Scott Kamysz-e-portfolio

UNIVERSITY BUZZ What’s up with snowboarders?

Bayside; The life and times, and experiences of Anthony Raneri

The riveting story of the struggle and conflicts within the subculture

Also see letter from the editor and reader submissions!

Scott Kamysz

TABLE OF CONTENTS

•Letter from the editor •Page 2 •Reader Submission (Bayside) (informal writing) •Page 3 •Substantial Revision •Page 4-8 •Reader Submission (Wrestling) (informal writing) •Page 9 •Genre Change •Page 10-13 •Reader submission (South Park) (informal writing) •Page 14

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To start off this month’s issue lets take a look at the editors view on his substantial revision essay. According to the man himself he thought long and hard about how he could revise his ethnography in a way that could be considered substantial, and this is his thought process put into a coherent essay. Read through his feelings about his writing class that led him to this final “Masterpeice” and rejoice with him about his final project being finished. Enjoy!

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR: REFLECTIVE WRITING ESSAY Dear Readers, I feel that my time spent in this writing course has definitely

changed the way I write and think about writing. I felt as though my ethnographic study would be the easiest to revise due to all of the information I gathered in my initial study. I had more than enough data to work with after my I interviewed my subjects the first time, enough to rethink the way my subculture worked with each other. I wrote about the three major groups that I noticed within the snowboarding/skiing subculture in Kissing Bridge, which was comprised of people from Attica and Colden New York. In my first study I simply pointed out that there were three major groups. In my substantial revision I intend to point out how these groups feel about each other and how they interact based on my initial findings.

I felt as though I The entire process used to needed to analyze substantially revise a project such as an ethnography is my initial findings mentally draining and more thoroughly annoying. before I could make any new points about the subculture. If I explain the very basics of my first experiment better, it will leave me with more routes to take in my substantial revision. I didn’t point out why there were three defined groups of snowboarders and skiers, which I think is vital to the extension of my project. I was much too vague in the description of each group, and had no way to propose why the certain groups interacted with each other the way they do. I needed to express more thoroughly the feelings and tensions between the people I interviewed.

I also felt that I rambled about what made each group viewed as the way they are by the outside world or people who don’t ski or snowboard. I intend on spending less time on what makes these people specific to a group, and more time on the actual relationships between the other people who snowboard or ski. I could have definitely elaborated on how the specifics of each group are what separate them, and define why they do or don’t get along. If I don’t ramble about one specific aspect of my study I can effectively output more information that can lead me to more conclusions, making my paper more thorough and informative.

The fact that I have so much more information to elaborate on is exactly why I chose to revise my ethnography. I gathered more information from the people I interviewed than I intended on using in my first study, but just enough to rethink the entire project for a substantial revision. I left out how the different groups of snowboarders and skiers felt about each other on the slopes and why they didn’t mesh.

Before I even knew I needed to revise one of my projects I thought about how I could have made this specific paper better as soon as I got your feedback on the final draft.

I have concluded that I need to spend a smaller percentage of my paper talking about the arbitrary factors defining the groups within the subculture to the outside world, and more time on the reasons that the groups are divided into the groups they are now. I have enough information to effectively prove my new point in a decisive way that doesn’t ramble or create a false sense of what the paper is about. If I focus more on the analysis of the base concepts of my subculture then I can pinpoint the reasons why the groups are the way they are.

Fans of this wonderful publication always have feedback and responses to the essays portrayed inside the pages of University Buzz, and we feel it’s only fair to give the best reader submissions a spot in the magazine for all to see. Please enjoy this next article, am informal writing, submitted by John Doe, regarding the song “They Look Like Strong Hands” by Bayside.

They Looked Like Strong Hands By Bayside

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Bayside: Jack Ghanbrian (far left), Anthony Raneri (mid-left), Jack O’Shea (mid-right), Chris Guglielmo (far right)

I am choosing to analyze the song "They Looked Like Strong Hands" by Bayside. Bayside is a well known band in the punk/emo music scene, and this specific song is off of their album labled "Self Titled", which is argued to be their best album.

