ARTS&LIFE

Arts&LIFE 6 | Tuesday, February 25, 2020

Group performs monthly improv shows to embrace diversity in comedy.

ON PAGE 7

COURTESY OF CIARA RUTH The Ohio State marching band traveled to Disneyland in Anaheim, California, to surprise Ciara and Dquan Ruth, a couple getting married on Disney Plus series “Disney’s Fairy Tale Weddings.” The episode aired Feb. 14.

scream and seeing her face light up with this joy was — it was definitely hard to try to keep that serious face because I’m sure that excitement was something that she wasn’t expecting, and it was like a true emotion from her.” Ciara Ruth said she had seen “Disney’s Fairy Tale Weddings” before and knew Disney often surprises couples with something extra, such as bringing the Stanley Cup to a wedding reception for two hockey fans.

As for her own wedding, Ciara Ruth said she did not know what to expect from Disney’s wedding plans.

“They took the time to really get to know us — to really get to know what we like,” she said. “So they really understood, and I didn’t expect anything.”

Dquan Ruth said he felt similarly.

“I sure didn’t expect no Ohio DISNEY FROM 1

State marching band to be there,” he said.

The bride and groom were not the only ones happily surprised. Ciara Ruth’s mother Carole Fisher described the family as being “Buckeye fans for life,” all born and raised in Columbus. “To experience, first off, obviously our daughter getting married to a very wonderful young man is an excellent experience on its own. And to see what Disney did with the celebration, it was very nice. It was a very nice experience,” Cevin Fisher, Ciara Ruth’s father, said.

While Dquan Ruth needed some convincing from Ciara’s family to give the Buckeyes a chance, Ciara Ruth has been around Ohio State her whole life, despite attending Wright State University and later living in a Fort Wayne, Indiana, apartment complex, where she met her husband.

But the Buckeyes weren’t Ciara Ruth’s only childhood obsession. Her first bedroom was Disney themed, her mother said. And that love of Disney followed Ciara Ruth to Wright State, where she applied for the Disney College Program and spent about a year in Orlando, Florida, embracing the magic.

“Having that magical touch that a cast member goes above and beyond that you’ll remember for the rest of your life, the characters that you meet that you’ve seen in the movies or the shows — to be able to go down there and to help actually lead those life-changing moments just was really rewarding,” Ciara Ruth said.

It was thanks to the program that she was also introduced to a casting call for “Disney’s Fairy Tale Weddings.”

The Ruths were attending a New Year’s Eve church service in Fort Wayne when Ciara Ruth got a notification from a Disney

’‘ I sure didn’t expect no Ohio State marching band to be there. Dquan Ruth

College Program Facebook group about the show.

“I’m the type of girl who’s always just gone for it and just given it a try,” she said. “Like the Disney College Program, I just went for it and I ended up getting in.”

Ciara Ruth said she did not think she and Dquan would be selected for the show, as they had to go through several phone calls and Skype interviews with casting directors and producers before they officially started the wedding planning process in March 2019. Their wedding was July 9 that year.

The Ruths spent the whole week of their wedding at Disneyland Park, Ciara said, with time to explore as the production team captured their first reactions.

One such reaction was filmed immediately after the Ruths’ wedding ceremony, when hosts of DISNEY CONTINUES ON 7

thelantern.com @TheLantern the show Stephen “tWitch” Boss and Allison Holker, both former “So You Think You Can Dance” contestants, introduced members of the Ohio State marching band. “We were in the park all day. So when we were in the park with the producers, like not knowing anything, they had the band practicing at our reception and our ceremony location,” Ciara Ruth said. After the band members got their rehearsal in, they were given passes to explore the parks, as well — but with some restrictions.

“When we were in the park, we were actually kinda instructed not to wear anything Ohio State because if this family, or the bride and groom, saw a bunch of Ohio State, they might seem a little skeptical,” Barr said. “So we didn’t meet them or talk to them up until after the whole surprise and stuff.” Looking back on the week spent at the resort, Ciara Ruth added that she did not realize how isolated they were by the production team so they wouldn’t find out members of the marching band were nearby.

“Buckeyes travel. There’s Ohio state fans everywhere, and I’ve seen some in California while we were there,” Ciara Ruth said. “You say, ‘O-H’ and they say, ‘IO,’ if they’re the real ones.”

