Show The Sat Lake Tribune SPORTS Tuesday Felimary 14 15 t -- SPORTS COMMENT k - ' 4t 3' -— 1 -I- ' J- - A I t- Nli ' 444 1:1---- g9 v ON CAMPUS - 0 Atro ti 4F-- el i - 1 I i - II -- - AMANDA DICKSON lo II' L p " - - ' Senior Rebecca Smith paced t It's (Lilly)Hammer ta 4 i -- P ' I ---4- However you say it (as in KC) or Lillehahmer (as in hoC) I am feeling Olympic today A little larger than life A little less skepticaL A little more like a dreamer I watched the Norwegian national treasure speedskater Johann Olav Koss break the world record in the 5000 meters Koss is the boss leaping to the top of the platform to receive his gold medal Suddenly the phrase "national pride" takes on a spiritual meaning It's that moment when tears sneak into your eyes and you feel overwhelmed with pride in a young athlete you will never meet But in his eyes and in the eyes of young American Tommy Moe who won the downhill skiing competition earlier is the Lilly-hamm- er same - ' 6 N I imagine them getting up before dawn day after day to train I think about the regimented diets the denial of dances at the high school gym the denial of so many many things for this moment And we get to share it with them You me Hillary and Greg Gumbel All of the talk about the Ker- riganHarding controversy the fighting over who got the "exclusive" interview first all of the wondering who will get their faces on cereal boxes and the focus on endorsements that as Andy Rooney says make the sports pages look like the financial pages — all of that doesn't matter anymore Not now not when you see that look in their eyes The anthem plays The flags raise The chest swells And the crowd actually listens to the anthem There is meaning in that song this time No one is trying to get popcorn while it's playing Not now Why do those moments on the winner's blocks feel so much different than any other award ceremonies? So different from the ESPYs the Grammys the Emmys even the Oscars No speeches No political statements No gratuitous models in sequined gowns No thanking everyone they've ever known Those people don't need to hear their names anyway That look in the eyes says it all — to them and to us It's what they've lived for and what we are living through We who are spectators have never felt so glad to love the sport Whatever the sport When other than the Olympics would you ever watch a speed skating event? Or Inge Luge? I've never understood luge Evil Kneivel on ice Or Bobsled The only part of bobsled that seems like sport is the running pushing and jumpinThe rest is like computg-in er technology Hold on for dear life But when I see that look in the eyes of those participants it is sport enough for me The Olympics remind me of my father The way he would turn to me after watching an amazing display of courage and strength wiping tears from his eyes speaking with great emotion about the triumph of the human spirit That's why I love the Olympics It renews my faith in humanity in competition that is not based on who you know but what you do The Games are one of the few places where you can still win on the merits And it's beautiful s It's not the stats or the ratios or the marketability or any of the other things you read about on the sports pages that matter now It's life It's greatness It's the reason I am a fan of athletes and mothers and anybody else who stands up to the challenge Like Team USA Watching them come back to tie the French hockey team the unselfishness in their play I was filled with respect and hope for them and for us A little Idealism for a change Tonya Who? (Amanda Dickson is a KSL win-los- Radio on-ai- r personality heard weekdays from 9 i I am) ) - - i ' 11 5:30-- 9 t ' - e r - ---1 ' II a ' - '''' - 6-- 1 - i filloscuted Pm Mike Thompson was nearly the third fatality in four days at Daytona when be wrecked on Sunday 7-- 6-- Daytona Track Shows No Mercy Claims Second Life in Four Days THE ASSOCIATED 2 Continued From 8-- high-banke- and smashed into the concrete wall at the top of the banking the roof over the driver's side of the car taking the initial impact The driver defending champion of the Goody's Dash sedan series was taken to Halifax Medical Center where he was pronounced dead upon arrival at 8:06 am MST from massive head and upper body injuries The racing community which was to bury longtime racer and friend Neil Bonnett — killed in a one-ccrash in Daytona's turn four on Friday — later Monday in Hueytown Ala was