One down, three to go. With Romney closing the gap in the polls — tied with Obama at an ironic 47% three days after the first debate — both candidates are expecting much out of their running mates at the Vice Presidential debate this Thursday.

And what exactly have they been told to do? Don’t mess up.

Both Biden and Ryan are gaining ground in their respective political parties, yet their potential for future leadership roles (and perhaps a 2016 presidential bid) may come crashing down with just one slip-up in their debate. As Julian Zelizer of CNN reports,

“in several cases, promising stars have been badly harmed by their performances, developing public perceptions that proved hard to shake.”

Remember the Biden/Palin debate from four years ago? “Can I call you Joe?” Something like that.

No matter how prepared Biden and Ryan may (or may not) feel, here is a quick list of five debate tips for the two mighty men, or for anyone who may be a potential candidate one day:

1. Don’t look like a sketch. (Nixon-Kennedy 1960)

During the first televised presidential debate in US  history, Nixon was looking less than swell after recently being discharged from the hospital.

Kennedy, on the other hand, was smashing as usual, sporting a glowing golden tan and a grin to woo masses of women. With a sweaty composure and caked-on makeup leading to a sallow skin tone, Nixon seemed like a nervous crook (cough). On top of that, his eyes wouldn’t stop shifting back and forth, narrowly avoiding the camera. Who would vote a sketch into office?

2. Don’t deny facts (Ford-Carter 1976)

When Ford was asked to speak on communism, he infamously replied with “There is no Soviet domination of Eastern Europe.” Really now? That’s like  stating that China does not have an inkling of influence in our economy today.

And then, Ford continued to back-up his obvious blunder. So, additional tip: Admit your mistakes – it shows that you’re human. Or, to make it easier, DON’T DENY FACTS. And communism.

3. Don’t compare yourself to someone you’re definitely not (Bentsen-Quayle 1988)

Here’s an example of a VP debate that turned sour. 

When asked if he was experienced enough to inherit the office of the President, Quayle stated

 ”… I have as much experience in the Congress as Jack Kennedy did when he sought the presidency.”

Bentsen responded

 ”Senator, I served with Jack Kennedy. I knew Jack Kennedy. Jack Kennedy was a friend of mine. Senator, you are no Jack Kennedy.“

Packing a punch! With inexperience comes stupid answers, followed by historical one-line zingers. Especially if you’re Dan “Wet Head” Quayle likening yourself to JFK. Nuh-uh. Candidates and running mates should just refrain from comparing themselves to any politician, because it can go bad either way.

4. Don’t be rude (Bush-Clinton-Perot 1992)

An innocent woman steps up to ask the three candidates a question:

Audience Member: “How has the national debt personally affected each of your lives? 

Perot: I have lived the American Dream and I want the future generations of the country to live it, too.

Clinton: I see my people lose both their jobs and their government programs., and I know them by name. 

Bush: *looks at watch* National debt affects everybody…interest rates…something something…my grandkids?

He might as well yawned and asked for a nap — Bush blew it. Don’t be rude. Pay attention to the people who are talking to you. You’re their public servant, after all.

5. Don’t forget your policy ideas (Republican Candidates 2011)

Remember this?

Please, please, please do not pull a Rick Perry and forget which agency you’ll cut on national television. “Oops” moments don’t cut it at this stage in the game — heck, this wouldn’t fly at a high school SGA meeting. 

So, Mr. Biden, Mr. Ryan — will your debate go well? Only time will tell. Meanwhile, we wish you luck. Tip of the hat. No pressure. Just don’t mess up. 

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Former Retriever midfielders Terry Kimener ’09, American studies, and Peet Poillon ’10, interdisciplinary studies, were part of the United States national lacrosse team which conducted an intrasquad scrimmage yesterday (October 7) at the Capital Lacrosse Classic at Landon School in Bethesda. This was the latest step for the U.S. team as it prepares for tryouts next summer before the 2014 Federation of International Lacrosse World Championships in Commerce City, Colo.

