The Pilot
Thursday. November 6, 2008
Page A3
Opinions
Monday graduation fraught with drawbaclcs
By Lauren Taylor
Pilot editor-in-chief
I’ve been trying really hard
to justify why it’s alright that
my parents have to take off
vi'ork to coine to my graduation
ceremony on a Monday.
I’ve been told that somehow
it is saving me money, that I am
helping the school and that it
is for a good reason that I just
don’t understand. Other schools
are doing it, and I guess that’s
supposed to help.
But then I remember that my
dad works at a tobacco plant and
is paid hourly. Taking off work
for him means less money. And
I thought a Monday graduation
was supposed to be saving me
money somehow.
I also remembered that my
mom works for super-rich peo
ple who can’t tie their shoelaces
without her. Taking a day of
precious vacation time means
a whole lot more lace-tying the
next day.
I ask myself why a ceremony
is so important that my dad must
lose money and my mom work
overtime. The question of why I
am putting people through this
occurs to me, and suddenly that
e-mail the school sent out gets
lost like a bug in a windstorm.
So far, that’s three whys, and
I can’t find the answers to any of
them in the e-mail.
Then there are the people
who actually can’t come see
me graduate because they don’t
have nice bosses like my mon
ey-losing parents do.
They would have to take an
extra day off to drive home after
whatever Monday night festivi
ties would put them home too
late for work the next day. It’s
not worth it.
Guess they’ll have to make
it up to me somehow.
I’m jealous of my boyfriend,
whose graduation was on a Sat
urday. Afterwards, we all went
up to a big lake house for the
weekend and cooked out and
talked.
That’s just the envious part
of me—the part that doesn’t
care how much it costs Gardner-
Webb to honor my four years of
hard work—coming out, and
that’s wrong.
It’s a good thing I know how
to overcome all the guilt that
arises out of making everybody
adjust their lives to see me grad
uate, because I’m making them
come anyway.
Yet I just can’t get this part
off my mind: “Weekend events
are significantly more expen
sive to operate than weekday
events because of the overtime
involved.”
That’s true. I’m sure. But
what about the parents who
have already worked a bunch of
overtime to see their kids make
it to this day in the first place?
Someone has to take one for
the team, and I suppose it will
be - as usual - the parents.
From the
Brain of
Jermaine
By Jermaine Gash
We will stay in
Iraq until the
jobs done!
Spread the
wealth!
Why doesnt
any one ever
ask for my
opinion?
Channel 32
Sports
Women’s soccer team falls to VMI in tearjerker Bulldogs cause a tsunami
By Lanny Newton
Pilot sports editor
Riding a three-game unbeaten
streak, the Gardner-Webb women’s
soccer team traveled to Virginia
Military Institute for the regular-
season finale.
The Bulldogs were able to jump
out to an early lead, but were unable
to hang on as VMI rallied to win 3-2
in overtime.
“We played good, we played the
best soccer we’ve played all year
in the last 2-3 weeks,” said Head
Coach Kevin Mounce.
“We’re starting to be a little
better defensively, not giving up so
many chances. Our offense is com
ing around, we’re getting chances
and we’re starting to finish those
chances.
“I think we’re going in at the
right time as far as our confidence is
concerned. I think we’re confident
in the way we can play with anyone
in the conference.”
Gardner-Webb got on the board
first, as Stephanie Benshoof sent the
ball in to Angie Harvey off a comer
kick in the 17th minute.
Harvey returned it to Benshoof,
who blasted it into the back of the
net. It was Benshoof’s second goal
of the season and Harvey’s third as
sist.
VMI was able to get a goal at the
end of the first half and again at the
beginning of the second.
Trailing 2-1, in the 79th minute
Chelsea Heame found an attacking
Dawn Rollyson from midfield. Rol-
lyson received the pass in the box
and hammered it home to knot up
the score at 2-2.
It was Rollyson’s first collegiate
goal and Heame’s first collegiate as
sist.
Amanda Berrios was able to put
in her second goal of the night in the
108th minute to give VMI the vic
tory.
With that, VMI clinched the
second spot in the conference tour
nament.
Megan Reimer led the Bulldogs Sunday 2 p.m.
with two shots on goal, while Ben
shoof, Kasey Gladhill, Dara Gold
stein, Harvey, and Rollyson each
had a shot on goal.
In shots, Rollyson led the Bull
dogs with five, while Harvey and
Reimer had four each. Gladhill and
Goldstein each had two shots, and
Benshoof and Megan Tremblay had
one.
Jessica Tuggle had eight saves
for the Bulldogs.
Gardner-Webb locked up the
No.8 seed and will face No. 1 Coastal
Carolina in the first round of confer
ence tournament play, which begins
today at 4 p.m. at High Point..
Seniors Goldstein, Harvey, Kara
Kmeger, Kim Scercy, MacLean
Wade, Sarah Wyszynski and Cristin
Yasinsac will look to lead the Bull
dogs to a berth in the NCAA tourna
ment.
With a win, Gardner-Webb
would play the winner of Charles
ton Southern vs. High Point, Friday
at 7 p.m. The conference final is
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Volleyball team suffers
twin disappointnnents
By Lanny Newton
Pilot sports editor
The Gardner-Webb
volleyball team played at
UNC Asheville Tuesday
night and fell 3-0 (21-25,
20-25, 21-25).
