the connection vol. 62 issue 5

Behind the scenes of the Cosumnes River College Athletic Department, the game of trying to secure the top prospec-tive athletes is always being played, even when the players are not on the � eld.

Year round, the CRC coaches are working hard to recruit the best and most talented athletes they can. � ey are con-stantly traveling to local high school sports matches and doing everything they can to seek out those players that would best � t in their program.

“� e � rst thing is getting a list of the top players; and then going out watching them play, talking to them a� er they com-pete, trying to talk to them and tell them a little about our program and what we have to o� er,” said head women’s so� ball coach Kristy Schroeder.

But, some of CRC’s coaches are looking for more beyond high school. � ey are more in-terested in the club teams where the more serious and competitive high school players go to compete in their desired sport.

“My assistant coach and I attend as many high school and club volleyball matches and tournaments as possible. We put much more emphasis on recruiting from club volleyball teams because it is a much higher level of play,” said co-head volleyball coach Minet Gunther. “Typically, we’re looking for kids who have played at least two years of varsity volleyball on their high school team and at least two years of club volleyball.”

According to the California Commu-nity College Athletic Association’s bylaws, which the CRC coaches are bound by, they are only allowed to recruit players from lo-cal high schools.

Serving Cosumnes River College since 1970

One of the most prevalent and persistent controversies the United States has seen over the years is the decriminaliza-tion and legalization of mari-juana.

However, legalities aside, a new angle of the issue has re-cently arisen. In� ghting within pro-cannabis rights groups has erupted over a newer method

of smoking cannabis called dabbing.

Dabbing is performed by taking a glass-like marijuana concentrate called butane hash oil, also known as wax or shatter, and dabbing it onto a heated titanium surface, where it vaporizes and is inhaled.

“Smoking just two dabs is like smoking two full blunts,” said Josh Gere, a 19-year-old photography major.

Butane hash oil is so con-

centrated, it can exceed 80 percent tetrahydrocannabinol content. To put that into per-spective, the average THC po-tency of marijuana is 13 per-cent, with more potent strains reaching about 25 percent.

A large problem that has come with dabbing is that the strength of BHO and the methods used to smoke it are creating the divide.

Because of the much high-er potency and the appearance

Coaches look locally to fi nd new student athletes

PHOTOGRAPHY DEPARTMENT

From here to Jakarta: Former student turns to � lmmaking, documentaries

� ere was chaos on the streets as bullets � ew through the air, right into the Leopold Café killing at least 10 people, as the � rst moments of a terrorist at-tack began in Mumbai on Nov. 26, 2008.

Camera in hand, Andri Tam-bunan captured the graphic and

sad nature of the attack while realizing the simple choice of � nding a di� erent watering hole changed his the course of his life.

“I can honestly say cheap beer saved my life,” Tambunan said. “Because if I hadn’t le� , I’d have been shot.”

It was the graphic photos of those moments, among many others, that Tambunan shared on Nov. 7 as he returned to Co-

sumnes River College, where his photo journey began.

Emigrating from Indonesia as a child with his mother, Tam-bunan � rst picked up a camera in high school. While this led him to the photo department at CRC and eventually a bachelor’s degree in photography from California State University, Sacramento, it wasn’t the career path he followed

Alumuns Andri Tambunan spoke to CRC photography students on Nov. 7.

Stephan Starnes | The Connection

MEDICAL MARIJUANA

CAMPUS ATHLETICS

By Christopher McKnightcmcknight.connect@gmail

BLACK BOX THEATRE PRODUCTIONBRINGS BACK JAZZ, FAMILY VALUES

RECRUITING | Page 7

By Nick Valenzuelanvalenzuela.connect@gmail

DABBING | Page 2

Cannabis community split over wax

FEATURES | Page 5

VOLUME 62, ISSUE 5 - NOVEMBER 14, 2013 THECRCCONNECTION.COM

IS BLACK FRIDAY OUR NEW FAVORITE HOLIDAY?

NEWS | Page 3

� e need for awareness of students’ mental health at Cosumnes River Col-lege was initially raised by long-time advocate and Vice President of Student Services and Enrollment Management Celia Esposito-Noy, who noticed a “sort of heaviness” on campus when she ar-rived in 2004.

� is need, along with rising con-cerns from administrators and faculty at CRC, resulted in psychology Professor and researcher Jeanne Edman conduct-ing a campus’ wide study focused on the mental health challenges students were facing

“She [Edman] asked students to report on some behaviors and feelings over a period of time which she then measured with the Centers for Disease Control,” said Esposito-Noy. “� e scores indicated that students really were indi-cating levels of depression. It was a sig-ni� cant number, less than half, but still signi� cant enough for us to start paying attention to it.”

� ese � ndings were the build-

ing blocks upon which mental health services at CRC would eventually be of-fered.

“We found out that females are at a higher risk for depression than males and Asians are at higher risks than other ethnic groups,” said Edman, whose re-search has continued over the years and into the current term. “About 40 percent of males and 50 percent of females [on campus] are at risk for moderate depres-sion.”

But these percentages beg the ques-tion: what is depression?

� e Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, otherwise known as the DSM V, describes depres-sion in general terms as extended feel-ings of hopelessness, guilt, dismay and other negative symptoms. However, many would argue that there has not been enough research done to

STAYING HEALTHY

Dealing with DEPRESS ON

By Josh Slowiczekjslowiczek.connect@gmail

Part II of the ‘Left Unsaid’ series on mental health at Cosumnes River College

LEFT UNSAID | Page 3

By Scott Redmondsredmond.connect@gmail

ALUMNUS | Page 4

MANSID

ESPORTS | Page 8

Scan the QR code and visit our web-site for more CRC sports coverage:

WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL TEAM TAKES ON DIABLO VALLEY

www.Facebook.com/crcconnection

Editor in ChiefJosh Slowiczek

News EditorScott Redmond

Features EditorEmily Collins

Sports EditorZach Hannigan

Opinion EditorElizabeth Witt

Online EditorStephan Starnes

Photo EditorRachel Norris

Copy EditorStephan Starnes

Production ManagerNick Valenzuela

Faculty AdviserRubina Gulati

Darren AllenBobby Bishop

Ben BrownCamille Caulk

Emanuel EspinozaAmari Ga� ney

LaChandra MarzettaChristopher McKnight

Brusly Voong

The Connection is an award-winning newspaper published bi-weekly by the Journalism 410 & 411 media production classes Editorials and opinion pieces do not necessarily re-� ect the opinions of the stu-dents, sta� or faculty of CRC or Los Rios Community College District. The Connection is a member of the Journalism Asso-ciation of Community Colleges (JACC) and California News-paper Publisher’s Association.

Letters to the Editor must be typed, signed and include the � rst and last name of the author and a phone number. They must be 200 words or less and may be edited for length, clarity or taste.

The ConnectionCosumnes River College

8401 Center ParkwaySacramento, CA 95823

Telephone: (916) 691-7471Fax: (916) 691-7181

[email protected]

Sta�

2 NEWS | NOVEMBER 14, 2013

Student support resources in spotlight

As the weather is changing and the leaves are falling in Octo-ber, attention falls squarely upon breast cancer awareness, but since 2007 Cosumnes River College has raised awareness for something closer to home.

