The Hoya: The Guide: February 20, 2015

the guide ♥

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2015

Unconventional Valentines ♥

Hoya couples celebrated this past Valentine’s Day in non-traditional ways HANNAH KAUFMAN Hoya Staff Writer

Valentine’s Day has a set of expectations and traditions compiled throughout the centuries.

Today, however, it’s a largely commercialized event notorious for its avalanche of food, flowers and all things heart-shaped.

Yet amid the hand-holding, gift-giving, movie-watching and dessert-indulging, discussion about the significance of the holiday spurs a range of responses. Georgetown students and alumni, each at different stages their lives, bring something novel to Valentine’s Day each year.

Feb. 14 provides time to appreciate love in all its guises, but for Hoyas, the small acts of romance themselves are adopting new forms. From heterosexual students to couples in the LGBTQ community, this past Valentine’s Day held significance to relationships across the spectrum. ♥♥♥ Although celebrated by millions, the origins of the holiday remain obscure. Its history is primarily composed of vague rumors, to the point where even the identity of St. Valentine himself remains in dispute. So how did Valentine’s Day transform into the modern celebration of romance?

According to the Catholic Church, there are at least three different saints named Valentine, all of whom were said to have been martyred on Feb. 14.

The first was a Roman priest, the second a bishop of Terni, I and all that is known of the third is that he spent time in Africa with several companions.

Besides this skeletal knowledge, little else has been uncovered about these three saints.

Valentine’s Day can be seen as an age-old tradition honoring the lives of one of these three saints.

But for some, the connection between the saint and the date has other causes. Historians argue that St. Valentine’s official feast day was coordinated in 496 AD by Pope Gelasius to coincide with the Roman celebration of the Lupercalia. The Lupercalia was a pagan fertility festival, usually held from Feb. 13 to 15, dedicated to the god of agriculture, and under Pope Gelasius there was a major push to Christianize the holiday.

During the Middle Ages in Europe, it was also commonly believed that Feb. 14 marked the beginning of the mating season for birds. Over time this belief was combined with the tradition of St. Valentine’s feast day, producing symbols of love and romance in its wake.

The oldest known valentine is a 15th-century poem composed by Charles, Duke of Orleans, for his wife. He romantically wrote the valentine while being held captive in the Tower of London after the Battle of Agincourt in 1415. During the

DANIEL SMITH/THE HOYA

Valentine’s Day is full of longstanding customs dating back across the centuries. However, its significance for Georgetown students refuses to be a stable one; this past weekend, both heterosexual and LGBTQ couples challenged traditional romantic norms in their effort to celebrate the holiday. next several hundred years, Valentine’s Day gradually become a holiday centered on similar tokens of affection, the primary romantic gesture taking on the form of the paper valentine. As paper distribution and printing technology continued to improved, this fad only increased in popularity.

Fast forward to the 1840s, when the very first American Valentine’s Day greeting cards were created by Esther Howland, also known as the Mother of the Valentine. Howland started her own business to manufacture these popular tokens of affection. But it was not until 1910 that our modern-day Hallmark greeting card company began its humble beginnings under the leadership of an 18-year-old named J.C. Hall. After that, the greeting cards industry rapidly expanded.

Today, more than 145 million Valentine’s Day cards are exchanged in the United States every year, making it the second most popular card-

giving holiday behind Christmas. It has expanded to become a highly commercialized event, touting expensive dates, chocolates, jewelry, stuffed animals and endless trinkets to commemorate that priceless gift of love. But the holiday is not done changing yet — even now, young couples are continuing to adapt to longstanding traditions with new expressions of romance fit for their particular relationship. ♥♥♥ Georgetown is where many students seek to find romance, but with a generally expensive and time-consuming holiday like Valentine’s Day, Hoyas are confronted with consumerist expectations that they cannot, or simply do not want to, meet. Instead, couples on the Hilltop are coming to peace with a hybridized version of Valentine’s

Day that is straying further and further from the ideal scenario encouraged by the media.

When “defining the relationship” is often a taboo conversation and “putting a label on it” is seen as a serious and risky commitment, students are fighting back to reclaim a holiday taken over by superficial romantic stereotypes.

“Everyone faces awkward pressure on Valentine’s Day. I think the point of the holiday is to either force you to try to impress someone if you’re in a relationship or to remind you that you’re not in one,” Andrew Sullivan (COL ’17) said. “People not in relationships face just as much pressure as the people trying to impress their girlfriend or boyfriend, but Valentine’s Day is a celebration of any relationship — it doesn’t have to be a romantic or traditional one.”

See VALENTINES, B2

THIS WEEK ARTS FEATURE

LIFESTYLE

Ready to Rock the Stage Georgetown Cabaret prepares for its Friday show at Black Cat ANNA SHUSTER

Special to The Hoya

Disney Magic Takes to the Ice

Over the weekend, the Verizon Center hosted “Disney on Ice,” a performance combining classic fairytale stories. B3

FOOD & DRINK

The First Cakepoppery in D.C.

Baked by Yael specializes in the delectable cake pop desserts that have become a fad in the past few years. B5

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Drake Pulls a Beyoncé

With little warning, Drake dropped his mixtape “If You’re Reading This, It’s Too Late.” B7

THEHOYA.COM/ GUIDE @thehoyaguide

Georgetown Cabaret — a rock band formed with some of the best musical talents on campus — is returning to the stage for its 39th annual concert this Friday at Black Cat on U Street. Aligning with recent tradition, the show will be a diverse display of exciting Georgetown talent.

The group, which now consists of nine musicians and nine rotating singers, has been a Georgetown tradition since 1976, when it started as a variety show in Darnall Hall. Different groups, including improv performers, would showcase their talents with various theatrical acts and musical numbers.

“It used to be more of a talent show,” singer Joanie Abbott (SFS ’16) said, but “over the years it’s developed into a rock show.”

This transition, according to band leader Dan McCusker (COL ’16), happened in the early ‘80s, when the event relocated to the Walsh Black Box Theatre. In those years, Cabaret shows were blacktie, sit-down events where audiences would enjoy dinner and a show.

In recent years, however, Cabaret has made the full transition to putting on rock ‘n’ roll shows in various Georgetown venues including Fur Nightclub, the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hotel and now Black Cat, a U-Street nightclub whose stage has previously witnessed bands

like The White Stripes, Death Cab for Cutie and The Killers.

Even with the change of venue, the variety aspect of Cabaret’s foundations remains in more recent shows. Performers like to mix things up on stage to keep the audience entertained.

Returning member Molly Roach (COL ’15) remembers some of the hijinks from last year. “One of the band members last time, Grant Franco, put on a tutu or something and did ... the rap from ‘Wannabe’ by Pussycat Dolls, which we did last year.”

“It’s very performative,” she added.

This fun and spontaneity, though, comes after weeks of long rehearsals. The group has a very intensive rehearsal schedule starting in early February. The band stays for five hours on Saturdays and Sundays leading up to the show, while the nine singers cycle in and out to perform their numbers.

“By 3 p.m. or 3:30 p.m. on most days everyone’s starting to lose some steam, people are starting to get frustrated,” McCusker said.

Even then, the band and singers don’t have a lot of time to work with everyone. The first time the whole group runs through the entire set list is the Thursday night before the show.

Still, singers and band members alike enjoy the collaborative aspect of these rehearsals.

GEORGETOWN CABARET

In previous years, Georgetown Cabaret’s annual rock music performance has filled venues with large student crowds.

“The musicians all come from diverse backgrounds. Everyone has their own experiences to contribute to the rehearsals, so it’s interesting seeing people throwing out ideas,” McCusker said.

“The finished product is always really nice because it has so much contribution from all these different people and their different See CABARET, B4

B2

the guide

THE HOYA

friday, February 20, 2015

FEATURE

Romance Comes in All Shapes and Sizes

VALENTINES, from B1

“Love is not exclusive to a romantic relationship — it can be between good people. [Valentine’s Day is] a time to figure out where you are romantically and just in terms of other friendships you have,” Fang said. “I know a lot of people just go out and party a lot, because they just want to kind of drink away their sorrows, but I think there are more productive and happier ways to spend [the day].”

Both Sullivan and Fang are in exclusive, monogamous relationships, yet they see the downside of blowing the holiday out of proportion.

“It’s nice being in a relationship on Valentine’s Day, but I don’t think you need the day itself to make it special,” Fang said. “I was very happy just being around [my girlfriend], but it wasn’t anything remarkably different from any other day when I’m around her. It’s the people that matter, not the holiday.”

Yet even though Valentine’s Day is consistently criticized as an overly commercialized event, this side of the holiday can have its own redeeming qualities.

Celeste Chisholm (COL ’15) credited the expensive dinners and consumer products with adding their own value to the holiday.

“It’s always fun to buy things for people. It’s always strangely fun to spend, spend, spend for somebody that you think will appreciate it,” Chisholm said.

“The flowers [I bought my girlfriend] were priced exorbitantly. I was disappointed about that — I bought the cheapest one, but it was still really expensive, but she loves them. They make her smile every time she walks into the room.”

While Chisholm acknowledged that Valentine’s Day may not be the cheapest of holidays, its consumerist quality in no way lessened the importance of her romantic gestures. She said, “In some ways it is an immunity to commercialism.

People think it’s a day of commercialism, a day to embrace commercialism.

But actually, it’s a day when you ignore it. Commercialism is always attached to a price, and usually you can only be as commercial as your wallet allows. That day, we did what we wanted.” ♥♥♥ For Georgetown couples, Valentine’s Day has been reworked to fit the mayhem of college schedules and the restrictions of personal budgets. Breaking from

the pressure of the traditional dating mold, some students choose to spend the day in rather than hit the town.

“About two weeks before Valentine’s Day I told her that we weren’t going out to dinner on Valentine’s Day,” Sullivan said of his plans with his girlfriend of five months, Claire Reardon (SFS ’17).

“I said we could go out to dinner any day the week before, or the week after, but not that day. It was a combination of anti-consumerism and trying to not spend all my money. So then she said that her parents could drop off a fondue pot and we could make fondue.”

Sullivan and Reardon met freshman year while living in Village C West, but they did not start dating until this past fall.

“This was [our] first Valentine’s Day having a significant other. We’re both not super into it because it’s just a very commercial holiday and there’s so much pressure to either impress your significant other or pressure to find someone to do something with,” Reardon said. “I wasn’t expecting any presents or anything like that. We just stayed in and cooked together and played ‘Wii Sports.’ We made fondue, so we did all three courses. We did cheese, hot broth and then we did chocolate. We thought that it would be so much cheaper than going out to dinner, but we really went out to town buying expensive cheeses, so it ended up being kind of expensive anyway. I was in my pajamas the whole time.”

Fang has been in a monogamous relationship with Kathleen Reilly (SFS ’17) for two months now. Although the relationship is relatively new, like Sullivan and Reardon, he felt no need to conform to holiday expectations.

“This was the first time I’ve been in a relationship on Valentine’s Day. I knew there was supposed to be dinner or something, but I unfortunately did not know that I had to make reservations like a month before,” Fang said.

“Thank God [my girlfriend] decided she wanted to order in, so we did that.

We just wanted to do some alone stuff — we cooked together, made some desert, and watched several episodes of ‘How I Met Your Mother.’ It was a cuddly, warm, cozy night. We ordered Chinese food and then we made fried Oreos.”

Georgetown students do not always have the time and money to make public statements of love every Valentine’s Day. Instead, young couples are OK with downplaying the elaborate holiday and

DANIEL SMITH//THE HOYA

Despite Valentine’s Day commercialization, many couples choose to eschew extravangant gifts and dinners in favor of quality time with one another.

DAN GANNON/THE HOYA

Claire Reardon (SFS ’17) and Andrew Sullivan (COL ’17) share a moment in the snow. The two have been friends since early last year, but they only officially began dating five months ago. making shared moments more casual, albeit no less meaningful. ♥♥♥ Peeling back the conventional layers of a typical Valentine’s Day doesn’t seem like much of a stretch for many students, but for others, the holiday comes with much more profound implications. Heteronormative traditions of romance currently dominate the scene, and the commercial world promotes seemingly simple practices such as a male treating the woman to dinner, a date and endless gifts, and a female showing her appreciation by donning red and pink and accepting her role as the gift recipient.

Yet once Valentine’s Day arrives, members of the LGBTQ community are especially sensitive to the way in which these gender roles actually play out. Over time, these non-traditional couples have found their own ways to reclaim a traditionally heteronormative holiday and make it their own.

Chisholm has served multiple semesters as the GU Pride transgender representative, a position that she initially helped to create. She has been in a monogamous relationship with her girlfriend Celine — a Georgetown student whose name has been changed to preserve anonymity, as her sexual orientation is not public — for approximately one month. Chisholm identifies herself as a transgender student, and Celine is a cisgender student.

This year, Valentine’s Day offered the new couple a chance to wade into waters it had avoided up to that point.

“We got dressed and decided to go get coffee at Saxby’s. Even though both of us were passable straight women, we decided to be shameless about holding hands.

[Later] we went out for dinner,” Chisholm said. “Our reservation was at nine o’ clock at Me Jana. It was this Lebanese cuisine place in who-knows-where, and that was a little sketchy, but the place was really nice. When we got there we were holding hands totally shamelessly in the lobby, and everyone was looking at our hands.”

For Chisholm, hand-holding held an extra level of meaning that went beyond the ordinary romantic gesture.

