The Okan Gölge Story (Final)

“A lot of AD’s complaint about the way you celebrate your goals. They think it’s disrespectful and not acceptable”.

That’s what Tim Jäger, former Athletic Director of Morningside said to Okan Gölge on first reference after he celebrated yet another goal for the Morningside Mustangs with “the fish”. He established that celebration in the early stages of his soccer career and what started as a joke, is by now almost iconic. On behalf of the AD, Okan stopped making “the fish” but kept scoring goals and broke by now almost every Morningside record. 

The son of Umit and Ayhan Gölge was born on May 9th, 1999, in Cologne, Germany. After going through the whole school system in Germany and graduating with the best possible degree, he took a so called “gap-year”. Okan used that year off to focus on soccer and his recruiting process for American Colleges. Long story short, he committed to Morningside and joined Tom Maxon’s squad in 2018. 

After a really successful freshman season with being second place in the GPAC and making nationals for the first time in Morningside history, the team was facing a massive change. The mustangs lost several starters including five seniors who graduated, team captain Julius Fassbinder and Luke Muhlbauer, who also transferred to different college. Tom Maxon basically lost his whole defense. “We tried to recruit good defensive players but recruiting overseas is never a guarantee. Luckily, we got some really great players for the new season,” said Tom Maxon.

The next season started with high expectations and a little bit of uncertainty if the new players can compensate the loses of key players. After a strong pre-season, the Mustangs started the season with a 7-0 winning streak. Okan scored every game and had a massive impact on the success of Tom Maxon’s squad. “We knew that we have a really talented group with Okan and some other guys but we still had to give our best on the field every single game. The GPAC is very competitive and there are no easy games,” said Tom Maxon.

 The train kept rolling and so did Okan’s scoring streak. The mustangs finished the 2019 regular season strong and secured the GPAC title against city rival Briar Cliff in a dramatic game. After conceding an early goal, Okan got sent off with a red card for tackling a Briar Cliff player from the behind. “I know it was stupid and I let my team down, but I was really frustrated about how we played in the beginning of the game. In that situation, I just lost my head,” said Okan Gölge in an Interview for a YouTube documentary. Even though the odds were against Morningside, the team fought back and turned the game around. 

For Morningside, it was the first GPAC win in their history. The following week, the GPAC announced the individual awards for the best players and Okan was named Offensive Player of The Year. The German forward even made an appearance in the NAIA team of the year. The Mustangs ended the successful season by losing in the first round of nationals to Oklahoma Wesleyan. The striker finished his season with 21 Goals and 8 assists. “The numbers are just impressive, especially when you consider the small number of games that he had,” says his friend and teammate Tobias Sadler.

After winning the GPAC the previous season, the expectations on the team and on Okan grew even more. The role of the Mustangs had changed and so did Okans, but the new captain knew how to deal with it. The season started and the wins followed. With games being postponed and players being in quarantine, it wasn’t always easy but the team kept going. The Mustangs led by Okan played a great regular season and the GPAC was yet again decided between Morningside and their blue rival from the other end of town. The game ended 1:1 and of course it was Okan who scored the equalizer.

 It was not only the equalizer, but also the goal that secured the back to back Championship for Tom Maxon and his squad. “Okan is a really selfless guy and he would never take all the credit for the success of the team” said Bjarne Huth who is his room- and teammate.

Okan ended up scoring a total of 21 goals in 13 games with Northwestern being the only team, he didn’t score against.

The striker with Turkish roots was the key player for the Mustangs and he carried the team all the way to the GPAC title. “He had an awesome season and there is always a chance that a scout recognizes he talent”, says Tom Maxon. 

The Mass COMM major aspires to be a Sports Journalist in the future, but of course, that is only his second choice of profession. Growing up, Okan always wanted to become a professional career and coming to Morningside brought him a step closer. His stats are impressive, and they will for sure not stay unnoticed. There are rumors that Scouts of MLS teams watched the game against Briar Cliff. 

