Sarah and Angela are back for their final season of IIOIIR. This time, they’ll focus on everything surrounding building your career as a young journalist. Join us for a season full of tips and discussions about how to succeed in this rapidly changing industry. Click here to stream this episode of “Is It OK If I Record?” on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or the streaming platform of your choice. Music: Honey Bee by Kevin MacLeod Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

When my inexperienced mind approaches the art form of opera, I think of the music from “Carmen,” a mysterious masked man singing from the depths of a theatre and that one episode of “SpongeBob” where he turns out to be an opera prodigy. Opera, only due to my lack of exposure, has never seemed to me a medium in which to tell modern stories. Last night, Jonathan Dove & April De Angelis’ new work “Flight” attempted to prove this uninformed theory wrong.

Relatable Setting and Ambitious Story

The show opens on a nearly empty airplane terminal. An expertly crafted set completely captures the empty and uncomfortable feeling you get from a nearly vacant airport at the break of dawn. On the stage are the Airport Controller (Abigail Rethwisch) and the Refugee (John Holiday). The latter has been living at the airport for weeks now avoiding the cold and unforgiving Immigration Officer (Seth Keeton).

As the narrative continues, it follows the interactions between seven strangers who are each anticipating impending adventures. Unfortunately, as is so common with air travel, a storm begins to brew and the strangers find themselves stranded and unable to travel. “Flight” ambitiously tried to tell each of these characters’ stories. Childbirth, abandonment, sexual exploration and secrecy are all explored throughout the production.

However, due to this ambition, much of the story felt flat and repetitive. The issues of the characters, while inherently interesting, were not individually given enough focus to really explore anything of actual depth. With a run time of two hours and forty minutes, not including two twenty-minute intermissions, this flat storyline caused for a long night.

Carried by the Cast

It must be addressed that the vocal talent and ability produced by the cast was no short of phenomenal. Each of their voices were undeniably power and beautiful. “Flight” was at its absolute best when the entire cast would harmonize together and generate music that sent chills up my spine. I wish their talent was matched by their written character arcs, which unfortunately just did not do it for me. I would love to see this same cast in a show with a more compelling narrative.

It appeared I was not alone in this sentiment. During intermissions the audience began to thin as folks exited, unwilling to continue their journey with “Flight.” Three hours of opera is not for the faint hearted. Still, “Flight” housed some truly beautiful moments. These moments may have been sprinkled in between a lot of shallow mundanities, but they were beautiful nonetheless. An infinitely talented cast carried what felt like an unremarkable story and gave “Flight” something to stick around for.

As the curtain closed, I was unsure if opera is the proper medium to tell a story of multiple worlds colliding as ambitious as this one. However, “Flight” did spark a curiosity in the stories the form can tell. If you’ve got plenty of air-miles, “Flight” is a journey worth taking. But, if you’re saving them up for something special, it may be best to let this one pass you by.

More information about “Flight” performances dates and tickets can be found here.

luke.jackson@dailyutahchronicle.com

@__lukejackson

The post ‘Flight’ is an Ambitious Opera That Sparks Curiosity in the Medium appeared first on The Daily Utah Chronicle.

The No. 8 Gophers men’s hockey team’s comeback fell short in a 3-2 loss against Alaska Saturday night in a physical, heavy-hitting contest. Alaska split the series and snapped Minnesota’s three-game winning streak to open up the new year.

“[I’m] really disappointed in our group tonight, especially the upperclassmen. One line was minus three,” Gophers head coach Bob Motzko said. “We were conveniently good when it was convenient for us tonight…we chased the game, and we deserved to lose.”

Referring to Motzko’s disappointment in his upperclassmen, the Blake McLaughlin-Sammy Walker-Bryce Brodzinski line was on the ice for all of Alaska’s goals in Saturday’s contest.

As the Gophers (13-9) attempted to mount a late, third-period comeback, McLaughlin received a five-minute major and game misconduct for cross-checking an Alaska player behind the Nanooks’ net with 6:58 remaining in the game to erase Minnesota’s power play.

Then, Alaska took another penalty with 6:17 remaining to give the Gophers a 4-3 opportunity for 15 seconds. Minnesota couldn’t convert, and then they spent most of the remaining time of the game killing the rest of McLaughlin’s major penalty.

