Mary Geanelli Bernardo, Author at The Western Howl

By: Burke De Boer
Sports Editor

The Lewis & Clark Pioneers were slated to come to Monmouth on Oct. 15 to face the Wolves women’s rugby team. Stormy conditions forced the game to be postponed.

“The wind and rain was just too strong for the other team to drive down safely,” said Maddi Fagnani, junior lock in her second year on the team. The game is to be rescheduled later in the year. “Most likely as part of a round robin tournament that is hosted every year, farther in the season.”

The inaugural year of the women’s rugby club, back in 2004, saw the Wolves become Pacific Northwest Regional Champions and Pacific Coast Regional Champions to qualify for nationals. The team finished third in the nation that year.

The winning tradition carries through to today. Last season ended with the Wolves ranked 10th in the nation and sealing back to back league championships.

This year looks to have equally high expectations.

“Holy cow are we excited about this season,” Fagnani said. “Last year we had maybe five returning players. We had 16 girls for the whole season, and a whole team of rookies. This year we have about ten baby vets and about 25 players.”

A baby vet, she explained, is someone playing their second year, moving up from rookie.

“Last year we had maybe one sub, this year we have almost a whole second team. That’s definitely nice,” Fagnani said.

Maddi is in her second year of playing for the club. She comes from a very athletic background, as do all the girls who come onto the rugby team to learn the sport. Even though most rookies are learning a new game, they have the skillset that allows them to successfully adapt and fine tune.

Maddi was varsity captain for soccer, volleyball, basketball and track at her high school in Alaska.

“It really is like a family. Especially for students from out of state like myself. People in connection with the team help us grow so much more than any of us could have imagined,” Fagnani said of the team.

“We have high respect for anyone who comes out to watch us play rugby. I’d like to encourage anyone and everyone to come out and be a part of this great sport.”

The rugby season is through fall and winter. Your next chance to see the team at home is on Nov. 19 when Seattle University comes to Monmouth.

Contact the author at journalsports@wou.edu

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Editor’s Picks

By: Ashton Newton
Entertainment Editor

Editor’s recommendations:
“The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim” will be five years old in November and it still holds up as one of the best video games I’ve ever played. Few games make you feel like there is a living world around you but “Skyrim” does it perfectly. The storytelling is so rich that little actions make big impacts, making players feel like their playing matters to the world around them. A remastered version of “Skyrim” releases on Oct. 28 on Playstation 4 and Xbox One, I highly recommend it.

“The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” holds up as one of the best movies I’ve ever seen. Starring and directed by Ben Stiller, it’s just the most feel-good movie of adventure that I’ve ever seen. “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” makes me feel a sense of adventure that movies rarely make me feel. Plus, the soundtrack is fantastic. If you’re looking for a movie to watch, you won’t be disappointed.

Editor’s Disparagement:
I’ve always really liked Bon Iver’s music, but I just can’t get into their new album “22, a million”. There are a few good songs on there such as “29 #Strafford APTS” and “715 – CRΣΣKS”, but for the most part, the album is filled with a lot of strange noises and unnecessary electronic music that makes it difficult to listen to. Listen to Bon Iver, just not their newest album.

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The Rolling Stones roll back to their roots

By: Kevan Maloney
Freelancer

The golden oldies are returning to the modern era. To some this means relatively little, but to others this means the world. This return is being heralded by The Rolling Stones, who plan on releasing their new album on Dec. 2. The album, entitled “Blue and Lonesome”, is set to be an homage to their beginnings in the music industry, back when they were a blues band in the late ‘60s and Print early ‘70s.

The release of this is simply amazing considering the fact that most mainstream news of The Rolling Stones is nearly non-existent, with their last album being released in 2005. It’s also surprising that they are actually still quite active, going on tour every few years. Along with the release of the album, The Rolling Stones are planning a European tour.

“Blue and Lonesome” is going to feature 12 tracks which are written by other artists, reimagined by The Rolling Stones. Many of these songs will be ones that they started off playing when they were still up and coming.

This has the potential to bring millennials back to the classic era of rock. There are so many artists that haven’t been followed in decades who are easily as fantastic as artists today. An important result that could come of this is the album’s ability to potentially bridge a generational gap. From personal experience, I know that the music I prefer to listen to, and what my parents listen to, are vastly different.

“Blue and Lonesome” will be the latest edition to The Rolling Stones musical archive that has been around since 1962, over half a century of musical creations.

Contact the author at kmaloney15@wou.edu

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“Miss Peregrine’s”: from paper to picture

By: Kinsey Bushart
Freelancer

First I must confess that I only recently read “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children,” and I had only read it because I am a firm believer in reading the book before seeing the movie. Ransom Riggs’ book is whimsical, funny and more than a little bit creepy.

One character, a boy named Enoch, is so “peculiar” he has the ability to bring inanimate objects to life with the heart of something already dead. If child necromancers, bird-women and evil monsters who resemble Slender Man are something you’re interested in, “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children” is the book for you. Plus, the plethora of sarcastic one-liners and humorous characterization makes it so any fan of fantasy can connect with characters as well as enjoy the suspenseful or light-hearted situations those characters find themselves in.

The movie adaptation itself has trouble keeping to the already written guidelines from the published original. Most movie adaptations from books have a way of wandering off from the original storyline to either simplify the story and thus shorten it, or attempt to make it more interesting. This can be off-putting to some, including myself.

“Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children” is the same in that regard; with major character changes concerning special abilities and even physical appearances, plus the deletion of entire characters depending on their overall importance to the storyline. These changes effect the movie enough to bother some stickler book fans about ruining the entire thing.