This song is widely believed to be about the emotions that you experience when you devote your life to music. The lead singer, Anthony Raneri, use this song to say that no matter how tough or cool someone who is in a band may look or act, they are always experiencing some conflicting emotions, and keeping a poker face about something that is bothering them. The song talks about how when they started to gain some recognition they would travel eight plus hours via packed equipment van only to be ignored by the crowd and overshadowed by the headlining band. Anthony Raneri uses strong, slow, and emotional lyrics to get his point across to the listener about how stressful it can be devoting your life to something only to find out that people are going to hate it. I intend on analyzing how artists involved in bands of the same genre, mainly bayside have to hide their true feelings to maintain the rock star status they have worked to create. I have to say that this song evokes some very emotional feelings for most people who listen to it because of the slow tempo, long, drawn out, and extremely sad and mysterious lyrics. Before I looked up the lyrics and possible meanings of this song i thought it was a break-up or bad romance song of sorts based on the strongest points of the song. The title of the song also suggests that the song will be about false confidence or a sort of fake strength.

-John Doe

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Conflicts within the snowboarding and skiing subculture With so many people in the world, a fairly large number of them are bound to participate in the sport of snowboarding or skiing. With that being said, there are a plethora of different personalities and motives apparent in the snowboarding subculture, creating tensions between distinct groups who participate in the sport.

Within the snowboarding and skiing subculture three defined groups are apparent. This study began in Colden, New York, featuring local people from Colden, and people from Attica, New York. Some of the people I interviewed were thirteen years old, and some were in their seventies, with every age in-between. I hypothesize that the three major groups that can be noticed within the snowboarding and skiing subculture have specific interaction with each other, both good and bad, that vary depending on the attitudes of the specific people in each group.

All of the information needed to perform this study was collected at a small ski resort located a few minutes outside of Colden called Kissing Bridge. This ski resort does not attract a huge amount of attention and most of its business is from the locals of Colden and neighboring towns. The day I chose to study this subculture was the day of the annual Kissing Bridge ski swap, so I knew a particularly large amount of people interested in the sport would be there from all over the place. In the Attica High School snowboarding and skiing has exponentially grown in popularity over the past few years, giving me perfect sample to work with when studying a specific group noticed.

In order to begin my study I need to introduce the groups that I noticed inside the subculture. The first group studied were the youngest of all the people I interviewed, commonly referred to as the “noobs”. These people were usually ranging from the ages of twelve to fourteen years old, with the exception of the parents of the “noobs”

who were also trying to learn with their children, also making them “noobs”. After interviewing a handful of beginner level snowboarders and skiers I found that their main motive for learning the sport was just so they had another reason to hang out with their friends, and obviously learn how to do their respective sport. The next group I decided to research is what would be called the intermediate level snowboarders and skier, or ignorant teenagers. Not all of the intermediate level boarders and skiers are ignorant teenagers, but those who are usually define the group.

These people ranged from the ages of fifteen to their early or mid-twenties. The main reason for these people getting involved in their respective sports is for the competitive factor. These people like to outdo themselves and all of their peers. After interviewing a few of these people I found that a large percentage of the intermediate level skiers and snowboarders are striving to become as good as they can in a certain aspect their sport before they aren’t capable of doing it anymore. The final group that I noticed and studied within the subculture was the Veteran or experienced snowboarders or skiers. These people could be anywhere from thirty years old to their late seventies. Defined by their years of experience this specific group continues the sport as a hobby, a reason to get out of the house and just have fun, no matter who they are with. Because of these defining factors within each of the three groups it became apparent to me that these people might not get along well, or they might get along swimmingly, and that’s what I intended to find out.

