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AL East Champion Red Sox?
August 31If you thought the only way the Boston Red Sox would reach the playoffs this season would be to win the AL wild card, you'd better think again.
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Witches and more
August 31Sure, way back when in 1692 a whole bunch of citizens of some sleepy Massachusetts town were accused of being witches and executed. But not to worry, in 1999 during the Halloween weekend, Salem, Massachusetts is the site of one kick-ass celebration, replete with live music, assorted street vendors, numerous haunted houses, a super block party, and lots of really weird, frightening people. Walk down the main street and run into everyone from drunken frat boys and trick-or-treating pre-teens to real-life witches and disturbing monsters. There's something for everyone. Besides the regular unorganized revelry that make this celebration so thrilling, there are plenty of official events scheduled.
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Head of the Charles showing foreshadows a strong spring
August 31The 34th annual Head of the Charles regatta took place this past weekend in Boston, as clear blue skies and calm winds graced the 3.2-mile course. The regatta is the largest two-day rowing event in the world, attracting over 5,400 athletes and more than 300,000 spectators this year alone. Tufts sent crews to compete in the Youth Eights Men, Club Eights Women, and Lightweight Eights Women. The Jumbos also entered teams in the Lightweight Eights Women and the Club Eights Men divisions under the name of the Mystic Valley Rowing Association. In such an event where seeding is not recorded, and the emphasis is on the opportunity to compete, all five crews gained valuable experience from the weekend's races. The Club Eights women competed in a field of 73 teams. They started out as the 37th team based on last year's results and finished the event in 54th with a time of 20:52.52. This was a strong finish for the team, as it was only two minutes behind the Riverside Boat Club, the top finisher at 18:20.16. The Lightweight Eights women started in the 15th position in a field of 23 and finished the event in 17th with a time of 20:16.38. Although the Lightweight Eights squad finished with a time comparable to the Club Eights women, its time was farther from the lead. The leader of the Lightweight Eight event was ARCO training center from California, finishing with a time of 16:58.49, over three minutes ahead of Tufts. The performance indicated that the Lightweight Eights squad may have a few aspects to sharpen before it begins what is expected to be a solid spring. Tufts also had entered a Mystic Valley Rowing Association squad in the Lightweight Eights Women race. This crew finished four spots behind the first Tufts team, in 21st place, with a time of 21:20.64. The Youth Eights men competed in a field of 45 crews. They started in 41st, but improved their ranking, finishing in the 39th slot with a time of 18:05.39. This was a little more than two minutes apart from the Charles River Rowing Association, which won the event with a time of 15:45.49. The men opened up the race strong for the first two miles, but struggled in the final turn. Coming around that turn, Tufts locked oars with Clemson and the situation intensified. With each team trying to maintain its ground, the athletes seemed to be encouraged by the competition and stepped it up to another level. Tufts ultimately surpassed Clemson but, more importantly, the team surpassed its own expectations. "We learned that we race faster than we thought," coach Ted Benford said. Benford is looking for his team to spend more time in that "second gear" in the future. In the Club Eights men, the Mystic Valley Rowing Association team finished with a time of 17:24.07, which was good enough to place 32nd out of 78 teams. The time was very impressive, as it was approximately within one minute of the leader, Harvard University. Harvard claimed the event with a time of 16:20.80. The Head of the Charles is a very tough event to coach because of the inability to communicate with the athletes during the competition. The fact that all three crews had a successful day is therefore indicative of strong teamwork. The seniors and juniors provided the technical capabilities and leadership, but it was the desire and competitive spirit of the sophomores that helped carry the team. As the upper and underclassmen worked together, they fed off each other and became one unit. The experience of the weekend brought the teams closer and was yet another step towards a successful spring. The men maintained a 20-second differential among league opponents Trinity, Wesleyan, and Bates, a good sign of a competitive spring to come. The team will be looking to set up scrimmages and events along the way to prepare for the challenge. The next major competition for the team will come in the February indoor rowing championships. The Head of the Charles provided the individual squads with a better perspective of the competition they will face in their rapidly approaching spring season.
