Clackamas Pr intThe

C l a c k a m a s C o m m u n i t y C o l l e g e , O r e g o n C i t y, O R We d n e s d a y, M a y 2 1 , 2 0 0 8 Vo l u m e 4 1 , I s s u e 2 2

Locals find sustainablity on their own as they sell their goods at the Oregon City Farmers Market, which opened May 3

A n i n d e p e n d e n t , s t u d e n t - r u n n e w s p a p e r

F i r s t c o p y F R E E ; a d d i t i o n a l c o p i e s 1 ¢

What is the steeplechase? One of track and field’s most intriguing events explained See page 6

Worried about your car getting jacked?A few easy tips to keep your on-the-go treasures safe

See page 4

Photos by Andrea Simpson Clackamas Print

ABOVE: Monica Honegger, left, and her mother, Carlos Lewis, discuss the mix of greens to put into the bags at the Oregon City Farmers Market. RIGHT: Jennifer Xiong, left, and her sister, Nancy Xiong, select flowers to sell in bouquets. They have been working for C & K’s Garden Flowers since the Farmers Market opened four years ago.

Oregon City Farmers Market

A n d r e a S i m p s o nThe Clackamas Print

Amidst the sound of a pan flute wafts the laughter and conversation of families, couples and individuals browsing the Oregon City Farmers Market.

The market, located on Kaen Road, opened Saturday, May 3, in the parking lot of the Clackamas County Pubic Service Center.

Even with the overcast and dreary weather, the mood was surprisingly jovial as old friends and new acquaintances milled around the lot, admiring each others’ wares.

The Farmers Market opened four years ago and, this year, features several veteran vendors, including Monica Honegger and her 88-year-old mother, Carlos Lewis.

Please see FARMER, Page 4

As every Information Technology (IT) administrator likely knows, by the time a new computer-technology system is imple-mented, it is already outdated. Clackamas’ computer resources are no exception to this fact – some of the systems on campus are pending a facelift.

In the coming school year, Clackamas’ IT infrastructure is posed to receive replacement equipment, starting with about 300 computer systems spanning multiple buildings, specifically the student labs.

The upgrades are part of the regular cycle of technology updates that the college invests in to remain current. As software becomes more complex, faster computer hardware is necessary to run it effectively.

About six years ago, Clackamas released approximately 800

computers to replace the then-ancient systems that were in place. The process began last school year when this lease expired,

providing funding to procure new equipment. Along with being free from the lease, the college had also increased the student technology fee from $2 to $3.

“The combination of this fee going up and then also that lease going away means that we have an ongoing revenue source of $450,000, and there are a lot of responsibilities for that fee,” said Courtney Wilton, vice president of college services.

On July 1, 2007, the money was available to begin replacing about 280 systems during the academic year. For the next school year, 300 additional systems are slated for purchase for the student labs.

The oldest computers are exchanged first, as they are generally six years old and harbor Pentium III-level performance.

Joe Austin, dean of information technology, is responsible for planning out the cycle and keeping track of which systems are substituted with more efficient models and when.

“We’ve been trying to upgrade the oldest computers first, obvi-ously,” Austin said. “We reevaluate each year which ones need to be replaced.”

Student computer labs, such as those in the drafting, computer science and business departments, are the first to be given the

newest systems. Regular classrooms receive the older hand-me-downs taken from the student labs and continue to make use of them. When they are no longer sufficient, the systems are cycled down to faculty offices.

Finally, when computers are too old for useful application on campus, they are liquidated either as donations to local K-12 schools or collected by the vendors for proper disposal.

In addition to computer work stations, another IT category is slated for $133,000 of improvement.

The funding will go toward “smart classrooms” because, as Wilton explained, “It is kind of a new standard. (They) are really popular; the teachers love them, and I think students like it too.”

These systems consist of projectors, smart screens, digital overhead cameras and a computer for the instructor, as well as a command and control interface. Currently, the campus has approximately 65 – or half of all classrooms – equipped with the setups and plans to add about eight more this academic year.

Finally, some minor additions are planned for the campus WiFi network, particularly for McLoughlin Hall in the form of two new access points. The additions should cover any blind spots in coverage for that area.