“We hold hands when we’re off campus. We hold hands at night, on M Street, and in most other places,” Chisholm said.

“But on [campus], even for me, such a highprofile GU Pride character, I think I would just be getting a little too much attention.

And I think most couples feel that way; it’s not exclusive to this kind of couple. But Valentine’s Day is about her and me, celebrating us. I just didn’t want to care; I wanted to be in my own little bubble.”

These declarations of love have changed the way that LGBTQ couples perceive the holiday. For Chisholm and Celine, their gender-conscious behavior on Valentine’s Day added to the significance that their interactions with each other held.

While Celine was inside Saxby’s ordering coffee, Chisholm went across the street to the flower store to pick up six roses she had ordered three days in advance.

“I went into the flower shop and I was on top of it; I knew what I was doing. You’d think guys would know how to do that.

But there were three guys in front of me in line, and they looked lost,” Chisholm said.

“There was one guy looking at tulips like, ‘Are these roses?’ I think it’s funny because guys are thrust into this role — they really don’t know what they’re doing. I certainly don’t mind doing things like that because to me, gender is a little added bonus. It’s not something that I feel is a stringent or strict law that I have to abide by. It’s all a construction to me. When you transit from one gender to another, you see how much of it is actually voluntary, and how much you think is actually decided for you. For instance, who pays for the meal, who pays the check?”

This attitude carried over to their dinner at Me Jana, where Celine ended up paying for the meal.

“I really don’t like going Dutch — I figure that it’s all going to even out anyway,” Chisholm said. “Paying Dutch is so surgical, saying we have to cut this right down the middle because it’s the only

thing that’s fair and fairness is important.

What’s important for a couple is that you take care of each other and that you do things for each other. I’ll pay for her for a meal, then she’ll pay for me.”

Chisholm and Celine are not alone in defying the heteronormative Valentine’s Day. Alex Kaplan (COL ’01) lives in Dupont Circle with his husband Olivier Basdevant and their infant daughter. Kaplan has been with Basdevant for over 11 years, and they have been married for five; they adopted their daughter last year in April. In their relationship, stereotypical gender distinctions have been blurred into nonexistence.

“My relationship with Olivier is so balanced; gender roles are just completely out. We just have no roles — we do everything together for each other. We step in with the baby, for example. We both change diapers, we both soothe, we both feed, we both play. For heteronormative couples I think that’s not usually the case,” Kaplan said. “On Valentine’s Day it’s the same thing: I bought him a card this year because he’d just been away for three weeks, he brought back beautiful gifts from another part of a world and I bought him those strawberries. What one does for another we both do for each other.” ♥♥♥ Although it is widely held that the days of chivalry and courtship are long gone, Valentine’s Day still stands as a time to reflect upon and appreciate one’s relationship with others. At Georgetown, heterosexual couples as well as couples within the LGBTQ community have found unconventional ways to enjoy the holiday with their loved ones.

Perhaps Kaplan phrased it best when he said, “If I had thought when I was a Georgetown student that I would be in Dupont Circle with a husband and a baby 15 years later, I would never believe it. Valentine’s Day is the holiday of love, and my advice would be to find time on that day and any day that feels special to be you, to love you and to love those that love you.”

center stage

GU Real Estate Club Launched First Real Estate Week Real Estate Week offered students of all interest levels a chance to explore the industry and talk to experts in the field

Bryan Yuen

Hoya Staff Writer

The Georgetown University Real Estate Club hosted its first-ever Real Estate Week this past week, featuring several events, seminars and panels that exposed students to different sides of the industry. Real Estate Club Co-President Aakash

Bhatia (MSB ’16) discussed the importance of real estate in the daily lives of students, and he hopes that Real Estate Week will become a helpful and engaging tool to be continue in the coming years.

What makes you interested in real estate?

My interest in real estate was

DANIEL SMITH/THE HOYA

Andrew Nader (COL ’16), left, and Aakash Bhatia (MSB ’16) are copresidents of the Georgetown University Real Estate Club.

sparked by my parents, both of whom work in the industry. In addition, my brother works in the industry, having worked at Tishman Speyer for the past several years. He is now an MBA student at Columbia Business School.

All three exposed me to various facets of the real estate world, from large-scale global projects to complex, local ones as well. While this initial interest was created by my family, these past few years at Georgetown have done much to propel it. Freshman year, Andrew [Nader (COL ’16)] and I, along with several other students, created the club.

Through events such as financial modelling workshops, property tours and more, my interest in the field has been solidified and I am now pursuing real estate internships for the upcoming summer.

Why is it important to educate people on real estate investment?

Regardless of the career path one pursues, real estate is an asset that we interact with on a daily basis.

Therefore, having knowledge on the basic components of the industry is extremely valuable.

Even as students at Georgetown, we deal with a number of housing issues from picking out a house to negotiating a lease. This becomes even a more important skill to

learn when one graduates from college.

From a business standpoint, real estate is the largest asset class in the world, comprising 42 percent of the total aggregate value of assets in the entire financial system.

Therefore, it’s a field one should at least have a basic understanding of, if one wants to be a well-rounded and knowledgeable individual in the business world.

Real estate investments also make for solid inflation hedges and add an additional level of diversity to one’s portfolio. Finally, as we saw from the most recent financial crisis, the housing market can have a dramatic effect on other components of the global economy. This makes it even more important to understand the industry.

The event is also a great way for the club to gain exposure. Many kids at Georgetown come in interested in real estate but often do not hear about the club; hopefully this event can attract future members and further solidify our efforts to become a well-recognized organization on campus.

What was the motivation for creating Real Estate Week?

Since its inception several years ago, our club has grown substantially in both our membership and our offerings.

One goal that we had for our first semester as co-presidents was to expand our career development opportunities. Real Estate Week, therefore, was created in an attempt to provide our club members with these opportunities and help them connect with experienced individuals in the industry.

What would you say about Real Estate Week to people who aren’t currently interested in a career in real estate?

I would definitely encourage them to still attend. As I mentioned before, real estate is a universal field and is something everyone should take the time to gain a basic understanding of. In my opinion, college is a time for academic and personal development, and I’ve always found panel discussions and lectures great ways to accomplish this.

What do you hope people get out of Real Estate Week?

Through our events, we hope that kids can gain valuable insight into real estate, both from academic and career standpoints.

Students pursuing a career in the industry have an opportunity to network with representatives from top firms while gaining tips on how to best prepare themselves for the internship/job process.

the guide

friday, FEBRUARY 20, 2015

Gradually Getting There

THE HOYA

B3

Arts FEATURE

Rebecca Childress

From Breadth to Depth A

n average 22-year-old in the United States has spent over 3,000 days in school, comprising nearly 78 percent of in her or his life. Choosing to go to graduate school prolongs your life as a student, but as I’ve come to learn, grad school is significantly different from any previous educational experience, including undergraduate studies.

Most undergraduate programs require some general courses in varying areas of study, such as mathematics, humanities, biology and physical sciences. There is no equivalent to this in graduate school. Most programs have some required core coursework, but they are all directly focused toward your area of study. This is an inherent quality of graduate studies: you are no longer seeking a broad education, but are instead narrowing your focus and specializing in a specific subject.

In many ways, this is a positive thing, as honing your skills provides you with a unique set of abilities and knowledge, which individuates you in the workplace. On the other hand, narrowing your studies occasionally causes an inadvertent bubble effect; after a few months within your program, Russian history or biostatistics becomes your entire worldview. European Union political conflicts fade to the back of your radar, and just forget about any celebrity news (Ariana who?).

But isn’t that what life truly is: a hodgepodge of philosophical thoughts, episodes of culinary disasters and tales of accidental adventures? Life is wonderfully varied, and it seems a shame for your experience to be limited by the confines of a single subject or skill. I am not suggesting that specializing is necessarily limiting, but I think it is important to always try to place your field of study within a broader scope.

Graduate classes also differ from undergraduate courses in many regards (depending on the institution, of course). There are no large lectures in grad school, and many classes are structured as seminars in which the students are expected to contribute as much as the professors. This means that students must be well-read and entirely prepared for class — no more light skimming of assigned readings and passive, half-conscious lecture attendances. If you were one of those constantly prepared students, you will be in fine shape in graduate school.

Although the amount of work per class is about the same, the amount of time spent working is greater. Professors expect a lot more from grad students, which translates into grad students spending a great deal of time perfecting every paper and thoroughly reading every assigned article. However, important to note is that you choose grad school and you choose your courses, so going into such depth in a subject you love is quite interesting and rewarding.

Extracurricular activities are another contrasting aspect of graduate school. In undergrad, you are encouraged to join a plethora of clubs and organizations, ranging from a cappella groups to fraternities to club sports. This diversification helps to form friendships that might never occur in class, as well as to provide an outlet to express other aspects of your personality and showcase unique talents.

In graduate school, you are encouraged not to join a dance group, but rather to do individual research, publish original work and have professional internships that all relate to your academic program. This heralds back to the discussion of focusing almost exclusively on one specific subject.

Although this is important to develop professionally, I do miss the ability to engage in activities outside of the classroom.

Possibly the greatest difference between undergrad and graduate school is that grad school is a choice. Many, if not most, high school graduates are college-bound upon graduation. So many, in fact, that it seems like the only step forward.

There are very few well-paying jobs that do not require at least a bachelor’s degree, and as such, it is only natural for most people to go to college.

However, graduate school is not such a necessity.

Those who choose to enroll in grad school either require the degree for their chosen profession, such as in the case of medical or law students, or are so interested by a particular area of study that they desire learning as much as they can about it through formal education. On top of this, undergraduate degrees often seem to be funded through collegiate institutions or parental bank funds, whereas only some graduate programs are funded (mostly doctoral programs).

Therefore, not only are grad students choosing to unnecessarily put themselves through the pain of graduate school, but they are often paying large sums of money for this experience. It is essentially like paying somebody to punch you in the stomach every day for two years. Well, perhaps that’s a slight exaggeration, but you get the idea.

Yet despite all of these differences, there are some similarities between undergraduate and graduate school. Late nights are a regular thing.

Caffeine becomes its own food group. You learn really interesting things that may or may not be of importance in the “real world.” 7 a.m. seems impossibly early, and Natty Light is an acceptable beverage. Free food is a real reason to attend any event — no matter how boring or strange. Textbooks are way too expensive. Some of the best friends you will ever have are made, and some of the best times of your life occur during these wonderful years.

Rebecca Childress is a master’s candidate in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. GRADUALLY GETTING THERE appears every other Friday.

COURTESY SHANNON MIDGLEY

Disney on Ice provided a fun, stress-free environment for children and the adults they brought along to enjoy a fun family night. Telling lesser-known Disney tales, such as that of Tinker Bell, this show turns out to be more relevant for college students than expected.

Skating Into Hearts Disney on Ice astounds with acrobatics

Emily Welch Hoya Staff Writer

It was hard to find one empty seat in Verizon Center Wednesday night — a school night. Kids and adults alike, dressed in costumes of their favorite fantasy characters, chewed on shaved ice in anticipation of the opening performance of Disney on Ice. For two hours, the stress of daily routines outside the walls of the venue was left behind as the audience shamelessly belted out “Under the Sea.” Verizon Center’s recent showing, run by the Worlds of Fantasy tour, Disney on Ice features vignettes from Disney favorites including “The Little Mermaid,” “Cars” and “Toy Story,” as well as newer stories like Tinker Bell and the Disney Fairies. After an introduction by Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Mater the tow truck and Sally from Disney’s acclaimed movie “Cars” fly onto the ice in convincing replicas of the actual cars. This leads the skeptic to wonder how anyone could skate, let alone see, while wielding a sizeable and clunky car costume on their shoulders. The cars spin around in dizzying formations to the jam “Life is a Highway,” a lead-up to Lightning McQueen’s dramatic entrance.

For Sasha Lanser, who skates as Tinker Bell, Disney on Ice is a family — one that she has been a part of for four years now.

“We totally feed off the audience and the energy. We love to see how happy kids get when they see their favorite characters. Just the reaction on everyone’s faces is great,” Lanser said.

It turns out, the story of Tinker Bell, one of the five Disney tales performed in the show, is more relevant to college students than it may initially seem. Tinker Bell is jealous of all of the other fairies’ talents and feels as though her talent as a tinker isn’t as extraordinary or important. It may seem like a rather simple plotline, but it strikes a familiar chord with Georgetown students comparing themselves to one another on such a competitive campus.

Tinker Bell’s effort to change the talent that makes her unique brings nothing but chaos to Pixie Hollow. Eventually she learns that when she believes in herself, magical things can happen. Point being, you don’t need to be the most talented fairy, or accounting student, to matter.

Lanser’s personal story that brought her to Disney on Ice is also one of adversity. Despite being diagnosed at four years old with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis in her knees, Lanser refused to let her condition prevent her from chasing her dream of becoming a professional figure skater.

Lanser said that even though Disney on Ice may not seem like a typical choice for college students, the show offers something to everyone.

“You can go and kind of relive your childhood, all of those great childhood memories. As an adult you have a lot of adult worries, if you will, and it’s really nice to come to this show and leave all of your problems at the door and come for an evening and have a really great time,” Lanser said.

The well-choreographed show is full of energy and visual splendor. Don’t let the

costumes fool you; the skaters manage to impressively execute difficult spins and lifts in attire that looks like it’s built more for precious display than athletic endeavors.

Elaborately painted sets are used as moving props throughout the show, which are gracefully incorporated into the storyline by the company.

