11 THINGS A WILDLIFE AMBASSADOR WORKOUT ESSENTIALS
BRINGING SCIENCE, SOCIAL MEDIA AND ACTIVISM TOGETHER
FEBRUARY 2021
Former ASU wrestler Levi Cooper embraces the WWE
EST. 2002
student life
contents student life 4
11 Workout Essentials
PUBLISHER
These items can make getting back into a fitness routine easier
Steve T. Strickbine
success & money 5
VICE PRESIDENT
Michael Hiatt
A Wildlife Ambassador
UA student brings science, social media and activism together
EXECUTIVE EDITOR
Christina Fuoco-Karasinski
sports 6
He's Ready To Rumbbbbbble Former ASU wrestler Levi Cooper embraces the WWE
entertainment 7
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Numbers
Tootsie Pops, ribs and dairy cows
Laura Latzko, Edwin Perez, Annika Tomlin DESIGNER
Shannon Mead CIRCULATION DIRECTOR
Aaron Kolodny
ASSOCIATE ADVERTISING SALES MANAGER
Nadine Whitehead
PRODUCTION MANAGER
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POP QUIZ
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What are the only two countries that don’t sell Coca-Cola? A. Russia and India B. Libya and North Korea C. North Korea and Cuba D. Cuba and Guatemala Answer: C. Due to political reasons, North Korea and Cuba do not distribute Coca-Cola.
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STUDENT LIFE
11 WORKOUT ESSENTIALS R ANNIKA TOMLIN • COLLEGE TIMES
eturning to a fitness routine after the holidays is no small task. After being in a self-induced sugar coma for a few weeks, the last thing most people want to do is complete an hour-long workout. Here are 11 workout essentials to make getting back into a fitness routine easier for everyone.
#11 ANTI-CHAFE BALM Between quarantine and holiday weight gain, you might notice body parts starting to rub up against each other when doing physical activity. That is where an anti-chafe balm comes in handy. Think of it like deodorant for your legs or other body parts rubbing against each other. No one likes getting a rash from your own body rubbing up against it. An anti-chafe balm can help soothe the area as well.
memory foam. Available on Amazon in women’s sizes 6 to 11 and men’s sizes 7 to 13 priced at $19 to $33.
#8 YOGA MAT Whether you are doing yoga or just need a more comfortable surface to do floor exercises, a yoga mat comes in handy. Available in a variety of colors and thickness, a yoga mat is a great workout device no matter the type of workout. From stretching to Russian twists, a yoga mat helps alleviate some of the challenges of doing exercises on hard, flat surfaces.
#7 RESISTANCE BANDS While gyms are still having restrictions of use during the COVID-19 pandemic, resistance bands offer a low-impact alternative to weight training that is also more versatile for at-home workouts. Resistance bands also help build endurance for those who want to focus on something outside of solely
#6 FOAM ROLLER Foam rollers help release tension and pain in muscles and improve flexibility and range of motion. This product is available in a variety of formats ranging from a flat smooth surface to ones with a plethora of ridges to help relax tense muscles and offer a massage-like feel when used. Foam rolling also helps increase blood flow and decrease soft-tissue density.
#5 BEAR BLOCKS Bear Blocks provide a wrist-saving solution to common workouts. From pushups and mountain climbers to burpees, planks and even downward dogs, the wrist bones are compressed and strain the ligaments because of the acute angle the positions require. When using Bear Blocks, you can
a durable and elastic fabric that is appropriate for all weather conditions. The inner lining is made of a unique textile solution combining copper ion fiber with polyester for antimicrobial, deodorizing and cooling benefits while working out. This breathable mask is ideal for an active lifestyle. Available at mamaskusa.com starting at $21.99.
