THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THURSDAY, AUGUST 23, 2012
PAGE 18
COMMENTARY
Students need to change
Your first week of syllabi and lectures are almost over, freshmen.
almost over, freshmen,
but there's still more to learn. The
University of Kansas has some of
the best traditions in the country,
but there's always room for
improvement. Reaching the upper-
classman is useless at this point,
so it's up to you, class of 2016.
Here are a few tips to make your
first year on campus better for everyone:
-It's not "Home of the Chiefs." Many of you will hear this for the first time in a few weeks in Memorial Stadium, a version of The Star-Spangled Banner praising a pro football team in a different state. Like the wave at a baseball game, the "Home of the Chiefs" chant is passed down annually without question, purpose or intelligence. Before joining your drunken cohorts before football and basketball games this year, ask yourself a simple question: Why are they cheering a pro football team in Missouri while at a college game in Kansas? If you come up with something other than "everyone else is doing it," then by all means, continue. But when you don't, and the urge is still strong to belt out the other version, just remember. You never had to watch a down of Turner Gill football. The least you can do in return is to slowly phase out this chant.
There is no "Wooo" in the Rock Chalk Chant. Teddy Roosevelt once called it the greatest college chant he had ever heard. When done right, it's nothing short of haunting. Then, sometime in the past, fans started wooing between verses of the song like a bunch of 12-year-old girls at a Justin Bieber concert. Don't act like a bunch of 12-year-old girls at a Justin Bieber concert.
Don't leave at halftime of football games. They have these things now called refrigerators that keep beverages cold, so you can actually attend an entire football game and come back to a cold drink. There's no excuse for following the herd of students out of the stands and back to the tailgate at halftime. Unless the team is down 24 points or something; then all bets are off.
- Wear blue shirts to basketball games, not red. Everyone owns one or twelve blue Kansas shirts, but there's always a handful of people who can't conform and throw on something blue. Conformity can be fun.
-Don't be afraid to call it red and not crimson. Oklahoma is crimson. Kansas is red. You might get dirty looks from University employees or raid fans, but show them a color wheel and you'll win every time.
Kansas State is not suddenly your biggest rival. Kansas never fought Kansas State in a war. Until then, your biggest rival is still Missouri. A fierce rivalry is tough to maintain without playing one another, but the United States and the Soviet Union did it for decades. How hard can it be?
Edited by Ryan McCarthy
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Young Kevin, rigth, of the Kansas Jayhawks dribbles past French AMW teamplayer Antoine Diot, during an exhibition basketball match between the Kansas city team and AMW team France, as part of Euro Jam Paris 2012, at the Coubertin stadium in Paris, Sunday Aug. 12, 2012.
OVERSEAS BALLIN
REMEMBERING EUROPE
ETHAN PADWAY
epadway@kansan.com
The last time the men's basketball team took the floor in competition as a team, the players watched as streamers fell from the ceiling as Kentucky celebrated its victory in the national championship ga.ne.
Losing the last game of the season is always tough. It can eat away at a team in the long stretch from the end of a regular season until practices resume in October. But because the NCAA allows a team to play exhibition games outside the United States once every four summers, the Jayhawks were able to cut their wait-time short as they packed their bags and headed to Europe for a four-game set against the Swiss national team and the AMW French Pro team. The trip was from Aug. 5 to 14.
"Just playing, wearing the Kansas jersey," senior forward Kevin Young said when asked what he was most looking forward to about the European trip. "Because our last game together ended in a loss, so I think a lot of us returning guys just wanted to get out there and play again."
The Jayhawks team that traveled overseas looks different than the one seen all last year. Gone is All-American Thomas Robinson. Gone is the unpredictable but nonetheless electric Tyshawn Taylor.
But the new crop of freshmen got an early jump on meshing with the team and learning coach Bill Self's system.
"We got 10 practices before we left," senior center Jeff Withey said. "So it's good for them to get that early start, just because everything is new to them, and the
more time they have to work on the offense is going to help them. Those games over there, they can see how the competition is a lot different from high school."
The change in travel plans also forced the team to switch around some of their tourist activities and shorten their pregame preparations. But the lajahawks still managed to win both of their games against the Swiss national team.
