SPORTS
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Thursday, February 24, 1994
11
COLUMNIST
Pregame prep gives athletes key to success
During my early years of competitive sports, I never believed much in pregame rituals or superstitions.
To get ready for games and races I did some mental visualization, said a little prayer and left the rest up to hours of practice, some raw talent and a little luck.
In my sophomore year of high school, that changed.
Our volleyball team had this crazy idea that the first volleyball victory of the season was the product of perfectly planned pregame preparation.
So, for the next couple of weeks our game days were carbon cones:
We would eat the same things, listen to the same music, wear the same lucky "undergarments" and same hairstyles, and chew the same gum — for every game.
As foolish as it seemed to me, it was working — our record was an unblemished 10-0.
Then one Tuesday I thought that I would live life on the edge.
My "game" sports bra was in the wash. So, damn my soul and our team, I wore a different sports bra.
To my amazement, that night our perfect record went from 10 to 10-2.
There was a crisis in the Sylvan Uni-fied Lady Mustangs locker room that night, and conversations were serious.
"Hey, aren't your bangs usually pulled back?"
"Jennifer, didn't you have a vanilla milk shake tonight instead of a chocolate one?"
How could anyone in their right mind believe that not eating the same foods or wearing different socks could ruin a game?
But I was curious about the rituals.
The next Tuesday, while the team was back to wearing the same clothes and same hairstyles and listening to the same music — there was me — a rebel without a cause doing all I could that was different before our match to prove that my theory held true.
But we lost again that night and played as if it was our first 7 a.m. practice of the season — myself included.
It's all in the state of mind. If you feel good about doing something and it works for you, keep right on doing it.
This weekend, members of the Kansas track team will compete in the Big Eight Championships in Oklahoma City against some of the best athletes in the Midwest.
After talking with a Kansas runner, my assumption was right; mental preparation is the key to a solid performance.
When it comes down to it, especially in an individual sport such as track, practically everything athletes do until event time will affect the outcome of their performance.
Junior open miler Melissa Swartz said there were big things and trivial things athletes could do to secure a good finish.
It works for Swartz. Last season, she tried it at the NCAA championships, and she turned in one of her best performances ever.
Before track meets, Swartz listens to tapes she makes in a sports psychology lab. She writes her own script and has it set to music.
Swartz follows the same routine and allows the same amount of warm-up time before her races.
Then there are the trivial things.
"I wear my hair in a ponytail for every meet and put in new spikes. Not all athletes put in new spikes, but it's a new race — so I put in new spikes," she said.
And there's one thing Swartz is sure never to forget: "I always big Chew Red gum. I put a piece in right before my first race at every meet."
While she's chewing that gum, she runs, she thinks of her tapes and she visualizes herself crossing the finish line in first place — all strategies to improve her race, tested and proven to work for Swartz.
This weekend, I hope the Kansas athletes follow their rituals in Oklahoma, and I hope their rituals continue to prove themselves true.
Losing streak makes Jayhawks see red
Cornhusker victory marks defeat No.3
By Gerry Fey
Kansan sportswriter
LINCOLN, Neb. - The Cornhuskers delivered a shocker, and the No. 10 Jayhawks could not recover in time in Nebraska's 96-87 victory last night at a packed Devaney Center.
After losing three consecutive games, the Jayhawks' record dropped to 21-6 overall and 6-5 in the Big Eight Conference. Nebraska improved to 15-8 and 5-6.
"We're in a slump big-time right now," Kansas junior forward Greg Ostertag said. "We're going to be a tough team when we put everything together."
Despite a 13-point comeback by the Jayhawks late in the game, the Cornhushers held on for the upset.
"They played exceptional basketball for the first twenty minutes," Kansas coach Roy Williams said of the Cornhuskers. "They made more shots against us than anybody's made all year long."
The Cornhuskers exploded in the first seven minutes of the game and took a 19-8 lead. Nebraska senior forward Eric Platkowski helped Nebraska build its leads with good defense and moves to the basket. In the opening minute of the game, Platkowski hit a baseline jumper over Kansas senior forward Patrick Richey, stole the ball on the Jayhawks' next possession and drove for a lawn
Platkowski ended the game with 33 points and 11 rebounds, both game highs.
Everything seemed to be bouncing Nebraska's way as it took a 58-34 lead into halftime, shooting 61.1 percent from the field. Piatkowski scored 18 points in the first half, and Nebraska shot seven for 10 from three-point range.
Though Nebraska shot well from the outside, Williams said, the Jayhawks could have played better defensively in the first half.
"I thought we didn't play as well as we should have," he said. "And we didn't do the little things, so it was a 24-point lead. If we would have done our part, it could have been a 12- or 14-point lead."
