11
2005
SPORTS
THURSDAY, MAY 12. 2005
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HALF MAN, HALF AMAZING
FRANK TANKARD
ftankard@kansan.com
Age doesn't quell urge to go to the 'extreme'
As we walked into HyVee, we knew it would be a special night. A hand-drawn sign near the entrance said "Extreme Savings Zone." We were there for three things: jalapeños, milk and cigarettes.
These were the ingredients for our "extreme challenge." We weren't quite sure what it would be yet. All we knew was that we wanted to test our physical limits. We wanted to puke. We wanted to cry.
My friends and I have always enjoyed these kinds of challenges. It's not just us. It's our generation, it's college, it's America. Just turn on the TV. Shows such as "jackass," "Survivor" and Spike TV's "Most Extreme Elimination Challenge" are popular because we love seeing each other win and lose in tests of the disgusting, the dangerous and the obscene. It's the closest we can get to seeing heroes rise and fall before our eyes, like the ancient battles of the Roman Coliseum.
Some of my fondest memories are from testing my limits on the track and soccer field. But there's something equally memorable that comes with creating your own challenge. There's glory in saying, "Sounds crazy, huh? Well, I did it."
When professional wrestling was at the peak of its popularity and I was in middle school, a group of my friends and I formed our own professional-style wrestling league. We called it "Extreme Backyard Wrestling." We drew up our own costumes and gimnicks and powerbombed each other on a backyard trampoline. I have two loose teeth to show for it.
In high school, after the movie "Fight Club" came out, we started our own fight club, which we code-named "Shag the Dingo." We'd drive to an empty parking garage or parking lot on Friday night and wait on each other with cheap kickboxing gloves that made our knuckles sore for a week.
One New Year's Eve, some of my friends did the lactose challenge. Popularized on "jackass," it consists of drinking a gallon of milk in an hour without puking. It supposedly can't be done.
I'll never forget the image of my noble friend, Brendan Irving, holding the empty milk jug over his head 48 minutes after the contest began, his spiky black hair shining in the moonlight, yelling, "Every man does one great thing in his life!" and slamming the jug to the ground.
This week I felt the old familiar pang, the urge to go out there and tear it up. Perhaps it's the ancient blood of the Celtic warrior coursing through my veins that makes me feel this way. Or maybe I just needed a distraction from a heavy load of tests and papers.
I knew as I rode my bike to my friends' apartment that I would find willing accomplices on my mission of self-destruction. I was right. I found them watching TV on the couch. We brainstormed for a while and decided that the contest would have three parts. We bought supplies at the store and the challenge was on. My seventh-grade locker partner, Ben Suh, deemed it "The Inferno."
Part One: And old-fashioned jalapeño eating contest. Eat an entire raw jalapeño pepper in two bites or less. The last one to take a drink wins.
SEE TANKARD ON PAGE 4B
It's almost cliché to have a jalapeño eating contest these days, but the old green pepper still does the trick. The first few minutes were hell for the five of us. We stared around the kitchen table at each other and saw faces gradually turning red as the heat grew on tongues and lips. Sweat ran down cheeks. Snot poured from noses. A bottle of Gatorade laughed at us from the middle of the table.
After 10 minutes, the pepper's heat had mostly passed. Someone grabbed a bottle of Tabasco from the fridge, and we passed it around and drank it. Still, nobody cracked. We microwaved five spicy burrites, smothered them in disgusting spicy mustard, Siracha Hot Chili Sauce and Tabasco, and quickly ate them. All but one of us finished.
Part Two: Chug a quart of milk, then get punched in the stomach. The first one to finish the milk wins, as long as you don't puke after the punch.
This contest really got to me. Rob Ingersol was the clear winner, finishing the milk in 45 seconds. The instant he tossed his carton aside, the non-partisan puncher Jordan Baranowski delivered him a wallop to the stomach. Rob was unfazed.
BASEBALL 14-6
'Hawks lose momentum
BY MATT WILSON
mwilson@kansan.com
KANSAN SPORTSWRIVER
Junior first baseman Jared Schweitzer extended his hitting streak to 24 games last night, but Kansas fell to Southwest Missouri State. 15-6.
