Issuu

A celeb r at i o n o f ho p i c ult ur e PAGE 16

T HE L U M BE R JACK

JULY 28 - AUG. 24, 2016

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hew, what a month. My first summer living in Flagstaff has been an interesting one to say the least. As a California native, it was tough getting used to living without a beach to go to in my free time. But in my time here, I’ve been able to really commit myself to my personal interests. Amidst writing, reading and Pokémon hunting I’ve been writing for The Lumberjack. I’ve driven all over Arizona and seen sides of this state I’ve never seen, which as weird as this may sound is a dream come true for me. I love hearing and seeing the world around me, so whether that’s a world wonder like the Grand Canyon or a small act of kindness, I’m content. That being said, what a world we live in today. As you will surely notice, the month of July was not necessarily one of happy news for our news section. Shootings and protests took up the majority of our time, which even led our news editor, Hannah Cook, to travel to cover the Republican and Democratic National Conventions. We wish her a safe journey while covering the events at the epicenter of American attention. The tensions between police, their protestors and anti-protestors has been an area we decided to focus on here at The Lumberjack. With each article, our reporters, photographers and editors are tasked with impartiality. The news section itself must be, by definition, unbiased. Opinions and stances are left for opinion pieces and editorials. News articles present these facts so the public can form their own opinons. SCOTT We hope that despite these troubling times, our news was able to provide you some BUFFON method to the madness. MANAGING EDITOR In other sections, we have cultural events — from Hopi festivals to explaining Pokémon Go — to keep you involved in the community around you. And in Sports, our editor, Matthew Kiewiet’s coverage of the Highland Games helps explain the way Celtic sports are judged and played. With August on the horizon, that means the Fall semester is as well. With that in mind, take some you-time and make your last month of summer really mean something! It’ll be gone before you know it.

Congratulations graduates! T H E L UMBE R JAC K

T HE L UMBE R JACK

ce l su ebr c c at es in s g

From the Editor

MAY 5 - 9, 2016

MAY 10 - JUNE 1, 2016

ca m p u s p r o t e s t s lead to arrests

First-generation graduates reflect on their journeys

Graduating student athletes starting on page 31

PAGE 26

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T H E L U M BE R JAC K

JUNE 2 - JUNE 29, 2016

thosE summer nights PAGE 16

Day T r i p p i n ’ T H E L U M BE R JAC K

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JUNE 30 - JULY 27, 2016

Thank you for reading.

Digital editions of The Lumberjack at JackCentral.org!

Phone: (928) 523-4921 Fax: (928) 523-9313

T H E LU MBE R JACK

Editor-in-Chief Grace Fenlason

lumberjack@nau.edu P.O. Box 6000 Flagstaff, AZ 86011

VOL 102 ISSUE 32

Managing Editor Scott Buffon Faculty Advisor Jennifer Swanson

Director of Multimedia Keely Damara

Photographers

Victoria Nabours Ashley Marie Null

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Lowell Chimerica, 9, waits for his turn to perform at the Annual Hopi Festival of Arts & Culture Saturday, June 2, 2016. (Photo by Halie Chavez)

Sales Manager Marsha Simon

Editorial Board and Staff Director of Photography Halie Chavez

On the cover

News Editor Hannah Cook Culture Editor Taylor Haynes Sports & Outdoors Editor Matthew Kiewiet

2 T HE LUMBER JACK | JACKCEN T R AL .ORG

Features Editor Scott Buffon

Staff Writers Adrian Skabelund Niki DeShazo

Corrections & Clarifications The Lumberjack is committed to factual correctness and accuracy. If you find an error in our publication, please email gracefenlason@nau.edu.

One dead in officer involved shooting SCOTT BUFFON & TAYLOR HAYNES

n the early morning hours of July 13, an officer with the Flagstaff Police Department shot and killed a man on the east side of Flagstaff. The individual who was killed was identified as Donald S. Myers, a 32 year-old Caucasian male of Flagstaff. The shooting took place near the intersection of North Clear View Drive and East Circle View Drive, located in the neighborhoods behind Fry’s Food and Drug store at 4 a.m. Officers were responding to a 911 call near the 1500 block of East Route 66. According to a media release distributed by Flagstaff Police Department on July 15, three officers were involved in the shooting: officers Melissa Seay, Zachary Syers and Michael Lavelle. Seay and Syers initially responded to the 911 call, which led them to the Relax Inn parking lot. There, they approached two females and Myers sitting inside a car. The media release describes how the officers asked Myers’ to step out of the car to affect a lawful arrest after discovering a warrant for his arrest. At this point, Myers allegedly resisted arrest and reached for a firearm in a holster. He then fled the scene, with the firearm in his right hand. Seay and Syers called Lavelle for assistance. The officers, including Lavelle, pursued Myers into a residential neighborhood. Myers hid behind

a parked vehicle on north Clear View Drive. The officers asked him to step out from behind the vehicle with his hands raised. Myers stepped out from behind the vehicle and reached for his holster; Lavelle fired his weapon five times and Myers was struck by three rounds, according to the media release. Medical personnel were called to provide lifesaving measures, however Myers was pronounced deceased at the scene. According to the press release, body camera footage was limited. “Due to technical issues no footage was recorded of the initial contact at the car; Ofc. Syers’ camera malfunctioned due to a battery issue and Ofc. Seay’s connector cable became detached prior to the incident,” the press release read. “Due to the intensity of the moment, Cpl. Lavelle did not activate his camera prior to the shooting. After he fired his weapon, he realized his camera was not operating and immediately activated the camera.” The last police-involved shooting in Flagstaff took place May 23 near Milton Avenue. Police released an edited video about the shooting to the public from several different body cameras on their Facebook page. The shooting is being investigated by the multi-agency officer involved shooting investigations team through Coconino County Sheriff’s Office.

