The Hoya: The Guide: April 7, 2017

the guide F R I DAY, A P R I L 7 , 2 0 1 7

ILLUSTRATION BY GRACE CHUNG/THE HOYA

FEATURED

GUIDE Women in the Male Gaze The Phillips Collection hosted a dialogue on the portrayal of women in the works of Henri Toulouse-Lautrec.

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For One More Night “In the Next Room” and “Hookman,” both engaging shows with social commentary, close tomorrow night.

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Familiar Plot Made Modern Mask & Bauble’s latest production is a clever contemporary take on a work by Anton Chekhov.

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Squandered Potential Directed by Zach Braff, “Going in Style” wastes a stellar cast amid a flat script and confused direction.

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SPORTS Brodie’s Historic Season

Take a look at how Westbrook tied the record for most triple-doubles in an NBA season.

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Curious Case of Federer Despite approaching 36 years, Roger Federer has continued to dominate the tennis world.

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THE HOYA

the guide

friday, april 7, 2017

JESUS RODRIGUEZ/THE HOYA

The first two cherry blossom trees on American soil were planted in West Potomac Park over a century ago, the first of many in Washington, D.C. Today, the iconic flowers serve as symbols of springtime as well as the continued relationship between the United States and Japan and draw in nearly 1.5 million people every year during peak bloom season.

Friendship in Bloom: The Symbolism of Cherry Blossoms Jasmine White Hoya Staff Writer

On March 27, 1912, two women stood in West Potomac Park in Washington, D.C., and planted the first two cherry blossom trees in the United States. These two women, former first lady Helen Herron Taft and Viscountess Iwa Chinda — wife of the Japanese ambassador — planted the first of 3,000 trees sent that year by Tokyo Mayor Yukio Ozaki.

The trees were a token of appreciation for U.S. mediation in the Russo-Japanese War in 1905. According to Kevin Doak, a professor and Nippon Foundation endowed chair in Japanese studies at Georgetown, there is another significant subtext to the burgeoning relationship between the United States and Japan.

The gift of the cherry blossoms also rested on a shared Christian faith. Ozaki was a Christian as was his wife, whose grandfather originally arrived in Japan as a missionary.

“The ancient symbol of Japanese culture came to play a key role in US-Japanese cultural relations through two globalized Japanese whose Christian faith gave them common ground with the Americans of their day,” Doak wrote in an email to The Hoya.

Regardless of the motivation behind the gift, the cultural significance of actively choosing the cherry blossom is not to be understated.

In Japan, cherry blossoms, or sakura, have been known as symbols of human life in the 18th century, as their gorgeous blossoms last only for short periods of time. Sakura have also served as a popular image of Japanese nationalism, symbolizing the honorable deaths of samurais; they were even painted on the sides of kamikaze planes during World War II. “The cherry blossom emerged as a symbol of Japanese identity in contrast to the plum that was associated with China,” Doak said. “The custom of arranging viewing excursions of the cherry blossoms dates back at least that far.”

The blossoming of sakura was also significant because it marked rice-planting season, when one of the country’s most valuable crops is sowed. Japanese people

believed that the trees possessed the spirits of mountain gods and, thus, made offerings to them. This ritual, in turn, led to the tradition of hanami: flower viewing parties lavished with food, drinks and fellowship dating back to the early eighth century.

Since Taft and Chinda’s historic planting more than a century ago, the United States has adopted certain aspects of the hanami tradition. Springtime in D.C. has become synonymous with images of the white and pink flowers blossoming over the Tidal Basin. It is, in part, due to the fact that the Cherry Blossom Festival continues to draw large crowds — about 1.5 million annually — not just from the local area but also from all across the nation and the globe.

“The National Cherry Blossom Festival signifies the start of spring and is the nation’s greatest springtime celebration,” said Nora Strumpf, communications coordinator of the festival. “With more than four weeks of events that are primarily free and open to the public, there is something for everyone to enjoy.”

However, the nation’s largest flower festival did not always boast such impressive turnout. The first festival was held in 1927 when schoolchildren decided to re-enact Taft and Chinda’s ceremony. In 1994, the festival was extended to two weeks long. The festival was completely run by volunteers until it finally hired its first executive director in the early 2000s.

Today, the festival lasts roughly a month, and includes a multitude of events such as the Blossom Kite Festival, art exhibits, a parade and other programming to commemorate the diplomatic history between the United States and Japan.

One of those events is the Sakura Matsuri Japanese Street Festival, which will be held tomorrow. Hosted annually by the Japan-America Society, Sakura Matsuri is the nation’s largest one-day Japanese culture festival and is now in its 57th year. Although the Society has expanded the festival to include many different aspects of Japanese culture, it started off as a small gathering in the 1960s, according to executive director Mark Hitzig.

The Japan-America’s Society’s goal, according to its mission statement, is to

“continue to reach out at the people-to-people level to promote greater understanding of Japan and its culture, society and economy and to strengthen the relationship between the Japanese and American peoples.”

“

The cherry blossom emerged as a symbol of Japanese identity. ... The custom of arranging viewing excursions of the cherry blossom dates back at least that far.”

KEVIN DOAK Nippon Foundation Endowed Chair, Japanese Studies

The Society does this through various means, including educational competitions for high school students, a film festival and cultural and political lectures.

Although the Society only has four fulltime employees, during festival season, it has a 65-person volunteer committee and around 550 day-of volunteers to help put on this beloved springtime celebration.

Hitzig, who also serves on the board of directors of the National Cherry Blossom Festival, has been with the Society for over a decade. Before then, he was immersed in Japanese culture when he lived abroad as a language teacher in Nagaoka City, Niigata.

“Every step you take while you’re at this festival, you’re sure to learn something about Japanese culture,” Hitzig said.

The festival includes various performances, both modern and traditional. In particular, Hitzig highlighted that there will be a special act of bon odori, a traditional Japanese performance where taiko, a type of Japanese drum, is played as dancers dressed in yukata, a type of summer kimono, dance and move to the beat.

SAKURA MATSURI

Hosted annually by the Japan-America Society, the Sakura Matsuri Japanese Street Festival celebrates numerous aspects of Japanese culture.

The festival includes multiple modern and traditional Japanese performances, arts, crafts and foods for visitors to enjoy.

In addition, there is a pavilion where patrons can play Japanese videos games that have not been released in the United States, as well as a kids’ corner where young ones from ages five to 10 can learn how to make origami and practice calligraphy. For those interested in Japanese food, there is a special culinary tent where visitors can enjoy traditional Japanese cuisine and watch simulations that teach viewers how to make easy Japanese recipes.

Students looking to learn more about Japanese culture or hoping to become more culturally engaged need look no further than Georgetown’s Japan Network, or J-NET, which hosts regular programming for students interested in Japanese language and culture.

J-NET member Kenneth Lee (SFS ’17) was also chosen to be one of six goodwill ambassadors for the National Cherry Blossom Festival this year. As an ambassador, he serves as a liaison in promoting Japanese culture.

J-NET’s signature event, which was held March 25 in the Healey Family Student Center, is called Matsuri. The event draws in different campus organizations, such as the Korean Student Association, Hawai‘i Club and the Asian American Student Association, which contribute both food and performances.

“The aim of Matsuri is to celebrate the warmth and beauty of spring, as this is the time when the cherry blossoms, which mark the new year in April 1 in Japan, are blooming,” Lee said.

Sharing a name with the Sakura Matsuri Japansese Street Festival, J-NET’s rendition echoes the importance of international and intercultural cooperation.

“This semester, our theme was hyakka ryoran, which translates to ‘100 flowers blooming in profusion,’ and alludes to the coming together of beautiful and talented individuals,” J-NET Co-president Misa Mori (COL ’17) said. “In accordance with the cherry blossom festival that takes place every year in D.C., which celebrates the ally-ship of Japan and U.S., we wanted to have a theme that incorporated the same spirit of solidarity and friendship between cultures.”

The theme of solidarity is something JNET looks to present not only during its Matsuri, but also through programming all throughout the year. Last semester the organization hosted two dialogues that discussed global topics. The first, titled Colorism in our Communities, was in collaboration with Caribbean Culture Circle, Club Filipino, Black Student Alliance and Casa Latina, according to Mori.

“One of my personal goals for this year was to incorporate intersectionality and expand Japan Network even further, beyond the comfort of the Asian community,” Mori said. “Because Japan is such a homogenous country, people misunderstand and think that Japan isn’t culturally diverse, which is far from the case.”

Mori’s sentiment is one shared by many. The National Cherry Blossom Festival, Sakura Matsuri Street Festival and J-NET are just a few examples of how crucial venues of cultural exchange are in not just sharing our own traditions with others but promoting the understanding of experiences and practices that are not our own. There was perhaps no better city for this tradition to take root than in our nation’s capital. Fittingly, after first lady Taft and Viscountess Chinda planted the symbolic Japanese blooms, Taft bequeathed Chinda with a bouquet — of American beauty roses.

the guide

friday, april 7, 2017

THE HOYA

FEATURE

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georgetown from afar

Women Through the Public Gaze Jose villalobos Hoya Staff Writer

In collaboration with the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, The Phillips Collection has assembled a special exhibition that brings together some of Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec’s finest printed works. Running Feb. 4th to April 30th, “Toulouse-Lautrec Illustrates the Belle Époque” explores the period’s printing technique, a contribution of enormous importance to the history of arts and performance. Through some of Toulouse-Lautrec’s best works, the exhibition unearths the spirit of nineteenth-century Parisian spectacle.

One of the pre-eminent painters of the post-impressionism movement, alongside contemporaries like Van Gogh and Cézanne, de Toulouse-Lautrec was an accomplished printmaker as well. Lithography printing, using chemically treated limestone plates and oil-based inks, underwent a major revolution that coincided with ToulouseLautrec’s arrival in Paris. He embraced these new techniques, creating works with vivid color schemes, significant symbolism and dynamic representations of individuals through his use of light.

One of the highlighted pieces of the exhibit, “La Goulue,” exhibits these artistic strengths. In the piece, the artist depicts one of the Moulin Rouge’s star dancers, after whom the print is titled. The work, meant as an advertisement for the Montmartre entertainment spot, contrasts her colorful, lively figure with the standstill, umbral depiction of her partner, Valentin le Déssossé. In depicting known historical figures, there is an element of nostalgia and legacy added to the works displayed. Visitors can enjoy a special period of history through the eyes of a visionary artist.

A noteworthy element of the exhibit is the glimpse it offers into the way Toulouse–Lautrec depicted his primarily female subjects.