In all, students can expect a technology system by the next year that, at least for a short while, will actually be up to date.

State-of-the-art technology coming to a campus near you

K e n t o n B e n f i e l dThe Clackamas Print

This summer, $133,000 is slated for Information Technology Services to update technology systems on campus

OpinionMotorcycle parking revs some students the wrong waySee page 2

Imagine trying to send a text message while driving, looking up from that text and realizing there’s a freight train just a matter of feet ahead.

Texting from behind the wheel is a serious matter.

But if it’s so dangerous and dis-tracting, why are we allowed to not only put ourselves in danger, but also those whose lives would be affected if our car swerved into oncoming traffic?

Although at this time it has not been made illegal in Oregon, Washington and other states have taken steps to try to stop drivers from texting on the road.

In Oregon, if state lawmakers have their way, it will soon be banned.

Consequences

According to the Web site of AOL Autos, autos.aol.com, this proposal, if passed into law, could fine drivers upwards of $720 for texting or hold-ing a cell phone to their ear.

Some might think that because their texting seemingly does not impact their driving, it is an accept-able activity.

When you think about it, though, driving isn’t solely about skill – it has a lot to do with other motorists.

When looking at a phone instead of the road, it is impossible to know whether the person up ahead is a decent driver.

Everyone has witnessed that one motorist who waits to turn on his or her turn signal until two feet before the turn, not even breaking until the next car is swerving.

My experience

Recently, a friend of mine, while making a delivery for work, decided to read a text message and ended up hitting the car in front of her because it had stopped for a pedestrian.

As she told me what happened, we realized that I had written the text she was attempting to read.

My friend later told me that she usually texts during her deliveries and that it is her “time to catch up with friends.”

Two days later, that same friend ran a red light.

She was sending a text to indi-viduals she knew who were sitting in a car across from her at the inter-section.

I was following this friend to her house several days after that when I received a text message from her telling me where to park.

Looking up from my phone, I barely hit the break in time to see that she had stopped at a red light.

I came inches from hitting her new car.

Unfortunately, these types of incidents are not unusual, especially now that cell phones are apparently owned by every man, woman, child and dog.

But regardless, I rarely make the effort to actually call the person with whom I am attempting to con-verse.

A study done by Nationwide Insurance, in January of 2007, sug-gests that 19 percent of all drivers text while driving.

Not surprising to me, 37 percent of those drivers are between the ages of 18 and 27.

I myself am 20 and knowingly fit into this statistic.

That appears to be right in the age range where common sense is overshadowed by the thought of knowing what’s best and the ten-dency to not take responsibility for one’s actions.

Our choices

Maybe we need a law to tell us that texting while driving is a dumb and irresponsible choice.

Perhaps we need “the man” to sit us down, like our elementary school teachers once did, and tell us what the rules are and to not break them.

A $720 fine might be necessary in order to finally make us contem-plate what it is we are doing.

I think it would be wise to think about these things before they hap-pen and consider what it is we are gambling.

Lives.

2 Clackamas PrintThe

Wednesday, May 21, 2008 Opinion

The Clackamas Print19600 S. Molalla Ave.Oregon City, OR 97045503-657-6958, ext. 2309

Editor in Chief: Megan KolerCopy Editor: Colleen WatkinsNews Editor: Lydia E. BashawA&C Editor: Emily WaltersSports Editor: Andrea SimpsonFeature Editor: Kyle SteelePhoto Editor: Kayla BergeOpinion Editor: Armondo BorboaPhoto Associate : John ShufeltNews Associate: John Hurlburt

A� M������: Meredith James

S���� W������/ P������������: Kenton Benfield, Robert Crawford, Matthew Garrison, Lisa Sellars, Jess Sheppard

P��������� A��������: Mallory Bashaw

D��������� A������:Melissa Jones

D��������� S��������: Pat Thompson

G����: The Clackamas Print aims to report the news in an honest, unbiased, professional manner. The opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the student body, college admin-istration, its faculty or The Print. E-mail comments to chiefed@clackamas.edu.

