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Show www.dailyutahchronicle.corn U campus offers an eclectic mix The U has plenty of unique personalities in the sea of faces at a campus of tens of thousands. Take the Dinobots, for instance. No, not the dinosaur Transformers, but a group of U students who blog and videotape their snowboarding adventures with the attitude of professionals. Or Mark Matheson, an English professor who's passionate about his work. Then there is Nicole Miller, another U professor who by accident fell into a life of psychology for a U.S. Olympic Team. Oh, and in doing so, would eventually become Stephen Colbert's boss. Michael McFall •• • • • • • • FACES OF THE U 111 3 Tuesday, February 2, 2010 Dinobots' make sizable tracks with snowboarding Katie Harrington STAFF WRITER If you think the Autobots are extreme, it might be time to check out their snowboarding counterparts. Asher Koles and Cole Taylor are two of the original members of the Dinobots, a group of young men who all have one thing in common—fighting evil robots for the forces of good as mechanical, transforming dinosaurs. Actually, they just snowboard. The Dinobots started in 2007 when U students Koles and Taylor, along with eight others, decided to start filming their snowboarding sessions and blogging about their adventures on the slopes. "We were just a bunch of friends who like to snowboard and then we figured, why not make something out of it," said Koles, a senior in environmental studies. They thought it would be cool to film their "crappy snowboard moves and put them on the Internet," said Taylor, a senior in parks, recreation and tourism. Taylor took the helm as the principal filmer for the Dinobots and has since produced and premiered two films—"Shots N' Goggles" in 2008 and "Never Gonna Get It" in 2009. "The video premieres are some of the best memories for sure," Taylor said. "Just being able to look at it all and say, 'Oh hey, we actually did something kind of cool' is a good feeling. Because that's the moment all the work comes together." Koles and Noah Lohr, a senior in business administration, came PATRICK HARRINGTON/The Daily Utah Chronicle Asher Koles, a senior in environmental studies and charter member of the Dinobots, revels in a sunset slash atop Colorado's Red Mountain Pass. The Dinobots are working on their video project for next fall as well as many web-based "micro projects:' up with the name after seeing a TV commercial for the Transformers movie. "Noah and I were sitting on the couch and we saw the ad, and then I started reading about it on Wikipedia and it just came to me," Koles said. "I was just like, `Oh yeah! Sweet! Dinobots!"' Several other U students are also part of the group, including seniors Sean Kelly and Jason Heckle and recent alumnus Nick Catmur. "It's been awesome to just get everyone together, pile into our cars and go do something for the day," Koles said. "Maybe it works, maybe it doesn't—but just being together and doing it is what's sick." The Dinobots' blog has everything from trick tips to videos of a good day of snowboarding to pictures of Lohr's broken arm and Catmur's bum leg. Visitors to the blog can purchase and download the team's movies as well. As for this year, Koles said that a movie of the same magnitude as "Never Gonna Get It" might not happen, but the website will release a lot of footage from the team. "It's just been a really different year—everyone's kind of doing their own thing," Taylor said. "So sometimes it's hard to commit to filming full time and going to the spots and things like that." Taylor also films and edits for Brighton Ski Resort. His edits often feature Dinobot snowboarders and are available on the blog as well. To learn more about the Dinobots and see what the team is up to, visit www.dinosnow.com. k.harrington@ chronicle.utah.edu Prof brings passion, vision to English courses Katie Pratt STAFF WRITER Fit with classic hornrimmed glasses, a kind smile, enthusiastic exclamations and monologues laced with wit and candor, U professor Mark Matheson is only get- ting started. Matheson, a professor in the U's English department, lectures on topics ranging from Shakespeare to masterpieces of world literature. "I always loved reading and was inspired as an undergraduate," Matheson said. "I was awakened to the intellectual life." An adviser for the English department in addition to teaching, his office is a haven for literature lovers—a collection of innumerable books scatters the shelves, a photo of Martin Luther King Jr. and a newspaper clipping of Emily Dickinson hang on a cork board. "Literature is a source of vision in our culture," he said. It appears the vision has caught on. "The number of English majors has definitely increased since he became an adviser," said Vincent Pecora, chairman of the English department. Matheson is known for the exuberant manner in which he lectures, sometimes instinctively quoting a prolific poem to go in tandem with his lesson. "He's very passionate about the subject matter, which makes you, as a student, more passionate and interested," said Tori O'Neal, a junior in English. "He likes to put literary figures in perspective. One time, he compared poet Percy Bysshe Shelley to John Lennon." During the summer, Matheson will teach a poetry course on Walt Whitman and William Blake. "I've never taught a course