This picture was taken in November 1985 at Woodland Pattern bookstore in Milwaukee at the book signing for my Chapbook 'Second Generation"
That is my sister Gloria's hair on the right side of the picture.
Tuesday, December 27, 2005
Felix and Micaela Mireles
This picture was taken in November 1985 at Woodland Pattern bookstore in Milwaukee at the book signing for my Chapbook 'Second Generation"
That is my sister Gloria's hair on the right side of the picture.
Mireles brothers in Easter 1966
(l-r)Juan Raymond Mireles
Carlos Mireles
Jesse Mireles
Oscar Mireles
Felix Mireles Jr.
Victor Mireles
(please note the Carlos and Jesse are wearing the "Beatle Suits"....)
Monday, December 26, 2005
Wake and Funeral for Marco Barbosa's wife LuAnn
LuAnn Marie Barbosa
(Nee Moffatt) On Dec. 21, 2005, at home and surrounded
by her loving family, LuAnn went to Heaven to
celebrate her birthday with her Lord and Saviour Jesus
Christ. Her husband Marco A. Barbosa, her parents
Ronald and Aleda Moffatt and her siblings: Mark L.
Moffatt, Pamela R. Dellos, Karen D. Major, Gary
Moffatt and Paul Moffatt; friends and her family in
Christ will miss her tremendously.
Visitation will be held on Wed., Dec. 28, 2005 at
ELMBROOK CHURCH, 777 S.Barker Rd.,
Brookfield from 5-7PM followed by a service at 7PM.
In lieu of flowers, if so desired,
memorial contributions to help defray medical expenses
are welcomed to loving husband Marco A. Barbosa.
Sunday, December 25, 2005
Wrestler continues to exceed lofty expectations
By Brian Moritz
Press & Sun-Bulletin
Press & Sun-Bulletin
ITHACA — Practice is just starting.
The 30 members of the Cornell University wrestling team are paired off in the sweltering Friedman Wrestling Center.
In a corner of the room, Troy Nickerson runs through drills.
He's clearly skilled and strong, even to the untrained eye. But unless you're looking for him, he doesn't stand out. He's one of 30 guys in the room.
Few in this room, though, have accomplished as much as Nickerson. And few have established goals as high as he has.
He's the first wrestler to win five New York State Public High School Athletic Association championships. He and his coach are already looking for him to win not just NCAA championships but also Olympic medals.
"I've had some really good kids come in here," Cornell coach Rob Koll said. "There's only one Troy Nickerson."
Koll's comments on Nickerson, the 2005 Press & Sun-Bulletin Athlete of the Year, are based as much on his promising future as his highly-decorated past.
Nickerson has been chosen Athlete of the Year three times in the past four years (he won in 2004 and 2002). Two other athletes have been selected as often: King Rice, a Binghamton High School football and basketball star selected three times in the 1980s, and Bob Campbell, a Vestal High School football, basketball and track athlete who distinction in 1962, '63 and '64.
Nickerson edged former Binghamton Senators center Jason Spezza, who parlayed the NHL lockout into an AHL MVP season with the B-Sens, in voting by the Press & Sun-Bulletin sports staff.
In March, Nickerson won his record-setting fifth state title.
He won a senior national championship in April and two national wrestling awards in the spring.
Now, he's a freshman at Cornell, where he has already won titles in his first two college tournaments.
"So far, everything's been picture perfect for me," Nickerson said.
A SURE THING
The team spends the first hour of practice working on specific moves.
Nickerson kneels on the outside of the mat as assistant coach Steve Garland does a demonstration. He then works with teammates, honing his technique.
"For his size, he's really quick," said Matt Easter, a junior who wrestles at 141 pounds and was one of Nickerson's training partners at a recent practice. "He sets up his shots really well. He's a good scrambler, too."
During practice, he works quickly and quietly. Nickerson gets taken down as often as he takes down his workout partner.
He is, in the words of Koll, a match wrestler.
"I watched him the first couple months of practice, and he had moments of brilliance. But he had just as many moments of mediocrity," Koll said.
But once it's match time, Nickerson gets a look in his eyes. When he steps foot on the mat, he's a different person.
Nickerson finished his scholastic career at Chenango Forks with a 213-6 record. As a senior, he went 35-0. The highlight came the first weekend of March in Albany, where he beat Sean Bauer of Valley Central by technical fall, 20-5, to win the state title at 125 pounds.
The victory made him the first, and only, wrestler to win five New York State titles.
"All the national titles are great and everything," Nickerson said. "But that's the one that probably meant the most."
In April, Nickerson won the 125-pound title at Senior Nationals. In the spring, he also won the Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award (from the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum) and the Junior Dan Hodge Award (from Win Magazine).
In August, Nickerson came to Cornell, the school he chose over West Virginia, Harvard and Minnesota, among others.
In a way, it was a long time coming. Nickerson attended camps at Cornell when he was barely in kindergarten.
"He was doing moves better than 17-18 year olds, and I'm not kidding," said Koll, who has been Cornell's head coach since 1993 and has been at the school since 1989. "He was a prodigy."
When Koll came to Nickerson's home in Chenango Forks to recruit him, Nickerson showed the coach an autographed poster he had gotten as kid: "Troy, I'll see you in 12 years. Coach Koll."
