By ryan
“Ithaca Is Gorges” may be a corny pun for a bumper sticker, but it does describe the Ithaca-Tompkins County region, with its numerous streams tumbling their way down to Cayuga Lake. Natives boast that the nearly 100 miles of shoreline surrounding Cayuga Lake are an unbroken green stretch, comprising mostly parks and private lakefront homes. And yes, swimming is allowed, along with canoeing, fishing, boating and everything else you can think of doing in nature’s playground, which also happens to be Cornell’s backyard. But nestled behind the 435 foot deep pool are several natural treasures perfect for camping, swimming, hikes and picnics. That is, until the weather gets cold. If you don’t have access to a motor vehicle, getting to these rustic retreats may prove a little tricky. Although some Tompkins Consolidated Area Transit buses do visit the parks, hours are limited. Additionally, the buses often begin their routes in downtown Ithaca, a good 25 minute walk from campus. Fall Creek and Cascadilla gorges, which border Cornell central campus on its Northern and Southern edges, provide short but moderately strenuous hikes along trails at the creeks’ bottom. They afford some spectacular views. Beebe Lake however, now a temporary mud pit, might not be the most inspiring place to soak up nature’s vibes. A swamp until 1987, the lake must be drained and dredged every 10 to 15 years to clean out the sediment clogging up the narrow inlet to the lake. The University will also be laying cooling pipes in the lake bed to serve the new North Campus dormitories. A more pleasant sight lies just a little farther down Fall Creek, right below the Stewart street bridge. There flows one of the more dramatic stretches of the falls. The creek drops some 250 feet, crashing into a pool large enough for swimming and jumping into from nearby stone ledges. It’s some exhilarating entertainment, though public safety officials advise against jumping. Flowers blossom and greenery flourishes year round at the Cornell Plantations, just east of central campus. The Plantations come stocked with its own tranquil scenery and winding paths. However, in the surrounding Tompkins County area, about 75 miles of the Finger Lakes Trail system add rich variety to the more familiar Cornell trails. Robert H. Treman Park, located about a mile south of the City of Ithaca on Route 327, contains one of the most picturesque hikes in the area. The main hike is moderately strenuous as one climbs from the lower to upper levels of the park, but the views of cascades and shimmering pools near the top, at Lucifer Falls, are well worth the effort. Treman Park is also memorable for its arrays of fall foliage and its changing colors. Buttermilk Falls is located on route 13 just past the City of Ithaca limits and rows of strip malls, but its atmosphere is surprisingly pristine. Buttermilk Falls is a short walk from Kmart and Wegman’s and can be reached by bike. The hard part is biking back up to Cornell. Buttermilk Falls, named after its resemblance to churning buttermilk, as water glides down softly sloping rocks is, in fact, two parks: Lower Buttermilk and Upper Buttermilk. They are connected by hiking trails that weave through the forest to the sides of the creek. But you’ll probably have to take a breather before making it to the top. It’s quite a climb. The park is also equipped with swimming and picnic areas. Taughannock Falls are located a good 20 minute drive from Cornell, up Route 89 near Trumansburg, at the edge of Tompkins County. The park features a large grassy recreation and swim area on the shores of Cayuga Lake, but also has a more hidden entrance at the trail leading to the falls. Taughannock Falls, at 215 feet, is New York State’s tallest waterfall, taller even than the more famous Niagara Falls. Admittedly, Taughannock does not spill the same deluge of water as Niagara. In fact, it may not even look as high, since Park Police and physical barriers prevent the curious visitor from coming too close to the falls. However, a one-mile flat path along the creek and another three-mile rim trail loop more than make up for the restrictions. For the wildlife seekers, the Cayuga Nature Center is home to many upstate creatures, birds and mammals. The 135-acre sanctuary is located six miles north of Ithaca. Its network of trails are open to the public and free of charge, seven days a week. For more information about parks in the Tompkins County area, contact the New York State Parks Department at 273-5671. Now may be the best time to explore Ithaca’s wilderness, as Lake water temperatures reach their yearly high, (still a cool 70 degrees fahrenheit) and outdoor temperatures mellow with the approaching fall.Archived article by Yoni Levine
By ryan
The Big Red spring sports teams finished their seasons in grand style, bringing home two championship trophies. Senior Andy Belden and fifth-year senior Rich Montgomery won the national title in the varsity pairs without coxswain at the Intercollegiate Rowing Association Championships. Meanwhile, the women’s lacrosse team won the ECAC championship, pounding Johns Hopkins 16-4. Crew Belden and Montgomery highlighted a successful outing for Cornell crew as the Big Red had ten boats competing in the day’s races, with six rowing in the Grand Finals and four in the Petite Finals. The pair led throughout the race and beat Buffalo by seven seconds on the shoulders of a strong start. All the more impressive was the fact that most of their competitors were heavyweights. The Cornell B team of Jeff Ugine and Jason Weinstein finished fifth in the same race, only 17 seconds behind Belden and Montgomery. The team of Sanjay Vachani, Scott McQuade, Chris Cotronei and Karen Pagani picked up second place in the open four with cox while Joe Kiely, David Shapiro, James Strangeland, and Jim Lyons led the varsity four without cox to a third place finish. In the varsity four with coxswain Grand Final, the Big Red held on to third place for most of the race until being beaten out by Oregon State at the very end, finishing 2.5 seconds behind. In the Petite Finals, both First Varsity and