Originally posted on wordpress.kssu.com

I had always been out of shape: mostly it was my lack of keeping a consistent workout routine as well as not watching my diet. Before the start of the fall semester, I vowed to start making changes in my diet and start keeping a regular workout. I discarded all sodas, sweets and fast food from what I eat and started going to the gym two to three times a week.

To help keep me motivated, I set a goal for myself to run a 5K (3.1 miles) within the semester. I searched around and found the Sacramento 5K Zombie Run, benefiting the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. I have a personal affinity of all things to survive the zombie apocalypse and figured “if I am not fit enough to outrun the Horde, I am not fit enough.” So I convinced another health conscious friend to sign up with me and test our bodies to the trials of the challenge.

From the beginning of the semester towards October 27th, I trained and improved my stamina, endurance and overall body strength to be prepared for the outbreak. Day by day, week-by-week I feel more energized and confident in tackling the run. When the run was a week away, I felt ready and anxious to see what I was capable of achieving.

On the day of the race and my friend and I meet up at Sacramento’s Miller Park, each with our three “lives” (red flags) tucked into our waistlines and ready for the challenge ahead. We meet a friendly face intending to run alone, but we offered her to join us: it’s always good to have a buddy when facing walkers (zombies). Laced up with a facemask and Camelbak at the ready, the three of us started the run at 9:00am.

The first quarter mile of the run had a herd of walkers waiting for us straight from the gate: many fell and flags were lost. By the time we cleared the area, each of us held onto our last life, we regrouped and ran/jogged/walked past droves of walkers: some with a campy humor to their demeanor, while others took the part to the extremes with hanging, bloody flesh, yellowed eyes and blood oozing from the mouth. My buddies and I ran off-road through mud and water, crawled through pipes all while avoiding the undead, they lost their remaining lives and I had thought I lost mine.

Past the halfway point, I walk ahead of the other two, who yelped in excitement to say I still retained my last flag. On the way back from the long stretch of pavement, we gained our momentum again and started our trek back to the finish line. Along the way, we had to deal with stacked bales of hay to climb over, a tire run, and MORE walkers waiting in-between each obstacle who came out of nowhere.

We neared the end of the race, with a lone volunteer shouted words of encouragement outside an overflowing, disgusting excuse for a bathroom. I rallied my comrades to take it up and finish it off right. We came across a makeshift Slip-n-Slide with a pool of mud waiting at the end and without hesitation, dove in and came out a little muddier than I had started. The others followed suit and we jogged the last leg of the run to the finish line, finishing 54.36. Not bad for my first 5K.

To commemorate the completion of our run, we were rewarded a dog-tag with the event’s logo emblazoned upon it. There were food trucks present to feed our appetites, but all we wanted was our beer. Our new companion bid us farewell and my friend and I were given our free brews: hers a Shock Top Belgian White, mine a Shock Top End of the World Midnight Wheat. We finished our beers and trekked back to my car, satisfied with the outcome of our first 5K.

The hard work and discipline I had put myself through in order to complete my first 5K run inspired me to try for more. This event has given me a new sense of motivation to keep up my workouts and diet and I plan on undertaking more 5K runs in the future. I encourage anyone to run an obstacle 5K run to test their physical abilities and cross something off of their bucket list.

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Twitter: @upvotejoe

Originally posted on wordpress.kssu.com

Originally posted on wordpress.kssu.com

Memento, directed by Christopher Nolan and released in 2000, takes an alternate perspective on storytelling with a non-linear approach. The movie leaves viewers in suspense until the very end, where they learn the truth behind the protagonist’s past. Watch this movie if you have enjoyed Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind or Reservoir Dogs. This movie will find a place in your collection.

The storytelling style of the film uses two sequences: one, in color, is told backwards while a black and white sequence progresses forward. This is what separates the movie from traditional suspense thrillers and left me guessing until the end.

The main character, Leonard Shelby, portrayed by Guy Pierce, suffers from anterograde amnesia following an attack on he and his wife. His wife, portrayed by Jorja Fox, was killed by the incident and is pursuing one of the criminals. His condition hinders him from storing recent memories and relies on Polaroid photos and a series of tattoos to remind him of details of the killer: details such as the description, name, and license plate number were repeatedly referenced by Shelby throughout the film.

