Roam If You Want To

By: Taylor Smithson

From England to Australia, Madrid to Greece, studying abroad has never been easier for college students.

Studying abroad is a huge decision in a college student’s life. Where to go, what to do, how to get there, how to pay for it, there are many things one must do before planning their big trip.

Kelly Norton, head of the study abroad program at High Point University, said “Students are encouraged more now than ever to study abroad. Not only is it a once in a lifetime experience but it looks amazing on a resume for either grad school or life in the real world when looking for a job. It shows the student has independence and bravery.”

She sat at her dark cherry desk, with a pen behind her ear, as she turned the computer screen around to show the different programs the school offered.

Thanks to websites such as studyabroad.com and the abroad section of the HPU Website, all of the information necessary to plan the big trip is easy to find and understand.

How Am I Going To Pay For All This?

First, one must concern themselves with their payment plan. At HPU and other colleges around the country, there are financial aid programs and student loans offered to help with any money troubles one might face that could possibly be holding them back.

There is the option of paying for the trip in installments, paying a little in the beginning and most toward the end, or paying for the entire trip in full if one is so lucky to do so.

“A student shouldn’t let their fears of paying for their trip hold them back. There is always a way around the payments so that most students find they are happy with their decision and feel confident with their loans,” Kelly said.

Where Should I Go?

Next, after the financial status is solved, one must chose where they want to go. HPU students are able to choose from over 20 different locations; not to mention the option of going away for just the month of May (referred to as a “Maymester”) or for a semester at sea.

Another thing to keep in mind when deciding on where to travel is in terms of focus. A student’s major and their future plans are taken into consideration on where to go. Generally, students travel to a destination that compliments their major and furthers their education in their desired field.

I’ve Picked My Place, Now Where Do I Stay?

Students who choose to study abroad are also faced with another decision: where to stay? At most colleges, the options are to stay on campus, off campus, or with a host family in that country.

There are mixed reviews when discussing the option of staying with a host family versus on a campus. It is all based on personal opinion. Some students say they would love to live with a family to get the full experience when others would rather live with kids in the same boat as them to feel less lonely.

Eric Fortin, scheduled to study abroad this coming spring semester, has chosen to stay with a host family during his time studying in Madrid.

“I am a little bit nervous about staying with a family versus staying on a campus but I feel like I am getting more of the experience on my own but isolating myself from the school. I major in Spanish so the language barrier is something I’m not nervous about,” Eric said.

He sat in his plastic chair as he nervously fumbled with his pen. He doodled stars around his desk calendar as he spoke. A suitcase already filled with clothes sat on the floor next to his bed. He glanced over and admitted shyly that he was already half packed.

Eric planned his trip outside of the school originally. “I planned to go to Barcelona, but it was too difficult to do it on my own. My parents refused to help out so I turned to HPU and they couldn’t have been more helpful,” he said.

Eric had trouble finding all the information needed to book his trip on his own. With help from Kelly Norton, he got much more completed than he ever thought he could before. They sat down in their meeting and in a half hour he had a travel guide, books on Madrid, and Websites that held all the information he could possibly need.

LeeAnne Smith, a junior at Emerson University in Boston, plans on going to the Netherlands in the spring. “It’s way easier if you plan your trip through your school, by planning it outside of the school, there’s a lot more pressure and things to do that you don’t have help with like transferring credits and finding a good apartment.”

She sat in her very pink dorm room as she spoke about her recent acceptance letter into the castle program in the Netherlands where she will be staying with a few other students going abroad as well.

Why Go Abroad?

There are various reasons why students should go abroad. Students each have different, preferential reasons as to why they want to go abroad. The general top 10 reasons were:

• To learn a new language
• Travel opportunity
• First-hand culture experience
• Outside the classroom skills
• Making friends around the world
• To learn about oneself
• Expand worldview
• Break out of academic routine
• Enhances employment opportunities
• Enhances degree value

Marshall McDonald's Experience

Sitting in a coffee shop, sipping on hot chocolate, Marshall McDonald sits at his computer and requests to video chat. The weather in London is cold and dreary and his Burberry umbrella is just what he needed. He puts the umbrella under the table as he begins.

“I’ve never felt more homesick in my life. It’s such a different feeling than being away at school. I’ll be fine and then it hits me that I’m half way around the world, it’s not like I can just get in my car and leave,” he said as he grabbed both sides of the computer and shook the screen as if he were shaking the shoulders of someone’s body.

Marshall had only been abroad at Oxford Brooks University, London, for about two weeks and the culture shock was getting to him.

“I don’t understand their money system, or the slang, and the time change is totally throwing me off,” he continued with continuous eye rolls.

But that was in the beginning, now Marshall is preparing to pack up and come home and is completely dreading it. His time abroad has been the best time of his life.

Marshall followed the High Point University program and got to travel with three other students from the school. Living in a house all together made it easier for him to feel at home.

“I definitely suggest traveling within the school’s program, that way you are guaranteed there are going to be kid’s in the same boat as you. It’s also comforting to know that you’ll know at least one person while you’re over there,” he said with smiling eyes.

“The best thing about going abroad is that you can pick where you want to study but then can travel just as much as you want so it’s not like you chose just one place,” Marshall said.

He has already been to Germany, Switzerland, Ireland, Italy, and Paris when he has time off from classes in London. Luckily, he only has class two days a week and does most of his work online.

He nibbled on his muffin and talked about all the fabulous shopping and clothes London had to offer.

“I’ve also made a ton of friends over here, some I’ve already made plans to meet up in the states when they’re on break,” he said.

See Marshall's Trip Video here: CLICK HERE!

Other Links on studying abroad:

Study Abroad Facts!

High Point the Resort or High Point the University?

High Point the Resort or High Point the University?

