LIfe of a Prezident

Life of a Prezident

The President is black, and I am too,

I’ve been Black Prez before high school,

They sayin’ change your name, so what I’ma do

I’ma keep that shit the same cuz I gotta stay true

Black Prez - My President is Black

It’s doubtful Fort Collins has seen anything like Josh Madry aka “Black Prez.” The 22-year-old rapper has already been on tour with Wiz Khalifa, one of the hottest rappers around.

Madry, who is working on his masters degree in Counseling, said he enjoys the challenges of being a CSU student, working multiple jobs, and rapping all in the same day.

“It’s really difficult but I like it. I think I work best under pressure.”

Taking care of all his other responsibilities during the day, Madry has to wait to work on his music “until midnight and I’ll work on it until 3 or 4 a.m..”

With such a busy schedule, Madry has to make sure his priorities are in order. “I think I spend more time on my music than I do with school for sure,” he said.

One example of his work paying off came when he was working on his internship at Lincoln Middle School last year. He approached a student who looked like he was having a bad day. They started talking and the student said, “The only thing that gets me through the day is listening to your music.”

“Stuff like that makes me feel happy that I’m making an impact,” Madry said.

Madry’s story begins in Huntsville Alabama, the place of his birth. But that’s all he knows it as. When he was 6-months-old he moved to Paderborn, Germany where his mother had previously lived.

He moved to Colorado when he 6, but had already been rapping for three years.

“I started when I was 3, just free-styling and rapping along to Snoop Dogg.”

He soon realized he had a gift, so he started getting more serious about his music in middle school.

In eighth grade Madry was in a speech and debate class.

“I hated it and wanted out. I wanted to be in an aeronautics class where I could build planes.” His speech teacher allowed him to leave under the condition he gave a speech to the class explaining why he wanted to leave. After he presented his speech, his class gave him a standing ovation and one of the students in the back yelled, “You’re like a black president up there!”

The name stuck, but after the 2008 U.S. presidential election, Madry knew he wasn’t the only black president around.

“Half of me didn’t want Obama to win,” Madry said chuckling, “I didn’t want to have to change my name.”

But he holds no hard feelings.

“Honestly, it’s cool because people type ‘Black Prez’ into Google not even knowing about me, trying to find Obama, and I come up.”

Recently however, people have been searching for Black Prez on purpose. One of Madry’s most popular videos, Ima Tell Em, has over 28,000 hits on YouTube.

Madry relies mostly on the Internet to help expose his music to a larger audience, but he has a significant fan base in Colorado.

He originally went to Black Hill State University in South Dakota on a football scholarship. He then transferred to CSU after his freshman year. He has been trying to increase his exposure through CSU’s networks but has had a hard time doing so.

“When they hear a rapper wants to come do a show, it kind of has a negative connotation, and they kind of shy away from it,” he said, “I finally got to do the Ram Welcome Carnival after three years of being here.”

Madry said if he had more people behind him, more CSU student support, it might be easier to crack the administration.

“I’m just trying to do as many shows as possible, through CSU and through people I know, just to get a bigger following on campus.”

Vaughn Hood, a senior Buisness-Real Estate major shared his thoughts on the matter. “I think he should make a song and video for the football team,” Hood said, “He should try and tie his music into the community.”

Senior Buisness-Management major, Taylor Brisch, enjoys the fact that he can see one of his favorite artists walking around on campus.

“I was riding my bike listening to Black Prez, and I saw him walking in front of the Rec. Center. That was pretty cool,” he said.

Madry said after he finishes school, he plans on focusing on his music full time and see where it takes him.

“I feel like I’m pretty successful right now, and as long as I’m happy and it keeps paying my bills, I consider that a success.”

That is not to say that he doesn’t see room for improvement.

“I don’t really listen to my songs for pleasure,” he said. “I listen to them to critique myself and make myself better.”

There is no style of rap that Madry truly identifies with. In fact he said he doesn’t really listen to rap that much.

“I’m more into Stevie Wonder and Earth Wind and Fire.

As for his own personal genre, Madry said, “I can’t really categorize myself, I’m pretty spontaneous. I like to keep my options open and do what I feel is hot at the moment.”

Whatever he’s doing it seems to be working. Black Prez’s music can be found on Itunes, he also has several songs on YouTube and his mixtapes can be downloaded off the Internet.

Ram Pride

Adam Wagner

11/3/10

Ram Pride

Let’s face it; students don’t come to CSU expecting athletic excellence. The Florida Gators these Rams are not.

Ram fans have had little to cheer about recently. But that doesn’t stop them from filling up the cozy confines of Hughes Stadium, or the newly improved Moby Arena.

There is something to say for fan loyalty at CSU.