I didn't like," Matheson said. "I'm fortunate to teach what I want. I really enjoyed teaching IT Honors courses as well." Although he has many students, Matheson has an impressive ability to remember the names of students he encounters, frequently greeting them by name in the classroom or in passing on campus. "One time I was waiting for the shuttle and as he drove by, he rolled down the window to say, 'Hi Kiana!' " said Kiana Taheri, a sophomore in psychology who took an Intellectual Traditions course from Matheson. "It made me so happy—most professors don't even know your name." A renowned lecturer, Matheson is also an avid flyfisher and helps with Shakespeare productions for his two sons. In addition to spending time with his family, he has connected deeply with his students at the U. "I have a great respect for my students and their experience," Matheson said. "They have demands from all areas, yet they seek to become educated." A lifelong Salt Lake City resident, Matheson seems to revel in the community in which he serves. "He is wonderful for students," Pecora said, adding that Matheson is absolutely essential to the department. Matheson maintains a humble attitude despite his popularity. "I just like my students," he said. "My favorite thing about teaching is contact with them. We have an opportunity to join in a unique place and think creatively together." During the 2010-2011 school year, Matheson will reach his 20-year mark at the U as a professor and lecturer. "Happiness is being able to help in students' life's paths," Matheson said. k.pratt@chronicle.utah.edu Sports psychologist takes athletes' goal to Olympic level Deborah Rafferty STAFF WRITER Two years ago, when the U.S. Olympic speedskating team was searching for someone local to work with the athletes as a sport psychology consultant, one name kept popping up: Nicole Miller. Had it not been for a class taken in her junior year at Ohio Wesleyan University, where Miller, a U professor in exercise and sport science, completed her undergraduate degree, she would have never had the opportunity. Not entirely sure what her major should be, Miller took the class, which focused on the mental aspects of sports. On the first day, she found her calling, she said. "I was double-majoring in psychology and sport science and kept hoping there was a field where I could put the two disciplines together," Miller said. "The first day in class, I realized that was the field that combined the two." As a sport psychology consultant or, as she calls herself, a "mental coach," Miller works with each of the speedskating athletes individually and the team as a whole, she said. She trains them to be mentally tough, to learn to deal with anxiety and to improve their concentration, she said. Breathing patterns and positive imagery allow the athletes to direct their energy and focus, she said. On Monday, she even had the opportunity to show Stephen Colbert the ropes of sports psychology on his Comedy Central show "The Colbert Report." Colbert is Miller's unofficial assistant on the speedskating team. Miller said she feels that one important aspect of the field of sports psychology is being able to understand what the athletes are going through from an in- sider's perspective, she said. As an athlete herself, Miller is able to connect with the athletes on a personal level, which she believes is one of her strengths as a mental coach, she said. She is able to relate to them because she understands what the pressure is like, and from that experience, she can individualize their programs based on personal needs, she said. She will spend the time and energy necessary to find the solution for each athlete, instead of giving a canned technique for everyone, she said. "At the elite level of sports, everyone trains pretty hard," Miller said. "At the end of the day, the difference between the one who won and the one who just barely missed is who was more mentally prepared." Before her work with the speedskating team, Miller had also worked with professional skiers, many of whom will also be participating in the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia, she said. She said she hopes to see them in the Olympic Village after they have won medals. When she's not working with the athletes, Miller teaches both undergraduate and graduate courses at the U, such as introduction to coaching and promoting physical activity, she said. After receiving her masters from Ithaca College and spending a year working at the Mayo Clinic, she came to the U in 2000 to get her doctorate and for the opportunity to work with Keith Henschen, who was "one of the best in the field," Miller said. She also likes to stay as active as possible, playing on several women's and co-ed soccer teams in Utah and rock climbing in the summer when the weather is better, she said. In college, she played basket- ball and ran indoor and outdoor track. Now, she and her husband enjoy taking their children on weekly kayaking trips on Oquirrh Lake in Daybreak, she said. Miller will travel with the speedskating team to Vancouver for the Olympics, where she hopes to see the athletes achieve their dreams—her favorite part of the job, she said. "I feel very proud to work with the coaches and the athletes," Miller said. "It is a really great opportunity, and I'm very grateful for it." d.rafferty@ chronicle.utah.edu |