Each Disney story has its own personality and adapted subplot. In “Toy Story,” Barbie and Ken are both given major comedic roles and have an entire solo routine dedicated to their love affair. For the adults in the audience, the “Toy Story” performance includes a mashup of classic songs like Queen’s “I Want to Break Free.” If you are past puberty, the sexual innuendos are almost impossible to miss, which adds another layer of entertainment for the older audience members.

Disney on Ice also incorporates aerial stunts and acrobatics, which one-up Miley Cyrus’s gently swinging wrecking ball.

Queen Clarion soars down to Pixie Hollow from the rafters of the Verizon Center in an intricate gown, reminiscent of Glinda’s entrance to Oz. Millennials may not be familiar with the Tinker Bell movie, released in 2008, but the story is easy to follow and fun to watch.

Ultimately, Worlds of Fantasy delivers entertainment regardless of your age. The flips and tricks in combination with the performance of classic Disney hits that most millennials know by heart make it a crowd pleaser. When it comes to D.C. again next year, be sure to buy your tickets and bring some cash along to pick up a souvenir.

Arts Feature

DC Bands Compete for Capital Title Shea Crowley

Special to The Hoya

Georgetown University hosts a music competition called Capital Clash todaay, featuring bands from Georgetown University, American University and The George Washington University. Conveniently located in Gaston Hall, this new event is open to students from all three universities, as well as members of the surrounding community.

The idea for Capital Clash came from Battle of the Voices, held last year in Gaston, where six schools participated in a singing competition similar to “American Idol.” The students who planned Battle of the Voices wanted to provide a forum for talented students, which inspired Capital Clash. This particular event will host a panel of judges from different parts of the D.C. music scene.

Each of the three participating universities will be represented by two bands that will battle for the title of best band.

The groups Tigers are Bad for Horses and

TIGERS ARE BAD FOR HORSES

Tigers Are Bad For Horses is one of two bands representing GU in Capital Clash.

The Ripples will represent Georgetown at Capital Clash. GWU will be represented by Bencoolen and Junyr of Purplex Crew, and AU will be represented by Kaeli Patchen and Boon.

The event is sponsored in part by the Georgetown Program Board, with the intent of exposing Georgetown students to local artists. GPB held auditions in October for the Georgetown bands. Afterward, videos of the applicants’ auditions were posted, and students were given the opportunity to vote for their favorites.

In addition to the publicity gained from the competition, GPB is offering a prize specifically to the Georgetown competitors: the Georgetown winner will have the opportunity to open for the Spring Kickoff Concert.

The Ripples are a post-modern band, heavily influenced by ’60s pop music. The Ripples’ members are Tyler Pierce (COL ’15), Will Heuser (COL ’15), Anthony Albanese (COL ’16), Ben Suarez (COL ’14) and Zach Fore. They said they are looking forward to the opportunity to play with bands from George Washington and American.

“We love the D.C. music scene, and are actively trying to learn and grow within it, and so hearing other groups from other colleges in the city will be a great opportunity to see what’s making waves out there,” Heuser said.

The Ripples see Capital Clash as an opportunity to see what other local groups are doing and also show off their work to people in and beyond the Georgetown community.

In particular, they are excited for the highstakes nature of the competition. “[This] is an event we’d never pass up; it’s a chance to put our best against the best that other new, young groups are putting out and see how it all shakes out. We live for that, for the chance to get up on a stage and seize the moment right from the first note,” Heuser said.

The Ripples have two studio albums, although their latest album, “The Ripples,” will not be released until Feb. 24. Their latest single, “The Jive,” was released Feb. 17.

Tigers are Bad for Horses will also be rep-

resenting Georgetown. The electronic indie pop band, consisting of Mary Ellen Funke (SFS ’15) and Lyell Evans (COL ’13), is excited to be a part of the inaugural Capital Clash alongside The Ripples.

“It is always fun to be able to play music with other student bands, and it is exciting to be a part of the first-ever year of Capital Clash,” Funke said. “It seems like a great way to connect the music communities of all the D.C. schools. We’ve worked really hard to grow the music scene at Georgetown, so it’s just fun to see that being fostered.”

The duo performed at the Kickback music festival in the fall and look forward to playing alongside other local bands in an event that brings together groups from across the D.C. music scene.

The competition will be judged by an impressive panel of individuals from different parts of the D.C. music community. GPB Concert co-chairs Andrew Minkovitz (SFS ’17) and Kevin Phelan (MSB ’16) contacted members of the 9:30 Club, U Street Music Hall, the Duke Ellington School of the Arts, Grammy U and the Sweetlife Festival, all of whom were interested in judging the competition.

The coordinators of Capital Clash have high hopes for the event.

“We are hoping anyone and everyone comes out to the event. Whether you are in it to support Georgetown in a competition against AU and GW, or because you want to hear great acts perform live, the event should cater to a wide range of musical interests,” Phelan said.

By showcasing some of the very talented musical groups that exist in and around Georgetown, Capital Clash will bring attention to them as well as the larger musical community in the District.

“Hopefully this will start a better dialogue between the three schools for future events, especially pertaining to music and arts,” Phelan said.

Students attending Capital Clash will be sure to hear some great music from six local, talented, and up-and-coming bands today in Gaston Hall at 7:30 p.m.

B4

the guide

THE HOYA

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2015

APPS URBAN ENGINES Free

GEORGETOWN CABARET

Georgetown Cabaret is preparing for its upcoming show at Black Cat. It will perform a variety of hits from several decades on Friday, Feb. 20, at 9 p.m.

Georgetown Cabaret Prepares for Big Showcase CABARET, from B1 experiences.”

These varied musical backgrounds range from rock to jazz to pep, since many of the various instrumentalists in the group are also involved with other bands on campus. Band members agree that having singers and musicians from such a variety of backgrounds makes the preparation process more fun and interesting. It takes people who wouldn’t usually collaborate — like a cappella singers and jazz musicians — and lets them make music together in a community setting.

“It’s actually an intersection of all these different musical groups on campus. People from all these different musical groups actually get to meet each other and talk to each other,” Abbott said.

This bonding that the singers and band members get to experience is mirrored in the audience, according to Roach.

“I feel like everyone who comes is acquainted. You look around and see all these people you know and kinda don’t know and everyone just becomes friends in one night,” Roach said.

The laid-back atmosphere of the venues and the relaxed nature of the group also add to the fun vibe of its shows. Since

Cabaret isn’t technically affiliated with Georgetown, it does not have to negotiate with the Performing Arts Committee for funding. And, since the genre is rock ‘n’ roll, it doesn’t have to be perfectly put together. Mistakes can be part of the fun.

“You can stumble on your lyrics and it’s fine and people laugh and you go on with it. It’s definitely more relaxed, and it’s much more centered on having fun and producing a fun product,” Roach said.

A lot can be expected at Friday’s show.

“We do span the decades. We’re playing songs all the way back from the ’60s and we’re also playing pop songs,” McCusker said.

He declined to reveal any tracks from the set list, but he did drop one tantalizing hint: “There may or may not be someone dressing up as Bruce Springsteen.”

When it comes down to it, this is a show you really don’t want to miss.

“I think it’s a great way to see the best and most talented musicians in Georgetown all playing together,” Abbott added.

And, since Cabaret only plays one big show a year, this is your best chance to see all that talent in one place.

Tickets are on sale at Vital Vittles and Midnight Mug: $12 in advance, $15 at the door. The venue, Black Cat, is located at 1811 14th St. NW. Doors open at 9 p.m.

’BAMA ROGUE

Classic Comfort Food Carries Beyond the Table

O

I do think it’s an art the way Southerners ne of the things I miss most from home is comfort food. I’ve known can convey so much through their food, since I was a little kid that food is whether it be an emotion or a message. important and that it has power; that pow- “I love you.” “I’m thinking about you.” “I er is, perhaps, why it plays such a large miss you.” So as much as I may complain about tradition and its restrictiveness, this role in Southern culture.

Back in August, just a few days before is one I hope never goes away.

Culturally, there are a lot of things still I was scheduled to leave for Georgetown, my father asked me what I wanted him to wrong with the South. For some reason, cook for my last meal. I have many favor- Southerners often seem the most resistant ites when it comes to my dad’s cooking: to progress and change. We have our own his seafood boil, his Fourth of July barbe- way of doing things, and when others try cue, his white chili. However, I didn’t ask to come and change that, it becomes a big him for any of these things. I instead asked problem. However, this stubborn mindset does have some benefits. There is somehim to make drunk chicken.

It wasn’t a meal he made often, so it had thing beautiful about treasuring and rebeen a while since we last ate it. And hon- flecting on the past, about holding on to traditions of your ancestors who lived deestly, he could think of better recipes.

But, drunk chicken is something we ate cades before you.

Traditions, such as cooking, can bring a lot when I was a little girl. So when he made it again, back in August, I was once about intimacy and can preserve a memagain transported back to those times. I ory; this is similar to the way a picture or can remember always thinking how funny voice recording of a loved one preserves the chicken would look sitting on top of legacy, but food is much more physical.

No, I can’t hold my grandthe beer can while it grilled, mother’s hand anymore or and I always loved how the watch her cook, but I can still smell would consume the liva hold a wooden spoon the ing room of our small apartsame way she did and lovment. That scent is one I love. ingly stir my pot of noodles, It’s one I can never forget. butter and salt.

As of late, I’ve been cravNo, I can’t go back to being ing macaroni and cheese a a little girl, but I can still eat lot. I’m not talking about the food that I loved as a kid, the kind out of the box. Not Jasmine White and I can still feel my father’s Velveeta. Not Kraft. I want the love, attention and care when real stuff, made from scratch with love. My grandmother was the one I eat that food. I can still feel that same who taught me how to make macaroni warmness in the pit of my stomach. And every time is like the first time. and cheese.

I’m not sure why humans obsess so We would make macaroni and cheese and the dressing together every thanksgiv- much over the past, but the truth is that ing. And even now whenever I eat her rec- we do. We long to relive those special moipe I feel like she is there with me. When ments, though we know we never actuI make it, it feels like I am travelling back ally can. Even now, though I’m still quite in time to those early Thanksgiving morn- young, I am constantly thinking about the ings. My father, my grandmother and I times of my childhood. I am constantly would be in the kitchen, the room smell- dreaming of re-experiencing those same ing like collard greens and ham; the air feelings with those same friends. I want to would be thick with smoke from the grease have that innocence again, that same surof whatever was frying; on TV, the Macy’s prise at life.

And while I do think you should cherThanksgiving Day Parade would be playing.

It occurred to me a while ago that the ish each and every present moment, you anniversary of my grandmother’s death should also stop sometimes and reflect was just two weeks ago. Honestly, I can’t on the things you’ve done and the people believe nearly two years have already who’ve affected you. Then those happy passed since then. However, it seems that moments, those wonderful times with something inside of me did remember. those wonderful people, can continue to And maybe that’s the explanation for this live even though they have passed. sudden craving. I can’t bring my grandmother back, but I can always eat her food. I Jasmine White is a freshman in the can always relive those precious times spent College. ’BAMA ROGUE appears every with her, if only through my stomach. other Friday.

Feeling stuck in the Georgetown bubble? Unsure of how to use the Metro? The new app Urban Engines has one goal --- get you from point A to point B as quickly and as cheap as possible. Supporting several cities nationwide, including Washington, D.C., Urban Engines lets you know which train, bus or taxi to take to any given location. It is constantly updated, so you never miss your ride. Also, if you are stuck in a no-Wi-Fi zone or are running low on this month’s data plan, there is the capability to download maps and use them offline.

SNL Free If the Saturday Night Live 40year anniversary special left you wanting more, check out this app that gives an exclusive behind-thescenes look at SNL throughout the years. Instant streaming for the most famous sketches is also available, and even some full-length episodes are ready to watch. The best feature of the app is the inclusion of an SNL Emoji keyboard, consisting of emoticons of your favorite SNL characters from 1975 to today. Swipe through a library of 40 years’ worth of entertainment, all in the palm of your hand, and share your favorites with your friends!

LEGEND $1.99 When plain black-on-white text is just too boring, check out the app that allows you to create animated text GIFs and images instantly, and share them to spice up any conversation.

With a variety of fonts, colors and animation styles ready for instant use, Legend is certainly worth the small price. “Legend is typography choreography,” the app’s slogan reads, and it proves true to its words. With built-in capabilities of all social media and messaging apps, Legend makes it easy to send and receive fun text GIFs in just a few simple steps.

HOYA HISTORY

“PROFESSOR CORNEL WEST DISCUSSES MATTERS OF RACE” February 16, 1996

This week in Georgetown history, Cornel West gave a speech to a packed Gaston Hall about the importance of discourse in racial matters.

University President Leo O’ Donovan introduced West before his speech as one the “foremost speakers in American intellectual life.” This is still true today as West continues to be one of the most relatable, accessible and publicly prominent intellectuals.

His discussion was motivated by the John F. Connelly Program in Business Ethics, so while he spoke about racial issues, he also approached the topic simultaneously as an analysis of how racial issues intertwine with capitalist structures. A student of philosophy and religion, he referenced literary legends from T.S. Eliot to Arthur Miller. while making his arguments He pointed out the specific problems of unregulated capitalism that can lead to greater divisiveness, making racial unity a more difficult dream. While he had specific arguments, West’s central message was to encourage open discussion about the issues of race.