#10 BOOST OXYGEN
#2 FITNESS TRACKER
Boost Oxygen is 95% pure Aviator’s Breathing Oxygen in a portable, easy-to-use handheld canister. After running a few miles or trying out a CrossFit class, most people are out of breath. Boost Oxygen helps ward off the shortness of breath, headaches, dizziness and nausea. It also helps improve sleep and mood while increasing mental alertness and stamina. Safe for all ages, Boost Oxygen supports altitude acclimation for those steep hikes and dealing with poor air quality on those muggy days. Available at boostoxygen.com starting at $7.99.
Well-known fitness tracker devices include Fitbits and Apple watches as well as many more with a range of abilities for any price point. The majority of fitness trackers help to record the number of steps that a person takes as well as the timeframe when they are actively engaging in a form of aerobic exercise. More advanced features include heart-rate monitors, measuring skin temperature, and Apple watches allow for the use of most cellphone features such as texting and calling. Fitness trackers are easy to use and can help keep people on track with their fitness goals while also offering a sense of competition when your tracker is connected to a friend or family members tracker.
#9 AKK SHOES These breathable, lightweight shoes come in a variety of styles — from fashionable sneakers to those with
free weights. They are available in a variety of forms, including therapy resistance bands, loop bands that help with strengthening the legs and butt, as well as power and mobility bands that are used for stretching and correcting mobility issues.
help the hand angle downward by 20 degrees, which places the wrist in a more comfortable position. Available at bearblocks.com priced at $49.99.
#4 SLIDERS Sliders offer a way for people to work on improving their balance, stability and core strength at any location. This versatile product offers the ability to intensify a workout while being able to use it at home, at the gym or on any flat surface. Sliders not only intensify the use of your muscles that aren’t normally being used, but they also tap into your small stabilizing muscles and increase the number of muscle groups you’re working out.
#3 MAMASK SPORTS Masks are required in most fitness facilities. The Mamask Sport has an outer fabric made of neoprene, 4 ECOLLEGETIMES.COM | FEBRUARY 2021
#1 ELECTROLYTE HYDRATION POWDER STICKS Hydralyte electrolyte hydration powder sticks can improve postperformance recovery from yoga, barre, cycling, hiking, boxing and gym workouts. This product is formulated with the right ratio of glucose and electrolytes for fast, on-the-go and effective rehydration. Hydralyte has 75% less sugar and four times the electrolytes of a sports drink. Available at hydralyte. com, this product ranges from $5.99 to $34.99. CT
SUCCESS
A WILDLIFE AMBASSADOR UA STUDENT BRINGS SCIENCE, SOCIAL MEDIA AND ACTIVISM TOGETHER LAURA LATZKO • COLLEGE TIMES
U
A graduate student Earyn McGee is obsessed with lizards. Her work in the sciences and environmental conservation has led her to the Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list. She was also honored as an American Association for the Advancement of Science mass media science and engineering fellow and an AAAS If/Then ambassador. A statue was made in her likeness and installed in Central Park Zoo as part of the ambassador program’s #IfThenSheCan-The Exhibit. “The ambassador program is about making women in sciences more visible, giving us the tools we need to succeed in our endeavors and our scientific efforts, and building a community of women scientists. That way we can lean on each other and collaborate,” McGee says. McGee has long been an inspiration to others. Working toward her Ph.D. in wildlife conservation and management, McGee shares facts about lizards and other creatures through YouTube, Instagram and Twitter. On Instagram and Twitter, she posts under the name Afro_Herper, a play on “herpetology.” She asks her followers to look for different species of lizards in photographs she posts as part
of her #FindThatLizard game. Sometimes, she engages her followers by sharing their lizard photos. Her videos and posts will often show her in the field, catching and collecting data on lizards. She regularly talks about her favorite species, Yarrow’s Spiny Lizards. In her videos, she shares information such as where to find lizards and how to hold them, tell if they’re pregnant, measure them and determine their sex. “When I’m making a video, I’m making it for my younger self, the one who was sitting there watching Steve Irwin and Jeff Corwin and thinking it would be so great if I could do something like that and have that as a job,” McGee says. She says it’s important to share with others what it has been like to be a Black woman in the science field. “For me, it’s not just about the lizards,” she says. “It was about telling people about my experiences of a Black woman in a predominately white field. It was trying to find the balance of not completely tanking my career but also being true and authentic while entertaining people. Finding that balance was a little difficult. I would say it probably took me a year to figure it out for myself.” Through her work, she hopes to encourage girls to pursue careers in science. “I definitely have parents who email me and tell me their daughters have been inspired. I
have my own sisters who tell me the same,” McGee says.
