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Friday, September 7, 1979
University Daily Kansan
9
Summer work one reason for swim team's success
By DAVID BURNS Sports,Writer
Year-round competition, especially on a national level, is vital for a swimmer who expects to become a potential NCAA qualifier.
So says KU's men swimmers.
KU swimmers attribute their third straight Big Eight championship and their hopes of placing in the National Collegiate Athletic Association championships to the hours spent competing in summer Amateur Athletic Union Nationals. The idea is to build an experienced capable of capable of the strongest and larger teams on the East and West coasts.
"Nearly everybody on the team worked with them," one AU club or another, Coach Bill Sullivan had to tell them what it would to compete with those West Coast teams like Tampa Bay.
Spatha said few Midwest teams could effectively compete with those schools. He emphasized that differences in high school
swim programs and facilities and the popularity of the two regions could cause the lack of Big Eight qualifiers in the NCAA national.
"Competitive swimming is bigger out here. The schools recruit heavily outside their area, and there is a greater opportunity for it in these West Coast schools," he said.
Spahn said few good swimmers came out of high school swim programs in the Midwest. Most are recruited from various AAU clubs during the summer.
"The rules are a lot different here," he said. "The kids start much later than we do in the program for Western high schools, and the rules allow them to work out during the Christmas week."
Sphain said Steve Graves, one of the top swimmers in the Big Eight, was a rare exception.
"Steve is one of the few high school swimmers to come from an inferior program," he said.
Graves, a senior, comes from Wichita West High School.
He worked out this summer with a Los Angeles AAU club, the Dutch Boys.
"Anybody who thought they were any good came out to compete during the summer," Graves said. "The competition in the AAU nations is always tough because the swimmers are thinking ahead to the NOC nationals or better still, the Olympics."
Another Jayhawk, Jim Sauer, also spent some time out West during the summer. The Berkley, Calif. senior swam with the Consistency swim team and helped ensure success in the 1961 and 2002 butterfly.
"There isn't much hope for a swimmer who doesn't get out and compete yearround." Saher said. "It's a must if you're in the water, because we'd against some of these West Coast teams."
He said he swam out West because the level of competition far exceeds that found in the Midwest. West Coast teams also
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He said swimmers in the Midwest were going west to train and compete, and bring back enough experience to become their own powerhouse.
"They have a much larger draw than Midwest teams out there, Sauer said. "Nearly every team out there is a perennial powerhouse."
Bill Crampton, Lawrence junior, didn't compete nationally, but he did train with a local swim club, the Aqua-Hawks.
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recruit from the swim clubs out there. The results can be seen in the number of Western swimmers qualifying for the NCAA Nationalals.
"I stayed right here in town," Crampon said. "I couldn't offake for California like some of the others. My goal this summer was to earn enough money for the fall semester.
"It's going to take some time before there's a team here that can compare with a USC, UCLA, or a Mission Viejo," Sauer said. "We'll be taking the Big Eight championship again."
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"I'm going to be at a disadvantage this season because it's very important that a summer work out year round, especially if you want to compete against good swimmers."
Crampton swims the 200 butterfly. KU is slowly building a team capable of
placing swimmers in the NCAA Nationals, Sauer said.
"Less than 1 percent of the swimmers in the country make it to the NCAA Nationals, so it is a good idea to get as in a competition call for competition as possible," he said.
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Dave Killen, Lincoln, Neb. sophonore,
wanted to try out the tougher competition.
He swats 400 and 1500 free style.
"I was really scared because those boys are good out there." Killed said. "This was the first time for me. The coach said 'give it a shot,' so we went out with Graves."
Killen said the Jayhawks weren't too far behind some of the West Coast powerhouses.
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Positions on KU's delegation to The Associated Students of Kansas, the statewide student lobby organization, are now being filled.
The ASK Legislative Assembly, with delegations from each member university, determines legislative priorities and works to implement them.
Applicants for delegate positions (23) or alternate delegate positions (10) should have some knowledge of campus and state issues and have an interest in lobbying.
Application forms and more information about ASK are available in the Student Senate Office, 105B in the Kansas Union.
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