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Former professor of biology Norton Nickerson mourned
August 31Goddard Chapel held a service Friday in memory of Norton "Nick" Nickerson, professor emeritus of biology and environmental studies. Nickerson, 73, passed away June 2 while vacationing in Alaska with his wife, Joan.
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Memories of Sugarplums in the Land of Sweets
August 31The Nutcracker is the most well-known ballet in existence. Each year, thousands of ballet companies around the world perform the familiar Tchaikovsky masterpiece, sometimes continuously from Thanksgiving to New Year's. The Nutcracker has become synonymous with egg nog, Santa Claus, and caroling. Its magical tree and dreamlike Land of the Sweets have become engraved in our minds. For so many girls, it is their first taste of ballet and soon becomes the narcotic that makes them clamor for dance lessons and ballet shoes. It's addictive. The ballet was first performed in 1894, and strangely enough, Tchaikovsky thought it was one of his worst scores. Clearly, audiences didn't agree. I was one of those silly, star-struck girls who saw a ballet company in Princeton perform the tried and true classic when I was two years old, and ever since then, the music and spectacle has taken a strange hold of me. Sometimes I play the music in July, just to brighten my day. Of course, I wanted to be Clara for years - the most coveted part for anyone under age 12. I wanted to dress in the fancy costume with the big blue sash; I wanted to wear my hair in long, beautiful ringlets. I knew that landing the role of Clara was a bit out of my reach (as was any part in the Party Scene), but I was still slightly heartbroken when I was cast instead as a soldier, a piece of candy, a rat, and Pollichanelle (a girl who comes out of Mother Ginger's skirt). Every year, The Nutcracker ritual began in September, as soon as the cast list was posted up on the walls of the studio. We crowded around the piece of paper, crossing our fingers and hoping we had gotten good parts. Throughout the fall, Saturdays were for rehearsals. This was always in addition to our regular ballet classes. At first we would watch videos of past performances, then we began committing the steps to memory. By November we had costume fittings. By December, we went to the stage. During dress rehearsals, I would sit in the dark theater and watch the Party Scene being practiced over and over again. The boys weren't lining up perfectly with the girls. Drosselmeyer's blocking wasn't exactly right when he entered from stage left. I should have been doing my science homework, but there I was, watching the ballet for the millionth time, listening to the bars of music that I could have hummed in my sleep. Choreographing the Battle Scene was one of the best parts of Nutcracker - especially since I got to play both a solider and a rat. Since the Brandywine Ballet in West Chester, PA had almost no boys, all of the soldiers and rats were played by girls. We got to attack each other, run around with toy guns, even pretend to terrorize Clara. Inside my huge, wooly, rat costume I could jump around the stage with reckless abandon and act deliciously evil. As a Pollichinelle, I had to crawl on my hands and knees underneath a gigantic Mother Ginger skirt, making sure to hold my hands close to my body so that they were not trampled by Mother Ginger's stilts. Then, on cue, I burst out of the skirt and ran onto the stage, only to be instantly blinded by the stage lights. When I was 13, it was my job to stand in the wings and help Clara (my friend Elizabeth) change from her party dress into her nightgown in the few bars of music between the Party Scene and the Battle Scene. We only had about 64 counts to get her out of her dress, take down her hair, and switch her from pointe shoes into soft shoes. I stood there in my rat costume armed with a handful of bobby pins and attacked her the second she got off stage. It was a miracle that she ever made it on time. I loved knowing all of The Nutcracker secrets that I never would have known if I were watching it from the audience. Did you know that the presents never open? Did you know that the snow is held in buckets above the curtain? Uncovering the magic behind The Nutcracker only made it more fun. Like all good holiday things, The Nutcracker is about tradition. We feel warm and fuzzy inside when we hear Christmas carols because we associate them with our past. And since Christmas comes only once a year, when we hear these familiar songs again, or pull those colored lights out of the attic, we are quenching our thirst for memories. The Nutcracker is the same thing. It is a magical dream world that brings us back to the anticipation of Christmas eves and the excitement of Christmas mornings. You might think that I would get tired of the ballet after having seen it so many times. But somehow, it never gets old. Even though I have since quit ballet, I am still drawn to the theater every December to experience the ballet that has become such an important part of my identity. For me, The Nutcracker will always be Christmas.