Seeking to explore this element and foster engaging conversation, on March 16th, The Phillips Collection featured Cristen Conger – podcast host, writer and speaker on women, gender and sexuality studies – to direct a dialogue exploring Toulouse-Lautrec’s depictions of women in which she compared and contrasted them to those of today.

Conger began by sharing her experience studying Toulouse-Lautrec’s work in lithography during the last few months. She explained that her goal was to hold “a conversation about how we can look at these pieces today and take lessons for how we perceive and produce female celebrity in the public gaze.” Her “big question,” she remarked, was “whether celebrity can overpower sexism,” along with how women depictions have transformed over time and current sexuality and gender dynamics. She explored the historical parallel between Hollywood views on feminism with those of Toulouse-Lautrec, who “has also been described as super feminist.” However, she pointed out that there are “very reminiscent images and sexualization of the female body” that are “produced very specifically through the male gaze” in 21stcentury, Hollywood feminism and 20th century France.

Conger highlighted important differences between depictions of female celebrity and sexuality as “produced through the male gaze” and perspectives of female celebrities who have full ownership of their images. She warned that the same issues of objectification and marginalization exist even when women take their own pictures and create their own images.

She further stressed “the relation of women to themselves” with regards to makeup, personal embellishment and preparation for

Andrew J. Bilden

Hot Takes From Outside The Gates

I

t is springtime in Georgetown. Sadly, as a Georgetown outsider, I seem to have missed much of the action. This past month in review: I missed the only snow day of the year, which I heard was great for snow angels, but, strangely, also came right after spring break. I dipped on the iconic “dip” ball. Actually, I never received an invitation. I was only recently added to the meme page that has been floating around campus. While I heard there was great hullabaloo over the Georgetown basketball program, I am still trying to figure out what JTIII stands for and who Patrick Ewing is. Are those finance recruiters?

Why have I not met them yet? In other words, I could really use a coffee chat at More Uncommon Grounds with one of the locals.

But I have been able to take in some of the wider Georgetown area. Walking along the Potomac River as it shimmers in the sunset with D.C. folk paddling about in boats, it feels good to be back.

THE PHILLIPS COLLECTION

Among Toulouse-Lautrec’s works featured at The Phillips Collection are lithographic prints that offer a glimpse into the artist’s depiction of his primarily female subjects. pictures, thereby demonstrating that women are still entangled with maintaining certain appearances. Conger drew attention to Toulouse-Lautrec’s staging of the differences between the “made-up” women and the bare one without glamour or fabrication. Several pieces in the exhibit seem to explore this idea in the form of prints depicting dancers and performers getting ready or lounging casually in dressing rooms or backstage without expecting the gaze of a man.

Conger maintains that there are many similarities, not only between modern depictions, but also between male and female perspectives.

“Men look at women, and women watch themselves being looked at,” Conger said.

According to Conger, most of the works

by Toulouse-Lautrec portray women who fail to challenge the external glance directed at them. Walking through the exhibit, visitors see prints of women looking at themselves.

Only one piece — one not painted by ToulouseLautrec — seems to illustrate a woman looking back. The others feature women who appear to be aware of an external gaze yet accept the observation without reaction. Curiously, at this time in history, equality was increasing due to increased female involvement in the workforce. Therefore, these pieces seem to contradict that movement and point to a man’s world that is “still figuring it out, ” in the words of Conger.

Throughout the conversation, Conger ac-

knowledged that while this dialogue did not cover the full spectrum of perceptions and interactions within the realms of gender and sexuality, it opened the door for more conversations to be held. Conger considered this ongoing dialogue of paramount importance in a world that has progressively expanded past “very broad-brush hetero-cis normativity.”

Through the development of different forums, both in life and online, female celebrities seem to have more control over what they say and do. However, Conger pondered whether the stakes are now higher, with controversial self-portrayals continuing to result in significant backlash. With aid from the audience, Conger developed the question of whether some of these new depictions, trying to separate themselves from those of the Belle Époque by using celebrity to overcome sexism, are truly doing so.

“Has anyone done it?” she asked the crowd, which was left in wonder and reflection.

Pointing to the stark contrast between continual social revolutions, especially those concerning empowerment and equality, and mass culture’s enduring consensus on beauty, elegance and trance-like attraction, Conger highlights similar features present in the work of Toulouse-Lautrec. As the painter’s works began to popularize and the voices of the women portrayed in them began to strengthen, a double-standard remained, rendering Toulouse-Lautrec’s works all the more intriguing and relevant today.

I am still trying to figure out what JTIII stands for and who Patrick Ewing is. Are those finance recruiters? Why have I not met them yet?

However, I have realized from walking out and about with locals that not enough of them know about their city. As a result of this observation, I have compiled extensive research. For your easy reference, here are four important facts about Georgetown and D.C. Use these to impress a friend, a date, your visiting mother or simply to enjoy the rich history around you.

Basic Neighborhood History Georgetown was perhaps named after two men in 1751, George Gordon and George Beall, but probably also out of respect for King George II. At that point, America’s favorite George, George Washington, remained unestablished. The neighborhood served as a military depot during the American Revolution. The primary trade was the growth and export of tobacco, so put that in your Georgetown Tobacco pipe and smoke it! The waterfront was quite popular, even after the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal flooded in the 1890s. Brick rowhouses that now typify the Georgetown streets first became popular after the Civil War. Moving In to Campus According to a plaque outside the front gates, in 1831, student move-in at the United States’ oldest Catholic university consisted of “a silver tumbler and spoon, two knives and forks, a matress and a pillow, two pairs of sheets and two pillow cases, three blankets and a counterparte or rug.”

Imagine how that list has grown to include fridges with the Vineyard Vines whale, the mattress topper, the functional bath mat and the party trick ukulele.

I have realized from walking with locals that not enough of them know about their city. As a result of this observation, I have compiled extensive research.

Clock Tower Lore Students in the McDonough School of Business climb the clock tower and place its hands at the 12 o’clock position upon graduation — or something along those lines. Rumor also has it there is a secret room in Riggs Library that looks out on the clock hands. You can find Jack the Bulldog spending quiet afternoons here smoking a cigar, when not attending to his rigorous walking schedule.

L’Enfant’s Designs In 1791, at the request of President Washington, Pierre L’Enfant helped design the layout for the city. He is chiefly credited for the diagonal grid system that begins at the Capitol and the envisioning of the National Mall. He considered topography superbly in situating government buildings, particularly in his democratic recommendation that Congress enjoy a higher vantage point than the White House. However, he resigned without payment in dispute of a similar plan put forward by another surveyor. His plans were realized only long after his death, when a Senate commission built up the capital in 1901.

May these fun facts and histories be useful, and until next time!

THE PHILLIPS COLLECTION

Several pieces featured in the special exhibition show Toulouse-Lautrec’s interest in the female attachment to appearances.

Many of these artistic subjects are depicted in a moment of privacy as they prepare for their performances backstage.

Andrew Bilden is a sibling to a freshman in the School of Foreign Service.

Georgetown From afar appears every other Friday.

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the guide

THE HOYA

This week’S TOP FIVE

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White House garden tour

ILLUSTRATION BY mina lee/THE HOYA

Stupid F***ing Bird WHITE HOUSE MUSEUM

Mask and Bauble Dramatic Society return of farmers market Poulton Hall

The “good vibes for Georgetown” tradition comes back as the weather warms up again. Founded to offer nourishing, fresh foods on campus, the market promotes local businesses to support and encourage the Georgetown community. Try paella or some baked goods as you sip on some freshly-pressed apple juice or a chilled glass of kombucha. The churros, dumplings and oven-baked pizzas offer equally delicious treats for students and locals in between classes.

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DC Spring Traditions

The presidential welcome of spring is open to the public and free of charge. Stroll through the Jacqueline Kennedy Garden, Rose Garden and South Lawn of the White House and bask in the spectacular sights. Planted by Michelle Obama, the White House kitchen garden — the first vegetable garden since Eleanor Roosevelt’s Victory Garden — is a true delight, featuring fresh vegetables, fruits and herbs used in official White House meals. The self-guided tour includes exhibits about some of the most iconic events on the White House greens throughout history.

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Meena Raman Hoya Staff Writer

FILE PHOTO: ERICA WONG/THE HOYA

washington nationals opening day

What better way of celebrating the beginning of spring than catching the beginning of the season of D.C.’s baseball gem?

For Nationals fans, Opening Day marks the arrival of a long winter’s dream of warmer days with their favorite team in action. Eager crowds at the Nationals Park welcome the baseball season, ready for an evening of America’s pastime. During their Monday opening this year, the Nationals bested the Marlins 4-2, kicking off this spring tradition on an exciting note.

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FILE PHOTO: DANIEL SMITH/THE HOYA

the white house easter egg roll

Every spring, hundreds of families flock to the great lawns of the White House to participate in the yearly Easter Egg Roll. First established in 1878, the tradition remains one of the most anticipated children’s events of the year — drawing an estimated 35,000 visitors in 2016. In addition to the main event, the White House Easter Egg Roll often includes celebrity book readings, activities and crafts, as well as a special guest appearance from the Easter Bunny himself, who in 2008 was played by Sean Spicer.

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Friday, april 7, 2017

FILE PHOTO: ISABEL BINAMIRA/THE HOYA

national cherry blossom festival

The National Cherry Blossom Festival is one of the most anticipated events on the D.C. social calendar — and perhaps the country’s most beloved springtime tradition. Visitors travel to D.C. from all across the globe just to see the worldfamous cherry trees in full bloom, framing the Tidal Basin in shades of pink and white. The festival has historically significant origins as well, tracing back to the initial planting of the trees in 1912. The festival also presents visitors with the opportunity to celebrate the United States’ relationship with Japan, and the rich Japanese culture, whether through the annual kite festival or Sakura Matsuri Street Festival.

From Georgetown’s oldest student theater group, the Mask and Bauble Dramatic Society, comes its final mainstage production of the spring semester: “Stupid F***ing Bird.” Described by the Society as a “meta-theatrical exploration of the nature of love and emotional presence,” “Stupid F***ing Bird” follows a group of seven diverse individuals, each of whom is dealing with personal and intrapersonal problems relating to the self, unhappiness and love.

The show’s lead character, Conrad, played by Johnny Monday (COL ’18), is an aspiring director who resents his mother, a once-successful actress, and her celebrity boyfriend, Trig. Nina, Conrad’s girlfriend and muse, quickly becomes enamored with Trig, sparking one of many romantic complications that unfold throughout the play. “Stupid F***ing Bird” is no simple tale of love triangles, however, and focuses more deeply on exploring characters’ feelings of failure and dissatisfaction in their personal and professional lives.