“We had some freshmen that were going like heck, and we got some, but we have to have everybody committed to that,” Motzko said. “Bad penalty at the end.”

Although Minnesota dominated most of the game, Alaska was opportunistic and capitalized on scoring chances.

The Nanooks opened up the scoring just 59 seconds into the game. Filip Fornaa Svensson found himself all alone in front of the Gophers’ net and buried a backhander over junior goaltender Justen Close’s right shoulder, who was left out to dry.

As the second period got underway, the Gophers started to push back. McLaughlin worked his way to the left circle and fired the puck into the upper left corner of Alaska’s net to tie the game at 1-1 5:43 into the period after junior Matt Staudacher sprung a bank pass to him up ice.

But the Nanooks had a quick opportunistic answer. Just 13 seconds after McLaughlin’s equalizer, the Gophers turned the puck over in their defensive zone, and Brayden Nicholetts made them pay to put Alaska back in the lead at 2-1.
Minnesota outshot the Nanooks 12-6 in the second period but could not execute any opportunities, and then Alaska’s Markus Komuls extended their lead to 3-1 with 2:02 remaining.

“Our defenseman makes an up the gut pass, turns it over, and we’re down 2-1,” Motzko said. “We had a really poor back check. A simple hockey back check. We don’t do [it] right, and it’s 3-1.”

The Gophers got off to an early start in the third period as it only took them 18 seconds to cut into Alaska’s lead.

Freshman Chaz Lucius buried his eighth goal of the season after gathering a loose puck in front of Alaska’s goal after junior Jackson LaCombe shot the puck on the net.

In the stunning loss, Minnesota’s powerplay struggled Saturday, going 0-7, while not converting any power plays throughout the entire weekend as they went a collective 0-10.

Minnesota’s offensive attack was led by freshman Matthew Knies, who recorded a team-high seven shots on goal and assisted on Lucius’ goal. He was everywhere on the ice but could not capitalize on any of his chances.

“He [Knies] plays hard, he plays the right way, and he’s super consistent,” Lucius said of his “nine” line linemate. “You know what you’re going to get out of him.”

Knies, the Phoenix, Ariz. native, ranks second on the Gophers in points with 22 (eight goals, 14 assists).

Nanooks’ goaltender Gustavs Grigals made 36 saves in Alaska’s victory with a .947 save percentage.

“He was excellent tonight, ” Close said. “He was very active, and he battled, and he gave them a chance, and obviously they took it.”

As the final buzzer sounded at the end of the physical game, there was a big scrum, and the referees handed out a bunch of penalties as there was a collective 84 penalty minutes between the two teams.

Minnesota hosts Michigan (18-6-1) on Friday, Jan. 21, at 8 p.m., and Saturday, Jan. 22, at 6:30 p.m. as the Gophers search to take back first place in the Big Ten standings.

The University of Utah men’s basketball team dropped a road matchup with the Arizona Wildcats on Saturday evening. Utah competed with the No. 6 ranked team in the nation for much of the night, but ultimately ran out of gas in the second half to fall to 1-6 in conference play. They’re 8-9 on the season, the first time they’ve been below .500 overall.

Utah kept pace with the Wildcats throughout the first half, keeping a lead until right before halftime. Arizona looked sloppy without point guard Kerr Kriisa, who missed the game. The Utes controlled the pace of the game, slowing down the Wildcats offense and playing heavily in the halfcourt. Arizona sped it up to close the half, and that’s also how their lead ballooned in the second.

“I thought we played really really well in the first half and early in the second half,” said head coach Craig Smith. “I thought they wore us down … I thought we got better this week, I thought we got better tonight … we gave ourselves some chances.”

Utah was without Branden Carlson yet again, which has been a theme this season. Carlson has been in and out of the lineup with a variety of injuries and illnesses, this time after an appendectomy last week. Carlson’s defense was missed, with Arizona getting a lot of easy cuts to the basket for dunks and layups. That was how they made their comeback before halftime.

Utah ended up getting blitzed down the stretch of the second half. They didn’t have enough to keep up with Arizona after they were able to get it going. The offense didn’t get enough cooking and the defense couldn’t keep up with the potent attack. They gave themselves some confidence with the way they played early, but nothing much else.

