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wingspan • february 19, 2010
Totally Kyle From Broadway to the big screen
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he great comedic genius Mel Brooks once said, “Everyone likes a good musical.” As an actor and movie buff, I want to believe him. But it seems there is a huge generational gap between film retakes of famous Broadway shows like South Kyle Keith Pacific and Oklahoma to today’s cinema of 3D explosions and pointless romantic comedies. It would appear that there is simply no room for frivolous singing and dancing with a 21st century audience. Then, like a shot out of the dark, director Rob Marshall took a risk. Marshall did something that no director in Hollywood had the kahunas to do in the past 30-plus years: direct a musical. Chicago opened to boxoffice success and numerous awards, including a nomination for the highly prized “Best Picture” of 2002. It would seem like Chicago and its all-star cast (Richard Gere, Renee Zellweger and Queen Latifah) had paved the way for a new place in the modern American cinema for musicals. Other films did follow. Sweeney Todd, RENT, Hairspray and the Disneygenerated High School Musical saga all had wellreceived reviews and boxoffice success. Naturally, I was excited to see Nine, the latest film in the modern musical trend. I had every inclination to be pumped for this film. Fergie, Marion Cotillard and a half-naked Penelope Cruz made this film very appealing. Yet after sitting through half an hour of it, my excitement shattered into bits. Nine had no plotline, no point and as attractive as Penelope Cruz’s body sliding down a piece of pink chiffon fabric is, she has been in the American cinema for at least 15 years and really does need to learn English. So I am sorry, Mr. Brooks. As optimistic as you and I would like to be, it’s not going to happen. At least not until directors can figure out that audiences need more than a big name drawl or scantily clad actresses squawking like beached whales. Plots help and so do proper remake selections. A show that has historically had mixed reviews like Nine might not be the best choice.
Senior enjoys friendly, but competitive drag racing scene
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Collin Armstrong News Writer
s the light turns green, adrenaline rushes through senior Joseph Bagwell’s body, and his only instinct is to stomp on the gas and get to the finish line before everyone else. Bagwell drag races in his spare time. “When the light turns green, the only thoughts in my head are that I’m ready,” Bagwell said. At the beginning of a race when the fourth light of the countdown turns green, the drag racers take off. There are four lights in the starting device, three yellow lights and one green light, each lighting about half a second after the other. By the end of the race, the average speed of the car for most racers is 135 mph, which can be dangerous if the driver is not properly trained. “I don’t feel that it’s all that dangerous because you have so much safety equipment. We have a three-piece fire suit, pants, a jacket and arm restraints, which keep your arms down in case they come out of the vehicle,” Bagwell said. “Also, we have gloves, a neck brace, a helmet and fire shoes.”
The car itself is a long, narrow vehicle “My parents have always been around with little protection to prevent injuries cars, and I grew up around cars,” Bagwell resulting from crashes and malfunctions. said. “I have always wanted to race.” “It’s just 24 inches shoulder-to- Bagwell’s parents are his main source shoulder. It’s a tight fit,” of support. They help Bagwell said. “There is a and encourage him and gas pedal, a shifter and a come to his races each In the middle of bunch of buttons. In the Saturday. a race, I don’t middle of a race, I don’t “My parents will do think about it a whole whatever it takes,” Bagthink about it lot. All I’m focused on well said. “They come to a whole lot. All during the race is getting all of my races.” to the finish line first and Most of the time, BagI’m focused on winning another race.” well travels to the Greer is getting to the The races generally Speedway in Greer, last for about six to eight S.C. for his races on the finish line and seconds from start to weekends. These races winning another end. pit him against competrace. At tournaments, the itors from all over North competitors build camaand South Carolina. Joseph Bagwell raderies that help them “At the races we race senior become extremely close multiple times, and friends, Bagwell said. it’s really competitive,” “It’s a pretty friendly environment be- Bagwell said. “You have to drive top-end cause everyone you race against, you are bracket racing, which is when you get in pretty good friends with,” he said. “We’re front of somebody, ease back and try to be all pretty close.” as close as possible.” When Bagwell was 10 years old, he Bagwell said this type of racing is difstarted racing his dragster competitively ficult because racers want to remain in in tournaments. front of their opponents but not pull too
