Finally the end of the school year has come. After what felt like the longest semester ever, it is time to relax and enjoy the sun over summer vacation.

One would think that living in LA means never wanting to be anywhere else since there are so many places to check out, but it seems that most CSUN students would much rather get out of the valley.

‘Go anywhere but Northridge,’ said Kevin Barkley, an 18-year-old kinesiology major.

Barkley said that the best way to enjoy your vacation is to go somewhere nice and relaxing, like Hawaii, where he is going shortly after summer school.

‘I usually travel there every other summer,’ said Barkley. ‘When I’m there I go surfing, go to the beach and hang out with friends, the usual.’

CSUN students have labeled the beach a hot spot.

‘I like to go to the beaches around here like Zuma and Santa Monica,’ said Liz Schultz, a 21-year-old history major.

Zuma is located in the Malibu area and Schultz said what she likes most about that location is the family atmosphere.

‘I like Zuma because they have lifeguards, there are kids always running around and you have to pay for parking so it’s never too crowded,’ Schultz said.

Other southern California beaches that are pretty popular can be found in San Diego, said Teddy Taylor, an 18-year-old kinesiology major.

‘I’m from San Diego and I usually go to Coronado Beach,’ said Taylor. ‘I would recommend that one big time.’

Taylor said one of the things he likes best about the beaches is the surf.

‘Usually I just surf while I’m out at the beach,’ said Taylor. ‘One of the things I don’t like is the tourists. They don’t really know how to drive and they don’t know the rules of surfing.’

So even though he recommended Coronado Beach, he also recommended that you respect the locals because out on the ocean they don’t play around.

‘I’ve never been in a fight before but a lot of my friends have,’ said Taylor. ‘It’s pretty exciting to watch.’

If surfing isn’t your thing, Schultz said Seattle is a pretty good place to go.

‘Seattle is pretty nice because it’s not 100 degrees like it is here,’ said Schultz. ‘Usually it’s around 80 degrees and they have lots of good music and tons of good eating.’

Most students like doing things where they can get away from their family for a bit, but Alexis Philips, a 20-year-old English major, said she would rather be with them.

‘We go camping every year at Lake Nacimiento,’ said Philips.

She is also planning on going to Vegas when she turns 21.

‘I’m going to Vegas in June for my 21st with some of my friends and family,’ said Philips.

Orit Karni, a 20-year-old nutrition major, said the most important part of her break is trying something different.

‘I think the most important thing about break is going out there and trying something new,’ said Karni, who added that one of the best vacations she had wasn’t really a summer break, but a semester abroad.

‘I spent nine months in Israel studying,’ said Karni. ‘The thing I enjoyed most was the freedom.’

Besides the freedom, Karni said she loved the feeling of not knowing what was going to happen next.

‘I carried a toothbrush and an extra pair of underwear all the time because you never know where you’re going to end up,’ Karni said.

If she had to describe a perfect break though, there would be more rest and relaxation than anything else.

‘I’d like to go out and sleep on a random beach with some friends, with a hookah and some beer on the side,’ said Karni.

Barkley believes taking a break from his normal work schedule would make the perfect summer.

‘My ideal vacation would be not having to worry about anything,’ said Barkley.

With finals ending and stress slowly floating away, the only thing that anyone should be worried about is where they’re going to go to enjoy the sun and the water.

It could be the beach, the lake or the pool, but summer is the time to jump in the water and cool down after a heated semester.

The Cal State Northridge water polo team went into the Big West Tournament as the top seed, but finished the season fourth after losing 6-5 in overtime to UC Santa Barbara in the semifinals on Saturday and 10-6 to UC Davis a day after in the game for third place.

The loss to UC Santa Barbara was a close affair in which both teams played tough defense.

‘The game was defensive-minded for both teams,’ CSUN Assistant Coach Marcelo Leonardi said in a phone interview. ‘Both teams had four goals throughout regulation and they beat us on a lob over (goalkeeper) Jill (Stapf).’

