Issue 3 | November 19, 20128 HOOFBEAT FEATURES

Teenagers and Tiaras:alexis deffenbachersta! writer

Primped up teens, fancy dresses, and strutting down the runway highlight the world of pageantry. A few MN students have taken on the world of pageantry, and have been suc-cessful.

Senior Maddie News-trom has competed in a few beauty pageants at a young age. Recently she won her biggest preliminary title, Miss Millard Teen USA. Cari Wadman, a ju-nior, has competed in one pag-eant, and won the title of Miss Douglas County Outstanding Teen.

“I like doing pageants be-cause it’s a good way to learn self-con!dence, poise, and a way to meet new friends. I’ve met a lot of friends through pageantry,” Newstrom said.

"e preparation for pag-eants can be demanding, but for contestants, it’s worth it.

“"e pageants I com-pete in are weekends; Fridays, all day Saturday, and all day Sunday [a total of] around 50 hours,” Newstrom said.

"ese long hours cover several aspects of pageantry. In-terviews, rehearsal for the tal-

ent section, l e a r n i n g w a l k i n g p a t t e r n s , the opening number, in-troduction, s w i m s u i t wear, and e v e n i n g gown are the main rounds.

P r e p -ping hair and make-up for these r o u n d s takes con-testants a substantial amount of time before the pageant even begins.

“Before a pageant, hair and makeup can take about two hours, depending on if you get it done profession-ally, or if you prepare yourself,” Newstrom said.

Along with hair and makeup preparation, contes-tants need about four out!ts for the rounds.

“"e out!ts for a pageant are the evening gown, !tness clothing such as Nike shorts and a workout top, out!t for the talent section, and a nice dress for the interview,” Wad-man said.

For the interview portion, contestants are interviewed by a panel of judges.

Memorial Stadium to MN

Growing up in Lincoln, Nebraska football becomes a Saturday religion in the fall. "at’s what the fans see it as. To the players, it’s a time con-suming activity that is balanced with their schoolwork.

Math teacher Jim Ebke played football for 13 years including three and a half at the University of Nebraska. He has had to transition from playing football, to teaching math to high school students. But, he is very familiar to helping students with math.

“I was always tutoring football players with math. I’ve always enjoyed math, and I was good at it,” Ebke said.

Ebke attended Lincoln East High School where he played four years of football. Ebke played quarterback and led Lincoln East to the Class A State Quarter!nals. Along with football, he competed in track, basketball, and baseball at the varsity level.

“High school athletics were probably the best time of my sports career because it

wasn’t a job,” Ebke said.Ebke was !rst recruited to

South Dakota State University as a linebacker and a safety. He transferred and walked on at Nebraska in 2008 a#er one se-mester at SDSU. At Nebraska, Ebke played quarterback for a year and a half, then moved to safety for a year and !nished as a linebacker. He was also on the special teams. Special teams is where Ebke was most impor-tant and made his biggest im-pact at Nebraska.

“I was the fourth guy in from the right on the punt team. My objective was to cre-ate pressure on the edge and make tackles,” Ebke said.

Being a college football player puts a lot on your plate. Players have to balance school-work and football.

“It sucks because you’re trying to get an education and a job, while being looked at

and scrutinized by fans in the whole state. You have to be strong-willed. It takes a lot of time and e$ort,” Ebke said.

Ebke still stays in touch with his college teammates and enjoys hanging around with them.

“I always joked around with players in the locker room, especially Ameer [Abdullah]. One of the best parts of college football is all the guys I’ve got-ten to meet. I’ve even been in-vited to a few weddings,” Ebke

said.Ebke is teaching

math and coaches special teams on the varsity football team and is also a junior varsity coach. In ad-dition to football, he will be helping with basketball this season.

“He brings a lot to the table: passion, energy, and knowledge. With Ebke in charge, it’s a new voice and a new face,” football coach Mark Chavez said.

Whether it’s helping players learn new formations and techniques or teaching math and making it relevant to his students, Ebke will be helping many students’ lives.

colton stonesta! writer

Ebke’s AnalysisMath teacher and former Husker football player Jim Ebke gives the scoop on current Husker players and coaches.

Rex Burkhead, running back

Will Compton, linebacker

Bo Pelini, head coach

Ameer Abdullah, running back

I always joked around with play-ers in the locker room, especially Ameer. One of the best parts of college football is all the guys I’ve gotten to meet.“

jim ebkemath teacher

“He’s an all around good guy. He is one of the hardest workers on the team, but he does it quietly. He leads by example.”

“Ameer’s a funny guy. He has that kind of little kid humor. He loves to joke around.”

“Will is the only guy I would trust to know what to do every play. He’s what makes the defense work.”

