On The Record Magazine

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Denton: SUPER SCHOLARS

Then and Now CLASS EXAMINES ug

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HEADLINE 3 LAINA MORRIS

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SUBHEAD 1 STAR & UNT PLAYERS HEADLINE 2 WPSL AT FC DALLAS

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HEADLINE 1 MICHELLE YOUNG

COMICS

The Life of John B. Denton The Minister, Militiaman who Became the City’s Namesake MEET OVERLY SUBHEAD 3 ATTACHED GIRLFRIEND

Sam Bass: The Texas Thief Find Out Where the Outlaw Hid His Loot Best Historic Landmarks Our Picks for Denton County’s Top Spots From its Past

DAILY.COM

ON THE RECORD

WHAT’S INSIDE

SUMMER DAZE VOL.4, ISSUE 2 JULY 2012

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GREAT OUTDOORS

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PAC MAN Retiree opens alpaca ranch

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WILD THINGS Ranch houses exotic animals

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SMELLIN’ THE ROSES Couple grows peaches, roses

10 WET N’ WILD Nearby lakes offer recreation

SPORTS 12 GOING TO XTREMES Denton’s action sports scene 18 GOAL-DEN DREAMS UNT players at FC Dallas WPSL 21 REEL DEAL Denton’s fishing opportunities 22 TAKE A WIFF A guide to wiffle ball

ARTS AND LIFE 23 TRIVIAL PURSUITS Dentonites match minds 26 COMIC RELIEF Class delves into comic books 29 OVERLY ATTACHED GF Get to know Laina Morris

JULY 2012

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ON THE COVER: FC DALLAS WPSL AND UNT FORWARD MICHELLE YOUNG PHOTO BY JAMES COREAS VISIT NTDAILY.COM FOR VIDEOS AND MORE STORIES

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ON THE RECORD

ON THE RECORD STAFF EDITOR IN CHIEF PAUL BOTTONI MANAGING EDITOR ALEX MACON PHOTO EDITOR JAMES COREAS MULTIMEDIA & DESIGN EDITOR SAMANTHA GUZMAN SENIOR STAFF WRITERS Nicole Balderas Ashley Grant

SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS Desiree Cousineau Amber Plumley

STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS Nicole Arnold Tyler Cleveland

FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: JAMES COREAS, PAUL BOTTONI, SAMANTHA GUZMAN, ALEX MACON

STAFF WRITERS Pablo Arauz Caroline Basile H. Drew Blackburn Ashley-Crystal Firstley Ryne Gannoe Kyle Harty Michelle Heath Nadia Hill Emily Hopkins Ben Peyton Jason Yang

STAFF DESIGNERS Parnia Tahamzadeh Andrew Tellez

SPECIAL CONTRIBUTOR Sean Gorman

CORRECTION: In June’s issue of On The Record magazine, the story “Denton’s Bike Culture” incorrectly stated that Denton resident Casey Sparks died after being hit by a car while riding his bike. No vehicle was involved in the accident that killed Sparks, who struck his head after falling from a bike and died in the hospital days later. The story also incorrectly stated that the Denton Police Department did not collect information on bicycle accidents until 2009. The DPD keeps records on all reported bicycle accidents in Denton. The North Texas Daily and On The Record regrets these errors.

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JULY 2012

ON THE RECORD

CHANGING OF THE GUARD DONUTS NOT JUST FOR THE GROWN-UPS

BY MICHELLE HEATH

S

omething’s changed at Denton Square Donuts.

The donuts are still square, art still adorns the walls and the coffee is still brewed every morning. But now two teenagers and a 20-year old are calling most of the shots.

Denton resident Jackie Strausz and her three children – Camden, Hunter and Jett Besselman – bought the donut dispensary on May 1.

Twenty-year-old Camden, a vocal performance sophomore atTexasWoman’s University, saw the shop was up for sale in a Facebook post April 18. Camden emailed the owners to let them know she and her brothers were interested. A week and a half later, the family had a pastry store to call their own.

“Everything was pretty spontaneous and unexpected,” Camden said. “I definitely didn’t think I would become an owner of Denton Square Donuts.”

Camden, along with Hunter, 16, and Jett, 14, combined their savings to pay for about three-quarters of the shop, and

JULY 2012

mom chipped in the rest. The grand total came to about $20,000.

When Camden first suggested buying the shop, Strausz said she thought it would be a good home-school project for Jett and Hunter. Now the teenagers’

“I definitely didn’t think I would become an owner of Denton Square Donuts.” artwork lines the walls and Camden can be heard singing at in-store music performances.

“We really, really want to support local artists and musicians,” Strausz said. “It’s a lot more than a donut shop to us: It supports their interests and their goals.”

Strausz said owning and managing the shop helps her children meet new people and gain experience in business.

“It is much more than just baking and

selling donuts,” Camden said. “I have to admit that during the first month of owning Denton Square Donuts the workload was pretty overwhelming.”

New additions to the baked lineup include the mixed berry crunch, candy apple, PBJ and La Tortuga donuts.

The new owners host fundraisers for local charities, and Camden said that whenever there’s leftover food, the family donates it to Vision Ministries, a program that helps feed and clothe the homeless.

The family plans to keep the shop’s original concept but hopes to incorporate more music and fundraising events, as well as expand the menu to include soups and sandwiches.

“I really do enjoy working with my family,” Camden said. “We are all pretty close, and have the same dreams and goals for what we hope Denton Square Donuts can become.”

CAMDEN BESSELMAN, CO-OWNER OF DENTON SQUARE DONUTS, BOUGHT THE SHOP IN MAY WITH HER MOM AND BROTHERS. PHOTO BY MICHELLE HEATH

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ON THE RECORD

WEEKEND WITH ALPACAS FAMILY’S PASTURES OFFER FIBER, FUN

BY NICOLE BALDERAS

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hen Jim Patrick and his family happened upon the swampy property off of U.S. Highway 380, they had almost given up searching for a place to retire in the area.

Tall grass had taken over the seemingly uninhabitable estate, but for Jim, his wife, Rita, and daughter, Stephanie, it was the perfect location to raise alpacas.

“We originally were going to get some goats and sheep for the ranch,” Jim said.

“Then my son Jayson called me and told me about alpacas. I said ‘What the hell is an alpaca?’”

After looking into the animals, which resemble a mix of llamas and camels, Jim made his mind up.

“This might just be me, but when I look at alpacas I see unicorns,” Jim said. “They look mythical to me.”

More than 100 alpacas populate the secluded ranch and Irish-styled bed and breakfast.

“If you stay out there long enough you will get to know them all,” Jim said.

“People ask me, ‘How do you remember 100 names?,’ but I ask them, ‘How do you remember 100 people?’ It’s the same thing.”

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The couple put all their savings into the construction of the just-out-of-Denton getaway, which Jim describes as “close to humanity, but still feels rural.”

“I hope this all works out,” he said jokingly. “Or we’ll be under a bridge with some alpacas and a dog.”

