November 2015
RETURNING AS A CHAMP From redshirt to NBA champ: Festus Ezeli’s incredible ride
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CONTENTS P.8
P.12
P.15
Playing to a crowd
Ezeli’s fairy tale ride
From running to cycling
Transfer point guard Minta Spears is used to being in the spotlight whether on the basketball court or on the stage.
Former Commodore and current Golden Warriors center Festus Ezeli returned to campus in September with the NBA Championship Trophy.
Former cross country/track standout Kristabel Doebel-Hickock has spent the last three years developing into a cyclist.
P.2 Compliance Corner
P.3 National Commodore Club
P.7 P.10 Being the match Vanderbilt senior men’s basketball player Nate Watkins donated his stem cell this summer to the Be The Match program.
Inside McGugin
P.16
P.17 Championship mindset
Training Room Update
Vanderbilt junior and transfer Kacy Scarpa of the women’s soccer team already has a national championship under her belt.
P.19
P.24
Coach’s Handbook Assistant women’s basketball coach Kim Rosamond
My Game Junior lacrosse player Ashlin Dolan talks about her love of art and fashion.
P.21 Ahead of the pack ’Dore nabs top SEC Freshman honor
P.23 It’s my turn vucommodores.com
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Inside McGugin
By The Numbers
Notes from the athletic department
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Finish for junior Jake Van Geffen at the Notre Dame Invitational. Van Geffen placed 11th with a personal-best time of 25:08.7 in the five-mile race.
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he men’s golf team has picked up right where it left off last season. In September, the Commodores won the DICK’s Collegiate Challenge Cup at the Golf Club of Tennessee. They rallied to edge Virginia in a sudden-death playoff hole to capture the team stroke play portion of the tournament. The next day they defeated the Cavaliers again, this time in match play. Junior Matthias Schwab led the ’Dores with a two-under, 211 for eighth overall. l Several Commodore assistant coaches recently received promotions. Clark Humphreys, who has been at Vanderbilt for 11 years, was named associate head coach of the women’s track program. The former NCAA national champion in the pole vault works primarily with the field athletes. Rhonda Riley was named associate head coach for the men’s and women’s cross country teams. Riley, who also works with the distance runners on the track team, is in her eighth season at VU. Beth Hewitt was named the associate head coach of the lacrosse team. The former All-American and Division II head coach is in her second year with the Commodores.
Vanderbilt junior Carson Jacobs
l A pair of former Commodores helped their teams reach the MLB playoffs in October. Former No. 1 pick David Price boosted the Toronto Blue Jays to the postseason for the first time since 1993. Price, who was traded from Detroit in July, finished the regular season with an 18-5 record and led all American League pitchers with a 2.45 ERA and 225 strikeouts. First baseman Pedro Alvarez crushed a team-high 27 home runs for the Pittsburgh Pirates, who made the playoffs for the third straight year. It was the third postseason trip for Alvarez and sixth for Price. n
240
Receiving yards by Trent Sherfield against Austin Peay on Sept. 19. The sophomore set the school’s singlegame receiving record with 240 yards on 16 catches in a 47-7 victory.
Calendar
November Events
Nov. 27-28 Vanderbilt Thanksgiving Tournament The Vanderbilt women’s basketball team’s Thanksgiving Tournament returns to Memorial Gym after a one-year hiatus. Indiana, Ohio University and Austin Peay make up the four-team field. The Commodores are 28-0 in the Thanksgiving Tournament.
Nov. 13 Commodores tip off Four starters and 10 lettermen return from the Vanderbilt men’s basketball team that won 21 games and reached the quarterfinals of NIT. Excitement surrounds the Commodores, who open against Austin Peay at Memorial Gym
Nov. 21 Football wraps up home schedule The Commodores will cap off their home schedule versus Texas A&M. Vanderbilt welcomes the Aggies to Nashville for the first time in program history.
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From theater to court, Spears used to spotlight By David Dawson
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JOE HOWELL
he unique layout of Memorial Gym—with its raised floor and play-house design—can sometimes be a tough adjustment for newcomers to the Vanderbilt basketball program. But for Minta Spears, it’s the perfect fit. Set to make her Vanderbilt debut in November, Spears will clearly be in her element when she takes the floor at the historic venue, which offers a combination of her two favorite places—the basketball court and the stage. Spears, who enrolled in graduate school at Vanderbilt this summer after playing two seasons at Texas Tech, has a long history of playing to the crowd. In addition to being a basketball star, she also excelled in the fine arts during her high school days in Bullard, Texas, and still feels a special connection to that side of her personality. “I definitely wasn’t your stereotypical athlete in high school,” said Spears with a smile. “I did theater, speech and debate—so I guess you could label me as a nerd.” Spears also branched out beyond basketball during the past two summers, making two mission trips to Uganda to share her Christian faith with the villagers. “My parents always believed we should be well-rounded,” Spears said. “And even though playing college basketball has been my dream since I was 10 years old, my parents wanted me to keep in mind that anything can happen at any time—in terms of an injury or whatever. So I wanted to have a back-up plan ready. I have always felt it was important to make good grades and work hard in the classroom.” Spears’ connection to the fine arts runs deep. Her mom teaches theater and debate at Bullard High, and Minta thrived in both departments, eventually competing in tournaments on the regional and state levels. “It was cool to get to be my mom’s student,” Spears said. “And it was neat to be able to be on the competition side of things in the fine arts realm, and to get to experience that with my mom.” In addition to being a public speaker, actress, missionary, student and basketball player, Spears also ran cross country in high school. And yes, she was outstanding at that, too. So where did she find the time to do it all? Or more importantly, where did she find the strength? Spears said the answer to that question is simple. “My favorite Bible verse is—and this is a reflection of how I was raised—Colossians 3:23, which says, ‘Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as though you were working for the Lord, not for man,’” she said. “And that’s always been my motto, whether it’s theater or debate or basketball or cross country. “Anything I did, I was going to try to be the best at it that I could possibly be.” Away from the bright lights of the stage, Spears has
