Elspeth A. Lodge

09/27/2010 01:00 AM EDT

It’s workout time for the Rhode Island Riveters, who mix it up with individual warm-ups and “pack drills,” which are packed with physical contact.
The Providence Journal / Ruben W. Perez

Members: You won’t find any birth names on this list: Board of Directors: Craisy Dukes, league president; Fo’ Shizzy Borden, vice president; Axe A. Dental, secretary; Shamblock, treasurer; Sweet Tease, director of events; Hotsauce, director of communications; Shelby Bruisin’, skater relations.

Rhode Island Riveters and alternates: Sass E. McNasty, team captain; Trophy Knife, co-captain; Baby Fighterfly; Bleeding Rainbow; Bunnicula; Hot Apple Cry; Lotta Pain; Maul E. Crue; Rhoda Perdition; Rhode Kill; Robin DaPoints; Sis Boom Bonnie; Shelby Bruisin’; Vicious Stylz.

Team coach: Buzzy O’Fficial; managers: Cindy Lou Screw, Bunnicula, Sass E. McNasty.

Members must earn their names by reaching a certain skill level. There is a National Registry of Derby Skaters and no two skaters can have the same name. A unique thing about Roller Derby is that everybody is different heights and weights –– there is no special “skater build.” And no matter the body size, everybody has a value.

Age: To join the team you have to be at least 21; insurance is necessary. Younger girls can get in but must have parental consent. The youngest member on the team currently is 22, and members range to their late 30s.

Hometown: Providence, R.I.

Family: Varies. There are also a lot of “derby couples,” who meet through derby skating. Often men are judges and women are the skaters, but this is not set in stone.

Practice time: Between seven and eight hours a week.

Workout: Practice starts with a half-hour warm-up; this includes squats on skates; warming up the legs through different maneuvers slowly and thoroughly, and stretching. Skates can weigh up to 10 pounds, so it is important to warm up the muscles.

Following the warm-up are drills that enhance endurance –– including stop and go, and other speed drills. They will practice skating in a tight pack. This is to get used to touching each other as they will have to do when in the derby setting. In the rink, they hit each other with their hips, thighs, and backs. People have to be comfortable being in a close-knit group. These are called “pack drills.”

Quote: “It’s a super athletic sport!” says Hellcat (Donna Lee Gennaro) co-head of the team’s marketing and public relations.

Elspeth Lodge

09/13/2010 01:00 AM EDT

By Elspeth Lodge

Journal Staff Writer

The Providence Journal / Kris Craig

Adriene Smith, of Warwick, was in the hospital, by herself, having complications from her pregnancy with her second child, when she said, “I can’t do this alone.”

Suddenly, she saw a ring of light encircle her room. She says she instantly knew that an “angel” had come to protect her.

Although Smith grew up in a faith-driven household where guardian angels were a normal part of conversation, she says she doesn’t “take things based on what other people tell me.” Smith says she has now seen “many things happen; it doesn’t bother me when people don’t believe.”

According to a 2008 study at the Baylor University Institute for Studies of Religion, 55 percent of respondents believed not just in angels, but that they had at one point been helped by a guardian angel. Smith describes angels as “messengers of love and light,” and she has dedicated her life to helping others connect with them. After earning a degree in communications and a 25-year career on the corporate side of medicine, she now provides “holistic energy therapies” through Angel Whispers Rhode Island.

“We vibrate on one frequency, and the angels vibrate on another,” she says. “I want to help people understand that we are made up of energy, and that a shift of our thought patterns can shift our energies.”

Smith practices an energy-shifting technique called Reiki. Many Reiki practitioners either believe in, or are open to the idea of, communicating with angels.

According to Smith, a Reiki master teacher, Reiki focuses on healing and stress relief through shifting the “life-force” energy that flows through our bodies. Lower energy correlates with sickness and stress, she says, and higher energy is an indicator of a happy and healthy person.

How does Reiki work? A person starts by lying down on a table as if they were going to get a massage. The practitioner either touches specific locations on the body or hovers the hands directly above the body.

