MTSU Football Preparing For 2014 Season

By Nick Fisch

Motlow Buzz Reporter

            MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Middle Tennessee State University’s football team held its "Blue and White Spring Game" at 12:50 p.m. on April 19, 2014 at the Dean A. Hayes Stadium located on 1568 Greenland Drive.

            The Blue Team, which was the offense, beat the White Team, which was the defense, 27-0. The final score had the Blue Team winning the game, but the White team actually dominated the whole game. The White Team managed to rack up a total of seven sacks, 11 tackles for loss, four forced fumbles, and three interceptions.

            Redshirt freshman cornerback Shon Akins, who is number 37, was a serious presence on the field by forcing two interceptions, and redshirt senior cornerback Chris Sharpe, who is number 27, had one interception as well as one forced fumble. Redshirt junior defensive end Alexandro Antoine, who is number 17, and redshirt senior linebacker Leighton Gasque, who is number 40, had two sacks each.

            The Blue Team still managed to score some points on the ball hawking defense of the MTSU Blue Raiders. In the first quarter, the Blue Team started off with a three-point lead when redshirt sophomore kicker Cody Clark, who is number 89, made a 29-yard field goal.

             In the second quarter, redshirt sophomore quarterback Austin Grammar, who is number two, connected with redshirt sophomore wide receiver Terry Pettis, who is number 84, for a 49-yard touchdown. The extra point from Cody Clark was good, making the score 10-0 at the half, with the Blue team leading.

            Redshirt freshman fullback Jordan Willis, who is number 43, scored the first points of the second half with a 1-yard touchdown run. The extra point by sophomore kicker Canon Rooker, who is number 15, was good. The third quarter touchdown led up to Canon Rooker kicking a 24-yard field goal.

             In the fourth quarter, redshirt sophomore running back Chukwadi Echetebu, who is number 30, ran 8 yards straight to the end zone for a touchdown. The extra point by Cody Clark was good, making that the last points of the 2014 "Blue and White Spring Game."

            The MTSU defense, who gave up 26.2 points and was ranked 60th in all of Division I football for points allowed in 2013, looked very good in the spring. They created many turnovers, managed to get in the back field, gang tackled, created big hits, and most of all played as a team.

            The MTSU offense did not look all that great, which is ironic because their offense ranked 69th in all of Division I football for total points, 31st in total rushing yards, and 85th in total passing yards in 2013. The reason the offense could have been struggling was due to the fact their 2013 captain quarterback, Logan Kilgore, graduated.

             Battling for the starting quarterback position are freshman Brent Stockstill, who is number 12; redshirt freshman A.J. Erdely; who is number 11; redshirt junior Nolan Genovese; who is number 7; and redshirt sophomore Austin Grammer, who is number 2.

            Unfortunately, all four quarterbacks struggled throughout the spring game, which really caused the offense to play out of sync. There is still a lot of time for all four to get better before the 2014 season kickoff, including summer conditioning, practice and fall practice.

            The MTSU running game was one bright spot for the offense of the Blue Raiders. The MTSU rushing attack gained a total of 242 yards and two touchdowns during the spring game. Number 35 Tony Rowland, who is a redshirt freshman, rushed for 114 yards on 23 carries. Number 43 Jordan Willis, who is a redshirt freshman, and number 30 Chukwadi Echetebu, who is a redshirt sophomore, each had one touchdown to lead the Blue Raiders rushing attack.

            Senior wide receiver Marcus Henry, who is number 19, was the leading wide receiver for the MTSU Blue Raiders in 2013, grabbing 38 catches for 549 yards and three touchdowns. Henry formally played for Northwest Mississippi Community College in Courtland, Miss., making him one of the 15 junior college transfers on the MTSU roster.

            “Community College is harder than people think, and they have a lot of good athletes," Henry said. "Community College helps a lot of D-1 athletes to improve on their grades. It really had me prepared a lot for MTSU.”

             Henry is coming into the 2014 season with the mindset of just winning and high expectations for the team, as well as himself.