The goal came quickly in sudden death overtime after Matadors and Gauchos finished regulation tied at 5-5. On UCSB’s first possession, Gillian Morgan got a shot over Stapf for her second goal of the day and the win.

‘It was a perfectly-placed ball and there wasn’t much Jill could do,’ Leonardi said.

The Matadors put as much effort into the game as they could, but they weren’t able to finish, junior Alison Pierce said.

‘We put everything into the game, but it just wasn’t good enough,’ she said.

The Matadors had a balanced attack. Jessica Coy, Whitney Delgado, Renee Gargiulo, Sydney Sonoda and Pierce each scored a goal.

The loss against the Gauchos eliminated the Matadors’ chance at winning the Big West championship and put them into the third-place game on Sunday against UC Davis.

Against the Aggies, the Matadors were forced to play a game of catch-up only to ultimately lose 10-6.

‘We were down early, 3-0, (but) we were able to tie it at 4-4 in the second period,’ Leonardi said. ‘We used a lot of energy to get back into it and they ended up jumping ahead by three more goals, and we couldn’t recover.’

Kristin McLaughlin scored one of her two goals for the momentary tie, but CSUN faded away from then on.

In the final period, the Aggies went on a scoring rampage, tossing in three goals in three minutes to go ahead 9-5. The Matadors scored another goal, but the margin of defeat remained the same in the end: four. It was the Matadors’ second disappointing loss in two days.

Despite the losses, the Matadors had great achievements this season, Leonardi said. It was just unfortunate for them they couldn’t attain their ultimate goal.

‘We accomplished a lot this season and had a lot of firsts,’ Leonardi said.

CSUN was ranked ninth in the nation at one point this season, putting the Matadors in the top-ten list for the first time in their history.

The season was a positive and allowed people to find out how tough Northridge is, Pierce said.

‘Overall, we went through a lot and made people look at us as a good water polo program,’ she said.

The recognition was something new, especially after the Matadors got themselves to a new league this season: the Big West.

‘This is the first season being in the conference,’ Leonardi said. ‘The conference adds parity and it makes it pretty exciting because everyone gets a chance to play in the NCAA Tournament.’

A seed in the prestigious tournament will not happen this season, but Leonardi is looking forward to a bright future.

‘We are losing three of our seniors, one of them our captain Jessica Coy,’ Leonardi said. ‘But we are returning our core nucleus.

‘Our freshman, sophomore and junior class have had a good percentage of our scoring this season, so things look positive in the future.’

The goal for the Matadors this season was to win the tournament and become the Big West champs. Though they fell short, they should have just as good if not a better chance to accomplish that goal next year, Leonardi said.

Having a connection with someone is a great thing. When it is a member of the opposite sex, it seems to be even better.

The problem with having that special bond and keeping it is you may have to walk the plank into the relationship pool.

With exams, jobs, extra-curricular activities and all the other nonsense that goes into college life, it could be a difficult thing to put on yourself. So is it best to be in a relationship while in college?

‘Relationships are good because they are very supportive,’ said Shay Rhodes, a 21-year-old business law student. ‘Your partner is there to hopefully relieve the stress of everyday tedious activities.’

Having a relationship while in school is something that just happens for most people.

‘I never was really the relationship type but the one I’m in just fell into place,’ said Rhodes.

But relationships aren’t always the most important things while in school.

In an article titled ‘Why the Smartest People Have the Toughest Time Dating,’ Dr. Alex Benzer talks about the benefits of dating while in college rather than waiting until you graduate.

In his article, Benzer discusses how parents and professors can’t really teach a young adult how to’ extend compliments, give attention-but not too much attention or be caring without being needy.

Freshman Nicholas Serinil found out relationships are a tough thing to handle while in college.

‘I haven’t done too well with dating so far in school,’ said Serinil. ‘It’s something that I look to get into eventually but I learned right now isn’t the best time.’

Serinil wouldn’t mention exactly why he is avoiding a steady relationship, but he said being in a previous one was a little crazy.

But it seems that relationships themselves are crazy.