According to another practitioner, Adonya Wong, of Providence, “There are seven major hand positions [because there are seven major energy centers]. You start at the base of the spine and end at the top of the head, at the crown, focused on making sure the energy is balanced.”

Wong, who served in the military for eight years, says Reiki’s goal is to return the body’s systems to a place of harmony. Like Smith, Wong says that Reiki is not a religious practice. And, while Wong believes in energy therapies, she is less convinced that people can “communicate” with the angels. But she also doesn’t rule anything out.

Wong says she evokes “archangels” at times, when praying or meditating, but, “do I hear them talking back to me?” she says. “Absolutely not.” Often, she uses them to “bring in more energy.”

“If scientists are proving that there is an energy field around everyone in this universe, then why isn’t it that an archangel couldn’t be energy?” she asks.

Reiki helped Wong and her son find balance during a tumultuous time in their lives, she says, and it helped her to become less of a skeptic about energy therapies and anything else she would have immediately ruled out as impossible. She originally discovered Reiki by chance and after seeing the effects decided to use it as an alternative therapy for her autistic son, to help him be more centered and focused at school.

Wong says she thinks of an angel “the same way I would think of my best friend, like a guide.”

Mary Grillie, of North Providence, who runs Positive New Beginnings in Providence, is a Reiki practitioner who was never a skeptic of communicating with angels. The registered nurse says she communicates with them much like Smith. “I’ve always been able to receive this information.”

“Whether I’m using pictures or [tarot] cards, I’m getting messages [and delivering them],” says Grillie.

Grillie says she has known of her abilities since she was very young.

“I knew these things that I shouldn’t have known,” she says. And Grillie says she also uses these communication skills for her day job as a nurse to sense problems.

Smith, Wong and Grillie all say that Reiki and other energy treatments are not replacements for, but rather complements to, traditional medicine.

As for the cost of these treatments, Reiki practitioners charge varying fees. What does Smith say to the skeptics? “It’s a win-win — if you ask for help and you don’t get it, then you’re no worse off than you were before.”

Smith recounted a recent success: “I worked with a woman who lost her dog shortly after losing her husband. She felt the energy shift by the time she’d left.” Smith says that after the session, her client was able to talk about her loss to the people around her, without tears.Facts about angels

• A belief in angels is common to Christianity, Judaism, Islam and other religions.

• The theological study of angels is called “Angelology.”

• The word angel blends the Old English “engel” and Old French “angele,” which are derived from the Latin “angelus” and Greek “angelos,” meaning “messenger.”

• One in five people who believe they have been helped by a guardian angel do not consider themselves religious, according to a study by the Baylor Institute for Studies of Religion.

• In Christianity, there is a “Celestial Hierarchy” of angels belonging to three “choirs.”

• Major works of literature involving angels include John Milton’s “Paradise Lost” and Dante Alighieri’s “The Divine Comedy.”

Elspeth Lodge

09/06/2010 01:00 AM EDT

By Elspeth Lodge

journal Staff Writer

The Providence Journal

High blood cholesterol is a problem facing approximately one in every six adults or 17 percent of the adult U.S. population, according to the Centers for Disease Control. More women than men have high cholesterol in the country.

And because of the high risk of heart disease associated with total cholesterol levels higher than 200 mg/dL, many are turning to both traditional and alternative medicines to help control their cholesterol numbers.

Health food stores around Rhode Island have been touting the benefits of red yeast rice, a non-prescription cholesterol-lowering supplement made from cultivating rice with the mold monascus purpureus, according to Richard M. Fogoros, M.D., author of the about.com article, “Non-prescription Cholesterol Lowering Red Yeast Rice.”

The Chinese have used the supplement for centuries to treat circulatory and digestive disorders and according to redyeastrice.org, the supplement is also used in china as a preservative, food colorant, spice, and in rice wine.

