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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 6, 1994)
"uesday • September 6, 1994 ■mb c r 6, Aggieltfe The Battalion • Page 3 Veterinary student leaps into success with Sport tnhaiser selected for Sports Illustrated's ithlete of the month for horseback riding Anas Ben-Musa -IE Battalion When Sports Illustrated named their Old Spice [hlete of the month for August 1994, they decided a student from Texas A&M. But who they :ked was a bit of a surprise. It wasn’t a football yer or a baseball player. Nor was the athlete a nek and field star. SI picked first-year veteri- ,ry student Winona Anhaiser, winner of the 1992 d‘93 national all-around amateur championship horseback riding. She found out about the honor in June and said e was amazed by the idea of being in such a pop- r magazine. The athletes picked before her mainly football and basketball athletes, she d. Yet, Anhaiser never dreamed of such success, she ever dreamed of was just having a horse. “Winning the national championship wasn’t vices for Crys id Reginald ’0 Texas A&M mts murdered May, will be t 8:30 pm in urn. ;rs will include Southerland, or st udent at .eslie, student and Dr. Alvin date professor Education, lents are bein? am us degree* ; was awarded Miller’s degP in May 1®' even a thought,” she said. “It was such a remote possibility. I thought I’d be lucky just to get a horse.” But to her coach and mentor, Nancy Cahill, Class of‘74, Anhaiser deserved the recognition. Cahill nominated her for the Sports Illustrated award. “I don’t know of anyone who could balance school and competition and do both so well,” Cahill said. “It takes real dedication.” But what Anhaiser has been able to accomplish didn’t come easy. It started from an early age. She started riding when she was in the sixth grade. Soon afterward, she went to work for some of her riding instructors. Later in high school, she trained horses for a rodeo. Along the way through junior high, high school and college she picked up helpful hints and instructions to become a better trainer. Anhaiser is currently ranked first in total points by the American Quarter Horse Association. The rankings are similar to those used by professional golfers, she said. The riders are ranked by how much they win. At the end of the year, the highest ranking rider is named the national champion. If Anhaiser wins the national title again, she will be the first amateur rider to win it three years in row. She thinks her six-year gelding, Sport, has a good chance. “She has a good lead right now (in points),” she said. “But I can’t miss any school. The vast majority of people I com pete against don’t have jobs and don’t go to school.” As a student in one of the best veterinary schools in the nation, Anhaiser says her time is limited. Her usual day at school starts at 8 a.m. and doesn’t end until 5 p.m. After classes, Anhaiser treks over to the medical library to study until midnight. She only has time to compete during the weekend, which usually means either waking up at 5 a.m. Saturday to travel to the competition, or if its out-of- state, take a flight Friday afternoon. Most students would be dizzy from such a whirlwind pace, but Anhaiser said she loves what she is doing. Anhaiser wants to win the title again be _■ . _ ' V --- .r.. Sports Illustrated’s Old Spice athlete of the month for August Winona Anhaiser is a veterinary student at Texas A&M. Photos courtesy of Winona Anhaiser cause in the next eight years, she won’t have much of a chance to really compete or even ride for fun. Veterinary school is going to take up most of her time, she said. “I don’t think I’ll have the opportunity to do it again,” she said. But she says her success could not have hap pened if she didn’t find the right horse — Sport. She bought Sport in 1992 from a family who raised him. “They said he was always a good sport about everything,” Anhaiser said. “He has a wonderful personality. Sport loves people and he loves atten tion.” It’s one of the main reasons, Anhaiser believes, Sport has excelled at competition for so long. Many times horses get burned out from competi tion, she said. “Competition is really stressful on the horses, both mentally and physically,” Anhaiser said. “It takes a horse with a really good attitude to take that kind of stress.” Anhaiser didn’t have a budget to buy a trained horse. She had to find a gelding with raw talent and train him herself. “Your look for a horse that has certain move ments,” she said. “When they are trained they be come better movers.” What you are being judged on in competition is not just the riding ability, Anhaiser said, but how well the horse is presented. '.