Utah is in the middle of the toughest stretch of their season. They’ll face Arizona State on Monday in a game that was rescheduled following COVID-19 issues with the Sun Devils. That compresses an already brutal stretch of games into even fewer days. Utah returns home next weekend to face UCLA and USC, who are both top-10 squads.

“It’s a big boy basketball league,” Smith said.

Big boy basketball indeed. Utah desperately needs a win after dropping their fifth in a row tonight. The Pac-12 is no joke, and the Utes have to get themselves back on the right foot if they want to have any hope of competing. This team has talent, but it hasn’t quite gelled to this point in the year with all they’ve had to deal with. They’re without Carlson for the time being, but that’s no excuse. It’s the hardest schedule they’ll have this season, now it’s time to rise to the challenge.

In more positive news, Utah picked up a commitment from Wilguens Exacte Jr., which he announced on his Instagram during the game. He’s listed at six-foot-five and originally from Canada. He’s been playing for the NBA Academy Latin America and will join the Utes next season.

Utah is back in action on Monday against the Arizona State Sun Devils.

e.pearce@dailyutahchronicle.com

@e_pearce_

@splashcitynba

The post Utah Can’t Keep Up With No. 6 Wildcats, Lose Fifth in a Row appeared first on The Daily Utah Chronicle.

Kyler Edwards had a career high of 29 points in Saturday night’s win over Tulsa, he had seven threes in the process. | Sean Thomas/The Cougar

No. 11 Houston held off Tulsa 66-64 on the road in Oklahoma Saturday night inside the Donald W. Reynolds Center behind a career high 29 points from senior guard Kyler Edwards.

The Cougars struggled to find the basket early, connecting on just two of their first eight shots from the field with both coming from graduate forward Josh Carlton who also had three rebounds in the first four minutes.

Just over four minutes, sophomore guard Jamal Shead had to exit the game after appearing to have rolled his right ankle. He would not return in the contest.

After the stop in play, UH went on a quick 10-0 run ignited by a pair of 3-pointers from Edwards to go up 17-5 about halfway through the first half.

The Golden Hurricane found its rhythm after the big run by the Cougars, scoring three straight baskets to cut the lead in half on a quick 6-0 run while UH went ice cold from the field.

After five missed baskets in a row, the four and a half minute dry spell for the Cougars was finally ended by Edwards, who knocked down his third 3-pointer of the night, but Tulsa immediately answered with a 3-pointer of its own.

A layup from redshirt sophomore Ja’Wann Roberts and a made three from graduate guard Taze Moore got the Cougar lead back up to 12 with 5:13 to play in the half.

A scuffle with 1:24 left in the second half led to a technical foul being issued to graduate center Fabian White Jr. and after free throws were taken by both teams the Cougars were able to close the half out on a 9-0 run after a buzzer-beating three by Moore.

Edwards went into the break with 18 points to lead all scorers. Senior forward Reggie Chaney also had eight points and three rebounds in the half.

The Golden Hurricane came out the half with back-to-back layups.The Cougars answered with another 3-pointer from Edwards but Tulsa kept their foot on the gas after back-to-back 3-pointers from Golden Hurricane senior forward Jeriah Horne to spark a 12-3 run to cut the lead Cougar lead to 8.

The big run from Tulsa led by Horne continued, the Golden Hurricane made it a 50-49 game with under 11 minutes to play.

Horne scored 17 of his 24 points in the second half alone.

Edwards knocked down his seventh three-pointer of the night, giving him a career high of 26 points and sparking a late run for UH to bring the lead back up to double digits late in the second half.

Tulsa still wouldn’t go away, three straight 3-pointers made it a two point game again with under a minute to play.

A massive save from Moore gave the Cougars one last possession to put the game away.

Freshman guard Ramon Walker Jr. missed the shot that would have been the dagger, giving the Golden Hurricane one last chance to tie or win the game, but the Cougars pulled off the final stop and secured win number 15 on the year.

sports@thedailycougar.com

—
“No. 11 Houston holds off Tulsa behind Kyler Edwards’ 29 points” was originally posted on The Cougar

Editor’s Note: All opinion section content reflects the views of the individual author only and does not represent a stance taken by The Collegian or its editorial board.

This coming Thursday will mark the one year anniversary of President Joe Biden’s inauguration. Adding to the date’s significance, January 20th will also mark one full year from the official end of what was arguably the most disastrous presidency in American history.