Disabled Support Programs and Services teamed up with Stu-dent Health Services on Oct. 29 in the quad to raise awareness of the services available for students with disabilities.

Several agencies including Sierra Vista Hospital, Canine Companions for Independence, Enactus, � e Arc and Depart-ment of Veteran A� airs were in attendance.

“Our mission is to try to make sure that students with dis-abilities get equal access to what-ever the college provides,” said Scott Hamilton, Learning Dis-ability Specialist and Counselor of DSPS at CRC. “� ere are people who never think to come in be-cause they think ‘I don’t have a disability.’”

According to a handout from DSPS, disabilities include atten-tion de� cit/hyperactivity disor-der, learning disabilities, carpal tunnel syndrome and many other conditions. DSPS provides ac-commodations that include note-taking for course lectures, distraction reduced testing envi-ronments, voice to text so� ware and other services, according to the DSPS brochure.

Student Health Services pro-vides support to DSPS as well.

“Whatever resource we can provide to augment the cause, to help out, we collaborate with DSPS,” said Michelle Barkley, head nurse at CRC. “Health Ser-vices on the campus is a resource to any I like to use the term di� er-ently abled student not disabled.”

Kathy Zastrow, regional board member of Canine Com-panions for Independence, was one of the volunteers at the fair who provided information about canine assistance for the disabled.

“With a few exceptions we place dogs with all disabled people except the blind,” Zas-trow said. “Most of our users are wheelchair users and so the dogs are there to pick up things and

open doors, turn lights on and o� and open refrigerators.”

Although there were many visitors to the Disability Fair, DSPS Coordinator and Counselor Yolanda Garcia Gomez hoped for a bigger turn out.

“We did this about two years ago and we had twice as many people,” Gomez said.

Mary Mickles, 43, a human services major said she was in-spired by the fair.

“I’m inspired by them as students and as people,” Mickles said. “� e challenges they have and they still keep pressing on. It’s just so awesome.”

Families in need of assistance should visit cci.org, Zastrow said. For more information contact DSPS at (916) 691-7275.

By LaChandra Marzettalmarzetta.connect@gmail

LaChandra Marzetta| The ConnectionMichelle Barkley, head nurse at CRC, educates students on multiple options available through the Disabled Support Programs and Services and Student Health Services at the Disability Resources Fair on Oct. 29.

of dabbing apparatuses, some are calling it the crack of pot.

Kimberly Carglie, a medical cannabis patient’s rights advocate and managing board member of Sacramento medical cannabis dispensary, A � erapeutic Alter-native, disagreed. She cited her belief in its medical application as the reason for her support.

“When you use concentrated cannabis, you can use a lot less,” Carglie said. “You can use a tiny little amount … and there are cer-tain patients with high, high pain levels that need a higher level of cannabinoids, so it’s good for them.”

Gere also supported its abil-ity to help with medical problems.

“I blew my knee out, it was completely separated about four inches,” Gere said. “For about a month, I was dabbing a lot be-cause it took the pain right away.”

However, Dale Gieringer,

PhD, state coordinator of Cali-fornia National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, is far more wary of the danger such high THC potency poses.

“In the past couple of years, there have been repeated occa-sions in which 911 teams have had to be called in due to can-nabis overdoses,” Gieringer said in a letter to O’Shaughnessy’s, a website that compiles an ongoing history of the medical marijuana movement. “At the NORML con-ference in LA, there were at least three di� erent emergency calls due to use of high-potency can-nabis extracts.”

Connor Murphy, 22, a Kine-siology major at Sacramento City College described his experience in the few times he has tried dab-bing.

“I noticed the harsh butane taste,” Murphy said. “I’ve experi-enced nodding o� e� ects a� er as little as two or three dabs.”

� e butane taste presents

what may be the largest concern in how BHO is extracted.

Two methods are used to ob-tain the oil, labeled the closed and open methods.

� e closed method, which is used professionally, uses a ma-chine called a butane oil extractor, which is also used to produce aro-matics from herbs like lavender.

� e open method is much less reliable, much more danger-ous and much more common.

� is involves packing a tube

or pipe with marijuana and blast-ing it with butane, with the result-ing oil usually trickling out into a pan. � is is the method most small-time recreational users and dealers attempt.

According to a February 2013 InfoGram from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, a number of explosions have been traced back to failed attempts at using the open method to obtain BHO.

Windows and walls have been blown out and those trying to extract the oil have su� ered burn injuries, and the explo-sions have been a strong enough to sometimes be misidenti� ed as pipe bombs, according to FEMA’s report.

Still, both the growth in pop-ularity and debates over the safety of dabbing continue in what Pres-ident of the Society of Cannabis Clinicians Je� rey Herngrather, MD calls “� e Year of the Con-centrate.”

Dabbing: Users push highs to new levelsContinued from page 1

“I noticed the harsh butane taste. I’ve experienced nodding o� e� ects after as little as two or three dabs.”

—Connor Murphy22, Sacramento Resident

@CRCConnection

NOVEMBER 14, 2013 | NEWS 3

Tis’ the season to shop till you drop

completely understand what causes depres-sion and how it affects the brain and body.

“Anybody that tells you that they know what happens in the brain when you’re depressed is selling you something,” said psychology Professor James Frazee. “They, [drug companies], have never done the re-search to show that a low level of serotonin is associated with a lower mood. That re-search is not there. It’s a farce.”

Frazee is in agreement with former surgeon general C. Everett Koop, who ar-gued that the cause of depression truly stems from our busy schedules.

“We are not evolutionarily made to maintain such a stressful lifestyle, which then results in the physiological changes that accompany a diagnosis of depression,” Frazee said. “It’s the best explanation based on the evidence that has been shown thus far. When we look at cultures that have far less than we do, their incidents of depres-sion are far less.”

While the definition and causes of de-pression may vary and change over time, it was apparent to faculty and administrators

that action needed to be taken to counter-act the levels of depression recorded for students at CRC in 2008.

“Over the period of about a year or so we assessed and put together a plan, which we have since implemented, that talked about what we need to do in the way of professional development in order to better service students with mental health needs,” Esposito-Noy said.

These needs are apparent to many professors who interact with students on a

day-to-day basis.“I see it in my students that there is

a profound need [for mental health ser-vices],” Frazee said. “And what ends up happening is a lot of the times people get social workers or psychiatrists who will shuffle them in and medicate them instead of spending the time to do the work to re-build a person who has been broken.”

One year after Edman’s initial report, the group Multicultural Counseling Con-sultants and Associates won the Los Rios Community College District contract for training on crisis intervention, and as a result Dr. Shannon Dickson, head of the Counselor Education program at Califor-nia State University, Sacramento, began her work on the mental health services offered at CRC.

“Having the services on campus is consistent with having students succeed ac-ademically,” said Dickson, who, along with an intern, provides 40 hours a week of one-on-one counseling for students through the counseling department.

“Students are referred to us through academic counselors, nursing staff and also administration,” she said. “My sched-

ule is often full and I know that my intern’s schedule is full, so we’re not able to see the number of students that might desire or are referred to us for counseling.”

However, the balance between avail-ability and need of mental health services is closely monitored and regulated by the state, limiting the help that can be provided.