            “We want to win the conference championship and to go undefeated,” Henry said. “Every time I catch the ball, I am trying to score.”

            Henry has a lot of reasons to have high expectations. MTSU Blue Raiders football finished the 2013 season with a record of 8-4, making it to the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl, where they fell to Navy, 24-6. MTSU football still had a successful 2013 season considering the fact that was the first season MTSU had to play in Conference USA since it made the switch from the Sun Belt Conference.

            MTSU starts the 2014 season at home on Aug. 30 against Savannah State. MTSU's first conference game of the 2014 season will be home against Southern Mississippi.

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Frist Center To Showcase New Exhitbits For Spring

By Brandi Kornguth

Motlow Buzz Reporter

         NASHVILLE, Tenn.—The Frist Center for the Visual Arts will be running three exhibitions through May and June 2014, with one showing Eastern influence on Western artists and the others expressing different artists’ perspectives on history and war.

   

The Frist Center for the Visual Arts

      The “Looking East: Western Artists and the Allure of Japan” exhibition, organized by the Museum of Fine Arts of Boston, showcased a variety of pieces from early Japanese culture. The exhibition also showed works by legends such as Monet and Van Gogh, who were heavily influenced by Japanese culture and art. Van Gough’s “Postman Joseph Roulin” was also a particularly interesting piece, as it showed an infusion of Japanese art and his own personal style of painting.

            Local Nashville artist Lain York’s  “Selected Works” was a featured 

exhibition as well. The exhibition showcased contemporary pieces that displayed 

an abstract interpretation of political stories and events in American history. 

York hopes that people who may not have a lot of experience with abstract 

painting will still have a good experience with the work.

            “I feel it is very important to open up a conversation,” said York, “For the work on the wall to be a catalyst for the viewer to bring his or her own experiences into that conversation.”                      
             The Francisco Goya “Disasters Of War” collection expressed different  aspects of the Peninsular War of 1808-1814. According to Motlow Art Instructor Angela Burks, the collection expressed the “harsh realities of war in a very relentless way”. The images were overwhelming, both visually and emotionally, but displayed an honest perspective of the destruction of war.               

  “Steven Mumford’s War Journals 2003-2013” showcased the drawings, journals and paintings by the New York artist, chronicling his visits to war zones in the Middle East over its 10-year occupation. His works spoke to the human experience, showing people in their most vulnerable and candid moments. It displayed the humanity the public wouldn’t often be shown on news telecasts of war coverage, which was particularly fascinating and humbling.

   In comparing the latter two collections, Mumford’s was much easier to digest and take in for a long period of time than Goya’s, almost like a palate cleanser. Goya’s work evoked emotions of anger and intensity, whereas Mumford’s collection brought up fewer negative feelings, despite also containing images of war.

         “Going from Goya to Mumford was similar to getting a much-needed commercial break,” said Burks.

“Looking East” will be on exhibit in the Ingram Gallery, and Lain York’s “Selected Works” will be displayed in the Gordon Contemporary Artists Project Gallery, both showing through May 11. “Steven Mumford’s War Journals” and Goya’s “Disasters of War” will be on display through June 8.
          Admission is regularly $10, but students with their ID will receive $3 off the regular price and free admission on Thursdays and Fridays from 5-9 p.m. Admission will allow access to each of the galleries.
          The Frist Center is a non-profit museum that opened in 2001 and has become an integral part of Nashville’s ever-growing art scene and culture. For more information, please visit http://www.fristcenter.org    

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50 Karen Refugee Families from Burma Live and Adapt in Smyrna

By Thaw Bwe

Motlow Buzz Reporter

SMYRNA, Tenn. -- There are 50 families of Karen ethnicity starting new lives in Smyrna at 111 Joyner Drive, after fleeing their homeland from Burma and crossing the border of Thailand to become refugees.

 

 The 50 Karen refugee families who started new lives in Smyrna are having a difficult struggle because of language, new culture, laws and jobs. They are thankful to have a Community Center located in their area represented by Teresa Johnson, who is a leader of Community Connections at Chalet Apartments, which started in November 2011.