After experiencing some travel mishaps, the jayhawks arrived in Switzerland a day late. "It was really frustrating just because we were so excited to be going to Europe, and then to lose a day of time over there, it just sucked," Withey said. "But it happens. We made fun of the freshmen, saying
to them it was their fault because they were new. But you couldn't do anything about it."
"When we were in Zurich, we would go sightseein in the morning and then have to go right from sightseeing to go and play." With-
ey said. "Sometimes wed be late, so wed only have 10, 15 minutes to get ready. When we're actually playing real games over here, we start preparing two hours in advance: we're at the gym, getting shots up and stuff. When we were over there, we were thrown into the fire."
In Paris, the team saw the sights that draw tourists from around the world to the city.
"We were only on the second level of the Eifel Tower, and we
were already over most of the buildings, and there's an elevator that takes you even higher, so it was kind of crazy." Young said.
The Jayhawks lost both games against AMW, but in the second game and the final of the trip, Kansas had the lead at halftime despite the fact that Self sat seniors Withey, Elijah Johnson and Travis Releford, and gave the freshmen extended playing time.
("The freshmen) are not used to a 40-minute game yet," Withey said. "In the college game, you're always playing hard, you can't take plays off, so by the fourth quarter I feel like they got really tired, and that's when the other team made their run."
The freshmen weren't the only ones who received more minutes: Sophomore guard Nadir Tharpe showed how much he improved from his freshman season, dishing nine assists in the Jayhawks' first game against AMW. Despite Tharpe's effort, Kansas lost 74-23.
"I think he is just a lot more confident," Withey said. "His ball handling is just a lot better than last year, and just having a year underneath your belt, you get a lot better automatically."
Edited by Ryan McCarthy
Withey
Young
Soccer prepares to host tournament
SOCCER
NICOLE EVANS
nevans@kansan.com
Coming off an unfortunate overtime loss against Northwestern, the women's soccer team prepares to host the Kansas Invitational this weekend. They refuse to let the loss stop them as they want to push forward and gain two more wins.
"I think everyone was disappointed after the game Sunday because I think we did enough to win, but our mentality is fine. We're working hard, we're trying to regroup and win," head coach Mark Francis said.
Senior forward Whitney Berry attempts to recover the ball during a game against Northwestern University.
Kansas had no problem creating opportunities against Northwestern but was only able to capitalize on one opportunity through freshman forward Ashley Williams' early second-half goal. Their defensive unit — something the team has been focusing on improving — will be tested this weekend, as senior defender Cassie Dickerson not be returning to the field because of an injury. Though her absence will be noticed, Kansas does not plan to let it hinder their progress.
TYLER BIERWIRTH/KANSAN
"Mentally, we view this as any other game," senior forward Whitney Berry said. "We plan to win and keep it on the field. We have just to play our game."
Georgia Bulldogs squad Friday night at the Jayhawk Complex. The Bulldogs managed to knock Kansas out of the first round of the NCAA tournament last year with a 2-0 victory. Kansas will see a similar team take the field as Georgia returns 23 players, including nine starters and four seniors. The team will be watching out for junior midfielder Alexa Newfield, who is returning after she led her team in both assists and goals last season. Georgia has started off undefeated in the season with a record of 2-0.
"Obviously Georgia is a good team. They ended our season last year, so I think for us it's a great opportunity to play them again and give them another run. I think they'll give us a good test," Francis said.
The team faces a very physical
Kansas also brings weapons of their own to the pitch, despite having to do some reshuffling on the defensive line. Senior forward Whitney Berry made sure onlookers noticed her, scoring a hat trick in the exhibition game against Eastern Illinois. Junior forward Caroline Kastor and Williams have also made impressive starts to the season.
"We know we can handle [Georgia]. We know how they play, and we just gotta execute our game plan," junior defender
Shannon Renner said.
Kansas will also face the Rebels from UNLV in the Invitational on Sunday. The Rebels also recently played in a close match, almost coming back after trailing three goals but ultimately falling short to Hawaii, 5-4. The Rebels have a more
mexexperienced team than Kansas, only returning two seniors compared to Kansas' seven. The Rebels share Kansas' 1-1 start to the season, but Kansas hopes to use home field advantage, experience and chemistry of their returners to lead them to a victory.
"We want to defend our home turf and get two wins," Renner said.
Kansas will take on Georgia Friday, Aug. 24 at 5 p.m. before facing UNLV on Sunday at 1 p.m.
— Edited by Stéphane Roque