The Hoya: The Guide: February 21, 2014

the guide FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2014

The Wolf of O Street Despite a rocky past in investment banking and club promoting, Javier Arguello (MSB ’15) refuses to give up his dreams of taking over the financial world DANNY FUNT

Hoya Staff Writer

Finance involves projecting the rate of return on an investment over a period of time.

Javier Arguello, a fourth-year junior in the McDonough School of Business, has a 20-year plan.

That’s how long Arguello expects it will take him to make his first billion dollars.

With such audacious ambition and a penchant for showmanship, Arguello has been hard to miss for anyone who has crossed his path. The 20-year-old has a mononymous brand of sorts; residents of the Hilltop often recognize his first name, but far fewer people know his last. Arguello is a prolific businessman with an enigmatic backstory, yet many students say they haven’t seen or heard of him as much as they didduring his freshman and sophomore years. It’s as if his stock has cooled off a bit, perhaps from overexposure and overexertion as an underclassman.

“I’m very, very cautious and I keep more to myself,” he said of his lowered profile. “I’m not that outspoken, crazy kid anymore.”

But there’s much more than meets the eye with Arguello, and he still has his eye on the prize — whatever that might be. If the next 20 years for Arguello are about rising to the top of the financial world, the first 20 have already taken him around that world in a rocky but resilient ascent.

Aside from a subtle Latino accent and the

occasional cheek-kiss greeting, Arguello could be mistaken for one of the countless wealthy New Englanders who come to Georgetown to study business. However, as Michael Cho (MSB ’16), his freshman roommate in Darnall Hall, explained, “Not many people know where he’s from, what he’s been through and how he ended up here.”

Arguello was born in Quito, the capital of Ecuador. He lived there comfortably with his single mother and a brother who is 20 years his senior. His father was never in the picture.

A national banking crisis prompted his mother to emigrate from Ecuador to the United States and prepare a life for Javier, who would join her at the age of eight on Oct. 8, 2001 — a date he recites from memory, in part because it was less than one month after the 9/11 attacks.

The mother and son lived in Ansonia, Conn., near New Haven and 10 minutes from Yale.

Arguello’s mother worked two cleaning jobs, and he would spend late nights helping her vacuum and dust office buildings. By then, the 12-year-old Arguello had skipped a year in school and was managing most of his family’s accounting.

“At the time it sucked,” Arguello said of cleaning the offices of a bakery and golf course.

“But as I grew older I realized it helped me build a lot of character. I knew then that this is a means to an end — that one day I could work there.”

He attended Ansonia High School, which has a graduation rate of just 70 percent. Kenneth

ALEXANDER BROWN/THE HOYA

Firmender, a guidance counselor there, recalls that Arguello initially was “kind of quiet and observant, but not overly outgoing.” After success in Advanced Placement courses and developing a better command of English, things began to change.

A photograph on Firmender’s desk of Georgetown’s campus brought the university to Arguello’s attention, and a full-ride, need-based scholarship granted to him in 2010 made that dream possible. As Arguello prepared for college, Firmender saw in him “a high degree of motivation and huge amount of confidence.

Some people could have seen him as arrogant, but I knew that it was just confidence.”

That confidence drove Arguello to immediate success on the Hilltop. It also became his Achilles’ heel.

-----------------------------------------Finding himself in a profoundly unfamiliar environment, Arguello was determined to blend in. He was outgoing as a freshman, with a colorful personality and a wardrobe to match. Arguello’s hunger for success made him unfazed by a full plate, which included intensive Chinese (the reason he now needs five See ARGUELLO, B2

THIS WEEK THEATER REVIEW

LIFESTYLE

This One’s Just Right GU Children’s Theater does ‘Goldilocks’ parody justice

EMILY TROISI

Hoya Staff Writer

Medicine, Marathons and Music

Nick Stukel (MED ’18) is pursuing two graduate degrees while running marathons on every continent for charity. B2

Though many of us remember the protagonist in the story of “Goldilocks and the Three Bears” getting away scot-free, Georgetown University Children’s Theater has other ideas for the golden-haired heroine. In “Goldilocks on Trial,” a play written

by Ed Monk, a court of rambunctious characters tries Goldilocks for breaking and entering and attempts to determine exactly what happened the day the Bear family found her in their home. The theater group will be performing the children’s play for local kids and the Georgetown community several times this semester.

For those less familiar with GU Chil-

FOOD & DRINK

Fried Food Concept Fails

GBD attempts to serve scrumptious fried chicken and doughnuts, but it only manages to pull off the latter. B5

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Stacking the Deck

Netflix’s most popular show delivers an indulgently evil second season. B6

Film Flounders With Trite Plot

“Pompeii” fails to impress despite the star power of Kit Harrington (“Game of Thrones”) and Kiefer Sutherland (“24”). B7

THEHOYA.COM/ THE-GUIDE @thehoyaguide

ERICA WONG/THE HOYA

Papa Bear (right), played by Maurice McCaulley (SFS ’16), tells Baby Bear, played by Natalia Peña (SFS ’17), that she can’t buy the prom dress she wants.

dren’s Theater, it is perhaps the most altruistic theater group on campus. Each semester, the club brings a production to D.C. kids who would not ordinarily have the opportunity to experience theater. The members perform at inner city schools, parks, after school programs and sometimes hospitals, and they always do so with enthusiasm and style.

This semester, the theater troupe has dedicated itself to an alternative telling of a classic children’s story that brings in a slew of new characters. After hearing emphatic testimonies from the Bear family, viewers are given the perspectives of less familiar characters like the Third Little Pig (who did not get eaten by the wolf) and the Big Bad Wolf himself. To supplement the courtroom setting, Monk also provides for a theatrical defense attorney and prosecutor, both of whom bring a combative but entertaining relationship to the plot.

Chris Egan (MSB ’17) gives a particularly impressive performance as the love-struck wolf, willing to go to any length to maintain Goldilocks’ innocence.

“We’ve been about just getting the energy up, getting excited, trying to learn the lines and if not, just yelling through them,” he said as the secret to the cast’s success.

The play certainly did not lack energy, which was clearly a result of the collaborative, enthusiastic and giggly cast. All firsttime actors for GU Children’s Theater, the cast members have bonded wonderfully this semester and their chemistry is obvious to audience members.

“I’m just really blown away by my cast. They are just incredible people and never have they failed to make me laugh,” director Rabia Mirza (COL ’16) said. “They listen to constructive criticism See GOLDILOCKS, B3

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the guide

THE HOYA

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2014

FEATURE

The Man Determined to Have It All ARGUELLO, from B1 years to graduate), the Georgetown University Student Investment Fund and a spot on the crew team.

Rowing was a challenge for Arguello, not only because of the rigorous morning workouts, but partly because he wanted to affirm his worth on campus, citing the tendency of rowers to come from good schools with money for crew programs.

“Coming to Georgetown, I felt like I needed to get myself up to par to compete,” Arguello said. “This persona that I built for myself was positive and negative in some ways. In some ways I took it too far.”

His confidence and competitiveness swelled with success, and friends began to take notice.

“In the first phase of college, Javier was like the best person you could meet,” Cho said. “But when he was putting certain things up on Facebook it came off as very obnoxious. I think it came from insecurity.”

Amid early success at Georgetown, Arguello carried a heavy emotional burden. His mother and grandmother were sick, the former nearly dying after losing both kidneys. Arguello was inclined to return home, but his mother wouldn’t have it, and he spent many nights crying while trying to fall asleep. His mother no longer works, and Javier is proud to be able to support her.

“It gives me more drive and hunger to work harder,” he said.

$9,000 in sales at Ivy Insiders, and his students’ scores increased 250 points on average. At PepsiCo, he developed a flair for flashiness, arriving on his first day in a pinstripe suit, bright red tie and red pocket square.

Although he made thousands that summer, Arguello concedes that he blew almost all of it on clothes and nightlife. But he had no regrets.

“It was awesome,” Arguello said. “It was a lot of delayed gratification from working hard in high school, and I felt like it was time for me to enjoy myself.”

Upon returning to campus, Arguello decided that he could be more productive away from the crew team.

Instead, he spent the first month of sophomore year working as a club promoter.

“It was a fun experience,” Arguello recalled, “but

-----------------------------------------Entering his first summer as a college student, Arguello landed an internship at PepsiCo Inc. in 2011. The 18-year-old sought an additional job at Ivy Insiders, a test prep service for teenagers. He was initially denied, as his 1900 SAT score was well below what was expected from tutors. Arguello wouldn’t accept that he was unqualified. Instead, he retook the SAT, scoring a 2240 and, ultimately, a position at Ivy Insiders in his hometown.

The commute to the PepsiCo offices in Purchase, N.Y., took Arguello three hours each way using three modes of transportation. After leaving home at 5 a.m. and returning around 7 p.m., Arguello w o u l d te a c h until 9 p.m. He netted

probably one of the biggest mistakes I’ve ever made.”

Arguello was recruited by Zack Huhn, an American University graduate and employee of Club Glow, to sell tickets for a “welcome back” party. He delivered, earning more than $3,000 in sales.

Felipe Ernst (MSB ’14) worked briefly under Arguello promoting events.

Ernst said he got along with Arguello, but he could see the downside of that line of work.

“He gets the job done, but it’s not necessarily in the most efficient way and it’s not necessarily going to make people like him after,” Ernst said. “Javier was never overbearing, but he was extremely persistent.”

Arguello had enough after four events, but not before the damage was done.

“When you have to convince your friends to come to an event week after week and spend money, people get annoyed,” Ernst explained. “It’s kind of like a gnat.

After a while it’s just buzzing around your face.”

Bryan Mendiola (COL ’14), who Arguello described as his righthand man in promoting, declined to be i n te rviewed for this article.

“I was trying to be the popular guy,” Arguello said. “I was perceived as the scumbag club promoter.

I think it came with what I was doing, but I didn’t know it would have such an effect on my reputation.”

-----------------------------------------Along with his gig as a club promoter, Arguello became more invested in GUSIF sophomore year.

He oversaw solid returns as portfolio manager of the club’s financial ALEXANDER BROWN/THE HOYA divi-

“If I lose everything, I can get it back because ... I know how to start from nothing.”

Javier Arguello (MSB ’15)

sion. He also managed to ruffle some feathers.

“Javier makes a very strong first impression,” said Steven Fuschetti (MSB ’13), who worked alongside Arguello as a GUSIF vice president. “It’s a bit of a double-edged sword. It can come off to some people as overbearing or arrogant; other people just see a strong motivation and desire to succeed.”

Arguello also held an internship sophomore year at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Washington, an office he didn’t take to well.

“It was incredibly boring stuff,” Arguello said. “That life is for people who want to live a very 9-to-5 lifestyle.

That’s not for me.”

Set on working on Wall Street, Arguello received an internship offer from JPMorgan Chase in the winter of 2011, and he posted a photo to Facebook of him holding his signing bonus check. An Internet meme surfaced that read, “Signing bonus … not as big as my ego,” and several spinoffs followed. The memes received thousands of shares online — a bottoming out for the Javier brand.

When an offer to work in investment banking at Goldman Sachs emerged that same year, Arguello reneged on the JPMorgan deal. Immediately, he knew he had committed a serious business faux pas.

“I did burn a bridge with an alumnus here who had helped me get that job and was pretty upset about it,” Arguello said. “I was young though and still learning.”

Arguello butted heads with employees at Goldman during the summer of 2012, but not because of his pink shirts and blue crocodile shoes.

“I hated it, to be honest. It was incredibly boring work,” Arguello said.

“One person would tell me to do something and then someone would tell me not to do it.”

Professor James Angel, who taught Arguello in a finance course freshman year, described internships on Wall Street as a “balancing act.”

“You’re competing with an army of well-educated people,” Angel said.

“You face the challenge of getting noticed in a good way and differentiating yourself from the pack of intelligent, hard-working people.”

Angel also offered a piece of advice that proved true for Arguello: “Spurned suitors sometimes get quite vengeful.”

One day at Goldman, Arguello received a letter from an anonymous source describing how he slighted JPMorgan. The letter was intended for his bosses, but a secretary assumed “Re: Javier Arguello” meant to deliver it to Arguello. Upon reading it, Arguello tore the letter to shreds.

Arguello suspects a Georgetown student sent the letter, maybe a friend. He’ll never know.

“I’ve cut down on the people who I call my friends tremendously,” he said. “People have tried to sabotage me, and I’m just now seeing who my real friends are.”

-----------------------------------------After 80-hour weeks at Goldman Sachs and still going out many week-

nights, Arguello was due for a change of pace. That came fall semester of his junior year by studying in Hong Kong, where he fell in love with the culture.

Arguello got a Chinese tattoo on his forearm meaning “discipline,” an indication of a shifting mentality.

Arguello sought a fresh slate in Washington. He erased much of his Facebook history and cut his “friends” down from upward of 2,000 to less than 150 — in part for a clean record when applying to jobs; in part because he hated those memories.

“There was some truth to what they were saying,” Arguello said. “I started to recognize what I was doing wrong.”

-----------------------------------------Arguello’s goals haven’t changed much since he was a wide-eyed 17-year-old arriving on campus. He still wants to pursue a career in finance, although now he hopes to find his fortune in China. He will intern at Bravia Capital in Beijing this summer and would like to work there upon graduating in May 2015.

What has changed is Arguello’s demeanor. He’s learned to temper his bravado, letting success speak for itself.

“I’m much more receptive to advice,” he said. “That’s why I’m 20 times different than I was freshman year.”

Arguello attributes some of his missteps in the workplace to a lack of guidance, especially as a firstgeneration college student with no exposure to the life he encountered.

He urges the MSB to provide more mentorship for students in similar situations.

If all goes according to plan, Arguello would have the wealth one day to run his own charitable corporation, “like the Bill Gates Foundation,” he said, conceding this may be too grand a comparison, even for him. He hopes it could provide young people opportunities regardless of socioeconomic background.

Arguello dismisses the suggestion that his quest is motivated by resentment for those who started with more. He seems comfortable working among the wealthy. If anything, Arguello thinks he has the leg up.

