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Monday, April 25, 1988 / University Daily Kansan
SportsMonday
Olympic champion Mills' fame helps Indian youth
By Keith Stroker
Former Kansas track great Billy Mills reunites with his former coach, Bill Easton, after the showing of his movie "Running Brave"
Kansan sportswriter
An Olympic athlete is an example for the youth of the United States. Thrust in the television spotlight, the athlete's every move is admired and copied by many children who consider the Olympian their hero.
Billy Mills enjoyed that publicity after he won the 10,000 meter run in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, and his brothers Richard and David children realize their potential.
In 1965, Mills shattered the six mile world record. 27-40.0, set by Australia's Ron Clarke. Mills ran it in 27-11.6
Mills lives in Sacramento, Calif., and works as a life insurance salesman. He also runs a program called Running Strong for American Indian Youth that provides young Indians a chance to experience what they only dream of now.
Last year, the program raised more than $1.6 million, with 87 percent going to the Indian Society. Mills was able to donate enough of the money to his reservation in South Dakota to repair 43 broken-down water wells.
"We created the 'Raleigh Project,' which involves 30 young, English speaking children from all over the world." Mills said. "These kids have the knowledge necessary to build new wells, and they are given tools needed to build them. They will help teach the Indians how to build them themselves. We take each project one at a time."
As the sun began to disappear Thursday behind the west stands of Memorial Stadium at the Kansas Relays, Mills talked about the set of rights each U.S. citizen enjoyed. He said every citizen had a set of rights given to him by the government but that the Indians had a second set of rights, rights retained by their ancestors.
"We are the only group of people with two sets of rights," Mills said. "We only have one set represented in the U.S. Senate, and we do not have any representatives for our second set. The ratio is one representative for every 300,000 people, and we have 1,500,000 people in America. In theory, we should have five representatives."
our rights retained. If America wants to truly show the world its democratic ways, it needs to have representatives for us."
Mills has been to 56 countries, and he said he believed that the United States is the greatest nation in the world. But, he said in order for the United States to live up to its reputation as a leader of representatives for the American Indian
The purpose of the program Mills runs is to open up opportunities for American Indian youth.
"I want to meet needs, requests and commands," Mills said. "That is where my heart is."
"Tribal leadership says to live by
Mills is the only athlete in the world to win one Olympic race and have two gold medals to show for it. He was one of the greatest athletes, a second one from his Indian tribe.
For many years, Mills never felt like he belonged. He felt different. The Olympic victory and the belief that he had two sets of rights helped him feel proud and not inferior to anyone.
Nobody approached Mills about making a movie on his life story, but after the Indians told Mills to have a giveaway for all the people that supported him while he was growing up, he did.
Actor Robbie Benson played the part of Mills. The movie described his life's story and how he had to make it to make it in a white man's world.
"The movie did very well in Japan, and it was called "The Lonely Way," Mills said. "A little boy named Jerry Lee saw it and wanted to meet me. His story is something everyone should know about."
Jerry Lee was a 14-year-old Japanese boy whose parents were divorced before he was five. After seeing the movie, Lee bought a one-way ticket to Sacramento to see Mills, Upon arrival, Lee called Mills and told him that he wanted to see him.
"I bought him a pair of Nikes, and we went running together at a track," Mills said. "He was part white and part Japanese, with his dad an American soldier. He had been in the Army ships that I had in my early college days. It was like seeing myself all over again."
Lee used to be ridiculed and beaten up by other Japanese children while
"Jerry Lee told me, 'In Japan, I was beaten up because I was part white.' Mills said. "'In America, I was beaten up because I was part Japanese."
he was growing up. Hoping for a better chance here, he came to the United States after seeing what Mills had to go through.
Mills said the two discussed the problem while they were jogging one afternoon in California. At one point they went to a restaurant something to Mills that made Mills cry.
"But you would know all about those things, Billy," Lee said. "You lived them."
Mills said the statement made him think of his times at Kansas and how
difficult it was for him to deal with being discriminated against by other students. It was next to impossible what he would have done, who truly would be his friend.
Mills said his first friend turned out to be his wife, Pat. Who he met while running track at Kansas between semesters during his junior year. Mills said that Pat was the first student who really believed in him.
Mills and his wife have three children. Christy is the oldest, and she is a business finance major and will graduate from California State-Sacramento this year. Lisa is the middle daughter, and she is a junior and runs track for Cal State-Sacramento. The youngest, Billejo JoeAmie, is a
senior in high school, and she plays goalie for the school's field hockey team
Mills was unable to take a victory lap after his Olympic race, in which he had come from behind to defeat the favorite, Ron Clarke of Australia. The leaders had lapped several of the participants twice, so by the time the rest of the field finished the race, the Olympic Committee had to start the next one, not allowing Mills his victory lap.
