The UW-Eau Claire gymnastics team competed and defeated the UW-Oshkosh Titans on Feb. 24 in the McPhee Physical Education building.  The team won four of the five events, ending the meet with an overall score of 183.100, while the Titans ended the meet with a score of 178.575.  The team’s score is the highest for their season so far, according to the Blugold athletics Web page.

Junior Danielle Schulzetenberg topped the scores for the vault, balance beam, floor exercise and all around events with a score of 36.750. Sophomore Olivia Aschenbrenner placed second overall, ending the meet with a score of 36.450.

The Blugolds are hosting the WIAC Championship/NCGA Regionals at 4 p.m. this coming Saturday, March 3 in McPhee Center on the Eau Claire campus.

Off the Wall is a weekly fantasy baseball podcast that will appear online every Wednesday. The show is co-hosted by Sports Editor Frank F. Pellegrino, Op/Ed Editor Eric Christenson and Copy Editor Chris Reinoos.

The show provides a balance of in depth analysis and basic information for those who may be new to the game. To keep the show fun and entertaining there will always be plenty of nonsense and wild tangents along the way.

In this week’s episode:

• Now that Ryan Braun will not be suspended, where does he fit in the overall rankings?
• Ryan Howard had a minor setback recovering from his Achilles injury
• Manny Ramirez looks like a changed man, do we care?
• Eating Baby Ruths
• Do players eat during games?
• What is Tony La Rusa’s favorite movie?
• Top five second basemen rankings
• Top five fake baseball teams

Download: freedbrown_finaledit.mp3|titles=F.%20Reed%20Brown

Submitted photo

Editor in Chief Carolyn Tiry sat down with professor of theater arts F. Reed Brown, who directed UW-Eau Claire’s production of Stephen Sondheim’s “Into the Woods.” They discussed the musical’s thematic relevance to current events, obstacles to getting the production done in time and the collaborative effort that goes into putting on such a production.

The UW-Eau Claire track and field teams competed in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships this past weekend. The women finished second overall behind UW-Oshkosh, who went on to win their 13th consecutive WIAC title. The Blugold men finished third with 108 points, only .5 points behind second-place UW-Whitewater. UW-La Crosse won the meet with 140 points and took home their 11th consecutive conference championship.

The auditorium quickly filled with anxious spectators, including those sitting in the aisles. Gasps from audience members could be heard as Jim Munroe placed a nail inside his nose and began to hammer it in. In this reenactment of his proposal to his wife, Munroe had the audience shrieking and covering their eyes as the nail appeared to enter his nose.

Munroe performed his show The Maze on Feb. 22 at Schofield Auditorium. The performance was hosted by Student Impact, an organization on the UW-Eau Claire campus.

Part of the Campus Crusade for Christ, Student Impact is a student-run organization. The organization holds Bible studies, meetings and activities across campus and allows members to interact and socialize with other students.

Student Impact member Ryan Cegelski said the organization brought The Maze to Eau Claire to present students with different ideas.

“We are trying to challenge students’ current beliefs and what they find to be true,” Cegelski said, “as well as send the message of how you can have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.”

Referring to his two-hour show as a “social experiment,” Munroe allowed audience members to participate and picked volunteers at random by tossing a bear named Coco into the hands of audience members.

In one illusion, Munroe brought two audience members to the stage, telling them to stand separate from each other and close their eyes. He only touched one of the volunteers on the shoulder; however, both said they felt Munroe touch them in the same spot on their shoulder. The audience laughed as the two volunteers’ eyes remained closed and did not realize what happened.

Junior Jake Holterman said he was surprised by the trick.

“I have no idea how he did it,” Holterman said. “It was pretty crazy.”

Holterman said the overall performance was a good source of entertainment with a good message behind it.

Two years ago, doctors diagnosed Munroe with leukemia. Munroe said the doctors told him he had two months to live unless they started chemotherapy immediately. He showed the audience members a video, exposing them to his weakest moments during the cancer treatments with no hair and barely enough energy to speak.

Munroe said he began to question his religious beliefs during chemotherapy.

“I think students can relate somehow in their own way of how they have gone through hard times that cause them to seek God for help,” Cegelski said.

Munroe continued to tell his story and perform “fake” tricks in an attempt to inspire his audience and have them question what is really true.