MEETING GOLIATH McGee went from using social media for personal to educational uses in June 2018 after she posted about a large tadpole named Goliath found at PHOTO COURTESY EARYN MCGEE the Southwestern For UA graduate student Earyn McGee, science education is Research Station. tied to sharing her own story, teaching others and increasing “People just representation of African American girls in the sciences. thought it was the weirdest, coolest thing and was born and grew up for a time went wild for it. It ended up going in Atlanta before moving to relatively viral,” McGee says. Inglewood, California, for middle Although she grew up with social and high school. She didn’t have media, it took time for her to figure many pets, except for hamsters and out how to use it differently. a bearded dragon. “I had to figure out my voice and She thought she wanted to be a what I wanted to share,” McGee veterinarian, but in college leaned says. “I thought no one would toward wildlife management. care. Then, I was like these things “I always had a love for science are important to me, so I’m going and a passion for animals. It really to share them, and hopefully it was a whole lot of hard work, resonates with others.” perseverance and determination,” She hopes to continue to mentor McGee says. and inspire others as she has a Although 2020 was a challenging graduate student. year for everyone, McGee Working as a mentor is not new continued with her work. She for her. For three years, she was a stays socially active by helping graduate student mentor in UA’s to organize Black Birders Week, Doris Duke Conservation Scholars a virtual movement that brings Program, which aims to create together Black birders. This more diversity in the sciences. followed an incident in Central “As a mentor, I felt like even Park where a white woman though they were helping me with threatened to call the police on my field work, my role was to serve Marvel writer Christian Cooper, them and help them get to where who was bird watching. they wanted to be,” McGee says. McGee says she can relate to McGee earned her bachelor’s many of the issues tied to the Black and master’s degrees from Howard Lives Matter movement. University and UA, respectively. “This issue very much does touch She came to Arizona as part science, the outdoors world, natural of the Environmental Biology resources and the environment,” Scholars program, working closely she says. with faculty mentor adviser and “Our goals are to call out our herpetologist George Middendorf. peers who are not saying anything She hopes to expand her research about the atrocities that are and to include foxes, wolves, happening in this country and to octopuses and elephants. also build community and uplift each other as Black people in the LONGTIME GOALS outdoors.” CT The oldest of five kids, McGee
Earyn McGee
PHOTO BY CHRIS RICHARDS
UA graduate student Earyn McGee seeks to educate and inspire others through videos and activities around lizards.
Instagram.com/afro_herper Twitter.com/afro_herper YouTube: http://bit.ly/2K3Ttpe
ECOLLEGETIMES.COM | FEBRUARY 2021 5
SPORTS
HE’S READY TO RUMBBBBBBLE FORMER ASU WRESTLER LEVI COOPER EMBRACES THE WWE EDWIN PEREZ • CRONKITE NEWS
O
ne day he is studying accounting at Arizona State. The next he is hitting his “business” partner with a briefcase. Welcome to the world of former ASU wrestler Levi Cooper, better known as “Tucker,” a WWE performer on “Monday Night Raw.” “I love ASU and always will,” Cooper says. “Tempe has a very big spot in my heart.” It was the place he found success at the collegiate level. And the springboard for an unlikely career. After finding success at Oregon’s North Marion High School in football, wrestling, and track and field, Cooper made stops at Portland State, which discontinued its wrestling program, and Cal State Bakersfield before landing at ASU. He made an immediate impact, securing All-American honors his first competitive season at 285 pounds and finishing eighth in the
NCAA Championships. Success continued throughout his senior year and he was ranked 18th in the nation during the 2012-13 season. He led the team in dual wins and points and advanced to the NCAA championship. ASU assistant wrestling coach Lee Pritts points to Cooper’s many contributions to the program. “I remember him being a good leader and was a great presence in the locker room for the whole team,” Pritts says. “He was always upbeat and always competed at top level.” ASU was a special place for Cooper. Not only did he succeed at wrestling, he met his wife, a former ASU athlete, there. “ASU will always be a big part of our lives and we will represent the Sun Devils forever, and there is no taking that away from us,” Cooper says. One of the biggest lessons he took away from ASU? “Not having my ego attached to the results,” he said. After graduating from the W.P.
