The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, March 16, 1994, Page 3, Image 3
Wednesday, March 16, 1994
oStanford
stui
pinball chatr
By College Press Service "
He's not deaf, dumb or blind, but liti
Bowen Kerins sure olavs some mean no
pinball. The Stanford University Tn
sophomore launched himself into voi
stardom this February by flipping ?f'
^ more balls, tilting more lights and 1
racking up more points than anyone. pl?
He's the World's Greatest Pinball Hay- baj
er. sic
"I was so excited," he said. "Even Pe
though there's so much strategy and ex)
skill involved, there's a lot of luck, we
You have to get ^ ^
'"kSskill "It's amazing how
and luck put the game is. It's q
him over 600 , . .. ,
competitors in dllCtlOn and gOOC
the fourth-annu- There are so man
al Professional . ?
I and Amateur
Pinball Associa- Bow<
tion's Interna- Stanford University
tional Pinball
Championships,
known as PAPA
4. Otherwise unnoticed before the fi- my
nal round, Kerins hurled himself to ec*
the top with a phenomenal score of
i #? fAn
Despite this scorers magnitude, the ing
underdog's luck pulled him through.
Prior to this last round, Kerins was in tie
ninth place, and last year's PAPA win- we
er, Lymon Sheats, scored more than we
^ 1 billion points just practicing for the 1
final match. Kerins conceded the com- sai<
petition was close and that others P'r
could have surpassed him. the
"I'm not even the best player," he C01
said. "I can definitely say that. Sheats cox
is much better than I am. He just got
shafted in the finals." yea
. Sheats, known for his calm flipping an'
style, won the PAPA 4 Championship
? division title, a league created for pre- '
. vious PAPA contestants. He said he w0
1 plans to buy a pinball machine to
. practice for next year's PAPA 5 com- ref
petion. CQI
"It's great for pinball that a new
^ wave of players is coming on so SP<
. strong," Sheats said. "But I'll be back fes'
] next year." an<
BUCK!]
1
Two
ingfor
<
Aclai
:
*
*
? Visa U.S.A. Inc. 1994
dent wins Proza
ipionship ^
* the 1990s, althoug
rhe machines used for this compe- tioned the wisdoi
on were examples of flashy tech- die medication, wt
logy, Kerins said. For instance, "Star by altering brain
;k: The Next Generation" used the theless, Prozac is I
ces of the show's real actors as part prescribed by doc
the game's special effects. university clinics fc
None of the pinballers had ever suffering from Ion
tyed the "Who's Tommy" game, Since its introdi
red on the current Broadway mu- anti-depressant hj
al, before its debut in the com- to 5 million peo
tion's last round. Playing it was an States. And accord
lerience because of the effort that work at student cli
nt into making it, Kerins said. scribed more often
Kerins is consider- pressant drugs bee
"7 ^! ? ing a major in math- and has fewer side
detailed ematics and said the At the University
[llick de- anatytical aspects of Health Center, thi
J . . this discipline help choice when a cli
I timing, his game. student requires n
IV Strate- "'t s amaz'n8 how mcntal health cen
detailed the game is," percent of the cai
he said. "It's quick "Prozac is a bo
in Kerins deduction and good haven't been he!
sophomore timin8- There are so else," said Dr. Lot
many strategies." rector of the clinic.
In the final stage to point out that <
while playing "Tom- students diagnose
," Kerins' winning strategy indud- drug prescriptions
bopping around to Beades' music At Johns Hopkin
t was playing over the speaker sys- ferent. In one mag
i. Other players had assistants wip- pus psychiatrist G
; their foreheads with towels. was quoted as sayii
I just went up there singing the lit- to fully half of her c
songs," he said. "Some guys were One reason for t
aring the gloves wide receivers scriptions may be
ar for their sweaty palms." sions.
Instead, Kerins was dancing. He Bob Gallagher, c
J his father taught him how to play University of Pittsfc
iball at an early age, and from 300 other director
:re, he practiced on his own. Until centers every yeai
ning to college, he had no idea he cent of the directc
ild play on a competitive level. crease in students!
