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University Daily Kansan / Wednesday, October 3, 1990
Sports
13
Increased popularity improves lacrosse team
By Derek Simmons
Kansan sportswriter
The sport resembles bullfighting in that it combines violence with grace.
It has the picks, screens and defensive strategies of basketball, but is played on a field similar in size to that used for football. It is a game that looks, more than anything, like hockey played in the air.
The sport is lacrosse. Lacrosse was named by the French for its principle tool: a 41/2 foot stick with an eight-inch net on the end, which is used to catch and throw a ball slightly smaller than a fist.
Considered one of the oldest American sports, originating with the Iroquois, lacrosse has been played at the University of Kansas for only four years.
John Armstrong, president of the KU Lacrosse Club, said the local variety of the game had improved dramatically since.
"Of our first team, half of them had never seen a stick," said Armstrong, Engelwood, Colo., senior. "We were beaten 19 to one in our first game, and our goal came on an error by their goalie."
This fall, the team has compiled a 2.2 record. Kansas has defeated the Kansas City Lacrosse Club twice during the weekend in St. Louis.
At the tournament, Kansas was beaten 9-7 by the Memphis Lacrosse Club and 9-6 by the University of Illinois.
One player, Doug McCoid, left St. Louis with a broken collarbone
despite shoulder pads, a helmet, rip protectors and heavy gloves worn for protection Wm McCoid, Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, sophomore, the victim of an exceptionally vicious cross-cheek?
Sort of.
"There was this trashcan marking the retaining line." Armstrong said, "and he got cross-checked into it."
The game gets its violent reputation from its defensive strategy. A defensive player attempts to jar the ball from an opponent's net with his hand.
Sometimes he misses the stick and connects with the body of the opponent.
"It's OK to check as long as you're not out there flailing away at somebody." Armstrong said. "If they catch you doing that, they'll end you. But you get a lot of humpiness in the ordinary course of the game."
Players are penalized in a manner similar to the system used in hockey. The player committing the offense is taken out of the game for 30 seconds or a minute, depending on which team is in possession of the ball.
Dave Dorsey, Belle Meade, N.J. freshman, said he joined the club because he had played in high school
"On the East Coast, lacrosse is bigger than football." Dorsay said. "A lot more people come out to watch lacrosse. It is a quicker game."
Kansas will not play this weekend, but will travel to K-State on Nov. 13 for a weekend tournament.
Tim Segal defends the goal during lacrosse practice. The net on the goalie's stick is larger than the net on other lacrosse sticks.
Jane Rudolph/KANSAN
Kansas will need more than band to stop Cyclones
Bv Rob Wheat
Kansan sportswriter
The year was 1979, and former Kansas coach DumbFambrough was worried about a lack of Jayhawk supporters as he prepared to take an underdog Kansas team to face a stronger Iowa State.
Football
Fambrough said Ames, Iowa, was one of the hardest places to play because Cyclone fans were so loud, he helped raise enough money for the KU marching band to rent a few rickety buses to join the Jayhawks.
Suddenly, the KU fight song could be heard far off in the distance. The old buses had broken outside of sidewalks and ran into streets, hitting little town to save the five.
As the players took the field, the band was nowhere to be seen. Fambrough said he gave the best speech of his career, but nothing he said seemed to matter to the depressed players.
Kansas beat the Cyclones 24-7 that day and the coach gave the game ball to the band. But the Jayhawks will need more than tuba players to stop Iowa State on Saturday on its homecoming.
The Iowa State athletic department expects 45,000 fans to attend the game.
Cyclone defensive back Shawn Walker, a Kansas City, Mo., native, said he was looking forward to the game because he knew several players on the Kansas team. He said he would especially be on the lookout for
former high-school teammate Chad Fette.
Fette is the starting tight end for the Jayhawks.
Walker said he was looking forward to a good Homecoming Day capped off by a Cyclone victory.