“He’s a great coach and a nice guy to hang around. He truly cares for all the players and transforms them into real men.”

Before going into the interview, contestants !ll out a bio, which the judges use to ask the interview questions. "e questions are to get to know the contestants, and !gure out who they are as people.

Along with interviews, a contestant’s platform mainly helps the judges determine

the winner of the pageant. Platforms are c o m m u n i t y service based projects to get contestants in-volved within their commu-nity. “My plat-form is dance therapy; it’s for kids with can-cer. When I was diagnosed with cancer at age three, dance helped me through it, and I want to help kids with

cancer get their mind o$ of the state they’re in through dance,” Wadman said.

"e interview and plat-form are what mainly de!ne contestants as zealous people in the community. At the end of the pageant, awards are announced. "e winner of the pageant gets a crown and sash, along with a college scholar-ship or cash amount.

fast facts

CROWNING MOMENT: (left) Junior Cari Wadman is crowned Miss Douglas County Out-standing Teen. This was Wadman’s !rst pageant she’s competed in. (right) Senior Maddie Newstrom competes in Miss Nebraska Teen USA. Newstrom placed in the top ten overall and won Miss Millard Teen. Photos contributed by Cari Wadman and Maddie Newstrom.

HuskerGame Day Schedule 8:30 AM - 10:00 AM 10:00 AM 11:30 -12:30 PM 12:30 -1:30 PM 1:30 PM 3:30 PM 7:00 PM

Eat eggs, bacon, grits, ce-real, omelettes, yogurt, and french toast for brunch.

Special teams meeting O!

Eat pregame meal consisting of steak, potatoes, pasta, veg-etables, soup, bread, and fruit.

O!Head to stadium.

Game time!

Beauty pageant contestants explain what it takes to win a pageant title

Information compiled by Colton Stone. Infographic by Jenna P!ngsten.

Junior Cari W a d m a n and Senior M a d d i e N e w s t r o m compete in beauty pag-eants.

The rounds include in-troduction, s w i m s u i t wear, and e v e n i n g gown.

Contestants do an inter-view portion with judges.

A contes-tant’s plat-form is her community service proj-ect.

Winners can receive mon-ey or college scholarships.

Ebke makes transition from football to teaching

Issue 1 | September 18, 20128 HOOFBEAT FEATURES

Beyond the Curtain

Costume

Construction

Stage Manager

Fashionistas strut their stu! on Omaha runwayelizabeth snydersta! writer

HIGH FASHION: (clockwise from left: Sophomore Sarah Stepanek, Junior Kelsey Moss, Stepanek) Sophomore Sarah Stepanek and Junior Kelsey Moss model the latest fashions as they walk the runway at Omaha Fashion Week. This was Stepanek’s sixth year at OFW, and the !rst for Moss. Photos contrib-uted by Sarah Stepanek and Kelsey Moss.

Joy McCown, 12

Michael Reerink, 12

Callie Jane Vickers, 11

Six nights of fashion, 39 designers, 350 unique looks, and over 100 models.

These are the ele-ments that send chills run-ning up and down the spines of many Omaha Fashion Week fans, models, and designers.

Omaha Fashion Week (OFW) 2012 was held at Kaneko, 12th and Jones. This extravaganza started on Mon., Aug. 20, and went through Sat., Aug. 25.

One par-ticipant included sophomore Sarah Stepanek, who has participated in Omaha Fash-ion Week six times over the past three years.

“I was really excited when ,�¿UVW�JRW�DFFHSWHG�������EHFDXVH�I was only 12,” Stepanek said.

For the August show, Stepanek modeled three XQLTXH� RXW¿WV� E\� YDULRXV������designers.

“I was really happy with everything I wore. My IDYRULWH� RXW¿W� WR�ZHDU� KDG� WR�EH� WKH� EODFN� DQG� VLOYHU� GUHVV�IURP� 7UDYHU� 5DLQV� EHFDXVH�KH¶V�WKH�UHDO�GHDO�DQG�KDV�EHHQ�shown in New York fashion week sixteen times. Walking down the runway is always WKH� EHVW� SDUW� RI� WKH� GD\�� 7KH�OLJKWV�DUH�EOLQGLQJ�� WKH�FURZG�is clapping and whistling, and you just get such a rush

knowing that everyone’s eyes are on you,” Stepanek said

Stepanek was just one of the many other MN students that participated in OFW. Junior Rachael Green also modeled in OFW this August.

³:KHQ�,�¿UVW�JRW�DFFHSWHG�,�GLG�D�KDSS\�GDQFH�EHFDXVH�,�was just really excited for the VKRZ��EXW�DOVR�D�OLWWOH�QHUYRXV�EHFDXVH� LW� ZDV� P\� ¿UVW� WLPH�modeling,” Green said.