 

According to Johnson, Community Connections serves all ages, helping students with homework every afternoon. Tutors offer ESL, sewing and Bible study, and they have Karen family meetings to give parents important information about education, laws regarding children, DUI's, and drug and alcohol abuse. Johnson’s hope and prayer is that Karen people will not be in need of help from Community Connections in five years because Karen teenagers will have enough information and language to care for their parents. This may be true as Karen children pick up English quicker than adults and usually have the responsibility to translate for their parents.

 

              The Karen people live in Burma. After World War II, when the Burmese gained independence from the British, the dictatorship of Burma attacked other ethnic groups in its country, including the Karen people, because it wanted more land. It practiced genocide to gain land. Many Karen families lost their homeland, and some were tortured, killed and raped by the dictatorship’s soldiers who gained control from their leader with drugs. Some Karen people crossed the border of Thailand and became refugees. Many are still there today. In 2007, many of them immigrated to other countries, including Australia, England, Canada and America, according to a Karen girl, Shee Ku.

 

            A few Karen teenagers who go to Motlow Community College in Smyrna may be the people who can inspire or be emulated by their young fellow Karen. Shee Ku is the first Karen girl who attended Motlow College. She thought it might be easier for her with less people and a smaller school. According to Ku, college is difficult because English is her second language, but she has the self-confidence to succeed.

         “I will encourage my young Karen students to study hard, never give up, and that everything will be easier for them,” Ku said.

          Johnson explained that she serves the Karen people because of her “love for God the Father and Jesus.” Johnson noted that even though she was born in this land of great opportunity and has never known poverty or oppression of any kind, the “Lord tells us to serve the least of these.” These ethnic Karen have lost their land and possibly a lot of their history. They have chosen a difficult path so their children will have better lives. They are hardworking, kind and gracious people. She feels privileged to serve them.

          “According to Matthew, ‘The King will reply, I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’” Johnson said. “'Give a man a fish, and he eats for a day. Teach a man to fish, and he eats for a lifetime.'”

             For more information about Karen families or how you can volunteer, call (615) 973-0966 or visit http://www.communityservants.org/index.php?p=1_26_Community-Connections .

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Motlow Alumnus Aspires to Become Award-Winning Bodybuilder

 

                                                                         By Kait Riggle

                        Motlow Buzz Reporter

MURFREESBORO, Tenn.--  A former Motlow State Community College student is on a journey to compete in her first National Physique Committee competition.

Alayna Brent, 22, has begun her competition preparation for her NPC debute in the Women’s Bikini Short category this year. The National Physique Committee sanctions local to national level competitions for amateur bodybuilding. The NPC is the largest bodybuilding organization in the United States. The bikini category requires extremely low body fat accompanied by lean muscle.

Residing in Murfreesboro, Brent regularly trains in popular gyms such as Olympus and Gold’s gyms. This active pre-dental student has maintained a healthy lifestyle and aspires to soon be show-ready.

          “It’s a challenging process and definitely would put me out of my comfort zone,” said Brent. “It would be an accomplishment.”

 

Brent is working to achieve this goal with challenging workouts and a consistent, strict diet. She lifts heavy weights with short reps to sculpt muscle, then follows up with light cardio to ensure her metabolism stays high. She trains six days a week, allowing herself a rest day in addition to following a well-formulated diet.

“ I’m eating very clean at this point, no processed food or anything  unnatural,” Brent added.

Brent works in the promotions department at the growing nutrition and supplement store Nutrishop in Murfreesboro. She travels to different gyms across the county and gives gym-goers advice on how to get the most potential out of their bodies through proper diet and supplements.

Brent [right] at a promotional event at Olympus Gym

“It’s motivating being around people who have the same goals in mind,” said Brent.  “The majority of people that come in are so positive and always want to be supportive. It’s really reassuring to have people on your team.”

Brent has yet to decide on a show date. However, with Tennessee’s long list of competitions for 2014, she has ample time to decide. She is providing herself with the time to effectively change her body without drastic measures and unhealthy methods.