“Students may get anywhere from one to three sessions,” Esposito-Noy said. “They may talk about coping strategies, reducing stress and managing family, school and life issues. From there, if it’s determined that they need long-term counseling they will be referred out to a local agency.”

While students are responsible for fol-lowing up on referrals to an outside agency, a first step to recovering and coping with depression or any form of mental illness is reaching out and talking about it.

“Somebody has been where you are and you are not alone,” Frazee said. “Some-body actually cares about you as a person and it is not hopeless, despite how it feels. You are in the matrix of depression and the world that you see is not real. You can come back to this one anytime, you just need help.”

Now that Halloween is over and No-vember has arrived, consumers are less than a month away from the biggest shop-ping holiday of the season: Black Friday.

Every year, the sales of big-ticket items tickle people’s fancies and attract them to camp out days in advance to get their hands on them.

With the economy improving, stores have taken notice and opened their doors for shoppers earlier than previous years.

Last year, Wal-Mart caught a lot of heat for opening up and starting Black Friday sales even before the clock struck midnight. Wal-Mart opened stores around the country at 8 p.m. on Thanks-giving night, turning what is called Black Friday into black Thursday.

While your neighborhood shopa-holic may not care about losing out on Thanksgiving to get a good deal, the aver-age person does.

“I think it’s taking away from Thanks-giving itself and people are having dinner early or even skipping dinner because they have to work or get in line,” said 51-year-old music major Ted Leedy. “Even though I do not agree with it, if I was a business owner I would have to open up early my-self because of competition.”

While most stores have opted to open doors at midnight like in previous years, Kohl’s and Macy’s decided to join the trend and open at 8 p.m.

“I don’t think that it’s a bad thing to open late night on Thanksgiving,” said 21-year-old child development major Jenna Saechao. “By the time stores open

Thanksgiving is usually over.”According to CNN Money, consum-

ers spent a whopping $52.4 billion over the four-day weekend last year, which was an increase of 13 percent from the year before.

According to FatWallet.com, Black Friday is the busiest shopping day of the year and attracts more and more people every time it comes around. But with that said, not everyone agrees with it.

“If I was a business owner I wouldn’t open up at midnight,” said 18-year-old computer information science major Dar-win Linares. “Family is a big thing for me. I have to spend time with the family no mat-ter what. Family is first.”

Although a good deal on Black Friday may be yours for the taking, some people question if fighting the crowd is even worth it.

“The system is being exploited and convincing people need to buy something really early in the morning and buys things they don’t need,” said Leon Stroughter, 19, a philosophy major.

Along with fighting crowds, customers may believe they are getting a great deal on an item, but some are not sure there actu-ally are deals.

“Some stores raise the prices a couple of days before then drop the item to the regular price on Black Friday,” Linares said.

As Black Friday approaches, some like Saechao know how they will approach the day.

“I don’t see my-self camping out at like a Best Buy but I am looking to buy a new TV,” Saechao said.

By Emily Collinsecollins.connect@gmail

Many people spend the day after Thanksgiving with local retailers searching for great deals and waiting in line, some-times for hours, all in the name of shop-ping.

Getting the hottest items at a reduced price on Black Friday is worth it to some shoppers, despite having to wake up at the crack of dawn, battle crowds of people and spend hours waiting in line.

“The longest I’ve waited was three to four hours,” said Angelina Shcherbina, 18, a liberal studies major. “It was something I really wanted for myself.”

There are a variety of reasons that peo-ple might not participate in the free-for-all shopping often seen on Black Friday.

“Black Friday, in recent times, has lost significance,” said business and marketing Professor Man Phan. “With the advent of technology, where folks buy online, why wait to get in line for hours when you can get them online?”

Black Friday, a term coined in the ‘60s, came about because many retailers operat-ed at a loss for the first part of the year and after Thanksgiving sales were so high that they were able to turn it around, changing from red to black, Phan said.

Phan also said recent violence, be-tween customers struggling to get the items

they want, could be a possible deterrent to Black Friday, as stores offer a limited quantity of items at a drastically reduced price.

Last year two peo-

ple were shot in a Wal-Mart parking lot in Florida during Black Friday shopping, according to ABC news.

Cheng Vang, 22, a philosophy major, said that he has not experienced the lines at retailers, not because of the wait but the merchandise that is on sale.

“There hasn’t been something on sale that interests me,” Vang said. “If there was Black Friday for martial arts supplies, I’d be there.”

Though Vang is not a Black Friday participant by traditional standards, he said he does shop online.

Cyber Monday is the day for deals to be found from online retailers, allow-ing shoppers to get great prices on items without having to wait in line.

Some may wonder why we still have Black Friday shopping, why anyone would care to venture out on Nov. 29 and deal with the lines and possible violence that has now become so readily associ-ated with Black Friday.

“It is indicative of our economic performance,” Phan said. “The idea is [that] if we can increase traffic on this day, chances are we could increase traf-fic throughout the four-week buying sea-son.”

Even with alternatives available, some people will continue to venture out for the experience.

“Despite it losing its significance, in my view, you still have a number of Americans [shopping] just for, if nothing else, keeping with tradition,” Phan said. “Black Friday I’m waking up early to be with other Americans and join in the tra-dition, join in the celebration and join in the chaos.”

Left Unsaid: Counteracting the levels of depression

Black Friday sales move closer to black ThursdayAnnual sales tradition shows no signs of slowingBy Ben Brown

bbrown.connect@gmail

“Somebody has been where you are and you are not alone. Somebody ac-tually cares about you as a person and it is not hope-less, despite how it feels.”

—James FrazeePsychology Professor

Continued from page 1

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at that point, he said.Tambunan said he spent al-

most a decade in retail, eight of those years as a Verizon sales rep, because it was what he felt he needed to do.

“For me that was the Ameri-can Dream,” Tambunan said. “When we came here when I was 10, my mother had $500 in her pocket. I wanted to help her out.”

Feeling unful� lled in life and seeking something more, Tambu-nan said he quit his job and le� to travel the world. It was in that travelling that he came to India for the moment that changed his life.

“It was actually really inter-esting to hear everything about his travelling and all his work he has done, all the documentary work that he has done all over the world,” said 23-year-old photog-raphy major Lorenzo Tinoco. “It’s shocking to see how someone can be really strong to photograph all these sad stories, terrorists, health issues with other people.”

Tambunan said that Burma is the next region he wants to visit for a project as music is becoming a form of rebellion in the Burman youth that is displeased and frus-trated with their government.

� e campus Cultural Com-petency and Equity committee, chaired by photography Profes-sor Kathryn Mayo, put together the funds for the presentation as well as a cash prize to award to Tambunan in order to help fund his future work, said photography Professor Patty Felkner.

“� e idea with that commit-

tee is to bring forth ideas about di� erence, and celebrate di� er-ence,” Felkner said.

While cultural issues were a part of bringing Tambunan and his work to the attention of stu-dents, it was his connection to CRC and the area that was most important. While the photogra-pher currently resides in Jakarta for it’s proximity to his chosen area of work, he hasn’t forgotten his beginnings in Sacramento.

“I think especially with An-dri, he’s younger so there is a con-nection already in terms of he is this really young guy. Students see him [and] can connect with him,” Mayo said. “He is someone that has gone to school here and has become extremely successful and we thought that it would be someone that students could con-nect with.”

