BASKETBALL Kansas assistant coach Steve Robinson is a candidate for the vacant head coaching position at Tulsa. Page 2B
SPORTS
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 5, 1995
RIESTONAIL DOWNATITLE
Story by Robert Moczydlowsky
Photos by Valerie Crow
Natasha Shafer does her best to emulate Jackie Joyner-Kerse
Theo Hamilton
Kansastrack sprints coach
"We've built a very strong team nucleus,and Natasha is a big part of that."
She watches her races, she imitates her styles, she even competes in the same
events.
And then there are her fingernails.
"Yeah, I guess she started it," Shafer says with a laugh. "If I could be like her I would. She is the woman. I've had these nails for a while now, and I paint the different designs on after I get them done. Right now I've got some pink on there to match our uniforms."
But Shafer shares more with Joyner-Kersez than track meet fashion and an affinity for pink enamel. She's a two-time Kansas Relays 100-meter champion and the co-owner of the Kansas outdoor 100-meter record.
ABOVE: Kansas
Sprinter Natasha
Shafer is a two-
time Kansas
Relays 100-
meter champion
and holds the
Kansas outdoor
100-meter
record. LEFT:
She displays her
colorful finger-
nails. Shafer
says she paints
them in a similar
fashion to
Olympian Jackie
Joyner-Kersee.
In short, she's fast.
"Natasha is one of three premier sprinters in the Big Eight," Kansas track coach Gary Schwartz says. "There's a principle in recruiting that says, 'You can only get sprinters if you have sprinters.' That's the kind of credibility that Natasha gives us. She's really done quite a bit for our program."
Shafer has built her national meet aspirations.
Kansas sprints coach Theo Hamilton agrees
Hamilton is responsible for Shafer's daily work
"Natasha is a very strong-willed, individual person, but she's a team player at the same time," Hamilton says. "We've built a very strong team nucleus, and Natasha is a big part of that. She is really solid in the 55-, 100- and 200-meters and in the sprint relay, which she anchors. If she went down, she'd be very sorely missed."
Initially, Shafer was recruited by Wyoming, but she says that the school is "just a little too country." She committed to Kansas after a summer visit and became a major contributor to the jahawks as a freshman, winning the 100-meters at the Kansas Relays and breaking the 200-meter indoor school record.
Last year she qualified for the NCAA championship meet, and she has her sights set on a return trip in May.
In order to qualify for the NCAA meet, Shafer will need to run either an automatic qualifying time of 11.34 seconds or wait until the conclusion of the season for a possible at-large invitation. Shafer posted an 11.57 provisional qualifying mark at the Texas Quadrangular March 24, but she wants to break her school record and qualify automatically.
"When I first came here, I was running in the high 11's," Shafer says. "The coaches told me that by the time I left I would be down in the low 11's. I've done it, but I never would have believed it. Now I just want to break the record and get
back to the NCAA's."
Both Shafer and Hamilton say that an automatic berth is a realistic goal. They've planned Shafer's training in attempt to peak at an event that will feature a fast track and a competitive field. The meet they've singled out is this weekend's Texas Relays in Austin, Texas.
"This weekend will really be the best chance for her to bring those times down," Hamilton says. "She's ready. This year she's really improved — she's really gettin' after it. She's even started to show a little team leadership. She's not exactly a cheerleader, but she leads by example."
plans to return home to Denver to become an inner-city probation officer.
Setting a good example seems to be an intrinsic part of Shafer's lifestyle. She will graduate this December with two degrees — crime and delinquency studies and sociology — and she
"In high school I wanted to be an accountant," she says. "But then I noticed that all of my friends were having babies or joining gangs. I got out of the inner city on a scholarship, and I'd like to help others do the same. I want to show them that there are alternatives."
Shafer's plan to better her old neighborhood extends into the athletic arena as well. A graduate of Thomas Jefferson High School, she aspires to return to her alma mater after graduation.
"I'd love to go back to my high school as an assistant track coach," she says. "I don't have to get paid. I think that as a general rule athletes make too much money. I'd do it for free, just because I love to do it."
Nail biters?...Not Natasha Shafer's Career Highlights
55 meters—6.97 seconds
100 meters—11.44 seconds
200 meters—24.00 seconds
indoor 200 meters—24.44 seconds
(school record)
1995
second place, Big Eight Indoor 200-meters
second place, Texas Quadrangular 100-meters ---11.57 seconds
first place, Arkansas State Triangular 100-meters
Source: Kansas sports Info. KANSAN
Walks in Nebraska drop 'Hawks in fifth straight loss
Kansan staff report
Walks continued to haunt Kansas as Nebraska edged the Jayhawks 6-5 last night in Lincoln, Neb.
A two-out walk by Cornhusker first baseman Alvie Shepherd with the bases loaded in the bottom of
the ninth off Kansas senior pitcher Dan Rude (1-2) handed the Jayhawks their fifth straight loss.
The Jayhawks had a 2-0 lead in the third inning and increased their lead to 5-2 heading into the bottom of the sixth. Nebraska countered with one
in the ninth, as Rude handed out four bases on balls in the inning, including one intentional walk to Cornhusker left fielder Darin Erstad.
Nebraska did not get any hits
Kansas starting pitcher Jamie Splitteroff threw seven innings, giving up eight hits and five runs while striking out six and walking four.
"I thought Jamie pitched much better tonight," he said. "I thought he made some good adjustments, but they just battled him hard all night."
Kansas coach Dave Bingham was pleased with Splittorff's performance.
"We started early offensively." Bing-
Kansas is now 10-21 overall and 2-7 in Big Eight Conference games. Nebraska improved to 17-11 and 6-5.