SUNSETS OVERSEAS | PALAWAN, PHILIPPINES

ISABEL BINAMIRA/THE HOYA

the guide

friday, February 20, 2015

THE HOYA

B5

RESTAURANt review

Newest Sweet Treat in DC Gives Off Good Vibes Baked by Yael

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3000 Connecticut Ave. NW | Cuisine: Bakery | $$$$ Brian Davia

Special to the Hoya

The newest trend emerging in the culinary world is that of the specialty dessert shop. One example of such is Baked by Yael, a small bakery specializing in the intricate art of the famous cake pop.

Transitioning from an exclusive delivery service to its first storefront two months ago, Baked by Yael has recently started to show signs of growth.

Founded by Yael Krigman in 2011, the company focuses on providing consistently delicious cake pops of the finest quality. Krigman started baking to relieve stress while in law school over a decade ago, and ultimately left her law firm eight years later to pursue her culinary dreams. Having been featured in the Best of Washington magazine, among other accolades, her success is indisputable. It is safe to assume that her newest venture into a physical storefront will soon flourish as well.

Located directly across from the National Zoo, D.C.’s first cakepoppery provides its customers with the distinct pleasure of indulging in the newest sweet treat phenomenon.

The experience itself begins as soon as one enters into the quaint storefront. Its crisp white walls accented by bright pink detail help to immediately create a chic and inviting atmosphere. The glass case that displays an array of their signature cake pops is sure to catch one’s attention.

Accompanied by an assortment of pastries, these delicacies serve as the

premier focal point.

While the cake pops may be the center of attention, several beverages and snacks are offered as accompaniments. The most noteworthy aspect is their organic nature. Although one does not necessarily associate a dessert shop with healthful ideals, Baked

by Yael defies this perception. Not only are the beverages made with allnatural ingredients, but the cake pops themselves are also free of preservatives. This attitude towards providing the most wholesome products contributes to the overall culture of the business. With an increasing movement toward foods that are both healthy and nutritious, the mission of Baked

by Yael sets it up to succeed. Rather than choosing a cupcake and soda, the alternative of an additive-free dessert and juice is much more appealing. By achieving equal, if not better, flavors with more organic ingredients than the average bakery, the store is able to attract the individuals who wish to feel better about what they choose to eat.

Rather than having a physical menu, the customer must listen to the individual behind the counter describe the flavor choices aloud.

Although this method is somewhat obscure, it succeeds in facilitating an interaction between the worker and customer. This often leads to a mini conversation while the individual decides which flavor to try.

The lemon, red velvet, birthday cake and chocolate samples each embodied a distinct and delectable flavor profile. The crunch of each cake pop’s

BRIAN DAVIA/THE HOYA

Baked by Yael impresses with its natural approach to sweets as it chooses to keep its foods preservative-free.

Not only are its foods free of these chemicals, its cake pops are impressively bold and tasteful. hardened candy coating contrasting with the moist interior further added to the dining experience by highlighting textural components. My personal recommendation would be the lemon flavor, as it mastered a subtle yet defined taste. Simply put, the cake pops at Baked by Yael perfectly epitomize an ideal bite of cake and crunch.

The main deterrent from the overall experience is the pricing of their goods. Each cake pop costs $3.25.

While this isn’t by any means outlandish in comparison to typical

market prices, it is understandable why this may be cause for concern.

Considering that the typical college student lives on a tight budget, it’s safe to assume that quantity is many times just as, if not more, important than quality when it comes to food.

Furthermore, the temptation of a Georgetown Cupcake for an equal price makes it hard for one to justify opting for a cake pop instead.

That being said, the experience at Baked by Yael is much more than a simple monetary transaction. The

relaxed and welcoming atmosphere puts the customer in a good mood.

Furthermore, it appeals to people of all ages. This store is a perfect place to take a date, stop by with a friend or even sit down with the entire family. The cake pop itself is aesthetically pleasing, which induces a feeling of happiness to the customer. In a way, this mirrors the store itself, which cultivates positive vibes. With delectable cake pops and an exquisite ambience, Baked by Yael is a necessary stop for any and all connoisseurs of sweets.

RECIPES

RESTAURANT review

Polish Paczki

ALLISON HILLSBERY/THE HOYA

While the price at Unum is high, it is a great place to go for a nice meal the next time family is in town.

Though it focuses on American foods, this restaurant puts a special, exciting twist on all its meals.

Trendy Dishes Exceed Hopes Unum

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2917 M St. NW | Cuisine: New American | $$$$ ALLISon HILLSBERY Hoya Staff Writer

Located several blocks down M Street is Unum, a small, trendy restaurant that specializes in contemporary American cuisine.

The establishment is owned by Executive Chef Phillip Blane and his wife, Laura Schiller, who strive to create a cozy neighborhood spot that also offers consistently wonderful food. The menu features regional and international spins on familiar dishes, and there are many intriguing options available. Unum draws its name from the popular Latin phrase “E Pluribus Unum,” which means “Out of many, one.” Both the central philosophy of the restaurant and the food that it brings to the table seek to reflect the many places, people and experiences combined to create cohesive individual entities.

My friends and I visited Unum as part of D.C.’s Winter 2015 Restaurant Week. Unum’s Restaurant week offering was a three course prix fixe menu for about $35. Patrons could select an appetizer or mini charcuterie plate, two mini entrees and a dessert or small cheese plate — essentially a four-course meal. Between the four of us trading bites, we were able to sample a significant portion of the menu, so the food at Unum deserves a generally praise-worthy rating.

To start off, I selected the lobster bisque which was enjoyable but a little bland. Only a small amount of lobster floated in the middle of

the creamy broth, and this was the singular highlight of the dish.

In contrast, the mortadella meatballs with fig jam that my friend ordered was one of the star dishes of the evening. The rich spiciness of the jalapenos in the meatball was tamed by the smooth parmesan cheese and fruitiness of the jam to create a perfectly balanced flavor combination. The charcuterie plate was impressive as well, and came complete with classic accoutrements. The firm bra duro cheese and black truffle salami that we ordered were certainly a solid way to start a quality meal.

The rosemary gnocchi entree was a lot to take in. Butternut squash, beech mushrooms, Brussel sprout petals and cranberries initially seemed to compete for the diner’s attention. In the end, however, the colorful plate was also a successful blend of flavors that added layers of complexity and texture to the simple potato pasta.

I was blown away by the pan seared duck breast entrée. Expectations were far exceeded by the flavorful and perfectly cooked slices of duck that were served over a roasted sunchoke puree and garnished with kale, figs and kumquat chutney. Others tried the sesame crusted sea scallops, which were purportedly well-cooked and tasty. The boneless short rib pasta was another table favorite and came complete with tender beef and

baby root vegetables.

Dessert choices we opted for were the blackberry-apple crisp and the ricotta beignets. We were all very full at this point, yet still managed to finish off the yummy desserts with accompanying shots of espresso. The fruit crisp was served a la mode with vanilla ice cream which made for a decadent, seasonal classic. I preferred it to the beignets, which were served with a cardamom blueberry sauce, but both desserts were a fitting finale to an outstanding meal.

Unum’s standard menu options vary slightly from those that were listed for the Restaurant Week special. Though patrons typically cannot order the duck breast or gnocchi, the current dinner menu features other appealing options such as the braised Indian lamb shank ($28) and pan roasted halibut ($28). Available side dishes include mushroom truffle mac n cheese ($7) and Tuscan kale with apples and pecans ($7). Pumpkin panna cotta with mascarpone cream and amaretti stand out among the desserts ($7 each).

Unum is a great place to eat out in Georgetown. The decor is simple and elegant. The wait staff is friendly and efficient. The food consistently demonstrates an incredible command of flavor and texture combinations. The prices may be a stretch for the average college budget, so suggest Unum as an option the next time your parents are in town.

seasonandsuppers.ca For those who have not given up sweets in the Lenten tradition, Polish paczki can bring you right back to the great indulgences of Fat Tuesday. These doughnut-like pastry desserts are extremely filling and extremely satisfying.

INGREDIENTS

1 package instant yeast (2-1/4 tsp.)

1 cup whole milk 2 large egg yolks 1/4 cup granulated white sugar 2 tbsp. melted butter

1/2 tsp. vanilla 1/2 tsp. salt 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour Oil White Granulated Sugar Jam

In a small saucepan, heat milk until steaming and small bubbles accumulate around the edges. Remove and let cool. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in the lukewarm milk and let stand for 5 minutes.

Add 1 cup of the flour. Mix together and let stand for 20-30 minutes.

Beat the yolks in a small bowl until they are light and fluffy. Add the melted butter and sugar to the yeast mixture, then mix. Add salt, vanilla and beaten egg yolks. Add rest of the flour to bowl.

Grease a clean bowl and add dough; let the dough rise. Deflate dough and gently roll into a ½-inch thick circle. Gently cut out circles with 3-inch biscuit cutter. Place onto a parchment lined baking sheet, cover and let rise until doubled (about 30 minutes).

Poke a hole in the side with a knife. Use a pastry bag with a large plain tip to pipe jam or custard filling inside.

Heat oil to 360° F. Fry paczki until golden on one side, then flip and fry the other side. Fry until they are a deep golden color. Cool for 30 seconds and immediately roll in granulated sugar. Let cool.

New Orleans Hurricane

allrecipes.com It’s Mardi Gras season, so nothing seems more fitting than getting into the cheerful spirit with a flavorful, zesty New Orleans Hurricane.

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup ice 2 fluid ounces light rum 2 fluid ounces passion fruit flavored syrup 1 cup lemon-lime flavored carbonated beverage 1 ounce lime juice 1 fluid ounce 151 proof rum In a shaker combine ice, light rum, passion fruit syrup, lemonlime flavored carbonated beverage and lime juice.

Shake well and pour mixture into a large glass. Float the rum on top of the drink.

Poker D Tempranillos 2010 cheapwinefinder.com

This wine gives a true taste of Spain by blending four Tempranillos from the Castilla-La Mancha region of the country. The wine bursts with vast, fruitful flavors and hints of vanilla and spice. Better yet, it packs this punch for under $20 a bottle. For such a price, this wine is a worthy one for those who want to try the tastes of Spain.

B6

the guide

THE HOYA

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2015

MOVIE REVIEW

THE CINEMA FILES

The Last Five Years

Film Boasts Bitter Satire I

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Starring: Anna Kendrick Directed by: Richard LaGravenese KARI NELSON

Special to The Hoya

There are not many Valentine’s Day movies that begin with a breakup, but that is only one of the ways “The Last Five Years” distinguishes itself from the goopy, forced love stories that are spewed out every Feb. 14. The movie is a breathtaking combination of charming and heartbreaking as it follows the five-year relationship of a young couple through song, demonstrating what musical theater-made-film ought to be.

Following the arc of a five-year relationship between struggling actress Cathy Hiatt (Anna Kendrick) and novelist Jamie Wellerstein (Jeremy Jordan), the movie is unapologetically real. The plot of the movie is driven by two opposing timelines: Cathy looks back on the relationship from their breakup to their first date, and Jamie looks back in chronological order from first date to breakup. This setup shows the full spectrum of a relationship — from the honeymoon phase to struggles to marriage and beyond. “The Last Five Years” does not sugarcoat love as always blissful and idyllic; it deconstructs the romance, shows us its twists and turns and gives credit to the work and pain that goes into any real relationship. Most importantly, it shows both Cathy’s and Jamie’s perspectives. It does not pin the blame on anyone or anything, but reminds viewers that sometimes, things just don’t work out.

Kendrick and Jordan have incredible chemistry, and while Jordan is the better singer of the two, their vocals are extremely complementary. The experience Jordan gained from his lead roles in Broadway musicals like “Bonnie and Clyde” and “Newsies” help him confidently make the character of Jamie his own. Jordan balances Jamie’s ego and career success with a boyish grin and genuineness that makes

him likeable despite his faults.

Kendrick’s extensive film experience shows in her ability to captivate the viewer in the simplest of shots. Though Cathy feels left behind in Jamie’s success and is frustrated with her career, Kendrick is still able to evoke empathy rather than disdain for Cathy’s jealousy. Between this and her commendable performance as Cinderella in December’s “Into the Woods,” Anna Kendrick has firmly established herself as a vocal force.

Musically, the movie is opera-style, akin to “Rent,” and encompasses multiple genres including pop, rock, Latin and jazz. The opposing timelines force a majority of solo songs, which indicate whose narrative is being portrayed. The only musical intersection between the characters, which shows the unity of the characters’ beliefs and mindsets, happens briefly when the couple is engaged and married.

Jason Robert Brown wrote “The Last Five Years” based on his failed marriage. The show premiered at Chicago’s Northlight Theatre in 2001, was produced off-Broadway in 2002 and was revived off-Broadway in 2013. His ex-wife threatened legal action against the show if he portrayed their relationship too closely, causing him to rewrite one of his original songs. Brown’s emotions were raw and came across as such in the movie. Brown, as well as Betsey Wolfe and Sherie Rene Scott, who had both portrayed Cathy, have cameos in the film, showing the musical theater seal of approval given to the film.

The stage version of “The Last Five Years” only has two cast members, Jamie and Cathy, and is performed on a rather bare stage. The stark setup emphasizes the skill of the actors and the excellent music.