Okan is already 21-years-old but the dream of becoming a pro is still alive.

“His work ethic, special awareness and athleticism makes him the perfect striker” says Bjarne. “In the role he takes for our team, he reminds me a little bit of Ronaldo. The leadership abilities and his potential to carry the team are just incredible.” 

The Mustangs will start the second part of their season in March 2021 and that will bring Okan a step closer to achieve his goal. 

“Living with him is really nice. We basically just hang out and talk a lot. I occasionally cut his hair but other than that, we are not doing much.” 

The forward really takes care of himself and part of that is a fresh haircut every other week. “The old barber left town before the semester and so we were forced to find a solution. One day, me and Okan went to Walmart and just bought some clippers. That’s basically how it started”, laughs Bjarne. 

If Okan is not on the field, in class or in his room, he spends time with his better half. “Mainly we watch Survivor. We also go out a lot to get food”, says Kenzie Homan who is Okan’s girlfriend and also a soccer player.  

“Playing the same sport is nice because he can help me to improve, but sometimes it also a little bit annoying because he rates all my performances.” 

Kenzie is part of the women’s soccer team and that was also the reason they met in the first place. With Tom Maxon as a coach for women and men, both teams have a strong bond and spend a lot of hours together. “He liked me first and I felt really comfortable around him”, smiles Kenzie. “I’m pretty sure we went out for dinner on our first date. I was really nervous, but it was fun.”

The two are dating for over two years now and they already have plans for the future. “We eventually want to live in Chicago. I want to become a physical therapist and he a sports journalist or a professional soccer player”, says Kenzie. “It doesn’t really matter where we are as long as we have each other.” 

Okan and Kenzie are from two different countries which makes a relationship not always easy but they use their breaks to visit each other whenever they can. “My favorite memory was when we were in Paris in front of the Eiffel Tower,” says Kenzie happy. 

The ambitious athlete seems like a really interesting guy who has a lot of great things ahead of him. Okan is a really talented soccer player and a great athlete but it’s his personality that makes him so important for the team and Tom Maxon. 

Article #4 Draft

The Okan Gölge Story

“A lot of AD’s complaint about the way you celebrate your goals. They think it’s disrespectful and not acceptable”. That’s what Tim Jäger, former Athletic Director of Morningside said to Okan after he celebrated yet another goal for the Morningside Mustangs with “the fish”. He established that celebration in the early stages of his soccer career and what started as a joke, is by now almost iconic. On behalf of the AD, Okan stopped making “the fish” but kept scoring goals and broke by now almost every Morningside record. 

The son of ümit and Ayhan Gölge was born on May 9th, 1999, in Cologne, Germany. After going through the whole school system in Germany and graduating with the best possible degree, he took a so called “gap-year”. Okan used that year off to focus on soccer and his recruiting process for American Colleges. Long story short, he committed to Morningside and joined Tom Maxon’s squad in 2018. 

After a really successful freshman season with being second in the GPAC and making nationals for the first time in Morningside history, the team was facing a massive change. The mustangs lost several starters including team captain Julius Fassbinder. 

The next season started with high expectations and a little bit of uncertainty if the new players can compensate the loses of key players. After a strong pre-season, the Mustangs started the season with a 7-0 winning streak. Okan scored every game and had a massive impact on the success of Tom Maxon’s squad. The train kept rolling and so did Okan’s scoring streak. The mustangs finished the regular season strong and secured the GPAC title against city rival Briar Cliff in a dramatic game. After conceding an early goal, Okan got sent off with a red card for tackling a Briar Cliff player from the behind. Even though the odds were against Morningside, the team fought back and turned the game around. For Morningside, it was the first GPAC win in their history. The following week, the GPAC announced the individual awards for the best players and Okan was named Offensive Player of The Year. The German forward even made an appearance in the NAIA team of the year. The Mustangs ended the successful season by losing in the first round of nationals to Oklahoma Wesleyan. The striker finished his season with impressive 21 Goals and 8 assists.

