By Vic Poulos

A lot of people, places and issues dominated the world of wine in 2012. Some of the more interesting ones follows in this article and as a special bonus, I’ve included my 2013 Wine Resolutions.

Fortunately, 2012 saw a steady increase in both wine sales and in the average price point of consumer’s favorites.  Thanks to an excellent domestic harvest this year, we can expect 2013 to be an even better year for wine producers.

Sales of the sweet and floral Moscato wine continue to go through the roof and almost all major U.S. producers are now producing a sweet red wine.  It has taken the rest of the country a while to catch up with this local trend in enjoying sweeter red wines, but the country seems to have arrived. Moscato has become the third most popular white wine in the U.S., behind Pinot Grigio and Chardonnay (still the country’s best seller, red or white).

Innovative sales approaches are also carrying forward from 2012 to 2013. Wine on tap, such as those offered by local favorite “Crust” seem to be the rage in most major US cities. Wine served from kegs, as is beer, is nothing new in Europe where locals save cash and materials by bellying up to the local winemaker’s tank and filling their own bottles.

The internet also came alive in 2012 with interactive wine tastings.  If you haven’t checked out a 24-hour live tasting on Twitter, you’re missing out on a really interesting new trend. Other social media such as Pinterest, Facebook and Instagram have also allowed the working consumer a greater opportunity to participate in wine at their leisure.

We’re also seeing wine retailers and wholesalers continue to consolidate, generating more retail opportunities for consumers.  Who would have thought several years ago that El Paso would have not one, but two Spec’s retail outlets? Massive winery and distributor  E&J  Gallo’s expansion continues, with the private wine producer’s revenues in 2012 predicted to be in excess of 2011′s $3.4 billion. Southern Wine and Spirits, National and Glazers wholesalers also continue to expand their portfolios, bringing new and often hard to find wines to local restaurants.  Even Amazon is considering a re-entry into the business after an earlier failed venture in the world of wine.

Wine tourism, including the ever-growing Napa, California, Oregon and Washington State viticulture regions, continue to capitalize on travelers and their desire for wine knowledge. Wineries with interactive visitor centers such as the one opened last year by Francis Ford Coppola in Sonoma, and Marchesi Antinori’s new facility in Italy, are becoming extremely popular tourist attractions. Wine ocean cruises are also now being offered throughout the year and  European wine-themed river cruises are dominating the travel industry, often filling up more than a year in advance.

Now for my 2013 Wine Resolutions! They are actually very simple. I want to experiment more and stay out of the rut of drinking only one type of wine all the time. How much Pinot Noir can one person drink anyway?  Second, I’m continuing my campaign against wine ratings and complex descriptors. There are still so many flowery and advanced ways to describe wine that even an English professor can’t decipher.  We need to follow our own likes and dislikes of wine, and not depend on the opinions of critics, neighbors or that snobby nephew who just criticized what we were drinking while he was visiting from New York. You know who he is – he’s the one who couldn’t resist telling everyone about that excellent bottle of white burgundy he had while dining at “Per Se” in Manhattan.

When you go to a wine retailer ask their opinion on what is new and moderately priced – and quit worrying about what Robert Parker or Wine Spectator rated the wine last year – especially since it is becoming more and more clear he’s turning over the reins to his assistants.

Get some friends together, experiment, and see what you like best– that’s what wine is all about! Happy New Year!

By Loreli Hassan and John Del Rosario

Every year, a gaudy, misunderstood consumer holiday measures the amount of romantic love one has in his or her life against his or her misery. Take a look at the way that we as men and women treat each other and you’ll find out a number of things. For one, love for the sake of love is as played out as the gold standard; a night of surrender can still be distilled down to a single notch on one’s belt; and somewhere between learning to say “please” and “thank you” and adulthood, some things went terribly, terribly wrong. Like having children, relationships don’t exactly come with an instruction manual. So, we, Loreli and John, would like to use our combined 50 years of getting it wrong to atone for the sins of those in our respective genders. Allow us now to learn from our mistakes. For a better El Paso, for a better Valentine’s Day. Forever and ever. Amen.