Mayo was not alone in her thoughts about his connection to the campus and students.

“Just the idea of what can happen from South Sacramento, in a very modest upbringing,” Felkner said. “As a role model he is a person who came to the Unit-ed States with very little, grew up with not a lot, yet he’s really gone places.”

Tambunan shared many im-ages and pieces of inspirational advice including various quotes from photographers, but there was one bit of advice from Tam-bunan himself that stood out.

“You’re the author and this book is your life,” Tambunan said. “Be the author of your life, in the way that I don’t let so many other things dictate my life.”

Continued from page 1

Alumnus: World-wide travel and success

� at’s right ladies and gents, it’s that time of the year again.

No, I am not talking about getting ready to stu� � anksgiv-ing turkeys, I’m talking about “Call of Duty” time.

� e tenth installment of the popular video game series, “Ghosts,” was released on Nov. 5 on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC and the Nintendo Wii U.

“Call of Duty: Ghosts” will also launch titles for the next gen-eration of gaming consoles releas-ing later this month: the PlaySta-tion 4 and Xbox One.

“CoD: Ghosts” was created by combining the studios at In-� nity Ward, Neverso� and Raven So� ware. As with every “Call of Duty” game in the past, Activi-sion handled the publishing.

� e game’s campaign picks up 10 years a� er the United States had their own ODIN strike used against them a� er the game’s an-tagonist, the Federation (a tech-nologically-superior power made up of many South American countries), hijacked it leaving the U.S. in shambles.

With their economy and gov-ernment in shambles, the remain-ing members of the elite special operations, the Ghosts, band to-gether to � ght o� the Federation and defeat their leader, Rorke, who was once himself a member of the Ghosts.

Along the way, players can expect to tackle missions in outer space, underwater and even play as Riley, an attacking guard dog who enjoys nothing more than eating a Federation member or two for lunch.

� e campaign features mov-ie-like cut scenes, which add to the gameplay. It’s almost to the point where I want to rush through the actual game to see what epic cut scene comes next.

As if the campaign doesn’t get you excited enough, the game also features other modes to play which brings more longevity to the game.

� is year, In� nity Ward in-troduced a game mode called Extinction, which is their answer to the very popular Zombie game mode made by Treyarch Studios (the makers of “Call of Duty: World at War,” “Call of Duty: Black Ops” and “Call of Duty: Black Ops 2”).

Extinction allows for up to four players to � ght o� aliens in a survival-like battle to the death.

Player’s objective in Extinc-tion is to carry around a power drill and destroy alien hives around the map. Along the way, players can expect for the rounds to take longer and the aliens to be stronger.

In order to accomplish the mission at hand and defeat the aliens, players can use money and points awarded in the game to purchase special weapons, equip-

ment and powerups to give them-selves a better chance at not fall-ing prey to the aliens.

Although Extinction is something di� erent and new to the “Call of Duty” series, nothing can replace Zombies, and Extinc-tion doesn’t even come close.

Now, when hard-core gamers like myself think of “Call of Duty,” we think of the one thing that has us wasting days of our time play-ing, the multiplayer.

� is year, “Call of Duty: Ghosts” featured a few new game mechanics and elements that were not in previous titles.

Players now have the option

to customize their soldier from head to toe and even change gen-ders to play as a female soldier.

Along with character cus-tomization, “Ghosts” features in-teractive dynamic map elements, which include things like blowing up gas stations that change the maps and the lines of sight to kill enemies.

� e multiplayer in “Ghosts” plays smoothly, a lot smoother than previous games and the time it takes to kill an enemy is ex-tremely fast.

Because of this, your aver-age Joe Schmo o� the street can pick up a controller and be able

to handle themselves in an online match.

If you are a fan of the series and the previous games, “Call of Duty: Ghosts” is just what the doctor ordered to ful� ll your gaming needs for the time being.

Also, if you are a newcomer to the series and looking to give a new game a shot, “Ghosts” is easy to learn and has an arcade-shoot-er feel to it which can be very ad-dicting.

Overall, “Call of Duty: Ghosts” is a nice installment into the series and in my opinion bet-ter than its predecessor, “Call of Duty: Black Ops 2.”

‘Ghosts’ doesn’t disappoint, fl ies off shelvesBy Ben Brown

bbrown.connect@gmail

A member of the elite special operations, the Ghosts, is getting ready to engage an enemy Federation member on the multiplayer map Chasm. Chasm has a destroyed environment in Los Angeles, Calif.

Courtesy Photo


NOVEMBER 14, 2013 | FEATURES 5

azz music at center of ‘Side Man’

As the lights went down in the Black Box � eatre, the crowded audience waited for the opening scene of the Co-sumnes River College theater department’s latest produc-tion to begin on Nov. 8.

� is month, theater stu-dents will be presenting “Side Man,” a young man’s story about the life of his father Gene (Alexander Stallings), a talented jazz musician trying to make ends meet, and his rocky relationship with his

alcoholic wife Terry (Cate Hat� eld).

Cli� ord (Ryan C. King) narrates the early years of his parents’ life together and the di� culties of � nding work as a jazz musician in the 1950s. Rock ‘n’ roll was beginning to take o� and overshadow the popularity of jazz music, and it takes a toll on Gene and Terry’s relationship.

“Any play tends to be about human con� ict and hu-man relationships,” said direc-tor and theater arts Professor Scott Gilbert. “It’s about [Clif-ford] and his family and his

experiences and why he grew up the way he did, but it’s also about jazz musicians and in the view of the playwright, a disappearing breed of jazz musicians.”

� e show goes through the 1950s to 1985, when Cli� ord is an adult and now trying to make a life of his own. As Cli� ord grows up, he describes key moments in his life and some dark days that he and his parents experience.

“Basically the whole play is [Cli� ord] explaining that home environment was,” Gilbert said. “It kind of shows

how this marriage between this young girl and this jazz musician turns from romance to a horrible disaster like so many relationships do and how [Cli� ord] coped with it and what he had to do to get out of it.”

For a group of mostly young adults who have much more to experience in their lives, this play touches on some dark issues along with deep human emotions and harsh con� ict between char-acters.

“It is a comedy, people walk away laughing. But there are some really serious issues,” said Cate Hat� eld, a 23-year-old theater arts major.

Each actor has spent a lot of time studying and develop-ing their character for this production, but due to certain unexpected circumstances, Samuel Ancheta Jr. had to step down from playing the lead character. Ryan King, a 19-year-old theater arts ma-jor, volunteered just two days before opening night to play Cli� ord.

King, who was one of the stage managers for this production, has performed in theater productions before but wanted to explore other aspects of the productions.

“Before stage managing I primarily wanted to act,” King said. “It’s kind of nice to get back into it, but kind of in an unexpected, weird way.”

Gilbert expressed his

concerns about having to switch cast members only two days before opening night, but he was positive about the outcome and how the rest of the cast was reacting.

“He’s doing a good job, and it’s going to work out well,” Gilbert said. “� ey’ve all pulled together and it’s been good. Everybody has been very supportive.”

� e rest of the cast also seemed to be adjusting well, as the production ran

smoothly and King played his unfamiliar role quite con� -dently and was well received by the audience.

