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Show HASTA LUEGO, SPANISH CLUB BY CYNTHIA LUU /STAFF WRITER PHOTO COURTESY OF SPANISH CLUB fter an inactive semester, the U's Spanish Club might not be returning next spring. Victor Zabala, head of the club, said scheduling conflicts are to blame. Zabala said they tried to change the schedule at the beginning of the semester and couldn't find a convenient time for the club to meet. They've only met once this semester and had very few attendees. "I don't know about next semester," Zabala said. "Maybe we'll find a way to revive it." Last spring, the Spanish Club met every other week and had a turnout of 10 to 15 students per meeting. Zabala said the goal of the organization is to create a space for individuals to practice Spanish and meet people who have a love for the language and the culture. Paola Lopez, the previous president and club founder, said the association started in the fall of 2013. Lopez said the idea of creating the Spanish Club came mainly from students who were asking for more opportunities to practice the language. Lopez said there were a few classes that focus on conversation for advanced speakers at the U, but in a class of 20 students it was more difficult to get a chance to really speak the language. Lopez said when the club first started, she was surprised by the number of people who wanted to join. "The club took the form of what we call in Spain tertulias, where people meet at a cafe and talk about issues': Lopez said. "Students had the opportunity to decide on the topics, and we A WHEELING HIS WAYTO VICTORY .1 ' 41 _SOLUTIOAS ■ ' • ;" , " ■11=110011 T--= 1- 11•111111Pr ing 4 THECHRONY I NEWS I I —1- 14**- tried to incorporate different activities related to cultural aspects of the different Spanish-speaking countries." Zabala said the club was meant to be collaborative for all members. "The idea is to have a spontaneous conversation with all the people without any strict structure," Zabala said. "Just sitting down and talking about any topic like education, politics, daily life, etc." Originally, the association was called the Advanced Spanish Club and mainly catered to higher-level Spanish speakers. However, Zabala said the club is now more lenient and anyone on any speaking level is invited to join. "It's pretty much open to everyone now," Zabala said. "People would come in and ask questions about grammar or sometimes even about the language itself because they want to start learning it." The club also touched on different cultural aspects of Spanish-speaking countries and discussed issues about things like celebrations or differences in the language and played games to review specific vocabulary words and language structures. Additionally, they facilitated different cultural activities, such as cooking lessons to make traditional dishes during the Spanish holiday, Carnival. Lopez said she felt the Spanish Club was a good resource for students above the 2010 level to maintain and practice the language. BY SPENCER EASTWOOD /STAFF WRITER PHOTO COURTESY OF RANDALL HARRINGTON WITH THE JUST DON'T QUIT FOUNDATION asketball player Jeff Griffin has had a long road of trials leading up to his success. Nearly 20 years ago, when he fell 40 feet from a ladder and was paralyzed from the waist down, Griffin's life was changed forever. He said he was originally admitted to the U's Rehab Center following the devastating accident. Griffin said his fears of never being able to play sports again have since disappeared. He is now an eight-time Wheelchair NBA All Star, a four-time Wheelin' NBA All Star MVP and a toprated tennis player, having competed at a tennis event with the Utah Jazz's Gordon Hayward and Jim Courier in February 2014. Though he said it was initially difficult to learn how to dribble and shoot the ball while maneuvering a wheelchair, Griffin now trains and practices with the Utah Wheelin' Jazz, a Wheelchair NBA team whose training camp began practice on Dec. 4. The team will hold training sessions, which will be open for the first time to the public every Thursday at 24 Hour Fitness in Taylorsville through the end of the year.The training sessions will also be recorded and distributed for the public's viewing by the Just Don't Quit Foundation. Randall Harrington, executive director and founder of the Just Don't Quit Foundation, said the foundation looks to help wheelchair athletes by promoting their stories and their games. "We work with local wheelchair athletic teams, as well as other programs with a more national presence': Harrington said. "We try to package [these players'] stories and get them B zima. OPINION I ARTS I SPORTS I FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2014 } "There are not many places where they can practice Spanish outside of the classroom, and I think we created a strong community in which everyone and every culture was valued," Lopez said. For next semester, Zabala said the fate of the club isn't certain, but he hopes to continue running it. Zabala said better organization is in the works, as well as utilizing their Facebook page more. Zabala said he hopes to resolve the scheduling conflict next semester and find a time for members to get together. c.luu@chronicle.utah.edu @cynthia luu media exposure and record their events for the public to see. We want to have a production team that can help spread their stories and games, at least on a social media and internet level." Harrington said the Just Don't Quit Foundation will be holding try-outs similar to NBC's "The Voice" at every Wheelin' Jazz training camp on Thursday nights throughout December to find individuals experienced in media and film productions to help promote these athletes. "Our biggest asset to help tell [Griffin's] story is former NBA Coach of the Year, Frank Layden," Harrington said. "He's willing to let us use his name and help promote wheelchair basketball however we can." The Just Don't Quit Foundation is also producing a documentary project titled "Doin' Hard Work': which features Layden narrating the story of Griffin and his accomplishments over the past 10 years. "Besides being a