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Show SDAY, JANUARY - 25, 2017 DIXIESUNNEWS.COM - 1 Renowned rock climber Alex Honnold visits St. George, DSU GILMAN DonGilmanDSU BY DON Honnold come down and just kind of give a small presentation," Hargis said. "We didn't know he was going to give a book signing until a couple months ago." Hargis, who is a rock climber himself said meeting Honnold was a great moment for him Alex Honnold rock climbs some of the biggest walls in the world, his fingers clinging all without the to tiny holds, of a rope. Hoimold is arguably one of safety greatest ropeless climbever seen. some would say His daring foolhardy or even suicidal the personally. ers the world has "I think meeting him was really cool," Hargis said, adding that Honnold's bold climbs were inspiring to watch. of massive faces and beyond have in Yosemite been viewed millions of times ascents solo have elicited responses ranging from shock and fear to downright anger. Honnold came to St. George a meet and greet at the Desert Rat outdoor shop and later gave a presentation about his climbing at the Dixie State University Eccles Main-stag- e Friday to host Weston Hargis, a junior exercise Chetek, science major from Wisconsin, and an employee of the Desert Rat, said the process of getting Honnold to come and give apresentation in St George didn't happen overnight. "We've been tying for a couple years now to have Alex "It's good to know there's so many enthusiastic outdoor folks," Honnold said. "I mean, of course in a town like St. George there's a lot of enthusiastic outdoor folks. It's impressive to see to pursue. Despite that, he said he had a lot of respect for Honnold. - t from page t many people came." Later in the evening Honnold gave a presentation on dedicates to climbing." Young said. his climbing adventures to a sold-ocrowd in the Eccles Mainstage Theater. Beck said he was very impressed with the presentation abilities of Honnold, who showed stills and videos from his recent trip Honnold first came to the Desert Rat, where a crowd of admirers waited in line to meet him and get his autograph. He brought 200 copies of his book "Alone on the Wall" to sign, with all proceeds going to benefit the Honnold Foundation, which is dedicated to improving the lives of impoverished people through ecological , ' ut National t t , Geographic-sponsore- d to Africa, where he climbed Mt. Kenya. Honnold didn't just focus on climbing during his presentation. He also highlighted the native people as well as other aspects of his experience, such as wildlife and the rapidly shrinking glacier on Mt. Kenya. sustainability. For an hour and a half, Honnold signed autographs on posters, climbing helmets and books, sometimes posing with dogs and infants. A line stretched halfway around the store for almost the entire event, with some people waiting in line for over half an , 6 "The event went ,40- , 0 , 7 rT, .t. , lutely wonderfully," said Bo Beck, manager of the Desert Renowned climber Alex Honno Id signs an autograph at the Desert Rat. Honnold is known for his bold ropeless climbs. make regular trips to , , places like Snow Canyon and Zion, Young said. "Angels Landing we try to do every lk - .; i ' . 1 if LI said most events can $10 unless the destination is a little further away, like Moab. "We don't ever do anything make money, we only do things to cover the cost," Young said. "So that $10 fee is really to pay for gas." Most events are put on by the five employees who work at the RAC. "We usually do easier events so the people who are brand new have a great experience," - ' , .1 v t Young cost around 1 ..' .Iwo,' kr, it, i 't ''' 0', ' 'i ky41 ,., , 1 t I said. ORAC is an unlmown resource to many students around campus. Tucked away underneath of he Student Activity Center, it. isn't the The to find, Young said. think people just don't easiest "I it's there, it isn't really advertised," said Emma Hardy, freshman theater major know from Houston. Hardy said she became aware of the center when her family used it to rent paddle boards. Most incoming students are told about the campus tours, said Tatum Scoville, freshman psychology major from Layton. ORAC on - - ' -- , ; i- 'N. .te41 ., '' f ,, 1 ..,:, ...,,,, i i f , .? ' , of , t 4 , ' 1 i -, ;'' 1 'it. II, v f , ' (,) t , 00 ''''i ' -- 4 ,4 ,' 1 t tt, .,....t.1 i 't - sLi,' , 1 gI ,,, t s.s, s 4 , The bikes that currently line the wall of the Outdoor Recreation and Adventure Center are not the only equipment offered. The ORAC rents out several other pieces such as canoes, climbing gear and paddle boards to aid students in their outdoor "I found out about the ORAC during Freshman orientation during a tour of Dixie's campus," Scoville said. "I think it's an unknown resource because a lot of people living in St. George have the necessary resources for outdoor activities already. Outdoor recreation is one thing that St. George is known for." Despite the ORAC being an unknown resource, it continues to help introduce people to the nature surrounding the St. George community. "We have always made events and rentals cheap and affordable and we try to make things fun,". Young said. The center's next event is Jan. 28 and all registered participants are to meet at the ORAC at 10 a.m. Members will be mountain biking along the Church Rocks Trail and bike rentals M. are , 7 ry F ' . 