"I kid with other coaches. I say 'You know, we really took a chance on Troy,'" Koll said with a laugh. "He's a five-time state champion; everybody thought he had already peaked. We thought we could get more out of him.
"Troy was the closest thing to a sure thing as you can get."
MAKING THE TRANSITION
An hour into practice, wrestling stops and conditioning begins. Suddenly, what was college wrestling practice session turns into boot camp.
It's exhausting to watch.
By the end of the 10-minute session, most of the wrestlers — guys who are in top physical condition — are struggling, inching across the room.
Nickerson is always one of the first guys to finish each drill.
"Everything we do is at such a high level," he said. "I've always tried to compete at the highest level possible. Having a whole room at the same intensity as you are is definitely motivation."
Jumping into high level college wrestling was a tough task.
Nickerson is wrestling grown men now, not boys. Nearly every match is against somebody who was a state champion-quality wrestler or maybe even a college All-American.
"He's the real deal coming out of high school," said Mike Mormile, a fifth-year senior who competed in the NCAA meet last season. "But college is a lot different than high school."
On the mat, Nickerson has done exactly the same thing he did at Forks.
He won the title at Cornell's Body Bar Invitational to open the season. Then he traveled to the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. There, he beat the top two seeds to win the title.
Koll calls Nickerson the best wrestler he has ever had at this point in his career.
"He despises losing," Koll said. "His hatred for losing is much stronger than his desire to win. He despises it so much it propels him on more than any kid I've ever seen."
Wrestling isn't the only thing that's changed for Nickerson. He's living on campus, on his own for the first time.
The transition to college is tough enough for anybody. It's even harder for athletes, who have to balance practice and training sessions around classes.
Now imagine doing that at an Ivy League school as a pre-med student.
Nickerson admits he got off to a rocky start. He's a sociology/pre-med major and has classes such as developmental sociology, psychology and math, along with a writing seminar. He had to learn how to manage his time, to adjust to four hours of reading and school work a night outside of classes.
"It was tough to settle into the academics and jump in the wrestling room here," Nickerson said. "But after I got my priorities straight and got my schedule down of what I had to do, everything is going perfect."
GREAT EXPECTATIONS
Practice is over now.
Nickerson is sitting along the wall on the near side of the room. He's stripped to his black compression shorts. A huge ice pack is taped to his left shoulder.
He's sitting with several teammates, chatting about finals and wrestling and everything else college guys talk about.
In a lot of ways, Nickerson is very much just one of the guys on this team — and that's meant in the best possible way.
Part of it is the program. Cornell's one of college wrestling's elite. From 2001-2005, when Nickerson won his five high school titles, Cornell won four Ivy League championships. Last season, Cornell placed fourth at the NCAA meet. Travis Lee, a 2005 graduate, won a national title at 133 pounds last season.
As impressive as Nickerson's resumé was coming into Cornell, his teammates weren't about to put him on a pedestal.
"Even the guys that aren't starters on this team were state champs multiple times or high school All-Americans," Mormile said.
Nickerson, always known for his work ethic, threw himself into training. He's quick, he's technically sound, and in the words of his Koll, freakishly strong. He'll go up and down the climbing rope five, 10 times in a row without stopping.
"He had to earn his respect on this team, and now he's done that," Mormile said.
But while he's one of the guys, in some ways he stands alone. Nobody in the room has the expectations of him that Nickerson does.
He's well-known in wrestling's circles, and he's well scrutinized. On one message board of a popular wrestling Web site, Nickerson is mentioned in more than 200 threads — plenty of which either make jokes about the 18-year-old or question his ability.
"Everybody keeps waiting for Troy to pay his dues," Koll said. "Now, they're saying he hasn't wrestled a top 2-3 kid. You know, there aren't too many levels he can possibly go through before you have to admit 'Hey, the kid's pretty darn good. ' "
Nickerson reads the stuff on the Internet. He laughs off a lot of it. He uses some of it for motivation.
"I really wanted to not only live up to my expectations, but other peoples' and show them that I could win right from the start," Nickerson said.
OLYMPIC DREAMS
In the end, nothing anybody can post on a Web site can match the expectations he places on himself.
The question for Nickerson is obvious — what's next? After a historic high school career, what can this kid do for an encore?
"This year, if nothing else, I want to try to win a national title," Nickerson said almost nonchalantly, without a hint of ego or arrogance.
After this college season, Nickerson plans to try out for Team USA at the World Team Trials in Iowa.
The major goal is the 2008 Olympics. Not just making the USA team, but becoming the youngest gold medalist.
"I look at all of this as practice for the Olympics for him," Koll said.
Neither Koll nor Nickerson are predicting these things will happen. There are too many variables. The competition is so much stronger and better than anything he faced in high school.
Plus, there's the issue of balance. With his goals and peoples' expectations so high, how do you judge success? One second-place finish would, to some people, tarnish everything.
In a quiet moment before practice, Nickerson admits it's all a little mind blowing.
To think he's already accomplished so much, yet still has so much to prove. To say his goals are to win a national championship and make the Olympic team, and realize those aren't pipe dreams.
"It's hard to believe that I am that close," Nickerson said. "That's what kind of helps drive me to work hard in practice every day and keep working harder and harder — to know I'm that close and have the capabilities of being at that level."