By Daniel Suseck

College is a time, for education, self identity, and overall growth. High Point University’s mantra is as follows: “At High Point University, every student receives an extraordinary education in a fun environment with caring people.” Certainly this University prides itself on standing out.

They want the perception, that at this “fun environment” education is first and foremost and all the amenities are just a bonus. But when does the perception become deception?

Around this campus, one sees the pools, the ice cream. Now maybe this is just a coincidence, or maybe it’s just college kids with their priorities, this “extraordinary education seems to come second to the “fun environment.” http://www.highpoint.edu/media/video.cfm?display=live#

A Freshman’s Paradise

If you ask a senior in high school today, what he or she is looking for in a college most of them will say basically the same thing. “I want to experience something fun.”

Roberty Kanaby is a freshman this year at High Point University, living in New Jersey his entire life, it had to take something special to get him nine hours away from his home state. His college process was difficult at first but once he saw the “fun environment” the HPU contains, he was smitten.

“I mean let’s be honest, I looked at a lot of schools, and none of them had two pools, a steakhouse, a sports bar, and an arcade. Now don’t get me wrong, I want a solid education for the future but I also like to be able to enjoy myself. Work hard, party hard type deal.”

Robert went on to talk about his first inclination when visiting the school on his office visit, he had this to say. “The tour guide spoke of the many different educational advantages of the university, but where did we spent more time in the amenity buildings then we did in the educational ones. And the thing I recall the most, was the High Point ice cream truck, that thing drove past us like 15 times.”

It seemed that Rob was being swept off his feet by everything the “fun environment” had to offer.

Books over Bars

Student life is the nucleus of any university. Certainly they would give another perspective on the direction in which my University was taking. Surely they had some insight, on the rhyme or reason that High Point prides itself on being a unique place to spend 4 years.

Meredith McCrea is the director of Greek Life at High Point University; she has been at that position for 3 years. She views the campus as taking its “educational growth” a lot more serious then the “extra activity” that also seems to be growing.

“Let’s face it, this school has put together 3 beautiful and state of the art buildings since I have been here. This includes Phillips School of Business, Qubein School of Communication, and the Wilson building of Commerce. I’ve visited other colleges in the area several different times; I don’t see many of that in this economy.”

McCrea raises a good point, along with the pools and arcades have come some quite impressive educational buildings. But at what cost?

In the past few years the tuition has been raised 5 thousands of dollars in the last few years. Starting at $33,000 in 2006 and ending at $38,000 in 2010 and doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon. In this economy that surely sends a red flag to prospective students.

“High Point has always been a strong supporter of financial aid, normally giving some type of compensation to 80 percent of our incoming class. As tuition raises the University is making a strong effort to help alleviate some of the burden,” McCrea explains.

Meredith McCrea went on to say that even some of the amenities are not being looked at in a deeper context.

“Take the school steakhouse for instance, on the surface it just seems that the steakhouse is just that, a steakhouse, but looking at it in a deeper context, it provides the students with dining manners and a different experience that some of them may not have experienced. This dining experience could help them with formal dinner occasions they have in the future.”

Indeed this University has some compelling aspects to it, on an educational level. It seems that High Point Resort and High Point University were in fact co-existing in the same world.

Students Speak Up

Skylar Mabe is the sophomore class president, here at High Point University. She can be seen riding in the ice cream truck, or debating intently in classroom. Skylar is also an HPU ambassador for the University, her responsibilities include giving tours and attending other school functions.

She sees both worlds of the High Point world. She spoke on her feelings, and whether or not the direction of the school is something that should be a concern.

“When I ride in the ice cream and see the joy on people’s faces, I know that were doing a good thing. It is a wow factor that sets High Point apart from other Universities, but I don’t think it’s our identity.”

Skylar continued to speak about her time when she gives tours, and ultimately how the different aspects of the University are broken down.

“Were trained to answer questions on everything, I normally spend an equal amount of time on the academics as well as the amenities. I think it’s natural for people to be taken back at the sight of the pools and beautiful dorm rooms, because let’s face it, you just don’t see that every day.”

Skylar has been an HPU ambassador for two years now. That experience has given her the chance to see students walking around campus that she once gave a tour too. The number one answer she gets when she asks that why they came to High Point, the “environment.”

“People really seem to love the entire package, the academics, and the amenities, everything that High Point has to offer.”

It is possible that this particular University could be a resort and a college all rolled into one.

Sidebar Story:

It’s a tricky time begin ones college career. The recession means bad news for kids who are already struggling to pay college tuition. But there’s news that those students may have an even worse time paying that tuition.

According to the Los Angeles Times, not only are students facing bigger bills because of the reduced state spending on higher education, but campus endowments are lessening greatly.

If you’re enrolled (or wish to enroll) in a four-year public college, the most severe budget problems cause annual tuition and fees to raise themselves over five percent to around $7,020 this fall, the Times reported.

If you’re planning on attending a private university, your school saw the value of their investments drop. Private college tuition didn’t climb as much though, mostly because a lot were afraid that if they raised their prices any more, families just simply wouldn’t be able to afford to go to their schools. The article reported tuition rose to around $26,000.

Many college officials though told students not to be scared about enrolling. Basically, there are always grants and scholarships. In fact, the Times said that two-thirds of all college students receive grant aid.

This aid can reduce tuition bills by more than half, the College Board study said. Pretty crazy savings I’d say.

This College Board study said that 65 percent of us students who got their bachelor’s degrees in 2007-2008 graduated with student loan debt and the average amount was about $20,000.
As bad as that seems, there are some students who have it worse that others. California is the worst state for fee raises with fee increases by more than the national averages, the Times said. The University of California 10 campus group raised undergrad fees by 9.3 percent and is planning another increase that would put fees above $10,000 by next year. So good luck to future students on paying those bills!

