Minnesota Connect

Bound opens with Corky being bound physically in the closet of Caesar’s apartment. The location of the binding is significant because we know that the issue of being “out” of the closet plays an important role in the way the characters interact with each other. Violet and Corky are clearly “out” to each other, but Violet chooses to keep Caesar in the dark so she can continue to use him for his power and lifestyle. Caesar uses Violet to mark himself as desirable – he isn’t married to her, but she is his symbol of status. In this way they are “bound” to each other, not by marriage or love but by mutual need and desire.

In the opening sequence of Bound we hear Violet’s voice whisper, “like a part of me..” when the camera shows Corky for the very first time. This is just the first of many literal and figurative references that pertain to the idea of being bound by a person, place, or thing. Through out the film we see many people bound to one another through the element of sex. An obvious example of this would be Corky and Violet’s relationship. Right after the sex scene between the women, the girl are constantly seen together and never leave each other, even in moment of danger. Many of the men in the film also appear to be bound to Violet and it is known that she has sex with many of the characters as part of her job. These men are shown as dangerous with no emotions in most of the scenes however when Violet is around they seem soft and appear as if they would do anything for her. It is as if they are trapped by her beauty and sex appeal. A good example of this is in one of the last scenes, when Mickey is saying goodbye to Violet. She kisses him and he lets her go with out asking any questions about Caesar’s murder or the money. I also saw a confinement between Violet and her heterosexuality lifestyle. This confinement could be seen through her relationship with Caesar.

Throughout the film Bound there were several references of the characters being metaphorically bound in someway or another. Many of them seem to be bound to stereotypes. The two that seem to be most bound are Violet and Corky both feel the need to escape so much that they try to rob the mafia. Although they get away with it they would have faced severe consequences.

No. 7 St. John's Upsets No. 2 Augsburg
DATE: 11/26/2008 11:59:00 PM
Claiming wins in six of 10 bouts, the St.
John's University wrestling team snapped a 22-match losing streak to Augsburg College with an 18-13 dual-meet victory on Wednesday night at Augsburg's Si Melby Hall.

The Johnnies (5-0 overall), ranked No. 7 in the latest National Wrestling Coaches Association Division III national rankings, won for the first time over the No. 2-ranked Auggies (0-1 overall) since the
1985-86 season. Augsburg is 28-2 in dual meets against St. John's since 1979. The St. John's victory also broke two other Augsburg winning streaks -- a streak of 70 straight victories over Minnesota Division II or III opponents since 1996, and a streak of 92 straight victories over Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference foes stretching to the
1986-87 season.

Augsburg, winners of 10 of the last 18 Division III national titles, is now 228-20 against Divisions II and III teams since the 1989-90 season, losing just 15 matches to non-Division I opponents since the 1995-96 season. Against strictly Division III opponents, Augsburg is 235-23 since the 1979-80 season and 159-13 since the 1989-90 season.

The Johnnies built an 18-6 lead after eight bouts and withstood Augsburg wins in the final two bouts to secure the dual victory.

Meanwhile, Augsburg gained a major-decision, 14-5 victory from 197-pounder Jared Massey (JR, Circle Pines, Minn./Centennial HS) over the Johnnies' Tony Willaert (SO, North Mankato, Minn./Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial HS), ranked No. 3 nationally in the weight class. Massey, now 5-0 on the season, claimed six takedowns and built
1:46 of riding time in the win.

Two of Augsburg's three nationally-ranked wrestlers in action on Wednesday claimed victories, as top-ranked Travis Lang (SR, Bismarck,
N.D.) built a 5-0 first-period lead and held off a rally by the Johnnies' Mogi Baatar (JR, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia/St. Benedict's Prep HS) in a 9-8 victory. No. 5-ranked Andy Witzel (JR, Fulda, Minn.) scored a
6-3 victory at heavyweight over the Johnnies' Cody Socher (FY, Delano, Minn.).

The Johnnies claimed three wins on riding-time bonus points -- a 4-3 win by Chad Henle (FY, Spicer, Minn./New London-Spicer HS) over Augsburg's Josh Roberts (FY, Grand Forks, N.D./Central HS) at 125; a 3-2 win by Matt Baarson (SO, Brooklyn Park, Minn./Champlin Park HS) over Augsburg's No. 3-ranked Jason Adams (JR, Coon Rapids, Minn.) at 157; and a 4-3 win by Matt Schrupp (SR, Watertown, Minn./Watertown-Mayer HS) over Augsburg's Brandon Klukow (SR, Albert Lea, Minn.) at 165.

