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Wednesday, February io, aoio | The Red a Black
Heart health crucial regardless of age
By ADINA SOLOMON
Th Red & Black
With Valentine’s Day fast ap
proaching, the University wants to
make sure your heart isn’t broken.
lb commemorate and publicize
American Heart Month, the Uni
versity Health Center is offering
cholesterol screenings free for
students and $lO for faculty and
staff.
Screenings began this week.
Though the common belief is
only older adults should worry
about cholesterol, Angie Ruhlen,
a Health Center nutritionist, said
this is not the case.
“One out of 10 students may be
walking around [with high choles
terol and triglycerides],” she said.
According to the National
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a full circle around the rink and passes competitors.
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Institute of Health Web site, every
one aged 20 or older should have
their cholesterol measured at
least once every five years.
High cholesterol and triglycer
ide levels, which can result from a
diet high in saturated fat, a lack of
physical activity or obesity, lead
to increased risk of heart disease,
stroke and plaque in the arteries,
Ruhlen said.
Age, gender and heredity fac
tors also affect cholesterol levels.
But Ruhlen said by offering free
screenings, the Health Center
encourages students to “practice
a heart-healthy lifestyle.”
“If you change your lifestyle
now, you can help prevent heart
disease later in life,” Ruhlen said.
Students don’t seem to be con
cerned about their cholesterol
NEWS & VARIETY
readings, though.
When asked if she worried
about her cholesterol levels, Katie
Hemby, a Junior from Marietta,
said she doesn’t.
“I watch what I eat, and I work
out,” she said.
Hemby also said she would not
get her cholesterol screened
because she already has her own
doctor at home.
Tommy Beyer, a sophomore
from Alpharetta, said he is not
anxious about his cholesterol, say
ing he runs pn a regular basis.
But this won’t stop him from
going to the Health Center.
“I would go in a break between
two classes on campus,” he said.
"It’s a free service, and there’s no
reason not to.”
In order to ensure accurate lab
DERBY: Can be a ‘stress reliever’
► From Pago I
make her bout debut for six
months after first joining.
Part of the adjustment is in
learning how to skate in a pack
adjusting to bumping against
another person without tripping.
To train, the girls do interval
training, speed laps, foot work,
group movements and scrimmag
es. It’s all geared toward making
each skater that much quicker
and more nimble on wheels.
“I’ve become quite the amateur
expert on skates,” Felts said.
What’s the most useful technique
one picks up as a roller girl,
though? Learning how to fall cor
rectly.
In the rink, falling is far from
uncommon. But it’s that prospect
that frequently draws people to
roller derby: the opportunity to
try something new and more
exciting.
Blair was a diver and played
rugby before joining the Roller
Girls, and it stands out for her
especially.
“Derby is definitely the coolest
thing I’ve done so far,” she said.
Pounded in 2006, the league
has attracted a range of women
from the beginning: moms, librari
ans and students. The chance to
meet new people is another part
of the sport’s appeal.
For Pelts, it was also a chance
to branch out into the Athens
community after moving here for
law school.
“It was a nice opportunity to
remove myself from the academic
world,” she said. “It always looked
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results, students who choose to
get their cholesterol tested must
stop eating at 12 a.m. the day
before they are screened, Ruhlen
said.
No appointment is necessary.
Students can simply walk in and
get screened. The Health Center
will mail the results to the stu
dent.
There is also a video uploaded
to the Health Center Web site
describing how to interpret the
cholesterol findings.
“[We are] trying to be more
approachable to students and
how they learn,” Ruhlen said.
The cholesterol screenings take
place at the Health Center from 8
a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. to 3
p.m. They continue tomorrow and
Feb. 15’ through 18.
like a cool thing to do. It’s a lot
more than just skating.”
The fact that the roller derby
community is actually tightly-knit
and friendly may surprise some
people familiar only with images
of the sport from the ’7Qs and
’Bos, or in the recent film “Whip
It,” that show it as a sort of WWE
on-wheels.
