The O'Colly, Friday, August 18, 2023.

Friday, August 18, 2023

OSU Athletic Training offers concussion education

How does conference realignment impact travel in Big 12 soccer?

Lost in the shuffle in conference realignment is the impact on athletes in sports other than football.

Football is the breadwinner in most college athletic departments, and it’s been the driving force in conference realignment. But football plays just 12 regular season games -one a week -- and only five to seven games on the road. What about the other programs within a department that play many more games and travel more often?

The Cowgirl soccer team begins their season at home Thursday against Stephen F. Austin, kicking off a 19-game schedule in which the Cowgirls play two games a week. Some weeks include back-toback road games, such as a stretch at West Virginia and newcomer Cincinnati within four days.

Realignment means more road trips, longer

road trips and lengthier stints away from Stillwater for student-athletes. But OSU coach Colin Carmichael said that won’t impact players in the classroom. “Our kids don’t struggle on the road,” Carmichael said. “They do online classes; they have tutoring, and they keep up with stuff. It’s about time management, so I don’t worry about it.”

The groundbreaking 16-team future of the Big 12 means there are more road trips upcoming for Cowgirls -- and to quality programs, too. This year’s additions to the conference include two preseason nationally ranked teams, No. 13 BYU and No. 24 UCF, who join current Big 12 foes No. 9 TCU and No. 15 Texas in the national rankings.

Carmichael said these conference newcomers are good for Big 12 soccer and could be obstacles when it comes to his squad’s success.

Oklahoma State University’s Human Performance and Nutrition Research Institute is tackling the topic of concussions.

Athletic Training-Sports Management ECHO began its series on concussions Aug. 9 with a session on the assessment and diagnosis of concussions. The session covered the newest research and publications on diagnosing concussions and the new standard definition of concussions along with a case presentation.

“Concussions, if underdiagnosed or mismanaged without a removal from play and a proper return to activities, can lead

to prolonged recovery, serious long-term disabilities and even death,” Dr. Aric Warren, Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences professor of athletic training, said. “Likewise, many individuals who sustain a concussion often experience subsequent mental health concerns. Our ECHO team is dedicated to driving awareness and improving care practices to improve recovery and outcomes in patients who sustain a concussion.”

Concussions account for roughly 15% of all reported sport-related trauma at the high school level, Warren said. Warren added that this data is an underestimate of the true number of concussions sustained by high school athletes because of the lack of self-reporting by studentathletes of their concussion symptoms or the lack of recognition of the injury by coaches, parents or health care professionals.

Symptom presentation is

one of the largest components of the assessment process. Some present immediately, others evolve over minutes or hours.

Undiagnosed concussions elevate the risk of future concussions and additional brain trauma while early recognition reduces the likelihood of developing persistent symptoms.

“If we identify concussion early, it really helps to improve the clinical outcomes, and provides also for a quicker return to activity,” said Lance Walker, HPNRI Rick and Gail Muncrief executive director.

“Best practices inthe management of concussions demands a transdisciplinary evidence-based approach. This ECHO series will further empower the frontline providers on the fields, at the gym, on the mats to provide next-generation care for their athletes at risk for and dealing with this multi-dimensional challenge.”

See Training on 6

From Armenia to Zambia

from every country on Earth without leaving the greater Chicago area.

CHICAGO — When I met Cam Brenson the other day, he was deep into the E’s — Estonia, Eritrea, Egypt. We had Ethiopian for lunch. He was expecting to continue the next day with Ecuador. He had already picked through Chile, Cuba, Cameroon and Croatia, and was making plans to hit Finland, Fiji, the Federated States of Micronesia and France.

I am a fan of people with unnecessary goals. Like collecting every model of vacuum cleaner, or visiting every Taco Bell in existence. Brenson, who works in marketing at a tech company in Chicago, has a more thoughtful goal: He wants to eat at least one dish

Since January, he has been posting videos of himself on TikTok eating those meals. He uses the tag @ BoredinChicago, though considering the work and prickly issues he must navigate to accomplish his goal, he may be the least bored person in the city.

His videos, which are posted alphabetically by nation and only now moving into the F’s, have drawn an average of 100,000 viewers per post. What started as a personal project has become decidedly public.

