Viking Hall is getting a makeover.
On May 10, the university announced its intention to expand and renovate the 46-year-old Peter W. Stott Center, home to Viking basketball and volleyball.
Folk music probably isn’t the first sound you associate with Portland. Despite the recent tide of interest coalescing around groups like Mumford and Sons, Portland’s zeitgeist still seems to be barreling down into the electronic-alternative pit we all know and love.
Acoustic and electronic met like chocolate and peanut butter in 2002, when Talkdemonic’s tandem of Kevin O’Connor and Lisa Molinaro met to record tracks for the band’s inaugural work. The pair, who flew up onto the scene after the release of their first studio album, recently came off tours with Modest Mouse and The Flaming Lips, but they never lost the key to their style.
Spring is the season of rebuilding for football. The Vikings, who ended their first winning season in half a decade last year, also lost their star quarterback and running back as well as leaders on defense. Months of rebuilding and training culminated last weekend in the Vikings’ annual spring scrimmage at Jesuit High School in Beaverton.
The Timbers haven’t had an easy time this year, but the last time we discussed them, there was still reason to be optimistic.
That hope is gone now.
NFL fans could be forgiven for forgetting about Portland State during the drama of draft season. Last year was a good year for the Vikings, who sent tight end Julius Thomas to the Denver Broncos in the fourth round, but that was the exception, not the rule. Thomas joined a group of four Vikings who have made it to NFL rosters.
It’s election season again at Portland State. You might not think the outcome of student body elections has an impact on athletics, but you’d be wrong. This year’s elections could be a turning point in the future of student sports. Your contribution to Viking athletics and what kind of say you have in its future hangs in the balance.
It’s a depressing epoch in Portland sports. The Timbers are treading water two months into their season, and the Trail Blazers are dead and buried. At least the Timbers are graceful enough to shoot themselves in the foot without giving us false hope.
Portland is crazy about bikes. Portland State, seated in the heart of the city, is a natural destination for cyclists. Over the last decade, the university has raised the profile of cycling as both a pastime and a commuting option through initiatives like the Bike Hub and by building and expanding bicycle parking on campus.
It’s surprising how much a winning result can turn things around.
It might not seem like much to someone who hasn’t been paying attention, but last year’s 7-4 result for Viking football has put a new glow of optimism around the program. At the same time, though, there’s still a lot of work to be done to rebuild the reputation of football.
Football season begins and ends in the fall for most Portland State students, but if one is willing to go a little off the beaten path, football is still happening in the Portland metro area. When NFL and NCAA football end in January and February, the women of the Portland Shockwave, Portland’s Independent Women’s Football League team, start revving up for their new season.