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Fri 21 Dec 2007

… if you want to race in the Little 500

By Robert Schmidt
 
 
The energy from the crowd is palpable and contagious. The writhing throng focuses its energy on riders circling the cinder track. The riders push themselves to go faster and faster, feeding off the crowd’s energy as they race for glory.

 “I can’t describe it. Looking up and having thousands of screaming people cheering for you is like nothing else in the world,” said Zachary Osterman, a third year rider for Sigma Alpha Tau. “It’s one of the greatest experiences of my life.”

Some students in this mass of emotion may wonder if it is possible to enter into that hallowed ring and compete for the crowd’s favor, and the answer is that it couldn’t be easier.

You don’t have to be an elite athlete; you don’t have to have any experience at all, but you do have to be determined and ready to train hard.

“My experience was amazing,” said Ashley Bigg, a second year rider for Alpha Chi Omega. “It was by far the hardest mentally and physically challenging thing I’ve ever done in my life.”

“That’s the beauty of the event — 95 percent of the people that come here have no cycling experience whatsoever … and they can be just as competitive as people that have ridden their whole life,” said Matthew Ewing, assistant director for the Indiana University Student Foundation and the race director of the Little 500.

All riders in the Little 500 have to be undergraduate students attending Indiana University. In order to be eligible to race in the Little 500, a rider must be a full time student for the fall and spring semester in which they will compete with at least a 2.0 grade point average for the respective semesters and a cumulative average of 2.0 or better.

Beyond these qualifications, as long as you have never been professional rider, nothing else is needed to participate in the race.

Getting started

The IU Student Foundation holds a rider “call-out” at the beginning of each semester where new riders can get acquainted with the race. From there, Ewing recommends that students with no prior riding experience go on “Rookie Rides” for a couple of weeks. These rides occur three times a week and are led by members of the riders council, comprised of 16 students that have participated in the Little 500. These rides are designed to get students with no experience acquainted with the bikes and riding.

Buying a road bike is a big commitment, with high-end bikes costing thousands of dollars, but there are many cost-effective alternatives for financially strapped students. The IUSF has a loaner bike program where students can come in and borrow a bike and go out riding. The IUSF gets 12 new bikes each year for the loaner program, and Ewing mentioned that he has known riders who have competed in the Little 500 who have never owned their own bike.

Many teams have equipment for riders to use that has been handed down from previous Little 500 alumni.

“I went out and bought a pair of riding shorts and some gloves, but that’s it,” said Bigg.
 
The Student Recreational Sports Center has many stationary bikes to train on when the weather does not permit outdoor riding. According to Ewing, SRSC has just purchased 30 new stationary bikes and next semester there will be a new class that meets at SRSC twice a week that is specifically geared for Little 500 riders.

With the IUSF and the university doing everything they can to help lessen the financial burden for student riders, the next step would be finding a team to ride with.

Finding a team

The teams in the Little 500 are divided into two main categories: independent and Greek.  According to Ewing, residence hall teams are classified as independent. Originally riders had to live in the hall they rode for, but this rule no longer applies.

“The teams usually break down into three categories,” said Ewing. “You have the teams that are trying to win the race … teams that want to be competitive but also enjoy being part of the event, and they are happy with shooting for a top 15 or a top 20, and then you have the teams that are just trying to qualify and just love to be out there on race day.”

If a rider is in a Greek house or plans to rush, finding a team takes care of itself. Many Greek riders join a house before contemplating riding in the Little 500.

“I pledged the fraternity as a freshman for social reasons and then realized that we had a pretty strong tradition of seven championships,” said David Schweer, a fourth-year rider for Phi Kappa Psi. Phi Kappa Psi finished second in the 2007 Little 500.

“I was already in my fraternity before I even had a thought of riding in the Little 500. After I watched the first race my freshman year, I decided it was something I would love to do,” said Gregory Maves, second-year rider for Delta Tau Delta.

While the Greek teams seem to dominate the landscape, they are not the only option, and the IUSF is available to help place students not in the Greek system with teams. Ewing likes to meet with first-time riders to help them find a team that will be a good fit. He will ask them about their experience, expectations and personality, and then try to find a team that will meet the rider’s competitive abilities and desires.

Training

Only 33 teams qualify for the Little 500, so training hard in the offseason is vital. Almost all teams train for at least nine months. The riders for the more competitive teams will train year ’round.

A new rider shouldn’t feel overwhelmed when training begins, wondering how to train and prepare for the race. Riders have great support systems to help them get the best results. Not only can they get advice from their teammates, but teams also have alumni coaches, student coaches and even trainers who are as focused and determined as the riders.

Ewing says it is not uncommon for a rider to train 20 hours a week, which is a heavy commitment on top of a full course load. A competitive team will train six to seven days a week, supplementing riding with weight training and other aerobic exercise.

Training begins in the fall at a slow and steady pace, building skills and endurance and getting comfortable with your team.

“The beginning of the Little 500 season is mainly base miles; getting long, easy hours on the road,” said Anna Gartner, fourth-year rider for Kappa Kappa Gamma.

“It doesn’t need to be fast, just get used to being back on the bike and enjoy it and avoid getting burnt out from it long before the actual race,” said Maves.

Teams will have optional training over winter break and return to begin heavy training in the spring semester. The spring trainings will shift the focus from long slow rides to sessions devoted to speed.

“Cycling tends to follow running in that in the beginning you need lots of miles. The closer you get to competition, the shorter and faster you try to get,” said Schweer.