“I feel my background gives me an advantage,” he explained. “If you take me and you take a kid who has always had everything given to him and put us in a similar situation, if I lose everything, I can get it back because I’ve worked for what I have and I know how to start from nothing.”

Although Arguello is drawn to the dream of a big payday, he’s no wolf of Wall Street. If anything, he’s a sheep in wolf’s clothing, and the sincerity shines through when he talks of one day giving back, while still maintaining his competitive spirit.

“I wouldn’t be here without Georgetown’s help,” Arguello said.

“But I think they recognize that they’re making an investment.

Georgetown will always be my home, and hopefully I’ll come back one day and break the record that Frank McCourt set.”

CENTER STAGE

Grad Student Runs the Gamut From Medicine to Music SARAH HOUR

Special to The Hoya

Unable to choose just one subject, Nick Stukel (MED ’18) decided to major in biology and minor in both business and music during his undergraduate years at Creighton University.

After graduating from the Jesuit university in Omaha, Neb., he enrolled in Georgetown’s M.D./MBA program. Not only is he now simultaneously pursuing two advanced degrees, but he has also started Strums & Strides, an initiative in which he aspires to be the first medical student — and one of the youngest people ever — to run a marathon on all seven continents.

Through this initiative, Nick also hopes to raise financial support and awareness for Musicians On Call, a nonprofit that brings live and recorded music to hospital patients.

MICHELLE XU/THE HOYA

Nick Stukel (MED ’18) is pulling the ultimate balancing act, simultaneously pursuing two advanced degrees, running marathons and managing a charity.

Why did you decide to come to Georgetown?

For me, it came down to either staying at Creighton or coming out here.

I wanted to stick with a Jesuit school, and I really liked how Georgetown approached medicine — the idea of caring for the whole person and looking at causes of poverty and applying that to medicine. And with potentially wanting to go into policy, D.C. was a great fit. I came out here and visited, loved it, and now I’m here. I absolutely love it so far.

What is the M.D./MBA program?

It’s a five-year program. I’ll do three years of med school, take a year off, do the full MBA program during that year, and then come back for the last year of med school.

What motivated you to get your MBA while going to medical school and what are your future plans?

I got involved in student government during undergrad. However, for a while, I thought about just going into business. But after talking to some advisors, I realized that there were opportunities within health care to be involved in hospital administration or even going into health care policy.

I want to go one of those routes and getting an MBA sounded like a good option. In an attempt to make health care more sustainable since it’s not sustainable the way we run it now, I hope to gain an understanding of business and apply that to help make medicine better and more affordable. I want to practice medicine for a while. Right now, I’m thinking cardiology, family practice or emergency

medicine, and then I do want to get involved in either hospital administration or health care policy.

What inspired you to run a marathon on every continent?

I struggled for a long time deciding whether I wanted to pursue music professionally or go into medicine. For me, my entire life has been trying to strike a balance between the two. I just came up with this idea that it would be really cool to run a marathon on every continent and use that as a way to raise awareness for how music can impact medicine and health care. I knew of this organization called Musicians On Call, and I decided that I could raise awareness for this organization by running a marathon on every continent and starting up an initiative called Strums & Strides.

What is Musicians On Call?

Musicians On Call is an organization that began in 1999. They set up visits where volunteers will go into hospitals and play for patients in their rooms. It’s like bringing a live concert or a live musician to a patient’s room.

It’s a great organization.

Which continent are you most enthusiastic about?

I’m stoked for Antarctica. I think that’ll be great. This summer, I’m going to Thailand in Asia, and then Tanzania in Africa. I’m actually climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest point in Africa, a few days before the marathon, so it’ll be a lot physically but running with the giraffes should be really cool. I don’t know where I’m going in South America or Europe yet;

I’m trying to space the marathons out.

What’s your favorite part about running marathons?

I love the last 200 meters. It’s one of the best feelings in the world to have gotten through the pain. Sometimes your knee hurts or your hip hurts, but to get through that and see the finish line and that last stretch is one of the coolest feelings in the world.

How do you train for marathons?

I do it a little differently. One of my best friends is actually a dietician and personal trainer, so she’s helped me a lot with training. I will start at around 10 miles one weekend, and then every two weeks, I’ll add two miles to that. I usually start about two and a half months beforehand and go all the way up to 22 miles a couple weeks before the marathon.

What are your goals for your new initiative, Strums & Strides?

The two big goals of Strums and Strides are: (1) to raise money for Musicians On Call, and (2) to raise awareness about the power of music in medicine for both patients and their healing process, but also for med students and physicians and how music can be utilized to cope with the stress of their profession. I’ve been doing a lot of research on the power of music as a stress reliever and the power of music for healing patients and the evidence behind that. It’s really gaining a lot of momentum right now. I’d really like to use this as an opportunity to help bring that to the forefront of people’s minds.

the guide

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2014

THE HOYA

B3

LIFESTYLE FEATURE

PARDON MY FRENCH

Nicole Jarvis

Drawing A Virtual Boundary

T

he world today is weird.

We have taken our desire to share, to relate to others and to form relationships toward entirely unfathomable levels. It started with our generation — the so-called “millennials.” According to certain think pieces, it is our generation’s specific tendencies toward narcissism, materialism, apathy and laziness that have encouraged the development of social media like Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram, Pinterest and so on.

But this doesn’t explain one extremely present danger in the lives of college students — parents joining social media.

Everyone’s experienced it.

Grandmas making statuses instead of wall posts, uncles asking what on earth a hashtag is, other various older relatives using “u” and “l8r” instead of “you” and “later.” It can be embarrassing for some, but to me it’s mostly endearing — like watching a newborn baby cow try to walk for the first time.

They don’t quite get it, but they’re going to keep on trying ’till they do.

I’m not discouraging parents from getting involved in social media at all. In fact, I would encourage everyone to become more involved online. It’s a fascinating and often educational tool that can connect us with friends, loved ones and strangers around the world with minimal effort, and the trend toward increased interaction over social media is definitely not going away. I would rather my parents understand the culture and technology that dominates the interactions my siblings and I have with the world. What I am asking though — and not just of my parents in particular — is that we respect virtual boundaries.

There’s a strange phenomenon associated with putting yourself out there on social media. When you post a tweet or reblog a photo on Tumblr, that corner of the Internet can feel like your own private space. It’s like a safe and protected bubble where what you say and display is for your eyes only. The fact that strangers may be looking is almost insulating. They don’t actually know you in the real world. If you repost a poem about depression or a personal story, strangers don’t directly associate that with you.

But then parents come in.

Our generation, having grown and developed alongside these means of communication, understands that there are unspoken ground rules. Unfortunately, parents — particularly mine — haven’t quite caught on yet. Posting something is rarely an invitation for discussion. If I tweet all the time about my frustrations with Lau and the pressures of Georgetown, it’s not necessarily an invitation to bombard me with questions about my happiness and mental state. Part of the nature of social media is that it’s instantaneous.

So if I tweet about crying in my Village A listening to the “Glee” soundtrack, it’s not because I’m having an emotional breakdown per se; I probably just had a moment of profound self-awareness about the inverse relationship between the plotlines of “Glee” the TV show and the emotional weight of its Christmas music.

My parents are going to read this, and I would like them to know that I really don’t mind if they read or see what I post, and that I’m sorry for using them to make a general, sweeping statement about the generational divides in social media usage. It’s just that nothing triggers intense self-reflection on the insanity of your personal social media profile like your dad reading your tweet back to you — including the hashtag.

In the mean time, I would appreciate it if my parents continue to like all my photos on Instagram. It makes me feel popular.

Nicole Jarvis is a junior in the College. PARDON MY FRENCH appears every other Friday in the guide.

SOFIA LAYANTO FOR THE HOYA

Left to right: COO John Micevych (SFS ’15), CEO Christopher Timko (SFS ’15) and CFO Joshua Ramjit (MSB ’15) lead the Hilltop Microfinance Initiative in its work to help low-income businesses with clear financial planning and consultation.

Financing the Future Hilltop Microfinance Initiative strives to help low-income businesses FLOR LEE

Special to The Hoya

B

y constantly focusing on the difficult task of balancing academics and extracurricular activities, it can be easier to forget that there in fact exists a community beyond the university gates, a part of which doesn’t enjoy many of the opportunities students do. The Hilltop Microfinance Initiative, an organization facilitated by Georgetown students, addresses this neglect head on by actively empowering low-income entrepreneurs in and around D.C. who need fiscal assistance in order to start their businesses.

HMFI is independent from the university, meaning that it must seek financial backing from alternative sources.

“We have received grants from private funders, such as alumni donors,” CEO Chris Timko (SFS ’15) said. “Our Credit Builder Program is mainly supported by Capital One.” During the earlier years of its creation, HMFI issued loans to low-income individuals who needed a source of financing, but its leaders soon realized that the organization possessed the potential to do more.

“We encountered the great opportunity to make a tangible impact on others’ financial health. We could help individuals with not only lending money, but also with raising their credit scores,” former COO Alissa Orlando (SFS ’13), , said.

In early 2012, HMFI established its Credit Builder Program, funded by Capital One’s Investing for Good campaign. It provides inexpensive credit-building arrangements for individuals with low credit scores.

“People with low income have used a lot of credit but haven’t been able to pay it back,” Timko said. “It’s our job to open healthy lines of credit for them to increase their scores and

allow them more access to the financial system as a whole.”

Through loan packages and personalized sessions, members of HMFI teach these clients how to develop long-term financial health.

According to a recent survey issued by HMFI, 80 percent of its clients increased their credit scores within merely six months. Orlando, who served as COO for two years, emphasized the visible affects the Credit Builder Program can have on people’s lives. For this reason, the members of HMFI must be skilled and passionate workers who foster and promote the core values of social entrepreneurship.

“We are offering a product — a great product. Students involved understand that HMFI is not something slapped on a resume, but rather, it’s an organization that truly affects an individual’s financial health,” Orlando said. “If we don’t do our job correctly, it can have direct adverse effects on others’ financial standings.

All the members recognize this. We all have to be wholeheartedly dedicated to the organization’s goals.”

HMFI also provides business consulting to encourage effective business practices, based on personalized needs. Clients can choose to receive help through a variety of practical sessions, including marketing, bookkeeping and business registration. The Business Consulting team’s ultimate goal is for clients to enter the sessions curious about how to resolve their financial issues and leave the meetings well equipped to tackle these problems. Fortunately, for those who cannot afford the generally set rates, HMFI can make adjustments based on the prospective client’s current financial situation.

Although the organization generally targets individuals with incomes no higher than 150 percent above the poverty line, the overall profile of its clientele varies greatly. Additionally,

HMFI has collaborated with Empowered Women International. Guest speakers from HMFI held a session for women called “Building and/ or Repairing Your Credit Score” that educated them on how to regulate their personal finances. In addition, HMFI has also worked with the Community Preservation and Development Corporation to target low-income housing areas.

A unique quality of the HMFI is that its board of directors entirely consists of alumni. All four of the founders, Alex Siegel (SFS ’10), Eugene Goldberg (MSB ’08), Max O’Neill (COL ’08) and Mo Narang (COL ’08) remain on the board as chair, vice chair, and directors.

Alex Honjiyo (SFS ’13), who served as CEO for two years, now advises the executive staff as a director, although he currently works in Mexico.

“It’s a good thing to have former staff members on the board because it provides good institutional memory, and we’ve all been through similar challenges when we were once involved as students,” Honjiyo said.

The incorporation of alumni into the board of directors occurred organically, according to Honjiyo.

“When the original founders graduated, HMFI was not ready to have professional representatives on the board, such as industry leaders, so they remained accessible even after graduation in order to continue guiding the vision they had for the organization,” said Honjiyo.

Considering HMFI’s visibly positive results and five years of rich experience, it is no surprise that the organization is finally looking to invite field experts to its board, as an attempt to bolster locality. Even with its recent successes, the organization will continue to look for ways to expand its services to better accommodate its clients’ financial needs.

THEATER REVIEW

For Goldilocks, It’s All Child’s Play GOLDILOCKS, from B1 really well, and they’ve just taken this play beyond my expectations and have turned it into something that I did not foresee, in a good way.”

Since they are performing for children, it is important for the cast to stay energized and attentive throughout the production. To ensure that its audience stays interested, the cast actively talks to them as “the jury” and even asks for their input at various moments.

“I think that in all theater, you’re speaking to the audience, but especially with children’s theater it is important to keep the audience engaged and be directly communicating to them and make them feel like we are actually talking to them and like they are part of the show,” said Danny Woods (SFS ’16).

Like all good children’s stories, “Goldilocks on Trial” aims to teach young audience members important values, such as telling the truth, respecting others and remembering that there are two sides to every story.

Producer Caitlin Snell (COL ’16) attaches the phrase “Boom, morals!” to these moments in the play, which will undoubtedly be wellreceived by their young patrons.

Of course, the cast imparts these messages in ironic and expressive ways that will surely leave

the audience in stitches. One particularly humorous thread in the web of lies weaved by the cast is the claim that “Parental Porridge Syndrome” compelled Goldilocks to eat the Bear family’s porridge; to understand the full diagnosis, make sure to go see the show for yourself.

While the cast does try to impart valuable morals and lessons to the children in the audience, it made sure to include some jokes catered to an older age group (notably ones referencing “The Hunger Games” and “A Few Good Men”).

“We do put jokes in that we laugh at, and we hope that everyone who comes to see it will. We do make it an all-ages show and we do hope that everyone will come and enjoy it,” Snell said.

Although it only spans 30 minutes, “Goldilocks on Trial” is bursting with laughable and educational moments for all ages. The cast has worked purposefully in rehearsals throughout the semester and is looking forward to sharing its work with local children and the Georgetown community.

To witness the craziness in the courtroom and to find out whether Goldilocks is deemed innocent or guilty, come out to McNeir Auditorium tonight at 7 p.m. for the debut of GU Children’s Theater’s spring production of “Goldilocks on Trial.”

ERICA WONG/THE HOYA

Chris Egan (MSB ’17) plays the lovestruck wolf in GU Children’s Theater’s spring production of “Goldilocks on Trial.”