But red yeast rice has been used for a much shorter period of time in the United States, and has been the subject of much controversy and confusion. In 1999 clinical trials red yeast rice was shown to effectively lower cholesterol, but only because it is directly related to a naturally occurring form of the statin drug Lovastatin (or Mevacore). The naturally occurring form in the red yeast rice is known as Monacolin K..

The FDA then ruled that the supplement should be regulated and it was pulled from the shelves, but the decision was initially overruled by The District Court of Utah in 1999. In 2000 the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals agreed with FDA’s decision for regulation. What did this ruling mean? Red yeast rice could still be sold legally in the U.S., but only if the manufacturers of the product removed the natural form of Lovastatin, which would presumably eliminate its effectiveness on cholesterol levels.

In 2007 the FDA found that many of the supplements being sold in the U.S. still contained Lovastatin. A formal FDA safety consumer alert was issued and they took steps to remove the products that still contained Lovastatin from the shelves.

Despite the FDA’s steps, the formulation and content of the supplement is not regulated. It is almost impossible to find out what the pills on your market’s shelf contain.

What you are ingesting, presumably, is a mystery pill with unproven effects. Redyeastrice.org suggests not taking the product for extended periods of time because little is known about its safety or the side effects, which, they say can include headache, stomach ache and/or bloating, gas, dizziness and heartburn.

According to Fogoros, a 2009 University of Pennsylvania study showed that 60 patients who stopped taking the prescription statin drugs due to muscle pain opted to take red yeast rice along with a 24-week lifestyle change regime reduced total and LDL cholesterol levels compared to taking a placebo and making the same lifestyle changes.

But, the product used in their study, still on the shelves, was found to contain Lovastatin.

Fogoros says that when you take any of the red yeast rice brands you are ingesting varying amounts of statin-like substances–– what it comes down to is it is impossible to know what and how much of it you are really ingesting when you take one of these supplements.

By Elspeth Lodge

Journal Staff Writer

McLennan

The C. Thomas Clagett Jr. Memorial Regatta and Clinic is an annual sailing event that attracts the United States’ top paralympic hopefuls, as well as athletes with disabilities from Canada, China, Israel, Ireland and Puerto Rico. There are four intense days of training and racing –– held in August — including a notable clinic on the first day of the event, which covers subjects ranging from strategies to rules. When catering to people with disabilities in the water “safety is paramount,” says Jan Harley of Media Pro International. “The event is about being all-inclusive.”

The event is organized every year by Judy McLennan in honor of her late father, Thomas Clagett. As a boy, Clagett suffered from temporary paralysis and through this experience he gained an extraordinary respect for the accomplishments of people with disabilities, namely, athletes, according to McLennan.

Clagett is responsible for founding the U.S. Junior Women’s Singlehanded Championship –– The Leiter Cup –– in honor of his late wife Nancy Leiter Clagett.

McLennan says she was inspired to start her event by Robie Pierce, a man who is known as a driving force in national and international disabled sailing. It was Pierce who suggested to McLennan that she start an event for disabled sailors.

She took on the task without the benefit of a major sponsor. She has relied on local organizations and volunteers to help her make her eight planned events realities since 2003. “She’s really setting a great example for what you can do,” says Harley. “She bends over backwards to help people facilitate their goals.”

The Regatta and Clinic has grown to include three paralympic classes of boats and the “Sail Newport Blind National Sailing Championship.” According to clagettregatta.org, prior to the Clagett clinic and Regatta there were no organized programs in the United States that worked to train disabled sailors for advanced competitions.

elodge@projo.com

01:00 AM EDT on Monday, September 6, 2010

Sentimentality filled the air when former and new Patriots cheerleaders gathered for a family reunion: a special event at the opening of the “Cheers Through The Years” Exhibit at The Hall at Patriot Place.

Cheerleaders ran to pose beside life-sized images and looked at old photos, video from auditions and others from swimsuit calendar shoots, and uniforms ranging from the 1960s among other artifacts. All in all, the exhibit depicts 50 years of Patriot cheerleading history.