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far ahead. There are three classes of drag racing vehicles. However, Bagwell said the type of car doesn’t necessarily determine a competitor’s skill level. “The only way to get better, like most things, is just to practice a lot,” he said. The United States is the world’s biggest drag racing country, but other countries have drag racing strips as well. Japan, New Zealand, Mexico and countries in Europe also have drag racing. There are a total of 325 drag strips in the world. “The best memory I have of my whole drag racing career is when I won my first race. That was for sure my best memory,” Bagwell said. “The worst memory of drag racing was when I lost the track championship by five points. I was pretty depressed, but I still did well for coming in second place.” Scoring is based on the number of wins in each tournament. For every win, five points are awarded. Drag racing is all about moving up on the scale against the opponents. “I hope to keep running and move into Pro-Am, which I’m starting next year, and run hot rod and crank rod in the future. Those are just other types of high performance vehicles,” Bagwell said.
Parents encourage senior’s commitment to BMX racing Zac Cole
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News Writer
hen senior Brandon Hardesty sits on his BMX (bicycle motocross) bike at the starting line, many things are going through his head. He hopes that he will ride smoothly and safely win first place. “I always want first place, but sometimes when I sit there at the starting line, I see some people that I have lost to before, and I get kind of worried,” Hardesty said. Hardesty started BMX racing six years ago because his father inspired him to start. Hardesty’s parents encourage his participation in BMX racing. They think it’s a positive thing that he races and that he is getting so involved. “My dad inspired me by telling me that he used to do it when he was younger and when he was a teenager,” Hardesty said. “They think it’s pretty cool and support me all the way, 100 percent.”
Other people that have inspired Hardesty are Donny “Scrawny” Robinson and Mike Day, who took second and third places respectively in the BMX races of the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China. Hardesty has won numerous awards during his racing career. His biggest achievement was claiming the national second-place award in his class. “I’ve won a lot of trophies. I have the national number two plate in my class,” Hardesty said. “I ride with it most of the time, but sometimes I use my number 733 plate which is the number I chose when I started racing.” Hardesty has had a number of wrecks since he started racing, but his worst wreck was when he broke his leg. He broke both his tibia and fibula in his lower leg at a 70 degree angle. Hardesty has also had other leg and shoulder injuries from BMX racing. “One time I was trying to manual down the backside of a table top, which
is a type of jump, and I just lost it,” Hardesty said. “I put my foot down, and it just cracked.” Hardesty said he doesn’t think about the risks of BMX often. He only thinks about them when he’s about to start a race, and afterwards he wonders what situations he could have ended up in. Hardesty has raced in competitions at various places across the country, but his favorite racetrack is The Grands in Louisville, Ky. Hardesty said he is dedicated to BMX, but he doesn’t let it get in the way of his schoolwork. He trains every day, but only after he has finished his homework. When it’s raining outside, he practices inside on his miniature trainer doing long distance training. When the ride is smooth and everything is going right, Hardesty can go as fast as 40 to 45 mph on his bike. “When you get something right, your adrenaline goes way up and you get super excited,” Hardesty said.
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BMX
beginner
tricks
• bunny hop: lift your front tire then push your handlebars out and lean forward while bringing your back tire up. At the same time, tuck in your legs • nose wheelie: ride with just your front wheel touching the ground • x-up: turn your handlebars backwards and then back to their starting position while in the air • barspin: turn your handlebars so that they rotate 360 degrees before returning to their starting position • foot jam: put your foot into the fork above your front wheel, causing your bike to stop and the rear wheel to lift up (www.life123.com)