If these storylines and themes sound familiar, it is likely because they are loosely based on ideas from Russian writer Anton Chekhov’s 1896 play, “The Seagull.” “Stupid F***ing Bird” was first written by American playwright Aaron Posner in 2013 as a deconstructed modern-day adaptation of Chekhov’s play.

“Chekhov is all based on naturalism and realism in the theater and representing onstage what we find in life. What this play does is it inverts that,” student director Alex Yurcaba (COL ’18) said. It takes all of the subtext and all of the things that are underneath Chekhov … explode[s] it and then from those remains, pick[s] up critique about the way that theater is made.”

Although “Stupid F***ing Bird” unveils pointed criticism on the state of art and theater today, it also presents a clear view on the current social and political climate. At certain points throughout the play, Conrad passionately decries “fake news” and “the global glorification of meanness,” even crying at one point, “Why do I want to change the world? Because the world needs changing!”

Yurcaba expressed a similar view.

“The play functions as both a theater critique and a social critique, and I think it has never been more relevant than it is right now, given the election,” Yurcaba said. “This play, which so acutely critiques sentimentality and superficiality has really struck a chord with my sensibility about … how people in this country think about the world and think about each other.”

Much of the performance’s impact came from its engagement with the audience. The play itself starts when Conrad storms onto

the stage, demanding that a member of the audience say, “Start the f–––ing play,” before the show can begin. At many other instances throughout the play, the cast members interact with the audience, repeatedly breaking the fourth wall.

“It’s meta-theatrical in that the actors get to communicate with the audience, and by virtue of that, every performance is … going to be different because every audience is different,” Yurcaba said. That opens us up for a lot of room to improvise, and improvisation in this process has been the progenitor of a lot of really great moments in the show.”

This emphasis on fluidity and improvisation certainly resulted in powerful and resonant performances by the actors. That being said, much of the character development process also occurred in rehearsals weeks prior to the show.

“It became — a lot of times in the rehearsal room — a conversation with actors and just asking actors to be emotionally vulnerable and forthcoming,” Yurcaba said. “The more vulnerable we all were in the room, the easier it was to facilitate the discovery of these characters because they are so emotionally honest and poignant.”

In addition to the show’s standout acting performances, audience members can also look forward to seeing live music and visually compelling set designs.

“We’ve had a really great team of really talented and insightful designers — our sound designer … light designer, a set designer, a props designer, costumes designers — so everything you see onstage was designed and dreamed up and thought about and discussed and bantered back-and-forth at meetings before it got to where it is right now,” Yurcaba said.

The staging setup, too, served to create a greater sense of engagement with the audience. Seats surrounded three-quarters of the stage itself, allowing playgoers to have distinctive vantage points of the performance.

As the play cut to intermission, cloaking Stage III of Poulton Hall in a shroud of darkness, audience members were abuzz. “Stupid F–––ing Bird” is, at its core, an intensely human play, with the potential to spark conversation or impact and speak to anyone who views it. Those who choose to see the show a second time will be especially enthusiastic in shouting, “Start the f––– ing play!” as they wait with excitement for the darkly comedic play to begin.

“Stupid F***ing Bird” runs from April 6 to 8 at 8 p.m., April 9 at 2 p.m. and April 19 to 22 at 8 p.m. in Poulton Hall. Tickets are $12 for general admission and $8 for students and can be purchased online or before the show if any remain available.

LAUREN SEIBEL/THE HOYA

Photo of the Week | 49 Years Later

COURTESY MASK AND BAUBLE

JESUS RODRIGUEZ/THE HOYA

An updated take on Anton Chekhov’s “The Seagull,” “Stupid F***ing Bird” also presents pointed critiques on the state of modern-day theater and the current social climate.

the guide

friday, APRIL 7, 2017

THE HOYA

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ILLUSTRATION BY PETER SHAMAMIAN/THE HOYA

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In the Next Room, or The Vibrator Play Theater and Performance Studies Program Gonda Theatre Kathryn Baker Hoya Staff Writer

Although it may seem atypical to bring a show about vibrators to a world-renowned Jesuit institution, that is exactly what the Theater and Performance Studies Program has done in its latest performance, “In the Next Room, or The Vibrator Play,” from award-winning playwright Sarah Ruhl.

Inspired by “The Technology of the Orgasm: ‘Hysteria,’ the Vibrator, and Women’s Sexual Satisfaction” by Rachel P. Maines, the show is set during the advent of electricity following the Civil War. Dr. Givings, played by Alex Prout (COL ’19), is a specialist in gynecological disorders and an electricity enthusiast who, at the beginning of the story, has just recently invented what he believes to be the cure to female hysteria: the vibrator. The remainder of the show follows him, his wife and his clients as they discover their sexual and emotional desires.

Regarding his artistic vision for the show, director and professor Derek Goldman wanted to capture the attention of students and audiences.

“The vision was to sort of honor the play by engaging with students in a really humane way. I think it’s a play that invites us back to a moment in history that we don’t often think about: the dawning of technology and electricity being used in new ways,” Goldman said. “And it’s an eye-opener for people who don’t really think about the discovery of the vibrator as a historical moment ... but it resonates in a very contemporary way.”

Before the performance even begins, the ornate set captivates the audience. Featuring Dr. Givings’ in-home doctor’s study and the family room side by side, the scenery reflects Dr. Givings’ struggle to separate his professional and personal lives, and illustrates the distinct, Victorian divide between pleasurable and pro-

creative sex that was prevalent in the 1880s.

Due to the small cast size, it is easy for the audience to become well-acquainted with the show’s dynamic and relatable characters.

Mrs. Daldry, played by Healy Knight (COL ’20) is hysterical and confused, scared of her own body and unwilling to act on her desires after her treatments stop.

Her comically bumbling husband, portrayed by Charlie Trepany (COL ’19) means well but is oblivious to his wife’s needs and unhappiness. Other standout characters include the witty and dutiful assistant Annie, masterfully portrayed by Vanessa Chapoy (COL ’18), and an exuberantly dramatic Italian artist and patient, played by Alec Meguid (COL ’17). Nona Johnson (COL ’17), in the role of the poised and reserved wet nurse Elizabeth, embodies strength, duty and a commitment to family values, with which several of the other characters struggle.

Despite the splendid performances by the entire cast, it is Catherine Givings, portrayed

by Michaela Farrell (COL ’18), who truly shines and forms a connection with the audience. A hopeless romantic and quiet rebel, Mrs. Givings struggles to be dutiful to her husband and child, as well as to herself. She finds it difficult to reconcile passion with responsibility and fails to receive from her husband the attention she desperately needs. In the end, Mrs. Givings is able to finally realize what is missing from her life, shake the shroud of duty, and rekindle the romance between herself and her husband. She serves as a model for self-love and discovery, which is what makes her so admirable.

“Mrs. Givings is entirely relatable: She is curious about love and determined to feel. The hard part was placing this desire and energy in a character who was living in a time when a woman’s voice had to take a backseat to a man’s,” Farrell said. “Playing a character that is a symbol for sexual gratification and gen-

COURTESY Leslie E. Kossoff

The newly discovered vibrator not only served as the cure to female hysteria but also symbolized gender equality, which society approached amid the remnants of patriarchal norms. der equality yet equally constrained by patriarchal societal norms proved to be a balancing act for the ages.”

From a superficial glance, the show may appear to be about vibrators and paroxysms, but, at its core, “In the Next Room” is about discovery and fear of embracing the unknown.

“Something that we’ve been talking about and working towards in rehearsal is the idea of discovery and the joy of coming to understand something new,” assistant director Katie Rosenberg (COL ’15) said. “As college students, we are in a time of great discovery in many ways, whether that’s in our academics, or in our social lives or in our personal lives.”

Goldman shares Rosenberg’s ideas about the theme of the performance and what audiences should take away from the show.

“For me, the show is about discovery in all

of its forms. This play celebrates the discovery of what we already have that’s in our midst,” Goldman said. “One of the things that the students commented on in the rehearsal process is that ironically now we have access to everything on our phones and computers, but in a weird way we’re as estranged from ourselves as people were then.”

The final two showings of “In the Next Room, or The Vibrator Play” are tonight and tomorrow in the Gonda Theater. General admission tickets are $18, faculty, staff, alumni and senior tickets are $12, and student tickets are $7.

“In the Next Room, or The Vibrator Play” runs in the Gonda Theatre. General admission tickets are $18. Faculty, staff, alumni and senior tickets are $12 and student tickets are $7.

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Anna Kovacevich/THE HOYA Hookman, the titular character and antagonist, stands as the ultimate incarnation of Georgetown freshman Lexi’s fear, paranoia and discomfort following her sexual assault. The play follows Lexi through her freshman year as she learns to face her grief and trauma, ultimately ending on an empowering and uplifting note.

Hookman

Black Theatre Ensemble Village C Theatre Kathryn Baker Hoya Staff Writer

From Georgetown’s Black Theater Ensemble comes the hauntingly thought-provoking “Hookman.” Adapted from the show by playwright Lauren Yee, it follows Georgetown freshman Lexi, played by Carmen Livesay (COL ’17), as she learns what it means to grow up and face her inner demons.

BTE strives to produce works that provoke substantive dialogue and explore jarring, sensitive topics, and “Hookman” is no exception.

After being raped by an upperclassman boy, Lexi struggles to come to terms with what happened, instead allowing her fear and paranoia to paralyze her. Unfortunately, this fear has crippling consequences when it leads to car accident that kills her best friend, Jesse, played by Katherine Pietro (COL ’17).

Following the incident, Lexi tries a variety of coping methods. She isolates herself from the people of her past and instead goes to more drastic measures to acclimate to the Georgetown culture, whether it be by drinking with her roommate or forcing conversation with an overachieving activist on her floor. The more Lexi attempts to run from her dire circumstances, the more she realizes that she is most afraid of the thoughts inside her head.

“I was interested in how fear and anxiety manifest themselves in the mind,” student director Christina Ibarra (COL ’17) said. “Our Tshirts say, ‘The scariest things happen in your own mind,’ and I think that is a really good way of describing the play and a lot of the types of unhealthy mentalities we see at Georgetown sometimes.”

The effects of these unhealthy mentalities manifest themselves in the show’s characters.