Patricks’ Pastures Alpaca Ranch and Olde Irish Bed and Breakfast officially opened for business on June 29. Although the ranch is unique in North Texas, breeders around the country prize the domesticated camelids for their fiber coats, which are used to create items such as blankets, gloves and scarves.

Jim began work on the land in December by planting more than 100 fruit-bearing trees. Peach, plum and apricot trees sprinkle the property, and Jim plans to add more in the fall.

The ranch features three secluded lodges, each with a pair of custom-made rocking chairs on the front porch.

A handful of fluffy, white Great Pyrenees puppies live on the land and instinctively guard the alpacas along with a small herd of llamas, who also act protectively of the alpacas.

“Llamas will circle around the alpacas and sound the horn when danger is near,” Stephanie said. “A llama will field goal

kick a coyote.”

The Patricks sell fiber and the alpacas themselves to patrons with enough acreage to host the furry animals – prices for an individual alpaca at the ranch range from about $1,000 to $5,000.

“I always say it’s not the alpaca you’re buying, it’s the alpaca knowledge,” Jim said. “I’ll help them set up, make sure they have the right kind of fence.”

Alpacas live for about 20 years, making them a long-term commitment. Jim said caring for the creatures is relatively easy, even when it comes to dispersing of the animals’ droppings.

“We vacuum it up and grind it up into a powder and use it as fertilizer,” he said.

“Because of slow-released nitrogen in their digestive system it doesn’t smell.”

Jim is happy with his decision to go with alpacas rather than more traditional farm animals.

“Alpacas are really different animals,” he said. “If you bring a baby in they all gather around, and if one dies they all parade around the animal, almost ceremoniously.

They’re curious and charming creatures.”

ALPACAS GRAZE ON THE RANCH AT PATRICK’S PASTURES. PHOTO BY MICHELLE HEATH

JULY 2012

ON THE RECORD

VENTURE INTO THE WILD

A TOUR OF SHARKAROSA WILDLIFE RANCH

BY PABLO ARAUZ

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ILOT POINT (Texas) – North Texas residents may be more familiar with the opossums, cats and raccoons that call Denton home than the zebras, bearcats and camels at Sharkarosa Wildlife Ranch.

About 20 miles northeast of the Square, nestled in the countryside by Ray Roberts Lake, the 126-acre ranch is home to more than 200 animals from 25 different species, many of them endangered.

A pair of colorful Central American macaw parrots greet visitors at the ranch’s entrance, and a napping bearcat snoozes nearby. Farther down the path, a capuchin monkey, an African-crested porcupine and several types of lemurs lounge about.

Scott Edwards, owner and operator of Sharkarosa, said that keeping so many different animals healthy and happy could be a challenge, but that the ranch – one of the highest-ranked non-profit facilities in Texas licensed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture – was up to the task.

“We do a good job of taking care of the animals and specialize in some of the most endangered animals in the area,” he said.

JULY 2012

Maintaining a wildlife ranch Edwards designed and built the ranch in 2003, primarily to breed and train animals. In 2005, he obtained a nonprofit 501(c)(3) license as well as a USDA license to hold exotic animals for display.

At that point, the ranch opened to the public and began running an educational program with certified schoolteachers and animal experts. Edwards said Sharkarosa functions as a rescue center, an educational facility and a theme park.

“Our goal here is to breed and raise rare and endangered animals and be very interactive so people can touch, and feel, and get close to animals,” Edwards said. “At the same time [we] provide the animals we breed here to zoos and facilities all over the world.”

Sharkarosa’s Director of Operations Cassidy Jagger said that because the ranch is a non-profit, it raises funds through donations and patron visits, making admission affordable for both families and college students.

The ranch uses volunteers, who must be willing to learn about the animals and guide patrons.

Jagger said the health and safety of animals on the ranch is a priority.

“We clean the animals, we feed them,

we nurse them back to health, we find homes for those that can’t stay here,” she said. “Being a non-profit, it’s very, very difficult to raise funds for donations.”

A journey for all ages The ranch opens its doors to the public on Saturdays and Sundays. Once inside, visitors are free to observe a zoo with small animals such as birds, primates, and snakes. Guests are then given a safaristyle tour where they encounter herds of four-legged mammals.

The tour’s first stop is on grassland, where a family of zebras and their halfbrothers the zorses and zonkeys – mixed breeds of horses, zebras and donkeys – roam the prairie.

A group of various species of deer, including the rare Père David Deer, sit peacefully at the far end of the ranch. The Père David Deer species originates from China, and is technically extinct in the wild. Sharkarosa is one of the only places in the world to see its kind.

Continued on Page 8 A ZORSE (A ZEBRA AND HORSE MIX) EATS AT SHARKAROSA WILDLIFE RANCH. PHOTO BY AMBER PLUMLEY

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ON THE RECORD Chad Lussier, a volunteer at the ranch, drives the tour tram and supplies guests with information about the animals.

“Most of the animals were born here,” Lussier said. “The herds are growing pretty vastly back here as far as the deer, so stuff is constantly thriving.”

On the tour’s last stop, a herd of dromedary camels from Southern India don’t hesitate to get up close and personal.

The playful camels are keen on taking food from the container on the tram.

The rescue effort Many animals at the ranch are rescued from previous owners who couldn’t properly care for them, Lussier said.

Barnaby and Bailey are two black bear cubs that were rescued from negligent owners.

An entertainment business would take the two-and-a-half-year-old cubs to supermalls and schools for sideshows and public displays.

It’s illegal to privately own a black bear in Texas without a certificate of registration.

So when the former owners were going to put them down, Sharkarosa raised $55,000 to keep the bears. They are now set to live

at the ranch permanently.

“When we got them, it was really bad – they were in crates, and they had urine scalding,” Lussier said. “So it’s cool to see how much they’ve turned around.”

Edwards said the ranch and other organizations contribute to the rescue and preservation of endangered species, but there’s only so much that can be done.

“The problem is not the animals that are becoming extinct, it’s their habitats,”

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Edwards said. “The longer that we live and thrive as man, the less and less room there will be left for the animals. So at least if you can’t see the animals in the wild, you’ll have the opportunity to see them up close.”

THIRSTY THE CAMEL YAWNS ON A SATURDAY MORNING AT SHARKAROSA WILDLIFE RANCH. PHOTO BY AMBER PLUMLEY

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JULY 2012

ON THE RECORD

PEACHY KEEN COUPLE CULTIVATES ROSES, PEACHES

BY NICOLE BALDERAS

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peculiar little cardboard sign with the words “U-pick peaches, roses also” can be easily mistaken by passersby for a garage sale sign on the streets of Denton.

Follow the sign’s directions and you’ll wind up at Jim and Janet Herbison’s peach orchard and rose garden at the back of a dead-end dirt road on Haggard Lane.

“I started growing roses and exceeded the capacity in my house and backyard,” Jim Herbison said. “Then I exceeded the capacity in my daughter’s house and backyard.”

Running out of room to cultivate, Herbison sought out alternate property.

“This plot of land was on the market,” he said. “The city denied building permits on this land twice because

of the creek going through part of it, but it’ll grow roses and it’ll grow peaches.”

