Section B·Page 8
The University Daily Kansan
Friday, January 28, 2000
Kansas senior Sherry West takes a breath while practicing her free-style during practice yesterday. The Jayhawks play host to Nebraska at 7 tonight in Robinson Natatorium. The meet also marks Senior Day for the team. Photo by Matt J. Daugherty/KANSAN
Senior Day splashes up memories
Swimming, diving class to be recognized
By Brandon Krisztal sports@kansan.com
Kansas sportwriter
Rebecca Eustice never will forget the time her dad mooned the crowd at a swimming meet her freshman year.
OK, he didn't actually moon them. "Every year the freshman dad s have to wear boxers that spell out Kansas Jayhawks (or just Jayhawks) at the conference meet," said the Loveland, Colo. senior captain. "They have to moon the crowd at the meet. My dad was pretty embarrassed."
Although there are almost two months remaining in the season, the mere mention of Senior Day causes the 11 Jayhawk swimming and diving seniors to reflect on their careers. They will be introduced at 6:50 tonight before the women (4-4, 1-1) and men (0-5, 0-2) play host to the 16th-ranked Husker women (2-6, 1-1) and the 18th-ranked Husker men (2-5, 1-1).
Nebraska comes to Lawrence for the first of its two dual meets this weekend. The 'Huskers will travel to Columbia tomorrow to square off
with the Tigers.
Each of Jayhawk seniors has special memories.
"The thing I'll remember, along with our annual holiday training ... is Conference [Championships]," said Kelly Brock, Roswell, Ga. senior. "It's hard to describe. It's the culmination for everything you've worked for. You go in as a team and a coaching staff. It's hard to explain unless you've seen it, or unless you've been there."
Brandon Chestnut, Derby senior who recently rejoined the team, always will remember a moment of personal achievement.
"Freshman year, conference, Texas A&M, Lane 3," he said. "I dropped four seconds in the 100 breaststroke. Broke the pool record, school record and got the NCAA automatic cut [for the NCAA Championships]. That was the moment where elite swimming happened, or began for me."
The swimmers almost unanimously agreed that what they would miss most were the friendships they had made with teammates.
"The camaraderie is what I'm going to miss the most, just being a part of a Division I team," said captain Brian Klapper, Hamilton, Ohio, senior. "I always talk really highly
of the guys on the team. It's a really good group of guys to work with."
Jennifer Fox, Lawrence senior, also said she would miss the camaraderie.
"I'm probably going to miss the team stuff and times with the team," she said. "The girls team is always together, working together, coming together. We've become pretty close."
An event that brought them closer together was the death of senior captain Seth Dunscomb, who died of complications from a heart condition in 1997 when they were freshmen.
"After Seth passed away, the meet against Southern Illinois pulled us together as a team," said Skip Reynolds, Aurora, Colo., senior. "It was the first event I ever won (400 individual medley) in college. We did it not only for us, but for Seth—in his memory."
This weekend marked the third anniversary of Dunscomb's death.
Swimming and driving coach Gary Kempf does not like to think about his seniors leaving, despite his 24 years on the job. But he said he appreciated those seniors who stuck it out for four years.
"This is a special group of people," Kempf said. "Each one of them has a niche in the program."
Sailors ranked nationally
Magazine notices Kansas program
By Gary Cloward
sports@kansan.com
Kansas sports writer
Things are finally coming together for the Kansas Sailing Club.
Since reviving a club that was in shambles in Fall 1997, members Chris Drayer, Fred Tucker and Liz Riggs have turned it into a nationally recognized program.
Fred Tucker, Norman, Okla., senior and member of the Kansas Sailing Club, is at the helm. The club recently garnered recognition from the magazine Sailing World. Contributed photo
The magazine Sailing World took notice of Kansas in its most recent publication. Sailing World ranks teams both nationally and by district. For the first time since the club's birth in the mid-1960s, Kansas received votes in its district.
Kansas is one of 20 teams, the furthest inland, in the South East Intercollegiate Sailing Association. Others include the University of Texas, Texas A&M and the University of New Orleans. Sailing World based its rankings on performances relative to other teams in their districts during the fall 1999 season. Last fall, Kansas participated in six regattas, or races.
"We can usually do about 10 a year," Tucker said. "We'll probably max out there this year."
"Our closest trip is SMU (Southern Methodist), and that is eight hours away," he said.
Tucker said that the club would like to participate in more regattas but that funding was limited for travel.
During the last two years, funding for the club has risen from $500 to more than $6,400, with the help of more members and the local sailing community. Now, the sailing program is supported by Kansas' recreation services.
"I've been with the club since the fall of 1996, and the recent growth and competitive drive is uncommon for most schools —
especially in the Midwest," Draver said.
Tucker, a Norman, Okla. senior, said that private donations from local sailors and the sailing community from Lake Perry and Lake Clinton had helped improve the team's boats.
"When I came here there were five or six that were sailable," Tucker said.
Now the fleet has 22 boats ranging from a one-person wind-surfer to a five-person C-Scow. The club's administration attributes the success to its recent growth.
"Last year we had 30 members with 12 regulars, and that was up from previous years," Rigg, club president, said. "This fall alone we grew to over 70 members."
Drayer credits the spurt in membership to all the boats working at the same time and to the development of a good management group.
This weekend, members will be racing 420s — the larger boats — at Austin, Texas. The team has open dates this spring when they would like to have home regattas, but because they would not be national qualifiers it would be hard to get teams to show up, Tucker said.
That will change next fall. On Sept. 14, Kansas will be having the first home regatta the current team members ever have experienced.
"That's going to be amazing," Tucker said. "It will give us a lot of publicity."