NEWS

Thousands rally in Phoenix to protest recent police shootings HANNAH COOK

n July 8, after two hours of peaceful protesting, thousands of Black Lives Matter Arizona protestors and community activists clashed with city police in Phoenix as officers attempted to block entry to a nearby freeway. The protest began outside of Phoenix City Hall at 8 p.m. to demonstrate outrage over the two most recent killings of black men by police officers. The initial group of protestors — estimated to have been about 500 people — gathered in a circle, listened to stories and chants led by the event organizers, then began their march. By this point, the group had grown considerably and contained more than 1,000 protestors. The group continued to grow as the march began. The protestors marched more than 1.5 miles, stopping occasionally to regroup, rehype and redirect themselves. “We need the police ... But at the same time, the police got to stop killing us,” said community activist Jarvis Johnson through a microphone. Johnson said he’s never seen a crowd so large in the many other rallies and protests he has joined. “We are united out here,” Johnson said. “Black, white, Mexican, Chinese, Filipino, Indian; we are united!” The protestors carried signs like “#blacklivesmatter” and “Send bad cops to jail” as they marched from Phoenix City Hall to 7th Street and Fillmore Street where they were met by a barricade of more than 30 police officers. The officers wanted to prevent the protestors from entering the nearby Interstate 10 freeway. A divide formed between officers and protestors as protestors held their hands above their heads and chanted “Hands up, don’t shoot!” The police officers, dressed in riot gear, shot pepper spray into the crowd after a few protestors got too close and too physical with several of the officers. Much of the crowd initially dispersed, but they reconvened within a few minutes and continued chanting “Hands up, don’t shoot!” At this point, the crowd had begun to shrink. After the police shot pepper spray at the

protestors a second time, several veterans formed a line to further separate the two groups and better protect the protestors. “We’re veterans on patrol,” said veteran Lewis Harper. “We’re not here with law enforcement, we’re here with the community. If people want to protest peacefully, your rights are protected — no one gets killed.” He said all members of their team were ready to protect the protestors from police aggression or violence from counterprotestors. They were equipped with medical supplies in case of an emergency. “My purpose is to make sure my neighbors can protest peacefully on these streets and that no one gets killed,” Harper said. Eventually, the police put down their shields and removed their gas masks in attempt to send the protestors home peacefully. Many protestors left while several hundred others went through side streets and tried find a way behind the police toward Interstate 10. By this point, the freeway and nearby on-ramps had been shut down. These efforts were met by the same police barricade. The police more directly pepper sprayed the protestors and shot pepper balls at any protestors who left the sidewalk and entered the street. Several groups of protestors sat huddled on the side of the road as they tended to those who had been sprayed in the face. Those tending to the protestors used milk from a nearby gas station, as milk is said to alleviate the burning sensation associated with pepper spray. Police pushed protestors across the street as they began to move east along 7th Street. “Things are going to get to get really ugly, really quickly,” the police warned the remaining protestors from a helicopter circling overhead. The protestors remained in the area as police deployed more pepper spray and continued to shoot pepper balls. One protestor was arrested at approximately 11 p.m. At midnight, only a small group remained — less than 50 people — and many of the night’s leaders and organizers had left the scene. There were no further arrests that night.

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Outside the Republican National Convention HANNAH COOK

he 2016 Republican National Convention (RNC) attracted the nation’s top right-leaning politicians. The convention, hosted from July 18 to July 21, gave the Republican Party a chance to both nominate a candidate for president of the United States and to vote on the party’s platform. The platform determines where the party stands on specific issues like abortion, gay marriage, taxes, immigration, debt and other issues Republican politicians say are most important. The temporary influx of politicians attracted a large number of non-politician Trump supporters. Though the convention was not open to the public, there were a number of events throughout the four days to allow the estimated 50,000 Trump supporters to rally in support of their chosen candidate. While many people came to support Trump, crowds of people protested his wide acceptance by the Republican party. Every day of the convention, people were moving around Cleveland to express their views on the party, Trump and the state of American affairs.

TOP: Anti-Trump protestors march through Cleveland the day before the Republican National Convention on July 17. BOTTOM: Police in Cleveland watch over protests outside of the Republican National Convention on the last day of the convention, July 21. (PHOTO BY HANNAH COOK)

NEWS

The Lumberjack sent a reporter to the RNC to report on the protests that took place each day outside of the convention center. Sunday The anti-Trump, anti-conservative protests kicked off on July 17 — one day before the convention officially began — when an eclectic group of protestors gathered just a few minutes walking distance from the convention center in downtown Cleveland. With signs like “Black lives matter, immigrant lives matter,” “Shut down trump and the RNC,” “Disarm the cops” and many others, several hundred protesters from across the nation joined forces in this collaborative march. Because such variety was present among the protestors, though, rally organizers stuck to chants like “Whose streets? Our streets!” and “Stand up, fight back!” to encompass all protest groups. The group was flanked by dozens of police officers on each side to maintain the peace, police cars to maintain the pre-approved route and more than 100 journalists. No arrests were made in this initial protest.

Arther Enright holds the first Wanted poster handed out at a pro-Trump rally. Enright, a Texas native, said he planned to spend all four days of the convention campaigning in favor of Trump to help get him elected in November. (Photo by Hannah Cook)

Monday Conservative radio personality Alex Jones hosted the first proTrump rally of the week at 11 a.m. on July 18. An estimated 200 Trump supporters gathered at an outdoor venue several miles from the convention center to listen to Jones and other prominent Trump supporters speak. Many attendees wore shirts that read “Hillary for Prison 2016” or carried a wanted sign with Clinton’s face and the same slogan on it. The afternoon also featured the largest protest of the week.

Approximately 1000 protesters came ready to march through the streets of Cleveland just outside the convention center filled with thousands of politicians. At 3:30, a small group of anti-Trump protesters broke off from the larger group and marched toward the pro-Trump rally. More than 100 police officers quickly assembled themselves into four lines in the street to prevent the two groups from physically clashing. One protester was reportedly arrested during the organized march. Tuesday The majority of the protest efforts on July 19 focused on Public Square in downtown Cleveland. Public Square is only a few minute walk from the convention center that hosted thousands of politicians throughout the convention. The square was reserved for speeches and rallies all day, inviting the various rallies to the same location and remaining under heavy scrutiny by hundreds of police officers. The protests remained quiet until about 3 p.m. when a church group gathered with signs to protest gay marriage and abortion. At the same time, another group of protesters in the crowd began yelling “Black Lives Matter!” and RevCom — the Revolutionary Communist Party U.S.A. — made an appearance to protest capitalism and police killings of minorities. Hundreds of police officers and military forces moved into the square to create a divide between protest groups. Police officers formed a circle around the entire plaza to prevent outsiders from entering the protests. The chaos continued for more than an hour while the police officers stood their ground. Eventually, they cleared the area before allowing the Westboro Baptist Church to approach the podium for their scheduled 45 minutes of protesting. At 6 p.m. Black Block — a protest group promoting equality — appeared in all black clothes and bandanas to hide their faces. At 6:30 p.m. the Black Block protesters briefly clashed with Trump supporters participating in a separate rally before the police could force either group to change course. Shouting ensued, but since neither group engaged in violence, the police allowed the opposing sides to yell out their differences. The Black Block rally continued until 7 p.m., though many members left once they realized the group was being corralled by police officers on bicycles. At 7 p.m., when police wanted to disperse the protest group, they announced from a helicopter the rally was unlawful. By that point, however, only six Black Block protesters remained while more than 50 journalists continued to gather in the streets. Wednesday By July 20, the protests had shrunk considerably. Only a few activist groups remained, such as the feminist group Code Pink and the Westboro Baptist Church, along with other religious organizations and Stand Against Trump. Throughout the day, Code Pink laid down a cardboard display to promote love and equality. Few people took issue with their message, but the police eventually asked the activists to remove the cardboard signs from the ground. RevCom, on the other hand, created the largest commotion of the day when they attempted to publicly burn an American flag. In the middle of an intersection near the entrance to the convention center, the group linked armed and formed several circular lines around one of the key organizers. He then lit the flag on fire and squirmed away from the police’s initial attempts to take it from him. Eventually, several officers were able to break through the chain of RevCom protesters and extinguish the flames. Many RevCom protesters were arrested — police needed at least three vans to transport the number of protesters arrested in the moments