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enjoyed enormous success under the spotlights of various basketball arenas. She was a Parade All-American and a four-time District MVP during her prep career at Bullard, and then became an impact performer in the Big 12 during her time at Texas Tech. Spears played in 62 games, including making 51 starts, over the past two seasons in Lubbock. After being sidelined by an injury her first season and taking a medical redshirt, she made a full recovery, averaging 7.4 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.9 assists for the Red Raiders the past two seasons and earning Academic All-Big 12 First Team honors in 2013-14. Now, she’s bringing her skills to Vanderbilt, where she has two years of eligibility remaining. As a graduate student, she is able to play this season for the Commodores without having to sit out a year. Her new teammates—as well as the Vanderbilt coaching staff—are expecting Spears to make immediate contributions. “Minta is a great player, and her basketball IQ is ridiculous. It’s sky high,” said junior Marqu’es Webb. “She knows what she can do and when she does it, she does it well. She’s a great teammate and I’m looking forward to playing with her.” Spears said she has felt comfortable at Vanderbilt since her first day, and said she has felt at home in both the classroom and the locker room. “Vanderbilt is obviously smaller than Texas Tech, in terms of both the student body and the actual size of the campus. But I went to a small high school, so it’s kind of nice,” said Spears. “I was really nervous at first because I was in a unique situation—I was new to the team, but I wasn’t a freshman. In fact, I am the oldest person on the team. So I was interested in seeing how that whole dynamic was going to play out. But the team has just been awesome from the beginning. … I feel like I have a relationship, and a friendship, with everyone on the team. And that’s huge.” At the ripe old age of 21, Spears is sometimes viewed as the grey-haired lady of the team. But she said she doesn’t mind getting some kidding from the whipper-snappers. “They give me a hard-time about being the oldest,” said Spears. “They will call me grandma or GeeGee or something like that. But I think it’s funny. I can handle it.” Head coach Melanie Balcomb is obviously thrilled to have an experienced leader on the roster—especially one with the selfless attitude of Spears. “That’s where we struggled last year—having that one leader on the floor and that consistent point guard shelling out a lot of assists and serving,” said Balcomb. “That’s one of the reasons we brought Minta Spears here—she serves first. In fact we can’t get her to shoot enough in practice even though she’s probably our best three-point shooter beside Christa (Reed).” Spears’ selfless attitude was most prominently on display during her mission trips to Uganda in the summers of 2013 and 2014. n
Vanderbilt point guard Minta Spears transferred from Texas Tech this year. The Bullard, Texas native, expands beyond the basketball court with a background in theater and debate and several mission trips to Uganda.
“Both trips were just awesome, and were life-changing experiences,” said Spears, who served with an organization called Arise Africa International in the village of Bukaleba. Lane Reeves, who was a graduate assistant on the Texas Tech women’s basketball team, organized the trips through the Fellowship of Christian
Athletes. During the trips, Spears and the others in the travel party hosted “a Vacation Bible School type of program” where they taught Bible stories, acted out plays, sang songs, colored and did crafts at the local primary school. Spears said she thoroughly enjoyed getting to mingle with the villagers, and learn about their customs. Perhaps one of the more surprising elements, Spears said, was learning that some of the villagers consult with witch doctors. Each afternoon, the group visited the secondary school and hosted a sports ministry, providing skill instruction. They also visited a children’s hospital and a prison during their stay. “The biggest take-away for me was getting a new perspective,” she said. “For example, after the trip, if our team had a really long basketball practice, I would think ,’This really isn’t too bad,’ especially compared to what we witnessed on the trips and what those kids have to go through.” Spears said she plans to visit Uganda again, and said that a career in mission work is on her radar in terms of her post-college plans. But for now, she is leaving her options open—which is only fitting of someone with such a wide-ranging spectrum of interests. “I do have a lot of passions—sports, my faith and my desire to help people,” she said. “So, if I could find something that could combine all of that, that would be awesome.” For Spears, all the world is indeed a stage. n
“Even though playing college basketball has been my dream since I was 10 years old... I always felt it was important to make good grades and work hard in the classroom.”
—Minta Spears, Vanderbilt point guard
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Watkins a match for stem cell transplant recipient by Jerome Boettcher
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TIM CASEY
bout 18 months ago, Nathan Watkins went to a Be The Match bone marrow and stem cell donation drive held by Vanderbilt’s Alpha Epsilon Pi chapter. He was one of more than 2,000 students who underwent a simple cheek swab to be placed on the Be The Match Registry in hopes of becoming a potential donor. With several of his friends in Alpha Epsilon Pi, Watkins wanted to help their cause. Of course, college students can’t resist free food, either. “It didn’t hurt that they had free MacDougal’s (chicken) and Krispy Kreme donuts,” Watkins said with a smile. “That was a good incentive to show up.” And it’s a good thing Watkins showed up. He was a match. More than a year after the drive, this past June, heading into his senior season with the Vanderbilt men’s basketball team, Watkins heard from Be The Match. He was a potential stem cell transplant match for an older man who had been diagnosed with leukemia. “With his specific type of leukemia, the stem cell or bone marrow is the best bet they are going to get,” he said. “The odds of getting called off the registry and asked to donate are extremely slim.” Even with more than 11 million people on the registry, the odds of a match are rare. Just one in 540 Be The Match Registry members will donate bone marrow or peripheral blood stem cells (PBSC). If a match is found, a registry member can still change his or her mind and decide not to donate—even on the day of the transplant. Donating is voluntary. Side effects from donating vary from person to person but can include back or hip pain, muscle pain, headaches, bruising at the incision site and fatigue. And the symptoms can last from a few days to several weeks.
Vanderbilt senior Nate Watkins donated his stem cell this summer as part of the Be The Match transplant program.