“It’s not the roller derby you
saw on TV,” Blair said.
There are differences: you
can’t, for example, punch your
opponents.
But parts of what people may
remember about the sport still
hold true. The outrageous nick
names, for one. are still very much
alive: Helton and Blair call them
selves “Thrashley” and “Mosh-ya
Brady” respectively, and the
Roller Girls’ bench manager goes
by the name “Suckin’ Dixie.”
There is an element of specta
cle to the bouts. But for the
diverse crowds drawn to watch
the competitions, the main
attraction is the sport’s unique
ness. “It’s an inexpensive oppor
tunity to see a local Athens
sport,” Helton said.
Those audience members who
show up out of curiosity may be
surprised at the level of physical
contact. Derby is a rare thing in
women’s athletics: a full-contact
sport.
Still, the thrill of skating hard,
and hitting harder, is entirely
unique.
“It’s a really good stress reliev
er,” Blair said. “It’s empowering to
be a woman and be like, ‘I can
knock you on your ass.’”
FOR TOE BIBLE
TELLS ME 80
When: 630 tonight
Wars: 101 MHler Learning
Center
Price: Free
Film
discusses
religion,
sexuality
By Crieslnda Fender
The Red & Black
One can struggle with
having two identities that
are often portrayed as
mutually exclusive - like
being Christian and gay or
lesbian.
Jointly sponsored by
the University’s LGBT
Resource Center and
University Union, “For the
Bible Tells Me So” is an
award-winning documen
tary about the contempo
rary face of an old debate
between Christian funda
mentalists and individuals
who Identify as gay or les
bian.
The film features five
Christian families, each
with a child who comes
out as either gay or lesbian
and describes how the
families coped with trying
to meld their child’s sexual
preference with their own
faith.
“What I like about the
film is that it gives a whole
range of
reactions,”
said
Jennifer
Miracle,
director of
the LGBT
Resource
Center. “It’s
realistic,
and it
doesn’t
send the
W
WALLNER
message that it’s easy to
reconcile those things and
it shows that not everyone
gets to this place of full
understanding, but they at
least get to a place of
accepting and loving their
child.”
However, one family did
not come to accept their
child’s new identity and
found it to be completely
inconsistent with their reli
gious values.
Anna Wakefield, one of
the young adults featured
in the film, came out to her
mother in 1988 in a letter
she wrote.
Her mother had a diffi
cult time coming to terms
with the news, and almost
ten years later in 1997,
Anna committed suicide
as a result of her conflict
ing identities.
Janet Frick, associate
head for the department of
psychology, was a college
friend of Anna's at
Missouri State University
in the late 1980s; the two
were also in the same
Bible study group.
“Anna was a giving
friend, had a great sense of
humor and was a sweet
person,” Frick said.
She said that she did
not learn of Anna's death
until she viewed the docu
mentary.
“It was very heartbreak
ing, I Just couldn’t believe
it,” Frick said. "Looking
back now, I could see that
she was really struggling
because she had this
secret and didn’t know
who she could share it
with safely.”
Anna's mother, Mary
Lou Wallnei; will lead a dis
cussion following the film.
After her daughter’s death,
Wallner started TEACH
(lb Educate About the
Consequences of
Homophobia) Ministries.
TEACH Ministries edu
cates the public through
efforts such as speaking
engagements, workshops
and videos.
Like the ministry, “For
the Bible Tells Me So”
tries to dispel established
ideas about Christianity
and homosexuality.
“Not all Christians are
homophobic and I think
sometimes that’s a gener
alization that is made,”
Miracle said.
Frick, who was instru
mental in arranging the
film screening, believes
that “For theßible Tells
Me So” is a powerful film
and beneficial for college
students to see.
“It’s very entertaining
but compelling as well,”
Frick said. “Everyone I
know who has seen it has
found it to be life-changing
and perspective-chang
ing.”