Because of the visual demands of a film compared to those of a show, there are a number of rough transitions in moving “The Last Five Years” from the stage to the

Starring: Mae Whitman Directed by: Ari Sandel Special to The Hoya

Make no mistake: “The Duff” is a movie for tween girls. It’s simple and, though funny at times, ultimately underwhelming. That being said, it does have some fun with the feelgood high school comedy genre.

The premise of the movie is pretty typical: a high school girl named Bianca discovers that she’s the “DUFF,” or “designated ugly fat friend,” in her group and decides to change her life with the help of her obnoxiously attractive childhood friend — who also happens to be captain of the football team and her neighbor. From there, the plot follows the typical structure of a teen movie, with its emotional highs and lows based on the main character’s relationships with various boys and her social standing (or lack thereof). It’s the kind of plot your little sister would probably eat up, but there’s not quite enough weight or creativity to make the movie palatable to anyone above the age of 15.

The dialogue drags with cliche after cliche, and the mood in scenes changes abruptly.

Characters change their minds with little to no convincing, and a lot of the exposition feels forced and awkward. The voiceover — which is certainly an overused device in these kinds of movies — feels trite, and a lot of the dialogue overtly delivers the girl-power message of the movie.

Just the first few minutes of the movie overuse a lot of teen movie tropes. Within the first half hour, Bianca has already thrown a drink in a guy’s face, looked at herself questioningly in the mirror, and Googled the term “DUFF.” She’s already encountered the quirky teacher, the school drama queen and

screen. Although it is made clear which character is the primary vocalist, it is sometimes difficult to keep the timelines separate, requiring careful viewing. The movie provides very obvious visual cues in location jumps by using landscape shots and iconic buildings to show movement.

The addition of dramatic sets and extras takes some of the original charm and simplicity away from the film version. For example, in one very jarring and unnatural scene, Jamie walks in time to the music in what seems to be a very half-hearted choreography.

The main downside of the film is that it did not have the luxury of a big-budget Hollywood blockbuster. It has a lamentable amount of public awareness, and despite Kendrick’s star power, the movie experiences the same setbacks as the typical the low-budget indie musical.

The upside is that the film maintains the intimate feel of the musical. How to best produce a stage-to-screen musical is still being worked out, but compared to other stage-to-screen adaptions, “The Last Five Years” feels authentic, as a musical should.

It is easy to look at the stories of perfect romance that are so pushed in our society and expect them to be reality. “The Last Five Years” challenges viewers to not overlook the lessons that can be gained from failure. When Jamie says, “Goodbye” and Cathy replies, “Goodbye until tomorrow” at the end of the movie, the prevailing feeling is a strange mixture of sadness at what is over and hope at what is only beginning. Perhaps the most meaningful lesson to be learned from the film is this: just because a relationship ended doesn’t make it unimportant.

MOVIE REVIEW

The Duff

ANNA SHUSTER

GRAND PEAKS ENTERTAINMENT

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countless other cliche cast members.

The character development is poor at best, and at times even nonsensical. It tries to make the male lead, Wes, more sympathetic by giving him a scene with family drama and awkwardly tries to work into the dialogue the fact that he’s a scholarship student. His character could have used a much more developed back story if the screenwriters were going for the underappreciated, misunderstood jock character.

Bianca’s friends are also poorly developed.

You can tell that the author was going for girl-power-style gender equality by making it so that one of Bianca’s beautiful friends just happens to also be an incredible hacker, but her skills only get fleeting mentions in the storyline and remain completely unexplained, only showing up when they’re needed to move the plot forward. It was an awkward addition to a very underdeveloped character.

Bianca is the only character who consistently shines, probably because Mae Whitman plays her with a very clear openness to awkwardness. She is utterly believable as the cult-movie-loving, plaid-flannel-wearing, adorably awkward lead, and her growth into confidence feels very natural.

Her fellow lead, Robbie Amell as Wes, also has some fantastic moments, which is part of the reason the second half of the movie feels more organic and less cliche. The emotions in his face seem genuine and help lead the movie into more believable and interesting territory.

This film also built tension in the second half. The soundtrack, though occasionally too obvious in its attempt to match lyrics to the tone of the scene, contributes to the at-

LIONSGATE

tack and release tension strategy that the director seems to be going for. There’s a particular moment towards the end of the movie where Daft Punk’s “Give Life Back to Music” keeps building and building until it drops off perfectly in time with the release of tension in the scene, and it’s a great moment for the movie.

The movie also does a good job of delivering a satisfying ending. The twists may be predictable, but at least in the very end it does what every uplifting tween movie should: it makes you feel good. You don’t mean to, but you leave the theater smiling. Plus, it’s hard not to laugh at the ending credits — they may just be the funniest part of the movie.

This isn’t a movie to pay money to see as a college student, or as anyone who isn’t a tween girl. But if you’re somehow forced to watch it, you’ll probably enjoy it just a little bit.

BEST BETS

f death and taxes are the fabled two certainties of life, then attacks on the aristocracy and outrage over awards shows are the two certainties of cinema.

With the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences set to bestow a new fleet of Oscar statuettes on their films of choice this weekend (and I promise, dear readers, that next time I’ll get back to writing about the obscure 1960s foreign films you’ve all been clamoring for), perhaps now is the time to talk about one film — and one filmmaker — that won’t be at the party.

Ruben Ostlund, writer and director of “Force Majeure,” Sweden’s passed-over entry to the foreign film race, turned some heads when a video of his reaction to the livestream of the Oscar nomination announcements surfaced on Youtube. It is understandable for a director to freak out about missing a ticket to the Academy Awards. While the prizes themselves don’t always indicate a film’s future reputation (just ask “Citizen Kane”), for international directors a nomination from the Academy can be the difference between earning a more widespread viewership and slipping into obscurity.

Something is definitely awry in Ostlund’s reaction video — after wandering off-screen, his producer is heard advising him, “don’t strip” — and in light of his film’s satirical take on societally approved standards of behavior, it’s easy to read the video as a farce making fun of the song and dance around the awards race. In any event, neither the d i r e c to r ’ s questionable behavior (whether real or scripted) nor the Academy’s indifference takes away from the mighty achievement of the film itself.

“Force Majeure” opens on the slopes of the French Alps, Tim Markatos where a picture-perfect Swedish family is posing for a fittingly perfect picture. Tomas and Ebba, the happily married parents of frisky munchkins Vera and Harry, are taking a much-deserved vacation from their chilly Scandinavian homeland at a luxury ski resort with all the finest accommodations: fine dining, rooms airlifted out of an IKEA catalogue and spectacular views of the Alpine locale. While enjoying lunch on a veranda overlooking the mountainside, a snowslide begins its majestic descent downhill for the pleasure of the smartphone-wielding crowd of diners. Things snowball, if you will, and the snowslide turns into a full-on avalanche that closes in with increasing rapidity on the increasingly panic-stricken crowd. Abandoning wife and children, Tomas hightails it out of there with only skis and iPhone in tow.

The avalanche turns out to have been a false alarm, but Ebba’s alarm at her husband’s reaction and his subsequent denial of his desertion is real. The remainder of the film puts Tomas and Ebba’s marriage — as well as upper-class marriages more generally — under the magnifying glass until it begins to fry. Tears are shed by man and woman alike, red wine is downed by the gallon and a drone is thrown in for good measure. Ebba, played with the iron-blooded resolve of Nordic native Lisa Loven Kongsli, gets her fair share of time to brood and yell, but Tomas (Johannes Bah Kuhnke) runs away with the show as the patriarch under pressure whose broken pride exposes the man-child running around in his Gillette commercial-ready body.

Unless you’re either married or Swedish, the appeal of “Force Majeure” may not be readily apparent (when I saw it in theaters last fall I was easily the youngest moviegoer in the packed audience by at least 40 years).

Nevertheless, Ostlund’s exacting filmmaking and darkly comedic edge has plenty to offer to movie lovers of any variety. If you’ve ever had the misfortune of being stuck between parents or friends as a petty disagreement escalates to volcanic proportions, you’ll find that Ostlund’s dialogue rings frighteningly true to the way arguments play out in real life. Even though Ostlund squarely aims his criticisms at a Western-European upper class with its overabundance of nice things, everybody will squirm at the questions he raises about how modern society has trained us to instinctively reach for our prized hardware before our flesh-and-blood relatives in the face of danger.

Just as exacting as Ostlund’s dialogue is his knack for crafting striking images. “Breathtaking” has fallen into overuse in film criticism, but I’m hard-pressed to find a better word to describe the immaculate expanses of mountain snow as framed and visualized here. Ostlund and his cinematographer Fredrik Wenzel also make excellent use of white space. Not only do the widescreen snowbanks dwarf the characters, further underscoring the pettiness of their first-world problems, but snow completely engulfs the frame and everything in it during the film’s two most pivotal moments. Ostlund is a director who knows the power of emptiness and harnesses it to its fullest potential; anyone can cut to white during a snowstorm, but only the most experienced of filmmakers will keep you in suspense for a full, interminable minute while waiting for the snow to subside.

From the standpoint of February 2015, it’s tough to say what will become of “Force Majeure” down the line.

Already several of its fans have taken to decrying the injustice of its Oscar snub and proclaiming it one of the greatest films of 2014. “Force Majeure” will have to settle for being the also-ran in this year’s foreign film awards race, but so long as Ostlund continues to churn out such deliciously fastidious satires he may very well end up the winner in the long run.

Tim Markatos is a senior in the College. THE CINEMA FILES appears every other Friday.

ON CAMPUS

CREATIVE SPARK: BLACKOUT POETRY

GUDC SPRING CONCERT

IMPROVFEST

FRIDAY MUSIC SERIES

WHERE: Healy Hall, HR Conference Room WHEN: Friday, 1:15 to 2:15 p.m.

INFO: eventbrite.com PRICE: Free (must register)

WHERE: Gonda Theatre WHEN: Friday and Saturday, 8 p.m.

INFO: guevents.georgetown.edu PRICE: $10 general, $8 student

WHERE: Leavey Center, Bulldog Alley WHEN: Friday and Saturday, 9 p.m.

INFO: facebook.com/GeorgetownImprov PRICE: $8 general admission, $5 student

WHERE: Dahlgren Chapel WHEN: Friday, 1:15 p.m.

INFO: guevents.georgetown.edu/ PRICE: Free

For those in need of inspiration, Creative Spark: Blackout Poetry presents the opportunity to delve into the depths of one’s conscience and creativity. Organized by the Georgetown University Wellness Director and actor Rachel Bridges, this activity fosters satisfaction and confidence.

The Georgetown University Dance Company presents its newest showcase for spring 2015 a myriad of dances choreographed by students and professionals alike. Classical, hip-hop and lyrical are to be expected in this dance ensemble.

The student-produced ImprovFest promises two evenings of comedy and creativity from actors and audience members alike. Professional improvisation troupes from around the nation will mingle with the Georgetown Improv Association.

In Georgetown University Music Program’s Friday Music Series, the full dexterity of the organ will be displayed by accomplished organ player Paul Skevington. The evening will also give homage to American composers through special focus on “Variations on America” and “Adagio for Strings.”

the guide

friday, february 20, 2015

THE HOYA

album Review

MUSIC

If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late Drake

Daniel smith Hoya Staff Writer

“Somewhere between I want it and I got it,” Drake told us on his last album “Nothing Was the Same.” His success is a hybrid, established and unfinished, embodied by his signature methodology of blending traditional rap cadences with melodic crooning.

It is the ambiguity surrounding this release that allows “If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late” to shine.

Walking the line between singer and rapper, pop star and emcee, Drake succeeds in proving that he does not have to choose one in order to be at the top of the rap game. Unsure of whether to label it a mixtape or an album, fans erupted over Twitter at the Feb. 13 11 p.m. surprise release on the sixth anniversary of Drake’s first

New Releases



critically acclaimed project “So Far Gone,” another mixtape-turned-album. With no promotion other than a short film posted on his blog the day of the release, the mixtape touts itself as Drake’s response to Beyoncé’s self-titled surprise album back in late 2013.

The leading track of the project, “Legend,” sets the tone with chestthumping bravado over an instrumental provided by label mate PartyNextDoor. Hard-hitting bass and trailing hi-hats surround an almost apathetic protagonist singing “Oh my god, oh my god / If I die, I’m a legend.”

It would not be a Drake project if it continued along the path of confidence. His more vulnerable side appears on “Madonna,” where a moody piano loop and muted drums create a hazy ambience for Drake to spout

PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE

Drake’s surprise release of “If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late” on Feb. 13 gave fans a pleasant suprise, though not revolutionary.

compliment after compliment as if over a drunk dial after a long night at the club. “You could be big as Madonna / Just get in the car and let’s touch the road,” he pleads.

The tone of each song seems to be dictated by the producer of the instrumental. Songs spearheaded by frequent collaborator Boi-1da such as “No Tellin’” and “6 God” bring out Drake’s self-assured persona, utilizing choppy horn samples and raucous percussion as a platform for arrogant, yet honest, couplets. When sound engineer and longtime friend Noah “40” Shebib provides the beat, songs such as “Madonna” and standout track “Jungle” tend to be more reflective and toned down with lowkey piano riffs and subtle drumbeats.

“Jungle” tops the other 16 songs with excellent sampling combined with some of Drake’s best singing yet.

The guest verses on “If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late” are relatively sparse given Drake’s superstar status.

Without the need to draw new listeners with outside acts, Drake is able to focus on putting out his own product.

