Weber State University’s Speech and Debate team was recently recognized as the top university team in the Northwest region, which includes Oregon, Washington, Idaho, northern Utah, Montana and Alaska.
Two members of the team won individual awards within their region — Jazmyne Olson and Lily Nunley.
On top of multiple weekly meetings, members individually spend hours researching for and preparing their speeches.
“We’re talking hours and hours and hours that they’re willing to put in the time and effort, and critique themselves and improve consistently
throughout the year,” Mark Galaviz, coach of the team, said.
Kyle Housley, a coach for the Speech and Debate team, said many members of the team prepare anywhere from four to seven speeches for each tournament.
“Each of those speeches takes around 20 hours for us to memorize,” Housley said. “That’s not even adding any emotion into any of that.”
Housley said that after practicing techniques, each speech takes about 40 hours to perfect. Olson agreed, saying that while the time commitment is extensive, it’s all worth it.
“At the end of the day, it’s a lot of work, and I have never been in an environment that pushes me more and asks more of me than debate,”
Olson said. “But I’ve also never been in an environment that has helped me grow so much, that has helped me develop my skills in the same way.”
The debaters agree that their work ethic has brought them success.
“We all relentlessly push towards being the best that we can … and we’re surrounded by brilliant people here and that pushes us to be better as well,” Housley said.
Olson went on to explain similar feelings, stating the competitive environment fosters a snowball effect to push yourself. Galaviz and Olson also said the team supports and improves each other.
Galaviz recalls a tournament where the team had dwindled to seven or eight members, as opposed to other
teams who were averaging 14 members.
“Some real tragedy struck … but the way the team rallied together was, I think, one of my [proudest] moments,” Galaviz said.
Olson expressed gratitude at the opportunities debate has provided for them.
“I truthfully feel so privileged to be able to compete in speech and debate, because I have the advantage of being able to go into a room and having at least one person have to sit down and listen to me for 10 minutes about whatever I’m saying.”
O�en considered a hobby, croche�ng is an art form that picked up in popularity when the pandemic hit. This led to the idea of the “Crea�on Corner” by Angie Snyder from Stewart Library’s Circula�on Team.
Snyder and the rest of the library’s circula�on team were excited to get this event going. The library thought that it would bring something new and fresh for students to do so Snyder pitched the idea and helped bring it together.
Crea�on Corner came to life a�er fall semester’s finals. This is its third event, and it had a successful turnout. The Crea�on Corner brings beginners and advanced crocheters to enjoy a relaxing hobby together.
“To see different people’s crea�vity is really cool. A lot of people are really interested in learning how to do stuff, so even if they have no experience with it or they learned from their grandmothers when they were really small, just to kind of take back that skill, I think is really cool,” Snyder said. “I feel like through a kind of pandemic lockdown, a lot of those cra�ing skills came back because people didn’t have a lot to do, so they made stuff.”
Snyder said that the event had originally started because the library staff had men�oned how many of them crocheted and thought a crochet workshop would be a fun idea. Snyder was told she would be a great start to the event by teaching crochet, but they aim to expand to other hobbies as well.
The library is thinking of adding more opportuni�es to do different cra�s in addi�on to croche�ng
to help further inspire crea�vity and teach ar�s�c skills in a beginner-friendly environment. Snyder said poten�al ideas for the future include kni�ng, origami and cross-s�tching.
The Crea�on Corner offers a getaway for students a�er classes and gives them an opportunity to learn or
enhance their crea�ve skills.
“We’ll have different kinds of people coming in to teach different things. So far, we’re just star�ng with crochet, because that’s what we’re kind of prepared for.” Snyder said.
Crea�on Corner is held in Stewart Library 249 once every week from 1-3
p.m. The next event will be on Feb. 23 and will be about origami. More informa�on is available on the Stewart Library’s Instagram and Facebook pages.
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By COOPER HATSIS Reporter
An all-new musical, “Matchstick Girl,” is coming to Weber State University, premiering on Feb. 24 and 25 at 7:30 p.m. in the Browning Center. The musical will have more showings starting on March 1-4.