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When Watkins found out he was a match, though, he jumped on board right away. “For me, I was obviously very for it from the start when I found out that I was a match,” said Watkins, who is a medicine, health and society major. “In the same type of sense, this could be my parents, any of my friends’ parents, this could be our coaches. It is all in the same age group. So it was definitely something I was very for.” Once Watkins agreed, the recipient’s doctor had 60 days to consent. The donation was scheduled for August. Prior to that, Watkins, 22, underwent additional testing for infectious diseases, to ensure his blood levels were correct and to check that it would be safe for him and the recipient. The week of the transplant, Watkins, a native of nearby Brentwood, Tenn., went to the Vanderbilt Clinic each day for five days. Each of the first four days, he received two injections of Filgrastim. The drug increased his stem cell count. On the fifth day, he received two more shots of Filgrastim for a total of 10 for the week. The shots can cause side effects of flu-like symptoms, head aches and bone pain. Watkins said his pain was mild. On the actual day of the transplant, the process took five hours. Blood from his right arm was drawn and funneled into an apheresis machine. The blood is spun and separated into plasma, platelets, white blood cells and red blood cells. The blood was sorted by density, allowing the doctors to collect the stem cells, along with platelets. The remaining blood was returned to his left arm. The donated stem cell was then shipped to the recipient, who receives the transplant the day of or the next day. About 10 days before the transplant, the recipient receives radiation and chemo treatments to wipe out his immune system. So the window to receive the transplant is short. In October, Watkins said he had received an update that everything is going as “well as we could have hoped.” His donor coordinator will give him updates one month after the transplant, then six months after and at the one-year mark. To respect his privacy, only the recipient’s age, gender and disease are disclosed. After one year, if both parties consent to it, Watkins will receive contact info for the recipient. “I am definitely going to consent to opening up communication,” he said. “I think at some point I would like to at least talk to him and see how everything is going for him.” In the meantime, Watkins plans on encouraging his friends, teammates and peers to get registered for Be The Match. The National Marrow Donor Program has saved numerous lives. Vanderbilt cross country and track head coach Steve Keith is living proof. Two years ago, Keith became suddenly ill at the SEC Indoor Track Championships from what he thought was a virus. It turned out he had myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), a type of cancer that prevents the bone marrow from producing enough healthy blood cells. The disease formed into Adult Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) and nearly took his life, but he was fortunate the following fall, in September of 2013, to receive a bone marrow transplant that offered him his “second birthday.” His donor came internationally from a 25-year-old male in Germany. Two years later, at age 55, Keith is as healthy and as active as ever. He was afforded a second lease on life thanks to a donor from Be The Match. “It is a really simple process just to get on the registry,” Watkins said. “It is BeTheMatch.org. You can either go to a drive or they’ll send you the kit. It is just a cheek swab, and you mail it back and you’re on the registry. It has certainly helped a lot of people.” n
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CHAMP RETURNS
November 2015
JOE HOWELL
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Ezeli adds another chapter to fairy tale ride by Jerome Boettcher
JOE HOWELL
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JOE HOWELL
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raveling on a lunar mission for NASA seemed more probable. At least that’s how Festus Ezeli felt eight years ago when he arrived at Vanderbilt as a raw, untapped 6-foot-11 basketball prospect. Then just 17 years old, Ezeli didn’t foresee a career in the NBA. In fact, basketball offered a scholarship and an opportunity to pursue aspirations of medical school. “Basketball was a means to an end,” Ezeli said. “I think the goal for me was to get a degree at the end of the day. When I came here I was a biology major. My goal was to be a doctor. So the NBA wasn’t in the plans. There was a possibility. But, just like anything, there’s a possibility I can go to the moon some day. It was kind of far fetched.” Eight years later, far-fetched transformed into an unfathomable reality for Ezeli. Sitting in the same film room in Memorial Gymnasium where he began to really grasp basketball Xs and Os, Ezeli flashed that trademark smile Vanderbilt fans became so familiar with during his decorated college career. “My life so far has been like a movie,” he said. “Sometimes I sit back and I can’t really fathom this point in my life how I got here.” In September, Ezeli returned to campus with the Larry O’Brien NBA Championship Trophy in tow. Three months before, the 26-year-old helped the Golden State Warriors win their first NBA Championship in 40 years. In doing so he became just the second Vanderbilt player to win an NBA title, joining fellow big man Will Perdue, who won four titles with the Chicago Bulls and San Antonio Spurs. Ezeli brought the glimmering, gold Larry O’Brien trophy back to West End on a Saturday in September when the football team played Georgia. He joined the set of SEC Nation on the SEC Network, taking selfies with students and dunking on TV personality Paul Finebaum. He ventured into Vandyville and tailgated with Commodore fans, stopping everywhere for photos with the trophy. At the football game, he served as the game’s honorary captain, dropping the anchor in a pregame ceremony at midfield. It was a joyous homecoming for Ezeli, who graduated with an economics degree in May of 2012—just a month before the Warriors drafted him in the first round. “I laid a lot of my foundation here in school,” he said. “I think of it as home, because when I came here I felt like I was a kid and I had a lot to
Festus Ezeli gestures to the crowd after presenting the anchor during the Vanderbilt football team’s traditional pregame ceremony. The former Commodore standout was back on campus in September after winning the NBA title.
learn—basketball-wise, off the court and life in general. I learned a lot when I was here.” Ezeli spent five years on campus. Having moved from Nigeria to California when he was 14, he had never played organized basketball until the summer before his freshman year. Thus, he was redshirted by head coach Kevin Stallings during the 2007-08 season. The year off paid huge dividends for Ezeli as he was able to learn the game of basketball at a more comfortable pace. Ezeli said he fed off Stallings’ energy that can sometimes be interpreted as crazy. “He is crazy in the right direction,” Ezeli said. “He wants us to be successful so badly that he kind of comes off as being crazy. I think I fed off that some. I understood where he was coming from and I understood where everybody was coming from. Everybody wanted us to succeed and being in an environment like this is very special.” Ezeli began to understand the sport and see his potential as a center unfold. Therefore, his career goals started to change. “After a couple years of playing here at Vanderbilt and playing under Coach Stallings, I kind of had to re-evaluate myself,” he said. “I started to fall in love with the game. I just felt like being a doctor was not what I wanted to do. That is not what was going to make me fulfilled. I have some goals I want to reach in life and people I want to touch and things I want to do in terms of helping my country, where I come from in Nigeria. I felt
like I could do that better playing basketball with the platform that I have.” In August, basketball offered Ezeli exactly that opportunity to give back to his native continent as he was part of the first NBA game on African soil. The league held an exhibition game in Johannesburg, South Africa between Team Africa, which consisted of first and second-generation African players, and Team World, featuring prominent players from around the globe. The game was sold out and played in support of Boys & Girls Clubs of South Africa, SOS Children’s Villages Association of South Africa and the Nelson Mandela Foundation. In addition, Ezeli and the NBA held several basketball clinics for local youth and visited the Apartheid Museum with the Basketball Without Borders program. “That was special to me because I brought the game that I love to a continent I love even more,” he said. “The people, the reception, the things we were able to do down there made me very proud to be in the NBA. I didn’t know that the NBA had such a strong imprint on Africa. They have been doing a lot of work way before I got here. I hope to carry it on in the future.” Those doors that have led him to this point in his career, though, began to open at Vanderbilt. His redshirt freshman year, opposing fans looked at him as nothing more than a big guy who could dunk in the layup line during pregame warmups. But his coaches saw much more.
