CENTRIC by University of Central Florida

ENTRiC

Unmasking Knightro

The team behind the illusion

Cruisin’ in the Goodyear Blimp A view from 1,000 feet Wrestler Kyle Coon: No sight, no problem Q&A: Up close and

personal with Anberlin’s Stephen Christian

Volume I, Issue 1

Spring 2011

CONTENTS

‘Like’ us on Facebook: Centric Magazine at UCF Follow us on Twitter: CentricMagazine Cover photograph by Rebekah Kubic

www.centric.cos.ucf.edu

03 A rock star returns. Q&A session with the lead

Warm regards, Centric staff

Tina Russell

singer of Anberlin, STEPHEN CHRISTIAN 04 Blimpin’ ain’t easy. A bird’s eye view of UCF from the Goodyear Blimp 06 Real odd jobs. Meet UCF students who have unusual ways of paying the rent 08 It’s a small world after all. International students discuss fitting in at UCF 09 Touchdown! UCF scores with local kicker SHAWN MOFFITT for next football season 10 The secret life of Knightro. It takes a team to create a myth 12 Wrestling blindness. Athlete KYLE COON defeats all odds to wrestle for UCF 14 A second chance at LIFE. Senior citizens return to academia and fall in love 15 From grad to riches. An interview with reality television producer CLAY NEWBILL 16 Jazzy Jeff. Professor JEFF RUPERT shares his passion for music 18 Blast from the past. Alumni from the first graduating class discuss their fondest memories

Letter from the staff

Centric began with an idea. Our Magazine Editing class was going to produce a magazine that showed off UCF students’ skills and innovations. The idea was simple: a magazine for UCF, by UCF and about UCF. Perhaps the biggest struggle for our class was choosing a name. What would most accurately encompass our idea of the UCF community? The definition of centric is “something situated near or around a center.” UCF is one of only two universities in the country that is laid out in a concentric circle. It’s a simple rule of thumb for newcomers that if lost at UCF, just walk toward the Student Union — the center of campus. Everything else revolves around that point. Just like the Student Union is the heart of our campus, the people that fill it are the heart of our magazine. We think it is necessary to thank the one constant all of us have shared — the guidance and advice of our wonderful teacher, Professor Rick Brunson. Without him, we would just be 20 more students reading a textbook and dreaming of opportunities like this. We’d also like to thank the Nicholson School of Communication for providing us with this opportunity.

KELLI ORDONIA Managing Editor

CHELSEA ST. JOHN Art Director

HANNAH MOBAREKEH, CHRISTY PHILLIPS, DANIEL RALLEO, SHAYLA SILVA, LAUREN SLYGH Contributing Designers JANICE ADAMS, AMANDA FRIEL, EMILY GARCIA, REBEKAH KUBIC, ROBERT MILLER, MARIA PARADA, JENNIFER PRITCHARD, KERRI ANNE RENZULLI, JUSTIN SANAK, JORDAN SWANSON, VALERI WALSH Contributing Writers HILLARY CASAVANT Contributing Designer, Writer, and Web Editor CASSIE TURNER Social Media Editor

CENTRIC

RICK BRUNSON Adviser

DR. ROBERT CHANDLER Nicholson School Director

Q&A with Stephen Christian BY

ROBERT MILLER

Alternative rock band Anberlin’s lead vocalist spills about his times at UCF

Q. You were a psychology major when you attended

Q. What were your most distinct memories as a UCF

A.Intramural sports and rugby. My brother and I signed up for

UCF in 2002. What did you plan to do with that?

Nothing. I honestly went after that degree because for me it was the only thing I felt could retain my attention... I am currently working on an MBA and wish I would have taken a few more business classes than what I did.

student?

everything, even rugby. We played on the team in 2001 and 2002 and even won a championship in Alabama. Those were some amazing times!

Q. Any particularly inspiring professors or horrible

Q. What is it like coming back to UCF this spring,

A. I actually had very little bad experiences with teachers. My

A. Hah! I don’t see myself as a rock star yet, but I honestly can’t

Q. How has UCF and Central Florida changed in your

A. In some ways, such as I saw John Mayer perform in front

A. Well, your football team is actually decent, there is a massive

ones? What made them that way in your eyes?

favorite professor was my psychobiological psych professor and my art history teacher. Both of them made an effort to get to know their students and really invest time into them.

Did being a UCF student shape you in any way as a musician? of the student center in front of maybe 40 of us. At that time no one knew who he was, and we hung out and talked for a minute. I remember a few other local shows there as well, but more than that, the situations I ended up in at the college made for great songwriting material later in life.

years after graduating as a bona fide rock star?

wait. Some of the best times of my life were at UCF, and it feels good to be able to give back in some small way.

eyes since being a UCF student?

stadium where I used to park and when I mention where I went to college people actually know where I am talking about now. I am proud of where I went to school; you don’t find too many college graduates in my line of work.

Q. Anberlin formed while you were still a UCF student. Q. Any words of wisdom for current UCF students and A. Yes, less than a mile. I lived right off of Red Bug Lake Road. I remember scratching notes to the song “Readyfuels” on the way to class. I basically wrote our entire first record at or around UCF.

their futures?