Most people would view the “noobs” as being timid or shy on the slopes, and they would be exactly right to make that assumption. After asking a few of my interview subjects how they felt about the intermediate level snowboarders and skiers I found that most of their responses were the same. Almost all of the “noobs” were either scared of, or too shy to approach the intermediate level boarders or skiers. I immediately sought after why this was. One of my interview subjects claimed that the intermediate teenagers on the slopes acted too rowdy and loud, scaring off any inquiring beginners who were looking or new friends or advice. Not only was it the rowdy actions of the Kissing Bridge Ski Resort: 10296 State Rd, Glenwood, NY 14069 The Editors personal favorite ski resort in western New York.

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intermediate teens that deterred the beginners, but the blatant show of hatred and anger towards them. The intermediate teens were constantly complaining about how the beginners were constantly in their way, and taking too much time on the slopes, effectively cutting down the amount of runs the intermediate teens could fit into their snowboarding or skiing outing. I saw this entire interaction as silly. The intermediate teens could simply keep their opinions to themselves and show a little more respect towards the “noobs” and this negative relationship could be turned into a positive one.

The next interaction that I inquired about was the one between “noobs” and the Veterans. After asking a few questions I found that the beginners look up to the veterans for the most part, asking them questions, and seeking advice from them if they are stuck in any way. This was mostly because a large percentage of ski patrol and instructors are considered veterans. The “noobs” will even flock in groups to the veteran ski patrol to gain knowledge and better themselves, to ascend into the next group and be considered intermediate lever snowboarders and skiers.

The veteran’s willingness to help the beginners learn their respective sport is why the “noobs” and veterans get along so well in my opinion.

Next interaction that I studied was that between the intermediate level boarders and skier and the “noobs”. As stated before in my prior observation the intermediate level teens view the beginners as nuisances, who are constantly in the way, and badgering them for tips and advice. The teens just want to fit as much snowboarding or skiing into their day as thy possibly can so they can have every opportunity to better themselves. With the beginners constantly getting in their way and slowing them down, they are effectively stopping the intermediate teens from taking every opportunity they have to better themselves. I feel that the teens are just being impatient and irrational and that rage is just blinding them from being able to get along with the “noobs” seeking advice from them.

The intermediate snowboarders and skiers have a surprising view on the veterans. The teens generally get along with the veterans and don’t have a problem with them as long as they aren’t harping on them about being ignorant and mean on the slopes. The same concept that the intermediate teens used with the beginners about getting in as many runs as they could is what they use when dealing with the veterans. As long as nobody is getting in their way, the teens feel no dismay towards anybody, and will generally get along with anybody who crosses their Pg.6

paths. If the teens could simply learn to ignore any problem that they may encounter with the “noobs” then the bad interaction between the two groups could be turned into a peaceful one like that between the veterans and teens.

Veteran feel as though everybody on the slopes should be having fun. They just want everybody, whether they are beginners or intermediate teens, to have as much fun as they can. After interviewing a handful of veterans I found that they are willing to help anybody as long as they are respectful and willing to listen to what is being said. The Veterans will go out of their way to help and aid both beginners and intermediate teens in any way possible. If the teens are being blatantly disrespectful then the veterans will avoid helping them all together and keep their distance.

Some of the older snowboarders and skiers that I interviewed said most of the teenagers that participate in the sport are not ignorant and disrespectful, just a small amount that give the whole group a bad name.

It’s not the biggest resort but it offers hill for all levels of boarders and skiers, and has a great array of restaurants and various shops, its like a small village.

Based on all of the interactions that I studied I found that most of the problems between the groups stem from the intermediate boarders and skiers being impatient and disrespectful. As I had originally thought, there were specific interactions between the various groups, both good and bad, that varied depending on the attitudes of the specific people within the group. In conclusion I found that the “noobs” were afraid of the teens, and respected the veterans, the teens disrespected the “noobs” and got along with the veterans for the most part, and the veterans gave everybody on the slopes an equal opportunity to learn and be respected. Based on the defining factors between the three groups of snowboarders and skier it can be very apparent how the three groups interact and intermingle.

