Section B · Page 10
The University Daily Kansan
Wednesday, September 22, 1999
Sports
Disease doesn't stop Kansas triathlete
Athlete overcomes diabetes to compete in national contest
Above: Brian Foster is now one of only a few diabetics in history to compete in a triathlon. Right: Foster, a Lawrence graduate student, proudly displays his tattoo of the medical symbol on his right shoulder. Photos by Matt J. Daugherty/KANSAN
By Melinda Weaver sports@kansan.com Kansan sportwriter
Brian Foster wears a tattoo on his arm that proudly displays the label that he was ashamed to wear in high school.
When Foster, Lawrence graduate student, competed in sports as a youth, he said that he hated writing diabetic on his shoe as a precautionary measure, because he thought it distinguished him from the other athletes.
Now, he is proud not of his disease, but of the work he has done to overcome it and teach others about it.
Foster, who will be competing in the Triathlete Nationals this weekend, does not have to worry about swimming, sprinting and biking as much as he has to worry about how his hormones are reacting to one another with increased work and stress levels.
His body has little ability to move sugar, called glucose, to the cells. He must add insulin to his body every time he eats to balance the chemicals in his body.
Since insulin is not produced by his body, however, the chemicals do not react as well together. Thus, when Foster's stress levels are higher, his body does not adapt as well as it would if the chemicals were produced naturally.
"My doctor says that I do well controlling my sugars all semester." Foster said. "But come finals, I have a problem. When stress levels jump out of the normal range, I have the highest risk of problems."
While doctors recommend a certain level of exercise for diabetics, they usually do not recommend competition.
"It's a delicate balance," said Patricia Denning, a physician of internal medicine at Watkins Memorial Health Center. "It's complicated to figure out how much insulin you should take vs. how much food you should take vs. how much exercise. You could end up
with high- or low-sugar balance, and you could pass out."
But Foster will not let this deter him from the national competition, which requires him to swim 1.5 kilometers, cycle 40 kilometers and run 10 kilometers.
"The competition is in St. Joseph (Mo.) this year, so it's close enough that I should try." Foster said.
To his knowledge, only one other diabetic has competed in a triathlete competition, but he said he hoped to outdo what his predecessor had done.
Foster has had plenty of conditioning practice this summer working on beach patrol in Longport, N.J. He worked on his swimming, rowing and paddle board among other things.
"I won't have much use for rowing or paddle board, but the training principles are pretty much the same," Foster said. "I haven't done much biking, but now that I am back, it will be much easier to train."
because of his health, but he works to overcome that.
Some days he is not able to compete
"There are some days when I don't enjoy it," Foster said. "The way I like to look at is that I would be a better athlete if I wasn't diabetic, but I might not be an athlete."
Foster began athletics in high school cross country. As a freshman and sophomore, he was not allowed to compete, which pushed him.
"The idea of being told I couldn't do something just spurred me to compete more," Foster said. "I'm very competitive."
He continued his athletic career in college at Kutztown University in Pennsylvania. His illness prevented him from getting a Division-I scholarship, so he attended the small school as the last of seven recruited freshman.
By year's end, he was at the top of his recruiting class.
"When I was last there was no pressure put on me, but once I showed signs that I could excel, the pressure
was on," Foster said. "Things didn't go as well after that. I even had to redshirt a year and learn stress management."
- Edited by Jamie Knodel
He has taken his experiences and used it to help other diabetics.After meeting with an 11-year-old diabetic last semester and convincing the boy's mother to allow him to compete, Foster decided to try to help more children.
He plans to work with students at Watkins and possibly Lawrence Memorial Hospital to teach them about their illness and competition.
Williams quits Luxembourg tournament
The Associated Press
LUXEMBOURG — Weary from three straight weeks of tennis and unwilling to make a transatlantic flight, U.S. Open champion Serena Williams withdrew from the Seat Oen yesterday.
This is the fourth tournament from which she has withdrawn this year. The WTA Tour said she could lose $16,900 in year-end bonus money for the noshows.
Williams was top-seeded for this $180,000 tournament and was to begin play tomorrow after receiving a first-round bye.
"I feel I cannot make the journey this week, as I am mentally and physically exhausted after three consecutive weeks of tennis," she said in a statement released by the WTA Tour.
The organizers of the Seat Open called Williams' decision incomprehensible and said it showed lack of respect for tennis fans.
"Such behavior will cause great damage to the international women's tennis," said Charles Koster, chairman of International Women's Tennis Promotion Luxembourg.
Players lose 7.6 percent of their bonus money each time they pull out of a tournament to which they have committed.
Williams pulled out of a tournament in Hilton Head Island, S.C., because of knee trouble and a tournament in Toronto because of shoulder tendinitis. The 17-year-old also missed Wimbledon because of flu but that is not considered a WTA Tour event.
Tour representative John Dolan said Williams still could recoup some or all of the $16,900 if she commits to more events this year.
"We are just following the rules," he said. "It is not a punishment."
Players who withdraw because of injury need a medical certificate, but that procedure does not apply when they cite exhaustion.
After winning the U.S. Open two weeks ago, Williams joined the U.S. team that won the Federation Cup final against Russia.
Williams is to play tournaments in Munich and Folderstadt, Germany, in the coming weeks.
"I was very much looking to forward to beginning my fall season at Luxembourg." Williams said.
She was replaced in the field by Belgian Els Callens.
In an all-German match, fifth-seeded Anke Huber led Marlene Weingaertner 6-0, 5-0 before her opponent retired with a strained stomach muscle
two more seeded players fell on the second day. Qualifier Jelena Kostanie of Croatia beat the 7 Sylvia Plischke of Austria 6-2, 6-2 and its Italy's Rita Grande downed No. 8 Anne Kreme of Luxembourg 6-4, 6-4.
wheel to wheel Complete Line of Quality Tires YOKOHAMA
Passenger·High Performance·Truck & Off the Road
MONDAY-FRIDAY 843-7095
9 a.m.-6 p.m.
2103 West 26th·(26th & Iowa)
JOIN OUR TEAM!
The Department of Student Housing Dining Services employs part of the largest student work force on campus.
WHY SHOULD YOU WORK WITH US?
- Starting pay $6.00 an hour
- Flexible schedules
- Locations convenient to campus housing
- Opportunity to meet new friends
- Gain valuable work experience
- Scholarship opportunities
Call or stop by any of our Dining Centers for an application. Ekdahl Dining 864-2260 Oliver Dining 864-4087 GSP Dining 864-3120
- Special deal on meals available
FUN & CASH
---