“When I did Canada, I went to (Lincoln Square’s) Dear Margaret and, in the comments section of the videos, some people got very grumpy,” he says. “Dear Margaret is clearly French Canadian, but still, people came in hot

and told me that it wasn’t true Canadian food. There’s even a war going on right now in my comments about whether a salad I ate was Macedonian or Bulgarian. A shopska salad. It’s the national dish of Bulgaria and even has the colors of the Bulgarian flag, but a lot of people from North Macedonia, which shares a border with Bulgaria, consider the shopska just as much their tradition.”

He looks at me warily and tears off a piece of injera, the spongy Ethiopian bread that, depending who you talk to, is just as much a part of Eritrean and Sudanese tradition.

Consider even the seemingly uncomplicated question of how many nations exist.

The United Nations recognizes 193, plus two “observer” states, Palestine and Vatican City. But not

every U.N. nation recognizes every other U.N. nation. Of those 193 U.N.sanctioned countries, you won’t find the countries of Taiwan and Kosovo. Greenland, which mostly controls itself, is a territory of Denmark — not unlike Puerto Rico’s relationship with the United States. Scotland and Wales are a part of the United Kingdom and therefore not really independent. But don’t tell that to a Scotsman. Indeed, if we decided the number of nations by flags, we would have about 250 countries. Brenson is sticking somewhat to a U.N.-affiliated definition of country; he’s going with 197, including Palestine and Taiwan.

Sovereignty is a slippery question. But salad is a minefield.

Courtesy of OSU

at the high school level, said Dr. Aric Warren — Oklahoma

Carson Toulouse

OSU soccer coach Colin Carmichael said the longer road trips to the Big 12 expansion schools won’t have a major effect on soccer student-athletes.

Christopher Borrelli Chicago Tribune

Bella Casey Staff Reporter

Tessa Dorrell Staff Reporter

Jason Brooks Jr. shows offensive line is a skill position OSU can rely on in 2023

line besides center in college and is expected to start at left guard for the Cowboys in 2023. Last year he split time at right tackle and right guard. Ask a wide receiver to switch to tight end or a defensive tackle to move to edge, and it would be a tough transition with different responsibilities and require a change in weight. It’s the same for offensive lineman, but they’re expected to do so in the middle of the game at times.

ever... I like playing both sides.”

Since spring practices, coach Mike Gundy has emphasized a reinvigoration for running the ball in 2023, after the team only managed 3.4 yards per rush and was second to last rushing offense in the Big 12 last year. That will require fullbacks, 12 personnel and, most importantly, implementing new blocking schemes for the offensive line.

success. They’re underappreciated when they perform well and hated when don’t. It takes real skill, just like every other position.

Skill comes from experience –which OSU has. Brooks is the only projected starter who isn’t a fifth-year senior. Two other backups also have four years of prior experience.

Before Jason Brooks Jr. went to college, he never played a position other than tackle.

Now entering his second season at OSU after transferring from Vanderbilt last year, Brooks has played or practiced at each position on the offensive

At practice on Thursday, Brooks said players got hurt and he was forced back to tackle for necessity. That skill he and the other six potential starters on the offensive line who returned from last season possess gives OSU the ability to stay steady up front.

“I can play anything on the line,” Brooks said after practice on Thursday.

“Whatever a lot of us need to do, we can switch off whoever needs to play and help out. I’m comfortable at what-

Learning a new offense from multiple positions seems difficult, but Brooks said he preferred it.

“When you start playing different positions it helps you learn the offense faster. You have to learn every assignment. It helps me get more confident and playing all those positions makes the game faster.”

Offensive line isn’t a flashy position like receiver or corner. One may only hold the ball once in their careers while recovering a fumble. But what they do is paramount to an offenses’

Though Brooks is still new to OSU compared to the rest of the line, the more experience they all get working different positions, the better off they will be if one is injured and needs to be replaced.

“A lot of these guys were here way before me,” Brooks said. “It was only my first last year, this is like their fifth. Having those veterans still help me with different assignments and things in the offense.”

sports.ed@ocolly.com

Mackenzie Janish

Jason Brooks (73) is expected to start at left guard for OSU in 2023 after playing on the right side of the offensive line last season.

Column

Gabriel Trevino

Columnist

sports

Esposito leaving OSU, accepting position at USA Wrestling

USA Elite 20 Residential Program.