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the guide

THE HOYA

Friday, february 21, 2014

APPS Rock Album Thrives on Stage theater review

Joe Kuperschmidt Hoya Staff Writer

In 2004, Green Day released its seventh album, “American Idiot,” to critical acclaim, commercial success and two Grammy Awards. Now considered one of the greatest rock albums of the new millennium, “American Idiot” was transformed into a stage musical of the same name that premiered on Broadway in 2010. The show features new arrangements of all of the songs from the titular album, as well as several tracks from the band’s 2009 record, “21st Century Breakdown.” Although its New York production shut its lights in 2011, “American Idiot” has continued its life on the road. In its third national tour, which plays at the National Theatre from Feb. 18 to 23, “American Idiot” feels a little underdeveloped as a meaningful piece of theater. However, while it lacks complexity, “American Idiot’s” audiovisual spectacle makes it well worth the ticket price.

Unlike some other jukebox musicals, “American Idiot” follows a plot that the members of Green Day imagined when they wrote the album. The original songs come together to tell the story of Jesus of Suburbia, his alter ego St. Jimmy and his love interest Whatsher-

name. Johnny (Jared Nepute) is a fleshed out version of Jesus of Suburbia, and both St. Jimmy (Carson Higgins) and Whatshername (Olivia Puckett) become central characters in the story. For the stage, several characters and subplots were added, but the initial thread that runs through the 2004 record remains intact.

Based on its description, the musical might sound like a Green Day episode of “Glee,” but, make no mistake, its 20-something characters are much too cool for school. Flinging literal and figurative middle fingers to the world, Johnny, Will (Casey O’Farrell) and Tunny (Dan Tracy) spend their days smoking, drinking and sitting around. In a post-9/11 America filled with violence and mass media, they have trouble identifying with the red, white and blue. In the beginning of the musical, they decide to make a change and leave their hometown. Each of these men faces his own battle — drug addiction, military service or a girlfriend with an unexpected pregnancy — with fear, angst and passion.

Despite the gravity of these issues and the force with which they are performed, parts of the plot feel insincere and simplified. Nearly all of the play is in song, with only a handful of spoken

COURTESY DEB FISCELLA

The stage musical brings out the story behind Green Day’s hugely popular album, “American Idiot,” with a powerful and energetic cast.

GLUTEN FREEDOM

Flourless Fast Food for Students on the Go

G

eorgetown’s nonstop envi- option to create your own or pick ronment quickly fills stu- one of its menu salads. Either way, dents’ schedules with little you can’t go wrong. Sweetgreen also free time to eat or sleep. Whether offers warm grains instead of letit’s a hectic class schedule, bounc- tuce as a base for your salad. Bonus, ing between group meetings or it’s composed of quinoa and farro: commuting to an internship, food gluten-free friendly. If salads aren’t needs to be convenient for the your thing, then I highly recomalways on-the-go student. Find- mend ShopHouse for an Asian-ining gluten-free food that is both spired rice bowl or the classic Chipotasty and transportable proves to tle. At both places, start rice as your be quite a struggle. However, after base and add in all of the extras that many tests of countless granola your heart desires. All three of these bars and brands, trips to many places have locations on M Street, so grab-and-go eateries in the district you can shop without stopping with and countless walks to and from these on-the-go options.

Safeway and Whole Foods, I have If you don’t have time to walk it narrowed down to to M Street, there are the best foods for the some good options for on-the-go, gluten-free warm food that you can Georgetown student. make in the microwave Granola bars are esand take on the go. Prosential to any college gresso recently released student’s diet. They’re a new line of glutencheap, relatively tasty free soups that use the and easily transport- Christina Wing same recipes as its regable. Even better, there ular products, but are are a lot of gluten-free options. Kind still safe from cross-contamination. bars can be found all over campus, Soup doesn’t sound like the most courtesy of Students of Georgetown portable of foods, but it can be miInc., and they come in a range of crowaved for a mere two minutes flavors including dark chocolate and transferred into a thermos for and sea salt. Almost all of them are an old-school, mother-approved naturally gluten-free, but be sure meal. For another microwavable to double check the label. Nature and slightly more portable option, Valley also sells gluten-free peanut- Annie’s makes a delicious gluten-free based granola bars. They’re crunchy mac and cheese. It’s pre-packaged in like most of their granola bars and a microwavable cup so all you need you can bulk buy them on Amazon to do is add some water and pop it in — double win. Lastly, my all-time the microwave for a few minutes. Just favorite breakfast bar: EnviroKidz make sure to have some disposable Peanut Butter Panda Puff cereal bar. forks on hand so you can just throw It’s basically a healthier version of everything away after you are done.

Peanut Butter Captain Crunch with Rushing around can be stressful, pandas instead of Captain Crunch and not being able to have someon the box. We’re all kids at heart, thing tasty to much on the way just anyway. makes it that much worse.With all Sadly, students cannot live on gra- of these great gluten-free and onnola bars alone, so when it comes to the-go options, you can definitely more substantial meals, be thank- eat your meal and get to your destiful that D.C. is a health-conscious nation on time. city that gives options for glutenfree eaters. If you’ve never heard of Christina Wing is a sophomore in Sweetgreen, then you must be liv- the McDonough School of Business. ing under a rock. Sweetgreen makes GLUTEN FREEDOM appears every oththe most delicious salads with the er Friday in the guide.

lines. Although the songs never feel out of place, they are rarely explicit in how they are meant to progress the story.

Therefore, the audience must rely on the visual indications given by the actors, which at times can be unclear.

Fortunately, “American Idiot” functions as much as a rock concert as it does a stage musical. Most mainstream listeners will be familiar with hits like “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” and “Holiday,” and whether or not the plot points are intriguing, the talented cast makes sure these songs are entertaining. All three leading men provide robust vocals, but they also expertly display a softer side, particularly in a moving rendition of “Wake Me Up When September Ends.” The women of “American Idiot” are also given their turn to rock out. Mariah MacFarlane, as Heather, impresses with her powerhouse voice, and Olivia Puckett exposes both her sweetness and ferocity.

Just as the electrifying music shocks the ears, the set and lighting provide an incredible feast for the eyes. The metal scaffolding and city windows are at first reminiscent of “Rent,” but through the use of bright lighting and projections, the stage is constantly transforming.

On top of this, dozens of high-definition screens cover the walls, and the messages and images displayed enhance the impact of several scenes. Set designer Christine Jones and lighting designer Kevin Adams won Tony Awards for their work on the original production, and their efforts on the national tour, along with those of Darrel Maloney, who created the projections, make for a mesmerizing visual experience.

Interestingly, the themes of confused national identity that run throughout the songs and plot are perhaps best fit for Washington, D.C. On top of the National Theatre stage, a sculpted bald eagle is proudly perched. Although not a part of the set, the eagle elevates the struggle of the young Americans on stage. When the company sings about not wanting to be an “American Idiot” an audience in the nation’s capital might be more conscious of what these characters are rejecting.

Truthfully, not all of “American Idiot’s” elements add up, but if you can excuse a few missteps, what is left is an undeniably entertaining musical.

Performed by a stellar cast, both the hits and the little-known songs pack a punch. This, in combination with the visual wonders on stage, makes up for the missing depth in parts of the plotline. Loud, proud and unforgiving, “American Idiot” will infect your head with Green Day’s music for days after you’ve left the theater, and most likely, you won’t mind it.

#pop Free

In an attempt to break into a market dominated by Instagram and Vine, the #Pop app offers millennials yet another media-based social networking opportunity. The app’s key feature is that it combines two mediums in each post, making it easy to speak through photos or videos attached to animated GIFs, movie clips or anything else that the user deems appropriate. The first image source slides away to reveal the second, adding a new layer to the daily digital updates. Described as creating a visual converstaion between users, it’s the next big thing for social network lovers.

frontback Free CNN, Bloomberg TV, The New York Times and The Verge are featuring a new way to take and share pictures. One shot isn’t enough? Overwhelmed by all that’s going on around you? Use Frontback to capture important moments by simultaneously snapping pics with the front and back cameras of your iPhone.

The app makes it easy to add captions, locations and hashtags — a great companion for social media activities. You can share your wonderful snaps with the Frontback community, and just like with Instagram, get the satisfaction of friends liking your posts. Guaranteed to produce professional-looking, sleek images that you can instantly share by SMS, Facebook, Tumblr and so on, it’s the next step up for all iPhone camera lovers.

delectable wine Free Now the daunting tasks of remembering, sharing, finding and purchasing quality wine has been rendered as simple as taking a picture. The app’s comprehensive database uses photo recognition and a team of wine experts to instantly identify the vintage, winemaker and wine name of whatever you are drinking. Users can easily keep an inventory of bottles they have enjoyed and can recommend them to friends with confidence.

DIY Tip

diy headboard

starsforstreetlights.com Want to bring life to the blank walls of your dorm room without plastering them with posters? Make your entire room more cozy and sophisticated with a simple headboard above your bed. Find a large piece of cardboard and cut it to the width of your bed. To make it sturdier, double up the cardboard and tape the two pieces together. Once the cardboard is sized, draw the headboard shape of your choice. Use either box cutters or scissors for cutting. Take a large, colorful piece of fabric of your choice and tape it to the cardboard. To hang the headboard above the bed, hammer two tacks through the headboard and into the wall.

VIEW FROM THE MUSÉE D’ORSAY | PARIS, FRANCE

MARY MURTAGH/THE HOYA

the guide

friday, february 21, 2014

THE HOYA

B5

RESTAURANt review

Doughnuts Hit the Sweet Spot, Fried Chicken Flops GBD



1323 Connecticut Ave. NW Cuisine: American $$$$ Meagan Wang

Special to The Hoya

Utilizing old deep frying baskets as lampshades and serving drinks in mason jars, GBD is a stereotypically hipster dining spot, conveniently located in DuPont Circle.

Specializing in fried chicken and doughnuts, GBD is appropriately named, as it stands for the kitchen’s motto, “golden, brown and delicious.” These three adjectives provoke images of flaky, fried tastiness, and rightly so. Highlighting the skills of wife and husband duo, pastry chef Tiffany MacIsaac and chef Kyle Bailey, GBD features dishes that can satisfy your sweet and salty cravings in one sitting.

Our party of six walked in during the last hour of brunch Sunday around 1 p.m. Even at this late hour, we had to wait for about 30 minutes before we were seated.

While the service was slow, the waiters were all friendly, making it hard to feel too frustrated by the service. Nonetheless, if you are in a hurry this may not be the place to get your fried chicken fix.

The brunch menu runs Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to

3 p.m. and consists of a select food menu along with $15 bottomless drinks including mimosas, grapefruit mimosas and brunch punch.

GBD’s menu also features a wide variety of beers, classified by which food to enjoy them with.

While selecting from its brunch menu, which contains dishes like the croissanwich ($12) and strawberry French toast sticks ($10), I had to make the ultimate brunch decision between sweet or savory. Typically, I ended up ordering both. First, I ordered the chicken box, which included a fried thigh and drumstick, macaroni and cheese (or potato salad), coleslaw and a biscuit ($10).

The fried chicken, which is organic and hormone- and antibiotic-free, comes with your choice of dipping sauce from a list of uniquely named sauces including mumbo sauce and blooch. I chose “general satan’s sauce,” a supposedly spicy version of General Tso’s sauce, which didn’t turn out to be very spicy at all.

The sight of the freshly fried chicken and doughy biscuit proved promising. However, upon tasting the food, I was underwhelmed.

While the fried chicken was moist and juicy, the seasoning was miss-

MEAGAN WANG FOR THE HOYA

GBD’s concept sounds unique and interesting, but it misses the mark in execution. The fried chicken, which is relatively average in quality, is served with a buttery biscuit and creamy macaroni and cheese. ing that extra kick. The main source of flavor came from the dipping sauce, which I found to be not very well-suited to my chicken. While the biscuit was buttery and fluffy, it would have been better complemented by a side of gravy. The coleslaw and macaroni and cheese sides were pretty average. Overall, I would say that although my expectations were high for the chicken box, I was unfortunately disappointed.

However, in an attempt to remedy this disappointment, I ordered a chocolate cake doughnut with

RESTAURANT review

a passionfruit glaze, which left me with a far better impression of GBD (doughnut prices range from $1.50 to $2.75.) The passionfruit glaze was tangy and flavorpacked — adding a nice contrast to the sweet chocolate. With rich and decadent varieties of stuffed, yeast-risen doughnuts like a key lime curd-filled gingersnap-topped option and a grapefruit Campari glazed cake, its doughnuts are creative and tasty. While similar, if not better, fried chicken can be found at other restaurants, I have yet to

come across or hear of another doughnut bakery with so many different flavors. If you find yourself in DuPont craving something sweet, I would definitely recommend trying one of its doughnuts.

Not a place to be avoided, but also not a place to venture out of your way to find, GBD is better as a concept rather than a reality. With a somewhat lackluster fried chicken and average sides, its only selling point is its delicious and inventive doughnuts, and this GBD just doesn’t fully hit the spot.

RECIPES

tomato, arugula & GOAT CHEESE PIZZA

thenovicechefblog.com Leo’s pizza, frozen pizza and drunk food-truck pizza cannot compare to this simple, healthy recipe. With only a few ingredients that aren’t hard to find, this pizza is bursting with fresh flavors. While this particular combination is classic and satisfying, you could also try swapping the arugula for spinach, or the marinara sauce for pesto. The ingredients are easily interchangeable, but no matter how you choose to do it, this recipe will not disappoint!

YIWEN HU FOR THE HOYA

Me Jana offers an extensive variety of mezza plates and hearty entrees. The chicken shawarma fell somewhere in between stellar and bland with its unseasoned meat and flavorful sauce.

Middle Eastern Eatery Offers Mediocre Mezza Plates ME JANA



2300 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, Va. Cuisine: Mediterranean/Lebanese $$$$ Yiwen Hu

Special to The Hoya

With its rich variety of unique flavors and spices, it’s hard not to love Middle Eastern food. Me Jana, located in Arlington, may not do as much justice to the cuisine as hoped, but is still worth the trip out to Virginia for authentic Mediterranean dishes.