deep in shock after this latest blow Bonnett was 47 years old and trying to renew a career in which he won 18 Winston Cup races and became one of the most popular drivers in the series while Orr was just trying to get a foothold on the big time of the dangerous sport "We've got to take a look at what's going on" said Rusty Wallace the 1989 Winston Cup champion and the survivor of a wild flipping crash on the backstretch during last year's Daytona 500 "I'm tired of losing my friends on this racetrack and there's no reason for it to continue" he said Monday in the garage area But Wallace wasn't suggesting that any changes be made to the track Instead he talked about the driver's taking care of themselves and others on the racing surface "Don't just get out here and mash the gas and throw your brains in the trunk" he said "A lot of team owners think that's what you have to do to go fast You don't have to do that" There seemed to ben° pattern to the nasty accidents at Daytona this month which also include a pair of ARCA stock car accidents Andy Farr came away with a fractured sternum on r wall knocking a Thursday after he hit the chunk out of the concrete and tearing down 75 feet at the top of the wall Then during of Sunday's ARCA race Mark Thompson sustained a concussion three broken ribs and assorted cuts and bruises in a spectacular flipping crash in the grass along the backstretch Chip Williams a spokesman for NASCAR the sanctioning body of the Winston Cup division said the crashes did not appear to be connected in any ar - turn-fou- catch-fencin- g "There are a lot of theories out there in the garage area but we don't have a theory right now" Wil- liams said considered the team's defensive specialist A hair taller Jon is the usually the first Miner off the bench "It's always an advantage to have twins on your team" said Sluga "These two have the sonar of the great white whales between 14: P: :204 4 4 P p 4 - — t o ' 1 ' E i czi A gr them" The boys' father Dave Kemp there is "electricity in the air" when the twins are on the court together "For me there's no greater experience than to watch them play together" he said "Defense" is the word Sluga usually uses to describe the thin brothers but neither Kemp is a slouch offensively Each has averaged more than 10 points per game in Bingham's last four games Sluga says he has no trouble telling the twins apart ("Jason combs his hair more") but the boys' mother Valerie Kemp begs to differ "He has sent one player n the game thinking it was the other" she said And when one of the boys lost a shooting contest with Sluga the fr says dark-haire- d a 00 Basehat After splitting four games with Pacific last week the Utes play at Cedar City on Thursday and Long Beach State over the weekend They lost to Pacific 21-- Sunday We played good enough games against Pacific to win three and lose three games- - said coach Rick Sofiell We had good offensive results but our pitching was not that great" 7 -- CI Indoor tracic The Utes didn't participate in last week's meet in Pocatello due to weather conditions Several members competed at Nebraska Dayna Smith-Pacfinished seventh in the 800 meters (2:1983) and second in the unk seeded section in the mile 00 - Softball: Defending WAC softball champion Cal State Northridge has been tabbed as the favorite once again in the 1994 preseason vote of the league's coaches The Matadors received five of votes and 47 eight points Utah was picked to finish fourth (33 points) while Southern Utah was picked to finish eighth (nine points) Four WAC teams are ranked in the national preseason top 25 — Cal State Northridge (sixth) Fresno State (seventh) Cal State Sacramento (23rd and the Utes (25th) The Utes open the season this weekend in the San Diego Tourfirst-plac- e nament Their first game is Long against fourth-ranke- d Beach State They also play Northridge No 15 Washington and No 16 Cal State Fullerton BYU: Wrestlers Push Oregon State In a season full of injuries and the Brigham disappointment Young wrestling team earned a moral victory The Cougars didn't beat nationally ranked Oregon State on Saturday but they did win four of the last five matches in a 9 loss "We knew they were going to be a good team" said coach Stan -Albright I was proud of our upper weights They did a good job" 23-1- In that upper-weig- rally ht BYU's Morgan Robertson (158) and Dustin Hiatt (177) each won by forfeit Then senior Scott Wyckoff (190) routed