As the two stories are told, we see his back story and see the reasoning behind his intentions. His buddy, Teddy, accompanies him throughout his pursuit with a fair understanding of his mental capacity. Other characters encountered by Shelby use his disability at one point or another leading to a series of events involving murder, drugs and sex.

I don’t want to give too much away, so I recommend seeing this film. This has been a mainstay in my collection for a long time and made me a fan of Christopher Nolan’s films. Memento offers a full cinematic experience with a storyline of deceit and intrigue for viewers to keep guessing what is going on until the end.

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Follow me on Twitter: @upvotejoe
Email: [email protected]

Originally posted on wordpress.kssu.com

Originally posted on the KSSU blog site.

Hey all. Since we are in college, developing our future selves, us men should start cultivating our styles and mannerisms fitting those of a college graduate or a gentleman. I have provided a few tips college men should start implementing in order to be more successful in life.

1. Build your confidence – in all fields of employment, having the confidence to approach others you do not know will take you far. Making small talk with the cashier at Target or with other students in between classes will help you build character. Take this further with career fairs and similar events. Public speaking is one of the most common fears; a great resource to alleviate this is to attend Toastmaster meetings. This organization helps members improve public speaking through the use of support groups. The discomfort will eventually fade away as you keep on practicing.
2. Be chivalrous – An oldie but goodie, holding doors open for the ladies (including the car), offering your jacket when its cold, using “Ma’am/Sir”  when addressing people, using your manners, helping the elderly with groceries with a smile, etc. will take you far. Developing these skills now will make them into your natural actions later, and you will find yourself doing them naturally. There have been many times where the smallest act of kindness leads to conversation, (see item one) and new contacts or clients. The respect you give to others, no matter what the situation, is useful in diffusing tense situations and making a good impression to strangers.
3. Interested in something? Learn more about it –A  Renaissance Man, or a Polymath, is an individual who possesses vast knowledge across many fields. Are you interested in playing the guitar? Learning about the history of the Roman Empire? Make pasta primavera from scratch? Do it: learning new skills or knowledge helps in conversation and your repository of various fields would make you a versatile man when coming across social situations. Meeting friends for dinner? Learn how to pair foods with wine or beer. Going to a wedding? Learn some waltz steps or some east coast swing.

Take some of these thoughts into consideration, and they will help build your personality and your professional appeal to those around you.
Good day.

Originally posted on the KSSU blog site.

Originally posted on kssunews.wordpress.com on 9/28/2012

Those who are tried of the mudslinging and finger pointing of today’s politics will enjoy The Campaign, which attempts to deliver a satire on the ways politics are handled in society. With the upcoming election, diving into the theater and watching two well-known comedians exchange blows is appealing. Go and see the movie for the two main characters, who are the yin and yang of each other but end up with the same problems.

Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis play bitter rivals in the recently released film The Campaign. The storyline depicts two men, one an incumbent career politician, the other an amateur with a childish demeanor and no prior knowledge of modern-day politics, and their battle to become a Congressman for North Carolina’s 14th district.


Ferrell portrays career politician and incumbent Congressman Cam Brady, a Democrat who has become accustomed to running for office unopposed. He has perfected his style and technique for his campaign with catch phrases and public appearances with minorities and swing voters. His antics show his charismatic appeal to the general public and his inhibitions and secrets, which would otherwise destroy his sterling reputation.

Galifianakis plays Marty Huggins, a graceless but lovable tour manager who is convinced by his father to run against Brady in the election. His demeanor and personality contrasts Brady’s confidence and suave: Huggins is a socially awkward man with an affluent love for his two Chinese Pugs, which overshadows his affection for his own family. His actions in the beginning of the race hindered his progress, but after the help of Tim Wattley, portrayed by Dylan McDermott, he begins to garner support from the public.

The two main characters played off of each other very well, with Brady taking advantage of Huggins’ strange nature to persuade the public that he is a Communist and unfit for office. Huggins counters with attacks of his own, causing Brady to be arrested for DUI and losing points in approval ratings. As the story progresses, the stakes are raised, turning from a comedy to a storyline with a little darkness. The two candidates undertake harsh measures to bring down one another, and I found myself laughing less. One decides to makes things personal and attempts to destroy the other candidate’s family, in a rather extreme manner. This causes a retaliation and turns into a series of back and fourth attacks including assault and adultery. The exchanges yield laughs and awkward reactions of “SERIOUSLY?!” but are still entertaining.