"I don't care what they scored against OU," Walker said. "That really doesn't matter to me. We'll have to play well to beat them. We can't afford to look past anyone the rest of the season."
The athletic department said ticket sales were always up around homecoming. It also said that running attire Bryant's parents would attend.
Bryant is Iowa State's greatest offensive weapon and was the No.1 ranked back in the nation a few weeks ago.
Kansas defensive lineman Brian Christian said he thought it was too bad that Bryant's parents were coming.
"They might like their son's effort and all." Christian said. "But we're going down there for one thing, Shutting down everything they've been doing. We think we can get it done as long as we execute."
Christian said he had been looking forward to this game for a long time last season, Iowa state played Kansas and the Blue Devils Homecoming Day and won 24-20.
"I have a friend that plays on our basketball team, big (Victor) Alexander," Christian said. "When I went home for the summer, he was talking up your football team. I told him that I'd see him on game day."
Volleyball team set to do battle against top-ranked Cornhuskers
By Chris Oster
Kansan sportswriter
The Kansas volleyball team gets to try its hand at gator killer tonight when it meets No. 1 ranked Michigan at 7:30 a.m. in Allen Field House.
Volleyball
The Cornhuskers return four starters and 10 letter winners from last year's Big Eight Conference championship squad that finished second in the nation. They are ranked first in the NCAA poll, and the first team west of the Rockies mountains to hold that distinction.
Kansas' April Chavey said she and the team was ready for the match
The Javhawks, currently second
"I'm excited, overly excited," she said. "I'm not scared of them at all."
in the conference at 1-0 and 9-3 overall, are coming off an impressive three-game victory over Oklahoma. Like Nebraska, Oklahoma had beaten Kansas in both of last year's meetings.
"Beating OU helped us a lot." Chavey said. "We know we can beat Nebraska. We really proved it to ourselves."
Coach Frank Albiz said the Cornhuskers did not have any weaknesses, but there were still areas Kansas could attack.
"We just have to have a good game plan going in," she said. "We have to serve tough, play good defense and run our outrage."
For the Oklahoma match, Kansas switched to a 6-2 offence, which requires the use of two setters. While they abandoned the offense early against the Sooners, Albiz said she was pleased by the play of the Jayhawks. Kansas will use the 6-2 against Nebraska.
"I liked our mental attitude," she said. "We were taking our time, playing with confidence."
constering the Jayhaws' confidence into going into the match is a match played last spring against the Cornhuskers. In that match, Kansas took Nebraska to three games and was in best of three before losing.
"That can't hurt," Albizt said. "I just hope we can remember how we played and how close it was. (coach Terry Pettitt) is always stronger in the fall. But it could be that we're just getting better."
Nebraaska has nine players on its roster who stand one-foot or taller. Kansas 'one player over that barrier' is sophomore Kimi DeHoff,
Chavey said it wasn't the height that made Nebraska tough.
"Even if they were all 5-10, they would still be great," she said. "They're very disciplined hitters."
Their blocks are really good. We will have to hit smart."
That is not to say they are invicible. she said.
"They're not machines," Chavey said. "They are beatable. They make mistakes."
Nebraska's main weapon is All American Val Novak, a 6-foot senior setter. Albitz said Novak was better than the current setter on the U.S. Olympic team. Last season, Novak set a Conference single-season record for assists with 1,608.
"She's hard to read," Chavye said. "She can really mess you up. Be careful, she can go up and hit you. You need to have to be alert for this game."
Other Cornhusker weapons include last year's All-Conference selections Janet Kruse and Eileen Shannon. Kruse and Shannon were third and first, respectively, in the conference in kills last year.
Sports briefs
Reporter barred
A woman reporter was barred from the Cincinnati Bengals locker room by coach Sam Wyche after a 31-16 loss at Seattle.
In comments made to Tim Smith of the Cincinnati Enquirer, Wyche admitted barring the woman from
the locker room.