The property, which he referred to as a “poison ivy farm” at the time of purchase, is now scenic and peaceful.

A large tree casts a cool shadow on a wooden table where the Herbisons chat with customers and exchange money for juicy peaches and vibrant roses.

“It was a great find,” said Jeffery Smith, a patron of the garden. “I wouldn’t have thought such a place would be inside Denton. The peaches are very sweet and I really enjoyed talking with the owners.”

Herbison said his original interest in tending roses led him to experiment.

“When I started growing roses I did pretty well,” he said. “After I found

out I could grow roses well, I thought, ‘Why don’t I try my hand at grafting roses?,’” or fusing parts from different rose plants.

After successfully grafting 45 out of 46 roses, Herbison was ready for the next step: Making rose hybrids.

“You take two roses and figure out how to make a better rose,” he said.

A member of the Dallas Rose Society, Herbison has learned new techniques from other experts and has won three awards for his hybrid roses.

He hopes to eventually create and patent his own hybrid.

“If you patent a plant no one can grow them for 20 years without paying a royalty of $2 a bush,” Herbison said.

Growing up on a farm in Mississippi, Herbison has always been surrounded by the outdoors, which he credits for cultivating his interest in tending roses.

After realizing he had room for more than just roses, Herbison decided to add a fruit orchard to his family’s patch of land.

Now the 31 peach trees, six plum trees and three pear trees add a pleasant aroma to the sweet smell of roses filling the Denton air.

(TOP RIGHT) JANET HERBISON PICKS RIPE PEACHES FROM ONE OF THE MORE THAN 20 TREES. (BOTTOM LEFT) JIM HERBISON HOLDS A HYBRIDIZED ROSE AT HIS FOURACRE PEACH ORCHARD AND ROSE GARDEN. PHOTOS BY TYLER CLEVELAND

JULY 2012

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ON THE RECORD

NORTH TEXAS OUTDOORS

BY JASON YANG & EMILY HOPKINS

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enton is surrounded by the great outdoors.

Sandwiched between two scenic lakes – Lewisville to the south and Ray Roberts to the north – and vast expanses of nature, Dentonites have plenty of opportunities to escape all the stress of city-living this summer.

Lewisville Lake The summer heat in North Texas can be unforgiving.

This year’s temperature hasn’t yet matched last summer’s record-setting heat wave and 40-day streak of 100-plus degree weather, but the combination of humidity and sunshine often makes the great outdoors feel more like the great pressure cooker.

To help beat the heat, watercraft-rental companies at Lewisville Lake offer services that take North Texas residents out of the inferno and into the water.

Just for Fun Watercraft Rental, hidden deep in the Eagle Point Marina at Lewisville Lake about 20 miles south of Denton, is open seven days a week from 9 a.m. to sunset.

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Located in a tiny brown shack just past Sneaky Pete’s Sports Bar, Just for Fun rents out jet skis, ski boats, pontoon boats and specialized “party boats.”

Lewisville Lake was initially constructed as a flood-control reservoir and to serve

“It’s a big draw for people to come out and spend time with their family.” as a water source for Dallas and Denton County, but Just for Fun owner John Lemley said most visitors at the lake over the summer have recreation in mind.

“There is a reason the name is Just for Fun,” Lemley said.

Last summer’s drought dramatically lowered water levels at several lakes in the area, but Lemley said weather conditions didn’t have much of an effect on recreational activities at man-made

reservoirs such as Lake Lewisville Lemley and his wife, Laura, have been in the watercraft industry since 1990.

Originally, they owned three locations, two at Lewisville Lake and one in the Silver Lake Marina by Lake Grapevine. Lemley closed the other two locations after the economic downturn in 2008, pouring resources into the remaining rental hub.

The result: a rental company with six ski boats, five pontoon boats, 22 wave runners and a giant party barge that fits over 100 people. Lemley said he replaces each boat after about two years.

Long-time employee Paul Stanley said working at Just for Fun entailed everything from explaining five pages of instructions and safety issues to customers to checking boat fluid to rescuing stranded boaters and water-skiers.

Stanley said that other outdoor resorts might have a larger assortment of activities, but that his idea of a great summer day involved a relaxing afternoon on a boat in Lewisville Lake.

Employee Caitlyn Van Wie said Just for Fun sees more than 1,000 customers a weekend over the summer. The age and

JULY 2012

ON THE RECORD nationality of visitors to the lake vary – Denton denizens and Lewisville locals share the water with outdoor enthusiasts from countries such as Austria, Germany, England, France and Brazil.

Other watercraft-rental facilities on the lake include Lake Lewisville Boat Rentals, Aloha Boat and Jet Ski and JT’s Boat Rentals. Landlubbers need only look to Sneaky Pete’s Sports Bar – just a few steps away from the water – for drinks, food, billiards, volleyball and live music.

Ray Roberts Lake Encompassing a serene 30,000 acre-foot lake and 6,000 acres of preserved nature, Ray Roberts State Park offers enough wilderness and outdoor activity to distract from city-living for days at a time. The land is vast and diverse: large post oak and red cedar trees stand tall while coyotes, foxes and bobcats skulk in the Johnson grass.

Scissor-tailed flycatchers and great blue herons soar above the blue rippling waves of Ray Roberts Lake.

The expansive park is broken-up into two different main parks, The Johnson Branch Unit and The Isle of du Bois Unit, as well as six satellite parks.

Ray Roberts Lake State Park is one of the most visited state parks in Texas, said Mark Stewart, Isle du Bois unit manager.

The Johnson Branch and Isle of du Bois attract both daily visitors and overnight campers hoping to relax.

State parks were deeply impacted by last year’s wildfires and drought. Both visitation and revenue declined an estimated $ 4.6 million loss over the past two years. This year, because of nicer weather, rain and a campaign by Texas Parks and Wildlife encouraging donations, conditions have improved and Ray Roberts Lake is as busy as usual this summer season, Stewart said.

“It’s a big draw for people to come out and spend time with their family,”­­­Stewart said.

The lake attracts many boaters to the park to wakeboard or water-ski, but other water activities such as canoeing, fishing and swimming are also popular.

“The water is probably the biggest draw with the lake and the recreational opportunities that it provides for folks,” Stewart said, although you don’t have to take a dip in the water to have fun.

Activities such as hiking, biking, horseback riding, picnicking, bird watching,

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backpacking and camping appeal to visitors who want to participate in the outdoor experience.

The UNT Outdoor Pursuits Center has been taking groups to the Johnson Branch since spring 2011. At the beginning of each semester, they lead a weekend-long program, “Discover Lake Ray Roberts State Park,” which is open to students interested in learning camping basics.

“A lot of folks that come out with us haven’t ever been outside before for any amount of time, haven’t ever been camping,” Outdoor Pursuits coordinator Kyle Tilton said. “A lot of them want to learn those hard skills and want to learn what it’s like to spend the night outside.”