following the flag burning. According to the Supreme Court case Texas vs. Johnson, flag burning, while controversial, is considered a form of

Daryl Rembowski shows his enthusiasm for Trump by rallying in face paint everyday. Rembowski travelled around the country for five months to volunteer at Trump events and help spread the word about the Trump campaign. (Photo by hannah cook0

symbolic speech and therefore protected by the First Amendment. Thursday Nearly all protesters had left by July 21. At 11 a.m., Stand Together Against Trump held a rally and a march across the Hope Memorial Bridge. The bridge, however, had been closed since Monday due to the convention. Though police allowed the protesters to march across the closed bridge, the group was prevented from marching any further into downtown Cleveland. Eventually, the group turned around and decided to reconvene at Public Square later that evening. That afternoon, protester Melissa Hill was caught with a tennis ball, a prohibited item. Police officers made several attempts to take the ball before Hill conceded and gave the ball to the police. “I still don’t get what they have against tennis balls ... I’ve been to other protests — no one uses tennis balls for anything except playing tennis,” Hill said after handing her tennis ball to police. The day was overall mellow and featured only small protests from several religious groups, the anarchists and a few other groups. Inside the convention, though, a member Code Pink had snuck in with a banner. At approximately 10:45, she made national television as she stood up and flashed her banner. Security quickly confiscated it and removed her from the convention center.

JULY 28 - AUG. 24, 2016 | T HE LUMBER JACK 5

NEWS

Flagstaff police heavily monitor local protestors HANNAH COOK & TAYLOR HAYNES

everal officers of the Flagstaff Police Department were spotted in what appeared to be riot gear atop a building adjacent a growing group of protestors on the afternoon of July 10. Armed with banners like “Terrorists wear blue” and “White silence = Violence,” approximately 50 protestors gathered outside the Coconino County Superior Court to march against police violence and racial profiling. As supporters continued to arrive, tensions ran high after several passersby stopped to criticize their banners, such as one that read “F*** the police.” Protest organizer Klee Benally began the rally as some protestors finished making their banners. “We have so many stories of abuse and violence and racial profiling in this community,” Benally said. “We’re going to stand up as a community and say, ‘Hey, we’re not going to take this anymore. We are going to stand up against white supremacy, racism, fascism and heteropatriarchy.’” This protest reflects the anger and frustration felt by many toward police, which peaked this month with the killing of two black men, Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, by police officers. This anger led a lone shooter in Dallas to fire at law enforcement officers at a police protest; five police officers were shot and killed, while many more were injured. Protestors opposed police violence in all forms, including violence against Native Americans. Since January, police officers in the United States have killed 15 Native Americans, according to the Killed by Police database. Of those 15 deaths, six have occurred in Arizona. After Benally spoke, the group marched south through the middle of San Francisco Street. At the beginning of their march, protestors were quickly met by several police officers ordering them back to the sidewalk. The protestors marched along Humphreys Street to Route 66, then eventually made their way to the corner of San Francisco and Butler Avenue. From the sidewalk, the protestors chanted and waved their banners at drivers for several minutes. The protestors, still flanked by three police officers, then marched north on San Francisco to Heritage Square chanting “Two, four, six, eight, f*** the police state!” and “No justice, no peace, no racist police!” along with other sayings used nationwide by Black Lives Matter movement and anti-police protestors. Upon arriving at Heritage Square, the protestors ran into more bystanders with opposing views. Interactions between protestors and anti-protestors often turned confrontational. On another side of the protest, one man in the crowd repeatedly called out to the police, thanking them for their efforts. This same man pushed a Native American protestor, Freedom Shepherd, shortly after arriving in Heritage Square. “There wasn’t enough room on the sidewalk, and all of a sudden I just felt ‘boom!’ and I fell to the ground. And then the cop didn’t even do anything!” Shepherd said. After Shepherd was pushed, protesters surrounded the man and yelled “That’s what a fascist looks like!” Police removed the man from the center of the protestors but did not arrest or detain him. “They were smiling while they were getting his information,”

Police brutality protestors march down Beaver St. June 10. Flagstaff Police Department kept the protestors on the sidewalk and out of traffic’s way. (Photo by Halie Chavez)

Shepherd said. “I was [assaulted]. There were several witnesses who saw and didn’t question anything.” Shortly after, another woman, whose face remained covered, stood in the center of Heritage Square and described the discrimination and aggression she and her family members experienced in Flagstaff. In her speech, she said she was accused of robbing a store, arrested and then sexually assaulted by the arresting police officer. She went on to describe ongoing threats received from members of Flagstaff Police Department. Pictures of her injuries were displayed on the ground. “Flagstaff police are all crooked and they all lie. We should have the right to elect the police chief that we want – and every official,” she said. While many protestors were listening to the unidentified woman’s speech, another passerby, Dani Potvin, asked for their attention to present a separate point of view. “Please, listen to me,” Potvin begged a small group of protestors who chanted over her desperate pleas. Her attempts were unsuccessful and she fled the area clearly distraught. While speaking with the on-site officers, Potvin expressed sympathy for officers killed by citizens and citizens killed by officers. As the protestors stood in Heritage Square, Desirea Happel, who was visiting from Prescott Valley to join the protest, handed out bottled water. “People need to walk up the stairs, and knock on the door and say ‘we are having a big problem.’ I think that a lot of the racial things that come from profiling and things of that nature, they start at home,” Happel said. “And it’s unfortunate.” The protestors encouraged others, such as Potvin, to join their

