Thursday, July 31, 2014
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Catching up with Amanda Chidester
Thursday,;July 31, 2014
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
3
CITY
A2 increases push
for sustalnablity
By KELLY HALL
Daily Sports Writer
In Brighton, Michigan, a 2012
University alumna helps young
girls hone their softball skills
when she's not off winning the
World Cup of Softball. For former
Michigan softball player Amanda
Chidester, the future of the USA
Softball Women's National Team
is bright, and the game of softball
is a lifelong passion.
This summer is Chidester's
third straight with Team USA,
and she has learned a great deal
about being both a teacher and a
teammate since graduation.
In her spare time, she also
holds local softball clinics in her
hometown of Allen Park, Michi-
gan, but right now, she's with the
national team. Team USA won the
World Cup of Softball on July 13 in
Irvine, California, but is currently
preparing for the most important
competition of the summer -
the World Championships in the
Netherlands starting Aug. 15.
Though Chidester was never
able to play for the U. S. in the
Olympics (the International
Olympic Committee cut baseball
and softball from the Games in
2012), she believes that she'll be
playing in the 2020 Olympics.
And who knows? Maybe some
of her students will be as well.
Chidester spoke with the Daily
recently to discuss her time with
Team USA, her outlook on the
future of softball and the con-
stant support she receives from
the Michigan softball community
and coaches.
The Michigan Daily: What
has changed for you since you
Amanda Chidester was a two-time All-American at Michigan and is now in her third summer of playing for Team USA.
were first on Team USA in 2012?
Amanda Chidester: I was out
of college so I, myself, changed
a lot. For me, I love softball, so I
decided to continue with soft-
ball. Being a part of representing
Team USA was huge, but coming
from the University of Michigan
helped me too. All of the opportu-
nities I was given through Team
USA and the University of Michi-
gan have been awesome.
TMD: Have any of Michigan
softball coach Carol Hutchins'
mantras really stuck with you and
helped you during your time with
Team USA?
AC: Oh yeah, there are so
many. "Leave the place better
than you found it" is a huge one
for me. She says that one a lot, and
everywhere I go, I want to leave
a mark and be an important par
of whatever it is that I'm doing
Never settle for anything lest
than your best and give it you:
all. One hundred percent effort
That's something I carry with
me with my work, with whatevet
I'm doing, and with dealing with
people. It goes a long way.
TMD: How often do you get
to talk to Coach Hutchins about
your game and how has your rela-
tionship with her developed over
the years?
AC: I was able to be an assistant
after graduation and saw a whole
different side, the coaching side
of the game with (Hutchins) and
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saw behind the scenes. There's
so much that goes into it that we
t don't even know about as players.
Going through that whole year
s was pretty awesome.
r Last year, I was able to go to
games and stuff, butI was kind of
on my own. I didn't get a chance
r to see (Hutchins) as much as I
would've liked to, but when I did,
we always had great talks. She
t was right there to congratulate
t me when I made the USA team
again. I was able to go in and talk
with her a little bit on one of my
breaks. She's always there for me
t - for all of us - which is awe-
some, absolutely awesome. She
always says, "You're a Wolverine
forever." That's what makes her
so great.
TMD: How has the culture of
Michigan softball impacted your
career?
AC: Those people that were
around me during my four years
in college have continued to sup-
port me through my time with
USA. There's a big family that
continues to stick around and
when I go back and watch a game,
everyone's there to ask me how
I'm doing and to tell me they miss
me. It's just a great, great family
with everybody. To go back and
be a part of that family is pretty
awesome.
TMD: You and your team-
mates posted a 7-0 record during
the World Cup of Softball Cham-
pionships. You had five RBI and
batted .385. How were you feeling
throughout the tournament and
what was the energy like?
AC: It was good. The whole
team had great energy the whole
time. The team is just so deep.
Any of the 17 players could be
on that field at any point in time,
which is pretty awesome. The last
couple of years, we didn't have
that. This year, the event is a lot
deeper, and I think that's great.
We just feed off of each other.
TMD: What have you and your
teammates been focusing on as
the World Championships get
closer?