After winning the GPAC the previous season, the expectations on the team and on Okan grew even more. The role of the Mustangs had changed and so did Okan’s but the new captain knew how to deal with it. The season started and the wins followed. With games being postponed and players being in quarantine, it wasn’t always easy but the team kept going. The Mustangs leaded by Okan played a great regular season and the GPAC was yet again decided between Morningside and their blue rival from the other end of town. The game ended 1:1 and of course it was Okan who scored the equalizer. It was not only the equalizer, but also the goal that secured the back to back Championship for Tom Maxon and his squad. The striker ended up scoring a total of 21 goals in 13 games with Northwestern being the only team, he didn’t score against. 

The striker with Turkish roots was the key player for the Mustangs and he carried the team all the way to the GPAC title. “Okan is a really selfless guy and he would never take all the credit for the success of the team” said Bjarne Huth who is his room- and teammate. “Living with him is really nice. We basically just hang out and talk a lot. I occasionally cut his hair but other than that, we are not doing much.” 

The forward really takes care of himself and part of that is a fresh haircut every other week. “The old barber left town before the semester and so we were forced to find a solution. One day, me and Okan went to Walmart and just bought some clippers. That’s basically how it started”, laughs Bjarne.  

The Mass COMM major aspires to be a Sports Journalist in the future. Of course, that is only his second choice of profession. Growing up, Okan always wanted to become a professional career and coming to Morningside brought him a step closer. His stats are impressive, and they will for sure not stay unnoticed. There are rumors that Scouts of MLS teams already watched the game against Briar Cliff. “There is always a chance that a scout recognizes he talent”, says Tom Maxon. 

Okan is already 21-years-old but the dream of becoming a pro is still alive.

“His work ethic, special awareness and athleticism makes him the perfect striker” says Bjarne. “In the role he takes for our team, he reminds me a little bit of Ronaldo. The leadership abilities and his potential to carry the team are just incredible.” 

If Okan is not on the field, in class or in his room, he spends time with his better half. “Mainly we watch Survivor. We also go out a lot to get food”, says Kenzie Homan who is Okan’s girlfriend.  

“Playing the same sport is nice because he can help me to improve, but sometimes it also a little bit annoying because he rates all my performances.”

Kenzie is part of the women’s soccer team and that was also the reason they met in the first place. With Tom Maxon as a coach for women and men, the both teams have a strong bond and spend a lot of hours together. “He liked me first and I felt really comfortable around him”, smiles Kenzie. “I’m pretty sure we went out for dinner on our first date. I was really nervous, but it was fun.”

The two are dating for over two years now and they already have plans for the future. “We eventually want to live in Chicago. I want to become a physical therapist and he a sports journalist or a professional soccer player”, says Kenzie. “It doesn’t really matter where we are as long as have each other.” 

Okan and Kenzie are from two different countries which makes a relationship not always easy but they use their breaks to visit each other whenever they can. “My favorite memory was when we were in Paris in front of the Eiffel Tower.”

The ambitious athlete seems like a really interesting guy who has a lot of great things ahead of him. Okan is a really talented soccer player and great athlete but it’s his personality that makes him so important for the team. 

News Comment #14

Noah Aniser

New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/23/sports/ncaafootball/noah-bodden-grambling-state.html?action=click&module=Features&pgtype=Homepage

A Quarterback With N.F.L. Potential Pledges to an H.B.C.U., Joining a Trend

The article is about Noah Bodden who is senior at Christ the King High school and one of the most promising quarterbacks in the United States. The author uses him to explain a trend that is currently changing college sports and their recruiting. More and more players like Bodden, who have N.F.L. potential and who are African American choose to play for H.B.C.U.s instead of playing for the best football universities in the country. 