Some students didn’t know what to expect and were surprised when Munroe made religious references in the second half of the show. Senior Samantha Mester said she was pleasantly surprised by the change in performance.

Junior Leesa Klatt said she saw the show last year and discovered that The Maze was back in Eau Claire by posters across campus.

“I didn’t know it was religious the first time,” Klatt said, “but I came because I remembered it was really good.”

Munroe has performed numerous shows throughout the past two years at universities across the nation. Whether it was pulling a string out of his stomach or demonstrating his level of fear with a knife and a blindfold, Munroe continued to keep the audience involved and wanting more throughout the entire performance. With tricks or magic, he expressed his concern about society’s impressions of truth.

“Anything that we want to believe is true will become true,” he said, “simply because we want to believe it to be true.”

Off the Wall is a weekly fantasy baseball podcast that will appear online every Tuesday. The show is co-hosted by Sports Editor Frank F. Pellegrino, Op/Ed Editor Eric Christenson and Copy Editor Chris Reinoos.

The show provides a balance of in depth analysis and basic information for those who may be new to the game. To keep the show fun and entertaining there will always be plenty of nonsense and wild tangents along the way.

In this week’s episode:

• What to think about Brandon Inge moving to second base for more playing time
• Roy Oswalt is still looking for a team, which one would help him most?
• Best baseball mascots
• Why is there a Hank Aaron statue in Eau Claire?
• Basic draft strategy
• Top five first basemen rankings
• Top five baseball movies Eric’s never seen

By Jackson Schmidtke

Coming off a win against UW-Stevens Point on Saturday, the UW-Eau Claire women’s basketball team prepares for their WIAC semi-final matchup with UW-Whitewater.

McIntyre Library at UW-Eau Claire hosted a “Harry Potter” reading marathon and costume contest on Feb. 21.

2011, although weak in box office revenue, produced a handful of memorable and quality flicks — as well as the bad ones — that are worth honoring. And to honor these films, we celebrate the sacred day known as The Oscars! It’s like Christmas, but better.

There are a total of eight best picture nominees this year. Bringing in the top of the Oscar-ranking chart is “Hugo,” with 11 nods; “The Artist” followed with 10.  The buzz has been going strong since late January (upon the announcement of the nominees) and many of the honorees have already received Golden Globes, BAFTAs and other smaller-scale award ceremonies.

This year, I feel like the critics and I are once again on the same level … for the most part anyways. There are a few discrepancies, but here you go:

Best Picture
Critics are saying: “The Artist”
I’m saying: “The Artist”

Best Director:
Critics are saying: Michel Hazanavicius, “The Artist”
I’m saying: Michel Hazanavicius, “The Artist”

The latter are for obvious reasons. Watch it and be mesmerized by what Hollywood used to be – no Michael Bay explosions or Nicholas Sparks’ poopy love stories. WIN!

Best Actor in a Leading Role: 
Critics are saying: George Clooney, “The Descendants”
I’m saying: George Clooney, “The Descendants”

It was, as mentioned, a great movie — but in previous years, a movie is nominated basically just for the actor or actress (see also: Natalie Portman, Kate Winslet). This is Clooney’s best movie to date and this Oscar is his. Sorry B-Pitt. Maybe never next year!

Best Actress in a Leading Role:
Critics are saying: Meryl Streep, “Iron Lady”
I’m saying: Meryl Streep, “Iron Lady”

Give this woman a damn Oscar. I have this theory, also, that there is a formula to winning best actor or actress: One, be a minority (female, ethnic) who has to overcome something or be British royalty (see also: “The King’s Speech”).

Best Supporting Actor:
Critics are saying: Christopher Plummer, “Beginners”
I’m saying: Christopher Plummer, “Beginners”

You can’t say no to Captain Von Trapp! Plus, he’s never gotten an Oscar. EVER.

Best Supporting Actress:
Critics are saying: Octavia Spencer, “The Help”
I’m saying: Melissa McCarthy, “Bridesmaids”

Alas, disagreement! I think both Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer did a beautiful job in “Help,” but does that surprise you? No. McCarthy surprised us all with her hilarious performance, and sometimes the most surprising newcomers need the recognition.

