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Show AggieLife Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2009 Page 6 Utah State University • Logan, Utah • www.aggietownsquare.com Bad split, join the club USU bowling club gains popularity on campus By STEVE CLARK staff writer Bowling? – Who would’ve thought that picking up a 12-pound ball and hurling it at 10 tall, skinny white things would be so fun? Who would want to play a game that can be played while slightly intoxicated and still end up with the best score? Those questions are the reason why bowling is one of America’s favorite recreational sports. It’s actually so much fun that USU has made it a club sport on campus. So, what does the USU bowling club do? The club has all kinds of people: those who want to compete in tournaments, and those who just love to bowl for fun. The team practices every Friday night at Logan Lanes and prepares to compete in tournaments in December and January in venues such as Las Vegas and Reno, Nev., where schools from all over gather to compete. Teams from Wichita State, University of Nevada-Las Vegas, Weber State, Arizona, University of Arizona State and Fresno State bowl in these tournaments. How good is the bowling team? Craig Lofthouse, coach of the USU bowling team, said he thinks the Aggies have a great chance to be better than last year. In 2008, the Aggies JOSH FERRET, junior in physics and member of the USU bowling club, prepares to send his ball down the lane during Friday’s club meeting at Logan Lanes. TYLER LARSON photo finished with the highest ranking they’ve ever had, ending the season in the top 80. “The top 64 teams are chosen to go to regional (playoffs), and we were actually in that for a good share of the year because we had done really well in the tournament in Reno earlier that year,” Lofthouse said. In practice, this year’s team looks to be more talented than the ones in years past. “I’ve got some really good bowlers this year. I have four guys right now who are averaging over 200 (per game),” Lofthouse said. “I’ve got guys who bowled for me for a year and went on missions and are back now.” Jon McCulley, president of the club, and Brandon Borom are two of the team’s topfour bowlers. Borom is a Nevada native and just recently returned from a mission in San Antonio, Texas. Borom will contribute to the Aggies’ success this year if he can keep up his great scores. “I’ve never had above a 200 average so I want to try to keep that throughout the year,” Borom said. “Hopefully I get to go to a couple of tournaments this year and just do the best I can. I’m most excited for the ones in Vegas and Reno, just because I’m from there. It’ll be like coming home.” To be on the bowling team, students need be full time, maintain a 2.0 grade point average and pay $100 per semester. Lofthouse said the team loves support and wouldn’t mind if more people came out for the team. So, if students are looking for something to get involved with on campus and they love to throw heavy things at stuff, they might as well give bowling a strike and spare themselves the boredom. – steve.clark@aggiemail.usu.edu Handbell choir promotes unity By KASEY VAN DYKE staff writer It is common to hear about vocal choirs, orchestras or string quartets. All involve a great deal of personal dedication, talent and passion. A lesser-known musical arrangement is the handbell choir. Using bells, ranging in size from 2-19 inches, handbell choirs create a soft, creamy sound and have been used in religious worship services for hundreds of years. Watching a handbell choir ring is a unique experience. While playing, ringers are focusing not only on the music but also on the others in the choir. Cathy Ferrand Bullock, an associate professor in the department of journalism and communication and the director of the Westminster Bell Choir, emphasized the importance of unity in a bell choir. “We always try to emphasize that we are an ensemble,” she said. “We are a unit. We have to be listening to what everyone else is doing and really always paying attention to each other because you’re the only one playing your part, and you have to mesh with everyone else.” Bullock goes on to describe the sound when bell choir truly captures the idea of unity. “The whole is greater than the sum of the parts. It transcends all the individuals, somehow,” she said. Bullock said her fascination with bells spurred her interest in handbell choirs. She began playing in handbell choirs at her church in New York and has since played for more than two decades. “Bells I think are just a beautiful, beautiful instrument,” she said. “They kind of fascinated me because I had never had a chance to ring bells, never really been around a bell choir. They always struck me as an incredibly beautiful, almost mysterious thing, so I just wanted to get my hands on them and play this beautiful instrument.” Bells in general have had significance throughout religious history and were once the source of heavy superstition. According to www.handbells.org, in the medieval ages, bells used to be baptized and hung in doorways, supposedly keeping away evil spirits. The popularity of handbells grew in the 1700s when it was realized that it was easier to ring the smaller, portable bells than it was the larger tower bells. Handbell ringing became so popular in the mid-1800s, competitions were held throughout England. These slowly died away with the invention of the radio and World War I. Luckily, bell ringing is making a come back. Though bells are more commonly heard around Christmas season, according to www. madisonhandbells.org, there are thousands of community and church handbell choirs in North America performing throughout the year. One of these is the Westminster Bell Choir at the First Presbyterian Church in Logan. Though the Westminster Bell Choir and its smaller counterpart, currently nameless, are not run by USU, there are several students who participate. Chad Nielson, freshman in biological engineering, first played in his high-school handbell choir and quickly became enthralled. “It’s a joyful experience,” he said. “It’s so addicting. In high school I’d have a rough day and come into handbell (choir) and be able to let it go and have fun with the music.” Asher Stettler, undeclared sophomore, also played in his - See CHOIR, page 7 MEMBERS OF the Westminster Bell Choir rehearse in the basement of the First Presbyterian Church. While playing, ringers not only focus on the music but also on the others in the choir. PETE P SMITHSUTH photo |