 

“I want to give my body the proper training and time to taper down,” she continued. “I’m looking at possibly the ‘Knox Classic’ in August or the ‘Music City Muscle’ in early October.”

 

Brent can be found June 28 at Embassy Suites Hotel in Murfreesboro for the “Flex Lewis Classic”, working promotions and awarding athletes trophies during the event. For more information regarding “The Flex Lewis Classic”, visit www.flexlewisclassic.com.

 

 

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The 'Full Moon Tattoo and Horror Fest' Puts Some Fright in the Night

By Sheldon Male

Motlow Buzz Reporter

                NASHVILLE, Tenn. —The "Full Moon Tattoo and Horror Festival" occurred from April 18-20 in downtown Nashville, bringing out stars of the genre, showcasing the best tattoo artists from around the country, and selling horror items.

                This year’s convention marked the 13^th year since Ben and Stacey Dixon created the event, and it was an astounding success.

               “Another 'Full Moon' has ended," Ben Dixon reported on his Facebook page. "Stacey and I want to thank each and everyone personally for coming out to the show and showing the support. It is always so wonderful to see our extended convention family. The old friends and so many new ones that we met this year. We appreciate all of the vendors, artists, tattoo artists and celebrities, but most of all the fans that make this show possible.”

The monsters and madmen descended on the Nashville Convention Center, 601 Commerce St. Just walking to the convention, one could tell who the fans were. Many fans of the genre were dressed up as the creatures of the night, or their favorite horror movie monster. It was a group all to itself. Even some of Motlow’s own students, like Spencer Sciers, have gone to previous conventions and had a blast. 

Derek Mears From "Friday the 13th"

          After one arrives at the convention, he or she is allowed to wander. One can walk the main showroom floor and meet the monsters. Some Motlow students arrived a little too late to meet all the celebrities, but they did get to meet Derek Mears, who is known for his work as Jason Voorhees in "Friday the 13^th” , "Predators", "Hansel and Gretel", "Grimm" and "Sleepy Hollow".  Some also got to meet Ken Foree, who is known for his work in "Dawn of the Dead" and "The Devils Rejects". The full line-up of celebrities included Corey Feldman, Jamie Kennedy, Scott Wilson, the "Pet Zombies" from "The Walking Dead", Santiago Cirilo, Michael Koske, Tony Moran, PJ Soles, William Forsythe, Daniel Bisutti, Steve Railsback, James Duvall, Ladislav Beran, John Dugan, Terry Kiser, Mark Slaughter, Chris Fleming, Eric Powell, Eugene Clark, Kip Weeks, Sal Lizard and Gene Hadley.

After meeting the celebrities, one can walk around and shop among the many vendors. Most vendors were just selling t-shirts and posters. However, some of them were selling other items such as horror masks and eye-changing contact lenses. Some attendees bought t-shirts. A favorite vendor was Joel Robinson, who drew a big crowd. He designed all the artwork for this year’s event and also made his fifth appearance this year.  Fans can see some of Joel Robinson’s work at www.artpusher.net.



Joel Robinson with his artwork

          There were also various contests that occurred throughout the day. A costume contest gave fans the opportunity to portray their favorite monsters with wonderful and colorful outfits. The festival also featured a competition for all of the tattoos that were created that day. A large number of tattoo vendors from across the country competed, with some of them even displaying the trophies they had won in previous years.  There was also a tattoo seminar with legendary tattoo artist Bob Tyrell.

The convention pulled all kinds of people from all walks of life. From the artists and vendors to scary monsters, the convention didn't leave anyone disappointed. The Dixons have already started making plans for next year’s convention, getting celebrities lined up. So, fans should start getting their monster outfits ready.

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Vandy Baseball to Struggle Even After Thumping MTSU

 

By Thomas Zaleski

Motlow Buzz Reporter

NASHVILLE, Tenn.- - The Vanderbilt University baseball team defeated Middle Tennessee State University, 19-1, at Hawkins Field in Nashville, Tenn., on April 15 with 2,364 people in attendance, but Vanderbilt continues to struggle this season.

