Miguel Hof uses past skills to influence future as Bison goalkeeper

Freshman Miguel Hof started playing as the goalkeeper for Lipscomb’s soccer team in the fall of 2012 largely because a video caught the attention of coach Charles Morrow. The video, revealing Hof’s soccer skills, traveled from Cape Town, South Africa, to the United States. “What we saw in the video: number one,  he controlled his box really well,” said  Morrow, speaking of the area around the goal. Hof soon followed after a phone call from Morrow. “[Morrow] gave me a call and he asked me if I wanted to come play for Lipscomb in the States,” said Hof. That call would change the soccer player’s future. Hof was 5 when he started playing soccer. In Cape Town, kids usually spend their free time outdoors playing sports, with soccer being among the most popular choices. Hof began his soccer career as left wing, but it didn’t take long for serendipity and his coach’s intervention to change his position. He soon discovered his great passion was to defend the goal. “They needed a keeper, so the coach decided to put me in the goal, and that worked out pretty good,” Hof said. Since that moment, Hof took ownership of the goal. After being selected to be part of the team at Lipscomb, the goalkeeper moved from his hometown in South Africa to pursue a degree in business while refining his game. Being away from home might not be easy for Hof and his family, but he keeps focused on the positive side. He said it is not only good for him to be here because of the soccer experience, but also for the life experience. “I don’t think...

Predators College Night stands as can’t-miss event for students

There is no shortage of Preds fans on Lipscomb’s campus, and Nashville Predators’ Taco Bell College Night has made it possible for them to visit Smashville for games at a decent price. Engineering student and hockey enthusiast David Wedekind is one who relishes the opportunity of the reduced-price tickets for college students. ”I enjoy Predators College Night because it is so nice to get together with your college buddies and take a break from school and head downtown to watch the Predators play some hockey,” Wedekind said. Wedekind has been at every College Night this season. “Being on a college budget can sometimes be hard to go to a lot of the games throughout the season, but with College Night, it is affordable for students, and you get to see some great match ups,” Wedekind said. Of course, he’s not alone among the hockey faithful at the university who head to Bridgestone Arena for College Night. Every Thursday home game, college students can receive tickets for as low as $15 (with a college ID) to watch the team that right now is ranked fourth in the Western Conference. College Night features upper level tickets for $15 and lower level tickets for $30. Lipscomb junior Michael Fox says that even for the experienced fan, there’s a lot to desire about College Night. “I’m originally from Nashville, and I’ve been to many Preds games, both College Nights and regular nights, and College Nights are one of the best for the price,” Fox said. “And, you can’t argue it is also one of the best date options in town.” With only four...

Walk Off The Earth’s Mike Taylor and Ryan Marshall talk covers, new album

Walk Off The Earth, the headliners of Tuesday’s SGA spring concert, sent Mike Taylor and Ryan Marshall Lumination’s way after the show to talk about their new album R.E.V.O. (out March 19), the process of recording a cover song and where the YouTube celebrities might be found next. While both are known for their versatile roles in the group (not limited to trumpet),  Taylor can be seen behind the keyboard, and Marshall is usually up front on vocals and guitar. The band’s big break came when their cover of Gotye’s chart-topping hit “Somebody That I Used To Know” (featuring the huge guitar) received over a hundred million views on YouTube. The group has been performing with the ‘multiple people – one guitar’ angle for around six years, and the novel technique helps give the band a unique identity. “Multiple people on one instrument has always been a part of this band, and so, every time we do a video, we want to try and bring our live show into the video, and same thing with the live show. We try and bring YouTube to the stage,” Marshall said. The style and inspiration to cover the Gotye hit sent the band skyrocketing to internet fame. “So, all of those together gave us this idea of ‘let’s get as many people on one guitar as we can’, and the timing with the Gotye song was just a fluke,” Marshall said. “It was a great tune, and not too many people had heard it in North America, and we loved it.” “It was a perfect storm,” Taylor added. Cover songs are one of the...

Newly elected Pope Francis is first from Americas

Jorge Bergoglio of Argentina has been elected pope, placing him as the spiritual leader to more than 1.2 billion Roman Catholic followers. Bergoglio — who chose the name Pope Francis — is the first pope to be born in the Americas. The 266th pope is regarded as a modern pope, being non-Italian, non-European and born in South America. As the long-time archbishop of Buenos Aires, Bergoglio has been regarded by Argentinians as humble, with good reason. As a cardinal, he chose to live in a small apartment rather than a more luxurious residence, chose to take public transportation instead of a limousine and he cooked his own meals. That humility and his dedication to helping people in need and the disenfranchised  poverty is likely why he chose the name “Francis,” after St. Francis of Assisi, who also chose a humble life, serving the poor and forgotten, according to Vatican onlookers. After more than two days of tallying votes, white smoke rose from the temporary chimney atop the Sistine Chapel on Wednesday evening at the Vatican, signaling the end to the search for a new pope. The chimney was installed to allow the results of the papal conclave — the collection of all the cardinals from around the world — to be reported to onlookers.   By tradition, black smoke signals a decision has not been made, the white smoke comes after the pope is selected. It took five votes by the cardinals to choose the new pope. Newly elected Pope Francis appeared on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica to greet the crowd gathered at St. Peter’s Square. The crowd could be heard chanting “Viva il Papa” or “Long live the Pope.” Pope...

CMT looking for live studio audience for “CMT Hot 20 Countdown”

Calling all country music fans.  There is a new country music countdown in town, and you can be a part of the live studio audience “CMT Hot 20 Countdown” is taped in front a live audience at the Nashville Visitor Center & Marketplace at the Music City Tower (inside Bridgestone Arena). Fan participation is a big part of the show, and college students are encouraged to attend the live-tapings. CMT favorites Cody Alan, Alecia Davis and Katie Cook will count down the 20 biggest country music videos in the nation. Fans will be able to interact with hosts Alan, Davis and Cook through social media integration on Twitter using the hashtag “#CMTHot20”, Facebook and Instagram. The weekly countdown also features news stories, debuts of hot new music videos, in-studio performances and interviews from country’s biggest and newest artists. If you’re interested in becoming part of the live, studio audience, email audience@cmt.com for details. Upcoming show tapings: Tuesday, March 19, 2013 Tuesday, April 16, 2013 Tuesday, April 30, 2013 Tuesday, May 14, 2013 Tuesday, May 28, 2013 Tuesday, June 11, 2013 Tuesday, June 25, 2013 Tuesday, July 9. 2013 Tuesday, July 23, 2013 Tuesday, August 6, 2013 Tuesday, August 20, 2013 Tuesday, September 3, 2013 Tuesday, September 17, 2013 Tuesday, October 1, 2013 Tuesday, October 15, 2013 Tuesday, October 29, 2013 (All dates subject to...