OSU's Chad Flack 15-- and heavyweight Sean Ponce earned a decision by taking down Reynold Gardner with just four seconds left in the match Earlier in the match Cougar senior Scott Eastmond (134) gave Babak Mohammadi a tough go before the OSU pulled away in the third period 2 4-- 2 been getting better and better- There were some close calls along the way After winning the first set sophomore Jennifer Saret trailed Houston's Catherine Bromfield 3 in the second set But won the next three games and rallied for a 3 victory At No 2 singles the Cougars Evi Koljanin was stretched to in her opening set against Cecilia Piedrahita in a match interupted by a leaky roof However Koljanin rolled to a 1 win in the second The Cougars anticipated a 6-- 2 2-- 6-- 7-- 5 6-- tougher match on Saturday against Duke But the Blue Devils were forced to cancel because of bad weather at home BIT' next faces Texas A&M on Friday at the indoor courts The Cougars then host Florida on Saturday Both matches begin at 4 pm Women's Tennis: The 17thranked Cougars may be peaking rout of HousIn last Friday's ton they didn't lose a set O D D Men's Track & Field Cougar freshman Felix Andam set two NCAA provisional qualifying marks at the Husker Invitational in Lincoln Neb Andam set his marks in the 55- meter dash (617) and in the 200- meter dash (2148) Senior Jason Pyrah also set a provisional mark with a second-plac- e finish in the mile at 4:0482 "We played exceptionally well" said coach Ann Valentine who is one match shy of her 400th placed second in the final in 14:2919 for a 7-- 3 win for the seadropped to son Up next for the Cougars is a Saturday match at Boise State BYTJ 2-- 8 DOD 9-- 0 Sophomore Craig Lawson 5000-mete- — Joe victory "Our level of play has r Baird SUU: Softball Lacks Experience Depth 1 rnimensmilignimuni 9-- 8 DOD Cl big-tim- way s Lakew-Davie- he has almost completely recovered Well then how do athletes overcome fear? Some say they are never afraid what psychologists call denial Says Bobby Unser Sr one of car racing's legendary figures: "You know people get killed but you always think it will be the other guy It won't be you" One of Unser's competitors over the years Mario Andretti said he never realized his wife's fears until his own son started racing "I make a lousy spectator I'm OK when I'm running with my son But when rm not going against him I can't watch" Psychologists and psychiatrists - have been studying the "athletic personality- for almost 30 years They found a macho world one they had hoped women would help soften Instead as women's sports grew the women quickly assumed male roles Denial exists everywhere Two basketball players Reggie Lewis of the Boston Celtics and Hank Gathers of LoyolaMarymount University in Los Angeles died after playing with diagnosed heart conditions Though few athletes acknowledge fear publicly the realization this could be the last ride the last race the last fight hovers in the subconscious They live in a world of broken bones crippling spinal cord injuries detached retinas Fighters end up brain damaged hockey players toothless football players with hip replacements and arthritis The fear is ubiquitous A baseball player feels it as he hits against a fastballing pitcher football players when they're about to line up across from a 250-pound linebacker lightweight jockeys as they mount a horse that may toss them into the path of several tons of thundering hooves But with pain and fear comes reward For the amateur athlete there is adulation or the high that comes with defying injury or death For the professional there is that and a lot more — the money that can be earned in e professional sports has become astronomical Troy Ailunan of the NFL's Dallas Cowboys recently signed a contract that will pay him $50 million over the next decade — six months after undergoing delicate back surgery that could have ended his career Ctrr's Ford Thunderbird went out of control and 25-mil- e d oval flipped in turn two on the C-- 6-- 6-- MMENNIZEIM seen" II Continued From 6-- 3 4-- 6 Athletes 'Willingly Face Fear for Shot at Personal Financial Rewards t5-5-4) Jason Brown took fifth in the 800 meters 6-- 8-- 3 DAYTONA BEACH Fla — Before its first victim of 1994 could even be buried the treacherous Daytona International Speedway oval took another life on Monday racer from Palm Coast Rodney Orr a r Fla was killed in a crash that Gary Nelson the Winston Cup director called "the worst