Little Moments, Big Magic

By Lyndsay Rowley

Teresa's face lights up with joy as she says, "the students at High Point University have no idea how many lives they have truly touched, and possibly saved."

Teresa Jackson is the liaison for the Big Brothers Big Sisters program to High Point University, and every Little for a High Point University student must go through her.

Surrounding HPU, there are several low-end neighborhoods that house children who are less fortunate.

"Having a Big Brother or Sister is a sort of outlet for these children. Some of them don't have very strong role models so they can use all the support they can get," Teresa explains.

Sometimes all a child needs is to know that they are not alone and that they have someone there to help them through the problems in their life.

The Big Brothers Big Sisters program is a mentoring program for youths ages 6 through 18.

There are two different types of programs for Big Brothers Big Sisters.

There is a community-based mentor program where Bigs and Littles meet for an hour a week in their community to share quality time together.

There is also the school-based mentoring program where Bigs and Littles meet once a week in the Little's school to share some quality time together.

The Dedication

Tara Dyer, a volunteer in the program, says, "It amazing how much these children will open up to us after a short period of time."

Dyer is a senior at HPU and was assigned a boy in second grade two years ago.

Tara has a child who has a rough home life, because of an absent father.

"By the end of year one my little brother was more comfortable talking to me than his teacher about his home life. He has really let me in his life," Dyer says smiling.

Putting her hand to her chest, Dyer says, "one day when I was not at the school, my Little was having a rough day, and he told his teacher that he only wanted to talk to me. When I heard about that, I almost started to cry."

HPU has had students volunteering for the Big Brothers Big Sisters program for 10 years.

Nodding her head in approval, Teresa says, "I have been working for Big Brothers Big Sister for 14 years and every year I work with High Point students it seems like we get more dedicated volunteers."

Mikel Rodenburg is a senior baseball player at HPU, and has been volunteering for the Big Brothers Big Sisters program for three years.

"I am so dedicated to the program because it's nice to feel needed. I feel like I am really helping these kids," Rodenburg says with wide eyes.

Rodenburg explains that he has a Little who has an absent father and a mother who works three jobs.

"My Little has to help out a lot at home so when I come it is a time for him to have fun and let loose, because when he goes home he has to help his mom with the other kids. He doesn't have a lot of time to just be a kid," says Rodenburg.

"The sports teams at High Point University have been so amazing through the years. For the most part, they are all involved and they all do such a great job with the kids," Teresa explains.

Throwing her arms up in excitement Teresa exclaims, "I always have children coming up to me when I go to the schools asking me when their Bigs are coming to see them!"

Teresa explains how college kids are going through a transitional phase into the real world, so sometimes they can use the comradery that the program provides just as much as the children.

"Sometime college kids are confused on who they are and what they want to become, and sometimes a child who really needs them can help to figure it out," Teresa says with a grin.

The Teacher

Megan Kaminskas is a senior at High Point University, and she says she was lost before Big Brothers Big Sisters.

"I didn't really know what I wanted to do with my life, but then I started volunteering with the Big Brothers Big Sisters program," Kaminskas explains.

Giggling Kaminskas explains, "I guess my calling was to be a teacher, and I figured that out within the first month of volunteering with the Big Brothers Big Sisters program."

Kaminskas explains that on day her Little was so frustrated doing a math problem that he threw his pencil across the room.

Kaminskas explains, "I went and picked up the pencil and told him that he'll never get it if he gives up."

Kaminskas says that she explained the math problem in a different way using candy and her Little started to understand.

From that day on her Little saved the hard math problems for when Kaminskas came to see him so she could explain them.

Soon her Little was getting much better grades in math.

The Process

Even though the High Point Students have a good reputation with the Big Brothers Big Sisters program, it doesn't mean that just anyone can volunteer.

Shaking her finger in authority, Teresa says, "we do an extensive background check on every person that wants to become a volunteer."

Volunteers also have to have two references that can talk about their ability as a mentor.

After volunteers pass the background check, they will have a meeting with Teresa in order to try and figure out what kind of child they would best be matched with.

"We want to match volunteers with children who will fit their personality," Teresa explains.

Teresa asks the volunteers a series of questions and then will figure out which child, that wants a Big, would best benefit from their time.

"I ask the volunteers all different questions, like their likes and dislikes. I ask them if they have siblings, and what kind of family they come from. This helps to see how they will be with children," says Teresa.

Teresa has to really try and figure out the kind of person a volunteer is, because they want the matches to last.

"I can't put a child who is a big trouble maker with a volunteer who doesn't have thick skin, or they will just give up," says Teresa.

Most Memorable Match

Teresa explains her most memorable match, "I matched a female High Point student with a little boy who was always a trouble maker."

The little boy was in the principal’s office almost every day. He had an absent father and his mother was supporting eight children in her house, and working two jobs.

"The day I had the initial interview with the young woman, I knew right away that she would be perfect for the little boy," explains Teresa.

The little boy gave the young woman a hard time for the first couple of months. He had his guard up and did not want to let her break it down.

Teresa smiles, "finally, the little boy started letting her into his life. Before I knew it, all he talked about was his Big."

The little boy started doing better in school and was in the principal's office much less.

Teresa says, "I really don't know what kind of path that little boy would have gone down, but I know that she stopped him from going down a bad one."

Teresa states that in 2001 the Big Brothers Big Sisters program coined the phrase, "little moments, big magic."

In the Big Brothers Big Sisters program it is the little moments, like watching a child open up to their Big for the first time, that create the big magic.