“Ryan took a huge leap to do this. We’re very thankful that he stepped in when he did,” Hat� eld said.

Even with a bump in the road, the production of “Side Man” was quite entertaining and thought-provoking.

Hat� eld said she hopes the cast can pull o� the production, and it seems as though they have been suc-cessful.

(From left to right) Al, Gene, Jonesy and Ziggy are having a meal at the Melody Lounge during the dress rehearsal for the production “Sideman” on Nov. 7 in the Black Box Theatre.

Bobby Bishop| The Connection

We’re all aware holi-day gatherings can be expensive, what if I told you that you could do a � anksgiving dinner for two for under $20.

Sounds impractical right? Wrong!

Without missing any of the traditional � anks-giving favorites, I can show you how to collect the nec-essary items to produce a hearty dinner that won’t break the bank, but possi-bly a few buttons on your � annel.

Instead of shopping at the more common, ex-pensive grocery stores in the area, venture to the more a� ordable markets like Winco. All items were bought at the Elk Grove Winco.

First things � rst, make a menu of the items you would like to purchase, stick to the most basic items � rst and on the side of the list put a couple of

extra items, just in case you have money le� over. I started by list-ing the dishes and then the com-ponents of those dishes. Green bean casserole with the crunchy onions on top, stu� ng, candied yams, biscuits, our meat for the main dish and garlic mash pota-toes and gravy. And I didn’t for-get to put that pie in at the end to top o� our mouth watering dinner.

Grabbing a grocery cart and going aisle by aisle, grabbing all generic products of the items on the list, it looked as though I would not be under budget. Finding the last couple of things and making my way to the check stand, it was nerve-racking to see the � nal total.

Waiting in line, thinking of how I would prepare this delec-table meal, my time was up to see the � nal cost for my � anksgiv-ing dinner and dessert. � e total came out to be $19.12. Not spar-ing any favorites or dessert, the task was, in fact, completed! It is possible and still very tasty to do a � anksgiving meal for two people and still have le� overs for lunch the next day, and have it all for just under $20.

Students majoring in engi-neering, mathematics and science have a place on campus that can help them prepare for a four-year university at the Mathematics En-gineering Science Achievement center.

MESA provides assistance in the transfer process for students. � ey also o� er workshops and � eld trips to universities, o� ers career advising, as well as job-shadowing and internship oppor-tunities.

Khoi Hoang, a 19-year-old computer science major who works as a tutor in the MESA lab, said that the program is helpful to him and other students.

“It’s de� nitely working out

for me,” Hoang said. “It’s really providing some good information for me.”

Program Coordinator Mi-chael Carney said that MESA has about 150 students in the pro-gram and provides counseling for students who need help when they face challenges.

“� ey just o� en need to know that there is someone in their cor-ner advocating for them,” Carney said. “� ere’s someone who has been where they are before and that can motivate and encourage them to keep going.”

Alicia Titus, a 28-year-old animal science major, discovered the MESA program looking at the college website.

“It de� nitely gave me a lot of opportunities, especially in my career,” Titus said. “It was just re-ally great to meet other students who are very passionate in the exact same � eld, if not similar-related studies.”

Carney said the program has helped students in the long run. One student in particular came into the program right out of high school, transferred to University of California, Davis, then to med-ical school and is now a physician.

By Elizabeth Wittewitt.connect@gmail

Students network,learn with program

By Emanuel Espinozaeespinoza.connect@gmail

Learn how to make a holiday meal on a student’s budget

“They just often need to know that there is someone in their corner advocating for them.

—Michael CarneyMESA Coordinator

By Camille Caulkccaulk.connect@gmail

1 can of green beans

1 box of corn stu� ng

1 can of cream ofmushroom soup

1 small container of french fried onions

1 package of garlic mashed potatoes

1 package of turkey gravy

1 can of sliced sweet potatoes

1 bag of mini marshmallows

2 cornish game hens

1 can of � aky biscuits

1 pumpkin pie

Shopping List

“Any play tends to be about human con� ict and human relationships.

—Scott GilbertDirector

azz music at center of ‘Side Man’ewitt.connect@gmail

in the Black Box � eatre, the crowded audience waited for the opening scene of the Co-sumnes River College theater

a jazz musician in the 1950s. Rock ‘n’ roll was beginning to take o� and overshadow the

up the way he did, but it’s also about jazz musicians and in the view of the playwright, a disappearing breed of jazz

� e show goes through

this young girl and this jazz musician turns from romance to a horrible disaster like so many relationships do and how [Cli� ord] coped with it and what he had to do to get

are some really serious issues,” said Cate Hat� eld, a 23-year-old theater arts major.

Each actor has spent a lot of time studying and develop-ing their character for this

before opening night to play

King, who was one of the stage managers for this production, has performed in theater productions before

many relationships do and how [Cli� ord] coped with it and what he had to do to get

For a group of mostly young adults who have much

the cast was reacting.“He’s doing a good job,

and it’s going to work out well,” Gilbert said. “� ey’ve all pulled together and it’s

take o� and overshadow the popularity of jazz music, and it takes a toll on Gene and Terry’s relationship.

“Any play tends to be about human con� ict and hu-man relationships,” said direc-

production, but due to certain

lead character. Ryan King, a smoothly and King played his

Man” was quite entertaining and thought-provoking.

Hat� eld said she hopes the cast can pull o� the production, and it seems as though they have been suc-

@CRCConnection

6 OPINION | NOVEMBER 14, 2013

Save lives, practice more awareness on the roadsWe’ve all seen it, someone goes walk-

ing by while looking down at their cell phone and they run into something. Usu-ally it’s kind of funny, but behind the wheel of a car or while walking down the street, the results could be tragic.

Recent accidents involving pedestri-ans and motor vehicles have gotten the attention of local law enforcement o� cers and should capture the attention of every-one everywhere.

� e operation was in response to the high number of accidents involving motor vehicles and pedestrians. In just the past three months, these accidents have re-sulted in 10 deaths and 15 injuries in the Sacramento area, said California Highway Patrol Valley Division Public Information O� cer Adrian Quintero in a phone inter-view..

� ese numbers are outrageous. It is up to all of us to change this trend and to increase safety on the road.

� e CHP conducted a decoy opera-

tion targeting un-safe drivers who did not yield to pedestrians as well as pedes-trians who were crossing unsafely at the corner of Stockton Bou-levard and 65th Street on Nov. 2, which resulted in 45 citations being issued.

O� cers hit the streets in an e� ort “to create a sense of aware-ness, through education and e n f o r c e m e n t ,” Quintero said. “It worked, we created a lot of buzz.”

We should all be more aware of our

surroundings, both motorists and pedes-trians, and adhere to tra� c and safety laws in an e� ort to remain safe while traveling on the streets.

Quintero called the operation an “eye opener” for o� cers “to see how bad it is” for pedestrians on the roadway.

Speeding can be a factor in many col-lisions. � e CHP’s Statewide Integrated Tra� c Records System, which compiles data gathered by area o� cers, reports that approximately “one third of all fatal and injury collisions in California are a direct result of unsafe speed.”

If drivers would slow down and make sure to check in all directions for pedes-trians, many of these injuries and fatalities could be avoided.