By the time Election Day came around towards the end of the film, I was mildly interested to see the outcome, and I was thrown off by the movie’s change in tone from a comedy to a preachy satire of our political system. Nonetheless, the film has its moments and illustrates how politicians starting out with good intentions can be persuaded by money and power to forget their original intentions. To close it out, the movie has its entertaining moments and original jokes, and if you don’t mind some statements about our political system, watch the film.

I give it 7.5/10

I would rent it, but not a stay in my movie collection.

Originally posted on kssunews.wordpress.com on 9/28/2012

Originally posted at statehornet.com

Josh Stanley and Joe de Ocampo | 0 comments Men’s team: 

Women’s team:

The Sacramento State women’s tennis team will begin its run in the NCAA Division I Tournament on May 11 against winners of other national conferences including teams from the Pac-12, Patriot League and the Big Ten. It will be facing UC Berkeley in the first round of the tournament.

Sac State earned its place in the NCAA Tournament after winning its 11th regular season and tournament titles in the Big Sky Conference on April 21, with 92 consecutive wins in the conference.

Big Sky Most Valuable Player senior Tatsiana Kapshai, senior Clarisse Baca and junior Rebeca Delgado were named first all-team conference and will lead the team in the tournament’s first round against the Bears.

The Hornets met Cal during the regular season on March 23 in Berkeley with the Bears taking the win, 7-0. Sac State has faced Cal eight times overall and has never emerged victorious in any of the matches.

Sac State took only one match win in the meet with the doubles team of sophomore Katharina Knoebl and sophomore Sophie Lohscheidt.

 Kapshai said the team was excited for another chance to face Cal and will use its knowledge of the opposition for an even match.

 “We try to work individually since we know what opponents we will be facing, each player knows their opponent and we can focus on specifics,” Kapshai said.

Head coach Dima Hrynashka said he will be focusing on fine-tuning specific problems with each player in order to mentally prepare them for the tournament.

“I will be spending a little more time with girls individually to help them with shots and doubles games in order to gain confidence and develop an aggressive game,” Hrynashka said.

Sac State enters the tournament on an eight-game winning streak and a season record of 17-9 with its last loss to Cal.

Cal enters the postseason 17-6 with an 11 match win streak and is currently ranked No. 8 nationally in singles and No. 10 in doubles. Cal senior Jana Juricova ranks No. 7 in the singles division.

Josh Stanley and Joe de Ocampo can be reached at [email protected].

Originally posted on statehornet.com

By Joseph de Ocampo

Sacramento State sophomore pitcher Tanner Mendonca improved his overall performance this season with a lowered earned run average of 3.80 from last season’s 5.73 ERA. He credits his improvement to his offseason work as well as guidance from teammates and coaches. 

Mendonca was named Western Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Week in April for his second shutout against CSU Bakersfield following his shutout against CSU Northridge in February. 

He said the team and coaching staff contributed to his improvement by learning from their example on and off the field.

 “Learning the game and being around these players and coaches helps me understand the game more,” Mendonca said. “I try to work hard each day to get better and that’s what really helped me out this year.” 

He said pitchers such as junior Brandon Creel, sophomore Dallas Chadwick and senior R.J. Davis gave him pointers to better his game. 

“Chadwick helped me out with a curveball, Creel and R.J. have been helping me out with a changeup” Mendonca said. “We try to help each other out and tell each other our secrets to get better.”

 Hornets’ assistant coach Thad Johnson said part of Mendonca’s improvement is from his consistent pitching velocity and added variety to his pitches. 

 “Last year he was predominantly just a two-pitch guy: he would throw a fastball, obviously, and a cutter,” Johnson said. “This year he has added a breaking ball, a changeup and is becoming more of a pitcher who can compete with more than one pitch.”  

 Johnson said Mendonca’s failures and successes from the previous season validated his place on the team and developed a good pitcher’s mentality.

 “When he didn’t have that much success I think it toughened him up a little and motivated him to be better than he was a year ago,” Johnson said.

  Head coach Reggie Christiansen said Mendonca’s mentality and knowledge attributed to his progression this season.

 “He has matured physically and mentally,” Christiansen said. “I think he has also really understood more of the game itself and what he needs to do make himself successful.”

 Christiansen said the transition Mendonca made from freshman to sophomore is another notable element contributing to his improvement.

 “The process of a player in any stage once they go from freshman to sophomore is to really start to feel comfortable in the college and baseball environment,” Christiansen said.