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New website teaches you to bust-a-move
August 31After finishing a great movie like Swingers, you wish you could pull off some of those great swing moves at your next party. But your dreams are crushed when you think about those expensive and embarrassing dance classes. Suddenly, you realize that there must be a way you can learn to dance in the comfort of your own home, without spending an entire life's savings.
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Now it's crunch time
August 31Last weekend was a challenging one for the Tufts sailors, as the co-ed team managed a fourth place finish in the Schell Trophy and the freshmen placed second in their New England Championships. However, the results of these regattas failed to diminish the team's optimism about its upcoming championships.
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American Beauty' shines with humor and heart
August 31It's a simple rule, really: a film's audience can only be as interested in a film's subject as the filmmaker is. Fortunately, Sam Mendes is more than just interested in the characters of his new film, American Beauty - he is in awe. Mendes stares in wonder at the crazy, disgusting, all-too familiar human beings that populate his film. It is a pure fascination of humanity expressed through the caress of story and image. You will feel it too.
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They've got the right stuff
August 31One of the most diverse groups of students in University history will matriculate this afternoon when the Class of 2003 is welcomed to campus on a day full of emotional goodbyes, new beginnings, and traffic problems.
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Sacramento's bench depth leads to success
August 31With one month down in the NBA season, things around this league cannot get much stranger. Parity seems to be the name of the game in the NBA, as only three teams outside of the Pacific Division find themselves more than two games above .500.
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Helping out by getting dirty
August 31If you'd indulge me, I'd like to share with everybody a positive experience I recently had. Yes, you read that correctly, I recently had quite a positive experience, and, as opposed to using this coveted space to complain about something, I'd merely like to share this. This past Sunday, a group of people from Hillel got together to go out to Waltham, Mass. Now, if you'll remember correctly, this Sunday was really a rather miserable day. It was chilly, rainy, hazy, damp, windy - basically a dreary day. Normally, this would be the perfect day to pull the covers over your head, roll over, and sleep until the next day. However, that's not quite what a group of us did. Instead of sleeping all day, we went to Waltham Farms.
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Quite a Comeback
August 31The most inspiring view on Sunday from behind the sixth green was not the majestic flight of a crucial approach shot, nor the regal strides of two competitors approaching the hole. Instead, it was of the giant leader's board in the background, which, though not located in the midst of any golfing action, nonetheless told the true story of the most dramatic day in Ryder Cup history.
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Simply the best
August 31Yeah, sure, give him the Cy Young. Throw in the MVP award. You may as well check around back there to see if there are any more trophies for him. Fact is, by the end of the season, Boston Red Sox pitcher and local deity Pedro Martinez is going to have enough hardware to make Bob Villa look like a novice.
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This week in sports
August 31-- A pair of former Patriots contributed significantly to the defeat of their former team Monday night as the New York Jets defeated New England 24-17 for their second straight win. Ex-Patriot Curtis Martin dominated his former team, rushing for 149 yards on 31 carries with one touchdown, while Ray Lucas was 18-for-31 for 153 yards and two touchdowns against his old squad. The Pats scored 14 of their 17 points in the final quarter in a failed comeback attempt, as quarterback Drew Bledsoe finished with his worst numbers of the season (15-for-36, 170 yards, three interceptions, two touchdowns). Despite a 6-3 record, the Patriots are in fourth place in the highly-competitive AFC East, while the injury-plagued Jets (3-6) are in the cellar. In other NFL action this weekend: Buffalo defeated Miami 23-3; Tampa Bay defeated Kansas City 17-10; New Orleans defeated San Francisco 24-6; Tennessee defeated Cincinnati 24-14; Cleveland defeated Pittsburgh 16-15; St. Louis defeated Carolina 35-10; Indianapolis defeated New York Giants 27-19; Philadelphia defeated Washington 35-28; Minnesota defeated Chicago 27-24; Jacksonville defeated Baltimore 6-3; Oakland defeated San Diego 28-9; Arizona defeated Detroit 23-19; Dallas defeated Green Bay 27-13; Seattle defeated Denver 20-17.