A. Don’t give up. Yes, college can get overwhelming at

moments but don’t give up. A college degree is well worth it. And make the most of every opportunity! You may never have them again.

[

Check out more rock bands on campus at www.centric.cos.ucf.edu

CENTRIC STEPHEN CHRISTIAN (center) and Anberlin

]

Courtesy of www.bighassle.com

Did Anberlin ever practice around campus or anywhere nearby?

blimpin’ ain’t

EASY

BLIMP FACTS

Eribeatu reperi occumquid que que dolupta tiuntibera aut exeriam volorro bearitem voMARIA PARADA, a junior journalism student, looks out over the Florida landscape below from the Goodyear Blimp at sunset. luptas re veliqui doluptus ipsae. Fugit faciist, inverrum que solorep tassuntia volo magnam idit laccae parciet, consequam facipiet ullectur sequis ea voluptiis dis dempor sum aut BY Kerri Anne Renzulli maiorrum fugit voloriorem. Uptaquat antium • The Spirit of Innovation, the newest airship in the Goodyear fleet, is the famous blimp vent omni cus es aliquam earcit lab ipidel iunt that can be seen advertising during the Daytona 500. volor reperate• porest am dolo exceatur? Quisis in Pompano Beach, is 192 feet long, 59.5 feet tall and 50 The blimp, whose home base et que duciam incienit feet wide. Its cruising speed is 35 mph and its top speed is 53 mph.

• • •

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The blimp was the first in the Goodyear fleet to be named by the general public in a Web-based “name-the-blimp” contest. Christened on June 21, 2006, the Spirit of Innovation is supported by a flight crew of 16, two maintenance personnel and a public relations manager. The crew follows the airship in a bus, a 9-passenger van and a 40-foot specially outfitted tractor-trailer rig. The Spirit of Innovation is a sister blimp to Spirit of America, Spirit of Goodyear and Ling Hang Zhe. Ling Hang Zhe, which translates to “Be the Navigator”, made its voyage to China in September 2006. SOURCE: GoodyearBlimp.com

Chelsea St. John

The once -in -a -lifetime opportunity that allowed one student to see UCF from 1,000 feet

Hillary Casavant

THE GOODYEAR BLIMP as it flies above the UCF campus.

Christy Phillips

felt like I found the last golden ticket when I found myself sitting in the world-famous Goodyear Blimp. I didn’t think it would happen as a junior in college. In fact, I didn’t even consider it for my bucket list, but on Feb. 17 I wrote it in and checked it off as I floated above UCF’s campus. Goodyear invited members of the Centric staff to take flight in its newest blimp, The Spirit of Innovation. At takeoff, I covered my ears with a provided headset, incredulous, when I sat in the 192-foot-long blimp. The loud rumbling the motors created made my ears ring, but it didn’t bother me. Sure, any other instance would have warranted my complaining, but I didn’t have an excuse to whine. When we first entered the gondola, I tried to take everything in — how the seat shook below me, the smiles that everyone wore, and the anticipation and excitement that was in the air. I looked at the control panel and my professor and I agreed that it looked like something out of Jules Verne’s “Around the World in Eighty Days.” There was a variation of many multicolored valves that controlled the fate of our existence. One incorrect move and I’m pretty sure the blimp would have been a deflating helium balloon in the air, though I might be exaggerating a bit. My fellow passengers and I scrambled to switch seats so everyone had an equal opportunity to be an unofficial co-pilot. Our pilot, Capt. Matthew St. John, who is one of only 60 airship pilots in the world, maneuvered the monstrosity with a side wheel that made the seat look like a wheelchair. A thousand feet really changes a girl’s perspective. The main campus’s 1,415 acres looked like a miniature maze from my seat. Our famous Reflecting Pond merely looked like a puddle after a heavy Florida summer thunderstorm and the students surrounding it resembled little dots. The two-hour, 59-mile ride to UCF from Flagler County Airport, where the blimp was docked, provided me a new perspective. I saw what birds in flight see: the color variation of trees below (I thought they looked like broccoli, but then again I was starving), the man-made lakes that looked like melted ice cubes and houses that looked like they sheltered ragdolls. Once I saw Bright House Football Stadium, it hit me: my university has provided me with so many opportunities, such as the aforementioned blimp ride. UCF has over 56,000 students and I was one of three who were able to ride the famous Goodyear Blimp. Charles Millican’s motto was “reach for the stars” and I have certainly been reaching for them — well as close as this blimp allowed me to reach. BY MARIA PARADA

THE UCF CAMPUS as seen from 1,000 feet in the blimp.