Esposito holds 14 years of experience on the Cowboy wrestling coaching staff, most recently completing his seventh season as OSU’s associate head coach.

for over 20 years, helping coach 10 NCAA champions and a dozen teams to Big 12 titles.

John Smith’s offseason to-do list just expanded.

Longtime assistant and associate head coach

Zack Esposito is leaving the OSU wrestling program and accepting a position with USA Wrestling as its National Freestyle Development and Resident coach, it was announced Thursday morning. Now, Smith will be looking for a replacement.

At USA Wrestling, Esposito will coordinate the United States Pan American and World Teams at the U15, U17 and U20 levels. In addition, he will manage the

Esposito wrestled for the Cowboys from 200206, compiling a 35-1 record and attaining a 149-pound individual national title in 2005. He began his tenure as a coach, assisting with the Cowboy club wrestling program, the Gator Club, from 2010-11.

During his time in Stillwater, he aided in the development of 67 AllAmericans and 10 NCAA champions.

“I want to thank coach Esposito for his many years of tremendous service to Oklahoma State, both as a coach and a student-athlete,” Smith said in a Twitter statement. (Esposito) represented Cowboy wrestling

“As a wrestler, (Esposito) was an individual national champion and part of four NCAA championship teams. He now has a great opportunity to represent our country and I’m excited to see what he does. He’ll always have a home in Stillwater.”

There are various options to replace Esposito, including North Carolina coach Coleman Scott, Oregon State’s Chris Pendleton, Duke’s Glen Lanham, North Carolina State’s Pat Popolizio and Appalachian State’s JohnMark Bentley –all OSU wrestling alumni. Each is a viable option, given Smith’s tendency to hire people with OSU ties, such as Esposito and assistant coach Chris Perry.

sports.ed@ocolly.com

Soccer...

is going to be more exciting… We will be visiting places almost every week.”

“We don’t know that much about these teams,” Carmichael said. “But historically BYU is a top-10 program. They were national runner-up two years ago… UCF are a top-25 program just about every year. We have played those teams in the past and we have had really close games.”

The Big 12’s new look has teams sprawling across eight states, and the conference will inhabit 10 states once Utah, Arizona, Arizona State and Colorado join in 2024.

For Cowgirls like senior Mollie Breiner, the travel to expansion teams isn’t a problem, but it instead presents an opportunity to see new places.

“I like traveling,” Breiner said. “I think going new places

Continued from 1 sports.ed@ocolly.com

Carmichael pointed out that the new conference road trips won’t be any different than some of the nonconference matchups his teams have played. Last season, the Cowgirls played at Florida Atlantic and Miami, which are further than any opponent this season. OSU has also made nonconference road trips to Oregon, Washington and California in recent years.

Some of those nonconference trips might be adjusted because of the travel within conference now, Carmichael said, but it’s nothing the Cowgirls haven’t done before. He doesn’t believe the new intraconference travel will negatively impact his players.

“I don’t think you can all of a sudden see our GPA drop because we’re asking our kids to take an extra flight,” Carmichael said. “I just don’t see it.”

Jaiden Daughty

Esposito holds 14 years of experience on the Cowboy wrestling coaching staff, most recently completing his seventh season as OSU’s associate head coach.

File Photo Conference realignment is spurred by football, but other sports, such as soccer, also deal with the impacts of realignment.

Daniel Allen Staff Reporter

OSU offensive line using yoga to stay healthy

of injuries.

Now, fifth-year seniors Birmingham and Wilson practice preventative health each day through a unique forum: yoga.

“I got to treatment every day,” Birmingham said. “It doesn’t matter if I need to or not, it’s just preventative stuff. I try to get all the offensive line to go and just do some stretches and keep flexible.”

OSU’s offensive line found a new way to stay healthy ahead of this season.

The Cowboys battled injuries across the line last year. Cole Birmingham tore his right ACL in spring camp and missed the entire 2022 season, Preston Wilson missed three games and Joe Michalski missed one, too, because

Birmingham and Wilson recruit fellow fifth-year linemen Taylor Miterko, Jake Springfield and Michalski to attend the sessions with them, though they don’t attend as regularly as Birmingham and Wilson. But it’s helping the five fifth-year linemen build durability and, ideally, help reduce injuries.

The five linemen, who all came in as part of the 2019 recruiting class, are entering the season healthy for the first time since 2021, and they’re ready to get back on the field together.