Best Screenplay (Adapted)
Critics are saying: “The Descendants”
I’m saying: “The Descendants”

Best Screenplay (Original)
Critics are Saying: “Midnight in Paris” by Woody Allen
I’m saying: “Midnight in Paris” by Woody Allen

While “The Artist” and “Bridesmaids,” to name two, have great stories, I’ve seen those struggles in life and movies before. A struggling artist overcoming an obstacle, a hilarious “how could this get any worse?” comedy … I like them, but it’s not fresh. Allen’s “Midnight in Paris” was probably the best and most innovative story out of the nominated pictures in this category.

Editor in Chief Carolyn Tiry:

Here’s the thing: I sometimes think the Oscars are rigged. Well, not rigged exactly, but the winners do often get shamefully predictable. It’s either because there is actually one film that should be the clear winner or the Academy voters feel obligated to vote for one film in particular.

I think that makes it a little silly to predict Oscar winners and that someone who hasn’t seen the films (i.e. me) has an equally good chance of guessing the right ones. So I’m competing with Emily to see who can get the most right. She’s seen the films; I haven’t. Here we go.

Best Picture: The Artist

All right, this one is in black and white. That means it’s a shoo in. Academy, you’ve become way too predictable.

Best Director: Michel Hazanavicius (The Artist)

The film that wins Best Picture (almost) always wins Best Director. And this guy’s last name is pretty great. So he wins by default.

Best Actor: Gary Oldman

Gary Oldman is possibly my favorite actor of all time. He slips into every role seamlessly and brings such intensity, whether comedic or dramatic, that he elevates anything he’s in. Plus, he’s never won an Oscar for any other role, which is a travesty.

Best Actress: Meryl Streep

Um, it’s Meryl Streep. And she’s playing a historical figure. Again, Academy … too predictable.

Best Supporting Actor: Kenneth Branagh

I like Branagh’s work with Shakespeare plays. He seems like a pretty good actor. Is that enough?

Best Supporting Actress: Melissa McCarthy

McCarthy is on a role, what with her Emmy win for “Mike and Molly” earlier this year. Plus, “Bridesmaids” was hilarious, and comedy doesn’t get recognized enough at the Oscars.

Best Screenplay (original): Woody Allen (Midnight in Paris)

I just really like Woody Allen. “Annie Hall” is my favorite romantic comedy and one of my favorite all-time movies. Even though his best stuff came in the ’70s and ’80s, he’s still a safe bet for an entertaining hour and a half.

Best Screenplay (adapted): Steve Zaillian & Aaron Sorkin (Moneyball)

I didn’t know Aaron Sorkin co-wrote this! Go him! Plus, I feel like the script has to be pretty dang good if it can make baseball statistics visually interesting and dramatically compelling (for the record, I do actually want to see this film).

Chief Copy Editor Taylor Kuether sat down with the president of the Fencing Club Stephanie Gottschalk to talk about the sport and the club. Gottschalk is a  junior German major and language studies minor.

Taylor Kuether: How long has the Fencing Club been around, and how and when did it get started?
Stephanie Gottschalk: Fencing club started a while ago, I think, but it faded away until a couple years ago when some people revived it. They didn’t have a coach, so they convinced the coach at Madison to come up to EC a few times and show them the basics. Then I started here and since I had prior fencing experience, I ended up taking over when they all graduated.

TK:  How long have you, personally, been fencing?
SG: My high school is the only public school in Minnesota that has a fencing club, and they used to let middle schoolers on the team, so I’ve been fencing since I was twelve. That makes me sound like some kind of badass, but I sucked for the first few years and I usually rank pretty low in tournaments. But since I’ve been at it so long I have a good grasp on the technique and know what to teach people.

TK:  What do you like best about Fencing Club? About fencing as a sport?
SG: I like fencing mostly because it attracts an interesting crowd of people.  As a sport, I feel it’s a lot more engaged than, say, basketball. I mean, if you’re good at basketball then it’s engaged, but for someone like me, I was always getting pushed aside by more skilled players in high school gym. With fencing, that’s not an issue. It’s just you and your opponent, and maybe your opponent is a lot better than you, but you don’t get better unless you fence people who are better than you are.

TK: How many members are involved in the Fencing Club?
SG: Membership varies. We can get 70 people to sign up at BOB, and have 20 show up to the first practice, of which only half come to the second, and membership steadily dwindles as the semester progresses. We only had about three people by the end of last semester. This semester we have about five members from last semester, plus three or four new people who seem genuinely interested in sticking around.

