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Show NOVEMBER WASATCH COUNTY COURIER 1, 2000 — Al3 | Whimp ey Hefty On “Volleyball Peart” RUSS RIGGS “SPORTS EDITOR a national television audience on ESPN will ball,” grown muse | some of the alts’ adult filmstar with Edwards should be remembered for winning 250 plus football games, a _ is that the Utes lost running * | | | j= m season and the 4 off-season,” Janie Whimpey.. said. “She treats other me people really well. @ = She fights hard = but doesn’t create sfeelings —-with @ other players. | She’s very hum- ble.” | Whimpey attribwas going to m@ utes the success camps. She under= of this year’s team stands the game, ™ ““to great chemHeidi i Whimpey is very ‘competiistry and a stellar | tive, and hates to fide! She'll do anywork: ethic. They might not be the thing she can to not lose,” she most athletic, but come game time said.Although she stands only 5’4, their dedication pays off on the volleyWhimpey throws down the volleyball ball court. with the velocity of a Roger Clemens “I think we play well. iooentier ‘We’ re fastball. Years of learning from her not very tall, and we don’t have a star, older sisters have helped her perfect but we come together,” she said. this sweet stroke, the one that has “Coach Mellen has faith’ in us and bounced plenty of balls off opposing believes we can do it. It really helps.” ~ team’s noggins. Good teams may not always have “All my sisters played volleyball and > superstars, but leadership on and off _they taught me how to play,” she said. the court is vital. Fortunately, for the “As an outside hitter, I love to hit the Wasps, Whimpey has been one of ball in other players faces. I like the - those special leaders, and guided | power.” Wasatch through a great season. Besides dominating the outside hitter “I think my team trusts me and they position, Whimpey is an excellent set- _ think that I know what I’m doing. They ter and made first team all state at this : listen too me, ” she said. position. asa freshman. And, according to: Wasatch High coach Joe Mellen, she is skilled iin many areas of — el | —|- ; And so, when BYU = Ries meetae November bly be playing for pride and bragging rights. If you’re smart, you'll get an early start on _ Christmas shopping. better and better. She’s willing to pay the # price during the “By the time she was seven, she back Mike Anderson, and nobody has stepped up to fill his shoes. The once solid secondary has been burned all season long, with standouts Andre and Patrick Dyson are being beat more times than a snare drum. Quarterbacks Darnell Arceneaux and T.D. Croshaw haven’t shown the senior leadership qualities needed for a successful football program. 3 Yep, it’s been a pretty dismal year for Cougar and Ute fans. Maybe the _ Utes were over-hyped. Maybe the competition. has finally caught up with BYU. Whatever the case, watching BYU and Utah this year is like watching somebody drive a 1977 Camaro. You know that the Camaro was once a fine-_ ly tuned, beautiful machine. Now, it has engine problems, dents in the hood, and is now being driven by a guy with a mullet hair cut with faded Jordache jeans. Things just aren’t the same anymore. So, will the Cougars and Utes bust free from this quagmire oo ve stuck | themselves in? © ‘-cowpt it, ibecome to be the best.” Whimpey’s. mother, Janie, will verify her competitiveness. , a 3. 9 grade point a “She competes against herself to else. I always want | ‘national championship, and multiple conference titles, not for suffering humiliating losses to pathetic teams and suffering his —— lasing, season in _ 30 years. 3 ? The offense has failed to eee ote | move the ball, anid opposing teams — are having their way with the Cougar defense. Not | a particularly good combination for winning football games. 