Michelle Gagnon, a former Patriots cheerleader from 2000-2003, says “it’s hard to condense so many great people and years into one exhibit.”

“We have the best colors in the NFL,” cheerleader director (and former Patriots cheerleader) Tracy Sormanti says, ““I love them,” says Kimberly Mello, a member of the 2003 squad, referring to the new 2010 cheerleader uniforms. “I liked the white ones but they just weren’t the Patriots.”

I will post the Individual workouts and the rest of the story later– this is a teaser! Here are some of my own photos from the ‘Cheers Through the Years’ event, where the cheerleaders revealed the 2010 uniforms.

Ok, so here it is guys! What everyone’s been waiting for. The new uniform! They reverted back to the patriotic colors from white and to stand out on the sidelines each has 650 crystals sewn around the belt and neck! Here are some of my own snap-shots from the event:

01:00 AM EDT on Monday, September 6, 2010

By Elspeth Lodge

Journal Staff Writer

Behind the tight abs and toned arms of the New England Patriots cheerleaders are months of circuit training, running ramps, kicks, and workouts including the famed grueling and effective P90X Fitness Program, according to the squad’s director/choreographer, Warwick’s Tracy Sormanti.

“The Patriots cheerleaders work extremely hard to stay fit,” says Sormanti. “Six sets of eight kicks, running the ramps at the stadium, and their own personal workouts are key components to their fitness programs.

“Our circuit training drills, using a combo of the players’ equipment, such as heavy bags, medicine balls and steps, integrated with the cheerleaders’ equipment, such as balance boards, hand weights and jump ropes, ties it all together,” she adds.

“Couple that with a ‘no junk food policy’ in the locker room, which carries over into their personal lives, and it lends to overall healthiness,” Sormanti says. “That gives these women a feeling a confidence and empowerment — you look good, feel good, you perform even better.”

Sormanti did not always aspire to lead, let alone be a Patriots’ NFL cheerleader, but “I always loved to dance,” she says, and was a cheerleader in high school. “I was on my way to the beach and I heard about ‘Patriots Cheerleader Tryouts’ on the radio.”

The spur-of-the-moment adventure changed Sormanti’s life; she cheered on the Pats for five seasons, before moving up the ranks to director and choreographer, which, she finds just as, and possibly even more, gratifying than being on the team.

A native of Warwick, Sormanti was always a Patriots fan, but when she got to the tryouts she felt intimidated by all the “gorgeous cheerleading talent.” She almost stepped out of line –– but, she stayed put–– because, “my mother taught me never to be a quitter,” she said.

Sormanti got to design the 2010 cheerleading uniform for her squad; not only have the Patriots returned to their “patriotic colors” (from just white) but are more glamorous than ever before. Each red, white and blue uniform is bedazzled with 650 crystals so that the women are sure to stand out on the sidelines.

The cheerleaders showed off the new uniform for the first time at the opening of the “Cheers through the Years Exhibit” at the Hall at Patriot Place in July. The exhibit –– a compilation of photographs, videos, artifacts and a map of the evolution of the cheerleaders –– was a testament to the hard work and dedication it takes to be on the squad.

More recently, just fitting into smaller and more revealing uniforms has been an added reason for working out.

“These [uniforms] are really trendy,” says Lisa Matta-Paze, a member of the late 1970s, early ‘80s squads. “Back in the olden days, they were very simple,” she says, “but you have to be very thin to wear these. You can’t have anything extra.” .

elodge@projo.com

In preparation for my Patriots Cheerleaders piece!

Here’s a sneak peek: We’re profiling the New England Patriots Cheerleaders in the Thrive section of Monday’s Providence Journal.

In the piece, one of the cheerleaders, Patricia Fox, 22, of Westford, Mass., (shown at right from the New England Patriots Cheerleaders’ Facebook fan page) says she does “mason twists” for an ab workout.

To be honest, I had no idea what that exercise was, so I looked it up. You do it seated, and clasp hands together, raise feet in air, twist upper torso from side to side, touching knuckles on either side of floor.