“I think it’s awesome to see,” Miterko said. “We’ve all been such good friends since we got here five years ago and to have everybody healthy for the first time in a while is awesome. Seeing Cole back after his injury is awesome. Joe and Preston have battled injuries, so just to have everyone back is awesome because we haven’t had that in a while.”

The Cowboys are putting an em

phasis on the rushing game this season after struggles running the ball last year. Along with the five healthy veter-

ans, the Cowboys added offensive lineman Dalton Cooper from Texas State, where he earned three all-conference honors and started every game the last three seasons, to help accomplish that.

Cooper has impressed his teammates and coaches since his arrival this spring, and Springfield said Cooper is fitting in nicely with the culture the offensive line has set out to create.

“He’s come in and bought into the program and culture,” Springfield said. “I’m excited. I see improvements out of him through the spring and summer after joining our team, joining this culture. He’s right there with it.”

sports.ed@ocolly.com

Mackenzie Janish

Taylor Miterko is entering his fifth year at OSU alongside fellow offensive linemen Jake Springfield, Cole Birmingham, Preston Wilson and Joe Michalski.

Davis Cordova Staff Reporter

OSU professor receives NSF Award for smart elastomer research

Michael Clark Staff Reporter

Assistant Professor Aureile Azoug is receiving more than $600,000 from the National Science Foundation to conduct research in the field of smart elastomers.

Azoug teaches for the School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and plans to use this Early CAREER Award to better understand how energy dissipation works in smart elastomers. This deeper understanding of the inner mechanisms could be used to control elastomers and use them for practical applications.

Azoug is honored with the prestigious award.

“This award is very validating,” Azoug said. “It’s a recognition that says, ‘Hey, you’re doing good science and we’d like to see you continue down this path and see where you can take this research.”

The complex scientific properties called smart elastomers contain an organized, yet difficult structure and react to various changes in temperature and climate. This form of research is state-of-the-art and mostly untapped.

The research in question mainly focuses on replicating and creating these materials chemically and physically. Because of the recent advances in this research, it’s possible this award could help OSU scientists bring helpful cutting-edge products to both customers and scientists alike.

By exploiting the organized, mechanical structure of the elastomers, there is a dissipation of energy upon deformation. It is hypothesized that dissipation mechanisms could be used to reduce the vibrations and noise the deforming creates. Further research will surely help these scientists understand the inner workings of the dissipations.

“That’s the premise of the proposal,” Azoug said. “Can we understand exactly what is happening in the material dur-

ing certain environmental or mechanical changes? If so, we can then use that information to apply those characteristics when we do and do not want those dissipation mechanisms occurring.”

Azoug plans to map out the exact reasoning for why and how these materials solidify during the curing process. Most elastomers are cured under UV light, the quickest and most convenient curing method. Azoug and her team are also interested in streamlining the curing process to make it as optimal as can be, as well as

potentially manipulating the characteristics of the materials. Azoug theorizes that through understanding the behavior of the elastomers, she could use these in materials in important fields such as energy harvesting, health care, and soft robotics.

“A perfect example of an application would be the use of these materials in the production of vibration-dampening materials to be used inside a football helmet,” Azoug said.

”If we can identify an elastomer that is very efficient in the dampening of shocks, we could

produce a new composite material that could line the inside of a football helmet and produce a larger impact on the health of athletes at a lower cost.”

Alongside her research with smart elastomers, Azoug is determined to help up-andcoming young women transition from high school to various STEM fields. To achieve this goal, which is also backed by the NSF, the assistant professor and her team plan to develop activities that can help introduce students to robots and STEM at a young age. For example, these elastomers could

help make soft robots that students could easily access and play with through coding.

“I believe it is paramount for these young women to be exposed to these areas of science and to have female engineers and scientists teach them,” Azoug said. “I want girls to have the opportunity to see a woman be successful and have a career in engineering. I want them to know that pursuing that type of career is OK and that they can do it, too.”

news.ed@ocolly.com

Courtesy of OSU

Dr. Aurelie Azoug was selected for a nearly $600,000 award to use toward research.

a

Training...

Continued

Many Oklahoma schools do not have access to an athletic trainer or an individual who is up-to-date with current management practices. The family physician or school nurse is often the front line of assessment and recovery for those who have sustained head trauma. The resources provided by OSU’s multidisciplinary team through these sessions aim to develop knowledge and understanding of the latest best practices in the diagnosis and care of concussions.

