Green and Gold – Page 109

South Africans Join Wesleyan Community

Published on January 27, 2016 in Features by Grayson Blount

Who exactly are these South Africans that became part of Wesleyan’s family this past month anyway? Tegan Pienaar and Jess Otter joined the Wesleyan community temporarily in the month of January to attend the Passion Conference.

Tegan has been to Atlanta three times now, while Jess experienced Atlanta for the first time. Students Hannah Cook, Rebekah Middlebrooks and Lolly Zimmerman opened their homes to these South Africans during their stay in Atlanta. When asked about Atlanta, Otter said, “Atlanta is a great place to come and visit. There are so many cool things to see and good food to eat.”

While in Atlanta, Otter experienced not only the Passion Conference, but also Chick-Fil-A for the first time. Although her travel partner, Tegan, is not a fan, she expressed how much she enjoyed it and how often she ate it. Ponce City Market was also a common spot to find Otter, shopping and exploring the more in-town parts of the city.

Tegan had less to see, considering it was his third time visiting, but he still did many new and cool things. Book of Mormon at the Fox Theatre was a highlight for Tegan. After the show, Tegan was thorough in explaining the excellence of the show. Tegan also had the opportunity to speak at Wesleyan again in the Friday morning chapel. Speaking about the theme of the month, “You are Redeemed”, Tegan put a spin on the Gospel that challenged many to reevaluate their lives.

Although they had to leave after a long stay, there will be many more visits to come from these two. When wrapping up the trip, Tegan said, “Wesleyan is always lekka (good) at showing Southern Hospitality. We are both so thankful for this trip and hope to rejoin our Wesleyan family soon.” Jess was quick to agree that America exceeded her expectations.

Wesleyan Plays Important Role in Developing Peachtree Corners

Published on January 27, 2016 in News by Will Harper

As the city of Peachtree Corners undergoes a variety of changes, the Wesleyan community has the opportunity to be a part of various new developments. Wesleyan has been a part of Peachtree Corners (formerly known as Norcross) since it moved to the campus on Spalding Drive years ago. The relationship between the school and the rest of the community has been productive and healthy, and all signs show that Wesleyan will continue to thrive within Peachtree Corners as the city continues to grow.

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Fantasy Football Update: 2016

Published on January 27, 2016 in Features/Sports by Grayson Blount

Russell Wilson Credit: Peter Yang

Fantasy football has wrecked us all again this season. As the season has finally winded down, the majority of boys are murmuring how they do not want to play again because of the emotional turmoil that it caused in the recent months.

Wesleyan has several leagues that run within it. The seniors have a large league that has been in tact since 8th grade. This year’s winner, Clint Prettyman, said, “This was my first time winning the league. I have made the playoffs many times but have never been able to capitalize. I won the championship this year as the last team into the playoffs as the 4th seed.”

When asked about his team, Clint commented that his team struggled at times during the season. He said, “Some key contributors to my team this year was the QB duo between Carson Palmer and Russell Wilson and Amari Cooper.” He also managed to pick up Devonta Freeman and Doug Martin as free agents. Congratulations to Clint Prettyman as the winner of the senior league.

Now to look at the other side of the spectrum. The loser of the senior league, Drew Aspinwall, was pretty upset about his season. Aspinwall said, “It’s a game of inches.” Aspinwall managed to drop Todd Gurley before his spree of good play. Aspinwall also commented, “There is a slim difference from first to last.”

The junior class also had a good league this past year which ended with a winner of Ryan Weed. There were leagues throughout all grades at Wesleyan, across the Metro Atlanta area, and even around the world. Fantasy football is a huge activity that captures the male’s attention around the country and hold their focus for 17 weeks a year.

Fantasy football is a curse in the modern day. Money, time and effort all get poured into a single team in which you may be disappointed in for a year. The game does have upsides though. Quality time with friends and family, and constant updates on the NFL, which make good conversation starters. Fantasy football is now over, for now, but next year it will surely make yet another strong return.

What Can Cause Winter Blues?

Published on January 27, 2016 in Features by Caroline Hodges

The term “Winter Blues” is often paired with Seasonal Affective Disorder or SAD. SAD is a very common disorder which usually comes around Fall and affects the person until the winter months are over, but there are also many other reasons that one could be unhappy during the winter months.

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Salyers Sets Sights on Olympic Trials

Published on January 27, 2016 in Features/Sports by Grayson Blount

There is a Wesleyan Alumni that has made a big progression in his athletic career. Nick Salyers, class of 2012, has made an Olympic Trial cut in the pool and will compete at the Olympic Trials in June. The trials are held a month before the Olympics in Omaha, Nebraska. The top swimmers from around the country come and compete at the fastest and most competitive meet of the year. It is difficult to gain a cut for the trials, as they require not only speed, but endurance and grit.

When asked about his training regiment, Salyers said, “Currently, my main focus is on having my best year in the pool for the Bulldogs. So my schedule and training is not unlike my previous years at Georgia. We have however thrown in a few more long course (50 meter pool) meets into our typical schedule, like our dual meet against Florida which is normally short course (25 yard pool), in order to prepare for Olympic Trials. Also during the fall semester and over the breaks we did a lot more long course training in preparation for the Trials this summer.” Salyers had a good year for the Bulldogs, being one of the top contributors to the team.

In addition,he said, “I swim from 5:30-7am then have weights from 7:45-9 and then swim again in the afternoon from 2:45-5pm every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. And then we have drylands from 2:15-3pm and then swim from 3:15-5pm every Tuesday and Thursday. We swim once for approximately 2 hours every Saturday and have Sunday off. The NCAA limits us to 20 hours of training per week. And we hit 20 hours exactly every week.” Swimmers all around can attest to the fact that it is a harsh and exhausting training schedule.

Finally, I asked Salyers about his coaching staff and how they have helped him in his progression towards the trials. He said, “Our coaches at Georgia are world class, but then we also have strength and conditioning coaches, trainers, nutritionists, and access to everything we need to succeed in the pool, classroom and life beyond sports.” Coaches are so important towards a strong training program, and Salyers is the first of many to say that the coaches are top notch at UGA.

When asked about how balancing studies and time in the pool worked out, Salyers said, “It can be difficult at times. You really do have to sacrifice a lot at times in order to maintain the kind of schedule that I keep. But I thrive in that sort of challenge. It has been very rewarding to take on the challenge of swimming at UGA. Swimming has opened up many doors for me and taught me a lot about myself and a lot about hard work.”

Salyers is still looking to shave time of his 100 meter Backstroke, which is the event that he will be swimming in Omaha this June. His training will continue until then, as he looks to attempt to make the Olympic team as a senior in college.

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