01:00 AM EDT on Wednesday, September 1, 2010

By Elspeth Lodge

Journal Staff Writer

Joseph D. D’Andrea, owner of Appleland Orchard in Smithfield, sorts apples for his award-winning apple cider. He won first place in New England for the best tasting apple cider anywhere, according to Yankee Magazine. “It’s not pasteurized, so it has a better taste,” he says.
The Providence Journal / Bob Thayer

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“We make chocolate-covered apples from our biggest and best apples, like this Yellow Delicious,” says Joseph D’Andrea, owner of Appleland Orchard in Smithfield.

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A farm cat finds a cozy home, complete with toy mouse, at Appleland Orchard in Smithfield.The Providence Journal / Bob Thayer

–>Louisa D’Andrea, an energetic woman in her 80s, is a master at handling the tractor. And why wouldn’t she be? For 63 years she’s been married to Joseph D. D’Andrea and together they’ve run Appleland Orchards in Smithfield.

In fact, now two generations of the D’Andrea family are hard at work spraying, picking, managing farm equipment and cooking for the orchard’s store.

The store, where the family sells 15-20 varieties of apples, along with peaches and pumpkins, used to be just a stand until the D’Andreas ripped up a bunch of apple trees and built their current store in 1976. They’ve been at Appleland’s 135 Smith Ave. location since 1972.

Joseph’s son, Joseph L. D’Andrea, and his wife, Mary-Lou, are helping to run the entire orchard business.

What they are truly famous for is their un-pasteurized apple cider, which only a handful of New England orchards make; legally, un-pasteurized cider can only be sold at the orchard where it is pressed. Yankee Magazine ranked the cider among the Best Foods in New England, saying, the cider has “a nectarlike taste that will make you swoon.” It is a blend of a variety of apples grown in the orchard including Macintosh and empire apples.

Joseph D. thinks he might have been around 9 years old when he started helping at his grandfather’s nearby farm called “Polsen’s Farm,” which he says no longer exists. In 1962 he took over an orchard in Connecticut before migrating back to Smithfield in the ’70s to take over a sick friend’s orchard (the current Appleland). Why the name Appleland? There used to be a sign up near the Smithfield town sign that said “Welcome to Appleland,” he said.

When the four members of the D’Andrea family are not out tending to their orchard, they are baking or working for the store. They have large chocolate-covered and candy apples, and a secret apple pie recipe that they have used for years. They also sell apple wine.

Mary-Lou says they also sell a variety of honey which is an all-natural allergy remedy. And they have the best fudge, she claims. The source of the fudge is only known to the D’Andrea family –– they don’t make it themselves, but they are the only store supplied with it; it’s a very popular item.

“I like the variety of jobs,” says Mary-Lou. Like Joseph D., Joseph L. has been immersed in the apple life since before he can remember. “It’s just something that I’ve always done,” he says.

During the fall, the D’Andreas are famous for creating pumpkin displays that parents love to pose their children in front of. They grow pumpkins up to 150 pounds, so there are some great ones on display. In the fall, the foliage is beautiful, and bus tours come through to look at the area. Often other D’Andrea relatives stop by just to lend a hand.

The orchard officially opened Tuesday (Aug. 31) for purchase of apples at the family store..

08/30/2010 01:00 AM EDT

By Elspeth Lodge

journal staff Writer

Jessica Morris, seen on memorial buttons, was a 2005 graduate of Lincoln High School.

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John Morris, father of Jessica Morris, who was diagnosed with ovarian cancer at the age of 18, embraces Donna Ricci, president of the Rhode Island National Ovarian Cancer Coalition, at a fundraising walk in September 2008.The Providence Journal / Kris Craig

–>Jessica Morris, a 2005 graduate of Lincoln High School, had just turned 18 when she was diagnosed with advanced ovarian cancer. The disease is known as “the silent killer,” because it can destroy the body before any major symptoms arise.