Now this movie does better than other book adaptations, especially compared to films like the Percy Jackson series or “Eragon”, so it’s not really something to be too upset about, unless you’re easily bothered by such things. While not a terrible movie overall (I enjoyed it immensely) the movie adaptation of “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children” doesn’t do the greatest job matching perfectly with its book, not that it was really expected to.

Contact the author at kbushart16@wou.edu

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A blast from the homecoming past

By: Paige Scofield
Campus Life

Throughout the years, Western has held homecoming as a pivotal experience to have and enjoy while in college. It’s a week full of entertainment, unity and memories. Homecoming allows you to take a break from your studies and have some fun. You meet new people, experience new things and get to know your school better.

Over the years, Western has been steadfast in keeping up with the traditions of homecoming. Bonfires, powder-puffs, powder-tuffs, homecoming courts, homecoming football games and all the festivities in between, have been keeping the students at Western entertained for decades. According to Jerrie Lee Parpart, archives and exhibits coordinator at Western, this week of celebration used to be called Alumni Day, but later the term “homecoming” became popular.

Homecoming has been occurring at Western for over 100 years. Let’s go on a homecoming blast from the past with these photos of former homecoming events between 1980-2015. If you’d like to view more past activities of Western homecomings, visit the homecoming exhibit on the second floor of Hamersly Library.

Contact the author at journalcampuslife@wou.edu

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Lacrosse plays fall ball

By: Burke De Boer
Sports Editor

Wolves lacrosse had their first home match of the fall season on Oct. 15. They hosted the Portland Rippers. In the cold wind and rain they took the Rippers to the wire, losing 11-12 in second overtime.

The loss of the game is not as important as the experience learned from playing. Lacrosse season is in the spring, and the fall season gives new players a chance to integrate and learn the system.

“We’re a relatively small and young team so we’re teaching all of our freshmen the offense and defense that we run,” said junior goalie Lake Larsen. Lacrosse is a club sport and Larsen is the president of the club. “Currently it’s fall ball so all of the games we’ve been playing are scrimmages. Fall ball is the time for the new recruits to play with some of the veterans to learn how each other play and develop chemistry.”

The team comes together now to build on a successful 2016 season.
They play in the Pacific Northwest Collegiate Lacrosse League, Division II. Despite the Western program’s relative size, last year they finished second in the division to qualify for the April playoffs. They beat Central Washington in the first round in another double overtime game. Though you may not have known this by listening to the broadcast as the commentators called the winning team Eastern Oregon University throughout the first half of the game.

“They obviously didn’t know much about the Wolves,” said Samantha Dunaway, junior biology student. “But the team played really well last year. I don’t think anyone expected a small team from Monmouth to make the playoffs.”

The Wolves advanced to the semifinals before falling to Gonzaga.

First year long-stick middle player Jeron Knox is looking forward to the year ahead.

“Yesterday’s game showed the strides we have made since first practice. We have a lot of talent and great guys and I am excited to be a part of this team,” Knox said on Sunday.

The game was not your typical college matchup, as it was not a college matchup at all. The Portland Rippers are a team composed of former collegiate players who have graduated. Taking a team of veteran players to second overtime is no small feat for a club team still developing team chemistry and working towards the 2017 season.

Lake Larsen made the switch from baseball to lacrosse as a middle school student in Bend, Oregon. He never looked back, even in the rainy cold afternoon. “I wanted to play something faster paced and with more hitting. My little brother had been to some lacrosse summer camps in the past so we decided to quit baseball and start lacrosse. Probably one of the best choices I’ve made.”

Fall games continue through November. The 2017 season is set to pick up in February.

Larsen encourages everyone to check out the sport “If you haven’t watched lacrosse before, it is a fast paced, high scoring, exciting sport to watch. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @woulax.”

Your only chance to catch a fall home game will be the alumni game on Saturday, Nov. 12 at 1 p.m. The team plays on the Intramural Club Sports Field.

Contact the author at journalsports@wou.edu

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Cocktail Corner

By: Paige Scofield
Campus Life Editor

Nothing screams fall more than caramel apples and nothing screams early drinking like mimosas. So why not combine the two? This is a simple, quick and delicious caramel apple mimosa that will go great with that brunch you’re probably not going to make. The recipe is as follows:

Servings: 4

What you need:
2 tablespoons caramel
2 tablespoons cinnamon sugar
1 cup apple cider
8 fluid ounces caramel vodka (optional)
1 bottle champagne
Apple slices for garnish

Directions:
1. In a small dish pour caramel sauce. In another small dish pour cinnamon sugar. Dip champagne flutes into caramel to rim glass then dip in cinnamon sugar.
2. Pour apple cider, caramel vodka (optional) and top with champagne into flutes.
3. Garnish with an apple slice and serve.

This mimosa is fresh, fruity, fizzy and frightfully good. If you utilize this cocktail, your brunch buddies (drinking buddies) will think you’re a pretentious snob but will thank you for the alcohol. I’ll be adding a new cocktail each week of October so your Halloween party can be the talk of the wizarding world! Please drink responsibly and happy Halloween!
Recipe courtesy of delish.com.

Contact the author at journalcampuslife@wou.edu

Western Oregon University’s Land Acknowledgement
Western Oregon University in Monmouth, OR is located within the traditional homelands of the Luckiamute Band of Kalapuya. Following the Willamette Valley Treaty of 1855 (Kalapuya etc. Treaty), Kalapuya people were forcibly removed to reservations in Western Oregon. Today, living descendants of these people are a part of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Community of Oregon and the Confederated Tribes of the Siletz Indians.

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Rugby returns

Editor’s Picks

The Rolling Stones roll back to their roots

“Miss Peregrine’s”: from paper to picture

A blast from the homecoming past

Lacrosse plays fall ball

Cocktail Corner

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