Coach Tim Corbin and the Commodores thumped MTSU after a great pitching performance by Vanderbilt starting pitcher Walker Buehler, a sophomore from Lexington, Ky. Buehler pitched 5.1 innings, giving up only three hits and one run, and striking out nine MTSU batters. It was one of the best outings Buehler has had this season and was much needed for the struggling 'Dores.

Vanderbilt started the game off on the right foot to say the least. The 'Dores opened up the game by scoring four runs in the bottom of the first inning, and they never looked back. The team poured in another four runs in the bottom of the fourth inning and slammed the door shut on the Blue Raiders after scoring 10 runs in the bottom of the sixth inning.

            The 'Dores were led by Xavier Turner, a sophomore third baseman from Sandusky, Ohio, who extended his hitting streak to an SEC-best 23 games with an RBI double to right field in the bottom of the sixth inning.  Turner has been Vanderbilt’s most reliable hitter on the season. Turner is batting .310 and has two home runs, along with 26 RBI’s on the year.

“I was just pleased with Walker more than anything,” said Vanderbilt head coach Tim Corbin. “He established himself right out of the gates, which was good for us because you’re coming out of a weekend where we lost and we needed some good mojo to start. I think he did that. The energy, the pace, the delivery was on queue."

As of April 14, Vanderbilt is 29-10 overall this season and 8-10 in the SEC, which is a huge disappointment following the 2013 season. In 2013, the Commodores ended the regular season 54-12 overall and 26-3 in the SEC. The 26 SEC wins set a record in the Southeastern Conference for conference wins in a single season.

“We really aren’t worried about the regular season records and standing, but here at Vanderbilt we have big expectations from our baseball program in the post season, especially after being ranked in the top five for the first half of the season this year,” said current MTSU student and lifelong Vanderbilt fan Tyler Short. “With that being said, I still believe with the talent on this roster Vandy should be winning more games than they have at this point in the season."

The Commodores, ranked 15th in the nation, look to finish the season strong with a series win against the Arkansas Razorbacks, a single game against the Memphis Tigers, a series against the Georgia Bulldogs, a series against the Missouri Tigers, a series against the Florida Gators, and the final series on the season against the South Carolina Gamecocks.

For more information on Vanderbilt baseball, visit www.vucommorodores.com

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Imáge Salon and Spa To Host Grand Re-Opening

By Russell Forbes

Motlow Buzz Reporter

A View From Outside Imáge Salon and Spa 

SMYRNA, Tenn. -- Imáge Salon and Spa plans to host a grand re-opening celebration on June 14 at its new location on 500 Waldron Road, Suite 300, in LaVergne, Tenn.

                The festivities will begin around 10 a.m., with a ribbon-cutting ceremony featuring Mayor Senna Mosley starting around noon. Salon owner Bonnie Bryant plans to have raffle drawings for free services, along with a "bouncy house" in front of the building for children. The event will include live music, but Bryant has not decided on the band yet. Snacks and beverages will be offered to those who attend.

“I think we’re going to do just kind of a big meet and greet for the community,” said Bryant. “We just need to do some advertising and let people know that we’re here first and then advertise our services.”

Bryant Cutting a Client's Hair

Imáge Salon and Spa is the only full-service salon in LaVergne offering not only services for hair, but also facials, manicures, pedicures, body waxing and make-up. They offer a variety of looks and specials for occasions such as proms and weddings. Clients can even enjoy a glass of complimentary wine as they receive their services if they wish to.

Bryant has been doing hair for more than 10 years and has been passionate about it since she was a little girl. Bryant opened her salon after her father came upon a location in Smyrna that would be perfect for housing her business. After the initial purchase of the building in Smyrna, she ran Imáge Salon for several years before moving to LaVergne, prompting the grand re-opening commemorating the five-year anniversary.

