On Saturday, Feb. 21, the Golden Eagles tennis team was able to complete a full sweep, despite less-than-favorable conditions. It was cold and windy as JBU competed against Southwestern University at the JBU Tennis Facility arena.

The match day started with the doubles games in which JBU players Andrew Aylor and Spencer Keeter won 6-2 for an early victory. In the second game, Grant Hinkle and Jonathan Hillock won 6-1. For the third game, Lucas Machado and Santiago Jaime were supposed to play, but Southwestern University didn't have enough players, so the game was won by forfeit.

After the John Brown University men’s tennis team swept the doubles games, the singles games began. Machado dominated the contest, winning the first set 6-3, the second set 6-1.

“In the first few games, I noticed that his backhand was his weakness. After realizing that, I started serving to his backhand to begin the points, which allowed me to open up the court and take control of the rallies. When returning his serve, I focused on hitting through the middle of the court at first, and then I began creating wider angles to his backhand. Overall, my strategy was to target his weakness and use it to my advantage,” Machado said.

For the second single game, Hillock won both sets 6-1 for a quick victory.

In the third single game, Jaime won the first set. Then for the second set, Jaime was able to have a bigger lead, winning the set 6-3.

“I felt really good during the game, and I think I did well overall. In the first set, I didn’t play so well, but in the second set I improved a lot by focusing more and playing smart,” Jaime said.

For the fourth and fifth singles games, which were played by Aylor and William Prochazka, they were able to complete a full sweep. Both won their singles games 6-0 in both sets.

For the last single game, Hinkle won the game by default because they didn’t have enough players.

The Woman's tennis team won by default all of the games because Southwestern University didn’t have enough players to play the games needed.

Photo by David Camacho Padilla

Olivia Rodrigo has built much of her career on being painfully relatable. Whether she is crying over an ex in “drivers license,” comparing herself to everyone around her in “jealousy, jealousy” or screaming through the insecurities of growing up in “ballad of a homeschooled girl,” Rodrigo has always had a talent for putting uncomfortable feelings into words.

Her third album, “you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love,” might be the best example of her relatability yet.

Released June 12, the album follows Rodrigo through what she has described as her first mature relationship. The first half sounds like someone completely consumed by love, while the second half shows what happens when that love becomes much more complicated.

At first, Rodrigo is almost ridiculously in love. “drop dead” captures the excitement of meeting someone and wanting to throw every bit of common sense out the window. “stupid song” continues that feeling, while “honeybee” shows a softer side of the relationship. She misses him, thinks about him constantly and seems convinced she has found something worth completely falling into.

Listeners have connected the album to actor Louis Partridge, whom Rodrigo dated for more than a year; nevertheless, a deep understanding of their relationship is not really needed to understand the album.

Rodrigo is not simply writing, “I love this person so much,” she is writing about what happens when you fall in love and realize that your insecurities, anxiety and overthinking do not magically disappear just because you are happy.

Those feelings become more noticeable as the album goes on. In “maggots 4 brains,” even being away from the person she loves sends her spiraling into loneliness and overthinking.

Younger generations have become increasingly open about struggles with anxiety, insecurity and mental health, and Rodrigo writes about those feelings in a way that feels natural. She is not just singing about being in love; she is singing about being in love while still having all of those thoughts running through your head. That is part of what makes the album feel so relatable, especially for teenagers and young adults.

Being in love does not automatically mean being OK.

“Purple” serves almost like a bridge between the two sides of the album. It still carries the love and closeness of the first half, but it also introduces the doubt and discomfort that take over later.

In the song, Rodrigo describes herself as blue and her partner as red. Together, they become purple. At first, it sounds romantic — two people becoming so close that their lives blend together. But then she begins to question whether becoming “purple” also means she cannot tell which parts of herself are still hers.

From there, the album changes.

In “the cure,” “begged” and “what’s wrong with me,” Rodrigo starts questioning herself just as much as the relationship. Instead of simply blaming the other person, she keeps wondering whether something is wrong with her.

That is what makes this more interesting than a traditional breakup album. There is no clean switch from “I love you” to “you are terrible.”

She can love someone and resent them. She can recognize problems in the relationship while still desperately wanting it to work. She can know she is losing herself and still be afraid to let go.

Even “less,” one of the album’s most heartbreaking moments, carries this contradiction. By “cigarette smoke,” the album ends, not with a huge revenge anthem, but with the quieter process of trying to let the memories fade.

