8B
Monday, August 21. 1995
SPORTS
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
McClimon arrives as team leader
Matt Flickner / KANSAN
Runner has made name for herself in talented family
By Adam Herschman
Kansan sportswriter
Kansas junior Colleen McClimson runs down Campanile Hill during cross country practice. McClimson hopes to be an All-American this season.
A laugh and likable smile is never far away from the face of junior cross country runner Colleen McClimon.
"I'm pretty laid back," she said. At least when she is not running cross country.
At the Kansas Relays last year, McClimon told Kansas assistant cross country coach Steve Guymon that she wanted to run the 10K race instead of the 8K she had been running. This was a surprise to Guymon since she had never ran a 10K race before.
Prior to the start of the race, McClimon handed a note to her coach and told him not to read the note until the race began. When Guymon opened the note, there was a picture of one of McClimon's rivals, the favorite to win the race. The writing next to the picture said something to the extent of "I'm going to win."
McClimon did.
She was the team's fourth best runner in the last three meets last season. She also won the TAB award, which rewards a runner on both the men's and women's team who has a mentally tough attitude.
"She's a tough worker," Guym. said
McClimson competed in all eight meets in 1994. She placed tenth in the District V Championships, earning All-District honors. She also became the first Jayhawk to finish in the NCAA Championships. McClimson placed 82nd, which was more than 50 spots higher than her finish in 1993.
She grew up in a family with a lot of ties to cross country. Her father, Dan McClimon, was the men's cross country and track coach at Wisconsin.
In 1983, he coached the cross country team to a NCAA Championship. Older brother Chris ran one year at Illinois State.
Molly, her older sister, was an All-American runner at Michigan
and now runs for Nike. Molly McClimon married Craig Watchec, a former All-American in track at Kanaa.
Despite all the family involvement in the sport, McClimon's family did not push her to run.
Soon after the Badgers won their national title in 1983, Dan McClimon died in a plane crash on a recruiting trip.
They had a run dedicated for him called the Dan McClimon Memorial Run, and that was when I was in second grade, and so I ran that, and that was my first race," she said.
Since her first race, McClimon hasn't stopped running.
"I ran in a little track club called the Badger Jets in Wisconsin. I did that every summer and had a lot fun with it." she said.
McClimson won three state titles in high school, including winning the 3,200-meters twice, and was the state cross country champion in 1992.
During her senior year, she decided to leave Madison for Kansas.
"I grew up a block from campus, and my mom encouraged me to expand my horizons, and try something new," she said.
McClimson said the whole atmosphere at Kansas, including the quality of basketball team, gets her fired up.
But cross country remains the focus of McClimon's athletic interests.
"Running is very important to her." Guymon said.
When she is not running or studying, McClimon enjoys watching "The Brady Bunch" and the "House of Style" on MTV. She likes to listen to New Order, The Cure and The Smiths; and she likes to shop. She also is a huge fan of the Kennedy family.
McClimon decided over the summer to major in elementary education, and she will get some experience this year tutoring at St. John's Elementary School. She also trained for cross country and track season.
"I didn't do tons of mileage, because I was trying to get stronger." McClimon said.
McClimon credits Kansas cross country coach Gary Schwartz and Guymon for her success as a
Jayhawk
"Coach Schwartz is kind of a walking inspiration everyday," she said. "Coach Guymon helps me keep perspective."
As one of the returning veterans, McClimon will be looked upon as a team leader.
She has set lofty, but reachable goals for the team and herself.
"I'd really like our team to do really well at Big Eight and I
really would like to be an All-
American at nationals," McClimon said.
After college, McClimson wouldn't mind running competitively.
"I'd like to keep running. I would hope when I'm done running in college that I would be able to be sponsored," she said.
"I don't really ever stop and look back at anything, I try to look forward," McClimson said.
As school begins and the summer heat continues, Americans can walk across streets and farms hoping for an occasional breeze. And when that breeze comes, it whispers.
Money grows on trees in land of pro sports
I'll tell you what it's whispering. The whispering comes from the trees, and they're telling you that money talks.
Although people will tell you that money doesn't grow on trees, in the United States of America, it does grow on trees for people involved with sports.
In the latest example of this, Houston Oilers owner Bud Adams is threatening to move his team to Nashville. Because a precedent has been set that teams can be moved from city to
city, owners can look for the highest bidding city or the one full of money trees.
Adams is holding both Nashville and Houston hostage. The Oilers have signed an agreement to negotiate with only Nashville for about 60
SPORTS WRITER
days. That means that Adams will make the demands he wants for a stadium and parking and Nashville may agree to them. Adams can then add demands until the 60 days have ended.
Then the Oilers can ask for what they want from Houston. Adams doesn't like the Astrodome and wants a new stadium. If Houston doesn't comply with Adams' demands then he could take the Oilers to Nashville.
Houston's hostage situation doesn't end in Nashville. Nashville has competition. With no team in Los Angeles, the second largest market in the United States is also in the running for the Oilers.