Both units offer campsites for visitors wanting a longer, overnight stay. Johnson Branch has a total of 174 campsites, some equipped with water and electricity along with other walk-in sites that provide a more secluded,technology-free environment.Isle du Bois is home to 183 campsites. Visitors can choose from sites that are water and electricity equipped or walk-ins that are also accessible to horseback riders.

Tilton said camping at Ray Roberts could be a refreshing break for students worn down by the grind of university life.

“As the semester goes on you get sort of in a rut of going to class, studying, going to sleep…”

Tilton said. “But going outside can

be a lot more rejuvenating of an experience if you know what you’re doing and there’s a lot more time to relax.”

OPPOSITE LEFT: A CHILD PLAYS IN A WATERWAY HE BUILT AT RAY ROBERTS LAKE. TOP: A SAILBOAT CRUISES LEWISVILLE LAKE MIDDLE: A LONE BOATER CUTS THROUGH THE WATERS OF LEWISVILLE LAKE. BOTTOM: JARED IVIE FISHES FOR BASS AT RAY ROBERTS LAKE. PHOTOS BY AMBER PLUMLEY AND TYLER CLEVLAND

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ON THE RECORD

UP IN THE AIR DENTON’S DAREDEVILS

BY MICHELLE HEATH

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oe Carroll and his friends have spent countless hours building an intricate system of trails and jumps in a wooded area of Denton for bicycle motocross and other action sport enthusiasts to practice high-speed rides.

But when asked where he does his riding, Carroll will only say, “Can’t Tell You.” Carroll, 33, will host a jam at Can’t Tell You trails in July, which will include camping, food, beer and a nighttime contest under generator-powered lights.

The Jam started four years ago, a couple of years after Carroll, a Plano resident, found and cleared a new spot for his trails.

“There’s nothing like riding trails,” Carroll said. “It’s absolute freedom. The only person you’re riding against is gravity.”

The jam has already been postponed twice because of heavy storms.

Carroll, who works 60 hours a week at Richardson Bike Mart, spends the rest of his free time digging and riding at CTY. The trails have a covered seating-area with a grill and cooler usually full of water and beer. Carroll said it was a must that the trails have all the amenities of home.

“It’s more than just a hobby, it’s like a second job,” Carroll said. “It doesn’t pay, except for good times, but that’s all that matters anyways.”

Carroll, trail boss at CTY, gives the same credit to Joe Ladd, 26, for spending 16 to 20 hours a week working on the trails. Carroll said it takes about an hour and a half of digging before they can ride.

“I’m always the first one here and I’m always the last one here,” Carroll said. “We fine-tune everything.”

Carroll said he relies on mathematical models to design some of the dirt jumps,

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and plans on using those principles to Although BMX, skateboarding, longbuild a tunnel, which he said would be boarding and other “extreme sports” differ the first of its kind in action sports such in method and performance, they share as BMX. one very important feature: speed.

“There’s still so much to be explored “I think that’s one thing that bonds us,” within the physics of the sport as with any Ladd said. “The speed aspect.” sport,” Ladd said.

Because it takes so long to build the ADVERTISING SENIOR VINCENT jumps and get the trails ready to ride, Car- VASQUEZ DOES A TUCK NO HANDER. roll said he asks that anyone who wants to PHOTO BY MICHELLE HEATH participate in the jam “come out and dig.”

Though Ladd said the BMX community in AWARD-WINNING OUTDOOR GROUP FITNESS Denton is very tight-knit, Carroll said he has a hard time getting Denton residents to put wheels to dirt.

Advertising senior Vincent Vasquez said it was a practical issue.

“We don’t have time to go out into the woods to create ALL FITNESS LEVELS jumps,” Vasquez said.

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JULY 2012

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FOOD TRUCKS ON THE WAY CITY CLEARS OBSTACLE TO MOBILE FOOD

BY ASHLEY GRANT

T

he City of Denton has stopped enforcing a provision of its food truck ordinance requiring mobile vendors to remain in one spot for no more than 15 minutes at a time, effectively clearing the way for eateries-on-wheels to begin rolling in by the end of the summer.

According to an informal staff report from the city’s planning director, which was given to city council members and posted online, Denton will immediately abandon the application of a provision limiting food trucks’ “duration of stay at a given location.”

Food truck operators and owners such as Gary Torres have been keeping a watchful eye on the ordinance in

Denton and say it’s now just a matter of time before vendors begin making their rounds in the city.

Torres’ truck, Nammi, which serves up a Vietnamese-fusion cuisine to customers in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, made its Denton debut at the 35 Denton music festival in March.

“We definitely want to get back to Denton and get a schedule together to serve there,” he said. “We’ve been getting a lot of requests and hope to come out pretty regularly at the end of the summer.”

Although the city is relaxing its enforcement of the 15-minute standing provision, it may take a bit for trucks to start slinging culinary creations on the streets of Denton. Owners and operators are still required to obtain a food service permit, pass inspection and abide by the city and state’s

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rules and regulations. Timing is also an issue: Torres said summer is the hardest time of year for mobile food trucks.

“Not a lot of people want to stand outside in 100 degree temperatures and wait for food,” he said.

Denton has been working on rewriting its ordinance since last September, and City Councilman Kevin Roden said it will hopefully be completed by August. In the last two years, other North Texas cities, including Dallas and Fort Worth, have reworked ordinances to allow the presence of food trucks.

“I think more options in terms of food and culinary creativity is something Denton’s culture has been really yearning for and these food trucks can come in and bring that very quickly,” Roden said.

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ON THE RECORD

DENTON SCARES TOUR CITY’S HAUNTS

BY ASHLEY GRANT

J

ohn B. Denton has been dead for more than 150 years, but professional storyteller Shelly Tucker says that hasn’t kept the late pioneer and preacher from keeping a watchful eye on the city that bears his name. Standing next to Denton’s grave on the lawn of the Courthouse-on-the-Square on a muggy Thursday night, Tucker spins a yarn she heard from a close friend.

Illuminated by a string of yellow lights wrapped around a nearby tree, Tucker stares solemnly at the small, curious crowd gathered around her. She tells the crowd about her friend’s sighting of John B. Denton’s ghost – yards away from his earthly remains, the pioneer’s specter surveyed the city that bears his name.

Tucker’s tale is the first story and first stop of Denton Haunts, a tour of the city’s paranormal locales that is focusing on “scares on the Square” this summer.

“The tour is mostly for entertainment, but ghost stories aren’t just for Halloween,” she said. “Every day we wake up in a different world and there are things that go on beyond our knowing.”

The $10 tours are held every Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 9 p.m., starting at the grave of John B. Denton. Tucker, Denton Haunts’ new tour guide, takes patrons on an hour-long tour of buildings on the Square, each with its own terrifying tale.

Tony Clement and his wife, Angie, took the tour after seeing it advertised.

“I’m really into history and was fascinated by some of the stories she told,” Angie said.

Although Tucker has been a Denton resident for over a decade, she said she never really knew the history of the city until she began working with the Denton Haunts tour.