AC: This year there are some
returners, but there are also some
new players, so just growing
together and continuing to get
to know each other more, work-
ing together more and just grow-
ing as a team. I think that will be
our biggest thing, just continuing
to get that experience with each
other. We're not used to playing
with each other all the time so
it's a growing process for us, and I
think we've comea long way. USA
has given us the opportunity to
play a lot of different teams and
continue to grow.
TMD: What do you see your-
self doing after the World Cham-
pionships this year?
AC: I work in a facility in Brigh-
ton so I'll be back there again and
training little girls to become
softball players and do the best
they can. I'll be doing camps with.
some of my USA teammates as
well.
TMD: Though your dreams
of playing Olympic softball were
stolen from you when the IOC
decided to get rid of softball and
baseball, you've still been able to
travel the world with Team USA.
What's the message you send to
the girls at your softball clinics
that just love to play the game?
AC: We're fighting to get it
back. In my mind, it's coming
back in 2020 and I'm going to play
in 2020. While giving lessons and
doing camps, we just tell these
girls that we're fighting like heck
to give you guys the opportunity
to do this, but just because it's not
an Olympic sport doesn't mean
that they can't have their passion
in college and continue to play
after that. There are still oppor-
tunities, but it's everyone's dream
to play in the Olympics. We're
going to do everything we can to
get it back.
City moves to next
phase of three-
year rental energy
efficiency project
By MATT JACKONEN
Daily StaffReporter
This summer and fallAnnArbor
is stepping up its sustainability
efforts.
City officials have recently
commenced a survey designed to
improve energy efficiency among
rental properties, many of which
students hold leases to, over the
course of the next few years. The
effort is part of a three-year project
spurred by the city's receipt of
a grant in the beginning of 2012
with the goal to increase energy
efficiency in existing rental houses.
The project places the city
in a partnership with 14 other
cities, led by Bloomington, Ind.
across the country known as Rent
Rocket. Rent Rocket's goal is to
crowdsource energy data to create
more efficient housing.
Through the survey, Ann Arbor
renters are being encouraged to
share their energy bills on the city's
website. Based on the costs and
energy usage in accordance with
the property size, project members
will then gauge the efficiency of
rental properties.
Jamie Kidwell, an Ann Arbor
sustainability associate, said one
of the hurdles in the city's research
is gaining an accurate overview of
the city's rental properties, which
is why the city is asking those
respondingto the survey to directly
upload their electricity bills from
DTE Energy.
"The accuracy of getting data on
utilities through a simple survey
is very difficult, and that's one of
the reasons we're trying to do the
direct upload," Kidwell said. "That
way we will at least have a lot of
historical data that we know is
accurate."
Kidwell said the survey has
yielded about 30 responses in the
past month, with reported costs
that were "all across the board".
While the survey officially was
opened in late June, there will be
another period in which renters
can respond to the survey early
this fall, through September and
October.
Kidwell noted that due to many
students currently being away from
the city for the summer, the data
that has been collected so far has
been scant, but they hope to get at
least over 100 responses by the end
of the fall round of data collection.
"It's a tough time of the year
to gather data given that a large
portion of our renters are student
renters," she said.
However, she said the team
will publicize the project heavily
this fall, and will use avenues
such as the Earthfest, postering
and making announcements in
University classes, with the hope of
getting more input from students.
The project's goal is to
result in both energy-efficient
improvements to existing
properties as well as an expansion
of education for renters within the
city about the efficiency ratings of
certain properties.
Kidwell said one of the ways
of educating renters, if feasible,
will be in the form of a mobile
application and website that will
essentially provide potential
renters with information on
the energy efficiency of rental
properties.
"If we could plot the energy
efficiency on a map when you're
looking for your rental housing,
you could see the historical energy
use, that might lead you to pick
a more energy efficient house,"
Kidwell said.
PRIMARY
From Page 1
about $5,886 on campaign con-
sulting, $1,288 on Facebook and
Google promotions, and thousands
on local advertising, including
$2,414 for advertising from MLive
and other mediagroups.