The Jayhawks (33-23) were behind from the start and were unable to keep the momentum gained last weekend in their series victory against Texas. The Bears grabbed a 2-0 lead in the first inning off a bases-loaded single by sophomore catcher Matt Weglarz.
After Kansas cut the lead in half in the second inning on a RBI single by senior catcher Sean Richardson, SMS went back to work. The Bears scored five times in the bottom half of the frame. The rally was highlighted by a two-run double by sophomore outfielder Chris Taylor.
SMS (18-29) never looked back while running away from Kansas. Three more runs in the third inning made the score 10-1. The only innings in which the Bears didn't score were the fifth and sixth.
Freshman starting pitcher Tyson Corley struggled in his first start since a no-decision at Wichita State last week. He struggled mightily, only lasting 1 1/3 inning and allowing six runs. His record fell to 1-2 on the season.
It wasn't just Corley who was roughed up by Bear hitting. A combination of six Jayhawk pitchers took the mound on the evening and allowed 14 earned runs on 16 hits.
Kansas coach Ritch Price said he was disappointed that he didn't get a better performance from Corley.
"We needed Tyson to go deep into the game so we could set up our bullpen." Price said. "He was just out of sync from the start.
The Jayhawks also hurt their cause by committing two errors.
“W.
get a quality effort to keep on rolling,but obviously, that didn't happen."
Ritch Price Kansas baseball coach
Richardson and junior outfielder Gus Milner each had one misc. Kansas has racked up a Big 12 Conference-worst 103 errors this season.
SMS sophomore Brett Sinkbeil earned the victory for the Bears. He pitched three innings and allowed one run while striking out three. It was his fifth victory of the year.
"We wanted to get a quality effort to keep on rolling, but obviously, that didn't happen," Price said.
Kansas coach Ritch Price said he was disappointed that the Jayhawks couldn't keep their momentum going.
Schweitzer provided one of the few bright spots of the night for the Jayhawks. His solo home run in the fifth inning extended his school-record streak. It was his seventh homer of the year and third in four games.
Price said he elected to leave pitchers Kodiak Quick and Sean Land in Lawrence. Both players could usually see some action out of the bullpen during mid-week games, but Price said he wanted to make sure they were both rested for the next conference series against Missouri.
The Jayhawks will travel Friday to Columbia, Mo., for the three-game set. The matchup between the two rivals will take on added importance with the Big 12 schedule winding down. The Jayhawks sit in the eighth and final conference tournament position. Missouri is third in the conference.
BOX SCORE
Kansas (33-23)
| | AB | R | H | RB |
| :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- |
| Matt Baty, cf | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Brock Simpson, rf | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Ritchie Price, ss | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| A.J. Van Slyke, lf | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Gus Milner, rf/cf | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Sean Richardson, c | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Jake Keuzlarich, c | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Jared Schweitzer, 1b | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Mike Dudley, 1b | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Andy Scholl, dh | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| John Allman, ph/dh | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Ryne Price, 2b | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Matt Benner, 2b | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Erik Morrison, 3b | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Travis Dunlap, ph/3b | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Eric Snowden, ph | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Totals 35 6 9 6
+ HR: Van Slyke, Schwetzler
| SMSU (18-29) | AB | R | H | RBI |
| :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- |
| Adam Pummill,dh | 5 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
| Kirk McConnell,lf | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Jake Manning,rf | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Tony Lewis,3b | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Matt Weglarz,c | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Dusty Davidson,c | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Chris Taylor,riff | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Tim Rafferty,1b | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jerrod White,1B | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Jacob Hilgendorf,cf | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Scott Nasby,2b | 4 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| Matt Lawson,ss | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Totals 40 15 16 14
*+ HR: Manning, Hilgendorf
Score by inning R H E
KU 010 110 300 6 8 2
SMSU 253 200 12X 15 16 1
Win: Sinkball (5-9)
Loss: Corley (1-2)
Save: None
Source: Kansas Athletics Departmen
- Edited by Jesse Truesdale
Kansan file photo
Sophomore pitcher Sean Land starts his motion as he prepares to pitch during the game against Texas last Friday. Land is set to start tomorrow night against Missouri in Columbia, Mo.