TheClackamas Print

Sound-off

Lisa Sellars

The Clackamasprint

It’s raining. There is not a parking spot to be found,

and some jerk just cut you off for a spot in the last row that you still would have shot someone for.

And then you see it. And you are filled with so much rage that

you literally see red and feel your hand itch-ing for a baseball bat.

It’s the inconsiderate individual who feels the need to compensate for a low self-esteem by riding a huge motorcycle and parking said motorcycle in a spot designed for cars.

And this guy frequently parks in a prime spot right in the front row of the Roger Rook parking lot.

Here is a newsflash for you: There are spots entirely for motorcycles.

I have always cut you slack because I thought, “Well, maybe the person doesn’t realize the motorcycle section is there, or maybe it was full.”

But then one day, when the Rook lot was jam-packed, as usual, I saw your bike in the designated area!

If you know it’s there and you choose to ignore it, that officially makes you a bag of douche.

I simply don’t understand what goes through your mind.

“So here is a spot that a car could fit into, and here is a spot that a car could not park in, but I could … nope, I am definitely going to take the first one.”

Seriously? Not to mention the fact that the “cycle

only” zone is actually closer to the campus buildings.

It would be more convenient for you to park there. The logic you must use to park further away and inconvenience yourself is astounding.

Look, James Dean, this whole rebel-with-out-a-cause thing is getting old fast for those of us who have to suffer because you are too cool for school.

Please park in the designated area or soon you will find yourself face to face with an angry mob.

Motorcycle vs. cars: battle over parking

Irresponsible texting causes risky driving

Kayla Berge Clackamas Print

Andrea Simpson

The Clackamas Print

Andrea Simpson Clackamas Print

As an avid reader and personal fan of the original “Narnia” series by British fantasist C.S. Lewis, it is not lightly that I applaud the second film installment, “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian” as being better than the book.

No less shocking is the fact that I have always been firm in my belief that books turned into movies never quite match their written counterparts – yet here I am

contradicting myself. Growing up reading about Narnia

and watching the terribly bad 1970s British Broadcast Company (BBC) film renditions of the stories, the plot of “Prince Caspian” was my least favorite. It lacked the vivid sparks of action that kept me completely captivated with the storylines in the other novels.

Therefore, I support the genius who had enough insight to know that chang-ing up the original book would be the best course of action. The outcome is wonderful entertainment and – when coupled with spectacular computer

animation and acting

– may j u s t g i v e “ T h e

L o r d of the

Rings” tril-ogy a run for

its money. The war

scenes are among the major alterations. In the

book, there is only really one battle that Lewis describes in depth. The others are merely men-

tioned as losses that deplete the morale and numbers of the force led by rightful ruler Prince Caspian, along with the Pevensie quartet he calls back from England.

An emotion the film captures extremely well is that very despair and dwindling hope. This can espe-cially be said of the added battle at the Telmarine-built castle, in which the usurper and Caspian’s uncle, Miraz,

draws close to taking over the throne. The other variations from book to

film are mainly minor tweaks in order of occurrence and do not mutate the central theme of patriotism.

The one bone I have to pick is that the characters of Prince Caspian and Susan Pevensie are somewhat violated by the ever-present, obvi-ous sexual tension between them, which finally climaxes in a very public kiss.

I didn’t actually have a problem with them making Prince Caspian older than Lewis had intended, because it made his character possess more depth and relateability than he would have had he been barely chin-hair-growing age.

However, it opened the door for an out-of-place teenage romance. That is not what the story is supposed to be about, and it took up moments in which more plot-building could have transpired.

I must admit, though, Susan was somewhat saved, for me, by the display of truly badass archery skills – while clad in flattering armor, no less – and the fact that she and other female char-acters were part of the fighting scenes.

Also, I am utterly thankful for com-puters, which made effects such as the walking trees possible, not to mention my favorite character from the book, Reepicheep the mouse, who is brought to life on screen when high-tech visu-als blend with the fantastic voicing of Eddie Izzard.

Sorry, BBC, but your dwarf in a mouse costume is a miserable attempt in comparison.

All in all, “Prince Caspian” is anoth-er force to be reckoned with in a grow-ing vault of usually great fantasy films.