2005-06 Prep outlook: Wrestling
Flashback
2004-05 conference champions:
Badger - DeForest, Mount Horeb-Barneveld (Northern Division duals); Stoughton (Southern Division duals, conference meet).
Big Eight - Janesville Craig (duals), Janesville Parker (conference meet). Capitol - Wisconsin Heights (duals, conference meet).
Little Ten - Hartford (duals, conference meet).
Rock Valley - Brodhead-Juda (duals, conference meet).
Scenic Bluffs-Ridge & Valley - Cashton (Scenic Bluffs duals; Scenic-Ridge conference meet); Kickapoo-La Farge (Ridge & Valley duals).
Six Rivers - Sugar River (duals, conference meet).
Southern Lakes - Delavan-Darien (duals); Milton (duals, conference). SWAL - Dodgeville (Division 1 duals), Lancaster (Division 1 duals), Prairie du Chien (Division 1 duals); Mineral Point (Division 2 duals; conference meet).
Trailways - Deerfield (duals, conference meet).
Best WIAA team tournament showings:
Division 1 - Stoughton lost to eventual runner-up Hartland Arrowhead 44-16 in the state semifinals.
Division 2 - Lodi lost to eventual runner-up Lomira 34-33 in the state semifinals.
Division 3 - Mineral Point lost to eventual champion Wrightstown 32-31 in the state semifinals.
The big questions
Will Mineral Point or Stoughton be the first to crown a 41st WIAA state champion? Both perennial powers passed Milwaukee South last season by crowning their 40th state champions - Rick Nelson for Stoughton and Matt Gevelinger for Mineral Point (after Curtis Fiedler became No. 39 earlier in the 2005 state finals). Of the three, only Fiedler is back, so the Pointers have the edge in the quest for separation.
What has become of Lodi coach Jack Reinwand? He retired in March after nearly 30 years as Blue Devils coach. Reinwand was 373-54-2 during that time, coaching Lodi to 21 conference titles - including the last 13 years in a row - and the Division 2 state team tournament five of the last six years. Eight of his wrestlers won 11 state titles and 83 accounted for 143 conference titles - including Chris Persike, a three-time conference champion who has replaced Reinwand as Lodi's coach. Persike is not the only new face in the Lodi program. Junior Tony Madigan has transferred from Waunakee - where he won a Northern Badger Conference title in 2004 and was a runner-up in 2005 - and join his cousin Jake Madigan, a two-time state qualifier (sixth last year) with an 89-7 career record.
What has become of DeForest senior Sergio Mireles? The defending Division 1 state champion at 125 is not eligible to compete this season because of an athletic code violation, his father, Oscar Mireles said. Sergio, who transferred from Madison East after his sophomore year, still attends DeForest and carries a 4.0 grade-point average. His first-semester class load has included two advanced placement classes (literature and psychology) at DeForest and two college courses at the University of Wisconsin. Sergio will attend Cornell of the Ivy League in the fall. "It is a big loss for our team and the sport," DeForest coach Mark Hemauer said.
Which tournaments are the ones not to miss? There are three this week - the Badger State Invitational (back at the University of Wisconsin Field House Thursday after two years in Mineral Point), the Bi-State Classic in La Crosse and the Mid-States in Whitewater. But wrestling fans will want to circle Jan. 21 on their calendar. That's when defending Division 1 state champion Wisconsin Rapids and defending Iowa 3-A state champion Waverly-Shell Rock headline the field at the DeForest Invitational.
Fast forward
2005-06 conference favorites: Badger - DeForest (North);
Stoughton (South).
Big Eight - Janesville Craig.
Capitol - Cambridge.
Little Ten - Beaver Dam.
Ridge & Valley - North Crawford-Seneca.
Rock Valley - Brodhead-Juda.
Scenic Bluffs - Cashton.
Six Rivers - Sugar River.
South Central - Lodi.
Southern Lakes - Milton.
Southwest Wisconsin Conference (formerly SWAL 1) - Dodgeville. Southwest Wisconsin Activities League (formerly SWAL 2) - Mineral Point, Iowa-Grant.
Trailways - Deerfield.
RETURNING AREA STATE QUALIFIERS
(Last year's weight classes)
DIVISION 1
103 pounds:
Danny Gonzalez, sr., Delavan-Darien (37-5 at 103);
Hayden Silvers, so., Baraboo (29-7);
Tony Cleary, jr., DeForest (25-11);
Ryan Curwick, jr., Beaver Dam (28-5).
112: Matt Gaffney, so., Portage (42-7);
Casey Sobrilsky, so., Beaver Dam (26-7; sixth).
119: Ryan Reda, sr., Madison East (21-16).
125: Brad Larson, so., Stoughton (35-12).
130: Robert Guzman, jr., Delavan-Darien (27-10).
135: Alex Charo, sr., Delavan-Darien (37-6; fourth);
Andy Iverson, sr., Stoughton (35-10).
140: None.
145: Ben Sarbacker, jr., Verona (47-4; second);
Randy Young, sr., Baraboo (33-9).
152: None.
160: Phil Rodriguez, sr., Fort Atkinson (17-7);
Brian Zimmerman, sr., Oregon (25-10).
171: None.
189: John Jones, sr., Oregon (27-7);
Nick Ryan, sr., Watertown (34-7).
215: None.
Hwt: Isaac Knuth, sr., Reedsburg (40-5; sixth).