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Come along for the ride! More photos and video at: www.centric.cos.ucf.edu

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] 05

OFFBEAT

OCCUPATIONS

Wayne Sysock

ERIKA SHEPHERD shows off her feathers as a stilt walker at the Universal Studios Mardi Gras parade. She works 6-hour shifts on stilts. 06

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BY JORDAN SWANSON

any students at UCF have jobs, but only a few have ones that make people say, “come again?” This is the case for Erika Shepherd and James Vrhovac, who each have a job that strays from the norm of retail and restaurant positions. Shepherd, 23, is a senior studying molecular biology and microbiology. She works in seasonal entertainment at Universal Studios as a stilt walker. Shepherd stilt walks in the Mardi Gras parade that takes place annually every Saturday from mid-February to late April. Despite the obstacles and people who can sometimes get in her way of walking, Shepherd said she has never fallen while on her stilts. “It’s all about balance and confidence. If you’re afraid of falling, then you probably wouldn’t be doing stilt walking,” Shepherd said. She stilt walks for 45 minutes, then takes 45 minutes off, walking for shifts as long as six hours. “It’s a hobby of mine. I always did entertainment when I was younger. I sang and danced for seven years, and then when I came to college I got into this,” she said. Shepherd has learned a lot about herself since beginning the job. “I have definitely gained more confidence in being more comfortable in my skin and being more outgoing. I’m more sociable than I was before,” Shepherd said. “I really can’t think of anything that I don’t like about doing this job,” she said. “I do it for fun, not because I have to. If I didn’t like it, then I wouldn’t do it.” James Vrhovac, a senior studying technical writing, may not balance on stilts at his job, but he does plenty of balancing when it comes to the different types of people he meets. Vrhovac, 36, has been working for seven years as a special process server appointed by the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. With a court order, he serves legal papers every day of the year, except for Sundays, serving about 10 people a day. “People get sued over nonsense. You get to see a different side of humanity,” Vrhovac said regarding what he’s been exposed to on the job.

Vrhovac has served more than 30,000 people, serving to individuals as well as businesses. “I get to make my own schedule and I get to meet a lot of very interesting people,” Vrhovac said. “A lot of people you feel bad for because of their situation. You try to balance the good people with the bad people.” From a theme park entertainer to someone who deals with the law, these two are busy leading their separate lives inside and outside of the classroom.

Meet a Harry Potter butterbeer server on our website: www.centric.cos. ucf.edu For more Mardi Gras photos, visit: www.sysock.com

Chelsea St. John

[

“I had some guy drive through his neighbor’s yard to get away from me,” he said.

[

“The most famous person I’ve served is Lou Pearlman, in jail.” Pearlman is known for being the creator of bands like *NSYNC and Backstreet Boys. “I also served Tiger Woods’ attorneys,” said Vrhovac. Vrhovac has served in every ZIP code in Orange County. He’s served in areas where prostitutes gave him directions and drug dealers helped him find houses. He’s even had some people call the cops while trying to serve them papers because they didn’t want him on their property.

JAMES VRHOVAC sits on the steps of the Orange County Courthouse with court orders in his hands. He has been serving them for seven years. CENTRIC

One-hundred and forty-one countries and all 50 states are represented in the UCF student population. From hundreds of native-born Colombians, Chinese and Indians, to the handful of students from Afghanistan, Rwanda and Iraq, the campus is a tapestry of cultures. Four students share the biggest differences between their home countries and American life. Shreyash Trivedi Mombasa, Kenya Trivedi, an advertising/public relations major, traveled 8,000 miles from his coastal hometown to attend UCF. Although he has loved his time at UCF, he finds America far too rushed for his liking. “Everything here is so time-oriented and punctual,” he said. “Like when you

have a meeting at 5, you better be there at 4:45. But in my country, everything is laid back.” He also noticed the lack of patience that pervades the Orlando roadways. “In the U.S., things are very fast,” he said. “When you’re driving, or when you’re waiting in line, people get really angry and really frustrated. Back home, people aren’t used to being rushed. They take their time with everything.”

The world comes to UCF BY HILLARY CASAVANT differences in the U.S. “I love that here you can do whatever you want,” Alvaro said. “And no one’s going to judge you. Here you can date The Molina twins, both marketing whoever you want. Any class, any majors, left a comfortable life on their color.” father’s sugarcane plantation for the The Colombian class system has also realities of independent living. lost its force since living in the States. “In my country, we never cooked, we never cleaned, we never made our beds,” “I think we learned not to care about social class from coming here,” Alvaro Alvaro said. “That was a big change. Here you don’t have anyone to take care said. “We learned to appreciate everything,” of you. It’s just me and my brother.” Alejandro said. “Being away helps my Since the move, the brothers have priorities.” learned to appreciate their Colombian luxuries, as well as embrace the positive

Rui Cao Changsha, China

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Cao, a UCF master’s student, teaches English as a second language at the Center for Multilingual Multicultural Studies. After five years in the U.S., she realized that life for a woman in America is vastly different than in China. “Girls are supposed to be ‘ladylike’ in my country, so I had to at least pretend to be quiet especially in front of people I wanted to impress,” she said. “Here, I can finally be myself: talkative, loud, making jokes, and being independent.” After graduation, Cao will return to her home country and teach English. As

[

Hillary Casavant

Alvaro and Alejandro Molina Cali, Colombia

a female in a male-dominated business world, she expects challenges in her career. “Because I am a woman, I might encounter a lot more problems and have to face them myself,” she said. “Most men do not like their wives or girlfriends to be superwomen in China.” Despite the obstacles ahead, Cao is confident in her decision. “Just like you cannot change your mother, you cannot change your country,” she said.