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In order to find ghost-inhabited spots, spinning ghostly tales. She is interested Tucker and others conducted extensive re- in learning the stories of the spirits who search at the Courthouse-on-the-Square roam the city.

Museum and the Emily Fowler Library.

“For whatever reason, these ghosts just “We went through notes, newspaper like Denton,” she said. “And they should. clippings and interviewed people who lived and worked at these places,” Tuck- GRAPHIC BY ANDREW TELLEZ er said. “From there, we just kept adding little tidbits of information.”

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Boulder Ridge Apartments welcomes you home!

JULY 2012

ON THE RECORD

ADVENTURE FIELD TRIPS

TAKE A HIKE WITH REC CENTER’S PROGRAM

BY NICOLE BALDERAS

F

or UNT students who are low on cash but seeking a thrill this summer, the Pohl Recreation Center’s Adventure Trips offer a fix that should satisfy any adventure junkie.

With day trips ranging from $12 to $35, students can scrounge up some change and try their hand at canoeing, hiking and climbing within miles of Denton.

“A lot of folks that go on our trips just want to get away from the university for a while,” Outdoor Pursuits coordinator Kyle Tilton said. “They want to take a break from studying and classes.”

No more than 10 people, including two university-required group leaders, are allowed on a trip, which program coordinators said was ideal for students who have little experience with outdoor activities. The excursions are intimate and try to reduce human impact on the environment.

“Students typically get more than they expect from our trips,” trip leader Angela De Los Santos said. “By going with a

JULY 2012

group of trained trip leaders they’re able to have reliable and accurate information and guidance regarding the outdoors.”

The excursions, sponsored by the Outdoor Pursuits Center, focus on building the skills necessary for specific outdoor activities.

“All of our trips are very beginneroriented,” Tilton said. “Canoeing does require a bit of skill but we have a day to teach and the river is also very beginner oriented. It’s steep enough that you’re not going to get stuck anywhere.”

Those looking for something on dry land may look into the Day Climb at Lake Mineral Wells State Park, about a two-hour drive outside of Denton.

The climb, an annual staple on the adventure trip calendar, takes participants down into Penitentiary Hollow and a series of caves.

All adventure trip leaders are UNT students who work their way up to the position.

“Trip leaders have to start out as outdoor pursuit attendants,” Tilton said. “After about a year’s worth of employment, and

if we need more trip leaders, they can apply to be trip leaders. After that if they attain the position they go though a year of assisting trip leaders.”

Other excursions include a day hike to Cross Timbers Trail at Lake Texoma. The trip is only half an hour away from the university and gives adventurers a scenic view of one of the largest reservoirs in the United States.

“The cross timbers trail is a closer location which makes it the cheapest trip,” Tilton said. “It’s not a state park, so there is no entrance fee for that, and it is a nice remote area to spend a day.”

Though trips only last a day, De Los Santos said the experiences tend to linger.

“My most memorable trip was our recent canoe camping trip down the Brazos River,” she said. “I’d done the 20-mile paddle once before as a teenager but to go back and lead the trip was a completely different experience. It’s hard to explain the amount of reward that comes from leading a group of seven participants down a river.”

GRAPHIC BY ANDREW TELLEZ

15

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ON THE RECORD

LEFT TO RIGHT: MICHELLE YOUNG, KATELYN ROSS, KELSEY HODGES AND DANI WATSON

1

JUNE 2012

GOAL CHASERS UNT PLAYERS STAR AT FC DALLAS WPSL

A

BY RYNE GANNOE thletes have variations of the same dream: hitting the walk-off homerun in front of a sell-out World Series crowd, shooting the game-winning three-pointer, nailing the final penalty kick to clinch a World Cup championship.

For most, competing at a professional level will always be just that – a dream.

But UNT students and Mean Geen soccer players Michelle Young, Kelsey Hodges, Katelyn Ross and UNT alumna Dani Watson are spending this summer chasing down their professional aspirations by playing for FC Dallas WPSL, a semi-pro team in the Women’s Premier Soccer League.

“It’s really an honor for me to get to play for this team,” said Young, who started playing soccer when she was 3 years old. “I played for FC Dallas my whole life as a youth player. So getting to play through their semi-pro is probably one of the coolest things ever for me.”

Young, a 5-foot-4 forward with lightning-fast feet, scored 13 goals in 20 games for UNT last season, during which the Mean Green claimed the 2011 Sun Belt Conference regular season title. She started playing for FC Dallas WPSL in the summer of 2011 alongside Ross.

The two were the catalyst for Hodges, a stalwart defender and – along with Young – a 2011 All-Sun Belt player, and Watson, a threat at any position on the field, to join the

JULY 2012

team.

“The UNT team has a lot of potential,” Young said. “I started this but I wanted to share it with the girls that

“THERE’S IS A HIGH QUALITY OF PLAY HERE. WITH A BUNCH OF PLAYERS FROM OTHER BIG SCHOOLS, LIKE BIG 12 SCHOOLS, IT’S DEFINITELY BENEFICIAL” I know are really talented and have a lot of drive that I know will help us. I would do anything to make our team better.”

Ross transferred to UNT last

year from Texas A&M-Commerce, leading newcomers in goals.

The outgoing forward was the second-highest scorer for FC Dallas WPSL last year.

Watson, who played at UNT from 2009 to 2010, is a well-rounded player who can pass, defend and score without breaking a sweat.

Hodges said playing in the 66-team WPSL not only helped players sharpen their skills, but also improved the Mean Green’s chances for success in the 2012 season.

“There is a high-quality of play here,” Hodges said. “With a bunch of other players from other, bigger schools, like Big 12 schools, it’s definitely beneficial.”

The Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS) folded last year after a drawn-out legal battle with one team’s owner and ongoing internal struggles, leaving a void at the top of women’s soccer in the U.S. To try and fill that void, the WPSL this year created the WPSL-Elite League, a professional-amateur league made up of eight teams.

Players and coaches for FC Dallas WPSL said their goal was to make the leap to the Elite League and go fully professional.

“I think all of us here hope that coming back around and getting the chance to play [pro] would be kind of a dream come true for all of us,” Hodges said. “We’ve been told that if we continue to do well in our league down here, in this Continued on Page 20

19

ON THE RECORD league some day we might get that chance to build an actually pro league team here in Dallas.”

FC Dallas WPSL head coach Darrin Hedges thinks the team could expand into the WPSL Elite within the next two years.

“That would be the lasting vision,” Hedges said. “That would be the apex for me.

Even if I’m not the coach, just to have a pro team here in Dallas with all the talent we have here.”

Hedges said playing for FC Dallas WPSL allows women on

20

the team to chase their dreams of going pro.

But it remains an uphill battle. Women’s professional soccer is battling to even exist, and Hedges said WPSL Elite needed good corporate backing to become a professional soccer powerhouse that could afford to pay its players.

“The NBA has the WNBA,” Hedges said. “The MLS needs the WMLS. I hope for the women in our game it does.”

As of July 5th, FC Dallas WPSL led its conference with an 8-1 record. The team’s fi-

nal regular season game will take place Sunday, July 15 at 1 p.m. at Dr. Pink Field in the FC Dallas Complex.