 Looking forward, Johnson said Mendonca’s improvement and experience will be a key factor in leading the team in the upcoming seasons.

 “When Tanner goes out there to pitch and he just exudes confidence and everyone can take that to be confident, be a warrior and extremely aggressive,” he said.

Additional Comments about Tanner Mendonca

Teammate David del Grande

“His work ethic is incredible, he works just as hard as anyone on the team and he’s a perfectionist. He makes sure every day he accomplishes what he sets out to do.”

Teammate Brandon Creel

“A lot of pitchers look at him as one of the best guys on the team and he’s not one that needs to speak up: he shows that by putting in the work gets the job done in the game.”

Original link: www.statehornet.com

Joe de Ocampo | 0 comments

The Sacramento State women’s tennis team’s leadership and successful history has earned 92 consecutive Big Sky match wins and earned its 11th Big Sky Tournament title this past weekend in Gold River, Calif.   

The Hornets ended their regular season 15-9 overall with eight wins in the conference. Senior Tatsiana Kapshai earned three Big Sky Conference Player of the Week awards this season.

Head coach Dima Hrynashka said one of the reasons behind the success of the team is the reputation previous teams set with their dominance on the courts.  

“They have had motivation and a little extra pressure from the teams before who started to build the wins,” Hrynashka said. “Now it’s already at 90. Everyone is trying to keep winning and keep the line going.”

The Hornets earned the Big Sky Conference Tournament title in 2002 when it beat Northern Arizona University 4-3. The team later competed in the NCAA Tournament and was defeated by then No. 2 Stanford 4-0.

Since then, the Hornets have dominated the Big Sky with 11 regular season titles.

Kapshai said during her two and a half seasons with the Hornets, she saw the team grow and develop an attitude to continue the tradition set by its predecessors.

She said the team has a strong spirit and determination despite losses and mistakes it makes during play.

“Winning or losing we are keeping (team spirit) up and playing our best and change whatever is needed to turn the game around and start winning,” Kapshai said.

Teammates said one of the reasons for whose success is the relationship they have with each other.

Senior Clarisse Baca has been on the team for four seasons and said its success is due to the passion, determination and the relationship players share.

“Everybody (on the team) has a love for the sport. We wanted to not lose any matches in the Big Sky and become top 20 in the nation,” Baca said. “I think we also have a good relationship outside and inside the court.”

Baca said despite the diversity in background each player has, the coaches and coordinators helped players bond into a familial atmosphere. She said her teammates poke fun at each other playfully, go to dinners and movies, which helps on the court.

“We have a pretty good connection; we joke around a lot and I think it helps us have better communication as a team,” Baca said.

Baca ended her regular season 12-9 in singles on a six-game win streak and 15-7 in doubles. As a sophomore, she earned first team all-Big Sky honors after collecting 16-7 in singles play with 6-0 in the Big Sky.

She said her position as captain enabled her to keep the team motivated and focused while learning lessons in her last season.

“I think I did a decent job in trying to put the team together outside and inside the court and the best thing about being a leader is you get to learn about respecting what others want and taking it into consideration,” Baca said.

Senior Maria Meliuk said the team has stronger lines of communication compared with  other teams, which contributes to the successful season.

“All of them feel like family, so I guess this is something that gives us power; we support each other all the time and keep it together,” Meliuk said.

Meliuk said the team’s attitude toward each other has changed since she first started playing and attributed it to the roster changes with new seasons.  

“In the beginning, nobody knew each other, it was a little bit different and harder to communicate,” Meliuk said. “But once we got to know each other, it became better.”

Meliuk ended her regular season 15-7 in singles and 14-7 in doubles. She posted a perfect 6-0 record in the Big Sky competition and earned first team all-Big Sky honors in 2010. 

Kapshai said the team is strong but still can better itself and focus on its strategy to outwit opponents. 

“Keep working hard and try to improve everything,” Kapshai said. “Not only tennis, but psychologically. If the team were to focus on tactics the game would improve and give confidence to players.”

Meliuk said she hopes the underclassmen learned the value of hard work and its payoff.

“Stay tough on court, even if we are hurting,” Meliuk said. “We get injured often, but it’s a part of our college tennis life and we have to play through the pain.”

She said although the team competes individually, the goal should be the success of the entire roster.

“We have to put the team first and put our feelings and ourselves second,” Meliuk said.