‘There is a lot of stress that goes into having a relationship,’ said Dianna Hodge, a 20-year-old child development major. Hodge said another thing that causes problems is little fights.

‘Petty fights and the annoyance of always being with them can be a problem, especially when you have school work to deal with,’ said Hodge.

‘If you get in a fight you want to fix problems and don’t want to go to class,’ said Rhodes.

With every relationship there are always things to complain about, but it is agreed that it’s good to test the waters and be in a relationship while in school rather than waiting until after graduation.

‘I think that if you focus only on school you lose out on a lot of experiences,’ said Sahar Ghaemi, a 22-year-old child development major. ‘If all I did was study I wouldn’t be the person I am today.’

Hodge feels that without the social skills one gains in college the ability to talk to someone won’t come as easy.

Ghaemi believes that above all, being in a relationship requires a lot of balance.
‘You have to be able to work hard and play hard,’ said Ghaemi. ‘It’s the only way to get the full experience of college.’

With this balance come the positives of a relationship.

‘Having someone is great because you get the feeling of acceptance and appreciation,’ said Hodge. ‘It is something different from what your friends can give you. It’s on a deeper level.’
‘

It was a hard-fought night, but the Trojans couldn’t match the fury of the Matadors men’s volleyball team’ (21-5, 14-5 MPSF) on Friday night.

Spring break has always been a time for students to get crazy and let loose. They can run around and act wreckless because they are young and free. But this year things are changing for some students around CSUN.

‘I am probably going to spend my break looking for an internship and working,’ said Jordan-Alicia Machado, a 22-year-old biology major. ‘I have bills to pay so I can’t really go anywhere this year.’

With the economy continuing its downward slope, people have to change the way they celebrate their week off. Instead of their normal antics, they have to cut back a little.

‘Most of my friends are staying home for the break,’ said Machado about her friends choices compared to previous spring breaks.

She has also had to give up on trips she has taken in the past.

‘Last year I went to Europe,’ said Machado. ‘I went with my family to the (United Kingdom) and it was so much fun.’

There are also things going on south of the border that have caused some people to change their plans. Actually on this campus, an entire organization had to change their plans.

Tony Espinoza, a 20-year-old theatre major, is a part of S.W.A.T., Summer Winter Action Tour, a group that plans large events for college students over their breaks. This year S.W.AT. planned on going to Ensenada, Mexico but things changed.

‘Parents didn’t want their kids going there because they didn’t feel it was safe,’ said Espinoza. ‘We’ve had to move the trip to Palm Springs.’

Palm Springs?

Not really the greatest spring break spot, said Karen Fraggi, a 22-year-old psychology major.

‘Spring break has always been a big thing for me,’ said Fraggi. ‘Cancun, Miami, Lake Havasu, Vegas or San Diego, those are real trips. Palm Springs is so dry and it’s for old people.’

Not to mention the fact that it is a major down grade. Machado said she would be upset if she had to deal with that kind of change.

‘You have all this anticipation and then you have to go somewhere like that,’ said Machado. ‘I’m from the Riverside area so it would definitely be a big disappointment.’

Even if they were to continue with the Mexico trip one student doesn’t think he would go.

‘It seems like a total tool fest,’ said Alex Samovitz, an 18-year-old CTVA major. ‘I would much rather go somewhere with friends.’

Samovitz plans to do his own little trip, not Palm Springs but something still close by.

‘I’m going to SLO (San Louis Obispo) to meet up with some old friends,’ said Samovitz. ‘I’m going to enjoy my time surfing and I’ll head home to Bakersfield for a couple of days.’

Even with people backing out of big trips like Mexico, S.W.A.T. found ways to make the ‘old people’ place fun, said Espinoza.

‘S.W.A.T. plans different events with all types of performers like Three 6 Mafia and Living Legends,’ said Espinoza. ‘It’s like something you see on T.V.’

He said the trip is a once in a lifetime experience that people shouldn’t miss out on.

But compared to previous years, people are starting to miss out.