J: Loreli, on behalf of men, I’d like to apologize for our general inability to communicate emotion. I don’t think we’re generally emotional beings, with exceptions, of course. I’m sure that there is a good amount of us that think “hungry” is an emotion.

L: You’re so right. Men do lack the ability to communicate emotion. Men don’t have the patience to sit down and cry along with their woman over whatever is bothering us. Men aren’t emotional. You tell us how it is. And that’s that.

J: In our defense, you have this monthly visitor that makes you more prone to emotion. Ours comes once a year: it’s called the Super Bowl.

L: Don’t ever stand between a man and his football. You all also seriously lack the ability to “multi-task,” something women are more capable of doing. John, on behalf of women, I’d like to apologize for our indecisiveness. When it comes to relationships, what we want for our future, or even while simply shopping for clothes, a car or a home, we just cannot make up our mind most of the time!

J: Is it worse to give a woman her options or to make a decision for her? One way, you’ll never arrive at a decision. On the other hand, you’ll only blame us for any ensuing unhappiness from our firm choice or even blame us for not allowing you any independence. It’s a lose-lose situation!

L: In our defense, a woman ALWAYS wants to feel as if she’s cared for. She wants to feel loved and protected by her man at all times. To support one another is extremely important for both partners in a relationship.

J: That’s fair. But consider the body language of courtship: the early stage in a relationship when you’re feeling each other out. You’re trying to pick up on signals, you’re taking baby steps to prove yourself without being either too overbearing or too weak. What do we men do with such indecisiveness?

L: Good question. First of all, men give out a much more different type of love than women do. Men are very simple when it comes to loving their woman. It goes both ways, if both are loyal, loving and supporting to one another, indecisiveness should not be something crucial to the relationship. It is simply one of women’s flaws, just like a man’s lack of emotion.

J: That’s fair, I’d say. Loreli, on behalf of men, I’d like to apologize for reducing “going out” attire to a T-shirt and jeans. Personally, I’m not big on the “Jersey Shore,” nor am I a fan of graphic tees that look like Ed Hardy projectile vomited on only one of the shoulders. Also, not a big fan of jeans with pre-wrinkled crotches and backs of knees. I mean, do the people at Levi’s think that we need an idiot’s guide to know how to sit down?

L: Ugh! Tell me about it! There is absolutely nothing wrong with a stylish/preppy man. But women admire most men who don’t fit into a women’s size-eight jeans or take longer to get ready than we do. Leave the pretty boys for high school. We want a manly man. Someone who knows how to dress for every occasion without looking just as feminine as us.

J: What’s your opinion on the “metrosexual,” then?

L: To me, a metrosexual is a man with a tight-fitted shirt showing their shaved chest hair (which I find absolutely disgusting). Most women fall for that. In my personal opinion, it’s just not my cup of tea. I’d prefer a nice button down with regular fitted jeans, a professional looking man.

John, on behalf of women, I’d like to apologize for all the trouble and inconvenience we create by simply going to our girlfriends for relationship and “man” advice. I know we are some hard-headed creatures, and this tops it off. I apologize for not speaking directly to our man when there is a problem. Instead we vent to our girlfriends about it. Lack of communication is no bueno while in a relationship.

J: Right back at you, darling. We do the same thing with our friends, but with a much more limited emotional vocabulary. And it’s usually in the middle of us doing other things like watching the game or playing “Call of Duty.” Loreli, on behalf of men, I’d like to apologize for us not having a working understanding of the principles of both feminism and chivalry. That, I think, would greatly benefit relationships. Feminism doesn’t seek female dominance, it seeks gender equality. So, men, please note that “feminist” does not equal “vagina Nazi.” As for chivalry… Well, chivalry is only as dead as the courtesy that you think you owe all women if you realized that you came from a mother.

L: Amen! There are gentlemen out there. We just don’t know how to pick them.

J: Why is that, you think?