Originally posted on statehornet.com

By Joseph de Ocampo

The Sacramento State women’s tennis team won 6-1 over the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley, Colo., earning its 11th consecutive Big Sky Conference regular season title and sixth straight win.

The team played its last regular season matches Sunday afternoon against the Bears and won its 90th consecutive Big Sky match, placing first in conference rankings, with a record of 8-0.

The singles were dominated by the Hornets with senior Tatsiana Kapshai starting with two wins 6-0 and 6-1 against Bears’ senior Jennifer Whateley.

Sac State continued to defeat Northern Colorado in singles with victories by junior Rebeca Delgado, senior Clarisse Baca, sophomore Sophie Lohscheidt and senior Maria Meliuk.

Freshman Andrea Gomez Carus took the only defeat in the series against Bears’ freshman Chrissie Hoolahan, 6-0.

Kapshai and Delgado, the No. 82-ranked doubles team in the nation, continued to dominate the Bears with an 8-1 win. Meliuk, Baca, Lohscheidt and Gomez Carus followed, winning their matches and closing the season with an overall 15-9 record for the team.

Kapshai, two-time Big Sky Conference MVP, ended the regular season 13-11 in singles and 17-5 in doubles.

Winning this year’s Big Sky Tournament would add to Sac State’s 11-season streak of winning both regular season and tournament titles, which started in 2002.

The tournament will be held Saturday and Sunday at Sacramento’s Gold River Racquet Club where Sac State will face off against Northern Colorado again in the semifinal match Saturday at 10 a.m.

Original Link: statehornet.com

Joe Fleming and Joe de Ocampo | 0 comments

Baseball has been America’s national pastime for more than 200 years. Originating in the 1800s by American Army officer Abner Doubleday, the sport gained popularity and grew to the multi-billion dollar organization it is today. Along the way, the sport has seen many great players, such as Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Honus Wagner, and many more. The rules of the game, however simple they may seem, come with a 130-page guide full of hypotheticals and instructions explaining how the game is played. Even with a rulebook of that size, there is still room for a few more rules that do not make it in print – the unofficial, the unspoken, the unwritten rules of baseball. 

These mysterious rules, though unspoken, but certainly understood by nearly every player in Major League Baseball are the instigation of many in-game brawls. It can start with a batter exaggerating a home run trot and subsequently being hit with a pitch in his next at-bat. Most of the unofficial rules explain the etiquette of baseball.

A few members of the Sacramento State baseball team give examples of the unwritten rules.

Head Coach Reggie Christiansen

Head coach Reggie Christiansen has a baseball-coaching career spanning three schools in addition to Sac State and said the Hornets do not practice some of the aggressive rules due to their consequences. 

He said behavior by the team should be respectful and holds the team to a high standard of professionalism. 

“If you go watch a junior high softball or baseball game you hear a lot of the cheerleading and you don’t hear much of that anymore in college baseball,” Christiansen said. 

One unwritten rule is if a fight breaks out, the entire team is supposed to participate. He compared the problems a professional athlete and a college player would endure by following this rule. 

“In the college level, for every guy who goes on the field there are suspensions and ejections. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a fight at a college baseball game. It rarely happens,” he said.

Assistant Coach Tommy Nicholson

Assistant coach Tommy Nicholson has been involved in baseball for 25 years, and said players pick up the rules throughout their experiences in the game.

“You hear and learn about those things as you grow up,” Nicholson said. “You watch and see teams get in fights over things like that: It’s learn as you go.”

During his time in the minor leagues, some players have tried to learn the signals opposing teams would use to communicate and gain an advantage. This with other unprofessional actions can culminate into a fight with the team.

“It escalated over a number of games, eventually a guy got hit and that was enough and we ended up fighting,” Nicholson said. “(They were) picking signs at second base, hitters admiring home runs and pitchers celebrating after strikeouts, stuff that fires you up when you are on the other side.”

Nicholson said there has been a change in the attitude of these unwritten rules, where actions once considered rude are now part of the game.

“Forty years ago all those old-timers would say they wouldn’t let these guys get away with it, but now it happens all the time,” he said.

Infielder Clay Cederquist

Clay Cederquist, junior infielder, said the rules are mostly superstitious and personal rituals only some follow.

He said the rule about bunts should not be attempted during a no-hitter is not something he agrees with in order to advance the game.

“I am all for it. Bunts are part of the game, and if you can break it up, then break it up,” Cederquist said. “If I was that pitcher I would trust in my teammates they would make that play.”