So 20 years later, Mills and his wife took a vacation to Tokyo. It was 1984, and Mills decided he wanted to go to National Stadium and get his victory
groundskeeper at the stadium." Mills said, "I had a hard time trying to get the groundskeeper to let me on the track, but after I did, I was told he wouldn't.
"It was inst me. Pat and the
"It began to rain pretty hard, but I visualized a full stadium and could hear the roar of the crowd, just as it was in 1964. Mills said." After my lap, I saw my wife cheering for me and I began to cry and had my arms wrapped around the air. The victory lay meant that I had finally fulfilled my dream."
Mills trapped around the track, and his wife clapped for him by the gate. During the run, it began to rain, but it stopped before he reached the gate, then he had waited 20 years for.
KU freshman performs well at Relays
Kansan sportswriter
By Keith Stroker
Kansas' Janice Turner finishes the 400 meter with Stephanie Forbes of Wichita State. Forbes nipped Turner by .38 of a second, winning the event with a time of 56.35.
Kansas freshman spinner Janie Turner has a promising future in track. Her performance at the Kansas Relays lends credence to that.
Turner's best performance came in the 400-meter run, when she finished second to Wichita State's Stephanie Forbes. Forbes ran it in 56.3 seconds, and Turner had a time of 57.2 seconds, the best preliminary at 57.0.
Yet, despite the second place finish, Turner was not happy with her time.
"My time in the prelimits was pretty respectable, but I'm not happy with the finals." Turner said. "I could have done better, but I've run a lot of quarter miles this weekend and I'm ready. I feel really old right now."
Turner's best time in college is 56.0, though she had turned in a few 55.0 times in the 400 while competing in high school in Fort Madison, Iowa,
Kansas women's coach Cliff Rovello said fatigue might have played an important factor in Turner's performance in Saturday's 400. Turner also competed in the mile relay and the two-mile relay.
"I think Janice did quite well for the amount of work she had already put into the meet," Roveto said. "If she would have run free, there is no question that she would have run faster and may have won the race."
The KU mile relay team, composed of Turner, freshman Sherlanda Brooks, junior Mylene Maharaj and senior Verona O'Hara, finished third with a time of 3:50.03. They were behind Nebraska at 3:43.63 and
plishments as a freshman, saying that Turner would improve in time.
Rovelto praised Turner's accom-
Rovello said Turner had a great meet, running a good leg in the fourby-two-mile relay and doing well in
"The mile relay is my favorite event, and it is my best," Turner said. "I seem to do much better in it than I do in the 400 meters."
the mile relay
"Jance ran a 55.2 second leg in the preliminaries of the mule relay." Rovello said. "She also ran a 55.3 in the finals, which is better than her best time in the 400-meter run. She's a hard worker and has a good skill."
Winners of Cunningham run beat Big 8's best
At the halfway mark of the women's invitational 1,500-meter race, Jeanne Krukberge was thinking and wishing she had made it earlier.
At the halfway mark of the Glenn Cunningham invitational 1,500-meter run, Tom Camien was in last place. Camien said he was staying out of the wind.
pecial to the Kansan
By Mike Considine
Camen, running unaffiliated, won the men's race in 13:47:27. Krudekber, Iowa sophomore, set a record meet of 4:29:31 in the first women's invitational 1.500.
Despite their late starts, both were easy winners Saturday at the Kansas Relays.
Camien, 28, said the 10-12 mph wind and slow pace worked in his favor.
If he had taken the lead earlier, wind resistance could have been a drawback for the 6-foot-3 runner. Instead, he waited until the final lap to grab the lead from Mankato (Minn.) State's Shawn Bernier.
"I think the wind really affected (the pace) quite a bit," the Emporia native said. "It was fine with me.
"I wanted to stay out of the wind and conserve as much energy as possible."
Camien said he didn't know much about the rest of the competing runners.
"I'd heard of some of them, but I didn't know how they ran," the former Arkansas runner said. "But I knew I could finish as well as they could."
Kansas junior Craig Watke and sophomore Steve Heffernan did not finish well. Both were among the leaders at the midway point, but faded to ninth and 10th place, respectively.
"We had set up to run pretty fast, and we were right on our splits," Heffernan said. "But I tightened up fall back later. Later, Craig fell back."
Krukeberg, who was fifth in the Big Ten Conference indoor meet, beat the Big Eight Conference's best. She took
the race away from Oklahoma State's Jackie Goodman and Nebraska's Sammie Resh during the second lau.