Me Jana, with its refreshing blue exterior decor, is hard to miss, and the interior decorations are just as exotic and well-crafted. From the romantically dim lighting to the candles on the wooden tables to the intricate patterns on the couches, each touch is exquisitely detailed. At only 6 p.m., the place was still rather quiet and there was a large selection of seating available, including smaller tables or spacious booths by the window.

Me Jana offers an extensive, yet not overwhelming menu, and a basket of hot pita bread wrapped in cloth is immediately served when orders are taken. The pita is outstanding: savory ,yet blended with a tiny trace of sweetness that complements the flavor perfectly.

The basket is refilled throughout the meal as needed.

Most of the dishes at Me Jana are appetizers, or mezza, that resemble Spanish tapas and are perfect

for sharing. We started off with a cold mezza, kibbeh nayeh ($12.99), which is essentially raw beef. The texture was smooth and the meat had the perfect amount of chewiness. However, in comparison to its counterpart in Japanese cuisine, the raw beef was, disappointingly, rather bland. Luckily, the potato kebbeh ($8.50), one of its signature hot mezzas, made up for the lackluster beef dish. Despite their relatively unattractive appearance, these fried dumplings were truly divine. The outer crust was a blend of potato and almond flour, and an inner filling of spiced feta and pine nuts produced an outcome that was light, delicious and cheesy.

The chicken shawarma ($8.99), another one of Me Jana’s most popular dishes, was unfortunately less than impressive. Though marinated with herbs and spices, the chicken tasted stale and flavorless unless drenched in the complementary garlic whip. I deliberately saved the falafel ($7.25) for last, hoping to end the meal on a high note. Maybe my expectations were too high, but I was once again let down. In fact, I preferred the falafel from Whole Foods to the ones at Me Jana, as the restaurant again failed to give the dish enough flavor. Nevertheless, the complementary tahini sauce was

INGREDIENTS

1 ball pre-made pizza dough 1 cup marinara sauce 4 oz. goat cheese, crumbled

1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved Salt and black pepper, to taste 1 giant handful of arugula

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Roll out pizza dough to a 12-inch round and place on baking sheet.

Spread an even layer of marinara sauce, leaving an inch around the edges.

Crumble goat cheese and sprinkle tomatoes on top. Top pizza with a little salt and some fresh black pepper.

Bake for 15 to 17 minutes or until the dough edges are golden brown.

Top with arugula and serve immediately.

strawberry basil cocktail

superb. The slight hint of sesame was so irresistible that I paired the remaining tahini sauce with the pita bread.

The highlight of our dinner was the lamb chops ($15.99). The lamb was marinated in garlic, rosemary and mint, with the perfect amount of saltiness in the seasoning. Granted, the part near the bone was too rich in fat and tasted too oily. In general, however, both the taste and texture were impeccable.

Aside from the lamb chops, all of our orders were served within 10 minutes. While we appreciated the speed of service, we nevertheless felt pressured to rush through the tasting in an effort to finish the dishes before our food got cold.

Dinner at Me Jana was of varying quality. There were no awful — or even bad — dishes. Nonetheless, while several dishes were better than I expected, many others failed to live up to both my expectations and their prices. If you pick the right items off the menu, you will surely be rewarded with a spectacular feast. Order poorly, however, and you will have a mediocre dining experience. In either case, you are guaranteed endless baskets of wonderful, free pita bread and cordial service.

madefromscratchinbk.wordpress.com This light and fruity cocktail will leave you feeling ready for spring break.

The ingredients are easy to come by and simple to prepare. Try it along with the tomato, arugula and goat cheese pizza to keep your taste buds tingling.

After the heaviness of Valentine’s Day, an easy-breezy cocktail like this one will be a real treat.

INGREDIENTS

4 cups water 1 cup sugar 1 1/2 cups vodka

1 cup lime juice 2 cups strawberries cut in half 10 to 15 basil leaves

Set aside a handful of strawberries and 6 basil leaves for garnish.

Bring water, sugar, strawberries and basil to a boil. Cook until the strawberries start to lose their color. Refrigerate to cool.

Strain liquid and combine with the remaining ingredients. Serve over ice.

saint-bris sauvignon

klwines.com This wine, a sauvignon blanc and one of the few white varietals grown in the Burgundy region of France, is classically paired with goat cheese. Its light hint of fresh fruitiness combined with subtle creaminess, makes this bottle perfect for counterbalancing the somewhat bitter taste of arugula.

The 2006 Anne & Arnauld Goisot Saint-Bris ($10.99) is recommended to bring out every delicate flavor of the pizza while still maintaining its own mineral finish.

B6

the guide

THE HOYA

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2014

TELEVISION REVIEW

House of Cards



Starring: Kevin Spacey, Robin Wright Netflix | Available Now SAMI RAHMAN Hoya Staff Writer

Power and politics. The delicious and devilish combination of these two classic literary themes creates a merciless force of corruption and manipulation in the second season of Netflix’s “House of Cards.” In this world, navigating power and politics is survival of the fittest, and political figures susceptible to this temptation become strong at the knuckles and cold in the heart. As protagonist Frank Underwood (Kevin Spacey) says, “Power is the old stone building that stands for centuries.”

Since its birth, “House of Cards” has proved that is has all the crafty components of a quality drama.

Adapted from a British political thriller of the same name, “House of Cards” is produced by David Fincher and two-time Academy Award-winning Kevin Spacey who have previously worked together on several

NETFLIX

Frank Underwood (Kevin Spacey) is back to his evil antics.

films. Spacey plays the lead role as the ruthless Democratic House Majority Whip Frank Underwood, who outmaneuvers his inferiors and manipulates his way to the Vice Presidency and White House at the onset of season two.

A modern Macbeth tale, “House of Cards” is an immoral political thriller that features ruthless, high-level government officials striving to advance their political and corporate status. Frank isn’t the only one with an unethical political agenda, as his calculating wife Claire Underwood (Robin Wright), CEO of the non-profit Clear Water Initiative, is equally ambitious and fraudulent. If you’ve read Shakespeare’s classic, you’ll appreciate the sneaky easter eggs the writers throw into the dangerous couple’s intimate relationship and political collusion, such as the reference to “behind every great man is a woman with blood on her hands.”

There is not much to say of their acting besides it being nothing short of genius. Spacey is enigmatic and intimidating, donning disguises when necessary, and perfectly complementing Wright’s indecipherable complexity. Wright won the Best Actress Golden Globe at this year’s ceremony for her portrayal of Claire, and it was clearly deserved.

After bingeing on the grandeur of season two’s 13 episode arc, it is compelling and nerve-racking to see how the story maliciously evolves.

Beware: You may literally gasp out loud after witnessing certain events unfold and become paralyzed after empathizing with the trauma the characters endure.

Confronted with the dilemma of covering up the skeletons in his closet from President Garret Walker (Michael Gill) and now head-to-head with his former lover and conspirer journalist Zoey Barnes (Kate Mara), Frank is getting attacked on all

MOVIE REVIEW fronts. When Frank wants something, he gets it. But can he cover up all his bloodstained tracks? You’ll have to see for yourself what unintended costs come with treacherous rewards.

Consistent with season one, Frank continues to offer his dogmatic wisdom by breaking the fourth wall.

My personal favorite is “Never slap a man when he’s chewing tobacco.”

This form of narration is rare in drama; when Frank looks at the camera and spills his secrets it’s like he’s addressing the best friend who has always understood him.

Additionally, the go-to adage still applies: “It’s not the crime, it’s the cover up.” In the heart of “House of Card’s” Washington D.C., political ambition still thrives and there really is no sign of mercy when climbing the political food chain. A significant contribution to season two is that Frank now meets his first worthy adversary, Raymond Tusk, who is President Walker’s old, Warren Buffet-like business partner and who was introduced at the end of season one. Close to his level of ability for outsmarting others, Tusk competes with Frank for Walker’s admiration like two sons fighting for their father’s respect. Tusk sees through Frank’s calculation and threatens Frank’s political status.

During Spacey’s conversation with Ron Klain at Georgetown last November, he relayed to the audience that several politicians on the Hill have said, “‘House of Cards’ is closer than you can imagine.”

Surpassing the now-archaic yet still-acclaimed political drama “The West Wing,” “House of Cards” is the most accurate depiction of how contemporary politics actually works.

There are truths to the show’s halflies, especially in the scenes of passing legislation where opponents stymie and impose a filibuster. However, there is a pervasive pessimism in how “House of Cards” depicts a Washington with nothing but government pandemonium and personal partisan vengeances. Season two remedies the flaws of the first season by adding more three-dimensionality to its existing characters and its fresh ensemble of season two additions, hence creating a more linear storyline.

So to all you bingers, “Let the butchery begin.” Welcome back for round two.

FINDING THE OFFBEAT

Foreign Artists Hit US Music Scene

T

oward the end of each year, certain acts emerge as upcoming artists begin to make their names known, be it through the sanctioned release of singles via social networking or through the unintentional, but glorious album leak, as British artist Jai Paul experiences when his entire album was leaked last year. Consequently, blogs and other outlets tout these artists until they finally drop an album — if they haven’t gone the Jai Paul route — which is typically met with varying degrees of criticism. In these cases, artists constantly try to reinvent the wheel with varying degrees of success.

Now, there’s been a subtle shift in this pop paradigm toward a more minimalistic, productionbased genre through artists such as Lorde. Two artists to watch this year are Sam Smith and Broods, who will hopefully be able to break into the mainstream and gain the attention they deserve.

First on my list is 21-year-old British singer-songwriter Sam Smith, who gained notoriety early last year when he was featured on producer Naughty Boy’s “La La La,” one of the United Kingdom’s fastest-selling singles of 2013. This followed his 2012 collaboration with Disclosure on “Latch,” another extremely successful release. Since then, Smith has received welcome recognition for his soulful voice and unique blend of electronic music with contemporary R&B. As a result of his somewhat arbitrary presence in mainstream U.K. culture, Smith has garnered a strong following that has set him up for future success with his solo en-

deavors. He is incredibly talented to say the least, adding an exciting and somewhat innovative dimension to the realm of modern pop music that should be well received here in the United States.

“Safe With Me” is an incredible ballad that showcases both his R&B roots and his experience with electronic music. It holds a special

Joy Jackson meaning for me as the track that kept me sane during finals week last semester. Other singles, including the insanely catchy “Money On My Mind,” can be found on Smith’s SoundCloud profile, along with some impressive remixes. Additionally, he will be performing in Washington, D.C on March 20 at the U Street Music Hall promoting his album “In The Lonely Hour,” which is set for release May 24.

While 2013 served as the year in which acts like Sam Smith began to establish their own following, it also facilitated the rise of another, unique brand of pop music, led predominately by New Zealand’s Ella Yelich-O’Connor, otherwise known as Lorde. While Lorde enjoyed widespread success with her single “Royals,” another, lesserknown group from New Zealand released a series of songs that further explored this emerging genre

of pop: Broods. In October, at around the same time Lorde re-released her hit single, Broods posted one of my favorite tracks of the year.“Bridges,” which has recently been made available for download on iTunes, combines simple lyrics, centering on a failed relationship — hence “burning bridges” — with incredible production. The end result is a song that is both heartfelt and beautiful.

Furthermore, what sets Broods apart from similar acts is their weaving of interpersonal narratives seamlessly into the music that strings them together. On Christmas Day, they released another even more impressive song entitled “Never Gonna Change,” which further showcases this ability. Though they haven’t released any other music aside from these singles, the recent iTunes usage implies that an official record may be on the way; if this is the case, Broods will be prominent in 2014. I hope that this trend toward production-focused pop music continues, as it’s currently paving the way for a newer, more exciting approach to the genre.

With artists such as Sam Smith and Broods establishing presences in both their home countries and the United States, it seems as though this could easily be the case. Keep your ears open for these two acts in the coming months; they’ll definitely be worth the wait.

Joy Jackson is a freshman in the School of Foreign Service.

FINDING THE OFFBEAT appears every other Friday in the guide.

BEST BETS

TOUCHSTONE PICTURES

Hayao Miyazaki’s latest and final film fails to live up to the huge expectations of his fans and falls disappointingly flat.

The Wind Rises 



Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt Directed by: Hayao Miyazaki NICOLE JARVIS Hoya Staff Writer

When the announcement was made that acclaimed director Hayao Miyazaki’s latest animated film, “The Wind Rises,” would be his last, fans around the world were stunned. It had seemed as if he would be making his groundbreaking movies forever. The news also drove the expectations for his final film through the roof. Sadly, his last movie is also, by far, his weakest and the least interesting. For a director and animator known for his imaginative plots, environments and characters, “The Wind Rises” represents a major step backwards for both Miyazaki and his animation company, Studio Ghibli.

Even at the most basic storytelling level, “The Wind Rises” falls flat.

In Miyazaki’s other movies, there has always been an element of the fantastic — a girl must work in an alternate dimension to save her parents (“Spirited Away”), a forest princess fights to protect her home (“Princess Mononoke”), a large friendly forest spirit befriends two young sisters (“My Neighbor Totoro”), et cetera. The list is endless.

In “The Wind Rises,” a man in Japan wants to build planes, so he builds planes. There isn’t even a real conflict — Jiro Horikoshi (voiced by Joseph Gordon-Levitt) decides to be an aeronautical engineer, goes to college, becomes an aeronautical engineer, gets a job and builds planes — with everyone praising how genius and remarkable he is at every single turn.

I stopped caring about Jiro almost immediately. He was so highly regarded by other characters, yet he could have died after 30 minutes and I would have been completely unaffected — he was as uninteresting a central character as they come and couldn’t even be salvaged by Gordon-Levitt’s voice work.

If you noticed something that the descriptions of Miyazaki’s other films had in common — something that was absent from “The Wind Rises” — you wouldn’t be alone. The rest of Miyazaki’s canon features dynamic, young, female characters in central roles. In fact, most of his films star female characters. “The

Wind Rises” has only one female character of any real significance, the woman who ultimately becomes Jiro’s wife — Naoko Satomi (voiced by Emily Blunt). She only exists to tell the audience how much she loves Jiro, prioritizing their relationship and his happiness over everything else, including her own health and life. Did I mention that he met her when she was a small girl? That’s more than a little creepy.