‘With the way the economy is we have lost a lot of people that have gone in previous years,’ said Espinoza. ‘We were looking for around 180, and we’re still short, and it starts next week.’

So with the economy going down and Mexico not the safest bet, local spots are the next best option.

‘The interesting thing about L.A. is people come here to vacation,’ said Fraggi. ‘At least you still get the option to hang out with people from different areas while staying home.’

Home is a comfortable place but comfort shouldn’t be the first thing that comes to mind for the mid-semester break. Students should be running wild, going on trips like the one S.W.A.T. planned. But money has become more important than fun.

‘A lot of my friends are going to spend time finding jobs,’ said Fraggi. ‘They have to make a sacrifice and since a lot of them are losing their jobs it’s difficult to get away.’

Maybe it’s part of growing up that leaves students without the means of having a vacation, or maybe there are other things holding people back from being too adventurous. Whatever the reason, spring break should be about having fun.
‘

The MTV show ‘America’s Best Dance Crew’ (ABDC) has amazed a lot of people and made me give up my Thursday night college parties.

The latest season had me jumping out of my seat after watching some of the ridiculous things the crews did.

And this season, the crew that I wanted to win took it home.

Part of the reason I’ve chosen teams in the past is because they’re Angelenos. Not that it’s bad to play favorites, considering those crews are the only ones that make it to the end, but I wondered if other people felt the same way.

Some of my fellow CSUN students agreed that they enjoyed teams from the Los Angeles area.

CSUN has a pretty close relationship with ABDC and some of the top crews who appeared on seasons one and two.

The connection comes primarily from the hip-hop dance team, FASMODE.

FASMODE has been around for six years and was started by CSUN’s Filipino club, FASA. The name FASMODE is derived from FASA Modern.

This group is one of the most well-known hip-hop groups on campus and have taken some of its members and shown them off on ABDC.

FASMODE Vice President Johnny Thomas, a 19-year-old accounting major, loves what ABDC has done for dancers and said that dancing all together has been a great way to network.

‘For me hip-hop is a giant umbrella,’ Thomas said. ‘I get to know so many people from this area through dance.’

Not only has Thomas seen people he has met make it to the show, he has also watched former FASMODE members make their way onto ABDC.

‘Tiffani (Grant) from Fanny Pack used to be a member of FASMODE,’ said Thomas, who has also met other cast members of season one.

‘I like that I know people on the crews,’ Thomas said. ‘I knew someone from the Jabbawockeez, Fysh ‘amp; Chicks and Fanny Pack.’

For those unaware, Jabbawockeez were the first season winner and Fanny Pack made it to the top three in the second season.

Thomas isn’t the only one who made some connections. In fact, some CSUN students who aren’t involved in dance have acquaintances of their own.

‘When I watched the second season I liked the fact that I knew someone,’ said Jose Fregoso, a 21-year-old CTVA major. ‘I knew Beau (Fournier) from Fanny Pack and I liked their creativity.’

‘Seeing new dance moves is surprising and it’s kind of cool that people are still coming up with new moves to this day,’ Fregoso added.

Even students who don’t personally know any of the dancers on the show have reasons why they watch ABDC.

Kylie Mitchell, an 18-year-old broadcast journalism major loves the way each team used their creativity to master their tasks each week.

‘I loved the different challenges they had,’ Mitchell said. ‘It was crazy how they incorporated it into their dances and still moved to the beat of whatever mix they had.’

Fregoso agrees that the dances are unique, almost like an art.

‘The competition shows another side of creativity in dance choreography,’ Fregoso said.

The originality of the show and the performers is what impressed Thomas the most.

‘I really just liked that the teams had their own style,’ Thomas said.

The show, above all, promotes dance in a positive way.

‘For me dancing is pure entertainment,’ Thomas said. ‘But I like that the show exposes the dance world because it helps people make a name for themselves.’

What he enjoys even more is that people are able to make a living through the popularity of the show.

‘People have the opportunity to make money by teaching classes like that,’ Thomas said.

