Friday, February 15, 2008
Riders conquer “Railjam” and “Showdown”
By Walter Taylor
PSB Ski and Board, Pres.
wmtlls@psu.edu
Feb. 15-Feb. 17 Conditions for Peek ‘n’ Peak
Resort
Days Skiing:77
Base Depth: 20-48 inches
Slopes Open Day: 27
Slopes Open Night: 27
Weekend Forecast
Shredability: Epic
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Surburban Blend team rider doing a frontside
boardslide.
Past Events: “JSBIA Railjam”
Feb. 8, 2008
Forty competitors braved the single digit temper
atures Friday night to attend the first annual
Jamestown Savings Bank Ice Arena Rail Jam. This
was a snowboard only event with a course consist
ing of a 10-foot drop-in to dual 16-foot flat-down
rails which were followed by a 10-foot flat box.
The course was built over a base containing 10-tons
of snow from Jamestown Ice Arena and neighbor
ing parking areas. Overall it took the Peek’n Peak
Park Crew and Ice Arena Crew 24 hours to con
struct this entire venue.
Dozens of spectators made their way to the hour
long event in hopes of catching a glimpse of riders
challenging not only themselves but each other.
Behrend riders Drew Smith and Rick Osborne
pushed one another into top 5 Finishes with Smith
taking second and Osborne taking fifth.
Shop Showdown Halfpipe Competition
Feb. 9, 2008
11 a.m. came fairly earlier Saturday for competi
tors as team managers rallied around their riders
some of whom were still suffering from the previ-
ous night's rail jam.
Once again rider Brian Kiss for Little Mountain
Behrend bandits bring energy to the stands
By Lenny Smith
news editor
lrs.So46@ psu.edu
What started as a small group of friends going to
cheer on the Penn State Behrend mens and
women’s basketball teams has started, what they
hope, will be a new tradition with Behrend athlet
ics.
Sophomore Mark Ferguson first started the
'Behrend Bandits’
group before a bas
ketball game earlier
this month.
"We’ve been
going to the games
and supporting the
guys, but it just kind
of sucked to be
some of the only
people that cheer,”
Ferguson said. “We
thought we could
get more people
involved.”
But Ferguson
wanted to do more
than just get people
involved, he wanted
to make it a party.
He thought that the best was to get more people
involved, especially students, was to make each
basketball game a different theme.
The “Behrend Bandits” debuted on Feb. 2 at the
games against Pitt Greensburg with the self-titled
theme - bandits. Ferguson created a Facebook.com
event to help get the word out about the game. The
group thought the turnout was good for the first
time, but knew it could get better.
The “Bandits” had another chance to get the
Behrend community excited about the basketball
teams on Feb. 13 for the games against Medaille.
The theme this time was Dress to Impress. Just
before tip-off the bleachers behind the basketball
hoop, next to the pep band, filled with student sup
porters, all sporting their best.
"It's a lot of fun to just go and have fun, maybe
do some ridiculous things,” said Frank Nagy, co
founder of the Bandits, “[and] not feel so self-con
scious about it, because there are other kids there
doing it with you."
Game Themes:
Saturday, Feb. 16 is
Breast Cancer Awareness
Game:
Wear Pink
Wednesday, Feb. 20 is
“White-Out”Game:
•weiy^ti
8/ » > ; ;
took the overall win after handing in two top runs.
There was some controversy over Kiss’s second
overall win due to his lack of variation between his
two final runs. Judges explained that Kiss success
fully landed six hits (six tricks) per run while most
in the field were only able to attempt four-five hits.
They also said that he had landed all spin variations
from 360’s, 540’s to a final 720 rotation on his final
hit of the competition.
Although Kiss has won the first two of the three
“Showdown” competitions Erie Sports Store still
has a commanding lead of 13 overall team points
which currently puts them in first place.
Next round of the “Showdown” Feb. 23, night
time event.
Upcoming Events at Peek’n Peak Resort:
Saturday, Feb. 23, 2008
USASA Halfpipe Competition
Register at the Retreat - 9 a.m. - 10 a.m.
Event begins at 11 a.m.
(helmets required)
FINAL SHOP SHOWDOWN
Slopestyle
Night time event at Retreat Lodge
Sunday, Feb. 24, 2008
USASA Snowboard Slopestyle
Register at the Retreat - 9 a.m. - 10 a.m,
Event begins at 11 a.m.
(helmets required)
Drew Smith receiving his second place prize
from Suburban Blend owner and Penn State
Behrend sponsor Pete Scheira.