He said being professional after hitting a home run and not over-celebrating is a general rule and hitters should make small celebrations.

“I think it’s universal.You hit a home run and get around the bases and don’t try to show up the other team,” he said.

The rule of not peeking at the catcher’s glove when batting is one he said is commonly broken and generally accepted.

“Batters shouldn’t, but you see that they do from time to time, along with base coaches relaying signs verbally,” Cederquist said. “It seems like it’s becoming more a part of the game.”

Joe Fleming and Joe de Ocampo can be reached at [email protected].

Original Link: statehornet.com

By Joseph de Ocampo

The Well at Sacramento State will host the Collegiate Climbing Series Regional Championships on Saturday. Competitors hailing from colleges around California will compete in bouldering on Sac State’s climbing wall and boulder.

The Program’s Director John Myrick said Sac State’s event will be the final round for Northern California. It consists of three divisions for both men and women: recreational, intermediate and advanced. Previous meets in Northern California were held at Sonoma State, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and Humboldt State.

Myrick said the Collegiate Climbing Series started in 2008 by USA Climbing with six regions and has doubled in size to cater to more than 500 members in 11 regions throughout the country.

John Pistotti, supervisor of the climbing wall at The Well, said the school would be hosting students from various schools, including Stanford and Chico State, to compete in the climbing series.

Pistotti said bouldering is a style of rock climbing relying on power and strength to make a series of tactical maneuvers over a short distance. Climbers do not have a rope and usually are limited to reaching 13 feet over the safety of a crash pad.

Myrick said competition climbing is divided into three categories: bouldering, sport climbing and speed climbing. He said bouldering is the equivalent of what the 100-meter dash is in track and field.

“It’s very explosive and powerful,” Myrick said. “The routes are a lot shorter, but each individual move is more difficult and gymnastic.”

Pistotti said the school is preparing for the upcoming competition by closing the wall the first week of April for maintenance and build new courses for the bouldering-only competition. By doing this, he said, every competitor will possess no knowledge on how to navigate routes.

He said the difficulties of the routes are determined by a range of V0 to V6+ with the easiest being zero and six and higher being the most difficult.

Employees from The Well went to other rock climbing facilities such as Pipeline to receive help constructing more difficult routes.

“Imagine climbing glass in the rain. That’s what it would be like to climb the more difficult routes,” Pistotti said. “V0, you can call a ladder. There are solid hand holds and foot holds.”

Stephen Franz, junior accounting major and Sac State’s Climbing Club Treasurer, said the challenge of a new setup is refreshing.

“It’s always good to try a new setup because it gets boring after a while,” Franz said. “I’m glad they have people that are changing it and keeping it fresh, it makes it more fun.”

Dennis Ho, graduate civil engineering student, said he mentally maps out the course first.

“You want to mentally climb it first and be able to rehearse it in your mind,” Ho said.

Meredith Budlong, volunteer coach for the Climbing Club, said this is the second year Sac State has hosted the climbing competition and this is the first year Sac State has an organized team for the event.

“Because there was no actual team (last year) CSUS did not have a ranking as a team, just for individuals who go to school here,” she said.

Franz said he will be competing in the intermediate category for the competition.

“A lot of people will train by going to the gym and have general exercise, but the best way to train for the competition is to climb, which is the best way to train for anything,” he said.

Ho said he has a little more than a year of climbing experience and has been keeping a diet to stay lean as well as exercise his core in addition to climbing. He said club members would get pointers from Budlong to help improve on stamina and performance during club meetings.

Budlong said the team’s performance would be based on how each climber performs on a personal level.

“It’s hard to say compared to other schools since we are still very new we haven’t seen how to compete in other competitions,” Budlong said. “But because our practices focus on training and self-improvement I have a feeling team members who competed last year will see a great improvement.”

Pistotti said the point scoring for the competition could be made either with red or on-sight scoring. He said red point scoring is where climbers attempt to run routes with points being awarded based on difficulty and attempts made, and on-sight format scoring has points awarded for how high a climber has reached on a course’s route.

The event is now open to all students for $35.

Ho said a beginner should observe others before attempting a route on a rock face.

“Just watch other people climb first and for a brand new climber who doesn’t have the vision to breakdown moves, watch the more experienced climbers beforehand,” he said.

Joe de Ocampo can be reached at [email protected].