L: Women like a**holes. Women are attracted to bad boys in one way or another. If we are given the option to pick the good-looking, HOT, bad boy or the sweetest, most genuine, not-so-good-looking guy… Nine times out of 10, we’re picking the bad one! The majority of women have learned from bad relationships. I mean, you can’t progress without having to go through hardships, right? But there’s still a few who manage to stay in them. They have gotten so used to being mistreated and unhappy that they believe that they can no longer get out of the relationship. That’s the problem with women. Most women nowadays have been encouraged to be professionals, to succeed in life. We have been taught to be independent women, which many times, pushes men away. We have the mentality nowadays of, “I don’t need a man to make me happy” which is why we stay single… and miserable. We all want a man.

John, on behalf of women I’d like to apologize for our insecurities, which many times lead to an unnecessary argument. Even the most beautiful woman can be insecure when around someone who is supposedly “better” than them.

J: Why do you think this is? It’s not just physical insecurities, but emotional ones, too, that guys have to defend themselves against. Do women find other women as natural threats? What has to be done for you to believe that you’re beautiful or good enough?

L: I saw a post from a Facebook friend just recently (and it caught my attention) about how beautiful women are the most insecure. It got me thinking and I honestly believe that this is true in some way. Women feel like it’s all a competition when we should really be building up one another. He said that beauty is a gift and a burden because everything from success to the man a woman chooses is scrutinized in some way. There’s always “hate” between females and I think this comes from a heartbreak or some damage caused by a male or a significant other.

J: On behalf of men, I want to apologize for the little things that go unnoticed. I think that, as men, we put more thought and emphasis on the results than on the process. When we’re going out, the hours it takes for women to get ready are akin to waiting weeks for the results of the most boring paternity test (that we already know the answer to). Some men have a naturally lazy eye for detail. If only life had instant replay where we could look at a single, sentimental moment and see how it played out from all angles, then we can see the nuances that are hidden in the way you do what you do.

L: There’s some lyrics to a song that go, “And you don’t do it for the man, men never notice, You just do it for yourself.” These lyrics describe exactly what you’re telling me, John. And I couldn’t agree more. Women spends weeks, even months planning an anniversary, which, the majority of the time, goes unnoticed. Men are simple and they want results. If only they noticed the little things, a woman might feel a little bit more confident about herself. On behalf of women, I apologize for having the mentality that we should act and have what everyone else does just to fit in. For example, not leaving the house with makeup on or spending beyond our budget to have the latest fashion trends. Being a woman is being yourself. Confidence is key. There is no better representation of beauty than someone who isn’t afraid to be herself.

J: Is there a healthy medium between being an individual and fitting in? On the one extreme, you have Barbie and on the other side of the spectrum, you have Lady Gaga. Both are dangerous to buy into and neither gives a real sense of balance. If beauty has become this consolidated idea that everyone has to abide by, tell me what real beauty is. Is it a look or an attitude?

L: That’s a good question. Nowadays, we all want to have a Victoria’s Secret model body or Kim Kardashian’s luscious hair. Society has been brought up to be that way. Women feel like they have to be “beautiful” to fit in. But beauty is an attitude, John. Someone who’s unafraid to be herself. We’re all beautiful in our own way. Looks are important, but it’s what’s inside that counts.

By Jannet Bustillos

With Valentine’s Day soon approaching, I decided to visit Barnes & Noble and take a look at their love section.  While browsing, a particular book caught my eye. It was the “The Five Love Languages” by Gary Chapman.  In the book, Dr. Chapman explains how people express and receive love in different ways. He calls them love languages. There are five love languages that each one of us need in order to feel loved or fully fulfilled by our significant other.  Many of us think we know and understand our partner, but are we speaking the same language?

Love Language #1: Words of Affirmation

Solomon once wrote, ” The tongue has the power of life and death.”  It is amazing how many couples have not learned how powerful verbally affirming one another can be. Words of appreciation or simple compliments are some of the greatest communicators of love.  For many of us words of encouragement are very important.  All of us have areas where we have certain insecurities, and a simple word of encouragement from our partner can make all the difference.

