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4 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 B*'**mk { r M SEp' v M'S nH 1 EMILY KAROL | The Ran a Black Points are earned in roller derby when the jammer makes a full circle around the rink and passes competitors. £77ie Sffeif to he/* can /n- /ill Mill 283 East Clayton Street 706-543-3473 I www.tenas.com jLjj Email us with your order. |L ™ We are happy to deliver downtown. - Sfer/f ng silver Free gift wrap and card with every purchase. an ‘ aces \ *. jjr 'wk^ : f mmmm 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 Ask About m Our Specials # * www.DovetailManagement.com ofic Hoom: Mon.-Fri. 9-6 • Sat. By Appointment 115 Berlin Street, #O-13. Athens. GA 30601 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.”