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THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER AT THE UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA MONROE
September 19, 2016
FREESTYLE
Passion on pole is confidence by Brea Joyner
After a loaded day of stress from school and the stress of recovering from a flooded home, Amber Griffin relies on pole tricks to recollect her tranquility. This 5’1’’ pre-physical therapy graduate student sprays her hands with rubbing alcohol before she grips the silver pole that is twice her height. She lifts herself up and smoothly curves her foot near the dangling purple and pink sheered fabrics on the ceiling. As she spirals down, the tips of her feet gently place on the wood floors. Her striking twists and turns intertwine with her thoughts of how far she has come despite her setbacks. Forty-five minutes. As Amber and her mother were at work, concerned with their patients, Amber’s neighbor called her mother to tell them that their home was about to flood. 45 minutes to hurry and save as much as they could before the water poured through the walls. Since their home is in the valley of flatlands of Monroe, the water ran towards their home. Clothes. Shoes. TV stands. Scattered pictures. All floating in brackish water. “When I came in and the water touched my knees and stuff was floating everywhere...my boyfriend had to keep me from crying,” Griffin said. “My mom and I, our entire life [was] just floating in water.” After waiting a week for 3-feet of water to drain from their home, it was hard to find a place to start. Three weeks ago, they received an answer to their prayers. Amber recalled a Christian-volunteer organization from Arkansas coming to help them clean out their house, but they weren’t the youthful faces they usually saw around town. “These were men who at least 50 and up…gutted out our house in no time,” Griffin said. Through constant hope and support from one another, Griffin and her mother have never been closer. Actually, it was her mother who encouraged her pick up pole dancing. Her mother Julie Comack was searching on the Groupon mobile app and found a dance opportunity she could not let go to waste. “We were always joking with her…and I told her to look at this: a two for one deal,” Comack said. Even though she did not attend the first session, she remembered the second session as an uplifting experience. “I obviously struggle with fitness…[but] I got myself up and I got myself around that pole and I was so tickled that I was able to do it one time,” Comack said. A joke became a reality when Amber told her that after trying out, she was hired on the spot as a new instructor. “It’s opened up a new way to connect with people and encourage women to feel sexy without feeling negative about it,” Griffin said. Griffin’s undergraduate years in cheerleading played a role in her flamboyant flexibility. From flier to base spot, Griffin always proved her adaptability to a new challenge. Pole dancing is, often, seen as inappropriate because of its relation to strip tease. Though instead of taking the side-eyed glances and bulging eyes to heart,
Comack encourages the naysayers to give it a try. “I tell ‘em... don’t worry about what everybody else thinks. Once you go try it… you’ll understand that she’s not out there on the corner taking her clothes off
swinging around a pole,” Comack said. According to Nikki Moore, one of Amber’s regular students, Amber’s easygoing and encouraging instruction is the push she needed to get back on the pole. In fact, Moore used to be an instructor six years ago. Since picking up the pole “gymnastics” again, Moore lost 10 pounds and gained more confidence.
However, it was not too long afterwards that Amber transitioned from helper to patient. Amber had delayed hand-eye coordination, but thanks to the PT clinic, she was able resume the responsibilities of a young child. “I was one of the first kids in Monroe to test the Metronome System. It is the only reason that I can play things like video games or catch,” Griffin said. Griffin hopes to be a pediatric physical therapist focusing on children with special needs. She also wants to run her own gym with various sports for them to play. “People don’t stop and think about opportunities like that. There’s few places that have special needs parks and other things for them to do,” Griffin said. She hopes to include sports such as country-heat line dancing, PiYO (a combination of Pilates and yoga) and pole exercise. Griffin teaches pole dancing every Tuesday and Friday evening at iSweat n Stilettos in West Monroe. For more information, visit isweatnstilettos.com. contact Brea Joyner at joynerba@warhawks.ulm.edu
“It’s
“Amber is always encouraging [me] when I’m frustrated…and want to give up. I can just tell she is genuinely interested in helping me to my full potential,” Moore said. “For other women skeptical of pole dancing, I would say just try it twice. It is a little intimidating the first time, [but] by the second time you are much more confident. Pole dancing is a fairly new chapter of Amber’s hyperactive life. Basketball, swimming, track, karate, and cheer are just a few of the sports she’s done since her younger years. Despite her niche for hitting every pitch thrown at her, it was her grandmother’s near death experience that inspired her to major in kinesiology. “My grandmother had a serious brain tumor that almost killed her. [It] wrapped around her spinal cord and the base of her skull,” Griffin said. “The nerves died in the back of her head so she lost function on almost the entire half of her face.” After years of physical therapy at Melanie Massey PT clinic in Monroe, she regained almost full function of her face. During her grandmother’s visits to therapy, Griffin walked around the clinic to see where she could help. “They would let me follow them around and tag along and assist with therapy with the other kids,” Griffin said.
opened up a new way to connect with people and encourage women to feel sexy without feeling negative about it.”
POLE POSE Twisted Ballerina
FOOD Pasta
EMOJI The laughing face
SPORTS TEAM The Warhawks
APP “Snapchat, because I’m nosey.”
ITEM IN HER CLOSET “My coach purses or my watches.”
MUSIC “I like many types of music.”