1 | The Utes, on the other hand, were picked to win the Mountain West i Conference. Some even talked of an undefeated season. All is quiet up on the hill now, however, after starting.0-4 and 1-2 in the conference. What the pre-season prognosticators forgot to remember . Whimpey where she carries average. said. “I would ae rather mess’ up & than somebody & State. ° bes competitive nature into the classroom More than anything, however, she _ hates to lose. In fact, DS mentioning the word losingg churns her stom- LS ach. | “lm so competitive, I hate to lose. | I always want the Bae watch these two miserable football teams see who can self-destruct first... | Just what has happened to local football teams anyway? Both BYU and Utah had high expectations this year, and now in late — October they barely have five wins between them. Everybody expected the ‘Cougars. to struggle early on with their brutal schedule. However, nobody expected BYU to get pounded 42-14 by oe and lose to 1- 9 San Diego | Poor Lavell Edwards. In this his final season, players taches to resemble the | | 1984 national championship team, hoping to rebariake. Now, at a measly 3-5, players look more like a low- level a porn-stache than first-class athletes. Off the court, a niaee © carries. oa the court. 25th, they will proba- wane ter at a 0-0 tie. What’s worse, - the same.” — ap anna This year, you see, November 25th is the date of the BYU- Utah Bethel | | game.” ’ Most years, it’s a competitive battle between two good football teams, with a conference title or a bowl bid on the line. aes This year might be a bit different. After 12 fumbles, eight te ere and hundreds of penalties the referees will call the game in the fourth quar- she hits the ball hard. She competes hard in practice and in games, and she pumps up her teammates so eet do een ovember 25th. THe day after ese eetmost people, but this year it will mean much more in the state of Utah. N She plays really good defense,” ie - gaid. “She’s not the biggest player, but _ ey e Wasatch High volleyball r team has been very successful this season, and a big part of this success is junior outside hitter _ Heidi. Whimpey. , _ Whimpey is among ‘team leaders in. kills and digs, and is a fiery leader on TT TTT EDITOR lot of determination and she covers well ~ on the court. 1 Vn a RUSS RIGGS SPORTS “She’s a focused player who has a ~ Volleyball Team Competes At State | picked region. many people here from our school. It’s | “We great that they want to support us,” better Wasatch outside hitter Heidi Whimpey | I was oo - desire Wasatch’s 1-2 record wasn’t adda enough for a top eight finish, but that then. “It’s doesn’t mean there wasn’t any posi| e Wasatch High volleyball tives to take away from team competed at the state tournament at UVSC this past week- “On. Saturday against Pineview we played one of our better matches all end, beating Ben Lomand and falling to Pineview and North Sanpete. _ were six feet plus. They played excellent defense,” Mellen said. Lomand on Friday but couldn’t rally to’ we didn’t execute,” Wasatch coach Joe. Mellen said. -Senior year, but they had several girls that _ The Wasps were hoping to build upon the 15-12, 15-13 victory over Ben win their final two matches of the season on Saturday. | “I was a little disappointed witli our losses, we didn’t have a lot of fire and the tourna- ment. _ | - And, although the Wasps didn’t fin| ish where they wanted to, just competing at the state tournament was an | ! cool. We’ ve setter never Laurel had this i hsseiacn “I look back and think that we had a great year.” felt the same way, Saying that the ener-_getic crowd kept the Wasps going. “I love going to state. Everyone is pumped and ready to play,” she said. Despite their finish at Fe TER One : Wasatch County's Source tor News af smart Now that the seasons over, is it too early to look ahead to next an Not according Gai. ~ Mellen, who’. sas giddy as a toddler on Christmas morning. . state, Wasatch had a very successful ne experience in itself. Teams from all over Utah invaded the McKay Events . finishing second i in region ~ 10 and. competing in -the: champiCenter and brought plenty of. fans, enthusiasm, and excitement with ‘ onship game. Not. bad for a team. — WASATCH COUNTY _ “We should be very competitive | - next season. We-have a lot of good jjun- _ lors coming back next year,’ he said. area reader to finish at the bottom of their | hada great season. We Priched than anyone thought we would. extremely impressed with the that the girls had,” Mellen said. is see” sear GE, thousand boneheadsFIT. Menken aa ta | ‘ RUSS RIGGS COURIER STAFF |