Monday, April 1, 2024
USA BMX athletic trainer excited by opportunities, challenges of new sport Courtesy of OSU News
State University Sports Medicine and works full time for USA BMX out of the headquarters in Tulsa. “It’s cool, but it’s also intimidating. There’s not a lot of dedicated BMX It’s exciting to be one of the first to athletic trainers, I may be the only one,” do something. But it can also be nerveAkande said. wracking. He is also a first-generation AmeriLuke Akande is one of the first can. His parents are both Nigerian and dedicated athletic trainers for BMX — he grew up outside Atlanta. He earned bicycle motocross — the sport where his bachelor’s degree from the Univerriders race on dirt tracks with jumps sity of Georgia, his master’s degree from and turns that showcase athletes’ speed Florida International University and is a and style. He recently joined Oklahoma board-certified athletic trainer as well a
licensed emergency medical technician. Akande has worked as an athletic trainer with the University of Minnesota’s track & field and cross country teams, the University of Oregon’s indoor and beach volleyball teams and with a Cincinnati Reds minor league baseball team. But he said he’s looking forward to the challenge of working with a newer sport. “No one I went to school with or any of my mentors have worked in BMX before, so it’s new territory for every-
one,” he said. “BMX sounded interesting and different. And the opportunity to work with Team USA was intriguing.” USA BMX, the national governing body for the sport, also organizes national competitions and oversees the Olympic BMX team, which means Akande will be traveling to Paris for the 2024 Summer Olympic Games. “I’m very excited. It’s definitely a career goal and a dream of mine,” he said. See BMX on 7
‘Butterfest’ connects student body with butter churning, tasting Raynee Howell Staff Reporter OSU Butter Churning Club member Staci Dodson found herself in the middle of the Student Union Plaza yelling and waving an inflatable stick of butter above her head on Thursday. To passersby, the sight might seem strange, but to Dodson, the butter stick represented the community she’s been part of since her freshman year. Before Dodson joined the club, she attended Camp Cowboy where now-vice president Kate Barclay told the freshly-graduated Dodson to be on the lookout for the Butter Churning Club. “Right from the start, the club has felt like a family; just welcoming and just as chaotic as it is fantastic,” Dodson said. “And I think I’m also enthusiastic about butter; I mean I’m running around with a stick of it.” Dodson and her fellow club members are not the only ones enthusiastic about butter. More than 150 students gathered to celebrate Butterfest, which the Student Union Activities Board in collaboration with the Butter Churning Club hosted. Grace Adams, outreach director of the Butter Churning Club, received a message from the SUAB committee asking if the club wanted to collaborate to plan a butter event for the student body. Adams and the club members accepted the offer right away. Together the groups came up with activities such as butter tasting, butter making and button pin making. “I was most excited for the butter making, but also the buttons because we can do a lot with a butter pun,” Adams said. “You know like, ‘Turn Up, Churn Up’ and my favorite button we made, ‘Feel the Burn of the Churn.’” The buttons were a hit, but
the line was wrapped around the side of the Student Union for the butter tasting. Adams described the top five flavors the club decided to bring to complement the bread rolls handed out to attendees. “We have plain butter, garlic butter, strawberry butter, parmesan butter and cinnamon butter,” Adams said. Zoe Kelley, SUAB outreach director, said she knew the butter tasting and butter making would be the most popular because she wanted to do it herself. The event kept Kelley busy, but she made a point to try all of the butters and make her own jar. “My favorite part is definitely butter making, but everybody has told me that the butter is amazing,” Kelley said. “I am going to try them right after this.” Hannah West, a student, tried all of the butters except for the strawberry butter. She said her favorite was the cinnamon and the parmesan. West enjoyed the butters but had the most fun at the butter making station. “I like decorating the butter jars,” West said. “I think it’s nice when the events have something creative you can do.” SUAB events often have artistic activities for students, so the art aspect was no surprise to West. The surprise was Patty, the wooden cow milk simulator, which the OSU Dairy Science Club brought to the event. Faith Gatley, club president, was excited to attend Butterfest and collaborate with the Butter Churning Club. “We are trying to have more collaborations because you can’t have butter without milk or dairy,” Gatley said. “We’re actually having a collaboration meeting next week where we’re inviting butter members to a dairy tour and they’re going to teach us how to make butter.” See ‘Butterfest’ on 6
Kennedy Thomason
Taking time to travel to new places takes efforts, but it gives you new experiences.
Traveling is good for the soul Kennedy Thomason News & Lifestyle Editor
Column
Payton Little
Staci Dodson, a Butter Churning Club member, called to students to join in on Butterfest’s activities.
In my 20 years, I’ve traveled to a few places
across the country. trip snacks were worth the I spent summers playing sore butts and travelers’ falacrosse up and down the East tigue. Time in the car means Coast. My parents took me you get to swap stories with to visit family in Oklahoma your traveling companions. every Christmas, even though Talking, laughing, napwe lived in Virginia. This ping and exploring bring out past summer I spent a week different sides of people as on a national parks tour with they travel. Seeing new places friends. Over spring break, and things also helps to disI took a hiking trip with cover new perspectives. friends to Colorado. Each trip holds special memories. All of the miles, conSee Soul on 5 versations and shared road