What ensued was a grueling three-year, uphill battle — including a hysterectomy and chemotherapy. There was no Rhode Island National Ovarian Cancer Coalition chapter for support when Jessica was diagnosed, but her family and friends helped her to found one to educate, create disease awareness and provide support for patients and their families.

Jessica lost her battle on Aug. 29, 2008, at Women & Infants Hospital, but her father, John Morris, has not stopped fighting against the disease that took his daughter; he was right there at Women & Infants to help kick off registration for Rhode Island’s first-ever Swim Across America open-water swim fundraising event; the proceeds will benefit the Women & Infants’ women’s oncology program.

Morris, a member of the Women & Infants Hospital Wide Advisory Council, says it’s the stories like his daughter’s that help motivate and inspire volunteers to get involved in fundraising for the fight against cancer.

Swimmers of all skill levels and ages are encouraged to join the ranks and contribute to the event by collecting pledges, online donations, and sponsorships.

As an added incentive to join the event, swimmers will stroke alongside national and local Olympic swimmers.

Swim Across America’s executive director, Janel Jorgenson, a 1988 Olympic silver medalist, traveled to Women & Infants for the kick-off celebration, bringing along her silver medal to help cheer up patients. She was joined at the event by Clara Walker, a 1948 Olympic athlete, and an International Swimming Hall of Fame member.

Participants in the Swim Across America event pledge to raise $300 each in donations, and they opt to swim one mile or one-half mile during the Sept. 11 event.

People participate individually or form teams, often, to honor someone who lost their battle with cancer or struggled with cancer.

Jason Mucchino is swimming in honor of his mother, who fought breast cancer.

“I think it’s great that Swim Across America reaches out through athleticism,” he says. “I also think it’s a great way to bond with family and friends.” Mucchino plans to take on the mile in the swim, which will take place in Narragansett Bay at Roger Wheeler Park. Olympian swimmer Rowdy Gaines will be participating in the event.

For more information, go to swimacrossamerica.org or contact 888.SWIM.USA.

elodge@projo.com

It’s hard to find a coffee that is fantastic and food that is delicious and reasonably priced. Fear not: Providence has some amazing coffee shops. Here are my favorites:

Seven Stars Bakery: (YES, they have coffee!) Friendly staff, mouth-watering pastry options like pumpkin muffins, Russian tea cake, artisan breads and the sandwiches they make with them, such as the Vegetarian Sandwich — Narragansett Creamery mozzarella, arugula, roasted red peppers and olive tapenade; Yum! It’s a clean and study-friendly atmosphere. Three locations: 820 Hope St. and 342 Broadway in Providence; Rumford Center, 20 Newman Ave., East Providence. Web: sevenstarsbakery.com.

The Edge Café: Service: great, friendly and fast. Atmosphere: pleasant. First-class coffee and great breakfast and lunch food too — classic café fare (coffee, muffins, etc.) but also smoothies and panini. Great place to bring a book and stay a while 199 Wayland Ave. Web: theedgecoffee.com.

Starbucks on Thayer: Atmosphere: You can expect your normal dependable Starbuck’s coffee here –– but I go to this specific one because of the ambiance. It’s great for people-watching, and casually reading a magazine. I’m not sure I’d recommend intense solo studying here, because sometimes it gets rather noisy and crowded, but you’ll see a lot of group study sessions going on. It’s definitely a great place for meeting up and talking over group projects Location: 218 Thayer Street. Starbucks.com/store/9140.

Pastiche: A-plus service. Food: Sugar coma? Yes, please! For my money, Pastiche has the best cake around Federal Hill. The coffee is good, too. It’s not the cheapest in the area, but it is the best for baked goods. They sell whole cakes, but also by the slice, so you can drop in and split a piece with a friend or tackle one yourself after a stressful day. I’m not sure it’s a place for hard-core study sessions, but if you’re just reading or taking light notes it’s perfect –– not too noisy, cute small tables. Pastichefinedesserts.com.

— Elspeth Lodge