Volume CXIII, Number 12, April 6, 1995

T h e L a w r e n t i a n Vol. CXIII, No. 12 LAWRENCE UNIVERSITY’S STUDENT NEWSPAPER SINCE 1884 April 6, 1995 Gattnar Forgoes Olympics, Takes American Championship b y I o n a Y a b u t train for the 1996 Olympic during that year that he joined ing team early in the season, and returning, although the a n d J a c o b Y a r n e l l Games in order to continue his the Lawrence University fenc and joined the Lawrence basket reasons behind Gattnar’s and education. According to ing team. ball team. Jordan’s actions differ. And de Michal Gattnar, five-time Gattnar, “If I had stayed in The 6’6" Slovakian began But Gattnar did not stay spite the fact Gattnar’s door and Slovakian national fencing Europe, I probably would have fencing his junior year of high with basketball for long. He dorm room wall are plastered champion and two-time studied hard [in school] and school. He had first gotten a comments, “I had never played with pictures of the Chicago Slovakian national pentathlon trained to get into the Olym taste for the sport from his in organized basketball before, Bulls guard, Gattnar attests champion, has done it again. On pics.” Although Gattnar was volvement with the Slovakian and I didn’t feel good enough by that he does not idolize, but in March 26, Gattnar competed at accepted by universities in Modern Pentathlon; fencing my own standards to help the stead respects Jordan’s athletic the NCAA Division I National Bratislava and Prague, he chose was among the five events. Af team.” As a result, Gattnar re ability. Fencing Championships held at to attend Lawrence University ter two national championships turned to fencing. Gattnar explained that he Notre Dame University in South because “the educational sys and one second place finish, In order to overcome the has no specific idols in fencing, Bend, Indiana, and gained his tem is better in the U.S.,” and Gattnar decided he liked fenc original problem — the lack of or basketball, but his parents first American national title. At “education comes first.” ing enough to pursue the sport competition — Gattnar decided are the people he respects most. the age of nineteen, Gattnar is Originally from Slovakia, individually. to change his focus and return Gattnar also does not live by any the only college freshman to Gattnar first came to the United Although Gattnar has en to the basics. He focused his specific personal philosophy, hold at least eight national titles States last school year on a stu joyed continuing success in the practice on fundamental skills but says, “I try to do my best in from two countries. dent exchange program, and sport, he still seeks ways to im such as footwork and point-con- everything I do. Competition A former member of the graduated with the senior class prove, and he feels that the only trol. He also tried to practice as drives me.” Slovakian national team, of Menasha High School in way to improve is to fence bet hard and as strategically as Lawrence University fenc Gattnar sacrificed the chance to Menasha, Wisconsin. It was also ter people; “The better the com possible. “I tried to make better ing team’s head coach, Steve petition, the more you improve,” decisions, to think much more,” Amich, comments on Gattnar’s he says. Gattnar was thus dis Gattnar explained. “I tried to be American title, “It’s quite an ac appointed to discover that the as smart of a fencer as possible.” complishment for any freshman competition in the United The short history of to go to the finals and win it.” States was not of the same cali Gattnar’s involvement with Gattnar’s roommate, ber as the competition in Eu Lawrence athletics closely par Aaron Chopra, said, “Mike is rope. As a result, Gattnar tem allels national sports figure continued to page 7 porarily quit the Lawrence fenc Michael Jordan’s tale of leaving New Tracker Organ Installation Completed by Jill K . S a d le r Brombaugh’s lecture pro determines the sharpness or vided the audience with some his “brightness” of the sound. John Brombaugh, who built toric information about famous In a normal simple flute Lawrence’s new organ hosted a organs, but it mainly focused on pipe, air blows through the Conservatory Forum at the Me organ terminology and the differ pipe’s foot and continues up morial Chapel on March 6. The ent kinds of pipes used in organs. ward through the mouth and the forum mainly consisted of dem “A fundamental part of an organ mouth’s slit and finally flows onstrations by