"I'm not happy with my time," Krubeberg said. "I wanted to go out faster, but I just bided my time."
Krukeberg said she went out slowly because she wasn't familiar with Big Eight indoor champion Goodman or run-up Resh.
Goodman led through the first two laps, and she held off Krukoberg's first challenge midway through the race. The team was in good man with more than a lap to go.
"I should have gone out by myself," Krukeberg said.
Kansas Relavs
Kansas Relays
Saturday at Memorial Stadium
Billy Mills 10,000 meters: 1. Molico, Abelie Christian, 30.02 1. 2. Jackson, Abelie Christian, 30.12 3. Maryton, Dawn State, 30.26
Sprint medley relay: 1. Arkansas, 32:08.3
Eastern Oklahoma JC, 32:08.2 3. Wayland Bap
st, 32:17.0
Ed Elbel distance medley relay: 1. Arkansas
9.55.07. 2. New Mexico 9.59.44. 3. Nebraska
1. Kansas 1. Kentucky 18.02.03
29, 49, 58, Kawasaki
Bill Nider shot put: 1. Wade, Oklahoma, 61%
1½, Brown, Nevada, 59·6%; 3, Johnson unattached, 59·4%
unmnt@btk:~#
880 relay:  Jerussaa | 12.30 2 Drake
             Jerussaa | 12.50
Pole vaut 1, I. Scott Huffman, 17-54, 2
Patt Manion, 16-54, Kaeanus, 17-54, 3
Brian Mannion, 17-0, 5 Cedric Fieldill, 18-0
Morgan Marshall, 17-0, 5
2. Moore, 17-0, 5 Mitchell Newcash,
2. Moore, 17-0, 5 Mitchell Newcash,
5,000. 1. Friar, Nebraska, 14:24:81. 2. Hosta,
Northern Iowa, 14:28:62. 3. Weigela, South
west Missouri, 14:39:35.
Two-mile relay 1. Iowa State 7.37.22 2.
Kansas 7.37.12 3. Iowa State 7.41.23
Alter offer: 1. Starel, unattached, 198-6;
2. Wade, Oklahoma, 198-7; 3. Loftquel, unattached,
198-7.
Larry Winn, 3,000 steeplecase #1 : Iowa State, 84:9.3, 2. Kirby, Nebraska, 85:3.3, 2. Minnesota, Skipper, 85:3.4
100, 1.1 kHz, unmatched, 10.0; 2.1 hmz,
10.0; 2.1 hmz, Fresnel, Benjamina U, unmatched
invitations 400; 1.0 Morse, Abelaine C.
64, 77; 2.0 South Louisiana, 47, 58
37; 2.0 South Louisiana, 47, 58
Marathon: 1, Mathews; 2, 32-16.75; 2, Herbert;
2, 40-47.56; 3, Marrigan; 4, 45-99.94
Wes Sanger 1,300; J. Jennings, Emmanuel State 1,515,45
3-08 06; J. Jennings, Emmanuel State 1,515,45
3 Ghanam, Nebraska 1,525,20; 5, Sean Shendrani
Kansas 1,527,27
Julius Macks 440 relay 1, Rebelais 40:50 20
Aarons 471;刃刃 3, Driver 40:50 41;Kluege 463
Karlmann 464;刃刃 3, Driver 40:50 41;Kluege 463
Carmen, unattached 4:47 2; Diefken, Prairie
Carmen, unattached 4:47 2; Diefken, Prairie
Carmen, unattached 4:47 2; Diefken, Prairie
8:48;Kluege 3, Grammar 3;Nauk 4:88
8:05; Gods, unattached 5:01; Santé 5:11;
Southern Illinois 1:51; Buria 3; Buria, Northern
Illinois 1:51
Triple jump: 1. Beaumont, Arkansas State: 54-5 2.
Arm strength, unattached: 52-6 3. Morris, Nebraska:
51-9s.
Carl Rice high jump: 1; Conway, Southwest Louisiana, 7.3½; 2; Smith, Illinois State, 7.3½; Northwestern Missouri State, 7.1½
Invitational pole vault: 1. Hoffman, Kansas,
18-9, 2. Schaffer, unattached, 17.5-9, 3. Hagan,
unattached, 17.5-9
2.10-16, 3. Davis, 2.11-16
Javeline, 1. Battum, 235-3, 2. Vince
Labosky, Kansas, 289-11, 3. Allen, Kansas State,
269.
Chuck Cramer mile relay 1: Ablie Christian,
3.09:14 2; Arkansas, 3.10:28 3; Arkansas State,
3.13:56
Sprint medley relay: 1, Misoua: 139.7 (meet
record); 2, Nebraska: 140.7; 3, Wayland Baptist.