The newest film from “The Chronicles of Narnia” series has a high level of action that makes for great entertainment

Invasive species of plants and animals are encroaching every day, destroying native inhabitants – and scientists aren’t the only ones who can stop the destruction.

On Thursday, May 15, from 3 to 4 p.m., Dr. Ceiridwen Terrill regaled an audience of about 25 in Roger Rook Hall 220 with tales of her experiences involving invasive spe-cies and advice on how to stop them.

Terrill is a writer and naturalist, and cur-rently is an assistant professor of English at Concordia University in Portland. Last year, she published a book called “Unnatural Landscapes: Tracking Invasive Species.”

In the book she focuses on islands for a couple of reasons.

“If it works on an island, it will likely on the mainland,” she said, explaining that because islands are more isolated, they make for easy testing grounds of what works to deplete habitats of invasive spe-cies.

The other motive she had for choosing islands was more for personal pleasure.

“I love to kayak, so I kayaked to many of these places,” she said.

Selecting one of her favorite passages from the book about the Owens pupfish in Nevada, Terrill launched into a reading.

She relayed meeting one of her idols,

Phil Pister, in person. A few decades before, Pister had been among a few men who saved the Owens pupfish from dying out.

The technical writing was enjoyable and peppered with witticisms.

Clearly, Terrill takes her own piece of advice – which she offered to the audience – in her writing:

“Stay jolly and be informative at the same time.”

At the end of the talk, she handed out a sheet outlining “Actions The Citizen Scientist Can Take!”:

1) In landscaping, prefer native plants over exotic ones. Support nurseries that specialize in native plants and get behind bans of nursery sales of invasive plants. Native plants attract birds and butterflies, and will lower the risk of birds ingesting exotic seeds and spreading them.

2) Buy birdseed for feeders that has been cracked or cooked so that it doesn’t germi-nate and spread.

3) Remove the ivy from the yard – rip, roll it up like carpet and bag.

4) Shake out camping gear so that any seed hitchhikers are not carried around, hose car tires and hiking boots and pick seeds out of the shoelaces.

5) Learn which plants are exotic species in the area and report any newfound inva-sions.

6) Leash dogs in wild areas, because they can carry around seeds in their fur and between their toes. Also, they break down

soil around stream banks, which invasive plants will thrive in.

7) Horse people who trail-ride should buy weed-free feed, being persistent with asking the local feed stores to keep some in stock.

8) Don’t own exotic pets, or at the very least don’t let them go to become invasive. Big problems come especially from released snakes, fish and aquatic plants.

9) Boaters should empty bilge water, hose the boat down with hot water and allow it to dry completely before entering a new waterway, preventing taking any snails, mussels or plant species into a new habitat.

10) Try being really gung-ho and using invasive plants in cooking and to make medicines. Find the useable parts and destroy the plant itself.

11) Volunteer at a local organization on a day when they are encouraging citizens to help to control invasive plants: look for the Nature Conservancy’s Weed Watchers Program.

Terrill as a speaker was both informa-tive and helpful in presenting just what the average Joe or Jane can do to stop invasive species from taking over unnatural environ-ments.

For further information on Terrill and invasive species, visit her Web site at http://faculty.cu-portland.edu/cterrill/index.html.

“Unnatural Landscapes: Tracking Invasive Species” can also be found at Powell’s Books.

3Wednesday, May 21, 2008

The

Clackamas Print &Arts Culture

E m i l y W a l t e r sArts & Culture Editor

Naturalist recounts stories about invasive species

Kayla Berge Clackamas Print

Ceiridwen Terrill demonstrates ripping and rolling ivy. Doing so prevents it from choking out plants in yards.

Ceiridwen Terrill informs the audience using her recently published book “Unnatural Landscapes: Tracking Invasive Species”

E m i l y W a l t e r sArts & Culture Editor

‘Prince Caspian’ keeps the string of excellent fantasy movies alive

Photo illustra-tion by

Megan Koler Clackamas

Print

4 Clackamas PrintThe

Wednesday, May 20, 2008 Feature

Farmers Market: fresh local food available every Saturday

Honegger and Lewis run the Wild Horse Herbs and Produce booth. Both women are full of smiles while they talk about their farm, Hidden Hill Farm, which is considerably close to the market.