Former OSU athletic trainer Dr. Jamie Akin was excited when the Athletic ECHO series was announced. As a pediatrician at Texoma Pediatrics,a mother to four student-athletes and the wife of a coach, Akin said it is important for athletic trainers, rural physicians and nurses to attend these sessions because a proper treatment plan involves everyone in the athlete’s daily routine.

“Concussions are not easy to notice for many parents and coaches since they are not physically visible. In the rural community, many fans are sideline spectators and staff are just coaches. If they are lucky, there are family practice or pediatric physicians in attendance,” Akin said. “The recognition, sideline testing and monitoring are changing and this series focusing on these important steps will help greatly in the sideline management and followup and treatment plan for these studentathletes.”

Preparation is key to the current best practices in concussion evaluation, and it is recommended to obtain sets

Courtesy of OSU

not seen

of objective individual data prior to the start of a sport season that can be used as an accurate comparison to help diagnose the condition, Warren said. The baseline tests should include various brain functions including cognitive function and abilities, balance, coordinated movements and reaction times.

The ECHO team is focused on sharing strategies and resources to help clinicians in the development of their own preseason testing programs.

“I see many athletes in my practice and many concussion follow-up patients each year,” Akin said “My treatment recommendations will change to reflect any new or changed guidelines being used, to hopefully give maximum benefit for our athletes in the community.”

The Athletic Training-Sports Management ECHO series launched May 24 and is held the second and fourth Wednesday of each month from noon to 1 p.m. The next session of the concussion mini-series on Aug. 23 dives deeper into return to learn protocols and start conversations about acute care and case management.

A one-time registration is required to participate in any ECHO sessions and participants are eligible for certificates of continuing education credits after attending the ECHO sessions. This is the first ECHO line focused on athletic training to reach athletic trainers and sports medicine providers at schools across the state.

“These sessions help keep local physicians and acting team physicians, athletic trainers, coaches and nurses up to date on current guidelines and management of concussions,” Akin said. “This makes treatment, recovery and back to play smoother and safer for athletes, as long as everyone is on the same page.”

CheckouttheOriginalHideaway!

The OSU Center for Health Sciences was recognized for its representation and encouragement to students entering the science, technology, engineering and mathematics field.

On Tuesday, INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine awarded OSUCHS with the Inspiring Programs in STEM Award. The magazine is known as the largest and oldest diversity and inclusion publication in higher education.

OSU-CHS will be featured, along with 79 other recipients, in the September 2023 issue of INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine honoring colleges and universities that encourage diversity in the STEM field.

The award was given based on efforts to inspire and encourage a new generation of young people to consider careers in STEM through mentoring, teaching, research, and successful programs and initiatives.

Assistant Dean of Diversity Brenda Davidson said she is honored and thrilled that OSUCHS has been recognized for its exceptional

efforts in recruiting diverse students into the field of medicine.

INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine selected three OSU-CHS programs:

Operation Orange

— a free, one day medical camp for students in grades 8-12 interested in medicine.

Native Pathways

— a program to recruit, train and retain American Indian and Alaskan Natives in medicine and science

Native Explorers — a program for college students designed around the disciplines of anatomy and vertebrate paleontology to provide hands-on activities to introduce Native Americans to the scientific method and traditional ways. “The excitement surrounding this recognition is matched by our belief that our Operation Orange, Native Pathways and Native Explorers programs will have a profound impact on the future of medicine,” Davidson said.

OSU-CHS’s goal is to have a positive impact on the health and well-being of communities throughout Oklahoma and because of that, they want to increase representation, address disparities and inspire future medical professions.

Ken Smith, the associate dean in the Office of American Indians in

Medicine and Science, and professor of anatomy at OSU-CHS said they are honored to be recognized for their efforts in recruiting and training American Indian students in medicine and science.

“We are proud to support the graduates of the College of Osteopathic Medicine in Tulsa and Tahlequah, which collectively graduates more American Indians than most medical schools in the nation,” Smith said.

Diversity and inclusion are shared goals among different departments and these opportunities are an important step toward that goal.

