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Monday, August 24, 1987 / University Daily Kansan
SportsMonday
Fred Sadowes/KANSAN
Gary Blanks, above right, and Bob Larkin, above left, demonstrate methods of playing table tennis to handicapped athletes. Blanks is a member of the U.S. Olympic Table Tennis team and will be competing in the 1988 games in Seoul, South Korea. Tracy Miller, right, Kansas City, Mo., graduate student, receives instructions from her coach after firing a shot from an air rifle.
The three took part in a wheelchair athletic workshop, sponsored by the National Wheelchair Athletic Association, held Saturday and Sunday at Robinson Center.
Workshop offers wheelchair users new sports skills
By ROBERT WHITMAN
Staff writer
When the last segment of the National Wheelchair Athletic Association's developmental workshop ended yesterday afternoon at Robinson Center, Bob Larkin still wanted to soak up more knowledge from the workshop's instructors.
"That's why I jumped at the chance to help take them to the airport. I can learn a lot from them by just talking to them," said Larkin, who was one of 30 participants in the free two-day workshop.
The workshop was the seventh of 10 scheduled throughout the United States this year by the NWAA. Based in Colorado Springs, Colo., the NWAA is the governing body for wheelchair competition in air rifles, archery, swimming, table tennis, track and field and weightlifting. All six sports were demonstrated at Robinson.
One of the more well-known wheelchair sports, basketball, was not included in the workshop because of its popularity, said Janet Fisher, an organizer of the workshop. The workshop was designed to expose wheelchair users and people who conduct programs for wheelchair users to sports they may not have been exposed to before.
Larkin, Blue Springs, Mo., said being in a wheelchair only changed the athlete's point of view.
"We don't look at ourselves as disabled or handcapped," Larkin said. "We say it's a physical challenge."
Larkin competed in both table tennis and distance road racing in June at the National Wheelchair Games in Houston.
"It's interesting to listen to these people and know the skill and concentration that goes into it." Larkin said.
The instructors of the six sports demonstrated at the workshop have all competed for the United
Larkin said he knew all the instructors and had met them at the National Wheelchair Games.
States in international competition.
Among the instructors was Jim Knaub, Long Beach, Calif., who gave a presentation on track and road racing. Knaub has won the wheelchair division at the Boston Marathon and has had acting jobs in movies and television programs.
The workshop also introduced participants to the types of competition available for wheelchair athletes.
Jeri Johnson, Lawrence resident, said that although she had tried pool, archery and swimming and had been water skiing and snow skiing recreationally, she had never competed in the sports. Her first taste of competitive wheelchair athletics came as a spectator at the National Wheelchair Games.
"I kind of realized what competition was all about. It's big time," Johnson said. "I have an open mind about all the different ones, but down the line I want to specialize. The air rifle looked like fun. Maybe I'll get into racing later. The weight training would be just to train for everything else as far as physical conditioning. Archery is my favorite."
Developing programs for wheelchair users was what drew Gary Scott, special populations coordinator for the Lawrence Parks and Recreation department, to the workshop.
"We've been lacking in a lot of wheelchair activities. The main wheelchair activity we have now is aquatics, and we're starting new programs in September," Scott said. "I've been aware of each of these activities, but this is the first time I've been associated with a workshop like this where participants in those sports came and presented the workshop."
The turnout at the workshop did not disappoint organizers of the workshop.
Fisher teaches adaptive physical education and works with people who have motor control problems and conditions that prevent traditional physical development.
Robinson Center offers variety to students
Assistant sports editor
By DAVID BOYCE
Assistant sports editor
With sweat dripping from their faces, three students Friday pounded a small ball in a concrete room.
The sport: racquetball.
For Rod McGuinn and Sean Eilert,
Halstead freshmen, and Jaci Kelley,
Beloit freshman, last week marked
the first time they had been in
Robinson Center.
"I think it's one of the best," Guimin said Friday. "There is always something to do in here."
McGuinn heard about the building from his brother and played racquet-ball the first day he arrived on campus, he said. But for Kelley, Friday was her first time in the building.
"Playing raucquetball is great exercise," she said. "This could keep me from getting hurt."
McGaunn said the only thing the building lacked was a hot tub. But unknown to him at the time, the building does provide saunas in both
the men's and women's locker rooms.
The original Robinson building was dedicated in 1966 at the present site of Wescoe Hall and was named after Kansas governor Charles Robinson. The present building opened in 1968 underwent expansion in the late 70s.
grown remendously." said Allan Heinze, director of Robinson Center.
Since 1980 our attendance has
He said during peak hours, 5 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., around 1,600 students, faculty and staff would use the facility.
Heinze said anyone using the facilities from 5 p.m. to closing time must have a KUID before entering the building.
"We require it because if we didn't, a lot of KU students would sit around watching outsiders," Heinze said. "Students may have to wait now, but the wait is not that long."
Racquetball courts, for instance, quickly fill up, but courts can be reserved a day in advance.
Locker rentals are available for $5
for the fall or $10 for both semesters.
Two weeks of work help to prepare center
Before the first basketball hits the floor, the first swimmer enters the water or the first barbell is lifted. Robinson Center undergoes two weeks of maintenance work.
By a Kansan reporter
"That's when we hope to do the small things around the facility that really can't be done when we're open," said Allan Heinze, director of Robinson Center.
Between the end of summer school and the beginning of the fall semester, the building is closed and staff is busy preparing for another 11 and 1/2 months of activity.
To add to the staff's workload,
It's during that time the gymnassium and racquetball court floors are resurfaced, pools are maintained and over 5,000 lockers have their locks changed.
Sports Briefs
special projects are also being done this year, including the expansion of the weight room.
Tickets sold
The last of the 7,500 all-sports tickets were sold Tuesday afternoon, a spokesman for the KU Sports Information Department said.
In addition to these renovations, the facility also has to be cleaned.
housekeeping does a fabulous job," Heinz said. "They go in and do what we call their big projects. They scrub everything. They scrub the floors and clean the walls and do any high diving that needs to be done."
All basketball season tickets have been sold, he said, but football season tickets are still available.
Assistant AD hurt
Scoreboard
The tendon was surgically repaired Wednesday at Lawrence Memorial Hospital, and Temple remained allowed to go home Friday morning.
"It was just like getting kicked by a horse," Temple said Friday. "When I got up I thought it was bad, and it was."
Assistant Athletic Director Floyd Temple is recovering at home after suffering a ruptured achilles' tendon while playing racquetball Tuesday afternoon.
He expects to be back at work by late next week.
American League
Naturalcapital
San Francisco  Montreal 3
San Diego 2
Los Angeles 5, Philadelphia 1
Atlanta 6, Pittsburgh 2
St. Louis 12, Cincinnati 6
Houston 4, Chicago 2
Football Phila. 19, New England 13 (OT) L.A. Rams 23, San Diego 21
BANK
National medal counts from Pan American games. First number denotes total medals won, number of gold medals shown in parentheses. United States 369 (168) Cuba 175 (75) Japan 200 (20)
American League
Boston 6, Minnesota 4
Detroit 4, Cleveland 3
Milwaukee 10, Kansas City 5
California 5, Toronto 2
New York 4, Oakland 0
Baltimore 6, Seattle 5
Chicago 8, Texas 1
Football
Canada 162 (30)
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