Augsburg's Lucas Murray (SO, Anoka, Minn.) used a takedown and three-point near-fall midway through the third period to claim an 11-8 win over No. 3-ranked Minga Batsukh (SO, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia/St.
Benedict's Prep HS) at 141.

Dustin Baxter (SO, Fairbanks, Alaska/West Valley HS) of St. John's used a takedown with 14 seconds left to score a 12-10 win over Augsburg's Garrett Long (JR, Cedar, Minn./St. Francis HS) at 184. John Vaith (SO, Hastings, Minn.) used a reversal and three-point near-fall in the third period to rally for an 8-6 win over Augsburg's Tony Valek (FY, Belle Plaine, Minn./Scott West) at 149, and Grant Eustice (SR, Shoreview, Minn./Mounds View HS) scored a 6-3 win over Augsburg's Brandon Bahr (FY, Bemidji, Minn.) at 174.

Augsburg's White Team (junior varsity) won six of nine bouts to score a
25-6 win over the St. John's junior varsity in the preliminary match on Wednesday.

Augsburg returns to action after the Thanksgiving break on Saturday, Dec. 6 at 9 a.m., competing at the Minnesota State Moorhead Dragon Open.
St. John's competes at the Wisconsin-La Crosse Duals on Dec. 6.

College Wrestling -- No. 7 St. John's 18, No. 2 Augsburg 13 Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2008, Si Melby Hall, Minneapolis, Minn.
Time of match: 1:38. Attendance: 367.
Action begins at 125 pounds.
Officials: Brad Hanson, Kurt Nathe.
125 -- Chad Henle (St. John’s, 7-2) dec. Josh Roberts (Augsburg, 2-2)
4-3 (St. John’s 3-0).
133 -- No. 1 Travis Lang (Augsburg, 5-0) dec. Mogi Baatar (St.
John’s, 5-4) 9-8 (TIED 3-3).
141 -- Lucas Murray (Augsburg, 4-0) dec. No. 3 Minga Batsukh (St.
John’s, 4-1) 11-8 (Augsburg 6-3).
149 -- John Vaith (St. John’s, 5-2) dec. Tony Valek (Augsburg, 2-1)
8-6 (TIED 6-6).
157 -- Matt Baarson (St. John’s, 6-2) dec. No. 3 Jason Adams (Augsburg, 4-1) 3-2 (St. John’s 9-6).
165 -- Matt Schrupp (St. John’s, 3-1) dec. Brandon Klukow (Augsburg,
4-1) 4-3 (St. John’s 12-6).
174 -- Grant Eustice (St. John’s, 7-1) dec. Brandon Bahr (Augsburg,
2-2) 6-3 (St. John’s 15-6).
184 -- Dustin Baxter (St. John’s, 1-0) dec. Garrett Long (Augsburg,
0-3) 12-10 (St. John’s 18-6).
197 -- Jared Massey (Augsburg, 5-0) maj. dec. No. 3 Tony Willaert (St.
John’s, 6-3) 14-5 (St. John’s 18-10).
HWT -- No. 5 Andy Witzel (Augsburg, 5-0) dec. Cody Socher (St.
John’s, 5-2) 6-3 (St. John’s 18-13).

