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On the corner of 9th and Avalon
Students teach lessons of game
By Mike Kennedy Special to the Kansan
Time is running out.
With the fourth quarter winding down and the Sonics trailing by two points, not one, not two, but three players nail shots from half-court to win the game.
In the heat of excitement, the players run to surround their coach — none of them taller than his waist — and he tells them to form a single-file line to shake hands with the other team.
Welcome to the Salvation Army Basketball Leagues.
"It was the first game they ever won," said Jeff Stowell, Augusta senior and Sonics coach. "Two of them had never even scored before."
The leagues provide competition for kindergarten through seventh-grade boys and girls in Lawrence.
Many coaches, referees and gym supervisors are KU students, Rick McNabb, area director of Salvation Army Basketball Leagues, said.
"The thing we really look for is people who want to work with the kids," McNabb said. "We want to keep it as professional
Stowell said he started coaching because he wanted to teach the children some values that sports taught him.
as possible but also make it instructional."
"I personally was not the best athlete. I mean, I was no Michael Jordan, but athletics gave a lot to me as far as character," Stowell said. "I felt like I could give some of that stuff back."
Molly Denton, Ottawa sophomore, said she began coaching a girls' AAU basketball team because she recalled the people who helped her when she began playing.
Denton said she had admired the high school and college students who helped her when she was first beginning to play.
Mike Lewis, Hiawatha senior, said he liked the children's leagues because the players cared less about winning and more about having a good time.
"In general, the program helps out the kids," Lewis said. "The kids just go out and have a lot of fun and don't really care about the competition."
Alpha Kappa Lambda, Lewis' fraternity sponsors and coaches a team each year.
"A lot of guys in the house like to go out and watch the kids play," Lewis said. "And
the kids really love their support."
McNabb agreed that the players enjoyed the KU students' participation.
"When a good coach is a student, it's the best of all worlds," he said. "The kids like being around people that aren't their parents' age all the time."
He added that college students were more objective with the players than the parents who coached their children's teams.
Denton said her sorority, Chi Omega, took its relationship with the team it sponsors beyond the court.
"We have the girls on the team over for dinner and have a party for them at the end of the year," she said.
McNabb said one of the best parts of the program was that it extended beyond the realm of sports.
Each Biddy and AAU player who receives high grades is recognized on an all-academic team. Also, each team can participate in a community service project, McNabb said.
Anyone interested in coaching, sponsoring a team, refereeing or gym supervising should call Rick McNabb at 843-2439.
Athletes spread community cheer by volunteering time in Lawrence
By Kathleen Driscoll
Special to the Kansan
Christmas is coming, and rugby team members are beginning to think about their friends at Cottonwood Incorporated.
"When you can make a difference by doing something so minimal, it's cool."
Each year the rugby team participates in an annual Christmas event with Cottonwood, a community development disability organization. The holiday event takes place at Johnny's Tavern, 401 N. Second St.
The athletes and Cottonwood clients play pool and darts and sing Christmas carols together. Everyone eats burgers and gets to know one another until Santa Claus shows up and hands out presents.
Marla Abatjoglou
Kansas tennis player and community volunteer
"I've done it for two years, and each year I look forward to it more and more. These people really have a lot to offer, and I think the rugby team might even have more fun than our Cottonwood friends," said team member Derek Mannell, Lawrence senior.
The rugby team has performed other volunteer work as well. Most recently, the team built the bleachers and painted the
Kara Walters, director of residential services at Cottonwood, said the event had been going on for at least 10 years and that each year the clients and staff started looking forward to it in February. About 35 Cottonwood clients attend along with the Cottonwood staff.
goal post at the Youth Support Center in Lawrence.
The rugby players are not the only athletes who volunteer time and labor in the community.
Camp Jayhawk, an annual fall event included the KU men's and women's basketball, football, baseball, women's softball, cheerleading and volleyball teams.
Members of the KU baseball team were part of an anti-drug rally last week at Central Junior High School. They shared personal experiences with the crowd and presented their views about drug use.
"Hopefully, they related to us and were comfortable asking us questions instead of looking at us as authority figures," said Stephen Matthews, New Orleans senior, baseball outfielder and member of the Student Athlete Activity Committee.
This is the first year the baseball players spoke at the school.
Members of the tennis and track and field teams also have participated.
Underprivileged kids, ages 2 to 14, came to Anschutz Sports Pavilion from the Kansas City area and spent time with the athletes, rotating between five stations and spending time hitting and throwing a ball and learning KU cheers.
"When you can make a difference by doing something so minimal, it's cool," said tennis player Maria Abatjoglou, South Charleston, W. Va., junior.
Afterward, the athletes and the children hung out and ate lunch together. About 150 children attended the event this year.
"Overall, it makes you feel pretty good," said baseball infielder Franco Martinez, Denver freshman. "These kids look up to us."
10
Community Outreach
The Hill November 5,1996