Apart from its general weaknesses, there’s something very unnerving about watching this film from an American perspective. The story is based on real history, and though it is not directly addressed until the end, it is apparent that Jiro is designing fighter planes during World War II. It doesn’t take an art history major to know that Japanese fighter planes were a big problem for American GIs in WWII. Remember Pearl Harbor? Those were the very planes glamorized throughout the entirety of “The Wind Rises.”

At the end of the film, in a dream sequence featuring Italian aeronautical engineer Caproni (voiced by Stanley Tucci), Jiro looks up at his departing fleet of beautiful planes and makes a passing reference to the fact that “none of them came back.”

That’s because they were either shot down by Americans or were used in kamikaze attacks. It is undoubtedly important to pay attention to the non-American perspectives on global history, but “The Wind Rises” doesn’t feel like it has any particular message to that extent. Jiro “just wanted to build beautiful planes.”

According to Miyazaki, that’s all that matters, not the mutual devastation those planes helped create.

Even if you look at “The Wind Rises” without the lens of Miyazaki’s other fantastic films, it’s not a very interesting movie. It’s really pretty to look at, especially since hand-drawn animation is harder to come by these days, but even artfully drawn plane wrecks get old after the third or fourth time. If this is the kind of picture we can expect from Studio Ghibli now that Miyazaki has retired from filmmaking, there’s not too much to be excited about when it comes to its upcoming films.

ON CAMPUS

NUNS ON THE BUS

‘HAFU’ FILM SCREENING

RELIGIOUS SERVICES OPEN HOUSES

‘CHALLENGING TEXTS’ TALK SERIES

WHERE: Lohrfink Auditorium WHEN: Friday, 4 p.m.

INFO: events.georgetown.edu PRICE: Free (RSVP required)

WHERE: ICC Auditorium WHEN: Saturday, 2:15 p.m.

INFO: hoyalink.georgetown.edu PRICE: Free

WHERE: Various locations WHEN: Sunday, various times INFO: campusministry.georgetown.edu PRICE: Free

WHERE: McShain Lounge WHEN: Tuesday, 7 p.m.

INFO: campusministry.georgetown.edu PRICE: Free

Much is changing in the Catholic world. Tonight, the GU Women’s Center and the BiondiCopeland Family Fund are co-sponsoring a panel featuring four very special women. In this panel, the speakers will discuss several inspiring lives of faith and action. Don’t miss out on an opportunity to learn more about how these issues are approached in the modern age.

Hafu is the Japanese term for people who are half Japanese — a growing demographic in Japan. This film follows the lives of five such individuals as they deal with the challenges of being multiracial in a culture that is proud of its homogeneity. After the screening, distinguished panelists will further explore the issues raised.

As part of Campus Ministry’s continued efforts to foster open interfaith dialogue and create a welcoming and inclusive environment for spiritual discovery, several services will be having open houses this Sunday. This is the perfect time to attend a service that you want to learn more about, as extra emphasis will be placed on explaining traditions and answering questions.

This year, several campus ministries are joining together to discuss and debate difficult overlapping issues in Campus Ministry’s “Challenging Texts” series. This talk will focus on the differences and similarities among Christianity, Judaism and Islam in regard to the subjects of crime, punishment, justice, rehabilitation and redemption.

the guide

friday, february 21, 2014

THE HOYA

arts & entertainment feature

MUSIC

New Releases

Artist Stays True to His Rural Roots Allison Cannella Special to The Hoya

F

or Charlie Parr, the best music is the music that stays truest to your roots. A traditional folk and blues singersongwriter, Parr has been producing albums that resonate with his rural Minnesota upbringing for over 11 years. A humble soul with a rich and raspy voice, Parr currently makes his home in the Northern Minnesota city of Duluth, where he enjoys “ice-biking” on the frozen surface of Lake Superior during the frigid winter months.

As a child in the small town of Austin, Minn., Parr would listen to his father’s records, which featured the likes of Woody Guthrie and Mance Lipscomb, and after receiving his first guitar at the age of seven, he began teaching himself how to play. On his banjo, his 12-string or his National Resonator guitar, Parr used to play only covers of his favorite songs. However, following the 1995 death of his father, he began writing his own.

“I had so much grief and depression surrounding me, and songwriting helped deal with those issues,” he said.

This January, nearly 20 years later, Charlie Parr released his 12th album, “Hollandale.”

The title of the album refers to the gentle hills and beautiful landscape of his uncle’s farm in Hollandale, Minn. The album differs from his past work in that it is entirely instrumental. Producing something that successfully translated his passion and strong ties to his beloved Minnesota farmland is something Parr has had in mind for quite some time, but a lack of self-confidence

delayed it from coming to fruition.

“When I sit and play at home, I don’t sing songs,” Parr said. “I just sit and play.”

With the encouragement of his friend and fellow musician Alan Sparhawk, Parr recorded some of “Hollandale” in the comfort of his own home.

“I tried some alternative tunings and some new things, and then I just sat down and played,” Parr said of his writing process.

The result is a five-track collection of songs that are full of both authenticity and improvisation. For Charlie Parr, songwriting is just like storytelling. Songs like “1922 Blues” and “Cropduster” reflect his father’s memories of the Depression era or his own childhood experiences on the farm. Over the past few years, however, he’s tried to keep his persona out of his songs by writing from a more creative point of view.

This new approach has helped to define his style, but the biggest changes to Parr’s music were because of developing arthritis. Picking and strumming every day since the age of seven has taken its toll on Parr’s joints over four decades, forcing him to use new techniques that he wouldn’t have come across before. Initially, Parr was “pretty torn up” about his arthritis, seeing it as just an indicator of old age, but he has been able to find another way of performing that is just as satisfying.

“I’m not going to see 25 again,” Parr said, “but I’m always going to play music. When I get to be 75 years old, people will just have to come to my kitchen and see me play there.”

Following the recent release of “Hollandale,” Parr will be on tour

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Starring: Kit Harington, Emily Browning Directed by: Paul W. S. Anderson Kshithij Shrinath Special to The Hoya

At one point before a giant gladiator fight in “Pompeii” — one of many gory scenes in the movie — a character exclaims that all that needs to be done is showcase “a simple, bloody spectacle.” Perhaps if the film had followed its own advice, it would have been, if not a great film, at least an enjoyable one. However, spectacular special effects and effective action scenes cannot buoy a sinking ship of wooden acting, an awkward script

‘CRAZY’ KAT DAHLIA   Cuban-American artist Kat Dahlia, whose previous single “Gangsta” was praised by MTV as “filled to the brim with fierce rapping” is showing her slightly softer side with this release. Well produced and with enough of an edge to stand out, “Crazy” shows off Kat Dahlia’s impressively beautiful vocal ability, switching between smooth singing and her more husky tones. It’s edgy and modern without giving in to either the rap or electro-pop genres. With lyrics that are both thoughtful and honest, which most likely draw from her experience of what she called a “toxic relationship,” this is an easily likeable track.

THE AUSTRALIAN

Charlie Parr has been producing music for 11 years grounded in the tragedy of his past, a theme revisited in his new album, “Hollandale.” for most of this spring. On Feb. 26, he will appear at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts’ Millennium Stage. He confessed to feeling shocked when the Kennedy Center asked him to play.

“I thought, what the hell for?

That doesn’t seem right,” he said.

Usually, he plays in much smaller venues where he feels very comfortable.

“I like getting together with all the people and playing what they like. We grow together and find a

place where we can all get along for the night and make a pleasant evening of it,” he said.

Performing at a place like the Kennedy Center will challenge him since he never writes set lists. He plans to play at least one song from “Hollandale,” but the concert will mostly feature his more familiar and lyrical songs.

“I really have no idea what I’m going to do,” he modestly said, “but I’m sure I’ll make some new friends.”

movie Review

Pompeii

and an overburdened plot.

“Pompeii” follows the story of Milo (Kit Harington of “Game of Thrones” fame), a muscular Celtic gladiator captured at a young age and shipped from Britannia to Pompeii to fight in the arena. Seeing his parents killed

by Senator Corvis (Kiefer Sutherland) at an early age turns Milo into a dour, brooding man. Harington plays his character without a hint of humor, continually wearing his patented “Jon Snow” scowl. As he enters Pompeii, he happens to bump into Cassia (Emily Browning), a beautiful

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young lady returning from her time in Rome. Naturally, they quickly fall in love, though the film does not really elucidate on the details. Corvis arrives at Pompeii at the same time, demanding Cassia’s hand and creating an uninspiring love triangle.

Although the romance never clicks, as Milo and Cassia struggle with a general lack of chemistry, the film does showcase a much better duo: Milo and Atticus (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje), a tough gladiator on the verge of gaining his freedom.

The scenes between these two imprisoned slaves are the only places where the movie is allowed to breathe, with glimpses of humor. It is telling that Milo first reveals his name (and his personality) not to Cassia, but to Atticus.

The fun begins when the gladiators enter the arena. Here, director Paul W. S. Anderson, who has worked on “Resident Evil” and “The Three Musketeers”, showcases his one true strength: action sequences.

One particularly exhilarating and

TRI STAR PICTURES

Set in the shadow of Mt. Vesuvius, “Pompeii” is unfortunately lackluster. With no real original elements and disappointing character relationships, it ends up being reminiscent of other similar films.

memorable set piece includes two fighters warding off a legion of at least 50 men. Though the movie features a seemingly endless supply of fighting scenes, they do offer a respite from the painful romance or the backroom politics featuring the villain Corvis, who is unsympathetic and cruel to the point of exhaustion.

All of this happens under the shadow of Mount Vesuvius. Anderson never lets us forget the impending doom faced by Pompeii, interspersing shots of the magma bubbling within the volcano with glimpses of the mountain constantly in the background of the drama. Yet, this incessant reminder of what is to come only diminishes our interest in the characters and the plots that form the majority of the movie. Anderson appears to be eagerly looking forward to the volcanic doom, but forgets to make us care at all about the individuals that are affected by the catastrophe.

When the volcano finally erupts, the movie showcases its one other striking feature: special effects. The ash plumes billowing over the city are devastating to behold, and the crumbling buildings evoke a realistic sense of fear. Watching the movie in 3-D adds surprisingly little to the proceedings; in fact, in bringing the falling ash to the foreground, the audience’s view of the movie is obscured.

Though the volcano never left our minds in the beginning of the movie, it feels almost like an afterthought in the end, dwarfed by the other, less interesting subplots crafted in the first two-thirds of the film. The eruption merely adds a feeling of grandiosity that the complacent plot does not deserve.

The best summation of “Pompeii” is that nothing about it feels original.

The setting is reminiscent of “Gladiator,” the violence reminds the audience of “300,” the romance evokes a poor imitation of “Titanic” and the special effects appear drawn from any number of Hollywood franchise films. In all these aspects, it surpasses no previous film, and, apart from the special effects and action sequences, fails to provide real entertainment even without comparison to other movies.

‘WILD HEART’ THE VAMPS  Having noticed the massive success of teenage British boy band One Direction here in the U.S., numerous other acts have tried to grab similar popularity. The Vamps might actually do it. Released last month in the U.K. to impressive chart success, “Wild Heart” has so far been very well received. Typical boy band vocals are given a unique edge with a more authentic sound and slightly more heartfelt lyrics. It’s an upbeat, get-you-pumped track that will undoubtedly be a instant mood-lifter.

This track, along with their boyband looks, is sure to give the band a strong start on this side of the ocean.

‘GLIMPSE OF A TIME’ BROKEN TWIN  Released as a taster for her debut album “May,” to be released in April, “Glimpse of a Twin” is a hauntingly beautiful track.

With minimalist sounds and soft yet powerful vocals, this Danish singer really shows her talent with this song. It’s easy to tell how pristinely and cleverly composed the single is, perfectly balancing the instrumentals (no electronic sounds to be found) with her authentic and often sorrowful lyrics. This is a track that will certainly impress all the critics who have been anxiously expecting her debut. It’s a truly gorgeous debut single.

Listen now: She’s set for success.

‘I WANNA GET BETTER’ BLEACHERS  The band fun. dominated the charts with its upbeat and uplifting single, “We Are Young,” and now lead guitarist Jack Antonoff is set to emulate their success with this first single from his latest group, Bleachers. It’s got the instantly catchy pop hook, the perfect amount of electro instrumentals and Antonoff’s deep, dry vocals, all of which come together to make a fun, exciting first track. It’s a refreshing take on pop music that will energize and uplift. Perfect for a study soundtrack or getting-ready playlist, this is well worth a listen.

AROUND TOWN National Margarita Day

‘A Cinema of Discontent’

Tim Reynolds at The Hamilton

‘Ruben Salazar: Man in the Middle’

WHERE: Tortilla Coast (1460 P St. NW) WHEN: Saturday, 10 a.m. to midnight INFO: tortillacoast.com PRICE: $6 per margarita

WHERE: Freer Gallery of Art WHEN: Saturday, 2 p.m.

INFO: si.edu/events PRICE: Free

WHERE: The Hamilton (600 14th St. NW) WHEN: Saturday, 8:30 p.m.

INFO: thehamiltondc.com PRICE: $22 to $27

WHERE: American Art Museum WHEN: Thursday, 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

INFO: si.edu/events PRICE: Free tickets at G St. lobby, 6 p.m.

Tortilla Coast is making the best of National Margarita Day. For each $6 margarita you buy, it will donate $1 to Food & Friends, a charity that looks after people living with HIV/AIDS, cancer and other life-threatening illnesses by preparing and delivering specialized meals. It’s the perfect excuse to drink delicious margaritas this Saturday; it’s all for a good cause.

With Iranian cinema becoming more popular, it tends to be forgotten that these directors work in very difficult circumstances. “A Cinema of Discontent” explores the tight government controls that these directors work under, through showings and analyses of dozens of clips from films, as well as through interviews with internationally acclaimed Iranian directors such as Jafar Panahi.