Lexi’s roommate Yoonji, played by Monica Yoon (COL ’20), falls victim to campus party culture, while overachiever Chloe, played by Cristin Crowley (MSB ’20), succumbs to her desire to be perfect and better than everyone around her. Lexi’s rapist Sean and her resident assistant Adam, both played by Mark Camilli (COL ’19) represent the reality of rape culture present on college campuses across the country. Camilli also portrays Hookman, the ultimate manifestation of Lexi’s fear, paranoia and discomfort following her assault.

“Hookman embodies the trauma and guilt that Lexi faces. Ultimately, Hookman is created by Lexi. All of the people in Lexi’s life begin to embody Hookman, and this is apparent through the repetition of lines and the transformation of the other male characters into Hookman,” Camilli said.

BTE’s clever use of light and sound echo

the blurry distinctions between fantasy and reality. Eerie noises, such as whistling wind or the scraping of metal, are contrasted with classic ’90s pop hits by the Spice Girls and Cyndi Lauper. Sudden blackouts and flashing lights are juxtaposed with the warm lighting of Lexi’s dorm.

As a result, there are several moments during the show when the tension and suspense from the stage effects lead the audience to believe that something terrible is going to happen, only for comic relief to be provided instead. By the end of the show, the audience, like Lexi, has a hard time distinguishing between reality and their own internal fears.

The show couples an abundance of humor with the grave, but very real, issue of sexual assault, which the cast handles with great sensitivity.

“We brought in some [Sexual Assault Peer Educators] advisors to talk with the cast and the directing staff,” said student producer William Blanchette (COL ’19). “We felt it was important that everyone on stage understand what [sexual assault] means and also how to approach that subject matter safely for them and for the audience.”

To make sure that the audience leaves “Hookman” truly understanding the effects of sexual assault outside of the theater, Blanchette and

Ibarra are welcoming members of the SAPE team to see the show for free each night and to table after the show.

“I hope for the survivors who are able to sit and watch the show, that they will see something that they might be able relate to in a way of also finding some strength in Lexi’s character,” Ibarra said.

Livesay, in her role as Lexi, shares Ibarra’s wish.

“I do hope that, for the people who relate to this part of Lexi’s story, it is reassuring to know that they aren’t alone, and their sexual assault is just as valid.”

Despite the heavy gore and trauma, the show ends on an uplifting note with an empowering message.

“Lexi really gains a stronger sense of self throughout the show, and, as a result of that, she is able to gain more confidence and learn how to stand up for herself,” Livesay said. “She also learns how to stop avoiding the guilt and trauma, and, by the end of the show, she makes the decision to accept responsibility and deal with her grief.”

“Hookman” runs from March 31 to April 2 and April 6 to 8. Student tickets are $8 and general admission are $10. Tickets can be purchased at the Davis Performing Arts Center or online.

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the guide

THE HOYA

bake my day

Friday, april 7, 2017

Movie review

Nina Young

Going Vegan For Dummies

M

y spring fast this year was spiritual. People usually expect fasting to reflect a believer’s intention to inch closer to the beyond, God, in accordance to what many, including professor Ori Soltes, would call the “divine sacer.”

I have a life philosophy that revolves somewhat around this understanding: People need sustenance. In one’s spiritual and emotional life, such sustenance can come in the form of love drawn from friends, family, hobbies and a personal connection with whatever you perceive God to be.

Physical life runs parallel to this intangible one, with food acting as fuel and nourishment. This may be a simple way of categorizing physical and spiritual existence — though I doubt that one could completely separate the two — but it certainly helps me live every day happily and healthily.

Restricting your diet is a way to find beauty in different health sources. Everyone is different, and finding a dietary plan that works for both your physical and mental health can be challenging and requires continuous adjustment. Just as human beings are ephemeral, so are their taste buds’ and bodies’ reactions to different foods.

I consider veganism as the most classic of all dietary restrictions. Once you go vegan, you can thrive in any special diet. After I conquered a vegan diet for the entirety of Lent last year, I felt that any dietary restrictive plan could be achieved.

My experiences with the Paleo diet obviously taught me otherwise.

I speak on this specifically, because the vegan diet is particularly hard for people who have never restricted their diets otherwise. There are many reasons for someone to want to become vegan, different definitions and variations in adherence: A friend of mine from high school refuses even to use animal-based soaps or local honey, whereas some other vegan friends occasionally indulge in chicken nuggets.

These personal examples should serve to show you how labeling rarely completes a picture.

My vegan experience at Georgetown was initially quite abysmal. It all happened before the days of Subway and Salad Creations additions to the meal plan, so my vegan Grab ‘n’ Go options were pretty limited, and hummus on a sundried tomato bagel at Einstein Bros. Bagels ended up serving as the only suitable daily snack.

Luckily — and I cannot stress this enough — food service workers at Georgetown are amazing. Friendly and kind, they generally want to help you in any way they can. Frankie at Einstein’s always remembered my vegan diet after chatting about it one day during closing time; the guys at the Grab ‘n’ Go used to keep a jug of almond milk in the back for me to blend with cereal — just because I asked. I do not know how Georgetown finds such a range of quality individuals, but sometimes I wish that my professors were as concerned about my health as they are about the integrity of my work.

Additionally, resources exist at Georgetown for students trying to go vegan or vegetarian. A student-run group called Animalia sponsors a mentorship program that helps students pursue their dietary and lifestyle goals. My stint as a vegan only lasted 40 days, so I spoke with Aine Boyle (SFS ’18), former vice president and current treasurer of Animalia, for more insights. Boyle wants to help students understand Animalia’s work as well as paths to long-term veganism at Georgetown.

WARNER BROS.

Built around shallow archetypes and tropes that are all too familiar to audiences, the characters of “Going in Style” get lost in an unoriginal and static script and in the tepid, aimless and unmemorable direction of Zach Braff.

Going in Style Starring: Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine Directed by: Zach Braff Jeff naft

Hoya Staff Writer

What happens when three 75--year-old men walk into a bank? They try to rob it.

“Going in Style” tells the story of three lifelong friends who attempt to rob a bank after their pension plans are dissolved by the steel company for which they used to work. In a scathing critique against greedy corporations and unethical banks, “Going in Style” is a buddy comedy built on the charisma of its three leading actors: Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman and Alan Arkin. However, the chemistry among Caine, Freeman and Arkin is not enough to make this merely passable film into something memorable.

Much like similar comedies tackling the serious subjects of aging and death, such as “Last Vegas,” starring Robert De Niro, Michael Douglas and Morgan Freeman, “Going in Style” suffers from an identity crisis. In order to be marketable, the film does not seem to know if it wants to be a raunchy comedy film featuring dirty old-timers, like “Bad Grandpa,” or an action movie with comedic elements, like “Ocean’s Eleven.” Instead, it tries to appease the audience in every conceivable way and fails to take even the slightest of risks.

“Going in Style” ends up a soft PG-13 with a few blink-and-you-miss-it R-rated moments. Director Zach Braff, known for his role as J.D. from “Scrubs” and his directing skills in the cult-classic “Garden State,” dropped the ball on what could have been a great movie.

Braff was unable to strike a balance between the movie’s raunchiness and familyfriendly themes. Scenes of Caine’s character developing a stronger relationship with his lonely granddaughter and urging his nervous wreck of a son-in-law to take a

more active part in her life appear thinly developed and out of place in such a bombastic film. It is hard to create touching moments with scenes of old geezers smoking weed, general monologues about the frustrations of old age and superficial reflections on the inevitability of death. Furthermore, Braff’s poor direction trivializes important issues like Alzheimer’s disease, dementia and the lack of quality care for elders in the United States, and turns them into tasteless gags and subpar punchlines.

Like similar comedies tackling the serious subjects of aging and death, ‘Going in Style’ suffers from an identity crisis.

Along with the Caine-Freeman-Arkin trio, the film’s supporting cast features quite a few impressive names. Matt Dillon jumpstarted his career as a heartthrob with performances in “Little Darlings,” and “The Outsiders” and gradually became known for his versatility and in well-received performances in “There’s Something About Mary” and the Academy Award-winning “Crash.” In “Going in Style,” Dillon plays a likeable, but flat, FBI agent in charge of investigating bank robberies. Along with Dillon, the film features Saturday Night Live alumnus Kenan Thompson. While Thompson does not have the same dramatic range as does Dillon, he brings to the film his comedic chops as a lauded, longtime member of SNL. Thompson plays the head of security at a local New York City supermarket, from



which the old-timers steal in preparation for their bank robbery. What is frustrating about Dillon and Thompson’s performances is not their lack of quality, but the waste of their talent on one-dimensional characters. Every supporting character is bland, and it remains a challenge to connect with them beyond a superficial level.

If anything, the performances by Dillon and Thompson appear as anemic references to their own celebrity in other films and television shows. Under a better screenwriter, who could have added interesting side stories, or even just better jokes, the film would have been hysterical when either Caine, Freeman or Arkin interacted with Dillon and Thompson.

The biggest insult of the film is the waste of Christopher Lloyd, best known for his role as Doc Brown from the “Back to the Future” franchise. Lloyd is a slapstick humorist and is not afraid to get knocked around if it will enhance the overall comedic elements of the movie. In “Angels in the Outfield,” he proved to audiences that he could sprinkle in sentimental moments during his comedic films, demonstrating that a little heart and empathy never diminished a story. Saying that Lloyd’s character is squandered in “Going in Style” is an understatement. Instead of having a standalone arc or at least some good oneliners, Lloyd’s character is clunky and hollow at best.

“Going in Style” is a movie that heavily relies on shallow archetypes and tropes that the audiences have already heard and seen. It is a passable movie with a few redeeming moments through the concentrated charisma of Caine, Freeman and Arkin, but, through poor script and direction, falls completely flat. “Going in Style” is a movie with the potential to be great, and yet, it flounders as it pretends to be many things it simply is not.

What does the mentorship program look like?

Our vegan and vegetarian mentorship program is new as of this year. We match students up based on their reasons for going vegan or vegetarian. The main three reasons are health, animal ethics and environmental, so the member that reflects you the most becomes your mentor. Mentors and mentees cook dinner together, give food, recipe and multivitamin recommendations and much more.

Where do you usually go shopping?

I shop just about everywhere. I love good deals, so I like to go to Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods bulk bins and Safeway depending on what I am looking for. Weekday lunches are often Trader Joe’s vegan frozen meals.

Would you say it is hard to go shopping? Do you like the new GUTS bus route on Saturday?

I have a car, though the GUTS bus is great — I might even consider using that instead.

What are the biggest challenges of being a vegan on campus?