Other factors that cause collisions include driving on the wrong side of the road and drivers making unsafe turns, ac-cording to a Nov. 5 CHP press release.

Being alert to your surroundings, yielding for pedestrians and using cross-

walks can potentially reduce the number of accidents in our area. It’s an easy thing to do to increase safety for everyone.

“� e CHP will target motorists who speed and display aggressive behavior be-hind the wheel to help prevent dangerous driving and deadly collisions,” said CHP Commissioner Joe Farrow in the press re-lease.

While local law enforcement is doing their part to raise awareness, it is really up to everyone to make a di� erence.

Not all of the fault lies with drivers. Pedestrians sometimes cross a busy street when they see a gap in the tra� c, rather than walk to the next crosswalk.

Everyone should obey the rules of the road, whether behind the wheel of a car or on your own two feet.

So whether you are walking or driv-ing, put down your cell phone, slow down and pay attention to your surroundings. � ese simple changes can mean the di� er-ence between life and death.

At a Glance

The Issue:The CHP is at-

tempting to raise driver safety awareness.

Our Stance:Especially at

this time of year, drivers need to be careful and focus on their safety as

well as others.

Agree? Disagree?Send your

thoughts to connection.crc@

gmail.com

Helping the less fortunate this season is not a burden

With the holiday season right around the corner, many businesses are raising money for charity.

Regardless of where you happen to shop, you cannot go at least a week in the holiday season without being asked to do-nate to some charity.

With the unemployment rate at 7.2 percent, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, many people may not be able to a� ord presents or even a nice holiday meal.

� ere are many di� erent charities that

are receiving money from these businesses such as “Share Our Strength,” which helps lower-income families develop healthier eating habits.

Other businesses are giving to “March of Dimes,” which works to improve the health of babies and mothers.

Wal-Mart give to charities such as “Toys for Tots,” which gives toys to chil-dren whose parents couldn’t a� ord them this Christmas.

Charities such as � e Salvation Army, Adopt-A-Family, Gi� s From the Heart Pro-gram and Volunteer America are crucial so everyone can be taken care of during the

holiday season and throughout the year.Taking care of people who can’t always

take care of themselves is good for the com-munity during the holiday season.

Some people would say they hate shopping during the holiday season just to be badgered by clerks at their favorite store for a donation to a local charity. Others feel bad because they can’t a� ord to donate to the charities.

But to those of you who can a� ord to buy your favorite latte every day, you shouldn’t be bothered by rounding up to the nearest dollar to help the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Most people are happy to donate to charity just knowing that they are help-ing someone in need and that it makes them feel good. Families make it tradition to go to a soup kitchen on � anksgiving or Christmas to help those in need while schools hold canned food or toy drives to donate to food pantries and local shelters.

Some people are only concerned with the things they’ll be getting for Christmas. � e holidays are not about giving, but about receiving.

� ink about those who can’t a� ord to give and share some holiday cheer with those around you.

By Bobby Bishopbbishop.connect@gmail

Black Friday disgracing the essence of Thanksgiving

Black Friday has tran-sitioned into a holiday of its own and is tarnishing � anksgiving.

It is ironic that many families will sit at a table to give thanks and show their gratitude for all that they have and not even realize that within the next few hours they will be standing in lines at stores to contra-dict everything they have just given thanks for.

Like many anticipated holidays people begin to look forward to Black Fri-day because it does only occur once a year. With the crazed lines, eager and o� en rude customers, ner-vous employees and chaotic stores � lled with mayhem, it has become evident that the holiday Black Friday has diminished the mean-ing of giving thanks on � anksgiving.

But why is this tradi-tion so important? It is nothing but a discounted item. If this tradition has evolved into a holiday, why does it not have the same warm festive feeling that any other holiday would

give?� e point is that it is

not a holiday; it is a mate-rialistic, market driven day that people use as an excuse to literally shop until they drop.

What makes this event so ironic is that on � anks-giving we are celebrating all of life’s intangibles, and then just hours later we are viciously determined to ful-� ll our material needs with everything our money can buy.

Is it morally wrong? Absolutely. Has it become culturally accepted? De� -nitely.

Black Friday, and the clever marketing scheme behind it, has expanded well beyond the parameters of just the Friday following � anksgiving. � ey have

pushed their way in to the holiday itself, opening their doors the night of � anks-giving.

� is is not only draw-ing people straight from the dinner table to the aisle of their favorite department stores, but it is also keeping the unfortunate employees of these stores from their families on one of the big-gest holidays of the year.

From a businessman’s point of view, Black Friday and the weekend that fol-lows is an absolute gold mine. From a consumer’s point of view, it is the same exact thing.

� is is such a univer-sally accepted concept in America that to put up a counter argument against it would be irrelevant.

At what point do we say enough? At what point do we turn our backs on the money hungry corpora-tions of America and come back to the family values that built and molded this holiday in the � rst place?

Never. We have ven-tured down a one way road with no exit. Just hope that at the end, there is some-thing that makes all of this worth the journey.

By Christopher McKnightcmcknight.connect@gmail

EDITORIAL

Letters to the EditorDear Editor,

I thoroughly enjoyed the post titled “Miss America pageant sparks ignorance” written by your sta� writer Amari Ga� ney. I thought the author made some very strong points explain-ing the apparent disconnect between Miss America winner Nina Davuluri and the terrorist organization al-Qaeda, as well as e� ciently deconstructing the ignorant notion of South Asian coun-tries being “part of ” or “equating to” the Middle East, that is held by far too many Americans.

I also found his commentary on how it is virtually impossible to pin-point what the average American looks, acts and feels like, to be spot-on, as our nation is a melting pot of di� erent cul-tures, ethnicities and views.

We live in an extremely progressive and culturally evolving society where certain traditions held in the past, are simply outdated. People of color are not only rising in population, but we are also advancing and slowly domi-nating society in a multitude of ways, be it through the entertainment, medi-cal, political or business platforms. Our country was constructed through dif-ferences, and we must learn to accept them and use them to our advantage and grow as a nation, instead of having them holding us down and further in-hibit our future potential.

I completely agree with Amari, we must celebrate Nina’s accomplishment for making history instead of letting ig-norance and negativity dominate.

Sincerely, Nitin Sharma

Dear Editor,

I read your most recent editorial, “College campuses have no room for harassment”, and I was very pleased to � nd out that the legislation in question is being discussed. What happened to Tyler Clementi was a shame, but it’s good to know that some good can come out of a tragic situation. � e Tyler Cle-menti Higher Education Anti-Harass-ment Act of 2010 would require educa-tion institutions that receive federal aid to institute and adhere to policies that prohibit harassment of any kind. � is makes me wonder why legislation like this is just now being introduced.

One would think that individuals at the college level would know better than to harass someone based on their sexual preference, gender, race, religion or creed. Unfortunately, stories like Ty-ler Clementi’s surface and the need to address the issue becomes apparent. If I’m paying to go to a university, the last thing I should have to worry about is being harassed by my peers. A person’s college experience should be an excit-ing time full of growth and discovery.

Legislation like this would help promote a more tolerant and inclusive campus environment that all students deserve to enjoy.