TK: Does the club compete?
SG: We have gone to tournaments in the past. The nearest place that does tournaments is the U of M in the Cities, and we go to one of their more low-key ones where they let us borrow electric equipment. We have enough stuff for practice, but tournaments use electrical scoring.

TK: What is one thing you want readers to know about fencing?
SG: It’s not like you see in the movies. There are no flashy-slashy acrobatics. It is a real sport that requires precision and dedication, which does not mean it isn’t awesome because it is. But I feel like a lot of people who express interest in fencing just want to pretend to be a pirate or Zorro or something. We practice every Monday and Thursday at 8:30 p.m. in the McPhee Racquetball courts. No experience necessary, all equipment is provided, you can try it out for several weeks before paying dues, which are only $10, very cheap for a fencing club, you don’t have to be able to make it to every practice. If you start mid-semester we’ll get you caught up. It’s lots of fun and great exercise. We could use more members, especially females, for some reason the club here ends up being male-dominated, but there are a lot of really good woman fencers, such as the Americans who won the last Olympics.

“We just used our quickness and skills,” said senior goalie Morgan Pieper, who achieved 16 saves in Saturday’s game.  “(We) played in their end the whole time and didn’t allow them any scoring opportunities.”

Pieper said that icing Finlandia boosted the team’s confidence, giving them some much needed momentum for next weekend’s first round playoff against UW-River Falls.

Coach Mike Collins said that he’s proud of the team’s accomplishment over the weekend and is looking ahead.

“We don’t score five goals a game all the time,” Collins said.

The chair

Friday night, the Blugolds hardly gave the Lions a chance, achieving 51 shots on goal to the Lions’ eight and scoring on five of them.

Senior forward Toni Simones led scoring with two goals, one in the second period and one in the third, while freshman Sam Knutson, junior Dani Kerr and junior Casey McMullen each tallied one.

Eau Claire stood up in the second period with a three-goal scoring run in an eight-minute span.

McMullen said it was an effective way to end the season and gear up for what’s ahead.

“We really wanted to make a statement.” McMullen said, “That last game didn’t matter; we had already made playoffs, but we wanted to have some momentum going into River Falls.”

The whip

Saturday was Pieper’s and Simones’s last home game at Hobbs Ice Center, and while Pieper said it was a poignant moment, she tried to focus more on the game and the playoffs ahead.

“You know, it’s do or die in the playoffs either way so you give everything you have,” she said.  “You have to focus on those games right in that moment.”

The Blugolds again dramatically outshot the Lions in Saturday’s game, 51-16.

Sophomore Emily Larson and junior Emily Haluska each scored two goals and Kerr scored one for another 5-0 shutout.  Both of Larson’s goals were on two of Eau Claire’s seven power play opportunities.

In Pieper’s last career home game, she had all 16 saves for the effective shutout.

She said that even though the start of the season was a bit shaky due to lost seniors and a young team, they ended well.

“We really came on, and we’re playing well at the right time of the season.” Pieper said. “I think that’s the really important part.  We basically capped off the season doing really well.”

The playoffs

After hooking these two shutouts on their belt, the Blugolds travel to River Falls next weekend to take on the Falcons in the first round of the playoffs.

Collins said the Finlandia games are very different from the ones they face in the first round of the playoffs.

“We’re going from one spectrum to the other,” Collins said.  “You can’t make a lot of mistakes and beat River Falls.”

Eau Claire and River Falls faced off earlier in January resulting in a loss and a tie for the Blugolds, but McMullen said that they played strong, even without a win.

“We had a great weekend against them,” she said.  “We’re pretty excited, and it’s a great team to be playing because we always get up for that game.”

The River Falls Falcons are seeded first in the NCHA Tournament compared to the Blugolds’ eighth, but McMullen said the team retains their confidence.

“It’s always a huge rivalry for us,” McMullen said. “If I could pick anyone, that’d be who I’d want to play.”

The Pointers were the top team in the conference coming into Saturday’s game, having won every single meeting with Eau Claire since 2001.

Eau Claire started the game with a dunk from senior James Pfitzinger and never lost the lead in the game. Their largest lead was 18 points late in the first half.

Beating Stevens Point was a big goal for many on the team coming in, but it was especially meaningful for Pfitzinger and fellow senior guard Nick Bartlett. Bartlett said that the win was bittersweet because he is graduating, yet he loved the feeling of beating the number one team in the conference.