TOP: MEMBERS OF FC DALLAS WPSL PARTICIPATE IN DRILLS AT PRACTICE. BOTTOM LEFT: MIDFIELDER KATELYN ROSS AND DEFENDER KELSEY HODGES TAKE A BREAK IN THE LOCKER ROOM DURING HALFTIME AGAINST TULSA SPIRIT ON JUNE 22.

BOTTOM RIGHT: UNT ALUMNA DANI WATSON ATTEMPTS TO STEAL THE BALL FROM COURTNEY CHADNEY OF TULSA SPIRIT. PHOTOS BY JAMES COREAS

JULY 2012

ON THE RECORD

GONE FISHIN’ CAST A LINE IN DENTON

BY KYLE HARTY

S

tudents trying to kick back and enjoy the summer break may want to consider investing in a rod and tackle.

Fishing is one of the most popular outdoor sports in the country, a great way to relax and the fastest-growing college sport in the country, according to the Association of College Anglers.

Denton sits conveniently between Lewisville Lake and Ray Roberts Lake, two sprawling man-made lakes that offer fishing opportunities on and offshore.

Students created the UNT Bass Club in 2005 to churn interest in fishing and compete in bass tournaments throughout the region.The 15-member club competes on lakes around North Texas against state rivals.

Mechanical engineering senior William Cartwright, the club’s vice president, has a unique way of describing his passion for fishing.

“It’s like NASCAR racing, a picnic and deer hunting all wrapped into one activity,” Cartwright said. “Then there are the beautiful sunrises and sunsets. The good days can be spiritual.”

Cartwright works with a youth outreach program called KIDFISH, which aims to educate a new generation of fishing enthusiasts. The group hopes to teach younger generations that spending quality time with friends and family is more rewarding than landing the big fish.

Cartwright enjoys his work with KIDFISH because it allows him to get out and interact with the local community.

“It lets us show that we’re more than just a bunch of guys that hang out and go fishing all the time,” he said.

Those who can’t make it out to the lake but are looking for a quick catch are in

JULY 2012

luck.

Denton Parks and Recreation is sponsoring a “Neighborhood Fishin’” program which hopes to make fishing fun and easy for the community. The south pond at South Lakes Park in Denton will be stocked with channel catfish throughout the summer and fall.

Participants can fish with rodand-reel only and keep up to 5 catches a day.

Business sophomore and bass club member Sean Watson said he had been fishing for years.

“What I like about it is picking apart the puzzle,” Watson said.

“It’s figuring out the fish.”

For students interested in joining the bass club, registration is quick and easy.

Just stop by one of the monthly meetings on campus and fill out a school waiver.

“We try to get new members

UNT

in the very first tournament that we can,” Cartwright said. “That way its like boom, you’re fishing.”

More information can be found at UNT BASS CLUB MEMBERS (LEFT TO RIGHT) SEAN WATSON, SARA WARESBACK AND WILLIAM CARTWRIGHT PHOTO BY AMBER PLUMLEY

21

ON THE RECORD

WIFFLE WHILE YOU WORK OPINION: AMERICA’S LESS-KNOWN PASTIME

BY H. DREW BLACKBURN

S

ummertime: the season of relaxation, pools, ice-cold drinks and all-around fun. It may be excruciatingly hot so far this summer, but it’s best to enjoy the sun and warmth while they’re still here.

One of the best ways to enjoy that great shiny orb in the sky is to go out, be active and play some outdoor games.

This summer, take a break from watervolleyball and Marco Polo to play a game saturated in nostalgia, imagination and America’s pastime.

Wiffle ball, a less-strenuous variation of baseball, allows those with big-league dreams to pretend they’re ball players like Josh Hamilton and Nolan Ryan.

Essentials You’ll need a wiffle ball bat and a couple of wiffle balls. The game requires at least

22

two people, but the more the merrier.

Drinks are a must – stay hydrated with lemonade, Gatorade, water or perhaps some ice-cold Shiner Bock.

Rules and Play Wiffle ball is a lot like baseball. You hit ­– or at least attempt to – the ball to get on base, while a pitcher attempts to strike out their bat-wielding opponent.

It’s pretty much that simple.

The batter has three strikes to hit the ball. Unless it’s a particularly competitive game of wiffle ball, walks are out of the equation. This is a game about crushing the ball and throwing crazy pitches.

Establish an area in the playing field for each type of hit. There should be a designated area made with either imaginary lines or marked with an object for singles, doubles, triples, and home runs. For example: if the batter hits the ball into the double area, the batter gets a

double and an imaginary runner, or ghost runner, takes second base and proceeds to run the base paths established in the minds of the players.

Pitching can be the most fun when playing wiffle ball. Holes in the ball allow it to dance when thrown, which makes throwing and hitting unpredictable.

Experimenting with throwing the ball different ways allows players to see how the ball zigs and zags after being thrown.

If you’re reading this, chances are you’re still a student. In no time you’ll be an adult up to your neck in responsibilities.

It’s a weird time in young students’ lives, in limbo between adulthood and childhood.

A day may come in the future when you’re using a walker and screaming at kids to get off your lawn. So enjoy it while you can: Go outside, play some games, sweat a little.

Play ball.

JULY 2012

ON THE RECORD

ALTERNATIVE EDUCATION DENTONITES COMPETE FOR BAR BUCKS

BY ASHLEY-CRYSTAL FIRSTLEY

R

appers whose names start with “Ice,” stars from the movie “Top Gun,” Tom Landry’s coaching record and Madonna’s 1980s discography are not subjects most students get tested on.

But for many UNT students and Denton residents, a working knowledge of topics as disparate as pop culture, U.S. history and Greek mythology is critical to victory in the live trivia contests held almost every night at different locations in Denton.

The organization Challenge Entertainment provides the quizmasters, who, armed with laptops, pencils, a microphone and lots of questions, challenge competing teams at local bars and restaurants such as Cool Beans Bar and Grill and BoomerJack’s Wings.

General studies senior and Cool Beans employee Nash Motley said trivia night at the bar, held every Tuesday night, usually

JULY 2012

results in a packed house.

The most important rule of trivia: No cell phones. A team may not know what item was used to kill Marxist revolutionary Leon Trotsky – an ice pick – or the name of Eddie Murphy’s 1983 standup comedy special – “Delirious” – but any smart phone connected to the Internet can find out.

“We have people who get serious but they get serious in a fun way,” said Kim Clements, co-owner of The Labb Sports Bar and Lounge, which hosts trivia on Wednesday nights.

There is no size limit for teams trying to break a mental sweat. Groups of three or four stoic, thoughtful trivia scholars face off against raucous hordes with 10 to 20 members.

Team names tend to be explicit, easy to chant, laden with pop culture references or some combination of the three.

Drawing and painting junior Elizabeth McDonald has been playing with the same

team for several months. McDonald said the group, whose team name implores a well-known film director to chow down on a specific part of the human anatomy, has taken first place and $50 in-house cash at II Charlies’ Bar and Grill’s Thursday night contest about five times.

