1980_02 The Daily Collegian February 1980

              Page 10-the Dally Collegian-Febraary 1,1980
Inside On
OUTDOORS
^
FITS
by Andy Hoff-
Have you tried cross country skiing"
yet? Cross country, or nordic skiing as
the outdoors people call it, has been
growing in popularity every year,
especially among the college crowd As
an activity, nordic skiing is more easily
learned and is generally less expensive
than its downhill cousin. While down-
hillers wait in |jft Ijnes and weave
through crowded slopes, nordic types
find a ski area wherever snow falls and
there's a place to park their car.
Learning nordic skiing can be accom¬
plished in several ways. Many of the
local sports shops that specialize in ski
equipment also offer fairly inexpensive
or free nordic ski instruction on a weekly
basis. Instruction is also available at
Kings Canyon, Sequoia and -Yosemite
National Parks, as well as at local down¬
hill ski areas.
Many students on campus enjoy
nordic skiing, and for the price of a little
conservation, you could locate a fellow
"snow-freak" and hit the hills together
Equipment can be rented from at
least six different ski rental shops in
the area, so call around to get the best
price Try to get your equipment re¬
served early in the week as most of it is
gone by Friday evening For about ten
dollars, you get skis, poles and shoes
(and hopefully a good fit) If one shop
tries to give you skis or poles that they
say "will work" but they are out of your
size, go someplace else
Where do you go after you have all
this stuff? Well, Tamarack Ridge
above Shaver Lake on Highway 168 is
an excellent place for nordic skiing
(Be sure you stop at Angelo's Bakery in
Shaver Lake for some cinnamon  pull-
apart bread).
Crant Grove in Kings Canyon National
Park is also great for beginners, as is
Yosemite Valley if there is any snow.
There are probably hundreds of places
for nordic skiing, and that's half the fun
of going. Finding your own special trail
with the winter solitude around you is a
great feeling
Remember, winter is a harsh season at
times. Always go with a friend, wear
warm clothing and bring along a change
of clothes for a warm, dry ride home
Any experience in the mountains re¬
quires personal care and a safety-
oriented mind so that a successful trip
results.
So, in a few brief lines, you have all
you will ever need to know about nordic
skiing. (Not really). Look into it for your¬
self and give it a try       outside
Coming Up
-■Today, multi-media show of off-road
vehicles, 1 to 8 p.m. in the upstairs
cafeteria
-Feb 5, free Nordic ski clinic at Herb
Bauers Sporting Goods, 7 pm Call
ahead for reservations
-■Feb 6, Greenpeace "The Whales,
uie Sea and the Environment," College
Union, 8 p.m.
-■Feb 10, Outdoor Adventure Club
meeting, 7 p.m., Business Bldg 148
Organizational meeting and program
Call me at 487-1077 for more informa¬
tion
continued from page 7
turn causes the vertebrae in the lower
back region to be slightly displaced as
the normal curve is increased (sway.
back)
The back extensors shorten or become
too strong, compounding the problem of
vertebrae being compressed and articu¬
lar surfaces pressing against each other.
The resulting ache in the low back area
can become .debilitating; however, a
few exercises performed regularly can
alleviate the discomfort and pelvic tilt.
To strengthen weak abdominals, lie
on the back and bend the knees, placing
the feet on the floor. Avoid anchoring the
feet, and simply raise the head to look
between the legs. When this can be done
10 to 15 times, place the hands on the
shoulders and curl up just enough  to
bring the shoulders off the floor When
this can be done 15 times, try twisting
the trunk to the left, then to the right
before lowering the shoulders to the
floor.
During the day, w.hen sitting or walk¬
ing, tighten the abdominal area, trying
to flatten the lower part of the abdomen
This builds awareness and helps to
maintain good muscle tone
To stretch the low back extensors, lie
on the back, and bring the knees to the
chest. Rock forward and back in a tucked
position until the low back area is
relaxed so that as you roll over the area
there is no sensation of its being flat
To stretch the hamstrings, sit on a
table or counter top. With one leg ex¬
tended along the counter, -the other on
the floor, lean forward toward the leg on
the table and slowly allow the torso to
come as close to the thigh as possible
continued on page 15
ODDITIES
Outside the Mainstream of Boohsj Records
Andy Hoff is in his fourth- year as a
lecturer in the Recreation Administra¬
tion Program at CSUF He teaches out¬
door recreation, park planning, and
administration of leisure services He
holds B A and MA. degrees from
CSUF.
Uncfe Dave Macon
RBF
by Michael Fitigerald
At the turn of the century there lived a
man who earned his living by driving
mule teams that hauled goods between
Murfreesboro and Woodbury, Tennes¬
see
His name was Dave Macon. Macon
was a good banjo player and a boisterous
performer, much in demand as an enter¬
tainer at the parties thrown in his area
At one of these parties, when he was
already 48 years old, Macon was spotted
by an agent for Loews Theatre The
agent booked Macon at Loew's, and
Macon became a popular performer in
Fresno State wrertlei- Dale Christenson is manhandled in his Satu; Jay. The match, which will feature a nationally ranked
first contest as a Bulldog by a Futterton opponent. The Univer- Bruin in the heavyweight division and an overall strong UCLA
sity of Callfotnn. at Los Angeles will invade the men's gym this   team, starts at 7:30 p.m. photo by j im Kenney
central Tennessee
When Nashville's WSM radio station
started up, Macon became its first star
Rural Tennesseeans came from miles
around to watch him through the stu¬
dio's window.
The studio grew into a place that
seated 500 people and WSM's program
became known as "The Crand^Ole
Opry." It literally grew up around uncle
Dave and he was its most colorful per¬
former. When he played the banjo, he
kicked and stomped and laughed »He
even got up and danced around
This style did not endear him to the
engineers who had to record the songs
that were collected on the album Uncle
Dave Macon, He was nothing but aggra¬
vation to them. Sound levels on early
recording equipment had to be watched
carefully because they could be over-
modulated and permanently damage the
equipment
Into these delicate machines, Macon
juried salvos of explosive banjo, shrill
infectious laughter, canine howling, and
billygoat bleating You can imagine
wincing engineers bracing their sen¬
sitive equipment and cursing Uncle
Dave as his songs sent their needles
reeling into the red with his unrestrained
country enthusiasm
The album was re-recorded from
original master recordings so it sounds
better than those albums of root Amer¬
ican music that are re-mastered from old
78s The sound quality, however, is
still far below the clear stereo sound that
we are used to today Uncle Dave's
banjo sounds tinny and his voice seemes
muted.
But the essential Dave Macon comes
through. Listening to authentic Ameri¬
can fold songs like Jordan is a Hard Road
to Travel or The Cir! Who Cot Stuck on
Everything She Saw is like drinking
mountain water -- it makes you feel clean
inside.
Uncle Dave Macon has a poor quality
sound, but it's not that bad. and it's
one of those rare albums that captures
the ineffable nature of the American
country man And it radiates with the
caw, wild joy of life You can't help but
to feel it
As Uncle Dave would say hot'dog'
>
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