Amy Schmidt/DN
Snow games provide cheap fun
By Jtff Randall
Staff Reporter
Let the games begin.
The six inches of snow Lincoln
received last Tuesday have ushered
in the official start of this year’s win
ter sports season.
The pricetag for winter activities
can be anywhere from $4 for a plas
tic sled to $7,500 for a top-of-the-Iine
snowmobile, said some Lincoln
sporting goods retailers.
Justin Zetterman, an employee at
Lawlor’s Sporting Goods, 5500 S.
56th St., said the sales of winter
sports-related items had skyrocketed
since Tuesday’s snowfall.
Sledding is popular with many
people, he said. Sleds range in price
from $4 to $100, he said, and
Pioneer’s Park is a local favorite sled
ding site.
ocn bmitn, a sophomore business
major, said sledding was a rush.
“Sledding gives you the same
adrenalin thrill that some people get
from roller coasters or speeding in a
car,” Smith said, “but it’s a whole lot
cheaper.”
Zetterman said outdoor ice skat
ing also was popular in Lincoln de
spite the city’s lack of an indoor ice
rinks. Ice skates vary in price depend
ing on quality and purpose.
Basic vinyl figure skates cost about
$35, he said, with leather skates
checking in at about $50. Hockey
players must dig a little deeper,
Zctlerman said, to pay for $100
skates.
“Sledding gives you the
same adrenalin thrill
that some people get
from roller coasters or
speeding in a car, but
it’s a whole lot cheajjer. ”
BEN SMITH
Sophomore business -major
Zelterman said Holmes Lake,
3016 S. 70th St., was the best local
ice skating site.
People who want a little more
vavoom in their free time may try
snowmobiling. Capitol City Snow
mobile Club president Bernie
Mertzmann, said the main obstacle
for local enthusiasts was a lack of
snow.
“When I first started riding, there
seemed to be a lot more snow each
year,” he said. “But with what we
have so far this year, we’ve been
pretty lucky.”
Rod Yanagida, owner of Rod’s
Outdoor Power, 5900 S. 56th St., said
snowmobiles could cost up to $7,500.
Riders also must purchase an
operator’s license and park permits,
Yanagida said.
Snowmobilers can use trail sys
tems, frozen lakes or both, he said.
Snowmobiles once were allowed on
slate highways and city streets, he
said, but recent laws forbid such use.
Yanagida said the best snowmo
bile sites were at Yellowstone Na
tional Park in Wyoming and the
Black Hills in South Dakota.
But Yanagida and Mertzmann
agreed that Branched Oak Lake, lo
cated about 15 miles northwest of
Lincoln, was a great local spot.
Mertzmann also recommended *
Oak Lake, located near Highway 34
and Sun Valley Blvd., and the area '
adjacent to the Capitol Humane So
ciety, 2320 Park Blvd.
“For the more experienced, those
places might seem pretty small,” he
said, “but if you’re just starting out
they work just fine.”
Slick Rick
“Behind Bars’*
Def Jam
Rating: B
The ruler’s back, but can a guy
still behind bars hang in the com
petitive hip-hop market?
Slick Rick has dazzled fans
throughout his career, influencing
scores of rappers. For the last 2 1/
2 years, Rick has been locked up
on Riker’s Island, and has been
denied parole. After recording this
album, Rick’s work- release status
was revoked, and there’s been talk
of deportation for the London-born
performer.
Little by little, Rick recorded
songs for his anticipated return.
But being locked up has kept him
from growing and evolving with
hip hop.
All the elements of classic Slick
Rick music are there. The beats,
singing, storytelling and even the
love story line make up Rick’s third
album.
The lyrics are solid. We expect
no less from the guy who gave us
“La Di Da Di” and “Children’s
Story.” He can still tell a stoiy as
well as anyone, but the stories on
“Behind Bars” do not jump out like
his earlier works.