Sidebar:

Facts About Big Brothers Big Sisters:

• Children who have a Big are 46% less likely to begin using illegal drugs

• Children who have a Big are 27% less likely to begin using alcohol

• Children who have a Big are 52% less likely to skip school

• Children who have a Big are 37% less likely to skip a class

• Children who have a Big are more confident of their performance in schoolwork

• Children who have a Big are one-third less likely to hit someone

• Children who have a Big get along better with their families

Sidebar:

DJ and I

By Lyndsay Rowley

I remember when I saw DJ for the first time; a tough guy sitting with his arms folded, and an unwelcoming look on his face. This was his way of showing the world that he wasn't letting anyone in.

I spent countless hours trying to crack him, but after a few weeks I saw that I needed a new angle.

So, one day I took him to the gym in his school to play basketball. After he had lost to a girl a couple of times, he began to see that I wasn't half bad. He began to open up to me; telling me his fears and dreams.

I learned DJ was involved in gangs and thought school was a joke.

DJ began to do a little better in school and was mouthing off a little less, but I wanted more for him. I wanted him to be great.

I remember coming to his school one day after he had gotten in a lot of trouble. I went and got him from the principal’s office.

He wouldn't even look at me, let alone speak to me. I kept asking questions until he finally blew up and yelled, "What do you care!"

It occurred to me in that moment that DJ thought I was going to give up on him like others in his life had.

I sat down in front of him and said, "DJ, look at me. I'm not going anywhere. You can keep pushing away but I'm going to keep coming back. I'm not ever going to give up on you."

DJ gave me a big hug, and from then on things began to change. DJ started trying harder in school and getting in less trouble.

His grades started to go up and he talked less and less about the gangs he was involved in. Sometimes all a child needs is to know they are not alone.

DJ goes to a different school now, and is no longer my Little Brother. However, he is doing great.

Many people think that the Big Brothers Big Sisters program is about the Littles, but I have come to learn it is just as much about the Bigs.

DJ taught me to have faith in people, and I will forever be grateful to him for that.

Rise To The Beat

Rise To The Beat
By: Justina Reinold



“Rock, Reggae & Hip Hop: Each if definable, recognizable, and at one familiar to people all over the world. But never have those three forms of musical expression been so effortlessly blended into one sound that is as indefinable as it is recognizable and familiar.” --The Movement



Garage Band

Joshua Swain and Jordan Miller started out jamming in various high school bands in their hometown of Columbia, S.C. Swain, a multi-talented musician, left for Full Sail University in Florida in 2001 and Miller stayed behind.

One year later, Swain returned home and his mind was made up. College was just not in his future, he dreamt of something different. This something was given a name: The Movement.

Swain and Miller reunited and began writing songs and mixing music in Swain’s garage. Then along came DJ Jon Ruff.

The trio combined their talent and created their first full length album, entitled On Your Feet. This album was recorded and mixed in a mere 24-hour period and released in March of 2004. On Your Feet was the just the beginning in the birth of a loyal fan base that would support the guys throughout the next 5 years.

The Movement toured the South East nonstop, building up recognition and getting out there any way they could and they had a number of opportunities to do so. The Movement opened for a variety of top artists over the years, including Blues Traveler, Slightly Stoopid, The Wailers, The Wu Tang Clan, 311 and Rebelution.

“We loved playing with Common and Ludacris in Alabama. That was such a great show,” Miller said, as he grabbed a few wild strands of his blonde dreadlocks and tucked them behind his ear.

Unfortunately the band wasn’t breaking any new ground. Things were good, but not great. The guys began to lose interest. DJ Ruff left the band in 2008 to pursue other aspirations and start a family of his own.

Born Again

It was time for something new. Producer Chris DiBeneditto was also in search of something new. He had a studio with no one to work with and The Movement had new songs and no where to mix them.

DiBeneditto saw them play a couple times in the past and decided collaborating would be best. The only issue, the guys would have to migrate up North to Philadelphia, P.a.

“This is what we needed so we jumped at the chance,” said Miller.

Swain and Miller packed light and followed their dreams up the East Coast. They met up with DiBeneditto at Philadelphonic Studio and got to work on their second album Set Sail.

Their passion and hard work was prevalent. They completed 18 songs in about a week’s time. Next was the search for the rest of the band.

Without a doubt, this is the most difficult part of putting together a band: the search for talent. Somehow, for The Movement, this caused them no trouble whatsoever.

Their producer suggested a local drummer by the name of Michael “Gary” Jackson. Miller, Swain and Jackson jammed once and they were sold.

Swain leaned back on the couch and said, "It just clicked."

Now all they needed was a bassist. Jackson told the others that he knew guy who would fit the vibe. Jay Schmidt a.k.a. “Smiles” was the final piece of the puzzle.

“I remember I called up my mom and said, “Mom, I’m a rock star!” Schmidt said, smiling from ear to ear. No longer do you question why his friends call him “Smiles.”

Since the release of Set Sail on Oct. 25, 2008, The Movement has been going nonstop. Set Sail has reached up to No. 7 on iTunes Top 100 reggae albums, alongside renowned artists Bob Marley, Matisyahu and SOJA.

This time around, The Movement expanded their tour locations far beyond the Southeast region of the U.S. From the Carolina’s to Baltimore, from Boston to New York, across the Midwest to California back to Kentucky and down to Florida. Die-hard fans welcome the guys wherever they go.

Home is on wheels. “The Van” is big, boxy and black. It gets the job done.

“That ol’ thing has broken down more times than I want to think about. Right here in High Point, actually,” said Miller, laughing.

“Ya know, of course things get tough,” said Schmidt about constantly being on the road.

The Movement rarely has any down time to visit with family. If, by chance, they find an opening in their schedule, they make sure to swing home for a quick hello, even if it’s just for one night.

Like any band just starting off, money is scarce. You eat only when you’re starving and your meals are small, whatever you need to get by. You drink a lot of beer—cheap beer and it’s strictly water for the morning after.

