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Goat Yoga! Blacksburg’s new fitness trend

By Virginia Pellington

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Blacksburg, Va., Sept. 28— Goat Yoga: The new fitness trend Goat Yoga is taking on Blacksburg. Hoof Hearted Farm has over 25 goats ready to interact with their yoga guests. Photo: Virginia Pellington

by Virginia Pellington–

The art form of yoga has been around for centuries, but recently, it’s taken a new twist. Goat Yoga is the new craze in the fitness community, and residents of Blacksburg are jumping on board.

After a Facebook video went viral, Goat Yoga events began popping up in yoga studios around the country. In April 2017, the Blacksburg Yoga Collective (BYC) decided to give it a try; what they thought was going to be a one-time event, has turned into a weekly occurrence.

Kacy McAllister, a BYC yoga instructor, mentioned that they started Goat Yoga after someone posted the viral video to their Facebook page.

“We did it once and the turn out was so huge that we knew we had to make it a regular thing,” McAllister explained.

Goat Yoga is essentially a regular yoga class with goats roaming around the studio and interacting with the guests. The inspiration comes from Lainey Morse, who started the trend on her farm in Oregon. Currently, her classes are so popular that there’s a waiting list of 1,200 people that grows every day. According to Morse, Goat Yoga is no different than taking your dog on a walk; the combination of exercise and interacting with animals is apparently very therapeutic.

CiCi Sobin, a regular BYC yoga attendee, said her favorite part about Goat Yoga is that it gets people who aren’t normally into yoga outside and active.

“Yoga is so great for the mind and body, and I really enjoy seeing people get into it—even if they are just here for the goats,” Sobin said.

What Sobin says about its health benefits is true according to research. One study conducted by Harvard Health found that participants who spent three months doing yoga experienced a 30 percent decrease in anxiety and depression. In addition, GoatYoga.net, Morse’s website, explains that Goat Yoga is not actually curing any diseases, but offering a necessary distraction from day-to-day stress.

Morse and the Blacksburg Yoga Collective are taking advantage of this fitness trend while it’s still relevant. Morse quit her job in marketing and photography to devote her full attention to this new idea; she currently works full-time developing her new Goat Yoga business. McAllister from the BYC says she is just excited to see more people get into yoga.

“My goal is to see at least one new face at every event,” McAllister said.

Blacksburg, Va., Sept. 28—The Farm: Hoof Hearted Farm, located off of Meadowbrook Drive, hosts these Goat Yoga events. Both the farm and the BYC offer these services for free in order to get more people involved. Photo: Virginia Pellington

Blacksburg, Va., Sept. 28—The Regulars: Rebecca Coughman attends the BYC yoga events every single week. She focuses less on the goats and more on the mind-body connection that yoga enhances. Photo: Virginia Pellington

Blacksburg, Va., Sept. 28—Namaste: Cici Sobin takes a moment when the goats have wandered off to other people. Photo: Virginia Pellington

Blacksburg, Va., Sept. 28—Instructing: Kacy McAllister leads a deep breathing exercise at the end of the session. She encourages her students to reflect on how the body feels after an hour of yoga. Photo: Virginia Pellington

Blacksburg, Va., Sept. 28—Closing: The class winds down after a vigorous class with some stretching. Photo: Virginia Pellington

Blacksburg, Va., Sept. 28—Greetings: Virginia Tech students, Brendan and Lisa, greet the goats before their class beings. Photo: Virginia Pellington

Bounce over to Xtreme Springz

**Christiansburg Va. Sept. 18 -Ninja Obstacle Course:** The featured course is a high intensity obstacle course that requires physical and mental stamina. Height and age requirements may apply.

by Alexis Johnson–

In early September Xtreme Springz Trampoline Park opened its doors to the New River Valley becoming the first park of its kind in the area. According to the owner, Terry Stike, the project had been underway for, “a little under two years.”

According to the owner, Terry Stike, the project had been underway for, “a little under two years.”