“Matchstick Girl” was written by Jennifer Kokai, a WSU associate professor of theater, and directed by Andrew Barratt Lewis, a WSU assistant professor of musical theater. The music was composed by Kenneth Plain, a visiting assistant professor in the WSU theater department, and the choreography was constructed by WSU choreographer Alicia Trump.
“Matchstick Girl” is adapted from a short Danish story by Hans Christen Andersen titled “The Little Match Girl.” The new musical follows Sofia on New Year’s Eve in Denmark during the 19th century. Sofia sells matchsticks to passersby on the street, but because it is so cold, she uses the matchsticks for herself. As she lights the matchsticks, she begins to have magical fantasies of
parties, friends and her grandmother.
The musical was first brought to light by Plain.
“I read this when I was a young kid, and it always just fascinated me,” Plain said. “It just stayed with me. I had always just kind of wanted to write a musical about it.”
Plain brought this idea to Kokai, and from there, they began to work together on the new musical, with Plain making the music and Kokai adapting the short story.
Kokai worked to expand upon the story and turn it into a 90-minute musical with new characters and more backstory. The duo examined parts that were not explored in the short story, such as Sofia’s grandmother, who plays a critical role in the musical.
Plain wrote the first piece of music in December 2021, but the duo started to prioritize the project in June 2022.
From there, Plain and Kokai had a workshop with theater alumni for the new play in August 2022. Casting started during the fall 2022 semester, and rehearsals started at the beginning of
2023.
Plain has written original stories before but has never adapted a short story before.
“It was daunting, but any creative process is when you first start because there is basically nothing there,” Plain said. “Jenny and I talked through things, and we had an outline for the story. We just started filling in the blanks for the story.”
Kokai and Plain had to do extensive research on Denmark, where the story takes place, to expand on what the short story already had to offer.
Plain said the music has some influence from folk music originating from Denmark as well as influences from classical theater music.
“The music gives you the emotion that you might not feel from reading it on the page or hearing the words,” Lewis said. “It helps you to understand more of the inner workings of the characters. Honestly, it makes the magical moments of the story that much more magical.”
Barrett decided to put the musical
on for this season after seeing what Plain and Kokai had crafted. Barrett said this play is unique from other productions due to it being adapted from a short story, but also because it is a New Year’s story.
“There are a lot of Christmas stories out there, but this is interesting because it is a New Year’s story,” Barrett said. “What do we do with the days we have ahead of us? We are six weeks past the New Year, so it might remind us to think about what we want to do this year.”
Plain encouraged students and the community to attend this latest production from the theater department.
“We have some really wonderful students that are doing an amazing job at creating these characters,” Plain said. “I think it is always exciting to come and see art that is being created for the first time … I think it is really interesting to see new work, and especially within our campus community.”
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MARIANNA LOPEZ-LURITTA Traductor
By COOPER HATSIS Reportero
Un musical totalmente nuevo, “Matchstick Girl”, llega a Weber State University, estrenándose el 24 y 25 de febrero a las 7:30 p.m. en el Browning Center. El musical tendrá más funciones a partir del 1 al 4 de marzo.
“Matchstick Girl” fue escrito por Jennifer Kokai, profesora asociada de teatro de la WSU, y dirigido por Andrew Barratt Lewis, profesor asistente de teatro musical de la WSU. La música fue compuesta por Kenneth Plain, profesor asistente visitante en el departamento de teatro de la WSU, y la coreografía fue construida por la coreógrafa de la WSU Alicia Trump.
“La niña de las cerillas” es una adaptación de un cuento danés de Hans Christen Andersen titulado “La niña de las cerillas”. El nuevo musical sigue a Sofía en la víspera de Año Nuevo en Dinamarca durante el siglo XIX. Sofía vende cerillas a los transeúntes en la calle, pero como hace tanto frío, las utiliza para ella misma. Mientras
enciende las cerillas, empieza a tener fantasías mágicas con fiestas, amigos y su abuela.