That said, the appearances of mentor Lil Wayne, mentee PartyNextDoor and first-time partner Travi$ Scott are just enough to provide some variety in the 17-song track list. On “Company,” Scott teams up with teen female phenom producer Wondagurl, and the outcome is a layered soundscape that caters to Scott’s autotuned lines and Drake’s singsong verses.

The songs flow well from one to the other, something Drake has always excelled at. The cohesion of “If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late” comes from smooth transitions between hyped up and slowed down songs, but the overall themes bounce

OVO SOUND

back and forth between romantic woes, brags of success and homage to his hometown of Toronto. On “You and The 6,” he vents a tribute to his city and his mother, two major influences he cites in the successes he brags about in earlier songs.

The final track “6PM in New York” serves as a follow-up to past hits “9AM in Dallas” and “5AM in Toronto,” examples of bars-only Drake who skips the chorus altogether. All rap and no singing, he rides Boi-1da’s gritty synths and upbeat, confident drums to end the project on a high note.

“Oh you’ve got to love it,” he quips throughout the song --- a jab at his detractors because his signature sound drives the genre of hip-hop today.

“If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late” is not the revolutionary project Drake’s sophomore full-length “Take Care” was. But the songs amount to a solid collection to be enjoyed until the arrival of his rumored spring release “Views from the 6.” The evolution of his skillset demonstrates a heightened awareness of his Toronto sound and a willingness to continue to define it.

Is it truly an album? Maybe not.

Drake himself refers to it as a mixtape despite its $12.99 price tag. But 17 new Drake songs appearing on iTunes late on a Thursday night are nothing to complain about, and while it probably will not redefine its genre, it is the same high-caliber music Drake is known to put out. So maybe it should be treated as such – a care package to tide us over until the real gift arrives.

Album Review

Rhiannon Catalano Special to The Hoya

Love and Theft’s newest album, “Whiskey on My Breath,” can best be characterized as a rollercoaster ride.

While the country duo is able to impress with their talented lyricism and their smooth harmonies, they also disappoint with some of their hollow choices for the album’s themes.

Comprised of Stephen Barker Liles and Eric Gunderson, Love and Theft is an American Music Award, Country Music Award and Country Music Television Award-nominated duo.

But many music fans, even country fans, have no idea who they are.

While they struggled with their previous label, RCA Nashville, they have come up to release “Whiskey on My Breath,” their second album.

“Whiskey on My Breath” may be a surprise to the duo’s fans. The album

  has a slower vibe than their previous album. The album also goes back to a more traditional country sound. This country sound lends itself to a more vulnerable album, yet the contemporary country lyrics give the album a bro-country feel. This paradoxical structure leads to a widespread album filled with hits and misses.

The first few songs on the album are filled with boring cliches. While the songs are not bad, they are not good either. “Can’t Wait for the Weekend” is a cliched song about weekend warriors. Its subpar lyrics and bland vocals show off little of Love and Theft’s musical talent.

More cliches follow on “Anytime, Anywhere,” “Like I Feel It” and “Easy,” which are relationship songs with premises that have been heard a million times on country radio. Love and Theft bring nothing unique or creative to these songs. Although

MIKE CARROLL

Love and Theft lack creativity in their latest country album, with the only saving grace being nicely-crafted lyrics paired with harmonies.

lyrically, “Can’t Stop Smiling” would fall into this category, the song’s feelgood country vibe and use of a tambourine make it an exception from the cliches.

“Hang Out Hungover,” “Tan Lines” and “Let’s Get Drunk and Make Friends” follow the typical bro-country mold. All three songs center on drinking or girls, with “Tan Lines” being the worst offender. Again, none of these songs showcase Love and Theft’s lyrical talents.

Amid the trite themes, Love and Theft showcase their exceptional harmonies and traditional country capabilities paired with their American roots.

The song “Whiskey on My Breath,” the title track from the album, was quite a surprise. Based on the track name, one would assume the song is another hollow country song about drinking and partying. However, the lyrics portray another story: “No I ain’t afraid of dying / But what scares me to death / Is meeting Jesus / With whiskey on my breath.” The song is about the struggles of wanting to go to heaven while struggling with alcoholism and its perils. The song expresses more vulnerability and meaning than many of the empty country songs that are currently saturating the airwaves.

Further into the album is the song “Wrong Baby Wrong,” which country music fans will realize is a cover of a Martina McBride song that hit the top 15 in 2010. Liles was one of the writers of the song, so it makes sense that Love and Theft would cover it.

The song has a different perspective from the male point of view given by Love and Theft. Their version is slower and more stripped down than McBride’s version, which gives the duo

“What Kind of Man” Florence + The Machine  Florence + The Machine’s powerful pipes are back. But, after her previous album, there are big shoes to fill. Her latest track, “What Kind of Man,” builds anticipation for her album “How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful” that is to be released on June 2, and it makes the album worth the wait. With the roaring voice that fans of Florence have come to know and love, paired with the classic-rock feel of electric guitar and drum beats, this new single is a track for listeners of all genres.

“Lifted Up (1985)” Passion Pit  April 21 will mark the release of Passion Pit’s third studio album “Kindred.”

This track gives high hopes to the upcoming album, with synthesizer beats, a catchy tune and feel-good lyrics about the reminiscent year 1985, almost as if it jumped out of the decade itself. Sounding like something you would hear pouring out of Brownhouse, “Lifted Up (1985)” gives the Passion Pit alternative feel that listeners are used to, with a radioready single that leaves you feeling happy and energized.

“Kiss You In the Morning” Michael Ray 

Whiskey on My Breath

Love and Theft

B7

HATE AND PURCHASE MUSIC

a chance to showcase their vulnerability, which they do brilliantly. The use of the harmonica also adds a nice traditional country feel to the song.

“Everybody Drives Drunk” was another genuine surprise on the album.

Again, like with “Whiskey on My Breath,” the song is not about drinking as expected by the title. This song shows off the lyrical ability of Love and Theft with lines such as: “And everybody’s felt so alone / Like they’ll never find someone / They can call their own / And everybody’s addicted to their own kinda drug / And everybody drives drunk.” The song accentuates how everyone is influenced by past events in their lives. They use driving drunk as a fitting metaphor for going through life under the influence of past love or heartache.

Overall, “Whiskey on My Breath” misses the mark. Although a handful of songs are lyrically beautiful and brilliantly produced, the rest are filled with overused country cliches.

The quality of this album is understandable, however, since Love and Theft lost the original set of songs they recorded for their new album, and as independent artists needed to put out a new album quickly before they lost the fan base they had acquired while on RCA Nashville. However, “Whiskey on My Breath” shows what a great duo Love and Theft can be through their meaningful lyrics, showcased on a handful of songs and their perfectly sung harmonies.

Some say that country music is exclusive to the summertime --- and this song confirms this notion. Not only are the joyful lyrics and sunshine-y acoustics out of place for a snowy February, the overall concept of the track is juvenile and overdone.

Most country songs end up sounding the same: boy falls for girl, boy writes song for girl, boy sings about how much he loves girl. Sadly, this single falls directly in line with those ideas, making for an overall bland song that is both forgettable and almost too happy.

“NSFW” Timeflies  In comparison to rap geniuses, Timeflies does not adequately hold up. Sure, this track, which stands for “Not Safe for Work,” is the type of music that would blare from speakers on the weekend, but for musical enjoyment, there is not much to discuss. With raunchy lyrics, overwhelming bass and the inclusion of a female guest rapper, this song includes all of the classic elements of a rap song that would be featured on pop radio. However, the repeated lyric “Take out your phone / Send me something NSFW” is more “50 Shades of Grey” than radio ready, leaving listeners dissatisfied.

AROUND TOWN Emmy the Great

At the Hub of Things

DC Fashion Week

Sleepy Hollow

Where: DC9 When: Tuesday, Feb. 24, 9 p.m.

Info: dcnine.com Price: $14

Where: Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden When: This week Info: hirshhorn.si.edu Price: Free

Where: Various locations, see website When: Friday, Feb. 20 at 6 p.m., Saturday Feb. 21, 6 p.m.

Info: dcfashionweek.org Price: $35

Where: The Kennedy Center When: Wednesday through Friday, 7:30 p.m.

Info: washingtonballet.org Price: $25 and up

In anticipation of her third album, Emmy the Great will be performing excerpts of her new EP, “S,” at the DC9. The London native integrates new sounds into this album through techno influences and international contexts, providing this up-and-coming artist with a new edge.

In celebration of its 40th anniversary, the Hirshhorn museum will open a new exhibit commemorating its modern art collection, “At the Hub of Things: New Views of the Collection.”

Unlike traditional art exhibits, this collection transcends artistic styles and chronology.

This spring’s new colors, patterns and budding designers will come to light in D.C.’s highly anticipated Fashion Week 2015. Thursday’s Fashion Industry Network Party will display the trending jewelry for the new season.

In his newest chef d’oeuvre, Septime Webre brings back to life Washington Irving’s “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” in this classical interpretation. This thrilling tale is sure to captivate audience members of all ages.

B8

Sports

THE HOYA

Track & Field

Friday, February 20, 2015

WOMEN’S Tennis

Runners GU Extends Streak to 5 Straight Victories Eye Top-16 Finishes Madeline Auerbach Hoya Staff Writer

The indoor team will return to Penn State for the 3rd time this year Jimmy McLaughlin Special to The Hoya

Following a successful showing at last week’s Valentine Invitational, a last-minute scheduling change will send Georgetown’s indoor track and field team to the Penn State track for the third time this season. The men’s team and the No. 21 women’s team will focus on pushing their runners to earn times that will allow them to qualify for individual events in the postseason.

The team was originally scheduled to race at the Meyo Invitational in South Bend, Ind., but Director of Track and Field and Cross-Country Patrick Henner decided it would be in the team’s best interests to head back to Happy Valley.

“The main thing we would have been going to Notre Dame for is to run the distance medley relay there,” Henner said. “We were already able to accomplish that at Penn State at the end of January. [Going to] Penn State is a much easier trip, and they have got a great track that works really well with us.”

Henner’s fondness for the Penn State track is understandable considering Georgetown’s recent success at the home of the Nittany Lions. At the National Invitational on Jan. 31, junior Ahmed Bile broke four minutes in the 1-mile event for the first time his career while both men’s and women’s distance medley relay teams recorded times that were the fastest in the nation at the time.

Among the other impressive results that the Hoyas have had at Penn State include captain and graduate student Billy Ledder’s blazing 800-meter race

When Georgetown’s women’s tennis team opened its season in early February, it suffered a tough loss at the hands of St. John’s (52, 1-0 Big East). Since that Feb. 6 loss, the team (5-1, 0-1 Big East) has bounced back and has won its last five competitions, as the team defeated both George Washington (3-2, 0-0 Atlantic 10) and Towson (4-4, 0-1 CAA) this past week, upping its record to an impressive 5-1.

“The win over GW was one of our most meaningful wins yet,” freshman Daphne de Chatellus said. “It was meaningful to win on our home courts and in front of our friends and family, as the GW match is our only home match of the season.”

The Hoyas faced off against the Colonials this past Sunday at the Yates Field House, defeating the cross-town rivals 4-1. Georgetown started out strong, edging out George Washington in two tightly contested doubles matches. Junior Liselot Koenen and senior captain Sophie Panarese won at first doubles 6-4, while sophomore Vic-

toire Saperstein and junior Taylor Perz won 7-6 at second doubles.

Sophomore Sophia Barnard and freshman Casey Marx fell at third doubles 6-4, but the Hoyas still won the doubles point.

“That GW doubles was thrilling,” Head Coach Gordie Ernst said. “Taylor Perz was the story of the night in doubles. That was her first doubles match she played since last year, and she was in a very stressful situation, and she responded. I was so proud of her; she stayed loose, she used her great athletic ability, and she was aggressive when she needed to be.”

Momentum from the doubles matches propelled the Hoyas into singles play, setting up Saperstein, Koenen and de Chatellus for straight-set victories to win the match. Saperstein defeated GW freshman Teodora Radosavljevic 6-4, 6-3, while Koenen routed her opponent in a 6-0, 6-2 decision. De Chatellus beat junior Egle Jakuciunaite 6-1, 6-4.

As the four victories solidified the Georgetown win, Barnard and Marx’s singles matches went unfinished.

Playing at Yates helped the Hoyas considerably — the location

was ideal for a competitive crosstown match.“Playing at Yates with about a hundred people there, with all the girls’ friends … was great,” Ernst said. “It’s no different than any other sport; when you have people cheering for you, you get an adrenaline boost.”

Georgetown’s success continued in its match against Towson on Wednesday in Alexandria, Va. The Hoyas toppled the Tigers 5-2, winning the doubles point as well as four singles matches. Panarese and Koenen won at first doubles, as did Perz and Saperstein at second doubles.

Saperstein, Panarese, Marx and de Chatellus picked up singles victories to notch the win for the Hoyas. Saperstein cruised to an easy 6-2, 6-2 victory over Towson sophomore Sophie Lesage in the first singles slot.

“Victoire is really really good; a nationally ranked girl might beat her, but otherwise, she’s going to take it to you. She’s getting more and more confident all the time,” Ernst said of Saperstein’s consistently impressive performances.

“I really do believe that Victoire can be the best player in the Big East and she could be a nationally

ranked girl, I do.”

Panarese, on the other hand, battled for her second singles victory. Panarese edged Towson freshman Lucy Williams in a tough 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (10-8) decision.

