![IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Junior Zalie Mann performs “I Love to Cry at Weddings,” an ensemble piece from the fall musical Sweet Charity, to prospective students during the Fine Arts Showcase on Wednesday, Nov. 8. The showcase is a compilation of performances and demonstrations from each fine arts strand offered at McCallum. This show is put on so that prospective students can see if they are interested in joining an academy or major.
Sweet Charity originally ran the weekends of Sept. 28 and Oct. 8, but made a comeback for the Fine Arts Showcase.
“[Being at the front in the spotlight] is my favorite part of the whole dance, so I was super happy to be on stage performing and smiling at the audience,” Mann said.
Mann performed in both the musical theatre performance and dance excerpt “Ethereal,” a contemporary piece choreographed by the new dance director Terrance Carson, in the showcase. With also being a dance ambassador, Mann got to talk about what MAC dance is, her experience and answer any questions the aspiring arts majors and their parents may have.
Caption by Maya Tackett.](https://bestofsno.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/53321803427_47cd17fe70_o-1-1200x800.jpg)
![SPREADING THE JOY: Sophomore Chim Becker poses with sophomores Cozbi Sims and Lou Davidson while manning a table at the Hispanic Heritage treat day during lunch of Sept 28. Becker is a part of the students of color alliance, who put together the activity to raise money for their club.
“It [the stand] was really fun because McCallum has a lot of latino kids,” Becker said. “And I think it was nice that I could share the stuff that I usually just have at home with people who have never tried it before.”
Becker recognizes the importance of celebrating Hispanic heritage at Mac.
“I think its important to celebrate,” Becker said. “Because our culture is awesome and super cool, and everybody should be able to learn about other cultures of the world.”
Caption by JoJo Barnard.](https://bestofsno.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/53221601352_4127a81c41_o-1200x675.jpg)
Shredding Through Summer
Hard work, dedication, and fun has helped up-and-coming Memphis Voelker become a top-level wakeboarder.
Memphis Voelker (9) grins as he walks up Lost Beach on Lake Delhi.
April 12, 2022
Freshman Memphis Voelker is one of the best competitive wakeboard riders in the state.
At only twelve years old, Voelker set himself up for success when he decided to venture into the sport of wakeboarding on Lake Delhi.
Three years later he is now one of the few competitive riders in the state who can land flips, 360s, and more. Riding behind a Moomba boat, Voelker currently shreds on a Conelly 141 board. Despite the love for his setup, Voelker is excited to upgrade this summer to the new Shaun Murray Pro board, one of the best on the market. The reason Voelker has such high-performance gear is that he is high-performance.
“My favorite trick to throw is definitely a heelside tantrum. It’s an inverted backflip where you flip over the heelside of your board,” Voelker said. “It was the first flip I landed and catching major air is the best feeling.”
One of the few reasons Voelker has reached this level happens to be his dad, Corey Voelker.
“He is one person that comes to mind when I think about where I am today,” Voelker said. “He pushed me to be my best, gotten me lessons with some great riders, and has always been there for me.”
Voelker’s father has taught Voelker to love learning and failing. “It finally makes landing that trick so much better,” Voelker said.
Throughout his career, various influential people and groups have helped Voelker become a better rider.
In the summer of 2021, Voelker joined the Hartwick Huskys Ski Team. With the Huskys, Voelker fell more in love with wakeboarding, waterskiing, and the water in general. Skiing with this team, Voelker competed at the Midwest Regional and National Water Show Ski Tournament. Voelker helped his team claim fourth place at Regionals and twelfth in the nation.
At the Midwest regionals, Voelker was the only rider to throw an inverted flip, so, of course, he chose his favorite heelside tantrum.
“Skiing with the Huskys has made me more comfortable on the water,” Voelker said. “I’ve learned new tricks and how to perform for people.”
The Huskys taught Voelker how to do one of his favorite tricks, ATB (around the boat) on a wakeboard. This is when the skier skis a 360-degree circle around the towboat.
“It’s definitely more difficult than on a normal ski, but it’s also a lot more fun,” Voelker said.
Besides his father and fellow show skiers, Teige Hunt has also highly influenced Voelker.
Before passing away in the summer of 2020, Hunt was quite the shredder himself. Being one of the Lake Delhi river rats for this generation, Hunt inspired many new borders with his self-taught flips and tricks.
“Before Teige lost his life, I hadn’t really committed to learning the sport,” Voelker said. “After the accident, it gave me a reason and influenced me to learn and get better.”
Voelker, close friends with the Hunt family, now skis with Teige’s younger brother and sister, Kash and Saige Hunt.
“When we’re all out there skiing behind the Nautique, you can almost feel him,” Voelker said. “It is a pretty cool feeling.”
Voelker wants everyone to know that wakeboarding isn’t as hard as it seems. It offers great opportunities, lessons, and friendships. And if anyone wants to learn, the Voelker boat is “always open for new riders.”
This story was originally published on Inklings on March 21, 2022.
