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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 17, 2003)
Whoopin’ western style kggie Wranglers boot, scoot n boogie their way around A&M y the globe By Jessica Lenchner THE BATTALION Aggie Wrangler President John Riggs is busy m THE BATTALli rds ued from pagel this award.” v said she was surpns ive the CLASS aui it she considers ill Tent’s way of sayi you.” •> particular year 14 organizing in the oft I. "It felt good becis k time out of theirfo • to recognize me." SS awards are givenj ual basis at the Fi! ly for the College Arts. The award isgi me staff members wii n of two years senjtiis week unpacking his Texas-size cowboy hat, college. The employs Id a title below id or director, not Ik a previous CLASS nd provide exceptioni p ability, Hanks said »Iia and Ford h together in cut of Psychology fa s and are equally agnized with the awari (Ford) started out as i /orker in the psychob •tment and when Ik opened up for depaii- isor, she jumped to it said. "Now she istk isor for all 1,400 ® the psychology depart 1 we all trust her dee- Ily.” tia has worked for Ik nt of Psychology foi including working will rtment’s budget. Fori nows the needs of Ik it and is reliable, as always gone above nd what is necessan taff members,” Ford 's very dependable.” > awards have been at least 10 years and y given to staff unlil I assistant to the dean liege of Liberal Arts ^rcscott. In 2000, (lie ere extended to olhei including graduate md student workes oit said this year,, led to a staff me/?)- award. was a lot of confusion n ination process and the employees were eiving similar awards ’ she said, t said all of the extremely deserving .SS award, r of them are leaders ars.” she said Aggielife The Battalion Page 3 • Friday, October 17, 2003 ilack Wrangler jeans and boots made for scooting. Riggs, an agricultural education graduate stu- ient, was one of six Aggie Wranglers who two- iiepped all the way to Doha, Qatar, to perform at fexas A&M’s newest campus in the Middle East. Ik Wranglers showed off their dance moves and >avethe 29 Qatari students a taste of the Aggie spir it a Texas-style barbeque. Traveling around Texas, the United States and ihe world has become the norm for the Aggie Wranglers. The organization has gone from a group of students who shared a love of dancing when it first formed in 1984 to a group of ambassadors by. Riggs said it has been a great experience for the Wranglers to work closely with the University and lo represent A&M. “We’re not just a group that likes to go out to Harry’s and dance,” he said. “We spread love for A&M through what we do best - dance.” And, dance the Wranglers have. Their high- ed polka and freestyle jitterbug routines have been seen all around the globe. From Japan to Germany to Costa Rica, people everywhere are get- a glimpse of the Aggie version of country and western dance. The Wranglers are up to dancing just about any where. Public Relations chair Kristen Mobley said she had fun performing last summer on a Caribbean cruise the Wranglers took to Montego Bay and the Islands. was amazing how everyone was standing and for us in the huge auditorium,” said Mobley, a junior bioenvironmental science major. It definitely adds a level of difficulty dancing on a rocking ship.” The Wranglers made new fans on their trip, but also ran into an old fan when the ship stopped in the Cayman Islands, Riggs said. They visited the Lone Star Bar and Grill, where they'd heard the owner was an Aggie. Riggs said the owner was thrilled to see fellow Aggies and asked them to perform. In Qatar, the Wranglers had the chance to inter act with the Qatari students. They perfonned five times and helped teach them about A&M traditions like Howdy, Gig ‘Em and whooping. ‘‘It was like going to Fish Camp for them after being in school for a month,” Riggs said. “We real ly bonded in the short time we had.” Former President George Bush is also fond of the Wranglers and has invited the Wranglers to the White House in the past, Mobley said. ‘‘He gets a kick out of seeing us perform every time,” Mobley said. “We love performing for him.” The Wranglers look forward to perfonning for Bush again next month when a Chinese delegation is scheduled to visit the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum in College Station, Riggs said. After one show, Bush gave the Wranglers an autographed photograph of himself skydiving that read, "Here I am - sky high. This is how 1 felt when the Wranglers performed at the Bush Library.” Along with working closely with the University, an Aggie Wrangler must also find a partner whom they can work closely with. Riggs said he was fortunate to find his partner, senior Wendy Covert. “We really clicked in our dancing abilities and fed off each others’ strengths,” Riggs said. “She had experience with tap and ballet and was good at remembering sequences, and