Nerves didn’t stop her

from getting on that stage, though.

“Once I was off the runway I was kind of in a daze. I couldn’t even really UHPHPEHU�ZDONLQJ��EXW� ,�ZDV�just thinking, ‘Yay! I did it!’” Green said.

Green modeled a rocker VW\OH�RXW¿W�IRU�-RL�-RLVRQ�

“I really liked the clothes, EXW� LW� LVQ¶W� DQ� RXW¿W� WKDW� ,�would personally wear every day,” Green said.

What a lot of people don’t know is how much time LW� � � �DFWXDOO\�WDNHV�EHKLQG�WKH�VFHQHV� EHIRUH� HYHU\RQH� KLWV�the runway.

³,�VSHQW�DERXW�WKUHH�KRXUV�at the salon getting my hair and

PDNHXS�GRQH�EXW�PRVW�RI�WKDW�time was just wait-LQJ�IRU�VRPHRQH�WR�EH�IUHH�VR�they could work on me. After WKDW� ,� VSHQW� DERXW� WZR� KRXUV�EDFNVWDJH�SHULRGLFDOO\�JHWWLQJ�touch-ups,” Green said.

Junior Kelsey Moss was DQRWKHU�¿UVW�WLPH�PRGHO�����IHD-tured at OFW this year.

“Modeling this year for 2):�ZDV�WKH�¿UVW� WLPH�,�KDG�

ever walked in a show. So when I found out that I was accepted I was really eager to EHFRPH�D�SDUW�RI�2):�´�0RVV�said.

First time jitters didn’t stop Moss from taking to the runway either.

³,�ZDV�QHUYRXV��EXW�RQFH�I was on the runway my mind ZHQW�EODQN��,�MXVW�NHSW�UHPLQG-ing myself to look straight

Q: What does your role behind the stage look like?A: I basically make sure that all of the actors and actresses look good when they are out on stage.Q: What’s your favorite part of being behind the scenes?A: I love being behind the scenes because it is a way to be part of the production with less stress and no acting ability.

Q: Why did you choose to get involved backstage?A: It is just a lot of fun, and it takes less seriousness than playing a part.Q: What does the construction crew do?A: We build the whole set and props used for the play.

Q: What does your job include?A: Making sure that things run smoothly. I’m Dugdale’s right hand; I take attendance and help run the di!erent crews.Q: What is the best part about being a part of backstage?A: You get to be a part of something wonderful, and you make a lot of good friends.

Infographic by Jenna P!ngsten and Brittnee Rakosky. Information gathered by Brittnee Rakosky.

ahead and not to smile,” Moss said.

Moss plans to attend more castings for the March OFW, and hopes to walk for new designers.

Overall, OFW opens doors to new opportunities. The models get to practice go-LQJ� WKURXJK� ¿WWLQJV�� UHKHDUV-als, and of course strutting their stuff on the runway.

I was nervous, but once I was on the runway my mind went blank. I just kept reminding myself to look straight ahead and not to smile.

“kelsey moss

junior

From building the sets to getting actors into costume, the backstage crews take on the crucial, yet excit-ing task, of bring the musical to life.

fast factsOmaha Fash-ion Week was held Mon., Aug. 20 through Sat., Aug. 25.

Issue 3 | November 19, 2012 9HOOFBEAT FEATURES

?Guess Who?

Answer: social studies teacher Brad Edmundson

When I was 16... I played football and ran track for Millard South High School when they were still the Indians.

I drove an old, beat up, slow ‘87 Mustang.

I had several di!erent jobs including a dish washer at a local restaurant, a teacher at a daycare, and a sand-wich maker at Subway.

It’s a common temptation almost all high school students will give in to at least once in their high school careers. A teacher may assign a project that’s due in a month, or give out a study guide for a test that’s a week away.

But rather than getting started right away, many students put it o! until a day or two before it’s due. It’s procrastination at its "nest.

Procrastination is something we all know is wrong and something we shouldn’t do, but we still "nd ourselves succumbed to the tempta-tions of “I’ll do it tomorrow.”

Procrastination is, simply, the easy way out. Rather than work on a project that isn’t due for two weeks, you can spend another hour looking at your Twitter timeline with glazed eyes.

Before you know it, it’s 11:30 and you decide to start that project tomorrow night instead. #is cycle repeats itself until you realize your project is due "rst hour tomorrow morning.

#is constant cycle of procrastination only adds up to an unneeded amount of stress on your shoulders and a less than perfect "nished product.