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Carey School of Business with a degree in accountancy, he seemed destined for a career with numbers. But he also had tried out for a spot with WWE, the popular organization that blends sports with scripted entertainment. A month later, in July 2013, the company called and offered him a contract. “I chose WWE because it gave me the best opportunity to continue my athletic endeavors and I looked at it like a new, exciting athletic challenge,” Cooper says. “I enjoy those kinds of tests where I would have to use my will and determination to be successful.” He started his journey at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida, and soon learned the transition from college to professional competition is not an easy one. “In wrestling, you are out there by yourself and you want to go out there to ignite the crowd and put on a show,” Pritts says. “As far as it goes to technique and most other things, there are not many correlations, except the physical pounding you put your body through in wrestling may prepare you for WWE as well.” Tucker Knight, Cooper’s full ring name, made his debut in 2015 against Tye Dillinger and made his television debut against Baron Corbin. The following year was a pivotal one, as he formed a tag team with “Otis” — known away from the ring as Nikola “Niko” Bogojevic — and the pair became “Heavy Machinery.” The duo made multiple appearances on the TV program “WWE NXT,” and it’s where Cooper truly learned the business, including the jargon of it,
he says. It led to his first televised main roster appearance at the 2018 Greatest Royal Rumble. A few months later, his dream of appearing as a superstar on the main roster came true when it was announced Heavy Machinery would appear on the January 14, 2019, episode of “Raw.” The duo would be part of big matches throughout 2019 and 2020, taking part in multiple pay-per-view and tag-team title matches. Now, he is on a singles run on “Monday Night Raw” after splitting with Otis. During the broadcast of “Money in the Bank,” he hit his partner with a briefcase to make the breakup official. Despite COVID-19 outbreaks that have impacted talent availability, WWE has not missed any television or pay-per-view events during the pandemic. It recently launched the ThunderDome, a virtual experience with fans appearing on video boards. The large fan support for WWE has given Cooper a platform. Outside of the ring his focus is on spreading messages he believes strongly in, including making mutual respect a priority. “Whether you have a R or a D next to your name, you are an American,” Cooper says about political affiliations. “Everybody loves America the same, even if we disagree the way it should go down. We need to have civilized conversations.” What’s next for Cooper? It could be motivation speaking. His wrestling journey, from ASU to WWE, helped him find his voice. For more stories from Cronkite News, visit cronkitenews.azpbs.org. CT
NUMBERS ANNIKA TOMLIN • COLLEGE TIMES
On average it takes 364 licks to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop. There is 26 minutes of brooding silence in the “Twilight” movies. A dairy cow will produce up to 3% more milk when listening to music. Every person is born with only two natural fears: the fear of falling and the fear of loud sounds. There is a 1 in 500 chance a person is born with an extra rib known as the cervical rib. The average American spends 2.5 days a year looking for lost items. In 1927, PEZ candy was introduced as an alternative to tobacco. Dr. Seuss invented the word “nerd” in his 1950 book “If I Ran the Zoo.” Passports only come in shades of four colors: blue, red, green and black. A snail can sleep for up to three years.
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