It's kind of neat because before last vere depressions, 1
it, I was just like, i like this game, Karen Huang, a
j i u t i.l !. in 1 : j ill cf..cr.?4 i
u ? nave iun wun 11, 11c uaiu. i juuuwu univeisu
>ught I was just average." quicker to prescril
For his efforts at PAPA 4, Kerins sion these days foi
n $4,000 of the $20,000 purse for Time and mom
; entire competition. He will also said. "There is m
>resent pinball companies at up- medicate the prol
ning trade conventions. Until then, symptoms withou
: Rhode Island native plans to son."
snd the prize money on an old- "We have more <
tiioned pinball machine for himself seling services than
J his dorm. said. "At the sanr
around the countr
crunches, so it's j
B those services."
But many depres
in need of Prozac,
B "A good number
ing in with norm;
^^B B concerns, problem:
m W he said.
essentia
recLients
a perfect
date:
e and tKi
nzm
.
It's every VN/^riere
you want to be
*
TD\t gamecock
ic prescriptions on rise at
Service The typical campus depression is |
he wonder drug of the "situational" kind requiring shorth
critics have ques- term counseling, not the chronic sort
m of some uses of calling for long-term medication, he
rich elevates moods sa?dchemistry.
Never- "A student comes in because his sig- C.
being more widely nificant other broke up with him or /^^^TTTTTrTnT
tors in college and decided she wants to see other peo- f 11 "Mill
>r students who are ple>" Gallagher said. "When it first j
g-term depression, happens, he doesn't think he's going ^?
jction in 1988, the to survive. He can't eat or sleep or
it Ivpn nrp?mKpH concentrate on his studies. He mav . .
pie in the United think about suicide. ' 5 n
ing to doctors who "Then he'll go through a grieving 10 percent of stud!
inics, Prozac is pre- process, experiencing anger, denial depressed get or
than other anti-de- and eventually acceptance. He'll be- 10 percent of the c
ause it works faster gin to pull out of it within seven to 10 population is tre
: effects. days, eat normally and sleep a bit bet- mental health cei
of Denver Student ter." 87 percent Qf s
e drug is the No. 1 When a student is in an emotional centere reported
nically depressed crisis, Gallagher said, more than 50 , students seeking
ledication. Student percent of the time the problem depression
ters treat about 10 stems from a relationship or some
mpus population, other precipitating event Students al
on for those that so are especially vulnerable to normal \.
Iped by anything periods of depression because of the
use McDonald, di- natural stresses of adolescence and
But she was quick early adulthood,
jnly 10 percent of However, a clinical depression ocd
as depressed get curs when people have been de- ones are Tofranil and N
i. pressed for a long period of time and generically known as imip
s University, it's dif- suffer symptoms such as erratic sleep- desipramine. A person b
;azine article, cam- Ing and eating habits, mood swings, them might have to
hislaine Godenne crying jags, periods of hopelessness weeks to feel any improv
ng she gives Prozac and thoughts of suicide. Prozac can begin to w<
iepressed students. Not everyone agrees that prescrib- de as 10 days. And the tri
he surge on pre- *ng more Prozac or any other anti-de- den some with side effe
a surge in depres- pressants is the solution, even for clin- constipation, weight gain
ical depression. Health watchdogs say sion and chronic dry mou
linic director at the Prozac sometimes is given to patients tients report that Prozac's
?urgh, surveys 250- who aren't seriously depressed. Be- occasional drowsiness, f<
s of campus health cause the drug alters behavior and are mild and tolerable,
r. In 1993, 87 per- moods by stimulating certain brain Both old and new anti>rs
reported an in- chemicals, it's potentially too dan- work by increasing the |
seeking help for se- gerous to prescribe it carelessly, crit- certain feel-good neuroc
he said. ics say. the brain. Prozac triggers
staff psychiatrist at At the University of Denver, the ?f serotonin. Tricyclics tx
y, said doctors are popularity of Prozac already is taper- nephrine, dopamine and;