DIVISION 2
103: Bobby Wunnicke, so., Dodgeville (39-2; first);
Adam Thiesen, so., Adams-Friendship (38-8; fourth);
Jase Langkamp, jr., Lancaster (39-9; fifth);
Ross Dary, jr., Waupun (28-13).
112: Tim Baumel, jr., Adams-Friendship (39-9; fourth);
T.J. Wunnicke, jr., Dodgeville (38-3; sixth);
Jeffrey Crook, jr., River Valley (24-11);
Zach Elliott, jr., Prairie du Chien (34-10).
119: Jake Madigan, jr., Lodi (43-3).
125: Travis Droessler, sr., Belmont-Platteville (40-3; second);
Cole Schmitt, so., Sugar River (38-5; sixth).
130: Chad Zess, jr., East Troy (42-6).
135: Kendall Vogel, jr., Westfield (40-4; second);
Andy Cox, sr., East Troy (35-6);
Grant Miller, so., Dodgeville (27-8).
140: Joe Clothier, sr., Clinton (33-3; third);
Casey Bode, jr., Prairie du Chien (37-10).
145: Scott Fahey, sr., Sugar River (34-1; third);
Justin Kitzman, sr., Waupun (32-11);
Bryant Kearney, sr., Lodi (36-10).
152: Jason Loewi, sr., Madison Edgewood (25-15).
160: Eric Coughlin, sr., Columbus (32-2);
Jamin Seippel, sr., Lancaster (29-11).
171: Andrew Eastlick, sr., Belmont-Platteville (39-5).
189: A.J. Vogt, sr., Cuba City-Southwestern (30-9).
215: Lucas Clayton, sr., Belmont-Platteville (30-13; sixth).
Hwt: None.
DIVISION 3
103: Andrew Dahl, so., Cashton (37-4; first);
Robert Daggett, sr., Cambridge (44-3; second);
Andy Doyle, sr., Brookwood (40-5; fourth);
Cody Sorge, sr., Riverdale (22-15).
112: Garrett Kite, jr., Iowa-Grant (31-11);
Stephen Seng, sr., Cassville (31-5).
119: Troy Clements, sr., Kickapoo-La Farge (39-6).
125: Greg Burke, jr., Mineral Point (38-8; third);
Cade Sarbacker, jr., Iowa-Grant (34-6; fourth);
Willie Powell, sr., Marshall (44-5).
130: Curtis Fiedler, sr., Mineral Point (33-5; first);
Brandon Arentz, sr., Cashton (37-3; fifth);
Ben Oleson, jr, New Lisbon (24-13).
135: None.
140: Tyler Bollant, sr., Iowa-Grant (42-6; third).
145: Mike Seitz, sr., Royall (40-5).
152: Travis Halverson, sr., Iowa-Grant (32-5; third).
160: Jason Campbell, sr., Riverdale (25-8);
Jeremiah Hatfield, jr., Cashton (36-11).
171: None.
189: Rory Edge, jr., Iowa-Grant (40-3; second).
215: Matt Lehr, sr., Poynette (20-16).
Hwt: Derek Laufenberg, sr., Cashton (39-11);
Grant Pauls, sr., Ithaca (30-7).
Mark your calendars
Thursday: Badger State Invitational at UW Field House.
Thursday and Friday: Bi-State Classic at La Crosse; Mid-States Classic at UW-Whitewater.
Jan. 27: Mineral Point at Iowa-Grant.
Feb. 4: Conference meets -
Badger at DeForest,
Big Eight at Janesville Craig,
Capitol at Lake Mills,
Rock Valley at Orfordville,
Scenic-Ridge at North Crawford,
Six Rivers at River Ridge,
South Central at Lodi,
Southern Lakes at Elkhorn,
SWC-SWAL at Mineral Point,
Trailways at Pardeeville.
Feb. 11: WIAA regionals.
Feb. 18: WIAA sectionals.
Feb. 23 and 25: WIAA state individual tournament at the Kohl Center.
March 3 and 4: WIAA state team tournament at the Kohl Center.
2004-05 conference champions:
Badger - DeForest, Mount Horeb-Barneveld (Northern Division duals); Stoughton (Southern Division duals, conference meet).
Big Eight - Janesville Craig (duals), Janesville Parker (conference meet). Capitol - Wisconsin Heights (duals, conference meet).
Little Ten - Hartford (duals, conference meet).
Rock Valley - Brodhead-Juda (duals, conference meet).
Scenic Bluffs-Ridge & Valley - Cashton (Scenic Bluffs duals; Scenic-Ridge conference meet); Kickapoo-La Farge (Ridge & Valley duals).
Six Rivers - Sugar River (duals, conference meet).
Southern Lakes - Delavan-Darien (duals); Milton (duals, conference). SWAL - Dodgeville (Division 1 duals), Lancaster (Division 1 duals), Prairie du Chien (Division 1 duals); Mineral Point (Division 2 duals; conference meet).
Trailways - Deerfield (duals, conference meet).
Best WIAA team tournament showings:
Division 1 - Stoughton lost to eventual runner-up Hartland Arrowhead 44-16 in the state semifinals.
Division 2 - Lodi lost to eventual runner-up Lomira 34-33 in the state semifinals.
Division 3 - Mineral Point lost to eventual champion Wrightstown 32-31 in the state semifinals.