“It was fantastic,” Bartlett said. “That was the one team in the WIAC that I had never beaten. It was a big goal of mine and a big goal of my dad’s to take down Stevens Point, and it finally happened.”

Pfitzinger had three dunks in his final game as a Blugold basketball player, two coming in the final four minutes of regulation. He said he was ecstatic at the chance to put the exclamation point on the game and his career.

“Putting those (dunks) down felt good,” Pfitzinger said. “Can’t get any easier looks than that. I’m just really happy and glad we got the win here at home.”

The Blugolds were one game behind UW-La Crosse for the sixth and final spot in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference postseason tournament. With the win Saturday night, the team still had had a chance of making the tournament with a loss from the Eagles.

La Crosse played in Superior against the Yellowjackets Saturday night, and despite a last second shot attempt from near half court from the Yellowjackets, La Crosse won the game by a score of 65-64, eliminating the Blugolds from playoff contention.

Coach Kyle Green thinks that this game is bittersweet because the team did not make the playoffs. However, he said he thinks this program is going to go far in seasons to come.

“This game was a great springboard for us,” Green said. “It needs to be, we need to understand why we had success tonight, and the players need to understand how they are going to keep that success and how we are going to get better.”

Junior guard Jordan Petersen scored a game high 23 points and added five rebounds in the winning effort. Pfitzinger scored eight points to go along with his game high 13 rebounds, and Bartlett recorded eight points in his last game as a Blugold.

Petersen is already looking forward to next season, saying that this program is going nowhere but up.

“This win is a huge motivator for us,” Petersen said. “A motivator for the younger guys and a motivator for me personally. Just to know that we can beat the top in the conference and top in the country and push forward.”

Senior guard Dan Tillema led the way for the Pointers, scoring 17 points on 5-18 shooting from the floor. Freshman guard Joe Ritchay and junior guard Jordan Giordana were the other players in double figures for the Pointers, scoring 10 points each.

The Blugolds end the season with a record of 15-10 overall and a WIAC record of 7-9.

The game doubled as senior day for the Blugolds.  At halftime, seniors Laura Olson, Nicole Christianson, Jess Freagon, Callie Halama and Ellen Plendl were recognized for their careers and commitment to the program.

It was a tale of two halves, as Eau Claire shot only 25 percent from the floor in the first half and was held scoreless for almost nine minutes of game time.  At halftime, Stevens Point led 29-21 and seemed to be controlling the game.

Coach Tonja Englund said she felt the team’s poor shooting in the first half was a result of taking too many outside shots and not getting the ball into the post for easier shots.

“We talked about at halftime that we really needed to readjust and to start inside and go out,” Englund said.  “If you look at the shot chart it was a lot different in the second half because the ball went inside.”

The team’s adjustments worked, as they came out on a 10-0 run to start the second half and took the lead 31-29.  Halama and Plendl combined for 47 points and 25 rebounds and led the team’s second half charge.

Halama had 27 points and 13 rebounds, both of which are career highs.  She also had 10 offensive rebounds, which her teammates attributed to her relentless attitude.

“Practice, games, she’s always going 100 percent, just unstoppable,” Christianson said.  “I love playing with her and I wouldn’t trade her for anybody.”

Olson said having two dominant post players is definitely an advantage when the team needs to score.

“Callie and Ellen, what more should I say about them?” Olson said.  “Callie’s the strongest player in the league, and Ellen’s the tallest.  It’s nice having them on our side.”

Englund said Halama’s hot streak in the second half was important in that it got the crowd of over 1,500 into the game and fired up her teammates.

“She just keeps on going, and that’s a little insight into her personality,” Englund said.  “That is exactly what Callie Halama is about.”

Plendl, a Chipppewa Falls native, had 20 points and 12 rebounds and added four blocks.  She mentioned how playing alongside a player like Halama helps her excel.

“She inspires me to play harder every day,” Plendl said. “Best friends right there, she’s amazing.”

A win for Eau Claire and a loss by UW-River Falls means the team gets a first round bye in the WIAC tournament and will play next at home on Feb. 25.  The team could face co-conference champion Stevens Point again in the tournament championship.

Englund said she’ll let the team enjoy this win before getting back to work and preparing for Thursday.

“It’s a group that has come so far that they deserve this,” Englund said.  “To have a senior class of five, this is something that I don’t know they thought they could do as sophomores, so we will enjoy this.”