People do not always experience relationships in neat stages. You can be happy and anxious at the same time. You can be deeply in love and still feel lonely. You can know someone is hurting you and still miss them when they leave.

Maybe that is why the album is so relatable. Rodrigo never pretends that being in love fixes everything else going on in your life or in your head. Sometimes you can be completely in love and still be sad, anxious, confused or insecure. “you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love” understands that, and Rodrigo’s listeners do too.

Photo via SilverBullittt on WikiCommons

Over the past few months, and even the past few weeks, the world has lost many celebrity icons and role models. Many of these people who have passed are people we grew up watching on the screen or listening to their music and speeches — they were people whose work shaped our lives and how we grew up. Whether that was teaching us to be courageous in the face of our fears by watching actor Sam Neill in “Jurassic Park,” to be confident in who we are by listening to country singer Dolly Parton, or even how to be appreciative of the beauty of what surrounds us from author Wendell Berry. No matter what form, these peoples’ lives have made a lasting impact on our own, and it is our honor to respect their impact with a few kind words.

Catherine O’Hara was a Canadian-American actress and comedian. She is widely recognized for her roles as the mother in “Home Alone” and Delia Deetz in “Beetlejuice” as well as her roles in multiple comedy shows, including “Schitt’s Creek.” O’Hara was known to be a kind, loving and generous person to everyone she met and was a huge advocate for cancer awareness, supporting the Terry Fox Foundation. She also participated in the game show “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” to raise money for Upward Bound House, an organization aiming to end homelessness in Los Angeles. O’Hara died Jan. 30 at the age of 71.

Chuck Norris was an American martial artist and actor. After serving in the United States Air Force in Korea, Norris began to learn and practice martial arts, becoming a teacher several years later. In 1964, Norris began his martial arts career, losing several matches within his first few years before quickly becoming almost unbeatable. He was known for his martial arts films “The Hitman,” “Delta Force” and “Delta Force 2.” He worked for multiple charity organizations such as Funds for Kids, Veterans Administration National Salute to Hospitalized Veterans, the United Way, Make-A-Wish Foundation and Kickstart. He died March 19 at the age of 86.

Sam Neill was a beloved actor from New Zealand, known for his many blockbuster roles, and his versatility with different characters. He is primarily recognized for his role as Dr. Alan Grant in Stephen Spielberg’s “Jurassic Park,” which he reprised in 2022 with “Jurassic World: Dominion,” and Jane Campion’s “The Piano.” Neill, while suffering from blood cancer, partook in an Australian clinical trial involving CAR T-cell therapy, a kind of treatment that targets specific antigens within blood cells. After its success, he became an advocate for its wider access in Australia. He died July 13 at the age of 78.

Tim Curry was an acclaimed actor and singer, known and beloved for both stage and film roles. Well known for his parts on stage as King Arthur in “Spamalot: (Inspired by “Monty Python and the Holy Grail”), his role as the Pirate King in the “Pirates of Penzance” and for creating the role of Dr. Frank-N-Furter in the production of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.” Some of his notable films included “Clue,” “Muppet Treasure Island” and the 1990 miniseries of Stephen King’s “It.” He also was known for his voice roles. He voiced the antagonist in Don Bluth’s film “FernGully: The Last Rainforest” and the Mouse King in Barbie’s first film “Barbie in the Nutcracker.” He died at 80 years old in his home in Los Angeles on Aug. 25.

Dolly Parton was a beloved American country singer, philanthropist and humanitarian, becoming one of the greatest artists of all time and creating multiple charity foundations. Her foundations focused on children’s education, disaster relief and healthcare. She captured the love of generations with her music and her dedication to making the world a better place. Not only was Parton an inspiration for women in the workplace, but someone who advocated for all people to follow and pursue their dreams. She was adored for her humility, compassion, love and generosity, traits that were clearly displayed in her work. Parton died Aug. 25 at the age of 80.

Wendell Berry was an accomplished American author, poet, farmer and environmentalist. Originally from Henry County, Ky., Berry was known for his stories about the conservation and cultivation of nature, primarily through his works of elegiac poetry and fiction. Throughout his life he was an advocate of environmental care, frequently stating in interviews how important it was to take care of rural America. He died Aug. 31 at the age of 92, in his home in Port Royal, Ky.

All of these people and many more will be dearly missed.

Although not all people can be recognized for their impact (otherwise we would have a never-ending list of all the great things people have done for others) it is important to remember the good things people have done and the legacies they leave for future generations.

Photo by Felix Mooneeram on Unsplash