Meet more international students at www.centric.cos.ucf.edu

]

Kicking it up a notch UCF scores with hometown kicker Shawn Moffitt for next season

hances that a walk-on kicker immediately gets a starting job are slim, but Shawn Moffitt, senior kicker at Orlando’s Dr. Phillips High School, may be the unlikely one to make it. Shawn was one of the best kickers in the state last year, and next season he will walk on to the UCF Knights football team. He is one of six local football stars who have committed to play at UCF in the fall. “I like to kick in warm weather,” Shawn said with a smile. “Plus, my brother attends UCF already. And to be able to stay home, near my family, is just awesome.” The fact that Shawn has chosen to stay close to home appeals to his parents, as well. “I am very excited,” his mother, Julia Moffitt, said. “We have never missed a game, and being able to see him play at the next level is very important to us.” At 6 feet tall, 170 pounds, Shawn does not appear intimidating, yet when he steps on the football field, he plays big. Nick Fleming, ex-kicker for the UF Gators and independent kicking instructor at All American Kicking, has worked with Shawn since the kicker’s sophomore year. He has seen the growth in

Shawn’s kicking and maturity. “Shawn has a chance to do something great: to be a top kicker at a quality program,” Fleming said. Fleming did not consider Shawn the best kicker on the team when he first started working with him. There were

“ His techniques are

nothing get in his head.” Just being the best kicker in Central Florida was not enough for Shawn; instead, his competitive spirit fueled him to strive for further greatness. “Shawn has worked incredibly hard to become one of the nation’s best kickers,” said John Magrino, athletic director at Dr. Phillips High School. “He has the opportunity to pursue his dream, which was to be a part of the UCF football program.” But Shawn didn’t accomplish every goal he set this year. Dr. Phillips fell short in the state championship game. And during the semifinals, Shawn saw

solid, he can kick the long field goals and he lets nothing get in his head.

”

others that he thought had better form and accuracy. “That made him angry,” said Fleming. “It also made him more determined. He went from being a second-stringer to a person that can kick 50-plus field goals. “ “UCF is getting a pretty good kicker,” said Bryan Guillot, special teams coach at Dr. Phillips High School. “His techniques are solid, he can kick the long field goals, and he lets

his Florida state record for the most consecutive extra points kicked snapped at 130, falling just four points shy of the national record. “I knew when I kicked it, it was going to miss.” Shawn said. “I was heartbroken for him,” added his father, Ed Moffitt, “but he took it exceptionally well.” For Shawn, his ultimate goal will be realized when he walks onto the field at Bright House Stadium as a Knight. “To play at Bright House Stadium will be awesome,” he said. “To kick the winning field goal and have my family and friends there to watch will be a dream come true.”

Christy Phillips

BY JANICE ADAMS

CENTRIC

The Secret Life of

Rebekah Kubik

nly the most privileged know of the secret lives of UCF mascots Knightro and Pegasus. Unless you are a part of this elite corps of insiders, it is unlikely you know that Knightro is actually portrayed by a group of three to four students who may rotate wearing the costume upward of six times per football game, or that Pegasus is actually a retired show horse from The “World Famous” Lipizzaner Stallions who has an affinity for eating cake.

CENTRIC

REBEKAH KUBIK

Since Knightro’s introduction in 1994, UCF has tried to keep the man under the mask a secret. “We don’t want people to think of Knightro as a person,” Linda Gooch, the spirit program director, said in an interview with The Central Florida Future. Despite all the secrecy, we’ve gone behind the mask and into the stables to bring you a look inside the secret lives of UCF’s mascots. Each year, auditions are held and a new group of students is selected to become Knightro. At auditions, students may be asked to create a short skit with random props or sing karaoke. Michael Callahan, the mascot team head coach, said he looks for mature, creative students who are able to work with other members of a team. “It’s a team sport,” Callahan said. “One person cannot do all that Knightro is required to do.” Students who become part of the mascot team are given a $500 scholarship in both the spring and fall semester. Knightro is a busy guy. Callahan estimated that Knightro attends about 250 events per year. Each student on the mascot team can easily work two to three events in costume per week, in addition to helping with crowd control at other events and attending weekly training and scheduling meetings. Besides sporting events, Knightro also makes appearances at several charity events, birthday parties and weddings throughout the year. Knightro will deliver your cake, bring out your gifts, or act as your ring bearer. Just be prepared to pay a hefty sum for his gallant services. Callahan said the fee is about $200 per hour. Because Knightro is featured on a wide variety of printed materials, the members of the mascot team also attends multiple photo and video shoots throughout the year. Every summer, the mascot team travels to a camp in Alabama where they learn tools of the trade in being a good mascot. The students learn how to walk in costume, how to pose for photos and how to interact with children. They practice interacting with other mascots, and basics such as not talking in costume are also reinforced. Only three or four women have ever played Knightro, Callahan said, although more women portrayed Knightro’s short-