Being a freshman and eating at Leo’s, but that is the struggle for most Georgetown students. Leo’s in general, vegan or not vegan, is not great. Free events are hard and even environmental events tend to lack vegan food — which is quite confusing. You pay tuition just like any other student, but you do not get to enjoy the full benefits that come with it. Georgetown claims to be “super sustainable” but fails to ensure that students who are trying to be sustainable have the options they need.

Nina Young is a junior in the College.

BAKE MY DAY appears every other Friday.

WARNER BROS.

“Going in Style” displays little originality in its attempt to stage the potent emotions that come with awareness of aging and death.

Not even the charismatic performance of its stellar cast succeeds in uplifting the film from its flat characters and plot.

the guide

friday, april 7, 2017

MUSIC

ALBUM review

American Teen Khalid

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THE HOYA

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New Releases

Jesus Rodriguez Hoya Staff Writer

The ordinary coming-of-age narrative common to the albums of seasoned artists finds its way onto “American Teen,” the sharp debut album of 19-year-old soul singer Khalid.

His ability to follow up his unanticipated hit “Location” with an act of the same caliber is a testament to the direction his career is taking — one that is set for success.

Released in August 2016, “Location” initially hit airwaves via the free music streaming service SoundCloud, through which Khalid had been steadily releasing singles such as “Stuck on You” and “Saved,” the latter of which is featured on his new album. Soon after, it received the endorsement of Kylie Jenner, who posted a video listening to the song on her Snapchat account.

With its mellow electronic beat and smooth vocals, the song undoubtedly deserves the attention it has received. Its catchy refrain is an introduction to the thematic animus of the album: “Send me your location / Let’s focus on communication / ‘Cause I just need a time and place to come through.” Beyond the humdrum narrative of juvenile freedom that has plagued many a young artist, Khalid’s commentary cuts deep into his generation and speaks to a larger change in the way young people experience love.

This is not to say that the album’s sense of youthfulness should be ignored, much less undermined. The eponymous opening track “American Teen” leads with the lines, “Saying I don’t want to come home tonight / Yeah, and I’m high up, off what? / I don’t even remember / But my friend passed out in the Uber ride.” The syncopated drum-machine beats, coupled with Khalid’s vocals, make for the telling of a casual, almost innocent, story, void of any eccentricity. The ending, which could very well take place around a bonfire with friends, is an acoustic rendering of the chorus — reminiscent of younger years with plenty of free time.

Commitment — the anathema of youth — is presented as a central theme when it comes to love and relationships. In his lyrics, Khalid attempts to strike a balance between the embrace of freedom and the innate search for love. The most telling example of this is the first verse in “Location,” in which he sings, “This is new to me, this is new to you / Initially, I didn’t wanna fall for you / Gather my attention it was all for you, so don’t / Take advantage, don’t leave my heart damaged.”

This hesitation, however, is merely the exposition in the plot of romance that Khalid sings about throughout the album.

TOP DAWG

kendrick lamar ‘HUMBLE’

SONY MUSIC

In his debut album, soulful teenage artist Khalid updates classic coming-of-age themes for the digital era, singing of subtweets, Uber and digitally sending a lover his location.

Khalid’s lyrical talent is more evident when it comes to describing the ecstasy with which love strikes, which he considers an escape from the internal conflict of youth. In “Therapy,” Khalid compares love to a drug, singing “I’m tripping off your love and all the other drugs we taking / Over all the others, you’re the one all over me / I need your therapy, need your therapy.” Irony manifests when Khalid sings “I’m not one for relationships / It’s overrated,” yet struggles with the dependence of his partner: “I’m fiendin’ off you / I’m needin’ you.” The song ends with sweeping synths and voices, reminiscent of a hallucinogenic experience, and a harrowing voice-message recording: “Hey babe, I’m sorry I missed your call. I’m really busy, but I want you to know that I do love you and I do miss you, but I don’t know how things are gonna go. I didn’t think things would end up this way.”

Indeed, many of Khalid’s songs are infused with nuanced commentary on the inextricable role of technology in modern relationships. Its influence in opening avenues of communication has led to a reinvention of human understanding of distance, with lovers now exchanging locations, texting, calling and FaceTiming each other.

Yet the veil of technology can also allow for detachment and avoidance, something that is evident when the voicemail in “Therapy” is promptly deleted. For Khalid, the paradoxi-

cal effect of technology also creates new ways of feeling melancholy. In “Saved,” the pain of a breakup is exacerbated through virtual memories: “But I’ll keep your number saved / ‘Cause I hope one day you’ll get the sense to call me / I’m hoping that you’ll say / You’re missing me the way I’m missing you.”

Despite the anecdotal character that anchors many of Khalid’s songs, he also speaks to a generational culture. His usage of the words “we” and “us” throughout the album delves into the shared experience of teenagers and young adults everywhere and adds nuance to the stigma of drugs and debauchery. The commentary does not center on ignoring social norms, but rather on bending them in the interest of freedom and independence.

In his debut album “American Teen,” bedroom pop-soul artist Khalid speaks to the timeless trials of modern love and the search for independence while addressing a young generation’s interaction with technology. In fact, fittingly, the name Khalid originates from the Arabic, meaning “eternal” or “to last forever.” The album is crafted elegantly with atmospheric harmonies, pulsating beats and melismatic vocals reminiscent of Middle Eastern music. With “American Teen,” Khalid sets a high standard for himself, but his future stretches endlessly before him, full of potential.

concert review

The Japanese House

Kendrick Lamar’s latest release, “HUMBLE.” is expected to be the lead track on his upcoming album, set to drop today. The rapper first alluded to the new musical project on his last single, “The Heart Part 4.” Like “The Heart Part 4.,” “HUMBLE.” highlights Lamar’s clever and authentic lyricism with its simple instrumental arrangement, centered on a sharp piano riff.

Apart from its up-tempo sound and heavy beat, the track draws in listeners with its provocative message, as Lamar boldly challenges his competitors in the rap industry to “be humble … [and] sit down.”

INFECTIOUS

alt-J ‘in cold blood’ English indie-rock group alt-J released “In Cold Blood,” the second single off upcoming third album “RELAXER,” on March 29. The song incorporates powerful horn trills and drumming into its riff-heavy rock ‘n’ roll sound, creating a vibrant, rambunctious effect. The powerful instrumental arrangement is wellmatched by lead singer Joe Newman’s piercing vocals, which, just as they did on the band’s hit single “Breezeblocks,” capture listeners’ attention wholeheartedly. “In Cold Blood” sounds like the score to a thriller film, hitting climactic notes and conveying a mysterious message.

Rock & Roll Hotel Jillian Aicher Hoya Staff Writer

With her dark, synthesized vocals and often cynical lyrics, Amber Blain, frontwoman and mastermind behind indie-pop act The Japanese House, can make you forget she is 21 years old. At Washington, D.C.’s Rock & Roll Hotel last Friday, however, as Blain playfully stuck her tongue out at her drummer, or, with youthful frustration, stopped midsong to call out to the soundman that she sounded like she was in a bathtub, she fully displayed her age and naivete.

Given that Blain is a heavily produced indie artist with no acoustic songs or instruments, her natural and vocal imperfections were exactly what the show needed to maintain the air of authenticity and unexpected wonder that usually accompanies live music. Casual, soft-spoken and genuine, Blain demonstrated sincerity and strong musicianship, managing to turn the concert from a synth sing-along with prerecorded tracks into a captivating live show as she faced unforeseen technical complications.

The opening act for the concert, Blaise Moore, played an unnerving set filled with angry speak-singing backed by trap-like beats. The audience response was uneasy at best throughout the set, and there was an atmosphere of confused relief when she quickly exited the stage after her last song, “STUTTER,” without so much as a goodbye.

The crowd at the Rock & Roll Hotel laughed nervously and pulsed with excitement as it awaited The Japanese House.

As Blain and her band ran onstage dressed in baggy T-shirts, jeans and easy smiles, the crowd remembered who they came to see. The dreamlike sounds of hit song “Clean” began to resonate with the crowd, and the mood of the room immediately lifted into a happy haze. Blain, who fingerpicked an electric guitar with practiced skill, began to sing through a voicemodulating microphone. Despite the electric drums, electric guitar, synthesizer backup tracks and electronic vocals, the raw musical talents of all three band members were undeniable, as was the carefully rehearsed translation of the album’s greatest hits into exciting stage performances.

The juxtaposition of thoughtfully curated production and live performance was most noticeable during technical difficulties in the hour long set. After starting off strong with “Clean” and the emotional ballad “Teeth,” Blain grew frustrated with her earpiece during “Cool Blue” and stopped singing midway through the song to talk to the soundman in the back through her microphone. The drummer and background guitarist continued to play, and

Blain came back in and out, singing and shaking her head disappointedly each time. After finishing “Cool Blue,” she continued the rest of the show without an earpiece, receiving encouraging shouts from audience members, despite her apparent disappointment.

Blain performed well-known songs from her older extend plays, like “Sugar Pill,” “Sister” and “Pools to Bathe In,” as well as tracks from her newest EP, “Swim Against the Tide,” including “Face Like Thunder.”

As she sang onstage, Blain seemed to forget the performance’s technical issues and began to genuinely enjoy singing, playing and dancing with her bandmates, as well as interacting playfully with the audience.

The singer looked out to a crowd member just before starting a new song and said, “Did you give me a Diet Coke and a T-shirt

and a pack of cigarettes once? It was really cute. I remember you.” She tried to hear his response but could not, and simply tapped her ear and moved on to the next song.

No encore followed the final song, the hit single “Still” that launched The Japanese House into fame on Zane Lowe’s BBC radio show in 2015. Blain struggled to stay on pitch throughout the emotional song, and judging by the look on her face, she was well aware that something was off.

Although she most likely left the stage disappointed about the subpar final performance, the audience was anything but.

The crowd cheered loudly, and fanfare for The Japanese House seemed at an all-time high. Blain’s talent and charisma shined through her quirks and imperfections more than they could have through any

FLY EYE

calvin harris ‘heatstroke’ Calvin Harris is at his prime when producing warm-weather, high-energy hits. The recently released “Heatstroke” is no exception to his track record and, like many of the artist’s most popular songs, features a number of talented musical guests. Although their vocal techniques and styles are fairly different, Ariana Grande, Pharrell Williams and rapper Young Thug come together to create an effortless blend of vocals. These layered vocals, along with the track’s romantic message and jazzy instrumental arrangement, make “Heatstroke” the retroinspired song of the summer.