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JOE HOWELL
JOHN RUSSELL
“I had people around me that supported me,” he said. “The coaches who recruited me—King Rice and Dan Muller (now head coaches at Monmouth University and Illinois State, respectively). They were people who were in my ears every day. Talking to me and telling me they believe in me. I think that was important for me as a kid. Because there are days when there are up-anddown days. There are days when you’re like, ‘Aw, man I had a great game! I’m (going to be) an NBA player.’ And there are days were you’re like, ‘Man, I played terrible. Can I really make it?’ “It was always good to have that support system around me that always continued to help me believe and continued to keep me focused and continued to help me work hard. That was very important for me.” On paper, the progress started out slow but Ezeli steadily developed into one of the most formidable big men in the Southeastern Conference, if not the country. After serving as A.J. Oglivy’s backup the first two years and averaging just 3.8 points a game, he took off.
Festus Ezeli and Vanderbilt basketball coach Kevin Stallings chat on the sidelines.
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During the 2010-11 season, he became a reliable threat on offense with 13 points and 6.3 rebounds a game. Defensively, he was a wall down low, setting the school record for blocks in a season with 87. His senior season, despite missing his first 10 games due to a knee injury, he was named Second Team All-SEC—a huge accomplishment considering where he was just three years before. He averaged 10 points and six rebounds for the second straight year and left as the school’s all-time leader in blocked shots with 204. One of his most cherished memories during his playing career, though, doesn’t revolve around an individual feat. Three years later, Ezeli still beams when thinking about the Commodores knocking off No. 1 Kentucky, the eventual national champ, to win Vanderbilt’s first SEC Tournament championship in more than 61 years. “It was fun to leave college on top of the SEC as SEC champions,” he said. Just three months after hoisting the SEC Tournament championship, Ezeli’s wildest dreams came true when the Golden State Warriors drafted him in the first round. For someone who used basketball as a means to an end, it was a surreal feeling. But, again to Ezeli, it might not have been the highlight of that summer. “I’ve had a few top moments in my life and I think that was one of the top moments—being able to graduate with an economics degree,” he said. “That was very special. Not a lot of people in my position… playing basketball they (can) leave (school) early. One of my focuses I made was I had to graduate. That was one of the goals I set for myself when I came here—I had to gradu-
JOE HOWELL
Golden State Warriors center Festus Ezeli takes a selfie with Vanderbilt students on the set of SEC Nation before a football game in September. Ezeli returned with the Larry O’Brien NBA Championship trophy.
Festus Ezeli enters his fourth season with the Golden State Warriors, who drafted him in the first round of the NBA draft in 2012 after he graduated from Vanderbilt.
ate. The school, everybody made it possible for me. I think, with the whole program, the way it is set up, I had a lot of support from people who helped me achieve my goal.” With an NBA championship under his belt, Ezeli isn’t about to get complacent. He enters his fourth year with the Warriors, who are hungry for another championship. He plans to continue to use the sport that has given him so much, and spring-boarded him to where he is now as a professional basketball player and philanthropist, but most importantly, as a person. “It is kind of weird to say but playing basketball has taught me so much about life,” he said. “I’ve learned a lot about self-discipline, teamwork, sacrificing for the good of others. I really love the game. There have been a lot of peaks and valleys. But to be here as an NBA champion I could not have written a better script.” n
Where are they now? Kristabel Doebel-Hickok By Jerome Boettcher
Former cross country/track standout Kristabel Doebel-Hickok graduated from Vanderbilt in 2011 with an economics degree. Doebel-Hickok, who owns the school record in the 10,000 meters, lives back in her hometown of Marina del Ray, Calif. Most of her time is spent as a professional cyclist. She recently won a mountain stage in France—her second stage victory of the year—and competes with Team TIBCO. The team competes throughout the United States and internationally. Her 2015 season began in Argentina and ended in Europe. When she is not on the bike, she writes for nuphoriq.com, which specializes in marketing for catering and event planning companies. How long have you been cycling? I bought my first road bike just after graduating from college. My first race was in February 2012—the Cat 3/4 Boulevard Road Race. I remember driving down and wondering if my competitive drive would return in the race or if I would be calling it quits on my athletic career. I finished second place in an uphill sprint finish and was certain that there would be many more bike races in my near future. Did you have any experience cycling before college? No. Growing up I had the classic kid’s bike and many Sundays were family bike ride days, but it was far from a sport for me. When I entered college, I had never even thought about women’s cycling as a sport. Why did you decide to get in cycling? My final couple years at Vanderbilt, I was plagued by hamstring injuries. I found my mileage dropping and time on the spin bike increasing. The last couple months when I realized I had no desire or ability to continue racing on two feet after college, I started to think about other ways I could compete athletically if I was so inclined. The bike seemed like a natural fit given how much I loved riding the spin bike. You won a stage in France last month? How big of a moment was that for you? Yes, I won Stage 5 of Tour Cycliste Féminin International de l’Ardèche. Stage racing is so incredibly hard, always testing your physical and mental limits. The day before, I had a mechanical (issue) that meant I had to race a teammate’s spare bike for about 90 km of the race. That’s a long time on a bike that doesn’t fit you, the lead group is out of sight, and you just want to quit. But you don’t because you have to finish that stage to race again the next day. And every day is another opportunity to help your team and maybe in doing so you will get a result attached to your own name. I worked with a new coach this year, Dean Golich of Carmichael Training Systems, and he’s told me far too many times that we “fight to the bitter end, no quitting…” and so on. So it didn’t matter how much my knees or mind hurt, I knew I would be back the next day and ready to fight. At the base of the final climb, 5 km from the finish, I put in another attack and the field did not chase. I bridged to the break up the road, joining them about 2 km from the finish where I was able to take the win. It’s weird because you cross the line and get this awesome rush, people are cheering, your soigneur (cycling assistant) and maybe even a teammate are there, but so many of the people that helped you get there are so far away.