1 ' , Most of us struggle with aspects of our personality at one point or another. How about having 23 of them? "Split," written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan, introduces us to Kevin Wendell Crumb (James McAvoy), who suffers from dissociative identity disorder and has 23 distinct personalities living in his head. When two of his unstable personalities take control, he kidnaps three teenage girls from a mall parking lot. The girls must work together to try to escape from Crumb, who has a 24th personality emerging known only as the beast. Following the success of "The Sixth Sense," "Unbreakable," "Signs" and possibly "The Village," Director M. Night Shyamalan's box office returns and audience appeal have steadily declined to the point that most people I know tend to recoil or grimace at the mere mention of his name. Between "Lady in the Water," "The Happening," "The Last and "After Earth," it seemed that Shyamalan could never return to his former glory. But after a small hit with 20I5's "The Visit," I'm relieved to say Shyamalan is back with a fantastic return to form. This film is thrilling and incredibly Air-bende- I (5;4 The ORAC Act ivrty also has Center. Oscar-worth- r ,,, - (g)ashharrisonnews i 7 ' theater. James McAvoy turns in an y performance as Crumb. He captures each of the personalities he portrays so completely that each of them feels like a different person, despite being played by the same actor. Between tour de force work in "Atonement," the series and now "Split," I'm beginning to believe McAvoy can do no wrong. is also at Anya Taylor-Jo- y home here as Casey Cooke, one of the three kidnapped y girls with a horrible that slowly emerges in bits and pieces over the course of the film. Taylor-Jo- y was absolutely arresting in 2015's indie horror hit "The Witch," and it's wonderful to see her continue to shine. She is clearly one of the most talented young actresses working in Hollywood today, and I'm sure the future will be bright for 4 of .,, l t 8 1 of hearing a pin drop in my 'ASHLEY HARRISON t.., ' , , 1 , v ,..4,. ,, -- st ; 4 ', ,. A,' ,,. .. o), ,,- ' , - 0 0 t'-- ,o , i , - -,... , . - ,L, $ ' I ''''' .. i t , ''. --' I ' I 1. i - James Mc tkvoy shows off his acting chops in 'Split" ) -- '161 41104-1-- 4';'- - ,,,,,..,,...0 1 1 1,,, to Young I II Fr,,, , : spring people." -- ' t 1 I and it's a really good experience for a lot of new - for use. The wall is a small climbing wall available upstairs in F1110111 , , "We I , abso- Fun ' -1 , ,....Lx.. , , k I - ORAC continued , ' somany come together. It's just a little book signing in a gear shop. I can't believe so "He's just a huge inspiration, the kind of talent that he has, especially how much he general studies major from Boise, Idaho, said it was exciting to have Honnold visit St. George, even though he was not able to procure a ticket to either event. "From everybody I have talked to, everybody's super stoked about it," Young said. "From my climbing class, it's like an extra credit thing, and everybody was scrambling to Theater. hour. is Everybody pretty excited about that, just because he is such a big deal." Like Hargis, Young said ropeless climbing was not a style of climbing he wanted Despite his admiration for Honnold, Hargis said he has no plans to solo climb himself "I respect that he has the ability to do it, the mental capacity to do that, because not a lot of people could go that far without breaking down," Hargis said. Josh Young, a sophomore and get those tickets and they went Out pretty fast. the Student suspenseful its third act especially to the point "X-Men- ". back-stor- her. My only real criticism of this film lies with the two other girls, Claire Benoit (Haley Lu Richardson) and Marcia (Jessica Sula). While each actress does relatively well with the material she's given, neither character is as well fleshed out as Casey. We're given no backstory, no reason to care. They es sentially fall into the trope of the "popular girl," which doesn't allow the audience 1 to relate to them. Another gripe of mine actually has nothing to do with the film but with the audience with whom I saw it. While moments of "Split" are certainly very funny particularly moments with Crumb's personthere was a ality Hedwig lot of inappropriate audience laughter. They were not laughing at something funny; they were laughing at the portrayal of personalities and, to take it one step further, at mental illness itself. It was disturbing to hear laughter toward an accurate representation of horrific mental illness as though someone suffering from such a thing is somehow amusing. I have a schizophrenic brother who hears voices. Is that funny? Laughter can often be an uncomfortable reaction, but I would ask those who watch this film to ask themselves why they're laughing. Is something funny happening on screen? Or is mental illness too much for us to see and seek to understand rather than ridicule? Perhaps everyone should see "Split" to ask himself or,: herself these questions. Grade: A Mrt9......r.'IMPUMIMM....,.,...,P.,11WVPir. !PAP r" e". 1 I 4, C Y C flees from the beast in a scene Casey Cooke (Anya Taylor-Jofrom "Split." Casey, along with James McAvoy, give stellar y) |