Courtesy of Linda Gooch

lived girlfriend, Glycerin, during her four years as a UCF mascot from 1996 to 2000. A mascot costume is the single most expensive piece of sporting equipment a school has to purchase – one costs between $6,000 and $8,000, Callahan said. And after three or four years, the costume usually needs to be replaced. Due to this issue, UCF has two extra costumes tucked away as replacements. In addition to his trademark golden armor, Knightro has his own varied wardrobe. His closet contains swim trunks for Spirit Splash as well as a tuxedo with top hat for homecoming. Knightro also has an Elvis costume that he uses for dance parties and other special events. Knightro has two more costumes. The first is a Crocodile Hunter costume, with matching stuffed alligator, from when UCF faces the University of Florida Gators. The second costume is a matador ensemble, not without the red cape, for when UCF plays rivals the University of South Florida Bulls. Currently, the mascot team is practicing with a new inflatable get-up that would allow Knightro to appear as if he is riding on a horse. Physical fitness and safety are important requirements for

the mascot team. It is not unusual for Knightro to run the field and do push-ups. Each team member must be able to do the same – while wearing the 30-pound foam suit. At home games, the team can go through several suit changes to give each team member a rest, but only one team member is sent to away games. It is not uncommon for the solo team member portraying Knightro to take salt pills or be hooked up to an IV in order to stay hydrated, especially during the warm months. It takes an entire team of students and coordinators relying on each other to bring a mascot to life, but Knightro is invincible. His indomitable spirit will continue to represent UCF in the cool, hip way that only Knightro is capable of embodying. “Keeping Knightro kind of a mystery…you see Knightro as Knightro,” Callahan said. “There’s some magic to be said about viewing this fictitious character as a real person as opposed to seeing it as your friend Bob wearing the suit…If [someone starts saying] ‘Hey Bob, what’s up Bob, I know it’s you Bob’, everybody is going to stop saying Knightro and start saying Bob – and you just lose that feeling.” More on Pegasus and mascot matrimony: www.centric.cos.ucf.edu

UCF HAS TRIED TO KEEP THE MAN UNDER THE MASK A SECRET.

[

]

CENTRIC

Chelsea St. John

KYLE COON , a 19-year-old freshman wrestler, poses with his Seeing Eye dog, Tyrone, in his dorm room.

GRAPPLING

“

WITH BLINDNESS

can’t believe I’m two pounds over,” Kyle Coon, a 19-year-old freshman wrestler for UCF, says with disbelief in his voice. “I’ve never had to worry about my weight.” Kyle and a few of his teammates are sitting on the edge of the wrestling mat they’re about to practice on in Ferrell Commons. “Dude, you can probably sleep it off,” one of his teammates, trying to put the blond-haired wrestler at ease. “Or, you can just tell the ref someone told you that you were under weight. ‘It’s not my fault, man. I can’t see,’” another teammate jokes. This prompts laughs from the guys, but the heartiest laugh comes from Kyle, who is blind. When Kyle was 10 months old, a doctor caught him slightly crossing one of his eyes during a routine checkup in the Coons’ hometown of Jacksonville. She immediately told Kyle’s parents, Steve and Ann Marie, to take him to a specialist. The next day — a Friday — Steve and Ann Marie took Kyle to a retina specialist at the University of Chicago. Kyle had retinoblastoma, a rare form of cancer 12

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BY NICOLE LAUBER that forms in one or both of the retinas. In his case, it was both. The doctor at the University of Chicago wanted to remove both of Kyle’s eyes the following Monday to avoid having the cancer spread. But Steve and Ann Marie didn’t want to take away their son’s vision. There was another doctor in Philadelphia, the specialist told them. “But he said, ‘There’s nothing that he can do that I can’t do,’” Steve said. Apparently, the University of Chicago doctor was wrong. They chose to visit the doctor in Philadelphia, who gave them the same diagnosis, but a different way to fix it. Yes, Kyle had retinoblastoma, but no, his eyes didn’t need to be removed, at least not now, the doctor told the hopeful parents. “There was a good chance they could save some or all of his vision,” Steve recalls. Steve and Ann Marie tried every treatment imaginable to rid their son of the malignant disease, even going as far as chemotherapy injections straight into his eyes. Then, when Kyle was 5 years old, he developed glaucoma in his left eye, forcing Steve and Ann Marie

“I’M HAPPY WITH MY LIFE. I REALLY AM.” to have it removed. His right eye went shortly afterward. Two prosthetic eyes have sat in place of his originals since then. Despite losing his sight, Kyle developed an athleticism and a love of sports that has never worn off. His wrestling career began when he entered high school in Jacksonville. But in his first two years of wrestling, Kyle “really struggled” with the sport, with a combined record of 15 wins and 20 losses. “It was hard, and I knew it was going to be hard, but I did seriously consider quitting after that,” Kyle says. “But then I went to Ken Chertow’s Gold Medal Training Camp and began learning how to really wrestle and strategize.” Chertow is a well-known name in the wrestling world. He’s a three-time NCAA All-American and was a wrestler for the 1988 U.S. Olympic team. “He was very rough technically when I first met him,” Chertow said of Kyle. “Now, he has a very good feel for our sport and executes a wide array of moves correctly.” Chertow would use Kyle as a demonstration partner during the camps so Kyle could feel the moves being pulled on him, since he couldn’t see them. After training with Chertow, Kyle’s wrestling record improved greatly. He finished his junior year of high school with his first winning record — seven wins and six losses. His senior year, he became captain of the team and lost just seven matches out of 30. When Kyle was looking to wrestle in college, he looked into Florida State University, the University of Florida