When the weather turns in the spring, usually around the middle of February, the cinder track at Bill Armstrong Stadium opens for rookie riders. Rookie riders must participate in rookie week, where riders from the riders council give lessons about track riding. It can be intimidating and scary riding on the track with veteran riders whizzing by, so first-time riders are the only ones allowed on the track during rookie week. This makes it an excellent opportunity to get acquainted with exchanges and pack riding before the veterans begin their track training.
 
Track practice is the most important stage of preparation. Nothing can get a rider ready for the race better than riding in race simulations around the track.

“The race is a pretty fast event. Getting your legs to be able to spin at high RPMs will be important,” said Schweer. “So we start doing specific workouts to train our legs to accomplish this.”

Spring break is the culmination of training, said Bigg. That is when training is the most intense. Most teams go on a Little 500 vacation dedicated solely to training, so students must be prepared to forgo the usual weeklong inebriated beach party that is spring break.

After spring break, the workouts begin to taper off until the race. There are four other events that take place in the four weeks leading up to the actual Little 500: qualifications, individual time trials, Miss-N-Out and team pursuit. Gartner says these events really help a team prepare for race day.

Race day is all about execution. Hundreds of hours of training and sacrifice are focused into a little over two hours of intense excitement. The crowd now cheers for you, urging you to go faster and faster, competing for victory and a place in Little 500 history.

“Hopefully you have had a good night’s sleep,” said Schweer. “Just try and relax and have fun because this is what you have put the countless hours into.”
 
 

Fri 21 Dec 2007

… if you are in town for a week

By Maria Karapetyan
Whether you are visiting friends or family, sniffing around the town to decide if you want to study at Indiana University, or you just happen to be passing by, there are plenty of things to do, places to see and foods to try in Bloomington.
    
Bloomington is a small town with a big-city atmosphere thanks to the variety of music and art shows, international cuisines and a vibrant, welcoming social scene. You can submerge yourself into a high-power wild week in a college town, spend your week relaxing and discovering the city’s cultural life – or you can satisfy your eclectic taste by enjoying a little bit of both.
    
Here are a few Bloomington highlights from the city residents themselves

When you are hungry…

A fresh cup of coffee and in-house boiled bagels with a variety of “smears” at the Bloomington Bagel Company on Dunn Street provide an energizing way to start off a day in town. The café also offers sandwiches, salads and pastries. There are seasonal specials, such as pumpkin or cranberry and walnut bagels.

Miss your morning cereal? Cereal Barn & Peanut Butter Café provides more than 20 different cereal brand names and “freshly ground peanut butter sandwiches” as well as a friendly and relaxed atmosphere where you can read your morning newspaper or make plans for the day in the city.
 
The Uptown Café off the city’s Square offers a wide range of breakfast and brunch meals, including its specialty — cottage-cheese pancakes. You might even catch jazz music during a weekend brunch.

Looking for a quick bite, business lunch or a relaxing mid-afternoon meal? Take a walk on Fourth Street and you will come across ethnic food restaurants featuring Asian, Middle Eastern and European cuisines with lunch specials and buffets. Almost all of them are family-owned and operated, and some owners, like the one at Turkish restaurant Anatolia, wouldn’t mind sharing their recipes with you or taking you on a kitchen tour. If you are a health nut in a hurry — Bloomingfoods Market and Deli on Sixth Street is the place to get freshly made sandwiches (including vegetarian and vegan options), sushi and salads to go.
 
Trulli Flatbread, entrance on Kirkwood
Maria Karapetyan
Trulli Flatbread on Kirkwood Avenue.
After a busy day around the town, a hearty dinner is a good way to replenish your energy and/or take a break before diving into Bloomington’s nightlife. For an informal dinner, try award-winning pizza at Mother Bear’s on Third Street. If you prefer to have wine with your pizza, Trulli on Kirkwood, a restaurant specializing in flatbreads with a wide selection of local and regional wines, is a good choice. For a dinner by a fireplace in a more sophisticated setting, with a variety of meat, seafood and delicious desserts on the menu, Scholars Inn Gourmet Café & Wine Bar on College Avenue is your pick.

“For a hearty vegetarian or vegan meal, try Roots on the Square,” suggests Elizabeth Andrews, a Bloomington resident and a contributing writer for Bloom magazine.

And, of course, you can always wander back to Fourth Street to try that restaurant you walked by earlier while slowing down to catch the smells of baking bread, roasting peppers and basil.

 Museums, art galleries and such…

Both the city of Bloomington and Indiana University boast a number of museums and art galleries featuring historical, local, regional and international art collections and much more.

The School of Fine Arts Gallery at IU offers free admission to collections of contemporary American artists, including faculty and students’ works. The gallery hosts frequent lectures and tours open to the general public.

The Kinsey Institute Gallery, open on weekdays from 2 till 4 p.m., includes collections of artwork, photographs and books on the institute’s nationally renowned research on sex, gender and reproduction. The gallery often hosts temporary exhibits.
    
Bloomington residents suggest you put Oliver Winery on your list of places to go during your visit. Only a couple of miles away from the city, the winery offers free daily tasting and tours of its wine-making facilities. “The area is gorgeous, with a lake and a forest, so it’s nice to buy some wine and cheese and have a little picnic out there.  Good for showing parents and others of legal drinking age,” says Lori DesRochers, an IU student.

By Hand Gallery inside Fountain Square Mall showcases paintings, unique works made of glass, wood and clay – all by local artisans. You can browse the gallery for “one-of-a-kind” pieces of jewelry, home décor and, yes, you can also find bags and purses made of genuine leather.

If you don’t mind getting up early in the morning every now and then, check out Bloomington Farmers’ Market on Saturdays. The market is a "feast for the senses," both for serious grocery shoppers and one-time visitors, thanks to the smells of locally-grown tomatoes, smoked meat and freshly baked pastries, displays of arts and crafts and live music in the background. Farmers chat with each other and know their regular customers, and everyone else enjoys the communal atmosphere in Showers Common, at Eighth and Morton streets. The market opens every Saturday morning at 7 a.m. from April through November.  
    