El musical salió a la luz por primera vez gracias a Plain.
“Lo leí de pequeña y siempre me fascinó”, dice Plain. “Se me quedó grabado. Siempre quise escribir un musical sobre ello”.
Plain le contó la idea a Kokai y, a partir de ahí, empezaron a trabajar juntos en el nuevo musical, con Plain haciendo la música y Kokai adaptando el cuento.
Kokai trabajó para ampliar la historia y convertirla en un musical de 90 minutos con nuevos personajes y más trasfondo. El dúo examinó partes que no se habían explorado en la historia corta, como la abuela de Sofía, que desempeña un papel fundamental en el musical.
Plain escribió la primera pieza musical en diciembre de 2021, pero el dúo empezó a dar prioridad al proyecto en junio de 2022.
A partir de ahí, Plain y Kokai organizaron un taller con antiguos alumnos de teatro para la nueva obra en agosto de 2022. El casting comenzó durante el semestre de otoño de 2022,
y los ensayos empezaron a principios de 2023.
Plain ya había escrito historias originales, pero nunca había adaptado un cuento.
“Fue desalentador, pero cualquier proceso creativo lo es cuando empiezas porque básicamente no hay nada”, dijo Plain. “Jenny y yo hablamos de todo y teníamos un esquema de la historia. Empezamos a rellenar los espacios en blanco de la historia”.
Kokai y Plain tuvieron que investigar a fondo sobre Dinamarca, donde transcurre la historia, para ampliar lo que ya ofrecía el relato corto.
Plain dijo que la música tiene cierta influencia de la música folclórica originaria de Dinamarca, así como influencias de la música clásica de teatro.
“La música te transmite la emoción que quizá no sientas al leerla en la página o al escuchar las palabras”, dijo Lewis. “Te ayuda a comprender mejor el funcionamiento interno de los personajes. Sinceramente, hace que los momentos mágicos de la historia sean mucho más mágicos”.
Barrett decidió montar el musical para esta temporada después de ver lo que Plain y Kokai habían creado.
Barrett dijo que esta obra es única con respecto a otras producciones debido a que es una adaptación de un cuento corto, pero también porque es una historia de Año Nuevo.
“Hay muchas historias de Navidad, pero ésta es interesante porque es una historia de Año Nuevo”, dijo Barrett. “¿Qué hacemos con los días que tenemos por delante? Estamos seis semanas después de Año Nuevo, así que podría recordarnos que pensemos en lo que queremos hacer este año”.
Plain animó a los estudiantes y a la comunidad a asistir a esta última producción del departamento de teatro.
“Tenemos algunos estudiantes realmente maravillosos que están haciendo un trabajo increíble en la creación de estos personajes”, dijo Plain. “Creo que siempre es emocionante venir y ver el arte que se está creando por primera vez ... Creo que es realmente interesante ver nuevos trabajos, y especialmente dentro de nuestra comunidad universitaria”.
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Chelsea Christensen performing as Kristen in “Matchstick Girl.” PORWeber State University’s hockey team beat Utah State University 2–1 on Feb. 17 at the Ice Sheet, finishing their senior night game with a game-winning goal from forward Cole VanOrman.
“We’ve had our ups and downs this year,” VanOrman said. “We’re definitely on a pretty good high right now.”
Celebrating senior night for their last home game of the season, the Wildcats opened the game with a ceremony for goalie Kyle Lane and forward Andrew Gorges.
“For me, it’s bittersweet,” Weber State head coach Yosh Ryujin said. “Those [two] have been staples for our program for six years and it’s sad to see them go, but at the same time, I’m happy because I’ve been able to watch these guys grow up in front of me and I know they’re going to both do some great things in life.”
With Lane protecting the Wildcats’ net and goalie Isaac Rice protecting Utah State’s, both teams were held scoreless during the first period.
“That goaltender hasn’t played a lot this year and give him credit. He played really well,” Ryujin said. “I don’t think early in the game we made it crazy enough for him in front of the net. We did make it more difficult for him and he was able to get some saves early and get some confidence and it grew throughout the game. We had a tough time finding the back of the net against him.”