The Behrend Bandits made their presence
known. Members of the Athletic Department and
the Student Affairs Committee (SAC) approached
Ferguson and Nagy to team up and increase student
attendance.
"Even though we're a small school, we can still
cheer on the athletes,” Ferguson said. “I mean, most
schools you go to at least have some sort of student
section, and we'd like to start something like that up
______________ here at Behrend.”
Thursday afternoon already had 44 confirmed
guests by press time Thursday night.
"Now that more people have seen it, maybe
they'll join," he said.
The Bandits are already preparing for the next game
as well - a battle for first place in the AMCC
between the men of Behrend and Lake Erie
College.
The Bandits and SAC are calling for a student
section White Out on Feb. 20. The group asks that
you wear as much white as possible for that game
that will be televised on the Image Sports Network.
"I really like cheering for the guys, I like getting
loud,” Ferguson said. “I'm sure some of the adults
are taken aback by the things we do, but hey, you
only live once.”
To stay informed on all the plans for the games
on Feb. 16 and 20, join the Facebook.com events.
POET
The Bandits, in conjunc
tion with SAC, have
declared Wednesday, Feb.
16’s contest against La
Roche, Breast Cancer
Awareness Night.
The Bandits are asking
that all students wear “as
much pink as humanly
possible” to help raise
awareness for the cause.
The group will also being
taking donations to help
fund breast cancer
research.
Nagy hopes the ideas
catch on and it appears as
if it already has. The
Facebook.com event that
races
By Jessica Carlson
sports editor
jlcsolB(s' psu.edu
The Penn State Behrend track and field team
raced their way towards the ECAC Championship
on Saturday, Feb. 9 at the Mount Union College
Invitational. A total of five runners broke records
at Saturdays meet and a handful qualified for the
ECAC Championship.
New record holders for Behrend track and field
are freshmen high jumper Bryson Hartzler when he
leapt a height of 6-4 and placed second in the event.
Ronson Mazany set a new record for the long jump
at a length of 21-9 'A In the men’s weight throw
event, freshman John Bowman through a record
breaking 33. Bowman broke his own record from
the previous meet at Case Western when he threw
27-2 'A.
A new relay record time was set in the men’s
4x160 meter event with a time of 1:14.73. Mike
Ferraro qualified for ECACs in the 55-meter dash
with a time of 6.64 seconds. In the season opener
at the Case Western Invitational on Saturday, Jan.
26, Ferraro broke the 55-meter record with a time
of 6.51 seconds. He also broke the 200-meter dash
record with a time of 23.22 seconds.
Ferraro was not the only one to break a record at
the Case Western Invite. Sophomore sprinter Doug
Stevenson ran the 55-meter dash in 6.64 seconds, a
time better than the previous record time.
On the women’s side, Cassie Manelick also
broke the weight throw record with a distance of
29-5. Manelick, like Bowman broke her own
weight throw record that she set at the Case
Western meet when she threw for a distance of 28-
11 'A.
The Behrend men competed against a total of 10
teams and placed fifth overall while the women
placed eighth against 11 other teams.
The track and field team is entering the 2008 sea
son with high standards after a solid 2007 season.
Last year the team had 17 athletes qualify for
ECACs and one champion and NCAA qualifier.
Behrend track and field are led by head coach
716.355.4141
lUnday-Thursday night including
ir way to new school reco
Greg Cooper who was appointed the position a lit
tle over a year ago on Jan. 27, 2007. Cooper was
the assistant coach alongside his father, Dave
Cooper, for the past five years and cross-country
for the last two seasons, as well as a specialized
coach in the 400 meter dash, 800 meter dash and
hurdles.
Accompanying Coach Cooper is a handful of
coaches who have received specialty trainings in
areas like jumping technique, hurdles, sprinting,
pole vaulting, high jump and how to improve from
the starting blocks.
Although the men lost three time NCAA qualifi
er, Dan Mitchell, the number of recent broken
records proves that Behrend track and field has
plenty of depth to succeed in the 2008 season.
The women are coming into the 2008 season off
of the 2007 Mason Dixon Championship which
was the greates success in Behrend history. All
women returning to the team received All-Mason
Dixon honors. The men also finished off their 2007
season with their best finish in ECAC
Championship history at Behrend.
The next meet for Behrend track and field is
Saturday, Feb. 23 when they travel to the Kent
State Invitational to begin at 10 a.m.
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Sophomore sprinter Doug Stevenson run
ning in the 55-meter dash in 6.64 seconds
The Behrend Beacon I
ets!
night!
ID