Noah Bodden decided to go to Grambling State University, which is a historically black college in rural Louisiana. They have a rich history in football but just not the means to compete with major football powerhouses like LSU. 

“I want to be a trendsetter” said Bodden in an interview with the New York Times last month. 

After talking about Bodden’s decision the author mentions all the advantages that H.B.C.U. colleges will receive from recruiting players like Bodden. 

People might think that going to colleges like Grambling lowers the chance to get drafted but there are special committees sponsored by the N.F.L. that guarantee H.B.C.U. players to get a fair consideration in the annual draft. 

Since the police shooting of Jacob Blake and the murder of George Floyd, professionals all over the world protested for equality. Bodden resisted to go to a predominantly white college because he wants to strengthen the black community. He didn’t fear to get treated poorly or different at these schools because he would be a star athlete. It’s more about how the schools treat black people that are not star quarterbacks. 

The author says that all of the schools value the talent of the athlete but not their humanity. 

By committing to Grambling State University, Bodden wants to force a change. 

I think that the article is really interesting because the author uses an example of a popular athlete to talk about a serious issue. The article is well written, and the information is also structured really good. All the necessary information is at the top and if people want to know more about the topic, they can continue reading. 

Overall, I think it’s a good article and more people should read it. 

News Release

Press Release from November 19, 2020

Zoo Saddened to Announce Death of Oldest Polar Bear

Zoo Midland is deeply saddened to announce another tragic death. After the deaths of bobcat Regina and giraffe Kenya in the last two weeks, 16-year-old polar bear Homer is the next victim in a series of unfortunate accidents.  

Polar bear Homer died an hour after his feeding around 7am in the morning. Sara N. Getty, the zookeeper who found him floating in the pool of the polar bear exhibit said, “Homer was a very curious and playful polar bear and we will miss him terribly.”

Polar bears like Homer have thrived at the zoo since 1985. The unique exhibit of the zoo, allows the bears to engage in natural behaviors, play in manufactured snow or hunt trout in the chilled pool. Homer was an ambassador for his wild relatives, educating zoo visitors about their threatened existence.

“We will do everything in our power to determine how this bear died,” said Chris P. Bacon, zoo director. “Animal welfare and the preservation of species are our primary goals here at the zoo.”

The two other 9 and 10-year-old polar bears Yukon and McKenzie, were removed from their exhibit and are now being monitored by veterinary staff. The zoo is very positive to welcome back the two polar bears real soon.

Contact Information:

Noah Aniser

@nva001@gmail.com

News Comment #13

Noah Aniser

GQ Magazine: https://www.gq.com/story/the-life-of-supreme-skater-sean-pablo

The Life of Sean Pablo

The article is a profile story on Sean Pablo who is a professional skateboarder. He is 23 years old and lives a really impressive life. Sean is the heartthrob of Supremes’ skate team and he also rides for Jason Dill’s skate brand. Supreme is one of the biggest and most successful street brands and makes Sean travel to world for new skate videos. His hometown is New York city even though he isn’t really home much. 

The author talks about Sean Pablo because he is the face of a new generation of professional skateboarders. Skaters like Dill and Mark Gonzales were already popular and had a pretty nice career back in the 90’s but no one would have thought, that Skaters could reach such a level of fame. People are not just copying their looks and tricks with the skate board, they copy them as a person. They want to be him and that means for some to get the same tattoos or haircut. Being seen as such a role model even outside of the skater scene, comes with a lot pressure. 

After talking a lot about Sean Pablo’s current career and success, the author mentions his background and what made him to the men he is right now. That includes information about education, his family and the faith he was raised in. 

To conclude the article, the author talks about Sean Pablo’s motivation and his goals for the future. He is not only driven by skating, even more by other stuff that he still wants to do, like music or movies. 

I think the profile is really good because it gives current and background information. It goes deep into the person but not in a boring way. The author also does a good job in describing who Sean Pablo really is and why there is such a big hype around his persona. The headline suites a profile story and makes me want to know more about it.