Postseason road runs through Columbia
BY ALISSA BAUER
abauer@kansan.com
KANSAN SPORTSWRIVER
With only six games left in the 2005 season and a trip to the postseason in sight, the Kansas baseball team now faces rival No. 20 Missouri this weekend in Colombia, Mo.
Though the rivalry between the two teams remains viscous, the Jayhawks (33-23 overall, 8-11 Big 12 Conference) could benefit more from a series victory. The Tigers (32-16, 12-9 Big 12) sit in
▼ ROWING
SEE POSTSEASON ON PAGE 4B
Team balances practice, tests
Kansan file photo
BY KRISTEN JARBOE
kjarboe@kansan.com
KANSAN SPORTWRITER
While most students are just worried about their finals, some athletes are adding on the pressure of competing the weekend right before their tests. The KU women's rowing team competes this weekend in the NCAA Central/Southern Regionals in Oak Ridge, Tenn.
The Kansas rowing Second Varsity Eight tries to pull past Kansas State during the Kansas Cup on Saturday, April 9. The rowing team will compete in the NCAA Central/Southern Regional May 14 in Oak Ridge, Tenn.
The team could potentially be competing during the week of finals as well as in the NCAA Championships held in Sacramento, Calif. The Championships are May 19-27.
"It's a very stressful time for us," senior rower Erin Hennessey said. "While getting ready for Regionals, we're having to study for finals as well. It's not like we can pull all nighters and still be ready for practices."
"Last year it was just like this," senior rower Ashlea Kramer said. "We're still able to keep our focus on rowing. Sometimes we're able to study on the plane, so that helps."
But the team is used to this type of scheduling. They've been doing it every year.
The team departs from Allen Fieldhouse at 1:45 this afternoon. The team will practice upon arrival and practice on Friday. Competition will start 9 a.m. Saturday. Heats will start in the morning with semi-finals in the afternoon. All the final competitions will be held on Sunday.
When the team starts competing
on Saturday, a lot depends on the first race.
"One of our main goals is to come out strong in every race," senior rower Rachel Chapman said. "In our first race, we really have to come out strong because it determines our placing."
The Jayhawks are entered in the First and Second Varsity Eight races, the First Varsity Four and an open four. There's about 21 teams entered in the Varsity Eight races and about 17 entered in the Varsity Four race.
One of the big schools is Texas, which the team hopes to avenge. Last time they raced against each other, Kansas was ahead for the first 1000 meters before Texas took it at the end.
"We have to make sure we're in the top three of the heats to set us up for the semi-finals," assistant coach Jennifer Myers said. "Centrals is good for us because we're up against a lot of good schools."
Senior coxswain LeAnna Kemp feels the same way
"We're definitely planning on going for Texas," senior coxswain Cristal Reed said.
"We're really hoping to beat Texas this time," she said. "We have to prove to ourselves that not only we can beat them, but other bigger schools as well."
For the First Varsity Eight, the team is up against Cincinnati, Indiana, Michigan State and Louisville.
SEE BALANCES ON PAGE 4B
A majority of qualifying for the NCAA Championships is based off of Regionals. There are only 16 spots available; 12 for team spots and four for First Varsity Eight boats. Being a
"It's not all about Texas, it's about going out there and racing our best and beating our time," Reed said. "Qualifying for NCAA is not out of the picture either."
ROSTER
1st Varsity 8:
Coxswain: Crystal Reed
Coxswain: Crystal Reed
8: Erin Hennessey
7: Kris Lazar
6: Jennifer Ebel
5: Kristy Hainer
4: Jelayna Da Silva
3: Gillian Van Ruyven
Bow: Rachel Chapman
2nd Varsity 8:
Coxswain: Ardis Johnson
8: Tricia Sawlette
7: Tiffany Jeffers
8: LynnAnn Laugesen
9: Ashlea Kramer
10: Kara Boston
11: Dyana Lawrence
12: Alia Bober
Powers Tyler Fiddidge
Bow: Tayler Eldridge
1st Varsity 4:
Coxswain: LeAnna Kemp
4: Paige Phillips
5: Whitney Fasbender
6: Katie Ault
Bow: Emily Fuhs
Open 4:
Coxswain: Samira Naji
4: Annie Sims
3: Jesse Prince
2: Elisheva Patterson
Bow: Amanda Hallenbeck
Source: Kansas Athletics Department