THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN SPORTS
MEN'S BASKETBALL | 9A
Coach, seniors will talk to students
Student ticket holders will be able to attend a Q&A session with coach Bill Self and the seniors Sunday.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2010
WWW.KANSAN.COM
PAGE 10A
MORE THAN A GAME
Hawks unite to take on cancer
Senior outside hitter Karina Garlington taps a shot over the net Last Friday afternoon against Winthrop in the Jayhawks' first game of the Kansas Invitational. Garlington's grandmother is a breast cancer survivor and Garlington said Saturday's "Jayhawks for a Cure" game would hold significance for the team.
Ryan Waggoner/KANSAN
The Jayhawks for a Cure match hits close to home for several athletes
BY SARA KRUGER skruger@kansan.com
Tomorrow is the lajhawks for a Cure match against No. 10 Iowa State and Catherine Carmichael will be playing for a very personal reason.
Her younger brother is a two-time cancer survivor.
Carmichael said her younger
brother had inspired her with his positive attitude throughout his battle with cancer. He's been diagnosed twice with Hopkins
first in seventh grade and again this past December.
"No matter if it's Jayhawks for a Cure or Breast Cancer Awareness Week, anything that has to do with cancer is very special to me," Carmichael said.
Jayhawks for a Cure is a series of KU sporting events designed to raise awareness and money for breast cancer research.
On Saturday, Centerplate will donate $1 for every soft drink sold and fans wearing pink will receive $3 admission. Last year, Kansas Athletics raised more than $8,000 for Lawrence Memorial Hospital and the University of Kansas Cancer Center.
"All the teams showed a lot of interest, so we organized these events under the name 'Jayhawks for a Cure' so people would recognize the name and the cause," said Chris Lansdell, the director of events and game day experience.
"Lots of people on the team, whether or not they have been touched personally, are happy to participate," Carmichael said, "I think its something everyone loves to do every year."
According to the National Cancer Institute, Kansas is ranked in the second highest bracket for annual cancer incidence rates, with 477.4 to 495.9 cases per 100,000 people.
"Each and every person, whether direct or indirect, has been
arrested by cancer" said Karina Garlington a senior outside hitter. "The team looks forward to it. It holds a lot of significance to us."
Garlington
Carmichael isn't the only team member who has been affected by
cancer. Garlington's grandmother is a breast cancer survivor.
"It's been something that my family and me have had to deal with," she said. "I do everything to help and support the cause."
Lauren Hagan, a junior outside hitter, said the team was very excited to give back to the community via Jayhawks for a Cure and to bring about a greater cancer awareness.
Carmichael calls her brother her hero, right behind her mom.
"Seeing him makes me view life differently," she said. "That 1 can
wake up and be healthy and be able to come do something that I love."
Ultimately, a larger-than-life inspiration has made Saturday's game about more than volleyball.
"We're not playing only for our goals, but now for millions and millions of people," Garlington said.
Edited by Dana Meredith
CLUBS
Fencing draws novice and experienced students
BY LAUREN DRUMMOND
editor@kansan.com
Even though fencing is not very well-known in the Midwest, the KU Fencing Club sees new faces every practice.
"We have about 15 members on average," said Alan Ginsberg, a senior from Great Neck, N.Y., and club president said. "We have as old as 28 years old and graduate students and freshmen that come in."
Fencing is not very popular on college campuses, but it's a sport that is very familiar to Ginsberg.
The fencing team practices three times a week for two hours.
"The first 15 to 20 minutes we usually just warm up or we just run. Then for the next 10 minutes we do footwork, because footwork is essential to fencing," Ginsberg said.
"I make sure to arrive at least ten minutes early so I can stretch because we usually don't have time to stretch," Mah said. After warming up and working on footwork, the players have practice matches. After those are over,
What you do before practice can also be important.
Katherine Andrews, a freshman from Manhattan, lunges towards Alex Weakley, a freshman from Boca Raton, Fl., during practice on Wednesday night at the Robinson Center. KI Fencing is open to anyone who is interested. They practice on Monday and Wednesday 6 to 8 p.m. in Robinson 210.
"I've been fencing ever since I was about 12 or 13," he said. "We had a family friend who was very into fencing, and I heard about it and how could I not want to play with swords?"
"We had a family friend who was very into fencing, and I heard about it and how could I not want to play with swords?"
The fencing team accepts students who have experience as well as students who have no experience, like Melinda Mah, a freshman from Topeka.
Howard Tino/KANSAN
ALAN GINSBERG
President of the KU Fencing Club
they clean up and get ready to head home.
"I've been playing just a few weeks, maybe a month. I'm really new."
Even though they practice as a team, the sport is mainly based on individuals.
"We compete more on an individual basis in different tournaments," Ginsberg said. He said that the fencing team does not compete in Big 12 play.
"There's actually not a strong division in the Midwest," he said. "it's not like Kansas versus K-State. Different universities and clubs hold tournaments and
The players are very excited about this year and have high hopes, especially Mah.
everyone is invited."
"I would love to be able to be in a tournament," she said. "I'm really excited."
The fencing team's first tournament was Saturday Oct. 2.
GET INVOLVED WITH THE KU FENCING CLUB
Edited by Lisa Curran
COMMENTARY
**WHEN:** Mondays and Wednesdays from 6 to 8 p.m.
**WHERE:** Robinson Center, room 216
**COST:** $25 per semester, which includes floor time, use of equipment and instruction.
BY TIM DWYER
tdwyer@kansan.com
twitter.com/UDKbasketball
Proving coaches wrong isn't easy
The coaches' preseason poll that came out this week tabbed Kansas to
Don't think the Jayhawks didn't notice.
Bill Self is a master of finding a way to get teams to play with a chip on their shoulder. Even last year, when everyone from Dick Vitalhe to Barack Obama had the Jayhawks pegged as the national title favorite, players talked about disrespect or getting overlooked.
God only knows how they came up with that, but they did.
This year, the Big 12 coaches provided the Jayhawks with all the fuel they need. All that remains is for them to light the fire.
"I say we've got the best frontcourt in the country," he said. "I honestly believe that and until somebody changes my mind, I won't think different."
Robinson said he's heard the talk that Kansas State might have the best frontcourt in the country. He knows they were picked to finish the Big 12.
Proving the coaches wrong, though, will be no easy task. There's a reason Kansas only got two of the 12 first place votes (one of those from Frank Martin of Kansas State, who couldn't vote for his own team). It's because the Wildcats are a heck of a basketball team this year.
K-State is the team that, on paper, should win the Big 12. If I had a vote, they just might get it. The Wildcats are an Elite Eight team from last year. They lost Denis Clemente and Dominique Sutton but added four-star small forward Nino Williams and junior college transfer Freddy Asprilla along with a pair of other three-star recruits. And Jacob Pullen is still arguably the best guard in the Big 12 — even more so, with Darius Dunn suspended indefinitely.
Of course, Jayhawks sophomore forward Thomas Robinson doesn't think that.
Jamar Samuels was the best sixth man in the league last year and has the versatility to step outside on the wing. Curtis Kelly put up a solid 12 points and six boards per game last year, and Wally Judge showed flashes of brilliance as a freshman. Put that all together, and add Asprilla, and the Wildcats have what some people are calling the best frontcourt in the Big 12.
And I wouldn't be surprised if he has January 29 at Allen Fieldhouse and February 14 at Kansas State circled on the calendar already.
"I can't wait for it," he said, with a smile creasing his face "I'm looking forward to that game a lot, actually."
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— Edited by Abby Davenport
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