When Donald Trump vacated the White House almost exactly one year ago from today, the hope and belief among many Americans was that his chaotic reign over the nation’s politics had finally come to an abrupt end. Any chance of Trump maintaining control over the Republican party had likely diminished due to the Capitol insurrection that he had incited only two-weeks prior to leaving office. 

With Trump gone, American politics could finally return to some semblance of civility and normalcy. The Republican party no longer needed to bend to Trump’s every will and could finally end its sycophantic relationship with the former President. At least that’s how it seemed, right? As the following months would demonstrate, this belief could not have been further from the truth.

While Donald Trump was no longer President, the lasting effects and influence of his shocking rise to power were still very much pertinent in the world of politics. His brash, ruthless, and combative brand of politics had become a template in which the vast majority of the Republican party frantically reshaped itself to fit within. Through both the 2016 and 2020 elections, Trump proved that there was still a large portion of the country whose vote could be won over with far-right ideologies and hateful rhetoric targeted at varying ethnic, religious, and racial groups. 

In exchange for breathing life back into the fear-mongering political tactics that had previously been perceived as a relic of our country’s troubled past, Donald Trump was all but anointed as the unofficial king of conservatism in the United States. The Republican party was no longer the party of Lincoln. In fact, it wasn’t even the party of Bush, McCain, or Romney any longer. The Republican party belonged- and continues to belong- to Donald Trump.

As previously referred to, this much became abundantly clear in the months that followed Trump’s departure from office. As the former President dissented further and further into conspiracy and rage, the vast majority of Republicans followed his every move. Republicans throughout the party began to downplay the horrific nature of the January 6th Capitol insurrection. Furthermore, the party shamelessly began to assist Trump in peddling his baseless and dangerous claims that the 2020 election was rigged against him. 

Further displaying the complete control over the GOP that Trump has continued to enjoy following his Presidency; any member within the Republican party who has dared to speak out against Trump’s disgraceful claims or actions has seen their career in politics be entirely derailed. 

The process typically goes as follows:

1. A GOP member(s) speaks in opposition of something Trump has either said or done.
2. Trump responds by lashing out with a series of viciously scathing personal attacks against said GOP member(s).
3. The rest of the Republican party races to prove their undying loyalty to the former President by further attacking and ostracizing the GOP member(s) in question.
4. The GOP member(s) who spoke against Trump are disowned by the party and almost always either pressured to resign OR await an overwhelming defeat in re-election.

In addition to controlling those already representing the Republican party, Trump has opened the door for a new generation of politicians to enter the fold- all of which are molded directly in his image. As a direct result of Trump’s influence on incoming GOP members, we have seen far-right conspiracy theorists and Trump sycophants such as Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, Congresswoman Lauren Boebert, and Congressman Matt Gaetz plague the integrity of our nation’s governing institutions.

Even with the shocking level of control that Trump has continued to exercise over the Republican party in the year following his presidency; it appears that the former President is still seeking more power. Almost immediately following his departure from office, Trump has been constantly (and very publicly) flirting with the idea of running for a second term in the upcoming 2024 presidential election. As if the actions of the GOP over the last year have not been enough to enable Trump into a second run at the oval office; a series of recent polls have shown that he is far and away the most desired candidate upon Republican voters for the 2024 election.

Whether or not Donald Trump becomes President again is not really the point. While another Trump presidency could very well deal the final blow to our nation’s treasured democracy, I fear that such an outcome has already been made inevitable as a result of Trump’s first go-around. During his four years in power, Trump fundamentally altered the trajectory of our nation in ways that appear to be irreversible.

After leaving office as the only President to have ever been impeached twice; Trump left our nation’s democracy on the brink of total collapse. Of the countless failures and catastrophic mistakes made throughout his presidency, Trump’s most detrimental impact to our country has been the normalization of domestic terrorism, authoritarian politics, and the seemingly altered reality of “alternative facts” in which he lives.

Yet, as we currently stand one year later- despite all the evidence that would suggest his presidency was a disaster of unparalleled proportions- Donald Trump is practically worshipped by roughly half of the country.