Even if the Oilers don't go to Los Angeles, the Cardinals might.
The Raiders moved back to Oakland, and the Rams moved to St. Louis. St. Louis/Phoenix/Arizona Cardinals owner Bill Bidwell will move the Cardinals to Los Angeles, essentially switching places with the Rams.
As if this isn't confusing enough, there's more.
If all the possible moves take place that have been rumored, the NFL could include these teams: The Los Angeles Cardinals, Nashville Oilers, St. Louis Rams and the Baltimore Bengals or Baltimore Buccaneers. After these moves, it's possible that the Buccaneers or Bengals could be in Houston, Tampa Bay, Los Angeles or San Antonio.
Almost every team is movable.
Between free agency and teams moving, fans may switch to cheering for specific colors instead of players or teams.
The money trees aren't just whispering to NFL owners. Agents are whispering to National Basketball Association players too.
It's not like they haven't tried to make money before, but now it's gone too far. Well-known players are being used by their agents.
The agents want large rookie salaries — guaranteed money for the agent. A rookie salary cap that was not passed would have caused rookies to sign for less money and a fewer number of years. The theory is that a rookie would sign a short contract and then could re-sign for more money when the contract ends. But if this happened, the agent would have to rely on the rookie's success in the NBA instead of his potential in college to get a large contract. This is not a sure thing for the agents.
So, the agents convinced veteran all-stars to try to decertify their own union. Doing this would keep the union from forming an agreement with the NBA and without an agreement against a rookie salary cap.
People involved with athletics see money hanging on money trees everywhere, and they always want more.
Three new coaches join Kansas swimming team
Two former Hawks and Indiana native focus on freshmen
By Bill Kenealy Kansan sportswriter
The incoming freshmen of the Kansas swimming and diving teams will not be the only people entering uncharted waters this fall.
Three new assistant coaches have joined the staff of Kansas swimming coach Gary Kempf. They are Troy Reynolds, Mike Soderling and Kris Ushaw.
Troy Reynolds bleeds crimson and blue. Reynolds, a Wichita native, was a member of the Kansas swimming team from 1989 to 1993. He was Big Eight conference champion in the 500-meter freestyle in 1991. Reynolds, 24, graduated from the University of Kansas in 1994 with a history degree.
Kansas swimming is truly a family affair for Reynolds. He is married to former Kansas swimmer Kelly Redden, and is the father of a three-year-old daughter.
The Kansas swimming and diving coaches enter the final year of Big Eight competition intent on winning men's and women's team championships.
Reynolds and the other assistant coaches will handle much of the recruiting duties. The Kansas swimming roster includes athletes from California to New York. Getting athletes to travel thousands of miles from their homes to attend school is no easy task. Enthusiastic and personable. Reynolds is well-suited for the job.
"Since I swam here, it would mean a lot to coach here and get one," Reynolds said. "We came close but never got one."
Reynolds sees much of his job as motivating the swimmers, pushing them through grueling workouts so they can eventually achieve their best. He is also in the unusual position of coaching swimmers who were formerly his teammates.
"I enjoy going out and talking to coaches and kids," he said. "This is my university, so it's real easy to sell the program because I believe in it."
This, too, is Mike Soderling's university. Soderling swam middle-distance events
Instilling confidence, especially in freshmen, will be a large part of Soderling's job. The tough transition to college life all freshmen face is greater yet for student-athletes. New swimmers must contend with large demands on their time and the pressure of intercollegiate competition as well as the usual academic and social challenges.
Soderling eschewed a life of leisure as a lifeguard in his hometown, San Diego to return to Lawrence. He recently bought a home in Lawrence and is married to Lori Kampschroeder, another former Kansas swimmer.
for Kansas from 1988 to 1992. He was the squad's most valuable swimmer in 1992 and graduated in 1993 with a degree in communication studies.
Soderling is eager to transform his swimming experience into coaching shrewdness.
Upshaw comes to Kansas from Ball State University, where she spent the last two years as an assistant coach. While there, she earned a masters degree in biomechanics. A native of Lafayette, Ind., Upshaw swam collegiately at the University of Indianapolis.
"I think one of the roles of the coaching staff is to get freshmen's feet on the ground," he said. "It's still fresh in my mind. I remember how it is."
"You have to take what you did for yourself and do it for somebody else now," he said. "A lot of swimming is mental. If we can get kids to be confident and sure of what their doing, we can get them to go faster."
Upshaw will provide an outsider's point of view to the program. Additionally, her degree in biomechanics should make Upshaw uniquely qualified to solve any flaws in the swimmers techniques.
Kris Upshaw is not a former Kansas swimmer, nor is she married to one.
"One of the things that brought me to collegiate level swimming is that you have a great opportunity as a coach to have an impact on a swimmer," she said.
"We are motivated and enthusiastic. We are a very well-rounded staff." Upshaw said. "We all have our own expertise and we get along very well."
The differing specialities of Reynolds, Soderling and Upshaw will benefit the swimmers.