She said the six to eight players on her team each specialized in a subject. McDonald said she is well-versed in modern pop culture, while others pick up the slack in categories such as science and history.

They play at the same location every week, which McDonald said allowed them to get to know the competition.

“When it comes down to it, it’s where you play and not how many places you play at,” she said.

For a full listing of where and when to play live trivia in Denton, visit cetrivia. com.

GRAPHIC BY ANDREW TELLEZ

23

ON THE RECORD

BAR NONE:

PASCHALL’S

BY CAROLINE BASILE

H

idden in plain sight from its location overlooking the Courthouseon-the-Square, a small, elegantly decorated bar provides a quiet respite from the hustle and heat of Denton in the summer.

Paschall Bar, which features no sign announcing its presence and is discretely stowed away one floor above Andy’s Bar at 122 N. Locust St., opened in October and has since earned a reputation as one of the city’s best-kept secrets.

“People kind of look at it as a secret hideout, and I love that,” said Eric Pulido, who co-owns the bar with his bandmates in the Denton-based rock group Midlake.

Paschall features a large beer menu, including domestics, imports and local microbrews. Bartenders are well-versed in cocktail concoctions, including a drink named after the late writer Ernest Hemingway, who is also honored in a portrait hanging above Paschall’s entry. Complementary nuts are on hand to help customers soak up the rotating drink specials.

The bar’s namesake, Benjamin Franklin Paschall, was a Confederate veteran and Denton businessman in the late 1800s who originally owned the building that houses Paschall and Andy’s. In his heyday, he operated a grocery store in the building, which was built in 1887.

Paschall was not only a grocer, but also dabbled in liquor dealing, contracting, stocks and construction, according to the “Denton Business Review and Directory” from 1890. The man of many trades, who died in 1921, is buried in Denton’s I.O.O.F. cemetery.

Choosing a name was initially a struggle, but Pulido said “Paschall” seemed like the most appropriate choice in light of the building’s history. Pulido said he and his bandmates didn’t want to create just another place to drink, but wanted to have a welcoming atmosphere for patrons to 24

commune, talk and study.

Customers said the building’s unique history isn’t the only thing making it stand out fromotherbarsonFryStreetandtheSquare.

“It’s not always super-crowded and it definitely has a ‘homey’ feel to it,” art senior Nicholas Slay said.

Pa s ch a l l has two main rooms. The bar, a chessboard and bookcases lined with everything from Karl Marx to Dr. Seuss fill one room. The other boasts dart boards, a cozy lounge area and large windows overlooking downtown Denton.

Patron and Denton resident Tiffany Groves said the atmosphere was her favorite aspect of the low-key bar.

“The music selection is really great and it’s so much classier than

UNT

any other bar in Denton,” she said. “It’s really different.”

HISTORY MAJORS HANNAH MONK AND COLTON ROYLE PLAY A GAME OF CHESS AT PASCHALL BAR. PHOTO BY JAMES COREAS

JULY 2012

ON THE RECORD

SQUARE’S SUNSET SONGS DENTONITES ROCK FOR TWILIGHT TUNES

BY ASHLEY-CRYSTAL FIRSTLEY

D

enton residents hustle over to the Courthouse-on-the-Square on a warm Thursday night to unload bags of food and drinks, prop their lawn chairs open and cover the ground with blankets.

Bone Doggie and the Hickory Street Hellraisers test out their instruments for a brief sound check as the sun sinks toward the horizon. The sky is a dark shade of blue and orange when the band starts.

Every Thursday in May and June, the Denton Main Street Association hosts Twilight Tunes, a free concert on the Square for residents to enjoy an evening of live music, ice cream and the sunset at one of the city’s most scenic spots.

“It just really is a way to highlight Denton’s ability to recreate itself and recreate fun in its own way,” said Christine Gos-

sett, event coordinator at DMSA. For 19 years, Twilight Tunes has featured Denton musicians who entertain families, friends and neighbors with music that varies from country to rock to jazz.

Gossett describes it as a casual, laid-back experience in the heart of town.

She said the tunes have always drawn a large crowd, but she has noticed a significant growth in the last four years, with average attendance swelling from about 100 people to almost 500.

“I think a lot of people when they’re downtown they just think of it as their home,” Gossett said. “It’s like being in their own front yard and it’s fun to just be with their fellow Denton neighbors.”

Local bands that have performed include Miss Polly and Her Tiny Big Band, The Dave Thomas Band and The Monday Makers.

The concert receives support from local

businesses and UNT Athletics, she said.

Beth Marie’s sells ice cream at the shows to give guests a chance to cool down, and UNT Athletics regularly brings along a bounce house for children.

“Everybody has something to bring to the event that gives it some more appeal and a little bit broader scope,” Gossett said.

Denton resident Barbara Angel, 65, moved back to Denton 25 years ago and said she loves its small-town feel. It was her fifth time at Twilight Tunes.

Bill and Cindy DeFoore said they enjoy the family atmosphere and how people of all ages in the community come together, “Last time we saw an infant that had to be like 10 days old and a guy that had to be like 90,” Cindy said.

“That’s what’s great, that you have a wide spread of people who come out.”

TENACIOUS ROOT PERFORMS DURING TWILIGHT TUNES. PHOTO BY SAMANTHA GUZMAN

JULY 2012

25

ON THE RECORD

26

JUNE 2012

IT’S A BIRD!

IT’S A PLANE!

IT’S A CLASS!

STUDENTS DIVE INTO COMICS

T

he epic struggles of heroes and villains with colorful names and outlandish costumes haven’t always been a subject of academic study.

However, students in a summer class at UNT are turning to the fantastical pages of comic books to explore a wide variety of real-world issues.

“Mythic Rhetoric of the American Superhero” is an interdisciplinary course taught by communication studies professor Shaun Treat, who uses comics as a lens to magnify academic discussion that runs the intellectual gamut from philosophy to economics to women’s studies to art.

“I can take the same ideas and dress them up in tights, capes and masks and have them fight it out, and they [students] love it,” Treat said.

The class offers a Socratic-style of learning that encourages students to interact with each other and have fun engaging theories and topics.

“This is what education needs to keep up,” Treat said.

Only about half of the enrolled students had ever read a comic book before taking the class, which draws graduate students from a wide variety of majors looking to learn about higher communication theories.

Political, philosophical and social issues

JULY 2012

can all be found in American comic books: The Flash has a drug problem, Lex Luthor is a power-mad capitalist with questionable business ethics and Batman’s brand of vigilante justice exists in a legal gray area.

Former student and lifelong comic fan Jonathan Evans said the class piqued his interest in visual rhetoric.

“One of the beauties of comic books is the fact that it sits in-between being literature and being a movie,” Evans said.

“There’s a spectrum that you get to play with.”

Treat said comic books encompass a wide variety of genres, styles and stories.

The proliferation of comic book movie adaptations has shed more light on the medium and helped cement superheroes in American culture.