Stike also owns the NRV Superbowl in Christiansburg, Va. “The trampoline park was just the next step for family entertainment in the New River Valley because trampoline parks are the number one entertainment right now in the country,” stated Stike.

Not only does the park serve as entertainment for the community, but it has also created a total of 45 new jobs to date with 15 more positions still open. At the center of two major universities, the NRV it is a prime location for a growing workforce. “Most of our employees are teenagers,” Stike commented, “young and energetic is what we’re looking for.”

“Most of our employees are teenagers,” Stike commented, “young and energetic is what we’re looking for.”

As for JJ Devaughn, a sophomore at Radford University, the new job openings were right on time. “When I first heard of the park coming to the New River Valley area I was pretty excited seeing as though the closest trampoline park is in Roanoke.” When asked why he applied for the job he said, “I knew it would be a fun job to have, and it worked out great for me because I told a lot of my friends to come up here and apply. We ended up all getting hired together.”

“When I first heard of the park coming to the New River Valley area I was pretty excited seeing as though the closest trampoline park is in Roanoke,” Devaughn said.

Devaughn said he was anxious to apply for the job. “I knew it would be a fun job to have, and it worked out great for me because I told a lot of my friends to come up here and apply. We ended up all getting hired together.”

Currently, the remaining open positions include overseeing the courses, working the registers, waiver administrators, kitchen, DJ openings, and more. Stike said that they already have plans for expansion including batting cages and putt-putt golf.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnaQQqFugYU

Innovation comes to new spaces at Virginia Tech

Blacksburg, Va., Sept. 20 — **Changes to Innovation Space**: Innovation Space gets completely revamped over the summer to become a faculty-focused workspace. The room once full of stationary desks and large monitors is now collaborative pieces that can move around the space. Photo: Ashley Wills

by Ashley Wills–

For more than 20 years, Innovation Space was known as the go-to place for students to check out the latest equipment and use the latest digital technology, but now it has a new mission. Over the summer, Virginia Tech faculty at the Technology-enhanced Learning and Online Strategies worked to completely revamp the space to become a collaborative learning area for faculty.

“As we support the faculty, the faculty get better at using teaching and learning in their technology and that ultimately impacts the student experience,” said Quinn Warnick, TLOS senior director of academic innovation.

Now, the site that once housed the latest technology will become a place where new technologies can be explored. According to Innovation Space’s website, it’s known as the Sandbox Project.

Warnick says the change better aligns with the TLOS mission.

“The Innovation Space was always the exception to TLOS’s primary mission,” Warnick said. “So the rest of TLOS was focused primarily on faculty and the Innovation Space was kind of our student-facing part of TLOS.”

The equipment once housed in Innovation Space can now be checked out at the Newman Library Circulation Desk, but the equipment is just a small part of the library’s bigger plan for the Digital Media Studio.

Patrick Tomlin, University Libraries director of learning environments, says the space will operate much like Innovation Space but with several updates to the technology.

“Currently, there is no space on campus dedicated to digital media production that’s just for students, so we want it to answer that immediate need,” Tomlin said.

The new studio will join the library’s other studios including the 3D Design Studio, Virtual Environments Studio, Data Visualization Studio and Fusion Studio.

“Each of these studios has their own focus and services, but they are all predicated on a similar service model — we want to lower the barrier for students to embrace creative, inspiring enterprises, hands-on research and emerging technologies,” Tomlin said.

According to the Digital Media Studio website, the new studio will be located on the fourth floor of Newman Library. Tomlin expects it to open January 2018.

Southwest Virginia’s most wanted

by Chase Parker–

Some say that speed kills. Others say that it is a way of life. For Blacksburg High School’s star running back Coleton Beck, it is the latter.

At the start of the 2016 football season, Beck was a fairly unknown athlete. Outside of local fans, virtually nobody knew his name. But by the season’s end, he had become the most highly-recruited player out of Southwest Virginia, gaining scholarship offers from big-time programs such as Pittsburgh, Louisville, North Carolina and Virginia Tech, according to WSLS.com.