The big questions
Will Mineral Point or Stoughton be the first to crown a 41st WIAA state champion? Both perennial powers passed Milwaukee South last season by crowning their 40th state champions - Rick Nelson for Stoughton and Matt Gevelinger for Mineral Point (after Curtis Fiedler became No. 39 earlier in the 2005 state finals). Of the three, only Fiedler is back, so the Pointers have the edge in the quest for separation.
What has become of Lodi coach Jack Reinwand? He retired in March after nearly 30 years as Blue Devils coach. Reinwand was 373-54-2 during that time, coaching Lodi to 21 conference titles - including the last 13 years in a row - and the Division 2 state team tournament five of the last six years. Eight of his wrestlers won 11 state titles and 83 accounted for 143 conference titles - including Chris Persike, a three-time conference champion who has replaced Reinwand as Lodi's coach. Persike is not the only new face in the Lodi program. Junior Tony Madigan has transferred from Waunakee - where he won a Northern Badger Conference title in 2004 and was a runner-up in 2005 - and join his cousin Jake Madigan, a two-time state qualifier (sixth last year) with an 89-7 career record.
What has become of DeForest senior Sergio Mireles? The defending Division 1 state champion at 125 is not eligible to compete this season because of an athletic code violation, his father, Oscar Mireles said. Sergio, who transferred from Madison East after his sophomore year, still attends DeForest and carries a 4.0 grade-point average. His first-semester class load has included two advanced placement classes (literature and psychology) at DeForest and two college courses at the University of Wisconsin. Sergio will attend Cornell of the Ivy League in the fall. "It is a big loss for our team and the sport," DeForest coach Mark Hemauer said.
Which tournaments are the ones not to miss? There are three this week - the Badger State Invitational (back at the University of Wisconsin Field House Thursday after two years in Mineral Point), the Bi-State Classic in La Crosse and the Mid-States in Whitewater. But wrestling fans will want to circle Jan. 21 on their calendar. That's when defending Division 1 state champion Wisconsin Rapids and defending Iowa 3-A state champion Waverly-Shell Rock headline the field at the DeForest Invitational.
Fast forward
2005-06 conference favorites: Badger - DeForest (North);
Stoughton (South).
Big Eight - Janesville Craig.
Capitol - Cambridge.
Little Ten - Beaver Dam.
Ridge & Valley - North Crawford-Seneca.
Rock Valley - Brodhead-Juda.
Scenic Bluffs - Cashton.
Six Rivers - Sugar River.
South Central - Lodi.
Southern Lakes - Milton.
Southwest Wisconsin Conference (formerly SWAL 1) - Dodgeville. Southwest Wisconsin Activities League (formerly SWAL 2) - Mineral Point, Iowa-Grant.
Trailways - Deerfield.
RETURNING AREA STATE QUALIFIERS
(Last year's weight classes)
DIVISION 1
103 pounds:
Danny Gonzalez, sr., Delavan-Darien (37-5 at 103);
Hayden Silvers, so., Baraboo (29-7);
Tony Cleary, jr., DeForest (25-11);
Ryan Curwick, jr., Beaver Dam (28-5).
112: Matt Gaffney, so., Portage (42-7);
Casey Sobrilsky, so., Beaver Dam (26-7; sixth).
119: Ryan Reda, sr., Madison East (21-16).
125: Brad Larson, so., Stoughton (35-12).
130: Robert Guzman, jr., Delavan-Darien (27-10).
135: Alex Charo, sr., Delavan-Darien (37-6; fourth);
Andy Iverson, sr., Stoughton (35-10).
140: None.
145: Ben Sarbacker, jr., Verona (47-4; second);
Randy Young, sr., Baraboo (33-9).
152: None.
160: Phil Rodriguez, sr., Fort Atkinson (17-7);
Brian Zimmerman, sr., Oregon (25-10).
171: None.
189: John Jones, sr., Oregon (27-7);
Nick Ryan, sr., Watertown (34-7).
215: None.
Hwt: Isaac Knuth, sr., Reedsburg (40-5; sixth).
DIVISION 2
103: Bobby Wunnicke, so., Dodgeville (39-2; first);
Adam Thiesen, so., Adams-Friendship (38-8; fourth);
Jase Langkamp, jr., Lancaster (39-9; fifth);
Ross Dary, jr., Waupun (28-13).
112: Tim Baumel, jr., Adams-Friendship (39-9; fourth);
T.J. Wunnicke, jr., Dodgeville (38-3; sixth);
Jeffrey Crook, jr., River Valley (24-11);
Zach Elliott, jr., Prairie du Chien (34-10).
119: Jake Madigan, jr., Lodi (43-3).
125: Travis Droessler, sr., Belmont-Platteville (40-3; second);
Cole Schmitt, so., Sugar River (38-5; sixth).
130: Chad Zess, jr., East Troy (42-6).
135: Kendall Vogel, jr., Westfield (40-4; second);
Andy Cox, sr., East Troy (35-6);
Grant Miller, so., Dodgeville (27-8).
140: Joe Clothier, sr., Clinton (33-3; third);
Casey Bode, jr., Prairie du Chien (37-10).
145: Scott Fahey, sr., Sugar River (34-1; third);
Justin Kitzman, sr., Waupun (32-11);
Bryant Kearney, sr., Lodi (36-10).