I think the profile story is news because he is a really famous public figure and people want to know who actually is behind Sean Pablo.

Overall, the profile is good, and I enjoyed reading it. 

The Optimist Brandyn Clair

Tragic accident ends title ambitions.

In his junior year of high school, Brandyn had a really good class including his best friend and star running back Ethan. The team was expected to compete for the state championship this year until the tragic accident changed everything.

Star running back Ethan died in a car accident and with him did the hopes of the team to finally compete for a state championship again.

The school, his own team mates and basically everybody else stopped believing in them but not Brandyn. He kept fighting and did everything possible to make the best out of their situation. Positive thoughts and an optimistic mindset kept the grind going.

Brandyn said “Even though no one believed in us, we ended up doing better than everybody thought we would.”

Losing your best friend is something tragic, something that can seriously take you and people around you down but Brandyn knew that being optimistic is not a choice, it is a necessity. His positive energy helped him and his teammates to recover and to keep going with their lives.

As Nicholas M. Butler said: “Optimism is essential to achievement and it is also the foundation of courage and true progress.”

News Comment #12

Noah Aniser

New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/06/world/asia/covid-coronavirus-china-wuhan.html?action=click&module=News&pgtype=Homepage

As China’s Propaganda Push Continues, Wuhan Emerges as a Star

The article is about Wuhan, a small city in China where the Corona virus had its origins. Recently released Tv shows have paid tribute to the city where the virus emerged. The shows focus on the heroism of residents and medical stuff, but completely ignore the mistakes of the government in the early stages of the virus. 

The author mentions the show “warriors in white coats” which is a 20-part post-pandemic drama. It’s filled with stars and fictionalizes Wuhan’s delivery drivers, construction workers and doctors. 

“warriors in white coats” is just one of many examples for a really emotional pandemic show that tributes the city and the residents but completely overplays the mistakes made by the government. Wuhan become a subject of glowing interest across Chinese media. Wuhan is getting such positive attention in the media because they really had a significant recovery from the virus. While other countries are still struggling with increasing numbers of infected people, Wuhan’s rate hovers near zero. 

After mentioning the shows and the truly impressive infection rate, the author talks more in depth about the actual reason behind Wuhan’s new positioning. By putting Wuhan’s recovery and its heroes in the spotlight, the government tries to linger the public anger about the mistakes of the government in the early stages of the pandemic. 

One show for example shows scenes and interviews from January and skips right ahead to April where the virus was already somehow under control again. All the shows have a happy ending and only depicture the success of China’s leaders while in reality, they were largely absent in the first weeks of the outbreak.

I think that the article is well written and really interesting. To see, how the Chinese government tries to cover up their early mistakes is impressive. The structure of the article is good because the main information can be found in the beginning and the background information more towards the end. 

I think it is newsworthy because it’s about the city where the corona virus emerged and how they reacted to the virus. In my eyes, that article can also be seen as a feature story. Overall, it’s an good article.

News Comment #11

Noah Aniser

New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/03/arts/hrishikesh-hirway-song-exploder.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage

‘Song Exploder’ and the Inexhaustible Hustle of Hrishikesh Hirway

The article is about Hrishikesh Hirway who is creator of several podcasts and a new Tv show called “Song Exploder”. The show streams on Netflix and is based on a podcast with the same name and producer. After a little introduction, the author talks more in depth about what the show is actually about. 

‘Song Exploder” uses a mix of interviews, behind the scenes footage chaotic trails and other revelations that led to the creation of a song. The show features famous music artists such as a Alicia Keys or Ty Dolla Sign.

After talking about the main content of the show, the author writes more Hirway as a person and as a producer. He also mentions his most famous creations such as “The West Wing Weekly” or “Gossip Girl”. 

The author also mentions how corona effected his work and what he does with all the time. Hirway usually spends up to 11 hours in a study and quarantine even increased his productivity he says. 