Why? Because of how fast he can run.

The local star boasts a 100-meter dash time so fast (10.41 seconds) that he is nearly within qualifying range for the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Team, which requires a time of 10.16 seconds, according to Flotrack.org. That type of quickness isn’t something that comes natural, either.

“I wasn’t always the fastest kid around,” Beck said. “I started strength, speed and agility training with former NFL linebacker Dennis Haley along with running track in the seventh grade. I’ve been fortunate to have great coaching ever since, including my current high school sprint coach Steve Schmitt.”

The speed that the local football star has gained over the years has helped evolve him into not only a highly-touted athlete, but a coach’s best friend as well.

Thad Wells, the head honcho of the Blacksburg High School football team, says that Beck is the fastest player he’s ever coached. Furthermore, he claims that having a player with speed like Beck’s makes his job much easier.

“Coaching a player like Beck reminds you that the game is simple,” Wells explained. “It comes down to the players. I just don’t want to over-complicate things.”

Despite Beck’s production, Wells still says that there is room to grow for the senior running back, and that Beck won’t reach his full potential until he gets into a collegiate lifting program.

Beck posted a list of his top three college choices to his personal Twitter page on Sept. 14, 2017. The finalists include UNC, Virginia Tech, and Pittsburgh. Even though anticipation is building, Beck says that he has no timeline regarding when he will announce his commitment.

The speedster hopes that his athleticism will give him the ability to make his dreams in collegiate and professional sports come true.

“My career goals are to be successful at the division one level, maybe the NFL and to make the U.S. Olympic Team as a sprinter,” Beck said.

Farmers work to keep New River clean

Screen Shot 2017-05-08 at 8.34.23 PM.png — Blacksburg, Va., May 3- New River: Farmers work to keep the New River a favorite summer spot.

by Katie Lukens, Dylan Holliday–

With summer quickly approaching, the New River will be a highly visited destination for recreation and relaxation. Little thought, however, goes into what is done to keep the river clean.

Recent concern has developed about E. Coli in the Shenandoah River due to livestock, and the question arises as to how the farmers are working to keep water clean.

Farmers have a vested interest in keeping water clean because they rely on water for their families, livestock and crops, explains Dr. Katharine Knowlton, a professor in the Dairy Science Department at Virginia Tech.

Farmers in the New River Valley take extra precautions to keep the river clean, including using nutrient management plans, grass filter strips and fencing livestock out of the water.

Nutrient management plans are a common practice to keep rivers clean. “Nutrient management plans are used by farmers to prevent runoff by helping to estimate the nutrient needs of crops and then help farmers plan appropriate fertilizer or mineral application without oversupplying nutrients,” Knowlton said. “Nutrient management plans balance economic, environmental, and crop management concerns for farmers with the goal of finding the perfect balance so there is no risk of nutrients being lost into the water.”

Virginia dairy and beef farmers have been proactive about addressing cattle in streams and rivers. Fifteen years ago, the Virginia State Dairymen’s Association released a policy which stated that all cattle should be fenced out of the stream, Knowlton said. Virginia continues to encourage farmers to fence out their cattle by offering cost-share money to farmers.

Instead of planting a crop right up to the river, farmers make mindful efforts by using grass filter strips along the border of rivers and streams. Grass filter strips are used to buffer runoff from fields to keep pollutants from entering the water. These not only benefit the water but provide benefits to wildlife and help to prevent erosion of the land.

Immediate results are not always seen from these efforts. It may take up to 100 years to see the impact, but in the end, if you have people making a conscious effort, it makes a difference, Hunter Wyatt from Virginia Cooperative Extension explains.

The New River is a place that will continue to be enjoyed by both wildlife and the people of the New River Valley with the careful efforts made by farmers and community members daily.