“Mythic Rhetoric” and similar classes have proven to be popular with students and a great educational vehicle, said Keith Brown, manager at the Center for the Study of Interdisciplinary Programs.

“There is significant return on investment for these kinds of programs for the university and the students,” Brown said.

The idea for the class began gestating in fall 2011 at the UNT Symposium for Comics Studies, an event that attracted scholars from around the country.

“It’s something you can talk about with your friends,” Brown said. “It becomes a channel for real discussion.”

The senior-level class is currently a special topics course but will be integrated into the Communication Studies department and requires no prerequisites for fall enrollment. Treat and students cautioned that it is by no means a blow-off class – required reading material is expensive, discussions are in-depth and assignments are challenging.

“Mythic Rhetoric” wrapped up for the summer at the beginning of July, but is open to all students for the fall semester.

Treat likened the modern perception of comic books to the low-culture stigma that surrounded Shakespeare and the theater district in his era. Shakespeare is now legitimized in the academic community and comic books appear to be repeating history, he said.

OPPOSITE LEFT: PROFESSOR SHAUN TREAT. LOWER LEFT: COMMUNICATION DESIGN SENIOR ERIC ORANGE FLIPS THROUGH A COMIC BOOK DURING CLASS. MIDDLE: PROFESSOR SHAUN TREAT LEADS AN IN-CLASS DISCUSSION. RIGHT: PUBLIC COMMUNICATION SENIOR AIDA RAMADANOVIC ADDS TO AN IN-CLASS DISCUSSION. PHOTOS BY DESIREE COUSINEAU

27

ON THE RECORD

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

BY NADIA HILL

“MEAN” JOE GREENE

Stepping out from behind the “Steel Curtain,” the usually stoic “Mean Joe” Greene allows a moment of tenderness when he accepts an ice-cold Coca-Cola from an adoring fan and tosses the awestruck kid a jersey.

BY JASON YANG Before the beerbashing, profanityscreaming, head-butting and middle-finger lifting, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin was a boy from a Texas town with a population of “STONE COLD” about 6,000 people.

STEVE AUSTIN Born Steven James

It’s 1979 and Joe Greene – born Charles Edward Joseph Greene in 1946 in Temple, Texas – is the recognizable star of a nationally televised advertisement and one of the best football players in the NFL. Greene’s killer instincts as a defensive tackle first drew attention at North Texas State University – now UNT – where he led the Mean Green. There are differing accounts of how “Mean Joe” – and UNT’s Mean Green, for that matter – got nicknamed, but according to several sources Greene got the “Mean” from national foot-

ball fans latching on to his college team’s moniker. It stuck, and after graduating North Texas in 1969, Greene went on to play for the Pittsburgh Steelers until 1981.

Greene was an assistant coach for several NFL teams over the course of the next 16 years and in 2004, he accepted a special assistant job for the Steelers, where he was part of two Super Bowl winning teams.

This College Football and Pro Hall of Famer resides in Flower Mound, Texas and makes appearances to sign autographs and give speeches at local events.

Anderson on December 18, 1964 in Austin, Texas, the man who was not yet “Stone Cold” grew up in nearby Edna.

Austin spent a year at North Texas State College – now UNT – on a full football scholarship before he went on to pursue a career in professional wrestling, which took off in 1989.

An aggressive character persona and fearless in-ring maneuvers made Stone Cold Steve Austin a household name to fans of professional wrestling. He was in-

ducted into the World Wrestling Entertainment Hall of Fame in 2009. With his college football days in North Texas long behind him, Austin retired from the ring in 2004 to focus on acting, appearing in movies such as “The Longest Yard,” “The Condemned” and “The Expendables.”

Today, Austin spends his time in Los Angeles, California, and at his property – Broken Skull Ranch – in Tilden, Texas.

And that’s the bottom line because Stone Cold said so.

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JULY 2012

ON THE RECORD

BEHIND THE MEME

DENTONITE AN INTERNET SENSATION

BY SEAN GORMAN

S

he gazes through your computer screen with unblinking eyes and an unnerving smile, belting an excessively loyal girlfriend’s version of popular songs from artists like Justin Bieber and Carly Rae Jepsen.

The creator of the “Overly Attached Girlfriend,” Denton resident Laina Morris, doesn’t share the creepy demeanor of her YouTube persona away from the computer, but for years has embraced the humor she used to make the video.

“I’ve been recognized a few times, I get a lot of people staring at me but they won’t say anything, that’s the creepiest part,” she said. “It’s been crazy, the first night was the most crazy but even now random people will point me out.”

Her best friend, UNT alumna Katie Scholle, said she wasn’t surprised the video had caught on.

“I always thought she had a future in some kind of entertainment, she’s always doing impressions and knows how to make people laugh,” Scholle said. “It was just a matter of time until something like this happened.”

Morris made the first video four weeks ago when entering a Justin Bieber fan video parody contest, which required competitors to alter the lyrics to his hit song “Boyfriend.”

Her rendition of the song takes spying, stalking and creeping head on, with claims like “Reading all your texts, watching everything you do,”

JULY 2012

and “I’d never let you leave, without a small recording device taped under your sleeve.”

She finished as one of the runners up in the contest, but the video didn’t go unnoticed.

The day after the video was uploaded, it received 1 million hits, was tweeted by Bieber’s agent and gained attention from numerous news outlets and television blogs. Memes – photos with humorous captions on the Internet – of Morris have sprung up on

“It was just a matter of time until something like this happened.” social media websites with captions like, “I sewed my name on your shirts in case you forget you’re taken.”

Morris, who took classes at UNT in the spring, has become an Internet sensation, receiving more than 25 million views for the four videos she has produced.

While her fans are demanding more videos – one asked her if she would continue making them in a question and answer session that she held on YouTube last week – Morris said she isn’t sure how often she will revisit “Overly Attached Girlfriend.”

“I would like to, but I’m not sure what direction to take it in,” she said.

“I don’t know if I’ll keep the ‘Overly

Obsessed Girlfriend’ or try something new.”

Morris made the first video solely for fun, but she said she began to feel pressure during her second and third videos, when she gained a following of more than 38,000 followers on Twitter.

Morris said she will receive money for the videos, but isn’t certain how much yet.

Her most recent videos include a remake of Jepsen’s “Call Me Maybe” and a montage of songs she lip-synchs.

Among the responses to the video were an offer from a cell phone cover company to sponsor its product in her video, a proposal for her to wear a Facebook “Like” foam finger and a message from collegehumor.com asking for her to collaborate.

After growing up in Keller, Morris spent two years in Wichita Falls at Midwestern State and transferred to UNT last fall to spend more time with friends and pursue an education degree – a degree she recently changed to journalism.

In the mean time, the 21-year old is taking time away from school to work and is not sure when she will return.

“What I’ve done hasn’t changed any relationship I’ve had with people I knew before, but do I see dating people in the future being a problem?

Maybe a little bit.”

LAINA MORRIS, A.K.A. THE OVERLY ATTACHED GIRLFRIEND PHOTO BY JAMES COREAS

29

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