Williams said that Nebraska had hit some tough three-pointers.
Nebraska 96, Kansas 87
"Normally, you don't feel bad if the
Player fgm/fga ftm/fta tp
Badgett 5-11 2-2 12
Plattkowski 10-19 10-13 33
Chubick 1-3 4-7 6
Johnson 6-11 1-1 14
Boone 3-9 4-6 10
Strickland 3-9 2-2 9
Glock 0-0 0-0 0
Best 0-0 0-0 0
Brooks 5-5 0-0 12
Totals 33-63 23-31 96
Nebraska (15-8, 5-8)
KANSAS (21-6, 6-5)
Player fgm/fga ftm/fta tp
Vaughn 5-7 0-3 14
Woodberry 4-17 5-7 16
Richey 3-6 0-0 7
Scott 3-6 3-6 9
Ostertag 6-8 1-4 13
Pollard 4-7 5-7 13
Rayford 0-1 0-0 0
Gurley 1-4 0-0 3
Pearson 3-5 2-2 9
Williams 1-3 1-4 3
Totals 30-64 17-33 87
Halftime Nebraska 58, Kansas 34, Kansas 9
goals Nebraska 7-17 (Pattockins 3-7,
Brooks 2-2, Johnson 1-4, Strickland 1-2,
Boone 0-2) Kansas 10-2 (Vaughn 4-5,
Woodbury 3-9, Richley 1-4, Gurley 1-3,
Pearson 1-1). Rebounds Nebraska 42
goals Nebraska 37 (O'Neill 8),
Austin Nebraska 20 (O'Neill 8),
Strickland 4), Kansas 19 (Woodberry 7).
Total fouls Nebraska 22, Kansas 20.
Attendance 14, 370.
Kansas senior guard Steve Woodberry dribbles past Nebraska senior forward Bruce Chubick. The Cornhuskers built a 24-point halftime lead but had to hold off a Javahawk comeback to win 96-87 last night at Nebraska.
other team takes those shots, but they made them," Williams said. "You talk about their shooters, but you've still got to get a hand up in their faces."
Nebraskaran a zone defense against the Jayhawks for most of the game, but Kansas had opportunities, Williams said. Kansas had 16 of its 30 field goals in the low post.
"I thought they played their zone well," Williams said. "We didn't do a very good job of getting the ball inside. And when we did get it inside, we fumbled it around a couple of times."
Williams kept Kansas in the locker room for the entire time allotted during halftime.
"Coach was pretty mad, to say it mildly," Richey said. "It's tough to be constructive when you're 24 points down."
guard Steve Woodberry scored 15 points in a row for the Jayhawks. Woodberry had a team-high 16 points, but he was four for 17 from the field. With the score 89-77, Richey missed a three-pointer, but Woodberry got the rebound. He passed it back to Richey,
After Williams' talk, the Jahawks scored the first four points of the second half. But after that, Nebraska seemed to have an answer for every Kansas score.
Kansas began its final comeback down 20 with 8:25 left in the second half. The Jayhawks went to a full court press that produced five turnovers. During the comeback, Kansas
who hit the same shot
Williams said that he was pleased with Kansas' comeback but that he wasn't satisfied.
"We didn't play in the first half," Williams said. "That's two or three times this year.
He said now it was time for Kansas to bounce back from defeat.
'Hawks hope for hits at home
"Now they can talk about a losing streak," he said. "We've either got to turn it around or feel sorry for ourselves."
By Andrew Gilman Kansan sportswriter
All of those people waiting for the Kansas baseball team's offense to start producing, don't panic.
The Jayhawks, batting just .239 as a team, will play Arkansas-Little Rock at 3 p.m. tomorrow and 2 p.m. Saturday at Hoglund-Maupin Stadium.
Kansas has hit just five home runs in seven games and has been held to four hits twice. But the Jayhawks could pick up their offense against the Trojans. Arkansas-Little Rock, 4-3, has a team ERA of more than six runs a game and has given up 62 hits in 53 innings pitched.
"It's just a matter of time for the offense to come around," Kansas coach Dave Bingham said. "These guys want to hit and run the bases. They want to get it going."
Though the offensive has not won a lot of games for the 3-4 Jayhawks, the defense and pitching have.
Sophomore Jamie Splitterff leads the Jayhawks with a 2-0 record, and he has an ERA of 0.60. Kansas has a team ERA of 4.79.
"Our defense was outstanding last weekend," junior third baseman Brent Wilhelm said. "We've gotten a lot better, and a lot of it is because our communication has gotten better."
bat along with four RBIs. Wilhelm admits that his hitting this year has been suspect.