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cause. They said they hope to plan another rally next month with more social media exposure and more attendees. “This is a way to empower people — by being out in the streets of Flagstaff, but also making sure people are aware of what the laws are and what their rights are,” Benally said. “A lot of this is trying to respond to the crisis that is police violence and terrorism in our communities, but also finding ways to be proactive and find ways to support the larger voice that is a movement throughout the so-called U.S.” The protest ended in the same location it began at 6 p.m. Meanwhile, a group of about 15 police supporters gathered outside Flagstaff City Hall, away from the police brutality protestors. The counter- sprotestors handed out blue ribbons and waved at traffic. The group held signs with sayings such as “Blue Lives Matter” and “We Love Police.” This rally was hosted on the same day as another, larger rally in Sacramento to show support for those attacked when a white supremacist group clashed with counter-protestors at a June 26 rally Sacramento. “Everyone is speaking out now,” Shepherd said. She said she believes conditions will improve for minorities as more people speak up. This rally is accompanied by similar rallies across the nation and is the final Arizona rally of the weekend following Phoenix’s June 8 rally and Tucson’s rally on June 9. At many large scale protests, police have dressed in riot gear and shot tear gas, concussion grenades and pepper balls at people protesting.

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Black Lives Matter Arizona protests, makes demands of Phoenix Police Department

Several of the protesors held signs raising awareness about Michelle Cusseaux, who was shot and killed by Phoenix police in her home on Aug. 13, 2014. The death sparked community outrage as Cusseaux, a woman of color, had several mental illnesses affecting her ability to cooperate with police. The protestors at the July 15 rally attempted to keep her death included in the on-going discussion about excessive force in policing. (Photo by Scott Buffon) HANNAH COOK AND SCOTT BUFFON

fter a week of national protests, the Black Lives Matter Arizona organization in Phoenix gathered at a planned 8 p.m. sit-in to demand changes to the Phoenix Police Department’s regulations on July 15. During a strategy meeting on July 12, hosted by Black Lives Matter Arizona, the protestors laid out 12 key points they hope the Phoenix Police Department will consider for reform. The document includes the use of body cameras, the treatment of officers involved in fatal shootings and city sponsorship of funeral fundraisers for those killed by an officer. Phoenix Police Chief Joseph Yahner collected the signed document outlining the protestors 12 demands. Before the night of the protest, the Black Lives Matter Arizona organization sent these 12 demands to the Phoenix Police Department according to Phoenix police officer Jon Howard. “Most of the things that are on that list are things we’re already doing,” said Phoenix police officer Jon Howard. “There’s no real surprises on that list.” Howard said the Phoenix Police Department is already one of the nation’s leaders in body cameras. The department already has plans to equip all patrol officers — more than 1000 officers — with body cameras. “We’re always looking to improve, and [activists] are always pushing us to improve — and that’s a good thing,” Howard said.

“If both sides aren’t always looking to improve, we’re probably doing something wrong.” Reverend Jarrett Maupin was one of the main organizers and speakers at the Black Lives Matter Arizona protest. He brought a large, printed version of the 12 point plan for community supporters to sign. One of the points he addressed was the first point on the plan, which demanded all police officers use body cameras within a year. “It came out a few days later that we would get body cameras in three years time. We want those body cameras now,” Rev. Maupin said to a crowd of media and protestors. “Stop wasting money paying the police to be here for protests — $100,000 on Friday, another $100,000 tonight, that’s $200,000 … We’re peaceful people.” Across the street, a group of counter-protestors gathered to promote the All Lives Matter and Blue Lives Matter movements. “Good people came out here: police supporters,” said Nohl Rosen, a counter-protestor with Rally for Law Enforcement. “People that care about our cops and care about our community. And that’s the way it should be.” The crowd of protestors, counter-protestors and police moved around the intersection throughout the course of the night. In the crowd, smaller groups supporting individual causes were present. Many people represented causes similar to Black Lives Matter, Blue Lives Matter and All Lives Matter, however they did not directly associate themselves with the groups

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present. Earlier in the day, Eric Smaltz, a member of a protest protection group organized by several Tucson-based veteran groups, found a cache of homemade explosives and other weapons in a nearby park. In sweeps of the park earlier in the week, Smaltz found chains, nunchucks, glass bottles, a gas container and piles of bricks and rocks. “I came back, found some more rocks that had been stashed across the street,” Smaltz said. “That’s when I came across two six packs of beer bottles mixed with gasoline with rags in them — Molotov cocktails. That elevated my thoughts of the situation.” Their group works to create a barrier between protestors and police, diffusing any violence between protestors and counterprotestors and cleaning the immediate area before a protest. “Part of our job is to make the community a safer place,” Smaltz said. “I took it upon myself to go to the park, look around, talk to some people... And I thought it would be a good idea to clear the park of anything that could be used as a weapon.” This rally happened at the same time as a similar rally in Tempe, Ariz. near ASU. Both rallies had lost significant steam by 10 p.m. Though a group protestors remained in Phoenix, the rally’s prominent leaders left approximately two hours after the rally began.

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CULTUR E

Flagstaff and NAU: A commitment to green KARI SCOTT

here are several groups and activities on campus, and in Flagstaff, that focus on educating and engaging students about sustainable lifestyles. Despite the stickers on the mirrors and in the dorm showers, the Bigbelly bins and the myriad of other reminders to be green, some NAU students and Flagstaff citizens are still looking for active ways to improve the environment. One group looking to make a change is the No Impact Jack certification program, which teaches students how to lead a more sustainable life in the dorms on campus. Similarly, the new Sustainable Citizen Program provides students with a certificate of sustainable living. Multiple student run gardens exist on campus. The Sustainable Living and Urban Garden (SSLUG garden) and the Students Nurturing Alternative in Landscaping (SNAIL) garden on south campus, as well as the Shand Garden on north campus, offer options for students all over campus. These gardens promote green living and a hands-on experience with nature. Eating locally-produced food can reduce carbon footprints significantly. There are several local community and farmers’ markets that take place all around the city.

