Pete’s March 2008

Housing & Residence

Pages
Life Newsletter

A reflection of the thoughts and individuals in the Residence Halls

Lyden’s Very Own Ironman

By Kelsey D’Amico
Venture down to Lyden’s
basement anytime after
7:00pm and you will proba-
bly find Kaleb Kaschalk fe-
verishly cycling on his rac-
ing bike with his infamous
stationary rollers. At 18
years old, Kaleb seems like
a regular college freshman.
He was is from a suburb of
Cleveland and graduated in
2007. He completed one se-
mester at a university in Texas and then transferred to
YSU to pursue a degree in Criminal Justice. He plays
guitar and video games and loves country fried steak.
However, what sets Kaleb apart from any other fresh-
man is that he is training to become one of the three
youngest competitors out of 2400 in the Ironman Tri-
athlon competition. At barely 19, he will compete in
Nice, France on June 22, 2008. The Ironman consists
of a 2.4 mile swim, a 112 mile bike ride, and a 26.2
mile run all in one day.
In order to prepare for the race, Kaleb has been training
for two months by riding his bike in the basement on
an apparatus that allows him to
convert his bike to a stationary
bike. He continues to ride for
one hour per day and then alter-
nates between swimming and
running one to two hours per
day. Although Kaleb has run a
marathon before and was on his
swim team in high school, this
challenge will prove to be more
taxing than anything he has
done before, both athletically
and financially. After speaking with Kaleb, it is clear
that athleticism alone is not enough; competitors must
have a passion,
and Kaleb’s got
more than most.
Kaleb’s inspiration
comes from his
late grandfather
who died of can-
cer in April 2006.
His grandfather
worked diligently
to save enough
money so Kaleb
and his sisters could attend St. Edward’s high school,
a private school in Cleveland, and eventually college.
When Kaleb decided that he was going to participate in
the Ironman competition for his grandfather, he knew
it would be expensive, but the costs are overwhelming.
There was an initial $500 payment to register for the
competition and then get a temporary one day license
to be a registered tri-athlete, a $1200 plane ticket to fly
into Paris, France, a $1200 fee for two hotel stays, and
a $500 racing bike. When I asked Kaleb if he would
use any money raised to help pay off his massive fi-
nancial undertaking, he said no and that because of a
devout love for his grandfather and a deep compassion
for all who battle this difficult illness, Kaleb is donating
all of the money he receives in support to the V Foun-
dation for Cancer Research. Although most people au-
tomatically think of the American Cancer Society as
one of the only donation sites for cancer research, the V
Foundation is growing in popularity. This charity was
created by ESPN and Jimmy Valvano before Jimmy
died from cancer. It is a reputable organization and the
website can be found at http://www.jimmyv.org/.
Continued
on page 2...
Lyden’s Ironman continued....
Kaleb’s goal from the start has not only been to help
raise money to find a cure for cancer, but also raise pub-
lic awareness of the commonality of the disease. One
out of every three women will be diagnosed with can-
cer, and one out of every two men will as well. Kaleb
will be featured on Fox News for a special broadcast on
his endeavors and will also be creating a competition
Minimum wage increase and deception in Politics
Nick Funyak
Yes! More money in our pockets! Wait… why is every-
thing going up in price now? So one
question remains.. WHY?! Simply
put, you can’t fix a long established
problem. While the idea may be cred-
ible and just at the time, it will only
mean that prices of every day products
will increase. Think about it, by rais-
ing the minimum wage, doesn’t that
also mean that production costs in-