1:41.7 Kansae 1:49.7
Kansas 13/9, 28 I. Kansas 14/0, 26
Long jump 1. Frogger, Nebraska 21/4 %
Richmond, Missouri 20-10 % 3. Allen, Missouri
20-0 %
High jump: 1, Graves, unattached. 6-0, 2.
Thurman, Nebraska; 5-10, 3. Cox, Missouri Bap.
Thurman, Nebraska, 5-10.3, Cox, Missouri Bap-
test, 5-10.6; Amr O'Connor, Kansas, 5-8.
1, Davies, Oklahoma
Discus: 1. Suggs; unattached, 174-2. 2. Abernathy, Kansas State, 163-1. 3. Miller, Kansas State, 157. 1
3,000: 1. Stadier, Kansas State; 9,32/74; 2. Reh, Nebraska; 9,35/04; 3. Habriel, Oklahoma State; 9,51/66
10:59:31 A. Ann O'Connor, Kansas, 8:50:
10:00:00 D. Andrew, Oklahoma State, 35:30.3,
Sinou, unattached, 36:04.96, 3, Keith, Pittsburgh,
36:34.94
164 104.1 Miler, Missouri 177
115 4.4 Miler, Minnesota 177
Invitational 401.1 Powell, Nebraska 52.9 2.
Milling, Nebraska 52.38 2. Wavley, Wayland
Two mile relay: 1, Iowa; 9.07-9.6; 2, Kansas;
9.14-8.6; 3, Northern Iowa; 9.19-28
9:14.86, 3, Northern Iowa, 9:12.85
100, Uab, unattached, 113.22, Taylor, Iowa
**Invitational 401:** Powell, Nebraska 52.98, 52.
Milking, Nebraska 53.28, 3. Thomas, Wavland
Baptist 54.05, 4, O Hara, Kansas, 54.72
1,500. 1. Prowse, Nebraska. 4,378. 2. Ives,
Kansas State. 4,382. 3. Pollard, Wichita State.
4,408.
Marathon 1, Rutter, 3, 15:42 22:3, Craighead,
3:18 22:47; 3, Van Dyne, 3:27 20:33
Northern Iowa, 147.3, 159.3, Freiburg, 142.9
Invitational, 1,500; 1, Kunselberg, 142.9
2, Goodman, Oklahoma State, 4,30.8 3, Reah, Oklahoma, 4,32.5
40.1, Forbes. Waicha State, 56.35. 2 Jance
Turner, Kansas, 56.73. 3 Cilibery, Kansa
State, 56.87. 6, Sherlanda Brooks, Kansa,
58.11.
801; 1 Arakla, Iowa State; 2.05.99, 2. Tate,
unattached; 2.07.97, 3. Castile; Eastern Oklahoma
JC; 2.10.45.
400 hurdles: 1. Sheffield, San Diego TC, 56-95
2. Kiebe, Arkansas State, 57-38. 3. Knowles, San
Diego TC, 57-83
5,000: 1, Doyle, Iowa 16:41 50. 2, Sturckoff
Kansas State 16:41 92. 3, Evans, Wichita State
16:50 87.
** shot put:** 1. Sugga, unattached, 51-9/4; 2.
Miller, Iowa State, 49-5/4; 3. Tatman, Northern
Iowa, 46-4
Mile reley: 1, Nebraska; 3-43.63, 2, Iowa State
3-45.71, 3, Kansas; 3-50.03
3-8-71 3, Kansas. 3-5-03.
Triple jump. 1, jumper. unattached. 4-3-2
Curry, Kansas State. 4-2-3, Ames, San Diego TC
9-2-4
Curry, Kansas State, 42-9, 3. Ames, San Diego TC
41-9, 4. Taylor, Kansas, 40-1½.
41:9, 4. Taylor, Kansas, 40-11.
440 yard relay: 1. Missouri, 45:44. 2. Nebraska,
45:71. 3. Barton County CC, 45:86.
100-meter hurdles: 1. Blantford, San Diego TC
13.22, 2. Klippenac, Kansas State. 13.65, 3. Raske unattached. 13.82
Stars
Continued from n. 11
would compete only for a spot on the hurdles team so that she could concentrate her efforts on that goal.
200-meter dash: 1. Torrance, unattached.
22.78. 2. Taylor, Iowa, 23.64. 3. Igeh, Wayland
Rainet, 24.30
Rovelto said that most competitors in the field welcomed an
opportunity to run against the caliber of competition that Blanford and Torrance could give.
"Competitors like Gwen and Rhonda make the other participants run faster and get better times." Rovelo said. "They also cause the crowds at meets to be larger because of their skills.