi.

Skyline| 27

Austin City Limits All about the event that every Austinite spends the year waiting for, and how it affects the stunning city it is held in.

B y A nnaWIlliams

ACL | 28

skyline and is right by Ladybird lake. With eight stages, six ith tons of thousands of days, and two weekends, it is for sure something to see. The attendees and worldwide top very first ACL festival was in chart performers, Austin City September 2002. ACL features Limits, or ACL, is really a festival like no other. People come from concerts of a wide variety from far and wide to get a taste of the 10:00 am to 10:00 pm. It's unique vibes this festival gives off unique because bands for all audiences get to be displayed. and to get a chance to see the The fantastic thing about ACL is quickly growing Austin where it the fact that it isn't just music. take place.

There are art displays, food Austin is an always developing trucks, areas for kids, and more! city. What used to be a smaller, Austin City Limits is adding to quirky capital city, is now the the culture of Austin in location of large music festivals unimaginable ways.

W

Live ACL festival. Photo courtesy of ACL.

Austin, we now have something very, very unique.? Shieh said.

The old Austin will always be a memory that long term Austin citizens hold dear to their hearts, but that Austin is the James Sheih, an Austin building block of the current Planning Commission member Austin. There is a uniqueness who has lived in Austin for over from the old Austin that 30 years, has a different resonates within the newer perspective of this than some more industrialized city. These newer citizens may. Sheih bits of uniqueness, as Sheih believes Austin has changed called them, are present within significantly since he first events such as ACL. For moved here. example, the art display, iconic "I wish we could have kept and funky colorful flags, the Austin as just its own little local food trucks, and the small secret," Sheih said. bands that perform. Austin is like a layered cake, with each including ACL! With a growing However, Sheih also sees the layer being a different time. skyline, rising population and positives in the growth of Every layer is needed to have increasing amounts of attention, Austin. He stated that the the final product taste delicious.

Austin has become more than unique parts of Austin just a small city. that he fell in love with are what's bringing the Austin City Limits music festival is a yearly event that over attention to Austin, and 75,000 people attend each day. It this attention is bringing takes place in Zilker Park, it has a more culture and presence. view of the

"t h e f u t u r e o f

a u s t in is g o in g t o be a m a z in g ."

- j a m es s h eih

Lizzo's performance drew in one of the Largest crowds in ACL History. Photo taken by Anna Williams, ACL 2019

?The growth just completely transformed.

We're never going to get the old Austin back again, but because of that

ACL | 29

Hundreds patiently waiting for Guns and Roses to come and take stage at American Express. Photo taken By Anna Williams, ACL 2019

looking for a job. I reached out to them and they said, ?yeah, you're perfect?, and that's when we moved to Austin. I started the job at C3 about five years ago.? Beliveau said.

The bottom layer is the base of the whole cake and on top are other layers that add to it.

Austin City Limits is put on by the event company C3 Presents.

The Chief Operating Officer of C3 Presents is Emmet Beliveau.

Beliveau got involved with C3 Presents while he was working

on the presidential inauguration committee for Barack Obama. Beliveau was planning the election night speech and eventually decided to have it at the Lollapalooza festival. Held in Chicago, Lollapalooza is hosted by C3.

He said it?s very important to have a company that knows what they?re doing, and that is exactly what C3 Presents it.

ACL has already taken up about as much of Zilker Park as it can so there isn?t much expanding that will be happening there.

However there is talk of adding festivals like ACL to different locations, some have already been done like Auckland City Limits. With Austin City Limits being as popular as it is, it?s no wonder C3 is thinking about creating more. ?We're always looking for new open opportunities, but it's really hard to launch new big festival

?Seven years later, when I was ACL official logo from aclfestival.com.

ACL | 30

"It's the kind of festival that any other city in the country would kill to have. They're constantly asking us to bring a festival like this to other cities that don't have it." Beliveau said.

2020 has given a hard hit to any company, especially those involved in entertainment, such as C3 Presents. These companies have had to be creative in this past year. ACL was brands because there aren't any definitely one of those. great sites like Glover Park or Reaching out to many different Grant Park. We'd like to start with artists. Austin City Limits had the site first, because no one wants to go to a festival in a parking lot there.? Beliveau said.