“We know that many STEM programs are not always recognized for their success, dedication and mentorship for underrepresented students,” said Lenore Pearlstein, owner and publisher of INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine. “We want to honor the schools and organizations that have created programs that inspire and encourage young people who may currently be in or are interested in a future career in STEM. We are proud to honor these programs as role models to other institutions of higher education and beyond.”

A call for nominations for this award was announced in April 2023.

news.ed@ocolly.com

The data indicates approximately 55% of pediatric athletes who have sustained

concussion are

by a medical professional.

OSU-CHS recognized with prestigious award for its positive impact on STEM

Courtesy of OSU

High school students take part in a Simulation Center activity during Operation Orange on the OSU Center for Health Sciences campus.

Luisa Clausen Editor-in-Chief

Continued from 1

When he began making these videos, Brenson just wanted to try Cambodian food. Or Romanian. There are bigger TikTok accounts, but if BoredinChicago were a nation, to judge by viewership and vibe, it would be Sweden, midsized, well-meaning.

He’s been tempted to have fun with the definitions. His father is British, so he has considered rocking the boat here and there and acknowledging the fluidity of cultures. For Great Britain, he has thought of eating chicken tikka masala, one of its national dishes, though it’s often associated with South Asia and definitely not with Yorkshire pudding.

Brenson’s wife, he says, isn’t that thrilled with his passion project. It’s become a time suck. Every Wednesday, when their corgi goes to day care, it was a chance to eat out. “Now we don’t argue over where we eat,” he says. But she has to help him hold the camera.

At our Ethiopian spot, a server approaches with a carafe of coffee.

She pours a dark stream of Ethiopian. Brenson stops her. “I’m sorry, I’m being annoying,” he says, “but would you pour again, so I can film?

Sorry, I’m causing chaos.”

She smiles and pours again.

Brenson sips. His eyes go wide: “Wow.” He looks at me: “Sorry for the camera and stopping, but I was introduced to an expression, ‘The camera needs to eat first.’”

At the risk of journalistic heresy, I must reveal I held his camera for a single shot of Ethiopian treats. Brenson directs me to play the camera stand and record him picking around a large tray. He nibbles and looks floored, dish after dish. Which, he says, is his actual reaction. “I’m not a food critic and I’m not very critical.

I never post a negative experience,” he says. “I also wouldn’t say I have a refined palate be -

Lifestyle

cause of all this. I haven’t been anywhere I didn’t love. At the worst, the places I have picked have been a 6 out of 10.”

Still, compared with the billion other TikTok accounts that claim to reveal the outof-the-way culinary secrets of Illinois, his videos can be uncommonly smart. When he can’t find a restaurant dedicated to food from, say, Estonia, he eats at a festival organized by the Chicago Estonian Center of Lake County. When he finds a strictly Egyptian restaurant harder to come by than expected, he settles for a bowl of molokhia, a traditional Egyptian soup served at Salam, a Middle Eastern restaurant in Albany Park. He includes flags, maps, notes of biodiversity and the correct order of eating Danish dinners, and though he is offered a lot of free meals these days, he never accepts.

“I first joined TikTok in 2019,” he says, “and I think I may have been the first person in Chicago to post that kind of ‘Hey, have you been to this cool restaurant’ kind of content. But now a ton of people post exactly the same content. To the point where I don’t actually go on TikTok, personally, just to browse. It’s all the same thing. It’s all: ‘This is my day in the life of living in Chicago. I go to the gym and shoot some content, then I was invited to this cool pop-up and look at this cool bar, so shout out to this cool company for comping a meal ...’ Does anyone actually live those lives?”

He shakes his head and takes a bite of sambusa, a samosalike fried pocket, folded up like origami. “You are supposed to disclose if you received free food on those videos and I would bet most of the time, (free meals) go undisclosed,” he says. “I mean, look, I can afford the $20 or so.”

Brenson, who is 30 and lives in Humboldt Park, grew up in La Grange, Illinois and attended Wake Forest University in North Carolina. Because he studied abroad in China for a while, when it came time to eat Chinese in Chicago, he

faced another uncomfortable question: If I am eating my way across the globe, do I eat the Chinese food (or Italian food, Japanese food or Mexican food) that is obvious and ubiquitous to most Americans, or try something interesting?