crease? Doesn’t that mean businesses
are feeling heavier losses and then
have to compensate those losses in
more expensive products? The penny
used to have significance in our soci-
ety as a means of payment. Now they
are simply discarded on the streets be-
cause they are worthless.
“Find a penny pick it up, all day long you’ll
have good luck!” That will soon be its only
value to society.
What does that really mean? It means that the value of a
dollar is decreasing as each day passes, and soon a pack
of undershirts will cost $100 (yes an over-exaggeration,
but you get my point). There is always give and take
in any grand scheme, and this situation is no different.
If you raise minimum wage, you raise the price of ev-
erything else. Health benefits will be sacrificed, small
businesses will become bankrupt, and Wal Mart will be
our only means of shopping, since they can buy in bulk
and afford to keep prices low. People who own their own
manufacturing business have become familiar with the
term outsourcing. Outsourcing is when a company takes
it’s product, or a piece of it, and sends it somewhere else
2
called “Shave to Save” on June 7th, 2008 in Cleveland
where local police, firefighters, and others can volun-
teer to have their head shaved for donations. There is a
Facebook group dedicated to Kaleb’s cause called “Ka-
leb Doesn’t Like Cancer, and Neither Do I.” All are
welcome to join. If anyone is interested in donating to
the V Foundation for cancer research, you can donate at
this link: http://www.firstgiving.com/kaleb
to be made for cheaper cost. Many times, outsourcing is
done out of the country. For example, look at the tag on
an undershirt, many times it says made in Taiwan, China,
Korea, etc. The home company for the shirt may be in the
US, but the company management has found that factory
workers will work for less than American workers over-
seas. In fact, before a Prada bag gets its signature label
placard, it can be bought in China for nearly $20. As soon
as its label is stitched on, the price jumps to upwards of
$100+ in the US.
http://www.american.com/archive/2007/july-
0707/government2019s-helping-hand-also-
hurts
The matter of national debt is growing larger, and a mini-
mum wage increase will only substantiate this problem
even more. Raising taxes only makes people poorer, so
by raising minimum wage, expect more taxes. Hand in
hand, these things go (as Yoda might say). Many econo-
mists agree that the economy will stabilize and start its
turn in the right direction when we stop borrowing mon-
ey from China and other outside sources to fund political
campaigns as well as not employing illegal immigrants
because they will work as cheap labor.
I am one of those individuals that are ALL about truth
and honesty, and absolutely HATE deception and lies no
matter what the situation may be. I believe this is why
politics angers me so.. and quite honestly everyone would
have different opinions too if they actually READ the
truth. Before you vote in the next election, make sure
that you read up on our candidates and understand the
political party they represent. They are the figurehead of
the group of people who will hold our country together
for the next 4 years and the way the economy looks right
now, we will need some talented individuals to make a
positive change for our future.
Ball, Shots, and Balls…a spring sports update.
News Flash – Football season ended and that
Wed. March 19 DUQUESNE Pittsburgh, Pa. 3 p.m.
means that YSU sports are done for the year
too right? Not so fast Hombre. You seem to Wed. March26 AKRON Akron, Ohio 3 p.m.
be forgetting about the lineup of spring sports
that YSU has to offer. My favorites are Base- Tues. April 1 BOWLING GREEN EASTWOOD FIELD 3 p.m.
ball, Softball, Lacrosse and Track and Field.
April 4
The baseball team starts the season playing 3 Fri. VALPARAISO* EASTWOOD FIELD 7 p.m.