“I live in the Redland area, and it is very appealing being only 20 minutes away,” Honegger said. “We like to be as sustainable as possible. It takes less gas to get here and back home.”

Honegger grows multiple variet-ies of lettuce in her greenhouse and sells them in biodegradable bags. She also raises approximately 60 chickens – the eggs are sold at the market.

“I think lettuce is interesting,” she said. “I am a vegetarian, so I consid-er myself an expert on the topic. The cold weather has actually helped my crop this year. It retarded the lettuce and kept it at the high-quality baby-greens stage. If there is any time to overdose on lettuce, it is now.”

The weather hasn’t been such a help to first-time vendor Sarah Ross and her husband Jeremy Johnson.

“It’s been so cold that the beans haven’t germinated yet,” Ross said.

Ross has worked on a farm for 11 years and met her husband on an organic farm about five years ago.

“For us, it is a lifestyle choice,” she said. “We know we aren’t going to make a lot of money. We raise just enough to eat and sell some. But it’s important to eat locally.”

Many sellers cite sustainability as a primary reason for participating in the market.

“The Farmers Market is great because it provides a place to get local food,” Ross said. “We are up against huge federalized manufac-tures, and it is good to have forums that encourage people to eat local and healthier.”

The Oregon City Farmers Market is open every Saturday, May through October, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Other local farmers markets near Oregon City

Estacada

Estacada Farmers MarketSaturdays, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.May through October

3rd and Broadway StreetDebra Bufton, 503-630-4490bufton@cascadeaccess.comhttp://www.estacadafarmersmarket.4t.com

PO Box 1704, Estacada, OR, 97023

Milwaukie

Milwaukie Sunday Farmers MarketSundays, 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.Mid May through October

SE Main across from City HallBrendan Eiswerth, 503-407-0956brendan@milwaukiefarmersmarket.com www.milwaukiefarmersmarket.com

11009 SE 28th Ave.Milwaukie, OR, 97222Oregon Trail Food Stamp Market

Canby

Canby Saturday MarketSaturdays, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.Mid May through mid October

1st Avenue at Holly Street Elaine Fawcett, 503-263-5151canbysaturdaymarket@canby.com

PO Box 386, Canby, OR, 97013

Break-ins can be prevented by simply locking the carAccording to the Clackamas

Community College public safety department, the number of vehi-cle break-ins on campus has been decreasing in the past few years.

Statistically speaking, a student, his or her possessions and vehicle are safer on campus than in the neighboring communities of West Linn and Oregon City. There are more officers per student at the college than in the community per resident.

The public safety department reports directly to the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office for all break-in investigations and prose-cutions. However, more can always be done to protect property.

– Compiled by Armondo Borboa

Lock up the car and roll up the windows.

If broken into, report the disabled vehicle plate num-ber, make/model and color.

Never leave any valuables visible; lock them in the trunk.

Remove detachable-faced stereos.

2006 – 822007 – 342008 year to date – 15 with four car break-ins

*The Clackamas public safety department fi g-ures are taken by personal property accounts and do not include college property.

Campus theft reports

Photo illustration by John Shufelt and Kyle Steele Clackamas Print

Continued from FARMERS, Page 1

All photos by Andrea Simpson Clackamas Print

TOP LEFT: A member of the group Beautiful Flute performs live.TOP RIGHT: Vendor Vanessa Vang groups flowers for a bouquet.ABOVE: First-time husband and wife vendors Jeremy Johnson and Sarah Ross discuss produce with potental customers.

5Wednesday, May 21, 2008

The

Clackamas Print Advertisement

The event is 3,000 grueling meters of constant speed change, obstacles and a pit of water at frigid temperatures. A domesticated form of cross country, it may be one of the hardest events in the sport of track.

It is the steeplechase.The length of the race – customarily 3,000 meters – is just less

than two miles. The number of laps depends on the placement of the water pit, which is sometimes located on the inside of the lane or on the outside of lanes eight and nine.