Denise Tom of USA Today said she was told that the team would send any player she wanted to interview to meet with her outside the locker
"Sam Wyche was not letting a woman into the locker room with all his players maked." Wyche said. "I am too proud to play, guys, I am not doing it to their wives."
The incident came just hours after NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue, who was at the game, had met with reporters, including Tom, and repeated his earlier statement that the NFL's policy is to give women reporters the same access to locker rooms as men.
Celtics cut guard
Dennis Johnson, a member of three NBA championship teams, has lost his spot on the Boston Celtics as the team makes a push for younger stars.
The Celtics announced that Johnson will not return to the team for the upcoming season.
Johnson, 36, who played seven years for the Celtics, met over the weekend with team officials, who decided not to renew his contract.
TV reporter hurt
A television reporter filed an assault and battery complaint against Isiah Thomas of the Detroit Pistons yesterday, saying the NBA All-Star choked him and threw him against a car.
Vir Jacques, a reporter with Detroit's WJBK-TV, said he didn't know what provoked the assault at gymnasium at Oakland University.
From The Associated Press
Early birds work out in Sunrise Fitness program at Robinson
Early wakers can take advantage of Robinson Center's morning hours from 6 to 8 a.m. weekdays.
By Juli Watkins
Kansas sportwriter
Students and Lawrence residents can start their days with swimming, weightlifting or playing racquetball. They can take an aerobics class, shoot some baskets or just sit in the sauna.
While most Kansas students are still slumbering away, a few are up during the wee hours of the morning trying to get in a workout for the day.
Robinson Center offers Sunrise Fitness for early risers from 6 to 8 a.m. weekdays.
Allan Heinze, director of health and physical education research, said most people who came to Hoboken were because they liked to work out early.
"it is also less crowded in the mornings." Heinze said.
"It's too hard to get in in the eveings, and I just don't have the time." Wolff said.
Shawn Wolff, freshman, said she came in early to lift weights, swim and use the dreadmill.
Julie Stoken, graduate student, said she came in to swim, lift weights and play basketball three or four weeks a week to avoid the evening crowds.
She said she noticed that the pool
KU freshman
- Shawn Wolff KU freshman
'It's too hard to get in in the evenings, and I just don't have the time.'
was more crowded in the morning since the Kansas swim team began morning practice.
"I may start coming in the eve-
nings after today," she said. "Swimming became a contact sport this morning."
Sunrise Fitness swimmers are moved into one pool while the swim team practices in the other.
The swim team reserves one pool Monday through Friday from 6 to 8 a.m. Heinze said.
Amy Grazier, a lifeguard at Robinson, said that about 45 people used the pools each morning.
"We offer an aerobics class from 6:15 to 7:15, and there are about 35
In addition to the pools, Sunrise Fitness at Robinson offers other workout opportunities.
The team started morning practices Monday, but he said that if the team was not going to use the pool, they would be open for Sunrise Fitness swimmats.
people in there," Heinze said. "Some people come in for the sauna too. About 40 to 50 people use the weight room, so with the pools, we're talking about 150 people coming through here in the mornings."
Matt Stuber, Lawrence resident, said he lifted weights every day and swam once a week. Stuber comes in for exercise because he does not have a KUID.
Robinson is open for the same activities during its new extended hours from 5 p.m. to midnight. The extended hours started Monday and also included the opening of Anschutz Sports Pavilion for running and walking. Anschutz is open from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. for any Lawrence resident, and it reopens at 7 p.m. for students with a current KUID until 10 p.m.
London Vords, Lawrence resident,
she said walked at Anschutz as often
as she could. She chooses to work out
during the early morning hours
because it is the time when her
children are sleeping.
Heinze said that the morning work-out crowds were minimal right now but that more people would come when the weather turned colder.
"It's really difficult $\textcircled{3}$ predict the weather, but we shoot for October 1 to open." Heinze said.