I've ever Bhigham Stars Doubling Up On Opponents 3-- 6 6-- 6-- 1 MIMS (504 03r Amanda Hopkins was and llth in the high jump 7-- er - '- one-ca- look i -- tk Smith Utah"s No 1 singles 6 Other Utah player won winners were Jennifer Jensen and Clodaugh Bowyer Doubles winners were Jensen-BowyPalL and Smith-LisThe Lies are borne for two matches this week starting with Texas A&M at 4 pm Saturday and against Flbsida at 11 am Sunday The men's team beat Idaho Saturday Utah's Magnus Hjabnarson de3 feated Danny Parun 6 beat Johnston Shaun Ryan Kilpatrick 3 0 Other Ute winners were Chrisover Ezana tian Svennson 6- 3 Lakew Brian Conner 2 over Ameir Sufardirn and Alex Buxton 64 0 over Callum Davies In doubles the Utah team of Toby Curtis and Conner defeated MalmarCastrilli and Surfadm son-Svennson defeated Parun and Kilpatrik 2 and Johnston and Brandon Hodges defeated 7-- 5 1- The Olympic Spirit win over Houston s 4 Time! Share in 3T the women's tennis team to a 54 ' a i 1 - - N - Au - t -- A L ' 3't Utah: Smith Lifts Women's Tennis To Narrow Victory Over Houston Paul FraughtonThe Salt Lake Tribune The Kemp brothers Jon left and Jason are two big reasons the Bingham basketball team is standing tall in Region 3 this seasoa longtime coach didn't know which one to collect a soft drink from "I said 'You both owe me a Hawaiian Punch until one pays' " Sluga said Officials have made mistakes also said Valerie "Referees who don't pay attention give fouls to the wrong kid" Both players say they are competitive by nature but not with each other "We push each other to do better but we support each other We love being twins" said Jason "We're definitely best friends" adds Jon The twins have six of seven classes together at Bingham and are "always together" But after high school they have charted separate routes Jason wants to play college basketball and beeome an eye doctor He's applied at Ivy League schools such as Dartmouth and Brown soccer goalie Jon An wants to play soccer for Claremont College a Division III school in Southern California before becoming a patents attorney all-regi- Southern Utah softball coach Joy Peterson isn't concerned that are inexperienced her and don't have much depth Instead she considers it a positive — for the athletes "Yes we have a small squad this year but that simply means that every player is going to have an opportunity to contribute" Peterson said of her team "Every player will recognize that she will bear some responsibility for team success" With 11 underclassmen no seniors and no position considered have deep with talent the their work cut out for them Peterson says the have talent and barring any unusual circumstances they have adequate depth While most positions are already filled shortstop still is in question "It isn't so much about whether the talent is available as it is about who it will be manning that position" she said O D D Baseball: The in a reseason the building year opened with a pair of losses to Arizona State then split a doubleheader with the Brigham Young Cougars After losing 11 lettermen including top hitter Mickey Houston and pitcher Shane Wilde SUU is still hoping to improve last year's campaign with 18 to 20 victories SUU inched closer toward its six-wi- n goal with a 5 win over BYll but the Cougs roared back with a 25-victory in Saturday's second game 7-- 5 DOD Indoor Track: The men's and women's teams blazed through the first two meets of the indoor season with record setting efforts and will attempt to duplicate their performances at the Weber State Invitational on Saturday Freshman Stacie Kantor has already set and broke her own SUU record in the 55 meters (760 seconds) and the 200 meters (26:41) The men are scattering their a little more Ron Talbot has already set a school mark in the 55 meter hurdles (823) Keith Richards ran a 1:5576 in the 800 meters for a record and Curtis Loyd bounded to grab the long mark indoor jump reco- rd-setting El Gymnastics: The TBirds lost freshman Janice Gabehart for the season on Saturday when she injured her knee during the floor exercise competition at the San Jose meet however didn't let The the blow derail them said coach Scott Bauman "They really pulled together and were tough" Only leading by one point going to balance beam they rallied to capture the top three finishes and win the meet over UC Santa Barbara San Jose State and Sacramento State — Christine de Aragon ft 0191sM4eRNAlpoolkafS4Pol!::410415 5115 |