Sincerely, Silvia G. Parra

To submit a letter, go to www.thecrccon-nection.com/submit-a-letter or scan this QR code.

“Black Friday has diminished the meaning of giving thanks on Thanksgiving.”

Many people here in the United States when they are younger tend to have dreams of going to a far-off country in a far-off place, but there are some who dream about coming to the United States.

Cosumnes River College was fortunate enough to receive one of those dreamers all the way from Spain. Freshman forward Ander Saez, 19, has proven to be more than just an asset to the CRC men’s soccer team.

“There has only been two times where coaches haven’t come to me and asked me who is that number six after the match,” said head coach Ron Preble. “Which is a true tribute to him when other coaches are coming to me asking me about him.”

Now one might wonder why a player from Spain would want to play in the U.S.?

Saez said that people pay more attention to soccer here in the States and to the future of its players. He said that he’s more than happy to be here and “It feels really good.”

Saez’s intentions were to attend school at the University of California, Davis, and be a part of their soccer program. But with UCD and its strict grade point average criteria, he is re-quired to prove not only his talent as a soccer player, but his ability to be a successful member of academia as well.

“They told me about Ron and the program he has here [at CRC],” Saez said. “It was a nice one and that’s why I was told to come here.”

Saez, who started playing soccer in Spain, has been playing since he was very young.

“Being from Spain, the culture of soccer is maybe a little bit different there than it is here,” Preble said. “So we had some characteristics that we kind of had to get squared away but he’s a very good competitor and kind of fiery, which is something that we like a lot about him.”

Preble mentioned how good Saez is at getting the ball around the field and getting teammates involved, calling Saez “an architect of the game.”

Saez has managed to make quite the impression upon his teammates as well. Sophomore Midfielder Eliezer Ramos ex-pressed that Saez is the type to never give up.

“He’s a good person, he has a good heart,” Ramos said.But being from Spain doesn’t mean that Saez gets any spe-

cial treatment.“I try to treat him like any other person here,” Ramos saidRamos also expressed his admiration for Saez’s work ethic,

he said that if Saez continues playing the way that he does that he will definitely go somewhere.

Do we have a super star in the making? How does Saez stack up to other players in the Junior College league?

“Truthfully in my opinion he’s been in the top two, three, four guys that I’ve seen all year at the JC level,” Preble said.

Preble went on to say many more great things about about Saez.

“I just can’t talk about him enough,” Preble said.


November 14, 2013 | SPORTS 7

Soccer player goes from Spain to CRCBy Amari Gaffney

agaffney.connect@gmail

Stephan Starnes | The Connection

Freshman forward Ander Saez dribbles the ball during a team drill in the Hawks’ practice in the CRC stadium on Nov. 12.

“That kind of narrows things down a little bit too because you’re focused mostly on the travel ball teams in your area, and you’re looking at student athletes that are competing at high schools that are in your area,” Schroeder said.

As the recruiting process moves on, the athletes that are be-ing recruited are more often than not forced into a grey area between playing at the next level or just fo-cusing on education.

The coaches don’t take lightly to this situations as they have a big bag of tricks that they use to close the deal.

“This situation occurs quite often, unfortunately,” Gunther said. “When a player isn’t sure if they want to continue playing vol-leyball, for whatever reason, I tell them what we can offer in terms of playing in the Big 8 Confer-ence, which for volleyball is the strongest conference in Northern California, and the possibility of moving on and playing at a four-year college.

“In addition, I tell them what about all the great support services we offer our student-athletes, i.e. having a counselor assigned for the athletes, the Study Center, our wonderful facilities and the in-credible support we get from our staff, other faculty and the admin-istration,” she said.

While four-year universities

have their own bag of tricks to re-cruit players, sometimes they ben-efit the community college level.

“A lot of the kids are still try-

ing to get scholarships at four-year colleges, but sometimes academi-cally they have struggles, and then you can kind of close the deal,” Schroeder said. “It’s helped us that the four-year colleges try to get their commitments a lot earlier now. So now we know in their se-nior year, we kind of know these kids aren’t committed, so we can go after them a little bit harder.”

For coaches, the recruiting process is a long and tough one, but in the end, their hopes are to create a championship team and give these athletes enough confi-dence to go on and further their careers.

Recruiting: University techniques help CRCContinued from Page 1

Compiled by Darren Allen, Bobby Bishop and Christopher McKnight

Tenyson Fulton18, Undeclared

“I think it’s kind of messed up. He should be lifting up the player rather than bringing him down.”

Roy Seeley38, Architecture

“I just think it’s a sign that the culture needs to change in football. The NFL people are just getting car-ried away with the machismo of football. ”

Patrick Esparza22, EMT

“Honestly, I don’t think bullying should be anywhere and I’m actually surprised it hap-pened it the NFL and he [Jonathan Martin] actually quit from mak-ing money.”

“How do you feel about the bullying allegations against the Miami Dolphins?”

HAWK TALK

He chose to make a difference. Chose to get a degree. To learn new skills. And it was all made possible by the National Guard.

EDUCATION BENEFITS • SKILLS TRAINING • PART-TIME SERVICE

THIS MOMENT BEGAN WITH A CHOICE.

Contact Staff Sergeant Songwon Losasso at 916. 843. 39541-800-GO-GUARDPrograms and Benefits Subject to Change

®

10BW-04_5.88x7_Losasso.indd 1 9/12/13 2:05 PM

“When a player isn’t sure if they want to continue playing volleyball, for what-ever reason, I tell them what we can offer

—Minet GuntherVolleyball Head Coach

Ander Saez

Height: 5’8”Lives In: Davis, Calif.Games Played: 16Goals: 0Assists: 1

(19 runs / 89 innings) x 9 = 1.92 WHIP = (Walks + Hits) / Innings Pitched fWAR = wRAA + UZR + Position + \tfrac{20}{600}*PA 100 * (TRB * (Tm MP /

5)) / (MP * (Tm TRB + Opp TRB)) factor = (2 / 3) - (0.5 * (lg_AST / lg_FG)) / (2 * (lg_FG / lg_FT)) VOP = lg_PTS / (lg_FGA - lg_ORB + lg_TOV + 0.44 * lg_

FTA) DRB% = (lg_TRB - lg_ORB) / lg_TRB Hits/At Bats= Batting Avg.Possessions= .96 * (FGA-ORb + TO + (.44 * FTA)) fWAR = wRAA + UZR + Po-sition + \tfrac{20}{600}*PA 100 * (TRB * (Tm MP / 5)) / (MP * (Tm TRB + Opp

TRB)) factor = (2 / 3) - (0.5 * (lg_AST / lg_FG)) / (2 * (lg_FG / lg_FT)) VOP= (19 runs / 89 innings) x 9 = 1.92 WHIP = (Walks + Hits) / Innings Pitched

lg_PTS / (lg_FGA - lg_ORB + lg_TOV + 0.44 * lg_FTA) DRB% = (lg_TRB - lg_ORB) / lg_TRB fWAR = wRAA + UZR + Position + \tfrac{20}{600}*PA 100 * (TRB * (Tm MP / 5)) / (MP * (Tm TRB + Opp TRB)) factor = (2 / 3) - (0.5 *

(lg_AST / lg_FG)) / (2 * (lg_FG / lg_FT)) VOP = lg_PTS / (lg_FGA - lg_ORB + WHIP= 0.98 lg_TOV + 0.44 * lg_FTA) DRB% = (lg_TRB - lg_ORB) / lg_TRB


5)) / (MP * (Tm TRB + Opp TRB)) factor = (2 / 3) - (0.5 * (lg_AST / lg_FG)) / (2

5)) / (MP * (Tm TRB + Opp TRB)) factor = (2 / 3) - (0.5 * (lg_AST / lg_FG)) / (2 * (lg_FG / lg_FT)) VOP = lg_PTS / (lg_FGA - lg_ORB + lg_TOV + 0.44 * lg_







Coming o� a nine-game losing streak, the volleyball team looked to capture their � rst conference win.