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How much does what you’ve learned from distance running carry over into cycling? Distance running taught me to suffer, be patient and trust in the process. (Vanderbilt) coach (Steve) Keith never panicked, even when I thought a missed workout or minor injury was total devastation. Sometimes the harder I pushed, the more I fought, the worse my results got. I broke the 10 km school record on my first attempt, running perfectly even and effortless splits in my home state. Coach Keith knew exactly what I could do and I believed and trusted him completely. Once doubt creeps in or you second-guess what you can do, it is not going to happen in a bike race or running event. The biggest difference is how teamwork functions in running versus cycling. In running, you produce your best time/result to help your team achieve as low a score as possible. In cycling, you often sacrifice your personal result to help a teammate get on the podium. You can put yourself in the wind, attack relentlessly, chase for hours, go back for bottles, and so on to give your team leader her best shot. How much did competing at the Division I level at Vanderbilt help you prepare for the rigors and competitiveness of cycling? Physically and mentally, my body was forced to adapt in pretty extreme ways while racing at Vanderbilt. I would like to think that all pays off in the world of cycling. I didn’t realize it at the time, but I think my worst times taught me more than my best. It tends to work that way if you let it. There are also so many dynamics when you put a group of smart, driven and talented athletes together in a sport where the team gets a result, but so too do individuals. I had some stellar teammates at Vandy who showed me the meaning of tough love and the value of team synergy. My number one reason for signing with Vanderbilt was Coach Keith. He believed in me and wanted to support me before I ever stepped foot on campus. Four years later, he is one of the first people to send me a congratulatory message following a big win. I think that speaks volumes about a program. n
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Training Room to be completed in December
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he end is near for construction of Vanderbilt’s highly anticipated Training Room. The state-of-the-art facility should be ready for athletic trainers, physicians and student-athletes to move into by late December, according to project manager Josh Gill of Orion Building Corp. Walls are starting to take shape, the last of the concrete is being poured, flooring is being installed and equipment will soon be moved in. “It is starting to come together,” Gill said. “It is going to be a beautiful project with all the finishes. Compared to what the athletic training staff had to begin with, this is an up-to-date facility. A very up-to-date facility with all the hydrotherapy pools and all the electronics that go with that. It gives training a much bigger space to work out of. It gives them more room. They have a lot more privacy for each of their staff members.” The renovation and expansion of the current site adjoined to the McGugin Center at the corner of Jess Neely Drive and Natchez Trace began in February. The project ran into some delays due to inclement weather ranging from rain to
snow to ice. In addition, when the construction crew started digging to lay the foundation, the hard rock excavation hit a snag due to the thick limestone under ground. Gill estimates that alone delayed the project about four weeks. The finished project excites Gill, athletics department administration and the athletic training staff, who have been temporarily housed in the basement of Memorial Gym during construction. The new facility will be expanded to 9,200 square feet, feature more examination and treatment rooms, team physician offices and more office space for the staff’s 13 athletic trainers. Perhaps the biggest enhancement though, will be the three hydrotherapy pools. The pools were delivered several months ago and are now ready to be installed. They’ll benefit the recovery process for injured student-athletes as two of the pools can be set for hot or cold temperatures, while the third, larger tub will have space for a treadmill with cameras on the side to help monitor movements. “The hydrotherapy pools—they are going to be the biggest highlight,” Gill said. “That space is
JEROME BOET TCHER
by Jerome Boettcher
TOP: Construction workers prepare the location of the three hydrotherapy pools in the Training Room. BOTTOM: View from Jess Neely Drive of the Training Room, which is scheduled to be completed in December.