Tagging along with the show’s popularity, there have been some attempts on the big screen that have had the same effect as the show. Movies like ‘Step Up,’ ‘You Got Served’ and ‘Stomp the Yard,’ have become very popular and even though they can be cheesy, students like Thomas like what they do for the dance world.

‘I think that the ‘Step Up’ movies are most realistic because they took dancers and put them out there,’ Thomas said. ‘I know a couple of people from here that have been called to do some movies and music videos.’

The dance teams have left their imprint on the dance world and now I know why they appeal to CSUN students.

So next season you are going to have to be on the look out because the person sitting next to as you as you read this could be a part of the next America’s Best Dance Crew.

Anaheim – The Mustangs of Cal Poly were too big, too strong and too quick for the Matadors women’s basketball team on Thursday, when their season ended by way of a 74-65 loss in the second round of the Big West Tournament at the Anaheim Convention Center.

‘It was a tough way to go,’ Matadors Head Coach Staci Schulz said.

Schulz was upset the season came to an end, but she was happy it didn’t end sooner.

‘I’m happy the season came to an end in the tournament and in the second round,’ Schulz said. ‘All seasons come to an end and I’m happy it ended like this for my seniors (Tonicia Tademy, Ashley Blake and Whitney Ligon).’

Tademy, Blake and Ligon were Schulz’s leaders and they showed it in the way they played in their final college game.

Ligon and Blake led the team in scoring with 16 and 12 points respectively. Tademy had a game-high six assists.

‘I thank these three players and I love them,’ Sculz said.

‘ The love and pain could be seen in their faces as they stood at the postgame press conference podium, but they had some joy in departing.

‘I never played in a stadium like this,’ said Ligon, who transferred to CSUN last season. ‘It was great to play in a game like this. It was everything I hoped it would be.’

Making the tournament was just as important to the team, especially after a winless conference season last year, Blake said. ‘We had been through a lot last season and it was a big accomplishment,’ she said. ‘It was our goal.’

For nearly eight minutes, the Matadors led the game, showing that they might have had enough to continue their run through the tournament.

With Poly heating up in the last eight minutes of the opening half though, things slowed down for the Matadors ‘ who trailed 41-34 heading into halftime.

The player that got the Mustangs going was Kristina Santiago, who shot a perfect 5-for-5 in the first half.

‘Kristina played an amazing game,’ Mustangs Head Coach Faith Mimnaugh said. ‘I saw the other players looking around like ‘who’s gonna defend her?’ But they couldn’t slow her down.’

Santiago was second in points scored this season in the Big West and she was tied for total points with Ligon at the end of the game. She also had four rebounds.

Mimnaugh said she wished she could have rested Santiago a little bit more, but the way she was performing, there wasn’t much she could do.

‘I know she would like to stay on the court the entire game, but we were hoping to rest her.’ Mimnaugh said. ‘But looking at the stats, it didn’t work that way.’

Santiago has played the Matadors tough in the past, scoring 18 and 16 points respectively in the teams’ regular-season metings, but she didn’t want to take all the credit.

‘This was a big win and it goes to our team play,’ Santiago said. ‘When we were executing, it was awesome.’

The entire game wasn’t awesome with the way the Mustangs started it out, Mimnaugh said.

‘We were struggling in the opening minutes,’ Mimnaugh said. ‘They pressured us and we made some shaky decisions.’

The Mustangs were able to handle the pressure and get back to their game, Mimnaugh said.

The type of game they played was a bit out of the reach of the Matadors, Schulz said.

‘We knew coming back from the half we needed to take care of a couple of things,’ Schulz said. ‘They take off really quick and we weren’t able to get to the top.’

The team was basically a half step behind the Mustangs, Schulz said.

CSUN was more than a half step behind in the second half, trailing by 14 points almost the entire 20 minutes.

With about one minute left, the Matadors finally got close to Cal Poly, drawing within six, the smallest margin ‘ of the entire second half. It wasn’t enough.

The Matadors went seven minutes without a field goal in the second half. The first basket to end the dry spell was courtesy of a layup from freshman center Jasmine Erving with eight minutes left. Erving had 10 points and six rebounds.