“It’s very laid-back and you can just stroll around and see what’s going on.  It’s probably the best way to get to know people from Bloomington.  Also, for just a few bucks you can get a grilled sausage, a pair of tamales, or some fresh baked bread for your lunch,” says DesRochers.

Want more culture?

Explore Tibetan and Buddhist traditions at the Tibetan Mongolian Buddhist Cultural Center in the southeastern part of Bloomington. Check out the monastery, traditional Tibetan Stupas and the center’s Cultural Building, which holds a library of Tibetan books and displays the Tibetan Butter Sculpture. Every so often, His Holiness the Dalai Lama himself visits the center and gives public teachings (for a price) in Bloomington.
    
Leo R. Dowling International Center on Jordan Avenue hosts Friday Noon Concerts featuring classical, traditional and other music performances by international students and guests. Various international groups and student associations feature weekly Friday afternoon Coffee Hours at different locations on campus. Check the International Center’s website for exact locations. This is a great opportunity to learn about different cultures and sometimes hidden traditions in an informal and friendly setting, where you can ask questions and chat into the night with people from all over the world.

What about classical music?

The Indiana University Jacobs School of Music offers performances by world-class musicians all year ’round and hosts a Summer Music Festival, featuring various types of music, including early music and jazz. Famous conductors, guest artists, IU faculty and students perform during the festival. You can catch solo and ensemble recitals by faculty and students almost every evening at Ford, Auer or Recital Hall for free.
    
“The one thing I like visiting friends to do when they are here is go hear an IU School of Music recital, concert, or production, preferably an opera. The school puts on some ridiculous number of performances each year, and there are always a dozen things to see or hear every week. The best way to find out what’s going on is to look at Prelude on their website the week your friends or family are visiting,” says David Bricker, a Bloomington resident.

And when night falls…    

Monday through Saturday, the Bloomington social scene invites you to a variety of shows and specials. Here are a few picks:

MONDAY: Get a good laugh, American food and drink specials at Bear’s Place on Third Street, a national Top 10 stand-up comedy spot, as ranked by USA Today.
    
Sing to the oldies and modern hits or listen to others while they embarrass themselves or show off their musical talents at Bluebird’s karaoke night on Walnut Street.

TUESDAY: Enjoy Irish music at the Runcible Spoon, a student and city residents’ favorite eatery on Fourth Street. They serve a hearty breakfast throughout the day.
    
Catch blues jams featuring local and regional musicians at the Players Pub at no cover charge. You can get food and play pool there as well.

WEDNESDAY: Alternative music at Bear’s Place, jazz at Tutto Bene Wine Café and dancing to Appalachian fiddle at the Harmony School gymnasium on Second Street are among your choices to spend a fun evening in town.

THURSDAY: An evening of martinis at the Scholars Inn is always an option to enjoy Thursday in Bloomington. Take your pick – chocolate, apple, peach or pomegranate flavors – all at a special price. Live piano at Malibu Grill on the Square is another choice.  

FRIDAY: Named after French jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt, Café Django, an Asian fusion restaurant on Grant Street, offers live jazz performances in a cozy atmosphere.

Many other cafes, bars and restaurants that have already been mentioned also have weekend feature performances. You can check their calendar of events and guest appearances on their websites.

SATURDAY: Didn’t get a chance to sing karaoke on Monday night? Get to the Office Lounge on Third Street. You can enjoy food, drinks and a good time at this Bloomington “veteran” tavern without paying a cover charge.
    
Don’t forget to check with the Buskirk-Chumley Theater on Kirkwood Avenue for their concert series and events held on different nights each week.

Want to know more?

For more information, reviews and ideas for discovering Bloomington, check the Bloomington Visitors Center website for the calendar of events both on the IU campus and in the Bloomington community. Also, make sure to pick up free copies of Bloom magazine and IU’s Weekend listings (and, no, it is not a “student’s guide to town”).
 

Fri 21 Dec 2007

… if you want to get back to nature

By Joshua Levering

Enjoying the Great Outdoors: Balancing Bloomington city life with its natural escapes

Had enough of studying and the Bloomington bar scene? Fret not, fellow city dweller: Bloomington and the surrounding areas have a variety of natural escapes. The following outdoor activities can enhance the experience of living in a culturally active city, and more important, they offer a retreat from Bloomington’s occasionally tepid urban atmosphere.  

Whether you appreciate the peaceful solitude, the challenging adventure, or a new way of viewing nature, there is an abundance of parks and nature preserves throughout the area to cure your urban blues.

From a passive stroll through a shady, quiet city park to engaging nature from new and exhilarating heights, or mysterious depths, the natural diversity of Bloomington’s landscape showcases both ends of nature’s spectrum.
 
Where to begin…

Newcomers to the area have probably heard about the majestic beauty of Brown Country State Park or the ‘fun in the sun’ that is waiting to be had on the waters of the Lake Monroe State Reservoir. However, the lesser known gems of the natural world should not be overlooked.  

                          Joshua Levering

Click here for an interactive Bloomington City Parks map

 
Angie Smith, the natural resources coordinator for Bloomington Parks and Recreation, said, “We try to promote our lesser known parks because people tend to flock to the ones they know and love.”

Just remember, the larger parks mentioned above can be overcrowded during peak seasons and induce the feeling of being stuck in the Wal-Mart checkout line. This effect can easily be reversed by hiking through a serene forest devoid of tourists.