“I got 38 cents in my pocket right now, that is all I have to my name and I don’t give a [damn] because music is always going to be there for me and I want our music to be there for everyone else,” said Miller.

The Movement lives a very different lifestyle compared to the rest. Long drives, long nights and a long way from home.

Wake up around 11:00 a.m. and get back on the road. Where to next? Whose turn is it to drive? Who’s got the directions?

Arrive, unload, set up. It’s time for a drink.

Regular Guys

Not the stage not the fame, nothing gets between The Movement and the people they move. When dealing with professional musicians, that kind of dedication can be hard to find.

You have just witnessed an amazing show and you work up the courage to say hello. You find the guys leaning against the bar. You walk up and introduce yourself, gladly shaking hands with each of them.

Miller is tall and thin and with dreadlocks and glasses. The combination of dreads and glasses throws you off a bit. He leans in and listens ever-so-closely as you can’t help but ramble about the first time you heard his music. Not to mention, how it made you feel. Miller raises his bottle of Yuengling to meet yours, smiles and sincerely thanks you for coming out to the show.

After spending some time with the crowd, The Movement gather together and decide they should probably get going. Depending on tomorrow’s agenda, The Movement usually packs up some time after 2:00 a.m.

It’s either back on the road or off to find a place to sleep. The roof above their head is either the roof of “The Van” or a Motel 6. No matter which it is it’s important they rest because tomorrow, they’ll do it all over again.

“We have been doing some serious non-stop touring, from 2009 right through 2040,” said Miller.

Miller is always scribbling something on paper. New songs are always in the making. His bright yellow store-brand spiral notebook goes everywhere with him because you never know when that moment will hit.

The binding of the notebook shows some wear, but once you open up to the first page, you can see why. Inside are flat, crisp pages filled with surprisingly legible handwriting.

“I can speak for Josh as well saying there are no boundaries for this band,” said Miller.

The Movement continues to spread their unique sound from coast to coast. As 2009 comes to an end, this group of young men will close out the year back in South Carolina where it all began.

External Links:
The Movement Official Web site
The Movement MySpace
Set Sail Album Review

A Changing Horse Industry

By Caitlin Courtney

The Good Ole Days

A large wood paneled, 650-seat sales pavilion with a towering ceiling looming overhead is packed to the brim with excitement. The masses of seats filled with people are all facing in the direction of the roped off sales ring. A majestic, well-groomed thoroughbred horse, destined to run in some of the most prestigious horse races in the world is standing there. The spotlight is beaming directly down on the horse. Its ears prick up in curiosity and its perfectly toned muscles flex with every movement.

There are three men stationed at a podium above the horse; they are speaking at lightening fast speeds that make them incomprehensible for the most part. They are the auctioneers.

Audience members look on eagerly. Occasionally, one will gesture inconspicuously toward a bid spotter indicating that they are interested in shelling out the cash necessary to purchase the horse.

Behind the auctioneers and to either side of the sales ring there are two boards that post the hip number and the escalating price of the horse. There is a lull in the action and the gavel thunders down as the horse’s owner legally changes.

In an industry that is used to its products selling for top prices, the recent global economic crisis has really put a damper on that. The prices of these thoroughbred horses are escalating less and less as each day passes.

What was once a crowded sales pavilion is now filled with significantly smaller numbers of people. The select few that now stand in the monstrous pavilion are the ones who have been fortunate enough to generate enough of an income to be able to purchase thoroughbred horses. Everyone else must dedicate all of their concentration to solely raising and selling their horses in order to be able to keep their farms afloat.

A significant amount of time, money, and energy goes into operating a successful thoroughbred horse farm and all of that is becoming increasingly more difficult in this day and age. Especially as the people in the industry have watched the American economy spiral in a downward motion.

It All Went Tumbling Down

At the turn of the millennium, the horse industry, which encompasses breeding, selling, owning, and racing thoroughbred horses, was at the top of its game. In 2000 the bloodstock market was strong. Horses were selling for high prices and the stud fees of stallions were increasing significantly. However, since 2001 the horse industry in Kentucky has been plagued by a series of unfortunate events.

The first problem occurred in the late winter and early spring months of the 2001 foaling season. Mares began to spontaneously abort their undeveloped foals. Tragically, that year nearly 30% of all pregnant mares in Kentucky lost their foals. This abortion of foals was scientifically labeled as Mare Reproductive Loss Syndrome. The effects of MRLS on the horse industry would be felt for years to come and is still an issue today.

Then there were the 9/11 terrorist attacks in and around New York City and Washington DC in the fall of 2001. Every industry in the United States suffered from these attacks and that was no exception to the horse industry.

“The day that the attacks happened was also a sales day at Keeneland,” said Robert Courtney Jr., a horse breeder and owner who is a prominent figure in the industry, “everything just went silent and no one really knew what to do…we didn’t know if we should carry on and sell or if we should take the day off.”

“I remember that Keeneland just tried to carry on as usual, they had a moment of silence and that was that. It was a lousy day to sell horses,” said Courtney.

Several years after 9/11, the horse industry in Kentucky was in for another devastating blow. In the early part of 2003, the Keeneland Association announced that their annual July Selected Yearling Sale would be taking a one-year hiatus due to the effects of MRLS on the industry. Nick Nicholson, President of the Keeneland Association, said that “the yearlings weren’t ready in time for the sales. They were all born later that the horses that usually go in that sale so we thought it would be best to cancel the sales that year.”

Keeneland stated that they had every intention of bringing the sales back the following year. However, that was not the case. Keeneland did not, and still has not brought back the July sales. What was once considered by many to be the most esteemed thoroughbred sales in the world is now just a memory of how the industry used to be.