For China, he went with the latter, the crepelike jianbing at Jian on Clinton Street, a typical Chinese street food he relied on as a college student. His tastes, he says, have not evolved during the early months of this project. Instead, “it’s forced me to do the thing I had hoped it would do — force me to expose myself to more. There is so much in Chicago people don’t even try once,” he says. “For Chile, I had this Chilean corn pie that looked like pot pie and had eggs and the server was like, ‘You sure you want this?’ and I was hyped. And it was absurdly sweet, just mind-boggling for me.

“For Cambodia, I went to Khmai in Rogers Park, which is actually fine dining. Incredible. I had no idea what I would be eating and you have these shredded papaya salad, this coconut salmon curry thing wrapped in a banana leaf, sour beef soup. Wonderful stuff.”

The project has expanded

not only his palate, but also his mindset.

“A lot of how we think about food, I think, is kind of defined by what people hate and how people hate on different culture’s foods and how they feel it seems weird to them,” Benson says. “But there is a reason these dishes travel this far, and besides, tastes grow, tastes change. Plus, I will probably never go to Afghanistan, but doing these videos, I’m sampling it.” Winter started with A’s — Armenia, Algeria, Austria.

Spring segued into B’s — Belgium, Bolivia, Belize.

He never could find Azerbaijani food in the Chicago area, and, in his preliminary research on national cuisines, he’s come up blank on the Ivory Coast. (Yes, he is open to tips and suggestions. Send him a note through his website, BoredinChicago.com.) “The best experiences — this is telling — have been when I didn’t do the research I do before figuring out the next restaurant and went in blind and someone saved me,” he says. “I went to a Belarusian place and the menu was in Russian. What do I do? Someone helped.”

When I first saw his videos and the dutifulness of how he approached his project, I assumed he was doing this partly as a modest 2023 cry for world understanding. Turns out, he was just looking for a continuing hook for new videos, something to do between his more ordinary videos about lunch specials and weekend things to do — which does not take away the ambition and thoughtfulness of the project itself. He is not prone to oncamera gushing. He eats, he says, “like a mindless zombie staring into the void.” Sometimes he pumps his fist in the air after a particularly good bite, but even then it’s selfconscious. Intentionally or not, he provides room for you to question what “authentic” world cuisine even means in an online global community. He eats “the ultimate Czech grandma dish” (a dill soup named koprova) and makes you hungry for a Belizean restaurant on 63rd Street.

“Eventually I will work my way towards Yemen and Zambia and Zimbabwe,” he says, “but as to where exactly I’ll eat that, I don’t know. That’s a question for two years or so from now.”

entertainment.ed@ocolly.com

Courtesy of Tribune Content Agency

Cam Brenson, a TikTokker who is trying to eat a meal from every nation without leaving the Chicago area, tries the menu at Albany Park Guatemalan restaurant El Quetzal.

The ‘Queen of the Court’ struggled to get what she was owed in Depression-era tennis

By First Last Staff Reporter

Queen of the Court: The Many Lives of Tennis Legend Alice Marble” by Madeleine Blais; Atlantic Monthly Press (432 pages, $30)

In 1954, Ralph Edwards, host of television show “This Is Your Life,” introduced viewers to Alice Marble, a champ who held six prestigious titles simultaneously, and “revolutionized the game of tennis for women.”

At the end of the program, Edwards noted that Marble’s car had “played its last match,” and presented

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her with a new Mercury. The gift, Madeleine Blais writes, implied that at 40, “nothing in Alice’s present was as exciting as her past.”

In “Queen of the Court,” Blais — a journalism professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and author, among other books, of “In These Girls, Hope Is a Muscle” — provides an informative, if more dispiriting than inspiring biography of the largely forgotten tennis star of the 1920s and ‘30s.

Blais documents the emotional, physical and financial challenges Marble faced as an amateur, as well as her determination and good fortune.

Until she won titles at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open, Marble supported herself with part-time jobs, and Eleanor “Teach” Tennant — her coach, mentor, and perhaps lover — paid for her meals, clothing and living expenses.

Carole Lombard, the queen of screwball comedy, who took lessons from Tennant, pitched in as well, and introduced Marble to Hollywood

celebrities. These connections helped the tennis star get a gig as a singer at New York’s Waldorf Astoria Hotel and a cameo role (as herself) in the Spencer Tracy/Katharine Hepburn movie, “Pat and Mike.”