If you do not have the time to spend a whole day at a larger state park, Smith said “there are more than 20 miles of hiking trails in our parks around the community and an old growth forest [Latimer Woods] right behind the mall.”

Some residents forget about these nearby nature areas.  “Sometimes just taking a walk down the street can get you back to nature,” Smith said.

The City of Bloomington Parks and Recreation Department does a tremendous job of keeping its parks clean and preserved for its citizens. In fact, the department’s website proudly states that earlier this year its efforts were “honored with the highest recognition an agency can receive when it was presented with the Gold Medal Award for Excellence in Park and Recreation Management by the National Recreation and Park Association.”  

Bloomington’s Parks and Recreation Department is responsible for maintaining and overseeing operations for nearly 30 city parks and nature preserves. Most of these are city parks that contain playgrounds, basketball courts, shelter houses, and hiking trails. However, there are a few areas outside the developed city that are merely overseen by the department and require little interaction, offering a true escape from the noisy city.
 
                        Joshua Levering
Waterfall at Leonard Springs Nature Park.
Leonard Springs Nature Park is about four miles southwest of the city and is more than 90 acres of wooded, natural environment.  The park is home to two natural springs, a wetlands area, rock formations, small caves, and a dense forest. This nature park offers miles of trails for hiking pleasure and is a great place to find personal solitude and freedom from your daily duties. It is likely to hike here and not encounter another human being.

If you do not want to leave the city, there is a 10-acre plot of old-growth forest named Latimer Woods with a short hiking trail nestled behind the College Mall. This area is being preserved for hiking and educational purposes, and based on the age of the large trees, it is like taking a step back in time.

Lake Lemon and Riddle Point Park, off Highway 45 in the northeast portion of Monroe County, offer a public beach, picnic areas, fishing, nature trails, and many educational nature demonstrations. There is also a great bird watching preserve, Little Africa, located within the park.

“It is important for the public to gain an appreciation for our natural resources,” said Scott McWhorter, lake biologist for the Lake Lemon Conservancy District. He also cautioned about the overcrowded effects of the larger parks in the area “Wildlife flee at the presence of too many people … some larger parks have been made to be convenient for people but discouraging for wildlife.”

In order to obtain a rewarding view of wildlife, McWhorter said, “come to Lake Lemon early in the morning when there is less disturbance. … Bald eagles, Canada geese, beavers, and white tailed deer can be easily spotted.”
 
With a little help from my friends …

If you desire to get away and soak up the natural beauty of the area but lack the motivation, there are several groups that are willing to get you motivated and excited about outdoor recreation.

For starters, Indiana University Outdoor Adventures, based in the Indiana Memorial Union, gets students and faculty involved in a wide variety of excursions.  Supervised trips range from daily to weeklong adventures and incorporate activities such as hiking, rock climbing, canoeing, kayaking, and backpacking trips.

David Calvin is the program coordinator for IU Outdoor Adventures (IUOA) and also teaches at the School of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation and the Department of Recreation and Park Administration at Indiana University.  Calvin said, “Students are usually hesitant to try something new in the outdoors … but afterwards almost everyone is happy with their experiences.”

IUOA focuses on getting students out of the classroom to learn about their environments and their own abilities with firsthand experiences in the wild.

“I enjoyed being pushed past my comfort zone. … I never would have imagined that I could survive three days without showering,” said IU junior Michelle Crouch.

HIKING ESSENTIALS
 
- Comfortable Boots/Shoes
- Light clothing, wear layers
- Water, juice, sports drinks
- Mixed nuts, granola bars, dry cereal
- Hard candy (I prefer Jolly Ranchers)
- Sunglasses, Hat
- Most Important - Allow       yourself to enjoy the hike!!!
Another local group, Bloomington Hikers, is an informal group that sets up hikes for all abilities and ages every weekend regardless of rain, sleet, or snow. In fact, wind is the only factor for consideration when cancelling a hike because of the danger of falling tree limbs. The hikes are led by a variety of experienced trail leaders, including Fred Hamson, who also volunteers with the Hoosier Hikers Council.  

“The weekend hikes are very relaxed and aimed at getting individuals in the Bloomington community excited about their environment. … It is a great way to start your weekend and clear your mind from the busy schedules of the work week,” Hamson said.

Who doesn’t need this after a long week of studying, typing papers, or being cooped up in an office cubicle?

For those interested in a more intense approach for fleeing the city and discovering the wonders of nature, there are some very exciting options in the Bloomington area.

The Wapehani Mountain Bike Park is south of Second Street on Weimer Road.  The secluded 43-acre patch of woods has roughly five miles of dirt trails for your mountain biking pleasure.  Wapehani was established in 1990 and is also the first mountain bike park in the state.
 
Need a new perspective on nature?
 
If you are comfortable with extreme heights, Vencel Balloons, Inc. is an advertising company that also uses its hot-air balloons for flight tours over the dense forests of Monroe and Brown counties. Flight tourists are given a view of the natural world that few will ever experience.  The balloon tours run from March through December on the weekends and cost about $200 per person.

Photo courtesy of Boilerblues.com
            Photo courtesy of Boilerblues.com
Hoosier National Forest in autumn.
A representative from Vencel said, “The price might make it costly for the average student, but don’t forget us on your birthday or at Christmas time. … The sights during the autumn season are unbelievable.”

If braving the heights above Bloomington is not your idea of a fun or relaxing time, then consider going underground with Bluespring Caverns Boat Tours. Located in nearby Bedford, the tour takes you on an expedition of America’s longest underground river as you glide through subterranean caverns and witness rare species of blind fish native only to these caverns. 
 