Keeping businesses open in a college town

Screen Shot 2017-05-07 at 12.19.42 AM.png — Blacksburg, Va., May 1– Items in the window for sale at t.r. collection, a downtown shop that specializes in Blacksburg tourism gifts. Photo: Carson Bartlett

by Carson Bartlett, Katt Carter–

BLACKSBURG, Va. — Downtown Blacksburg businesses all face the unique challenge of being in close proximity to a large university. There are multiple benefits to being so close, such as heavy foot traffic and an active night scene, but there are also some drawbacks, such as a dead summer season and the competitiveness of such a small area.

Over the course of this academic year for Virginia Tech, several businesses have closed while others have just opened. Mad Dog, a downtown boutique, recently closed, while Bottom of the Stairs, or BOTS, had its grand opening in April. BOTS is the downstairs sister-store of Top of the Stairs, or TOTS, which is a popular Blacksburg bar. The heavy amount of student traffic is what encouraged the owners of TOTS to open their downstairs space as a more family friendly venue, as a way to get more business.

t.r. collection is a downtown business that features home goods and gifts for student families and New River Valley locals. The store opened 19 months ago and owners say that due to their positive experience in the community, they are looking to open another store within the area.

Michelle Raub, co-owner of t.r. collection, says that there is a sweet spot with price points that work well with the nearby student customers as well as Blacksburg locals. “We did a lot of research on college towns before opening the business. It really is a different mindset than opening in other towns,” Raud said.

According to the official website for the Town of Blacksburg, the area has a daily population of 50,000 people, with a good portion of that being the students at Virginia Tech.

“With downtown shops, they have to change out their stock often. Some people go out every week, and if you always have the same stuff for sale than those people won’t come back in,” said Nicole LaFlamme, a junior political science major at the university.

Downtown stores also hold events throughout the year to engage the community and not just the college students. Many of these, such as the Downtown Trick or Treat event, and the Winter Lights Festival are used as a means to bring out locals of the New River Valley in order to help vendors reach past the collegiate population.

To Our House: Making a difference in the NRV

Screen Shot 2017-05-02 at 11.14.36 PM — **Christiansburg, Va., May 3 – HOME TO A HOME: *To Our House* is located alongside a number of community organizations on Roanoke Street in Christiansburg.**

by McKenzie Pavacich, Bria Cook–

CHRISTIANSBURG, Va. – Homelessness is something that is often overlooked but extremely prevalent in the New River Valley. How do those in need of assistance survive the harsh winters faced by the valleys of Appalachia? Where do homeless people go when they are in need of food, clean drinking water, or clothes in an area that seems to be prospering in seemingly all areas of life?

Screen Shot 2017-05-02 at 11.13.33 PM — **Christiansburg, Va., May 3 – SEEING AND DOING**: New River community action serves the community in a number of different ways.

To Our House is a non-profit organization, tackling the obstacle of assisting the homeless
in the New River Valley. With the help of local faith communities and local business in the NRV, To Our House is able to provide homeless men with shelter through the winter months, as well as food, support, and help with employment search.

Carol Johnson, Executive Director of the New River Family Shelter and Program Coordinator for To Our House, believes that if it were not for the generosity and genuine care found in the Blacksburg and

Screen Shot 2017-05-02 at 11.12.54 PM — **Christiansburg, Va., May 3 – HUMBLED AND GRATEFUL**: Carol Johnson, warmed by the generosity of the local communities, is optimistic about the organization’s future.

Christiansburg communities, “To Our House wouldn’t exist.” Churches throughout Blacksburg and Christiansburg open their doors to the guests of To Our House with hopes of truly making a difference, while organizations within Virginia Tech often donate time, food, or supplies to keep the donations-based program running.

“We have over 50 churches that participate, whether that be housing the guests, which is a host church, or a church can participate as a support church. They provide the food and some evening activities,” Johnson said.