going to be awesome once it is finished.” Though the athletic training staff hopes to move in by the end of December, Gill and his crew will still be on site to finish up mechanical and electrical work. The entire project should be completed in January. n
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November 2015
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Scarpa makes name for herself at Vanderbilt Holding midfielder transferred in after winning national championship by Jerome Boettcher
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The academics component was also important. In addition to being a three-time member of the ACC Academic Honor Roll and Dean’s List at Florida State, she was also awarded the prestigious NCAA Elite 89 Award, which is presented to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade-point average competing at the finals site for each of the NCAA’s 89 championships. Naturally, Vanderbilt entered the conversation for Scarpa. She then got a vote of confidence from FSU teammate Cheyna Williams, who had transferred from Vanderbilt. Williams spoke highly of the school and her Vanderbilt teammates and suggested to Scarpa to contact new coach Darren Ambrose, who had just been hired at Vanderbilt the day before. Scarpa’s father got in touch with Ambrose, she visited campus and immediately meshed with members of the team. The decision has been a success for both parties as Scarpa has started all but one game (due to injury) and has helped the Commodores turn their program around. “I wanted it be a move for both, not just soccer, not just academics,” said Scarpa, a medicine, health and society major who plans on going to graduate school to become a physician’s assistant. “I don’t think this time last year I thought that finding a school I was truly happy at was possible. That sounds really morbid, but I didn’t know if the right fit was out there, if I could find the soccer and the school part. But I did. I finally feel like I’ve found my perfect college atmosphere and school.” Kacy Scarpa is adding another chapter to an already athletic family. Both of her sisters, Jessie and Sandy, played soccer in high school and Jessie is a sophomore forward at North Carolina. Glenn was an All-American infielder at Florida Southern and played baseball professionally in Holland. Karyn moved to Lakeland from Canada when she was 18 to pursue barefoot waterskiing and compete for the Canadian National Team. Kacy remembers watching her mother win a bronze medal at a world championship in 2003. “That was really cool for me to see my mom doing something she grew up doing and competing at in the same way I play soccer,” said Scarpa, who has dual citizenship in Canada. “If you become skilled at it, it is like riding a bike, it is really easy to get up, but definitely challenging. Once you’re up, you’re pretty good unless
STEVE GREEN
riends of Kacy Scarpa were always in for a literal trick or treat when hanging out with her parents. Her mother, Karyn, would jump in the lake near their house, hitch a rope onto their boat and show off the skills that made her a barefoot water skiing world champion and a 12-time Canadian champion. “She likes to show off for my friends when they come over,” Scarpa said. “I’ll take her barefooting and she’ll do tricks.” Her father, Glenn, was no slouch in the kitchen. He was a chef at Mario’s, an Italian restaurant owned by his father. “I remember my dad packing me lunches for school,” Scarpa recalls. “I would have chicken marsala with vegetables and I would bring it out at the lunch table and everyone would be super jealous of my food. It was definitely a nice perk growing up.” Kacy Scarpa, a redshirt junior on the Vanderbilt soccer team and steady presence at holding midfielder, has also made a name for herself. Before she arrived on campus this fall, she already had the title of national champion attached to her name. She spent the last three seasons at Florida State, which won the national championship in 2014 after playing for the title in 2013 and reaching the Final Four in 2012. “Last year was obviously a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” she said. “Even just playing for a national championship was something I know I’ll never forget. I remember holding someone who was crying because she was a senior and she was ecstatic because her dream had finally come true. Each year we had come so close and fallen short. The emotion behind it all was surreal.” While she calls winning a collegiate national championship the highlight of her soccer career, she felt incomplete. After redshirting her freshman season in 2012, she had two years of eligibility left. She could stay at Florida State, where she had been used sparingly off the bench her first two seasons, or transfer and provide more of an impact. “It came down to me wanting more and knowing that I could contribute more,” she said. “It was more of a personal decision in the fact that it wasn’t all that I wanted. The national championship was obviously something I’ll never take for granted, that experience, having that opportunity. But I knew personally that I wanted something more out of my collegiate soccer career.”
Redshirt junior and holding midfielder Kacy Scarpa transferred to Vanderbilt this season after spending the previous three years at Florida State, where she won a national championship in 2014.
you stick your toes in the water and face plant, which is not fun.” While soccer was the sport of choice for Scarpa, her parents also encouraged her to try others. She dabbled in water skiing. She played softball through middle school. At George Jenkins High School, she was a three-sport athlete, earning all-county honors in volleyball and finished eighth in the triple jump at the state track and field championships. “They have definitely helped me in the genetic area and also encouragement and moral support,” she said. “They never really pushed me into, ‘Oh, you should do soccer. You should do this.’ It was always like, ‘What do you like the best?’ Or, ‘What do you want to do?’ I never really felt the pressure to keep playing soccer, which I think has really helped. They let me ride it out and just find out if it was my passion or not.” n
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November 2015
The Commercial Fence Professionals™
Coach’s Handbook: Assistant women’s basketball coach Kim Rosamond Kim Rosamond plays a key role on head coach Melanie Balcomb’s staff, serving as the program’s recruiting coordinator. Hired at Vanderbilt before the 2007-08 season, Rosamond has consistently helped the Commodores land highly-rated signing classes and has enabled the Commodores to maintain their status as one of the most prominent and successful teams in the nation. Your mom comes to Vanderbilt games whenever she can. Tell us about your relationship with her. My mom was such a big influence on me. I was raised by a single mom, and I often talk about growing up and her having such an impact on my life. My mom worked her tail off from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day. I like to say that kids don’t always follow their parents’ advice, but they usually do follow their example. I think her example of hard work and her work ethic and dedication is what has helped me get to where I am.
JOHN RUSSELL
So you are a self-described “country girl.” How deep does that go? Do you like to hunt and fish and those type things? Yes, I am a proud country girl through and through. I lived in Mississippi the better part of my life, until I was 28 years old. I grew up on a horse farm, fishing with my grandparents, hunting every once in a while with
Vanderbilt assistant women’s basketball coach Kim Rosamond is a self-described “country girl” who grew up on a horse farm in Mississippi.