The two-game series concludes at 3 p.m. today. The Jayhawks will send junior Clay Baird (3-4, 5.77 ERA) to the mound, and Craig Sanders is expected to start for the Cornhuskers.
JAYHAWKS (2-7)
ab r h rbl
ss DeMarco 2 1 0 0
rf/1b Headlead 3 1 0 0
b3 Wilhelm 2 1 0 0
dh English 4 1 2 2
lf/rf Igou 4 0 1 1
1b King 3 0 0 0
ph/if Turney 2 0 0 0
2b Kliner 2 0 0 1
c Wilmot 3 0 0 0
cf Byrd 4 1 0 0
Totals 29 5 4 4
Nebraska 6. Kansas 5
CORNHUSKERS (6-5) ab r h rbl
3b Dalton 3 2 1 0
ss Petersen 3 0 0 0
lf Erstad 4 2 2 0
cf Motley 4 1 1 0
rf Meyer 4 0 1 2
1b Shepherd 3 1 1 1
dh Gappa 4 0 2 3
c Crain 4 0 0 0
2b Wulfing 4 0 0 0
Totals 33 6 8 6
Kansas IP H R ER BB SO
Splittorf 7.0 8 5 5 4 6
Rude(L) 1.2 0 1 1 4 0
Nobraksa IP H R ER BB CO
Counter 5.0 3 5 5 9 5
Castro(W) 4.0 1 0 0 1 5
E Kliner, Wilmot, Walton DE Nebraska 1
LOB Kanaean 11, Nebraska 10 2 BSherdher,
Erastad SW Wilhelm, Byrd, DeMarco
Erstad
Tennis teams tangle with Mizzou's Tigers
ference records to 30.
The overmatched Tigers, who receive no scholarships for their tennis program, were forced to play two Kansas teams that were in unforgiving moods. Both Kansas squads
ing their Big Eight Conference records to 3.0
The Kansas men's and women's tennis teams easily tamed the visiting Missouri Tigers yesterday on the Allen Field House Courts, extend.
18
SECTION B
Kansan staff report
struggled in late March but rebounded in time to move their frustrations on Big Eight opponents.
1
absence of sophomore Jenny Atkerson, who sat out yesterday's match in order to meet NCAA eligibility rules for number of season appearances. She will be eligible for all of the Jayhawks' remaining matches.
Yesterday, two Kansas players also were honored as the Big Eight's Netters of the Week. Senior standout Nora Koves and sophomore Victor Fimbres were selected after leading their teams to three consecutive conf
The No. 14-ranked men's team won 7-0, extending its conference winning streak to 13 and its overall season record to 14-7.
secutive conference
The No. 33 women's team won 7-2, moving its season record to 10-11. The women's team was forced to default two matches because of the
wins. Koves currently is ranked No. 9 in the nation, and Fimbres holds a 21-8 singles record.
Next up for the Jayhawks are the Colorado Buffaloes, who will come to Lawrence on Saturday. The women's team will play at 11 a.m., and the men's team will follow at 2 p.m. Both matches are scheduled to be played on the Allen Field House Courts.
Society corrupts players
Michael Jordan is back playing his real sport, Mike Tyson is out of jail and professional baseball players are back to work. All is finally right with the world.
SPORTS EDITOR
Or is it?
In this land of high-profile promotions and big-time contracts for athletes, Lipsyte
The two go hand-in-hand as far as I'm concerned. Athletes haven't changed as much as the article suggests.
According to an article in Sunday's New York Times Magazine, the sports world as we know it is coming to a crumbling end. And just maybe the writer, Robert Linsey, is right.
The article's point is unclear, however, about whether there has been a change in society's attitudes through the years or a change in the athletes themselves. In either case, the article is disturbing.
For one thing Babe Ruth, arguably the greatest home run hitter professional baseball has ever known, was one of the biggest playboys in the sport's history.
The media knew about Ruth's actions, much like the modern-day media knew about the off-the-field antics of New York Mets Vince Coleman or Phoenix Suns Charles Barkley. The difference is that in Ruth's day the media overlooked his escapades — the modern-day media does not.
And it's no fault of the new age of sportswriters. They are just giving the readers what they want to hear.
Now, fame and fortune drive athletes.
At the same time, the increase of money and fame that major athletes have seen through the years has definitely changed the country's once-great sports idols.
Players such as the Baltimore Orioles' Cal Ripken — who has spent his career with one team for the love of the game and not money — are the exception now rather than the rule.
"it's got to be all the endorsements," we say with a smirk. Or, "it's got to be an ego thing," we say, shrugging our shoulders.
Society is the driving force behind these new athletes, though. I guarantee there were many sports stars in the '20s that would have acted just like our new free agents and draft picks if they would have been offered the current salaries.
We can't believe that Air Jordan tried playing baseball to realize a childhood dream. And to think Jordan switched back to basketball because he truly loves the game is ridiculous.
Watching the sports stars tarnish their images, we have become cynical.
Our society has pushed the pedestal for sports stars to an irrevocable height. We've given them the fame of a nation, the money of a company's CEO and the honor of a king. And now we want them to be like one of us? It can't and won't happen.
We can no longer believe that an athlete plays for the love of a game or to realize a dream. There must be an ulterior motive.
Maybe using the media as a tool to expose these idols' private lives is a kind of retribution for us, a kind of sick revenge. After all, we created these monsters, and now we must deal with them.
Society doesn't want sports idols anymore. They have let us down as children and as adults.
How? A strike by the baseball fans could be a start.
If baseball players want the sport to be an entertainment business, see how they would feel if theirs wasn't the hottest ticket in town.
Stop stressing the importance of money in athletics and focus on the fundamentals of teamwork and dedication that every sport provides.
It's just a game; let's treat it that way.