To top it all off, there was the global financial crisis that hit in the later parts of 2008. Individuals no longer had a desire to invest their money in a horse. Many didn’t believe that it was sensible to get involved in an industry as risky and uncertain as the horse industry.

Of course, each of these ill-fated happenings has affected all branches of the business differently. Luckily, the racing side of the industry has not seen as many negative effects as the sales have.

A Day at the Sales

It is a beautiful fall day in Kentucky. The sun glistens through the tall trees with branches abundant with green leaves. The constant sound of horses’ hooves crunching down in the gravel walking rings echoes through Keeneland’s sales grounds. Identical white barns are in every direction and each is numbered to discern it from the rest. The barns house horses from every different consignor and owner at the sale, all hoping that their superb breeding and foal rearing skills will be rewarded with a sales topping horse.

Flower boxes and hanging baskets stuffed with brightly colored plants adorn all of the barns, all with the intention of drawing in lookers so that they will have a gander at the beautiful horses as well as the flowers.

Uniformly dressed employees of each farm and consignor scurry about the shed rows making sure everything goes perfectly. They also escort the horses in and out of their stalls as well as up and down the showing rings.

Potential buyers look on at the animals intently, hoping to discover one distinguishing feature that will set this horse apart from the thousands of others in the sale. While the buyers look on, deafening neighs and gentle whinnies escape from the horses’ vocal chords as they toss their heads back in excitement and confusion. As they continue to look on, the potential buyers scribble illegible notes, which only they will understand, in the margins of their sales catalogs.

Its Getting Worse

The idyllic appearance of Keeneland and its grounds can be misleading. On the exterior everything looks perfect, but underneath all of the beauty and perfection is a lot of bad. The industry is going through one of its worst rough patches.

The amount of horses being entered into the sales at Keeneland has seriously decreased. Keeneland’s upcoming January Horses of All Ages Sale is down 26.3 percent from last year’s same sale. This coming January there are only 1,753 horses entered in the sale compared to 2,379 horses last year. Those numbers are staggering for a business that makes a majority of their income by selling horses.

This decrease in the number of horses being entered into the sales has been a steady occurrence since Keeneland’s November Breeding Stock Sale in 2008. Geoffrey Russell, director of sales at Keeneland, said, “the November sale in 2008 was a really bad one for the most part. A lot of owners bought their horses back because they just weren’t selling well”.

Russell blames the global financial crisis for the devastating sale that year.

Robert E. Courtney Sr., owner of Crestfield Farm and long time member of the horse business, said, “the financial crisis has had a really big impact on our business, especially after the banks collapsed. A lot of the locally owned bank that understand our industry were bought up by bigger banks that don’t understand and they are slow to lend us money.”

Because people are having a difficult time getting the banks to lend them money they don’t have the necessary funds to enter their horses into the sales or to buy horses at the sales. It seems that, for the most part, banks tend to think that people involved in the horse industry have a lot of money and that’s not the case at all. Of course, in certain cases there are people with a lot of money but that isn’t true for a lot of people in the business.

Along with the declining number of horses in sales, the global financial crisis is also having a strong impact on the prices that buyers are willing to pay for thoroughbred racehorses. Also, when buyers aren’t paying as much for horses, not all of the horses entered in the sales are selling because they aren’t bringing the optimal amounts of money. At the Keeneland September Yearling sale in 2008, 4,795 yearlings were offered, of that number 3,605 sold. That means that there were 1,190 horses that did not sell. Of the horses that did sell the average price was $90,984 and the total gross of the sale was $327,999,100. At that same sale in 2009 4,360 yearlings were offered and 3,159 of those horses were sold. That means that 1,201 were not sold at all. At that sale the average price of the yearlings sold was $60,734 and the total gross of the sale was $191,859,200. The difference of the total gross of both sales is $136,139,900, which is a considerably large difference.

The sales portion of the thoroughbred horse industry has had to deal with a majority of the problems as well as the most noticeable changes to the industry. The racing side to the industry has seen several changes but they have escaped a great deal of the negativity that has plagued the selling of horses.

Racing

Surrounded by magnificent and intricately constructed stone buildings, with vines creeping up the sides, Keeneland’s paddock is picturesque. The grassy paddock is lined with an assortment of colossal trees that are likely to be over a hundred years old. Horses parade around in circles as they prepare to exit onto the track. All eyes are on them. In Kentucky, they are the celebrities.

Men, smartly dressed in khaki pants, hunter green sports coats, and topped off with flat caps guard the paddock from unwanted and unqualified intruders. Generally, only those with the proper credentials may enter this sacred space.

The tiny saddles and colorful saddle pads are places neatly on the horses’ backs and the jockeys are flung, like a small toy, by their trainers one by one on top of their steeds. The petite jockeys, clad in eye catching colored silks, proudly sit upon the thoroughbred horses’ backs. They are all hoping to win the race.

Patrons of Keeneland come dressed to the nines. They arrive in droves and filter into the mighty grandstands. They are always eager to try their luck at betting on the thoroughbreds and they are hopeful of their prospects. For some, prospects diminish as the day wears on and their ability to pick the winning horse isn’t quite what they thought.

The old grandstand spans the entire length of the front stretch of the track. Each level is lined with rows of boxes and chairs belonging to the members of the track.

The stands are bustling with excitement as everyone prepares to watch the horses race to the finish. Individuals crowd around the betting windows before it’s too late to put their money down.

Everyone has picked who they want to win the race and now it’s to time to wait with bated breath. The anticipation rises, as the horses are loaded one by one into the starting gate. They are eager to start running. Then the bell rings as the gates burst open and the horses dash out. They are closer and closer to the finishing post with every giant stride that they take.

The crowd roars as the horses turn the final turn on the track and hurdle off toward the finish line. The horses fly by the crowd in a blur and as they reach the finish line, one crosses before the rest. They are victorious!