Clustered around the net two minutes into the second period, forward Bryon Fobair scored off an assist from VanOrman during a power play. Despite having a 5–3 advantage at one point, the Aggies failed to respond during the second.
Still up 1–0 midway through the third
period, it looked like the Wildcats would be skating away with a victory. However, Utah State started to play more aggressively, finding ways through Weber State’s defense.
With 8:22 left, Utah State forward Zach Pires scored off an assist from defensemen William Christensen.
Despite multiple attempts from both teams to break the tie, the match went into overtime with a 1–1 score.
The game looked like it’d be heading to a penalty shoot-out until Fobair found VanOrman late in overtime. After multiple attempts to get the puck past Rice, VanOrman scored a goal.
“I was able to get my rebound behind the net and at that point, just on those scrams, the goalie was kind of all over the place,” VanOrman said. “I just wanted to get the puck in front of the net and I actually just put the puck through the crease. The goalie spun and he actually put it in the back of the net.”
The Wildcats pinned VanOrman to the glass after the goal, creating a dogpile during their celebration.
“We want to win in front of our fans and send me and Andy off with a good one,” Lane said. “The boys did a really good job. We grinded it out and the message was clear: Just like every other game, you’ve got to win.”
Unable to win back-to-back against the Aggies, Weber State lost 5–4 against Utah State the following day in Logan.
Finished with the regular season, the Wildcats will head to Massachusetts for the ACHA Division 2 Conference Regionals from Feb. 23-25.
Weber State University’s women’s basketball team beat Portland State University 62–55 on Feb.18 at the Dee Events Center.
Wildcat forward Vicky Parra started the game off by scoring early with a jumper in the paint. The Vikings responded with a layup on the other end of the floor.
Both teams were locked in, going back and forth throughout the first quarter. Neither team could extend their lead by more than 4 points, leading to Portland State ending the quarter up 19–15.
The game remained close going into the second quarter. Before the end of the half, Weber State went on a 6–0 run and tied the game at 23. Both teams began to play defensively after this, trying to limit available points.
Wildcat guard Kaiija Lesane hit two free throws before halftime to tie the game at 27.
During the third quarter, the Vikings went up by 5 points, the biggest lead of the quarter. The Wild-
cats responded with a 9–3 run that started with two free throws from Charlotte Hegvold. Going into the fourth, the Wildcats were up by 3 points.
Not wanting to have the Vikings’ shooters let loose from 3-point range, forward Jadyn Matthews said that the Wildcats used a defensively-minded strategy to pull away in the fourth quarter.
Weber State took advantage of their scoring momentum, going on an 11–2 run during the fourth quarter and hitting clutch-free throws to seal the victory.
“In this game, we were composed the entire time down the stretch, which was really important,” Wildcat head coach Velaida Harris said. “I’m proud of them for making that change.”
Matthews led the Wildcats with 21 points, shooting 9 of 15 from the field. The second-leading scorer was guard Lesane with 10 points. The game’s statistics demonstrate how competitive it truly was, consisting of 12 lead changes and 11 ties throughout the match.
Harris said they gave up corner 3-pointers on a drive drift action. They got stops to help them pull away in this game when they corrected that.
Finishing their regular season, the Wildcats are hoping to sweep Eastern Washington University on
Feb. 23 in Cheney, Washington. The team will then take on the University of Idaho on Feb. 25 in Moscow, Idaho.
Weber State University is proposing a tuition increase of 0 - 4% meaning an additional $0 - $109 per semester for a full-time resident undergraduate student for the upcoming school year. It is proposed this tuition increase be used for the Required Legislative Match: $0 - $3,404,200.
All concerned students and citizens are invited to a public hearing on the proposed increase to be held on:
MONDAY, FEB. 27, 2023
2:30 - 3:30 p.m., Weber State University Shepherd Union Room 404AB or via Zoom: weber.zoom.us/j/95807413391