It was the second loss
for the team within four
days.
The team hosted
league-leading Liberty
University Saturday but
was imable to pull off
the upset. GWU won the
first and third sets, but ul
timately lost 3-2 (25-20,
12-25, 25-21, 17-25, 6-
15).
GWU also recorded
102 digs in the match, the
fourth-most in school his
tory.
“We played great de
fense this weekend, we
did a lot of nice things, we
did a good job of keeping
the ball in play and giving
our offense an opportu
nity to score and try and
win the match,” said Head
Coach Chris Phillips.
Gardner-Webb got off
to a quick start, jumping
out to an early 4-1 lead in
the first set.
Though Liberty was
able to tie it at 6-6, the
Bulldogs proceeded to
roll off a 9-3 run. GWU
would lead to as much as
eight at 18-10, ultimately
winning 25-20.
After dropping the sec
ond set, the Lady Bulldogs
ran to an 11-5 advantage
in the third. The Flames
fought back to tie it at 17-
17, from which point the
two teams traded points
until the 21-21 mark.
Gardner-Webb failed
to capitalize on its mo
mentum, losing the last
two sets.
Steinebmnner finished
with 18 kills to lead the
Bulldogs, while Wilcox
chipped in 12 kills.
Bethany Martin also
recorded nine kills to go
.with three block assists,
and the team’s only two
solo blocks. Feagin had
43 assists in the match.
Four players reached
double digits in digs for
the Bulldogs. Feagin and
Brett Wilson led the way
with 17 each, while Katie
Mattykowski had 16.
Evan Moffitt recorded
12 digs, and Lauren Evans
posted four digs.
Gardner-W^bb re-
tums home Friday to play
Coastal Carolina at 7 p.m.
Saturday the team plays its
final home game against
Charleston Southem at 2
p.m.
The seniors will be
honored before the game.
By Lanny Newton
Pilot sports editor
The Gardner-Webb
men’s and women’s teams
continue to roll in the new
season going 2-0 and 3-0
respectively.
Friday, Gardner-Webb
traveled to Washington,
D.C., to take on Ameri
can University. The next
morning Gardner-Webb
took on Howard and
North Carolina A&T
Though North Caro
lina A&T doesn’t have a
men’s team, the Bulldogs
beat the opposition on all
fronts.
“On the girls’ side we
thought it would be a bet
ter meet,” said Head Coach
Mike Simpson. “Quite
honestly we thought it
would be really close be
cause [against American]
we gave up 26 points right
off the bat. Even though
there were some good
individual races here and
there, we expected them
to put up more of a fight,
but our girls swam really,
really well.
Just a week after
American’s women’s
swim team defeated Big
East member Providence
College, Gardner-Webb
came to town and cmised
to a 165-123 victory.
The Bulldogs kicked
off the meet with a vic
tory in the 200 medley
relay as Corey Hughey,
Stepheni Stadnik, Rachel
Warkentin and Veronica
Case posted the third fast
est time in Gardner-Webb
history in the event, at
1:48.62.
From there the Bull
dogs coasted with out
standing performances by
Elizabeth Ketterer who
won the 1,000 free and
then in the very next event
won the 200 free.
On the men’s side,
GWU dismantled Ameri
can 208-64 winning 10
events. In the 1,000 free,
100 breast and 200 butter
fly the Bulldogs were able
to sweep the medal posi
tions. George Partin won
the 50 free, 100 free, and
200 freestyle events.
On Saturday morn
ing, the Lady Bulldogs
were able to take victories
over Howard, 64-31, and
North Carolina A&T, 73-
22. The main highlight
was that senior Mallory
Blessing won her first col
legiate individual title in
the 500 free.
The men were able
to defeat Howard eas
ily, 118-80. The victory
moved them to 3-0 on the
year, which betters last
year’s start for their best
ever.
Saxon Simpson won
his first collegiate indi
vidual event taking first in
the 100 breaststroke.
The Lady Bulldogs
next play host to Georgia
Southem Nov. 14. Both
teams are back in action at
the Davidson Invitational
from November 21-23.
Georgia Southem was the
only conference team able
to defeat the Lady Bull
dogs last year during the
regular season.
Men’s soccer swallows bitter pills
By Andrew Veeder
Pilot sports writer
The Runnin’ Bulldogs
men’s soccer team faced
former NCAA title holder
Clemson Tuesday and lost
a close decision 1-0.
Against the ACC team,
the Runnin’ Bulldogs gave
the Tigers a mn for their
money, despite losing a
player in the first half due
to a red card.
This was the second
loss within a few days.
In an extremely physi
cal game, the men’s soccer
team fell to Winthrop 2-1
Friday in Rock Hill, S.C.
In a game that had a
total of 45 fouls and six
yellow cards, Gardner-
Webb’s record is now 5-3
in Big South Conference
play. However, the top
seed for the Conference
toumament was on the
line, and the Winthrop Ea
gles clinched the position.
“This was a heavy
weight title fight,” head
Coach Tony Setzer said.
“Both teams stood toe to
toe and slugged it out for
90 minutes, and in the end
Winthrop got the deci
sion. It was a great intense
match. I was so proud of
our team for their effort
and composure.”
The men travel to Conway,
S.C., Nov. 13-15 for the
Big South Toumament.