The scrimmage was also a preview of the Champion Challenge from Jan. 25-27 in Orlando, Fla., when the defending gold medalists will scrimmage at least one NCAA team.

This will be Kimener’s first competition in the red, white and blue.  In his sixth MLL season, the three-time All-American (2006-08) and 2008 America East Player of the Year had a break-out season with the Denver Outlaws in 2012, scoring 17 goals and adding 18 assists.

His Outlaw teammate Poillon tied for ninth in scoring in 2012 with 40 points (24-13-40) and surpassed the 100-point plateau (75-32-113) in his fifth MLL season. Poillon was a Second Team All-American for UMBC in 2009.

- Originally published on UMBCRetrievers.com

Former Retriever midfielders Terry Kimener ’09, American studies, and Peet Poillon ’10, interdisciplinary studies, were part of the United States national lacrosse team which conducted an intrasquad scrimmage yesterday (October 7) at the Capital Lacrosse Classic at Landon School in Bethesda. This was the latest step for the U.S. team as it prepares for tryouts next summer before the 2014 Federation of International Lacrosse World Championships in Commerce City, Colo.

The scrimmage was also a preview of the Champion Challenge from Jan. 25-27 in Orlando, Fla., when the defending gold medalists will scrimmage at least one NCAA team.

This will be Kimener’s first competition in the red, white and blue.  In his sixth MLL season, the three-time All-American (2006-08) and 2008 America East Player of the Year had a break-out season with the Denver Outlaws in 2012, scoring 17 goals and adding 18 assists.

His Outlaw teammate Poillon tied for ninth in scoring in 2012 with 40 points (24-13-40) and surpassed the 100-point plateau (75-32-113) in his fifth MLL season. Poillon was a Second Team All-American for UMBC in 2009.

- Originally published on UMBCRetrievers.com

Janel Thomas has a B.S. in Meteorology from  Saint Louis University and is currently pursuing her M.S. in Geography and Environmental Systems at UMBC (Advisor: Dr. Jeffrey Halverson).

Janel Thomas grew up in Herculaneum, MO; a small town on the bluffs of the Mississippi River known for its environmental controversy stemming from the location of the largest lead smelter in North America. This fueled her interest in the environmental sciences from an early age and guided her choice to pursue and receive a Bachelor of Science degree in Meteorology from Saint Louis University in 2010. During her undergraduate studies she participated in a Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) grant through the National Science Foundation (NSF) titled “Profiling of Winter Storms” where she flew in a research flight with NOAA/UCAR and gained field experience in operational meteorology. She is currently pursuing a M.S. degree in the GES department with a focus on tropical meteorology funded through JCET (Joint Center for Earth Systems Technology). Janel worked with her advisor Dr. Halverson on the Genesis and Rapid Intensification Processes (GRIP) 2010, NASA’s joint earth science field experiment with NOAA and NSF where she operated the dropsonde instrument onboard NASA’s DC-8 aircraft. She flew 4 successful missions into Hurricane Earl during late August and early September, 2010. Her research extends from GRIP project as she is investigating the rapid intensification of tropical cyclones and dynamic processes involved; specifically focusing her thesis on data she collected from Hurricane Earl 2010. Janel also, just recently returned from another hurricane research field campaign titled Hurricane and Severe Storm Sentinel (HS3) where she organized and led daily weather briefings for flight planning for the new Global Hawk unmanned aircraft that is investigating the genesis and intensification of tropical cyclones. She led a team of forecasters on site at the NASA Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia where the team worked in collaboration with a board of NASA forecasters, officers, pilots, and an array of qualified scientists located in various universities across the country. She also assisted in education outreach by connecting with middle school students through live chats during flight days. Aside from working on research Janel loves to be creative. She likes to cook and design, whether it be jewelry, clothing, interior, web, flyers or posters, she spends her free time creatively putting new pieces together. 

The websites to the two projects worked on are:

http://airbornescience.nsstc.nasa.gov/grip/

http://espo.nasa.gov/missions/hs3/