Polo Teams Face Virginia for No. 1 Ranking

By wpengine | February 27, 2004

The men’s and women’s polo teams head down to Virginia today in what may prove to be a preview of April’s national championship.

The women, who are coming off a victory over Michigan State last weekend, will face much stiffer competition tonight at 6 p.m. against Virginia. Furthermore, the Red will be without key starter senior Harriet Antczak, who must remain in Ithaca because of previous commitments.

Junior Lindsay Scheer will take Antczak’s spot in the lineup alongside seniors Molly Buck and Marisa Bianchi. Despite the absence of Antczak, head coach David Eldredge ’81 is confident in Scheer’s ability and does not foresee any major problems for the Red down in Virginia.

“With how we’ve played against them and how we have accomplished things, I still feel very good about this game,” Eldredge said. ” I still think we have a very good chance at winning the game.”

Today’s game will also give the Red riders a chance to get a feel for the arena and the horses that they will be riding at nationals, which is hosted this year by UVA.

Cornell has faced Virginia twice so far this year, each time coming away with wins. In their last face-off, the women looked especially impressive in a 21-9 victory over the Cavaliers.

The men’s polo team is coming off an unexpected break going into tonight’s game against Virginia. Last weekend’s match against the Valley Forge Military Academy was postponed when the wife of VFMA’s head coach went into labor three weeks early.

With two weeks’ rest under its belt, the Red will once again do battle with a Virginia team that has continually challenged Cornell this year. The last meeting between the two teams, went to a shootout, with the Red coming away with a 19-18 victory off the clutch penalty shooting of seniors Jeff Markle and Senter Johnson.

The win hs provided Cornell’s squad with a significant boost in confidence going down to Virginia.

” The guys are really looking forward to it,” commented Eldredge. ” They have a lot more confidence in themselves, and they feel more prepared going into this game then they felt going into the game a couple of weeks ago.”

Looking ahead to nationals, Eldredge sees Cornell’s and Virginia’s paths crossing once again in the finals.

“I think they’re going to be on one side of the bracket and we’re going to be on the other, and there’s a very good possibility of us meeting in the finals,” he remarked. ” The team to beat for nationals is Virginia.”

Archived article by Paul Testa

Kerry's Daughter Rallies Students

By wpengine March 1, 2004

Although her visit was planned less than 24-hours in advance, students and community members packed the Straight’s Music Room to hear Vanessa Kerry, youngest daughter of democratic presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), speak on behalf of her father. Her visit comes right before Super Tuesday when voters from ten states, including New York, will award 1,151 pledged convention delegates in the Democratic presidential nomination. Kerry’s last-minute meeting was organized to present her father’s platform to the high density of voters in Ithaca, according to Matt Gewolb ’04, president of the Cornell Students for Kerry. Gewolb said his organization has been in ongoing contact with the senator’s New York campaign office. Sen. Kerry’s daughter, a third-year medical school student, spoke about a variety issues, but focused intently on encouraging audience members to come out and “make voting sexy again.” Although her father is considered by many to be the front-runner in the democratic primary, Kerry is not counting her chickens just yet. “I’ve heard a lot of people saying your dad’s got it,” Kerry said. “We can’t think that way; we can’t take anything for granted.” In addressing issues surrounding the presidential debate, the Yale University graduate took aim at President George W. Bush’s foreign policy, saying that he has ostracized the U.S. from the rest of the world. Taking the U.S.’s current relations with the United Nations and the war on Iraq as examples, she emphasized that there needs to be much rebuilding of America’s image. “If you think of our foreign policy [recently], we’ve thrown out 40 years of diplomacy in one swoop,” Kerry said. “We’re not doing very much to make friends abroad. In fact, we’re creating a lot of anger.” Although Kerry opposes Bush’s alleged antagonist foreign policy, she also addressed one of the main issues of contention concerning her father’s record — the Massachusetts senator’s vote for the Iraqi war resolution. Kerry said that at the time, her father trusted that the president would keep to his word in “exhaust[ing] all of his resources” before going to war. The senator also spoke to officials in the United Nations and submitted a plan concerning Iraq, which would take necessary steps while preventing war at the same time. While her father was “shocked” when the U.S. states militarily intervened in Iraq, Kerry said that the connections the senator made with members of the international community and the United Nations will provide him with a solid advantage if he becomes president. “I think he would enter the U.N. with legitimacy already,” Kerry said. “The ability to do that is incredibly important.” Throughout her talk, Kerry touched upon a variety of issues including her father’s National service plan, his 20-20 initiative which would enforce the use of renewable energy resources by the year 2020 and a proposed health care reform which would make expand services and decrease the cost of aid for Americans. “We treat healthcare as a privilege and not a right in this country,” Kerry said. In addressing questions from audience members, she dispelled concerns surrounding the lack of support from moderate and independent groups for her father, saying that his values and ideals have already appealed to some groups and will attract more as the election proceeds. Kerry also addressed Ralph Nader, the former Green Party candidate who announced his intention to run for president last week. Nader was accused by many groups of stealing costly votes from then Democratic presidential candidate, Al Gore, in the 2000 election. However, Kerry thinks that because of her father’s strengths and a strong popular dislike for Bush, Nader will not be a factor in the next election. “I think the Democratic Party will unite very strongly around their democratic nominee,” Kerry said. “I really feel there is so much frustration with this president.” The 26-year-old Kerry, who has taken the past few months to campaign around the nation on behalf of her father, said that although the senator instilled values such as persistence and courage, she also considered him a “goofball,” who enjoys to joke around — a plus considering the seriousness of his job. Kerry’s personable nature and enthusiasm seemed to strike a note with audience members, including Miriam Pansker ’04, who prior to the event had not heard much about the Massachusetts senator’s platform. Pansker said that she thought Kerry’s down-to-earth nature was advantageous in presenting the issues. “I was very impressed,” Chelsea Mullen ’07 said. “She was very personable and would make a great representative for the White House and our generation.” In garnering support for Kerry’s father, Rep. Maurice Hinchey (D-N.Y.) declared his intention to back the Massachusetts senator last week. Hinchey and other local and student leaders will hold a 12 p.m. rally today at the Straight to formally announce his decision, according to Dan Lamb, district representative for Congress member Hinchey.Archived article by Brian Tsao
Rapid Turnover Defines Collegetown