It appears as though Trump’s rise to power was not the short-lived wound to American democracy that I and many others once hoped it to be. Instead, the impact of Donald Trump upon our nation’s democracy seems to be far more comparable to that of a seeping gash that only worsens with time.

Reach Chase Hontz at letters@collegian.com or on Twitter @HontzCollegian

The medium of poetics can be a vehicle for catharsis or a personal touchstone. Whatever connections it is able to form, poetry is a force that shapes both a poet and their audience. I had a chance to speak with Utah’s poet laureate and University of Utah professor Paisley Rekdal on her opinion of the role that catharsis plays in her own poetic works.

Poetic Opinions

“I don’t view my work as a way of achieving catharsis: I see it as an art,” Rekdal said. “It is only a personal touchstone to me in that, when a poem ‘works,’ it reveals something that I believe or think about the world that I couldn’t have articulated in any way other than through the writing of that particular poem. But the poem itself heals nothing.”

While Rekdal doesn’t view her own poetry as a means of catharsis, she acknowledged that poets often connect to poetry in this way. “Writing is an art that often manipulates language, time [and] narrative in ways that serve the poem but rarely achieve any kind of personal catharsis for the poet: this is why we tend to write about the same subjects over and over, just in different forms,” she said. 

“We’re trying to find the narrative that will heal what, at root, likely can’t be healed,” Rekdal said of the scope of narrative work. “That’s not a failure of poetry, just a reality of the limitations of narrative. But poems aren’t just for the poets that write them: they are for an audience who will read and interpret those poems outside the author’s own desires.” 

Personal Connections

Poetry is a powerful tool that goes beyond the poet — open to interpretation. Readers bring new life to a work of poetry and extend it beyond its original intention, to which Rekdal said, “People have powerful reactions to poems, and likely this is because the form itself feels so personal. A poem often feels like a person revealing her most private thoughts: it’s hard not to be drawn to that, to feel as if the poem or poet is speaking directly to you, even when the poem has in reality been composed for everyone and no one simultaneously.”

Regardless of how one uses poetry, it can serve as an outlet for readers and can help poets themselves discover new emotional scopes through writing. Rekdal also suggests that there are no “universal” poets that connect with readers or provide catharsis. Poetry is an individualized art form and what resonates with one reader may not resonate with another, or may resonate with them for entirely different reasons. 

The idea of poetry as catharsis or as a personal touchstone is a compelling one. There is no denying that poetry forms connections with poets and readers. Personal connections are an important part of what makes poetry such an expressive art form. 

w.fuller@dailyutahchronicle.com

@whit_fuller_

The post Professor and Poet Laureate Paisley Rekdal on the Personal and Narrative Scope of Poetry appeared first on The Daily Utah Chronicle.

UH sophomore Shaun Maswanganyi won the men’s 200-meter with a time of 21.20 at the Leonard Hilton Memorial Invitational on Friday. | Courtesy of UH athletics

Houston’s track and field team opened the season with a bang on Friday at the Leonard Hilton Memorial Invitational highlighted by standout performances by sophomore Shaun Maswanganyi in the 200-meter dash and graduate student Priscilla Adejokun in the weighted throw.

The men’s 200-meter dash team set the tone for the Cougars’ impressive day. UH scored eight top-10 finishes, including having the top six finishers. Maswanganyi finished the race first with a time of 21.20 narrowly edging out teammate Jordan Booker, who ran a 21.21. 

The Cougars also dominated the men’s triple jump with junior Jadon Brome earning first place with a jump of 15.24 meters. Following him with a second-place finish was sophomore Caleb Malbrough with a jump of 15.07 meters. 

Junior Quinton Stringfellow and sophomore Ayomide Ogunbunmi secured third and fourth place respectively with jumps of 14.84 and 14.77 meters.

UH’s men ‘A’ and ‘B’ teams finished first and second in the 4×400 relay. The ‘A’ team ran a 3:17.25 while the ‘B’ finished with a time of 3:28.49. 

In the men’s pole vault, UH scored two top-five finishes. Junior Christyan Sampy finished third overall and graduate student Ben Percefull earned fourth place. 

On the women’s side, Adejokun hit a mark of 21.76 in the weighted throw, putting her in the No. 1 spot nationally.

Graduate student Naomi Taylor ran an 8.24 in the 60-meter hurdles to finish second.