Some of those in attendance are victorious too. The ones that bet on the winning horse can cash in their tickets and go home with some much needed money.

The Luckier Ones

Those more directly involved with the racing aspects of the industry been luckier than those dealing with the selling of thoroughbreds.

Horses are still racing in large numbers because those who own racehorses have more disposable incomes than those who are selling horses. This means that they are capable of paying the training bills as well as the fees needed to hire jockeys and enter their horses into the races.

The purses of races, particularly major stakes races like the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes, the Belmont Stakes, and other Grade 1 races are still large. For instance, the purse of the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby, held annually at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky. on the first Saturday of May, has a purse of $2 million.

Also, there are many fans that support horses racing year round and there are still large attendances at horse races. That means that there is money to be made when it comes to selling tickets to see the races as well as when it comes to betting. People are always hoping to get lucky.

The only downside to the racing portion of the industry is that some of the less wealthy owners have been forced out due to the financial crisis. Racing is a risky business because you are relying on the horses to run well in the races. If they don’t finish well then you don’t get any money back. It’s a big investment and there’s no guarantee that your horse is going to win.

Since the racing portion of the industry is still going strong that gives the sales and breeding portion of the industry a small glimmer of hope that they can one day return to their glory. Until then, they’ll just have to ride it out and hope for the best.

Keeneland

Keeneland was founded by a group of prominent horse breeders from Central Kentucky and was first opened in 1936 in Lexington, Ky.

The entire Keeneland complex, including racetrack, sales pavilion, and multiple barns, stand on 921 acres of land.

It is home to one of the most prestigious thoroughbred horseracing tracks in the world and it is also home to one of the most prominent horse auction companies in the United States and the world.

The first races at Keeneland took place in October 1936 and the first horse auction took place in April 1938.

Since the first auction, 17 Kentucky Derby winners, 17 Preakness Stakes winners, 14 Belmont Stakes winners, 12 Breeder’s Cup winners, as well as countless other prominent stakes winning horses have been sold at Keeneland.

Keeneland also hold many important graded stakes races like the Alcibiades Stakes, Maker’s Mark Mile, the Bluegrass Stakes, and the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes.

video can be viewed at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2zmdyLYzwY

Good Food for You, Good for the Earth

by Camara McLaughlin

It’s feast night at Grateful Bread Baking Company, and owner Teresa Mackey is rushing about.

“We’re in the weeds,” she says as she hurriedly grates the fennel that, along with fresh oranges, will star in tonight’s spinach salad.

It’s been one of those days. An oven is broken. It has been on all afternoon, and has only gotten to 283 degrees. Not hot enough to toast walnuts or roast turnips. Both of which are needed for tonight’s dishes.

It is hard to imagine how the kitchen would feel if one more oven was up to its proper temperature.

This small space is hot. And crowded.

Silver pots and pans are stacked above and around the dishwashing pit. All have dents and blemishes, marks of a well-loved piece of equipment. Tupperware containers are piled one on top of the other near the food prep stations. Convenient for storing food, but a lid or two are missing.

Giant sacks of stone ground whole-wheat flour are piled near the door. A towering metal shelf holds cans and boxes of food in sizes only restaurants can buy. Soymilk, kidney beans, roasted red peppers and pumpkin, just to name a few.

Recipes and notes of encouragement are tacked to a small corkboard like the well loved mementos they are. A gluten free cookbook completes the organized chaos so often found in crowded restaurant kitchens.

Soup is bubbling on one of the many burners, and there is talk of the sweet potato gnocchi to be made.

The myriad of scents mix in the humid air, like a custom blended, mouthwatering perfume. Dinner is going to be good.

The beginning

Teresa and her husband, who is co-owner, but doesn’t actually work at the restaurant, opened Grateful Bread in March of 2000.

“Which is amazing,” Teresa notes. A decade is a long time for any restaurant.

Teresa is from High Point, N.C. so she knew what the restaurant scene in the city was like.

“There was nothing like this in High Point,” she says of the restaurant that offers fresh, local food, along with many vegetarian and vegan items.

From the start, Grateful Bread has always been open for lunch six days a week. They added brunch on Saturdays, and in the past year, have added Tuesday soup night, and Thursday feast night.

Teresa started the bakery with no restaurant experience.

“The only cooking I’d done was just for my family. Figured it out as we went,” she says matter-of-factly, as she disappears into the walk-in refrigerator to fetch some mandarin oranges for a salad dressing.

Three vital ingredients for the salad dressing are soy sauce, mandarin oranges and tahini, a product similar to peanut butter, only with sesame seeds. Teresa combines them all in the blender and voila. A salad dressing.

“Yum,” she declares, tasting the sauce, before setting it aside, ready to move on to another task.



What’s in a name

As the name Grateful Bread suggests, the restaurant is not an uptight place. The interior of the restaurant is colorful, with orangey pink walls, green trim and knick knacks galore.

When you first enter the space, the counter where you order your food is straight ahead. It too is painted orange, with the green and white logo on the front. Above is a black and white striped awning, making the counter look like a European bistro.

The main attraction of the entrance though, is the food.

On the left is a counter with all of the different breads. All baked fresh every morning. There is even a plate with selected slices of breads, butter and jelly. Free to any who enter.

As a bakery, this place does more than just bread. Straight ahead, gleaming like pieces of forbidden treasure, from behind a Plexiglas case, are the baked goods. S’mores bars, derby bars, lemon bars, savory scones like bacon and blue cheese, muffins, in flavors like blueberry lemon and apple walnut, gluten free cranberry orange cookies, on and on and on. Just one look and your mouth will be watering like Pavlov’s dog.