Runners encounter 28 barriers as well as seven water jumps. The steeplechase barriers, although they may seem much like hurdles, are in fact much sturdier and will not fall over when hit. The runners often use the top of the barrier as a means of pushing themselves off to gain momentum.

The steeplechase originated in Britain, where athletes would run from one town’s steeple to the next. The steeples were plainly visible to runners, making them easy markers. Participants would regularly have to jump over creeks and obstacles they encoun-tered.

Oxford University refined the activity into a sport in 1860, according to the International Association of Athletic Federations

(IAAF). It was added in the Northwest Athletic

Association of Community Colleges (NWAACC) for women merely four years ago.

One Clackamas alumnus has made quite a name for himself in the sport.

Brian Abshire was the United States Olympic Trials Champion in 1988 and went on to compete at the 1988 Games in Seoul, South Korea. He also holds the ninth fastest time for the steeplechase in United States history with a time of eight minutes and 20.83 seconds.

At Clackamas, only two women have participated in the steeplechase since it was added.

Lyndsey McKillip, an alumna who trans-ferred last year, participated in the steeplechase and took first at the Southern Region champi-onships last year. She is now ranked 12th in Division 2 of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).

Jessica Harper – who did not participate in the steeplechase at Clackamas, as it was not offered at the time she competed – is now ranked eighth in Division 2 of the NCAA.

Karly Osten, a freshman from Gladstone, is primarily a long-

distance runner. She runs the 5,000 meter and 3,000 meter, so the length of the steeplechase wasn’t anything unusual.

Osten ran in the event for the first time at the Pacific Twilight meet May 2.

“She was so nervous that when she was doing regular warm-ups, she was falling on her face,” said Head Coach Keoni McHone. “But she actually did fairly well for her first time. It wasn’t the best time in school history, but I was proud that she tried it.”

Osten said, “I have had an ankle injury before, so I didn’t want that to be a flare-up. But I was excited to see how it was different from my other races.”

Osten hadn’t practiced the steeple-chase in its entirety until the Pacific meet. She rehearsed the water portion of the race in the sand of the long-jump pit.

The shock of hitting the water for the first time in the race made quite an impression on her.

“It was cold!” she said. “I didn’t think it would be that cold. And it splashed all the way up to my face. I was soaked by the end of the race.”

McHone says that steeplechase requires more endurance than most track events because athletes must continually adjust their speed, which is hard on the body.

“It is more stimulating than just running hurdles,” Osten said. “It is more like cross country with the jumps and the water.”

6Clackamas PrintThe

Wednesday, May 21, 2008 Sports

Chris Baker, center, and Jared Correll, right, compete in the men’s steeplechase event at the Saints and Cavaliers meet April 26.

Photos by Robert Crawford Clackamas Print

A n d r e a S i m p s o nSports Editor

Steeplechase An insider’s guide to the challenging event

Hurdles: The height differs for men and women. The men’s hurdle is 36 inches and, for women, 30 inches. There are fi ve of them, including the one that directly precedes the water pit.

Water Pit: The water pit is 12 feet by 12 feet long, and at the deep end, it is 2.29 feet. See inset for details.

Water Pit

Jared Correll crouches as he prepares to push off the steeplechase hurdle and jump into the water pit.

Photo illustrations by Kayla Berge and Andrea Simpson Clackamas Print

7SportsWednesday, May 21, 2008

The

Clackamas Print

Spor ts Scores

Track and Field

This week, track did not compete at a meet, instead prepar-ing for the Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges championships.

Head Coach Keoni McHone says that the athletes to watch on the women’s side are long-distance runner Andria Scheese, the women’s 4x100 and 4x400 relay team and Sierra Hess on the discus. Hess was out for a few weeks due to a twisted ankle.

“It is still a little ten-der, but it didn’t seem to affect her last week-end,” McHone said.

In the men’s com-petetion, both of the men’s relays are pre-dicted to do well, and Matt Tweedy is one to watch in the 400 meter.

“Joe Gobel will most likely score the most points for the team,” McHone said. “He’s entered in multiple events and looks to score well.”

Kai Ojala is expected to do well in the men’s high jump as well.

The NWAACC championships will take place May 22 and 23 at Spokane Falls Community College in Spokane, Wash.