With a musical career spanning 35 years, Tim Reynolds is best known for his impressive guitar playing and sonic innovation. Regarded as one of the best improvising musicians, he explores many musical styles including rock, blues and classical.

He has been praised for being technically brilliant and emotionally honest, and his live performances are an authentic and inspired experience.

The American Art Museum is hosting the premier of the PBS documentary by Phillip Rodriguez about the life of Ruben Salazar, a prominent civil rights journalist. Working tirelessly to raise awareness about the Los Angeles government’s poor treatment of Chicanos, he was shot dead by a sheriff during a protest against the Vietnam War.

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Sports

THE HOYA

Friday, FEBRUARY 21, 2014

The Sporting Life

Men’s Lacrosse

Jeter’s Retirement Marks End of an Era W

JULIA HENNRIKUS/THE HOYA

Redshirt senior defender and co-captain Tyler Knarr won 12-of-19 faceoffs in Georgetown’s 9-8 overtime win against Navy. The defender also recorded an assist and had 10 shots on goal.

Fountain Nets 2 in Win Elizabeth Cavacos Hoya Staff Writer

Despite the snowy weather and a fourth-quarter comeback from the opposition, Georgetown’s men’s lacrosse team (2-0) overcame the odds to seal a 9-8 overtime victory against Navy (1-1) last Saturday, winning the Boyle Cup for the fourth consecutive season.

The game proved to be a textbook matchup between the Hoyas and the Midshipmen.

Four of the past six meetings between the teams have gone into overtime — including Saturday’s game — and the last three games ended in a 9-8 victory for the Hoyas. Senior attack Jeff Fountain scored the overtime gamewinning goal against Navy for the second season in a row.

After falling behind 2-1 early, the Hoyas went on a 5-1 run in the second quarter to make the score 6-3 at halftime. Each team scored a goal apiece in the third quarter to maintain the threegoal gap.

“I thought we did some good things because we got up early ,and we did what we wanted to do coming into the game,” Head Coach Kevin Warne said.

However, the Midshipmen retaliated with a two-goal run at the beginning of the fourth quarter to initiate their comeback.

After a Fountain goal made the score 8-6, the Midshipmen scored two consecutive goals and tied the game at 8 with just under a minute of play left in regulation.

With 2:08 remaining in overtime, Fountain rolled into the cage to score his second goal of the day and more importantly, the game winner.

“When Navy came back, we didn’t fold,” Warne said. “We got stronger and just really started to focus on what we needed to do.”

Freshman attack Peter Conley, junior midfielder Charlie McCormick, freshman midfielder Devon Lewis and junior attack Bo Stafford also scored for the Hoyas. Co-captain and redshirt senior defenseman Tyler Knarr once again displayed his acumen at the faceoff, winning 12 out of 19 battles during the game.

Redshirt junior goalkeeper Jake Haley made 15 saves during the game and his performance earned him Big East Defensive Player of the Week.

“Jake has done a good job,” Warne said. “[Assistant Coach Brian Phipps] has done an awesome job of tweaking Jake’s game to play with his strengths, and I think we’re starting to see that in the cage … the biggest thing [in that position] is being consistent.”

With the win, the Hoyas improve to 2-0 on the season; it is the first time the team has won its first two games since 2007.

Georgetown has enjoyed success this season, especially against Navy, because of its focus on important fundamentals, according to Warne.

“In those crazy games when teams come back, it’s all about doing the little things over and over,” Warne said. “Eventually they’ll show their true colors.”

Next up for Georgetown is a road game against the Towson Tigers (1-2) this Saturday. It will be the first matchup between the two teams since Georgetown’s 15-8 victory in the first round of the 2004 NCAA tournament.

Towson entered the 2014 season with the NCAA’s No. 23 RPI (ratings percentage index) and has already faced elite competitors. After an 11-8 win in its season opener against High Point, Towson dropped two consecutive games — losing to No. 8 Johns Hopkins, 15-8 and No. 10 Loyola Maryland, 20-4. The Tigers will

take the field Saturday as somewhat of a wild card, hungry for a win against another challenging local rival.

Towson is fairly well-balanced; though it lost two talented returning offensive players to injuries right before their season opener against High Point, several skilled and reliable freshmen stepped up and recorded points to secure the Towson win.

For Georgetown, the transition from playing against a tough but predictable opponent last week to an unfamiliar foe will present some unique challenges.

Warne knows that the Tigers will pose a test for his team.

“Towson will probably be the most athletic team that we’ve played to date, so they present some problems offensively and defensively,” Warne said. “We’re going to have to tweak what we need do to have success, but at the end of the day, what matters is what our guys do on the field.

If we’re able to catch and throw the ball, take smart shots, defend well, clear the ball well and face off well, then our chances increase greatly.”

With the regular season in full swing, Warne is more adamant than ever that his players keep focusing on their strengths and style of play. Warne emphasizes the importance of the examples that his upperclassmen set for the rest of the team.

“It’s all about your mindset and how you’re able to compartmentalize everything, from school to flipping the switch to lacrosse [and vice versa] … and I think our older guys are doing a good job of that,” Warne said.

“Take care of the moment, and if you do that, you don’t have to worry about outside influences or the clutter that is around you.

Just worry about what’s in front of you and you’ll be okay.”

softball

GU Benefits From Extra Rest Juliana Zovak Hoya Staff Writer

After last weekend’s tournament was cancelled because of wintry weather, the Georgetown softball team will be back on the field this weekend in South Carolina. The Hoyas (2-3) will participate in the University of South Carolina Tournament.

“I think it’s going to be a great tournament.

I think there’s a nice variety of teams,” Head Coach Pat Conlan said.

Georgetown will play its first game against Gardner-Webb (17) on Friday. The Runnin’ Bulldogs have struggled thus far this season, Georgetown will also face UNC–Wilmington (4-3), whose freshman Merritt Wilkinson was named Colonial Athletic Association’s Rookie of the Week last week, when she went 5-for-8 with 4 RBIs in four games.

Games against Boston University (0-0) and Michigan State (2-5) will round out the weekend for the Hoyas.

But Conlan is less concerned with the other teams and prefers to focus on her own squad.

“We’re more worried about focusing on our game than somebody else’s, and when we do that, we put ourselves in a good situation,” she said.

While Georgetown faces

tough competitors this weekend, Conlan wants to make sure that the Hoyas can execute their game plan before trying to stop the other teams from doing so themselves.

“Every team that we’re going to play on our schedule is going to be a tough one, whether or not they’re coming off wins or losses,” Conlan said. “I think we do a pretty good job of approaching one game at a time, one inning at a time, one pitch at a time, and seeing how the game develops from there.”

Georgetown had a good opportunity to evaluate its strengths and weaknesses at its previous tournament two weeks ago where it went 2-3, winning its first and last games of the weekend.

“I loved our first weekend, I thought we had a great start. I want to continue that,” Conlan said. “I think there were some things we needed to clean up on defense and continue to get good solid pitching efforts, and we need to get our bats consistently going, so I think that’s what we’re looking for. We’re looking to get better every time we’re out on the field.”

The Blue and Gray has received consistent pitching from their two starters, juniors Lauren O’Leary (1-1) and Megan Hyson (1-2) as well as solid relief appearances from senior

Rachel Nersesian.

The Hoyas are coming off of an unexpected weekend off after the Longwood Tournament, which would have consisted of four games for the Hoyas, was cancelled because of a winter storm. For Conlan, the sudden schedule changed offered both benefits and challenges.

“I think the girls got a nice well-deserved weekend off, which is very unusual in our season,” Conlan said. “Unfortunately, it came early, but we’re making it work. I think when you play an outdoor sport you just have to understand there will be weather issues at times.

But we had a good week at practice, and we took advantage of them being on campus by getting in some practices and a little rest as well.”

With all the time off in between games, the team loses valuable opportunities to face live pitching; but as was evident in its Florida tournament, often all that’s needed is a little time to warm up out of the gate.

“Early on in the tournament in Florida we struggled, and we got better as the weekend went on because we got more at-bats and felt more comfortable in the box,” Conlan said. “I’d like to build off what we did in the first weekend and come back with a few W’s.”

e’ve seen it before: Player an- goodbye and appreciate the last days of nounces retirement well in ad- Jeter as they happen.

It’s not just Yankee fans that need to vance, player gets overwhelming media attention and then anyone who is say goodbye. Whereas Mariano Rivera’s not a fan of said player’s team gets tired and final season was about appreciation for the best closer in the history of baseball, resentful of the spectacle.

There are exceptions, of course, for ex- Jeter’s exit is about something more.

Jeter was one of the best shortstops ceptional talents and exceptional players.

While Ray Lewis’ last playoff hurrah turned of the past two decades, and he is a first many into 49ers fans for the Super Bowl, ballot Hall of Famer; his hitting was textMariano Rivera’s season long farewell tour book and his defense — in his prime — was met with universal applause — even was solid. But it was his heart and his from the most diehard Yankee haters. poise when the moment was biggest,that Despite all of the contempt for the Yankees became his calling card. that runs within the very fiber of baseball Becoming Mr. November in Game 4 of fandom today, it is undenithe 2001 World Series, able that Rivera and Derek the (multiple!) head first Jeter led them to glory for dives into the stands, all these years. We watched the leaping throws from Rivera walk away last year, the edge of the outfield and now Jeter — the face of grass — all of these mothe Yankees and the face of ments will stand the test baseball for nearly a genof time (although Baltieration — is preparing to more fans will undoubthead to batter’s box for the edly never forget about Darius Majd last time. the “home run” in the For the past half-de’96 playoffs as well).

Jeter became the cade, Jeter has made a Of course, we must habit of refinding his best not forget the defining face of baseball form just when people beplay of Jeter’s career and gin to question whether the greatest defensive because he was his best days are behind play in postseason histohim. When he followed ry — the flip. The intelrelatable. the 2009 World Series ligence, the hustle, the title with a mortal .270 batting average in heroics; Jeter’s game-saving, postseason2010, many thought that age had finally salvaging play against the Oakland A’s caught up to the superstar. But a .297 av- was unlike anything seen before or since, erage in 2011 left people guessing, and a and it perfectly encapsulates everything resurgent .316 average in 2012 suggested that he is as a player and as a leader. that Jeter could keep suiting up in pinJeter’s popularity went far beyond his stripes for several more years. play in the field. He became the face of However, Jeter knows his best days will baseball because, despite his greatness, he soon be behind him — the process was accel- was always relatable. He epitomized the erated by a crippling broken ankle last year purity of a Little Leaguer, the competitive — and he would rather leave on his terms drive of a champion and the humble nathan let it encroach on his playing days. ture of the everyman all at once.

In most cases, many would roll their When you watch Derek Jeter play baseeyes at the prematurity of the whole ball, you see a little piece of all the best affair: A man announcing his retire- attributes of sports, and some of the ment more than half a year in advance, best qualities of a person too. Among a ready to bask in the glory of his drawn- litany of disgraced sluggers, Jeter was a out swan song. But not in the instance baseball fan’s favorite player; instead of of Jeter, whose actions over the course falling for the show-stopping allure of of his illustrious career have revealed a the home run, he crafted his swing for man who does not crave the spotlight. subtler tools, such as the opposite field Jeter accepts the mantle of playing single. shortstop for the New York Yankees, but As the mantle is passed on, baseball he does not pay it any notice. Nor does he fans can only hope that the example set ever give the media any material to twist by Jeter will remain the gold standard into a story when one does not exist. This for young players everywhere. announcement, like so many other Jeter decisions, is about giving back to fans; Darius Majd is a junior in the College. it’s about giving them a chance to say The Sporting Life appears every Friday.

Baseball

Hoyas Search for First Win in Hartford Series Nadav Senensieb Special to The Hoya

After a disappointing opening weekend to the season, the Georgetown baseball team will look to pick up its first win of the season against Hartford University on Friday. Georgetown is currently 0-3 after dropping games to Marshall (2-2), Wake Forest (3-2) and Towson (3-0) in its first weekend of play.

In their first games of the season, the Hoyas struggled at the plate, managing to score only four runs, losing by scores of 5-1, 3-2 and 9-1. Although the Hoyas were predicted to be a strong offensive team heading into the season, the offense did not provide its pitchers enough run support in the losing efforts.

The Hoyas got off to a quick start against Marshall on Saturday. Georgetown jumped out to a 1-0 lead on an RBI walk by sophomore infielder Curtiss Pomeroy in the second inning. But after that, the Hoyas sputtered and fell to the Thundering Herd, 5-1.

The struggles continued Sunday for the Hoyas. Georgetown was held scoreless for the first eight innings and its ninth-inning comeback fell short. After the Hoyas scored two late runs, a gameending strikeout by junior infielder Ryan Busch stranded runners on second and third base.

Georgetown ended its first weekend with a blowout loss against Towson on Monday. The Tigers broke a scoreless tie with two runs in the fifth inning and never looked back, taking a 9-0 lead in an eventual 9-1 romp of the Hoyas.

“We faced mediocre pitching down there and we didn’t put up any runs,” Head Coach Pete Wilk said. “The one thing I thought we were going to do this year without question was hit. And we didn’t. And I still think we will, but we’ve got to do it.”

It was not all bad for the Georgetown offense, though. Busch reached base five times — including two doubles — and senior first baseman Steve Anderson had three base hits, two runs scored and an RBI. “They both had pretty good weekends.

I’d like to see Busch strike out less in the leadoff spot. The rest of our lineup has got to hit,” Wilk said.

Junior pitcher Jack Vander Linden — the ace of the pitching staff — set his career high with 10 strikeouts against Marshall on Saturday. However, a high

pitch count ended his outing at just five innings.

“I thought Jack was pretty good. Jack usually gives us a chance to win every start and he did that,” Wilk said. “He made a few mistakes, but I thought it was a good first start. I would like to see him go into the seventh inning, but he went too deep in too many counts. That’s why he got yanked after five.”

The rest of the pitching staff did not find the same success as Vander Linden.

The other starters — sophomore Matt Smith and junior Will Brown — also only lasted five innings each and combined to allow as many walks as strikeouts. The bullpen gave up a total of 10 runs in 12 innings over the weekend.