Afterwards the author mentions Hirways family background and talks about his very successful career path. 

I think the article is well written but a little bit too long. The main information is at begining which is good, but I personally think that he added too much information afterwards. Giving background makes sense but if it is too much, then the audience won’t read it. The length will scare them off. 

The headline is really good because it raises the curiosity of the audience. I also think that the article is newsworthy because it talks a public figure and his new project. Public figures are usually always newsworthy because people care about them. Overall, it’s a good article and will definitely look into Hirway’s new show

Article 3 Draft

COMM 208:

BROADCAST Stories

#1

New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/28/style/the-murder-hornet-hunters-of-paris.html

The Queen Is Dead.

The Bize brothers also known as the “murder hornet hunters” killed another nest at a preschool in suburban Paris.  

Asian hornets first appeared in southwest France in 2004 and traveled all the way to the capital of France. By now the little insects became a serious threat to institutions like preschools or public buildings. That made the firefighter department punt the wasp problem to private pest technicians. A new side business was established and the Bize brothers took over.

They killed an estimate number of 300 Asian hornet nests in 2019 and the numbers are increasing. 

The enormous number of Asian hornets are endangering the honeybees because they both compete for flower resources in the city which makes their work so important.

Honeybees have a long and rich history in France which is one of Europe’s major honey trade hubs. The little insects are not only honey makers though, they also play a really important role for our ecosystem. 

A decreasing number of honey bees would not just threaten France’s honey business but also their ecosystem. 

#2

New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/02/world/europe/whale-sculpture-netherlands-train.html

Art Piece Stops Train from Falling

A whale sculpture in the Netherlands stopped a train from plunging about 30 feet to the ground. It was around 12:30 am when the train went over the end of the elevated tracks, before it got stopped by the whale tale.

The train was left teetering 30 feet above the ground. Luckily the train was almost empty so that no passenger nor the driver was injured or killed by the accident. 

A spokesman for safety in the Rotterdam-Pijnmond area said, “there is no indication that the driver had done anything wrong.”

Officials are now investigating why the system responsible for stopping the train failed.

Maarten Struijs, who created the sculpture, says that the image of a train balancing on the tale looks like an art piece itself but also expresses his concerns about the structure of his 20 year-old work and how long it can last.

Officials are now trying to find a way to remove the train safely.

#3

New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/02/world/africa/ethiopia-school-massacre.html

Schoolyard Massacre in Ethiopia

Dozens of people killed in the latest attack in Africa’s second-most populous nation. The attack where 54 people from the ethnic Amhara group got killed happened on Sunday. It was the latest of a series of attacks that happened the past weekend.

The attackers were from the Oromo Liberation Army which is a group that broke off from a once-banned political party. They attacked three villages in the West Welega Zone. 

The group killed the victims on a schoolyard after they plundered what they could and set everything else on fire.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed tries to unite the country’s ethnically federated states for years but ethnic grievances around resources, land, internal borders have intensified.

COMM 208: Science Scavenger Hunt

Noah Aniser

New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/28/style/the-murder-hornet-hunters-of-paris.html

The Queen Is Dead.

The Bize brothers also known as the “murder hornet hunters” killed another nest at a preschool in suburban Paris.  

Asian hornets first appeared in southwest France in 2004 and traveled all the way to the capital of France. By now the little insects became a serious threat to institutions like preschools or public buildings. That made the firefighter department punt the wasp problem to private pest technicians. A new side business was established and the Bize brothers took over.

They killed an estimate number of 300 Asian hornet nests in 2019 and the numbers are increasing. 

The enormous number of Asian hornets are endangering the honeybees because they both compete for flower resources in the city which makes their work so important.

Honeybees have a long and rich history in France which is one of Europe’s major honey trade hubs. The little insects are not only honey makers though, they also play a really important role for our ecosystem. 

A decreasing number of honey bees would not just threaten France’s honey business but also their ecosystem.