Flagstaff Community Markets take place on Mondays and Wednesdays in varying locations. “Environmental footprints [are] reduced by eating food that is in season in your region instead of long-distance shipping,” said Heather Babbott wife of Art Babbott, the creator of the Flagstaff Community Markets. “We have a lot of NAU students attend the market and we love it.” For the more dedicated and environmentally-minded students there are more active programs available. One option is joining one of the NAU’s Environmental Caucus’ action teams. Students concerned with the environment can “come talk trash” with the Waste Minimization team, help spread the word as part of the communications team or become a mentor. Another option is writing a Green Fund Proposal. The Green Fund is meant to provide NAU’s campus with progressive green options. The Fund is comprised by the mandatory $5 green fee all students pay with their tuition. Faculty and students comprise the Green Fund Committee that review and decide what proposals receive funding. NAU Outdoor Adventures is a good choice for students that have a passion for being green. The group promotes Leave No Trace, a program where adventurers are encouraged to leave their campsites better than how they found them.

“This is a really fun option,” NAU Instructor Caitlyn Burford said. “The idea behind [the group] being, ‘if you spend time in nature, you will learn to care for nature.’” NAU Outdoors hosts many exciting events for students: fun-runs, backpacking, hiking and rock climbing. These activities do not have to center around being environmentallyconscious, but could just be fun outdoor activities to familiarize yourself with Flagstaff. Another reason to be green is to save money. Large chains, like Starbucks, and locally-based companies such as Late for the Train, provide a small discount when customers bring in their own travel mugs or reusable tumblers. It saves some money while benefiting the environment. “We need to be more cautious about our environment,” said Ethan Hoover, a junior theater major and Starbucks barista. “Every one of us can have an impact of some sort.” Saving on utilities by powering down electronics when leaving the house or apartment also reduces waste and helps the environment. Hand-washing dishes instead of using a dishwasher reduces water waste and energy use. Turning off the faucet while brushing your teeth is one other small, simple way to reduce bills and waste. More green, whether money or the environment, is always a benefit.

Flagstaff north campus from the Knoles Drive parking garage. NAU has many green programs and groups on campus including Green Jacks, NAU Outdoors and NAU’s Environmental Caucus’ Action

Teams as well as three community gardens — SLUGG, SNAIL and Shand. (Photo by Michael Patacsil)

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Black Lives protest in Phoenix present counter-protestors

TOP LEFT: Protestor Timothy Logg helped out many of the organizers of Black Lives Matter with their plans for the night of July 15. The hot night in downtown Phoenix at the intersection of Camelback and 24th Street was peaceful despite heated arguments between protestors. MIDDLE LEFT: Kenneth Perkins, an All Lives Matter protestor, laid in the street in an attempt to draw attention to his position. He would later lead many of the counter-protestors in a chant of â€œBlack lives matter, all lives matter.â€? TOP RIGHT: Lysamarie Johnson, a protestor unaffiliated with Black Lives Matter, stands next to police supporter and her friend Tabitha Mead, also unaffiliated. BOTTOM: Rev. Jarrett Maupin spoke to the community and media about their 12 point plan for the future of Phoenix police July 15 at the intersection of Camelback and 24th Street. After people signed this large draft of their plan, Maupin gave the plan to Police Chief Joseph Yahner in showing of community cooperation and progress. (Photos by Scott Buffon)

Amid police surveillance, protestors decry police brutality

TOP LEFT: The protest began and ended at the Coconino County Superior Court in Flagstaff June 10. TOP MIDDLE: The protest is not met without opposition as the march arrived at Heritage Square. Several people from outside the protest shouted back at the protestors. TOP RIGHT: Dani Potvin asked protestors for their attention before being removed by police. Potvin was not able to attain the protestorsâ€™ attention. MIDDLE RIGHT: Protestors of police brutality begin their march through the downtown Flagstaff area. BOTTOM: Supporters of police gathered outside Flagstaff City Hall, away from the police brutality protestors July 10. The supporters handed out blue ribbons and waved at traffic. (Photos by Halie Chavez and Hannah Cook)

CULTUR E

Pokemon Go takes Flagstaff ADRIAN SKABELUND

fter its release on July 7 in the United States, Pokémon Go hit Flagstaff with force, taking only 13 hours to reach the top of the charts on both iPhone and Android devices. In Flagstaff and on the campus of NAU, the ongoing popularity is obvious as groups of teenagers and young adults alike walk up and down the streets, scouring them for any rare Pokémon. For those of us who prefer living under a rock, what is Pokémon Go? “Pokémon Go is an augmented reality game for mobile devices. Basically the point of the game is to interact with the environment around you by going out into your world to capture Pokémon,” said Grace Erhart, NAU senior in comparative cultural studies and selfdescribed Pokémon expert. Players of the game are known as trainers. After a trainer finds a Pokémon on map provided through the app, they must go to that location and throw Pokéballs at the Pokémon on their phone to capture them. Erhart believes a big component of the game is getting out and being social. “People legitimately have an excuse to go out and interact with people,” Erhart said. “My friend Kelsey was out another night and she met up with a bunch of people that she didn’t know before and they took turns [attracting Pokémon to] Poké-stops and just hung out for the entire night.” An important aspect of the game are Poké-stops, which are

situated near attractions or community centers of some kind, such as a church or a mural. These Poké-stops are used to give trainers Pokéballs to catch more Pokémon. There are currently 151 Pokémon in the game that spawn at programmed locations. “The only way to find them is to move around. You can’t just sit in your house and catch Pokémon which, I think, is fantastic,” Erhart said. Though the social aspects of the game may be what keeps people playing, Erhart also believes the platform has also helped with the game’s popularity. “The platform is just super easy for anyone to get access to. Not every one has a gameboy or a Nintendo DS, but pretty much everyone has a smart phone and [the app] is available on most devices,” she said. Wesley Holmes, a 27-year-old pastor and the director of youth and family at the Presbyterian Church of the Resurrection in Flagstaff, has played almost everyday since the release. Holmes agreed with Erhart’s views, but added for him and many of the people he knows, their previous history and investment in the Pokémon franchise interested them in the app. “When [Pokémon] first came out, probably 15 years ago, the cards were super popular and I got into it then — I think I was in middle school,” Holmes said. “I think it’s a revival of what was a craze, a craze back in the day and it’s a craze again.” For Holmes, the app has become part of his downtime which he said is probably better than how he would normally be spending his free time.