Donations and volunteers are utilized during the winter months in the NRV. To Our House runs a sheltering program from November through March to assist the homeless during some of the most dangerous months to be without shelter.

Screen Shot 2017-05-02 at 11.14.14 PM — **Blacksburg, Va., May 3 – EATING OUT FOR A CAUSE** : Percentage days were held on April 25, 2017 to benefit To Our House and the New River Community Action

Participation by local businesses adds to the generosity of the Blacksburg and Christiansburg communities. Businesses peppered throughout the NRV hold percentage days, where a percentage of the profit is automatically donated. The ultimate goal To Our House hopes to achieve is creating a larger sense of awareness of homelessness in the NRV community, so that shelters and assistance programs can grow and evolve from a seasonal functioning program to an organization that can provide assistance all year round.

“It’s not that visible. Sporadically you may see someone standing on the street holding up a sign. But typically, it’s almost like camping for some people. It’s not like in the Richmond area or a city where you’ll see someone on every street corner who is in need of assistance. Most of the men we service stay in secluded spots camping until we open up in November,” Johnson said.

With 19.1 percent of individuals living below the poverty level in Southwest Virginia, according to Virginia.gov, there is plenty of room for improvement. With the help of local businesses and influential organizations within the Blacksburg and Christiansburg communities, To Our House hopes to grow and continue to combat homelessness in the New River Valley and beyond.

Happy Humans help students stay positive

**Blacksburg, Va., May 3 – VT Happy Humans at the Finals Extravaganza:** Students stop at the booth for free pizza, candy, and to write what their happy place is on a white board for the VT Happy Humans to share on social media. Photo: Ashley Cimino

by Ashley Cimino, David Jones —

The Happy Humans at Virginia Tech are known for hosting a variety of events around campus to put smiles on the faces of students and faculty on campus. Co-leaders Jayne Ross, Jojo Kidane, and Lauren Ritchie participated in the Finals Extravaganza on the Drillfield to ease the stress of students passing by.

According to the New York Times, there is a “record-level of stress” found in college students, but specifically in college freshman, many of who face stress, anxiety, and depression before even coming into college. In light of this fact, the Happy Humans aim to bring just a bit of positivity to the Virginia Tech campus with small actions that can turn around a student’s day.

This year, the Happy Humans asked Hokies to share where they were most happy. Common responses included “in my bed” or “with a dog,” and students hinted that this would be where they retreated to as soon as the summer officially begins. While the Happy Humans mostly cater towards students, some of their best events have targeted the dining hall workers on campus.

Last semester, the Happy Humans gathered in front of the Pylons to write “thank you” notes to dining hall employees and they later met to personally distribute them.

“That was a really important event for them because the first time they tried it, I think the semester before last, they got an overwhelmingly positive response,” said Jacob Long, Vice President of Service for a service fraternity that Happy Humans operates under.

Though small, the group has garnered a lot of positive attention. During an event last semester, the VTPD Chief of Police, Kevin Faust, stopped by their booth in front of Squires Student Center to take a photo with the group and to commend them for their efforts in keeping Virginia Tech and Blacksburg a happy place to work and live.

Happy Humans Audio Slideshow from Ashley Cimino on Vimeo.

Students recharge in the Energy Pod

Energy Pod #5 — **Blacksburg, Va., May 3 – Energy Pod:** Hokie Wellness released a new energy pod at Squires Student Center as a part of their Hokies Sleep Well campaign. The energy pod allows students to recharge with a 20-minute power nap as they prepare for their finals. Photo: Johnny Kraft

by Johnny Kraft, Anna Friesen–

Hokie Wellness launched the Hokies Sleep Well campaign by releasing an energy pod at Squires Student Center. The energy pod allows students to take a quick 20-minute power nap to recharge their battery and finish the semester strong.

According to the National Sleep Foundation, college students need seven to nine hours of sleep each night. However, research shows that on average most college students get only six to seven hours of sleep per night, and the college years are notoriously sleep-deprived due to an overload of activities, which negatively affects academic performance, according to the University Health Center at the University of Georgia.