An all-star line stepped up to
work Rick’s new tracks. “I’m Cap
tive” and “Get a Job” are both
mixed by Pete Rock. Large Profes
sor revamps “It’s a Boy,” originally
seen on Rick’s second album, “The
Ruler’s Back.” Even hot producer
Warren G steps in to blow up the
title track.
All of those things are great,
and true Slick Rick fans are sure
to be satisfied. The year of 1994,
however, was a year for comebacks
in hip hop, and the biggest one was
the return to tight lyrics.
Rick’s duet with Doug E. Fresh
on “Sittin’ In My Car” works all
right but drags on. The collabora
tion with Nice & Smooth, which
also appeared on their latest album
“Jewel of the Nile,” is good but not
consistent with the rest of the al
bum.
The high point of “Behind
Bars” is “Get a Job,” a terrific track
on which Rick talks about unmo
tivated fake friends and girls who
want to live off of him.
No one can really blame Rick
for not being able to still “knock
‘em out the box” under his barri
ers. When you wear down the
knife, it loses its edge.
—Greg Schick
"Christmas Spirit”
Donna Summer
Mercury Records
Grade: C+
Donna Summer stepped out of
the Christmas music factory —
open only two months a year — to
release “Christmas Spirit.”
The compilation of seven tra
ditional favorites like “O Come All
Yc Faithful” and “White Christ
mas” is pleasantly balanced by
three of Summer’s songs: “Christ
mas is Here,” “Christmas Spirit”
and “Lamb of God.”
Her three songs arc great, espe
cially “Spirit” and “Lamb.” These
could easily become future Christ
mas favorites.
Summer is a talented singer, but
her style just isn’t right for the
older Christmas songs on this al
bum. Summer fails to capture the
lyrical power of “O Holy Night.”
The line “Fall on your knees, o
hear the angel voices” should be
sung with a commanding tone; she
merely suggests it. And the jazzed
up orchestration on this song just
doesn’t fit.
a ocucr cnoice lor summer
would have been to write another
seven new songs and leave the tra
ditional songs to their original
composers and singers.
But Summer and her producer
can’t be accused of putting too
little effort into this album. Full
choirs perform on five songs, and
the Nashville String Machine Or
chestra provides music on three
songs.
Although there arc only three
really good songs on this album,
it’s worth listening to. A good phi
losophy is that one can never have
too many Christmas albums ...
unless Beavis and Butl-liead re
lease one.
—John Fulwider
Lincoln rocks during break
through Sunday.
rrom wan wopons
Trapped in Lincoln over break?
Here’s a list of some holiday en
tertainment that will make vaca
tion a little jollier.
Tonight: Terrance Simien at the
Zoo Bar.
Wednesday: The Scissor Girls
with Blaster at Dufiy’s; Baby Ja
son and the Spankers at the Zoo
Bar.
Friday: The Starkweathers with
the Sissies at Knickerbocker’s;
Terry Evans at the Zoo Bar; and
Heroes and Villains at the Hurri
cane.
Saturday: Flatwater Circus and
Grimace at Knickerbocker’s; Sin
ister Dane at the Hurricane; and
Tom Principato at the Zoo Bar
Sunday: Nail at the Hurricane.
Dec. 19: Magic Slim and the
Teardrops at the Zoo Bar through
Dec. 23.
Dec. 21: Jumpin’ Kate at Le
Cafe Shakes and Duffy’s, early
show at Shakes and late show at
Dully’s.
Dec. 23: Penguins of Destruc
tion and Throttle at
Knickerbocker’s; Gregory, Mercy
Rule and XXY at Shakes; and
Echoing Green at the Hurricane.
Dec. 28: Think at Duffy’s.
Dec. 30: Rascal Basket and
Wide at Knickerbocker’s; and Fat
Tuesday with Exit at the Hurri
cane.
Dec. 31: Mudjack and Orange
at Knickerbocker’s; and
Punkinhcad at the Hurricane.
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