                “I’m so excited for the festivities we will have at the grand opening,” said the salon’s only other stylist, Joshuah Osment. “It’s really going to help us get in some great new clients and become more prominent in the community.”

                Osment first became interested in becoming a stylist after stopping by a convenience store located next to a beauty school about nine years ago. Out of curiosity, he walked in the beauty school to see what it was all about, and the next thing he knew, he was enrolled. Osment has been able to transform the hair of his clients to boost their self-esteem and change their lives.

                “I had a client a couple of years ago who had never received any major work done to her hair,” said Osment. “I did not let her see her hair until I was finished with it, and when I turned her around so she could see it, she immediately burst into tears saying that no one had ever made her look like a woman before.”

Osment Cutting and Styling a Client's Hair

In order to become a stylist, Osment had to take 1,500 hours of beauty school required by the state of Tennessee. While there, he learned a variety of different basic hair-cutting styles, waxing, doing color, and how to apply relaxers and other treatments. Upon completion of beauty school, Osment received his cosmetology license, which must be displayed at his station in the salon and renewed every two years.

                Osment intends on entering The Color Zoom Global Event contest for a chance to become a nationally renowned artist and win a trip to Berlin to compete for the international title. The concept of the contest is to create an original style based in the biggest trend of 2014 known as reallusion. This

style exhibits an optical allusion by using color, light and angles to create two distinct styles in the same cut. This would allow a style that could be considered business casual during the day, but could be transformed at night with little effort to become a punk-rock party look.

                Motlow State Community College student Felicia Gatlin recently received services from Osment at the salon. Gatlin said she was very pleased with the promptness, cleanliness and overall outcome of the services she received.

Gatlin's Before and After Cut and Style

 “He suggested a hairstyle for me, which I ended up loving,” said Gatlin. “I liked that he was more catering to the customer to try to make me happy.”

For more information on Imáge Salon and Spa’s services, there is plenty of information on their website at www.imagesalonlavergne.com. To make an appointment, call (615) 355-5835.

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Nashville Celebrates the Nations

By Katherine Ferrer

Motlow Buzz Reporter

 

            NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Many different ethnic communities surrounding Nashville, Tenn., celebrated the “Festival of Nations” on April 12 at the Global Mall at the Crossings with cultural dances, ethnic foods and diverse festivities.

            The “Festival of Nations” hosted many different ethnic groups, from Saudi Arabians to Filipinos to Africans to Mexicans. Dozens of participants sang traditional songs, performed cultural dances, and sold ethnic foods. The “Festival of Nations” began in 2004 and has been celebrated every year since toward the beginning of spring.

            The Filipino American Association of Tennessee was one of the groups that attended this festival, participating in cultural dances and allowing people to sign up to become a member. The FAAT donates some of its profits to other volunteer organizations and to the Philippines for the recovery of the recent typhoon that struck the island.

Filipino performers setting up the stage to sing at the "Festival of Nations".

            The traditional Filipino dances were performed by Vanderbilt University undergraduates and their leader, Kendric Ng. The group performed the Tinikling and the Singkil, which involves dancing over moving bamboo sticks, and the Banku-Bangkuan, which involves dancing and jumping over stacked benches.

“We made this group for Vanderbilt University undergraduates to learn more about other cultures and to experience the culture first hand, by dancing,” said Ng. “We also perform many other cultural dances. For example, we performed a cultural Chinese dance at the Chinese New Year celebration this year.”

            More than $100 was raised during the “Festival of Nations” event to go toward the FAAT and the typhoon recovery. Motlow State Community College also held a cultural day in 2013 to raise money to send to the Philippines for the typhoon recovery.

            “The tremendous efforts seen by the Nashville people today is what keeps our hope alive for the recovery of the ones hit by the typhoon,” said the FAAT President Jaycel Montealegre. “Events like the 'Festival of Nations' encourages people to help and to learn more about other countries in need.”

            For more information about the “Festival of Nations” or how to become a member of the Filipino American Association of Tennessee, visit www.festivalofthenations.org/ or www.filamoftn.org/.

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