The Student Government Association (SGA) health and wellness team at Virginia Tech came up with the idea for the Hokies Sleep Well campaign. They wanted to focus on one health issue and landed on sleep, as it is the first thing to go for college students.

“It’s not really a priority and it’s almost a badge of honor if you don’t sleep, so we wanted to change the narrative of that a little bit,” said SGA co-director of health and wellness, Anna Pike.

The energy pod allows students to sit, sleep, adjust seat tilt and play relaxing music to refresh with a quick power nap to help balance the end of semester stress.

According to Pike, the energy pod was to get attention, but their campaign also included signs on the Drillfield with different sleep deprivation facts such as how memory attention goes down by 40 percent as well as handing out ENO hammocks to any students that would listen to the information they had.

“Even 20 minutes is equivalent to having a couple of cups of coffee, you might even just need to rest your eyes, so the nap pod is good if you can’t fit in a full night sleep just to rejuvenate you and get you back into a full state of mind,” said Pike.

While it is impossible to measure if the campaign has led to students sleeping more, the energy pod has been a huge hit garnering a lot of excitement around it from students. Hokie Wellness released a video introducing the energy pod that has over 20,000 views and has been shared multiple times demonstrating the positive feedback from students.

While the energy pod is in Squires for a limited time, Hokie Wellness expects to get four more pods soon.

Local lab aims to improve water quality

Screen Shot 2017-05-05 at 10.22.34 AM — Blacksburg, Va., May 3-Rippling River: Strouble’s Creek, which runs through Virginia Tech’s campus, has been listed as an impaired waterway since 2000. Photo: Stephen Dixon

by Stephen Dixon, Sidney Cook–

Stroubles Creek is a waterway that runs underneath the town of Blacksburg and flows into the Duck Pond. It is also an important tributary to the New River and provides water for a variety of plant and animal life in the region. However, in 2000 the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality registered the creek as an impaired waterway.

In order to constantly collect data on Stroubles Creek to know the full extent of its impairment, Virginia Tech formed the LEWAS Lab. The LEWAS, or Learning Enhanced Watershed Assessment System, uses instruments to measure the flow rate, pH level, dissolved oxygen, conductivity, depth and temperature. According to their website, it also has WiFi capability so that the live data updates in real time.

Dr. Daniel Brogan, a postdoctoral associate for the LEWAS Lab, developed the user interface for the data and works on how to best educate the public. He has been presenting the interface in classes at Virginia Tech and seven other institutions. He believes that “having access to this interactive, live data increases students’ motivation and learning about environmental monitoring issues.”

While college students make up a large part of the program, having access to this data is important for all members of the New River Valley. Brogan has also attended science fairs around the area to help educate the youth in the community. He noted that educating people when they are young is a key component to ensuring that they are environmentally conscious through their adult lives.

While the LEWAS Lab mostly focuses on measuring data of Stroubles Creek, the StREAM Lab does more in terms of reducing the sediment and bacteria loadings in the stream. According to StREAM’s website, their goal is to “remove Stroubles Creek from the Clean Water Act list of impaired waters.”

Dr. Cully Hession, the lab director, noted that since 2009 the lab has excluded livestock from stream access, planted riparian zones and installed bioretention cells at the Blacksburg Community Center and Foxridge Apartments. However, there is still much to be done in order to accomplish the goal of removing Stroubles Creek from the list of impaired waters. Starting this summer, Hession will partner with the Stroubles Creek Restoration Initiative and work with a $6,000 grant from the VT Green RFP program.

While not necessarily working together, Dr. Brogan and Dr. Hession both share a common passion for educating the public about this issue.

“The more people that know about the problems in this creek and know that it’s there, the more that people will care,” Dr. Hession said.

In the end, that is exactly what Dr. Brogan is doing as well, communicating the data effectively in order to educate the public.