RCA

bleachers ‘don’t take the money’

DIRTY HIT

Frontwoman of indie-pop act The Japanese House, Amber Blain, displayed both her prowess and relative inexperience in the industry during her set laden with technical difficulties.

Indie-pop act Bleachers first achieved mainstream success in 2014 with its hit single “I Wanna Get Better,” attracting fans with its raw lyricism and powerhouse vocals. Bleachers brings these same musical elements back in its latest work, as it prepares to drop its sophomore album this summer. Lead single “Don’t Take the Money” has a fully charged sound, with a prominent drumline and resonant hook.

The track leads into its booming chorus with a poetic opening verse: “Somebody broke me once / Love was a currency / A shimmering balance act.”

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sports

THE HOYA

friDAY, April 7, 2017

Commentary

Softball

Hoyas Suffer Late-Game Collapse Mary Burke

Hoya Staff Writer

Despite a four-run comeback effort in the third inning to cut Towson’s lead to one, the Georgetown softball team failed to erase the deficit, falling to the Tigers 12-4 in six innings.

The Hoyas (10-20, 3-3 Big East) fell behind early when the Tigers (13-17, 2-3 Colonial Athletic) jumped out to a 5-0 lead after two innings. Georgetown recovered in the third inning by scoring four runs, but was unable to contain the Towson offense.

“No matter what the margin, it is difficult to come from behind,” senior catcher Gabriela Elvina said. “To avoid that, we’d want to attack early and often to give our pitchers some cushion down the stretch.”

Heading into the game, the team had another opportunity to play a team it had faced earlier during a February inseason tournament. Junior outfielder Theresa Kane spoke to the Hoyas’ improvements in the recent months.

“The team performed much better than we did last time we played them in South Carolina,” Kane said. “We made adjustments early in the game, but they strung their hits together better than we did.”

Freshman pitcher Katie

Vannicola started on the mound and pitched the first four innings before freshman Casey Kozak came in on relief. Georgetown’s pitching rotation — which also includes freshman Anna Brooks Pacha — consists solely of underclassmen.

“All of the freshmen pitchers have worked hard on minimizing walks and free bases to the opponent, which is something we struggled with in the beginning,” Kane said. “They are trusting the defense to work for them and perfecting their strengths as individual pitchers. All three of them bring something to the table and we are most successful when we use all of their strengths together.”

Following the defeat, the Hoyas are set to travel to South Orange, N.J., to take on the Seton Hall Pirates (16-14-1, 3-3 Big East) this weekend. Elvina voiced her excitement about playing in her home state for the first away series in the conference.

“It’s on an all-turf field and we just played our last series on a turf field, so we’ll be used to it. We are tied with Seton Hall in the Big East, so this is a crucial series for us to take,” Elvina said.

Competition within the Big East conference has intensified as the season has progressed.

Currently tied for third place

Matthew Sachs

COURTESY GUHOYAS

Senior third baseman Gabriela Elvina scored one run in Georgetown’s 12-4 loss to Towson on Wednesday. in the Big East with a .500 conference record, Georgetown’s series against Seton Hall provides an opportunity for the Hoyas to separate themselves from the middle of the pack.

Kane spoke of her team’s ability to comeback and its significance in conference play.

“We have had some wins this year in crazy comeback situations, as well as games where the game could have gone either way up until the last pitch,” Kane said. “There will never be a game that is over before it’s over. We are strong throughout the lineup and in the field, all the way through the last inning.”

The Hoyas are looking to surprise the Big East after making necessary improvements from last season. With 15 Big East games remaining, Georgetown has already matched its conference wins total from last year with three.

“We are a completely different team. We were swept by almost every team in the Big East last year, and now we’re tied for third — a spot that nobody expected us to be in,” Elvina said.

Georgetown heads to South Orange, N.J., to take on the Seton Hall Pirates for a threegame series beginning this Saturday at 12 p.m.

Track & Field

Individuals Achieve Personal Bests Margo Snipe

Special to The Hoya

The Georgetown men’s and women’s track and field teams brought home an array of individual achievements from their three different competitions last weekend. The Hoyas dispersed across the country to compete in the Colonial Relays, the Stanford Invitational and the Pepsi Florida Relays.

The majority of runners competed in the Colonial Relays hosted by the College of William and Mary. In the events, the Hoyas notched eight appearances in the top 20.

Junior Jody-Ann Knight continues to be a force for Georgetown in sprints, earning two personal records in both the women’s 100-meter

dash with a time of 12.35 and in the 400m event with an outdoor personal record of 58.44.

Knight notched a top-10 finish in the 100m, claiming seventh place.

The women’s team also brought in two top-10 appearances in women’s 800m with junior Piper Donaghu placing sixth, crossing the line at 2:09.06, and graduate student Jocelyn Hubbard earning the eighth spot with a time of 2:09.25. Graduate student Carey Celata also made an impact for the Hoyas, placing 14th in the women’s 800m with her time of 2:11.06.

On the men’s side, freshman Quincey Wilson and junior Nick Sullivan continued their success in the men’s 400m by placing in the top 20, with times of 49.17 and

49.62, respectively.

Across the country, the Hoyas experienced similar success and had three top-10 performances at the Stanford Invitational. In the women’s 5000m, graduate student Haley Pierce and junior Madeline Perez placed at the top. In section three of the 5000m, Pierce finished with a time of 16:07.05, earning her fourth place and landing her a PR four seconds faster than her previous personal best in the 2014 season. Following closely behind in section four, Madeline Perez took fifth place, running 16:36.25.

For the men’s distance runners, freshman Eion Nohilly placed seventh in the 3000m steeplechase, clocking 9:09.54, and junior Nick

Golebiowski earned a PR in the men’s 10,000m with a time of 30:17.80.

Down south at the Pepsi Florida Relays hosted by the University of Florida, junior All-American Joe White once again put his name in the record books, running a personal best 1:46.07 in the men’s 800m, placing second overall. His time is the third fastest time in the NCAA this season and the third all-time fastest in Georgetown track and field history for this outdoor event.

This upcoming weekend, the Blue and Gray squad will be splitting up once again, travelling to Fairfax, Va., and Miami, Fla., for the George Mason Spring Invitational and the Miami Alumni Invitational.

Federer Continues Ageless Success T his past Sunday, Roger Federer captured his third title on this year’s ATP World Tour, winning the Miami Open by defeating his biggest rival, Rafael Nadal, 6-3, 6-4. This is the third time Federer has knocked off Nadal this year.

To put Federer’s win in perspective, he is the oldest player ever to win the tournament. The last time he won the Miami Open was 2006; Federer was 24 and he defeated his current coach, Ivan Ljubicic, in the final. While Ljubicic is long retired and new faces dominate the game, Federer still stands on top of the pedestal.

Approaching 36 years old, Federer is dominating his sport and his rival, who, before 2017, led their head-tohead matches 23-11. No one really knows how Federer is managing to do what he is doing. Many have attributed his exquisite play to his improved backhand, coming from greater maneuverability in his larger frame. Others say the six-month rest he took due to injury allowed him to rediscover his passion for the sport.

No matter how he did it, Federer is simply playing better than the rest. He is now 19-1 on the year and 7-0 against top-10 players. This marks the best start to a season he has had since 2006, when he also won the Sunshine Double, Indian Wells Masters and Miami Open consecutively.

Not all of Federer’s wins this week were easy. He had a difficult road to the final, much tougher than Nadal’s path. He had to battle a confident No. 10 Tomas Berdych and survive a match that lasted over three hours against the dangerous and fearless No. 12 Nick Kyrgios. Federer is simply better than every-

one else right now, and he is finding a way to win the most important matches when fans doubted if he could ever do so again.

Critics will say that players who find this worldclass level of play will ultimately falter. But, for Federer, how can we be sure when the 35-year-old is playing with the same youthful tenacity as in his early career? Federer is certainly defying the odds right now, prompting No. 23 John Isner to tweet, “Are we 100% sure Fed is from Planet [Earth],” after Federer won the title in the Indian Wells Masters.

Federer now rises to No. 4 in the rankings this week, an improvement of his No. 17 ranking heading into the Australian Open.

Federer himself said his coaches hoped he would be able to rise to No. 8 following Wimbledon — they did not plan on his run of brilliance in Melbourne, nor his incredible success on the American hard courts.

He is winning big at an age in a way no one has before. He is the oldest winner in Miami and, at this pace, soon to be the oldest winner almost everywhere else.

So, what is left for Federer in the latter twothirds of 2017? If the year ended right now, it would unquestionably be a great success. Holding 26 ATP Masters titles, 18 Grand Slam singles titles, 91 overall singles titles and now a stretch of dominance over Nadal, Federer is settling all the greatest-of-all-time arguments that are left.

He is the greatest. And for 2017, the greatest might have even more to accomplish.

Matthew Sachs is a freshman in the College.

Women’s Lacrosse

AT THE BUZZER

Russell Meets Record GU Outlasts Villanova O

n Wednesday night, Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook recorded his 41st triple-double of the season, tying guard Oscar Robertson’s all-time record. On the season, Westbrook averages 31.8 points, 10.4 assists and 10.7 rebounds per game, while shooting 42.6 percent from the floor and 34.7 percent from deep.

Even with Westbrook’s explosive athleticism, high basketball IQ and uncanny scoring ability, nobody thought this record would ever be touched. A single triple-double alone is a marvelous feat, but to average one for the entirety of a season was thought to be impossible within the complexity of the modern NBA. However, with five games left in the Thunder’s season, Westbrook is in position to not only average a triple-double for the season, but to also distance himself further from Robertson’s single season triple-double record.

Westbrook’s stats are so impressive that despite the Thunder being in sixth place in the Western Conference, he’s one of two frontrunners for the MVP award. In the wake of Durant’s departure, Westbrook is not only the face of the Thunder, but is essentially the current face of the NBA. Yet, a season of this caliber begs the question: How is this even possible? It is no secret that Westbrook is a perennial superstar, but to consistently put up such numbers requires some sort of explanation.

There are three major factors that help contribute to Westbrook’s success. The first is his usage rate. Usage rate is defined as the percentage of possessions a certain player uses, or in layman’s terms, how much of the offense is run through a certain player.

For reference, guard Kobe Bryant set the NBA record for highest usage rate in the 200506 season with a rate of 38.74 percent. This season, Westbrook has a usage rate of 41.7 percent, meaning he’s been the focal point of the offense more than any player in NBA history has for his respective team.

