THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2013
PAGE 3A
CAMPUS
Twirler wins national championship for KU
JENNA JAKOWATZ
jjakowatz@kansan.com
Shannon Livengood, a sophomore from Clay Center, will step on to Memorial Stadium's field this fall to perform as the 2013 national collegiate champion in baton twirl-
"I am currently the only twirler at KU. I twirl at every football game and pregame with the Marching Jayhawks," Livengood said. "I've also twirled
Livengood
Guest baton twirler Shannon Livinggood performs along side the Marching Jayhawks before the start of a football game.
HANNAH WISE/KANSAN
at women's soccer games, women's basketball games, and at halftime for a men's basketball game in January."
On Feb. 3, Livengood won the U.S. Intercollegiate and National High School Baton Twirling Championship held in Liberty, Mo. Out of five events, Livengood took first place in Collegiate Freestyle and 2-Baton, second place in Collegiate Solo, and third place in Collegiate Fight Song and 3-Baton. Her score totals in the five events added up to give her an overall first place finish.
"It's a great achievement." Livengood said. "I competed last year and got third. Winning overall as a sophomore is amazing, and representing KU is a great feeling."
Livengood has been twirling since she was 4 years old and has
been with her coach Koralea Slagle since she was 5 or 6 years old.
"She is always messing with the baton," Slagle said of Livengood. "This was a great win for her because usually she does much better with a large crowd. This was special because she did really well in all of her events."
Livengood represented the University in competition, with some of her championship points coming from her performance in the Collegiate Fight Song category, during which she twirls to the University's fight song.
Livengood, the NCABT (National Coalition for the Advancement of Baton Twirling), and twirlers around the country are trying to get baton twirling recognized as a collegiate sport.
Although Livengood is a member of the Marching Jayhawks, she competed with no financial support from the University.
"She was representing KU, but was not financially supported by KU." Slagle said.
Dr. Matthew Smith, Director of the Marching Jayhawks, believes that Livengood's national championship gives the Marching Jayhawks the recognition it deserves and will attract more performers in the years to come.
"Her national championship helps to ensure that future twirlers recognize that KU is a great place to feature their talents, and gives us a sense of pride in her accomplishments," Smith said.
Smith also said that Livengood is a vital part of every Marching Jayhawks performance.
"Shannon serves an important role in the visual component of the band," Smith said. "Along with our color guard, she helps to present the pageantry and tradition of a large university marching band. A twirler must connect with the
crowd, from the first row of seats to the last, and I believe that Shannon has a unique gift for that."
Livengood's parents, Jeff and Betty Livengood, were not able to watch their daughter perform but were ecstatic to hear the good news.
"Every time she performs, my heart melts. I cried when I heard she won; I was so excited for her,"
Livengood plans to continue twirling for the University for the next two years and hopes to eventually start her own teaching program and studio for future twirlers.
Betty Livengood said "She really loves KU and she's really enjoyed representing the University."
Edited by Megan Hinman
The town of Verona, Italy receives about 1,000 Valentine's letters and cards each year addressed to Shakespeare's Juliet.
POLICE REPORTS
- A 25-year-old male was arrested yesterday on the 4300 block of 24th Street under suspicion of urinating or defecating in public. A $100 bond was paid.
- A 26-year-old female was arrested yesterday on the 1300 block of 6th Street under suspicion of operating a vehicle under the influence. A $500 bond was paid.
- A 22-year-old female, a 22-year-old male, a 25-yearold female, a 24-year-old male and an 18-year-old male were arrested Tuesday on the 1400 block of Westbrooke under suspicion of soliciting without a license. A $100 bond was paid for each.
- A 26-year-old male was arrested Tuesday on the 3600 block of 25th Street under suspicion of driving while intoxicated. A $500 bond was paid.
Emily Donovan
Fake zombie messages on various alert systems cause unease for police
DETROIT — Warnings about the zombie apocalypse may seem pretty amusing, but officials say they're dead serious about figuring out who hacked into the nation's public warning system to broadcast such messages in a handful of states.
So far, people in California, Michigan.
Montana and New Mexico have heard the warnings about attacking zombies that have been sent over the Emergency Alert System.
"Local authorities in your area have reported the bodies of the dead are rising from their graves and attacking the living," the message warned. "Do not attempt to approach or apprehend these bodies as they are considered extremely dangerous."
The subject matter may be humorous.
but Greg MacDonald with the Montana Broadcasters Association said the consequences of such attacks on the alert system could be severe.
"This looks like somebody being a prankster, but maybe it's somebody testing just to see if they could do this, to do some real damage," MacDonald said. "Suddenly you create a panic and people are fleeing somewhere and you end up with traffic jams and accidents and who knows what."
The U.S. recently replaced its old telephone-based alert system with a web-based one. The Federal Communications Commission sent an urgent advisory Tuesday urging stations to reset their alert system passwords, disconnect their Internet connections and take other steps to make sure the equipment is protected from outside attack.
In Michigan, hackers broke into the system with audio or text messages at two stations on Monday. Michigan Association of Broadcasters President Karole White said the breach appeared to be related to default passwords that the stations hadn't changed. The U.S. recently replaced its old telephone-based alert system with a web-based one.
The FCC on Tuesday asked stations to check their equipment to make sure no further unauthorized alerts were queued up for future transmission, according to a copy of the advisory provided by the Montana Broadcasters Association.
No one has been arrested in connection with the hacking incidents.
Other attempts to access to emergency systems in recent days were thwarted by updated passwords, said Edward Czarnecki with Kentucky-based Monroe Electronics, which manufacturers the alert equipment used by most television and cable companies.
Associated Press