HANDS ARE NOT INVOKED
MANUAL
in the life of ... // A VINTAGE STORE OWNER living vicariously through others is ok with us.
In her blue and white tie-dyed t-shirt, large, silver hoop-like earrings and black leather sandals — all adorning peace signs — Martha Pierce looks right at home among her wares at her store downtown, Vintage Van.
Looking at Pierce, it's hard to believe that by day she works as a nurse in the Topeka school district and at Watkins Memorial Health Center during flu season.
Photo by Francecsa Chambers
But seven years ago, nursing was all Pierce did. Then her daughter started competing as a model and needed vintage clothes for many of her competitions. Now, Pierce owns one of the only classic vintage clothing stores in the state that sells garments from a variety of time periods.
Although Pierce does own a van, her store Vintage Van is located at 840 Massachusetts St. — not in her vehicle, which Pierce says is a common misunderstanding.
Pierce says listening to her older customers tell stories about the garbs they wore during their youth keeps her entertained, as does creating
Vintage chic. Martha piece owns the vintage clothing store Vintage Van, located at 840 Massachusetts St.
outfits for local fashion shows. On Oct. 3 she'll compete in a zombie-themed show at The Replay Lounge, 946 Massachusetts St., with a piece she's been eager to try out — zombie vintage lingerie.
// FRANCESCA CHAMBERS
get some culture // PLAY TENNIS
it's not all about fast food and beer pong.
College is a little late to learn to play tennis if you dream of playing in the U.S. Open. But instead of watching the pros this week, grab a friend and head out to the courts!
In the past, tennis was seen by many as an elitist sport played only by card-carrying members of the local country club. Today, it's the fastest growing sport in the U.S. The Sporting Goods Manufactures Association says that last year alone, participation in the sport grew by 9.6 percent nationwide.
Photo by Francecsa Chambers
What's all the racket? Tennis is currently the fastest growing sport in the United States.
Rackets cost as little as $25 and a package of balls costs about $3.
Once you have the necessities, you can either play for free on the University's courts.
Scott Elwell, manager of First Serve Tennis, 5200 Clinton Pkwy., says the main goal when learning to play tennis is simply to keep the ball going back and forth over the net.
"Most anyone can do that right off the bat," he says.
But if you decide to take tennis to the next level, the city and First Serve offer private lessons for $15 to $30 an hour, or you can join the University's tennis club to play with other college students at First Serve for a reduced price.
Mena Sanchez, 2009 graduate and tennis instructor, says the idea of starting the sport may be daunting, but that she enjoys playing because winning is based on individual ability, not the performance of a team of people.
"You definitely surprise yourself with how good you are or can be," she says.
// FRANCESCA CHAMBERS
essential life skills // DRIVING A STICK SHIFT in case of emergency, read quickly.
Let's admit it. There's something cool about driving a stick shift. It's the only way to have complete control over your car — to be a real driver.
Photo by Patrick De Oliveira
Plus, according to Claudia Freaney, an Overland Park senior who has been driving a stick shift for the last year, you never know when you'll have to get behind the wheel of a car with a manual transmission.
Get in gear: Driving a manual transmission allows you to have complete control over your car. Plus, it looks really cool.
The secret to driving a stick
shift is figuring out the clutch's sweet spot.
To locate the sweet spot, make sure the car is in neutral before starting it, press the clutch down and turn the keys. Then, while holding the clutch down, shift to first.
Now comes the tricky part: Slowly start releasing the clutch until the car begins to move, once that happens start giving it some gas (remember to keep releasing the clutch). This point where the car starts moving is the sweet spot, and if you don't balance the gas with releasing the clutch your car will start bucking and die. It's a delicate process, and
perhaps the best way to explain it is through my dad's somewhat sexist analogy: "Handle it as you would handle a woman."
Once you've gotten a hold of this process, shifting to higher gears is simple. It's the same "release gas pedal, step on clutch, shift gears, start releasing clutch, give gas, finish releasing clutch" process.
"And don't wear sandals," Freaney says.
// PATRICK DE OLIVEIRA
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