Evan Couture The usage rate is not exactly a knock against Westbrook, as it proves how valuable he is to his team, but it does help explain why Westbrook can average 31.8 points per game while only shooting 42.6 percent from the floor. For reference, the other backcourt starter for the Thunder, guard André Roberson, has the lowest usage rate in the league right now, at a measly 10.1 percent. This statistic makes sense considering he is playing with Westbrook, but it also proves that Westbrook handles the majority of the offense while Roberson is used as more of a defensive stopper.

The second factor in explaining Westbrook’s stats is the team’s rebounding mentality.

For a traditional point guard, rebounds are difficult to come by, as big players usually grab them. The Thunder have a unique strategy regarding rebounding, something that is on display when the opponent is at the foul line. On the miss, the Thunder’s big men focus entirely on boxing out, clearing the lane for Westbrook to rebound and push the offense.

Designing a rebounding strategy for a point guard is risky, especially when it involves removing big men from rebounding.

Nevertheless, the Thunder own the best rebounding percentage in the league, demonstrating that their unique strategy is working.

The final factor has the biggest impact on Westbrook’s triple-double ability, but is also where we begin to see Westbrook’s insatiable quest negatively impact his team.

Westbrook is simply not a good defender, often leaving shooters open in hopes of getting a better position for the rebound.

To put this in perspective, Westbrook has contested the third least three-point attempts in the league, behind centers Hassan Whiteside and Rudy Gobert. This means that centers like DeAndre Jordan and Andre Drummond have contested more three-point shots on the season than Westbrook.

For a guard, this statistic is embarrassing. Although it is not well-known, Westbrook can often be found leaving his man open or failing to chase his opponent around the court. This lack of closing out might have more pronounced repercussions in the playoffs if the Thunder go up against point guards like Stephen Curry, Damian Lillard and Chris Paul.

No matter how he gets it done, Westbrook is currently having one of the best regular seasons ever. In what can only be described as “lightning in a bottle,” Westbrook always seems to have another gear and a never-ending motor.

Evan Couture is a junior in the McDonough School of Business. At The Buzzer appears every other Friday.

Tyler Walsh Hoya Staff Writer

After battling back from a three-goal deficit, the Georgetown women’s lacrosse team notched its third Big East win by defeating the Villanova Wildcats 14-13 on Wednesday.

Sophomore midfielder Francesca Whitehurst, freshman attack Michaela Bruno and freshman midfielder Natalie Lynch each scored a hat trick in the victory. Sophomore Haelle Chomo made three saves to further the presence of Georgetown’s underclassmen.

Georgetown (5-7, 3-1 Big East) dominated Villanova (3-8, 1-3 Big East) on the stat sheet by outshooting them 29-24, pulling in 16 draw controls to Villanova’s 13, going 7-of-12 on free positions and forcing 18 turnovers.

Lynch scored the first goal of the game fewer than four minutes into the first quarter.

Freshman attack Emily Ehle followed promptly with a goal at 24:28, scoring around the left side of the goal to give the Hoyas a 2-0 lead.

After Villanova scored two quick goals to tie the game, Ehle assisted sophomore attack Morgan Ryan to regain the lead at 22:10. Whitehurst then scored the first of her three goals with a free position goal.

Villanova responded with a commanding 5-0 run that included two goals from sophomore attack Jillian Swikart to bring the score to 7-4.

Whitehurst scored her second free position goal at 9:32, slowing the Wildcat’s momentum and initiating a 4-0 run. Following a Villanova turnover, junior midfielder Hannah Seibel found Lynch for a goal less than a minute later, cutting the Wildcat lead

FILE PHOTO: SPENCER COOK/THE HOYA

Sophomore defender Megan Massimino recorded one ground ball and caused one turnover against Villanova. to one. Whitehurst added a third free position goal to tie the game, after which Bruno scored two consecutive goals to give the Hoyas a two-point lead. Villanova’s last-minute score brought the game to 9-8 at the half.

Georgetown looked unprepared to face a dominating Villanova presence in the initial stages of the second half, with the Wildcats scoring three unanswered goals. Bruno stopped the run with her third goal of the day.

Sophomore attack Taylor Gebhardt scored a free position goal to bring the game to even. Lynch continued her commanding performance with a goal at 13:14, giving Georgetown the lead. Villanova and Georgetown traded goals at 11:41 and 8:14, respectively, with the go-ahead score coming from junior Georgia Tunney.

Junior midfielder Hannah Seibel’s veteran experience

showed with her demonstration of an unfailing ability to score in high-pressure situations. Taking a defender straight-up, Seibel’s one-on-one goal gave the Hoyas a two-goal lead with 4:52 left on the clock.

With a final minute goal, Villanova looked as though they could comeback, but staunch defending from the Hoyas ensured a 14-13 victory.

“You have to give Villanova a lot of credit, they played really hard. There are still things we need to improve upon, but I was pleased that we played well enough to pull out a win,” Georgetown Head Coach Ricky Fried said in an interview with GU Hoyas.

Though the Hoyas are currently below .500, their 3-1 conference record positions them well for a spot in the Big East tournament. They will take on Vanderbilt in a non-conference matchup this Saturday. The game is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Cooper Field.

SPORTS

friDAY, April 7, 2017

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THE ANALYST

Men’s basketball

Opening Day Sets Tone for Season CHRISTOVICH, from B10

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In his 17-year NBA career, Patrick Ewing was named the 1986 Rookie of the Year, selected to the All-Star team 11 times and a member of the 1992 “Dream Team” that won gold in the Barcelona Summer Olympics.

Ewing Promises Return of Paranoia EWING, from B10

Ewing is the most decorated player in Hoyas’ history with three final four appearances, the 1985 national player of the year and the 1984 National Championship — Georgetown’s sole NCAA title.

Ewing returns to Georgetown after 15 years as an assistant coach in the NBA, which included stints with the Washington Wizards, Houston Rockets, Orlando Magic and Charlotte Hornets. Credited for helping the development of big men such as Yao Ming and Dwight Howard, Ewing’s teams excelled in rebounding, interior defense, fouling and perimeter shooting.

Throughout his tenures as an assistant, Ewing’s teams averaged top-eight rankings for the past 14 years in defensive rebounding, threepointers made and personal

fouls, as well as opposing team’s field goal percentage, free throws and points per game. Ewing’s style of coaching has the potential to revamp the Hoyas’ style of play on both ends of the floor.

“The tradition is still here. This was some of the best years of my life. I came to college a boy and left a man.”

Patrick ewing Head Coach

“It’s my vision to try to play a style of ball that is going to be conducive and similar to the style of play we play in the NBA. I want to be up-

tempo, push the ball, shoot threes when you have them — similar to the way we play in Charlotte. But we’re also going to have to get the guys who will have the ability to do these things,” Ewing said.

Ewing also alluded to bringing back Georgetown’s vaunted “Hoya Paranoia” defense, an intimidating and intensity-filled defense the Hoyas have lacked significantly in recent years.

“We need to get back to the way it was,” Ewing said. “You know, when no one liked us — ‘Hoya Paranoia’ — smacking people down. Just get back to the old Big East when it was the rough rumbling and tumbling Big East.”

With no college head coaching experience, Ewing’s ability to recruit high school prospects is crucial to the future of the program.

Ewing put an emphasis on regaining the school’s share

of D.C.-area recruits.

“I’m going to surround myself with good enough people to not only teach me but can also reach out into the community and get these guys,” Ewing said.

“The D.C. area, Baltimore, Virginia area is the hotbed of great talent, and I remember when we had things rolling here, none of the great players in this area were able to get out of D.C.” Ewing, who raised Georgetown into national relevance in the 1980s, knows it will not be easy to do it a second time.

“The tradition is still here,” Ewing said. “This was some of the best years of my life. I came to college a boy and left a man. I’m going to be counting on everyone for their support and also all of the Georgetown alumni for their support to help rebuild this program.”

Hoyas Host Surging Owls strong 6-0 victory Sunday against St. John’s (9-13, 1-0 Big East), a team that defeated Georgetown by a score of 4-0 on March 24.

“The next two matches [Temple and Emory] are tough,” Ernst said. “But this is what the guys need.

We’ve played some tough matches and had some tough losses. If we can get these wins, we are going to be so confident going into the Big East.”

Having not competed since March 30, the Georgetown women’s tennis team (10-4, 0-1 Big East) resumes competitive play in a con-

ference matchup against the DePaul Blue Demons (9-6, 1-1 Big East) on Saturday. DePaul experienced a slow start to the season, suffering a four-match losing streak early in the season. However, the team has since rebounded, winning five straight matches.

“Every year, DePaul is the favorite,” Ernst said.

They’re always the best team in the Big East. They just beat Xavier, who won the Big East last year.”

In last year’s Big East tournament, DePaul, the No. 1 seed coming into the tournament, defeated Georgetown in the semi-finals before falling to Xavier

Baseball’s opening day exists that is unparalleled in other sports — but does that mean that the performances on baseball’s opening day indicate something real about how this season will go?

To explore this question, turn to the phenomenon of last season’s opening day. We all knew the Cubs had potential, but no one could have predicted their incredible 9-0 win over the Angels — which, in retrospect, might not have been as shocking considering the disaster that was the Angels’ 2016 season.

The Cubs’ momentum continued throughout the season, with the team finishing a whopping 17.5 games ahead of the Cardinals in the NL Central and, of course, winning the World Series.

If the Dodgers do win the World Series, of course we can all say that opening day 2017 was a sign.

So, can opening day be an indicator of World Series-quality teams?

Perhaps. But this conclusion would be largely reactionary. The Dodgers had a similarly dominant performance, albeit against another rather weak California team, but are not the biggest contenders for a championship title.

If the Dodgers do win the World Series, of course we can all say that opening day 2017 was a sign, and some could argue that opening day clues the baseball world into a season’s elusive future.

But the nature of opening day is largely inconsistent. Ten of the youngest players hit home runs for the first time ever, yes. But

there were also players of the same caliber as Seager and Benintendi that did not have as impressive showings.

The merit of opening day lies only in its emotional value of perpetuating excitement, adrenaline and hope.

Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez went 0-5 in the Bombers’ opening loss to Tampa Bay. So is opening day an indicator of Sanchez’s season? Is Sanchez going to enter a deep slump until mid-July? Realistically, only time will tell. But in all likelihood, the chances this opening day predicts the narrative for Sanchez’s season is slim.

The commencement of this year’s regular season yielded a number of statistical firsts and surprises, as well as disappointments from some talents and unsurprising impressive showings from others. But like every year, we have little to no ability to call opening day indicative of the rest of the season.