With a wide variety of natural adventures to explore, the Bloomington area is unique. Whether you enjoy a leisurely stroll in a well-kept city park, a jostling mountain bike ride through the rolling, wooded hills, or an airborne tour of Monroe County’s vibrant forests, there is always something to take you away from the hectic city.

Smith emphasized the importance of “having places to get back to reality and harmonize with nature” as a vital piece of living a healthy life.  “As more people realize the resources right around the corner, they’ll be able to get back to nature and away from their computer and television screens,” said Smith.

So remember, when the concrete jungle and obnoxious pedestrians of the city begin to annoy you, look for a natural retreat and enjoy Bloomington’s beautiful and plentiful outdoor getaways.
 

Fri 21 Dec 2007

… if you identify with the GLBT community

By Abby Tonsing
flag

 
New in Bloomington and identify with the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community? Wondering what the state of Indiana can possibly offer its GLBT citizens?
 
Fear not. Bloomington’s actually considered a friendly hub in the Midwest for the queer community. Traveling to Indianapolis, Chicago or even Columbus, Ohio isn’t necessary to meet new people, discover new resources, find plenty of fun and become an active member of Bloomington’s GLBT community.
 
Still skeptical?
 
The July/August 2005 issue of “The Out Traveler” magazine reported, “Whether you’re gay, straight, or somewhere in between, Bloomington offers something rarely found in this country: a small town with a bold history of openness and acceptance.” 
 
Start your queer quest on campus
 
For those on campus, a good start to discovering Bloomington’s GLBT community and resources might be to stop by Indiana University’s Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Student Support Services at 705 E. Seventh St. The office operates from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, but is closed during the university’s observed holidays and days off.
 
The office’s mission is to “… provide information, support, mentoring, and counseling to members of the IU campus and the larger community. We seek to do that through networking, collaborating, education, and outreach in an attempt to create a climate where all members of the community are encouraged to promote and defend diversity.”
 
The GLBT SSS office also offers a GLBT library, complete with more than 3,000 books, periodicals, CDs, movies and other materials to facilitate research and entertainment.
 
According to the library’s Web site, the library’s materials have been reorganized and reclassified. Books are now organized by subject, and are further subdivided into gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender categories.
 
Fiction books are also categorized by genre, and bisexual and transgender literature now have their own categories.
 
For those struggling through the coming out process, stressing out with school or searching for a sympathetic ear, the GLBT SSS office houses a counseling services center, the Counselor’s Corner.
 
Practicum and intern counselor John Loveland conducts intake sessions for those seeking individual, couples or group counseling. From there, regular appointments are scheduled and counseling is formulated to suit each client’s individual health needs.
 
Whereas the GLBT counseling services are available to anyone, priority goes to IU students, explained Loveland, who often has a waitlist for his services. In the instance of a long waitlist, those interested in counseling are referred to other counseling options. Counseling at the GLBT SSS is free.
 
“Counseling at the GLBT office is first and foremost GLBT friendly,” Loveland said. “There are a great number of resources at our fingertips … that allow myself to provide up-to-date, accurate, and well-researched information to clients, as well as create a general atmosphere of acceptance. I am also able to offer specialized perspectives on issues that are culturally sensitive to the unique issues of the GLBT community…”
 
Further expanding on the queer community in Bloomington, GLBT SSS schedules social events and programming and sponsors student groups.
 
Past events include visits from comedian Margaret Cho and Olympic diver Greg Louganis.
 
GLBT SSS sponsors the following active campus groups: Bi-Chat, Queerying Gender, Crossroads, Girls Like Us, the Hoosier Rights Campaign, OUT and the Lambda Law Society.
 
The office also houses celebrations for National Coming Out Day on Oct. 11 each year.
 
Follow the rainbow to a pint of beer
uncle e's taps
Abby Tonsing
          Some of the many beers patrons can sample at
      Uncle Elizabeth’s.     
.

Moving away from campus, for thirsty members of the GLBT community and its allies, there’s only one gay bar left in town. In the last two years, all of the other gay bars in town, including Bullwinkle’s, Willie Joe’s and The Other Bar, have closed their doors. Only one remains, slinging drinks out and proud, Uncle Elizabeth’s.
 
Open every day of the year except Christmas, Uncle Elizabeth’s is a full-service bar, offering eight beers on tap, 25 different bottled beers, wine and liquor. Uncle Elizabeth’s offers drink specials five days a week, excluding Fridays and Saturdays.
 
The bar is open from 4 p.m. to 3 a.m. Monday through Saturday. On Sundays, it’s open from 2 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. Uncle Elizabeth’s can be reached at 812-331-0060.
 
Steve Keith opened Uncle Elizabeth’s, 502 N. Morton St., more than 10 years ago.
 
“At the time people were saying how much Bloomington really needed another bar. … It’s good for the community,” Keith said of his reasons for opening a gay bar.
 
When Keith, formerly in the jewelry business, purchased a liquor license and opened his bar, there were two other gay bars in town. Now, Keith’s business is the last gay bar standing.
 
For local sports fans, Keith notes that IU basketball games and Indianapolis Colts football games are featured on the bar’s big screen television.
 
Uncle Elizabeth’s gets a significant amount of traffic from out-of-town visitors as well, thanks to listings in guides from the Damorn Company, which has published GLBT travel books and other periodicals since 1964.
 
“Lately, they’ve been shocked that there’s only one bar,” Keith said of out-of-town patrons visiting Bloomington. “Usually they come in and they find it very comfortable, very homey. Almost everyone says it reminds them of a bar from home.”
 