All procrastination does is put o! the inevi-table. Whether you do the report the day it’s as-signed or the day before it’s due, you still have to hand it in, or face the consequences. #e simple solution to this stress is to do the assignment the day it’s assigned.

It sounds simple, but doing so is easier said than done. We live in a society full of distrac-tions—friends talking to you, chores that need to be done, and the Internet.

As we become more connected, it becomes harder and harder to stay focused and on task. Typing a paper becomes almost impossible when Twitter is just a click of the mouse away. It’s easy to say you’ll "nish the paper in ten minutes, which becomes thirty minutes, then an hour, until it is "nally put o! until tomorrow.

Procrastination has negative health e!ects as well. According to Psychology Today, a study found that college students that procrastinated tended to have weaker immune systems, leading to more colds and the $u. Many students also su!ered from insomnia.

It’s something that we all do now and again. We put o! the inevitable and stress out about it later. But instead of stressing ourselves out, may-be it’s worth a try to tackle the inevitable sooner rather than su!er for it later.

Jenna PfingstenFeatures Editor

The Write Idea

Putting o! the inevitable

Think Behind the Ink:

One year ago, sopho-more Adrell Taylor’s life was changed forever. On Dec. 26, his father, Dar-rell Taylor, was killed.

Looking for a way to commemorate everything that his father meant to him and stood for, Taylor decided on getting a tat-too in remembrance of his father. His tattoo is a cross with his father’s name on it.

“There wasn’t any other way to [commemo-rate him]. We had been through everything to-gether. I got it so he would still be with me through everything. He is always by my side,” Taylor said.

Taylor got his tattoo on his forearm at the be-ginning of January from Grin & Barrett. Taylor’s mother agreed with his idea of getting a tattoo for his father, but according to Taylor, his father may have felt differently about it.

“He didn’t want me to have a tattoo until I was 18. He said having a tat-too was a big responsibil-ity, and he didn’t want me to get a meaningless tattoo. But I think he would’ve

liked this one,” Taylor said.Taylor sees his tattoo not

only as a part of himself but as a part of his father. He urged Taylor to try his best in everything that he does.

“I just think of all the good times and the things he pushed me through. He pushed me in my sports and in my school work. He was P\� FRDFK�� IDWKHU� ¿JXUH�� DQG�my role model,” Taylor said.

Taylor, in fact, has a brother who also got a tattoo in remembrance of their father. +LV� EURWKHU¶V� WDWWRR� LV� ¿YH�stars across his upper chest. The Taylor family adopted the V\PERO� RI� ¿YH� VWDUV�� ZKLFK�was the name of a store that Darrell owned, after his death.

When he turns sixteen, Taylor plans to get a simi-lar tattoo. He wants a large star surrounded by four smaller stars, and these stars will be in the clouds. The tattoo will keep his fam-ily’s symbol alive and well.

“[With these tattoos], you can tell that it’s a remem-brance tattoo. With the ban-ner and the cracked cross and the clouds, you can tell that he’s in heaven,” Taylor said.

Taylor’s cross tattoo and IXWXUH� ¿YH� VWDU� WDWWRR� UHSUH-sent everything that his father

was and what he stood for in life and in death. Taylor will never regret his tattoo like some people end up doing. He is appreciative of what his father has done for him and is

alan davisopinions editor

The things that we most liked to do when I was 16 was driving around or hang-ing in our buddy’s basement playing pool and listening to music.

Sophomore gets meaningful tattoo in remembrance of his father

INKED: Sophomore Adrell Taylor shows o! his cross tat-too with the name ‘Darrell’ on it . Taylor got his tattoo shortly after his father died in remembrance of him. Photo by Alan Davis.

happy to commemorate ev-erything that he did for him.

“I love my tattoo. It’s a part of me, and I feel like it’s a part of my dad that will for-ever be with me,” Taylor said.

The think behind the ink

MN students show o! their tattoos and share the reasons they got them.

Tristine Olsufka, 11 Allie Larsen, 12

Just the Facts

Jessica Cabrera, 12 Andrew Whitt, 12

Important things to note before you de-cide to get a tattoo. “My whole

family got this tattoo of our sister, Paige ,who died.”

“Getting a tattoo was a way to express myself. I love the idea that no one has my tattoo.”

“It’s from a bible story in Judges. It’s a reminder of encourage-ment.”

“It’s a prayer of forgiveness. I like it because everyone makes mis-takes and no one’s perfect.”

Anyone under the age of 18 must have parental consent.

If under 18, parent must be present while getting the tattoo.

While tattoo removal is available, 100 percent removal is nearly impossible.

If a tattoo artist doesn’t properly sanitize needles, they can spread tetanus or Hepatitus B or C.

Information from www.nscl.org and www.mayoclinic.com