Dquan Ruth thanked the marching band for making their dream wedding special.

“They didn’t have to go all the way out of their way to actually do that, and I’m very appreciative of the marching band for actually coming out there,” he said.

Ciara and Dquan Ruth now plan to capture more moments together, as they are organizing a trip to Walt Disney World Resort for their first anniversary. “It was a very cool opportunity. Getting to travel to California — Disneyland — to make this ultimate surprise for this couple was something that was very interesting.” —Konner Barr, former Ohio State drum major DISNEY FROM 6

COURTESY OF CIARA RUTH The Ohio State marching band traveled to Disneyland in Anaheim, California, to surprise Ciara and Dquan Ruth, a couple getting married on Disney Plus series “Disney’s Fairy Tale Weddings.” The episode aired Feb. 14.

Via Vecchia Winery hosts all-black improv group

RISHIKESH RAJAGOPALAN Lantern reporter rajagopalan.40@osu.edu

Wine and improv enthusiasts alike will have a chance to watch comedians of color over a glass of wine this week at Via Vecchia. Affirmative Distraction, a local all-black improv group, will perform its first show of 2020 Thursday night at Via Vecchia Winery in the South End of Columbus, Ohio.

“Whether it’s work, whether it’s home, whether it’s family or friends, or people just being obnoxious, for 90 minutes or two hours or four hours — depending on what we get booked for — I get to entertain you. I get to distract you from being that person. I get to put a smile on your face. And that, to me, means more than anything in the world,” Joseph Moorer, founder of Affirmative Distraction, said.

The group’s shows contain a number of improv games, some of which are exclusive to them. Chad Tennant, a member of the group, said a fan favorite is “Spelling Bars”, a game that has two teams compete in a spelling bee. If one fails to correctly spell the word, they have to rap four bars with that word.

The event will also feature special guests Qamil Wright, CEO of entertainment company Soul Dope Entertainment, and Eric Rollin, vocalist in local hip-hop group Mistar Anderson. Moorer said they regularly invite members of the tight-knit black arts community in Columbus to perform with them.

Shawn Burrs, a member of Affirmative Distraction, said he notices that many of their guest performers aren’t confident in their improv abilities at first.

IMPROV CONTINUES ON 8 “None of them think they’re funny. Most of them are musicians, and they’ve performed in front of crowds before, but they’ve never had to make a crowd laugh before,” Burrs said.

Moorer said he formed the group in late 2018 after leaving #Hashtag Comedy, another Columbus-based improv group, in which he was the only black member.

“When I separated from Hashtag, I immediately was like, ‘Why isn’t there an all-black improv group?’ And people started chiming in,” Moorer said.

The 11-member group performs monthly improv shows at Via Vecchia Winery, a South End winery and event space that specializes in Tuscan-style red wines made from California grapes, according to its website.

“When you come to an Af-

8 | The Lantern | Tuesday, February 25, 2020 firmative Distraction show, it’s not just a black crowd. It is so mixed. It’s so diverse. Everybody comes and has a great time. And just seeing how the numbers just kept doubling, how quick we’ve grown,” Tennant said.

Moorer said he first met the winery owners, Paolo Rosi and Michael Elmer, when his band, The Conspiracy Band, played at a wedding held at the venue. He said Affirmative Distraction was outgrowing its previous venue, The Pelican Room, and managed

Wellness center hosts Love Your Body Week to seat up to 130 people at its most recent Via Vecchia show. “Every time we have filled this place up. And again, everybody that I’ve talked to — my friends — when they get here they’re all amazed at the venue itself, and then we put on a good show. So it’s almost like this place only enhances our show, or we enhance this place,” Burrs said.

Food for the event will be provided by Big Beez Lunchbox, a black-owned food truck run by Columbus native James Allen. Moorer said it is important to him IMPROV FROM 7

to collaborate within the black community.

“It’s opportunities that aren’t usually afforded to us, and I have to change that,” Moorer said. “And so if I can do that one vendor or one group or one venue or one act at a time, we’re going to do that.” Affirmative Distraction will perform at 8 p.m. Thursday at Via Vecchia Winery, located at 2108 S. High St. Doors will open at 7 p.m. Presale tickets cost $10 and are available on Eventbrite. Tickets cost $15 at the door.