Love Language #2: Quality Time

This doesn’t necessarily mean spending 24 hours, 7 days a week together.  Quality time is all about giving someone your undivided attention.  Going out for walks or to dinner and looking at each other while you talk, is a form of spending quality time.  To some people, this language is more crucial than any other love language.  Dr. Chapman says,” A central aspect of quality time is togetherness. I do not mean proximity… Togetherness has to do with focused attention.”

Love Language #3: Receiving Gifts

When we receive a gift from our loved ones we automatically think, “Wow, they were thinking of me.”  Gifts are symbols of love.  Visual symbols of love are more important to some than they are to others.  For example a wedding ring can be one of those symbols.  This was a gift and some never take their rings off, while others never wear their wedding bands.  This is just another sign that people have different primary love languages.

Love Language #4: Acts of Service

The definition of acts of service is doing things your significant other would like you to do.  This can mean doing laundry, washing the car, or making dinner one night without them having to ask you to do it.  An act of service takes time, effort, and energy, and if done with a positive spirit, these can indeed be expressions of love.  Dr. Chapman explains,  “Requests give direction to love, but demands stop the flow of love.”

Love Language #5: Physical Touch

Research shows that holding hands, kissing, embracing, and sexual intercourse are all ways of communicating emotional love to one’s spouse.  For some individuals, physical touch is their primary love language.  Without it, they feel unloved.  With it, their emotional tank is filled, and they feel secure in the love of their spouse, explains Dr. Chapman.  Find out if your significant other’s primary love language is physical touch, and if so a simple back rub or holding their hand will express to them that you love them.

It might be difficult for some to instantaneously know what your primary love language is or that of your partners.  But keep in mind you can have more than one love language. Dr. Chapman advises that you and your significant other spend some time writing down what you think your primary love language is.  Then, list the other four in order of importance.  “The Five Love Languages” is an excellent book that goes into detail on how you can express heartfelt commitment and understand your mate better.

By John Del Rosario

There is a famous story about a young American anthropologist who shadowed a man from a Hopi Native American tribe in the 1960s. He would have the man sing Hopi folk songs so that he could study their melody, meaning and lyrics. Whenever the old man would finish one, the anthropologist would ask him what it was about and the old man would tell the story behind the song and translate the words. After about a dozen songs the anthropologist found it odd that every song that the man sang was, in some way, about water. A little peeved, he asked the old man why that was. The old man replied, “Our people have been on this land for centuries. Our need for this water is so great to our families and to our people, to our nations. Most of our songs are about our greatest need.”

“I have a transistor radio back home and after my day’s work, I listen to a lot of American radio stations,” the Hopi man continued, turning the tables on the anthropologist. “Seems like most American music is about love. Is that why? Is it because you don’t have very much of it?”

In the spirit of Valentine’s Day, four female singers and songwriters of local bands (Nicole Boudreaux of the Royalty, Karen Perales of Electric Social, Chantal Diaz of Sublevels and Emily Davis of Emily Davis and the Altar Boys) sat down with me to meditate on the topic of love songs.

Why, in the year 2013, are there still love songs?

Nicole Boudreaux: I think love is something that everyone is trying to attain in life. It’s very parallel to that story (of the Hopi folk songs) because it’s something that everyone wants to find before they die. It’s one of the goals of existence, I think. I think each generation would have to start fresh in the pursuit for love in happiness. I don’t think we can evolve to where we’re all going to be loving, caring people. Each person has to find that individual journey in themselves. So there’s always going to be love songs.

Karen Perales: It’s not like we don’t have enough of them, but I think everyone experiences love in many different ways. I think once in a while, there’s someone that can write and put it in words that you couldn’t, and when you hear it, you feel like you know this person. Then there’s some people that maybe they listen to love songs because they haven’t experienced love for themselves, or at least to the level that the songs seem to be representing. They wish it could happen to them and feel that way.

In today’s musical climate Electronic Dance Music is becoming more pervasive in popular music. With its greater emphasis on a driving beat than on evocative melodies and lyrics, what is becoming of the love song?