By wpengine March 1, 2004

Although the crowds of students out on weekends attest to the success of many Collegetown bars and restaurants, the local retail stores often do not receive the same attention. It seems that one of the unfailing cycles of change in Collegetown retail is the opening and closing of new stores. In the past few years, both the Sam Goody music store and the used CD store Now and Then have gone out of business — the Sam Goody store just after Christmas. Sun Capital Partners decided to close down the Collegetown Sam Goody after they bought the entire chain because it was one of the least profitable stores in the country, according to a December 2003 Sun article. The problem of retail businesses turning a profit seems to extend to more than just music stores however. “Retail hasn’t done well,” said Greg Silverman, co-owner of Stella’s. “We’ve seen a lot of places come and go.” In comparison to the large number of restaurants and bars in the area, Collegetown currently has a small number of retail outlets. Many focus on selling food, like Collegetown Market, Collegetown Candy and Nuts and Sweetwater Market. Some local business owners said that Collegetown is a niche area into which many retail stores simply do not fit. “It’s very service oriented up here,” Silverman said. Part of the problem may be that many students do their shopping elsewhere, such as Route 13 and Pyramid Mall. “The retail marketplace has changed in this community,” said Gary Ferguson, executive director of the Ithaca Downtown Partnership. “There’s more and more competition, more and more options.” Students also shop at home, citing a larger variety and selection as reasons for not buying products locally. “You’re not going to buy stuff in Ithaca,” said Phil Lee ’04. Currently, there are some newer shops that are working to survive. Babakool, which sells locally made glass and gifts, has been open for about a year. The owner, Jud Wipf, said that he has not yet turned a profit, but thinks his business is growing. “It’s slow, but steady,” he said. Also, he said that two federal projects last year to shut down head shops, Operation Pipe Dream and Operation Headhunter, may have affected his business negatively. Wipf said he wishes there were more retail stores in Collegetown, although he did not know why they tended to fail. “I’m kind of here on a personal mission to enlighten Collegetown, [to show students] that there’s more than bars and food,” he said. The retail stores that do survive and thrive seem to become Collegetown institutions. The 30 years The Bike Rack has existed appear nearly insignificant compared to Fontana’s Shoes, which has been in business for over 95 years. The retailers who have been profitable say that they fill a need that others may miss. Bryan Morin, manager of The Bike Rack, attributes their success to selling a practical and needed product. He said that between August and mid-September, “It’s a zoo in here because everyone likes to have transportation.” Likewise, Jes Seaver, manager of the newly reopened Sweetwater Market, said they also cater to a specific need. “[Students] are very focused people. They’re not shopping — they need to eat. Sweetwater Market fills a niche,” she said. Other businesspeople suggested that the high rent in the area makes keeping a retail store open especially difficult. Some of the most expensive property in Ithaca is in Collegetown, according to Silverman. “I think the rent is extremely high up [here],” Morin said. “You’re paying the rent that is equivalent of being in major cities.” Dana Lee ’05, manager of Miyake, agreed and commented that rent affects even profitable restaurants. “If you lowered the rent, they’d stay,” she said. “Even [for] the restaurants, it’s hard to survive.” In particular, turning a profit with high rent can be difficult for businesses when the University is not in session. “If you can’t make your money in seven months, don’t come here,” said Sam Schuepbach, owner of Aladdin’s Natural Eatery. Although it is a problem limited to music stores and not specific to Collegetown, the proliferation of downloading music from the Internet may be hurting local business as well. “We don’t need to buy records when we can get it free online,” Lee said.Archived article by Shannon Brescher