Homey appears to be an appropriate way to describe the décor of Uncle Elizabeth’s. Pictures of pop culture icons, like Marilyn Monroe, hang on the wood paneled interior. The cozy bar seats 10. 
 
hangin
Abby Tonsing
Friends Ben Tokarski, 27, Katie Bowman,  26, and Liz Campbell-Rike, 35, enjoy beers and a good laugh at Uncle Elizabeth’s.
In spring 2008, Keith plans to move Uncle Elizabeth’s to a new, larger location, to accommodate patrons with a spacious dance floor. In the proposed new building twice the size of the bar’s current location, Keith also hopes to start hosting drag shows.
 
Regardless of the upcoming move, the original mission statement of Uncle Elizabeth’s will remain the same:
 
“From day one, we’ve always said that everybody’s welcome here – men, women, gay, straight, bisexual, in-between, questioning, confused, you know, pick one. Everybody’s welcome. We just demand that everybody respect everybody else,” Keith said.
 
IU art student Eric Durhan, 22, agrees with the sentiment that all are welcome at Uncle Elizabeth’s.
 
“What I like about Uncle Elizabeth’s is that everyone’s welcome. I’ve never seen anyone not enjoying themselves there, gay or straight,” Durhan said. Durhan plans to graduate in December with the bachelor in fine arts degree.
 
Ladies, strike new friendship with SPARKS
 
For lesbians looking to mingle with other women in the spirit of bowling fun and holiday festivity, look no further than the SPARKS group.
 
Organized in the summer of 1988 by Carolyn VandeWiele and a group of friends, the SPARKS group at its height consisted of more than 100 members.
 
The group used to host an annual Valentine’s Day dance, a Halloween party and a softball league. The group also used to gather several times a year for informative sessions on issues facing the lesbian community, such as financial planning and legal assistance. Now, SPARKS is more of a social networking group for professional lesbians.
 
Whereas a lot of the SPARKS social events have fallen by the wayside because of busy schedules, the group still hosts its annual holiday dinner and a bowling league.
 
“For a while, things were kind of dead on the social scene for the nonbar crowd, but things seem to be picking up again,” VandeWiele said. “These things often run in cycles.”
 
Consisting of about 40 women, the SPARKS bowling league is now in its 15th year. Bowlers hit the lanes for two eight-week sessions, starting in October and ending in March.
 
The 20th annual SPARKS holiday dinner for lesbians and their friends was slated for Monday, Dec. 10, at Affairs of the Sun Catering at 111 W. Fourth St.
 
VandeWiele can be contacted at blueroom1@insightbb.com or 812-320-9920.
 
Be out on the airwaves with "bloomingOUT"
Abby Tonsing
Host of "bloomingOUT" Helen Harrell and Victor Kinzer sift through the show’s news.
 
VandeWiele, as president of the board at community radio station WFHB-FM, would certainly point members of the GLBT community to “bloomingOUT,” the state’s only radio show that specifically addresses GLBT issues.
 
Hosted by Helen Harrell, co-founder of the Bloomington chapter of Pride at Work, and Victor Kinzer, who works at the GLBT SSS library, the radio show airs weekly from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursdays.
 
On the local radio dial, WFHB’s “bloomingOUT” can be found at 91.3 FM and 98.1 FM in Bloomington, 100.7 FM in Nashville and 106.3 FM in Ellettsville. WFHB also streams live online at www.wfhb.org.
 
Show segments include Queer His/Herstory, Critical Inqueery, Transformation Station, The Bi Connection and The Heart of Polyamory, among others. The radio show also features interviews, live music performances and a calendar of events.
 
WFHB News Director Chad Carrothers explains “bloomingOUT” is a crucial component of the station’s programming:
 
"When WFHB launched its local news initiative five years ago a GLBT public affairs show was at the top of my list. I created ‘bloomingOUT’ to fill a clear need in the community. The Bloomington Beacon gay newspaper had folded and there was a void, a deafening silence of voices from the queer community, a complete lack of media access for this segment of the population. The late beloved IU Chancellor Herman B. Wells once said that WFHB helps different segments of our community learn about each other and grow, and ‘bloomingOUT’ perfectly embraces this philosophy of open dialogue. It’s empowering."
 
WFHB Station Manager Markus Lowe expands on Carrothers’ points.
 
“I think the show is great from an informational and educational standpoint. Simply getting the word out to people on where those in the gay community can go for events, [information] sessions, lectures … is a very important function. Some people just don’t know where to go or how to get involved, and they remain isolated. ‘bloomingOUT’ provides the information that is relevant and necessary to maintain a healthy gay community, free from fear, stigma and oppression.”
 
Considering that “bloomingOUT” is spearheaded by volunteers at the community radio station, there are plenty of volunteer opportunities available to assist the show.
 
“bloomingOUT” is currently seeking a board operator, correspondent, segment producer, music director, marketing director, underwriting director and archivist. IU students can receive internship credits for their volunteer work at the station.
 
For even more GLBT community events in Bloomington, check out the Web site
www.visitgaybloomington.com.
 
At this site, IU’s GLBT Alumni Association and the annual PRIDE Film Festival, among other attractions, are highlighted.
 
Get out. Be proud. And explore all Bloomington has to offer the GLBT community.
 

Fri 21 Dec 2007

… if you are a wine virgin

By Emily Wilson
Courtesy of oliverwinery.com
Do you like beef ‘n cheddars or baked salmon?  If you are curious what type of wine you might like, this is a key question you should ask yourself.

“Compare it to food — what kind of food they like tells a lot,” says Bobby Wallace, corporate wine director of Big Red Liquors in Bloomington.

Jose Zayas, a 23-year-old musician, started to enjoy wine because he loves to cook.  The first time he tried wine it wasn’t that great, he says, but he’s kept at it. Now, he even collects dessert wines.

“There are so many varieties, so wine can go with any meal,” Zayas says.
 