and UCF. “Coach [Jason] Balma just showed the greatest interest,” Kyle said. “When I applied and was accepted into UCF my senior year [of high school], Coach Balma arranged for a couple of the wrestlers to meet with me and show me around campus. The team sold UCF to me.” At first, Kyle had to learn how to change to UCF and a new team. “It’s rough going from being the wrestling team captain and one of the top guys in the city to being at the bottom of the totem pole,” he said. Just like Kyle had to adjust, the UCF wrestling team had to adjust as well in order to accommodate Kyle’s needs. They’ve learned the National Collegiate Wrestling Association rule to wrestle with someone who’s blind — start the match off holding fingertips and keep contact the entire time. They’ve accepted Kyle for who he is, and the team doesn’t see him as disabled. And most importantly, Kyle doesn’t see himself that way either. As of February, his record for the team is at five wins and 12 losses. In addition to being a wrestler and studying interpersonal and organizational communication, he’s climbed Mount Kilimanjaro and Machu Picchu. “There’s probably going to be some operation somewhere down the line [that will allow me to see], but even if there was, I don’t know if I would do it,” he said. “I’m happy with my life. I really am.” Nicole Lauber is a recent journalism graduate of UCF and currently lives in St. Petersburg.

[ Chelsea St. John

[

An expanded version of this story is on our website: www.centric.cos. ucf.edu

KYLE COON, who has been blind since the age of 5, warms up with the UCF wrestling team. CENTRIC

A Second Chance at

LIFE

A widow and widower came to UCF looking to learn and found each other BY

JUSTIN SANAK

t was January 1991, and Jane Tonkins didn’t know what to do with herself. She lived miles away from everything but the golf course, her two kids had long since left the nest and her husband of 45 years had just died of a heart attack. In August, Jane’s dentist told her about a new program at UCF called LIFE — the Learning Institute for Elders —which met twice a week and gave retirees a chance to go back to school. LIFE members are considered UCF students — they even get student ID cards. Jane decided to attend one of their meetings in September. She wanted to meet people and stimulate her mind. It was there that she met Al Dallago. “When they first introduced me to Al,” she said, “the first thing he said to me was ‘You need a hug.’ That made me feel special, but I found out later that he hugs everyone.” She gave him a mockingly dirty look. “I thought I was special.” Al, it turns out, had a similar story. He left New Jersey for Orlando in 1990 when his wife of 33 years passed away. Al read a clip in the paper about the university starting up LIFE and went to the open house. He decided that it was right for him and signed up that day. LIFE became a staple of Al and Jane’s lives. When the program elected its first officers, Al became president. Jane served in many positions over the years, including secretary and positions on the welcoming, curriculum and membership committees. “I had the time for it. What else was I going to do?” she said. As time went on, Al and Jane grew closer. They don’t remember who eventually got them together (every woman at LIFE takes credit for the feat) but before they knew it the widow and widower were a couple. The couple has done nearly everything together. They subscribed to the Orlando Philharmonic. They traveled the country, visiting elder hostels throughout the nation, and they became avid fans of UCF’s sports teams, going to all the football, basketball, baseball, softball and volleyball games.

“THE FIRST

In the beginning, Al and Jane used their student IDs to get in but they soon bought season tickets. “We liked the seating in the student sections better,” Jane said, “but then we realized that college kids don’t sit down.” Al and Jane had been dating for eight years when Al finally popped the question. Jane played hard to get, and Al delivered a speech about how marriage would be “good for the grandchildren,” which she still teases him about. The couple was married in the RDV Sportsplex on April 10, 1999. It was a small ceremony, with just their immediate families. They celebrated with a seven-day cruise to Alaska a month later — after classes had ended. Al and Jane are still very much in love today. The couple, 82 and 84 respectively, still come to LIFE meetings — and still get shushed when they talk in class. LIFE, they said, is the best thing that’s ever happened to them. “We both have good memories [of our old marriages], but you can’t bring them back,” Al said. “But it’s OK. It’s OK to start another life.”

Lauren Slygh

THING HE SAID TO ME WAS, ‘YOU NEED A HUG.’”

Lauren Slygh

JANE TONKINS AND AL DALLAGO met at UCF’s new program LIFE. 14

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FROM GRAD TO RICHES

Orlando to L.A. with reality show producer Clay Newbill BY

JENNIFER PRITCHARD

Courtesy of Ben McShane

our college students swooped into the sorority house covered in black from head to toe. Only their eyes peeked through the ski masks clinging tight to their faces. The big, bright yellow letters SWAT were printed on their backs. “You — go turn off the music, and then you — get everyone outside,” the director said to the others. Confused, all the University of Central Florida students followed directions. With red cups still clutched in hand, the pack was herded like cattle into the backyard. “Hey, it’s just Clay!” a Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity brother shouted. A wave of relief passed through the crowd. The leader of the team had innocently used his talent to direct a show for the UCF sorority and fraternity students that spring night in 1981. “Clay always knew exactly what he wanted to do,” Mark Bateman, his college roommate, said. “He was quick on his feet, and his writing was always incredible.” Today Clay Newbill, a 1982 UCF alumnus, sits behind the desk of his reality television production company, 310 Entertainment. His lengthy résumé includes MTV hits, such as “The Real World” and “Road Rules.” On the ABC network, his production work includes “The Bachelor,” “The Bachelorette,” “The Mole,” “The Benefactor,” “American Inventor,” and “Making The Band: O-Town.” Newbill first attended UCF in 1979, majoring in radio and television. The studio at the time was in the basement of the library and only had a few cameras. One day after class, his professor pulled him aside and encouraged him to seek a career as an actor.