At the outset of her brief professional career (matches were suspended during World War II), Marble was paid $25,000 for a 4 1/2-month tour, onethird the salary of Don Budge, her male counterpart. An hour before a match in Minneapolis, she threatened to strike, and the U.S. Lawn Tennis Association caved.

In July 1950, Marble urged the “sanctimonious hypocrites” in her sport’s establishment to desegregate the sport by allowing Black player Althea Gibson to compete in the U.S. championship tournament in Forest Hills, New York. If Gibson “represents a challenge to the present crop of women players,” Marble declared, “it’s only fair that they should meet that challenge on the courts, where tennis is played.” The

tennis association relented.

“Queen of the Court” is not without flaws. The narrative is cluttered with names and tennis scores. Adopting an old-fashioned approach, Blais details the clothing Marble wore on and off the court. And the author devotes too much space to Marble’s long, lonely, financially strapped, alcohol-lubricated retirement.

In her final chapter, Blais reveals that Marble almost certainly fabricated many stories. The list includes: marriage to a soldier who was killed in action in World War II; a miscarriage; adoption of a 5-year-old boy, who died in an accident; a stint in Switzerland as a spy for the U.S. government; an honorary degree from Harvard University; and an affair with Rod Serling, creator of “The Twilight Zone.”

Alice Marble, it seems clear, was one of many athletes who were born too early and, after her sport was done with her, lived too long.

entertainment.ed@ocolly.com

Courtesy

“Queen of the Court: The Many Lives of Tennis Legend Alice Marble” by Madeleine Blais

Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle

Edited by Patti Varol and Joyce Lewis

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Daily Horoscope

Nancy Black

Tribune Content Agency

Linda Black Horoscopes

Today’s Birthday (08/18/23). Career expansion delights this year. Grow shared ven tures with steady coordination. Your message takes off this autumn, connecting new winter career directions. Resolve a creative challenge next spring, before launching your summer adventures. The sky’s the limit for what you can accomplish profession ally.

To get the advantage, check the day’s rating: 10 is the easiest day, 0 the most chal lenging.

Aries (March 21-April 19) — Today is a 9 — Action is the name of the game. Nurture vitality with exercise, good food and rest. Note your progress. Stop to acknowledge yourself for the ground taken.

Taurus (April 20-May 20) — Today is a 9 — Hunt for beauty and find it everywhere. Romance arises in conversation. Discuss mutual passion. Play around with creative ideas. Have fun with someone sweet.

Gemini (May 21-June 20) — Today is an 8 — Visions of domestic renewal inspire action. Stick to practical priorities. Fantasies fade upon inspection. Align efforts for repairs and improvements providing immediate benefit.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) — Today is an 8 — Adapt communications around a transition. Surprising news travels fast. Write, film and broadcast your story. Express your views. Develop and embellish your creative ideas.

Leo (July 23-Aug. 22) — Today is an 8 — Quick action takes advantage of lucrative opportunities. Communication opens doors. Long-lasting gain is possible. Harvest benefits and stash the surplus. Maintain positive cash flow.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) — Today is a 9 — Take practical steps to advance a personal project. Articulate desired results. Dress the part for the role you want. Determine your course. “Action!”

Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) — Today is an 8 — Settle into your private productivity zone. Action speaks louder than words. Make a spiritual or philosophical connection. Notice dreams. Envision and plan for perfection.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) — Today is an 8 — Align for common gain. Together you’re a powerful force. Share information and resources. Don’t fall for a con. Focus on practical priorities. Reinforce the basics.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) — Today is an 8 — Fuse communication and action to propel a professional project. Polish public presentations. Update your bios and profiles. You have the wind at your back.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) — Today is a 7 — Explore new territory. Make longdistance connections. Align efforts, words and organization to plot your course and prepare for the trip. Investigate an intriguing possibility.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) — Today is a 9 — Focus on practical financial priorities. Research before purchasing. If something sounds too good to be true, it likely is. Avoid waste or unnecessary expense.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — Today is an 8 — You and your partner are on the same wavelength. Align forces for a common goal. Focus on practical basics. Fantasies fade. Collaboration flowers.

ACROSS

1 Quad spot

4 Pollen producers

11 One turn after another? 14

Solution

Complete the grid so each row, column and 3-by-3 box (in bold borders) contains every digit, 1 to 9. For strategies on how to solve Sudoku, visit sudoku.org.uk