No cork necessary

Wine is an alcohol made from fermented grapes and has long had a haughty reputation. The wine industry has cultivated a pompous attitude, Wallace says.

Essentially, wine drinkers seem a bit stuffy.  With websites like winespectator.com, where most people featured on the site are over 40, it’s understandable that younger generations might feel more comfortable with a bottle of Budweiser than a bottle of 1997 vintage port.

However, Wallace wants to change wine’s conceited image.

“We try to make people comfortable.  For some reason there’s a stigma that you should know everything about wine when you walk in the store,” Wallace says.
 
For those afraid of corkscrews, there are new screw-cap options (and the ever-popular wine in a box) that keep wine just as fresh and delicious, but are user friendly.
 
At Big Red, you don’t have to lift a finger to find the wine of your dreams. All you have to do is answer a couple of questions.

“We can guess a palate,” says Bobby DerOhanian, wine manager at Big Red Liquors.

But do you have to spend 30 bucks on one bottle?  No, it’s easy to enjoy fine wine on a tight budget. There are plenty of great wines under $10, DerOhanian says.

Wallace just wants wine to be more approachable. Big Red does free wine tastings every Saturday from 12-5 p.m., and it even has a new system in the works that will allow it to serve wine on tap. Take that, beer drinkers.

While Big Red offers an astounding variety of wines from Australian Sauvignon Blanc to French Burgundy, Bloomington’s own Oliver Winery specializes in good ol’ Hoosier libations.
 
The local buzz

The winery offers an impressive collection of wines all made on location at its property off of State Road 37. 

“Indiana isn’t typically thought of as wine country, but we can grow some pretty great wines out here,” says Amanda Lemasters, a shift manager at Oliver Winery.

Inside the rustic wine shop, Lemasters gives daily wine tastings.  At only 23 years old, she has quickly learned the ins and outs of the wine business after taking a job at Oliver Winery two years ago.
 
“As I started working around wines I became more interested in learning about them.  It’s fun!” she says.

Like the guys at Big Red, Lemasters will walk you through the wine-tasting process.  She carefully explains the five “S”s: see, swirl, smell, sip and savor.
 
Then, she says that wine tastings start with dry wines and end with sweet wines.

With the drier wines, Lemasters uses words like “fruit forward.” These are just fancy ways of saying that a wine’s flavor mimics the taste of certain fruits. The sweeter wines she compares to candy. The 2006 Catawba, a wine made of grapes from the Oliver vineyard, tastes like Jolly Ranchers, she says. The Soft Red tastes like Welch’s grape juice — with a kick.  None of that really matters, though.

“When people are talking about what’s in the wine, it’s all really relative. It just helps differentiate the types of wines. Everyone picks up different things,” says Lemasters.

Dry wines might be the primo choice for many wine aficionados, but sweeter wines are crowd favorites. In Indiana, the top three selling wines are all sweet wines that come from Oliver: the Soft Red, followed by the Soft Rosé, and then the Soft White.  

Lemasters figures that sweet wines are more popular because growing up people tend to drink syrupy sodas and eat loads of candy. It’s easier to gravitate toward sweeter wines because “that’s what we grew up with.”

Allegra Montanari, 19, is just that type of person.  She rarely drinks wine except sometimes when at home with her parents, and when she does partake she prefers sweet, red wines.

“I like the pungency of red wine and I like it sweet because I think it should be sipped. I can’t drink wine with meals yet,” she says.
 
A drink a day keeps the doctor away

If you are still unimpressed by wine, consider its health benefits.
For Your Information
 
Wineries
 
Oliver Winery
8024 N. State Road 37
Bloomington, IN 47404
(812) 876-5800 or (800) 25-TASTE
 
Butler Winery
6200 E. Robinson Road
Bloomington, IN 47408
(812) 332-6660
 
Liquor Stores
 
Big Red Liquors
418 North College Avenue
(812) 339-7345
 
Wine Bars
 
Tutto Bene
213 South Rogers Street
Bloomington, IN 47404
(812) 330-1060
 
Scholar’s Inn
717 North College Avenue
Bloomington, IN 47404
(812) 332-1892 or (800) 765-3466


A glass of wine a day “has been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease, certain cancers and slow the progression of neurological degenerative disorders like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Disease,” according to Joy Bauer, a registered dietician and contributor to Today on NBC.

In her article “Raise a glass! Wine’s health benefits,” Bauer also emphasizes that moderation is key in order to enjoy the health benefits of wine. Men should not have more than two glasses of wine per day. And, sorry, women, you cannot have more than one glass a day.  

And if you want to see a difference in your heart, don’t reach for the white wine. Red wines have a higher level of reservatrol, a phyto-chemical, which helps thin the blood and prevent plaque from clogging arteries.

Lemasters is excited about wine’s health benefits and wants more twenty-somethings to discover wine.

Before she began working at Oliver, Lemasters was a beer drinker. Then she liked sweet wines. Now, she has a broad appreciation for all wines and understands why people might be nervous about trying wine for the first time.

“People are apprehensive who don’t know anything about wine. I really like those kinds of customers. I like to introduce people to wine. It’s a clean slate, like snow that’s never been walked on,” she says.

Essentially, all you need in order to become a wine enthusiast is to try it — and find someone who knows something about it.

“If you have an open mind then it’s almost impossible to not find a wine they would like,” she says.
 
 
A Quick Taste of Wine Terms
 
  
BOUQUET
Near synonym for "aroma". Term generally restricted to description of odors from poured bottled wines.		 HERBACEOUS
Adjective used in description of wine with taste and aroma of herbs, (usually undefined).
CRISP
Wine has definite but pleasing tartness, acidity. Generally used to describe white wines only.		 OXIDIZED
Powerful, attack aroma. Usually denotes high level of acidity, alcohol and/or other flavor faults.
CORKED
Wine has unpleasant taste/smell. Reason is thought to be chemical changes in the wine caused by inadequately sterilized cork stopper inserted at bottling source.
 