great athlete': Harrington said, "[Griffin's] real story is off the court as he tries to walk again." Doctors originally told Griffin he'd never move his legs again, but he's beginning to regain feeling in his limbs and even "waddles" a little more and more, Harrington said. Harrington said he encourages anyone interested to come out to the free training camp events on Thursday nights from 5 to 8 p.m. "This is going to be a really exciting training camp;' Harrington said, "because it's the first time that the camp is open to the public, who can watch them practice and prepare for their season, which will begin in Las Vegas in January." s.eastwood@chronicle.utah.edu @spenceast THE ODE WITH ADDISON BUTLER Fashion risks can pay off in unexpected ways 0 ne of the most fascinating things about developing a sense of unique personal style is that sometimes you can try things that are hilariously out of character and somehow, against all odds, it ends up totally working. Some significant personal examples include a bright green doctor's coat I 'borrowed' — or rather, stole — from a close friend, the famous pair of Teva's I wore all summer and, surprisingly, denim shorts. This November marked another shining example that I honestly never saw coming: I grew a mustache. Now, I can recall at least 10 separate occasions where I vehemently opposed the idea of growing a mustache. In sixth grade, after being scolded by a mustached teacher on the playground — for accidentally kicking a ball against his classroom window, startling his kids and causing an irredeemable disruption — I stomped off to the sporty group of tweenage girls I associated myself with and violently bemoaned the man in prideful embarrassment. Mustaches, I had concluded, symbolized pure evil. It's no coincidence that nearly every male cop has a `stache glued to his upper lip. Although I've been pulled over plenty of times since getting my driver's license over four years ago, I've never received a speeding ticket. For years I attributed this fact to luck, incredibly good karma or the respectful and personable way I treat the coppers who flag me down. It wasn't until my most recent instance of speeding that I realized karma and charm had nothing to do with my ability to pull away only with warnings. Already late for a friend's play at Westminster College in Sugarhouse, I was weaving in and out of traffic on 1-80 as the golden sun set behind Utah's biggest eyesore, the Kennecott Copper mine. Along for the ride was Sam, my first (and last) lady kiss (it was for a play in high school, don't worry). She nudged me just before we arrived at our exit, pointing out that there had been red and blue lights flashing behind us for a while now. As any good citizen should do, I immediately put on my blinker and pulled off to the side of the road. As the officer approached, Sam felt the urge to share her unfiltered and honest opinion of the devious man. "Addison, look. He's not that ugly. I mean, he might even be attractive." Politely ignoring her comment, I rolled down my window, spoke with the officer and handed him my license and registration. The officer was young, and as such had a youthful bounce and brashness in his step as he walked back to his stateissued highway patrol car. He did have a nice face, and his golden-blonde hair actually glistened in the amber light. "You know what?" I began. "He kind of is." "It's the mustache. Definitely the mustache." "What mustache?" I inquired, genuinely confused. I saw no mustache. "Exactly," Sam affirmed. Her theory, as it turned out, was that this officer's lack of mustache set him apart from all the other chunky, hairy cops. He broke the stereotype and was not hard on the eyes; therefore, he was the hottest cop we had ever seen. By this point I was so used to being issued the bare minimum under these sorts of circumstances that it was no surprise I drove off with only a warning. This got me thinking, however, and it was then that it hit me — without fail, each one of the officers who have pulled me over in the past had clean upper lips. Yes, that would be the same sort of clean upper lip I had proudly paraded around for 20-some-odd years. What convinced me to grow such an awful staple of 1970s dads is still a bit of a mystery to me. After a recent, lazy weekend of non-shaving, my friend Kelsie jokingly complimented my itchy, stubbly skin. "Dude, you should totally grow a mustache:' she suggested while out to lunch. "Yeah — no." The words sprang out of my mouth without even a thought. "Oh, come on! You would look great with a mustache." The sarcasm was teeming in her response, but she pressed on, relentlessly advocating for the scraggly fuzz that could eventually grow from my undernose. This conversation bled into the rest of the day we spent with each other. The longer we bickered, the more convinced Kelsie became that a mustache should be a part of my near future. The sarcasm gently faded from her voice as the day continued, and by evening she was absolutely earnest in her persistence. Partly out of annoyance and partly from frank curiosity of what I would look like with one, I grew the mustache. The next morning while shaving my face I made it my duty to skip my upper lip and let the stubble run wild. The mustache isn't such a bad thing. After a few awkward days of high-school-level baby `stache, the hair grew longer, thicker and fuller. By week two of the mustache I was converted. Somehow, I rocked that mustache and grew to love it. Much to my dismay (along with the dismay of a startling amount of people I'm close to) I bid adieu to my mustache on Thanksgiving morning — it was really itchy, and I was nervous that turkey, stuffing and mashed potatoes would weave themselves between the individual hairs. Look, it wasn't perfect. I'm only 20, so I was at a serious disadvantage in the hair-growing department, but I loved my mustache deeply. Give new things a chance, you guys, and stop making so many rules for your appearance. Just because you haven't tried something doesn't mean you shouldn't.You'd be surprised how much you can actually pull off. a.butler@chronicle.utah.edu @ChronyArts 5 |