152: Jason Loewi, sr., Madison Edgewood (25-15).
160: Eric Coughlin, sr., Columbus (32-2);
Jamin Seippel, sr., Lancaster (29-11).
171: Andrew Eastlick, sr., Belmont-Platteville (39-5).
189: A.J. Vogt, sr., Cuba City-Southwestern (30-9).
215: Lucas Clayton, sr., Belmont-Platteville (30-13; sixth).
Hwt: None.
DIVISION 3
103: Andrew Dahl, so., Cashton (37-4; first);
Robert Daggett, sr., Cambridge (44-3; second);
Andy Doyle, sr., Brookwood (40-5; fourth);
Cody Sorge, sr., Riverdale (22-15).
112: Garrett Kite, jr., Iowa-Grant (31-11);
Stephen Seng, sr., Cassville (31-5).
119: Troy Clements, sr., Kickapoo-La Farge (39-6).
125: Greg Burke, jr., Mineral Point (38-8; third);
Cade Sarbacker, jr., Iowa-Grant (34-6; fourth);
Willie Powell, sr., Marshall (44-5).
130: Curtis Fiedler, sr., Mineral Point (33-5; first);
Brandon Arentz, sr., Cashton (37-3; fifth);
Ben Oleson, jr, New Lisbon (24-13).
135: None.
140: Tyler Bollant, sr., Iowa-Grant (42-6; third).
145: Mike Seitz, sr., Royall (40-5).
152: Travis Halverson, sr., Iowa-Grant (32-5; third).
160: Jason Campbell, sr., Riverdale (25-8);
Jeremiah Hatfield, jr., Cashton (36-11).
171: None.
189: Rory Edge, jr., Iowa-Grant (40-3; second).
215: Matt Lehr, sr., Poynette (20-16).
Hwt: Derek Laufenberg, sr., Cashton (39-11);
Grant Pauls, sr., Ithaca (30-7).
Mark your calendars
Thursday: Badger State Invitational at UW Field House.
Thursday and Friday: Bi-State Classic at La Crosse; Mid-States Classic at UW-Whitewater.
Jan. 27: Mineral Point at Iowa-Grant.
Feb. 4: Conference meets -
Badger at DeForest,
Big Eight at Janesville Craig,
Capitol at Lake Mills,
Rock Valley at Orfordville,
Scenic-Ridge at North Crawford,
Six Rivers at River Ridge,
South Central at Lodi,
Southern Lakes at Elkhorn,
SWC-SWAL at Mineral Point,
Trailways at Pardeeville.
Feb. 11: WIAA regionals.
Feb. 18: WIAA sectionals.
Feb. 23 and 25: WIAA state individual tournament at the Kohl Center.
March 3 and 4: WIAA state team tournament at the Kohl Center.
MARIACHI ARPA MUSIC JUAN MORALES and TIME MIRELES
The Mariachi arpa (harp) is a versatile instrument. The harpist uses his left hand to play the base line while his right plays the melody or harmonic accompaniment. Traditionally, the arpa was a key instrument in mariachi ensembles of rural Mexico but when mariachi music became urbanized in the early twentieth century the arpa began to be replaced by the guitarrón, which was more adaptable to changes in the music.
Today, while some of the most recognized mariachi ensembles include an arpero, or harpist, there are relatively few skilled practitioners of this art form in Mexico or the United States. Juan Morales, arpero for Los Camperos de Nati Cano, is one of the best. Following a family tradition, Juan began playing the arpa when he was 12 years old. He studied with Arturo Mendoza, arpero for the renowned Mariachi Vargas. His apprentice, Tim Mireles, also comes from a family of arperos.
Though he always wanted to learn to play the arpa, Mireles’s parents could not afford the instrument when he was a child so he learned to play the armonia (harmony) instruments which include vihuela and guitar. Mireles is a skilled performer and teacher of mariachi music and now he will have the chance to learn the arpa and teach it to others.
