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Show Fdl's twin brothers: Cross country end football By John Peterson There are two sports in the fall. Early on the game-da- y morning, before the sun gets high, the other sport takes place. A bunch of skinny guys running around in shoes and shorts will make a lap around the stadium, then head out the gate to a fire road or a golf course or a park. Aside from proud mama and puzzled girl friend, just about the only spectators around are the groundskeepers, busy painting the lines on the field for the big game and wondering what kind of nut would want to run four or five miles. likely hear more about breaking ties in a college football game. The Utah State Aggies and the San Jose Spartans played to a ll tie Saturday, setting a new collegiate record for the highest scoring tie game. (The old record, incidentally, was set in 1975 by Weber State against Idaho. Does that say anything about Utah teams? Probably not, its just a coincidence) . The argument, which has been heard more often of late, is that a tie game is apropos to nothing it's like kissing your sister. Especially in bowl games, there is an effort to prove that one team is superior, hence lets eliminate the tie. 48-a- two-oun- Its the cross country team the most elemental of all sports. Its also the wackiest, with everything in direct contrast to their bigger brothers on the football squad. The scoring, for instance. Its one thing for a low score to win in a nice individual sport like golf, but cross country is a team sport where the low score is best. Football is a game of complex rules and intricate strategy. There are offensive teams, defensive teams, and special teams. First, second, and third stringers. It takes five officials to keep everything honest, and a full statistics crew so everyone knows whats going on. Cross country is seven guys, fourteen shoes, and a course. Strategy is minimal, and the rules boil down to Dont get Lost." Football games are played before huge crowds, cheerleaders, bands, and radio and television announcers. Cross country is probably the only sport where the participants are out of sight most of the time. Keeping in mind that generalities dont always hold true, you can usually safely say that football players are big, and runners are not. Gridders try to bulk up to four times their test score average; a runners goal is to have his body weight be equal to his height in inches, doubled. The only guy on a football team that looks even remotely like a distance runner is file soccer-stylEuropean kicker whose name uses all the letters in the That kind of thinking would certainly be in line with action taken by other sports recently. Hockey and soccer on the professional level much to the dismay of their hard-cor- e purist adherents have instituted situations. Baseballs extra inning system has been around for a century, and basketballs overtime periods have been proven satisfactory. Even football has succumbed on other levels the NFL sudden-deat- h and the high school tie breaker under tightly controlled situations, for example. er . So far, however, except for an isolated game after the season ends, the NCAA and the coaches conference have not seen fit to do away with the tie. Thats probably a good idea. Looking back over some of the great games to collegiate football history, a huge number of them were deadlocks. Maybe thats why they are great to retrospect. An underdog ties a heavily favored team; or the 1967 match of undefeated teams Notre Dame and Michigan where one scores to the last minute and takes the safe kick for a all-st- five-mil- e . conversion tie rather than the more daring two-poifor a win, are part of the football lore of the nation. I personally can attest that there were no disgruntled fans after Weber State battled back to earn that ll deadlock. I havent heard of anyone to San Jose who demanded their money back after seeing a combined total of 96 points put up on the board. If the game is for a real national championship, fine, play it off. Otherwise, lets leave the tie in. It makes for a lot of good conversation later on. nt 40-a- MORE DROP KICKS Dont plan on bringing Aunt Beatrice and Uncle Fred into town the first weekend in March and put them up at a motel there likely wont be any rooms available. The NCAA first and second rounds, scheduled March 6 and 8 in the Dee Center, have pretty well taken care of that already. The visit of the NCAA championships to town will bring more national attention to this area than anything that has ever been done here. Six teams will participate, and depending on where they come from this area will become for a day or two at least a household word. Restaurant owners and motel keepers already turning gleeful, and a percentage of the ye room taxes they pay will find its way into city and county budgets throughout the area. If the teams come from major metropolitan areas, they will bring with them lots of fans and huge press contingents. Last year at the Regionals to Provo the teams came from San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Milwaukee. It will be a big no a BIG affair for this area. More details will be announced to the future, but remember the dates, and plan to get involved. -- e Serbian alphabet, twice. Football players measure their running in d increments; cross country men dont even bother considering distance they measure their running in terms of hours. Football players are named Roosevelt Kevin SoskowsU; cross country runners are named Peter Smith, Junior. Distance runners are on the Deans list and worry about taking a wrong turn three miles into the course; football players sometimes cant fine the classroom. Between games gridders talk about hurting their knees, missing an assignment on the field, and about blonde cheerleaders. Cross country runners talk about inflation and the Mid-Eaproblem. Football players graduate and become businessmen, s. Runners become lawyers, coaches, and doctors, and keep jogging until theyre 90. Football players wear 20 pounds of equipment and look like the incredible bulk. Cross country men usually dont even wear socks and if there were someplace to stick the number theyd take their shirt off Football players hate injuries, bigger football players, and blonde cheerleaders that ignore them. Runners hate dogs with deep voices, sprinkler beads that they trip over, and the village idiots that buzz them in hot rods and motorcycles. After the season football players celebrate-t- or about six months. Cross country men just keep running. They have cardiovascular systems bigger and stronger than a quarterbacks ego. If a football player had a pulse rate as slow as a distance runner, hed be declared legally dead. Its a pity that the sport doesnt get more exposure. Its especially bad because this Northern Utah area is a real cross country hotbed. Weber State college has been loaded with distance talent for several years, and took a strong second in the conference meet last tfraton. On the high school level, this is where it happens in Utah. Bonneville won the 4A state crown last year; has woo the Davis is the defending SA Champioo-a- nd 2A In Inter five ranks, last of the four crown years. mountain school in Brigham City woo it all last year-th- eir sixth championship since 1971. Get up early some morning and see dedteation to find action. Check out the cross country scene-yo- uH this ether fall sport an interesting one. st DROP KICKS The game stories out of San Jose last weekend will likely touch off another round of a subject that you'll Roy Hfgh'o recreation cfcocoo do it c!l By Brest Taylor The Roy High Physical Education department has some interesting classes available to students wanting to register for them. Cycling is one of the many choices. Students ride off campus 30 to 35 minutes daily, traveling to a group. They ride to many places such as the Ogden airport, the Weber River Bridge, and parts of Hooper. Students also participate to cycle meets and obstacle courses. Archery is another class option. Safety is emphasized and classmates are involved in team competition as well as individual shooting. Three times weekly students are bussed to Riverside Golf Course when enrolled to the golf class. There they have the options of playing the three par, hit a few balls on the driving range, or brush up on their putting on the practice greens. For the students who like group competition, boys and girls team sports is offered. Hie boys play punt football, flag football, and soccer, girls can play flag football, soccer, and Arid hockey. For five weeks during the term, a bowling class is offend. Students an bused to the Roy bowling center three days a week to bond a few frames. The art of self defense is taught to three different classes. Classmates learn the basic techniques of d judo, and fencing. wrestling, Other classes offered an team handball, a combination of football and basketball, volleyball for the girls and weight training for the boys. Then is also tennis, swimming, softball, basketball, and track and field which an all coed classes. Coaches Fred Thompson, Dan Shaffer, Nancy Oisen, and Radene Johnson organized these classes and an open for suggestions. co-e- |