by Becca Risley | Nov 19, 2015 | News Slider, Sports
It was a long-established family motto that sealed the deal for senior volleyball player Brittnay Estes when she made the decision to commit her life to Christ. She was 18-years-old at the time on a two-week mission trip to Brazil with the Lipscomb volleyball team, ministering to a group of children in the Villas. Estes was rooming with the athletic department’s Women’s Spiritual Formation Leader, Shannon O’Brien, who led a conversation of faith with the girls each night before bed. “One night when we were talking, we professed ourselves to Jesus,” Estes said. “I just kept thinking ‘You’re right, Shannon. I want to change the way I’m living.’” A few days after this conversation, the girls passed by a waterfall tucked in the trees of a forest in the Villas. Both Estes and long-time friend and fellow volleyball player Molly Spitznagle ran into the water for their baptisms, performed by Garner Goode. “In my family, butterflies mean angels,” Estes said. “When you see a butterfly, it means an angel is there. I saw so many butterflies that day.” Estes met Spitznagel because of Lipscomb athletics and credits the department for bringing her several other close friends. The A-Sun Player of the Year said that being on the team for last four years has prepared her for life after college as well as in-game situations. “Volleyball is only going to be four years of your life and then you have to go into the real world,” Estes said. “[Coach Brandon] Rosenthal tries to prepare us for real-world situations — how to live our lives off the court, how to conduct...
by Becca Risley | Nov 18, 2015 | Arts and Entertainment, News Slider
With a routine inspired by a retirement center, male social club Sigma Iota Delta (SID) took home first place at the sixth annual StompFest, presented by Kappa Iota Theta Tuesday evening in Collins Auditorium. “Our goal here was just to be the fan-favorite,” SID member and junior Travis Shumard said. “We weren’t trying to win. We just came out and had some fun. It was a big surprise to us because we didn’t think we were going to win.” Junior Luke Countryman was the captain behind SID’s retirement-themed dance routine. He said the idea was supposed to show the hilarious side of old people messing with the workers of retirement homes. “It was a lot of fun. I love dancing and this is something I’ve been wanting to do for awhile,” Countryman said. “The song ‘Hit ‘Dem Folks’ was a dance where the workers had a dance-off with the old members of the home. We just tried to have as much fun with the theme as possible on stage.” Hosted by comedian DJ Pryor, the theme of StompFest was “The Next Level” and many teams choreographed the dances to bring their team’s routine to the next level as well. The stomp team from Phi Beta Sigma at Tennessee State University performed at the beginning of the first and second half of the show. Musician Mic-O also performed after intermission. Female social clubs Pi Delta and Delta Omega took home second and third place, respectively. A panel of judges chose the winner based on the step choreography and theme of each group. “Our guys put in a lot of hard work,” Countryman said. “We wanted to give...
by Becca Risley | Nov 18, 2015 | Galleries
With a routine inspired by a retirement center, male social club Sigma Iota Delta (SID) took home first place at the sixth annual StompFest, presented by Kappa Iota Theta Tuesday evening in Collins Auditorium. Hosted by comedian DJ Pryor, the theme of StompFest was “The Next Level” and many teams choreographed the dances to bring their team’s routine to the next level as well. Photos by Becca Risley « ‹ of 2 ›...
by Becca Risley | Nov 10, 2015 | News Slider
Students know the cheer team as sideline and halftime entertainment during Lipscomb sporting events, but country singer Scotty McCreery knows them as featured dancers in his latest music video for the song Southern Belle. The music video debuted early Monday, but preparation and filming took place months before. McCreery’s production team contacted Lipscomb cheer coaches Pam Pearson and Valery Parham at the beginning of the semester to discuss this opportunity for the team. Filming took place Sept. 27 at Citation Support Soundstage One in Nashville. The video featured Lipscomb cheer, Belmont cheer and Vanderbilt’s band and color guard. “They spent a lot of time filming each team along with a few extra dancers they brought in for specific dance effects,” sophomore Haley Sue Pearson said. “We weren’t sure if our team would make it into the video and we knew they had a lot of editing to do. “We didn’t hear much between the time of filming and the release of the video, so seeing the end product was really exciting.” The university did not allow the team to be filmed in their uniforms, but Rebel Athletic supplied the team with tops and skirts in Lipscomb’s colors. While on set, the team met McCreery after a mishap with one of the sinks in the green room. “It exploded and sent water everywhere,” Pearson said. “Our very gutsy Hailey Hines asked him if he had a hair dryer we could borrow. He rushed to his room and grabbed one for us along with towels. “He also made a point to continually thank us for coming out and how great he thought...
by Becca Risley | Nov 7, 2015 | Arts and Entertainment, News Slider
It isn’t every day that a Hollywood star visits Lipscomb’s campus, but Friday night Into the Woods’ MacKenzie Mauzy did just that. Mauzy played Rapunzel in the latest film adaption of the show alongside Meryl Streep, Chris Pine and Anna Kendrick. Because of a long-standing friendship between Mauzy and Lipscomb’s Contemporary Music program founder Charlie Peacock, he extended an invitation for her to visit campus. “Being close to director Scott Baker, Beki Baker and Dean Mike Fernandez from the [College of Entertainment and the Arts], it seemed only right that I share with them that I know one of the stars of Into The Woods – the real Rapunzel so to speak,” Peacock said. “So I called her and MacKenzie graciously accepted our invitation.” One aspect of the mission of the College of Entertainment and the Arts at Lipscomb is to bring the industry to campus. Mauzy is an award-winning television and film actress. While on campus, Mauzy attended the President’s reception for the play, watched the production from the audience and participated in a discussion with cast and crew following Friday evening’s performance. “It’s very valuable for our students to see someone succeeding in the industry to which they aspire,” Baker said. “Ms. Mauzy has a background in theater and she continues to use her talents working in musicals, film and stage work. “It’s the kind of model we enjoy putting in front of our students.” After Friday’s performance of Into the Woods, Mauzy joined the cast and crew for a Q&A session with the audience. Mauzy discussed the audition process for the film, how it’s opened up several...