"it 's t h e k in d o f f es t iv a l t h a t a n y o t h er c it y in t h e c o un t r y wo ul d k il l t o h a v e."

- em m et bel iv ea u

the goal in mind to set up a virtual ACL. For this C3 needed permission from artists to be featured in this. There were even some local artists that were recorded for event. Not sure how big of a hit this would be, they thought it might only last one or two days for as low as two hours a night. However, it ended up at five hours each for three days. Hundreds of thousands of people tuned in to watch over the three days. It was definitely an ACL year to be proud of.

The 2020 virtual lineup. Many artists from all over were included in this unique concert attended by those in Austin and outside.

Courtesy of ACL.

Beliveau says that he thinks ACL is helping Austin from a brading standpoint. Many people discover Austin after hearing about the festival. ?I think ACL helps Austin's brand.

It's a cool thing to have and to host here.There's lots of stories about people discovering Austin and decided to move to Austin because of their experience with the festival? Beliveau said.

ACL donates a percentage of its proceeds to the Austin Parks Foundation. This is to support parks all across the city. Since ACL has started working with APF 10 years ago, over 40 million dollars from the festival has gone right back to the parks. From a financial standpoint Beliveau said, ACL is a huge economic engine for the city.

ACL | 31

Austin F.C Stadium Histor y Timel ine Ashort timeline about the building of the newly found Austin FC Major League Soccer team stadium and its history. This will include key dates and what is to come in the future.

1995 1956 The earliest development of the land was in 1956, when the land was christened as a 23.5 acre chemical manufacturing plant. The manufacturing plant produced various chemicals for Reichhold Chemicals, generally peroxides

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All to TBD

Stadium| 32

Reichhold's parent company, DIC Corporation, sold the land to the City of Austin in 1995 for $1.4 million, with the city planning on using it as the Austin Water North Service Center.

The land where the stadium is going to be built was annexed to the city on July 19, 1973.

1973

TICKET Tickets are available for the 2021 season on the Austin F.C website for purchase. You can even get a season pass for the whole year!

2018 Columbus Crew S.C announced they were intending to move a team to Austin, city staff identified eight potential sites for a stadium. 10414 Mckalla Place was one of those sites, and following some debate became the prime candidate in the council meeting on March 22, 2018.

However, during construction of the facility in 2003, an explosion occurred, with workers finding illegally stored chemical waste on the site.

2003

The stadium is currently being priced at 260 million dollars and will be ready for matches in Spring 2021. These dates may change due to the corona-virus.

2021

Stadium| 33

U.T Footbal l 2020 Styl e B y: M alcolmObianwu

Everything you need to know about how COVID-19 has affected College football in Austin, Texas.

Players getting ready to get out onto the field. Photo courtesy of UT Austin.

Stadium| 34

to get through this pandemic.?

Jared Wiley a TE on the U.T Football team. Photo courtesy of the Texas Media Team.

W

e all know 2020 has been

a very astonishing year for most people. It ranged from wildfires to several famous people passing away suddenly, but the elephant in the room is the global pandemic. Almost everyone on the planet has been affected by COVID-19. Many people say that 2020 is cursed, and they might be right. Sports, movies, trips, and many more big events have been canceled or altered around the world.

That does not exclude college football. The University of Texas U.T.), specifically, has been taking many precautions to make sure that players and fans stay safe while attending home games.

Jared Wiley has played football his whole life and is currently a TE at U.T. He says that the football team is taking a long list of precautions to make sure everyone stays safe. ?We got this long list of them, obviously as you can see we are

always masked up. We are getting tested multiple times throughout the week. We have monitors that we wear that ensure social distancing and all that. Those are just some of the few that we do on the daily,?

Wiley said.

Jerry Lopez is the Senior Vice President of 500 Fortune Company. He is also an avid fan of U.T football and is a holder of season tickets. On average he goes to around 5-6 games a year and watches the rest of them from home. ?I think it?s challenging times for everyone going through the pandemic, I think it?s our responsibility to act in a safe manner and take the recommendations by our people in office those that are knowledgeable about the pandemic,? Lopez said. ?In terms of what they recommend, we follow. I hope we get through this as a group, it?s just gonna take some time

U.T decided that they would have games at a much less capacity than normal. This brought up a problem that many people thought was a big deal.