Chantal Diaz: I think the love song is being translated differently. My favorite love songs are mariachi songs because they’re basic, but they have such feeling to them. Nowadays, there’s so much going on that it takes away because you’re so overwhelmed with it. To me, a definition of a love song is when you take it back to basics.

KP: They’re harder to find. My favorite love songs are ones from a long time ago. I cannot think of a love song now that’s genuine. I just don’t know why an audience would listen to this. I don’t know what they find so attractive. The audience is the ones that make these artists create this type of music. I think that’s what’s sad. Genuine love songs, I think, you won’t be able to find as much.

Are break-up songs love songs?

NB: Yes. I think that sadness is a part of loving someone. It just says how much you love them from a different angle of the relationship. A lot of times sad break up songs are the most tangible. It’s easy to convey it. I think it’s easier to write when you’re sad than when you’re happy. Happiness almost seems one-dimensional, but I feel like sadness carries a wider range of emotion. It’s kind of like a eulogy. You’re expressing love for a relationship that has passed.

CD: It depends. There’s angry break up songs. There’s heartache break up songs. My favorites are the ones that Shakira did, the old Shakira, the “unplugged” Shakira. She did that song, “Sombra de Ti.” I can have a bottle of tequila and that song on repeat when someone breaks up with me… I think it is a love song, but it’s not a positive one. She’s talking about love, it just didn’t go the way she wanted it to. That one gets me right in the heart.

Which is more damaging to society: love songs or romantic comedies?

Emily Davis: Romantic comedies. Those can go away forever. It seems like if the entire plot of a movie is romance and comedy, it’s bound to fail. I see movies that have romance as a part of a plot, it’s not the whole plot, and it works, it’s nice and it achieves its goals. But I haven’t seen a romantic comedy in years where I say, “Man, that was so groundbreaking and I was so moved by it!” If there was one genre I could pick in the movie world, it has to be romantic comedies.

CD: Romantic comedies, because I’m a visual learner. (Laughs) I’m the type of girl that if I see a girl calling a guy and that’s the way they ask each other out, then I’m going to do it exactly like they did in the movie because that’s how I think it’s going to work out. They’re more damaging because you can physically see it and everyone is going to expect that it will happen like that. Especially a number-one movie, everyone’s going to watch it and everyone’s going to change their mindset and be on that level. It has more power than anyone realizes. I think music is so versatile. It’s metaphorical. You can envision a line someone sings and it can be something different than what they meant.

What makes a love song corny?

ED: Clichés and making it easy. If your mind is telling you to write a lyric because that’s the way it should be, it’s too easy. I think if it’s easy for you to write a love song then you’re not challenging yourself enough.

NB: I think if there are phrases stolen that have been said so many times before, it kind of takes away the sincerity of it. I think a lot of pop songs are following a recipe that has been done before and there are certain phrases that are going to work because they have been tried and true. You don’t present a different angle. There are so many different angles for each person’s experience. Any little detail that you lay out that has never been said before makes a love song unique.

Have you ever been serenaded on Valentine’s Day?

CD: In middle school, someone sent me a singing-gram. But I was also in the group singing the singing-grams. So, it was a surprise to me! It was a solo and this guy sang it to me. And I turned red because I was so embarrassed because he was singing it so bad! Another time, someone tried to do it on the phone and I hung up. He called me back and asked, “What happened?” I told him it was disconnected. Then it happened again. I was having such a bad day and he sang to me. And that was the only time I actually enjoyed it. He knows he can’t sing, but I was having such a bad day and he knew it would soothe me and calm me down. And he did.

KP: No.

NB: Yes, I have been. He wrote and recorded a song, put in on a CD and made a case for it and everything. It was really romantic and sweet. To me, I don’t feel it’s as romantic for me because I write songs, too. So, I’m like, “Uh-huh. Oh, I like the chords.” I start thinking about it too much.

ED: No. I don’t usually don’t date guys that like to sing. I usually end up with guys who don’t want to sing at all.