Brombaugh and is the pipe,” said Brombaugh, and through the pipe’s body. George Damp, university organ Lawrence’s organ has both metal Brombaugh tunes these flute ist and associate professor of and wood pipes. The larger metal pipes by using a razor blade to PHOTO BY KIR5TTEN TELEEN music at Lawrence; a de pipes are 98% lead and 2% tin adjust the slit’s dimensions and tailed description of an using a chisel to shave the National fencing champion Mike Gattnar hones his skills during a recent organ’s numerous compo chimney top. Brombaugh practice at the Buchanan-Kiewit Recreation Center. nents; and specifics about the claims that just a sliver off new tracker organ recently the chimney will change the installed in the chapel. pitch. Brombaugh also dem Five years ago, the organ onstrated how he can flatten Downer Reeling From was only a glimmer in or sharpen the pipe’s pitch Lawrence’s eye, but today, by simply tapping on the the organ is becoming real chimney with a special de Employee Shortage and tangible. The organ, vice. He says an organ will made of solid white oak from stay in tune for at least a Appalachia, consists of 2,500 decade. The reed pipes simu B y Jo y a R ajadhyaksha problem”, and that shifts, par ticularly over weekends, have pipes and is nearing comple late trumpets and have an tion. The official dedication actual brass reed. The pipe Due to a shortage of student been unfilled since the beginning and first concert will take may be tuned by adjusting workers, Lawrence University of the year. “[Weekends] are tra place on May 5th. its tuning wire of by chisel Food Services has employed mem ditionally the time Lawrence stu Brombaugh discussed ing the end. bers of the Appleton community to dents don’t want to work,” she the organ’s “integration of The last major features work at Jason Downer Commons. said. sight and sound”, and said of the organ that Brombaugh These people are filling positions This shortage of workers at that all o f the gold gilding on described were the stopper that were previously taken up by Downer is unprecedented, par organ’s trim and metal pipes and the swell box. These Lawrence students. ticularly because it offers jobs is real gold, and that the in were invented for organists Since the beginning of Winter with the highest starting wages tricate, ornate embellish who wanted more versatil Term 1995, two high school stu on campus ($4.35, rather than the ments are hand carved. ity, and the stopper was in dents and some older ladies from minimum wage of $4.25). Not Brombaugh also said the troduced in the late 18th cen the Appleton area have been work only that, but it also offers pro wood staining process con tury. Brombaugh used a ing behind the counter as well as gressive pay raises to students sisted of the use of ammonia wooden pipe to demonstrate in the dishroom. Donna Krippner, who work for extended periods. fumes that penetrate into the while the smaller metal pipes in how a stopper in the pipe’s chim Associate Director of Food Services Although a solution to this wood and turn it a dark brown. the front are very thin due to the ney affects the sound. It can and Conferences, says that hiring shortage is not yet in sight, Both Damp and Brombaugh use of a 98% tin and 2% lead alloy. make the pitch drop and create ‘outsiders’ is not a new policy, nor Krippner says that Food Ser demonstrated the organ’s func The organ also contains two dif a different harmonic structure, is it one that has denied students vices will be offering an added tions by playing excerpts of or ferent kinds of metal pipes: nor says Brombaugh. A swell box the opportunity to work at Downer. incentive to students who are gan music. The organist may mal simple flute pipes and reed consists of pipes inside a box and Rather, she says that it is the re considering working at Downer create a vibrato sound and the pipes. Both kinds of pipes are shutters on the box which open sult of a lack of students employ in the next academic year. Those different sets of pipes may be made by cutting the sheet of tin and close. They either muffle the ees to cover all the shifts at Downer. who sign up for shifts in Fall by used in a multitude of combina or lead, wrappingit around an an sound or, as the name implies, “We are filling our schedule with the end of this term will auto tions to create a “synthesizer vil, and then soldering the edges allow the sound to swell and whoever we can hire,” she said.

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