They were concerned about the morale of the team with fewer people in the stands cheering for them. ?It's kind of a different feel being a player you know you really don't notice the fans that much once the game starts just locked in on your assignments and what you're supposed to be doing,? Wiley said ?So to be honest, I haven't even noticed

Wiley- "I just kind a looked a t it a s a n outlet for a ll my frustra tion outsid e of footb a ll. Its a n outlet a nd I enjoy d oing it."

that we don't have as many fans.?

The biggest concern was the safety of the fans and players attending these games. Will people in attendance games by taking proper precautions? Fans were debating on whether or not to even go to games this year.

Stadium| 35

Darren K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium Photo was taken by Brint03

games must be wearing a mask. ?I think that it is extremely important to wear face-coverings during games.

Particularly because it has been proven that it helps mitigate the spread of the coronavirus,?

Lopez said.

Some fans were scared that the corona virus would cause a rift in between the team, and teammates would spend less time together. Furthermore, this would decrease the morale and playing spirit of the entire team.

If this were to happen their skill on the football field would drop drastically, but players are saying otherwise.

?I think they should, first, the football?, Lopez said. most important thing is the The first rule that was created safety of the players, the fans, across the world because of the and the coaches. When it comes coronavirus is wearing a face to the pandemic and college covering. Many people believe football. First and foremost that that it is against their rights and must be considered, but at the are protesting against it. The same time, I think it?s important university made it clear that to consider the players who every person attending the have worked their whole lives to reach their goal of playing college football. So, if the university can find a Lopez- "If that?s followed there way to create a safe could be a scenario where we experience, I think it is fair for the players to could attend safely which is have that opportunity what I think the university is to play the sport that doing right now.? they love. They have worked so hard to reach this goal to play this high level of

Stadium| 36

?I feel like the especially during the season we're always in the facilities you know whether watching film, getting ready for practice and meetings whatever,? Wiley said. ?I feel like I am around them quite a bit. I?d say it's definitely brought us more together, you know with the trust of each teammate you know not going to a club on the weekend or not going to a party after a game or something like that. Everybody wants to see everybody succeed for the season and seasons to come. Everybody is just being super cautious.?

Another major part of college football is traveling to other universities to play. Many parents and players were concerned about this aspect of football. They wanted to know

what safety precautions were the school taking to keep the players safe. Wiley says that COVID has not really affected traveling. ?Not really, you know besides the fact that we're always you know we always got a mask on and you know just the same thing as always just social distance and you know just be super cautious with everything,? he said.

Another hot topic about college football and the coronavirus was, ?Who got to choose the rules and regulations, the university or the NCAA?? Most of the universities go off their own rules and regulations, though many of them are basically the same thing.

?I think it?s up to the university team on by watching their games to make that decision because on television. every university is different and for example, let?s say the NCAA was making the rule, it would be hard for them to make the rules for all universities because all stadiums are configured differently, some are bigger than others, ? Lopez said. ? I think it?s up to the university to make that call on what?s the safest way to keep people attending football games.?

The schedule for the U.T football team is online, as well as ticket purchasing options.

Whether you decide to go during COVID times or not, make sure to cheer the U.T

Mr. Lopez, the Senior Vice President of 500 Fortune Company. Photo Courtesy of 500 Fortune Company.

University of Texas Football Team, Photo Provided by Brad Tollefson

Hook Em Horns

Stadium| 37

Skylineby Gordon Johnson

"I l ike Aust in because ever yone is so wil d h er e."

-Aidan Flores

"It 's Not just any magazine. It 's an Aust in Magazine."

-Mirna Taha

?Aust in is a per f ect exampl e of h ow somet h ing can be so weir d, yet so per f ect ."

-Malcolm Obianwu

"I h ave t r avel ed Acr oss t h e wor l d, yet I've never f el t mor e at h ome t h an in Aust in."

-Anna Williams

"Diver se in ever y r espect , Aust in is a mel t ing pot of a met r opol is."

-Nathaniel Dearing