However, in Cosumnes River College’s game against Diablo Valley College on Nov. 6, the Hawks would fail to do so, losing the match in three sets.

“We didn’t pass, we didn’t serve and we didn’t execute,” said CRC’s co-head coach Natalie Wells.

In game one of the match, the Hawks went back and forth � ghting for the lead against the Vikings. Hawks sophomore outside hitter scored a big point to take the lead at 8-7.

Hawks’ freshman libero Samantha DaVeggio served an ace over the net to widen CRC’s lead.

But, the Vikings took quick control of the game a� er the ace due to a CRC error and maintained the lead until the end of the � rst set, winning 25-13.

“We could have had it but we gave up too soon,” said CRC freshman outside hit-ter Nancy Pacheco.

In game two, the Hawks fought to keep the lead against the Vikings, but to no avail.

Hawks tried to hold onto the lead but failed as the Vikings rallied, forcing a Hawks’ timeout at a 21-17 score.

Hawks fought back to stay alive in this game and gained the lead, causing the Vi-kings to call a timeout of their own at 22-21.

A� er the timeout, the Vikings gained the lead and went on to win the set 25-22.

In game three, the Hawks fought back and forth for the lead for the majority of the set.

Hawks freshman middle hitter Alicia Madriago bumped the ball over the net to gain an early 2-1 lead. However, the Vikings scored to start a rally and take the lead.

But CRC would answer when Hawks’ freshman opposite hitter Jennifer Lysaght spikes the ball over the net to score to take the lead 10-9.

But the Vikings gained an edge due to an error and took the lead 11-10.

� e Hawks tied the game a� er fresh-man middle hitter Tierra Collier spiked the ball over the net, making the score 13-13.

� e Hawks would call a timeout while the Vikings were ahead 19-16. � e Vikings maintained that lead until the end of the game. As a result, the Hawks lost 25-18.

A� er the game Madriago said, “we all made mistakes, it’s a team sport, we all have to take the blame and it’s everyone’s fault.”

@CRCConnection

8 SPORTS | November 14, 2013

fWAR = wRAA + UZR + Position + \tfrac{20}{600}*PA 100 * (TRB * (Tm MP / 5)) / (MP * (Tm TRB + Opp TRB)) factor = (2 / 3) - (0.5 * (lg_AST / lg_FG)) / (2 5)) / (MP * (Tm TRB + Opp TRB)) factor = (2 / 3) - (0.5 * (lg_AST / lg_FG)) / (2

A Game of Numbers* (lg_FG / lg_FT)) VOP = lg_PTS / (lg_FGA - lg_ORB + lg_TOV + 0.44 * lg_







* (lg_FG / lg_FT)) VOP = lg_PTS / (lg_FGA - lg_ORB + lg_TOV + 0.44 * lg_FTA) DRB% = (lg_TRB - lg_ORB) / lg_TRB Hits/At Bats= Batting Avg.

Possessions= .96 * (FGA-ORb + TO + (.44 * FTA)) fWAR = wRAA + UZR + Po-sition + \tfrac{20}{600}*PA 100 * (TRB * (Tm MP / 5)) / (MP * (Tm TRB + Opp






Behind all the matchups, split second decisions and bravado of sports, there is another game at work.

A game that values numbers over a player’s � ashiness. A game that could be the di� erence be-tween a win and a loss.

� is is the game of statistics, formulas and num-bers that can tell more about player’s respective per-formances.

“I develop my lineup a lot of the time on sta-tistics,” said Cosumnes River College so� ball head coach Kristy Schroeder.

Since the early 2000s, advanced statistics have taken a forefront in sports. Oakland Athletics Gen-eral Manager Billy Beane was one of the � rst to look deeper into a player’s numbers. A move that has now come to be known as “Moneyball.”

Beane’s ideas have slowly trickled their way down to college sports and even more recently, com-munity college sports.

While Cosumnes River College may not harbor the next Beane, it does boast an assistant basketball coach who sees the value of advanced statistics.

Nicholas Podesta, also the school’s sports infor-mation o� cer, has collected a reasonable sample size over the last four years and has started to work what he has found into the men’s basketball team.

“It’s kind of a way to read between the lines and maximize e� ciency,” Podesta said. “It can � nd the value [of a player] that’s a little bit hidden.”

In order to implement this Moneyball-like style, Podesta said he spends about four to � ve hours per contest, watching � lm and pulling data.

“You want the best � ve guys on the � oor at any given time and we do that by maximizing a player’s value,” Podesta said. “Value isn’t necessarily the guy that scores the most points, it can be a particular guy that mixes well with another group of players.”

While statistics can measure many things, women’s basketball coach Coral Sage admits she is

more “old school” in her approach.“As a player I was that ‘gonna give you every-

thing I got’ kind of player,” she said. “I tell my girls you got to bring e� ort and attitude every day to prac-tice.”

However, Sage said she still looks at some num-bers when she game plans for a contest.

“� e big ones I look at are scoring, rebounding and turnovers,” she said. “Whoever is scoring and re-bounding for us is probably going to play.”

While Podesta and Sage seem to have opposite approaches, Schroeder may be that coach that is somewhere in between.

So� ball is a sport that lends itself to statistics more, so she follows that sort of classic approach to setting her lineup, she said.

“� e player with the highest on base percentage is usually going to be my � rst hitter, the player with high RBIs will hit third,” she said.

However, she does add a wrinkle that seems to

add more potency to her team’s o� ense.“I pair my kids with more speed together, so

that they’re going to be able to complement each other,” she said.

In a world where there seems to be a million and one ways to shape a team, statistics may have earned its spot to be that last one on that million.

But, all three CRC coaches said that e� ort can-not be measured and that is the one quality they want to see in all their players.

“You need to bring 100 percent e� ort and the right attitude,” Sage said. “If you do that, stats are go-ing to follow.”

By Zach Hanniganzhannigan.connect@gmail

Hawks struggle, lose in conference matchupBy Bobby Bishop

bbishop.connect@gmail

Sophomore outside hitter Gabrielle Hinz knocks the ball over the net in Cosumnes River College’s match against Diablo Valley on Nov. 6.Nick Valenzuela | The Connection

Remaining Schedule

Friday, Nov. 15 vs. Santa Rosa*6:30 p.m. in CRC gym

Wednesday, Nov. 20 vs. Modesto*6:30 p.m. in CRC gym

*Conference Game

“I develop my lineup a lot of the time on statistics.”

—Kristy SchroederSoftball Head Coach

the connection vol. 62 issue 5

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