College Wrestling -- Augsburg JV 25, St. John's JV 6 Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2008, Si Melby Hall, Minneapolis, Minn.
Time of match: 1:25. Action begins at 125 pounds.
Official: Kurt Nathe.
125 -- Freddy Vigil (Augsburg, 3-1) dec. Matt Laine (St. John’s, 0-3) 4-0 (Augsburg 3-0).
133 -- Alex Johnson (Augsburg, 4-1) dec. Scott Padrnos (St. John’s,
3-4) 6-4 (Augsburg 6-0).
141 -- Nathan Lexvold (Augsburg, 3-0) wins by forfeit (Augsburg 12-0).
149 -- Torey Stewart (Augsburg, 3-1) maj. dec. Jon Shellenberger (St.
John’s, 3-3) 11-3 (Augsburg 16-0).
157 -- Beau Hansen (Augsburg, 2-2) dec. Zach Anderson (St. John’s,
2-4) 6-2 (Augsburg 19-0).
165 -- Double Forfeit.
174 -- Dustin Raygor (St. John’s, 5-1) dec. Spencer Flodeen (Augsburg, 2-3) 5-4 (Augsburg 19-3).
184 -- Matt Pfarr (St. John’s, 5-0) dec. Trenton Larrieu (Augsburg,
0-1) 4-3 (Augsburg 19-6).
197 -- Andy Peterson (Augsburg, 4-1) dec. No. 7 (at 184) Kyle Schumm (St. John’s, 4-3) 10-9 (Augsburg 22-6).
HWT -- Nick Creamier (Augsburg, 4-0) dec. Jacob Evenson (St. John’s,
3-4) 11-8 (Augsburg 25-6).

Bigger and better: Nebraska's Jordan Burroughs ready to make run at NCAA title
Craig Sesker USA Wrestling
11/26/2008

There is a photo on page 2 of the Nebraska media guide that was taken just after the conclusion of the 2008 NCAA Championships in St. Louis.

In the picture, NU heavyweight Jon May is holding a trophy over his head while surrounded by happy teammates and coaches.

Among those pictured is a smiling Jordan Burroughs.

Burroughs capped a superb true sophomore season with a third-place national finish at 149 pounds. He led Nebraska to a fourth-place finish in the team race, marking the first time in 15 years the Huskers had won a trophy at the NCAA tournament.

Don’t get the idea that Burroughs was content with the way the 2007-08 season ended. But for Burroughs, who failed to place at the 2007 NCAA meet for a team that finished 16th, last season definitely was a sign of progress.

“Winning that trophy, it was very important for our program,” Burroughs said. “We were very close to second, but the way we finished still builds a lot of confidence for our team. We thought we should’ve had a couple of guys in the finals, but we continued to wrestle hard the whole tournament. We proved to everyone in the country that we’re a top program.”

Now a junior, Burroughs is looking for bigger and better things during the 2008-09 season. Burroughs, for one, is bigger and hopes to be better as he bumps up a weight class to 157 pounds.

Burroughs won the 157 title at Nebraska-Omaha’s Kaufman-Brand Open this past weekend, downing past NCAA champion Dustin Schlatter of Minnesota 6-4 in the finals. Burroughs, 0-3 in his career against Schlatter prior to that match, was named Outstanding Wrestler.

Burroughs was one of six champions for Nebraska in the event. Also winning titles for the Huskers were All-Americans Stephen Dwyer (165), Brandon Browne (174) and Craig Brester (197), NCAA qualifier Vince Jones (184) and talented freshman Tucker Lane (heavyweight).

Nebraska, which placed second at the 2008 National Duals, is ranked sixth nationally this season by InterMat.

“We know we can improve on what we did last year,” Burroughs said. “We have a number of guys in our room who are capable of winning individual national titles this year. We’re shooting for the top this year.”

Burroughs has certified at 149, but said his recent move up to 157 is permanent. He turned in a dominating performance in his first big meet at his new weight class on Saturday in Omaha.

Burroughs advanced to the finals against Schlatter, whom he lost twice to as a freshman and once as a sophomore. This match was scoreless after one period and was tied 2-2 entering the final period.

Burroughs, who is lethal on his feet and excels with a blast double-leg shot, scored two takedowns on a pair of leg attacks in the final period to beat Schlatter 6-4.

“It’s always good to beat a guy who you’ve lost to in the past,” Burroughs said. “I feel so much better and so much stronger at 157. It was a pretty big cut, going back down to 149. Moving up to 157, I’m able to eat better and that helps me stay focused and have more energy in practice. It’s made a big difference for me already.”

Burroughs, from Sicklerville, N.J., was not considered one of the nation’s elite recruits coming out of high school. He was ranked seventh nationally at 135 pounds by InterMat as a prep senior. But Burroughs finished strong, winning a New Jersey state title in 2006 before winning High School Nationals.

Nebraska coach Mark Manning didn’t have much trouble finding Burroughs’ house in New Jersey when he recruited him. Burroughs is the next-door neighbor to Jones, who arrived at Nebraska a year before Burroughs did.

