BASKETBALL Look in tomorrow's University Daily Kansan for a preview of Late Night in the Phog.
SPORTS
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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2004
www.kansan.com
Bowling's appeal increases
Rylan Howe/KANSAN
BY RYLAN HOWE
sports@kansan.com
SPECIAL TO THE KANSAN
Shalyn Kvassay, Wichita freshman, perfects her approach during a practice for the women's bowling team. The KU men's and women's teams hone its skills every afternoon Monday through Friday at the Jaybowl.
The sounds of pins falling and balls rolling filled the air on a Saturday morning. "The Brat Pack" was up to its usual tricks marking down strikes and spares.
Dacia Sprow, Free State High School senior, is part of this bowling league for 12 to 21 year olds at Royal Crest Lanes. Sprow began bowling 10 years ago and hasn't stopped.
"My dad got me started as a way to keep me out of trouble." Sprow said. "I've kept with it because it's fun and there are lots of tournaments and opportunities to win scholarships.
opportunities for a college scholarship may have improved because the Board of Education of Lawrence Public
Schools approved a donation from Royal Crest Lanes proprietors Larry Burton and Wayne Martin to fund all costs for bowling as a sport at Lawrence and Free State high schools. Sprow and many other young bowlers now have the opportunity to represent their school in competition.
The approval was immediate and surprising to some people, including Free State High School Athletic Director Steve Grant. The response was students have already expressed interest in trying out for the team.
The Kansas State High School Athletics Association officially sanctioned bowling as a varsity letter sport on Sept.15.
"There are lot of kids already bowling and I didn't know it was that popular," Grant said. "Olathe East last year had 90 kids try out for the teams, which
"T here's this stereotype that bowling is
something for overweight old men, and maybe this will make people take the sport seriously."
Shalyn Kvassay Wichita freshman
Both LHS and FSHS teams will only have 26 spots each because a varsity bowling team is only allowed 13 male and 13 female bowlers.
include only about 26 spots.
KU freshman club bowler Shalyn Kvassay got her start in bowling at Wichita East High School. Kvassay said
bowling in high school gave her the experience she needed to compete at the college level. She said the sport would benefit from the KSHSAA's sanctioning.
tounging.
"I think it's awesome. It kind of pissed me off that no one took bowling seriously," Kwassay said. "There's the stereotype that bowling is something for overweight old men, and maybe this will make people take the sport seriously and more people, especially freshmen, will want to try out."
More exposure for young kids will impact the collegiate level of bowling as well. In-state universities such as Kansas and Wichita State have successful bowling programs; the KU men's club bowling team won the national championship last year. Michael Fine,
BOARDING THE WAKE FANTASTIC
SEE BOWLING ON PAGE 6B
Brandon Carlson, Overland Park senior, has been wakeboarding for about six years.
Representing Kansas
Wakeboarder Brandon Carlson competes for U.S. Expert Championship this week
BY JACK WEINSTEIN
jweinstein@kansan.com
KANSAN SPORTWRITER
Not all Kansas student athletes compete through the University. Some trade the possibility of the limelight of NCAA competition for the fulfillment of unconventional sports. This is true for Brandon Carlson.
Tonight, Carlson, Overland Park senior, will travel to Bakersfield, Calif., to compete in the International Amateur Waterski, Wakeboard and Kneeboard Tour's U.S. Championships for wakeboarding, sponsored by the International Novice Tour. The competition, which starts tomorrow, will feature riders from 34 states. Carlson will be one of five representatives from the state of Kansas.
INT is a tournament league that hosts summer competitions for wake-
"I was closer to my parents and the boat and decided it was something I wanted to do more often," Carlson said.
boarding, waterskiing and knee boarding. Riders of varying skill levels are separated into one of five divisions: novice, intermediate, advanced, expert or outlaw, a division that is considered semi-professional. The Kansas State Coordinator for INT. Mike Riffle, said 28 percent of the professional wakeboarders come out of the outlaw division. Carlson will wakeboard in the expert division, and could decide next year to join the outlaw ranks.
Carlson has been wakeboarding for about six years, but didn't really get serious about the sport until he transferred from Creighton University in Omaha. Neb., a year and a half ago.
SEE CARLSON ON PAGE 6B
Last August he attended The
Contributed Photo
Brandon Carlson, Overland Park senior, will compete in the International Amateur Waterski, Wakeboard and Kneeboard Tour's U.S. Championship for wakeboarding.
Schedule gaffes vex students
break, respectively. The NCAA mandated the first day of college basketball practice long ago, so I can understand why Late Night falls during fall break. But the Kansas could always do like other schools, such as Texas, and hold the season-starting celebration at a later date when students are in town.
are in town.
What is more upsetting is having Georgia Tech in town on New Year's Day. Most students have already had the opportunity to go to Late Night, and if they haven't, they will get another chance next year. But to schedule a game that could be the college basketball game of the season on the biggest football day of the year is unforgettable.
If they did, maybe they would have had the common sense not to schedule two of the biggest Kansas basketball events of the year, Late Night in the Phog and the home game against Georgia Tech, during fall and winter break, respectively.
Do the schedule makers even care about the students anymore?
When I get up on Jan.1, 2005, I only want two problems: what medicine to take for a hangover and what bowl game to watch first.
games on these screens.
In the past, working around sub-par basketball scheduling for big games has been doable. Last year, I stayed in
I certainly don't want to get up before the crack of dawn and camp out at Allen Fieldhouse all day.
Not that I'll even have that as an option. Like many other out-of-state students, I spend my winter break at home and have to watch the basketball games on television.
SPORTS COMMENTARY
KELLIS ROBINETT sports@kansan.com
Lawrence an extra day before Thanksgiving to watch the Jayhawks play Michigan State. Two years ago, I stayed two days into winter break to catch the UCLA game.
Delaying those trips home didn't cost any extra money or cause much inconvenience. It just meant one or two less days at home. But this time it's different.
Virtually all out-of-state students who want to attend the Georgia Tech game will have to sacrifice their New Year's Eve festivities and their New Year's Day football watching and spend a pretty penny traveling to Lawrence.
Out-of-state students and other Kansas fans should not be forced to choose between their New Year's ritual and a home basketball game as important as this one. After all, there is a legitimate chance that this Elite Eight overtime rematch between Kansas and Georgia Tech could feature the teams ranked first and second nationally going into the New Year.
I'm sure the TV executives recognize this as a potentially big game and most likely scheduled it thinking they would
SEE ROBINETT ON PAGE 6B
The Kansas Athletics Department announced Friday that it would hold a lottery for a portion of the student seats for the 2004-2005 basketball season. Kansan sportswriter Paul Brand asked students:
What is your opinion of the men's basketball ticket lottery?
"I don't think that's right."
Greg Jacobs,
Wichita senior
"If that's the only way to do it, that's what they have to do. I guess I'll go early and get mine." Emily Bailey, Lenexa freshman
JACOBS
BAILEY
"It's probably the best option they have."
Luke Metzler, Newton junior
METZLER
"I think that if you paid for a ticket, you should have the same chance as everyone else."
ROSALES
Mariza Rosales,
Olathe sophomore
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