tough series back to back to back and all on the

Sat. April 19 BUTLER* EASTWOOD FIELD 4 p.m.
road. No. 25 ranked Georgia Tech, Pittsburgh,
and Alabama are the first 3 opponents that the Sun. April 20 1 p.m.
MILWAUKEE** EASTWOOD FIELD
tea will face. Let’s not forget though that our
“boys of summer” won their division in 2004 Tues.-Sat. May 20-24 HORIZON LEAGUE TOURNAMENT EASTWOOD FIELD TBA
and have 9 returning seniors who were fresh-
man at that time. Look for Shawn Lucas and
Joe Antinone to have break out seasons, also Wed. March 22 at Miami (Ohio)% Oxford, Ohio 4 p.m.
Erich Diedrich and Lucas Engle should con-
tinue to shine as well. Wed. March23 vs. Michigan State% Oxford, Ohio 10 a.m.

We can’t forget about Tues. March 23 vs. Penn State% Oxford, Ohio 4 p.m.
our “ladies of summer”
now can we. Junior Fri. April 13 WRIGHT STATE* McCune Park 1 p.m.
McKenzie Bedra fin-
ished last season as one Sat. April 15 CLEVELAND STATE* (DH) McCune Park 3 p.m.
of the tops hitters in the
NCAA ranking in the Sun. April 17 at Robert Morris (DH) Moon Township, Pa. 2 p.m.
top 100 in six statisti-
cal categories among Tues.-Sat. April 19 BUTLER* (DH) McCune Park 1 p.m.
hitters. Bedra looks to con-
tinue her success this sea- 2008 Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Track & Field Schedule
son. If you want to check Fri.-Sun. March 30 13th Annual First Place Bank Run with the Penguins 5K Youngstown, Ohio All Day
out our bat-wielding ladies
here’s where and when a Fri.-Sat. April 4-5 2008 Pepsi Florida Relays Gainesville, Fla. All Day
few key matchups will be:
Sat. April 5 Jack Hazen Open Canton, Ohio All Day

Thurs.-Sat. April 10 -12 Sea Ray Relays Knoxville, Tenn. All Day

Fri.-Sat. April 11-12 vs. Akron, Ashland, Kent State Akron, Ohio All Day

Sat. April 19 Sparky Adams Invitational Berea, Ohio All Day

Thurs.-Sat. April 24-26 Penn Relays Philadelphia, Pa. All Day

Fri.-Sat. May 2-3 Jesse Owens Classic Columbus, Ohio All Day

Fri.-Sun. May 9-11 HORIZON LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIPS* Youngstown, Ohio All Day
Who doesn’t like speed,
power and gracefulness? Fri.-Sat. May 30-31 NCAA Mideast Regional Fayetteville, Ark. All Day
YSU Track & Field has it
all, they are like the Cadil- Wed.-Sat. June 11-14 NCAA Championships Des Moines, Iowa All Day
lac of spring sports and in-
• - Hosted by Youngstown State at the YSU Track

3
 Balls, shots, and ball continued....
Adventure Rec Programs… clude my personal favorite event Javelin. Who doesn’t like
What is that? seeing a 6 + foot long spear being hurled over 200 feet
through the air? See I knew you wanted to see that bad boy
By: John Perko get tossed, here’s your chance:
Andrews Adventure Center is providing things outside
of the norm. They offer programs that don’t cater to a I have the spring
certain skill level. There is something for everyone no sport for all you die
matter who you are. In this article, I will try and give you hard Football fans out
a quick run-through on some of the many programs avail- there, Lacrosse com-
able to you that you didn’t even know were an option. bines all the fun parts
of Football plus you
Let us begin with the Repelling Clinic. This clinic get to hit people with
typically runs for one-hour and focuses on commands, sticks. It’s earned the
technique, and proper equipment usage. This is no task nickname “the fast-
for the light-hearted. Repelling is when you literally just est game on 2 legs” because of the fast paced nature of
lean over a cliff and live on the edge. The Rec staff will the game. Think basketball/hockey meshed with football
take you to the repelling wall of Flad Mountain for this which allows for some big open field hits as well as some
course. There is no fee to students. All you have to do beautiful stick handling and goal scoring. And keep in
is show up on March 28 or May 2 from 5-6pm and bring mind that Lacrosse was America’s first national sport with
your guts. Native Americans using the game to train their warriors for
battle with games that would include thousands of players.
Slackline Clinic. Feel like you need to work on your To check out YSU’s modern warriors including Brock
balance? There is no better way than to jump on some 1” Christie, Yates Gidney, Zach Rodgers and Matt Early check
webbing and try to stay there without falling. This clinic out the teams’ webpage (www.ysulax.webs.com) or just
is designed specifically for improving balance. Webbing look here:
is just a long, stretchable flat line that is tied tightly and March 9 Akron University
can be a few feet off the ground to thousands of feet. It A brief overview
takes your average person an entire clinic just to learn of the YSU LAX March 29 Ohio Dominican University
to walk a few steps but guaranteed they walk away with home schedule is
much improved balance. There are also two more of these as follows: If you would like to travel with the team, a
few of their closer away games include:
clinics this semester. The dates are March 7 and April 18
at 5-6pm. (Take note that all March 28 Denison University
home games are
John Carroll University
Climbing Day Trip. So you are at the Rec all the time at Stambaugh Sta- April 12