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Now that the huge, serious essay is out of the way time for some more reader submissions! This letter is from Jane Doe! She is writing about the stresses that high school wrestling students face when trying to make weight and stay in their match classes.

Wrestling Probs‌ Although wrestling isn’t considered the most popular sport in Attica High School the team does very well, and is supported across the school regardless of clique or other sports affiliations. Students who participate in wrestling all too often fall subject to eating disorders and overworking their bodies, be it minor or major. This happens when athletes try to maintain a certain body type to compete against other body types, possibly giving them an edge in competition. Like all other sports wrestling should be done for the spirit of the sport and not to just reach victory on every occasion. In the cases where wrestlers under or over eat it puts their bodies in great danger because of the pace and intensity the eating or neglect of is being done. Although not all wrestlers in my old school undergo this horrible process every winter season the ones that do participate that actively are very obviously in some kind of pain, be it physical or mental.

Troy Colton, the young fellow being squeezed admitted to having an internal conflict with keeping his weight down and staying healthy A lot of my close friends in grades below me participate in wrestling, prompting me to question how often said activities happen. After some investigation I found that the wrestlers who did put themselves under this rigorous training regiment did it year round, trying to maintain the "perfect body". This practice causes any other younger students who look up to that specific athlete or team to impose this bad habit upon themselves, negatively affecting most other people around them. It needs to be understood that it is possible to stay in shape, and maintain a certain body weight in a healthy and non-disablitating way. The fact that some students are making themselves physically and mentally ill to stay in the sport that may or may not be the most successful one the school district may discourage other students who do notice the harm being caused from participating in wrestling or any other related sports in the future.

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Anthony Raneri: Experience all the same struggles, and go through the same life altering events he did as the band Bayside was growing into its own.

The Dreams and Struggles of a Modern Rockstar June 25th, 2005 In light of recent feelings I’ve decided to take up selfexpression via journal entries. I feel as though this is the most effective way for me to express myself in my given situation which will be described later in my writings. Ever since I was a small boy I’ve wanted to be a musician. I just knew that one day my name, Anthony Raneri, would be up in lights, shining down upon my thousands of faithful fans who would look to my music as a sort of inspiration. I would never expect these feelings associated with the path I had chosen for myself and the toll it takes on an individual.

Hiding my true feelings from the world. Trying to prove that I belong, trying to win approval from people that I don’t know. I always looked up to Jordan Pundik, the lead singer of New Found Glory, hoping that my life could be as glamorous as his. He was the inspiration behind my musical endeavors, and the driving force behind my supposed lyrical genius. I had no idea that his life could possibly be as stressful as what mine was turning out to be.

Without the help of his songs, and wise words, there would be no way I could be where I am today.

June 28th, 2005 I suppose I’ll start with my story and time with the band, these initial thoughts and feelings will be needed if my later stories are to be understood. After the formation of the band, Bayside, we instantly started booking gigs, playing as many shows as we could, all over Brooklyn. I was pumping out as many rock-steady, hardcore punk songs as I could, hoping to be recognized as a hard ass among my peers. At this stage in my life I definitely wasn’t thinking about how this style of music would affect my future, more mature self, but it was bringing in money that I didn’t have. As the bands reputation grew we started to be known for our frequent and energetic shows, leaving me with a feeling that I needed to keep producing this hardcore lifestyle to maintain my new found rock star status. After a few years of playing small time shows and opening for less than reputable bands, the band and I started to realize that we didn’t want to continue on as an underground punk rock band associated with face smashing mosh pits, and started striving for a real change. Personally I knew that it would be quite the undertaking seeing as how we had already been

established as this heavy, fast paced genre that was extremely under appreciated. This isn’t who I was, I was going from confidence to self-doubt in sixty seconds. I would jump up on stage and start playing one of my less artistic and more enduring punk songs, regretting every moment of it, and continuing solely to impress the crowd.

