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Friday, February 5, 1988 / University Daily Kansan
Swim teams both love, hate championship training drive
By Tom Stinson Kansan sports writer
Kansan sports writer
Kansas swimmers both love and hate this time of year.
Coach Gary Kempf said that as the season wound down, the men's and women's teams would begin the "tapering process," which is designed for top performances at the end of the season.
The term comes from gradually reducing the team's workload.
The swimmers love this process because it gives them added energy for faster races, but it also requires them to be patient as they wait for their bodies to come around.
During the year, a swimmer's body becomes accustomed to a heavy workload in practice, along with the amount of energy needed for that workload.
Toward the end of the season, when peak performances are desired, the swimmers taper their workload, Kemp said. The athlete's body will have the same amount of energy as before, but it won't use it. Kemp said the body would store the extra energy.
The stored energy enables the
athlete to perform better when top performances are needed, such as at the Big Eight Conference championships next month.
ships near here.
"I compare it to money in the bank," Kempf said. "As we reduce the workload, your body can bank your energy away for a peak performance."
The transition period between the heavy workload and the finished taper is a difficult period for the athlete, Kempf said. He said maintaining patience in the process was the hardest aspect for the athlete.
Kempt said the athlete's emotional stability would vary from daily because the body does not adjust to the excess energy immediately.
"Their emotions are on a roller coaster ride right now," Kemp said. "Athletes usually don't have a great deal of patience. But if they've done the work during the year and they're patient, they'll be successful."
"It's beginning to come around now. It's a progressive thing. If they can discipline themselves, they'll be fine. I know they're getting excited and anxious, but they'll be fine."
Kempf said the the teams were
ready to take another step toward success this weekend.
The men's and women's teams will check their progress against Missouri tomorrow at Columbia in what may be one of their toughest contests of the year. The men also swim against Southwest Missouri State tonight in Springfield.
Although the Tigers are not nationally ranked like many of the Jayhawks' previous opponents, Kempf said Kansas traditionally had a difficult time winning in Columbia.
"We haven't beaten them at Missouri for God knows how long." Kempf said. "They usually swim their best meet of the year at home against us. I see no reason why this year will be different."
Last year in Lawrence, the men beat Louisourd 50-20 and the women 61-49.
Kempt said Southwest Missouri State also was a strong squad that would be aiming to beat the 23rd-ranked Jayhawks.
"When you're a ranked school, everybody wants a piece of you," Kempf said. "But we're ready to take care of business."
Annual track meet this weekend
By Keith Stroker
Kansan sports writer
Anschutz Sports Pavilion will be holding a meeting of the masses.
Forty-seven men's and women's track teams will converge on Lawrence this weekend for the annual Jayhawk Invitational track meet, which begins tonight at 5 p.m. and will continue tomorrow at 6 p.m.
Kansas men's assistant coach Steve Kueffer said that the meet was important in preparing for the rest of the season.
"We're looking at people in different areas this week, trying to find out where our best athletes are in certain
areas," Kueffer said. "Our biggest meets are still ahead of us, including the Husker Invitational and the Big Eight meet."
At the Missouri Invitational last weekend, Kansas was represented by sophomore Steve Hefferan, who won the men's mile at 14:16:25, and was second in the 800 meters. Senior Scott Huffman pole vaulted 17'0, to win the event for Kansas. Huffman qualified for the NCAA Indoor Championships with a 17'3 vault on Dec. 4 at the Kansas Quadrangular.
Women's coach Cliff Rovelto said that he intended to use this meet to get ready for the Husker Invitational
in three weeks. He said that he expected this weekend's meet to be competitive.
An last week's Arkansas Invitational, Jayhawk senior Angie Helmer ran 2:13.57 in the 800 meters, a new Kansas women's record. Helmer finished third in the event.
The Jayhawk women's team was represented by senior Ann O'Connor, second in the high jump at 5'6, and sophomore Julie Howerton, second in the 400 meters at 59.65.
Both the mile and the two-mile relay teams took first place in Arkansas. The mile team ran 3:53.34, and the two-mile team ran 9:22.70.
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