and are tired of the climbing on the rock wall, what do you dium)
April 20 Ashland University
do? You go on the McConnell’s Mills day trip and climb
outside with the Rec guides. The climbs here range from
easy to difficult so your skill level is irrelevant. The Rec
staff provides the equipment, transportation, and lunch at
the low low cost of $20. All you have to do is sign up.
This trip will occur on April 12 so don’t miss out and if
you have any question just ask the Flad Mountain staff.

Backpack Trip. I know when during the semester I
really get bogged down and could use a break away from
it all. There is no better way to get away than a journey
through the Allegheny Mountains. This a 3 day, 2 night
trip where you will camp, hike, explore, and have fun.
As usual, all equipment, food, and transportation are all

4
 Adventure Rec Programs continued...
included in the cost of the trip. The Rec owns 12 back-
packs, sleeping bags, cook sets, compass’, tents, and GPS
units. If you plan on partaking in this event you will need
to register by April 14 and attend the pre-trip meeting on
April 14 at 6pm. Stop by and talk with the Flad Moun-
tain staff for specifics on cost or any other questions you
may have.

There are many other clinics and events that the Andrews
Adventure Center offers but there is just not enough room
to talk about them all. You can snag a pamphlet from the
Rec center at any time that has a lot of info in it about the
clinics or even better, just stop by Flad Mountain and ask
the staff. The majority of the clinics put on are free of
cost so there is no reason for you to not participate. In-
formation is also available online at the Rec Center web
page or call 330-941-2243.

What’s Your Secret?

Brandi Veigh
“I secretly hope you’re going to be miserable. Even more
secretly, I hope you’re going to be happy.”
On Sunday, February 17, 2008, this secret appeared on
www.postsecret.com. What is that, you ask? Post Secret
is arguably my all-time favorite weblog. It’s a place where
secrets are shared anonymously with people all over the
world. It’s a place where people learn that they are not
alone, despite what they may have previously thought.
Post Secret began in 2004 with a man named Frank Warren,
a dream of artistically altered postcards, and a project origi-
nally entitled “reluctant oracle.” “Reluctant oracle” was
published each Sunday for a period of time and was simply
a new piece of artwork that Warren had created, conveying
some sort of hidden message. The very last publication of
“reluctant oracle” stated very simply “you will find your
answers in the secrets of strangers.” Instead of the project
dying, Post Secret was born in its place.
Since that Sunday, readers of “reluctant oracle” and now
Post Secret have been sending their most horrifying and
most delightful secrets to the “most trusted stranger in
America,” who has been posting roughly 20 new secrets
per week on his blog since.
nection in a sea of discontent. Many readers now return
much more frequently to the site, now thanks to the Post
Secret forums where they can post secrets and get immedi-
ate feedback from other readers.
To date, Warren has received more than 180,000 post card
secrets from all over the world, and continues to receive
dozens each week. Many of these secrets are selected for
books that Warren has published yearly since the debut of
Post Secret adding now up to four current books, on sale
at most bookstores. Warren encourages readers to pur-
chase the books to keep the project running, but also to
support his chosen causes, the foremost of which is the Na-
tional Hopeline Network. NHN is a suicide network that
can be reached at www.hopeline.com or at 1800SUICIDE
(18007842433).
Secrets can be sent to Frank Warren at 13345
Copper Ridge Rd, Germantown, MD, 20874.
So, what’s your secret?

Rabid Secret-goers return weekly to view the new secrets.

Some are simply curious. Some are hoping to find a con-
5
6