Freshman finished third. Dan Fine, James Beasley, Paul Scholten, Milos Vujamic, Jordan Siegel, John VanArnam, Ken Davies, Jon Douglas and Matt Sullivan helped the Varsity Red edge out Navy by .6 seconds. Ken Jurkowski, Pat Solan, Josh Kweller, Miles Hingley, Robb DeJean III, Kevin Hackett, Andy Rung, Seth Lozano and Chris Hein made up the Freshman team. Both the men’s and women’s crew teams fared well at the Easter Association of Rowing Colleges Sprints. For the lightweights, four of its five boats advanced to the Grand Finals. The Second Freshman team finished fourth while the Third Varsity and Freshman Eight finished fifth. The Varsity Eight finished sixth. The Third Varsity Eight heavyweight and Second Freshmen eight picked up second and third respectively. As for the women, the Varsity Four placed second while the Novice Eight and Second Varsity Eight both placed first in the Petite finals. Lacrosse The women’s lacrosse team ended its winningest season ever by taking the ECAC Championship. Freshman Sarah Averson scored seven points on six goals and one assist while sophomore second team All-Ivy Lori Wohslchlegel added five goals and two assists. The seven points gave Wohlschlegel 63 points on the season, breaking the three-year record for points in a season. Cornell scored fast, early, and often in its first ever meeting with Johns Hopkins, averaging a goal almost ever four minutes. Sophomore first team All-Ivy Ginny Miles scored first, only two minutes into the game. Wohlschlegel’s goal and assist to third team All-American Jamiee Reynolds put the Big Red ahead 3-0 and the romp was on. Two goals by Averson in the final seven minutes put Cornell up 7-2 going into halftime. Wohslchlegel exploded after halftime, scoring four goals and assisting Miles on another. With the Red leading 15-2 at the two minute mark, Johns Hopkins mounted a comeback, scoring two quick goals and closing the gap to 11, but Pontea Fazeli’s goal with 10 seconds remaining closed out the Blue Jays. All-Ivy honorable mention goalie Carrie Giancola had an impressive game, stopping 11 shots. The Big Red reached the championship game by whalloping Sacred Heart 17-4. Averson led the way with five goals, and was named MVP of the tournament. Track The men’s and women’s track teams competed, and competed hard, among the best of teams at the Heptagonal Championships in Philadelphia. The women finished fourth while the men took fifth. On the first day, Senior Emily Germano placed first in the 10,000 meter run with a time of 36:37.19 while junior Kim Chatman won the 1500 with a time of 4:28.43. Germano also placed sixth and seventh in the 5,000 and 3,000 respectively. Junior Karen Chastain defended her discus title for the third year in a row, winning with a throw of 163-11. Chatman, junior Meredith Freimer, sophomores Lena Matthews and Halle Watson teamed up for a victory in the 4×800 relay. Their time of 8:55.39 was the fastest at Heps since 1997. Junior Danielle Brown placed second in the triple jump with a leap of 41-7 3/4 to earn second team All-Ivy honors. On the men’s side, senior Nathaniel Toothaker earned first in the long jump with a 7.28m jump. He was also third in the 100m dash and fifth in the 200 m dash. Junior Colin Moore was second in the 1500 meter run with a 3:51.42. Junior Peter Ippel finished second in the high jump, clearing 6-10 3/4. Freshman Brett Coffing earned second team All-Ivy recognition for his second place finish in the discus with a throw of 172-1. The track teams also competed in the IC4A and ECAC Championships. The men finished 19th while the women took 20th. Senior J.P. Pollak took third in the triple jump, while Toothaker finished seventh in the long jump for the men. Danielle Brown took third place in the triple jump with an All-East leap of 40-10 1/4. Kim Chatman finished sixth in the 1500, earning her All-East honors as well. The 4×800 team of Watson, Mathews, freshman Natalie Whelan and Freimer ran a season-best time, finished fourth and earned All-East honors. Softball While the softball team could not defend its Ivy title from a year ago, numerous players defended their positions on the All-Ivy teams. Senior second-baseman Tracy Quinn and junior outfielder Charlotte Brombach both earned first team honors for the second year in a row. Junior pitcher Nicole Zitarelli repeated her second team nod while sophomore-catcher Annette Sheppard earned the selection for the first time. Sophomore third-baseman Kristen Hricenak received All-Ivy honorable mention. Quinn led the Big Red in hitting with a .358 batting average, hitting 11 doubles, two triples and four home runs among her team-high 53 hits. Her 25 runs were tied for first on the team. Brombach hit with a .321 average including 19 RBIs. She led Cornell with seven stolen bases and scored 23 runs. Zitarelli finished the season with a 17-9 record and a 1.99 ERA over 172.2 innings. Sheppard batted .316 with five home runs and 18 RBIs. Her three triples and .988 fielding percentage both led the team. The Big Red’s Big Mac, Hricenak tied the school record for home runs with eight, while her .553 slugging percentage and 33 RBIs led the team. She also served as part-time pitcher going 2-1 on the mound with a 4.50 ERA. She fanned an amazing 11 batters in her first collegiate start. Tennis Junior tennis star Mike Halperin was defeated in the first round of the NCAA Singles Tennis Tournament, falling 6-2, 6-1 to Jon-Min Lee of UCLA, the 37th-ranked player in the nation. Halperin was named Ivy League player of the year. The first ever Cornellian to win player of the year honors in men’s tennis, he was also a unanimous first team All-Ivy selection, going 7-0 in league games. His 12-3 mark included victories over three nationally-ranked players. Halperin rode these victories to become the first Cornell tennis player since 1984 to earn an NCAA bid. He was also named the Region-I ITA Player to Watch. This award goes to the player who has had an outstanding season but has not yet won an ITA Grand Slam singles title and is expected to performed at a high level for the rest of his career.Archived article by Sumeet Sarin