5e pills for depres- ing off, although anti-depressants still neurohormones, instead
practical reasons. are prescribed more often. McDonald To a student who is p
ly are limited," she said doctors are increasingly pre- depression, however, it n
ore (pressure) to scribing either recently developed an- 116 difference how Prozat
i??. .i? ciu-h ac 7r\)nft inH w^ii. lv that it works. In most c;
A11U UCAI U1C ? ww?..w vw%.? Ha uvtvtfc ?M>\> nvu #
t treating the per- butrin. students diagnosed with
Nevertheless, the new kid on the pression have struggled
demands for coun- block is still a blockbuster. Eli Lily & ness for years,
i before," Gallagher Co. raked in J 1.2 billion in annual "In high school, a studi
le time, colleges sales from the medication, more than began to be aware tha
y are facing budget any company has ever profited on any wasn 't able to get invol
harder to provide one drug within a single year, ac- tionships and was alw;
cording to a recent Newsweek Maga- down," said Randolph (
sed students aren't zine article. of mental health services
Gallagher said. Much of Prozac's power comes University. The same pr
of people are com- from being better than its predeces- tensified, surface when ;
al developmental sors. Since the 1960s, a similar group young person comes to
5 with growing up," ?f anti-depressants called the tricyclics sa*d.
dominated the market. Two common Depressed students also
, f ! Jl. A
I
1 i
I The Blatt P.I
I announce
\ hours of op
I Monday - ]
A ! 7:00am -11
I Saturd
I 10:30am - 9
I Sunda
J 10:30am -1]
i Hcsc cAienuea nours arc funded in pa
U.S. Department of Education in co
USC Office of Alcohol and Dr
I
*
3_
health centers
'Wonder drug'
ft tr\ f \ i rt rt ! (? TTTrt*T
i miuiug na w
to campuses
???:& ' * :;V...
Student health centers
are prescribing Prozac to
ave been students diagnosed with
c severe depression. The
-nts diagnosed as drug introduced in 1988,
escnptions js prescribed more often
""PS8 . than other anti-depressants
ated by student because it works faster and
"5s . has fewer side effects,
tudent health according to doctors at
an increase m student clinics,
help for severe
v:.- %
SourwrCoB^PrtWB Service
Chris Muldrovr/The Gamecock
orpramine, in fear of academic failure, which can
>ramine and exacerbate the problem. Catlin said
eginning to when he talks to depressed patients,
rait up to six he usually finds there is a depressed
ement. parent in the background.
3rk in as lit- Yet experts admit no solid evidence
icyclics bur- exists that the emotional illness is ge:cts
such as netic. Psychological theories about
, blurred vi- depression blame everything from reth.
Most pa- pressed anger to lack of gratification
side effects, to childhood traumas.
:>r instance, A lot of students who come in for
counseling say they were mistreated
deoressants as children
presence of "Ninety percent of directors are sayhemicals
in ing more students are reporting they
i the release were sexually or physically abused,"
x>st norepi- Gallagher said. He said he's not sure
a number of whether abuse is more common or if
of just one. patients are simply more willing to
aralyzed by talk about it than in the past,
lay make lit- One of the dangers of Prozac treat:
works, on- ment is that it might cover up such
ises, college traumas rather than resolve them, arclinical
de- gued a recent article in in the Rhode
with the ill- Island Women's Health Collective
Newsletter. If someone feels happy afent
perhaps ter taking medication, there may not
t he or she be as much incentive to get to the
ved in rela- root of the problem that created the
ays feeling depression. "We are much to complex
Ratlin, chief for a quick fix," Hilary Salk wrote.
; at Harvard "It's a popular cultural belief to
oblems, in- think that Prozac glosses over everyi
depressed thing and makes people feel happy
college, he about things they shouldn't," said
Abby Rosin, a member of the collec>tend
to live tive.
?1
I
E. Center
;s new |
eration: !
Friday '
:00pm
ay
>:00pm
y
1:00pm J
rt by a grant from the
njunction with the
ug Programs.