CLAY NEWBILL, a reality show producer and UCF alumnus, stands outside the Van Nuys Municipal Airport in L.A. next to the Lamborghini that appears in Batman Begins.

“I asked my parents, ‘Do you know what that could mean?’” Newbill said. “I could be an actor.” “ ‘Yes, you could starve,’ ” Newbill said his father replied, ending the conversation. His father wanted him to use his acting abilities to sell insurance, a more reliable living. After Newbill spent his college years working for Disney World as a tour guide on the Jungle Cruise ride, he landed his first job in their newly built production studio as a production assistant. “I made coffee, and I also ran coffee,” he said. “But at that point in my life I was a sponge. I was soaking up as much information and knowledge as possible.”

Eventually, Newbill reached the top of the ladder at Disney where he felt his creativity was being limited. So he moved to Los Angeles to work on ABC’s “Extreme Edge.” The show was filmed using groundbreaking wireless technology, making Newbill only one of a handful to possess the skill. Filming has brought him to six continents over the years where he has skydived and swam with sharks. In 2009, Newbill spoke with television majors after receiving UCF’s Professional Achievement Award. “It’s a tough business,” he said. “But it can be rewarding as long as you have the ‘I will not be stopped’ mentality.”

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JAZZY JEFF

TUNED INTO LIFE

utside Jeff Rupert’s office, music echoes from down the hall. Students are practicing somewhere in the music building and the notes from their scales float through the air and land on Rupert’s door. The sound is interrupted briefly by a smooth, husky voice. Rupert, the director of jazz studies at UCF, rounds the corner and yells, “Keep it about the music, man.” He takes a seat on a piano bench and adjusts his black-framed Ray-Bans. He’s ready to talk about music. Rupert, a tenor saxophonist and founder of UCF’s record label, Flying Horse Records, unwraps a CD lying on the top of his piano as he describes one of his early experiences with jazz music. “I just think the rhythm of jazz got me when I was a kid. It had kind of a snappy feeling to me. Something just really attracted me about the vibe, the rhythm,” Rupert says. The 46-year-old musician picked up the saxophone at age 10 and began playing professionally when he was 15. Although Rupert was instinctively drawn to the instrument, he describes his beginning stages as sometimes disheartening. “It was fun but it was frustrating because I wanted to sound great, you know. Like, I had all these records that I was listening to, all these great players, and I wanted to sound like them — so I was trying to figure out how.” Rupert’s dedication has earned him comparisons to tenor

saxophonist Stan Getz, whose sound resembled the warm and smooth tone of vocals. “All us instrumentalists are trying to convey the sound of the human voice,” Rupert explains. For Rupert, it’s important to take notes from vocalists. He says he tries to “sing better than a singer would” through his saxophone. Rupert’s office is open and sun rays bounce off a gleaming gold saxophone lying beside a bookcase. Framed posters of tenor saxophonists Illinois Jacquet and Lester Young hang on the walls. As the light streaming through Rupert’s office windows dims, he adjusts his glasses again and pauses before trying to explain what inspires him. “Music is just the mirror image of your mind, so everything that you think about ends up being in the music,” he said. “Music is art that happens in time.” And Rupert’s passion and artistry transcends sound and note perfection. It’s about connection, expression and even an active conversation between musicians. Rupert performs alongside fellow UCF jazz faculty members Per Danielsson, Marty Morell, Richard Drexler and Bobby Koelble, in the appropriately named group, The Jazz Professors. Their album, “The Jazz Professors: Live from the UCF-Orlando Jazz Festival,” has consistently climbed the JazzWeek jazz chart, reaching as high as No. 19 on March 7. “As a musician, he is very highly regarded. Not

JEFF RUPERT, UCF JAZZ PROFESSOR: His best gig is always his next one.