I had experience in music and knew about rhythms, beats and tempos.” As well as the weekly group practice on Tuesday nights, Wrangler couples spend countless hours practicing together. Mobley said practice is definite ly year-round for the physically demanding and vig orous routines. Aggie Wrangler tryouts consist of two parts and are held each April so the focus of the summer can be for everyone to learn the routines, Riggs said. First is dance ability, in which potential Wranglers demonstrate their dance skills by doing the two-step, polka and jitterbug. The second part is teachability where those trying out must repeat a dance taught to them only minutes earlier. An interview process is also involved, Riggs said, to make sure members will U.S.-appointed Iraqi coalition and a U.N. cil by Dec. 15 with a olding elections, occupation of Iraqis is govern themselves oalition Provisional s govern the country :tion tggies' dents students izers Served THE ROAD TO RETIREMENT MAY SEEM SMOOTH, BUT IT’S UTTERED WITH TOLLS. Fees. Charges. Hidden costs. Over time these things can erode the retirement savings you’re working so hard to build. Contact us, a company known for keeping costs low. It ain’t a free ride, but it’s close. TIAA-CREF.org or call 800.842.2776 ION ig the fall and spring semes- olidays and exam periods) at POSTMASTER: Send address 7843-1111. ■sity in the Division of Student cDonald Building. Newsroom //www.thebattalion.net nt by The Battalion. Forcam- g, call 845-0569. Advertising rough Friday. Fax: 845-2678. it to pick up a single copy of r school year, $30 for the fall sa, MasterCard, Discover, or Managing money for people with other things to think about. RETIREMENT I INSURANCE I MUTUAL FUNDS I COLLEGE SAVINGS I TRUSTS I INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT ^ TIAA-CREF Individual and Institutional Services, Inc. and Teachers Personal Investors Services, Inc. distribute securities products. For information and prospectuses, call (877) 518-9161. Read them carefully before investing. © 2003 Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association-College Retirement Equities Fund (TIAA-CREF), 730 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017 The Aggie Wranglers perform onstage at Reed Arena have the right morals to be a Wrangler. Aggie Wrangler adviser Kim Novak said some memorable moments working with the Wranglers include seeing Wrangler alumni and current mem bers come together to select the best new members. “To see the former students come back to support and choose who will be part of their team was inspi rational and reminded me just how phenomenal an experience being a Wrangler is intended to be,” Novak said. The most intensive practice is done months before making the team, Riggs said. He recom mends that anyone interested in trying out should File Photo • THE BATTALION in September 2001. take the lessons offered by the Wranglers twice a semester and take advantage of the dance partner database at aggiewranglers.com. “The style we teach is the style we look for in tryouts,” Riggs said. “I guarantee, if you're dedicat ed, then we can teach you how to dance.” To the Wranglers, each performance is as impor tant as any other, no matter who they are performing for, Novak said “They are highly trained professionals who spend hours improving their performance,” Novak said, “because they truly love their school and the art of Aggie Wrangler dance.” MSC Arts Awareness Week October 20-24, 2003 Monday: 12pm Noon Time Concert @ Langford Atrium 12pm Lunchbox Concert @ Rudder Fountain 7pm “Carpe Diem” - Rudy @ MSC 292A Tuesday: 12pm Hip-Hop Freestyle Contest @ Rudder Fountain 8:30pm Open Mic Night @ MSC Visual Art Gallery Wednesday: 1:30pm “Saxomophones” @ Sul Ross Plaza 7pm Ron Clark Art Opening @ MSC Visual Art Gallery 7:30pm The Pianist @ MSC Forsyth Center Galleries Thursday: 12pm Slam Poetry @ MSC Flag Room 12pm Lunchbox Concert @ Rudder Fountain 2:30pm Poetry Performance Workshop @ Rudder 401 7:45pm CineStudent: Kill Bill @ Cinemark 8 pm Coffeehouse - Poetry Night @ Rumours Friday: 8pm MSC Aggie Nights @ MSC 8pm The Debut @ MSC 201 All Week Long: 11-2pm Creation Table @ Rudder 1 l-2pm Big Banners @ Rudder/Wehner Brought lb You By: MSC ACE, MSC ALOT, MSC Film Society, MSC LAC, MSC OPAS, MSC Town Hall, MSC VAC and PhilSA For More Information Visit wvsFW.msc.tamu.edu Better Ingredients • Better Pizza Friday Special Pick Your Size LARGE 2-Topping J &lside Breadsticks • Cheesestieks MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY 1 1 LARGE 1-TOPPING $C 99 pu/only 2 LARGE 1-TOPPING $|7 99 ■ AmQ pu/delivery 1 EX-LARGE 2-TOPPING $ I0. 50 pu/delivery 1 LARGE 2-TOPPING & 2 liter drink $1 1 99 v 1 • pu/delivery PICK YOUR SIDE LARGE 2TOPPING AND 1 SIDE $|7 78 1 dam • pu/delivery FAMILY SPECIAL 1 LARGE SPECIALTY 1 LARGE 2 TOPPING $ I6." 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