Casa Mireles to live on at museum
Last week, curandero Don Wilkins stopped by Casa Mireles to say goodbye. The venerable downtown botánica where generations of San Antonians have shopped for medicinal herbs, religious candles, holy cards and other items, officially shut its doors Nov. 22. For the past 20 years, Wilkins has been a regular customer, stopping by weekly for religious candles and advice from owner Estella Gardea Davila and her daughters Yolanda Gardea Davila and Bertha D. Kraft. "It's going to hurt," he said of the closing. Though the 89-year-old botánica is going out of business, it will be preserved in a fashion. The Gardea family is donating the store's fixtures and unsold merchandise to Centro Alameda, the organization responsible for the construction of the Smithsonian-affiliated Museo Americano in Market Square and the renovation of the Alameda Theater. Eventually, the items — including display cases and hand-labeled drawers where dried herbs were stored — will be integrated into the gift shop of the museum, slated to open in 2006. For the time being, they will be installed at the Alameda Theater complex. The relocated botánica will be open for the Houston Street Fair on Jan. 29. Family members gathered Nov. 22 at the botánica at the corner of Laredo and Dolorosa streets to announce the donation. The day was bittersweet for Yolanda Davila, who was literally born into the family business. "We had an apartment up there," she said, indicating the second floor of the shop. "And my mother didn't have a chance to get to Santa Rosa, so I was born up there. So this feels like I've been here all my life." Casa Mireles was founded in 1916 by Sostenes Mireles. When he died in 1935, his wife, Adela Gonzalez Gardea Mireles, took over the business. In 1955, she became the first woman to join the San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. In 1974, the botánica passed to her daughter, Estella Davila, who began stocking religious icons and candles. Yolanda Davila ran the business with her mother for about two years. When the elder Davila became too ill to come to the shop a few years ago, her daughter decided to open by appointment only. By 2002, the business had changed. They stopped stocking herbs when it became difficult to bring them across the border. "And then we couldn't find the quality that we wanted," Kraft says. "The people didn't want to cultivate the herbs anymore, because it wasn't worth their time." When artist Franco Mondini-Ruiz lived in San Antonio, he would stop by to buy items to use in his artwork and to stock at Infinito Botánica, a junk shop/art gallery he ran on South Flores Street in the '90s. "I always told them, for years, 'If you ever liquidate, let me know,'" said Mondini-Ruiz, who currently lives in New York. "'Don't throw anything away because this is a way of life in San Antonio that is disappearing. This is truly authentic and it's a local treasure.' I was so afraid it was going to disappear." When the building that houses Casa Mireles was sold in October, Yolanda Davila contacted Mondini-Ruiz, who has been hired to design the Museo Americano gift shop. Mondini-Ruiz put the Gardea family in touch with Centro Alameda. As it happens, Centro Alameda chairman Henry R. Muñoz III had shopped at the botánica with his grandmother as a child. "My grandmother would pick up her pan dulce at Mi Tierra, we'd come here and pick up some yerbas or holy cards, and then we'd make our way to the Alameda and we'd see a show," Muñoz said. Muñoz, too, was saddened by the loss of another distinctive local business. "I think it's very important that as much as we possibly can, we retain these customs, these traditions," he said. "If we can't retain them, we honor them, we record their history and we remind people where we came from so that it becomes a part of where we're going." Mondini-Ruiz plans to create a gift shop with "the feel of a real Tex-Mex botánica" at the museum. "I'm going to do it kind of rascuache style," he said. "I'm going to work with what I have and take it from there. But I really want to use as the core — at least as far as the feel — the things we get from Casa Mireles."
Thursday, December 22, 2005
Wednesday, December 21, 2005
Mireles Christmas Eve get togther set
The party will be held at Victor's new house off Highway C (Spring Street) starting at 3 pm on Christmas Eve.Each family is to bring a dish to pass. $20 for the meal, gifts for their children and the adult can bring one adult gift to exchange.
Victor Mireles
8841 Shady Oak Trail
Independent for the people: Two new theaters fill niches and seats
By Charles Judson & Eric Bomba-Ire
Staff Writer & CinemATL Founder
Cinemireles
Laura Mireles
Running a movie theater is not an easy task, with managerial decision, organizing and scheduling in order to meet the demands of movie goers, the movie theater business can be a daunting endeavor for one with no prior experience to dive in. However, just this year, two new theaters have plunged in the large pool and are striving to stay afloat under the pressure of larger and heavily staffed multiplexes.
Lee May, along with his wife Robin, are the owners of Atlanta's newest African American owned and operated first run movie theater, Cinefé 8, in Lithonia—a cinema café. Lee decided to own a theater about five years ago. Equipped with a business background and experience in corporate America, but meager knowledge of an industry he has never dealt with before, he started doing his groundwork
"I started by researching the industry and what it would take to start up a movie theater," May says. "I started putting together a plan for it and started taking steps towards business ownership of a movie theater. So I just translated the business experience I had and the understanding of business principles and I put together the plan to do this."
For Laura Mireles, an ex-PTA volunteer and personnel coordinator for the Braves in 1991-92, wanting to give access to the Latin American and Spanish-speaking community is what drove her to open El Cine Mireles in Marietta. The movie theater screens Latin American films with English subtitles and American films with Spanish subtitles.
"I had no experience in this business," she says. "So where I lacked experience I made up with research.
"I spoke with theater owners, I spoke with independent theater owners, I spoke with theater owners out west who ran Spanish-language movie theaters. I spoke with the distributors of film and I just really did a lot of research on what it takes to run a theater: 'Where do the films come from? How do you pay the studios?'"
Doing the required research and acquiring the theater is a small part of running a cinema. The larger part is the marketing and the planning and the scheduling.
May connected with his general manager Larry Williams, a veteran in movie theater business with over 13 years of operational experience—from a doorman all the way to a general manager.
"He has what it takes [and] he knows everything that's involved in terms of running a theater operation. He has the real hands on experience," May says of Williams.
Mireles, on the other hand, had to prioritize between handling the day-to-day maintenance of her establishment and the managerial decisions to be taken.
On top of these problems, Cinefé 8 and El Cine Mireles also have to compete with the 16- and 22-screen theaters at the multiplex, so they often find themselves implementing other strategies to generate revenue. Opening their establishment to other events not necessarily related to movies is a way to stay in business.
El Cine Mireles has an Xbox in one of the screening rooms with wireless remotes and Cinefé 8 is also a café, providing innovative food and drinks to its clients. Both have been catering to the needs of the growing local independent film community.
"I invite independent filmmakers to come and screen their works," Mireles says. "They pay a hundred dollars just to cover and then they're responsible for promoting the event. We put the link to their website on our website and they responsible for bringing in the crowd and they get 35% of the box office receipt. So they are able to see their work on the big screen. They're also able to make money from their film."