“I work during the day so I guess it’s just part of my evening relaxation, walking around with my wife, enjoying the outdoors,” Holmes said. But, at the same time, Holmes said he is not completely convinced by the social benefits of Pokémon Go. “What I’ve noticed is though it brings people physically together, they’re not really together in a [way] that is broader than the game itself,” Holmes said. “What brings them together is the game and it’s cool to see people [involved as a group] but it is just a game after all, and I don’t know how long that novelty will last.” Most of the interactions he had with other players felt somewhat superficial. For Holmes, true connections are deeper than simply one common interest in a new app. Though Pokémon Go brought him in contact with others, it also prevented them from connecting in any other way than the game. Nonetheless, Holmes did say it was a step forward in the way technology can encourage good habits and connections with the community. “At least this is [getting people out], helping those who have been inside and hesitant to go outside to rediscover the beauty,” Holmes said. “I mean we live in Flagstaff, and this area, this part of the world, is just tremendously beautiful.” At its peak, a week after its release, Pokémon Go attracted nearly 25 million users in the United States alone. “Fads come and go, there’s something unique about this game,” said Erhart.

Tips, tricks and Poke-hints: An expert guide to Pokemon Go your experience points for 30 minutes. To illustrate the point, if catching a Pokémon gives you 100 experience points (XP), with the Lucky Egg on catching that same Pokémon it would give you 200 XP. Obviously, this leaves a lot of room for gains, but the way to really exploit this item is by using the game’s most common Pokémon — the annoying Pidgey. The trick starts by catching a ridiculous amount of Pidgeys to build up your Pidgey candies. For example, when I did this trick, I had a little over 300 candies stored up. I divided the number of Pidgey candies I had with the 12 candies required to evolve one Pidgey and found the sweet number of 25. Then, I made sure I had at least 25 Pidgeys. Evolving a Pokémon gives your player 500 XP, with the Lucky Egg it gives you 1000 XP. Evolving my 25 Pidgeys with my activated Lucky Egg gave me 25000 XP. After it was all said and done, I had evolved 25 Pidgeys into Pidgeottos and jumped three levels in 30 minutes.

SCOTT BUFFON

ou’ve seen it on TV, the internet, social media, city streets, your friend’s phone and maybe even your own — Pokémon Go has caught us all. The game, owned by Nintendo, is currently in its beta stage. Rumors of the coming person-to-person battling and trading system will likely keep this app on your front page for the coming months. And why shouldn’t it? Many of us ‘90s kids grew up with Pokémon Red, Blue, Yellow, Gold, Silver, Chartruese, Perrywinkle, etc. Some of us are still eating up the newer Pokémon games, and definitely kids in elementary in high school are feeling a certain type of Poké-fever. Regardless of age, video game consumers were ready for a more immersive game experience. Smartphones gave Nintendo an opportunity that consoles never could. Nintendo knew we wanted to play, catch and learn everything we could about Pokémon. In that same spirit, here is a list of tips and tricks on how to get the most out of your Poké-sperience Poké-hotspots and Poké-not-spots If you’re a dedicated trainer, you’ll likely go out several times a week to hit up Pokéstops for more Pokéballs, catch better Pokémon or take down a weak Mystic or Instinct gym (go Valor!). And in Flagstaff, trainers are likely led to either downtown Flagstaff or NAU’s campus. With all the lures that seem to be popping up each night, it’s not hard to catch some of the more common Pokémon — I’m looking at you Zubat, Ratatta and Pidgey. But there has to be more spots than just downtown and the university, right? Right! While Lake Mary is sadly void of all types of Pokémon, the areas near University Heights Drive, Lake Mary Road and the neighborhoods behind Lake Mary Road have a high concentration of good Pokemon and urban trails to explore.

(Illustration by Alanna Secrest)

But some words of caution: these areas are don’t have as many gyms and Pokéstops, so stock up on Pokéballs before venturing into this desert! Also, on the other side of Flagstaff, the east-side Flagstaff Mall is a good place for gyms and Pokémon. From there, going south of the tracks towards the country club and surrounding neighborhoods has also been known to have the occasional herd of Pokémon. Lucky Egg-volution Hopefully you didn’t use all of your Lucky Eggs already! The Lucky Eggs are an item that, after a single use, doubles all of

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Individual Values Calculators IVs, individual values, have been around since the dawn of Pikachu. Certain Pokémon are inherently stronger than others. These strengths can be influenced by all sorts of factors like level, type and base statistics. But one key concept that has always been factored in, but never widely publicized, is a Pokémon’s individual values. Some Pokémon are naturally stronger, have more stamina or better defense than others. If you are battling a Charizard that is completely identical to your Charizard, but yours has higher IVs, you will most likely win. To figure out your Pokémons’ IVs, check online. Many websites have created calculators to figure out your Pokémon’s IVs. The information you need to know includes combat power, health, the stardust required to level it up and whether it has been powered up or not.

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CULTUR E

Hopi artists share their culture SCOTT BUFFON

ome may think museums are just filled with bones, facts and old history, but the Hopi Festival at the Museum of Northern Arizona proves the opposite. The festival has gone on for 83 years, featuring Hopi artistry, dancing, singing and life stories presented by Hopi people. They sell and talk about their art and lives among artifacts from past generations of people. This year the event took place on July 2 and 3. Victoria Sunnergren, assistant manager of public programs with the museum, believes the heritage program that organizes the Hopi Festival is all about people and expression. “We think it’s really important to express that these are living peoples. I think it’s really easy to get into archaeology and these great historical studies, but these are still living people, still living on the Colorado Plateau and expressing their culture in new innovative ways,” Sunnergren said. “It’s important to get out here and talk to the artists and talk to the performers and learn how these cultures are still expressed today.” The festival featured special events like demonstrations of the fancy dance and hoop dance. Musician Charlie Chimerica sang and played his drum for the crowd. The songs he played were both passed down within Hopi tradition and also of his own creation. One of the songs Chimerica created was for Nakota LaRance, a 6-time world champion hoop dancer, who made an appearance at the Hopi Festival. LaRance’s dance utilized five hoops which he expertly tangled and untangled with athletic ease. With these hoops, he created the images of an eagle and butterfly flying, and tangled them together to create a sphere, representing the world. “As Hopis we’re peaceful caretakers here. And we all like to give back what has been given to the people — just for long life, longevity, prosperity throughout the world,” Chimerica said. And he added with a laugh, “like what Miss America would want — world peace!” Chimerica created the lyrics he sung for LaRance’s hoop dance. This dance has been a part of the Hopi people for generations. “I put in there, singing, ’watch him dance, look everybody, watch him dance,’” Chimerica said. “Afterward I encourage him, saying, ‘be strong, stay strong, dance hard, give it all you got.’” The Hopi language is one of the few languages that are unwritten, and must be transferred to children by speaking with their parents and elders. “I like to share that with people, because they’re always like, ‘who are you guys? I’ve never heard of you guys,’” Chimerica said. “We’re a small people, but we still like to express ourselves. Saying, ‘hey, this is who we are, and this is where we came from.’” Inside the museum, vendors and artists sharing their Kachina Dolls, traditional moccasins, various types of jewelry and paintings talked with visitors and explained to them the significance of various pieces. Many of the items were also up for sale.