“That was like Sophie freshman year, that’s why I was so happy,” Ernst said. “Because freshman year, every close match she won [were] those real thrillers, those real up-and-down momentum shift matches.”

De Chatellus won her match in the fifth single slot 6-2, 6-3. Marx also won in straight sets, defeating Towson freshman Renate van Oorschodt 6-1, 6-4.

Georgetown will face off against Navy (6-3, 0-0 Patriot League) next week in Alexandria, Va. Although Navy will prove tough competition, de Chatellus is confident that Georgetown will be able to keep up its winning streak.

“We definitely feel momentum from our wins so far this season, which makes us even more excited to take on Navy next week,” de Chatellus said. “Knowing that we have beaten some tough teams gives us the necessary confidence to continue our win streak throughout the season.”

Men’s Basketball

“We have set ourselves up for [remarkable races] this year. ...

Expect to see big things coming from us.”

BECCA DELOACHE Gradate student runner

that timed in at 1:48.46 at the Penn State Nittany Lion Challenge on Jan. 17., a time that currently has Ledder ranked 15th in the nation.

“The 800 is going to be a big race this weekend,” Ledder said. “Penn State’s track has been notorious for hosting a lot of very fast 800s.”

Alongside Ledder in the men’s 800m event will be freshman Joe White and junior Michael Lederhouse. Eyes will certainly be on Lederhouse as well, who is coming off a sub-four minute performance in the mile event at last weekend’s Valentine Invitational.

Senior Cole Williams will also be a runner to watch as he returns to the track following a flu that kept him out this past weekend.

The 800m event will also prove noteworthy for the women’s team, which has three runners — graduate student Becca Deloache, sophomore Sabrina Southerland and freshman Piper Donaghu — currently ranked in the top 35 in the nation for the 800m.

“This [800m] race this week is all about time,” Deloache said. “This is not a huge meet in terms of numbers of teams, so it is a nice opportunity to have a clean track to run fast times.”

The interest surrounding these two events for both teams is due to the qualifying rules of the NCAA. For a runner to compete in the NCAA Championship, he or she must post a top-16 time in the country.

“In terms of qualifying for the NCAA championships, I would say the men’s and women’s 800s are where we have the best opportunity to do that,” Henner said.

If the success of these past few meets has been an indication of anything for Georgetown, it is that both the men and women’s teams are peaking at the right time. With just one final meet to go before the Big East Championship, the rest of the Hoyas have sensed their gradual improvement.

“Our big goal for the season is that we want as many guys qualified for the NCAA Championships as possible,” Ledder said. “We know we’re one of the best programs in the nation, so we want to have good representation at nationals across the board in all events.”

The same goes for the women, who are also looking to send as many of their runners to the NCAA Championship as possible.

“If you look at our program’s history, it is in February and March that you will see our fastest times and most remarkable races of the season,” Deloache said. “We have set ourselves up for that to happen this year. Expect to see big things coming from us.”

FILE PHOTO: NATE MOULTON/THE HOYA

From left to right, junior guard D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera, senior center Joshua Smith, freshman forward Isaac Copeland and freshman forward Paul White walk across the court at Verizon Center, where they will face DePaul in one of their final Big East games this season tomorrow.

Hoyas Aim for Season Sweep of DePaul DEPAUL, from B10

The Hoyas have several reasons to feel reassured going into Saturday night’s game, but after the their win on Tuesday night, Head Coach John Thompson III warned against overconfidence.

“We can’t get complacent,” Thompson said. “These guys have to understand we’re going to have some pretty hard practices here in the next couple of days.”

Nevertheless, when Georgetown beat DePaul on Jan. 13, it was a back-and-forth affair that wasn’t sealed until Smith-Rivera

sank six free throws in the final 34 seconds. The lead changed four times and although Georgetown outshot DePaul 50 percent to 44 percent, the statistics for turnovers, assists and rebounds were balanced between the two teams.

“It was just about effort,” DePaul’s junior forward Myke Henry said after the loss, per DePaul Athletics. “They wanted it more than us. They were going after the 5050 balls while we were standing around.”

So when the Blue Demons come to Washington, D.C., this weekend, they will look to avenge the

loss.

Henry, who led DePaul with 17 points against Georgetown the last time the teams faced off, has continued to make his presence felt on the offensive end of the court, scoring in double digits in every game since the loss to Georgetown, with the exception of DePaul’s blowout defeat at the hands of Villanova.

Along with sophomore guard Billy Garrett Jr., who is averaging 13.3 points and whose father is the assistant coach for the Blue Demons, Henry leads the squad in scoring with 12.8 points per game.

Both players have only improved as the season has progressed.

But as Thompson noted after Tuesday’s win, Georgetown has also made adjustments.

“I think a lot of it is our guys are — it takes time — but they’re starting to take pride and understand that attention to detail is important,” Thompson said. “So we’re better than we were, but we still have to keep the focus we’ve had lately and still keep trying to get better.”

Georgetown tips off against DePaul at 8 p.m. Saturday at Verizon Center.

The Water Cooler

Sports Writers Must Explain, Not Describe IPPOLITO, from B10

with Lynch’s derisive comments during Super Bowl Media Day is that contract-mandated media availability spreads awareness for the sport and promotes the game.

Sports writers need material to do their jobs and teams want publicity, and interviews are the ideal mechanism through which writers connect fans and the public-atlarge to athletes and teams.

However, when pre- or postgame conferences consist of nothing but bland and scripted comments, they risk becoming extremely predictable and essentially exist only to fill column space — a pattern that is becoming increasingly common in sports media today.

Moreover, conversations among writers and athletes are inherently limited because athletes are told, for obvious reasons, to limit the kind of information they discuss with the media. There is a reason why Peyton Manning never actually explains what “Omaha” means or why Tom Brady doesn’t give an Xs and Os breakdown of the Patriots’ game plan.

The limits on athletes breed broad statements and sports cliches; they fulfill the contractual obligations of athletes and give writers enough ammo for that night’s column, all while failing to educate fans and readers about the team itself or the dynamics of the sport.

In some of the worst cases where athletes cannot or choose not to discuss relevant information about the actual game, reporters turn elsewhere for stories and consequently, the rumor mill about team chemistry or a coach’s job security fires up.

This context is what inspired Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant to lash out during last week’s All-Star Weekend. Durant was again asked about the job security of Thunder Head Coach Scott Brooks. Durant, who had previously mentioned

his support for and belief in Brooks, flatly said, “You guys [the press] don’t know s---.”

Durant is hardly the first athlete to suspect that the media intentionally created controversy and he certainly will not be the last — we all just survived the media-created firestorm that was Deflategate, after all.

Like so many other components of journalism, sports reporting needs to adapt or risk an inevitable decline. The popularity of new sites like FiveThirtyEight and Grantland prove that sports fans seek a broader understanding of the game itself through analysis of Xs and Os and advanced statistics, not solely interview-dependent beat reports that merely give brief summaries of games.

Mainstream sports media must do a better job of explaining the

The tense relationship between sports media and athletes suggests that there is room for improvement in athletes’ mandated media duties and how writers approach their stories.

how and why, instead of just the what.

In theory, experienced beat writers and sports columnists are allowed to do the exact same thing; the statistics are readily available from reputable sources and the reporters already watch every game of the teams they cover. Beat reporters may even have an extra advantage because they can observe practices and training sessions where many components of the on-field product are formed and perfected.

Deep down, though, one cannot help but think that sports writers enjoy the forced situations of the status quo and relish in episodes like, “I’m just here so I don’t get fined.” When drama exists, their stories attract more attention and bring the writers more notoriety.

These writers should enjoy their popularity while it lasts because if this section of the industry fails to change, they may never be this popular again.

Michael Ippolito is a sophomore in the College. THE WATER COOLER appears every Friday.

sports

FRIDAY, February 20, 2015

Saxa synergy

THE HOYA

B9

Women's lacrosse

All-Stars Lack GU Routed in Season Opener Playoff Incentive DELAWARE, from B10

W

ith over 300 points scored would not ruin the All-Star Game. between the two teams, The players are all extremely talented this year’s NBA All-Star offensively, and while the combined Game was yet another offensive ex- score would be a little lower than plosion. While the series of highlight- 300, offense would still dominate the reel plays gave casual fans what they game. In fact, with defensive stalwarts wanted to see, the lack of defense in playing their hardest, offensive supernearly every All-Star Game can be ex- stars like Stephen Curry and LeBron tremely frustrating for die-hard fans. James would be able to show their Though the All-Star Game has his- most impressive moves against actual torically been nothing more than a defense. To me, that sounds much betglorified exhibition game, in light of ter than Westbrook simply strolling recent injuries that occurred during into the lane for uncontested dunks.

But perhaps the most important exhibition games — Paul George’s horrific leg injury in a Team USA reason why the All-Star Game should scrimmage comes to mind — players, be played for home-court advantage especially now, do not give their full in the Finals is to affect the voters who effort and play very little defense, as determine the players who play in the most injuries tend to take place on All-Star Game. Under the current forthe defensive end. As a result, score mat, the voting is all about popularity. lines like Sunday’s 163-158 result are As a result, Jeremy Lin (10.2 points per the norm, and Russell Westbrook’s game, 4.6 assists per game) received impressive total of 41 points in 26 twice as many votes as the far superior Mike Conley (16.9 points per game, minutes seems relatively normal.

5.3 assists per game) The All-Star Game this season, which is is inherently just an a clear sign that someexhibition game for thing needs to change. the entertainment of If voters knew that the fans. Perhaps if the the players they voted game had meaningful into the game as startimplications like the ers would be playing MLB All-Star game, for home court in the in which the winFinals (a highly valued ning conference (the American League or Paolo Santamaria prize), they might vote for not just the most the National League) popular players, but in the game earns home field advantage in the World the best ones. Not only would the AllSeries, players would be more willing Star Game gain respect in circles of dieto give their full effort and make the hard basketball fans, but many casual game exciting for reasons other than fans would get to see the best players of flashy dunks and wide-open outside our generation showcasing their true talents as they duke it out for postseashots.

If the NBA All-Star Game were to son implications.

Moreover, if the rare occasion implement this reward for the NBA Finals, I believe it would do wonders arises when a team like the Atlanta for the popularity, and more impor- Hawks have four of their five starters named to the team, people will want tantly, the credibility of the game.

Traditionally, the All-Star Game is to see them play as a unit against known for three quarters of flashi- the league’s best. However, when ness and highlight-reel plays fol- the game is so focused on highlights lowed by a close game in the fourth instead of defense, a unit like the quarter. However, even the “close Hawks can only do so much, as team game” in the fourth quarter is played chemistry and synergy take a backwith very little defense, and many seat during the All-Star Game.

Yes, changing the nature of the fans find it frustrating.

The most obvious benefit of this game would be risky and possibly change would be the incentive for even a threat to players’ health, as players to try to win and to care about they would face an increased risk of winning as a team, as the game would injury. However, if the All-Star Game have meaningful playoff implications. is truly about the fans — and not just Furthermore, making the All-Star the ones who know the players, but Game count for a significant prize the ones who know and appreciate would allow the All-Star players’ tal- good basketball — then this change ents to be showcased in a more effec- needs to happen and it needs to haptive and fair way. For example, Marc pen soon. If it does not, the All-Star Gasol, the starting center for the West- Game and the weekend that preern Conference this year, is the reign- cedes it risks losing even more creding NBA Defensive Player of the Year, ibility than they already have. but the nature of the current All-Star Game prevents him from fully show- Paolo Santamaria is a freshman ing off one of his greatest talents. in the College. SAXA SYNERGY Though some pundits and fans appears every Friday. would disagree, tougher defense

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phase of the game and were more prepared to play that particular day.”

Fried also identified specific areas of Georgetown’s game that will need to improve before the team takes on a tough No. 14 Princeton squad on Feb. 28.

“I think it’s decisiveness and energy,” Fried said. “We need to make sure we’re flying around the field and we’re not watching, second-guessing and hesitating. We also need to work on stick work and catching and throwing better and controlling our turnovers in order for us to be successful.”

While the Blue Hens saw four different players earn hat tricks, one minor positive Fried took from Saturday’s loss was that the Hoyas’ five goals also came from many different players.

“We had five different girls score, which means hopefully we have a lot more goals this season,” Fried said.

“We don’t rely on one or two girls to score and I think there is not an aspect to the game we were really thrilled with. We need a lot more out of our players and coaches. … It really comes down to our preparation, showing up and being ready to play physically and mentally.”

The lack of sharpness and mental preparation was visible in the turnover statistics; Georgetown committed 19, while Delaware committed 10.

Sophomore goalkeeper Maddy Fisher faced a rain of shots in the first half, allowing 11 goals and making three saves in 25 minutes, forcing Fried to pull her from the game.

Junior goalkeeper Megan McDonald, who allowed just six goals in over 35 minutes off the bench, said that Saturday’s nasty weather did not excuse the team’s poor performance.

“I think it’s tough getting back from a 4-0 start, and the weather was bad, which I understand they were battling, too,” McDonald said. “It was a rough start and took a while to fig-

ure ourselves out but it shouldn’t be that dramatic. … We need to go back to working on fundamentals, which was lacking in our Delaware game.

But luckily that’s something easy to fix.”

The Blue and Gray next play a home exhibition against Scotland’s international team at 3 p.m. Saturday and then resume the regular season the following Saturday against Princeton.

The schedule will continue to get more difficult from there, as in midMarch the Hoyas will play teams that are currently ranked sixth, 13th, 17th and 11th within a 15-day stretch.