Sophomore Camille Rutherford earned the nation’s No. 5 time in the 200-meter after running a 24.16.

sports@thedailycougar.com

—
“UH track and field opens indoor season with a strong showing” was originally posted on The Cougar

Colorado State University announced its Martin Luther King Jr. Day plans via a Thursday email from CSU President Joyce McConnell, which featured a new march route and a keynote speech from Carlotta LaNier of the Little Rock Nine.

The new march route, which will begin on Monday at 11 a.m. in Washington Park and end at the Lory Student Center, was chosen as a way to highlight some historical Black houses in the Fort Collins area.

The houses on the route include those of the Clay family, a Black family from the early 1900s whose home was the “center of Black social life in Larimer County,” according to the Fort Collins Historic Preservation website.

Those interested in attending the MLK Jr. Day celebrations or supporting the celebrations otherwise can find more information on the Lory Student Center website. 

After a crazy week in the world of Gophers men’s hockey that saw the exit of their starting goaltender Jack LaFontaine, Covid-19 safety protocols, and two injuries, Minnesota’s depth hunkered down and took care of business against Alaska on Friday night.

“We got exactly what we knew out of Alaska. They can skate, they are well-coached, and they are going to put pressure on you,” Gophers head coach Bob Motzko said. “We had a good first period, real good third period, and we took the second period off.”

Behind a 14-save performance from junior goaltender Justen Close in his first-career start between the pipes, the No. 8 Gophers (13-8) defeated the Nanooks 4-1. The win over Alaska marks Minnesota’s first three-game winning streak this season.

“It was different, obviously not having Jack [LaFontaine] back there, but we all trust Closer [Close],” senior Ben Brinkman said. “We’re all excited for him, and he’s a great goalie. As you saw tonight, he made some good saves for us…we all have complete faith in him.”

Senior Blake McLaughlin pulled off a highlight-reel goal to extend Minnesota’s lead in the third period. He entered Alaska’s zone, brought the puck backward, then pulled off a forehand-backhand move to beat a Nanooks defender and rip a shot into the back of the net to give the Gophers a 3-1 lead 5:15 into the period.

But the goal did more than just help Minnesota to victory. Senior co-captain Sammy Walker recorded a secondary assist on the goal to earn his 100th career point (42 goals, 58 assists in 126 games) in a Gophers uniform. He is the 85th member of the program’s 100-point club.

Motzko has said his freshmen have been coming along week-by-week, all at different paces all season long.

And Friday was freshman Tristan Broz’s night.

The Bloomington, Minn. native scored his first collegiate goal for the Gophers after finding the back of the net on a sharp angle shot from the bottom of the right circle off a rebound to open up the game and give Minnesota a 1-0 lead with 6:07 remaining in the first period.

“It was a nice feeling,” Broz said. “Just to get that first one out of the way, especially it’s taken me a little bit of time, so it was a nice monkey off the back.”

Then, Broz’s freshmen counterpart in Matthew Knies scored his eighth goal this season to extend Minnesota’s lead to 2-0 with just over a minute to play in the first after ripping a shot from the slot into the back of the net off a beautiful feed from junior co-captain Ben Meyers.

The second period was slow for the Gophers. They went to their third penalty kill of the game with 7:58 remaining, and the Nanooks made Minnesota pay for it as Payton Matsui potted in a rebound to cut the Gophers’ lead to 2-1 after the puck fell out of Close’s glove on the initial shot.

Outside of McLaughlin’s highlight-reel goal in the third period, junior Jackson LaCombe cemented Minnesota’s 4-1 victory as he sprung the puck from the Gophers’ slot down the ice into Alaska’s empty net with 4:34 remaining to score his first goal this season shorthanded.

“We got to enjoy it,” Broz said on the win. “Then, [we] get back to resetting and realizing that it’s a new game tomorrow. They’re going to come out and be fired up to play us again.”

With sophomore defenseman Brock Faber out of the lineup, Brinkman tied his career-high point total in a single game Friday as he recorded three assists.

“I was just getting pucks up to our forwards, and they were making great plays,” Brinkman said. “Blake’s goal was unbelievable.”

The Gophers will look to extend their three-game winning streak to four as they look to sweep Alaska on Saturday, Jan. 15, at 6 p.m. at 3M Arena at Mariucci.