Gerald Lomaventema, jewelry maker and mentor, has organized some Hopi people looking to learn the finer points of Hopi overlay jewelry. The group, called Qwa-Holo, hopes to show them a way to enrich their lives through jewelry making. “I’ve been doing this for about twenty years, then I started competing and actually winning,” Lomaventema said. “Now it’s like, I want someone else to get here. It’s not easy. It’s one of the hardest divisions in any jewelry competition.” But his reasons for becoming a mentor goes beyond competition. “This is kind of an option for them to support their family. That is the basic concept for the innovators of this style. They didn’t want all the kids to go to the city and forget about what’s going on at home,” Lomaventema said. “They wanted them to stay and participate in our ceremonial life, community. This gives them the opportunity to survive.” One of the people Lomaventema mentors is Darrin Kuwanhongva. Kuwanhongva used to make Kachina Dolls until his now-mentor offered him the chance to join QwaHolo. At the festival, Kuwanhongva was working with his tools in the museum quad, demonstrating part of the process required to make a piece of Hopi overlay jewelry. The technique involves cutting, cleaning and molding several layers of metal, like copper or silver, to create an intricate piece of jewelry. “My father used to be a silversmith, and my grandfather used to be a silversmith and I wanted to do it too,” Kuwanhongva said. He walks two miles in the morning to get to Qwa-Holo, and then spends his time making jewelry until late at night. A portion of the money they make from the jewelry and shirts they sell is going into buying a bigger space for QwaHolo to share and create their art. “We’re trying to raise money to get a bigger building, to help bring up new artists, to give them a place to work,” Kuwanhongva said. “We’re a group and we’re just trying to help each other. That’s what [Lomaventema] is trying to show us.” While traditionally Hopi people would carve their clanemblem onto the pieces of jewelry, Kuwanhongva said that people began to add different creative designs to their jewelry. This helped develop the art form into what it is today. “Everybody’s style is different. They started this type of jewelry for Hopi men to provide for their family, but still be at home practicing their religion,” Kuwanhongva said. Festivals and spaces like these pay off for Kuwanhongva, but not just financially because he finds a lot of pleasure from people wearing his art. “This lady, she bought my earrings last night during a previous show, came by this morning and it felt good,” Kuwanhongva said. “I was like, ‘Hey, she’s wearing my earrings!’ … Seeing somebody that you don’t know wear your artwork and be proud of it, it makes you feel good.” The festival brought in many visitors to the museum, even requiring a separate, free parking lot to accommodate the TOP: Darrin Kuwanhongva of Qwa-Holo displays his craftsmanship crowds. The museum’s next heritage festival will be the Navajo and Hopi overlay jewelry at the Annual Hopi Festival of Arts & Festival on August 6 and 7. Culture. BOTTOM: Nakota Larance performs a traditional hoop

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dance at the Annual Hopi Festival of Arts & Culture on July 3. (Photos by Halie Chavez)

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Olympic athletes find high altitude alternative in Flagstaff ALIE WILKINS

The recently opened Aquatic and Tennis Center on NAU’s campus is used as a training facility by various clients involved with the Hypo2 high-altitude training program. (Photo by Halie Chavez)

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estled in the pine tree forest of Flagstaff, just up the street from NAU, is one of the world’s finest facilities for highaltitude training in the United States. Since the Hypo2 training center opened its doors in 2009, it has welcomed 3,681 athletes from 29 countries all over the world. Sean Anthony is the CEO and founder of Hypo2 and has been working in high-altitude sports for almost his entire life. He spent his undergraduate career pursuing a degree in business, but also found his passion outside the classroom racing mountain bikes and working as a trainer. When he graduated, he wanted to find a job that would “marry the two,” and so he started working at the Center for High Altitude Training at Northern Arizona University. “I wanted to continue my work with athletes of this caliber and I had enough experience that I knew I could start my own business,” said Anthony. “And so I did,” He worked his way up the ranks at the center, gaining valuable experience and contacts along the way and eventually served as associate director for the facility. Anthony worked at the center for 12 years before budget cuts forced its closure in 2009. Anthony then opened Hypo2, a training center for elite, professional and Olympic athletes whose mission is to “provide world-class, fully-integrated, altitude-based support services, training facilities, and training tools for all forms of athletes who aspire to high performance.” Upon walking through the doors of Hypo2 the vast amount of paraphernalia from different teams hanging on the walls is almost overwhelming. Flags from different countries line the entryway to the front office, all signed by teams that have trained at Hypo2. Plaques, certificates and framed pictures cover the walls — a not so subtle reminder of the thousands of athletes that have picked Flagstaff as their place to train. With just eight days left until the 2016 Rio Olympics, the anticipation is building at Hypo2. There is no such thing as a typical day in the office because every client has a different set of needs and a different training plan, according to Anthony. “Some days I’m planning training camps and setting up travel accommodations and some days I’m problem solving,” Anthony explained. “A couple weeks ago the pool [on campus] had to close because of broken glass in the water. We had to find new accommodations for the athletes

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that were here, so I had to work something out with the high school.” Hypo2 offers six different facilities for their clients to use during their training time in Flagstaff. The facility works very closely with NAU and can offer their clients access to the pool, tracks and fields on campus. The Olympic size pool, which just opened a couple months ago, has two one-meter and two three-meter diving boards, a 13-foot-deep diving tank, six 25-meter lap lanes (seven-feet deep), eight 50-meter lap lanes (four- to 13-feet deep) and a three-foot therapy pool area. There are two tracks for use on campus; one a 400 meter, eight lane outdoor track and one 300 meter, six lane indoor track so athletes can still train in the winter months. The campus has two artificial turf fields, two grass fields and one indoor football field for teams to use as well. Most notably, the Australian National Rugby League Premiers used the fields on campus to train for their 2014 season. “Our relationship with NAU allows us to offer our clients even more equipment than we would be able to offer them on our own, which is part of what makes Flagstaff such a good destination to come to,” Anthony said. Athletes can also use the strength and conditioning gym which is stocked with 30 tons of free weights, 10 Olympic training platforms, variable resistance machines, cardio equipment, three large gymnasiums, a rock climbing wall and a 200m indoor track. One of the most popular pieces of equipment offered are the anti-gravity treadmills that “unweight” athletes so that they can train more without as much impact on their bodies. These treadmills reduce the impact that gravity has on the body by selecting a weight up to 80 percent of your own in 1 percent increments. The VOLT research lab at Hypo2 is owned and operated by Sports Physiologist Dan Bergland, who also conducts research with athletes during their training. They offer a variety of tests for athletes, from VO2 max and threshold testing to max lactate steady state testing. Currently their most notable project is their work with hemoglobin mass testing. When athletes train at altitude their bodies produce more red blood cells and hemoglobin, a protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen. The increase in these two things means that more oxygen gets delivered to the muscles at work, therefore increasing the athlete’s performance. The easiest way to measure red blood cell and hemoglobin content is to get a complete blood count (CBC). The problem with a CBC, however, is that hydration levels of the person being tested easily influence the results. To get a more accurate measurement, Hypo2 has started performing what’s called a