RISHIKESH RAJAGOPALAN | LANTERN REPORTER

CHANTAL BROWN Lantern reporter brown.7317@osu.edu

At least 30 million people in the United States suffer from eating disorders, according to the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders, and Ohio State’s Student Wellness Center is trying to tackle the issue head on this week. The wellness center kicked off its inaugural Love Your Body Week Sunday with events across campus to coincide with National Eating Disorder Awareness Week. In collaboration with student organizations and university initiatives, Love Your Body Week is a week of seminars, art workshops, performances and fitness courses to promote health and self compassion, Claire Pitrof, a third-year in English and accounting and student assistant for body acceptance program Body Project, said. “No body is better than any other body,” Pitrof said.

The week of events is not directly affiliated with NEDA Week, an annual event put on by the nonprofit National Eating Disorders Association, but Pitrof said it still has a message they are trying to pass on to the university’s students.

The event was called Love Your Body Week to broaden its scope from eating disorders to promoting health and body positivity, Pitrof said.

According to the event flier, to put on the 21 events over the course of the week, the center partnered with CHAARG, an organization that aims to ignite passion in college women for health and fitness, according to its website; RPAC fitness instructors; Buckeye Food Alliance, the university’s food pantry; the Body Project; and Project HEAL, an organization that fundraises to provide treatment grants and spread

COURTESY OF JORDAN HELCBERGIER 150 Messages of Gratitude and Positivity, part of Love Your Body Week, took place at the RPAC Feb. 24. awareness for eating disorders and body positivity, according to the club’s purpose statement. The message is especially important for students because college is a common time for people to develop eating disorders, Rani Bawa, a third-year in neuroscience and president of Ohio State’s Project HEAL chapter, said.

“Being in college, you have so much pressure to look a certain way, act a certain way, and you have a lot of peer pressure, and so body positivity is something that historically hasn’t really been talked about,” Bawa said.

Project Heal is an awareness and fundraising organization meant to help those with eating disorders overcome barriers to treatment, according to its website.

Bawa added that diet culture and fad diets can lead college students to develop disorder behaviors, and she wants to bring discussions of body positivity to the forefront to combat that.

Project HEAL members are hosting a movie night Tuesday, when they will discuss body positivity while watching “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants” and passing out goodie bags.

“Taking part in mental health awareness and body positivity activism is a big part of giving back to the community, and being a college student and a part of this community, you have a responsibility to educate yourself, so that is why I think it is important for people to participate,” Bawa said. Love Your Body Week will run until Friday, with events each day held at various locations and times. All events are free and open to the public. A complete schedule and more information about the events can be found on the Student Wellness Center’s website.

Emily was very talented and a completely different skillset.” As Avery Clark readjusts to life as a softball player, Emily Clark is a constant source of advice and encouragement, the younger sister said.

“Stay calm, breathe, take it in and know that your work is worth it and you can do anything,” Avery Clark said. “She texts before every game day.”

Emily Clark spoke about how a good start to a career is significant in impacting a player’s mindset going forward.

“She needs the confidence,” Emily Clark said. “If things don’t work out in her way, I think she starts to get into her head and she overthinks the littlest things. Just remember to trust yourself and to slow down the moments. It gives her that confidence that she is supposed to be there.” Soon the Clark family will have to build a second mantle to show off the accolades earned by their Buckeye softball players, especially if Avery Clark continues to dominate college pitching.

“My mindset is to do damage,” Avery said. “I know that they are probably scouting me, but I want to go in there and make sure I am in the right mindset, and whatever is thrown at me I am going to do damage to.” My mindset is to do damage. I know that they are probably scouting me, but I want to go in there and make sure I am in the right mindset, and whatever is thrown at me I am going to do damage to. AVERY CLARK Ohio State freshman designated hitter “

”

GRETCHEN RUDOLPH | FOR THE LANTERN Ohio State then-second baseman Emily Clark makes an of-foot throw to first base during the Sept. 24, 2018, game against Wright State.

sister’s intrasquad in the Woody Hayes, and she said, ‘How would you feel if I came on the team next year?’” Ohio State head coach Kelly Kovach Schoenly said.

It took courage as well as an appetite for success and competition for Avery Clark to get back on the diamond.