Jones, a Cornhusker senior, is a two-time national qualifier. Burroughs and Jones are roommates at Nebraska.

“Vince was always the better wrestler when we were growing up,” Burroughs said. “I’ve always looked up to him and he always was someone who would teach me the ropes. I feed off his energy. He’s my best friend. He’s like my brother.”

Jones fell one win short of being an All-American last year.

“That was very disappointing, I felt so bad for him,” Burroughs said. “I’m looking forward to us being national champs together this year. Vince has been wrestling great this year. He has a chance to have a great season.”

Burroughs arrived in Lincoln, Neb., in the fall of 2006 with the idea that he would redshirt at 141 pounds that season for Nebraska.

Burroughs’ days as a 141-pound redshirt were short-lived. Burroughs quickly added bulk in the NU weight room and moved up to 149. Shortly after Christmas, Burroughs was pulled out of his redshirt and inserted into the Nebraska lineup as a true freshman.

Burroughs wrestled well at the end of the season and qualified for the 2007 NCAA tournament in Auburn Hills, Mich. Unseeded as a true freshman, Burroughs drew the top-seeded Schlatter in the first round and fell 3-2. He won his next match before falling to No. 2 seed Matt Storniolo of Oklahoma in a marathon, four-overtime battle. Burroughs finished his freshman season 16-13.

Burroughs made significant gains last season. He finished with a 34-6 record and was named Outstanding Wrestler after winning the Big 12 Championships.

Seeded fourth at the 2008 NCAA tournament, Burroughs knocked off returning NCAA runner-up Josh Churella of Michigan in the quarterfinals before dropping an 8-4 decision to eventual champion and Hodge Trophy winner Brent Metcalf of Iowa. Burroughs came back to beat Harvard’s J.P. O’Connor and then downed Churella again to place third.

“I improved a lot last year, and I feel like I’m a lot better this year,” Burroughs said. “I just want to keep improving. A lot of guys peak early. To me, you can never be too good. I am always eager to learn.”

Burroughs is in his junior season of college, but he won’t turn 21 until next July.

“Jordan is very young and he has a tremendous upside,” Manning said. “To see how much he’s developed, grown and matured from the time he came here is really impressive. He’s very disciplined, with everything he does. His effort is tremendous, and his focus and mindset have really improved. Every day in the practice room, he brings it 100 percent.”

Burroughs also has the physical skills to go with his work ethic.

“We saw that Jordan was really a special athlete when we watched him in high school,” Manning said. “To see him develop into this caliber of wrestler has been great to see. He’s very athletic, but he’s developed into a great wrestler.”

Burroughs qualified for the U.S. Junior World Team in freestyle this past summer. Among the wrestlers he worked out with at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs were Olympian Doug Schwab and past National Team member Jared Frayer.

Burroughs went 2-1 and placed 10th at July’s Junior World Championships in Turkey. He competed at 66 kg/145.5 lbs.

“I didn’t wrestle my best, but it was still a great experience and I learned a lot,” he said. “It was my first trip outside the country. I love freestyle. My ultimate goal is to make the Olympic team in 2012 and win an Olympic gold medal.”

Manning, who has coached numerous U.S. teams on the international level, said that goal is realistic.

“I think Jordan can and will be an Olympic and World champion, if he sets his mind to it,” Manning said. “He has great ability. He’s very talented and he’s only going to get better as a wrestler. The sky’s the limit. He has a very bright future in freestyle.”

Manning said there were high expectations placed on Burroughs entering the Junior Worlds after American Bubba Jenkins won a Junior World title in the same weight class in 2007.

“I think Jordan was the best guy in his weight at the Junior World Championships,” said Manning, who served as one of the coaches of that American squad. “He just wasn’t himself and probably put too much pressure on himself. But I think that experience will help him grow in the long run. I know he learned from it.”

For now, the goal for Burroughs is to ascend to the top of the medal stand at the 2009 NCAA Championships in St. Louis.

The event will be held in the same venue, the Scottrade Center, where Burroughs and his team had a breakthrough performance last season.

Burroughs hopes to be smiling again at the end of the tournament, but for different reasons.

“I’m still not satisfied,” he said. “I won’t be satisfied until I’m the national champion and our team is holding the national championship trophy.”