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Mansfield Park more of same
August 31To any Jane Austen fan, Mansfield Park has plenty to set it apart from the crowd. The book is one of her most controversial, and the film based on the book has nudity, sex, and scandal. It is not as lighthearted as Emma, nor as serious as Pride and Prejudice.
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300 freshmen return to campus, civilization
August 31Three-hundred freshmen finished their week long pre-orientation programs yesterday when the Tufts Wilderness Orientation (TWO) and the Freshman Orientation Community Service (FOCUS) programs returned to campus yesterday evening. TWO gave 200 incoming freshman an opportunity to interact with one another and nature while the 100 FOCUS volunteers were spread throughout Massachusetts performing good deeds.
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Thanksgiving tips
August 31Heavenly aromas waft from the oven for days before the big dinner. It tempts you until the time arrives when you devour the delicacies that have been taunting your nostrils and tantalizing your taste buds. When the Thanksgiving dinner is over, and you've unbuttoned your pants, you reflect on the meal.
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Men finish ninth, women 11th at Nationals
August 31After every men's cross-country runner set a career personal record in the National qualifying race, it seemed nearly impossible that they could come through with a duplicate performance the following week. However, the team actually bettered its performance, with each runner again setting a new personal record on Saturday at the NCAA Division III National Championship race. In a great weekend for Tufts cross country, both the men's and women's teams had stellar performances at the Championship on Saturday in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The ninth-place finish by the men was the second best in school history, as the Jumbos narrowly beat out conference rivals Bates and Williams. "The race went really well," senior captain Matt Lyons said. "We finally put everything together and got the job done. We were really prepared for the race and we did well." Lyons finished 37th in the race (24:48) but was beaten out by fellow senior Steve Kaye, who blazed over the line with a time of 24:41. "I tried to go out with the leaders and be aggressive," Lyons said. "But it wasn't meant to be. You win some, you lose some." Although Lyons may have had a personal loss, the team came back as victors. Maintaining its second-place ranking for New England schools was a big goal for the team, and it was just able to hold off rivals Bates and Williams. Tufts finished with 276 points and Bates and Williams followed with 281 and 284, respectively. Keene State, who won the NCAA New England race, finished second in the nation with an impressive score of 100. Kaye finished his career with an inspired race which helped lead the team. "He had a phenomenal race," sophomore JR Cruz said. "He really stepped it up when Matt fell back and has really helped lead the team the second half of the season." Junior Dave Patterson finished in 63rd place with the time of 25:08. Patterson, who is also a track star, helped explain the extremely fast times. "The course was really like running on a track because it was so flat and the grass was cut so short," he said. Senior Pete Rodrigues finished right behind Patterson, in 68th place, with a time of 25:11, followed by sophomore Jason Mann in 78th place (25:18). The tight pack between these three runners helped in getting such a low score. With hundreds of competitive runners, a few seconds can mean dozens of points. Cruz finished in 115th place with a time of 25:43. "We are all really satisfied with the race," Cruz said. "We hoped to do a little better, but everyone ran the best times in their careers. For the returning runners, this will be something to build on for next year." Last on the team was sophomore Ben Smith, finishing just behind Cruz in 121st place with a time of 25:48. Last year the team was disappointed with its 13th-place finish, and blamed its less-than-optimal performance on anxiety. Since few runners had experience with a race of this caliber, it was a bit overwhelming. Saturday's race was a different story, as the experienced runners joked around before the race, knowing in the back of their minds what had to be accomplished. Making three appearances at Nationals in the past four years, the team has raised its expectations even more. Losing three solid runners next year will surely hurt the team, but through this experience, the other four varsity runners should be able to match this year's performance. "I think we will have a strong team next year," Patterson said. "We showed that we have a good pack, even with injuries. We will have to step it up, but we should definitely be as good." The goal of this season for the cross-country team was to create a dynasty. Through its clutch performances at the end of the season, it changed from a team full of excuses into a dominant powerhouse, which will not be stopped any time in the near future.
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Sharks taking bite out of NHL
August 31Quite possibly the hottest team in the NHL right now is the San Jose Sharks. They are currently 6-2, leading the NHL with 12 points, and are showing no signs of slowing down. In fact, they are still trying to prove themselves as the real deal and not some lucky fluke that has had a few breaks.
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