Softball Clackamas’ softball

team made it to fifth place in the Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges (NWAACC) champi-onships before being knocked out of the com-petition Saturday, May 18, by Lower Columbia and Walla Walla.

These defeats mean that for the first time in six years Clackamas’ softball team, made up of mostly freshman players, did not make it into the NWAACC championship.

Softball finishes the season with 26 wins and 23 losses.

Baseball

The Cougars failed to make it into Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges (NWAACC) post-sea-son play.

The team wrapped up its season on a high note with a double victory over Mt. Hood on May 18 with the first game ending in a score of 3-2 and, in game two, 1-0.

The team ended the season with a record of 30 wins and 17 losses.

Cougars’ catcher finds her focusbehind the plate

“Winning” is all in the name for freshman catcher Susan Winningham.

“I’d never change my last name,” Winningham laughed. “I’m going to be kind of bummed when I get married and have to change it.”

Winningham, who graduated from Crater High School last year, helped her team win its softball title before coming to Clackamas to explore possible career options and continue playing the sport.

With barely a year of college under her belt, she has stood out as one of the

most dedicated and talented athletes in Clackamas athlet-ics.

“Susan is one of the hard-est-working around,” said Softball Coach Jessica Buel. “She is fun to watch play.”

“She has been one of the most consistent players we’ve ever had,” said Assistant Coach Denise Nasuta.

“Her attitude and her deter-mination add a lot to our team,” said teammate Brianne Rowley. “She is always trying to be up, and she is always hard on herself.”

Winningham wasn’t always the most focused, hardworking player

– in fact, that’s how she became a catcher in the first place.

Catching “is the only position I could be put at because every other posi-tion, you don’t really have to pay attention a lot, and I was spacey then,” she said. “I’d look into other people’s dugouts and stuff, so they had to put me there so I’d pay attention.”

Since little league, soft-ball has become an inte-gral part of her life.

“If I didn’t have soft-ball … I don’t know what I would be doing,” she said. “I like just being a part of something, being a part of a team.”

Even though she revels in the team atmosphere, joining the lady Cougars this season has had its share of difficulties.

“In high school, we’d been playing together for seven or eight years. You

knew everybody,” she said. “It’s just a challenge coming up here and getting to know everybody and knowing how they play.”

Winningham isn’t the only new indi-vidual to the group – nearly 90 percent of the 25 softball players at Clackamas are freshman.

Last weekend, at the Northwest Athletic Association of Community College (NWAACC) championships, the Cougars placed fifth out of the 16 com-munity college teams from Oregon and Washington.

The team feels that a lot of its suc-cess is due to Winningham’s attitude and drive.

Even though she is technically a catcher, she admits that batting is her favorite part of the game.

“Batting’s kind of my forte,” she said. “It’s something I just really enjoy working on and getting better at and just doing.”

Her most precious commodity might simply be her unshakable attitude and strong sense of belief in her abilities, which she feels is a necessary attri-bute for any competitor. As her team-mate, freshman Kayla Vedaa, says, “She knows she’s good.”

“I go through hard times – everyone does,” Winningham said. “You have to be confident or you’re not going to be successful.”

“I’m confident, but not cocky,” she added.

Robert Crawford Clackamas Print

&L i s a S e l l a r sThe Clackamas Print

M e g a n K o l e r

Left: Freshman Susan Winningham gets ready to take a swing. Although she is a catcher, Winningham’s self-pro-claimed forte is batting.

Events

PERFORM IN THE DRAG SHOW: The drag show needs participants. To sign up, contact Carol Burnell at Carolb@clackamas.edu by Friday, May 23. Wednes-day, there will be a meeting in the Fireside Lounge from 2 to 3 p.m. First place in the show will receive a $50 gift certificate to Bugatti ’s Res-taurant, and there will be a raffle and prizes. Three professional drag queens will be present, and half of the proceeds will be given to the Sexual Minor-ity Youth Resource Center.

The Alexander Gallery’s new ex-hibit by Los An-geles-based artist Max Lesser, which features a series of new paintings, opened May 2. Gallery hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. It is called “Between here and there is better than

Drag Show

Art Exhibit