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family members, and riding horses and competing, which was a big part of my life until I got to college and had to give it up. It’s so neat to look back now because I see how it has shaped who I am as a person. I’m just really proud of where I came from. I grew up in a town of 7,000 people in Louisville, Mississippi. You know everybody and everybody knows you. We had 35 in my graduating class. I went to a small private school there. I look back now and those relationships were so strong, and those are life-long relationships that are still very strong now. The people I went to kindergarten with, I was in their weddings and have watched them have babies. They are still some of my best friends today. The relationship piece that is so important in recruiting is something I developed at such a young age because your friends are your family in a small town like that. Growing up in a town like that you did two things: you went to church on Sunday and you played ball. So it has really shaped who I am as a person. And now looking back at all of the coaches that have come out of my small community; Van Chancellor who I played for in college, Andy Kennedy who is the men’s basketball coach at Ole Miss, Matthew Mitchell, who was a great friend of mine all throughout high school, is the women’s coach at Kentucky, Mark Hudspeth is the head football coach at Louisiana-Lafayette, Chris Croft is on staff at Southern Miss men’s basketball. You look at that and you go “wow,” but it is because of the people and coaches in our community that spent mornings, afternoon, days after days in the gym with us, investing in us as young people. If you had a week to yourself to get away from basketball, what would you do? I don’t get to ride as much, but I think if I had a week off I would love to ride again. I actually went home in August, we had a week off and I went fishing. I won’t show my fishing pictures because I sent a couple of pictures to the girls, and we were all laughing because I said it looks like I was fishing in the nursery because the fish I caught weren’t too big. But I love the outdoors; I love living in Tennessee. One of my favorite places is the Smoky Mountains, there is nothing like waking up and having a cup of coffee with that view. I also enjoy going to the beach and taking a little downtime there. Four years ago, I bought a ski boat so I love to spend time on the water and on the lake. You get to know the Vanderbilt student-athletes when they are 17, and see them leave at 22. What its like seeing their transformation and maturation throughout the years? It’s one of my favorite parts of the job. They invest so much in Vanderbilt, and as coaches you try and invest so much in them as young women. You are almost like a proud parent when you see how much they have grown, how much they have matured, and how confident they are now as young women. To see them walk across the stage and get that Vanderbilt diploma that they have worked so hard for and to know the opportunities that are going to open for them, it is really special. What makes it so awesome too is when they come back. Just the other day I got a call from Gabby Smith because she was listening to Faith Hill’s song “Mississippi Girl” on the radio and thought of me, and left me a message. The wins are great and the wins are fun, but it is those little things and those relationships that mean the most to you as a coach, when they call you and ask you for advice, or when they call you and ask you to help them with a job. The trophies, they get dust on them, and the wins will fade, but those relationships are what last forever. n
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November 2015
PEST CONTROL DOWN TO A SCIENCE.™
DANIEL DUBOIS
Pietrzyk named SEC Freshman of the Year
Vanderbilt freshman Caroline Pietrzyk has been ahead of the pack all season. She has been the Commodores’ top runner at all five races, including three top-three finishes, to earn SEC Freshman of the Year honors.
Freshman standout leads pack of ’Dores
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aroline Pietrzyk sure isn’t showing any signs of freshman jitters. Through five races this fall, she has been the first Vanderbilt cross country runner to cross the finish line. After leading the pack in every race and placing third at the SEC Championships on Oct. 30, Pietrzyk was named the SEC Freshman of the Year. “She’s a savvy little racer,” cross country coach Steve Keith said. “(The SEC Championships) was a war of attrition—and Caroline proved she ‘attrits’ less than others. She really ran a great race.” Pietrzyk, a native of Malibu, Calif., was the top freshman finisher at the SEC Championships, finishing in a time of 19:54.00 and helping the Commodores to a third-place finish in the team results. She was the first Commodore to earn SEC Freshman of the Year honors since Hannah Jumper in 2011. Pietrzyk came to Vanderbilt with high accolades, having won the 2014 California D-4 State Cross Country Championship as a senior. She also placed 14th at the 2014 Foot Locker Nataional Cross Country Championships. The two-time SEC Freshman of the Week made her collegiate debut by placing second at the Belmont Opener on Sept. 5 at Percy Warner Park in Nashville. She followed that up with a third-place finish at the Commodore Classic on Sept. 19, which was also held at Percy Warner. She then posted a personal-best time of 16:56.3 to take 17th at the prestigious Joe Piane Notre Dame Invitational on Oct. 2. She capped off the regular season by finishing 35th at the Wisconsin Invitational. ■
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November 2015
’Dores, community send relief to flood victims in S.C. By Ryan Schulz
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outh Carolina needed the support, and the Nashville community responded in a big, big way. With the Palmetto State faced with historic flooding, Vanderbilt Athletics asked Nashville-area residents to band together and help fill its football equipment truck with bottled water and generators. The response it received was more than it could have asked for. By 12:30 p.m., the first (yes, the first) semitrailer was already filled. The decision to bring in another truck was soon made by Director of Athletics David Williams as carloads of water continued to be dropped off. By 4:30 p.m., the second trailer was filled. The remaining donations were collected to be given to the Nashville Red Cross. Each trailer was filled with 1,500 cases of water. Four new generators were also donated, as were 400 pairs of shoes by Nashville’s Soles4Souls. “Knowing everybody that I work with cares and cares for the Gamecocks and the SEC community cares really means a lot to all of us back home,” said Catherine Hilley, a South Carolina native and intern in the Vanderbilt athletics communications office who graduated from South Carolina. From children to grandparents and everyone in between, it was a collective effort by Nashvillians that inspired all those involved. Student-athletes joined athletics staff members to help unload waters from each vehicle and then load them into the trailers. The drive for water and generators began at 7 a.m. with drop points located at Gate 2 of Vanderbilt Stadium and in front of McGugin Center. All water collected Thursday was delivered to South Carolina’s campus. “The compassion we have to be able to show in a time of need like this makes me feel a little better,” Vanderbilt quarterback Johnny McCrary said. “Just seeing all these people out here giving back, that is our whole purpose of living. If you’re not helping someone else’s life get better then you’re wasting your time. “I’m very proud and blessed to be a part of a program like that.” During Vanderbilt’s football game at South Carolina, Vanderbilt athletic director David Williams and the Commodore community were recognized for their efforts in addition to LSU administation as the Tigers hosted their game against USC the previous week after the flooding forced it to be moved. ■
A local family who donated cases of bottled water for the South Carolina flood relief drive on Oct. 8, pose with, from left to right, Vanderbilt student-athletes Kathryn Babin (swimming), Jess Dadino (lacrosse), Stephen Weatherly (football), Leah Peterson (lacrosse) and Claire Anderson (soccer).