After playing a few shows where I felt total and utter guilt afterwards it was decided that our musical change needed to be swift and powerful. We didn’t want to jerk our fans around, and play with their emotions. We just wanted to commit to our new genre and hope that our fans would be accepting of our choices, and if they weren’t we decided that this whole endeavor was for naught.

July 3rd, 2005 I had started writing a handful of songs that had more meaning in them than all of our previously popular songs combined and I was intent on spreading these feelings all over the world. I felt that the time was fast approaching where I would need to present the fans with my new, heartfelt music and just desperately hope for their approval.

If anyone ever told me that what I was doing didn’t mean the world, my ears would bleed, and my heart would hit the floor. I find myself just sitting in my apartment, by myself, hopelessly scribbling down how I feel, knowing damn well that these feelings might not even be taken into consideration and just thrown by the wayside.

July 26th, 2005 It’s almost show time tonight, about ten minutes until we go on. Knowing what I’m about to do to myself is killing me. In my gut I can feel a pit, constantly growing with every lie of spew out to the crowd. God how I wish I didn’t need to do this to myself. I might crack under the pressure and play a new song for the crowd tonight. Even if the response isn’t great I will be happier with myself than if we had the best show of our lives and I was lying the whole time. I can hear the stage crew tweaking and testing all of our equipment, repetitively saying “testing, check one, two…” into the microphones. With every word they say I can feel myself tensing up. I’ve never quite felt this before a show, this is the most nerve-racking feeling ever. God knows I don’t want to play this show tonight but it’s about high time I reveal to the fan base what bayside is all about, and I’m going to do it whether the crowd approves or not.

July 26th, 2005 It’s only been a few hours since my last expression but I just need an outlet. After the show I was feeling extremely pumped up, probably because I was acting so crazy during the show. While playing our old, hardcore songs I decided to get the crowd going as hard as they could so when I introduced my new music to them maybe there would be a better response. I could tell that it was going to be quite the undertaking due to tonight’s crowd. The only thing I could see while the stage lights were shining in my eyes were the immensely tall Mohawk’s that accompanied hardcore dancers, punk rockers, and not very sensitive people, giving me a feeling of despair. That is when I decided that I either needed to make this the best show of their lives to make up for what I was about to do to the band or just break it to them right there that we weren’t the same Bayside everyone has come to know and love. Even though I still

have the same hatred and resentment towards myself that I have after every show, I it’s not as intense as it has been in the past. I played my new music to the crowd, and the response want horrible. I felt as though these feelings needed to continue and grow if I wanted my career as a musician to thrive. I was going to slowly start introducing newer, more heartfelt songs to the crowds slowly leaving the part of myself that I hated behind. If I could be true to myself then I could be true to the crowd and that is all I’ve ever wanted.

September 20th, 2005 It’s been a while since my last submission and I forgot how good it feels to express myself like this. After playing a few shows with my new music and receiving mixed reviews about it, I was finding myself covering my feelings of grief by acting like even more of a teenage jackass on stage, knowing all too well that after the show I would be left pondering why I keep doing this to myself, why I kept acting so strong, like the weight of the world wasn’t taking its toll. I desperately wanted people to understand where I was coming from and try to relate to me through my music but in my eyes this just wasn’t happening. I didn’t want my career in music to end so I kept putting on my charade, acting like all that I wanted to do was fight someone in the crowd. I’d choose my sides if I believed in what was right, but I was all wrong to think that our band could make it under this false persona we were putting on at all of our shows and in all of our music. The only real hope that my bandmates and I could see was breaking out of our underground, garage band stage and into the mainstream pop-punk scene, where lyrics were more open for interpretation, and we could theoretically start anew. Even though every show where we played the way we truly wanted to left me feeling less and less hatred towards myself I could still feel negative vibes from our current fan base. Not all fans received it the same. I was finding that some really enjoyed our new sound, while others wanted us to keep acting like we were drugged up monsters, trying to kick in the next persons face that we saw.