BY AMANDA FRIEL just locally or regionally, but nationally and internationally as well,” Danielsson said. Rupert hopes to inspire his students by the projects he’s participated in. “If I was just out doing every gig I don’t think I’d be sending the right message. They know I’m good enough to do any gig I wanna do, but when they see me working on highlevel artistic projects I think that gives them inspiration. I hope it does,” Rupert explains. UCF jazz studies major John Krasula, described Rupert as an intense musician who reinforces the importance of dedication, practice and seriousness in the art. “He definitely pushes me all the time,” Krasula said. “We’re all musicians,” Rupert says of his students. “I might be a little older and have a little more experience, but I treat them as though, ‘Hey, we’re in this together.’” He encourages the aspiring musicians he teaches, but believes that the art should connect deeper than the academic setting. “Music is one of those things where you just have to do it. In fact, if my students don’t have that feeling that they have to do it, then I suggest they major in something else. Being a musician and music major is about something you really feel like you need to do.” Inside Rupert’s office, the dimming sunlight spills through the windows and causes shadows to ripple across the piano. A music stand supports pages of sheet music — the top page simply titled, “Life.” CENTRIC

Chelsea St. John

UCF Image Archives

TOP: A theater professor cuts Chal Martina’s hair for a UCF production of the “Cherry Orchard” in 1972. Chal agreed upon getting the part of the uncle in the play to cut his shoulder-length locks, but on opening night he still had yet to. His professor took matters into his own hands, and using a pair of safety scissors, gave Martina his impromptu haircut. BOTTOM: Ron Zell revisits the college campus he graduated from nearly 40 years ago. The Reflecting Pond he sits near he described as being “more like a dirt pond” in 1972 and can remember when cars drove around the pond and passed in front of the library.

hen Ron Zell, now 64, graduated from Florida Technological University in 1972, the fledgling 4-year-old school had about 6,000 students, a handful of buildings, dirt parking lots and ambitious growth plans. Now the school bears the name UCF and boasts more than 56,000 students, an alphabet full of parking garages and so many buildings that Algerina Bradwell Paris, 59, feels her once-quaint alma mater has become a city. A stroll through campus today has become a game of “I Spy” for FTU’s first four-year graduates as they search for the old campus amid the new and recall the original names of buildings long since repurposed. They remember when the library’s basement was a bookstore and its top floors were classrooms, when the cafeteria was the only place to eat on campus, when theater class took place under a circus tent and when the nature preserve was a parking lot. As a commuter, Ron recalls driving two-lane dirt roads to school on which traffic increased each year. “It was kind of interesting getting to school on time,” he said. “Each year, I had to leave earlier and earlier because traffic just got worse.” When he did arrive on campus, Ron said he would either fight for parking on the paved lot near the administration building, or settle for a spot behind the library in a dirt field with ruts “so deep you were lucky if you didn’t get stuck back there.” Algerina summed up the parking experience as “hell” but adds the field option made parking a bit easier, if somewhat rougher on tires. “It’s funny but we used to think the dirt parking lot was so far away,” Algerina said. “It felt like it took forever to get to class, but now I know we didn’t do a lot of walking at all in comparison to today.” For Chal Martina, 60, another ’72 graduate, it took about a “heartbeat to walk across campus.” But like the other alumni, he felt that such closeness bred a strong connection between faculty and students. “Even though it was a new university, we were very close to our professors and advisers,” Berta Wiggins Robinson, 61, said. “We knew each other on a personal basis and not as a Social Security number.” Ron felt that this strong bond was because professors taught every class. There were no teaching assistants or student-led classes to mitigate the student- teacher connection. Not all student-faculty bonding happened in the classroom, though. “One theater professor and I used to ride dirt bikes together,” Chal said. “There was a knitting between students and faculty. They really put more quality and focus on our learning experience.” In addition to the extracurricular dirt bike riding, Chal recalled that students used to go swimming in the nearby lakes and horse around in the surrounding woods. Algerina remembers meeting with friends in the student center and the bookstore. Not one of the four previous students recounts any strong campus life activities in or around campus. For a semester, Berta lived on campus and can remember oncampus dances and sororities getting started but said “there were not a lot of activities, but what was there we took advantage of.” One such on-campus activity was student theater productions under a big-top tent where both the stage and audience chairs were sunk into sand. BY KERRI ANNE RENZULLI

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blast from

THE PAST

BELOW: An aerial view of Millican Hall and the library in 1972.

UCF Image Archives

UCF ‘s charter class discusses life at the college in 1972

“We would bring blankets and hot chocolate and go sit in the sand to watch theater performances,” Ron said. “As inconvenient as it sounds, it was kind of fun.” Chal remembers how it felt to be on the other side of the stage as a theater student, fighting with his teacher about cutting his shoulder-length hair for a role. “On opening night, I still hadn’t cut it so the girls tried to tuck my hair under to make it look shorter, but it wasn’t working,” Chal said. “So finally, my professor sits me down and brings out these [safety] scissors and cuts my hair himself right there.” While Chal enjoyed his tent days, he’s pleased that today’s theater students have an actual building to perform in and a stadium to cheer on the football team. “I’m thrilled with the growth,” Chal said. “It chokes me

up to see the kids on game day, tailgating on Memory Mall and having a true college experience like the big boys.” Algerina is likewise pleased for future generations that UCF has grown but misses the tiny campus she knew; the current one is “too overwhelming.” Ron just smiles now at UCF’s growth. He was reacquainted with the campus when his son graduated in 2003; he always knew it would expand. “I never assumed it would become the second largest in the nation,” he said. “I didn’t even contemplate that. I knew it was going to grow, but I’m amazed at how quickly it transformed from a commuter school to a large bustling community. It has become a new source of pride to say I was part of the charter class.”

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