Nobody personifies that loveable loyalty better than 13-year-old Justin Stank. “He lives and breathes CSU,” said his mother Zoe Stank, “If he ends up going to another college I’ll be really surprised. He has been going to the games since he was 6-months-old.”

“I love that kid,” said Vaughn Hood, a CSU senior and self-professed obsessed CSU fan. “We need more fans like him.”The eighth grade student at Heath Middle School in Greeley, can be seen wearing his mascot costume in the front row of the CSU student section, right behind the Rams’ sideline at football games. He is also the ball boy for the CSU basketball and volleyball teams.

“You are the coolest little ram fan ever,” senior Sarah Murrow said to Justin at a recent football game.

Opposing fans don’t seem to think so.

Four years ago, Justin’s passion for the Rams put him in danger when the Rams football team played the University of Colorado at the Rocky Mountain Showdown.

As he was walking down to his seat, a CU fan, who, according to Justin was “way beyond drunk” grabbed Justin, just 10-years-old, by the throat.

“He started screaming ‘f- CSU, f-you, you mother f-er,’” Justin said. Justin was only in elementary school at the time and was helpless to fight back.

Justin’s mom quickly saw what was going on and reacted. “Big problem was, mom used to be a cop,” she said. “He didn’t know what hit him.”

“I had this kid on his knees, grabbing him by the throat, screaming, ‘you never touch a child. God help you if you touch mine.’”

Security realized what was going on and escorted the dazed CU fan out of the stadium. Three CSU students, who had seen what happened, followed him out. “I heard he ended up in the hospital,” Justin’s mom said unsympathetically.

It wouldn’t be the last time Justin was assaulted representing the Rams.

Last year Justin, who is in the Junior Olympic Archery Development Program, was having an archery competition in Las Vegas when the Rams women’s basketball team was playing UNLV.

Justin missed his archery tournament to go to the basketball game. It was a choice between the rams or archery. “Come on it’s CSU,” he said as if it were no choice at all.

When Justin went to one of the bathrooms at UNLV’s basketball arena, a UNLV fan jumped him.

“I just remember walking out of the bathroom stall and someone grabbing me and throwing me to the ground,” he said. “Nobody helped me, he just walked out.”

One place Justin’s mom doesn’t have to worry about him being harassed is CSU. “He’s got so many people protecting him over there,” his mom said. “I’m usually in the middle of it with him. I’m standing in the middle of all these kids screaming louder than any of them.”

No one asked Justin to be the Rams unofficial mascot. He does it simpy because, “It’s just fun,” he said. “A lot of my friends from other sports are in the student section.”

But Justin’s goal isn’t to watch the games from the bleachers; he wants to be on the football field, playing for his beloved Rams. “It would be cool, definitely,” he said.

Justin plays on the defensive line for his middle school’s team, the Heath Panthers. They just finished their season a perfect 6-0 with zero points scored on the defense, a school record.

“They can technically start recruiting him next year,” said his mom. “The regulars and the booster club have watched that boy grow up. If he does go to CSU, it’s going to be very loud his first day on the field.”

In addition to CSU and archery, Justin enjoys school, Boy Scouts, and hanging out with his friends who think, “It’s weird that I’m a ball boy for the volleyball team, but think it’s cool I know the basketball players,” he said.

It is doubtful that Justin could form these friendships with the student-athletes at a large university like University of Florida or even the University of Colorado for that matter. That is what makes CSU unique. It’s small enough fans can develop relationships with the players with relative ease.

Justin is a well-rounded young man who has his priorities in order, something few others his age can say. “I feel bad when I have to miss a game, but Scouts and school come first.”

“He is also a rodeo clown,” said his mom. In 2007, Justin took part in the Annual Kids Rodeo during the Greeley Stampede. He helped kids that had fallen off their sheep.

But Justin’s first love has always been the Rams. If getting beat up by opposing fans is the price he has to pay, he is willing to pay it he said.

Maybe Justin’s only qualm with CSU is the new costume for the mascot. “I really don’t like him. The old one fit in better.”

Jorge De La Rosa Rehab Update

Jorge De La Rosa who has been on the disabled list with a torn wring finger tendon in his throwing hand since the end of April, has stated throwing again.

De La Rosa was arguably the Rockies best pitcher last year. He finished 16-9 after starting the season 0-6 in his first 10 starts.

Taylor Buchholz Rehab Update

Rockies reliever Taylor Buchholz threw a 35-pitch bullpen session on Wednesday and is scheduled to throw another bullpen session on Saturday.

Buchholz missed the entire 2009 season after undergoing Tommy John Surgery. He was one of the most dominant relievers in all of baseball in 2008.

Ubaldo Jimenez- One of the Best Starts Ever

Ubaldo Jimenez is having a record-breaking start to the season. Through his first 12 starts, Jimenez is 11-1 with a microscopic 0.93 ERA. He leads the majors in both wins and ERA. His only loss came against the Dodgers, May 9, when he pitched seven innings and only gave up one run on two hits in seven innings pitched.