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It’s My Turn By Rod Williamson
T
he email, sent in the wee hours of the morning, struggled to ask an awkward question— at least it seemed that way to the author of the note. “I know Coach X is busy this time of year but do you suppose he has 25 minutes or so I can ask him a personal question?” it read. The purpose was vague enough to seem mysterious except that days earlier had come the second-hand news that this person had found out a big battle with disease was in store. The email was forwarded and within minutes came the reply, “Done. I’m on it.” What do you suppose was the question this new-found patient wanted to ask? “How would you handle this if it were you?” Or, perhaps, “tell me how to be brave when I’m afraid.” We don’t keep track of how many similar requests our department receives in a week or a month, mainly because they are almost always very personal and handled without any fanfare. Sometimes the pleas are from parents or grandparents hoping a star player can cheer up their young ’un. The majority go straight Athletics still offers to the coaches. Why is it that people hope, provides turn to the world of sports to help fill worrisome gaps in their lives? Surely thrills and honors they understand that sports figures courage, resiliency, are not trained counselors. perserverance and My hypothesis is that many people admire how coaches lead their prohard work. grams, how they often publicly deal with adversity while appearing to be towers of strength, how they usually represent values we all admire. When Grandma Florence lost the spring in her step, she occupied her hours watching the PGA Tour on television. She probably had never played a round of golf but she enjoyed the beautiful landscapes along with the serenity and friendly competition the sport offers. There are tens of thousands of Grandma Florences out there, quietly tuning in every day from semi-darkened living rooms, hospital beds or empty lobbies of assisted living quarters—Cubs fans, UCLA fans, members of Arnie’s Army. College athletics has never been good at explaining its purpose—what it contributes to an educational campus—especially in the glare of well-publicized scandals and the understandable sense that it has become a business rather than a recreational outlet. Sports offers more than the out-sized egos of some participants, the blowhards on talk radio or the fanatics that paint themselves in their team colors and scream until horse at the games. Despite its shortcomings—and they do exist—athletics still offers hope, provides thrills and honors courage, resiliency, perseverance and hard work that our society admires. Commodore coaches remind our student-athletes of their role model status. Many of our teams make frequent visits to the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt or swing by to cheer up someone weary of bad news. Good deeds—such as the recent campaign that filled two semi-trucks with water for the flooded South Carolina campus—tend to fade from our memories but one’s affection for her favorite team or his hero has staying power. The best of the sports world clearly understands this and takes the responsibility seriously. ■
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My Game
Ashlin Dolan By Dana Reynolds
Commodore Nation: Tell us a bit about your major—studio art, corporate strategy, cinema and media art.
ASHLIN DOLAN
Ashlin Dolan: For a long time I did art in high school and I really loved it. When I came to Vanderbilt I didn’t really know what I wanted to major in and I really didn’t think art would be an option for me because it is really hard with scheduling and practice and things like that. By the time sophomore year rolled around, I had taken some film classes and I thought I definitely want to minor in that. Then I ended up sticking with art. It was really great. When I got injured my sophomore year, by taking a fifth year I’ll have time to do everything I wanted to do and get everything in because it is hard to fit classes. So, yeah, I’m really happy about that and I painted a lot in high school. Since I’ve been here I’ve taken more screen printing classes. They require that you do everything so it has been great for me to experience other things. I’m in photography right now. But, yeah, it has been good.
Vanderbilt redshirt junior Ashlin Dolan is a studio art, corporate strategy, cinema and media art major who paints and runs a fashion blog.
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November 2015
CN: High school is when you really discovered your passion? AD: I’ve always loved art. I did a lot of arts and crafts when I was little. I think I get my dexterity from my mom and probably my creative mind more from my dad. I really liked it in high school. My high school had a pretty good art program. It was nice going to boarding school because everything was there and I could go into the art building late at night. So I had access to a lot of stuff, which was great. But here the resources are unlimited and I can swipe into the art building whenever I want. It has been awesome. CN: You’re into painting, but you’ve also been introduced to screen printing?
JOE HOWELL
A
shlin Dolan is a midfielder on the lacrosse team from Morristown, N.J. After spending a week in Cuba with Ashlin, it’s obvious to see that she sees the world a lot differently than your average Vanderbilt student. From the moment she arrived in Miami completely unfazed by her lack of luggage, it was clear she was one of the most easygoing young women you’d ever meet. Being sidelined her entire sophomore season with a concussion gave her a unique look at her time as a student-athlete and reinforced her love of art and branding.
AD: This is the only time I’ve been able to take painting because our fall (lacrosse) schedule is different. But taking other classes, like taking screen printing has taught me more about other mediums and learning that I’ve been able to apply that to painting. It is good to be versed in everything.
anything else but about the design. I wanted to create a specific brand for me.
CN: So you have a blog called The Phat Ash. What made you want to start a blog? What is your inspiration?
AD: It was a really good experience for me. I think people look down on retail. I think it is so important to see the sales side of a business like that. The corporate and the brand I worked for is a London based brand, so their corporate is very far away and they only have two stores in the U.S. They are smaller in the U.S., but it was interesting to see what happened on our end that they didn’t necessarily know about, things like that. It was a really good experience from a brand perspective and for someone who wants to eventually start their own business.
AD: That is a tough question. I started it last year. I had been concussed the entire year. I was getting back into my life and getting back into the swing of practice and doing a lot of art. Having my concussion ended up being a rewarding experience for me because I learned a lot about myself. I had to find other things that interested me. Art was one of those things, and social media and blogging. Originally, I would do my blog on road trips. It was an outlet for me to cope with things I was dealing with. I found myself being Type B and a lot of people I surrounded myself with Type A. So it was a way for me to cope with things I encountered in my life and giving advice to other people based on things I was encountering. It also started because in applying for jobs and internships, I wanted to have a forum to exhibit my art and exhibit my creative impulses. That is how the platform started. I got more and more into it. I realized I was really passionate about fashion and graphic design and branding when I was a sophomore in college. I would walk around the mall by myself. I’d walk by Tori Burch and I remember thinking this is so cool that someone can create this from the ground up. It is not
CN: It seems like there is a lot of New York City influence in your blog? You spent last summer there?
CN: You went to Cuba in July with Soles4Souls and several of your Vanderbilt student-athletes on an international service trip. Was that inspiring? AD: That was definitely really inspiring. It is one of those experiences you have to step away from to process it a little bit. I thought the art we saw was pretty incredible. Our first drop with the shoes was at an art school. Seeing that art was so amazing. You could see the society freeze a little bit in time. But (art) like that doesn’t really. Art is independent of the economy. If I could travel, this is a place I would want to go. I wish I spoke Spanish because I wish I could have communicated with them a little better. The art in Cuba is amazing. I wish we were there longer so I could have seen more of it. ■
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