 
 
 
  Courtesy of www.vino.com
 
                                                                                 
                                                      
 

Fri 21 Dec 2007

… if you want to be on the radio

By January Jones
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Some days you show up at WFHB to discover something you didn’t know you needed. That’s actually why I started volunteering there. I needed more music.
 
I really have never been able to afford my music consumption habits. I also have never been one to download music. I am afraid The Man will get me. But, one day in the spring of 2004 I walked in the studio downtown on Fourth Street and signed up for the "Mixology" class. I was scared. I didn’t know anyone there, but I had this need.

I remember discovering WFHB on the radio dial in my concrete block dorm room in 1997. Slightly fuzzy, but cool music poured from the speakers — if I didn’t move the dial too far. At the time I never thought I wanted to be on the radio.

But if I had wanted to, I could have gone to community radio station WFHB or the Indiana University student radio station, WIUX.  So if you want to be on the radio in Bloomington, there are actually options. That makes this town unique. We have vibrant, community based media that rely on people for support and participation.
 
WFHB was the first community radio station in Indiana. The station was founded in 1975, but didn’t make it to the airwaves until 1993. That’s how hard it is to start a grass-roots, nonprofit, noncommercial radio station. Now people can just walk in and become part of an accepting and diverse radio community.
 
It takes more than 200 volunteers to keep the station running 24 hours, 7 days a week. What you hear on-air is only a fraction of the work that it takes to produce radio. You can get involved even if you cringe at the sound of your own voice. There are only four paid staff positions, so they need volunteers for everything from the board of directors to answering the phones.

WFHB News Director Chad Carrothers says WFHB is always accepting fresh faces and new voices. Community radio allows anyone to get involved. Some of the volunteers are students from IU who receive credit for their work. But he says the majority are "…regular folks with no prior broadcasting experience." Carrothers says, "WFHB puts the public in pubic radio. Literally."
WFHB’s Chad Carrothers and daily local news anchor Scott Weddle work out a miscommunication.

Since starting the news department at WFHB, Carrothers has increased the public affairs programing substantially. Today, the station has dedicated primetime programs for Hispanic residents, the African-American community and the GLBT community. The station airs important meetings and lectures in edited versions on "Standing Room Only." They do in-depth coverage during local elections, exploring the candidates and issues.
 
Carrothers believes community radio is really about political and cultural empowerment. He says, "Our model of operation shatters the glass wall that traditionally separated passive consumers from those who control the airwaves. We are grounded in the assertion that publically owned airwaves should be controlled by the public."

He says new volunteers are sometimes shocked at just how real the experience at WFHB is. "We put volunteers directly into the field as reporters and producers. Nobody fetches coffee or makes copies. Within days or even hours they realize that community radio is an effective tool for making a difference in the world or just in our own backyard. It’s empowering."

Catie Kosinski volunteered at WFHB as a desk jockey when she was in high school. After a stint on college radio in Greencastle, Indiana, she came back to WFHB and Bloomington. She now has two shows at the station and is a "super sub," picking up on-air shifts when needed. She says, "It’s easy to take community radio for granted, but its services to the community can’t really be measured in quantifiable ways."
 
She agrees with Carrothers about radio’s empowerment potential. "Radio inspires, educates, and influences change." She believes in the station’s mission to create community dialogues. "Everyone, regardless of cultural background, socioeconomic status, race, gender, whatever,  has something to say and something to add to the community."

She says beyond her love of music, she wanted to be on the radio again to do something positive with her dad. "He got divorced a few years ago, and I wanted to spend more time doing father/daughter things with him. He was influential in my love of jazz music and there was a jazz show in need of a DJ at the time." Recently, her 80-year-old grandpa came to see her at the station. "He got to hear two of my shows. I got to say hello to him over the air." The experience of radio has created a new way for Kosinski to be close to her family. "I didn’t play sports and wasn’t involved in team activities, but being on the radio gives me something to share."
 
Eleanor Lissitzyn spent most of her summer at WFHB in the 12-by-8-foot room the news department calls home.
Eleanor Lissitzyn is an undergrad at IU. She had never worked with WIUX student radio, but got involved with WFHB through a service learning course. She has stayed involved because she loves the environment and variety of people. Lissitzyn is also "really grateful for the experience. As a journalism major, it is great to come in, write a story, and get it aired on the radio that night." She says it has also helped her feel like she is part of the community, not just a student passing through. "I didn’t start at WFHB wanting to be on the radio. Now, I love the medium."

Station manager for WIUX Craig Shank loves radio because it is "an integral part of life." He says, "Radio, at its heart, is really two things: immediate and local." He believes that noncommericial radio like WIUX and WFHB "provides audiences with unique content that is free of advertising and is a real experience — rather than just something to put on in the background." Each semester WIUX has a call-out meeting. Interested students fill out applications about their availability, experience and musical program interests. Shank and station board members create a new schedule, matching up students with on-air needs.
 
"At this point, we have roughly 100 applicants every year," he says.

Thousands of students have been involved since the first incarnation of IU student radio in 1962. He says WIUX has changed his life. "I have no idea what I would be doing if it weren’t for the station. I have met some amazing people. …"

Ph.D. student Paul Rohwer is a wannabe. He has never done anything on the radio but wants a show on WIUX for his last semester of school. "I wanna share the music I love to the outer limits of Bloomingtonian rock. According to WIUX, that’s a 15-mile radius, plus the Internet."