NAIL COLOR Coral
DRINK Sprite
CITY Las Vegas
COLOR Teal
TIME OF DAY Photo by Cory Thaxton
Mid to late afternoon
September 19, 2016
THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER AT THE UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA MONROE
PAGE 11
FREESTYLE
Ladies Night Out brings
endless boutique bargains by Brea Joyner
The 2nd Annual Ladies Night Out had the women of Monroe feeling right. Local news station KTVE teamed up with the Cancer Foundation League to give ladies the opportunity to shop for a cause last Thursday evening, September 15th. Tanya Graves, KTVE accountant executive and events coordinator, stood near the runway stage to make sure everything ran as smoothly as possible. This year reminded her that this was a chance to revive a tradition that seemed to fade away. It was time to do it bigger. Better. Years ago, LNO was held at The Atrium hotel, which is now tore down. However, the destruction did not get rid of a distant memory. “I remember going and having so much fun, and I thought [that] we need to do more community things where we get out and have fun,” Graves said. Last year, LNO’s first revival, KTVE struggled with overcrowding at the West Monroe Convention Center. People parked further down, walking to the convention center, and backed up the building so much they had to take turns going in and out of the event. This year, 125 boutiques and merchants filled the Monroe Civic Center arena bringing in over 2000
registered shoppers. This year’s venue brought three times the amount of last year. As a shopper entered the perimeter of the arena, the aroma switched from spiced red beans and rice to pumpkin spice with a hint of honey cinnamon. Inside the arena, vendors showed off their personal trends for this fall that seemed to be tan fringe and distressed jeans. According to KTVE general manager Randy Stone, shoppers and even business owners will not experience such a convenient shopping experience like this for another year. “You can’t find a better variety in one place in three hours all year,” Stone said. Small business owners were given a broader range of exposure to potential customers and shoppers received exposure to fresh styles and reasonable prices. To top off the evening, different boutiques were able to display their trend setters for the fall season on the runway. In the midst of runway exchanges, raffles were given to present shoppers. Ladies were not the only ones getting a bang for their boutique, the Cancer Foundation League saw this as an
Dueling pianos entertain
downtown Monroe dwellers by Ethan Ozburn
The Downtown River Jam in downtown Monroe was Thursday and brought a big crowd to Bry Park. The musical talents of Josh Madden and Kenny Bill Stinson played the old school rock-n-roll tunes to the people as they enjoyed Yuengling beer and Gumbo Cheese Fries. Their dueling piano act invited many people to laugh, dance and sing along. Kenny Bill Stinson is a little well-kept secret of Louisiana, as he has been performing his signature style called Rockabilly across the North Louisiana area for over 40 years. His play style is sharp and fast with pinpoint accuracy, producing a sound that can make any listener tap their toe to an upbeat tune. Josh Madden is a rising artist who plays a lot around the area as well, bringing a lot of classic soul piano to accompany Stinson’s fancy work. They covered songs like The Beatles’ “Norwegian Wood,” in which Madden’s vocals offer a great low tone to accent Stinson’s melodic take on the main riff. They also played “Drift Away,” by Dobie Gray or Uncle Kracker, depending on who you prefer. Concert-goers were encouraged to donate money to stop the artists from playing the current song and immediately play the song of the donator’s choice. Food for the event was offered by Wayne VS the Winnebago, which travels throughout the Monroe area
and even came to ULM earlier this month. They bring a new take on Louisiana Cajun food with their famous Gumbo Cheese Fries and their fantastic sliders. Choice Brands, Inc. provided sponsorship to this event and gave free samples of their Yuengling beer line. They also brought a giant inflatable beer can to attract any foot-traffic that might walk by the park. Governors Cigar & Pipe also had a tent set up to supply people with classy ways to enjoy their tobacco. contact Ethan Ozburn at ozburnet@warhawks.ulm.edu
opportunity to save lives. The CFL is a local volunteer-based organization who donates all raised monies to local cancer patients. It is also affiliated with the Louisiana Cancer Institute. To raise money for their foundation, they presold tickets for $8 and at the door for $10. CFL Vice President Alise Oliver says that even though the workers do not receive a salary, the effect they could have in the community is priceless. “We’re fortunate enough to have a contact to KTVE that offered us the opportunity to sell the tickets. So we’re getting half of the proceeds,” Oliver said. CFL promotes screenings throughout the year, and their upcoming testing is for the prostate. Screenings will be given at the Cancer Institute on Calypso Street, September 24th. contact Brea Joyner at joynerba@warhawks.ulm.edu image courtesy of flickr
Carlos Tenorio’s music passion
takes audience on journey by Katie Harrell
Music is something extraordinary. Music isn’t just a collection of notes or rhythmic technicalities. Music is just an outline for the musician to find themselves and give their own personal touch to the music which takes, not only the musician, but also the audience on a journey. That’s exactly what Carlos Tenorio did when he played at the Brown Bag Concert Series this past Wednesday. Starting in Venezuela, journeying to Italy and ending in Argentina, he took everyone along as he performed with passion the different styles, and creating a picturesque image in the audiences mind. When asked what inspires him to keep preforming his response was, “I’m not exactly sure, and I don’t think I have a reason.” I think once you start playing, it just becomes a part of your life and you start to go
crazy without it,” said Tenorio’s Not only can you enjoy the music stylings from musicians like Carlos Tenorio, but also sit with friends and family to have lunch from Newks or you can bring your own. West Monroe-West Ouchita Chamber of Commerce placed recycle bins around the pavilion so you can throw away your cups or anything else plastic away. The Northeast Louisiana Food Drive was also there accepting any canned goods to be donated and if you donate something you can then enter into a drawing for a free gift card. The next Brown Bag Concert will be held Wednesday, September 21 featuring Tommy Fields/ Buddy Bryant Duo at 1700 N. 7th Street, West Monroe, LA and admission is free. contact Katie Harrell at harrelldk@warhawks.ulm.edu