October 19th, 2005 It’s finally happening! We are finally getting our big break! We were given the opportunity to make an EP with the band Name Taken. This would be our second EP, but our first real chance to prove that we have grown as a band, and our only chance to see if our new, true music was what our fans wanted to keep hearing. The only thing I can think about was what would happen if this project had terrible sales or horrible reviews. If the whole project was a total failure then we would all have to drop our dreams of becoming famous musicians and go back to our normal lives in the streets of Brooklyn, doing whatever meaningless job we could get out hands on seeing as how all of our experience was in the business of Rock n’ Roll. The only thing I could hope for was for our understanding and accepting fans to really push this project into the mainstream media and help our careers take off. I was beginning to feel like a new man. One who didn’t need to constantly lie to prove himself, a man who was truly happy with his life. Before I could truly know if I could live happily ever after this project would need to take off. This was the crucial point in Bayside’s career that needed to happen to

continue.

October 31st, 2005 All of our hard work, and clever ruses had paid off when we found that our newest EP had not only out-sold our prior projects, but had tripled the amount of albums sold in comparison to the last EP. This had meant that we could continue playing our music the way we wanted. I didn’t have to act like a rambunctious fifth grader with ADHD on stage anymore to draw attention to the band and set us aside in our genre. All of the hype that I was feeling from this new EP influenced me to write a list of songs about the struggle leading up to the point where we are today. I’m currently working on a song called “They Looked Like Strong Hands” which explains perfectly how I felt as Bayside was growing up. As time goes on I am hoping to find that the more feelings expressed in my music the better the response is. All that I had hoped for was coming true and I couldn’t believe it. After all of our struggles and false personas I can finally say that the band Bayside has made it, and that I am proud to say that I have been there to witness the whole transformation. My bandmates and myself finally have to freedom to express ourselves the way we really need to, and this makes me happier than I ever thought I could be.

Help support the editors favorite band, Bayside! Buy the album “The Walking Wounded” for only $12.99 at your local Walmart.

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Time for the final reader submission! This submission comes from Antwon Syracuse, who will be writing about the critiques on the blatant racism in the hit comedy show South Park!

In the hit comedy show, South Park, a cartoon on comedy central, there are very many controversial topics and situations based on current events headlining the world news. The main characters of the show, Kyle, Stan, Kenny, Cartman, and sometimes Butters, are a group of young boys in the third grade, born and raised in a small town in Colorado called South Park. Although there are many reoccurring characters and other minor roles in the show, it is mainly focused on the shenanigans that the boys get into while these radical world happenings are destroying their "quaint", and "quiet" little town.

Kyle (top), Cartman (bottom left), Stan (middle), and Kyle (bottom right). Possibly one of the funniest shows the editor has ever seen.

One of the main characters, Kyle, is of the Jewish religion and I generally very proud of it. Although his parents can be viewed as a pair of more traditional Jews, Kyle dressed and acts in a more modern way while still embracing his heritage. One of the other boys in the show, Eric Cartman, is constantly bashing Kyle for being a Jew and is always just assuming that he follows the basic stereotypes that most people think of when they think about Jewish people. Cartman is always making fun of Kyle for being stingy with his money, and how he can’t have fun during the holidays because he doesn’t celebrate Christmas. On many Occasions Kyle disproves these stereotypes that Cartman lays upon him by being charitable, and giving and spending money to help certain causes, like in the episode where the boys friend, Chef, is losing his house and possessions to the bank, so they go around selling candybars and giving their own money to help buy a good lawyer for Chef so he can keep his house. In cases where Cartman tells Kyle that he is less of a person, or is a bad person, Kyle usually one ups Cartman and is always the better person, having more fun and being less miserable throughout the entire episodes.

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