“Sunday’s pitchers against Wake Forest — Smith and [junior Matt] Hollenbeck — threw more balls than strikes. That’s not going to win you too many games, and it burned both arms. Will Brown, I thought, had a good start and put us in position to win. We had poor performances out of the bullpen,” Wilk said.

The Hoyas now have to put last weekend’s games behind them and prepare for this upcoming weekend and a three -game series against the Hartford Hawks.

Hartford has yet to play a game this season after finishing last season with a 1736 record. Although Hartford has not played a game, this will not be an advantage for Georgetown according to Wilk.

“It’s certainly nothing that’s going to put runs on the board,” Wilk said.

“They’re going to be hungry obviously.

They’re coming down with a kid that’s supposed to go in the first round of the draft. That’s not going to be an easy challenge for us. Yes it’s an advantage, but I wouldn’t go to the bank with it.”

Junior pitcher Sean Newcomb — a third-team preseason All-American — is projected as a top-20 pick by most draft experts. For an offense that failed to score many runs in its first three games, Newcomb will provide a tough test for the Hoyas. Hartford is projected to finish fourth in the America East Conference after finishing fifth last season.

Weather threats could keep the threegame series from being played but assuming the games are played, Wilk is expecting more from his team.

“We’re 0-3. And it’s not really a surprise,” Wilk said. “We didn’t hit. Our pitching was mediocre. It adds up. This can be a very good team, but we need to play.”

sports

FRIDAY, february 21, 2014

THE HOYA

B9

DOWN TO THE WIRE

track & field

Hoyas Prepare for NHL Needs Olympic Hockey Final Indoor Meet O Samuel Solomon

man Amos Bartelsmeyer have both enjoyed a great deal of success this year.

The Georgetown track and field “I think on the men’s and womteam had a strong showing at the en’s side the middle-distance arIowa State Classic in Ames, Iowa, on eas are one of our strong points,” Friday and Saturday.

Henner said. “I think we have one During the first day, the Hoyas of the best middle-distance crews took second and fourth in the men’s in the country, but at the same and women’s distance medley relay, time so [do] Villanova and Butler. A respectively. The 4000-meter event lot of teams ahead of us have simiwas led by freshman Ryan Mana- lar strengths.” han, sophomore Devante WashingThe team is not limited to just a ton, senior Billy Ledder and sopho- few events. Georgetown distance more Ahmed Bile. runners ran well at the Penn State Villanova narrowly edged out the Invitational, especially on the Georgetown men with a time of women’s side with graduate stu9:35.08 over 9:35.26. Meanwhile the dent Kirsten Kasper. women’s team timed in at 11:22.68, Georgetown’s top distance runfinishing behind Duke, Minnesota ner, graduate student Andrew and host Iowa State. All-American Springer, is still recovering from graduate student Amanda Kim- injury. bers came in second with a time of “He’s gotten along really well,” 24.386 in the 200m dash.

Henner said. “He’s running pain-free During the second day, junior now but he’s not going to compete in Andrea Keklak and the Big East meet.

Ledder had times He’s just not ready that ranked second to race at a really in Georgetown hishigh level yet.” tory in the womThe sprinters en’s and men’s have improved 800m, respectively. as well. Kimbers, Keklak finished Washington and fourth in the sophomore Mike 800-meter, setting Andre are showing Patrick henner a career personal signs of increased Director of Track & Field record of 2:04.64. strength.

Ledder finished third with a time of The Big East field is teeming with 1:47.89. Washington finished fourth talented athletes, and the Hoyas will in the men’s 400m with a time of have to run good times from top to 48.14. bottom.. The Providence Friars have “We had some great performanc- one of the top distance programs es,” Director of Track and Field Pat- in the country, while Villanova also rick Henner said. “Billy Ledder, our has an impressive program. men’s 800, and Andrea Keklak for “This is the first meet since the rethe women’s. We were a couple sec- configuration of the conference. It’s onds slower than I was hoping we really going to be interesting to see were going to be.” how things play out,” Henner said With this week off, the Blue of the upcoming championships. and Gray look to build on their “There are some event areas where performance and perform well we are going to be one of the stronat the Big East championships in gest conferences in the country, esNew York City this upcoming Fri- pecially in the middle distance and day and Saturday. the distance areas.”

“We’ve been doing some trainGeorgetown runners will hope to ing, running K Street, the track, make their hard work this season and we have been doing some stuff pay off and earn the team a respectin Yates,” Henner said. “I think the able overall finish. At the meet, runguys have put in a lot of effort, so I’m ners earn points for high finishes in excited for the Big East meet.” specific events, which are added up Some Georgetown runners stayed to determine the team’s total score. at Georgetown over the weekend to Connecticut and Notre Dame continue to prepare for this more im- won the men’s and women’s champortant meet. The coaches felt that, pionships last year, respectively. for some runners, it was more impor- However, the teams are no longer tant to stay in Washington to train in the Big East. Last season, Georgeand get ready for the Big East meet. town finished eighth in the men’s The team’s biggest strength is championship and fifth in the clearly the middle distance. The women’s championship. team has performed well in the The Hoyas hope to finish their 800m and the 1000m as of late, indoor season on a high note this providing key momentum and weekend. The Big East Championconfidence. Furthermore, the ships will take place Feb. 21 and 22 team has depth. Ledder and fresh- at the Armory in New York.

Special to The Hoya

“We were a couple seconds slower than I was hoping.”

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Tom Hoff

Olympic hockey brings viewers back to the game and creates NHL fans. in recent years but is not universally known. Oshie’s Twitter followers increased by 50,000 during the game, and everyone in America apparently agreed that if you have ever sold a tshirt before, you have to create one about T.J. Oshie.

My interest in hockey is actually a perfect example for how important the Olympics are to the NHL. I was a diehard hockey fan until the NHL’s season-long lockout in 2004. I had trouble coming back to the game until the 2010 Olympics reignited my passion. I didn’t know who Zach Parise was, but I almost instantly became one of his and Team USA’s biggest fans when he scored the tying goal against Canada in the gold medal game. Now, I’m one of a select few diehard hockey fans on this campus, all because of the Olympics. With the 2010 USA-Canada gold medal game being the most watched hockey game

in 30 years, I think that a lot of American fans feel the same way as I do.

Chess and Cunningham proposed the idea of hockey’s own tournament every two or four years, similar to soccer’s World Cup. Although it is a nice idea, it would not be nearly as effective as the Olympics. The Olympics reach casual fans and sometimes turn them into diehard fans better than any tournament ever could. A casual fan would not have woken up at 7:30 a.m. for a game in a preliminary round in a tournament other than the Olympics. Sure, a hockey tournament similar to the World Cup could be a huge event down the line, but thinking that it would be as influential as the Olympics in the near future is naive at best.

There’s also one component that Chess and Cunningham discounted completely: The Kontinental Hockey League, Russia’s top league, is trying to steal players from the NHL. It already wooed Ilya Kovalchuk, who retired last year from the New Jersey Devils so he could play in his home country.

Russian players remain in the NHL because the NHL is simply better, but if the NHL doesn’t allow foreign players to play for their home countries in the Olympics, many international players will feel that it isn’t worth staying to play in the U.S. or Canada. The NHL would undoubtedly hurt its talent pool by disallowing its players from going to the Olympics.

Chess and Cunningham have valid points, but they have overlooked just how much the NHL benefits from the Winter Olympics. When Canada and the U.S. face up in the Olympic semifinals, we’ll see just how many people in our country tune into the game religiously, and that should give you some perspective on how far-reaching the Olympic men’s hockey tournament really is.

Tom Hoff is a junior in the McDonough School of Business. DOWN TO THE WIRE appears every Friday.

No. 22 Towson is First Road Test TOWSON, from B10 last week to this week is limit our turnovers and playing better one-onone defense,” Fried said.

The last time Georgetown and Towson met was last season, when the Hoyas came out victorious in the 13-10 decision. The Hoyas hope to achieve the same result Saturday and defeat their first ranked opponent. Faceoff is scheduled for 3 p.m.

“I think the sense of working to get better is important,” Fried said. “We scored 19 goals in our first game, which is a lot of goals. We did a lot of things well, but can’t be complacent with where we are and need to make sure we are continuing to push each other to get better and improve on a weekly, if not daily basis.”

ALEXANDER BROWN/THE HOYA

Sophomore attack Corrine Etchinson recorded four goals and an assist in Georgetown’s 13-10 season opening win against Delaware.

MEN’s BASKETBALL

Smith-Rivera Bright Spot in Loss PIRATES, from B10 baskets down low.

Defensively, Georgetown made little progress from its previous game at St. John’s, giving up easy transition baskets and uncontested threepointers. For a team that prides itself on strong defense, it has been that end of the court that has failed the Hoyas over the past two games.

The Hoyas also struggled to stay disciplined on defense. Senior guard Markel Starks, who finished with 13 points, picked up three fouls in the first half. Georgetown also found itself in the bonus with 12 minutes remaining in the game. Bowen and

Answers to last issue’s puzzle:

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To put it simply, Olympic hockey reaches fans that no other tournament can — including the NHL’s own Stanley Cup Finals. Think about T.J. Oshie. Team USA’s center became an overnight household name just because of a shootout — a part of the game that’s not even really part of the game. Oshie plays for the St. Louis Blues, a team that has been very good

women’s lacrosse

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n Feb. 11, Ethan Chess and Drew Cunningham wrote in their column “The Third Half” (The Hoya, A8) that the NHL should not suspend its season and allow its players to play in the Olympics. While I understand their reasoning, I disagree with them. The NHL needs to continue sending its players to the Olympics in order to cash in on the marketability the Olympics provide.

Just look at last Saturday’s instant classic between the USA and Russia.

The USA-Russia game was the mostwatched hockey game in NBC Sports Network’s brief history, and the final half hour of the game was the most watched 30 minutes in the history of the channel. Oh yeah, this game was played at 7:30 a.m. Eastern Time. It was even more watched than Game 3 of last year’s Stanley Cup Finals between the Bruins and Blackhawks.

Stanley Cup Finals games have the benefit of being played during primetime, but last Saturday’s Olympic game was finished before just about anyone on the West Coast would have dared to wake up on a Saturday morning.

The three mostwatched hockey games of all time in the United States are as follows, in order: 1980 “Miracle on Ice” against the USSR, 1980 gold medal game against Finland and the 2010 gold medal game against Canada. The three most watched hockey games … ever. That 2010 gold medal game was also the most watched TV program in Canada’s history.

The Canadians didn’t just watch the game; they were hopelessly devoted. Edmonton’s water supply company published a graph of the water consumption during the 2010 Olympic finals and the graph showed that water usage was far below the norms during play and skyrocketed during intermission. Meaning, Canadians were waiting for intermissions for bathroom breaks. If you don’t believe me just google “Edmonton water usage during Olympics 2010.”

Trawick both fouled out, while Hopkins and Starks finished with four fouls each.

A bright spot for the Hoyas, once again, was Smith-Rivera. The sophomore has shown that he has broken out of his shooting slump, which seems like ancient history now.

Typically, Starks has been a higher volume shooter than his backcourt counterpart, but on Thursday Smith-Rivera was the offensive focal point — perhaps a sign of things to come both at the end of this year and the next.

The task for Georgetown now is clear. If it is unable to beat a Seton Hall team that is unlikely to qualify

for the national tournament, Georgetown does not have much of a case for itself. The problems are evident: poor defense, a lack of discipline, few real scoring threats and overall inconsistency. If the Hoyas want to make the national tournament, then they will likely need to win the Big East championship to earn the automatic bid to the postseason.

But that is a problem for critics and writers — not for players and coaches. The only game that matters to the team now is, and should be, it’s home match against Xavier this Saturday. A quick turnaround will be difficult but necessary — and potentially season saving.

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GU Takes Down No. 22 St. John’s JOHNNIES, from B10

ALEXANDER BROWN/THE HOYA

Freshman center Natalie Butler had 14 rebounds in the Hoyas’ win.

McCormick gave Georgetown a threepoint lead. St. John’s had the opportunity to tie the game at the end of regulation, but redshirt senior guard Eugeneia McPherson missed the three — securing the Georgetown win.

The Hoyas were led by strong performances from Powell and sophomore forward Logan Battle, who finished 5-of-9 for 12 points and 6-of-9 for 13 points, respectively, along with a 12-point performance by freshman forward Faith Woodard. White and freshman center Natalie Butler combined for 24 rebounds.

Butler’s 14-rebound performance comes a game after she broke the Georgetown women’s basketball single season record for rebounds. She also broke the Big East single season

record for rebounds as a freshman.

“It feels pretty incredible especially because this is my freshmen year,” Butler said of the win. “It just really lifts our spirits and we needed something like that for our team. I think it only can help us from here on out, it gives us confidence.”

Butler was honored for her accomplishments prior to the game. Butler has also won 10 Big East Freshman of the Week awards, tying the conference record.

With four games remaining in the regular season, the Hoyas will turn to Saturday’s game against Villanova (19-6, 9-5 Big East). The Wildcats are coming off a 69-56 loss to the Red Storm. Earlier this season, Villanova defeated Georgetown 59-49 — it was Georgetown’s lowest point total this season. Tipoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. in Philadelphia.

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Sports

THE HOYA

Friday, FEBRUARY 21, 2014

The Sporting Life

Men’s Lacrosse

Jeter’s Retirement Marks End of an Era W

JULIA HENNRIKUS/THE HOYA

Redshirt senior defender and co-captain Tyler Knarr won 12-of-19 faceoffs in Georgetown’s 9-8 overtime win against Navy. The defender also recorded an assist and had 10 shots on goal.

Fountain Nets 2 in Win Elizabeth Cavacos Hoya Staff Writer

Despite the snowy weather and a fourth-quarter comeback from the opposition, Georgetown’s men’s lacrosse team (2-0) overcame the odds to seal a 9-8 overtime victory against Navy (1-1) last Saturday, winning the Boyle Cup for the fourth consecutive season.

The game proved to be a textbook matchup between the Hoyas and the Midshipmen.