Living close to the dirt

Teresa and the rest of her staff, most of whom have been working there for over 3 years, believe in using local products. As much as possible, they get food from within 100 miles of High Point.

They buy cheeses from Goat Lady Dairy in Climax, N.C. and Ashe County Cheese in West Jefferson, N.C. Local pork, rabbit, fish and free range chicken and eggs populate their daily menu.

Supporting local agriculture is not just a passion, for Teresa and her staff, it’s a way of life.

“It’s what we do,” Teresa says.

Thursday feast nights are when Teresa really gets to make use of local products. On that morning, she goes to the Piedmont Triad Farmers Market to see what looks good. She then creates the evening’s menu based on what she buys.

“It’s the hard way to do it,” she says, “but it’s the only way we know how.”

This type of green cuisine is often a selling point to customers, so Teresa makes sure to advertise Grateful Bread’s Cause. On the front door there are a variety of stickers proclaiming support for organic and locally grown products.

Groups like the Slow Food Movement, for more information see sidebar, and the Green Restaurants Association advocate restaurants doing what they can for the environment.

The closer a product is grown to the place it is being sold, the tastier it is. Often the produce we see in supermarkets has been harvested before it is truly ready, and has been made to ripen on the truck.

Why? Since a product doesn’t have to travel as far to reach its final destination, it can be picked when it is in the peak of freshness, rather than before it is fully ripe.

“If you eat close to the dirt,” Teresa says, “it’s always going to be good.”

Linda Hester, a landscaper and friend of Teresa, agrees. For years she has been designing the flower beds outside of the bakery. Today she is switching out the flowers, switching to summer geraniums to hardier pansies, which will last through the winter. She is bundled up against the wind that whips down North Main St. and through the tiny parking lot.

She believes in Grateful Bread’s cause.

“Teresa is very much an organic herbs and vegetables person, as the bakery shows,” Linda says, standing next to her plant and potting soil filled pick-up truck. “Somebody’s got to save the earth.”



Customers notice the fresh flavor

Lunchtime at Grateful Bread Baking Company in High Point, N.C. is always bustling. Customers begin to filter in around 11 a.m., but the 40 seat restaurant really starts filling up around noon. By 12:30, the place is usually full; every one of the 12 tables occupied.

Eliza Walmsley, a 21-year-old High Point University senior from Ridgeway, Va. is a devoted follower.

She’s been coming to Grateful Bread since she was in high school—Ridgeway is about an hour from High Point. Her neighbor, whose job with Basset Mirror Company out of nearby Martinsville, Va. brings her to furniture market week introduced her to the place. She would have Eliza help her set up for pre-market, and then take her to lunch. It would always be at Grateful Bread.

“It was my neighbor’s get-away spot,” Eliza says.

When Eliza began coming to HPU for college, she of course had to continue frequenting the bakery. She loves that the food is healthy, unlike the many chicken and biscuit places that populate High Point, but still so full of flavor.

What’s Eliza’s favorite meal?

“I love the egg salad,” she says. “Everything is good, but I just keep coming back to that sandwich.”

The everything she refers to could be the pimento blue cheese sandwich, which is Teresa’s personal favorite. Or it could be the curried chicken salad, the tomato basil soup, the hummus and veggie sandwich, the daily veggie burger. All of these items are on the daily lunch menu. All are tasty and fresh.

On any given day at Grateful Bread, the type of customer is as varied as the menu.

A middle aged man eats a turkey and havarti sandwich while talking on his Bluetooth. Judging from his black dress pants and shoes, blue shirt and sweater vest, he’s on break from an office job. His Blackberry and a pair of reading glasses lie on the rustic wooden table at which he’s eating.

A young woman in UGG boots and cropped yoga pants orders at the counter. Her green and white floral bag almost clashing with her gray and cream hooded sweatshirt.

Two women, probably in their 30s sit at one of the retro looking tables. With its silver ridged top and black and silver chairs, it looks like it is straight out of the 1950s.

The two women do not. One looks like she just came from the office. The other from a tennis match. Are they the modern “ladies who lunch?”

“We might look like a little hippie shop, but we don’t just serve hippies,” Teresa says.

It doesn't matter who you are, your age, or your profession. Everyone enjoys good food.

Sidebar:

Founded in 1986 in Italy by Carlo Petrini, the Slow Food Movement first set out to fight the growing fast food trend. Today, it is a worldwide organization with over 100,000 members in 132 countries.

Including the United States, where there are roughly 16,000 members.

On their website, Slow Food USA says, “Slow Food USA seeks to create dramatic and lasting change in the food system. We reconnect Americans with the people, traditions, plants, animals, fertile soils and waters that produce our food. We seek to inspire a transformation in food policy, production practices and market forces so that they ensure equity, sustainability and pleasure in the food we eat.”

Slow Food USA does this through educational outreach, encouraging the eating of in-season food, advocating farmers and growers and in-general, celebrating food.

High Point, N.C. is a part of the Slow Food Piedmont chapter, which has been working to support local agriculturalists since 1989.

In Sept. 2009, they awarded their first Snail of Approval awards, which recongnize those restaurants, growers and markets which exemplify the ideals of the organization.

To qualify, a restaurant must serve food that is: fresh, local and sustainable, good for the body, supports the local community, good for the environment, promotes relationships, and is sustainable for the future.

“We’re trying to get the snail,” Grateful Bread owner Teresa Mackey says.

When an establishment gets the award, a snail decal gets placed upon the door, so that customers can feel good about the place where they are about to eat.

Additionally, Slow Food Piedmont has a list of these restaurants, so diners can take environmental practices into consideration when choosing a place to eat.

The Slow Food Movement, along with local restaurants such as Grateful Bread, are bringing environmental issues to the forefront of our minds. And to the dinner table.

Video Link:

Nick Christy making breakfast