He had the Rockies first no-hitter in history in April against the Atlanta Braves. Potential Hall of Fame candidate Chipper Jones said of the performance, “That was domination,” Jones said. “Only one ball came close to falling.” At this pace there is no stopping him from winning the Rockies first Cy Young Award in franchise history.
Jimenez, 26, has always had the stuff to be a top shelf pitcher, but it all has come together this season. He was barley known outside of Colorado until this year. Since he debuted in 2006, Jimenez has showed flashes of brilliance, showcasing his 100 MPH fastball, and knee bucking breaking balls.
The Dominican could be having the best season for a starting pitcher in Major League Baseball history. Nicknamed “The Chief” from the quite giant in the film “One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest,” Jimenez’s personality seems like the perfect fit for the under the radar Colorado Rockies.
"I am a humble guy, a simple guy," Jimenez told Fox 31. He is known for his hard work and physical fitness. He has a habit of going on a six-mile long run after everyone of his starts.
The best season for a starting pitcher, it is agreed, was in 1968 when Bob Gibson went 22-9 with a 1.12 ERA. The next year, the mound was lowered from 15 inches to 10 inches, to help the hitters.
Although the season is still unfolding, Jimenez has looked dominant, and there is no indication he can’t keep it up.

Todd Helton Slump

Todd Helton is unquestionably the best Rockies player in their history. He holds the club record for nearly every offensive category. Helton made his debut late in the 1997 season and has been named to five all-start teams since. Helton is one of five players in history to have a “325 career batting average, .400 on-base percentage and a .565 slugging percentage, joining Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Ted Williams and Albert Pujols.”

2000 was Helton’s best year. He lead the National League in batting average .372, slugging percentage, .698, on base percentage .463, runs batted in, and doubles, 59.

In April of 2001, Helton signed a nine-year contract for $141.5 million. The contact kicked in for the 2003 season and finished after the 2011 season.

Before this season Helton, 37, signed a two-year extension for $9.9 million. Recently there have been rumblings that Helton will retire before that contract starts before the 2012 season.

The first third of the 2010 season has been quite the disappointment for Helton and the Rockies.

After batting in the third spot, which is usually designated for the best hitter in a lineup, for nearly all of his career, Helton has been moved down to the seventh spot in the order for the past week.

He is batting .244, with one homerun and 11 RBI. To put that in perspective Jason Giambi has two homeruns and 10 RBI in one-third the at bats.

Recently, I heard Mark Kizla, who writes for the Denver Post and is close with the Rockies; say that he wouldn’t be surprised if Helton retired after this year if his production remains minimal.

Kizla said that Helton was too proud and too good of a guy to waste the Rockies money. In an article written by Kizla on May 24, Kizla wrote, “If Helton doesn't get his groove back, here's a guarantee his pride won't allow him to serve out the remainder of a contract recently extended through 2013.”

No one is expecting Helton to return to his 2000 self, but hopefully a return to respectability is in order.

Thursday's Recap

Thursday Recap

The Colorado Rockies lost the final three games of a four game series against the Houston Astros including Thursday’s 5-4 loss at Coors Field. The Rockies have fell to 30-30 and are six games back of division leader Los Angeles. Their recent struggles may be attributed to a bit of bad luck, so a turnaround is still in the cards.

The Rockies have outscored their opponents by 37 runs but still sit at .500. To put that in perspective the Texas Rangers have also outscored their opponents by 37 runs but are 6 games above .500 and are in first place in their division.

“We still have confidence,” said Rockies outfielder Carols Gonzalez, “We’re a good team, we need to prove it.” (ESPN) Gonzalez almost hit a homerun with two outs in the ninth that would have tied tha game, but it was caught by Astros left fielder Carols Lee.

Jhoulys Chacin took the loss and fell to 3-5 on the season. He pitched six innings and gave up four earned runs.

Wednesday Recap

The Rockies lost the second game in a row to the Houston Astros 6-2 in 10 innings. The Rockies scored first in both the games the lost but the bullpen faltered down the stretch culminating in Carlos Lee’s grand slam off Matt Belisle in the 10^th inning.

Aaron Cook had another solid performance limiting the Astros to two runs on five hits in seven innings. The story of the game was the Rockies offense, or lack there of. The Rockies sit in fourth place in the NL West and are one game above .500. There is still time to turn the ship around with 2/3 of the season left to play, but they better stat hitting or they will have no hope of a surge.According to Troy Renck’s twitter page who writes for the Denver Post the Rockies offense is dead last in terms of runs from the fifth inning on.