"One of the big things that we're doing is encouraging different groups to have their events here. But also we want to utilize independent film to grow the business, because there is a big market for independent film here," May notes. "So we're hooking up with a lot of independent filmmakers and festivals to bring different films here.
"That allows filmmakers to get some exposure and they're going to push people to come out to see their films. Where? At our theaters. So it's a dual thing we see better attendance because more people come in and they get more people to see their films."
Even tough these theaters are slowly making their way into this industry, they are ambitious endeavors from people who are very community oriented—and it shows in their interaction with their clients and the environment they offer.
"I've grown up in the community. But also I have done a lot of grass roots kind of things," he says. "I worked on campaigns where we reached out to the community for health care initiatives, we did voter registration campaigns. Last year we registered 30,000 people for the presidential elections. So I naturally know a lot of people in the communities."
For Mireles, the influence of her activist family, and in particular her uncles, really impacted her character towards the community.
"My uncles were some of the first Mexican Americans to go to college in Wisconsin," she says. "They were extremely active in the civil rights movement and after going to college, they pretty much got jobs as social workers, nurses and other careers that give back to the community. They could have used their degrees to really get rich themselves, instead they chose careers that were rewarding in other ways. And a lot of them volunteered for things and I think that when I lived up in Wisconsin in my early adult life, I was so influenced by that."
With prospects of competing and being special theaters with a different approach from the larger multiplexes—and amidst the daily problems that occur for these young entrepreneurs—they are still aiming toward staying for the long haul and expanding their business.
"Based on our business model, this theater can support five times what we've done. So in two years I think we can get very close to that," May says. "And in two years I hope to be working on my second theater somewhere in the metro Atlanta area. We want to be an established entity within the independent film market here in Atlanta and be the place to go to see a quality independent film."
As for Mireles, even though she'd like to expand to satisfy her customers who drive from as far away as Bethlehem, Forrest Park, Jonesboro and Dalton, she'll ultimately like to bridge a gap and create awareness about the Latin American culture through films.
"The great thing is that we get white high school kids from areas where the community isn't as receptive to the growing Latino population and yet the younger people are coming here now to see the films and they are loving it," she says. "So I feel like I am trying to bridge the gap between these communities."
Find more about these new theaters and their programming: Cinefé 8 @ www.cinefe.com and El Cine Mireles @ www.elcinemireles.com
Charles Judson is a local screen & comic book writer and a regular contributor and film critic for cinemATL. Eric Bomba-Ire is the founder of cinemATL.
Tuesday, December 20, 2005
Weeweechu
One beautiful December evening Pedro and his girlfriend Rosita were sitting by the side of the ocean. It was a romantic full moon, when Pedro said, "Hey, mamacita, let's play Weeweechu."
"Oh no, not now, lets look at the moon" said Rosita.
"Oh, c'mon baby, let's you and I play Weeweechu. I love you and it's the perfect time," Pedro begged.
"But I wanna just hold your hand and watch the moon."
"Please, corazoncito, just once, play Weeweechu with me."
Rosita looked at Pedro and said, "OK, one time, we'll play Weeweechu."
WARNING - Be sure you want to see the rest of this email before scrolling further.
Pedro grabbed his guitar and they both sang.....
"Weeweechu a Merry Christmas, Weeweechu a Merry Christmas, "Weeweechu a Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year."
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!
[NOW GET YOUR MIND OUT OF THE GUTTER!]
"Oh no, not now, lets look at the moon" said Rosita.
"Oh, c'mon baby, let's you and I play Weeweechu. I love you and it's the perfect time," Pedro begged.
"But I wanna just hold your hand and watch the moon."
"Please, corazoncito, just once, play Weeweechu with me."
Rosita looked at Pedro and said, "OK, one time, we'll play Weeweechu."
WARNING - Be sure you want to see the rest of this email before scrolling further.
Pedro grabbed his guitar and they both sang.....
"Weeweechu a Merry Christmas, Weeweechu a Merry Christmas, "Weeweechu a Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year."
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!
[NOW GET YOUR MIND OUT OF THE GUTTER!]
Watch the video of Oscar's Reading..
Writers in the Round: New Heartland Voices
An "Academy Evening" event held Nov. 29, 2005, in Madison at the Overture Center for the Arts. "Writers in the Round" is a reading series featuring poets, fiction writers and essayists of diverse ethnic backgrounds--voices that are seldom heard in mainstream culture. The first evening in this series highlights Madison's Latino community with poets Oscar Mireles and Rubén Medina and fiction writer Luana Monteiro (pictured at left). Academy Evenings are organized by the Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters. (Video courtesy of Madison City Channel 12).
View the video [1 hr. 28 min.] Read the transcript
An "Academy Evening" event held Nov. 29, 2005, in Madison at the Overture Center for the Arts. "Writers in the Round" is a reading series featuring poets, fiction writers and essayists of diverse ethnic backgrounds--voices that are seldom heard in mainstream culture. The first evening in this series highlights Madison's Latino community with poets Oscar Mireles and Rubén Medina and fiction writer Luana Monteiro (pictured at left). Academy Evenings are organized by the Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters. (Video courtesy of Madison City Channel 12).
View the video [1 hr. 28 min.] Read the transcript
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