“It deals -with the horse’s presence and strength in their hindquarters,” she said. Cahill said Anhaiser has a great eye for horses, and she picks horses that are good movers with nice personalities. Success seems to come naturally for Anhaiser now. And although she never considered herself a champion rider, it seems her passion for horses was enough to make her the national amateur champion she is today. And possibly next year, too. ENNINGS REVIVES TRADITIONAL COUNTRY WITH ‘WaYMORE’S BLUES’ ly Jay Robbins FThe Battalion “Waymore’s Blues (Part II) M ^ Waylon Jennings Country ? RCA [ (out of five) I Waylon Jennings’ latest release, iWaymore’s Blues (Part II)” reminds younger audiences that the artist is more than just the good ol’ boy who iang the theme for “The Dukes of Haz ard.” The album fits the ear like a well- [roken-in pair of cowboy boots - the [ind that follow every contour of the pot and take definitions of the word pmfort” to new levels. I But boots like that won’t hold up to a long walk — and “Waymore’s Blues” suffers the same limitations. Jennings, the original country music revolution ary who electrified audiences by bor rowing both songs and style from rock ’n’ roll, has himself become a part of the establishment. The pieces on this “traditional” coun try recording live up to expectations, beautifully reviving the Waylon Jen nings style familiar to decades of pre- Garth Brooks listeners. Unfortunately, Jennings’ sensational days of breaking new ground appear to be over. The first track, “Endangered Species,” offers a nicely sentimental - and autobiographical - point-of-view from a man who has seen it all and finds “. . . the new hats snapping at my heels.” Jennings’ vocal performance demonstrates the “at home” feel of his music that many younger artists like Randy Travis and Clint Black attempt to emulate. The title song two-steps just outside of pure country and picks up the soulful repetitions of old-fashioned blues. Jen nings’ feel for the music and ability to combine instruments, voice and compo sition prove that he deserves to still be recording long after contemporaries have retired. With the surprising waltz ballad “Old Timer (The Song),” Jennings cre ates a whole greater than the sum of its parts. Jennings writes and sings with an inspired, purposeful technique that enables the tune to transcend the te dious pondering of most ballads. Jennings also has a little fun with “Nobody Knows,” alluding both to the “Elvis is alive” myth and his old early- days friendship with the King. “Come Back and See Me” completes the list of memorable tracks. This song of lost love stands out mainly for its pace and timing, which is perfect for a nice, relaxed dance on a sawdust-cov ered floor. The rest of the album shows Jen nings doing what he loves, and it does credit to the singer-songwriter. Perhaps “Waymore’s Blues (Part II)” will push Jennings over the top toward recogni tion as an major enduring and influen tial talent in contemporary country mu sic. This set of songs will become a fa vorite of any fan of the tunes and music of country rather than metal synthe sized Southern twangs and country- fried rock. But don’t look for Jennings to go beyond his “traditional” style. Waylon Jennings E MESSES UP WITH ‘MESS AGE* OlD, NEW SCHOOLS MIX ON ‘SUPER BAD on editor ioto editor rts editor fe editor lie Dube, S taC c[ lS an ngela Neaves, nniter Mob itief i Moog, Gina ett and lere^y Henderson, ^ Nasr, Elizabe' leson l8lhefa !'?oiiV University r 10 e Station, Building, TX// Texa s University 111 !