Opening day sets a tone for the beginning of 162 regular season games and another month or so of postseason — a tone that is either a positive momentum to ride or a negative sentiment to battle back from. Apart from that, however, the merit of opening day lies only in its emotional value of perpetuating excitement, adrenaline and hope.

The statistics are simply too young to speak for themselves.

Amanda Christovich is a sophomore in the College.

THE ANALYST appears every Friday.

baseball

Tennis

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in the finals. In the two prior years, DePaul won the Big East Championship.

While DePaul has been one of the best teams in recent years, the Georgetown women have also had a strong season and are looking forward to the challenge.

“Everyone is going to play at their utmost level,” Ernst said. “They have to keep themselves loose, so they can win big points. That is the key to the match.”

The women will host DePaul on Saturday at 12 p.m., while the Georgetown men’s team will travel to Temple on Friday for a 1 p.m. match.

COURTESY GUHOYAS

Senior infielder Jake Kuzbel hit two doubles and one home run in Georgetown’s 3-1 victory over Cornell on Wednesday. Kuzbel leads the team with 30 RBIs.

Squad Relies on Pitching BASEBALL, from B10

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Freshman Ian Whitmer defeated his No. 6 The Citadel counterpart 6-3, 6-2. In addition, Whitmer claimed a 6-1 victory in the No. 3 doubles match Sunday.

“It’s a nice problem to have.”

On offense, the Hoyas were led by senior infielder Jake Kuzbel, who went 3-4 with two doubles and his fourth home run of the year. The home run was his third in five games.

“I just jumped on a fastball early in the count. The pitcher didn’t throw me any fastballs the first at-bat, so I was looking for one in the second. I was able to jump on it, and put it over the fence,” Kuzbel said.

Kuzbel’s solo shot in the fifth inning also marked his 100th career RBI as a Hoya, joining only 18 other players who have reached this milestone in Georgetown’s history.

“It’s an awesome feeling,” Kuzbel said. “Whenever you’re scoring runs it feels good. It means you’re doing some-

thing with people on base. I love RBIs as a stat, so I’m glad that that run production comes out.”

This season, Kuzbel has been setting career numbers in nearly every offensive category. His four homers tie his totals from the past three seasons combined, and his 30 RBIs also represent a careerhigh, even with only 29 games played.

“He’s a tremendous young man, a great kid with the right priorities,” Wilk said.

“From a baseball standpoint, he’s been a really good hitter his whole career here. He’s an offensive force for us.”

Wednesday’s win against Cornell marked the first of seven consecutive home games for Georgetown, who plays the ECAC’s New York Institute of Technology (2-19-1) this coming weekend.

“We were on the road for

the first five or six weekends, so definitely being home is nice,” Leonard said. “We all love Shirley Povich, it’s a good place to play at. It’s nice to get a little more down time, a little more time to focus on your studies. We’re excited.”

The three-game series against NYIT marks the last series before Georgetown begins Big East play next week against Creighton (8-15).

“The guys are excited about the upcoming conference play, but I’m excited for the first inning on Friday,” Wilk said. “We have to get the 32 guys on that page, too.”

The series will take place during Georgetown’s Alumni Weekend and will open Friday at 3 p.m. at Shirley Povich Field. Saturday’s game will follow at 1 p.m. with the series finale on Sunday at 12 p.m.

Live stats and streaming will be provided by GUHoyas.com.

SPORTS

Women’s Lacrosse Georgetown (5-7) vs. Vanderbilt (6-4) Saturday, 12 p.m. EST Cooper Field

FRIDAY, APRIL 7, 2017

TALKING POINTS

SOFTBALL The Georgetown softball team allowed seven unanswered runs in a 12-4 loss to Towson on Wednesday.

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TENNIS

Special to The Hoya

After picking up backto-back wins in last Sunday’s double header, the Georgetown men’s tennis team looks to continue its momentum Friday against Temple.

The Hoyas (6-10, 0-2 Big East) defeated Navy (16-17, 1-1 AAC) 4-0 before claiming a 4-3 victory against The Citadel (10-27, 1-3 Southern Conference). The victoryfilled Sunday marked a sharp turnaround from Georgetown’s previous seven losses in eight matches.

The Blue and Gray struggled throughout March, but their recent matches could perhaps incite an inflection point for the team.

“That was one exciting day for the guys,” Head Coach Gordie Ernst said.

“We came out ready to go; every single guy was ready to go. They know every year that we have a battle with Navy. They just took it to them.”

The Hoyas received strong contributions from doubles. In both matches, Georgetown swept all three doubles matches. Securing the early doubles point helped garner some momentum for the remainder of the match.

When asked about the factors behind the

If it was any other university, I wouldn’t be doing this.”

HEAD COACH PATRICK EWING

7

The number of innings senior pitcher Nick Leonard threw against Cornell, a career high.

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Men’s Squad Erases Slow Start CHRISTOPHER GAY

NUMBERS GAME

Hoyas’ strong doubles play, Ernst cited his team’s strong mental fortitude.

“They know every year we have a battle with Navy. They just took it to them.”

GORDIE ERNST Head Coach PAOLO SANTAMARIA/THE HOYA

“We were mentally strong. We did the smart things like percentage tennis. We got our first serves in,” Ernst said.

With only four matches left before the Big East Championship, the Hoyas have limited time to figure out the solution to their struggles this year and claim their first conference win.

Next, Georgetown travels to Philadelphia to compete against the Temple Owls (13-8, 1-3 AAC). The Owls have been a strong team throughout the year, including a four-match winning streak earlier this year.

Temple has won its last three matches, including a

University President John J. DeGioia, left, and Athletic Director Lee Reed, right, introduce Hall of Famer Patrick Ewing as the next men’s basketball head coach. Ewing brought the Hoyas their sole National Championship in 1984.

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Ewing Introduced as 18th Coach GEORGE BRENNAN Hoya Staff Writer

Thirty-six years ago, an 18-year-old Patrick Ewing raised a Georgetown pennant above his head, affirming his commitment to play basketball at the nation’s oldest Jesuit university. Immediately after Ewing’s announcement, the disgruntled Bostonians at the Satch Sanders restaurant filed out, resentful that the seven-footer chose Georgetown over nearby rival Boston College.

On April 5, Ewing recre-

ated his famed pennant photo in the Thompson Athletic Center and marked his return to Georgetown, this time with much greater applause.

On Wednesday morning, University President John J. DeGioia and Director of Athletics Lee Reed introduced Patrick Ewing as the head coach of the Georgetown men’s basketball team. Ewing became the 18th man to take the job, replacing John Thompson III, whose contract was terminated March 23.

“We wanted someone who embraced the values of Georgetown University, that believed as deeply as we believe in the balance between student and athlete,” Reed said. “We wanted someone who understood and was passionate about doing things the right way, the only way, the Georgetown way as it relates to building a nationally competitive program.”

Ewing, who had publicly expressed his interest and desire for an NBA head coaching job, decided to accept the Georgetown position

BASEBALL

due to his personal connections to the university.

“If it was any other university, I wouldn’t be doing this,” Ewing said. “But it’s my alma mater, it’s Georgetown. I’m a Hoya. I just thought it was a great opportunity to come back and try to help to rebuild the program. Any other university and the answer would be ‘no, I’m going to stay in the NBA.’ But I just thought it was something that I needed to do.”

THE ANALYST

Leonard Leads Hoyas Past Cornell MITCHELL TAYLOR Special to The Hoya

Senior starting pitcher Nick Leonard dazzled on the mound this Wednesday, striking out a career-high 10 batters and leading Georgetown to its third consecutive victory with a 3-1 win over Cornell.

Leonard baffled the Cornell (10-9, 1-3 Ivy League) offense, throwing for seven dominant innings, allowing five hits, two walks and one unearned run to accompany his 10 strikeouts. The performance improved his record to 3-1 and lowered his ERA to 3.26 on the year.

“It felt pretty good,” Leonard said. “I was attacking the strike zone definitely the best I have all season. A lot of credit goes to junior catcher Sammy Stevens behind the dish and the defense made a couple really good plays for me. Getting ahead in counts was really working for me against them.”

The seven innings pitched were also a careerhigh for the senior.

“It’s definitely something I’m proud of,” Leonard said.

“I’ve been trying to get to seven for quite a while now, so it felt pretty good. [I’ve] just been working on this season getting a little more economical and getting ahead in the count, and it worked out well for me.”

Georgetown (17-12) Head Coach Pete Wilk noted how his starting pitchers have made it difficult for his relief pitchers to get innings.

“Guys are going too long without being used in games and that’s because the starters have been doing such a great job,” Wilk said.

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Amanda Christovich

MLB’s Rising Stars Excel

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COURTESY GUHOYAS

Senior outfielder Beau Hall drew one walk in Georgetown’s victory against Cornell on Wednesday. Hall is hitting .280 and has three home runs this season.

Visit us online at thehoya.com/sports

n this year’s opening day, excitement washed over many ballparks, as a multitude of home runs arced as gracefully into the abyss as Tony Romo’s career.

It was neither lights-out pitching nor acrobatic fielding that made headlines during each team’s opening day this week, but rather a slew of home runs across the league.

ESPN.com reported on statistics compiled by the Elias Sports Bureau that revealed a total of 10 players under the age of 25 hit home runs in the first games of their respective seasons.

You may recognize a few names: Boston Red Sox’s Andrew Benintendi, who homered against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Los Angeles Dodgers’ Corey Seager, who contributed to a 14-3 crucifixion of the San Diego Padres with a threerun homer and Washington Nationals’ Bryce Harper, who ignited his team’s offense by going deep on a 95-mph fastball.

It marked the first time in major league history that 10 players under 25 years old went deep on their respective opening days. If this statistic is any indication, the younger generation of Major

League Baseball could singlehandedly carry the appeal of the 2017 season on its backs.

The sluggers of today seemed to thrive off the unique buzz of opening day.

And baseball’s young stars were not the only ones getting in on the action — just ask San Francisco Giants ace Madison Bumgarner, who hit not one but two bombs during the Giants’ season opener.

The pitcher is known for his surprisingly powerful bat, and carried the momentum of opening day to a historic performance at the plate.

These many notable performances beg the question about the true merit of opening day. When the last out is made, when the fans empty out of their respective stadiums, what is left of opening day except statistics only baseball nerds and fantasy-leaguers boasting prematurely about their expert drafts care about?

Perhaps opening day provides a much-needed adrenaline boost and a new environment for players who had spent the last few months playing long, quiet games in Florida and Arizona.

After all, a special characteristic to Major League See CHRISTOVICH, B9