The end of the season was reminiscent of the entire season, with the Matadors playing tough, but not being able to close things out in the end.

The 2008-09 Matadors were unable to get to their final goal, but gained the respect of both Mimnaugh and UC Davis Head Coach Sandy Simpson, who were impressed with the way CSUN ended its season: in a blaze.

With new jerseys and a new look, the Matadors women’s basketball team showed the Big West Conference why they deserved the eighth spot in its tournament, beating the fifth-seeded Aggies, 64-56, on Wednesday at the Anaheim Convention Center. CSUN advanced to the quarterfinals and face No. 3 Cal Poly today at noon.

With the new look came a new star in sophomore Analee Viena-Lota, who scored a game-high 21 points.

What went unnoticed, though, was the way in which she disrupted UC Davis in the back court as the Matadors slowed down the Aggies with full-court press defense.

‘Viena-Lota is a big guard,’ said UC Davis point guard Genevieve Costello said of the Matador, who’s actually listed as a forward. ‘She is long and she didn’t really allow us to get the ball back to the inbounder.’

Her performance took the game away from UC Davis.

‘We went with a smaller lineup so that we could make the game ours,’ Matadors Head Coach Staci Schulz said. ‘By pressuring them in the back court, we were able to make them speed up their Princeton offense.’

The Princeton offense, based on running and cutting, takes time to execute. With the defensive pressure, UC Davis could not carry it out effectively.

Slowing down the Aggie offense was one thing, but stopping forward Paige Mintun was a bigger accomplishment.

The 6-foot-2 sophomore was the Aggies’ top scorer and ranked sixth in the Big West in total points.

In the two regular-season match-ups against CSUN, Mintun scored 18 and 25 points. On Wednesday, she had 13 in one half, but went scoreless the rest of the way.

Mintun said the Matadors were aware of her at every moment and didn’t allow her to get the basketball. CSUN forward Katrina Thompson was in charge of defending her. Thompson also had 18 points and six rebounds.

‘We call her ‘train,” Schulz said of Thompson. ‘She was our engine, not the caboose. She is savvy and a smart ball player.’

Thompson gave much of the credit to the team’s extra practice members, who are males.

‘I give big ups to our practice players,’ Thompson said. ‘They really helped us prepare for the game.’

The game’s top rebounder was Northridge point guard Tonicia Tademy. She had seven rebounds as well as seven assists. The Matadors grabbed 40 rebounds in the game compared to Davis’ 37. Even though the margin wasn’t large, it was a sigh of relief. In the teams’ previous meeting, the Aggies had outrebounded Northridge 40-27.

There were a few statistics that seemed unreal ‘- like the rebounding – but what seemed the most unreal was the win itself. CSUN had barely snuck into the tournament with a win on its last regular-season game.

‘The bottom line is a lot of pride goes out to my team,’ Schulz said. ‘We were tenacious and we have prevailed in the last two games.’

UC Davis Head Coach Sandy Simpson didn’t want to use formalities, but said he respected what Northridge was able to do.

‘They have dealt with so much adversity and have been able to assimilate,’ Simpson said. ‘My hat goes off to them and now their season gets to continue.’

In their assimilation, the Matadors were able to score inside the paint more, something they had difficulty with in the teams’ prior meeting.

‘The change wasn’t in what we saw in the film, but what they saw,’ Schulz said. ‘They knew that they needed to get out there to guard us and we were successful when ‘Train’ was able to get the ball at the top of the key.’

In the end, CSUN was able to keep the ball away from Davis and, with a couple of ‘back breaking’ threes, the Matadors pulled off the victory, Schulz said.

And now it’s on to try for a second consecutive upset, against Cal Poly. The Mustangs are another team the Matadors have played close this season. In their last match-up, the Matadors had the game in their hands, but a few mental mistakes gave up the game. CSUN lost 70-60.

With the team’s versatility, the ability to match up well against anyone, the Matadors have a shot at playing three more games in the tournament, Schulz said.