"That was intentional, we decid-
ed at the get-go that we were going
to fund this about 50%," Petersen
said. "We didn't hirea professional
staff to work day by day like other
candidates, we relied on a small
group of volunteers who work full
time. It's been alot of time focused
on the messaging. My time is more
important, rather than doing the
fundraising, spent with the vot-
ers."
Briere raised about $26,680,
$1,000 of which was from a fam-
ily member, and the rest of which
was from various property com-
panies, University affiliates from
LSA and other community mem-
bers. Notable donors include Sava
Lelcaj, owner of local restaurants
Sava's and Aventura and Dennis
Dahlmann, owner of Dahlmann
Properties in Ann Arbor.
Kunselman raised $7,474, most
of which was from fellow city
council members and other local
community donors.
"You have candidates that are
raising lots of money from the
wealthy, and I think it is hypo-
critical for someone to raise a lot
of money for a campaign to win an
election while promising to pro-
vide for government subsidies and
affordable housing, it just doesn't
add up," he said of the reports.
Relationship withthe
University
Though the August primaries
occur a few weeks before most
students return to campus, and
typically, student votes in the pri-
maries are low, along with finances
the University's relationship with
the city has also been a major
theme leading up to it.
Candidates are quick to admit
the importance of a positive rela-
tionship between the University's
president and Ann Arbor's next
mayor, but University representa-
tive Rick Fitzgerald said the future
for University and city relations
is still up in the air, especially as
President Schlissel enters the first
year of his presidency.
"I don't anticipate a dramatic
shift, but at this point, he is still
getting to know the campus and
the Ann Arbor community, and
Ann Arbor will have a new mayor,
so we will have to wait and see
exactly how that takes shape,"
Fitzgerald said.
When it comes to the city's posi-
SOLAR
From Page 2
of the race. However, by the time
they reached the first checkpoint,
they were back in first place and
held the lead for the remainder of
the race.
"It's not hard to build a very
aerodynamic and very efficient
solar car," he said. "It's very hard
to build a very successful team.
And thankfully, we've had 25
years of experience building a very
successful team, and I think that's
what sets us apart from any of our
competition in the United States
and in the world."
Business junior Mikhail Gore-
lik, a member of the team's busi-
ness division, said organization,
efficiency and speed also set the
team apart from its competitors.
"Some of the other teams,
they would be coming out and
they would be walking towards
their array and they might not be
rushing as much, whereas I've
had some people tell me that you
guys ran out to that car so fast, I
thought it was on fire," he said.
"So it was just everybody knowing
that as soon as the car stops here,
my job is to sprint to it and do this,
and just having that ready to go
was, I think, what gave us a large
advantage on the competition."
Engineering senior Ian Larson,
who serves as the team's crew
chief, said this victory is particu-
larly exciting because the team
was able to overcome its ninth
place finish in the 2013 World
Solar Challenge and multiple set-
backs before and during this year's
race.
"That, I think, showed to every-
one, both at home and abroad, that
the University of Michigan Solar
Car Team is going to be back in
2015 and we're going to be doing
everything we can to finally win
the World Solar Challenge," Lar-
son said.
tion,land ownership is the name of
the game, an issue that has often
left theUniversityand cityatoppo-
sites with each other on major pur-
chases. Whenever the University
purchases a property, itis removed
from the city's tax rolls.
Though all of the Democratic
candidates have some history
with the University, be it Taylor's
four degrees from the University
or Kunselman's ten years as the
University's Environmental Con-
servation Liaison, none see exactly
eye-to-eye or necessarily have a
clear solution when it comes to dif-
fusing University-city tensions.
In January, Taylor said the pos-
sibility of requesting a payment in
lieu of taxes from the University
was both appropriate and reason-
able, but all of the candidates for
mayor seem to be singing the same
tune on the possibility of voluntary
payments to the city.
"As much as I would like a pay-
ment in lieu of taxes, no, that is not
something I would bring to the
table at this point," Taylor said.
Petersen said that any conversa-
tion of a voluntary payment from
the University to the city would
negatively affect the city's rela-
tionship with the University.
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Engineering senior Ian Larson shines the team's first place trophy next to their car,
Quantum, at the Wilson Center Wednesday.