By Patrick L. Martinez, Certified Fitness Trainer

Well, the New Year is upon us and gyms will be packed with all those trying to fulfill New Year’s Resolutions! For some clients, it gets frustrating and intimidating at times when the gym is too packed or if you have to wait to use equipment.  This frustration causes some clients to forget about their resolutions and opt out of going to the gym.  Please do not give up hope.

A gym membership is just like any other product you purchase.  The sales associates or trainers will try to sell you on why their gym (product) is the best.  Whether it’s their state-of-the-art equipment, boutique-style client care, intense training, or the lowest rates in town, everyone has a pitch.  The key is to find what’s right for you regardless of what the pitch is.  Here are a few things to look for when searching for a gym.

LOCATION

Location, location, location.  Finding a gym that’s close to work or home is essential.  If you have to go out of your way to get your workout in, then the odds of you skipping a workout will increase.  If you end up having to go home first, you just may not make it to the gym.  I understand that there are devout clients that will follow their trainers to the end of the earth.  If you are one of those clients, then I salute you.  But for the regular client who just wants to do 45 minutes on the treadmill or get a cardio-boxing class in, you want to find something close by.

STAFF

Just as any other sales associate, trainers should be friendly and knowledgeable.  They should also have a credible Fitness Trainer/Personal Trainer certification and a CPR/AED.  Being certified is extremely important.  Just because someone knows how to work out, doesn’t necessarily mean they know how to train.  Learning basic human anatomy, biomechanics, and kinesiology is required for any trainer.  This is to ensure that the client is performing the exercises correctly and with proper form to avoid injury.

Aside from credentials, having a fun workout environment will keep you going back.  The staff should make you feel welcome and part of the family and if you have your own trainer, you should have a good relationship with him/her.  Having fun is just as important as the workout itself.  When you’re paying for a membership, you should be getting the best customer service you can. You should be pleased with everything from the greeting, the towels and the water, to the smiles and well-answered questions.

STYLE

What type of person are you?  Do you like hardcore bodybuilding?  Are you into Mixed Martial Arts?  Are you into CrossFit?  Do you want that one-on-one personal training in a relaxed environment?  When establishing your fitness goals, you have to find the best route to take for you.  El Paso is full of gyms that offer a plethora of variety.  You just have to find the gym that fits your personality and that will help you achieve your fitness goals in the best way possible.

PRICE

I know what you’re thinking, “Why isn’t price the first thing on the list?”  I’ll tell you why. Because you cannot put a price on your health. A gym membership is an investment in YOU. If you stay consistent, you will receive 100 percent return on that investment.  You can pay $10 a month or $600 a month.  As long as you’ve found a place that you fit in, feel comfortable, have fun, and have knowledgeable staff, then price doesn’t matter.  Of course I don’t expect you to take out a second mortgage on your home just so you can work out.  Find something that you can work into your budget.  Most trainers are flexible and can work with you on the due dates and payment frequency.

So there you have it.  Find a gym that’s close to you, has a friendly and knowledgeable staff, and fits your personality and pocket book.  If you can do that, then I guarantee you will keep going back and you will achieve your fitness goals.  The year has started; don’t let it go by without you.

BY BOB NIZBURG

IF YOU SCAN THE ROSTER OF THE UTEP WOMEN’S BASKETBALL TEAM, YOU’LL SEE ONLY ONE STUDENT-ATHLETE WHO CALLS EL PASO HOME.

SHE’S JUNIOR FORWARD KAYLA THORNTON , A FIRST TEAM ALL STATE  STAR AT IRVIN  HIGH SCHOOL WHO  ONCE SCORED 54 POINTS IN A GAME.

AVERAGING 28 POINTS AND 10 REBOUNDS HER SENIOR YEAR, SHE GOT THE ATTENTION OF COLLEGE COACHES INCLUDING UTEP’S KEITHA ADAMS…”WE RECRUITED  KAYLA BECAUSE WE NEEDED TO GET BETTTER IN THE REBOUNDING DEPARTMENT AND THE BONUS WAS SHE WAS FROM EL PASO” SAID ADAMS.