McDonald believes returning home for the next couple games will turn the mood around after a tough season opener.

“Our fans are great, our parents are going to be here and we have the support of the Georgetown community, so I think the home field advantage will definitely benefit us,” McDonald said.

Women’s Basketball

Hoyas to Avenge Overtime Loss Molly O’Connell Special to The Hoya

The Georgetown women’s basketball team (4-22, 2-12 Big East) will attempt to upset conference rival Seton Hall (22-4, 11-3 Big East) this Friday.

The Hoyas will travel to South Orange, N.J., to face off against a Seton Hall team that has consistently ranked among the best 25 teams in the country. The Pirates were ranked No. 24 as recently as last week before their loss to Marquette (7-19, 3-12 Big East) on Sunday.

The Hoyas will be looking to bounce back against the Pirates after dropping two contests last weekend.

In last Friday’s bout against Xavier (15-11, 7-8 Big East), inconsistency during the game’s final minutes doomed the Hoyas and allowed the visiting Musketeers to come away with a five-point victory.

On Sunday, Georgetown could not overcome a double-digit second-half deficit against Butler (13-13, 9-6 Big East), and ultimately fell 65-56. With the loss, Georgetown’s losing streak was extended to 10 games.

Seton Hall enters Friday’s game after dropping a 73-70 decision to Marquette on Sunday. Marquette led by as many as 17 points in the second half, and despite Seton Hall’s comeback, the Pirates were unable to overtake the Golden Eagles down the stretch.

“We have beaten Marquette,” Head Coach Natasha Adair said. “It is always good to know that [Seton Hall] is vulnerable. … It will give our kids, especially our young kids, confidence.”

Georgetown nearly beat then-No. 25 Seton Hall during the teams’ first conference matchup on Jan. 25. The Hoyas jumped out to an early lead in the first half of the game and went into the locker room at halftime with a nine-point advantage.

However, the Pirates, who had lost only two games prior to facing off against the Hoyas, refused to go down without a fight. Seton Hall pulled within three points halfway through the second period. Georgetown was able to open up its lead again and had an eight-point advantage with less than nine minutes remaining in the period, but Seton Hall would not fold.

The Pirates tied the game with 0:19 left on the clock. The Hoyas were able to get a shot off in the remaining seconds of regulation, but junior guard Katie McCormick’s three-point attempt missed its mark, sending the game into overtime.

In the extra period, Seton Hall took complete control on both ends of the floor. The Pirates exploded for 17 points in the five-minute overtime period, while holding the Hoyas to just three points. The Pirates left McDonough Arena with a 99-85 victory.

“In our last game against Seton

JULIA HENNRIKUS/THE HOYA

Freshman guard Dorothy Adomako scored a team-high 25 points and grabbed nine rebounds in the Hoyas’ overtime loss to then-No. 25 Seton Hall on Jan. 25.

Hall we played hard, we had confidence in ourselves and we trusted each other,” junior forward Dominique Vitalis said. “But in those last five minutes, we lost our composure.

Going into the next game we need to keep our composure … for the whole 40 minutes.”

Despite the loss to Seton Hall, Georgetown received impressive performances from a number of players.

Freshman guard Dorothy Adomako led the way for the Hoyas, scoring a team-high 25 points. Vitalis and junior forward Logan Battle each scored 16 points. Adomako and Vitalis were also able to pull down nine rebounds each.

Junior forward Brittany Horne and McCormick also played important roles for the Hoyas. Horne hit three three-pointers on her way to scoring 11 points and McCormick added another 10 points.

Georgetown will need another solid team effort in order to avenge its previous loss to the Pirates.

“I think we definitely have to go

into the game with the mindset that we have a chance,” Adomako said.

“We have a good chance.”

Georgetown will also have to focus on containing Seton Hall’s offensive threats. Two players in particular shined in this season’s earlier matchup: graduate student guard Daisha Simmons scored a game-high 32 points and junior forward Tabatha Richardson-Smith added another 29 points.

“We have to contain [Simmons and Richardson-Smith],” Adair said. “We have to make a very conscious effort defensively … to be focused and to defend for the duration.”

The Hoyas have not won a game on the road yet this season, but they will look to erase that statistic on Friday.

“It’s not a matter of if we can compete because we have shown … that we can,” Adair said. “It’s a great opportunity for us to go on the road and steal one.”

Tipoff against Seton Hall is set for 7 p.m. Friday. Georgetown will finish the weekend road trip with a Sunday game at St. John’s (17-8, 8-6 Big East).

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men’s lacrosse

No. 16 Towson Poses Next Test IRISH, from B10

freshman attack Mikey Wynne in the final minute of the game cemented Notre Dame’s 14-12 victory.

Despite the final score of the game, the Hoyas showed poise on both ends of the field. Georgetown’s defense held Notre Dame’s Kavanagh to just one goal and two assists; Kavanagh was a 2015 preseason All-American pick, and he led the Fighting Irish offense during the 2014 season with 42 goals and 33 assists.

The Hoyas utilized their depth on offense; Quinzi’s two goals and two assists indicate his potential for a strong freshman season, and Stafford’s four goals marked a new career-high.

Stafford attributes the success to Georgetown’s balanced style of play.

“We’ve been playing very unselfishly, and I was fortunate enough to benefit off of two great passes from my teammates,” Stafford said. “So going forward, we’re going to keep playing unselfishly, and we should be able to score with any guy on the field.”

As Georgetown prepares for Towson, Warne says that his team is keeping its focus on making day-by-day progress.

“We just need to focus on the next drill, the next rep,” Warne said.

“Whether you’re going over an opponent’s offense or refining our skills on our offense or our defense, whatever it may be, we need to get better every day, and then we’ll be in good shape.”

Towson, a member of the Colonial Athletic Conference, has already turned some heads in the first few weeks of its season; a 6-5 upset against

then-No. 5 Johns Hopkins (2-1, 0-0 Big 10) in its season opener propelled Towson to a national ranking.

Although Towson dropped its second game Wednesday to No. 8 Loyola (2-1, 0-0 Patriot League), Warne knows it will be a tough competitor. Georgetown fell to Towson last season in a close 8-7 loss.

Overall, however, he is looking forward to the matchup.

“We lost a tough one last year to them,” Warne said. “But we understand that our team is totally different, and I like the way we’re doing things in practice this week, and I’m really excited to play on Saturday … and see if we can take what we learned from week one and apply it to week two. And if we can do that, I’ll be really excited.”

SPORTS

Men’s Basketball Georgetown (17-8, 9-5) vs. DePaul (12-15, 6-8) Saturday, 8 p.m.

Verizon Center

FRIDAY, FEBR UARY 20, 2015

INDOOR TRACK & FIELD TALKING POINTS The Hoyas head to Penn State for the third time this season as they aim for top-16 finishes.

See B9

“

NUMBERS GAME

I really do believe that [sophomore Victoire Saperstein] can be the best player in the Big East.”

TENNIS HEAD COACH GORDIE ERNST

WOMEN’S LACROSSE

MEN’S BASKETBALL

GU Falls17-5 in 1st Contest CHRIS BALTHAZARD Hoya Staff Writer

For the last nine seasons, the Georgetown women’s lacrosse team has entered its season ranked in the national polls, boasting a 7-2 record in its home openers in those years. This year, the Hoyas entered this season ranked No. 20 in the country and had the opportunity to improve that ranking. However,

when Georgetown faced an unranked Delaware team on Saturday, the team fell 17-5.

With the loss, Georgetown fell out of the rankings. Delaware outshot Georgetown 30-14, including an early barrage of shots that gave the Blue Hens a 4-0 lead within eight minutes of the opening draw. Delaware senior midfielder Caitlin McCartney notched four goals and an assist in the rout after Georgetown

5

The number of Georgetown men’s basketball players who scored 12 points against St. John’s Tuesday night.

held her to just one assist in last season’s matchup.

Georgetown Head Coach Ricky Fried complimented Delaware’s effort and energy, and noted that on Saturday, it was simply the better team.

“I would give Delaware a lot of credit; they came out and played harder than we did,” Fried said.

“They beat us in just about every See DELAWARE, B9

CLAIRE SOISSON/THE HOYA

Junior guard D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera scored 25 points in the Hoyas’ Jan. 13 victory over DePaul. Smith-Rivera leads the Hoyas with 15.4 points per game.

Hoyas to Host DePaul In Big East Rematch LAURA WAGNER Hoya Staff Writer

FILE PHOTO: JULIA HENNRIKUS/THE HOYA

Sophomore attack Colleen Lovett scored one of Georgetown’s five goals in the team’s 17-5 loss to Delaware on Saturday. Lovett had 13 goals in the 18 games she played for the Hoyas last season.

THE WATER COOLER

Tight Match Ends in Notre Dame’s Favor Hoya Staff Writer

Lighten Media Obligations M

arshawn Lynch’s oft-repeated quip from Super Bowl Media Day — “I’m just here so I won’t get fined” — is undoubtedly the early frontrunner for quote of the year.

Jokes aside, however, Lynch’s statement from Jan. 27 ref lects the growing tension between members of the media and professional athletes.

As much as some star athletes like LeBron James claim the press as their friends, others, like baseball legend Ted Williams, are noted for being openly disdainful toward the press.

This fragile relationship between athletes and the media exists because leagues and teams often mandate media availability in contracts, forcing athletes to speak at the podium — or else face hefty fines.

As a result, when players speak with the media, what they say often adds little value for fans and followers of the game. For example, listening to Lynch repeat tired cliches about the Patriots that had already been stated by everyone else on his team did not add any substantial value to stories written before the Super Bowl.

One argument advanced by leagues and media personalities that clashes See IPPOLITO, B8

See DEPAUL, B8

MEN’S LACROSSE

ELIZABETH CAVACOS

Michael Ippolito

As we near the end of the regular season, the Georgetown men’s basketball team (17-8, 9-5 Big East) is preparing to face DePaul (12-15, 6-8 Big East) in the first of its four remaining Big East conference games.

The Hoyas will host the Blue Demons at Verizon Center on Saturday night, then take to the road to challenge St. John’s (179, 6-7 Big East) and Butler (19-7, 9-4 Big East) before returning to Washington, D.C., for the season finale against Seton Hall (15-11, 5-9 Big East) on March 7.

While Butler, the only of the four remaining teams to have bested Georgetown

this season, will be arguably the toughest matchup for Georgetown, the first hurdle is DePaul.

The Hoyas notched their first road win of the year over the Blue Demons in Chicago and are coming off a 79-57 win over St. John’s, which beat DePaul 86-78 a week earlier.

DePaul, meanwhile, is coming off a lose against Providence on Wednesday night.

The last time Georgetown squared off against DePaul, junior guard D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera dropped a scorching 25 points en route to the 78-72 win. The win sparked a four-game win streak, the Hoyas’ longest during conference play.

After dropping its season opener last weekend, the Georgetown men’s lacrosse team (0-1) will return to the Hilltop Saturday to play its first home game of the season when it hosts No. 16 Towson (1-1).

Georgetown will look to shake off its loss to No. 2 Notre Dame (10) from Feb. 14, a game in which the Hoyas battled against the Fighting Irish in a closely contested matchup. The Irish ultimately came out on top, winning 14-12.

Losing to Notre Dame by a two-goal margin is no small feat; given the challenges of playing on the road and containing several prolific offensive threats on a deep and talented Notre Dame squad, Georgetown performed valiantly.

However, the Hoyas were not content with the loss.

“I thought we did a pretty good job,” Head Coach Kevin Warne said. “At the end of the day, we didn’t win the game — I’ve never been a guy about moral victories — but our guys were prepared, and I though they tried to execute the game plan as well as they could.”

Georgetown was the first to strike in the game, as senior attack Bo Stafford recorded a goal with 13:06 left in the first period.

The goal was the first of four goals that Stafford scored during the contest.

However, Notre Dame controlled the rest of the period, leaving Georgetown on the short end of a 4-1 score toward the end of the first quarter. Georgetown freshman attack Stephen Quinzi scored in the last minute of the period to end the run and notch his first collegiate goal.

Sophomore attack Peter Con-

ley added another Georgetown goal early in the second quarter, closing Notre Dame’s lead to one goal. The teams traded goals throughout the end of the period, and Fighting Irish junior attack Matt Kavanagh scored with four seconds remaining to give his team an 8-6 advantage at the end of the half.

In the third period, after a Stafford goal, Notre Dame scored two consecutive goals to extend

its lead to 10-7. However, Georgetown sophomore midfielder Devon Lewis, Quinzi and senior midfielder William Flatley each added goals to make the score 1110 heading into the final period.

In the first minute of play, Georgetown converted on a manup opportunity when freshman attack Matthew Behrens scored a goal to tie the game at 11. Two Notre Dame goals extended its lead to two, but a goal from

Georgetown senior attack and co-captain Reilly O’Connor off of an assist from Quinzi brought Georgetown within one goal with 9:40 left in the game.

Georgetown had many offensive opportunities during the remainder of regulation — it took seven more shots after its last goal — but did not capitalize. A goal from Fighting Irish See IRISH, B9

FILE PHOTO: STANLEY DAI/THE HOYA

Senior attack Bo Stafford scored a career-high four goals in the Hoyas’ loss to No. 2 Notre Dame on Saturday. Stafford was named to the Big East’s Weekly Honor Roll in recognition of his performance.

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