“Over the summer, I put in as much work as I could,” Avery Clark said. “I was in here 24/7. Just putting in the work was what I was trying to get in my head, making sure I was ready for anything and everything.” The work has paid off, as Avery Clark’s return to the sport has already yielded several high-level performances.

Avery Clark hit .500 with six hits and four RBI four games against NC State and Notre Dame Feb. 14-16.

In the second game against Notre Dame, Avery Clark hit home runs in consecutive at-bats, making her the first Buckeye to do so since Niki Carver on April 21, 2019.

She also became the first freshman to hit two home runs in one game since Ashley Prange on May 18, 2019.

In her first 13 games, Avery Clark is hitting .475 with five home runs and 11 RBI. Emily Clark said she recognizes some of her own qualities in her younger sister. “We definitely will go get what we want and we’re never going to settle,” Emily Clark said. “She hasn’t had the best road; she wasn’t even supposed to be playing in college. It just shows that hard work pays off.” Although Avery Clark has produced similar numbers to her sister early in her career, Schoenly, who has coached both Clarks, said the two each worked in their own way to produce results. “They are completely different kids,” Schoenly said. “Avery is a power player through and through, and a lot of what she does comes out of her competitive spirit.

thelantern.com @TheLantern Avery Clark picks up where sister left of

JOHN HUETHER | FOR THE LANTERN Ohio State freshman forward Rebeka Mikulasikova (23) attempts to make a 3-point shot during the first half of the game against Nebraska. Ohio State won 65-52.

double-bye in the Big Ten Tournament.

Now, it sits a game behind Indiana with just two contests left to play.

The Wildcats enter Columbus, Ohio riding a seven-game w i n n i n g s t r e a k , most rec e n t l y t o p p i n g Wiscon- sin 82-66 on the road. This is the Buckeyes and Wildcats’ first and only m e e t i n g this season.

Northwestern is led by junior guard and ESPNW National Player of the Week Lindsey Pulliam, whose 19.3 points per game is third-best in the conference. She’s coming off a week in which she averaged 21.3 points per game throughout a threegame stretch.

“She’s one of the best players in college basketball,” McGuff said. “You can really see her game starting to round out and flourish in a big way.” W i l d c a t s o p h o m o r e guard Veronica Burton is one of the more versatile players in the c o n fe r e n c e , averaging 11.7 points per game and facilitating the offense with 5.1 assists per game, good for third-most in the conference.

Northwestern has a stout de” I was staying after practice and just shooting free throws. Now I’m very confident with it and at the best time. DORKA JUHASZ Ohio State sophomore forward “

JACOB BENGE For The Lantern benge.30@osu.edu

When Emily Clark’s decorated Ohio State career came to a close this past May, opposing softball programs breathed a collective sigh of relief.

It was a short-lived reprieve, as another Clark is torching pitchers in her first season with the Buckeyes.

Avery Clark, a designated hit

COURTESY OF OHIO STATE ATHLETICS Ohio State freshman designated hitter Avery Clark leads the Buckeyes in batting average, slugging, RBI, runs scored and home runs through 13 games.

ter and Emily’s younger sister, is off to one of the hottest starts in the conference, with back-to-back Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors to start the new season. “I knew I had big shoes to fill,” Avery Clark said. “So knowing that my sister was a really great player here, I want to make my own legacy and want someone to remember Avery.”

Avery Clark leads the Buckeyes in batting average, slugging, RBI, runs scored and home runs through 13 games. She could have played alongside her sister Emily Clark –– a four-year starter and 2019 All-American –– if she didn’t take a year off from the sport.

Before coming to Ohio State, both Clark sisters earned AllOhio honors three times in Prospect, Ohio. They were also four-time All-Mid Ohio Athletic Conference first team honorees. But rather than come directly to Ohio State, Avery Clark spent a year at Marion Technical College in Marion, Ohio.

Following the year off, Clark sought an opportunity at her sister’s alma mater.

“She came up to me during her CLARK CONTINUES ON 9

fense, giving up the second-fewest points per contest in the conference at 56.7 points per game. Burton gives them a boost on that end, as she leads the conference with 3.4 steals per game.

Ohio State freshman guard Kierstan Bell did not travel with the team Saturday for personal reasons, McGuff said. She is back with the team now, but McGuff said her status for tomorrow’s game remains up in the air. Bell is the Buckeyes’ primary scorer off of the bench, averaging 11.1 points per game.