Tuesday Recap

Tuesday’s Game Recap

The Rockies lost the second game of a four gamer series at Coors Field to the Astros 4-3 despite taking a 3-0 lead after the first inning. Rockies starting pitcher Jeff Francis was very effective. He pitched for seven strong innings, limiting them to two runs on seven hits and zero walks during that time. It seems Francis is back to his 2007 form when he won a record 17 games for the Rockies. He sat out most of 2009 after undergoing surgery on his throwing shoulder that was sore in 2008.

Francis left the game with a 3-2 lead but Matt Belisle, who has been incredibly effective from the bullpen this year, was charged with two runs are the Rockies relinquished the lead in the top of the eighth. The Rockies bats were almost non-existent after the first inning.

Troy Tulowitzki remains hot in June. He went 2-3 with a double and two RBI.

Tyler Matzek Update

The 2010 Major League Baseball Amateur Draft concluded on Thursday. The Rockies took Clemson University Outfielder Kyle Parker. I would like to take a look and see how last years first round pick is doing in the Rockies farm system. For those of you who don’t know, Tyler Matzek, a left-handed starting pitcher from California, was taken with the 11^th pick in the 2009 draft.

The Californian youngster won’t turn 20 until October but he received the honor of being named the top prospect in the Rockies system by Baseball America.

He made his professional debut for the Asheville Tourists late last month. He has made three total starts. His most recent start was his most impressive. He gave up one run on four hits plus two walks, and struck out eight Sand Knats.

Matzek is expected to be in the minors for at least one more year. The Rockies want to make sure they don’t rush this young arm.

Rockies Select Kyle Parker in First Round of Draft

The Colorado Rockies drafted outfielder Kyle Parker with the 26th overall pick in Monday’s baseball amateur draft. Parker played first base and right field for Clemson University. So far he has hit 20 home runs for the Tigers baseball team.

Parker is also the starting quarterback for the Tigers. He threw for 20 touchdowns last fall. The Rockies may have gambled that Parker would give up playing football for baseball but the temptation to get him playing baseball year round was too much to pass on.

Monday Recap

The Colorado Rockies beat the Houston Astros 5-1 Monday night at Coors Field. Rockies starting pitcher Jason Hammel pitched into the eight inning and earned his third win this season. The Rockies got on the board early scoring in both the second and third innings, as well as adding two insurance runs in the eighth. The Astros got their only run in the top of the ninth with a Geoff Blum single that drove in Pedro Feliz.

It was good to see secondbasemen Clint Barmes have a good game offensively. He went 2-4 with 2 RBI’s. His batting average still sits at .219 but he has amassed 28 RBI’s which is one behind Troy Tulowitzki. For more coverage of Monday’s night game click here.

Huston Street Continues Rehab

2009 Rockies closer is close to being back with the team after a successful rehab appearance with AAA Colorado Springs. Street has yet to pitch for the big league club this season but was 35-37 in save chances in 2009. He has been nursing a sore shoulder for the majority of the 2010 season. The Rockies already have one of the best bullpens in baseball. The earned run average for the Rockies bullpen is fifth best in the majors (3.06). He could be up with the Rockies in the next couple of weeks.

Rec Center Renovation Update

Colorado State University President Tony Frank says the Colorado State Recreation Center renovation project will continue as planned despite budget shortfalls.

Since construction began in May of 2009 the economic climate of the university has taken a turn for the worse. For fiscal year 2010, the expected budget shortfall is expected to be around $33 million.

There have been questions as to why the construction projects are not being reconsidered. Tony Frank responded, “These projects are financed with bonds and have no state funds associated with them”.

The bonds that finance the projects were established in 2008, and legally obligates CSU to construct the projects the bonds were designated for.

The new recreation center’s total cost will total $32.2 million. The project will be finished before classes begin in the fall of 2010. Beginning that semester student fees will increase $35.

The finished product increases CSU’s total fitness center by 60,000 sq ft, totaling 165,000 sq ft. The new additions include an indoor rock climbing wall, as well as one in the indoor swimming pool.

Several other features include two state of the art massage rooms. Both the men’s’ and women’s locker rooms are being completely renovated.

Maybe the most necessary addition is the doubling of fitness areas from two to four. One of the criticisms of the old recreation center was that it was overcrowded and intimidating. One of the employees of the recreation center said that the doubling of workout area was a good investment. His full comments can be heard below.

Of course the new additions to the recreation center will only benefit those who use them. The additions were made to let students, faculty, and staff, take advantage of a state of the art fitness center, as well as a place to relax. A ‘lazy river’ addition to the indoor pool is designed just for that purpose.

For more information please visit the Colorado State University recreation center website

Biking Under the Influence

Yvette Welch

Yvette Welch has a passion for rafting and kayaking that is undeniable. It only takes a few minutes of getting to know her to find out about her passion. This video is dedicated to her and those like her who have a love for the great outdoors.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJywUOY4M5s