carbon monoxide rebreathing test, a test that is only being performed by a handful of training centers in the United States. The test involves finger prick samples before and after athletes breathe in carbon monoxide gas for two minutes. Then, using a blood gas analyzer, an athlete’s hemoglobin mass is determined in grams. The average increase for an athlete training between 7,000-8,000 feet is approximately 5 percent in four weeks. Hypo2 is working very closely with the USA Track & Field’s distance initiative program while they conduct this research. The goal of this research is to track the impact of high altitude training (as shown through hemoglobin mass testing) to provide incentive for coaches and athletes to chose high altitude training. Joey Mack, an NAU alumni with a degree in exercise science, has been an intern in the lab for almost a year. Every day he helps Bergland run tests on the athletes. “It’s such an incredible experience to work here not only for the scientific knowledge I’ve been gaining but also to see the athletes fall in love with Flagstaff while also getting better at

what they do,” Mack said. “The other day there was an athlete in here who was talking about how he wanted to move here when he retires because he loves it so much.” So what is it about Flagstaff that sets it apart from other training destinations? “It’s not like we’re the only center like this, there’s one in Colorado Springs, one in Park City, and one in Spain that all sit at the same elevation if not higher than us,” explained Anthony. “But what we can give them here is the full package. They have the ability to go up and down in elevation within a couple of hours. We partner with so many different people in town that we can give them access to so many different things. Plus with Sedona and the Grand Canyon so close we can offer them some play time too,” All of this plus the abundant trail system that runs through Flagstaff for all terrain training makes it a premier destination for athletes. Avishh Sharma from the Australian running team who has been training in Flagstaff and working in the VOLT lab for the last month said, “training from lower elevation to higher

elevation is bloody hard, but Flagstaff is a great and beautiful running destination.” Hypo2 just finished up their work with Dutch middle/long distance runner Siffan Hassan, Andre Brasil from the Brazilian swimming team, and several members of the swim teams from Hungary, Italy, Japan and Vietnam who helped to christen the new pool at NAU. Hypo2 also hosted the Australian running team as they prepared for the Olympic trials. “For me Hypo2 really is a labor of love. Having the privilege to watch these athletes work for their dreams is beyond inspiring. Is there a word that means more than inspiring? These people are what it means to be excellent,” said Anthony. Flagstaff is known for it’s beautiful climate, its pine tree forest in the stark desert of Arizona, and the fact that Route 66 runs right through the middle of town; but unbeknownst to most, so does the road to Rio.

Sean Anthony has been the CEO and founder of Hypo2 since the facility opened its doors in 2009, catering to athletes from all over the globe. (Courtesy of hypo2sport.com)

JULY 28 - AUG. 24, 2016 | T HE LUMBER JACK 21

SPORT S & OU TDOOR S

Kilts, cabers, hammers and braemars — oh my! MATTHEW KIEWIET

TOP: Kristie Corder attempts to turn the qualifying caber as the judge looks on. BOTTOM LEFT: Jenna Adams manages to find her balance while lifting the caber before attempting a turn. This was her first time lifting a caber. BOTTOM RIGHT: Margret Rawlins winds

up for a braemar throw. The braemar is similar to a shot put. (Photos by Ashley Null)

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n July 16 and 17, Flagstaff held the 19th annual Arizona Highland Celtic Festival put on by the Northern Arizona Celtic Heritage Society (NACHS). The 2016 Flagstaff Highland Games — featuring athletes from all over the western United States competing in various feats of strength — were also held within the festival grounds at Floxglenn Park. “[The games have] definitely been growing in popularity,” said athletic director Erin Huizingh. “When I first started as the athletic director we had decent crowds. We’ve always had the caber in the afternoon, and it’s noticeable after lunch people start showing up because they know that’s when we are going to do the caber. And that’s what people are coming out to see, but the crowds overall have definitely grown.” A caber is a long wooden pole that is carved from a tree. The cabers that were used throughout the weekend ranged from 15 to just over 18 feet in length and 37.5 – 107 pounds. The size of the caber increases through each round of competition. The goal in this event is to “turn” the caber. A turn occurs when the caber falls end-over-end away from the athlete. Scores are based on how close to an upright 12 o’clock position the caber falls. A perfect 12 o’clock turn is signaled by the judge throwing both arms in the air, similar to a touchdown signal in American football. “I didn’t have the best technique and I probably shouldn’t have thrown it,” A.J. Daniels of the women’s open division laughed. “Safety wasn’t a huge priority.” The caber toss was just one event in which contestants competed. Other events included the hammer throw, the weight over bar, the discus-like open stone and the braemar stone, which is similar to a shot put. Once each event was completed, the contestants were given a score based on which place they finished. First place receives one point, second place receives two points and so on. The athlete with the lowest score wins, similar to golf (also from Scotland!). In the event of a tie, the athletes with matching scores compete in another caber toss as a tiebreaker. The women’s masters saw Kim Hoke and Katy Horgan in this exact position with 12 points each at the end of the day. After finishing an entire day of competitions, the thought of completing another caber turn is quite grueling — neither athlete managed another full turn. Horgan was able to lift her caber to a 70-degree angle off the ground. Hoke managed 45 degrees, giving Horgan the victory. Along with the the Highland Games, the rest of the festival has been growing in popularity each year. 2015’s festival saw 8,400 attendees over the span of two days. “And the non-profit society uses its earnings wisely,” said NACHS member Michael Satterwhite in a press release. “Besides producing a consistently more innovative festival each year, they have dispensed over $93,000 in scholarship funds for Celtic cultural studies of many types over the past 19 years. That is giveback in a major way.”

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