Playing their second game in three days and fourth in 10, McGuff said the Buckeyes’ schedule is a concern due to the amount of energy the team has expended during the past week.

“We played really hard against Rutgers,” McGuff said. “We will have to find a way though.”

The Buckeyes will recognize the lone senior on the roster, forward Savitha Jayaraman, during Senior Night Tuesday.

Despite missing this season with a back injury, Jayaraman said she has fit the role of the “team mom” on the young squad. “I was making sure everyone was aware of how we’re supposed to be as an Ohio State athlete,” Jayaraman said.

The Buckeyes and Wildcats tip off at 6 p.m. Tuesday.

sons.

“He’s had really bad luck,” Ohio State head coach Chris Holtmann said. “I just feel terrible for him.”

He’s had really bad luck. I just feel terrible for him. CHRIS HOLTMANN Ohio State men’s basketball head coach “ ”

Young has been a key player for the Buckeyes this season, starting every game he’s played. He averages 7.7 points and 5.9 rebounds per game and shoots a team-best 59 percent from the field in 24 contests.

But Young’s impact transcends the box score. He is known as a scrappy, high-effort player who gives his all on the court, and that reputation goes beyond Columbus, Ohio.

“He’s just active. He’s a hardnosed, tough dude and he’s about winning,” Purdue head coach Matt Painter said after a 68-52 loss to Ohio State Feb. 15. “You can’t have enough guys like Kyle Young on your team.”

The Purdue game was one in which Young’s contributions were evident in the postgame stat column.

Young dropped a career-high 16 points, connecting on each of his six 2-point field goals just five weeks after returning from an appendectomy.

It was Young’s ninth double-digit scoring performance of the year –– five more than he had a season ago.

“He’s a terrific player and energy giver to us,” Holtmann said. This is the second time Young has injured his right leg during his time at Ohio State. He suffered a stress fracture after a hard fall against M a r y l a n d during his sophomore s e a s o n , which sidelined him for four games and bothered him for the back half of the year.

Young’s practice time has been limited because of the wear and tear on his legs, and he’s worn tape on both of them for the past several contests. Holtmann said that when his starting power forward went down Sunday, his first concern was that he had reaggravated the stress fracture.

During his absence a year ago, the Buckeyes snapped a four-game losing streak and turned in a 2-2 record.

They had less luck following Young’s appendectomy this year, when the Buckeyes went 0-2 with losses to Wisconsin and Maryland while Young regained his strength.

In those games, the Buckeyes threw sophomore guard Duane Washington and freshman guard D.J. Carton into the starting lineup, sacrificing much-needed size in the rotation.

Outside of size, the Buckeyes will lose Young’s steady presence in the paint on both ends of the floor.

Holtmann has typically turned to senior forward and fellow starter Andre Wesson to fill this void when Young has missed time in the past.

“The value of a guy like Andre CORI WADE | ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR Ohio State junior forward Kyle Young (25) goes down following an injury in the first half against Maryland Feb. 23. Ohio State won 79-72. ” He’s just active. He’s a hard-nosed, tough dude and he’s about winning. You can’t have enough guys like Kyle Young on your team. MATT PAINTER Purdue men’s basketball head coach “

Wesson is that you can slide him around and he can guard other positions,” Holtmann said. “Having guys like that is really important.” Freshman forward E.J. Liddell stepped up while Young sat in his boot against Maryland, attacking the offensive glass with aggression. He was the only Buckeye to play off the bench in the second half, when he snagged three offensive rebounds.

Liddell –– who scored a season-high 17 points against Iowa this past week –– has played a key bench role for the Buckeyes this season, averaging 15.8 minutes per game. His hustle and activity on both ends of the court drew praise from both Maryland head coach Mark Turgeon and Holtmann.

“Liddell was great today,” Turgeon said. “He was so active.” Holtmann said Young’s injury may serve as a way for Liddell’s development to continue.

“It’s really critical that he keeps growing and getting better,” Holtmann said. “His offensive rebounding stemmed some momentum in this game.”

With no timetable on Young’s return, Ohio State may be without its key energy man for the final four games of the season as it tries to improve its seeding in the Big Ten Tournament. He’s a terrific player and energy giver to us. CHRIS HOLTMANN Ohio State men’s basketball head coach “ ”