^ O' 3 ,rial offices f i5 845 phone r mber' ed advertise p ,. ■e 8 a.m. to 5 P' y Rob Clark he Battalion Public Enemy “Muse Sick-N-Hour Mess Age” Rap Def Jam Records ** (out of five) My, oh my, how the mighty ve fallen. Once upon a time, Public Ene my ruled over all they surveyed |b the premiere rap group in the ffiorld. And PE leader Chuck D [Sat on his throne as king, with a voice so powerful it could tear you apart. Dancing around the Btrone was Flavor Flav, the court jester, as rap magazine The Source so aptly named him. The perfect comic foil to Chuck, the ||kester Flav with the familiar [Yeah boyee” yell provided the Ink from PE’s politics to the •reets. | And after two classic albums, |It Takes a Nation of Millions to Bold Us Back,” and “Fear of a llack Planet,” and a near-miss, “Apocalypse ‘91 - The Enemy |trikes Black,” anticipation is igh for the booming return of e Enemy. But the rap game has changed the three years since PE’s last udio album. It’s a Doggy Dogg orld now, and the gangstas ve taken over. Chuck and Flav d themselves battling not only rrupt politicians, ghetto prob- ms and racism, but now the at- udes of their colleagues. But “Mess Age” is just that - ae big mess. Most of the songs are just un- stenable. Old PE songs capture our attention, holding you there captivated with a stunning lyri cal assault. But songs on the new album such as “Live and Un drugged,” “I Stand Accused” and “Hitler Day,” are difficult to even get through. And Chuck still raps on major issues, including AIDS on “Race Against Time,” carjacking on “Death of a Carjacka” and the en vironment on “Bedlam 13:13.” But the messages are forgettable, and don’t leave that lasting im pression of past songs like “Fight the Power,” “By the Time I Get to Arizona,” and “Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos.” Meanwhile, Chuck has been reduced to male bravado (“My boys get iller than Illinois”), while Flav continues his silly rhymes (“No cursing, only vers ing / And if we ain’t better, then we make it worsen”). But there are flashes of that old PE brilliance. The album’s first single “Give It Up” has an ir resistible guitar intro while Chuck speaks on “Madd rhymes for madd times” and begging “I don’t want my mama on the street wearin’ armor.” And Flav is entertaining as al ways, most notably on “What Kind of Power We Got,” and “I Ain’t Madd at All.” But for a man as talented as Chuck D, this is a major setback. PE will still be regarded as one of the most important groups in music, but “Mess Age” may be the most disappointing album of the year. And as for the long-awaited return of Public Enemy, take their own advice — don’t believe the hype. Chuck D and Flavor Flav Terminator X By Drew Diener The Battalion Terminator X & the Godfa thers of Threatt “Super Bad” Rap Rush Associated Labels ★ 1/2 (out of five) Famed rap DJ Terminator X of Public Enemy delivers a versatile mix of old and new school beats in his latest LP, “Super Bad.” The album intends to bridge the gap between the godfa thers of the hip-hop movement such as Grandmaster Flash and Whodini with artists at the forefront of today’s hip- hop. A virtual “who’s who” in contemporary rap music ap pears on various tracks throughout the album. Perhaps the most notable of these tracks is “Sticka,” a song featuring Chuck D of Public Enemy, Ice T, MC Lyte, and Ice Cube. The performers take turns rapping about their op position to censorship and the parental advisory stickers that are placed on albums with ex plicit lyrics. In addition to the appear ance of such contemporary stars, the album also provides an outlet for the comeback of previously mentioned legends, as well as the Cold Crush Brothers and the Fantastic Five. The underlying message of Whodini’s song “It All Comes Down to the Money,” seems to be that today's hip-hop indus try needs to pay respect to the roots.of the music that has laid the foundation for today’s suc cess. When groups such as Who dini first took the stage a decade ago, they performed for the love of the music and the thrill of its advancement. They set the stage for the booming business that is today’s hip hop nation. “It All Comes Down to the Money” intends to make to day’s performers realize this fact. The message to aspiring hip hoppers seems to be “If you’re in it for the money, stay out.” Although X’s beats provide superb accompaniment to the rapping of others, the 23. tracks on the album are a bit much to swallow. While some of the tracks are original and refreshing, the majority are monotonous and mundane. “Put Cha Thang Down” ex emplifies the latter. It is a to ken hollering rap, made listen- able only by the creative cuts and samples provided by X. Close your eyes and you can see Luther Campbell, The .Dawgs or Tag Team leading the rap on a cheesy Jukebox video. It is songs like “Put Cha Thang Down” that detracts from the originality of the rest of the album. Althouglj Terminator X is definitely one of the best DJs in the business, his ability alone is not enough to comfort ably carry the listener through the album’s 23 tracks.