FOR  THE 6-1 THORNTON , IT WAS AN EASY CHOICE FOR THREE REASONS.…”IT WAS CLOSE TO HOME…COACH ADAMS WAS A GOOD COACH , AND MY FAMILY COULD GET A CHANCE TO SEE ME PLAY”.

LAST SEASON, THORNTON HELPED THE MINERS  WIN THE  CONFERENCE USA REGULAR SEASON AND TOURNAMENT TITLES  AND ADVANCE TO THE NCAA TOURNAMENT. SHE WAS NAMED SECOND TEAM ALL CONFERENCE AND ALSO MADE THE ALL TOURAMENT TEAM.

THE MINERS, WHO HOPE TO REPEAT AS CONFERENCE CHAMPS, SUFFERED AN EARLY MAJOR SETBACK  WHEN TWO STARTERS WENT DOWN WITH SEASON- ENDING KNEE INJURIES.

FOR THORNTON IT WAS JUST ANOTHER CHALLENGE…”WE JUST HAD TO WORK TWICE AS HARD IN PRACTICE AND IN GAMES”.

NOT MISSING A BEAT, THE TEAM WENT 11-1 IN THEIR NON-CONFERENCE SCHEDULE  IN NOVEMBER AND DECEMBER BEATING THE LIKES OF ARIZONA, ARIZONA STATE  AND KANSAS STATE.

TO COACH ADAMS CREDIT, SHE’S ALWAYS HAD A LOCAL PLAYER ON HER ROSTER BUT TWO STAND OUT….NATASHA LACEY, WHO PLAYED IN THE WNBA, AND NOW THORNTON.

ADAMS AND LOCAL BASKETBALL “GURU” AND FORMER MINER COACH WAYNE  THORNON BOTH TOLD ME THAT THORNTON IS THE BEST LOCAL PRODUCT TO COME TO UTEP SINCE LACY.

ADAMS ADDED “THERE’S NO QUESTION THAT NATASHA AND KAYLA HAVE BOTH BEEN DIFFERENCE MAKERS FOR US.”

YOU CAN TELL, MARLEEN AND LEWIS THORNTON, DID A TERIFFIC JOB OF RAISING KAYLA BECAUSE DURING MY INTERVIEW SHE WAS VERY POLITE AND SOFT SPOKEN….BUT THAT WAS OFF THE COURT.

CASE IN POINT….A DECADE AGO WHEN KAYLA WAS 10 AND HER BIG BROTHER WAS 16, SHE CHALLENGED HIM TO A GAME OF HOOPS. WITH A BIG SMILE ON HER FACE KAYLA TOLD ME …..”YES, I BEAT HIM”.

REMEMBER COACH ADAMS’ COMMENT ABOUT  RECRUITING THORNTON BECAUSE SHE NEEDED A REBOUNDER?

WELL THORTON LEADS THE TEAM IN THAT DEPARTMENT AT 8.3 A GAME AND IS SECOND IN SCORING AT 14.1 POINTS PER CONTEST.

COACHES JUST LOVE IT WHEN THEIR PLAYERS MAKE THEM LOOK GOOD !

Photo By: Michael Reese-UTEP Athletics

Photo By: Michael Reese-UTEP Athletics

Photo By: Michael Reese-UTEP Athletics

• The production of nerve-protecting compounds
• Greater blood flow to your brain
• Improved development and survival of neurons
• Decreased risk of cardiovascular diseases

• Improved sleep
• Improved mood
• Stronger bones
• Weight loss
• Reduced restlessness of hyperactivity, helps DECREASE symptoms of ADHD
• Increased energy levels
• Improved immune system function
• Reduced risk of diabetes and pre-diabetes.

• Interval training
• Strength training
• Stretching
• Core-building activities

• Being thirsty [by the time you have the sensation of “thirst” you are already dehydrated.
• Feeling lightheaded, dizzy or tired
• Rapid heartbeat
• Dry lips and mouth
• Not urinating as much – normal urine should be a pale yellow color – dark or strong-smelling urine can be a sign od dehydration.