Wilhelm, who has batted in the fifth or sixth spot this season, is batting. 241. He has seven hits in 29 at
"My hitting has been average up until now," he said. "I've lost a little confidence, but the hitting coach and I have tried to shorten my swing. I'm trying to improve by drills and repetition."
Bingham has noticed the results of Wilhelm's work.
"He's had some good games," Bingham said. "But he has had some difficulty working through some things."
Wilhelm has had two errors in a game on two occasions, but he said he was working past that.
"We're not the power team that we were last year," he said. "But we are a different team, we just need some time to come along. This is going to be an outstanding team."
"I've played hard," he said. "I'm not letting my mistakes bother me as much. Sometimes I worry too much, and that keeps me from playing well."
Even though he has had his own difficulties, Wilhelm said, he has confidence in the team.
Bingham has confidence in his team.
"We've started to play a lot better," he said. "Coach is doing a good job of putting pressure on us at practice. We've found out where we are and need to play to concentrate on every game and every team. This season is a marathon and not a sprint." Bingham has confidence in his team.
Bingham looked to the Arkansas series last weekend where Kansas won two of three as an indicator
Junior third baseman Brent Wilhelm practices bating with sophomore catcher Ted Meadows.
of what is to come.
"It was important that we could play against a good club on the road," he said. "I'm not concerned with our record, but I'd be a lot more concerned if we had lost two of three."
Baylor accepts offer to move into Big Eight
WACO, Texas—Baylor yesterday became the first Southwest Conference school to accept an offer to join the Big Eight in what could be the beginning of the end for the nearly 80-year-old Southwest Conference.
Three other Southwest Conference schools also were considering a jump to the Big Eight.
Baylor's board of regents voted unanimously to make the move.
SPORTS BRIEFSS
Two other original SWC members, Texas and Texas A&M, and longtime member Texas Tech all had regents meetings scheduled this week to consider the offer from the Big Eight's Kansas City, Mo., offices.
Thomas R. Powers, head of the board, emerged from a 21/2-hour closed meeting of the board to announce that the school was severing its ties with the SWC.
"We are delighted and excited that our board unanimously voted to accept the invitation that's been offered," Powers said at a news conference. "We think the financial possibilities of this new alliance are exciting."
A formal announcement appeared to need only the regents rubber-stamping at the schools.
Tennis defeated
The Kansas men's tennis team came within one match of upsetting No. 15 Kentucky yesterday in the first round of the United States Tennis Association/Intercollegiate Indoor Team Championship in Louisville, Ky.
The Wildcats defeated the Jayhawks 4-3 for Kansas' first loss of the season.
Kentucky's Mahyar Goodarz defeated Kansas' Martin Eriksson in three sets to seal the Wildcats' victory.
A bright spot for the Jahayhaws was Kansas' J.P. Vissepo victory against Kentucky's Ludde Sudin in singles play. Sudin is ranked No. 27 in the country.
The tallv
A list of the top six countries winning medals in the Olympic games.
Country | Gold | Silver |
Russia | 10 | 7 | 4 |
Norway | 8 | 7 | 2 |
Germany | 6 | 4 | 6 |
Italy | 4 | 3 | 8 |
United States | 5 | 3 | 1 |
Canada | 3 | 3 | 3
Source: The Associated Press
Dave Campbell / KANSAN
Blair wins gold for a fifth time
The Associated Press
HAMAR, Norway — Gimme five.
That's five — count 'em, five — gold medals around Bonnie Blair's neck. Five golden tributes to greatness. More golds than Dick Button or Brian Boltano, Dorothy Hamill or Peggy Fleming. Mary Louis Retton or Wilma Rudolph ever won.
She's not colorful, not controversial, not conversational. She's not a quote machine who loves to hear herself talk.
"Maybe in time I'll realize what I've done," Blair said yesterday after winning her second straight Olympic speed-skating 1,000-meter gold medal. "All I know is I loved skating and loved competing."
Briefs compiled from Associated Press and Kansan staff reports.
And loved winning — possibly, more than any American female athlete of our time.
So, then, what exactly is Bonie Blair? Only the greatest U.S. female Olympian ever, the greatest U.S. Winter Olympian ever.
Blair won the way she almost always wins — easily, with little flair, little flash, just all dash. She skated her best time in six years — one minute, 18.74 seconds — to defeat silver medalist Anke Baier of Germany by 1.38 seconds, the largest margin in Olympic history.
The only Winter Olympians to win more gold medals than Blair are Lyda Skoblikova of the Soviet Union, who won six speedskating golds in 1960 and '64, and cross country skier Lyubov Egorova of Russia, who has three golds this year and six for her career.