Four of the past six meetings between the teams have gone into overtime — including Saturday’s game — and the last three games ended in a 9-8 victory for the Hoyas. Senior attack Jeff Fountain scored the overtime gamewinning goal against Navy for the second season in a row.

After falling behind 2-1 early, the Hoyas went on a 5-1 run in the second quarter to make the score 6-3 at halftime. Each team scored a goal apiece in the third quarter to maintain the threegoal gap.

“I thought we did some good things because we got up early ,and we did what we wanted to do coming into the game,” Head Coach Kevin Warne said.

However, the Midshipmen retaliated with a two-goal run at the beginning of the fourth quarter to initiate their comeback.

After a Fountain goal made the score 8-6, the Midshipmen scored two consecutive goals and tied the game at 8 with just under a minute of play left in regulation.

With 2:08 remaining in overtime, Fountain rolled into the cage to score his second goal of the day and more importantly, the game winner.

“When Navy came back, we didn’t fold,” Warne said. “We got stronger and just really started to focus on what we needed to do.”

Freshman attack Peter Conley, junior midfielder Charlie McCormick, freshman midfielder Devon Lewis and junior attack Bo Stafford also scored for the Hoyas. Co-captain and redshirt senior defenseman Tyler Knarr once again displayed his acumen at the faceoff, winning 12 out of 19 battles during the game.

Redshirt junior goalkeeper Jake Haley made 15 saves during the game and his performance earned him Big East Defensive Player of the Week.

“Jake has done a good job,” Warne said. “[Assistant Coach Brian Phipps] has done an awesome job of tweaking Jake’s game to play with his strengths, and I think we’re starting to see that in the cage … the biggest thing [in that position] is being consistent.”

With the win, the Hoyas improve to 2-0 on the season; it is the first time the team has won its first two games since 2007.

Georgetown has enjoyed success this season, especially against Navy, because of its focus on important fundamentals, according to Warne.

“In those crazy games when teams come back, it’s all about doing the little things over and over,” Warne said. “Eventually they’ll show their true colors.”

Next up for Georgetown is a road game against the Towson Tigers (1-2) this Saturday. It will be the first matchup between the two teams since Georgetown’s 15-8 victory in the first round of the 2004 NCAA tournament.

Towson entered the 2014 season with the NCAA’s No. 23 RPI (ratings percentage index) and has already faced elite competitors. After an 11-8 win in its season opener against High Point, Towson dropped two consecutive games — losing to No. 8 Johns Hopkins, 15-8 and No. 10 Loyola Maryland, 20-4. The Tigers will

take the field Saturday as somewhat of a wild card, hungry for a win against another challenging local rival.

Towson is fairly well-balanced; though it lost two talented returning offensive players to injuries right before their season opener against High Point, several skilled and reliable freshmen stepped up and recorded points to secure the Towson win.

For Georgetown, the transition from playing against a tough but predictable opponent last week to an unfamiliar foe will present some unique challenges.

Warne knows that the Tigers will pose a test for his team.

“Towson will probably be the most athletic team that we’ve played to date, so they present some problems offensively and defensively,” Warne said. “We’re going to have to tweak what we need do to have success, but at the end of the day, what matters is what our guys do on the field.

If we’re able to catch and throw the ball, take smart shots, defend well, clear the ball well and face off well, then our chances increase greatly.”

With the regular season in full swing, Warne is more adamant than ever that his players keep focusing on their strengths and style of play. Warne emphasizes the importance of the examples that his upperclassmen set for the rest of the team.

“It’s all about your mindset and how you’re able to compartmentalize everything, from school to flipping the switch to lacrosse [and vice versa] … and I think our older guys are doing a good job of that,” Warne said.

“Take care of the moment, and if you do that, you don’t have to worry about outside influences or the clutter that is around you.

Just worry about what’s in front of you and you’ll be okay.”

softball

GU Benefits From Extra Rest Juliana Zovak Hoya Staff Writer

After last weekend’s tournament was cancelled because of wintry weather, the Georgetown softball team will be back on the field this weekend in South Carolina. The Hoyas (2-3) will participate in the University of South Carolina Tournament.

“I think it’s going to be a great tournament.

I think there’s a nice variety of teams,” Head Coach Pat Conlan said.

Georgetown will play its first game against Gardner-Webb (17) on Friday. The Runnin’ Bulldogs have struggled thus far this season, Georgetown will also face UNC–Wilmington (4-3), whose freshman Merritt Wilkinson was named Colonial Athletic Association’s Rookie of the Week last week, when she went 5-for-8 with 4 RBIs in four games.

Games against Boston University (0-0) and Michigan State (2-5) will round out the weekend for the Hoyas.

But Conlan is less concerned with the other teams and prefers to focus on her own squad.

“We’re more worried about focusing on our game than somebody else’s, and when we do that, we put ourselves in a good situation,” she said.

While Georgetown faces

tough competitors this weekend, Conlan wants to make sure that the Hoyas can execute their game plan before trying to stop the other teams from doing so themselves.

“Every team that we’re going to play on our schedule is going to be a tough one, whether or not they’re coming off wins or losses,” Conlan said. “I think we do a pretty good job of approaching one game at a time, one inning at a time, one pitch at a time, and seeing how the game develops from there.”

Georgetown had a good opportunity to evaluate its strengths and weaknesses at its previous tournament two weeks ago where it went 2-3, winning its first and last games of the weekend.

“I loved our first weekend, I thought we had a great start. I want to continue that,” Conlan said. “I think there were some things we needed to clean up on defense and continue to get good solid pitching efforts, and we need to get our bats consistently going, so I think that’s what we’re looking for. We’re looking to get better every time we’re out on the field.”

The Blue and Gray has received consistent pitching from their two starters, juniors Lauren O’Leary (1-1) and Megan Hyson (1-2) as well as solid relief appearances from senior

Rachel Nersesian.

The Hoyas are coming off of an unexpected weekend off after the Longwood Tournament, which would have consisted of four games for the Hoyas, was cancelled because of a winter storm. For Conlan, the sudden schedule changed offered both benefits and challenges.

“I think the girls got a nice well-deserved weekend off, which is very unusual in our season,” Conlan said. “Unfortunately, it came early, but we’re making it work. I think when you play an outdoor sport you just have to understand there will be weather issues at times.

But we had a good week at practice, and we took advantage of them being on campus by getting in some practices and a little rest as well.”

With all the time off in between games, the team loses valuable opportunities to face live pitching; but as was evident in its Florida tournament, often all that’s needed is a little time to warm up out of the gate.

“Early on in the tournament in Florida we struggled, and we got better as the weekend went on because we got more at-bats and felt more comfortable in the box,” Conlan said. “I’d like to build off what we did in the first weekend and come back with a few W’s.”

e’ve seen it before: Player an- goodbye and appreciate the last days of nounces retirement well in ad- Jeter as they happen.

It’s not just Yankee fans that need to vance, player gets overwhelming media attention and then anyone who is say goodbye. Whereas Mariano Rivera’s not a fan of said player’s team gets tired and final season was about appreciation for the best closer in the history of baseball, resentful of the spectacle.

There are exceptions, of course, for ex- Jeter’s exit is about something more.

Jeter was one of the best shortstops ceptional talents and exceptional players.

While Ray Lewis’ last playoff hurrah turned of the past two decades, and he is a first many into 49ers fans for the Super Bowl, ballot Hall of Famer; his hitting was textMariano Rivera’s season long farewell tour book and his defense — in his prime — was met with universal applause — even was solid. But it was his heart and his from the most diehard Yankee haters. poise when the moment was biggest,that Despite all of the contempt for the Yankees became his calling card. that runs within the very fiber of baseball Becoming Mr. November in Game 4 of fandom today, it is undenithe 2001 World Series, able that Rivera and Derek the (multiple!) head first Jeter led them to glory for dives into the stands, all these years. We watched the leaping throws from Rivera walk away last year, the edge of the outfield and now Jeter — the face of grass — all of these mothe Yankees and the face of ments will stand the test baseball for nearly a genof time (although Baltieration — is preparing to more fans will undoubthead to batter’s box for the edly never forget about Darius Majd last time. the “home run” in the For the past half-de’96 playoffs as well).

Jeter became the cade, Jeter has made a Of course, we must habit of refinding his best not forget the defining face of baseball form just when people beplay of Jeter’s career and gin to question whether the greatest defensive because he was his best days are behind play in postseason histohim. When he followed ry — the flip. The intelrelatable. the 2009 World Series ligence, the hustle, the title with a mortal .270 batting average in heroics; Jeter’s game-saving, postseason2010, many thought that age had finally salvaging play against the Oakland A’s caught up to the superstar. But a .297 av- was unlike anything seen before or since, erage in 2011 left people guessing, and a and it perfectly encapsulates everything resurgent .316 average in 2012 suggested that he is as a player and as a leader. that Jeter could keep suiting up in pinJeter’s popularity went far beyond his stripes for several more years. play in the field. He became the face of However, Jeter knows his best days will baseball because, despite his greatness, he soon be behind him — the process was accel- was always relatable. He epitomized the erated by a crippling broken ankle last year purity of a Little Leaguer, the competitive — and he would rather leave on his terms drive of a champion and the humble nathan let it encroach on his playing days. ture of the everyman all at once.

In most cases, many would roll their When you watch Derek Jeter play baseeyes at the prematurity of the whole ball, you see a little piece of all the best affair: A man announcing his retire- attributes of sports, and some of the ment more than half a year in advance, best qualities of a person too. Among a ready to bask in the glory of his drawn- litany of disgraced sluggers, Jeter was a out swan song. But not in the instance baseball fan’s favorite player; instead of of Jeter, whose actions over the course falling for the show-stopping allure of of his illustrious career have revealed a the home run, he crafted his swing for man who does not crave the spotlight. subtler tools, such as the opposite field Jeter accepts the mantle of playing single. shortstop for the New York Yankees, but As the mantle is passed on, baseball he does not pay it any notice. Nor does he fans can only hope that the example set ever give the media any material to twist by Jeter will remain the gold standard into a story when one does not exist. This for young players everywhere. announcement, like so many other Jeter decisions, is about giving back to fans; Darius Majd is a junior in the College. it’s about giving them a chance to say The Sporting Life appears every Friday.

Baseball

Hoyas Search for First Win in Hartford Series Nadav Senensieb Special to The Hoya

After a disappointing opening weekend to the season, the Georgetown baseball team will look to pick up its first win of the season against Hartford University on Friday. Georgetown is currently 0-3 after dropping games to Marshall (2-2), Wake Forest (3-2) and Towson (3-0) in its first weekend of play.

In their first games of the season, the Hoyas struggled at the plate, managing to score only four runs, losing by scores of 5-1, 3-2 and 9-1. Although the Hoyas were predicted to be a strong offensive team heading into the season, the offense did not provide its pitchers enough run support in the losing efforts.

The Hoyas got off to a quick start against Marshall on Saturday. Georgetown jumped out to a 1-0 lead on an RBI walk by sophomore infielder Curtiss Pomeroy in the second inning. But after that, the Hoyas sputtered and fell to the Thundering Herd, 5-1.

The struggles continued Sunday for the Hoyas. Georgetown was held scoreless for the first eight innings and its ninth-inning comeback fell short. After the Hoyas scored two late runs, a gameending strikeout by junior infielder Ryan Busch stranded runners on second and third base.

Georgetown ended its first weekend with a blowout loss against Towson on Monday. The Tigers broke a scoreless tie with two runs in the fifth inning and never looked back, taking a 9-0 lead in an eventual 9-1 romp of the Hoyas.

“We faced mediocre pitching down there and we didn’t put up any runs,” Head Coach Pete Wilk said. “The one thing I thought we were going to do this year without question was hit. And we didn’t. And I still think we will, but we’ve got to do it.”

It was not all bad for the Georgetown offense, though. Busch reached base five times — including two doubles — and senior first baseman Steve Anderson had three base hits, two runs scored and an RBI. “They both had pretty good weekends.

I’d like to see Busch strike out less in the leadoff spot. The rest of our lineup has got to hit,” Wilk said.

Junior pitcher Jack Vander Linden — the ace of the pitching staff — set his career high with 10 strikeouts against Marshall on Saturday. However, a high

pitch count ended his outing at just five innings.

“I thought Jack was pretty good. Jack usually gives us a chance to win every start and he did that,” Wilk said. “He made a few mistakes, but I thought it was a good first start. I would like to see him go into the seventh inning, but he went too deep in too many counts. That’s why he got yanked after five.”

The rest of the pitching staff did not find the same success as Vander Linden.

The other starters — sophomore Matt Smith and junior Will Brown — also only lasted five innings each and combined to allow as many walks as strikeouts. The bullpen gave up a total of 10 runs in 12 innings over the weekend.

“Sunday’s pitchers against Wake Forest — Smith and [junior Matt] Hollenbeck — threw more balls than strikes. That’s not going to win you too many games, and it burned both arms. Will Brown, I thought, had a good start and put us in position to win. We had poor performances out of the bullpen,” Wilk said.

The Hoyas now have to put last weekend’s games behind them and prepare for this upcoming weekend and a three -game series against the Hartford Hawks.

Hartford has yet to play a game this season after finishing last season with a 1736 record. Although Hartford has not played a game, this will not be an advantage for Georgetown according to Wilk.

“It’s certainly nothing that’s going to put runs on the board,” Wilk said.

“They’re going to be hungry obviously.

They’re coming down with a kid that’s supposed to go in the first round of the draft. That’s not going to be an easy challenge for us. Yes it’s an advantage, but I wouldn’t go to the bank with it.”

Junior pitcher Sean Newcomb — a third-team preseason All-American — is projected as a top-20 pick by most draft experts. For an offense that failed to score many runs in its first three games, Newcomb will provide a tough test for the Hoyas. Hartford is projected to finish fourth in the America East Conference after finishing fifth last season.

Weather threats could keep the threegame series from being played but assuming the games are played, Wilk is expecting more from his team.

“We’re 0-3. And it’s not really a surprise,” Wilk said. “We didn’t hit. Our pitching was mediocre. It adds up. This can be a very good team, but we need to play.”